Two weeks ago, Arab rioters climbed the hill to the Nahalat Zvi, blocked the sole access road, and threw rocks at the young men living there. Since that day, those harassing the Nahalat Zvi community have been Israeli Border Police officers, not local Arabs.

On that day in late November, it took an hour for residents and soldiers to chase the Arabs back to their village. Shortly afterward, the commander of the Binyamin Regional Brigade, Colonel Eliav Elbaz, arrived at the scene and was approached by the worried victims who came to him looking for answers.

“Where are you from?” Colonel Elbaz asked, to which the residents replied that they were from Nahalat Zvi. Claiming he never hear of Nahalat Zvi, Elbaz threatened to return with a D9 bulldozer and “demolish everything.” In addition, residents report they are being subjected regularly to “an unprecedented campaign of harassment” along with violent raids and arrests by Border Police.

This is exactly what we hope to see come to an end with Israel’s new government and we expect no less than a complete stop to treating Jewish residents like terrorists.

Source:
Border Police vs. outpost: Twice-weekly raids reduce Nahalat Zvi to torn fabric & rubble, by Israel National News, December 22, 2022

A document drafted by the European Commission in Eastern Jerusalem calls for helping the Palestinian Authority actively take control of land in Area C, which is supposed to be under full Israeli control under the Oslo Accords.

A report by Channel 13 News revealed the document from which it appears that the EU will work to map land to prove Palestinian Arab rights to it – without leaving traces of its activities. The document appears to point to the EU’s use of left-wing organizations in Israel for this purpose.

The EU also calls for “following and monitoring Israeli archaeological activity in the area” – on the grounds that it is being used as a pretext for settlement building in Judea and Samaria.

The document also states that there is a need for a common European vision and a more coordinated approach between the parties in Europe in order to maximize the ability to expand involvement in Area C.

Chairman of the Religious Zionist Party, MK Bezalel Smotrich, responded, saying that, “the fight against the Arab takeover of open areas in Judea and Samaria is one of the most pressing and important challenges that the next government must address and one of the main reasons for my demand to receive authority for this in the Ministry of Defense.”

This is an outrage but nothing to be shocked about. The European Union’s evil intentions are on full display with the revelation of this document. The Arab plans to takeover Area C, along with the forces that align with them, are the biggest strategic threat Israel faces. As the weeks pass, the number of illegal land grabs by the PA increases. It is pressing now more than ever for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to take full control of and put a stop to this problem. Israel’s sovereign and legal rights must be asserted NOW!

Source:
Secret document reveals: EU will help Arabs take over Area C, by Israel National News, December 19, 2022

Israeli visitors who want to walk in the footsteps of the Maccabees and see one of the remnants of their seats of power are also forced to navigate the geopolitics of the Israeli-Palestinian “conflict.”

That’s because the site of the palaces of the Maccabean High Priest Yohanan, also known as John Hyrcanus, and his son Alexander Jannaeus are located on the edge of the Palestinian city of Jericho.

The remnants of the palaces, with their ritual baths and the ancient Hashmonaim synagogue, which King Herod converted into his winter palace, are located in Area C of the West Bank, which is under IDF military and civilian control.

At present, Israelis can only visit through organized tours that are coordinated with the army. However, foreign tourists can enter through Jericho to see the palaces of the ancient Jewish warriors who were at the heart of events upon which the Hanukkah holiday is based.

“We expect that the new government will turn it into a national park and open it to the general public,” said Binyamin Regional Council deputy chairman Raful Engel. The ruins are located within his council’s boundaries.

The Religious Zionist Party’s plans to transfer aspects of Israeli civilian life in Judea and Samaria now under the IDF’s Civil Administration to relevant ministries could help them in their battle to preserve the site by placing it under the Antiquities Authority.

Source:
West Bank’s Maccabee palaces must be Israeli national park, settlers say, by Tovah Lazaroff/Jerusalem Post, December 18, 2022

 

 

 

 

Alex Selsky went up to the Temple Mount for the first time a few days ago. He says, “On the one hand, I received a boost to my national and traditional Jewish identity. However, at the same time, I felt humiliated. We were accompanied by policemen, our own Israeli policemen, who led us like prisoners, not allowing us to stop or deviate a few meters.”

Worse than that, a dress code was recently imposed on visitors to the Temple Mount by the Wakf, which is handing out clothing with a yellow stripe on it. This is certainly no coincidence. Yellow was the color imposed on Jews and Christians in Islamic countries that symbolized their lower status, known as dhimmi.

Jews were forced to wear a yellow patch as a sign of their inferior status beginning in the ninth century in Muslim countries, and it is not a coincidence that it was adopted by the Nazis during the 20th century.

Selsky concludes, “This sign shows that we have yet to properly assert our sovereignty on Zion itself, the symbolic center of Zionism. This means that our full independence has yet to be won and, in fact, with the handing out of clothing with a yellow stripe, it is another reminder that symbolism matters.”

