Broad Campaign on the Horizon
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a special discussion that he held last Thursday, “We are heading towards a broad campaign of one intensity or another.” This is with regard to Israel’s northern front.
The heads of the defense establishment also claimed during Thursday’s discussion that a diplomatic settlement alone will not bring the residents of the north back home. Channel 13 News quoted a senior associate of Netanyahu as stressing that no date has been set for the military move, but it is a matter of anywhere from weeks to a few months.
Amit Sofer, head of the Merom HaGalil Regional Council, said in response to the report, “After almost a year of fighting in the north, we hear for the first time that the Prime Minister wants to expand the attacks in Lebanon. We support any formula that will bring security to the north, bring back the residents and keep the terrorists away from the border line. I believe that only crushing the enemy will bring such quiet. Now we also want to see actions and not just words.”
In Area C There is No Innocent Construction
The Regavim Movement reports that in recent months, an illegal structure has been built near the military base Baal Hazor by Arabs from the village of Malikh in central Binyamin.
The construction and development procedures are being carried out more than 200 meters from the existing buildings in the village of Malikh, effectively creating a new incursion from the village into the open area, allowing potential control of the nearby fields and a security threat to the military base and its access routes.
Meir Deutsch, CEO of Regavim, stated: “One of the important messages we learned from the events that occurred on the Gaza border before October 7th is the importance of maintaining open fields in general and especially around IDF bases. The security system must wake up immediately and understand that there is no innocent construction: The Palestinian Authority does not stop for a moment its vision of establishing a state.”
Friedman: Sovereignty = Stability, Security, Prosperity for All
Ahead of the publication of his book One Jewish State, former US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, sat down with the Sovereignty Journal. In the interview, he presents in detail the main points of his out-of-the box political strategy that advocates for Israeli sovereignty over all the territories of the Land of Israel, resulting in sovereign responsibility that fosters stability, prosperity and security for all inhabitants of the region.
One of Friedman’s key points is that “Israeli right has never been able to articulate a full vision for the region. Most have advocated for sovereignty over the Jewish settlements located in what is referred to as “Area C” since the disastrous Oslo Accords. None have offered a solution for Areas A and B—the territory that Oslo placed under almost complete Palestinian control. But carving out Area C for Israel while leaving Areas A and B to fend for themselves would ultimately turn those areas into Gaza—isolated hotbeds of angry Palestinians who undoubtedly would grow their existing terror network.”
With a fresh new way of approaching the long-standing desire and need for the application of sovereignty, we look forward to closely following Ambassador Friedman’s steps in bringing this plan to what we pray will be its unanimous approval and swift implementation.
Should He, or Shouldn’t He?
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to speak on the third day of the UN General Assembly in New York, Thursday, Sept. 26. However, according to Reshet Bet Radio, he has yet to request a meeting with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, over Israel’s dissatisfaction with the moves the Secretary has led and his statements against it since the beginning of the war.
Last June, Guterres accused Israel – without mentioning it by name – of spreading disinformation about him since October 7. He said, “I have heard the same source say several times already that I have never attacked Hamas, that I have never condemned it, and that I support it. But I have condemned Hamas 102 times, 51 of them in official speeches, and the rest on social media.” We beg to differ.
Guterres undeniably blames Israel for everything and states that “collective punishment of the Palestinian people” by Israel is not justified. He equates the Hamas rapes and murders with Israel’s activities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza which was as close as he could get to justifying Hamas’s horrifying crimes without saying outright that Israel deserved it.
Guterres is no friend to Israel.The October 7 massacre and current war has shown his true colors. We cannot find a reason for Netanyahu to meet with this evil, and frankly, anti-Semitic “leader.” While we wish there was another way to send a message to Guterres, Netanyahu’s decision to forego requesting a meeting with him is the best option right now. While we don’t expect this choice to impact or change Guterres’ mind, it will certainly make a statement to people who understand the truth about what Israel is fighting for.
IF Hamas Lays Down Its Arms: Is This a Good Deal?
Israel’s chief negotiator for hostages and missing persons has offered to swap safe passage out of Gaza for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in exchange for the return of all 101 remaining hostages held captive by the terror group.
The proposal advanced by Gal Hirsch would enable Sinwar to walk free — albeit out of Gaza — together with his family and any others he might want to include, according to the report by Bloomberg News.
There are also other conditions to the latest deal, such as a requirement for Hamas to lay down its arms and relinquish control over Gaza, Bloomberg journalist Bobby Ghosh reported.
It’s clear now that the IDF has done its job so well that Sinwar fears for his life. The only way this could be a significant, productive and lasting deal is if Hamas permanently lays down its arms, which will only happen if Israel shows it is unbeatable.
