A top-level delegation from the Yesha Council, representing Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, was in Washington, D.C., this week as invited guests for President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Speaking to the Israeli press in the VIP gallery at the Capital One Arena, where the pre- and post-inauguration festivities took place, Yesha Council chairman Israel Ganz said the council was looking forward to continuing its relationship with the new administration.

Gantz stated, “President Trump has done so much for Israel. We hope he will continue assisting the communities of Judea and Samaria to develop and flourish while strengthening Israel’s security. We are here to thank the president, deepen ties and ensure that, with God’s help, the bonds between Israel and the United States continue to grow.”

Source:
Yesha Council delegation gets warm welcome in Washington, DC, by Josh Hasten/JNS, January 22, 2025

The Yesha Council released the data from its annual population report on Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley, indicating an increase of 12,297 residents during 2024.

As of early 2025, the region’s population was 529,704, constituting approximately 5.28% of Israel’s total population.

The report emphasized that the population growth rate in the region is 2.38%, more than double the national rate, which currently stands at 1.1%. The report also noted that over the past decade, there has been a 36% increase in the population of Judea and Samaria.

The head of the Binyamin Regional Council and Chairman of the Yesha Council, Yisrael Ganz said: “The data illustrates the great and significant work that is taking place in Judea and Samaria. Every year we see how settlement continues to grow and strengthen and is a living example of the Zionist vision that is being realized.”

Ganz continued, “Now, we expect the government to move to the next stage and act to properly apply sovereignty to this region of the country and, as is appropriate, to stop discrimination against the country’s dedicated citizens.”

Read “A Zionist and economic response: Establishing new neighborhoods and communities in Judea and Samaria” by Guy Amit in Israel National News

Source:
Judea and Samaria Passes Half Million, Breaking Demographic Records, by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz/Israel365News, January 21, 2025

Doron Steinbrecher, 31, Romi Gonen, 24, and Emily Damari, a 28-year-old Israeli-UK national, were the first hostages freed Sunday evening in a phased deal. In exchange, Israel is releasing 90 imprisoned Palestinian terrorists. Of the 90, 78 will return to their homes in Judea and Samaria and the remaining 12 will be released to eastern Jerusalem. They will be transported to release points from the Ofer Prison to release points in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem.

The ceasefire went into effect on Sunday morning at 11:15am after Israel confirmed receiving an hours-overdue list of the hostages to be returned.

The first phase of the ceasefire will see 33 Israeli hostages freed over several weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel. The exact number will depend on how many of the 33 hostages are alive.

Source:
Three Hostages Back in Israel After 471 Days, by Pesach Benson/TPS, January 19, 2025

On Sunday, 78 terrorists were released from Ofer Prison as part of the hostage release deal. In response, Jewish residents in Judea and Samaria blocked roads intended for the return of the released terrorists to their homes, in an effort to “prevent the next massacre.”

Their online message forums warned, “All residents of Judea and Samaria are in danger. The locations of these villages are close to major roads and settlements in Judea and Samaria. There is almost no settlement in Judea and Samaria that does not have a village nearby where a freed terrorist is returning. “We are guarding our lives. We will not go like sheep to the slaughter! Everyone is now going out to block Ramallah.”

Two weeks after two women and a policeman were murdered in a shooting attack in Samaria, a Jewish presence was re-established Sunday morning in the murderers’ village. Jewish activists arrived at the village and called for improved security measures and the demolition of illegal shops in the area. Sunday night, Kedumim Council Chairman Ozel Vatik stated in a letter to residents, “Our fight to change the reality and eliminate the threat of Funduq is succeeding!” Their activism brought success to establish a Jewish presence point in Funduq. After discussions with senior officials from the Civil Administration, the army, and the police, numerous changes will be taking place.

Source:
Settlers Rev Up Activism with Terrorists’ Release: Won’t Go Like Sheep to Slaughter!, by David Israel/Jewish Press, January 20, 2025

A diplomatic source said on Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is insistent on finalizing all the details of the hostage deal before bringing it to the vote of the Security Cabinet and the Cabinet.

