Aharon Pulver, head of the Israel Independence Fund and Simcha Rothman, of Meshilut, were the guests of AFSI at the West Side Institutional Synagogue on February 14 for AFSI’s Israel at 70 Lecture Series where they spoke about critical issues in Israel today. AFSI is grateful to Rabbi Marc Golub and the JBS for filming the event and making these fascinating talks available on TV and through the links. The evening concluded with remarks from AFSI’s Co-Executive Directors, Helen and Judy, along with a tasting of wines from Judea and Samaria, accompanied by informative commentary.

An excerpt from Sunday night’s CBS 60 Minutes interview with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shows him offering a positive outlook, though lacking in detail, on working toward peace in the MIddle East.

What happens in Saudi Arabia could influence the overall peace process as well as well as the dealings with Iran.

AFSI appreciates the constructive tone from Crown Prince bin Salman. However, we do not expect that his overtures can mollify the situation with Abbas and the PA. There is NO WAY the PA can qualify as a “peace partner”.

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) says he will do “everything in his power” to pass the Taylor Force Act

A report this week says that there is some hesitation that cutting off U.S. funding would destabilize the P.A., leading to its possible collapse and replacement in the West Bank with terror groups like Hamas.

We don’t think this is an excuse to put a complete stop to funding terrorists and their families. Funding the PA’s cause – killing Jews – keeps the problem going. It’s long overdue for this matter to be given far more serious and swift action in order to put a stop to the terrorism.

Source – Jewish News Syndicate 

World Israel News (WIN) is reporting that US Senator Bob Corker says he expects Trump to pull out of the Iran deal and retired US Army Special Forces Sgt. Jim Hanson weighs in on the possible impact of such a move.

Video courtesy of Fox News Channel.

Israel for the first time admitted that it bombed a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007 and said on Wednesdaythe strike should be a warning to Iranthat it would not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

Israel’s decision to go public comes after repeated calls in recent months by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the United States and international community to take tougher action on Iran, Syria’s ally.

Photos above show the destroyed Syrian nuclear reactor. Israel’s actions in 2007 confirm it will not tolerate threats of any kind to its sovereign nation.

Source – Reuters. Full story HERE 
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Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon (Kulanu) instructed the National Planning and Building Council to convene urgently to promote, as soon as possible, an exemption from the permit required to transfer the United States Embassy to Jerusalem. Read more HERE.

Click here to follow Moshe Kahlon’s tweet to President Trump 

The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) condemned Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas after he belittled
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, calling him the “son of a dog.”

“The National Council of Young Israel strongly condemns the outrageous comments made by PA President Mahmoud Abbas against U.S. Ambassador David Friedman, which came after the Ambassador denounced Abbas’s failure to condemn several terrorist attacks that resulted in the loss of three Israeli lives,” said NCYI in a statement.

“The National Council of Young Israel believes this response epitomizes the long overdue need for passage of the Taylor Force Act in the Senate to start reducing aid to the Palestinian Authority, as not only are they ungrateful for the aid, but they even publicly lambast the representative of the U.S. in Israel.”

AFSI supports NCYI’s swift condemnation of Abbas’ comments – comments that speak very poorly of him as a “peace partner.” This strengthens AFSI’s ongoing advocacy for the application of SOVEREIGNTY to Judea and Samaria.

PM Netanyahu offered his take on Abbas’ outrageous comments: “Something is happening here that has not happened in decades; perhaps it never happened since the Palestinian Authority was established: The American administration has stopped spoiling the Palestinians. It is demanding from them basic things that should have been demanded a long time ago: Recognize the State of Israel’s right to exist, with the State of Israel being the national state of the Jewish people, stop supporting terrorism, and stop financing and encouraging terrorism.”

Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan demands that Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Kahlon act to stop the staff sanctions at the Civil Administration, sanctions that interfere with the administration’s work and harm Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria.

Dagan says, “Jewish ‘settlement’ is in a real crisis and we must say it clearly…our residents in Samaria, Judea, and Benyamin – religious, secular, haredi, all sectors; half a million people – cannot receive services to promote construction; cannot receive environmental protection services”

“It’s possible to have disagreements, but it is inconceivable that a half million Israeli citizens, along with their children, their kindergartens, their schools, and other services they need are ignored and the Treasury doesn’t even bother to find time to solve the crisis,” Dagan states.

Source – Arutz Sheva

Citizens from more than 30 countries around the world appealed to the UN Secretary General to suspend UN Human Rights Commissioner Zaid Ra’ad al-Hussein after calling Judea and Samaria communities a “war crime”, following the latest report he issued regarding the pace of construction for Jews in Judea and Samaria.

Source – Arutz Sheva 

AFSI’s Co-Executive Director, Judy Freedman Kadish, met Congressman Pete Roskam, (R-IL) at a NORPAC event held at the home of Rabbi Steven & Yael Weil in Teaneck NJ on Sunday morning, March 18. Representative Roskam earned his JD at Chicago-Kent School of Law and is in his 6th term representing his suburban Chicago constituency. Among his many other roles, Roskam serves as a co-chair of the House Republican Israel Caucus, the largest Republican congressional organization dedicated to strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship.

In March 2017, he took part in introducing the Anti-BDS Bill stating,”The BDS movement is nothing more and nothing less than the latest attempt by Israel’s enemies to destroy the Jewish State. After their repeated military conquests ended in failure, they have now turned to economic means in the hopes of achieving the same outcome. Thankfully, the United States Congress – and the American people – will not stand for it. We will oppose all forms of economic warfare against Israel and Israelis.”

He is all for re-imposing sanctions on Iran, even if the US stands alone in doing so andwas encouraging in his assessment of the likelihood of getting the Taylor Force Bill passed in both houses of the Congress.

Congressman Roskam is clearly is one of Israel’s best friends in the Congress and we wish him continued success in all that he does for Israel and the Western World.