Category: News

MK Danny Danon (Likud) welcomed on Wednesday the government’s decision to accelerate the construction of 2,300 homes in east Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. The decision was reached on Tuesday in a meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his eight senior ministers, and comes as a response to the Palestinian Authority’s unilateral moves, such as…

Palestinian Authority chief negotiator Saeb Erekat on Wednesday stuck to well-worn sound bytes when he slammed Israel’s decision to freeze tax revenues to Ramallah and accelerate construction in eastern Jerusalem, Gush Etzion, and Maale Adumim. “The they are building these settlements on is my land,” Erekat said. “The money that Israel is withholding is my…

Former Mossad Chief Meir Dagan sharply criticized on Wednesday the deal Israel made with Hamas to release 1,027 terrorists in exchange for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Speaking at a conference in Tel Aviv, Dagan said, “The price we paid in this deal is problematic. There are quite a few risks in this deal.” While Dagan…

The French political class was united as one in condemning the arson committed against the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. The weekly had decided to comment on the victory by the Islamic party in Tunisia and the announcement by the Libyan transitional Council that Libyan law would be based on the Muslim Sharia. It therefore…

IDF naval forces are tracking a pair of Gaza-bound ships in the Mediterranean that departed from Turkey this week Organizers of the “micro-flotilla” in New York announced Wednesday two ships carrying 27 activists from five countries, including the US, are headed to Gaza. They said they did not publicize the flotilla in advance to prevent…

The Israeli Air Force may have set Lucius Flavius Silva – commander of the Roman X Legion Fretensis at Masada – rolling in his grave last week as it roared through the Italian skies. The IAF delegation returned from Sardinia on Wednesday after a week-long joint training exercise with the Italian Air Force. The exercises,…

A report in the British Guardian newspaper Wednesday said that the U.S. and the UK were gearing up for a possible attack on Iran. According to the report, the U.S. has become increasingly frustrated – and concerned – over Iran’s refusal to end its enrichment of uranium. Britain has agreed to help, despite some members…

The announcement by Israel that it is to build several thousand homes in Jerusalem, Gush Etzion and Ma’ale Adumim is a “punishment” against the Palestinian Authority for its being accepted into UNESCO as a full member, Kadima head Tsipi Livni said Wednesday – and this will not help Israel retain the blocs in a final…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said the Jewish people have “a right to build in our eternal capital.” Speaking in the Knesset’s plenum at a memorial for assassinated Israeli lawmaker Rehavam Ze’evi, Netanyahu explained that Ze’evi’s “life began in Jerusalem and ended in Jerusalem. That was Gandhi – a man of Jerusalem.” “All who…

Israel successfully test-fired a  “ballistic missile” that could be used to strike Iran, Israel Radio reported Wednesday. Further information about the test was censored by the military. Foreign reports, however, said the military test-fired a long-range missile – capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and striking Iran. Development of the multi-staged missile was begun in…

Iran would cause serious damage to the United States and Israel should Jewish state strike the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, Iran’s top military official said on Wednesday. The “Zionist regime’s military attack against Iran would lead to heavy damages to the US as well as [to the] Zionist regime,” Iran’s Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Hassan…

Details are emerging of the plans approved by the government Tuesday for new construction in Judea and Samaria, as punishment to the Palestinian Authority (PA) for its unilateral moves to gain UN recognition as a state. The plan was approved by an eight member inner cabinet and is said to be the first installment in…

The Efrat local authority has declared “a day of celebration” following news that the government has approved 300 housing units in the town for construction and sale. The infrastructures for the units have been in place for years but the government has not allowed the marketing of a single plot in Efrat for over a…

Syrian state media reports Damascus has reached a deal with the Arab League to end seven months of government crackdowns on protesters. The reports, however, gave no details of the agreement. An official announcement is to be made at Arab League headquarters in Cairo sometime on Wednesday, according to the reports. Although President Bashar al-Assad…

The Palestinian Authority (PA) intends to use its new UNESCO membership to claim the Dead Sea as a “heritage site.” It also is using the “New Seven Wonders” contest to claim part of the “lowest point on Earth.” Bethlehem, Hevron, and other ancient Jewish sites in Judea and Samaria also are on the Authority’s list…

A rocket attack simulation drill has been scheduled for the Tel Aviv suburb of Holon, to be held Thursday. Emergency rescue personnel and other officials in the Tel Aviv suburb of Holon will be tested Thursday in a drill to measure their readiness in case of a rocket attack. The drill, scheduled two months ago…

Nationalist firebrand Tzipi Hotovely said Tuesday the Likud faction informed Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that court-mandated demolition orders in Judea and Samaria have created a serious “political problem” for party. “We spoke to the Prime Minister during the weekly meeting he has with members of his party,” Hotovely said. “There were about twenty people [members…

Swiss Muslims have offended both fellow Muslims and Jews by wearing yellow badges in the shape of a Jewish star, which Nazis forced on Jews so that they could be singled out for derision and deportation, to protest discrimination.   However, there is one difference between the badges: The word “Muslim” was placed on them instead…

Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas went on record in Arabic saying he will never recognize a “Jewish state.” He also said the kidnapping and five year ordeal of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit was “a good thing.” The report came from Middle East Media Research Institute, who translated and posted an interview Abbas gave on Egyptian state…

Israeli officials on Thursday decided on an initial round of sanctions against the Palestinian Authority following its ascension as a ‘full-member state’ to UNESCO. A meeting of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his eight senior ministers determined Israel would halt the transfer of funds under extant agreements to the PA, and accelerate housing construction in…

IDF commanders were given the green light by officials in Jerusalem to take all necessary steps to stop rocket fire from Gaza on Tuesday, including undertaking ground operations as need be. But military officials told the Associated Press, while the decision allowed the IDF to act in accordance with the severity of terror attacks from…

Arab diplomats say the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has agreed in part to an Arab League plan to end its brutal crackdown on protests against his 11-year rule. On Tuesday the diplomats said Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem accepted some of the Arab League proposals during talks with Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin…

‘WHO’ is next. Palestinian Authority (PA) officials say UNESCO is just the beginning and wants membership in 15 other UN agencies. PA Minister of Health, Fathi Abu Moghli said Monday that the ministry is preparing to apply for full membership in the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the official PA news agency. “With President…

The Finance Ministry on Tuesday slammed Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s calls to both increase Israel’s defense budget and meet social protest organizer’s demands, saying to do so would “enslave the State of Israel.” “The defense minister’s proposal will enslave the State of Israel in a future of tremendous debt, and endanger its economic stability,” a…

The IDF took quick action to undo the damage wrought by vandals at a Jewish holy site in Samaria Monday. Monday afternoon, a report was received that the Tomb of Elazar HaCohen had been vandalized by unknown persons from the village of Awarta, which surrounds the tomb. Elazar was one of the sons of Aharon…

None other than retired South African Judge Richard Goldstone, author of the UN report damning Israel for alleged war crimes, condemns “apartheid” charges against the Jewish state. “The apartheid charges are “an unfair and inaccurate slander against Israel, calculated to retard rather than advance peace negotiations,” Goldstone wrote in an opinion article in The New…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is a “mafia gangster,” Palestinian Authority (PA) negotiator Saeb Erekat charged Monday morning.                                                                            …

Marathon meetings have been held at the Prime Minister’s Office in the last 24 hours as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu weighs his response to the High Court regarding demolition of several Jewish Judea and Samaria neighborhoods.  About 1,000 men, women and children are to lose their homes in the demolitions that have been ordered by…

The IDF arrested overnight a senior Hamas leader in Samaria who was freed from an Israeli prison three months ago. Hassan Yousef’s son and two others also were nabbed at their home in Bitunia, near Ramallah and north of Jerusalem. The Palestinian Authority (PA) is supposed to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure in Arab areas of…

Suha Arafat is wanted in Tunis in connection for her ties with the family of former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, according to the AFP news agency, which quoted Tunisian media. She has denied the charges. “Tunisia issued an [international] arrest warrant against Mrs. Arafat on suspicion of involvement in cases of financial corruption with…

Reports circulated Monday that Israel is considering ending its relationship with UNESCO, now that the Palestinian Authority had been admitted as a full member. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that Israel was “reconsidering its future cooperation with UNESCO” in the wake of the PA’s membership. The United States expressed sharp criticism of the…

An American professor who shouted “death to Israel” as an Israeli Bedouin spoke defends his statement because it was for Allah. Associate history professor Julio Pino of Kent University, in Ohio, made the remark after asking a question to Ishmael Khaldi, who was speaking on his experiences working on behalf of Israel. He is the…

At least two Grad Katyusha missiles exploded Monday evening in the area around the southern city of Be’er Sheva as Palestinian Authority terrorists resumed their rocket fire on Israeli men, women and children.  The Iron Dome anti-missile defense system intercepted both of the missiles as short-range Kassam rockets also landed in the Sdot Negev region,…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at the opening session of the Knesset on Monday said Israel must restore its deterrence. “Our security strategy cannot only rely on defense, but must have an offensive element maintains Israel’s deterrence,” Netanyahu said amid a sharp escalation of rocket fire from Gaza. The amplified bombardment of Israel’s Gaza-belt communities comes…

The international body voted Monday to accept the PA as a member – risking the loss of 22 percent of its budget that is funded by the United States. “This is a unilateral Palestinian maneuver which will bring no change on the ground but further removes the possibility for a peace agreement,” said the Foreign…

The United States has made good on its threat to cut off funding to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) following the Paris-based agency’s vote Monday to accept the Palestinian Authority as a member. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland announced at a briefing Monday the administration had no choice in the matter,…

The international community is starting to condemn Gaza terrorists for rocket attacks on southern Israel – but has urged Israel to “restrain” itself in responding to the deadly barrages. A fresh battery of rocket attacks resumed Monday afternoon, with Grad Katyusha missiles fired at the southern Israeli city of Be’er Sheva, and numerous other rockets,…

“Egypt succeeded in halting the ongoing tit-for-tat attacks across the border,” Yasser Othman, Cairo’s ambassador to the Palestinian Authority, told the PA’s semi-official Maan News on Monday. Othman said Egyptian efforts would continue until a complete truce is reached in Gaza and Israeli violations stop, adding that Egypt’s ambassador to Israel has been contacted by…

IDF top spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Yoav “Poly” Mordechai, responded Monday to reports international actors were trying to instate a ceasefire between Gaza terror groups and Israel saying “facts in the field and not any declarations” would be the determinate factor. “The chief of staff completed a situation assessment after midnight and concluded that the IDF…

