Category: News

Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, the Nusra Front, seized a hospital in northwestern Syria on Friday, where at least 150 Syrian regime soldiers and dozens of civilians had been holed up under rebel assault for nearly a month, a monitor said. The Nusra Front, along with other Islamist rebel factions “have taken complete control of Jisr al-Shughur hospital,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory…

Israel is back on the European music map as Nadav Guedj, at the tender age of 16, passed in the second round of semi-finals on Thursday night and made it to the finals of the 2015 Eurovision contest with his song Golden Boy. The advancement to the finals comes after a disappointing five years in which…

Three residents of the Binyamin town of Kokhav Hashahar who were arrested in a controversial police entrapment case have been denied their request to be let out to pray in synagogue for the Shavuot holiday next Sunday by the Jerusalem District Court. The three are still in full house arrest a month after their arrest, which occurred when…

An Israeli Arab who fought for Islamic State (ISIS) has died in terror operations for the group, it announced Friday morning.  Younis Medni Azaam, 27, from the town of Taibe in the north, joined ISIS five months ago according to Channel 2. Azaam had previously worked in construction.  Azaam allegedly fell during a shootout in Tadmur, which is…

US President Barack Obama has described the loss of key Iraqi territory to Islamic State as a tactical setback, while insisting the war against the jihadist group is not being lost. “I don’t think we’re losing,” Obama said in an interview with news magazine The Atlantic published Thursday, days after the Iraqi city of Ramadi…

President Reuven Rivlin read “with shock” on Arutz Sheva‘s website Thursday of the vandalism and sacrilege at the Bnei Akiva branch in Nazareth Illit, which targeted a synagogue inside the structure. Shortly after Arutz Sheva contacted the President’s staff to ask for his reaction to the attack, the President’s Spokesperson, Naomi Toledano, contacted us to…

Born into a good Catholic family, Anita Gentile was raised with strong values, parents who encouraged her to believe in herself and a very creative grandmother. These factors combined to create a young girl who could not stomach untruths. In her Catholic Sunday School, she tried to discover why they encouraged the children to pray…

It seems like almost every week another new invention comes out of the the Start Up Nation. But not all of them do quite a well as this one in their first week of fundraising – raising over $300,000 after one week on kickstarter. Watching the video, it’s not hard to see why.  “Phree” is a…

After a Swiss court reportedly ordered an Israeli oil firm to compensate Iran over a scrapped joint venture, Israel said Thursday that its laws prohibited any payment to “the enemy.” Iranian state news agency IRNA said Wednesday that the court had found Israel’s Trans-Asian Oil (TAO) liable for payment of $1.1 billion to the National…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has decided to appoint Eli Groner, Israel’s current economic attaché in Washington, as Director of the Prime Minister’s Office. Before his appointment as economic attaché in 2011, he served in a senior capacity in international consulting firm McKinsey and led projects for top companies in the US, Europe and Israel. “Eli Groner’s rich experience…

The alleged “suicide” of a Jewish student from London in 2003 was actually a set up by a far-right German cult, who murdered him and covered up his death by staging a fake traffic accident. German police at the time ruled that 22-year-old Jeremiah Duggan had committed “suicide by traffic accident” after running into oncoming traffic following a meeting of the shadowy LaRouche Schiller…

A branch of the Bnei Akiva religious-Zionist youth movement in Nazareth Illit (Upper Nazareth) was ransacked and its synagogue defiled this week, in a suspected act of nationalistic vandalism by local Muslims. Prayer books and other holy books in the synagogue were were desecrated and burned. In addition, Israel flags were defiled, equipment cabinets were…

In the wake of the car terror attack in eastern Jerusalem Wednesday, Jerusalem City Council member Aryeh King urged all Israelis to be more aware – not just of local terrorists, but of worldwide organizations like ISIS who are trying to bring their own brand of terror to Israel. “Every few days there is a terror attack…

An Israeli military court said Thursday it had ordered the release of Palestinian legislator Khalida Jarrar, who was detained at her home in Ramallah on April 2, AFP reported. At the time of her arrest, the IDF had said she posed unspecified “substantial security risks”. Jarrar is a senior member of the Popular Front for…

President Barack Obama is continuing his criticism of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s comments on a Palestinian state and Arab-Israelis before the last elections. In an interview with journalist Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, Obama said that the security relationship between the United States and Israel will remain strong, but reiterated that there will be “consequences”…

The Islamic State group seized positions from Iraqi security forces east of Ramadi Thursday as it tried to keep its momentum after capturing the city, officials said. The jihadists pressed their offensive along the Euphrates to attack positions held by the government in Husaybah, seven kilometers (4.5 miles) east of Anbar’s provincial capital. “Daesh took…

US President Barack Obama defended his policies regarding Iran in an interview with Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic published Thursday, and claimed that most US Jews still support him. There’s “not really a bifurcation with respect to the attitudes of the Jewish American community about me,” he said, when asked about his billionaire Sheldon Adelson and other…

The Spokesman for the Israeli Consulate in New York flatly denied Thursday that Israel’s Consul-General in New York decided to allow the New Israel Fund to take part in the Celebrate Israel parade,which is to be held on May 31. The claim is a false one, he said, “if only due to the fact that…

Assistant US Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation, Thomas Countryman, recently visited Israel and held talks with senior Foreign Ministry officials, about the possibility of making the Middle East nuclear-free. Washington seeks to advance the idea after reaching agreement with Russia about the matter. The State Department confirmed Countryman’s visit and sources in…

A senior diplomat in the Palestinian Authority (PA) announced on Wednesday that the PA will submit two suits against Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on June 25, reports the Xinhua news agency. Nabil Abu Zneid, the PA’s ambassador in the Netherlands, was quoted as having told Voice of Palestine radio…

France will host a high-level meeting of the international community on combating the threat posed by the Islamic State (ISIS) group next month in Paris, authorities said on Wednesday, according to AFP. “Along with (U.S. Secretary of State) John Kerry and (Iraqi Prime Minister Haider) al-Abadi, I will be welcoming in Paris on June 2…

The head of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), Jibril Rajoub, stressed on Wednesday that the organization will not drop its bid to have Israel suspended from FIFA, AFP reported. Rajoub’s comments came in a press conference held after he met FIFA chief Sepp Blatter. “We will keep the proposal on the agenda (of the upcoming…

The United States said Wednesday it plans to sell thousands of bombs and missiles to Israel as well as 10 Seahawk helicopters to Saudi Arabia, in deals worth about $1.9 billion each, officials quoted by AFP said. The State Department informed Congress of the proposed arms sales to two allies in the Middle East that…

A German court said on Wednesday that this week’s session in the trial of a 93-year-old former SS sergeant who served in the Auschwitz death camp has been called off due to the defendant’s poor health, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The Lueneburg state court said that Oskar Groening, nicknamed “the Bookkeeper of Auschwitz”, was…

The leader of Sinai Province, a terrorist group in Egypt with links to the Islamic State,on Wednesday called on followers to attack local judges, Reuters reported. The call was made in an audio statement posted on a prominent jihadist website. It appeared days after six members of the group were executed for an attack on…

France’s foreign minister on Wednesday said that Iran wants 24 days’ notice before international inspectors could visit its nuclear sites in the event of a suspected violation of a deal with world powers over its nuclear program, reported The Associated Press (AP). Laurent Fabius unveiled details about the state of talks between six world powers…

The leader of the Houthi rebels in Yemen on Wednesday backed peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland, next week, hours after they were announced by the United Nations. According to The Associated Press (AP), the rebel leader Abdul-Malek al-Houthi said the talks were the “only solution” for the conflict roiling his country. He spoke just hours…

Newly appointed Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely delivered a speech Thursday at a Foreign Ministry reception where she made clear her vision for Israel’s future.  “The most important motto the Transportation Ministry has bequeathed to the public in recent years is: ‘on the road, don’t be right, be smart,’” Hotovely stated, referencing her previous position as Deputy Transportation…

(Qalamoun, AFP) On a windy hilltop overlooking the mountainous Syrian border, a fighter from Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group says the battle against Syrian rebels in the area is among the toughest the group has ever faced.   The powerful Shia Islamist movement, a key ally of the Assad regime in Damascus and Iran’s strongest proxy in the region, has…

The controversial decision by the Israeli Consulate in New York to allow the far-left New Israel Fund (NIF) – which favors boycotts of Jews living in Judea and Samaria – to participate in the upcoming NYC Celebrate Israel Parade has triggered a flurry of criticism from local Jewish and pro-Israel groups. Prominent Manhattan Rabbi David Algaze branded the…

An activist fighting anti-Semitism in France has established a “blacklist” of public figures in the country who are known to have anti-Semitic opinions, expressed such opinions in public, or have participated in anti-Semitic actions, demonstrations, and the like. The author of the list is French activist Gregory Chelli, known on-line as “Ulcan.” The 29 year old…

A section of Jerusalem’s Lower Aqueduct, the system which conveyed water to the ancient city more than 2,000 years ago, was discovered in the Umm Tuba quarter during construction of a sewer line there.  The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) subsequently conducted an archaeological excavation at the site near the Har Homa neighborhood.  According to Yaakov Billig, the…

After Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday that he was suspending a plan that would prevent Palestinian Arab workers from riding the same buses as Jews in Judea and Samaria, an IDF officer reported that he had been “attacked” and “humiliated” by Arab workers on one such line. The incident occurred on the bus line to Ariel,…

Google Maps apologized on Wednesday after discovering that internet searches using racist language detected the White House, currently home to US President Barack Obama, who is Black.   The issue was revealed after the internet magnate noticed searches combining a racial slur and the word “house” took people to the White House on Google’s online mapping…

Jihadists from the Islamic State group (IS or ISIS) seized full control of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra on Thursday, a monitor said, putting the world heritage site at risk of destruction.   The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP that regime troops had pulled back from positions in and around Palmyra, including from…

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon (Likud) is in denial over the program for separating public transport between Palestinian Arab workers from the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israelis living in Judea and Samaria, hours after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu “froze” the move.  “There is no separation between Arabs and Jews traveling on public transport buses in Judea…

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini met Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday as a row erupted over a controversial bill to separate Palestinian Arab and Israeli bus systems in Judea-Samaria, according to AFP. She met the PA leader at his Ramallah headquarters at the start of a 24-hour visit to the region on her first trip to the region…

Israel took another step toward biometric identification on Wednesday, introducing 17 biometric passport stands to the Passport Control section of Ben-Gurion airport, according to Channel 10.  Four stations already were in place as part of a pilot study for the program, which waives the long lines at Passport Control and allows Israelis and tourists to pass instead…

