Category: Articles

Finance Minister and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich called Sunday for Israel to fully conquer the Gaza Strip, establish a military government there, renew Jewish settlement and encourage voluntary emigration by Gazans who wish to leave.

Smotrich said full Israeli control was necessary to fulfill what he described as the central war aim established after the October 7 massacre: the destruction of Hamas militarily, civilly and as a governing force.

“The State of Israel must agree to take responsibility for Gaza,” Smotrich said, according to Olam Katan. “To conquer it completely, establish a military government there, establish Jewish settlement there, and afterward encourage the emigration of those who want to leave.” Smotrich also rejected the idea that an international force could be relied upon to disarm Hamas and take responsibility for Gaza in Israel’s place.

AFSI Insight
AFSI sees Smotrich’s call for full Israeli control of Gaza and renewed Jewish settlement as a serious recognition that Israel’s security cannot be entrusted to international bodies, Palestinian Police, Hamas, or other outside actors. After the October 7 massacre and years of terrorism from Gaza, AFSI has long argued that Israel must retain the security freedom necessary to prevent Gaza from again becoming a terrorist stronghold. Smotrich’s position also correctly recognizes the historic error of the 2005 Gaza disengagement and the danger of repeating it.

For AFSI, however, the essential question is what guarantees Israel’s long-term security: Hamas and other terror organzations in the Strip must be completely disarmed and eliminated as a military force. Civilains working with terrorists must also be completely disarmed and Israel must maintain enduring security control. Any discussion of Gaza’s future must begin with those requirements—not with pressure on Israel to withdraw before the terrorist threat has been removed.

Source:
Smotrich Calls for Full Israeli Control of Gaza and Renewed Jewish Settlement, by The News Desk/The Jewish Edition, August 17, 2026

Following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with US administration officials and members of the Board of Peace Monday, an Israeli political source said that “it was agreed that there would be no withdrawal without Hamas disarming.” In other words, the first condition for any future move in Gaza will be the disarmament of Hamas, effectively under US supervision rather than that of mediating countries such as Turkey and Qatar.

“Hamas will hand over its weapons for destruction under the supervision of US Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers,” the political source said. At the same time, “the IDF will be granted and will retain freedom of action to eliminate threats, including Nukhba terrorists,” referring to members of Hamas’ elite commando force. This differs from the Board of Peace’s initial document on the issue.

Earlier, Netanyahu met in Jerusalem with US presidential adviser Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Board of Peace High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov. The sides discussed a practical framework for governing the Gaza Strip and disarming Hamas. It was agreed in the meeting that the Board of Peace would carry out sanitation and public health work throughout the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu reiterated that as long as Hamas’ weapons had not been destroyed, the Israel Defense Forces would remain along the Yellow Line and defend Israel from there.

AFSI Insight
AFSI sees this latest agreement as another statement of what should have been obvious all along: Hamas must be disarmed before Israel withdraws from Gaza. The problem is that this has been discussed repeatedly, while Hamas remains armed and capable of threatening Israel. AFSI believes there must be action—not more promises or diplomatic formulas. No IDF withdrawal should take place until all Hamas’s weapons, terror infrastructure, and military capability have been verifiably eliminated.

Source:
Israel, US agree Hamas must disarm before IDF withdraws from Gaza, by Shirit Avitan Cohen/Israel Hayom, August 17, 2026

Following the refusal of many fighters of the Golani fifty-first battalion to act against settlers in Qusra, the battalion will be replaced on Sunday by the Sayeret Haruv special force, which is being deployed to the area, community activist Elisha Yared reported Saturday night.

The “settler violence” campaign has found its latest cause célèbre last week in the Arab village of Qusra, south of Shechem, and this time, even US Ambassador Mike Huckabee appears to have been taken in by the narrative.

Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir refused to be disheartened, writes Yared, noting, “At the end of last week, the 51st Battalion of the Golani Brigade was deployed for an operation against settlers on two hills in Samaria, just before it was supposed to cross into Lebanon.

