Author: AFSI Staff

Egyptian officials are gearing up for an Israeli invasion of Rafah, which the Biden administration reportedly approved in exchange for a promise from Israel that it would not launch an intense retaliatory attack on Iran.

“The American administration showed acceptance of the plan previously presented by [Israel] regarding the military operation in Rafah, in exchange for not carrying out a large-scale attack against Iran,” an unnamed official told Qatari-owned news site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

A Western diplomat confirmed that claim, stating that via “political maneuvering,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was able to “obtain American approval for the military operation in Rafah,” by promising to avoid a major counterattack in Iran.

It is possible Israel never had a plan in the first place to respond to Iran’s initial attack with an intense retaliatory strike. If they did, it would open up a can of worms the entire Middle East does not want to see, especially Israel. We trust that Israel will make its own decisions and take the actions to defend itself that it deems necessary.

Source:
US agrees to Rafah invasion for ‘small’ Iranian strike: Egyptian official, by World Israel News

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir recently established a special team within the Judea and Samaria Police precinct under his command, to operate against left-wing agents provocateurs in the liberated communities.

The team includes several precinct detectives who collaborate with Immigration Police and Interior Ministry officials. Their goal is to search and locate activists who damage the security and stability in Judea and Samaria.

A security official explained that “the role of the model we established is to respond to three main issues:

1. Foreign citizens who come here from all over the world straight to the territories and create provocations against IDF soldiers in different places.
2. Tourists who come here under the guise of a visit but arrive at the same places of friction in Judea and Samaria.
3. Israeli citizens who confront IDF soldiers in various locations.

The attacks against residents in Judea and Samaria from not only terrorists but the Central Command needs to stop. We trust Ben Gvir’s action as an intermediary will put a stop to the ongoing and baseless harassment of residents.

Source:
Ben Gvir Establishes Police Unit to Remove Leftist Provocateurs from Judea and Samaria, by David Israel/Jewish Press, April 17, 2024

Cheryl Chumley, editor of the op-ed section in the online Washington Times, published a scathing article against the illegal Palestinian construction in Area C.

Chumley accused that, “The Palestinian Authority, fed by funds from the UN, the European Union and the US, has taken upon itself the task of expanding the Arab footprint in the lands of Israel, by building houses on land that was supposed to remain clear. This is the Palestinian’s quiet way of stretching the borders, seizing Israeli lands, and thwarting the possibility of applying Israeli sovereignty in the area, and all of this was done without firing a single shot.”

We thank Cheryl Chumley for shedding light on the truth about this horrendous matter. If more media sources would allow facts to be reported how much better educated the public would be. It’s a critical component missing in Israel’s fight for survival.

Sources:
Washington Times: ‘Israel is losing sovereignty, Palestinian Arabs continue to build’, by Israel National News, April 16, 2024

Israel losing land, sovereignty, identity to illegal Palestinian construction, by Cheryl Chumley/The Washington Times, March 27, 2024

Kan 11 News reported Sunday night that during the meetings of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s war cabinet many were in favor of an immediate retaliatory attack on Iran. However, the decision to attack was averted at the last minute, following a conversation with President Joe Biden. It appears that in addition to US pressure, Netanyahu decided to halt the attack because the damage caused by the Iranian attack was not significant.

On Sunday, Kan11 reported that Saudi Arabia and Jordan responded to Iranian criticism of their assisting Israel in shooting down drones under the American umbrella, saying the Iranian “sponsors of terrorism should have been stopped a long time ago.”

A senior official in Amman told Kan11 that “What stands before Jordan’s eyes first and foremost is the protection of its citizens, the security of its borders, and its sovereignty. This is above all other considerations. Escalation from any side in the region will only bring destruction, death, and extremism,”. Clearly this was in response to Iranian criticism.

Indeed, despite Iran’s claims to great success in attacking Israel, the attack was its biggest failure. With cruise missiles carrying 750 kgs of explosives each, the worst they could manage was to injure a 7-year-old Bedouin girl, and some peripheral damage to an air force base. It appears that it wasn’t Israel losing its deterrence, it was Iran. Now its Sunni foes in the region understand that an Iranian attack can be stopped with relative ease – and they also know they won’t be alone under such an attack.

A coalition coming together for to protect Israel – and ultimately protect their own nations continues to isolate Iran. The Middle East has woken up to the true threat Iran represents to the region. While there are still other issues in Middle East relations, i.e., Israeli sovereignty and no two-state solution, that need to be resolved, we are grateful for the support Israel received over the weekend.

In the end, an extraordinary coalition was cobbled together to help Israel defend itself, but not to rain hellfire on the aggressor. Was this the right decision? Only time will tell.

Source:
The Coordinated Response to Iran’s Attack Was Driven by a New Regional Alliance, by David Israel/Jewish Press, April 15, 2024

Israel was set to begin its operation against the last Hamas battalions in the Gaza Strip this week but delayed the operation following Iran’s massive attack over the weekend, officials told CNN.

According to the report, the IDF had planned to begin dropping leaflets over Rafah today (Monday) to warn civilians of the impending operation, but ultimately did not do so.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that US officials believe that Israel could retaliate against Iran in the near future, possibly even today.

There have been conflicting reports on the current state on the potential Rafah operation. Earlier today, a security source said that Israel is considering entering Rafah earlier than planned due to Hamas’s refusal to accept a deal to release the hostages.

No matter what the reports say, the job must be finished and that means going in to Rafah to eliminate the terrorist scourge.

Source:
Report: Rafah op. delayed from this week after Iranian attack, by Israel National News, April 15, 2024

Closely following the funeral of Binyamin Achimeir, who was murdered on Friday by terrorists as he tended to sheep outside the village of Malachei Hashalom in Binyamin, two Jewish residents of nearby communities were arrested on suspicion of participating in violent protests after the murder.

