Category: News

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday said Iran will succeed in withstanding pressure and economic sanctions, while Israel is “besieged.” His remarks came after Iranian banks were excluded from the SWIFT international financial transfer networks – only the latest in a series of sanctions on Iran’s oil and banking industries that have consistently narrowed…

Pentagon war games predict an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites may quickly spiral out of control and result in a large regional war. A classified two-week war simulation conducted by the US Central Command dubbed Internal Look envisioned a scenario wherein Israel carried out an air strike on Iranian facilities. Projected retaliation targeted both…

The killer of four Jews in Toulouse got off his motor bike to grab an eight-year-old girl and shoot her in the head, an eyewitness said. Miriam Monsonego was the last of his victims after the murderer, described as in his 30s, killed Rabbi Yonatan Sandler and his two sons, Aryeh and Gavriel, outside the…

The murderer who gunned down a rabbi and three Jewish children may have filmed the murders. French police suspect he is a neo-Nazi. French Interior Minister Claude Gueant revealed that the gunman was “wearing an apparatus around his neck” that might have been used to film the brutal murders with the possibility of posting them…

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey met with IDF Chief of Staff Benny. Gantz Monday after having warned Iran it will suffer if it “misjudges” America’s intentions. Details of their conversation were not released. but it is widely assumed that Iran headed the agenda. Two days before their meeting, Dempsey said…

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem held a press conference on Monday to launch the updated and expanded Einstein Archives website, which contains a complete catalog of more than 80,000 documents in the University’s Einstein Archives. The archive includes more than 40,000 documents contained in Albert Einstein’s personal papers and over 30,000 additional Einstein and Einstein-related…

The Knesset approved on Monday the preliminary reading of a bill that requires public shelters to include infrastructure for internet access. According to the bill, which was submitted by Orly Levy-Abekasis (Yisrael Beiteinu), a public shelter located in a community defined by an order of the Minister of Defense as being located in an area…

Polish police are investigating the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in northeastern Poland, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) reported. Perpetrators spray-painted swastikas and anti-Semitic images and slogans on graves, a Holocaust memorial and entrance to the Jewish cemetery in Wysokie Mazowieckie near Bialystok, said Monika Krawczyk, the CEO of the Foundation for the Preservation of…

New York police tightened security Monday at synagogues and other Jewish institutions following an attack hours earlier on the Otzar HaTorah Jewish day school in Toulouse, France. Police spokesman Paul Browne said NYPD would increase patrols and tighten surveillance around more than 40 sites in response to the attack and other “events abroad.”   Rabbi…

The two major items about Syria in today’s news were the heavy fighting in an upscale Damascus suburb and the leaked e-mails citing that Asma Al- Assad, the wife of the Syrian ruler, is the country’s real dictator. Both the fighting and the quotations from the Syrian First Lady, as well as reports on her extravagant…

French police are investigating whether a neo-Nazi gang was involved in the shooting attack Monday on a Jewish day school next to a synagogue in Toulouse. Rabbi Jonathan Sandler of Kiryat Yovel, his two young sons and the young daughter of the school principal were gunned down by a man wearing a black helmet who…

A United Nations report says the Palestinian Authority’s statehood bid is on shaky ground. The report, entitled “Palestinian State-Building: An Achievement at Increased Risk,” is to be submitted this Wednesday in Brussels at a meeting of donors to the PA cause. A similar report was submitted six months ago to the group, but did not include…

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday expressed dismay at what he called “the West’s blind support for Israel.” He also deplored the West’s lack of vision as a “detriment of the Palestinian cause” and entreated the international community to show “greater sensitivity to the tragedy of the people that suffers the Israeli occupation.” Ahmadinejad’s remarks…

The murder of a Jewish teacher and three children at the entrance of  the Ozar HaTorah Jewish day school in Toulouse flashes a “red light” for Jews in the Diaspora, Likud Knesset Member Danny Danon said Monday. The killer was identified by eyewitnesses as a Muslim, who was riding a motorbike and shot two revolvers.…

The Conference of European Rabbis has expressed its shock and sadness following the killing of three people including two children outside a Jewish school in Toulouse this morning. The shootings occurred at a Jewish secondary school in the city. “This horrific act is indicative of a society where intolerance is allowed to fester. We call…

A woman was arrested in Berlin, on Saturday, after trying to throw a small suitcase filled with fireworks on the grounds of the Israeli Embassy, the Associated Press (AP) reported. German police said the suitcase contained less than 10 fireworks, no trigger mechanism and posed no real security threat.  The suspect also attempted to throw…

Media Matters for America, the left-leaning media watchdog organization that has come under fire for its overt anti-Semitic rhetoric, has links to Al-Jazeera, The Daily Caller reported. MJ Rosenberg, the organization’s senior foreign policy fellow and former AIPAC staffer who is now intensely critical of the pro-Israel lobby, represented Media Matters at a forum hosted…

French presidential contenders were quick to condemn the deadly shooting of four Jews at the Ozar HaTorah school in Toulouse. President Nicolas Sarkozy visited the school personally to offer his condolences and express solidarity with France’s Jewish community. “This murder doesn’t just hurt the Jewish community, the entire national community is distressed and is by your…

The holiest city in the world is also the top-ranked city in the Middle East in the New7Wonders international competition. Beginning this past January, more than 1,200 cities in 220 countries around the world contended for the honor of being named the top seven cities of the world. The number of semi-finalists has been narrowed down…

The IDF Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz concluded his official visit to Canada on Friday. Lt. Gen. Gantz was hosted by his Canadian counterpart, Chief of the Defense Staff (CDS) of the Canadian Forces General Walt Natynczyk (pronounced na-tin-check), who emphasized the importance he sees in the visit and in the growing…

Middle East expert Dr. Assaf David, a research fellow at the Truman Institute at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said on Sunday he believes that Jordan might also be rocked by the Arab Spring turmoil in the Middle East. Speaking to Arutz Sheva, David said that even if Jordan’s King Abdullah is not overthrown, he…

Female students at Hebrew University’s Har Hatzofim (Mount Scopus) campus complain that Arabs routinely harass them and commit various sexual offenses. The police appear to be unable or unwilling to help. An activist group, Im Tirtzu, wants to set up a students’ safety patrol. Similar charges were made three years ago and things seem to…

The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) today released an analysis of support for Israel broken down by political affiliation that reveals a clear “Israel Gap” between the parties. Republican support for Israel is 25 points higher than Democratic support, and according to Gallup, only 53% of Democrats, a bare majority, express sympathy with Israel. “Democrats are…

Jews living in Judea and Samaria have faced increasingly unsafe roads in recent months, with terror attacks and violent carjackings by Palestinian Authority (PA) Arabs on the rise. Now they are dealing with a new potential threat as the PA plans to bring thousands more Arab drivers onto Israeli roads. The PA is planning to connect the…

Senior Hamas official Ismail al-Ashqar will address the United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday, an official statement said. Al-Ashqar arrived in Switzerland on Sunday ahead of the appearance, which will focus on the issue of Hamas members being held in Israeli jails, the statement added. Blogger Elder of Zion noted that al-Ashqar has publicly…

The Palestinian Authority (PA) denies reports in the Israeli press according to which secret economic negotiations are being carried out between Israel and the PA. Nimer Hamad, a political adviser to PA Head Mahmoud Abbas, told the QudsNet news agency that the reports in Israel regarding direct or secret negotiations are untrue and that the…

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, has called for the immediate dismissal of a Jerusalem based U.N. agency employee who is widely known for her blatant anti-Israel activism. Khulood Badawi, the information and media coordinator for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Jerusalem, (OCHA), tweeted a controversial photo,…

Israel is helping the slowing Palestinian Authority economy even as Arab nations ignore pledges, and the PA’s financial stability is questionable, according to an Israeli government report to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) in Brussels. The summary comes at the same time that the International Monetary Fund reported that the PA economy is in…

Another senior Nazi involved in the deportation of Jews to Auschwitz, and who is still alive, has been discovered. According to Nazi hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff, head of the Jerusalem-based Wiesenthal Center, the fugitive is likely to be exposed very soon. Zuroff told Israel’s Channel 2 in an interview on Sunday, “In two or three weeks,…

Orthodox rabbi Rabbi Raphael Benchimol of the Manhattan Sephardic Congregation was honored with the Knight of the Order of the Throne from Mohammed VI King of Morocco, in New York on Sunday. The president of the Jewish Community of Morocco, Serge Berdugo, represented the king at the event, calling the ceremony a “tribute to a…

While Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and unremitting threats to wipe the State of Israel off the map continue to make daily headlines and attract endless speculation, the fate of the Jewish community living in Iran has yet to be examined. Many Jews who emigrated to Israel from the Islamic Republic worry that an Israeli…

A Jewish man has won his fight against a German museum for the return of thousands of rare posters stolen from his father by the Nazis in 1938, The BBC reported. Berlin’s Federal Court of Justice ruled that Peter Sachs, who now lives in the U.S., is the rightful owner of the posters. The judges…

Iran may impose a blockade on oil exports that threaten the world’s economies as a reaction to new unprecedented sanctions, says its former intelligence minister Ali Fallahian. Belgium’s Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), which handles most international bank transfers, has eliminated Iran from its services. The move is a “direct result of international…

Eight young Jewish adults who have various degrees of mental and physical disabilities spent ten days touring Israel, on the first trip of its kind from the UK, thanks to Taglit-Birthright Israel, UJIA and Norwood. The UJIA Birthright-Norwood ‘Limitless’ program is a special Taglit-Birthright Israel trip that took nearly two years to plan. “Although we…

Convicted Nazi war criminal John Demjanjuk has died at age 91. Demjanjuk was convicted in May 2011 of assisting in the murder of 28,060 people at the Sobibor death camp during the Holocaust. Demjanjuk was sentenced to five years in prison, but was released pending appeal. He died in a nursing home in southern Bavaria.…

A fire broke out Saturday night at a nursing home on Rechov Hashlosha in Bnei Brak. Nineteen people were injured. Three elderly residents of the home were in serious condition due to injuries from smoke inhalation. The three were taken to local hospitals, where they are unconscious and on respirators. Another seven people suffered moderate…

About 1,500 veterans of the Waffen SS division and other Nazi supporters marched through the Latvian capital in a controversial annual ‘memorial’ march that took place on March 16. While the Riga city council had imposed a ban on the procession, the decision was overturned by a court rule on Thursday. Many Latvians hailed the…

