The Shomron Liaison Office

Guests at Mt. Gerizim

The Shomron Liaison Office is the public relations arm of the Shomron Regional Council, which represents approximately 30,000 Israeli citizens across 33 communities in the Shomron (Samaria). The Shomron Regional Council is located in the heart of the Land of Israel, and extends across approximately 11% of Israel’s territory, making it in terms of area.

The Shomron Liaison Office was established at the beginning of 2008, to serve as a window into the Jewish communities in the heart of the Land of Israel. Despite the fact that the Jewish presence in Yehuda and the Shomron (Judea and Samaria) is arguably one of the most hotly contested issues in the international arena, most people know very little about the realities on the ground. To compound this problem, foreign-funded NGOs have invested hundreds of millions of dollars with the sole aim of sullying the name of our communities, and have formed close links with seasoned Palestinian propagandists and officials in their efforts to build an entirely one-sided narrative. For many years the poisonous discourse of these extremist organizations was allowed to go unchallenged, resulting in a distorted perspective within much of the international media. Read More…

The Shomron Regional Council has established its own Foreign Ministry Department

May 7, 2013

The Shomron Regional Council has decided not to wait for others to take the lead on diplomatic efforts, and has established its own Foreign Ministry Department. The Shomron Liaison Office has been effectively reaching out to elected officials in the EU and elsewhere to provide them with a balanced picture of the realities in Judea and Samaria. Over the past months, Shomron leaders Gershon Mesika and Yossi Dagan have led a number of diplomatic delegations meeting with European officials in Brussels, Berlin, Stockholm, London and Paris. For the first time ever, leaders in those countries have had opportunities to hear directly from the leaders of the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria (aka “the West Bank settlements”) and learn their side of the story that has drawn so mu...

Residents of Shomron Protest Terror Attack

April 30, 2013

This evening at 6:30, residents of the mountain ridge Gav HaHar communities in central Shomron will gather at Tapuach Junction to protest a terror attack that left one dead this morning. Evyatar Borovsky was killed this morning at about 8:15 by an Arab terrorist who stabbed him from behind and then shot him to death. Borovsky, 31, was married and father to five small children. He and his family came from Kfar Hasidim in the north to live in Yitzhar some five years ago. He was an actor who performed in educational plays on Bible stories and other educational topics. He also worked as a part time security guard. His neighbors describe him as a happy and friendly family man and educator. Tapuach Junction is the most central crossroads in the Shomron connecting the east to west 505 Trans-Sa...

Top Official of European Parliament at Lag B’Omer bonfire in Kfar Tapuach

April 29, 2013

(Headline) Guest at Lag B’Omer bonfire in Samaria – Top EU Parliament Official (Photo credit: Meir Berachia, Shomron Regional Council) Top Official of European Parliament landed last night and came straight from Ben-Gurion Airport to… a Lag B’Omer bonfire in Kfar Tapuach. “Foreign Ministry” of Samaria gears up. ————– An unexpected guest at a Lag B’Omer bonfire in Samaria: Last night (Saturday night) MEP Dr. Fiorello Provera, Deputy Chairman of the EU Foreign Relations Committee, landed in Israel as the guest of the Strategy Unit of the Samaria Regional Council, which to date functions as an active foreign ministry of Judea and Samaria, in Europe and the rest of the world. After bringing 60 EU Parliament memb...

International Representatives Continue to Seek Facts in Shomron

April 4, 2013

While some members of the EU are calling for sanctions on products from the West Bank, others have taken their own steps to learn what’s really going on here by actually visiting the Shomron region and meeting with locals. Today, Yves Nidegger – a member of the Swiss Parliament, and his wife Maria took time off from their personal vacation in Israel to get a close up look inside the Jewish settlements in Shomron. Hosted by the Shomron Liaison Office’s David Ha’ivri, the dignitaries started out with a tour of the University of Ariel. They were surprised to learn that over 85% of the 14,000 students bus in everyday from the other side of the Green Line because the school’s dorms only have room for 2000 students. At the university, they met with Dr. Ron Schlif...

Shomron Regional Council Takes on the International Arena

March 11, 2013

Following the success of a delegation of Shomron leaders to German and Swedish parliaments last week, the Shomron plans to host EU representatives tomorrow. Last week, Deputy Director of the Shomron Regional Council Yossi Dagan and Shay Attias, Chairman of Foreign Affairs, met with elected officials in Berlin’s Bundestag and Swedish Parliament in Stockholm to counter anti-Israel efforts which are promoting a boycott of Israeli products and labeling of products manufactured in Judea and Samaria. Upon learning of this issue, some EU representatives decided to make an immediate visit to Shomron to visit the industrial parks in the region and show their support. The multinational delegation, consisting of representatives from Austria, Belgium and Turkey, will visit factories in the Ba...

