In a PLO report, Israeli “incitement” includes a statement that “Jerusalem is the capital of Israel…And it will always be the capital of Israel.” 

By: World Israel News Staff

The PLO Department of Culture and Information on Sunday released its “Incitement Report” for June 2018, which contains “examples of recent inflammatory comments and incitement” made by Israeli officials and leaders, including the allegedly horrendous statement that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital.

This monthly report is apparently an attempt by the Palestinians to counter Israeli and international charges that the Palestinian leadership is engaged in constant incitement to terrorism.

Updated regularly, the report purportedly includes samples of “recent derogatory and inflammatory comments and incitement by Israeli government officials and leaders specifically meant to distort reality and mislead public opinion.”

The Israeli “incitement” includes a statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “Jerusalem is the capital of Israel…And it will always be the capital of Israel. It’s been the capital of Israel for three thousand years. This is a description of our government under King Solomon, the son of King David, three thousand years ago.”

Another form of supposed incitement is Netanyahu’s statement that “the reason we don’t have peace is not because of the absence of a Palestinian state.”

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman was likewise accused of agitation for expressing his opinion that “whoever thinks improving the civilian and economic situation in Gaza will halt the terror kites and the violence is simply wrong. Enough with all sorts of illusions and delusions that improving the economy will end terror.”

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked provoked Palestinian ire when she stated that “there is no difference between a burning kite and a Qassam rocket, and we should not tolerate the kites.” Somehow, combatting terrorism is a form of incitement, the Palestinians assert.

Minister of Education and Diaspora Affairs Naftali Bennett offended the Palestinians by stating that “we welcome him [Prince William]. We welcome everyone who visits our capital. Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people, and only of the Jewish people.”

Construction and Housing Minister Yoav Galant disturbed the Palestinians’ equilibrium by expressing his Zionist sentiments. “The State of Israel is based on three principles that appear in the Declaration of Independence: equality of rights, democracy and a Jewish state. This means that the only national state that can exist in Israel is the Zionist state. Those who want to establish a sub-state – it cannot be in our home… I am not willing to give up our hold on the land,” he said.

Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel inflamed frayed Palestinian nerves by seeking a proper education for Bedouin children when he stated that “a Bedouin kid child who doesn’t know Hebrew won’t be going to college and will be very limited in terms of occupations.”

The list of grievances supposedly committed by the Israeli leadership goes on.

PLO Executive Committee Member Hanan Ashrawi summed up the charges by noting that “the real incitement stems from Israel’s military occupation of Palestine and its enslavement of an entire nation.”

She further charged that “the Israeli hardline extremist government led by Benjamin Netanyahu is responsible for generating a culture of hate and racism in Israel, inciting violence and feeding extremism.”

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By patrolling social media, Israel’s law enforcers and security personnel have managed to catch Palestinian terrorists before they could carry out attacks.

By: AP and World Israel News

Israeli authorities have foiled over 200 Palestinian attacks by monitoring social media and sifting through vast amounts of data to identify prospective assailants ahead of time, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said in an interview Tuesday.

These pre-emptive actions put Israel at the forefront of an increasingly popular — and controversial — trend used by intelligence and law enforcement agencies around the world that use big data technology to track would-be criminals.

While the technology appears to be effective, its tactics drew angry Palestinian condemnation and have raised questions about civil liberties.

Erdan, who oversees the national police force, said Israel’s technology, including the use of algorithms, has been an important factor in lowering the number of knife and shooting attacks in Israel in recent years. His plan includes sharing Israel’s knowledge with counterparts at an international security conference he is hosting that began Tuesday.

“The experience we now have, we can help other countries deal with this kind of terrorism,” he said, adding that working with allies “can lead us to a much better result in fighting lone wolf terrorists.”

Palestinians protest ‘violation’ of ‘privacy’

Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian Authority official, criticized Israel’s use of social media to prove peoples’ guilt before a terrorist act is committed, calling it a “violation of privacy.”

