Members of Kibbutz Magen’s civilian security team prevented a massacre during Hamas’ October 7 attack while the Israel Defense Forces failed in its mission to protect the community, according to an army inquiry released on Thursday.

The probe, led by Colonel Ziv Beit Or, found that the kibbutz’s 26-member standby squad and volunteer residents successfully repelled waves of Hamas terrorists, forcing their retreat and preventing kidnappings that could have resulted in far greater casualties.

The report is the latest in a series of detailed army probes into how some 5,000 terrorists from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad managed to attack numerous Israeli communities and overrun army positions. The IDF probes only address issues of operations, intelligence, and command, not decisions made by the political echelon.

Source:
Fighting Alone: How Kibbutz Magen’s Civilian Security Team Prevented Hamas Massacre, by Pesach Benson/TPS-IL, September 11, 2025

Against the backdrop of recent statements by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and members of his government regarding Israel, the UK’s expected decision to recognize a Palestinian state, and the wave of anti-Semitism across Britain, President Isaac Herzog arrived Wednesday, at 10 Downing Street to voice firm opposition to the British Government’s recent stance on Israel.

We have little faith this meeting will see a productive outcome and change Prime Minister Starmer’s stance on the delusional two-state solution. Starmer needs to be forced to sit down and watch the graphic documentation of the horrific and barbaric acts of inhumanity committed against Israelis on October 7. With his own country on fire every day you would think he’d wake up.

Source:
Herzog to meet Starmer at 10 Downing Street to protest Palestine recognition, by Israel National News, September 10, 2025

Six people were murdered and a dozen more wounded in a terrorist shooting in the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramot on Monday morning.

The six victims identified are Rabbi Levi Yitzhak Pash (57), Yaakov Pinto (25), Rabbi Yisrael Matsner (28), Rabbi Yosef David (43), Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Steintzag (79), and Sarah Mendelson (60).

The terrorists opened fire at a Line 62 bus which was standing in a traffic jam, and at a hitchhiking stop full of people. According to eyewitnesses, the terrorists boarded the bus and began shooting at the passengers’ heads from close range, using automatic weapons. An unconfirmed report said the terrorists boarded disguised as inspectors.

Two terrorists were shot dead by a haredi IDF soldier and an armed civilian haredi yeshiva student,The yeshiva student is being hailed as a hero. The fact that he helped eliminate two of the terrorists proves how critical it is that Israeli civilians be armed, properly trained and ready for self-defense.

When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the top goals of this war are to “finish the job” and demilitarize Hamas, it should be taken very seriously. Today’s terror attack is but another example of why Israel must stick to the plan and why rational minded nations should demand NO to the two-state solution!!

Source:
Terror in Jerusalem: Six dead in shooting attack at Ramot Junction, by Uzi Baruch/Israel National News, September 8, 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pulled back from discussing annexation of Judea and Samaria, after the United Arab Emirates warned that any such move would cross a “red line” and put the Abraham Accords at risk.

Israeli officials confirmed that Emirati pressure was decisive in Netanyahu’s decision to shelve annexation from the agenda.

Abu Dhabi cautioned that applying sovereignty to large areas of Judea and Samaria would seriously undermine the normalization agreement signed in 2020. “This would destroy the Abraham Accords,” one senior Emirati official said, according to Israeli media.

Israel’s defense establishment is expected to tell ministers that the region remains volatile, with economic collapse and political instability combining to create explosive conditions.

Officials there warned that Judea and Samaria “could erupt instantly” if annexation efforts were renewed.

The sovereignty debate remains unresolved, with regional actors watching closely to see whether Israel will test the limits of the Abraham Accords. We pray that Israel, when making these monumental decisions, will prioritize its own long-term interests. Regional cooperation is an admirable goal but only if Israel can maintain a high degree of security for its populace.

Source:
Netanyahu drops plan for Judea and Samaria annexation after UAE warning, by Vered Weiss/World Israel News, September 4, 2025

On March 2, 2025, hours after the Israeli government announced the blockade of all food, medicine, fuel, and other humanitarian supplies from entering Gaza, lawmakers in Jerusalem demanded answers—not on the devastating human toll of such a decision, but on how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office was preparing to handle the public relations fallout.

Publicly available government contracts show that Israel’s advertising bureau, which reports to the prime minister’s office, has since embarked on a mass advertising and public messaging effort to deal with the “hunger crisis.” The push includes the use of American influencers and also includes a high-dollar spending spree on paid advertising, yielding tens of millions for Google, YouTube, X, Meta, and other tech platforms.

“There is food in Gaza. Any other claim is a lie,” asserted a propaganda video published by Israel’s foreign ministry to Google’s YouTube video sharing platform in late August and viewed more than 6 million times.

This is one example of a public relations undertaking that is severely overdue. Israel has a lot of work to do in order to make future campaigns successful – and – impactful. Waiting for the enemies to spew their anti-Semitic hate-filled lies first is too late in today’s world of information wars where attacks against Israel have drawn so many in. It’s one thing for Israel to combat the propaganda with facts right after the demonization goes viral. However, the truth from Israel should come out FAST and FIRST in order for Israel to get ahead of the eight ball and win the information wars. Israel must significantly improve its public relations. Proactive, widespread campaigns are crucial to win the information war against rapidly spreading anti-Semitic falsehoods. While somewhat effective at refuting prominent false narratives, Israel needs to disseminate accurate information promptly to prevent misinformation from taking hold and achieving viral reach.

Source:
Google’s $45 Million Contract With Netanyahu’s Office to Spread Israeli Propaganda, by Jack Pouslon and Lee Fang/Dropsite News, September 3, 2025

Israel’s government has approved the construction of more than 3,000 housing units in E! (“East 1”), an area in Judea and Samaria whose geostrategic significance far outstrips its small size. Israel signaled its intention to build there 30 years ago. Previous attempts to realize that intention have failed. The question is: Will this time be any different?

