Category: News

Hundreds of women from the Yazidi religious minority have been taken captive by members of the Islamic State, The Associated Press (AP) reported on Friday. Kamil Amin, the spokesman for Iraq’s Human Rights Ministry, said hundreds of Yazidi women below the age of 35 are being held in schools in Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul.…

Amos Yadlin, formerly the head of Military Intelligence who now heads the Institute for National Security Studies, said on Friday that Israel had not achieved the goals it set for itself in Operation Protective Edge and that Hamas is not weaker as a result of the operation. “Israel failed to achieve the goals it set…

The White House condemned on Friday the renewed rocket fire from Gaza towards Israel, and urged both sides to resume talks and do what they can to protect civilians. “The United States is very concerned about today’s developments in Gaza,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters, according to Reuters. “We condemn the renewed rocket…

Devora Pinto, the wife of Rabbi Yosef Yoshiyahu Pinto, has been located in Argentina, according to reports. She was reportedly found in a state of exhaustion and taken to a hospital to be examined. Devora Pinto went missing in Argentina, officials from the movement said Friday. She disappeared without a trace from a Buenos Aires…

A source in the Palestinian delegation to Cairo said that Israel offered to hand over 25 terrorists that it arrested during Operation Protective Edge and 18 bodies of terrorists who were killed, in exchange for the bodies of Lt. Hadar Goldin and First Sgt. Oron Shaul hy”d. According to report in Al Masry Al-Youm, Israel…

U.S. President Barack Obama opined in a New York Times interview that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is too popular at the moment to make territorial compromises with the Palestinian Authority. Asked whether he should be more vigorous in pressing Netanyahu, and the Palestinian Authority’s president, Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, to reach a…

Israeli warplanes pummelled Gaza with 40 to 50 air strikes that killed five Palestinians Saturday in response to Hamas’s attacks on Israeli civilians. Terrorists slammed 23 rockets into Israel, deliberately terrorizing hundreds of thousands of civilians and defying international efforts to find a fresh ceasefire. Gaza emergency services said five men were killed in Israeli…

Two Palestinian rioters were killed in clashes with Israeli security forces, in a series of violent protests against Israel’s military operation against terrorist groups in Gaza. One rioter was killed in Hevron, which is a stronghold of support for Hamas in Judea and Samaria. The Islamist group has repeatedly called for its sympathisers in Judea…

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni has presented a six-point plan which links a ceasefire in Gaza with a return to peace negotiations with Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Channel 2 News reported about the details of the plan on Friday evening. Livni has presented the plan to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu but he has yet…

United Nations (UN) chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday condemned the latest rocket attacks on Israel and called for a return to a ceasefire in Gaza. The secretary general expressed his “deep disappointment” over the failure to extend the 72-hour truce that expired Friday and said peace talks in Cairo should continue, according to AFP. Ban…

As Israelis were welcoming the Sabbath on Friday evening, Hamas terrorists had plans of their own, firing five rockets towards the south. Two rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system over the city of Netivot, two rockets exploded outside a community in the Eshkol region, and a fifth rocket exploded in an open…

The US Air Force has launched it first strikes on Islamist terrorists from the “Islamic State” terror organization in Iraq.  Pentagon sources say airstrikes targeted artillery positions being used to shell Kurdish forces defending the northern city of Irbil, 88 kilometers east of Iraq’s second city of Mosul, which was seized by Islamists in June.…

Egypt’s top religious authority has rejected a death sentence proposed for the leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and 13 associates for murder and violence, but was asked by a court on Thursday to reconsider, Reuters reports. Mohammed Badie, the Brotherhood’s supreme guide, and the other defendants were sentenced on June 19, but Egyptian law…

Hamas is apparently not waiting for a 72-hour ceasefire to expire at 8:00 a.m. on Friday morning. The “Red Alert” incoming rocket siren was heard in the Eshkol region of southern Israel shortly after 4:00 a.m. early Friday. The IDF said that two rockets exploded in open regions in the area. There were no reports…

Almost three quarters of Syria’s entire chemical stockpile has been destroyed, the world’s chemical weapons watchdog said on Thursday, after another 190 tonnes of agents were incinerated in Britain. “The OPCW confirmed today (Thursday) that 74.2 percent of Syria’s entire stockpile of chemicals has now been destroyed,” The Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met on Thursday met with International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer, who is visiting the region. The two discussed the recent Israeli operation in Gaza, and Netanyahu stressed that Israel regretted any civilian deaths in the conflict. At the same time he stressed that Hamas was responsible for any…

Iran and six world powers will hold a new round of nuclear talks before the UN General Assembly, which starts on September 16, a spokesman for lead negotiator Catherine Ashton said Thursday, according to AFP. “We expect to hold an EU-led/E3+3 round of talks in advance of the ministerial meetings at UNGA at a location…

Ayman Taha, a former spokesman for Hamas was found dead Thursday in Gaza City, but there were conflicting reports as to the cause of his death. According to AFP, Hamas said Taha’s body was found in a neighborhood of the city that was heavily bombed by Israel and accused the Jewish state of being responsible…

The UN urged on Thursday an extension of the truce between Israel and Hamas to let humanitarian aid reach Gaza, hours before a three-day ceasefire was due to end. “The 72-hour-ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian factions that entered into force on 5 August must continue to hold,” James Rawley, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the…

In interviews with international media Thursday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu pressed Israel’s case on defending citizens from Hamas’ terror attacks. By fighting Hamas, the leading edge of Islamist terrorism, Israel is defending not only itself, but the entire Western world. Speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu said that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)…

The United States is considering airstrikes on groups of Islamists who have driven tens of thousands of Iraqis up the side of a mountain, where they are stuck without food and shelter. Meanwhile, airlifts of food are being organized to help the Yazidis, a group that the Islamists of the Islamic State in Iraq and…

Senior government officials stated to Arutz Sheva Friday that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon had authorized the IDF to retaliate with force to a barrage of over 18 rockets on Israeli civilians Friday morning.  The report surfaces less than one hour after Palestinian media sources reported possible airstrikes in northern Gaza. IDF Spokesman…

A resolution has been drafted to help strengthen communities under constant rocket fire, the Ministry for Development of the Negev and Galilee announced Friday – just hours after rockets slammed into several southern cities. According to a press release, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud), Minister for Development of the Negev and Galilee Silvan Shalom (Likud),…

Sirens have sounded in Ashkelon, Hof Ashkelon, Sderot, the Eshkol region, and the Gaza Belt area Friday, as a 72-hour ceasefire ended between Israel and terrorist organizations in Gaza.  Residents of Sderot, Nir Am, Michlelet Sapir, Mifsalim, Gavim, Ashkelon, Ohad, Sohar, Barhiya, Hodaya, Rei’im, Kfar Silver, Mishan, Nir Yisrael, Sde Nitzan, Telmei Eliyahu, Yesha, Mivtahim,…

Nationalist MKs have called for Israel to respond with force to Hamas and Islamic Jihad rocket fire on Friday, after the IAF declined to retaliate as of 9:00 am despite an hour-long series of barrages on Israeli civilians.  “Israel must immediately recall its delegation [from talks in] Egypt,” Economics Minister and Jewish Home Chairman Naftali…

Two senior Hamas officials said the terror group will not extend a 72-hour ceasefire in Gaza that expires at 8:00 am IST on Friday, accusing Israel of rejecting their demands for a truce, according to AFP. A leader of Islamic Jihad also confirmed the factions had decided not to extend the ceasefire. “We have one position, we refuse to extend the…

British police have launched an investigation against MP George Galloway, after he declared his constituency an “Israel free zone” during a speech, ITV reported on Thursday. The speech caused outcry on social media after being posted online. In it, Galloway said, “We have declared Bradford an Israel-free zone. We don’t want any Israeli goods. We…

Two people have been injured from shrapnel falling in the Sdot HaNegev region, it was announced Friday afternoon.  The IDF confirmed that one soldier was lightly injured and a civilian – Sapir College director Dr. Nachmi Paz – was moderately wounded. Dr. Paz is being treated for his injuries in Soroka Medical Center in Be’er…

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan faced new questions on Friday over his attitude to the media and women after he branded a prominent female journalist a “shameless woman” and told her “to know your place,” AFP reports Friday.  Just ahead of Sunday’s presidential election which he is clear favourite to win, Erdogan savaged Amberin Zaman, who writes for the Economist and the Turkish…

The wife of Rabbi Yosef Yoshiyahu Pinto, head of ‘Shuvu Yisrael’ sect and facing corruption charges in Israel, has gone missing in Argentina, officials from the movement said Friday. Devorah Pinto has disappeared without a trace from a Buenos Aires medical center, local police announced overnight Thursday/Friday – and fears have been raised that she…

US President Barack Obama has authorized “limited airstrikes” against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) in Iraq, he announced during a Thursday night press conference. The announcement, which surfaced hours after White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that Washington was “very concerned” over the “humanitarian catastrophe” developing there. “When many thousands of…

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has called for ethnic cleansing against Jewish Israelis, after an official posted on Facebook to “drive the occupier out from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.”  Fatah Central Committee Member Tawfiq Tirawi posted a message to his official Facebook page reading, “O our free people of resolve and sacrifice in Gaza,…

A spokesman for Hamas’s “military wing”, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, warned Thursday of renewed fighting with Israel if talks in Cairo to extend a 72-truce in Gaza collapsed. “We appeal to the Palestinian delegation to not accept a ceasefire, unless it satisfies the demands of our people,” a spokesman using the nom-de-guerre Abu Obeida said…

A rally in support of Israel took place in Brooklyn Thursday, in solidarity with Israel’s fight against Islamist terrorists in Gaza. Several prominent pro-Israel figures were in attendance, including Rubin Margules, President of the Brooklyn Region of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), and Mort Klein, ZOA head, among others. Loading…

If Justice Minister Tzippy Livni were wise, she would keep a low profile – instead of suggesting that the government use money earmarked for Judea and Samaria to provide compensation for southern businesses that were financially decimated by the war, said Jewish Home MK Ayelet Shaked. “Livni, the architect of the disengagement, wants to use money…

In a letter to Jewish communities around the world, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu thanking them for their support in the recent weeks. In the letter, Netanyahu said that “The Jewish people always unites to meet challenges. The current period is no different. Over the past two months, beginning with the kidnapping and murder of three…

Controversial far-left British MP George Galloway has declared his constituency an “Israel-free zone”, in comments that are bound to invite further allegations of racism. The notoriously anti-Israel Galloway told a meeting of the Respect Party which he heads that Israelis of any persuasion were “not welcome” in Bradford, where serves as MP. Racism? George Galloway’s…

