Category: News

Bataclan Theater in Paris, the concert hall where most of the bloodshed was seen on Saturday as 82 out of a total of more than 128 people were murdered in six coordinated attacks claimed by Islamic State (ISIS), was owned by Jews. In the attack, four terrorists armed with assault rifles shouting “Allahu akbar” (Allah is greater) stormed in during a…

Following reports that a Red Crescent ambulance passed by the site of Friday’s deadly terrorist attack and ignored the victims as they lay dying, the Israeli government will be launching an international campaign against the organization, which in principle does not treat Jews – despite being bound to treat all casualties regardless off their identity.…

A manhunt was underway on Friday evening for the terrorists who attacked a family near Otniel. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu vowed to bring the attackers to justice. “We will get to these heinous murderers and we will bring them to justice as we have done in the past,” he said in a statement. In…

Two Israelis have been killed after Arab terrorists opened fire on their vehicle near the Jewish town of Otniel in Judea’s Mount Hevron region. Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics have identified the victims as a 40-year-old man and an 18-year-old youth. A 16-year-old boy was moderately wounded. He was treated by emergency services at the scene before being transferred…

Iraqi Kurdish regional president Massud Barzani on Friday announced the “liberation” of the town of Sinjar in a major operation against the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group.   “I am here to announce the liberation of Sinjar,” Barzani told a news conference near the northern town. Speaking in Tunisia around the same time, US Secretary…

Yisrael Beytenu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman on Friday evening said that the Israeli government was to blame for the terrorist attack near Otniel. The attack, said Liberman, was “a direct result of the government’s conduct of containment instead of decision-making.” “Hamas leaders in Gaza welcome the murder of Jews, urge Palestinians in the Hevron hills…

Italian authorities on Friday said that security would be increased at “sensitive” sites across the country after a Jewish man was stabbed on a street in Milan on Thursday night, reported The Local news website. The department of public safety said in a statement that “vigilance and control will be intensified” at places of Jewish…

Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas refused on Friday evening to condemn the terrorist attack near Otniel, saying only that the Palestinian people “live under difficult conditions” caused by “the Israeli occupation”. The comments came in a news conference Abbas held with the visiting President of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades. Abbas did not specifically refer to the…

Both Hamas and the Islamic Jihad welcomed Friday’s terrorist attack near Otniel, in which terrorists ambushed a family vehicle and sprayed it with bullets, killing two people. In a statement, Hamas praised what it called the “heroic operation carried out by the resistance south of Hevron.” The attack, said the terrorist organization, “represents a qualitative development…

The United States military said Friday it was “reasonably certain” that the Islamic State executioner known as “Jihadi John,” a British citizen, was killed in a drone strike in Syria, AFP reported. Mohammed Emwazi, whose masked figure appeared in a string of graphic videos showing the beheading of Western hostages, was targeted in a combined…

Security forces nabbed a Palestinian Arab man who was harassing the Moked 100 police hotline, as was cleared for publication Friday morning.  Judea-Samaria District Police had been tracking the suspect for several weeks, after he repeatedly called the hotline in that district and nationwide, leaving messages threatening to commit terror attacks. Among the messages were threats he…

Among the 45 dead from a double suicide bombing Thursday at a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut, which was claimed by Islamic State (ISIS), is a senior official in the Iranian Shi’ite terror proxy Hezbollah. The official was named as Hajj Hussein Yaari (Abu Murdata), a senior figure in the Hezbollah security system, according to Lebanese media reports cited…

Even as the Obama administration expressed its approval of the EU decision to label Jewish goods from Judea, Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights on Thursday, a bipartisan group of Congressmen called on the government to take action against it. While US State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said the EU move Wednesday was a “technical” matter…

The US military conducted an air strike in Syria Thursday targeting “Jihadi John,” the masked, British-accented Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist seen in videos beheading hostages, the Pentagon said. Spokesman Peter Cook did not specify whether Mohammed Emwazi had been killed, saying in a statement that “we are assessing the results of tonight’s operation and will provide additional information as and where appropriate.” However, a…

MK Benny Begin (Likud) on Thursday said he did not see any possibility of an agreement with the Palestinians on the horizon. Speaking at the Haaretz Peace Conference, Begin said the Arab-Israeli conflict has no solution, because neither the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) nor Hamas will accept an agreement that includes recognition of Jewish sovereignty…

The University of Illinois will pay a professor who lost his job offer over a series of anti-Israel tweets $600,000 plus legal costs, under an agreement trustees approved Thursday, reports The Associated Press (AP). The agreement settles Steven Salaita’s lawsuit against the university with the school admitting no wrongdoing, the university said. Salaita will not…

The White House on Thursday night condemned what it called the “horrific terrorist” twin bomb blasts that killed 41 people in Beirut on Thursday. “Such acts of terror only reinforce our commitment to support the institutions of the Lebanese state, including the security services, to ensure a stable, sovereign, and secure Lebanon,” national security council…

Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists committed genocide against Iraq’s Yazidis in the north of the country and carried out crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and war crimes against other minorities, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum said on Thursday, according to Reuters. A report by the museum’s Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide determined that the…

Military Petitions Court Judge Brig. Gen. Doron Peles rejected a petition submitted on behalf of two out of four Netzah Yehuda battalion combat soldiers accused of hitting two terrorists, ruling that they are to remain in detention until the end of legal proceedings against them. The judge ruled that the soldiers were “dangerous” given the accusations by…

Three hundred civilian security guards due to be enlisted to guard Jerusalem’s buses starting Sunday have not been called up, despite the government’s promises. Last month, the government reinstated armed guards on the capital’s public transport system due to the ongoing terror wave in the city. The Ministry of Transport was informed that the guards…

British Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday it was not yet clear whether the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist known as “Jihadi John” had been killed in a US airstrike in Syria. Cameron said the strike had targeted British citizen Mohammed Emwazi, but added: “We cannot yet be certain if the strike was successful,” in a statement delivered outside his Downing…

Jewish and Israeli officials and institutions in Israel and abroad have expressed outrage over the EU’s decision to label products made in Judea-Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, causing fears of a widespread boycott.  But two MKs have decided to respond with measures of their own Thursday – exchanging their European-made cars in a tit-for-tat protest over…

In light of the High Court orders to destroy the Ayelet Hashahar Synagogue in Givat Ze’ev northwest of Jerusalem, leading religious Zionist rabbis issued a letter Friday morning condemning the order, and calling on the public to act to prevent the destruction. Those signing on the letter included Rabbi Haim Druckman, Head of the Bnei Akiva…

The Conference of European Rabbis (CER) harshly criticized UNESCO Thursday for its decision three weeks ago to list the Cave of the Machpela in Hevron and Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem as Muslim sites. The two sites between them house the graves of the Jewish patriarchs and matriarchs. “The Conference of European Rabbis protests vehemently against UNESCO’s decision…

Two explosions in a predominantly Shi’ite area of southern Beirut have killed at least 35 people, according to reports from Lebanon’s Daily Star and other sources. Al Jazeera sources said that the two blasts were separated by minutes. Local reports indicate two suicide bombers conducted the attacks. The explosions took place in the Ain el Sikkeh area,…

Jonathan Arkush, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, issued a sharp condemnation on Thursday to the EU decision the day before to label Jewish products from Judea, Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. “The EU labelling guidelines are not only totally misconceived but harmful,” began Arkush. “They are an attempt to stigmatise…

The High Court for Justice approved Thursday the demolition of the homes of six terrorists. It rejected a motion filed against the demolitions by a leftist “civil rights” group against the demolition orders issued by IDF Central Command Head, Major General Roni Numa. The homes of the murderers of the Eitam and Naama Henkin, Danny…

Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin (Likud) was booed and heckled Thursday as he addressed Haaretz‘s Peace Conference and attacked the Left’s policies. “The path followed by the Left, the international community and the UN Secretary General has failed,” he stated. “The entire concept is wrong at its base. You have strengthened the extremists and pushed…

The United States does not expect a major breakthrough at international talks in Vienna on how to end Syria’s civil war, with participants divided over the fate of President Bashar Al-Assad, Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday. He added, however, that he believes enough common ground exists between the main protagonists Washington, Russia, Saudi…

Zionist rabbis gathered Thursday at the Ayelet Hashahar Synagogue at Givat Ze’ev, northwest of Jerusalem, which is due to be destroyed in the coming days, and discussed ways of possibly preventing the tragedy. After the meeting, the rabbis spoke with the congregants and their numerous supporters, who are currently staying in the synagogue and hoping…

The Syrian regime army scored its second important victory in two days with backing from Russian air power on Thursday, as the groundwork was being laid for crucial international talks this weekend in Vienna. State television announced the capture of Al-Hader, a former opposition bastion near the key Aleppo-Damascus highway, just 48 hours after regime forces broke a siege by the Islamic State…

In a surprising political curve ball, Shas chairman and Negev and Galil Minister Aryeh Deri offered a deal to Yachad – Ha’am Itanu chairman Eli Yishai, his political rival who previously served as Shas head during Deri’s jail sentence for corruption and following hiatus from politics. Journalist Akiva Novick of Channel 10 reported on Thursday that Deri offered…

At the annual Chabad Lubavitch International Shluchim Conference in Brooklyn this week, Rabbi Joseph Gerlitzky, head shaliach (emissary) to Tel Aviv, sharply denounced the two state solution and blamed the proposal to divide the Jewish state as being responsible for much bloodshed. Rabbi Gerlitzky, who also is the Chairman of the Rabbinical Congress for Peace, spoke…

US President Barack Obama’s administration on Thursday voiced its approval of the discriminatory EU decision the day before to label Jewish goods from Judea, Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. The administration said the move is only a “technical guideline,” and is not a boycott, reports Associated Press – despite the obvious assumption that consumers would follow the labeling…

The Students for Israel movement held a demonstration Wednesday night in Herzliya outside the home of the EU envoy to Israel, following the body’s decision to label Jewish prodcuts from Judea-Samaria and the Golan Heights.  The activists held up pictures of banned Jewish-owned stores in Europe at the outset of the Holocaust, with crowds holding signs, like:…

The Anti-Defamation League has called on the Polish government to retract the appointment of Antoni Macierewicz as the country’s Defense Minister. Macierewicz has been criticized numerous times for anti-Semitic pronouncements, and for saying that the infamous forgery the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” was an authentic document. The Protocols, which purport to describe a…

IDF troops, with assistance from Border Police and the Israel Security Agency, arrested overnight Wednesday a Hamas terrorist who is suspected of involvement in the stabbing attack near Meitzad in Gush Etzion two weeks ago. Israel Ben Aharon, 58, suffered head injuries and was stabbed in the chest during the attack, but he managed to save himself by fighting off his…

