Category: News

Boxes containing pigs’ heads have been sent to the Israeli embassy in Rome and the city’s synagogue, Italian media reported Saturday.     The package mailed to the embassy in the wealthy Parioli area of the Italian capital was intercepted by police after other similar parcels were sent to the synagogue and the Jewish Museum…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made it clear on Friday that he will not evict any Israeli communities in the Jordan Valley as part of a future agreement with the Palestinian Authority (PA). “I have said it before and I repeat it today: I’m not going to evict a single community, I am not going to…

A wave of four bomb attacks hit Cairo on Friday and killed six people on the eve of the anniversary of the 2011 uprising which toppled former President Hosni Mubarak, AFP reports. The first attack occurred when a car bomb struck Cairo police headquarters on Friday morning. The bombings, all targeting the police, came as…

15 soldiers were injured on Friday afternoon when a fire broke out  in the water pump of a Dvora-class patrol boat that was patrolling near the Gaza coast. The 15, who suffered smoke inhalation, were taken for treatment at an Ashdod naval base and then were taken for further treatment at the Kaplan, Barzilai and…

The United Nations will host a new exhibition honoring the March of the Living. The exhibit, entitled “When You Listen to a Witness, You Become a Witness,” will launch on Tuesday, January 28, in the Visitor Centre, Dag Hammarskjold Library Lower Level. The opening event and reception will take place that evening in the Library…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday that it is “long past time” for Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) to reach a peace deal, but stressed that Israel’s security must be ensured in such a deal. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Kerry stressed that Israel cannot make peace with the…

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif denied on Friday his country had sent Hezbollah to fight in Syria, AFP reported. Zarif, who spoke saying at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, claimed the Tehran-backed Shiite group was making its own decisions. He also said he believed the Syrian conflict could be resolved within the next…

The IDF carried out a special exercise with the 7th brigade to instruct its troops how to defend Judea and Samaria communities in the event of a terrorist infiltration, according to its website. The unit also participated in practice runs on terrorist attacks on the road and breaches of the security barriers.  “In light of…

South Sudan’s government signed a ceasefire deal with rebel forces on Thursday, in an attempt to stem the bloody violence that has ravaged the world’s youngest country since December 15. The conflict centers around a power struggle between South Sudan President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar, who was fired last July and…

Shimon and Michal Gross, the parents of 2- and 4-year-old Yael and Avigail z”l who died after being accidentally poisoned in Jerusalem on Wednesday, spoke to Arutz Sheva about their pain in trying to cope with the loss and appealed for help. The two girls were poisoned after an exterminator, who has been arrested, left pesticide in their…

Meretz chairman and former Education Minister Shulamit Aloni has passed away Friday at the age of 86. Aloni’s funeral will beheld Sunday morning, in the cemetery in Kfar Shamaryahu.  Shulamit Aloni – nee Adler – was born in Tel Aviv in 1928. Her parents, a seamstress and a carpenter, were both descendants of a Polish…

The Egyptian capital of Cairo has been shaken by a massive explosion. The blast, originating from a car bomb detonated right next to the city’s police headquarters, was powerful enough to destroy much of the structure of the building. Egypt’s health ministry reports at least 4 killed and 51 injured. The blast also damaged the…

US Secretary of State John Kerry met Friday with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu as he seeks to force the US’s agenda for peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), according to AFP. The two men held closed talks on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss mountain town of Davos, ahead of what Washington has billed as…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The two discussed the budding alliance between the nations, which has developed rapidly since Wang’s first visit to Israel last December. Netanyahu commented that the meeting expressed the advanced state of relations between the…

President Shimon Peres received the “spirit of Davos award” at the World Economic Forum Friday, Channel 2 reports.  The award, which was given to Peres for his “global leadership,” was shaped in a bell. The text reads, “to President Shimon Peres, a unique visionary and global statesman for tolling the bell of peace and harmony.”  “I would…

Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has called for an end to clashes between Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists and Islamists fighting to oust Syria’s regime, in an audio message posted on the Internet and quoted by AFP. Zawahiri urged all jihadist groups and “every free person in Syria seeking to overthrow [President Bashar] Al-Assad… to seek an end to…

Most Israelis would like to see MK Reuven Rivlin (Likud) as Israel’s next president, a poll released Thursday found. The poll, conducted for the Knesset Channel by the Panels Institute, found that 28% of Israelis want to see Rivlin become president after Shimon Peres concludes his term this summer. Rivlin was followed by Noble Laureate…

A member of the Al-Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades was killed during a military chase in east Lebanon, the Daily Star reported on Thursday. The terrorist, Ibrahim Abdul-Moti Abu Muaileq who goes by the name Abu Jaafar, died Wednesday of wounds he sustained during a shootout with the military at an army checkpoint in the Bekaa…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas wants Russia to play a role in peace talks with Israel, Voice of Russia reports. Abbas, who is on a visit to Moscow, congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on Moscow’s achievements in the international arena and expressed hope that Russia would play a central role in the peace process.…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday night contacted Shimon Gross to send his condolences over the death of Shimon’s infant daughters Avigail and Yael z”l. The two girls, aged 2 and 4, died from poisoning after lethal pesticides were left in the safe room of their apartment by an exterminator, who has been arrested. Shimon…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry defended on Thursday the nuclear deal that was reached between Iran and six world powers, but said that the military option was still on the table if Iran fails to live up to its part of the agreement. “I am absolutely certain without a reasonable doubt that Saudi Arabia,…

The US Department of Defense has loosened uniform regulations for religious garb, meaning Jewish soldiers in America will now be able to wear a kippah and grow a beard while serving in the army. Aside from Jews, the change in policy allows Muslims, Sikhs and others to request exemptions to sport turbans and tattoos. Lt.…

A mother and her two children arrived at a clinic in Jerusalem on Thursday, suffering from nausea and vomiting after their house was sprayed by the same exterminator that was arrested over the tragic poisoning of the Gross family Wednesday. The three arrived at the emergency medical clinic ‘Terem’ that the Gross family were at…

Michael and Yitzchak Gross, ages 5 and 7, remain in extremely serious condition Thursday following the tragedy that killed their two young sisters. The Gross children were made critically ill by a highly toxic pesticide left in their family’s home by an exterminator. There is no antidote to the poison. Doctor Efrat Baron-Harlev, the Deputy…

A hareidi man who fought in every major war in Israel has won an award for a book that tells his life’s story. Lieutenant-Colonel (res.) Yaakov Laniado will be given a prize for new literature for his book B’Sherut Ha’am Vehamoledet (lit. In the Service of the Nation and the Homeland). Laniado shared his unique…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a conference of global information technology leaders Thursday at the 2014 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, and praised Israel as “an innovation nation” that has become “a nexus of high technology” and a center for entrepreneurship. Netanyahu said Europe could make a positive contribution in the Middle East but…

Israeli security forces announced Wednesday that they had foiled a global jihad plot to blow up the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem’s Convention Center. But U.S. officials told NBC News they couldn’t confirm the threat, and hinted that the Shin Bet may even be misleading the Israeli government regarding the link between the…

Next week, a delegation of Members of Knesset, Holocaust survivors, and senior public officials will embark on a historic visit to the site of the Auschwitz death camp in Poland. The delegates will bring with them the diary of Benaya Rein, a young soldier who fell fighting Hezbollah in the Second Lebanon War. The diary…

Senator John McCain (R., Ariz.) blasted President Barack Obama and his policy towards Syria on Tuesday, the Washington Free Beacon reports. Speaking to Phoenix radio station KFYI, McCain compared Obama to former president Jimmy Carter, saying, “I thought Jimmy Carter was bad, but he pales in comparison to this president in my view.” McCain also…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is not ruling out the possibility that he will one day address the Knesset. Abbas made the comments to the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) at Tel Aviv University, part of an interview that will be aired during the institute’s conference next week and of which parts were…

United Nations officials have condemned a recent surge in executions in Iran, after a report by Amnesty International revealed that an average of two people were executed every day so far in January 2014. The United Nations Special Rapporteurs on the situation of human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, and on summary executions, Christof Heyns,…

The identities of the children killed Wednesday in an apparent case of criminal negligence in Jerusalem have been revealed: Avigayil Gross, 2, and Yael Gross, 4. The two will be laid to rest Thursday at the Har HaMenuhot cemetery in Jerusalem.  Brothers Michael, 5, and Yitzhak, 7 are reportedly still fighting for their lives. Their…

The Fatah party of Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has posted threats to bomb Tel Aviv on its official Facebook page. The threats came in the form of a video by Fatah’s armed wing – the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade – which threatened to turn Tel Aviv “into a ball of fire”, as well…

Israeli archaeologists uncovered amazing finds this week, including a 1500 year-old church, five ancient inscriptions and an elaborate mosaic, the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced Wednesday.  The IAA discovered the church during salvage excavations, prior to the construction of a new neighborhood at Moshav Aluma in the Shafir Regional Council, near Pelugot Junction. The excavations…

Russia is trying to hunt down three potential suicide bombers, all female Muslims, who are suspected of planning to carry out threats to attack the upcoming Sochi Winter Olympics starting February 7. The three women are all the wives of killed terrorists, and are pictured wearing traditional Muslim head coverings in police fliers posted in Sochi.…

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon praised the IDF strike Tuesday that killed a terrorist in Gaza who had been firing rockets into Israel, including 2 rockets launched during former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s funeral last week. Ya’alon commented Wednesday on the strike that killed Ahmed Zaaneen and Mohammed Zaaneen of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).…

President Shimon Peres has reportedly come out against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s demands that the Palestinian Authority (PA) recognize Israel as a Jewish state. “The stubbornness of the Prime Minister is unnecessary and liable to make the peace talks fail,” Peres has said regarding the issue of Israel’s Jewish nature, reports Yisrael Hayom. The newspaper notes…

For years, Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria have been accusing Arab and leftist activists of falsely blaming them for “price tag” revenge attacks that they never carried out. Now, one determined resident of Samaria appears to have found a “smoking gun”, documenting how local Arabs have been damaging olive trees and then reporting the…

The four year-old daughter of a Jerusalem family poisoned in their Givat Mordechai home has died Wednesday, as disturbing new information about the material responsible surfaces.  Dr. Ovadiah Shemesh, Deputy Director of Jerusalem’s Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, revealed that the poison responsible for killing a 2-year old and a 4 year-old and hospitalizing the rest of their…

