Category: News

It has been cleared for publication that Hamas’s armed wing planned a large-scale abduction of residents from the community of Kerem Shalom in the first week of Operation Protective Edge last summer, Army Radio reported. The terror organization planned to abduct dozens of residents and conduct negotiations for the release of terror prisoners in exchange for them.…

The United States Senate on Tuesday rejected an amendment toughening legislation that would require that any nuclear agreement with Iran be approved by Congress, hours after Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid warned Republicans not to use the bill as a “platform for their political ambitions.”  The amendment specified that a nuclear deal would have to be…

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders will announce his plans to seek the Democratic nomination for president on Thursday, presenting a liberal challenge to Hillary Clinton, The Associated Press (AP) reports. Sanders, an independent who describes himself as a “democratic socialist,” will follow a statement with a major campaign kickoff in his home state in several weeks.…

Argentina’s foreign minister, Hector Timerman, on Tuesday quit his membership in a leading Jewish organization targeted by a deadly bombing in 1994, reports The Associated Press (AP). Timerman announced his decision in a letter to the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA), criticizing its leaders for blocking a deal with Iran to jointly probe the country’s worst…

Yesh Atid chairman MK Yair Lapid on Tuesday evening blasted the coalition agreement reached between the Likud and the haredi United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party. The agreement, reached earlier on Tuesday, stipulates that child benefits and stipends for yeshivas, which were slashed when Lapid was Finance Minister, will be brought back to their previous levels.…

Representatives from Syria’s opposition National Coalition will meet the UN’s Syria envoy in Geneva next month as he seeks to revive peace talks, the group’s president said Tuesday, according to the AFP news agency. Coalition president Khaled Khoja said he had informed UN envoy Staffan de Mistura that a delegation from the exiled opposition body…

The case of a 15-year-old Muslim girl who was banned from class twice for wearing a long black skirt seen as too openly religious for secular France has sparked an outcry, AFP reported Tuesday. The girl was stopped from going to class earlier this month by the head teacher who reportedly felt the long skirt…

Three members of Hezbollah, two of whom are accused in a deadly 2012 bombing targeting Israeli tourists in Bulgaria, were on Tuesday placed on a special American terror watch list, AFP reports. The State Department named Meliad Farah, Hassan el-Hajj Hassan and Hussein Atris as “specially designated global terrorists.” The terror designation makes it illegal…

President Francois Hollande announced Wednesday that France would increase its defense budget by close to four billion euros ($4.4 billion) over four years, in response to Islamist terror threats after the Paris jihadist attacks in January, reports AFP. He also said that emergency military patrols set up at sensitive sites nationwide after the January attacks would be made permanent, with a 7,000-strong force dedicated to internal security at…

Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid sharply criticized the emerging coalition agreement between Likud and United Torah Judaism (UTJ). The two parties agreed to cancel the law passed by the previous government, which places criminal sanctions on haredi men who refuse to enlist to the IDF or National Service. They also decided to cancel the cut that…

Mere days after Mount Hermon in the north was covered in unseasonable snow “you only see in January” last Friday amid surprising cold around the country, Israel is bearing the brunt of a nationwide heat wave on Wednesday. Temperatures rose dramatically on Wednesday, with haze predicted for most parts of Israel after having already settled…

A former employee of Al Jazeera America (AJA) has claimed he was fired after protesting his boss’s frequent “anti-American and anti-Semitic” rants, as well as his open discrimination against women employees. The accusation come as ex-employee Matthew Luke, formerly AJA’s director of media and archive management, is suing both Al Jazeera and his former boss Osman Mahmud for…

Mordechai Vanunu, the former nuclear technician convicted of leaking Israeli nuclear secrets nearly 30 years ago, was detained by police over Independence Day, under suspicion of breaking the conditions of his release by contacting foreigners. According to his attorney, left-wing activist Michael Sfard, Vanunu was question for “hours” in custody last Thursday evening at Jerusalem’s Russian Compound…

Mordechai Vanunu, the former nuclear technician convicted of leaking Israeli nuclear secrets nearly 30 years ago, was detained by police over Independence Day, under suspicion of breaking the conditions of his release by contacting foreigners. According to his attorney, left-wing activist Michael Sfard, Vanunu was question for “hours” in custody last Thursday evening at Jerusalem’s Russian Compound…

Apple, the iconic global technology giant, is further building its presence in Israel by expanding the size of the offices in its new Herzliya headquarters. According to a report in the Hebrew language The Marker on Wednesday, Apple has decided to increase the size of its second Herzliya research building to be built later this year by no…

Israel allowed 14,000 tons of building material into Gaza on Wednesday, the defense ministry said of the largest single shipment since last summer’s Hamas terror war – despite the fact that Hamas is using such materials to rapidly rebuild its terror tunnels to attack Israel. COGAT, the IDF Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, told AFP that some 354 trucks…

An Iranian civilian plane breached the Saudi-led Arab coalition’s no-fly zone in Yemen, leading coalition forces to bomb a runway at the Sana’a airport on Tuesday to prevent it from landing. The no-fly zone has been in place since Operation Decisive Storm – meant to weaken via airstrikes the Iran-backed Shi’ite Houthi militia that seized power…

UK Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader David Cameron has come out strongly in support of Israel, saying he feels it is “important to speak out” and defend the Jewish state’s defensive actions, particularly during Operation Protective Edge last summer. In an exclusive interview with the Jewish Chronicle, which will be published in full on…

New figures for 2014 published by the Defense Ministry on Wednesday morning show that record high expenditures were made acquiring domestic products, showing that a large portion of the ministry’s sizable budget goes back into the Israeli economy. Acquisitions by the ministry and the IDF over the course of the year from companies in Israel…

Police from Jerusalem’s Moriah precinct arrested a woman on suspicion of setting a fire at a gas station on Bethlehem Road Tuesday. Security camera footage shows the woman approaching a man who was fueling his car. She apparently asked him for a cigarette, and he refused.  She then pulled out a lighter and put the flame next…

The leadership of the Arab sector in Israel called a nationwide Arab strike Wednesday to protest the enforcement of the law against structures built illegally by Israel’s Arabs. The Arab leaders also announced a large scale demonstration in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square Wednesday afternoon, which will be an unprecedented show of force in the heart…

Former US President Jimmy Carter is to arrive in Gaza on Thursday and meet with top leaders of the Hamas terrorist organization. “Carter will arrive in Gaza on Thursday through the Erez border crossing to meet with leading Hamas officials,” a Palestinian Arab security spokesperson told the Turkish Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity. The 90-year-old former Democratic…

The IDF rescue team dispatched to Nepal to aid in earthquake disaster relief efforts opened the gates to its field hospital on Wednesday morning, where it will work to mend the wounded from Saturday’s massive lethal earthquake. Israel’s field hospital will provide medical treatment to roughly 200 patients a day streaming in from the rubble-strewn…

US officials have denied reports Tuesday that the Iranian navy opened fire on and captured a US cargo ship – however, the ship which was captured is apparently largely owned by American investors. After opening fire across the ship’s bow, Iranian forces reportedly boarded the vessel and “escorted it” to the port of Bandar Abbas. Al Arabiya news agency…

Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino on Tuesday announced that the police officer who was caught on a security camera brutally assaulting an IDF soldier in uniform on Sunday in the coastal city of Holon will be fired from his post. “The violent officer was immediately suspended, and he will also be fired following a hearing. There’s no…

Yohanan Gol, a resident of Beit Shemesh, revealed in a radio interview on Tuesday morning that he was assaulted by Arab assailants at Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives cemetery two weeks ago, and how he was mistreated by police at the same site yesterday. Gol told Israel Radio (Galei Yisrael) that on Monday he visited the grave of his…

Negotiating teams from Likud and the haredi United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party finalized a coalition agreement draft on Tuesday, making UTJ the first party to reach a deal in coalition talks. Likud representatives will present the draft to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, while UTJ representatives will bring the draft before its rabbinical council ahead of a…

In the latest in a string of exposed smuggling operations by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, a gag order was lifted on Tuesday revealing that the Israel Security Agency (ISA), IDF and police in a joint operation thwarted a Hamas terror fund smuggling network. The operation, which brought funds from Gaza to Judea and Samaria via Jordan, was conducted…

The Jewish Home party convened a stormy faction meeting Tuesday afternoon, following its dramatic decision to cut off coalition negotiations with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Earlier Tuesday the party said it called off talks because Netanyahu has still not yet responded to Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett’s request to give him the Education Ministry, despite promising…

Israel has long complained of the UN’s vocal bias against it, but a new report by the UN Convention against Corruption on Tuesday recognized that the Jewish state’s fight against public corruption is worthy of praise and accolades. A summary of the report particularly lauds Israel’s law enforcement in the field of preventing corruption, given that Israel’s…

French former World War II deportee Clement Quentin had lost all hope and was simply “waiting to die” when US forces liberated the Nazi death camp of Dachau on April 29, 1945. Seventy years on, the 94-year-old emotionally recalls American trucks rolling into the southern German camp to cries of joy amid the unspeakable horror. When the US soldiers arrived “we were no…

We are joined by Rabbi Zalman Weiss, who has been with us before discussing his book, “Adon Olam: A Search for Meaning?” This week Rabbi Weiss discusses his upcoming tour to the United States where he will present The Nations Principles of Faith. In other words, he said that Rambam’s Principles of Faith are not just for…

The teams of the Likud and Moshe Kahlon’s Kulanu party on Tuesday evening reached agreements in the ongoing coalition negotiations. As a result, the two parties are expected to sign a final coalition agreement on Wednesday afternoon. Under the agreement, Kulanu chairman Moshe Kahlon will be appointed Finance Minister and will also assume responsibility for…

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor sent a letter to the UN Security Council on Tuesday demanding action, after four Arab terrorists from Syria breached Israeli territory on Sunday night and placed an explosive on the Golan Heights border before being eliminated by the IDF. After briefly describing the incident, Prosor wrote, “Israel holds…

The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has admitted the humanitarian agency failed to protect Jews during the holocaust because it “lost its moral compass.” At a joint event in Geneva with the World Jewish Congress to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Allied liberation of Nazi death camps, ICRC President Peter…

Fears that the Chernobyl nuclear plant may explode again were raised on Tuesday, as a massive forest fire spread out of control and began rapidly approaching the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster which occurred in 1986 due to a reactor fire. Ukraine’s interior ministry warned that high winds are pushing the fire towards the…

A special UN panel on Tuesday condemned the “trivialization” of hate speech in France, as it launched a two-day review of racial discrimination in the country which has seen a sharp rise in violent anti-Semitism. “We see that the principle of equality is not completely reflected…above all due to intolerance and racism,” said Ion Diaconu, the president of the UN Committee on the Elimination…