An Iraqi MP and member of the ancient Yazidi religion broke down in tears earlier this week as she described the slaughter of thousands of her people earlier this week. MP Fiyan Dakheel’s heartbreaking display of sheer desperation highlighted the alarming advances made by the “Islamic State” group (formerly ISIS) in recent weeks, and the damning…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman spoke with US Secretary of State John Kerry Thursday and thanked him for the United States’ unreserved support for Israel in the UN Security Council session Wednesday. Liberman noted that the US’s cooperation prevented the UNSC from adopting a binding anti-Israeli resolution. Liberman also told Kerry that the announcement by the…

Hamas has been gearing up to fight again with Israel, Doha-based television network Al-Jazeera reports, after the end of the 72-hour ceasefire.  The outlet prominently features a Hamas tunnel – filled with rocket launchers, mortars and anti-tank missiles – which according to the terrorists is already being prepared for the possibility of renewed fighting.  “We are…

Lt. Eitan has modestly asked not to be decorated for his heroic attempts to save Lt. Hadar Goldin (hy”d) last week, saying that the act of bravery was merely the right thing to do.  “I don’t want a medal; I’m no hero,” Lt. Eitan stated in a Yediot Aharonot interview late Wednesday night. “If not me, someone…

Five teenagers were arrested Thursday over a vicious anti-Semitic attack on a bus full of children from Jewish schools in Sydney that left them traumatized. Police said a group of five- to 12-year-olds were travelling on a private bus to the suburb of Bondi Junction on Wednesday afternoon when eight teens jumped on. They then…

Aliyah organization Nefesh B’Nefesh says that the “Lone Soldiers’ Flight” landing in Ben Gurion Airport next week will include 109 youths aged 18-23 – 55 boys, 54 girls – who are going to enlist in the IDF. Higher motivation among north American youths considering aliyah is being reported by Nefesh B’Nefesh, which specializes in assisting…

In a statement Tuesday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu lent credence to reports that Hamas had planned a large-scale operation against Israeli civilians, in which its terrorists would have emerged simultaneously and in large numbers from numerous tunnels dug into Israel. The terrorists would then have been able to carry out a large scale massacre of…

A Swedish politician resigned following sharp criticism after he wrote on Facebook that “Jewish pigs” are responsible for mass murders in Gaza, according to the English language Swedish website The Local. Omar Omeirat, Social Democrat candidate for the town council of Filipstad, central Sweden, gave a speech in the town on Friday evening advocating diversity…

Next Monday, attorneys representing 297 US citizens whose loved ones have been killed or injured by Hamas terrorists will file a lawsuit against the Arab Bank, the largest bank in the Middle East, over its role in bankrolling Hamas terrorists. The Arab Bank in Ramallah, in particular, has been involved in paying Palestinian Authority and…

Professor Ze’ev Sternhell, long known for his sharp criticism – bordering on incitement, many on the right say – against residents of Judea and Samaria and right-wing politicians, is as it again. On Wednesday, Sternhell said that he was “frightened by the gang” of Economics Minister Naftali Bennett and Housing Minister Uri Ariel (both of…

Hamas staged a “victory rally” on Thursday in Gaza, as the future of a three-day ceasefire remains uncertain. Hundreds of Palestinians poured onto the streets of Gaza City, chanting support for “resistance” against Israel, an AFP reporter said.   Loudspeakers mounted by the roadside blared out Hamas victory songs as the crowd – most of…

Yoko Ono, the octogenarian widow of former Beatle John Lennon, is concerned over the “the loss of so many lives of innocent children in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict” – and as her contribution to resolving the Middle East conflict, she will be lighting a memorial in Iceland, called the Imagine Peace Tower. The Tower was built…

During the course of Operation Protective Edge, Israel’s hospitals treated some 2,200 injured civilians and soldiers, the Health Ministry said Thursday. In addition, the hospitals treated some 1,500 people who suffered from shock when they experienced a rocket attack or some other war-related incident. Barzilay Hospital in Ashkelon treated the largest number of the injured,…

Economics Minister Naftali Bennett said that he was fully behind Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu when he says that Israel would respond with full force if Hamas resumed its attacks on Israel. “I support the Prime Minister for his stance on the attempts by Hamas to blackmail us with terror threats against Israelis to achieve its…

A newspaper delivery worker has been accused of scratching swastikas onto vehicles in the Beersheva suburb of Lehavim. The worker, a resident of the Bedouin town of Rahat, was indicted on Thursday of damaging property and of a racist act. According to the indictment, the incident occurred on July 28, during the height of Operation…

A fire that began in the Jerusalem Forest is threatening the Knesset. The fire, which broke out in a wooded area not far from Israel’s parliament, is proving difficult to bring under control because of the high temperatures Thursday. Officials are not yet sure how the fire broke out. In the past, police have said…

A staggering amount of so-called “civilian casualties” in Gaza were probably Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, the New York Times admits for the first time this week, challenging the routine acceptance of casualty figures provided by the Hamas-run health ministry. The report critically examines the data from the Palestinian Health Ministry, the official data center at Shifa…

The British government is expected to announce tougher arms export measures for Israel but will not suspend all export licenses, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday. Downing Street insiders confirmed to The Telegraph that an announcement was “imminent” but said details of the measures were still being finalized. An announcement is anticipated on Thursday. On Monday,…

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has cancelled his visit to Israel scheduled for the second half of this year due to “Israeli attacks against the Palestinians”, Xinhua reported on Wednesday, citing Ecuador’s Andes Agency. During an interview with a local radio station on Wednesday, the president reportedly accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza during Operation…

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that the people of Gaza need greater hope for the future but also stressed the importance of Israel’s security. “The U.S. goal right now would be to make sure that the ceasefire holds, that Gaza can begin the process of rebuilding,” Obama told a news conference, according to…

United Nations (UN) chief Ban Ki-moon declared on Wednesday that the organization is ready to help rebuild Gaza but it would be “the last time”. Ban opened a special meeting of the United Nations General Assembly with an appeal for a lasting peace as a 72-hour ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was holding for a…

At least 10 civilians were wounded on Wednesday after a homemade bomb was tossed under the al-Khanaq bridge in Lebanon’s second largest city Tripoli, The Daily Star reports. Heavy damage and blood was visible at the scene of the explosion. The wounded were transported to the nearby Al-Shifaa and Mazloum hospitals, according to the reports.…

MK Danny Danon (Likud) launched a scathing attack against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, saying Netanyahu was acting like “the contractor of the left”. Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Danon said that many people now admit that he was correct in his criticism against Netanyahu over the operation in Gaza. Netanyahu several weeks ago publicly sacked…

Hamas deputy leader Moussa Abu Marzouk said on Wednesday there has been no agreement to extend a 72-hour ceasefire with Israel that is set to expire on Friday, according to AFP. “There is no agreement to extend the ceasefire,” wrote Abu Marzouk on Twitter. He is part of a Palestinian Authority delegation holding indirect talks…

The IDF has already launched a large-scale project in all divisions, a senior officer announced Wednesday, to determine which soldiers deserve medals or other decoration for their roles in Operation Protective Edge. At this stage, the officer said, soldiers involved in a select handful of incidents may already be likely to receive decoration. One of…

Israel has conditionally agreed to extend a ceasefire that ended the month-long self-defense operation in Gaza, an Israeli official stated on condition of anonymity. Reuters reports Wednesday night that the official did not give details about the extension, only that it had been agreed upon.  “Israel has expressed its readiness to extend the truce under its…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) issued sharp criticism against the United Nations on Wednesday, after Secretary General Ban Ki Moon accused Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza. Liberman said that before criticizing Israel for unintentional damage to UN facilities during a self-defense operation, UN leaders should ensure that UN facilities will not serve…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu gave a press conference to foreign journalists on Wednesday, to provide an update on Operation Protective Edge after a 72-hour ceasefire.  Netanyahu began by noting that Israel is ready if the ceasefire is violated, saying the situation has improved since the war and that more units have been employed along the…

Hamas terrorists have been encouraged to dress up like ordinary Orthodox Jews, according to Palestinian Media Watch, to carry out suicide attacks on Israeli civilians.  Hamas repeatedly broadcasted a video encouraging the attacks, as well as the disguise, according to the watchdog group.  The Hamas video glorifies a terrorist dressing up in a black hat,…

Israeli ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor sharply criticized the UN on Wednesday, after Secretary General Ban Ki Moon accused Israel of “war crimes” against Palestinian Arabs in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge.  “If the UN assembly had invested a tenth of the energy invested in investigating Israel, it would reveal horrific war crimes on…

In a move condemned as “anti-Semitic”, a London theater has shocked the British Jewish community by refusing to host the UK Jewish Film Festival this coming November, because the event is sponsored by the Israeli embassy. The Tricycle Theatre was to have been the main venue for the UKJFF for the eighth year running, hosting…

Five paintings by 19th-century Russian Jewish landscape painter Isaac Levitan have been stolen from a museum in his honor, regional officials said on Wednesday. The paintings, part of its permanent collection of the artist known for his “mood landscapes” of the Russian countryside were stolen in the early hours of Tuesday according to a statement published on the Ivanovo region’s government website.…

Several foreign journalists have claimed to have been harassed by Hamas during Operation Protective Edge, the Government Press Office (GPO) announced Wednesday.  “Upon the conclusion of the operation, the GPO accumulated testimony by foreign journalists regarding harassment by Hamas activists regarding the carrying out of their assignments,” the GPO stated. “Journalists said that during their…

Conservative commentator Andrea Tantaros ripped into Geraldo Rivera, and demanded that Israel be allowed to defend itself against Hamas. Rivera has been attacking Israel since Operation Protective Edge began, and claiming that the bombing of Gaza was “undermining Israel’s moral authority.” The debate became heated and personal, and at one point Tantaros called Rivera “an…

London’s Times newspaper has refused to run an ad featuring Nobel Prize-winner Eli Wiesel opposing Hamas’s use of children as human shields in its war with Israel. The ad campaign, run by high-profile US Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, has already appeared in leading American publications such as the New York Times, New York Observer, Washington Post and the Wall Street…

IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz addressed the winding-down process of Operation Protective Edge on Wednesday afternoon, shortly before reports surfaced that 30,000 reserve soldiers in Gaza had been discharged.  “We are at the end of a long and continuous process, which began with a very broad campaign in Gaza and continued with…

Roughly 30 hours into a 72-hour cease-fire deal, the IDF has begun to withdraw its ground forces from the Gaza border area, it announced Wednesday afternoon.  IDF forces began withdrawing from within Gaza itself earlier this week; now, it has discharged 30,000 reserve soldiers from along the Gaza border. Despite the step toward normalization, the…

