Author: Staff

Photo courtesy of Pamela Hall

“Fatah, the PA, the PLO, Mahmoud Abbas’ factions that incite and glorify terrorism, have no place in the civilized world,” announced Helen Freedman, Co-Executive Director of Americans for a Safe Israel/AFSI. “Abbas’ appearance at the UN Security Council is a farce, a failure, and a total charade. He should be escorted out of the U.S., NYC, and the UN as speedily as possible, just as Mayor Giuliani removed Arafat from Philharmonic Hall in 1994.”

Judy Freedman Kadish, Co-Executive Director of AFSI said, “We give thanks to President Trump, Ambassador Friedman, and Middle East Envoy Greenblatt for reversing the anti-Israel animus that existed in the Obama administration and demonstrating to the international community that America is Israel’s friend, ready to denounce terror, incitement, and the rewarding of terrorists.” Kadish also praised UN Ambassador Nikki Haley for denouncing the UN for its failures with UNWRA and UNESCO and its constant condemnation of Israel.

It was noon on President’s Day, Feb. 19, across from the UN at the Isaiah Wall, First Avenue & 43rd Street, when loyal AFSI members and passionate protesters gathered to JUST SAY NO! to Mahmoud Abbas speaking at the UN the following day.

Abbas had announced his intention to denounce President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city. In response to that, AFSI’s signs, prepared by AFSI Board Member Charlie Bernhaut, stressed that JEWRUSALEM IS THE ETERNAL, INDIVISIBLE, CAPITAL OF THE JEWISH STATE OF ISRAEL. Other signs emphasized Abbas’s support for terror, his masterminding the Munich massacre, his Holocaust denial, and the fact that he is in his 13th year of his 4 year elected term as president of the PA.

Helen Freedman spoke about the experiences she has with her Chizuk missions to Israel when they try to ascend the Temple Mount, the holiest site in the Jewish world. She decried the fact that, “Arab control on the Mount makes Jews into second-class citizens, deprived of their civil rights.”

Irwin Graulich, well known inspirational speaker, addressed the need for Sovereignty whereby Judea and Samaria would no longer be step-children to the parent Israel, but would become part of the whole. Demolitions of Jewish communities like Amona and Netiv Avot would then cease.

Glenn Richter, famed for his leadership of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, and a loyal AFSI member, reminded us about the recent murders of Rabbi Raziel Shevach and Rabbi Itamar Ben-Gal, two remarkable rabbis and family men, gunned down and stabbed by PA terrorists. Mahmoud Abbas rewards these terrorists with lifetime payments to them, if they survive the attacks, or to their families. Fortunately, the Israeli government is passing policies that will withhold payments to the PA that would go to the terrorists. Instead, the money will go to victims of terror. America’s Taylor Force Act will hopefully also discourage the terrorists because the payments won’t be there.

Charlie Bernhaut spoke about the need for all Jews to get involved and participate in protests. He stressed that, “Standing idly by with folded hands is a recipe for disaster.”

Unfortunately, the only other group to make its presence felt was the Neturai Karta, an extreme, fringe, Jewish group that dresses in Chassidic garb, and carries PA flags and pro-Iranian signs. They stood above the crowd at the Isaiah Wall, chanting anti-Israel slogans. It is a sad commentary that New Yorkers, and especially the mainstream Jewish organizations, are such non-participants in activist events, and that an anti-Israel Jewish organization can make such a showing. It is our shame.

AFSI’S ISRAEL AT 70 SPECIAL SPEAKER SERIES was launched Wednesday night, Feb. 14, 2018, at the Westside Institutional Synagogue, NYC, with two outstanding speakers from Israel. Addressing a full audience of attendees, AFSI’s Co- Executive Director, Judy Freedman Kadish, gave the introductory remarks, informing the group that this continuing one Wednesday night each month series would be named in honor of AFSI’s first Chairman, Herbert Zweibon.

