Author: AFSI Staff

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett responded Tuesday afternoon to the comments of Public Security Minister Omer Barlev. Barlev discussed the issue of “settler violence” with US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland.

“The settlers in Judea and Samaria have been suffering from violence and terrorism, every day, for decades. They are the defensive wall of us all and we must strengthen them and support them, in words and deeds,” Bennett wrote on Twitter.

At the initiative of Defense Minister Benny Gantz, work will be carried out to recruit hundreds of additional IDF soldiers to the police for staff positions in order to add hundreds of police officers to the Judea and Samaria District. Bear in mind, one of the purposes is to address nationalistic crime allegedly committed by those termed Jewish extremists.

This is another in a series of disturbing trends we see with Bennett. Saying one thing and doing the opposite. Rocks and firebombs thrown at Jews, attacks against the IDF, Jews murdered by Arabs….Israel’s security and the safety of Jews in Judea and Samaria is under attack by Bennett’s coalition. Fighting against Jews is clearly a part of Bennett’s agenda. Bennett is now the enemy of his own people.

Sources:
Hundreds of police to be added to fight settler crime, by Israel National News, December 14, 2021

Bennett: Settlers are our defensive wall, don’t generalize about them, by Israel National News, December 14, 2021

Minister under fire for talking about ‘settler violence’, by Elad Benari/Israel National News, December 14, 2021

 

 

Palestinian Arabs were filmed on Wednesday deliberately uprooting olive trees that were planted by Jewish residents of the Mount Hebron Regional Council.

Criticism of Israel’s government being the root of this problem was swift and harsh. MK Bezalel Smotrich said, Omer “Barlev’s incitement at work. Arabs uprooted a vineyard planted by Avigayil’s residents before the shemita. Barlev was there yesterday with the police commissioner to give a boost to terrorism and the Arabs’ struggle against the settlers while adopting the false narrative of settler violence.”

Im Tirtzu’s Matan Peleg added, “…..while the founder of Peace Now and the minister of incitement against the settlers were busy inciting against them, the Palestinians on the ground are responding to him and taking over the territory.”

We remain alarmed by the hostility to Jews coming from Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government. MK’s who incite harmful words against their own people or use “settlers” to win votes, land grabs by Arabs out of control, appeasing Arabs time and again, Jews in Judea and Samaria still living under Ottoman Law. This doesn’t sound like a government that has Israel’s best interests in mind. Bennett clearly cannot be trusted. He is a threat to Israel’s safety, survival and sovereignty. And that’s the nicest thing we can say about his destructive “leadership.”

Source:
Watch: PA Arabs uproot Jewish-owned olive trees, by Israel National News, December 15, 2021

A senior security source who accompanied Defense Minister Benny Gantz on his trip to Washington, DC has revealed the Israeli government’s true position on construction in Judea and Samaria.

The source said, Gantz’s position was that, “Israel wants a diplomatic solution with supremacy on issues of security. The Israeli position is that we can build in the blocs, and also in the towns which need construction.”

This morning Regavim shared updated data upon which it based its recently released precise map of Area C. The project revealed the alarming situation on the ground: From 2019 -2021, the Palestinians built 5097 new illegal structures in areas under full Israeli jurisdiction, an average of 7 new illegal structures per day. These new structures joined the tally of illegal construction for a total of 72,274 illegal structures in Area C.

In order for security issues to be a top priority, sovereignty must be declared throughout Judea and Samaria.This must include construction of homes in Jewish communities – including connection to electricity and water. The PA land grabs are threatening the very defense of Israel. What’s worse is that Jewish development of Judea and Samaria continues to be repressed while Prime Minister Naftali Bennett pays no serious attention this whole matter.

Photo courtesy of Regavim

Sources:
Senior source reveals PM Bennett’s true position on construction in Judea, Samaria, by Ido Ben Porat/Israel National News, December 12, 2021

In Knesset caucus hearing, shocking data revealed: Seven new illegal Palestinian structures per day, by Regavim, December 13, 2021

Former Jerusalem Mayor MK Nir Barkat returned to Israel after his advocacy campaign in the United States. MK Barkat met with 11 members of the Senate and Congress as well as thought leaders and journalists – to build the alliance against Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. During his visit, MK Barkat succeeded in marshaling support to prevent the U.S. administration from opening a consulate for the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem. His campaign led to 36 senators introducing legislation on this issue and 200 members of Congress signing a letter to President Biden that outlines their opposition to the consulate in Jerusalem.

