Author: AFSI Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to say directly whether he supports reestablishing Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, saying in a television interview Tuesday that he prefers “actions” to declarations.

During a wide-ranging interview on Channel 14’s “The Patriots,” Netanyahu was asked whether Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s recent claims that Israel has already drafted plans to establish three towns in northern Gaza were true.

Netanyahu did not give a yes-or-no answer, instead stating that he prefers “action” over “talk.”

“The big question is whether one should act or to talk,” Netanyahu said. “Sometimes you have to separate the two. Therefore, I will not say any more on the subject.”

Netanyahu has previously avoided fully endorsing a return to Gaza settlements, while insisting that Israel must maintain overriding security control after the war.

AFSI Insight
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s latest remarks suggesting that Jewish communities could one day return to Gaza mark a significant departure from the failed assumptions of the 2005 Disengagement. While he stopped short of announcing a formal policy, his refusal to rule out renewed Israeli settlement reflects a growing recognition that abandoning strategic territory brought Hamas to Israel’s doorstep—not peace. AFSI believes that any lasting solution for Gaza must ensure permanent Israeli security control, eliminate the terrorist infrastructure once and for all, and reject international pressure to recreate the conditions that enabled October 7. Today marks 1000 days since that horrendous massacre and 1000 days of war on 7 fronts. The completion of this war must leave Israel in the best possible situation. Gaza must have a different future; it must never again become a launching pad for jihadist terror against the Jewish State.

Source:
Netanyahu drops hints on Gaza resettlement plans, by David Rosenberg/World Israel News, July 1, 2026

The Higher Planning Council granted final approval on Wednesday for plans to construct 229 housing units across Judea and Samaria.

Among the approved plans are 156 housing units in the community of Otniel, located in the Hebron Hills, following the completion of the planning process and the resolution of all objections.

Additionally, final approvals were granted for 52 housing units in Kfar Adumim and 21 housing units in Elkana. The plans are expected to facilitate the expansion of these communities in accordance with the authorized planning procedures.

Smotrich stated, “This is a national initiative that solidifies our hold on the ground.”

AFSI Insight
AFSI welcomes the approval of 156 new housing units in Otniel as another important step in strengthening Israel’s permanent presence in Judea. Along with additional homes approved for Kfar Adumim and Elkana, this decision reinforces the principle that Jewish communities should be allowed to grow naturally and securely in their historic homeland. The expansion follows the completion of all required planning procedures and reflects a commitment to building facts on the ground that enhance both security and national resilience.

For AFSI, communities like Otniel are not obstacles to peace—they are vital strategic and historic assets. Every new home strengthens Israel’s hold on the land, supports families committed to Zionism, and helps ensure that Judea and Samaria remain an integral part of Israel’s future. Continued development of these communities is essential to safeguarding Israel’s security and advancing the cause of Jewish sovereignty.

Source:
Major milestone for Otniel: 156 new housing units approved, by Israel National News, July 2, 2026

Residents of Kochav Yehuda Farm, located between the communities of Efrat and Tekoa in Gush Etzion, reported that dozens of Border Police officers, accompanied by Civil Administration inspectors and heavy machinery, raided the farm on Tuesday and demolished the home of the family living there, as well as the residential building used by the young men at the site.

According to the residents, the operation also destroyed the farm’s water tank, which supplied drinking water. They further claimed that Arab laborers were brought to the site to carry out the demolition and damaged equipment and building materials with hammers and axes.

The residents alleged that, in an unusual move and contrary to standard procedures, the family home was demolished without allowing them to remove their personal belongings and furniture. They said the contents of the home were buried beneath the rubble during the demolition.

AFSI Insight
Yet again, this latest demolition is evidence of and inconsistent Israeli policy toward Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria during wartime.

The demolition of Kochav Yehuda Farm is another troubling example of Israel undermining its own pioneering communities while they serve as the country’s first line of defense. Rather than strengthening Jewish presence in strategic areas of Gush Etzion, government authorities destroy homes, arrest residents, and displace families committed to safeguarding the land. AFSI believes these actions send the wrong message at a time when Israel should be reinforcing, not dismantling, communities that contribute to the nation’s security and sovereignty. The answer to threats against Israel is to build and strengthen Jewish communities throughout Judea and Samaria—not demolish them.

