Category: News

The Counter-Terrorism Bureau on Saturday issued a call to Israelis in the Sinai Peninsula to immediately leave the area and return to Israel. Families of Israelis staying in Sinai were asked to contact them, update them about the warning, and urge them to exercise exceptional caution. Israelis planning trips to the Sinai were also urged…

Minister of Information and Diaspora Yuli Edelstein, Knesset Speaker MK Reuven Rivlin, Minister of Tourism Stas Misezhnikov who heads the Knesset’s symbols and rituals committee, and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat decided on Friday that the central Independence Day ceremony will be held on Mount Herzl as usual. There had been debates about whether to hold…

One of the leaders of the Syrian opposition is saying that the Syrian people will seek regional peace, including with Israel. In an interview with Kol Yisrael radio, portions of which were released on Friday, Nofal al-Dawalibi, said that if Presdient Bashar Assad’s regime falls, the Syrian people will realize their deprived rights and will…

A powerful blast killed ten members of the security forces in the southern Syrian region of Quneitra on Friday, state television reported. The report blamed the explosion on “terrorists.” “An armed terrorist group detonated a 100-kilogram (220-pound) bomb in Sahm al-Jolan in the region of Quneitra, killing 10 members of the security forces,” the channel…

European nations and Russia proposed rival UN resolutions on Friday, both calling for expanding the number of UN cease-fire monitors in Syria from 30 to 300, but disagreeing on possible sanctions and on how quickly the larger observer force should get on the ground. The Associated Press reported that after several hours of negotiations by…

The rockets that were fired from Egypt toward Israel earlier this month were smuggled from Libya, an Israeli defense official told The Associated Press on Friday. The official was referring to the firing of two Grad-style rockets at the Israeli resort town of Eilat, right before the Passover holiday. Israel has said the attacks originated…

Egypt’s Islamist and secular forces packed Cairo’s Tahrir Square with tens of thousands of protesters on Friday, The Associated Press reported. It was the biggest rally in months in which protesters accused the country’s ruling generals of manipulating upcoming presidential elections to preserve their power. The report noted that the attempts by protest organizers to…

Five years after Hamas seized Gaza from Fatah in a violent putsch the Fatah central committee is laying the groundwork to replace Hamas in the Palestinian Authority’s 2012 elections. According the to Hebrew-language daily Maariv, PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah’s central committee will gather in Ramallah on Saturday to discuss ways to wrest Gaza…

Defense Minister Ehud Barak – in Washington to meet with American officials ahead of the next round of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 – said Iranian supreme leader Ayatolla Ali Khamenei could not be trusted to halt Tehran’s controversial nuclear program. “I don’t buy it so easily,” Barak told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Thursday…

A senior Hamas leader on Thursday said that if the terror group came to power in a future ‘Palestinian state,’ it would not abide by any previous peace agreements with Israel. Moussa Abu Marzouk, the Hamas politburo’s number-two, says any potential deal, even if ratified in a popular referendum, would be considered to be merely…

The UN human rights office on Friday charged that three men sentenced to death in Hamas-run Gaza were executed unlawfully. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay’s spokesman, Rupert Colville, told reporters in Geneva that the death sentences carried out by hanging on April 7 weren’t approved by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as required…

The IDF infantry has begun distributing a new device for use by its platoon commanders: a laser rangefinder. The IDF Website reports that the device is about the size of a cigarette box and weighs about 200 grams (0.44 lb.). It is manufactured by U.S. firm Opti-Logics. A glance at the target through the rangefinder…

The South African Reserve Bank has come under fire after an article last week revealed that one of its directors supports Nazi policies. According to the article, which was published last Friday in the South African Mail Guardian, Stephen Goodson, who was elected a non-executive director in 2003, holds contentious views that include admiring the…

The Pentagon held a ceremony on Thursday in honor of Yom Hashoah, the Holocaust Remembrance Day. The ceremony was attended by U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. “Today we pause to remember and honor 6 million souls who were murdered not because of anything they had done, but because of who they were,” Panetta said during…

Google’s “Street View” service in Israel has been officially launched, according to a Channel 2 News report on Thursday. The report noted that the launch came several days earlier than scheduled. The official launch was to have taken place in Tel Aviv on Sunday. In the first stage, the service only offers street views of…

A synagogue has been dedicated in Basel, Switzerland for the first time in more than 80 years. The Feldinger Chabad Jewish Centre is the first new synagogue in the city since 1929. Rabbis and government officials were present at the opening ceremony. The inauguration of the centre was supported by Sami Rohr, one of the most…

A group of some 20 Arabs attacked a Jewish family as they drove to their home in Tekoa on Thursday afternoon. Akiva Ami-El, his wife Keterya, and their two-year old son Benaiya were coming home from a shopping trip in the Gush Etzion city of Efrata when a gang of Arab students began pelting their…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called upon Jewish youths visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau Thursday to be “proud that the Jewish people rose from the dead.” He termed the voices calling Israel a threat to world peace – “chutzpah.” As the video was played before the participants, 17 Allied Forces veterans sat on the stage overlooking the train tracks…

An apparent nationalistic terror crime was perpetrated in Jerusalem Thursday evening. Assailants believed to be Arabs stabbed a haredi-religious Jew, aged around 20, at the “hotels junction” near the Tomb Shimon HaTzaddik. The victim was reportedly in moderate condition and conscious before he was evacuated to a hospital.  The victim and a friend were walking back…

Norway’s confessed mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik told the court trying him on Thursday he only had a slim chance of surviving his bomb and shooting rampage. A total of 77 people were killed in the twin attacks on 22 July 2011. Breivik, who styles himself an anti-Muslim militant, said he had expected to be…

Al-Azhar students and political activists in Egypt are calling for a protest Friday in front of Al-Azhar’s administrative office after Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa made a rare visit to Jerusalem Wednesday. Al-Azhar students protested Wednesday in front of the Al-Azhar student residence building for the same reason. Gomaa’s visit was in honor of the inauguration…

The war of words between Tehran and the six-members of the Gulf Cooperation Council over three disputed islands continues to escalate. Iran’s ground forces commander warned the military is ready for action should diplomacy fail, state TV reported on Thursday. General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan said Iranian forces are “capable of confronting any offender: against Iran’s…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME Magazine, it was announced Wednesday. Eric Cantor, the majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, wrote in a short article on TIME’s website that Netanyahu “is one of these iconic Israelis, a strong, determined leader…

The British government has suffered a series of embarrassments recently and is lagging way behind the opposition Labour Party in the polls (despite the lackluster Labour leadership). It believed that it had recorded a success. Diplomatic intercession with the Jordanian government and with King Abdullah elicited a Jordanian commitment to guarantee one Abu Qatada, a Muslim firebrand…

A 500-year-old painting auctioned by the French government during the Nazi occupation in World War II was returned on Wednesday to a Jewish family who proved it was sold illegally. According to a report in The Associated Press, U.S. authorities in Tallahassee signed paperwork to return the 16th century Baroque painting to representatives of the…

Syria is moving to liquidate its gold reserves to raise revenue as Western and Arab sanctions targeting its central bank and oil exports cut into its cash reserves. Syria’s foreign exchange reserves have been halved from about $17 billion, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Tuesday. “Syria is selling its gold at rock bottom…

In honor of Yom Hashoah, Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day, the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem has produced an innovatinve and poignant poster. Dorielle Rimmer Halperin, the Bezalel graduate who created the poster, said the poster was dedicated to her grandparents – David and Esther Rimmer – who survived the Holocaust, as…

President Shimon Peres told his personal story at the central Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony at Yad Vashem on Wednesday. “I was born in Wieszniev. Half of the townspeople came to Israel. The other half perished,” said Peres. “After the war, I learned that on Sunday August 30th, a dark dawn had come upon my hometown.…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu delivered a hard hitting speech centering on the Iranian threat, in the central Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony at Yad Vashem Wednesday. Such a direct reference to current events and politics in the Holocaust Memorial is unusual. “On this day, we must realize a supreme obligation, and this obligation is not just…

A female IDF officer, 20, was killed Wednesday when lighting pole collapsed on stage during rehearsals for next week’s Independence Day celebrations on Mount Herzl. MDA paramedics responded to the scene and attempted to resuscitate the officer to no avail. At least 7 others soldiers – and as many as 10 civilians – were injured…

Dr. Roni Stauber of the Kantor Center spoke to Arutz Sheva after an anti-Semitism conference at Tel Aviv University on Wednesday. Stauber, who directs the Program for Study of Anti-Semitism and Racism, recently authored an annual report on anti-Semitism for the Kantor Center. Arutz Sheva asked Stauber how he classified the murder of four Jews…

The Kantor Center’s Program for Study of Anti-Semitism and Racism at Tel Aviv University released their 2011 Anti-Semitism Report on Wednesday. The report noted both a “continuation and even escalation of harassment and incitement” and a “considerable decline in major violent incidents world wide” targeting Jews during 2011. “The year 2011 marked a worldwide continuation…

Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner said Tuesday he has “no regrets” about striking a Danish activist, saying that doing the job is more important than looking good. “What’s more important, doing the job or looking good for the camera?” Eisner asked rhetorically during an interview with Channel 10. “We know the history of these anarchists,” Eisner…

A Hamas terrorist, released from prison as a part of the prisoner exchange deal that freed captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, was revealed to be plotting and instructing the kidnapping of additional Israeli soldiers, the blog of the Israel Defense Forces reported on Tuesday. Omar Abu Sanina, who was sentenced to life in prison for…

In yet another attack against Israeli civilians, Arabs threw rocks at two Jewish girls who were walking towards their home in Hevron on Tuesday evening. One of the girls was slightly injured. After the attack, clashes broke out between local Jews and Arabs. IDF forces stationed in the area broke up the parties. Benzi Gofstein,…

Who said there are no free lunches? The nationalist press enjoyed a free lunch at the King David Hotel with Ambassador Andrew Standley, head of the EU delegation to Israel, who was ably assisted in translation duties by David Kriss. This is part of an effort begun a few years ago by the EU to…

Palestinian Authority residents joined terrorists and security prisoners Tuesday in an open-ended hunger strike in another PR ploy for media attention for its unilateral demands for a state within Israel’s borders. The Palestinian Authority is increasing the use of mass protests to attract media sympathy in the wake of its failure to force Israel to…

Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik insisted Tuesday he would massacre his 77 victims all over again if he had the opportunity. Reading a prepared statement in court, the anti-Muslim terrorist lashed out at Norwegian and European governments for embracing immigration and multiculturalism. He claimed to be speaking as a commander of an anti-Islam militant…

The European Union continues to regard Israel’s presence in the Jewish people’s ancestral homeland as “occupation.” Arutz Sheva asked EU ambassador to Israel Andrew Standley about Europe’s position on the recent expulsion of 15 Jewish families from Beit Hamachpela in Hevron. “They [Judea and Samaria] are indeed occupied territory under international law, where Israel is…

Israel has not given the U.S. a commitment to hold off from striking Iran while the U.S. and other countries are holding talks with the Persian theocracy, said Defense Minister Ehud Barak Tuesday. In an interview on IDF Radio‘s morning news show, Barak said that he does not believe the attempts to stop Iran’s nuclear…

The first Gallup poll of the election season shows Mitt Romney with a razor-thin lead over Barack Obama, but a CNN poll puts Obama in the lead. The Gallup poll of registered voters gives Romney, the unofficial but certain Republican presidential candidate, support of 47 percent of the respondents, 2 percent more than President Obama,…

A Japanese linguist, who has spent decades compiling the world’s first Yiddish-Japanese dictionary, has proved that one does not have to be Jewish in order to love Yiddish. “It was in the hills of Kyushu Island in southern Japan where Kazuo Ueda carried out his impressive and quixotic quest, devoting his life to a language…

Two anarchists whose sponsors condemned Israel as racist scrawled a swastika on the wall of a detention room at Ben Gurion Airport. French organizers of the anti-Israeli fly-in protest Sunday called Israel and airlines that canceled activists’ tickets “racists” and said one passenger was denied boarding privileges in France because she was not Jewish or…

If Google’s roof-topped “candid camera” caught you on film the past six months, you might be seen at Sunday’s public launch of “Street View” in Tel Aviv. The Internet giant deployed its vehicles last September on the streets of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Mitzpeh Ramon in the central Negev and even the Kinneret and the…

The Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) website posted an article Monday that severely criticizes an article by Justin Martin, that appeared on CJR two weeks earlier, which portrays Israel as a country that stifles the press. Martin’s reply to the criticism exposes at least one outright lie in his claims. The original article by Martin, a journalism…

The United States on Monday ruled out Iran’s call for a lifting of sanctions, saying that the Islamic republic must first address concerns over its nuclear program in “concrete” ways, AFP reported. Over the weekend, Iran held talks with major powers, for the first time in 15 months. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine…

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has inaugurated a new PA construction project, despite the fact that it is located in an area under full Israeli control, the PA-based WAFA news agency reported on Monday. According to a statement issued by Fayyad’s office, he inaugurated on Monday stage one of a water dam to be…

The United States on Monday defended Israel’s actions to stop the anti-Israel ‘flytilla’. Israel managed to stop the pre-publicized event in its tracks, without fanfare. “Israel is a sovereign nation. Like any sovereign nation, it has a right to control the flow of people and goods through its ports,” AFP quoted State Department spokesman Mark Toner…

Three of Egypt’s main presidential candidates have filed appeals, after the election commission barred them from running, The Associated Press reported on Monday. The three candidates who appealed are former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, ultraconservative Islamist candidate Hazem Abu Ismail and Khairat al-Shater of the Muslim Brotherhood. The three were among ten candidates who were…

Tehran on Monday rattled its saber at its Arab neighbors across the Persian Gulf warning things could become “very complicated” in an islands dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi warned that the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE –…

Ten presidential hopefuls, including former president Hosni Mubarak’s deputy and two leading Islamists, have been disqualified from Egypt’s presidential polls due next month for not meeting the required criteria, an independent election commission said. The list of the disqualified hopefuls include Omar Sulaiman, who became vice-president in Mubarak’s last days; Khairat Al Shater, the deputy…

Sheikh Raed Salah, who heads the northern branch of the Islamic Movement, returned to Israel on Monday evening, about six months after he was arrested in London following an unauthorized entry into the UK. Salah was arrested in the London hotel at which he was staying last June. Local immigration authorities claimed that Salah had…

The small Israeli drug firm known as Kamada reports its drug for juvenile diabetes has passed an interim Phase I and II trial. Kamada is dwarfed in size by the Israeli-based giant Teva Pharmaceuticals, but the north Negev company is hoping to make a large impact in the treatment of what is known as Type…

The American Nazi Party has its first lobbyist in Washington, according to reports. John Bowles registered with House and Senate offices as a representative of “ANP,” which stands for the American Nazi Party, The Hill reported. Bowles plans to lobby for “political rights and ballot access laws,” and other issues relating to civil rights, healthcare…

Terrorists have beheaded Alabama native-turned terrorist Omar Hammami, Somali media report. He recently said he feared for his life. He also was known as Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki or simply “the American,” and rose to the position of a senior commander in the Al Shabaab terrorist group, linked with Al Qaeda. Al Shabaab has not confirmed…

A terrorist hurled seven firebombs at Jewish homes Sunday night in Maaleh HaZeitim, on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives.   The terrorist’s face was covered. He came carrying ten firebombs and managed to throw seven of them at ground floor apartments in the compound, causing a fire to break out in one of them. The compound’s…

In light of the upcoming Holocaust Remembrance Day, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz held a special conference at the Yad Vashem memorial museum in Jerusalem, affirming that Israel must not only defend its own borders but must also serve to protect Jews around the world. “The Holocaust was the darkest period in Jewish…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed on Sunday the latest round of talks between Iran and six world powers, which were held in Turkey over the weekend. Netanyahu, who met with U.S. Senator (ID-CT) Joe Lieberman, warned against Iran using the opportunity to advance its nuclear weapons program. On Saturday, the European Union’s foreign policy chief,…

A controversial British parliamentarian has announced a bounty for the capture of U.S. President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush, the Al-Arabiya network reported Sunday, citing a report in Pakistan’s Express Tribune. The parliamentarian is Lord Nazir Ahmed, who became the first Muslim life peer in 1998. Ahmed, who is of Kashmiri origin,…

A day after he was barred from the Egyptian presidential race, the country’s former intelligence chief warned Sunday against a win by the extreme Muslim Brotherhood. Former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who was appointed by ex-President Hosni Mubarak as vice president in the dying days of his administration, was one of ten candidates who were…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke with Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch on Sunday evening, and thanked the officers and commanders of the Israel Police for their determined and successful operation in foiling the ‘flytilla’ that was intended to be carried out at the Ben Gurion International Airport. Netanyahu told Aharonovitch, “The deployment of the operational…

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Sunday that nothing had been “given away” to Iran during weekend nuclear talks in Istanbul, AFP reported. According to the report, Obama warned Tehran that the clock was still ticking to reach an agreement over its nuclear program. Obama’s comments came in response to comments made by Israeli Prime…

The Jewish United Hatzalah organization is hoping to replicate its emergency services in Indian cities in order to provide immediate medical treatment to thousands of people in need. Road accidents are so common on the highways in India that over one hundred thousand people were killed in 2010 alone, and 30-40 times that number were…

The Secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council, Mohsen Rezaei, advised the officials of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) “against singing the same tune as the Zionist regime and to avoid hasty measures,” Iranian Press TV reported. Rezaei made the remarks on Saturday in reaction to the UAE protesting President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s recent visit to Iranian island of…

A former IDF soldier is in a legal battle to be recognized as having been handicapped in battle. The ex-soldier says he is mentally ill due to trauma suffered in war, specifically due to terrorist groups’ use of child soldiers. The man says that during his service in the First Lebanon War, he and fellow…

Jonathan Pollard was released from a medical center on Sunday and returned to prison. Pollard had been hospitalized after suffering severe pain. He was granted a two-minute phone call with his wife Esther to update her about his situation. Jonathan sounded very weak, Esther said.   He asked her to thank President Peres. “I am convinced…

  MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) praised the officer who struck an anarchist in the face on Saturday for his action. “The IDF Deputy Brigade Commander deserves respect for doing what Bibi and Aharonovich lack the brains and guts to do,” he said – in a reference to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the Minister…

Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, has apologized for his remarks during a televised debate aired on April 10 with the atheist advocate and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, in which he said that the Germans suffered more than any other people during World War II. Following a question asked by a member of the audience as…

Egypt’s election commission has barred 10 candidates from the upcoming presidential race, among them the three top runners. “The commission has disqualified candidates because they do not fill one or more of the required conditions,” said a statement issued Saturday to the media. Former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, appointed by ex-President Hosni Mubarak as vice…

Texas Republican Ron Paul, known for wanting to cut aid to Israel and other countries, has backed recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. “The real issue here is not what America wants, but what does Israel want,” Paul said, according to a transcript of a meeting with evangelical leaders obtained by Business Insider. “If…

Terrorism is on the rise in the Sinai Peninsula, with Egyptian soldiers paying the ultimate price on Sunday. Two Egyptian soldiers were killed and two others were wounded Sunday by radical Salafi Islamist terrorists in the Sinai Peninsula. The ambush took place against the backdrop of increasing anarchy in the region, populated largely by Bedouin tribes.…

Kuwait’s parliament provisionally passed amendments to the Gulf state’s penal code stipulating the death penalty for those who curse the Islamic  god, Islam’s Prophet or his wives, the AFP reported. Forty-six members of parliament voted for the key amendments that will come into effect after another round of voting and government approval. The second and final…

Syrian President Bashar Assad sent helicopters to back up tanks Sunday in another escalation of violence against protesters — despite a ceasefire that survived no better than the more than 10,000 victims of the regime’s suppression of a 13-month-old protest for reforms. Most of the fire was aimed at the opposition stronghold of Homs, and…

The Palestinian Authority has shut down a branch of a human rights organization, officials said Friday. PA interior minister Said Abu Ali said that the Palestinian Human Rights Monitor ordered the closure after claiming the group’s activities were not consistent with the interests of the “Palestinian” people, Ma’an News Agency reported. The minister is basing…

The European foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said that the latest talks between Iran and six world powers have been constructive and that the two sides will meet again in Baghdad on May 23. Ashton said future talks will be guided by the “principle of a step-by-step approach and reciprocity.” Ashton’s statement indicates that the…

Upon their arrival to Israel the pro-Palestinian “flytilla” activists will receive an official letter from the Israeli government that reads: “We appreciate your choosing to make Israel the object of your humanitarian concerns. We know there were many other worthy choices. You could have chosen to protest the Syrian regime’s daily savagery against its own…

