On Sunday, Elizabeth Dwoskin reported in the Washington Post, citing two people familiar with the operation, that the use of AI to rapidly refill IDF’s target bank allowed Israel to continue its campaign uninterrupted.

In a June 30, 2023 interview with Ynet, retiring IDF chief of staff Aviv Kochavi revealed that “Among all the technological revolutions, artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to be the most radical, for better or worse. The IDF recognized this field years ago and harnessed it to enhance combat effectiveness.”

Kochavi continued: “One example of this is the Targeting Directorate established three years ago. It is a unit comprising hundreds of officers and soldiers, powered by AI capabilities. It is a machine that processes vast amounts of data faster and more effectively than any human, translating them into actionable targets.”

Following the devastating Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, the IDF launched extensive airstrikes on Gaza, utilizing a meticulously compiled database containing information on home addresses, tunnels, and other infrastructure deemed critical to the terrorist group.

However, as the initial target database began to dwindle, the IDF relied on the advanced artificial intelligence system that had been described by Kochavi which enabled the rapid generation of hundreds of additional targets, helping sustain the war’s relentless pace.

This highlights how a decade-long initiative to integrate advanced AI tools into the core of the Israel Defense Forces’ intelligence operations has played a key role in sustaining the effectiveness of Israel’s 14-month war in Gaza.

Fans and critics of AI will continue to exchange the pros and cons of this machine exhibited intelligence. Let’s think about the potential positive possibilities. What if AI could be used to predict the exact time and place where intentional harmful targeting of Israel’s defense forces and civilians will take place? If AI could help prevent the loss of life it would be the greatest warfare innovation of all time. It may not be that far off.

Source:
Report: IDF Using AI to Target the Enemy in Gaza, by David Israel/Jewish Press, December 30, 2024

Senior IDF officials do not trust the veracity of messages emanating from the new bosses in Damascus, led by the tall, bearded Ahmad al-Shara Abu, who has taken the name Muhammad al-Julani, and is formerly an operative of al-Qaeda.

In a confidential meeting held this week at the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, two high-ranking Military Intelligence Service officers said that as far as they were concerned, al-Julani’s goodwill offensive was a show, and sooner or later the new regime would turn against Israel.

“Our working assumption is that his attitude towards Israel is that of an enemy and that ultimately the rebel regime will be hostile toward us,” the intelligence officers told the committee. Committee MKs told the officers that “Israel cannot accept a Nazi regime on its border that would lead to red alerts in Katzrin (Known as the Capital of the Golan – DI).”

Source:
Intelligence Officials Tell Closed Knesset Committee New Syrian Regime Will Turn on Israel, by David Israel/Jewish Press, December 27, 2024

The Yesha Council held a meeting last week in Ariel with the participation of the heads of the authorities in Judea and Samaria.

At the center of the discussion was a firm statement: The heads of the authorities will not allow the establishment of a Palestinian state, which would constitute a security and strategic danger to the State of Israel.

The head of the Binyamin Regional Council and the chairman of the Yesha Council, Yisrael Gantz, stated their position in a statement at the end of the meeting: “We gathered today to emphasize our position – we will not allow the establishment of a Palestinian state.” Gantz said.

The Sovereignty Movement’s co-founder Nadia Matar praised the initiative but said, “You cannot only say no. They must say what they offer as an alternative. The best way to say ‘no’ to a Palestinian state is the application of Israeli sovereignty. As long as there’s no sovereignty, you are saying that those areas are not part of Israel.”

Matar reiterated that, “In order to protect the Western world, we need sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.”

Source:
Yesha Council Mayors: “We Will Not Allow the Establishment of a Palestinian State”, by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz/Israel365News, December 27, 2024

A comprehensive report on environmental hazards in Judea and Samaria released on Wednesday paints a grim picture of severe air, water, and soil contamination. The report highlights the environmental, economic, and health consequences of ongoing neglect and abuse, primarily stemming from untreated waste and sewage in areas under Palestinian Authority jurisdiction.

The report, prepared by Green Now and Regavim estimates the annual economic damage to Judea and Samaria at 2.6 billion shekels ($710 million).

Voicing the frustrations of local residents, Israel Gantz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council, called for decisive government action. “Law is law, and quality of life is non-negotiable. Every Israeli citizen deserves it,” said Gantz.

Said Regavim director Meir Deutsch, “The Palestinian Authority is not part of the solution; it’s part of the problem. Environmental sovereignty must rest with Israel to ensure accountability and enforcement.”

This is environmental terrorism. The application of sovereignty throughout Judea and Samaria should put a stop to this form of terrorism against Israel.

Source:
‘Environmental terrorism’: Illegal Palestinian dumping turns Judea and Samaria into hazard zones, by Sveta Listratov/World Israel News, December 26, 2024

Hundreds of “Hill-Top Youth” with a history of administrative detention or prosecution for criminal damage, were always rejected by the IDF as unsafe to carry weapons. With the outbreak of this war, many of these adults faced awkward questions about why they were not serving alongside their brothers, and they were inspired to apply again. The application process is rigorous and involves careful screening, police checks, and psychological evaluations, but its existence reflects a willingness to rehabilitate people with a checkered past.

