Author: AFSI Staff

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a stark warning to Hamas on Tuesday against attempting to kidnap a soldier or a civilian, during an address at a memorial ceremony for the fallen of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

“In light of various intentions and intelligence reports, I hereby warn the terrorist organization [Hamas] and its supporters, from Iran to [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan,” Katz said at the National Memorial Hall for Fallen Soldiers at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem.

“If even one Israeli soldier or civilian is abducted, the city of Gaza—with its homes and terrorist towers—will be evacuated southward of its one million residents,” he continued, “and it will be dealt with in the same manner in which Rafah and Beit Hanoun and 70% of the Gaza Strip were dealt with, until he is returned.”

He further stated, “This is the language that the jihadist terrorist organizations in Gaza and Lebanon understand, and this is the language we speak: evacuating the population, destroying the infrastructure, and taking the territory.”

AFSI Insight
Israel Katz’s warning makes clear that Hamas will face severe consequences for any attempt to abduct another Israeli soldier or civilian. AFSI has long emphasized that deterrence requires credible consequences—not empty threats. Hamas must understand that hostage-taking will not provide leverage but will instead bring intensified pressure against its terrorist infrastructure and control of Gaza. Israel’s refusal to withdraw from strategic security zones until Hamas is dismantled and Gaza is demilitarized is central to preventing another October 7.

Source:
Katz: Gaza City to be ‘evacuated’ if Hamas kidnaps Israeli soldier or civilian, by JNS Staff

António Guterres’s second term as UN secretary-general ends this December.

A successor is already being chosen, and by January the world will have a new man or woman occupying the most consequential unelected office on earth.

Every profile of every candidate will ask the same predictable questions: temperament, diplomatic experience, regional bloc, whether it is finally a woman’s turn.

Almost none will ask the only question that actually matters. Will this person apply one standard, or two?

The UN’s own record answers what it has been doing so far.

AFSI Insight
The next UN Secretary-General should be judged by whether the UN applies one consistent standard to every country—including Israel. The article highlights the stark disparity in UN resolutions and Human Rights Council actions targeting Israel compared with other countries. AFSI has long criticized this institutional double standard and believes the UN must end its disproportionate focus on Israel and return to principles of fairness, consistency, and equal treatment.

Source:
The ‘one standard’ test that awaits the next UN chief, by Linda Sadacka/World Israel News, September 18, 2026

Throughout 2023, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans for a far-reaching judicial overhaul convulsed Israel and reverberated throughout the Diaspora, with liberal American Jewish leaders joining Israeli opponents of the plan in mass protests. Critics of the reforms in Israel and abroad perceived a threat to democratic norms. Proponents saw them as necessary to correct a judicial system that served as its own master and it felt was out of step with popular sentiment.

Then came Oct. 7 and the judicial reforms were largely forgotten.

As more time passed, Netanyahu’s government did eventually manage to push through some parts of the reform agenda. But the biggest changes were blocked or passed into law with the stipulation that they would only take effect after the next election. With Netanyahu seeking another term in office on Oct. 27, his plans to overhaul the judiciary are back – and more far-reaching than they were in 2023.

This election’s impact on the court will likely be even greater given that a massive two-thirds of the court’s seats could be vacated over the next government’s full term. That would give the incoming leader power to shape the court in ways beyond the judicial reform package, which has needed Knesset support.

AFSI Insight
AFSI supports judicial reform that restores a proper balance between Israel’s elected government, Knesset, and judiciary. Unelected judges and legal bureaucrats should not have the power to override the decisions of elected representatives without clearly defined constitutional limits. A strong democracy requires both an independent judiciary and accountable elected leadership, with individual rights protected and each branch operating within its proper authority. The proposed reforms deserve serious consideration as Israel works to restore that balance.

Source:
Judicial reform 2.0: How Netanyahu’s plans to reshape the courts could affect Israel’s democracy, by Tomer Almagor/Jewish Telegraphic Agency, September 18, 2026

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to touch down in New York late in the day next Wednesday for a lightning-fast, 24-hour trip to address the United Nations General Assembly.

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon says the trip is taking place despite New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s months-long campaign to have him arrested on an International Criminal Court warrant.

Netanyahu is scheduled to arrive in New York late on September 23, deliver his address to the General Assembly in the afternoon on September 24, and then fly back to Israel that same night.

Danon said the trip is happening “because ‘there is no option’” for Netanyahu to skip the world body’s annual gathering, even amid heightened security concerns and expected protests tied directly to Mamdani’s calls for his arrest.

The ambassador added that he expects the reception inside the chamber to echo last year’s dramatic scene, when large numbers of delegates staged a mass walkout the moment Netanyahu rose to speak: “I expect that there will be something like another show,” Danon said.