The German government says it’s looking into a report that weapons bound for the Syrian regime were loaded onto a German-owned ship. Der Spiegel weekly reported Saturday the Atlantic Cruiser was halted in the Mediterranean after its owners were warned it was suspected to be carrying Iranian military equipment to Tartus, Syria. (AP)

The UN Security Council has unanimously approved the deployment of the first wave of UN military observers to monitor a fragile cease-fire between the Syrian government and opposition fighters. The resolution adopted Saturday morning calls on both sides to immediately “cease all armed violence in all its forms.” (AP)

Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said on Saturday that Moscow was satisfied with the latest Western-Arab draft resolution authorizing the deployment of the first batch of unarmed UN observers to Syria to monitor its fragile truce. “Having reported to our capital we are now satisfied we can vote on the resolution,” Churkin told reporters. (Reuters)

British airline Jet2.com has cancelled the tickets of three women from Manchester planning to travel to Israel on Sunday to take part in the pro-Palestinian “flytilla” protest, The Guardian reported. According to the report, the low-cost airline relented to Israel’s request to refuse the women service. “It never crossed my mind that Israel could stop…

President Barack Obama has ramped up US aid, including communications equipment and medical supplies, to Syria’s opposition in hopes of accelerating the downfall of President Bashar Assad, officials said Friday. The president signed off on the package last week, US officials said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. They would…

Iran is concealing the destination of its oil sales by disabling tracking systems aboard its tanker fleet, making it difficult to assess how much crude Tehran is exporting as it seeks to counter Western sanctions aimed at cutting its oil revenues. Most of Iran’s 39-strong fleet of tankers is now “off-radar” after Tehran ordered captains…

German airline Lufthansa canceled the tickets of dozens of pro-Palestinian activists scheduled to fly to Tel Aviv on Sunday as part of a mass fly-in dubbed “Welcome to Palestine,” the organizers said Friday. “Dozens of passengers who bought a plane ticket to travel to Tel Aviv on Sunday, April 15, were notified Thursday by Lufthansa…

CAIRO – Thousands of Egyptians packed into Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday to protest against a run for the presidency by former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, in an Islamist show of strength against Hosni Mubarak’s old guard. The Muslim Brotherhood – the biggest group in parliament – called the protest after Suleiman announced his candidacy…

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint in the Jordan Valley discovered seven homemade bombs on the body of a Palestinian man. The Palestinian, 19, from Nablus, attempted to cross the checkpoint Wednesday with the bombs as well as several knives, according to the Israel Defense Forces. He planned to attack either Israeli citizens…

Jordan is fending off accusations that Iraqi oil is reaching Israel. Jordanian Media and Communications Minister Rakan al-Majali denied at a news conference with Iraqi journalists Wednesday in Amman that the black gold is being smuggled to the Jewish State. The official Jordan News Agency (Petra) quoted al-Majali as saying the claims were unfounded, and…

The Hollywood screenwriter Joe Eszterhas has accused Mel Gibson of sabotaging the production of a film based on the story of the Jewish Maccabees, after Warner Bros. decided to cancel the project. Eszterhas wrote an extensive letter accusing Gibson, who was expected to direct the film, of prolonged and unabashed anti-Semitism. “I’ve come to the…

An Israeli soldier was stabbed this afternoon (Thursday), in the upper portion of his body, on Route 854 between Carmiel and Tefen in northern Israel. The soldier is reportedly in moderate condition and is being evacuated to the hospital in Nahariya for medical treatment. An initial investigation revealed that the soldier was stabbed by a…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will seek direct talks with Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas when he meets PA prime minister Salam Fayyad next week. Netanyahu will hold a rare face-to-face meeting with Fayyad and two other senior officials from Ramallah in Jerusalem on April 17. It will be the first top-level meeting between leaders in…

ZAKA rescue services volunteer Aharon Alexander was flown to Israel from Ukraine in a private plane Wednesday and underwent an emergency operation for wounds suffered in a brutal attack near a Kiev synagogue late Saturday night. He is in critical condition. Alexander, a 25-year-old yeshiva student, was viciously attacked, apparently by neo-Nazi skinheads. He was…

IDF forces on Wednesday morning stopped a would-be terrorist bomber at a checkpoint east of Shechem in northern Samaria. A spokesperson for the IDF said the terrorist was carrying improvised explosive devices, three knives, and 50 bullets. A Border Police bomb disposal unit was called in to dismantle the explosives. The terrorists was stopped and…

IDF naval forces are reportedly cooperating with their Lebanese counterparts to prevent foreign ships from approaching Israeli waters. Naval officials say that Lebanon ahead of Land Day last month increased its naval patrols and barred ships from approaching Beirut’s defacto maritime boundary with Israel. It was also reported Lebanon has assisted Israel in driving away…

Israel has enabled the entry of four large electricity converters to Gaza, as first quarter data for 2012 show that Gaza’s economy continues to grow. In the first quarter of this year, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) coordinated the export of 1.4 tons of produce from Gaza to European markets –…

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that Tehran has sufficient cash reserves to withstand a total embargo on its oil sales for two to three years. His remarks came as the European Union prepares to impose a total embargo on Iranian crude oil from July following a similar move by the United States in a…

A Palestinian Authority minister stated last month that Fatah and Hamas must unite in order to achieve the destruction of the state of Israel, reported Palestinian Media Watch, on Tuesday. PA Minister of Social Affairs Majida Al-Masri called for ‘Palestinian’ unity in order “to turn to the struggle for the liberation of Palestine – all…

A Kuwaiti court on Tuesday sentenced a local Sunni Muslim writer to seven years in jail and ordered that he pay nearly $18,000 for a series of controversial Tweets. The court said Kuwaiti Mohammad al-Mulaifi posted “falsehoods about sectarian divisions” and “insulted the Shiite faith and its scholars.” The ruling also said the controversial Tweets…

Foreign countries are exploiting their increasing number of students in the United States as well as U.S. students abroad to spy, according to a comprehensive report by Bloomberg News. “We have intelligence and cases indicating that U.S. universities are indeed a target of foreign intelligence services,” Frank Figliuzzi, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) assistant director…

Israeli newspaper Maariv reported Tuesday that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu refused to commit before U.S. President Barack Obama that Israel would not attack Iran before the U.S. presidential elections. Netanyahu agreed to wait with an Israeli military move only until the [early] fall season, says the paper on its website, citing American sources. This appears…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become the leading Israeli politician on Facebook, surpassing more than 200,000 “likes.” A poll, conducted by the company Spythenet, determined that the majority, if not all, of Netanyahu’s statuses have received thousands of “likes” and comments, as well as hundreds of shares, while other Israeli politicians lag far behind. All…

President Shimon Peres on Monday sent an urgent personal request to US President Barack Obama asking for Jonathan Pollard to be pardoned on humanitarian grounds. Peres also met with Esther Pollard on Sunday. According to his office, Peres listened carefully as she outlined her husband’s deteriorating condition and implored the President to use all his…

President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday he will turn to the UN General Assembly for recognition if Israel does not capitulate to his demands. A previous bid for recognition in the United Nations Security Council – which must approve all moves for full membership in the world body – was stopped dead by the specter of…

“The Iranian economy is near collapse, therefore it is time to continue to tighten the sanctions without letting up,” Finance Minister Dr. Yuval Steinitz told visiting the Italian Prime Minister Monday. Recent sanctions against Iran included the cutting off of the country’s banks by the SWIFT monetary transfer service and moves against its central bank.…

Nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 – the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany – will resume in Turkey on April 14. “We have agreed with Iran to launch a new round of talks in Istanbul on 14 April,” International Atomic Energy Agency spokesman Michael Mann said on Monday. Mann…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met Sunday afternoon with his Italian counterpart Mario Monti. Following the meeting, Netanyahu spoke to reporters and mentioned the P5-1 talks with Iran scheduled for next week. “We have seen that Iran uses the talks in order to deceive and mislead,” he said. “We will follow the talks.” “Our policy with…

Palestinian Authority terrorists in Gaza launched another rocket attack at southern Israel Sunday morning. Two short-range Qassam rockets exploded in fields located in the Sdot HaNegev Regional Council district area, near Netivot. No one was physically injured and no property damage was reported. An Israel Air Force drone preempted a terrorist cell from launching a…

At least 100,000 people are expected to visit Israel’s national parks and nature reserves this week during the Passover holiday. The Nature and Parks Authority has set up dozens of information booths throughout the country, with free admission to most of the parks this week. Those planning to visit these areas are asked to observe…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu issued another call Sunday to free Jonathan Pollard. His appeal came shortly after Pollard was rushed to a hospital. “The time has come to free Jonathan Pollard. The Jewish people’s holiday of freedom should become his personal holiday of freedom,” the Prime Minister declared. “I have done much, and will continue…

Hamas executed three people on Saturday, one of which was found guilty of “collaborating” with Israel and two others convicted of murder. The man accused of collaborating with Israel was denounced as a “traitor.” The ministry refused to reveal the identity of the executed men or the details of the allegations made against them, but…

Israel on Saturday said recent claims by an Iranian lawmaker that Tehran could build a nuclear weapon if it chose to do so supported Jerusalem’s view that Iran’s nuclear program had a military dimension. An Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity repeated Jerusalem’s demands that Iran must stop enriching uranium, remove all military-grade…

Convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard was rushed on Friday to a hospital several miles from FCI Butner in North Carolina, where he is incarcerated, following a “serious deterioration” in his condition. It was reported on Friday that Pollard had very sharp pains, but the precise nature of the problem or its actual severity remains unknown.…

An IAF drone strike on Saturday preempted a terror cell attempting to fire rockets into Israel from Gaza. Israeli “aircraft thwarted a rocket launch in the southern Gaza Strip,” a military spokeswoman told AFP. The two would-be terrorists were injured in the strike, which targeted a motorcycle in southern Gaza near Rafiah local medical officials…

The IDF on Saturday announced it had found an unexploded Grad rocket near Eilat – two days after another rocket fired from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula hit the southern Red Sea resort city. “An unexploded rocket was found in an open area near Eilat,” the IDF spokesperson’s office said. “It appears to be an additional rocket…

The United States said Thursday it still expects talks between the P5+1 and Iran on the Islamic Republic’s disputed nuclear program to go ahead next week. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had said the talks would open in Istanbul on April 13, but Iran later said that Turkey was not an acceptable host after the…

