Several prominent Israelis, including leaders from Judea and Samaria, will make history by attending Trump’s inauguration. 

Several leaders of Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria accepted invitations to attend US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony on Friday, including Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, Efrat Mayor Oded Revivi and Ma’ale Adumim Mayor Benny Kashriel.

Yesha Council spokesperson Yigal Dilmoni thanked the incoming Trump administration for the invitations, expressing hope that this move foretells a new and more constructive relationship between Jerusalem and the Washington.

“This is a harbinger of things to come,” said Dilmoni, according to Arutz 7, “that a new wind is blowing from the US that suggests a change in relations with Israel, especially with regard to communities in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley. This new spirit has been expressed in a number of ways, including the visit by Governor Mike Hucakbee last week to Ma’ale Adumim.”

The Yesha Council represents the communities in Judea and Samaria.

Making History

For the first time, members of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, will attend the US presidential inauguration ceremony.

“I am honored to be invited to the inauguration ceremony, which is a historic occasion, and at the same time continue to strengthen the relations between Israel and the US,” said MK Sharren Haskel, who, together with MK Yehuda Glick (both member of Netanyahu’s Likud party), will be at the event.

“As part of my diplomatic experience I have had the opportunity to meet with officials from the American government in order to foster cooperation between the US and Israel,” she added. “I will continue to work to strengthen our great alliance with the US.”

Glick, who was invited by “Hayovel,” an organization that brings Christians to Israel to help local farmers, told Times of Israel that he was specifically interested in fostering those relations.

“My going has nothing to do with my political opinions,” Glick said. “I’m going there as someone active in dialogue between American Christians and Israel. I won’t participate in any political events.”

Professor Eitan Gilboa, an expert on US-Israeli relations at Bar-Ilan University’s BESA Center for Strategic Studies, called the attendance to the inauguration of a foreign leader by Israeli officials “unprecedented.”

“I don’t recall any participation of Israeli officials at an inauguration during the entire history of the State of Israel,” Gilboa said, according to Arutz 7.

By: United with Israel Staff