Free Republic

Candidates running in Sunday's Likud primary have gone out of their way to emphasize their right-wing sensibilities, but even the rightest of the right Likudniks were unable to stop their party from undertaking one of the most devastating blows to the philosophy of love of the Land of Israel – the disengagement from Gaza and Northern Samaria. While former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon – still in bed in a comatose state – broke away to form Kadima before the actual destruction of the communities in Gush Katif, he was a Likud Prime Minister, and many of the forming members of...

MK Aryeh Eldad (Ichud Leumi) has welcomed the decision to recognize Ariel University Center as a university. “This is an excellent academic institution and worthy of its new title,” he said. “Its future is to be a leading research university, and the knowledge that comes forth from it will earn national and international recognition.” He criticized the Israeli left for objecting to the change in status. “The Israel left was not ashamed to fight against academic freedom and excellence in research,” he accused. “But the conv(o)y of settlement continues to move..."

National Union Chairman MK Yaakov Katz announced Thursday that he intends to bring the Outposts Law that he co-authored to a vote in the Knesset plenum Monday. The move will be coordinated with Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin. The law was sponsored by Katz along with MKs Yariv Levin and Ze'ev Elkin (Likud) and David Rotem (Yisrael Beitenu). Earlier Thursday, MK Zevulun Orlev (Jewish Home) said that he has decided to place his own version of the bill up for a vote next week, in order to forestall the planned demolition of the Givat HaUlpana neighborhood in Beit El, and to...

MK Dr. Michael Ben Ari (National Union) has been waiting for a visa to visit the United States for some time, but the State Department refuses to issue him one. This is despite pressure from Israel's Foreign Ministry to allow Ben Ari to visit the US in order to attend conferences, including one slated to start in New York on Wednesday. It has been widely speculated that the US refusal was based on Ben Ari's affiliation with the late Rabbi Meir Kahane and his banned Kahane Hai party. However, Ben Ari told Arutz Sheva on Tuesday that the US embassy...

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz called, Thursday, for Israeli law to be applied in Judea and Samaria and to cut off relations with the Palestinian Authority (PA). Responding to reports about Hamas entering the Palestine Liberation Organization, the parent to the PA, the Likud lawmaker said, "Recently I heard that Hamas celebrated its 30th anniversary and that it was proud it had murdered 1,350 Jews. I have not heard of people who celebrate the murder of Jews since the period of the Nazis." During a ceremony in Karnei Shomron, in which he was given honory citizenship of the town and named...

The Jewish Home party is facing growing pressure over the threat to Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria, with residents of the region calling on MKs to make their issue make-or-break for the coalition. The Yesha (Judea and Samaria) Council voted unanimously Thursday to call on Jewish Home MKs to make it clear that if a Jewish town or neighborhood is destroyed, they will leave Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s government. Yesha Council head Danny Dayan called party head Minister Daniel Hershkowitz and faction head MK Uri Orbach to inform them of the council’s decision. Orbach and Dayan agreed to bring...