UNESCO accepted the Palestinian Authority (PA) as a member on Monday, risking the loss of 22 percent of its budget that is funded by the United States.   Only 14 nations voted against the PA, while 107 favored its entry and 52 countries abstained. Laughter broke out when Israel voted “no.” Accepting the PA as…

Haaretz journalist Gideon Levy, whose articles often even shock some of his left-wing readers, fears a ”hostile takeover” by “settlers” who he says are taking over Israel. He granted that “settlers’ — meaning Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria as well as parts of Jerusalem he wants to be part of a Palestinian Authority state —…

A wildly cheering Texas church crowd  heard Glenn Beck Sunday at “A Night to Honor Israel” say, “G-d is preparing a surprise party for Satan.” More than 7,000 people attended the Cornerstone Church rally, according to the San Antonio Express News. Beck, who staged a “Resorting Courage” rally in Israel in August, told supporters who waved…

A Grad Katyusha missile exploded in an area south of Ashkelon Monday afternoon. The attack came after a day in which no rockets had been launched since midnight at southern Israel by Gaza terrorists. The Color Red incoming rocket alert siren sounded moments prior to the explosion in both Ashkelon and the Sha’ar HaNegev region. No physical…

Gaza terrorists may declare their second ceasefire in 24 hours on Monday after the IDF’s swift and lethal retaliation against missile launchers. Israel has not made a distinction between rocket attacks in rural areas, which often cause no damage or injuries, and those on major urban centers. One person was killed and two dozen others…

Home Front Minister Matan Vilnai said Monday morning that the missile fire on Israel’s South may cause a postponement in the implementation of the second part of the Shalit deal.  Part 2 of the deal involves the release of 550 terror prisoners from Israeli jails. Speaking on IDF Radio, Vilnai noted that Gaza terror groups…

Ashdod Mayor Dr. Yehiel Lasri, whose city has been under a constant threat of rocket attacks, said on Sunday that the situation cannot continue and urged the government to take immediate action. On Saturday, terrorists fired several Grad missiles at Ashdod. One hit a school which is usually used for Shabbat prayer services but was…

Israel advanced American national security interests, according to a report by former aides to presidents Clinton and Bush that contradicts Obama advisors who claim that Israel endangers U.S. soldiers. Robert D. Blackwill,  who was deputy national security advisor for strategic planning in the administration of George W. Bush, and Walter B. Slocombe, undersecretary of defense…

Monday is the first day of a special study program at Ariel University Center (AUC) for 16 students from seven different countries including USA, Canada, England, Belgium, Holland, New Zealand, and Australia whose ages ranges from teenager to octogenarian: Student Carolyn Ardeeser from Florida, USA, is 81. Student John Barr from South Carolina, USA whose…

A group of 15 terrorists Israel freed two weeks ago for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit visited the Temple Mount and the grave of Faisal al-Husseini, a former Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader. The terrorists, who were pictured at the Temple Mount on an Islamic website, laid a wreath at a monument to al-Faisal, who died…

Residents of the Bat Ayin Bet neighborhood in Gush Etzion’s Bat Ayin community describe feelings of despair but also of determination after the destruction of their homes before dawn Monday. “We received a warning at 3:00 a.m.,” recalled Nina Gabbai, a resident whose home was torn down. “A security vehicle that belongs to the community…

Syrian President Bashar Assad said on Sunday that he was willing to talk to the opposition, after a seven-month uprising against him that has left thousands dead, Reuters reported. In an interview with Russian television, Assad said, “We will cooperate with all political powers, both those who had existed before the crisis, and those who…

The escalation in rocket and missile attacks at southern Israel over the weekend caused the education system in the region to shut down, leaving school principals scrambling and looking for ways to keep the students up to speed with the curriculum. One solution that was found involves online studying. Such a model has been adopted…

Despite the very difficult weekend of constant rocket attacks experienced by southern Israel’s residents, there were a few incidents that can be described only as miracles. One of these incidents was the classroom in Ashdod which has been used as a makeshift synagogue on Shabbat for 40 years. Throughout those years, not one Sabbath prayer…

The city of Jerusalem has approved the construction of new Arab housing in one of the rare open spaces in the capital’s historic center. In addition, the city has given retroactive authorization to hundreds of illegally built homes. The area in question is located in the “King’s Garden,” adjacent to Shiloach (Silwan) at the southern entrance…

IAF aircraft targeted shortly after midnight (Israel time) a terrorist squad that fired a Kassam rocket at Israel from southern Gaza. According to the IDF Spokesperson, a hit was confirmed. Just prior to the IAF attack, terrorists fired three rockets from Gaza at southern Israel. Two of the rockets exploded in open areas in the…

U.S. headlines on Gaza missile attacks Saturday often made it appear that “militants” simply are responding to Israeli defensive measures. The violence began last Wednesday with a missile attack on southern Israel, but most American media implied that Israel’s counterterrorist retaliation was a provocation for Saturday’s multiple terrorist attacks on major urban centers. One of…

Provided by the IDF: An IAF aircraft targeted a terrorist squad in the southern Gaza Strip that was preparing to launch long-range rockets. The aforementioned squad is responsible for the firing of the Grad rocket towards southern Israel this past Wednesday. A hit was identified and the launching attempt was thwarted. The IDF will not…

The latest round of missile attacks from Gaza on Israel is nothing less than a “declaration of war,” President Shimon Peres said Sunday at the dedication of a new medical school in Tzfat, in northern Israel. “Terror does not allow Gaza citizens to live normally…. I am telling our [Arab] neighbors: You nor we want…

Prince Khaled bin Talal, a brother of  a Saudi billionaire prince, told a private Saudi television station he is raising to $1million a cleric’s paltry $100,000 offer to kidnap and IDF soldier. “Dr. Awad al-Qarni said he was offering $100,000 to only take a prisoner. I tell Dr. Awad al-Qarni, ‘I will be in solidarity…

An Air Force aircraft “targeted a terrorist squad in the southern Gaza Strip that was preparing to fire rockets at Israel,” the IDF stated. The terrorist attempt to attack — and the IAF’s successful prevention — came approximately four hours after Islamic Jihad, Hamas and other terrorists had agreed to the ceasefire proposed by Egypt.  …

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday that there is no ceasefire in the South and that the IDF is protecting Israel’s citizens and killing the terrorists who fire rockets. Speaking at the weekly Cabinet meeting, which was held in Tzfat, Netanyahu added that the terrorists would pay “an even higher price than they did until…

The rocket attacks from Gaza continued overnight Saturday, giving local residents a restless night. Two rockets were fired towards Be’er Sheva just after 3:00 a.m. (Israel time). The rockets exploded in open areas and there were no reports of physical injuries or damage. At about 5:00 a.m. Israel time, a Grad missile exploded north of…

Syrian President Bashar Assad has warned the West of an “earthquake” across the Middle East if Western powers intervene in Syria. Speaking to the British Sunday Telegraph newspaper, Assad said western countries “are going to ratchet up the pressure, definitely.” “But Syria is different in every respect from Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen,” he added. “The history…

Ami Moshe, 56, is the name of the Ashkelon man who died on Saturday night in a rocket attack on the city. Moshe was rushed to the Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon and was immediately taken to the operating room, where doctors discovered that a major artery in his stomach was hit by shrapnel. Moshe’s condition…

Hamas and allied terrorists attacked southern Israel with rockets and mortar shells at the rate of one every six minutes at dawn Sunday. Islamic Jihad appeared to be behind most of the attacks over the past 48 hours, but Hamas has done nothing to stop the sudden offensive, one week after kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad…

Egypt has failed in its attempt to broker another ceasefire to end rocket attacks on Israel as terrorists disprove Cairo’s influence. Egypt was largely responsible for mediating the deal two weeks ago to free kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for the release of 1,027 terrorists and security prisoners from Israeli jails. Following the resurgence…

Gaza Arab terrorists fired at least three Grad-style Katyusha rockets at Israel on Saturday, one of them hitting in the yard of a school in Ashdod. A second rocket fell in an open area in Ashdod, and the third fell near Gan Yavneh, IDF officials said. One person – a young girl – was injured…

Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Brigade terror gangs took responsibility for Saturday’s Grad rocket attacks against southern Israel. Footage released by Islamic Jihad Saturday night showed terrorists firing the rockets at Israel using a portable rocket launcher installed on the back of a pickup truck – a method of attack that had not been used…

A man in his 50s was killed Saturday night as more rockets fell in southern Israel, with missiles hitting Ashkelon. Two people were injured in Ashkelon, as Grad rockets struck several parts of the city. One of the rockets hit in or near a house, and a very loud explosion was heard – indicating the…

Israeli political officials have been taken aback by the rocket attacks from Gaza over the past few days, considering that the deal with Hamas for the release of Gilad Shalit has not been completed. Israel is supposed to release another 550 terrorists in the coming weeks, but some MKs have begun calling for that part…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says in interview with Channel 2, ‘it was our mistake, it was an Arab mistake as a whole,but do they (the Israelis) punish us for this mistake for 64 years?’ By The Associated Press Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Friday in an interview with Channel 2 that the Arab world…

According to IDF sources, strike targeted an Islamic Jihad cell responsible for launching a Grad rocket that exploded in southern Israel earlier this week. By Avi Issacharoff and Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz The IAF struck an Islamic Jihad training camp Saturday in southern Gaza Strip, killing five, including one of the organization’s senior members. According to…

A new poll published on Thursday has found that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would have a better chance of beating some GOP Presidential candidates than President Barack Obama. According to the poll, which was conducted by Time magazine and presented on Politico.com, if Clinton were to run against former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney,…

Amos Gilad, Director of the Defense Ministry’s Diplomatic-Security Bureau, said on Friday that Iran is the biggest threat to Israel, and called on the government to prioritize the Iranian issue and take action, though he did not specify what action he thinks should be taken. Speaking at the Ashkelon Academic College, Gilad said, “There is…

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) general assembly will vote Monday on the Palestinian Authority’s request to become a full member of the organization, AFP reported on Friday. Sources in the organization told AFP that the vote is to take place on the same day that the PA’s foreign minister, Riyad al-Malki,…

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, has sent a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and to the UN Security Council, demanding that they condemn the rocket fire from Gaza at southern Israel. “Israeli residents need to hear a loud and clear condemnation,” Prosor wrote in the letter, the contents of which…