After Jewish Home cut off coalition negotiations, Likud representatives have indicated to the party Tuesday night that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will grant its chairman Naftali Bennett his request to become the education minister in the coalescing coalition. Bennett lost no time in demanding a budget increase for the ministry to the tune of a billion…

Experts and Syrian officials revealed why exactly Iran, which is financially saddled by international sanctions, continues to spend fortunes and deploy thousands of troops to prop up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, even as the fight turns against him. A detailed report in Christian Science Monitor revealed that the UN’s Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura disclosed…

The world is “closer than ever” to reaching a comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday, according to The Associated Press (AP). Speaking to a global gathering on nuclear disarmament, where he and Iran’s foreign minister met on the sidelines, Kerry warned however that work on a deal is…

Agriculture Minister Yair Shamir (Yisrael Beytenu), who chose not to run in the last Knesset elections after one term in office, on Monday hinted that the chairman of his party, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, was at fault for Yisrael Beytenu’s failure in the election. Yisrael Beytenu won just six seats in the March 17 vote.…

Frazier Glenn Miller, who is accused of killing three people near two Kansas Jewish centers last year, on Monday said he’s ready to plead guilty to all charges to avoid a lengthy trial. Speaking to The Associated Press in a phone call from jail, Miller said that he doesn’t have long to live and wants…

Berlin’s police apologized on Monday for preventing the display of the Israeli flag during a soccer game in the German capital, The Associated Press (AP) reported. During Sunday’s second division game between Berlin’s 1. FC Union and FC Ingolstadt, police ordered fans to remove an Israeli flag they had unfurled in support of Almog Cohen,…

A United Nations employee working as a liaison in Iraq’s Diyala province has been “abducted” northeast of Baghdad, a spokeswoman for the UN mission in the country told AFP on Monday. The Iraqi employee, whose name has not been released, was seized on Sunday in Diyala’s provincial capital Baquba, the spokeswoman, Eliana Nabaa, said. “We…

This week, Peter Rosenberger, author of “Hope for the Caregiver”, speaker, and podcaster, discusses caregiving and the various aspects of life that this affects. How can you take care of the one you love and look after your finances at the same time? Listen to this interview for support, advice, and hope. In the second…

Indictments have been filed in the Jerusalem District Court against three residents of Bat Ayin Tuesday, for allegedly committing ‘hate crimes,’ aggravated assault with a racist motive, and assaulting a public servant, among other charges.  The three defendants include two 16-17 year-old boys from the community and a 19 year-old named as David Or Shahar.  One of…

Sirens blared across the northern Golan Heights around noon Tuesday.  The rockets or mortar shells reportedly crashed down in the groves near Ein Zivan. No one was hurt. IDF sources cited in several news outlets blamed the explosions on unintentional “spillover” from the Syrian civil war and said they did not appear to be intended as attacks…

Rescue teams have rescued 20 Israelis trapped in Nepal’s mountain ranges on Tuesday, three days after a devastating earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale. As of Tuesday morning, the death toll stood at 4,352, with 8,063 confirmed injured. However, about 50 Israelis still remain unaccounted for, most of them in the northern mountain regions that…

Seventy years after V-E Day, the Nazis’ surrender order has resurfaced – and will be auctioned off in New York.  Nazi Navy chief Karl Dönitz wrote the order as he hid on a naval base in Northwest Germany on May 9, 1945.  The surviving piece of telegram paper is expected to garner between $20,000-$30,000 in an auction Wednesday at…

MK Yinon Magal (Jewish Home) has asked the Attorney General, Yehuda Weinstein, to file charges against the former Director of the Foreign Ministry, Alon Liel, on allegations of treason. According to Magal, Liel has been working to get European parliaments to recognize a Palestinian state on 1967 borders, and in some cases has explicitly stated…

A video uploaded to Youtube and Facebook Monday shows an African infiltrator – one of the tens of thousands who currently reside in southern Tel Aviv – beating a man in plain daylight. It is not clear what the man is saying but he is obviously terrorized, and possibly suffering from mental problems. The infiltrator…

Three days after a devastating earthquake shook Nepal, at least 50 Israelis remain unaccounted for Tuesday, down from 250 on Sunday.  As of Tuesday morning, the current death toll stands at 4,352, with 8,063 confirmed injured. Meanwhile, several Israelis hiking in the area have been located on mountainsides, and noted that they are running out of food…

A UN inquiry on Monday blamed the Israeli military for seven attacks on UN schools in Gaza that Hamas claimed were “being used as shelters” during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.  “I deplore the fact that at least 44 Palestinians were killed as a result of Israeli actions and at least 227 injured at United Nations premises being used as…

US Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman had a harsh message for American Jewish leaders on Monday. Sherman warned them that if the new Israeli government does not demonstrate a strong commitment to the two-state solution, the US will have trouble assisting it in efforts to halt international initiatives at the United Nations.  Speaking at a conference of the Reform Movement in the United States,…

As tensions between Likud and Shas over the terms of a coalition agreement continue, the haredi party appears to be dealing with its own internal problems.  On Monday, Alon Nuriel, a parliamentary aide to Shas MK Yaakov Margi announced that he was resigning. The reason: to ensure Shas chairman Aryeh Deri appoints Margi to a ministerial role. …

The Palestinian Authority (PA) is cracking down on dissidents, Palestinian Media Watch reports Monday, after it arrested a man for “slandering” Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader and arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat as not being a “martyr.”  “The [PA] General Intelligence Service arrested today [April 25, 2015] Khalil Ali Afaneh, a clerk at the Ministry of Religious Affairs in…

An Israeli was lightly injured at the Huwara checkpoint near Shechem (Nablus) in Samaria on Monday afternoon when Arabs threw a firebomb at his car.  The man sustained minor injuries from smoke inhalation and burns as the vehicle was engulfed in flames. He managed to jump out of the car in time, however, preventing serious wounds.  Security forces and…

The first Israelis landed after being rescued from Kathmandu on Monday afternoon, after a Magen David Adom (MDA) plane escorted the evacuees from the disaster area to Israel’s Sde Dov airport. On board were five surrogate infants and 18 Israelis total. Upon landing, they were greeted by family members of many passengers, officials from the…

Past and present Meretz politicians are not the only ones upset over Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett’s potential appointment as Education Minister; Likud MKs are also reportedly furious.  Bennett, currently the Economy Minister, has for weeks been demanding the foreign affairs portfolio. But suddenly, on Saturday, he changed course and formally requested the education portfolio from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. …

The Islamic State jihadist group said it has stoned two men to death for adultery in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh, according to a series of photos posted online. One man is shown kneeling blindfolded in front of a group of men who hurl large stones at him until he is lying face down…

When the mayor of Baltimore, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, said her forces had tried to “deescalate” recent riots by allowing rioters to destroy property, many in the US were shocked. At a press conference following the riots, which happened after a protest over the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray in police custody, Rawlings-Blake told reporters: “While we tried to…

A 16-year-old Palestinian Arab who had been throwing rocks at security forces near Jenin was shot by IDF forces and moderately wounded on Monday evening. The teen was taken to a hospital in Jenin. There were no reports of injuries among the Israeli troops. The attempted terrorist attack came hours after an Israeli was lightly injured…

The first aircraft of the Israeli delegation to Nepal landed on Monday evening at the airport in Kathmandu. The El Al Boeing 747 aircraft contains 200 people, including medical staff and officers from the Home Front Command. Four additional Israeli airplanes are set to land in Kathmandu in the coming hours. The commander of the…

As coalition negotiations continue on without any final deals agreed upon, Interior Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) vented Likud’s frustrations with partner parties involved in the talks.  Appearing on Channel Ten’s “London and Kirschenbaum” program, Erdan asserted that smaller parties are getting positions entitled to Likud members only because of the pressure they are exerting on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. “It…

Moshael J. Straus has been elected as the next chairman of Yeshiva University’s Board of Trustees. Elected to the board in 1998, he currently serves as its vice chairman.  Straus, an accomplished investment executive and YU alumnus, will begin his term on July 1. He succeeds Dr. Henry Kressel, who joined the board in 2005 and has…

The fraternity house of the Stanford University chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) chapter was vandalized last weekend with swastikas, as well as various other anti-Semitic slurs and epithets.  Members of the fraternity discovered the graffiti as they returned to the house on Saturday night, the California university’s Stanford Daily reported.  “We discovered a number of offensive symbols and messages spray-painted…

The fraternity house of the Stanford University chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) chapter was vandalized last weekend with swastikas, as well as various other anti-Semitic slurs and epithets.  Members of the fraternity discovered the graffiti as they returned to the house on Saturday night, the California university’s Stanford Daily reported.  “We discovered a number of offensive symbols and messages spray-painted…

Iran led the call by non-aligned nations on Monday for Israel to give up its cache of nuclear weapons.  Addressing the conference on the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif placed a target on the Jewish state.  Zarif insisted that the 120-nation Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is demanding that “Israel, the only one in…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday night praised the IDF for eliminating a squad of terrorists as they tried to place an explosive device near the border fence with Syria. “Any attempt to harm our soldiers or our citizens will be countered with a determined response, such as the IDF operation tonight which prevented a…

Israelis appear to have been banned from buying tickets to see the Paris St. Germain soccer team in action, NRG reported Sunday night. The discovery was made by an Israeli couple planning a trip to Paris who wanted to attend a game – and could not find a listing for Israeli orders on the group’s…

An Arab terrorist on Sunday evening attempted to steal the weapon of a guard at a bus stop near the town of Eli in Samaria’s Binyamin region, in just one of a series of “minor” security incidents that took place over the course of the day. In the bus stop incident, a 19-year-old Arab from Shechem (Nablus) attempted…

IDF forces on Sunday night eliminated a terrorist cell as it was trying to place an explosive on the Israeli-Syrian border on the Golan Heights. Reportedly four terrorists were killed in the incident; no IDF soldiers were wounded in the exchange. A senior IDF source said that an army surveillance patrol located the terrorists who had arrived…

After reports in Arabic media that an IAF airstrike took out missiles in Syria on their way to Iran-proxy Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon on Saturday, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon (Likud) said Sunday Israel will block missiles on their way to Hezbollah – without directly taking credit for the strike. Hosting a traditional post-Independence Day ceremony…

Ira Rod are joined by Jono Vandor, long time host of Truth2Radio.org. Jono, a former Christian and street Evangelist, when confronted with the truth of the Torah had to make some hard choices. Listen to Jono as he shares his journey, and how he now brings a message from a Jewish perspective to his listeners. Click here…

