Category: Articles

The IDF is dramatically reducing the regional defense forces in small towns across the country, focusing on the Judea and Samaria region.

The move, officially described as part of “operational considerations” and a reorganization, includes a thinning of the roster of soldiers and volunteers who have been guarding communities in Judea and Samaria since the outbreak of the war.

Information published on N12 reveals that the impetus for the move stems from a command decision seeking to change the mode of operation on the ground. Additionally, according to security establishment sources, evidence has accumulated of abuse of authority and uniforms by some service members in the Judea and Samaria sector.

AFSI Insight
We express deep concern and frustration over this reported reduction in regional defense forces protecting Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. After years of escalating terrorism and the lessons of October 7, weakening local security infrastructure places residents in unnecessary danger. These communities serve as Israel’s front line and require stronger—not diminished—military protection. Misconduct by a small number of individuals does not warrant broad cuts affecting entire communities. Security failures invite further terror attacks and undermine residents’ confidence in the government’s commitment to their safety and sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.

Source:
Citizens enraged at defense cuts in Judea and Samaria, by Israel National News, May 29, 2026

Following UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ decision to include Israeli entities on the blacklist regarding sexual violence in what it calls “conflict zones,” Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, announced the freezing of relations with the UN Secretary-General’s Office.

Danon, said: “We are done with this UN Secretary-General. Guterres has put Israel on the same blacklist along with Hamas, ISIS and the most depraved terrorist organizations in the world. This is a moral disgrace that proves that Guterres has lost all credibility.”

AFSI Insight
Israel’s decision to cut off relations with UN Secretary-General António Guterres is a long-overdue response to the persistent anti-Israel bias within the United Nations. Equating Israel with terrorist organizations such as Hamas and ISIS on a blacklist is morally outrageous and further proof that the UN has abandoned neutrality. Ambassador Danon has taken a firm stand against political persecution of Israel when it is Israel who has repeatedly cooperated with UN inquiries while being unfairly singled out. Under Guterres’ leadership, the UN has consistently ignored Hamas atrocities, minimized the role of UNRWA-linked terrorism, and promoted false narratives against the Jewish state. Israel’s move signals that it will no longer legitimize institutions that place democratic nations on the same moral plane as terrorist regimes.

Source:
Israel cuts off relations with UN Secretary General, by Gary Willig/Israel National News, May 28, 2026

Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced a new online platform called “Rimon,” which allows Israelis to register real estate in Judea and Samaria directly online. Rimon is designed to be secure and easy to use. Officials say it works similarly to property registration within the Green Line, allowing people to complete the process digitally rather than using paper forms or in-person office appointments.

Until now, land registration in Judea and Samaria has been handled in an outdated and inefficient way. The main aim of the move is to set a path for regulating agricultural farms and to address the large number of “survey lands” in Judea and Samaria. Many of the farms are located on survey lands, and the approved proposal expands the handling of these lands as well as plans for rehabilitation, development, and construction that would increase settlement in the area.

AFSI Insight
This is a long-overdue level of assertion of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. Direct land registration is a practical step toward normalization and de facto reclamation. (Although the term annexation is used in Israel, as it by definition refers to proclaiming sovereignty over territory belonging to another country, we prefer not to use it.) Jewish historical and legal rights to the land are finally being reinforced through formal governance measures. This development replaces decades of bureaucratic ambiguity with permanent legal infrastructure. Strengthening land ownership records helps prevent illegal land grabs, protects Jewish communities, and further integrates Judea and Samaria into Israel’s national framework.

Source:
Annexation Today: Israel Opens Direct Land Registration in Judea and Samaria, by David Israel/The Jewish Edition, May 27, 2026

The Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee is racing against a parliamentary clock to advance a bill that would place Judea and Samaria, Israel’s biblical heartland, under direct Israeli civilian authority when it comes to its thousands of archaeological sites. While the bill’s opponents call it de facto annexation, its supporters call it rescue. The ground itself, scarred by bulldozers and looters’ pits, tells a story that is hard to argue with.

The legislation, sponsored by Likud MK Amit Halevi, would establish a new “Judea and Samaria Heritage Authority,” replacing the Defense Ministry’s Archaeology Unit of the Civil Administration, a branch of COGAT (the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories), as the body responsible for sites that include some of the most significant holy sites named in the Hebrew Bible.

What hangs in the balance of this bureaucratic reshuffling is the physical evidence of Jewish civilization stretching back three thousand years. These sites are the stage on which the entire narrative of the Jewish people unfolds. And in Judea and Samaria, that stage is literally buried underfoot, waiting to be uncovered…or destroyed.