The Obama administration wants to provide two currently in-service US Marine Corps attack helicopters, Reuters reported Friday. The highly unorthodox move is being considered as Ankara seeks to exact revenge for a major attack by Kurdish separatists. Turkey has been seeking AH-1 SuperCobra helicopters to replace those lost fighting separatist rebels from the Kurdistan Workers’…

Bosnia’s trio of presidents said Thursday they could not agree on whether to support PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ statehood bid at the United Nations. Bosnia’s presidency has been shared by leaders of its Muslim, Croat and Serb communities since its 1992-95 war. Sarajevo may potentially hold a key vote in the UN Security Council come…

Senior Fatah official Mahmoud al-Aloul said Friday there is no plan to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, the semi-official Maan News reported. The central committee member said officials were calling for “a definition of the situation of the PA,” and discussing plans to “return it to its former stature.” “The government is in a bad situation…

Zionist groups expressed satisfaction Friday over the decision to investigate Professor Eyal Nir for incitement. Nir called on the public to attack Zionist youth dancing in the streets on Jerusalem day and “break their elbows.” The Land of Israel Legal Forum said the decision was a good one, but questioned why prosecutors had waited several…

An attempt by a Palestinian Authority Arab to enter the community of Itamar on Thursday disguised as a hareidi Jew was thwarted at the last moment. The incident began in the afternoon hours, when the community’s security personnel someone who looked like a Jew wandering near the olive trees adjacent to the community. Itamar’s security…

About fifty people demonstrated on Thursday evening outside the home of Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman in Jerusalem, demanding the release of Jewish prisoners. The demonstrators held signs which read “release Jewish prisoners,” and “release Jews and not terrorists,” among other signs. The demonstrators included families of prisoners as well as families of terror victims. Neeman…

The fact that Turkey agreed to accept aid from Israel to assist in rescue efforts of the thousands who were injured or killed has no political meaning, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Thursday. Speaking at a news conference in Amman with Jordanian leader King Abdullah II and his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh, Davutoğlu said…

Yitzchak Hershkowitz’s struggle to claim property he bought and paid for fairly and squarely was bumped up a notch this week, as he tried to pave a road to the home he bought at the entrance to the neighborhood of Beit Safafa in Jerusalem. not far from Jerusalem’s Malcha shopping mall. Hershkowitz has been attacked numerous…

Hamas interior minister Fathi Hamad said Israel’s 2005 “Disengagement” from Gaza, “helped us conceal Gilad Shalit for five years.” Hamad was referring to the absence of an Israeli military presence on the ground in Gaza, which would have been able to control movement in the enclave while having freedom of movement in searching for Shalit.…

The British government gives over half a million pounds Sterling annually, funding Israeli political organizations – nearly all of them leftist – but gives nothing at all to groups in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and other Arab countries, who have been struggling to replace the dictatorships running their countries with democratic regimes. The facts of Britain’s…

Ilan Grapel was released from an Egyptian jail and boarded a jet bound for Israel on Thursday afternoon as a part of an exchange for 25 Egyptians held in Israeli prisons, Reuters reported. Grapel, 27, who has been held in Egypt for five months on spying charges, landed at Israel’s Ben Gurioun Airport shortly after…

Syrian troops began planting mines along a border region it shares with northern Lebanon on Thursday, a local Lebanese official told AFP. “Officials [in Beirut — ed.] told us the Syrians undertook the measure to prevent weapons smuggling,” the local official said. “A number of Syrian soldiers were also seen deploying on their side of the…

Despite the oceans of conflict that continue to divide Palestinian Authority Arabs from Israelis, a U.S.-based American Jewish group has begun a cross-cultural initiative to create dialogue between the two. U.S. Ambassador Dan Shapiro will officially launch the program, coordinated by the U.S.-based Foundation for Jewish Culture, on Thursday evening (tonight). The first season of…

The ruins of a former Jewish town in northern Gaza on Wednesday night became the launching pad for Grad Katyusha attacks on southern Israel. Military sources said three missiles fired by Gaza terrorists were most likely launched from the ruins of the former secular Jewish village of Dugit. The community, a small seaside fishing, marine…

With Gilad Shalit and Ilan Grapel freed from the clutches of their Hamas and Egyptian captors respectively, attention is now turning to yet another Israeli in prison in Egypt –  Ouda Tarabin, an Israeli Bedouin who has been held by Egypt for over 11 years on charges of spying for Israel. According to news websites…

Meir Indor, Head of the Almagor Terror Victims’ organization, criticized on Wednesday the deal Israel signed with Egypt to free Ilan Grapel. Indor told Arutz Sheva that by agreeing to release 25 Egyptian prisoners in exchange for Grapel, Israel was setting a dangerous precedent and allowing future kidnappings. “The Egyptian government, no matter how they…

While Israel has made numerous – so far unsuccessful – attempts to persuade the Palestinian Authority to temper its anti-Israel school curriculum, which essentially denies Israel’s right to exist and considers the entire existence of the state as “the occupation,” Israeli Arab children are set to learn similar ideas in the schools they attend. A…

Egyptian security sources say Ilan Grapel won’t be returned to Israel until mid-to-late afternoon. According to a report published on the Arabic-language website of the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency, Grapel’s arrival at the Taba Crossing has been rescheduled for 1:00 p.m., in accordance with a request by the Israeli authorities. The news agency quoted high-level…

A military vehicle was that was on patrol south of Bethlehem hit a roadside bomb near Khirbet Eliya on Wednesday evening. The bomb exploded, causing damage to the vehicle. The IDF spokesman reported there were no physical injuries. IDF forces began searching the area to locate the terrorists who planted the bomb. The attack is…

Saudi Arabia’s controversial Islamist and preacher, Sheikh Awad al Qarni, offered a bounty of $100,000 for the kidnapping of any IDF in ‘Palestine’ who can be used as leverage to force Israel to release more terrorists from its prisons. Qarni said on his Facebook page, “This award is in response to the allocation of funds…

An obscure political action group has started a controversial campaign in Egypt demanding the country’s military ruler, Hussein Tantawi, run for president. “We originally planned to launch the campaign around one month ago, but regrettable incidents in Egypt prompted us to delay it,” Mahmoud Attia, an official in the self-styled group “Egypt Is above Everyone”…

Terrorists from Gaza fired a Grad missile towards southern Israel late Wednesday evening. The IDF Spokesperson said that the missile exploded in Ashdod. There were no physical injuries, but several people suffered from anxiety. Arutz Sheva’s readers reported of a Color Red siren having sounded at 11:16 p.m. (Israel time) in Ashdod, Rehovot, Yavneh, Gedera,…

Ahlam Tamimi,  sentenced to 16 life sentences for her involvement in the “Sbarro” suicide bombing on 9 August 2001 in Jerusalem, says she had no regrets and stressed she would, given the opportunity, do it again. “It was a calculated act, performed with conviction and faith in Allah,” Tamini said in an interview posted on…

The High Court rejected Wednesday evening motions against the deal with Egypt for freeing Israeli anarchist Ilan Grapel, who was arrested when he took part in the Tahrir Square uprising in Egypt. In return for Grapel, Israel will free 21 weapons and drug smugglers. The court, which leans heavily to the political left, is expected to reject…

Hani Ressami, who murdered yeshiva student Erez Samuel in Hevron, was released last week as part of a deal with Hamas to exchange 1,027 terrorists for the freedom of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. Ressami is expected to return to work at his store, located near where he murdered Samuel. But Jewish residents in Hevron have…

Muammar Qaddafi’s son and heir-apparent, Saif al-Islam, has escaped Libya and is reported to be heading for Niger, its southern neighbor. According to Rissa ag Boula, a Nigerian presidential adviser quoted by the Associated Press, the younger Qaddafi is being guided by ethnic Tuaregs through the undulating dunes of the barren desert that lies between…

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran is friendly to Jews, but his problem is Zionists – although he says there are only 10,000 of them in the entire world. Speaking with CNN, he declared, “From the very beginning, we’re against Zionists. Zionists are neither Christians nor Jewish. They have no religion. Religion is wealth and…

Quartet Middle East envoy Tony Blair headed a delegation that is holding separate meetings with  Palestinian Authority and Israeli officials in what seems an impossible mission to bring the two sides together for direct talks for an agreement on establishing the PA as a country. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has virtually stated that Israel must…

The Foreign Ministry Wednesday issued a situation assessment to Israeli embassies worldwide that lambasts Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) and says that an agreement between Israel and the PA “will not be possible as long as Abu Mazen leads the PA.” The document comes on the heels of remarks by Foreign…

The temperature in the province of Van in eastern Turkey is falling, and snow is predicted. Search and rescue teams are rapidly being transformed into recovery units, as officials begin to abandon hope that anyone else is still alive under the wreckage of buildings flattened by the worst earthquake to hit the region in a…

Benny Katzover, Chairman of the Shomron (Samaria) Residents Committee, welcomed on Tuesday the appointment of Hagai Mordechai to the position of Commander of the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division. Mordechai is replacing Brigadier General Nitzan Alon, who held the position for over two years and whose views more often than not clashed with the Jewish…

The Chinese government will help Israel build an extension of its railway from Nahal Tzin to the southern city of Eilat. A memorandum of understanding is soon to be signed between the two governments after the deal was closed recently during a visit to Beijing by Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, who met with his Chinese…

European Jews have begun voting for the first-ever European Jewish Parliament, which will comprise 120 members, as in the Knesset. More than 1,000 candidates have registered for the parliament, which the European Jewish Union said will serve “to bring together and coordinate the voices of Jewish communities and individuals from West, Central and Eastern Europe.…

A chartered Boeing 747 packed with supplies is being sent by Israel’s Defense Ministry to eastern Turkey’s disaster zone following the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that rocked the Van province, killing up to 1,000 people earlier this week. “It’s cold, it’s dark, and rain has begun,” a resident of Turkey, who preferred not to be identified,…

Egypt is set to release US-Israeli citizen Ilan Grapel Thursday morning at the Taba crossing. He is expected to be returned to Israel at 9:00 a.m., in exchange for 22 Egyptian prisoners being held in Israeli prisons, plus three minors, according to a report published Wednesday in the Egyptian Al Ahram newspaper. None of those…

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s new memoir sheds some light on the groundbreaking offer made by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in 2008. The memoir, entitled “No Higher Honor”, will be published on November 1, and the Newsweek magazine presented some excerpts from it this week.…

