Fourteen Jewish, educational, and civil rights organizations urged the U.S. Senate to reform the Higher Education Act to prevent misuse of federal funds by publicly supported, university-based Middle East studies programs. In a letter to Chairman Lamar Alexander and Ranking Member Patty Murray of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, the coalition charged that “federal funds under Title VI of the [Higher Education Opportunity Act or HEOA] are being misused to promote biased, one-sided, and anti-Israel programming in our nation’s Middle East studies centers.

The Israel Academia Monitor reports that on January 24, 2018 several Jewish educational groups wrote a letter to the U.S Senate Committee of Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in support of amendments to Title VI of the Higher Education Opportunities Act. The groups concern is that federal funds “are being misused to promote biased, one-sided, and anti-Israel programming in our nation’s Middle East studies centers.” Read more HERE

Obama’s disdain for Israel was on constant display during his presidency, but the seven year IRS campaign against Z Street, as described by Lori Lowenthal Marcus in her op-ed, so glaringly illustrates the anti-Israel Obama policy positions as to be painful.

Contriving excuses such as that Z Street had to be denied its 501C3 because it might be “funding terror” and “supporting Jewish activity over the Green line”, was clearly discriminatory and prejudiced. This policy of getting “special scrutiny” also affected other organizations applying for tax exempt status who were asked by the IRS to “explain their religious beliefs about the Land of Israel.” The fact that organizations actually involved in giving donations indirectly to Hamas, a designated terror group, were granted 501C3s, underscored the bias of the Obama administration.

It is hoped that now, under the Trump administration, when Z Street vs IRS has been settled, that the organization can start again and re-enlist those who were drawn to it. We were among that group and look forward to being part of it again.

Helen Freedman

The IRS has finally been challenged.

An article in the Wall Street Journal by Lori Lowenthal Marcus discusses the first IRS viewpoint discrimination case to be filed, Z Street v. IRS, which has been settled, with disturbing revelations about how the Internal Revenue Service treated pro-Israel organizations applying for tax-exempt status.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Arutz Sheva reports that an Arab terrorist stabbed to death 29 year-old Itamar Ben-Gal in the Israeli city of Ariel in Samaria, Monday afternoon. He was a resident of the community of Har Bracha in Samaria. Ben-Gal, a father of four, was an educator who worked with 8th graders at the Bnei Akiva Yeshiva in Givat Shmuel, and also taught at the Har Bracha Yeshiva.

The stabbing attack occurred at a popular hitchhiking spot near Jerusalem Boulevard in Ariel just before 2:30 pm.

AFSI expresses its condolences to the Ben-Gal family. They should know no more sorrow.

Please see the AFSI Action Alert further below and call your Senator TODAY to demand he/she stop stalling on the Taylor Force Act.

Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) reports that the Israeli Cabinet unanimously voted Sunday to legalize the Havat Gilad outpost on Sunday, thereby creating a new settlement in central Samaria.

Politicians and Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan called to authorize Havat Gilad (Gilad Farm) in the aftermath of the January 9 terrorist attack, in which outpost resident and father of six Rabbi Raziel Shevach was shot dead by Palestinians as he drove near his home.

Exclusive – a Proposal for legislation to apply Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria

Annexation is on the Agenda
Likud Central did it, now it’s the Knesset’s turn: MK Yoav Kish has proposed legislation for annexation with the same wording as that which was passed by the party members . “The time has come”, he says, “we will not have a better and more appropriate opportunity”

Amihai Attali, Sunday January 28th 2018, Yediot Aharonot page 8
Translated by Sally Zahav for the Sovereigny Movement

A month ago, the Likud Central Committee passed a decision in favor of applying Israeli sovereignty in all areas of Jewish settlement in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley. And now, with the extra tailwind provided by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s visit and President Donald Trump’s rebuke to the Palestinians, the Central Committee’s decision has resulted in legislation proposed by MK Yoav Kish.

The history of legislation for annexation in this Knesset is very rich: in the past, Kish, together with MK Bezalel Smotrich, has proposed legislation to annex Ma’ale Adumim, but the discussion of this legislation was postponed by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation; MK Moti Yogev and MK Miki Zohar proposed legislation to annex Gush Etzion, the City of Ariel and the Jordan Valley; Minister Yisrael Katz attempted to promote legislation to annex Givat Ze’ev; MK Shuli Mualem proposed legislation to rescind the Disengagement Law in northern Samaria – however, all of these proposals failed, mainly because of the coalitions’ concerns over reactions from the international community.

But now there is someone who has decided to take the proposed annexation laws another step forward. A few days ago, MK Kish presented the Knesset with proposed legislation with wording that is identical to that which was passed by Likud Central. Note: The decision that was made by Likud Central did not state that the territories of Judea and Samaria would be annexed, but that the territory of all the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria would be annexed to the State of Israel and that Israeli law would be applied there.

With Kish’s proposed legislation, the rightist politicians will have to demonstrate that they are willing to take the decision to annex the settlements one step further to implementation. There is no doubt that the path for this proposed legislation will not be easy and it will probably cause some unpleasantness for Prime Minister Netanyahu.
A forum entitled Uniting for Sovereignty, with hundreds of members of Likud Central, will soon take place, as part of a campaign called Making History, with the objective of pressuring MKs and ministers to promote the sovereignty law.

MK Kish stated: “The time has come to take the decision of Likud Central, turn it into practical details and apply sovereignty over the areas of Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria. There will not be a better and more suitable historical opportunity to do it”.
Ariel Morali, a member of the Uniting for Sovereignty Forum, said: “We are grateful to MK Kish, who is leading the implementation of the historic decision. In 2018, the Likud is making history just as David Ben Gurion made history in 1948, Moshe Dayan and Rabin in 1967 and Menahem Begin in 1977”.

Arutz Sheva reports that a poll conducted by Israel Hayom and New Wave Research showed that most Israeli citizens support the government’s decision to remove illegal infiltrators from Israel and send them to a safe third country in Africa.

UN Human Rights Commissioner, Jordan’s Prince Zeid bin Ra’ad al-Hussein has decided to indefinitely postpone the publication of a “blacklist” of Israeli and international companies operating in Judea and Samaria.
The postponement of publication of the list comes after heavy pressure exerted by the US and Israel on the Commissioner with the assistance of diplomats from other countries.

An OpEd by Giulio Meotti in Arutz Sheva brings a critical point to the forefront as the world just observed Holocaust Memorial Day.

The basis of his article states that the direct and indirect threats against Israel that go unpunished make a mockery of Holocaust Remembrance.

Though on Holocaust Memorial Day we remember the horrific acts against the Jews, anti-semitism, terrorism and hostility toward Jews still threaten Israel and the Jewish people everyday.

Meotti notes in his article, “A few days ago, in Brussels, Yuli Edelstein, president of the Knesset, condemned the hypocrisy of those who honor the memory but accuse Israel of ‘war crimes’, dialogue with Hamas and do not see the Jews who hide the star of David.”

Does the world remember this very dark chapter in history or do they choose to forget?

Yesterday, US Representatives Roskam (R-IL), Nita Lowey (D-NY), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Kay Granger (R-TX), and Marc Veasey (D-TX), the co-Chairs of the Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism, sent a letter to Polish President Andrzej Duda urging him to reject legislation passed by the Sejm that would criminalize references to Polish complicity in Nazi war crimes against Jews during the occupation of Poland during World War II.

Read the full letter HERE.