If it goes forward as planned, the address will mark roughly the 15th time Netanyahu has spoken to the UN General Assembly as Israel’s prime minister — a mark few, if any, world leaders have matched — reflecting both the longevity of his tenure and Israel’s need to repeatedly answer her critics on the world’s biggest diplomatic stage.

AFSI Insight
Netanyahu’s upcoming 15th address to the UN is an opportunity to confront the international body’s persistent hostility toward Israel and present Israel’s case directly to the world. AFSI believes the speech should make clear that Israel’s security, sovereignty, and right to defend itself are not matters for the UN to dictate. After years of one-sided resolutions and pressure on Israel, Netanyahu has an important platform to challenge the prevailing narrative and reaffirm Israel’s legal, historic and strategic rights.

Source:
One Day. One Speech. One Message: Netanyahu Set For Historic 15th UN Address, by Hana Levi Julian/The Jewish Edition, September 14, 2026

https://thejewishedition.com/news/israel/2026/09/14/one-day-one-speech-one-message-netanyahu-set-for-historic-15th-un-address/

The Religious Zionism party, headed by Minister Bezalel Smotrich, unveiled on Tuesday a comprehensive plan for changes to the judicial system and for regulating relations between the Knesset, the government, and the judiciary.

The party announced that implementation of the plan will be a prerequisite for joining the coalition in the next Knesset term.

The plan is being spearheaded by Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee Chairman MK Simcha Rothman. According to the party, its goal is to maintain an independent and professional judicial system alongside a government and Knesset capable of exercising their powers, while establishing rules governing relations between the branches of government, increasing oversight and transparency, and protecting individual rights.

AFSI Insight
We are glad to see the judicial reform initiative being brought to the forefront again. Smotrich’s and Rothman’s judicial reform plan is an important step toward restoring democratic accountability, governmental authority, and the proper balance among Israel’s branches of government. AFSI supports efforts to ensure that elected officials—not unelected judges and bureaucrats—have the ability to govern and legislate within clearly defined constitutional boundaries. The proposed reforms are particularly significant as Israel prepares to appoint a large number of Supreme Court justices and other senior legal officials whose decisions could shape the country for decades.

Israel needs a judicial system that protects individual rights while respecting the authority of the elected government and Knesset. Restoring that balance is essential to strengthening Israeli democracy and Israel’s ability to defend its national interests.

Source:
Smotrich unveils plan for judicial system, by Hezki Baruch/Israel National News, September 15, 2026

A significant step for the settlement movement: The Civil Administration’s Enforcement Unit, which operates under Minister Bezalel Smotrich, removed dozens of threats to the new communities in Samaria and the Mount Hebron area on Wednesday morning, as part of a special operation carried out under the minister’s policy of fortifying and strengthening the settlement enterprise.

As part of the operation, illegal encroachments and plantings covering 20 dunams of state land near the community of Makeda, which was established in the Mount Hebron area, were removed, along with structures erected near the community of Shira in Samaria, which is expected to become a city following a Cabinet decision spearheaded by Smotrich.

The operation is part of a broader effort to restore Israeli governance and control on the ground, including declaring new communities, advancing their statutory planning procedures, establishing settlement groups on the ground, and enforcing the law against illegal construction – with the aim of enabling the communities to take root and develop.

AFSI Insight
This enforcement operation is an important step toward establishing a stronger Israeli presence and protecting new Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Removing illegal structures and encroachments that threaten these communities demonstrates that enforcement matters—not only for law and order, but also for Israel’s ability to maintain control of strategically important areas. The operation near Shira and Makeda underscores the need to protect, develop and strengthen Israel’s communities rather than allow illegal construction to determine facts on the ground.

Source (removed from Arutz Sheva website as of 9/17/2026):
Enforcement operation around new communities, by Israel National News, September 16, 2026

The New York Times’ coverage of the Israel-Hamas war was grossly skewed toward the Palestinian side and against Israel, according to a peer-reviewed academic study. Israeli casualties were consistently omitted or minimized, while Palestinian suffering was amplified and given far greater prominence throughout.

The study’s author, Edieal Pinker, a professor at the Yale School of Management, published his findings in the academic journal Studies in Conflict & Terrorism after the paper cleared formal peer review. Pinker’s research quantitatively evaluated 1,559 New York Times articles published between October 7, 2023, and June 7, 2024, coding each one across dozens of specific categories to assess whether the coverage carried a consistent narrative imbalance.

The findings were stark. Ninety-one percent of the analyzed articles failed to mention any Israeli casualty that occurred after October 7. Of the full 1,559-article corpus, 1,412 articles omitted any mention of both Israeli post-October 7 casualties and Hamas combatant deaths together. Fifty percent of the articles did not reference the Israeli hostages Hamas was holding, and 41 percent omitted mentions of Israeli casualties from the October 7 attack itself, even as the hostages remained the central issue in every ceasefire negotiation of the war.