Helen Freedman then introduced Israel Independence Fund (IIF) Executive Director, Aharon Pulver. She credited Aharon with the ability to identify small, grass-roots organizations that need US funds to strengthen Israel’s amazing human resources, enabling the remarkable record of the start-up nation.

Credited with thinking “outside the box”, Pulver identified the “box” as philanthropy, with much of Jewish charity going to seditious funds like the New Israel Fund. Aharon spoke about the migrant situation in south Tel Aviv to which the IIF began directing resources over 5 years ago, funding crusader May Golan. He also spoke about Ad Kan, made up of former members of Israel Security Services, which is outing evil groups working to destroy Israel. Civil rights for Jews on the Temple Mount is another issue strongly supported by IIF. To clarify the problems on the Temple Mount, Aharon introduced Simcha Rothman, a brilliant attorney who has created Meshilut.

Rothman’s organization was founded in January, 2013 in order to strengthen the rule of Israel’s elected officials by restoring the proper balance between the legal and executive branches of government. Israel’s Supreme Court is the major culprit because its 15 members are self perpetuating and self appointing. Dealing with about 15,000 cases each year, with less than half pertaining to Jewish Israeli citizens and about 59% addressing PA and NGO issues, the Court has consistently displayed its bias against the Jews while siding with the Arabs and Israel’s would-be destroyers.

The most egregious power the Court gives itself is the ability to cancel and override the law of the Knesset. In the matter of the demolition of Jewish communities, like the upcoming plans to destroy Netiv Avot, the fact that the citizens of Israel, the Knesset, and the Prime Minister oppose the demolitions is second to the ruling of the Court, which reigns supreme. This is an outrage which MUST be corrected. Israel’s present Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked is trying to address these issues and is making small progress. A huge overhaul of Israel’s Supreme Court is a MUST!!

The evening concluded with a delightful presentation by Zvi Lauren, representing Heart of Israel wines. Zvi gave an animated talk about the wineries in the heartland of Israel providing substantial proof of Israel’s ancient claim to the biblical heartland. A variety of wines were available for tasting, from Har Bracha, Shilo, Rechelim, Hebron, and more.

Wednesday, March 21, will be the date for the continuation of the ISRAEL AT 70 series. Again, it will be open free to the public and will feature excellent speaker(s). Stay tuned.

AFSI believes this video below is worth watching. To hear this Polish young man speaking the truth about Poland, the Holocaust, Jews and hatred, demonstrates that more public displays of speaking the truth, sincerely and not with hostility or anger, needs to be disseminated widely.

There are good people on our side and AFSI is happy to make you aware of them.

It was recently revealed that DNC Deputy Chair Keith Ellison, along with two other Congressional Democrats, Andre Carson and Gregory Meeks, wined and dined behind closed doors with President Hassan Rouhani of Iran (the #1 state sponsor of terrorism) and Louis Farrakhan, a notorious anti-Semite who leads the black supremacist hate group Nation of Islam.

Keith Ellison is not a back-bench Member of Congress with no influence – he is the second-in-command of the Democratic National Committee and a radical progressive who Democrats will look to as their leader in the coming years.

SIGN THE PETITION and demand that Democrat leadership and the DNC denounce DNC Deputy Chairman Keith Ellison, Rep. Andre Carson, and Rep. Gregory Meeks for meeting with Louis Farrakhan.

Richard Goldberg’s excellent opinion piece – Testing Trump, rightly exposes the dangerous, almost treasonous position that the Obama policy on Iran has placed America. The perfidious Obama nuclear deal is part of a pattern of appeasement of Iran that threatens the world with “an era of Iranian hegemony that will spread terror and missiles throughout the Middle East.”