There is anger in the Jewish community in New York City following a decision by the Israel Consulate to allow the radical New Israel Fund (NIF) to march in the Celebrate Israel parade in Manhattan on May 31. “We were surprised to learn that we, in New York, have to fight the NIF while it…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met Likud MK Gilad Erdan Wednesday in an effort to convince him to join the government. Channel 2 and Army Radio reported that Netanyahu offered Erdan the Internal Security portfolio together with a sizable increase in the ministry’s budget, as well as the Strategic Affairs Ministry. In addition, Netanyahu offered Erdan the title…

The United States said it is considering accelerating the training and equipping of Iraqi tribal forces to fight the Islamic State group (ISIS) after the fall of the city of Ramadi. The jihadists’ capture of city was their most significant victory since mid-2014 when they conquered swathes of land, sparking a US-led air campaign to support…

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin issued a statement Wednesday welcoming Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s decision to indefinitely “freeze” measures banning Palestinian Arab workers from traveling on Israeli buses in Judea and Samaria, just hours after they were approved by the defense minister. “This morning, as we witnessed the terror attack in Jerusalem we received a painful reminder…

A Swiss court has ordered an Israeli oil firm to pay Iran $1.1 billion in compensation over a joint venture from before the 1979 Islamic revolution, state news agency IRNA said Wednesday. A judicial official quoted by IRNA said Tao, an Israeli firm registered in Panama, was ordered this month to pay the compensation to the National Iranian Oil Company…

Moves to ban the Israel Football Association (IFA) from international soccer club FIFA will not help coexistence, Science and Technology Minister MK Danny Danon (Likud) told Arutz Sheva Wednesday night.  “Boycotting Israel will not help them,” Danon said. “We’re here and we’re staying here.” “I call on all international institutions: Boycott the boycotters,” he added. “Whoever calls for a boycott of Israel should also…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini on Wednesday, for discussions over peace talks and the situation in the Middle East.  “This is the first meeting we’ve had since I formed the new government,” Netanyahu began. “And I take this opportunity to reiterate Israel’s commitment…

The United States is taking an “extremely hard look” at its strategy in Iraq after Islamic State terrorists captured the town of Ramadi, a top US official said Wednesday. And he revealed that the US was sending 1,000 anti-tank missile systems to Iraq to help the Iraqi security forces defeat “devastating” suicide car bombs which helped…

Islamic State group (ISIS or IS) fighters recaptured the north of Syria’s historic city of Palmyra Wednesday in another setback to efforts to repel the advancing jihadists after the fall of Iraq’s Ramadi. Palmyra’s UNESCO-listed heritage site, including ancient temples and colonnaded streets, and its adjacent museum housing priceless artifacts, are in the city’s southwest. “The…

An Israeli court has ordered the Greek Orthodox church to stump up $2.9 million in fees owed to a local lawyer for cases dating back to 2002, court authorities said Wednesday. The Israel Courts Administration said Tel Aviv District Court on Tuesday ruled in favor of attorney Moshe Lipke’s claims for settlement of billstotaling 11.3 million shekels for representing the Orthodox…

Congressional investigators have issued a subpoena demanding that former Clinton White House adviser Sidney Blumenthal testify next month before the U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Reuters reported on Tuesday. The subpoena, a copy of which was made available to the news agency, demands that Blumenthal appear before the House…

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) on Tuesday met with visiting Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende, and told her guest that there is a consensus among Israelis that Jerusalem must remain united. Hotovely said that the new Israeli government “represents the desire for dialogue and opposes unilateral steps by the Palestinians.” “It is very important…

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) called on Tuesday for more donor aid to support the economic recovery of the Palestinian Authority (PA)-assigned areas of Judea and Samaria and of Gaza, AFP reported. The IMF said in a report that the reconstruction process in Gaza following last summer’s war between Israel and Hamas “is moving far…

A football player in Canada who was fined by the Canadian Football League (CFL) and his team over anti-Semitic tweets has apologized for his action, The Canadian Press (CP) reports. Khalif Mitchell, a defensive lineman for the Montreal Alouettes, was fined an undisclosed amount last week for “tweets violating the league’s social media policy” after…

New Beginnings: This week Israel begins to read the fourth book of Torah, Bamidbar, the book of Numbers which tells the story of the generation of the desert…the generation that received the Torah at Mount Sinai. This week we also began the new month of Sivan, and in just a few days we will be…

Ministers from 47 European nations agreed for the first time on Tuesday to harmonize their laws to stop so-called foreign fighters travelling to Iraq and Syria to join jihadist groups, AFP reported. The agreement by the Council of Europe (CoE), a pan-European rights group which includes the EU but also takes in countries such as…

The United Nations will explore options with Israel’s new government for a return to negotiations on creating a Palestinian state within a reasonable timeframe, the body’s new envoy said Tuesday, according to AFP. Nickolay Mladenov, the UN special Middle East coordinator, told the Security Council that “the coming period will be critical to the future…

Poland is preparing an extensive list of the personnel who served in the Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz, the EFE news agency reported on Tuesday. According to new data, more than 8,700 people worked at the camp, nearly double the previous figure. The initiative could lead to new war crime charges being brought up against…

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud) said Monday that he doubts Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s present government can survive for more than a year unless it is expanded. “There is an obvious paradox when it comes to this coalition,” he said in an interview with Al Monitor. “During its initial stage, and I don’t know how…

The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) reports that both The Washington Post and The Washington Times “stumbled” in covering Pope Francis’ canonization of two Arabic-speaking nuns born in the Holy Land in the 19th century. “Like virtually all news media,” CAMERA writes, “the newspapers referred to the women as ‘Palestinians’” – a misnomer in itself, in…

Deputy Defense Minister MK Eli Ben-Dahan said Wednesday that he was caught off guard by the Defense Minister’s decision to freeze a plan to have Jews and Arabs ride separate buses in Judea and Samaria. Ben Dahan was in the middle of defending the decision to separate the buses in reply to a parliamentary query on the…

The government failed Tuesday to approve the makeup of the Diplomacy and Security Cabinet, after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu asked that the decision about the forum’s composition be postponed. The law sets the maximum number of Cabinet members at half the total number of government ministers – meaning ten, in the case of the current…

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday ordered the suspension of a controversial measure banning Palestinian Arab workers from riding the same buses as Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria when returning from work in Israeli cities. “The proposal is unacceptable to the prime minister. He spoke with the defense minister this morning and it was…

Jewish residents of the London neighborhood of Golders Green are bracing themselves for a potentially sizable neo-Nazi rally organized by a coalition of far-right fascist groups. The rally’s organizers say they are targeting “Jewish privilege” through their protest, to be held on July 4 – the first Shabbat of the month – in what is the…

Two Israeli border policewomen have been wounded in a suspected car-terror attack in Jerusalem, close to the Mount of Olives. A police statement reported that two police officers were run over by an Arab motorist in the A-Tur neighborhood; their wounds have been described as light-to-moderate. The terrorist was shot and critically wounded by police, and died…

A year after a Muslim gunman murdered four people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels, Jews across Europe increasingly fear for their safety and warn they are on the frontline of an Islamist war against democracy itself. Since the attack in the Belgian capital on May 24, 2014, Jews have been slain in jihadist attacks in…

Archaeologists have confirmed that a Lithuanian power station was built using stolen Jewish tombstones. Earlier this month Gledrius Sakalauskas, a local resident, noticed that many of the stones used to build the station contained Hebrew or Yiddish writing. “I touched the stones and I realized that they’re really gravestones,” he told AP. Sakalauskas says that…

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday praised Iran’s support as a “key pillar” in his fight against rebels, as a third Iranian official visited Damascus in less than a week. The visits come after several military losses for the Syrian regime and as Tehran negotiates a key nuclear deal with the United States, which backs…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met Tuesday with the President of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, to discuss Palestinian Authority efforts to boot Israel out of the world football governing body later this month. At the start of the meeting, which took place in the prime minister’s Jerusalem office, Netanyahu welcomed Blatter to Israel and praised him “for opposing the politicization of…

This week Ira and Rod are joined by self-described “Noahide” Richard Abbott from the United Kingdom. Richard could never understand why he was enamored by Jews and Judaism. It was only after meeting with his minister to discuss his upcoming wedding, and learning how many of the ceremonies were rooted in Rome, that he began…

Reports are arising about secret negotiations between Israeli and Hamas officials to find a way to deliver goods more efficiently to Gaza. Discussions are currently focusing on building a floating port in the Mediterranean, between Cyprus and Gaza, according to the Jordanian paper Ad-Dustour, translated by Haaretz. Such a port would allow goods to enter Gaza…

The past year has seen a 15% increase in the number of secular Tel Aviv residents taking part in Torah classes, according to the head of the “Rosh Yehudi” outreach organization, Haim Eizner. As a result, he says his organization has had to expand its activities and classes to meet demand. Rosh Yehudi “conducts a variety…

Israel is already preparing for the next round of conflict with Gaza-based Islamist terrorists, with some experts predicting renewed hostilities as early as the end of this year. Any future conflict will likely see Hamas and Islamic Jihad – the two major terrorist groups in Gaza – increasingly relying on attack tunnels into Israeli territory…

 A rebel coalition including Al Qaeda’s local affiliate seized the Syrian regime’s largest remaining military base in northwest Idlib province on Tuesday, after an explosion and heavy clashes, a monitor said.   “All regime forces have withdrawn from Al-Mastumah, the largest regime base in Idlib, leaving it completely in the hands of opposition fighters,” Rami Abdel…

The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, will arrive for a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday, and in advance of that visit, the NGO Monitor group has published an analysis of a key EU policy paper, showing the EU’s flawed assessment and understanding of Israeli society. The EU’s…

Newly appointed Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon (Kulanu) has proposed his first bill, following up on election pledges to focus on bringing down rental prices. The bill is entitled “The Fair Rent Law,” as reported by Channel 2 today (Tuesday). The law would standardize rental prices and limit a landlords’ ability to raise their tenants’ rent. Should it…

CNN has faced an online backlash after issuing a report claiming that “settlers” had uprooted 800 Palestinian-owned olive trees near Hevron – based purely on unverified allegations by PA-based outlets with questionable records on fact-checking themselves. CNN London-based “digital newsdesk editor” Don Melvin wrote the piece, entitled: “Israeli settlers reportedly chop down 800 Palestinian olive trees” on Sunday.…

