Author: AFSI Staff

Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Thursday told The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg at the Aspen Security Forum that he is “Happy that I blocked the threat of annexation of Judea and Samaria.” Or, as Jerusalem Post Deputy Managing Editor Tova Lazaroff quipped: “Because the Right wasn’t angry enough with him.”

Gantz said that unfortunate line in the context of applying the success of the Abraham Accords to the PA issue when he reiterated: “I believe that we can leverage the Abraham Accords and ties with regional partners to strengthen the Palestinian Authority and promote confidence-building measures. From a Jewish, Zionist, and democratic perspective, I would like to see a better future between us and the Palestinians and that includes separating from the Palestinians.”

If Gantz’s vision includes separating from the Arab Palestinians then who is he expecting to take control over all of Judea and Samaria? Gantz is using the success of the Abraham Accords in an attempt to con the Israelis into believing that his vision will bring a better future for both sides. What he is actually doing is playing political poker with the one thing that will strengthen Israel. The truth is in front of him and it’s called the application of sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. SOVEREIGNTY IS THE ANSWER!

Source:
Gantz ‘Happy’ He Sabotaged Israeli Sovereignty in Judea & Samaria, by David Israel/Jewish Press, July 22, 2022

Iran’s chief of the country’s Atomic Energy Organization announced on Monday that it will refuse to turn back on 27 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cameras until the 2015 nuclear deal is restored.

A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry warned the IAEA on Monday that the country’s nuclear program was “galloping ahead” and there was little the atomic agency could do to verify what was occurring.

The Islamic Republic in Iran continues to act in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and nuclear deal and world leaders are still asleep as they push to get Islamics back to the negotiating table. The Islamic Republic in Iran are only there to seek the plane loads of cash and many other financial rewards it received after the first signing. Now that they cannot be monitored by camera, the threat to the world cannot be underestimated. Their evil has made the world that much more of a dangerous place – for everyone. We remain firm on our position that the perilous talks with Iran be cancelled immediately. Even if they are scrapped, this still leaves the threat of Iran on the table and it’s something Israel must contend with.

Source:
Iran removes 27 IAEA cameras until nuclear deal restored, by Israel National News, July 25, 2022

 

 

Early this morning, Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, arrived at one of the “new settlement” sites established by the Nachala movement. Dagan’s visit was prompted after he learned that Border Police had arrived in force and were violently evacuating the Jews there, just as they had already done in five other locations. Dagan was accompanied by the head of the Nachala movement, Daniella Weiss, and by MK Simcha Rotman of the Religious Zionism party.

“We have seen terrible scenes of violence here,” he charged. “For example, two youths have been seriously injured, one whose jaw seems to be broken, and the other has a head wound,” said Dagan.

“The Lapid government is betraying its task of building the Land of Israel and damaging Zionism, and the unprecedented levels of violence it is using are unacceptable in a democratic state.” Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked also protested the brutality against the “wonderful” Zionist youth, tweeting, “Again there is violence [against] settlers. It would be better for the police to save its energy to eradicate real crime in the country.”

A massive amount of Israeli security forces are mobilized each and every time to prevent Jews from building up their land. Yet, when it comes to illegal construction by the Palestinian Arabs in Area C, the PA is given free rein to illegally seize and control the land. Jews should not have to sit back and watch this happen! The Nachala Movement put together a carefully thought out and peaceful plan to reclaim the land. The purpose of Nachala’s operation was to try and create facts on the ground in the hope that some of the new communities would eventually be allowed to remain. If there is to be a victory scored or the Zionist dream perpetuated, then facts on the ground cannot continue to be ignored by the very officials who have the power to stop enabling biased decisions and aggressive actions against the Jews. The ongoing two-tiered system of justice we keep seeing needs to stop and sovereignty throughout Judea and Samaria must be applied.

Sources:
Settlement leader Yossi Dagan: ‘We haven’t seen such violence since the Expulsion’, by Yoni Kempinski/Israel National News, July 21, 2022

‘Terrible scenes of violence’: Police brutally remove activists from new settlement sites, by Batya Jerenberg/World Israel News, July 21, 2022

Hundreds remain at new illegal outpost as forces dismantle other settler encampments, by Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel, July 21, 2022

 

Jewish residents in Judea and Samaria have been subject in recent weeks to a new kind of terrorist tactic: laser beams. This new terrorism is in addition to ongoing stone throwing attacks.

The terrorists have been aiming laser beams at drivers’ eyes in an attempt to cause accidents. Incidents have been reported in the Benjamin region near Jerusalem, with the perpetrators believed to be from the village of Al-Mughair.

“For the past several months, every evening, residents from the village engage in blinding terrorism on Jewish residents’ cars on the roads, endangering their lives,” said one resident. “The security forces have been spreading leaflets rather than making arrests. What are they waiting for, for fatalities?”

