(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Monday, 10 February 2020), on the occasion of Tu B'Shvat, participated in a tree-planting ceremony at Mevo'ot Yericho in the Jordan Valley.
Prime Minister Netanyahu at the ceremony:
"We are at Mevo'ot Yericho, which we recognized several months ago, and here now, this community will not only be part of the Land of Israel, it is already part of the Land of Israel. It will be part of the State of Israel with international recognition. This is tremendous. We are bringing tremendous news to the State of Israel; this is a historic turnaround. Finally, after the 52 years since the Six Day War, in effect since the founding of the State of Israel – this stage of its homeland is in Judea and Samaria, the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea. These will be part of the State of Israel."
During the tree-planting ceremony at Mevo'ot Yericho, Prime Minister Netanyahu met with Inbar Shetrit and her infant son (Bibi) Ariel, who was named after the Prime Minister. Inbar, a resident of Mevo'ot Yericho, told the Prime Minister that she promised several months ago that if the government would approve Mevo'ot Yericho, she would name her expected son after the Prime Minister, which she did.
Following are additional excerpts of Prime Minister Netanyahu's remarks at the ceremony:
"We have brought two things that are changing the face of the country. First is recognition of the community. I am proud that my government decided to grant status to Mevo'ot Yericho. I also say this about the baby boy that I held in my arms and I say it about this community. Though it may be small, it will yet be big. And there will be many more. This is one decision.
“The second decision, I have already told you about several times that we are touching history and are going to change history. I must tell you that I knew then, after three years of intense work, between my team and President Trump's team, and between myself and President Trump, that we were going to bring an unprecedented declaration. After we brought the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and after the transfer of the American embassy to Jerusalem, and after the recognition of our sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and after the recognition of the legality of settlement in Judea and Samaria, we brought the declaration of President Trump, which says unequivocally that he will recognize the application of sovereignty, the application of Israeli law in the Jordan Valley, in the northern Dead Sea and in all of our communities in Judea and Samaria, all of them, without exception, and in a wide area around them.
“This does not depend on Palestinian consent to what is called the Trump plan, the plan of the century. This is due on the completion of the mapping. We are dealing with the mapping at the moment. Ronen Peretz is the man who is doing this together with a team. We will do this in agreement with the Americans because we do not want this to be unilateral; we want the consent of the Americans and we have it.
“Just as President Trump upheld his promise about Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, the embassy, the legality and the withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear agreement, I helped a little with that when I sent the Mossad to Teheran to bring the documents, I brought them to the White House, nuclear documents from the secret Iranian warehouse and President Trump said: 'That's it; I'm leaving' and he left. He said: 'I will recognize Jerusalem' – he recognized it. He said: 'I will move the embassy' – he moved it. He said: 'I will recognize the Golan Heights, with sovereignty' – he did. He said: 'I will recognize the legality of settlement' – he did. Now he is saying: 'I will recognize the application of Israeli sovereignty in the Jordan Valley, the northern Dead Sea, and over all of the communities and additional areas' – and he will do this too, as soon the work, that we are in the midst of, is completed.
“This is enormous news because it is significant not only for this community and this place and other places, the significance is for our ability to settle in the heart of our land without restrictions, that the military administration will be removed, and this place will acquire civil status as part of the State of Israel forever."
"We have been struggling over this place for 3,000 years, since the time when Joshua and tribes of Israel passed through here and we have continued to struggle over this place. This is the eastern gate and in effect the defense from the east as well. It was no coincidence that Alexander Yannai built the Sartaba here, not far from us. It is surely no coincidence that a little more than 2,000 years later, we were here and were compelled to struggle here. Uzi Dayan, comrades in arms from the unit, you remember what we did here between 1967 and 1970, how we set night ambushes and crossed the Jordan and struggled with enemies, who tried to uproot us from here, from the other side of the Jordan River. We are making an effort in a continuing struggle here, but we never gave in, never, and we never will. We are here and here we will remain a part of the State of Israel."
"I thank you from the heart. I am very moved by this moment. I remember our friends Uzi, who fell here defending this place. I remember them today and I am very proud. I am proud of you. I am proud of our common effort and I am certain of our future."
Prime Minister Netanyahu planted a tree in Mevo'ot Yericho, together with Culture Minister Miri Regev, Justice Minister Amir Ohana, Jordan Valley Regional Council Chairman and Yesha Council Chairman David Alhayani and Mevo'ot Yericho Secretary Eliyahu Atiyah.