Category: News

Turkey warned Damascus on Wednesday it would “face the consequences” if it sought to avenge the downing of a Syrian military chopper this week, AFP reported. At the same time, Turkey said it did not believe a border attack was a retaliatory strike. A car bomb exploded at Syria’s rebel-held Bab al-Hawa border crossing into…

The 16th Palestinian Authority government headed by Rami Hamdallah will be sworn in before PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday evening in Ramallah, the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency reported. The government’s formation will remain unchanged, the report said. Fatah lawmaker Azzam al-Ahmad told Ma’an that a meeting was held between Abbas and Hamdallah on Wednesday,…

Iran will never develop nuclear weapons, its president claimed on Wednesday. Speaking to NBC News in his first interview with a U.S. news outlet since his election, President Hassan Rouhani also said he has full authority to make a deal with the West on the disputed atomic program. Rouhani also spoke to NBC’s Ann Curry…

A Saudi newspaper has claimed Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad is using tunnels to smuggle chemical weapons to Hizbullah. The report by the Al-Watan daily said the regime had made the move to avoid being spotted, moving the deadly weapons before the arrival of international inspectors. Last week, the Syrian regime agreed to a Russian brokered deal to hand over…

Iran denied on Wednesday that it plans to shut down the heavily fortified underground Fordow nuclear facility, reported Fars news. The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, strongly rejected western media reports claiming that Tehran had proposed to the West to close the underground uranium enrichment facility in exchange for…

The family of an Arab-Israeli confirmed on Wednesday that their relative has died while fighting in the Syrian civil war, AFP reported. According to the family, 28-year-old Muayyed Zaki Jumaa Ighbariya was fighting on the side of the Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group Al-Nusra Front. Ighbariya left his village near the Arab-Israeli city of Umm al-Fahm in…

Over 5,000 Christian pilgrims from around 100 nations will take part in the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem’s (ICEJ) annual Feast of Tabernacles this week.    The festival which will generate some $16 million in revenues is the largest annual tourist event in Israel. The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem was founded during the first Christian celebration…

The United States said on Tuesday that an Arab push to single out Israel for criticism over its assumed nuclear arsenal would hurt diplomatic efforts to ban weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. Arab states have proposed a resolution at the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expressing concern about “Israeli nuclear capabilities”,…

United Nations investigators are planning to return to Syria to follow up on more allegations of chemical weapons use, CNN reported Wednesday. Ake Sellstrom, the head of the inspection team that visited after an August 21 attack, told the network that the next visit could take place as early as next week. Sellstrom told The…

The government on Tuesday authorized establishment of a committee that will examine ways to eliminate cash from the Israeli economy – the better to prevent citizens from cheating on their taxes. The committee will be chaired by Harel Locker, director of the Prime Minister’s Office. Cash is easily passed from individual to individual, and transactions…

The newly instated British Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis has announced that he will attend the educational cross-communal conference. The Previous Chief Rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks had stayed away from Limmud after being appointed to the position. Limmud was created in 1980 modeled on the Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education of North America and brought…

“Where is the honor in this crime?  The victim was completely insane and could not be held responsible for her body and mind.” This is the twentieth such “honor killing” so far this year in PA-controlled territory. In so-called “honor killings,” victims – usually women – are slain following perceived sexual misconduct or immodest behavior, usually…

The Dollar has continued to drop in value against the shekel and was traded at a two year low of 3.5328. The Euro also dropped slightly by 0.35% and was traded at 4.7209 NIS. The announcement of Larry Summers decision not to stand for the soon to be vacated position of head up United States Federal…

Israel’s economy is likely to see an increase of 3.4% this year, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), which revealed on Monday that Israel’s gross domestic product will rise above the NIS 1 trillion mark for the first time.  Haaretz reports that in preliminary assessments of this year’s economic performance, the CBS projects Israel’s growth rate will be be higher…

In an attempt to convince the West to lift international sanctions on Iran, President Hassan Rohani is reportedly willing to dismantle the nuclear facility in Fordo, a site which is widely considered to pose a grave threat to Israel and the West.  The report was made by the German news source, Spiegel Online. Intelligence sources quoted in the…

Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, nearly ended in tragedy for the Fairman family of Jerusalem. In the middle of the night, the family was targeted with firebombs in an attack that destroyed many of their children’s things, and nearly burned the entire house. The Fairman family lives in a predominantly Arab…

Turkish warplanes shot down a Syrian helicopter on Monday, AFP reports. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc was quoted as confirming the incident. The Syrian helicopter was detected two kilometers within Turkish airspace, Arinc said. “It was continuously warned by our air defense but as the violation continued, it fell on Syrian soil, having been…