If Sinwar’s life is spared, we’d like to think that Sinwar will never orchestrate one iota of terrorism against Israel again – nor appoint another to take his place – but we do not believe that will be the case for a moment! Hamas has breached every ceasefire agreement it has made with Israel. Only if Hamas cannot reorganize and regroup in any way, shape, or form in Gaza, Judea and Samaria or anywhere near Israel will Israel be safe from it.
On the Temple Mount: Positive Transformation
The number of Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount has surpassed all previous years since the liberation of Jerusalem in 1967.
As of Sept. 6, 51,672 Jews have visited the holy site since last Rosh Hashanah (Sept. 16, 2023), according to the Beyadenu—Returning to the Temple Mount organization.
The Temple Mount Administration activist group reacted to the report of the record-breaking number of visitors, saying, “The increase in the number of worshippers ascending the Mount, even during times of war, makes the return of Israel to the Temple Mount a living and existing reality.” The group noted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has been enabling and encouraging this positive transformation for a decade.”
Source:
Record number of Jews visit the Temple Mount, by JNS Update Desk, September 11, 2024
Without the Sword There is No Forever
Three Israelis workers at the Allenby Border crossing with Jordan were shot and killed when a truck driver approaching the terminal from Jordan at the terminal opened fire.
The victims are Yohanan Shahouri (61) Ma’ale Efraim, Yuri Birnbaum (65) of Moshav Naama near Jericho and Adrian Marcelo Podmesser, a resident of Ariel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack: “We are surrounded by a murderous ideology led by Iran’s axis of evil. The great majority of Israel’s citizens know that we are fully committed to achieving the objectives of the war: To eliminate Hamas, to return all of our hostages, to ensure that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel and to return our residents in the north and south securely to their homes. We will wield the sword of David together and with G-d’s help, we will win.”
Netanyahu concluded with: “One more word. There are those who ask – ‘Shall the sword devour forever?’ In the Middle East, without the sword, there is no ‘forever’.”
MK Rothman: Stop Thinking PA is an Ally
“The army is now seriously turning its attention to Judea and Samaria. The terrorists have raised their heads,” a regional Judea and Samaria security chief said.
MK Simcha Rothman, who lives in the Gush Etzion community of Pnei Kedem, told JNS, “I think the operation in Tulkarem Jenin is a start, but it is far from being enough. The main problem is the Palestinian Authority, which pays the terrorists—some of the terrorists themselves are employed by the P.A. in its security forces, with some trained by the U.S. They are behind many of the terrorist attacks we see in Judea and Samaria.
Rothman further stated that the IDF must be responsible for security, and to “stop thinking the P.A. is an ally.” Until that time, he fears “we will sadly see more and more terrorist attacks.”
Ticking Time Bomb Threatens Students
The heads of municipal development companies in Judea and Samaria sent a letter to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant expressing grave concern about a threat to student transportation in Judea and Samaria. This is especially so following the recent car bomb discovered in the Binyamin Region that is believed to have been intended to be used against a school bus filled with children, which was scheduled to leave the town heading towards schools in the region.
The letter reads, “We are contacting you on behalf of the development companies in Judea and Samaria, which transport tens of thousands of students every day throughout the region. We want to express our great concern about the ever-growing threat to student transportation, in light of intentions to carry out attacks against vehicles transporting students. This situation is not only alarming, but constitutes a ticking bomb, which puts the lives of students, drivers and teachers in real danger.”
The signers of the letter demanded “immediate action to improve the security situation on the main transportation routes in Judea and Samaria” and not wait for another disaster that can be prevented.
Netanyahu: It’s Not Gonna Happen
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an English-language press conference Wednesday evening on the war against Hamas in which he stressed the need for Israel to maintain control of the Philadelphi Corridor.
“Once we got out, once we left the Philadelphi Corridor, Iran could carry out its plan to turn Gaza into a base, a terrorist enclave, that would endanger not only the communities around it, but would endanger Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Be’er Sheva, the entire country of Israel. It became a huge terrorist base because we left that corridor,” he said.
“You have to understand the centrality of the Philadelphi Corridor to the arming of Gaza, to the arming of Hamas, and this all led to the October 7th massacre, which Hamas has proudly vowed to do again and again and again.
There must be a reversal of the devastating 2005 decision that forced Israel to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor. Netanyahu laid out the facts clearly and succinctly on why Israel must not leave again. This decision is not a political one, it’s not a power grab, nor will it hurt any hostage deal. With Israel’s defense forces in the Phladelphi Corridor again, it will demilitarize Gaza and is a critical strategic move for Israel’s long-term security and defense. Netanyahu must stick to this position, which will strengthen Israel’s goals for winning the current war – and the protect against future terrorism infiltrating the country.