Category: News

MK Erel Margalit (Labor) sharply condemned Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday morning, in the wake of the massive renewed rocket fire by Hamas terrorists since Tuesday afternoon in breach of the ceasefire. “Where is the prime minister?” asked Margalit on his Facebook page. “This is a disgrace, simply a disgrace. There’s no other definition of what…

Muslim anti-Israel demonstrators attempted to force their way into a synagogue in Switzerland, the latest in a string of attacks on synagogues in Europe. The protest took place on Saturday, during the Jewish Sabbath, in front of the Beth Yaakov, or Grande, Synagogue in Geneva, according to JTA. The Intercommunity Coordination Against Anti-Semitism and Defamation…

Police on Tuesday night discovered military equipment suspected as being stolen from the IDF in a home in the Arab-Israeli village of Deir al-Assad, located just north of Karmiel in the Galilee. The Karmiel police in their raid stumbled across roughly 1,000 rounds of 5.56 millimeter bullets, of the type used in IDF standard issue…

An Israeli diplomatic source confirmed Wednesday morning to Walla! that Israel tried overnight to eliminate Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas’s “military wing,” the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades. Hamas has claimed that five bunker-buster bombs were fired by Israel targeting the elusive mastermind behind Hamas’s terror war. “The wife of the great leader (Deif) was martyred with his…

MK Danny Danon (Likud) on Wednesday morning commented on the renewal of rocket fire and ceasefire breach by Gaza terrorists on Israel the day before, and pointed out who he held culpable for the free hand given to Hamas. “We now need to hammer in an additional final nail in the coffin of Hamas, we…

Some 2,000 army reservists have been called back up to IDF service following the resumption of hostilities by Gazan terrorists on Tuesday. Most of the reservists are being called up to supplement regular forces already mobilized in the Gaza region. At least 60 rockets have been fired into Israel since Hamas broke yesterday’s ceasefire by…

Prominent hareidi leader Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach has said that given the current security situation “now is not the time” for demonstrations against the IDF draft, according to one of his leading followers. Speaking to Arutz Sheva, a leading follower of the rabbi said he was currently opposed to rallies such as the one which took…

Police Comissioner Yohanan Danino has ramped up police presence throughout Israel to full force Wednesday, in light of increased rocket fire on the South and Hamas’s breaching of a temporary truce.  Thousands of police deployed across the country will continue to work to maintain public safety and public order, Danino said. “The deployment will be…

Arab League chief Nabil El-Araby accused Israel on Wednesday of “blocking” all attempts to end the Gaza conflict, a day after Hamas breached the six-day ceasefire and fired tens of rockets on Israeli civilians.  “Israel is blocking any kind of agreement leading to calm” in the Gaza Strip, Arabi told journalists. “The Arab League wants to reach a permanent…

Balad MKs Hanin Zoabi, Jamal Zahalka and Basel Ghattas confirmed that they flew to Qatar on Wednesday, just days after denying they visited the country where Hamas leaders are serving in exile.  In letter sent to the Knesset Ethics Committee, which is headed by MK Yitzhak Cohen (Shas), the three Knesset members claimed that they…

A German government minister has accused Qatar of funding the Islamic State terrorist group currently tearing through Iraq and Syria. “A story like this always has a history,” Development Aid Minister Gerd Mueller told public broadcaster ZDF. “Who is financing these troops? Hint: Qatar.” He did not elaborate on what evidence there was to support the claim,…

Kenneth Roth, head of the US-based NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW), has been caught directly condoning Hamas war crimes on his Twitter account. Blogger Elder of Ziyon on Tuesday revealed that early in the afternoon, roughly four hours before Hamas breached the ceasefire by firing rockets on Israel, Roth was busy trying to justify Hamas’s…

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri has said that the elusive head of the terror group’s “military wing”, Mohammed Deif, is still “alive and well” despite an IDF assassination attempt which killed his wife and son.  “The occupation will pay for its crimes against the Palestinian people,” declared Abu-Zuhri, who added a chilling warning to the people…

IDF forces thwarted a stabbing attack at a checkpoint north of Jerusalem Wednesday afternoon. Forces arrested an Arab man who drove towards the Hawara checkpoint in Samaria, just south of Shechem, after discovering a knife on his person. Under interrogation, the suspect admitted he was planning to use the knife to attack soldiers at the…

The Turkish government is flying 17 wounded Arab residents of Gaza for medical treatment in Turkey on Wednesday, a day after the Hamas terrorists ruling Gaza breached a ceasefire and renewed rocket fire on Israel. The injured will be flown out through the Ben Gurion International Airport under the cooperation of Israel. Each of the 17…

An op-ed last Tuesday in a prominent Saudi Arabian newspaper justified statements from international anti-Israel rallies calling for Jews to be killed as an “understandable reaction” to the “barbaric war” Israel is conducting in Gaza. The piece in the Saudi Gazette, written by UK-based Pakistani journalist Ali Ashraf Khan, was translated and revealed by the Middle East…

Police in Ireland confirmed on Tuesday they are investigating a comment left on Twitter by soccer player Tommy McGuigan calling for his followers to punch Jews, reports the Ulster Herald. The All-Ireland winner, who has since deleted the comment, tweeted, “If you are lucky enough to know or work with a Jew, punch him right…

Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk accused Israel on Tuesday night of having trying to eliminate the head of the group’s “military wing”, Mohammed Deif, in one of its airstrikes on Gaza. According to Reuters, Marzouk said Israel had broken the truce that was supposed to expire at midnight in order “to assassinate Mohammed Deif,” but…

The Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) released a video on Tuesday which shows the beheading of American journalist James Foley, who disappeared in November 2012 in Syria, CNN reports. The video posted on YouTube contained a message to the United States to end its military operations in Iraq. In the video, Foley is seen kneeling…

The IDF said late Tuesday night that a total of 50 rockets from Gaza had been fired towards Israel since the afternoon hours. According to the IDF Spokesperson, six of the 50 rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system. The rest exploded in open regions, causing no physical injuries or damages. The IDF…

New York dignitaries from the Jewish and African-American communities held a joint press conference on Monday in Crown Heights, at the exact site where a young Jew was violently assaulted last Wednesday in the depraved “knockout game.” The “game,” generally “played” by African-American youth and which consists of sucker punching generally visibly Jewish passersby, left…

A senior official who heads the Palestinian Arab delegation for talks on a long-term ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday night blamed Israel for the temporary ceasefire having collapsed. “The ceasefire has collapsed and Israel is responsible,” Azzam al-Ahmed, the head of the delegation in Cairo participating in indirect negotiations with Israel, told the AFP news…

Hamas declared on Tuesday night that Israel had “opened the gates of hell”. In a statement, the group’s so-called “military wing” said that it had resumed the rocket fire on Israel because the Israeli Air Force had launched an airstrike on a home in Gaza. The group warned that “the price will be a heavy…

A rocket barrage from Gaza on Tuesday evening targeted Jerusalem. Sirens were heard in the capital and its vicinity shortly before midnight. The Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted a rocket over the region. There were no physical injuries or damages. The attack on Jerusalem follows a barrage of rockets that hit southern and central Israel…

Gaza terrorists kept up their rocket assault on Israel Tuesday night by firing a rocket barrage on the southern and Gush Dan central region several minutes before 11 p.m. At least one rocket reportedly hit open ground in Tel Aviv; another five hit open land in Be’er Sheva. Another rocket was reportedly shot down over…

As Gaza terrorists breached the ceasefire and renewed their rocket fire on Israeli civilian centers Tuesday, Arab terrorists in the Israeli capital of Jerusalem apparently didn’t want to be left out of the action. Two molotov cocktail attacks were launched in the eastern part of Jerusalem late Tuesday night. In the first incident two firebombs…

The inspiring words left behind in the blog of IDF soldier David Menachem Gordon (21), who was found dead Tuesday after going missing Sunday, suggest that if his death was an act of suicide, it was not the result of depression caused by his army service. Writing on his Facebook page after leaving Gaza on July 25,…

The United States has condemned Hamas’s breach of the ceasefire Tuesday, blaming the Islamist terror group for the breakdown of talks over a long-term truce in Cairo. “Hamas has security responsibility for Gaza… Rocket fire came from Gaza,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said, blaming the Palestinian Islamist group for renewed fighting. “We are very…

The Institute for National Security Studies head Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland on Tuesday criticized Israel’s policy of retaliatory airstrikes to Hamas rocket attacks, instead proposing anotherl idea – responding to missiles by cutting off supplies. As terrorists in the Hamas enclave of Gaza renewed their rocket barrage on Tuesday afternoon in breach of the…

Roughly two-and-a-half hours after three rockets were fired at Be’er Sheva from the Hamas enclave of Gaza on Tuesday in breach of the ceasefire agreed between the sides, terrorists in the area reportedly continued their fire on Israel. There are conflicting reports as to whether mortar shells or a rocket hit open ground in the…

The US State Department announced Tuesday its designation of the Al Qaeda-linked Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (MSC), known as Majlis Shura al-Mujahidin, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Since its founding in 2012, the Gaza and Sinai-based MSC has claimed responsibility for a number of rocket attacks on Israel, including on Sderot and Eilat. The…

The body of missing IDF soldier David Menachem Gordon, 21, has been found dead just days after going missing Sunday. Gordon, who was a soldier in the Givati infantry brigade, was found with his weapon beside him. Military police have opened an investigation into the circumstances of his death. His family have been informed. Gordon was…

Anti-Israel British MP George Galloway expressed anger and frustration at the Israeli Ambassador’s decision to visit his “Israeli-free” city of Bradford. “[The ambassador’s visit] is a provocation to the 10s of 1,000s of people in Bradford who regard the Israeli ambassador as the plenipotentiary of a rogue and terrorist state,” Galloway told the BuzzFeed website on…

The Netanya Crime Unit arrested three Israeli Arabs on Tuesday, according to Channel 2, on charges of burglary and breaking and entering.  The three men, residents of Baka al-Gharbia in their 30s and 40s, allegedly committed a brutal break-in and robbery at the home of two Holocaust survivors.  Police believe that robbery was carried out…

Pope Francis believes that he still has a maximum of three years left to live, he told reporters Monday, and indicated that he is considering early retirement.  “Another two or three years, and God will take me,” Francis said, speaking to reporters on his way back to the Vatican from South Korea. According to reporters…

The family of fallen soldier Sgt. Li Mat, hy”d, has taken on the Defense Ministry, Yediot Aharonot reports Tuesday, asking for the names of Mat’s siblings to be included on his headstone instead of just his parents.  Sgt. First Class Mat, 19, was killed with two fellow Paratroopers when he entered a booby-trapped house in Khan…

