Category: News

Actor Michael Douglas appears to be growing closer to Judaism, the New York Post reported Thursday, after he gave a High Holiday sermon on Yom Kippur at Temple Shaaray Tefila in upstate Bedford.  Douglas’s son Dylan celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Temple.  The actor reportedly spoke about anti-Semitism and inclusion, speaking at length about his Jewish immigrant grandfather…

Two men who claimed last month that they discovered a Nazi-era train laden with gold may face prosecution, Polish media revealed late Thursday – over a paperwork issue.  Last month, the two men sparked a gold rush by claiming they had found a tunnel in Walbrzych that contains a Nazi train that could be carrying valuables. …

National Security Administration (NSA) director Mike Rogers on Thursday admitted in a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s private email server was a severe security risk. Clinton is facing criticism for having used a personal email address during her entire four years as secretary of state, despite the fact that US President Barack Obama signed…

The Cabinet raised the monthly salary for Israel Police officers in Jerusalem on Friday, after Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) requested a raise for the force in light of the spike in terror in the capital.  Jerusalem District Police officers will now receive an extra 800 shekels (just over $200) per month as a…

A veteran German journalist who became the first to gain access as an embedded reporter with Islamic State (ISIS) revealed the jihadist terror group plans to bring nuclear annihilation across the globe. The journalist, Jurgen Todenhofer (75), released his findings in a book called “Inside IS – Ten Days in the Islamic State,” reports the UK’s Daily…

Infiltration into Israel is still rising, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) warned Friday, despite measures designed to deter illegal immigrants from attempting to scale the Sinai border fence into southern Israel.  Twenty-nine infiltrators entered Israel over the Yom Kippur holiday Tuesday night/Wednesday, she said – making 142 infiltrators on record since January 2015. Of those,…

The 82-year-old man who was electrocuted earlier on Thursday while building a sukkah for the upcoming holiday of Sukkot that begins next Sunday night has died of his wounds. Shaare Tzedek Hospital, where the unfortunate man was taken by paramedics after his electrocution, announced his death on Thursday night. The man was electrocuted and critically…

In yet another indication of the open hostility still felt in Iran despite the recent nuclear deal with world powers, a leading Muslim cleric in the Islamic regime came out on Thursday calling the US “the enemy of Islam.” Ayatollah Seyed Ahmad Khatami made the comments in a speech at Tehran University campus for Eid al-Adha prayers, as…

The Security Cabinet has approved a series of measures designed to fight the current Arab terror wave, which is typified by large scale daily firebomb and rock attacks by youths. The Cabinet calls the measures “uncompromising.” Among the decisions – which were unanimously approved – is a change in the instructions to police regarding opening…

Sherif Gaber, a blogger in hiding from Egyptian police, has created a paean to Israel that is so good, it puts most of Israeli hasbarah (public relations) to shame. The video, embedded above, makes a mockery of Arab states that seek to destroy Israel, compares the Jewish state’s achievements with those of its Muslim neighbors and…

The Security Cabinet has approved a series of measures designed to fight the current Arab terror wave, which is typified by large scale daily firebomb and rock attacks by youths. The Cabinet calls the measures “uncompromising.” Among the decisions – which were unanimously approved – is a change in the instructions to police regarding opening…

A huge stampede killed at least 717 people and injured hundreds more at the hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, in one of the worst-ever tragedies at the annual Muslim pilgrimage. The stampede, the second deadly accident to hit the pilgrims this month following a Binladin Group crane collapse in Mecca, broke out in Mina during the “stoning of the devil”…

Iranian and European business leaders gathered in Geneva Thursday to explore the massive opportunities expected to open up when years of biting sanctions against Tehran end, although experts warned huge challenges remained. “We’re seeing a lot of activities and a lot of interest from foreigners,” enthused Ramin Rabii, the head of Turquoise Partners, Iran’s largest managers of foreign portfolio investment on the Tehran stock…

The IDF Blog published a recap Thursday of the Jewish year’s major Muslim-Arab terror attacks against Jews, and acknowledged the fact that Israelis are under constant threat from Arab terror. “Driving your car, taking the bus, or simply walking around,” the official website states, “daily routine has become dangerous to Israelis.” These are the attacks listed…

Pope Francis praised the “courage and daring” required for adversaries to resume dialogue in a speech to the US Congress Thursday, in a nod to recent controversial overtures between Washington and its longtime foes, Cuba and Iran. Francis did not single out any country by name, but his remarks clearly were intended as encouragement for US President Barack Obama’s recent nuclear deal with…

Religious Jews often do it almost without thinking – but for the uninitiated, Jewish dietary laws (kashrut) are a bewildering affair to say the least. So how would six totally non-observant Jews fair when challenged to keep kosher for a single week?  In a viral video, Buzzfeed found out. Faced with a baffling list of restrictions…

London’s Imperial War Museum apologized on Thursday over an offensive exhibit branding Jewish soldiers who fought the Nazis during World War Two as “terrorists”, Russia Today reported. The apology came after the museum already removed the exhibit, which featured a display on the Jewish Brigade of the British Army that was described as “terrorist activities.”…

An agreement was reached Thursday between the warring parties in Syria for a six-month truce in the rebel-held town of Zabadani and two Shiite towns in the northwest, a monitor told AFP. “A ceasefire in Zabadani and the villages of Fuaa and Kafraya was agreed under the sponsorship of the UN,” Rami Abdel Rahman of…

On the first night of Sukkot, Monday night, Israelis will be able to enjoy a rare celestial spectacle: a “blood supermoon.” The phenomenon will be visible from the Americas, Europe, Africa, west Asia and the east Pacific. It will be result from the Sun, Earth and an extra-bright Moon lining up for just over an hour,…

President Reuven Rivlin on Thursday took part in celebrations for China National Day hosted by Chinese Ambassador to Israel Zhan Yongxin in Tel Aviv, marking 66 years since the independence of the People’s Republic of China. “Today we mark the anniversary of a modern event, but the history and culture that we celebrate goes back many…

Even as the government issued new instructions Thursday to security forces that it claimed are “uncompromising,” the IDF Spokesman reminded Jews not to stray into areas of the Biblical heartland that are under Palestinian Authority (PA) control – for fear of being murdered. The IDF Spokesman’s Unit said that Jews who go on Sukkot holiday…

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said “improper measures” and “mismanagement” by Saudi authorities caused Thursday’s deadly stampede at the annual hajj pilgrimage, and announced three days of mourning. “The government of Saudi Arabia must accept the huge responsibility for this catastrophe,” state news agency IRNA quoted him as saying of the tragedy, which killed more than 700 pilgrims, including at least…

Already at 0.1%, there wouldn’t seem to be much opportunity for the Bank of Israel to cut interest rates further – but that is exactly what economists are expecting later Thursday. Bank chairperson Karnit Flug is expected to announce a cut of a quarter of a basis point in the rate. At 0.075%, the interest…

Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamist group that has operated for nearly a decade in Canada, held its annual meeting Wednesday in a community arts center in the western Toronto suburb of Mississauga. During the event, called “The Real Khalifah” (Caliphate), the group called for the expansion of Islamist domination over the whole world. The group is considered…

Security forces arrested 13 Arab rock-throwers and rioters in Jerusalem overnight Wednesday. Nine of them were minors.  Police said further arrests were expected for violent rioting that has taken place in the capital over the past several days, nothing that “Jerusalem police will continue seeking out and arresting lawbreakers and bringing them to justice.” As Arutz Sheva reported on…

Islamic Movement officials have threatened Israel with a third intifada to begin on Sukkot, against the backdrop of so-called Israeli “attacks” at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.  In an interview with a Turkish news agency, translated by The Middle East Research Institute (MEMRI), the Islamic Movement’s Northern Branch chairman Sheikh Raed Salah warned that “if Israel’s violations…

The Foreign Ministry is boosting its efforts to ensure that the appointment of Dani Dayan as Israel’s ambassador to Brazil is approved, despite efforts by a group of leftist former ambassadors to thwart it. Officials in the Ministry on Wednesday night approached President Reuven Rivlin, and confirmed that they received his consent to, if necessary,…

A junior minister in the new Greek government stepped down less than 24 hours after being appointed as outrage erupted on Wednesday over the anti-Semitic and homophobic remarks he’s made in the past. Dimitris Kammenos, a lawmaker from the nationalist Independent Greeks party who had been named junior infrastructure minister, sparked uproar earlier this year by comparing the EU to Auschwitz. He…

Russian President Vladimir Putin, determined to strengthen his country’s only military outpost in the Middle East, is preparing to launch unilateral airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS) from inside Syria if the U.S. rejects his proposal to join forces, two people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg on Wednesday. Putin’s preferred course of action, though, is…

Two men found guilty of plotting to derail a passenger train in Canada with support from the Al-Qaeda terrorist group were on Wednesday sentenced to life in prison. The Associated Press (AP) reported that Toronto Justice Michael Code sentenced Chiheb Esseghaier to two concurrent life sentences, as well as an additional 18 years. Raed Jaser,…

1.1 million children in New York, American’s largest school district, will on Thursday take the day off to mark Eid al-Adha for the first time, reports AFP. More than 1,800 public schools in New York will close for the Muslim feast of sacrifice, a day after also closing for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in…

At least 453 people were killed and over 400 injured outside Mecca in a stampede Thursday, as hundreds of thousands of Muslims participated in a ritual in the city of Mina. Over two million Muslims are in Mecca on pilgrimage this week, celebrating the Feast of the Sacrifice, Eid al-Adha. The incident occurred during the…

President Reuven Rivlin decorated his Sukkah on Thursday, with the help of some friends – several dozen Jerusalem children who created decorations for the thatched-roof booth that will be used to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot, which begins Sunday night. And everyone’s invited. Speaking Thursday, Rivlin said that his Sukkah would be an “open” one. “The…

A Chicago news station came under fire on Wednesday after using the yellow Star of David Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust as the accompanying photo to a segment on the Jewish High Holidays.  As a WGN newscaster wished area Jews a happy Yom Kippur, the image of the yellow star emblazoned with “Jude”…

Saudi Arabia is set to imminently behead and crucify a protester who was arrested while he was still a minor, even as it takes up a position as chair of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Ali al-Nimr is member of Saudi Arabia’s Shia minority, and nephew of an outspoken Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, who has also…

An Iranian man handed himself in to British police demanding to be deported before it emerged he was in the country legally and simply hoping to be sent home as he was sick of Britain. Arash Aria, 25, said Wednesday he had encountered violence and rudeness in the city of Manchester, northwest England, where he has lived for 10 years, and…