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has agreed in principle that Israel’s national soccer team will hold a friendly match with “Palestine” at some point in the future, according to FIFA President Sepp Blatter. Speaking to journalists after a meeting with the Israeli PM, Blatted said: “The will is there to organize a football match for…

Leading news services AP and Reuters have issued corrections to reports last Saturday claiming that Pope Francis called Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas an “angel of peace.” That translation of the Pope’s comments was republished by numerous international news outlets, including Arutz Sheva. But after initial doubts as to the accuracy of the translation ensued,…

The Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva is taking extra cautionary steps after a maternity ward nurse was diagnosed with whooping cough. About 150 newborns who spent time in the nurse’s department will be brought in to receive preventative treatment. A hospital spokesperson announced, “According to the information we have received, the maternity ward nurse who…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s pledge during Jerusalem Day that the capital will never be divided again was not well accepted by Palestinian Arabs. “I pledge that as Prime Minister I will continue to develop the city. The city was united, and will never be divided again,” Netanyahu said at the Jerusalem Day celebration at the…

An appeals court in the United States on Monday ruled that Google-owned YouTube should not be barred from showing the “Innocence of Muslims” film that outraged Muslims in 2012. A full 11-justice panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco sided with YouTube and rejected a court decision last year ordering the…

United States President Barack Obama on Monday launched his own Twitter feed, the White House confirmed, according to the BBC. Obama’s Twitter handle is @POTUS (President Of The United States) and within few hours he had attracted over a million followers, the report noted. “Hello, Twitter! It’s Barack. Really! Six years in, they’re finally giving…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin on Monday participated in a ceremony in memory of Mossad agent Eli Cohen, on the 50th anniversary of his execution in Damascus. Mossad Director Tamir Pardo, former Mossad directors, senior Mossad officials and members of the Cohen family – including his widow Nadia and their three children…

A judge in the state of Texas has been reprimanded for offensive comments against a Jewish attorney, the Texas Tribune reported Monday. According to the report, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, which is responsible for investigating judicial misconduct, issued the reprimand this month to District Judge Carter Tinsley Schildknecht of Dawson County. The public…

Israel’s Antiquities Authority on Monday announced the discovery of a 1,400-year-old wine press in Jerusalem, AFP reported. What makes the discovery of this antiquity so unique is that it was unearthed by none other than a 13-year-old boy. A woman walking her dog in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood first alerted the  authorities after finding signs…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin on Monday participated in a ceremony in memory of Mossad agent Eli Cohen, on the 50th anniversary of his execution in Damascus. Mossad Director Tamir Pardo, former Mossad directors, senior Mossad officials and members of the Cohen family – including his widow Nadia and their three children…

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) confirmed Monday that he will be running for president, though he said he would officially announce his decision about whether to run on June 1, Politico reports. Speaking on CBS’s “This Morning” a day after saying he would provide a “very important update” on his plans, Graham left little doubt about…

In general, the parshah of Bamidbar comes before the holiday of Shavuot, and for a good reason. It represents the path to preparing for the holiday and life in general. But that only becomes clearer when we understand what it is exactly that the holiday of Shavuot celebrates. The first session focuses on one of the…

A member of the Arab Joint List will chair the Knesset’s Committee for Advancement of Women, reported Israel Hayom Tuesday. Since the only woman on the list is MK Aida Touma-Sliman, who is also a radical feminist leader, it can safely be assumed that she is the one who will head the committee. Touma-Sliman founded…

The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court sentenced Israeli Arab Sami Dais to 8 months in prison on Tuesday, for inciting and supporting terror on Facebook.  Dais, a resident of the neighborhood of A-Tur in Jerusalem, is accused of having published, among other things, a picture of a man dressed as an Orthodox Jew with guns aimed at his head…

MK Moti Yogev (Jewish Home) praised the appointment of Interior Minister Silvan Shalom (Likud) as the minister in charge of peace talks and US-Israel relations, stating that it is a fitting choice.  “Bearing in mind the numerous matters occupying the time of Prime Minister, it is good to appoint a minister who will address this issue,…

A 65 year-old hassidic woman gave birth to her first child overnight Monday, after 46 years of marriage.  The new mother, named as Chaya Sarah Shahar of Bnei Brak, gave birth to a healthy baby boy at a Kfar Saba hospital. Family and friends of Chaya Sarah, and her husband, 67 year-old Shmuel, say the…

A former Iranian foreign minister and another ex-official have denied Tehran’s involvement in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish center in Argentina that has come under renewed scrutiny after the death of an investigator, AFP reports Tuesday.  Ali Akbar Velayati, Iran’s foreign minister in 1994 and current foreign affairs adviser to the country’s supreme leader, described allegations of Iranian involvement in…

Egyptian authorities are using sexual assault on a ‘massive’ scale against detainees, NGO the International Federation for Human Rights said Tuesday.  The report suggested that men, women, and children are being abused systemically to “eliminate public protest,” according to the BBC.  Charges state that police, intelligence officers, and the military are subjecting prisoners to “virginity tests”…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has handed responsibility for any future peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA) to Interior Minister Silvan Shalom (Likud), an official said Monday. “The prime minister has charged Silvan Shalom with conducting in his name the negotiations with the Palestinians,” the official said on condition of anonymity. Shalom will also be in charge of strategic dialogue with the United…

The IDF is taking steps to improve their disastrous call centers, a senior official told Channel 2 Monday, after years of complaints from frustrated soldiers and amidst an overarching centralization process.  Until now, complaints, requests for medical appointments through the IDF’s healthcare system, sexual harassment reports, and inquiries from reservists each were directed to a different call…

Seventy years after the Holocaust, Anti-Semitism is again a worldwide phenomenon. The old-new anti-Semitism now comes in modern form, including anti-Zionismand the use of the internet and social media. Click here to download poscast

At first considered a mere oddity, “White Widow” Samantha Lewthwaite has now climbed to the top of the hierarchy of terror group Al-Shabaab, Somali security chiefs said Monday – and is responsible for the deaths of more than 400 people.  The British citizen has risen through the ranks quickly, according to the Telegraph, after several senior terrorists…

Iran is ‘proud’ of the achievements of Hezbollah and the Syrian army in a series of recent battles in Qalamoun, an adviser close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated Monday.  “We feel very proud as we have been watching in the last few days the new victories that the Lebanese resistance and Syrian…

Pope Francis’s reference to Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas as “an angel of peace” was meant as encouragement for him to pursue peace with Israel, the Vatican insisted Monday, after the words whipped up controversy on social media. The pope often presents heads of states with a large bronze medallion representing an “angel of peace”, and did so when…

Syria on Monday accused Jordan of training “terrorists” on its soil and urged the UN Security Council to force an end to Amman’s backing of rebel groups, AFP reports. The accusation came in a letter sent by the Jordanian foreign ministry to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the president of the UN Security Council,…

About 1,000 Ethiopian Israelis have flooded Tel Aviv on Monday night, demonstrating from Rothschild Blvd. to Ibn Gavriol St. to protest racism and discrimination.  “They say that there are rifts, they say there is no leadership – but each and every one of us has come here to make a change,” protest organizer Inbal Bogula shouted…

Hundreds of students from Yeshiva University’s undergraduate schools were presented with their degrees in front of thousands of proud family and friends at YU’s 84th Commencement exercises, held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Sunday, May 17. For Rabbi Joseph Schreiber of Los Angeles, California, who delivered the invocation, and his wife,…

Pregnant women in Israel may receive yet another benefit, according to a draft of a bill proposal submitted Monday – allowing women in their third trimester to park in handicapped spaces.  The bill is the first of Labor MK Danny Atar; he stated in his explanatory notes that it was inspired by the struggles of…

Jerusalem will remain united regardless of any future negotiations with the Palestinian Authority (PA), Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared Monday.  “48 years ago we fought a marvelous defensive war, during which we consolidated Jerusalem,” Netanyahu stated, during a special Knesset session held in honor of Jerusalem Day (Sunday). “Jerusalem will not be divided again, it…

Feuding Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Lau, and Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein were both in attendance Monday at the opening session of the 15th Annual Conference of the Israel Bar Association.  The saga between the Chief Rabbinate and the Attorney General began when two Jerusalem restaurants sued the state in the High Court for the…

Newly-appointed Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) promised to promote checks and balances Monday at the opening session of the 15th Annual Conference of the Israel Bar Association in Eilat.  “The judiciary is one of the most prominent symbols of Israeli democracy,” Shaked said, echoing remarks made Sunday at the Justice Minsitry’s welcome reception for her.   “The Supreme…

Another protest against racism and police brutality organized by Israel’s Ethiopian community will take place Monday on Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv.  Thousands of people are expected to attend Monday’s demonstration which will begin at 3:00 p.m. and will last for several hours.  Police reinforcements have already been sent to Tel Aviv to prevent potential conflicts or…

Shira goes to Lakewood to check out the Red Cow and finds a “hidden tzaddik.” Herb Celler, the owner of the cow, shares his story, as the son of Holocaust survivors who built his own farm, where the red heifer was born.  Click here to download the podcast

In the latest attack in a string of anti-Semitic incidents in Paris, a young Jewish teen was violently assaulted outside of the Buttes Chaumont Park on Friday, May 15. The 16-year-old boy, who was wearing a Kippa (skullcap) at the time, was attacked while returning to his home to prepare for Shabbat dinner. According to…

Shia militias converged on Ramadi Monday in a bid recapture it from jihadists who dealt the Iraqi government a stinging blow by overrunning the city in a deadly three-day blitz. The loss of the capital of Iraq’s largest province was Baghdad’s worst military setback since it started clawing back territory from the jihadists late last…

It has been released for publication on Monday that earlier this month customs officials at the Nitzana Border Crossing and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) cooperatively foiled an attempt to smuggle diving suits into Gaza.  According to an import document, the shipment was supposed to contain sportswear, but a thorough examination by custom workers at the…

Jerusalem Day, commemorated yesterday, is the perfect opportunity for polling the public on its attitudes towards Israel’s capital – and the results are mixed. As Arutz Sheva has reported over the past few days, one poll shows that 92% of Israeli Jews agree that Jerusalem is the Jewish Nation’s eternal capital, and the Central Statistics…

The Tzohar rabbinical organization has come under fire on social media recently over their “Tikkun Leil Shavuot,” an annual event in which Tzohar hosts Jewish learning throughout the night during the festival of Shavuot. The event, which will take place at the “Tzavta” cultural and arts center in Tel Aviv, will involve both religious and secular speakers to…