Mohsen Rezai, Secretary Expediency Discernment Council for the Islamic Republic of Iran and former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, called for Hamas to step up their campaign of human shields in future wars against Israel on live television on Sunday – disguised, cynically, as protection for the civilian population.  “I would like to tell the…

Despite the current ceasefire, the IDF released additional video Wednesday showing Hamas rockets being fired from spots next to civilian homes. Israel has charged countless times that Hamas has a policy of using its own populace as human shields. It purposely fires from among civilians, in the hope that Israel is deterred from striking the…

A group of drunken anti-Semites terrorized a school bus filled with Jewish students in Australia, shouting Nazi slogans and threatening to murder everyone on board on Wednesday. Speaking to Australia’s Daily Telegraph, mother Jackie Blackburn said her 12, 10 and eight-year-old daughters, who were on their way home from Mount Sinai, Mariah and Emanuel kindergarten in Bondi, were…

Arab news sources reported Wednesday that Egypt has agreed to open the crossing between it and Gaza at Rafah, on the condition that the Gazan side be supervised by the Palestinian Authority under Mahmoud Abbas, and not by Hamas. Hamas has reportedly agreed to this, mostly because the it is now a part of the…

A Gallup poll has found that 42% of the adult population in the US think the Israeli actions in Gaza are “mostly justified,” while 14% thought the same about Hamas’s actions. Americans’ views of the military actions of Israel and Hamas in the current conflict in Gaza have changed little over the past 10 days.…

Google has removed from its Google Play store two controversial games created against the backdrop of Operation Protective Edge. In one of the games, “Bomb Gaza”, players take the role of the Israeli Air Force, “tapping a touchscreen to pour red-nosed bombs into a 2D multi-level landscape filled with cartoonish people wearing white robes and…

In the last few minutes the Code Red sirens sounded in the Gaza belt communities of Sedot Negev and Sha’ar HaNegev. Reports indicate they were false alarms.

“Hamas has suffered a military beating, in terms of the rocket array and the tunnels, and has arrived in Cairo with its demands no longer on the agenda,” a diplomatic source said Tuesday. “Hamas could have received the same thing in the first ceasefire that was offered, but it refused the Egyptian initiative and in…

Britain’s National Union of Students (NUS) has voted to boycott Israel, The Jewish Chronicle reports. The decision came at a special meeting on Monday, during which the NUS national executive committee adopted a policy of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). Under the policy, which passed with 23 votes in favor, 18 against and one abstention,…

A team of chemical weapons experts will travel to Syria next month to follow up on Damascus’ pledge to hand over its arsenal, the British UN envoy said Tuesday, according to AFP. A joint mission from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United Nations is overseeing the destruction of the…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry thinks that the ceasefire in Gaza should be used to resume broader peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Kerry’s remarks were made in an interview Tuesday with the BBC, in which he said the situation could concentrate minds on the need to negotiate a “two-state solution”.…

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein said on Tuesday that MK Hanin Zoabi must report for questioning by police on suspicion of inciting violence and insulting a public official. Weinstein’s directive came after Zoabi, who was summoned for questioning for remarks she made against police, more than once refused to show up, at one point claiming she has…

The United States said Tuesday that it expects to participate in Cairo talks between Israelis and Palestinian Arabs aimed at securing a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, AFP reported. “I think it is likely we will be participating in these talks,” the news agency quoted State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki as having told reporters. “We are…

Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, on Tuesday called for arms exports to Israel to be suspended. Clegg’s call came after Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, a British minister who was the first Muslim woman to sit in the Cabinet, resigned over the British government’s policy on Gaza. “I think the question marks that Sayeeda Warsi has…

Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, on Tuesday called for arms exports to Israel to be suspended. Clegg’s call came after Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, a British minister who was the first Muslim woman to sit in the Cabinet, resigned over the British government’s policy on Gaza. “I think the question marks that Sayeeda Warsi has…

The Palestinian Authority (PA) is continuing its efforts to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Ma’an news agency reported on Tuesday. According to the report, the PA’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Riyad al-Maliki, met with ICC officials to discuss the Israeli operation in Gaza. During his visit, Al-Maliki inquired about the legal procedures necessary for…

A phone call between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was mysteriously disconnected on Sunday, Channel 2 News reports. According to the report, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki admitted to reporters on Tuesday that the call was disconnected, though she said it was due to a “communications issue”. Psaki did,…

Israeli security forces have arrested the leader of the Hamas terror cell which kidnapped and murdered Israeli teenagers Naftali Frenkel, Eyal Yifrah and Gilad Sha’ar. Hussam Kawasmeh, a resident of Hevron, was arrested in the Arab neighborhood of Shuafat in Jerusalem in a joint operation involving IDF forces and the Shabak (Israel Security Agency), and…

As the dust settles amid a 72-hour ceasefire between Israel terrorist groups in Gaza, more and more reports are emerging from Gaza backing the Israeli government’s claims that Hamas is deliberately carrying out attacks from within densely-populated civilian areas. Earlier Tuesday an Indian TV report exposed terrorists setting up and launching a rocket just meters…

Israeli security forces have arrested the leader of the Hamas terror cell which kidnapped and murdered Israeli teenagers Naftali Frenkel, Eyal Yifrah and Gilad Sha’ar. Hussam Kawasmeh, a resident of Hevron, was arrested in the Arab neighborhood of Shuafat in Jerusalem in a joint operation involving IDF forces and the Shabak (Israel Security Agency), and…

The IDF has published excerpts from a captured Hamas combat manual on “Urban Warfare”, showing how the Islamist terrorist group exploits civilian casualties – and the knowledge that the IDF will seek to avoid them – to its advantage. The IDF says the manual was captured in Shujaiya suburb of Gaza City, which was the…

Muslim hackers temporarily downed Arutz Sheva’s Hebrew-language website Tuesday, and defaced it with anti-Israel slogans. The attack was claimed by Turkish hacking group Turkguvenligi, which claims to have previously hacked websites belonging to NATO, Interpol, Nasa and the Pentagon, among other high-profile targets. In a message addressed to “all the Muslim Peoples”, the group singled out…

Jordan has presented a new resolution on the Gaza crisis to the UN Security Council and hopes for action on the measure in the coming days, its ambassador said Tuesday.   The draft resolution backed by Arab countries calls for a lasting ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, as well as an international effort to rebuild…

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro compared Israel’s military operation in Gaza on Tuesday to a “disgusting form of fascism” that its ally, the United States, is unable to control. “I think that a new and disgusting form of fascism is emerging with considerable force at this moment in human history,” Castro wrote in a column…

Hamas has suffered a “serious blow” after nearly a month of fighting, according to the head of the IDF’s Southern Command Maj. Gen. Sami Turgeman. “The damage to Hamas was severe,” he told Channel Two. “We killed hundreds of Hamas fighters and commanders, we hit the enemy’s rocket infrastructure, destroyed its manufacturing infrastructure. We hit all the arsenals…

Pottery sherds discovered by an Israel Antiquities Authority inspector several months ago, during extensive work by the Netivei Israel – National Transport Infrastructure Company on the new Highway 1 project, resulted in an archaeological excavation in which a previously unknown settlement from the Late Second Temple period was discovered, as well as a rare hoard of…

Yehuda Glick, head of the LIBA Movement for Freedom of Movement on the Temple Mount, expressed his satisfaction that “for the first time in three years the Temple Mount has been opened to Jews on Tisha b’Av.” “300 Jews have already come, including MK Shuli Muallem-Refaeli (Jewish Home).  Afterward, we went to Commander of the Old City,…

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged “utmost restraint” after Israel and Hamas agreed to begin a new, 72-hour truce Tuesday in their bloody, month-old conflict. The breakthrough came during talks in Cairo on Monday, only days after a similar three-day agreement to let the guns fall silent collapsed within hours of starting on Friday, as Hamas…

Thousands of Jews gathered at the Western Wall (Kotel ) Plaza in Jerusalem Tuesday to mark Tisha B’Av – the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av – on which the Second Jewish Temple was destroyed, 1944 years ago. The First Temple was also destroyed on the same day of the year by Nebuchadnezzar,…

Hamas terrorists launched a rocket attack on Israeli civilians minutes before a 72-hour ceasefire took hold at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday. Rockets were fired at fires at the Gaza Belt, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Kiryat Malachi, Gan Yavneh, Maaleh Adumim and Judea. No one was reported hurt. An Arab family’s home near Bethlehem, in the area under Palestinian…

The United States welcomed the declaration of a ceasefire in fighting between Israel and Hamas on Monday but warned that the onus was on Hamas to maintain the truce, AFP reports. “This is a real opportunity. We strongly support the initiative,” Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken told CNN, when asked about an Egyptian proposal…

Great excitement was felt at the Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva on Saturday, as an IDF soldier who was critically wounded in Gaza opened his eyes for the first time, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reports. The soldier, Ohad Ben-Yishai, was wounded from shrapnel that entered his head while fighting terrorists in the Sajaiya neighborhood in…

Israel’s ambassador to Hungary demanded a government inquiry on Tuesday into a public hanging of effigies of Israeli leaders staged by a town mayor linked to the far-right Jobbik party.   Mihaly Zoltan Orosz, mayor of Erpatak, was filmed ordering the hanging of effigies of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and former president Shimon Peres…

Italy said Tuesday it is expelling a Moroccan imam caught on video inciting violence against Jews during Israel’s offensive against Hamas terrorists in Gaza, as reported by Arutz Sheva Monday. The cleric was filmed during a Friday sermon in a mosque near Venice last month calling for Jews to be killed “one by one”, according…

The severe upswing in anti-Semitism in several European countries is so significant that Newsweek has made it its cover story. The sympathetic Newsweek report is entitled, “Exodus: Why Europe’s Jews are Fleeing Once Again.” The article is replete with references to the Holocaust, rendering it much more than just another hate-crimes report. It rather relays…

A terrorist stabbed a security guard at the entrance to the city of Maaleh Adumim, east of Jerusalem, Tuesday. The guard suffered moderate to severe wounds. He fired at the terrorist but apprently failed to hit him. The attacker ran away toward the village of Azariyeh. Magen David Adom medics gave the guard initial care…

Minister of the Interior, Gideon Sa’ar (Likud), has submitted a request to Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein to revoke the citizenship of Muhammad Faraj, for his 2012 terror attack on a Dan bus in central Tel Aviv, where 26 people were injured. The Tel Aviv District Court convicted Faraj on 24 counts of attempted murder, aiding and abetting…

A British minister who was the first Muslim woman to sit in the Cabinet has resigned over the British government’s policy on Gaza, she said Tuesday. Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, a minister at the Foreign Office and minister for faith and communities, wrote on Twitter: “With deep regret I have this morning written to the Prime…

