Former IDF Chief of staff Matan Vilnai expressed his opposition to a decision to declare sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.
Speaking with Jerusalem Post Editor-in-chief at The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference, Vilnai, says that he, like the over 300 retired IDF generals and police, Mossad and Shin Bet equivalents, all members of the Commanders for Israel’s Security group, which he heads, support annexation of major West Bank settlement blocs, as well Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, but only in the context of a negotiated agreement.
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Annexation can only happen after a discussion and peace agreement is reached with the Palestinians. According to Vilnai, the most important goal is to separate from the Palestinians so that Israel will remain a Jewish and democratic state for generations to come. “In the Middle East,” said Vilnai, “you need to think and look to everything for generations. Not weeks, not months, and not years.”
Vilnai, who established the National Emergency Management Authority during his tenure as minister of Home Front Defense, said that the organization was set up for emergencies such as the current pandemic, and expressed disappointment that it was not utilized during this period. “It’s politics,” he said.