MK Smotrich in Mitzpe Kramim
MK Smotrich in Mitzpe KramimNational Union

The head of the National Union (a faction within the Yamina party) MK Betzalel Smotrich, MK Ofir Sofer (Yamina), the director-general of the National Union Yehuda Wald, and former MK Orit Struk toured parts of Samaria, Binyamin, and the Jordan Valley on Sunday.

They traveled first to Nofei Nehemia and from there continued to Havat Gilad in order to meet with Itai Zer and Yael Shevach, where they heard about the bureaucratic difficulties experienced in trying to gain legal recognition for the settlement. They went from there to Reches Hagidonim on the hills of Itamar where they met with representatives from the Shilo area and learned of the ongoing challenges for members of this young community. Their tour concluded in Mevo’ot Yericho in the Jordan Valley.

Also on their itinerary was the community of Mitzpe Kramim, designated for evacuation and destruction by the Supreme Court just two weeks ago. They were joined there by the head of the Binyamin Regional Council, Yisrael Gantz, and also spoke with several local residents.

“Mitzpe Kramim is a regular town in every way,” MK Smotrich asserted. “The Supreme Court’s ruling was political in nature, and extremely unfortunate. It’s absolutely unthinkable that we should let Mitzpe Kramim be demolished. We’re not going to repeat the mistakes of Amona, and we’re not going to even discuss transplanting the community someplace else, or consider any other ‘creative’ solution. We don’t evacuate communities, period. There is one solution to this and one solution only, and that is legislating the Override Clause and a new regulatory law.”

MK Ofir Sofer echoed Smotrich’s words, adding: “When the Supreme Court issued a ruling that would eliminate an entire community, it gave us no other option than to advance the Override Clause. Given the situation, even the Likud party will be forced to support it and vote in favor.”

Council head Yisrael Gantz noted that, “The residents of Mitzpe Kramim were sent here by the government, and this Supreme Court ruling is a terrible injustice to them. Successive prime ministers signed the orders deciding on where their homes were to be built. This evacuation must not be allowed to go ahead. The residents are not flower pots that can be moved from place to place. The government has an obligation to find a way to grant the community legal status so that it can continue to grow and flourish.”

Commenting on the ongoing challenges experienced by many residents of Judea and Samaria, National Union director-general Yehuda Wald said, “During our tour today, we heard about the many difficulties residents deal with – electricity, water, infrastructure, and so forth. The residents of these communities are the emissaries of the entire Jewish People and we should stop treating them like second-class citizens who need to come begging for improvements to their quality of life. This is a primary concern of the entire Zionist project and should be at the top of the agenda.”

בצלאל סמוטריץ' במצפה כרמים: "אסור לחזור על טעויות עמונה"