Tax and Customs Authority workers successfully prevented 15 tons of sulfuric acid from being smuggled into Gaza. Authority officials released for publication the interdiction of the shipment which had been brought to Ashdod by ship, and was headed for Gaza. The Authority worked with the Israel Security Agency and other security agencies in the interdiction, it…

Officials in Jerusalem revealed on Thursday that the joint team coordinating military action between the Israeli and Russian armies on Syria will hold its first discussions in less than two weeks.  The team was established during a high-profile meeting held in Moscow earlier this week between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir President.  Netanyahu expressed concern over the deployment…

Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan protested on Thursday against the range of benefits provided to Muslims on the Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) holiday, despite continued Arab attacks throughout Israel.  The Israel Police ordered Wednesday evening that the Temple Mount in Jerusalem would be barred to all Jewish or non-Muslim visitors on Thursday, during the…

Israel will pay damages to the church where Christians believe Jesus performed the miracle of loaves and fishes, after an arson attack by suspected Jewish extremists, the justice ministry said. Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein decided the Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha “should be compensated for the damages caused to it by the arson, in…

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was criticized Wednesday for appointing a nationalist to his new government who is notorious for anti-Semitic and homophobic remarks – but the new junior minister said he was not personally responsible. Dimitris Kammenos, a lawmaker from the nationalist Independent Greeks party who has been named junior infrastructure minister, sparked uproar earlier…

There were a number of violent incidents in northern Israel over Yom Kippur, primarily involving Arabs targeting Jewish Israelis with rocks. A number of youths laid down boulders to block the entrance to the northern community of Dovav last night (Monday) during Yom Kippur. Police removed the roadblock and detained the youths for questioning. In…

This year, like every other year, saw an increased demand for medical treatment by Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedic service during Yom Kippur. Medics and paramedics treated 2,019 people across Israel during the holiday. For 1,909 of them, their conditions were severe enough to warrant hospitalization. Two hundred thirty-four people fainted, suffered dehydration, or felt weak due…

Clashes broke out Wednesday between Palestinian youths and Israeli forces in Hevron following the funeral of a female terrorist shot dead after trying to stab a soldier. Around 50 rioters threw stones at soldiers, who responded with stun grenades and tear gas in the flashpoint city, cite of Judaism’s second holiest site, the Tomb of the…

Russia is building two new military bases on the Syrian coast, the Wall Street Journal reports. The information is based off of private satellite photographs. The two sites believed to be a weapons storage facility and a military outpost near the city of Lattakia, the Alawite heartland of dictator Bashar al-Assad, and home to a sizable military…

Millions of Jews packed synagogues throughout Israel and the Jewish Diaspora today to celebrate Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The festive season will conclude with Sukkot next week, which will see a boon in local and foreign tourism as pilgrims and other visitors flock to Jerusalem and other parts of the…

The ministry for environment protects has announced that a dramatic drop in air pollution levels coinciding with the holiday of Yom Kippur. Sensors around the country noted a drop in nitrous oxide (NO), a pollutant associated with vehicle exhausts. The phenomenon was primarily felt in large cities, which also have the most vehicular traffic. Vehicle…

British-Indian artist Anish Kapoor has covered anti-Semitic graffiti on a controversial sculpture that was vandalized in France with gold leaf – but only just.   Dabs of white paint could still be seen Wednesday at the edges of the gold leaf placed on the massive, funnel-like sculpture at the Palace of Versailles, which has been…

Tahrir Hammad has made history by becoming the first women to be recognized by the Palestinian Authority as a qualified marriage officiant. Thirty-six-year-old Hammad told the New York Times, “I wanted to show that women could do it. I wanted to ignite sparks. I wanted to throw a bomb.” She is only the latest Palestinian…

French National Front (NF) leader Marine Le Pen is being charged with inciting racial hatred for comparing Muslims praying outdoors to the Nazi occupation of France. The charge dates back to 2010, at which time there were reports that mosques in in Paris and other cities were overcrowded, leading to people praying in the streets.…

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) and Social Affairs Minister Chaim Katz (Likud) will on Thursday outline a new bill penalizing parents of minors who engage in violence such as rock-throwing and firebombings. The penalties will apply to parents of minors convicted and handed prison sentences for their role in violent attacks. Among them will…

Minister for Public Security Gilad Erdan (Likud) has announced that retired Brigadier General Gal Hirsch withdrew his candidacy for police commissioner. Hirsch claimed that he is doing so because of the lack of a deadline for the already-lengthy vetting process. “About a month ago I learned that Gal Hirsch is the designated candidate for the…

Syria has begun using Russian-supplied military drones against “extremists,” a security source says. The source did not specify which drone models are being used, though he told AFP that “For the first time, the army today used drones received from Moscow in operations against extremists in the north and east of the country.” This revelation…

This year, like every other year, saw an increased demand for medical treatment by Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedic service during Yom Kippur. Medics and paramedics treated 2,019 people across Israel during the holiday. For 1,909 of them, their conditions were severe enough to warrant hospitalization. Two hundred thirty-four people fainted, suffered dehydration, or felt weak due…

Thousands of police forces were deployed to high-tension areas Tuesday morning and troops were placed on high alert in preparation for Yom Kippur as Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon ordered the complete closure of the West Bank and Gaza to begin at noon until midnight Wednesday. Fears of security incidents in the West Bank and East…

German police carried out dawn raids in Berlin on Tuesday, targeting individuals suspected of inciting people to go and fight for the Islamic State (ISIS) group. According to the AFP news agency, the raids began at 6:30 a.m. and targeted, among others, a 51-year-old Moroccan suspected of recruiting for the jihadists. A 19-year-old Macedonian thought…

A Palestinian Arab woman who was shot on Tuesday morning at an Israeli army checkpoint after trying to stab a soldier died of her wounds on Tuesday afternoon. The death of the 18-year-old, who was identified as Hadeel al-Hashlamon, was confirmed to AFP by a spokeswoman for the Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem where she…

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi landed in the port city of Aden on Tuesday, airport sources said, returning to the southern port city for the first time since he escaped to Saudi Arabia as Houthi fighters closed in six months ago, according to Reuters. His return is the most concrete sign yet that a military…

Iran’s Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Reza Najafi, has emphasized that recent sampling at the Parchin military site was not done under IAEA supervision. In his comments to the semi-official Iranian Fars news agency, Najafi categorically rejected a news report by the Reuters news agency quoting IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano as…

Arutz Sheva’s Israel desk is stopping its round-the-clock news updates of IsraelNationalNews.com at this time in honor of the holiday of Yom Kippur. Jerusalem candle lighting time is 17:57 Summer Time (Tuesday). Arutz Sheva’s North American desk will continue to keep you informed until just before candle lighting time in New York at 18:13 EDT. The time…

Would-be ambassador to Brazil Dani Dayan has received the backing of three powerful politicians in the last 24 hours, Haaretz reports.  Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud), opposition leader Yitzhak Herzog (Zionist Union) and Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid have all contacted Brazil’s ambassador to Israel to express support for the former Yesha Council chairman.  Edelstein, Herzog, and Lapid’s urging of Brazil to…

Germany’s domestic intelligence chief warned Tuesday that Islamists are likely recruiting new terrorists from among the thousands of new Middle Eastern migrants flooding his country. Hans-Georg Maassen, president of the BfV domestic intelligence agency, revealed that “there is a big worry that Islamists in Germany, on the pretext of offering humanitarian help, could try to take advantage of the…

A group of pro-Palestinian protestors who posed naked before the security wall separating Judea-Samaria and annexed Israel were forced to apologize after Palestinian Arabs accused them of insulting Islam.  The eight Spanish activists posted photos online of their clothes bunched around their ankles and wearing only red clown noses at the IDF checkpoint of Qalandia, located at the entrance to the Arab neighborhood by…

Strengthening the criticism against US President Barak Obama’s historic rapprochement with the Castro regime in Cuba, reports surfaced Tuesday of how Cuban security officials banned dissidents from meeting Pope Francis amid his visit. The pope met with Fidel Castro on Sunday, and is to leave on Tuesday for the US where he will meet Obama and address…

A planned protest against Grammy award-winning American musician Pharrell Williams by South African supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement somewhat fizzled, but the BDS movement nevertheless hailed it as successful. About 2,000 people participated in the demonstration outside the GrandWest casino in Cape Town on Monday night, according to the South African…

The world’s top insulin maker, Novo Nordisk, said on Tuesday it would build a 70 million euro ($78 million) facility in Iran, signaling its “long-term commitment” to the country. “We are happy to commit to this manufacturing facility in Iran,” Ole Moelskov Bech, who heads part of the group’s Middle East business, said in a…

For the first time since 2007, Israel will allow Gaza to export ironware, furniture and textiles to Israel in a bid to improve the Gazan economy, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), said Monday, according to a report in Haaretz. The new rules will go into effect October 7 with the aim…

The body of a Palestinian Arab terrorist was found after midnight Monday/Tuesday near the community of Beit Haggai, south of Hevron, the IDF confirmed Tuesday morning.  An initial IDF investigation has revealed that the terrorist was likely killed during an attempt to harm Israeli vehicles and after throwing a grenade at a military vehicle. Residents from…

A female terrorist aged about 18 attempted Tuesday to stab a Border Police soldier at the Hashoter roadblock in Hevron. She was shot and seriously wounded. No Israelis were harmed. In another incident just after midnight, the body of a terrorist was found near Beit Haggai, south of Hevron. An initial investigation shows that he was…

Tens of thousands of Jews visited the Western Wall (Kotel) in Jerusalem on Monday night, gathering to ask for forgiveness and mercy in Selichot prayers before the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) fast despite – or in spite of – the tense security situation in the capital.  As many as 100,000 people may have visited the Kotel throughout…

India has accelerated plans to buy drones from Israel that can be armed, defense sources told Reuters on Monday, allowing the military to carry out strikes overseas with less risk to personnel. The news comes weeks after India’s long-time rival Pakistan first reported using a home-made drone in combat when it attacked militants on its…

A 91-year-old woman in Germany has been charged as an accessory to the murder of 260,000 people at Auschwitz, The Telegraph reported Monday. The woman, who has not been named under German privacy laws, is accused of having served as a member of the SS at the concentration camp. The case is the latest in…

The Vatican flag will be raised for the first time at the United Nations on Friday ahead of Pope Francis’ address, but there will be no ceremony, the Holy See’s mission said Monday, according to AFP. The United Nations recently voted in favor of allowing the flags of non-member observer states, including the Palestinian Authority (PA) and…