Foreign and Israeli anarchists are helping terrorists to gather intelligence, Yehudah Hendler of Esh Kodesh said in an interview with Arutz Sheva. The anarchists, he said, help Arabs from Palestinian Authority enclaves to force their way into Jewish towns, ostensibly to harvest olives – an activity that has served as cover for terrorism on past…

The Dun Bradstreet financial company lavishes praise on Israel’s top leaders. It names Rami Levy as well as some more unfamiliar people. “History will reveal that, especially in these times, the world needs the golden touch of its business leaders,” D B stated in its annual report on business leaders.   “This is the 170th…

The IDF’s Ashdod-based Navy unit deals with terrorist activity on a daily basis, security reconnaissance commander “D” said in the military’s Mahane magazine. .The routine security reconnaissance company of the Ashdod base was assigned the responsibility to maintain Israel’s maritime closure on Gaza since the completion of Operation Cast Lead. Israel clamped the embargo on…

A group of hackers Swedish hackers calling themselves the “telecommutist cluster” say they raided the Syrian government telecommunications agency and learned it is using US technology to control Internet access, the BBC reports. The group says the files contained evidence of “web filtering and monitoring,” indicating Syrian authorities are limiting Internet access and monitoring dissidents…

The US State Department paid Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati a unannounced late-night visit after Hizbullah arch-terrorist Hassan Nasrallah on Monday publicly declared his March 8 coalition allies would ensure Beirut did not meet its obligations to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jacob Walles, accompanied by…

Israel has agreed to release 28 prisoners out of the 81 Egyptians in its jails for alleged Israeli spy, Ilan Grapel. Israel has stated that none of the prisoners are terrorists, but an Egyptian newspaper reported that some of the prisoners to be released were arrested for planning to carry out terrorist attacks. Families of…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s remarks Monday criticizing Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas were “deeply troubling,” according to UN spokesman Richard Miron. Miron, spokesman for UN Special Envoy for the Peace Process Robert Serry, told the PA-based Ma’an news agency that Lieberman’s statement “appears to be an attempt to delegitimize President Abbas.” He called Lieberman’s…

New Jersey’s Republican Governor Chris Christie, after meeting with Israel’s U.S. Ambassador Michael Oren Monday, said he will make his first official visit to Israel in the spring. He likely will meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. “We look forward to continuing to strengthen our ties,” Christie told reporters. “There’s a great, great, great, long-term…

French President Nicolas Sarkozy says that “a Jewish state has no meaning because a state is neither Jewish nor Catholic.” He made the same remark several times this week in interviews on two Jewish radio stations and with a French news agency following the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, whose parents are French citizens.…

Act II of the European Summit is going to take place on Wednesday (Act I concluded on Sunday), when the world will see whether the hints about “progress” in stanching the European debt crisis have a basis in reality. It is now apparent that what Europe had tried to avoid for the past half year,  a…

Sen. John McCain says NATO might have to move from Libya to Israel’s back yard in Syria now that Qaddafi is gone. “Now that military operations in Libya are ending, there will be renewed focus on what practical military operations might be considered to protect civilian lives in Syria,” McCain said at the World Economic…

Jason Alexander, better known as George Costanza for his role on the hit television series, “Seinfeld” visited the Israeli Knesset on Monday and joined a discussion in an event hosted by MK Yoel Hasson of Kadima. Hasson helped found the Knesset’s Two State Solution Caucus, whose members met with Alexander’s delegation. The event was designed to…

Deputy U.S. Attorney General James Cole confirmed on Wednesday the Obama administration was recalling all training materials used by the law enforcement and national security communities, in order to eliminate all references to Islam. “I recently directed all components of the Department of Justice to re-evaluate their training efforts in a range of areas, from…

Egypt has agreed to free Israeli-U.S. citizen Ilan Grapel, held prisoner in Cairo since June. The dual national is to be released in exchange for 25 Egyptian prisoners being held in Israeli prisons, including three minors, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement Monday night. None of the inmates to be released are security…

Jordanian King Abdullah II told participants at the World Economic Forum this week that Israel must be assured of its security. More than 1,000 people from 50 nations participated in the two-day conference held on the Jordanian shore of the Dead Sea. A peace deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority must ensure Israel’s security and…

President Shimon Peres visited the Shalit residence at Mitzpe Hila in the Galilee Monday and met freed hostage Gilad Shalit and his parents, Aviva and Noam. The Shalits waited for Peres at the entrance to their home and shook hands with him heartily. The president then hugged Gilad and said, “You have no idea how…

Mohammed Hassan Khalid, a high school honors student from Pakistan, has been formally charged with helping Colleen LaRose, aka “Jihad Jane,” to kill the Swedish cartoonist who drew a caricature of the Muslim prophet Mohammed with a turban and a bomb. The indictment filed by federal prosecutors also accuses Khalid of using the Internet to raise money for…

Kassam rockets will strike metropolitan Tel Aviv if the Palestinian Authority receives an independent state, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned Monday. Speaking to media prior to a discussion on Wednesday with the Quartet – the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations – the plain-speaking and often outspoken Foreign Minister declared, “The moment…

Israel’s Jerusalem District Police commander announced the city had returned to normal security levels after being on high alert on Monday. The General Security Services, however, are continuing their to pursue intelligence related to the matter. Earlier Monday, helicopters, ground forces and medics are on high alert after intelligence officials warned of an imminent terrorist attack…

According to reports in Israel’s Hebrew-language media, the IDF is expected to recommend Israel make ‘gestures’ to the Palestinian Authority in order to bolster its stature following last week’s deal with Hamas to free 1,027 terrorists for Gilad Shalit. The Shalit deal was widely hailed as a stunning victory for Gaza’s ruling Hamas terror organization,…

An officer in an elite IDF unit  told Arutz Sheva on Sunday that he and other members of his unit are upset over deal to release Gilad Shalit. Last week, Israel released 477 terrorists in exchange for Shalit, who was held hostage for more than five years by the Hamas terrorist rulers of Gaza. Another 550 terrorists…

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was in Jerusalem on Sunday, where he inaugurated the city’s new Magen David Adom station. The station is named after Bloomberg’s father, the late William Henry Bloomberg. The new station was partly funded by Bloomberg’s personal fortune, along with generous donations of the American Friends of Magen David Adom…

A failed suicide bomb terrorist, freed in the trade for Shalit, urges schoolchildren to succeed where she failed and become martyrs. Gaza Arabs jubilantly welcomed 26-year-old Wafa al-Biss along with other terrorists freed by Israel for the return of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit last week. Arutz Sheva has learned that unlike previous releases of terrorists,…

Hundreds of IDF officers have signed a petition protesting the use of petitions signed by officers like them for furthering political causes. The officers are angry at a recent document called “the Officers’ Letter” that features demands by IDF officers that the government act to release IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. In a democracy, the anti-petition…

Israel is ready to provide whatever assistance Turkey needs in light of a deadly earthquake that struck the country Sunday morning, President Shimon Peres has declared. “At this difficult time, the state of Israel is willing to give whatever is necessary, in any part of Turkey, at any time,” Peres told his Turkish counterpart Abdullah…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke on Sunday at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting. In his remarks, Netanyahu addressed last week’s return of Gilad Shalit, as well as the other challenges facing the Israeli Government today. “Last week, we brought Gilad Shalit, alive and well, back to the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said. “I…

A makeshift memorial to a young father and son murdered by Palestinian Authority terrorists was defaced overnight. The memorial was covered with Arabic writing, and with a picture of a terrorist recently set free in the Shalit deal. Israeli media outlets which have given significant coverage to recent Jewish “price tag” activity, particularly a terror…

Egypt sees reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah as a “top priority,” Egyptian ambassador to the Palestinian Authority (PA) Yasser Othman said Sunday. Egypt brokered a deal between the rival groups, but its terms have yet to be carried out. Hamas calls openly to force all Jews to convert to Islam or be murdered; the group split…

The largest Jewish community in Samaria, Ariel, has a population of 20,000 – but this number increased by about 50% Sunday as 12,000 students from all over Israel began their studies for the fall and winter term at the Ariel University Center (AUC). The university center is very well known for its engineering, communications, and…

Gaza continues to receive hundreds of tons of humanitarian goods via Israel’s land crossings each month — even as de facto Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh allocates thousands of dollars to pay rewards to freed terrorist murderers and grants them holidays at a luxury hotel. Despite indications from the United Nations that there is no…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu received a pleasant surprise at work on Sunday – a birthday party complete with a cake and candles. His wife and children appeared in his office for the festivities. The party, organized by Netanyahu’s staff, was also attended by several top ministers. Even political rivals took the time to stop in…

An Egyptian man has been jailed for three years with hard labor, for insulting Islam in posts made on his personal Facebook page. The verdict has caused concern among those who hoped that the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak earlier this year would lead to increased personal freedom. The prisoner was identified by the government-linked…

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin is recommending that Israel not set into law its terms for negotiating with terrorists. The MK said Sunday that subjecting such terms to a law would limit the government’s ability to negotiate with terrorists. The government should be able to use its judgment in dealing with such issues, said Rivlin, who…

The nation whose “Jasmine Revolution” launched the Arab Spring in the Middle East is holding its first free national elections. The polls come less than a year after a desperate produce vendor torched himself in a marketplace as a last act of protest against a government that wouldn’t allow him to make a living. The…

Border Police foiled a possibly fatal terrorist attack at the Patriarchs’ Cave in Hevron Sunday morning and arrested the young knife-wielding attacker. The terrorist was carrying a 6-inch long knife and admitted he intended to stab Jews. Police confiscated the knife and arrested the youth for questioning. Four days ago, a Palestinian Authority woman tried…

“Many people” were killed in a powerful earthquake that struck eastern Turkey Sunday morning, according to a local mayor “There are so many dead. Several buildings have collapsed; there is too much destruction,” Ercis mayor Zulfikar Arapoglu told NTV television, the Associated Press reported. “We need urgent aid, we need medics,” he added. One person…

An IDF reservists’ group called “My Israel” is calling on soldiers to sign a petition not to participate in future terrorist swaps that would free murderers with blood on their hands. The move comes following the release of 477 terrorists, including many fulfilling exactly such criteria, as part of a prisoner exchange deal to free…

Police suspect that nearly 40 forest fires that broke out in the Galilee region over the weekend were intentionally started by Arab terrorists. One of the fires started on Friday afternoon on the outskirts of the towns of Ahihud and Yasur, east of Akko. Three local residents who suffered from smoke inhalation, as well as…

