Category: News

ORT Israel, which manages a network of high schools and after school programs in Israel, will be exporting its curricula and teaching methodology to the U.S. ORT will be teaming up with the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE), a non-profit group that helps day schools with curriculum and materials, to help kids in…

Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett distanced himself Monday from a recent statement by a party Knesset member, MK Moti Yogev, who said that the pressure that US Secretary of State John Kerry has been placing on Israel to soften its stance in the Middle East peace talks is “obsessive” and possibly contains “anti-Semitic overtones.” Bennett…

Security sources have confirmed that the explosion on the Egyptian side of the Taba crossing on Sunday was carried out by a suicide bomber. Four civilians were killed and 15 were injured in the incident. A fifth body, that of the suicide bomber who set off the explosion, was also found in the rubble. According…

Police on Monday were conducting a citywide search for a yeshiva student who disappeared Sunday night in Jerusalem. Concern has been mounting over the whereabouts of the student after a “goodby note” was discovered. The student did not specifically say how he intended to “disappear,” but police and family members are gravely concerned he may…

Two people were killed and ten others were injured in an explosion in a residential building in the old city of Akko on Sunday night. Magen David Adom said that two victims were in serious condition, one in moderate condition, and seven in light condition. They were evacuated by ambulance to the hospital in Nahariya…

For the first time in Saudi Arabia, a woman has been named editor-in-chief of a daily newspaper published in the kingdom, The Associated Press (AP) reported on Sunday. According to the report, the English-language Saudi Gazette announced on its website that Somayya Jabarti will take the helm at the newspaper. Her predecessor Khaled Almaeena wrote…

The Hamas terror group which controls Gaza slammed Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday, over his meeting in Ramallah with Israeli students, NRG/Maariv reports. During the meeting, Abbas who heads Hamas’s rival Fatah, claimed that Hamas had “renounced extremism” and would accept a future peace deal between Israel and the PA. The PA…

The Al-Qaeda inspired Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis terror group on Sunday night claimed responsibility for the terror attack on a bus carrying Korean tourists in Taba. Army Radio quoted a Twitter statement by the group which said, “We will continue to hurt the leaders in Egypt, the economy, the tourism and the gas.” The Sinai-based Ansar…

Sensational accounts of the cultlike behavior of the Lev Tahor group were published in the Canadian media Sunday, as police there continue to investigate the activities of the group that has taken refuge in the country. The Toronto Star on Sunday published testimony of the group’s doings based on documents presented by police in an…

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced in a national TV booadcast that he will be expelling three American consulate officials, as his government faces unprecedented protests by opposition groups. He described the unnamed US officials as “a group of US functionaries who are in the universities.” Maduro, who has repeatedly cited a shadowy foreign conspiracy…

Israel faces a severe crisis if urgent measures are not taken to address the country’s growing water scarcity, according to experts. January passed with barely a drop of rain, and February hasn’t been much better, despite last weekend’s rainstorm, said Avshalom Vilan, chairman of the Israeli Agricultural Federation, a group representing farmers and agricultural families.…

U.S. Secretary of State on Sunday blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the breakdown of talks between the Syrian government and rebel groups. Assad, he said, was “intransigent” and “obstructionist,” and his current attitude precluded any chance of reaching a settlement in Syria, now in its third year of civil war. “None of us are…

A rare meeting between hundreds of Israeli left-wing student activists and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas took place Sunday. The event was jointly organized by MK Hilik Bar (Labor) and the One Voice association, with the aim of promoting a “Two-State Solution” which would see a Palestinian Authority-ruled Arab state in Judea and Samaria. Arutz…

Avi Noam, head of the Beit Aryeh local council and director of security for the Local Authorities Organization, said Sunday that the country needed to hire hundreds more police officers, and that they needed to be on the street, not behind a desk or the wheel of a car. “I cannot remember the last time…

CNET News reported Sunday that internet giant Google has acquired SlickLogin, an Israeli security startup that uses smartphones and high-frequency sounds for identity verification at websites. SlickLogin’s three-person team revealed the acquisition in an announcement posted to the company’s Web site. “Today we’re announcing that the SlickLogin team is joining Google, a company that shares…

A bomb ripped through a tourist bus in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula near the Israel border Sunday, killing three South Korean tourists and their Egyptian driver and reportedly wounding 33 others. The attack was the first on tourists since a wave of unrest blamed on Islamists erupted across the country after the army overthrew president Mohamed…

Egypt has refused to allow Israeli Magen David Adom ambulances and emergency teams to Taba, where four people are dead and 33 injured after a terror bombing Sunday. Three of the dead are tourists from Korea and one is a bus driver. An Egyptian security official told Egyptian newspaper Al-Youm a-Saba that Egypt is on…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s suggestion that NATO forces be deployed in the future Palestinian state is not well-received by his rivals, the Hamas rulers of Gaza. A spokesman for Hamas said Friday that the faction would regard any international military presence within a future Palestinian state as “occupation” forces, reported the Ma’an news…

U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday vowed to step up pressure on the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and also pledged to provide Jordan with more aid, AFP reports. Obama’s remarks came as he hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah II in California, to address issues including the flood of Syrian refugees into Jordan. He said…

Egypt is continuing its crackdown not only on Sinai terrorism but on Gaza’s Hamas rulers as well. The Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency reported that Egyptian border forces destroyed 10 tunnels and seven homes in the Sinai on Saturday, as part of new campaign to create a buffer zone along the border with Gaza that would…

Withdrawing to the indefensible pre-1967 borders is like jumping off a skyscraper, Deputy Minister Ofir Akunis (Likud) said on Saturday. Speaking in Ramat Gan, Akunis predicted that in the upcoming meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama, the two will agree to extend the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian…

After 315 days of talks, Lebanon has a new government. AFP reported that Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam on Saturday unveiled a compromise government, capping 10 months of political wrangling during which the war in neighboring Syria exacerbated sectarian tensions. The 24-member government, including only one woman, brings together Hezbollah and its allies with the…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu opened his weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday with more words of warning to the West over Iran.  “The major powers’ talks with Iran will resume this week. Until now, it must be said, it is Iran which has gained without giving anything significant,” he began. “It has received a major easing of…

A committee at the District Building Center in Jerusalem’s Interior Ministry approved on Sunday a plan to extend the route of the Jerusalem Light Rail to Giv’at Sha’ul. The route introduced would extend from the corner of Herzl St. and Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda St. and extend along Kanfei Nesharim, until the entrance to Har Nof,…

Police are questioning four men in connection to a murder Saturday in Tel Aviv, Walla! news reports. They are hoping to shed light on the execution-style slaying of Taher Lalah, who was shot in his car in broad daylight on a busy street in Tel Aviv. Lalah, 29, of Yafo, was known to have ties…

The Ministerial Committee for Legislation voted Sunday in favor of the bill to prevent Israeli Arab terrorists released in deals or “gestures” to the Palestinian Authority from receiving the “acclimation stipends” that are paid to newly released prisoners, and make them ineligible for basic social security stipends. MK Yariv Levin (Likud-Beytenu), who proposed the bill,…

Former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi stood trial in Cairo for the third time since he was toppled Sunday – this time, on terror and spying charges, according to BBC News.  Morsi is on trial with 35 others accused of working with Lebanese and Palestinian Arab groups to carry out terror attacks in Egypt. The trial is yet another…

Hosni Najar, a Palestinian Authority (PA) terrorist who is serving time in an Israeli jail, told police that he planned a terror attack in order to be caught and arrested by Israel, and thus gain a monthly salary from the PA, which rewards terrorists jailed by Israel. Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) obtained a copy of…

More than 300 Israeli students from across Israel met with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas Sunday in Ramallah, as part of an initiative by the Kol Echad (‘One Voice’) group and Labor MK Yehiel ‘Hilik’ Bar.  Much of what was said was unsurprising. Abbas reiterated his position at meeting in the Muqakta compound, that he…

Iran continues to present technological achievements in the field of military industry. The Commander of the country’s Air Defense Forces, Farzad Ismail, said that the missile “Bawer ” (Faith) made ​​in Iran, has reached the operational phase of development and that it features more advanced capabilities than the S-300 Russian-made missile. The S-300 is a…

Secretary of State John Kerry’s brother took the unusual step Sunday of writing an op-ed defending him against accusations by some Israeli politicians of being anti-Semitic. Cameron Kerry, who converted to Judaism, wrote in the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronoth that “such charges would be ridiculous if they weren’t so vile.” The pressure that John Kerry…

Germany’s parliament on Friday debated a law to help return Nazi-looted art to their rightful owners or their heirs, following the recent shock discovery of a stash of long-lost masterpieces, AFP reports. The draft bill brought by the southern state of Bavaria, where the art hoard was found in a Munich apartment, would remove a…

Hundreds of Islamists rallied in Jordan on Friday against a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), The Associated Press (AP) reported. The largest protest in months came hours before Jordan’s King Abdullah was scheduled to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama in California. The 1,200 protesters affiliated with Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood, who…

A car bombing outside a mosque in southern Syria killed dozens of people on Friday, monitors told AFP. At least 33 people, including 12 rebel fighters, were killed when the car blew up in front of the mosque in the rebel-held village of Yaduda in the southern Daraa province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights…

The calm of Shabbat was interrupted in southern Israel on Friday evening, as terrorists from Hamas-controlled Gaza fired a Kassam rocket at the region. The rocket, fired shortly after 9:00 p.m. local time, exploded in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council. There were no physical injuries or damages. Only an hour earlier, a…

Eight Israelis were injured on Friday in a car accident in the Koh Phangan island in Thailand, Channel 2 News reported. The accident occurred when the driver of the cab in which the eight Israelis were riding lost control of the vehicle and overturned. Seven of the eight suffered light injuries and were taken to…

Terrorists in Hamas-controlled Gaza fired a rocket at southern Israel on Friday evening. The rocket exploded in an open area in the Hof Ashkelon Region. There were no physical injuries or damages. The “Red Alert” siren was heard in surrounding communities before the explosion, forcing local residents into shelters. Rocket attacks have been on the…

In the latest incident of Arab provocation, Palestinian Arabs on Friday attacked IDF soldiers with rocks near the border fence in northern Gaza. The troops responded by firing tear gas and live bullets. Local medics told the AFP news agency that 17 Gazans were wounded in the clashes, which are common on Fridays, when Arabs…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman denied in a weekend television interview that he has executed the U-turn toward the left that some nationalists are accusing him of, but was willing to concede a slight decline in his general “vigorousness.” Speaking on Channel 2‘s Ulpan Shishi Friday evening newscast, Liberman said: “I do confess that at my…