Egyptian officials on Thursday denied that three Grad rockets which struck the city of Eilat in the pre-dawn hours were fired from the Sinai desert. Mahamoud El-Hefnawy, Cairo’s director of security for the Sinai sector, told Egyptian media that the rockets fired at Eilat did not emanate from Sinai. Hefnawy said that “the situation in…

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz warned Thursday that Israel is able to reach every terrorist involved in bombing plots against Israeli targets overseas. Speaking at a ceremony honoring outstanding officers, Gantz said, “We know the source of these attacks. The terrorists must know that Israel’s long arm will ultimately reach anyone who wishes…

Israel has issued a new warning: any terror attack on Israel will be answered with the IDF firing on Hamas and Hizbullah. The new deterrence policy was announced Thursday night by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz at a conference in the Gelilot army base. Any attack on southern Israel will be met by…

The Islamic Jihad terror group downplayed on Thursday warnings by IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and threatened to continue to carry out attacks against Israel. Earlier on Thursday, Gantz said that Israel is able to reach every terrorist involved in bombing plots against Israeli targets overseas. Speaking at a ceremony honoring outstanding officers, Gantz…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to recent rocket fire on Eilat from Sinai saying Israel’s security establishment was “well aware of the fact that Sinai is turning into a rocket launching pad for terrorists. “We are building a fence. It can’t stop missiles but we will find a solution for that. We will strike those…

Nearly a dozen terrorist infrastructures have been uncovered in the Sinai Peninsula by intelligence personnel recently. IDF Military Intelligence chief General Aviv Cochavi told the graduation class of intelligence officers on Thursday that risks across the region are growing. “The Middle East is changing its face and character beyond recognition,” Cochavi said. “It could be…

Israel is on high alert going into the Passover holiday after a pair of Grad rockets fired from Egypt exploded in Eilat early on Thursday. It was the first the rocket attack on Israel from Egypt since the collapse of the regime of Hosni Mubarak more than a year ago. However, In August of 2010,…

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday said the diplomatic track for dealing with Iran’s nuclear program is not “infinite”. “We want to see a peaceful resolution of the international community’s concerns, but the time for diplomacy is not infinite and all options remain on the table to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear…

Terrorists fired a rocket at the city of Eilat on Wednesday night, according to a report on Kol Yisrael radio. Channel 2 News reported that the Grad-type rocket exploded in a residential area in the city. There were no reports of physical injuries or damages. It is unknown as of yet exactly from the rocket…

Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi on Wednesday “advised” neighboring Arab states in the Gulf not to adopt a missile shield project being promoted by the United States. “From the start we have rejected such a project, which is contrary to regional security, and we advise our friends to not take part in such a game,”…

Governor Chris Christie met with Israeli President Shimon Peres on Tuesday, as part of the governor’s ‘Jersey to Jerusalem Trade Mission,’ aimed at strengthening commercial ties with the Jewish state. “New Jersey stands with Israel in all its endeavors,” Christie said in an audio recording issued by the president’s office. Christie also met with Prime…

Al-Qaeda’s main Internet forums have been dark for 11 days in what experts believe is the work of cyber-attacks sponsored by the US intelligence community. The Al-Qaeda Shumukh al-Islam forum went offline on March 22. Since then four other Al-Qaeda affiliated forums have also gone down. “The media arena is witnessing a vicious attack by…

Despite his rocky relationship with Israel and with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, a survey released Tuesday finds that American Jews still favor President Barack Obama for re-election. The survey, conducted among 1,004 American Jews by the Washington-based Public Religion Research Institute, found that Obama has the same level of support, 62 percent, among American Jewish…

The New York Police Department said Tuesday it would be beefing up security at the city’s synagogues and other Jewish sites for the Passover holiday, in the wake of the recent attack on a religious school in Toulouse, France. According to The Associated Press, authorities have stressed that there have been no specific threats reported…

Israeli and Palestinian Authority negotiators will reportedly meet for the first time since talks held in Jordan two months ago ended in failure. “There are preparations with the Israeli side to have a meeting between Saeb Erekat and Yitzhak Molcho in the next few hours or days,” a senior PA official told AFP on Tuesday…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that sanctions aimed at halting Iran’s nuclear enrichment program have failed to yield results. “The sanctions are painful, hard… but will this bring about a halt or a retreat in the Iranian nuclear program? Until now, it has not happened,” Netanyahu told reporters in Jerusalem. He said the Iranian…

Muslim extremists arrested in France had planned to kidnap a Jewish judge in Lyon, sources told AFP. Other kidnappings were planned as well. The detainees had undergone “warlike training linked to violent religious indoctrination,” said Bernard Squarcini, head of France’s Central Directorate for Domestic Intelligence. President Nicolas Sarkozy would not confirm the kidnapping plot claims,…

The Passover holiday is a time to not only remember and recount the Jewish people’s exodus from Egypt, but to also take full advantage of the fun and educational opportunities in Israel during Chol Hamoed, now that we have left the bondage of slavery. Mini Israel, located in Latrun, is going to be hosting a…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday marked his fourth year in office saying “I will not initiate early elections.” “I’m not afraid of it, but I won’t initiate it,” Netanyahu said during an hour long press conference in Jerusalem.  His ruling Likud party – which currently holds 27 seats in the Knesset – is polling…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said the proposed evacuation of Beit Hamachpela (House of the Patriarchs) is on hold until the facts can be verified. “I am coordinating with the defense minister. I asked him to hold off on the evacuation so we can establish the legal facts in this case, and that is…

The Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced Tuesday that he rejected a complaint filed by the PA against Israel for alleged war crimes during “Operation Cast Lead” in Gaza in 2009. The prosecutor explained that only states can file a complaint with the International Criminal Court. “The Palestinian Authority is only…

After it was revealed that a book advising Muslim men how to abuse and control their wives is being sold in a Toronto bookstore, The Toronto Sun newspaper has exposed that there are other controversial Muslim books being sold in Canadian stores. According to a report in the newspaper this past weekend, one Islamic bookstore…

Soldiers who serve in the Border Police, along with dozens of other volunteers, took part over the weekend in a Kimcha dePascha (“Pesach flour” in Aramaic) initiative by Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto. Kimcha dePascha involves packing and delivering packages with Passover food for those who are less fortunate and cannot afford to buy kosher for Passover…

The heads of Israel’s defense system estimate that if Israel is targeted by missiles from neighboring countries during a theoretical war in 2012, 300 people will be killed in a three week period, according to a Channel 10 News report on Monday. The report said that the ministers in the Israeli Security Cabinet were given…

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas threatened on Monday to submit complaints against Israel in international institutions if it does not return to the negotiating table, according to a report in the Ma’ariv newspaper. Abbas, who spoke in Egypt during a ceremony in which the cornerstone for a new PA embassy in Cairo was laid, once…

U.S. authorities are investigating the source of an online poster warning that the Al Qaeda terrorist organization wants to stage a repeat “performance” in New York City, where its terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people in aerial attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The graphic poster, apparently designed by an amateur, includes…

Israel’s Supreme Court ruled Monday that the prominent Husseini family could not claim ownership of a landmark and now derelict building in eastern Jerusalem. The Shepherd Hotel was built in the 1930s and served as the home of notoriously anti-Semitic and Nazi supporter, the Jerusalem grand mufti Haj Amin Husseini. It was declared “absentee property” by Israel…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Defense Minister Ehud Barak to delay the eviction of the residents of “Beit Machpelah” (House of the Patriarchs) in Hebron. Netanyahu’s request specifically asked Barak to give the 15 Jewish families in Beit Machpela the opportunity to make their legal case heard. Last Thursday, some 15 Jewish families from…

Israel Police will host their colleagues in Tel Aviv at the 41st international Interpol conference next month. It is the first time the gathering is being held in the Jewish State, a “big honor,” according to Israel Police Commissioner Inspector-General Yochanan Danino. “We are proud to host the leaders of the fight against crime and terrorism,”…

At least seven people are dead after a gunman opened fire at a Christian university in California on Monday, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. Police say they have a suspect in custody. According to AP, the shooting erupted mid-morning (local time) at Oikos University in Oakland. Officer Johnna Watson did not give any…

Government forces arrived Monday evening at the outpost of Oz Tzion, intent on demolishing buildings in the budding community. The Samaria (Shomron) Jewish outpost is located in the Binyamin region, near the town of Beit El, and has been raided before.Three young women staying at the outpost were arrested by Border Police last week on…

False alarms sounded sirens in southern and northern Israel around noon Monday, causing children to run for shelters and soldiers to pack gear. The IDF spokesman immediately announced that malfunctions, and not incoming rockets and missiles, were the source for the sirens to wail. Until the explanation was heard nationwide, adults and children panicked as sirens…

The Attorney General of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Ahmad al-Maghni, said, in response to the recent detention of journalists Yousef al-Shayeb and Ismat Abdel Khaleq, that the PA has “no problem” arresting journalists. Al-Shayeb is being investigated for “libel” and “defamation” and Abdul Khaliq for a number of comments he posted on Facebook accusing President…

A major Norwegian pharmaceutical retail chain announced that it will be halting the sale of all “products originating from settlements in occupied territories,” including Ahava Dead Sea cosmetics. Pharmaceutical chain VITA has been the main retailer of Ahava products in Norway, according to a statement issued by the Norwegian People’s Aid and the Norwegian Union…

The Shin Bet and IDF have arrested 13 members of a terror cell that fired at IDF soldiers in the Amari refugee neighborhood of Ramallah on January 20. No one was hurt in that incident, but one of the IDF vehicles was damaged. Some of the arrested terrorists were employees of the Red Crescent emergency…

Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas is visiting Cairo where he is meeting with the military regime and laying the cornerstone for a new PA embassy as the Muslim Brotherhood tries to increase its dominance. It is not known if he will meet with Muslim Brotherhood leaders, who won control of the parliament in recent elections…

Senior Fatah terrorist Marwan Barghouti has been placed in solitary confinement, after a cellphone was discovered in his possession. Another reason reportedly cited for the punishment is a statement he released to Arab press last week. In the statement, Barghouti issued a call to Palestinian Authority Arabs to engage in “resistance” against Israel. Barghouti said,…

The head of Tunisia’s governing Islamist party, Ennahada, said on Sunday the country cannot normalize ties with Israel. According to a report in the official TAP news agency, Rached Ghannouchi said that “Tunisians’ problem is with Zionism, not with Judaism,” stressing that “the president of Ennahda stressed … there can be no normalization with Israel.”…