“The decision to use the fighters as a police force against Jews sparked severe criticism within the battalion, and dozens of soldiers informed their commanders that they would not take part in such an operation that contradicts the basic values ​​they were raised on.”

AFSI Insight
AFSI sees this as a troubling test of Israel’s priorities. IDF soldiers should be defending Israel and fighting its enemies—not being diverted into a police force targeting Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. The reported refusal by Golani soldiers to participate in such an operation reflects a deeply held understanding that Jews living in their historic homeland should not be treated as the enemy.

At the same time, law and order must apply to everyone, and genuine violence should be dealt with appropriately. But AFSI strongly rejects the broader “settler violence” narrative when it is used to delegitimize Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria. The IDF’s primary mission must remain defending the Jewish state and protecting its citizens from terrorism—not enforcing policies that place Jewish residents in the crosshairs.

Source:
Golani Replaced after Refusing to Attack Jewish Settlers – Will Haruv Consent?, by David Israel/The Jewish Edition, August 16, 2026

Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the IDF to prepare a plan transferring civilian law-enforcement responsibilities involving Israeli communities and the Israeli population in Judea and Samaria to the Israel Police—a significant further step in separating ordinary Israeli civilian life in the region from the military framework.

Under the proposed arrangement, Israel Police would establish a dedicated force to handle civilian enforcement in Judea and Samaria and receive the necessary authorities and budgets. The IDF would concentrate more fully on security and counterterrorism.

On its face, this is a change in the division of responsibilities between the army and the police. In the broader context of recent government policy, however, it is also another practical step toward normalizing Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.

AFSI Insight
AFSI welcomes the move to transfer civilian enforcement in Judea and Samaria from the IDF to Israel Police as an important step toward normalizing Israeli sovereignty. Civilian matters should be handled by civilian authorities, allowing the IDF to concentrate on its primary mission of protecting Israel from security threats. AFSI views this as another practical step toward establishing Israel’s permanent sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.

Source:
Next Step To Sovereignty: Police to Replace IDF in Civilian Enforcement in Judea and Samaria, by The News Desk/The Jewish Edition, August 14, 2026

Twenty-one years after the Disengagement from the communities of northern Samaria and following a Cabinet decision led by Minister Bezalel Smotrich to legalize dozens of communities, families from the Ganim group arrived on the ground Thursday morning and reestablished the community.

Dozens of caravans have been placed at the site to house the families, as well as a branch of the Bnei David institutions established there.

Alongside the return to Ganim and the reestablishment of Homesh and Sa-Nur, the community of Kadim is also expected to be reestablished soon, completing the reversal of the disengagement from northern Samaria.

Minister Smotrich said Thursday morning, as the families returned to Ganim: “Twenty-one years after the terrible sin of the disengagement from Gush Katif and northern Samaria, we are finally erasing the disgrace of the expulsion from northern Samaria. This morning, we returned to Ganim, one of the four communities that were evacuated, with a wonderful community from the Bnei David institutions in Eli.”

AFSI Insight
The return of Jewish families to Ganim, 21 years after the disastrous 2005 Disengagement, is a historic correction. AFSI applauds these pioneers who are rebuilding where Jewish families were once forcibly uprooted.

The lesson is clear: disengagement brought neither peace nor security. Reestablishing Ganim—and ultimately all the communities of northern Samaria—strengthens Israel’s security and affirms the Jewish people’s historic connection to their homeland.

Ganim is back—and this time, it should be here to stay.

Source:
Historic moment: 21 years later, first families reestablish their homes in Ganim, by Israel National News, August 13, 2026

The Civil Administration’s Enforcement Unit carried out a large-scale enforcement operation in northern Samaria on Wednesday, demolishing dozens of illegal Palestinian structures located along roads and in areas near the towns of Ganim and Kadim.

The operation was conducted at the direction of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, ahead of the expected return of Israeli families to the area next week.

