Category: Articles

After all these years can we believe this?

After a 20-year diplomatic crisis between the two countries, Israel and Turkey announced a full restoration of diplomatic ties on Wednesday. This news followed a recent phone conversation between Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Lapid hailed the development as “an important asset for regional stability and very important economic news for the citizens of Israel,” adding, “We will continue to strengthen Israel’s standing in the world.”

Ariel Kahana writes in Israel Hayom today: If past is prologue, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can be expected to continue with his outbursts. His hatred of Jews was passed on through his mother’s milk and his capricious demeanor has only gotten worse over the years. Israeli leaders are well aware of this, and a senior Israeli official told Israel Hayom that if Erdogan turns on Israel, it would know how to respond in kind. “Just like diplomatic ties were upgraded, so too could they be downgraded if needed. But if we can now reconcile, then why not?” the Israeli official added.

POOF!! Just like that – are we supposed to believe that Turkey will reverse course and stop hating Israel? Does this agreement really signal the end of the 20-year diplomatic crisis between the two countries?

P.S. Refer back to the title of this article: What Goes Up Could Go Down. Just saying.

Sources:
Senior official: If Erdogan reverts to anti-Israel posture, Jerusalem will respond in kind, by Ariel Kahana/Israel Hayom, August 18, 2022

Israel and Turkey to restore ambassadors in full renewal of diplomatic ties, by Ash Obel/Times of Israel, August 17, 2022

A group of Haredi yeshiva students and families established a new community on Sunday in eastern Gush Etzion near Metzad. The new community is called “Derech Emuna” (Path of Faith), after the title of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky’s book.

Within two and a half hours the community built 15 buildings including a shul and a yeshiva. So far, 11 families have moved in.

Activist Tzvi Succot pointed out that this is the first time ultra-Orthodox “settlers” have established such a community. The goal was to increase consciousness within the Haredi community of the religious commandment of settling the land. It also demonstrates that the housing crisis in the community could be resolved through housing construction in Judea and Samaria.

The realization of the Zionist dream was intended to be inclusive of all Jews, not just a specific segment of the Jewish people. The more that the entire spectrum of the Jewish population in Israel awakens to the Zionist dream, the more the land will be built up. The more the land is built up the stronger Am Yisrael will be.

Sources:
New Ultra-Orthodox Settlement in Gush Etzion, by Jewish Press News Desk, August 16, 2022

Ultra-Orthodox activists establish illegal settlement outpost in southern West Bank, by Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel, August 16, 2022

Former US president Donald Trump authorized then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex parts of Judea and Samaria, in a letter obtained exclusively by The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.

In a three-page letter dated January 26, 2020, two days before Trump presented his Vision for Peace in the White House, the president summarized some of its details. These included that Israel would be able to extend sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria, as delineated in the map included in the plan if Netanyahu agreed to a Palestinian state in the remaining territory on that map.

“We will also work to create a contiguous territory within the future Palestinian state for when the conditions for statehood are met, including the firm rejection of terrorism,” Trump said. AFSI does not support any vision for a Palestinian state.

A Trump administration source closely involved with the president’s letter said that “it was a key part of Israel’s acceptance of the Vision for Peace as the framework for negotiations [with the Palestinians] for America to accept sovereignty up front, as per the mapping process and the plan, and for all the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley to be included.

We are grateful for President Trump’s enormous support for Israel and wonder what would have transpired if this plan had been executed. To hear that sovereignty was close to fruition is music to our ears. However, even though Trump’s plan set conditions for PA statehood being met, including the firm rejection of terrorism, AFSI’s position does not accept a PA state. With the PA perpetually refusing to accept Israel’s right to exist and putting a complete stop to terrorism against Israel, it seems not too much would have changed under Trump’s plan.

It is our belief that there must be many more Jewish neighborhoods (“settlements”) in Judea and Samaria and that the Arabs must immediately be stopped from all illegal activity including building and demolition in areas designated under the (failed) Oslo Accords for Jews. Of course, to take it one step further we believe that the PA would be unable to govern a state and it would soon be controlled by Hamas or another Iranian terror proxy.

Source:
Trump letter authorized Israeli sovereignty in West Bank – exclusive, by Lahav Harkov/Jerusalem Post, August 15, 2022

Jerusalem was the scene of a violent attack very early on Sunday morning when a gunman opened fire on a bus outside the Old City. A 26-year-old Palestinian, Amir Sidawi, later turned himself in to police.

Eight people were injured and three people were reported in serious condition. We pray for their speedy recovery.

Amir Sidawi, the 26-year-old terrorist who carried out the terror shooting near Jerusalem’s Old City overnight Sunday which wounded eight people, had a lengthy criminal record and has served time in prison before, according to police records. He is believed to have acted alone, was suspected of murder in the past but was eventually convicted of grievous bodily harm in 2015 and sentenced to eight years in prison, of which he served five.