Thousands from across the country and from around the world gathered last night in Jerusalem to renew the traditional march around the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City on the night of Tisha B’Av. The 20th annual march took place through the efforts of the heads of the “Women in Green” organization, led by Yehudit Katzover…

South African President Jacob Zuma voiced outrage Monday over civilian deaths in Israel’s campaign in Gaza but distanced himself from calls to expel the Israeli ambassador, AFP reported. “We are outraged by the killing of civilians by Israel, some in United Nations shelters,” Zuma was quoted as having told a news conference in Washington where…

U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday signed a bill granting an additional $225 million in taxpayer dollars for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, reports The Associated Press (AP). The U.S. has provided hundreds of millions of dollars for Iron Dome in the past. The new package is intended to replenish Israel’s capabilities. Congress approved…

The findings that enabled the IDF’s Chief Rabbinate to declare the death of Lt. Hadar Goldin were provided by an IDF commander who fearlessly and selflessly pursued the terrorists who abducted Goldin’s body. First Lieutenant Eitan, the son of olim (immigrants) from New York, realized following Friday morning’s incident that the Hamas terrorists who attacked…

Britain is reviewing licenses to sell arms and military goods to Israel in the light of ongoing operations in Gaza, Prime Minister David Cameron’s office said Monday, according to AFP. Britain’s government has approved licenses for the sale of military goods to Israel worth at least $71 million since 2010, according to government figures obtained…

Hamas has accepted an Egyptian proposal for a 72-hour ceasefire with Israel set to begin Tuesday, a spokesman for the group told AFP on Monday night. “Hamas informed Cairo a few minutes ago of their approval of the truce for 72 hours from tomorrow,” spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said. The Islamic Jihad, which along with…

With criticism mounting of UN inaction in the Gaza conflict, envoys from all 193 countries of the United Nations will meet Wednesday to hear top officials report on the crisis, AFP reported on Monday. The meeting of the UN General Assembly was requested by Arab countries who are pushing for a toughly-worded resolution to be…

Jerusalem Councilman Aryeh King told Arutz Sheva on Monday that one should not be surprised by the tractor terrorist attack that took place in Jerusalem earlier in the day and which was carried out by a terrorist from eastern Jerusalem. In fact, King said, the attack was part of an ongoing escalation in the security…

Israel confirmed on Monday night that it has agreed to Egypt’s proposal for a 72-hour ceasefire in Gaza, to begin Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m. local time. The confirmation came after the ministers in the Security-Diplomacy Cabinet held a telephone discussion during which they voted to agree to the ceasefire. According to Channel 10 News,…

Israel and the Palestinians have agreed a new 72-hour Gaza ceasefire that would start at 0500 GMT (8:00 a.m. Israeli time) Tuesday, said a senior official in Egypt, which is hosting truce talks. “Egypt’s contacts with relevant parties have achieved a commitment for a 72-hour truce in Gaza starting from 0500 GMT tomorrow morning, and an…

Traffic police have asked drivers to be aware of the possibility that they will be sharing the roads with large numbers of army vehicles. The vehicles, including tanks, APCs, jeeps, and others are being transported on wide-bodied military transport vehicles. The vehicles are generally wider than a standard lane on a highway, and drivers were…

Israel’s former ambassador to the UN, Prof. Gabriella Shalev, admitted in a recent political conference at the Van Leer Institute that then-foreign minister Tzipi Livni selected her for the position because she is a woman. Speaking at a conference dedicated to promoting UN Security Council Resolution 1325, Shalev said: “I became an ambassador by circumstance.…

For the second time in one day, a major terrorist alert was revoked after several hours. The first alert, in the Gaza border area, saw police closing roads and turning away drivers, while the second one, in the Tel Aviv area, had police setting up roadblocks, causing major backups on the principal roads into and out…

Speaking Monday, Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said that Operation Protective Edge was not over, and would not be over until there was a complete cease-fire from Hamas – and that meant a complete cessation of rocket attacks on Israel, one that would remain intact. On a visit to Ashkelon, Yaalon said that the IDF needed…

According to UN officials, Gaza sustained at least $5 billion in damage over the past month and a half of IDF shelling and ground action. In an interview with the Palestinian Authority news agency Ma’an, the PA’s Labor Minister, Dr. Mufid Al-Hasayena, said that the PA would be appealing to interactional donors for funds to…

Hamas on Monday specifically called on Arabs in Judea and Samaria to conduct attacks on Israelis, urging them to start the “third intifada” that would start with attacks on Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, and eventually move into the rest of Israel. In a message sent out by Hamas Monday to “the Palestinians of…

Mati Dan, chairman of the Ateret Cohanim organization, said in an interview with Arutz Sheva that the Religious Affairs Ministry was taking responsibility for the “Kotel Katan,” the Small Western Wall that is an extension of the Western Wall that is accessible through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. According to Dan, the decision…

Residents of Beitar Ilit on Sunday night conducted a protest demanding greater security on the road that leads to the town. Residents drove out onto the road in a convoy, heading towards the Hussan Junction, which has been the site of many rock throwing attacks in recent years. Residents said that it has gotten to…

Monday marks the advent of Tisha B’Av, the Fast of the Ninth Day of the Hebrew month of Av, commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples and the subsequent exile of the Jewish people from their homeland. This year marks 1,946 years since the destruction of the Second Temple by Roman soldiers in…

As we enter the “nine days” of the month of Av, Jews around the world remember the events of this time almost 2,000 years ago, when Jerusalem was destroyed (in 70 CE), the Temple was razed to the ground and the city’s population massacred or exiled. In “Palestine” (the name given by Rome to the…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) made headlines Monday, after he suggested Israel is considering turning Gaza over to the UN.  “The operation is not over,” he said, referring to a seven-hour unilateral humanitarian ceasefire and reports the IDF is slowly withdrawing from Gaza. “We are continuing to destroy terror tunnels and to regroup in…

World leaders leaders on Monday commemorated the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I, a small Balkans conflict that went global with the German invasion of neutral Belgium in August 1914. In the Pacific, Prime Ministers Tony Abbott of Australia and John Key of New Zealand paid tribute to the tens of thousands…

Israel began observing a unilateral cease-fire at 10:00 am Monday, following a late-night decision by the Security Cabinet and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.  The seven-hour truce will last until 7:00 pm Monday, and excludes the Rafah area, where ongoing clashes have raged since Friday.  The Coordinator of Government Activities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza (COGAT),…

Fatah’s “military wing,” the Al-Aqsa Brigades, have claimed responsibility for a failed terror attack on a Neve Tzuf family home Sunday, in what was initially thought to be a burglary gone awry.  The statement said that a terror cell from the organization confronted “Zionist settlers” and killed three of them before they could safely return…

Five policemen were injured during clashes between masked Arabs and security forces on the Temple Mount Sunday, after police opened the Rambam (Mughrabi) Gate to visitors.  The rioters began throwing rocks and firing firecrackers at police, erupting in clashes on the Temple Mount as police called for reinforcements.  Israel Police and Border Police staff were…

Hamas officials called on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to “formally apologize before the Palestinian people” for “accepting Israel’s version of events” regarding their breaking a humanitarian ceasefire on Friday, claiming that the fact that IDF soldier Hadar Goldin (hy”d) was killed and not abducted proves that Israel lied to international community on being attacked…

For a long time he spoke to every official, every minister, and every IDF Chief of Staff over the threat of terror tunnels – in Gaza and elsewhere – but the system preferred to silence him. Now, Geologist and res. Col. Yossi Langotsky speaks to Arutz Sheva for the first time since Operation Protective Edge began…

The conflict in Gaza should not be an excuse for anti-Semitic slurs and attacks, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said late Sunday. Ban “deplores the recent upsurge in anti-Semitic attacks, particularly in Europe, in connection with protests concerning the escalation of violence in Gaza,” read a statement from the UN leader’s spokesman. “The Secretary-General emphasizes that the conflict in…

IDF troops were operating in the area of Gaza border towns Monday afternoon, in what security officials said was a “security incident.” Officials did not specify what they meant by the term, but they said that residents of the border communities needed to remain behind locked doors. Several roads in the area are closed. Police…

An Israeli man was shot in the stomach at the entrance to the Har Hatzofim (Mount Scopus) tunnel  in Jerusalem, in what looks to be the capital’s second terror attack in a matter of hours. An eyewitness named Eti said that the victim is a soldier. “I saw him falling backward,” she told reporter Moshe…

A high level figure in US Magen David Adom who came to see how for himself how the organization is meeting the challenges of Operation Protective Edge has told Arutz Sheva that since the start of the war,  the organization has raised over $8 million for Israel’s war-caused emergency needs. The cost of emergency services…

Israeli karate trainer Shai Hai was attacked by a group of Iranians and Germans in Frankfurt, Germany, at an international karate seminar last week. Hai was the headline speaker at the seminar, which was attended by about 90 people and supposedly dedicated to advancing world peace and unity. He was the only Israeli at the international…

A tractor slammed into a bus in Jerusalem at around 1:40 pm Monday in a terrorist attack, killing one person and injuring six others.  There were no passengers on the bus at the time, but the driver was among the casualties, suffering light injuries after it overturned from the impact. Four of the injured have…

Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni (HaTnua) had harsh words for the “sour spin”, as she put it, of the Israeli media on Operation Protective Edge.  “Take a look at the current situation and what we have achieved thus far,” said Livni in an interview with IDF Radio Monday. “Their leadership is still burrowed in, and they don’t…

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani denounced Monday the “inaction” of the UN Security Council on Gaza, describing the conflict as a “genocidal massacre” of Palestinians by Israel, according to AFP.  His comments came at a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement’s (NAM) committee for Palestine, with several foreign ministers among officials from Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Venezuela, Bangladesh, Sudan, Uganda and other member states. “The…

Israel’s right to security does not justify its actions in Gaza, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Monday, as he called for a political solution to be “imposed” by the international community. “How many more deaths will it take to stop what must be called the carnage in Gaza?” Fabius said in a statement. “The tradition of friendship between Israel…

Israel will hold its fire in most of Gaza for a seven-hour “humanitarian window” on Monday, the IDF announced on Sunday night. According to a statement by the Coordinator of Government Activities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza (COGAT), the ceasefire will take place between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Israel time (0700 GMT and 1400…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reiterated on Sunday night that Operation Protective Edge in Gaza will continue for as long as necessary and until its objectives have been reached. Netanyahu’s declaration came after a security assessment he held with Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) chief…