AFSI Insight
The growing body of research confirms what many Israel supporters have long recognized: major Western media outlets have consistently presented an incomplete and distorted picture of the Israel-Hamas war. Studies of The New York Times, BBC, and other major outlets document the disproportionate emphasis on Palestinian suffering while minimizing Israeli casualties, Hamas’s responsibility for initiating and sustaining the war, and the plight of the hostages.

AFSI believes this is more than a matter of editorial style—it shapes public opinion and policy. When Hamas’s terrorism and Israeli suffering are minimized while unverified Hamas casualty figures are repeatedly amplified, the public is denied the full truth about the conflict. Israel deserves coverage that acknowledges both sides of the story and holds Hamas accountable for the war it started.

The data matters—and so does telling the truth.

Source:
The pattern is in the data: New York Times, BBC studies confirm anti-Israel media bias, by Tamar Stein, September 14, 2026

https://israel365news.com/421197/the-pattern-is-in-the-data-new-york-times-bbc-studies-confirm-anti-israel-media-bias/

Israel accused Norway of “obsessive anti-Israel activism” after Oslo advanced legislation that could send individuals to prison for up to three years for prohibited trade and business activity involving Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria.

Israel’s embassy in Norway condemned the proposal Monday, accusing Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide and the Norwegian government of sacrificing relations with Israel in pursuit of an increasingly hostile policy.

“Norway has repeatedly chosen to sacrifice its bilateral relationship with Israel in favour of one-sided rhetoric and hostile actions that serve domestic interests, undermine efforts to reach peaceful solutions, and are completely detached from the reality in the Middle East,” the embassy said.

The embassy accused Eide of engaging in “obsessive anti-Israel activism.”

AFSI Insight
This is a dangerous escalation in Europe’s growing campaign of economic warfare against Israel. AFSI condemns this discriminatory policy, which singles out Jewish communities in the historic heartland of Israel and seeks to isolate them economically and politically. What began as labeling and boycott efforts is now moving toward criminal penalties—and other Western governments are following the same path. This growing campaign cannot be dismissed as symbolic; it threatens to normalize the targeting of Israeli businesses and communities and must be firmly challenged.

AFSI calls out this dangerous precedent and demands that Israel and its allies push back before these measures expand further.

Source:
Norway Proposes 3 Years in Prison for Trade with Israeli Communities in Judea and Samaria, by The News Desk/The Jewish Edition, September 14, 2026

Israel’s defense establishment has begun operational discussions in recent days ahead of an expected new protest flotilla from Europe to the Gaza Strip, Channel 12 News reported.

Organizers of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition announced recently that they intend to launch another flotilla toward the Gaza Strip in October.

The planned voyage will first make stops in Spain, Portugal and Italy before proceeding toward Gaza. Organizers said the flotilla will seek to breach what they described as “the illegal and deadly blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza.”

Israeli intelligence officials currently assess that the initiative is relatively small in scale, involving just a few vessels and dozens of pro-Palestinian Arab activists.

However, the defense establishment is preparing for the possibility that the flotilla could grow in size as its departure date approaches.

AFSI Insight
AFSI condemns the latest Gaza flotilla as another deliberate attempt to challenge Israel’s security measures under the guise of humanitarian activism. Israel must not permit foreign activists to breach its maritime blockade or undermine efforts to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas. Israel is right to prepare for the flotilla and defend its security without apology.

Source:
New Gaza flotilla raises security concerns, by Israel National News, September 14, 2026

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he plans to speak with Israel, Britain, France and Canada to better understand their decision to impose sanctions targeting Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

Asked by a reporter whether Washington opposes the sanctions, Trump stopped short of giving a direct answer. “I’ll be speaking to Israel, I’ll be speaking to them, and I’ll find out what’s their thinking. I understand exactly what’s going on but I want to find out why, all of a sudden, has that happened.”

Trump’s remarks came one day after British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced plans to prohibit trade in goods produced in Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria. France and Canada made the announcement jointly with Britain and said they would also “bring forward national measures to ban trade in settlement goods.”

AFSI Insight
AFSI views the sanctions imposed by the UK, France, and Canada on Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria as a dangerous escalation in the campaign to delegitimize Israel’s presence in its historic heartland. President Trump’s decision to consult with Israel and the sanctioning governments is significant, but what matters now is whether the United States will clearly reject these discriminatory measures rather than remain neutral.

AFSI believes economic sanctions targeting Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria set a troubling precedent: they single out Israelis based on where they live and effectively reward international pressure against Israel. Israel should not be expected to accept economic warfare against its citizens, and its allies should stand in solidarity with Israel.

Source:
Trump says he will speak with Israel and allies over Judea and Samaria sanctions, by Elad Benari/Israel National News, September 10, 2026