Former leader of the leftist Meretz Party and former Labor Deputy Justice Minister Yossi Beilin has called on Israel to immediately release arch-terrorist Marwan Barghouti. Barghouti is serving five life terms in an Israeli prison for his masterminding and  involvement in deadly terror attacks against Israelis. He was one of several arch-terrorists whom Prime MInister Netanyahu…

Meir Indor, head of the Almagor Terror Victims’ Association, called on Israel Security Agency (ISA) Chief Yoram Cohen to apologize to the family of the teen who was stabbed by an Arab terrorist on Shabbat. In a statement, Indor said that Israel’s deal with Hamas, which saw the release of 477 terrorists in exchange for…

Libya’s National Transitional Council is set to formally declare liberation on Sunday. The move comes in the wake of the death of former dictator Muammar Qaddafi, who was killed last week following a NATO air strike on a convoy leaving the strongman’s hometown of Sirte. The declaration of liberation officially will start the clock for…

When driving the suicide bomber to his murderous operation at the Sbarro pizza restaurant in Jerusalem on August 9, 2001, Ahlam Tamimi was deliberately selective. She targeted the popular eatery because it was frequented by “religious Jews,” she told an interviewer from the Center for Near East Policy Research, headed by investigative journalist David Bedein.…

Aharon Rabin, an eyewitness to the terrorist stabbing that left 17-year-old Yehuda Ne’emad bleeding on a street in the quiet Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramot on Sabbath afternoon, spoke with Arutz Sheva TV Saturday night about the incident. “I heard shouts,” he said. “The victim’s brother ran and told me that an Arab had stabbed his brother.…

A large force of IDF soldiers has entered the Palestinian Authority Arab village of Beit Iska, in Area B, to search for the terrorist who stabbed 17-year-old Jerusalem yeshiva student Yehuda Ne’emad at about 3:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Doctors at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center who treated the teen on Saturday night told Arutz Sheva that…

Police arrested on Friday a 17-year-old on suspicion of involvement in the October 3 arson of the mosque in the Bedouin village of Tuba Zangriya. The suspect is reportedly denying any connection to the incident. Last week, the Petach Tikva Magistrates’ Court released one of the two suspects that had been previously arrested in the…

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al Saud, 86, is dead. Abdulaziz, who also served as the Saudi defense minister, died Friday of colon cancer at New York Presbyterian Hospital. His death was announced Saturday on Saudi state television, with the funeral for the Crown Prince scheduled for Tuesday, according to the Saudi Press…

An 18-year-old boy was stabbed on Saturday afternoon by a terrorist in Jerusalem’s Ramot neighborhood. Medics from the Magen David Adom emergency rescue service treated the youth at the scene before rushing him to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in the capital city. The youth was stabbed twice, in the stomach and back. He is currently…

Israel Police and IDF soldiers have joined forces to hunt in the Arab village of Beit Iksa for the terrorist who stabbed 17-year-old Yehuda Ne’emad in Jerusalem’s Ramot neighborhood Saturday afternoon. A house-by-house search for the suspect was underway in the village, which is located barely a half kilometer from the Ramot neighborhood. It is believed…

Foreign Ministry spokesman says security agencies in the country will determine the number and names of Egyptian prisoners to be released in return for Israeli Ilan Grapel. By Jack Khoury and DPA Egypt was finalizing a deal for a prisoners’ swap with Israel, in which an Israeli national detained in Cairo would be exchanged for…

In 1995, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in his book “A Place in the Sun,” that the release of terrorists is “a mistake the Israeli government repeats time and time again.” “From the beginning,” he wrote, “I saw the Jibril deal [an earlier disproportionate swap that led to recidivist terror, ed.] a fatal blow to…

Calling the Palestinian Authority statehood bid at the United Nations a “travesty,” Texas Governor Rick Perry has called for the United States to reconsider funding the world body. The United States currently underwrites 22% of the United Nation’s annual budget, and 27% of its so-called peace keeping operations. “I think it’s time not only to…

According to Bloodberg, A shuffle of the 15-member United Nations Security Council could impact Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ statehood bid at the world body. PA officials have said at least eight council members – Russia, China, Gabon, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil, Lebanon and India – will vote “Yes.” Nine votes – including positive recommendations…

Dozens of Arab citizens of Israel held a demonstration Thursday in which they called to kidnap IDF soldiers in order to free more of the terrorists in Israel’s prisons. The protest took place outside Sharon prison. The protesters waved PLO flags. Twelve were arrested after refusing to clear the area. Several Israeli Arab terrorists were…

Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is occasionally awake and responds to speech, his son Gilad claimed Thursday in an interview with the New York Times. “He looks at me and moves fingers when I ask him to,” Gilad said, “I am sure he hears me.” Gilad Sharon admitted that doctors said his father had no…

The death of dictator Muammar Qaddafi was not intentional, leaders of Libya’s rebel movement have announced. Spokesmen for the National Transitional Council said Qaddafi was not assassinated, but rather caught in the crossfire between rebels and his loyalists. Earlier, the prime minister of Libya’s interim government said of Qaddafi’s death, “We have been waiting for…

In August, police handed out administrative restraining orders against several men from Yitzhar, banishing them from their Shomron (Samaria) hometown. Now, more than two months later, one expellee tells Arutz Sheva that far from putting a stop to his activities, the order has just increased his work on behalf of Jewish settlement. After a difficult…

Days after the mass release of hundreds of terrorists in exchange for Gilad Shalit, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has released a surprise demand, and is calling on Israel to release 1,000 more. Abbas claims that former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised him that if Israel were to free Hamas terrorists in exchange for Shalit,…

  Terror victims’ group Almagor demanded Thursday that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak immediately publish the conclusions of the Shamgar Committee, which was appointed to set rules for cases in which soldiers and/or civilian citizens are abducted by the enemy. Its conclusions have not yet been made public because the committee met after the…

Harvey Schwartz, Chair of the American Israeli Action Coalition, participated this week in the Jerusalem Conference for English speakers, which was held in the Jerusalem Great Synagogue. Schwartz discussed the case of a Jerusalem-born U.S. citizen who is asking to have the country Israel put on his passport. “As of now, the United States policy…

“Don’t shoot, don’t shoot,” may have been fugitive Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s final words, Reuters reports. “Qaddafi’s body is with our unit in a car and we are taking the body to a secret place for security reasons,” Mohamed Abdel Kafi, a National Transitional Council official in the city of Misrata, told the wire service.…

Noam Shalit, father of Gilad Shalit, hinted Thursday evening in a news conference that his son had been abused during his captivity. “He underwent harsh things during his captivity and when the time comes we will elaborate,” said Shalit, who spoke to reporters at Mitzpe Hila, where the family lives.   “Gilad feels good overall,”…

The Hamas terror organization has decided to reward the terrorists who were released as part of the deal to release Gilad Shalit. Israel’s Channel 10 News reported on Wednesday that Hamas’ government in Gaza, headed by Ismail Haniyeh, has decided to reward each terrorist who will be freed to Gaza with a sum of $2,000.…

  Muckraking journalist Raviv Drucker said Wednesday the conduct of Israel’s media in terms of Gilad Shalit was a model of surrender to emotions – which has caused tangible damage to the nation. Drucker told Israel’s Hebrew-language Marker, “The media went bankrupt. It behaved emotionally, crazily and irrationally. This included Channel 10. It was psychosis.…

The eight day festival that consists of Sukkot and Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah comes to an end Thursday night, bringing an end to the holiday season and starting the regular year. In Israel, a popular expression is “Acharei Hachagim” – lets’ wait till after the holidays –  as the entire country seems to put off whatever it can from…

A female Palestinian Authority Arab terrorist tried to stab an Israeli at the Gush Etzion junction on Wednesday afternoon. Soldiers from the IDF’s Kfir Brigade who were on hand stopped the terrorist, captured and arrested her. No one was hurt in the incident. The attempted attack came just one day after Israel released 477 terrorist…

A group of IDF physicians and psychologists arrived Wednesday morning at the Shalit home in Mitzpe Hila to further assess the condition of Gilad Shalit. On Tuesday doctors at the Tel Nof Air Force base in Rehovot had reported Shalit’s pallor was poor, that he had excessive weight-loss, persistent injuries, and moved with a limp.…

Israel’s General Security Services (GSS) said Wednesday they had yet to debrief Gilad Shalit on his five years in the hands of the Hamas terror organization, but were able to draw some conclusions about his captivity based on statements he made before returning home. Security officials say they believe Shalit was held in southern Gaza,…

Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons is suffering from production and engineering troubles, Fox News reported on Tuesday. Two new reports from the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) have found that output has slowed dramatically at Iran’s main nuclear facility in Natanz, where centrifuges required to make the enriched uranium needed for nuclear weapons…

11 of the terrorists who were freed from Israeli prisons as part of the Gilad Shalit deal landed late Tuesday night in Turkey, Israel’s Channel 10 News reported. The terrorists were flown on a special plane from Cairo to Ankara, after Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu confirmed that Turkey will be accepting them. On Monday,…

The Hevron area town of Negohot continues to grow with a new neighborhood and synagogue. More than 1,000 people came out Sunday to an event celebrating the new projects. David Yeberbaum laid the cornerstone for the synagogue, which is to replace the temporary structures that have served as prayer halls until now. Yeberbaum is the…

Now that Gilad Shalit has returned home, he will need much assistance and support, an ex-POW told Arutz Sheva on Tuesday. Uri Shahak was an IDF pilot who was captured by the Syrians during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Today, he heads an organization named Erim Balaila (meaning Awake at night in Hebrew), which accompanies…

Nearly ten years after his wife and three children were murdered in a terror attack in Itamar, Boaz Shabo said on Tuesday that he has mixed feelings over Gilad Shalit’s return from captivity. Shabo lost his wife and three of his seven children in a terrorist attack on June 20, 2002. A Palestinian Authority Arab…

Haim Avraham, father of kidnapped soldier Benny Avraham, whose body was returned to Israel along with the bodies of fellow soldiers Adi Avitan and Omar Sawaid in a prisoner exchange with Hizbullah, said Tuesday that he shares the Shalit family’s joy. “I am delighted that Israel reached a decision to bring him home but sad…

Hamas terrorists in Gaza promised that there would be more kidnappings of IDF soldiers, given the success they realized by nabbing Gilad Shalit five years ago. Hamas held a huge rally in Gaza Tuesday night, with tens of thousands calling for the destruction of Israel and for freedom for all terrorists still in Israeli prisons.…