A political rally by the Hungarian far-right party Jobbik in a former synagogue sparked protests Friday by anti-fascist demonstrators, who accused the group of “provocation”.     Around 100 protesters, some wearing yellow stars pinned to their coats, held candles outside the building in the town of Esztergom, 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of Budapest.…

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday endorsed Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s undeclared bid to head his country, sparking outrage from the United States. AFP reports that Putin’s announcement was made as the two leaders negotiated a massive Moscow weapons deal. Sisi came to Moscow with Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy for talks aimed…

The Rolling Stones are being urged to boycott Israel, days after it was reported that the band was planning to perform in the Jewish state. A new Facebook page entitled “Rolling Stones: Boycott Israel” was opened on Monday, the day reports surfaced that the famous British rock band was in the final stages of finalizing…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke on Thursday evening with British Prime Minister David Cameron and offered assistance in dealing with the storms affecting Great Britain. The two agreed to coordinate a new date for Cameron’s visit to Israel, which was due to take place next week but has been postponed because of the aforesaid storms.…

King Juan Carlos I of Spain met with sixty leaders from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations on Thursday, in the umbrella organization’s first official visit to Spain. The visit comes after Spain announced citizenship for descendants of expelled Spanish Jews last Friday. During the meeting, which took place at Zarzuela Palace,…

The United States has become ‘almost adversarial’ towards Israel under the Obama administration, according to Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ). Speaking to Arutz Sheva at a Washington D.C. security conference, Franks contradicted a recent claim by Israel’s ambassador to the US that US Secretary of State John Kerry wasn’t threatening Israel when he warned of boycotts…

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has gone over the heads of Israel and the US, according to Walla!, by unilaterally turning to UNESCO, despite terms against such a move in the US framework laid out by US Secretary of State John Kerry.  The PA reportedly turned to the international body over two weeks ago and requested the Palestinian…

Scare on the runway: an Israeli passenger was shocked Friday morning to find a grenade safety catch aboard his plane at Ben Gurion Airport. The flight’s 143 passengers were evacuated from the Ukrainian International Airlines plane immediately by airport security officials upon discovery of the rogue weapons part. All 143 passengers and their baggage were…

If true, it’s a serious accusation.  Al-Arabiya quoted Free Syrian Army sources Friday in a report stating that the regime forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad are operating a network of doctors and military officials, responsible for illegally harvesting organs and selling them for highly inflated prices.  According to the report, physicians across Syria are collaborating…

Major General Khalifa Haftar, a leading figure in the 2011 Libyan revolution against Muammar Qaddafi, released a videotaped statement Friday announcing the suspension of the parliament until elections can be held. A presidential committee representative of Libya’s many minority groups will rule instead in the meantime, according to the official.  “The national command of the…

Denmark on Thursday joined the growing list of European countries to ban kosher slaughter. The ban is to take effect next week, after Denmark’s Agriculture Minister signed the order Thursday. The ban is largely symbolic, because there are currently no kosher slaughterhouses in Denmark. Nearly all meat for the country’s small Jewish community is imported.…

The Palestinian Authority (PA) announced last week that it will give an extra $46 million a year to released terrorists. US taxpayer dollars will inevitably go towards funding the reward for terror, as US President Barack Obama has reportedly pledged the PA $440 million in 2014. PA Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs Issa Karake made the announcement…

Actress Scarlett Johansson thanked her supporters this week for standing behind her during the recent SodaStream controversy. Johansson faced criticism from left-wing groups for agreeing to represent SodaStream, which has a factory in the Israeli city of Maaleh Adumim, east of the 1949 armistice line. Within Israel Maaleh Adumim is widely viewed as a “settlement…

Yuval Steinitz, who is Minister of Intelligence, International Relations and Strategic Affairs, said Thursday that European Parliament President Martin Schulz made “a serious error” in his address to the Knesset Wednesday. Schultz quoted Palestinian incitement without even checking its veracity, Steinitz told Voice of Israel public radio. Regarding the differences in water consumption between Israelis…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has weighed in on the controversial issue of punishment for hareidi men who do not enlist in the IDF. The Prime Minister declared that he is against sending yeshiva students to jail – putting him on the side of the Jewish Home party, which favors non-criminal sanctions, and against the position…

A doctor at Maayanei Hayeshua hospital has discovered a new strain of bacteria. The surprise discovery came as he was examining a patient’s blood culture. Dr. Itai Amir, 34, was testing an elderly patient’s blood when he noticed something unusual. “In the blood culture, we found that this bacteria was not of the type we…

Alert soldiers in Samaria recently managed to stop a massive sheep heist that could have dealt a serious blow to a local Jewish couple’s livelihood. Orna Hirshberg, who along with her husband owns the sheep, expressed gratitude at the soldiers’ fast action. She warned that Jewish farmers are being targeted in a crime wave that,…

Adva Biton appeared in a military court on Thursday, bearing testimony against the suspects thought to have thrown the rock that critically wounded her three-year-old daughter Adelle last March. Adelle has yet to regain consciousness. Speaking at the court in Megiddo, Adva testified that although her daughter miraculously survived the direct-hit from the rock on…

Another altercation occurred along the northern section of the Gaza security fence on Thursday, ending as IDF soldiers fatally shot a suspected terrorist. Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told AFP the 26-year-old man was Ibrahim Suleiman Mansur, and claimed he was shot by “Israeli occupation forces while he was collecting gravel…east of Gaza City.” Despite the…

Deputy Finance Minister Mickey Levi (Yesh Atid) spoke at the Knesset on Wednesday, after European Parliament head Martin Schulz delivered a speech in which he leveled several accusations against Israel, triggering a firestorm of criticism. In response to the denigration, Levi noted the archaeological proof refuting the aspersions of “occupation.” “I can’t ignore what happened in the…

Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) have reached a compromise in a dispute that saw medical patients from Gaza denied entry to Israel for treatment because their travel documents said “State of Palestine,” officials told AFP on Wednesday. Earlier Wednesday, a senior PA official said the “Israelis have prevented 70 sick people who need to…

Russia on Wednesday rejected U.S. President Barack Obama’s criticism of its stance on Syria, a day after Obama criticized Moscow for threatening to veto a UN Security Council resolution that would impose sanctions against the Syrian government. On Tuesday, during a press conference with French President Francois Hollande, Obama slammed the Russians over their threat…

Horrific accounts of life in Homs have surfaced Wednesday, as the mass exodus from the besieged Syrian city continues.  Fox News reports that about 1,300 people have fled the city so far, which has been under siege for over 18 months. UN officials announced that of those, 500 were children and 20 were pregnant women; many…

In the speech Wednesday commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani once again turned on the “charm offensive” against the US, insisting that Iran does not want to attack any country. In the same breath, however, Rouhani warned that Iran would issue a harsh response against any attackers – including the…

The International Monetary Fund said Wednesday it expects Israel’s GDP growth to remain stable at 3.4 percent in 2014, but noted that social disparities pose a threat to the economy, according to AFP.  “Israel’s economic fundamentals remain strong. GDP growth is solid, unemployment is low and inflation remains firmly anchored within the one-three percent target range,” the International Monetary Fund said…

The Lebanese Army arrested a senior Al Qaeda leader Wednesday – Naim Abbas, who is the deputy chief of the Al Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades.  “After he came out of the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilwen near Sidon in the south, the army intelligence in Beirut made the arrest of Naim Abbas, who is being…

Staff and students at a religious Jewish school in Be’er Sheva were horrified to discover Wednesday morning that the building had been defaced with swastikas. Police officers were called to the scene and began an investigation. Police commanders in the region told Arutz Sheva that it was not the first time that the school has…

The European Union has no plans to boycott Israel, according to Martin Schulz, President of the EU parliament. Schulz addressed the issue of a potential boycott while taking questions from journalists following an event Tuesday evening at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. “Boycott is a very tough word. To boycott means to completely block cooperation and…

A Belgian train announced two weeks ago that Jewish passengers should get off at Auschwitz, according to Walla!, sparking complaints to local police.  According to Luxembourg broadcast network RTL, the perpetrators – probably local teenagers playing an anti-Semitic prank – gained access to the speaker system at about 5 p.m. on a train from Namur to Brussels.…

A website owned by Las Vegas Sands Corp, the world’s largest casino, was vandalized Wednesday by hackers who were apparently targeting CEO Sheldon Adelson over his criticism of Iran’s nuclear program, Bloomberg reports. The hackers temporarily took over the home page of the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and posted what appeared to be criticism…

A speech in Knesset Wednesday given by the head of the European Union Parliament caused outrage, and ultimately sparked a walk-out. Several MKs expressed upset as EU parliament president Martin Schulz, who spoke in German, repeated as fact Palestinian Authority claims of Israeli discrimination regarding allocation of water in Judea and Samaria, and of a…

The top U.S. intelligence chief said on Tuesday the war in Syria had created an “apocalyptic disaster,” Reuters reports. According to the report, National Intelligence Director James Clapper was asked by Senator John McCain during a Senate hearing whether he had seen recently published documents that offer evidence that Syrian government officials committed serious war…

British Prime Minister David Cameron said Tuesday he was cancelling a planned trip to Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) next week to deal with devastating floods in England, AFP reported. Cameron was due to make the trip on February 18 and 19 although it had not officially been announced for security reasons. At a…

For the first time since being admitted as a member of the United Nations, Israel on Tuesday participated in JUSCANZ, a UN grouping which advises the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and some other UN bodies. Israel was admitted to the group in Geneva in 2010, and has now officially joined its deliberations in…

U.S. President Barack Obama promised tough action on Tuesday against firms violating sanctions against Iran, AFP reported. Obama made the comments during a joint press conference in Washington with visiting French President Francois Hollande. Last week, a delegation of French business figures visited Tehran, hoping to explore ways of resuming trade with Iran after a…

Boycotts against Israel solve nothing, the president of the European Parliament said on Tuesday. Speaking after a ceremony at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where he received  an honorary doctorate, Martin Schultz said that there is no support in the EU parliament for a boycott of Israel. He then added that a boycott on Israel…

A new trove of artwork likely stolen by the Nazis has been discovered in the possession of reclusive collector Cornelius Gurlitt, after an initial hoard of over 1,400 valuable paintings was found in his Munich apartment in February 2012. The new lode of over 60 paintings, including works by the famous artists Monet, Renoir and…