The Shin Bet and Israel Police have uncovered a Global Jihad terror cell in eastern Jerusalem that was directed from Gaza and which was planning to carry out a murderous attack on a civilian bus. A gag order on the investigation has just been removed. A total of three suspects have been arrested, all of…

Jerusalem has been hit by another tragedy, following the gas explosion in Gilo on Sunday night that killed a young couple and their baby son. A family with young children was apparently exposed to pesticide in their apartment in Givat Mordechai on Wednesday, and as a result their infant daughter died. Medics and Magen David…

Both the United States and the United Nations expressed horror on Tuesday over photographic evidence which showed that Syrian government officials committed serious war crimes in the form of systematic torture and killing. A team of internationally renowned war crimes prosecutors and forensic experts presented a report on this on Monday, based on thousands of…

The Palestinian Authority (PA) accused Israel on Tuesday that it did not want peace, after the leftist Peace Now organization revealed that the Israeli government had approved plans to build 381 new homes in Givat Ze’ev, Samaria, located just five kilometers north of Jerusalem. The PA’s chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, responded by telling the AFP…

UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural agency said Tuesday it is delaying for five months an exhibit on Jewish connections to the Holy Land, which it postponed last week after objections from Arab countries, reports The Associated Press (AP). The exhibition, which is called “People, Book, Land — The 3,500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People…

Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon took part Tuesday in a celebration of the Netzach Yehuda (Nahal Hareidi) brigade. The brigade, the IDF’s majority-hareidi combat unit, was celebrating 15 years since its creation. “For me, this is an encouraging moment, as someone who took absorbed the soldiers in Nahal Hareidi – as we used to call it…

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and his counterpart from Kazakhstan, Adilbek Dzhaksbekov, signed a security agreement on Monday, formally sealing the defense ties between the two countries. The agreement, which was signed in Tel Aviv, gives a framework for defense trade and cooperation between the Jewish state and the Sunni Muslim-majority nation, reports Defense News. Defense relations…

A terror suspected, thought to have been planning attacks in London, will have restrictions on his movement lifted by the end of January, according to court papers released Tuesday. The man, a British-Nigerian, is one of six suspects given wider freedom of movement, in a move that the opposition Labor party is challenging, reports AFP. …

Member of Knesset Zevulun Kalfa (Jewish Home) had a narrow escape this week when terrorists threw a large concrete block at his car. The attackers struck late on Sunday night, as Kalfa was making his way from Jerusalem to the pre-military academy in Yatir, in the Hevron region. The attack took place near El Aroub…

The Long War Journal reports Tuesday that a Sinai-based Salafist group has claimed responsibility for Monday’s rocket fire on Eilat.  The jihadist group, named Ansar Jerusalem or Ansar Bayt al Makdis, posted on Gaza-based social media a statement boasting the attack.  “Our war with the enemy in Egypt has not dissuaded us from the war against the first…

An explosion has taken place in a Hezbollah-dominated southern suburb of Beirut, reports from Lebanon say. Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV showed flames and smoke pouring out of the front of a multi-story building. Two people were reported killed and 20 injured. The blast in the Hezbollah stronghold is the latest in a series of attacks said to…

An explosive device went off Tuesday morning close to the security fence separating Israel and Gaza, near Kisufim. No one was hurt. After a year of relative quiet following the IDF’s Pillar of Defense operation, the Gaza front has been heating up lately and there is more talk of another possible IDF incursion, should things…

The IDF succeeded on Monday evening in righting a Navy ship that capsized earlier that day opposite the Gaza shore. A senior Navy officer said Monday evening that the initial inquiry into the incident indicates that a Dvora-type Navy ship that had been sailing alongside the smaller Tzir’a boat and very close to it, created…

Naftali Bennett announced Tuesday that Israel has started negotiations with India to establish a joint Indian-Israeli technology fund.  The fund will reportedly invest in joint ventures in both countries, as part of Israel’s initiative to reach out to regional economic superpowers, including both India and China.  In December, Israel’s Consul General in Mumbai, Jonathan Miller,…

Al-Qaeda has been using the influx of foreign nationals to Syria to train potential terrorists to begin cells abroad, specifically in the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU), Britain’s The Telegraph reported Monday.  A defector from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and Western security sources confirmed to the British news agency what UK and other…

A disturbing new trend is on the rise in Iran, according to Amnesty International.  Execution orders have risen dramatically since 2014 in the Islamic Republic, according to new statistics revealed by the watchdog group. In the 21 days since 2014 began, more than 40 orders have been issued – more than 33% of them in…

The Lebanese branch of the Nusra Front – an Al Qaeda-linked rebel group fighting in Syrian – has claimed responsibility for today’s deadly bombing in Beirut. The attack killed four people and left 34 more wounded In a statement posted in Arabic on Twitter, the Nusra Front in Lebanon said the attack on the Haret…

The United States welcomed on Monday the decision of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to rescind his invitation to Iran to attend an international conference on Syria this week. “We are hopeful that, in the wake of today’s announcement, all parties can now return to focus on the task at hand, which is bringing an end…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas told Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Monday that there will be no official Israeli presence in the future Palestinian state, reported the Ma’an news agency. “We want an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital that includes all the lands that were occupied in 1967 and that…

It’s official: the US has approved a waiver Monday to lift some sanctions on Iran, claiming that the Islamic Republic has taken measures to curb its nuclear weapons program.  “Iran has begun to take concrete and verifiable steps to halt its nuclear program,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, quoted by AFP. She added that it…

Taiwan will release a Chinese edition of the first known Holocaust report on Auschwitz-Birkenau written by a Polish resistance fighter who infiltrated the Nazi death camp, a Polish institute said Monday.  According to AFP, the Chinese translation of the report will be available from Taiwanese publisher Acropolis starting Wednesday, Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) said on its website. In 1940, Polish…

The Auschwitz museum at the site of the former Nazi German death camp in southern Poland said Monday it had launched online Holocaust awareness programs in Arabic and Farsi, AFP reports. “We want to address groups of people who often have little knowledge of this subject or who even advocate revisionist views,” museum spokesman Pawel…

Public Security Minster Yitzhak Aharonovich on Monday visited the site of the gas balloon explosion that left three dead in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo the night before. The three were a couple in their 30s and their two-year-old baby. “It’s a difficult incident, tragic, which cut short the lives of three members of one family,”…

Israel and Canada are “natural allies,” Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Monday. Addressing the Knesset, Harper told MKs that Canada would stand with Israel no matter what, “in fire and water.” On his second day in Israel, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke to MKs. The bonds between the two countries, said Harper, were…

It has been cleared for release that an Israeli navy vessel capsized  Monday morning 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) from the coast, while patrolling the Mediterranean waters near Ashkelon. In response, a missile boat was sent to the site, and rescue crews brought some of the sailors to the shore. None of them were hurt. Large…

President Barack Obama is not as optimistic as his Secretary of State regarding the possibility of peace between Israel and the Arabs. Obama, who gave an interview to the New Yorker magazine on Sunday, said that he believed the odds of reaching a peace agreement were less than 50%. The President told the magazine’s editor…

Israel plans to deploy a new missile shield known as “Iron Beam” next year which would use a laser to blow up short-range rockets and mortar bombs, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing an Israeli defense industry official. The system is designed to deal with threats that fly on too small a trajectory to be engaged…

A new threat to the upcoming Winter Olympics to be hosted in Sochi, Russia, surfaced Sunday, reports AFP. In a video posted on a well-known jihadi forum, two men believed to have been involved in last month’s deadly bombings in Volgograd spoke of them and warned of more. “We’ve prepared a present for you and…

No more gas masks will be handed out to Israelis, the “inner” defense cabinet decided Sunday. The last gas masks in stock will be given out through the end of January, the cabinet decided. Only rescue workers and other essential personnel will receive masks after that time. The reason for the end of the gas…

With the recent uptick in rocket attacks on southern Israel, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has a message for Gaza Arab terrorists: Don’t try us. Speaking on Sunday, Ya’alon said that the IDF would hit hard and fast against terror targets each time Israel was attacked. “The IDF on Sunday morning targeted a terror cell that…

Israel released a prominent leader from Islamist movement Hamas on Sunday after he spent more than two years in prison, Palestinian Authority (PA) officials said. Hassan Yousef, who is also a member of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Legislative Council, told reporters after his release he would work with Hamas rivals “Fatah and other Palestinian factions to achieve…

The Deputy Defense Minister, MK Danny Danon (Likud-Beytenu), has penned an article in the US-based Politico website that appears to be a warning about an Israeli intention to strike Iran’s nuclear weapon facilities. The relatively short, 400-word article, refers to two previous cases in which Israel struck Islamic nuclear sites without US approval. In 1981,…

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in Israel and will address the Knesset on Monday. This is Harper’s first visit to Israel. In welcoming Harper, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that while this world is “often cynical and hypocritical, you have shown great moral leadership. When it comes to fighting terrorism, you know that there…

A religious Jewish woman who wanted to visit the Temple Mount on Sunday morning was told she could not enter the holy site because her skirt was too short, Temple Mount activists have reported. The woman was wearing thick black tights, a knee-length black skirt, and a long-sleeved black top. An Israeli police officer at…

A host on the pan-Arab station Al-Jazeera shared surprising praise of Israel this weekend, praising the Israeli army’s restraint as compared to the Syrian army’s brutality. Whilst chairing a discussion between pro- and anti-Syrian regime pundits, Faisal Al-Qassem asked of the Syrian army, “Why don’t they learn from the Israeli army, which tries, through great…

Workers in Israel and the Palestinian Authority now have something in common – complaints about foreign workers taking away what are supposed to be their good-paying jobs. According to a Bethlehem lawyer, workers in the city are up in arms over the arrival of a large contingent of Serbian construction workers who are building a…

The United Nations has confirmed that food aid has finally reached some of the Palestinians in the Damascus neighborhood where dozens have perished of starvation. Christopher Gunness, a spokesman for the U.N.’s Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said at the start of the weekend that 200 parcels of food aid had finally made it into…

