Category: Articles

President Donald J. Trump delivered a strong message to Hamas in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, demanding the immediate release of all hostages.

Hamas is still holding 59 hostages; however, Israel estimates that only 22 remain alive. Among them, five are believed to be American citizens, including 21-year-old Edan Alexander, a soldier taken hostage on Oct.7th.

“‘Shalom Hamas’ means both Hello and Goodbye—you decide,” Trump wrote, adding, “Release all hostages now, not later, and return the bodies of those you murdered immediately, or it’s OVER for you.”

“Only sick and twisted people hold onto bodies—and you are sick and twisted!” Trump added. I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say,” Trump wrote.

“This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance,” he wrote, and counseled the terror group in a paragraph heavily sprinkled with caps: “Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!”

Trump’s fiery message came in response to growing pressure from international aid and human rights organizations, which called on Israel to allow unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza. This followed Israel’s decision to halt all aid deliveries to the enclave in an effort to pressure Hamas into accepting new terms for a ceasefire extension. Israel, for its part, indicated it was considering cutting off electricity to Gaza as part of its strategy.

An ultimatum like this has never been delivered to Hamas before but deliver it President Trump did in his inimitable style. It almost sounds as if Trump is now in charge of ending the war and securing the release of all the hostages. He has a way with words, and it’s always intended to rattle the cage of those he does business with to get the best deal possible (especially for his interests). As a master deal maker, he succeeds time and again in getting what he aims for. This could be his toughest negotiation yet. We eagerly await to see what happens next.

While Trump sounds off, we’re sure the IDF under its new Chief of Staff is readying itself for an all-out plan to eliminate Hamas should they not heed Trump’s stern warning.

Source:
Trump Issues ‘Last Warning’ to Hamas, by David Israel/Jewish Press, March 6, 2025

The Knesset on Tuesday night passed a law altering the process for appointing the Commissioner for the Review of Judges. Under the new law, approved by a vote of 56 in favor and 48 against, the Commissioner will be appointed by a committee led by the Justice Minister, with most committee members being politicians or coalition-backed appointees. This marks a shift from the old system, where the Committee for the Selection of Judges approved a candidate who was jointly nominated by the Justice Minister and the President of the Supreme Court.

The judicial review commissioner is legally authorized to investigate complaints regarding judges’ conduct while performing their duties, including in the handling of their cases. The commissioner’s authority applies to secular and rabbinical judges, as well as legal registrars.

MK Simcha Rothman, chairman of the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee who spearheaded the new law, stated before the plenary vote that “for the past two years, it has been impossible to voice complaints about the judicial system.” He asserted that “judges have consistently resisted criticism.” Rothman urged opposition representatives “not to take part in the fight against oversight and to allow the public, through the judicial review commissioner, to fulfill its role in scrutinizing the judiciary.”

Source:
Knesset Passes Law Giving Government Control over Judicial Review, by David Israel/Jewish Press, March 4, 2025

US President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that any university or college that permits illegal protests such as those carried out by anti-Israel activists over the last year and a half will lose their federal funding.

“All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

He added, “Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

AFSI applauds President Trump for this urgently needed decision. For too long now it seems like virtually every college and university has failed to protect Jewish students while anti-Israel/anti-Jewish protests and threats have been allowed to run free on campuses. The fine line between freedom of speech and Israel/Jewish hate speech with hateful intent has just been drawn. It’s time for accountability.

Source:
Trump: ‘No federal funding for universities that allow illegal protests’, by Israel National News, March 4, 2025

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/404858

The bill to alter the composition of the committee responsible for selecting the judicial complaints commissioner was approved last Tuesday for a second and third vote in the Knesset plenum, sparking significant concern within the judicial system.

The concern within the judicial system stems from the fact that the chief rabbis are influenced by Shas, and in the context of a “full right” coalition, the secular judges fear that the chief rabbis would select a complaints commissioner who caters to the interests of the rabbinical judges while constantly undermining secular judges, particularly politically aligned judges.

The coalition’s main argument is that a public institution cannot effectively audit itself. The auditor must be independent, much the way internal affairs is separate from the police, or how the state comptroller is elected by the Knesset and not the executive branch. When the court president appoints one of his or her fellow judges as commissioner, it’s akin to the IDF relying on an internal investigation to address its serious failure.

If Israel’s judicial reforms are to move forward, as they must, then criticism of the court must be allowed. Those who oppose the reforms have nothing to fear but fear itself.

Source:
Justice Minister Levin Puts Fear of God in Judges’ Hearts with Judicial Complaints Commissioner, by David Israel/Jewish Press, February 28, 2025

Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) has asked President Donald J. Trump to recognize Israel’s right to sovereignty over the land that the U.S. government currently refers to as the “West Bank.” The Israeli government and many others use the biblical names “Judea and Samaria.”

