Bennett in Kiryat Arba
Bennett in Kiryat Arbaצילום: דוד וויל

Defense Minister and chairman of Yamina Naftali Bennett took part in the inauguration ceremony of the Nofei Karmim neighborhood of Kiryat Arba this afternoon (Sunday).

"This is a very special day when Israeli sovereignty [in Judea and Samaria] is at hand," he proclaimed.

"The Trump plan contains tremendous potential and ample opportunities for us, but is accompanied with tremendous danger," continued Bennett. He said that "Those who have [examined the details of] the plan will see the term 'Palestinian state' 159 times while 'sovereignty' is mentioned on only 13 occasions. We must not mislead ourselves."

"I strongly oppose handing over even an inch of Jewish land to the Arabs," Bennett continued. "In the Trump plan [as it appears at the moment], Hebron does not appear. We are on our way to fulfilling the vision of sovereignty, and there is no place where Israeli sovereignty has more justification than the City of the Patriarchs."

"We will insist that the Tomb of the Patriarchs, and the entire Jewish community of Hebron be within the area of Israeli sovereignty as mapped out prior to the elections."

The Defense Minister said, "When I took office, I found a neighborhood in Hebron that had been awaiting [building permit] approval for years. Not a single building had been constructed in Hebron for 22 years. I was flooded with threats, but we did [what needed to be done].

"The State of Israel should not refrain from doing the right thing in the face of the Arabs' threats and violence."

Regarding the elevator project in the Tomb of the Patriarchs, Bennett stated, "I would like to make another update: Two months ago, I approved the design of the elevator project in the Tomb of Patriarchs. I can report here for the first time that the design has been completed."

"I expect the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister's support for this initiative and will need their approval."

"We will put an end to the long-standing discrimination in the Tomb of the Patriarchs. Individuals with disabilities should [also] be provided an opportunity to visit. This is how settlement development looks - in deeds and not in words," the Defense Minister quipped.

Regarding the Left's attacks of his treatment of the Gaza incident this morning, Bennett stated that, "Since the [incident], the Left has launched an attack on the IDF for retrieving the body of one of the terrorists. I will make no apologies to them. Hypocrites: we're sick of you!"

"He who is merciful towards the cruel will become cruel to the merciful," he said, quoting from the Talmud. "We're essentially being asked to conduct a courtesy workshop against the enemy. The lives of Israeli citizens take precedent to those of the enemy. And those who didn't enjoy seeing [the retrieval of the terrorists' remains] on TV can simply turn it off."