Author: AFSI Staff

For the first time since 1967, Israel has installed barbed wire atop a Temple Mount wall near the Arab section for prayer in the hours prior to the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began Monday night.

Israel security personnel have been preparing for weeks for Ramadan it’s seen by Arab terrorist organizations as a particularly auspicious time to carry out attacks on Israelis and Jews.

The Palestinian Authority said the move constituted “a dangerous precedent” and claimed the Israeli government was installing the barbed wire “to prevent worshipers from entering Al Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan.”

With strict security protocols in place, Israel will allow Palestinian Authority Muslims to enter Jerusalem for the purpose of pilgrimage to observe Ramadan in prayer at the Al Aqsa Mosque. That means no terror attacks, rock throwing or other words or actions meant to demonize Jewish worshipers.

Sources:
Israel Installs Barbed Wire on Temple Mount Wall to Protect Jewish Worshipers at Western Wall, by Hana Levi Julian/Jewish Press, March 12, 2024

Ramadan: Israel to Allow Palestinian Authority Muslims to Pray at Al Aqsa Mosque, by Hana Levi Julian/Jewish Press, March 12, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to US President Joe Biden’s statements that a military operation in Rafah is a “red line.”

“The President and I have agreed that we have to destroy Hamas,” Netanyahu told Fox News. “We can’t leave a quarter of the Hamas terror army in place. They’re there, in Rafah. This would be equivalent to saying that after the Allies fought back, gone through Normandy, went through Germany and you’d say, ‘Well we’ll leave a quarter of the Nazi army in place and we won’t go into Berlin, the last stronghold.’”

Netanyahu also stressed that his position is not personal but supported by the vast majority of Israeli citizens. “They’re really united, like never before,” he noted. He also stated that “victory is important not only for us, it’s important for the civilized world as we’re fighting these barbarians.”

As he continues to talk from both sides of his mouth, Biden hasn’t got an ounce of legitimate credibility or assistance to offer to Israel. He has yet to take responsibility for the 5 Gazans killed from a U.S. air food drop. If he continues to cozy up to Iran and refuses to face the truth about what it takes to eliminate the enemy – and why – then he is a part of the problem. Israel must press on undeterred. Her very survival is at stake.

Source:
Netanyahu: ‘We can’t leave a quarter of the Hamas terror army in place’, by Hezki Baruch/Israel National News, March 11, 2024

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the war has been the overbearing calls for a pathway to Palestinian statehood in the aftermath of the worst terror massacre in Israel’s history.

In Part II of an exclusive interview with JNS, Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs and member of a five-man war cabinet, Ron Dermer discusses plans for “the day after” the war in the Gaza Strip; the need for deradicalization of the Palestinian society; and why Palestinian statehood in the immediate aftermath of Oct. 7 would be a “historic mistake.”

A two-state solution is not, never has been, and never will be a position that Americans for a Safe Israel endorses. AFSI has argued consistently that a strong, territorially defensible Israel is essential to U.S. and global security interests in the region, and that the “two-state solution,” would endanger the world, while bringing the dissolution of Israel.

Source:
Dermer to JNS: ‘Anybody talking about Palestinian state right now is living on another planet’, by Alex Traiman/JNS, March 7, 2024

Dozens of police officers and Civil Administration supervisors on Monday morning descended on the community of Or Ahuvya, founded about one month ago, in the Binyamin Region.

“Young girls who barricaded themselves on the roof were thrown to the ground from a height by police officers, and the girls’ cellular phones were confiscated until the completion of the demolition, in order to prevent it from being recorded,” residents recalled.

Among the residents of the hill is the sister of Ahuvya Sandek, after whom the hill was named. Or Ahuvya was founded ot be part of a chain of Jewish territorial settlements in the Ofra area, which includes Or Meir, Or Ahuvya, and two additional settlements near the town of Amona.

Source:
Security forces demolish settlement of Or Ahuvya, by Israel National News, March 11, 2024

As part of an appeal filed by residents of the Palestinian Authority Arab town of Kafr Malik, the State has committed to the Supreme Court that it will demolish houses in the homestead of Maoz Esther in the Binyamin Region within three weeks, subject to operational considerations.

The residents of the homestead stated: “The only person who can decide whether to carry out the demolition during a war is Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The demolition of Khan al-Ahmar, despite having been subject to a final court ruling, has been delayed by the state for years and to this day. It makes no sense that while the Palestinian Authority continues to take over this region without opposition,” while the roads of Judea and Samaria have become conduits for terrorism and hundreds of officers directed to demolish the houses of Jewish families.

it makes no sense to us either. During a time where Israel is at war fighting to eliminate the terrorist entities that are a threat to her very existence, we think this matter should wait. We trust a clearer picture of the truth will emerge after the war is over.