Source:
To win the War of Independence, we must govern the Temple Mount, by Alex Selsky/JNS, December 18, 2022

Thinc., a European think tank of international law experts came out last week with a 300 page study called “Two States for Two Peoples?” Presented at the European Parliament in Brussels on December 7, Thinc. concluded that the European Union should dump the “two-state solution” policy as it has failed and does not align with EU interests.

These include the EU’s consistent disregard of the fact that all relevant Palestinian political organizations, including the Palestinian Authority (PA), have rejected all Israeli proposals in peace negotiations. Europe also ignores the Palestinians’ constant promotion of the destruction of Israel rather than the establishment of a democratically accountable and peaceful state alongside it, they noted.

The meticulously researched report indicates that the EU has interpreted international law incorrectly when claiming that Palestinians have a right to full-fledged sovereign statehood in Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem, while dismissing Israel’s legitimate territorial rights to the region. The EU also sets a double standard for Israel, as it does not apply the same legal rhetoric to any other comparable conflicts or occupations in the world, according to the report.

Thinc. was established specifically in the Hague in 2017 as the global capital of international law with a specific mission to challenge the application of international law when misused to delegitimize the State of Israel, a practice known colloquially as “lawfare.”

Indeed, this is a welcome and very important report and Thinc. deserves a huge amount of credit for their effort to report on the truth. However, the question remains: when will the European Union listen? Moreover, when will it turn itself around and correct its intentional efforts to destroy Israel?

Source:
‘Failure’: Dump two-state solution, not in EU’s interests, says European think tank, by Batya Jerenberg/World Israel News, December 13, 2022

 

 

The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday released photos showing what it said were rocket launch sites that Palestinian terror groups have positioned next to several schools in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

“Over 1,000 innocent students attend these schools that Hamas uses for terrorist activities. Hamas purposefully puts civilians and pupils in danger by using them as human shields,” the IDF said.

Based on our first article above, we would like to hear the European Union comment on this. There is nothing to justify this, not to mention it’s abuse of the children.

Source:
IDF releases photos showing terror groups put rocket launchers next to Gaza schools, by Times of Israel Staff, December 14, 2022

 

Tucked into the middle of Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi’s 50-minute speech Wednesday on the IDF’s challenges and capabilities was an admission that the IDF hit an Iranian convoy on the Syrian-Iraqi border in November.

Because of the IDF’s ability to adapt to the changing realities on the ground and, with skilled manpower and state-of-the-art technology, the IDF remains ahead of the curve so it can keep Israel safe.

Source:
IDF chief to Iran: ‘We’re watching’; to Israel: ‘We’re ready’ – analysis, by Herb Keinon/Jerusalem Post, December 15, 2022

 

 

 

 

Due to the incoming Israeli government’s declared intention of transferring civilian issues in Judea and Samaria to the relevant ministries, alarmists are coming out of the woodwork, using their security credentials to further political agendas. They are recklessly spreading falsehoods and sowing distrust of the new government before it has even started to act on the mandate it was so clearly given by the Israeli public in the November elections.

In his Arutz Sheva OpEd, Amir Avivi points out that “security cannot be achieved without the presence of civilians, since the military by itself can never really control terrain without having civilians there to defend. The focus should be on providing services to Israeli civilians, not military affairs. Nor does it relate to governing the Palestinian Arabs, who are under the control and responsibility of the P.A.”

Avivi believes “this move is long overdue and has great potential to right a historical wrong and boost the security and quality of life of Israelis without adversely affecting the Palestinian Arabs.”

Source:
A new Judea and Samaria policy will promote security, by Brig. Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi/Israel National News

 

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said Sunday that the Islamic Republic’s Gulf neighbors will not sit by if Tehran produces nuclear weapons.

“If Iran gets an operational nuclear weapon, all bets are off,” Al Saud told reporters at the World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi.

“We are in a very dangerous space in the region… you can expect that regional states will certainly look towards how they can ensure their own security,” he added, without elaborating on what that could entail.

Now that the Saudis are waking up and getting wise to the safety threat that Iran poses to them, when will the rest of the world follow? We wish to see a domino effect of nations worldwide that get smart on Iran and not remain stupid.

Source:
Saudi FM says ‘all bets are off’ if Iran makes a nuclear weapon, by Times of Israel Staff, December 12, 2022

 

 

 

An IDF tractor has formed a dirt levee blocking the parking lot at the entrance to the community of Homesh.

Homesh Yeshiva director Shmuel Wendi claims that this was a direct order from Defense Minister Benny Gantz who is in the last days of his term: “Gantz doesn’t rest and obsessively takes advantage of every minute that he has left on the job to continue to abuse the Homesh Yeshiva.”

The Disengagement Law is what shamefully prevents Israelis from entering or remaining in the evacuated area of Homesh except for yeshiva members who have special clearance from the Defense Minister. While the policies of Israel’s security forces have not changed, we trust that we can look forward to a complete turnaround with the soon to be fully formed Netanyahu government. In order for normal life to resume in northern Samaria, the cancellation of the Disengagement Law must be a top priority for Netanyahu.

Source:
IDF blocks parking lot at entrance to Homesh, by Israel National News, December 8, 2022