Author: AFSI Staff

The Knesset Land of Israel Caucus pushed back on President Trump’s peace plan this week stating that in lieu of annexation in Judea and Samaria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must protect the entirety of the Area C for future Israeli Sovereignty.

The 43-member caucus, which has long campaigned for the application of Israeli Sovereignty over all Area C, spoke out in the aftermath of the suspension of plans to annex 50% of Area C as outlined Trump’s peace plan, in exchange for a peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

The caucus called on Netanyahu to strengthen existing Jewish communities slated for annexation and expressed particular concern for the 50% of Area C, which under the Trump plan, is designated for a Palestinian state. The caucus wants that territory to be preserved for Israel.

Source:
Caucus to PM: Expand West Bank settlements beyond Trump plan boundary, by Tovah Lazaroff. Jerusalem Post – August 26, 2020

The United States is promising to ensure that Israel still holds a military advantage in the Middle East under any future U.S. arms deals with the United Arab Emirates. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made this important statement on Monday as he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

“The United States has a legal requirement with respect to qualitative military edge. We will continue to honor that,” Pompeo said.

With the possibility on the horizon of other Arab nations establishing diplomatic relations with Israel, Pompeo also stated, “The opportunity for them to work alongside, to recognize the State of Israel and to work alongside them will not only increase Middle East stability, but it will improve the lives for the people of their own countries as well.”

#GuaranteeIsraelsMilitaryEdge #ArabDiplomaticRelationsWithIsrael

Source:
Pompeo in Jerusalem: U.S. will guarantee Israel’s Mideast military edge, by Associated Press. YNetNews – August 24, 2020

In response to the launching of explosive-laden balloons into Israel on Sunday, Israeli warplanes, tanks and drones attacked Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip before dawn on Monday.

The Israel Defense Forces said it attacked “military posts and underground infrastructure of the Hamas terror group in southern Gaza.”

Four days ago one Sderot home was severely damaged. Last week on Friday morning, the IDF carried out airstrikes on the Gaza Strip for the third time since Thursday in response to multiple rockets launched from Gaza overnight as well the continuous launching of incendiary balloons from the Strip over the past two weeks.

Thankfully there were no human casualties during these ongoing terror attacks against Israel but the devastation to land has been enormous.The Magen David Adom rescue service did treat three people for anxiety attacks. This has become a routine and almost expected part of daily life for the people of Israel’s Jewish communities in the south but is something that no one could or should ever have to live with.

#StopIncendaryBalloons #ProtectIsraelsSouth

Sources:
Israel strikes targets in Gaza after incendiary balloons spark 28 fires, by Times of Israel Staff and Aaron Boxerman.Times of Israel – August 24, 2020

Sderot home damaged as Gaza rockets fly amid fresh IDF airstrikes, by Times of Israel Staff. Times of Israel – August 21, 2020

President Donald J. Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates spoke last Thursday, August 13, and agreed to the full normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. The agreement is called the “Abraham Accord.”

The official White House release states that this is an historic diplomatic breakthrough intended to advance peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to the bold diplomacy and vision of the three leaders and the courage of the United Arab Emirates and Israel to chart a new path that will unlock the great potential in the region.

As a result of this diplomatic breakthrough and at the request of President Trump with the support of the United Arab Emirates, Israel will suspend declaring sovereignty over areas outlined in the President’s Vision for Peace and focus its efforts now on expanding ties with other countries in the Arab and Muslim world. The United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates are confident that additional diplomatic breakthroughs with other nations are possible and will work together to achieve this goal.

According to an Arutz Sheva article, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated, “Sovereignty hasn’t been taken off the agenda. After all, I was the one who had it included in the Trump peace plan, with American agreement. We will apply sovereignty with US approval. It’s not that I had a choice of either applying sovereignty or peace with the United Arab Emirates right now. They [the US] requested a suspension in the application of Sovereignty, but they haven’t taken it out of their peace plan.”

