Category: Articles

Speaking on Galei Tzahal this morning, MK Betzalel Smotrich (Yamina) said that if President Trump ultimately loses the election, Israel should lose no time in applying Sovereignty over Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley.

“We’re going to have to pressure [PM] Netanyahu to apply sovereignty and get it done before Biden takes over,” he said.

Sovereignty Movement heads Yehudit Katzover and Nadia Matar added their voice to that of MK Smotrich. They “join together with MK Betzalel Smotrich in calling for pressure to be applied on the government to utilize this window of opportunity until a new administration takes power – and apply sovereignty without establishing a Palestinian state.”

Sources:
Smotrich: ‘If Biden wins we should apply sovereignty before he takes over’, by Arutz Sheva Staff. Arutz Sheva, November 5, 2020

Sovereignty Movement: Apply sovereignty now, before Biden takes over, by Sovereignty Movement. Arutz Sheva, November 5, 2020

“Unlike this chamber which is detached from reality, a growing number of nations are acknowledging Jerusalem,” said Gilad Erdan.

Some 139 United Nations countries approved a resolution on Thursday that spoke of the Temple Mount solely as an Islamic holy site, by referencing it only by its Muslim name of al-Haram al-Sharif.

It was one of seven pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel resolutions that the UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee in New York passed on Wednesday.

The resolution that spoke of Jerusalem included language that referenced the link of all three monotheistic religions to Jerusalem. The resolution, in its language, spoke of Jerusalem as “occupied” only in reference to east Jerusalem.

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan told the committee that the resolution “completely ignores any link between the Jewish people and the Temple Mount – our holiest site. This is a disgrace. The audacious attempt to rewrite history will not change the indisputable fact that the Jewish connection to the city of Jerusalem dates back thousands of years.”

“Instead of persuading the Palestinians to choose the path of negotiations and peace, these resolutions only encourage them to harden their positions. Every voice in favor of these resolutions is another step toward turning the UN into an irrelevant body,” says Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan.

In case the United Nations missed the news, the paradigm in the Middle East for Israel and its many Arab enemies is changing in a positive direction for both sides. A new perspective is shining brightly on Israel as an important and productive ally, not the aggressor its been viewed as for decades. If the UN is to be a relevant and useful organization going forward it must overcome its disgustingly blatant and biased Israel hatred. If the UN refuses to face up to the truth that’s evolving and conduct business in the sphere of REALITY, then AFSI says shut down the organization. The UN needs to get over it already – enough is enough!!

Sources:
UN speaks of Temple Mount as solely Muslim site, ignores Jewish ties ~Tovah Lazaroff. Jerusalem Post, November 5, 2020

Erdan: UN resolutions only perpetuate Israel-Palestinian conflict, by Ariel Kahana and ILH Staff. Israel Hayom, November 5, 2020

The Palestinian Authority (PA) held an official ceremony over the weekend to inaugurate a “Palestinian” tourist complex in the town of Sebastia in Samaria, the historic capital of the biblical Kingdom of Israel.

In total non-compliance with an order issued by the IDF approximately two months ago, a 15-meter-high mast was installed at the site, topped by a PLO flag.

The Samaria Regional Council has been working for several months with Shomrim Al Hanetzach, (Guardians of Eternity), a project dedicated to the preservation of the archaeological treasures situated throughout Judea and Samaria, and with the Ministry of Defense and government officials to combat the phenomenon of the PA taking over Jewish historical sites.

Head of the Shomron Regional Council Yossi Dagan wrote in a scathing letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials, “For a long time now, Abu Mazen [PA head Mahmoud Abbas] and his terrorist comrades have been developing and preparing land at the entrance to ancient Samaria, the site of the historic palace of the Kings of Israel, with significant damage to archeological remains and vandalism,”

Dagan underscored the fact that Israel has the authority and duty to act to prevent the destruction of the site, even though part of the sits is in Area B, under the PA’s control. He stated that the PA’s authority in Area B was “given only to manage civil and municipal matters, and not to damage the property and destroy national and world heritage assets.”

AFSI echoes Dagan’s comments. There is a big difference between managing Area B and destroying it. We believe that Israel has the right and must exercise its legal authority to safeguard Area B from all illegal activity.

Source:
PA Inaugurates ‘Heritage Site’ at Israel’s Ancient Capital in Samaria, by Aryeh Savir, Tazpit News Agency. Jewish Press, November 2, 2020

Enforcement activities were carried out earlier this week on the Khan a-Luban archaeological site near Ma’ale Levona in the Binyamin area. The was a joint effort of members of the Inspection Unit and the Archaeology Command Unit at the Civil Administration, the Coordination and Liaison Administration in Ramallah and IDF and Border Police forces.

The activity was carried out after illegal construction in the area of ​​the site was identified in recent months by the coordinators of supervision in the Civil Administration.

The director of the Civil Administration’s inspection unit, Marco Ben Shabbat, said: “The enforcement activity carried out today is another step in the Civil Administration’s effort to eradicate the illegal construction phenomenon throughout Judea and Samaria, while maintaining the rule of law.”

Source:
Civil Administration destroys illegal Khan a-Luban construction, by Ido ben Porat. Arutz Sheva, November 3, 2020

A decision by the IDF’s Civil Administration that would severely cut back on the possibility of Israel Jewish communities encroaching on allegedly privately-owned Palestinian land while also preventing the Palestinians from building illegally on land that is under Israeli control has been approved by the attorney general and is waiting for a green light from the nation’s leadership.

The IDF’s Civil Administration, which operates under the auspices of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) has recommended a process of regulation of land ownership in Judea and Samaria that would replace the unwieldy and lengthy process currently in use. A land survey would be conducted after which land belonging to Israel would be officially declared as such.