A student at the University of Oregon has been arrested and charged for intimidation for allegedly using anti-Semitic slurs against a Jewish student at an Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) Jewish fraternity house on campus, JNS reported on Wednesday. According Eugene, Oregon, police, the victim noticed the suspect, later identified as Damien Leon Ramirez, 23, in…

Iran will receive the bulk of the S-300 air defense missile systems it ordered from Russia by the end of the year, Tehran’s defense minister said Wednesday, according to the AFP news agency. “We signed a contract with Russia. It is being done. We will acquire a large portion of the systems by the end…

The European Union’s (EU) decision to label products from Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights will reward terror, Jewish Home chairman and Education Minister Naftali Bennett told the BBC on Wednesday. The EU has “singled out Israel specifically, because there’s got to be 200 conflicts or land disputes around the world, and I don’t see…

A website used by Hamas’s intelligence “Al Majd” is claiming that the Israeli Mossad has recently stepped up its activities in Europe. According to the website, Palestinian students studying in various European countries have reported receiving direct or indirect contact from the Mossad in an attempt to recruit them as intelligence agents. According to the…

Turkish police arrested a Frenchman suspected of being an Islamic State terrorist on Wednesday after he had a hair transplant procedure at a beauty salon, local media reported. The Dogan news agency quoted police sources saying the man, identified as Mehdibend Said, was under surveillance after entering the country from Syria, where he was plotting a terrorist attack on Turkish soil.…

Samaria activist Ezri Tubi has published yet another video in defense of Israel – this time directed at American Jews who support the boycott movement against the Jewish state.  In the English-language video, entitled, “Something bad is happening to some American Jews,” the Yitzhar resident takes aim at those Jews who “patronize” Israeli citizens by accusing…

Knesset House Committee chairman David Bitan (Likud) has thrown his backing behind a bill mandating the State of Israel provide a monthly stipend to convicted spy Jonathan Pollard upon his release.  The money would be designated for Pollard’s housing, daily life and health expenses.  Pollard, who was arrested on charges of spying for Israel in 1985 and later…

In the wake of the EU’s controversial decision to to label Jewish products made in Judea-Samaria and the Golan Heights, Education Minister Naftali Bennett appeared on British news station BBC blasting the measure as a “new form of anti-Semitism.” When pushed by BBC’s reporter to say consumers are entitled to know the origins of their products, Bennett accused…

A month after Palestinian vandals set fire to Joseph’s Tomv, Israelis were back, repairing and repainting parts of the structure that had been burned and trashed. Four buses arrived in Shechem late Wednesday night, filled with volunteers who had come to help revamp the structure, as well as with worshippers who sought to pray at…

Supreme Court Judge Salim Joubran on Wednesday ordered to postpone the jailing of the radical Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic Movement in Israel. Salah had been due to start his 11-month sentence for incitement to violence and racism on Sunday. However, in response to Salah’s request to petition the sentence, Joubran ordered that his sentence…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday likened the European Union’s decision to label Jewish goods from Judea, Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights to the Nazi boycott of Jewish businesses. Israel in retaliation also called off a number of scheduled EU meetings. “The labeling of products of the Jewish state by the European Union brings back dark…

The European Union’s decision to label Israeli produce from Judea, Samaria, the Golan Heights and Jerusalem could mark the start of something much bigger – but Israel should be able to effectively challenge it if it opts to do so. International legal expert Professor Eugene Kontorovich of Northwestern University noted that the move is highly discriminatory,…

At the sidelines of the Standing Committee of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER) in Athens, Arutz Sheva got the chance to speak with Josh Spinner, executive VP and CEO of the Ronald Lauder Foundation, about the city’s Jewish school. The Lauder Athens Jewish Community School is widely recognized as the “heart” of the local Jewish community, Spinner…

An Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet) survey published Tuesday blamed the latest wave of Arab terror in Israel on a sense of despair among the Palestinian Arab population. According to the ISA, while incitement is a major contributor in prompting terrorists to carry out attacks, their motivations lie in a “national, economic, and personal…

Members of the Ayelet Hashahar Synagogue in Givat Ze’ev northwest of Jerusalem reported Wednesday on a meeting at the office of Minister Aryeh Deri, head of the Shas party, in which a potential solution to the High Court’s orders to destroy the synagogue was presented. According to the report, during the meeting Deri proposed lifting…

Mishka Ben-David, a former Mossad official, is set to appear in Yoav Limor’s new film “Hisul B’maagal Sagur” (A Closed Circuit Kill) to be broadcast Wednesday night on Israel’s popular Channel 2.  The film recounts the assassination of senior Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a hotel in Dubai, which is the basis of the new Israeli television series “Kfulim”…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made clear Wednesday afternoon that he has no intention of ordering a disengagement from any part of Judea and Samaria.  “I didn’t speak in the United States yesterday about a unilateral withdrawal, rather the possibility of unilateral steps,” he explained. Steps, he added, which would “strengthen Israel’s national and security interests…

Thousands of Ethiopian Jews in Israel celebrated the Sigd holiday on Wednesday at Jerusalem’s Armon Hanatziv Promenade overlooking the Temple Mount, in an event attended by President Reuven Rivlin. Sigd falls on the 29th of the Hebrew month of Heshvan, the 50th day after the Yom Kippur fast. Traditionally, the day is split into two: a lengthy…

“The terror attack I underwent saved my life.” So said Daniel Cohen, a 31-year-old father of five daughters. A resident of Rishon LeTzion, Cohen was stabbed by a Palestinian Muslim terrorist last week in an attack; an 80-year-old woman was also hurt in that attack, as was another Israeli. Cohen’s story took a surprising turn…

Esau despised it and sold it for a pittance. Yaakov cherished it and nearly paid for it with his life: What is so important about the birthright that Esau and his contemporary spiritual descendants will cry so bitterly over it today while just yesterday it meant not a thing to them? On the other hand,…

A Russian plan for political reform in Syria will not be a focal point of upcoming Vienna talks aimed at agreeing on a roadmap to end the four-year war, Britain’s UN envoy said Wednesday. Russia circulated the eight-point plan that calls for elections after an 18-month constitutional reform process, following the last round of international…

Faisal Mohammad, the California college student who last week stabbed four people, was carrying an image of the black flag of Islamic State (ISIS) as well as a handwritten manifesto with instructions to behead a student and multiple reminders to pray to Allah, Fox News revealed on Wednesday. However, according to the report, authorities continue…

French authorities revealed on Tuesday that they had arrested a man with ties to Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria, who was planning an attack on a major naval base. The 25-year-old man had been monitored ever since twice trying unsuccessfully to travel to Syria last year, and was detained last month before being charged on…

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon (Likud) participated on Wednesday night in the inauguration of the “Shuvu Achim Bishvil Yisrael” pre-military academy in Kiryat Moshe.  The academy is located on a street named after the three teenage boys kidnapped and murdered by Hamas terrorists in June of 2014 – Eyal Yifrah, Gilad Shaar and Naftali Frenkel.  At the ceremony,…

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) condemned Wednesday the European Union’s new guidlines to label Israeli goods from Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights.  “European officials can insist all they want that the decision is technical, but in fact these guidelines are a political message of diplomatic pressure,” ADL’s CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt said in a statement. “The political…

Germany on Wednesday defended Israel against the European Union’s decision to label Jewish goods from Judea, Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. Blasting the move as one which “could be exploited for anti-Israel campaigns,” Germany dubbed the measure a “mistake.” German parliementarian Jurgen Hardt of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling Christian Democratic Union party told Channel 2 that…

Arab media reports on Wednesday that Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets struck the Damascus Airport in the morning hours. According to the reports, powerful explosions were heard in the international airport. In parallel, the airport’s electricity went out completely, and flight traffic was temporarily halted. It is not clear whether the target of the alleged…

London Mayor Boris Johnson has been outspoken in his opposition to boycotts of the State of Israel during his trip to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. But his trip to the PA has already been marred on its first day after a Palestinian women’s group opted to boycott an Israeli journalist covering Johnson’s trip. Noga…

The European Union has approved a measure labeling Jewish-made goods from Judea and Samaria, in a long-anticipated move branded by the Israeli government as “anti-Semitic.” At a meeting in Brussels, the European Commissioner “adopted this morning the interpretative notice on indication of origin of goods from the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967,” the EU’s…

MK Hanin Zoabi (Joint List) harshly criticized the Justice Ministry’s push to lower the age by which minors can be sentenced to jail to 12, claiming that the decision is “fascist” and a human rights violation.  “This tramples rights and radically tramples lives,” Zoabi fumed. “This proposal illustrates how the state is becoming fascist, and it…

Israeli officials have reacted with outrage to the European Union’s decision to mark products made by Jews in Judea, Samaria, the Golan Heights and Jerusalem Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) said Wednesday that the move is “an anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish decision.” “European hypocrisy and hatred toward Israel have exceeded all possible limits,” she stated. “It’s…

The 14-year-old terrorist who, along with his 11-year-old relative, stabbed a security guard in Jerusalem on Tuesday committed the crime out of revenge, he confessed to police Wednesday.  “I wanted to kill Jews to avenge my cousin, Muhammed Ali, who was murdered at Damascus Gate,” Muawiyyeh Alkam told police. Ali stabbed three people at the Gate,…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will meet Wednesday with US Secretary of State John Kerry, for a follow-up meeting after Netanyahu’s session with President Barack Obama, which Netanyahu described as “very good.” One of the main topics Netanyahu intends to raise is the European Union announcement about marking Jewish-made products produced in Judea, Samaria and the…

The Ministry of Defense’s Rehabilitation Department presented to the Knesset Comptroller’s Committee information about the latest terror wave on Wednesday morning, including partial data on the number of injuries.  The Ministry of Defense has recognized 19 police, IDF soldiers, and Border Police officers as disabled veterans since the beginning of October, expediting the bureaucratic acceptance process…

Jewish Home chairman and Education Minister Naftali Bennett voiced criticism Wednesday morning of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s statement a day earlier, according to which unilateral Israeli steps in Judea and Samaria were possible, under security constraints and with international agreement. In an exclusive Arutz Sheva interview, Bennett sounded as if he had been surprised by…

Jewish visitors to the Jerusalem’s Temple Mount – the holiest site in Judaism – have long been subject to a list of restrictions demanded by Muslim authorities. Non-Muslim prayer and any other forms of “un-Islamic” worship have for years been strictly forbidden as part of the so-called “status quo” that the Jordanian Waqf and international community…

Several senior rabbis from across the political spectrum signed an open letter Wednesday calling for security forces not to destroy the Ayelet HaShachar synagogue in Givat Ze’ev, following a Supreme Court directive to destroy it over a petition from a far-left organization.  “It is an act prohibited by our holy Torah,” the letter said, noting that…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday once again apologized for remarks he made on election day with regards to Israeli Arabs and which had angered the Obama administration. Netanyahu had warned on election day that “huge numbers of Arabs” were coming out to vote, adding that many were being brought to the polling booths by V-15 and other…