In August 2020, he was released from Hermon prison as part of an administrative release, after the parole board found that he underwent treatment that included, among other things, anger management workshops. Undergoing treatment for things like anger management just doesn’t cut it. The one thing he never underwent was treatment and detoxing from Israel hatred.

Source:
Jerusalem shooter had a long history of violence, police records show, by Ynet Reporters/Ynetnews.com, August 14, 2022

In a recent radio interview, Member of Knesset Orit Strock expresses the fear that the Israeli Supreme Court will give the order to demolish the Homesh yeshiva during the interim period before the elections. In the attempt to prevent that, she sent a letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice Esther Hayut demanding that she refrain from issuing an eviction order for Homesh while Israel is being led by a caretaker government only. The letter was also signed by dozens of MKs, including four faction leaders.

Strock discusses her intention to continue to promote the bill that would cancel the Disengagement Law (2005) that ordered the evacuation of four Jewish communities in Area C in the Jenin region of northern Samaria at the same time as all Jewish communities were removed from Gaza. The bill was in process already under the last Netanyahu government and passed the preliminary reading with a large majority, with 70 MKs in favor. According to Strock, “the law got stuck only because a horrible government was set up with Ra’am and the left wing. We intend to promote it again after the elections.”

No decision on Homesh should be made while Israel’s is under an interim government. It’s leaders like MK Strock that give us hope that the right decision will be made.

Source:
MK Strock: Hope for Homesh after 17 years of repeated demolitions, by Michelle Eytan/Israel National News, August 15, 2022

A sizable force of Israel Police officers and the IDF Civil Administration raided the hilltop village of Ramat Migron in the Binyamin region last night, destroying the houses of three families, the synagogue that had been built there.

The residents claimed that the forces broke into the houses and confiscated the cell phones of the families without any reason or court order. One resident demanded that his cell phone be returned was threatened with arrest and warned: “One wrong move on your part and you will find yourself thrown on the floor and arrested.” The residents also testified that boys who live on the hill were beaten by the police and one of them was injured in the face and needed medical treatment in the field.

MK Itamar Ben Gvir criticized the government for what he called selective enforcement. “The extreme left-wing government of [Defense Minister Benny] Gantz, [Prime Minister Yair] Lapid and [Interior Minister Ayelet] Shaked continues to act in a racist and discriminatory way toward Jewish settlements.” Ben Gvir added that this “proves how much the government is disconnected and destructive to the state from within.”

The recently dissolved coalition and now the interim government’s obsession with destroying Jewish homes and traumatizing Jewish lives continues. This only increases the Zionist resolve of residents to build upon the Zionist dream. While the government is hurting its own, the PA’s illegal land grabs with the goal of building a state on Jewish owned land is still allowed to go unchecked.

Sources:
Civil Administration destroys Israeli village in Binyamin, by Israel National News, August 11, 2022

Security forces dismantle illegal West Bank outpost Ramat Migron, by Jeremy Sharon and Tobias Siegal/Times of Israel, August 11, 2022

The State submitted its response to the Supreme Court Wednesday evening on its position regarding the Samaria community of Homesh. In its response the State said that “the law is to evacuate” Homesh.

Atiya Dimentman, widow of Yehuda Dimentman, appealed to Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar to prevent Homesh from being destroyed again. Her letter reminds Sa’ar of the fact that it is close to the 17th anniversary the expulsion from Gush Katif and northern Samaria, and she also reminded the minister of his own words after her husband’s murder, in which he supported the regulation of Homesh, and also called for no reward for terrorism.

Yesterday, the leaders of the Knesset Land of Israel Lobby and the Homesh lobby sent a letter to Supreme Court President Esther Hayut demanding that the decision to evacuate Homesh be delayed until after the upcoming elections.

The MKs noted that a bill to save Homesh won a respectable majority in a preliminary vote in the Knesset before its dissolution and is expected to be voted on again and even passed into law by the Knesset that will convene after the elections. There is a significant chance that the victory of the right in the elections will bring about a significant change regarding the legal status of the yeshiva and the grounds for removing it.

Instead of looking to demolish Homesh, the State should be looking for ways to save it. We are grateful to the MKs involved for asking for a delay in the decision making process.

Sources:
State to Supreme Court: Homesh must be evacuated, no date set, by Israel National News, August 10, 2022

MKs ask Supreme Court to hold off on Homesh ruling until after election, by Israel National News, August 9, 2022

Terror victim’s widow: Don’t reward terrorism, build Homesh, by Israel National News, August 9, 2022

Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar toured the ‘Gush Ma’arava’ area in Samaria Wednesday and received an overview of the Palestinian Authority’s moves to illegally take over land in Area C.

