The Test for Trump: How Will He Respond to Judea & Samaria Sanctions?
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he plans to speak with Israel, Britain, France and Canada to better understand their decision to impose sanctions targeting Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.
Asked by a reporter whether Washington opposes the sanctions, Trump stopped short of giving a direct answer. “I’ll be speaking to Israel, I’ll be speaking to them, and I’ll find out what’s their thinking. I understand exactly what’s going on but I want to find out why, all of a sudden, has that happened.”
Trump’s remarks came one day after British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced plans to prohibit trade in goods produced in Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria. France and Canada made the announcement jointly with Britain and said they would also “bring forward national measures to ban trade in settlement goods.”
AFSI Insight
AFSI views the sanctions imposed by the UK, France, and Canada on Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria as a dangerous escalation in the campaign to delegitimize Israel’s presence in its historic heartland. President Trump’s decision to consult with Israel and the sanctioning governments is significant, but what matters now is whether the United States will clearly reject these discriminatory measures rather than remain neutral.
AFSI believes economic sanctions targeting Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria set a troubling precedent: they single out Israelis based on where they live and effectively reward international pressure against Israel. Israel should not be expected to accept economic warfare against its citizens, and its allies should stand in solidarity with Israel.
Long Overdue: A Roof Finally Covers the Cave of the Patriarchs
The roofing project at the Cave of the Patriarchs was completed and inaugurated Wednesday, following years of planning and procedures to advance the project.
The new roof over the compound’s inner courtyard, known as Jacob’s Courtyard, covers approximately 300 square meters and was completed ahead of Rosh Hashanah.
Work to advance the project began in the early 2000s, and in 2007 it was promoted alongside the elevator and access path project as part of efforts to make the entire Cave of the Patriarchs accessible.
AFSI Insight
AFSI welcomes the long-overdue completion of the roofing project at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. We thank Minister Smotrich for seeing this project through to its completion. This historic Jewish holy site should be accessible and welcoming to worshippers year-round, without political obstruction or unnecessary delays. The project is an important step in strengthening Jewish access to and presence at one of Judaism’s second most sacred site—and in preserving Israel’s historic connection to Hebron.
Danon Reminds the UK: The British Mandate of Palestine is Over
The “so-called sanctions” that British foreign secretary Ed Miliband announced on Tuesday banning products from Judea and Samaria are “shameful” and “not helpful,” Danny Danon, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters at U.N. headquarters on Tuesday.
“We’re an independent country, a sovereign country,” Danon said at the press briefing in Turtle Bay. “If someone thinks that diplomacy is being played by applying sanctions or trying to bend our arm, we will take action as well.”
The envoy told reporters that he “met with the U.K. ambassador when she came in.”
“Don’t expect to dictate your ideas on us,” he told her. “You know, the British Mandate of Palestine is over.”
AFSI Insight
AFSI condemns the UK’s decision to ban products from Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria. It is a shameful and discriminatory act that unfairly targets Israel and undermines its sovereignty. Rather than promoting peace, such economic warfare punishes both Israelis and Palestinians who work together and only emboldens those seeking to delegitimize Israel’s presence in its historic homeland.
Israel Fights Back: Economic Warfare Cannot Go Unanswered
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced on Tuesday an import ban on goods from “illegal” settlements in the West Bank, as well as sanctions against specific individuals and businesses providing services such as construction, instruction, financing or real estate for “settlement” expansion.
Miliband fronted his Commons speech by saying he is “Proud of [his] Jewishness and unwavering in [his] support for the state of Israel,” and that there is “absolutely no contradiction between this and [his] support for the state of Palestine.” He stated, “What we seek today is to salvage the only cause for peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians: the two-state solution.”
Israel struck back hard against Britain on Tuesday in response to a fresh round of sanctions against Jews in Judea and Samaria announced earlier in the day by UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who is himself Jewish.
Acting with the agreement of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced in response that has ordered four countermeasures against what he described as a broader pattern of hostile actions by the Labour government:
* Closure of the British Consulate in Jerusalem;
* Removal of British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center in Kiryat Gat;
* Termination of British-run training for Palestinian Authority forces in Judea and Samaria under the “British Support Team in Ramallah”; and
* Denial of entry to Israel for 12 British elected officials and other British nationals tied to antisemitic or anti-Israel activity, including those who deny Israel’s very right to exist.
