Category: Articles

The Israeli government has legalized three additional communities in Judea and Samaria, days after it recognized five other towns.

Formally recognized are: Mahane Gadi, a town of 37 families near the existing community of Masu’a in the Jordan Valley, Givat Hanan outside of Sussia in the Hebron Hills area of Judea, and Kedem Arava, near Beit HaArava just north of the Dead Sea.

Last week MK Bezalel Smotrich hailed the upcoming housing approvals and recognition of additional communities as a death knell for Palestinian statehood. He said, “Thank God, we are building and developing the settlements and thwarting the danger of a Palestinian state.”

Source:
‘Thwarting Palestinian Statehood’ – Israel recognizes 3 new towns in Judea and Samaria, green lights thousands of new homes by David Rosenberg/World Israel News, July 5, 2024

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich met last week with the heads of the local authorities of the Seam Zone, the narrow area between the 1949 Armistice line and the Judea and Samaria security barrier.

During the meeting, Smotrich told the heads that he is committed to increasing the security of the communities and residents: “The Israeli perception of security must undergo a fundamental change regarding Gaza, Judea and Samaria, the north and also the Seam Zone,” said Smotrich.

Source:
Smotrich: The security concept must change, Tulkarm must turn into rubble by Hezki Baruch/Israel National News, July 4, 2024

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement on Tuesday reiterating that Operation Swords of Iron will not end until all of Israel’s objectives are achieved: eliminating Hamas as a governing and military entity; returning all the kidnapped hostages, both living and deceased; and ensuring Gaza can never again pose a threat to the Jewish State.

The statement came in response to a New York Times report entitled “Israeli Generals, Low on Munitions, Want a Truce in Gaza” that cited “anonymous sources” claiming Israel is prepared to end the war before achieving all its objectives due to shortages in ammunition, spare parts and personnel.

“I do not know who these anonymous sources are, but I am here to make it unequivocally clear: This will not happen. The war will end once Israel achieves all of its objectives, including the destruction of Hamas and the release of all of our hostages. The Government directed the IDF to achieve these war objectives and the IDF has all the means to achieve them. We will not capitulate to the winds of defeatism, neither in The New York Times nor anywhere else. We are inspired by the spirit of victory.” Netanyahu said a few hours after the report was published.

Source:
Netanyahu Rebuts NYT Report: War Won’t End Until All Objectives Achieved by Hana Levi Julian/Jewish Press, July 2, 2024

More than 70 Military Police teams arrived on Wednesday morning to evacuate the Tzur Harel community in the Benjamin region. According to the Civil Administration, rioters set fire to a vehicle and tires at the entrance to the site, in order to delay the evacuation.

Reports state that the evacuation was violent. It was reported that Military Police forces fired gas grenades directly into a family’s home, while the parents and their 3 small children were inside the house. Rescue teams that arrived at the scene treated two children who were suffering from shortness of breath.

Givat Tzur Harel, named after IDF soldier Harel Sharvit who fell in battle in Gaza, was established about a year ago.

ALL OF THIS could have been avoided had the application of sovereignty over Judea and Samaria been firmly in place. We hate to admit it, but without sovereignty declared in this region, horrendous and wrenching scenes such as that in Tzur Harel will go on and on and on.

Source:
Harsh scenes from Oz Zion: Military Police fired gas grenades into family home by Israel National News, July 3, 2024

The ISA (Shin Bet) opposes the early release of a Jewish resident of the center of the country for good behavior, after he was convicted of attacking an Arab during Operation Guardian of the Walls, according to a document submitted by the organization on Tuesday to the Prison Service Parole Committee.

Attorney Adi Keidar from Honenu, which represents the prisoner, said: “In such sensitive times, the General Security Service was expected to put in efforts and invest resources in protecting the security of the state and not to waste time with a young man who has no criminal record, who rioted during Operation Guardian of the Walls and received a relatively light sentence, and he has only several months left until his release.

This boggles the mind and that’s an understatement. How can anyone be confident that Israel is protecting its citizens in the best way possible when terrorists were just released earlier this week and Jews with dramatically lesser criminal charges remain in jail?

Source:
Overcrowded prisons? Shin Bet against the early release of a Jew who attacked an Arab, by Israel National News, July 2, 2024

Cabinet ministers last week approved a series of measures promoted by Minister Bezalel Smotrich to strengthen communities in Judea and Samaria.

The approved package includes: sanctions imposed against the Palestinian Authority following the measures it promotes against Israel in The Hague, measures that includes the cancellation of permits and various benefits for senior PA officials, restricting the movement of PA senior officials and preventing them from leaving the country, enforcing their incitement offenses, expelling senior officials, withdrawing enforcement powers from the PA in the Judean Desert and enforcement actions against rampant construction in the area, enforcement in Area B against damage to heritage sites and environmental hazards, and more.

The most amazing news is that regulation for 5 communities was approved for: Evyatar in Samaria, Sde Ephraim in Binyamin, Givat Assaf in Binyamin, Heletz in Gush Etzion and Adorayin on Mount Hebron.

Smotrich said, “After weeks of discussions, the Israeli government is promoting an appropriate response to the anti-Israeli measures led by the Palestinian Authority.

Samaria governor Yossi Dagan shared the news about Evyatar’s normalization with Tzofia Borovsky, the widow of Evyatar Borovsky. Tzofia said: “It’s not the first and last new town that will be built in Judea and Samaria, there is a very strong and clear message here that more young new towns will be built.”

