Category: Articles

To the friend of Israel,

Senator Lindsey Graham-

We read with care your interview with The Jerusalem Post (Lindsey Graham to Post: Two-states- the ‘only’ solution” November 1, 2025), in which you argued that the only way to preserve Israel as both Jewish and democratic is separation from the Palestinian Arabs and the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state under new leadership that would offer the Palestinian Arabs a political horizon and different education for their children.

From your words, regrettably, Senator Graham, it seems you too do not see the reality or stand up to it. History teaches us one simple lesson: reconciliation with dictators is not true peace.

It is important to emphasize that not only is Israeli sovereignty not contrary to American interests, it is what fulfills them.

Source:
An Open Letter in Response to Senator Lindsey Graham, by Yehudit Katsover & Nadia Matar/Israel National News, November 9, 2025

It is still too early to fully assess or analyze the details of the draft proposal the United States has presented to several members of the UN Security Council as part of initial negotiations over the final wording of a potential international “stabilization force” for the Gaza Strip.

The original “20-point plan” presented by Trump used the term disarmament, while the draft proposal to the Security Council uses the term decommissioning—a softer and vaguer phrase that effectively means “taking out of use.” The practical meaning of this term is ambiguous and may allow Hamas to avoid surrendering its weapons—particularly small arms—to an external authority that would ensure the group no longer has access to them.

Another point of concern for Israel is the reliance on the United Nations as the source of authority for establishing the stabilization force and the Board of Peace. This could give the UN influence over the mandate language and the rules of engagement granted to the force.

Israeli officials fear a repeat of the UNIFIL experience in southern Lebanon, where international forces repeatedly failed to disarm Hezbollah. If this pattern repeats, the stabilization force could hinder Israel’s ability to achieve its key wartime objectives: ensuring that Hamas no longer poses a threat and preventing the group from rebuilding its military capabilities and infrastructure.

On a positive note, the resolution dedicates several articles to international support for Gaza and even calls on world nations to support the Strip’s rehabilitation financially. However, UNRWA is not included among the organizations meant to rehabilitate Gaza, and the resolution makes clear that any organization whose personnel cooperate with terrorism will be removed.

This proposal is not yet finalized; however, Israel’s apprehension is certainly warranted given the potential for this proposal to mirror the UNIFIL disaster. The exclusion of UNRWA from the “stabilization force” is a significant positive aspect. Thus, we remain in a state of anticipation.

Sources:
Disarm or decommission? Israel worried about weak US Gaza draft, tracks Hezbollah buildup, by Ron Be-Yishai/Ynetnews, November 5, 2025

UN excludes UNRWA from Gaza plan for cooperating with terrorism, by Ariel Kahana/Israel Hayom, November 6, 2025

A U.N. probe into its staffers’ involvement in the Oct. 7 attack against Israel dismissed key intelligence—including intercepted audio recordings and cell phone data—that connected those staffers to Hamas, a Washington Free Beacon review of confidential U.N. documents found.

Investigators with the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services looked into 19 UNRWA employees’ ties to Hamas based on Israeli intelligence and produced a report, which the United Nations has not released publicly and which the Free Beacon reviewed. It portrays the intelligence as likely authentic yet deems it “insufficient” to support the firings of 10 UNRWA staffers. This was the case with an alleged “Hamas platoon commander” and a second “Hamas operative,” both of whom Israel identified through intercepted phone calls and text messages.

The report includes multiple instances in which the United Nations waved off Israeli intelligence with few—if any—attempts to corroborate the evidence, undermining the United Nations’ announcement and its attempts to play down the relationship between UNRWA and Hamas.

It is evident that the United Nations is corrupt and requires a comprehensive investigation and accountability. The pressing question is, who can be relied upon to carry out an impartial inquiry while also “cleaning house” at the UN?

Source:
How the UN Tossed Out Israeli Intel To Downplay UNRWA’s Ties to Hamas, by Adam Kredo/The Washington Free Beacon, November 3, 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday downplayed US influence over Israel’s policies in the Gaza Strip, marking the second time in a row he has addressed the issue at a government meeting.