According to the Civil Administration, the enforcement campaign is part of the government’s policy to strengthen Israeli governance in Judea and Samaria and preparations to restore Jewish communities to northern Samaria in accordance with government decisions.

AFSI Insight
AFSI welcomes this important enforcement action in northern Samaria. The demolition of dozens of illegal Palestinian structures removes a growing threat to Israeli communities and roads and demonstrates that Israel must enforce its laws and maintain effective sovereignty throughout Judea and Samaria. Clearing illegal construction is an essential step toward restoring communities and strengthening Israel’s security presence in northern Samaria.

AFSI has long maintained that Jewish settlement is not the problem—it is an essential component of Israel’s security and future in the historic heartland of the Jewish people. This operation is a welcome indication that this government is prepared to act accordingly.

Source:
Dozens of illegal structures demolished in northern Samaria, by Hezki Baruch/Israel National News, August 12, 2026

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon told the Security Council on Tuesday that Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria would remain permanently, pushing back against mounting international criticism of Israeli construction beyond the pre-1967 Green Line.

“The Security Council must understand a simple truth: we are not going anywhere,” Danon told the council.

“Jewish communities will stay in Judea and Samaria,” Danon added. “Jewish communities are not temporary outposts, nor obstacles to peace.”

“They are permanent homes, thriving neighborhoods where families live. Judea and Samaria is where our people’s eternal connection to the Land of Israel began.”

Danon’s remarks came during an emergency Security Council meeting focused on tensions in Judea and Samaria, amid claims by UN officials of an upsurge in “settler violence.”

AFSI Insight
AFSI strongly welcomes Ambassador Danny Danon’s unequivocal message to the United Nations: Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are there to stay. These are not “temporary outposts” or obstacles to peace. They are thriving Jewish communities in the historic heartland of the Jewish people.

AFSI also applauds Danon for exposing the UN’s glaring double standard. While Palestinian terrorism and attacks against Israelis are too often treated as isolated incidents, any violence involving Jews, even in those instances where the violence is instigated by Arabs are routinely branded “settler violence” and used to condemn Israel collectively. Israel’s commitment to confronting violence by anyone should be matched by the UN’s willingness to confront Palestinian Arab terrorism with the same seriousness.

Judea and Samaria are not bargaining chips. Jewish communities have deep historical, religious, and strategic roots there, and AFSI agrees: they aren’t going anywhere.

Source:
Israel to UN: Jewish towns in Judea & Samaria ‘aren’t going anywhere’, by World Israel News Staff, August 12, 2026

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected reports of Israeli weakness or withdrawals on multiple fronts, declaring that Israel remains determined to protect its security interests and will not accept a Palestinian state in either Gaza or Judea and Samaria.

Speaking at the start of the Government meeting, Netanyahu said Iran has refrained from attacking Israel because it knows the consequences of doing so.

“You have surely noticed an interesting point: Iran attacks all the countries in the region, and even outside the region, but there is one country it does not attack – the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu said the comments came amid what he described as “a wave of rumors about Israeli weakness and Israeli withdrawals on all fronts.”

AFSI Insight
AFSI strongly supports Prime Minister Netanyahu’s unequivocal rejection of the 15-point Board of Peace proposal and his refusal to permit the creation of either a “Hamastan” or “Fatahstan.” Israel must not be pressured into accepting arrangements that would leave a terrorist organization—or the Palestinian Authority, whose leadership has failed to demonstrate a genuine commitment to Israel’s security—in control of Gaza or Judea and Samaria.

Most importantly, Netanyahu’s insistence that there will be no IDF withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely and completely disarmed reflects the fundamental lesson of October 7: Israeli security cannot be based on promises, paper agreements, or fictitious disarmament. Israel must retain the freedom and capability to eliminate threats wherever they emerge.

AFSI also welcomes Netanyahu’s clear declaration that a Palestinian state will not be established in Gaza or Judea and Samaria. After decades of failed diplomatic formulas and the continuing Palestinian commitment to terrorism and rejection of Israel, creating another hostile state next to Israel would endanger the Jewish state rather than bring peace. Israel’s security interests must remain non-negotiable—even when standing firm requires disagreeing with its closest allies.