President Bashar Al-Assad has smuggled part of his chemical weapons arsenal to Hezbollah in a bid to evade international inspection, the Saudi newspaper Al Watan reported Monday. The report quoted Syrian National Coalition member Kamal al-Labwani as claiming that: “The Syrian regime has transferred some of its chemical weapons arsenal to its ally Hezbollah aboard trucks used to transport vegetables.”…

Extensive searches are underway for Yam Levy, 23, who went on a trip to Germany on her own. Levy sent a friend pictures of herself from Immenstadt, a Bavarian town near the German Alps and Swiss border, last Tuesday. “I’m having fun – everything is OK,” was her last message – which she sent through messaging application Whatsapp.…

Philanthropist Dr. Irving Moskowitz announced Monday that he supports Aryeh King and his “Seam Line Neighborhoods” list in Jerusalem’s municipal elections. In a letter signed by Dr. Moskowitz and his wife Cherna, they tell of their long acquaintance with King and “his activities for strengthening Jerusalem.” “King has proven himself in caring for the security of…

French President Francois Hollande warned on Sunday that a deal to eradicate Syria’s chemical arms was “not an end point” and kept the option of military strikes open, as he maintained pressure on Damascus, reported AFP. Speaking live on TF1 television, Hollande stressed that the international community must prepare for the possibility of sanctions “in…

Egypt’s armed forces have seized a stockpile of anti-aircraft missiles in the Sinai, military spokesman Ahmed Ali said in a press conference on Sunday. The spokesman also said the army will continue operations in Sinai until “terrorism” is defeated, according to a report in Al Arabiya. “Egypt’s national security has been under a threat because…

New York City police have arrested a ring of suspected drug dealers who had been selling heroin, oxycodone and other drugs in southern Brooklyn – but had been shutting down operations every Friday evening to observe Shabbat. The five defendants were charged as part of a six month probe dubbed “Only after Sundown,” New York City…

India has successfully test-fired for a second time a nuclear-capable missile that can reach Beijing and much of Europe. “The missile hit its target in the Indian Ocean in 20 minutes – all desired mission objectives of this developmental test were met,” Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) spokesman Ravi Gupta said. The DRDO is…

United States President Barack Obama declared in a weekend interview that the US is still prepared to act militarily to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, despite the decision to hold back on striking Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons. Obama spoke in interview broadcast Sunday on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” taped…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said that he hopes to see real results from the United States agreement with Russia to eliminate Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons. Netanyahu’s remarks, made during the memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers of the Yom Kippur War, come a day after the deal was reached following three days of talks in Geneva between U.S.…

The State of Israel held an official memorial Sunday for those who fell in the Yom Kippur War, 40 years ago. The ceremony took place at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery. Among those who took part were Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, Knesset Speaker…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Jerusalem Sunday to hold talks with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on the progress made in the Middle East peace talks and on Syria. The two men will discuss “the final status negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, following on the secretary’s meeting with [Palestinian Authority Chairman]…

A video has been released showing Border Police unit coming under attack during a routine patrol on Yom Kippur. The unit was driving through the Arab town of Anata, near Jerusalem, when local young men attacked with concrete blocks, bottles, and buckets of paint. A local man filmed the attack and uploaded footage. The video shows the…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has decided to freeze the controversial Governance Bill put forth by Yisrael Beytenu, according to the Israeli daily Maariv. Netanyahu reportedly opposes one of the more controversial parts of the bill: the increase of the vote threshold from two percent to four percent, meaning that only parties that received at least 4…

The head of Syria’s rebel Free Syrian Army rejected on Saturday a U.S.-Russian deal to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons by mid-2014. “We cannot accept any part of this initiative,” General Selim Idriss told reporters in Istanbul, according to the AFP news agency. He preceded that by saying, “We in the Free Syrian Army are unconcerned…

About 400 people prayed on Yom Kippur at the new synagogue in Itamar, Samaria, which was built following the slaughter of five members of the Fogel family inside their home in 2011. The synagogue and study hall, Mishkan Ehud, is named after Ehud Fogel, the father of the family, who murdered along with his wife,…

A few minutes before Yom Kippur, large forces of Border Police raided the outpost community of Ramat Migron in Binyamin, and arrested seven residents for violating a Closed Military Zone order. The seven were taken to Shaar Binyamin Police Station where they were forced to spend the first hours of the high holiday. They were…

No extraordinary security-related events were reported on the high holy day of Yom Kippur, as hundreds of thousands flocked to synagogues throughout Israel. Magen David Adom teams took 1,973 people to hospitals. A total of 130 people fainted, mostly as a result of the heavy heat and the fact that so many people were fasting…

Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have reached an agreement on a framework for securing Syria’s chemical weapons, according to which Syria’s chemical weapons must be destroyed or removed by mid-2014. The agreement was reached after three days of intense negotiations in Geneva. Syria must hand over a full list…

A four-year-old girl drowned on Yom Kippur at a mikveh – or ritual immersion pool – on Neufeld Street in Bnei Brak, in central Israel. An initial investigation shows that the entrance gate to the mikveh had been left open, and the girl entered the mikveh with her two small brothers. A passerby extricated the…

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Bashar Al-Assad has begun scattering his massive stockpile of chemical weapons to as many as 50 different sites across the country. The US newspaper claimed in a report Friday that a secretive military unit at the center of the Syrian chemical weapons program had been charged with moving the…

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is developing a new version of the “Arrow” missile that will be quicker and more accurate than its predecessors, an official said Thursday, according to Kol Yisrael radio. Speaking at a program as part of the annual Researchers’ Night at Tel Aviv University, the director of the Arrow 3 program at…

Iran’s new envoy to the UN atomic agency said on Thursday that Tehran had a “strong political will” to engage with the international community over its nuclear program, reported AFP. But, speaking at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Reza Najafi said diplomacy was a two-way street and that Iran would never give up its…

Bulgaria is planning to open a trial by April for a bomb attack that killed five Israeli tourists at an airport last year, the chief prosecutor said Thursday. “Our ambition is to go to court… by the end of the first three months of next year at the maximum,” Sotir Tsatsarov told journalists, according to…

Thousands of Muslims are expected to riot after Friday prayers on the Temple Mount as Fatah’s armed branch, the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, has declared war and announced that it would give the “green light” to terrorist attacks targeting Israelis beginning on the eve of Yom Kippur.  While Fatah head and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas negotiates with Israel for the…

The United States on Thursday once again called on Egypt’s interim authorities to lift a state of emergency which has been in force since August. The call came after Cairo announced it would extend the state of emergency for two months. “We remain opposed, as we have from the beginning, to the state of emergency.…

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is seeking action from the United Nations over the new president of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) membership in an organization that encourages boycotts of Israel. In a letter to the Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP), Wilfried Lemke, the center’s Director for International…

Syria became a full member of the global anti-chemical weapons treaty on Thursday, the country’s envoy to the United Nations said. The government of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad hopes this move will prevent U.S. air strikes. “Legally speaking Syria has become, starting today, a full member of the [chemical weapons] convention,” Syrian UN Ambassador Bashar…

Omar Hammami, an American-born jihadi and one of the most notorious faces of Al Qaeda, has reportedly been killed in Somalia. According to the Guardian, Hammami was ambushed by fellow Islamist fighters from Al Shabaab in southern Somalia. Hammami had been fighting in Somalia on behalf of Islamist forces since November 2006, rising quickly through the ranks…

The IDF has confirmed two mortar shells fired from Syrian territory hit the Golan Heights earlier today (Thursday). The incident, which caused no injuries, was described by the IDF Spokesman as a likely accidental spillover from the violence in Syria. The incident is the latest in a series of cross-border incidents. Last month Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor sent…

US intelligence officials have expressed their concern over the still small but slowly-increasing presence of American citizens among Islamist rebel groups in Syria, according to a report by The Daily Beast. Out of the estimated 1,200 rebel factions battling the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, only a handful are either formally linked with Al Qaeda – such as the Al…

A would-be terrorist from Ramallah was indicted in a Jerusalem court on Thursday on a string of charges relating to a plot to bomb the Mamilla shopping center in Jerusalem. The accused, 22-year-old Hamdi Rumana, allegedly planned to fire rockets at nearby Israeli communities as well, and had sought to purchase a gun for use…

An Israeli delegation arrived at the Cairo airport on Wednesday on a private jet, an airport official told the Palestinian Authority-based Ma’an news agency. According to the official, the Israeli delegation discussed the recent events in the Sinai. The delegation was greeted by Egyptian security officials, Ma’an reported. It will meet other Egyptian officials to…

Soldiers caught four young terrorists on Wednesday night, just moments before they could attack Israelis on a nearby highway. The dramatic capture took place in the Hevron Hills. Soldiers with the Kfir Brigade noticed four suspicious figures hiding near a heavily used junction. They approached the four, who attempted to escape into the nearby Arab…

A large contingent of worshipers who visited the Tomb of Joseph (Kever Yosef) in Shechem Wednesday night were attacked by gangs of Arabs, who threw rocks and bricks at them. The worshipers were accompanied by a large number of IDF soldiers. The Arabs attacked the soldiers with rocks as well. Troops used anti-riot techniques to…