Local government officials JNS spoke with say nearly all the obstacles are removed. Most important, they say the government’s involvement is nearly at an end, at which point the issue becomes a purely municipal matter. Once that happens, there’s no going back.

International pressure is the main reason construction at E1 has not moved forward since it was first proposed in 1994 by then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The plan enjoys national consensus support. It has been supported by every succeeding prime minister since Rabin.

Once built up, E1 would connect the two cities into a larger metropolis, serving as a countermeasure to Palestinian Authority efforts to surround Jerusalem with its own Arab metropolis, which includes Ramallah, eastern parts of Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Israeli security analysts have long warned that Jerusalem will become a border town if the surrounding Arab settlement is allowed to continue unhindered. The answer, they say, is E1, which would protect Jerusalem, drive a wedge through the nearly contiguous Arab settlement stretching around it and ensure Jewish territorial contiguity eastward to the Jordan Valley.

Guy Yifrach, mayor of Maale Adumim explained that E1 is moving forward now is because of a friendly U.S. administration, “which understands that the Jewish people have a right to build in their land and that settlement in Judea and Samaria is not a political problem, but rather the solution.”

After 30 years of good intentions to build in E1, we eagerly await for Israel to move forward with building in this area. Israel must remain firm and not cave to international pressures this time.

Source:
E1 building plan: Officials say this time it’s for real, by David Isaac/JNS, September 4, 2025

On Wednesday, the Chairman of the Religious Zionism Party, Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich, together with the heads of the Judea and Samaria councils, the Chairman of the Yesha Council Yisrael Ganz, and the Yesha Council CEO Omer Rahamim, delivered a statement in which they presented the map of sovereignty and the key principles of applying sovereignty over parts of the homeland.

Smotrich said: “In the State of Israel there are many disagreements, but on two things today there is a wide consensus among the people and in the Knesset: absolute opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the land, and full application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. After the October 7th massacre the Knesset has already decided by an overwhelming majority that there is no place for a Palestinian state, and the time has come to translate this understanding into clear policy: no more partition of the land, no more Auschwitz borders, but full Israeli sovereignty that will guarantee the future of the state and once and for all remove the idea of dividing our tiny land.”

Every day that Israel does not take action to declare sovereignty is a continued threat to the safety and security of the residents and the country. We eagerly await the presentation of a bill to go through the approval process in the Knesset. It is time for decisive action! Apply sovereignty NOW!!

Source:
Presenting: The Sovereignty Plan, by Israel National News, September 3, 2025

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir conducted a comprehensive field assessment on Wednesday throughout the Gaza Strip alongside Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asur and senior infantry and armored corps commanders.

“We are escalating combat within the primary theater, throughout the Gaza Strip, while intensifying strikes against the Hamas terror organization,” Chief of Staff Zamir addressed fighters deployed in the field.

According to his assessment, “We initiated the second phase of Operation Gideon’s Chariots to accomplish the war objectives. Securing the return of our hostages constitutes a moral and national obligation. We shall persist in targeting Hamas’ strategic centers until achieving its defeat. We are generating relentless pressure across all locations.”

Source:
IDF chief announces second phase of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, by Lilach Shoval/Israel Hayom, September 3, 2025

Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi on Monday evening called for decisive action against Hamas and the annexation of territory in the Gaza Strip.

“I’m waiting for Netanyahu to take the necessary steps – two kilometers inside the Strip should be under Israeli control,” he said.

In another report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a meeting on the possibility of applying sovereignty and taking measures against the Palestinian Authority in response to countries recognizing the Palestinian Authority as a state. The meeting was scheduled for Tuesday; however, the discussion was delayed to Thursday.

Several Israeli officials previously reported that Israel is considering annexation in Judea and Samaria as a possible response to France and other countries recognizing a Palestinian state.

Mayor Davidi’s call for just two kilometers annexed (we prefer to say reclaimed) is a temporary solution but one that should be taken to help assure the safety and sanity of Israelis in the South.

The full application of sovereignty throughout Judea and Samaria is long overdue and hangs over Israel like a weight bearing down hard and must be resolved. Israel’s international foes will call for a vote for a Palestinian State at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly. Whatever the catalyst that gets Israel to declare sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, Israel cannot wait for the ideal set of circumstances. Delaying the application of sovereignty in the hopes of a viable alternative for peace has proved futile. Apply sovereignty NOW.

Sources:
Sderot Mayor calls for decisive action: Annex at least two kilometers inside Gaza Strip, by Israel National News, September 2, 2025

Netanyahu to hold talks over West Bank annexation in response to Palestinian state recognition, by Amichai Stein/Jerusalem Post, September 2, 2025

In keeping with US law, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is revoking and denying visas for the approximately 80 officials of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ,ahead of the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The State Department memo recommends the denial of visas to Palestinian officials set to journey to the UN General Assembly — including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas — and revoke all visas issued prior to July 31.

The PLO and PA were sanctioned by the State Department on the same date for failing to comply with the PLO Commitments Compliance Act of 1989 (PLOCCA) and the Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2002 (MEPCA).

“Before they can be taken seriously as partners for peace, the PA and PLO must repudiate terrorism (including their policy of ‘pay for slay’), lawfare campaigns at the ICC and ICJ, and the pursuit of unilateral recognition of statehood,” said State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott in a statement.

There can never be any reward for terrorists. Denying visas to them is not a political maneuver and certainly not punishment. It is justice served, if only on a small scale.

Source:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio bars Palestinian officials from attending UN General Assembly, by Josh Christensen/New York Post, August 29, 2025