Yisrael Gantz, the head of the Binyamin Regional Council, has been meeting with over 20 members of the U.S. Congress in the last few days, as he organizes a lobby on behalf of the Settlement Enterprise with the aim of drawing attention to the various issues and challenges facing the Jews of Judea and Samaria.
Gantz has met with senior figures from both political parties, most of whom are already known to him from his previous visits and from their visits to Israel, and with whom he has been in continuous contact. Accompanying him on his visit are Eliana Pasentin, the director of the foreign affairs bureau on the Binyamin Regional Council, and also Ruti Liberman, the Council’s adviser on Israel-U.S. relations.
Gantz arrived in the United States armed with statistics and presentations showing Palestinian terrorist activities against Jews in communities across the Green Line, hoping to counter the recent narrative of left-wing organizations which have been accusing the Jews of Judea and Samaria of initiating violence against Palestinians. He stressed the importance of face-to-face talks with American officials, especially in light of statements made by members of Israel’s own government in support of the left-wing narrative.
Among his presentations to members of the Senate and Congress, Gantz displayed a graph showing a worrying spike in terrorist incidents against Jews in Judea and Samaria over the last year. He also stressed the importance of confronting Palestinian incursions into swathes of Judea and Samaria, de facto taking control of large portions of land, and asked members of Congress to do what they can to help on this issue.
Following his meeting with Gantz, Congressman Robert Aderholt of Alabama expressed his “grave concern at illegal building activities by the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria.” He added that, “The United States must regard with the greatest of concern the increase in terrorist incidents perpetrated by Arabs in Judea and Samaria, and must see it as our obligation to prevent such incidents from occurring in any manner possible. I will be working to see that the administration indeed does so. I was delighted to meet with the head of the Binyamin Regional Council, and I promised him that I will always support the settlements,” he added.
Congressman Andy Harris also met with Gantz, following which he emphasized that he would be demanding clarifications from the European Union regarding its involvement in de facto Palestinian takeovers of land in Judea and Samaria via illegal construction. “What I understood from the facts presented to me is that the European Union is cooperating with this process, and also funding it,” he said. “This is extremely worrying, and I will be demanding clarifications from the EU.”
Gantz also met with Congressman Andy Barr, ranking member on the Subcommittee on National Security, International Development, & Monetary Policy, and during their meeting he presented data and documentation showing serious environmental pollution caused by the Palestinian Authority. Barr called on the U.S. administration to ensure that there is sufficient oversight on the ultimate destination of the financial support it provides to the Palestinian Authority, “in order to verify that the PA ceases to willfully neglect environmental concerns.”
Summarizing his trip, Gantz said, “Members of Congress from both parties showed great interest and expressed grave concern at the presentations we made to them. Even those who do not agree with us found their approach soften and their opposition to our activities weaken. As long as extreme left-wing organizations continue their campaign to malign us, supported by government ministers who express similar views, we will continue to come here to present the truth – and we are succeeding in doing so. I wish to express my gratitude to all the members of Congress who are advancing measures vis-à-vis the American administration and also the European Union on matters of great importance to the State of Israel and to the Settlement Enterprise in Judea and Samaria. We will continue to work with them in close cooperation.”
As his visit draws to a close, Gantz will be devoting his attention to meetings with members of U.S. Jewish communities and to donors supporting the Settlement Enterprise, providing much-needed funding for the building of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.