However, Israel believes it is legitimate to use data collected on social media, including calls to commit terrorist acts, as an indicator of future wrongdoing.

This tool is particularly useful for detecting so-called “lone-wolf” attacks by individuals with no official ties to a terrorist organization who decide independently to carry out attacks.

In many lone-wolf attacks, there were indications before the act on social media, including statements of intent.

Though some Palestinians who would never have carried out a terrorist attack end up being arrested, Israel says the price is worth paying to save the lives of innocent Israelis.

In September 2015, Israel found itself facing a wave of stabbings, shootings and car rammings carried out by “lone wolf” attackers, or individuals unaffiliated with terrorist groups acting on their own. It was a significant departure from past waves of organized violence led by armed groups like Hamas.

Since then, Palestinians have killed over 50 Israelis, while Israeli forces have killed over 260 Palestinians, most of whom Israel says were attackers. However, the number of attacks has dropped significantly — from 170 “serious attacks” in 2016 to 90 last year to 25 this year, according to Erdan’s ministry.

Israel: Palestinian incitement to blame

Israel has blamed the attacks on anti-Israel incitement in Palestinian social media, while Palestinians claim despondent attackers were driven by a lack of hope after decades of Israeli “occupation” and repeated failure in peace talks.

Those who blame “occupation,” however, ignore the fact that failure to reach a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, which would lead to the creation of a Palestinian state, is related directly to the lack of a pragmatic Palestinian leadership that eschews terrorism and focuses on state-building.

Instead, Palestinian leadership is split between Hamas, an Islamist terrorist movement that controls Gaza, and the Palestinian Authority, which suffers from corruption and lacks a democratic mandate from the Palestinian populace.

Erdan, who is also minister of strategic affairs, the agency responsible for fighting the BDS movement, said Israel has turned to various technologies to counter the attacks. That includes facial recognition devices and smart cameras that detect suspicious behavior in real time.

In addition, his ministry, working with the Justice Ministry and Shin Bet internal security agency, created a team to scour an “ocean of data” on social media for objectionable content and to identify attackers before they act.

Members include psychologists, legal advisers and experts who have developed algorithms that analyze online activity. Violent posts, the suspect’s profile and other supporting evidence are factored into the analysis.

“Every event can lead to a discussion. You have to look for the special words that might lead you to the conclusion that something is dangerous,” Erdan said. “The algorithm leads you to suspect someone.

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The Palestinians reacted in fury to Guatemala’s decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem, threatening to take “practical steps” to fight it.

By: World Israel News Staff

The Palestinian government denounced Guatemala’s decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May, two days after the US moves its own embassy.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington on Sunday that “under my instructions, two days after the United States moves its embassy, Guatemala will return and permanently move its embassy to Jerusalem.”

The US said it will start the process of moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14, when Israel marks its 70th Independence Day.

“As a sovereign decision, we recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” Morales stated.

Responding the next day to Morales’ announcement, the Palestinian cabinet called on “Arab and Islamic nations to take a firm stand against this move,” which the Palestinians claim “violates international law and principles as well as United Nations resolutions.”

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also “strongly” condemned the Guatemalan move.

“This decision completely violates international law and international resolutions, it is considered a direct aggression against the Palestinians and their legitimate rights,” said the ministry in a statement, adding that it believes that “Morales and the extremist religious ideology he represents are backed up by [US President Donald] Trump’s disastrous declaration regarding transferring the American embassy to Occupied Jerusalem.”

The Palestinian foreign ministry called upon the Guatemalan people and their various representatives “to continue exerting pressure to push their government to back down from this unjust decision, which threatens the friendly relations between the Guatemalan and Palestinian people.” It also alleged that the decision “especially harms the image of Guatemala and its relations and interests with the Arab and Islamic worlds.”

