Author: AFSI Staff

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, on Sunday contacted Avi Berkowitz, President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for the Middle East, with a special invitation. Berkowitz, who landed in Israel this weekend, was invited by Dagan to visit Samaria to see precisely those localities that may become isolated communities under Trump’s deal of the century.

“Before you meet with the Israeli prime minister and the Israeli staff, come to Samaria to see it with your own eyes, meet with the people and understand the reality here. Come to Elon Moreh and meet the people, see the tomb of Joseph, Mount Gerizim, the Mount of the Blessing, and the altar of Joshua on Mount Eibal. Go up to the Itamar hilltops and see all three seas from one place. Watch Mount Hermon from the settlement of Yitzhar, and meet the wonderful residents of Mevo Dotan and Hermesh who live over the Biblical Dotan Valley.,” Dagan wrote.

Dagan further stressed that, “a judge only rules based on the evidence he sees with his own eyes (Bava Batra 131a).”

#VisitJudeaSamaria #SeeJudeaSamariaForYourself #SovereigntyNow

Source:
Samaria Council Head Invites Trump’s Envoy on Reality Tour, by David Israel. Jewish Press – June 29, 2020

US Republican lawmakers on Monday released a statement of support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to apply Israeli Sovereignty to the Jordan Valley and parts of Judea and Samaria.

An excerpt reads, “We write to reaffirm the unshakeable alliance between the United States and Israel, to emphasize that Israel has the right to make sovereign decisions independent of outside pressure, and to express our support for you as you make such decisions in your capacity as Israel’s democratically-elected prime minister.”

The letter ends with, “As dedicated friends of the Jewish state, we reaffirm our steadfast commitment to the relationship between our two nations and Israel’s right to sovereignty and defensible borders.”

Signed by 116 of 198 House Republicans, this effort was led by Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Steve Scalise (R-La.), Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) and David Kustoff (R-Tenn.).

AFSI applauds House Republicans for their endorsement of Israel’s right to apply Sovereignty. Today’s reality check for Democrats: A) Sovereignty is lawful under binding international law; B) 500,000 Jews live in Judea and Samaria; C) Applying Sovereignty is critical to Israel’s security.

While we express continued disappointed that the letter did not come under a bi-partisan effort, we are grateful to House Republicans who signed and issued the letter this week. We ask that the House Democrats review their A, B, C’s.

Read the full letter HERE

#RepublicanLawmakersSupportSovereignty #USIsraelAllianceIsStrong

Sources:
Top House Republicans back Netanyahu over sovereignty bid, by Ariel Kahana and JNS Staff. Jewish News Syndicate – June 23, 2020

Yesha Council head to Trump: ‘As a true friend of Israel, support sovereignty’, by Ido Ben Porat. Arutz Sheva – June 25, 2020

White House talks on Israeli sovereignty reach end with no resolution, by Ido Ben Porat. Arutz Sheva – June 25, 2020

European Parliamentarians have called for a thorough investigation into how European taxpayers’ money is ending up in the hands of Palestinian terrorists. They insisted during a meeting earlier this week that any loopholes in the law through which the money is slipping must be closed.

“It should absolutely not happen that European taxpayers’ money lead to attacks on Israel,” Dutch MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen said at a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday morning. He was joined by Swedish MEP Charlie Weimers, who said, “If and where loopholes exist in EU counter-terrorism financing legislation, they must be closed immediately.”

AFSI reported last Thursday that EU officials wrote to the Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights informing them that a 1.7 million euro grant for a project titled “Mobilizing for Justice in Jerusalem,” had been canceled. AFSI is pleased to see that this issue is now at the forefront of the EU’s “to do” list. The EU must continue to enforce their guideline that no funds go to groups listed as terrorist organizations.

#NoFundingForTerrorists #CloseFundingLoopholes #EnforceEUFundingGuidlines

Source:
MEPs call for further investigations into EU funding of Palestinian terror, by Donna Rachel Edmunds. Jerusalem Post – June 23, 2020

The evacuation of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria would pose an “immediate existential threat” to Israel. This is according to a memo sent by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office to Knesset members from his Likud party on Sunday.

“There can be no realistic Israeli-Palestinian peace accord in which the Judea and Samaria Jewish communities are evacuated. These are established communities in which hundreds of thousands of Israelis live,” the memo reads.

The memo pointed out that the application of Israeli law in Judea and Samaria would provide normalcy and stability to thousands of Jews living there. The argument against applying Israeli law implies that Jews would need to be treated as unequal or even uprooted from Judea and Samaria, thus ethnically cleansing Judea and Samaria of Jews.

The Jewish people have lived in Judea and Samaria for thousands of years – it is their historical homeland and is essential to their identity. Israel has a valid legal right to this land. There should be no further debate on the matter: APPLY SOVEREIGNTY NOW!

#SovereigntyNow #JudeaSamaria #ImmediateExistentialThreat

Sources:
Netanyahu memo: Evacuating settlements would pose ‘immediate existential threat’, by Raphael Ahren. Times of Israel – June 21, 2020

The illumination of Nadia: It is time to apply sovereignty, by The Land of Israel Network. Arutz Sheva – June 19, 2020

‘The best time to implement sovereignty initiative is now’, by Ariel Kahana. Israel Hayom – June 19, 2020

In a long-awaited first, the European Union canceled a grant to Palestinian NGO, Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights. The NGO refused to sign a clause that would obligate it to ensure that no terrorist organizations benefit from their funded programs.

Article 1.5 of Annex II of the “General conditions applicable to European Union-financed grant contracts for external actions” introduced to EU contracts with NGOs in 2019 stipulates that grant beneficiaries must ensure no funds go to groups listed as terrorist organizations. Finally, Brussels has enforced this condition.

