On February 13, 2019, an Israeli-built unmanned spacecraft is expected to land on the moon, having blasted off from Earth two months earlier, project managers said at a news conference Tuesday.
Following what we trust will be a successful launch, the SpaceIL craft will give Israel entry into the exclusive club of only three nations that have so far achieved a controlled landing on the moon’s surface.
According to a recent US News and World Report: ‘Israel has a large presence on the global stage, thanks in part to its close relationship with the US.’ Israel ranked eighth on the list of the world’s most powerful nations.
We couldn’t be happier. But then again we probably knew Israel stood high among the nations in the first place. Full story HERE.
In 2012 Congress ordered the State Department to disclose how many Palestinians currently served by UNRWA fled the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and how many are merely their descendants. The Obama administration classified the report, citing national security. We did not know census data was a threat to national security.
The UNRWA numbers in the report are grossly exaggerated in order to perpetuate its Palestinian “refugee” agenda.
“Once the refugee issue is exposed as a scam, Palestinian leaders would have to learn how to govern, not merely stir up antagonism with Israel.” It’s time for the truth to unfold and AFSI believes President Trump can make this happen. We call on President Trump to DECLASSIFY THIS DOCUMENT NOW.
Read Caroline Glick’s excellent Opinion piece on exposing and shutting down UNRWA.
Neda Amin’s Artuz Sheva OpEd exposes the origin of a new course for Palestinian children called, “How Will We Kill an Israeli.”
Britain is now getting wind of the fact that their funding is being used for anti-Semitism incitement in Palestinian textbooks and plans an investigation.
Supreme Court justices issued a temporary injunction earlier this week against Israel’s decision to create an autonomous Jewish municipality in Hebron.
The court asked the State of Israel to justify the creation of an autonomous Jewish municipality in Hebron that is not under the Palestinians’ rule
Yishai Fleisher, international spokesman for the Hebron Jewish community, said this is another example of excessive judicial activism. “There is nothing constitutionally illegal with the government decision..There is no reason for the court to meddle.”
The Knesset voted into law on Monday a bill to slash funds to the Palestinian Authority by the amount Ramallah pays out to convicted terrorists and the families of terrorists killed while carrying out attacks.
This legislation is in line with America’s Taylor Force Act and with Australia’s latest decision to withhold aid to the PA. Abbas and the PA leadership must understand that any payments to terrorists will be coming from their pockets .This clearly sends the message that terror does not pay.
Read that Australia announced it will end direct aid to the PA due to stipends paid to terrorists and their families.
GOOD RIDDANCE!
DAVID MYERS QUITS
CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY
We are very pleased to learn that after one year in the position, David Myers has stepped down as President and CEO of the Center for Jewish History in NYC. He cited that he wanted to return to academic life in California and to avoid the frequent commute from NY to CA in order to be with his family.
AFSI was at the forefront of the campaign to fire Myers having led a major protest rally in the Fall of 2017. With the incredible support of JCC Watch leader, Richard Allen, an amazing radio campaign took place exposing Myers’ connections to the anti-Israel New Israel Fund. Hundreds of AFSI members, JCC supporters, and coalition friends, and supporters attended the rally, seriously rattling the leadership at the CJH.
A video of Helen Freedman, AFSI’s Co-Executive Director, speaking at the October 18, 2017 rally, can be found HERE.
We are requesting that the Center for Jewish History do a better job of vetting candidates to replace Myers. It is an absolute disgrace that someone as blatantly anti-Israel as Myers was chosen for this prestigious position. AFSI will be watching this closely.
Why do we continue to do what we do? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once explained, “We must not cave into the pressure, [we must] expose the lies and attack the attackers…”
Read today’s excellent Jewish Press OpEd by AFSI colleagues Hank Sheinkopf, George Birnbaum and Ronn Torossian, who first blew the whistle on David Myers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a message for the people of Iran.
A dwindling economy. Shouts of “Death to Palestine,” “Help us, not Gaza,” and “Leave Syria alone and deal with Iran.” These are the cries of the Iranian people who are protesting in large numbers and expanding into more cities throughout Iran demanding that the government invest in the Iranian economy and not in other countries in the Middle East.
Iran Freedom, a popular Twitter account dedicated to bringing freedom and democracy to Iran, wrote that the protesters asked security forces to join the protests instead of breaking them up.
We believe that these protests are the direct result of President Trump tearing up the disastrous Iran ‘deal.’ America has empowered the Iranian man in the street. We wish them success.
AFSI is pleased with two developments this week.
These developments are not about prejudice, racism or Islamaphobia. They are about recognizing right from wrong, about knowing the difference between what a moral, civil and democratic society is as opposed to one where terrorism threatens the country and its citizens.
We look forward to watching closely for further developments.
UN Condemns Terrorists’ Use of Human Shields
The United Nations General Assembly adopted an update of its Global Counter Terrorism Strategy today. Thanks to diplomatic efforts by Israel’s Mission to the UN in cooperation with the United States Mission, this year’s resolution included an unprecedented paragraph that condemns the use of civilians as human shields by terrorist organizations.
“Today’s resolution is another important step in our efforts as we change the rules of the game at the UN,” said Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon
Supreme Court Upholds Travel Ban
A US Supreme Court ruling has upheld President Trump’s travel ban, which prevents most immigrants, refugees and visa holders from five Muslim-majority countries – Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, along with North Korea and Venezuela, from entering the US.
“The Proclamation is expressly premised on legitimate purposes: preventing entry of nationals who cannot be adequately vetted and inducing other nations to improve their practices,” Chief Justice Roberts wrote. “The text says nothing about religion.”
More HERE.
We’ve Seen It – IDF Soldiers Being Harassed by ‘Machsom Watch’ – Outrageous and Disgraceful – What Other Army Would Permit It?
A new bill aimed to protect IDF soldiers from harassment by radical left-wing activists passed the preliminary Knesset reading last week.
The bill, which would prohibit the filming of IDF soldiers while on operational duty with intent to disrupt their activities, was drafted following material compiled by Im Tirtzu on the activities of the far-left NGO “Machsom Watch.”
More HERE. Video below with Matan Peleg, CEO of Im Tirtzu discussing the proposed new bill.