Minister for Internal Security Yitzchak Aharonovich wants to bring “administrative orders” to Israeli cities, MK Miri Regev has confirmed. Regev revealed Aharonovich’s request during a special session of the Knesset’s Internal Affairs Committee. The committee met to discuss organized crime, following a series of fatal mob-related attacks. Administrative orders, a remnant of British Mandate law,…

The Interior Committee discussed a bill presented by MK David Azulai (Shas) on Tuesday, which addressed the “continuous harassment of Jews visiting Kever Rachel,” the tomb of the Jewish matriarch Rachel from the Torah. During the course of the discussion, which was moderated by MK Zevulun Kalfa (Jewish Home), Azulai explained he had raised the…

Donald Duck will be getting a new voice in Arabic — Egyptian voice artist Wael Mansour was fired by the Walt Disney Company over his ranting on Twitter last August, in which he expressed his virulent hatred of Israel and earnest desires for the Jewish state’s destruction. Mansour’s tweet read “I truly wish #Israel is demolished,…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman on Tuesday slammed Iran as being a “warmongering” regime, despite Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s “charm offensive.” The criticism follows Iran’s massive celebrations and posturing for the 35th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Iranian semi-official news agency Fars reported that two new missiles were tested on Monday, on the eve of the anniversary.…

In honor of 50 years of diplomatic relations between Israel and Germany, the two countries announced Sunday that they would be launching a joint project for humanitarian relief in developing countries, specifically in Africa. According to Channel 1, the project, entitled “the Africa initiative,” will see Israel pledge 24 million shekel ($6.8 million) toward humanitarian relief…

Israel took another step towards becoming the world’s innovation capital for hi-tech on Monday by exploring the possibilities for a new market: the developing world.  The initiative to bring new technology to modernizing countries was launched through the Pears Challenge, a one-of-a-kind competition being offered in Israel to test proposals for moral and technological developments…

The Simon Wiesenthal Center sent a strongly-worded letter to Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Lodewijk Frans Asscher Tuesday addressing a major degradation of the attitude in the Netherlands toward Jews and the State of Israel.  The specific issue the letter addresses is a statistic from the University of Bielefeld showing that 39% of Dutch citizens believe Israel…

Sha’adi Halul, the spokesman for the Forum of Christian IDF Soldiers, filed a request to the Attorney General’s Office asking for the removal of immunity for MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad). The request, which was submitted by legal representative for the forum Attorney Uri Shenhar, calls out Zoabi for turning to Halul in a Knesset Committee…

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon participated in the opening ceremony of the International Air Show in Singapore Tuesday, where Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) presented a number of new military aircraft on the cutting edge of defense technology.  “From the technology displayed here at the booths of the Defense Ministry, I can say that Israel is a…

Syria transferred its third shipment of chemical weapons for destruction on Monday, the first sign of advancement in the international effort since the US and other Western powers upbraided the Assad regime for dragging its feet on the project over 10 days ago.  “The Joint Mission confirms that in-country destruction of some chemical materials has…

A soldier’s parachute failed during a training jump last week, Channel 2 news reports. The incident was revealed only this week. The soldier was jumping as part of an exercise to complete training in a particular course. During the jump, his parachute failed to open. Thankfully, the quick-thinking soldier was able to successfully activate his…

A special MKs’ session Tuesday at the Conference for the Welfare of the Child in Be’er Sheva turned into a debate on gay marriage. During the conference MK Adi Kol (Yesh Atid) mentioned a complaint from two men who were denied tax credit for their child, who they are both raising. Tax credit for young…

American film icon Shirley Temple Black died Monday night at the age of 85. Temple died of “natural causes” in her Woodside, California home, according to the New York Times; she was surrounded by family members and caretakers. Temple is survived by a son, Charlie Jr.; two daughters, Lori and Susan; a granddaughter and two great-granddaughters.…

Gaza-based terrorists fired a rocket at southern Israel on Monday evening. Shortly after 11:00 p.m., the “Color Red” siren was heard in the Shaar HaNegev and Sdot Negev Regional Councils. The rocket exploded in an open area of Shaar HaNegev, causing no physical injuries or damages. The attack was the second rocket attack on southern…

Iran’s official IRNA news agency announced Monday that it had successfully tested two missiles, according to Xinhua, and quoted “moderate” President Hassan Rouhani as congratulating the military on the news.  Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan stated that the tests were are a “new generation” of ballistic missiles, designed to evade radar detection systems. The missiles are designated for…

At least 22 Iraqi terrorists died Monday during a training exercise after a commander instructing would-be suicide bombers accidentally detonated himself. Some news outlets had initially reported Iraqi security sources as saying the blast was the result of a car bomb which prematurely exploded on a desert road about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the…

The problem of foreign jihadists in Syria blared across headlines again Monday after a disturbing video surfaced on YouTube showing British Muslims in the war-torn country savagely beating a man from a rival rebel faction.  The video shows two men beating another with an iron bar. The force is so much that the bar breaks…

A British convicted criminal who converted to Islam was jailed for three years on Monday for plotting to kill Prince Harry, the AFP news agency reported. Ashraf Islam, 31, said he had a “moral right to judge” the royal because he fundamentally disagreed with the work of the British military, of which Prince Harry is…

Iran has developed a new generation of centrifuges which are 15 times more powerful than those currently being used to enrich uranium, its atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi said on Monday, according to AFP. “We unveiled a new generation of centrifuges that surprised the Westerners … This new machine is 15 times more powerful than…

The Pentagon said on Monday it was not concerned by an Iranian announcement that it would send naval vessels toward U.S. maritime borders. The Pentagon has no information the ships are approaching the Atlantic yet, spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said, according to Reuters. He added that “to our knowledge, this is an announcement only at…

The famous British rock band Rolling Stones are in the final stages of finalizing their first performance in Israel. The show is planned to be held sometime in early summer at Tel Aviv’s Park Hayarkon. According to Yediot Aharonoth, the legendary band is in discussing the show with Israeli promoters Marcel Avraham and Gadi Oron, and apparently…

Even amid reports that Israel and Turkey are close to “normalizing” relations again, it appears that the long-term impact of years of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incitement since the souring of relations in 2010 will be far more difficult to roll back.  Arutz Sheva has seen an email by a Turkish Jewish businessman, relating a harrowing anti-Semitic…

Despite Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s “charm offensive,” which has sealed an interim nuclear deal and lifted US sanctions, the Islamic regime remains brutal as ever. An Arab-Iranian poet and human rights activist was executed in late January for being an “enemy of G-d.” Hashem Shaabani, an ethnic Arab and popular composer of Arabic and Persian…

Spain’s government approved a bill on Friday that makes it possible for Sephardic Jews to receive Spanish citizenship and retain their existing citizenship. The bill was proposed by the ruling Popular Party. The bill has yet to be voted upon by lawmakers in Spain’s Congress of Deputies. Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon said the measure smooths…

The Palestinian Authority (PA) continues to glorify terror and martyrdom – specifically to its impressionable youth, Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reports Monday.  At a ceremony last week, Governor of Ramallah Laila Ghannam called suicide bomber Ayyat Al-Akhras – at age 17, the youngest female Palestinian suicide bomber – and other terrorists “brave heroes.” “Yesterday, we received more [bodies] of our…

Speaking to MKs of his Yesh Atid party, Finance Minister Yair Lapid said Monday that he understood the anger in the hareidi community over the legislation that will require yeshiva students to serve a full term in the IDF, or face penalties. “This is not going to be easy,” for Israelis or for members of…

Terrorists fired a Qassam rocket from Gaza into Israel Monday afternoon, sparking the “red alert” alarm along the Ashkelon coast and surrounding communities. The rocket landed in an open field near the Ashkelon coast; no injuries or damage was reported. It came after a barrage of rockets hit the country over the past several days.  Saturday…

An Istanbul court on Sunday charged a Ukrainian man over his failed attempt to force a Turkish airliner to land in Sochi where the Winter Olympics opening ceremony was underway, AFP reported. The man had been placed in provisional detention, but the charge against the 45-year-old Ukrainian identified in Turkish media as Artem Kozlov was…

Hungary’s largest Jewish organization, Mazsihisz, said Sunday it was pulling out of a Holocaust memorial year, accusing Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government of “ignoring” the sensitivities of survivors, AFP reports. “Under the current circumstances, Mazsihisz (Federation of Hungarian Jewish Faith Congregations) is withdrawing from the government’s Holocaust 2014 program,” the group said in a statement…

Iran agreed Sunday to provide additional information sought by the UN nuclear agency in its long-stalled probe of suspicions that Tehran may have worked on nuclear weapons, reports The Associated Press (AP). The announcement came just hours after Iran denied International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors access to the Parchin military base, which has long…

The past six months have seen a significant rise in the number of Arab Christians joining the Israel Defense Forces, according to a report Sunday in Haaretz. The report said that last Tuesday evening, Father Gabriel Nadaf, a Greek-Orthodox priest active in a group founded in 2012 and which supports and works toward more Christian…

Rock attacks by Arabs against Jews are no longer restricted to Judea and Samaria. Last Thursday, dozens of yeshiva students in the lower Galilee were attacked by stone-throwing Arabs as they attempted to visit the tomb of a Jewish sage near the village of Ilabun. The students had gone to visit the tomb of Rabbi…

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Sunday that his country and Israel are the closest they have been to a normalization of bilateral relations since the Mavi Marmara incident, the Turkish Hurriyet reports. “There has recently been a momentum and new approach in compensation talks. We could say that most of the differences have been…

Police do precious little to defend Jews who wish to visit the massive Jewish cemetery at the Mount of Olives, and Jewish activists have had enough of police inaction over attacks by Arabs on Jews attempting to visit graves or pray at the site. Activists Jeff Dabah and Harvey Schwartz met Sunday with MK Reuven…

The entrance to the synagogue at the start of Shabbat was a joyous occasion, accompanied by dancing and singing. The new synagogue can seat 700, including in the plush women’s section. Both on the inside and the outside, the new synagogue’s tent-design resembles the community’s synagogue in Ganei Tal that was destroyed in 2005. Even…

A 12-year-old girl who was on traffic safety duty outside her school at Haarayot Street in Holon reported witnessing an abduction Sunday. The girl said that she saw an elderly man shove a girl into the trunk of his car and drive away. Police forces have been combing the area, which is located south of…

Another Israeli product beat the ongoing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign against Israel Sunday. A real-time translation app made it to the Telegraph UK‘s top five apps for following the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.  The app, titled “One Hour Translation,” provides free real-time translation to users during the games. To gain real-time translations, users simply need…