Schools in southern Israel will reopen Sunday after several days in which they were closed due to rocket attacks from Gaza. Among the cities that have officially announced a return to routine are Ashkelon, Ashdod, Be’er Sheva, Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malachi, Gan Yavne and Ofakim. In Ashkelon high schools will remain closed. However, the closure…

Saudi Arabia has begun sending weapons to Syrian rebels, an Arab diplomat told AFP. Saudi leaders have previously called for rebels to be armed. “Saudi military equipment is on its way to Jordan to arm the Free Syrian Army,” he said. “This is a Saudi initiative to stop the massacres in Syria.” Last week Saudi…

At least 27 people were killed and 97 wounded in a double car bombing in Damascus on Saturday morning. The bombs went off outside a military intelligence installation and a police building. Pictures aired on Syrian TV showed major destruction at the scene of the blasts, including buildings torn apart and crushed cars. Syrian officials…

On Wednesday evening, March 14th ,over 30 protestors representing both Jewish and human rights organizations gathered in front of the Jewish Community Center on Manhattan’s upper west side to express their outrage over a forum entitled “Combating Islamophobia.” Moderated by former first daughter Chelsea Clinton, the panelists included Rabbi Marc Schneier, co-founder of the Foundation…

Americans For A Safe Israel (AFSI) is exceptionally proud to announce that their Spring 2012 Chizuk Mission of Israel is shaping up to be yet another action packed trip with highlights, including the commemoration of the Jewish state’s 64th birthday on Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day). Tour members will be treated to a treasure trove…

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested on Friday a safe zone could be established along his country’s border with Syria, as the number of refugees fleeing the country from President Bashar Assad’s crackdown on protesters continues to rise. “On the subject of Syria, a buffer zone, a security zone, are things being studied,” The…

Italian police arrested on Thursday a 20-year old man of Moroccan descent on suspicion of planning a series of terror attacks, including one in a synagogue in Milan. A statement by the police said that a search of the suspect’s computer found maps of the area around the main synagogue in Milan. The suspect was…

As more than 15,000 runners from 50 countries prepared for the Jerusalem Marathon which was held on Friday, Hamas was busy organizing a protest against it. According to a report in the Ma’ariv newspaper, Hamas’ Gaza-based Ministry of Sports organized a demonstration against the famous sportswear company Adidas on Thursday, in protest of the sponsorship…

Security officials threatened on Friday that an escalation of rocket fire by terrorists in Gaza will result in a “super escalation” by the IDF. Speaking to the Yisrael Hayom newspaper, a security official said, “We cannot tolerate this fire over time. The citizens of Israel do not care who shoots at them. They care that…

The head of Hamas’ political bureau, Khaled Mashaal, met on Friday with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The two met for two hours during a surprise visit Mashaal made to Ankara. Channel 10 News reported that during the meeting, Mashaal told Erdogan that Israel had used excuses to attack Gaza during the escalation this…

Despite an Egyptian-brokered ‘ceasefire’ announced earlier this week, terrorists continued to fire rockets at Israeli territory on Friday. A Kassam rocket which was fired from Gaza at southern Israel on Friday afternoon landed in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council. There were no physical injuries or damage. The terrorists took advantage of winter-like…

British Prime Minister David Cameron said Thursday that an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear program wouldn’t be justified – yet. “I don’t think as we stand today that military action by Israel would be justified.” Cameron said in New York. “I don’t think the Israelis should take that action now.” “We’ve told them they shouldn’t,…

A prominent Egyptian cleric on Thursday evening issued a Fatwa calling for the assassination of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. “He who has the chance to kill Al-Assad and does not do this is a sinner,” Imam Safwat Hejazi told a rally held in Cairo in support of a popular revolt against Al-Assad’s rule on Friday.…

The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah declared, last Monday, that it is “necessary to destroy all the churches of the region,” Raymond Ibrahim of Jihad Watch reported in an article published in the Middle East Forum, on March 14th. “The Sheikh based his proclamation on the famous tradition, or hadith,…

Islamic Jihad claimed on Friday it has rockets that can reach Tel Aviv. A member of the terror group’s Quds Brigades using the alias Abu Ibrahim told AFP they were ready to expand the reach of its rocket fire “beyond the Israeli town of Ashdod.” “If the occupation targets any leader of any Palestinian group…

IDF forces were able to thwart an infiltration from Egypt on Thursday evening. The IDF Spokesman said in a statement that the troops, who were engaged in routine activity along the Israel-Egypt border, noticed a number of suspects who had infiltrated the border. The troops called on the suspects to stop and when they did…

The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, or SWIFT, announced Thursday that it is cutting off some 30 Iranian banks and subsidiaries from its network, as part of global efforts to punish Iran for its nuclear weapons program. The banks punished are the ones that have already been hit by European Union sanctions. Some other…

The leader of the Hizbullah terror group, Hassan Nasrallah, congratulated the terrorist organizations in Gaza on Thursday for causing half a million Israelis to spend days in shelters, as Gaza terrorists fired more than 200 rockets over a period of four days. In a recorded speech which was broadcast in Beirut and reported on Army…

The U.S. Navy announced on Thursday it is doubling the number of minesweeping ships and helicopters based in the Gulf, AFP reported. The announcement comes amid growing tensions over Iran’s threats to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The top U.S. Navy officer, Admiral Jonathan Greenert, told lawmakers the United States plans to send four…

All six Arab Gulf states will close their embassies in Syria in protest of the year-long crackdown on protesters in the country, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) head Abdullatif al-Zayani announced on Thursday. AFP reported that al-Zayani said that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait took the step because the Syrian…

In what seems to have become a daily occurrence, Arabs ambushed a car carrying Jews just outside Beit El Wednesday night. Tragedy was averted when a family in another car chanced upon the scene. In a growing trend, the Arabs targeted women and children. Yael Shahak and her 8-year-old daughter Chen were returning home to Beit El…

Afghan president Hamid Karzai demanded Thursday that NATO troops immediately pull out of rural areas in the wake of the murder of 16 civilians by a US soldier. Karzai issued his demand as Afghan lawmakers furiously decried the US decision to fly the soldier suspected killings to Kuwait on Wednesday night instead of allowing him…

Syria’s popular uprising entered its second year on Thursday as the death toll from President Bashar al-Assad’s bloody crackdown fast approaches 9,000. At least 8,500 civilians have been killed since the uprising began in March 2011, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group. Saudi Arabia on Thursday shut down its embassy in…

The town of Ofakim (pop. 24,000) in the Negev is joining Be’er Sheva and shutting down its schools Friday. Schools in Be’er Sheva were closed Thursday, following a decision by Mayor Rubik Danilovich, despite an announcement by the IDF Home Front Command that schools could reopen. Ofakim’s appointed mayor, Tzvika Gringold, has decided to follow…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday warned that a nuclear-armed Iran would “destabalize the region” and constitute a “global threat.” Lieberman’s remarks came during a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan in Seoul. He also reportedly discussed parallels between Pyongyang and Tehran, noting Israel and South Korea both face threats from neighboring dictatorships.…

An Indian court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for three Iranians in connection with the bombing of an Israeli embassy car on 13 February. Police officials identified the wanted men as Housan Afshar, Syed Ali Mehdi Sadr and Mohammed Reza Abolghasemi. The officials said they would seek assistance from Interpol in finding and extraditing the…

Two Grad rockets were fired at Israel by Gaza Arab terrorists Thursday morning. One rocket, fired at Be’ersheva, was intercepted by the Iron Dome system, while a second fell in the area of Ofakim, just several hundred meters from a school where classes were taking place Thursday morning. As news of the attack spread, parents…

Despite the de facto cease fire in southern Israel, Gaza Arab terrorists fired another rocket at Israel Thursday morning. The rocket exploded in an open area near the city of Netivot in southern Israel. No one was injured, and no damage was reported. This was the fourth rocket fired at Israel since the cease fire…

Jerusalem Periphery Police Chief Nissim Edri told reporters Thursday that police were responding the stabbing of a female soldier on the city’s light rail with “prejudice.” “This was a nationalistic terrorist attack,” Edri said. “Train security personnel pursued [and captured] the perpetrator, who was checked before the incident.” “There was no advance warning. We see…

Fatah officials on Wednesday admitted they do not expect Hamas leaders in Gaza to follow through on its end of the Cairo reconciliation deal “anytime soon.” The now-itinerant Hamas politburo agreed to a deal in Qatar with Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas to form an interim government of technocrats. However, Hamas leaders in Gaza ambushed…

Turkish warplanes launched a series of air strikes on northern Iraq late on Tuesday The region is home to several bases used by Kurdish separatists from the PKK that Ankara regards as terrorists – and frequently targets with its military. “After 10:00 last night, the Turkish warplanes hit some areas near the border in three…

IAF aircraft struck a rocket launching site in northern Gaza and a terror tunnel in southern Gaza Wednesday night. According to a statement by the IDF Spokesperson, the aircraft scored direct hits and returned to their bases safely. The airstrikes come in response to the latest rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel. At least…

The Ministry of Information and Diaspora and the Government Press Office held a special tour in southern Israel to members of the foreign press on Wednesday. During the tour, representatives of news agencies, international newspapers and television channels joined a tour designed to show reporters the harsh reality of civilian life under the threat of…

Air forces from around the world are arriving to practice with the IAF and this week, the Polish Air Force arrived for a joint training session. The Commander of the Polish Air Force, General Lech Majewski, told the IAF website in a special interview, “You have excellent combat planes. But the most important aspect is…

Syrian President Bashar Assad took advice from Iran on how to handle the uprising against his rule, according to a cache of what appear to be several thousand e-mails received and sent by the Syrian leader and his wife. The e-mails, which were published by the British Guardian on Wednesday, also prove the Syrian leader…

The Palestinian Authority declared a Baptist Church in Bethlehem to be unlawful and said that it will no longer receive rights as a religious institution, Algemeiner reported. This decision comes a week after Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told an audience of Evangelical Protestants that his government respected the rights of its Christian minorities. “They said that…

An Iranian building suspected as a test site for nuclear explosions has been identified through satellite imagery by Washington think tank. The identification of the site at the Parchin complex near Tehran adds more circumstantial evidence that Iran is trying to manufacture a nuclear weapon, a charge it constantly has denied. David Albright, president of…

Talk of war with Iran is scaring investors away from Israel even though the country’s growing economy and hi-tech industry are considered a gold mine, according to the Calcalist business newspaper. “We Israelis do not recognize the concept of risk. We live here and raise our children here. But the situation with Iran is a top…