Advocates Nati Rom and Daniel Shimshilashvili from the Honenu organization represent the detainees, one of whom is a minor. Rom stated: “While the boy’s murderers are still running free and have not yet been caught, the Shin Bet, in a show arrest, chooses to arrest two settlers who live near the place of the murder and accuse them of attacking Arabs. The settlers completely deny the suspicions attributed to them.”

To make matters worse, today, Police and the Civil Administration showed up at the Achimeirs’ farm and started taking steps to dismantle the place – while his family was sitting Shiva. The demolition order was executed by Central Command Commander Yehuda Fox, currently the most loathed IDF officer in Judea and Samaria. Local residents wondered and commented: “How are his hands not shaking? Binyamin’s blood is not yet dry and only yesterday evening we buried him, awash in our tears. Does he really have no limits in the war he is waging against the settlement?”

Both the Shin Bet and Civil Administration need to concentrate on the real threats and the real enemies. We fail to see what these “show arrests” and housing demolitions accomplish politically, especially during a time of brutal war and ongoing terror attacks against the Jewish Nation State. We don’t believe that this is how a sovereign nation should be conducting itself.

Sources:
With murderers still at large | Shin Bet arrests Israelis who protested teen’s murder, by Orli Harari/Israel National News, April 15, 2024

Gallant Orders Demolition of Murdered 14-Year-Old’s Community during his Shiva, by David Israel/Jewish Press, April 15, 2024

The threat of an attack by Iran on Israel looms overhead. It’s a potential scenario we hoped would never come; and still, it may not happen.

During a visit to the Tel Nof Airbase in central Israel where he met with members of the 133rd Squadron, which operates F-15 fighter jets, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that Israel is prepared “both defensively and offensively” for any attack. These assurances to the troops came as Iran threatens retaliation for the assassination of a very high-ranking Revolutionary Guard in Damascus early this month.

“We’ve established a simple principle,” Netanyahu added. “Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We are ready to respond to Israel’s security needs, both defensively and offensively. The people of Israel and I trust you and may we all have great success.”

Iran should know that if it launches a missile at Israel, it could boomerang back. Israel has the capability to launch an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. If Iran does attack Israel, would it be testing to see if Israel responds by targeting their nuclear arsenal? We know Israel will not fire first but if it has no choice to defend itself it will – offensively and defensively. Iran on the attack represents an immediate threat to not only Israel but the entire western world. Finally, we question whether Israel would respond by initially attacking Iran’s nuclear facility. We are not privy to the IDF’s plan for this scenario. We only pray it doesn’t reach that point.

Source:
Netanyahu says Israel prepared ‘defensively and offensively’ as Iran attack looms, by Yossi Yehoshua and Lior Ben Ari/Ynetnews, April 11, 2024

Iran has greatly increased activity at the Fordow nuclear facility, moving it closer than ever to the production of nuclear weapons, according to a Washington Post report published Wednesday.

Citing the International Atomic Energy Association’s (IAEA) report on its February inspection of the Fordow facility, the Post noted that Fordow is undergoing a significant expansion that could double its output. In addition,Iran has been enriching an increasing amount of uranium to near-weapons-grade at higher levels,violating most limits on the amount of enriched uranium the country is allowed to have.

While The Washington Post is not necessarily a source we rely on, we believe the content of this article deserves serious attention. Iran is the #1 state sponsor of terrorism and continues to be enabled by the Biden administration. Iran remains a growing threat to not just Israel but the entire world. The IAEA’s ability to get Iran’s nuclear facilities under control has failed and this leaves the world under constant threat from Iran’s nefarious nuclear activities.

Source:
Report: Iran closer than ever to nuclear weapons, by Israel National News, April 10, 2024

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan held up a picture of Hitler meeting with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem during a UN Security Council debate on Palestinian statehood.

Erdan produced the photo to illustrate that the roots of Palestinian nationalism were based on Nazism and the destruction of Jews.

He ponted out that Haj Amin Al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem during WWII, was “one of the founding fathers of Palestinian nationalism,” and supported Nazism and antisemitism.The Grand Mufti met with Hitler to ask for his assistance in getting rid of the British Mandate and Jewish immigrants coming to the Holy Land.

Erdan made the case that the objective of Palestinian nationalism from the Grand Mufti’s time was to eliminate Jews.The UN’s response to this well-known truth? Crickets.

Source:
Israel’s UN ambassador displays photo of Hitler and Grand Mufti during Palestinian state debate, by Vered Weiss/World Israel News, by April 9, 2024

On Sunday Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant stated that the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Khan Yunis in Gaza was carried out once Hamas “ceased to exist as a military framework in the city” and that “our forces left the area in order to prepare for their future missions, including their mission in Rafah.”

Minister Gallant called the IDF’s achievements “extremely impressive,” saying that it has “eliminated terrorists and destroyed terror targets including warehouses, weapons, headquarters, communication centers and more.” “Their activities enabled the dismantling of Hamas as a functioning military unit in this area,” he added.

“Our forces are going to prepare for their follow-up missions. We will reach a point when Hamas no longer controls the Gaza Strip and does not function as a military framework that poses a threat to the citizens of the State of Israel.”

While US pressure has had an influence, it cannot control the mission of the IDF. Israel’s forces are preparing for attacks on different fronts by Iran and its proxies. Nothing will deter it from its mission in this existential war. Israel must and will emerge victorious! Am Yisrael Chai!

Source:
Ben Gvir, Smotrich Anxious over Netanyahu’s Pullout from Southern Gaza, by David Israel/Jewish Press, April 8, 2024