Numerous attacks by vandals have brought to a halt the operation of a cemetery in Israel. Aryeh Farjoun, chairman of the Tel Regev Cemetery in the Haifa area, on Sunday sent a desperate plea to Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan for help in protecting the cemetery. In recent weeks, vandals have reportedly attacked…

President Reuven Rivlin met Armenian community leaders Sunday on the centenary of the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians, the first time an Israeli head of state has marked the killings, reports AFP. Israel has not recognize the slaughter of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1917 as “genocide,” with bumpy relations with Turkey likely a factor. “For the…

The uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is under investigation in France for amassing a 90-million-euro ($97.7 million) fortune, including a stud farm and luxury apartments, despite being kicked out of Syria “with nothing” 30 years ago. French investigators have provided details to AFP of their year-long probe into the finances of Rifaat al-Assad, the younger brother of late dictator Hafez al-Assad.…

Australia Monday said it was deeply concerned about an Australian-trained doctor who appears in an Islamic State (ISIS) propaganda video which urges other medical professionals to join the jihadists. The slick video, uploaded to YouTube, shows a man who identifies himself as Abu Yusuf explaining that he traveled to the city of Raqa in Syria to use his medical skills to help…

The Palestinian Authority’s (PA) chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, on Sunday expressed skepticism about peace prospects with the next Israeli government following comments made by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu against the establishment of a Palestinian state. Speaking to a gathering of international reporters and quoted by The Associated Press (AP), Erekat said that Netanyahu’s comments were…

Hamas leader Ahmad Yousef said on Sunday that there were “chats” taking place between his group and Israel under European mediation. Speaking to the Ma’an news agency, Yousef said that “we await the formation of an Israeli government so things can get more serious. European diplomats and civil society activists come to the Gaza Strip…

For the first time in 20 years, Israel will take part as an observer in a major nuclear non-proliferation conference that opens at the United Nations on Monday, a senior Israeli official said Sunday, according to the Reuters news agency. Assumed to have the Middle East’s sole nuclear arsenal, and having never joined the nuclear…

The Al-Jazeera network reported on Sunday night that the Israeli Air Force launched airstrikes in the Qalamoun region along the Syrian-Lebanese border. The report said that targets included Hezbollah rocket launchers, and that there were a number of casualties as a result. The report has yet to be confirmed by other sources for the time…

Egypt’s ousted president Hosni Mubarak said on Sunday that there are “fateful decisions” that need to be taken by current president Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, and that Egyptians should stand behind him. Mubarak, who was ousted in February of 2011 following an 18-day uprising, spoke on the phone with the Sada El-Balad private television channel and was…

MK Miri Regev (Likud) on Sunday evening warned Hezbollah not to test Israel, hours after IDF troops eliminated four terrorists who were trying to place an explosive on the Israeli-Syrian border on the Golan Heights. “I suggest that Hezbollah not test our vigilance,” Regev warned. “Well done to the IDF soldiers who identified the squad…

General security services together with the IDF and Israeli Police uncovered a terror cell which conducted several attacks hurling pipe bombs and firebombs at the pre-military academy Elisha and the town Halamish in Samaria’s Binyamin region. All of the members of the terror cell, which investigations show conducted five attacks between January and February, are residents…

Two of the four Arab terrorists who were eliminated by the IDF on Sunday night as they placed an explosive on the Golan Heights border with Syria are the sons of an Israeli Druze terrorist, according to a new report. The Hebrew-language Channel 10 reports that it learned two of the terrorists were the sons of Walid…

A curious new victim of the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group’s dogmatic rule has surfaced, after members of the group decided to ban none other than the sports giant Nike. Not only did ISIS ban wearing clothing and shoes from the iconic company, it also banned the word “Nike,” claiming it sounds like the Arabic word…

A Syrian rebel coalition led by Al Qaeda’s Syria affiliate overran a regime military base in Idlib on Monday, a day after government raids killed 73 civilians in the northwestern province, a monitoring group said. The capture of Al-Qarmid, southeast of the provincial capital, consolidated a series of victories for the rebel alliance made up of…

The first planeload of Israeli surrogate babies stranded in Nepal after Saturday’s devastating earthquake has arrived back in Israel Monday morning. The IDF military plane, which touched down at the Nevatim airbase in the early hours of the morning, was carrying three young babies and eight other family members. Immediately after arriving two passengers – a father…

Some of President Barack Obama’s email correspondence was swept up by Russian hackers last year, in a breach of the White House’s unclassified computer system that was far more intrusive and worrisome than has been publicly acknowledged, senior American officials told The New York Times on Saturday. The hackers, who also got deeply into the…

Republican luminaries and presidential hopefuls reiterated their support for Israel and skepticism about President Barack Obama’s proposed nuclear deal with Iran on Saturday, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The comments were made as an influential group of Republican Jews, the Republican Jewish Coalition, who gathered at the Las Vegas casino of GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson.…

The death toll from Saturday’s earthquake in Nepal has jumped to 1,805, a home ministry official said Sunday morning (local time), according to Reuters. The official said 4,718 people have been injured in the country’s worst quake in 81 years. Nepal has urged countries to send aid to help it cope with the aftermath of…

The condition of 20-year-old Shira Klein, who was seriously injured in the terror attack in Jerusalem in which Shalom Yohai Sherki was killed, has improved. The Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital said on Saturday evening that Klein is conscious, breathing on her own and talking with her family. Klein and Sherki were the victim of a…

In what appears to be the third terror attack against Jews in about 24 hours, an Arab driver plowed down three people Saturday evening on the Kohanim Route in eastern Jerusalem. MDA medics gave the three initial care and were evacuating them to Shaarei Tzedek hospital. One of the three, reportedly a Border Policewoman, is…

Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett informed Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Saturday evening that he wants to be named Education Minister. Netanyahu will reportedly weigh the request and reply within the next 48 hours. Bennett held meetings in the last few weeks with former education ministers and former Education Ministry directors, as well as school principals,…

The Spokesman for the Jewish Community of Hevron, Noam Arnon, said Saturday evening that the stabbing attack against a Border Policeman Saturday afternoon “is the direct result of the incitement being carried out in Hevron by anarchist anti-Semitic organizations, which whip up hatred and encourage terror attacks. “Shortly before the attack, a group of Israeli hikers…

Turkey has been bouncing between the interests of Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Saudis tried to draw Turkey into its military coalition against the Iranian-sponsored Houthis of Yemen, but Turkey has also been seeking to expand its economic relationship with the Iranians. Does Turkey feel like it has fallen behind Iran in terms of regional…

A new survey of Arab youth promises to be the clearest insight yet into public attitudes in the Middle East today. The Seventh Annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey found that young Arabs are opening up to new ideas and are changing their attitudes towards the West. The pollsters questioned 3,500 Arabs between the ages…

A day after Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett announced to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that he now wants to be Education Minister, Jewish Home faction chairwoman Ayelet Shaked sat down with Arutz Sheva to discuss the decision.  “From the beginning of coalition negotiations Naftali Bennett wanted the defense portfolio, and that was after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s…

Dozens of Israeli couples are trapped in Kathmandu on Sunday, as they and their newborns wait to head back to Israel after completing surrogate birth.  Several couples expressed to Israeli media fears that rescue workers could take too long to reach them and their infants.  “Our water was cut off,” Ohad Hitman, who is in…

According to the annual report of the Center for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI), 171 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded in Holland last year.  CIDI found, European Jewish Press reported, that people who are recognizable as being Jewish, such as those wearing a kippah or Jewish symbol, were especially targeted by anti-Semitic abuse and harassment on the streets. The number…

Former President Shimon Peres may have cancelled a key contract with Bank HaPoalim last week, but he has quickly found another position: advising pharmaceutical giant Teva.  Peres will be paid $10,000 per month to provide consulting services, according to Globes, and be compensated as well for individual projects.  Teva’s agreement with Peres extends only to the international…

Israel said Sunday it planned to airlift 25 infants from quake-hit Nepal born to surrogate mothers, along with their Israeli parents. Officials said Israel was sending a military delegation to offer aid and help repatriate its citizens from Nepal following the quake that has claimed more than 2,500 lives, reports AFP. Foreign ministry officials said there were 600-700 Israelis in Nepal, as well as…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is happy that Israelis are happy, as reported over the weekend in the annual World Happiness Report. “The happiness level is due to a long list of actions that we have undertaken, including reducing unemployment, raising the minimum wage, and ensuring high growth for the Israeli economy,” he said. Netanyahu’s comment…

Leading doctors from around the world have signed onto a petition against the British medical journal The Lancet, demanding that it address an unprofessional bias against Israel shown by the journal in numerous publications. The petition by “Concerned Academics” was signed by 600 signatories, including world-famous doctors and medical professionals from all corners of the globe. It also includes…

Have you ever read something somewhere on your computer but could not remember where? Maybe you had it in an old Word document or on one of the dozens of open tabs on Chrome or Firefox? Maybe it was on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin? It’s a familiar and frustrating experience, especially if you need it…

Amid reports of a renewed Saudi offensive against Iranian-allied rebels in Yemen, Iran’s news agency reported on Friday that Saudi Arabia had stopped Iranian aid planes from landing in Yemen.  Not unexpectedly, a top Iranian official responded with threats directed at Saudi Arabia. Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian warned on Sunday that the Saudi…

Arab terrorism in Jerusalem will continue, outgoing Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich admitted Sunday. On a visit to Shaare Tzedek Hospital, where several victims of recent terror attacks are recuperating, Aharonovich said that Israeli security officials are prepared for any scenario. “We have seen an increase in attacks in the past week,” Aharonovich said. “Police reacted swiftly…

Numerous institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have invested millions of shekels in lone soldiers the last several years. While soldiers continue to receive aid and would benefit from receiving more, Israel’s other volunteers from abroad are only now receiving the same degree of attention. One organization dedicated to the cause of helping non-Israeli and new…

Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett is set to become Education Minister, a position he is prepared to accept after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu went back on his personal commitment to Bennett to give him either the Defense or Foreign Ministry portfolios. No matter, said Jewish Home MK Yinon Magal; the deal Bennett has apparently closed…

In what appears to be the third terror attack against Jews in about 24 hours, an Arab driver plowed down three people Saturday evening on the Kohanim Route in eastern Jerusalem. MDA medics gave the three initial care and were evacuating them to Shaarei Tzedek hospital. One of the three, reportedly a Border Policewoman, is…

El Al Director David Maimon announced Saturday evening that in response to a request from the Defense Ministry, the airliner will send two 747-400 Jumbo Jets to Nepal at 5:00 p.m. Sunday, following the earthquake that has killed close to 1,500. The planes – a passenger jet and a cargo jet – will carry an…

Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett informed Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Saturday evening that he wants to be named Education Minister. Netanyahu will reportedly weigh the request and reply within the next 48 hours. Bennett held meetings in the last few weeks with former education ministers and former Education Ministry directors, as well as school principals,…