Egypt has concluded an arms deal with Russia worth $2 billion, a senior official source told Egyptian daily newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm, noting that the Egyptian and Russian sides reached agreement on all details of the agreement over the past few weeks. The source, who asked not to be named, said the two Gulf kingdoms of…

A Gaza terrorist named Abdullah Harti, 29, was seriously wounded Sunday morning, in a joint operation by the Shin Bet and IDF. The IDF Spokesman’s Unit said that Harti had taken an active part in the firing of rockets at Israeli communities, and in planning additional rocket attacks. He was reportedly a senior member of…

Iran has made it quite clear that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will not be visiting the Parchin military base as part of the interim agreement reached over the Islamic regime’s nuclear program. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman of Iran’s atomic energy organization, announced Sunday that “visiting Parchin is not included in the seven steps” of…

Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah has vowed to continue fighting alongside the Assad regime in Syria’s bloody civil war, as the conflict looks approaches its fourth year. At a ceremony in Beirut suburb and Hezbollah stronghold of Ouzai, the Iranian-backed group’s second-in-command, Sheikh Naim Qassem, struck a familiar chord, branding Syrian rebels “takfiris” – a derogatory word…

A 24-year-old hareidi man has reportedly been wounded after being stabbed near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, although they have said it was likely a nationalistically-motivated attack. Dvir Adani, a United Hatzalah medic, said “I got to the scene and saw a young hareidi man…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman expanded on his statements last Friday, in which he called US Secretary of State John Kerry “a true friend of Israel,” a remark the US State Department praised. On Sunday, he attacked critics of Kerry’s plans, stating “we shouldn’t take friends and turn them into enemies.” “It’s natural to have differences…

The United States has played down Saturday’s reports that Iran was sending warships to its maritime borders. A U.S. defense official, speaking to the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity, cast doubt on any claims that the Iranian ships were approaching U.S. maritime borders. That same official added, however, that “ships are free to…

The Jordanian parliament declared on Saturday that it was against Israel’s demand that the Palestinian Authority (PA) recognize it as Jewish state. In a statement carried by the Jordanian Petra news agency, the Lower House of the Parliament outlined its “fundamental position on the Palestinian issue” and said it was rejecting Israel’s demand for being…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman’s positive comments on U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry did not go unnoticed by the State Department. On Friday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki welcomed the statements by Liberman, who said, “Kerry is a true friend of Israel, he leads the process correctly and has the right to think differently from…

Arab graffiti was found scrawled all over the ancient grave of Elazar Hacohen, the son of Moses’s brother Aaron from the Torah, in the Samarian village of Awarta near Itamar. The Arab graffiti praised the terrorist group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in fighting the “Zionist enemy” to “free Palestine.” “The heroes…

On Saturday evening a rocket was fired by terrorists from Gaza towards the northwestern Negev. The IDF stated “no damage or injuries were reported.” The latest rocket follows three attacks on Thursday. In the first attack, a grad rocket was fired at the Eshkol Regional Council; earlier in the day, terrorists fired a rocket at Ashkelon,…

Egypt’s army reported on Saturday that it killed 16 Islamist terrorists in Sinai near the border with Gaza the day before. The liquidation of the 16 terrorists was conducted by an Egyptian airstrike in an area south of Sheikh Zuweid on Friday evening, according to the army’s statement. The region has seen heightened violence; Hamas…

US Secretary of State John Kerry revealed new details about the secretive Israeli-Palestinian Authority (PA) peace talks he is pushing through. According to Kerry, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu opposes the idea that NATO forces will secure Israel’s borders in the event of a withdrawal from Judea and Samaria. That idea was raised by PA Chairman…

The Iranian navy is deploying a “military fleet” to US maritime borders, according to a senior military official in Iran. “The Iranian Army’s naval fleets have already started their voyage towards the Atlantic Ocean via the waters near South Africa,” announced Afshin Rezayee Haddad, the Commander of Iran’s Northern Navy Fleet Admiral, on Saturday. “Iran’s military fleet…

Britain’s Supreme Court reject a third and final appeal by four anti-Israel activists, who were convicted for criminal trespass after chaining themselves to the shop of Israeli cosmetics company Ahava. The incident – in which the activists chained themselves to a concrete block outside the shop in central London’s Coven Gardens – took place in 2011, after…

Amid the ongoing nuclear talks to convince the West of its “peaceful” nuclear designs, in a move Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei revealed in January is an Islamic “taqiyya” deceptive tactic, Iran continues to roll out military advances and threats. The official site of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards warned the US that its warships in the…

Turkey on Friday scrambled a jet fighter to force down an airliner from Ukraine after a would-be hijacker on board brandishing a detonator ordered it to Sochi where the Winter Olympic opening ceremony was underway, Turkish officials told AFP. A Turkish F-16 made the plane, from Turkey’s Pegasus airline and carrying 110 people, land in…

The pro-Israel lobby AIPAC on Friday backed down from its support of a new bill in the U.S Congress that would impose new sanctions on Iran. AIPAC’s announcement came after Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and one of the authors of the bill, urged his colleagues not to let…

On Thursday, as thousands of hareidim protested over the freezing of funding for all yeshivas, 170 new hareidi soldiers were sworn in at an IDF base in the Jordan Valley. The new soldiers will undergo training and join the Nahal Hareidi, the IDF’s hareidi combat battalion. The new recruits make up the largest group to…

A Syrian suicide bomber detonated himself in an Aleppo prison Thursday, freeing hundreds of inmates and intensifying the struggle to maintain control over the city, according to the Daily Herald.  The attack began when a Chechen suicide bomber from the Al Qaeda satellite group Al Nusra Front attacked the prison gates, according to the British-based Syrian…

A bipartisan bill was introduced in the US House of Representatives on Thursday; if passed it will revoke all federal funding for any US academic institution that decides to boycott Israel. The academic boycott leveled against Israel last December by the American Studies Association (ASA) was a key factor in the bill, which seeks to prevent…

A new report from the Pentagon warns that the US would be totally clueless if Iran were to obtain a nuclear weapon. The report reveals that America’s intelligence services are unable to detect when a nation has become nuclear armed. Bret Stephens, a foreign affairs columnist for the Wall Street Journal, spoke about the report he…

What better way to spend your wedding day than fighting for the state of Israel? A bride made a surprise visit to the Women in Green’s week-long vigil tent on Wednesday, which is located in front of the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem. The vigil, which as of Friday is in its sixth day, has…

Israeli troops cleared an illegal Arab outpost in the Jordan Valley on Friday, ending a week-long demonstration against Israel’s refusal to surrender the area in any future peace deal.     Soldiers, border guards and police asked the mixture of far-left and Arab activists to leave before forcefully evicting them, a statement from the army…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman praised US Secretary of State John Kerry Friday, criticizing Economics Minister Naftali Bennett’s (Jewish Home) attack on the US diplomat’s handling of peace talks.  “Kerry is a true friend of Israel, he leads the process correctly and has the right to think differently from that of belligerent Naftali Bennett,” Liberman was…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been criticized in Israel in recent days over his threats of a boycott, appears to have found an ally in Finance Minister Yair Lapid. The Globes financial newspaper reported on Thursday that Kerry, who met with Israeli MKs attending an international parliamentary conference in Washington, praised Lapid…

Czech police said on Thursday that the weapons and explosives discovered at the Palestinian Authority’s Embassy in Prague, where a possibly booby-trapped safe killed the ambassador, were decades old. In a statement quoted by The Associated Press (AP), police said that ballistic and other tests showed that 12 illegal weapons and explosives found following the…

The New York Times reported on Thursday that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has donated $170,000 to the country’s only Jewish hospital. According to the report, this was Rouhani’s second such gesture since taking office. The official IRNA news agency said the president has given the same amount from government funds as he did last year…

The Speaker of the Danish parliament will visit the Palestinian Authority this weekend but will skip Israel, Channel 10 News reported on Thursday. According to the report, the Speaker, Mogens Lykketoft, announced two months ago that he would be visiting the region, and the Foreign Ministry explained to Lykketoft that his Israeli counterpart, Knesset Speaker…

U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday expressed his appreciation towards his Secretary of State’s peace efforts in the Middle East. Speaking at an interfaith breakfast in Washington, D.C., Obama said, “I want to take this opportunity to thank Secretary Kerry for his extraordinary passion and principled diplomacy that he’s brought to the cause of peace…

Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime has reportedly agreed to a ceasefire in the beleaguered city of Homs, allowing civilians out and humanitarian aid into the urban warzone. The promise follows unfulfilled talk to that effect from Sunday. “We welcome the reports that the parties have agreed a humanitarian pause to allow civilians out of and…

Terrorists from Hamas-controlled Gaza fired a Grad rocket at southern Israel on Thursday evening. The rocket exploded in an open area of the Eshkol Regional Council. There were no physical injuries or damages. The attack was the third time in the day that terrorists fired rockets at Israel. Earlier Thursday evening, Gaza terrorists fired a…

Gaza terrorists fired a rocket Thursday evening at Ashkelon. It exploded in an open area south of the city. No one was hurt. Earlier reports said that the Iron Dome anti-missile system had intercepted one of two rockets over Ashkelon, but the IDF said that no interceptions were recorded. It is not clear whether another…

Allah has promised Israel to the Jews — so says Sheikh Ahmad Adwan, a Muslim scholar living in Jordan, who declared on his Facebook page recently that “Palestine” doesn’t exist. Blogger Elder of Ziyon translated Arab news sources that this Saturday reported on Adwan’s statements, in which he quotes the Koran saying Allah assigned Israel to the Jews…

Poets for Israel, a group of artists, musicians, and poets that supports Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria, has petitioned Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat to change the name of a central square in Jerusalem’s Beit Hakerem neighborhood. Denya Square’s name should be changed, the group said, now that Denmark’s largest bank has announced that it…

The United States has made many mistakes in its Middle East Policy, and it is Israel that has paid for those mistakes, Economics Minister Naftali Benefit said Thursday. Speaking to Israel Radio, Bennett pointed out to a range of what he said were errors and miscalculations by the U.S., vowing that he would not allow…

Deputy Religions Minister Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan visited Thursday at the “Mother’s Vigil” tent that the Women in Green movement has set up near the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem, and joined the protesters in demanding the application of Israeli sovereignty in the mountainous Biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria. “We demand that Israeli sovereignty…

Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Abdullah Shalah is currently in Iran to meet senior officials of the Islamic regime. On Wednesday, the terror group leader met Ali Larijiani, chairman of the Iranian parliament. Larijani praised the “victories” of the Arabs in Gaza during the two most recent clashes with the IDF, Operation Cast Lead and Operation…

