The Mount Hebron spokesman’s office reported that this past Shabbat about 30 Arab rioters managed to infiltrate the town of Otniel in Judea, south of Hebron. The rioters were spotted before they entered the community, and its security patrol was waiting for them when they crossed into the town. The head of Otniel’s security called the IDF for help.
The rioters reportedly vandalized property, damaged equipment, and destroyed a tent used by the local youth for prayer and Bible study.
They say “rioters,” we say, “terrorists.” Any violation at any time of Israeli land and the Israeli people, whether on Shabbos or not, is a violation of Israel’s sovereign rights.
Mazal Tov! 18 years after the Disengagement, the wedding of Ahuvya Yair, son of MK Limor Son Har-Melech of Otzma Yehudit, was held last night on the ruins of the village of Homesh.
The bridegroom, Ahuvya Yair, was only 14 months old at the time of the attack, in which his father, Shuli Har-Melech, was murdered, and Limor was moderately injured.
Son Har-Melech was one of the most prominent activists against the Disengagement from Judea, Samaria, and Gush Katif and also served as the “PR officer” of Homesh in its various stages of the struggle.
This weekend’s wedding is a testament to the strength and endurance of the people of Homesh. It’s only through their fortitude and determination that Homesh will be rebuilt and stronger than ever.
The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday set the boundaries of three new communities in Judea, marking the first step in the legalization under Israeli law of nine communities that received official government approval earlier this year.
Two of the new towns, Avigayil and Asael, are located in the South Hebron Hills, while the third, Beit Hogla, is part of the Megilot Regional Council near the Dead Sea.
Yesha Council Chairman and Gush Etzion Regional Council head Shlomo Neeman hailed the move as a “meaningful step” that will advance communities in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley.
This is the type of productive news we like to hear about. Regulation – Independence – Building new communities. Next step – Sovereignty!
The head of the Samaria Council, Yossi Dagan, spoke with Israel National News about the continued attempts of the Palestinian Authority to destroy the biblical altar of Joshua in Samaria. He called on the Prime Minister to take responsibility for preserving the heritage and archaeological roots of the Jewish people.
“Our eyes are not closed at all. We are all aware of the damage that the Palestinian Authority tries to do time and time again to the site on Mt. Ebal. The Palestinian Authority is systematically trying to destroy the heritage sites of the Jewish people, including in Judea and Samaria.”
Druze activists are emulating their Jewish counterparts in Judea and Samaria (YESH) with the establishment of outposts on state land in northern Israel.
The blatantly illegal outposts are being set up in Carmel and the Galilee by Druze activists wearing bright yellow tee shirts proclaiming “Ad Kan.” It is ironic to note that there is also an Israeli NGO called “Ad Kan” that was started in 2015 by Israeli security personnel to defend Israel’s Zionist character from internal and external anti-Israel forces.
This is but another form of an illegal land grab. We await the government’s response, which we trust will be swift.
Israel harshly criticized the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) this week for plans to designate the ancient city of Jericho as a Palestinian World Heritage site. The vote could come in two weeks when the World Heritage Committee convenes in Saudi Arabia in two weeks.
MK Dan Illouz (Likud) blasted the decision, saying “Jericho is first and foremost a city of biblical significance… and was the crossing point of the Israelites into the Land of Israel after wandering in the desert for forty years following the Exodus from Egypt. In a letter to UNESCO President Audrey Azoulay, Illouz referred to this Israel hating decision as archaeologically false, plus “an insult to Jews, but also an insult to Christians around the world who admire the site for its biblical history.”
The Knesset Land of Israel Caucus conducted an emergency field tour of threatened archaeological sites of the region. Avraham Binyamin, Regavim’s Director of Parliamentary Affairs said: “Once again, UNESCO has been exposed as an anti-Israel body that denies facts and history and violates its own charter, principles, and signed treaties. The enormity of Jewish history that lies on and below the surface of Jericho cannot be obscured, and we must not allow the Palestinian Authority to rewrite history while it continues to demolish and erase the ancient Jewish history of this land.”
The PA has also been slowly destroying the archaeological site of Joshua’s altar described in the Bible. Despite assurances by the Israeli government that they would work to prevent the destruction, construction has begun on an entire neighborhood on Mount Ebal in Northern Samaria
Yes, Israel cannot allow this to happen, but it needs to act now. Land grabs have been going on for way too long and now a so-called “world body” like UNESCO wants to help speed up the process. We will watch closely to see what steps Israel’s leadership takes to stop this latest attempt to eradicate Israel from the map.
Minister for the Advancement of the Status of Women May Golan, a resident of south Tel Aviv, spoke with Arutz Sheva about Saturday’s violent clashes between Eritrean infiltrators in her neighborhood.