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan stated, “… A decades-old paradigm has been broken here, according to which it is impossible to achieve peace and normalization with Arab countries without bowing to Palestinian demands for a withdrawal to the 1967 lines….I think the agreement with the UAE fits in the context of the national right-wing [positions]. This has value for our demand and our insistence on keeping all of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria in whatever scenario may arise in the future.”

Americans For A Safe Israel is grateful to President Trump for once again standing strong behind Israel with his behind-the-scenes facilitation of this groundbreaking peace deal.

However……

It is another disappointment that the application of Sovereignty is temporarily suspended and for what may be quite some time. Sovereignty is not a political football nor should it be used as a bargaining chip to appease Arab states. Over the last year, Israel’s opportunity to apply Sovereignty has been missed one too many times. Yes, it is unfortunate that Israel’s numerous elections, the global coronavirus pandemic, and now the upcoming US presidential election, have diverted attention away from applying Sovereignty. It’s also irrational that Israel has to wait for consent from the United States. If Sovereignty is not applied now, then when? Going forward, it is AFSI’s fervent hope that nothing stands in the way of applying Sovereignty. It’s Israel’s right to do so.

#SovereigntyNow

Sources:
Joint Statement of the United States, the State of Israel, and the United Arab Emirates ~The White House. August 13, 2020

Netanyahu: ‘I wasn’t bluffing on sovereignty’, by Arutz Sheva Staff. Arutz Sheva – August 17, 2020

Ambassador Erdan: ‘UAE agreement benefits settlement in Judea and Samaria’, by Nitzan Keidar. Arutz Sheva – August 17, 2020

IDF aircraft carried out airstrikes late Tuesday night against numerous Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement.

On Tuesday, 39 fires were ignited in southern Israel. The day before there were 20 fires reported along the border with Gaza during the day, caused by the devices attached to balloons. One such device caused a fire to break out in a Sderot kindergarten (photo above). There were no injuries reported.

Over the last week, the PA has ramped up its aggression toward Israel with increased arson balloon attacks. Let’s call this for what it is: TERROR. Every one of these incendiary balloons launched at Israel is intended to harm Israel and should be treated as terror attacks with swift and decisive action by Israel’s defense forces.

#StopIncendiaryTerrorBalloons #GazaTerrorBalloonsMustEnd

Sources:
IDF launches retaliatory airstrikes against Hamas targets in Gaza, by Anna Ahronheim, Tzvi Joffre. Jerusalem Post – August 19, 2020

How do the Gaza terrorists get the helium for their incendiary balloons?, by Dr. Colin L. Leci. Arutz Sheva – August 19, 2020

Thanks to a generous donation by the Texas Chapter of Americans For A Safe Israel, a new method of providing security in the Jordan Valley has been installed.

AFSI’s Texas Chapter donated a portable surveillance camera that can be left in any area to detect potentially suspicious activity. The camera’s recording feeds back activity to the Jordan Valley’s main security dispatch center. This allows personnel to determine what, how and where will be best way to stop any threat to better secure the community.

In addition to arson attacks, Jewish communities in the Jordan Valley have many security challenges including agricultural safety concerns. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of AFSI Texas Chapter Chair Ann Stacy, those living in the Jordan Valley can feel a bit safer.

VIDEO HERE

The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee has been told that the Palestinians have taken over large swaths of Israeli-controlled land in Judea and Samaria while authorities dither on what action to take.

Testifying before the committee, a representative of Regavim presented mapping data they collected that does not correspond to the data of the Civil Administration.

Regavim said the Palestinians are taking advantage of Israel’s non-enforcement and taking over land in Area C due to the decision-making vacuum as Israel took the last six months to prepare for the application of Israeli Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.

The Sovereignty plan would have seen up to 30 percent of Judea and Samaria fall under direct Israeli rule, but last week it was indefinitely postponed as a condition for the impending establishment of diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates, expected to happen at the White House in the coming weeks.

