Category: News

Terror groups have managed to replenish their supply of missiles, a year and a half after Israel delivered a crushing blow to Hamas in Operation Pillar of Defense, said Itai Brun, director of research in the IDF Intelligence branch. Speaking at the annual Herzliya Conference, Brun said said that there were hundreds of long-range missiles…

A diverse group of political figures representing the right and left, including Yuval Rabin, co-author of the Israeli Peace Initiative, and Dani Dayan, former head of the Yesha Council, debated the merits of the Arab Peace Initiative at a round-table discussion at the Herzliya Conference on Monday. The Arab Peace Initiative was originally proposed in…

Mark Weingarten of Holliswood, a senior at Yeshiva University, was selected to conduct research as part of the Emily Murray Fellowship at the Hastings Center for Bioethics in Hastings, New York this summer.  The three-week program began at the end of May and is open to undergraduates who are preparing a senior thesis in bioethics.…

A former Hamas government spokesman revealed on Sunday that Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has said in private meetings he is lying in public statements to “trick the Americans.” The spokesman, Ihab al-Ghussein, wrote on Facebook that “behind closed doors,” Abbas had said “when I go out and say that the government is my government and it recognizes…

Economy Minister and Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett officially presented his annexation plan during a speech at the Herzliya Conference on Sunday. Under the plan, Israel will gradually annex Area C of Judea and Samaria, where 400,000 Israelis reside alongside some 70,000 Arabs, while creating an enhanced autonomy in the remaining areas with full freedom…

In a sign that the international community is recognizing the new Hamas-Fatah unity government, a United Nations envoy on Sunday became the first senior international official to meet with ministers of the new government in Gaza. According to The Associated Press (AP), Robert Serry met with four Gaza-based ministers of the new Cabinet. “I assured…

The Palestinian Authority’s (PA) foreign ministry on Sunday summoned Australia’s diplomatic representative in protest of Canberra’s dropping the term “occupied” when referring to eastern Jerusalem, AFP reports. “The Palestinian foreign ministry summoned the Australian representative Thomas Wilson over the recent comments by the Australian attorney general asking to stop referring to east Jerusalem as occupied…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) sharply criticized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s leadership on Monday, accusing the premier of having no direction and allowing confusion to run the State of Israel.  “What happened yesterday, when four senior ministers gave public addresses one after the other with each proposing a different political solution, was a grotesque…

Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the radical Islamic Movement in Israel, wrote an open letter to Pope Francis last Thursday, criticizing him for his visit to the Western Wall (Kotel) two weeks ago, and further claiming that the site is Muslim. In the letter, which was posted on the Arabic site Al-Sonara, Salah condemns the pope…

A senior Iranian official says that the US’s Indian Ocean base at the Diego Garcia island atoll, considered well out of range of Iran’s missiles, is in fact within its ballistic missile range. According to Channel 2, the official said that “In the case of a mistake by the United States, its military bases in…

Egypt’s new president, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, promised on Sunday to “defeat terrorism”, saying that security is a priority, Al Jazeera reports. Hours after his inauguration, the former army general said there would be a new era for all except those who “turn to crimes and violence”. “Defeating terrorism and achieving security is the top priority,”…

At least 21 people were killed on Sunday after terrorists attacked the international airport in Karachi in Pakistan, CNN reports. Officials at Jinnah Hospital in Karachi said the dead included eight members of airport security forces, two Pakistan International Airlines employees and one ranger. Ten terrorists were also killed in the clashes. The clashes broke…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday criticized Finance Minister Yair Lapid, head of the Yesh Atid party, after the latter gave a speech at the Herzliya Conference in which he called on Israel to resume negotiations with the Palestinian Authority (PA). In his speech, Lapid said that Israel should freeze construction outside the so-called “settlement…

Finance Minister Yair Lapid, head of the Yesh Atid party, on Sunday threatened that he would topple the government if it annexes any areas of Judea and Samaria. Speaking at the Herzliya Conference, Lapid said that Israel should “prepare maps” for the next round of peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA). An agreement with…

Israel on Sunday signed a key European-funded scientific research program despite guidelines barring funding to settlement-linked projects, officials said. The signing of the Horizon 2020 agreement took place at a ceremony in Jerusalem presided over by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and outgoing European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. “Horizon 2020 offers a huge opportunity to…

Pope Francis on Sunday hosts an unprecedented joint peace prayer in the Vatican with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in a symbolic gesture aimed at fostering dialogue. President Shimon Peres appealed for peace Sunday afternoon, in a garden of the Vatican City. Quoting in Hebrew from Psalm 122, he asked those present to “Pray for the…

As the government seeks to ramp up construction in order to reduce prices, it authorized on Sunday the entry of 2,000 additional foreign construction workers. The current 6,000 workers will grow to 8,000 within the coming weeks. In addition to the immediate increase, the government also authorized an automatic increase in the number of work…

Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad reiterated their commitment to terror over the weekend, stating that a “unity” pact with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the new government’s public pledge to renounce terror does not change their views.  Hamas leader and former political figure Ismail Haniyeh stated in a public address Saturday – in honor of…

A young Israeli filmmaker won the second-best foreign movie student Academy Award on Saturday, at a film-school version of the Oscars, according to AFP.  Student directors from British, German and US institutes were also among winners as organizers announced medal placements at the 41st Student Academy Awards show. Hadas Ayalon of Tel Aviv University took silver for “Paris on the Water,”…

Concerns that the US’s deal to swap five Taliban terrorists held in Guantanamo Bay for captive soldier Bowe Bergdahl have actualized Sunday, after two separate top-ranking Taliban officials told TIME magazine that the deal sets a precedent for more kidnappings.  “Our talks finally proved successful for the prisoners’ swap,” the commander said. “We returned our valued guest…

Pope Francis will host on Sunday an unprecedented peace prayer meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, AFP reports. The prayer is a symbolic gesture to foster dialogue but is unlikely to have any immediate effect. “Nobody is fooling themselves that peace will break out in the Holy Land,”…

Every Israeli gets them – sometimes numerous times a day. Organizations send out text messages (SMS) on cellphone networks promising spiritual and material blessings, often in return for a “donation,” or a phone call to an organization, where a fast-talking salesperson will assure the caller that a “great Rabbi” will issue a blessing in return…

Knesset Speaker MK Yuli Edelstein announced Sunday that after consulting with the Knesset legal advisor, Eyal Yinon, and others, he has decided to go ahead and hold the election for the presidency of Israel on Tuesday, as planned. Edelstein said that in the last 24 hours, he has received numerous requests from Knesset Members and…

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko promised change in his inaugural speech Saturday, making a number of stark resolutions to the tune of cheering crowds.  “I don’t want war. I don’t want revenge,” he said, after taking oath. “I want peace and I want peace to happen.” “Please, lay down the guns and I guarantee immunity to…

Day in and day out, IDF combat soldiers work hard to ensure Israel remains safe and its citizens remain unharmed.  Seven years ago, a new program was formed to help those soldiers feel connected to the very people they protect: the Adopt-a-Battalion Program, which connects individuals and companies to specific units to form a mutual bond between…

Egypt’s former defense minister Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi was officially sworn in as President on Sunday, after winning by a landslide 96% vote in last month’s elections. He will rule for a four-year term.  “I swear by Almighty God to loyally uphold the republican system, to respect the Constitution and the law, to fully uphold the interests…

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has some biting words for President Barack Obama in her new memoir, saying his push for a construction freeze in Judea and Samaria was a mistake. Speaking about the 2009 building freeze that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu submitted to, Clinton wrote “in retrospect, our early, hard line on…

A senior Egyptian official revealed Saturday that newly elected President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s administration strongly supports the new Hamas-Fatah unity government, and is considering giving it supervision of the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Sinai. The official, who spoke to the Judea and Samaria-based Arab Ma’an News Agency on condition of anonymity, said Egypt is willing to…

MK Binyamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) announced on Saturday that he has quit the presidential race, a mere three days ahead of the vote. The announcement comes in the wake of a police investigation launched Friday against him on corruption allegations. “Since I announced my candidacy, there has been an aggressive and orchestrated smear campaign against me, with the…

Israeli political officials predicted on Friday evening that MK Binyamin Ben-Eliezer’s bid for the presidency was likely over in the wake of the investigation against him. While Ben-Eliezer is not expected to withdraw from the race, officials who spoke to the Hebrew-language Walla! news website said that the investigation would likely take away votes by…

A Turkish man is charged with electrocuting his wife as punishment for giving birth to a girl while on the phone to police who failed to avert the crime, media reported Friday, according to AFP. The 29-year-old from southeastern Diyarbakir province does not deny murdering his wife by placing a live electric cable under her…

President Barack Obama’s National Security Adviser, Susan Rice, hinted on Friday that the United States was sending weapons to the Syrian rebels, when she said Washington was taking important steps in Syria by offering both “lethal and non-lethal” aid to the moderate opposition. The comments were made in an interview Rice gave to CNN. “The…

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry on Friday joined those condemning Israel’s announced construction of roughly 3,300 new housing units in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem. “Israel’s move to establish settlements, which clearly violates international law and harms the vision of a two-state solution, is unacceptable,” said a Foreign Ministry statement quoted by the Today’s Zaman daily.  The…

The head of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terrorist group said on Friday that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s re-election this week proves that any solution to the country’s conflict “begins and ends” with the embattled leader. “The elections proved that a political solution in Syria begins and ends with President Bashar Al-Assad,” Hassan Nasrallah, a key ally…

Spain’s government on Friday approved a draft law easing the path to citizenship for the descendants of Jews expelled in 1492, AFP reported. Spain already grants citizenship to proven Sephardic Jews, the descendants of the Jewish people who were expelled in 1492 in a period of Roman Catholic zeal under the reign of Isabella and…

A young Belgian man who was badly hurt in the attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels died of his injuries on Friday, the public prosecutor’s office said, according to AFP. The Belgian, who is in his early 20s, is the fourth fatality from the May 24 shooting. An Israeli couple and a French woman…

A Palestinian Arab terrorist in his 20s tried on Friday afternoon to stab an IDF soldier at the Azzun junction in Samaria. The soldier was unhurt and the terrorist was apprehended. The IDF said the stabbing attempt took place as the soldiers were on a routine patrol and arrested a suspicious vehicle for inspection. During…

Israeli Prime Minister Binamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres congratulated Egyptian president-elect Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Friday, stressing their commitment to the peace accord between the neighboring states. Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke with Sisi and “congratulated him on his victory in the election,” the premier’s office said.   A statement noted “the strategic importance of the…