The Spokesman for the Jewish Community of Hevron, Noam Arnon, said Saturday evening that the stabbing attack against a Border Policeman Saturday afternoon “is the direct result of the incitement being carried out in Hevron by anarchist anti-Semitic organizations, which whip up hatred and encourage terror attacks. “Shortly before the attack, a group of Israeli hikers…

An unknown assailant on a motorbike opened fire Saturday evening at a 15-year-old boy and two girls aged 8 and 10 who were inside a car. Police suspect a criminal motive. The youth was taken to Yoseftal Hospital in serious condition and the two girls were moderately injured. Large police forces began combing the area in…

In the wake of the major earthquake in Nepal and nearby areas, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu held an assessment of the situation, via telephone, with Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. It was agreed to dispatch – as soon as possible – a rescue delegation including medical elements. The delegation will land near…

Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate and its allies seized the last major government-held city in Idlib province on Saturday, in a blow that could expose the regime’s coastal heartland to rebel attack.   The capture of Jisr al-Shughur in the northwestern province comes nearly a month after the same coalition of opposition forces, known as the…

Syrian and Lebanese media are reporting at least two IAF raids that struck targets in Western Syria, but there is still confusion regarding when they took place and what targets were hit. According to Channel 2‘s website, “unofficial media” in Syria and Lebanon said there were two attacks – the second one on Friday, against Hezbollah trucks…

Loading… A border policeman was wounded Saturday after being stabbed by an Arab terrorist outside the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hevron. The attacker was shot dead on the spot by other officers.  He was identified as 20-year-old Assad al-Salayma. His victim was evacuated to Shaarei Tzedek hospital in Jerusalem with stab wounds to his upper body,…

The 24 infants born in recent days to surrogate mothers in Nepal are waiting with their Israeli parents to be evacuated following the lethal earthquake which struck the area on Saturday morning. Nine of the infants were born premature and one is in serious condition. The Foreign Ministry told Ynet that it planned to fly…

The Islamic State (ISIS) shot down a regime aircraft near a key military airport in southern Syria Friday, with pro-ISIS Twitter accounts saying the jihadist group had captured the pilot, AFP reports. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the plane went down east of Khalkhalah airport, the only air base in Sweida province, a…

Poland’s leaders have guardedly accepted words of regret from FBI director James Comey over remarks that seemed to equate Poland’s role in the Holocaust with that of Germany, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The remarks made last week sparked protests and demands for an apology from Poland’s leaders, who stressed that Poland was a victim,…

Iraq’s health ministry does not have DNA test results from a close relative of Izzat al-Duri that could determine whether Saddam Hussein’s long-fugitive deputy has been killed, a spokesman said Friday. “The ministry does not have any DNA test (results) for any relative of Duri at the present time,” ministry spokesman Dr. Ziyad Tareq told…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman slammed South Africa on Friday, after the country’s communist party labeled Israel an “apartheid state”. The South African Communist Party’s (SACP) statement came after Israel refused to grant an entry visa to the party’s Higher Education Minister, Blade Nzmande, to visit Palestinian Authority-controlled territories. In response, the SACP issued a strong…

Syria’s former political intelligence chief Rustom Ghazaleh has died after being fired for a quarrel with another regime official in which he was beaten up, a source close to his family said Friday, according to AFP. Ghazaleh, an ex-stalwart of President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, had been in hospital since the dispute with another intelligence official…

Turkey is continuing to quarrel with other countries over the definition of the mass killings of Armenians in 1915. Russia on Friday became the latest country to be condemned by Turkey, after President Vladimir Putin referred to “genocide” during commemorations of the mass killings. The Turkish foreign ministry responded to Putin’s comments by saying, according…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other Knesset Members on Friday afternoon condemned an incident in Jerusalem whereby a religious IDF officer from the Givati Brigade was attacked by haredim when he entered the city’s Mea Shearim neighborhood. An initial investigation revealed that the officer, a resident of Kiryat Arba, came to the neighborhood on Friday…

Israel was the eleventh happiest country in the world in 2014, according to the World Happiness Report released Friday – outranking the US, UK, and numerous European countries. Just outranking the Jewish state, the world’s top 10 happiest last year were Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, New Zealand, and Australia. The US…

The Senate Finance Committee has adopted new amendments to the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) aimed at countering the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The amendments would require U.S. trade negotiators to make rejection of BDS a principal trade objective in Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations with the European Union.  They were…

Vice President Joe Biden said on Thursday the United States would deliver new F-35 fighter jets to Israel next year, saying the move would help the Jewish state maintain its military edge in the Middle East. The comments by Biden, quoted by Reuters, were made at a celebration in honor of Israel’s 67th Independence Day…

Former President Shimon Peres announced on Thursday that he was canceling the contract with Bank Hapoalim, which was met with criticism by MKs from both left and right. Under the contract, as reported by the financial newspaper The Marker, Peres would have promoted the bank for $30,000 a month. Speaking to Channel 2 News, Peres…

While the Palestinian Authority (PA) has often been touted as a peaceful alternate to Hamas by some, a Hamas MP in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) has revealed just how involved the PA is in funding terrorism. The MP, Yahi Musa, stated that the PA government in Samaria’s Ramallah has paid a total sum of $5…

Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, insisted on Thursday that the massacre of Armenians at the hands of Ottoman Turks a century ago was not a “genocide”. Speaking at an international peace summit, Erdogan dismissed Armenian claims of genocide in 1915 were baseless, adding that he was willing to open the Turkish military archives to prove…

Russian hackers accessed an unclassified Pentagon network earlier this year, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter revealed Thursday, in the latest high-profile penetration of government networks that has been blamed on Russian hackers. Speaking at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, Carter was quoted by CNN as having said the breach, which was only recently declassified and…

Hamas has signaled to Israel that it is not responsible for Thursday evening’s rocket attack on southern Israel and that it is working to find and arrest the shooters, Channel 10 News reports. A senior security official said, however, that Israel views Hamas as being responsible for the attack. “We see Hamas as responsible, and…

Syria’s entrepreneurs, suffering from crippling losses after four years of civil war, have launched a drive to encourage consumers hit by burgeoning inflation and a shortage of imports to “buy Syrian.” A first installment of the “Made in Syria” fair in Damascus this month attracted around 60 local companies to showcase products that are both easier to acquire and far cheaper than…

Israel is experiencing a post-war baby boom after last summer’s Operation Protective Edge, the Labor Delivery Director of Rehovot’s Kaplan Hospital said Friday, after a total of 49 babies were born there over Memorial Day and Independence Day alone.  Twenty boys and 29 girls were born in 48 hours, hospital staff said, with 33 born…

Finalizing his breach of 2008 pre-election promises, US President Barack Obama was notably absent from memorial ceremonies in Armenia on Friday marking 100 years to the genocide committed by Ottoman Turks, in which up to 1.5 million Armenians were massacred from 1915-1917. While Obama had pledged to recognize the massacre as a genocide, he continued to hold his…

British Labor party leader Ed Miliband is to vow to end the country’s “small-minded isolationist” attitude to Europe if he becomes prime minister after an election in two weeks’ time, indicating his desire to have the UK become more subservient to the EU. In a Friday speech, the leftist party leader is to accuse Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron of risking Britain’s…

Hamas is definitively preparing for another war against Israel, Brig. Gen. (res.) Zvika Fogel said Friday morning – hours after a rocket fired from Gaza struck the Sha’ar HaNegev region late Thursday night. “Rocket production continues,” Fogel, a former head of the IDF’s Southern Command, told Army Radio. He predicted another war by “the end of…

As Israel celebrated 67 years since the establishment of the renascent modern Jewish state on Thursday, thousands of the state’s Arab citizens decided to “celebrate” their state by mourning the “Nakba” – Arabic for “catastrophe” – of Israel’s existence. Thousands of Arab citizens of Israel, many of them waving the flag of the Palestine Liberation…

In the absence of Palestinian National Authority elections, the student elections at Birzeit University have become a key gauge of Palestinian Arab sentiment, and despite the campus’s historic pro-Fatah leanings the Hamas student list won overwhelmingly on Wednesday. The university has been very supportive of Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction partially given its proximity to…

American estimates grossly underplay the actual nuclear threat posed by North Korea, according to top Chinese nuclear experts who shared their figures in a top-secret closed door meeting with US nuclear specialists in February which was revealed this Wednesday. While the US has been appraising that the brutal Communist regime of North Korea only had around…

Last week, FBI National Director James B. Comey wrote ahead of Israel’s Holocaust Memorial Day that such evils can never be forgotten, lest we fall on the trope that we are doomed to repeat history. “I believe it is simply our duty to do that, and I believe this is truth no matter where you…

US President Barack Obama has saddled the Democratic party with a political time bomb in his “obsession” for a nuclear deal with Iran, according to Pulitzer prize finalist Daniel Henninger, deputy editor of the Wall Street Journal‘s editorial page. Writing in an op-ed for the paper entitled “The Democrats Own Iran,” Henninger wrote this week that, “the Democrats…

Police raids in Italy may have been targeting 18 Al Qaeda-linked suspects who were planning an attack on the Vatican, a state prosecutor revealed Friday. Chief Prosecutor Mauro Mura revealed to Reuters that the suspects had been planning a bomb attack at the Catholic spiritual center and that a suicide bomber had arrived in Rome. Wiretaps revealed suspicions of…

In honor of Israeli Independence Day on Thursday and in a sign of the warm relations enjoyed between Israel and Canada, Toronto City Councillor James Pasternak held an Israeli flag-raising ceremony at Toronto City Hall. In attendance was the Consul General of Israel in Toronto DJ Schneeweiss, as well as Toronto Mayor John Tory, and…

Israel’s latest population figures, released as is traditional ahead of Israeli Independence Day, cite a population that added 176,000 babies, 32,000 new immigrants and has reached an estimated total of 8.345 million people. Israel is a regional power despite its relatively small population versus countries like Turkey, Iran and Egypt who approach 80 or 90…

Israel’s sole skiing site, Mount Hermon on the northern border, was opened on Friday morning to visitors after an unseasonably large snowfall covered the mountain in several centimeters of white over Thursday night. Shaul Ohana, manager of the site, told Army Radio on Friday about the surprising snowfall. “Yesterday a small amount of snow fell, but what surprised…

President Reuven Rivlin participated Friday morning in the memorial ceremony to commemorate ANZAC Day, in memory of fallen soldiers of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps.   The President laid a wreath and spoke at the ceremony which took place at the Commonwealth Military Cemetery on Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, and this year focused on the commemoration…