Source:
Sovereignty in reverse: Palestinians have seized 30 percent of Israeli land in territories, by Paul Shindman. World Israel News – August 17, 2020

Beit Fajar Quarry Ten Years Later: From Bad to Worse (All credits: Regavim)

Over a decade ago, Regavim submitted a petition to the High Court of Justice, and the government responded with a commitment to enforce the law and regulate operations, but the illegal quarry in Gush Etzion has continued to grow ever since, scarring hundreds of dunams of state land and causing irreversible, irreparable environmental damage.

The Regavim Movement recently petitioned the Jerusalem District Court against the continued operation of the Beit Fajar quarry in eastern Gush Etzion. The quarry currently spans some 1,500 dunams (1.5 km2) – hundreds of dunams of which are registered state land – and continues to cause irreversible ecological and environmental damage.

READ FULL REPORT HERE

VIDEO HERE

Several blazes were reported in and around Israeli communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip Monday as incendiary balloon attacks from the Strip continued to increase. Mayors of those Jewish communities demanded action against the fire-causing threat.

No injuries or property damage were reported.

The rockets were a “message” to Israel to let it know that armed groups in Gaza will not “remain silent” in the face of an Israeli blockade and “aggression,” a source close to Hamas told AFP.

In response to the renewed balloon-based attacks, mayors of the Jewish communities surrounding the Gaza Strip released a statement on Monday calling for the government to take action to prevent them.

“Our daily lives are again and again interrupted, by ear-ringing explosions, by fires, but rocket launches on a constant and ongoing basis. All of this, during a medical and economic crisis, which has also left its marks on our region,” the mayors wrote.

It’s inexcusable for the incendiary balloon attacks to continue and to expect the Southern Jewish communities to return to their “normal” daily lives. Israel must exercise its Sovereignty with an appropriate and effective plan of action for a permanent security response to these ongoing terror attacks.

#StopIncendiaryBalloons #DefendIsraelsSouth

Source:
Israeli mayors demand action on renewed incendiary balloon attacks from Gaza, by AFP, Judah Ari Gross and TOI staff. Times of Israel – August 11, 2020

Lebanon’s cabinet resigned on Monday over last week’s devastating blast at the Beirut port, a decision that was made under pressure as several ministers quit or expressed their intention to step down.

In a brief televised speech, Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that he is taking “a step back” so he can stand with the people “and fight the battle for change alongside them.”

The massive blast on August 4 has brought a new wave of public outrage at the government and Lebanon’s long-entrenched ruling class.

Lebanon was in a dire state even before the explosion wrecked much of Beirut. The government is bankrupt, the currency is almost worthless, and millions of Lebanese are jobless. The explosion made things worse by destroying the main port for a nation heavily reliant on food imports. Some 300,000 people made homeless in Beirut have received little help from the government. Lebanon is also home to 1.5 million Syrian refugees. How will aid organizations deal with the challenge?

We know that Hezbollah has been in control in Southern Lebanon for quite some time but was not in overt control as far north as Beirut. Will this catastrophe signal a change in the entire country? How might Israel be affected? Lebanon was unstable before the blast. What will happen there now is anyone’s guess.

Source:
Lebanese cabinet resigns in wake of deadly port blast, by AP and ILH Staff. Israel Hayom – August 10, 2020

At the 4 day archaeological camp, attended by youths from all parts of the Land, historical findings were exposed at the Oz veGaon preserve in the heart of Gush Etzion.

Attended by youths from all parts of the Land, they discovered archaeological findings, one of which was a residential building from the Roman Era.

The archaeological camp is a joint initiative of the Archaeological Command (from the Civil Administration), AFSI (Americans for a Safe Israel) and Women in Green, who have been operating in the preserve since the day they founded it, 6 years ago.

Americans For A Safe Israel is beaming and so proud to be a sponsor of this important program. In order for Sovereignty to be maintained throughout the Land, it is critical that Israel’s youth be instilled with a sense of pride about and understanding of the importance of Israeli Sovereignty. The archaeological finding that these youth unearthed gives them an understanding of the history of the Land from the ground up! No pun intended.

#OzVeGaonPreserve #AFSIInTheNews

Source:
Ancient structure discovered at archaeological camp in Oz veGaon, by Arutz Sheva Staff. Arutz Sheva – August 6, 2020