Israeli Professor Dan Shechtman, who won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, has indicated that he is interested in running for the position of Israeli President. Speaking in an interview with Channel 1 News which aired Friday night, Shechtman said, “I see myself as a presidential candidate. I think I can change things for the…

IDF soldiers on Saturday night arrested a terrorist who opened fire, using an improvised weapon, at the religious Kibbutz Migdal Oz in Gush Etzion. There were no casualties. The terrorist was interrogated by security forces. Lieutenant Colonel Ayas Fares, deputy commander of the IDF’s Etzion Brigade, told Arutz Sheva that, thanks to the quick work…

Life is scary for Ukranian Jews. Such has been revealed by Dov Ber Glickman, the 30 year-old Ukranian man who was stabbed on his way home from synagogue Friday night, as he gave his perspective on the incident to IDF Radio Sunday.  “I left synagogue to return home,” Glickman recounted, “when I saw two men standing at…

The Air Force hit an Islamic Jihad terrorist in an airstrike in northern Gaza on Sunday morning. The terrorist has been identified as Ahmed Sa’ad. Sa’ad is known to be involved in Islamic Jihad rocket attacks from Gaza. According to IDF sources, he played a part in recent rocket attacks and shooting attacks on Israelis…

Terrorist attacks nearly doubled in frequency in 2013, according to new data released by the IDF. There were 62 terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria (Shomron) in 2013, compared to 35 the year before. The IDF website quoted senior sources as saying that the violence is still nowhere near “Intifada” levels. “There is a significant…

The United States over the weekend criticized UNESCO, the UN’s cultural body, for postponing a Jewish-themed exhibition following pressure from Arab member states, Reuters reports. The exhibit, entitled “People, Book, Land — The 3,500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People to the Holy Land,” was postponed because of concerns that some aspects “might be perceived…

US Secretary of State John Kerry will present a framework deal at the end of January, according to London-based Arabic news outlet Al Hayat Saturday, at a conference in the Jordanian city of Aqaba.  Palestinian Authority (PA) sources told the daily that the presentation will only include an outline of the interim agreement’s terms; both sides are…

Energy Minister Silvan Shalom attended a meeting Saturday of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has no diplomatic relations with the Jewish state. It is the first time Israel has sent a minister to a meeting of IRENA since its foundation in 2009. “Shalom is representing Israel, which is taking part in the meeting…

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has been involved in talks to bring a ceasefire to Syria – along with Iraq, Lebanon, and Russia.  Zarif stated to a press conference held together with Senegal’s Foreign Minister Saturday that the ceasefire would be an important step in achieving negotiations, and that the Syrian people should have…

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife Laureen will arrive in Israel Sunday on an official four-day visit.  The Canadian Prime Minister will be accompanied by a delegation of over 200 people, including ministers, journalists, and parliament members. This is Harper’s first visit to the Middle East since he was elected as Prime Minister in 2006,…

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said on Friday that UN nuclear experts will inspect its Gachin uranium mine this month, almost nine years since they last visited the site, AFP reports. “The inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will travel to Tehran on January 29 to visit Gachin mine,” AEO spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said,…

A security official in Egypt said on Friday that terrorists have blown up a natural gas pipeline in the Sinai Peninsula. According to The Associated Press (AP), the official said a strong explosion rocked a village in central Sinai called el-Riysan, after explosives were planted beneath the gas pipeline connected to cement factories in the…

The United Nations’ cultural body has cancelled a Jewish exhibit following Arab pressure, the European Jewish Press (EJP) reported on Friday. The exhibition, entitled “People, Book, Land – The 3,500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People and the Land of Israel”, was co-organized by UNESCO, the UN body for education, science and culture, and the…

A French presidential aide held talks on Friday in Beirut with a Hezbollah official, the movement said, AFP reported. The meeting comes months after the EU listed the group’s so-called “military wing” as a terrorist organization. Hezbollah said its international relations chief Ammar al-Moussawi discussed regional and local developments with Emmanuel Bonne, French President Francois…

Rockets – and possibly shells – were fired from Syria into Lebanon Friday, landing in the Lebanese border town of Arsal, according to official state news. The rockets have reportedly killed 7 and wounded at least 15.  According to Lebanese news outlet The Daily Star, facts on the ground contradict official news announcements, which state that…

A barrage of at least 6 rockets were fired from Gaza towards Ashkelon on Wednesday, leading the defense establishment to reportedly reconsider the Pillar of Cloud ceasefire. The barrage also led Ashdod to cancel classes Friday at all schools that are not reinforced against rocket fire. Five of the rockets were shot down by the Iron…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman summoned European Union (EU) ambassadors on Friday over continued support of – and bias for – the Palestinian Authority (PA) in negotiations. Liberman’s call came in response to the EU’s calls on Israel’s envoys Thursday to explain Israel’s continued construction in Judea and Samaria.   Liberman “ordered to summon the ambassadors of…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu supports Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman’s land swap plan, according to a Maariv report Friday.  The swap, which Israel reportedly offered the US in talks in December, refers to the area known as the Triangle in east-central Israel. The area includes the cities of Tayibe and Tira, in which about 300,000 Arabs live. Israeli Arabs…

The National Security Agency (NSA) has collected almost 200 million text messages a day from across the globe, using them to extract data including location, contact networks and credit card details, The Guardian reported on Thursday. The report is based on material provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. The documents also reveal that the UK…

Hezbollah was officially accused of the murder of Lebanon’s former prime minister, Rafiq Hariri, on Thursday, as four of its members went on trial in absentia at a special UN tribunal, AFP reported. The four are accused of murdering Hariri in a 2005 car bombing that shook the Middle East. The trial opened in a…

A Lebanese branch of an Al-Qaeda affiliated Syrian rebel group has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s car bomb explosion in the town of Hermel, reports the Daily Star. The explosion killed four people and wounded 43. Hermel has a primarily Shiite Muslim population, and is in the Bekaa region, where the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah terrorist group…

The operation to remove Syria’s chemical arsenal has suffered another setback, with the head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) saying Thursday that the removal and destruction of the most dangerous agents in Syria’s chemical arsenal will likely be delayed. According to Reuters,  OPCW head Ahmet Uzumcu explained that the delay…

A group of 40 Bnei Menashe arrived on Aliyah today from India, marking the second time in the last three weeks that a group from this Lost Tribe of Israel has moved here. The immigrants, who hail from the northeastern Indian state of Mizoram, were brought to Israel by Shavei Israel, which received permission from…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu slammed the European Union Thursday for summoning envoys over recently unveiled plans for some 1,800 new homes for Jews in the ancient Jewish capital of Jerusalem, and the Biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria. “This is hypocrisy. The EU calls our ambassadors in because of the construction of a few houses?…

One of the most spectacular natural landscapes in the world, the Dead Sea is the world’s largest day spa, where people from all over the world throughout history have traveled to bask in its natural pure waters and mud, renowned for their legendary curative and therapeutic powers. In fact, the Dead Sea was actually recently…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu traveled to Jordan on Thursday to meet with King Abdullah II in Amman. Netanyahu’s trip was kept under wraps until the last minute. His last reported meeting with Abdullah was in March 2013. The two leaders discussed the ongoing negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The content of their meeting,…

In the wake of the latest row between the United States and Israel over remarks by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, President Shimon Peres on Wednesday said that Israel should be grateful for its close relationship with America. “Israel and the United States have much more than a dialogue. The U.S. wants to allow us and…

Terrorists on Wednesday evening opened fire from a moving vehicle at a resident of the Shomron (Samaria) community of Havat Gilad (Gilad Farm), who was driving on the road near the community. The resident was not hurt but his vehicle sustained damage. IDF forces began searching the area in an attempt to locate the shooters.…

Israeli Air Force (IAF) aircraft targeted terror-related sites in Gaza early Thursday morning, several hours after a rocket barrage targeted the city of Ashkelon. A statement from the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that a concealed rocket launcher, a weapons storage site and a center of terrorist activity in northern Gaza were targeted. Direct hits were…

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) triggered controversy with a fiery floor speech in the Senate on Tuesday night, during which she declared that “we cannot let Israel determine when and where the United States goes to war.” Breitbart reports that the speech was made during a debate on a bill that would impose new sanctions on…

Terrorists from Hamas-controlled Gaza fired a barrage of rockets towards the city of Ashkelon on Wednesday night. Five of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system, which shoots down rockets before they hit populated areas. Several other rockets may have exploded in open areas. There were no reports of physical injuries or…

Finance Minister Yair Lapid reiterated Wednesday night the Yesh Atid party’s position regarding the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).  “The left wants peace at any price and the right is not willing to pay any price for peace,” Lapid stated, claiming that, in contrast, Yesh Atid forms the political “center.”  “We do…

Curiouser and curiouser: the murder investigation of businessman and father Menachem Stark took a new twist Tuesday, when it was revealed that over $1.2 million of “unauthorized” withdrawals were made from his Capital One account in the weeks after he died.  Newsday reported Tuesday that the withdrawals surfaced in files submitted by a mortgage company in…

Rabbi Yitzhak Cohen, whose son Neria Cohen was murdered in the Mercaz HaRav attack in 2008, was violently attacked by Arab youths as he visited his son’s grave on the Mount of Olives yesterday.  “Yesterday I went with my wife and children to my son’s gravesite,” the Rabbi recounted, in an interview with Arutz Sheva. “At…

A “maneater” tiger hunting for food in northern India has killed seven people in the past two weeks, according to local wildlife authorities. In response, thousands of villagers have locked themselves in their homes while armed hunters try to put the raging animal down. Rupak De, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, told Fox News Wednesday that the…

Umoove, an Israeli hi-tech start-up company, announced Tuesday the release of their first product on the App Store. The application, called Umoove Experience, will be available to download free of charge, on any modern iOS device January 14th, 2014. The Umoove Experience features a 3D avatar that flies through a village, enabling full user control…

Thieves tried to steal the ashes of Sigmund Freud, regarded as the father of modern psychoanalysis, and his wife Martha from a Jewish cemetery in London, police said Wednesday.     The ashes were contained in an ancient urn dating back to the third century BCE, which was severely damaged during the attempted theft sometime…

The Israel Security Agency (ISA, or Shin Bet) revealed Wednesday that a terror attack had been foiled in December whereby terrorists had attempted to build a military cell in Judea and Samaria with the specific intent to kidnap Israelis.  The twist: the terror cell was operated by terrorists who were already imprisoned. The terrorist operatives were…