The IDF on Thursday night, shortly before midnight, launched an airstrike which targeted a “terrorist infrastructure” in northern Gaza, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement. According to the statement, the airstrike was in retaliation for an earlier rocket attack by Gaza terrorists on southern Israel.  In addition, said the IDF, the entry of…

Photos: Yeshiva University

Police have arrested a suspect in the brutal beating of Eli Ohayon, 63, a resident of Tel Aviv, on Memorial Day. The assault took place at the Shuk Hacarmel market in Tel Aviv. It was described on Facebook by Ohayon’s son, Kfir. “Today, my father was attacked by a terrorist who shouted ‘Allau akbar’ at Shuk…

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has urged foreign diplomats to stand firm with the State of Israel, opining that their countries share a common cause with the Jewish state. Speaking at a special Independence Day event at the president’s residence, Rivlin expressed his pride in what his country had achieved in the 67 years since its…

Tovia Singer and Rod Bryant explain why President Vladimir Putin lifted the ban on sophisticated surface to air missiles to Iran. As it turns out, the Jewish state was shocked that Obama downplayed the significance of Russia’s supply of advanced S-300 air defense missiles systems to Iran, Israel’s archenemy. Click here to download the podcast

(AFP) Adam Gadahn, the Al Qaeda spokesman believed killed in a US operation, was a teenage rock music fan who grew up on a Californian goat farm before he was drawn into radical Islam. The White House announced Thursday that US intelligence thinks Gadahn died in January in a “counterterrorism operation” in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.…

  “I take full responsibility for a U.S. government counterterrorism operation that killed two innocent hostages held by al Qaeda,” President Barack Obama said Thursday. Dr. Warren Weinstein, an American held by Al Qaeda group since 2011, and Giovanni Lo Porto, an Italian national who had been held hostage since 2012, were killed in a…

  “I take full responsibility for a U.S. government counterterrorism operation that killed two innocent hostages held by al Qaeda,” President Barack Obama said Thursday. Dr. Warren Weinstein, an American held by Al Qaeda group since 2011, and Giovanni Lo Porto, an Italian national who had been held hostage since 2012, were killed in a…

The delivery of S-300 air defense systems to Iran is not a matter of near future, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told the media on Thursday, according to official Russian news agency Tass. “I do not think that it is a matter of near future. It is far more important that a political and legal…

After a year of tensions, and even hostility, between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama, a mending of fences may be on the horizon – but not until final negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program conclude.  Last week, President Obama met with Jewish leaders at the White House, where he attempted to assuage concerns…

At least 2,000 people, mostly Islamic State group terrorists, have been killed in Syria by a US-led air campaign in the past seven months, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday, according to AFP. “At least 1,922 fighters from ISIS, mostly foreigners, have been killed since September 23, 2014 in raids and aerial attacks by the international coalition on ISIS positions and…

The International Bible Contest for youth took place on Thursday morning, starting at 11:00 a.m.  Held annually on Israel Independence Day, the purpose of the contest, the Ministry of Education explains, is to unite the Jewish people in Israel and the Diaspora around the Bible – the root of all Jewish identity and values.  Themed around the…

President Reuven Rivlin hosted at his official residence on Thursday the annual “All Israel from Jerusalem” celebration in honor of Israeli Independence Day.  Speaking at the ceremony was IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot, who, along with President Rivlin, presented 120 exemplary IDF soldiers and officers with the medal of excellence.  “Last year, Golani Brigade combat soldier Oron…

Last night, it was reported that Haredi extremists had flown an ISIS flag in Beit Shemesh in protest of Israeli Memorial Day and Independence Day. The incident is just the latest in a series of provocative occurrences that have embittered tensions between Haredi and Religious Zionist sectors of the city with many resident caught in…

French police were hunting Thursday for possible accomplices to an Algerian whose plan to attack churches was foiled when his arsenal of weapons was uncovered, AFP reported.  Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the planned attack on one or more churches in the town of Villejuif just south of Paris was the fifth to be thwarted since a terrorist killing spree in the capital left 17…

The show begins with the Memorial Day siren and an understanding as to why the powers that be attached Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and terror victims to Independence Day, rather than separating the two – as is done in other countries. The second half of the show brings us into Independence Day where the national and…

Israel has had a long year. From Operation Protective Edge to elections, rising housing prices, and a crisis in relations with major ally the United States, it has not always been easy going.  Yet, despite the difficulties, a TNS survey conducted for Walla! News found that a majority of Israel’s public are are satisfied with life in the Jewish state. …

The Jerusalem Municipality lit up on Wednesday night the Bridge of Strings at the entrance to the capital with a unique lighting installation in honor of Israel’s 67th Independence Day.  The installation is a huge blue and white Star of David, about 14 meters (45 feet) on each side. It hangs dependent on the center of…

President Reuven Rivlin and his wife Nechama hosted Thursday morning the traditional Independence Day celebration entitled, “All Israel from Jerusalem.” The even began at 8:40 a.m. with a flyover of military helicopters after which the President and IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot reviewed a guard of honor for the 120 IDF officers and soldiers being…

What is Turkey thinking? That is the question some analysts are asking themselves in the days following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s condemnation of Pope Francis I. Francis referred to the Armenian “Genocide” as one of the three greatest mass murders of the 20th century in a joint mass with Armenian priests. He grouped the Armenian…

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon joined the spirit of Independence Day on Wednesday night, eating Shakshouka for the first time with Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor.  The tasty Israeli dish, traditionally eaten for breakfast, combines poached eggs and tomato sauce.  Invited to try the dish by Prosor, in honor of Israel’s 67th Independence Day, the two stepped…

At least 42 fighters were killed in 24 hours of fierce fighting between Islamist rebels and the Islamic State group in Syria’s Damascus province, a monitoring group said Wednesday. “At least 30 Islamist rebels and 12 fighters from ISIS were killed in fighting since Tuesday” in the hilly region of Qalamun, the Syrian Observatory for…

Turkey on Wednesday announced that it is recalling its ambassador to Austria, after parties represented in parliament signed a declaration recognizing the massacre of Armenians a century ago as genocide, The Associated Press (AP) reported. A Foreign Ministry statement protested against the move, saying Austria had no right to “accuse the Turkish people of a…

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern on Wednesday about the renewal of airstrikes in Yemen by a Saudi-led coalition, saying he hoped the fighting would cease quickly. “When I read the report that fighting was resumed I was very much concerned about that,” Ban told reporters, according to the Reuters news agency. “I sincerely hope…

Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a staunch supporter of Israel, on Wednesday reaffirmed his country’s support for the Jewish state, in a statement released in celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. “Tonight at sundown marks the 67th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel – the realization of the Jewish people’s longstanding…

A 16-year-old American accused of planning to join the Islamic State (ISIS) group has been found guilty of illegal possession of a firearm in South Carolina, a prosecutor said Wednesday, according to AFP. The teenager, who has not been identified because he is a minor, conspired with another person to travel to the Middle East…

The trial of German former SS officer Oskar Groening, dubbed the “bookkeeper of Auschwitz”, heard horrific descriptions Wednesday of the Nazi death camp, from prisoners’ arrivals to grisly “medical” experiments, reported AFP. “Everything happened in an orderly fashion,” the 93-year-old Groening calmly told the judges on the second day of the hearing, expected to be…

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein on Wednesday evening called for unity among Israelis, in a special message in honor of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s 67th Independence Day. “National independence must not be taken for granted by the Jewish people,” he said. “We waited 2,000 years to restore our sovereignty and we have to say thank you for…

The Saudi military will continue to use force to stop the Houthi rebels from making advances in Yemen, the Saudi ambassador in Washington said on Wednesday, according to Reuters. His comments come despite the announcement on Tuesday of an end to the Saudi-led air campaign. “When the Houthis or their allies make aggressive moves there…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu released a special video greeting on Wednesday night, in honor of Israel’s 67th Independence Day.  In the message, which was broadcast during the annual Independence Day event on Mount Herzl, Netanyahu spoke about Israel as a source of pride.  “Independence Day is an occasion for genuine celebration,” he began. “Jews celebrate…

Hundreds of people flocked to the Western Wall (Kotel) on Wednesday night, to inaugurate Israel’s 67th Independence Day.  The prayer was organized by Rabbi Uri Sherki, who rose from the weeklong shiva mourning period earlier Wednesday for his son, Shalom Yohai, who was killed in last week’s brutal car rampage attack in Jerusalem.  The prayer sessions was…

MK Avraham Nagosa (Likud) has called on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the incoming Interior Minister for the 20th Knesset to resume Ethiopian immigration to Israel (Aliyah) on Wednesday, after a petition was filed by a Givati Brigade soldier who fought in Operation Protective Edge in Gaza asking for Israel’s help in approving the immigration…

In an exclusive interview with Arutz Sheva today (Wednesday), Rabbi Shlomo Riskin responded to the haredi attack on his interfaith prayer session tomorrow in Jerusalem, which will include both Jewish and Christian Zionists. Rabbi Riskin is the Chief Rabbi of the town of Efrat, south of Jerusalem, and one of the most important rabbis in the “Anglo” religious-Zionist community. Rabbi…

Saudi-led coalition jets bombed Houthi rebels in Yemen’s third city of Taiz Wednesday, hours after Saudi Arabia announced the end of its military campaign against the Houthis. A short time earlier, Houthis captured a nearby base where an army brigade loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi was stationed. The BBC also reported fighting in the…

Further breaching his 2008 pre-election promises to “recognize the Armenian genocide” at the hands of the Ottoman Turks between 1915-1917, US President Barack Obama will not recognize the genocide ahead of the 100th anniversary this Friday according to officials. Armenian American leaders were invited to the White House on Tuesday to discuss the anniversary, but according to the Turkish Hurriyet Daily…

Pro-Israel groups are demanding action over a new course at University of California (UC) Riverside, entitled “Palestine Israel: Settler-Colonialism and Apartheid,” which attempts to paint the Jewish citizens of their historical homeland as “occupiers.” The groups argue that the course syllabus and materials constitute a violation of school policy prohibiting political indoctrination in the classroom,…

A Muslim man allegedly planning an attack on “one or two churches” has been arrested in Paris, France’s interior minister announced Wednesday, adding the IT student was also allegedly behind the mysterious murder of a woman near the French capital. The 24-year-old Algerian national, who was detained Sunday, was known to intelligence services for wanting…

A US judge has ruled that New York City must allow its buses to display a controversial ad exposing Islamist anti-Semitism. The ad in question – sponsored by the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) – portrays a masked Hamas terrorist next to a quote from Hamas’s official MTV TV station declaring that: “Killing Jews is worship…