Residents of a New Hampshire town have voted to rename a fishing and skating spot that’s been called “Jew Pond” since the 1920s, the Associated Press reported. The pond in Mount Vernon was purchased by two Jewish attorneys from Boston, in 1928 and became known as the “Jew Pond,” said Rich Masters, a resident who…

Azerbaijan on Wednesday said it arrested 22 citizens suspected of plotting on behalf of Iran to attack the American and Israel embassies in Baku. Officials said that the men were working with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. The arrests come nearly a month after the arrest of a terrorist cell whose members belonged to Hizbullah and…

Iran’s parliament grilled President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Wednesday on the ailing Iranian economy and charges of  ignoring orders from Islamic clerical leaders. It was the first time an Iranian president faced parliamentary questioning and may be a spark of hope for Israel and the West that internal dissension will weaken or even topple  Ahmadinejad’s race for a…

Hizbullah and Hamas said IDF strikes on Gaza terrorists were a “test” of  reactions in advance of an attack on Iran, a Lebanese newspaper reported. Leaders of Hizbullah and Hamas also reportedly said they are coordinating with Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood in the event of a war  “waged by the Zionist enemy.” Hizbullah supreme leader Hassan…

Syria condemned on Tuesday Israeli air raids on Gaza, blatantly ignoring its own brutal crackdown on opposition protesters. AFP reported that Syria called on world powers to act urgently to put an end to the airstrikes. The Syrian Foreign Minister said in a statement that the country “roundly condemns Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people…

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, on Tuesday presented a letter of complaint to the UN Security Council and to the organization’s Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, over the Council’s silence in the face of the continued rocket attacks on southern Israel. “250 missiles since Friday, a rocket every 20 minutes, and zero response…

IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz met on Tuesday with the young recruits who will be joining the IDF’s Kfir anti-terror brigade. Gantz spoke with the new soldiers about the responsibility that comes with being a part of the brigade, as well as about the IDF’s actions in the latest escalation in southern Israel. As…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke on Tuesday at a meeting of Government ministry director generals in Jerusalem. During his remarks the prime minister addressed the latest escalation in the south, after terrorists launched more than 200 rockets at southern Israel over a period of four days. “The recent activity is testimony to my government’s policy…

IAF aircraft struck two centers of terrorist activity in northern Gaza on Tuesday night, according to a statement by the IDF Spokesperson. The statement said that direct hits were identified at the targets, and added that the airstrike comes in response to high trajectory fire into Israeli territory. Despite reports that Egypt had brokered a ceasefire between Israel…

Terrorists in Gaza fired two rockets at Ashkelon on Tuesday evening, breaking the short cease-fire declared late on Monday. The rockets exploded in the Ashkelon Beach Regional Council. There were no physical injuries or property damage. At least seven rockets were fired at Israel on Tuesday, after Egypt brokered a ceasefire between Israel and the…

Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who was US President Barack Obama’s pastor for 20 years at the Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago’s south side, has endorsed the planned “March to Jerusalem” slated for March 30th. It follows on the heels of the anti-Israel, anti-Semitic Doha Conference in Qatar on the Defense of ‘Occupied’ Jerusalem,” a two day long effort…

Russia on Tuesday adamantly rejected calls it stop arming Damascus irrespective of emerging reports of war crimes by forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said Russia will “abide by existing contracts to deliver weapons to Syria,” referring to deals for aircraft, missiles, and other heavy weapons. “Russia enjoys good…

France announced Tuesday it will reduce the strength of its UNIFIL contingent in southern Lebanon by 400. A statement said the decision had been made in concert with the United Nations and Lebanon following a strategic review of the mission of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Spokesman Bernard Valero told reporters the French…

India’s papers reported Tuesday that Delhi Police have ‘conclusively’ linked the 13 February bombing of an Israeli embassy car to a conspiracy hatched by Iranian secret agents. Quoting sources privy to the investigation, the Times of India reported it has been “conclusively established” that Syed Mohammad Kazmi, “was in touch with an Iranian intelligence officer…

The Counter-Terrorism Bureau issued a warning to Israelis on Tuesday, asking them to refrain from visiting Turkey in the coming days. The warning said that Israel has received intelligence information, according to which terrorists intend to carry out an attack against Israeli and Jewish targets in Turkey sometime in the next several days. Last week,…

Gaza terrorists fired a rocket into downtown Netivot around 21:30 (GMT+2) on Tuesday evening. Magen David Adom reported that one person was lightly injured after being hit in the hand by flying glass. 11 people suffered shock. The attack came just hours after a pair of rockets slammed into the Ashkelon beaches. No physical injuries…

There has been an increase in the number of recorded anti-Semitic incidents in Switzerland, the CICAD, a Geneva-based organization that coordinates the fight against anti-Semitism and defamation announced, the European Jewish Press noted. The CICAD’s annual report shows that the number of anti-Semitic acts increased by 28 percent in 2011, totaling 130 cases, as opposed…

Gaza terrorists attacked the western Negev with five mortar shells and two Kassam rockets around noon Tuesday, lowering the intensity of attacks but breaking the ceasefire. The attacks are seen as an attempt to maintain “calm,” which previously has been defined as a situation in which missiles are not fired on urban areas while primitive…

Kalman Libeskind, a leading journalist for Maariv, has issued a highly unusual call to Israeli citizens to defend themselves physically against Arab attacks rather than calling the police. The call reflects a growing feeling among Israelis that Israel is slipping into anarchy, as regards the physical safety of Jews from attacks by fellow Arab citizens.…

The bodies of 26 children and 21 women were found in the central city of Homs on Monday. “Some of the children had been hit with blunt objects on their head, one little girl was mutilated and some women were raped before being killed,” Homs rights activist Hadi Abdullah told Gulf News. He described the…

The Turkish government rejected a request by Arkia Israel Airlines for increased security at the Antalya Airport, Today’s Zaman reported. Arkia, which is planning to offer four to six flights a week between June and October, sent a written request to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs asking for a flight-specific security area for all…

Egypt has brokered a ceasefire between Israel and the Gaza-based terror groups. The ceasefire has gone into effect as of 1:00 a.m. (Israel time) Monday morning, according to a report on Kol Yisrael radio. Similar reports on Saturday and Sunday night turned out to be false. The ceasefire comes following four days in which more than 200…

Egypt’s Islamist-dominated parliament on Monday called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from Cairo and the recall of Egypt’s envoy to the Jewish state. According to a report in AFP, which cited the Egyptian MENA news agency, the parliament unanimously approved a text prepared by the Arab affairs committee of the People’s Assembly calling…

Syrian forces on Monday killed at least 16 people — including children — in a rebel stronghold recaptured by the government in the embattled city of Homs. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 16 people were killed Sunday night, while the Local Coordination Committees said 45 were “murdered.” Both groups said…

Hamas charged on Monday that Al-Jazeera’s coverage of the escalating violence in Gaza is “unprecedented” in its “lack of balance.” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri wrote on his Facebook page that Al-Jazeera’s coverage of events in Gaza showed a “bias against Palestinians” and that the Qatar-based news agency considered them “less important” than other Arabs.…

Hundreds of people demonstrated in front of the Russian embassy in Tel Aviv, on Sunday evening, protesting the bloodshed in Syria and calling upon the Russian government to cease their support of the oppressive regime.  The protest was organized by the Zionist movement of Im Tirtzu, in conjunction with Ayoub Kara, Deputy Minister for Development…

Continued rocket fire on Israel’s south will keep many schools in the south closed for at least another day. Beer Sheva, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Kiryat Malachi, and Ofakim, all announced their schools will remain closed on Tuesday. Gan Yavne also announced there would be no school in Tuesday, but noted twelfth graders would learn in fortified…

IDF officials say the 200 rockets fired at Israel’s southern communities since Friday marks a “dramatic development in terms of the quantity and rate of the fire.” “In the first three days of the current round of fighting we’ve sustained a larger quantity of rockets than the quantity fired at Israel in the two previous…

As rockets and missiles continued to be fired from Gaza into southern Israel, there were reports on Monday evening that an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire was close. Similar reports on Saturday and Sunday night turned out to be false. According to a report on the government-run Kol Yisrael radio, which cited the Al-Arabiya television network, the Gaza-based…

The IDF eliminated two terrorists Monday night as they prepared to fire a rocket into Israel from Gaza. According to the IDF, one of those killed in the strike – which occurred around 21:30 (GMT+2) – was terror leader Bassam Ajala. The Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades information office confirmed “Two Palestinians were killed in northern Gaza…

The IDF said late on Monday it is ready for major ground incursion into Gaza. “The IDF is prepared for any development, including a situation where we are forced to launch a ground operation,” IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai told Army Radio Monday night. “We have everything we need and are ready to step it…

The Air Force Monday morning continued pre-emptive and pinpoint strikes, wiping out a three-man terrorist cell preparing to launch missiles. Different Gaza sources reported two or three men were killed in the aerial strike that prevented their attacking southern Israel with another missile, one of thousands that Gaza terrorist groups have stockpiled since the end…

Poland is issuing commemorative coins to honor three Catholic-Polish families who were killed by the Nazis becaue of their efforts to save Jews during the Holocaust, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported (JTA). The National Bank of Poland is schedule to issue two coins, on March 15, honoring of the Ulma, Kowalski and Baranek families. The coins…

Hamas is in possession of missiles made in China, and hopes to get its hands on more, according to the Israel Defense website. Israel has previously intercepted Chinese missiles being smuggled into Gaza. Several C-704 missiles were among the many tons of weapons found hidden aboard the “human aid” ship Victoria last year. Updated versions…

The IDF is trained and prepared for a ground invasion of Gaza, but it won’t happen in the immediate future, says its chief spokesman Yoav Mordechai. Speaking to Voice of Israel government radio on the possibility of a ground incursion, he said, “The IDF is organized for that option. The situation in southern Israel is…

An IDF soldier was found dead late Sunday evening. He was found in an armored truck outside Gaza, where he had been waiting for troops in the area. It is believed that the soldier died after inhaling poison gas. Suspicions were first raised when the troops planning to meet the soldier attempted to contact him…

Gaza terrorists launched a particularly heavy assault on southern cities on Monday morning, firing off 10 rockets in a single hour. Rockets were fired at Be’er Sheva, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Kiryat Malachi and other towns. Three of the rockets were shot down by the Iron Dome system, which targets incoming missiles that are on path to…