A few years back there were a string of arson balloon terror attacks that Israel had to defend itself against and it took some time before security forces struck back. Laser beam attacks must be held on the same level as rockets launched into Israel. We pray that this time it does not take as long as it did with the arson balloons for Israel’s security forces to act swiftly. A complete stop to this new tool of terror must happen immediately.

Source:
Judea and Samaria drivers face new kind of terrorism: laser beams, by Hanan Greenwood/Israel Hayom, July 19, 2022

 

 

 

 

The Israel Defense Forces has launched a major engineering operation to strengthen defenses along the border with Judea and Samaria. This development comes after several terror attacks earlier this year were committed by Palestinian Arabs who easily managed to cross the security fence.

The IDF says 60 engineering vehicles and three battalions led by the commander of the military’s Combat Engineering Corp, Brig. Gen. Ido Mizrahi, are working to build a barrier in the Judean Desert area, specifically a deep trench over dozens of kilometers. The goal is to prevent the passage of anyone who seeks to commit terror attacks and other criminal activity against Israel and her citizens.

In April we reported that the security fence, riddled with gaping holes, was breached and a terrorist attack was carried out in Bnei Brak where five people were killed. This carnage took place despite officials having been warned numerous times about the security problem. Israel is now seeing the writing on the wall and so long as it seeks to continue on the defense, it must continue to take action so it does not overlook other areas where there are cracks in security.

Source:
IDF launches major engineering drive to strengthen defenses along West Bank border, by Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel, July 21, 2022

 

Defense Minister Benny Gantz, the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Police issued statements today warning Israelis against participating in the Nachala Movement’s initiative scheduled for Wednesday. Nachala’s aim is to establish what officials refer to as three illegal “settlement outposts in the West Bank.”

Nachala has the support of AFSI’s good friend, Likud MK May Golan who wrote on her Facebook page that she was “giving encouragement to the hundreds of settlers in [the] Judea, Benjamin, and Samaria [regions] to arrive tomorrow to the three settlement locations.” Golan expressed the sentiment that AFSI certainly seconds, which is that it was “sad and outrageous that the defense minister is doing everything to thwart Jewish settlement in the State of Israel.”

Daniella Weiss and the Nachala Movement activists are prepared to advance the Zionist dream to build the land tomorrow. They will execute their well thought out plan which is the end result of many months of dedicated work. Nachala has recruited hundreds and possibly thousands of activists to participate in this operation and we wish them much success. The horrible and completely inequitable scenarios of Jews being prevented from building on Jewish land have often been met with pushback from Israeli security forces. Tomorrow we would like to hear of a victory for the Nachala during a peaceful day with no violence, no confrontations, and no forced evictions. We pray that GANTZ’S PLANS ARE THWARTED!

Sources:
Gantz, IDF warn settler activists against ‘illegal’ bid to form West Bank outposts, by Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel, July 19, 2022

Israel braces for violent confrontation with settlers in West Bank, by Elisha Ben Kimon/Ynetnews.com, July 19, 2022

 

 

The defense establishment and Finance Ministry are operating a secret, extra-budgetary fund, through which money is transferred to the Palestinian Authority.

The fund’s existence was revealed in the state’s answer to the Supreme Court in response to a petition filed by the Kohelet Policy Forum. State’s attorney Yael Morag Yako-El wrote that Israel had committed to transferring the Palestinians a “loan” of NIS 100 million ($28.86 million). “The source of this amount is an extra-budgetary fund managed by the Civil Administration and Finance Ministry’s Budgets Department,” she wrote. The state also refuses to show the agreements to the public; murkily insisting on revealing details of the fund only to the High Court behind closed doors.

Transparency must be enforced in this case. Attorney Ariel Erlich stated: “This whole story reeks of a cover-up, breaking the law, and funding terror. The citizens of Israel need to know whether public funds are transferred to fund terror through the circumvention of the Knesset’s laws.”

Source:
Finance Ministry transferring money to Palestinians via secret ‘extra-budgetary’ fund, by Ariel Kahana/Israel Hayom, July 18, 2022

The United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT) for the first time will hone in on the actions of the Palestinian Authority. Members of the Geneva-based body, which is a subsidiary of the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), is currently meeting.

The committee will determine whether the P.A. is in compliance with the U.N. Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and investigate instances of forced disappearances, violent interrogations, the holding of the remains of Israeli soldiers, and other issues. The review will also address actions by Hamas, the terror group that rules the Gaza Strip and is routinely accused of torture by international watchdogs.

Numerous groups have submitted detailed reports documenting evidence of human rights abuses. Will everything be blamed on Israel again? Is there any chance we’ll see a turnaround and hold the PA accountable for its abuses? We’re not holding our breath but will wait for the report from the committee.

Source:
UN Committee Against Torture reviews Palestinian Authority’s record, by Mike Wagenheim/JNS, July 18, 2022

 

 

 

 

Was Biden’s trip to Israel this week destined to be a failure before it even began? Daniel Greenfield thinks so. in his article this week he sums it up this way: “A failed president will meet with failed Israeli leftists and failed terrorists.”