The Yad Ben-Zvi Institute for the Study of Jewish Communities of the East has launched a new online database containing documents which shed light on a chapter in Jewish history of which little has been known to date: the fate of North African Jewry during World War II. Dr. Haim Saadoun, administrator of the new…

Anders Behring Breivik, the man who killed 77 people in a bloody massacre in Norway last year, considered an attempt at the life of U.S. President Barack Obama, RIA Novosti reported on Sunday, citing Norwegian media. According to the reports, Breivik planned to kill Obama as he visited Oslo to accept his Nobel Peace Prize…

Jordanian military prosecutors on Sunday charged 13 political activists with incitement against the regime, rioting and insulting King Abdullah II, AFP reported. The charges come a day after police broke up their demonstration, the report noted. “State Security Court prosecutors accused the 13 of inciting the public against the country’s political regime, rioting and insulting…

A coalition of more than 70 partners, including the United States, pledged on Sunday to send millions of dollars and communications equipment to Syria’s opposition groups, The Associated Press reported. The decision came during the conference of the “Friends of Syria” in Istanbul, during which it was debated whether, and if so, how to arm…

The IDF Spokesman’s Unit said Sunday that an IDF unit identified a terrorist Saturday evening near the central section of the security fence separating Gaza from Israel. He was spotted as he was digging in the ground. The IDF unit fired at him and identified a hit on target. In the morning, the IDF combed…

Members of Yisrael Beitenu toured Migron Sunday and vowed to assist the community, which faces a deadline for its destruction. The delegation included Minister of National Infrastructure Uzi Landau, Minister of Immigrant Absorption Sofa Landver, and MKs Robert Ilatov, David Rotem and Moshe Matalon. They were accompanied by Binyamin local authority head Avi Roeh and…

Nazem Abu Salim, imam of the Shihab a-Din mosque in Nazareth, was convicted Sunday of incitement to terrorism and violence, and of support for a terror organization. Salim, 47, is a popular preacher who often addressed thousands with his Friday sermons. Prosecutors said his ideology is identical to that of Al-Qaeda. He was arrested in…

Europe’s healthiest economy is planning to invest a huge sum in clean, renewable energy – and is walking away from nuclear power. German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced a $263 billion plan recently to build offshore wind farms. The fields will span an area six times the size of New York City. It will cost the…

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) landed in Israel Sunday for a four-day trip intended to “strengthen New Jersey’s economic and diplomatic relationships with foreign nations,” his office announced. The trip, which is being labeled as the “Jersey to Jerusalem Trade Mission,” includes members of the state’s Jewish and business communities, as well as the…

As Assad regime forces continue their slaughter of Syrians, international foreign ministers from 70 different nations gathered as the “Friends of Syria” in Istanbul to meet and debate whether, and if so, how to arm rebel fighters against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.  Among those meeting in Istanbul were U.S. Secretary of…

A Hamas legislator gave a fiery speech, urging women to blow themselves up for the sake of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa mosque. Speaking before the Global March on Jerusalem, Mushri al-Masri addressed a score of Palestinian women in Gaza in a speech broadcast on Hamas Al Aqsa television and translated by the IDF on its…

The victory by George Galloway in the West Bradford by-election was a political shock for Britain’s major parties and particularly the British Labor Party. Parties in opposition are not expected to lose seats in special (or by) elections to fill a parliamentary seat. Galloway, who was elected in the East End in 2005, had been expelled from the Labour…

About thirty-five actors, directors and writers signed a letter, published in The Guardian on Thursday, protesting the inclusion of Habima, Israel’s National Theatre, at a Shakespearean festival in London, in May. Two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson, recent Tony winner Mark Rylance and seven-time Oscar nominee Mike Leigh are among the signatories who expressed “dismay and…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu delivered a polite but pointed reality check at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday, couched in his discussion of his last-minute decision Saturday night with Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz to reduce a tax hike on gasoline. The dreaded tax increase was scaled down after protests from consumers – but Netanyahu…

PLO official Saeb Erekat denied on Saturday a report in an Israeli newspaper that Israel has refused to receive a letter being prepared by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency reported. According to the report, Abbas’ letter contains an overview of the PA’s position on the peace process and the future…

Fresh clashes erupted between Syrian soldiers and rebels across many parts of Syria on Friday, despite President Bashar Assad having accepted a peace plan brokered by UN envoy Kofi Annan earlier this week. According to The Associated Press, there were clashes in the suburbs of Damascus, in the northern Idlib province, the restive central province…

U.S. President Barack Obama is moving ahead with tough new sanctions aimed at squeezing Iran’s oil exports, The Associated Press reported on Friday. The decision was made after Obama determined there is enough crude on world markets to take the step without harming U.S. allies, the report said. Obama’s move allows the U.S. to go…

Ten years ago, the IDF carried out a large-scale operation in Judea and Samaria, dubbed ‘Defensive Shield,’ in response to ‘Black March’ – the month of March, 2002, in which Palestinian Authority terrorists murdered 105 Israeli civilians and 26 IDF soldiers, mostly in suicide bomber attacks against civilian targets such as restaurants and buses. A…

Labor party leader MK Shelly Yechimovich has declared that she sees herself as a candidate for prime minister in the next elections.  “The choice of Mofaz in Kadima has strengthened Labor under my leadership as the most meaningful alternative for replacing Netanyahu,” she announced in a statement released Friday. She continued: “I am not aware…

Despite its earlier expression for support of Iran’s nuclear program, Turkey announced on Friday it was reducing oil imports from the Islamic Republic by 20 percent, The Associated Press reported. By implementing the move Turkey may be bowing to pressure from the United States, which is leading an international effort to push Tehran to halt…

A French court sentenced on Friday a 20-year-old man from the same Toulouse neighborhood as gunman Mohamed Merah to three months in prison for praising his crimes. AFP reported that the man, Mohamed Redha Ghezali, was convicted of “provoking racial hatred” and “apology for terrorism”. Toulouse prosecutor Michel Valet told the French news agency that…

The Land Day protests, some of which turned violent, ended late Friday afternoon with one Palestinian Authority Arab dead in Gaza. According to a report in the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency, the Arab was killed by Israeli fire. The report cited a medical official in Gaza who added that over 30 other people were wounded…

Hizbullah leader Hasan Nasrallah accused Israel on Friday of wanting “the issue of Palestine to be forgotten” and said the resistance against Israel was still alive. Speaking on the occasion of Friday’s Land Day, Nasrallah said Arab countries had the capabilities to liberate Palestine if they joined forces but said the will was absent. “The…

The affair between the Hamas terror group and Iran may be over, but the Islamic Republic is still supplying weapons to Gaza, according to Amir Rapaport of the Israel Defense website. In a report Friday, Rapaport noted that the root of the conflict between the terror group and Iran lies with Syria. “Iran and Hamas…

Israel’s security chiefs are taking a hands on approach in managing Friday’s planned Arab protests and a “Global March to Jerusalem” from neighboring countries. Thousands of additional police and troops were deployed across Israel and along the Jewish state’s borders in anticipation of violence. Israeli Arabs and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza today…

Land Day turned violent Friday when Arabs began hurling Molotov cocktails and stones at soldiers near the Kalandia checkpoint north of Jerusalem, and Bethlehem to the south. A video taken by IDF soldiers in a watchtower in Bethlehem showed rioters massing at the security fence and hurling stones and firebombs at their position. The soldiers…

UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan on Friday demanded the Syrian Government implement a ceasefire it previously agreed to immediately. “The deadline is now,” an Annan spokesman said, adding the former UN chief believed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad needed “to make a good faith gesture.” Assad previously agreed to a six point plan by Annan aimed…

French police on Friday detained 19 people in a crackdown on Islamist extremists with more raids to come, according to the president. Nicolas Sarkozy gave no details about the arrests, which were a part of an operation by France’s principal intelligence agency, the DCRI. “It’s in connection with a form of Islamist radicalism,” Sarkozy told…

Land Day turned violent Friday when Arabs began hurling Molotov cocktails and stones at soldiers near the Kalandia checkpoint north of Jerusalem. The riots began after Friday afternoon Muslim prayers – often a starting point for violence – when dozens of masked Arab youths began rioting at the checkpoint. Soldiers responded with teargas and deployed…

Mohamed Merah, who killed seven people in south-western France including four Jews in the Otzar Hatorah school, has been buried outside the city of Toulouse, the BBC reported. Merah, 23, was shot dead after a 32-hour siege at his home last week. He was buried at the Cornebarrieu cemetery in the city, several hours after…

As part of the preparations and high alert for the Arab “Land Day”, which will be marked on Friday, the IDF Spokesman announced on Thursday night that, following a decision by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, a general closure was imposed on the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria. The closure was imposed as of…

Iran will defend the Syrian regime due to its anti-Israeli stance, the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader said on Thursday. According to a report in The Daily Star, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the comments during a meeting with visiting Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Iran will defend Syria because of its support for the anti-Zionist…

Dozens of anti-Israel activists protested on Thursday in front of the Israeli Embassy in Amman and demanded that it be closed. According to a report on the AmmonNews website, the demonstrators called on the Jordanian government to expel the Israeli diplomatic mission from Jordan and cancel the peace treaty the two countries signed in 1994.…

Israeli officials are actively seeking foreign partners to help tap massive natural gas resources recently discovered off of its coast. “All parties with expertise and know-how in prospecting, extraction and infrastructure are welcome,” Shaul Tzemah, head of Israel’s energy ministry, told French delegates at a seminar on Wednesday. “It’s now or never – if you…

Newly-elected opposition leader Shaul Mofaz pledged Thursday to work for social reform, saying “Kadima will restore dignity to the working class.” Mofaz – a former IDF Chief of Staff and Defense Minister – soundly defeated Tzipi Livni in a Tuesday vote to replace her as chairman of Kadima Party, the largest in the Knesset. “I…

  President Nicolas Sarkozy said Thursday he wanted Islamic spree killer Mohamed Merah to be buried in France “without argument”. His remarks came after Algeria refused Merah’s body and Toulouse mayor Pierre Cohen raised objections to his being buried in the French city where he committed his crimes. Merah killed seven people – three French…

An IDF force discovered several explosive charges near the security fence separating Gaza from Israel Thursday, near Kibbutz Sufa. The large scale explosives are arranged in an array pattern designed to maximize damage to its targets. An IDF engineering force was believed to be working into the night under heavy security to neutralize the charges.…