Egyptian security forces arrested six terrorists who had planned to attack newly elected President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s entourage after his swearing-in ceremony next Sunday. The arrest was reported in the Egyptian paper Al-Watan, which added that diagrams of the new president’s palaces and paths of how to enter them were found in the possession of the…

The German Parliament unanimously approved a measure extending pension payments for over 40,000 Holocaust survivors Thursday, allowing them retroactive benefits from as far back as 1997.  The Jewish Claims Conference, which helped negotiate the deal with the government, praised the deal as a “long-delayed measure of justice” to former laborers in German ghettos.  According to…

Leftist MKs, the EU, and the US have encouraged Israel to work with the new Palestinian Authority (PA) “unity” government, claiming cooperation is the “only way” to end the Israeli-Arab conflict. Husam Badran, a senior Hamas official, disproved this on Thursday, stating that the “Palestinian people” still openly support terrorism. The official explained in an…

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton favored arming Syria’s rebels early in that country’s civil war but was overruled by President Barack Obama, she says in her new memoir, obtained by CBS News. Clinton’s book, “Hard Choices”, is set for to be released on June 10, but CBS News said Thursday it purchased a…

Eliezer and Etti Gruber, a couple in their 90s from the Shomron (Samaria) community of Karnei Shomron, passed away on Thursday at the Ma’ayanei Hayeshua Hospital in Bnei Brak within two hours of one another. Earlier in the week, Eliezer felt ill and was admitted to the internal medicine ward in the hospital due to…

I venture to guess that the largest number of readers were not yet born when on one sunny 6th of June, Jews as well as the rest of the free world prayed for the success of the long awaited second front that began on that day. If you are still guessing at what I am talking about,…

European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso is to formally sign a controversial EU-Israel research program with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during a visit starting Sunday. The outgoing head of the European Union executive will hold talks with Netanyahu on Sunday before taking part in a signing ceremony the next day allowing Israel to become the…

A mother sentenced to death in Sudan for “renouncing Islam” and marrying a Christian husband has filed for an appeal citing procedural errors in the original trial, according to Al-Jazeera.  Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag was sentenced to death on May 15, in accordance with Sharia law. Sharia law outlaws Muslim women marrying non-Muslim men – and outlaws…

Israel’s hi-tech industry and sunny Middle Eastern climate have combined for a world-leading usage of solar panels that harness the sun’s power. There’s just one problem: dust. Gritty particulates and sand can severely hamper desert solar power stations, causing solar panels to lose up to 40% of the solar energy they could potentially harvest. The…

Israeli police raided the Jerusalem studios of the Palestinian Authority (PA) TV on Friday, briefly detaining three staff for questioning over incitement to violence according to a police spokesperson. “Police carried out searches at the headquarters of the television channel, as part of an investigation into the content of its programs,” spokesperson Luba Samri told AFP. “Three employees…

Amsterdam is to beef up security around Jewish synagogues and schools following last month’s shooting at the Brussels Jewish Museum which left three people dead, its mayor announced on Friday. “We are looking at the shooting’s consequences for Amsterdam’s Jewish community,” Eberhard van der Laan said in a letter sent to the Dutch capital’s city council. “We are taking measures,”…

A Pakistan Taliban leader and explosives expert was killed Thursday, in an attack thought to be linked to the announcement earlier this week that a faction of the terror group was breaking off. The terror leader, Ashiqullah Mehsud, was a senior commander in the former Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He was killed in a shoot-and-run drive-by…

A video uploaded to an Arab account on Facebook shows just how impossible the IDF’s job of policing Palestinian Arab rioters has become, after decades in which a sophisticated leftist-Arab effort has made it almost impossible for them to use live fire against their foes. The video shows two Border Policemen arresting a rioter and…

A group of young Jews were attacked by Arab hooligans on Tuesday before the holiday of Shavuot in Jerusalem, right near the Dung Gate just to the south of the Old City. The youths were on their way to the Kotel (Western Wall). One of the youths suffered a broken skull in the incident, requiring…

United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon joined the condemnation of Israel’s announced construction of roughly 3,300 new housing units in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem on Thursday. While the European Union (EU) stated that it was “deeply disappointed” by the move and called for Israel to “reverse” the construction announcements, Ban was “deeply concerned”…

Prominent US lawyer, political commentator and veteran Israel advocate Professor Alan Dershowitz has issued a sharp challenge to left-wing lobbyist group J Street, saying that if they want to be accepted by the wider Jewish community they should first open up their own membership to other viewpoints. Speaking at the Israel Day Concert earlier this…

The European Union (EU) on Thursday condemned Israeli announcements earlier in the day and on Wednesday night to build another 3,300 housing units in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem. The EU said it is “deeply disappointed” by the Israeli plans to build more Jewish homes in the Biblical heartland of Israel. “We call on the…

Leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized nations (G7) decided Thursday to tighten defenses against the risk of terror attacks by European jihadists returning from the Syrian front. “We have agreed to intensify efforts to address the issue of foreign fighters travelling to and from Syria,” British Prime Minister David Cameron said at the close of a G7 summit. Cameron said…

The unity government founded between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and terrorist group Hamas on Monday is hitting early snags, as brawls broke out in Gaza on Thursday over the payment of employees of the two groups, leading to the closure of banks. Hamas violently took control of Gaza in 2007, and began cracking down on Fatah officials living…

Both left-wing and right-wing ideas for unilateral action on the Palestinian problem are not very popular in the Israeli public. The May 2014 Peace Index poll by Tel Aviv University asked the people surveyed to what extent they agree with the claim that because of the failure of negotiations with the Palestinian Arabs, Israel should…

Police officers on Tuesday tried to arrest a nine-year-old boy for prostrating himself in prayer on the Temple Mount. They were stopped in their tracks by the boy’s mother, who as luck would have it is an attorney. Former MK Dr. Michael Ben-Ari organized the group of roughly 100 Jews visiting the holiest site in Judaism on…

Security officials on Wednesday night foiled a stabbing attempt outside an IDF base in the Binyamin region. The stabber attempted to attack a soldier outside the base, lunging at him and shouting out anti-Israel and anti-Semitic epithets. Security forces intervened and arrested the perpetrator. There were no injuries in the incident, which came a day…

Canadian Salman Ashrafi has been identified as the suicide bomber who participated in an attack in Iraq in November 2013. Some 40 people were killed in the attack. The attack included two vehicles, one of which exploded outside the Iraqi army base in Tarmiyah, and a second one that entered the compound and exploded inside,…

For the first time, Israel security forces used the Iron Dome anti-rocket system Wednesday night to deflect a missile fired at Israel from Syria. Several rockets were fired at Israel, with one landing in a forested area. Several fires broke out as a result, but were quickly doused. No injuries were reported. Defense officials said…

The Housing Ministry and the Israel Lands Administration on Wednesday night issued tenders for 1,500 new homes in Judea and Samaria, and in Jerusalem. The tenders were issued as part of Israel’s response to the establishment of the Hamas-Fatah Palestinian Authority government. Of the homes, 223 will be built in Efrat, 484 in Beitar Ilit,…

In a move certain to bring a new wave of consternation from the Palestinian Authority (PA), plans to construct 1,800 new housing units in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem were unblocked on Thursday, hours after tenders on 1,500 new homes in the region were announced. “The political echelon has ordered the Civil Administration to advance 1,800…

A senior Fatah official was reportedly injured on Thursday while taking part in a violent “Naksa Day” riot, in which protesters threw stones at IDF forces at the Kalandia checkpoint just north of Jerusalem. The official, Mustafa Barghouti, is the General Secretary of the Palestine National Initiative, a member of the Palestinian Authority (PA) parliament, and…

Pope Francis hosts an unprecedented joint peace prayer in the Vatican on Sunday with Israeli president Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, in a bid to overcome decades of mistrust, AFP reports Thursday.  Francis invited the two leaders unexpectedly during his trip to the Middle East last month but has claimed repeatedly that the initiative is “purely spiritual” and…

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the terrorist organization behind Fatah and the Palestinian Authority (PA), is to appeal to the UN Security Council over Israel’s announcement that it would build 1,500 new Jewish homes in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem, a senior official said Thursday. “The executive committee of the PLO views this latest escalation with the utmost of seriousness,”…

The US has been secretly holding talks with Hamas for months Buzzfeed reported Thursday, despite its official stance that it would negotiate with the terrorist organization. “Our administration needed to hear from them that this unity government would move toward democratic elections, and toward a more peaceful resolution with the entire region,” a US official…

Syria’s ongoing major civil war, which has pitted the country’s population against each other, has apparently not affected the popularity of President Bashar al-Assad, apparently. Assad has been reelected as President of Syria in an overwhelming electoral victory, with nearly 90% of Syrian voters choosing him for another term. Elections took place for Assad’s third…

Former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton sharply criticized US President Barack H. Obama’s decision to release five Taliban terrorists in return for US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. Speaking to Arutz Sheva this week, Bolton said that “I believe that under no circumstances should we be conducting negotiations with terrorists. The release of these…

Hundreds of Jews who attempted to ascend the Temple Mount Wednesday morning were shocked to discover that they were barred entry onto the holy site. The ban came after Muslim groups demanded that Jews stay off the site, and despite a promise by police that Jews would be allowed to enter it. Tens of thousands…

Security forces were gearing up for two major protest events this week by Arab and left-wing extremists. Thursday marks “Naksa Day,” in which Palestinians demonstrate against the liberation of Judea, Samaria, and much of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War. Similar to “Nakba Day” – which mourns the Israeli victory during the 1947-48 War…

Leaders of the Group of Seven powers are hoping to draw up plans Wednesday on how to guard against the threat of attacks by European jihadists returning home from fighting in the Syrian civil war, diplomats said. In the wake of a fatal shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussels just days ago, British and…

Secretary of State John Kerry defended Wednesday a US decision to work with the new Palestinian Authority “unity government”, despite Israeli criticism, claiming that it does not include any Hamas ministers. The United States, like Israel and the European Union, consider the Islamist group Hamas a terrorist organisation. Speaking to reporters in Beirut, Kerry said…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke on Tuesday afternoon spoke with French President Francois Hollande and expressed his appreciation for the vigorous action by the French security forces in bringing about the capture of the terrorist suspected of perpetrating the anti-Semitic attack in Brussels. According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu told the…

