US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Middle East affairs, Avi Berkowitz, is visiting Israel and is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi to advance President Trump's “Deal of the Century”.
Yossi Dagan, the head of the Samaria Regional Council, on Sunday invited Berkowitz to visit those communities in Samaria that may be "isolated" after sovereignty is implemented under the “Deal of the Century”.
"Before you meet with the Prime Minister and the Israeli team, come to Samaria to see it with your own eyes, meet with the people and understand reality. Come to Elon Moreh and meet the people, see the Tomb of Joseph, Mount Gerizim, Mount Bracha, the altar of Joshua on Mount Ebal," Dagan said.
He further said, "Go up to Itamar and look at the three seas from one place, view Mount Hermon from Yitzhar, and meet the wonderful residents of Mevo Dotan and Hermesh who live over the Biblical Dotan Valley."
"I would love to host you on a tour and personally show you the region. It is important for me to stress that the responsibility for establishing facts in every area, and certainly in asserting Israeli sovereignty, is solely the responsibility of the Israeli government. It is equally important to me to stress that we respect President Donald Trump, the best president for Israel in its entire existence, and you are also known as a great Israel lover, but for the purpose of establishing a position, ‘a judge has only that which his eyes see.’”
Dagan added that the “judge” in this case is the government of Israel but added that “as a friendly and sympathetic government that is in close contact with the State of Israel it is important that you, too, behave as a judge and come to see the territory.”
"You represent a sympathetic government that comes to determine the US government's position on the issue, and in order to determine the position, you need to get to know the area,” he continued.
In conclusion, Dagan said, "The sympathetic Trump administration is important to us, and whenever you want, we will be happy to host you and get to know the places and people that the entire world is talking about."