Russia wants the Syrian government and opposition to agree on launching a constitutional reform process of up to 18 months, followed by early presidential elections, according to a draft document obtained by Reuters Tuesday. The eight-point proposal does not rule out President Bashar Al-Assad’s participation in the elections – something his foes say is impossible…

Attorney Yizhar Hass, head of the Conservative movement in Israel, said he was satisfied with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s address at the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly on Tuesday. In his speech, Netanyahu said the Prime Minister’s Office has established a special roundtable of Reform, Conservative and Orthodox streams, and hinted at a…

Dozens of supporters and members of the Ayelet Hashahar Synagogue in Givat Ze’ev that is slated for demolition protested Tuesday night, in front of the home of Negev and Galil Minister Aryeh Deri (Shas) in the western Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem. The protesters demanded that the minister quit the government in an action against the…

Polish President Andrzej Duda recently met with Pope Francis at the Vatican, and revealed that the pope asked to visit the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz and pray for the memory of the millions murdered in the Holocaust during his visit to Poland next summer. “This is a cause of great joy for us, the possibility to host…

Haredi MKs are up in arms Tuesday, over comments made by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at an address to Jewish leaders in Washington. Speaking at the Jewish Federations of North America annual General Assembly, Netanyahu said he was initiating unprecedented measures to support non-Orthodox as well as Orthodox Jewish streams in Israel. For American Jews…

Rabbi Hagai Mazor, head of the kolel study hall at the Ayelet Hashahar Synagogue in Givat Ze’ev northwest of Jerusalem, which is slated for demolition, on Tuesday took apart Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon’s accusations against the congregation the day before. Ya’alon had slandered protesters trying to save the synagogue, and further claimed that the synagogue was built…

Iran has stopped dismantling centrifuges in the Natanz and Fordow uranium enrichment plants, despite the nuclear deal with the West, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing state media. The move came after conservative lawmakers complained to President Hassan Rouhani that the process was too rushed. Iran had last week announced it had begun shutting down inactive…

The UN peace envoy for Syria on Tuesday urged world powers to build on the “momentum” of new international talks and come up with a political process to end the four-year war. “The momentum in Vienna needs to not be missed,” Staffan de Mistura told reporters after briefing the UN Security Council, as some 20…

Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Tuesday that the European Union’s (EU) proposal to label products made in communities in Judea and Samaria was “disguised anti-Semitism”. “What you see is really that some people, and here unfortunately some institutions in the European Union, are taking steps against Israel that are unparalleled in similar situations,” Steinitz…

Saudi Arabia is pushing the UN General Assembly’s human rights committee to condemn Iranian and Russian intervention in Syria, Reuters reported Tuesday, prompting complaints on Tuesday from the delegations of Iran and Syria. The non-binding draft resolution, prepared by Saudi Arabia and co-sponsored by Qatar and other Arab nations, as well as the United States,…

The head of the Palestinian Arab team looking into the death of former chairman Yasser Arafat on Tuesday again accused Israel of assassinating the former leader in a Paris hospital, AFP reported. His comments came on the eve of the 11th anniversary of Arafat’s death and two months after French judges closed an investigation into…

Sheikh Kamal al-Khatib, the deputy leader of the radical Islamic Movement’s northern branch, has warned Israel against outlawing his group, vowing that if it does so, the Muslims will “eliminate the Jews from history”. In an article published Monday in the Hamas-affiliated Palestine newspaper, Khatib declared that even if Israel implements what he called its…

A judge on Tuesday followed a jury’s recommendation and sentenced the man who murdered three people at Kansas Jewish sites to death, The Associated Press (AP) reported. Johnson County District Judge Thomas Kelly Ryan imposed the sentence for Frazier Glenn Miller Jr., also known as Frazier Glenn Cross, who was convicted of one count of…

President Barack Obama will host his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin in the White House next month, both sides announced on Tuesday. The meeting is set for December 9, according to The Associated Press (AP). White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Obama looks forward to reviewing with Rivlin security cooperation between the U.S. and Israel.…

Initial reports have surfaced of a stabbing attack on the Jerusalem light rail, at the Yekutial Adam station in Pisgat Ze’ev.  A 25 year-old security guard for the Light Rail has suffered moderate injuries to his chest and head and is fully conscious. He has been transferred by Magen David Adom (MDA) medics to Shaarei Tzedek…

The European Court of Human Rights ruled Tuesday against the controversial French comedian Dieudonne M’Bala M’Bala, deciding that freedom of speech did not protect “racist and anti-Semitic performances,” AFP reports.  Dieudonne, as he is commonly known, was protesting a fine he received from a French court in 2009 for inviting a Holocaust-denier on stage. He was fined 10,000 euros ($11,000) for what that…

(AFP) French-Jewish philosopher Andre Glucksmann, a former Maoist who veered to the right after condemning the crimes of communism, has died at the age of 78, his son said Tuesday. The passionately political thinker rose to prominence in the 1970s alongside Bernard-Henri Levy as one of the France’s “New Philosophers”, who broke with Marxism after…

The soldier who gained fame when he spoke out against the IDF on a German television program, while wearing the military uniform, is at the center of a new firestorm. The soldier, Shachar Berrin, appeared on Deutsche Welle in May and said: “When soldiers are conditioned and persuaded on a daily basis to subjugate and…

The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI)’s 2015 Democracy Index was presented to President Reuven Rivlin Tuesday, the 13th annual report on several topics – including the influence of citizens in government decisions, confidence in the institutions of government departments, the character of the state, tolerance and acceptance of others, freedom of expression and equality, and Jewish-Arab relations. Highlights…

Jewish Home Chairman, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, said Tuesday that he opposes the idea of a “two state solution,” when asked about Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s reported promise in Washington to try and bring about a Palestinian state. “Regrettably,” Bennett told Army Radio, “in Israeli politics, a sizable portion of the political parties, perhaps even a…

The Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee on Tuesday passed in a first reading a new law by freshman MK Oren Hazan (Likud), establishing the country’s name as the “State of Israel” and further confirming its flag, symbol and anthem. “The law was born in my mind on the seminar day held for the new Members…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly Tuesday, in a speech touching on a number of hot-button topics. Netanyahu began by hailing Israel’s booming economy and innovative hi-tech industry. For example, he noted that despite the fact that over the course of 67 years Israeli water supplies have gone down by roughly…

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud) Tuesday threw his weight behind efforts by left-wing and Arab MKs against Bentzi Gopshtain, head of the Lehava anti-assimilation group, who attended a Knesset meeting earlier in the day that leftist MKs initiated to try and get his group outlawed. MKs from the far-left Meretz and the Arab Joint List parties hurled…

Syrian regime troops on Tuesday broke a more than year-long siege by the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group at a major military air base in the northern province of Aleppo.  A group of soldiers broke through ISIS lines west of the Kweyris airport and reached government troops inside the base, an AFP photographer at the scene said. Troops fired into the air in…

The French army has stepped up its bombing campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS) group’s oil infrastructure with two new strikes in eastern Syria, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Tuesday. “We struck again twice last night in the Deir Ezzor region, firstly on an oil distribution station and secondly on a gas separation plant,” Le Drian told journalists on the sidelines…

A Border Police officer fought off a knife-wielding rioter with his bare hands Tuesday afternoon, preventing an arrest operation from turning deadly. The incident in question occurred near A-Tira village, near Kalkiya in Samaria, as dozens of Arab youths hurled rocks and firebombs at Border Police forces. After dispersing the rioters security forces entered the village to…

The British academic who pioneered IVF treatment, Lord Robert Winston, has dismissed academic supporters of the anti-Israel boycott as “mostly second-rate academics from minor universities who have never done anything.” Speaking to Haaretz newspaper on Monday before receiving an honorary doctorate at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science, Lord Winston played down fears over the so-called BDS movement, as well…

Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed on Tuesday at a meeting on the Russian defense industry that his country is developing several advanced weapons that are capable of penetrating “any missile defenses.” Putin noted that Russia is working on its strategic nuclear threat in response to the US deploying missile defense systems in Europe, a move that was taken in response…

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama have started talks in Washington Monday. Speaking at the start of the meeting, Obama told reporters that “the security of Israel remains a top priority,” while condemning the ongoing wave of Palestinian terrorism and sending his “condolences to the Israelis injured in the wave of…

Aryeh Binyamin, the gabbai (administrator) of the Ayelet HaShachar synagogue in Givat Ze’ev, reacted sharply to the words of Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon Monday, after the latter called synagogue supporters “thugs” and “extremists.”  “Shame on you, Bogie,” he said, referring to Ya’alon’s popular nickname. “Your diplomatic immunity should be removed and you should be sued.”  “The Ayelet…

A team of Israeli researchers have quantified the full effect of the terror war on Israeli citizens Monday, concluding that anxiety among the Israeli public has more than doubled over the past six weeks.  Professors Moli Yahad, Shaul Kimchi, and Yochanan Eshel from Tel Hai Academic College’s Psychology department conducted the study, which included 740 participants…

The French army on Sunday bombed an oil supply center held by the Islamic State terrorist group (ISIS) in eastern Syria, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced Monday.   “We intervened in Syria… yesterday evening with a strike on an oil supply center near Deir Ezzor on the border between Iraq and Syria,” Le Drian told journalists…

Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Vienna for the latest round of negotiations on the conflict in Syria on Saturday, the State Department said on Monday, according to AFP. The talks will be a continuation of a dialogue between 17 nations, along with UN and EU representatives, to agree on a plan to…

A senior member of Hamas boasted on Monday that the terrorist group was closer than ever to “liberating Jerusalem”. Speaking with the Quds Press news agency, Hamas political bureau member Salah Bardawil said that the “Al-Quds Intifada”, as Hamas refers to the current terror wave, opened the gates to the liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque,…

Arab foreign ministers searched on Monday for ways to halt what one called Israel’s “dangerous escalation” of violence against Palestinians – i.e. to stop Israel to defend itself against terrorists.  Weeks of knife, gun and car assaults by Palestinians in Israel have killed eleven Israelis, and left dozens wounded.  Attacks against Jews began in late September, as tensions rose…

World Jewish Congress (WJC) President Ronald Lauder on Monday praised President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for meeting face-to-face at the White House and “taking this opportunity to pursue common values and agendas and strengthen the close partnership enjoyed by the United States and Israel.” Lauder also welcomed the two leaders’ reaffirmation of…