The White House said on Monday it was seeing indications Iran is cooperating with inspectors from the UN’s nuclear watchdog and credited tough international sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear program, according to Reuters. White House spokesman Josh Earnest was asked about the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) inspection of the Parchin military complex and its report…

MK Shelly Yechimovich (Zionist Union) on Monday blasted a group of leftist former ambassadors who had lobbied Brazil to reject the appointment of Dani Dayan as Israel’s ambassador to Brazil. Using unusually harsh language in a post on her Facebook page denouncing the former ambassadors, Yechimovich said she finds it “annoying and infuriating when members…

France will not demand Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s departure as a precondition for peace talks, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Monday, according to the Reuters news agency. “If we require, even before negotiations start, that Assad step down, we won’t get far,” Fabius was quoted as saying in an interview with the Le Figaro newspaper…

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Monday took to Twitter to criticize Republican candidate Dr. Ben Carson for saying he would not support a Muslim becoming president. Carson, responding to a question on NBC’s “Meet the Press” in an interview on Sunday, said, “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas raised his rhetoric on Tuesday, threatening about the “risk of an intifada” or popular terror war if clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem continue. After a meeting with French leader Francois Hollande in Paris, Abbas warned about the clashes that have been occurring since last week, saying, “what is happening is…

A fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon just hours before the start of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) within the boundaries of Beit Haggai, a town located just south of Hevron in Judea. The flames spread out rapidly in the direction of the town’s “youth village,” where classes and activities for youth are held. Threatened…

​ Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv Yisrael Meir Lau, sat down with Arutz Sheva on Tuesday to offer holiday greetings and a spiritual message before the start of Yom Kippur.  “We are now a day before the most holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur,” Rabbi Lau said, in an address to “our brothers and sisters abroad.” “We…

Israel and Japan have been becoming key allies in the span of just over a year, and that growing bond connecting the two countries located on either extreme of Asia was given a further historic seal in recent weeks in the appointment of Japan’s first-ever chief rabbi. Arutz Sheva got the opportunity to speak with Rabbi Binyamin…

The new leader of Britain’s Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn, has been invited to speak before the party’s pro-Israel caucus, the UK-based Jewish Chronicle reports.  MP Joan Ryan’s invitation to Corbyn to address the Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) reception at Labour’s annual conference next week comes amid growing worry among many British Jews over Corbyn’s election.  Corbyn, a patron of the Palestinian…

Several leading nationalist voices have been expressing disappointment after Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) added Attorney Raz Nizri and Prof. Ron Shapira to the list of candidates for the next attorney general. Nizri is currently Deputy Attorney General. While he wears a kippah he is not generally associated with nationalist views and was a…

Iran’s armed forces are the best defense against “terror” in the Middle East, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday, urging regional countries not to rely on world powers. “Today, the largest power against intimidation and terror is our armed forces,” Rouhani said at a massive military parade in Tehran. Iran has played a major role in the fight against…

The Jerusalem District Attorney filed indictments against five Arab teenagers in the Juvenile District Court on Tuesday, all of whom were arrested for throwing rocks at an Israeli civilian.   Two weeks ago, a Jew wearing a kippah (yarmulke – ed.) entered a store in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Wadi Al-Joz.  The boys saw him; when he left, they followed…

Forty two years after it ended, more information has emerged on the tensions that dogged the IDF in the wake of the Yom Kippur War. The new documents, which were part of the protocol of the Agranat Commission which investigated the IDF and government’s conduct during the war, show a sharp dispute between former Prime…

Israel defending Judaism’s holiest site is a “red line,” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated to a delegation of visiting Arab MKs on Monday.  “I am very disturbed by the situation and will act in the international arena as much as I can to stop the dangerous events in the Islamic holy places,” Erdogan stated,…

MK Bezalel Smotrich (Jewish Home) filed a new bill Monday which seeks to establish a minimum sentence for rock-throwers and Molotov cocktail throwers, following the rise in terrorism in and around Jerusalem.  The new bill postulates that anyone who throws a rock, a Molotov cocktail, or participates in such events as a violent riot, will be…

Rock-throwing terrorists aren’t just a recent Jerusalem phenomenon, according to Gush Etzion Regional Council head Davidi Perl – it’s been going on for years in many parts of Judea and Samaria, including in the area where he works. “The increase of terror in recent months is not just something that is happening in Jerusalem,” Perl…

Israel and Russia will coordinate their military actions over Syria to avoid an accidental exchange of fire, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Monday after concluding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.  “My objective was to prevent misunderstandings between IDF units and Russian forces,” Netanyahu told Israeli reporters, noting that he and Putin had “agreed…

Leading Religious Zionist rabbis encouraged Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) to continue ascending the Temple Mount on Monday, after an MK blamed the minister for an increase in the violent Muslim rioting at Judaism’s holiest site.  “These days, given the international intervention on our holy Temple Mount, and the discrimination and trampling of fundamental…

France opened a business development office in Tehran on Monday seeking to renew once-strong economic ties with Iran after the July 14 nuclear deal in the face of “fierce competition.”  French Agriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll and Minister of State for Foreign Trade Matthias Fekl inaugurated the “Business France” office on a visit with some 150 business leaders that is to run until Wednesday.…

A new poll shows that most Palestinians no longer support the “two state solution,” which entails lopping off Judea, Samaria, and most of Jerusalem from Israel and establishing an Arab state. According to the poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, 51% of Palestinian Authority residents – including in PA-controlled areas…

An ISIS terrorist recruiter posing as an “asylum seeker” has been arrested by German police in a “refugee” center in Stuttgart. So reports German RTL television. At the same time, a German finance ministry spokesman has acknowledged the seizure of “boxes” of fake Syrian passports, destined for sale and distribution to the new refugees from Syria and…

This week’s edition of Temple Talk, the first of the year, takes us through the process of the Ten Days of Repentance and the cleansing healing of Yom Kippur, and right into the joyous shadow of the Sukkah. Yitzchak Reuven and Rabbi Richman welcome the New Year of 5776 with and its promise of joy, faith…

An entire class’s annual visit to the Temple Mount was cancelled on Monday, despite advanced coordination with the Israel Police.  Over 100 students from the Birkat Moshe Yeshiva in Ma’ale Adumim were due to visit the Mount as part of an annual tradition ahead of the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement – ed.) holiday, along…

Jerusalem District Commander Moshe Edri on Monday evening announced that the entry of Muslims to the Temple Mount compound will be restricted in the coming days, in light of the ongoing violence in the area and in the wake of intelligence received that Arab youths intend to cause disturbances during the Yom Kippur holiday. Under the…

172 new olim (immigrants) from Ukraine landed in Israel on Monday, many of whom are starting a new life after experiencing the horrors of civil war in the Donetsk region.  Among them: Igor, Tatiana and their daughter K (her name and their surname are not publicly published due to security reasons). Three months ago, K was captivated by…

Israel on Monday accused Jordan of exacerbating tensions on the Temple Mount, after King Abdullah proclaimed that Jews had no business praying on Judaism’s holiest site. In response, Israel sent a sharply-worded message to Abdullah asking him to back off on his criticism – and pointing out how he was contributing to the tension in…

Yisrael Beytenu chairman and former Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman called on Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) to fire the directors of Sakhnin schools on Monday, following a protest for “intifada” by the students. Middle and high school students in the Israeli Arab city of Sakhnin, located in the Galilee east of Haifa, skipped school on Monday…

Hungarian video journalist Petra Laszlo of Hungary’s N1TV station was fired after tripping a fleeing Syrian migrant father and son as they fled from police this month, but Kurdish media claimed on Sunday night that she may have been stopping a terrorist infiltrating the country. Laszlo was filming police attempting to control hundreds of migrants – among them Syrian refugees…

Three former Israeli ambassadors and other leftist activists have asked the Brazilian government not to approve the appointment of Dani Dayan as Israel’s ambassador to Brasilia. Dayan lives in Ma’ale Shomron in Samaria, and is a former chairman of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria, also known as the Yesha Council. One of the…

Culture Minister Miri Regev (Likud) criticized on Monday attempts by Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein, who is also Legal Adviser to the Government, to scuttle a government decision making it easier to fire on terrorists. “The decision by the Legal Adviser to the Government not to make the open fire instructions more lenient is beyond his…

Grammy award-winning American musician Pharrell Williams will face down a protest by thousands of anti-Israel activists at a concert in Cape Town on Monday, organizers of the demonstration said. Members of the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement that seeks to harm Israel economically are campaigning against the singer’s partnership with major South African retail group Woolworths, over its imports from Israel.…

The Jerusalem District Court on Monday sentenced a cell of four Arab terrorists from the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya to between two and five-and-a-half years in jail, for setting a synagogue on fire and conducting numerous firebomb attacks. The cell set a synagogue on fire in Jerusalem’s northeastern French Hill neighborhood back in 2013,…

A campaign by the Ministry of Agriculture against the “kapparot” (or kaporos) custom of twirling chickens in the air and slaughtering them on Yom Kippur Eve in order to atone for sins has met obstruction from haredi newspapers. Haredi newspapers Yated Ne’eman, Hamevaser, Bakehila, Hapeles and Hamodia all refused to run the advertisement encouraging Jews to…

As part of the recent nuclear deal Iran on Monday handed over to the UN nuclear body alleged samples from the covert Parchin military base, which reportedly has been a key site used to test nuclear detonators. The samples were taken by Iranian scientists with UN scientists not allowed on the site, as announced by an Iranian official…

A group of Israeli leftists recently approached the government of Brazil, through the Brazilian ambassadors in Israel and the Palestinian Authority, demanding that Brazil reject the appointment of Dani Dayan, former chairman of the Yesha Council, as Israel’s ambassador to Brazil, Haaretz reports Sunday. The request is a very unusual one, especially given the fact…

Israel’s hold on the city of Jerusalem cannot be undermined, President Reuven Rivlin said on Sunday night, as he hosted a Selichot prayer service at the synagogue of the Presidential Residence. The synagogue was built about a decade ago and holds services on a daily basis, thanks to a faithful group of worshipers who attend…

A TV and newspaper personality for most of his career, Lapid heads the Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party. He served as Finance Minister in the previous government under Prime Minister Binyamin Netanayahu, but resigned before the last elections and has been a sworn political enemy of Netanyahu ever since. In fact, half of…

Binyamin Netanyahu is determined to implement harsher penalties against rock throwers and “neighborhood terrorists,” sources close to the Prime Minister said Sunday. Speaking to confidantes, Netanyahu made it clear that he would ensure that the harsher measures, which include opening fire on rock-throwers, would be implemented, despite the opposition of figures in the judiciary. Netanyahu…

