Israeli FM Sa'ar: International community acts discriminatorily against Jews in Judea and Samaria

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar rejected on Wednesday criticism from multiple Western governments concerning the existence and expansion of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank. Sa’ar argued that Western policies are discriminating against Jews living in Judea and Samaria, which is historically considered the heartland of the Land of Israel. 

"Israel strongly rejects the statement issued by foreign countries regarding the cabinet decision on settlements in Judea and Samaria," he stated. "Foreign governments will not restrict the right of Jews to live in the land of Israel, and any such call is morally wrong and discriminatory against Jews."

Furthermore, Sa’ar explained that the 11 new approved Jewish communities will be constructed in Area C and “situated on state land” and the government in Jerusalem has also formalized eight additional communities that were previously considered illegal. The foreign minister argued that the new Jewish communities were partly a response to security threats against the State of Israel. 

Sa’ar's comments came after multiple countries including Germany, Canada and United Kingdom condemned the Israeli government’s decision to expand Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. 

"We call on Israel to reverse this decision, as well as the expansion of settlements," the countries urged in a joint statement. Other countries that criticized the expansion of Jewish communities included Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain.

"We recall that such unilateral actions, as part of a wider intensification of the settlement policies in the West Bank, not only violate international law but also risk fueling instability," the statement added.

Most of the international community views Israeli communities in the West Bank as illegal. However, the Jewish state disputes this position and argues that the Jewish people have historical and legal rights in the area. In addition, Pro-Israel legal experts have argued that Samaria and Judea should be viewed as disputed rather than “occupied” given the fact that Palestine has never existed as an independent state. 

Sa'ar went on to quote the 1917 Balfour Declaration and the San Remo Conference of 1920, which recognize "the right of the Jewish people to establish its national home extends over the entire territory of 'Mandatory Palestine.' These rights were preserved in Article 80 of the Charter of the United Nations."

Sa’ar concluded by criticizing the western governments for ignoring illegal construction carried out in the area by the Palestinian Authority. 

"In the aforementioned statement, the blatant silence of foreign states regarding the Palestinian Authority’s illegal construction in Area C is extremely striking," he stated.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz recently floated the idea of building new Jewish communities in northern Gaza. 

“With God’s help, when the time comes, also in northern Gaza, we will establish Nahal pioneer groups in place of the settlements that were evacuated,” Katz stated. “We’ll do it in the right way, at the appropriate time."

However, the Israeli government quickly dismissed the idea of building Jewish communities in Gaza. 

“The government has no intention of establishing settlements in the Gaza Strip. The defense minister emphasized the central principle of border defense in every arena: the IDF is the first and last line of defense for Israel’s citizens, and the State of Israel relies for its defense only on it and on the security forces,” Jerusalem stated.

The Trump administration has stressed that it opposes Jewish communities in Gaza, which Washington views as an obstacle to advancing the Gaza ceasefire plan. 

“The more Israel provokes, the less the Arab countries want to work with them,” an unnamed U.S. official said.