Source:
Kochav Yehuda farm in Gush Etzion demolished, by Israel National News, June 30, 2026

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the US-brokered agreement signed between Israel and Lebanon in a broadcast news conference immediately after the conclusion of Shabbat on Saturday night.

Speaking to reporters, Netanyahu said “a framework of understandings” was reached that “allows us to move toward ending the conflict and, with God’s help, later reach a peace agreement between the two countries.”

Under the agreement, “the United States and Lebanon recognized Israel’s right to maintain a security zone until no threat is posed to Israel from Lebanon,” he said. “This is a major blow to Iran and Hezbollah, and to Iran, which tried to force us to withdraw from south Lebanon,” Netanyahu noted.

The prime minister pointed to the security zone in southern Lebanon on a map depicting the “yellow line” that marks the border of the newly created buffer area.

“I want to remind you what was in Lebanon. Hezbollah had 150,000 missiles and rockets. And we eliminated about 90% of this huge stockpile,” Netanyahu said. “We shocked them with beepers, we eliminated Nasrallah, we killed the commanders of the Radwan Force. Just in the last two weeks we killed more than 200 terrorists.”

AFSI Insight
This agreement is less a Lebanon-Israel bilateral breakthrough and more a setback for Iran’s regional “proxy axis,” particularly its it affects its influence through Hezbollah. Netanyahu’s characterization of the deal as a “major blow” to Hezbollah is evidence that Iranian-backed deterrence structures are eroding. While acknowledging the agreement as “historic” in form, any diplomatic framework is only meaningful insofar as it preserves Israel’s right to defend itself and does not constrain IDF operations. The deal is a positive strategic development against Iran and Hezbollah, but only insofar as it does not limit Israeli military freedom or compromise long-term security control in the north.

Source:
Netanyahu Hails Historic Lebanon Deal as ‘Major Blow to Iran and Hezbollah’, by Hana Levi Julian/The Jewish Edition, June 27, 2026

At the conclusion of a meeting between Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi today (Monday), the former announced that the Defense Ministry’s Settlement Authority, led by him, has concluded staff work to establish three communities in the northern sector of the Gaza Strip, and that it is possible to begin executing the plan immediately upon receiving political approval from the Prime Minister.

“The Settlement Authority in the Defense Ministry, led by me, has completed the staff work, and we are ready to establish three communities immediately, the moment we get the green light from the Prime Minister. I call on the Prime Minister: grant the approval, let’s finish the mission and restore true security for the residents of the south,” Smotrich said.

He added that “the IDF is currently holding nearly 70% of the territory in the Gaza Strip. We have to complete the conquest of the remaining territory, defeat Hamas, and establish a strip of Jewish communities that will serve as a security belt for Sderot and the Gaza envelope communities. Wherever there is no settlement, there is no security. We are not returning to the pre-October 7th reality.”

AFSI Insight
This report denonstrates the strategic and ideological shift in Israel’s approach to Gaza, particularly focusing on sovereignty, long-term security control, and reestablishing Jewish presence in areas adjacent to or within the Strip.

Smotrich’s statement is part of a broader “post-Oslo” paradigm in which temporary military gains are not seen as sufficient and instead are framed as requiring a permanent Israeli presence on the ground. The proposal to establish “three communities in northern Gaza” is a concrete expression of this doctrine—linking “settlement” activity directly to national security rather than to traditional diplomatic frameworks.

Such initiatives are not isolated rhetoric but part of a consistent policy direction; rejecting the idea of territorial withdrawal, rejecting the viability of a Palestinian state in strategic border areas, and advancing “facts on the ground” to prevent future security threats. We pray that these proposed communities in northern Gaza will not be seen as symbolic. They will serve as practical security buffers intended to ensure long-term Israeli control and deterrence after the war.

