Doubling the number of Jews in Judea and Samaria is the strategic imperative of the next two years. Op-ed by Yonaton Behar.
For decades, Israelis have debated the future of Judea and Samaria. Some speak about borders, others about diplomacy, and still others about security arrangements. But after the trauma of the October 7 attacks, one truth has become unmistakably clear: Israel cannot afford illusions about geography, sovereignty, or demography.
The next two years present a rare and historic window of opportunity. With Donald Trump serving as President of the United States, Israel has an administration in Washington that has previously demonstrated unprecedented understanding of Israel’s historical rights and security needs.
Today, Israel must apply that lesson to Judea and Samaria. First and foremost, Judea and Samaria are not foreign lands. They are the cradle of Jewish civilization. Hebron, Shiloh, Beit El, and countless other places in this region are where the Bible unfolded and where the Jewish nation first took root. For the Jewish people, these hills are not merely strategic terrain-they are sacred inheritance.
For thousands of years, Jews prayed to return to the land promised to our forefathers. The connection between the Jewish people and this land is recorded in Scripture, reaffirmed through centuries of exile, and realized in the rebirth of the State of Israel. Building Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria is therefore not an act of expansion-it is an act of return.
The Million-Jew Plan: Israel should adopt a clear national goal: bring one million Jews to Judea and Samaria within the next two years. This is ambitious-but entirely achievable.
AFSI’s take:
Passover celebrates some of the greatest miracles ever experienced in Jewish history and is a time to reach above nature to the miraculous. So we say, L’Shana Haba’ah for a Whole Israel!
Source:A million Jews in Judea and Samaria, by Yonaton Behar/Israel National News, April 1, 2026