It started with a phone call from Osnat Lester, a resident of Poriya Illit, to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). “Stored in my warehouse,” she said, “there are crates full of ancient jars that were left behind by a relative, a fisherman, who has passed on. I want to hand over the jars to the…

The President of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, declared Monday that a charity managed by his mother Aimani would pay $1,000 to families naming their infants born that day Mohammed, after the founder of Islam. The privately sponsored charity decided to give the present in honor of the birthday of Mohammed according to the Sunni sect of…

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, on Tuesday complained to the Security Council and to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon over Monday’s rocket fire by Gaza terrorists after the funeral of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Shortly after Sharon’s funeral, Gaza terrorists fired two rockets at the Negev. The rockets hit an area north…

Egyptian officials say at least 11 were killed Tuesday in clashes between Muslim Brotherhood supporters and the State. The Health Ministry says the deaths occurred in Cairo, Giza, Bani Suef and Sohag, according to the Huffington Post. 28 people have been wounded in the attacks. The news surfaces in the wake of the beginning of the…

Four Palestinian Arab men from the town of Harabta were arrested Tuesday after one of them attempted to steal a car on Highway 446. The would-be thief was unaware that the car had been planted by police officers as part of a crackdown on theft in the region. Police in the Binyamin region put a…

Over 450 new Ethiopian immigrants to Israel cemented their connection to the Land of Israel in a unique way Tuesday: by planting tress in honor of the holiday of Tu Bishvat. The immigrants have just arrived in Israel, and are living in absorption centers funded by the Jewish Agency. The Agency sponsored the event, along…

Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon clarified on Tuesday evening that he had no intention of offending U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. “Israel and the United states share a common goal to advance the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians led by Secretary Kerry,” said a statement by Yaalon’s office. “We appreciate Secretary Kerry’s many…

The PLO – the Palestinian terrorist groups’ umbrella organization – has decided to authorize moves to join international bodies under UN auspices, and to sign international conventions – even though it had promised last year not to do so, in exchange for the release of 104 terrorist murderers from Israeli jails. In a session of…

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday he was ready to withdraw a contentious bill aimed at curbing the powers of the judiciary as he battled to contain the worst crisis of his 11 years in office. His about-face came as the country’s political tumult took yet another twist with police raids against an…

The celebration among Palestinian leadership over former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s death on Saturday has been gathering steam with Arab MKs joining the Palestinian Authority (PA) and PA media, reports Palestinian Media Watch (PMW). The bashing of Sharon included a picture of former PA Chairman Yasser Arafat dancing in joy above the text “an official announcement…

A series of car bombs near Baghdad has killed at least 21 people Monday, in the latest in a series of sectarian clashes ripping through Iraq. The attacks came just hours after the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon urged the Iraqi government to address the root causes behind the clashes, in light of escalating…

Police officers from Maaleh Adumim and border police have discovered an illegal weapons cache in the Palestinian Authority (PA) controlled village of Azariya, located off Highway 1, several minutes outside of Jerusalem on the way to Maaleh Adumim. During the police search, components of various weapons models were found, along with tools to clean and…

Dozens of people in the besieged southern suburbs of Damascus have died of starvation after spending months living on scraps of food, reports a British newspaper. For more than a year, nothing has been allowed in or out of a number of districts in the the sourthern suburbs of Damascus, according to the Telegraph. “It…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Monday that recent comments by Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas were proof that he does not want peace. According to Kol Yisrael radio, Netanyahu made the comments during his dinner meeting with Biden at the Prime Minister’s Residence on Monday night. Netanyahu…

Hundreds of pro-Israel activists gathered in the Golan Heights Monday, to participate in a tree-planting program that included a special ceremony in honor of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.  About 500 activists participated in the tree-planting, an annual event sponsored by the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and the World Zionist Organization’s (WZO) Israeli branch, the…

Gazan Arab terrorists “saluted” Ariel Sharon on the occasion of his funeral Monday by firing two rockets at the Negev Monday afternoon. The rockets hit an area north of Sderot at about 4 p.m., several hours after Sharon’s funeral concluded. There were no injuries and no damage reported. “Two projectiles landed in an open area…

Members of Fatah, the party of Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, have reportedly raided Arab villages in “Area C”, just north-west of Jerusalem, opening fire with automatic rifles. The clashes are reportedly part of internal power struggles within the party “Area C” refers to areas within Judea and Samaria which are under full Israeli…

Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will be laid to rest on Monday, in a complex operation that will be secured by some 4,000 police officers. At 9:30 a.m., a state memorial ceremony for Sharon, who died Saturday at age 85, will be held at the Knesset. President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker…

Sharon is to be laid to rest at his Havat Hashikmim (Sycamore Ranch) in the Negev on Monday afternoon, next to his late wife, Lily. “Arik, you were the shoulder on whom Israel’s security rested,” said President Shimon Peres standing in the Knesset plaza, where Sharon’s flag-draped coffin stood on a black marble plinth. “The story of…

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will hold talks with Israeli leaders during his visit to Israel as head of a U.S. delegation to former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s funeral on Monday, Biden’s office said, according to Reuters. Biden’s meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will be a chance for the vice president to try to…

Iran will receive the first $550 million installment of a total of $4.2 billion in previously blocked overseas funds on or about February 1, a senior U.S. official told Reuters on Sunday. The money will be transferred to Iran as part of the implementation of the nuclear deal reached with it in Geneva on November…

The Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) has executed dozens of rival Islamists over the last two days, activists told Reuters on Sunday. The executions took place as the group recaptured most territory it had lost in the northeastern Syrian province of Raqqa, according to the activists. One of the activists, who…

US President Barack Obama confirmed Sunday that the clock starts ticking January 20 on a six-month nuclear deal with Iran, which has agreed to temporarily limit uranium enrichment in exchange for an easing of sanctions against it. He also appealed to US lawmakers not to pass legislation slapping new sanctions on Iran. “We will now…

Security for the funeral of Ariel Sharon Monday is among the tightest for any funeral in Israel’s history. Hundreds of soldiers and police will be on hand, and helicopters, light planes, and drones will fly above the funeral procession as it works its way south from Jerusalem to Sharon’s Negev ranch. The Iron Dome system…

The Defense Ministry has agreed to compensate close to 100 soldiers who say they suffered long-term health damage due to their participation in Anthrax vaccine experiments in the 1990s. The soldiers, who had sought NIS 18 million in damages, agreed to the compromise offer. In addition, the Defense Ministry has agreed to establish a fund…

Russel Simmons, founder of hip-hop recording label Def Jam Records and clothing lines such as Phat Farm, eulogized former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Saturday after the former leader passed away, then took it back. Initially Simmons appeared to echo many world leaders in expressing sorrow over Sharon’s passing on his Twitter account. “R.I.P. my…

In a joint statement by JFNA Board of Trustees Chair Michael Siegal and JFNA President and CEO Jerry Silverman, the two called Sharon “a great Israeli leader.” “Ariel Sharon was a highly regarded military leader, but he was also a peacemaker,” read the statement. “One of the country’s most daring and celebrated generals, he was also…

New census figures released Friday by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that one out of every 10 babies and toddlers in England and Wales are born to Muslim families, indicating a rapidly growing and young Muslim demographic. The data shows a huge increase in the number of Muslims looming on the horizon,…

The polar vortex that recently struck North America left chilling snowscapes and massive damage in its wake. The storm froze the Niagra Falls with record breaking low temperatures. The frigid weather also cost the US economy $5 billion. Frozen work schedules and burst pipes needing replacement led to the hefty price tag, reports The Guardian, although…

At least 482 people have been killed in fighting between the Al-Qaeda-linked Syrian rebel group Islamist State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and other Syrian rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported. Eighty-five civilians were among the dead, along with at least 240 non-ISIS rebels and 157 ISIS members. The high death…

The Ministerial Committee on Symbols and Ceremonies, chaired by Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat, convened Saturday evening at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, to discuss funeral arrangements for former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who passed away Saturday afternoon at the age of 85. Attending the meeting were representatives of the Sharon family, Yisrael…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas told a delegation on Saturday that there will be “no peace between us and Israel” without eastern Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state, the Ma’an news agency reported. Speaking to a delegation from Jerusalem in his office in Ramallah, Abbas highlighted that the Arab Follow-up Committee…

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon passed away on Saturday at the age of 85. While Palestinian leaders heaped condemnation on Sharon following his death, world leaders were quick to send their condolences and praise of the former leader, who died after being in a coma since 2006. US President Barack Obama paid tribute to…

As Israelis mourn the passing of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Palestinian leaders from both the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority and the Islamist Hamas movement celebrated his death, with a senior official labelling him a “criminal” and accusing him of being responsible for the death in 2004 of former PA Chairman Yasser Arafat. “Sharon was a…

On Saturday afternoon an Arab stabbed a 30-year-old Hareidi-religious man in the neck by the Damascus Gate (Sha’ar Shechem) of the Old City in Jerusalem. The injured man was evacuated in moderate condition to Sha’arei Tzedek Hospital in the capital city. Police began an investigation to hunt down the stabber, who escaped after the attack towards the…

The wife of a Gaza terrorist serving time in an Israeli jail has given birth to a son after being impregnated by sperm smuggled out of the prison, reports the Waed Gaza prisoner association on Friday. While the unusual birthing method has been employed for prisoners from Judea and Samaria in the past, Saber Abu…

An IDF officer has died in a tragic accident during a holiday in Chile. 22 year-old Lieutenant Noam Rubinstein froze to death after breaking her ankle whilst hiking in the mountainous north of the South American country. Her hiking companion – also an Israeli citizen – left her to get help, but by the time…

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has passed away aged 85. He passed away with his family at his side at the Sheba Medical Center where he had been treated since not long after slipping into a coma in 2006. “The Sheba Medical Centre in Tel HaShomer announces with sorrow the passing of former prime…

After eight years in a vegetative state following a severe stroke, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel “Arik” Sharon has passed away at the age of 85. Although his condition had remained relatively stable for several years following the massive stroke which left him incapacitated in January 2006, the past few weeks saw a rapid deterioration…