The ministry threatened to combat the decision through the local Palestinian community in Guatemala and at the local courts, in addition to “practical steps” that will be taken “in coordination with friendly countries to impose an economic trade boycott on Guatemala and to mobilize the greatest possible pressure to discourage the Guatemalan president from implementing this decision.”

“At the same time, the ministry calls on all countries to affirm their rejection of both the American and the Guatemalan declarations,” the Palestinian statement said.

‘Dangerous and provocative’

PLO Executive Committee Member Hanan Ashrawi condemned Morales’ move as “dangerous and provocative.” She urged the international community, particularly Arab and Islamic states, “to intervene and hold the Israeli occupation and its partners to account for such flagrant violations and provocative actions that fuel the flames in an already volatile situation.”

The Arab League called on Guatemala to overturn its decision. In a statement of condemnation, Assistant Secretary-General Saeed Abu Ali said the move was “illegal.”

Abu Ali urged Guatemala to “refrain from taking any illegal actions that would undermine the status of Jerusalem and make the situation more complicated, which will not serve peace and stability in the region.”

Israel, on its part, warmly welcomed the Guatemalan move.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Washington for the AIPAC conference, met with Morales on Sunday and thanked him “for everything you’re doing, for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.”

Morales replied that “it is an honor and it is the right thing to do.”

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The Palestinians have severed all ties with the White House, which is attempting to jump-start the peace process. 

By: JNS.org and World Israel News Staff

The US has had no direct contact with the Palestinian leadership since President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last month, a White House official said.

The official said on Tuesday that there has been no contact between Trump’s Middle East negotiating team, which includes his son-in-law Jared Kushner and international negotiations envoy Jason Greenblatt, since the December announcement of US policy changes on Jerusalem.

“[It is] unfortunate that the president has so many times reached out to explain how dedicated he is to helping the Palestinian people,” the official told reporters, adding that a “disconnect” has caused Palestinian leaders to view the US as not committed to fair negotiations.

“We are here, dedicated and ready to engage whenever they are. We’ll be here when they’re ready,” the official said.

While White House officials have been engaged in talks with high-level Palestinian officials, there are no plans for a meeting between Trump and Palestinian Authority (PA) head Mahmoud Abbas.

“One of the tragic things I have noticed since December 6 is there are so many Palestinians who are reaching out…both in the West Bank and Gaza,” the official said. “They’re under a lot of pressure not to talk.”

Peace depends on the Palestinians

Before ending his visit to Israel, Vice President Mike Pence said that reigniting the peace process depends on the Palestinians.

“The White House has been working with our partners in the region to see if we can develop a framework for peace,” Pence told Reuters. “It all just depends now on when the Palestinians are going to come back to the table.”

However, in a meeting with Egyptian-Ambassador-designate Issam Ashour in Ramallah on Tuesday, PLO Executive Committee Member Hanan Ashrawi said that “the extremist positions of this US Administration and the biblical messianic message of Pence not only disqualified the US as a peace broker but created conditions of volatility and instability in the region and beyond.”

“The administration’s blind support of Israel and its complicit role in the military occupation have dealt a deathblow to the chances of peace,” she stated.

In Jerusalem on Tuesday, Pence repeated his conviction that Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital will ultimately help move the Israeli-Palestinian peace process along.

“President Trump truly believes that the decision the United States has made to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, we believe, will set the table for the opportunity to move forward in meaningful negotiations to achieve a lasting peace,” he said.

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The US, through its decision to cut UNRWA’s funding, “demonstrate[s] that it has no compunction in targeting the innocent,” announced Palestinian leadership.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on Tuesday lamented and condemned the US’ decision to cut $65 million in aid to the United Nations agency entrusted with the Palestinian refugee issue, saying this act “targets the most vulnerable segment of the Palestinian people.”

In a letter, the State Department notified the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) that the US is withholding $65 million of a planned $125 million funding installment to the body.