Israeli security forces are on a heightened state of alert as ‘Land Day’ is set to begin Friday. The IDF, police and Shin Bet, as well as MDA emergency services, are all poised for dealing with possible Arab disturbances. Security forces expect violence by Arab citizens of Israel and Arab residents of Jerusalem. Hundreds of…

Sixty-nine percent of Israelis support a joint U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear installations, according to a poll conducted for the Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research. Forty-two percent of Israelis support a strike if Israel has to act alone. The poll found that 73%…

Algiers has refused to allow the burial of the Toulouse Terrorist to take place on Algerian soil. The family of Mohammed Merah will instead be forced to hold the funeral of the 23-year-old terrorist in France. Abdallah Zekri, representing the head of the Great Mosque of Paris, told French media Thursday he was “instructed by…

Anti-Semitic graffiti was found spray-painted on a North Side synagogue and Jewish day school, in Chicago, on Wednesday, police said.  A Surveillance video shows a female spray-painting the words “Kill Rape Jews” on two buildings and on the sidewalks, NBC news reported.  “This is evil,” said Rabbi Michael Siegel of Anshe Emet Synagogue.  “Words lead to…

Foreign Policy magazine reported in an exclusive piece this week that Israel has purchased an Azeri airfield on Iran’s northern border, prompting the United States to watch very closely. Journalist Mark Perry wrote the Obama administration is monitoring Israel’s relations with Azerbaijan, particularly its military ties. Israel has tightened up its relations with Baku over…

US human rights chief Navi Pillay says there is enough evidence to bring human rights charges against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over his year-long crackdown on protesters. “Factually there’s enough evidence pointing to the fact that many of these acts are committed by the security forces, (and) must have received the approval or the complicity…

The IDF on Tuesday broke with Israeli tradition and ordered all units to cancel the long-customary Passover leaves and remain on full alert over the holiday. Over the years, an army-wide break during Passover became a tradition followed by all major military units, including the Air Force, Navy and intelligence corps. But this year soldiers…

A new report prepared for the U.S. Congress indicates that neither the U.S. nor Israel knows exactly where all of Iran’s nuclear facilities are. According to the report, parts of which were presented Wednesday by Bloomberg, this places in question the effect a military strike in Iran could have on its nuclear facilities. The report…

The man who was hurt in a rock attack in the Mount of Olives cemetery on Wednesday, was a groom about to get married and who was visiting his grandmother’s grave at the cemetery. The groom said that a mob made up of young local Arabs threw stones at him and his friend who accompanied…

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan cozied up to Iran during a visit to Tehran on Wednesday and rejected outside pressure on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. “No one has the right to impose anything on anyone with regards to nuclear energy, provided that it is for peaceful purposes,” Erdoğan said at a news conference…

Gunmen in Sana’a kidnapped Saudi Arabia’s deputy consul from outside his residence in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden on Wednesday. Gulf News reported this is the second time Abdullah Al Khalidi has been kidnapped — the first a few months ago in which he was robbed and released. The incident underscores the deteriorating…

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Tehran at the head of a high-ranking delegation for an official state visit. Erdogan, who arrived early Wednesday morning with his wife and daughter, was greeted at the airport by Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi, the IRNA news agency reported. The Turkish leader is scheduled to…

A pro-Israel British lawmaker has received death threats for daring to defend the Jewish State in an exchange with a pro-PA constituent. Conservative parliamentarian John Howell was offered police protection due to threats generated by published correspondence with a pro-Palestinian Authority activist from Watlington in Oxfordshire. The activist, Harry Fear, had sent Howell an email…

There are a number of e-mail notifications being circulated at Columbia University Law School, as well as various departments and clinics within the school, announcing official upcoming anti-Israel events, according to IsraelMatzav.  American-Israeli “human rights” lawyer Emily Schaeffer and member of the Yesh Din NGO spoke at the prestigious law school on March 27, claiming…

Judy Gross, wife of the American international development worker who is imprisoned in Cuba, expressed hope that the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the country would help bring about her husband’s release. Alan Gross was arrested on December 3, 2009, for distributing what officials described as sensitive communications equipment to the island’s Jewish community.…

Former Polish Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek has received European Jewry’s highest honor: the Lord Jakobovits Prize of European Judaism, named after CER’s second president, former British Commonwealth Chief Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits (1921-99). Buzek received the award at a ceremony in Brussels where European Union leaders paid tribute to the victims of Toulouse terrorist Mohammed Merah. The…

Eight days after four Jews were murdered in the Otzar Hatorah school in Toulouse, hatred-based violence has hit France again, this time in Paris. Channel 2 News reported on Tuesday that a student from the Otzar Hatorah campus in the French capital was lightly injured in an attack by anti-Semites. The report, which cited local…

The Pentagon will press Congress for additional money for the Iron Dome missile defense system, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday. The announcement from the Pentagon comes as President Barack Obama has faced election-year criticism from Republican presidential candidates and GOP lawmakers that administration support for longtime friend Israel has been inadequate, the report noted.…

MK Shaul Mofaz was elected on Tuesday to be the new chairman of the Kadima party. Mofaz beat his rival MK Tzipi Livni, who has headed the party since 2008, and will assume the position of opposition leader. According to final results, as announced by the Chairwoman of Kadima’s Election Committee, Judge Edna Beckenstein, Mofaz…

Jordanian authorities confirmed on Tuesday that they will permit a planned Global March to Jerusalem in the Jordan Valley on Friday. The Iranian news agency Fars quoted the Jordanian Public Security Department (PSD) as having confirmed authorities will allow Islamist activists to lead a march as part of global demonstrations “in support of Jerusalem.” PSD…

  Egyptian troops on Tuesday killed two smugglers attempting to enter Israel. The IDF spokesperson’s office said a patrol identified the group along the border with Egypt and fired warning shots toward them. The smugglers reportedly fled into Egypt along with Arab contacts from the Israeli side. It is unknown what, if any, contraband they were…

Leading New York City politicians affirmed their opposition to a boycott of Israeli products by the Park Slope Food Co-op in Brooklyn, a day before the company is expected to vote on the proposal, the New York Times reported. City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, called the idea “ill conceived” while public advocate and likely…

Dubai’s police chief charged this week that Islamist forces that gained power in the Arab Spring are “plotting to take over” Gulf states. Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan singled out the Muslim Brotherhood, saying the group has a specific plan to take over Gulf regimes by 2016. “My sources say the next step is to make…

  US president Barack Obama on Tuesday told America he has no hidden agenda with Russia for his second term, after a revealing gaffe. Obama was caught on tape Monday telling Russian President Dmitry Medvedev he would have more room to negotiate on missile defense after getting through a November election. Obama’s Republican rivals immediately went on…

The recipients of the 2012/5772 “Oz Tzion” Mozkowitz Prize for Zionism for 2012 are Dr. Yitzchak Glick, Chairman of the Emergency Medical Center in Efrat; Attorney Nitzana Darshan-Leitner, who fights against terrorist “lawfare”; and Tzvika Slonim, a founder of Gush Emunim and of the Ariel University Center. Among the reasons given by the panel of…

StandWithUs, the non-profit organization dedicated to informing the public about Israel and combating anti-Semitism, is urging all members of the international Jewish community to celebrate the Jewish state by designating March 30 as the day to buy Israeli goods at local stores. While the Boycotts, Divestments and Sanctions (BDS) movement continuously attempts to ostracize Israeli goods, they…

Rehovot is in tears as its residents unsuccessfully struggle to comprehend the loss of a respected father and all five of his children in a fire of unknown origin. The entire family now is lifeless, except for the mourning wife and mother. Funerals will be held Tuesday afternoon for Guy Shaer, 38, and his five…

More than 35,000 runners are expected at the Tel Aviv Gillette Marathon, the same day Arabs are organizing a Global March on Jerusalem. The marathon has no political implications and unlike the Iranian and Palestinian Authority-sponsored march to gain international recognition, the Tel Aviv event will feature entertainment and celebrations throughout the city. Runners from…

For the first time since entering operational use, the Iron Dome battery was positioned in the greater Tel Aviv area on Monday. According to a report on the Israel Defense website, the position of the battery is for training purposes, to familiarize IDF soldiers stationed in the area with the system, and to adapt the…

Since the Toulouse school massacre, Muslim religious extremism has become an issue in the French presidential elections. The incumbent president Nicolas Sarkozy is better placed to dominate this issue. As an analyst for one of the French polling organizations, BVA  has written, the choice between Sarkozy and his rival Francois Hollande is a choice between a firefighter…

The father of the terrorist who murdered four Jews in Toulouse last week said on Monday he planned to sue France over his son’s death. Mohammad Merah’s father also told AFP his son will be buried in his ancestral homeland Algeria. “I have decided to bury my son in Algeria,” the father, Mohamed Benalel Merah,…

The Foreign Ministry on Monday summoned the ambassadors from Austria and Belgium and reprimanded them for their countries having voted in favor of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution to establish a fact-finding mission to probe the “effects of settlements on Palestinian human rights.” Europe was divided in last Thursday’s vote on the…

On Thursday evening, March 22nd, tension filled the air at the Student Activities Center at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, as two Israeli reservists waited to address an audience consisting of both pro and anti-Israel listeners. The evening, called “StandWithUs’ Israeli Soldiers Stories: Real Israelis – Real Stories,” was co-sponsored by StandWithUs, (a…

A man who murdered a female relative in a Gaza hospital last Friday is claiming the murder was to preserve “family honor” to “escape judicial punishment.” The Palestinian Authroty amended its laws to end leniency for so-called honor killings in Judea and Samaria in May 2011, but the law has not been changed in Hamas-run…

U.S. President Barack Obama got caught on a “hot mic” Monday telling outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he needs room  to maneuver and will have “more flexibility” after he is re-elected in November. The gaffe came following a meeting between the two in Seoul, South Korea, where they were discussing a missile defense system…

An elderly Jewish man was murdered by an unknown attacker with a hammer Monday in the city of Fez. The 74-year-old victim, whose name has not yet been released, worked in property management for rentals owned by other Jews. According to reports in Moroccan media, the elderly victim was seen being hit repeatedly by a…

Police and back-up IDF troops are preparing for the largest expulsion of Jews since Gush Katif, destroyed almost exactly seven years ago, immediately after the Ninth of Av, the day of mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples. The training will be totally superfluous if the government reaches a new agreement with residents of…

