Category: Israel

Ben-Gvir, Dagan Break Ground on New Samaria Neighborhood

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir participated today alongside Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan and hundreds of residents in a cornerstone-laying ceremony for a new neighborhood in Hinnanit in northern Samaria.

The ceremony, organized by development company Mider, included Ben-Gvir, Dagan, Mider deputy CEO and owner Ze’ev Greenberg, Hinnanit community board chairman Or Yaakobovitz, local leadership, and hundreds of residents and guests.

Credit: None

During the event, organizers presented the development momentum in the community and the significance of establishing the new neighborhood as part of continued strengthening of Israeli presence in northern Samaria.

“Sovereignty isn’t determined only by government decisions, but by the reality created here day by day—by families establishing homes and new neighborhoods being built here,” Ben-Gvir said. “Hinnanit is an example of Zionism and pioneering at its best.”

“We are strengthening settlement in Samaria, building and expanding—and also ensuring we protect the residents,” he continued. “We led the largest gun reform in the state’s history and established over a thousand rapid response teams across the country. This is the meaning of sovereignty: to build, to settle, and to defend.”

Yossi Dagan, archive | Photo: Haim Goldberg/Flash90

Ben-Gvir praised Dagan, saying: “I congratulate my friend Yossi Dagan, who works day and night for Samaria and its residents and acts with determination to strengthen settlement. We will continue together to strengthen Hinnanit, Samaria, and settlement in the Land of Israel. With God’s help, we will continue to build, expand, and ensure that Samaria flourishes, prospers, and develops.”

Dagan said at the ceremony: “Strengthening our hold and community in northern Samaria is the real security that will restore quiet to the State of Israel. We are doing pure Zionism here today in the heart of the land. Twenty-one years after the terrible uprooting, as we are restoring and rebuilding 18 settlements, the expansion and growth of the wonderful community of Hinnanit, with its amazing population, is the greatest and most important Zionism of our generation.”

Dagan personally thanked Ben-Gvir and the many partners who led the historic move: “I want to express great appreciation and say deep thanks on behalf of all settlement in Samaria and on behalf of all the people of Israel to Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who acts with determination and exceptional dedication to strengthen the security of the State of Israel and to strengthen the Land of Israel. The minister helped us greatly in fortifying rapid response teams in the communities, in distributing weapons and in the effort to expand eligibility for personal firearms, fought fearlessly against various threats, and took upon himself as a national mission to strengthen heritage sites in Samaria and ancient Samaria.”

Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir | Photo: Jonathan Zinel, Flash 90

Dagan added words of thanks and appreciation to the community’s leadership through the generations: “I ask to strengthen the settlement council headed by Or Yaakobovitz, community coordinator Rotem Ben Avraham, and all those engaged in this holy work.”

Ze’ev Greenberg, deputy CEO and owner at Mider company, said: “Laying the cornerstone in Hinnanit is an exciting moment that fills the heart for us. But no less is it exciting for the pioneering residents here in the community. We thank you for choosing us and placing trust in Mider company. We thank National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, the community board chairman, and all the partners. We know the road wasn’t smooth but we’re grateful we’ve reached the cornerstone-laying ceremony and already look forward to handing over the keys to the new residents. This project will be a gem in the area that will be an example of comfortable and modern construction in the heart of Samaria.”

Or Yaakobovitz, Hinnanit community board chairman, said: “What’s happening in Hinnanit is part of a broad momentum in northern Samaria. A community of 200 families that’s doubling itself, with the next generation choosing to stay and new families choosing to join—this is the best proof that our future is here.”

July 15, 2026
Israeli Woman Injured in Stone-Throwing Attack in Samaria

An Israeli citizen was injured today (Wednesday) after terrorists threw stones at a vehicle on a main road near Ma’ale Lavona in Samaria. She was taken to the hospital for treatment, and two vehicles were damaged. Our forces began searching for the suspects and placed a cordon on the village of Sinjil.

