Address of the Yesha Coucil Chairman

To our beloved residents of Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley, and to our friends in Israel and around the world,

The Yesha Council has been working for

Every step of the way, we understand the magnitude of the responsibility that lies on our shoulders, as the public servants in these historical bible lands. We are excited to see Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley grow, flourish and thrive. We thank each and every one of you for the great support and sympathy.

Together with the heads of councils that make up the Yesha Council, we redefined the vision and strategy for the organization. We are in the midst of local, national and international procedures that affect us, and in doing so, we set two important goals in mind:

The first goal is the vision of one million. The mission is to populate the communities in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley with at least one million residents in a decade and a half. We're not that far off. After years of struggles and challenges from home and abroad, we were able to reach approximately 463,000 residents. Despite the years the development was frozen, we maintained an annual growth rate (4.1%), higher than all other parts of the country. We are constantly building and developing the communities, so hopefully soon we can welcome the one millionth resident of a region which was desolate from Israelis a mere 53 years ago.

The second goal is the application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley. On one bright morning in 1981, Prime Minister Menachem Begin decided to apply Israeli law to the Golan, and he did. And so on that evening, the Golan became part of the sovereign state of Israel, as it remains to this day. We are working to strengthen public consciousness and parliamentary action for sovereignty, and indeed see good progress. This includes the clear statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that during the upcoming Knesset, the State of Israel will begin sovereignty in the region. Together with the American statement that Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria are legal and do not pose an obstacle to the future. We hope that the Government of Israel and the Knesset will act bravely, and make the decision to apply Israeli sovereignty to us as well.

As these two goals are engraved on our hearts, we look forward fearlessly. Despite difficult challenges and struggles, we are confident in the justice of our path, and know that together we can overcome any obstacle.

We wish all our friends and supporters in this country and in the world, may we continue to love the country and its community, out of the love of the people and the homeland.

Best regards,

David Elhayani

Chairman of the Yesha Council

Chairman of the Jordan Valley Regional Council