Israel was concerned Tuesday night that the United Nations would encourage terrorists who are supposed to remain outside Israel and Gaza to return to their families, after UN Human Rights Council head Navi Pillay said that requiring the terrorists to relocate from their original homes was against international law. Pillay said that the Council may…

Beirut has released a detailed report implicating the Syrian Embassy, Hizbullah-linked members of its own Internal Security Forces, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in the kidnappings of Syrian opposition figures in Lebanon. According to Lebanon’s Daily Star, the report released publicly by Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi on Tuesday, was previously…

The French Ambassador to Israel, Cristophe Bigot, met on Tuesday night with Gilad Shalit and his family. Bigot presented a letter to Shalit from French President Nicholas Sarkozy, whom the ambassador said was “overjoyed” at the release of Shalit, who is a dual Israeli-French citizen. In the letter, Sarkozy wrote to Shalit that he “saluted…

When rumors that a deal that would Gilad Shalit home to Israel in exchange for over 1,000 terrorists turned into reality, Israel’s media outlets – along with several foreign ones – began jockeying for the rights to conduct the first interview with Gilad after he returned home. But they were all trumped by Egypt’s state-controlled…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu welcomed Shalit back home from captivity Tuesday and vowed, “We will continue to fight terror. Every terrorist who returns to terror will have a price on his head.” He added, “Gilad has returned home and is back with his family, his people and his country,” the Prime Minister stated. After meeting…

The British Telegraph has been comparably favorable to Israel but a perusal of its extensive coverage on the ransom paid for Gilad Shalit to the Hamas should help to illustrate the international pitfalls generated by the Israeli government’s decision . One notion that will be hard to dispel is that if Israel could reach a…

Gilad Shalit briefly fainted on the helicopter to the Tel Nof Air Force base, but doctors said he can fly to his family home in northern Israel Tuesday. Outwardly, the soldier appeared well after suffering more than five years in the captivity of Gaza terrorists who kidnapped him, after killing two of his comrades in an…

Terrorist Amana Jawad Mona, described as an “Al Capone” who ruled over fellow inmates, chooses deportation out of fear of revenge in Gaza. She tempted an Israeli youth over the Internet to meet her, and the victim, was Ofir Rahum, was subsequently shot and killed. After her conviction and imprisonment, supposedly for life, she turned…

On December 31, 2000, terrorist Mustafa Muslimani murdered Binyamin and Talia Kahane. Today, he is free as part of the Shalit deal, but friends and supporters of Kahane have put a price on his head. Binyamin Kahane was the son of slain nationalist leader Rabbi Meir Kahane and a leader in his own right. He…

Gilad Shalit has spoken with his family for the first time since he was kidnapped at the same spot 1,941 days ago and has been flown by helicopter to the Kerem Shalom crossing, the first time he has been in Israeli territory since he was captured. Israel officials dressed him in an IDF uniform after he…

Gilad Shalit told Egyptian media he was told a week ago he would be freed. “I was happy to hear it, but I was suspicious,” he said. “I waited years, but I believed I would find myself free.” He said the first thing he wants to do when he gets home is to “be with…

MK Prof. Aryeh Eldad (National Union) protested outside Ofer Prison Tuesday morning, where 16 terrorists were about to go free as part of the Shalit deal. “Everyone is busy talking about the helicopter that has taken off or landed and is reporting every movement being made [around the Shalit transfer] today,” he said, “but I…

Hundreds of Palestinian Authority Arabs threw rocks at Israeli soldiers as terrorists were freed at the Betunia checkpoint. The IDF fired stun grenades, tear gas and smoke bombs to disperse the rioters. Most of the rioters carried Hamas and Islamic Jihad banners and arrived at the checkpoint to welcome approximately 100 terrorists and security prisoners…

On the eve of the terrorist prisoner exchange that will bring home kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, Arab terrorists are gaining confidence and becoming inspired to increase attacks on the road and in Israeli cities.  In at least two locations on Highway 60 in Judea, Palestinian Authority Arabs terrorists attacked Israeli travelers. At about 8:30…

Six Israeli Arab terrorists will be the first to be freed by the prisoner swap deal for kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.  A total of 1,027 Palestinian Authority Arab prisoners, including hundreds of multiple murderers with Jewish blood on their hands, are to be freed in the deal. On Tuesday, an initial group of 477…

The terrorists who held kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit for over five years will take center stage alongside Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal in Cairo when he greets the first 477 of 1,027 terrorists being traded for Shalit’s release. Some observers, who noted Israel only promised not to pursue the freed terrorists on condition they do not…

Israel’s Supreme Court rejected on Monday evening the petitions that had been filed by families of terror victims against the exchange of 1,027 terrorists held by Israel in exchange for abducted soldier Gilad Shalit. The three judges, Dorit Beinisch, Hanan Meltzer, and Eliezer Rivlin, wrote in their ruling that the decision on questions of security…

Qatar and Turkey have agreed to accept the Palestinian Authority Arab terrorists to be deported under the prisoner swap deal to free IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy politburo chief of the Hamas terrorist organization that held Shalit hostage since June 2006, praised Egypt for its part in mediating the deal. The Hamas official…

The trademark green Hamas flags flew over homes in Issawiya, located across the French Hill in Jerusalem this morning. Residents of Issawiya were asked to remove the flags, which apparently had been placed in connect to the Shalit prisoner exchange. A correspondent told Arutz Sheva that a complaint had been filed with the police regarding…

Palestinian Authority Arabs showed up at the Jewish village of Adei Ad on Monday to harvest olives – olives from trees that were planted and nurtured by local Jewish farmers. The PA group was accompanied by PA police, who stood watch as the harvesters gathered Adei Ad’s produce. Residents of Adei Ad explained that the…

Representatives of the bereaved families of terror victims met with President Shimon Peres on Monday to express their opposition to releasing the terrorists with blood on their hands in exchange for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. The meeting with Peres comes at the families’ request. “The President is attentive and open to all citizens of Israel and…

Israel’s High Court of Justice is expected to issue a ruling on petitions filed by families of terror victims against the exchange of 1,027 security prisoners held by Israel in exchange for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. The court heard arguments pertaining to the petitions on Monday afternoon. In addition to the petitions filed by bereaved…

Alleged spy Ilan Grapel may be exchanged for all 81 Egyptians held in Israel’s prisons as early as Tuedsay, Army radio reported on Monday. Egyptian security officials say the exchange could happen as early as Teusday at the Taba border crossing on the Israel-Egypt border. “I can only hope that, just as we released Gilad…

The murderer of Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) officer Noam Cohen will be released in the Gilad Shalit exchange deal. Cohen, a resident of the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood in Jerusalem, left his home to conduct a security operation with fellow officers in Ramallah on February 13, 1994. At least three terrorists opened fire with automatic…

A group of family and friends of a Border Police officer currently serving a prison sentence for killing an Arab protested on Sunday evening outside the home of Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman. Dennis Alhazov was convicted in 2009 of killing an Arab in revenge for the 2002 killing by terrorists of the IDF’s Hevron Brigade…

Meir Schijveschuurder, who lost his parents and three of his siblings in the suicide bombing in the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem in 2001, appealed to the Supreme Court on Sunday in an attempt to prevent the release of Ahlam Tamimi, the female terrorist who drove the suicide bomber to the scene of the attack. Tamimi…

  The families of two terror victims have filed legal motions against the release of their loved ones’ murderers. The motions join the collective ones filed by terror victims’ groups against the Shalit deal. The Shorhsan family has filed a motion demanding that the terrorists who murdered Doron Shorshan of Kfar Darom remain behind bars.…

The deal between Israel and Hamas for the release of Gilad Shalit has heightened the tensions between Hamas and Fatah, it was reported on Sunday. The Fatah movement, which is headed by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, is reportedly deeply disappointed with the treatment it received in the deal from Hamas, which conducted the negotiations with…

The mother of Kinneret Mandel, who was killed in a drive-by shooting attack at the Gush Etzion Junction on October 16, 2005, is demanding that Kinneret’s killers remain in the country.  Mandel submitted a damages claim to a Petah Tikva court this Monday morning against the three terrorists who murdered her daughter and are scheduled…

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov last week blamed US policies in the war on terror for aggravating the HIV/Aids problem in Russia and the West, Reuters reports. Lavrov made Russia’s persistent case for poppy crop eradication by US and NATO forces in Afghanistan at a conference on communicable diseases in the Eastern Europe and Central…

The family of Gilad Shalit responded Sunday to emergency lawsuits filed against the plan to release more than 1,000 terrorists, hundreds of them murderers, in exchange for their son. Parents Noam and Aviva called on the Supreme Court not to intervene. Even a temporary delay could be deadly, the parents argued through their attorney. “In…

Orphans whose parents and sibling were murdered by terrorists say nobody called from the Justice Ministry this week to tell them the killers would be walking free in exchange for kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. “We got all our information from the internet,” Didi Dickstein told Arutz Sheva. The Dickstein children’s complaint follows similar allegations…

The parents of a teenage victim of the Sbarro Restaurant suicide bombing have launched a last-minute petition to convince the government to keep the terrorist in jail. Arnold and Frimet Roth lost their daughter Malki in the attack in the center of Jerusalem, where 15 others lost their lives and dozens of others were wounded.…

The United States is conducting a week-long large-scale aerial exercise in Israel and Saudi Arabia as a navy fleet sails to the Mediterranean in preparation for any surprise flare-ups in the Middle East as Israel and frees 1,027 terrorists and security prisoners in exchange for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. Intelligence officials have said that terrorist…

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon criticized Israel on Friday over reports it plans to build a new community at Givat HaMatos in southern Jerusalem, saying further Israeli construction was “unacceptable.” “The Secretary-General is deeply concerned at continued efforts to advance planning for new Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem,” Ban’s office said in a statement. “Recent…

Arab foreign ministers are slated to discuss suspending Syria’s membership in the Arab League at an emergency meeting due to be held in Cairo on Sunday, Egypt’s semi-official newspaper Al Ahram reported. The report, quoting diplomatic sources, said ministers may also consider the possibility of recognizing the newly-formed opposition Syrian National Council. Sunday’s meeting is…

The first list of 477 terrorists to be freed Tuesday for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit includes dozens serving 924 ”life sentences” for murdering or organizing the murder of Jews. The other terrorists were sentenced to a collective total of hundreds of years in jail, but all of them will see the light of day on…

Hamas sources Saturday evening said kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit will not be able to identify his captors because he never saw their faces during nearly six years in captivity. “His captors were careful to always be masked,” said the source. Hamas also claimed Shalit will not be able to identify the place where he held prisoner.…