Several high-profile entertainment industry leaders have teamed up with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Los Angeles Jewish Journal reported Monday, to call for the prevention of allowing Hamas and Islamic Jihad to re-arm.  Eighteen signatories signed the promotional poster, an ad that will run in this week’s Jewish Journal. The number signifies “life” in Hebrew, and…

Contrary to reports by the joint Palestinian delegation to Cairo, Israeli representatives have not left Egypt after agreeing to lift the blockade on Gaza, according to a senior Israeli official involved in the negotiations. Talks are still continuing over core issues, including if and how the Israeli blockade of the Hamas-controlled territory could be eased…

Hundreds of protesters wearing yarmulkas, Stars of David and other Jewish symbols marched through a predominantly Muslim neighbhorhood of the Danish capital of Copenhagen, in a march against anti-Semitism late last week. Demonstrators included both Jews and non-Jews, and were protesting an alarming rise in anti-Semitism in the country which, like the rest of Europe,…

Israel’s ambassador to Britain, Daniel Taub, visited the city of Bradford on Monday, following controversial comments by Bradford West MP George Galloway who declared the constituency an “Israel free zone” during a speech. According to the Telegraph Argus, Taub said he was in the city as a result of invitations from within its community and would…

The Israeli Air Force has struck terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire this afternoon, following Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s order to strike back hard against the perpetrators. Sources in Gaza reported at least one IAF strike on an open area, which did not cause any injuries. It is possible the…

Israeli diplomatic sources on Tuesday revealed that following this afternoon’s breach of the ceasefire by Gaza terrorists, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon have recalled the Israeli delegation from Cairo truce talks. Three rockets were fired at Be’er Sheva just before 4 p.m., with two of them hitting near the southern capital…

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri has accused Israel of “stalling” ceasefire talks in Cairo, hours before an extension of a temporary truce was due to expire.  “Israel is responsible for the stagnation of ongoing negotiations in Cairo,” he claimed Tuesday. “It’s dragging its feet and shows no desire to reach an agreement.”  Hamas’s comments surfaced…

On Tuesday afternoon shortly before 4 p.m., hours before the third extension of a ceasefire between Israel and the terrorist organizations of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza came to an end, rocket explosions were heard in Be’er Sheva. The IDF is currently conducting investigations, but has confirmed that three rockets exploded in the Be’er…

The police’s Lahav 433 unit on Tuesday completed its investigation of Arab-nationalist MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad), and recommended putting the MK on trial for charges of incitement to violence and insulting a public worker. Last Monday Zoabi finally showed up for investigation at a Lod police station after Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein ordered her to do so. She more than…

Home Front Preparedness Committee Chairman MK Eli Yishai (Shas) called to officially recognize the Oslo Accords as a national tragedy on Tuesday, during a discussion on the foiled Hamas coup in Judea-Samaria. “The fact that we barely walked away from the expansion of Hamastan to areas of Judea and Samaria [now] controlled by [Palestinian Authority Chairman] Mahmoud…

The Israel Police seeks the public’s help in search of a missing soldier, David Menachem Gordon, 21, who was last seen on Sunday at about 12:00 pm in the Medical Corps facility in Tzrifin.   Gordon is 170 cm tall, has a medium build, brown eyes and black hair. He was wearing the crisp, off-base…

The Finance Committee, headed by MK Nissan Slomiansky (Jewish Home) will discuss the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s boycott of Israeli products on Tuesday, as well as its lasting implications.  “The Knesset’s Research and Information Center’s investigation shows the folly of the State of Israel, which allows the Palestinian Authority to celebrate at the Israeli taxpayer’s expense,”…

The US State Department blacklisted a senior terrorist in the Islamic State (IS; formerly known as Islamic State in Iraq or the Levant, or ISIS/ISIL) on Tuesday, designating him as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” and prohibiting transactions with him under US law. “The Department of State designated Abu Mohammed al-Adnani as a Specially Designated…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas will travel to Doha on Wednesday and hold talks the next day with the emir of Qatar and Hamas exiled leader Khaled Meshaal, the Palestinian ambassador in Qatar told AFP Tuesday.  Abbas’s visit to Qatar was initially announced for Monday by Palestinian officials who are in Cairo for indirect talks with Israel on a lasting truce in Gaza. Abbas…

Senior Fatah member Jibril Rajoub recently called on Hamas to “stop operating according to the agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood” and “modify their position so that we may find common ground.” Rajoub made the statements in an August 13 interview with the official Palestinian Authority TV channel. The interview was translated and posted by the…

The Islamic State (IS) terrorist group that has seized large parts of Iraq threatened the United States on Monday it will attack Americans “in any place” if U.S. airstrikes in Iraq hit its people. According to Reuters, the threat was made in a video published by the group. The video, which shows a photograph of…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas commented on Monday evening for the first time about the Israel Security Agency’s (Shin Bet) revelation that it foiled a Hamas network’s plot to carry out a coup in Judea and Samaria. In a statement quoted on Channel 2 News, Abbas said that the implications of the revealed plot…

U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday announced on Monday that Syria’s declared chemical weapons stockpile was eliminated, declaring this an important achievement against the spread of dangerous weapons of mass destruction. According to The Associated Press (AP), Obama also warned that Syria’s government now must follow through on pledges to destroy its remaining weapons production…

Journalist and radio host Sharon Gal had harsh criticism on Monday over a supposed ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, as reported by Palestinian Authority (PA) based media outlets. According to the reports, which were not confirmed by Israeli sources, the deal would include the opening of all border crossings in Gaza, the reconstruction of…

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, suggested on Monday that the UN condemn Hamas – not Israel – over the goings on in Gaza. “This morning during a press stakeout I held at the UN, I talked about the word ‘disproportionate’. I can tell you that the only ‘disproportionate’ thing is the accusations…

The United Nations is ready to check imports of construction material sent to Gaza in order to ease Israel’s concerns that supplies could be used to rebuild Hamas tunnels, a UN envoy said Monday. UN Mideast envoy Robert Serry told the UN Security Council that reconstruction of Gaza remained the main priority once a durable ceasefire is agreed between Hamas and…

Former Jewish school principal Malka Leifer will be extradited to Australia, the Australian Attorney-General’s Department announced. Leifer fled Victoria for Emanuel, in Samaria, eight years ago, to evade allegations of sexual assault.  Several students said Leifer, who was principal of Adass Israel School Elsternwick in suburban Melbourne, had improper conduct with them from 2004-2008. Leifer…

Intense battles raged throughout Tripoli, Libya over the past several days, especially in the southern part of the city where there are government offices and which is close to the international airport.  The current campaign began on July 13. Since then, several groups – including terrorist organizations affiliated with the jihadist Ansar al-Sharia movement which opposes…

Six hundred Americans have decided to boycott Glasgow – but this time, the move is in support and solidarity for Israel.  A Fortune 500 company was due to bring the American delegation into the city – as well as thousands of dollars of tourist revenue – as a reward for the salesmen and women and…

Finance Committee Chairman MK Nissan Slomiansky (Jewish Home) called to suspend all notion of renewed peace talks on Monday, after the Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet) released for publication that a Hamas-led uprising was thwarted in Judea and Samaria.  “Today, once again, it was proven that it is impossible to abandon the security…

The Israeli and Palestinian teams to Cairo ceasefire talks have signed their initials to a permanent ceasefire agreement, according to an unconfirmed report by Bethlehem-based Ma’an news. Meanwhile, sources close to the Palestinian delegation in Cairo told the Al Quds newspaper Monday night that there has been a breakthrough in the talks that may make…

A front-page story in Friday’s New York Times reported that an Israeli-honored Righteous Gentile had returned his award because of an Israeli airstrike that “flattened a house in the Gaza Strip, killing six of [his] relatives by marriage.” The Times quoted a surviving relative saying that “none of his family members were militants.” The tone of…

The tribal leader of the Shaitat Bedouin tribe in eastern Syria’s Deir Al-Zour region made an emotional appeal on Monday, asking his fellow Bedouin neighbors to join the war against the Islamic State (formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIS). Sunni Bedouin leaders initially pledged loyalty to the IS, which took…

A large scale operation mounted from May to August by the IDF and Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet) foiled a Hamas network’s plot to carry out a coup in the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Judea and Samaria. The news about the operation was under a gag order until today. The Hamas infrastructure in…

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has claimed the death toll there has risen to 2,016 Monday, as some people injured in fighting between Israel and Gazan terrorist groups succumbed to their injuries.  Hamas claims more than three quarters of those killed in Operation Protective Edge are civilians, while the IDF says roughly 50% were combatants. Precise…

A British supermarket chain is at the center of an anti-Semitism row, after a Jewish shopper found that the Kosher section had been completely removed, and was told by the store manager that Kosher food has been taken down because “We support Gaza.” Anti-Israel demonstrators had picketed the branch of Sainsbury’s in Holborn, central London,…

The amendments to the Egyptian 11-point truce proposal submitted by the Palestinian Arab delegation in Cairo was revealed on Monday morning, hours ahead of the end of the current ceasefire at midnight. The response to the Egyptian proposal submitted by the delegation, which includes Hamas, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Islamic Jihad, was published in the…

Arutz Sheva got the chance to sit down and discuss Operation Protective Edge with Anita Tucker, who helped found the community of Netzer Hazani in Gush Katif over 35 years ago before being expelled from Gaza in the 2005 Disengagement Plan. Tucker, who was a celery farmer in Gush Katif which produced around 10% of all Israeli agricultural…

Norway announced on Monday that a group of international donors are to meet in Cairo to pledge funds for rebuilding the Hamas stronghold of Gaza, as soon as a truce deal is reached. The funds are to be raised under the proxy of Egypt and Norway, and will be transferred to Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman…

The Defense Ministry on Monday decided to close the train lines from Ashkelon to the rocket-beleaguered town of Sderot, ahead of the end of the five-day ceasefire extension with Hamas on Monday at midnight. In order to deal with the impact of the train cancellation on Israeli citizens’ lives, bus service between Ashkelon and Sderot…

Kurdish Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq have retaken the country’s largest dam from Islamic State forces, in an important strategic advance. Backed by US air support Kurdish fighters ended IS’s 11-day control of the dam, which gave them effective control of northern Iraq’s water and electricity supply. There were also fears the Islamists could use…

MK Ofir Akunis (Likud) dismissed on Sunday the United Nations’ probe into Israel’s alleged “war crimes” in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge. In a post on his Facebook page, Akunis pointed out the statements against Israel and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that have been made in the past by the head of the United Nations…

The IDF demolished on Sunday night the homes of the three terrorists who kidnapped and murdered Israeli teens Gilad Sha’ar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrah. According to a statement by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, the homes of terrorists Hussam Kawasmeh and Amar Abu-Eisha were demolished. The home of a third terrorist, Marwan Kawasmeh, was sealed.…