The letter also makes clear that additional US donations will be contingent on major changes by UNRWA, which has been heavily criticized by Israel for being the cause of, and not the solution to, Palestinian issues.

The State Department said it was releasing the rest of the installment — $60 million — to prevent the agency from running out of cash by the end of the month and closing down.

The US is UNWRA’s largest donor, supplying nearly 30 percent of its budget.

Hanan Ashrawi, member of the PLO Executive Committee, accused the US of “following [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s instructions to gradually dismantle the one agency that was established by the international community to protect the rights of the Palestinian refugees and provide them with essential services.”

“This administration is thereby targeting the most vulnerable segment of the Palestinian people and depriving the refugees of the right to education, health, shelter and a dignified life,” she alleged in a statement.

Ashrawi also warned that the funds cut “is also creating conditions that will generate further instability throughout the region.”

The US, through this decision, “demonstrate[s] that it has no compunction in targeting the innocent.”

“Once again the US Administration proves its complicity with the Israeli occupation by attempting to remove another permanent status issue off the table,” Ashrawi concluded.

‘Time for this absurdity to end’

Conversely, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN welcomed the US’ announcement that it was significantly cutting back its funding for UNRWA, saying “it is time for this absurdity to end.”

“UNRWA has proven time and again to be an agency that misuses the humanitarian aid of the international community and instead supports anti-Israel propaganda, perpetuates the plight of Palestinian refugees and encourages hate,” Ambassador Danon said.

“Just over the last year alone, UNRWA officials were elected to the leadership of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, UNRWA schools denied the existence of Israel, and terror tunnels were dug under UNRWA facilities. It is time for this absurdity to end and for humanitarian funds to be directed towards their intended purpose – the welfare of refugees,” he concluded.

Netanyahu himself has suggested transferring the agency’s budget to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, which aids refugee matters everywhere in the world.

The Palestinians are the only “refugee” group with a unique agency to aid them.

Similarly, the Palestinians have a unique definition for their status as refugees which has permitted them to vastly inflate the number of Palestinian refugees and receive ill-gottem aid. Specifically, refugee status for Palestinians is passed on to succeeding generations and is unaffected by citizenship from other countries, in contrast to the definition of refugee status for every other refugee population in the world.

For instance, the vast majority of the “refugees” in Jordan, more than two million, are citizens of Jordan who identify as Palestinian.

Israel has argued for years that the UN and the Palestinians are working to perpetuate the Palestinian refugee problem and oppose any attempt to seek a solution.

Furthermore, the Palestinians’ status as refugees ensures an endless flow of international aid and has other financial ramifications.

A so-called Palestinian refugee receives quadruple the amount of aid that a Syrian, Iraqi or African refugee receives from the United Nations.

A study released in September shows that in 2016 UNRWA, which provides assistance solely to Palestinians, spent an average of $246 for each of the 5.3 million Palestinians it defines as refugees, while the UNHCR spent only a quarter of that, $58 per refugee, on non-Palestinians.

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Trump’s threat to cut US aid to the PA over its refusal to return to the negotiations table is “blackmail,” the Palestinians charged. 

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

The Palestinians rejected President Donald Trump’s threat to cut US aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) over its refusal to return to the negotiations table, saying their “rights are not for sale.”

Trump tweeted Tuesday that “we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don’t even want to negotiate a long overdue peace treaty with Israel.”

“We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more. But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?” he stated on Twitter.

Earlier, at a press conference at the United Nations, US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley made similar remarks in response to questions about the future of US aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

“The Palestinians now have to show to the world that they want to come to the table. As of now, they’re not coming to the table but they asked for aid. We’re not giving the aid, we’re going to make sure that they come to the table and we want to move forward with the peace process,” she said.

Trump “doesn’t want to give any additional funding, or stop funding, until the Palestinians agree to come back to the negotiation table, and what we saw with the [UN Jerusalem] resolution was not helpful to the situation,” Haley said. “We’re trying to move for a peace process, but if that doesn’t happen, the president is not going to continue to fund that situation.”

