“This legislation is unhelpful virtue-signaling,” a US State Department spokesperson told JNS. “It does not serve the cause of peace in the Middle East.”

Jerusalem denounces anti‑Arab rioters as criminals and a threat to national security, while Palestinian terrorism—condoned and glorified by local leaders—remains exponentially more lethal.

The group purchased eight buildings over 18 years with full-price cash, facilitating Arab emigration and Jewish return to the city.

As settler violence draws condemnation, a deeper frustration simmers beneath—fueled by relentless Palestinian attacks and a growing sense of state abandonment.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev outlines road, infrastructure expansion as prelude to formal sovereignty—though Washington insists annexation is off the table.

If regional integration were truly being embraced by Israel’s Arab neighbors, they would agree to Israel’s sovereignty over the country’s heartland.

“If Jews have the right to live in Tel Aviv, they definitely have the right to live in Judea and Samaria,” said self-described Arab Zionist Rawan Osman.

The U.S. president’s remarks to the magazine were made more than a week before Israel’s parliament passed the first reading of the bill.

“Within seconds, they can turn their guns on us,” security official tells JNS.