Israel said Tuesday it allowed the mother-in-law of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh into the country for medical treatment, reports The Associated Press (AP). Maj. Guy Inbar, an Israeli spokesman, said the 68-year-old woman was allowed to enter from Gaza on Monday to receive cancer treatment at a Jerusalem hospital. A relative in Gaza confirmed she…

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed on Tuesday the formation of the new Palestinian “unity government” which includes the Hamas terrorist group. In a statement, Ban expressed hope that new opportunities for progress towards a two-State solution with Israel will emerge soon, saying the UN had received assurances that the Hamas-Fatah deal would be implemented…

Security forces on Tuesday evening apprehended a Palestinian Arab terrorist who tried to stab a soldier at an IDF base near the town of Beit El in the Binyamin region. According to the IDF, the terrorist was caught as he was moving towards the entrance of the base while holding a knife, a PLO flag…

The European Union (EU) said Tuesday it will work with the new Palestinian Authority unity government, which includes the Hamas terrorist group, on condition it sticks to the principle of peace with Israel based on a two-state solution. “We welcome … the declaration by President Abbas that this new government is committed to the principle…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told The Associated Press (AP) Tuesday he is “deeply troubled” by the United States’ decision to maintain relations with the new Hamas-Fatah unity government. “I’m deeply troubled by the announcement that the United States will work with the Palestinian government backed by Hamas,” Netanyahu told AP, saying the group has murdered…

Just ahead of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, beginning Tuesday evening, a three-year-old boy was bitten by a snake in the southern community of Har Amasa, which is located in the Negev. The child was struck by the snake while playing in a local playground. It remains unclear if the snake was poisonous. Magen David Adom…

Statements by senior Palestinian Authority (PA) officials reveal a more sinister nature to shifting the Ministry of Prisoners to under the auspices of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), a move made with the founding of the unity government this Monday. Several Western nations have begun to call for a clarification of their funding to the…

A terrorist opened fire on Monday night towards Border Police soldiers who were stationed at the Tapuach Junction in Samaria, near the city of Ariel. The soldiers returned fire and killed the terrorist. One soldier was lightly wounded in the incident and was treated at the scene by army medics. IDF Chief of Staff Benny…

Israel said on Monday it was “deeply disappointed” by the United States’ readiness to work with a new Palestinian Authority (PA) unity government. “We are deeply disappointed by the comments of the (U.S.) State Department regarding working with the Palestinian unity government,” a government official told AFP. “This Palestinian government is a government backed by…

About 4,500 women in Israel are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, according to the Israel Cancer Association, and roughly 900 die annually from the disease. The key, experts say, is early detection – which can raise the survival rate to 90%.  Official state policies therefore promote bi-annual mammograms for women between ages 50-74. But what…

Lawmakers in the United States on Monday called on the Obama administration to suspend financial aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the wake of the formation of the new unity government between Hamas and Fatah. The calls came as the State Department stated that the U.S. would work with the new unity government. According…

Roughly 200 residents of Samaria demonstrated on Tuesday afternoon at Har Bracha Junction, located just south of Shechem (Nablus), in protest of the recent spate of Arab terrorist attacks plaguing the region. The protesters, who bore signs with messages such as “rocks equal terror,” and “Jewish blood is not to be abandoned,” sealed the highway…

Thousands of people will visit the Tomb of King David and the Mount Zion neighborhood of Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of Shavuot, starting this Tuesday afternoon. A tidbit of local lore that many visitors may not know is that Artimus Pyle, drummer of the celebrated American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, moved to Jerusalem to live…

According to new reports, the American administration has promised the new Fatah-Hamas unity government, which was sworn in this Monday, that it will convince Israel to allow that new government’s elections to be held in the eastern part of Jerusalem. “A source that knows things,” apparently from within the Palestinian Authority (PA) or Hamas, was…

France increased its estimate of the number of its nationals embroiled in Syria’s civil war to more than 800 on Tuesday, according to AFP,  and warned that they pose an unprecedented security threat. The warning, from Prime Minister Manuel Valls, followed the weekend arrest of Medhi Nemmouche, a French jihadist suspected of carrying out last week’s Brussels Jewish Museum killings…

Polling stations in Syria opened for presidential elections Tuesday, as political analysts predict that President Bashar Assad will win for a third consecutive presidential term against the backdrop of a bloody civil war.  Six other candidates have now announced their intentions to run against Assad, including the first female presidential candidate; this is the first election…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday discussed methods of dealing with a group of Arab security prisoners who were on a hunger strike. Some 290 terrorists were participating in the hunger strike. Netanyahu is seeking medical opinions on how to deal with the strike, and is prepared to issue orders forcing them to eat. Netanyahu…

Washington said Monday it will work with the Palestinian Arab unity government and maintain aid, while “watching closely” to ensure it respects the principle of non-violence, AFP reports.  State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington believes Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has “formed an interim technocratic government… that does not include members affiliated with Hamas.” “With what we know now, we will…

Has Europe under-estimated the security threat posed by battle-hardened homegrown Islamic militants returning from Syria? After the chance arrest in France of the suspected perpetrator of last week’s deadly shooting at a Jewish Museum in Brussels, concern mounted Monday that the region is ill-equipped to cope with the threat posed by homegrown Islamic militants returning from Syria’s battlefields. Mehdi Nemmouche,…

The Samaria Military Court convicted 16 year-old Palestinian terrorist Hussein Rawadara, a Jenin native, over the murder of 19 year-old soldier Eden Atias hy”d in November, Walla! News reports Monday.  Rawadara stabbed Atias multiple times in the neck and chest near the Afula central bus station last November, in a premeditated terror attack which raised serious questions over…

A masked man invaded a barbecue at a Chicago-area synagogue, shouting anti-Semitic slogans, visitors to the event said. The incident occurred Sunday at the Anshei Emet synagogue in Chicago, which was hosting a kosher food festival. Witnesses said that the man entered the area where the event was being held and starting cursing and yelling,…

World Jewish leaders Monday called for “stronger” security against Jihadists returning home to Europe who have been “taught to kill” in Syria, according to AFP.  Speaking more than a week after the fatal attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels, leaders of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) warned that the increasing numbers of young people recruited to fight in Syria by Islamist radical…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has released an official Israeli response to the swearing-in of the Palestinian Arab “unity” government Monday, after he declared an emergency Cabinet meeting with top ministers to discuss the issue.  Both Netanyahu and the ministers agreed not to engage politically with the new government, as part of the policy not to…

Saudi authorities are cracking down on social media, the Saudi Gazette reports Monday, and are in the process of reviewing the Anti-Cybercrime Law to allow legal proceedings to be filed against social networking sites for allowing accounts which promote adultery, atheism, and homosexuality.  The Saudi Anti-Cybercrime Law was enacted by royal decree on March 26, 2007. According…

Samaria-based Ariel University was represented at the 50th annual Israel Day Parade on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, which was held this Sunday and attracted roughly 35,000 people. The university’s float, which was designed by students in the Industrial Design Lab at the Technology and Design Center, gave examples of the school’s academic achievements and innovation. Ariel University features over…

Fire was opened on Monday morning towards an IDF post on Mount Hermon, near the border with Syria. No one was hurt. The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that soldiers responded with artillery fire, noting “the IDF reserves the right to act in any way and at any time it sees fit to protect the citizens…

In the latest act of cruelty, the most radical jihadist group fighting in Syria on Sunday killed a 102-year-old man along with his whole family, a monitoring group told AFP. The 102-year-old was shot dead in his sleep by jihadist rebels from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). The rebels also killed…

Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon (Likud) condemned the swearing in of the new Fatah and Hamas unity government on Monday, which took place in Ramallah. “The replacement of ministers in the Palestinian government is just a pretty wrapping for the terrorist attacks that were conducted and will be conducted under their protection,” declared Danon. “Now,…

Rabbi Moshe Talbi Hy”d was murdered by terrorists on March 21, 2011, but it has taken the state of Israel over three years to recognize this fact. For inexplicable reasons, the initial official version regarding his death was that it was a suicide, and it took a prolonged struggle, including legal and journalistic pressure, to…

French police arrested four people suspected of links with jihadist terror networks Monday, three days after detaining a suspect in connection to last Saturday’s deadly attack on a Jewish museum in Brussels. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve announced the sweep on Europe1 radio, but did not specify if the arrests in the Paris region and southern France were linked to the…

Despite zero hour tensions that threatened to scupper the entire process, the unity government between Fatah and terrorist group Hamas was sworn in on Monday in Ramallah, with the attendance of Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas informed Fatah earlier on Monday that it would refuse to join the unity government being unveiled at…

United States Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to start a two-day visit to Jordan Wednesday, where he will meet with Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Jordanian daily newspaper al-Arab al-Yawm reported Sunday. The report, cited by the Ma’an news agency, quoted a “high-profile” Jordanian official as saying that Abbas and Kerry will…

Egypt’s elections committee rejected on Sunday a defeated presidential candidate’s appeal against voting results that gave former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi a landslide victory, judicial sources said, according to Reuters. Leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi only got 3 percent of the votes in last week’s elections, according to initial results that showed Sisi in the…

A bomb attack targeting fans at a soccer match in Nigeria’s restive northeast killed at least 40 people on Sunday, a police officer told AFP. “There has been a bomb explosion at a football field this evening and so far more than 40 people have been killed,” the officer told the news agency. The policeman’s…

The Palestinian Authority (PA) unity government will be sworn in on Monday at 1:00 p.m. in Ramallah, a PLO executive committee member told the Ma’an news agency on Sunday. Wasel Abu Yusef said that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s office had sent invitations to PLO executive committee members and ministers to attend the ceremony. Abu Yusef…

The Sudanese government denied allegations that it would free a pregnant Christian woman set to be hanged for apostasy, stating that hints suggesting her freedom were misconstrued.  “[I am] not aware that any release is imminent,” Abu Bakr al-Sideeg, spokesman for the Sudanese foreign ministry, stated Sunday.  Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag was sentenced to death on…

More than 300 women participated on Friday in the 5th annual Women’s Sadnat Shiluv BeEmunah Swimathon in the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). Participants included women of all ages, from 10 to 80, from Israel as well as from Europe, Australia, the United States, Canada, and South Africa. Sadnat Shiluv (Mainstreaming Workshop) is a unique residential…

  With scores killed and more than one million affected by the catastrophic flooding and landslides, the Israeli delegation responded to a plea from the Serbian government for assistance.   Lev Echad – which means One Heart and is an Emergency Civilian Aid Organization, and students from Shalem College, Israel’s first college of liberal arts,…

Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar issued a rare public statement Sunday, according to BBC News, calling the US’s exchange of Islamist terrorist prisoners for an American soldier a “big victory.” “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the entire Afghan Muslim nation,” Omar said, in a video clip. The five Afghani Taliban prisoners are widely…

An Egyptian court that sentenced to death 37 Islamists and handed life terms to 492 others defended its verdict on Sunday, saying the men were “demons” who followed Jewish scripture. The court in the central city of Minya had triggered international outrage earlier this year for sentencing to death hundreds of alleged supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in…

Discrimination against Jews at holy sites has reached new heights, the chairman of the Ariel Zionist youth movement told Arutz Sheva Sunday.  Western Wall plaza security guards prevented a group of teenage girls from praying at the Wall Saturday, after finding that the Ariel group had wanted to pray for the building of the Third Temple, Nava…

A seven year-old boy from the village of Abu Sinan in the Galilee drowned Sunday afternoon, in a water reservoir adjacent to the Beit Hemek in the Western Galilee.  As of Sunday night, the boy has been named as Rami Naim.  An initial investigation shows that Naim and two other children went to play in…

The annual Israel Day Parade on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue is unfolding Sunday, with over 35,000 people marching in support for the world’s one and only Jewish State. Concerns were raised about the presence of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) groups participating in the parade, sparking tensions between differing American Jewish organizations over the past several weeks.  But…

Finance Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) signed the recommendations of a Joint Committee on Droughts – headed by the Finance Ministry, the Tax Authority, and the Ministry of Agriculture – to declare an official drought in the Negev Sunday, as well as some isolated areas in the North.  The edict will go into effect late…

World governments should not rush to approve the new Palestinian Arab “unity” government, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned Sunday, after the Palestinian Authority (PA) accused Israel of looking to punish them over a unity deal. “I call on all responsible elements within the international community not to hurry to recognize the Palestinian government that Hamas is part of, and which relies…

While many Americans expressed joy at the release of US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, 28, who had been held by the Taliban in Afghanistan for nearly five years, members of the military, as well as some on the right, were questioning the deal that set him free. Almost immediately after the Taliban handed him over…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu decided Sunday that instead of having the government vote on a bill that would make it possible for judges to prevent the release of terrorist prisoners, the bill would be discussed by the Diplomacy and Security Cabinet together with the recommendations of the Shamgar Committee on prisoner releases. The decision was…

Since 2013, The Israel Security Agency (ISA, or Shin Bet) said Sunday, terrorists being held in Israeli prisons were involved in planning eleven attempted kidnappings of soldiers and civilians throughout Israel. The information was revealed after a joint ISA-Prisons Service investigation, the agency said. So far, the agency said, security forces have been able to…

A Frenchman with suspected ties to Islamic radicals in Syria has been arrested over last week’s shooting at the JewishMuseum in Brussels that left four people dead, investigation sources told AFP on Sunday. The suspect, 29-year-old Mehdi Nemmouche, was arrested Friday in the southern French city of Marseille in possession of a Kalashnikov rifle and a handgun similar to…

The government is expected to approve a law that would prevent mass releases of terrorists. The law, proposed by MK Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home), would allow a court to write into its sentence of a terrorist a clause that would prevent the President from signing off on his pardon in the future. If passed into…

An apparent serious terror attack took place in northern Jerusalem’s Ramat Shlomo neighborhood late Friday night, but most Israeli and Jewish news sources are ignoring the incident. According to hareidi news site Behadrei Haredim, the attack took place at 1:45 a.m. Saturday. An eyewitness, Eli Shreiber, said that he was sitting in a synagogue when…

Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan, Deputy Religious Affairs Minister, condemned two incidents of arson incidents over Shabbat. “As Shabbat ended I heard about these incidents and was shocked,” he said. “In recent months there have been numerous such incidents. Meanwhile, government officials remain quiet.” In once incident, a synagogue in Petach Tikvah was set afire on Shabbat…

A Christian Sudanese woman sentenced to hang for apostasy will be “freed within days”, a foreign ministry official told AFP Saturday, after her case triggered an international outcry. Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag was condemned to death on May 15 under the Islamic Sharia law that has been in place in Sudan since 1983 and which…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday that Israel had threatened to cut ties with the PA if the PLO and Hamas formed a government of national unity, but added that he was prepared to respond to the threats. According to the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency, Abbas made the statements during a visit of…

Police at Heathrow Airport in London have arrested a 19-year-old man suspected of terror offences, the Met said on Sunday. He was detained by counter-terror SO15 officers on suspicion of “preparing for acts of terrorism,” reported the BBC. A spokesman said the arrest was “Syria-related.” The force said it had searched an address in Camden,…

US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, 28, who has been held by the Taliban in Afghanistan for nearly five years has been freed in deal that includes the release of five Afghan detainees, US officials said. The  Afghan detainees have been released from the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. They were handed over to Qatar, which mediated…

A Norwegian-language test administered to over 40,000 high-school students across Norway, included blatant anti-Israel propaganda. One of the questions presented a photo of a graffiti drawing by a British street artist on Israel’s security barrier and an SMS sent by Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert from Gaza during the Cast Lead counter-terror offensive in 2009, and…

Germany and the UAE expressed hope Saturday that Iran and the P5+1 world powers will reach a permanent diplomatic resolution to their nuclear dispute in two months’ time. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, told a news conference held in Abu Dhabi with his visiting German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, that it was hoped…

An Israeli citizen reported Friday afternoon to the Binymin Region security hotline that shots had been fired at his car as it traveled near the community of Adam. Large IDF forces arrived on the scene and a forensics team identified two bullets that hit the car. The forces bergan combing the region for suspects. On…

Sudan said Friday that it would not install Iranian anti-aircraft missiles in the country after earlier exploring the idea following alleged Israeli airstrikes there in 2012. A statement from Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted by The Associated Press (AP) said Khartoum would not install the defensive missiles “for fear it could be misinterpreted by…

The United States confirmed on Friday that it believes an American citizen carried out a suicide bombing within Syria, AFP reported. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki did not provide any details about the suspect, who had been identified in a New York Times report as a man in his 20s from Florida and of Middle…

Egypt’s newly elected president, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, vowed on Thursday that the country would not go backwards but move forward, Al Arabiya reports. Speaking to the Kuwaiti newspaper Aljarida, Sisi said, “We know that some people fear a return to the past, but this will not happen, there is no going back and we will…

A senior Iranian commander threatened on Friday that any American attack on Iran will result in “the annihilation of the Israeli regime”. “They know that aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran would mean annihilation of Tel Aviv and spread of war into the United States,” the commander, Massoud Jazayeri, was quoted by the Fars…

Israel may not be in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which will start on June 12 and last roughly a month, but the Jewish connection to the event is quite visible. On one hand, a Jewish couple is looking to turn the event into an opportunity to teach Jewish fans about Jewish culture. Further,…

The iconic rock band Rolling Stones have apparently taken their religious Jewish fans into consideration by moving back the starting time of their debut Israel performance on June 4, so as to avoid a conflict with the major holiday of Shavuot. The Tel Aviv Municipality authorized a special extension of the performance’s start time at…

Israeli police decided to limit entrance to Muslim visitors going to pray at the mosques on the Temple Mount on Friday, following intelligence that was received indicating there are plans to riot at the holy site. In accordance with the information, only Arab men over the age of 45 who are residents of Israel, as…

With just a few days to go until the 21st Annual Israel Day Concert in New York’s Central Park, executive producer Dr. Joseph Frager shared with Arutz Sheva his excitement over what will likely be an impressive show of strength by pro-Israel Americans. In particular, the appearance of Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tx) – a possible presidential candidate…

A Turkish court on Thursday handed a 15-month jail term to a teacher over Twitter posts deemed religiously offensive, local media reported on Thursday, according to AFP. The court in the eastern city of Mus ruled that the man, identified as Ertan P., insulted Islamic values with his Twitter handle — @allah (cc) — and…

In early February, Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Chris Alexander, presented Bill C-24, which is supposed to bring about fundamental change in the immigration process.  The bill, which is designed to reduce immigration fraud, was brought to parliament for approval this week. According to the proposal, permanent residents of Canada will be required to…

The IDF on Friday afternoon began a manhunt in Samaria. Their target: the terror cell that is believed to have been behind the foiled suicide bombing at Tapuach Junction near Ariel which took place Friday morning. The assumption at this stage is that the suicide terrorist who was captured wearing a bomb belt was brought…

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had tried to convince Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel to be a candidate in the race for president, media said on Friday. Israeli media began reporting Netanyahu’s last-minute attempt on Tuesday, when candidates had to present 10 MPs’ signatures to be eligible for the position. Wiesel, who lives in New York, told Yedioth Aharonoth on Friday that…

Nearly 2,000 civilians, more than a quarter of them children, have been killed this year in a massive Syrian air offensive on rebel-held areas of Aleppo province, a monitor said Friday, according to AFP. The staggering toll from barrel bombings and other air attacks comes just ahead of Tuesday’s presidential election, which is expected to…

Well-known Israeli actress Hanna Maron passed away on Friday evening in Tel Aviv at the age of 90. Maron died at the Ichilov Hospital, surrounded by family members. Born Hanna Meierzak in Berlin, Germany, she appeared as a child in several plays, films, and radio plays. In 1933, following the Nazis’ rise to power, she…

A senior American official denied on Friday that the United States had extended an invitation to the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA) government, Rami Hamdallah. Earlier Friday, a PA official claimed that Hamdallah, who was appointed by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday to head the unity government with Hamas, had been invited for an…

Vandals attacked the Jewish cemetery of the Greek city of Thessaloniki, whose Jewish population was nearly wiped out during World War II, local authorities said on Friday. According to The Associated Press (AP), police said marble ornaments were smashed off 12 graves, while vandals also tried to remove the tombs’ heavy marble covers. Foreign Minister…

Yeshiva University (YU) will host its second annual Dead Sea Scrolls Seminar in New York on June 8. The event, which aims to shed light on the ancient scrolls, will be held at the YU Museum. The seminar will feature lectures from prominent scholars on topics relating to the scrolls, which include 972 documents that survived for over…

Results of an in-depth research survey, which found that 92% of Israeli youth are proud to be Israeli, were announced for the first time on Thursday, timed for the same week as Jerusalem Day. The results were presented at the tenth conference of the “Masa Yisraeli” educational project, which was attended by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, and Education…

