Yonatan Kuznitz, head of the Karnei Shomron local council (as of 2024), a settlement east of Kfar Saba. was born and raised in the settlement. He studied at the Bnei Akiva Givat Shmuel Yeshiva and the Bnei Akiva Hashomron Yeshiva in Karnei Shomron – both part of a central Zionist-religious educational network. Later, he pursued higher education at the Sha'arei Mishpat Academic Center (whose board of directors is chaired by Zevulun Orlev, a former MK, Minister of Welfare and Social Services and leader of the National Religious Party). Kuznitz has also been active in the right-wing movement "Im Tirtzu – Building a Zionist Society," which aims to "strengthen the values of Zionism in Israel." Upon submitting his candidacy for the position of council head, the Srugim ("Knitted") website (Intended for surfers from the Religious-Zionist stream) wrote: "Another candidate to head the Srugim Council."
Recently, Kuznitz made a controversial statement: "Part of sovereignty is to encourage the voluntary immigration of Arabs from Judea and Samaria. Jenin should be like Khan Yunis. Once we destroy these places, there will be nowhere for them to return to anyway." He further clarified his stance, asserting: "There is no difference between the population in Gaza and the population in Judea and Samaria. They are the same bloodthirsty enemy, who sanctify the murder and killing of Jews. The time has come to intensify operations against terrorists and the Palestinian Authority throughout all of Judea and Samaria, not just in the north. Additionally, voluntary migration should be encouraged in parallel – just as was done in Gaza." Kuznitz united both the politicians and the army, urging: "This is the time to act."
His statements suggest an apparent ideological overlap between certain strands of religious Zionism (wearers of knitted kippot – small skullcaps typically worn by Israeli Jewish men who support Israel's policy of colonizing the West Bank) and the Kahanist movement. Given this alignment, it is unsurprising that Kuznitz was the preferred candidate of the Otzma Yehudit party in the local elections. The party even released a list of "mayors of councils that the movement supports," with Kuznitz among them.
Kuznitz rhetoric also earned him the backing of the extremist movement "Fighting for Life," which promotes the message: "There is no future in Palestine." The movement endorsed his remarks on migration, stating: "Voluntary migration – or migration out of lack of choice – is the only way. Only when the Arabs realize there is no future in 'Palestine' and leave Gaza, Judea and Samaria, Jaffa, and Umm al-Fahm will the people of Israel be able to fulfill their true role: to be a light unto the nations."
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