Transcript [00:00] You've probably heard some of the recent [00:01] headlines surrounding events that took [00:03] place here in Israel over the weekend, [00:05] such as Palestinian woman and NBC news [00:08] team attacked by masked Israeli settlers [00:10] in West Bank. That was straight off the [00:12] NBC website. Or settlers attack West [00:15] Bank's Kusra take over home with [00:17] Palestinian family inside. Or Netanyahu [00:20] decries criminal violence after settlers [00:23] again raid besieged village. So the [00:25] question is, are religious Jews living [00:27] in Judea and Samaria really going around [00:30] trying to stir up trouble with their [00:31] Arab neighbors and on Shabbat to boot? [00:35] Or is there more to the story than what [00:36] the mainstream media wants you to see? [00:39] By Sunday morning this week, Israeli [00:41] news outlets were exploding with stories [00:43] about another bout of extremist settlers [00:46] attacking innocent Palestinian families, [00:49] laying siege to homes, attacking [00:51] journalists, and even abducting people. [00:53] According to the reports showing up on [00:56] news sites, there were three different [00:57] incidents that all appear to have [00:59] happened almost simultaneously and all [01:02] on the Sabbath. In one event, an NBC [01:05] news crew was allegedly attacked by a [01:07] couple of Jewish extremist settlers. In [01:10] another, Jewish community security [01:11] personnel detained a British activist [01:14] near a Palestinian community and turned [01:16] him over to the police. And in the third [01:19] incident, which was the largest in [01:21] scale, a large group of Jewish settlers [01:23] supposedly attempted a raid on the [01:25] outskirts of Kuser and stormed a home [01:28] with a Palestinian family trapped [01:30] inside. So all of that is what the media [01:33] is generally presenting to you of what [01:36] happened here in the Wild West Bank over [01:39] the weekend. A lot of wild Jewish [01:41] settlers were being violent and lawless. [01:44] But let's ask some questions before we [01:46] assume that we're getting the full [01:48] story. So for myself and our team here [01:51] in Israel, we are Christian Zionists who [01:53] have lived and worked among the Jewish [01:55] communities and farms of Judea and [01:56] Samaria for over 20 years. And we become [02:00] very familiar with the Jewish people who [02:02] live and work the land here in Judea and [02:04] Samaria. And for us, and this is a [02:06] little more personal, when the news [02:08] headlines are broadcasted around the [02:09] world about stories that take place [02:11] here, we're not just like reporting on [02:14] stories based on things that we research [02:17] and and sources. And of course, we do [02:19] those things, but it's a lot deeper than [02:21] that because these are people who are [02:22] our neighbors, friends, people we've [02:24] worked with, uh acquaintances, people [02:27] that we have known and uh for years and [02:29] like communities that we are very [02:31] familiar with. We live in a Jewish [02:33] community in Samaria in the quote [02:37] unquote West Bank. So, all of that being [02:39] said, let's dive into some reasons why [02:41] these preposterous news headlines that [02:43] were broadcasted to millions of people [02:45] all over the world of what supposedly [02:47] happened here in the Wild West Bank [02:50] might just be a bit off. And I say that [02:53] at a minimum. So the first thing that [02:56] has alarm bells going off is the [02:58] occurrence of so many events all [03:00] happening at the same time and also not [03:03] just happening at any random time. They [03:05] all took place very close to each other. [03:08] Some of them quite a distance apart, but [03:10] they all took place right in the smack [03:13] dab middle of the Jewish Sabbath. Now, [03:16] for a Christian who's maybe never been [03:18] to Israel or you've never been to [03:20] exposed to the way uh religious Jews [03:23] observe the Shabbat, this might seem a [03:25] little bit weird, but in two of these [03:27] widely uh two two out of three of these [03:29] widely reported incidents, Jewish [03:31] settlers were reportedly driving cars on [03:34] Shabbat. And that's something that [03:35] observant Jews don't do unless there's [03:38] an emergency. Now, I do want to [03:40] emphasize that this is not just uh some [03:42] light thing I'm saying. It's very [03:44] serious. In Jewish communities all [03:46] throughout Judea and Samaria, the [03:48] majority of them uh they close on [03:50] Shabbat. The the actual gate of the [03:51] community closes