Knesset member (MK) Dan Illouz has introduced a bill to annex the Jordan Valley.
Under the proposed legislation Israel would impose full sovereignty over all Jordan Valley territories, a move that would take effect on October 7, 2024, the first-year anniversary of the Hamas-led invasion and massacre of some 1,200 people in southern Israel.
Illouz, who serves as chair of the Jordan Valley Sovereignty Caucus, introduced the bill together with a group of right-wing Knesset members, a move he said will represent a victory and link the imposition of sovereignty to this fateful date. He was joined in the move by the Sovereignty Movement.
“A true victory will be possible only when the enemy feels that October 7th was a mistake, turning it into a day of mourning for them,” Illouz pointed out.
“In order to achieve this, we must take two central steps – crush terrorism and deepen our roots in our land. Our brave soldiers are destroying the terrorists with courage on the battlefield every day, defeating Hamas and dismantling its capabilities. Now, we must complete the task by deepening our roots in our land and imposing sovereignty over wide areas of the country.
“This will make it clear to any enemy seeking to expel us from our land that the outcome of such a terrible action will be both the end of its existence and will result in the deepening of our roots in our land,” he said.
Israel is under attack not only from the north and south but also faces an existential threat from the eastern border, Illouz noted.
Most of the weapons transferred to the Palestinian Authority pass through the Jordan Valley.
“Iran is working to undermine Jordanian rule and seize control of the Jordanian border to attack Israel from point-blank range,” he said, adding that “imposing sovereignty over the Jordan Valley will also close the option for establishing a Palestinian state.”