Photo: Eliya Aviv

As a reminder, at the end of last week, a 16-year-old Arab from the village of Nahalin was arrested after allegedly infiltrating Neve Daniel in the Gush Etzion. Initially, he claimed to the community’s chief of police and the military force that arrested him that he entered the place because he was thirsty and looking for water, but during his interrogation he admitted that he planned to carry out an attack, harm a soldier, and “end his life as a martyr.” The investigation into his case is ongoing, and the police are expected to request an extension of his detention.

July 15, 2026
American Lawmakers Make Official Visit to Judea and Samaria

On Monday, a delegation of politicians from eight different U.S. states visited Israel’s heartland, touring the Binyamin region in Judea and Samaria. The delegation visited Psagot as well as the ancient city of Shiloh. During the tour, they received a historical and archaeological overview of the site.

View of Shiloh. | Photo: Miriam Alster/Flash90

The politicians met with Binyamin Governor and Chairman of the Yesha Council Yisrael Ganz, who explained the region’s security realities and rapid development, stating that “Binyamin is Israel’s security belt.”

The delegation, organized by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), included Arkansas State Representative Aaron Pilkington, Florida State Representative Debra Tendrich, Kansas State Representative Pat Proctor, Missouri State Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman, Missouri Senate Majority Leader Tony Luetkemeyer, Ohio State Representative Meredith Craig, Texas State Representative Matt Shaheen, and Utah State Representatives Candice Pierucci and Karianne Lisonbee.

Utah House Majority Whip Candice Pierucci remarked, “I would encourage people, instead of reading the news, to actually come out and see what it really is like in the great state of Israel.” She added that she was impressed by Israeli’s “resiliency, and grit, and faith that they have, and it’s inspiring, and we need more of that in America.”

Kansas State Representative Pat Proctor stated: “I’m honored to have had the opportunity to come to Judea and Samaria,” and noted the locals are “a group of people so deeply dedicated to reclaiming their roots and making a home here.”

Governor Ganz stated: “I would like to thank the Combat Antisemitism Movement for this important initiative and for its unwavering commitment to strengthening the relationship between Israel and its friends across the United States. I also thank the distinguished members of the delegation who chose to come to Binyamin, see the reality firsthand, and deepen their understanding of both the challenges and opportunities in our region.”

Congressman Ro Khanna | Photo: ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect

The visit is contrasted by a stunt pulled by Congressman Ro Khanna last week. Unlike the delegation, the Democrat representative did not notify local authorities or the United States embassy of his intended visit and entered a restricted area, as confirmed by Ambassador Mike Huckabee. Khanna was briefly stopped by locals and security forces, and he later attempted to turn the situation into an international incident and damage U.S.-Israeli relations, after which his lies were exposed by journalists and senior diplomats all over the world.

July 15, 2026
Cabinet Approves 104th Jewish Community in Samaria

Following an exclusive C14 report earlier, the political-security cabinet approved Tuesday evening a proposal to establish the 19th new town in Judea and Samaria—”Sa-Nur East,” a temporary name for a town to be built near Sa-Nur in the northern Samaria.

The official return ceremony to Sa-Nur, which was displaced by expulsion | Photo: Roy Hedi

As C14 revealed, the new town will be built on state land east of Sa-Nur, near Route 5725 and close to the strategic Route 60. According to the proposed decision, the town will operate under the Samaria Regional Council, receive an independent designation, and the state will allocate the land to the Settlement Division for residential construction and infrastructure development.

With the decision’s approval, “Sa-Nur East” becomes the 104th community authorized under the current government. The proposal was brought by Finance Minister and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz. Officials close to Smotrich present the move as part of what they call a “revolution,” which also includes establishing dozens of outposts, expanding infrastructure and roads, and developing new neighborhoods in communities across Judea and Samaria.

