About 150 key figures from Jewish communities from across the United States participated on Sunday in the first day of the Judea and Samaria Virtual Mega Event.
The conference was held in a collaboration between the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), the Yesha Council and My Israel in order to present the hot topics relating to the future of Judea and Samaria.
Speakers included MK Ofir Akunis (Likud); MK Nir Barkat (Likud); Louie Gohmert, Member of the United States House of Representatives on behalf of Texas; Yigal Dilmoni, Executive Director of the Yesha Council; Sarah Haetzni Cohen, Head of My Israel; Mort Klein, National President of ZOA; Dan Illouz, Israel Director of the Shilo Forum. The next meetings will take place on February 20 and March 6.
During the conference, MK Akunis said, “I am very worried about the future of Judea and Samaria. In the current government, you can hear the statements of the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and also the ministers in this government who call themselves right-wing push a two-state solution. Recently, the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Foreign Affairs invited representatives from the Palestinian Authority to their home, where they talked about the establishment of a Palestinian state.
MK Nir Barkat (Likud) revealed his plan to bring a solution to the conflict and to create a good life in Judea and Samaria and said, "The more the Arabs in Judea and Samaria cooperate in the economic space, the better their situation will be. And where there is more cooperation, there is more security."
Rep. Gohmert said, "Israel will not be able to defend its borders without Judea and Samaria staying a part of the State of Israel. The United States supports Israel and it is good that it continue to do so."
Yigal Dilmoni, Director General of the Yesha Council, said, "We come across a lot of inaccurate and false information about Judea and Samaria that is presented in the media and networks in the United States, and about how the IDF operates here. This is our second year organizing a virtual event of this magnitude, with hundreds of attendees from across the United States. The Yesha Council will continue such actions in order to bring the truth from the field to the whole world. "
Sarah Haetzni Cohen, chairwoman of my Israel movement, "Precisely in this time of geographical distance imposed in the wake of COVID-19, it is important to continue engaging with hundreds of our partners from around the world in strategic matters and to defend our right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state. This conference joins a series of steps we are taking to deliver and connect the world to the truth."
Dan Illouz, ZOA's Israel Director, said, "Despite the line of the progressive wing of the extreme left, Judea and Samaria enjoys huge support in the US as we see through the hundreds of participants today. Judea and Samaria is not the problem, but the solution to regional economic growth, regional peace, and the key to the Jewish identity of the State of Israel."
Mort Klein, ZOA's National President, said: "This is a very important event where we talked about the Jewish people's rights to Judea and Samaria, the heart of our land. Judea and Samaria is the cradle of our long biblical and Jewish history."
"Three weeks ago, the new US ambassador, Thomas Nides. stated outrageously that he will absolutely not visit the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, but he will of course visit Mahmoud Abbas, the terror supporting leader of the PA. This is outrageous!
"ZOA will continue the effort to win the battle and spread the truth for the hearts and minds on campuses, in Congress and in the media. This event is a part of this great effort. "