The even clearer message is that Israel is an independent and sovereign nation and only Israel alone is responsible for determining its own destiny. Next stop: Sovereignty over Judea and Samaria!

Sources:
Cabinet approves: Sanctions against PA, regulation of five communities by Uzi Baruch/Israel National News, June 28, 2024

Widow of town namesake: ‘Normalization of this town is what we waited for’ by Israel National News, June 28, 2024

Israeli officials were angered to learn that dozens of Palestinian terror suspects arrested in Gaza were unconditionally released and returned to the Strip on Monday. Most prominent among them was Shifa Hospital director Muhammad Abu Salmiya.

“This morning’s publication and the chaos in the government regarding the release of the director of Shifa Hospital, is a direct continuation of the lawlessness and dysfunction of the Israeli government that leads to damage to the security of Israeli citizens,” said opposition leader Yair Lapid.

“The Minister of Defense did not know, the Minister of Internal Security is not involved, exchange of accusations. Everything is leaked. This is what a breakdown of values ​​and functions looks like,” he added.

According to a Shin Bet statement, the prisoners were released to relieve overcrowding in prisons, and that counter-terror operations had even been cancelled because of the problem. The Shin Bet implicitly blamed Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, saying requests for more cells had gone unheeded for months.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this evening ordered the convening of a team that will examine the status and identity of prisoners from Gaza before they are released and determine if their releases can proceed following the controversial release of the director of the al-Shifa Hospital.

The Prime Minister’s office said that “the release of the director of the Shifa Hospital is a serious mistake and a moral failure. This man, under whose auspices our hostages were held and murdered, belongs in prison.” “The decision to release the director of the Shifa Hospital was made without the knowledge of the political echelon or the heads of the organizations,” Netanyahu’s office added.

He didn’t know, they didn’t know, not our problem, it’s their fault, not ours. This is an embarrassment for Israel and is a threat to its safety and security. Even worse is that this is playing out during a time of war when the country is fighting for its survival.

Sources:
Anger, Finger-Pointing as Israel Releases Dozens of Hamas Detainees by Pesach Benson/TPS, July 1, 2024

Netanyahu: Release of Shifa Hospital director ‘serious mistake & moral failure’ by Israel National News, July 1, 2024

For decades, we’ve repeatedly heard the claim that it’s not the right time to promote sovereignty. On the other hand, it has become evident that waiting for precisely the most opportune moment never yields any tangible results on the ground.

The concept of sovereignty as a practical political goal is now much more widely accepted in Israel than at any time in the past. The vast majority of Israelis have become completely disillusioned with dreams of coexistence and peace after the ruthless determination of its adversaries to annihilate Israel through various brutal and monstrous means became so painfully evident on Oct. 7.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s announcement this week of his intention to promote through legislation, and not only on the ground, the application of Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria comes at precisely the right time. This declaration embodies the self-evident historical justice of the return of the people of Israel to its land and constitutes the realization of the Zionist dream of sovereignty over the Land of Israel.

Source:
Sovereignty from statements to action by Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar/JNS, June 28, 2024

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly on Thursday announced the imposition of additional sanctions on so-called “extremist settlers.”

The announcement reads, “This round of sanctions lists seven individuals and five entities for their role in facilitating, supporting or financially contributing to acts of violence by Israeli extremist settlers against Palestinian civilians and their property.”

The seven people on whom the sanctions were imposed are: Ben Zion Gopstein, Daniella Weiss, Einan Ben-Nir Amram Tanjil, Elisha Yered, Ely Federman, Meir Mordechai Ettinger, and Shalom Zicherman. The five entities named were: Amana, Hilltop Youth, Lehava, Moshe’s Farm, and Zvi’s Farm.

Joly has no grasp of the facts or reality and is another victim of the narrative of lies intended to destroy Israel. She stated nothing about the endless terror attacks against the Jewish residents of this region and the security concerns they live with. We think this delusional foreign minister should spend a few weeks living among the “settlers” and see for herself who and where the problems really are. We know many “extremist settlers” who would welcome her with open arms and even take her on a personal grand tour.

Source:
Canada announces more sanctions on ‘extremist settlers’ by Israel National News, June 27, 2024

A lawsuit filed Monday in US Federal Court by victims of the October 7 terrorist attacks alleges extensive fraud and corruption in United Nations aid distribution to Gaza, according to a press release. The legal action claims that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) orchestrated a billion-dollar money laundering operation that funded Hamas, significantly reducing humanitarian aid to Gaza residents and contributing to the October 7 attack.

An individual identified as TB, who witnessed events on October 7, stated: “The horrors I witnessed on October 7 are only possible through an extended and pervasive poisoning of the soul of a people. UNRWA’s complicity in October 7 goes far beyond providing the material means for Hamas to carry out this attack. UNRWA provided Hamas with a generation of children and the social controls necessary to breed the evil that I witnessed and so many suffered that day and since.”

It’s been several years since we first reported on the true intentions of UNRWA. Since October 7 UNRWA has been exposed for what it really is – a terrorist entity. This lawsuit could finally dismantle UNRWA.

Source:
Oct. 7 victims sue UNRWA over ‘$1B terrorist scheme’ by Ariel Kahana/Israel Hayom