Five members of the radical Arab Joint List visited King Abdullah II of Jordan Sunday and told him to turn up the pressure on Israel in opposition to any Jewish rights on the Temple Mount. The five are MKs Ahmed Tibi, Usama Saadi, Jamal Zahalka, Taleb Abu Arar and Aida Touma Sliman. Abu Arar said…

The saga of supermodel Bar Refaeli’s “wedding of the year” this Thursday continues: after having her “no-fly zone” order over the wedding space at the Carmel forests overturned by the Transportation Ministry, Refaeli is taking matters to court. Refaeli (30) is set to tie the knot in a gala ceremony on Thursday with Israeli businessman Adi Ezra (40), heir…

An IDF soldier was lightly to moderately wounded on Sunday night by a mob of Arab terrorists, as he took part in guarding a mass visit by Jews to the ancient tomb of the Biblical figure Yosef (Joseph) located in Shechem (Nablus), Samaria. Roughly 60 Arab assailants rioted by the site as over 2,000 Jews came to…

The head of the UN atomic watchdog was granted access Sunday to a controversial Iranian military site where it is alleged covert research to build a nuclear bomb took place, AFP reported. Yukiya Amano, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), visited Parchin, a base east of Tehran as efforts are stepped up to…

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said most Iranians support the nuclear deal he signed with the United States and that state institutions will likely ratify it. In an interview with the CBS show “60 Minutes” broadcast Sunday in the United States, Rouhani said America was still distrusted in his country but that the deal would…

Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas told a number of European diplomats last week that he does not intend to announce the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority or the cancellation of the Oslo Accords during his upcoming speech at the United Nations General Assembly, a senior Israeli official told Haaretz on Sunday night. According to the senior Israeli…

The chairman of the far left Peace Now organization, Yariv Oppenheimer, announced on Sunday that he would be stepping down, instead serving as the Secretary-General of the organization in the fields of politics and media. Peace Now is expected to issue a tender for the appointment of a new chairman whose role will be to…

A rocket that was fired from Gaza exploded overnight Sunday, around 4:00 a.m., in the Hof Ashkelon region of southern Israel. The rocket exploded in an open region, causing no physical injuries or damages. According to the IDF, the “Red Alert” incoming rocket siren did not sound in nearby communities because the rocket was headed…

Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson caused an uproar on Sunday when he said in a television interview he would not support a Muslim as President of the United States. Responding to a question on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, Carson said, “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation.…

Residents of Ashdod called it a miracle Sunday when a young child who got stuck under the wheels of a truck sustained only moderate injuries. Rescue workers who treated the child found him with injuries on several parts of his body, but mostly shaken up – far from the result that they had expected when the…

What’s the best way to infiltrate Europe? For Arab migrants seeking to break through to the “promised land” – the northern European lands such as Germany and Austria – there is a Facebook group that provides tips on how to get past the patrols, fences, and immigration officials that stand in their way. Members of the…

The Israeli government has decided to loosen restrictions on opening fire against terrorists who throw rocks and firebombs at Israelis, and set minimum sentences for rock-throwing terror, but the decision appears to mean little as long as Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein does not pronounce his opinion on the matter. While Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced at…

After a series of Arab provocations and ongoing terror attacks, the government seems set to fully embrace and further defend the Machpelah Cave, traditionally considered the burial site of the Fathers of the Jewish people, and long a flashpoint for Arab violence against Jews. On a visit to the site Sunday, Religious Affairs Minister David…

The IDF has deployed Iron Dome anti-missile batteries Sunday next to the towns of Sdert and Netivot in southern Israel. Another battery was deployed last week near Ashdod. The Iron Dome batteries were deployed after a rocket was intercepted Friday evening over Ashkelon, and another rocket exploded in an open area in Sderot. No one…

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Saturday said it was “appalled” by what it said was a one-sided statement by the UN Security Council regarding recent violence on and around the Temple Mount. The ADL accused the UNSC of ignoring the holiness of the site to Jews, and said it had “turned a blind eye” to Muslim…

The Palestinian Authority and Fatah have been the driving force behind the ongoing riots in Jerusalem that peaked during the Jewish New Year with the murder of Alexander Levlovitch, whose car was hit by rocks thrown by Palestinians, according to Palestinian Media Watch (PMW). Senior Palestinian Authority and Fatah leaders close to Mahmoud Abbas have…

Jerusalem prosecutors filed four indictments against individuals arrested for throwing rocks in Jerusalem over the Rosh Hashanah holiday. The four were aged 19, 18, 16, and 14, and the indictments were handed down for attacking Israelis with rocks, resisting arrest, and attempting to attack police, among other charges. The incidents occurred on the Temple Mount,…

Jewish Home party chairman, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, said Sunday that Yesh Atid head MK Yair Lapid had joined the ranks of the Left when he voiced support for the so-called Saudi Initiative, or Saudi Peace Plan.  “Yair Lapid, my friend, congratulations for having discovered the Saudi Initiative,” wrote Bennett on Facebook. “Really, I think…

Arab terrorists attacked an IDF base just east of Jerusalem late on Saturday night with firebombs, and then proceeded to attack firefighters who came to the scene to put out the blaze their Molotov cocktails had set off. The attack occurred at Anatot Base located just to the east of Mount Scopus and Mount of Olives –…

“Color red” rocket warning sirens were sounded in southern Israel late Saturday night, but the IDF quickly ruled the sirens out as a false alarm. The sirens were sounded in the Sha’ar Hanegev and Sedot Negev regional council areas near Gaza, but no rockets were identified in Israeli territory, nor were explosions heard. Security sources…

Further signs have surfaced showing that the crackdown on Kurdish forces by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) – which experts estimated was an elections ploy – has failed spectacularly. Several analysts explained Erdogan’s unofficial war on Kurdish forces launched in July was a ploy to make up for AKP’s failure in June elections, and to pave the…

Arab Christian schools in Israel have been conducting a strike since the start of the school year, pressing the government for weeks with claims that they have been suffering from discrimination and demanding more funding. However, an investigation reveals that a large number of the Arab Christian schools are openly supportive of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and…

Mahmoud al-Zahar, a member of the Hamas politburo and a senior official in the terrorist organization, threatened violence against the Palestinian Authority (PA) on Friday despite the unity agreement between the two groups sealed last April. Speaking at a massive rally in Gaza’s Khan Younis organized by Hamas in support of the Islamist rioters attacking police…

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog will travel Saturday to Iran for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program with senior officials, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement. However, a key covert nuclear site won’t be one of his stops. The discussions between IAEA chief Yukiya Amano and the “high-level” officials will take place on Sunday, the statement said, as a December deadline…

A conservative Jewish magazine may be dropping right-wing commentator Ann Coulter, after she ranted about ‘f—king Jews’ over Twitter last week.  Coulter had tweeted “How many f—ing Jews do these [candidates] think there are in the United States?” in response to the Republican candidates’ debate over Israel. Controversy ensued, after Twitter trend #IStandwithAnn attracted comments from anti-Semites…

In response to the wave of terror that has struck Jerusalem in recent days, Culture Minister Miri Regev (Likud) will present to the Cabinet on Sunday a bill denying social security benefits to individuals and the families of minors who engage in terrorism.  Rock-throwing and firebombing will be considered acts of terror according to the…

US President Barack Obama has long been accused of being a secret Muslim, but a recent CNN poll found that a handful of Americans believe Obama is actually a Jew.  According to the poll, Mashable reported on Saturday, close to one in three Americans think Obama is Muslim, while one in a hundred believe he’s Jewish.  When asked…

Dozens of people gathered in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Armon HaNetziv on Saturday night, to show solidarity with the Jewish community there and protest Arab terror in the area. Arutz Sheva visited the scene to understand what the protest was about.  Saturday’s protest followed the murder of Alexander Levlovitz (64) on the eve of Rosh Hashanah last…

When Iranian crowds chant “Death to America” during rallies in Tehran, Americans shouldn’t take it personally, according to Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani. Speaking in an interview with 60 Minutes due to be broadcast on Sunday and quoted by the AFP news agency, Rouhani explained that the famous Friday ritual is a reaction to previous Washington…

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi has sworn in a new government, Egypt’s state news agency reported Saturday, according to The Associated Press (AP). The new government was appointed one week after the previous Cabinet resigned amid a corruption probe and will be headed by former Petroleum Minister Sherif Ismail. The appoint comes after state-friendly media slammed…

The new leader of the British Labor party, Jeremy Corbyn, is saying that he has some Jewish ancestry, the Jewish Chronicle reports. Speaking in an interview with the Church Times, Corbyn revealed that there was a “Jewish element” in the family. His mother Naomi was a Bible-reading agnostic “brought up in a religious environment and…

A former lieutenant of former Al-Qaeda chief, Osama bin Laden, has been killed in fighting with pro-government militiamen in Syria, a monitor said Saturday, according to the AFP news agency. “Abul Hassan al-Tunsi, an important leader of Al-Nusra Front, was killed in clashes Friday between Islamist rebels and pro-government militia around the Shiite villages of…

Jordan’s King Abdullah II threatened an “explosion” over Israel cracking down on violent Muslim riots on the Temple Mount on Sunday, stating in a meeting with Arab MKs that he will broach the issue in the United Nations next week. “I say this bluntly – there is cooperation and there is no division, Al-Aqsa is…

Three weeks after its unveiling, the memorial slab for slain hiker Danny Gonen has been defaced by Arab vandals, Channel 10 reports.  With red paint, the vandals graffitied over the plaque honoring Gonen, as well as scrawling the name of Palestinian party “Fatah” on the memorial stone at the Ein Bubin spring near Dolev. Gonen, 25, was murdered…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu issued a harsh warning to terrorists on Sunday, opening his weekly Cabinet session stating that the justice system is trying to crack down on the growing terror in Jerusalem.  “Rocks and Molotov cocktails are lethal weapons, they kill and have killed, so the last few days we have changed the rules of…

A Twitter battle erupted on Sunday between Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) and Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid, following the latter’s presentation of his political plan during a speech at Bar-Ilan University.  Lapid called for a regional solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, making mention of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which stipulates Israel’s relations with the…

It was last Wednesday morning, the excitement of the coming holiday of Rosh Hashanah could be felt everywhere.  The streets of the Five Towns were bustling with holiday shoppers, children were happily awaiting the coming of the New Year, with thoughts of the apple and honey and the sweets that they would soon indulge in.…

The head of the United Nations atomic watchdog held talks with top officials in Tehran on Sunday about unresolved “ambiguities” over“possible military dimensions” to Iran’s nuclear program in the past. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano’s visit comes as a December 15 deadline looms for the completion of the watchdog’s long-running inquiry into allegations that at least until 2003, Iran conducted research into…