The Islamic State (ISIS) group on Sunday sealed its capture of the Iraqi city of Ramadi after a dramatic pullout by Iraqi forces, but was prevented by Syrian troops from taking the heritage site of Palmyra, reports AFP. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi urged government forces to hold fast in Ramadi and prevent ISIS from…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday evening participated in the Jerusalem Day celebration at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva, declaring that Jerusalem will be forever united. Referring to recent terror incidents in Jerusalem, Netanyahu stated, “We are determined to pursue the terrorists and confront all our enemies like a fortified wall, like the walls of Jerusalem.”…

An internal rift in the Labor party has emerged over the chairmanship of the Knesset’s Economy Committee. While most Knesset committees are headed by MKs from the Coalition, the Economy Committee is granted to the largest Opposition party. The leading candidate for the position is MK Eitan Cabel, who is considered close to Labor Chairman,…

A homeless Muslim illegal immigrant in Rome reportedly saved the life of an Israeli woman last week. The woman is believed to have been trying to commit suicide by jumping into the Tiber River. The man, 32-year-old Sobuj Khalifa from Bangladesh, saw her fall from a bridge and jumped in the polluted river to save…

The new Minister for Gender Equality, MK Gila Gamliel (Likud), is currently advancing a bill named “Parents and their Children,” which would dictate to parents in Israel to educate their children according to values of “peace, tolerance, and friendship between all nations and religions.” The bill enumerates what it sees as the basic rights of…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who is currently the Acting Communications Minister, fired Communications Ministry Director Avi Berger over the phone Sunday evening. The move reportedly reflects the tension between Netanyahu and the man who appointed Berger, the outgoing Minister of Communications, Gilad Erdan. According to Globes, the two candidates for replacing Berger are Attorney Eitan…

Thousands of people, mostly Jewish youths, are taking part in the annual Flag Dance (“Rikudegalim”) parade marking Jerusalem Day – the Hebrew calendar date on which Jerusalem was liberated by the Israel Defense Forces, 48 years ago. The march left city center and passed through Shechem Gate (Damascus Gate), Tzahal Square and the Old City,…

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who in recent months has moved closer to running for president, will provide a “very important update” on his plans Monday morning, he told supporters on Sunday, according to The Washington Post. “Tomorrow morning I will be giving a very important update on my 2016 plans and I want to make…

Former Likud minister Gideon Sa’ar, who resigned from his post and left politics late last year, had a message for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday. Speaking at the Jerusalem Day rally which took place at the Western Wall after the traditional Rikudegalim, Sa’ar said that when it comes to Jerusalem, one needs to build…

The Pentagon said Sunday night that the situation in Ramadi, which Islamic State (ISIS) said it seized from Iraqi forces, remains “fluid and contested” and it is following reports of continued violence in the strategic city. “We’re continuing to monitor reports of tough fighting in Ramadi and the situation remains fluid and contested,” Pentagon spokeswoman…

The European Union (EU) on Sunday denounced the death sentence handed down to Egypt’s ousted president Mohammed Morsi and at least 100 others, noting the penalty stemmed from a flawed trial, according to AFP. “The court decision to seek the death penalty… was taken at the end of a mass trial that was not in…

Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) on Sunday evening participated in a rally at the Western Wall, after the traditional Rikudegalim (“flag dance”) in honor of Jerusalem Day. In his remarks at the rally, Ariel spoke of Rabbi Moshe Levinger of blessed memory, who was laid to rest earlier Sunday in Hevron, and promised to…

A Turkish court on Sunday remanded in custody seven serving soldiers accused over the interception last year of an alleged consignment of arms bound for Syria, state media said, according to AFP. Following police raids in previous days, a total of 10 soldiers appeared before the Istanbul criminal court, the Anatolia news agency reported. After…

A Saudi Arabian-led coalition resumed airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi militia in Aden Sunday night, hours after the expiry of a humanitarian truce, Reuters reported. An eyewitness told the news agency explosions could be heard near the southern city’s airport and the districts of Khor Maksar and Crater shortly the five-day ceasefire expired. No further details…

This week’s show features Tamir Goodman, aka the Jewish Jordan, speaking on how he broke the glass ceiling for shomer shabbos professional athletes and the future of Orthodox athletes in the NBA. Click here for archived shows of “Jew In The City Speaks”

Opposition leader Yitzhak Herzog asserted on Saturday night that another round of elections are right around the corner.  “I estimate that in the next few months, there is the possibility of elections,” Herzog told Channel 10 journalist Nadav Peri on the network’s Central Headquarters program.  “It’s clear to the Israeli people where we have found ourselves, and that this…

Rabbi Moshe Levinger, of blessed memory, one of the founders of the Gush Emunim settlement movement and founder of the modern-day Jewish community in Hevron, was laid to rest in Hevron on Sunday.  President Reuven Rivlin eulogized Rabbi Levinger. “[Levinger] wrote a letter to David Ben-Gurion and for the renewal of Jewish settlement in Hevron,” Rivlin…

Confusion again reigns today in many Jewish circles, particularly in Israel: Some of us joyfully celebrate a festive holiday, while others watch from the side, not sure what to make of it. Some recite the usual Tachanun penitential prayer and bemusedly ask, “What, another religious-Zionist holiday?” as their neighbors recite the joyous Hallel prayer instead.…

Pop icons The Backstreet Boys have finally arrived in Israel.  Slated to perform three shows in central Israel this week, the five-member American boy band landed early Sunday morning at Ben Gurion International Airport with a retinue of about 25 people.  Before hitting the Raanana Ampitheater for their first show on Tuesday evening, the band will travel…

Following a meeting with Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday, major English-language media outlets – including Associated Press and AFP – reported that Pope Francis called the PA leader  an “Angel of Peace”. The purported comments were received as something of a coup by PA officials and their supporters – but it appears they were the result of a…

The Jerusalem District Attorney has filed an indictment against the terrorist responsible for mowing down four policemen in Jerusalem on Sunday, three weeks after he plowed a car into the officers on duty. Fadi Saleh, 31, is charged with attempted murder and obstruction of justice in the April 25 attack.  According to the indictment, while Saleh…

Murder rates were four times as high in the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Gaza than in Israel in 2012, according to a new study on homicide released last week.  The findings are part of a global study on homicide by the Igarapé Institute, a Brazilian think-take.  Last week, Igarapé released an interactive Homicide Monitor Map, which…

Coalition Chairman and Head of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, MK Tzahi Hanegbi (Likud), was more than disappointed not to be named a minister in Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s fourth government.  Speaking to Channel 2’s Meet the Press on Saturday night, Hanegbi stressed that he really “hoped to become a minister.”  But “sometimes difficulties require concessions,” he…

Saudi Arabia is trying to purchase nuclear weapons from Pakistan, according to senior US officials. Saudi Arabia has expressed concerns over the way nuclear negotiations with Iran are being run. It has said that it fears the final agreement would allow Iran the capability of developing nuclear weapons, either by ignoring its obligations or by…

Loading… Thousands of people, mostly Jewish youths, are taking part in the annual Flag Dance (“Rikudegalim”) parade marking Jerusalem Day – the Hebrew calendar date on which Jerusalem was liberated by the Israel Defense Forces, 48 years ago. The march left city center and will pass through Shechem Gate (Damascus Gate), Tzahal Square and the…

Gilad Erdan, a popular Likud MK who was Interior Minister and number two in Likud’s Knesset list after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, officially left the Interior Ministry Sunday, and turned it over to Minister Silvan Shalom, also of Likud. In recent days, Netanyahu offered Erdan the Ministry of Internal Security. Erdan wanted to stay at…

Two policemen were lightly hurt by rocks and bottles hurled by dozens of Arabs Sunday, during a riot at Jerusalem’s Shechem Gate, aka the Damascus Gate. Police dispersed the riot and arrested two Arabs on suspicion that they threw the rocks that struck the policemen. Meanwhile, Haaretz reported that there were some clashes between Jews…

Police arrested today a 26-year-old old man suspected of murdering a security guard at a wedding hall in the city of Nes Ziona, next to Rehovot in central Israel. The 68-year-old guard was securing ongoing construction work at the wedding hall, which is located near to the city’s soccer stadium. His killed stabbed him in the…

According to survey data published Sunday by the Central Statistics Bureau, a full 88% of adult Jerusalem residents reported that they are pleased with their lives, compared with 85% nationwide. Ninety percent of the Jewish residents of Jerusalem said they are pleased with their lives, compared with 88% of the Jews in the rest of the…

The Foreign Ministry has established a huge forum made up of about 1,000 experts, which is taking action to block global anti-Semitism, including the online variety. According to Israel Hayom, the Foreign Ministry seeks to block what it terms “online hate speech,” mostly in an effort to stem anti-Semitism in Europe. To this end, it…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sent a letter of condolence Sunday to the family of Rabbi Moshe Levinger, saying he was “saddened to hear of the passing” of one of Israel’s leading religious-Zionist figures. “Rabbi Levinger’s name will be forever linked with the movement for renewed Jewish settlement in Hevron and other areas of the country where our patriarchs…

Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists are being smuggled into Europe, a Libyan advisor told BBC Sunday, with cooperation of gangs in the Mediterranean.  Abdul Basit Haroun stated that smugglers have been ferrying jihadists to Europe among migrants on refugee boats, with ISIS authorities in North Africa allowing the smugglers to continue their work in exchange – as well…

Fighting in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, where the Islamic State group (ISIS) is threatening to take full control, has displaced around 8,000 people in two days, the International Organisation for Migration said Sunday. A renewed ISIS assault, which began late Thursday, saw jihadist fighters seize the government compound in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday night blasted Egypt for sentencing ousted President Mohammed Morsi to death, AFP reported. “The popularly elected president of Egypt, chosen with 52 percent of the vote, has unfortunately been sentenced to death,” he said at a rally in Istanbul, to howls of protest from the crowd. “Egypt is…

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Saturday accused the United States of only pursuing its own interests and of making the Middle East “insecure”, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The comments come amid international fears about ships in the Persian Gulf, which began after Iranian forces seized a ship and fired on another in…

Gunmen on Saturday killed two Egyptian judges and a prosecutor in the Sinai Peninsula, where security forces are battling an Islamist insurgency spearheaded by an Islamic State group affiliate, officials said, according to AFP. The shooting in North Sinai’s provincial capital El-Arish also killed the officials’ driver and wounded another prosecutor, the health ministry said.…

MK Shelly Yachimovich (Zionist Union) wrote a surprising letter to her supporters today (Saturday), complimenting the new government. In her letter, Yachimovich said that despite her party’s efforts to take down Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, Zionist Union will support its social measures. “The government’s political priorities are shocking. It’s right-wing, paranoid, contentious, and alienates…