Stanley Fischer, former Governor of the Bank of Israel, will be nominated to serve as vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, the Obama administration said on Friday, according to Bloomberg. Fischer, 70, would replace Janet Yellen, who was approved by the Senate this week for the chairmanship of the U.S. central bank. Reports of his…

The bill initiated by the United States Congress to slap new sanctions on Iran is continuing to gain steam, it was reported on Friday. According to The Associated Press (AP), 59 senators now back a new U.S. sanctions package they say would increase the pressure on Iran to make nuclear concessions – just one short…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman turned some heads on Friday when he urged Israel to accept the peace deal currently being brokered by Washington. Liberman, who spoke to the British Telegraph newspaper, said that the offer being promoted by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was “the best offer Israel will ever receive.” He told the…

Iran and world power representatives agreed on Friday on how to implement a landmark deal on containing Tehran’s nuclear program, but stamps of approval from each country are still needed before it can take effect, reports AFP. Two days of talks in Geneva between high-level Iranian and EU negotiators “made very good progress on all…

A volunteer arrived at a synagogue in the town of Ezer, located near the coast between Ashdod and Ashkelon, to find the house of worship broken into. Vandals had broken the Torah ark door off its hinges and torn Torah scrolls which were found thrown on the floor. The vandals also damaged other holy items, leaving…

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will travel to Israel to visit Israel and Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders next week to lend backing to nascent peace efforts, a spokesman said Friday. Ahead of a planned trip to Israel by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in late February, Steinmeier will visit Jerusalem Sunday and Monday for talks with…

The State Prosecutor turned to the Supreme Court Friday to appeal the decision to release from house arrest two suspects in a rock attack on an Israeli family which left a 2-year-old infant seriously injured. The appeal stated that perpetrators of ideologically-motivated crimes were rarely if ever trustworthy to be released before the end of…

Unknown vandals damaged the jeep of Samaria Brigade Commander Colonel Yoav Yarom Friday, in what appears to have been a “price tag” attack. His vehicle was attacked as it was parked in the Samarian community of Yitzhar, as Yarom was meeting with community leaders there. The meeting was called in light of a number of…

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who was described as being in “extremely critical” condition Thursday night, has had members of his former office and close friends visit his hospital room in quick succession, indicating the rapid developments in his failing health. The visitors are arriving at Sheba Hospital near Tel Aviv, where Sharon is…

Caleb Jacoby, the son of Jewish Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby, was found safe and sound in New York City on Thursday night. He had been missing since Monday The Brookline police department announced that they had been cooperating with other police departments, and passed information to the NYPD indicating the 16-year-old was in Times Square. At 9 p.m. on Thursday,…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced to senior officials in his government that he won’t agree to any division of Jerusalem in framework agreements. Sources previously revealed that US Secretary of State John Kerry’s proposals would divide the capital under international management. Netanyahu has claimed he won’t sign any document which in any way allows the establishment…

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Israel at the end of February at the invitation of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, for annual talks between the two governments, a statement quoted by AFP said Thursday. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said the two leaders had a phone conversation Thursday in which Netanyahu “invited the German government for…

As Iran’s supreme leader slammed the United States as “Satan”, his country and world powers met Thursday to discuss how to implement a deal aimed at containing Tehran’s nuclear drive, less than two weeks before the agreement is due to take effect. AFP reported that Iranian, EU and U.S. negotiators gathered in Geneva for their…

63 Muslim Brotherhood supporters in Egypt were sentenced Thursday to three years in jail on charges including rioting, thuggery and weapons possession, Al Arabiya reports. It was the largest number of Brotherhood supporters sentenced in one case since the army-backed authorities began cracking down on the movement after former President Mohammed Morsi was deposed in…

Tunisia’s Islamist Prime Minister Ali Larayedh resigned on Thursday, as part of a plan to end months of political deadlock which has fuelled mounting social unrest, AFP reported. His resignation sees the departure of Tunisia’s first democratically elected government, which came to power after former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was overthrown in the…

MK Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz) has asked Knesset members to join him in requesting an urgent plenum discussion regarding a video advertisement produced by nationalists, attacking US Secretary of State John Kerry for his attempts to foist what they say is a bad peace deal on Israel. Here is the video https://old.solveisraelsproblems.com/video-mocks-john-kerry%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%98useless%e2%80%99-solutions/#more Horwitz noted that the…

Teva on Thursday named Erez Vigodman, 54, as new CEO of the company, after last October’s resignation of Dr. Jeremy Levin. Vigodman will succeed acting President and CEO Eyal Desheh, who will return to his previous position as Group EVP and Chief Financial Officer of the company. Vigodman is currently President and Chief Executive Officer…

The health of former Israeli premier Ariel Sharon has worsened over the past hours, hospital officials said on Thursday, describing him as being in “extremely critical” condition. “Over the past hours, there has been a worsening of the condition of former prime minister Ariel Sharon. His condition is described as extremely critical and his family…

Russia has once again blocked a UN Security Council statement that would have expressed outrage at deadly airstrikes by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces and condemned the use of missiles and “barrel bombs” in towns, Reuters reported Wednesday. Russia, a staunch Assad ally, opposed a similar statement on December 19 that would have condemned attacks…

The Israeli Air Force struck terrorist targets in Gaza Wednesday morning, wounded two Palestinian terrorists in the south of the Islamist-controlled territory, medical and security sources said.   “Two Palestinians were hit and injured by an Israeli drone while they were riding on a motorbike east of Khan Yunis,” Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry spokesman Ashraf…

A French court on Wednesday convicted a young woman for wearing a full-face Islamic veil in public and threw out her bid to have the country’s controversial burqa ban declared unconstitutional, AFP reports. Cassandra Belin, 20, was also convicted for insulting and threatening three police officers at the time of her arrest, which sparked two…

United States President Barack Obama invited German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Washington on Wednesday, hoping to mend fences after a row provoked by revelations of U.S. eavesdropping on her cellphone, AFP reports. Obama called Merkel to wish her a speedy recovery after her recent skiing injury and invited her to visit at a “mutually agreeable…

Syrian Islamist rebels from the Islamic Front have captured a key Al Qaeda base in the northern city of Aleppo. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, fighters found the bodies of several men who had apparently been executed, along with dozens of prisoners kept at a hospital in the Qadi Askar district. The…

Police conducting a routine traffic stop in Indiana on New Year’s Day got much more than they bargained for. Andrew Scott Boguslawski, 43, was arrested on Interstate 70, west of Columbus, Ohio. Boguslawski was originally pulled over for going over 85 miles per hour (mph) in a 70 mph zone. However, investigators found two pistols,…

A dramatic development has been made in the investigation of the 2013 murder of a Toronto-based Jewish couple.  Rochelle Wise, 66 and David Pichosky, 71 were found strangled to death in their townhouse last January in Hallande Beach, Florida. They had only been married for about 4 years, and had successfully blended their two families,…

In a new memoir, former US defense secretary Robert Gates delivered bruising opinions about President Barack Obama’s leadership in the Afghanistan war. Gates said that by early 2010 he had concluded the president “doesn’t believe in his own strategy, and doesn’t consider the war to be his. For him, it’s all about getting out.” In…

The IDF has decided to let female soldiers serve as kashrut (Jewish dietary law) inspectors for the first time. Brigadier General Rachel Tevet Vizel, Advisor to the Chief of Staff on Women’s Issues, was behind the new move, although she notes female soldiers have yet to request the position. Vizel told Kipa that regarding standards of religious public…

Thousands of illegal infiltrators, protesting since Sunday over a new law allowing their detainment in facilities for up to a year as their status is clarified, took their masses from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and surrounded the Knesset building on Wednesday. The infiltrators apparently were following up on their demand Tuesday during a press conference to…

Jacoby, who stands at 5 feet 11 inches and weighs 140 pounds, has gone missing in the midst of a record-breaking cold chill striking the US. Ellen Pulda, a spokesman of the Maimonides School that Jacoby attends, reported that “the school is engaging all of its resources to aid Caleb’s parents and the Brookline Police. Our…

Syria has moved the first batch of chemical weapon materials out of the country after transporting it from two sites to the port city of Latakia and onto a Danish vessel, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said Tuesday, according to Reuters. “The vessel has been accompanied by naval escorts provided by…

The United States on Tuesday accused Iran of helping “brutalize” Syria as Secretary of State John Kerry prepared to talk to Russia about Tehran’s potential role at a peace conference, AFP reports. Kerry will meet in Paris on January 13 with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss whether Iran should take part in the…

A bill to slap new sanctions on Iran if it goes back on an interim deal under which it agreed to limit its nuclear program has gained support since it was introduced in December, aides to U.S. senators have told Reuters. The bill requires further reductions in Iran’s oil exports and would apply new penalties…

Harry Styles of One Direction, considered to be the most successful pop group in the world, has started taking private Hebrew lessons in order to, among other things, be able to read from the Torah. “Harry took a mission on himself, to learn to speak and write Hebrew by the end of the year,” said…

Israelis living in the town of Itamar in Samaria (Shomron) were dismayed when their power suddenly went out Tuesday afternoon. While at first the power outage appeared to stem from a technical failure, an investigation revealed a more sinister reason: residents of a nearby Palestinian Arab town had deliberately cut power to their Jewish neighbors.…

French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday backed attempts to ban controversial comic Dieudonne M’Bala M’Bala from performing a one-man show that has been widely condemned as anti-Semitic, according to AFP Hollande urged local officials to take a hard line in applying an interior ministry circular which authorizes city mayors or police prefects to cancel Dieudonne’s performances on public order grounds. “The…

Two Palestinian Arab men who were fleeing for their lives in Samaria (Shomron) late Monday night found shelter in the Israeli community of Beit Aryeh. The two approached Israeli residents at the gates of the community and explained that they were being pursued by members of the Palestinian Authority security forces. The PA officers were…

Israeli government officials were attacked by Bedouin rock-throwers during an official tour of Israel’s southern Negev region Tuesday morning. Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman told of the attack in a message posted on his official Facebook page. Liberman slammed the attack and vowed to put an end to the phenomenon of lawlessness which currently exists in…

Police opened fire on a car of suspected thieves as they attempted to break through a police barrier Tuesday afternoon in the Galilee, running over two police officers in the process. The officers were moderately wounded, and evacuated to Ziv Hospital in Tzfat. Shots were fired as the car ran through the barrier on highway…