A large scale operation mounted from May to August by the IDF and Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet) foiled a Hamas network’s plot to carry out a coup in the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Judea and Samaria. The news about the operation was under a gag order until today. The Hamas infrastructure in…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Sderot on Monday and delivered a message of steadfastness, as the latest ceasefire between Israel and Hamas drew to a close. He met with representatives of the various youth movements that volunteered to work with local children in the shelters during Operation Protective Edge. Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi also attended…

The Sainsbury’s supermarket chain issued a statement Monday morning apologizing for removing kosher products from one of its branches. It said: “We would like to apologize for any inconvenience or offencs caused. The decision was taken in one store only to move these chilled products to cold storage elsewhere in that store for a short…

The Prime Minister’s Office is unhappy with an appearance by Mossad Head Tamir Pardo before market leaders in early July, details of which leaked to the media. The PMO’s legal advisor, Shlomit Barne’a-Fargo, wrote a letter to the Movement for Quality of Government, in which she made it clear that Pardo’s appearance before the group…

Even as Egypt plays the role of intermediary in the ongoing truce talks between Israel and Hamas, an Egyptian soccer star has refused to play in a game of all-stars arranged by Pope Francis for “peace between Israel and Palestine.” The celebrity soccer match is to be held in Rome on September 1, and will…

Rabbi David Stav, a prominent religious-Zionist rabbi and head of the Tzohar rabbinic institute, has weighed into the recent controversy over intermarriage in Israel, saying that while the phenomenon is serious and must be combated, protests such as that which occurred yesterday outside a mixed-marriage ceremony were not the way. While intermarriage is widespread the…

A report on Monday reveals that America and other Western countries are pressuring the Palestinian Authority (PA) not to carry out its threat of suing Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for “war crimes.” PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki last Saturday threatened “we will go to the ICC, and put our signature on it.…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) on Monday responded to reports the day before that three Arab-nationalist Balad party MKs, Hanin Zoabi, Jamal Zahalka and Basal Ghattas, visited Hamas-sponsor Qatar in recent days. “The trip by the Balad party members, the party founded and led by Azmi Bishara who was accused of serious spying and fled Israel, proves again…

The truce talks have “returned to the starting point,” a Hamas leader said Sunday night ahead of the current ceasefire ending Monday at midnight – a ceasefire he threatened would not be extended again. Hamas Deputy Leader Moussa Abu-Marzouk, part of the delegation in the Cairo truce talks, claimed Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu rejected the…

Nobel laureate Professor Yisrael (Robert) Aumann is not surprised by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) decision to investigate “war crimes” accusations against Israel. According to Aumann the decision stems not from a concern over “the occupation” or about any Israeli treatment of Arab residents of Gaza – rather, according to the Nobel prize winner,…

Iran’s President, Hassan Rouhani, made clear on Sunday that Tehran will reject any restraints on its nuclear operations outside the international rules set by the industry watchdog. “We will only accept the legal controls of the IAEA within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” he said during a visit by International Atomic Energy Agency chief…

United Nations humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said Sunday on a visit to Iran that it will take months to repair damage to the UN’s infrastructure caused by the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. “Damage to hospitals, schools and UNRWA shelters where people displaced sought refuge will take months to rebuild,” she was quoted by AFP as…

The White House on Sunday said President Barack Obama had informed Congress he authorized U.S. airstrikes in Iraq to help retake control of the Mosul Dam, Reuters reported. “The failure of the Mosul Dam could threaten the lives of large numbers of civilians, threaten U.S. personnel and facilities – including the U.S. embassy in Baghdad…

The IDF is preparing for a possible resumption of rocket fire from Gaza on Monday evening, as the current five-day ceasefire is set to expire. The ceasefire is set to expire at midnight, but Hamas has been known to violate truces before they officially expire. The high alert for Monday evening comes in the wake…

Israel will end its export of poultry and dairy produce to the European Union from Jewish communities beyond the Green Line, Israeli and European officials said on Sunday, according to AFP. The restrictions stem from directives issued by the European Commission in February and affect chicken and milk products from communities in eastern Jerusalem, the…

Farah Mohammed Shirdon of Calgary, Canada, has reportedly been identified as having died fighting in the ranks of the extremist Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorist group in Iraq, where it has been committing brutal atrocities. Shirdon, whose family originally is from Somalia, appeared in an IS video months ago in April, in which he tore up…

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has presented an agreement to the Gush Etzion Regional Council in Judea over a new community in the area dedicated to the memory of the three murdered teens Eyal Yifrah (19), Naftali Frenkel (16) and Gilad Sha’ar (16) hy”d. Tekoa Heh, a community of five families living in caravans, was established…

Diplomatic sources in Jerusalem said Sunday that the prime minister and defense minister will not hesitate to renew IDF activity in Gaza if the negotiations in Cairo fail to produce results. “The members of the delegation are in Egypt,” the sources said. “There are two possibilities – arrangement of the ceasefire in a way that…

The Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza on Sunday called for an escalation of terror attacks on Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria as an “expression of support” for the war on Israel being waged from Gaza. Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum told the Palestinian Arab Safa news agency that such terror attacks serve to wear down the “occupation” and press…

A senior IDF source revealed Sunday that in addition to supplying Hamas terrorists with weapons, including so-called “Judgement Day” missiles, Iran supported the Gaza terror group by launching a massive cyber assault on Israel during Operation Protective Edge. The source, a senior commander in the IDF Computer Service Directorate, told Walla! on Sunday that as Israel faced…

As truce talks in Cairo continued Sunday ahead of the five-day ceasefire extension ending Monday at midnight, Israel preempted any agreement by unilaterally offering Gaza a concession and lifting a ban on fishing in the Hamas enclave. Gaza fishermen have been blocked from their work since July 8, during the Hamas terror war on Israel,…

Riot control measures were taken in Ferguson, MO on Sunday, as hundreds of demonstrators protesting the death of Black teenager Michael Brown defied a 5:00 am curfew in the embattled town.  At least three tear gas canisters were fired at the scene, as demonstrators demanded what they claim is the right to peaceful assembly.  Five…

Three members of the Arab-nationalist Balad Knesset party, Hanin Zoabi, Jamal Zahalka and Basal Ghattas, took a trip in the last several days to Qatar, a key provider of funds to the Hamas terror government currently engaged in an open war on Israel. While there, Channel 2 reports that the three met with Azmi Bishara, the founder of…

Hundreds of protesters arrived to demonstrate Sunday night against the mixed marriage of a young couple from Yafo: Moral, a 23-year-old Jewish woman recently converted to Islam by her groom, Mahmoud Mansour, a 26-year-old Muslim Arab. At the protest led by the Lehava group which fights assimilation in Israel, former MK Dr. Michael Ben-Ari addressed…

Even as Israel eased the ban on Gaza fishermen Sunday in a “goodwill” gesture during the Cairo truce talks, Hamas declared that only it will decide “when Israelis return to their homes” in the rocket-beleaguered south. Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu-Zuhri said “the Israelis won’t be secure until our people are secure, until they remove the blockade…

“Intermarriage in Israel is simply a catastrophe,” venerated Zionist rabbi, Rabbi Chaim Druckman, told Arutz Sheva Sunday, in reaction to the high profile wedding between an Arab man and a Jewish woman in Rishon Letzion. “There is no other word for it but terrible assimilation,” he said. “It is very painful. We feel the pain…

The alarming spike in anti-Semitism in Europe since the start of Israel’s military operation against terrorists in Gaza has hit headlines repeatedly in the past few weeks, both in Europe itself as well as further afield. While not as seriously affected as countries on the European continent – such as France, Holland, Belgium, or Germany,…

Security Cabinet member, Economics Minister and Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett called on Israel to immediately halt negotiations in Cairo on Sunday, saying any truce agreement is bound to bring another war with Hamas.  “This situation, in which we are biting our nails in nervous anticipation of a reply from a murderous terrorist organization should…

In yet another harrowing chapter in the tragic plight of Iraq’s Kurdish Yazidi population, eyewitnesses have described how girls raped by Muslim fighters from the “Islamic State” (formerly ISIS) committed suicide en-masse after returning to their families, as evidence of systematic rape by Islamists against non-Muslims continue to surface. Among the tens of thousands of…

Minister of Science and Technology Yaakov Perry (Yesh Atid) called on Israelis to be more tolerant of Israeli Arabs in a Cabinet meeting  on Sunday, condemning prejudice that he linked to Operation Protective Edge.  “I want to issue a firm and unequivocal condemnation of the manifestations of racism we have witnessed since the beginning of Operation…

Nick Di Iorio, 28, Republican candidate for the 12th Congressional District in New York, experienced personally the precarious security situation in Israel on his visit to the Holy Land last week. A car driving Di Iorio from a visit to Sderot toward Jerusalem came under attack by a group of Arab boys “who hurled rocks…

Bentzi Gopshtain, director of the Lehava organization which combats assimilation in Israel, arrived at the Rishon Letzion Magistrates’ Court on Sunday morning, after Mahmoud Mansour filed a motion to block Lehava from protesting his wedding to a Jewish woman. Mahmoud is set to marry Moral, a Jewish 23-year-old woman who, like him, hails from Yafo,…

Thirteen years ago among the whirring looms of a garment factory in an eastern Pakistani city, a Muslim woman fell in love with a Christian co-worker. Now married with three children, Kalsoom Bibi and her husband Yousuf Bhatti have been shunned by their communities, endured death threats and an abduction, all in the name of religious honor in this…

Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Friday called on the United Nations Human Rights Council to rescind its recent appointment of William Schabas as head of the UNHRC’s Gaza Commission, the Washington Jewish Week reported. According to the report, Schumer said that if Schabas’s appointment is not cancelled he will push for the United States to…

Yom Tov Samia, formerly the head of the IDF’s Southern Command, said on Saturday night that Hamas’s terror tunnels in Gaza should have been taken care of long before Operation Protective Edge. Nevertheless, Samia told Channel 2 News, Hamas was dealt a huge blow by the IDF during the operation. “The Israeli public is not…

A London theater at the center of a row over anti-Semitism row has backtracked on its decision to boycott the UK Jewish Film Festival due to it accepting funding from the Israeli embassy. After eight years of hosting the UKJFF, The Tricyle Theater had said it would condition hosting this year’s festival on it rejecting funding…

An IDF officer has recounted in detail the dramatic moments he pursued Hamas terrorists into a tunnel in a vain attempt to rescue Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, who was last seen being dragged away after an attack in which terrorists breached a 24-hour humanitarian ceasefire. “Lieutenant Eitan”, who had got to know Goldin during their IDF…

The American government has been asked by the international community to directly intervene in any truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, according to a report in Arabic daily Al-Hayat, and force Israel to agree to Hamas’s demands in future ceasefire agreements.  Egypt was reportedly behind the guarantee, as rumors swirl that the current conditions being discussed…

