Former Kiryat Arba Head Calls for Israeli Sovereignty Over West Bank to Ensure Equal Rights

Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, recently ordered the transfer of civilian enforcement powers over Israeli citizens in the West Bank from the military to the Israeli police. This move is welcomed as it aligns the treatment of settlers with that of other Israeli citizens, removing military involvement in civilian matters. However, former Kiryat Arba council head and Noam LeIsrael party candidate, Lt. Col. (res.) Avi Maoz, argues that this step is insufficient without a broader, more comprehensive solution.

Maoz emphasizes that the Land of Israel, particularly Judea and Samaria and significant sites like Hebron, Rachel's Tomb, and Joseph's Tomb, is the ancestral heritage of the Jewish people and a unifying factor for the nation. He highlights the ongoing inequality between Israeli citizens living in these areas and those in Israel proper, a disparity persisting since the Six-Day War in 1967. Maoz asserts that true equality requires applying Israeli sovereignty over these territories, making places like Gush Etzion, Mount Hebron, Mateh Binyamin, and the Jordan Valley equal to regions such as Gush Dan, the Galilee, and the Arava.

Implementing sovereignty would allow the Israel Defense Forces to focus solely on counterterrorism, enable settlement growth, and rectify decades of discrimination. Maoz calls this the necessary Zionist act in the current reality and expresses hope that the next Knesset will complete the sovereignty legislation initiated by Noam LeIsrael chairman MK Avi Maoz. This would affirm Israel's permanent presence and rights in these lands to both Israelis and the international community.

Summary: Former Kiryat Arba leader Avi Maoz supports Defense Minister Katz's transfer of civilian enforcement in the West Bank to Israeli police but insists that full Israeli sovereignty must be applied to ensure equal rights for settlers and strengthen Israel's hold on the territory.