Source:
State promises to demolish homestead within 2 weeks, by Israel National News, March 7, 2024

The Supreme Planning Council in Judea and Samaria yesterday approved the construction of approximately 3,500 new housing units in Maaleh Adumim, Efrat, and Kedar.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised the approval, saying, “This year we did great things for the settlements – this is a good start. Parallel to the approval for the housing units, we are advancing a series of young settlements, land surveys and announcements, security components, and roads in Judea and Samaria, at a scope which is unprecedented.”

Building up the land is what we want to hear. We also want guarantees of safety and security to love and work on the land.

Source:
Around 3,500 housing units approved in Judea and Samaria, by Hezki Baruch/Israel National News, March 6, 2024

Swiss diplomat Phillipe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the U.N.’s Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, has just been asked to appear on the record and in person before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Following the recent discovery of Hamas arsenals inside and below UNRWA schools, the new Palestinian Authority educational curriculum is of immediate concern. This curriculum indoctrinates Palestinian Arab children, encouraging them to conquer all of “Palestine” by force of arms. This is hardly an appropriate goal for a U.N. agency.

David Bedein has put forth a list of 14 critical policy issues that Lazzarini will have to address before Congress. Will Lazzarini get serious and take action to correct the issues David has spelled out? Let’s see whose side he’s on as this plays out.

Source:
Fourteen issues UNRWA’s chief must address before Congress, by David Bedein/JNS, March 5, 2024

thanks to Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.)a new bill in Congress aims to stress the sanctity and ancient Jewish history of the Holy Land. Tenney introduced the “Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act” on Feb. 29. The legislation would require all official U.S. documents and materials to reference “Judea and Samaria” rather than the “West Bank.”

“The Israeli people have an undeniable and indisputable historical and legal claim over Judea and Samaria, and at this critical moment in history, the United States must reaffirm this,” Tenney stated.

Tenney’s bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Randy Weber (R-Texas) and Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.), said that the Biden administration was “misguided” to revoke Pompeo Doctrine,” a decision which “undermines our greatest ally in the Middle East.” (That doctrine arose from an announcement in November 2019 by then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Washington supports Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem as legal.)

“This bill reaffirms Israel’s rightful claim to its territory. I remain committed to defending the integrity of the Jewish state and fully supporting Israel’s sovereignty over Judea and Samaria,” Tenney stated.

Thank you, Rep. Claudia Tenney and your colleagues Reps. Weber and Esposito. Well said. Enough said. The truth about Judea and Samaria must be made clear to the entire world and your initiative on this matter is deeply appreciated by many. We are grateful for your work on this bill and for your friendship to Israel and the Jewish people.

Source:
House bill calls for US to refer officially to ‘Judea, Samaria,’ not ‘West Bank’, by JNS Update Desk, March 3, 2024

Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman is proposing a plan that recognizes the Jewish state’s biblical claims to Judea and Samaria. His approach includes securing Israel’s abilities to police the territory and build lasting infrastructure that can improve the standard of living for all the residents.

In a nutshell, the plan provides for Israeli sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria, permanent residency of all Palestinians living in that territory, and American and Gulf support for a “Marshall Plan” to bring better healthcare, education, and prosperity to the region. It is a plan that attempts to comport with biblical covenants, security concerns and the advancement of human dignity for every one of Gd’s creatures.

The delusional two-state solution is an existential threat to Israel’s survival. Friedman’s proposal is a new approach to this unresolved issue. We will watch closely to see how it is received and develops.

Source:
‘Future of Judea & Samaria’: Former US envoy unveils sovereignty plan, by Alex Traiman/JNS, February 29, 2024

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has demanded a change to the annual routine during the month of Ramadan.

“It makes no sense that every year during Ramadan, Israel braces itself for an attack. Ramadan passing peacefully is far more important to Arabs than to Israel,” Smotrich declared. “Security for Israelis is more important than anything. Roads should be closed, and they should be forbidden from using central routes to allow Israelis to travel safely.”

Under all circumstances, but certainly since the October 7th massacre, any small measure of trust that business will go on as usual with no threats has been shattered. We agree that every measure should be taken to protect Israelis and to keep Israel safe.

Source:
Smotrich demands road closures during Ramadan, by Israel National News, March 1, 2024