A delegation of Arab MKs set out on Sunday for a series of meetings with leaders of the Muslim world on recent violent clashes between Israeli police and Arab rioters on the Temple Mount.  The Joint List delegation left Israel for Jordan on Sunday morning ahead of a meeting with King Abdullah, Channel 10 reports. From Jordan, they will…

Egypt has begun flooding Hamas terror tunnels beneath the Egypt-Gaza Rafah border crossing Friday, in an apparent attempt to prevent terrorist infiltrations.  According to Dutch news agency DPA, Egypt pumped water from the Mediterranean Sea into the tunnels, making good on threats it made to Hamas last month. Egyptian officials apparently intend to turn the tunnels,…

The Foreign Ministry confirmed on Saturday night that the body of Amir Ohana, the Israeli who went missing in Ukraine’s Uman, has been found. Ohana’s body was found Saturday in a lake in the city, which is a popular destination for many Jews on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The unfortunate man’s family has been informed.…

In a surprising about-face, Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavik has decided to back down on its decision made just last Wednesday to boycott all Israeli goods. Reykjavik Mayor Dagur B. Eggertsson told the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service RUV that the decision is to be withdrawn, saying he was “angry” with himself for supporting the move. “Yes, the…

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday criticized Israel over tensions on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, where Islamist assailants have used Al-Aqsa Mosque as a base to attack Israeli police on numerous days over the last week amid Rosh Hashanah. “It is without doubt a dangerous violation of Islamic holy places,” Sisi said of Israeli law enforcement at a press conference…

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog will travel Saturday to Iran for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program with senior officials, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement. However, a key covert nuclear site won’t be one of his stops. The discussions between IAEA chief Yukiya Amano and the “high-level” officials will take place on Sunday, the statement said, as a December deadline…

In response to three rockets fired into Israel on Friday, the IDF struck a base belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in northern Gaza on Friday night. IDF warplanes bombed a base of Hamas’s “military wing,” the Al-Qassam Brigades, in northern Gaza, according to a witness and a security official in Gaza. The security official said the air raid…

A border police officer has been moderately wounded in a shooting attack close to the Armon Hanetziv neighborhood of Jerusalem. The 25-year-old officer was shot in his shoulder by terrorists during an ambush as he and fellow officers were quelling violent disturbances in Jabel Mukaber. An additional three officers were lightly wounded by firebombs hurled by…

Two prominent American Jewish groups on Friday denounced Iceland’s capital city council for voting to boycott Israeli products, reported AFP. Reykjavik’s council approved a motion Tuesday to halt the city’s purchase of such products, becoming the latest European city to join the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel. The Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal…

Russia has moved its first fighter jets to a growing base in Syria, defense officials said Friday, according to The Wall Street Journal, raising new concerns Moscow is preparing to play a direct role in helping embattled President Bashar Al-Assad against Islamic State (ISIS) militants. Defense officials said at least four tactical fighter jets had…

The city of Sderot on Friday night called on the Israeli government to respond to the rocket attack on the city earlier in the evening. “The residents of the city are not guinea pigs. They have the right to lives that are quiet and safe. There is a pattern of activity designed to harm residents,…

The Iron Dome anti-missile system on Friday night intercepted and shot down two rockets fired from Gaza that were headed towards the city of Ashkelon. Sirens sounded in the area at approximately 11:30 p.m. local time, forcing locals to temporarily retreat to bomb shelters. There were no reports of physical injuries. The rocket attack on Ashkelon…

Yisrael Beytenu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman on Friday evening placed the blame on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for the rocket attack on Sderot. The rocket, fired by Gaza terrorists shortly before 9:00 p.m., exploded near a home in the city, causing damage to the home and a parked bus, but no physical injuries. In response,…

Israel on Friday prevented an official Palestinian Authority (PA) convoy, which included PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, from entering Jerusalem on its way to the Temple Mount. The convoy was stopped at the Hizme checkpoint and ordered to return to Ramallah. The incident occurred amid continued clashes and violence on the Temple Mount and throughout…

The quiet and calm of the Sabbath were disturbed in the city of Sderot in southern Israel on Friday evening, as shortly before 9:00 p.m. the “Red Alert” rocket siren was sounded in the area. Shortly thereafter, a rocket fired by Gaza terrorists exploded near a home inside Sderot. There were no physical injuries, but…

Arab residents of Jerusalem have tampered their license plates to show a Nazi symbol instead of the flag of the State of Israel, Israeli news outlets revealed Friday.  Israeli yellow license plates display a Jewish star to the left of the license number. Israel-hatred has taken a whole new level, however, with that star now being…

After condemning Israel for its law enforcement against Islamist radicals who attacked police on the Temple Mount earlier this week, Jordan is now threatening to recall its ambassador – as it did from last November until February. Mahmoud Al-Akrawi, head of the department of Palestinian affairs in Jordan’s Foreign Ministry, said in an interview with Al-Risalah that…

The UN Security Council appealed for calm and restraint Thursday after three days of clashes this week at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount  between Israeli police and Arab mobs.  In a unanimous declaration, the 15-member panel also expressed its “grave concern” and called for maintaining the rules governing the sensitive site, which is Judaism’s holiest. “The members of the Security Council…

Veteran diplomat Jose Cabanas on Thursday became Cuba’s first ambassador to the United States in 54 years, according to the Reuters news agency. Cabanas, who ran Havana’s de facto embassy or “Interests Section” in Washington since 2012 and became charge d’affaires when relations were formally restored on July 20, presented his credentials to U.S. President…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday evening spoke with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the wake of the ongoing terror wave in Jerusalem. Netanyahu told the UN chief that Israel is acting against the violence on the Temple Mount, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office. He added that Israel is strictly maintaining…

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Thursday night phoned President Barack Obama to condemn Israel for what was termed its “grave escalation” on the Temple Mount. According to the official Saudi Press Agency, during the phone call, the King “expressed, in strong wordings, condemnation and disapproval of the grave Israeli escalation, at Al Aqsa Mosque, in…

As time ran out for American lawmakers to halt the Iran nuclear deal Thursday, officials in Washington turned their attention to ensuring that Tehran lives up to its side of the bargain, AFP reported. Senior administration officials said the “ball is in Iran’s court” as it seeks to convince the international community its nuclear program…

Iran released five top Al Qaeda terrorists in a swap with the terror group’s branch in Yemen, an American official revealed Thursday night – including one with a $5 million bounty on his head.  The five were released in March 2015, the official said, possibly in exchange for an Iranian diplomat being held in the…

Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli’s imminent wedding has been long touted in local media as the “wedding of the year,” but it reached new proportions of extravagant absurdity on Friday as the Civil Aviation Authority declared the area above the wedding a no-fly zone. Refaeli (30) is set to tie the knot next Thursday with Israeli businessman…

Iran released five top Al Qaeda terrorists in a swap with the terror group’s branch in Yemen, an American official revealed Thursday night – including one with a $5 million bounty on his head.  The five were released in March 2015, the official said, possibly in exchange for an Iranian diplomat being held in the…

Tashlich prayer on the Brooklyn Bridge, 1909. The New Year prayer is traditionally said at a body of water where the worshipper “casts” his/her sins Normally, we focus on pictures of the Holy Land found in the Library of Congress archives’ American Colony collection.   In honor of the High Holy Days, we present vintage pictures of the holidays in New York…

Islamic Jihad terrorist Mohammed Allan restarted his hunger strike on Wednesday as he was released from hospital and immediately rearrested on a new administrative order. But according to Jawad Boulos, legal counsel for the Ramallah-based Prisoners Club of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Allan has already scrapped his renewed hunger strike. Boulos told the Palestinian Arab Ma’an News…

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau, and Rishon LeTzion and Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef released a joint statement following clashes near the Temple Mount Friday, calling on Islamic leaders and leaders of other faiths to work together to stop Arab rioting.  In their statement, both noted that it is the responsibility of religious leaders to create an atmosphere that will…

The IDF is on constant alert for escalation from Gaza, Maariv revealed Friday, in a special report revealing the inner workings of the IDF’s “war room.”  In the wake of Operation Protective Edge in Gaza last summer, Southern Command chief Sami Turgeman opened the “war room” for constant readiness against the terror threat.  In this special set of…

The anticipated Arab attacks near the Temple Mount at the end of Friday prayers did not disappoint, as Arab rioters hurled rocks at police forces at the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem’s Old City. At the gate, located on the eastern end of the northern wall of the Old City, one Arab assailant was arrested in the…

Searches recommenced in Ukraine’s Uman at first light on Friday morning after traces of the missing Israeli Amir Ohana, who has not been spotted since going off to be alone on Tuesday in the city frequented by many Jews on Rosh Hashanah. The ZAKA rescue organization’s command room held an evaluation of the status late Thursday night, under the leadership of ZAKA…

While most Europeans strongly oppose the massive influx of Middle Eastern migrants into Germany, warning against the possible infiltration by terrorists and the affect on European culture, Germany’s Jews reportedly firmly support letting the migrants in. To make sense of the puzzling state of affairs Arutz Sheva spoke with Eliyus Paz, head of the World Bnei Akiva in Germany,…

Over a week has gone by since Iranian leaders’ vague threats to destroy Israel  have become more specific, yet neither U.S. President Barack Obama nor any  other major world leader has condemned it. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, tweeted last week that, “Allah willing, Israel will cease to exist within the next 25 years.”…

The period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is an extremely busy one at the Kotel (Western Wall), with crowds gathering every night for the recitation of selihot penitential prayers said at this time of year to ask for forgiveness and Heavenly blessings for a better year. On Thursday night, a selihot service led by Tzfat…

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) annual general conference on Thursday once again shot down an attempt by Arab states to force Israel to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The proposal to have Israel’s Dimona nuclear reactor inspected, which was submitted by Egypt with backing by Syria, Iran, Libya and Iraq, was defeated handily…

German officials said Thursday that police shot and killed a “known Islamist extremist” after he attacked a German police officer in Berlin. AP quoted Berlin prosecutor Dirk Feuerberg as sating that the 41-year-old attacker was “part of Berlin’s Islamist scene.” The report said that police were called after pedestrians in the Spandau neighborhood of Berlin…

Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, made waves on Tuesday when its city council decided to boycott Israel, but on Thursday Iceland’s Foreign Ministry clarified that the state does not give that decision any credence. Urdur Gunnarsdóttir, a spokesperson of the ministry, told the Hebrew-language Channel 2 that “the decision of the city council does not indicate Iceland’s relations with…