PLO: How dare Trump?

PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi described Trump’s tweet as “blackmail.”

“We will not be blackmailed,” she said. “President Trump has sabotaged our search for peace, freedom and justice. Now he dares to blame the Palestinians for the consequences of his own irresponsible actions.”

Ashrawi charged Trump with violating international law, saying he “single-handedly destroyed the very foundations of peace and condoned Israel’s illegal annexation of the city” by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel capital last month.

The Palestinians announced on several occasions that they have abandoned the US-led peace negotiations after Trump’s declaration on Jerusalem and instead will act to obtain full Palestinian United Nations (UN) membership, seek further Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and prosecute Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC). These moves are meant to “face all these [US] plans aimed at liquidating the Palestinian national project,”  Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said Tuesday.

Such moves breach the Palestinians’ obligations under 1993 Oslo peace accords.

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Palestinian officials were irate after the Giro d’Italia removed controversial references to “West Jerusalem” from its website about the race in Israel.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

Palestinian officials are fuming over the Giro d’Italia’s decision to remove references to “West Jerusalem” from its website about next year’s race following pressure from Israel.

Member of PLO Executive Committee Hanan Ashrawi accused Giro d’Italia of “assuaging Israel” by presenting Jerusalem as a unified city under Israel’s sovereignty.

The Giro d’Italia will “only serve to legitimize the annexation of Jerusalem and to distort the authenticity and character of the city,” she added.

She reiterated that “the international community does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem, and under international law and conventions, Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem is unlawful and constitutes a direct violation of its obligations as a belligerent occupier.”

“By organizing such an event, Giro d’Italia is being complicit in Israel’s military occupation and its egregious violations of international law, conventions and consensus,” she added.

In conclusion, she urged Giro d’Italia to “stop placating Israel at the expense of our fundamental human rights and freedoms and to move the race outside of Israel.”

Israel considers the entire city to be its eternal capital.

Giro organizers caused a firestorm last week by implying that the Israeli capital is divided between east and west, invoking a political position that denies the unity of the city.

Minister of Culture and Sport Miri Regev and Tourism Minister Yariv Levin immediately took notice of what they considered to be a slight on the capital city of the State of Israel. Levin threatened organizers, saying that “in the event that the publication on the site defining the starting point of the competition as ‘West Jerusalem’ is not changed, the government of Israel will not be involved in the event.”

Regev said, “In Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, there is no East and West. There is only one united Jerusalem.”

According to Levin, the website statement “violates the agreement made with the Israeli government” by the race organizers.

The offensive language was subsequently corrected.

Jerusalem will host the first stage of the 2018 race, but the route does not pass through any territory that could be considered controversial.

The Giro d’Italia cycling race, a premier global sports contest, will begin its 2018 event in Jerusalem, marking the first time in history that a Grand-Tour will take place outside of Europe.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the race as “a key event in the celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel.”

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The Palestinians are upset that the Trump administration is not adopting their views on foreign policy. 

The White House’s apparent break from a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is deeply upsetting the Palestinian leadership.

Speaking to reporters ahead of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a senior White House official suggested Tuesday that peace between Israel and the Palestinians does not necessarily have to come in the form of a two-state solution — a position that could represent a dramatic shift from what has been US policy for more than 20 years.

Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian leader and a member of the PLO’s executive committee, said in a statement that by withdrawing support for a two-state solution, the Trump administration “would be destroying the chances for peace and undermining American interests, standing and credibility abroad.”

“Accommodating the most extreme and irresponsible elements in Israel and in the White House is no way to make responsible foreign policy,” she said in a statement.

“This does not make sense,” Ashrawi told AFP. “This is not a responsible policy and it does not serve the cause of peace.”

“They cannot just say that without an alternative,” she added.