Deputy Samaria Council head Yossi Dagan on Wednesday appealed to Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon for help – in giving residents of Samaria the same Independence Day “treat” that other Israelis have enjoyed for years. That treat would be the traditional flyover of Israel Air Force planes, which takes place over many cities, including the Tel…

More and more young adults are flocking to Israel to join the IDF, Haaretz reports Wednesday, with a marked increase in 2014.  Currently, some 3,484 soldiers have volunteered from more than 70 countries, according to the daily, up from 3,138 since 2011. Of those, 2,700 are new immigrants; 284 are non-citizens volunteering as part of the army’s…

A week after the terror attack in which his son Shalom Yohai was murdered, Rabbi Uri Sherki said at a Memorial Day service on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem that while the death of his son was an unimaginable tragedy, it brought together Israelis of all backgrounds. “Thousands of people of all kinds visited my house.…

Israel may be known for its importance to several world religions, but it is still one of the least religious countries worldwide, according to a poll released Wednesday.  57% of Israelis claim they are “not religious,” according to the WIN (Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research)-Gallup poll, vs. just 30% who said they are “religious.” An…

Since the start of the Syrian Civil War, Israel has tried to maintain a neutral policy – Israel’s engagement with Hezbollah and Iran gets a lot more coverage than its engagement with Sunni Islamist groups like Al Qaeda’s Nusra Front. But Israel has been involved in skirmishes with jihadist rebels. In 2014, Israel laid cover fire in…

Seventy two years after the Holocaust and the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and death camps, more people than ever are seeking to view the site where millions of Jews were sent to their deaths, to commemorate and commiserate. During the first four months of 2015, there was a 40% increase in the number of…

Austria’s chancellor and other top government officials on Tuesday inaugurated a monument paying homage to the 1,200 victims sentenced to death and executed by Nazi courts in Vienna, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The pyramid-shaped steel structure carries the German and English inscriptions “369 Weeks.” The inscription stands for the duration such courts held sway…

UN Security Council member New Zealand is working on a draft resolution to revive long-stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), AFP reported on Tuesday. France has begun consultations on a text that would outline the parameters of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, but Ambassador Jim McLay said that New Zealand’s friendship with…

Yemen’s president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on Tuesday night thanked Saudi Arabia and the Arab military coalition for their support of his “legitimacy”, Reuters reports. “I extend on my behalf and on behalf of the Yemeni people sincere thanks and appreciation for the Arab and Muslim brothers and our partners in the coalition for supporting legitimacy,”…

Israel will never forgive terrorists and nations who sanctify them, Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett said on Tuesday evening, at a ceremony in Jerusalem honoring Memorial Day. “Our sons who gave their lives are a symbol of morality to the whole world, the world that is becoming cruel day by day,” said Bennett. “Our enemies…

Two Arabs on Tuesday night tried to break into the car of Daniella Weiss, co-founder of the NACHALA Land of Israel movement and a longtime leader of the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria. Weiss was travelling near the Palestinian Arab village of Jit, near Kedumim, when the two men suddenly tried to open the…

Ron Kehrmann, whose 17-year-old daughter Tal was murdered in a suicide terror attack on a Haifa bus in 2003, on Tuesday expressed his dismay over the fact that the name of Mohammed Abu Khder, the Arab youth who was murdered by Jews last summer in a nationalist revenge attack, had been added to the Har…

Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday evening said it welcomed a halt to airstrikes in Yemen, Reuters reported. The Iranian statement came after Saudi Arabia announced that the Arab coalition has ended its airstrike campaign against Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels. “Before this, we said the crisis in Yemen had no military solution, and … a halt…

Turkey on Tuesday appealed for more help in cracking down on foreign fighters flooding to join terrorists in Iraq and Syria, revealing it had placed 12,800 people on a no-entry list, AFP reports. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met with his American counterpart John Kerry in Washington to discuss wide-ranging efforts to combat a slew of…

Knesset Speaker MK Yuli Edelstein on Tuesday evening hosted the parents of Max Steinberg, the lone American soldier who was killed last summer during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge. Max served in the Golani Brigade, and fell in combat in Gaza. In an emotional tribute, over 30,000 Israelis attended his funeral in Jerusalem. Edelstein hosted the parents…

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and deputy-editor of the paper Bret Stephens argued on Monday that due to US President Barack Obama’s irreversible actions, the US doesn’t have Israel’s back anymore – and Israel should learn to stand on its own. In the opinion piece entitled “Israel Alone,” Stephens reported that in his recent conversations with…

Perhaps for the first time in centuries, Christians are on the run. Ethnic and religious groups face persecution to various degrees at all times, but the Christian experience in the Arab Middle East has been especially stark. With the fall of Saddam Hussein and further amplification of extremist Islam, Christians have run across the region…

It may sound like the stuff of sci-fi films, but Israel’s army is launching a first-ever training exercise based on its new “advance guard” concept, which will see a vanguard of robots leading the charge into battle with IDF soldiers. The new training was revealed in a report by the Israel Defense website on Tuesday. Under the new concept, unmanned ground…

In an official statement to the nation at the start of Memorial Day Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu emphasized the significance of the sacrifice made by those who fell defending the State of Israel. Speaking directly to “my brothers and sisters, to the bereaved families,” Netanyahu noted that their fallen loved ones “fell on behalf…

The Jerusalem-based think tank NGO Monitor responded sharply to the decision by Amnesty International-UK Tuesday to reject a motion which would have had it campaign against anti-Semitism in the UK. NGO Monitor noted that there have been repeated anti-Semitic incidents “within the organization itself – in particular the activities of staff member Kristyan Benedict, who currently is listed as…

The Saudi-led Arab coalition has ended its airstrike campaign against Iran-backed Shi’ite Houthi rebels in Yemen on Tuesday, according to reports on Saudi TV cited by BBC. After saying the objectives of the operation, dubbed “Operation Decisive Storm,” were achieved, a Saudi defense ministry statement announced on Tuesday the launching of “Operation Restoration of Hope” in…

Judea and Samaria has an odd infrastructure. Sometimes, when towns are outside the so-called ‘settlement blocs,’ they proverbially fall off the map for some people. Yet, there are over a half million Israelis spread out throughout the area, with some living in communities over an hour away from major population centers in the center of…

Israelis began marking Memorial Day Tuesday afternoon, with a series of ceremonies nationwide commemorating Israel’s fallen warriors – including soldiers, police and members of the pre-state Jewish underground – as well as the country’s many victims of terrorism. President Reuven Rivlin began speaking at the official ceremony at the Western Wall (Kotel) before bereaved families on…

The US-led coalition said Tuesday its warplanes carried out 22 strikes in Iraq over 24 hours targeting the Islamic State jihadist group north and west of Baghdad. This was the second 24 hour period in a row of a larger-than-usual number of coalition strikes against ISIS, after it carried out 26 from Sunday to Monday.…

A Cairo court has sentenced former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and 12 other defendants to 20 years in prison. Morsi was convicted of inciting the killing of protesters, in an incident that saw 10 people gunned down outside the presidential palace in December 2012. The court had acquitted the former president of murder charges, which…

The Jerusalem District Court cleared for publication on Tuesday details of the brutal car rampage last week which killed Shalom Sherki and critically wounded his date, Shira Klein.  The terrorist, Khaled Kutina, 37, a resident of Anata, in Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem, is married and works as a cleaner in a mosque in Anata; he is…

In response to an interview Monday in which an advertising director for Kulanu’s election campaign, Udi Pridan, called Binyamin Netanyahu “Satan,” Likud said Tuesday that “Pridan’s hate-filled statements are a direct continuation of the words uttered in recent weeks by Yair Garbuz, Alona Kimhi and Anat Waxman, against the Right’s voters. “These leftists cannot fathom…

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) commended Pope Francis’s consistent comments about the evil of anti-Semitism on Tuesday, after he stated in a meeting with the Conference of European Rabbis on Monday that every Christian must condemn hatred against Jews.  Speaking during a meeting with the Conference of the European Rabbis (CER), a first since the organization was founded in…

Thousands of mourners converged Tuesday morning on the small town of Alon Shvut in Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem, to pay their respects to Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, a leading figure in the religious-Zionist and Modern Orthodox world who passed away Monday morning after a long illness, aged 81. From there, the funeral procession will move to the Har Hamenuchot cemetery…

Israel’s population stands on the eve of Israel’s 67th Independence Day at 8.345 million people, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) stated Tuesday – compared to just 806,000 in 1948.  Of the 8.345 million, 6.251 million are Jews (74.9% of the population); 1.73 million are Arabs (20.7%); and 364,000 (4.4%) are defined as “other” (non-Arab…

Drama at Ben Gurion Airport Tuesday: a Boeing 737 passenger jet that took off for Prague executed an airborne U-turn and landed safely, after it turned out that the tires on the right wheel were falling apart. The plane had 181 passengers and crew board, who emerged unhurt. The problem was discovered after the plane…

The Health Ministry has taken back some of its earlier claims regarding the heightened cancer risk to Haifa residents. Representatives from the Health and Environmental Protection ministries, as well as hospital officials and doctors who specialize in pediatrics and oncology, convened an emergency meeting after midnight between Monday and Tuesday, and received statistics from the…

Police have declared the rocks pelted at Labor leader Yitzhak Herzog’s wife’s car on Monday the result of an “accident,” Channel 2 reports Tuesday morning.  Footage from a security camera near the scene of the rock-throwing suggests that the rocks had actually been catapulted into the air by a vehicle in front of Michal Herzog’s car, police…

The Health Ministry has taken back some of its earlier claims regarding the heightened cancer risk to Haifa residents. Representatives from the Health and Environmental Protection ministries, as well as hospital officials and doctors who specialize in pediatrics and oncology, convened an emergency meeting after midnight between Monday and Tuesday, and received statistics from the…

US officials Monday sought to tamp down a spat with Poland after the FBI chief suggested the country shared responsibility for the Holocaust with Germany, but dodged questions on whether he would apologize. FBI Director James Comey “did not intend to suggest that Poland was in some way responsible for the Holocaust,” State Department acting spokeswoman Marie Harf said, according…

The outspoken praise of terrorist murderers by Abbas was reflected by the heaping accolades handed out by the PA and Fatah organizations under his control, which over the past month lauded 14 terrorists who murdered a total of at least 160 Israelis, including Abbas’s four. So which terrorist murderers were honored by Fatah and PA? Get…

Har Bracha is nestled on the southern end of Mt. Gerizim in Samaria, which is more of a mountain range than it is a single peak. The town takes its name from the mount of Biblical fame, where six tribes stood to recite blessings into the ampitheatrical valley between Gerizim and Mt. Ebal, which look down…

Yet a new wrinkle has surfaced in the controversial nuclear deal being formulated by the US and world powers with Iran, as State Department representatives on Monday would not rule out handing the Islamic regime up to $50 billion in a “signing bonus” for agreeing to a deal. Reports have indicated that the US would…