Olga Deutsch, vice president of Jerusalem’s NGO Monitor, stated, “We hope that the EU will further examine the 25 million euros that we found it gave such groups since 2011.”

Similarly, Israel’s Finance Ministry announced Wednesday that it is cancelling a plan to grant a fuel-tax exemption to “international aid NGOs” that operate in Judea and Samaria.

Our friends at Im Tirtzu and My Israel collaborated with other pro-Israel advocacy organizations to let Knesset Finance Committee members know that several of the NGOs that would have benefited from the tax break are involved in anti-Israel activities.

AFSI applauds the EU’s important decision and commends it for not caving in to the pressure of NGOs operating as funnels for anti-Israel terror groups. We are equally pleased to see Israel taking firm action to push back against NGOs involved in anti-Israel activity. We are cautiously optimistic that this will set off a domino effect of cancelling funding to NGOs who seek to destroy Israel.

#NoFundingForTerror  #EUNixesTerrorFunding  #NGOsFeelTheSqueeze
@MyIsraelorgil  @IMTIzionism

Sources:
In first, EU nixes grant to Palestinian NGO refusing to sign anti-terror clause, by Raphael Ahren. Times of Israel- June 17, 2020

Israel Cancels Tax Break for Anti-Israel NGOs, by Yakir Benzion. United With Israel – June 17, 2020

UK investigates links between London accounting firm and Palestinian terror group, by JNS. Jewish News Syndicate. June 18, 2020

The IDF and the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration conducted a special operation to confiscate heavy equipment used in illegal construction in quarries in Area C of Judea and Samaria.

Binyamin Regional Council chairman Yisrael Gantz said that the war against Jewish communities is a top priority for Palestinians but Judea and Samaria residents and the IDF “will always be there to fight it.”

Illegal activities by the PA in Area C have been ongoing for too long. AFSI agrees with Gantz who stated, “such an operation should be carried out more often, with a strong and stern hand. We will continue to build and expand within the Land of Israel.”

#IsraelShowsSternStrongHand  #IDFAlwaysThereToFightIt  #AreaCBelongsToIsrael

Source:
IDF confiscates heavy equipment used in illegal Area C construction, by Arutz Sheva Staff. Artuz Sheva – June 18, 2020

The Mekorot National Water Company has opened a new line to add the regions of Judea and Samaria to Israel’s national water system.

Also, a sophisticated new pumping station in the Barkan Industrial Park will be able to transfer the water further into eastern Samaria and mountain communities.

“Connecting the water infrastructure in Judea and Samaria to the national water system constitutes the application of de facto sovereignty,” said Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council. “We have taken another important step to be part of the State of Israel, and not a stepson. There used to be detachments and tankers; today we are going about it in a systematic way and connecting the water infrastructure of Judea and Samaria to the national water system.”

#SovereigntyInAction #JudeaSamaria #WaterInfrastrucureJudeaSamaria

Source:
Sovereignty in Action: Judea, Samaria Connected to Mekorot National Water System, by Hana Levi Julian. The Jewish Press – June 16, 2020

Jewish community leaders in Judea and Samaria sent a message to Prime Minister Netanyahu to “remember the two million voters of the right-wing bloc.”

This was in advance of Netanyahu’s meeting with Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

“We are in the midst of a historic time for the settlements, and ask the prime minister to consider the more than two million voters of the right-wing bloc who chose him in order to apply Sovereignty here in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley,” the Yesha council said.

#JudeaSamaria #ApplySovereigntyNow #NoPalestinianState

Sources:
‘Netanyahu, keep the principles of the right’, by Arutz Sheva Staff. Arutz Sheva – June 14, 2020

Settlement movement faces dilemma with sovereignty plan, by i24News. Arutz Sheva – June 15, 2020

Sovereignty isn’t as scary as some would have us believe, by Yitzhak Ilan. Israel Hayom – June 11, 2020

Border Police and Civil Administration forces began demolishing six structures in Givat HaBaladim and Maoz Esther Monday morning, Israeli media reported.

Over ten people were arrested during the demolition, according to legal aid organization Honenu.

Five family homes, two synagogues and eight additional structures were destroyed by security forces. All are located near the Jewish community of Kochav Hashahar in Area C in the Binyamin Regional Council. Adjacent to these structures are many illegal Arab buildings which remain untouched.

#SovereigntyNow #AreaCBelongsToIsrael

Source:
Illegal outposts in Area C demolished after being rebuilt multiple times, by Jerusalem Post Staff. Jerusalem Post – June 15, 2020

Palestinian leadership has been working overtime recently – holding meetings with foreign ambassadors and diplomats and providing statements and interviews to Palestinian and foreign media outlets.

At the height of this on Monday, Palestinian factions organized a demonstration in Manara Square in Ramallah against Israel’s plans to (“annex”) apply Israeli civil law to its lawful land. Reality may be settling in. Barely 200 people showed up.

Stated one photographer at the scene, “There isn’t even one picture to take.” The truth is that the Arabs in Judea and Samaria “would prefer Israeli rule to PA rule.”

Never ending hatred of Israel and the decades long attempts to delegitimize the Jewish Nation State are now taking a toll on the very people the PA is supposed to work in the best interests of. “The crisis of confidence between the leadership and the public has deepened so much that the public can no longer back its leadership. The masses will not take to the streets over annexation, but would over the economic crisis.”

#PACrisisOfConfidence #FailedPALeaders #PAStrugglesToRallySupport

Source:
Palestinian Leadership Struggling to Rally Public Against Israeli Annexation, by Jack Khoury. Haaretz – June 11, 2020

What do Palestinian Arabs really think of Israeli sovereignty?, by Rafael Levi. Arutz Sheva – June 11, 2020