Fighting continues in Yemen, despite a five-day humanitarian ceasefire that began Tuesday night. Yesterday alone, at least 10 people were killed in the western city of Taiz. The United Nations has largely ignored the ceasefire violations, other than a few remarks about “sporadic violations.” There have been no Security Council resolutions or calls to investigate…

Three men reportedly assaulted a Jewish mother near Paris while yelling anti-Semitic remarks. The French news site JSS reports that one of the assailant’s son threw a ball at the woman. When the three came to retrieve it, they attack her. During the attack the three, all of African origins, yelled “dirty race” and “Hitler…

Former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman talked about his opinions on the new government in an interview on “Meet the Press.” “I have no personal issue issue with Netanyahu,” Lieberman said. “We will only interfere if they change the basic principles of the government, including the Jewish State law, equal service for all sectors, death penalty…

The communities of Hevron and Kiryat Arba are expressing their sorrow on the loss of founder Rabbi Moshe Levinger. A community statement read: “The group, which he brought together only months after the liberation of new parts of the Land of Israel, settled the city of Hevron during Pesah 5728 [1967 in the Gregorian calendar].…

Leading religious-Zionist figure Rabbi Moshe Levinger – one of the founders of the Gush Emunim settlement movement and founder of the modern-day Jewish community in Hevron, passed away Saturday, aged 80. Rabbi Levinger was a leading halakhic and ideological figure in the religious-Zionist world, and had been a close disciple of Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook and Rabbi…

The Be’er Sheva Dictrict Court dismissed an appeal against Israel’s treatment of asylum seekers. Human rights groups had organized a petition against the deportation or imprisonment of migrants, based on two particular individuals, according to Haaretz. Judge Eliyahu Bitan reviewed that case and declared that the appeal can only deal with two two named individuals.…

Clashes between Israeli troops and Paestinian Arab rioters protesters Saturday in Samaria wounded five people, including two photographers, Palestinian sources said. The clashes broke out near an army post just south of the city of Shechem (Nablus), where 200 Palestinians had gathered to mark 67 years since the establishment of the State of Israel, which they refer…

Pope Francis warmly welcomed Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas on the latter’s visit to the Vatican today (Saturday). The Pope even went so far as to call Abbas “an angel of peace.” Though he is Muslim, Abbas flew to the Vatican in order to participate in tomorrow’s canonization of two new Arab saints. The…

Dozens of women and children, described as widows and orphans and likely the family of dead terrorists, protested on Thursday in a demonstration apparently organized by Hamas, in front of bank branches in Gaza to protest the decision of the Bank of Palestine to refuse money transfers to them from donors outside Gaza or the Palestinian Authority (PA). …

The coordinator of the Palestinian Arab world’s “Nakba Day” events has blamed Britain for Israel’s existence on Friday, charging it with “theft of natural resources and property” and calling for the country to assist in Palestinian terror groups’ retaking of Israel and to pay reparations to “avenge” the “injustice.”  Hamas official Essam Adwan stated Friday that…

The coordinator of the Palestinian Arab world’s “Nakba Day” events has blamed Britain for Israel’s existence on Friday, charging it with “theft of natural resources and property” and calling for the country to assist in Palestinian terror groups’ retaking of Israel and to pay reparations to “avenge” the “injustice.”  Hamas official Essam Adwan stated Friday that…

Hours after a new Israeli government was sworn in, and amid international pressure to resume peace talks, Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Friday announced a new set of preconditions for the resumption of talks. “A return to the negotiating table requires three basic principles,” Abbas said, according to a Channel 2 News report.…

Iran’s Foreign Minister says his country is optimistic that it can reach a final nuclear deal with the six world powers. “An agreement is very likely — provided that our negotiation partners mean it seriously,” Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Germany’s Spiegel magazine on Friday, and quoted by Reuters. The sides made a major breakthrough at…

FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Friday said that he hopes to head off a Palestinian Authority call for a vote to suspend Israel from football’s governing body, but also urged Israel to make a concession, AFP reported. The head of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), Jibril Rajoub, has asked FIFA to suspend Israel from the…

The European Union’s (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will visit the Middle East next week for talks on the peace process with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Brussels said Friday. Her visit on Wednesday and Thursday, which comes just days after Netanyahu started a new term as…

Islamic State (ISIS) fighters seized the government compound in the city of Ramadi on Friday and edged closer to what would be their biggest victory in Iraq this year, officials said, according to AFP. The loss of the capital of Anbar province, which Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had said would be the next target of…

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday condemned Israel over its plans to build new homes in the Biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria. A statement from Ban’s spokesman said the UN chief “strongly deplored the advancement of settlement activities on three occasions over the past three consecutive weeks by the Israeli authorities in the…

A football player in Canada has been fined by both the Canadian Football League (CFL) and his team over anti-Semitic tweets, The Toronto Star reports. The CFL and the Montreal Alouettes fined defensive lineman Khalif Mitchell an undisclosed amount for “tweets violating the league’s social media policy”, according to the report. The CFL and the…

The United States House of Representatives on Thursday voted in favor the bill that would give lawmakers the power to review and potentially reject a nuclear deal with Iran. According to The Associated Press (AP), the House overwhelmingly passed the measure, 400-25. The House approval comes a week after the Senate voted 98-1 to approve…

At least 50 Palestinian Arabs were wounded in a blast that occurred Thursday inside a training camp for terrorists in Gaza, Hamas officials, medics and witnesses said, according to AFP. “An explosion happened inside a post of the resistance in Beit Lahya,” said interior ministry spokesman Iyad al-Bozum, in reference to the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam…

This week’s show takes a look at the severe warning in the sedra against being unfaithful to G-d. But there are bright spots… speaking of which, we focus also on Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day). Click here to download the podcast

President Barack Obama on Thursday said that leaders of Gulf allies at a summit have agreed that a comprehensive, verifiable deal that blocks Iran’s pathway to a nuclear weapon would serve everyone’s interests, reports The Associated Press (AP). He added that the United States and the Gulf nations had pledged to work together to address…

The Palestinian parliament is continuing to reject any Jewish right to the “land of Palestine”, meaning the entire land of Israel, including the sovereign territory of the State of Israel. At a special meeting in Gaza on Thursday held on the occasion of Nakba Day, the Palestinian parliament stated that the entire “land of Palestine”…

The leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, on Thursday appeared in a new audio recording in which he urged Muslims to emigrate to his self-proclaimed “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria. “And we call upon every Muslim in every place to perform hijrah (emigration) to the Islamic State or fight in his…

An American man born in Iraq was arrested on Thursday for allegedly lying to the FBI about supporting the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists, after a pledge of allegiance to the group’s leader was found on his computer, the Justice Department said. Bilal Abood, 37, of Mesquite, Texas, is believed to have traveled from the United…

The United States still believes Israel’s long-term security is best served by reaching an agreement to live alongside a recognized Palestinian state, President Barack Obama said Thursday, according to AFP. Obama was speaking shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu formed a new coalition, which the world sees as likely to further strain ties with…

Widespread reports of chlorine gas attacks in Syria have not been prevented – or acted upon – because chlorine is not “historically” considered a chemical weapon, US President Barack Obama stated Thursday. Obama was forced to answer the chlorine question during a press conference from a summit at Camp David with leaders of the Gulf states. Syria and…

Nearly 4,000 Jews on 65 buses arrived from across the country to pray at Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem (Nablus) overnight Thursday/Friday, on the occasion of counting the Omer. Last night’s Omer day has been attributed to the Biblical Joseph and a visit is made in its honor every year.  The visit was made under IDF protection and…

Former Interior Minister MK Gilad Erdan (Likud) addressed his decision not to join the fourth government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Friday, after reportedly rejecting an offer to become Public Security Minister in the thirty-fourth government of Israel.  “After a period of about six months where the country stood still and stopped, the time has…

The chances of anyone being prosecuted for Syrian war crimes are today smaller than ever, experts say, as realpolitik smothers an increasingly solid mountain of evidence accumulated during the often barbaric four-year conflict. Rights groups have steadfastly documented atrocities committed on the ground, and on Wednesday a committee of renowned investigators said it had enough evidence to prosecute up the chain of…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu welcomed the induction of the thirty-fourth government of Israel early Friday morning, shortly after the swearing-in of 20 ministers. “Despite all the ups-and-downs we had to go through to reach this moment, I am still moved by the position and I am certain that you are too,” he began. “From this moment…

73.1% of Israeli children are satisfied with their lives, according to a Global Children’s Survey released Friday. The survey asked over 50,000 children ages 8, 10, and 12 from 15 countries various questions regarding the level of satisfaction with their lives.  The study found, among other things, that children in European countries tend to be…

Members of a US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State jihadist group Thursday vowed to stick by global resolutions to refuse to pay ransoms for citizens held hostage by terrorists, US officials said. The pledge to abide by UN Security Council resolutions came after some 25 members of the coalition Counter-ISIL Finance Group met in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on May 7. A communique issued…

Among the hundreds of participants at the 5th Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Imam Yahya Pallavicini cut an unlikely figure. A scholarly and softly-spoken individual, Pallavicini is an influential leader in the Italian Muslim community. Apart from heading the Al-Wahid Mosque in Milan, he is Vice President of the Islamic Religious Community of Italy (known…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has told MK Miri Regev that she will be the Minister of Culture and Sport in the next government. The appointment of Regev immediately caused shock waves in the artistic community, which is notoriously snobbish and leftist. Regev’s direct style has made her an object of derision and mockery among leftists, and predictably,…

Islamic State group fighters advanced to the gates of ancient Palmyra Thursday, raising fears the Syrian world heritage site could face destruction of the kind the jihadists have already wreaked in Iraq. IS fighters were battling Syrian troops less than two kilometers (barely a mile) from the remains of one of the most important cultural…

Supporting Israel is part and parcel of the fight against anti-Semitism, and other countries should learn from Canada’s example in doing so, a Canadian minister has said. Speaking to Arutz Sheva at the 5th Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism, Minister of State for Multiculturalism Tim Uppal said it was “only natural” that the Canadian government should send a…

This is, apparently, the final list of portfolios for Shas’s men: Shas Chairman, MK Aryeh Deri, will be Minister of the Economy, the Negev and the Galilee; MK David Azoulai will be Minister for Religious Affairs; MK Yitzhak Cohen will be Deputy Finance Minister; MK Meshulam Nahari will be Deputy Education Minister; MK Yaakov Mergi…