In the wake of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s statement that Jerusalem is “Israel’s Heart,” Mark Langfan, Arutz Sheva security analyst, notes that the airspace of Judea and Samaria is “Israel’s lungs,” and just as irreplaceable. Langfan states, “Without Israeli absolute and total control of the ‘lungs,’ the airspace of Judea and Samaria (the “West Bank”),…

The 21st Annual Israel Day Concert in Central Park will be held next Sunday in New York, delivering a strong message of support for Israel. Arutz Sheva managing editor Ari Soffer got a chance to speak with Dr. Paul Brody in New York. Brody, along with his wife Drora, are chairpersons of the concert.  Brody noted that the…

The UN Security Council on Wednesday strongly condemned the terror attack Saturday at a Jewish Museum in Brussels. In a press statement, the Council members condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack, “which resulted in loss of life and injuries, and with a possible anti-Semitic motivation behind it.” Four people, including two Israelis, were…

Congress has been warned that Saudi Arabia and its regional allies were moving away from the United States, reported the World Tribune. A House subcommittee heard testimony that the Gulf Cooperation Council found the United States unreliable amid its rapproachment with Iran. The House Middle East and Africa subcommittee also raised the prospect that several…

Former Bank of Israel chief Stanley Fischer has been sworn in as a member of the Federal Reserve’s board of governors, The Telegraph reports. Fischer must still wait for Senate approval to become vice-chair, the position for which he was nominated by President Barack Obama. If approved, Fischer will fill the seat that would be…

F.W. de Klerk, who served as the last President of apartheid-era South Africa, said on Wednesday that it was unfair to say that Israel is an apartheid state. De Klerk, who is visiting Israel where he received an honorary doctorate from Haifa University, gave an interview to Channel 2 News, in which he was asked…

Four of the Nigerian girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists last month have escaped their captors, the education commissioner for Nigeria’s Borno state said on Wednesday, according to Reuters. 219 girls remain missing. The girls were taking exams at a secondary school in the remote northeastern village of Chibok on April 14 when…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday chose Rami Hamdallah, currently the prime minister of the PA government, to be the prime minister and head of the unity government with Hamas. Hamdallah has been seen by experts as being largely under Abbas’s thumb. However, precisely he post of foreign minister in the unity government appears…

Israeli doctors on Wednesday successfully transplanted a portion of a liver into the body of a seven month old infant. Doctors said that the operation saved the infant’s life. A day later, the infant was awake and in good shape, they said. The operation took place in Schneider Children’s Hospital early Wednesday, to replace a…

Iranian hackers used social media networks to spy on Israelis, and supporters of Israel in the US and Britain, a report by an American security firm said Thursday. The report, by the iSight security group, said that Iranian hackers used profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media vehicles to trick Israelis and supporters of…

Just in time for the summer flying season, a 21st runway has been opened at Ben Gurion Airport. The new runway had its maiden landing Thursday morning, when an El Al plane arriving from Rhodes arrived in Israel. The project, said Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, is “an additional stage in the implementation of the Open…

Israelis likely appreciated pop icon Justin Timberlake’s visit to the Western Wall prior to his show in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Arabs? Not so much. In fact, a photo that Timberlake posted to Instagram of himself at the Kotel ignited backlash from pro-Palestinian Arab activists, according to the New York Daily News. “The Holy Land……

Partial results indicate that Egypt’s former army chief, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, is headed for a big victory. According to Reuters, Sisi’s campaign said Wednesday night that the popular candidate had captured 93.4 percent of the votes with 2,000 polling stations counted. Judicial sources said he had 89 percent with 3,000 polling stations counted. Sisi’s only…

An American citizen carried out a suicide bombing in Syria on behalf of an Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group on Sunday, the first time a U.S. citizen has carried out such an attack in the Syrian civil war, NBC News reported on Wednesday. Law enforcement and counterterrorism officials who spoke to NBC on condition of anonymity, confirmed…

Concern over anti-Semitism in New York continues to rise, amid phenomena like the cruel “knockout game” and the light punishment for a Nazi-supporting taxi driver.  But a string of anti-Semitic graffiti in particular made headlines earlier this week, after the multiple incidents – dubbed by the media as a “hate spree” – were linked to…

Several left-wing MKs – particularly from Meretz – have voiced criticism over an initiative to make Jerusalem Day a national holiday. Netanyahu fired back at the criticism, stating that the day has a high level of historical significance.  “I have heard that there are those who would like to cancel today as a national holiday,”…

Rumors have surfaced over the past several years that weapons theft from the IDF is a common phenomenon.  But on Wednesday, new data revealed that the tables have turned, according to Walla! News – and that consistent efforts by leading defense officials to declare war on firearm theft have resulted in a decisive victory.  The Freedom of…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a surprise move, called controversial presidential candidate Reuven Rivlin (Likud) to announce his official support for Rivlin in the June 10th elections.  “We have many things in our lives, better days and worse days, and I hope we move to see better days,” Netanyahu reportedly told Rivlin. “I waited to…

Tens of thousands of celebrants, of all ages, are expected to attend the upcoming 21st Annual Israel Day Concert in Central Park this coming Sunday, June 1. The annual concert marks the 47th anniversary of Israel’s victory in the Six-Day War and the re-unification of Jerusalem, and has taken place every year – free of…

An Israeli organization called “Torah on the Moon” is reportedly in talks with the Barcelona Moon Team, one of the teams entered into the Google Lunar X Prize, a competition to successfully land a robot on the lunar surface. The group seeks to place a halakhically kosher Torah scroll on the surface of the moon.…

Masked Arab youths threw stones at Israeli police on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Wednesday morning, just in time for Jerusalem Day. In response, the police broke onto the Temple Mount area, at which point the stone throwers retreated to the Al Aqsa Mosque while continuing to throw rocks and fireworks at the police,…

IDF soldiers were attacked overnight Tuesday while arresting a terror suspect in the Arab village of Jenin, located in northern Samaria. The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit reported that terrorists opened fire at the IDF force, and threw explosives at them, reports Walla!. No injuries to the soldiers were reported following the clashes. Two weeks ago a similar…

U.S. President Barack Obama is close to authorizing a military-led mission to train moderate Syrian rebels to fight the regime and Al-Qaeda-linked groups, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. A new military training program, if implemented, would supplement a small train-and-equip program led by the Central Intelligence Agency that Obama authorized a year ago.…

Polling in Egypt’s presidential election has been extended for a third day after low turnout, the BBC reports. Polls were due to close at 10:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday, but have now been extended to Wednesday, the Egyptian election commission said. The scale of turnout is seen as key to legitimizing the winner. Former…

As an Anti-Defamation League (ADL) poll revealed earlier this month demonstrated, anti-Semitism is a worldwide phenomenon.  And while a focus on anti-Semitism has cropped up in Europe and in the Middle East, at least one group of Jews in Guatemala were brave enough to speak of their own plight in the South American press.  Over…

Arutz Sheva has received exclusive reportage on yet another violent Arab attack Tuesday on Jewish youth in the Old City of Jerusalem. Again, Jews celebrating the 47th year since the unification of the 3,000-year-old Jewish capital were targeted. Ahuva Schwartz, a resident of Jerusalem, reports that a group of 60 Jews, mostly Israeli high school boys along…

Hollywood star Johnny Depp is reportedly in negotiations to star as the iconic Jewish escape artist Harry Houdini, in a film entitled “The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America’s First Superhero.” The Hollywood Reporter revealed the negotiations exclusively on Tuesday, noting that the movie is said to be similar in tone to the…

Jewish students of the Hispin High School Yeshiva in the Golan Heights visited Jerusalem for Jerusalem Day on Wednesday. While there, they report that local Arabs threw stones and tear gas at them. The students’ visit to Jerusalem started Wednesday morning in the Old City, where their celebrations of the 47th anniversary of the liberation…

On Jerusalem Day (Wednesday), the family and friends of terror victim Evyatar Borovsky Hy”d are to march from the site at Tapuach Junction in Samaria where he was stabbed to death by an Arab terrorist a year ago, to “Evyatar Outpost,” a community established in his honor nearby. Last Jerusalem Day, Borovsky, who was a popular…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday night that Jerusalem is the heart of Israel and, as such, will never be divided again. Netanyahu made the comments in a speech he gave at the annual Jerusalem Day celebrations at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva. The celebration at Merkaz Harav is traditionally attended by the important figures…

Housing Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) spoke on Tuesday night at the Jerusalem Day celebrations at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva, where he declared that there will never be another construction freeze in Jerusalem or Judea and Samaria. “There will be no more freezes, we will not accept delays and restrictions in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria,…

IAF fighter jet commanders were informed on Tuesday evening that due to IDF budget cuts it was decided that starting next Sunday, no more training flights will be conducted. According to the decision, flights would only be carried out as part of actual operations, in instances requiring on-call alertness and at flight school. All training…

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Tuesday, expressing its concern over the military coup in Thailand last Thursday that granted army chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha “full powers of government.” “Israel holds Thailand’s constitutional democratic institutions and civil rights in the highest regard and hopes the military leadership will reinstate these at the earliest,” read…

Jerusalem Day, beginning Tuesday night, will be celebrated in Israel’s capital through a series of events featuring top Israeli musicians and various performances. This year marks the 47th year since the unification of the 3,000-year-old capital of the Jewish people, which occurred in the 1967 Six Day War. On the occasion of Jerusalem Day, Jerusalem…

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday the Turkish court order asking Interpol to arrest four former Israel military leaders would not harm compensation negotiations. The subject of the arrest and negotiations is the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla, which tried to illegally break the IDF blockade on the terror group Hamas in Gaza. Ten Turkish Islamists…

An Iranian judge has summoned Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg to answer allegations that his company’s apps have breached people’s privacy, it was reported Tuesday.   In a case that underscores the gulf between Iranian moderates, who seek fewer Internet restrictions, and conservatives who want more, the Silicon Valley leader has been dubbed the…

Belgian news media reported on Tuesday that the local police have arrested a suspect in the shooting incident on Saturday, in which four people were killed at the Jewish Museum in Brussels. The arrest, reported by Belgian VTM NEWS, could possibly lead to clarification in the case which has been labelled a “terrorist assassination.” It remains unclear…

Six Jewish residents of the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk were flown to Israel on Tuesday to make Aliyah (immigration), in a quick rescue operation headed by the Jewish Agency for Israel. Ukrainian armed forces and pro-Russian militants were battling over the Donetsk airport on Tuesday, with both sides making early announcements of victory. Pro-Russian…

