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Residents of Israeli communities along the Gaza border are essentially being held hostage by security measures implemented to keep them safe in the face of rising tensions with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist organization.

The IDF reinforced its Gaza Division with 100 reserve troops who were called up Tuesday, along with three active duty companies, to help implement the security measures. This was in response to threats by PIJ to attack Israel in retaliation for the Monday night arrest of Bassam al-Saadi, the group’s local commander in Jenin, and his son-in-law and aide, Ashraf al-Jada.

A closure has been imposed on Gaza Envelope communities — no one in, and no one out during daylight hours – while roads in the area, including some main highways, are likewise shut down to traffic. Kibbutzim Nahal Oz, Netiv Ha’Asara and Kerem Shalom have been blockaded entirely, although some of the other communities have alternative exit routes. Soldiers used massive shipping containers to blockade the roads, hoping to prevent a terrorist attack (photo above). Train service has been suspended between Ashkelon and Sderot, and between Ashkelon and Netivot. Several bus lines have been suspended as well and Zikim beach is closed. The alert is, for the time being, expected to continue on Friday.

The PIJ’s threats against Israelis are real and being taken very seriously. Residents now live with a measure of uncertainty and the summer programs for children have been moved to bomb shelters. Despite residents being under a “hostage” type scenario, they are mostly supportive of the security reinforcement measures the IDF has placed upon them. We pray that this ends soon with no confrontations or escalation of terror attacks.

Sources:
Israel Mulls Next Step as Tensions Continue, Gaza Envelope Residents Held Hostage by Safety Measures, by Hana Levi Julian/Jewish Press, August 4, 2022

With the focus on Iran, the West Bank simmers in the background, by Dr. Eric R. Mandel/JNS, August 3, 2022

The Palestinian Authority has commandeered another archeological site in Samaria and has converted it into a “Palestinian National Archaeological Park,” the latest in a series of Israeli heritage sites in the area lost to the PA.

The PA is continuing to destroy Tel Aroma, a Hasmonean-era fortress in Samaria which it seized in February 2020 and converted it into “a Palestinian tourist site,” as part of its campaign to seize Jewish heritage sites and transform them into “Palestinian sites” while systematically demolishing archaeological findings.

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, stated Wednesday that “in recent years, we have witnessed a new type of terrorism whose goal is to harm Jewish history in Samaria. The Palestinian Authority is working to destroy any historical evidence that Samaria, along with the entire Land of Israel, belongs to the people of Israel.”

Dagan also stated that no other country in the world would allow the history of its people to be obliterated this way. Israel’s inaction on this critical issue shows its weakness and only scores wins for the PA. Israel needs to act now and start exercising its legal rights and governing all of Israel.

Source:
PA destroys Hasmonean fortress, declares area ‘Palestinian national archaeological park’, by Aryeh Savir/TPS, August 3, 2022

Jewish activists announced their purchase of a three-story Palestinian building in Hebron near the Tomb of the Patriarchs on Sunday. This is the second such publication of a property acquisition this year. The building has been named “House of Liberty.”

The PA prohibits the sale of property to Jews and deems it to be a criminal activity punishable by imprisonment. Yishai Fleisher, International Spokesperson For the Jewish community of Hebron assures us that the Arab seller of the property is safe.

The move is part of a long-term campaign by Hebron’s Jewish community and its supporters to expand its property holding in the section of the city under IDF military control.

This particular building is located in Hebron’s Old Town, which the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization inscribed on its World Heritage in Danger list and registered it under the name of the “State of Palestine.”

This is the power that Zionist activism produced and we fervently hope that this new building will lead to a continuous and expanding Jewish presence in Hebron.

Source:
Israeli settlers purchase Hebron home from Palestinian owner, by Tovah Lazaroff/Jerusalem Post, July 31, 2022

The Palestinian Authority has recently doubled the monthly stipend of one terrorist imprisoned in Israel, and given a significant increase to four others, part of its controversial conduct of paying terrorist and their families. Four terrorists who carried out a series of bombings in Jerusalem 20 years ago recently received a 14.29% raise in their stipends.

