In one of the first major tests of Israel's incoming right-wing coalition, 44 lawmakers have so far signed on to a bill to repeal the 2005 Disengagement Law that would allow for Israelis to again legally reside in Homesh and other settlements in the northern West Bank.
The bill was introduced by the Religious Zionist party's MK Orit Strock and Likud MK Yuli Edelstein and with the backing of the head of the northern West Bank's Shomron Regional Council Yossi Dagan.
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Religious Zionist party MK Orit Strock, head of Shomron Regional Council Yossi Dagan and Likud MK Yuli Edelstein
(Photo: Shomron Regional Council)
"We've been elected with 64 seats [in the 120-seat Knesset] to govern and restore security to the State of Israel. The first step to change the perception starts here," said Edelstein, former speaker of the Israel parliament and chairman of the Homesh lobby in the legislative body.
"We gave up territories and we received missiles. If we give up the Disengagement Law, we will get life," he added.
Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu was one of the initiators of the bill in the previous Knesset as the leader of the opposition. The latest bill was introduced for the seventh Knesset in a row.
The 2005 Disengagement Law resulted in the evacuation and demolition of four settlements in the West Bank and all Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip. The law prohibits Israelis from settling in these places without authorization. Its repeal would allow for the eventual resettlement of these communities without restrictions.
"This the time the law will be passed. We will not wait any longer. The time has come. The public expects it," Dagan said.
"The public's soul has been torn apart by the move, which year after year turns out to be an even more tragic mistake than first seemed. It has come, It's time to correct this injustice and repeal the Disengagement Law from Northern Samaria (the West Bank), to return home."