Arab MK Masud Ganaim (Raam-Taal) appealed to the Palestinian Authority (PA) for help fighting the Jewish State Law, proposed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on May 1, which would affix Israel’s status as the nation-state of the Jewish people as a Basic Law. Speaking to the terrorist organization Hamas’s journal “Palestine” on Tuesday, Ganaim said…

A rare seal of the Monastery of St. Sabas has been excavated in the Bayit VeGan neighborhood of Jerusalem. The seal was unearthed a year and a half ago, but it was only after processing and study that it was identified as a unique seal that was stamped by the Great Laura – the Monastery…

Jerusalem Day begins Tuesday night – but not everyone is able to celebrate freely.  Tuesday morning, MK Yoni Chetboun (Jewish Home/Bayit Yehudi) proposed a draft to change the status quo, making Jerusalem Day a national holiday and enabling every Zionist to celebrate Israel’s liberation of the Holy City.  Chetboun’s initiative is in partnership with nationalist…

Belgian authorities have increased security in the Jewish community in Brussels following Saturday’s horrific shooting attack, securing Jewish sites, synagogues, and schools from further harm.  But Jewish leaders are fed up with growing anti-Semitism in Europe as a general phenomenon – and have called for permanent protection against future attacks.  “Anti-Semitism is high, not only…

Ukrainian armed forces and pro-Russian militants continue to battle over a Donetsk airport Tuesday, despite announcements from both sides of an apparent victory.  Rebels took Donetsk’s Sergei Prokofiev airport Monday, just hours after the successful election announcement of Ukrainian “Chocolate King” Petro Poroshenko as president.  Even as the fighting was getting under way, Poroshenko held a news conference in…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on Iran on Monday to release a former Marine who he said has been “unjustly” held for nearly three years, AFP reports. The Marine in question is Amir Hekmati, who was arrested in 2011, put on trial and found guilty of spying for the CIA. He was subsequently…

The Israeli government has begun discussions on declaring the Islamic Movement in Israel an illegal organization. Sheikh Kamel al-Khativ, deputy leader of the organization, told the terrorist organization Hamas’s journal “Palestine” on Tuesday that he was not surprised by the discussions, adding that in former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s administration the topic was raised. Israel…

The Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet), along with the Israeli police, successfully apprehended an Israeli Arab who helped two of his relatives leave Israel and join jihadists in Syria, according to news permitted for publication Tuesday. The detainee is Idris Ahmed Abu Taleb Alkayaan, 23, a resident of the Hora Bedouin settlement in…

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared on March 8, went into media silence over the past month as leads slowly fizzled out.  Theories ranged from hijacking to crashing to being diverted for use in a terror attack, possibly against Israel. Later theories have become even wilder, ranging from an onboard fire to a suicide mission.  But a new report published…

Nigeria’s highest ranking military officer on Monday gave a glimmer of hope to the families of more than 200 schoolgirls held by Boko Haram terrorists, revealing they had located the missing teenagers. “The good news for the girls is that we know where they are but we cannot tell you,” Chief of Defense Staff Air…

Egypt has announced that Tuesday, the second day of the country’s presidential elections, will be an official holiday, Al Arabiya reported on Monday. The move appears to be an attempt to boost voter turnout seen as crucial to casting legitimacy on the electoral process, in which former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is expected to…

Syria has responded to Jordan’s expelling of its ambassador to Amman by expelling a Jordanian diplomat from Damascus, AFP reported on Monday, citing Syria’s state-run television. Al-Ikhbariya television reported on Monday evening that Syria decided to expel Jordan’s charge d’affaires, in a tit-for-tat move hours after Amman gave the Syrian ambassador 24 hours to leave…

The Sea of Galilee, which is not a sea at all, but is instead Israel’s largest lake and the world’s second lowest body of water (the Dead Sea being the lowest) is also called the Kinneret in the Bible – perhaps because it is shaped somewhat like an ancient  harp, a kinor – and termed…

Jerusalem police were called on Monday evening to the Church of the Dormition in the Mount Zion compound to probe the torching of a guestbook. Officers questioned several eyewitnesses, who indicated they had noticed an unidentified man with a non-Jewish appearance who entered the church. According the eyewitnesses, the man wandered around the church and…

Pesach Rubin, a resident of Hermesh in northern Samaria, is fed up. Rubin purchased a product from eBay and received a telephone call from the Aviv delivery company, which sought to clarify with him where to send the product. Aviv had never heard of Hermesh; Rubin explained that the settlement in northern Samaria. The response?…

The pope toured the Temple Mount Monday, in a visit that went very smoothly despite calls by Muslim extremists to prevent Pope Francis’s visit to the holy site. On the Temple Mount, the pope met with the Mufti of Jerusalem and the Jordanian Waqf (Islamic trust) which has de facto control over the holiest site…

There have been “rumors” that doors of Beirut’s Magen Avraham Synagogue are set to reopen after more than 40 years, writes Middle Eastern site Al Bawaba, which cites Asharq Al-Awsat. The head of the Jewish community in Lebanon, Isaac Arazi, told Asharq Al-Awsat that efforts are being made to revive the community’s public presence in…

A bumbling Gaza terrorist of the Islamic Jihad terror group died on Monday morning, after having a “work accident” with an explosive he was handling. The 25-year-old terrorist had his unlucky run-in with the bomb in Jabalia, a town in northern Gaza, reports Channel 10.  Two other terrorists, also of Islamic Jihad, were killed on Saturday…

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned on Sunday night the shooting attack in the Jewish Museum of Brussels, which left four people dead, including two Israelis. A statement from Ban’s office said that “the location of the attack points to a possible anti-Semitic motivation behind it.” The statement added that Ban “reiterates his strong condemnation…

The bodies of the victims from Saturday’s horrific shooting in Belgium – Emanuel and Miriam Riva, 54 and 53, from Tel Aviv – are currently en route to Israel for the funeral, ZAKA announced Monday. The funeral will be held in the Kiryat Shaul Cemetery in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, at 5:00 pm.  The Rivas were…

Ahead of Pope Francis’s Mass prayers on Monday afternoon at the “Room of the Last Supper,” located in the King David’s Tomb Compound, the liberal group Hiddush – Freedom of Religion for Israel has called to change the status quo of the site, endangering Jewish prayer rights. Hiddush CEO Uri Regev, a Reform Rabbi formerly…

As the warm summery weather continues to advance, snakes have apparently become more active as evidenced in yet another snake bite victim reported on Monday. This time the perpetrator was a massive two-meter (roughly six-and-a-half feet) long snake. A man in his 70s was bitten by the snake in the yard of his home, located…

Israeli President Shimon Peres on Monday accepted an invitation from Pope Francis to go to the Vatican for a joint prayer for peace with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas. Peres had greeted the Pope warmly as his tour of the Holy Land drew to a close with a visit to the President’s residence in Jerusalem.…

A terrorist released by Israel in the deal to return Elhanan Tannenbaum from his Hezbollah captors was killed in fighting in Syria this week. A report on the website Lebanon Now said that Fauzy Ayoub, a senior officer in Hezbollah, was killed in fighting in the Aleppo area. Ayoub, also known as Abu Abbas, was…

The Belgian federal prosecutor’s office Monday said a probe had been opened into “terrorist assassination” in the weekend shootings by a lone gunman at the Jewish Museum in Brussels that left four dead, according to AFP. Spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office, Wenke Roggen, told a news conference that the investigation now underway was for “terrorist assassination” and “attempted terrorist assassination” on top…

A Knesset effort to lower the price of cars for Israelis may be thwarted by the manufacturers of the cars themselves. In a letter to the Knesset Economics Committee, which has been discussing legislation that would allow more companies to import vehicles into Israel – thus increasing competition – Toyota said that it could not…

Residents in a tiny Spanish town voted on Sunday to ditch the town’s name – Castrillo Matajudios, or Castrillo Kill Jews. According to AFP, the residents voted 29-19 in favor of scrapping the northern Spanish town’s name, in existence since at least 1623. An announcement on the vote was made last month. The town’s mayor,…

The Palestinian Arab community in Montreal on Sunday marked “Nakba Day”, the day on which Arabs mark what they view as the “catastrophe” of the establishment of the State of Israel. Shalom Toronto reports that during the rally, a Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flag at a length of 66 meters was waved, marking 66 years…

Ukrainian chocolate baron Petro Poroshenko claimed a resounding victory on Sunday in Ukraine’s presidential election and immediately vowed to end a bloody pro-Russian uprising that thwarted voting across swathes of the eastern part of the country, AFP reports. The pro-Western self-made billionaire won close to 56 percent of the vote, according to the report. “My…

A new poll shows that a majority of Israelis are opposed to further withdrawals from Judea and Samaria. In a poll taken by the Geocartographia organization on behalf of Ariel University, the majority of Israelis said that peace was not possible because of the refusal of the Palestinians to compromise on a political settlement. According…

Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky on Sunday expressed his condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones in the attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels Saturday. “I am deeply distressed by yesterday’s horrifying attacks against Jewish targets in Brussels and Paris,” said Sharansky. “We at The Jewish Agency for Israel are investing…

On the Pope’s travel agenda in his journeys in the the Holy Land is a visit to the Dehaishe refugee camp, a hotbed of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish terrorism. On his visit, the Pope is expected to visit the Dehaishe Youth Club – perhaps the center of terror activity in the camp. Among other things, the…

The City of Ottawa has no plans to remove an exhibit at City Hall that glorifies barbaric child-killing terrorists, despite the Israeli ambassador’s protests, conveyed in a meeting with Mayor Jim Watson. The deputy city manager said the city isn’t embarrassed by the exhibit and has no plans to take it down, according to the…

Belgium’s Jewish community is reeling from Saturday night’s horrific shooting attack at the Jewish Museum, which left a museum employee and two Israeli tourists dead and other critically injured.  Locals say that the attack, rather than a shock, is the direct outcome of growing tolerance for anti-Semitism in Belgium.  “Anti-Semitism has grown. We see it…

The victims of the horrific shooting attack in Brussels’ Jewish Museum have been identified Sunday morning.  Two of the victims were Israeli tourists, a couple from Tel Aviv in their fifties; the other was a museum staff member, officials announced Sunday.  Belgium’s foreign ministry announced that identifying the victims – specifically the tourists – took…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Saturday night strongly condemned the shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussels, saying the attack was directly caused by incitement. “This act of murder is the result of constant incitement against Jews and their state,” Netanyahu said. “Slander and lies against the State of Israel continue to be heard on…

