The United States on Monday harshly criticized Israel’s decision to walk back legislation barring Israeli citizens from entering Homesh in northern Samaria.
“We are deeply troubled by the Israeli government’s order that allows its citizens to establish a permanent presence in the Homesh outpost in the northern West Bank, which according to Israeli law was illegally built on private Palestinian land,” said U.S. State Department spokesman Matt Miller.
“And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Luke 21:24
On May 18, Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs, head of Israel Defense Forces Central Command, signed an order allowing Israelis to enter Homesh, one of the four Jewish communities in northern Samaria evacuated during the 2005 disengagement.
The directive also placed the area under the jurisdiction of the Samaria Regional Council.
The order was issued by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in the wake of a Knesset vote in March to repeal articles of the 2005 “disengagement law” banning Israelis from entering Homesh, Sa-Nur, Ganim and Kadim, as well as 21 communities in the Gaza Strip.
“This order is inconsistent with both former [Israeli] Prime Minister [Ariel] Sharon’s written commitment to the Bush administration in 2004 and the current Israeli government’s commitments to the Biden administration. Advancing Israeli settlements in the West Bank is an obstacle to the achievement of a two-state solution,” said Miller on Monday.
Miller also slammed Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit on Sunday to the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site.
“We are also concerned by today’s provocative visit to the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif in Jerusalem and the accompanying inflammatory rhetoric,” Miller’s statement continued.
“This holy space should not be used for political purposes, and we call on all parties to respect its sanctity.
Ben-Gvir said during his visit to the site on Sunday that despite Hamas threats, Israel remains sovereign of the Temple Mount and all of Israel.
Read More @ JNS HERE