President Barack Obama on Monday belatedly joined more than a billion other Facebook users, launching his own personal page for the first time, AFP reported. It is unknown whether the President was motivated by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, with whom he met Monday and who uses social networking on a regular basis. The President’s first…

Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev on Monday admitted that the passenger plane that crashed in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula may have been downed by a terrorist bomb, The International Business Times reported. The admission marked the first time a senior Russian official has publicly acknowledged that terrorism may have played a role in the crash. “The…

Ahmed Mansara, the 13-year-old Arab terrorist who along with his 15-year-old cousin stabbed a 13-year-old and 21-year-old in Pisgat Ze’ev in Jerusalem, is expected to confess to his crimes and not serve time in prison, Channel 10 News reported on Monday. According to the report, Mansara is expected to arrive in court on Tuesday for his arraignment…

White House spokesman Josh Earnest admitted on Monday that it is unlikely that the “two-state solution” for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be reached before President Barack Obama leaves office. Speaking to reporters following Obama’s meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Earnest said officials in the Obama administration concluded that “a two-state solution was not going…

MK Shuli Mualem-Refaeli (Jewish Home) attacked Monday the reported Israeli approval of the construction of a second new Palestinian Authority (PA) city in Samaria. Security officials exposed to Walla that the security establishment has advised in favor of establishing the city – in addition to Rawabi, which is about to be populated – so as…

A Jordanian police officer has shot and killed two American instructors at a training facility for Iraqi and Palestinian Authority forces near Amman. The shooter killed himself after carrying out the attack at the American-funded Jordan International Police Training Center (JIPTC) in Muaqar, on the eastern outskirts of the Jordanian capital, a security source told Reuters.…

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) will head for Munich, Germany, on Tuesday to lay the cornerstone for a memorial room for the eleven Israeli athletes murdered there in the 1972 Olympic Games. Ahead of the trip, Hotovely met Sunday morning with two of the widows of the athletes, Anka Spitzer and Ilana Romano, as well…

Minister Aryeh Deri (Shas), who recently abandoned the Economy Ministry to expand the authority of the Negev and Galilee Ministry under his control, announced on Monday the transfer of 20 million shekels ($5.1 million) to develop religious sites in the Galilee. The religious sites set to benefit from the new initiative include historical graves of…

China has conducted a test of an advanced new missile that could knock out US satellites and wreak havoc to the American defense industry, indicating Beijing is gaining the upper hand in space warfare. Two defense officials familiar with reports of the test revealed to Washington Free Beacon on Monday that the test of a Dong Neng-3…

Even as Arab terrorists conduct daily attacks on Israelis, the state of Israel is secretly advancing plans to build a new Palestinian Authority (PA) city in Samaria, it was revealed Monday. Security officials exposed to Walla that the security apparatus has advised in favor of establishing the city so as to create thousands of new jobs for Palestinian…

The IDF, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Israel Police announced that over the past several days they broke up two separate terrorist cells in the Binyamin Region to the north of Jerusalem. The first cell was responsible for a series of so-called “popular terrorist” attacks (a euphemism for attacks such as rock-throwing and firebombings) targeting motorists along Routes 45…

A military court in Gaza on Sunday sentenced three men from Gaza City’s Zaytoun neighborhood to prison, in addition to penal labor, after they were convicted of collaborating with Israeli intelligence, the Ma’an news agency reported. One of the men, 30, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while another 30-year-old suspect was sentence with…

Jewish Home chairman and Education Minister Naftali Bennett made clear on Sunday that his party will be opposed to any “gestures” to the Palestinian Authority (PA) if they are brought to a vote in the cabinet. Bennett was reacting to a report in the Haaretz newspaper on Sunday morning, which said that Prime Minister Binyamin…

In response to the European Union’s plan to label Israeli products manufactured in Judea and Samaria, MK Miki Zohar (Likud) has submitted a bill to the Knesset that would see products from countries that label Israeli products being labeled themselves. “We will label every product which comes from a country which is boycotting us. I…

Police are requesting that prosecutors files charges against Sheikh Khaled al-Mughrabi, a prominent preacher at the al-Aqsa Mosque. Sheikh Mughrabi was arrested last week, after videos came out of him inciting violence against Jews while speaking in the mosque. One of the videos, which Youtube has since taken down, showed Mughrabi claiming, “We will go after…

Alongside official declarations repudiating the ongoing intifada, the Palestinian Authority (PA) continues to support rock attacks against Jews. The organization Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) has provided new examples of pro-terror caricatures from official PA accounts. One of the pictures, which was published in the official PA newspaper, includes a text that rocks are a Palestinian’s “best…

An Israeli Border Police officer wounded last week in a car ramming attack at Halhoul Junction near Hevron has died of his wounds. 19-year-old Binyamin Ya’akobovitz became the 12th Israeli fatality since the start of October, as Arab terrorists carried out daily attacks against civilians, police and soldiers alike. Binyamin was evacuated to Hadassah Ein…

MK Haneen Zoabi (Joint List) spoke at an Amsterdam ceremony honoring Kristallnacht this evening. The event is described as an “Alternative Kristallnacht Commemoration,” and is put on by leftist organization, with minimal attention paid to the mass slaughter of Europe’s Jews. The Arab politician may seem an odd choice, particularly in light of her strong insistence that…

More US troops could “absolutely” be deployed to Syria if Washington identifies more “capable local forces” as partners in the fight against ISIS, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said in an interview aired Sunday. Carter’s comments to ABC News came about a week after the White House announced the deployment of “fewer than 50” special operations personnel in the north of the…

New reports suggest it was Israel that provided valuable information about the Russian airline that crashed into the Sinai Peninsula, according to CNN. Officials were initially uncertain what caused the Metrojet flight 9268 to crash last week, but the plane is now believed to have been destroyed by a bomb placed in the luggage compartment.…

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the so-called “military wing” of Fatah headed by Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, is welcoming Friday’s shooting attacks against Israelis in the Hevron area. In the two attacks, two teens were wounded by terrorist gunfire near the Cave of the Patriarchs, and a soldier was wounded in a separate shooting attack…

Iran will attend the next round of peace talks on Syria, a top adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on the weekend, according to the Reuters news agency. Iran had earlier threatened to withdraw from the process, the news agency noted. World and regional powers, including Iran, met in Vienna on October 30 to discuss a…

Opposition leader Yitzhak Herzog was on Sunday accused by his rivals in the Labor party of eyeing an entry into Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s coalition, after the Labor Central Committee approved Herzog’s initiative to add 450 new delegates to the committee. The Labor party said following the approval that “this procedure is the result of…

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) on Sunday night launched an airstrike against a terrorist infrastructure belonging to Hamas in southern Gaza, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said. The airstrike was in retaliation for a rocket attack on southern Israel on Sunday evening. “The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist organization solely responsible for Gaza and will continue…

Lebanese authorities announced Sunday they had arrested two Lebanese nationals and a Syrian on allegations of spying for Israel. “In the framework of pursuing operations to combat terrorism and espionage… the directorate of General Security arrested a spy networkworking for the Israeli enemy in the south (of Lebanon),” the security service said in a statement. The statement said the three…

The head of Britain’s armed forces on Sunday said the country was “letting down” allies by not participating in air strikes against Islamic State group jihadists in Syria. Britain is part of a coalition hitting ISIS targets in Iraq, but its parliament has yet to be convinced of the need to join air strikes in neighboring Syria and an influential…

Zionist Union MK Mickey Rosenthal issued a sharp attack of his own faction Saturday night ahead of a Labor Party convention Sunday to vote on adding 450 new activists to the party’s central committee.  In an angry letter to the committee, Rosenthal blasted the decision to “once again” convene a meeting on procedural matters instead of the “fundamental and substantive issues.”…

A Palestinian Arab terrorist carried out a car attack at Tapuach junction in Samaria on Sunday morning, shortly after 9:30 am. The driver was apparently heading northward along Route 60, toward Huwwara, when he plowed his car into the trempiada, or hitchhiking and bus stop, at the popular intersection.  Police may have identified him as Saliman Shaheen,…

Rocket sirens sounded in the Sha’ar Hanegev region next to Gaza, Sunday evening, sending residents into bomb shelters. Authorities say that a rocket struck Israeli territory, but that it did not appear to cause any injuries or damage. The rocket fell on open ground, and troops were searching for the impact site, it said in a…

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The commander of the Army Radio station, Yaron Dekel, has made his first comments on Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev’s (Likud) attempts to influence the station’s playlist. In a station-wide e-mail that was published by Globes, Dekel wrote that “In the past few days we have felt a new storm – Transportation Minister Miri…

The Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency paramedic service has been facing a series of particularly difficult weeks throughout Israel due to the unceasing stabbings, shootings, and car attacks. During the last month, MDA staff stayed on call throughout Israel and provided medical aid to 170 terror victims. Eleven people have been murdered: Rabbi Eitam and Rabbanit…

An Iranian airliner was sold a commercial jet for use in aiding Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, in breach of the terms of the nuclear deal signed earlier this year. Mahan Air, one of Iran’s largest domestic and international carriers, purchased the UK-made aircraft specifically for use in ferrying Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops to and from Syria,…

Controversial French comedian Dieudonne M’Bala M’Bala will appear at the European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday to protest the fine he received in 2009 for inviting a Holocaust-denier on stage, AFP reports. The judges will decide whether the €10,000 ($11,000) fine he was given by a French court for “racist insults” was an infringement on his freedom of speech. The…

Protests in support of the current Palestinian Arab “intifada” and against Israel continue in Jordan. On Friday, immediately after weekly prayers in the mosques, a massive rally was held in the city of Zarqa, east of Amman. The protesters, who responded to calls from the Islamic Movement, waved Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flags and expressed…

A 14-year-old youth in Ma’ale Adumim was struck by a car while using a crosswalk this evening (Saturday). First responders treated the teen at the scene, then brought him to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. Doctors say that he is in moderate condition and has injuries on his chest and head. The driver who struck…

A British plane narrowly avoided a rocket attack while flying over the Sinai Peninsula in August. The Thomson Airways jet was approaching the airport in Sharm a-Sheikh and carrying 189 passengers, most of whom were British tourists on vacation. The pilot deftly managed to divert the plane and the rocket missed by only 300 meters. At…

US intelligence officials intercepted calls between ISIS members in the Sinai Peninsula and their superiors in Syria, in which the terrorists bragged about downing a Russian plane, NBC reports. The officials added that an additional message preceded the crash and stated that there would be “something big in the area,” though it did not mention…

British media revealed Sunday that intelligence officials have reason to believe the terrorists who planned, or even carried out, the downing of a Russian airliner in Sinai last Saturday were British nationals who joined the ranks of Islamic State.  According to the Daily Star, officials at Government Communications Headquarters intercepted “chatter” in which numerous jihadis – including those…