He noted that under the framework of the approval of the state budget and the coalition agreements of the New Hope party, additional resources to strengthen enforcement against the rampant illegal construction have been approved but not yet been implemented.

“We need a national plan to safeguard the lands in Area C in Judea and Samaria, but also in the Galilee and Negev. There is a problem here that must be addressed as a national priority.”

Yes, there is a problem here and it will continue until Sovereignty over Judea and Samaria is applied. The Jews of the Negev and Galilee must receive funds to fight the illegal takeover there. Judea and Samaria should be governed by the same laws as the rest of the country and get the same help as other regions. Sovereignty IS the National Plan to safeguard Area C.

Source:
Sa’ar: National plan needed to protect land of Judea and Samaria, by Israel National News, August 10, 2022

As Israelis entered Shabbat, and with Tisha B’Av to follow, Israel became the target of relentless rocket attacks by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). What transpired in Israel over the last few days was not just terrorism, but a WAR with the endless Arab goal of eliminating Israel.

On the night of August 1, 2022, the Israeli security forces operating in the Jenin refugee camp detained Sheikh Bassem al-Sa’adi, a senior PIJ figure. The PIJ then threatened to launch anti-tank missiles and rockets into Israel. After a number of tense days in the Gaza Strip sector, on Friday, August 5, 2022, at 16:16, the IDF killed Tayseer al-Jaabari, a member of the PIJ’s military council and the Jerusalem Brigades commander.

On August 6, 2022, the IDF killed Khaled Mansour, a senior PIJ operative. In recent days he was occupied with planning to attack Israel with anti-tank missiles and rockets as a response to the detention of Bassem al-Sa’adi in Jenin. Two other PIJ commanders were killed with him, one being Ziyad al-Mudallal, the son of Ahmed al-Mudallal, a senior figure in the PIJ’s “political bureau.”

IDF spokesman Brigadier General Ran Kochav stated that the PIJ fired 1,100 rockets, 200 of which fell in the Gaza Strip and 900 rockets crossed into Israeli territory. Kochav made it clear that: “More Palestinians were killed by the Islamic Jihad’s failed shooting than by the IDF’s shooting.”

Thankfully, no Israeli lives were lost although a number of Israelis were wounded by shrapnel or fell while running to protected spaces. Property casualties include: a rocket hit a house in Sderot causing extensive damage. A rocket hit a factory in Sderot’s industrial zone, causing a fire that damaged the factory. A rocket that did not explode was found in a parking space near an Ashkelon apartment house causing extensive property damage.

As Israel reportedly agreed to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that would come to an end at 8:00pm yesterday, the PIJ expanded the range of its rocket fire – just 8 minutes after a ceasefire was called. This new barrage of rockets targeted cities in central Israel. The terms of the final ceasefire agreement left open the problem that led to the escalation – the release of PIJ prisoners.

Americans For A Safe Israel wishes a speedy return to normalcy for all those in Israel who have needlessly suffered another period of trauma. We wish a Refuah Shlema to all those who have been injured and strength and comfort for the families and friends, and especially the children who are vulnerable to PTSD. We pray for the Israel Defense Forces and all of the Jewish Nation State’s security agencies that are working vigorously to protect and defend Israel. As always we pray for peace and better days ahead for all of Am Yisrael. And, we make it clear that Israel has a right to self-defense. Problem?

Sources:
Israeli-Palestinian Islamic Jihad escalation in the Gaza Strip: Operation Breaking Dawn, by The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, August 8, 2022

Despite ceasefire talks, terrorists expanded range of rockets, by Lauren Marcus/World Israel News, August 7, 2022

Operation Breaking Dawn: A Closing Balance Sheet, by Udi Dekel, The Institute for National Security Studies, August 8, 2022

Israeli President Isaac Herzog this morning visited the town of Sderot and met with many local authority heads including Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi.

President Herzog began his remarks, saying: “I come here on behalf of the people of Israel to say thank you to you, and through you to all our citizens in the Gaza border area and in the town of Sderot. Without this region, there would be no State of Israel. You are the gateway to the State of Israel and you are the wall protecting the State of Israel.”

We know Herzog’s intention with this visit was to give support to the Sderot community after the last few days of relentless rocket attacks they sustained. However, let’s protect the State of Israel in a better way and declare Sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria. The residents of Sderot, resilient and determined as they are to stay in place, have endured being on the front lines of these attacks for far too long. Just because they stay does not mean they get used to being attacked. They should no longer have to serve as a shield that protects Israel. Sovereignty is the shield needed NOW!!

Source:
Pres. Herzog to local leaders in southern Israel: ‘Without you, there would be no Israel’, by Israel National News, August 8, 2022