American Friends of Judea and Samaria, a U.S. nonprofit dedicated to spreading knowledge about Israel’s historic heartland, topped off a weeklong visit by U.S. lawmakers with a conference, co-sponsored by the Jewish News Syndicate, at the Inbal Hotel in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

The conference, titled “The Future of Judea and Samaria,” featured U.S. politicians, pro-Israel activists and Israeli leaders, including Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli.

All were united in their belief that Judea and Samaria is an inseparable part of the Land of Israel, and the Jewish people’s birthright.

Sa’ar, who supports annexation of the region in principle, nevertheless said the Oct. 22 Knesset vote on a bill that would expand sovereignty over Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria was ill-timed.

“It was not wise or responsible to bring it [to a vote] one week after the implementation of [U.S. President Donald] Trump’s plan and during the visit of the vice president,” said Sa’ar.

He noted that the bill had been put forward by two members of the opposition, who he said had sought in doing so to embarrass the government during the visit by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, although it was also supported by some government members.

 “In life and in political life, there is a time for everything,” said Sa’ar.

Knesset member Simcha Rothman of the Religious Zionism Party appeared to differ, emphasizing the urgency of asserting Israeli sovereignty.

“This is the time to make sure the world knows this is our land,” Rothman said, stressing the link between the land’s biblical roots and Israel’s national identity.

He acknowledged to JNS that he was concerned about Trump’s promise to Arab countries that he would oppose Israeli annexation of Judea and Samaria.

“I’m a big believer in the ideology of ‘America First,’ but also ‘Israel First.’ President Trump must understand that sovereignty is a matter of ‘Israel First,’” Rothman told JNS.

Amichai Chikli, Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, said the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, were a direct result of Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2005.

Dismantling Israeli communities within the Strip cost Israel a buffer zone, he said, adding that the southern Israeli border communities overrun two years ago had been sitting ducks.

The worldwide “demonization” of Jews living in the biblical heartland, spearheaded by “so-called” Israeli entities such as B’Tselem and Breaking the Silence—primarily foreign-funded, he noted—is part of an attempt to replicate an “irrational and delusional” withdrawal, this time from Judea and Samaria.

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, expressed confidence that Israel would prevail against all opponents. “We are stronger because we have a faith. We are stronger because we have a powerful connection to the land. And we are stronger because we are united,” he said.

Other speakers included Michael Borkow, a Hollywood screenwriter who produced the TV sitcom “Friends.” Borkow spoke about his spiritual journey to Orthodox Judaism and an appreciation of Judea and Samaria; Rawan Osman, a Syrian-born Muslim who became a Zionist and is in the midst of converting to Judaism; and Arkansas State Rep. Mindy McAlindon, a sponsor of numerous pro-Israel resolutions in her state’s legislature.

She described the U.S.-Israel relationship as founded not only on policy but on “faith, on trust and on friendship.” McAlindon said both nations share a belief that “light can overcome darkness and faith can outlast fear,” a conviction she said was rooted in the Bible and had been tested over centuries.

She reflected on her delegation’s visit to biblical sites, calling it an “unforgettable journey through history” that made scripture come alive.

“We walked where the prophets and the kings lived. We retraced the stories of the scripture. We followed in the footsteps of Jesus and made history come alive in a way that no textbook ever could,” she said.

McAlindon shared with JNS that seeing Shiloh was the most memorable part of the trip. “It was amazing to see the walls where the Temple stood. We visited so many other sites, and they’d say, ‘This could be, or this probably is,’ but when you got to Shiloh, that was it. You could see it from the measurements,” she said.

AFJS, founded in late 2022, wants to become “the AIPAC of Judea and Samaria,” its co-founders, Rafi Lazerowitz and Yigal Dilmoni, told JNS.

AFJS’s main activity is hosting delegations to Israel. This was its sixth delegation, and the first to consist of U.S. lawmakers. They came from five states: New Hampshire, Connecticut, West Virginia, Texas and Arkansas. (Earlier delegations consisted of Jewish leaders, rabbis and social media influencers.)

“They’ve definitely seen things for the first time in Judea and Samaria that they’ve never seen before,” said AFJS Chairman Lazerowitz.

The group is also building a network of supporters across the United States to act as “ambassadors” for Judea and Samaria. Dilmoni, former CEO of the Yesha Council, regularly travels to the U.S. on speaking tours.

Dilmoni considers it a miracle that he connected with Lazerowitz. Dilmoni had just come to the United States without a definitive plan, and visited the Ohel, the Brooklyn grave of Chabad-Lubavitcher Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, a popular pilgrimage site.

“I pray and I say, ‘I came here to start something big for Judea and Samaria. Give me the opportunity to do it.’ And I walk out and get in a taxi and he [Lazerowitz] calls,” said Dilmoni.

Lazerowitz, who is chairman of the board of his synagogue, and the head of the Israel Advocacy Committee of Kingsway Jewish Center in Brooklyn, said that he was looking to do something for Judea and Samaria. He had invited then-Israeli Consul General in New York Danny Dayan to speak at his synagogue.

“I said, ‘Danny, thank you so much for coming. I want to help Judea and Samaria. I just don’t know how.’ And he said, ‘It happens to be that I have a friend of mine, Yigal Dimoni, who is in America for the first time. He’s here for a few days. Can I give him your number?’”

When they spoke, Lazerowitz invited Dilmoni over. To his surprise, Dilmoni showed up unannounced the next day. “Next night, I’m watching TV with my wife. I’m in a T-shirt and sweatpants and this guy knocks on the door. It was very Israeli,” said Lazerowitz.

Fortunately, Dilmoni and Lazerowitz hit it off when they met. They brainstormed and came up with the idea of bringing people to Judea and Samaria. There were many groups raising funds for the region, but none were “raising people,” Dilmoni explained.

They have succeeded in opening people’s eyes to the situation in Judea and Samaria. Even those who consider themselves pro-Israel have come to realize after visiting the region on an AFJS-sponsored trip how ignorant they were of the facts, said Dilmoni.

They believed the lies about “apartheid roads” and crazed, shotgun-wielding settlers, he added. “After visiting for two days, they change their minds and want to help us. It happens all the time.”

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