Author: AFSI Staff

Likud Party minister May Golan will remain a part of the current Israeli government, her short-lived consideration for the role of consul general is over.

It appears that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu caved following criticism from left-wing American Jewish leaders and the State Department over Golan’s past remarks.

Among the candidates now being considered for the high-profile position of consul general in New York is prominent Israeli-American author, columnist, and talk show host, Caroline B. Glick.

We are pleased that Caroline Glick is under consideration for this prestigious position, considered Israel’s third-most senior diplomatic position in the United States after the ambassadors to Washington and the United Nations. Despite this, we are shaking our heads with tremendous disappointment to see the current government, once again, bow to outside criticism that dictates to the Jewish Nation State how it should run the internal business of its own sovereign country.

Sources:
Caroline Glick under consideration for New York consul post, by Etgar Lefkovits/JNS, April 24, 2023

Pushback against May Golan’s New York appointment was not universal, by Mike Wagenheim/JNS, April 24, 2023

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan read the names of Israeli victims of terrorism at a Security Council session. The Session criticized Israel before Erdan left the meeting in protest against the holding of the session on Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of hostilities.

“Today is one of the most sacred days of the year for the State of Israel,” Erdan told the Security Council members. “We made numerous requests to reschedule today’s debate, describing the deep importance of the day, yet tragically this council refused to budge.”
“Today’s debate has crossed all lines. While Israelis mourn, this council, as usual, will hear more blatant lies condemning the State of Israel and falsely painting it as the root of all the region’s problems.”

The UN’s despicable behavior should be of no surprise to anyone. Nothing better can be expected from this Israel hating organization known as the UN (Useless Nations).

Source:
Erdan reads names of terror victims, leaves Security Council session held on Memorial Day, by Israel National News, April 25, 2023

Israel’s Ministry of Transport and Road Safety announced this week that it has submitted an unprecedented 50 billion shekels budget proposal to the Ministry of Finance for the development and improvement of transportation over the next five years.

The goal is to improve transportation in Judea and Samaria that will enhance security in the face of constant terrorist threats, improve road safety and thus reduce traffic accidents and alleviate the traffic jams. The most significant budget allocation will be directed to widen Route 60, the main north-south highway traversing Judea and Samaria, in both the Binyamin and Gush Etzion regions.

We are pleased to see an important infrastructure plan to dramatically improve the quality of life for the residents, and others, who rely on this main artery to the Jewish towns in Samaria.

Source:
$960 million earmarked to improve transportation in Judea and Samaria, by Josh Hasten/JNS, April 20, 2023

The Israeli government was set on Sunday to ask the Supreme Court, sitting as the High Court of Justice, to dismiss a petition seeking to force the state to evacuate the illegal Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar.

The government will cite ongoing negotiations with the residents of the encampment on a compromise plan to resettle them, along with the potential diplomatic and security ramifications associated with the prospective demolition.

Khan al-Ahmar has been an issue since 2009. It’s high time for this illegal outpost to be removed. No more negotiations. The longer it is allowed to stand only demonstrates that the current government is concerned with left-wing actions that appease the enemy and not those that benefit a Sovereign nation.

Source:
Israeli government to ask High Court to dismiss petition to evacuate Khan al-Ahmar, by JNS Brief, April 23, 2023

A banner proclaiming support for terrorism against the Jewish State hung unimpeded for two days from the Temple Mount’s Dome of the Rock Mosque this week. The banner was finally removed two days later during the overnight hours following an appeal from Beyadenu to Israeli media and to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Tom Nisani, executive director of Beyadenu protested the decision: “Who would have believed that under the right-wing government we would see a banner supporting Hamas and encouraging terrorism emblazoned in the heart of the Temple Mount, all the more so on Holocaust Remembrance Day. I’m ashamed.”

Hanging the PA flag on the Temple Mount is a clear violation of Israeli law. It’s enough of an outrage that the Jewish people must be subjected to restricted access to this holy site. To see this flag displayed, particularly on Yom HaShoah, adds insult to injury. The two days it took for Israel to act on this doesn’t indicate the immediate and timely action that should have been taken by a sovereign nation.

Source:
Hamas Banner Hangs Unimpeded on Temple Mount’s Dome of the Rock Mosque, Removed After 2 Days, by Hana Levi Julian/Jewish Press, April 19, 2023

The Petah Tikvah Magistrate Court this week ordered the annulment of criminal indictments for transgressing the Disengagement Act of 2005, against Rabbi Elishama Cohen, Rosh Yeshiva of the Homesh Yeshiva, the yeshiva rabbis, and several students following a request from the Samaria prosecution in Ariel. The request to drop the indictments followed Knesset legislation that repealed the Act about a month ago.