AFSI looks forward to the Netanyahu-Ganz government advancing this recommendation as soon as possible. This decision will have a significant and long overdue impact on the claims of Arab ‘landowners’ on lands held by Jews, as well as the PA’s attempts to take over state-owned lands in Area C.

We also hope that this decision will not legitimate the claims of Arabs to any land West of the Jordan River that was parceled out without any legal authority by Jordan between 1948 and 1967.

Source:
Will government implement plan to regulate both Israeli and Palestinian land in Area C?, by Efrat Forsher. Israel Hayom, November 2, 2020

Last evening Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz submitted their response to the Regavim movement’s petition in the Khan al-Ahmar affair to the Supreme Court.

The response was signed by joint affidavits of the head of the National Security Council, Meir Ben Shabbat, and Avi Roee, the Assistant to the Defense Minister for Settlement Affairs. It stated that “the political echelon still insists on the implementation of demolition orders in the compound…..To that end, the political echelon needs an additional period of several months.”

The Regavim movement criticized the state’s position. “The state’s alleged commitment to law enforcement and to hold dialogue proceedings with the residents is no different from the previous times when the state declared the exact same things to the Supreme Court,” said Meir Deutsch, director general of the Regavim movement.

Source:
State: Khan al Ahmar will not be evacuated in next 4 months, by Arutz Sheva Staff. Arutz Sheva, November 2, 2020

MK Gideon Sa’ar of the Likud party visited the communities of Amichai and Shilo, in the Binyamin region, on Sunday. The focus of his visit was on ongoing attempts by the Palestinian Authority to seize control over open areas near Israeli communities.

Following his tour, Sa’ar told his hosts, “I was very impressed by what I saw today in Amichai, but especially by the pioneering spirit that you are exhibiting here, after many years during which no new settlements were established in Judea or Samaria. This is the way in which we need to pursue and expand settlement.” He added that, “The Palestinian Authority is engaged in an ongoing battle to seize land. This is a very aggressive battle, funded by the European Union, well planned and organized, and the State of Israel needs to respond to this.”

We at AFSI are extremely proud of our friends in Amichai, most of whom were expelled from Amona under the harshest circumstances. They have made Amichai into a thriving and enjoyable place to live. They deserve the most positive assistance possible in order to maintain the safety and security of the new community and its residents.

The heads of the “Forum for Zion and Jerusalem” within the Likud party, Avichai Boaron and Doron Nir Tzvi, also spoke following the tour, echoing Sa’ar’s remarks, “…the Arabs are gaining control over hill after hill – and they don’t care if it’s in Area B or C. And Israel isn’t doing a thing in response.”

Source:
‘The Palestinian Authority is seizing hill after hill while Israel does nothing’, by Hezki Baruch. Arutz Sheva, November 1, 2020

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced today that ‘Israel’ will be permitted to be listed on the US passports of citizens born in Jerusalem, reversing decades of US policy that only “Jerusalem” could be listed.

Until now, US passport holders born in Jerusalem could not list their country of birth as Israel even if they were born in western Jerusalem. Until yesterday, US policy was that the status of Jerusalem was to be determined in negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. AFSI is grateful to President Trump for taking another step in the right direction.

Source:
US ends ban on listing ‘Israel’ on passports of people born in Jerusalem, by Gary Willig. Arutz Sheva, October 29, 2020

Israel said on Tuesday the United States is effectively lifting a ban on US funding of Israeli scientific research projects conducted in Judea and Samaria and the Golan Heights.

Past scientific accords with the US government stipulated that Israeli research projects receiving US grants could not be carried out in areas that came under Israeli administration in the 1967 Six-Day War.

The Trump administration last year effectively backed Israel’s right to build Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria by abandoning a long-held US position that they were “inconsistent with international law.”

The revised agreements signed yesterday “will expand scientific cooperation between Israel and the United States to Judea and Samaria and the Golan Heights,” the Israeli statement said.

AFSI is grateful to President Trump for all he continues to do for Israel. However, let’s pause a moment and remember that this agreement is not an acceptance of Israel’s right to apply Sovereignty. Sovereignty is our goal and we continue to advocate for it.

Sources:
Friedman: US-Israel ‘righting old wrongs’ by extending W. Bank agreements, by Lahan Harkov. Jerusalem Post, October 28, 2020

US will now fund research in Golan Heights, Judea and Samaria, by Reuters and ILH Staff. Israel Hayom, October 28, 2020

On October 23, the US, Israel, and Sudan issued a joint statement on the normalization of relations between Khartoum and Jerusalem. This step follows the peace agreements between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain and helps cement the nascent regional axis that features Israel as a highly prized ally rather than a vilified enemy.

Sudan is the third Arab country to make peace with Israel in the past two months.

Time will tell to what extent this step will help the provisional Sudanese government overcome its own internal differences and reach the 2022 elections as a functioning and effective body.

Soon to follow? A normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia is rumored to also be in the works, a diplomatic official said Thursday night. “The Saudis will soon ‘come out of the closet,'” the official said. If this comes to fruition, it will be a significant game changer in the Middle East.

AFSI applauds President Donald Trump for his ongoing efforts to broker normalization between Israel and its too many hostile enemies. These new peace deals are rapidly redefining the Middle East paradigm. We look forward to future relationships with Arab nations that will represent diplomacy, cooperation and a full rejection of the anti-Israel delegitimization agenda that has been the norm for much too long.

Sources:
Sudan and Israel: An Era of Change, by Dr. Haim Koren. BESA Center, October 26, 2020

Report: As Sudan poised to normalize ties with Israel, Saudis warming up to idea, by Ariel Kahana. Israel Hayom, October 23, 2020

How Sudan’s wall of hostility crumbled, by Oded Granot. Israel Hayom, October 26, 2020