Members of the Islamic State (formerly known as ISIS) are planning to carry out major terror attacks against targets in the United States or in Europe, American intelligence officials said Saturday. Five intelligence officials stated to Bloomberg News that there is evidence that the organization is running a sleeper cells around the world, outside of Iraq…

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.General Benny Gantz visited hospitalized soldiers wounded during Operation Protective Edge late last week at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer Hospital. Apart from meeting and speaking personally with wounded soldiers, Gantz spoke with medical staff and the head of the IDF’s Medical Corp and Department for Wounded Soldier. Gantz praised…

Pro-Palestinian thugs vandalized a Tesco store and attacked police officers in Birmingham, UK on Saturday, during a demonstration calling for a boycott of Israeli produce.  Between twenty and thirty police officer reportedly were called to restrain the mob, according to several British news sources, after the thugs began throwing Tesco products around in what quickly…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu opened Sunday morning’s cabinet meeting by emphasizing that Israel would not accept any ceasefire deal which compromised on its security. Netanyahu said Hamas had lost the recent round of fighting in Gaza, during which it suffered “harsh blows”, and vowed that Israel would not squander its military victory by capitulating during…

The United States military confirmed on Saturday night it conducted nine airstrikes near Arbil and Iraq’s largest dam in an effort to help Kurdish forces retake it from violent extremists, AFP reported. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said fighter jets and drones had destroyed or damaged four armored personnel carriers, seven armed vehicles, two Humvees and…

Germany’s foreign intelligence agency eavesdropped on U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his predecessor Hillary Clinton, the BBC reported on Saturday, citing German media. The Der Spiegel magazine said the calls were collected accidentally and the recordings were destroyed immediately. Kerry has reportedly spoken to his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, about the claims. Correspondents…

Reports Saturday indicate that Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) forces in Iraq have killed 700 members of a tribe in eastern Syria over the last two weeks, and killed hundreds of the Yazidi ethnic minority on Friday and Saturday in massacres in northern Iraq. The terror group fell upon the Iraqi village of Kocho on…

Several thousand showed up at a far-left rally in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square on Saturday night against Operation Protective Edge, after 10,000 gathered in the same venue last Thursday to call for decisive military action in Gaza to return the security to Israel’s south. The rally on Saturday was organized by the extreme leftist Meretz…

Arab terrorists threw a molotov cocktail on Saturday night at an Israeli car near Bethlehem, adjacent to the Hussan Junction in the Gush Etzion area of Judea, leaving the driver of the car suffering from moderate wounds. After the firebomb exploded, inflicting damage on the car, a 40-year-old resident of Beitar Ilit driving the car was…

A gripping letter reportedly smuggled out of the Hamas terror enclave of Gaza reveals the nightmarish existence suffered by residents forced to dig terror tunnels for Hamas. Fox News exposed the letter, which was hand-written in Arabic by a 30-year-old resident of Gaza City, and smuggled out to Itzik Azar, an Israeli living in the coastal…

Hamas has sounded a belligerent tone as negotiations for a long-term truce continue in Cairo. In a message posted on his Facebook page, Hamas’s “foreign affairs” chief Osama Hamdan said the Islamist terror group rejects the current Egyptian proposal, and pledged a “long war” of attrition against Israel. “Israel must accept the demands of the…

An Israeli official has told Walla! news that the chance of a lasting ceasefire deal before the current temporary truce expires on Monday night is very slim. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the gulf between the two sides’ position meant that finding a compromise would be nearly impossible. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction, often touted internationally as a “moderate” alternative to Hamas, has declared its intentions to further increase its terror attacks against Israeli citizens. A new video released to YouTube by Fatah’s “military wing,” the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, declares the unity of Fatah’s various military branches, and announces a…

Islamists from the Islamic State (IS) killed 80 members of Iraq’s Yazidi minority in a northern village on Friday, sources told Fox News. The Kurdish-speaking ethnic and religious group, which numbers in the hundreds of thousands in Iraq, has been persecuted in the north by IS, with at least 500 killed prior to Friday’s news,…

Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said Friday that Tehran is unlikely to reach a final nuclear accord with world powers by a November deadline, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The Iranian parliament’s news website quoted Zarif as saying that even if a general agreement is reached before the deadline, the two sides will require…

Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah is greatly concerned about the Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIS. A day after he said in a meeting with the Lebanese Druze leader that IS is planning “on expanding toward Jordan and Saudi Arabia”, Nasrallah said in a speech on Friday that the group is an “existential threat” menacing…

Israel’s Foreign Ministry welcomed on Friday the call by the European Union (EU) for terrorist groups in Gaza to disarm. The EU’s call came in a statement in which the bloc offered to take charge of Gaza’s border crossings and work to prevent illegal arms flows. “Israel, like the foreign ministers of the European Union…

Three people were killed in Cairo on Friday as supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi held scattered protests for a second straight day, according to AFP. Clashes erupted at one protest between Morsi supporters and local residents. Two people were killed in the fighting and four police were wounded as they tried to disperse…

The European Union (EU) on Friday offered to take charge of Gaza’s border crossings and work to prevent illegal arms flows, according to The Associated Press (AP). The EU is prepared “to play a strong role” in managing the crossings while assuring that Israel’s security is guaranteed, said the 28-nation bloc’s foreign policy chief, Catherine…

Thousands of people have signed a petition to halt American television host Joan Rivers’ upcoming tour in Britain after her remarks about the crisis in Gaza, Al Arabiya reports. According to the report, the petition was created by Dipu Ahad, a Labour councilor from Newcastle, and has been signed by more than 20,000 people so…

The Egyptian newspaper Al-Shourouq published on Friday afternoon what it said was an 11-point plan proposed by Egypt to Israel and Hamas in order to bring about a long-term ceasefire in Gaza. According to the report, the 11 points are as follows: Israel will stop the attacks in Gaza, from sea, land and air. There…

A prominent religious-Zionist rabbi was injured in a rock-throwing attack on his car north of Hevron on Friday. 79-year-old Rabbi Levinger is one of the founders of the modern-day Jewish community in Hevron, whose ancient Jewish community was wiped out during the 1929 Hebron Massacre by local Arabs. He is also one of the founders…

In a remarkably candid interview on Lebanese TV, the head of foreign relations at Hamas’s Information Ministry in Gaza explained how harassment, interrogations and deportations were used to ensure that journalists reporting from Gaza during Operation Protective Edge stuck to Hamas’s official line and did not report “the Israeli narrative”. Speaking to Mayadeen TV, Isra…

Left-wing newspaper Haaretz decried Friday what it called a “witch hunt” against leftists and civil rights organisations after the director of the national service administration, Sar-Shalom Jerbi, informed far-left NGO B’Tselem it was being blacklisted as an employer.   “I feel obligated to exercise my power and stop the state assistance provided to an organisation…

An Islamic Jihad spokesperson on Friday claimed that a truce deal with Israel will be signed as soon the current five-day ceasefire ends next Monday at midnight. “We expect a complete truce agreement to be signed right as the five-day ceasefire ends. The delegation has made much progress in ending the siege and the offensive…

A Dutch man who received the prestigious Righteous Gentile award from Yad V’Shem has given back his medal, Haaretz reported Friday, in protest of the civilian casualties in Gaza.  Henk Zanoli, 91, hid a Jewish child in his home between 1943 and 1945, saving the child’s life. Zanoli and his mother, Johana Zanoli-Smit, received the medal for their…

Even as Economics Minister and Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett on Friday pushed for a unilateral end of the Gaza operation, accompanied by several Israeli concessions and an essential return to the status quo, a fierce battle apparently awaits him – from within his own party. A debate has been raging within the Jewish Home party…

Nadia Cohen, widow of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen, who was killed in Syria in 1965 and whose body has still not yet been returned to Israeli soil, has accused the state of Israel of abandoning her husband fifty years after his murder.  “Now, when we demand that Hamas return the bodies of the two soldiers…

Almost in parallel of Economics Minister Naftali Bennett’s (Jewish Home) plan to unilaterally end the Gaza operation without a truce agreement with Hamas, a senior member of the Islamic Jihad said his group is also considering a long-term ceasefire, even without a deal. The senior Islamic Jihad terrorist, Halad al-Batash, said Thursday night that his organization…

Dozens of Jewish teenagers from Ukraine have been brought to summer camp in Israel as a relief from the raging conflict in Donetsk, through a special Jewish Agency for Israel project funded by the Jewish Federations of North America and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. At the same time, there has been a significant increase in the number of immigrants…

As the Security Cabinet meeting in the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem ended Friday morning, Cabinet member and Economics Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) called for Israel to unilaterally end Operation Protective Edge. The minister said Israel should stop the operation without an agreement with Hamas, allowing the IDF to continue actions against the terror…

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies announced on Thursday that it will lay charges against a local official following a post on his Facebook page in which he called for an “eye for an eye against Zionist aggression”. The board’s David Sacks confirmed to the News24 website that charges will be laid and a…

British Prime Minister David Cameron spoke by telephone with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday evening, and said both Israel and Hamas would need to take “difficult steps” to reach a long-lasting ceasefire in Gaza. “The Prime Minister reiterated his support for Israel’s right to defend itself and said he hoped that discussions in Egypt…

MK Ze’ev Elkin (Likud), chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said on Thursday that it is okay to say “no” to U.S. President Barack Obama if Israel’s security is at stake. “The United States is a senior partner of ours and is very important to us, but this partnership cannot come at…

MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud) said on Thursday that he objects to the police investigation against MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad). Explaining his position, Feiglin wrote on his Facebook page that it is the Supreme Court – not Zoabi – that is the problem, seeing as the Supreme Court overturned a decision banning Zoabi from running to…

Leftist Israeli author A.B. Yehoshua is saying that Israel should not refer to Hamas as a “terrorist organization” but as an “enemy”. In an opinion piece published in the New Republic magazine, Yehoshua wrote that Israel should give Hamas the status of a “legitimate enemy”. “What accounts for the fact that, after the retreat of…

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf on Thursday disputed an article in the Wall Street Journal which revealed that U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration stopped a shipment of missiles to Israel late last month and tightened weapons shipment procedures to Israel. According to AFP, while Harf acknowledged that the administration was looking carefully at arms shipments…

Yeshiva University’s Sy Syms School of Business will launch a new curriculum and a new major in Business Intelligence and Marketing Analytics this fall. Incorporating state-of-the-art technique in modern business education philosophy, the new curriculum is designed to grant students the flexibility and options to create a customized, unique educational experience perfectly tailored to suit their career…

