Guest: David Rubin via Phone, Skype, or Zoom
In an interview released by Israel Hayom on Wednesday morning, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said that the application of Israeli sovereignty to 30% of the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) is expected in the coming weeks and will be approved by the Trump administration.
In response to these moves, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas threatened to cancel all agreements signed with Israel if it annexes any part of Judea and Samaria.
Here to discuss the rising tensions over the impending sovereignty declaration is the former Mayor of Shiloh, David Rubin, who is also the author of “Trump and the Jews”.
Suggested Questions:
- Why is this West Bank sovereignty move so controversial? The West Bank, more accurately called by its proper geographic terms Judea (south of Jerusalem) and Samaria (north of Jerusalem), is the region where we find the biblical historical towns and cities like Bethel, Shiloh, Bethlehem, and Hebron. Israel recaptured this area in the Six Day War in 1967. Since then, it has been a political hot potato. In 1993, the Oslo Peace accords were signed between Israel and the Palestinians, giving the Palestinians autonomy in seven cities. Rather than accept that autonomy peacefully, the Palestinians have waged two decades of terrorist war against Israeli civilians. My then three-year-old son and I were seriously wounded in one of those attacks, but there have been thousands.
- Why hasn’t Israel at least declared its sovereignty over the parts of Judea and Samaria that it controls? Most American presidents have strongly opposed such a move, and we try to coordinate with our American friends, so the area has remained in limbo. President Trump, however, has changed the rules of the game with his Deal of the Century, which allows Israel to unilaterally declare its sovereignty over 30% of Judea and Samaria, with American approval.
- Israel has just formed a unity government, which has declared its intent to proclaim sovereignty in the month of July. Despite the fierce international opposition, will they go forward with this move? This will be the fulfillment of an often-repeated campaign promise that got Netanyahu elected, and therefore, I will be very surprised if it does not happen.
- Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority is threatening to burn the Oslo peace agreements if sovereignty is declared. Are you concerned? Those peace agreements were immoral, and they were exploited by Abbas to fund his terrorist war against Israel. If he carries out his threat, he will be depositing those agreements into the dustbin of history, which is actually where they belong. The Israeli declaration of sovereignty over 30 % of Judea and Samaria, with Trump’s approval, is the right thing to do and it should be done as soon as possible.
- Your book, “Trump and the Jews”, discusses all of these issues. Where can our viewers/listeners get a copy? They can go to my website, www.DavidRubinIsrael.com or just go to Amazon and type in the words “Trump and the Jews”.
Bio: David Rubin, former Mayor of Shiloh Israel, is the author of the book, “Trump and the Jews” and five other books. Rubin is the founder and president of Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund, established after he and his then three-year-old son were wounded in a terror attack. He can be found at www.DavidRubinIsrael.com or at http://www.ShilohIsraelChildren.org