and no one drives in or [03:54] out except for security forces and [03:57] anyone that is in an emergency [03:58] situation. Now, regarding the story of [04:01] the NBC journalists allegedly being [04:03] attacked, it's possible that the [04:06] attackers were a couple of wild Jewish [04:08] vigilantes out doing criminal acts with [04:10] total disregard for uh Israeli law. If [04:14] that's true, it's also likely that they [04:17] were not even from Judea and Samaria [04:18] because there's just too much that [04:20] wouldn't make sense in this particular [04:21] location, in this particular story. [04:24] Because in the area where the attack [04:25] happened, it would be really unusual to [04:27] see secular Jews who don't, you know, [04:30] have any regard or observance for the [04:31] Shabbat at all. Uh it would be it would [04:33] be very unusual for them to appear in [04:35] that area. And that's why if they were [04:38] Jewish vigilantes that committed this [04:40] attack, then I would I my my thought [04:43] right now is that they weren't actually [04:44] from Judea and Samaria. And that's [04:46] actually backed up by a statement from [04:48] Prime Minister Netanyahu in the last few [04:50] months where he said uh the quote [04:52] unquote violent Jewish settlers are [04:55] actually only about 150 young people who [04:57] were brought in from outside Judea and [04:59] Samaria like troubled youth uh from [05:01] troubled homes in other areas of Israel [05:04] who came into Judea and Samaria to cause [05:07] trouble. Now, there still isn't a lot of [05:09] information out about this particular [05:11] incident with the NBC crew, but much [05:13] about it just doesn't make sense. And [05:15] it's also really important to note that [05:17] NBC did not provide any evidence that [05:19] the attack was committed by Jewish [05:21] settlers. And uh if you're American, my [05:24] question is what happened to being [05:25] innocent until proven guilty? The only [05:28] evidence that they showed is the video [05:30] footage which shows a vehicle with [05:32] yellow license plates which means it was [05:34] an Israeli vehicle because Palestinian [05:36] authority plates are green or white. But [05:38] it's also important to note there are 2 [05:40] million ArabIsraeli citizens in Israel [05:43] and Juda and Samaria who drive vehicles [05:46] with yellow Israeli license plates. So [05:48] that license plate does not [05:49] automatically mean you're Jewish. And uh [05:52] the other evidence is masked [05:54] individuals. There's no way to tell who [05:57] these masked individuals were, at least [05:59] not yet, as the matter is still likely [06:01] under investigation. There's also a [06:04] theory uh currently being discussed [06:06] online that this was a staged attack and [06:08] it was just an attempt to make [06:09] international headlines and blame the [06:11] Jews. Again, not much is known yet, but [06:13] the authorities will certainly [06:15] investigate this incident uh and get to [06:17] the bottom of it because there is video [06:19] footage. I'm sure there's more that's [06:21] not even being shown online and uh [06:23] investigators will get to the bottom of [06:25] it. I'm sure if they really think it was [06:28] Jewish settlers, NBC will be pushing the [06:30] authorities to absolutely figure out who [06:33] is responsible. Now, before we get into [06:36] the other two stories that happened over [06:37] the weekend, I want to quickly tell you [06:39] about what keeps our work going here in [06:42] Israel. Every single month, people [06:44] partner with us by giving any amount [06:45] that they choose as long as it's a [06:48] monthly donation. And that allows them [06:50] to be a part of the Israel guys member [06:53] program. As part of that program, you [06:55] get a live video call with our team in [06:56] here in Israel every single month, [06:58] exclusive field updates from our [07:00] volunteer crews working on the farms, an [07:02] epic 4K Israel photo download, discounts [07:06] to our store, prayer and praise reports [07:08] from our work here in Israel, as well as [07:09] the communities that we serve, and even [07:12] more. But the real reason to join is not [07:14] about the perks and benefits. Everything [07:16] you see us do in the videos, the uh [07:19] headline debunking, our visitor center [07:21] that we just built, the hundreds of [07:22] volunteers serving the people and land [07:24] in Israel's heartland every single year, [07:27] none of it happens on our own. After [07:28] more than 20 years of volunteering here, [07:31] we've learned the best way to stand