Source:
Smotrich: We are prepared to establish three communities in northern Gaza, by Hezki Baruch/Israel National News, June 29, 2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that there is “no room for two states” between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, arguing the war created broad public consensus against creating a Palestinian state.

“Before the war, the public was divided: although in my opinion most of the public was against it, a significant portion was in favor. I think that has changed,” Netanyahu told reporters, answering a question at a press conference in Jerusalem on Saturday night.

“That is a basis for agreement,” added the premier. “In my opinion, there is much more unity among the public than you see in the Knesset.”

AFSI Insight
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s unequivocal declaration that there is “no room for two states” between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River reflects the reality that decades of concessions, culminating in the Oslo Accords, have failed to produce peace or security. The atrocities of October 7 permanently shattered the illusion that another Palestinian state would coexist peacefully alongside Israel. Instead, it would create another terror enclave threatening Israel’s heartland.

AFSI welcomes this long-overdue recognition that Israel’s security, historical rights, and national future depend on maintaining sovereign control over Judea and Samaria. The time has come to move beyond failed diplomatic formulas and advance policies that strengthen Israeli sovereignty, expand Jewish communities, and ensure that Israel will never again be forced to gamble with its survival.

Source:
Netanyahu: ‘No room’ for Palestinian state between Mediterranean Sea and Jordan River, by JNS, June 28, 2026

Likud ministers and Knesset members spoke to Arutz Sheva-Israel National News and responded to remarks by Yachad party chairman Naftali Bennett, who recently said that Area C should become part of the State of Israel, while Areas A and B would remain under Palestinian autonomy.

The ministers and MKs presented a range of positions:

Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar replied briefly: “Apply sovereignty.”

Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli said, “The next goal is to thwart the Fayyad plan to establish a terror state in the heart of our land and to cancel the Oslo Accords.”

Deputy Knesset Speaker MK Nissim Vaturi called for expanding Jewish communities and said he sees no possibility of providing security for Israeli citizens alongside what he described as a “terrorist authority.”

MK Tally Gotliv offered a brief response: “Farms, more farms, and even more farms.”

AFSI Insight
AFSI strongly rejects Naftali Bennett’s call to limit Israeli sovereignty to Area C and views such proposals as preserving the failed framework of the Oslo Accords. AFSI supports extending full Israeli sovereignty throughout Judea and Samaria. We reiterate that Oslo has brought decades of terrorism, instability, and diplomatic pressure rather than peace. We believe that repealing Oslo is a necessary step toward securing Israel’s historic and strategic heartland, strengthening Jewish communities, and preventing the creation of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel’s security. Bennett’s position is a retreat from true sovereignty and a continuation of policies that have undermined Israel’s national interests.

Is holding on to political power worth compromising your own principles and Israel’s best interest? We are alarmed by the about face Bennett continues to take by appeasing the PA, the US and the Israeli left. Bennett clearly cannot be trusted and is a threat to Israel’s safety, survival and sovereignty. The Bennett of the Yamina party of yesteryear that we once knew has evaporated. At least now there’s zero question about who he really is.

Source:
Response to Bennett: ‘Sovereignty and the repeal of the Oslo Accords’, by Hezki Baruch/Israel National News, June 23, 2026

IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth has recently issued a series of unusually severe administrative restriction orders against “settlement activists.” The orders require the activists to remain under full house arrest for many months, along with other strict restrictions, including mandatory daily reporting to a police station.

About a year and a half ago, Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered an end to the use of administrative detention orders against these Jewish residents. However, the power to issue other administrative orders, which are often just as harsh and severe, remained in the hands of Maj. Gen. Bluth, who has been making increasing use of them in recent months.

AFSI Insight
This report is further evidence of what has always been selective enforcement against Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria. Administrative detentions and restrictive security measures are disproportionately used against Jewish residents while Palestinian terrorism often receives a less effective response. It is disturbing that allegations say that IDF Central Command head Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth is continuing detention policies despite Defense Minister Israel Katz’s opposition to such measures against Jewish residents.