A powerful car bomb ripped through the largely Shia neighborhood of Kasra district in Baghdad, killing at least 18 people and wounding another 27, police and medical sources say. It is unclear as to who is responsible for the deadly attack, although Al Qaeda-linked Sunni terrorists are carrying out near-daily strikes against Shi’ite neighbors in the region. Apart…

As the US government pushes for peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), a recently-released poll by the Pew Research Center suggests that the Obama administration’s apparent optimism over the prospects for peace may be somewhat misplaced. In a survey held across 11 different nationalities with large Muslim populations, Muslim respondents were asked about their…

Russian President Vladimir Putin will offer to supply Iran with S-300 air defense missile systems, and to build a second reactor at the Bushehr nuclear plant, Russia’s Kommersant business daily reported Wednesday. Citing a source close to the Kremlin, the publication reported that Putin will renew an offer to supply Iran with five S-300 ground-to-air…

Archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar, who unearthed what is widely considered one of Israel’s greatest historical finds, has been speaking to Arutz Sheva about the emotional moment of the discovery. In summer excavations at the foot of the Temple Mount, Mazar unearthed two bundles of treasure containing thirty-six gold coins, gold and silver jewelry as well as a gold…

The United States has begun distributing some weapons to the Syrian rebels, a spokesman for the Syrian Coalition of groups opposed to President Bashar Al-Assad said on Tuesday, according to the Reuters news agency. White House officials suggested in June that President Barack Obama had decided to provide military aid to the Syrian rebels, but…

In yet another thinly veiled threat to Israel, Iran said Tuesday that in the event of a U.S. attack on Iranian ally Syria, some groups may retaliate by striking the Jewish state. The Associated Press quoted Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian as having said at a briefing Tuesday that if the U.S. launches…

The Obama administration has eased restraints on humanitarian and good-will activities between Iran and the United States. The U.S. Treasury announced Tuesday that it would permit private organizations to support humanitarian program in Iran, and sports groups to hold exchanges with the country. Opening up a window of cooperation in its tight sanctions crackdown on…

This is the full text of US President Barack Obama’s speech on Syria, as provided by the Federal News Service: My fellow Americans, tonight I want to talk to you about Syria, why it matters and where we go from here. Over the past two years, what began as a series of peaceful protests against…

The QS World Universities 2013/14 rankings, published today, saw M.I.T in the U.S. maintain its position as the top-ranked university worldwide. Meanwhile three Israeli universities made the top 200. Hebrew University in Jerusalem topped the Israeli trio ranked in 141st place with the Technion coming in at 183rd place and Tel Aviv University ranked at…

An Israeli car dealer escaped injured but alive after driving into an ambush planned by Palestinian Authority resident thieves posing as clients seeking to buy vehicles. The attack took place at the Doar Junction between the communities of Talmo and Harsha in the region of Binyamin. The dealer, a resident of Hadera, had made an…

President Barack Obama on Tuesday asked Congress to delay votes on authorizing military strikes against Syria in order to give Russia time to get Syria to surrender any chemical weapons it possesses, Reuters reported, citing senators. “What he (Obama) wants is to check out the seriousness of the Syrian and the Russian willingness to get…

As tensions north of the Israeli border mount, the country’s tourism industry is proving surprisingly resilient, showing only a minor drop compared to August last year, and even a slight increase in tourism figures for the year so far. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, there has been a mere 5% decrease in the…

El Al, Israel’s leading national airline, has suspended all daytime flights to the resort city of Eilat. The announcement comes on the heels of Israel Aviation Authority (IAA) guidance regarding the flight path, landing and take off procedures at Eilat airport. Arkia and Israir flights to Israel’s southern most city are set to continue as planned. El Al’s response…

As of yesterday, Turkey has enforced a controversial law placing limits on the sale and advertising of alcoholic beverages throughout the country, despite ongoing criticism, the Hürriyet Daily News reported. According to the new bill, retailers will no longer be allowed to sell alcoholic beverages between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and cannot sell alcohol in…

A tour bus came under a hail of rocks at the Mount of Olives at 8:15 p.m. Monday evening – just as activists were saying that security at the location had improved considerably. The bus carried 54 people from the Ashkelon branch of the Zionist Council in Israel’s Eshkolot project on a selichot tour, to…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has hailed the discovery of one of the oldest Torah ornament ever found in archaeological digs as a “wonderful gift to the Jewish people.” Yesterday, after the archaeologists found an ancient golden medallion at the the foot of the Temple Mount, Prime Minister Netanyahu contacted Hebrew University’s Dr. Eilat Mazar, who made the stunning discovery of two bundles…