Sa-Nur, Archive | Photo: Flash 90

Samaria governor Yossi Dagan said in a statement, “Those who did not want one Sa-Nur will get two. Instead of the expulsion [disengagement] plan, we are implementing the connection plan together. Sa-Nur East will stand firm on the strategic Route 60, where the paratroopers’ base used to be. This is the 19th new town in northern Samaria, and the only correct Zionist and security answer to terrorism – more construction, more settlement, and more Jewish control over the land of the homeland. The people of Israel are victorious.”

Smotrich in Sa-Nur, archive | Credit: None

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said after the decision was approved: “We are leading a historic revolution in Judea and Samaria that will prevent the establishment of a terror state in the heart of the State of Israel. Approval of the Sa-Nur East community is another significant step in this process, alongside 103 new communities, more than 160 outposts, and massive funding for infrastructure and roads, and pioneer neighborhoods in the new settlements.”

He also addressed criticism from the opposition: “Against the left’s plans to evacuate communities—we are fortifying the enterprise. While Eisenkot and Yair Golan are preparing plans to evacuate settlements, we are establishing facts on the ground. We will continue the revolution—and secure the State of Israel’s security.”

The cabinet’s approval comes against a backdrop of international pressure and calls from various parties to freeze construction in Judea and Samaria. The government presents the decision as a political and security response aimed at strengthening Israel’s hold in the area, while opponents of the move are expected to criticize the settlement expansion.

July 15, 2026
IDF Eliminates Notorious Hamas Terrorist Chief in Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that an airstrike in northern Gaza earlier today (Tuesday) killed Mohammed Marwan Mohammed Salem, head of military security for Hamas’s Central Jabaliya Battalion.

Credit: IDF Spokesperson

According to the IDF statement, several other Hamas military operatives were killed alongside him: Abd al-Malek Abu al-Jabeen, a Nukhba terrorist in the Central Jabaliya Battalion and head of interrogations in the Hamas police; Yamen Mohammed Gabriil Obeid, a terrorist operative in the Central Jabaliya Battalion; and Ghassan Akram Salama Daqas, a terrorist operative in the West Jabaliya Battalion and member of the Hamas police.

The IDF said the terrorists had recently gathered to advance and execute attack plans, and that the strike was carried out to eliminate the threat. The military added that IDF forces in the Southern Command are deployed across the area in accordance with the agreement, and will continue operating to remove any immediate threat.

July 14, 2026
Deputy Foreign Minister Resigns After Law Passes

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel announced her resignation from the government and her position shortly after voting in the Knesset plenum against the law freezing the arrests of deserters. In doing so, she fulfilled her commitment to resign from the government if the legislation is advanced and approved.

Haskel’s resignation comes after a long period in which she expressed strong opposition to moves intended to make it easier for yeshiva students with regard to the issue of conscription. In an interview she gave last week, she attacked the legislation being formed, calling it “election bribery,” and made it clear that if the laws are approved, she will consider resigning from the government.

During the vote in the plenum, Haskel chose to vote against the law, contrary to the coalition’s position, and shortly thereafter announced her resignation from her position as Deputy Foreign Minister and from the government. Despite resigning from the government, Haskel is not resigning from the Knesset and will continue to serve as a member of Knesset. As is known, Sharren Haskel serves as a member of Knesset and minister on behalf of Gideon Sa’ar’s party, which opposed the government and Netanyahu, but during the term he reversed course and joined the government.

July 14, 2026
IDF Punishes Soldier Filmed With Controversial Influencer

The IDF imposed a series of disciplinary punishments on Sgt. Shira Brown, who served as a non-commissioned officer in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, following the controversy surrounding the visit to Israel of American social media star Braden Eric Peters.

Female soldier, illustration | Photo: Shutterstock

After standing trial before her commanders, it was decided that Brown will not be able to continue serving in her role as a spokesperson NCO. She was barred from the profession, will be transferred to another unit until the end of her military service, and was also sentenced to conditional detention—meaning if she commits another disciplinary offense, she could face actual imprisonment. Unrelated to the affair, her military service is expected to end in about two months.