Following soon after Barkat’s trip, the Biden administration has rejected Israel’s request to expedite delivery of two KC-46 refueling jets out of four purchased, which would facilitate IAF flight to attack Iran. This is certainly not a sign of support.

MK Barkat’s trip follows AFSI’s successful simultaneous vigil with 20 organizations in Israel to protest the opening of a PA consulate in Jerusalem. With the diplomatic effort of MK Barkat driving home the point, we are pleased that our advocacy has been heard loud and clear in DC.

Source:
MK Barkat: US consulate for PA in Jerusalem was stopped, by Israel National News, December 13, 2021

 

 

 

Yesterday in the Knesset, a bill to expel terrorist’s families from Israel was voted down 57-45. Reportedly, the prime minister was amongst those who voted against. Is this the same man who in 2013 said, “If you catch terrorists you simply have to kill them”? Yediot Aharonot and the Jerusalem Post reported the story that way at the time. The Bennett of the Yamina party of yesteryear has evaporated.

In his place we find a prime Minister who bows to US pressure. His government’s state planning committee has delayed plans for building Jewish housing in Atarot that had been previously approved by the Jerusalem municipality. (Atarot is in Eastern Jerusalem which is, since 1967, included in the Jerusalem municipality.) This is a direct result of US Secretary of State Blinken’s urging Israel (and “Palestine”) to refrain from taking unilateral steps. Mr. Blinken is reported saying that “advancing settlement activity could undercut any efforts to negotiate a two-state solution.” Every sane Israeli knows that a two state solution is out of the question and wholly unworkable, Bennett used to know it, so why allow policy to be dictated based on that fiction?

Today, the Knesset passed a first reading of a bill that would allow internet censorship of private citizens. True, it is aimed at criminal activity and violence but also encompasses content that “endangers mental health.” What this endangerment consists of is open to interpretation and could infringe on free speech, the hallmark of a democratic society. The religious right is concerned about this. Again, Bennett and his government bow to pressure, this time from the Israeli left.

Is holding on to political power worth compromising your own principles and Israel’s best interest? We are alarmed by the about face Prime Minister Bennett continues to take by appeasing the PA, the US and the Israeli left. This is especially true after his election promises stated the opposite. Bennett clearly cannot be trusted and is a threat to Israel’s safety, survival and sovereignty.

Sources:
Bennett votes against bill to expel terrorists’ families, ‘sold his soul to terror supporters’, by World Israel News Staff, December 8, 2021

Israel Delays Eastern Jerusalem Atarot Housing Plan, by Reuters and Algemeiner Staff, December 6, 2021

 

 

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked and Welfare Minister Meir Cohen toured the town of Rahav and the Negev on Tuesday. They wanted to see up close the implementation of the government decision in solving the problem of settlement in the Negev through the establishment of the three villages of Khashem Zana, Abda and Rahma.

Ayelet Shaked stated, “All Israeli government ministers are fully engaged in carrying out the regulation of settlements.” (She is referring to he Bedouin settlements, of course.)

Regavim is publishing a book with a fitting title called “Bedouistan.” “It reflects what we’d like to share with every citizen of Israel: Right under our noses, there’s a state within a state growing in the Negev,” says Avraham Binyamin, Head of Policy at Regavim. “We also point out the major problematic incidents that have plagued the Negev, which we find out about sporadically.”

We don’t know if regulating the Bedouin settlements will stop illegal activity. What we do know is that a concerted effort still has not been made to regulate Judea and Samaria. Jewish residents there continue to live with no electricity, water or basic infrastructure. It is disturbing to see the other side appeased once again. The direction of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government must do an about-face, get serious, and give priority to Israel’s own. A sovereign nation must not neglect its people, and this is exactly what is happening.

