Category: Articles

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has apparently slowed the approval process for construction projects in Judea and Samaria because of American pressure.

According to an Israel Hayom report today, Bennett has refused to let the Civil Administration Zoning Committee schedule a routine meeting for the approval of construction plans.

Delays in scheduling a meeting have gone on for over a month, the sources said. Those who spoke out on the matter are affiliated with the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. They alleged that this amounts to a de facto construction moratorium because no new plans can go forward without the committee’s go-ahead. “This is tantamount to complete capitulation to US dictates,” they said.

We cannot predict what Bennett’s strategy is here or if there is one at all. We do know that caving to pressure from the US is not exercising Israel’s Sovereignty over her legal right to build up Israel’s legally owned land in Judea and Samaria.

Source:
Report: Under pressure from US, Israel imposes de facto building freeze on Judea, Samaria, by Arutz Sheva Staff, July 21, 2021

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett appeared to walk back support for the Jewish right to freedom of worship on the Temple Mount Monday, a day after seemingly endorsing a change to long-standing Israeli policy.

On Sunday, the Prime Minister’s Office responded to Arab stone-throwing incidents on and around the Temple Mount and protests against Jewish visits to the holy site, saying that the government would continue to enable Jews to visit the site, protecting their right to “freedom of worship” on the Mount.

But a day later, the Prime Minister’s Office clarified its comments regarding Jewish visits to the Temple Mount, telling Galei Tzahal that the status quo remains in place, and that the government would only ensure the right to Jewish visitation of the Mount – not freedom of religion at the site. Bennett’s office clarified later that he meant “freedom of visit” for Jews and not freedom of worship.

Mansour Abbas, a member of the Islamist Ra’am party in the Knesset and a member of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s coalition, forcefully came out against the some 1,800 Jews who visited the Temple Mount on Sunday to mark the day of Tisha B’Av. “Al-Aqsa Mosque is a pure right of Muslims, and others have no right to it,” Abbas stated in Arabic.

Is Bennett caving to the Ra’am party? We hope not. There is no law against Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount and AFSI is disappointed in Bennett’s about face even though he later issued a clarification. Prayer on the Temple Mount is a sacred right of the Jewish people.

Sources:
Islamist Member of Bennett’s Coalition Says Kotel Belongs to Muslims, by Aryeh Savir/TPS, July 19, 2021

Jewish Prayer on Temple Mount: Bennett walks back Jewish freedom of worship on Temple Mount, by Arutz Sheva Staff, July 19, 2021

Following Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s announcement on Sunday that a formal request has been made to postpone the evacuation of the Bedouin town of Khan Al Ahmar, the Regavim movement is calling upon Prime Minister Bennett: “Pull yourself together and demonstrate who is really the head of this government. Evacuate Khan al Ahmar today.”

“Did someone say, ‘government of change?’” Regavim said in a statement.

“In all of its recent campaigns, the Yamina Party and Prime Minister Bennett explained that Netanyahu had to be replaced in order to fight the Palestinian Authority’s takeover of Area C, to stop the loss of state land in the Negev to Bedouin squatters, to restore the rule of law to the Galilee, the Negev and Israel’s mixed cities – and yes, to evacuate the illegal outpost known as Khan Al Ahmar.”

“Bennett, it’s time to come to your senses and demonstrate that you are actually Prime Minister. Evacuate Khan Al Ahmar today,” stated Regavim.

Photo courtesy of Regavim

Source:
Regavim to Bennett: Pull yourself together, evacuate Khan Al Ahmar today, by Arutz Sheva Staff, July 19, 2021

The Sovereignty Movement on Wednesday endorsed the legislative initiative promoted by Likud MKs Miki Zohar and Nir Barkat which would call for the application of sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. It would also prevent the establishments of foreign consulates for the Palestinian Authority in eastern Jerusalem.

Arutz Sheva reports that the Likud party is expected to promote the law next week, after years of refusing to promote such a move while in power, in order to embarrass the government of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. It’s expected that the Ministerial Committee on Legislation will reject the bill, but MK Zohar still plans to put it to a vote in the Knesset plenum to oblige MKs from the coalition, including those from the right-wing factions Yamina and New Hope, to vote against the application of sovereignty.