“Netanyahu strongly refused Hamas’s demand to change the deployment of troops in on the Philadelphi Corridor and thus he is standing firmly against Hamas’s other demands today, which deviate from the understandings that were reached during the negotiations. It seems that this insistence bears fruit, but until the matters are completely finalized, Prime Minister Netanyahu will not convene the Cabinet and government.’

Earlier in the evening, Shas Party Chairman Aryeh Deri announced that Israel and Hamas have overcome the obstacles on the path to implementing the hostage deal.

“A few minutes ago I received a final message that they overcame all the obstacles and the deal is underway. Now they are dealing with the final technical wording. I want to congratulate Prime Minister Netanyahu, he’s responsible for the deal,” Deri stated.

News is coming out minute by minute on the fate of this “deal.” Right now we can only be certain that Netanyahu will decide when to bring it for a vote. We can also hope that in addition to freeing hostages, Israel is getting a sizable benefit from this deal – most likely from the incoming US administration. Mike Waltz, Trump’s incoming National Security Advisor has stated that following the release of terrorists, if Israel needs to “go in again to eliminate Hamas we are with them.”

Source:
Diplomatic source: Cabinet will not meet until deal is finalized, by Israel National News, January 16, 2025

Residents of the Gaza envelope communities are enraged that the IDF has begun to build a high stone wall near Sderot, saying this proves that the army has not changed its old and failed security perceptions,

“As soon as I saw the wall,’ said a resident of the city whose son was murdered along with 1,200 others during the Hamas invasion last October 7, “I realized that nothing has changed nor will change here. We’re back to October 6.”

Yarin Sultan, a member of the Israel Envelope Forum, also sharply criticized the move: It is “another link in a chain of conceptual failures. The state continues to cling to outdated approaches that are satisfied with cosmetic treatment [of the problem] and do not provide real security to the residents of the south.”

The army said in response that the wall was being built so that train service can recommence to the town. “The IDF is working on a variety of efforts to enable the return of the train, including tailored military operations and an ongoing situation assessment,” said its spokesperson. This is with the understanding that this is an important strategic national infrastructure and a central factor in the process of restoring the western Negev.”

Source:
‘We’re back to October 6’ – IDF builds wall around Sderot, by Batya Jerenberg/World Israel News, January 16, 2025

Only days before the end of his term and two weeks before the expiration of the previous order, Biden extended the order declaring a state of emergency in Judea and Samaria and allowing for sanctions to be imposed on Judea and Samaria residents for another year.

Biden stated there’s a “high level of violence from extremist Jewish residents, the forced displacement of residents from their villages” accusing it of being “a serious threat to peace and stability in the West Bank, Gaza, Israel, and throughout the Middle East.”

He added, “Israel has harmed the financial system of the Palestinian Authority. It still holds tax money that should go to the Palestinians. Israel is also increasing the pace of construction in communities in Judea and Samaria.

Thankfully, January 20 is four days away! Yesterday, US Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz announced that with the start of President Trump’s term next week, they would work to repeal the sanctions imposed by Biden.

Source:
President Biden extends order permitting sanctions on Judea and Samaria residents, by Israel National News, January 15, 2025

On Monday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, chairman of the Religious Zionist Party, took to X/Twitter to condemn the latest ceasefire proposal now under consideration in talks in Doha, Qatar. He has threatened to oppose ratification of the agreement if it is brought to a vote.

Smotrich lambasted the deal, which would be implemented over three phases, as a “catastrophe” for Israel’s security.

“The emerging deal is a catastrophe for the national security of the State of Israel,” Smotrich wrote. “We will not be part of a surrender deal that would include releasing arch-terrorists, ending the war, and erasing the achievements that cost us so much.”

Smotrich also claimed the proposed agreement would “abandon many hostages,” a reference to the plans to release just 34 of the remaining 98 Israeli hostages during the first phase of a potential ceasefire, leaving the fate of the remaining hostages uncertain and linked to Hamas’s compliance with the truce.