Sources:
Shaked: Window of opportunity to regulate Bedouin settlement, by Arutz Sheva Staff, December 7, 2021

Bedouistan in the Negev: Who’s REALLY in charge?, by Regavim, June 3, 2021

Former Prime Minister and opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the failure of the Vienna nuclear talks, saying that Israel must present a real military threat against Iran.

Stating that Israel will remain strong against Iran obtaining nuclear weapons is critical. However, with no plan of action Israel cannot truly protect itself. With no policy and no line being draw, Israel is perceived as weak in the eyes of its enemies and the world.

Source:
Netanyahu: Iran, terrorists see weakness of Israel’s government, by Israel National News, December 6, 2021

On Friday, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, sent a harsh and scathing letter to the UN Secretary General. The letter followed a glaring distinction in the statistics published by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The UN agency allegedly reports on the victims of the Israeli-Palestinian “conflict” and publishes the number of Palestinian and Israeli casualties, both killed or wounded, from 2008.

In true fashion, as it always does, the UN has its facts wrong. The report distinguishes “settler” casualties from other Israeli losses, an unheard of distinction. This is but another attempt to demonize Israel at all costs.

Source:
Ambassador Erdan to UN chief: Is the murder of ‘settlers’ less serious in your eyes?, by Arutz Sheva Staff, December 6, 2021

 

 

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called on the United States yesterday to immediately halt the ongoing negotiations in Vienna over Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

Bennett spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a conversation that largely focused on the Iranian talks, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Bennett told Blinken that Iran was utilizing “nuclear blackmail” as a tactic and therefore the United States should initiate “an immediate cessation of negotiations.”

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Blinken provided Bennett with an update on the talks, which restarted earlier this week in Vienna months after they were suspended. The State Department did not immediately provide its own readout of the call.

In the phone conversation, Bennett referenced a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency revealing that Iran has recently begun enriching uranium to 20% purity with advanced centrifuges at its Fordo facility.

AFSI commends Prime Minister Bennett for his consistently strong stance working to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. We question whether his less vigorous stances on the US consulate in Jerusalem and building in Atarot (sovereignty) are due to what many perceive as the existential threat of Iran overshadowing these issues. With Israel’s report on Iran’s “nuclear blackmail,” we pray that the dangerous position that the United States persists in taking, may do a turn-around.

Source:
Bennett to Blinken: US must immediately halt Iran talks over ‘nuclear blackmail’, by Amy Spiro/Times of Israel, December 2, 2021

 

The United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution 129-11 on Wednesday, that disavowed Jewish ties to the Temple Mount and called it solely by its Muslim name of al-Haram al-Sharif.

The text, referred to as the “Jerusalem resolution,” is part of a push by the Palestinian Authority and the Arab states across the UN system to rebrand Judaism’s most holy site as an exclusively Islamic one.

The United States, which opposed the text, said that the omission of inclusive terminology for the site sacred to three faiths was of “real and serious concern.”

The second UN resolution failed to condemn the recent murder of Eli Kay. The third called on Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan addressed the General Assembly on Wednesday. He noted that “one of the most absurd demands in these resolutions is the call to maintain the status quo in Jerusalem, when in essence, the resolution does the exact opposite. By referring to the holiest site in Judaism, the Temple Mount, only by its Muslim name, the resolution itself is changing the status quo! A resolution about Jerusalem that does not refer to its ancient Jewish roots is not an ignorant mistake, but an attempt to distort and rewrite history! So let me be clear – whether it’s through terror attacks against Jews at our holy sites or biased UN resolutions that are completely detached from reality, the eternal bond between the Jewish people and Jerusalem – our capital – will never be erased,” he concluded.

AFSI thanks the United States and other nations who voted ‘no” to these anti-Semitic resolutions. See the the chart on how countries voted below.

Sources:
129 nations ignore Jewish ties to Temple Mount, call it solely Muslim, by Tovah Lazaroff/Jerusalem Post, December 2, 2021

Israeli envoy slams UN’s anti-Israeli resolution, by TPS/World Israel News, December 2, 2021