A former SS guard nicknamed “The Bookkeeper of Auschwitz” has admitted his “moral guilt” at the start of his landmark trial in Poland Tuesday. 93-year-old Oskar Groening is being tried for accessory to the murder of at least 300,000 Jews at the Nazi death camp, and could face up to 15 years if convicted. He admits…

This Wednesday night marks the beginning of Israeli Independence Day, marking 67 years to the renascent modern Jewish state, and it will be celebrated by no less than 27,933 new olim (immigrants) according to the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption. The country from which the largest number of Jews returned to their historical homeland last year was…

Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, the influential Religious-Zionist leader who passed away Monday, touched the lives of Jews from across the religious and political spectrum. That influence was on display Tuesday at his funeral, which began at the Har Etzion Yeshiva in Gush Etzion he headed since 1971, in the diverse range of students and admirers who joined…

Jerusalem Councilman Moshe Lion, who lost out to Nir Barkat in the last mayoral race, sent a letter to Barkat and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in which he expressed his shock over how orders to demolish the homes of Arab terrorists have gone unheeded. A full half year has passed since an order was given by…

Amnesty International is facing criticism for refusing to tackle anti-Semitism in the UK, after a motion calling on the group to do so was voted down at its annual international conference. The motion was narrowly defeated by 468 votes to 461 at Sunday’s International AGM. It had been tabled by Amnesty member Andrew Thorpe-Apps, who told Britain’s The Jewish…

More than 114,000 people have fled fighting over the past two weeks in the Ramadi area of Iraq’s Anbar province, the United Nations said Tuesday, expressing concern over the mounting problems faced by the displaced. The UN refugee agency said of the total number, about 8,000 remained in the western province of Anbar, according to AFP.  “Some 54,000 have gone…

In yet another sign of trouble, ministers and officials of the Palestinian consensus government on Monday ended a visit to Gaza a day after arriving for talks on salaries of thousands of public employees. A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the AFP news agency that the trip, which was to have lasted…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Kulanu chairman Moshe Kahlon are close to a coalition agreement but nothing has been finalized yet, sources in both parties told the Walla! Hebrew-language website on Monday night. The comments came after Netanyahu and Kahlon met for several hours on Monday evening, for a meeting officials described as being held…

Yeshiva University High Schools (YUHS) will host their Annual Dinner on Tuesday, May 12 at the Marina Del Rey in the Bronx, New York. Faculty honorees include Mrs. Ruth Fried, chairperson of the science department and director of the Science Institute at the Samuel H. Wang Yeshiva University High School for Girls (Central), and Rabbi…

Har Bracha is a small Jewish town. It has perhaps over 2,000 residents, to 330 families, nestled on the southern end of Mount Gerizim of Biblical fame (and the source of its name, which means Mt. Blessing in Hebrew). To its north is the imposing peak of Mt. Ebal, the joint scene of the famous…

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad on Monday said he had invited Hezbollah to fight alongside his regime, AFP reported. Speaking in an interview with French television, Assad denied the presence of Iranian troops in Syria. Iran is Assad’s main regional ally, and Tehran has acknowledged sending military advisers to assist his forces in their fight against…

An Argentine prosecutor on Monday dismissed allegations that President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner tried to derail an inquiry into the bombing of a Jewish center in 1994, Reuters reported. Federal prosecutor Javier De Luca was assigned to the case by Argentina’s top appeals court after it had already been rejected by a lower court in…

The UN Security Council on Monday demanded that aid workers be allowed to distribute food and other supplies to residents trapped by fighting inside the Damascus neighborhood of Yarmouk, which has been stormed by the Islamic State (ISIS), AFP reported. The 15-member council also demanded that fighters from ISIS and the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front withdraw from…

Israel on Monday unblocked close to half a billion dollars it confiscated from PA tax revenues since the beginning of the year, the Palestinian Authority said. The PA said it received 1.8 billion Israeli shekels ($460,000, 428,500 euros) and would from Wednesday pay December and January salary arrears to 180,000 civil servants, who have been on 60 percent pay. The PA had threatened to…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu received a 14-day extension Monday in which to cobble together a new ruling coalition and he’ll likely need it as conflicting party demands get messier and messier.  Likud members revealed to coalition partners Monday night that after the formation of a new government, they will try to re-enact a law that bypasses…

Lawsuits may soon be coming.  A stunning new Israeli Supreme Court decision has upheld most of a 2011 Israeli law enabling civil recovery actions against those that proliferate Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) against Israeli individuals, companies, and institutions. Most of the Law Preventing Harm to the State of Israel by Means of Boycott was…

A 35-year-old truck driver was trampled to death Monday night near Soreq Interchange southbound on Highway 6.  The driver exited his truck because of a flat tire and was subsequently hit by a passing vehicle. Magen David Adom paramedics arrived on the scene, but were forced to confirm his death after a short while.  Magen…

Pope Francis on Monday condemned a “worrying” resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe and urged the continuation of dialogue between Christians and Jews, according to AFP.  Speaking during a meeting with the Conference of the European Rabbis (CER), a first since the organization was founded in 1956, the pope called on all Christians to stand firm against anti-Semitism. “The anti-Semitic tendencies and certain…

News of the passing of renowned religious Zionist leader Rabbi Dr. Aharon Lichtenstein has reached the US on Monday, as American Jewish organizations react to the loss.  “Rabbi Dr. Aharon Lichtenstein was a preeminent Torah scholar and an intellectual giant who had a profound impact on his students, the State of Israel, and the Jewish nation as…

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has refused to meet former US President Jimmy Carter in an upcoming visit to Israel, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Gaza due to his anti-Israeli views, Channel 10 reports Monday.  A senior diplomatic source told the news agency that Carter, who has a long history of antagonism towards Israel, is “permanently damaging” to Israel and that…

Rocks were thrown Monday evening at the vehicle of Michal Herzog, wife of Zionist Union chairman and Opposition leader, MK Yitzhak Herzog.  According to reports, the attack occurred as Herzog was leaving the couple’s home in north Tel Aviv. While Herzog was not hurt, the rear window of her car was damaged.  Herzog immediately filed a…

Yemen’s Foreign Minister, Riyad Yassin, underlined on Sunday Yemen’s rejection of the “four-point peace plan” that Iran has submitted to the UN Secretary General and the President of the Security Council. FM Yassin reiterated last week’s letter of total rejection of Iran’s “peace-plan,” by what is essentially Yemen’s government-in-exile. He added that “There is no room…

A toast in honor of upcoming Israeli Independence Day was held Monday and attended by the higher echelons of Israel’s defense establishment.   On hand, notably, were Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, as well as other members of the Israeli military’s general staff.  Ya’alon spoke during…

A top Iranian commander on Sunday said that his country will never permit “foreigners” to inspect its military sites. “Not only will we not grant foreigners the permission to inspect our military sites, we will not even give them permission to think about such a subject,” Brigadier General Hossein Salami, the second-in-command of the Islamic…

The first French weapons from a $3 billion Saudi-funded program will arrive in Lebanon on Monday as allies seek to bolster the country’s defenses against the Islamic State (ISIS) group and other jihadists pressing along its Syrian border, AFP reported Sunday. Anti-tank guided missiles are set to arrive at an air force base in Beirut,…

An Egyptian court on Sunday sentenced to jail a man convicted of “spying for Israel” in  the Sinai Peninsula, judicial officials said, according to AFP. Two Israeli accomplices of the jailed Egyptian were tried in absentia and also given life terms, the officials added. In a verdict delivered by a court in North Sinai, the…

A mother and her five children were among at least 19 civilians killed on Sunday in Syrian regime bombardment of the southern province of Daraa, a monitoring group said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the six members of one family died in the rebel-held area of Dael, AFP reported. All of the children…

Members of the radical Women of the Wall group created a provocation at the Western Wall Monday, when they brought a Torah scroll into the women’s section of the Kotel Plaza, read from it and held it high, in contravention of custom. The provocation caused men to cross over from the men’s section into the…

In a shocking neglect of duty and endangering of soldiers, investigative reporters with Channel 10 found that a former IDF base which was evacuated and abandoned over a year ago was left with classified documents sitting around for anyone to find. The reporters visited the base, the name of which is banned from publication, where they found that…

A coalition of neo-Nazis have threatened to hold a second demonstration against the Jewish community in London, following a similar rally held earlier this month. The coalition – made up of a number of small splinter groups from the British far-right, as well as several Polish immigrant neo-Nazis – held a small demonstration on April…

An attempt to smuggle 18 tons of special “metallurgical coke” coal into Gaza was foiled on Sunday at the Nitzana border crossing, which leads to the Sinai from where the coal was to be smuggled into Gaza. The smuggled coal, which was seized thanks to the joint activities of the Tax Authority and General Security Service, is used…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited President Reuven Rivlin Monday morning and received a 14-day extension in which to cobble together a new ruling coalition. “I am giving you another 14 days to put together a government,” Rivlin told Netanyahu in remarks broadcast live on Israel’s main radio stations after the premier formally requested an extension.…

Numerous politicians responded to the death of leading religious-Zionist figure Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, who passed away on Monday morning at the age of 81. MK Ze’ev Elkin, chairman of the Likud faction and a graduate of the rabbi’s Har Etzion Yeshiva in Alon Shvut, located in Judea’s Gush Etzion, eulogized the rabbi. “In this difficult hour,…

In the first volley of a spate of bomb attacks in Gaza over the weekend, an explosive was detonated late last Friday in western Gaza City right by Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s former home. Abbas’s Gaza home was turned into Palestinian Cabinet headquarters after the unity deal between Hamas and the PA last…

A five-year-old boy was struck while riding a scooter by a Binyamin Regional Council shuttle bus on Monday in the Samarian community of Beit El.  Teams of Magen David Adom paramedics were called to the scene. They began to provide the child with first aid treatment, but were unable to save him, and subsequently determined his death at the…

Should Israel generate a new ally? If Sherkoh Abbas’ advice were heeded, Israel would be trying to draw the Western world closer to the notion of an independent Kurdistan.  Abbas, the Chairman of the Kurdistan National Assembly (KNA) and the organization’s representative in Washington D.C., advocates for the splitting of Syria into multiple ethno-religious political regions…

Eli Cohen, who infiltrated the highest echelons of Syria and was executed after his capture, is remembered by Israel and the world as the greatest Israeli spy. After he was executed by hanging in 1965, Cohen was buried in Damascus, and the Syrian government rebuffed requests to allow him to be brought home for burial in Israel.  But now,…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has decided not to attend Russia’s victory parade marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on Saturday May 9, Kol Israel reported Monday.   The leaders of the United States, France, and Germany have also stated their intentions not to attend the event.  The absences of those leaders, as…