AFSI Insight
The proposed bill is an essential step toward protecting and reclaiming Israel’s biblical and historical heritage in Judea and Samaria. Jewish archaeological and religious sites have too often been neglected, looted, or politically manipulated under existing arrangements, and Israel must take direct responsibility for preserving these irreplaceable treasures. This legislation is not merely as an archaeological measure, but an affirmation of Jewish sovereignty and identity in the heartland of the Bible. It is also a necessary act of national and historical preservation that reconnects the Jewish people to their ancestral homeland while safeguarding sites central to Jewish history for future generations.

Source:
Annexation or salvation? The bill that would put Israel in charge of its own biblical heritage, by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz/Israel365News, May 27, 2026

President Donald Trump has given Iran less than a week to finalize an emerging nuclear and maritime deal, as US officials said negotiators were closing in on a framework that would address Tehran’s uranium stockpile and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

A US official told Fox News on Sunday that the framework was “95% there,” but that the sides were still negotiating language on Iran’s nuclear material and the key shipping route.

The official said Trump’s “instinct is to give them 5, 6, 7 days” to complete the agreement.

We are not going to roll over. We are not there yet on a deal. We are not going to sign a deal today or tomorrow,” the official said.

The negotiations center on what the administration has described as a “No Dust, No Dollars” approach, meaning Iran would receive no relief unless it gives up highly enriched uranium.

The official said Iran had agreed “in principle to the framework,” while talks continued over the precise wording.

AFSI Insight
President Trump is right to make it clear that Iran cannot be allowed to drag out negotiations indefinitely while continuing to threaten Israel and destabilize the region. Tehran has spent decades using diplomacy as cover while advancing its nuclear ambitions, funding terror proxies, and calling openly for Israel’s destruction. Any agreement must fully dismantle Iran’s nuclear capabilities, end uranium enrichment along with uranium stockpiles that have not yet reached the near-break-out level and permanently block the regime from acquiring any nuclear weapons. Half-measures, temporary pauses, or unenforceable promises would only embolden the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Israel must retain the unquestionable right to defend itself against the Iranian threat, regardless of international pressure or diplomatic maneuvering.

Source:
‘Great deal or no deal,’ says Trump, giving Iran ‘5 to 7 days’ to compromise, by World Israel News Staff, May 25, 2026

The Trump administration and Israel are working on a plan to replace Jordan’s custodianship over the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem with a new arrangement that would expand Jewish prayer rights at the site, according to a report published on Monday.

The Middle East Eye, citing unnamed US, Jordanian, Palestinian, Western and Gulf Arab sources, reported that the proposal would end the authority of the Jordanian-backed Islamic Waqf and create a new body tied to Israel to administer the compound.

After publication, the outlet said a US official called the allegation that Washington was actively working to strip Jordan of its custodianship “totally false.”

The report said the plan was being promoted by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

According to the report, the proposed arrangement would recast the compound as a “multi-faith center,” allow large-group Jewish prayer and give Israel a role in appointing Muslim religious officials and approving Friday sermon content.

AFSI Insight
If this is just a report for now, we wonder how it made its way into the news! Efforts to turn the Temple Mount into a “multi-faith center” could potentially undermine Jewish sovereignty and religious rights at Judaism’s holiest site. While supporting freedom of worship for all faiths, Israel must retain full authority over Jerusalem and reject foreign pressure or arrangements that weaken the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount. It is imperative that any changes must prioritize Israel’s security and avoid empowering extremists who exploit the site for incitement and unrest.

Should this report turn out to be accurate, we can confidently say that President Donald J. Trump’s support will ensure Israel’s assertion of control over the Temple Mount, maintain a whole and undivided Jerusalem, allow freedom of worship for all faiths, and put a stop to the ongoing abuses and mistreatment occurring there. This holy site was never meant to be the way it is now, and it must be brought back to the sacred and spiritual landmark it was intended to be.

Source:
US, Israel ‘actively working’ to turn Temple Mount into ‘multi-faith center’ – report, by World Israel News Staff, May 26, 2026

Thirty-three years after the Oslo Accords were signed, Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has a message for the world: it’s over. The framework is dead. And Israel has roughly two years to make that permanent. (The PA has been ignoring it for many years as it promotes Arab construction throughout Area C – designated under Oslo solely for Jewish residency.)

In a wide-ranging interview with Matzav HaRuach, Smotrich laid out his case for dismantling the Palestinian Authority entirely — and replacing it with something that can never become a state. “The day after Trump will come,” Smotrich warned, “and who knows what will happen in the United States. Will there be backing [for Israel’s right to Judea and Samaria]? Will there not? And what government will be here? I don’t know many people like Netanyahu who are capable of standing up to such enormous international pressure without caving.”