Statement of Gershon Mesika on Appointment of Tzippi Livni as Minister of Justice in Netanyahu government.

February 21, 2013

Title: The appointment of Livni: Both strategic error and political folly The head of the Shomron Regional Council, Gershon Mesika, today (Thursday) condemned the agreement whereby Tzipi Livni will serve as Justice Minister and will be in charge of the negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. “To let Tzipi Livni conduct these negotiations, is like saying that a serious traffic offender can be the police chief of traffic” – says Mesika. “We all still remember the folly of the Annapolis conference. Tzipi Livni is currently the most extreme representative of the Oslo concept aura, and the only one who still speaks about it, while even Meretz keeps it hidden today.” Mesika emphasized that Livni’s appointment is both a strategic error and political fol...

Likud minister: State Attorney’s Office is disrupting proper governance.

August 24, 2012

Cabinet Showdown on Levy Report Next Month Likud minister tells Arutz Sheva State Attorney’s Office is disrupting proper governance. Gil Ronen The Minister for Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs, Yuli Edelstein, says the State Attorney’s Office is disrupting proper governance by adopting positions that contradict those of the elected leadership regarding Migron and other Judea and Samaria communities. In an interview with Arutz Sheva‘s Shimon Cohen, Edelstein explains that the State Attorney’s Office (SAO) is ignoring decisions made by the political leadership regarding Migron. SC: The government’s position is that the tenants of homes that were built on land that was purchased should not be evicted. Attorney General and Government Legal Advis...

‘Let Migron Stay!’ Video Garners 12,000 Views in 3 Days

August 24, 2012

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/159240#.UDdyZHjS0UQ Thousands sign petitions to save the Binyamin community from destruction. Verdict expected Tuesday. Gil Ronen On August 28, the Supreme Court of Israel will decide the fate of 300 Jews living in Migron, a thriving community just 14 kilometres north of Jerusalem. Migron is situated in a very strategic position overlooking Route number 60 in the Binyamin region. This video titled “Let Migron Stay!” is a plea to both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Supreme Court President Asher Grunis to leave Migron alone to continue its peaceful co-existence with its Arab neighbors, acting as a role model for other parts of the Land of Israel. Petitions for saving Migron and accepting the Levy Report can be viewed and...

New York State Senator tours Samaria

August 20, 2012

Senator David Storobin (R), New York State Senate, tours Samaria and is impressed: “You have to see it with your own eyes – it’s no different than the New York City and New Jersey suburbs”. The Senator from New York tours Samaria and doesn’t conceal his good impressions: “They said it was just caravans, look around and see the houses! These are places you can see in the New York City, New Jersey and Long Island suburbs. You have to see it with your own eyes.” — The Samaria Regional Council is continuing its “Public Relations War”: A month after a visit by a boycott-busting delegation of wine grape farmers from Samaria to northern Italy, Samaria hosted David Storobin (R), New York State Senator, who toured the settlements and t...

From US Sports Cars to Samarian Sheep: Meet the Jewish Shepherd

August 10, 2012

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/158733#.UCUoe3jS0UR Arutz Sheva met Avraham Herzlich, a shepherd from Kfar Tapuach who left a comfortable life in the U.S. Elad Benari & Yoni Kempinski Arutz Sheva met Avraham Herzlich, a shepherd from the Shomron (Samaria) community of Kfar Tapuach. Herzlich, who lived a comfortable life in the United States, chose to leave it all and move to Israel to become a shepherd. He is the father of Talya Kahane of blessed memory, who was murdered in a terror attack in December of 2000 along with her husband, Rabbi Binyamin Ze’ev Kahane. The Kahanes were killed when Arab terrorists fired at their vehicle south of the Shomron community of Ofra, as they were driving from Jerusalem to their home in Kfar Tapuach. “I felt the emptiness of Amer...