Israel’s security cabinet decided on Sunday to offset about NIS 600 million from the tax money that Israel collects on behalf of the PA and freeze it. This is the same amount that the PA transferred in 2021 to terrorists imprisoned in Israel and to their families. The funds will be offset in 12 segments, NIS 50 million a month.

The PA’s policy of “pay to slay” has been widely condemned. Many countries – Canada, the US, Australia, and Holland have halted direct aid to the PA until their policy is completely abolished. However, this does not appear to be an incentive for the PA to stop destroying Israel. Prioritizing terror over the welfare of its people, the PA has vowed to proceed with the policy it claims is a form of welfare.

It appears that terrorists may be the only ones keeping up with inflation!

Sources:
PA Doubles Salaries to Terrorists Who Murdered 12 People in Hebrew U and Halamish, by Aryeh Savir/Tazpit News Agency, August 1, 2022

Israel deducts NIS 600m from tax transfers to PA over terror funding, by Aryeh Savir/Tazpit News Agency, August 1, 2022

Politicians protested in real time to no avail the IDF’s confiscation two hours before the Sabbath of the Homesh Yeshiva’s solar panels, leaving the community without electricity on one of the hottest weekends of the year.

Former Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud), head of the “Homesh First” lobby in parliament, blasted Defense Minister Benny Gantz, “who sent the forces” to take the panels that would leave the students in darkness. “I strongly condemn any harm to the Jewish settlement, of course, but one thing does not give me rest – why does Benny Gantz always send troops just before Shabbat? Where does this obtuseness and disregard for the sanctity of the Sabbath come from?”

The violence against Jews in this area continues to increase and they remain largely unprotected by their own government. Along comes Benny Gantz who always sees fit to send troops to torment Homesh just before Shabbat. This is intentional harassment and only ends up rewarding terrorism. Maybe he really doesn’t get it or maybe he wants them to get it where it really hurts.

Source:
Outrage as gov’t shuts down electricity for yeshiva ahead of boiling-hot Sabbath, by Batya Jerenberg/World Israel News, July 31, 2022

The community of Mitzpe Kramim received a huge win yesterday that ends a 17-year old battle. The immediate result of the Supreme Court’s ruling is that the 54 families of Mitzpe Kramim will not be forced to leave their homes. This reversal has the potential to serve as a domino effect for other communities in Judea and Samaria.

In a 4 to 3 decision the ruling determined: A real estate transaction made in good faith between the agency in charge of government-owned and abandoned property in Judea and Samaria and a buyer of any property that the agency considered at the time of the transaction to be government property, will not be disqualified even if it is proven that the property was not government-owned at that time. This applies only within the boundaries of the existing “settlement,” and while providing adequate compensation to the registered owners or to anyone who proves their ownership.

it should be noted that Arab “ownership” is primarily the result of land grants by Jordan. We challenge anyone to show that Jordan had any legal authority to make those grants under any international or other law. Should grants made with no legal authority be recognized at all?

In any event, established in 1999, Mitzpe Kramim is located on a mountain ridge overlooking the Jordan Valley in the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. The ruling ends the nightmare that began in 2005 by Ariel Sharon, who used Attorney Talia Sasson to viscously attack the entire “settlement” enterprise. Sasson vigilantly and meticulously mapped every single spot where existing Jewish homes may have extended into Arab-owned territory and condemned all of them to demolition via court orders.

David Israel points out in his Jewish Press article that there may be even better news resulting from this week’s ruling: what worked for Mitzpe Kramim should work for an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 other Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria. Wherever Jews in Judea and Samaria can make the case that they purchased the land or it was given to them in good faith, believing it was not the private property of some local Arab, those homes will be safe.

This is amazing news and we hope it is the catalyst needed in Judea and Samaria to help protect the legal rights of the Jewish communities there. It also favorable that the judge in this case, Justice Noam Solberg, is a conservative – just saying. It should not be underestimated how badly the left-wing of the Supreme Court has hurt development in Judea and Samaria. We pray the tide is starting to turn.