Yosef M. is proud to finally wear an IDF uniform at the age of 26. He is serving in a meaningful role in defending Israel’s borders after years of feeling rejected.

H/T to AFSI member Paul Fein for sharing this story.

Source:
Yosef & the Rehabilitation of Hill-Top Youth, by Sara Manning/Jewish Press, December 23, 2024

National Unity party chairman MK Benny Gantz called on the government to strike Iran directly following the recent attacks by the Houthis in Yemen, one of Iran’s proxy armies.

“The solution to putting an end to the attacks lies in Tehran,” Gantz said at the weekly National Unity faction meeting Monday afternoon. “We today have the opportunity to catalyze a ‘strategic flip’ against Iran and its proxies. We must capitalize on the opportunity. It would be a strategic mistake of historic proportions not to.”

He declared that Israel “must target Iran directly” instead of merely retaliating against the Houthis.

Turning to the ongoing conflict with the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza, Gantz stated, “Israel must bring the hostages home, and the nations of the region together with the United States must work together with Israel to remove the threat of a nuclear Iranian regime.”

While Gantz is not our hero, this time we must agree with him at least as far as he’s gone.

Source:
Gantz: ‘Israel must strike Iran directly instead of going after proxies’, by Israel National News, December 23, 2024

The new regime in Syria under Abu Muhammad al-Julani has declared that it will not permit Iranian planes to enter its airspace, according to Walla.

Initially, the decision was limited to planes used for military purposes, such as transferring weapons or moving troops. However, on Sunday, it became evident that the ban extended to all Iranian aircraft.

Security sources say this is the most decisive declaration of Syria’s independence and repudiation of the “Axis of Evil” headed by Iran. Iranian planes require access to Syrian airspace to transport supplies to terror proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.

We pray that we can trust al-Juliani, while certainly not fully, but as far as keeping his word on this important limitation on Iranian power.

Source:
New Syrian government forbids Iranian planes in its airspace, by Vered Weiss/World Israel News, December 22, 2024

The UN General Assembly convened last week where a vote passed by a majority on a resolution requesting the ICJ for an advisory opinion. The purpose is to clarify the legal obligation of the State of Israel to allow the free operation of UN humanitarian agencies in general, and UNRWA in particular.

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, spoke before the vote and said: “We are back in this Assembly Hall debating the same recycled nonsense, where all that matters is attacking Israel and challenge its right to protect its citizens. This time the Palestinians are using a new tool in this diplomatic circus: the International Court of Justice. While they take advantage of your indifference and the court’s surrender to their terrorist-supporting agendas, 100 innocent civilians are still being held in Gaza by the Hamas terrorists, and while the Iranian regime is racing toward nuclear weapons.”

“This Assembly clings to the past: Hamas is being dismantled. Hezbollah has been humiliated. Assad has fallen. Instead of seizing this moment to foster peace and stability, this resolution would have you choose to continue a cycle of hate. We must take advantage of this rare, historic opportunity and free the world from the murderous Iranian regime,” he said.

Source:
UNGA passes resolution asking ICJ to force Israel to save UNRWA, by Israel National News, December 19, 2024

The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee headed by MK Simcha Rothman is set to hold hearings on a legislative bill that would extend Israel’s Referendum Law to all of Judea and Samaria, in addition to the country’s territorial waters.

“The purpose of this hearing is to amend the territorial scope of the existing law to include Judea and Samaria, and to clarify that the geographical scope of the law also includes Israel’s territorial waters,” the Land of Israel Caucus co-chairs said.

The law is also expected to close the loophole that allowed then-Prime Minister Yair Lapid to sign an agreement in which Israeli territorial waters were ceded to Lebanon.

The heads of the Land of Israel Caucus, MKs Yuli Edelstein, Limor Son Har Melech and Simcha Rothman made several statements:

“There is a broad consensus in Israeli society and in the Knesset that a Palestinian state must not be established.”

“The statement we are making is clear: After October 7th, the State of Israel will not allow terrorist groups to endanger the security of our citizens by establishing a base of operations on or within our borders.

“The Israel Security Law seeks to amend the Referendum Law and to bring all areas of the historic Land of Israel and our territorial waters within the scope of the law.” We pray that they will be successful in enacting this long overdue measure.

Source:
Land of Israel Caucus Submits Bill to Extend Referendum Law to Judea, Samaria, by Hana Levi Julian/Jewish Press, December 18, 2024

Judea and Samaria leaders demanded Sunday that the IDF use the ‘Gaza model’ to empty their region of terrorists in light of the danger that this front could easily erupt at any time and cause loss of life that was preventable.

In a letter to the security cabinet, the heads of the Yesha Council and local regional councils said that terror hotspots in the Palestinian Authority should be cleared out en masse of their residents, much as the Israeli army has done in northern Gaza. It is clear that the PA is unable and/or unwilling to do so.

The letter said that the precarious security situation in the region was “the result of policies initiated under the Oslo Accords,” and said that “is within your power to change this, and it is your duty to do so.”

Source:
Settler leaders call on Israel to use ‘Gaza model’ to purge Judea & Samaria of terrorism, by Batya Jerenberg/World Israel News, December 17, 2024