Oslo accords

"The time has come for us to finally erase the lines that distinguish between Areas A, B, and C, the entire Land of Israel is ours," Smotrich said at the Religious Zionist Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva.

In past efforts by Israel to expand control in the West Bank, the US has called for maintaining stability in the area, adding that US President Donald Trump has not backed total annexation.

We are all Jews living in the same small, besieged country. We all lost friends and family on October 7. We all want our children to grow up safely.

Once a key player, Europe now risks being viewed as a marginal player in the Middle East.

The Israel-Hamas War began when the Muslim Brotherhood founded Hamas in 1988, during the First Intifada. Hamas’s primary and immediate goal was to prevent any acceptance of Israel.

Jews are not the instigators, motivators, or causes of Palestinian violence; the tragic cycle of violence and terrorism stems entirely from the Palestinians’ own choices.

The de facto annexation of the West Bank is the natural byproduct of a political system where words are cheap and real power operates without transparency.

Smotritch suggested the dismantling of the PA in favor of creating a new military administration to govern the area, with the ultimate aim of applying full Israeli sovereignty over the region.

In many ways, this makes Judea and Samaria a new Israeli region, similar to Gush Dan or Shfela, thus preventing any territorial concession, let alone the creation of a Palestinian state.

After 33 years in diplomacy, Israel’s Gil Haskel says the country has more friends than its media reflects - and offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the handshakes that shape foreign policy.