Israel was once again criticized on Sunday for an attack on a United Nations school in Gaza, which the United States said was “disgraceful”. According to the AFP news agency, in one of the most strongly-worded statements yet from Washington since the conflict began nearly a month ago, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the…

The IDF has withdrawn many of its troops from Gaza, saying that their main mission – the destruction of Hamas terror tunnels – was completed. But residents of the Gaza border area towns and villages near where the openings of many of the tunnels were found are not convinced. As a result, many of the…

As Israeli Jews have been descending on the south with donations, food, clothing, and everything else they can fit in the trunks of their cars, Jews in the diaspora have been marshaling resources to help the IDF and Israelis cope with Operation Protective Edge. On Sunday, the Jewish National Fund said it had raised $4…

Israel is under attack, its cities and towns barraged by intense rocket fire and missiles. Sirens sound day and night, suddenly, unexpectedly. Soldiers are deployed along the border and sent into battle where they risk their lives to overcome the Gazan enemy, pinpoint rocket launching sites and discover and destroy tunnels, protecting their land and…

A reporter for France 24, Gallagher Fenwick, was reporting from Gaza Friday and explaining how its residents’ “food security” has been affected by the fighting there, when something unexpected happened. “This was a rocket,”, a rattled Fenwick told his audience, “this was a rocket, rockets were just shot right next to where we are standing,…

Thousands of Israelis mourned and came together to remember the life of Lt. Hadar Goldin h”yd, who was laid to rest in Kfar Saba Sunday afternoon. Streets were closed in much of Kfar Saba as Israelis from around the country thronged to the city’s cemetery, where the young officer’s father, brother, and fiancee praised his…

A man suffered light injuries Sunday when a mortar shell struck a Jewish community in the Shaar Hanegev region, near Gaza. He received treatment on the spot and did not require hospitalization. By sundown, Hamas had fired 70 rockets and mortar shells at Israel. In Zikim, the security alert because of an unspecified security-related event…

Second Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, hy”d, who was killed by Hamas terrorists on Friday, was a close relative of Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, it was cleared for publication Sunday morning. Hebrew media has yet to officially indicate how the two were related, but the Hebrew phrase – karov mishpaha – indicates an immediate or otherwise very close family…

IDF forces are completing their mission to destroy terror tunnels in the early morning Sunday, a senior IDF officer told Arutz Sheva, saying that “we are toward the end of our mission in the tunnels.”  His statements came as Israel began withdrawing some ground troops from the Gaza Strip and redeploying others. But despite the…

Tourism Minister Uzi Landau (Yisrael Beytenu) sharply criticized claims that the target of Operation Protective Edge has been achieved on Sunday, stating that the real threat is missile fire – and that destroying tunnels, in his words, only goes so far. “The tunnels are a secondary objective, the main purpose was to take care of…

Another victory against the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement was forged Friday at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), after a divestment resolution against Israel was tabled indefinitely by the student government.  After both sides presented, the head of the student government stated that this is not the time, place or forum to have this dialogue. The resolution…

Rabbi Baruch Efrati, head of the Derech Emuna rabbis, and Women in Green hosted a gathering in Giv’at Oz veGa’on Friday, to commemorate thirty days since the burial of the three abducted youths, Gilad Sha’ar (16), Eyal Yifrah (19), and Naftali Frenkel (16), hy”d.  Rabbi Efrati opened his words with an expression of thanks to Women in Green,…

Thousands of protesters, many wrapped in Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flags, rallied outside the White House on Saturday to call for peace and an end to the fighting in Gaza, AFP reported. The crowd, young and old from across the United States, including scores of children on parents’ shoulders, chanted “End U.S. Aid to Israel”…

Hamas reacted on Saturday to Israel withdrawing some of its troops from Gaza, saying the group was not obligated by any move Israel makes. According to the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that a unilateral Israeli withdrawal would not “commit” the group to anything, stressing that Hamas was ready to…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, spoke Sunday with Simcha and Leah Goldin, the parents of Lt. Hadar Goldin, who fell in combat in the Gaza Strip on Friday. He told them, “Hadar was a tremendous personality, a great hero. I know that you are going through terrible agony, the feeling that a part of you has…

Operation Protective Edge has put a damper on the Israeli economy, although the fundamentals are still strong, say economists. The latest evidence of that: Figures for July, as the war raged for most of the month, show new car sales lower than they were a year earlier, but still robust. Officials at Israel’s car import agencies said…

Two Arabs entered a Jewish home in Neveh Tzuf, in the Binyamin region north of Jerusalem, but were driven out by residents.  Police are treating the event as a burglary, but are looking into the possibility that it was a terror act. Initially, terrorism was suspected and large military and police forces combed the area.…

Prison Service officials said that they have uncovered a plot by Arab terrorists in a prison in northern Israel to tunnel their way out. The terrorists managed to partially dig out an escape tunnel without prison staff being aware of their activity. Acting on a tip, officials discovered the well-hidden tunnel over the weekend, and…

While the IDF has been searching out and destroying terror tunnels dug by Hamas terrorists into Israel, Israeli geologists were discovering and mapping another kind of “tunnel” – a cave that has turned out to be the longest one in Israel. The cave, in northern Israel, was discovered and mapped by the cave research section…

Opposition leader Yitzhak Herzog (Labor) has called on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to resume peace talks on Sunday, claiming that the peace process is the only way to end Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.  “We have removed the terror threat of tunnels substantially, but demilitarization and a full return to quiet will not materialize without…

Large scale IDF and security forces have been deployed near Kibbutz Zikim in the Ashkelon area, due to concerns over a possible security incident there. Residents in communities throughout the Hof Ashkelon region have been warned to stay in their homes as authorities determine the threat level; Kibbutz Zikim is only about a kilometer and…

Thousands marched in Chile’s capital Saturday against Israel’s operation in Gaza, urging President Michelle Bachelet to break off diplomatic relations with the Jewish state, reported AFP. “Break it off, Break it off, Break off ties with Israel!” chanted demonstrators who marched to the presidential palace, many waving banners or decked out in the traditional Arab…

The IDF spokesman announced early on Sunday morning that at 11:25 p.m.on Saturday, the Chief Rabbi of the IDF, Brigadier Gen. Rafi Peretz, declared the death of IDF officer, Lt. Hadar Goldin, who fell in the Gaza Strip on Friday. The decision was made according to the findings of a special board, headed by the…

A Syrian man has been arrested in Belgium on suspicion of participating in terrorist activities after he was found to be in possession of videos showing killings linked to a jihadist group, his lawyer said on Saturday. The 25-year-old man, who has not been named, was detained after he arrived at Charleroi Airport in Brussels…

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon spoke Saturday night, providing updates on progress with Operation Protective Edge as it wraps up its twenty-sixth day.  Ya’alon first related to Hamas’s attacks on – and abduction of – IDF soldiers.  “Hamas members are those who violated the cease-fire led by the United States and the United Nations,” Ya’alon stated.…

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Saturday an Egyptian truce plan provides a “real chance” to end the Gaza conflict, stressing the need for its speedy implementation, according to AFP.  A Palestinian delegation is expected in Cairo on Saturday to discuss a durable truce to end the fighting, a day after a temporary ceasefire collapsed with Israel and Hamas blaming each other. “The…

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) called upon the government Saturday night to outlaw the Islamic Movement in Israel, after the group’s leader lead a pro-Palestinian protest in the Galilee over the weekend. Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement, led a noon demonstration in Tamra Saturday, which drew 10,000 Israeli…

Pro-Palestinian organizations, in cooperation with radical leftist organizations – including some Jewish groups – continue organizing anti-Israeli demonstrations across Canada.  On July 30, the “Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid” (CAIA) held a demonstration in Dundas Square in downtown Toronto, which attended by hundreds of local residents who were carrying placards denouncing Israel and support the Palestinian…

Member of the Security Cabinet and Finance Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) spoke with US Secretary of State John Kerry Saturday night, to thank the US Congress for working to approve $225 million in additional aid for the Iron Dome missile defense system.  The Finance Minister stressed that Israel attaches “great importance” to maintaining and…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stated Saturday night that Operation Protective Edge in Gaza will continue “for as much time as necessary,” despite earlier reports indicating that some IDF forces may be withdrawing. The Prime Minister explained that some troops are being distanced from civilian areas where the IDF has achieved its objectives to prevent unnecessary…

The parents of missing IDF soldier Hadar Goldin, have expressed their shock at rumors that the IDF was beginning to withdraw from Gaza, and urged the government not to abandon their son. “I am a Battalion Commander in the reserves, I performed reserves duty until I was 50. (IDF Chief of Staff) Benny Gantz was…

Sirens continued to sound throughout Israel over Saturday, as a mortar attack caused at least one serious injury in the Eshkol Region near Gaza. A 77-year-old man was seriously injured at about 4:50 pm Saturday afternoon in an Eshkol region community after being struck by shrapnel from a mortar barrage from Gaza. Magen David Adom…

An initial investigation into the attack during which Second Lieutenant Hadar Goldin was abducted on Friday reveals that terrorists in Rafah launched a concerted attack on a Givati Brigade force yesterday morning before kidnapping the soldier.  The attacked killed two soldiers in Goldin’s unit, and included fierce gunfire and at least one suicide bomber, according…

Turkey will do what it can to help free Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin, who is feared kidnapped by Hamas, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday, according to Reuters. “What is important is that the ceasefire is reinstated. To ensure this, together with others, we can take any step that could resolve this Israeli…

Egypt said Friday its invitation to Israeli and Palestinian Authority (PA) delegations for talks on a longer-term Gaza ceasefire was “still in place” despite the fact that the 72-hour humanitarian truce had broken down. At the same time, reported AFP, Egypt condemned Israel for “keeping on targeting innocent Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip”. A…

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demanded Friday that an Israeli soldier captured in Gaza be released immediately and condemned “in the strongest terms” the reported ceasefire violation by Hamas, according to AFP. Ban called on Israel and Hamas to show restraint and return to the 72-hour truce that collapsed after two soldiers were killed…

Throughout the operation in Gaza, the IDF has constantly presented proof of Hamas’s use of human shields and its firing of rockets from schools and hospitals. Now, there is further proof, this time from a Finnish reporter who admitted to the camera that rockets were being fired from the Shifa hospital in Gaza. The reporter,…

The Senate on Friday rushed through a $225 million bill to replenish the Iron Dome missile defense system, The Associated Press (AP) reported. House approval is expected in the final hours before lawmakers began a summer break. The money will go to restocking the Iron Dome, which has been credited with shooting down dozens of…

The United States placed the blame for Friday’s rapid breakdown in the latest Gaza ceasefire squarely at the door of Hamas, AFP reported. Speaking after Hamas killed two Israeli soldiers and captured a third, Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. “condemns in the strongest possible terms today’s attack, which led to the killing…