This is not merely a dispute between military and political authorities but a broader question of whether law-abiding Jewish communities are being treated as security threats rather than strategic assets. Our befief is that the government’s priority should be combating Palestinian terrorism, strengthening Jewish communities, and ensuring that military commanders implement the policies set by Israel’s elected leadership. Greater accountability and oversight of military actions affecting Jewish residents in Judea and Samaria is also needed.

Source:
IDF Central Command Chief Defying Defense Minister with Detentions of Jewish Settlers, by David Israel/The Jewish Edition, June 25, 2026

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel must build an independent armaments production network and reduce its dependence on foreign military supplies, while speaking last week to reserve combat officer cadets in Gush Etzion.

“I want armaments independence,” he said. “I deeply appreciate the support we have received, and which I have also brought over the years, from our American friends. Today I say: We need our own independent armaments network. We must manufacture our own armaments.”

The prime minister said Israel’s long-term security would depend not only on weapons production, but also on technology and training future commanders.

Netanyahu’s remarks come amid growing concerns in Jerusalem that Washington may seek to limit Israel’s military options as it pursues its own regional diplomatic objectives.

AFSI Insight
It’s in Israel’s best interest to reduce its dependence on American military aid and build a stronger domestic defense industry. Israel’s security should never be contingent on the policies, priorities, or political shifts of any foreign government, including the United States.

Netanyahu’s call for an independent armaments network is an important step toward ensuring Israel’s freedom of action against threats from Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and other regional adversaries. While U.S.-Israel ties remain vital, Israel must maintain the ability to defend itself by itself—a principle that has guided Israeli security doctrine since the state’s founding.

Source:
Netanyahu vows to ‘break free’ from dependency on US weaponry, by World Israel News Staff, June 23, 2026

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday rejected claims that restrictions had been imposed on IDF operations in southern Lebanon, clarifying that the military has full freedom of action against threats in the northern sector.

In a statement he released, Netanyahu said: “The directive from myself and the Defense Minister to the IDF is clear, and it has not changed: our soldiers in southern Lebanon have full freedom of action to thwart any direct or developing threat against them or against the residents of the north.”

In a complete reversal of his statements from the previous week, US President Donald Trump asserted, “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble.” In a Truth Social post, he also added, “If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!”

Trump notably appears to place the blame for the recent flare-up in Lebanon on Hezbollah and makes no mention of Israel, after repeatedly criticizing Jerusalem in recent days for operating in Lebanon in ways that he has said were indiscriminate. He also doesn’t call for Israel to pull out of southern Lebanon as is demanded by Iran, which cites the requirement in the memorandum of understanding that all military operations in Lebanon cease.

AFSI Insight
Israel’s security cannot be outsourced to ceasefire agreements, international guarantees, or diplomatic understandings that evaporate the moment Hezbollah chooses to violate them. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s declaration that there are no restrictions on IDF operations in Lebanon sends a necessary message: Israel will act wherever and whenever required to protect its citizens from Iranian-backed terror. Maintaining freedom of action and a security buffer in southern Lebanon is not aggression—it is a lesson learned from decades of Hezbollah attacks and the catastrophic consequences of relying on unenforced promises.

President Trump’s warning that Iran will face severe consequences if it continues to direct Hezbollah’s aggression underscores a fundamental reality: Hezbollah is not an independent actor but Tehran’s most powerful regional proxy. It is Iran’s way of colonizing Lebanon. Any lasting stability on Israel’s northern border depends not only on restraining Hezbollah but on holding Iran accountable for funding, arming, and directing the terrorist organization.

Israel must retain complete operational freedom in Lebanon for as long as Hezbollah remains armed and Iran continues its campaign to encircle the Jewish State with terror forces. Security zones, deterrence, and decisive military action—not diplomatic wishful thinking—are what keep Israel’s northern communities safe.

Sources:
Netanyahu: There are no restrictions on the IDF in Lebanon, by Israel National News, June 22, 2026

Trump: If Tehran doesn’t stop Hezbollah making trouble, ‘we’ll hit Iran very hard again’, by Jacob Magid/Times of Israel, June 22, 2026