Over the past three days, Gaza terrorists have launched over 150 attacks on southern Israel. The city of Ashdod has been targeted more often than it was even at the height of the Cast Lead campaign, residents say. As the situation in southern Israel escalated and dozens of rockets were fired from Gaza, Arutz Sheva visited the…

Following an assessment Sunday evening by top defense officials, it was decided to keep schools in Israel’s south closed on Monday. The decision applies to all schools and daycare centers located between 7 and 40 kilometers of Gaza. Affected cities include Ashdod, Ashkelon, Be’er Sheva, Netivot, Yavne, Gadera, Kiryat Malachi, Kiryat Gat, and Ofakim. Schools…

In this video, filmed by a resident of Be’er Sheva, a Grad missile launched from Gaza is seen exploding in the city. The video shows smoke rising from where the missile exploded. More than 50 missiles were fired on southern Israel Sunday, several of them intercepted by the Iron Dome system, which automatically weeds out missiles…

Residents of the community of Migron in Binyamin signed on Sunday the agreement that was reached with the government, according to which residents will be uprooted from their homes at the current site and will be moved to a permanent neighborhood nearby. The government had already reached a deal with the residents but it was…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has pointed the finger at Iran in ongoing rocket attacks from Gaza. “The fire from Gaza is an Iranian problem, not a Palestinian problem,” he said Sunday in a meeting of Likud ministers. Iran has been accused of funding Islamic Jihad, one of the main terrorist groups operating in Gaza, Judea…

A memorial was held in Netanya on Sunday for Rabbi Moshe Talbi, who was found dead, one year ago, outside the town of Revava in Samaria. Attorney Shmuel Lankry, Rabbi Talbi’s brother-in-law, spoke to Arutz Sheva about the family’s feelings, one year on. Lankry expressed anger with police, who wrongly labeled the death a suicide…

Prof. Hillel Frisch, Senior Research Associate at the Begin-Sadat (BESA) Center for Strategic Studies, said on Sunday that even if the rocket fire from Gaza comes from the smaller terror organizations such as the Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees, Hamas is still in full in control of what is happening. Speaking with Arutz…

Residents of southern Israel have spent the past two days running to bomb shelters as Gaza terrorists bombard the region with rocket fire. On Sunday, a dozen artists from around the country decided to make their life a bit more pleasant by providing live entertainment even as rocket alert sirens sound. Among those who appeared…

The cycle of terror attacks from Gaza and Israeli reprisals is likely to continue for several more days, Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned Sunday, addressing the Cabinet. Barak called for patience as the army works to calm the situation. Other ministers called for action. “The situation in Gaza has become intolerable,” Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz…

Police cancelled a protest that was to take place Sunday in Nazareth due to the security situation in the south. MK Michael Ben-Ari (Ichud Leumi) decided not to let the setback stop him from showing his disapproval, and visited Nazareth without the backing of supporters – and with his trademark Israeli flag. Ben-Ari was not…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited southern Israel on Sunday to see local defense systems close-up, and to show his support. “I came here to express solidarity with residents of this region, and to show my appreciation for the IDF and Shin Bet for their wonderful work,” the prime minister said. “My guideline is as follows:…

A United States soldier murdered 16 Afghan citizens Sunday, Afghan officials have reported. The soldier left his base alone and went from house to house shooting. Nine children were among the dead, said President Hamid Karzai, who termed the killings “unforgiveable.” NATO officials confirmed that a soldier had fired on civilians, but could not confirm…

The Iranian-funded Hizbullah terrorist organization has broken its silence and accused Israel of the “cowardly” elimination of a Gaza terrorist leader. The IDF last Friday killed Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) leader Zohair al-Qaisi, who was planning another attack in southern Israel. The PRC also was involved with the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit nearly six years…

Bill Benter, billionaire and prominent supporter of JStreet who made his fortune on horse-gambling in Hong Kong, has been discovered to be financing the left-leaning media watchdog organization of Media Matters, The Daily Caller (DC) reported on Sunday. Benter, has been funding the research center that has been widely accused of espousing anti-Israel and anti-Semitic…

The Zionist Organization (ZOA) welcomed an open letter written by President Mark Yudof of the University of California, condemning recent acts of harassment against Jewish students on a number of UC Campuses. The letter comes as a result of ongoing pressure placed upon the university by Jewish activists, including the Director of the ZOA’s Center…

An unidentified American East Coast collector plucked down $1.1 million for an ancient Judean shekel coin at a New York auction. The coin was sold by a collector from the Los Angeles area who paid $240,000 for it in 1991, giving him a five-fold profit in 21 years. The silver coin was dated to the…

A terrorist missile from Gaza struck the courtyard of an empty school in Be’er Sheva Sunday afternoon. Another rocket damaged 15 houses. The city’s order to close all schools saved possible mass casualties. More than 25 missiles were fired on southern Israel Sunday, several of them intercepted by the Iron Dome system, which automatically weeds out…

Twitter has a new Hebrew support system, but one of its international welcome pages shows a mosque – and only a mosque. The welcome site on all languages, as of Sunday, rotates with two other pictures, both of them non-descript scenes, one of city lights and the other a depiction of someone taking a picture…

After more than 100 rockets were fired from Gaza into southern Israel over the weekend, the coastal enclave’s terrorist rulers are seeking a ceasefire. According to a report on Kol Yisrael radio on Saturday night, Hamas is trying to reach a ceasefire through Egyptian mediation. Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nunu acknowledged in a conversation with Kol…

Turkey strongly condemned Israel over its air strikes in Gaza over the weekend, but conveniently forgot to condemn the Gaza terrorists for continuously hitting southern Israel with rockets and mortars. A report in the Turkish Today’s Zaman newspaper said Turkey is concerned over new and dangerous escalation of violence in Gaza. A statement released by…

Environment Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) attacked on Saturday the statements made by former Mossad chief Meir Dagan to CBS’ “60 Minutes”. In the interview, which will air on Sunday and of which portions were released Thursday, Dagan said, “An attack on Iran before you are exploring all other approaches is not the right way how to…

  Schools will be closed Sunday in southern Israeli communities located between 7 and 40 kilometers from Gaza, due to the escalation in the region. Fortified schools in the Gaza Belt communities close to Gaza will be open. Pupils in Be’er Sheva, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Kiryat Gat, Kiyrat Malachi, Yavneh, Ofakim, Netivot, Sderot, Gedera, Lakiyeh and…

  Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Saturday that the IDF’s Iron Dome system carried out 30 attempted interceptions of rockets fired from Gaza since Friday, successfully shooting down 27 of them. “This is a 90% success rate – a very high percentage – and we have 13 or 14 dead in Gaza and some serious…

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday condemned the rocket fire from Gaza onto Israel while meeting with opposition leader Tzipi Livni in New York. Clinton said Israel has the right to defend itself. Livni thanked Clinton, saying “the international community must speaking out clearly, in one voice, against terror against the citizens of…

Police Commissioner Lt. Gen. Yochanan Danino placed the police on Level 3 alert Saturday evening – one notch beneath the top level of alert reserved for a state of emergency. Danino also ordered that the nationalist demonstration planned to take place opposite MK Hanin Zouabi’s home in Nazareth be cancelled. A Level 3 alert means…

Gaza terrorists continued to pummel southern Israel with rocket fire on the Sabbath. They fired 11 rockets on Saturday, bringing the total number of launches to over 100 since the IAF killed Zuheir al-Qaisi, the head of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), on Friday. Al Qaisi was killed following intelligence that the PRC was about…

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, said on Friday that he is concerned about the slowness of the international community regarding Iran’s nuclear program but is encouraged by the fact that Arab countries are speaking out against Iran. Speaking to Channel 10 News in a special interview in his office in New York,…

Naftali Bennett, former Chief of Staff for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, responded on Thursday to the reports that Iran had cleaned up the Parchin military site from radioactive traces possibly left by tests of a nuclear-weapon trigger. Speaking to Fox News, Bennett explained that there is no other explanation for the evidence that was found…

The IDF hit and killed on Friday several Gaza-based terrorist gangs, including a senior leader of the Popular Resistance Committees terror group. Shortly before 5:00 p.m. (Israel time) on Friday afternoon, IAF aircraft struck and killed the head of the Popular Resistance Committees, Zuhir Musa Ahmed Qaisi and his deputy, Mahmoud Ahmed Mahmoud Hanani. The…

The Syrian opposition on Friday rejected calls by UN envoy Kofi Annan for dialogue with President Bashar Assad, The Associated Press reported. The opposition said conversation with Assad would be pointless and out of touch after a year of violence. Annan will make a two-day trip to Syria, starting Saturday, and will meet with Assad.…

Southern Israel was hit by a barrage of at least 35 rockets and missiles on Friday evening, resulting in casualties. Three foreign workers were injured after a mortar shell was fired from Gaza and exploded in an area in the Eshkol Regional Council, according to a Channel 2 News report. Magen David Adom spokesman Zaki…

On my to the Starbucks which is located within walking distance of the Blair House, the official guesthouse of the White House, I came across a journalist from India who identified me because of the kippah on my head. “Iran is dangerous not only to Israel but to the whole world. Your prime minister is…

The United States and Jordan are preparing to secure Syria’s vast stores of chemical and biological weapons in case the Syrian government loses control, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. Syria has large stockpiles of nerve agents and mustard gas. Jordan and Turkey have expressed concern that the weapons could fall into terrorist hands as…

Pakistan charged Osama Bin Laden’s three widows with illegal entry on Thursday. Interior Minister Rehman Malik announced the charges, but did not indicate when their trial would begin. The late al-Qaeda chief’s wives − two from Saudi Arabia and one from Yemen − and around 10 of their children were taken into custody shortly after…

President Shimon Peres on Thursday tried to dispel perceived differences between Israel and the United States on how to deal with Iran. “While everybody is looking for differences, the basis is common and agreed,” Peres said during a speech in Los Angeles. Peres praised Western sanctions on Iran aimed at pressuring the Islamic Republic to…

Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar on Thursday said Fatah’s cooperation with Israel was stalling national reconciliation. Hamas does not recognize Israel while Fatah, which leads the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria, coordinates with Israel under agreements signed in the 1990’s. PA officials have increasingly threatened to cancel cooperation agreements with Israel as they pursue…

Three reporters were attacked by Hamas security forces while covering a mass wedding in Gaza City on Thursday. Reports identified the three as local Sky News reporter Mohammad al-Mashharawi, BBC reporter Adnan al-Dorosh and Amer Abu Omar, a Gaza-based journalist. Witnesses told the Bethleham-based Maan News Agency that the the three were severely beaten in…

