Arlene Kushner | July 30, 2026
Moment that a rifle was pulled from the arms of a civilian security officer while confronting an Arab mob attacking Jewish hikers in Shomron. Screengrab via Social Media
In my previous posting, which went out last Friday, I spoke about the extraordinary ability of our people here in Israel to choose life in the face of pain and tragedy. It was the truth, unvarnished.
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On that very same day, a group went hiking in the Shomron (Samaria). Having coordinated their hike with security authorities, they started at Har Bracha and were outside of the community of Havat Gilad when they were set upon by Arabs. Security forces, who were alerted, rushed to the scene.
Two individuals among those security forces were fatally shot by the terrorists.
One was Major Yuval Ezra, 27, a resident of Herzliya and an Artillery Battery Commander in the 411th Battalion, 282nd Brigade. He was shot when a Palestinian Arab grabbed an assault rifle from a civilian security officer on the scene. Yuval had become engaged just a month before and the wedding with his Timor was planned for next June. His picture is to the left, below.
The other was Master Sergeant (Res.) Benayahu Melet, 32, who had served as a combat commander in the 8119th Battalion of the Jerusalem Brigade. A resident of Havat Gilad, he was serving as a member of the community’s emergency response team. After he received the wounds to which he ultimately succumbed, he continued to shoot in an attempt to protect the hikers. He leaves a wife, Esther, and two daughters, 12 and 13.
Courtesy
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/430697
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When I learned of their deaths, I felt a rage overtake me: Gone. Two very good men, praised by those who knew them; they went to save others who were endangered. And now there is a grief-stricken young woman burying her fiancé. Another, burying her beloved husband, and two girls who have lost their father.
And I knew that I had to write about this, as an addendum to what I had written just days ago. For this, too, is part of our story. What I felt in that moment was rage, and I thought “Kill, kill every terrorist in every terror cell in Judea & Samaria, without mercy.” An honest and legitimate visceral response.
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The focus has been so much on Iran and Hezbollah that insufficient attention has been paid to the presence of terrorists located in Judea & Samaria – and there are many, planning their acts of mayhem, murder and destruction.
Of late, we have been operating with increased vigor in confronting them.
“Israeli security forces carried out counter-terrorism operations across Judea and Samaria overnight Saturday, apprehending more than 70 wanted Palestinian suspects in the wake of the terrorist attack the previous day that left two Israelis dead and six others wounded in Samaria, the Israel Defense Forces said.”
IDF
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Such operations must be maintained on an on-going basis. A year ago Nadav Shragai warned that with regard to Judea & Samaria there is “a growing terror infrastructure that mirrors Gaza’s path.”
https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/12/10/judea-and-samaria-are-heading-toward-their-own-october-7/
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MK Tzvi Sukkot (Religious Zionists) spoke of revenge after the attack last week and made the significant point that it must not come from individuals. That is, no vigilantism. What he – along with several others – has called for is the dismantling by the government of Arab villages known to be hotbeds of terrorism. And I don’t even see this as “revenge” – something done to “get even.” Rather, this is pro-active behavior designed to prevent further attacks.
Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Chair, Religious Zionists) refined this proposal by naming three specific Arab villages in the Nablus area from which terrorists repeatedly emerge.
There were Tal and Iraq Burin, located near the farm/outpost of Havat Gilad, which is where the terrorist murders I described above took place.
Additionally, he named the Arab village of Beit Furik near the farm/outpost of Havat Avraham, adjacent to Elon Moreh in Samaria. This is where Itamar Cohen, 51, a founder of the farm movement of Samaria, was severely knifed last Thursday. Two Palestinian Arabs from Beit Furik stabbed him five times in the chest, after he had been working to extinguish a fire started by Arabs from this same Beit Furik.
Facebook
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/430635
The farm movement is exceedingly important to the Jewish future in Samaria, as it establishes outposts to secure continuous land presence and regional security.
Does it make sense to assume that the terrorists coming from Beit Furik – which was subsequently cordoned off by Israeli authorities – were content to randomly stab any Jew in Havat Avraham, or is it more likely that they knew whom they were attacking?
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We cannot afford to close our eyes to the potential for terror. A tough and determined stance is to be celebrated.
I think back several years, when Israel was still immersed in the insanity of Oslo thinking. Checkpoints were sometimes taken down as “goodwill gestures,” in the very mistaken belief that such gestures would promote peaceful behavior on the part of the Palestinian Arabs. What it did was result in several Jewish deaths that might have been prevented. Today I believe – and pray – that we are much smarter.
In addition to dismantling of terror infrastructure, there are a variety of other actions being called for. Smotrich proposes the establishment of a new community near the site of the deadly shooting attack.
“That is our fitting Zionist response to the terrorists, to terrorism, and to the desire to undermine our hold on areas of our land.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/430703
Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli Finance Minister. Screengrab via Youtube
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At the same time that we act to protect ourselves from threats of terror, we must act to secure and defend our rights in the land. The terrorism we are combatting is designed, very precisely, to drive us from this land. We are not dealing with people who wish to share it. Examine the charter of Hamas or of the PLO, and this is clear. “From the river to the sea” reflects their stance precisely. It is theirs. And why? The issue is religious: Our presence is not legitimate because this is Muslim land.
