Author: AFSI Staff

Excerpt from remarks delivered by President Trump, September 11, 2020:

Just a few moments ago, I hosted a historic call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and King Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain. Both leaders expressed their condolences as well to the American people on this very, very tragic, horrible event that took place on September 11th. And they very much meant it. I want to thank them for that.

There’s no more powerful response to the hatred that spawned 9/11 than the agreement that we’re about to tell you. You will hear something today that’s, I think, very, very important for not only the Middle East but for the world.

In the spirit of peace and cooperation, both leaders also agreed that Bahrain will fully normalize its diplomatic relations with Israel. They will exchange embassies and ambassadors, begin direct flights between their countries, and launch cooperation initiatives across a broad range of sectors, including health, business, technology, education, security, and agriculture. This is a truly historic day.

Source:
Remarks by President Trump on the Announcement of Normalization of Relations Between Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain – The White House Official Statement. September 11, 2020

As a new normal takes shape in the Middle East, let’s not forget the current not-normal status of the Jewish people still denied its legal and historical right to worship freely and peacefully on the Temple Mount.

The two Trump brokered peace deals in the last month have created a new buzzword – normalization. Things are now normalizing that had been abnormal for far too long.

One of the most abnormal and aberrant things about the Middle East conflict is the rejection of a Jew’s right to pray on the Temple Mount. This must change if an accord between Abraham’s children is truly meant to be meaningful.

It is time to return Jewish prayer to the Temple Mount. It is time to normalize the Temple Mount.

Source:
Is it time to ‘normalize’ the Temple Mount?, by Nave Dromi. Jerusalem Post, September 13, 2020

Amiram Ben Uliel, who was convicted of the murder of three members of the Dawabsheh family in Duma, was sentenced to three life sentences in Israel on Monday.

The sentence was handed down today after the Central District Court in Lod recently decided to reject the appeal filed by the defense attorneys to throw out his conviction following new evidence in the case.

The request for the overturning of Ben Uliel’s conviction came after Ahmad Dwabsha, the only witness from the house to the incident, who in media interviews described the incident differently from the details of the indictment under which Ben-Uliel was convicted

Obviously there has to be an appeal and we are glad to hear Ben Uliel’s family and friends are preparing to appeal the conviction to the Supreme Court. We wish them strength as they move forward plus a swift turn around in this extremely questionable conviction.

Source:
3 life sentences for accused Duma killer, by Arutz Sheva Staff. Arutz Sheva, September 14, 2020

For five years, the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy has been trying to combat the large number of international delegitimization and boycott campaigns against the Jewish State. Its options to combat international antisemitism are limited, and it is doubtful whether it has properly prioritized the issues at stake. Israel urgently needs a separate anti-propaganda agency, something the Strategic Affairs Ministry should have recommended long ago.

Source:
Israel Needs an Anti-Propaganda Agency by Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld. BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,738, September 9, 2020

We are more than ever concerned these days, in light of the political process, the deceptive reports and announcements in the media. We hereby issue cautions and warnings.

We see a number of red blinking warning lights that the “peace” with the Emirates and other Arab countries is not really “peace in exchange for peace”, as it is presented by the Prime Minister and his people, but is an integral part of the Deal of the Century, part of the process of formulating a Palestinian state.

Now is the time to turn our attention to the bright, blinking red warning signals showing us the tragic direction that the current political steps are leading to.

In the preface to the Deal of the Century, the following quote appears: “We believe that if more Muslim and Arab countries normalize relations with Israel, it will help advance a just and fair resolution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians”. It seems that the agreement with the Emirates and other Gulf states is leading us directly in this dangerous direction.

Source:
Wake up! Wake up! A Palestinian state is on the way!, by Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar. Arutz Sheva – September 10, 2020

Yesha Council Chairman David Elhayani called for the replacement of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu with a new leader whose actions would be more in line with the official positions of the Likud party.

In an interview with Arutz Sheva, Elhayani referred to the criticism leveled at him from the right, which blamed his strident opposition to the Trump Administration’s peace plan for causing the historic opportunity to apply Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria to be missed. “I am proud and we are proud that we prevented this bad plan,” he said, noting that he believes the American plan was intended only to bring about the establishment of a Palestinian state and would eventually lead to the evacuation of tens of thousands of settlers.

