Author: AFSI Staff

Scores of citizens and public figures active in Judea and Samaria gathered at the Oz veGaon nature reserve in Gush Etzion to mark the 25th anniversary of the Women in Green movement and the public activities of its leaders, Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar.

Prompted by the signing of the Oslo accords they started out as a grassroots movement protesting concessions and land withdrawals. Today Women In Green leads sovereignty discourse in policy.

AFSI is proud to partner with Women In Green in our shared goals for our beloved Israel. May the Women In Green go higher and higher as they spread the truth about A WHOLE AND SOVEREIGN ISRAEL.

An informative and fascinating article documenting this historic movement, from their formation – to their first vigil – to their work through the present day, can be found HERE.

At the Oz v’Gaon nature reserve in Gush Etzion a unique library comprising writings and books on Zionism and its founders was dedicated on Tuesday. AFSI applauds the continuing philanthropic work of our Board member Cherna Moskowitz, who made this library possible.

Established through an initiative of Women in Green, the library includes books and writings dealing with Zionism, its philosophers, and those who implemented it, spanning more than a hundred years.

Among the speakers were former Jewish Agency head and former Minister Natan Sharansky, World Zionist Organization acting head Yaakov Hagoel, and Gush Etzion Council head Shlomo Ne’eman.

Oz v’Gaon is a place very close to AFSI’s heart. We’ve contributed and supported it from the start and take pride in watching it grow and flourish.

Read about the inauguration of the library HERE.

Amichai residents, previously evacuated from Amona, are now responding to a ruling that is in their favor. Israel’s Supreme Court has rejected the petitions that were filed against their new town.

“Now it’s final – the community of Amichai has been established, and nothing will prevent us from developing and flourishing and bringing blessing to all the residents of the Shiloh Valley and the entire region.”

AFSI was in Amona before it was destroyed. Our officers were present in August to see the beautiful new playground (photo above), which was anonymously donated by an AFSI member. We were proud to be there for the opening ceremony.

Israel Ready to Help, But….

Israel is once again ready to turn the other cheek and bring aid to Gaza while the attacks coming from Gaza continue to escalate.

Israel has agreed to help solve the electricity crisis in the Gaza strip. The problem is that the PA is blocking workers from receiving delivery of fuel to the power plant.

Reports are surfacing that Abbas is furious at the move by Bulgarian UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov, who coordinated the transfer of Qatari money to Hamas, which went right past Abbas’s authority. In response, Abbas will stop the flow of all PA funds into Gaza, which would incite Hamas to launch another round of violence against Israel.

We think it’s obvious that the refusal to allow delivery of fuel is directly related to Abbas’ fury at Mladenov’s disregard of him and his “authority.”

A 23-year-old terrorist from the nearby village of Shweika, near Tulkarem, handcuffed and shot two employees Sunday morning at the Barkan Industrial Park in Samaria at close range with a Carl Gustav assault rifle.

The victims are Kim Levengrond Yehezkel, 28, a mother from the central Israeli city of Rosh Ha’ayin, and Ziv Hajbi, a 35-year-old father of three from Rishon LeZion, south of Tel Aviv.

Yossi Dagan, Head of Shomron Regional Council firmly demanded, “We must respond to such a serious terrorist incident with unprecedented military action against the terror nests in Judea and Samaria.”

“The incitement and atrocities must end,” said US Senator Ted Cruz who condemned the attacks.

Today was an important day for American students studying in Israel. Two weeks ago, a hero of the Jewish people, Ari Fuld, was brutally murdered by a Palestinian Arab in an act of terror. Ari was a champion of Israel both on the battlefield and on social media. A master educator, Ari was able to show his followers the truth about life in Israel, and in particular, Judea and Samaria.

AFSI’s new program, If Not Us, is dedicated to showing American students the truth about Israel’s rights to Judea and Samaria and its fair treatment of the Arabs who live under Israel’s control. By ignoring the narratives, If Not Us takes students into the heart of the land and shows that Israel has nothing to hide. Today, If Not Us led an educational and inspirational trip to the places most important to Ari.

The day started in Israel’s capital, where students heard from Ari’s father, Rabbi Yonah Fuld, and brother, Hillel Fuld. The students then traveled to the spot where Ari saved lives and stopped the terrorist who fatally wounded him. Hearing form Gush Etzion’s spokesman, Josh Hasten, the students understood what happened in this act of terror…and why. During a Q & A session with master advocate, Avi Abelow, the students sat in Oz V’Gaon, a park built to answer another tragic terror attack, and were able to ask the crucial questions to understand the conflict. Israel’s rights to Judea and Samaria and the need for Israeli sovereignty were discussed at length.

The day ended with a trip to Ari’s Synagogue in Efrat. The students joined the community for Mincha and sat in Ari’s row, looking at the majestic view he enjoyed while he prayed. The students were challenged to make up for the Jewish people’s lost voice and take on a part of Ari’s large efforts. With a Torah lesson to end the day, these American students left with a sense of pride and determination to defend their land.

Twenty-three year old Ofir Dayan is the only daughter of Israel’s Consul General in New York, Dani Dayan. Ofir Dayan is using her connections to push pro-Israel advocacy at Columbia University.

Read about what she is doing HERE.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres spoke Wednesday at a high-level forum to combat hatred against Jews that was held on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

Guterres said that modern antisemitism expressed “itself in attempts to delegitimize the right of Israel to exist, including calls for its destruction, using the pretext of the situation in the Middle East to target Jews and Jewish symbols.”

Guterres further stated, “This is tribalism run amok. Not only are their vile views coming into the mainstream, but the mainstream unfortunately, sometimes, is coming to them.”

It’s a breath of fresh air to finally hear the top UN official issue a strong statement at a major public forum in support of Israel. With that said, we would like to see the truth about Israel positively transform every UN member nation and every individual affiliated with the UN.

Arutz Sheva reported last week that 55 members of Congress will ask President Trump to allow Americans born in Jerusalem to have “Jerusalem, Israel,” written as their birthplace in their US passports.

This would fully implement the administration’s policy of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

University of Michigan Associate Professor John Cheney-Lippold is feeling the heat now for denying a student’s request to write a letter of recommendation for a semester-long study-abroad program in Israel. He claimed he could not write the letter because of a departmental decision supporting the BDS movement.

It should be noted that the school’s administration itself does not allow its departments or any part of the school to boycott or divest from Israel, according to University of Michigan spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald.

It’s obvious that the professor’s personal politics are getting in the way of his professional decision making – it’s also called a conflict of interest – and he must answer for it!