Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks as he chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, March 8, 2020. Photo: Oded Balilty/Pool via Reuters/File Photo.

JNS.org – In a recorded address to the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Virtual Summit 2020 on Sunday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touted the application of Israeli law to areas of Judea and Samaria—part of the “Peace to Prosperity” plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump in January.

“President Trump’s plan confronts a lie head on: that the Jewish people are foreign colonialists in our own ancestral homeland,” Netanyahu said. “It makes clear that the Jewish people have a valid, legal, historic and moral claim to Judea and Samaria. Applying Israeli law to places in Judea and Samaria will not set back the cause of peace; it will advance the cause of peace. I encourage the Palestinians not to lose another opportunity, not to waste another century trying to destroy Israel. They should embrace President Trump’s vision and negotiate in good faith towards a historic compromise.”

Other Israeli officials who addressed the CUFI Virtual Summit included President Reuven Rivlin, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Regional Cooperation Minister Gilad Erdan.

Netanyahu has said that Israel will begin a process of applying its sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria as early as July 1.