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued a fatwa (religious edict) banning online chatting between unrelated men and women, Iranian media reported on Monday, according to Al Arabiya. Ironically, Khamenei’s ruling came a day after Iran’s Foreign Minister touted his country as a “model for democracy” in the region. “Given the immorality that often…

Most Israelis favor the possibility that President Shimon Peres will remain in his position for a second term, according to a Channel 2 News poll released Monday evening. 63% of respondents expressed support for Peres’s term, which is to end this summer, being extended by three years. 28% said they opposed extending Peres’s term in…

An Israeli-made rifle has been named the winner of the 2014 Golden Bullseye Award for American Rifleman Rifle of the Year. The rifle is the TAVOR SAR, which was introduced in 2013. The award will be given to Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), its American subsidiary announced, according to the American Rifleman magazine. The prestigious award,…

An American woman nicknamed “Jihad Jane” was jailed for 10 years on Monday, after plotting to carry out deadly attacks in Europe and South Asia including the murder of a Swedish cartoonist, U.S. justice officials said, according to AFP. Pennsylvania woman Colleen LaRose, 50, a convert to Islam, had already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to…

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has fractured a bone in her pelvis in a cross-country skiing accident in Switzerland, her spokesman said. She also suffered heavy bruising in the accident, which she suffered while on vacation in the alpine Engadine region of eastern Switzerland. She will have to remain lying down as much as possible in…

A Bedouin Muslim with Israeli citizenship was charged Monday in the Tel Aviv Magistrates’ Court for his part in a failed bus bombing in the city of Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv. The bomb was successfully planted in a bus and detonated, but serious casualties were avoided thanks to the passengers’ and driver’s alertness, and swift action by…

Pope Francis officially announced on Sunday that he will visit Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority in May, reports Reuters. The May 24-26 trip to Amman, Jerusalem and Bethlehem will mark the 50th anniversary of a landmark trip there by Pope Paul VI in 1964, the first by a pope in modern times. Pope John…

The Post‘s headline read: “Who didn’t want him dead?” The story reported that “Although many neighbors described him as well-liked and charitable, Stark left behind a trail of angry tenants from more than a dozen residential properties, mostly in Greenpoint and Williamsburg, along with an untold number of unpaid contractors and angry business associates, investigators…

Investigators have found 12 weapons inside the Palestinian Authority’s mission in Prague, where an explosion last week killed its envoy, police said Sunday, according to AFP. At the same time, Prague police chief Martin Cervicek denied media speculation that an arsenal of more than 70 weapons had been kept at the embassy, but would not…

A deal for the sale of natural gas from Israel to the Palestinian Authority was signed Sunday. The deal was signed in Jerusalem by Israeli and PA officials. According to the deal, gas shipments will commence in 2014 and continue for 20 years. The gas will be piped to a power station to be built…

Rabbi Ze’ev Warren Goldstein, the Chief Rabbi of South Africa, recently spoke to Arutz Sheva about his new endeavor termed The Shabbos Project, which aims to unite world Jewry in observing one Shabbat (Jewish day of rest) together. The Project began as a campaign to urge South African Jews to keep one Shabbat together, observing the Jewish…

Security forces have arrested a suspect in the stabbing of a nine-year-old Jewish girl, Noam Glick, in the community of Psagot on October 5. The attack took place on a Saturday evening and was initially thought to have been a shooting attack. Magen David Adom paramedics gave Noam first aid as IDF forces began combing…

An Egyptian lawyer, Samir Sabri, has filed a lawsuit against Egypt’s president, prime minister and minister of interior, demanding that they declare Hamas a terror organization. The newspaper Al-Wafd reported that Sabri’s suit says Hamas has become a terror group and that it has maintained tight ties with the organization that spawned it, “the terrorist…

In her death, 11-year-old Yuval Nizri has helped bring life – to five other people, via the donation of her organs. Among the people who received organs from Yuval were four children and a 39-year-old woman. Yuval was killed in a tragic car accident in Rishon Letzion last week. Her parents, seeing that saving her…

A Brooklyn man named Barry Baldwin, 35, has been arrested and charged with five incidents in which Jewish women were viciously punched for no apparent reason. The incidents are seen as being connected to a sadistic game called the “knockout game,” which involves targeting unsuspecting victims on the street and knocking them out with a…

While terror attacks in general are on the rise, Israeli-Arab involvement in terrorism is not, according to Maariv Sunday.  Professor Sami Smooha, Professor of Sociology at University of Haifa, found in a study published in 2012 that Israeli Arabs are relating more and more to their Palestinian counterparts, in a decade-long quest to measure sociological changes in…

Last year the relatively young Har Bracha boutique winery made a name for itself at the DECANTER wine competition in Britain, coming away with two awards. Now the winery is adding to its line with two new wines: a 2011 cabernet sauvignon, and a 2011 port wine. Nir Lavie of the Har Bracha winery introduced…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made use of the weekly government session Sunday – the first of 2014 – to sum up his current coalition’s accomplishments in its first year, 2013. “In 2013, according to official statistics, there was the lowest number of terror victims in a decade,” he said. “This is not an accidental thing.…

The government on Sunday approved the transfer of responsibility for egulating illegal settlement of Bedouin in the Negev to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, headed by Ya’ir Shamir (Yisrael Beytenu). Working together to develop solutions with Shamir will be Rami Cohen, the ministry’s chief executive officer. The Prime Minister’s Office – which currently…

Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s medical condition deteriorated over the weekend. Sharon has been in critical condition since last week. Doctors confirmed Thursday that Sharon’s organs were failing. They also confirmed that doctors would not attempt to save the former Prime Minister’s life with dialysis, saying, “because the problem is with several organs, there is…

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Jordan on Sunday as part of a regional tour to seek support for a Middle East peace plan he said would be “fair and balanced,” AFP reports. On the fourth day of his tour, Kerry was to hold talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II before heading on to Saudi Arabia to consult with its…

IDF soldiers were able to prevent a terrorist attack on Saturday night, when they arrested four terrorists who approached the fence surrounding the community of Migdal Oz in Gush Etzion, a religious kibbutz. The four were caught with makeshift weapons and three knives after IDF look-outs identified them and called the troops. Earlier on Saturday, it was…

The al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on Saturday claimed responsibility for the suicide car bombing last week in the stronghold of Shiite terror militia Hezbollah, reported Al Arabiya.. ISIL managed to penetrated the “security system of the Party of Satan (Hezbollah)… and crush its strongholds… in a first small payment from…

Egypt’s deputy prime minister and defense minister, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, is expected to step down in the coming days to pave the way for his nomination in the upcoming presidential elections, Gulf News reported on Saturday. The report cited the Egyptian Al Wafd newspaper, which said that Sisi’s exit will be part of a…

The Prague district hosting the embassy of the Palestinian Authority wants it moved after the ambassador was killed in a mysterious explosion this past week, local officials told AFP on Friday. “We asked the Czech foreign ministry for the embassy to be moved out of our district,” Petr Hejl, senior councilor of Prague’s Suchdol district,…

A badly burned body found on a Great Neck dumpster outside a gas station is the millionaire Hassidic real estate developer who was kidnapped in Williamsburg Thursday, law enforcement sources confirmed to The New York Post. The NYPD released video Saturday morning that appears to show suspects forcing Stark into a light-colored Dodge Caravan after he had left the real estate offices…

US Secretary of State John Kerry said he will make a previously unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia on Sunday to consult its king on progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. “Tomorrow I will go to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah (II) and Foreign Minster Nasser Judeh, and from there I will fly to Saudi Arabia where…

Israeli officials Friday denied claims by a former ambassador that Israel had killed most of those behind the deadly bombings at its embassy and Jewish charity offices in Argentina in the 1990s, media said.     The July 1994 bombing of the Argentine Jewish Charities Federation (AMIA) building in Buenos Aires killed 85 people. Hundreds…

The bitter cold that gripped the US’s Northern Plains and Upper Midwest areas has killed at least 16 and shows no sign of easing, while another arctic blast approaching from Canada may drive weekend temperatures to all-time record lows, writes USA Today. The National Weather Service said “dangerously cold temperatures” will hit the region over…

Friday was a day of violent clashes in Egypt, between supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and the police at a level unparalleled in more than two months. Al Ahram cited the ministry of health as saying on Saturday that 14 people were killed and 62 injured in clashes across the country on Friday. Earlier on…

Responding to public pressure, the Israel Football Association announced Friday that it had taken back its newly-announced prohibition on soccer players’ wearing a kippah, or yarmulke, on the soccer field. “After a consultation carried out this morning between the Soccer Federation and the Referees’ Union, it was decided to maintain the status quo… until the…

Republican Senator John McCain, who is currently on a visit to Israel, said on Friday that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has “serious, serious concerns” about Secretary of State John Kerry’s proposal for a framework for peace with the Palestinian Authority. McCain is in Israel along with Republican Senators John Barrasso of Wyoming and Lindsey Graham…

A bloody Friday in Egypt has claimed the lives of at least 11 protesters in Cairo and several other cities, Al Arabiya reported. Clashes broke out between Muslim Brotherhood supporters and Egyptian security forces throughout Egypt, said the report. One demonstrator was shot dead by police in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia after a…

A 16-year-old female Arab terrorist tried on Friday afternoon to stab a border policeman at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem. Border Police officers who were at the scene prevented the girl from carrying out the attack. As they wrestled the knife away from her, one of them was lightly wounded in the leg. He did…

The US ordered its citizens to evacuate South Sudan Friday, after more than 1,000 people have been killed in clashes between rebels and government troops.  “On January 3, 2014, the Department of State ordered a further drawdown of U.S. Embassy personnel from Juba because of the deteriorating security situation in the Republic of South Sudan,”…

A group calling itself the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) claims to have hacked Skype’s social medial platforms. The group posted a warning on Skype’s sites not to use Microsoft’s e-mail service because “they are monitoring your accounts and selling data to the governments.” Microsoft owns Skype. The hacked post, which has been removed, was placed…

Amid high tensions over the integration of hareidi-religious Jews into the IDF and the workforce, Israel’s Technion Institute of Technology has inaugurated a mechina (university preparatory) program specifically designed to attract more hareidim into its hi-tech programs. While hareidi schools are supposed to teach 55%-75% “core studies,” including science and math, the website No Camels reports that…

