The chairman of the "Together" party, Naftali Bennett, addressed the issue of outpost farms and construction in Judea and Samaria on Monday evening, clarifying that while he supports legal construction in Area C, he opposes illegal building.
"As far as I am concerned, legal construction in Area C on state land that is not private Palestinian property is welcome," Bennett said. "Construction that is illegal, or not within Area C, or built on private land, is illegitimate."
When asked whether he would act to evacuate illegally established projects, he replied, "What is illegal will not stand." He further added that he supports legal settlement in Area C because, he stated, "ultimately, Area C will be part of the State of Israel, and Areas A and B will be part of the Palestinian autonomy."
The remarks triggered a fierce backlash from Finance Minister and Religious Zionist party chairman Bezalel Smotrich.
"Now Bennett, who intends to serve as a minister in [Gadi] Eisenkot’s government, is saying it out loud: he will evacuate the farms," Smotrich wrote.
Smotrich added that "Bennett is saying a 'Palestinian autonomy' will be established - meaning a terror state in the heart of the country." He continued, "An Eisenkot government will establish a Palestinian terror state and destroy the new communities and agricultural farms. They must not be allowed to form the next government."
Israel Ganz, the head of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, also slammed Bennett's statements: "Naftali Bennett announced tonight the establishment of a terror state just ten minutes from his own home in Ra'anana. We are already facing an army of some 50,000 armed Palestinian Authority forces - a corrupt, terror-incentivizing entity backed by Iran. After the massacre in the Gaza envelope, only someone completely detached from reality could propose handing strategic territories in the heart of the country over to this army. This is political suicide that puts the lives of millions of Israelis at risk. We will not allow the cities of central Israel to become the country's next Gaza envelope."
The head of the Kedumim local council, Ozel Vatik, responded: "Bennett's defeatist statement proves that he is not just on the left, but on the far left. Anyone who wants to prevent the next massacre in Rosh HaAyin and Ra'anana must continue to advance the farm outposts project, which is also supported by the defense establishment. Furthermore, they must understand that the only path forward requires canceling the Oslo Accords and its delusional, dangerous division into Areas A, B, and C."