Russia has transferred several S-300 missile batteries into Syria, Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai reported Tuesday. The transfers took place despite statements by Russian officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, that Russia would not provide Syria with the advanced anti-aircraft system. Al Rai claimed that Syria has accelerated the rate at which it ships arms into Syria…

A loud gunshot was heard from within the Jordanian House of Representatives as one Member of Parliament opened fire this morning, the Albawaba Middle Eastern news site reported. According to news reports, MP Talal Al Sharif opened fire using an AK-47 on his colleague MP Qusai Dmeisi during a Foreign Affairs Council meeting inside of the House of…

Jewish residents of Jerusalem’s Abu Tor neighborhood have been the victims of repeated rock attacks by Arab residents of the neighborhood. One of the Jewish residents of Abu Tor, Ruth Pross, told Arutz Sheva on Monday that the attacks are perpetrated by Arabs aged 18 to 22 who gather outside the homes of the Jewish…

The world could learn a lesson from the way Israel fights terrorism, said Cressida Dick, the Assistant Commissioner of Specialist Operations at the London Police. She spoke on Monday at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism’s (ICT) World Summit on Counter-Terrorism, taking place at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center (IDC). “We are seeing some of our [terrorism…

President Barack Obama’s media blitz began on Monday evening, as he gave interviews to six television networks in which he presented his case on Syria. In his interview with NBC News, Obama called a Russian proposal for Syria to turn over control of its chemical weapons to international monitors in order to avoid a military…

An official with the Palestinian Authority appeared to confirm on Monday that the European Union’s guidelines, which boycott Israeli entities operating beyond the 1949 Armistice Lines, were engineered as part of a deal so that the PA would resume negotiations with Israel. According to an AFP report, senior PLO negotiator Nabil Shaath accused the United…

Economy Minister Naftali Bennett has revealed his plans to strengthen and encourage the integration of women at the workplace. The new regulations include grants and financial awards for employers deemed to be  integrating women and parents into their workforce. The Committee for the Advancement of the Women in the Workplace approved the regulations formulated by the Public…

A report presented Monday at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism’s (ICT) World Summit on Counter-Terrorism said that Syria had a large stockpile of chemical weapons, and was likely to use them if attacked by the U.S. or Western countries. According to the report, Syria has one of the largest stores of VX, a deadly nerve…

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called on Syria’s Assad regime to give up its chemical weapons stockpile as a way of avoiding military intervention by western states. In talks with his counterpart, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, Lavrov proposed that Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile be placed under “international supervision,” following which they would be destroyed.…

The “Middle East” is no longer just Israel and the countries surrounding it, said retired U.S. General John Abizaid Monday. The region now extends from Asia through to Africa, if by “Middle East” one means an area where Islamists are battling to dominate societies. Abizaid was speaking Monday at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism’s (ICT)…

Abraham Foxman, who heads the US-based Anti-Defamation League, told IDF Radio Monday morning that elements in the White House asked the ADL and other Jewish groups to help it in the campaign to get congressional approval for a military strike on Syria. “In the same way that Secretary Kerry and senior Obama Administration officials asked…

Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) are being held under a mantle of secrecy, but a statement made during a lighthearted moment Sunday appears to reveal that that Israel is implementing a freeze on construction for Jews in Judea and Samaria, contrary to the government’s official line. The apparent admission came as Kerry…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in London on Sunday, AFP reports. Kerry insisted earlier that Israelis and PA Arabs were determined to pursue direct peace talks, which restarted last month after shuttle diplomacy by the top American diplomat. Kerry and Abbas, who have met regularly over the…

As US President Barack Obama attempts to rally support in Congress for a strike on Syria, Secretary of State John Kerry is waging a diplomatic offensive with the same objective. Kerry held talks with Arab League ministers in Paris on Sunday, in which Syria was the main topic. Kerry said afterward that the sides had…

RAF Typhoon fighters won a mid-air showdown with two Syrian warplanes heading towards Britain’s main base in Cyprus, the Sunday People reports. The dramatic confrontation came after President Bashar Al-Assad’s air chiefs sent two Russian-made Sukhoi Su-24s to probe British air defenses, the report said. The Syrian bombers refused to respond to repeated attempts by…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry dismissed on Sunday the claims by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad that there is no evidence he used chemical weapons against his own people. Asked by reporters to comment on Assad’s denial in a television interview, Kerry said “the evidence speaks for itself.” Kerry made the remark in response to…

Israel deployed its Iron Dome missile defense system near Jerusalem Sunday, an AFP correspondent said. The correspondent said the battery was set up west of the city. A military spokeswoman would not comment on the deployment, saying only that “defense systems are deployed in accordance with situation assessments.” An IDF source said that the system’s…