Dutch Jews are making it clear they don’t intend to take the economic assault on Israel quietly. A group of young Jewish activists in the country have started a counter-boycott movement to make local firms feel the pinch for their discrimination against the Jewish state. The Dutch pension asset manager PGGM, one of the largest in…

British MP George Galloway, who is known for his hatred towards Israel and his backing of the Hamas terrorist group, criticized actress Scarlett Johansson this week for her refusal to back down from an advertising campaign for SodaStream, an Israeli company with a factory in Ma’ale Adumim, a Jerusalem suburb located over the 1949 armistice lines.…

President Shimon Peres will try set a new Guinness World Record on Thursday, when he delivers the largest online civics class in the world. The class will be held at Cisco’s headquarters in Netanya and over 6,500 high school students in 215 classrooms across Israel will view it. The Senior Vice President of Guinness World…

The United States warned American and foreign airlines on Wednesday that terrorists could try to place explosives disguised as toothpaste on Russia-bound flights, AFP reports. An official told the news agency the U.S. has information “specifically targeting flights to Russia,” where the Winter Olympics will begin in the resort city of Sochi on Friday. In…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that he was unfazed by criticism in Israel over his peace efforts, saying that he was “threatened by real bullets” so words do not intimidate him. In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Kerry was asked to respond to the Israeli ministers who criticized him earlier in…

The State Department once again took Israel to task on Wednesday for criticizing Secretary of State John Kerry’s efforts to achieve peace. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters that criticism of Kerry over his threats of a boycott of Israel if peace talks fail were meant to distract attention from progress in the peace…

A grenade launched into a Benghazi elementary school playground injured 12 children Wednesday, leaving Libyan authorities scrambling to find the man or terror organization responsible.  The attack occurred during recess, at about 11:00 am local time. An eyewitness told BBC News that he had seen a man rip out the grenade pin with his mouth before lobbing it…

Fatah, the ruling political party of the Palestinian Authority (PA), continues to incite violence against Israel on its Facebook page.  According to Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), a prominent post reads, “Teach your children to love the soil. Teach them that we live in misery. Teach them that there is a seed in the soil; if you water it with blood, it will sprout…

The Hamas government in Gaza has redeployed security forces along its borders with Israel to prevent rocket fire, the Ma’an news agency reported Tuesday. Islam Shahwan, an official from the Gaza Interior Ministry, said that the ministry’s role is to “secure and fortify the home front and the agreements approved by resistance factions to realize…

The United States encourages Israel to release terrorists from its prisons, then warns its citizens against traveling to the region. The State Department on Monday strongly warned Americans against travel to Judea, Samaria and Gaza, citing violent clashes in the border area last month. “The security environment remains complex in Israel, the West Bank, and…

Israel recently refused an American offer to convene a joint Israel-U.S.-Palestinian Authority (PA) committee to discuss the PA’s ongoing incitement against Israel. NRG/Ma’ariv reported on Tuesday that the suggestion was made to Intelligence and International Relations Minister Yuval Steinitz, but he refused to accept it, explaining that “there is no point in convening a committee…

The defense budget for 2014 was approved on Tuesday night by a joint committee of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and the Knesset’s Finance Committee. The budget includes an increase of 750 million shekels to improve the IDF’s procurement and preparedness. Last October, the Ministerial Committee for National Security Matters decided unanimously to…

At least two Palestinian Arab rioters were injured in clashes with security forces in Al-Fara, in northern Samaria (Shomron), during an early-morning raid Wednesday. Security forces arrested four suspected terrorists and seized a machine gun and ammunition, but came under attack by dozens of rioters, forcing them to fire in self-defense. Palestinian Maan News claimed two attackers…

A large and impressive well was discovered in the Tel Aviv neighborhood of Ramat HaHayal Wednesday, a find archaeologists say dates back at least 1,400 years.  Archaeologists uncovered the well in the course of a wider salvage excavation project by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) on Barzel Street, as a preparatory measure before establishing a…

The Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office filed charges to the city’s District Court Wednesday against three Arab residents of eastern Jerusalem who planned a sadistic murder spree at a banquet hall. Anas Awisat, Basel Abidat, Ahmed Srur and Amru Abdu of Jabel Mukabar, aged 19 to 21, were charged with conspiring to assist the enemy in…

IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz promised on Tuesday that the IDF would continue to investigate the incident overnight Monday in which 21-year-old Captain Tal Nahman was killed by friendly fire. “We woke up this morning to an unfortunate incident. A major disaster to his family and a great and unfortunate disaster for us,” said…

The footage is old, and the quality grainy, but the message is unmistakable. A public relations video produced by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit more than 30 years ago makes the case for Israel to retain the Judea and Samaria region, from a purely military perspective, and offers a unique glimpse into a very different age,…

Dozens of Jewish women who fled abusive partners in Arab villages spent the weekend in the scenic, central Israeli town of Yad Binyamin, in a Sabbath event organized by the Yad L’Achim organization. Yad L’Achim was key in helping the women escape abusive relationships to Arab men, and has maintained a connection with each of…

The identity of the soldier killed Monday due to friendly fire near Gaza has been released: Captain Tal Nahman, 21, from Nes Ziona.  Nahman was promoted to Captain posthumously. The funeral will take place at 3:00 pm Tuesday with a military ceremony at the cemetery in Nes Ziona.  Reportedly the incident occurred during a routine…

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has long been employing extreme incitement against Israel and Jews; one of its most effective methods to indoctrinate the next generation is to start young. A new PA girls’ high school named after a female terrorist ensures the legacy of terror will continue unbroken. A broadcast on official PA TV last…

A new bill, proposed by MK Zevulun Kalfa (Jewish Home), has called for the cancellation of the presidency, a position currently held by President Shimon Peres. The bill comes after Economics Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni spoke last Sunday about cancelling the presidency. Kalfa charged that the functions of the president are largely ceremonial and symbolic,…

Canadian Employment Minister Jason Kenney has followed through on his promise last week, made during a Sun News interview, to buy from the Israeli company SodaStream, whose product allows consumers to make their own carbonated soft drinks. On Monday, Kenney posted a picture of the SodaStream unit in its box to his Facebook, accompanied with the words:…

Israeli President Shimon Peres accepted letters of credential yesterday from ambassadors representing four countries: Hungary, Turkmenistan, Micronesia and Serbia. In a ceremony held at the President’s residence in Jerusalem, the representatives affirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations between their respective countries and Israel. After Peres raised the issue of mounting anti-Semitism in Hungary, ambassador…

The Knesset has given initial approval to a proposal that aims to commemorate the Jewish flight from the Arab world following the creation of the state of Israel. MK Shimon Ohayon (Likud Beytenu) created the proposed law, which would establish an official annual day commemorating Jews’ flight. Hundreds of thousands of Jews fled to Israel…

In an unusual move, Hamas did not fire rockets at Israel this week following airstrikes in Gaza late last week. The Israel Air Force strikes hit a weapons facility and weapons storage site in retaliation to earlier rocket and mortar shell attacks by Gaza terrorists against Israeli civilians. According to reports in the Arab media,…

The Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) revamped their Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library Tuesday.  The IAA launched the library in 2012 as a means of providing an index of the scrolls, as well as analysis and commentary, to any interested researcher or historian. The site has been wildly successful; over half a million people worldwide…

A suicide bomber detonated himself in a van in Beirut Monday afternoon, killing 2 and injuring at least 6.  The van was leading to the town of Choueifat, officials said. BBC News noted that the area houses a majority Christian and Druze population.  “A man wearing an explosive belt boarded a public minibus in Choueifat and blew…

Minister of Religious Affairs Naftali Bennett and his Deputy Minister Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan, along with Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau, on Monday presented proposed reforms to Israel’s Kosher [Jewish dietary laws] certification system. The reforms include several steps to standardize the current system, according to Bennett.  “The main problem is that the Mashgiach, the one who…

An IDF officer was killed by friendly fire during an operation in northern Gaza on Monday night, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement. The officer’s family has been notified. The incident is being investigated. Channel 10 News reported that the soldier likely encountered soldiers from another unit who mistook him for a terrorist…

Two House Democrats are mobilizing their colleagues against a bill to slap more sanctions on Iran, circulating a letter that backs President Barack Obama’s position that such a bill would jeopardize delicate nuclear negotiations. The Huffington Post on Monday quoted spokespersons for Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and David Price (D-N.C.), who said they have more…

The White House said on Monday that President Barack Obama will travel to Saudi Arabia in March to meet with King Abdullah, Reuters reports. The two will discuss a range of security issues in the Middle East that have caused some strains in the bilateral relationship, the report said. The rare visit, which comes at…

Susan Rice, U.S. President Barack Obama’s National Security Advisor, blasted Israel on Monday over its criticism of Secretary of State John Kerry’s threats of a boycott should peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA) fail. In a series of posts on her Twitter accounts, Rice said, “Personal attacks in Israel directed at Sec Kerry totally…

Saudi King Abdullah on Monday decreed jail terms of up to 20 years for belonging to “terrorist groups” and fighting abroad, AFP reported. The new law comes as part of Saudi Arabia’s struggles to deter Islamist Saudis from becoming jihadists. “Taking part in combat outside the kingdom, in any form” will be punished by jail…

The State Department on Monday once again went out of its way to state that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is “staunchly opposed” to boycotts against Israel. “We are absolutely opposed, we have been opposed to any attempts at boycotts – boycotting Israel,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news…

The Islamic Jihad terrorist group has threatened to sabotage any peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Ahmed al-Mudallal, a senior official in the organization, on Monday told the French magazine Le Figaro that the Islamic Jihad will destroy any agreement that would “legitimize the Zionist occupation of Palestine.” “We are totally opposed…

Communications Minister Gilad Erdan harshly criticized US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday, accusing Kerry of not being a fair intermediary in the peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA). On Saturday in Munich, Kerry threatened Israel with international boycotts if it did not accept his “peace proposal” with the PA, saying that “for Israel there’s…

Israel has offered to pay $20 million in “compensation” to the families of Turkish citizens killed during the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla, which tried to illegally break the IDF blockade on the terror group Hamas in Gaza. Nine Turkish Islamists were killed as they violently attacked IDF soldiers who boarded their ship. Prime Minister Binyamin…

An explosion blasted apart a car in Petach Tikva early Monday morning, killing 2 and leaving 4 injured. While police are still investigating the exact circumstances of the explosive device, they are certain criminal activity is behind the event. The blast reportedly took place at 4:15 a.m. between Hameginim and Golomb streets in the residential…