AFSI Insight
AFSI welcomes Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s clear rejection of the failed two-state paradigm, which has brought decades of terrorism, incitement, and instability rather than peace. The events of October 7 shattered any remaining illusion that creating another hostile Arab state in the heart of Israel would lead to coexistence or security. Judea and Samaria are the historic and biblical heartland of the Jewish people, not bargaining chips to be surrendered under international pressure. Israel must strengthen Jewish sovereignty, expand communities, and ensure that never again will terror infrastructure threaten the nation’s population centers. AFSI believes lasting peace can only come through strength, security, and recognition of Israel’s undeniable biblical, historical and legal rights throughout the Land of Israel.

Source:
Israel’s finance minister has a plan to kill the two-state solution. For good., by Elie Mischel/Israel365News, May 25, 2026

The Trump administration has threatened to revoke the visas of the Palestinian Authority’s delegation to the United Nations if the PA ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, does not withdraw his candidacy for vice president of the UN General Assembly, Reuters reported on Thursday, based on an internal State Department cable. Elections are schedule for June 2.

The cable, sent on Wednesday, instructed US diplomats at the embassy in Jerusalem to deliver a message to Ramallah, saying the PA’s envoy to the UN is running for a General Assembly position in a way that “fuels tensions.” It also warns that the move could undermine Trump’s Gaza peace plan. The cable adds that if the candidacy continues, the PA mission would face consequences from Washington.

The May 19 US cable, marked sensitive but unclassified, says Ambassador Riyad Mansour “has a history of accusing Israel of genocide.”

“A bully pulpit for Mansour would not improve the lives of Palestinians and would significantly damage US relations with the PA. Congress will take it extremely seriously,” the cable says.

AFSI Insight
The U.S. warning about limiting visas for Palestinian Authority officials at the UN is a decisive reaction to the PA’s continuous attempts to use international agencies to isolate and pressure Israel rather than pursue direct negotiations. By increasing the Palestinian delegation’s power ( a non-member observer and NOT a member) at the UN, it gives an advantage to anti-Israel diplomatic efforts and strengthens the existing prejudice against Israel there. Let’s not forget about his virulent anti-Semitism, which should automatically disqualify Mansour for this position.

Source:
US Threatening to Crack Down on Visas of PA Mission to the UN, by David Israel/The Jewish Edition, May 21, 2026

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the International Criminal Court following reports that prosecutors are seeking a sealed arrest warrant against him, calling the move a “declaration of war” and vowing a forceful response.

“Last night I was informed that the prosecutor of the antisemitic court in The Hague filed a request for a secret international arrest warrant against me,” Smotrich said, opening his remarks.

He said the reported request follows what he described as “unprecedented” warrants issued against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

“The clumsy attempt to force on us a policy of security suicide through sanctions and arrest warrants will not succeed,” he said.

AFSI Insight
The International Criminal Court is overstepping its mandate and ignoring the security context of ongoing terrorism and the aftermath of the October 7 attacks. The ICC’s involvement in Israel’s security and defense affairs is nothing more than biased lawfare that undermines Israel’s sovereignty and escalates diplomatic tensions.

Source:
Smotrich Slams ICC Arrest Warrant as ‘Declaration of War’, by United with Israel Staff, May 19, 2026

The Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee is advancing a disputed piece of legislation that would place antiquities management in Judea and Samaria under direct Israeli civilian control, a step that critics say effectively amounts to annexation in practice.

The committee, chaired by Zvi Sukkot of the Religious Zionism party, met on Monday to begin preparing the bill for its second and third readings in the Knesset plenum.

Under the proposal, authority over archaeological activity would be transferred from the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration to a new civilian body called the “Judea and Samaria Heritage Authority.”

Relevant to this, on Wednesday the Israeli government approved a NIS 250 million ($85.5 million) plan to develop and preserve heritage sites across Judea and Samaria, the Jordan Valley and the Judean Desert.

AFSI Insight

This legislation represents a valid measure to safeguard and effectively oversee archaeological sites in Judea and Samaria. The current systems under military or Civil Administration oversight are ineffective, inadequately funded, or incapable of stopping looting and destruction. Furthermore, this bill will enhance Israel’s historical and cultural ties to the area, while also correcting bureaucratic neglect of important heritage sites. The approval of the funding confirms the government’s commitment to preservation measures.

Sources:
Knesset advances controversial bill shifting archaeological authority in Judea and Samaria, by Pesach Benson/TPS via World Israel News, May 19, 2026

Israel OKs $85M investment in heritage sites across Judea and Samaria, by Pesach Benson/TPS via World Israel News, may 20, 2026