As part of its annual effort, the Tzohar organization will be organizing prayers at 250 locations around Israel for Yom Kippur, aimed specifically at secular Israelis who would most likely not attend services otherwise. Some 40,000 people are expected to participate altogether. Tzohar is organizing services in a wide variety of locations, including in cities…

An intelligence report prepared by a European country has found that Syrian President Bashar Assad has handed control of missile installations over to foreign fighters, Lebanon’s A-Nahar reports. Assad has reportedly put control into the hands of Hezbollah and Iranian units. Those two groups would be in charge of leading a counter-attack if the United…

Tens of thousands of Tunisians took to the streets this weekend calling for the Islamist-led government to step down. Protesters chanted slogans opposing the leading Ennahda party and waved Tunisian flags. The protest came at the end of the traditional Muslim 40-day mourning period for MP Mohammed Brahmi, an secular opposition leader who was assassinated in…

Adolf Hitler’s personal bodyguard, who was the last surviving witness of the Nazi dictator’s final days in the bunker towards the end of World War II, has died, his agent said Friday. Rochus Misch, who once referred to Hitler in a documentary as “the boss”, died aged 96 in Berlin Thursday after failing to recover…

The Palestinian Authority’s Minister of Prisoner Affairs, Issa Qaraqe, on Friday announced the dates for the release of terrorist prisoners from Israeli jails, reports the Ma’an news agency. As a gesture to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to get him to return to the negotiating table, Israel has agreed to release 104 terrorists, most of whom…

The US military is planning a more extensive military operation against regime targets in Syria than had been previously planned, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times. Unnamed “US officers” told the paper that the Pentagon is drawing up plans for 3 days of strikes against a list of targets significantly longer than the original list…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu opened this week’s Cabinet meeting by thanking the IDF, the Israel Police, and other security forces involved in protecting Israel’s citizens. “I would like to thank the soldiers of the IDF, the officers of the Israel Police and Border Police, and all the men and women of our security services for…

The ‘International Human Shields’ movement, founded by a group of activists in Britain and the US, plans to bring to Syria civilians from countries around the globe, who will try to deter US strikes on the country by staking out potential military targets and serving as human shields there. The British Telegraph said that Franklin…

Jews from all streams streamed to the nation’s synagogues – including the Kotel – on Rosh Hashana to attend the holiday prayers over the long holiday weekend that began Wednesday evening. The holiday passed without any unusual events at the prayer centers, as security forces provided protection for the worshipers. Numerous events are expected at…

Liberal Party head Tony Abbott claimed victory in Australia’s federal election Saturday evening. Earlier, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd conceded defeat and announced that he would not run again for the leadership of the Labor Party, saying it was ”time for renewal.” “Gees, a couple more days we might have got there,” said Rudd in his…

The Egyptian military is mounting what is reportedly its largest operation in the Sinai Peninsula since the 1973 Yom Kippur War – as part of a struggle against islamist terrorists. At least 30 people are said to have been killed in the operation, which began Saturday morning. According to the Bethlehem-based Maan news agency, military…

The US State Department said on Friday it had evacuated non-emergency personnel and family members from its embassy in the Lebanese capital Beirut, as Congress debates a military strike on neighboring Syria. “The Department of State drew down non-emergency personnel and family members from Embassy Beirut due to threats to US Mission facilities and personnel,”…

Russia counters with its own chemical report, Hezbollah prepares for strike: Moscow accused the Syrian rebels of using chemical weapons in an attack on the town of Khan al-Assal near Aleppo on March 19. At the same time, Hezbollah is reportedly preparing for two tasks: Preventing Damascus from falling in rebel hands during expected US…

Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted on Wednesday his country may support a UN resolution on punitive military strikes in Syria if it is proved that Damascus used poison gas on its own people. At the same time, Putin warned the West, in a wide-ranging interview with the Associated Press and Russia’s state Channel 1 television,…

President Barack Obama has cleared his first hurdle in his push for a military strike in Syria. On Wednesday afternoon (local time) a key Senate panel voted to authorize the use of force in response to a chemical attack in Damascus on August 21. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 10-7, with one senator voting…

In a surprising move, Iran’s new President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday joined those who sent well wishes to the Jewish people on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah. “As the sun is about to set here in Tehran I wish all Jews, especially Iranian Jews, a blessed Rosh Hashanah,” he tweeted, according to Al-Monitor. The greeting…

German intelligence says that an official with the Hezbollah terror group admitted that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad ordered a poison gas attack last month. According to a report in the Reuters news agency on Wednesday, Hezbollah considered the move a mistake which showed Assad was losing his grip. Participants at a confidential meeting of German…