The affair began during Peters’s visit to Israel, known online as “Calvicular.” During the visit he was accompanied by Brown, who as part of her role also managed the IDF’s international TikTok account.

Female soldier, illustration | Photo: Shutterstock

Peters sparked controversy on social media due to his connections with antisemitic content creators. Among other things, footage circulated showing him filmed alongside creators who appeared to be singing “Heil Hitler.” Peters later claimed on social media that he was in a romantic relationship with Brown—a claim that heightened public attention around the affair and led to an IDF investigation.

Now, after the disciplinary proceedings held in her case, it was decided to remove her from her position in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, bar her from the profession, and transfer her to another unit until the end of her service.

July 14, 2026
Iran’s Giant Billboard Calls for Death of Trump, Netanyahu

A massive billboard appeared today (Tuesday) in Tehran’s ‘Palestine Square’, openly displaying the ayatollah regime’s intentions toward senior Israeli and American officials and members of their families. The images were accompanied by a threatening message in Persian and Hebrew: “Blood for blood, eye for an eye.”

The billboard, which appears to have been created or edited using artificial intelligence, shows images Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara placed on what look like coffins. Additional visible figures are Melania Trump, the President’s daughter Ivanka, and her husband Jared Kushner

These dramatic images and messages join a series of repeated calls in Iran for revenge following the elimination of senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders and Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

“Rain of missiles” | Photo: Arab networks

Until now, the threats have focused mainly on U.S. President Donald Trump, with the most explicit coming from Mojtaba Khamenei at the end of his father’s funeral procession. In that threat, Mojtaba wrote: “We pledge to avenge your blood and the blood of all those killed in both wars. This revenge is the will of our nation and it must be done soon.”

‘Palestine Square’ in Tehran has served in recent years as one of the Iranian regime’s most prominent propaganda stages against Israel. In the past, signs in Hebrew with threatening messages like “You will regret it,” “Shelter,” and “Stock up on food and supplies” were placed there, as well as a giant billboard after the elimination of Ismail Haniyeh that read in Hebrew “Wait for severe punishment.” Another sign hung in Palestine Square displayed a map of Gush Dan with writing threatening a “rain of missiles.”

Photo: Reuters

Additional signs with threats against targets in Israel were also posted there later in the day, including one showing a target map of the Gush Dan area alongside the Hebrew text “All targets within reach,” and another threatening Israeli and American soldiers with the text “Watch out for your soldiers.” Last May, a sign in Hebrew and Farsi was displayed in the square stating that “Israel will not see the next 15 years.”

July 14, 2026
Iran Expert Dismisses Ahmadinejad-Mossad Reports

Was Iran’s former president recruited by the Mossad? Rani Amrani, an Iran expert, addressed the question today (Tuesday) in an interview, responding to a New York Times report claiming Israel ran a covert operation involving former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. His verdict: “If this were true—they would have executed him long ago.”

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad| Photo by: Arab media

According to Amrani, false reports and fake news in the New York Times are routine, and Ahmadinejad’s office has denied the report. “This is like a Hollywood script, it can’t be,” he said. He added that even if Israel planned such a move, it would never be accepted in Iran, since the country’s leader must have religious standing—something Ahmadinejad lacks.

“I believe the Mossad is smart enough and understands Iran well enough to know that the Iranian people oppose the entire regime, and anyone who was part of it could never be accepted as a leader,” he explained. He added that Ahmadinejad, as former president, played a role in killing and executing many regime opponents, so his hands are stained with Iranian blood—and the citizens would never accept that.

Photo: Abaca Press, Reuters

He continued: “There’s no logic that the Mossad would think of such a thing and gamble on a person who is almost part of the regime. I believe reports by the New York Times and also by Haaretz have political motives to harm the government in Israel.”

As reported, an investigation published yesterday in the New York Times claimed that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who called for Israel’s destruction, was at the center of a covert operation the Mossad ran for years. According to the report, Israel worked behind the scenes to recruit the former Iranian president as a strategic intelligence asset, intending to position him as the country’s future leader after toppling the ayatollah regime.

