Author: AFSI Staff

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

Unbelievable as this may seem, Ottoman Land Law continues to be the law of the land in Judea and Samaria. Contrary to what far too many journalists and foreign “Middle East experts” believe, the Ottoman legal system is enforced by the State of Israel across the board; it applies to both Jewish and Arab residents of Area C.

This anomalous situation is what makes the application of Israeli Sovereignty in these areas so important, so logical and so beneficial for everyone who lives there, and for the State of Israel and its neighbors, as well. Simply put, Ottoman Land Law makes no sense in today’s world, and the situation as it stands is untenable.

The system of law currently in force in Judea and Samaria is so outmoded that it was abandoned everywhere else in the world more than 100 years ago. Some of the most egregious aspects of this bizarre system are rarely discussed.

#SovereigntyNow #JudeaSamaria #OttomanLandLawMakesNoSense

Source:
The sovereignty debate, down on the ground, by Naomi Kahn. Jewish News Syndicate – August 5, 2020

Samaria Regional Council Chairman Yossi Dagan responded Wednesday to assertions by Prime Minister Netanyahu that the application of Israeli Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria is dependent on cooperation from Washington.

Dagan said that the Israeli government has always known how to apply Sovereignty and is the only party that should make the final decision.

“The State of Israel has never bowed before the United States,” Dagan declared. “Prime Minister Levy Eshkol applied Sovereignty to Jerusalem despite opposition from the US administration, and Prime Minister Menachem Begin exercised Sovereignty over the Golan Heights in the same way. I call on the Prime Minister to act courageously and apply Sovereignty right now.”

#SovereigntyNow #SovereigntyIsIsraelsDecision

Source:
‘Israel has never bowed before the US’, by Arutz Sheva Staff. Arutz Sheva – August 5, 2020

The explosion in Beirut earlier this week is beyond catastrophic. At least 137 people are dead, with hundreds more feared dead. US and French citizens are among those reported as casualties and over 5,000 are reported injured. Hundreds of citizens are now homeless.

The investigation is focusing on how 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical used in fertilizers, came to be stored at the facility for six years, and why nothing was done about it.

The ammonium nitrate stockpile is that which Hezbollah has threatened time and again to unleash on Tel Aviv.

In the aftermath of the explosion, Israel estimates that the likelihood that Hezbollah will carry out its threats to harm Israel have dropped significantly. The risk of Hezbollah confronting Israel is considered too high after the disaster.

Israel’s doctors have gone above and beyond in reaching out with medical assistance. They have implored the Lebanese people to accept their expert help. Israel’s humanitarian spirit applies to all in need.

Hezbollah has been a long-standing threat to Israel. But in this case, the harm Hezbollah has long wished to inflict on Israel has only returned bad energy back to them. As the old adage says, what goes around comes around.

Source:
Death Toll Rises In Beirut Blast Linked To Seized Russian-Owned Ship, by RFE/RL. Radio Free Europe – August 6, 2020

Assessment: Likelihood of Hezbollah revenge attack has decreased, by Arutz Sheva Staff. Arutz Sheva – August 5, 2020

Four people crossed into Israeli territory from Syria and planted improvised explosive devices inside an unmanned IDF outpost along the Syrian border late Sunday night.

Soldiers from the Maglan special forces unit and unspecified aircraft opened fire at the four suspects, some of whom were armed, killing them all, IDF Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman told reporters Monday morning. The army also released video of the incident, showing figures approaching a fence near the border and being hit with a missile.

IDF forces conducted a tour of the area today where the bomb was thwarted last night. Weapons and a bag were found, containing a number of explosive devices that were ready to be used against an IDF force, 25 meters from the perimeter fence, inside Israeli territory.

Despite all of this, no Israeli soldiers were injured. Life for the residents of the Golan continues as normal. Israelis are a resilient and amazing people. We say this is a miracle and we are thankful.

For an insider report, Golan resident Yaakov Selevan shares a Facebook post to let us know how the community fared during this security breach. Listen to Yaakov HERE.

Source:
Syrian cell entered Israeli territory to plant bomb in unmanned army post — IDF, by Judah Ari Gross. Times of Israel – August 3, 2020

IDF locates explosive devices on northern border, by Mordechai Sones. Arutz Sheva – August 3, 2020