Russia is sending a missile cruiser to the east Mediterranean to take over the navy’s operations in the region, a military source told state news agency Interfax Wednesday. The ship, Moskva, will take over operations from a naval unit in the region. Moscow said that it is needed “in order to protect national interests.” It…

A senior official in the Palestinian Authority said on Wednesday that Middle East peace talks have so far proved “futile” and called for greater U.S. participation in talks. “Until now there has been no progress,” the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) Yasser Abed Rabbo told Voice of Palestine radio, in remarks quoted by the AFP news…

Senator John McCain said on Wednesday he does not support the latest Senate resolution to authorize military force against Syria. McCain threatened earlier this week to vote against a White House draft resolution unless President Barack Obama promised greater support to Syria’s rebels. On Monday he seemed to have a change of heart when he…

On the eve of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wishes Jewish communities throughout the world security, prosperity and most of all peace. In a recorded speech, Netanyahu reflects upon some of the past year’s achievements: the launching of the Amos 4 communication satellite, sustainable economic growth, receiving gold medals at the computer and science Olympics, and…

A new face of Al Qaeda in Iraq has risen to the forefront, Iraqi officials say. 27-year-old Shaker Wahiyib al-Fahdawi is the most “dangerous and cunning” terrorist today. The Clarion Project, a news site focusing on radical Islam, reported on Monday that the most wanted Al Qaeda terrorist is even more extreme than Al Qaeda’s…

A Palestinian Authority official has demanded that Israel provide civilians living in PA-controlled areas with gas masks in the event of a spillover of violence from Syria. Israel has been distributing gas masks to its citizens over the last two weeks amid fears of reprisals against the Jewish state, following anticipated US military intervention in neighboring Syria.…

Sixteen people have been killed in an apparently sectarian attack on a Shia family south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. Unknown terrorists blew up two adjacent houses belonging to brothers from a Shia family in Latifiya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, after shooting dead sixteen members of the same family, according to eyewitnesses. Eight women…

Iran’s former president has accused Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad of using chemical weapons against his own people. The remarks by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani were made on August 29 and posted to the internet on September 2. The comments were translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). With his comments, Rafsanjani, who is an…

Israel is gearing up for its annual “Cleanup the World Day,” set to take place on September 9th. The international campaign runs throughout the world cleaning up forests, open fields, and communities. This year, some 200,000 volunteers from schools, local councils, and government bodies are expected to take part in Cleanup Day in Israel, led…

President Shimon Peres slammed Syrian President Bashar Assad during a reception Tuesday with foreign ambassadors in Israel in honor of Rosh Hashanah. “Assad has lost the right to be a leader by killing a hundred thousand people. He caused it. He wasn’t elected properly, it was never a real democracy but even in a democracy…

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon suggested on Tuesday that any American intervention in Syria would be illegal under international law unless it was approved by the UN Security Council. “The use of force is lawful only when in exercise of self-defense, or when the Security Council approves such action,” Ban said during a news…

Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon underwent a planned surgery at the Tel Hashomer Hospital on Tuesday. During the operation, the feeding tube connected to Sharon’s digestive system and through which he receives fluid solutions was replaced. The surgery lasted for about an hour and ended successfully. The former prime minister is in recovery and will…

More than two million Syrians have fled their country, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said Tuesday, amounting to a tenth of Syria’s population. In addition, over four million Syrians are also displaced inside the country.   The grim refugee statistics were described by Antonio Guterres, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as a “disgraceful humanitarian calamity…

The defection of the group, reported to be largely based in the suburbs of the capital Damascus, could be indicative of rising fear within the rank and file of the Syrian military ahead of a possible U.S. led attack. Despite the indecision shown by Barack Obama in ordering a military response to last month’s chemical attack on civilians, many believe…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had a message for Israel’s enemies on Tuesday as he dedicated a new national cyber center and high-tech park in the southern city of Be’er Sheva. “We need to see to [our] security. This is our first obligation, as well as mine as Prime Minister, and this is a challenge for…

The German justice agency which leads investigations into Nazi war crimes says the cases of all former guards at the Auschwitz death camp are to be re-examined. Six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, with around 1.1 million killed in Auschwitz alone. According to the agency in the town of Ludwigsburg, 40 former Auschwitz guards were…

The financial news service Bloomberg has ranked Israel’s Technion University as the seventh best undergraduate institution in the world. The rankings based on an analysis of the undergraduate schools of 250 CEOs of U.S. tech companies with a market value of over $1bn placed the Technion in joint seventh place alongside MIT, Rice University and the University of…

A state of emergency was declared at the Ben Gurion International Airport on Monday night, after a truck driven by a Palestinian Authority Arab man broke an entry barrier on the highway leading to the airport. The truck continued to speed and only stopped after security forces fired at it. The Arab driver and another…