Noam Shalit, father of captive soldier Gilad Shalit, says he has had no word from the government on what is happening with his son and will not rejoice until his son is on the steps of their home, Israel Radio reported. “I hope it will go smoothly,” Noam Shalit told reporters from the Hebrew-media who…

Arab policemen arrested two Jews, including a prominent spokesman in Samaria, for allegedly bowing down and praying on the Temple Mount Sunday morning. Shomron (Samaria) Liaison Spokesman David Ha’Ivri told Arutz Sheva, “We were in a group of 25 men performing the mitzvah of being seen on the Temple Mount during the Sukkot holiday. “Suddenly,…

The Israel Prison Service has published on its website the full list of terrorists who will be released as part of the deal made with Hamas to free kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. The list, which was published shortly after midnight (Israel time) includes 450 prisoners, 280 of which were given life sentences, and 27 female…

A commotion broke out on Saturday evening outside the home of Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman. The disturbance occurred when a group of nationalists demonstrated outside the house, calling for Jewish security prisoners to be released in place of the Arab terrorists that are to be released as part of the Shalit deal. The police dispersed…

The Ministry of Justice is set to publish the list of names of terror prisoners who will be released in the first part of the Shalit deal. Families of people murdered by the terrorists will have 48 hours to file motions against the release. The High Court is expected to reject the appeals, however. Among…

Attorney Ami Palmor, Head of Pardons Department in the Justice Ministry, arrived at the President’s Residence Saturday evening and delivered the files concerning the terrorists that are to be pardoned in the first part of the Shalit deal. Peres will attach a letter to the pardons, as he did when he pardoned child-murderer Samir Kuntar…

Hamas has made additional last minute demands of Israel in return for freeing abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Analysts say the demands could imperil the deal or postpone its implementation. While Hamas kingpin Khaled Mashaal has boasted that all Palestinian Authority (PA) female terrorist prisoners will be freed, his organization appears to have discovered at…

Saudi Arabia on Thursday said it was ‘weighing its response’ to an Iranian plot to assassinate its ambassador in Washington, the Kingdom’s official SPA news agency reported. “The kingdom, for its part, is considering decisive measures and steps it would take in this regard to stop these criminal actions…” SPA quoted security sources as saying…

Hamas leaders are telling Arabic media that Israel agreed to release terrorists in exchange for Gilad Shalit without a commitment from the terrorist group to stop kidnapping soldiers. Israel tried to get a commitment, but agreed to go ahead without one, according to sources quoted by the pan-Arabic paper Al-Hayat. Hamas also claimed that they…

Hamas has published a partial list of terrorists who are expected to be released in exchange for kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. On the list are many who took part in previous kidnappings of Israeli civilians. One is Amana Mouna, who took part in the kidnapping and murder of 16-year-old Ofir Rachum. Others include Yahye…

Egyptian daily Al-Masri Al-Youm reported late Wednesday that Hamas handed captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit over to Egypt pursuant to the deal brokered with Israel for his release. Egyptian officials reportedly told the newspaper Shalit was transferred to Egypt through the Rafiah crossing. According to eyewitnesses, Shalit was driven through the Rafah crossing in a black car that has not undergone any inspection – a common procedure used when moving senior Hamas officials.…

Relatives of victims of terrorist attacks have filed an emergency lawsuit against the release of terrorists in exchange for kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. The suit was filed with the help of the Almagor organization for victims of terror. The government has agreed to release more than 1,000 terrorists in exchange for Shalit, including murderers…

Active duty and reserve soldiers from elite counter-terrorism units who risked their lives during previous missions to capture terrorists submitted a petition to the Netanyahu government protesting the wholesale release of terrorists in exchange for the release of kidnapped Gilad Shalit after six years in Hamas captivity. The organizers write, “We, soldiers past and present,…

Interior Minister Eli Yishai (Shas) is advocating the release of 12 Jewish security prisoners convicted of “terrorism related activities,” Arutz Sheva learned. Before the cabinet vote on Tuesday to approve the release of 1,027 terrorists for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, Shmuel Medad presented Yishai with a list of Jewish security prisoners currently held in Israeli…

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday to congratulate him on his deal with Hamas for the release of Gilad Shalit. Clinton reportedly told Netanyahu the decision took “courage and leadership.” For his part Netanyahu thanked Clinton for her well-wishes and said that it was a difficult decision for…

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe (Bogie) Ya’alon slammed the cabinet’s decision to release 1,027 terrorists in exchange for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. “I am stunned because we are dealing with cases involving murder,” Yaalon told Channel 10 on Thursday.  “My heart says yes, but my head says no. In this discussion…

  Comments made by Judea and Samaria brigade commander Nitzan Alon to the New York Times on Tuesday have raised the ire of Jewish residents who rely on him to ensure their lives. In a wide-ranging interview, Alon expressed concern over “increasing violence”  by radical Israeli settlers, colloquially called ‘price tag’ operations, which he called…

Palestinian Authority chief negotiator Saeb Erekat denied on Thursday that PA and Israeli representatives would meet in Jordan to discuss restarting peace talks on October 23. “It was said that there are meetings and calls for meetings in Jordan between an Israeli and a Palestinian delegation with the Quartet. This talk is not true. We…

  Fatah leader Azzam al-Ahmad said Wednesday that impromptu talks with Hamas chief Khalid Mashaal in Cairo led him to believe “reconciliation talks” would begin “soon.” Al-Ahmad, who heads the Fatah delegation in talks with Hamas, told reporters after the meeting was arranged at the last minute as the officials happened to be in the…

More than a year after leaving their home and marching to Jerusalem to protest for their son’s return, Aviva and Noam Shalit, Gilad Shalit’s parents, returned to their home in Mitzpe Hila on Wednesday. Israel’s Channel 10 News reported that the Shalits were greeted by hundreds of people, but asked that everyone keep their cool…

In the wake of the deal to free kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, Egyptian media outlets reported on Wednesday that Ilan Grapel, the Israeli being held in Egypt on spying charges, will soon be released as well. Israel’s Channel 10 News cited a report in an Egyptian newspaper which said that based on understandings between…

A senior security official with the IDF, who was involved in the capture of many terrorists over the years, said on Wednesday that the deal to bring back Gilad Shalit is dangerous to Israel. “As part of the deal we will be releasing 1,000 murderers in exchange for one soldier who is very important and…

President Shimon Peres met on Wednesday with the Israeli team that led the negotiations to free Gilad Shalit, headed by David Meidan. During the meeting, Peres told the team, “I want to thank you on behalf of the entire nation for bringing an end to such a serious and sensitive time period for the State…

The full list of terrorists that are to be released in exchange for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is expected to be made public by Sunday. The Justice Ministry, led by Director General Dr. Guy Rotkopf, held a meeting on the issue on Wednesday afternoon. The Ministry said in a statement that the meeting dealt…

The deal between Israel and Hamas to release terrorists in exchange for Gilad Shalit will be implemented within 48 hours, the Cairo-based Al-Ahram newspaper reported on Wednesday. According to the report, which was unconfirmed elsewhere, the exchange will take place in Cairo or somewhere between Cairo and Berlin. A senior Egyptian security source told Al-Ahram…

Vandals, apparently Arabs, scrawled ”death to Jews” on four synagogues in Tzfat (Safed) Tuesday night, the latest desecration of holy sites that has plagued Israel in recent weeks. Tzfat’s Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu told Arutz Sheva he expects Muslim clerics to denounce the desecration and hate messages, but no condemnation has been issued as of…

The week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot, commemorating G-d’s protection of the Jews during their 40-year sojourn prior to entering the Promised Land, begins Wednesday evening. On this holiday, Jews build, eat, relax and many even sleep in temporary booth-type structures, sukkot, reminding them of their desert dwellings and of the Clouds of Glory that protected them during that…

Columbian president Juan Manuel Santos on Tuesday rebuffed Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas who had travelled to Bogotá to secure support of his unilateral statehood bid at the United Nations. “We want the Palestinian state to exist. But this can only come as the result of a (UN) vote or resolution. It must be the…

The mother of a victim of the Sbarro bomb massacre, one of whose terrorists is to be freed, says, “This ongoing war is killing us.”  Malka Chana (Malki) Roth, 15, from Jerusalem and originally from Melbourne, was one of 15 people murdered in the bombing of the restaurant in the center of Jerusalem in August…

Israel Security Agency chief Yoram Cohen reluctantly told reporters the terms approved by the cabinet for the release of Gilad Shalit “is the best deal possible.” Under the first stage of the agreement – expected to take place next week – Israel will release 450 terrorists in exchange for the freedom of kidnapped soldier Gilad…

While activists who have been demanding freedom for kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit expressed joy at the prospect of Gilad’s returning home, another group of Israelis – the families of the victims of terror attacks undertaken by the terrorists who will be released in exchange for Shalit – expressed, in many cases, anger at the…

While specific details of the deal to release Gilad Shalit have not yet been released, the general terms of the deal Hamas demands have been known for years. Hamas has made no secret of the fact that it was demanding that Israel free a host of arch-terrorists that were involved in multiple terrorist attacks and serving life…

The Israeli cabinet voted late Tuesday night on the deal to release kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. The vote came following a stormy meeting. 26 ministers supported the deal with only three – Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau, and Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya’alon – voting against the deal. As part of…

International mediators have set October 23rd as the date for officials from Jerusalem and Ramallah to resume negotiations, the Associated Press reported Monday. The move, seen by many as putting the diplomatic cart before the real politick horse, comes as Palestinian Authority officials continue to insist Israel stop construction in the ‘disputed territories’ – Judea,…

Khaled Meshaal, the head of Hamas’ political bureau in Damascus, said on Tuesday that the terrorists who will be released in the Gilad Shalit deal will “return to the struggle.” Meshaal said that as part of the deal with Israel, Hamas gave priority to the release of “heavy” prisoners, including ones from Judea and Samaria,…

Egypt, like Turkey, has shot itself in the foot, losing millions of dollars in tourism because of rabid anti-Israeli sentiment. In addition, the National Security Council Counter-Terrorism Bureau issued a severe warning against travel to the Sinai Peninsula as the Sukkot holiday approaches. The council called on all Israelis there now to leave at once…

A deal for the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit has been worked out with Hamas, reports in Israeli media and Arab satellite television station Al-Arabiya said Tuesday night. The government is meeting as this article is going to press, and government sources said that the deal is expected to be approved. Official details have…

