Arutz Sheva spoke to leaders of Judea and Samaria following the visit of former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the region on Sunday.
“We are definitely full of gratitude to Secretary Pompeo for what he did during his term as Secretary [of State]. In the past we’ve seen endless politicians who finished their position and were preparing for the next position coming to visit, touching base, touching the people, understanding that what goes on here has a lot of influence on the American political system, and I guess this is a visit just like that. Summarizing the past, preparing for the future,” said Efrat Mayor Oded Revivi.
Nadia Matar, co-chair of the Sovereignty Movement, said, “We were invited to come here and say thank you to those who declare that the Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria is not illegal and it’s completely according to international law.”
At the same time she added, “Our being here does not mean that we do agree with the Trump plan. As you very well know, we opposed the Trump plan, because had we agreed to a Palestinian state, then this new administration would have implemented the part of the Palestinian state. We are here to tell and remind the majority who are in favor of the Republicans that, according to the Bible, the entire Land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel. The moment you will no longer talk about a Palestinian state, you will also be victorious.”
Daniella Weiss, Director of the Nachala Settlement Movement, told Arutz Sheva, “Israel and the US are good friends, two great democracies, but I do have words of criticism. During the time of Obama, there was a settlement freeze. During the time of Trump, there was just ‘restraint’. Why restrain us?”
She noted past statements from Pompeo that the Palestinian Arabs are poor and the US needs to take care of the poor Arabs and said, “There is no poverty here anymore, and yet there is restraint on the Jewish communities in the heartland of the Jewish nation. After meeting Mike Pompeo, I think the right thing to say is ‘no more restraint on the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.’”