One person was killed and three people were injured overnight Saturday in an explosion and fire in Jerusalem’s Beit Hanina neighborhood. United Hatzalah paramedics who were called to the scene treated the victims and they were taken to hospital. Police are still investigating, but believe the fire was caused by a gas tank explosion. In February,…

The two Israelis killed in shooting attack at the Jewish Museum in Brussels, Belgium are Emanuel and Miriam Riba, 54 and 53, from Tel Aviv, authorities announced Sunday. The couple leaves behind two daughters, ages 15 and 16, according to Yediot Aharonot.  The Israeli Embassy in Brussels has contacted local police to ensure that the bodies will be flown…

France’s President Francois Hollande said on Sunday there was no doubt about the “anti-Semitic character” of the attack on a Jewish museum in Belgium which left three dead, including a Frenchwoman. “The anti-Semitic character of this act, a shooting in the Jewish museum in Brussels with the intention to kill, is in no doubt,” said Hollande, speaking in his southwestern political stronghold…

Two Jewish men were attacked outside Paris Saturday night, French Interior Minister Bernard Caseneuve announced Sunday, as they were leaving a Creteil synagogue.  Caseneuve ordered police around France to increase security at Jewish houses of worship and other Jewish establishments, the Ministry stated. He condemned the attacked with “utmost severity.”  Very few details are available on…

Islamist rebels in Syria carried out four separate suicide bombing attacks against Syrian army positions, killing “dozens” and wounding many more, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Nusra Front – which is Al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria – carried out the attacks as part of an offensive aimed at cutting off…

Nearly 400 mainly young Jews from Moldova and the southern Ukraine have gathered in the city of Chisinau, May 23-25, for a unique purpose: to learn about their Jewish heritage. More than 22,000 Jews live in Moldova, with about 15,000 concentrated in the capital city. For more than a century, Chisinau (formerly known by its…

IDF forces prevented a terrorist attack in the town of Migdal Oz in Gush Etzion Friday night. On Friday night, patrols on shift in watch towers in the Etzion region identified two suspicious figures approaching the kibbutz and then standing in front of a cluster of houses.  Security forces managed to close in on the…

Three people were killed and one badly injured when a gunman attacked the Jewish Museum in the center of Brussels on Saturday, authorities said. “Two women and one man are dead, a third person is in hospital,” Interior Minister Joelle Milquet said at the scene. “We don’t yet know if they were tourists or staff, they haven’t been identified.” Asked…

The stakes are high in Ukraine, international media reports Saturday, as both Moscow and Kiev made bold statements ahead of Ukrainian elections.  Russian President Vladimir Putin reassured the public Saturday that, despite months of violence in eastern Ukraine, Moscow is actively looking to maintain stability.  “By all means, we will respect the choice of the…

The European Jewish Congress (EJC) has responded with “horror” to today’s deadly shooting at Belgium’s Jewish Museum, condemning the “murderous attack at the Jewish museum in central Brussels today” and sending its “condolences to the families of the victims.” EJC President Dr. Moshe Cantor echoed sentiments made in the immediate aftermath of the attack, saying…

Pope Francis made an urgent plea Saturday for peace in war-torn Syria as he kicked off a three-day pilgrimage to the Middle East, AFP reports. And he called for religious freedom to be upheld throughout a region ravaged by war and bloodshed, where a dwindling Christian population faces daily persecution. As he walked off the plane onto a red carpet at Amman airport,…

Voters from three Eastern European nations and Malta go to the polls Saturday in European Parliament elections expected to boost eurosceptic parties despite a surprise setback for Dutch populists.   Czech voters return to the ballot box for a second day and are joined by their counterparts in Latvia, Slovakia and Malta as the mammoth…

One of the people who were wounded on the Mavi Marmara vessel during the 2010 flotilla passed away on Friday, four years after the incident, Turkish media reported. The man was identified as 51-year-old Ugur Suleyman Soylemez, who was in a coma over the past four years. The Mavi Marmara, which claimed to international media…

More than 600 students from Yeshiva University’s (YU) undergraduate schools were presented with their degrees at YU’s 83rd commencement exercises, held at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Thursday, May 22. Addressing the new graduates, YU President Richard M. Joel challenged them to value their time and this “momentous moment,” as members…

At least 39 people were killed in a mortar bomb attack on an election campaign tent packed with supporters of President Bashar Al-Assad, Syrian state TV has said, according to Al Jazeera. The network showed pictures of Assad supporters in the southern city of Daraa dancing inside the tent. It then showed people lying dead…

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is expected to win the presidential election in Egypt next week, urged Egyptians on Friday to vote in large numbers in the vote on Monday and Tuesday. “You went down (to the streets) because Egypt was in danger on June 30,” 2013, Sisi said in an interview to four television channels,…

More than 600 students from Yeshiva University’s undergraduate schools were awarded degrees at YU’s 83rd Commencement exercises, held on Thursday. Nine received the distinction of valedictorian, an honor that reflects exceptional academic achievement. As these new graduates begin the next stage of life and apply their talents to pursue a range of careers, they remembered…

An Iranian court has ordered that the photo-sharing app Instagram be blocked over privacy concerns, The Associated Press (AP) reported Friday, citing the semi-official Iranian news agency. The agency said a court order, stemming from a private lawsuit, had been given to Iran’s Ministry of Telecommunications to ban the site. However, users in the capital,…

Iran has sharply cut its most sensitive nuclear stockpile under an interim pact with world powers and has begun engaging with an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) investigation into suspected weapons research, the UN nuclear agency said on Friday, according to Reuters. The IAEA, which is tasked with verifying that Iran is living up to…

Terrorists in Gaza fired a rocket which struck southern Israel on Friday, without causing casualties or damage, following a weeks-long lull, the army said.   A spokeswoman told AFP it struck open ground in the Shaar Hanegev area. Also on Friday shots were fired at Israeli soldiers operating near the Gaza border fence, military spokesman…

At least one French jihadist died recently in a suicide attack on a police post in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, informed sources said Friday, according to AFP. The man, from the French Antilles and known by the pseudonym Abou al-Qaqa al-Faransi, died while fighting for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke at the Genesis Prize ceremony Thursday night, welcoming awardee and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and honoring his dedication to public service.  Netanyahu noted that Bloomberg has built on the philanthropy of Jewish groups, stressing that post-college programs – “including Taglit, Birthright, Israel – Masa, and Hillel” – “are all…

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke to the press before the Genesis Prize ceremony Thursday, addressing questions about the US-Israel relationship and Jewish identity.  “Israel needs America, but America really needs Israel as well,” Bloomberg said. “This is the only democracy in this part of the world, and it celebrates the same values that…

One of the first Arab opinion polls released ahead of the Fatah-Hamas unity government planned to be announced next week has found revealing results: jailed arch-terrorist Marwan Barghouti is the favorite contender for president. The poll, was conducted by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion (PCPO) among 1015 residents of Judea, Samaria and Gaza with a…

Russia plans to sign a contract with Iran this year to build two more nuclear reactors at its Bushehr power plant, as part of a broader deal for up to eight reactors in Iran, a source close to the negotiations told Reuters on Thursday. Russia, one of the six world powers currently holding negotiations with…

Ramadan Salah, leader of the Gaza-based terror organization Islamic Jihad, declared to the Arabic paper Al-Hayat on Tuesday that his group “is prepared to join the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) on a new political and organizational basis.” The PLO has achieved international recognition as the representative of the “Palestinian people” since the 1993 Oslo Accords. The Palestinian…

The Palestinian Authority (PA) announced that they would continue to fight against the “Israeli occupation” this week, turning to the Arab League for help establishing a “sovereign and independent state under 1967 borders.” Jibril Rajoub, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, said this week in Doha in a lecture on “State of the Palestinian struggle”…

Residents of the Har Hevron Regional Council embarked on a protest convoy on Friday to the southern Judea town of Negohot. The chain of cars was meant to protest the sharp rise in stones and molotov cocktails thrown on Israel cars on local roads. The road between Negohot and the village of Adoraim, which has…

Stargazers may receive something of a treat this Shabbat, as the earth passes through a meteorite shower late Friday night.  On May 23 and 24, the Earth will pass through a stream of debris left by Comet 290P/LINEAR nearly 200 years ago. Astronomers predict that the resulting meteorite shower, dubbed “the Camelopardalid meteor shower,” will be…

The leader of an Al-Qaeda-inspired group that fired rockets from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula towards the Israeli city of Eilat was killed in a drive-by shooting on Thursday, The Associated Press (AP) reports. Three associates of the leader of the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group were killed in the same incident as well, senior Egyptian security officials…

Russia and China were condemned on Thursday for vetoing a UN Security Council resolution to refer the Syrian crisis to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for a probe into possible war crimes, reports the International Business Times (IBT). The French-backed resolution, which did not specifically target either the government or the opposition, was signed by…

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met on Thursday with the head of Hamas’s political bureau, Khaled Mashaal, Iranian media reported. The meeting took place in Doha on the sidelines of the second meeting of the Qatari-Iranian joint political committee, according to the IRIB news agency. During the meeting, Mashaal reportedly denounced Israel over its…

Hamas and Fatah are edging closer to forming the unity government upon which they agreed last month, Al Jazeera reported on Thursday. According to the report, during talks between Fatah’s Azzam al-Ahmed and members of Hamas, the sides agreed that Rami Hamdallah, who served as Prime Minister of the outgoing Palestinian Authority (PA) government, will…

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Thursday became the first recipient of the new Genesis Prize, a $1 million award to individuals who “embody the character of the Jewish people and values…and the State of Israel.” In a ceremony at the Jerusalem Theater, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu presented the award, saying “I think that in…

The Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that two Israeli citizens have been arrested in Jordan. As of now, no additional details are known concerning the reasons behind or circumstances of the arrest, or the identities of the two.  Just last Tuesday Israel arrested a Jordanian-US dual citizen in Jerusalem. The man had fled the US to…

Three bombs targeting Shia pilgrims in Baghdad have killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens more, Iraqi security and medical officials said. Al Jazeera reported that Thursday’s attacks struck Mansur in west Baghdad, Baab al-Sharji in the center of the city, and the neighborhood of Shaab, as worshippers prepared to commemorate the death of…