A St. Louis-based company made waves again Sunday, after it released a new coloring book on Islamic State (ISIS) – “ISIS: A Culture of Evil.”   Wayne Bell, CEO of Really Big Coloring Books, reached out to Arutz Sheva to discuss the work – which follows two other coloring books on Islamist terrorism.  “I publish this book because…

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama will meet Monday to put aside their rocky personal relationship and move past the Iran nuclear deal with multi-billon-dollar talks on defense. The two have not met since October 2014, and deep disagreement over the July accord between Iran and major world powers provoked bitter exchanges between the traditional allies both before…

A preacher at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday accused Israel of “lying” when it says the Temple Mount is holy to Jews. The preacher, Mohammed Salim, declared that the compound belongs solely to Muslims, claiming that the proof is in its name “Al-Aqsa” (lit. the extreme). In light of this “fact”, claimed Salim, the question…

An assistant principal at a high school in California has come under fire over a tweet he posted about an upcoming play on Anne Frank. Charles Mazet, assistant principal of discipline at the Palm Desert High School, tweeted “Who be hiding from the Nazis? Find out next week during the play” and “Who be Anne…

Hundreds of Tunisians, including political figures, gathered in the capital Tunis Saturday for a demonstration in support of the Palestinian “uprising” (or “intifada”) against Israel, reported AFP. The protest was organized by the Islamist Ennahda party, which is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and which won the first elections in the country only to be forced…

The controversial satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo is under fire again, this time from Russia, AFP reported Friday. According to the news agency, the Kremlin angrily condemned the magazine for publishing political cartoons on the Metrojet plane crash in the Sinai Peninsula in which 224 people died, most of them Russian tourists. “In our country we…

Relations between Iran and the European Union are at a “determining stage” after Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers in July, European Parliament chief Martin Schulz said on Saturday, according to AFP. “We are now at the implementation stage of this agreement and at the end of this stage a door can be opened for economic…

It was recently revealed that Israeli special forces carried out a daring operation to rescue the last Jewish family in the Syrian city of Aleppo. The Jewish Chronicle reports that preparation for the mission began months in advance. First an Israeli-American businessman named Moti Kahana sent a message to the family, whose name has not been released, that he wanted…

President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu have both released statements of condolence for Israel’s fifth president, Yitzhak Navon. President Rivlin wrote, “Yitzhak Navon, the State of Israel’s fifth president, created a new style and practice for the presidency. Yitzchak was a noble man, unceremoniously aristocratic, a president who came from the people, and whom the people…

The World Health Organization has declared Sierra Leone to be clear of Ebola after the country has gone 42 days without any known cases. Almost 4,000 people in Sierra Leone died of Ebola over the past year and a half. President Ernest Bai Koroma has welcomed the new status, but says that the WHO unfairly delayed…

At least 23 Syrian civilians were killed Saturday in suspected Russian air strikes on a rebel-held town outside Damascus, a monitor said. The strikes on the rebel district of Douma hit the centre of the town where markets are regularly held, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said. AFP reports that they appeared to have been carried out by Russian planes…

Authorities have arrested the terrorists who carried out two attacks yesterday (Friday). The first, Bara’a Issa, turned himself in to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, and admitted to stabbing a Jewish man in Sha’ar Binyamin. Issa is a resident of eastern Jerusalem and a member of the al-Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade. Yesterday he published a video clip…

Israeli security forces shot and killed a Palestinian rioter attempting to breach the Gaza border late on on Friday during clashes. Salame Abu Jamaa, 23, was shot in the head during the riot east of Khan Yunis, Hamas health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said.   The Israeli army confirmed they had shot a terrorist, saying they…

A new Torah scroll has been donated to the Jewish community in Lodz, Poland. This is the first time the community has had a new Torah scroll since the Holocaust. The scroll was donated by the British couple Hilton and Louise Nathanson, in honor of their son’s bar mitzvah celebration in Lodz. The family chose to honor the…

ISIS released 37 Syrian Christians Saturday, most of them women, who were among more than 200 people kidnapped in February, an NGO said. The group of Assyrian Christians consisted of 27 women and 10 men, most of them elderly, the Assyrian Monitor for Human Rights. They arrived on Saturday morning in the town of Tal Tamr in the Khabur region of Hasakeh…

The fifth president of the State of Israel, Yitzhak Navon, died in his Jerusalem home Saturday at the age of 94. Navon leaves behind his wife, Miri Shapir, as well as a son and a daughter from his first marriage – to Ophira Navon, who lost her battle with cancer in 1993. “With our heads…

Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday reiterated that the court’s prosecutor has to reconsider her decision not to investigate the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The decision means Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda will now have to look at the case again and decide whether to open a full investigation,…

A Palestinian Arab man who said he is a member of Fatah claimed responsibility for Friday’s stabbing attack in the Sha’ar Binyamin region, north of Jerusalem, in a video uploaded to Facebook hours after the attack took place, Haaretz reports.  One victim in his 40s was seriously wounded in the attack after being stabbed in…

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has shut down the local office of a pan-Arab newspaper after accusing it of “offensive” reporting on Palestinian security coordination with Israel, officials said, according to the Reuters news agency. The daily newspaper, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, accused the PA of jailing “dozens of (Palestinian) political prisoners on charges of resisting (the Israeli)…

The UN chemical weapons watchdog Friday confirmed with “utmost confidence” that mustard gas was used in Syria in August during fighting between rebels and jihadists and “likely” killed a child, according to the AFP news agency. Experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) also found toxic chemicals, including chlorine, were likely…

An Israeli was very seriously wounded in a shooting attack at the Beit Anun junction near Hevron on Friday evening. He was taken for treatment at the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. The shooting incident was the fourth terrorist attack in one day. An hour earlier, terrorists shot and wounded two Israeli teens in…

The Muslim council of clerics in Jerusalem has issued a call to entirely ban all Jewish presence from the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism. The announcement specifically called to return the situation at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount to as it was before the 1967 Six Day War, when Israel liberated…

President Barack Obama is expected to encourage Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to take steps to prevent Israel and the Palestinians from moving toward a “one-state solution” during their meeting at the White House next Monday, the president’s senior advisers said at a press briefing Thursday night, according to Haaretz.  The president’s senior adviser on the…

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday criticized the recent arrests of journalists amid an ongoing crackdown on expression by the country’s hard-liners, which he himself promised to put an end to before he was elected. According to a report in the state-owned daily IRAN, quoted by The Associated Press, Rouhani said hard-liners “misuse” remarks by…

The German government has continued to pay pensions to Spaniards who volunteered to fight for the Nazis during World War II, the British Telegraph newspaper revealed on Thursday. According to the newspaper, Berlin is still honoring an agreement made with the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, whose regime encouraged volunteers to sign up to fight for…

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on Thursday took issue with Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, after he held a Senate hearing on Palestinian and Iranian terrorism, The Associated Press (AP) reports. In an unusual and harsh statement, the PLO said the Judiciary subcommittee hearing overseen by Cruz provided no Palestinian viewpoint and was overseen by…

Russia’s air force on Thursday said it carried out strikes near the Islamic State (ISIS)-held ancient city of Palmyra for the second time this week, claiming its targets were far from Syria’s historic sites. Russian bombers “destroyed a large fortified location of Islamic State militants,” including an air-defense gun and a tank, the defense ministry…

President Barack Obama said Thursday that it’s possible a terrorist bomb brought down a Russian passenger plane over the Sinai Peninsula last Saturday, but stressed it is too early to determine that for a fact. “I think there’s a possibility that there was a bomb on board,” he was quoted by CNN as having said…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu should appoint Ran Baratz as head of public diplomacy if he so wishes and not apologize for it, Education Minister Naftali Bennett said on Thursday night. “Only Israel will decide who will head its public diplomacy. I back the decision to appoint Ran Baratz. Without apologizing,” he wrote on Twitter. Bennett…

An Arab terrorist conducted a stabbing attack in Sha’ar Binyamin, to the north of Jerusalem. The attack took place outside a chain of the Rami Levy supermarket. One victim in his 40s was seriously wounded in the attack after being stabbed in the upper body, and the terrorist succeeded in fleeing the scene. Large IDF forces were…

An Arab terrorist attempted to conduct a car attack during Arab riots at Halhoul, located north of Hevron in Judea. The attack unfolded along Route 35; the terrorist was shot and seriously wounded by Haruv soldiers from the IDF’s Kfir Brigade before being able to cause any injuries. “The force identified the threat and responded with fire…

Five soldiers were wounded in an explosion in the eastern Lebanese border town of Arsal on Friday, security sources said, a day after a suicide bomber killed six people there. “An explosion targeted a small army patrol and wounded five soldiers,” a security source told AFP. “The explosive device was planted on the side of the road.” A second security source said…

Thousands of Britons are left stranded at Sharm al-Sheikh airport Friday, after a UK directive to leave the southern Sinai in light of evidence pointing to a bomb having brought down Metrojet Flight 9268 on Saturday.  Britain suspended flights to the Egyptian-controlled airport Wednesday over the crash, which killed 224 people.  Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the crash,…

Hamas fired two rockets into the Mediterranean Sea on Friday morning, as part of its ongoing missile tests meant to advance its domestic rocket arsenal ahead of its next terror war against Israel. In a symbolic twist, the two rockets were fired from the ruins of Gush Katif, the group of Jewish communities that were forcibly evacuated…

The Friends of the IDF (FIDF) organization on Thursday night held its annual event honoring the IDF at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles, where an outpouring of 1,200 people including numerous celebs showed their support for the Israeli army. As is the case each year, the event was hosted by Israeli billionaire Haim Saban,…

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton told American Jews that she would reaffirm the United States’ “unbreakable bonds” with Israel, and promptly invite Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to Washington should she win the White House. Clinton, in an attempt not to be portrayed as an unreliable ally of Israel as US President Barack Obama has widely been viewed, made her remarks in an opinion…

Israel’s deputy ambassador to Britain has raised the possibility that the original 1917 Balfour Declaration would be brought to Israel in a special exhibition marking the historic document’s centenary in 2017. Jewish News reported that the diplomat, Eitan Na’eh, mentioned the idea Tuesday before the Balfour Day lecture at the British Library. Na’eh spoke of…

Science Minister Ofir Akunis (Likud) on Thursday issued a strongly worded letter against EU Ambassador to Israel Lars Faaborg-Andersen, slamming the EU’s discriminatory initiative to label Jewish products from Judea and Samaria. In the letter, in which he canceled his participation in a joint event later on Thursday evening, Akunis wrote: “the labeling initiative is a…