Source:
‘No ‘Fatahstan’ nor ‘Hamastan”: Netanyahu rejects Trump’s Board of Peace 15-point plan, by Hezki Baruch/Israel National News, August 9, 2026

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), around 100 Israeli “settlers” raided four Palestinian communities, attacked residents with knife-tipped sticks, stole roughly 300 sheep, burned three tons of firewood, vandalized homes and vehicles, and injured six Palestinians.

According to military messages, radio communications, and field material reviewed by The Press Service of Israel (TPS-IL), the incident began when Palestinians from Halawa, one of the communities in Masafer Yatta, attacked a Jewish shepherd with rocks, injured him, and stole his flock. Israeli forces later searched the area and recovered the animals, according to a TPS-IL review of military communications.

Over several months, TPS-IL reviewed incidents listed by OCHA in its humanitarian reporting on Judea and Samaria between January and May 2026, comparing the UN agency’s descriptions with Israeli military accounts, public statements, local documentation, media reports, and interviews with Israeli researchers and activists.

AFSI Insight
This report exposes a serious flaw in the UN’s portrayal of violence in Judea and Samaria. OCHA’s broad definition of “settler violence” can include Palestinian attacks on Israelis, disputed incidents, and even nonviolent activity—while these cases are then used to create the misleading impression of widespread Jewish “settler violence.”

AFSI has long warned that international bodies frequently accept Palestinian claims at face value while minimizing or obscuring Palestinian aggression against Jews. The Masafer Yatta case is particularly troubling: an incident recorded by the UN as a large-scale “settler” attack was preceded, according to Israeli military communications reviewed by TPS-IL, by Palestinians attacking a Jewish shepherd and stealing his sheep.

The implications go well beyond statistics. These questionable figures are cited in international discussions about sanctions, diplomacy, and policy toward Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria. AFSI believes that distorted data must not be allowed to drive policies designed to delegitimize Jewish communities or undermine Israel’s rights in its historic homeland.

Bottom line: Before accepting UN statistics about “settler violence,” the underlying incidents, methodology, and competing accounts must be examined. Accuracy—not politically convenient narratives—should determine the international record.

Source
Special Report: UN Data Counts Palestinian Terror as ‘Settler Violence’, by Pesach Benson and Brett Goodman/TPS-IL, August 9, 2026

The most important task facing the Jewish community today is not simply responding to the crisis of the moment. It is building the generation that will be prepared to confront the crises of the future through our educational system.

Our mission is to cultivate a generation of fearless activists. An effective curriculum must treat civic involvement, grassroots advocacy, and direct action as a core component of learning.

Every year, the Jewish community must graduate thousands of young people who are prepared to lead, organize their communities, tell their stories, engage in political campaigns, and stand up against Jew hatred wherever they encounter it.

In this context, students must understand not only the history of the Jewish people, but also the factual record, civic tools, and moral clarity necessary to defend Israel and the US-Israel alliance in an increasingly hostile environment. The message to the young people ought to be: “Learn, lead, do. It’s up to you.”

AFSI Insight
AFSI strongly agrees with Daniel Rosen’s call to build a new generation of informed, confident Jewish activists. The Jewish community cannot remain in a perpetual state of reacting to anti-Israel attacks and antisemitic misinformation. We must educate young people to understand Jewish history, Israel’s rights, and the strategic importance of the U.S.-Israel alliance—and equip them to actively defend these truths.

For AFSI, that means going beyond classroom education. Young Jews need firsthand exposure to Israel, including Judea and Samaria, so they can see the realities on the ground and develop the knowledge and conviction to speak for Israel effectively. Education must lead to action: learn, visit, lead, and defend.

Source:
We Must Build the New Generation of Jewish Activists, by Daniel Rosen/The Algemeiner, August 7, 2026