The Shomron Regional Council has established its own Foreign Ministry Department
Residents of Shomron Protest Terror Attack
Top Official of European Parliament at Lag B’Omer bonfire in Kfar Tapuach
International Representatives Continue to Seek Facts in Shomron
Shomron Regional Council Takes on the International Arena
Statement of Gershon Mesika on Appointment of Tzippi Livni as Minister of Justice in Netanyahu government.
Likud minister: State Attorney’s Office is disrupting proper governance.
‘Let Migron Stay!’ Video Garners 12,000 Views in 3 Days
New York State Senator tours Samaria
From US Sports Cars to Samarian Sheep: Meet the Jewish Shepherd

URGE PM NETANYAHU TO ADOPT LEVY REPORT

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August 2, 2012 Honorable Benjamin Netanyahu Office of the Prime Minister 3 Kaplan Street P.O. Box 187 Kiryat Ben-Gurion Jerusalem, Israel 91950 Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu: We write to you in support of the recent report issued by the Levy Committee. We welcome the report’s findings and greatly appreciate the thorough process and honest approach undertaken by the well-respected legal professionals tasked with authoring this study. We are heartened by the Levy Report’s finding that the “settlements” in Judea and Samaria are completely legal under international law, and we are encouraged that the report recommends against the future demolition of communities that had been deemed to be “illegal outposts.” As the Levy Report correctly notes, Israel is not engaged in “military occupation” in relation to the communities in Judea and Samaria. We believe that this conclusion vindicates the Israeli government, which has been unjustifiably vilified by many in the international community, simply because there are Jews living in this particular area of the Jewish State. Those who have repeatedly leveled criticisms at Israel for its willingness to sanction the “settlements” inexplicably ignore the fact that there are approximately 350,000 Jews residing in vibrant communities throughout Judea and Samaria, most of whom make immeasurable contributions to Israeli society. Playing politics with the lives and futures of these tens of thousands of families, comprising hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens, is absolutely shameful and wholly unacceptable. In our opinion, the individuals who have urged you not to accept the findings of the Levy Report under the pretext that Israel’s status as a Jewish and democratic state could somehow be compromised by its adoption are doing a disservice to the State of Israel. Despite assertions to the contrary, the conclusions of the Levy Report do not “place…the prestige of Israel as a democratic member of the international community, in peril.” We categorically reject this absurd declaration and sincerely hope and pray that you do the same. It is not the responsibility of the State of Israel to appease the United Nations or other entities whose interests run counter to the best interests of the Jewish State. We know that your government has not, and will not, mollify those who repeatedly have sought to delegitimize the State of Israel. We fully understand that you work diligently, day in and day out, to ensure that the citizens of Israel are safe and that their interests are duly protected. We deeply appreciate your ongoing support of the citizens of the scores of communities throughout Judea and Samaria and your continuous efforts to enable them to live their lives fully and freely in their respective homes. We all owe it to future generations to stand up now for the right and the reality of having the entirety of the Land of Israel, including Judea, Samaria, and all of Jerusalem, for our Jewish People. Like you, we recognize and respect the fact that the Jewish people have inalienable rights to the land of Israel which stem from the Bible, and we are familiar with the historic legacy of the movement of Ze’ev Jabotinsky, Menachem Begin, and Herut/Likud, which you now lead, that has long endorsed Jewish rights in the entirety of the land of Israel. Viewing it from this perspective, the Levy Report confirms what we all know to be true and just, and it certainly warrants your support and endorsement. We urge you to adopt the findings of the Levy Report, thereby formally validating the status of the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria as a true part of the State of Israel within the purview of the Israeli government. Very truly yours, Rabbi David Algazi Congregation Havurat Yisrael President, World Committee for the Land of Israel Forest Hills, NY Richard Allen Founder JCCWatch.org New York, NY Rabbi Moshe Averick Board, Rabbinical Council of America Chicago, IL Marvin S. Belsky, M.D. Human Rights Coalition Against Radical Islam New York, NY Rabbi Mordechai