The Reform Judaism movement in America voted on Thursday to pass a controversial new resolution outlining a number of steps catering to transgender people. Homosexuality is forbidden by halakha (Jewish law), but the Reform movement does not operate according to Jewish law, a position that was made all the more blatant in Thursday’s vote held by the Union for…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Thursday that the man he tapped for National Director of Hasbarah (information diplomacy), Dr. Ran Baratz, posted “improper” comments on Facebook regarding President Reuven Rivlin and US President Barack Obama. “I read, for the first time, what Dr. Ran Baratz published on the internet, including things about the president, the…

US officials investigating the crash of a Russian airliner over the Sinai Peninsula now believe ground crew at Sharm al-Sheikh airport were responsible for smuggling aboard an explosive device which downed Metrojet Flight 9268. According to MSNBC news, US officials still view a bomb as the most likely explanation for the crash, but say that…

The Nazareth Magistrate’s Court on Thursday released to house arrest an Arab woman who lives in the northern city and who tried to stab soldiers with a knife in Afula, against the opinion of the attorney’s office – and after she admitted she wanted to be a “martyr.” The Arab woman, Asraa Zidan, was captured on film early…

The French presidency on Thursday said it would deploy its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to boost its operations against the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group in Iraq and Syria. The presence of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the flagship of the French navy, will add to the six Rafale jets stationed in the United Arab Emirates and the six Mirages flying out of…

Weapons experts have concluded for the first time that mustard gas was used during fighting in Syria in August, an official at the global chemical arms watchdog told AFP Thursday. The deadly gas was used in the flashpoint town Marea in the northern province of Aleppo on August 21, the source from the Organization for…

A full 369 members of the House of Representatives issued a stern letter to Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday, demanding that he stop inciting terrorism. The letter was released by House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) and ranking member of the committee Eliot Engel (D-NY), reports Associated Press. In addition to asking…

A 25-year-old man sustained minor to moderate injuries on Thursday evening, as a gas cylinder exploded in a residential building in Tel Aviv’s Hatikva neighborhood. A 28-year-old man was hurt in the explosion as well and sustained minor injuries. Magen David Adom paramedics who were called to the scene provided the two victims and evacuated…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was said to be reconsidering the appointment of Ran Baratz as his new head of public diplomacy on Thursday, after the United States reacted angrily to comments Baratz wrote on Facebook in the past about President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry. White House spokesman Josh Earnest reacted on…

The annual Chabad Worldwide Shluchim Conference opened Thursday in New York City. About 3,500 shluchim, or Chabad emissaries, are taking part.  At the same time, another Chabad stream held its conference at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York City. The total number of Chabad shluchim worldwide is currently at 4,325, and they operate in 86 countries, in about 3,500 Chabad Houses…

IDF Corporal T., a combat warrior in the Shimshon Battalion of the Kfir Brigade, was named Thursday as the soldier who earlier in the day shot dead an Arab terrorist trying to conduct a stabbing attack at Gush Etzion Junction in Judea. In the incident, the terrorist from Hevron approached a bus station at the junction,…

After arousing intense anger and derision by publishing a letter to terrorists, asking them not to target haredi Jews because most of them do not visit the Temple Mount, Mishpaha magazine has published an apology. Under the headline “Sorry,” Mishpaha Deputy Editor Aryeh Ehrlich wrote that the letter – which was published in Arabic and…

A Jordanian sheikh who issued a fatwa (Islamic ruling) against killing Jews has apparently had a change of heart. In a video released earlier this week by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Sheikh Ali Halabi, head of the Imam al-Albani religious studies center, ruled that killing Jews outside the context of war and…

The cloud of dust that has hovered over Israel for the past two days will scatter in the late afternoon Thursday as heavy rains begin to fall across the country.  Light drizzling began in several regions overnight with rain to continue in southern Israel throughout the morning moving up to the center in the early…

The United States House of Representatives has unanimously passed legislation urging the United States and European governments to take key steps to help keep Jewish communities safe, in the wake of the recent upswing in violent anti-Semitic attacks in several European nations. The legislation, which was approved on Tuesday by a vote of 418-0, was…

Syria’s government is profiting from money charged to families of people trying to find loved ones forcibly disappeared in what are crimes against humanity, Amnesty International charged in a report published Wednesday night. The group said in its report the Syrian state was benefiting from an “insidious black market in which family members desperate to…

Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday continued the trend of American officials calling for a “two-state solution” to solve the Israel-Palestinian conflict on the 20th anniversary of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination. In a statement, Kerry said that Rabin’s “vision” would “would create a better future for both Israelis and the Palestinians: two states…

If you repeat a big lie often enough it becomes the truth. That’s what the Palestinians have done effectively. Jay thinks that Israel has not effectively denied the Palestinian claims that this is their land.  On his opinion, they have circulated a big lie that the world is willing to listen to because of the basic…

On today’’s show, Doug talks about good financial habits. The habits of wealthy and successful people include: • Automate savings, control impulse spending, track expenses, taking advantage of tax-deferred growth and compound interest, maintaining an emergency fund, and eliminating and avoid debt. When you set up good habits, use the sequence of the three Ts: Target, Trigger, Treat. Today’’s…

Syrian rebels, including jihadists, seized the last government-held town on the main highway between second city Aleppo and the city of Hama to its south on Thursday, a monitoring group said. The blow to the Damascus regime came just a day after it recaptured from Islamic State terror forces an alternative route further east that had provided its sole link to…

Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev went on the warpath Thursday after Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon blocked her from making changes to Army Radio’s popular music station Galgalatz.  According to a Yedioth Ahronoth report Wednesday, Ya’alon instructed Army Radio commander Yaron Dekel to stop meeting with Regev over her efforts to include more Israeli, particularly Mizrahi, music on the station.  “No one will interfere with…

As the investigation into the downing of a Russian passenger jet over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula leans increasingly towards terrorism as the cause, the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group which has already claimed responsibility has released a video celebrating the attack. The video, posted online by ISIS’s media arm on Tuesday, and translated by the Middle East Media…

The Meir Panim Free Restaurant located near the Sea of Galilee shores in Tiberias, Israel is a touching tribute to a special couple. Dedicated by Mrs. Lee Steinberg nearly thirteen years ago in memory of her parents, Eva and Morris Fish, this restaurant style soup kitchen satisfies both the body and soul of its patrons…

A host of new fare discounts on public transportation will become eligible for hundreds of thousands of Israelis at the start of December, Haaretz reports Thursday.  Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz will approve the order extending discounts – applicable on both buses and trains – in the coming days. The discounts cover minors under the age of 18, parents with…

A 35-year-old man seriously injured in Monday’s stabbing attack in Rishon Letzion has seen a dramatic improvement in his condition, official at Assaf HaRofeh hospital have announced. His condition is now classified as “light.” Meanwhile, an elderly woman also wounded that attack is still in moderate condition. The 80-year-old woman was slashed in her back…

An indictment was filed Thursday with the Jerusalem District Court against terrorist accomplice Abed al-Aziz Meri for his connection to the stabbing on Haggai Street in Jerusalem’s Old City over Sukkot.  Rabbi Nehemiah Lavi, 41, and Aharon Bennett, 21, were both killed in the brutal attack, which occurred minutes after the end of Shabbat. Bennett’s wife, Adele, and their two-year…

A 35-year-old man seriously injured in Monday’s stabbing attack in Rishon Letzion has seen a dramatic improvement in his condition, official at Assaf HaRofeh hospital have announced. His condition is now classified as “light.” Meanwhile, an elderly woman also wounded that attack is still in moderate condition. The 80-year-old woman was slashed in her back…

Israel has made an initial request for its annual defense aid from the United States to increase to as much as $5 billion when its current aid package, worth an average $3 billion a year, expires in 2017, congressional sources told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday. Israel wants $5 billion per year in military…

Britain suggested Wednesday that the Russian airliner that crashed in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula over the weekend may well have been brought down by an explosive device, in a dramatic revelation regarding the crash Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for. “While the investigation is still ongoing we cannot say categorically why the Russian jet crashed,” Prime Minister David…

Arab terrorist Muhannad Halabi, who murdered two Israelis and wounded the wife and two-year-old son of one of them in a stabbing in Jerusalem’s Old City in early October, is being given full hero treatment by the Palestinian Authority (PA). The official PA daily announced on Monday that the Yasser Arafat Youth Center in Jenina, Samaria,…

Denmark plans to separate prisoners who could covert others to radical Islam, the government said Wednesday. “People with radicalized beliefs pose a real threat to our security,” Justice Minister Soren Pind said in a statement. “It is totally unacceptable that prisoners recruit their fellow inmates to extremist environments while they are serving a sentence.” The minority right-wing government plans to put…

A squabble broke out moments before Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett and Jewish Home faction head Yinon Magal decided to sanction MK Moti Yogev of their party, after he didn’t follow coalition discipline on a controversial vote in the Knesset. Yogev was sentenced to a three week suspension from the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and…

Syrian government offensives backed by Russian airstrikes have displaced at least 120,000 people in the war-wracked country, a senior US official said Wednesday, accusing Moscow of complicating the situation on the ground. “Russia’s military intervention has dangerously exacerbated an already complex environment,” Anne Patterson, the US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Patterson…

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon (Likud) argued Wednesday that refusing to return the bodies of slain terrorists to their families is not a deterrent against terror. During a Knesset hearing on the subject, Ya’alon claimed that “holding onto bodies is in itself not a deterrent to potential terrorists, as opposed to the demolition of houses or…

High Court judges ruled on Wednesday afternoon to delay the demolition of the Ayelet Hashahar Synagogue in Givat Ze’ev, northwest of Jerusalem, ordering that it be destroyed within two weeks by November 17. “We are working under the assumption that the certified authorities will not wait this time with the execution (of the order) to…

Flights departing from Ben Gurion International Airport were temporarily halted Wednesday afternoon as a result of widespread dust storms across Israel.  Shortly after 6 p.m. flights out of Ben Gurion Airport resumed. Earlier on Wednesday, the Israel Airport Authority also shuttered the Sde Dov and Eilat airports due to the high winds.  Heavy winds downed trees and carried in the dust storm…

Two Arab educators from Jerusalem were fired in the past week over their classroom incitement against the Israeli military, thanks to pressure from Education Minister Naftali Bennett.  One, a teacher at an elementary school in the Arab neighborhood of Beit Hanina received a letter of dismissal on Wednesday, while the school’s principal was fired last weekend. …

Israeli authorities said late Wednesday they had freed Mohammed Allan, a Palestinian Arab terrorist who held a two-month hunger strike in an attempt to pressure Israel to free him. “Mohammed Allan has just been released,” Sivan Weizman, a spokeswoman for Israel Prisons Service, said in a message quoted by AFP. Allan’s father Nasser al-Din Allan…