Road 12 near the border with Egypt is to be opened for traffic today, Monday. This follows a “situation assessment” session headed by the Southern Command Head, Major General Tal Russo. Maj. Gen. Russo declared, however, that travelling on the road in the section between the Sayarim Junction and the Netafim border crossing will only…

INTERPOL, acting on a request from India’s Central Bureau of Investigation, has issued Red Notices for four suspects wanted in connection with the February 13 bomb attack on an Israeli diplomat’s car in New Delhi. India issued warrants for three of the suspects ten days earlier.  Details of suspects Mohammadreza Abolghashemi, Houshang Afshar Irani, Seyed…

Iran is forcing 10 Jews to join a group headed to Lebanon for the planned Global March on Jerusalem, despite dangers of terrorist kidnappings, according to DEBKAfile. The Islamic Republic is heavily funding the march and flying people from Asian countries to Iran and then to Lebanon. Iranian sources told the website, managed in part…

Eva Sandler is mourning for her murdered husband and her two sons but still thanks G-d, Who along with Jewish unity, she said, “give me my strength.” The young French-Israeli, still in the seven-day “shiva” period, spoke to Channel 2 television and said: “G-d gives me my strength.” Otherwise, she said, she could not deal…

Former Mossad officer Rafi Eitan said Monday “there is a good probability” President Barack Obama will pardon Jonathan Pollard before the presidential elections in November and free him from prison by the end of the year. Eitan was Pollard’s “handler” before the American Pentagon worker was arrested for passing on classified information on Israel’s behalf.…

The Arab who stabbed an Israeli female soldier in Jerusalem two weeks ago threw his knife out a bus window as he was on his way to a hiding place after the attack. This led to his arrest, it now turns out. The suspected terrorist is an 18-year-old resident of eastern Jerusalem. He was to be…

Iran, whose population is one-third of that of the United States, claims it will send a monkey into space this year. It also has recently said it has found a nano-medicine cure for cancer and a generic drug to treat multiple sclerosis. As recently as two months ago, Tehran said it was putting a hold…

An IDF soldier was attacked by two Arab youths on Polansky street in Jerusalem’s Shmuel HaNavi neighborhood. The soldier was lightly hurt. He was taken to Shaarei Tzedek Hospital where he received treatment. Police began combing the area, in a search for the perpetrators. The attack took place hours after a judge released the suspects…

Toulouse-born Avraham Azoulai, editor-in-chief of Le P’tit Hebdo, a publication that caters to French speaking Jews worldwide, held a news conference Sunday, calling upon the French government to crack down on Muslim violence and on French media to stop demonizing Israel. Anti-Israeli incitement in the French press has brought about anti-Semitism, he charged. “We do…

French authorities have formally launched an investigation into the brother of Toulouse terrorist Mohammed Merah, believing he may have been an accessory to the murders. Abdelkader Merah, the murderer’s older brother, is suspected of assisting Mohammed in preparing his attacks. The 29-year-old Abdelkader Merah, has allegedly told police that he is “very proud” of his…

Egypt’s newly empowered Islamists have tightened their grip on power in the country, giving themselves a majority on a 100-member panel tasked with drafting a constitution, The Associated Press reported on Sunday. The new constitution will define the shape of the government in the post-Hosni Mubarak era, and will essentially decide whether Islam will gain…

A Turkish cosmetics company has launched an advertising campaign for a men’s shampoo featuring Adolf Hitler. Hitler, addressing a crowd, using his raging rhetoric announces, “If you’re not wearing women’s clothes, then you also shouldn’t be using women’s shampoo. Here it is, a real men’s shampoo, Biomen.” The controversial commercial, which uses fake subtitles, concludes…

Ben Gurion International Airport will be on “fast forward” in order to cope with the crowds passing through for the upcoming holidays. The Israel Airports Authority is planning to implement a new expedited system that combines Internet check-in with a special hand luggage-only line at the airport. Those who have met the requirements who will be…

President Barack Obama said Sunday that a “window is closing” on Iran but there still is time for diplomacy. He did not set a deadline, but it would likely be after the presidential elections in November. The president made his remarks to reporters in Seoul on the eve of a nuclear security summit. “I believe…

A book, entitled “A Gift for Muslim Couple,” advising Muslim men how to abuse and control their wives is being sold in a local Canadian bookstore, the Toronto Sun reported. The ‘marriage guide,’ published by Idara Impex in New Delhi, India, was written by Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi, who is described in the book’s…

Warren Buffet misses turned down a sure-fire investment – buying bread from Jews desperate to sell it any price before Passover. He offered to buy the “leavened bread” and other products with grains six weeks ahead of time. A Nebraska rabbi said in so many words, “Thanks, but no thanks.” The idea of selling the…

In a disappointing decision for nationalists, the High Court Sunday threw out a compromise deal between the government and the residents of Migron, and set a new deadline for the eviction of the residents. The three judge panel is headed by Supreme Court President Asher Grunis, and includes judges Miriam Naor and Salim Jubran. They…

Dozens of people from the ‘Global March to Jerusalem’ movement demonstrated on the weekend outside against the Israeli Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. According to a Channel 2 News report, the demonstrators called for mass participation in the march towards the borders of Israel, which is scheduled for this Friday, March 30. The Global March to…

Two Republicans in the House of Representatives have released restrictions on the disbursement of U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority that have been blocked in Congress, CNN reported. U.S. aid to the PA was frozen after the entity unilaterally turned to the United Nations and asked for recognition of a Palestinian state. According to the…

Rick Santorum will win Saturday’s Republican presidential primary in Louisiana with a close to majority of the vote, CNN is reporting according to early results and exit polling. With around 60 percent of the vote in, Santorum held a nearly 2-1 lead over front-runner Mitt Romney, the report said. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich had…

Iranian terrorists planned to attack Israeli ships in the Suez Canal, the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram reports. Egyptian security forces reportedly thwarted the attack. Two Egyptian suspects are accused of attempting to pay a third man to carry out the planned strike. The two allegedly had a budget of more than $8 million. The two are…

The head of security for Canada’s Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) has revealed a security plan based in up-to-date counter-terror tactics. Now Doron Horowitz, a decorated ex-IDF soldier, is looking for volunteers to help him put the plan into action. Horowitz hopes to keep Jewish centers safe with the help of community patrols.…

French police are increasingly inclined to believe that the terrorist who murdered a rabbi and three children at a Toulouse school was assisted by his brother. On Saturday, police spokesman Christophe Crepin told reporters that Abdelkader is believed to have “furnished [means] and acted as an accomplice” in Mohammed Merah’s attacks. The brother, 29-year-old Abdelkader…

More than 30 Jewish graves were desecrated in the city of Nice in southern France on the Sabbath, less than a week after a deadly attack on children at a Jewish school in Toulouse. Memorial candles were ripped off the graves, as were Stars of David. Only Jewish tombs were targeted. Guards at the cemetery…

As speculation continues about whether Israel, with our without the United States, will launch a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, an Iranian website described how the Islamic Republic would repulse a ground attack against it. The report on the website was translated into English by t he Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). On…

As activists are planning to lead a Global March to Jerusalem next Friday, Israel has warned neighboring countries that it would forcefully respond to attempted breaches of its borders. The Global March to Jerusalem initiative aims at getting over one million Arabs and their supporters to attempt to infiltrate Israel’s borders on March 30th. A…

Israeli authorities denied on Friday the reports that Mohammed Merah, the terrorist who murdered seven people including a rabbi and three young children in Toulouse, visited Israel several years ago and was arrested by police after a knife was found on him. The claim that Merah was arrested in Israel was made by the head…

A Jewish group said on Friday that a Holocaust memorial has been vandalized in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, The Associated Press reported. Oleksandr Nazar of the city’s Sholem Aleichem Jewish Culture Center told the news agency that unknown assailants on Wednesday smeared red and blue paint over the memorial in central Lviv. Nazar…

Arab media reports former Egyptian vice president Omar Suleiman has decided to run for president. Suleiman served as director of General Intelligence Services during the regime of former President Hosni Mubarak. He agreed last week to announced his candidacy, sources told Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm. Elections are slated for 23 and 24 May. The decision was reached…

President Amadou Toumani Toure of Mali remained incommunicado Friday, as rebel soldiers who staged a coup searched for him and Taureg rebels pressed their offensive in the north. Coup leader, Captain Amadou Haya Sanogo on Thursday announced on state television that Toure was in good health, but refused to say where he is – or…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Friday he may recall the Israeli ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council and cut ties with the body. His remarks came after the 47-member council voted to establish a fact-finding mission to probe the “effects of settlements on Palestinian human rights.” Lieberman also said Israel may choose not to…

The UK has banned advertising promoting a book on northern Israel that includes a map showing the Golan Heights as part of Israel. The ad, which also includes parts of “Judea” and “Samaria” on the map, was published in November and produced by Israel’s Government Tourist Office. Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority claims it has received 350 complaints…

French authorities on Friday sought to defend their actions amid mounting questions after a gunman known to the intelligence services was able to murder seven people. Mohammed Merah, 24, was shot dead by French police in a shootout in Toulouse on Thursday, following a 32-hour standoff. As the standoff progressed, French Interior Minister Claude Gueant admitted…

Five months after an Islamist-led coalition came to power in Tunisia, the country’s fractious opposition is working to unite and fight for a secular state. The numerous opposition parties in Tunisia’s parliament are merging into bigger blocs in hopes of mounting a challenge to the ruling Islamist party, Ennahda. Ennahda and its coalition partners –…

French police on Friday extended the remand the mother and brother of the self-proclaimed al-Qaeda terrorist who killed seven people in France before being shot dead at the end of a 32-hour standoff with police. According to officials the girlfriend of 24-year old Mohamed Merah’s brother was also kept in detention. All three were detained…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu paid condolence visits on Thursday to the bereaved families of the victims of the terror attack that took place in Toulouse, France, on Monday. He was accompanied by France’s Ambassador to Israel, Christophe Bigot. Netanyahu met the parents and brothers of Miriam Monsonego, 8, and told them: “If these murderers had…

Mohammed Merah, the terrorist who murdered seven people, including a rabbi and three young children, and who was killed by French security forces in Toulouse, visited Israel several years ago, it was reported Thursday. Channel 10 News reported that the reason for Merah’s visit to Israel is not entirely clear, but it is believed he…