The arrest several days ago of Iranian billionaire Babak Zanjani, who reportedly helped Iran skirt oil sanctions over the country’s nuclear program, remains shrouded in mystery. Zanjani, who has a net worth of around $13.8 billion, admitted to using a web of 60 companies in the UAE, Turkey and Malaysia to sell Iranian oil for the…

The Ministry of Defense announced Friday morning that they have completed another successful test of the Arrow 3 missile interception system. The interceptor was launched and performed well during all phases of flight, officials stated. This is the second flight test conducted for the Arrow 3; the first, also successful, was conducted in February 2013.…

Hezbollah has been moving long-range missiles from Syria to Lebanon, analysts claimed to the New York Times Friday, in light of recent developments between Lebanon and Israel.  Israeli security analyst Ronen Bergman stated Thursday that the terror organization has dismantled many of its missiles – armed by Iran and Syria – and moved them closer to home…

The Director of Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Professor Ze’ev Rothstein, stated Friday that the condition of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon remains critical. Sharon is literally fighting for his life.  “Over the last 24 hours we did not expect a slowdown in the deterioration [of Sharon’s condition],” said Professor Rothstein, noting that Sharon…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, in his tenth visit to Israel since taking office, met on Thursday with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, AFP reported. Kerry’s latest visit is an attempt to push a framework for peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). The two met in Jerusalem, launching what is expected to…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Thursday evening that the arrests of the 14 terrorists who were behind the bombing of a Bat Yam bus is proof that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is directly involved in planning and carrying out terror attacks. One of the terrorists was a member of the PA security forces. The…

Deputy Chairman of the Palestinian Authority (PA) energy authority, Fathi Al-Sheikh Khalil, said Thursday he had received “encouraging information” that Israel has agreed to supply 100 additional megawatts of electricity to Gaza. In the coming two weeks discussion regarding funding for the electricity will be held, Khalil told the Saudi Press Agency. Currently Israel supplies Gaza…

Brigadier-General Tamir Yadai, Commander of the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division, on Thursday night praised the soldiers who were involved in nabbing the terrorists behind the Bat Yam bus bombing. The 14 terrorists, including members of the Islamic Jihad, Bedouin and a Palestinian Authority (PA) police officer, were arrested in a joint operation of the…

At least five people have been killed and 20 hurt in a car bomb which hit a southern suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut, media and officials say. The suburb is a stronghold of the Shiite terrorist militia Hezbollah. The BBC says the bomb is not one of the biggest of the recent incidents, but…

An ATM machine allowing conversion between hard cash and Bitcoins, a new digital currency, is set to arrive in Israel in March. The machine will be installed in Tel Aviv’s “Bitcoin Embassy.” The machine will be operated by two companies, Robocoin and Bitcoiniacs, and will support conversion between the virtual currency and more than 200…

An illegal arms cache was found Thursday in the home of the Palestinian Authority (PA) ambassador to Prague, Jamal al-Jamal, who was killed there in an explosion the day before. Initially the PA claimed his death was a “work accident,” that occurred when he opened an old safe that had been untouched for 20 years.…

A 16-year-old Gaza terrorist, who was trying to destroy the security fence, was shot in the leg by the IDF on Thursday after he refused orders to desist. The IDF released a statement noting that soldiers had found a number of terrorists trying to destroy the fence. Despite being ordered to stop numerous times, the…

Mohamed Ibrahim, Egypt’s Interior Minister, on Thursday accused Hamas of being involved in the bombing of police headquarters in Mansoura last Monday that killed 16. Ibrahim announced that seven suspects have been apprehended, including Muslim Brotherhood members. The minister further said the bombers received logistical support from Hamas, detailing Muslim Brotherhood connections with the Gazan terror…

Human rights groups report that thousands of women have been raped by Syrian army soldiers in the ongoing war, which is now in its third year and has left 130,000 dead. That trend appears likely to only increase, as a deputy to the Chief Mufti (Islamic scholar) of Syria has given religious permission to rape. On…

The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) has arrested 14 terrorists, some from the Islamic Jihad organization, on suspicion that they were involved in the bombing of a bus in Bat Yam two weeks ago. A policeman was lightly hurt in the incident. A gag order on the arrests was removed Thursday. Four of those arrested…

Talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority are at a critical stage, President Shimon Peres said Thursday. He called on European countries to lend support to the process. “The negotiations between us and the Palestinians are approaching the moment of truth,” he declared. Peres spoke at a ceremony in which he received Letters of Credence…

Jamal al-Jamal, the Palestinian Authority ambassador to the Czech Republic, was not killed in a terror attack, but by what appeared to be a “work accident,” PA Foreign Minister Ri’ad al-Maliki said Thursday. Al-Maliki released details that are currently known about the death of al-Jamal, who died on Wednesday in an explosion that occurred when…

Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood planned a series of bombings at Egyptian churches, according to a report in the Kuwaiti paper Al-Watan, according to Channel 10 news. According to the report, the attacks were to take place on Christmas. Terrorists in Sinai had succeeded in gathering explosives for the planned attack. Egyptian intelligence reportedly foiled the…

Ariel Sharon’s medical condition stabilized somewhat overnight Wednesday, Israel Radio reported Thursday morning. With that, medical officials said, he is not likely to survive much longer. Doctors have told Sharon family members that they do not expect him to survive the weekend, although the end could come within hours. Sharon’s kidneys and urinary system collapsed…

The IDF is planning new combat training that will prepare soldiers to fight underground, in tunnels built by terrorists, Maariv/nrg reports. “The tunnels infrastructure has expanded and continues to expand. New, more technologically advanced tunnels have been found. So we cannot relate to this threat in the same manner we used to,” the paper quoted…

Experts from Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers have chosen January 20 to begin implementing the Geneva deal on Tehran’s nuclear program, AFP reported on Wednesday, citing the IRNA news agency. “One of the main proposals is to begin applying the agreement from January 20,” the report quoted Hamid Baeedinejad, head of the…

The IDF had a safer 2013, IDF spokespeople said Wednesday.  Statistics published by the IDF spokesperson’s office concluded that there has been a general decline in deaths and injuries in the IDF over the years, and 2013 is no exception.  Forty people were killed in 2013 in the course of military service. Of those, 5…

The trip was sponsored by the World Zionist Organization (WZO), and led by Rabbi Yechiel Wasserman, who heads the WZO’s Religious Affairs Department. The rabbis and community leaders were given a tour of the Biblical heartland of Israel which focused on the 3,500-year Jewish presence there from a number of different perspectives, including religious, strategic…

A memorial service for the 69 sailors of the INS Dakar was held at Mount Herzl Wednesday, marking 46 years since it sank into the Mediterranean.  The submarine disappeared in 1968, while en route from Scotland to Israel. After a decades-long search, the wreckage was found between Cyprus and Crete in 1999. The submarine had sunk to a depth of…

Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s condition continues to worsen, Sheba Hospital in Tel HaShomer reported Wednesday to Channel 10.  Sharon’s condition has been on the decline since being hospitalized for renal failure. The former premier underwent kidney surgery last month to fix the problem, but the move backfired, causing a further breakdown in his vital functions.  Medical…

The US financial aid designated for the Palestinian Authority (PA) is set to grow considerably in 2014 to $440 million, up from $426 million in 2013. The aid aims to bail out the PA, which in June was revealed to owe $4.2 billion in internal and external debt. Palestinian Liberation Organization’s (PLO) representative in Washington DC, Maen Erekat,…

The Palestinian Authority’s ambassador to the Czech Republic has died of wounds sustained in an explosion which rocked his house in the capital Prague.  Jamal al-Jamal was rushed to hospital in a serious condition following the explosion, which apparently occurred as he was opening a safe or container of some kind. Contrary to initial reports…

Peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is elusive as ever, but not for United States Secretary of State John Kerry, who begins 2014 with a trip to the Middle East on Wednesday, bringing along his never-ending hopes of securing peace. This will be Kerry’s tenth visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority since he…

A 29-year-old Belz hassidic-religious Jew, who ran a store named Yossi’s Wine and Liquor on 18th Avenue in the Jewish neighborhood of Borough Park, Brooklyn, was stabbed on Tuesday night in the course of a robbery at the store. The stabber, who reportedly was a white male, possibly Russian, roughly 6 feet (1.82 meters) tall and…

More than 130,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the conflict in Syria nearly three years ago, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday, according to AFP. In a new tally, the group said 130,433 people have been killed since the conflict began in March 2011, among them 46,266 civilians. They…

Terrorists in Egypt’s restive Sinai Peninsula on Tuesday blew up a gas pipeline that feeds an industrial area in the region, security officials said, according to AFP. The officials said there were no injuries in blast that targeted the domestic pipeline. The gas pipeline in Egypt has been attacked more than a dozen times since…

The first milestone in plans to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal by mid 2014 was missed on Tuesday, as shipments of the country’s most dangerous chemicals did not make it to the Mediterranean port of Latakia, from there to be shipped to their destruction. The December 31 deadline for the most deadly weapons was reportedly…

Terrorists in Hamas-controlled Gaza conducted a test using long-range M-175 rockets on Tuesday evening. Rockets of this type are able to reach the central Israeli city of Tel Aviv and even beyond that when fired from Gaza. During the test, the terrorists fired the rockets ​​out to sea, but the explosions were heard in towns…

A senior Egyptian Justice Ministry official said on Tuesday that the assets of more than 500 leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, from which the country’s ousted president hails, have been ordered confiscated. According to The Associated Press (AP), Abdel-Azzem el-Ashri said that a ministerial inventory committee ordered the “movable and immovable properties” of 572 Muslim…

A Jordanian-Palestinian dissident has voiced his fears over a politically-motivated indictment by a Jordanian court, issued in reaction to his vocal opposition to the ruling Hashemite monarchy there. Mudar Zahran, who hails from the Palestinian Arab majority in Jordan, has been charged in absentia by a military court on numerous charges for his outspoken stances…

The military court in Judea and Samaria on Tuesday convicted Ali Saada, of the Hevron area, in the murder of Asher Palmer, 25, and his baby son Yonatan, in September of 2011. Saada’s conviction joins that of another participant in the murders, Wael al-Arjeh, who was sentenced to two life sentences and 58 additional years…