In response to a PA blood-libel letter to the UN accusing Israel of harvesting organs of Palestinians, Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon on Wednesday called on the Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, to condemn the Palestinian representative for his anti-Semitic remarks and hateful lies‫. “After returning the seized bodies of the Palestinians killed by the occupying forces through…

In response to a PA blood-libel letter to the UN accusing Israel of harvesting organs of Palestinians, Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon on Wednesday called on the Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, to condemn the Palestinian representative for his anti-Semitic remarks and hateful lies‫. “After returning the seized bodies of the Palestinians killed by the occupying forces through…

The latest U.S. intelligence suggests that this past Saturday’s crash of Metrojet Flight 9268 was most likely caused by a bomb on the plane planted by the Islamic State (ISIS) or an ISIS affiliate, an official familiar with the matter told CNN on Wednesday. “There is a definite feeling it was an explosive device planted…

The latest U.S. intelligence suggests that this past Saturday’s crash of Metrojet Flight 9268 was most likely caused by a bomb on the plane planted by the Islamic State (ISIS) or an ISIS affiliate, an official familiar with the matter told CNN on Wednesday. “There is a definite feeling it was an explosive device planted…

MK Oren Hazan (Likud) has come under fire yet again – this time over reports he blew off a Knesset Finance Committee meeting to celebrate his birthday in Eilat.  Hazan, who turned 34 last week, reportedly told committee members on Tuesday that he would be absent from a critical vote on the state budget because of…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is one of the world’s 25 most powerful people according to Forbes Magazine’s annual ranking of the “global elite whose actions move the planet.” The 66-year-old Netanyahu ranks at twenty-first on Forbes‘ 2015 edition of The World’s Most Powerful People, who are defined as the “heads of state, financiers, philanthropists and entrepreneurs [who] truly run the world.” Jumping…

Yitzhak Rabin’s personal security guard has spoken out exactly 20 years after the fateful night in which the prime minister was murdered following a peace rally in Tel Aviv.  In an interview with Channel 2, the guard – identified only as A. – recounted the moments leading up to and after the assassination on the night of November…

Five people were stabbed at the University of California, Merced, on Wednesday morning by an assailant who was shot and killed by police. It remains unclear what the motives behind the attack were. The five victims were all attacked in front of the Classroom and Office Building on campus according to a school statement, reports CNN. Initially…

Israeli parents may believe that showing their children clips of terror attacks keeps their family informed of the situation – but it is harming the nation’s children.  80% of child viewers who have seen clips of terror attacks over the past month have experienced signs of post-traumatic stress, a study from the Tom Institute released Wednesday revealed –…

Local residents have gathered for a showdown with authorities at Givat Ze’ev’s Ayelet Hashahar synagogue, currently slated for demolition. Speaking to Arutz Sheva, one local appealed emotionally and eloquently to Jews worldwide Wednesday, and stated that the congregation is steadfast in its decision not to allow the structure to be razed. “I’d like to send a message to all the…

MKs Revital Swid (Labor) and Karin Elharar (Yesh Atid), who co-chair the Knesset Caucus for Fortifying the Status of the Rule of Law, announced Wednesday that they are calling an emergency session of the caucus in view of the “repeated attacks on the Supreme Court.” “Any ordinary citizen, who would threaten and incite against the…

A joint operation between the Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet) and the Israel Police’s Southern District culminated in the arrest of a Hamas terrorist on Wednesday at the Erez crossing into Gaza. Ahmad Muhammad Barim, 36, a resident of Bani Suheila in Gaza, transferred hundreds of tons of construction materials destined for reconstruction of civilian and…

(AFP) When Oxana’s sailor father left his home in Crimea’s Black Sea port of Sevastopol in September, he just said he would be going to “the Mediterranean Sea.” But the family soon realized the true purpose of his mission – Russia’s military operation in Syria. “They sent a bunch of ships from Sevastopol and everyone they…

The US House of Representatives unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution condemning anti-Israel incitement in the Palestinian Authority (PA) Tuesday, JTA reports.  The resolution, entitled House Resolution 293, notes the rampant incitement against Jews and Israelis from PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who, “in spite of the Oslo II agreement […] repeatedly describes released Palestinian terrorists as ‘heroes’.”  It also noted…

The news item making the most headlines in Israel Wednesday is a graffito scrawled overnight on the external wall of the Supreme Court. “One does not tear down a synagogue. We want a Jewish state,” it says. The statement is a reference to the planned destruction of a synagogue in Givat Ze’ev, north of Jerusalem.…

Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett is to meet Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Tuesday evening and demand that he put a stop to the freeze on construction in Judea and Samaria. He is also expected to demand that the government end the freeze on construction in Judea and Samaria. There is pressure on Bennett from inside…

UK Labour Party head and Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn has condemned an MP for an “unacceptable and deeply regrettable” anti-Semitic speech, in which he claimed that “Jewish money” had taken over the governing Conservative Party. “Last week’s reported comments by Sir Gerald Kaufman about the Jewish community, the Conservative party and Israel are completely unacceptable and deeply regrettable. Such remarks…

One week after Deputy Knesset Speaker MK Ahmed Tibi (Joint List) had Minister Ze’ev Elkin removed from the podium and ejected from the plenum, the Knesset’s Ethics Committee has decided to suspend him from chairing plenum debates for two weeks. The committee also reprimanded Elkin for the way he addressed Tibi from the podium, when…

A senior officer in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards unit has been killed in Syria, the fourth Iranian commander to die there in the last month, state media said Tuesday. Colonel Ezzatollah Soleimani died during an “advisory mission” near the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, according to Fars news agency. Iranian media have since Saturday announced the…

President of the Hotam Forum of Torah institutes, Ramat Gan Chief Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, has weighed in on the current controversy over the mass spaying and neutering of stray cats and dogs. The rabbi said that in his opinion sterilization should be carried out in a non-surgical way, through hormonal injections. Rabbi Ariel entered the public fray…

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely opened Israel’s battle against the European Union’s decision to label Jewish-made products from Judea and Samaria Tuesday, calling the EU out for “discriminating” against the Jewish state. Earlier Tuesday senior EU officials stated to Arutz Sheva that there was “no room for negotiation” with Israel on the topic of labeling Jewish…

A “transition period” in Syria is out of the question because President Bashar al-Assad is the legitimate leader, the country’s deputy foreign minister said on Tuesday. “There is no transition period. There exist official institutions that are functioning,” Faisal Moqdad said on a visit to Tehran, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported. “We are talking…

On November 1, Yeshiva University students hosted a moving kumzitz (concert) in support of Israel on the Red Steps in Times Square. Led by student Aryeh Tiefenbrunn on his guitar and the Y-Studs, YU’s student a cappella group, on backup vocals, the students were joined by more than a thousand fellow Jews, students, friends and…

The Editor-in-Chief of a major Palestinian news network, Maan News Agency, has delivered an astonishing monologue in which he denies Jewish rights to an independent state and declares that Jews will only ever be secure under Arab rule. Dr. Nasser al-Laham delivered his three-minute-long statement last Wednesday on Maan Network Online, which has since been translated by the Middle…

Jewish Home MK Yinon Magal made clear Tuesday that he does not agree with the criticism being leveled at citizens who chased after a terrorist in Rishon Letzion Monday and did not stop to help an elderly woman whom he stabbed. “Don’t let yourself be fooled,” Magal wrote on his Twitter account, and explained that…

Russian jets bombed 24 targets in Syria Tuesday using coordinates supplied by “opposition representatives” – the first time Moscow has claimed to work with opposition groups since the start of its air offensive. “The coordinates of all of these targets were given to us by opposition representatives,” senior military official Andrei Kartapolov said, without specifying…

Moovit, an Israel-based public transit app serving over 700 cities worldwide, on Tuesday secured a new investment from Sound Ventures, a VC firm founded by Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary, the Globes financial newspaper reported. Moovit offers real-time public transit information and GPS navigation for buses, trolleybuses, trams and trains, rapid transit and ferries. Users…

The United States is interested in working together with Israel on defense-related issues despite disagreements on Iran and other topics, says Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. Speaking to The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg in an interview published Tuesday and which took place shortly after Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon’s visit to Washington last week, Carter said the defense…

Professor Avi Diskin, an expert on political science at Hebrew University, told Arutz Sheva on Tuesday that he is not surprised by the fact that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was seeking coalition partners from the left, as evidenced by his offer to Yesh Atid to join the coalition at the expense of Jewish Home. Despite…

Authorities in Iran detained five local journalists recently amid an ongoing crackdown on expression in the Islamic Republic, The Associated Press (AP) reported Tuesday, citing Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency. The report identified two of the journalists as reformists Isa Saharkhiz and Ehsun Mazandarani. It did not name the others. According to AP, Saharkhiz, who…

Holocaust survivors and family members in the United States, Israel and elsewhere can now apply for compensation from a $60 million fund for those deported to Nazi camps by France’s state rail company SNCF, The Associated Press reported Tuesday. The application period for the French-funded, U.S.-administered program opened Tuesday, the news agency noted, and the…

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday blamed, among other things, the “settlements” for impeding peace talks. The remarks came in a statement by Ban marking the 20th anniversary of the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Ban, who offered his deepest sympathies to the citizens of the State of Israel, and, noting current tensions…

Iran has arrested a Lebanese-American on suspicion of having links to the American intelligence community, AFP reported Tuesday, citing Iranian state television. An official in Washington indicated the man was not a U.S. national, however. It was unclear when or where the suspect had been arrested but the Iranian report identified him as Nezar Zaka…

The brief respite from winter weather will end Tuesday night, bringing strong winds and thunderstorms nationwide.  Temperatures will continue to drop Tuesday, with highs ranging from 75°F-80°F (24°C-26°C) in Be’er Sheva, central Israel, the Jerusalem area, Judea-Samaria, the Galilee and the Golan Heights; Eilat will reach temperatures as high as 88°F (31°C).  Thunderstorms will return nationwide overnight, with…

IDF forces and the IDF Civil Administration closed a Hamas radio station in Hevron overnight Monday/Tuesday, over its blatant Palestinian incitement to terror against Israeli Jews.  The IDF stated Tuesday morning that the operation against the Al-Huriyeh station was carried out specifically to battle “vicious incitement against Israel, encouraging stabbing attacks […] and support[ing] violent resistance.”  Twenty-nine separate attacks…

A stateless child is born every 10 minutes, the United Nations said Tuesday, warning that the problem has intensified as the conflict in Syria has sparked a global migrant and refugee crisis. A new report by the UN refugee agency highlights the long-term consequences of statelessness for children such as being deprived of medical care, education and future access to…

The West’s love-hate relationship with Islam and the Arab world dominates the race for France’s top literary award, the Goncourt, with the winner chosen Tuesday over a lunch at a Paris restaurant that can often turn heated. The Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, long the odds-on favorite for the prize – the oldest and most prestigious in the French speaking world – failed to make the…