U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday called on Hamas to unconditionally release Second Lieutenant (Platoon Leader) Hadar Goldin, who is feared kidnapped in Gaza. Releasing Goldin, Obama said in a statement, would show that Hamas is serious about a ceasefire. “I think it’s important to note that we have and I have unequivocally condemned Hamas…

In what may be one of the most ridiculous accusations yet against Israel, the UN’s top human rights official condemned Israel on Thursday for failing to share the Iron Dome anti-missile system with Hamas, Breitbart reports. According to the report, human rights commissioner Navi Pillay condemned Israel’s military actions to stop Hamas rocket attacks against…

Israeli security forces shot dead a Palestinian rioter during clashes in Samaria on Friday, security sources told AF, as Hamas urged Arabs in Judea and Samaria to begin a new “intifada”. They said Tamer Smour, 22, was hit by a live bullet in the chest in the city of Tulkarem.   A spokesman for the…

Zo Artzeinu, an organization which plants fruit trees in Israel, has vowed to plant a special orchard on Friday – both in the memory of murdered teens Naftali Frenkel (16), Gilad Sha’ar (16), and Eyal Yifrah (19), and for the lives of Israel’s fallen soldiers. The organization has vowed to plant 3,000 trees in memory…

Hamas has fired yet another salvo of rockets on Israel Friday, as sirens sounded near the Kerem Shalom crossing shortly after 10:00 am.  No injuries or damage have yet been reported.  The rocket fire surfaces after a ceasefire was announced just over two hours ago.  Earlier, Hamas fired a salvo of rockets at the south just…

With Operation Protective Edge ongoing and IDF soldiers and the citizens of Israel facing repeated Hamas attacks, Rabbi David Stav of the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization issued a call to synagogues and Jewish organizations around the world to proudly fly the Israeli flag. “Our hearts and minds are with the brave soldiers of the IDF who…

Reserve units who have been called up to replace security forces normally serving in Judea and Samaria during Operation Protective Edge have prepared to stay for the long haul, according to a senior IDF officer.   Lt. Colonel Yishai Gertler, a former infantry battalion commander who serves in the Ramallah area, told Arutz Sheva Friday that combat…

Police forces throughout Jerusalem’s Old City and Arab neighborhoods have been mobilized Friday morning, ahead of a 72-hour “humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza and the first Friday after Ramadan.  In addition, Hamas has called on Arabs in the Palestinian Authority (PA), Judea and Samaria, and Jerusalem to “show solidarity for Gaza and the Resistance” by facilitating…

The number-two US diplomat will head to Cairo and seek to extend beyond 72 hours a truce agreed by Israel and Hamas, a senior US official said Friday. According to AFP, Deputy Secretary of State William Burns – a veteran career diplomat frequently tasked with delicate missions – will travel to Egypt this weekend to take part in talks as part of…

The IDF attacked over 120 terror targets overnight Thursday/Friday, ahead of an expected three-day “humanitarian ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas slated for 8:00 am Friday.  The targets eliminated included Hamas rocket launchers directed at IDF naval forces along Gaza’s coast; two Hamas terrorists apprehended by the Paratroopers Brigade; an Islamic Jihad operations room with two…

Hundreds of riot police in Paris deployed near the Israeli Embassy on Thursday for the first major pro-Israel rally since the start of the latest Gaza war, The Associated Press (AP) reported. Several thousand people turned out for the rally, waving signs with slogans like “Gaza hostage of Hamas” and “We protest for peace,” according…

Egypt has invited Israel and the Palestinian Authority to send delegates to Cairo for truce talks, after both sides agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire in Gaza, the foreign ministry said on Thursday night, according to AFP. The delegations, which will include representatives of Hamas in Gaza, are expected to depart at any moment, a senior…

On Friday morning the IDF announced that a soldier had gone missing, feared abducted, in a fierce firefight with Hamas terrorists who had breached a ceasefire which began just hours before. Shortly after, the soldier was named as Second Lieutenant (Platoon Leader) Hadar Goldin, 23, from Kfar Saba. Late last year, Arutz Sheva‘s Hebrew-language radio station…

More disturbing footage has emerged illustrating the recent surge in anti-Semitism in Europe, as Islamists and extremists from both the hard-left and -right of the political spectrum have used the pretext of Israel’s military operation in Gaza to engage in violent attacks and incitement against Jews. The latest video is from an Islamist rally in…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke with US Secretary of State John Kerry following Friday, after Hamas terrorists breached a 72-hour ceasefire to attack an IDF force in Gaza, killing two soldiers and taking another hostage. A statement from the prime minister’s office said that Netanyahu confirmed to Kerry “that despite his joint statement with UN…

The White House has condemned an attack by Hamas terrorists on IDF forces, in which two soldiers were killed and another feared abducted, as a “barbaric” violation of a humanitarian ceasefire which began just hours before. Second Lieutenant (Platoon Leader) Hadar Goldin, 23, from Kfar Saba went missing during a fierce firefight on the outskirts…

Just hours after stepping down as US House majority leader, Republican Representative Eric Cantor announced he would resign from his congressional seat later this month. Establishment heavyweight Cantor lost his seat to an even more conservative but virtually unknown Tea Party-backed challenger in a June election amid deep divisions within the Republican Party ahead of…

Exactly nine years since the Expulsion from Gush Katif, the Sderot Hesder Yeshiva (Torah academy) has been turned into a center for soldiers to recover and raise their spirits after battle in Gaza. “There is a great love here for the IDF,” said Rabbi David Fendel, dean of the Afikei Da’at Hesder Yeshiva. During the…

The IDF released for publication the name of the soldier feared abducted by terrorists in Gaza. The missing soldier has been named as Second Lieutenant (Platoon Leader) Hadar Goldin, 23, from Kfar Saba. Goldin serves in the Givati Brigade. The IDF Spokesperson’s office announced Friday that at about 9:30 am, terrorists opened fire on Israeli…

MK Miri Regev made a strong statement against further cease-fire attempts Friday, after Israel and Hamas allegedly accepted a US-brokered ceasefire – and terrorists began firing rockets on Israel hours later.  “We call on the Prime Minister to return Israel her sovereignty,” MK Miri Regev (Likud) stated Friday. “We must stop these cease-fires – they…

Once again, a Jewish “light unto the nations” has begun to shine – this time, on the Hindus.  The Hindus in the United States have decided that they would like a worldwide certification system, similar to that of Kosher food. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism (USOH), stated this week that Hindus take…

The IDF has released the names of three of the five soldiers killed Thursday night in Gaza. All of them served in the 188th Armored Brigade, or “Lightning Brigade.”  The slain (hy”d) are: Master Sergeant Daniel Marsh, 22, from Rishon LeTzion. Marsh’s funeral will be held at 3:30 pm Friday at the military cemetery in…

The IDF Spokesperson has cleared for publication that five soldiers were killed Thursday evening while performing operational activities near the border with Gaza. According to the IDF statement, there was high trajectory fire (usually meaning rockets or mortars) towards the soldiers. The names of the five have not yet been cleared for publication. As well,…

The White House said on Thursday night that it strongly supports the new three-day ceasefire agreed to by Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Reuters reported. In a statement, Washington urged “restraint” in the hours before the truce begins at 8:00 a.m. Israel time (0500 GMT) on Friday. “We urge all parties to act with restraint…

Moments after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire in Gaza, terrorists from the coastal enclave fired a salvo of rockets towards Israel’s Shfela region. Sirens were heard shortly after 1:00 a.m. Thursday night in Rehovot, Ness Ziona, Lod and other localities. The Iron Dome…

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday night, according to AFP. Kerry said that the two sides would begin the truce at 8:00 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and that Israelis and Palestinian Arabs would enter talks in Cairo. “This…

The commander of the 101st Paratrooper Battalion heroically prevented a Hamas terrorist from snatching the body of an IDF soldier and disappearing with it into a tunnel on Monday, it has been revealed. The commander noticed a terrorist dragging the body into a tunnel and took action. He requested assistance from a nearby tank, and…

MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud) spelled out his formula for solving the Gaza terror problem, in an event at Beit Shemesh Wednesday. Feiglin does not believe in going after rocket launchers or tunnels. Gaza should be retaken in whole, he said, by directly attacking the Hamas leadership and striving for victory, and doing so according to Jewish…

The United States said Thursday there was little doubt Israeli artillery was the source of a “totally indefensible” strike that killed 16 people at a UN school in Gaza. White House spokesman Josh Earnest noted that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had said all available evidence pointed to Israeli artillery and that the Israeli government had…

Israel’s actions in Gaza are war crimes and Gaza is a ghetto whose residents can’t escape bombings, says John Prescott, who was Deputy Prime Minister of Britain from 1997 to 2007, under Tony Blair. Any other country “which blasted a hospital, shelled and killed children from a gunboat as they played football on the beach…

US officials warned Wednesday that patience with “crazy” Israeli criticism of would-be-peacemaker John Kerry had snapped, using unprecedentedly rude language to characterize an alleged transcript of the most recent phone conversation between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Relations between Israel and the United States have been testy in recent days after Kerry…

Violent pro-Palestinian protestors have focused upon the Kedem cosmetics shop in Manchester to vent their rage at Israel, according to the Jewish Chronicle and Manchester Evening News – threatening the owners and Jews in general with death.  Owners and staff at Kedem have received hundreds of phone calls – at one point one every five minutes, according to…

French Jewish leaders have reacted to the possible ban of the Ligue de Defense Juive (LDJ), a militant Jewish group involved in recent clashes with pro-Palestinian activists during rallies against the Gaza offensive which turned violent.  The CRIF’s head Roger Cukierman distanced his group from the LDJ as news of the possible ban emerged, saying: “We share neither…

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a short animated video using cynical humor to drive home a point about Hamas and its method of conducting war. “Enjoy a short animated tour of Gaza Heights, the most tranquil neighborhood in the Strip,” says the text under the video. “This video tour by Really Reality…

The Supreme Court postponed the eviction of five families from caravans dedicated to the memories of murdered teens Naftali Frenkel (16), Gilad Sha’ar (16), and Eyal Yifrah (19) on Thursday, allowing the families, Defense Ministry, and the Gush Etzion Regional Cuncil two weeks to authorize the residences. The five caravans were established in Tekoa Heh,…

The United States confirmed Wednesday it had restocked Israel’s supplies of ammunition. The Pentagon confirmed the Israeli military had requested additional ammunition to restock its dwindling supplies on July 20, with the US Defense Department approving the sale just three days later. “The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is…

