Since October 7, 2023, Israeli policy has entered a new era—one shaped not by diplomacy, but by necessity. The fantasy of a “two-state solution” has collapsed. What remains is a stark, unavoidable equation: either Israel imposes total control over all critical territory, or terrorists will. On Thursday, the Knesset is expected to call for the application of Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria.

by Roov Koret

From Gaza to Judea and Samaria to Lebanon and Syria, Israel stands on the brink of asserting full control to ensure survival.

That truth is now central to Israeli military and political thinking. Security cannot be subcontracted. Borders cannot be left porous. And sovereignty can no longer remain theoretical.

The IDF has already proposed a security annexation of Gaza. Under this doctrine, Israel would divide the Strip into zones and maintain indefinite military control. Hamas would be fully dismantled. No foreign force or Palestinian authority would be allowed to govern.

Design by R Koret

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi has dismissed proposals for “humanitarian cities” as slow, dangerous, and morally fraught. Such camps, he warned, could resemble detention enclosures and are politically indefensible. Israel prefers a model of localized military presence, backed by freedom of maneuver. The goal is long-term deterrence without reoccupying every alley.

Defense Minister Israel Katz made it clear: “There will be no day after Hamas without Israeli security control.” That is no longer a political statement. It is now an operating principle of defense doctrine. After October 7, illusions carry a deadly cost.

The preferred vision for Gaza includes voluntary emigration of hostile elements, especially young men radicalized by years of Hamas indoctrination. Israel won’t force anyone to leave—but nor will it subsidize fanaticism. Those who choose to stay must accept demilitarization and Israeli supremacy in security.

In parallel, Israel supports plans for a dramatically reduced and demilitarized Gaza to be rebuilt with Saudi, Emirati, and American backing. Economic infrastructure, a coastal trade and tourism zone, and commercial partnerships could eventually replace the tunnels and terror. But only if Israel controls the parameters—and the perimeter.

In Judea and Samaria (known internationally as the West Bank), momentum toward sovereignty is accelerating. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is already transferring civil authority to Israeli ministries. Security control has long existed. Legal unification may soon follow.

No formal annexation vote has occurred in the Knesset. But the process is already underway on the ground. Settlements are expanding, ministries are integrating, and roads are being built under Israeli law. The pre-1967 lines are being erased by fact.

On Thursday July 24, the Knesset is likely to apply a declarative vote calling for the application of sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria. This is a call directed to the United States and the trump Administration, especially Ambassador Mike Huckabee, who is informed by a Biblical view of Israel’s destiny.

Critics abroad warn of backlash. But inside Israel, consensus is solidifying. Most Jewish Israelis now view sovereignty not as a luxury—but as a survival requirement. Oslo is dead, and nobody wants to resurrect it.

This is not about peace negotiations. It is about ensuring no Israeli town wakes up to the horror of massacre, rape, and abduction again. Wherever Israel withdraws, terror networks take root. Sovereignty is now synonymous with protection.

The north tells the same story. Hezbollah’s nonstop attacks from Lebanon have displaced tens of thousands. The IDF now supports a 5-to-10 km buffer zone beyond the border. A civilian return is impossible without it.

In Syria, too, Israel is shaping realities before threats can materialize. Drone strikes and intelligence operations are increasing near the Golan. Quiet discussion continues around establishing a Druze-aligned corridor that blocks both Iran and ISIS from Israel’s doorstep.

What unites these fronts is a singular doctrine: preemptive sovereignty. Israel no longer waits for permission. It acts where it must, controls what it must, and secures what no one else will.

The idea that a hostile Arab regime can peacefully coexist just kilometers from Israel’s heartland is no longer credible. This isn’t about ideology—it’s a survival imperative. After what we witnessed on October 7, it’s clear that the choice is not between peace and war, but between national existence and annihilation.

There is no room left for illusions. If Israel does not assert full control over the territory vital to its security, those areas will be exploited by enemies who seek its destruction. The lesson has been written in blood: wherever Israel retreats, terror takes root. The only defense that works is sovereignty—Israeli boots on the ground, Israeli eyes on the borders, and Israeli law over strategic zones.

Gaza is the immediate case. Judea and Samaria are next. The northern buffer is close behind. Syria may follow if Iran pushes further west.

None of this is driven by ideology or religion. It is driven by the urgent recognition that Israel cannot afford to be surprised again. One October 7 was enough.

Because what happened that day went far beyond a terror attack. It was an existential crisis of a magnitude unseen since 1948. Had Hezbollah coordinated from the north—or had Iran’s proxies moved in from Syria or Jordan—Israel may not have survived. The IDF was unprepared, civilians were unarmed, and for 12 hours, chaos reigned.

Had Rafah been opened for a southern incursion, or had even one Egyptian unit looked the other way, the State of Israel could have faced collapse. The trauma of that morning haunts every military planner and every parent. It revealed just how thin the margin of error had become.

That’s why buffers are now essential. That’s why full control over internal Arab populations is back on the table. That’s why voluntary emigration is not just being considered—but quietly supported.

Israel will not allow that kind of vulnerability to ever return. Whether it takes five years or fifty, the strategy is clear: control the land, secure the borders, remove the threats, and never again rely on international promises or Palestinian good intentions.

The world may frown. But Israelis are united. The map is changing—and this time, Israel will be the one drawing it.