Six wanted Arab terrorists were arrested in Judea and Samaria overnight Thursday/Friday, according to IDF sources.  Four of them were arrested in Deir Istiya, southeast of Qalqilya, and another Hamas terrorist was arrested in Beit Ummar, southwest of Bethlehem. They were interrogated by security forces.  In addition, Duvdevan special forces apprehended a Hamas member in…

Islamic Jihad second-in-command Ziad Nahala was quoted on Friday in the Palestinian Authority (PA) Al-Hayat Al-Jadida saying that the war with Israel is “behind us,” the same day that a Security Cabinet meeting was to be held in Jerusalem. Nahala said “we have no choice but to reach a truce agreement. That stands at the head of…

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu asked the police to enhance both security and accessibility for the increasing numbers of Jews visiting the Temple Mount. Rabbi Eliyahu first participated in a Knesset Interior Committee session on the topic of conversions to Judaism on Wednesday. He then made a surprise visit to a sub-committee meeting held later the same day. His goal…

The black flag of the Jihadist extremist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) was seen flying this week in front of a home in none other than Garwood, New Jersey. An uproar broke out after a picture of the flag was posted to Twitter on Tuesday by Marc Leibowitz, a former IDF paratrooper living in New…

The great majority of Americans reject US President Barack Obama’s policies on Israel, according to a recent poll. The poll, which studied the telephoned responses of over 1,000 random US voters, was conducted by Fox News.  Fifty-four percent (54%) of respondents noted their disapproval of Obama’s policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, whereas just 30% approved. The responses…

Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders said Thursday that a truce agreement with Israel is “very close,” after a five-day extension to the ceasefire took effect the night before at midnight. A source in Hamas’s leadership abroad, as opposed to in Gaza, said Thursday night that the extension was sealed at the last minute because an…

The Pentagon said on Thursday that the process of supplying weapons to Israel is being “constantly assessed”, AFP reported. A Pentagon spokesman said, according to the report, that there was an “existing” procedure for handling arm sales to Israel. “It’s a process that we’re constantly looking at, constantly assessing,” he said. “Certainly in light of…

Jordan’s Arab Bank went on trial Thursday in New York, accused of aiding terror by transferring support funds to the families of Palestinian Arabs who died in the conflict with Israel, AFP reported. The families of several Americans killed in early 2000s attacks by the Hamas said the bank, which has a New York branch,…

Following reports that the American administration so upset with Israel that it has delayed a shipment of weapons to the embattled state, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni (Hatnua) and Finance Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) chided Binyamin Netanyahu for allowing the relationship with Israel’s ally to deteriorate. “The relations with the United States are a strategic…

Jewish Home Chairman and Economics Minister Naftali Bennett said Thursday that it is time to stop the “unbecoming” negotiations with Hamas and opt for unilateral action against the terror organization. “Open up the crossings into Gaza for humanitarian equipment, and respond with disproprtionate force to any fire on the southern communities,” Bennett prescribed, as he…

Around 10,000 Israelis poured into downtown Tel Aviv late Thursday, calling on the government and the army to end Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza once and for all. It was the first major demonstration in Israel since the country went to war against Hamas on July 8, launching a punishing air campaign followed by a…

The Palestinian Authority official daily has published five articles in the last six weeks accusing the United States of establishing the radical Islamic movement Islamic State (ISIS or IS), which has conquered vast territory in Syria and Iraq in recent months, reports Palestinian Media Watch. IS has declared itself a Caliphate, thereby claiming religious authority…

Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon hosted New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in his bureau Thursday. Cuomo is in Israel on a visit of identification with the Jewish state, and is accompanied by state senators and business leaders. In the course of the visit, Yaalon showed the visitors videos of Hamas using civilian human shields when firing at…

The latest Knesset Channel poll indicates that the nationalist and religious bloc would surge if elections were held today. The poll gives Likud 28 seats (up from 19), the Jewish Home 19 (up from 12), Yisrael Beytenu 9 (down from 12), Shas 7 (down from 11), United Torah Judaism (UTJ) is unchanged at 7. All…

Volunteers and representatives of grassroots Zionist movement Im Tirtzu went to the open air market in Sderot Tuesday to help residents fill in complaint forms against Hamas and Qatar, Hamas’ main financial sponsor.  

South African police have confirmed that they nearly nabbed the fugitive “Shuvu Banim” Hassidic leader Rabbi Eliezer Berland on Sunday, and further revealed that an international arrest warrant has been issued against him. Plainclothes police were hiding among attendees at a wedding ceremony Berland was preparing for one of his followers. Local hassidim hid the rabbi…

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has written to complain to the US Postmaster General, after receiving widespread reports that US post offices around America have been refusing to accept mail to Israel. In the last several days ADL reports that it has received complaints from Massachusetts, Michigan and New Jersey, revealing postal customers were incorrectly told…

Deputy Transportation Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) on Thurdsay responded to reports in the Wall Street Journal Wednesday night, which revealed that US President Barack Obama’s administration blocked a weapons transfer to Israel. According to the US and Israeli officials cited in the report, Obama halted a batch of Hellfire missiles that were requested in military-to-military channels as…

Arutz Sheva recently got the chance to sit down with Bruce Blakeman, a candidate for the Fourth Congressional District of New York, to discuss the increasingly tense relations between the American administration and Israel. Blakeman appraised that US President Barack Obama and US Secretary of State John Kerry are on the “far-left of the political spectrum…they are pro-Palestinian.” The…

Anti-Semitic attacks on Israel have risen dramatically during Operation Protective Edge, and two recent incidents in Canada show that despite the government’s support for the Jewish state, there is much vitriol against it among leftists and Arab Canadians. At the height of the operation Canada’s National Post published an article focusing on Canadian lone soldiers. Nefesh B’Nefesh reports that 145…

Police in the Muslim-majority country of Malaysia are investigating a Malaysian teenager for “sedition,” after he “liked” a pro-Israel Facebook post. The 17-year-old student in the northern state of Penang “liked” a post that read “I love Israel,” and featured a picture of the Jewish state’s flag, Penang police chief Abdul Rahim Hanafi was quoted as saying Wednesday by Malaysian…

Hamas already breached the last 72-hour ceasefire three hours ahead of its conclusion Wednesday at midnight; on Thursday morning concerns were raised that it already had broken the newly achieved five-day ceasefire as well. Rocket warning sirens were sounded just after 10 a.m. on Thursday in the Eshkol Regional Council and Hof Ashkelon region, as…

Translated from the Hebrew site by R. Sylvetsky 6 large baking potatoes chopped meat, chicken or turkey 1 medium onion 1 tomato cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper olive oil canola oil for frying coarse salt, optional Use a spoon to remove potato and leave peel intact. Mix potato with the meat mixture, arrange on greased…

Hamas already breached the last 72-hour ceasefire three hours ahead of its conclusion Wednesday at midnight; on Thursday morning it proved that it does not intend to honor the newly achieved five-day ceasefire either. Rocket warning sirens were sounded just after 10 a.m. on Thursday in the Eshkol Regional Council and Hof Ashkelon region, as…

A new report reveals that US President Barack Obama’s administration stopped a shipment of missiles to Israel late last month and tightened weapons shipment procedures to Israel, as tensions between the two nations grow amid Operation Protective Edge. The report in the Wall Street Journal, released Wednesday night, cites US officials in Obama’s administration, who say they…

Precisely now, as Hamas wages a terror war on Israel and signs of Islamic extremism are burgeoning among the Arab citizens of Israel, a Muslim man and Jewish woman are about to get married, ignoring the opposition of the bride’s father. Mahmoud (26) and Moral (23) met two years ago in their hometown of Yafo, a…

After the media controversy over false allegations that Givati Brigade Commnder Col. Ofer Winter had “discriminated” against women by uninviting star singer Sarit Hadad, the IDF praised the commander for his role in Operation Protective Edge. Arutz Sheva was on the scene at an event honoring the Givati soldiers held Tuesday at Nahshonit Park, located east…

Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird sharply criticized the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) appointment of a committee to investigate accusations of “war crimes” in Operation Protective Edge – a committee headed by an outspoken opponent of the Jewish state. The “UN Human Rights Council continues to be a sham for advancing human rights. It’s an…

U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that it was important to reach an agreement on a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The two spoke by telephone before the 72-hour ceasefire expired and before it was announced that it was extended for five more days. “The President reaffirmed the United States’ support…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman on Wednesday said that Israel should not cooperate with the United Nations’ probe into its alleged “war crimes” in Gaza. Liberman slammed the UN and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) as “hypocritical” organizations. “The State of Israel must not cooperate with this commission,” he said, according to the Israel…

Sirens sounded in southern Israel after 9:00 p.m. and at least one rocket that was fired from Gaza exploded harmlessly in the Hof Ashkelon area. Sirens were reported in Hof Ashkelon, Lachish, and the Eshkol regions, as Hamas terrorists broke the truce with Israel more than two hours before it was scheduled to end. A…

Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu lashed out Wednesday at the UN Human Rights Council, accusing it of granting “legitimacy to terror organizations” by investigating Israel for alleged war crimes in Gaza. “UNHRC gives legitimacy to murderous terror organizations like Hamas and Daash (Islamic State),” he said, accusing the rights body of overlooking “massacres” committed elsewhere in the Middle East in…

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo visited Israel on Wednesday, where he met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin, among others. Cuomo, who was accompanied by a delegation of American lawmakers, underscored Washington’s commitment to Israel. “We know that you’re going through a very difficult time right now and Israel is going through…

Nationalist MKs on Wednesday night called for a strong Israeli reaction in the wake of Hamas’s latest rocket attacks on Israel. Hamas violated a 72-hour ceasefire hours before it was set to expire at midnight, then continued firing rockets even after an extension was announced. Deputy Transportation Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) said that as long…

The Israel Air Force attacked targets in Gaza on Wednesday night, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit confirmed in a statement. The attacks came after Gaza terrorists fired rockets at southern Israel, the statement said. “The IDF is prepared for this possibility and is determined to continue to maintain the security of the State of Israel,” the…

Gaza terrorists fired a barrage of rockets towards southern Israel on Wednesday night, just moments before one ceasefire was set to end and a new one to begin. The Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted one rocket over the city of Netivot. Two other rockets exploded in the Sdot Negev region. There were no physical injuries…

Israel and the Palestinian Arabs agreed late Wednesday to extend a ceasefire in Gaza after failing to reach a long term agreement in Cairo-mediated talks, an Egyptian official said, according to AFP. The new ceasefire will last five days, said senior Palestinian negotiator Azzam al-Ahmed, after he and other officials initially spoke of another 72-hour…

The Hindu community has come out in support of Jews in asking France to change the name of its “Death to Jews” (La Mort aux Juifs) hamlet, located about 60 miles from Paris. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed said in Nevada (USA) Wednesday that it was shocking to learn that such a village name exists in…