The Palestinian Authority (PA), which continuously incites and encourages stabbing attacks against Israelis, has filed a complaint against Israel’s alleged “extrajudicial executions” with the International Criminal Court (ICC). Saeb Erekat, Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), on Monday declared that the PA had filed more complaints to the ICC…

Britain should not join air strikes on Syria until there is a clear strategy to defeat the Islamic State group and bring peace to the country, an influential committee of MPs said Monday night, according to the AFP news agency. Prime Minister David Cameron’s government wants to extend Britain’s current involvement in American-led air strikes…

The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) on Monday said that the country’s Sunday Times newspaper had cancelled an advertisement revealing the truth about Hamas. The group posted on its Facebook page that the advertisement was paid for and was supposed to appear in the newspaper this week. “On Friday afternoon at 3 PM, the Sunday…

Hamas is demanding that Britain apologize for the 1917 Balfour Declaration, in which then-UK Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour declared that Britain would support the establishment of a national homeland for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. In an official statement to mark 98 years since the declaration, Hamas’ refugee affairs department said the declaration…

The Jerusalem District Attorney filed an indictment to the Magistrate’s Court Tuesday morning against a parent from Abu Ghosh, who was filmed sealing his wailing infant daughter into a bucket.  The abusive father, an Arab citizen of Israel who hails from a well-known family in Abu Gosh, was accused of assaulting a minor.  According to the indictment,…

Israeli academics published a counter-letter in the British Guardian Monday, noting that the slew of artists who pledged to boycott Israel are engaging in academic censorship.  Dr Sharona Goldenberg and Dr Roy Gilbar of Netanya Academic College began their letter by citing the Harry Potter series of books, in which author J.K. Rowling – who herself publicly stated her…

US intelligence officials dismissed the possibility that a surface-to-air missile downed a Russian plane in the Sinai last week, saying the idea is “off the table.” The US official noted that, in Washington’s estimation, what really downed the plane was a “flash or explosion” over the Sinai, and noted that the plane disintegrated at a…

An Arab terrorist was arrested on Tuesday morning at the Gilboa Crossing in Samaria, located near Jenin. The terrorist had a pipe bomb and a knife on his possession and was clearly on his way to conduct a terror attack, likely in the urban coastal region where the crossing leads to and where two attacks took…

An Arab terrorist was arrested on Tuesday morning at the Gilboa Crossing in Samaria, located near Jenin. The terrorist had a pipe bomb and a knife on his possession and was clearly on his way to conduct a terror attack, likely in the urban coastal region where the crossing leads to and where two attacks took…

My daughter, Shaindy, traveled to America last week to visit with my mother. Upon returning to her home in Israel, Shaindy was greeted with a Welcome Home sign pasted onto her front door. Her six-year-old daughter had colored a picture of an El-Al plane, with a bright yellow sun. Behind the windows of the plane,…

We Refuse to be Enemies is the theme of the 8th Annual Season of Twinning. This is a project that brings together people of all faiths – mainly Muslims and Jews – in focused on educating communities about one other, working together on behalf of people in need, and standing together against bigotry. The organizers say this…

Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), riding high in opinion polls and seeking to moderate its image, on Monday dismissed one of its lawmakers for an anti-Semitic Facebook post, AFP reports.  Susanne Winter, 58, was given until 7:00 pm local time to quit her post as an MP in the Austrian parliament and from the FPOe or be expelled, the opposition party said in a statement.…

UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura on Monday urged new ceasefires in Syria to build on diplomatic efforts to end the country’s four-year war. Speaking at the end of a trip to Damascus to brief the government on international talks in Vienna, De Mistura said ceasefires would show the political discussions were having an impact. “What we need is also…

A 71 year-old man has been critically wounded Monday evening, in a stabbing attack in Netanya, north of Tel Aviv.  The attack unfolded at approximately 5:50 pm local time, when the terrorist stabbed the man on Tachkemoni Street, off of Binyamin Blvd.  Magen David Adom (MDA) medics treated the man for stab wounds to his upper body…

Rabbi Eitam Henkin, who was murdered along with his wife Naama in a brutal Hamas shooting attack in September, struggled valiantly against the gunmen, transcripts from the investigation reveal.  “While our vehicle was parallel to an Israeli vehicle (i.e. Henkin’s), I fired the M16,” Yahya Muhammad Nayif Abdallah Haj Hamed, one of the main terrorists involved, stated…

The Defense Ministry has officially recognized Avraham Asher Hasno as a terror victim, it announced Monday, providing the Hasno family with the state-funded financial and psychological help given to other bereaved familes.  Hasno was murdered at Al Fawar Junction near Hevron in Judea two weeks ago, after he was lured out of his car by an Arab rock ambush; an…

For the first time since Israel’s establishment in 1948, Egypt has voted in the Jewish state’s favor in the United Nations. The vote came during elections for membership in the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) late last week. The vote for Israel triggered angry criticism among Arab social media users, with…

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) resolutely one-upped Opposition leader Yitzhak Herzog (Labor) on Monday, after the latter accused her of using the law to advance a political agenda.  Herzog picked the fight by badgering Shaked over her Transparency Law, which would demand full disclosure from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across the political spectrum over their…

Acting Police Chief Commander Bentzi Sau placed a temporary ban on all MKs from ascending the Temple Mount Monday, citing security concerns over rampant Arab rioting at the site. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu officially placed a ban several weeks ago, also citing security concerns. However, this is the first time that edict has formally trickled down to the…

More details are emerging about the audio recording released Sunday by Ayman Al-Zawahiri, leader of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization. According to additional excerpts released on Monday, Zawahiri welcomed the latest terrorist attacks in Israel and called for Muslims to work to “liberate” Jerusalem. Zawahiri says that “Muslims everywhere” are upset by the “Jews’ repeated attacks…

Islamic State (ISIS) has begun targeting Israel in its videos, including one recent film with a terrorist addressing Israelis in Hebrew. To gain perspective on the situation, Arutz Sheva spoke to Dr. Ephraim Herrera, author of the book Jihad: Fundamentals and Fundamentalism. “The Islamic State does mean what it says,” Herrera began. “For the Islamic orthodoxy, the Jews are the first…

France’s ambassador to Copenhagen, who in February attended a free speech event targeted by an Islamist terrorist, on Monday honored two Danish men who were killed in the twin attacks. “We have a debt towards those who left us,” Francois Zimeray said at a ceremony attended by Denmark’s justice minister. Filmmaker Finn Norgaard was posthumously bestowed with one…

The Knesset approved stricter penalties for rock-throwers on its second and third reading Monday night, ratifying the penalties into law amid the unprecedented terror wave in Israel.  51 MKs voted the bill into law; 17 voted against.  Now, under law, rock-throwers will be subject to the following penalties: a minimum three-year prison sentence, which cannot be…

Further details about the Netanya attack have been released later Monday night, in the wake of the third stabbing of the day.  Initial reports indicate that the stabber, a 22 year-old man from the northern Samaria town of Tulkarm, first attacked a couple, stabbing a 71 year-old man in the back; the victim was later transported to…

Looters have desecrated mass graves at the Sobibor death camp in southeast Poland, museum sources revealed Monday, apparently in a bid to find treasure buried with Holocaust victims.  A large archaeological project has been underway at the camp for the past two years, the source said, “but when we started excavating we discovered that people…

Minister of Agriculture Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) believes that neutering and spaying dogs and cats to prevent their reproducing contradicts Jewish law, according to a report in Yediot Aharonot Monday. The newspaper said that Ariel wants to take the NIS 4.5 million budget that is currently allotted to spaying and neutering, and use it “to…

A well known Salafi sheikh in Jordan has caused wide outrage in the Muslim world, after issuing a fatwa (Islamic ruling) in a video making the rounds online in which he forbids murdering Jews outside the context of war and clashes. Sheikh Ali Halabi, head of the Imam al-Albani religious studies center, is seen in the video…

An Arab assailant from eastern Jerusalem assaulted a haredi woman with a glass bottle Monday. The woman, a 45-year-old tour guide, was guiding a group of tourists at the Yafo (Jaffa) Gate when the man – a 22-year-old resident of Jabal Mukaber – struck her over the head with a bottle and ran off. The…

The annual global conference of Chabad emissaries, or shluchim, will begin at week’s end in New York City. About 3,500 shluchim are expected to take part, and to discuss matters at the center of Jewish life worldwide. Ahead of the conference, the World Headquarters for Chabad shluchim has provided some numbers regarding this ever-growing unique…

Top officials at the Russian airline Metrojet, whose plane crashed in Sinai on Saturday killing all 224 passengers, revealed Monday that the crash was not due to a technical fault but rather an external source. Alexander Smirnov, deputy general director of Metrojet, said the cause of the Airbus A320-200 crash “could only have been a mechanical impact…

The rampant human rights abuses committed by the Palestinian Authority (PA) have seldom merited public attention due to the PA’s crackdown on the topic, but one daring resident has raised awareness on the issue by suing the PA over the torture he was subjected to. The Palestinian Arab Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) received…

Republican presidential candidates on Sunday expressed skepticism over President Barack Obama’s plan to deploy a small number of special forces to Syria, saying it showed “weakness”, Reuters reported. In fact, Florida Senator Marco Rubio said the plan does not show that Obama has any real strategy with regards to the civil war in Syria. Obama…

The Russian passenger plane that crashed in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing everyone onboard, broke up at high altitude, Russia’s top aviation official said Sunday, according to The Associated Press (AP). The Metrojet plane, bound for St. Petersburg in Russia, crashed 23 minutes after it took off from Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on…

The head of the Italian football federation is in hot water following alleged anti-Semitic comments he made, The Associated Press (AP) reported Sunday. The official, Carlo Tavecchio, allegedly made the remarks to the online outlet Soccer Life in June while discussing the sale of an amateur league’s headquarters to real estate mogul Cesare Anticoli. The…

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, dismissed on Sunday the chances of foreign countries bartering a deal over Syria’s future, suggesting they should focus on securing a halt to fighting that allows fresh elections, AFP reported. Khamenei also repeated his ban on direct talks with the United States about turmoil in the Middle East, as…

Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri is calling on Muslim supporters to band together to confront the “threat” from the West and Russia in Syria and Iraq, Reuters reported on Sunday. The call came in the latest recording from the Al-Qaeda leader and, in it, he suggested greater unity between his and Islamic State (ISIS). “The Americans,…

Shas leader Aryeh Deri, who on Sunday resigned from his position as Economy Minister to become Israel’s first ever Periphery Minister, may soon be appointed Welfare Minister, Channel 2 News reported Sunday evening. According to the report, current Welfare Minister Haim Katz (Likud) will receive an offer to give up the ministry in favor of…