Israel will transfer 450 thousand liters of industrial diesel to Gaza on Friday for the Gaza power station. The Palestinian Authority in Ramallah has reportedly purchased the fuel from the Israeli Dor Alon company and it will enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing. The Coordinator of Government Activities in Yesha, Maj. Gen. Eitan Dangot,…

There may be hundreds, if not thousands, of Hizbullah agents inside the United States capable of launching a terror attack if U.S.-Iran tensions continue to escalate, said House Homeland Security Committee chief Peter King at a hearing on Wednesday. King explained that the Lebanese Shi’ites may pose the greatest threat to U.S. national security and…

The coin, designed by David Harel, features an impressive athletic victory, with a ribbon flying in the air in the shape of a Star of David. On the other side of the coin, the ribbon, waving in the air forms an Israeli flag, illustrating strength, balance, coordination, flexibility and grace.  The field of gymnastics, which…

The Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel are holding economic talks despite frozen peace negotiations in a bid to relieve the PA’s deepening debt crisis. Under the current framework of agreements, Israel is tasked with levying taxes and duties on the Palestinian Authority’s behalf. These revenues amount to around USD 100 million a month for the…

Anti-Semitic sentiments in European countries are at “disturbingly high levels,” says a poll issued by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released Thursday. A great deal of the European population is proscribing to “classical anti-Semitic notions such as Jews having too much power in business, being more loyal to Israel than their own country, or ‘talking too…

The IDF said Wednesday that the Israel Security Agency (ISA) arrested a Hamas terrorist who planned to kidnap an IDF soldier and aid in a suicide bombing in Eilat. The ISA arrested Mahmed Abu Aadram,  an operative in the Hamas terror organization and Rafiah resident, as he attempted to infiltrate into Israel through the Gaza…

Gaza’s Hamas rulers are caught between their rage at Israel and their distaste for having to cooperate with Egypt. The result has been a wintry region without electricity and, within the next few days, the situation will reach crisis proportions if the leadership does not come up with a solution. Storage tanks in which fuel was…

The IDF’s Southern Command has completed a thorough review of its performance in the recent escalation in southern Israel and Gaza – which began less than a fortnight ago and appears to have been replaced with relative calm in the past 48 hours. According to the IDF Website, the military achieved “an improvement in the IDF’s…

In an interview with a French newspaper Thursday, a woman claimed that she had warned authorities that the Al-Qaeda connected terrorist who killed four people in Toulouse earlier this week, Mohammed Merah, was a dangerous terrorist who needed to be stopped. The warning was ignored, however, and Merah remained free to carry out the murders…

Arabs terrorists attacked an Israeli motorist Thursday in a drive-by rock attack near the Samaria (Shomron) Arab village of Duma. The attack took place on a road northeast of Ramallah. Although the vehicle was damaged, the driver managed to keep the car moving and immediately contacted the IDF. Both the driver and the passengers escaped injury,…

The terrorist who murdered seven people, including a rabbi and three young children, is dead after a 30-hour siege in Toulouse. French police raided the apartment in which 23-year-old Mohammed Merah was holed up after he failed to fulfill two promises to surrender Wednesday. Officers first flooded the apartment with gas in an effort to…

Defense Minister Ehud Barak says Israel and the US disagree on what would be a realistic timetable for stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Barak reiterated Israel’s concerns that Iran is trying to render nuclear program immune from attack before taking a decision on assembling atomic bombs. Israel “cannot afford to wait” in such a…

Documents show late arch-terrorist Osama Bin Laden reportedly pushed al-Qaeda to develop plans to assassinate President Barack Obama. According to documents recovered from Bin Laden’s compound, the Al Qaida chief believed the United States would tumble into chaos if an “unprepared” Vice-President Joe Biden became commander in chief. Bin Laden’s analysis of presidential succession scenarios…

French interior minister Claude Gueant told France-2 TV that a suspect wanted for shooting seven people dead plans to turn himself in to some 300 police surrounding him, but will do it at night “to be more discreet.” Gueant’s remarks came as French police were seen gearing up and making preparations to storm the Toulouse home…

A new poll released Wednesday finds that most Israelis are against a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The poll, which was conducted by Panel Project and reported on Channel 10 News, asked Israelis about their feelings regarding an attack in Iran, the performance of the prime minister and who is best suited to serve…

The National Security Council Counter-Terrorism Bureau issued a travel warning to Israelis for the upcoming spring holidays of Passover, Independence Day and Lag B’Omer. In a statement it released on Wednesday, the Counter-Terrorism Bureau said that the holidays, especially Passover, “are liable to provide incentive for terrorists around the world to attack Israeli and Jewish…

Despite earlier reports, the standoff with  Mohammad Merah, the gunman believed to be the murderer in this week’s attack at the Otzar HaTorah school in Toulouse, as well as a string of other shootings, appears not to be over just yet. As of 4:00 a.m. (Israel time), reports from the building in which Merah resides said that a…

A French prosecutor said a gunman suspected of seven recent killings and claiming allegiance to al-Qaeda was about to strike again. Prosecutor Francois Molins told AFP that the gunman remains holed up in an apartment in the city of Toulouse more than 13 hours after the standoff began before dawn Wednesday. He said the gunman,…

Besieged gunman Mohammad Merah boasted to police negotiators that he has no regrets beyond having run out of time for more murders. “He has no regrets, except not having more time to kill more people and he boasts that he has brought France to its knees,” Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins, part of the anti-terrorist unit…

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has surpassed previous acts of chutzpah and tells German television the Holocaust “was a colonialist plan that resulted from a lie” that Israel exploits to suppress Palestinian Authority Arabs. Speaking through an interpreter to Germany’s ZDF public television, Ahmadinejad asserted that Jews “never were rulers of this land. They made a…

The UN Security Council on Wednesday called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to immediately implement proposals by international envoy Kofi Annan. The nonbinding statement approved by the 15 council members was described as “a strong message of support for the Syrian opposition” after a year of deadlock at the world body. The statement contained Annan’s…

Two Damascus suburbs came under heavy tank bombardment on Wednesday following renewed rebel attacks on forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Artillery and anti-aircraft gun barrages hit the suburbs of Harasta and Irbin, retaken by Assad’s forces from rebels two months ago, as army helicopters reportedly flew overhead. The Free Syrian Army mounted a…

Egyptian officials said Wednesday they foiled a “terrorist plot” targeting vessels using the Suez Canal. The alleged plot was masterminded by a resident of the Canal city of Ismailia, Egypt’s official Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported. According to unidentified security sources, Sulaiman Rezq allegedly sought to recruit some relatives in “carrying out the hostile…

A spokesman for the U.S. State Department confirmed Tuesday that a convicted Iranian spy as deported last week back to Tehran. Spokesman Noel Clay said Ardebili, 38, found guilty of arms smuggling, had completed his prison term – a five-year sentence handed down in a U.S. District Court in Delaware. Amir Hossein Ardebili pleaded guilty…

Police have managed to re-establish contact with a convicted terrorist suspected of murdering three Jewish children and a rabbi on Monday, and three French soldiers, all Muslims, last week.  Throughout the morning, the suspected terrorist, 23-year-old Mohammed Merah, spoke with police surrounding his building. But Merah, who lives just a short distance from the Otzar HaTorah…

Israel’s ambassador to Egypt has quit Cairo, six months after the embassy was attacked by paid rioters and ransacked in the Egyptian capital. Officials at the Egyptian airport said Wednesday that two IDF aircraft departed Cairo before dawn, carrying all of the equipment and documents that had been in the embassy. During the September 2011 attack,…

The Iron Dome missile defense system, which can determine where an incoming rocket will land and intercept in mid-air projectiles that pose significant threats, has proven to be extremely successful in combating the recent surge of attacks by terrorists in the Gaza Strip against Jewish communities in southern Israel. Yet, a recent incident serves as…

Authorities have arrested a Hamas terrorist in connection with a plot to carry out a new attack near Eilat and kidnap another IDF soldier. The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) last month arrested Mahmoud Abu Adara and a second Hamas operative from the organization military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in connection with…

Full details are not yet known, but if the comments of the French Interior Minister Claude Gueant are borne out, the Otzar Hatora atrocity may turn out to be an Anders Breivik case in reverse. According to the French interior minister, the suspect was “someone who was attached to persons who claimed adherence to salafism…

In one of his grimmest statements in months, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe in Jerusalem to discuss Monday’s terror attack on a Jewish day school in Toulouse. While the two men talked, the suspected terrorist had been located, and was being held at bay by a French special ops…

President Obama sent his greetings to the Iranian people celebrating the New Year of Nowruz, saying he hopes it will bring a season of “renewal.” “As people gather with their families, do good deeds, and welcome a new season, we’re also reminded of the common humanity that we share,” said the President. “There’s no reason…

Russia warned Tuesday that Iran would have no option but to develop nuclear weapons if it came under attack from either the United States or Israel. “The CIA and other US officials admit they now have no information about the Iranian leadership taking the political decision to produce nuclear weapons,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told…

US officials said Tuesday that the United States will exempt Japan and 10 European Union nations from US financial sanctions because they have “significantly reduced purchases of Iranian crude oil.” The provides a respite for the 11 countries, whose banks faced being cut off from the US financial system under new US sanctions designed to…

PLO official Saeb Erekat said Tuesday that President Mahmoud Abbas told US president Barack Obama that the Palestinian Authority is ready to return to negotiations if Israel commits to Quartet requirements. Erekat’s remarks came after the White House said Obama called Abbas on Monday to assure him of the US commitment to Middle East peace.…

A spokesman for Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement claimed on Tuesday that Iran had paid rival group Hamas to back out of implementing the reconciliation deal between the two factions. According to the spokesman, Ahmed Assaf, Iran paid Hamas tens of millions of dollars to avoid implementing the agreement. “We have information that…

  Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird joined Israel in blocking a senior Hamas official from addressing a session of the UN Human Rights Council. Baird said he’d been “troubled” to learn Ismail Al-Ashqar had been scheduled to appear at a session on the human rights body in Geneva. “As soon as I learned of this…

French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday assured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he is determined to bring to justice the killer of four Jews. “You can be assured of the total determination of the French authorities that the perpetrator of this cowardly and ignoble act be arrested and judged with all the severity required by the…

US President Barack Obama accused Iran on Tuesday of creating an “electronic curtain” blocking its citizens from using the Internet and social media to full effect. Addressing ordinary Iranians in a video message marking the Persian new year celebration, Obama acknowledged “continued tensions between our two countries.” But, he insisted that Americans want a dialogue…