In a remarkable example of courage, a young IDF captain shocked doctors after it was found he had been fighting for three weeks in Gaza unaware that he had a bullet lodged in his leg. The soldier, identified by Walla! only by the initial M., is a 26-year-old student from Jerusalem. He was injured on July 17,…

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor on Wednesday morning went on the offensive, slamming the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) committee appointed to investigate Israel over allegations of “war crimes” in Operation Protective Edge. Israel and the US have both rejected the three-man UNHRC committee which is headed by Prof. William Schabas, a Canadian law professor known for his…

Irish soccer player Tommy McGuigan became the latest sports figure to spew anti-Semitism two weeks ago, as flagged by the Britan-based Campaign Against Anti-Semitism. “If you are lucky enough to know or work with a Jew, punch him right on the nose tomorrow,” wrote McGuigan, along with an expletive hashtag adding foul language to his…

As truce talks head into their final day Wednesday ahead of the end of the ceasefire at midnight, reports reveal that the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas delegation in Cairo is refusing to return the bodies of two IDF soldiers killed in Operation Protective Edge. Israel is refusing to any truce agreement that would not…

A senior Hamas leader declared ahead of the end of the current 72-hour ceasefire, which will come at midnight on Wednesday, that the current lull in fighting is the last chance for Israel to negotiate with his terrorist organization. Ismail Radwan, the Hamas leader, warned Wednesday “these three days are the last opportunity as far…

A McDonald’s employee was fired in North Carolina last week, according to ABC News, after he drew a swastika on a woman’s hamburger bun in an apparent joke of poor taste.  Charleigh Matice, 32, was about to put mayonnaise on her chicken sandwich when she saw the swastika, drawn in what looked like butter.  “I felt…

Hareidi MK Yisrael Eichler (United Torah Judaism) warned Israel of an “Arab rebellion” on Tuesday, as the Knesset Finance Committee debated the proposed 0% VAT Housing Law, which was introduced by Finance Minster Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid). The new law would grant those who served at least 18 months in the IDF to save 18% (the…

Duvdevan Special forces arrested 12 terrorists overnight Tuesday/Wednesday in Judea and Samaria, with several arrests near Hevron. Among them, the IDF arrested a Hamas terrorist actively planning a terror attack against the IDF and Israeli civilians in Kafr Samoa, south of Hevron. Four arrests were also made in Deir Ista, near Qalqilya; two in El…

Egypt has presented a proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza to Israel and Hamas, Palestinian Authority (PA) officials told The Associated Press (AP) on Tuesday night, at the end of a second day of negotiations in Cairo. After more than 10 hours of talks on Tuesday, the PA officials told AP that Egypt’s proposal calls…

Speaking in a 2013 panel, Prof. William Schabas, who has been tapped to head the United Nations’ investigation into Operation Protective Edge, clearly revealed his great eagerness to bring about the prosecution of Israel over its actions in Gaza, even if that involved “twisting things and maneuvering” in the international legal arena. He said that…

Professor William Schabas did not deny Wednesday, in an interview with Israel’s Channel 2, that the international community has a double standard regarding Israel’s conduct of war. Channel 2‘s anchor, Danny Kushmaro, asked Schabas if there is not a double standard involved when that thousands of innocent civilians were killed in Chechnya by the Russians,…

The Merkaz (Center) District Attorney’s Office filed indictments to the Lod District Court Wednesday against three residents of Qalansawe, located near Netanyah, finding them guilty of attacking Jews in “revenge” for the murder of 16-year-old Arab teen Mohammed Abu Khdeir.  Taar Makhlouf, 21, Fawzi Abu Kishk, 20, and Suleiman Salbaya, 23 are facing charges of aggravated assault…

Hamas sources in Gaza report that a dud IDF missile exploded on Wednesday, killing five including an Italian journalist, after Hamas terrorists clumsily tried to dismantle the missile. Hamas emergency services spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra stated that in addition to the five dead, there are several more who are seriously wounded. “A number of explosives experts…

A group of Israeli tourists was shocked to discover that their rental jeeps had been graffitied Wednesday, in yet another example of a hate crime in Europe over Israel’s self-defense operation in Gaza. The jeeps’ tires were slashed, and the words “Israeli murderers” (Spanish: asesnios Israel) were smeared on the windows in bright red paint,…

State Comptroller Judge (ret.) Yosef Chaim Shapira decided on Wednesday to launch an investigation into the decisions of the IDF military echelon during Operation Protective Edge, as well as into the IDF and government’s mechanism of inspection. The decision comes following accusations of IDF “war crimes” in Gaza during the operation to defend Israel’s civilian…

The Knesset Interior Committee approved a landmark visa decision Wednesday, allowing for US citizens to receive investor visas in Israel on the one hand, and for Israeli citizens greater access to USA E-2 investor visas on the other.  Through a reciprocal agreement with US officials, the move allows US citizens to obtain visas to invest…

A plaque marking the 1918 birthplace of former Israeli President Chaim Herzog in Belfast was removed earlier this week, out of fears of further anti-Semitic violence in the Northern Ireland city.  The blue plaque honoring Herzog, who was President of Israel from 1983 to 1993, was first erected on a property at Cliftonpark Avenue in…

Bild Zeitung, Germany’s most popular daily which boasts a daily readership of at least 3.5 million, has published a full-page ad with the faces of the 64 IDF soldiers killed in Operation Protective Edge against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza. The ad appeared on Monday under the headline “Israel’s War Against the Hamas Terrorists: Faces…

An woman from Arvada, Colorado who was charged with aiding a foreign terrorist organization has agreed to change her plea to guilty, CBS Denver reports. Shannon Conley, 19, is charged with conspiracy to provide support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), now known as the Islamic State (IS) after declaring a…

South Africa’s former President, Thabo Mbeki, has called for a boycott of Israeli goods to show solidarity with Palestinian Arabs, the BBC reported on Tuesday. The public should mobilize against Israel so that it “does pay a price for the position that it is taking”, Mbeki was quoted as having said in the capital, Pretoria.…

Legendary Jewish-American actress Lauren Bacall, an icon of Hollywood’s golden age who lit up the silver screen in a series of classic movies opposite her husband Humphrey Bogart, died Tuesday aged 89. “With deep sorrow, yet with great gratitude for her amazing life, we confirm the passing of Lauren Bacall,” the Bogart estate confirmed in…

President Reuven Rivlin apologized to his Brazilian counterpart for a remark by a foreign ministry spokesman calling the Latin American powerhouse a “diplomatic dwarf,” AFP reported on Tuesday. The comment in July was made by spokesman Yigal Palmor after Brazil criticized Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as excessive and recalled its envoy in Tel Aviv.…

MK Danny Danon (Likud) warned on Tuesday evening against Israel making any concessions to Hamas during ceasefire negotiations, amid reports that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was preparing the heads of the parties in the coalition for concessions to the terror organization. “You do not do business with a terrorist organization,” Danon said. “The agreement being…

“David the Nahlawi”, the Nahal Brigade soldier who was disciplined after a confrontation with Arab youths in Hevron, has been allowed to return to his battalion after a two-month suspension, it was reported on Tuesday night. According to Kol Yisrael radio, the commander of the Nahal Brigade and the commander of David’s battalion decided to…

Egypt’s top religious authority on Tuesday condemned the armed group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), which has taken over parts of Iraq and Syria and is now calling itself the Islamic State (IS). According to Reuters, Grand Mufti Shawqi Allam described the group as a corrupt, extremist organization that is damaging Islam.…

A coalition of activists said on Tuesday they would send a flotilla of ships to break “Israel’s siege of Gaza” by the end of 2014, AFP reported. “We plan to send the flotilla during 2014,” the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which includes activists from at least 10 countries, said in Istanbul. The statement was made at…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki on Tuesday stated his certainty that a committee appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will find Israel guilty of “war crimes” in Operation Protective Edge. “We have full confidence that this commission is going to do everything to demonstrate that Israel has committed war crimes, crimes against humanity…

The UK on Tuesday threatened to suspend 12 arms export licenses to Israel if the fighting in Gaza starts up again, a day before the current 72-hour ceasefire with the Hamas terrorist organization ends on Wednesday at midnight. The announcement was made by British Business Secretary Vince Cable, an MP of the Liberal Democratic party.…

Finance Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) on Tuesday strongly condemned the committee appointed by the United Nations (UN) to investigate Israeli “war crimes” allegations in Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. Speaking on Channel 2, Lapid termed it “a ridiculous committee of ridiculous commissionership, that instead of investigating the murder of millions of Muslims by other Muslims, investigates…

Soldiers of Golani’s 51 Battalion arrived on Tuesday afternoon to the Kotel (Western Wall) in Jerusalem to say the gomel blessing, a blessing recited after safely emerging from a situation of danger. The combat soldiers left the field of battle for the first time since Operation Protective Edge began over a month ago, and went directly to…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu held personal talks with party chairperson coalition members Tuesday night to update them on the Cairo truce talks with Hamas, and according to reports, to prepare them to receive controversial concessions to the terror organization. The ministers Netanyahu met with included Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu), Finance Minister Yair Lapid…

A new song calling for the elimination of Israel by Mohammed Assaf of Gaza, who won the “Arab Idol” singing contest last June, is all the rage on Palestinian Authority (PA) TV, where it has been playing heavily since its first broadcast July 29. Now Palestinian Media Watch has translated the new “summer hit,” in which Assaf sings…

In a newly translated interview, Hamas spokesperson Husam Badran declared that his terror organization is holding truce talks in Cairo with Israel being held “at gunpoint” to accept the group’s demands. Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) translated the interview from Al Jazeera, which is sponsored by Qatar, a key provider of Hamas funds. In it, Badran…

A thirty year-old man was injured on Henrietta Szold street in Kiryat Shmona Tuesday, after a car bomb detonated in his vehicle. Magen David Adom (MDA) medics and helicopter crews called to the scene treated the wounded driver, who suffered injuries to his legs, and transported him to Ziv Hospital in Tzfat in critical condition.…

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in Cairo to broker an end to the Gaza conflict have so far made no progress, a senior Israeli official said Tuesday. “The gaps are still very wide. There has not been progress in the negotiations,” he told AFP. Israel Hayom cited “an official diplomatic source” as saying the…

A bare 24 hours into the current ceasefire with Hamas, Israeli press outlets pounced on the commander of the Givati brigade, Col. Ofer Winter, for allegedly “excluding women” from performances for the troops. The allegation has been discredited. Winter was accused by media feminists of cancelling a volunteer performance by Sarit Hadad, and subsituting for…

The parents of the three yeshiva boys who were abducted and murdered – Eyal Yifrah, Naftali Frenkel and Gilad Sha’ar, hy”d – gave a moving interview to Israel Hayom on Tuesday on the days of waiting, the moments of difficulty and hope – and the news of finding the bodies.  “Immediately after the funeral, the [media] spotlight [was]…

