Blue and White Minister for Eventual Sovereignty in Yehudah and Shomron

Diaspora Affairs Minister Omer Yankelevich (Blue and White) said on Tuesday that “Yehudah and Shomron are the lands of our forefathers. Some people talk of these places in terms of benefit and cost.

“We must always stress that this is our land, we should not be ashamed to say it. Applying sovereignty should eventually be our goal, under the right conditions,” said Yankelovich during a visit with Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan and other local leaders.

Yankelovitch’s statement did not conflict with party chairman Benny Gantz’s definition of the “right conditions” which rules out annexation that is not in consultation with Israel’s neighbors, which effectively rules out annexation for the foreseeable future, as Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt are all vehemently opposed.

During the visit, local leaders criticized Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu‏‏’s statement earlier this week that plans for annexation are still alive in Washington.

“To claim in a Likud meeting that they are waiting for a green light from the Americans is absurd,” they said, according to Arutz Sheva. “The Americans say that this is Israel’s decision and that’s the way it should be. Israel needs to act in her own interests.”