“The two-state solution is not something we just came up with,” Husam Zomlot, an adviser to Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas, said Wednesday. “It is an international consensus and decision after decades of Israel’s rejection of the one-state democratic formula.”

It was not clear whether the Trump administration had intended to declare a major policy shift during the briefing Tuesday night.

Trump and Netanyahu will meet later on Wednesday for the first time since the US election in November. They last met in September.

By: World Israel News Staff

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While Israel’s UN Ambassador applauded US ambassador Nikki Haley’s decision to reject the appointment of a Palestinian to be UN envoy to Libya, PLO official Hanan Ashrawi referred to the move as “unconscionable.” 

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon praised his US counterpart Nikki Haley for blocking the nomination of former Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to be the new UN envoy to Libya, referring to it as a demonstration of standing alongside Israel in the UN.

“This is the beginning of a new era at the UN,” said Danon. “The new Administration proved once again that it stands firmly alongside the State of Israel in the international arena and in the UN in particular.”

Haley expressed such sentiment in her remarks explaining her decision to veto Fayyad’s appointment.

“For too long the UN has been unfairly biased in favor of the Palestinian Authority to the detriment of our allies in Israel,” she said adding that, therefore, the US would not “support the signal this appointment would send within the United Nations.”

“Going forward, the United States will act, not just talk, in support of our allies,” Haley added.

Spokeswoman for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, rejected any assertions of bias against Israel or specific favoritism towards the PA in selecting Fayyad.

“United Nations staff serve strictly in their personal capacity,” she insisted. “They do not represent any government or country.”

Guterres had notified the UN Security Council this past week of his decision to appoint Fayyad for new UN envoy to Libya, a country that has been embroiled with internal conflict following the ousting of Moammar Gaddafi’s government in September 2011.

Hanan Ashrawi, member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee, harshly condemned Haley’s decision to reject Fayyad, describing it as “unconscionable.”

“Blocking the appointment of Dr. Salam Fayyad is a case of blatant discrimination on the basis of national identity,” she argued.

By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News

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Palestinian Authority officials are meeting to come up with a response to Israel’s announcement of thousands of new Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria. 

In light of Israel’s announcements to build thousands of additional Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria, Palestinian Authority officials have begun “urgent” meetings to decide on several options of responding.

“We have started urgent consultations in order to take the necessary measures to confront the settlement activities,” stated Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, according to the Palestinian news outlet Wafa.

“We call on the US administration to rein this Israeli government’s policy which is going to destroy the peace process.”

A week before the announced approval on Tuesday of 3,000 new homes in Judea and Samaria, Israel authorized 2,500 new homes in both regions, a move that President Donald Trump’s administration avoided making any condemnation of whatsoever.

“(The Trump Administration) wants to grow closer with Israel and make sure that it gets the full respect that it deserves in the Middle East,” said Trump’s Press Secretary Sean Spicer when asked to respond to the 2500 new housing units.  “Israel continues to be a huge ally of the United States. We’re going to have a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu and we will continue to discuss that.”

The PA is notably perturbed not only with the absence of criticism from the Trump administration but also with the “minor” international condemnation from bodies like the European Union and the United Nations for the new Jewish housing units in Judea and Samaria.

“The (PA) was disappointed by the minor responses of some of the influential countries, which only condemned and denounced the measures without taking necessary actions to pressure Israel to stop the settlements, to force it to comply with international law and to engage in making peace instead of clinging to the occupation,” said PA spokesman Yousef al-Mahmoud according to Wafa.

Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Executive Committee for the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), echoed al-Mahmoud’s remarks.

“The silence of the new American government, including those who actively support the settlements in the White House and the administration as a whole, has emboldened Netanyahu to persist with his settlement activities,” Wafa reported her saying.

“The enormity and severity of the situation should send a strong message to the international community, including the United States and the European Union, to intervene immediately and bring about an end to all settlement activities and Israel’s illegal unilateralism,” she continued. “We also call on UN Secretary-General António Guterres to ensure respect for Security Council resolutions, including UNSC resolution 2334, and to make certain that Israel complies with them.”