Syrian tanks resumed their shelling of the central city of Homs on Friday just hours before former UN secretary general Kofi Annan began his bid for peace in the country. Annan has called for dialogue to reach a political solution to a year of popular uprisings against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. “The killing…

Hundreds of disabled veterans are set to embark on an extraordinary bike trip in the Besor region in the northern Negev. The trip, which will take place in two weeks’ time, will salute the Israeli paralympians. The special bike trip, called “Moving On Wheels”, is being held for the sixth consecutive year and marks the…

The leadership of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement is once again demanding that Israel release terrorist prisoners as a condition for peace talks, it was reported on Thursday. According to the report on Kol Yisrael radio, among the prisoners the Fatah is demanding to be released is Ahmed Saadat, who heads the Popular…

UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural agency, condemned Syria on Thursday for its brutal crackdown on opposition protesters but stopped short of dismissing it from its human rights committee. Fox News reported that the commission of the executive board of UNESCO voted 35-8 Thursday for the watered-down resolution. The resolution, the report noted, urged Syrian authorities…

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta confirmed on Thursday that the Pentagon is preparing an array of military options for striking Iran, if hard-hitting diplomatic and economic sanctions fail to persuade Tehran to drop its nuclear ambitions. In an interview with National Journal, Panetta said such planning had been under way “for a long time,” a…

Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency reiterated Thursday that his country “is ready to re-engage with (the) IAEA” but continued to insist his country’s nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes. “A new chapter is open,” Ali Asghar Soltanieh was quoted by CNN as having told reporters at the IAEA board of governors…

Yisrael Beiteinu MKs Lia Shemtov, Robert Ilatov, Moshe Matalon and Anastassia Michaeli toured the Neve Shaanan neighborhood in south Tel Aviv on Thursday, following dozens of reports of increasing violence and vandalism by infiltrators from Sudan and Eritrea. During the tour, the MKs were exposed to the phenomenon which has made the lives of the…

A new photo exhibition will celebrate Israeli innovation, as Hebrew University launches the “Innovators Way,” photo exhibition showcasing 27 researchers whose work led to commercial products on the market today. These innovations, developed at the Hebrew University, improve quality of life and human welfare worldwide in fields such as health, safety, environment and nutrition. The…

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lauded US President Barack Obama on Thursday for saying he had no plans to strike Iran. “Two days ago, we heard the president of America say: ‘We are not thinking of war with Iran.’ This is good. Very good. These are wise words. This is an exit from illusion,”…

An IDF soldier was stabbed in the neck during a security operation in the village of Yatta south of Hebron. The terrorist was shot and wounded by another soldier during the attack. Another terrorist was shot to death. The wounded soldier was evacuated to Hadassah Ein-Kerem Hospital by ambulance. He was reported to be conscious with a…

Arabs hurled four firebombs at the gate of the community of Beit El in the Binyamin region Thursday evening. No one was hurt and no damage was caused. Arabs also threw a firebomb at a Border Police team at Ras el Amud, in eastern Jerusalem. No one was hurt in that incident, either. On Wednesday,…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu set a general timetable for a possible strike on Iran Thursday evening, for the first time. Netanyahu said that Israel has not yet made a decision on whether to attack the Iranian nuclear sites. He added that the timing of such a strike “is not a matter of days or weeks,”…

The White House denied on Thursday the reports that U.S. President Barack Obama offered Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to give Israel advanced “bunker buster” missiles and long-range planes if Israel agreed not to attack Iran during 2012. “The President did not reach such an agreement nor did he make such an offer,” Channel 10 quoted…

A Turkish media report Wednesday said that Israel had warned Turkish authorities that Iran was organizing attacks on Israeli diplomats in that country. The warning was reportedly sent by the Mossad to Turkey’s National Intelligence Agency (MİT) in a letter, which said that an Iranian group operating in Turkey was planning the attacks. The report…

A report in Ma’ariv Thursday said that U.S. President Baack H. Obama offered to give Israel advanced “bunker buster” missiles and long-range planes that could fly thousands of kilometers without refueling – if Israel agreed not to attack Iran during 2012. The report was based on discussions with diplomatic officials who were privy to the…

Terrorists in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip fired a mortar into southern Israel on Thursday morning. The mortar shell which exploded in an open field in the Eshkol Regional Council, which borders Gaza and is frequently targeted in terror attacks. The attack did not cause any physical injuries or property damage. “A mortar was fired in…

The International Atomic Energy Association on Thursday directly accused Iran of refusing to come clear about its nuclear program amid reports of a bid by Tehran to destroy evidence of wrong-doing. “Iran is not telling us everything. That is my impression. We are asking Iran to engage with us proactively, and Iran has a case…

A poll of Israelis on how they fulfill the Purim tradition of “mishloach manot” (exchanging gifts of food with friends and neighbors) showed that a significant number of Israelis were reducing their budget for the practice this year because of high prices. Twenty percent of those polled by the Chasdei Naomi organization, which provides assistance…

The  festive holiday of Purim begins on Wednesday night, directly after the Fast of Esther, which was commemorated on Wednesday. (For thought-provoking articles on the spiritual aspects of Purim in A7’s Judaism section, click here and here). The Purim holiday for most communities will last until Thursday evening; in Jerusalem, it begins Thursday evening and ends at…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu returned to Israel on Wednesday afternoon, following his visit to Canada and the United States. In Canada, Netanyahu met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and in the U.S. he met with President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and members of both the Senate and…

A senior leader in the Hamas terrorist organization sent two different signals on Wednesday, when he was asked whether the group would attack Israel if it launches a pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. First, Mahmoud al-Zahar denied the group would get involved and told the BBC, “We are not part of any political axis. If…

Palestinian Authority leaders told Jordan’s foreign minister on Wednesday they will not resume peace talks with Israel, unless Israel freezes construction in Judea and Samaria. The Associated Press reported that Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh explored the possibility of resuming talks in a meeting with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. According to the report, however, Abbas believes…

Russia’s envoy to the United Nations on Wednesday accused the Libyan government of supporting a training camp for Syrian rebels who attack government targets in Damascus. AFP reported that the allegations by Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin set off a diplomatic furor with Libya’s interim Prime Minister, Abdel Rahim al-Kib, during a meeting of the UN…

Iran’s Ayatollah, the country’s supreme leader, orders an Internet supervising agency, a sign of fears of the opposition, and perhaps the Mossad. Iran has suffered several cyber attacks the past year, and a Stuxnet virus, allegedly originating from Israel, reportedly caused malfunctions in a nuclear facility. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose power is greater…

Hungarian Jewish writer Akos Kertesz, who published an article last August condemning Hungary’s role in abetting the Nazi’s efforts to exterminate the Jews during the Holocaust, is seeking asylum in Canada due to a political campaign being waged against him. Kertesz, 80, winner of the Kossuth, Hungary’s most prestigious literary award, left the country last…

Libyan leader Mustapha Abdul Jalil on Wednesday threatened to maintain national unity “with force” after tribal leaders declared semi-autonomy for an eastern region. “We are not prepared to divide Libya,” Jalil said in a call for dialogue with leaders in the eastern Cyrenaica region. “They should know that there are infiltrators and remnants of Qaddafi’s…

Israel officials on Wednesday cautiously welcomed resumed nuclear talks between the major powers and Iran. “I’m very happy that they are opening discussions,” said Netanyahu’s national security adviser, Yaakov Amidror. “There will be no one happier than us, and the prime minister said this in his own voice, if it emerges that in these talks…

Latvia’s capital announced it would be banning demonstrations on March 16, the date of a controversial annual march honoring troops who fought on the side of the Nazis during World War II.    The Riga city council said it received applications from eight different organizations wanting to stage demonstrations and counter-demonstrations on the date, but rejected them…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday tried to downplay clear differences between Jerusalem and Washington over Iran. “We’ve had a very good visit in Washington, first in our discussion with the president in the Oval Office… and now culminating in this remarkable display of solidarity here in the Congress of the United States,” he said…

The Knesset voted Tuesday to reject a bill that would have allowed annual growth in Judea and Samaria without the Defense Minister’s approval. National Union Knesset Member Yaakov “Ketzaleh” Katz, who proposed the measure, lashed out at nationalist Likud MKs for voting against it. Israeli cities in Judea and Samaria lead the nation in population…

Frequent attempts by Palestinian Authority terrorists to infiltrate the Jewish town of Elon Moreh in Samaria have failed to weaken the community, local security chief Shai Suissa said, speaking to Arutz Sheva. “Those who live here have been blessed with great faith,” Suissa said. “We are here due to our faith, and even when things…

The international internet hacker network ‘Anonymous’ released another YouTube video on Sunday, this time, specifically targeting the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). In February, ‘Anonymous’ issued a similar video accusing Israel of committing “war crimes” and having “taken steps to ensure a nuclear Holocaust.” Last June the group unsuccessfully attempted to take down the…

Leading nationalist religious Rabbi Chaim Druckman will receive the Israel Prize for his contributions to society and education, Education Minister Gideon Saar announced Wednesday. Rabbi Druckman, who heads the Bnei Akiva movement, was nominated by the Israel Prize selection committee headed by retired High Court Justice Yaakov Turkel. The rabbi was noted for his “special…

President Shimon Peres said in an interview on Monday, a day after his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, that he believes that Obama would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon because that would affect the American economy. “Imagine that Iran becomes the ruler of the Middle East, and Saudi Arabia and the…

An email leaked by the security analysis company Stratfor said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has terminal cancer and just two years to live. Cancer rumors started after Erdogan had surgery on his lower intestine in November, but did not gain momentum until the Taraf newspaper reported the email leak on Tuesday. The email,…

A senior Hamas official claimed on Tuesday the terror group will not do Iran’s bidding in any war with Israel. In an interview with the British Guardian, Salah Bardawil, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, said, “If there is a war between two powers, Hamas will not be part of such a war.” Bardawil denied…

It started when National Front presidential candidate, Marine Le Pen, made an exaggerated claim that most of the meat consumed in Paris was slaughtered according to the Muslim Halal rules. French President Nicolas Sarkozy demonstrated that Le Pen was factually wrong by a long shot and the issue was temporarily forgotten. Inexplicably, French Prime Minister Francois…

Libyan tribal leaders on Tuesday unilaterally declared nearly half of the oil-rich east of the country to be semi-autonomous with a capital in Benghazi. The move, which could be the first step towards carving Libya up, comes just six months after the uprising that ousted late dictator Muammar Qaddafi. Thousands of tribal representatives, militia commanders…