The Jewish commandment to tie tzitzit (fringes) to four-cornered garments, as a reminder of all the commandments, includes the precept to tie a thread dyed “tekhelet,” a shade of sky-blue. The secret of this dye was lost for millennia – until recent discoveries that is, which may be reviving the ancient commandment. Tekhelet dye was…

A resident of Tel Aviv has been arrested for vandalizing a synagogue with Nazi graffiti. Worshippers arriving at the city’s Gr”a synagogue this morning were horrified to discover swastikas and Nazi slogans daubed on the wall and floor. Among other things, the word “Death” was spray-painted on the front wall of the building, and a…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas declared Monday that an Israeli annexation of the Jordan Valley would be a “red line” as far as he is concerned. Abbas told the Bethlehem-based Arab Ma’an News Agency that “the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank is a ‘red line’ for the Palestinians, in spite of Israeli plans to…

A Sunday New York Times article shows why Israel must never cede control of Judea and Samaria, according to Arutz Sheva analyst Mark Langfan. The report cites a newly-published analysis by Theodore Postol, an MIT professor, and Richard Lloyd, a Telsa scientist, which concluded that the rockets used in Syrian chemical attacks on civilians in…

Egypt, which has blacklisted the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, on Monday urged other members of the Arab League to follow suit. AFP reported that Egypt called on Arab League members to enforce a counterterrorism treaty that would block funding and support for the Muslim Brotherhood. Cairo also wants the League’s members to hand…

IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz holds the Lebanese Army directly responsible for Sunday’s rocket attacks on Israel, Maariv reported Tuesday.  “Occasionally we get a kinetic reminder of our environment, which reminds us of the need to be alert and ready for any action necessary as such,” Gantz stated. 5 rockets were fired at Israel Sunday morning, but only…

As Israel released 26 terrorists who murdered Israelis on Monday night, the United States was quick to welcome the decision, AFP reported. Secretary of State John Kerry “expresses his appreciation for Prime Minister (Binyamin) Netanyahu’s decision to release the third tranche of prisoners,” State Department  deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf was quoted by the news agency…

Jabhat Al Nusra, an Islamist group affiliated with Al Qaeda, maintains an infrastructure of governance as one of the central opposition forces. Aside from managing religious courts based on Islamic sharia law, the group has opened new schooling programs emphasizing Islam and jihad. In the southern Syrian town of Daraa, a school established by the…

Israel on Monday filed a complaint with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council over recent acts of terrorism coming from Lebanon. These include the murder of 31-year-old IDF Master Sergeant Shlomi Cohen by a Lebanese soldier earlier this month, and the firing of a Katyusha rocket at northern Israel on Sunday…

NBA star Tony Parker has apologized for his use of the “quenelle” gesture that is widely considered to be anti-Semitic and similar to a Nazi salute. The New York Daily News reported Monday that the San Antonio Spurs guard pleaded ignorance about the meaning of gesture that described by critics as a reverse Nazi salute.…

Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino awarded a certificate of honor to two police officers, whose actions saved many lives in the Bat Yam bus bombing on December 22. The award was decided on following an investigation of the incident. The incident occurred on a Dan Bus Company 240 line bus on its way from Bnei Brak…

If all goes to plan, the government will release 26 terrorists late Monday, in the third round of terrorists releases Israel promised to undertake last summer, as the price for the return of the PA to the negotiating table. The High Court rejected a last minute petition against the release of the terrorists filed by…

 At a special reception held at Ben Gurion Airport, Taglit CEO Gidi Mark and Tourism Minister Dr. Uzi Landau welcomed the young participants. “It is exciting to be able to bring to Israel thousands of young Jews, many of which have never been here,” said Mark. Meanwhile, Landau had a message for the young visitors. “When you return home,…

Experts from Iran and six world powers (known as the P5+1, or sextet) are gathering in Geneva for a third round of nuclear talks later in the day, aimed at setting a framework to implement last month’s landmark interim deal. Two rounds of talks have been held so far since Tehran agreed on November 24 to…

The body of a 17-year-old hareidi youth who had gone missing Saturday evening was found Monday morning in a grove on Hatzvi street, in Bnei Brak’s Kiryat Herzog neighborhood. It is not yet known if the youth was the victim of a criminal assault. The search for the youth began Saturday evening. Police and volunteers…

India will purchase 15 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Israel, news outlets reported Monday.  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the purchase at a Cabinet meeting, according to Defense Update. The goal: to boost India’s line of surveillance against northern border countries and regional rivals Pakistan and China. The purchase will cost about 1,200 crores / 120 million…

An attack on a military post in Yemen’s Lahj province left 10 dead Monday, in the latest in a series of skirmishes in the Arab country.  Southern secessionist gunmen approached the military post on trucks with machine guns, according to the Business Standard, and opened fire. A military official confirmed that the attack took place in…

At least 15 people were killed Monday and 23 others hurt in a suspected suicide bombing on a trolleybus in the Russian city of Volgograd, officials say. The blast comes a day after 17 people died in another suicide attack at the central train station in the city. The BBC reported that security has been…

The head of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has expressed opposition towards the academic boycott of Israel that is being promoted by the American Studies Association (ASA), the Israel Hayom daily newspaper reported on Sunday. In justifying its decision to boycott Israel, the ASA said the boycott was “in solidarity with scholars and students…

Lebanese troops opened fire on Syrian warplanes violating Lebanese airspace on Monday. According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, the incident occurred as the Syrians raided Khirbet Daoud, which lies between Homs and Damascus on the Lebanese side of the border. The Lebanese response is thought to be the first of its kind in the Syrian war. Lebanon…

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is calling on NBA star Tony Parker to apologize for his past use of the “quenelle” gesture that is widely considered to be anti-Semitic and similar to a Nazi salute. French media reports earlier this year showed a picture of the San Antonio Spurs player backstage at a French theater making…

There is no way to separate Judaism from the state of Israel, President Shimon Peres said Sunday. On a visit to the Machon Lev Jerusalem Technology College, Peres said that despite the efforts of secularists, Israel would always remain a Jewish state. Peres addressed a question from a student who said that “in recent months…

Gaza’s only power plant returned to life on Sunday, hours after Israel reopened the Kerem Shalom border crossing and resumed fuel deliveries, AFP reported. “The plant resumed functioning with the provision of fuel, which restarted with the reopening in the morning of the Kerem Shalom crossing,” an official with the Palestinian Authority told the news…

Nicolas Anelka, the French soccer player who has caused outrage over his post-match gesture that appeared to be a modified ‘Nazi-style’ salute, on Sunday insisted that he is not anti-Semitic. “I am neither anti-Semite nor racist,” AFP quoted him as having said, as British soccer authorities mulled possible punishment over the incident. The 34-year-old striker thrust…

Hezbollah is reportedly paying the families of its fighters killed in Syria to keep quiet about the circumstances surrounding their relatives’ deaths. According to a source in the Lebanese port city of Tripoli, which has been wracked by deadly clashes between militias supporting different sides in the Syrian civil war, the Iranian-backed group is paying…

Saudi Arabia has pledged $3 billion for the Lebanese army to buy equipment from France, Lebanese President Michel Sleiman announced on Sunday. The kingdom “decided to provide generous assistance to Lebanon in the form of $3 billion for the Lebanese army to strengthen its capabilities,” Sleiman said, adding that it was the largest grant of…

Hamas declared Sunday, on the 5th anniversary of Operation Cast Lead, that it would continue to “fight the Israeli occupation” and “advance national goals,” no matter what the outcome of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) might be.  “Our nation (the Palestinians) did not authorize a single person to negotiate with the Occupation,”…

The government will increase its subsidy for the medical treatment of Holocaust survivors. Although their numbers are dwindling, there are still tens of thousands of survivors in Israel, and on Sunday, Finance Minister Yair Lapid allocated an additional NIS 30 million for their medical treatment. The allocation came after discussions with organizations representing survivors, who…

The violence in Egypt continued on Saturday, as a student was killed and 101 arrested following clashes with police, reported AFP. According to the report, the clashes occurred between officers and students who set fire to a Cairo university building. The unrest followed nationwide repression of Islamist protests on Friday, two days after the military-installed…

A Katyusha rocket fell in northern Israel’s Sunday. No casualties have been reported.  The rocket fire was heard at about 7:00 a.m., near the city of Kiryat Shmona, close to the Lebanese border.  Local residents reported explosions and alerted security forces, who then combed the area to locate the points of impact and the launch site.…

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon stated Sunday that the IDF will continue to fight against rocket fire from Lebanon. “We will not tolerate firing at us from Lebanon, or to allow a threat of any kind on the lives of Israeli citizens,” Yaalon warned. “We see the government of Lebanon and the Lebanese army as responsible…

Politicians and Jewish leaders expressed outrage as French soccer player Nicolas Anelka Saturday, after he made a post-match gesture many interpret to be a modified ‘Nazi-style’ salute. The 34-year-old striker thrust his straightened right arm downwards while tapping his bicep with the other hand after scoring a goal in a game in Britain between his West Bromwich Albion team…

In the last few minutes the cabinet has approved the third “installment” of the 104 convicted terrorists scheduled for release as a “goodwill gesture” to the Palestinian Authority (PA) during US-brokered talks. The announcement comes despite protests by the families of victims of terrorist and their supporters, who have held rallies outside of the Prime…

The Israel Prison Service (IPS) made public on Saturday night the list of 26 terrorists who will be freed as a “gesture” to the Palestinian Authority during the ongoing peace talks. This batch of 26 terrorists is the third out of four groups of terrorists that Israel agreed to release. The list was made public…

Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon on Saturday night ordered that the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Israel and Gaza be re-opened for the passage of goods as of Sunday morning. The crossing had been closed since Tuesday after Gaza terrorists fatally shot an IDF civilian worker. Kerem Shalom is the crossing through which humanitarian aid and other supplies enter…

US Secretary of State John Kerry will return to the Middle East next week for talks with Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israeli officials, a PA source confirmed to AFP Saturday.  “Mr. Kerry has told the Palestinian Authority he will return to the region on January 4, 2014 to discuss the peace process and negotiations with Israel,” the official stated, on condition…