with [07:32] Israel is through both media and boots [07:35] on the ground. And your monthly gift [07:37] makes both of those things possible. [07:39] Guys, if you want to join the Israel [07:41] Guys member program, click the link in [07:42] the description below or scan the QR [07:44] code on the screen and choose any amount [07:47] to get started. So, the second story of [07:50] what happened over the weekend was at [07:51] the entrance to the Carmel Jewish [07:53] community uh in southern Judea. A [07:56] British activist, and this is a video [07:58] you likely saw on social media, was [08:01] caught blocking a Jewish boy and pushing [08:03] on him with his body uh and [08:05] unnecessarily pressing against him. [08:07] There's even accusations that he [08:09] sexually assaulted the boy. One of the [08:11] settlers in the video who helped to [08:13] detain the activist was actually the [08:15] chief of security for the town, which [08:17] makes perfect sense. He detained the [08:19] activists and transferred him to the [08:21] Israeli police. But of course, none of [08:24] that was mentioned or explained in the [08:26] videos you saw. Last we heard, he's [08:28] still being held in custody by the [08:30] Israeli police who are in the process of [08:32] deporting this activist. The [08:35] neighborhood is located near a cluster [08:36] of illegal Palestinian Arab homes that [08:39] were built over the years at the [08:41] entrance to the Jewish community and the [08:43] area is also commonly frequented by [08:45] European left-wing activists who came to [08:47] the region to protect the Palestinians [08:50] and accompany them. By the way, I was [08:52] driving last week and I saw a bunch of [08:53] these activists. I don't know where [08:55] they're from, whether Israeli left-wing [08:57] activists or European leftwing [08:58] activists, but there's definitely a [09:00] trend in Judea and Samaria right now of [09:02] just uh a lot of activists all over the [09:05] place. And we see this happen like every [09:07] couple years they seem to appear out of [09:08] nowhere. They uh pop up all over the [09:11] news for a few months and then they kind [09:12] of disappear. And that's another reason [09:14] why all of the sudden you're seeing all [09:16] these violent settler stories popping up [09:18] all over the media and the internet. And [09:20] now to the final story that happened [09:22] over the weekend that took place in the [09:24] area of Kusra, a village that you've [09:27] definitely heard about in the last few [09:28] weeks. So the house on the slope of the [09:30] hill near the village of Kusra is still [09:32] under siege according to Palestinian [09:35] sources. They claim that the siege went [09:36] from being conducted by the settlers to [09:38] now being implemented by the IDF, which [09:40] is just not true at all. The IDF is [09:43] actually there to keep law in order and [09:46] protect anyone that needs protecting. [09:47] Now, we addressed the claims of a siege [09:50] already in a previous video, but just to [09:52] reiterate, there's nothing about the [09:53] situation that would classify it as a [09:55] siege. The resources had not been cut [09:57] off to the house. Apparently, even the [09:59] second highest ranking IDF officer in [10:02] the region came out personally on two [10:04] separate occasions to check on the uh [10:07] house and the the people in the area. Uh [10:10] the occupants of the house are allowed [10:11] to come and go as they please and they [10:13] have complete freedom of movement as far [10:16] as we can tell. The IDF has simply set [10:18] up a few observation posts in the area [10:21] to keep a closer watch on what's [10:22] happening. There's also more and more [10:24] reports from local Israelis in the [10:26] region who are saying that no one has [10:28] permanently lived in this house since it [10:30] was built and the families who are under [10:33] siege right now were intentionally [10:35] brought in to create an international [10:37] incident. The house has also been a [10:39] terror hub for violence against Jews [10:41] ever since it was built. And that brings [10:43] us to the third story which happened [10:45] over the weekend in the area which yet [10:47] again appears to be center stage in this [10:50] conflict. According to Arab media [10:52] sources, several pickup trucks full of [10:54] Jewish riers came and broke into a house [10:56] and barricaded themselves in it while [10:58] the family was still inside. This story [11:01] or a variation of it was widely reported [11:04] by media outlets. But according to a [11:06] local Israeli