Source:
Supreme Court Regains Sanity Sparing Thousands of Jewish Settlers from Uprooting, by David Israel/Jewish Press, July 28, 2022

Arab vandals caused extensive damage to the Ancient Samaria heritage site in Tel Sebastia over the weekend, setting fire to parts of it and scrawling graffiti in Arabic on the ancient building stones.

Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan said, “time after time, the Palestinian Authority (PA) barbarically destroys historical and heritage sites in Judea and Samaria, and each time a new red line is crossed. “…the government is abandoning the most important heritage sites of the Jewish people. This is an attack on Israel’s heritage. It is not possible that in the heart of the country, our history will be trampled and erased,” he said.

The phenomenon of antiquity destruction is pervasive and affects all sites that are not under preservation, and a survey of the sites in Judea and Samaria shows that a staggering 95% of the archeological sites have been robbed, vandalized, or disturbed.

Israeli officials must act now to put a stop to this and protect those sites currently not under preservation. The PA’s destruction, vandalization and robberies of these heritage sites are nothing short of another tool in their arsenal of terrorism against Israel.

Source:
Arabs vandalize archaeological site of Samaria’s ancient capital, by Aryeh Savir, TPS/ World Israel News, July 27, 2022

In a renewed petition submitted to Israel’s Supreme Court of Justice, Regavim calls for changes in Civil Administration procedures that automatically freeze enforcement against thousands of illegal structures in Area C.

“The Civil Administration, which is responsible for enforcing the law in Judea and Samaria, has inexplicably expanded a loophole in the Jordanian law that is in force in this area, enabling illegal construction on a massive scale,” says Attorney Boaz Arzi of Regavim’s Legal Division. He adds “There’s a battle raging on the ground for control of Area C, and the Civil Administration’s illegal procedural protocols are aiding and abetting the Palestinian Authority’s takeover.”

Source:
Watchdog demands Supreme Court close loophole protecting illegal construction, by Israel National News, July 27, 2022

Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Thursday told The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg at the Aspen Security Forum that he is “Happy that I blocked the threat of annexation of Judea and Samaria.” Or, as Jerusalem Post Deputy Managing Editor Tova Lazaroff quipped: “Because the Right wasn’t angry enough with him.”

Gantz said that unfortunate line in the context of applying the success of the Abraham Accords to the PA issue when he reiterated: “I believe that we can leverage the Abraham Accords and ties with regional partners to strengthen the Palestinian Authority and promote confidence-building measures. From a Jewish, Zionist, and democratic perspective, I would like to see a better future between us and the Palestinians and that includes separating from the Palestinians.”

If Gantz’s vision includes separating from the Arab Palestinians then who is he expecting to take control over all of Judea and Samaria? Gantz is using the success of the Abraham Accords in an attempt to con the Israelis into believing that his vision will bring a better future for both sides. What he is actually doing is playing political poker with the one thing that will strengthen Israel. The truth is in front of him and it’s called the application of sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. SOVEREIGNTY IS THE ANSWER!

Source:
Gantz ‘Happy’ He Sabotaged Israeli Sovereignty in Judea & Samaria, by David Israel/Jewish Press, July 22, 2022

Iran’s chief of the country’s Atomic Energy Organization announced on Monday that it will refuse to turn back on 27 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cameras until the 2015 nuclear deal is restored.

A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry warned the IAEA on Monday that the country’s nuclear program was “galloping ahead” and there was little the atomic agency could do to verify what was occurring.

The Islamic Republic in Iran continues to act in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and nuclear deal and world leaders are still asleep as they push to get Islamics back to the negotiating table. The Islamic Republic in Iran are only there to seek the plane loads of cash and many other financial rewards it received after the first signing. Now that they cannot be monitored by camera, the threat to the world cannot be underestimated. Their evil has made the world that much more of a dangerous place – for everyone. We remain firm on our position that the perilous talks with Iran be cancelled immediately. Even if they are scrapped, this still leaves the threat of Iran on the table and it’s something Israel must contend with.

Source:
Iran removes 27 IAEA cameras until nuclear deal restored, by Israel National News, July 25, 2022