UN Security Council resolution 2334, that passed unanimously in the UN Security Council with an abstention from the then Obama administration, condemned all Israeli presence in Judea, Samaria and other areas in Jerusalem that were won by Israel from Jordan during the Six-Day war in 1967.

By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News

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The Trump administration did not condemn Israel for its announced plans to build housing units in Judea and Samaria. A new era?  

There was no comment from the White House following Israel’s announcement on Tuesday that it had authorized construction of 2,500 housing units in various locations in Judea and Samaria.

Responding to a question during Tuesday’s press briefing, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the administration was still forming its foreign policy team and that building in Judea and Samaria, among other issues, will be discussed when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Washington next month.

“Israel continues to be a huge ally of the United States. He [Trump] wants to grow closer with Israel to make sure that it gets the full respect that it deserves in the Middle East, and that’s what he’s going to do. We’re going to have a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. We’ll continue to discuss that,” Spicer stated.

This response is a notable departure from the policies championed by the Obama administration, which repeatedly condemned Israel for building in its capital and in Judea and Samaria.

Associated Press quoted US officials who said that the response was not intended as a signal of any particular shift in policy. Instead, they said, it reflected the Trump administration’s plan to get its full foreign policy team in place before making a judgment.

Europeans and Palestinians Condemn Israel

The Europeans have not changed their policy and immediately condemned Israel’s announcement.

According to the European Union (EU), the construction “seriously undermines the prospects for peace with the Palestinians.”

In a statement, the European Union External Action Service (EEAS) said Israel’s plans “further seriously undermine the prospects for a viable two-state solution. It is regrettable that Israel is proceeding with this policy, despite the continuous serious international concern and objections, which have been constantly raised at all levels.”

“Continued settlement expansion, illegal under international law as reaffirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 2334, goes directly against long-standing EU policy and the recommendations of the Quartet Report. A negotiated two-state solution is the only way to fulfill the legitimate aspirations of both parties and to achieve enduring peace,” the statement read.

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi also slammed the plans.

“Once again, the Israeli government has proved that it is more committed to land theft and colonialism than to the two-state solution and the requirements for peace and stability,” she stated. “It is evident that Israel is exploiting the inauguration of the new American administration to escalate its violations and the prevention of any existence of a Palestinian state.”

Netanyahu: We Will Continue to Build

The plans were approved just days after the municipality of Jerusalem approved the construction of 566 new homes in northern portions of city. It is also expected to launch discussions regarding the authorization of 5,600 additional housing units in both northern and southern areas of the city.

Israel had refrained from construction and development in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria for several years for fear of blowback from former President Barack Obama and his administration, which repeatedly criticized Israeli “settlement” activity.

Now that Donald Trump, who appears more supportive of Israel’s presence in these areas, has entered office, Israel is expected to push for massive development in its capital and in Judea and Samaria.

“We are building and will continue to do so,” Netanyahu stated.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

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“I am knife” has become a new slogan among pro-terror Palestinians. (Photo: Facebook)

“The Security Council has yet to say a word in response to the wave of terrorism aimed at Israeli citizens in recent months.” – Ron Prosor, Israel’s UN envoy

There was no world outrage following a barbaric attack against innocent Israelis in Tel Aviv Wednesday morning.

A 23-year-old “lone-wolf” terrorist, a resident of the Arab village of Tulkarem in Samaria, boarded a bus during the morning rush hour and stabbed 12 people, wounding four seriously. It was the most recent attack in the current wave of terror.

Spokesmen for the Hamas terror organization, while not claiming responsibility for the attack, praised it as “heroic” and “brave.”

“The terrorist attack in Tel Aviv is the direct result of the poisonous incitement being disseminated by the Palestinian Authority (PA) against the Jews and their state,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated. “This same terrorism is trying to attack us in Paris, Brussels and everywhere.”