AFSI Insight
Milliband’s comments—the delusional call for a “two-state solution”—cannot go unanswered. AFSI condemns the UK, France, and Canada for targeting Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria with discriminatory trade bans, sanctions, and boycotts that reward Palestinian rejectionism and undermine Israel’s legitimate rights to its historic homeland. AFSI strongly supports Israel’s decision to respond with meaningful diplomatic consequences and urges Israel to make clear that foreign governments cannot attack its sovereignty without facing a firm response.
12 countries announce boycott of goods from settlements, by Assaf Uni/Globes, September 8, 2026
The PA Builds—Israel Must Act
The Regavim Movement has filed an administrative petition with the Jerusalem District Court demanding immediate enforcement action against two permanent illegal structures built on declared state land in Area C, adjacent to the newly established community of Bar Kochva in the Gush Etzion Regional Council. The petition was filed against Defense Minister Israel Katz, Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich, the Commander of the IDF Central Command and the Deputy Head of the civil administration.
At the center of the petition is a glaring contradiction in Israeli government policy. In 2024, the government of Israel approved the establishment of Bar Kochva as a community of national, security and strategic importance. The community is intended to strengthen territorial continuity between Gush Etzion and Jerusalem and prevent Palestinian encroachment on strategically important ridgelines. Yet while the government advances the community on the planning level, enforcement authorities have failed to act against illegal Palestinian construction developing directly in its path. According to data presented by Regavim, the construction is part of a broader, systematic Palestinian Authority strategy of expanding development from Areas A and B into Area C, creating facts on the ground and restricting Israel’s future ability to develop and maintain control of strategically important territory.
AFSI Insight
AFSI condemns the Palestinian Authority’s systematic use of illegal construction to obstruct the growth and security of Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria. It is unacceptable that the government can designate Bar Kochva as a community of national and strategic importance while allowing illegal structures to block its access and development. Israel must enforce its own laws, demolish these structures, and prevent the PA from creating facts on the ground. This is a matter of sovereignty, security, and Israel’s future in Judea and Samaria.
Israel Must Not Evacuate Jewish Communities Under U.S. Pressure
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directly instructed Israel’s defense establishment to evacuate unauthorized Jewish communities established in Area B of Judea and Samaria amid heavy pressure from the US administration, according to a report Sunday morning by Ynet military correspondent Elisha Ben Kimon.
Officials familiar with the matter told Ynet that the National Security Council has issued clear instructions to remove unauthorized developments, particularly those established inside Area B.
The officials said Netanyahu is under “very heavy pressure” from the US administration over the issue and is concerned that Jewish settlement activity in Area B will continue to expand.
AFSI Insight
AFSI strongly opposes any evacuation of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria that is being carried out because of U.S. pressure. Israel’s government must make decisions about its security, land, and Jewish communities based on Israel’s own interests—not demands from Washington or any other foreign government. At a time when Israeli security forces are reportedly thwarting dozens of terrorist attacks each week, weakening the Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria sends precisely the wrong message to Israel’s enemies.
AFSI believes Israel must stand firm on Jewish rights and sovereignty in Judea and Samaria and reject policies that reward pressure against Israel.
Israel Draws the Line on Judea & Samaria
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich met with a group of industrialists in Ma’ale Adumim against the backdrop of plans by Britain and other countries to impose sanctions on Israeli goods and products.
During the meeting, the minister revealed that the government is working on a package of forceful economic and diplomatic measures in response to countries that take such steps, alongside comprehensive financial support for Israel’s domestic business sector.
At the beginning of his remarks, Smotrich addressed the planned international measures and said, “This idea that it will be possible to force us to commit suicide and establish a terrorist state here, in the very heart of the Land of Israel, through criminalization – whether because I have an arrest warrant in The Hague and sanctions against me, or through economic sanctions – is unacceptable.”
In addition, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Tuesday that there would be consequences for London should the United Kingdom implement measures targeting Judea and Samaria it has said it is considering.
Asked during an appearance on Ynet’s 120 and One podcast, Sa’ar was asked about Tuesday’s announcement by British Foreign Minister Ed Miliband that the United Kingdom was preparing to join Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland in introducing measures targeting Israeli products from Judea and Samaria.