Samaria Council head Yossi Dagan said: “There is nothing more moral than transgressing the racist law that discriminates and prohibits Jews from being in any area of the Land of Israel. The filing of the indictments was a crime on top of a crime, and I welcome the decision to drop them.”

While this is an important step in the right direction, the fate of the evacuated Homesh community, and others, remains unclear.

Source:
With Disengagement Law Annulled, State Drops Indictments Against Israelis Who Visited Homesh, by David Israel/Jewish Press, April 19, 2023

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to convince MK May Golan of his Likud Party to be appointed to the position of Israeli Consul General in New York, in place of Asaf Zamir.

According to the report by Channel 12 News, Netanyahu is interested in breaking up the camp of Minister Yariv Levin’s associates within the Likud, with the understanding that he will not be able to meet all his demands in the future.

Should Golan accept Netanyahu’s offer, she will no doubt be a meaningful and powerful true Zionist voice representing Israel in New York. Congratulations to our friend, May! We look forward to seeing and perhaps taking a small part in all the good work she will accomplish in this new position.

Source:
Netanyahu’s offer to MK May Golan: Consulate instead of ministry, by Israel National News, April 20, 2023

The struggle over legal reform has caused enormous damage to the State of Israel. On the political level, the image of American backing has been undermined (even if, in practice, the defense cooperation continues as usual). On the economic level, the country’s credit rating has eroded. The public discourse in Israel reached new heights of acerbity and alienation. Above all, national cohesion was cracked primarily due to the IDF being used as a tool in the political debate and the threats to dodge service.

It is incumbent upon Israel’s leaders from both sides of the political aisle to put aside their differences or quickly reach a compromise on judicial reform that will allow the country to focus on the existential security challenges that lie ahead.

Source:
Israel should prepare for war – and politicians need to come to their senses, by JISS/Israel National News, April 17, 2023

Crown Prince of Iran Reza Pahlavi on Monday became the most senior Iranian figure to ever make a public visit to Israel.

“I want the people of Israel to know that the Islamic Republic does not represent the Iranian people. Millions of my compatriots still remember living alongside their Jewish-Iranian friends and neighbors, before the Islamic Revolution tore the fabric of our society apart. They reject the regime’s murderous anti-Israel and anti-Semitic policies and long for cultural, scientific, and economic exchanges with Israel. A democratic Iran will seek to renew its ties with Israel and our Arab neighbors. In my opinion, that day is closer than ever.”

We appreciate Pahlavi’s historic visit and commitment to building a brighter future between the people of Israel and Iran. With one half of Iran wanting to destroy Israel and the other half longing for peace with Israel and an overthrow of the Islamic Republic, we’d like to see Pahlavi’s vision realized now!

Source:
Crown Prince of Iran making ‘brave,’ first-of-its-kind visit to Israel, by JNS, April 17, 2023

Just as the Passover holiday was underway last Thursday, a new wave of terror decended upon Israel. A barrage of rockets from Lebanon into Israel were launched on Thursday. Saturday night, a rocket attack was launched into Israel from Syria. Joy turned to fear as families fled their homes for shelters.

In a car-ramming late Friday in Tel Aviv, the alleged attacker rammed his vehicle into a group of civilians near a popular seaside park, police said. Israel’s rescue service said a 30-year-old Italian man, Alessandro Parini, was killed, while five other British and Italian tourists – including a 74-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl – were receiving medical treatment for mild to moderate injuries.

While travelling to Tiberias for a family trip, a terrorist shooting near a community in the Jordan Valley killed a family of three and turned into a frightening mob escalation. The Dee sisters, Rina (age 15) and Maia (age 20) were murdered. Their 45-year-old mother Lucy (Lucianne) was initially seriously wounded but sadly, died from her critical injuries today. The Dee family lived in Efrat.

Americans for a Safe Israel/AFSI extends its deepest condolences to the famlies and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured and traumatized by these terror attacks. May the families be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem and may they now only simchas.

Source:
Lucy Dee dies of wounds three days after terror attack that killed her 2 daughters, by Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel, April 10, 2023

PM announces call-up of Border Police in wake of terrorist attacks, by  Reuters  and ILH Staff/Israel Hayom, April 9, 2023