Unless the Palestinian Authority agrees to recognize Israel as the Jewish state there will be no deal, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Monday. Speaking to members of the Likud-Beytenu Knesset faction, Netanyahu said that PA chief Mahmoud Abbas “knows full well” that without such recognition there could be no agreement. Such recognition would be a…

Renowned analyst, counterterrorism expert and writer Barry Rubin passed away Monday morning at the age of 64. Rubin succumbed in Tel Aviv after a long battle with cancer. He leaves behind his wife, Judith Colp Rubin, and two children; funeral arrangements have not yet been publicly announced.  Rubin wrote a plethora of books on the Middle…

The Jewish National Fund on Sunday ran what Efi Stenzler, the World KKL-JNF Chairman, said was a very successful program in Paris. “Israel Today and Tomorrow” showed off different aspects of Israel, including medical and technological advances, natural resources and vacation sites, and history. The pro-Zionist event was held at the Les Palais Royal Sunday,…

Israel appreciated the efforts US. Secretary of State John Kerry was putting into developing his negotiation framework, but if things didn’t work out, Israel would understand, said Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon Sunday. “I hope we can achieve our goals in this agreement, but if we cannot, Israel will manage.” Speaking at a security conference in…

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has expressed support for President Barack Obama’s objection to imposing new sanctions on Iran, Reuters reports. Clinton has reportedly urged Congress to resist imposing new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, saying that “this is the time” to give diplomacy a chance to work. Clinton, who leads…

Jordan’s Foreign Minister said Sunday that he was against recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, the Jordanian website Ammon News reports. The minister, Nasser Judeh, also rejected the idea of Jordan being an alternative home for Palestinian Arabs. Speaking during a parliament session which dealt with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s peace plan, Judeh reiterated…

Roger Waters, formerly of the Pink Floyd band, on Saturday criticized actress Scarlett Johansson and Canadian musician Neil Young for their refusal to boycott Israel. Writing on his Facebook page, Waters criticized both Johansson for stepping down as an ambassador for Oxfam due to the group’s support for a boycott of Israel, and Young for…

The Israeli company SodaStream has come under fire in recent weeks over the fact that it has a factory in Maale Adumim, a Jerusalem suburb that lies east of the 1949 armistice line. The controversy hit a new high last week with the Oxfam charity’s criticism of actress Scarlett Johansson, who has signed on as…

Two weeks since the Gross family was poisoned in their Jerusalem apartment, brothers Michael (7) and Yitzhak (5) have seen each other again for the first time. Schneider Medical Center in Petah Tikva announced that the boys were moved into the same room Sunday, allowing the family to stick together during the difficult treatment.  Parents…

Israel will transfer the bodies of two suicide bombers to the Palestinian Authority (PA) on Sunday, Arab-language media outlets are reporting. Both bodies belong to bombers who attacked in Jerusalem. One of them, Ayat al-Akhras, attacked in Kiryat Yovel in March 2002, murdering two people. Akhras’ attack gained particular attention overseas due to her young…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sharply criticized US Secretary of State John Kerry Sunday for threatening Israel with boycotts if peace talks fail. “Attempts to impose a boycott on the State of Israel are immoral and unjust,” Netanyahu stated, at the opening of his weekly cabinet meeting. “Moreover, they will not achieve their goal. First, they cause…

A brave move: a pro-Zionist demonstration will be held outside the Les Palais Royal Sunday, a very public show of support for the struggling French Jewish community in the wake of waves of anti-Semitism there.  The Jewish National Fund (JNF)-Keren Kayement L’Yisrael (KKL) sponsored the demonstration and conference, entitled “Israel Today and Tomorrow.” Four Israeli…

Hamas has ordered its forces preventing against rocket fire into Israel to retreat, Walla! reports Sunday – giving various terrorist groups a green light to attack Israel.  Palestinian Arab insiders revealed to the daily that Hamas’s military wing ordered the preventative forces to withdraw in retaliation to the Israeli Air Force’s air strike on the Islamist-controlled territory…

A leader of the Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria (Shomron) has harshly criticized United States Secretary of State John Kerry for his declaration that Israel could face international boycotts if it does not succeed in making peace with the Palestinian Authority (PA). Kerry’s boycott threat shows that he has bought into anti-Semitic thinking regarding…

Israel appreciated the efforts US. Secretary of State John Kerry was putting into developing his negotiation framework, but if things didn’t work out, Israel would understand, said Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon Sunday. “I hope we can achieve our goals in this agreement, but if we cannot, Israel will manage.” Speaking at a security conference in…

The Jerusalem Municipality on Sunday on announced that it would halt providing special security for a school in the French Hill neighborhood. To the chagrin of parents, students from the “Tzviya Creative” school in the neighborhood will walk to and from bus stops without security protection. Parents are up in arms, demanding that the municipality…

After wowing Israelis with their John Kerry Solutions video, featuring a salesman modeled on US Secretary of State John Kerry, hell-bent on offering his customers solutions that only make their problems worse – grassroots Zionist NGO My Israel has come out with a new video, in which “John Kerry” tours Israel to peddle his peace…

The Bank of Israel has published its report on monetary policy for the second half of 2013. Among other things, the report reveals that housing prices have continued to rise, going up by eight percent over the 12 months concluding in October 2013. Both the number of housing sales and the number of mortgages granted…

After Oxfam forced Actress Scarlett Johansson to step down as their ambassador over her advertisement with Israeli company SodaStream, a company Oxfam boycotts, Canadian Employment Minister Jason Kenney said their move spurred him to buy from SodaStream. Appearing on Canadian Sun News last week, Kenney quipped “I’ve given money to Oxfam in the past because I thought…

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday threatened Israel that a failure in the peace talks would lead to global boycotts and delegitimization of the Jewish state. The warning comes as no surprise to those familiar with reports earlier in the month, which revealed that Kerry is orchestrating the European boycotts against Israel. Deputy…

A car bomb has ripped through the eastern Lebanese town of Hermel, in the Bekaa region, killing at least four people. The bomb apparently detonated at a gas station in Zahraa neighborhood of the town, which is a stronghold of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group. Lebanon’s Daily Star said eyewitnesses reported seeing fires raging at…

An appeals court for urgent matters in Egypt turned down Saturday a legal challenge by members of the Muslim Brotherhood against a verdict ordering the seizure of the group’s funds by the interim government. According to the Al Ahram newspaper, the court upheld the verdict, declaring that the Brotherhood’s funds, assets and NGO would remain…

Al-Nusra Front in Lebanon, a group named after Al-Qaeda’s jihadist Syrian affiliate, has claimed responsibility for Saturday’s suicide car bombing in a stronghold of the Hezbollah that has killed at least four people. Al-Jazeera reported that the group said Saturday’s attack, which targeted a petrol station in Hermel in eastern Lebanon, was a suicide bombing…

Iran has received the first installment of $4.2 billion in frozen assets as part of a nuclear deal with world powers, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told ISNA news agency Saturday, according to AFP. Unblocking the funds under the landmark deal in which Iran agreed to roll back parts of its nuclear program and halt…

Two of the largest banks in northern Europe have announced they will boycott Israeli banks because they operate in “occupied territories”, the Walla! Hebrew-language news website reported on Saturday. The two banks in question are the Swedish Nordea Bank, which is the largest bank in Scandinavia, and the Norwegian Danske Bank, which is the largest…

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday threatened Israel that a failure in the peace talks would lead to global boycotts and delegitimization of the Jewish state. The warning comes as no surprise to those familiar with reports earlier in the month, revealing that Kerry is orchestrating the European boycotts on Israel. Deputy Defense…

A car bomb has ripped through the eastern Lebanese town of Hermel, in the Bekaa region, according to local media. The bomb apparently detonated at a gas station in Zahraa neighborhood of the town, which is a stronghold of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group. Lebanon’s Daily Star said eyewitnesses reported seeing fires raging at the…

An Egyptian jihadist group said Saturday that it fired a rocket at the Red Sea resort of Eilat which was intercepted by Israeli air defences, its second in a fortnight.     Al Qaeda-inspired Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (Partisans of Jerusalem), which is based just across the border from Israel in Egypt’s restive Sinai Peninsula, threatened…

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Israel for bilateral talks at the end of February, accompanied by a number of her ministers, a spokesman said on Friday, according to AFP. The visit will take place February 24 and 25, spokesman Georg Streiter was quoted as having told a regular news briefing, without revealing a…

Some 300 Palestinian Arabs, accompanied by Israeli leftist activists, set up an outpost near Jericho on Friday, AFP reported. According to the report, the Arabs and leftists took over around a dozen abandoned houses. The protest, they said, was aimed at denouncing the repeated refusal of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to evict Jewish communities and…

A 27-year-old man died on Friday afternoon after drowning in a water well near the Givat HaDagan neighborhood in the city of Efrat in Gush Etzion. Magen David Adom paramedics who were called to the scene pulled the man’s body and tried to resuscitate him but were unsuccessful and pronounced him dead. In June of…

Terrorists fired a rocket at the Israeli resort city of Eilat on Friday night. Residents reported hearing two loud explosions before 10:00 p.m. local time, and a siren indicating that rockets were fired at the region was heard. One of the explosions was likely caused by the Iron Dome anti-missile system, which intercepted the rocket…

EU foreign affairs head Catherine Ashton will chair a meeting of top international officials working on the Israel-Palestinian Authority (PA) peace process on Saturday, AFP reports. “This meeting takes place in a moment when difficult and bold decisions need to be made,” Ashton said in a statement Friday quoted by the news agency. Ashton said…

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon met with German counterpart Ursula von der Leyen in Berlin on Thursday and discussed the possible purchase of surface ships to defend natural gas fields in Israeli waters, Israel Hayom reports. The Israeli Navy has recently begun evaluating naval vessels for defending the valuable natural gas installations off the Israeli coast.…

The United States on Friday issued warnings to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in the wake of the delay in removing his chemical weapons stockpile. AFP reported that Secretary of State John Kerry warned Assad he could face consequences for failing to live up to international agreements on the issue. Speaking to reporters ahead of talks…

Lebanese Sheikh Omar Atrash, 24, has confessed to helping transport bombs and terrorists to aid in attacks in Syria, Lebanon and Israel, The Daily Star reports Friday.  The Sunni preacher disclosed that he had ties to some of Syria’s most violent rebel groups, including the Al Qaeda-backed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), the Al-Nusra…