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I have already mentioned above the development of farms in Samaria and will undoubtedly come back to this and related projects. But much of the focus of Islamists here is on major religious sites. They get it: those in control of these sites, which they see as conferring religious legitimacy, can more readily lay claim to the land.
The major examples:
As of November 2025, full administration of the Ma’arat Hamachpela – the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron – is being managed by the Israeli Ministry of Religious Services.
Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. Photo by Ooman – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikipedia
Said Israel Bramson of the Kiryat Arba Council, at the time of this transition, “this is a historic process and period for Kiryat Arba [a Jewish city directly adjacent to Hebron], Hebron, and the Cave of the Patriarchs. After years of embarrassing dependence, the State of Israel is realizing its full sovereignty at the site most sacred to Judaism after the Temple Mount. Today we can say with confidence: the Cave of the Patriarchs is in safe hands…
“For 700 years, starting with the [Muslim] Mamelukes, Jews were banned from entering the site. After the Six Day War in 1967, Jews began to be allowed limited access. Since the 1990s, the site has been divided with separate entrances for Jews and Muslims. The Muslim Waqf was in charge of the general maintenance, and the central electricity and water [were] controlled by them.
“This gave them the ability to turn off the electricity in the entire building at the push of a button, including the security cameras, and inhibit preparations for events and the movement of Jewish visitors…
“Because the area assigned for Jewish use is unroofed, various solutions have been sought to prevent damage and flooding during the rainy season. For years, the Waqf repeatedly denied a permanent roof solution [see picture below] and also blocked Israel from installing a new fire safety system…” (emphasis added)
https://hebron.org.il/en/israel-now-controls-maarat-hamachpela-maintenance/
No more! Work is currently being done on the Machpela to address these problems. Not only will there be a new roof, preservation work is being done, and new upgrades, electrical and otherwise, will be in place.
My friends, this is big – because of the religious importance of the Machpela, and the hostile attitude of the Muslim Wakf. Sharing is not on their agenda, pushing us out is.
Hebron.org
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But the most significant site is Har Habayit – the Temple Mount.
Aerial view of Jerusalem Temple Mount. Photo by Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikidedia
This was the site of our two Temples – the existence of which the Muslims do not acknowledge; at present, the Al Aqsa Mosque stands on the Mount – although the Muslims refer to the entire Mount as “Al Aqsa” – as does the Dome of the Rock, which is precisely where it is believed the Temples stood. The Kotel is a portion of the retaining wall erected by Herod when the Mount was extended to accommodate an expanded Second Temple.
I have written about this sacred site before and will return to do so again. For information about the Mount see my material from my website:
https://1034279.us34.myftpupload.com/the-temple-mount-whose-is-it/
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The Muslims claim that the Jews are breaching the “status quo” that was established in 1967 when Moshe Dayan struck an unfortunate agreement with the Wakf at the end of the Six Day War. But this is simply not the case as the Muslims breached it in a number of significant regards a long time ago.
What I wish to call attention to here is the fact that something significant is taking place: each year more Jews choose to go up to the Mount. And while not so many years ago any Jew who prayed was arrested, today, Jews pray openly on the eastern side of the Mount.
This past Tisha B’Av, just a week ago, more then 3,500 Jews ascended, setting a new record. Rabbi Elisha Wolfson, Rosh Yeshiva of the Temple Mount Yeshiva “described what he said has been a significant change on the Temple Mount over the past two years, particularly since National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir took office. He contrasted the current situation with the early years of the Temple Mount Yeshiva, about six years ago, when, he said, even silent prayer could result in police detention.
“’Today there are songs, prayers, and prostration on the Temple Mount. And starting today, there are also shade canopies and Tisha B’Av prayer booklets.’”
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Rabbi Wolfson mentioned Minister Ben-Gvir. I have alluded to him several times – as he ascends the Mount frequently and encourages others to come. I laugh at the horrified Muslim claims that he is “storming” the Mount, when it is obvious that he is doing nothing of the sort. Apparently any Jew walking on the Mount is said to be “storming.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir led 4200 Israelis to pray on the Temple Mount on July 23, 2026. Screengrab via Youtube.
Something good is happening, my friends – in the face of all the angst.
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It was refreshing to address matters that do not involve Iran and Trump. I was not sure I would be able to do this. I will return to consideration of the frenzied Iranian situation the next time I write.
What I will say here is simply that I am convinced that ultimately Trump will decide to hit Iran as hard as Iran must be hit. I suggest that Bibi, after meeting with Trump, would not be smiling if this were not the case.
That time may come sooner than Trump would like. For Iran is testing the limits – having now launched drones at Egypt, near the Suez canal, creating yet another security threat. There are some serious questions as to who is calling the shots in Tehran.
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I ask, as I always do, that you please pray. Pray for our leaders, both political and military, for our soldiers, and for all of Am Israel.
©Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
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