Author: AFSI Staff

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Thursday during his visit at the Psagot winery that the US will allow products from Judea and Samaria to be labeled “Made in Israel.”

“All producers within areas where Israel exercises the relevant authorities… will be required to mark goods as ‘Israel’, ‘Product of Israel’, or ‘Made in Israel’ when exporting to the United States,” Pompeo said in a statement.

AFSI is very pleased with this development, which is long overdue. We thank the Trump administration for another important level of recognition for Israel; another official recognition of the truth.

However, we would be remiss if we did not take issue with the statement in the Arutz Sheva article, “…the US will allow products from Judea and Samaria to be labeled ‘Made in Israel.’ It’s not Arutz Sheva itself that we have an issue with. It’s that the word “allow” is used in the context of the statement. The word “allow” is used only because of the politics of Israel waiting for a green light to take action on something – only if it gets a blessing from the US. We believe this type of politics must end.

Reminder:
A Sovereign nation does not need permission
from another country to exercise self-determination.

Source:
Pompeo: Products from Judea and Samaria are ‘Made in Israel’, by Arutz Sheva Staff. Arutz Sheva, November 19, 2020

Marking of Country of Origin, Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State. US Department of State Press Release, November 19, 2020

Sirens were sounded in Israel overnight Saturday, around 2:00 a.m., in Palmachim and the northern industrial area in Ashdod.

The IDF confirmed that two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israeli territory. One launch did not trigger a siren in the Ashdod area in the absence of the need for it. The second launch triggered sirens in the city of Ashdod and in the Shfela region.

In response to the rocket fire, IDF fighter jets, helicopters and tanks attacked underground infrastructure and military positions of the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza.

“The IDF is conducting an ongoing assessment of the situation and acts firmly and decisively against any attempt at terrorist activity against the citizens of the State of Israel and the violation of its sovereignty,” said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit in a statement.

Source:
Rockets fired toward south intercepted by Iron Dome, by Arutz Sheva Staff. Arutz Sheva, November 15, 2020

Representatives of the European Union touring Givat HaMatos on Monday were chased away by pro-Israel activists led by Im Tirtzu.

On Sunday, the Israel Land Authority issued a tender for the construction of 1,257 housing units in the Givat Hamatos neighborhood, located in south Jerusalem, between the Har Homa and Gilo neighborhoods. According to the full plan, about 2,600 housing units will be built in the neighborhood in the first phase.

Im Tirtzu said in a statement: “EU representatives together with members of radical-left Israeli NGOs came today to tell us where we can and cannot build in Jerusalem, our capital city. We came to tell the EU that Israel is not a colony – it is an independent country that does not take orders from them.”

Im Tirtzu added: “The Israeli government needs to send a similar message to the EU and ensure that these hypocrites stop harming Israeli sovereignty.”

Source:
EU Team Touring Givat HaMatos Chased Away by Pro-Israel Activists, by David Israel. Jewish Press, November 16, 2020

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit the Psagot community in Judea, north of Jerusalem, and travel to the Golan Heights when he visits Israel next week.

It will be the first-ever visit by an American foreign minister to Judea and Samaria, marking a departure from previous State Department policy.

Pompeo will visit Psagot, which is located only eight kilometers (4.8 miles) north of Jerusalem bordering the Arab city of Ramallah. He is also expected to visit the Golan Heights, possibly including the site of Ramat Trump (Trump Heights), the new town being built by Israel to honor U.S. President Trump for recognizing Israeli Sovereignty over the strategic plateau.

Source:
Pompeo to be first Secretary of State to visit settlements, by Paul Sindman. World Israel News, November 13, 2020

A delegation of Israeli representatives met in Dubai on Wednesday with Emirati businessmen to discuss commercial opportunities.

The delegation was led by Yossi Dagan, who heads the Samaria Regional Council. They arrived on Sunday and planned to remain in the Emirates until Thursday. A statement from the regional council released Tuesday said the delegation held “marathon business meetings” with around 20 individuals and companies working in agriculture, pest control and plastics.

“The business people heard from them about the unique needs of the region and discussed with them cooperation, particularly in the fields of agronomy and water desalination.”

“The UAE is an advanced country at the forefront of development and investment, and it is our honor to forge trade and industry ties with them,” Dagan said.

Despite the positive tone of this development in Israel-UAE relations, let’s not forget that Israel’s right to apply Sovereignty remains “temporarily” on hold as a result of this new relationship.

Source:
Israeli settler delegation in Dubai to talk business cooperation with Emiratis, by AP and TOI Staff. Times of Israel, November 11, 2020

In cooperation with the Arab Knesset members and the decision of Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn, part of the Kaminitz Law was frozen. This law provides the government with administrative tools for enforcing construction offenses in Arab localities.

Meir Deutsch, Director General of Regavim, congratulated the MKs who voted yesterday against Kamal-Mreeh’s bill to repeal the Kaminitz Law, and called on Prime Minister Netanyahu to block the ‘bypass arrangement’.