Arutz Sheva was in Toulouse Thursday for a memorial service commemorating three years since a terrorist attack killed three children and a rabbi at the Ohr Torah Jewish elementary school. The service took place at the synagogue within the school complex, under tight security, and was attended by dignitaries including Israel’s Chief Sephardic Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef.…

The granddaughter of Holocaust-surviving Zionist pioneers, Tamar Asraf grew up in a society of caring, idealistic secular left Meretz youth. They often discussed the future and how they can be a part of making Israel a safer and better country. And they were active in the peace movement, demonstrating in favor of the Oslo Accords.…

The Knesset on Thursday night approved Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s new coalition by a narrow vote of 61 to 59. “I determine the government has won the confidence of the Knesset. Congratulations,” Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein said following the vote. Shortly after the approval, the new cabinet ministers were officially sworn in. As expected, the…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the Knesset Thursday to present his new government, and faced a raucous, disrespectful plenum. Three Arab MKs were ejected from the plenum, one after the other, as Netanyahu began speaking, due to loud and incessant interruptions. Netanyahu called for a change in the electoral system in Israel. “This is the…

The electricity grid in the Palestinian Authority-assigned areas of Judea and Samaria will be connected to Jordan, the head of the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Power and Natural Resources Authority said Wednesday. The Ma’an news agency reported that the move is part of an initiative to interconnect power usage in the Arab world. According to the…

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that it will be difficult for him to defend the appointment of Shas chairman MK Aryeh Deri as Economy Minister to the Supreme Court, but that there is no legal reason preventing his appointment. “I reached the conclusion that the current legal situation can be interpreted…

President Barack Obama on Wednesday hailed America’s “extraordinary friendship” with Saudi Arabia as he hosted skeptical Gulf leaders for a summit beset by disagreements and royal no-shows, AFP reports. Describing “an extraordinary friendship and relationship that dates back to Franklin Roosevelt and King Faisal,” in the 1940s, Obama heaped praise on two the powerful Saudi…

The United States and Cuba will hold a new meeting in the coming weeks in Washington on reopening embassies, Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Wednesday, according to AFP. “In the coming weeks, there will be a new round of negotiations in Washington on reestablishing diplomatic relations and opening embassies,” he told the news agency…

Hours before Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s new government is to be sworn in, questions remain about the ministerial portfolios that will be given to members of the Likud party. On Wednesday night, Netanyahu began marathon meetings with members of his party in which he listened to their requests, but so far only the status of…

The White House on Wednesday said it is concerned that international inspectors have received “credible allegations” that chemical weapons are still being used in Syria, Reuters reports. Diplomats said last week that international inspectors had found traces of sarin and VX nerve agent at a military research site in Syria that had not been declared…

Three 16-year-old boys have been wounded after being run over by a Palestinian Arab motorist in an apparent car terror attack, at the entrance to the town of Alon Shvut in Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem. The victims are all described in light to moderate condition; Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics are on the scene and evacuated them to…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is working hard on Thursday to tie up the loose ends of the his government In the afternoon, Netanyahu came to an agreement with Moshe Ya’alon whereby, as expected Ya’alon will keep his post as Defense Minister.  Furthermore, the Prime Minister and Deputy Minister Ofir Akunis agreed that Akunis would serve as a minister…

The Institute for Forensic Medicine identified on Thursday the body found on Wednesday evening by a naval sonar in the waters of the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret). It has been determined that it is indeed 21-year-old Tal Kadoshim, a Border Police officer who went missing in April while on a Passover vacation in the area. Many efforts were made…

It was cleared for publication on Thursday that the Israeli Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet) had thwarted a stabbing attack being planned against security forces stationed at “Bet Ovadia” in the City of David in Jerusalem.  Through the course of the ISA’s investigation into the matter, a number of terrorists were arrested in the Shiloach (Silwan) neighborhood of…

Two men from New Haven, Connecticut were arrested on Tuesday after storming a Westport synagogue hosting a delegation of the Israel Defense Forces.  The Hartford Courant reported that Gregory Williams, a student at Yale University’s Divinity School, and Daniel Fischer, a community activist with the Middle East Crisis Committee, were both charged with first-degree trespassing and second degree-breach…

Even with a narrow right-wing government about to be sworn in, the chances of major judicial reforms being implemented this term are unlikely, Likud MK Ze’ev Elkin asserted on Thursday.  Elkin, a member of Likud’s negotiating team in this latest round of coalition talks as well as chairman of the outgoing coalition, says the problem lies…

Two days have passed and the Tekoa community is still shocked and outraged over the destruction of two buildings in the Tekoa Dalet neighborhood of the Gush Etzion town.  Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon ordered the demolition of two buildings, deemed illegal, in the town on Monday night.  According to David Harel, a resident of Tekoa Dalet, the…

Strategic talks between Israel and France turned sour last week as anger mounted over France’s plans to advance a United Nations Security Council resolution on Palestinian statehood.  While usually a venue for Foreign Ministry officials of both countries to talk security and diplomacy, the meetings deteriorated into disagreements over the Palestinian issue, revealing cracks in the Israeli-French relationship.  Particularly irking the Israelis, Haaretz reported Thursday, is French…

A military tribunal on Wednesday sentenced former pro-Damascus Lebanese minister Michel Samaha to four-and-a-half years in jail over terrorism charges, according to AFP. The court said Samaha, arrested in August 2012, would be released at the end of this year taking into account time served and because the judicial year amounts to nine months in Lebanon. He was found guilty of “having…

The Vatican intends to officially recognize the Palestinian Authority (PA) as a “state,” senior Foreign Ministry officials implied Wednesday.  A declaration on the issue was formulated today with representatives of the PA, sources said, and is expected to be signed in the coming days. It will make clear that the Holy See has decided to change the diplomatic…

A senior Israeli military intelligence official warned Wednesday of a heightened threat of conflict on Israel’s borders in the next two years as a result of “escalation” in the region, according to AFP.  In a briefing to foreign journalists at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, the official also said Israel would likely “have to” target civilian areas in Lebanon in a…

Islamic State (ISIS)’s second-in-command has been killed in a US-led airstrike in the Iraqi city of Tal Afar, the Iraqi Defense Ministry stated Wednesday.  Abdul Rahman Mustafa Mohammed, also known as Abu Alaa al-Afri, was in a mosque struck by US and coalition forces, they said. According to Iraqi government spokesman Tahsin Ibrahim, he was meeting dozens…

Looking at the title of this dish probably makes you think I’ve just grabbed some random items and put them together. In fact, the combination of the sharpness of the chili, the sweet tartness of the strawberries combined with the barbecue sauce, honey and vinegar will set your taste buds on fire with a distinct…

The mayor of a Japanese city that wants to register letters written by World War II kamikaze pilots as important global heritage, on Wednesday defended the plan, despite criticism it was glorifying war, according to AFP.  The city of Minami-Kyushu last year filed an unsuccessful application to include farewell letters written by the suicide fighters on a United Nations world memory list. That…

Internet giant Google is making strides to combat online anti-Semitism, but executives insist the most effective way to counter hate online is by activists creating an effective counter-narrative. Speaking in Jerusalem at the 5th Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism, Juniper Downs, the Senior Policy Council for Google US, said her company has teams working “24 hours a day”…

Thousands pledged to celebrate International Hummus Day on Wednesday, a four year-old initiative started by an American-Israeli blogger that has begun to gain national attention.  Lang established the day in 2011, after seeing the success of Nutella Day. Lang, along with friend Miriam Young, launched Hummus Day as a way of bringing more support to…

Syria’s security services chief Ali Mamluk attended a meeting between President Bashar al-Assad and an Iranian official on Wednesday, after a newspaper claimed he was under house arrest for plotting a coup. Mamluk’s presence at the meeting, which was reported by the official news agency SANA, came after Britain’s Telegraph newspaper said the top regime official had been sidelined. SANA…

Jurors began deliberating on Wednesday whether Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should spend the rest of his life in prison or be executed for his role in killing four people and wounding dozens more, CNN reports. The jury was given the case following attorneys’ closing arguments. The prosecution told jurors that Tsarnaev was a remorseless…

The body of a man was found on Wednesday evening by a naval sonar in the waters of the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret). It is believed that the body is that of 21-year-old Tal Kadoshim, a Border Police officer who went missing in April while on a Passover vacation in the area. The body has…

Thousands of Palestinian Arabs are serving sentences for terrorism and murders in Israeli prisons – and they have their own organizational framework under the noses of their guards.  Photographic evidence smuggled from prison in recent years indicates that prisoners are keeping to their terror factions and electing leadership, preparing meals together, and studying together for various university…

An Israeli official confirmed to foreign press Wednesday that neighboring Egypt is buying the same S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system Iran bought from Russia.  The sale had been previously published in Russian media, but Egypt has not formally acknowledged the sale, according to Channel 10.  “If you speak about the S-300, they (Egypt) are buying this…

The US military denied that coalition aircraft bombed a mosque in Iraq after Baghdad officials said American-led warplanes had targeted Islamic State jihadists meeting at the mosque in Tal Afar. US Central Command, which is overseeing the air war against the ISIS group in Iraq and Syria, said “we can confirm that coalition aircraft did not strike a mosque as…

President of Israel Reuven Rivlin visited the shipyard in Kiel on Wednesday afternoon, on the final day of his state visit to Germany marking fifty years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.  The President toured the ‘INS Rahav’ the fifth submarine due to be delivered to the Israeli Navy, and was received with a guard…

Anti-Semitism has reached “critical mass” in Europe, and stands at its worst levels globally since the 1930s, a senior anti-hate campaigner has warned. Speaking to Arutz Sheva at the 5th Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism on Wednesday, ADL National Director Abraham Foxman said that although anti-Semitism was not yet at the same levels as it was immediately prior to the…

A US man was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to supporting the extremist Islamic State group, authorities said Wednesday. Donald Ray Morgan was arrested last year and charged over supporting and attempting to join the radical group, according to AFP.  Morgan traveled to Lebanon but was unable to cross the border into Syria, prosecutors…

The Israel Police officer who brutally beat Ethiopian soldier Damas Pakada in Holon earlier this month has been fired, Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino announced Wednesday.  “I dismissed him pending a hearing yesterday,” Danino stated, during a “Meet the Press” event at Netanya Academic College, according to Yediot Aharonot. “He had a lot of arguments and we had an in-depth…

President Barack Obama expects Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s new government to work towards the “two-state solution”, he told the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper in an interview. “I will never give up on the hope for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, and the United States will never stop working to realize that goal,” Obama said in the…