Netanyahu, he said, must promote Israeli interests, including the application of Israeli Sovereignty over Area C, without any connection to the American plan.

AFSI does not endorse Elhayani’s call to replace Prime Minister Netanyahu. That’s a matter for the people of Israel to decide. However, Elhayani’s statement is a direct result of his justifiable frustration with one too many missed opportunities to apply Sovereignty.

With that said, we share Elhayani’s frustration and continue to call for SOVEREIGNTY NOW OVER ALL ISRAEL.

#SovereigntyNow #SovereigntyOverAreaC

Source:
‘Netanyahu has abandoned the Likud’s positions; he must go’, by Shimon Cohen. Arutz Sheva – September 10, 2020

Samaria Regional Council chairman Yossi Dagan responded Thursday to criticism of a news piece on the tourism industry in Samaria, comparing it to the BDS movement.

“We are happy to continue to cause high blood pressure, especially for the far-left whiners,” Dagan told Arutz Sheva. “These delusional ‘TV reviews’ are hallucinatory BDS-style political theater.”

According to him, the television criticism “represents a handful of troublemakers from the extreme left, ridiculous and hateful people who represent the minority even of the extreme left in Israel.”

“Judea and Samaria deserves fair coverage just like any other place in the country,” he added. “In practice, despite the sourness sown by a handful of people, the people of Israel point with their feet and travel in Judea and Samaria. This happens because of the amazing landscapes, the tranquility, the springs, the historical roots and the diverse attractions.”

Source:
‘We’re happy to make extreme leftists cry’, by Yeonatan Gottlieb. Arutz Sheva – September 10, 2020

Earlier this year, you participated in the election for US delegates to the 38th World Zionist Congress (WZC), the international “parliament of the Jewish people”. The American Zionist Movement (AZM) administered the voting and is pleased to share with you the ballot results and plans for the Zionist Congress.

You came through and helped right-wing coalitions (combined) come in ahead of the left-wing. We’re pleased to let you know that you have strong representation now – Your official Delegate to both the World Zionist Congress and World Likud Congress is AFSI’s Co-Executive Director Judy Freedman Kadish.

Read more HERE.

Harvard University named Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat — who serves as secretary general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) — as a fellow at the Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

Erekat, a man who called random stabbing attacks on Israeli citizens by Palestinian terrorists “self-defense,” will be charged with mentoring students and giving seminars in the school’s “The Future of Diplomacy Project.”

PLO member Erekat is one of four new fellows appointed by the school to the project. Commenting on the appointments, faculty chair Nicholas Burns said that the new fellows “will strengthen our capacity to learn the lessons of effective diplomacy and statecraft.”

We beg to differ as Erekat’s anti-Israel past speaks for itself. Shame on Harvard University for allowing this appointment to happen. This venerable institution hired an individual who preaches about the delegitimization of Israel’s existence. This appointment is not only bad for Israel and the Jewish people, but Americans as well.

Source:
Harvard Hires PLO Executive to Mentor Students, by Meira Svirsky. Clarion Project – September 8, 2020

Justice Noam Solberg yesterday rejected Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s request to delay the State’s response to the Regavim petition in the Khan al-Ahmar case for six months, and criticized the State’s conduct.

In a decision issued, Judge Solberg wrote, “The request to postpone the date of the hearing is embarrassing. The petition before us is the last link, at this time, in the chain of petitions filed regarding the evacuation of the Khan al-Ahmar compound.”

Regavim’s Spokesperson issued a statement: “The Khan al Ahmar case long ago ceased to be an isolated case of a single illegal outpost. It has been an exemplar case of the way the state acts – or more precisely, how it fails to act – when faced with Palestinian Authority’s takeover of Area C. The government has violated its own commitment, reflected in the High Court of Justice’s ruling many long months ago. The time has come to put a stop to this inexcusable conduct. We call upon the High Court to issue a final judgement in this case, requiring the government to raze this illegal outpost immediately and to pay the court fees incurred by its interminable and inexcusable procrastination.”

Area C belongs to Israel. Time to evacuate Khan al-Ahmar.

Source:
Judge Solberg v. Netanyahu: ‘Embarrassing request’, by Mordechai Sones. Arutz Sheva – September 7, 2020