Minister Ze'ev Elkin, a minister in the Ministry of Finance and a member of cabinet, warns against applying limited sovereignty only to the settlement blocs.
"This would be a serious mistake. It would convey weakness and create a feeling that we are giving up the rest of the area. This must not happen," Elkin said at the Arutz Sheva and Samaria Council Conference.
He mentioned that over a decade ago he led bills to apply sovereignty as a member of Knesset, when it was considered impossible: "Today it has become common knowledge on the Right, and this is exactly what I had hoped, that the idea would become a consensus and from there we would reach practical implementation."
Continuing his remarks, the minister referred to international attempts to establish a Palestinian state and emphasized that "Israel's answer must be practical. Massive promotion of construction in Judea and Samaria in strategic locations such as E1, Ma'ale Adumim and Ariel, and also the application of sovereignty. We don't have to wait for terrorist attacks or UN resolutions to act. The time has come for sovereignty."
Elkin also referred to his handling of the reconstruction of the war damage in the south and north. "This is one of the most important national issues today. In the south, 95% of the residents have already returned home, there are 2,000 more students than before the war, and we will double the population in the Tekuma region to 120,000. In the north, we will add 100,000 new residents to the border line. This is the true Zionist answer, to return bigger and stronger."