Covenant Award

MK Sharren Haskel Ps. Tom Hess

17TH ANNUAL ALL NATIONS CHRISTIAN

GOVERNMENT LEADERS SUMMIT 2020 ONLINE & COVENANT AWARD

I’m honored to receive this reward because I see the development and the safeguard of our areas of Judea, Samaria, the Jordan Valley, all parts of Israel as critical for Israel’s safety and security. It was more than 4 years ago when I started promoting the idea that the Jordan Valley has to be first in applying sovereignty as a first step, not just a symbolic one. We know that the entrance of the Israelites from Egypt came from the Jordan Valley first, Jericho first, so as a symbolic thing of our history this should be the first part that we should apply sovereignty over as well. But also, from a wide consensus here and the international community and for safeguard of our Israeli’s borders. We can only learn from our past, and what we’ve seen happening in the Gaza strip is a direct red light to what can happen if we ever think of giving, or dividing, or not actually proceeding with holding full control over the areas of Judea and Samaria and over the Jordan Valley. If in the beginning some of our towns around Gaza would get rockets, and it was sort of a tragic time as well, there were terrorist attacks there, and rockets that fell there, but as soon as we evacuated, we actually took out every single living Jew from the Gaza strip, even the dead ones, we dug them out and buried them inside our borders.

Since then we had to defend a much bigger border, with much more violence, with less control of what’s happening. Once they won that scene, they started widening up and we need to learn from it. We cannot afford that happening in the heart of Israel. Another reason why it is so important for me to not compromise and to push with all my might sovereignty over those areas is because obviously the historic and traditional aspect of it. We know that all the biblical stories have happened just there. You walk in those mountains and it’s enough to dig half a meter down and you’ll find something. You look over to the river, and it’s a river with a story of thousands of years that are a part of my tradition, that is part of my culture, that is part of my heritage.

It is so important to preserve it. It’s important for us, this is part of the mission why we came back and rebuilt this beautiful nation. My parents who had to leave a lot of their places, some because of tragedies, some because they wanted to be part of that side of history in order to rebuild our country, our community. Finally feeling like we have a place to belong to. This is our homeland. And when I see those homes being built in all those little towns, these are biblical towns that are being recreated, being prayed in, having synagogues there, having holidays there, festivals. They are bringing it back to life. When I see them planting all around Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley. There are so many incredible farmers against all odds.

Everybody told them, ‘this land is dead you will not be able to grow here anything.’ And they didn’t listen to those scientists. They went and they planted vineyards and many more things that are coming out of this land. This is an incredible, not opportunity but a mission, that I’m so honored the Israeli people have put in my hand - to guard that, to preserve that. And I think about it almost every day when I come to the

Knesset and when I’m doing my work for them. And I’m so honored to receive this reward. It has such a huge meaning for me, thank you so much for it." -MK Sharren Haskel 14 THE WATCHMEN'S Journal