Five hundred security cameras will be installed in eastern Jerusalem, at a cost of more than 100 million shekels. The cameras will be placed in neighborhoods to the east of Bar-Lev Road, from French Hill in the north to Har Homa in the south, according to Voice of Israel public radio. The project will take three…

Bat-El Aminov, the 19-year-old resident of Kfar Tapuach in Samaria who had been missing since Tuesday, has reportedly been found none the worse for wear. David Ha’ivri, a local activist and resident of Kfar Tapuach, wrote on Facebook on Thursday afternoon “I have been informed that the missing girl has been found and is safe and…

Minister of Construction and Housing, Uri Ariel (Jewish Home), and Finance Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) have reached agreement on a bill initiated by Lapid, which would eliminate all VAT on apartments purchased by first-time homebuyers. The bill is to be brought before the Knesset by August 3, Ariel promised Thursday. The program for selling…

A group of 40 Bnei Menashe made Aliyah today from India, the first batch out of a total of 250 immigrants from the Lost Tribe that are slated to arrive over the coming month. The immigrants, who hail from the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, were brought to Israel by Shavei Israel, which received permission…

What started as a declaration of martial law on Monday night developed on Thursday into a full-fledged military coup in Thailand. This makes the twelfth successful coup in the south-east Asian country since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932. In a statement on national TV, army chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha announced the coup,…

Around 20 former guards at the Majdanek death camp could face charges in Germany, following a widespread probe of the Nazi SS men and women who served there during World War II, The Associated Press (AP) reported. Federal prosecutor Kurt Schrimm, who heads Germany’s special Nazi war crimes office, said he expects to turn the…

Mohammed Dahlan, the longtime rival of Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, has been sentenced in absentia by a Ramallah court to two years in prison, The Associated Press (AP) reports. The sentence against Dahlan was handed down back in March but was not made public until Wednesday, in the official PA newspaper. There was…

European Union (EU) ambassador to Israel Lars Faaborg-Andersen explained the EU’s policies on Israel, peace talks, and Palestinian Arabs on Wednesday, in a special interview with Arutz Sheva.  Faaborg-Andersen first described the relationship between the EU and Israel, which he said “is getting stronger every day.”  “I see my main mission as strengthening the relationship between…

The six Iranians arrested for making a tribute video to Pharrell Williams’ hit song “Happy,” in which unveiled women danced with men, have since been released. However, they were forced to “repent” on national TV – after reportedly undergoing serious abuse. The video was reportedly uploaded to YouTube late last month; one upload of the six dancing…

Uri Elitzur z”l, the legendary publisher of Makor Rishon and a veteran of the Israeli media, passed away on Thursday. Elitzur, 68, succumbed after a long battle with cancer. His funeral is set for Thursday afternoon in his hometown of Ofra. Yechiel Uriahu Elitzur was born in Jerusalem in 1946, son of Professor Yehuda Elitzur…

Yehoshua Yishai, chairman of the Jerusalem Religious Council, this week issued tenders for the construction of mikva’ot (Jewish ritual baths) in several Jerusalem neighborhoods in the eastern part of the city, where Jewish communities have been reestablished in recent years. The neighborhoods included the Maaleh Zeitim section of the Mount of Olives, and the Nof…

The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency or “Shin Bet”) has arrested a Palestinian who was planning to kidnap Israelis. The arrest, in cooperation with Israel police, took place in recent weeks and was announced by the Shabak Thursday. The Palestinian, Murad Mahmoud Hassan Ali-Hassin, 25, had been living in Israel illegally, and was a member…

The six Iranians who were arrested for dancing in a YouTube video to Pharrell Williams’ song “Happy” have been freed, CNN reports, citing the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. The director of the video was not released, the group said on Wednesday. According to CNN, one of the six announced that she was…

One Egyptian was killed and six others were injured in a bomb attack on Wednesday on a security vehicle in the Sinai Peninsula, security sources told Reuters. Officials and witnesses said the casualties included both civilians and security officers. Witnesses said Wednesday’s attack was carried out by two men riding a motorcycle who threw a…

Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Bat El Aminov, 19, of Tapuach, in Samaria. She left her home Tuesday but failed to return. She was wearing and blue and brown skirt and brown shoes and carrying a big white bag. She was also wearing a gold necklace with a figure 8 shape.…

Two attacks on IDF soldiers near the security fence of Gaza occurred on Wednesday. Three mortar shells were fired at IDF forces conducting activities to expose terror tunnels just over the fence in central Gaza. Likewise an explosive charge was detonated near an IDF routine patrol near the security fence in southern Gaza. No injuries among…

Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has removed a key piece of pro-Israel legislation from the committee’s agenda, which would have allowed Congress to vote for or against any deal that is negotiated with Iran over its nuclear arms program. The decision to pull the bill – the U.S.-Israel…

Former Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer is edging closer to becoming vice chairman of the Federal Reserve. On Tuesday, Fischer’s nomination cleared a key procedural hurdle in the Senate. According to Reuters, the Senate agreed 62-35 to limit debate on the nomination, allowing for a final vote just after midday on Wednesday. Fischer is…

Russia said on Tuesday it will veto a UN resolution to refer the Syrian conflict to the International Criminal Court (ICC) if it comes to a vote in the Security Council, The Guardian reports. Moscow’s position was announced by Gennady Gatilov, the deputy foreign minister, and is consistent with previous moves to protect Syrian President…

Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal made clear on Tuesday that, despite his group’s reconciliation with Fatah, Hamas was still committed to “resistance” against Israel. The comments were made at a gathering in Doha, Qatar, in honor of “Nakba Day”, what the Arabs see as the “catastrophe” of Israel’s establishment. “We have turned the page on this…

Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday, after being convicted for embezzling public funds. Mubarak’s two sons, Alaa and Gamal, were also convicted and were each sentenced to four-year prison terms.  All three are accused of using 125 million Egyptian pounds ($17.6 million), which had been allocated for…

Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski began his visit to Israel on Monday by visiting the bereaved families of the five Israelis murdered in the 2012 Burgas terrorist attack. “We are very sorry about the incident in the Burgas airport. We are doing all we can to conclude the investigation on this topic. We are convinced that…

Britain’s Prince Charles was mired in controversy on Wednesday after he reportedly compared the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine to those of Adolf Hitler. The heir to the throne made the apparently unguarded comment during a trip to a museum in Canada, in conversation with a Polish-born woman who had fled the…

Pope Francis will arrive in Israel next Sunday, where he intends to make a symbolic gesture apologizing for an historic injustice made by the Vatican 110 years ago. In 1904, Zionist leader Theodor Herzl visited the Vatican to ask Pope Pius the Tenth to help establish a modern Jewish state in Israel, the historic homeland…

Anti-Islamist Eric Brazau has helped turn May 20 into “the Day for Drawing the Prophet Mohammed” in Toronto. The tradition began shortly after the Danish cartoon firestorm in 2005 – when a Danish newspaper published depictions of Mohammed that led to violent protests worldwide. The person who initiated the Candian event, Molly Norris, had to go…

While the controversial Enlistment Law from March may have had a negative effect on hareidi draft rates, the Nahal Hareidi brigade continues to shine. For the first time, soldiers of the fifteen-year-old Brigade were given the President’s Award for 2014. Notice of the award was given to reserve members of the Brigade in recent days,…

Israel’s Supreme Court on Wednesday heard an appeal by the parents of a US activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer in 2003. Rachel Corrie was accidentally killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza, as she stood in a spot where civilians were not allowed and she could not be seen by the driver, this at a time when…

MK Meir Sheetrit (HaTnua) has obtained the necessary ten signatures to run in presidential elections, which are called for June 10. “I call on all candidates to focus the public debate on one issue only – the most suitable candidate who has the power to unite all sections of the people,” he stated, after obtaining…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas declared that the PLO does not intend to apply for membership to any more international organizations and agencies Wednesday – at least, not in the near future.  Abbas, who made the comments in an interview with Walla! News, stated that the final decision would ultimately depend on “policy developments” in…

A correspondent for Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine has been forced to leave Turkey temporarily after he received thousands of death threats over his article on the country’s worst mining disaster. “Things have become worse. Since Monday, I have got death threats and other kinds of messages,” Istanbul-based journalist Hasnain Kazim told AFP in an emailed statement on Wednesday. “People are putting my picture…

Major online shopping corporation eBay has been hacked, the company announced Wednesday, and has asked all users to immediately change their passwords.  Or has it? The warning message was deleted a short time later without any explanation from the company, who then stated that there is no evidence of specific information or account information stolen.…

Maccabi Tel Aviv released an official response Wednesday to the torrent of anti-Semitic tweets aimed at their Sunday Euroleague victory, saying the team is “shocked” and “disappointed” at the stream of hate expressed in its aftermath. “Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball wishes to express its shock and disappointment at the hurtful discriminatory comments made on social…

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday thanked Israel and Norway for canceling their national day receptions in Ankara in light of a mining disaster in Soma. “Some of them called our president [Abdullah Gul], some phoned the parliament speaker [Cemil Cicek] and shared in our grief. I would like to thank the leaders…

The Vatican is not seeking ownership of the Cenacle, or room alleged to be the site of Jesus’s Last Supper, one floor above King David’s Tomb, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. An official quoted by the newspaper on Tuesday said that the Vatican only sought to hold daily Christian prayers at the site. “All the…

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong followed her meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday, where she signed a bilateral cooperation agreement, with a stop in Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus to take part in the opening of Hebrew University’s new Confucius Institute. Yandong’s visit to the campus, accompanied by a delegation of senior ministers and university presidents,…

A top UN official on Tuesday called for an investigation into the deaths of two Palestinian Arab rioters fatally shot last week by Israeli border policemen in Samaria. The youths were shot dead as Israeli police responded to riots on “Nakba Day”, in which anti-Zionists protest the creation of the State of Israel. Assistant UN…

A top UN official on Tuesday called for an investigation into the deaths of two Palestinian Arab rioters fatally shot last week by Israeli border policemen in Samaria. The youths were shot dead as Israeli police responded to riots on “Nakba Day”, in which anti-Zionists protest the creation of the State of Israel. Assistant UN…

A UK student conference claiming to represent over “one million students” has voted “overwhelmingly” for a radical BDS Motion which condemns the very existence of the State of Israel. The “Black Students’ Campaign” (BSC), which is claims to represent Asian, Caribbean, African and other ethnic minority students, voted for the policy at its conference in Coventry,…