“The Kaminitz Law is one of the most significant achievements for governability that the Likud and the right-wing governments of the past decade have to show for themselves. Repealing this important legislation means a return to chaos in the Negev and the Galilee. I call upon Prime Minister Netanyahu to block this anti-Zionist back-door deal between Nisenkorn and the United Arab List. The government’s own official data prove that the Kaminitz Law is effective in combatting illegal construction, and anyone who considers themself a Zionist, anyone who cares about the future of the State of Israel, must continue to protect this law in the Knesset and in the cabinet.”

Under the proposal, no administrative fines will be imposed on existing residential construction for a period of two years, but fines will be imposed on new, commercial construction and infrastructure. MK Bezalel Smotrich (Yamina) is justifiably angry about this, pointing out that they want to allow the Arab citizens of the country to build without regard for the law or justice.

Any regulation and planning that may result from behind closed doors negotiations while this freeze is in place must recognize that land that belongs to Israel cannot be illegally built on. We think that’s a relatively straight forward rule to follow.

Sources:
Arab MKs join forces with Defense and Justice Ministers, by Arutz Sheva Staff. Arutz Sheva, November 12, 2020

Statement from Regavim, November 12, 2020

Smotrich: Government caving to the Joint List, by Arutz Sheva Staff. Arutz Sheva, November 12, 2020

The Dutch Senate earlier this week passed a motion calling for the Netherlands to vote against UN resolutions that use only the Arabic name for the Temple Mount. AFSI recently reported on the UN’s blatantly anti-Semitic, factually incorrect resolution passed last week.

The motion, by Sen. Peter Schalk of the Christian SGP faction, asked the government “to vote as much as possible against UN resolutions referring to the Temple Mount using only the Arabic name ‘al-Haram al-Sharif’ and to encourage other European Union countries to do the same.”

The Senate approved the motion with 50 in favor and 25 opposed.

Ambassador to the Netherlands Naor Gilon applauded the motion, which he said “fights the continuing discrimination towards Israel in the UN. This is a clear message against attempts by different factors to erase the historic connection of over 3,000 years between the Jewish people and Jerusalem.”

The Hague-based Israel advocacy group CIDI welcomed the motion, as well, saying that “the Dutch government should respect [the 2017 motion] and act against disproportionate scheduling of Israel at UN institutions. All members of the UN should receive the same, equal treatment.”

AFSI applauds the Dutch Senate for its motion in support of the truth that affirms Israel’s rightful ties to the Temple Mount. Their message is a strong one. It’s a message we would like to see become the norm at the now, more than ever, irrelevant United Nations. Truth and fact vs. anti-Israel hate.

Source
Dutch Senate calls to affirm Jewish ties to Temple Mount, by Lahav Harkov. Jerusalem Post, November 11, 2020

Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan yesterday hosted Shas MK Yosef Taieb in Samaria. Taieb is Chairman of the lobby for French-speaking immigrants in Israel.

During the visit, MK Taieb met with new immigrants from France who chose to live in Samaria. MK Taieb praised the Council and the optimal absorption for immigrants and said he was very impressed by the Jewish communities in Samaria and the strength of those who bolster development of Judea and Samaria in the country.

Council head Yossi Dagan noted that the project to absorb immigrants from France to Israel has been ongoing for the fifth year, and he has already absorbed more than eighty families who have all been absorbed into Israel and have not returned to France. “This is a venture that I am very proud of. All the families without exception since the start of the venture have been absorbed into the Council and none of them have returned to France.”

Source:
Shas MK Yosef Taieb calls French immigration to Samaria ‘great success’, by Reut Hadar. Arutz Sheva, November 9, 2020

A Shin Bet report today revealed that Hamas has been recruiting minors in the “West Bank” to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens and soldiers.

To date, two Palestinian minors, including a 16-year-old, were arrested by the Shin Bet last month. During their investigation, it was found that they had been recruited by Hamas “frequently and over several months” via the Internet to carry out terrorist attacks.

They were asked to carry out various tasks for the group, such as collecting information on communities in Judea and Samaria, including photographing Bat Ayin and Kfar Etzion, and providing maps and gathering points of soldiers in the area.

In return for their attacks, Hamas promised that they would be paid and that it would take responsibility for their actions.

Source:
Minors arrested for planning terror attacks in the West Bank for Hamas, by Anna Ahronheim. Jerusalem Post, November 9, 2020

Americans For A Safe Israel mourns the loss of a great Jewish leader, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks.

An international religious leader, philosopher, award-winning author and respected moral voice, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks was awarded the 2016 Templeton Prize in recognition of his “exceptional contributions to affirming life’s spiritual dimension.” Described by H.R.H. The Prince of Wales as “a light unto this nation” and by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as “an intellectual giant”, Rabbi Sacks was a frequent and sought-after contributor to radio, television and the press both in Britain and around the world.

After stepping down as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth – a position he served for 22 years between 1991 and 2013 – Rabbi Sacks held a number of professorships at several academic institutions including Yeshiva University, New York University and King’s College London. Rabbi Sacks was awarded 18 honorary doctorates including a Doctor of Divinity conferred to mark his first ten years in office as Chief Rabbi, by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey.

May his memory be a blessing for us all. May his family know no more sorrow.

Visit Rabbi Sacks’ official website for the many hespidim (eulogies) delivered at his levaya (funeral) and to continue reading and learning from his enormous archive of writings and teachings.

Small acts of kindness can change and humanise our world ~Rabbi Sacks