In a letter to the president last Tuesday, Tenney said, “This region is the heart of our shared Judeo-Christian heritage, and recognition of the right of Israel to declare sovereignty over this region would build upon your previous recognition of the importance of this heritage,” stated the letter, which Reps. Andy Harris (R-Md.), Mary Miller (R-Ill.), Barry Moore (R-Ala.), Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) and Randy Weber (R-Texas).

AFSI is deeply grateful to Rep. Tenney for her continued work to speak the truth about Israel, especially with this current initiative that calls for the application of sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. With the Trump administration in place, the call for sovereignty grows stronger and stronger.

Source:
Tenney, colleagues ask Trump to recognize Israeli Judea, Samaria sovereignty, by JNS Staff, February 27, 2025

The Shin Bet (ISA) thwarted a major bomb attack planned against IDF forces operating in Judea and Samaria, the Shin Bet and the IDF announced on Tuesday evening.

Over the past month, in a joint operation by the Shin Bet, the IDF, and YAMAM, several terrorist cells from Qabatia, near Jenin who were planning to carry out significant attacks in the near future were arrested.

On January 11, Shin Bet, YAMAM and IDF soldiers from the Samaria Brigade arrested Ahmed Ali Zakharna and Tarek Abu Zeid in Shechem (Nablus), while they were traveling to carry out a shooting attack in Huwara. They were found in possession of two M16 assault rifles.

During their interrogation, it emerged that the two were acting on behalf of terrorist operatives from the Jenin Battalion and received from them a 100-kg explosive device which was intended to be used in a bombing attack against IDF forces.

“Israeli security forces continue their counterterrorism activities to thwart terror throughout Judea and Samaria, and to maintain the safety of the citizens of Israel,” the military stated.

Source:
Miracle in Samaria: Major bomb attack against security forces thwarted, by Uzi Baruch/Israel National News, February 25, 2025

The extent to which Israel is ruled by unelected “deep state” officials is difficult to convey to outsiders. It sounds too fantastic. So fantastic in fact, that it may be best described as “legal surrealism.”

Our rulers sound like they speak the language of politics and law, but much of what they say makes no sense at all. Consider the case of Benjamin Netanyahu’s testimony in his own trial.

Though Israel is in a state of war on several fronts, the judges presiding in that trial are forcing him to testify three days a week, every week, because, they have argued, it is “in the public interest” to bring the trial to a speedy conclusion. So, determining the exact number of cigars that Mr. Netanyahu received as gifts from friends has come to take precedence over his running of the war.

Amid the upheaval of the current war and the urgent hostage crisis we thought it important to remember that judicial reforms in Israel are crucial. Once the war broke out after October 7, judicial reforms fell by the wayside. We pray the process gets back on track very soon.

Source:
A deep state doesn’t get any deeper than this, by Gadi Taub/JNS, February 27, 2025

The 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) passed a resolution advocating for the US to support Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.

Intense discussions were held at this year’s CPAC conference by the Yesha Council Chair and Binyamin Regional Council Governor Israel Ganz and senior CPAC figures. Also in attendance were Minister for Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli and Yesha Council CEO Omer Rahamim.

The resolution was read in front of the conference last Thursday by KT McFarland, former deputy national security advisor in US President Donald Trump’s first administration.

“We believe all these areas are integral parts of Israel, and the United States of America and her allies should recognize Israeli sovereignty over these lands,” the resolution stated.

Under President Donald J. Trump’s administration support is clearly growing to apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. The CPAC resolution brings Israel one step closer to this goal. Let’s get it done!

Source:
CPAC Resolution for Israel to declare sovereignty over Biblical Heartland, by Adam Eliyhau Berkowitz/Israel365News, February 24, 2025

The IDF is planning an engineering operation to construct access roads for military vehicles within terror strongholds in northern Samaria, News14 reported Monday. This initiative aims to enable swift movement across these areas, mirroring the infrastructure work carried out along the Netzarim corridor in the Gaza Strip.

The project is designed to enhance the operational effectiveness of forces on the ground, drawing from past experience. In Gaza, the development of roads and infrastructure along the Netzarim corridor facilitated efficient military mobility and improved control over the region. Now, the IDF intends to apply similar strategies in northern Samaria, where terror camps continue to pose a significant security threat.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “We will not revert to the previous reality. We will continue to clear refugee camps and other terrorist hubs to dismantle the battalions and infrastructure of extremist Islam—forces that were built, armed, funded, and trained by the Iranian axis of evil to establish an eastern terrorist front against Samaria, the seam line, and Israel’s major population centers. The operation will continue until terrorism is eradicated.”

Following the outbreak of war since October 7, Israel is in her most urgent fight for survival since the inception of the State. The permanent expansion for the foreseeable future of the IDF into areas like northern Samaria clearly illustrate the pressing need to eradicate the terrorist scourge of Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad from every inch of Israel.

Source:
IDF Reshaping Northern Samaria to Allow Quick Access to Terror Nests, by David Israel/Jewish Press, February 24, 2025