Two IDF soldiers who were wounded last year while stopping Egyptian smugglers infiltrating the border are to be given a top award by the army. IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot on Thursday approved the award for Or Ben-Yehuda and Yuri Zoyev. The awards will be presented to the two for their quick thinking action in keeping…

The unusual crane collapse last Friday at the Grand Mosque in Mecca has apparently sparked a fallout in the Muslim world regarding its holiest site, as senior Egyptian religious figures called for Saudi authority over the site to be changed. The collapse killed 107 people and wounded 238 at the holiest site in Islam which houses the Kaaba cube Muslims pray towards, and it ironically took…

Teams of the ZAKA rescue organization on Thursday continued their desperate search in Sofyivsky forest at the Ukrainian city of Uman after Amir Ohana, a missing Israeli who was among the roughly 45,000 Jews traveling to Uman for Rosh Hashanah. Ohana (28) has been missing since Tuesday afternoon, when he went out to be alone on the second…

In the wake of the violent Arab rioting that has plagued Jerusalem over the past several days, the Im Tirzu organization has been handing out Israeli flags right out outside the Old City of Jerusalem. Thousands of people have so far received flags from the activists who are handing them out near the Yafo Gate. On…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas – often lauded in the international community as a “peace partner” for Israel – on Wednesday called for terrorist “martyrs” to prevent “filthy” Jews from visiting the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism. Abbas’s comments, which came following rioting by radical Islamists at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Mount that spanned ever since Sunday evening…

Rabbi Yuval Cherlow, one of the leading rabbis of the Religious Zionist community and a founder of the influential Tzohar organization, believes that Israel must “carefully weigh” the option of admitting Syrian refugees into Israel. “An ethical dilemma, just like a dilemma in Jewish law, is often very complicated with many issues that pull in…

Syria’s foreign minister, Walid al-Moualem, on Thursday said his country would request Russian troops to fight alongside its troops if the need arose, but stressed that there were no Russia combat troops in Syria now. “There is no joint fighting on the ground with Russian troops but if we felt such a need we would…

Jay Shapiro claims that the United States and European powers that negotiated with Iran were completely fooled and signed a disastrous agreement.  The question, according to him, is whether they were stupid or allowed themselves to be fooled. Click here to download the podcast

A man and woman in their 60s were critically injured on Thursday night in a fire that broke out their house in Gan Yavne. Authorities believe the fire broke out as a result of the explosion of a gas canister at the home. The couple are suffering from second and third degree burns to 70%…

Jerusalem District Commander Moshe Edri conducted a security assessment on Thursday evening, at the conclusion of which it was decided to restrict the entry of Muslims to the Temple Mount for Friday prayers, in the wake of the ongoing violence in Jerusalem. Only men aged 40 and over, and women of all ages, will be…

For the first time, Japan is to get a Chief Rabbi. The head of Tokyo’s Chabad House, Rabbi Binyamin Edre’i, was named to the job by the Japanese legislative body, the Diet. Rabbi Edre’i has served as head of the Chabad House for 16 years. The Israeli Chief Rabbinate has considered Edre’i Chief Rabbi of Japan…

US Secretary of State John Kerry has revealed that the Iran nuclear deal will limit the ability of Congress to impose new sanctions on the Islamic regime over its gamut of violations, as was first exposed on Thursday. In an on-the-record letter in response to questions by Republican presidential candidate Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) that was obtained by…

The IDF proved on Wednesday night that it is just as tenacious when it comes to rescuing illegally held Israeli deer, also known as gazelles, as it is in terms of rescuing abducted Israeli people. The Judea Regional Brigade received information about a number of deer being held illegally and in harsh conditions in a…

Arab terrorists threw a firebomb at the IDFs Ofrit base in Jerusalem on Thursday night, causing a fire to break out in a forested area near the base. Several firefighting teams arrived on the scene shortly after the fire broke out in an effort to put the blaze out. Firefighters said they did not believe that…

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has approved the use of sniper rifles against violent rioters in Jerusalem, Channel 10 reports on Thursday morning.  As part of his declared “war” on rock-throwing terrorists in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sought permission on Wednesday from the Attorney General to deploy snipers to target the attackers. The army regularly deploys sniper teams to tackle rock- and firebomb-throwing…

Presidential candidates from the US Republican Party participated on Wednesday night in their second televised debate ahead of November 2016 elections.  Candidates were splintered on how to deal with the Iranian nuclear agreement, with some promising to cancel it immediately if elected and others calling to monitor Iran’s behavior before taking action. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz pledged to “rip…

The Hamas terror movement’s incitement against Israel continues to escalate, in what appears to be a crusade for another wave of terrorism and a new intifada.   Simultaneously, the group, which controls Gaza, is maintaining its intensive campaign to delegitimize the rule of the Palestinian Authority in areas of Judea and Samaria.  Khalil al-Haya, a…

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) annual general conference will be held on Thursday, and once again Arab states will attempt to pass a resolution at this meeting that would force Israel to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The Arab states’ resolution against Israel is an annual tradition. Arab member…

President Barack Obama on Wednesday invited to the White House a Texas teenager who was suspended from school for bringing a homemade clock to class which was mistaken for a bomb, The Hill reported. The teen, 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed, was arrested by Irving police on Monday and suspended from MacArthur High School, after teachers mistook…

A strong 7.9-magnitude earthquake on Wednesday night struck the center of Chile, American seismologists said, triggering a tsunami alert that stretched to Peru and the evacuation of coastal areas, according to the AFP news agency. There were no immediate reports of injury or major damage, a government emergency agency said, but terrified residents rushed out…

Saudi police carried out raids on two alleged terror cells, officials said Wednesday, according to The Wall Street Journal. The raids raised security concerns as thousands of visitors continue arriving in the kingdom in advance of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Security forces surrounded the eastern Riyadh neighborhood of Mounsiya on Tuesday night after receiving tips…

Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters on Wednesday that Russia has proposed military talks with the United States on Syria, and the United States is considering next steps. The talks come amid reports that Russia had sent a military advance team to its ally Syria and was taking other steps that Washington fears may…

Rabbi Eliyahu Avichail, the founder and director of Amishav, the organization on behalf of the Dispersed of Israel, passed away on Thursday morning at the age of 83.  Rabbi Avichail was identified for many years with efforts to find the descendants of the ten lost tribes. He founded Amishav in 1975 to help Bnei Menashe…

Far-left Israeli NGO B’Tselem is licking its wounds after falling short in an online vote to win a 100,000 euro-grant from the Dutch government – and is blaming “right-wingers” for spoiling its chances. B’Tselem – which receives most of its funding from foreign, primarily European, donors – was among 30 NGOs and charities running for…

MK Robert Ilatov (Yisrael Beytenu) has backtracked on statements he made when appointed to the Judicial Selection Committee, in which he called for those who refuse to sing Israel’s national anthem not to be tapped as judges.  Two months ago, shortly after being  elected to the committee, Ilatov told Army Radio that, in his view, “a judge who refuses to sing Hatikvah cannot rule…

Tel Aviv is the most expensive city in the Middle East in terms of price levels, the 2015 edition of the Prices and Earnings report from Swiss bank UBS confirmed on Thursday.  Israel’s second largest city is closely followed by Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, which actually ranks higher when including rent prices into the calculation.  The…

Prosecutors filed an indictment on Thursday morning with the Jerusalem District Court against a 19-year-old resident of the capital’s Issawiya neighborhood. The detainee is charged with rioting, aggravated sabotage, reckless endangerment on the road, arson, attempted aggravated assault of a police officer and other offenses.  According to the indictment, the 19-year-old Arab youth participated, between 2012 and…

Iran urged its Gulf Arab neighbors Thursday to reconcile themselves to the international rapprochement that led to its July nuclear agreement with world powers and to halt their opposition and “hostile propaganda.” Foreign ministry spokeswoman Marizeh Afkham said that a joint statement issued by Gulf Arab foreign ministers on Tuesday accusing Iran of interference in…

Myanmar’s military chief of staff visited Israel last week – marking the first time a military leader from that country has visited the Jewish state in 55 years, Haaretz reported Thursday.  During his official – yet unannounced – visit, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing met with Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot and President Reuven…

The European Jewish Congress (EJC) has said that it is considering suing the city council of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, after it passed a resolution Tuesday banning all Israeli-made goods. “This is clearly a discriminatory move and we have already sought advice that it might break international law and treaties,” Dr. Moshe Kantor, President of the…

Saudi King Salman has appealed to UN chief Ban Ki-moon and members of the Security Council for “urgent measures” after clashes at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, state media reported late Wednesday. Salman “expressed strong condemnation of the dangerous Israeli escalation” at the holy site where Palestinian rioters clashed with Israeli police for three straight days, the Saudi…

The Israeli man who went missing in the Ukrainian city of Uman three days ago has been named as Amir Ohana. Ohana, 28, was one of 45,000 estimated to have traveled to the city for the Rosh Hashanah holiday. According to Ohana’s family, the young man went out alone to the woods and subsequently disappeared. They have…

The White House on Wednesday announced that President Barack Obama will host Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on November 9, their first meeting since a fierce row over the Iranian nuclear deal. Spokesman Josh Earnest said implementing the Iran accord that Netanyahu opposed would be on the agenda of a visit designed as “a demonstration of the deep and enduring bonds between the…

French President Francois Hollande joined calls to maintain a ban on Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, warning Wednesday that any change in the rules governing Judaism’s holiest site could lead to “serious destabilisation.” In a telephone call with King Abdullah II of Jordan, which has custodianship rights over the contentious holy site via the Waqf…

A New York judge has upheld the right to religious freedom on Monday, after animal rights activists attempted to have the annual Kapparot ritual banned.  Kapparot is a Jewish tradition believed to have originated in Europe several centuries ago, during which adherents wave a chicken over their heads while stating: “This is my substitute, this is my exchange, this is…

The Icelandic capital of Reykjavik has announced that it will boycott all products made in Israel “as long as the occupation of Palestinian territories continues.” The boycott not does limit itself to Judea and Samaria, but instead targets all of Israel. An explanatory memorandum claims that it is merely a symbolic gesture, though, and there…

Hundreds of people attended the funeral of murdered Israeli Alexander Levlovitz, 64, who died in a rock attack on his car outside Jerusalem over the Rosh Hashanah holiday.  Levlovitz’s children eulogized him.  “Nothing can prepare a person for a moment like this,” son Nir stated. “How can I go on without you? To feel your unconditional…

Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics have already begun preparations for the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) fast next Wednesday, ahead of an expected need for thousands to receive emergency medical care.  Hundreds of extra medics, ambulances and mobile intensive care units will be added to MDA stations this year, and regional managers have raised the…

The official Palestinian Authority (PA) daily has encouraged Palestinian Arabs to continue throwing rocks at Israelis, to “save” the Al-Aqsa Mosque built on the Temple Mount, Palestinian Media Watch reports Wednesday.  Another PA daily cartoon published Wednesday also encourages children to throw rocks. It shows a mother and a father carrying Jerusalem on their backs, represented by the Dome…

A Beit Orot yeshiva [Torah academy] student was arrested in Jerusalem on Tuesday night, after its students retaliated against a steady stream of Arab attacks by blasting the “Shema Yisrael” prayer over a loudspeaker. Dozens of Arab rioters set off fireworks and threw rocks at Border Police near the yeshiva. After half an hour of…

An Iranian champion soccer player has been banned from attending a major match this week, after her husband took her passport under the protection of Iran’s Sharia Law.  Niloufar Ardalan, 30, will remain at home as her teammates head to the Asian Football Federation Women’s Futsal Championship, an indoor soccer tournament being held Sept 21-…

Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday launched a scathing verbal attack on Israel, following the continued clashes between Arab rioters and Israeli security forces at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Abbas, speaking in particularly harsh language, insisted that none of Jerusalem’s holy sites belonged to Israel, reported Al-Arabiya. “They are all ours and we…

The White House was placed on a security lockdown for close to an hour on Wednesday afternoon (local time), Reuters reported. The reason for the lockdown was an unattended package found across the street in Lafayette Park, a Secret Service spokeswoman said. President Barack Obama was not at the White House at the time of…

Searches for an Israeli man missing in the Ukrainian city of Uman have increased Wednesday, with local patrols and rescue services focusing on finding a body. The yet-unnamed Israeli was one of 45,000 estimated to have traveled to the city for the Rosh Hashanah holiday. Uman is the origin of Breslev leader Rabbi Nachman, and pilgrimages…

The IDF could intervene in future rock-throwing attacks, Deputy Defense Minister MK Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan stated Wednesday, in the event the Israel Police needs reinforcements.  “If the police think it needs help then I have no doubt the army would be happy to lend a hand and help,” Ben-Dahan stated to reporters as he left the funeral…

The yeshiva student who escaped an Arab mob in a Jerusalem alley on the eve of Rosh Hashanah has demanded immediate action from the Jerusalem District Police on Wednesday, after his attackers – who were caught abusing him on camera – have yet to be arrested.  Police have also refused to give the victim the footage and…

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has accepted France’s invitation to visit Paris in November, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Tuesday, in what will be the first trip to France by an Iranian leader since 1999. Speaking in parliament, Valls said President Francois Hollande would host Rouhani “because after the conclusion of an agreement on its nuclear program, Tehran must weigh in positively in favor…

International leaders have called on Israel to continue a ban on Jewish worship on the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site, in order to maintain calm and placate Muslim extremists who have been rioting for three days straight in Jerusalem. UN coordinator Nickolay Mladenov warned during a Security Council meeting Tuesday that clashes between Palestinian rioters and…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has vowed to make a harsh policy change against rock-throwing and firebombing, his office announced on Tuesday following a rise in violent rioting in eastern Jerusalem. In addition to continues clashes against security forces on the Temple Mount, Alexander Leiblovitch of Jerusalem was killed over Rosh Hashanah after his car spiralled out of control…

Islamist rioters and Israeli security forces clashed in Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound on the Temple Mount and in the surrounding Old City for a third straight day on Tuesday, despite international calls for calm. Masked Muslim youths gathered around the mosque threw rocks and other projectiles at police who had entered the compound in large numbers and…

An Israeli motorist was fatally injured late on Sunday night in a car crash apparently caused by Arab rock-throwers in the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood of south Jerusalem.  Israel Police said the car lost control after being hit by rocks and hit an electricity pole, fatally injuring the driver, a 64-year-old Jewish man. “The driver who was involved in an accident,…

While Democrats in the Senate may have last week given US President Barack Obama backing to pass the Iran nuclear deal, two leading Republican Congressmen continued the fight this week with a stinging op-ed breaking down Obama’s claims regarding important side deals. The op-ed, published in the Independent Journal Review on Monday by Congressmen Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Congressman…

Over 100 residents of the southeastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Armon Hanatziv protested on Tuesday night, at the site bordering Arnona neighborhood where an Israeli driver was murdered in a rock attack on Sunday during the Rosh Hashanah holiday. Alexander Levlovitz (64) lost control of his car after Arab terrorists hurled a rock into it, and died in the…

The influential Saudi Binladin Group has been suspended by Saudi Arabia after one of its cranes at the Grand Mosque in Mecca collapsed last Friday, killing 107 and wounding 238 people at the holiest site in Islam which houses the Kaaba cube Muslims pray towards. Ironically the lethal crane collapse took place on September 11 amid high winds…

The Knesset Committee is expected to discuss in the coming weeks the government’s budget for the next fiscal year, and one MK is pushing for increased funding to Judea and Samaria.  Committee chairman David Biton (Likud) announced on Tuesday night that he will advance a proposal to prioritize funding for communities in Israel’s biblical heartland. …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Ankara on Monday with Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal, the exiled leader of the Gaza-based terrorist group who resides in Qatar. Turkish media reports that the meeting behind closed doors lasted roughly an hour, and focused mainly on the situation in Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque located on…

Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon condemned on Tuesday the fatal rock attack as well as continued disturbances in eastern Jerusalem over the two-day Rosh Hashanah holiday.  Jerusalem resident Alexander Levlovitz, 64, was fatally injured on Sunday when his car spiralled out of control after being hit by rocks in the capital’s Armon Hanatziv neighborhood.  In addition, Islamist rioters…

Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned Israel Monday following arrests of rioters on the Temple Mount, saying he was “very concerned and angered with the recent escalation’s in Jerusalem, specifically in Al Aqsa Mosque.” He issued the statement ahead of a meeting with visiting British Prime Minister David Cameron. “We have gotten reassurances from the Israelis…

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern Tuesday about the latest escalation at the holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem – but had nothing to say about North Korea’s latest illegal nuclear advancement. Ban echoed the sentiments expressed by the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, and also mentioned in…

Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday night made his third phone call to his Russian counterpart in the last 10 days, a State Department official said, according to The Associated Press (AP). This phone call as well sought to clarify the intent of Moscow’s military buildup in Syria, and warned that continued support for…

More than 20 Kuwaitis denied in court on Tuesday that they were linked to Iran and the Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah, alleging that confessions were extracted under extreme physical torture, according to AFP. All 23 men in court told judge Mohammad al-Duaij they were systematically tortured by beatings and electric shocks, with interrogators threatening to…

The UN’s Mideast envoy, Nikolay Mladenov, warned Tuesday that clashes between Israelis and Palestinian Arabs in and around Jerusalem’s holy sites have the potential to ignite violence well beyond the walls of its old city, The Associated Press (AP) reported. Mladenov urged all parties to refrain from “provocative actions and rhetoric” and called on political,…

A stabbing attack by an Arab terrorist was thwarted on Wednesday at the Tapuah Junction in Samaria, not far from Ariel. The Israel Police and Border Police released an announcement early Wednesday afternoon revealing that a 20-year-old Arab resident of nearby Shechem (Nablus) arrived at Tapuach Junction with a bag. After arousing the suspicions of the…

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made an unusual claim in an interview with Russian media, stating that his backers in Iran haven’t sent him an “army” – despite repeated reports that hundreds if not thousands of Iranian soldiers are fighting in Syria to prop up his regime. Assad said it was natural for Iran to have stepped…

Mohammed Allan, the Islamic Jihad terrorist who recently attracted great media attention for his hunger strike while on administrative detention, was released from the Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon on Wednesday morning – only to be arrested again on an administrative order, after which he restarted his hunger strike. Allan was returned to the Israel Prison…

Christian minorities forced out of their homes who manage to reach the United States and other Western nations sometimes encounter more trouble – so reports the Gatestone Institute International Policy Council. In San Diego, California, for example, a group of over 25 Christians who fled the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq were detained for more than six months…

Just days after a Jerusalem man was murdered on Sunday on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, another Israeli man was lightly wounded on Wednesday in a similar Arab rock attack – despite Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s promises of increased deterrence the night before. The attack on early Wednesday afternoon took place adjacent to Betar Illit, a…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is to travel to Russia next week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding his country’s recently expanding role in the internecine warfare in Syria. Netanyahu’s visit was revealed on Wednesday in an official announcement, which read: “next week Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will travel to Russia in order to…

Clashes between security forces and Palestinians at the Temple Mount continued for the third consecutive day on Tuesday, the second day of Rosh Hashanah. Jerusalem Police said: “Following intelligence collected by the Shin Bet and the police regarding Arab youths, some with their faces covered, who barricaded themselves inside al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount,…

The Temple Mount saw clashes between Palestinians and security forces for the second day in a row on Monday, the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. An official at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that the prime minister would convene an “emergency meeting” over recent Palestinian attacks on Tuesday. In Jerusalem, masked youths threw stones…

A man in Jerusalem was fatally wounded on Sunday night, the eve of Rosh Hashanah, when he lost control of his car after it was reportedly pelted with stones. The vehicle struck a power line and tumbled into a roadside ditch. Police said they were investigating if stones thrown at the car caused the accident.…

Yemen’s exiled government pulled out of UN-mediated peace talks with its Houthi adversaries on Sunday, as troops from the Saudi-led coalition that is seeking to restore it took part in ground fighting in a central province for the first time, Reuters reports. The moves push back the prospects of a peaceful resolution to the conflict…

The Syrian army could be a crucial force in fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) group, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday, reiterating that Russia will support the Syrian government in the fight against the extremist group. “To exclude Syrian army from fighting Islamic State is absurd…Syrian armed forces will be the most…

The Arab League on Sunday warned against the “Judaization of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israel” and called for action against the Jewish state, Channel 2 News reported. The condemnation came after masked Muslim rioters hurled rocks and fireworks at police on the Temple Mount, as well as firebombs near two entrances to the site. Jerusalem…

Germany is reinstating temporary border controls with immediate effect, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Sunday, as the country buckles under pressure from a record influx of refugees. “The aim of this measure is to stop the current influx to Germany and to return to an orderly process,” he said, according to the AFP news…

Newly elected UK Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn is a “threat to national security”, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Sunday, according to the Independent. The Prime Minister warned that Corbyn, who was elected Labor leader on Saturday, would undermine the UK’s defenses. “The Labor Party is now a threat to our national security, our…