The European Union has just received an in-your-face verdict from Kiev as a court convicted former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko of abusing her office when she signed a gas deal with the Russians in 2009. She has been sentenced to seven years and a fine of no less than 187 million dollars. The EU has…

A fraudulent vaccination campaign orchestrated by the CIA in its quest to find and kill Al Qaeda arch-terrorist Osama Bin Laden has undercut Western-backed Immunization drives against polio and other diseases. It has also put the Pakistani doctor who aided the CIA in carrying out the program in the Pakistani government’s crosshairs. According to the…

Military prosecutors indicted four terrorists on Tuesday for the 23 March 2011 bus bombing in Jerusalem. Members of the cell recruited the terrorist who executed the attack, by leaving the explosive device in a bus station after noticing a gathering on the premises, walking away and detonating the device.  The IDF spokesperson’s office declined to…

In an escalation of a trend that has left officials in Beirut on edge, Syrian forces crossed into Lebanon and shot dead a Syrian man in the eastern Bekaa Valley, security sources told Reuters on Friday. The sources said the shooting occurred Thursday as Syrian soldiers pursued dissident Ali Al Khatib near the village of…

The head of the Yesha Council, an umbrella group of settlement leaders in Judea and Samaria, is calling upon ministers and Knesset members to intervene immediately to prevent mass demolition of Jewish homes in the mountainous Israeli heartland. The alternative, he warns, “will throw us all into a whirlpool with unknown consequences.” Yesha Council Chairman…

“Joe the Plumber,” who covered rocket attacks on Israel for the conservative Pajamas Media outlet, now wants to be “Joe the Congressman.” Joe Wurzelbacher has filed with the Federal Election Commission to run as a Republican candidate in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District but told reporters he would not make a final decision until later this month.…

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s upcoming speech to a top US-Arab group may be a move to use the United States as a stage against Israel as he implies a ”one-state” solution in his recent “Berlin Wall” remark. The American Task Force on Palestine has invited Fayyad to speak later this month at a gala…

Pakistan’s Taliban movement intimated Monday it would consider peace talks with the US-backed Islamabad government, a local paper reported. “Our shura [council] will decide whether and when we can enter into talks with the government, with the military,” the Express Tribune quoted Maulvi Wali-ur-Rahman Mehsud, deputy leader of the Pakistani Taliban, as saying. “But I…

Senior members of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s government and dozens of Knesset Members – 38 in all – sent a letter to Netanyahu Tuesday demanding that he reverse his policy, according to which Jewish houses built on privately owned land in Judea and Samaria will be razed. The Supreme Court under President Dorit Beinisch determined…

Likud MK Haim Katz, Chairman of the Knesset’s Labor, Welfare and Health Committee and one of the strongest member of Likud in terms of political clout, toured Samaria Monday and came out roundly against the intention to demolish numerous Jewish homes after the holidays.   Katz is also the longtime chairman of the Israel Aerospace…

Knesset House Committee Chairman MK Yariv Levin used unusually direct words to blast the Supreme Court, in an interview for the Our Land of Israel weekly brochure.  “It is no secret that the legal system and especially the Supreme Court have been taken over by a minority ultra-leftist group that tries to dictate its values…

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin told members of the European Union Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Tuesday that the Oslo Accords proved that forcing an agreement on Israel and the Palestinian Authority is an illusion that won’t work. “There will not be peace if there is no security for Israel. Oslo proved it,” he said in his…

Jerusalem Police detectives arrested over the last 24 hours a group of Arabs who hurled rocks at Jews in Beit Hanina on Yom Kippur. Aryeh Orange, a resident of Pisgat Ze’ev, told Arutz Sheva Tuesday morning that the Jews were headed for a special minyan – prayer quorum – that they conduct annually on Yom…

The world may finally soon know exactly what most concerns the  United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency about Iranian nuclear development. The international atomic watchdog agency is expected to explain – in a detailed report – exactly why it believes Iran may be developing a nuclear weapon of mass destruction. The report is being prepared…

Dissident Yemeni General Ali Mohsin Al Ahmar asserted on Sunday that embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh rigged the 2006 presidential election to stay in power, AFP reports. Al Ahmar said opposition candidate Faisal Bin Shamlan was the actual winner at a press conference. Al Ahmar, a central figure in Saleh’s regime before defecting with the…

Syria’s crackdown on protesters across the country is continuing, but opposition activists are beginning to fight back. At least 31 people died Monday in clashes between protesters and Syrian soldiers. However, among the dead were 17 members of the Syrian army, as well as 14 civilian protesters, according to eyewitnesses quoted by human rights activists.…

A Lebanese strategic analyst close to Hizbullah warned on Monday the terror group will strike Israeli gas-exploration interests if Tel Aviv continues drilling in the Tamar and Leviathan gas fields. “In case the enemy steals Lebanon’s oil, Hezbollah will have the right to strike its oil installations and facilities,” Feisal Abdossater told Iran’s semi-official Fars…

Leaks regarding a secret legal memorandum on the targeted killing of Anwar Al Awaki shed light on the Obama administration’s decision to authorize the killing of a US citizen without trial, the New York Times reports. Al Awlawki, a radical muslim cleric born in the United States was hiding in Yemen when he was targeted…

A resident of the Samaria Jewish community of Karnei Shomron was arrested Monday afternoon in what appears to be another case of incitement by Palestinian Authority Arabs. The Arabs entered the security zone of the community ostensibly to harvest their olives, under the protection of the IDF, but reportedly used the opportunity instead to attack…

The PLO reiterated Monday that Quartet for Middle East Peace spokesman Tony Blair was “unwelcome” in enclaves it administers via the Palestinian Authority. “Blair is unwelcome because he violated his mission as neutral envoy of an international committee that aims at achieving just peace in the region,” a PLO statement read. The Quartet appointed Blair, Britain’s former…

An imprisoned Iranian student who “insulted” President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad received 74 lashes before being allowed to go free on Sunday after completing his 11-month sentence in prison.  The student, Peyman Aref, is majoring in political science at Tehran University. He was convicted on charges of spreading propaganda against the regime. Aref is not the first such…

The Palestinian Authority plans to use membership in the United Nations’ UNESCO cultural committee to lay claims to Jewish holy sites, PA ministers said Monday, speaking to Reuters. PA Minister of Culture Hamdan Taha said the PA would seek World Heritage status for several sites, beginning with Bethlehem. The PA has already had some success…

The average salary for state workers rose by 6.89% in 2010, according to a report submitted Monday by Finance Ministry wages director Ilan Levine. The average salary now stands at 13,630 shekels a month, compared to 12,752 in 2009. Levine submitted reports on salaries in the public sector and the security sector in 2010, and…

The Quartet for Middle East Peace is expected to invite negotiators from Israel and the Palestinian Authority to Brussels in the “coming days,” the Associated Press reported Sunday. After Sunday’s meeting Quartet spokesman Tony Blair told reporters, “We look forward to meeting with the parties shortly. This provides us with the opportunity to explore grounds…

The Hamas terrorist rulers of Gaza have issued new regulations for visitors who intend to visit the region. According to an announcement posted on a Hamas website late Sunday, beginning Tuesday foreigners must obtain a visa to enter the territory. Applications must be submitted via the Internet, or through a local sponsor at least one…

The IDF spokesperson’s office announced Monday that an explosive device detonated in northern Gaza, killing a terrorist who was trying to plant a bomb near the security fence separating Israel’s southern communities from Hamas-ruled Gaza. The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s military wing claimed the man killed was one of two members of…

Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat says that following her request, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has instructed the Minister of Justice to find ways of setting up a legal team that will suggest means of giving a legal stamp of approval to Jewish outposts in Judea and Samaria. The team should be professional and made…

MK Yariv Levin (Likud) announced on Sunday that he intends to submit a bill to the Knesset which will fight the planned demolitions of Jewish homes in places such as Givat Assaf and Beit El. Levin told Arutz Sheva that his bill would deal with issues of Arab landowners claiming that Jewish lands are theirs,…

Due to the onset of Yom Kippur, Mitt Romney’s Friday speech at the Citadel College – a military academy in South Carolina — did not receive the attention it merited. The Citadel is located in South Carolina, a key early primary state where Romney was given no chance. Now, with Rick Perry’s campaign in the doldrums, Romney…

A Kurdish activist from Iraq, who was formerly a prisoner in a Syrian jail, told journalists that he had apparently been in the same prison cell that once held Israeli hero Eli Cohen – and that he had seen a sort of last will and testament by Cohen scrawled on the wall of the cell.…

Official PA news agency WAFA earlier quoted a group called the National Campaign to Recover Bodies of Martyrs as saying that the remains would be transferred to the PA at a Qalqilia checkpoint.  Abu Zant, who was born in 1954 in the city of Shechem, was part of an armed DFLP terror group when he…

By destroying Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is ultimately destroying the foundations of his own Likud party, MK Tzipi Hotovely, also of Likud, warned Sunday. Hotovely wrote a letter to Netanyahu reminding him that not all Likud lawmakers support the demolitions – and warning that further destruction could mean a…

Security services estimate that about 2,000 Islamists based in Britain “are actively planning terrorist activity of some kind.” The warning comes as Britain begins preparations for next year’s 2012 Olympic Games, which has been described by intelligence agency MI5 as the biggest security operation in the country’s history. Six men from Birmingham were arrested two…

The Arab Spring is turning into an Arab Winter for Israeli and Diaspora Jews. For the first time in recent history, Egypt has decided to completely bar Jews from visiting the tomb of Rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira, head of the dynasty that included Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, the famed “Baba Sali.” The decision, issued by regional ruler…

Iran has issued a warning to Turkey that its trade ties will be in jeopardy if Ankara does not change its policies towards Syria, Muslim secularism and the NATO anti-missile shield. The military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini, Maj.-Gen. Yahya Rahim-Safavi, claimed in an interview on Saturday that Turkey will face trouble…

Itamar residents were shocked to see local arabs, some from the Awwad family that brutally murdered five members of the Fogel family, entering the confines of the communityf’s security zone barely half a year after the Friday night massacre. The PA village of Awarta’s residents were allowed in to harvest olives by Israeli Civil Administration but the Shomron (Samaria) Residents Committee reports…

Damascus has ordered cuts in oil production as it begins to find it cannot export its crude due to economic sanctions by the United States and by the European Union.  Gulfsands Petroleum has told United Press International that it was ordered by the Syrian Oil Ministry last month to reduce its production. The reason given,…