“Wiping entire neighborhoods off the map is not a legitimate tactic of war,” Ole Solvang, an HRW emergencies researcher, stated to the press. “These unlawful demolitions are the latest additions to a long list of crimes committed by the Syrian government.” “While the authorities might have been justified in taking some targeted measures to protect…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party has once again been exposed glorifying terrorism and the murder of Jews. The movement’s official Facebook page recently praised past and present terrorist murderers as “heroes.” On Thursday the page was festive, celebrating the anniversary of terrorist Ali Ja’ara’s Jerusalem bus suicide bombing attack that killed 11…

A trip to Israel in 2006 forced Tunisia’s new Tourism Minister to resign just hours after she was sworn in, Al Arabiya reported Thursday, citing Tunisia’s state news agency TAP. According to the report, Amel Karboul submitted her resignation to Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa after the trip was brought up during a parliamentary session to…

President Shimon Peres said Thursday that the present time period is “the most crucial time since the establishment of the new Middle East in 1948.” Peres’s comments were made during a meeting with the Quartet Representative to the Middle East, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, which focused on the peace talks between Israel and…

Israeli Air Force (IAF) aircraft targeted several terror-related sites in Gaza on Thursday night, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement. According to the statement, the airstrikes targeted a weapons facility and a terrorist center in northern Gaza, as well as a weapons storage site in southern Gaza. Direct hits were identified, and all…

Terrorists in Hamas-controlled Gaza fired a rocket Thursday night at southern Israel. No damage or injuries were reported as the lethal projectile landed in open space in the Sdot Negev Regional Council. A statement from police reported the rocket “hit southern Israel in an open area south of (the town of) Netivot.”  “Code Red” warning…

“A.”, an IDF officer, was instrumental in preventing a terrorist attack near the Binyamin community of Neve Tzuf yesterday. IDF soldiers shot dead a terrorist gunman who opened fire on their guard post. The dead terrorist was identified as 19-year-old Mohammad Mubarak from nearby Jalazun. Speaking to the IDF web site, the officer related how he and two…

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund has blacklisted 2 Israeli companies over their involvement in construction in the eastern part of Jerusalem. The ban was announced Thursday by Norway’s finance ministry. The sovereign wealth fund, which is a state-owned investment fund, is the largest in the world. Its worth is estimated at $818 billion, reports AFP. Africa Israel Investments,…

Germany will boost funding for efforts to return Nazi-looted art to their rightful owners and may invite Jewish representatives to join a mediation body, the government said Wednesday, according to a report by the AFP news agency. Funding for provenance research of art suspected to have been stolen will be doubled, the new minister of…

Egyptian military officials said Wednesday that troops backed by helicopters and armored vehicles have killed eight terrorists in the northern Sinai Peninsula. The officials who were quoted by The Associated Press (AP) said that the dead included a senior member of the Al-Qaeda inspired Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, which has claimed responsibility for a wave of bombings and…

Actress Scarlett Johansson has stepped down as an ambassador for Oxfam due to the group’s support for a boycott of Israel. A statement released by a spokesman for the actress said, “Scarlett Johansson has respectfully decided to end her ambassador role with Oxfam after eight years. She and Oxfam have a fundamental difference of opinion…

Residents of Judea and Samaria make up more than 16 percent of the new officers fresh out of the latest courses for company and battalion commanders, according to the IDF’s Bamahane magazine. This proportion is four times the part that the “settlers” make up in the general population. “Residents of Judea and Samaria understand the…

Actress Natalie Portman’s husband has revealed his plans to convert to Judaism. Benjamin Millepied, French dancer and choreographer, is currently living with his wife in her native Israel. He told daily newspaper Yedioth Aharonot that he is already in the process of converting, after “falling in love with this country,” and that becoming Jewish is…

A Torah scroll, dedicated through an International Young Israel Movement (IYIM) program, was presented to the IDF’s Iron Dome unit, which was recently deployed to guard the Haifa area. At the ceremony, held Wednesday, the Torah was officially presented to the Unit on behalf of the Leo V. Berger Fund by organization chairman Harvey Schwartz.…

This past Monday, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a number of prominent American Jews were among the visitors to the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz in Poland. Eric Cantor, US House Majority Leader, who visited the camp for the first time, called it “the worst place on earth.” “As an American Jew I feel especially obligated…

A national park will be declared at Khirbet Qeiyafa and the Ela Valley, southwest of Jerusalem, and a residential neighborhood that had been planned next to the location will not be built. The area is believed to be the spot where the young David fought Goliath, according to the Bible. The decision was made by…

Soldiers guarding an Iron Dome installation near the city of Eilat fired on an Arab man on Thursday after he ran at them screaming “Allahu Akbar” (Arabic for “G-d is great”). Fearing a terrorist attack, the soldiers shot at the man’s legs in order to stop him. The man was hit and injured. He was…

Border Police officers foiled a stabbing attack in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya on Wednesday evening. The incident occurred as dozens of Arab youths were throwing rocks at Border Police officers who were patrolling the neighborhood. The officers began arresting the Arabs, when one of them, a female, tried stabbing one of the officers.…

Tensions in Ukraine are slowly settling Wednesday, as protestors weigh the possibility of a compromise, according to the Wall Street Journal.  Earlier Wednesday, opposition leaders managed to convince a faction of protestors to withdraw from the Agriculture Ministry building, which it had been occupying for days.  President Viktor Vanukovych reportedly repealed the anti-protest laws at the heart…

One of Europe’s oldest Yiddish theaters, the State Jewish Theatre of Bucharest, has been forced to close down after its roof was damaged by the snowstorms sweeping Romania, AFP reports Wednesday.  “This is a disaster. About 30 percent of the theater roof has been destroyed. The stage is covered with water from the melting snow as well as the underground deposits where…

Jewish Home Chairman and Economics Minister Naftali Bennett issued a public apology to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Wednesday, amid rumors that Netanyahu had threatened to boot Jewish Home from the government.  “In recent days there has been a lot of discussion about the idea of the Palestinian Authority (PA) retaining sovereignty over Jewish communities in…

Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz spoke at a Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) ceremony Wednesday, where he reflected on the US-Israel relationship, the intentions of Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, and the waning possibility of reaching a peace deal.  Steinitz sharply criticized statements made by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon earlier this month, who called…

An Arab terrorist opened fire on an IDF guard post next to the Samaria community of Ateret, which lies roughly midway between Jerusalem and Shechem (Nablus). Soldiers returned fire, taking down the terrorist. As a result of the attack, a section of Highway 465 near Ateret was closed to vehicles in both directions. An army…

US Secretary of State John Kerry is about to present a plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) that will call for a phased Israeli withdrawal from Judea and Samaria based on the 1949 lines, with “unprecedented” security arrangements in the strategic Jordan Valley, writes Thomas Friedman in the New York Times…

This week marks 11 years since the Space Shuttle Columbia accident that killed Israel’s first astronaut, Ilan Ramon. Menachem Kidrom, Director of the Israel Space Agency, spoke to Arutz Sheva and supported reports from last Tuesday that a second Israeli astronaut is set to be launched. The Columbia disaster “was a hard blow to all of…

A Palestinian Arab man attempted to run over IDF soldiers near Homesh in northern Samaria Wednesday, before fleeing the scene of the crime.  The incident unfolded when IDF forces identified five suspicious vehicles in the area and pulled the motorcade to the side of the road for questioning. One of the drivers, a Palestinian Arab…

The New York State senate passed a landmark bill Tuesday stripping public funding for schools that support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, according to Capitol Confidential. The bill, which passed by a landslide vote of 51-4, is a specific response to the smear campaign against Israel launched by the American Studies Association (ASA), a group…

Five-year-old Yitzhak Gross, one of the brothers severely injured in last week’s tragic poisoning in Jerusalem, has regained consciousness and is now able to breathe normally.  Schneider Medical Center staff told the press that the boys’ parents, Shimon and Michal, have not left their sons’ bedsides since being hospitalized a week ago.   Yitzhak reportedly…

Israel’s Chief of Military Intelligence, Major General Aviv Kohavi, painted a clear and graphic picture of what Israel faces on a daily basis on Wednesday: a constant barrage of terrorist threats.  “Israel is surrounded by 360 degrees of actual enemies,” Kohavi stated, in a speech at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) quoted by Walla!.  “We…

The Israel institute of technology at Technion University is making great strides in understanding the qualitative effect of sleep on health ,and on how to get the best quality sleep. The university has been successful in finding many practical applications from their research to improve sleep quality while making some controversial conclusions about sleep. Some interesting new developments…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu opened the CyberTech 2014 Conference in Tel Aviv on Monday, announcing the opening of a cyber defense facility in Be’er Sheva. Senior Vice President of IBM Steve Mills was also in attendance, announcing joint plans between his company and Ben Gurion University. Netanyahu commented on the benefits of the “world of…

Israeli MKs who visited Auschwitz on International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Monday were joined by European parliamentarians. The European parliamentarians’ visit to Auschwitz was an initiative of the European Friends of Israel (EFI) and the Israeli-Jewish Congress (IJC), which partnered the Knesset members with their European counterparts. Daniele Hoffman-Rispal, a member of the French National…

After facing harsh criticism over his son’s non-Jewish Norwegian girlfriend, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has reportedly denied the relationship between the two. According to a Tuesday evening report on Channel 10 News, Netanyahu’s bureau chief spoke to Shas chairman MK Aryeh Deri and made clear that Yair Netanyahu and Sandra Leikanger were not dating and…

President Barack Obama on Tuesday threatened once again to veto a new Iran sanctions bill if it is passed by Congress. The comments came during the State of the Union address, which mostly dealt with internal matters but mentioned Iran in the context of American foreign policy. Obama noted that American diplomacy “has halted the…

A top Egyptian police general was assassinated on Tuesday, an attack claimed by an Al-Qaeda inspired group which threatened similar attacks against the army chief and interior minister. AFP reported that General Mohamed Saeed, an aide to interior minister Mohamed Ibrahim, was gunned down as he left his home in a west Cairo neighborhood on…

Two Somali security officials confirmed on Monday that an American missile strike in southern Somalia on Sunday killed a senior Al-Shabaab commander who had masterminded suicide attacks. According to Reuters, both intelligence sources and a Somali government spokesman named the target as Ahmed Mohamed Amey, a chemicals expert also known as Isku Dhuuq. A U.S.…

President Barack Obama on Monday urged the world to remember the victims of the Holocaust and confront anti-Semitism. “Each year on this day the world comes together to commemorate a barbaric crime unique in human history,” he said in a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.  “We recall six million Jews and millions of other…