who is familiar with the [11:08] area, this house is actually an empty [11:10] shell of a building that was never [11:11] completed and has never even been fully [11:13] lived in. And apparently at a some point [11:16] a few of these rockthrowing Arabs hold [11:18] up in this building and this is where [11:20] the claim of another siege sprang from. [11:22] In a recent video by Al Jazzer, they [11:24] also admit that these other buildings on [11:26] the hillside are abandoned buildings and [11:28] not actual homes. So when Palestinian [11:31] sources are clearly lying about sieges, [11:33] it becomes hard to believe their claims [11:35] about other events in the area when the [11:37] premise of their headlines is entirely [11:40] fabricated. According to the local [11:42] Jewish residents in the area, the few [11:43] shepherds who've been camping out on the [11:45] hilltop with their sheep were attacked [11:47] by a mob of Arabs who were throwing [11:49] stones at them. the uh Jewish [11:51] separatists took cover, called for [11:53] security forces, but when the IDF didn't [11:55] show up quickly, they then called local [11:58] uh people, people that they knew in the [12:00] nearby community who sent out a couple [12:01] of pickup trucks with people to help [12:03] repel the Arabs who were attacking them. [12:05] And according to one source, it took [12:07] over 40 minutes for the IDF to arrive on [12:10] the scene. In one video of Arabs [12:12] throwing rocks, they turn and run away. [12:14] And you can hear the person filming say, [12:16] quote, "Now they run away because the [12:18] army arrives. When the IDF arrived, they [12:21] yelled at the Jewish group who came as [12:23] backup to get out of the area." And they [12:24] were then seen leaving the area. [12:27] Question. Does this seem to you guys [12:29] like a couple uh like a group of [12:30] coordinated Arab instigated attacks that [12:33] were affected in order to keep settler [12:35] the settler violence narrative going? I [12:37] already mentioned how the events all [12:39] happened on Shabbat, a day when Jewish [12:41] families in Judea and Samaria attend [12:43] synagogue, enjoy family and friends. [12:45] They're not driving, they're not [12:47] working, they're not out uh driving [12:49] around the area in Arab villages. It's a [12:51] highlight of the week for them, the [12:53] chance to relax, reconnect, to stay [12:55] home, and to stay inside their [12:56] communities. You might be wondering, [12:58] what advantage would a Shabbat [13:00] confrontation have for the Arabs? How [13:01] would it benefit them? Well, number one, [13:04] religious Jews don't use their phones on [13:05] Shabbat except in emergencies. This [13:07] gives the Arabs an advantage in greatly [13:10] reducing the likelihood that their [13:11] attacks will be filmed. Uh, number two, [13:14] Jewish news networks, especially [13:15] right-leaning ones, take Shabbat off. [13:17] So, gives this gives the left-leaning [13:19] and Arab news channels the advantage to [13:21] get their version of the story published [13:23] first. In addition to all of this, the [13:25] Arabs have historically used Jewish [13:28] festivals, holidays, and the Shabbat to [13:30] take advantage of the Jewish people and [13:32] to try and catch them with their guard [13:33] down. Such as 1973, the Yom Kipur war [13:36] was launched against Israel on the most [13:38] sacred day of the year. The nation was [13:40] entirely shut down. Most of the country [13:42] was fasting. On October 7th, the Kamas [13:46] attack from Gaza happened on the final [13:47] day of the festival of Sukkot, which [13:50] also fell on the weekly Shabbat. There's [13:52] also been countless smaller terrorist [13:54] attacks against Jewish communities in [13:55] Judea and Samaria which have been [13:57] specifically planned to try and catch [13:59] Jews offguard while observing Shabbat. [14:02] As an aside, I was talking to a friend [14:04] of mine a few days ago and he said a [14:06] number of years ago, I think during the [14:08] second inifat, there was communities, [14:10] Jewish communities where every Friday [14:11] night, uh it's traditional for Jews to [14:14] wear white, religious Jews to wear white [14:16] on Shabbat. Um, and that's why like the [14:18] videos you saw the weekend, all the the [14:20] the Israelis in the videos are seen [14:22] wearing white. Um, but he said on Friday [14:24] nights they would wear white, but they [14:25] would have a dark colored t-shirt [14:27] underneath their white shirts because [14:29] they expected attacks every single [14:31] Friday night. And when they went out