Chairman of the Jewish Agency and former refusnik, Natan Sharansky appeared in a timely video released by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on March 5, in which he recounted a personal anecdote of seeking comfort in understanding that America not only shared his ideals and beliefs in fighting against totalitarian regimes, but was…

GOP presidential contender Rick Santorum said Tuesday that the U.S. must demand Iran dismantle its nuclear program and destroy it if Tehran refuses. “If they do not tear down those facilities, we will tear them down ourselves,” Santorum said in a fiery speech delivered at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference. “This is not…

Speaking last night at the AIPAC Conference, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu voiced his frustration at the meager results of diplomacy with Iran.  For the last decade, the international community has tried diplomacy. It hasn’t worked. Today Baroness Catherine Ashton announced on behalf of the 5 permanent Security Council members plus Germany (P5+1) that the international…

President Obama came out swinging and took his Republican presidential rivals to task on Tuesday for talking “casually” about going to war with Iran. “What is said on the campaign trail — those folks don’t have a lot of responsibilities,” Obama told reporters on Tuesday. “They are not commander in chief. When I see the…

A Ramallah court on Tuesday postponed a hearing on the legality of Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ appointment as prime minister of a unity government to March 20. Abbas and Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal agreed that the PA chairman will lead a Fatah-Hamas unity government in Doha in February. However, PLO central committee member Abdul-Jawwad…

GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich sought to upstage his fellow Republican contenders on Tuesday by saying he would “undermine and replace the Iranian dictatorship.” The often bombastic Gingrich made his pledge at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference on Tuesday, where would-be Republican presidential candidates are seeking to score Jewish votes. “[I will]…

Tina Strobos, a Dutch woman who rescued more than 100 Jews during the Holocaust, passed away, on February 27 at the age of 91, at her home in Rye, N.Y. Strobos, who died of cancer, was honored as “righteous among the nations” by the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum in Jerusalem in 1989. Executive Director…

The latest terror trend among Arabs in Samaria may be an effort to copy the horrific slaughter in Itamar a year ago, in which five members of a single family were murdered with a knife.  Police from the Samaria Region arrested an Arab woman near the perimeter fence of the city of Emanuel Tuesday morning.…

Following a series of carjackings in Samaria, police have begun successfully using pre-planned ambush and sting operations to catch thieves red handed.   On Monday evening, two Arab suspects were caught in one such operation after they tried to steal a truck at Naalin junction, north of Modiin. The thieves are residents of the village…

The Jewish Community of Korea welcomed its first-ever Torah scroll at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul on Sunday, The Korea Herald reported. “I’m delighted,” said Rabbi Osher Litzman of the Korean Jewish community. “We have waited a long time for this to happen and now it’s finally here. It’s a big milestone in the…

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has accused the Obama administration of sending “mixed messages” to Israel’s enemies and trying to “micromanage” the Jewish state. “Let us not send mixed messages when it comes to Israel,” he said at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on Monday, That only serves to confuse the world, including Israel’s…

Israel’s national air carrier El Al will move its flights to military bases in the event of a war with Iran, according to the Hebrew-language Maariv newspaper. Company executives reportedly met in an urgent discussion to deal with wartime scenarios as the Israeli government repeatedly warns that “time is running out” for a military attack…

The pipeline which carries gas from Egypt to Israel and Jordan was blown up on Monday, for the 13th time in the past year. According to a BBC report, the blasts happened near the town of el-Arish in the north of the Sinai desert, sending flames high into the air, witnesses said. The Egyptian gas…

US President Barack Obama reportedly on Monday gave Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu a copy of the Book of Esther in honor of the Jewish holiday of Purim, which is celebrated on Thursday and Friday this week. Netanyahu took the opportunity to draw a parallel between the narrative in the Book of Esther – wherein the wicked…

Iran’s supreme court on Monday dismissed an execution sentence passed by a revolutionary court against an Iranian-American national accused of spying for the CIA. “The supreme court nullified the execution sentence against Amir Mirza Hekmati and sent it to an affiliate court,” judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei was quoted as saying by state-run media. Iran’s Interior…

Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said on Monday that U.S. President Barack Obama’s speech at the AIPAC Policy Conference on Sunday was a defining moment. “We have experienced one of the defining moments of Obama’s term in office,” Shalom told Arutz Sheva in an interview, noting what he called “the bad time period between Prime…

An atheist organization is planning to place Hebrew billboards in the predominantly ultra-Orthodox Jewish community of Williamsburg, N.Y., calling God a “myth.” The billboard writes out the name of God in Hebrew, and then addresses readers, proclaiming, “You know it’s a myth … and you have a choice,” in both Hebrew and English. The group,…

President Shimon Peres formally asked US President Barack Obama to release Jonathan Pollard during their meeting at the White House on Sunday. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was also expected to request Pollard’s release during his meeting with Obama on Monday, his office reported. Netanyahu officially asked Obama to commute Pollard’s life sentence to time served…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself at his meeting with US President Barack Obama on Monday. Netanyahu made clear that Israel would be the “master of its fate” in deciding how to deal with Iran, which has called for the destruction of the Jewish state. “It must have the ability to…

Clashes in turbulent south Yemen killed at least 78 soldiers from the Republican Guard and 25 al-Qaeda terrorists on Monday. “The toll from the battles between the army and al-Qaida militants…has risen to at least 78,” a military official told Gulf News on condition of anonymity. “Dozens more were wounded…in the surprise attack” the official…

Officials in the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama told The New York Times that Obama will refuse to give Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu what he wants in their meeting later Monday – namely, a clear statement regarding “red lines” on the Iranian nuclear program and a timetable for striking the Islamic Republic if it crosses…

The term “disappearing soldiers” usually spreads fear among Israelis, worried about kidnappings, but the Second Lebanon War taught army commanders to re-define the term for a positive use by camouflaging soldiers. The concept of camouflaged clothing is not new, but soldiers at the military anti-terror school now are being taught how to use nature to…

The anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement invaded the Tesco supermarket in Birmingham, on February 4, removing Israeli goods from the shelves, labeling them with stickers that read “Boycott Israeli Goods,” and urging customers to refrain from buying products made in Israel. Tesco is the largest supermarket chain in the UK, and yet, store…

Two knife-wielding terrorists who tried to infiltrate the Samaria community of Elon Moreh Monday morning have been caught. At about 8:45 a.m., the outlook position at Elon Moreh identified two Arabs approaching the fence surrounding the community. The Elon Moreh Security Coordinator arrived at the scene and the Arabs ran away to the nearby village…

The Palestinian Authority is unhappy with what it called President Barack Obama’s “unprecedented pro-Israel” speech to American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Sunday night and is preparing to officially shelve the “peace process,” which by most accounts already is dead and buried. In sharp contrast to President Obama’s tongue-lashing last year of a Jewish presence…

President Obama’s speech to AIPAC on Sunday elicited a myriad of diverse reactions from Israeli officials. MK Danny Danon (Likud) scoffed at Obama’s pledges and assurances that he will protect Israel’s security, noting that history has proven that Israel can rely only on itself. “Looking back at the way the United States criticized Israel for…

Shortly after they gave their speeches at the AIPAC Policy Conference on Sunday, President Shimon Peres and U.S. President Barack Obama held a working meeting, in the framework of which they discussed ways to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons, advancing the peace process and bilateral diplomatic and security cooperation.  At the start of the…

Israeli scientists at Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Be’er Sheva have just completed a study proving an enzyme discovered in 2009 can delay development of Lou Gehrig’s disease in laboratory mice — a medical breakthrough that may carry massive implications for human sufferers with the disease. The team led by Prof. Esther Priel,…

19-year-old Eshel Silberstein, who was missing since Saturday, was located on Sunady evening safe and sound by the officers and volunteers who were searching for him. Silberstein was reported missing after he failed to return to his base, where he is learning to become an Israel Air Force pilot. The soldier, who lives in northern…

Israel and Cyprus signed an accord Sunday to lay an underwater electricity cable between the Mediterranean nations, the first stage in a bid to transfer power between the Jewish state and mainland Europe. According to a report on AFP, the cable, which the sides hope to complete by 2016, will stretch over the 287 kilometers between…

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney warned on Sunday that Iran would obtain nuclear weapons if President Barack Obama is re-elected for a second term in the November elections. “It’s pretty straightforward in my view,” AFP quoted Romney as having told supporters in Georgia. “If Barack Obama is re-elected, Iran will have a nuclear weapon and…

IDF head of Manpower General Orna Barbivai took time Sunday to meet with and thank dozens of mayors and local authority heads who oversee the areas with the highest levels of IDF enlistment. The city with the highest enlistment, Modiin / Maccabim-Reut, sends 92.8% of eligible young men to the army, while the top-ranked local…

Protesters demonstrated outside the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Conference (AIPAC) Convention Center on Sunday, and were heard yelling, “end the occupation” and “end the apartheid.” The Algemeiner’s live AIPAC blog said that the protesters used visuals which included “[g]iant letters to spell out “NO WAR ON IRAN”, puppets, mock checkpoint and Annexation Wall, flashmob,…

Pat Buchanan, an MSNBC conservative commentator who has been accused of anti-Semitic rhetoric, announced on Thursday that he will be departing from his position at the channel. He cites “an incessant clamor from the left” as the reason for his departure. The release of his last book entitled, “Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded Sunday to U.S. President Barack Obama’s speech at the AIPAC convention, and may have hinted at Israel’s determination to go it alone against Iran, should it have no choice. “I very much appreciated the fact that President Obama reiterated his position that Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear…

The Sunday morning edition of Germany’s Die Welt, quoted by leading journalist David Goldman in Pajamas Media, reports that Western intelligence agencies detected two nuclear weapons tests in North Korea in 2010, and that one or both of them might have been conducted for Iran. The author is the respected German analyst and former top official…

Barack Obama’s speech before AIPAC was an important political speech for him, both in terms of defending his record before a Jewish audience as well as an attempt to clarify the administration’s position on Iran after weeks of confusion. In an attempt to preempt what will undoubtedly be critical remarks beamed to the attendees at…

With about 90 percent of the votes counted, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appears to be the big loser against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini. Hardliners from the Islamist camp appear to have captured at least three-quarters of the 290 seats in the Majlis, the country’s parliament, in Friday’s election, according to Iran’s Press TV. Khameini, 72, already…

