Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, MK Avi Dichter: "The time is ripe to apply sovereignty to our territories in Judea and Samaria."

During the meeting, Minister Dichter told the council heads:
“Agriculture and settlement are critical to each other. My policy on the matter is clear – our Ministry will use every tool at our disposal to support agriculture and farmers in Judea and Samaria (Yehuda and Shomron), which will bring important progress for the food security of Israel.”

At the beginning of the meeting, the Minister presented the Food Security Plan 2050 and shared with the participants the vision that was recently translated into a government resolution – to increase agricultural output by one-third over the next decade (by 2035). He expressed his appreciation for the farmers in Judea and Samaria, who bring a significant contribution to advancing the government decision and to preserving food security, alongside the strategic importance of cultivating the vast agricultural lands, both for crops and for grazing areas in Judea & Samaria.

Following this, the heads of the councils shared their specific challenges, which were addressed by the Minister and senior officials from all departments of the Ministry who participated in the meeting, in order to effectively connect the challenges and problems with the relevant professional personnel directly responsible.

To conclude, the Minister ordered the establishment of a joint professional team between the Yesha Council and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, which will explore how to bring about a major breakthrough for Israeli agriculture and national food security, thanks to the unique nature of agricultural development and contributions of farmers in Judea and Samaria.

At the end of the meeting, Minister Dichter stated:
“A meeting like this with the heads of the Yesha Council – even the Ministry’s elders can't recall such a thing. This is a revolution, stemming from my clear policy in the Ministry – strengthening agriculture in Judea and Samaria and providing substantial support for the farmers themselves.

I want to be clear – under my leadership, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is committed to a flourishing and prosperous agriculture from the Mediterranean coast to the Jordan River. I am pleased to find in the Yesha Council a serious partner for the long-term plans we are leading.

Thanks to young and energetic farmers, significant land reserves, and our Ministry’s support – including lowering water prices, providing access to advanced agricultural technologies, and allocating lands – we will be able to move forward together toward a country that has food security, regardless of whether our enemies surprise us by cutting off our ability to import. We are in a historic window of opportunity that must not be missed – the time has come to apply Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.”

“I thank my friends from the Yesha Council, especially my friend Yisrael Gantz, for a productive and enlightening meeting, which opens the door to further meetings and many great joint initiatives.”

Yisrael Gantz, Head of the Binyamin Regional Council and Chairman of the Yesha Council, summarized the discussion and said:
“Judea and Samaria can be at the forefront of Israeli agriculture, but to achieve that, bureaucratic barriers must be removed, and the communities must be allowed to manage the land and agricultural reserves as is done elsewhere in the country. One of our central challenges stems from the fact that Israeli law does not apply in Judea and Samaria. The time has come to apply sovereignty – the moment has arrived.

We thank the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Avi Dichter – a longstanding and dedicated friend of the settlement enterprise – for righting a historic wrong by approving, for the first time, grazing grants for farmers in Judea and Samaria, and for his support in applying sovereignty in the region, as well as for the shared partnership and collaborative work for the future of the settlements.”