Speaking at the opening of the weekly meeting, Netanyahu said that Israel retained the right to strike at terrorist forces in Gaza whenever a risk to Israeli security personnel is detected.

The Israeli premier emphasized that, in contrast to accusations and a growing popular perception, the US does not determine Israel’s military policy in Gaza.

“We report to our American friends; we do not ask for their permission. This must be understood because I hear things that are simply incorrect. We maintain the supreme security responsibility, and we will not relinquish it.”

As we see Hamas and Hezbollah regrouping and rearming the Prime Minister maintains that Israel alone has the prerogative to use military might to maintain security. We look forward to seeing him exercise said right as needed.

Source:
Israel, not US, has ‘supreme security’ control over Gaza – Netanyahu, by David Rosenberg/World Israel News, November 2, 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled a major shift in military doctrine Monday, one which would require a larger standing army.

The prime minister addressed a conference of the Forum of Senior IDF Reserve Commanders and said that the multi-front war which began on October 7th, 2023 – including hostilities in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran – has forced Israel to reconsider the military paradigm of the preceding generation.

“We not only changed the Middle East, we also changed ourselves,” Netanyahu said.

The IDF, he continued, can no longer react to developments in the field and instead must take the “initiative.”

“There is no more containment. There is initiative and around-the-clock activity. And we are doing that because we know who you are, and we know what an amazing military we have. Not only the regular force – with everybody calling this ‘the TikTok generation’, and it’s obvious by now that that’s not the case – but our reserve force which mobilized again, contrary to everything that the enemy expected. They were wrong – wrong about us, wrong about you.”

Netanyahu emphasized that to confront new challenges, the Israeli military must expand both its regular, active-duty forces and its reserves. It is a hard truth, but one that must be faced and dealt with promptly.

Source:
‘No more containment’ – Netanyahu announces major shift in IDF doctrine, by World Israel News Staff, November 3, 2025

This week, the Regavim Movement, which acts to prevent illegal seizure of state land, in collaboration with the Gush Etzion Regional Council, petitioned the court for an injunction to halt construction of a multi-story building in the village of Walaja, south of Jerusalem, which is being erected without permits or authorization.

The massive project is on a site adjacent to the Jewish community of Har Gilo, near the security barrier in the northern Gush Etzion section of the Jerusalem Envelope. The development resembles the infamous Holyland Project in Jerusalem’s Malha neighborhood: Two 12 story towers, connected by an additional 4 story building, totaling 8,472 square meters.

Yaron Rosenthal, Head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, added: “The structure, located just 200 meters from Har Gilo and the security barrier, rises to a great height and poses a security threat to the surrounding region. We will not tolerate such rampant construction that endangers the safety of residents and all those traveling on our roads. I call on the authorities to act swiftly against the structure – and the hundreds of additional illegal structures spilling over from the boundaries of Walaja into the open areas of Gush Etzion.”

The Holyland project is a scar on the city of Jerusalem and should never have been permitted to proceed. This new project must be halted in its tracks before it does further damage to our eternal capital.

Source:
Regavim petition: Massive illegal building project in Walaja, by Israel National News, October 31, 2025

At “The Future of Judea and Samaria” conference, co-sponsored by American Friends of Judea & Samaria and the Jewish News Syndicate, Knesset member Simcha Rothman delivered an address emphasizing the urgency of asserting Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.

Rothman described the moment as both “dangerous and full of opportunity,” citing growing attention to the future of the biblical homeland of the Jewish people, including discussions within Congress and circles close to U.S. President Donald Trump.

He warned that competing political agendas make the current period pivotal, asserting that decisions made “in the next few weeks and months” will shape not only Israel’s future but international affairs.

“This is the time to make sure the world knows this is our land,” Rothman said, stressing the link between the land’s biblical roots and Israel’s national identity.

“I’m a big believer in the ideology of ‘America First,’ but also ‘Israel First.’ President Trump must understand that sovereignty is a matter of ‘Israel First,’” Rothman told JNS.