The Sovereignty Movement’s Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar stated: “The steps taken by MKs Zohar and Barkat are important for bolstering Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and for curbing international attempts to erode Israeli governability in its eternal capital.” However, they add that “alongside the significance of these steps, one must ensure and guarantee that Jerusalem and sovereignty are not transformed into pawns in political games.”

Sources:
New Likud sovereignty bill gets backing of Sovereignty Movement, by Arutz Sheva Staff, July 14, 2021

Likud pushes sovereignty bill to embarrass Bennett, by Arutz Sheva Staff, July 13, 2021

Earlier this week AFSI reported on the deteriorating condition of the Mughrabi Bridge. Tisha B’Av is this weekend and concerns continue to grow in light of the thousands of worshipers expected at the Kotel.

The temporary wooden bridge leading from the Kotel plaza to the Temple Mount is on the verge of collapsing, and the government must intervene immediately to avert a mass casualty tragedy, a senior Jerusalem city official warned Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Fleur Hassan Nahoum, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, sent a letter to Bennett earlier this month warning that the Mughrabi Bridge, the only access point for non-Muslims to the Temple Mount, is in a dangerous and dilapidated state. She stated that the authorities’ warnings for the past 17 years have gone unheeded. “Despite the danger, despite the warnings, nothing has been done so far and thousands of worshipers may be injured as a result of the collapse of the bridge.”

Previous attempts to renovate the bridge were met with Jordan’s opposition and Muslim riots. The National Security Council has stated that “this is a complex political issue, which is currently being examined in depth by the relevant bodies. At the end of the examination, the National Security Council’s recommendation will be transferred to the political level.”

It’s been 17 years with no resolution to this now critical issue. Tisha B’Av is approaching and Israel does not want a repeat of the Meron tragedy. We pray that the authorities will intensify their examinations of the issue and come to a swift decision on how to fix the Mughrabi Bridge.

Source:
Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Warns Bennett of Pending Disaster at Western Wall, by Aryeh Savir, Tazpit News Agency/via Jewish Press, July 14, 2021

A report from Zionist watchdog group Im Tirtzu revealed Tuesday that some $40 million in funding from the UN was funneled to Palestinian NGOs that support terror and BDS from 2016 to 2020.

All of the 19 Palestinian NGOs that received UN funding support BDS, and eight of them have clear ties to Hamas or the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror groups, the report said.

One group which received tens of thousands of dollars in funding from the UN, Al Haq, calls itself a human rights organization. Al Haq has ties to the PFLP, supports the Palestinian Authority’s pay-for-slay policy and is a member of the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO), which refused to sign an anti-terror pledge.

Another group that received over $1 million in funding, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), has extensive ties to both Hamas and the PFLP.

“Their names are innocuous and mislead people into thinking they promote human rights, but in reality they peddle malicious anti-Israel agendas,” said Eytan Meir, director of external relations and development for Im Tirtzu.

There is no excuse for the United Nations not doing a better job of researching where their funding goes. Remind us again…what is the mandate of the UN? Maybe they need a refresher course themselves. Shame on them!!

Source:
Report: UN gave $40 million to terror-supporting Palestinian NGOs, by Lauren Marcus/World Israel News, July 13, 2021

Ra’am party lawmakers said Monday they won’t balk at initiating coalition crises to get what they want. This news came about a day after the Islamist party briefly threatened to suspend work with the coalition.

Sunday saw ministers vote to immediately move the Authority for Development and Settlement of the Bedouin in the Negev from the Economy Ministry to the Welfare Ministry. The move had been planned to take place next week, but Ra’am demanded it be moved up, warning it could stop cooperating with the coalition if it were not.

News outlets quoted sources saying Ra’am was voicing general frustration about the government’s treatment of the party, arguing that it had made the most concessions and reaped the smallest gains of any faction in the coalition, particularly regarding its demands on construction permits for its Bedouin constituents in the Negev region.