President Shimon Peres is to address American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) at 5:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. EST) Sunday, one of two dozen U.S. and Israeli politicians and analysts to speak at the three-day event where the Iranian nuclear threat is the media’s number one issue. The pro-Israel lobby is to present President Peres with…

A Cabinet-level committee Sunday approved by a 5-1 vote a proposed law limiting marriages to those who are at least 18 years old, except for special circumstances. The current law allow marriages from the age of 17. Likud Knesset Member Yariv Levin, sponsor of the bill, explained that his intention is to protect minors, especially…

The cartoonist, who came in at second place in the Iranian-backed International Holocaust Cartoon competition, is now using his artistic abilities to benefit ‘Occupy AIPAC,’ the organization that seeks to de-legitimize Israel and its supporters, in an effort to counter this week’s annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference, The Washington Free Beacon…

In his speech before the AIPAC pro-Israel lobby in Washington, DC, President Shimon Peres delivered a message of determination vis-à-vis Iran, and one of deep friendship and trust toward the U.S. Peres said he was convinced that the U.S. and Israel were on the same page with regard to Iran, and lauded the the alliance…

Hundreds of police and volunteers fanned out Sunday to search for 19-year-old Eshel Silberstein, missing since leaving home Saturday to return to his base, where he is learning to become an Israel Air Force pilot. Security forces are focusing their search on the Sharon region. Included among the searchers are both military and police canine…

A 21-year-old man from the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Kalkilya has admitted to carrying out a terrorist attack in which several people were wounded. The man, Mohammed Sufan, ran over police officers and a civilian with a stolen car, then stabbed bystanders. The attack, outside the Haoman 17 club in southern Tel Aviv, left eight…

Syrian President Bashar Assad has ordered the heads of his military to hit Israel with a barrage of missiles should there be any foreign intervention in Syria, a Jordanian news website reported on Saturday. According to the site, Our Country’s News, Assad gave the order in a secret meeting with the heads of the Syrian…

In his speech at the AIPAC Policy Conference on Sunday, President Shimon Peres is expected to express support and confidence in Israel’s friendship with the United States and thank President Barack Obama for his political and diplomatic support, according to a report by Haaretz on Saturday night. Sources close to Peres told Haaretz that his…

The Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI) placed a full-page ad in Thursday’s New York Times in an effort to discourage Jewish organizations and philanthropies from funding the Center for American Progress (CAP) and Media Matters, two left leaning American think tanks that have been widely accused of anti-Israel and often, anti-Semitic rhetoric. “The Center for…

Both President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will meet U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington this week, on the sidelines of the AIPAC Policy Conference. While the Iranian issue will obviously be a top priority at the one-on-one meetings, the question is whether either Israeli leader will raise the issue of Jonathan Pollard,…

Saturday, shortly before dusk, terrorists in the Gaza strip fired two rockets into Israel The rockets landed in an open field in the Eshkol Regional Council. No physical injuries or property damage was reported. The Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades – the Hamas terror militia responsible for mortar and rocket attacks on Israel – refused to comment…

PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo claimed Saturday that Israel is seeking to create a “settler state” in Judea and Samaria instead of a “Palestinian state.” The charge came as Israel legalized the Shvut Rachel community, and announced plans to legalize two neighborhoods in Shilo. Shvut Rachel and the Shilo neighborhoods were built with government assistance,…

Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh is set to deliver a letter in which the government of Israel and Palestinian Authority detail their conditions for peace talks to resume. According to the Saudi-owned al-Arabiya the letter repeats the Palestinian Authority’s previous demands, which are seen by Israeli officials as an excuse to forestall taks. PA officials demand…

Syrian forces reportedly executed 47 Syrian soldiers who tried to defect in the city of Idlib on Saturday. The bodies of the soldiers were then dumped in al-Seeha lake near Idlib by Assad loyalist forces, a local coordination committee from Idlib reported. The regime of President Bashar al-Assad is currently beset by an armed insurgency…

The Occupy AIPAC movement, which has hijacked the ‘Occupy’ brand name and continues to exploit the success of the movement as a way of linking the popular social protests with anti-Semitic sentiments, began on March 2 and is scheduled to persist throughout the weekend. The event’s Twitter feed attempt to portray Israel and its supporters…

As part of the initiative to improve Israel’s image on college campuses, the pro-Israel advocacy group StandWithUs (SWU) brought two Israelis to the University of California-Davis on Thursday night, in an event sponsored by Chabad. An Israeli soldier named ‘Ran’ and a Druse woman named ‘Ranya’ came to the university hoping to provide a balanced,…

Ismail Haniyeh blamed Egypt on Friday for causing a power crisis that has triggered lengthy blackouts in Hamas-run Gaza. The outages started in mid-February, leaving households with just six hours of electricity a day, and provoking widespread criticism of Hamas in the coastal enclave. Hamas has arrested its most vocal local critics amid the power…

With an initial turnout of 65 percent in Iran’s parliamentary election on Friday the political future of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad looks bleak. Iran’s ultra-conservative Islamic clerical leadership is eager to restore the damage to its legitimacy, caused by the violent crackdown on dissent and claims of vote-rigging after Ahmadinejad’s re-election in 2009. Supreme Leader Ayatollah…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel has the right to defend itself against a country that wants to destroy it, referring to Iran. Netanyahu made the comments as he began a meeting with Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa, according to a CBC report. Netanyahu arrived on Parliament Hill and was…

Ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday, President Barack Obama is saying that he will order the U.S. military to destroy Iran’s nuclear program if economic sanctions fail to compel Tehran to shelve its nuclear ambitions. Speaking to Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, in the most extensive…

The Red Cross said on Friday that Syria had blocked an aid convoy from entering the rebel stronghold of Baba Amr, amid reports of brutal reprisals there by government forces, AFP reported. International Committee of the Red Cross president Jakob Kellenberger was quoted as having said it was “unacceptable” that the ICRC and the Syrian…

The Palestinian Authority is once again avoiding peace negotiations with Israel and plans to demand preconditions for negotiations, Army Radio reported on Friday. According to the report, which cited the Al-Arabiya network, the PA is demanding that Israel recognize a Palestinian state along the indefensible pre-1967 borders with equal territorial swaps and cessation of construction…

Polls have opened in Iran’s parliamentary elections, the first major voting since the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009. More than 3,400 candidates are competing for the 290 seats in the legislative body. The vote is widely regarded as a political battleground for competing conservative factions in the absence of major reformist…

US President Barack Obama on Thursday called US support for Israel “sacrosanct” and vowed to ensure the Jewish state retains its “military superiority.” Obama’s comments come ahead of a March 5 meeting at the White House with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is making a full court press to ensure US commitment to decisive action…

Two young students attempted suicide this week over bullying, some of which took place on the social networking site Facebook. Now some activists say the tragic case may have been preventable, and are calling on the Education Ministry to change its rules regarding Facebook use. Rabbi Shai Piron of the Hakol Chinuch movement called Thursday…

India’s largest shipping company was forced to cancel an Iranian crude oil shipment last month when European insurers refused to provide coverage for the vessel. Suezmax tanker Maharaja Agrasen – owned by state-run Shipping Corp of India – was scheduled by refiner Indian Oil Corp to load oil in mid-February, but failed to obtain the…

As Islamist parties gain power in Egypt, the country has seen a wave of lawsuits accusing various figures of “insulting Islam.” In the latest case, a group of lawyers belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood have accused high-profile Egyptian women of provocative behavior. The lawyers argue that the women “encourage sexuality and other inappropriate behaviors.” The…

The Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET) announced on Thursday that 52 Members of Congress have recently co-signed a bipartisan letter, authored by Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) and Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL), to Attorney General Eric Holder on the failure of the Department of Justice to prosecute Palestinian Authority Arab terrorists who hurt Americans. EMET…

Member of Knesset Einat Wilf (Independence Party) is calling for “restructuring UNRWA on the road to peace.” In an interview with Israel National Radio’s Josh Hasten she stated, “The continued existence of this organization and its operation to continue to manufacture refugees from the same old war doesn’t signal peace.” The interview was conducted live on Hasten’s…

It is significant that presidential aspirant Vladimir Putin, the all but certain victor of next Sunday’s Russian presidential election, returned to foreign policy in the last lengthy article that he has published prior to the election. During the campaign, Putin composed a series of lengthy articles on various topics in which he communicated his positions to the…

A source in Syria’s security establishment said Thursday that forces loyal to President Bashar Assad have taken over the Baba Amr neighborhood in the city of Homs – the leading stronghold of the anti-Assad rebellion. However, a BBC reporter said that the government forces are located on the neighborhood’s outskirts and have not yet entered…

The Israeli government this week launched an official English-language Twitter account that consolidates tweets from a myriad of government departments. The move appears to be a tacit acknowledgment that many adult “anglo” immigrants don’t make the jump to Hebrew-language media. The new site, IsraelGov_in_English, is listed as a “pilot” account and is intended to provide “news, notes…

With rain and sleet and freezing temperatures curbing visibility on Israel’s highways, Hamas terrorists launched a rocket attack on southern coastal towns. The Color Red rocket alert siren blared its warning in between cracks of thunder Thursday evening, sending residents in the Ashkelon Coastal Region district racing for cover. According to the Home Front Command website,…

Ariel Pulver, an assistant to Member of Knesset Tzipi Hotovely, was part of the group that was attacked by rock throwers last Friday on February 24th. Pulver, who is also a licensed tour guide and deputy director of Likud Anglos, spoke to Israel National Radio‘s Tamar Yonah Show about the incident.  “We were walking down the steps and…

  Supreme Court justice Elyakim Rubinstein on Thursday weighed in on the controversy surrounding his colleague Salim Jubran’s refusal to sing the national anthem saying it was “a tempest in a teapot.” The controversy over Jubran’s refusal to sing Hatikva, Israel’s national anthem, occurred during the swearing in ceremony of the Israeli Supreme Court’s new…

The “Flying Lions” infantry battalion has been redeployed along the newly reopened Route 12. Route 12, which travels along the Israel-Egypt border, was closed following a coordinated terrorist attack on a civilian bus in August 2011 that killed eight Israelis. The “Flying Lions” arrived on the scene 30 minutes after the attack began to unfold.…

Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Jenny Tonge on Thursday resigned from her position as party whip over her strident and public anti-Israel views. “Beware Israel: Israel is not going to be there forever in its present performance. One day the United States of America will get sick of giving £70 billion [$109 billion] a year to…