American television legend Larry King is joining up with the Technion in Haifa to establish the Israel Silicon Valley Chambers of Commerce. The Globes financial newspaper reported that the initiative will foster Israeli high tech, by strengthening ties between the two locations and to channel budgets from multinationals for the opening of RD centers in…

Prime Minister of the Ukraine, Mykola Azarov, has announced his resignation from his post in the wake of the protests taking place in Kiev against President Viktor Yanukovych and his government. Azarov said, while announcing his resignation, that he was doing this in order to promote “political-social compromise”. President Vanukovych has agreed to repeal the anti-protest laws that sparked…

Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia, met with Interior Minister Gideon Saar Monday, as part of a visit to Israel in which the countries are to sign a trade agreement. On Tuesday, Garibashvili will meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, as well as visit Yad VaShem. Garibashvili is also due to meet with President Shimon Peres and…

Islamist terrorists used explosives and heavy guns in an atrocious double-pronged attack that killed at least 100 civilians in Nigeria’s northeast on Sunday. One attack took place in the village of Kawuri in Borno state, and the other targeted worshippers during a Christian church service in Adamawa state. Over 50 gunmen reportedly entered Kawuri after…

Two indictments were submitted on Tuesday against two Arab residents of eastern Jerusalem. The two were arrested last week for planning a terror attack on Binyanei Hauma in Jerusalem and the American Embassy in Tel Aviv. 23-year-old Abu Sara of Shuafat was indicted for making contact with foreign terrorists to plan the attacks and supporting terrorist…

The heart of Chaim Michael Shlomo Gross, one of two young brothers made critically ill by poison in Jerusalem, resumed beating Tuesday. Doctors were able to remove him from the ECMO machine which had been replacing his heart’s activity for several days. On Monday doctors removed 5-year-old Raphael Yitzchak Isaac Gross from the ECMO. The…

The nuclear facility in Dimona is using new technology to prevent information leaks, Walla news reports. The technology jams internet access and camera use on cell phones, meaning workers cannot take pictures with their phones while on the job. In addition, passersby who come close to certain parts of the facility will find that they…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has given Israel 3 years to withdraw from Judea and Samaria in the event that an interim agreement is reached, according to AFP.  “Those who are proposing 10 to 15 years (before a withdrawal) do not want to withdraw at all,” Abbas said in an interview screened on Tuesday at the annual conference of…

Two French teenagers from Toulouse have joined the Syrian Civil War, according to French and global media. The two are only 15 and 16 years old.  One of the teenagers, known only as Hakim, bought plane tickets to Turkey over the internet for the pair using his parents’ credit card, with plans to sneak over…

A report released by the Shabak (General Security Service) Monday shows that there was a significant increase in terror attacks in Judea and Samaria in 2013, as compared to 2012. While fewer Israelis were killed in terror attacks, there were more attacks overall, the report said. During 2012, ten Israelis were killed in terror attacks,…

President Shimon Peres issued a special statement in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day Monday, citing the universal value of human life.  “The Holocaust is a great warning to us all,” he stated. “We shall never forget our sisters and brothers. We have to ensure that it is not repeated and to ensure that we…

A protest in Paris against French President Francois Hollande turned on Sunday to an anti-Semitic demonstration and ended in clashes between police and protesters. AFP reported that several thousand people marched through Paris in a “Day of Anger” against Hollande. Security forces used tear gas to disperse several hundred youths who lobbed police with bottles,…

Just one week after he was released from an Israeli prison, Hamas leader Hassan Yousef said on Sunday that a third Arab armed uprising – or intifada – is just a matter of time. Speaking to Channel 2 News, Yousef said that Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas does not represent anyone other than himself.…

The United States military carried out a missile strike in southern Somalia on Sunday to target a senior figure in the Al-Shabaab terrorist group who had ties to Al­-Qaeda, a senior defense official confirmed to Fox News. It was unclear if the raid, in which witnesses said a vehicle was struck, was successful. “We’ll know…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was under fire Sunday after it was reported that his son was dating a non-Jewish woman. Yair, 23, is said to be dating 25-year-old Norwegian Sandra Leikanger, currently studying in Israel. The two met at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center, where they study. MKs and Jewish identity organizations demanded that Netanyahu do…

An explosive charge was detonated Monday morning near the Gaza security fence, in the southern part of Gaza. No IDF soldiers were hurt, according to the IDF Spokesman’s Unit. “This is another attempt to harm our forces,” said the Spokesman. “Terror elements are making use of the area next to the fence for planting explosive…

A 26-year-old British woman was charged with terror offenses after trying to smuggle 20,000 euros ($27,364) to rebel forces in Syria. The woman, Nawal Msaad, was charged along with her partner in crime, 27-year-old Amal Elwahabi, becoming the first British women to be charged with terror in connection to the Syria war. Msaad was arrested…

Dozens of Knesset MKs traveled to Poland Monday, to tour Auschwitz and participate in a special ceremony commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day.  The MKs were joined by over 50 members of the Polish parliament; several Israeli and Polish government ministers; and Holocaust survivors.  At the ceremony, several MKs spoke about their personal connections to the…

Schneider Medical Center reported significant improvement Monday in the condition of Yitzhak and Michael Gross, the 7 and 5 year old brothers who were victims of a fatal poisoning incident in Jerusalem last week. Their two sisters died as a result of the pesticide poisoning/ The children’s medical team is said to be weighing whether…

A 60 year-old woman critically injured in last week’s gas explosion in the Gilo neighborhood of Jerusalem has died of her wounds Monday, announced Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center. Her name has not yet been released.  The explosion displaced 24 families, wounded 11 and killed three family members: Abraham Tufan (56), his wife Galit (42),…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday that in his meetings with world leaders at Davos, he found “greater sharpness and greater clarity” regarding Iran’s “contradictory and mendacious messages.” “I must say that the main interest was in regard to Iran’s ‘assault of pleasantness,’” he told his Cabinet. “Here, perhaps in contrast to what was depicted…

A source in the Prime Minister’s Office told reporters Sunday that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu believes that if a Palestinian state is established in Judea and Samaria, Jews  who wish to remain in that state should be allowed to do so. The source said that Netanyahu believes that there is no reason for the Palestinian…

Israel will not dare attack Iran, because it knows what the consequences will be, said Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. In an interview with CNN, Rouhani said that an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities would be “crazy.” Iran would agree not to enrich more uranium to levels that could be used for nuclear weapons, but…

Any long-term deal with Iran on its nuclear program is doomed to failure, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday. Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said that such deals with Iran “just won’t work.” Netanyahu was speaking upon his return from the Davos World Economic Forum, where Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani gave several conciliatory…

Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky warned in Sunday’s Cabinet meeting against the spread of anti-Semitism and the possibility that it will bring real harm to the Jewish state. “While anti-Semitism, in its old form and new mutations, continues to poison minds throughout the world, it is important that we strengthen those who are at the…

The two children who survived the horrific poisoning in Jerusalem Wednesday are still being treated in Petah Tikva’s Schneider Medical Center. Michael, 5, and Yitzhak, 7, are in stable to serious condition.  After a call for prayer for the boys went out Friday, good news has finally surfaced: according to close family member Shlomo Rein, Yitzhak…

Anat Kam, the IDF soldier who allegedly stole over 2,000 classified documents for “ideological” reasons, is being released Sunday.  The release comes after Kam completed two thirds of her three and a half year sentence. She is being released for “good behavior” after becoming eligible for parole, the Prisons Service said. Kam was convicted of…

Israel is to allow the entry of more building materials into Gaza, the defense ministry said Sunday, and a UN refugee agency said they should be delivered soon. “About 1,000 tons of cement and building materials will enter the Gaza Strip for storm damage restoration and other projects of UN agencies,” the Israeli defense ministry…

The remand for two terrorists who planned to set off a bomb at Jerusalem’s Central Bus Station and shoot up a bus has been extended, police said. The suspects, Iyad Khalid Abu Sara and Rubin Abu-Nagma, will be indicted Tuesday for their roles in the planned terror attack, as well as for planning and participating…

A senior member of Fatah, the party headed by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, has called to renew terrorist attacks on Israel, Maariv/nrg reports. Fatah Central Committee member Tawfik Tirawi reportedly told Al-Miadin that there will be no new Arab state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza in the near future, and not even in 20…

Actress Scarlett Johansson has rejected demands that she cancel her new advertising campaign for SodaStream, an Israeli company that operates out of Ma’ale Adumim, a Jerusalem suburb located over 1949 Armistice lines. Johansson made clear in a statement released on Friday to The Huffington Post that she will not pull out of the endorsement deal.…

Palestinian Arabs on Saturday held demonstrations in opposition to peace negotiations with Israel and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s framework proposal that will serve as the basis for future negotiations. The Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency reported that the demonstrations were organized by leftist groups in the Palestinian Authority (PA) and were held in Hevron…

The death toll in a bloody day in Egypt has risen to 29, AFP reported on Saturday night. Clashes broke out throughout the country during rival rallies on the anniversary of the 2011 revolt that toppled Hosni Mubarak, underscoring the country’s violent polarization. Three years after Egyptians rose up to demand the overthrow of Mubarak,…

An overwhelming majority of Israelis think current peace talks with the Palestinians will not lead to an agreement, according to a poll published on Saturday. A huge 87 percent of respondents answered “no” when asked if they thought the negotiations would result in a peace deal. Only seven percent said “yes”, according to the survey…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, his wife Sarah and members of the staff of the Prime Minister’s Office who are currently visiting Davos, Switzerland, chose to respect the Sabbath and walk back to their hotel from the Friday evening ‘kabbalat shabbat’ reception held in their honor by the Jewish community of Davos. Netanyahu had been driven…

Large scale demonstrations took place in Cairo and other Egyptian cities on Saturday as the country marked the third anniversary of the revolution on January 25, 2011, which toppled President Hosni Mubarak and led to a victory by the Muslim Brotherhood in ensuing national elections in 2012. The demonstrations Saturday were mostly in protest, however,…

A clash seems to be looming between Israel and the radical Islamist movement Islamic Jihad, as they abandon pledges made under a fragile ceasefire that ended the last full-scale war in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.     Israel recently targeted two of the group’s terrorists for firing rockets at it, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu…

Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian Arab rioter and wounded another in the Gaza Strip near the border with the Jewish state on Friday, a medical source in the Islamist-ruled enclave said.     20-year-old Bilal Samir Oweida died after being “shot in the chest by Israeli soldiers” east of Jabaliya, in northern Gaza, said…