Former Mossad Director Dadi Barnea | Photo: Tomer Neuberg/Flash90

According to the investigation, one of the operation’s peaks occurred in 2024, when Ahmadinejad was invited to an academic conference in Budapest. On its face, the event dealt with climate change, but in practice it served as cover for secret meetings with Israeli intelligence officials. Additionally, former American administration sources claimed the operation was particularly sensitive—so much so that former Mossad chief Dadi Barnea personally traveled to the Hungarian capital to meet with the former president. Following the meeting, the CIA was briefed that direct and stable contact had been established with the Iranian official.

The report describes a complex relationship: in recent years, Israel secretly funded part of Ahmadinejad’s travel and accommodation expenses outside Iran, and Mossad agents met with him on several occasions on foreign soil.

IAF aircraft, archive | Photo: Nati Shohat,/Flash90

According to the report, the operation reached its climax with the outbreak of war on February 28. The Israeli Air Force struck his residential compound in Tehran, hitting the building where his bodyguards were staying and his armored car. Shortly afterward, a black Peugeot arrived at the scene, picked him up, and drove him to a safe house inside Iran.

American and Iranian sources involved in the details claimed that Mossad operatives drove the vehicle. The operation’s purpose, according to the report, was to disconnect Ahmadinejad from Revolutionary Guards supervision and initiate a move to position him as an alternative leader. But the move got complicated: Ahmadinejad complained about the extraction method and began questioning the plan. He later left the safe house under unclear circumstances.

The funeral procession of Ali Khamenei | Photo: Reuters

The former president wasn’t seen in public for months, until he appeared briefly at the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. According to four Iranian officials, after Tehran exposed some of his contacts with Israel, he was transferred to the custody of the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence division and is currently under house arrest.

July 14, 2026
Cabinet to Approve New Town In Samaria Today

While the ‘Palestinian’ Authority continues attempting to unilaterally establish facts on the ground aimed at creating a de facto ‘Palestinian’ state, Israel’s government will deliver a decisive Zionist response today (Tuesday). We bring here the first publication of the official proposal coming before the security cabinet for approval: establishment of a new independent Jewish town in Samaria—”Sa-Nur East” (temporary name).

Ministers Smotrich and Struck | photo: No credit

The new town will be built east of the existing Sa-Nur town, on government-owned land near Route 5725 and in close proximity to the strategic Route 60 corridor. This is a location of supreme security and political importance: the designated area is surrounded on four sides by ‘Palestinian’ villages under ‘Palestinian’ Authority control, and establishment of the new town, which will include hundreds of housing units, will serve as a fortified protective wall to maintain security and civilian presence in the area and strengthen control of the Route 60 corridor.

According to the decision proposal submitted by the Defense Minister and the Additional Minister in the Defense Ministry, the new town will operate under the Samaria Regional Council and receive an independent town designation. The Custodian of Government Property in Judea and Samaria will be instructed to allocate the land to a division of the World Zionist Organization through long-term authorization agreements for building residential homes and establishing production facilities on site.

Sa-Nur, Archive | Photo: Flash 90

Simultaneously, the Energy and Infrastructure Ministry, headed by the minister supporting the decision, will act immediately to advance planning and execution of electricity, water, and sewage infrastructure for the new town. Sources close to right-wing ministers emphasized that the current move is a direct continuation of dramatic cabinet decisions made between 2023-2026 to regularize and establish dozens of post points.

The strategic step is designed to physically block the ‘Palestinian’ Authority’s unilateral attempts and create a reality of strong Jewish sovereignty. This is tremendous news for Samaria township, joining the economic and historic achievements of recent days. It has been proven once again that in the face of enemy threats and international pressure, the correct and only Zionist response is more construction, more development, and more establishment of irreversible facts in the heart of our homeland.

July 14, 2026