Golan says that while riots of this scope are unprecedented, “I’m not surprised, I’m not surprised at all. I know that the majority of the public here in Israel and the public that follows Israel is surprised, but I’ve been witnessing this violence for decades, and I know what these people are capable of. We have a serious problem with the illegal infiltrators who come here because we lack a serious immigration policy in Israel, one that I’ve been fighting for the past 15 years.”
Thanks to May Golan’s steadfast work on this issue, there appears to be not only hope, but action, on the horizon. It was announced that MK Simcha Rothman will advance a bill greatly limiting migration into Israel. If the bill passes, Israel will have a set annual quota for people gaining refugee status in the country.
May Golan is a longtime friend of AFSI, and she has been dedicated to bringing attention to and demanding a solution for the Eritrean (and Sudanese) infiltrators. With Israel’s security forces always on the highest alert to defend the country against terrorism, one would think the violent attacks by these illegal immigrants would be a priority in Israel’s security arsenal to protect its citizens. An immigration policy was needed yesterday but we are grateful to learn of MK Rothman’s initiative. May and Simcha receive AFSI’s highest praise for keeping this critical matter front and center with the public and the Knesset.
Beyadenu has filed a petition with Israel’s High Court of Justice against the government, the police, and the Jerusalem municipality. Their petition calls for immediate action to prevent the Jordanian Waqf from disposing of garbage within the Temple Mount area.
Tom Nisani, CEO of Beyadenu, expressed concern, stating, “Imagine what would happen if, heaven forbid, garbage were deposited in front of the Vatican’s Papal residence. The situation on the Temple Mount is even more grave. Until the State of Israel demonstrates reverence for its holy places, it cannot expect others to respect its connection to them.”
The dumping of garbage on Israel’s holiest site, the Temple Mount, is deliberate and Israel’s security authorities must step up to the plate, condemn it, and fully enforce the law. The word “disgrace” doesn’t even come close to describing how pathetic this repeated scenario is. We are at a loss for words.
Chen Amir, a 42-year-old municipal security guard was murdered on Saturday afternoon in a terrorist shooting attack on Montefiore Street in Tel Aviv. One of two security guards was able to neutralize the terrorist, who later died in the hospital.
On Friday near Givat Oz Zion in Binyamin, a shepherd was attacked by Arabs. Today he filed a complaint with the Judea and Samaria District Central Police Station against the Arab rioters who attacked him and another group of Israelis with clubs, rocks, and fireworks. Yehiel Indore, who is still hospitalized and recovering from head surgery was seriously injured in the rioters’ attack. Several other Israelis were also slightly injured.
MK Limor Sonn Har Melech (Otzma Yehudit) on Saturday evening slammed the defense system for arresting a former parliamentary assistant following a lynch on Jewish shepherds on Friday. “When a patrolman in Tel Aviv eliminates a terrorist, he receives praise from all of the defense bodies, but when a Jew defends his life in Binyamin from an Arab mob which has come to kill him, he is arrested while he is still injured,” she said. “I suggest the defense system turn its strength to dealing with the ‘terror nests’ instead of persecuting the residents of Binyamin, who hold onto our land with dedication.”
Following the terror attack, the IDF announced that it will raise the level of alert on the “seam line” and the crossings, due to concern of attempted infiltrations by terrorists. As long as every nook and cranny is not sealed, unfortunately, the likelihood of terrorist attacks will continue. Israel’s security forces must become obsessed with closing the gaps and not obsessed with criminalizing Jews like terrorists every time they defend themselves from terror attacks. Besides, treating Jews like terrorists only empowers PA Arabs. The one gap that still needs to be filled and the best defense against terror is the application of Sovereignty! The current right-wing government needs to step up to the plate and make this happen – NOW. Enough said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is confident his government can achieve some form of normalization with Saudi Arabia in the coming months, Netanyahu said in an interview with Bloomberg Television broadcasted on Monday.
“I think that we are about to witness a pivot of history,” he told Bloomberg’s Francine Lacqua. “First, there is an economic corridor of energy, transport and communications that naturally goes through our geography from Asia through the Arabian Peninsula to Europe.
Netanyahu downplayed claims that the Palestinian issue played a significant role in negotiations. “Is that what’s being said in corridors? Is that what’s being said in discreet negotiations? The answer is a lot less than you think,” he said. Asked what concessions Israel would be willing to make to the Palestinians, the prime minister refused to give specific examples. “I’ll tell you what I’m not willing to give. I’m not willing to give anything that will endanger Israel’s security. That I will not do, but I think there is enough room to discuss possibilities,” he said.
Without the application of Sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, Israel’s security IS endangered. The discussion of Israel’s Sovereignty over this area must never be questioned or brought to the negotiating table as a bargaining chip.