Prof. William Schabas, a Canadian law professor chosen to helm a United Nations commission examining possible war crimes in Gaza scoffed Monday at charges he’s biased against Israel, but his past utterances leave little doubt as to his lack of objectivity. According to the Canadian Press, Schabas once suggested in a speech that he believes Israeli…

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the “military wing” of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party, has threatened to carry out terrorist attacks against Israel, including the kidnapping of IDF soldiers. In a newly released video filmed in Gaza, members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades are seen in a warehouse where weapons and dozens of rockets…

In a public address, a Kuwaiti cleric on Sunday criticized Hamas over the deaths of civilians in Gaza, calling on the group to “show some regard for the lives of the Muslims who were killed.” The address by Othman Al-Khamis was translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). “More than 2,000 Muslims were…

The State Attorney on Tuesday called for the Supreme Court to reject calls within the Knesset to classify Operation Protective Edge as a “war,” a move being urged so as to increase state compensation for damages. The operation has already seen 67 Israeli soldiers and citizens killed and has been the longest such operation in…

On the heels of reports that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) promised funds to Hamas in order to procure the current 72-hour ceasefire, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal openly pledged $500 million to “rebuild” Gaza. Speaking at an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Jeddah on Tuesday, al-Faisal accused Israel…

Even as Israeli representatives are in Cairo to discuss a truce with Hamas on Tuesday, the terrorist group is taking pains to clarify it has no intentions of desisting from trying to wipe Israel off the map. Hamas’s “military wing,” the Al-Qassam Brigades, released a statement presenting its position on the ongoing talks in Egypt.…

Despite tensions surrounding the war in Gaza, 338 new Olim (immigrants) from the United States and Canada arrived in Israel Tuesday on an Aliyah charter flight to Israel. Of them, 108 will be enlisting in the IDF. The special Nefesh B’Nefesh flight was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption and…

Accessibility ramps and other improvements are being added throughout Jerusalem’s Old City, allowing the disabled easier access to the Western Wall 3,000 years after Solomon built his Temple there, the Jerusalem Development Authority (JDA) announced Tuesday.  A special project of the Jerusalem Development Authority, the Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs Office, the Jerusalem Municipality and Social…

The Simon Wiesenthal Center has sent a letter to France’s interior minister to demand that a tiny hamlet south of Paris called “Death to Jews” be renamed. The group’s director of international affairs, Shimon Samuels, wrote to Bernard Cazeneuve saying he was “shocked to discover the existence of a village in France officially called ‘Death…

Economics Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) strongly opposes the push for Israel to agree to Hamas’s economic demands, which would include paying the salaries of Hamas officials working against Israel politically and militarily in Gaza. “Over the last day, reports have surfaced that Israel has agreed to finance Hamas’s officials in Gaza,” Bennett fired. “This…

Representatives of Palestinian Arab terror organizations and an Israeli delegation were to resume “gruelling” negotiations in Cairo on Tuesday aimed at ending the Gaza conflict, as Egyptian mediators raced to narrow gaps between the warring sides. In Monday’s indirect talks, Israel’s delegation pushed for the disarmament of terror groups in the coastal enclave, a demand…

In the Gaza conflict, it’s Israel that best represents “truth, justice, and the American way,” says Dean Cain, the actor best known for his role as Superman on ABC Television. Speaking on the Fox-TV talk show “Outnumbered” on August 8, Cain said that Israel, like the United States, is a democracy that is threatened by…

Israel’s Right of Return also gives citizenship to spouses of the same sex when Jews choose to immigrate to Israel together, Interior Minister Gidon Sa’ar (Likud) decided Tuesday.  According to Sa’ar’s decision, gay and lesbian Jews married abroad wishing to immigrate to Israel could do so – even if one of the partners is not Jewish…

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had harsh words on Monday for hard-liners opposed to making a deal with the West over Iran’s nuclear program, saying they should go “to hell.” According to the Associated Press (AP), Rouhani, who spoke to an annual meeting of Iranian ambassadors, called his hard-line critics “political cowards.” “Anytime there is going…

Amal Alamuddin, a British human rights lawyer who was named to the United Nations panel that will investigate Israel’s alleged “war crimes” in Gaza, has rejected the role – but not because she is pro-Israel. According to the Telegraph, the 36-year-old Oxford graduate, who is also engaged to Hollywood actor George Clooney, turned down the…

Finance Minister Yair Lapid on Monday called on the international community to pull together a massive aid package for Gaza conditioned on the Palestinian Authority returning to power in place of Hamas. Speaking to the Associated Press (AP), Lapid said that the Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is the legitimate authority in Gaza. If Hamas…

The Ra’am-Ta’al party has sent a letter to Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein, asking him to launch a formal investigation against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and Chief of Staff Benny Gantz over “war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza” during Operation Protective Edge. Ra’am-Ta’al includes MKs Ahmed Tibi, Ibrahim Sarsour, Taleb…

Israel’s Foreign Ministry blasted on Monday the newly appointed United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) panel that will investigate allegations that Israel violated humanitarian law in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry noted that the appointment of Canadian professor William Schabas, who is known for his anti-Israel positions, means that…

The Turkish group IHH said on Monday it would send a new flotilla of ships to “break Israel’s siege of Gaza”, four years after the deadly storming of its vessel by Israeli commandos, according to AFP. IHH, which organized the first flotilla, said in a statement quoted by the news agency that activists from 12…

A three-member panel appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will investigate allegations that Israel violated humanitarian law in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, Bloomberg reported on Monday. The commission of inquiry will be headed by Canada’s William Schabas, an international law professor at Middlesex University in London who served on the Sierra…

Economics Minister Naftali Bennett, who is a member of the Diplomacy-Security Cabinet, said Monday that in the end, there will be no alternative to decisively defeating Hamas in Gaza. “At this point, the Cabinet took the turn that it took, but in the end, Hamas’s declared aim is the destruction of Israel, so sooner or…

A company owned by Israeli mining magnate Dan Gertler said it has discovered vast potential reserves of oil in the strife-torn east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Oil of DRCongo, a subsidiary of the Fleurette Group, said in a statement that seismic testing from Lake Albert, which forms part of the northeastern border with…

At a time when some visitors to Israel have been rethinking their travel plans to Israel in light of ongoing hostilities with Gazan terror groups, some 500 Christian volunteers will be traveling to the Jewish state to support farmers in Judea and Samaria this summer – and they say they’re coming no matter what. Members…

Khan Younis, August 6: A boy stands next to the remains of a mosque in Khuzaa town, which witnesses said was heavily hit by Israeli shelling and air strikes during Israeli offensive, in the east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. 

The Foreign Press Association on Monday lodged a strong protest accusing the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas of harassment and of threatening foreign reporters working in Gaza. The association for journalists working in Israel and the Palestinian territories said Hamas authorities and their representatives employed “blatant, incessant, forceful and unorthodox methods” against visiting international journalists covering…

A member of an elite Special Forces team that eliminated a Fatah terrorist this morning has given firsthand testimony of the operation Monday. Border Police combat fighters from the elite Yamas unit, accompanied by the IDF, eliminated a terrorist who was suspected of carrying out several gunfire attacks, after he holed up in a home…

According to a senior IDF officer, the military is about to carry out comprehensive field tests of technological means for locating tunnels. The technology has already been successfully tested in laboratory conditions. If the experiment is successful, the systems will be deployed around Gaza at a cost of a billion to 1.5 billion shekels. The…

Three Israeli tourists were killed and five were seriously injured Monday when a train collided with their minibus in central Switzerland, police said. Police in the canton of Nidwalden said that the foreign-registered minibus was hit by the train at a level crossing near the village of Wolfenschiessen. The injured Israelis were taken to hospital…

The first week of the coming school year will be dedicated to societal tolerance and opposition to all discrimination and hatred. So announced Education Minister Shai Piron today in a Knesset Education Committee session. Piron, a rabbi and former co-dean of the Petach Tikvah Hesder Yeshiva, said, “During Operation Protective Edge, we have been exposed…

For many of the Gush Katif expellees the option of returning to the region from which they were uprooted nine years ago is more than just a dream. The days of Operation Protective Edge have strengthened the feeling that the whole country is coming to terms with the need to return to the region which…

Finance Minister Yair Lapid admitted Monday that the government and military may have erred in telling residents of the Gaza Belt communities to go back to their homes, before ending the threat posed by Hamas. In a visit to Sderot, Lapid said, “The first role of the government is to provide security for the residents…

As Israeli negotiators arrived in Cairo early Monday afternoon a 72-hour ceasefire with Hamas began the night before, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) stated that Israel must not allow Hamas’s terror on Israel to pay off for the Gaza-based organization. Speaking to Yedioth Aharonoth, Liberman declared “we must not blink, we must not allow even…

A small delegation of British Jews bravely made their way to Bradford, UK on Sunday, after notoriously anti-Israel MP George Galloway proudly declared the area Judenrein (“Jew-free”; German).  The delegation, bearing Israeli flags and passports, marched to the Bradford Town Hall.  The move was organized by UKIP candidate Rabbi Shneur Odze, who took to Facebook to thank participants…

‘Shuvu Banim’ Hassidic leader and Rabbi-on-the-run Rabbi Eliezer Berland narrowly escaped capture by the Johannesburg police on Sunday, as he was preparing a wedding for one of his followers.  Plainclothes police hid among attendees before the wedding ceremony, the hassidim stated, and attempted to apprehend Berland and put him into a waiting police vehicle near…

The Jewish community of Miami has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest regarding the murder of Rabbi Joseph Raksin hy”d, reports the Miami Herald. The 60-year-old rabbi was shot to death on Saturday morning while making his way to a local synagogue. Reportedly he was shot by two young African-American men…

In an attempt to protect their secrets from being revealed to the Israeli security forces, Hamas has executed tens of Gazan tunnel diggers in the last few weeks. The mass execution is said to have taken place after attempts from Hamas to make sure that the excavators knew nothing of the locations in which they…

The Event for the Anglo Community in Israel – a yearly mega fair for Anglo olim (immigrants to Israel) – will be hosting several businesses from Southern Israel this Thursday, Aug. 14 at Binyanei HaUma in Jerusalem. These vendors will be presenting their crafts and sharing their personal experiences, including the challenge of living and working under constant…

Turkey and Norway have expressed their willingness in principle to operate a seaport in the Hamas enclave of Gaza, according to the Palestinian delegation in Cairo.  According to a report in Israel Today, the government in Ankara has already announced its intention to send to Gaza over 3,000 prefabricated houses to be quickly assembled, accommodating local…