The timing of Biden’s trip was questionable and with no direction given that Israel’s government is barely functioning and in transition. Since Biden’s own leadership is failing miserably in the polls at home, his catering to the PA will not boost his image with them and of course, not with the citizens of Israel. Maybe he received a few seconds of praise from the enemies of Israel but that’s only a fleeting ego boost for a failed politician.

In a Channel 12 interview when asked about the “Squad” in Congress, Biden said, “I think they’re wrong. I think they’re making a mistake.” (This admission may come in response to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s failure to commit to backing him in a 2024 run.) We can’t recall when Biden has spoken in the US calling them out or taken any action to stop their vile and anti-Israel rhetoric. Just yesterday, Andrew Kerr wrote in the Washington Examiner that “Squad” members, Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, are two of at least eight Democrats tied to a group with alleged links to the 1996 Hamas slaying of American teenager David Boim. On July 13, he posted to Twitter after his visit to Yad Vashem and meeting with two Holocaust Survivors, “I vow to continue our shared, unending work to fight the poison of antisemitism wherever we find it in the world.” Nice words but he fails to back them up with action.

Today, Biden and Prime Minister Yair Lapid adopted the historic Joint Declaration on the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership, known as the Jerusalem Declaration. It will “reaffirm the unbreakable bonds between our two countries and the enduring commitment of the United States to Israel’s security.” The countries “further reaffirm that the strategic U.S.-Israel partnership is based on a bedrock of shared values, shared interests, and true friendship.” It also states Biden’s ongoing push for the destined to fail two-state solution

Without action, this declaration is set for failure. Biden continues to defend his fantasy goal of reviving the Iran nuclear deal as if it will be his crowning achievement. While Biden agrees with Israel that Iran should never obtain nuclear weapons, he continues his push to resume negotiations with the #1 state sponsor of terror. (We can believe that he’s forgotten that even the IAEA has declared Iran an unreliable peace partner.) Iran has been enriching their nuclear capability despite expecting to do otherwise and no signed agreement will stop them. While Biden states the US continues a strong friendship with Israel along with a commitment to her security, he has never acknowledged the truth about the PA’s and Iran’s goal to wipe Israel off the map. Not acknowledging that truth won’t bring about anything positive for Israel or the PA – or for his legacy – if there will even be anything there to be had.

The truths are: Israel has a legal right to exist without interference; Israel has legal rights to her land; Israel is a sovereign nation and should not be expected to yield to international political pressure. Biden’s words of support and friendship for Israel are just empty gestures. They are not filled with a realistic plan of action nor a projection of strength. Without facing the truth about Israel he is destined to fail every time.

Sources:
The Jerusalem U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration, by White House Statements and Releases, July 14, 2022

‘The Squad is wrong on Israel, Iron Dome’, by Israel National News, July 14, 2022

Biden’s Israel Trip is a Failure Before He Even Arrives, by Daniel Greenfield/ FrontPage Mag, July 13, 2022

Reps. Omar and Tlaib among Democrats tied to group with alleged links to Hamas slaying, by Andrew Kerr/Washington Examiner, July 13, 2022

‘True friendship’: US, Israel sign joint strategic partnership declaration, by Aryeh Savir/TPS, July 14, 2022

 

As part of a package of “good will gestures” Israel planned to make to the Palestinian Authority in advance of Biden’s visit, the Israeli government announced that it will approve six masterplans for Palestinian Arab settlements in Area C of Judea and Samaria. These plans will cut off Jewish communities says the Regavim movement.

The package will include approval of hundreds of existing illegal structures, alongside territorial expansion of Arab settlements consisting of thousands of dunams. One plan will effectively cut off Gush Etzion from Jerusalem and severely compromise the security of the Gush Etzion-Jerusalem Tunnel Road. Approval of Municipal Masterplans (Tab”a) are also planned in Binyamin and Shomron, including a plan that jeopardizes the very heart of Samaria, near Highway 5 between Ariel and Revava.

Meir Deutsch, Director General of Regavim lashed out, “Saar, Shaked, Kahana, Elkin, Hendel, Orbach – you were elected on right-wing votes because you promised to protect the Jewish settlement enterprise. It is your responsibility to block this insane plan to whitewash thousands of illegal structures that will cut off Jewish settlement blocs from Jerusalem and give permanence to the criminal Palestinian takeover of Area C.” These moves are especially damaging since the Knesset does not need to approve these giveaways as they are not in “sovereign” Israel.

No “gestures” of this nature should ever be made, especially while Yair Lapid is interim prime minister, and no functioning government can be counted on. We pray these plans will be discarded immediately.

Source:
Gift to Biden: Cutting off Gush Etzion from Jerusalem, by Israel National News, July 14, 2022