The Libyan government – formerly Libya’s opposition forces – has decided to give $100 million in humanitarian aid, including food and medicine to Syria’s opposition civilians and activist rebel forces. It was not made clear exactly how the aid would make its way to those who so badly need it. In addition, Syria’s opposition forces have…

Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee)’s waters are rising as the snow and rain are continuing to fall, bringing desperately-needed water to Israel’s parched land. The water level of the lake earlier Thursday was at 212.39 meters below sea level, having risen by seven centimeters from the current storm, according to Israel’s Water Authority. The…

Egyptian authorities Wednesday lifted their travel ban on 16 US citizens accused of fraud and stirring up unrest. Judge Abdel Moez Ibrahim, the head of Egypt’s Court of Appeal, said the accused still face fines of 2 million Egyptian pounds (about $332,000). The US citizens were among 43 people detained in a series of raids…

MK Yitzhak Herzog (Labor) says that Syrian opposition leaders have told him they want peace with Israel after Syrian President Bashar Assad falls. Herzog, an alternate on Israel’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee who has previously held ministerial posts, said the Syrian opposition wants to be “friends” with Israel. He refused to name his sources…

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has made an aggressive pre-buttal against potential attacks on President Barack Obama over the AIPAC conference slated to run from March 4-6. The DNC is concerned that Obama’s policy on Israel – with whom relations are at a startling nadir – will become a major point of contention and open…

President Shimon Peres had a clear message for Iran on Wednesday, during an interview with Barbara Walters on ABC’s “The View”. The interview took place after Peres landed in New York for a visit to the United States, where he will hold a series of policy meetings, including a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama.…

Just hours before the prices of gasoline were supposed to go up to eight shekels a liter (or $8 a gallon), Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu decided on Wednesday to lower the tax on gasoline by 0.10 shekels.  The price of a liter of gasoline thus rose to 7.74 shekels for self service as of midnight…

Tehran denied on Wednesday reports that it is conducting nuclear weapons work at a military complex southwest of the capital. The denial by Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) chief Fereidoon Abbasi was delivered via the official IRNA news agency. Asked about a request by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to visit the Parchin…

North Korea’s announced Wednesday it has agreed to suspend nuclear tests and uranium enrichment program under a deal that includes US food aid for the impoverished nation. The agreement, confirmed simultaneously by Washington, represents a potential breakthrough in efforts to end North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. The deal followed talks in Beijing last week, which…

The ‘Palestinians’ have invited the U.N. Security Council to visit Judea, Samaria, Gaza and East Jerusalem, the Associated Press reported. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. observer, told reporters that the purpose of the visit is to enable the observers “to see with their own eyes the reality of the Palestinian people in the occupied territory”…

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton insisted Wednesday that the Obama administration is undertaking a campaign of “aggressive outreach” to ensure sanctions on Iran are enforced. “We should recognize what has been accomplished with the sanctions Congress passed and we are aggressively implementing,” Clinton told the House Appropriations subcommittee on foreign operations. “Discussion hasn’t gone anywhere,…

A Chabad-Lubavitch girls’ school in Melbourne, Australia has found a unique way to honor the memory of five members of an Israeli family murdered by two teenage Palestinian Authority Arab terrorists. The Beth Rivkah Ladies College released 100 blue balloons Wednesday morning in solidarity with Israel and in memory of the slain Fogel family. Each…

An Israeli strike on Iran would probably prompt Iranian-backed terrorist attacks, but only Israel would be targeted with missiles, retired American General James E. Cartwright told The New York Times Wednesday. He was a former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was deeply involved in war game strategies concerning Iran. Cartwright stated…

Veteran Nazi hunter Beate Klarsfeld was nominated by Germany’s opposition Left Party, Die Linke, on Monday to run for president and provide a political alternative to Joachim Gauck, a former anti-communist civil rights activist and Lutheran pastor. Klarsfeld, 73, and her Romanian-Jewish husband whose father was deported to Auschwitz, have dedicated their lives to raising…

A delegation of Israeli experts from the IsraAID organization is set to fly to Juba, South Sudan this week to conduct the first-ever Gender Based Violence (GBV) training program for social workers in Africa’s newest nation. The trip is being subsidized by a private family foundation, the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, FIRST and the…

A massive dust storm hit the Negev Desert Wednesday afternoon, prompting a health warning from Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry, as a cold front moves in ahead of the next few days of stormy winter weather. Snow fell in the northern Golan Heights and is expected to spread to the center. Strong winds sent camel-colored sand…

Egyptian security officials have caught senior international Al Qaeda terrorist Saif al-Adel, wanted by the U.S. in connection with the 9/11 terrorist attack on America. The 59-year-old terrorist was arrested at Cairo airport upon his arrival on an Emirates Airline flight from Pakistan, with a stopover in Dubai. The Egyptian-born Adel is the No. 3…

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that Syria’s embattled President Bashar al-Assad fits the definition of a war criminal. Clinton’s remarks were made during testimony before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on the budget for the State Department and foreign operations. She was pressed by Sen. Lindsey Graham about Syria, where the United Nations…

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey on Tuesday told a Senate panel he did not counsel Israel against attacking Iran over its nuclear program. “We’ve had a conversation with them about time, the issue of time,” Dempsey said, referring to his visit to Israel a month ago. Grilled during a…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met this week with the senior leadership of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and a number of Federation directors, as well as senior leadership of the Jewish Agency for Israel. The meeting took place several days before Netanyahu arrives in Washington for meetings with President Barack Obama on the…

Tunisia offered on Tuesday to give Syrian President Bashar al-Assad political asylum if that helps to end a bloody crackdown on the near-year-old uprising against his rule. Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki made the offer of Asylum for Assad and his family at the “Friends of Syria” conference of Western and Arab powers being held in…

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat spoke to Arutz Sheva on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the 9th Jerusalem Conference, sponsored by the Besheva Magazine. Barkat, who earlier addressed the attendees of the Jerusalem Conference, mentioned some of the trends that he and the city of Jerusalem have been leading. Economically, said Barkat, “We’ve seen a very…

An Israeli Arab Supreme Court Judge caused an outrage on Tuesday, when he refused to sing Israel’s national anthem. The incident occurred during the swearing in ceremony of the Israeli Supreme Court’s new president, Judge Asher Grunis. Grunis was sworn in Tuesday afternoon, several hours after outgoing president Judge Dorit Beinisch formally ended her term in office.…

Freedom of religion in Texas – for Christians: No school basketball games on Sunday but Saturday game goes on despite Jewish protest. Texas schools do not allow sports competition on the Sunday, the Christian Sabbath, but they have ruled against a Jewish school scheduled to play a semi-finals championship game in Dallas on the Jewish…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday warned a nuclear-armed Iran would exercise de facto control the major Gulf oil producers and “choke” the global economy. “Everyone needs to understand that if we’re worried today about rising oil prices we shall be far more worried if Iran, heaven forbid, gains control over the energy centers in…

Syria’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva threw a tantrum and then stormed out of an emergency session of the U.N. Human Rights Council on Tuesday. Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui charged that sanctions imposed on the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for its brutal year-long crackdown on civilians, prevented Damascus from buying medicines and fuel.…

A report issued by Strategic Forecasting, also known as Stratfor, claims Egypt’s army was planning to oust former president Hosni Mubarak months before the start of popular protests in early 2011. The report, “Contemporary Challenges: Life after Mubarak” was written by Stratfor researcher Maverick Fisher and published on 12 December 2011. It states that “while…

Hizbullah and its allies have “taken advantage” of their role in the government in order to force public schools and the Lebanese University to dedicate a one-hour session for teaching the history of ‘Resistance,’ Lebanese University (LU) students affiliated with the Lebanese Forces party said on Monday. The students were referring to a decision that…

The flames of the newest Arab “intifada” uprising reached two Jewish farms in Judea and Samaria Tuesday. Arabs burned down a home in Havat Gilad, in Samaria. They apparently come from the nearby village of Farata, and made their escape after setting the isolated structure on fire. Residents of the Jewish farm gave chase and…

A poll has found that over two thirds of the Israeli public thinks press coverage of two major stories – the deal for releasing Gilad Shalit and the housing protest – was biased. The poll was revealed at a stormy panel on press bias at the 9th Jerusalem Conference, sponsored by B’Sheva Magazine. The poll…

Americans for Peace Now’s Director of Policy and Government Relations Lara Friedman has expressed her discontent and dissatisfaction with the failure of Arab officials to acknowledge Jewish rights to Jerusalem. While Friedman is vehemently against Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, military action against Iran, and advocated on behalf of freeing the Islamic Jihad terrorist…

Rep. Allen West, a Republican from the state of Florida, warned that Israel could become the site of a “second Holocaust” if the United States does not take further actions to protect the Jewish state against Iran, the WOKV-AM/FM radio station, reported on Monday. “You’re looking at a second Holocaust … [if Israel doesn’t] know…

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) once again scolded Republican front-runner Rick Santorum for advocating on behalf of a church role in governing. Santorum told ABC, on February 26, that a1960 speech given by then-presidential candidate John F. Kennedy outlining church-state separations almost made him “throw up.” “To say that people of faith have no role in…

The Palestinian Authority (PA) may nullify another part of the moribund Oslo Accords and halt security cooperation with Israel, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) secretary Yasser Abed Rabbo told the London-based Al Quds Al Arabi newspaper. “Everything is subject for reevaluation, but there is no final decision made yet,” he was quoted as saying by the…

Palestinian Authority Arabs rioted in the capital and hurled firebombs at Israelis Monday in what appears to be the start of a third wave of the ‘Oslo War,’ or what the Arabs refer to as an “intifada.” In Jerusalem, Arab rioters threw large, sharp-edged rocks and firebombs – Molotov cocktails – at Border Police officers…

Iran has put off the execution of Christian Pastor Yousof Nadarkhani — probably in response to massive international pressure — but it is not clear for how long. Nadarkhani was due to be executed on Tuesday, after having lost the final appeal against a conviction on a charge of apostasy in Iran’s Supreme Court. The…

Lebanon’s Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn on Monday warned Israel against “any foolishness in attacking Lebanon.” Ghosn, who is currently on an official visit to Tehran, met Sunday with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who told him that Lebanon and Iran “should work toward unity to confront the West and Israel.” During the visit Ghosn, a member…

Sen. John McCain on Sunday lashed out at the Obama administration’s handling of rising tensions between Israel and Iran. McCain told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the administration intentionally leaked to the media the reason for the US national security adviser’s trip to Israel – to try to persuade the country not to attack…