As Operation Protective Edge holds in a temporary ceasefire, evidence has come out revealing the extent of the extremist Sunni group Islamic State’s (IS, formerly ISIS) involvement in the terror war against Israel from the Hamas stronghold of Gaza. Terror organizations associated with IS and Al Qaeda have been proven to be joining the fight…

The communications center of the World Zionist Organization has found that there has been a dramatic increase in anti-Semitic incidents around the world. Sunday’s announcement comes following a study of the number of anti-Semitic incidents that occurred before Operation Protective Edge in Gaza and after it began. In July 2014, the study found, there were…

Newly elected Turkish President and outgoing Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Sunday night his country has started to evacuate wounded people from Gaza to Turkey for treatment, according to The Associated Press (AP). Erdogan did not provide details, but the state-run Anadolu agency said a Turkish air ambulance left for Israel late on Sunday…

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Sunday welcomed the news of a fresh 72-hour ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, urging the two sides to work towards a longer-term truce. Ban “expresses his strong hope that this will give the two sides, under Egyptian auspices, another chance to agree on a durable ceasefire for the benefit…

IDF spokesman Moti Almoz made clear in a television interview on Sunday evening that the IDF is “not going anywhere”, even with a new 72-hour ceasefire having been announced  in Gaza. “As far as we’re concerned, any talk of a ceasefire will be tested on the ground,” he said, emphasizing that the IDF had a…

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz visited the Gaza Belt on Sunday, where he met and spoke with IDF officers and local mayors. During the visit, Gantz made clear that a “trickling of rockets” from Gaza towards Israel was unacceptable. “We dealt a serious blow to Hamas,” he said. “Over the past 48 hours…

Arutz Sheva met with Malachi Ben Yehuda from Riverdale, New York, who converted along with his wife Tanya to Judaism and then made the decision to make aliyah to Israel with Nefesh B’Nefesh. Ben Yehuda said that the decision to make aliyah was made during a trip the couple made to Israel. “We love the…

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon visited on Sunday evening the home of Golani fighter First Sgt. Oron Shaul, who was declared a fallen soldier whose place of burial is not known by the IDF Chief Rabbi. During the visit, Ya’alon promised Shaul’s parents that Israel will do everything it can to retrieve his body. “We are…

Hamas terrorists fired a barrage of rockets towards Israel, including Tel Aviv, just before midnight on Sunday night, when a new 72-hour ceasefire went into effect. Just before midnight, residents of the Gush Dan region in central Israel reported hearing a loud explosion. Hamas later claimed it fired a long-range missile towards Tel Aviv. Officials…

Hillary Clinton devoted a large part of an interview with Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic to strong support for Israel. Clinton expressed support for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s insistence on maintaining military control of Judea and Samaria. “If I were the prime minister of Israel, you’re damn right I would expect to have control over…

Outgoing Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won his country’s first direct presidential election, provisional results show. With almost all votes counted, Erdogan had won about 52%, against 38% for his main rival, officials said. He said the people had “shown their will”. Erdogan had been prime minister since 2003 and was barred from…

A lasting truce must lead to the lifting by Israel of its blockade of the Gaza Strip, Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal told AFP in an exclusive interview in Doha on Sunday. The 72-hour ceasefire Hamas reached with Israel on Sunday “is one of the ways or tactics to ensure successful negotiations or to facilitate the…

Jewish Home Chairman, Economics Minister Naftali Bennett, said Sunday that Israel prefers the security of its citizens to international approval of its actions. He made clear that he did not see Operation Protective Edge as having achieved its aims. “The government of Israel embarked on the Protective Edge campaign and defined the goal as bringing back…

Terrorists from the Islamic State (formerly ISIS) have killed at least 500 members of Iraq’s Yazidi ethnic minority during their offensive in the north, Iraq’s human rights minister told Reuters on Sunday. The killings reported by Iraqi Human Rights Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to Reuters add to a long list of atrocities reportedly committed by…

The Al Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, took reponsibility for a shooting attack that it claims to have executed Sunday south of Bethlehem. Fatah is headed by Palestinian Authority head Mahoud Abbas, considered “moderate” by many Israelis. The announcement read: “Out of a belief in the right and legitimacy of the struggle and…

Gordon Howie, a right-wing-fringe candidate in the upcoming general election for South Dakota’s US Senate seat, apparently has a positive opinion for Adolf Hitler and his ‘Mein Kampf.’ A bizarre 2012 spoof video entitled “Justice Morgan” – posted on a blog under Mr. Howie’s own name – overtly features a copy of Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” as…

A new 72-hour ceasefire in Gaza has been agreed between Israel and the Palestinians following mediation by Egypt, a Palestinian official said Sunday. Israel confirmed Sunday evening that the 72-hour truce will go into effect at midnight. According to Channel 2, the Israeli delegation will head to Cairo for talks Monday morning, if the fire from Gaza does…

The Security Cabinet met on Sunday to discuss the future of Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, which is now in its thirty-third day. During the meeting, Interior Minister Gidon Sa’ar (Likud) stressed the importance of breaking Hamas’s military power.  “It was the right thing to do then, and it’s the right thing to do now,” Sa’ar…

Israeli actors on Saturday responded to a discriminatory cancellation of their show at Scotland’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, performing a silent version of their hour-long play while confronted by around 200 anti-Israel protesters. The Israeli acting troupe, named Incubator Theater, held an entirely silent version of their “hip-hop opera” which normally features rap at Bristo Square…

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to vanquish his two rivals in elections Sunday to become the next Turkish president, promising to expand the post with new powers as opponents worry Turkey is creeping towards autocracy, according to an AFP analysis.  Erdogan, a pious Muslim, has ruled Turkey as premier since 2003, a period in which he has transformed the country…

A senior Hamas source has revealed the terrorist group’s antagonism both towards Egypt’s mediation in truce talks regarding the ongoing conflict with Israel, as well as towards the Arab League. The source, Mustafa Sawaf, is considered a close confidant of the Hamas leadership. He advised the Palestinian negotiation team in Cairo, which is comprised of…

United Nations (UN) representative Matias Bank on Saturday said his organization is not hurrying to address the numerous analyses disproving the Palestinian Arab tally of casualties in Gaza. The figures have been used as a focal point for worldwide hatred against Israel. “Because we have to deal with multiple casualties in a short time, we focused…

Former Cuban president Fidel Castro has signed an international manifesto “supporting Palestine,” demanding that Israel respect UN resolutions and withdraw from “Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.” Castro, who will be 88 next week, added his signature to those of intellectuals and politicians to the document “In Defense of Palestine,” the official Cuban Granma newspaper said Saturday. Several other famous…

Communications Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud), a member of the Knesset’s Security Cabinet, reaffirmed Saturday night Israel’s commitment to destroy Hamas’s terror tunnel network while hinting at a renewed IDF ground entry to Gaza. “I won’t tell the enemy our intentions, but even a wide ground entry leading to the toppling of the Hamas regime is…

Britain’s left-wing Guardian newspaper is to run a controversial advertisement condemning Hamas’s use of human shields as “child sacrifice” – the same ad that was rejected by another British paper, The Times. The ad, co-written by Nobel Prize-winner and holocaust-survivor Eli Wiesel and US Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, is entitled “Jews Rejected Human Sacrifice 3,500 Years Ago, Now…

Agriculture Minister Yair Shamir (Yisrael Beytenu) is expected to announce soon that he is resigning from the Knesset, but staying on as minister. Shamir’s resignation will allow another member of Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party, Leon Litintzky, to join the Knesset. The parliamentary musical chairs are to be carried out once Operation Protective Edge ends.…

Hamas played a double game Sunday, with its negotiators reportedly agreeing to a ceasefire in Cairo, and its terrorists in Gaza launching missiles at Israel. Israel insists that it will not negotiate under fire, but Hamas appears to be trying to make it do so anyway. A Hamas spokesman told AFP on Sunday that the…

As the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) continues its bloody conquest of Iraq and Syria and begins invading Lebanon, all in the name of establishing a global Sunni Muslim caliphate system, signs of support for the extremist are being seen among Israel’s Arab citizens. Channel 10 exposed on Sunday that in recent months…

The Palestinian Arab delegation in Cairo – comprising of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah (Palestinian Authority) members – have tentatively agreed to a cease-fire, PA state television reports Sunday. IDF Radio correspondents first broke the news to Israeli media; according to the public news outlet, PA state TV reports claim that the delegation has agreed to…

The Defense Ministry has requested an extra 16-18 billion shekels ($4.6-5.2 billion) for 2014-2015, Globes reports Sunday, to cover costs from Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.  Six to eight billion shekels ($1.7-2.3 billion) covers the cost of the operation itself, according to the report, as well as an additional 11 billion ($3.1 billion) for follow-up costs…

For Malachi and Tanya Avital Ben-Yehuda of Riverdale, New York, terrorist rockets peppering southern Israel were inconsequential compared to their firm dedication to the Jewish faith and homeland. The Ben-Yehuda’s, an African-American couple who converted to Judaism four years ago, made aliyah (immigration) to Israel on July 21, even as counter-terror Operation Protective Edge continued…

An Arab terrorist was apprehended Sunday morning, after he tried to infiltrate the Binyamin area community of Beit El, located to the north of Jerusalem in Samaria, armed with a makeshift gun. After the incident, Arutz Sheva spoke to the head of the Beit El Municipal Security Council, Yehuda Dana, about the infiltration attempt. At first, the…

A Palestinian official said that indirect negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were expected to resume in Cairo on Sunday with an Israeli delegation scheduled to arrive in the city, where a Palestinian team and Egyptian mediators are waiting. However, an Israeli official told AFP that talks could not take place until Palestinian rocket fire came to a halt.…

Nobel laureate Professor Yisrael (Robert) Aumann has an idea that could turn the tables on Hamas’s rocket terror against Israel. In a recent lecture, he described his vision for a fully automatic system that would fire a rocket back at Gaza immediately, whenever Gaza terrorists fired a missile at Israel. Presumably, these missiles would be…

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri on Friday laid the blame on Israel for the ceasefire in Gaza not being extended, saying the Jewish state did not provide a clear response to Hamas’s conditions. Speaking at a news conference in Gaza City and quoted by the Ma’an news agency, Abu Zuhri said that the lack of…

The global coffee company Starbucks released a statement this week to clarify apparent misconceptions about the company’s patronage of Israel, Huffington Post reports. In a fact sheet updated August 5, Starbucks notes it does not support any political or religious causes, adding that neither Starbucks nor its CEO, Howard Schultz, provides any financial support to…

Famous Israeli filmmaker Menahem Golan, an Israeli cinema pioneer, died Friday at the age of 85. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Golan lost consciousness while strolling outside his house in the city of Yafo (Jaffa) with family members in the early hours of Friday evening. Ambulances rushed to the scene, and following attempts of more…