IDF troops on Wednesday destroyed several structures and a stone house on a hilltop next to the central Samaria town of Kfar Tapuach – at the same time as the residents of those homes were serving in the IDF, with at least one fighting in Gaza. The Honenu civil rights organization called the demolitions “a sad…

The chief of Iran’s elite Quds Force has ridiculed calls for Hamas to be disarmed and urged the Palestinian Islamist movement in Gaza to “turn the land and skies into hell” for Israel. Major General Qassem Suleimani’s message to terrorist factions fighting Israel in the Gaza Strip while firing rockets on Israeli civilians was published…

In an interview on Fox News Channel Wednesday, Mosab Hassan Yousef, son of Hamas founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, praised Israel for fighting against Hamas, saying it was the only way to prevent future wars and save the lives of civilians in both Israel and Gaza. Yousef has appeared on other news channels in recent days,…

The Palestinian Authority has decided to sign the Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court, which would qualify it to be considered for full membership in the ICC. As a member of the ICC, the PA could sue Israel for “war crime violations,” demanding compensation and sanctions against Israel for its activities in Operation Protective…

An additional 16,000 reserve soldiers are being called up for duty, joining some 70,000 reservist who had already been called for service, the IDF announced Thursday. With the call-up, a total of some 86,000 reservists will be on active duty. The call-up indicates that the IDF may expand its operation, expanding its mission beyond the…

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Wednesday blamed Hamas for the heavy loss of civilian life in Gaza, according to AFP. “Obviously, no one likes to see the suffering and loss of life that has occurred,” Harper said in televised remarks. “That said, we hold the terrorist organization Hamas responsible for this. They have initiated…

New details have emerged about the booby-trapped clinic explosion that killed three IDF Maglan unit soldiers in Gaza earlier this week – Sergeant First Class Matan Gottlieb, 21, from Rishon LeZion; Sergeant First Class Omar Chai, 21, from Savion; and Sergeant First Class Guy Algranati, 20, of Tel Aviv, hy”d.  Over eighty kilograms of explosives were built into the UN-funded…

Last week’s 36-hour order by the Federal Aviation Administration preventing American carriers from flying to Ben Gurion Airport inspired the “Samaria Foreign Ministry” to show European parliamentarians what the situation at the airport would be if terrorists were just a few kilometers from Israel’s borders in Judea and Samaria, instead of 60 some kilometers away…

A Flemish doctor who manned a medical hotline Wednesday night refused to provide help to a 90-year-old Jewish woman, Bertha Klein, who had suffered a fractured rib. “I’m not coming!” he said. “Send her to Gaza for a few hours, and she will not feel the pain anymore,” was the reply. The doctor confirmed the exchange,…

MK Nachman Shai on Thursday urged the Prime Minister to officially “upgrade” the status Operation Protective Edge from an IDF operation to a “war.” The government has been under pressure to do so, political and economic experts say, but has been reluctant to do so, because it will require greater outlays in compensation for those…

Last night, it was a great night in Rome. My newspaper, Il Foglio, rallied for Israel, its right to exist and to defend itself. More than 1,000 people came to the demonstration. We met along the Tiber river. In a Europe where barbarians are burning the flags with the star of David again and are…

The High Court is set to consider whether or not to order the removal of caravans near the Gush Etzion town of Tekoa that had been set up to honor the memories of murdered Israeli teens Eyal Yifrah, Naftali Frenkel, and Gilad Sha’ar. Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee MK Ze’ev Elkin…

The three IDF soldiers who were killed on Wednesday in Gaza, were killed when explosives detonated within a booby-trapped UN building in Khan Younis, Breitbart reports. An elite IDF tunnel unit was in the process of uncovering an opening to a Hamas tunnel located at an UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) health clinic…

The Senate has passed a resolution that states the Senate’s support of Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas rocket attacks and condemns a biased United Nations report, reports The Hill. The resolution, passed Tuesday, was passed through a unanimous consent agreement. It also condemns a United Nations Human Rights Council report that stated Israel…

An Israeli delegation arrived in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss with Egyptian officials a possible ceasefire in Gaza, airport officials said, according to AFP. Cairo, a key mediator in truce negotiations between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers, was also expected to host a Palestinian Authority delegation later this week. Hamas has so far rejected a…

Israel on Wednesday was blamed and condemned for the shelling of a UN school being used as a shelter in Gaza, even as the IDF said it was looking into the incident. In a statement, the commissioner of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), whose school in Jabalia was hit, condemned the “Israeli…

Hundreds of Italian Jews gathered in Milan on Thursday, to support Israel’s self-defense operation in Gaza. The protest – spearheaded by youth groups, Amici di Israele (Friends of Israel) and the President of the Jewish Community of Milan, Walker Meghnagi – also included a landmark speech from President of Lombardy, Roberto Maroni.  The protest did not…

A week after he stepped down from office, former President Shimon Peres evoked outrage on Wednesday when he said that it was time to end the operation in Gaza. Peres, who visited wounded soldiers at the Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva, said that “the war has run its course and now we need to find…

Three IDF soldiers were killed in Gaza Wednesday, the IDF cleared for publication Wednesday night. Their families have been notified. As of 8:30 pm Wednesday, two of the soldiers’ names have been released for publication.  Sergeant First Class Matan Gottlieb, 21, from Rishon LeZion, served in the IDF’s Special Forces Maglan Unit. He will be…

MK Ze’ev Elkin (Likud) slammed Israel’s ‘humanitarian ceasefires’ in Gaza on Wednesday, noting that they are causing ‘great damage’ to Israel.  “All this walking towards [these] humanitarian ceasefires – or not – is a big mistake,” Elkin said, in a special interview with Arutz Sheva. “Last weekend we were already in a state that Hamas was…

Bolivia on Wednesday renounced a visa exemption agreement with Israel in protest over its offensive in Gaza, and declared it a terrorist state, according to AFP.  President Evo Morales announced the move during a talk with a group of educators in the city of Cochabamba. It “means, in other words, we are declaring (Israel) a terrorist state,” he said. The treaty has…

Israeli attacks against US Secretary of State John Kerry accusing him being of a supporter of Hamas are “offensive and absurd,” a senior US diplomat said Wednesday. In a sharp exchange with reporters, deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf hit out against a torrent of abuse from “respected voices in Israel talking about the secretary of state, claiming that he…

Thirty days after the burial of abducted and murdered teens Gilad Sha’ar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrah, a memorial service was held on Tuesday at the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem. The service was attended by the bereaved families, President Reuven Rivlin, Chief Rabbi David Lau, Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and Knesset…

The US embassy in Tel Aviv has cancelled tourist visa applications for Israelis, according to a statement on its official website, in a move it claims is a matter of staffing and security.  “Due to the current security situation in Tel Aviv, U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv remains open but is operating at reduced staffing until…

The GOC of the Southern Command, Major General Shlomo Turgeman, gave a detailed update on Operation Protective Edge Wednesday, as Cabinet ministers debate on the future of the operation.  “Fighting against Hamas persists continuously and intensely,” Turgeman stated. “We have killed hundreds of Hamas terrorists, dozens of them in terrorist ‘special forces.’” “We have attacked…

Israel expressed “deep disappointment” Wednesday after Chile, El Salvador and Peru recalled their ambassadors over its military campaign in Gaza, saying they are encouraging Hamas in its attacks on the Jewish state, according to AFP.  On Tuesday, El Salvador’s foreign ministry recalled its envoy for urgent consultations, speaking of what it called  “indiscriminate” Israeli bombing of Gaza. The same day, Chile ordered…

Senior Palestinian Authority officials have accused US Secretary of State John Kerry of favoring Hamas, according to a report by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), insisting that Kerry had presented his own proposal to cater to Hamas-backed Qatar and Turkey.  Speaking anonymously, a senior Palestinian official told the London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat last week that…

Israeli security forces have captured a senior Hamas commander in the city of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip – and in doing so thwarted a creative plan to infiltrate Israel to commit a terrorist attack. The terrorist – said to be a member of an elite commando unit within Hamas’s “military wing”, the Ezzadine…

Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of one of Hamas’s founders Sheikh Hassan Yousef, has said that the current conflict illustrates how the Islamist group’s disregard for human life is central to its ideology. “Hamas does not care about the lives of Palestinians, does not care about the lives of Israelis or Americans – they don’t…

A military source estimated Wednesday morning that a Hamas propaganda video showing footage from a deadly attack Monday afternoon on an IDF position near Gaza shows events as they occurred, but was edited by Hamas to serve its purposes. The IDF Spokesman, Brigadier General Motti Almoz, told Channel 2 Wednesday: “We understand the war over…

An Italian journalist who until Tuesday was embedded in Gaza has backed the IDF’s account of a rocket strike on a school playground in central Gaza’s Shati refugee camp on Monday. At least 10 people were killed in the attack – most of them children – and some sources claimed the death toll was as…

The Israel Defense Force began to advance toward “new targets” in the Gaza Strip Wednesday morning, ignoring US President Barack Obama’s reported attempt to strongarm Israel into an immediate ceasefire. IDF Radio, which reports the military advance, said that “it can be estimated that the IDF received permission from the political echelon to advance forward…

In an interview with Fusion TV, Hillary Clinton argued Hamas plants its rockets among civilians partly because there is not enough room in Gaza to put them elsewhere. Clinton explained that the current round of fighting in Gaza began because Hamas, “which has its back against the wall” and “intended to provoke Israel,” began firing…

Democratic and Republican members of Congress are scrambling to seal a $225 million boost to Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system before they break this week for a month-long recess but the House and Senate are at odds over process, according to The Associated Press (AP). Jennifer Hing, a spokeswoman for the House Appropriations Committee,…

The Obama administration’s chief nuclear negotiator, Wendy Sherman, refused on Tuesday to provide a hard deadline for a deal with Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons, The Associated Press (AP) reported. She vowed to consult with Congress before suspending more economic sanctions on Tehran, but said the administration won’t necessarily seek lawmakers’ approval.…

Former Palestinian Authority security chief Jibril Rajoub, often touted as a “Palestinian moderate”, has accused Israel of inflicting a “holocaust” on Gaza – while saying that Jews deserved the genocide inflicted on them by the Nazis. In an interview with Palestinian Authority TV, translated by MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute), Rajoub – who is…

Hamas has urged Hezbollah to join the fight against Israel, according to multiple sources, after Israel’s self-defense operation against the terror organization in Gaza has expanded further.  “We hope the Lebanese front will open and together we will fight against this formation [Israel],” deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau Mousa Abu Marzouk told Russian news agency RIA Novosti. “There’s no…