The original coalition deal with Ra’am had called for the matter to be placed on the agenda several weeks from this point. However, the vote was moved up in response to the party’s demands and its vow to boycott Knesset committee sessions and plenum votes until further notice.

The ultimatum has drawn the attention of the Regavim Movement, a watchdog organization that monitors issues involving land grabs by the Palestinian Authority. “The extortionist demand that the Israeli government must dance to Ra’am’s tune endangers the Negev and the entire State of Israel,” Regavim Director General Meir Deutsch said in a statement. “It is inconceivable that the government’s policy in the Negev, which is at a crucial juncture, will be dictated by the Islamic Movement blackmail,” Deutsch said.

Source:
Ra’am lawmakers warn they may trigger more coalition crises to achieve goals, by TOI Staff/Times of Israel, July 12, 2021

Bennett Government Accedes to Islamist Ra’am Party Ultimatum, by Hana Levi Julian/Jewish Press, July 11, 2021

Israel’s security cabinet on Sunday authorized the deduction of the amount the Palestinian Authority pays terrorists and their families from the taxes and tariffs Israel collects for the Ramallah-based government.

The deduction came to NIS 597 million, which the National Bureau for Counter-Terror Financing in the Defense Ministry reported was the sum of PA funds that went to indirect support for terrorism in 2020.

PA funding for terrorists has increased since 2019, when it totaled NIS 517.4m.
The cabinet authorized that it had read the report, and the Finance Ministry may begin deducting one-12th of the sum each month, according to law.

The PA pays convicted terrorists and the families of those killed while committing acts of terrorism a monthly sum. The living terrorists receive more, depending on their prison sentence. That means the greater the severity of the crime, i.e., the more Israelis killed and wounded, the more they receive each month.

The PA’s Pay-for-Slay serves as a benefits program along with rewards and incentives for violence against Israel. We trust the ultimate ending of this story will be that terrorism against Israel just doesn’t pay. No pun intended.

Source:
Gov’t to deduct NIS 597m. from Palestinian Authority over ‘pay for slay’, by Lahav Harkov/Jerusalem Post, July 11, 2021

A Bedouin Israeli millionaire who briefly ran for Knesset with former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon was charged on Monday with passing information to Iranian intelligence through contacts in Lebanon. This report comes from the Shin Bet security service after a gag order on the case was partially lifted.

Yaqoub Abu al-Qia’an is a former politician and construction magnate (see his compund above) who is a resident of the Bedouin town of Hura in the southern Negev region. He was indicted at the Southern District Court in Beersheba on charges of contact with a foreign agent and passing information to an enemy.

Meir Deutsch, Director General of Regavim issued a statement: “The fact that Abu-Alkiyan, a millionaire with extensive property and business holdings who maintains close ties with leaders of Israel’s economy, passed sensitive security information to Iranian operatives proves that the rising tide of nationalism in Israel’s Bedouin sector is not connected to often-heard complaints of poverty or discrimination. This very real and very serious developing trend is an expression of radical currents that are re-shaping the Bedouin community in the Negev. Israel is now paying the price for years of denial and wishful thinking. The government must face up to reality – and there’s not a moment to waste.”

Statement and photo courtesy of Regavim

Source:
Bedouin Israeli millionaire charged with spying for Iran, by Judah Ari Gross and TOI Staff/Times of Israel, July 12, 2021

The Mughrabi Bridge to the Temple Mount was built as a temporary solution in 2007. It connects The Kotel to the Temple Mount and is now in imminent danger of collapse.

Israeli authorities appear to be deflecting the issue, and officials are refusing to take responsibility. People want to know why.

MKs Simcha Rothman and May Golan, are working to find a solution. AFSI has ties to this team so stay tuned.

Source:
Is Temple Mount’s Mughrabi Bridge falling down?, by Israel Kasnett/JNS, July 9, 2021

Tragedy ahead? Mughrabi Bridge to Temple Mt. in imminent danger, by ILTV, July 12, 2021