Yisrael Ganz, head of Binyamin Regional Council, speaks in NYC after the terror attack in Bruchin, and urges applying Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. “When we stand together, no one can fight with us.
Yisrael Ganz, Governor of the Binyamin Regional Council and Chairman of the Yesha Council, spoke at the Israel Heritage Foundation & Arutz Sheva summit in New York on Thursday, emphasizing Jewish unity and resilience in the face of ongoing challenges. His remarks came amidst a period of intense conflict and national grief for Israel.
Ganz opened by recounting a harrowing personal experience from the day before his address: “Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting in the State Department in Washington, and we just started the meeting and I got a call from my people in Israel that we have a terror attack. I walked up, and I had to give an order to my teams, and we sent a social worker to inform the parents, the parents from Binyamin, of the two sides, the husband and the wife. They were on their way to the hospital to give birth, that instead of celebrating a new baby, they have a funeral, they have a loss.”
This personal tragedy underscored the profound questions he posed to the audience: “And I thought to myself, how can we celebrate today here? How can we celebrate while we have so many hostages in tunnels, underground, and suffering in Gaza? How can we march on Sunday? How can we march when we have so many enemies?”
Despite the pain, Ganz articulated a clear vision for moving forward. “And I want to tell you why I think that we know that we have to do that, and we should do that. And as Jews, as Israelis, we have a secret. The secret is Jerusalem. The verse says, ‘Jerusalem is the only place that united all the Jews of the world together.'”
He acknowledged the unprecedented difficulties Israel has faced. “My friends, in the last year, we faced the most dangerous, the most difficult war that we have ever faced since the State of Israel was established. We’re fighting seven fronts, seven fronts. Our enemies, they thought they can destroy us, and we saw them, I saw them in Judea and Samaria, and you saw them here marching in the universities, and saying ‘from the river to the sea, no Jews.’ They thought that we will give up, that we will run away, that they will win.”
Ganz’s message was one of unwavering resolve: “And we have an answer for all our enemies. When we are standing together, no one, no one can fight with us. And when I come here and I see so many friends here together, I know, I know, and it’s very clear, we will defeat our enemies, we will win this war because we are united. Like Jerusalem, we are together, and together we will win this war.”
He also highlighted the growing international recognition of Judea and Samaria, recalling a recent visit by Ambassador Mike Huckabee. “And last week, I was honored to host Ambassador Huckabee in Shiloh, Shiloh. Shiloh was the place where Elkanah, Hannah’s husband, gathered and united all the people from Israel three times a year to pray and sacrifice and celebrate. And when Ambassador Huckabee came to Shiloh, he spoke on behalf of President Trump, it was the first time that an ambassador in an official position came to Judea and Samaria, and he said, ‘We are here because we are together. When we understand the Jews belong into Judea.’”
Looking ahead, Ganz expressed hope for future celebrations but stressed the immediate need for action. “And on Sunday, I hope together we will march proudly. We will raise our heads and we will say, ‘We are Jews, we are united.’ I hope next year we will celebrate here. But this year, we have to apply Israeli sovereignty, apply Israeli law over Judea and Samaria. It’s a part of Israel. Together, let’s celebrate. Thank you.”