Caption reads: “We started with stones and will end with a state.” (Fatah Facebook page)

The Israeli leader, as well as the foreign minister and other government officials, have noted the incitement to terror by Mahmoud Abbas, head of the PA – Israel’s partner in the failed US-brokered peace negotiations – and other leading Palestinian government officials .

In order to explain “the daily Palestinian incitement against Israel, which encourages acts of terrorism, including murder,” the Israeli prime minister’s office (PMO) publicized four terror-inciting photographs that were recently uploaded to the Facebook page of Abbas’s Fatah movement. One of the photographs, for example, displays a Palestinian flag and weapons with the caption: “We started with stones and will end with a state.”

The Fatah page, the PMO report continues, “serves as a regular platform for the glorification of those who have perpetrated large-scale terrorist attacks against Israel as part of the PA’s systematic campaign of incitement, by various means and through various bodies, against Israel.”

New Palestinian Slogan: ‘I am Knife’

The Palestinian Safa News Agency published a cartoon with a knife painted in the colors of the Palestinian flag and, in the background, a bloodied Israeli flag. The caption reads: “Good morning Palestine.”

Mimicking the “I am Charlie” slogan among advocates for freedom of expression following the recent massacre at the Charlie Hebdo magazine headquarters in Paris, Palestinian supporters of terror are saying: “I am Knife.”

Another cartoon shows a terrorist praising the Tel Aviv stabbing, holding a sign saying: “Occupied Tel Aviv,” although Palestinian officials had never demanded during negotiations that Tel Aviv become part of a Palestinian state.

Commenting on the latest Tel Aviv terror attack, senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi declared: “You cannot have a violent military occupation with full impunity and then expect all its victims to be calm and quiet.”

Security Council Silence on Terror Aimed at Israelis

“The Security Council has yet to say a word in response to the wave of terrorism aimed at Israeli citizens in recent months,” Ron Prosor, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, affirmed. “By remaining silent, the Council is giving terrorists and their sponsors a free pass.

“I urge the Council to immediately and unequivocally condemn the recent terrorist attacks, the growing Palestinian incitement, and denounce those states that are lending their support to this murderous campaign,” he said.

Pointing to the “numerous cartoons” glorifying terror that were posted on Hamas-affiliated/Palestinian news websites. the UN envoy stressed that “Hamas, a terrorist group, and President Abbas’s partner in the Palestinian unity government, praised the stabbings in Tel Aviv and encouraged Palestinians to commit similar attacks.”

BBC Moral Equivalence?

Reporting on the incident, BBC added what could be seen as justification for the stabbing. After citing details of the attack and the terrorist’s explanation that he “had carried out the attack in response to Israel’s military operations in Gaza last year and tensions over access to religious sites in the Old City of Jerusalem,” the news source added:

Cartoon published on Fatah Facebook page after Tel Aviv terror attack. Sign says: “Occupied Tel Aviv.”

“More than 2,100 Palestinians were killed in Gaza during the conflict in July and August last year. The majority of those killed were civilians, according to the UN.

“Sixty-seven Israeli soldiers, and six civilians in Israel, were also killed.”

Referring to vicious terror attacks in Jerusalem against innocent civilians, including an infant run down in a car terror attack, BBC wrote in the same report: “Late last year, a number of Israelis were killed in attacks by Palestinians using weapons including knives and even vehicles to run down pedestrians,” adding that “at least 12 Palestinians were also killed, including several of those who carried out the attacks.”

Will UN Meeting on Anti-Semitism Include Terror in Israel?

While the UN has yet to issue a statement of condemnation regarding terror against Israelis, an informal meeting of the plenary of the UN General Assembly on anti-Semitism was scheduled for Thursday, January 22 – the day after the Tel Aviv terror attack –  in order “to address concerns of a rise in anti-Semitic violence worldwide.”

By: Atara Beck, World Israel News

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