Cohen Milwaukee, WI Rabbi Yochanan Davis Rabbinical Alliance of America Brooklyn, NY Michael Dobrin National Council on Jewish Affairs Nashville, TN Rabbi Yisroel Edelman Young Israel Deerfield Beach Deerfield Beach, FL Fred Ehrman New York, NY Rabbi David Eliezrie North County Chabad Center President, Rabbinical Council of Orange County Yorba Linda, CA Gary Erlbaum Board Member Federation of Greater Philadelphia Ardmore, PA Rabbi Dov Fischer Young Israel of Orange County Irvine, CA Stephen M. Flatow Terror Victims Right’s Activist West Orange, NJ Joseph Frager, MD Chairman, World Committee for the Land of Israel Jamaica Estates, NY Helen Freedman Executive Director Americans for a Safe Israel New York, NY Michael Gerbitz United with Israel Lawrence, NY Beth Gilinsky Executive Director National Conference on Jewish Affairs New York, NY Dr. Chanania Gang Vice President Religious Zionists of America Yonkers, NY Dr. Jonathan Gold Americans For a Safe Israel Passaic, NJ Steven M. Goldberg, Esq. National Vice Chairman Zionist Organization of America Los Angeles, CA Beverly A. Goldstein, Ph.D. Co-chair, Cuyahoga Valley Republican Club Beachwood, OH Michael S. Goldstein, Esq. President, Northern Ohio Chapter, Association for Intelligence Officers Beachwood, OH Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer New York, NY Marvin Green, President Hunter Green Associates New York, NY Rabbi Yonah Gross Congregation Beth Hamedrosh Wynnewood, PA Rabbi Abraham B. Hecht Rabbi Emeritus, Congregation Sharre Zion President, Rabbinical Alliance of America Brooklyn, NY Rabbi Yehoshua S. Hecht Beth Israel of Westport/Norwalk President, Rabbinical Council of Connecticut Norwalk, CT Rabbi Yonoson Hirtz Utopia Jewish Center Fresh Meadows, NY Odeleya Jacobs Vice President Media Relations World Committee for the Land of Israel Flushing, NY Rabbi Ari Jacobson Young Israel of Monsey and Wesley Hills Monsey, NY Chaim Kaminetzky Past President National Council of Young Israel Flushing, NY Sharad Karkhanis, Ph. D. Professor Emeritus, City University of New York Brooklyn, NY Stuart Kaufman National Conference on Jewish Affairs Great Neck, NY Ruth King Executive Committee Editorial Board OUTPOST American for a Safe Israel New York, NY Jay Knopf Executive Board, The Hebron Fund Teaneck, NJ Mara Kochba Israel Cancer Research Fund Los Angeles, CA Rabbi Pesach Lerner Executive Vice President, Emeritus National Council of Young Israel Far Rockaway, NY Rabbi Reuven Mann Young Israel of Phoenix Phoenix, AZ Lori Lowenthal Marcus President, Z STREET Philadelphia, PA Alan A. Mazurek, MD Former Chairman, ZOA National Board Assistant Clinical Professor, Neurology Mount Sinai Medical Center, NYC Great Neck, NY Yaniv Meirov CHAZAQ Organization Queens, NY Julio Messer Past President, American Friends of Likud New York, NY Cherna Moskowitz Miami Beach, FL Shlomo Mostofsky, Esq. Immediate Past President National Council of Young Israel Brooklyn, NY Rabbi Yehuda L Oppenheimer Young Israel of Forest Hills Forest Hills, NY Russel Pergament Boston, MA Gerald Platt President, American Friends of Likud New York, NY Rozanne Polansky Executive Board Young Israel of North Bellmore North Bellmore, NY Rabbi Steven Pruzansky Congregation B’nai Yeshurun Teaneck, NJ Susan L. Rosenbluth Editor and Publisher The Jewish Voice and Opinion Englewood, NJ Rabbi Dov Schreier Young Israel of North Bellmore North Bellmore, NY Sheldon Schreiner Chairman of the Board National Council of Young Israel Plainview, NY Harvey Schwartz Chairman American Israeli Action Coalition Woodmere, NY Rabbi Ze’ev Smason Nusach Hari Bnai Zion Congregation St. Louis, MO Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Scher Beit Midrash Kol Beramah Santa Fe, NM Josef Silny Miami, FL Rabbi Moshe Snow Young Israel Beth El Of Borough Park Brooklyn, NY Rabbi Sroya Sorscher Dean, Rabbi Jacob London Yeshiva Brooklyn, NY Sarah N. Stern Founder and President Endowment for Middle East Truth Washington, DC Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum Director, Rabbinical Alliance of America Brooklyn, NY Yitzchok Tenenbaum Lechaim Charities New York, NY Howard Teich New York, NY Robin Ticker American Friends for a Safe Israel Brooklyn, NY Stanley Treitel American Friends of the Jerusalem Conference Los Angeles, CA Farley Weiss President, Young Israel of Phoenix 1st Vice President, National Council of Young Israel National Vice President, ZOA Phoenix, AZ Dr. Rina Yarmish Chairperson, Mathematics & Computer Science City University of New York, Kingsborough New York, NY Buddy Macy Grassroots pro-Israel Activist Little Falls, NJ Rabbi Aaron Raskin B'nai Avraham, Brooklyn Heights Rav Dr. Izhak Dayan Chief Rabbi of Geneva, Switzerland Tanguy Veys Member of Chamber of Representatives Federal Parliament of Belgium

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