Several major Hassidic leaders have called on their yeshivot [Torah study academies] to cancel summer vacation due to the ongoing fighting in Gaza, and have ordered their followers to learn Torah during that time instead as a means of “spiritual protection” for the soldiers and residents of the South.  The Rebbe (Grand Rabbi) of the Ger hassidic…

Israeli holiday makers were evacuated from their Maldivian resort after one of them tore up an anti-Israeli placard equating the Nazi Swastika to the Israeli flag, officials said Wednesday.   Some 30 Israeli surfers were moved out to safety from Thulusdhoo island, near the capital island Male, as residents of the overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim archipelago…

The Israeli government has agreed to a temporary humanitarian ceasefire starting at 15:00 today (Wednesday). “The IDF (army) has authorized a temporary window in the Gaza Strip. The window will commence today between 15:00-19:00 (1200 – 1600 GMT),” it said. But the lull would not apply in areas where ground troops were “currently operating”, it said. The four-hour ceasefire…

Gilad Shalit, the former IDF Armored Corps soldier who was abducted by Hamas in 2006 and held for five years until he was freed in exchange for more than 1,000 terrorists, told Channel 2 Wednesday – “I pray for the well-being of the soldiers and hope they will return home safely, thank you.” “Just as…

Since 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, ‘Color Red sirens have sounded in a number of southern communities, including in Ashdod and its surrounding neighborhoods, in Ofakim, Netivot, Ashkelon and in the Bnei Shimon, Merhavim, Sdot Negev, Sha’ar Hanegev, and Hevel Yavneh Regional Councils. One rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system over the…

The religious-Zionist Tzohar rabbinical organization held its annual summer conference in central Jerusalem Monday. Hundreds of participants and dozens of rabbis, academics and other experts gathered from around the country and even abroad to attend the event at the Binyanei Ha’uma Convention Center. The conference, titled “Talking About What’s Important To You”, began with a…

A Frenchman suspected of carrying out a fatal shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussels was charged Wednesday with “murder in a terrorist context”, the Belgian prosecutor’s office said. Mehdi Nemmouche, 29, who spent more than a year fighting with Islamist extremists in Syria, was extradited from France to Belgium the previous day to be…

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) announced on Tuesday that another rocket stockpile has been found at one of its schools in Gaza, Breitbart reported. This instance marks the third time since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge that a weapons arsenal has been found at an UNRWA school in Gaza. UNRWA has…

England’s Moeen Ali has been warned by world cricket chiefs not to wear wristbands declaring his support for the people of Gaza again during international matches, AFP reported on Tuesday. At the same time, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said Ali would face no disciplinary action on this occasion after being warned about his future…

The Islamic State group, previously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), on Tuesday defended its destruction of religious sites in the Iraqi city of Mosul on the grounds that the use of mosques built on graves amounted to idolatry, AFP reported. “The demolition of structures erected above graves is a…

Rome’s mayor has denounced anti-Semitic graffiti and swastikas that have appeared across the city, The Associated Press (AP) reported on Tuesday. Some of the graffiti referred to the escalating violence in Gaza and included taunts such as “Jews, the end is near.” Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino offered his solidarity with Rome’s Jewish community and said…

Yariv Oppenheimer, director of the far-left Peace Now organization, criticized Economy Minister Naftali Bennett on Tuesday, after Bennett said that the goal of the current campaign in Gaza must include a clear military decision that leaves Hamas defeated and disarmed. “How convenient it is to be Bennett and push Netanyahu into Gaza,” said Oppenheimer. “If…

Chile recalled its ambassador to Israel for questioning on Tuesday, in a demonstration of opposition to Israel’s military action in Gaza, the Santiago Times reports. “In the face of intensifying Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip, the government of Chile — in coordination with other administrations in the region — has resolved to recall…

In a rare audio message, the head of Hamas’s “military wing” declared on Tuesday that the only way to reach a ceasefire in Gaza is for Israel to end its “siege” on the coastal territory. The message by Mohammed Deif, head of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, was broadcast on Hamas’s television network, and is…

Iranian spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called on Tuesday to the Muslim world to rise above the current political and religious conflicts in order to demonstrate a united front, in support of the “Palestinian” war against Israel Khamenei claimed that “The slaughter that the Zionist rule is undertaking in Gaza is a derivative of the rift…

Damning evidence has emerged of US President Barack Obama’s dismissal of Israel’s position in favor of supporting the position of Hamas and its allies during ceasefire talks. A “senior US official” leaked an audio recording of a telephone conversation between Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to Channel One. In it the 35-minute conversation, which…

The United States’ Ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, has emphatically rejected the authenticity of an audio tape released Tuesday night, said to be a leaked recording of a conversation between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama, in which the US President reportedly sought to aggressively push an unfavorable ceasefire on Israel. “Have…

France handed over to Belgium on Tuesday the man suspected of carrying out a deadly shooting in May at the Jewish Museum in Brussels. A spokeswoman for the Belgian police told AFP that Mehdi Nemmouche, a 29-year-old Frenchman of Algerian descent, had been brought from Paris to Brussels. “He will be interrogated,” added spokeswoman Tine…

Six soldiers were wounded on Tuesday evening by a barrage of mortar shells in the Gaza Region. The condition of the six wounded soldiers has not yet been made public. Yesterday, four soldiers were killed by mortar shells near Israel’s border with Gaza: Staff Sergeant Eliav Eliahu Chaim Kachlon, aged 22 from Tzfat; Corporal Meidan…

Economy Minister Naftali Bennett tore into his Al Jazeera interviewer Tuesday, branding the station’s sponsor – the gulf state of Qatar – as “the world’s greatest funder of terror.” Challenged over the civilian death toll in Gaza, Bennett blamed Hamas for placing rocket launchers among women and children “in the most cynical and cowardly way.”…

As the 22nd day of the IDF’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza draws to a close, MEMRI (the Middle East Media Research Institute) has published a video in which a Hamas cleric lays out the organization’s “doctrine” in its fight against Israel: genocide. Speaking in a televised address from Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza…

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has asked for fresh US help in trying to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, top US diplomat John Kerry said Tuesday.   “Last night we talked, and the prime minister talked to me about an idea and a possibility of a ceasefire. He raised it with me, as he has…

German police detained an 18-year-old man over an attempted arson attack against a synagogue Tuesday which drew a shocked reaction from the country’s Jewish community. The building in the western city of Wuppertal was not damaged in the incident and no one was hurt, a police spokesman said.   The suspect was arrested soon after…

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Israel’s leaders of committing “genocide” in Gaza and called on the Islamic world to arm Palestinians fighting “the Zionist regime,” according to AFP.  In a speech marking the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, Khamenei said Israel was acting like a “rabid dog” and “a wild wolf” in acts that amounted to a human…

If war were a boxing match and each day a round, Round 22 of Operation Protective Edge would go to Hamas. The terror militia succeeded in killing ten IDF soldiers in several incidents and surprised the IDF in its ability to coordinate an effective multi-pronged offensive despite the heavy attrition it has undergone in three…

At least 15,000 people gathered in New York City’s Dag Hammarskjold Plaza on Monday, in tremendous support for Israel and its self-defense operation against Hamas.  “We raise our voices to stand with Israel,” was a refrain heard over and over in the emotional rally, which countered a pro-Palestinian protest held over the weekend.  “Let us…

Five soldiers were killed when Hamas terrorists breached the border from Gaza near Kibbutz Nahal Oz on Monday, it has been cleared for publication.  A sixth soldier prevented the abduction of a body of one of the soldiers who was killed. He reportedly opened fire on the terrorists from the guard position he was in, when he…

North Korea has denounced allegations that it supplied missiles to Hamas and material support to Hezbollah as “sheer fiction” and a “sinister” effort to link Pyongyang to Middle East disputes, AFP reports. The rebuttal from the foreign ministry was carried in a statement late Monday by the North’s official KCNA news agency. It followed a…

Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain, says it will no longer sell products originating from Judea and Samaria starting this September, The Jewish Chronicle reports. A spokesman for the supermarket said the move was not “politically motivated” and not connected to the Gaza conflict. The decision was part of a “regular product review process”, he…

Economics Minister Naftali Bennett visited the southern city of Ashkelon on Tuesday afternoon and called for continued battle in the Gaza Strip, until the Hamas terrorist organization is “Brought to its knees.” “In battle, we do not stop; we continue more and more until the goal is achieved,” Bennett said. “The Iron Dome works, the…

In an interview with Bloomberg TV on Tuesday Finance Minister Yair Lapid said that Hamas is holding the citizens of Gaza “hostage”, and that Israel demands nothing less than a demilitarization of the Gaza Strip to force an end to attacks on Israeli civilians. “No other country on earth” would tolerate thousands of rockets being fired…

Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, announced Tuesday a 72-hour unilateral ceasefire by the Palestinians. The ceasefire will supposedly to go into force immediately and has received the approval of Hamas. “After extensive calls and consultations with the brothers in Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian leadership announces on behalf of…

Ninety-one-year-old William Langfan predicted the current Gaza War in a TV interview one year ago with Tom Trento. In a March 2013 interview, Mr. Langfan explains how the Western world, led by President Barack Obama, is pressuring Israel to accommodate Hamas, which would have catastrophic consequences. Mr. Langfan delivers a warning to Israel that has…

As anyone who has traveled to or from Jerusalem in the past year knows, the country’s main Highway #1 leading from the capital to central Israel, is undergoing major revamping.  Mountains are being carved out to add lanes, curves are being straightened, and, most significantly, the famous Motza slide-turn is being obviated by a majestic tunnel-overpass combination.  This week, with…

The Home Front Command (HFC) call center handles hundreds of calls every day, helping citizens cope with the constant threat of rocket fire on their cities.  Arutz Sheva visited the HFC call center to get a glimpse of how the center’s staff help thousands of Israelis through the Hamas rocket fire.  “This center is operated by…

The Knesset’s Ethics Committee decided Tuesday to bar MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad) from the Knesset committees and plenum for six months. This is the most severe punishment that the Ethics Committee can mete out to a Knesset Member, according to the Rules of the Knesset. The Knesset is about to disperse for its summer recess…

Hareidi extremists attacked a reserve soldier returning home from the front Monday, according to several reports, as he came home to Beit Shemesh to visit his parents and pray at a local synagogue.  “His two children were very frightened,” an eyewitness told Walla! news Tuesday. “The extremists cursed him, threw stones at his car, and ordered him…

Israeli aircraft hit the home of Hamas’s top leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, inside the Shati region of Gaza on Monday night, his son said. “The Israeli enemy struck our house twice,” Abed Salam Haniyeh said in a statement quoted by AFP. The Reuters news agency quoted Gaza’s interior ministry as having said that the…