A young Jewish American has been revealed as the man behind an Australian-based Islamic State jihadist in a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Australian Federal Police (AFP).  Joshua Ryne Goldberg, 20, who lives in his parent’s home in Florida, is accused of posing online as “Australi Witness,” an ISIS supporter calling for…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu urged Jewish unity on Sunday, in his annual greetings ahead of the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah).  ‘Shana Tova to all of you from our eternal capital, Jerusalem,” he began.  “Since last Rosh Hashanah, it has become obvious to all but the most bigoted and prejudiced that Israel stands out like…

Jordan, which has custodian rights over Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, condemned the Israeli army on Sunday calling their defense during an Arab mob riot on the holy site an “attack.”  Egypt, the only other Arab country to have signed a peace treaty with the Jewish state, also condemned Israeli actions at the Temple Mount, which is sacred to both Muslims…

Muslims will never allow the Jews to rebuild the Temple, the deputy leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel said forcefully on Sunday in lieu of a Rosh Hashanah greeting.  In an interview with the Hamas-affiliated Palestine magazine, Kamal al-Khatib accused the Israeli establishment of “blinding its eyes and closing its ears” to reason and truth.  Israel,…

A chart published on Thursday about Democrats in Congress who opposed the nuclear agreement with Iran oversimplified a complex aspect of the debate — the views of Jewish members of Congress and the divisions among American Jews over the deal. In one version, which ran in print and for part of the day online, a…

Israel’s Chief Justice Miriam Naor blasted Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan on Sunday, after learning of his plans to prevent the promotion of judges who mete out “light” sentences to rock-throwers. According to reports, Erdan will meet with Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and present her with thirty rulings in recent years in which he believes sentences were too light.  It…

Iran’s foreign minister said Sunday demanded Washington stick to the recently agreed nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers once implementation begins, and block any attempt by lawmakers to change it. The comments by Mohammad Javad Zarif came after President Barack Obama’s Democrats last week staved off a united Republican effort to sink the July agreement in Congress.…

Former Likud minister Gideon Sa’ar is the only politician in Israel who could really pose a threat to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s leadership, a new poll has revealed.  The Panels Politics poll, published in Maariv on Sunday, placed a slate of candidates “head to head” against Netanyahu, asking respondents to choose who they preferred to lead Israel in the coming…

Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri is calling on young Muslim men in the United States and other Western countries to carry out attacks inside there, Reuters reported on Sunday. “I call on all Muslims who can harm the countries of the crusader coalition not to hesitate. We must now focus on moving the war to the…

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani took to Twitter on Sunday to wish Jews a Happy New Year in honor of the holiday of Rosh Hashanah. “May our shared Abrahamic roots deepen respect bring peace mutual understanding. L’Shanah Tovah,” wrote the Iranian president. This is not the first time that Rouhani has made such a gesture to…

The image of drowned Syrian toddler, Aylan Kurdi, has raised the issue of the suffering of Syrian victims of that country’s civil war, and was arguably the straw that broke the camel’s back, providing the final justification for the flood of refugees that Europe feels obligated to admit. But in recent days, Abdullah Kurdi, the…

Tens of thousands of Israelis, as well as Jews from around the world, were in Uman Sunday, as they got set to celebrate Rosh Hashanah at the gravesite of Rav Nachman of Breslov, founder of the Breslov Hassidic sect. A ceremony earlier in the day, in which thousands said Psalms (tehillim) went off without a…

Arab MKs joined a mob that tried to rush Israeli police officers on the Temple Mount, witnesses said Sunday. The incident occurred after a Jewish group had left the Mount area, and an Arab was seen holding a stone and chasing after the group. Police closed in on the Arab and attempted to arrest him,…

A new era in religious adjudication has begun, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said over the weekend, as a committee to appoint new religious judges for Israel’s rabbinical courts chose 22 new judges – eight of them associated with the Religious Zionist movement. The fourteen-hour meeting ended last Friday morning at 3 AM, with the committee…

Russia’s Defense Ministry says that its cargo planes have landed in Syria with supplies to help over a thousand refugees. According to a spokesperson, the supplies include beds, mattresses, stoves, water tanks, and food. Despite the alleged humanitarian goal of the airlift, many are still concerned with Russia’s activities in Syria. US President Barack Obama…

Four police officers were lightly injured while trying to break up a fight between Jews and Arabs in the Silwan neighborhood, located in eastern Jerusalem. The violence broke out over dozens of new Jewish residents who are moving into the area.

A court witness who had disappeared resurfaced this evening (Saturday), reportedly having contacted his relatives and his lawyer. The witness testified for the prosecution against crime organizations. Due to his testimony, the defendants were incriminated and convicted. After police informed the him that his personal protection would be reduced, though, the man went into hiding.…

About half an hour before Shabbat began yesterday, detectives and members of the Israel Security Agency (ISA, also known as the Shabak or Shin Bet) ordered a Jewish man to remain under house arrest for six months. The man, who is in his 20s, is also reportedly forbidden from contacting 12 specific people. The order…

Salman Rushdie, the Indian-born British writer who wrote The Satanic Verses, has published a new book that again deals with Islamic figures. It is entitled “Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights.” The Satanic Verses sparked riots throughout the Muslim world for including an allegedly blasphemous section about Muhammad. Iranian Ayatolla Khomenei issued a fatwa…

Hundreds of ads supporting IDF soldiers were placed in haredi neighborhoods in Jerusalem last night (Friday). The posters are part of a wide campaign entitled “Embracing the haredi soldiers.” They show a yeshiva student hugging a haredi soldier and include a call for the public to send in pictures of haredi soldiers. The picture was…

Austria’s chancellor used a controversial Holocaust reference on Saturday, subtly comparing Hungary’s treatment of the Syrian migrant crisis to Jews transported to concentration camps.  “Refugees put on trains in the belief they are going somewhere else entirely brings back memories of the darkest period of our continent,” Chancellor Werner Faymann told the German Spiegel magazine, apparently referencing Hungary’s…

MK Avraham Nagosa (Likud), chairman of the Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs, warned on Sunday that excluding programs for Israel’s Ethiopian community from the government’s budget would be a “historic mistake.” “After the wave of demonstrations from members of the community, the Prime Minister established a ministerial committee, headed by myself, and here was a historic…

With little fanfare, “unofficial” talks between Israel and the United States addressing the aftermath of the Iran nuclear deal have reportedly begun two weeks ago.  Both senior American and Israeli sources say current low-level contacts will evolve in the coming weeks into full-fledged meetings between the US and Israel’s highest officials.  According to a Haaretz report on Sunday, Prime Minister…

The company that managed Hillary Clinton’s private email server said it has “no knowledge of the server being wiped,” indicating that tens of thousands of emails Clinton said were deleted could be recovered, Reuters reported Saturday. Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, and her aides have said she deleted her personal emails from…

A court in Egypt on Saturday ratified death sentences for 12 people convicted of planning attacks on behalf of the jihadist Islamic State (ISIS) group, AFP reported. Six of those whose sentences were confirmed are in custody, while six were tried in absentia. All were convicted of having joined ISIS, which has declared a “caliphate”…

Searching for historic photographs of Rosh Hashanah and blowing the shofar (ram’s horn), we discovered a poster showing Jewish pictures of Jewish festivals. Starring in the 1879 photo gallery was a man named Max Rossvally. He appeared as a pious man even though, judging by the photos, he didn’t seem to know laws of tefillin (phylacteries) or lulav (a grouping…

Argentina’s president, Cristina Kirchner, on Saturday night celebrated the victory of Jeremy Corbyn’s in being elected leader of the opposition in Britain, saying he supports dialogue over the disputed Falkland Islands. The Telegraph quoted Kirchner as having said that Corbyn, who infamously called Hamas and Hezbollah as his “friends”, is a great friend of Latin…

In an unusually long statement, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations calls for unity for the “day after,” essentially conceding in the fight against the Obama-Iran nuclear deal. In light of the news that President Barack Obama has succeeded in garnering sufficient Senate votes ensuring that the nuclear deal with Iran is…

Representatives from a number of Palestinian organizations met in Beirut in order to work out a joint strategy to continue fighting Israel. The groups included Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Fatah, the Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) and the Revolutionary Palestinian Communist Party The meeting focused on Jewish communities in Judea…

The Egyptian government handed its resignation to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi today (Saturday). President al-Sisi has since ordered the oil minister to create a new cabinet. The country’s parliament was recently rocked after Agriculture Minister Salah Helal was arrested for bribery on Monday. Both Helal and his chief of staff reportedly “requested and received” bribes…

The British Daily Mail reports that 21 out of the thousands of refugees that arrived in Germany over recent months were placed in barracks that belonged to the Nazi extermination camp Buchenwald. The asylum seekers, some of the whom have been living in the camp for months, are now waiting to be moved to a…

Jeremy Corbyn, the far-left Labor leadership candidate who infamously called Hamas and Hezbollah as his “friends,” has been elected leader of the UK’s Labor party by a landslide. The result also crowns Corbyn leader of the opposition, as Labor is Britain’s second-largest party. He scooped up nearly 60% of over 400,000 votes cast in the leadership…

The dust storm that has shrouded Israel for the past few days is expected to completely clear up tomorrow (Sunday). Tonight the weather is expected to be slightly cloudy, continuing into tomorrow morning. There will also be a drop in the temperature, though it will still be warm for the season. Starting tomorrow afternoon there…

The head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization claims that his country has discovered a surprisingly large amount of uranium in a new mine. Ali Akbar Salehi told official news agency IRNA that “I cannot announce [the amount of] Iran’s uranium mine reserves. The important thing is that before aerial prospecting for uranium ores we…

Iran’s foreign ministry said on Friday that the United States had no option but to strike a nuclear deal with Tehran, after a Republican bid to block the agreement failed, AFP reports. President Barack Obama hailed as a “victory for diplomacy” Thursday’s Senate vote during which a Democratic minority staved off the bid to sink…

A Polish explorer claimed on Friday he has found a massive underground structure in southwestern Poland which, he says, the Nazis built to protect thousands of people, according to The Associated Press (AP). The explorer, Krzysztof Szpakowski, told a news conference that he has no doubt as to his find, which he says was based…

At least 87 people died and more than 200 people were injured when a crane collapsed on Friday in the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the BBC reports. The huge red crane crashed into a part of the Grand Mosque, the largest in the world, that was filled with worshippers at the…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will likely visit the White House in early November to meet with President Barack Obama, the White House said Friday, according to The Hill. Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters he expects Obama and Netanyahu to meet “sometime in early November,” but said a final date has not been set. The…