While a motion to expand the cabinet looks likely to pass its second and third readings on Wednesday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu still faces an uphill battle in doling out those added ministerial posts within his party.  Likud is expected to retain 12 portfolios in the new government, Channel 2 reports, but to Netanyahu’s chagrin there are more…

The head of the UN atomic agency said Tuesday that a nuclear agreement being worked on by Iran and six world powers would give his experts the right to push for access to Iranian military sites, The Associated Press reported. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Yukiya Amano spoke as negotiators opened a new round…

The United States has scored a major victory over terrorism warlords by cutting off funds intended for their arms-buying operations, the British Mirror reports. According to the report, groups including Al-Qaeda have had their terror activities severely disrupted after the CIA, FBI and Treasury tracked down and froze £14 million ($21 million) in assets in…

A court handling the late art collector Cornelius Gurlitt’s inheritance on Tuesday formally authorized the return of the first two paintings from his trove to their rightful owners’ descendants, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The Munich district court said it approved the handover of Henri Matisse’s “Woman Sitting in an Armchair” and Max Liebermann’s “Two…

Incoming Deputy Health Minister Ya’akov Litzman (United Torah Judaism) on Tuesday said that his party would welcome the expansion of the government to more than 61 MKs – unless it is Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party. “It is obvious that we need to strengthen the government. It is hard to do things with only 61.…

At least 20 people were killed on Tuesday in a regime barrel bomb attack on a mini-bus stand in a rebel-held part of Syria’s Aleppo city, a monitor quoted by AFP said. “Helicopters committed a massacre, dropping a barrel bomb on a mini-bus station in the Fardous district of Aleppo, killing 20 civilians, among them…

The Conference of European Rabbis (CER) on Tuesday awarded its Lord Jakobovits Prize for European Jewry to French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, for his “exemplary determination in the fight against anti-Semitism.” The award was handed out to the French Prime Minister in a private ceremony in Paris. The ceremony was attended by CER President Chief…

A five-day humanitarian truce took effect in Yemen on Tuesday, though it was preceded by Saudi-led airstrikes on the capital Sanaa, Reuters reports. The ceasefire began at 11:00 p.m. local time, said Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri, spokesman for a Saudi-led coalition which has been striking the country’s Houthi rebels since March 26. It is intended…

Israel Police have agreed to pay NIS 10,000 ($2,500) in compensation to a Temple Mount activist falsely arrested on Independence Day last year. According to the activist’s suit, he participated in an event sponsored by the “Return to the Mount” movement which works to bring a Jewish presence to Judaism’s holiest site.  At a certain…

At least five people were killed and nearly 60 others injured when an Amtrak passenger train derailed in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.  The New York City bound train, carrying 238 passengers and five crew members, crashed in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond section at around 9:30 p.m. local time, having departed from Washington D.C. several hours prior. …

In attendance at the The Conference of European Rabbis (CER) held Tuesday in Toulouse was Antonio Tajani, one of the vice-presidents of the European Parliament.  Speaking to reporters at the event, the Italian politician stressed the need for better education as well as intelligence coordination between the EU, US, Israel, and Canada to combat terrorism and prevent rising…

It may not be scientific, but a video showing Israelis responding to the question “Are Ethiopian Jews part of the Jewish people” is certainly intriguing given the recent protests over discrimination towards the community, particularly from the police. There is no doubt that Ethiopian Jews face some level of racism – a fact graphically highlighted…

A new survey released Tuesday reveals some interesting data about American Jews. The Pew Research Religious Landscape Survey revealed both positive and negative findings concerning the future of United States Jewry, including the fact that – in spite of relatively low birthrates and growing intermarriage – the community’s relative size has in fact grown. The survey…

Spanish police on Tuesday arrested two Moroccan men accused of using the Internet to recruit Islamic State group (ISIS) supporters, the latest in a string of operations in Spain against backers of the jihadist terrorist group. The two suspects were arrested in the Barcelona suburb of Cornella del Llobregat following an eight-month investigation, the interior…

During his state visit to Germany marking half a century of diplomatic ties with Israel, Israeli President of Israel Reuven Rivlin met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who greeted him warmly and praised the “miracle” of Israeli-German relations after the holocaust. During the meeting, the two spoke of the importance of strengthening and deepening the alliance between…

An employee at Moisha’s Discount Supermarket in Brooklyn discovered two swastikas carved into the sidewalk in front of the Brooklyn store yesterday (Monday). Authorities are unsure who carried out the vandalism, but say that it occurred between 10:00 pm Sunday evening and 2:30 pm Monday afternoon, while the new concrete was still wet. Police say…

A Jerusalem District Court judge has sentenced an Arab resident of the capital to nine months in prison plus an additional five months on probation, in a landmark case over incitement on social media. Omer Shalbi was convicted for posts he made on Facebook over the past year, in which he expressed sympathy with the terrorists…

US Secretary of State John Kerry Tuesday held high stakes talks in the Russian resort of Sochi to press President Vladimir Putin to fully implement a shaky Ukraine ceasefire and urge renewed efforts to end the Syrian war. On the highest-level US visit to Russia since the conflict in Ukraine erupted, Kerry first met with…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met Tuesday afternoon with Germany’s Defense Minister Dr. Ursula von der Leyen, during her official visit to the State of Israel. Speaking to Leyen at the start of their meeting, Netanyahu noted the constantly changing nature of the threats facing Israel – threats which endanger her neighbors as much as, if not more…

The Palestinian Authority has continued its tradition of honoring convicted terrorist murderers – this time handing an honorary plaque to the family of a man involved in the October 12, 2000 lynch of two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah. A May 9 report in the PA’s Al-Hayat Al-Jadida – picked up and translated by Palestinian Media Watch –…

As Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he’s ready to send the IDF’s delegation to Nepal – which just arrived home in Israel – straight back to help deal with this morning’s second deadly earthquake if need be, Nepal’s Chabad Center in the capital Katmandu is also springing back into action. In a video uploaded to…

With joyous celebration and prayers of thanks and praise, Israel prepares to commemorate Jerusalem Day, marking the 48th anniversary of the liberation and unification of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War. This week’s moving edition of Temple Talk finds our hosts in deep reflection on the true  significance of Jerusalem, especially in the light…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday denounced a resurgence in anti-Semitism both in the Middle East and in the West, speaking at a forum about the problem. “Today there is no doubt that we are living in an age of resurgent anti-Semitism,” Netanyahu said at the opening of the fifth Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism,…

Former US President Jimmy Carter is reportedly pushing for the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas to reconcile, against the wishes of both organizations. According to AI Monitor, two weeks ago Carter visited PA President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah; during their talks, Carter encouraged Abbas to return to the Beach Refugee Camp Agreement from last year, in…

J-Street has been lobbying furiously to torpedo legislation currently making its way through the US Congress to combat the anti-Israel BDS (Boycott Divestment and Sanction) Movement. In late April, the Senate Finance Committee adopted new amendments to the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which would require US trade negotiators to make rejection of BDS a principal trade objective in…

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo spoke at the Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism in Jerusalem tonight (Tuesday). During her talk, she emphasized her understanding for French Jews’ concerns. “I strongly condemn anti-Semitism disguised in anti-Zionism,” she told the audience on the Forum’s opening evening. It remains to be seen whether Hidalgo will follow her words with…

The number of people displaced by conflict in Iraq since the start of 2014 has reached a new high of 2.8 million, the International Organisation for Migration said Tuesday. The IOM put the number at exactly 2,834,676 and said a wave of displacement caused by fighting in Ramadi, the capital of the western province of…

Syrian anti-regime factions exchanged insults on Tuesday after a news conference that saw the head of the Damascus-tolerated opposition ask for a revolutionary flag to be removed from sight, AFP reports. Louay Hussein, who fled Syria at the end of April after facing charges of “weakening national sentiment”, addressed reporters Monday in Istanbul alongside Khaled…

A bomb blast and two mortar rounds targeting Shia worshippers marching to a Baghdad shrine killed six people Tuesday in the Iraqi capital, security and medical sources said. An explosion killed four people and injured twelve near Tahrir Square in central Baghdad, police said.   A medic confirmed the casualty figures but it was not immediately…

Wendy Sherman, the American Undersecretary of State, will lead a delegation to Vienna this Wednesday to join the next round of negotiations on finalizing an Iran nuclear accord, the State Department said Monday, according to AFP. The American team includes a representative of President Barack Obama’s National Security Council and experts on arms control, non-proliferation,…

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister insisted on Monday that King Salman’s last minute decision not to attend a Camp David summit was not intended as a snub to the United States, AFP reported. The White House, meanwhile, said that the king spoke with President Barack Obama and “expressed his regret” for missing the summit. “This is…

A Saudi Islamist preacher is warning against social media such as WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook, because, he claims, Jews are using them to “poison and hearts and minds of the Muslims”. The comments by Abdulla Ba Neema were posted to the internet on May 3, and were translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute…

David Miliband on Monday criticized his brother Ed Miliband’s failed campaign to become Britain’s prime minister, but also stressed that he won’t run for the leadership of the Labor Party now that his younger brother has stepped down. Speaking to the BBC, Miliband said that voters “didn’t want what was being offered” by Labor when…

The White House said on Monday that Saudi Arabia did not raise any concerns about the agenda for an upcoming regional summit hosted by President Barack Obama at Camp David before or after the Saudi king changed plans and decided not to attend. According to Reuters, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the United States…

George Galloway, the virulently anti-Israel lawmaker who lost his seat in last week’s British election, has announced that he has begun legal proceedings to overturn the election result in Bradford West. Galloway, who lost by more than 11,000 votes to Labor candidate Naz Shah, alleged she made “false statements” during the campaign to affect the…

Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of France’s far-right National Front (FN), announced Monday he would create his own “grouping” after being suspended from the party for remarks downplaying the Holocaust, AFP reports. The 86-year-old assured he had no plans to launch an alternative to the anti-immigrant FN, which his daughter, Marine Le Pen, has led since…

Rebbitzin Esther Jungreis, founder of Hineni, sits down in Jerusalem for an incisive, moving, honest and inspiring interview with Arutz Sheva’s Derech Eretz Show. The Holocaust survivor, best-selling author and globe-trotting speaker gives it straight from the heart. Rebbetzin Jungreis shares her thoughts about modern technology, marriage, divorce, the challenges of child rearing and family…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the returning IDF delegation from Nepal on Tuesday, congratulating them on their successes after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake devastated the region on April 25. “Israel is a small country with a big heart,” he began. “UN data shows that we sent the second largest delegation to Nepal, in the number of…

