Likud ministers push Netanyahu to declare sovereignty over Judea & Samaria ahead of White House visit

Ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming trip to Washington, DC, this weekend, ministers from his Likud party issued a call to apply Israeli sovereignty to the territories of Judea and Samaria before the end of the summer Knesset session on July 27. 

The letter, written by 15 Likud ministers and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, was read aloud at the Knesset on Wednesday evening.

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was the only Likud minister who did not sign the letter. He is currently in Washington for talks with U.S. officials ahead of Netanyahu’s visit. 

The text of the statement reads: 

"We, ministers and Knesset members, call for the immediate application of Israeli sovereignty and law to Judea and Samaria. This is the time for the government to approve a decision on the application of sovereignty before the end of the Knesset's summer session.” 

"After the historic achievements of the State of Israel under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the face of Iran's axis of evil and its proxies, the work must be completed and the existential threat at home must be removed, and another massacre in the heart of the country must be prevented."

"The strategic partnership and the backing and support of the United States and President Donald Trump create a time of desire to lead the process now and ensure Israel's security for generations."

"The October 7 massacre proved that the doctrine of the settlement blocs and the establishment of a Palestinian state in the rest of the territory is an existential danger to Israel. It's time for sovereignty!” 

The Egyptian government condemned the call for Israeli sovereignty, saying such statements “violate international law and aim to entrench the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.” 

“The Arab Republic of Egypt emphasizes its rejection of the blatant Israeli violations in the West Bank, including military incursions, arrests, and the expansion of illegal settlement construction, which coincides with the crimes taking place in the Gaza Strip that aim to undermine all elements of life for the struggling Palestinian people,” the statement said. 

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also condemned the demand to apply sovereignty, calling it a "violation of international legitimacy resolutions."

#Statement | The Foreign Ministry expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation and denunciation of the statements made by an official from the Israeli occupation authorities calling for the imposition of sovereignty over the West Bank in Palestine, in violation of… pic.twitter.com/h2rIlLKtZH

— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) July 2, 2025

Israel took the territories of Judea and Samaria from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War. Before that point, Jordan had annexed the territories and declared them to be part of Jordan.

Jews living in the territories before Jordan annexed them in 1948 were forcibly displaced, with most fleeing to Israeli-controlled territory.

Arabs living in those territories during the time of Jordanian control were considered Jordanian citizens, and many still possess Jordanian passports. 

While various Israeli leaders have promised to apply Israeli sovereignty either to the whole territory, or to the Israeli settlements within the territories, no leader has ever attempted do so.

During the 2019-2020 election campaign, Netanyahu promised on several occasions that if he were elected, he would immediately apply sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea areas. 

“We will implement Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and the Northern Dead Sea without delay. We will apply Israeli law to all communities in the West Bank without exception,” he promised in January 2020.