Author: AFSI Staff

On Sunday, Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the Temple Mount for the second time since taking his post and said: “We are the owners of Jerusalem and the entire Land of Israel.” Jordan condemned the visit, calling it a “flagrant violation” of the status quo.

The status quo, established by the Jordanian Wakf agency in the summer of 1967, after the then-Defense Minister gave it the keys to the Temple Mount, prohibits Jews from praying on the Temple Mount. However, in recent years the police have stopped enforcing the prohibition and refrain from arresting Jews who pray in the eastern corner of the compound. Waqf guards who tried to interfere with the prayers were arrested and removed from the compound.

Source:
Sunday Ben Gvir Prayed on Temple Mount, by David Israel, May 21, 2023

Negotiating teams from the Opposition and Coalition have made significant progress towards a deal on judicial reform.

Both sides have reached an accord over two key issues: the future use by courts of the reasonableness standard, and the status of ministerial legal advisors. Resolution of these two points has allowed negotiators to focus entirely on the most contentious issues, including the makeup of the judicial appointments committee, and the proposed judicial override.

MK Simcha Rothman remains “pessimistic regarding the chances of reaching an agreement,” stating “the Opposition has become enamored with protests, at the expense of the country.”

We are grateful two key issues are out of the way and pray that the rest of the judicial reform process can move forward in a productive manner satisfactory to both sides.

Source:
Report: Judicial reform talks nearing compromise deal, by Israel National News, May 17, 2023

 

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has instructed the IDF GOC Central Command Yehuda Fuchs to sign a decree that could allow Jewish residency in the former community of Homesh. This would fully implement the lifting of restrictions under the 2005 Gaza Disengagement Law.

Gallant’s decision is one of major security and political significance that has prompted the IDF to prepare for boosting forces in Homesh and mobilizing forces to protect civilians who will now be legally allowed to visit the area after almost 20 years.

Together with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Gallant is also considering a measure that would give official legal status to the yeshiva that was recently established in the former community without state sanction.

The timing of the AFSI Chizuk Mission to Israel is exquisite and we trust it brought some good vibes for Homesh! If Americans for a Safe Israel has been but a small part of the energy that ultimately saves Homesh, then we’ve fulfilled a small part of the AFSI mission.

Source:
Gallant instructs IDF to sign decree allowing Jewish presence in Homesh, by Amir Ettinger/Israel Hayom, May 18, 2023

 

Beyadenu CEO Tom Nisani on Tuesday issued a call for a “mass gathering of Jews to ascend to the Temple Mount to assert Jewish sovereignty over the site and a silent protest of the policies in place enacted by police and government that restrict Jewish rights.” The group added that on Jerusalem Liberation Day, Thursday, May 18, its goal is “to reach 5,000 ascenders in one day.”

Homefront Commander Chief, Raphi Milo issued a restraining order against Nisani for one month stating sensitive information suggests Nisani “will commit acts of provocation which can endanger the security of the Temple Mount and the Old City.”

Nisani responded to the allegations and restrainig order letter: “I, who gave 10 sleepless years of my life to the 8200 unit, am endangering the state while the Palestinian Authority and Hamas are given free rein?

Source:
Beyadenu Wants 5,000 Jews on Temple Mount for Jerusalem Day – as Police/IDF Seek to Block Activist, by David Israel/Jewish Press, May 17, 2023

New York’s state assembly is to consider legislation to stop registered charities from sending tens of millions of dollars a year to fund what they refer to as “illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.”

State assembly member Zohran Mamdani has introduced the “Not on our dime! bill. His plan would inhibit New York funding of Israeli settler violence” by prohibiting tax-deductible donations from being used to “expel Palestinians from their land and other activities widely regarded as war crimes under the Geneva conventions. This legislation makes it clear that New York will no longer effectively subsidize war crimes and the flouting of international law,” Mamdani told the Guardian.

The proposed legislation would give New York state’s attorney general the power to sue groups funding “settlements.” It would also give Palestinians harmed by “settler organizations” funded by New York-based charities the right to seek damages in American courts.

Mamdani clearly doesn’t know what is really happening in Israel and his thinking is clouded by his demonic hatred of the Jewish Nation State. Mamdani needs to pay attention to and start working on behalf of the constituents that voted for him. He needs to worry about the devastating decline of New York City, which includes his district, due to seriously misinformed and incompetent politicians like himself. He should re-direct his concerns and worry about the dimes that are needed to bring New York City back to its former safe and secure reputation. Plus, he needs to start learning the truth about Israel.

Source:
New York law aims to stop funding of illegal Israeli settlements in West Bank, by The Guardian, May 17, 2023

 

Israel’s recent air campaign against the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip restored Israel’s deterrence in the region, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday, comparing the operation to the conflict with Hamas two years ago.

Speaking at a Likud party meeting Monday afternoon, Netanyahu touted Operation Shield and Arrow as a major success and a definitive victory over Islamic Jihad, claiming that the five-day campaign had wiped out half of the terrorist group’s leadership, and restored quiet to southern Israel.

He stated: “Something has changed. We came to change the deterrence equation and not for the first time. The most significant change in the balance of deterrence took place two years ago in Operation Guardian of the Walls. Since Guardian of the Walls, Hamas has not fired a single rocket into our territory. They are deterred. Operation Guardian of the Walls dealt Hamas the hardest blow in its history and caused a change in the deterrence equation and it has been working for two years now.”