Another earthquake has rocked Nepal, the US Geological Survey said Tuesday morning, just two weeks after a devastating quake killed over 8,000 people.  Tuesday’s earthquake measured 7.3 on the Richter scale and was felt as far away as New Delhi, India, and Dhaka, Bangladesh, they said; the USGS has downgraded the quake from 7.4.  Witnesses…

Shi’ite religious centers have opened for the first time in Gaza, Walla! News reports Tuesday, and are being directly funded by Iran. The centers, under the name ‘Al-Sabrin,’ (from the Arabic word for ‘patience’) are attempting to spread Shi’ite Islam in the Sunni stronghold, according to the news agency, and are doing so on Tehran’s…

The presidents of Israel and Germany warned Tuesday of growing anti-Semitism as they marked half a century of diplomatic ties, 70 years after the end of World War II and the Holocaust. “I am very worried. Worldwide anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish slogans are on the rise,” said Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin, who was on a state…

The lives of more than five million Syrians, including two million children, are at risk from explosive weapons used in the conflict, a non-governmental organization said on Tuesday. Handicap International warned that explosive weapons were being widely used in heavily populated areas in violation of international law, and that unexploded ordnance posed a long-term threat.…

Hamas rule in Gaza is better than the alternatives, Southern Command leader Sami Turgeman declared Tuesday – namely, IDF rule from without and chaos from within. “There is no substitute to Hamas as a sovereign power in Gaza,” he stated during a meeting of regional leaders, according to Yediot Aharonot. “The alternative is the IDF…

Security forces arrived Tuesday to the town of Tekoa in Gush Etzion and began destroying buildings deemed illegal, residents told Arutz Sheva. Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon ordered the demolition of two buildings in the town Monday night. The community was surprised to hear about Ya’alon’s intention to demolish buildings that were occupied until very recently. A…

The Tel Aviv District Court sentenced Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto to one year in prison over charges of bribery and obstruction of justice on Tuesday, after numerous scandals and myriad delays. Pinto will also pay a fine of one million shekels ($258,730), Justice Oded Marduk ruled. Execution of the prison sentence was delayed by 45 days…

The Special Committee assigned to discuss the extension of the number of Cabinet ministers, i.e. to amend a Basic Law, headed by MK Ze’ev Elkin (Likud), approved a bill allowing for 20 ministers overnight Monday/Tuesday for second and third readings. During the 19th Knesset, an amendment was made to a Basic Law regarding ministerial positions…

Four years after the US celebrated the assassination of terror mastermind and Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, one prize-winning journalist has accused Washington of covering up the true details of the hit. Pulitzer Prize winner and veteran investigative reporter Seymour Hersh published a 10,000 word article in the London Review of Books on Monday…

Three Palestinian Arab towns in western Samaria that are surrounded by Jewish communities and seemingly “cut off” from the rest of the the Palestinian Authority (PA) are actually doing quite well for themselves, according to a report by the PA-based Safa news agency cited by blogger Elder of Zion. The towns – Mas-ha, Qarawat Bani…

A spokesperson for Sweden’s Green Party apologized on Monday after calling the migrant crisis in Europe “the new Auschwitz.” Asa Romson made the remark on Sunday during a televised debate of political leaders, media outlet The Local reported.  Having stirred up controversy with the Holocaust allusion, Romson quickly issued an apology to “any of the groups” affected by Nazi…

Both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon made points Monday of mentioning the defunct “peace process” with the Palestinian Authority – a subject they studiously ignored during the recent election campaign. Israel suspended its negotiations with the Palestinian Authority in late April of 2014, after Hamas and Fatah reached a unity accord.…

A new subsidized program will enable Christian student leaders from universities and colleges across the United States to experience Israel firsthand.  Based on the highly successful Taglit-Birthright program, Covenant Journey takes students looking to become advocates for Israel while strengthening their Christian faith, on an 11-day trip to the Jewish state. Israel wholeheartedly supports the project, which was unveiled Friday at…

A military court in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Monday jailed a Palestinian convicted of “spying” for Israel to 15 years, judicial sources said. In March two other men were given the same sentence for the same offence. Under Hamas and Palestinian Authority law, those convicted of “collaboration” with Israel, murder and drug trafficking face…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared at the Likud faction meeting Monday that he will continue to try and widen the government, which currently rests upon a one-seat majority, with 61 MKs out of 120. He noted that while the current coalition is smaller than the previous one, Likud’s part in it is larger. “In the…

Opposition leader Yitzhak Herzog is looking to supplant Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, calling Monday for repeat general elections.  Speaking at his party’s faction meeting in the afternoon, the Zionist Union chairman announced the party was “in the midst of a significant political and public campaign.” “For two months, Netanyahu has been unable to form a government and bring it…

AKIM Israel – in collaboration with The Hebrew University Hadassah School of Dental Medicine, and supported by Alpha Omega Foundation US, as well as by Henry Schein Cares – have established a program to train young adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities in auxiliary jobs in the dental profession. During two years Supported Employment Program at Hadassah School of Dental Medicine in Jerusalem, selected…

Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett began his party’s faction meeting on Monday afternoon with a discussion on the newly formed government.  Although the government is extremely narrow with only 61 MKs, Bennett asserted it would still be a united one.  “We’re talking about a narrow government on the one hand, but a unity government on the other,” the…

Four suspected members of Al-Qaeda were killed Monday in an apparent American drone strike on the Yemeni port city of Mukalla, which the jihadists overran last month, an official said, according to AFP. The drone targeted a vehicle at the entrance to a presidential palace in Mukalla, capital of the southeastern province of Hadramawt, the…

Canada, one of Israel’s staunchest allies, appears primed to use its new hate crime laws against groups advocating for the virulently anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.  According to a Canadian Broadcasting Company report on Monday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government made its intentions clear by sending a list of the country’s hate crime laws in response to…

The Obama administration is involving itself again in the case of an American teen beaten by an Israeli Border Policeman last summer, in a move that CNN describes as connected to Israel-US tensions. The American cable network reported that White House National Security Council staffers recently took the unusual step of meeting in the West…

Almost eight weeks have passed since election day and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has still not declared his final government.  It appears, Channel 10 suggested, that the Prime Minister is taking his time before swearing-in his fourth government, in order to try and broaden the narrow 61-MK coalition he has accumulated until now.  But if, as rumors suggest, he is looking…

Syria is believed to have succeeded in transferring chemical weapons to Hezbollah, Channel 1 television’s military affairs correspondent said Monday. According to the reporter, Amir Bar Shalom, it appears chlorine gas bombs have made their way from Syria to Hezbollah’s hands, despite the IDF’s efforts to interdict the transfer. Forces loyal to Syrian strongman Bashar…

The Palestinian Authority (PA) continues to crack down on Hamas supporters within its borders, and is also targeting student leaders of a Hamas-aligned group at Birzeit University The crackdown began after a Hamas victory and Fatah defeat in student elections at the Palestinian university last month.   Al Jazeera reported Sunday that PA security forces quickly began detaining and questioning students associated with the…

Outgoing Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) penned a letter Monday morning to Jerusalem District Police Commander Moshe Edri and Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino, demanding to reopen the Lion’s Gate and allow tens of thousands of celebrants to march through the Muslim Quarter on Jerusalem Day.  “Tens of thousands of marchers entering the Old City on…

Four people were injured in a gas explosion Monday morning, after a gas canister exploded in a private home on Silwan Blvd. near the Dung Gate in Jerusalem. Magen David Adom (MDA) medics were called to the scene and evacuated the injured to hospitals in Jerusalem. A 4 year-old boy who was critically injured was taken to Shaarei…

The IDF’a Arava Division has been battling a steady stream of illegal immigrants from Jordan, security sources said Monday – and the threat is beginning to become a security risk.  According to the sources, the foreign workers’ risk is being reassessed due to the construction of a new airport in Timna, which is expected to…

At least 72 fighters were killed in a single day as the Syrian army battled to relieve some 250 besieged regime loyalists under rebel assault, a monitoring group said Monday. President Bashar al-Assad had personally pledged to rescue the trapped troops and civilians, who are said to include senior figures and have been holed up…

Supreme Court Justice Daphne Barak-Erez has rejected Yesh Atid’s petition for an interim injunction to prevent the continuation of the Basic Law Amendment process to increase the number of ministers in the next government. In her decision, the justice wrote Monday that “after reviewing responses to the petition and the Attorney General’s position, it is not appropriate to provide the requested…

The new coalition is still taking shape, but it’s already facing its second threatened rebellion over the allocation of portfolios, including the remaining ministries and powerful Knesset committees. Following Likud MK Ayoub Kara’s threat to launch a one-man rebellion if he didn’t receive a ministry, MK Yisrael Eichler (UTJ) has now leveled a threat of…

A security detail has been assigned to MK Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) due to threats against her on social networking sites.  Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein confirmed rumors that a detail had been assigned on Monday.  “We were stunned by the explicit threats made against MK Ayelet Shaked, in the form of photos of her in…

A Palestinian Arab terrorist stabbed a Jewish man at the Al-Zaim junction, 11.3 kilometers outside Maaleh Adumim and just outside Jerusalem, on Monday morning. Magen David Adom (MDA) medics were notified of the attack at 7:53 am and rushed to the scene; they treated a 19 year-old victim on-site and then transferred him to Shaarei Tzedek…

The Supreme Court has given the Israeli government and Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein only 12 hours to respond to Yesh Atid’s appeal against the expansion of the cabinet. Justice Daphne Barak-Erez on Sunday evening instructed the government and Weinstein to present their response to the appeal by Monday morning at 8:00. The motion, filed earlier by…

Religious groups in Ashdod are planning a mass protest later this week against a shopping center that has begun operating on Shabbat. The Big Fashion Center of Ashdod said Sunday that despite reports to the contrary, the center will remain open on Shabbat, and that no compromise or change had been reached on closing. Rabbinical…

With dozens of Jews arrested for “violating the rules” on visits to the Temple Mount, the Students for the Temple Mount organization had a simple question for police: Just what are the rules in the first place? The answer to that question has not been a simple one; police have often refused to say what…

Syria’s official news agency SANA on Sunday denounced Turkey’s prime minister for making a cross-border trip to a historic tomb inside Syrian territory, calling the visit a “clear aggression”. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu made the surprise visit to the tomb of Suleyman Shah, grandfather of the Ottoman empire’s founder Osman I.   The trip, which…