Numerous countries are participating in the initiative to establish peace in the Middle East. They are eager to preserve the extremely delicate ceasefire while minimizing the breaches perpetrated by Hamas. This is their viewpoint while terrorists persist in carrying out acts of terror and continues to wound and kill Israeli soldiers. The IDF remains vigilant in preventing planned orchestrated terror attacks but cannot contain them all.especially after the immense prisoner release in return for the hostages. Sovereignty over Judea and Samaria is far from implementation. It is imperative to make this declaration and act on it before the phrase “Israel first” transforms into “Israel last.”

Source:
MK Rothman: ‘Now is the time to secure sovereignty in Judea and Samaria’, by David Isaac/JNS, October 30, 2025

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday banned International Red Cross representatives from visiting Palestinian terrorists in Israeli prisons. Critics of the Red Cross say the visits facilitate the Palestinian Authority’s controversial “pay for slay” salaries distributed to security prisoners.

“The opinions presented to me indicate without a doubt that this would constitute a serious harm to state security,” Katz said.

Itamar Marcus, director of Palestinian Media Watch, told The Press Service of Israel that the visits enable prisoners to fill out and sign paperwork necessary for the Palestinian Authority to begin making the payments.

“The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence.” — ICRC Mission Statement

Israel is fully justified in banning the ICRC from visiting Palestinian terrorist in Israeli prisons. Throughout the two-year hostage crisis in Israel, the International Committee of the Red Cross refrained from seeking access to the hostages. They did not call for medical examinations, failed to send verification teams, and made no public announcements. It is evident that their actions were an effort to appease terrorism, thereby compromising their core mission.

Source:
Israel Blocks Red Cross Visits to Prisons That Enable ‘Pay for Slay’ Salaries to Terrorists, Pesach Benson/TPS-IL, October 29, 2025

Construction is set to begin in the coming weeks on the first two sections of an upgraded security barrier along Israel’s border with Jordan, the Defense Ministry announced on Thursday.

“Looking ahead to the emerging threats, we must act with a sense of urgency and strengthen the strategic grip on the eastern border,” said Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amir Baram, the Defense Ministry’s Director General. “This is not just a physical obstacle, but a complete multi-layered system that will include the deployment of flexible and mobile forces, adapted to the topography and changing threats. This is alongside encouraging Zionist-security settlement and investment in security-civilian infrastructure.”

Israel’s border with Jordan, the country’s longest, has seen a surge in weapons smuggling as Iranian operatives attempt to deliver arms to Palestinian terror groups via the Jordan Valley, due to its proximity to Syria and Lebanon.

Proactive strategies for enhancing security should continue to be a top priority on Israel’s defense agenda.

Source:
Israel Greenlights Initial Work on Jordan Valley Security Fence, by Pesach Benson/TPS-IL, October 30, 2025

At the start of the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed claims regarding American involvement in Israel’s security policy.

“Over the past month, we have been witnessing ridiculous claims regarding the relationship between the United States and Israel. When I was in Washington, it was said there that I control the American administration, that I dictate its security policy to it. Now, the opposite is being claimed – the American administration controls me and dictates Israel’s security policy. Neither of these is true,” the Prime Minister insisted.

Later in his remarks, the Prime Minister discussed recent military actions: “But I want to make one thing crystal clear: Our security policy is in our own hands. We are not prepared to tolerate attacks against us. We respond according to our own judgment against attacks, as we saw in Lebanon and most recently in Gaza. We dropped 150 tons on Hamas and the terrorist elements after the attack on our two soldiers. And of course, we also thwart dangers as they are being formed, before they are carried out, as we did just yesterday in the Gaza Strip.”

Netanyahu asserts that Israel does not need any form of authorization and that state security is under Israel’s management. Therefore, the choice to assert sovereignty over Judea and Samaria is exclusively Israel’s responsibility. This declaration of sovereignty is essential for enhancing Israel’s security and must be executed IMMEDIATELY.

Source:
Netanyahu: ‘Israel controls its own security, not the US’, by Israel National News, October 26, 2025