to [14:32] the in the dark to the edges of the [14:34] communities, they needed to rip their [14:35] white shirts off so that they couldn't [14:37] be uh so easily distinguished and seen [14:40] in the dark. And that was every single [14:42] Friday night on Shabbat. The other thing [14:45] that doesn't help the claim of the [14:47] residents in Kusra is that this whole [14:48] situation is uh just part of their [14:52] history when it comes to terror. The [14:53] area around Kuser has been the site of [14:55] multitude of Arab rock throwings and [14:58] shooting attacks against their Jewish [15:00] neighbors. Such as November 2017, two [15:03] boys had come to the area to celebrate a [15:05] bar mitzvah were lynched by Arab [15:07] residents of Kusra in a cave nearby. [15:09] After the October 7th attack, five Arab [15:12] terrorists from Ker went out into and [15:13] attacked nearby Jewish areas and they [15:16] were eventually eliminated by the IDF. [15:18] On October 8th, 2023, the Kusra [15:21] municipality announced a one-day strike [15:24] for the purpose of mourning their heroic [15:26] martyrs in Gaza, referring to the [15:28] terrorists who massacred over 1,000 [15:30] Israelis the day before. And in recent [15:33] years, on two separate occasions, there [15:34] have been IEDs planted in the area [15:37] targeting the Jewish pioneers who [15:39] started shephering their sheeps uh [15:41] shephering their sheep on the open [15:43] hilltops. Um in addition to all of that, [15:45] Arabs from the villages have attempted [15:47] to poison sheep and poison and steal [15:50] sheep on multiple occasions. And this is [15:52] actually a huge situation at this very [15:55] moment. Hebrew source WhatsApp group [15:57] that I'm a part of have been publishing [15:59] dozens of photos and videos of poisoned [16:01] animals, sheep, goats, other animals all [16:04] across Judea and Samaria. It's like the [16:06] new form of terrorism that's being [16:08] committed by the Arabs is to poison as [16:10] many uh Jewish owned animals as [16:12] possible. So, keep in mind when you hear [16:15] about incidents such as these, the Arabs [16:17] from this village don't have a [16:19] reputation of being peaceloving people. [16:21] Their reputation is actually just the [16:23] opposite. We've heard other locals [16:25] report that the Arab social media pages [16:27] from Kusfer residents tend to lean [16:29] toward violence and extremism, often [16:32] calling for the destruction of Israel [16:33] and the death of all the Jews. This [16:36] sounds very believable when you see the [16:37] history of what's happened in the area. [16:40] At the end of the day, it's possible [16:42] that the attack on the NBC news crew [16:44] really was committed by Jews. But [16:47] immediately going on live TV and [16:48] claiming they were attacked by Jewish [16:50] settlers with zero evidence, that is [16:53] what I call propaganda at its finest. [16:56] Whoever the perpetrators were in that [16:57] attack, they don't have any excuse. It [16:59] was a criminal act. But the other two [17:01] events over the weekend were clearly [17:03] instigated by Palestinians or foreign [17:06] agitators trying to frame Jews and [17:08] pushed by the mainstream media to feed a [17:10] narrative that is largely not a reality. [17:14] Three events in one day, all framed as [17:16] Jewish extremism. But only one was even [17:19] possibly done by Israeli Jews. And even [17:21] then, it's quite possible it had nothing [17:23] to do with Jewish settlers. Honestly, [17:26] the whole thing reminds me of Psalm 2 [17:29] verse1. Why do the nations rage? Why do [17:32] the people plot a vain thing? By the [17:34] way, the word for vain right here in [17:37] Hebrew is rake. It literally means [17:39] emptiness. This sounds exactly like what [17:42] is going on. Peoples are raging about [17:45] something that has no substance. They've [17:47] just set themselves against God's people [17:49] and against God's land. And that is [17:52] really what's going on here. As it says [17:54] in psalm in verse two of the psalm, the [17:56] kings of the earth set themselves and [17:57] the rulers take counsel together against [18:00] the Lord and against his anointed. Guys, [18:03] if you appreciate our work, please [18:04] consider joining our exclusive members [18:06] program. Just click the link in the [18:08] description below to get started. Make [18:09] sure you're subscribed. Make sure you [18:11] have those notifications turned on. And [18:13] leave a comment letting me know what you [18:15] thought about today's topic. As always, [18:18] thanks for watching.