When Obama failed to issue orders to destroy the American drone captured by Iran in 2011, from which it could steal America’s technology, it was obvious the Iranians would eventually be sending a drone – with U.S. technology – against an enemy. This weekend it was Israel. Fortunately, Israel responded immediately, “wiping out half of Syria’s air defenses this past Saturday afternoon.” These were the same air defenses that Obama declared too dangerous for the U.S. to tackle when Syria crossed Obama’s red line with its use of chemical weapons on its citizenry.

So now we have six countries involved in a treacherous scenario – Russia, the U.S., Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. What will President Trump do to send the right message to Iran to stand down? Will he close the “land bridge” between Iran and the Mediterranean? Will he exit the nuclear “deal”? Will he demonstrate to the despots of the world that America is back in the game – to win? Let’s hope so.

Helen Freedman

In a New York Post Opinion piece this week, Richard Goldberg discusses his arguments for America to close in on Iran.

Last weekend we saw Syria fire and Iranian UAV (unnamed aeriel vehicle) at Israel with Israel swiftly retaliating. Goldberg states these “…events should be a final wakeup call.” to America.

Does the weakness of former President Obama still have a stronghold on the Iranians? Can attempts to fix the nuclear “deal” really succeed? What about Russia’s role in Syria? What is the right message for the US to send to Iran?

Goldberg’s article is excellent and an AFSI “must read.”

An approval by the Higher Planning Council for Judea and Samaria was issued Monday for the construction of modular homes for 15 families from the Netiv Ha’avot outpost whose permanent homes are slated for demolition by March 6.

The government has stated that it intends to authorize the outpost, which is located within the boundaries of the Elazar settlement in Gush Etzion. Legal issues have delayed that move. Full Jerusalem Post article HERE. Today’s Arutz Sheva reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu will hold a meeting with coalition faction heads this Monday to approve a NIS 70 million alternative housing spending plan for the 15 families who will become homeless.

Will this 11th hour planning and spending keep these Israeli families from facing the same kind of “refugee” status that befell those who were expelled from Gush Katif, Migron and Amona? There is still a percentage of former Gush Katif residents who have not found permanent housing. All the Amona families are still living in tents while the construction proceeds on their new community, Amichai, in the Shiloh bloc.

Speaking at the first of AFSI’s Special Series, (see below) Simcha Rothman, head of Meshilut, an Israeli NGO that is actively working to reduce the powers of the Israeli Supreme Court, informed a distressed audience that the Court has refused to destroy Arab villages even on land that is clearly Israel State Land because it would be “inhumane”.

During our travels we see Arab construction rampant in Jewish territory and have never heard that the Court has ordered it be destroyed. The self-selecting, self-governing Court is afraid of an Israel that is becoming “too Jewish” and makes decisions accordingly.

As one Amona resident told us before they were expelled…You wouldn’t destroy a zoo and then go looking for where to put the animals – how can you destroy a village of your own people without providing a place for the residents to relocate? And yet, here they go again. Will the insanity ever end?

On the subject of sovereignty for Judea and Samaria, PM Netanyahu recently revealed that “With regards to the Sovereignty Law, I can tell you that for a while now I’ve been discussing the issue with the Americans.”

The Arutz Sheva article goes on to state: It is crucial, Netanyahu continued, “to coordinate with the Americans as much as possible, since our ties with them are a strategic investment for both the State of Israel and the settlement enterprise. [Sovereignty] needs to be a government program, not a private effort, because this is a historic change.”

On the subject of sovereignty, in an excellent OpEd in Arutz Sheva by Oded Revivi, Mayor of Efrat, firmly asserts that, “It is time then for the Israeli government to internalize the fact that there is no way to turn the clock back, time for it to take a courageous stand and apply Israeli law to the legal jungle that has been allowed to grow unchecked for the past 50 years.”

“What we’ve known for a long time is now clear to everyone: Iran wants to establish a front in Syria that is aimed at harming Israel. We are not looking to escalate the situation, but we have abilities that we are not afraid to use,” said Major General Yoel Strick, Head of the Northern Command.

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