“We are preparing. I hope they won’t make that mistake,” said Sa’ar. “If they do, there will be a reaction. Gone are the days that one can act against Israel without it responding,” he continued. A British ban on products from Judea and Samaria at this time would be considered election interference, he said.
AFSI Insight
AFSI applauds Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar for making clear that Israel will no longer passively accept European efforts to pressure it over Judea and Samaria. Boycotts, sanctions, and attempts to delegitimize Jewish communities must be met with a firm and meaningful response. Judea and Samaria are not bargaining chips, and foreign governments should not be permitted to dictate Israeli policy or undermine Israel’s rights in its historic homeland. This marks an important shift toward deterrence, resolve, and action—not surrender.
Israel vows ‘response’ to Judea and Samaria measures weighed by UK, by JNS, September 2, 2026
Poisoned Goats, Growing Threats to Jewish Farmers
A herd of goats at a Jewish farm in the Binyamin region of southern Samaria appears to have been targeted in a poisoning attack last week, after two goats began showing signs of distress and the farm owners discovered pieces of pita laced with a suspected toxic substance scattered across their grazing area.
The farm’s owner, Evyatar Karo, told JNS that two of the goats began foaming at the mouth after eating the suspected poisoned bait. The farmers were able to intervene and remove the herd before more of the animals could consume the tainted bread.
The goats showing symptoms were saved, which Karo called “a miracle.”
According to Karo, this was not an isolated case. He said it was the fourth such incident involving his herd of 100 goats, with several having previously died from poisoning.
AFSI Insight
The suspected poisoning of goats at a Jewish farm in Binyamin is more than an attack on livestock—it is an attempt to intimidate Jewish farmers and drive them from their land. AFSI condemns this escalating campaign of harassment and violence and calls on Israeli authorities to protect Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and hold those responsible accountable. Jewish farmers should not be forced from their homes and livelihoods by Palestinian Arab intimidation.
Israel Must Take Back Control of Area C
A wide-scale enforcement operation was conducted over the past two days in Judea and Samaria against illegal construction sites classified as security and environmental threats.
On Sunday, Efraim District Coordination and Liaison (DCL) forces raided the village of Shuweika, north of Tulkarm, accompanied by the Supervision Unit and under the protection of regional brigade soldiers,
The operation focused on demolishing unauthorized construction elements that were erected adjacent to the security fence near the Israeli communities of Bahan and Bat Hefer. The defense establishment noted that the construction was conducted in Area C in total violation of an existing construction prohibition order, creating an immediate safety and security hazard in the area.
AFSI Insight
AFSI welcomes Israel’s decisive enforcement against illegal Arab construction in Judea and Samaria. These structures, particularly those erected near the security fence and sensitive archaeological sites, are not merely planning violations—they can pose real security threats and damage Israel’s historic heritage. Law enforcement must be applied consistently, and Israel should continue dismantling illegal construction throughout Area C rather than allowing facts to be created through unlawful building.
UNRWA: The International Community Gets It Wrong Again
The Foreign Ministry last Thursday sharply criticized a joint statement by 15 countries and the European Union condemning Israel’s entry into a UNRWA training center in Kalandia and the seizure of the agency’s facilities in eastern Jerusalem two days earlier.
The countries called on Israel to “honor its commitments” and immediately stop what they described as interference with UNRWA’s operations.
The statement, signed by the UK, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Spain, Japan, and other countries, reaffirmed their support for UNRWA and argued that Israel’s entry into the facilities was illegal. They said UN facilities are protected under international law and called on Israel to allow UNRWA to carry out its work without obstruction.
In response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said: “Your facts are wrong. You support an organization that is a breeding ground for terrorism, and you prefer to attack Israel with baseless accusations instead of acting for the benefit of Arab children in Kafr Akab. This is a disgrace.”
AFSI Insight
Israel is right to reject the international community’s defense of UNRWA. The evidence of UNRWA personnel and facilities being exploited by Hamas makes continued support for the agency unacceptable. Rather than condemning Israel for enforcing its laws and protecting its citizens, these 15 countries and the EU should demand accountability from UNRWA and support Israel’s efforts to replace an organization that has become intertwined with terrorism.