Netanyahu vowed that the annual Jerusalem Day Flag March will “take place as usual” this Thursday, along the traditional route.

Time will tell if Israel can look forward to an extended period of safety and security. We pray it becomes a permanent fixture in Israeli daily life.

Sources:
Netanyahu: We changed the balance of deterrence, by Israel National News, May 15, 2023

Minister of Justice Yariv Levin is demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ensure the immediate passage of at least one law from the judicial reform plan after the approval of the state budget. The government has until May 29 to do so.

Levin also reportedly issued an ultimatum, threatening to resign from the government if he cannot secure passage of at least part of the judicial overhaul package within the next two months. “The moment of decision on the reform is right after the budget is approved. It is preferable to do so with an agreement, but if not, we need to get at least something out of the reform plan. If by the end of the summer session, at least part of the reform does not pass, what do I have to look for in this position?”

Levin is right. Enough said.

Source:
Report: Justice Minister threatens to resign if judicial reform bill not passed, by Israel National News, May 14, 2023

An IDF spokesman stated today that since the beginning of Operation Shield and Arrow, about 600 rockets were launched from Gaza towards Israel, of which nearly 400 entered Israeli territory.

Despite ongoing ceasefire talks, the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization continues to fire rocket barrages at Israel.

A rocket fired by terrorists from the Gaza Strip struck a residential building in Rehovot this evening. One person was killed and five people were injured.

Around nine o’clock Wednesday evening a heavy volley of rockets was fired at the communities of the Gaza envelope. A rocket directly hit a house in Ashkelon and caused heavy damage (photo above). There were no injuries as the members of the house were staying in a protected area during the barrage. In Sderot, a rocket exploded in the garden of a private house and one person was treated for anxiety.

During a televised press conference yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a stern warning to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad: “Our forces are currently hitting targets in the Gaza Strip with great force and the terrorist organizations are paying a heavy price. Anyone who harms us will pay the price.”

Let’s be reminded that Israelis also continue to pay a heavy price repeatedly surviving and suffering through terror attacks. The word “ceasefire” has become meaningless to Israelis and the terrorists see it as nothing more than a chance to refuel and find another excuse to chip away at their goal of destroying Israel. What kind of retaliation or offensive operation will it take to put a stop to the intentional perpetuation of terror attacks that violate Israel’s sovereign rights? We’re still waiting for the solution.

Source:
1 killed, 5 hurt as rocket hits residential building in Rehovot, by Israel National News, May 11, 2023

IDF: 550 rockets fired at Israel this week, by Israel National News, May 11, 2023

Homes in Ashkelon, Sderot, struck in rocket barrage, by Israel National News, May 10, 2023

Ashkelon, Sderot homes damaged as Gaza rockets refuse to abate, by Itamar Eichner, Elisha Ben Kimon, Adaum Kutub, Yossi Yehoshua/Ynetnews, May 10, 2023

 

 

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday foiled Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s attempt to host an event at the Capitol with anti-Israel groups that decry the founding of the Jewish state as a “catastrophe.”

“This event in the US Capitol is canceled,” McCarthy announced in a tweet on Tuesday. “Instead, I will host a bipartisan discussion to honor the 75th anniversary of the US-Israel relationship.”

“It’s wrong for members of Congress to traffic in anti-Semitic tropes about Israel…As long as I’m speaker, we are going to support Israel’s right to self-determination and self-defense, unequivocally and in a bipartisan fashion.”

Thank you, Speaker McCarthy, for taking the correct action doing and for speaking the truth about Israel. Next on your agenda: Rep. Tlaib should be removed from every House Committee she sits on. Don’t let this bigoted hater of American values and demonic destroyer of Israel’s right to exist go any further than she already has.

Source:
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy blocks Rep. Rashida Tlaib from hosting anti-Israel event, by Victor Nava/New York Post, May 10, 2023

 

 

The rift between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has deepened, according to a report by Ma’ariv Monday morning, prompting the prime minister to attempt a rapprochement.

“It is difficult to assess where this is heading,” officials cited by the report said. “There is currently a rift between the prime minister and Ben-Gvir. We hope they will meet or at least talk before the Knesset plenum convenes on Wednesday and find a way to end this.”

The sources emphasized that Ben-Gvir “has no interest in breaking up the government, but he also has no interest in remaining in a government that is right-wing in name only. Ben-Gvir has a list of more than demands, all election promises, not only those made by Otzma Yehudit, but also by the Likud and the entire Right. They should fulfill 2-3 things out of everything promised to the public.”

One key issue Ben Gvir is pressuring Netanyahu on is the implementation of a powerful and offensive security policy. Since Netanyahu took office terror attacks against Jews have only increased, from both within and outside Israel, and security should be the government’s top priority. It’s people like Ben Gvir who seek to shake up the status quo and for good reason. He is a reminder to Netanyahu, the government, and the Israeli people that “free” and “sovereign” are not words that can be used to define Israel when its enemies continue – and are practically enabled – to chip away at its very rightful and legal existence.

Source:
Report: Netanyahu trying to defuse coalition crisis with Itamar Ben-Gvir, by Israel National News, May 8, 2023