Breaking this afternoon: Under the terms of the emerging ceasefire, it is expected that the first 33 hostages to be released will be humanitarian cases, an Israeli security source told The Press Service of Israel on Monday as reports swirled throughout the day of an impending ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas.

Meanwhile, five Israeli hospitals were instructed to begin preparations to receive and treat the initial returnees.

How can Israel go along with a hostage deal that does not include every hostage? How can it agree to any deal that does not require the release of all the hostages before any sort of “ceasefire” goes into effect? Let us keep in mind that on October 6, 2023 there was a ceasefire in effect. What more do we need to understand what ceasefire means to these jihadists. We pray Israel will not give up the advantage it now enjoys. This is the same old deal we’ve seen before where thousands of terrorists go free but at what cost to Israel’s security?

January 20. is just 7 days away. President-elect Donald J. Trump has threatened “there will be hell to pay” if the hostages are not released before he takes office. Nobody knows exactly what he means or intends to do to confront this. We do know it would be preferred if all the hostages were released, all terrorists remained behind bars and Israel’s defeat of Hamas was completed. The same old scenario cannot continue endlessly.

Sources:
‘Catastrophe’ – Senior Israeli minister blasts emerging deal with Hamas, by David Rosenberg/World Israel News, January 13, 2025

33 Hostages Said to Be Released First in Emerging Ceasefire Deal, Forces to Remain in Gaza, by Pesach Benson/TPS, January 13, 2025

New field documentation by Regavim reveals that the illegal outpost of Khan al-Ahmar continues to expand, even a year and a half after the most recent developments in its legal saga. Since Regavim first brought attention to this illegal site 14 years ago, Khan al-Ahmar has become a central issue in the struggle over the Adumim Region and the broader area of Judea and Samaria.

The expansion of Khan al-Ahmar underscores growing concerns over the enforcement of legal decisions and the broader implications for strategic control in this sensitive region. As has been the case for decades, Khan al-Ahmar represents an existential battleground between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Located at the narrowest point of the peanut-shaped “west bank,” Khan al-Ahmar dominates the E1 corridor, which in turn dominates the future of a Palestinian State.

If Israel succeeds in evacuating the squatters from Khan al-Ahmar, it could finally go about constructing a sprawling suburb of Jerusalem, connecting the capital with the Maale Adumim region. As a result, all hope for a contiguous Palestinian State would vanish.

Regavim stated in a letter that “These new structures highlight the alarming trend of illegal Palestinian Authority appropriations in Area C,” the Regavim letter states, “particularly in the areas surrounding Jerusalem, posing an imminent strategic threat to Israel’s capital.”

Source:
Khan al-Ahmar Expansion Increasing 18 Months after High Court’s Ruling, by David Israel/Jewish Press, January 13, 2025

Just days before his term ends, President Joe Biden and top U.S. officials are being sued by US citizens living in Judea and Samaria following U.S. government sanctions on some residents of the area.

Jewish legal organizations, including The National Jewish Advocacy Center, together with two law firms, filed the lawsuit in a Columbia court on behalf of several American citizens residing in Judea and Samaria. Among the plaintiffs are Yitzhak Levi Filant and Isaschar Manne, both American citizens from Judea and Samaria.

The U.S. government sanctioned Philant in August 2024 for “malign activities outside the scope of his authority,” adding that ”in February 2024, he led a group of armed settlers to set up roadblocks and conduct patrols to pursue and attack Palestinians in their lands and forcefully expel them from their lands.” Filant’s lawyers claim he has never acted violently against Palestinians, and the accusations are unfounded.

The fact is that these “settlers” living in Judea and Samaria are Jewish residents of Israeli. They are not violent terrorists. They live, work and protect their homes, families and the land they are entitled to live on. The false accusations against Jewish residents in Judea and Samaria are being heavily fueled by organizations like Democracy for Arab World Now. This is an organization whose board members have ties to radical Muslim Brotherhood elements and have even praised Hamas. Need we say more?

Source:
Judea and Samaria residents sue Biden admin. for sanctions, by Nissan Tzur/Israel National News