The Legal Forum for the Land of Israel praised the government for approving for legislation a law that would extend Israeli legal jurisdiction to Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria. In a statement, the Forum said that passage of the law would alleviate what has until now been a major source of discrimination for residents of Judea and Samaria.

“There is no reason in the world that an Israeli citizen living in Samaria would not benefit from the ‘Library Law,’ in which educational officials in every town set up libraries for residents, as residents of Tel Aviv would benefit, and there is no reason not to impose environmental protection laws in Gush Etzion, in the same way they apply in Rosh Pina,” the group said. “The rights of the citizenry should be protected, no matter where they live.”

Commenting on the law, Women In Green leaders Yehudit Katzover and Nadia Matar said that “this is an important step in the imposition of Israeli law on Judea and Samaria. Steps like these will not only constitute an answer to the ongoing terror Israel faces, but also a realization of the Zionist vision and the dream of generations of returning to the land of our forefathers.”

If the measure is approved by the Knesset, a series of labor laws would be extended to cover all areas and workers in Judea and Samaria. Among the laws that would apply in Judea and Samaria if the measure is passed are those requiring workers to receive sick pay, minimum wage laws, and other workplace-related measures.

According to the measure, the labor laws would be implemented not by an act of the Knesset, but by a special order of the military authorities who are the official administrators of Judea and Samaria. The laws would apply both to Jews and Palestinian Authority Arabs employed at Israeli-owned businesses.