With tension boiling in coalition negotiations between Likud and Jewish Home, board members of Jewish Home’s Forum of Deputy Mayors as well as members of city, local and regional councils are joining the fray.  Writing to Jewish Home chair Naftali Bennett on Monday, the board members expressed staunch support for his threat to shut down talks entirely, should Prime Minister…

An Israeli soldier has been arrested by police for allegedly “bowing his head” upon leaving the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Judaism’s holiest site. According to a statement by the legal rights group Honenu, police claimed that as he was exiting the soldier turned and nodded his head in the direction of the holy site in the traditional…

Fewer couples got divorced in 2014, according to statistics released by the Rabbinical Court system to Channel 2 Monday – a rare decrease despite a definite upward trend.  Overall, 2% fewer couples divorced in 2014 then in 2013 – 11,023 couples vs. 11,223. Most of the couples (874) divorced in Jerusalem, followed by Tel Aviv (779, up…

Labor leader Yitzhak Herzog continued to insist on Saturday that he will not join a coalition headed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. “Immediately after the election I said that we were going to the opposition. This is not by default, it is our preference,” Herzog said at a cultural event in Tel Aviv. “I have…

The Egyptian army has destroyed 69 tunnels along the border with Gaza since March 28, an Egyptian army spokesman said Saturday, according to the Ma’an news agency. The spokesman, Muhammad Samir, said that Egyptian border forces stationed in the Egyptian side of Rafah had discovered and destroyed the tunnels in coordination with army engineers. Last…

Ahead of Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars (Memorial Day), Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his wife Sarah on Saturday night visited the grave of the prime minister’s brother Yoni, who fell during the operation to free the hostages at Entebbe in 1976. The Netanyahus visited the grave, on the Mt. Herzl military cemetery…

An explosive device went off near the offices of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza City Saturday night, AFP reported. A second struck near police headquarters, the report said. UNRWA and Gaza security officials said there were no dead or injured. “A bomb exploded near the outer wall of the headquarters of…

Some 700 African migrants are feared dead on Sunday, after their boat capsized off the coast of Libya in the Mediterranean Sea.  Declared an emergency at around midnight, the ship is believed to have started capsizing when migrants aboard all moved to one side of the ship, as a merchant vessel approached.  Only twenty-eight people have been…

In honor of Israel’s upcoming Memorial Day, Yom Hazikaron, the National Insurance Institute has published a report documenting the number of Israeli civilians killed in hostilies since the War of Independence as well as in the past year.  According to NII’s report, 2,538 Israeli civilians have been murdered in terror-related attacks since the birth of the…

An unprecedented meeting of holocaust-deniers took place in London last week, drawing the who’s who of the European and North American fringe far-right and triggering concern from Jewish and anti-fascism groups. The meeting – said to be the largest of its kind ever held in the UK – took place in on Saturday April 11 at the Grosvenor…

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has once more warned against the transfer of an advanced surface-to-air missile system to Iran. “Israel sees with great severity the supply of S-300 missiles from Russia to Iran, at a time in which Iran is ramping up its aggressiveness in the region and all around Israel’s borders,” Prime Minister…

As Israel’s official Memorial Day approaches, hundreds of bereaved families have called on Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon to ban the entry of terrorists’ families into Israel to attend an “alternative” Yom Hazikaron ceremony.  Organized by the extreme left-wing organization “Combatants for Peace,” the joint ceremony will see the participation of family members of terrorists killed while carrying…

Australian security forces arrested five people Saturday over an ISIS-inspired plot to attack police and citizens with “edged weapons” at Anzac Day ceremonies. “There was a knife and there was a sword. There was suggestion of firearms but we have not seized any,” acting Victoria Police Commissioner Tim Cartwright said. The five young men arrested in…

Shas MK Yaakov Margi is very optimistic that things will work out with all of the Likud’s “natural partners,” including his party, Jewish Home, and Yisrael Beytenu. “Anyone who wants a national government will have to compromise, and I think everyone will,” Margi told Arutz Sheva in an interview Sunday. “Otherwise they are likely to…

Israelis could soon see a lot more American cars on their roads, after Israel and the United States signed a deal last week that increased cooperation on transportation issues, enhancing the import and export of parts and vehicles. Although it is generally not well known, Israel has a substantial automotive industry, based mostly on parts…

In what appears to be yet another “gesture” to the Palestinian Authority, Israel has streamlined its admission policy for PA residents. Whereas formerly it took a PA resident several weeks to get an entry pass into Israel, the process has now been cut to hours. Previously, each request was examined one at a time, and…

The New York Times has openly addressed the disparity between Jewish prayer rights on the Temple Mount this week – a possible first for a newspaper now often associated with anti-Israel views. The paper published a piece entitled “Palestinian Women Join Effort to Keep Jews from Contested Holy Site,” which presents testimony from Palestinian Arab women who…

Conversion to Judaism is a unique story for all who go through the process. Experience varies from country to country and person to person. It might be different also depending on the background: atheist or religious; black or white; rich or poor. The variety is one of the primary reasons that Ashirah Yosefah coauthored her…

Poland said Sunday it has demanded a formal apology from the United States after the head of the FBI claimed Poland shares responsibility for the Holocaust with Germany. US Ambassador Stephen Mull will “receive a note of protest and a summons for an apology” over the comments by FBI director James Comey, foreign ministry spokesman Marcin Wojciechowski wrote on Twitter. Comey’s…

While Israeli and foreign media slammed a Rishon Lezion teacher who had her kindergarten students wear a yellow star on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day, parents of children in the Ilan Poreach (“budding flower”) kindergarten and nursery have expressed strong support for the teacher. The Facebook of the Rishon Lezion municipality was filled with…

No fewer than 13 Israeli water companies participated in a “water delegation” to parched Brazil just before Passover – in an effort to help the country overcome what officials call its “water challenge.” Brazil is currently experiencing its worst water shortage ever, due to increased water use, low rainfall levels, and low infrastructure investments. The Israeli economic offices…

The Palestinian Authority is determined to get Israel booted out of FIFA, the international organization that manages several soccer leagues, and doing so is “a gross attempt to mix sports and politics,” said Ofer Eini, chairman of the Israel Football (Soccer) Federation. Eini, along with Rotem Kamer, CEO of the Federation, are set to leave…

Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett on Sunday night threatened to end the coalition negotiations with the Likud, if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu decides to appoint Shas chairman Aryeh Deri as Religious Affairs Minister. “Unilaterally taking the Religious Affairs portfolio from religious Zionism and giving it to Shas is the end of the negotiations with the…

Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have cleared the country’s largest oil refinery of the Islamic State group, the international coalition helping Baghdad fight the jihadists said on Sunday, according to AFP.  ISIS has made repeated attempts over the past 10 months to capture Baiji refinery north of Baghdad, most recently seizing parts of the facility and holding out for…

The Eastern Orthodox church on Sunday appealed to the international community to help discover the fate of two senior clerics kidnapped in Syria’s northern Aleppo province two years ago, according to AFP.  On April 22, 2013, gunmen abducted Archbishop Gregorius Yohanna Ibrahim of the Syriac Orthodox Church and Bishop Boulos Yazigi of the Greek Orthodox Church in the Kfar Dael area.…

A memorial service was held on the one-year anniversary of the murder of 20 year-old Shelly Dadon on Sunday, in her hometown of Afula.  Police found Dadon’s body in an abandoned Migdal Haemek parking lot on May 1, 2014 (the anniversary being marked Sunday is for the Hebrew date – the first date of the month of…

Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt over the weekend slammed Hezbollah top terrorist Hassan Nasrallah for his support of Iran’s assistance to Houthi rebels who have overthrown the government of Yemen. “Iran is trying to reestablish its ancient Persian empire, and it is destroying countries as it does so,” said Jumblatt. Nasrallah over the weekend attacked…

As Iranian ships steam towards Yemen for a possible showdown with Saudi Arabia, the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei dismissed what he termed “American threats” as “stupid lies.” In a speech to Iranian forces, Khamenei pointed to comments by U.S. security officials this week, to the effect that “America is leaving all its options on…

Chairman of far-left group Peace Now Yariv Oppenheimer, the persistently bitter ideological opponent of Jews in Judea and Samaria, has been assigned to do guard duty outside a community he wants evicted – and he spoke about his experience to Arutz Sheva on Sunday.  Oppenheimer shrugged off serving outside of the northern Samaria community of Mevo Dotan, noting that…

The US ambassador to Warsaw apologized Sunday after being summoned by the foreign ministry over comments by the head of the FBI that Poland shared responsibility for the Holocaust with Germany. Poland’s President Bronislaw Komorowski said the comments in an opinion piece by FBI director James Comey were an “insult” to Poland. “In their minds, the murderers and accomplices…

Yariv Oppenheimer, the chairman of extreme leftist group Peace Now, has been called up for IDF reserve duty – and he was placed to guard the very Jewish communities he rallies against.  Oppenheimer was placed by his commanders outside Mevo Dotan in northern Samaria – the same area he has slated for withdrawals.  While he has…

An Argentine prosecutor dead under mysterious circumstances. His case against the president thrust spectacularly into the national spotlight. These events – are they fact or fiction? Reality collides with make-believe in “El Fiscal,” a Spanish-language political-fiction thriller that hit bookstore shelves last week and is based on the real-life death of Alberto Nisman, the Argentine prosecutor who died suspiciously in January…

Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal has introduced strict conditions for any future transaction with Israel regarding the return of the bodies of two soldiers killed in Operation Protective Edge.  Last October, there was talk in Hamas of a swap of Arab terrorists in exchange for the bodies of Givati Brigade officer Hadar Goldin and Golani Brigade combat soldier Oron Shaul,…

At least 70 Palestinian Arabs from the Jalazun village approached Beit El on Friday evening, locals stated Saturday night, and began throwing rocks at IDF soldiers stationed nearby, Border Police officers who arrived at the scene, and Jewish homes in the community.  Several of the rocks hit the yard of the Koren family as the children were…

Likud condemned the half-apology of actress Anat Waxman for her anti-Likud and racist tirade last week, noting Saturday night that she refused to retract the racist bent of her remarks.  “The tears Anat Waxman shed in her interview with Rina Matzliach [on Channel 2 – ed.] do not negate the fact that she refused to apologize…

Yeshiva University will present “Jews for George: An Exploration of Judaism in the Age of the American Revolution,” a four-week Community Beit Midrash program beginning Wednesday, April 29, at Congregation Shearith Israel, The Spanish Portuguese Synagogue. Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik, director of YU’s Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought and rabbi of Congregation Shearith…