In an ongoing attack, Taliban fighters bombed part of a U.S. military outpost on Monday, located in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar near the Pakistan border. Officials say that no one was killed in the attack. BBC news reported that NATO helicopters swarmed over the base as the attack triggered a gun battle with…

Despite the decision made by U.S. President Barack Obama to put a proposed strike against the Syrian regime to a vote at Congress, the U.S army is continuing its preparation for a possible attack. U.S. senior military source told ABC News that the aircraft carrier U.S.S Nimitz has arrived at the Red Sea accompanied by…

Approximately one in five “flagged” job applicants to the US’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had ties to either Hamas, Hezbollah or Al Qaeda, according to a Washington Times report. The report is based off of documents leaked by former NSA agent Edward Snowden. These latest revelations indicate the high motivation among Islamist terrorists of various stripes to infiltrate US intelligence…

President Shimon Peres has said he supports U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision to seek Congressional approval for military action against Syria. “I have full faith in President Obama’s moral and operational stance,” Peres said in an interview on Monday with army radio. He added:  “I recommend patience, I am confident that the United States will respond in the…

Israeli and Palestinian Authority (PA) negotiators held another secret round of peace talks over the weekend, a PA official said on Monday, adding that there had been “no breakthrough” so far. “A round of talks was held on Saturday evening between the Israelis and Palestinians – this is the fourth round,” since they restarted more…

With the Rosh Hashana holiday coming up in just a few days, Israelis will be attending synagogue services, visiting family, and generally taking it easy during a rare three day break from work. And Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said the the country would take steps to ensure that the holiday is a calm one. With…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that a parliamentary delegation will be sent to the United States to lobby the U.S. Congress to vote against a military strike on Syria. The idea was tabled by Russian lawmakers. “The initiative is very timely and correct,” Putin said as he met with the speakers of Russia’s upper and lower…

With a little more than two days to go before Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the Interior Ministry’s Population Registry released its statistical review for the Jewish year 5773 on Monday.  According to their records, during this year a total of 160,749 babies were born in Israel with a count of 82,437 boys and 78,312 girls. The official count…

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and other ships in its strike group are heading toward the Red Sea to help support a limited U.S. strike on Syria if needed, defense officials told the Reuters news agency on Sunday. The officials emphasized that the Nimitz carrier strike group, which includes four destroyers and a cruiser,…

Arab states on Sunday urged the international community to take action against the Syrian government over a chemical gas attack that killed hundreds of civilians, Reuters reported. The final resolution passed by an Arab League meeting in Cairo urged the United Nations and international community to “take the deterrent and necessary measures against the culprits…

U.S. President Barack H. Obama informed Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in advance that he would let Congress decide on the appropriate action the U.S. would take in Syria. Reports in Israeli media quoted senior Israeli officials as saying the Obama called Netanyahu on Saturday, some four hours before he appeared on national TV in the…

Egypt’s state prosecutor said on Sunday he has referred ousted President Mohammed Morsi for trial on charges of inciting the murder of protesters, the BBC reported. The accusations relate to violence outside the presidential palace in Cairo last December when seven people were killed in clashes. Fourteen other members of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood are to…

The IDF began on Sunday evening to release some of the reservists that were called up last week in preparations for a possible U.S. military strike in Syria. On Wednesday, Israel’s security cabinet issued a limited call-up of reservists, part of Israel’s preparations for the possibility that the Syrian regime could choose to attack Israel…

Residents who live near the Gaza border in Sinai are protesting the Egyptian army’s demolishing of homes in the area. On Sunday, Egyptian forces destroyed 13 homes next to the border, in order to prevent the use of the houses as cover for smugglers into and out of Gaza. Egyptian officials announced their intention to…

There was a heated debate in Cabinet on Sunday morning as Finance Minister Yair Lapid surprised the Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home) party with a new demand: Include the Reform and Conservative Jewish movements in a government initiative for “Jewish identity.” The Jewish Home party, which initiated the Jewish Identity project, opposed the change, but was…

A project called Safra Veseifa is connecting IDF units in need of a Torah scroll with Jews who reside overseas and scrolls that require fixing, in a unique way. The project, whose name means “Bible and Sword”, is centered on the idea of renovating damaged Torah scrolls that have piled up in the IDF’s storage warehouses and making them kosher for…

John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, said on Sunday that the administration had new evidence that sarin gas was used in an attack by Syrian government forces that killed 1,400 people last month. Kerry also said that he is certain that Congress will approve the attack on Syria, and invoked the name of Israel…

After years of efforts to reduce illegal entry along the Egyptian border, Israel has managed to go one entire month without a single illegal entry from the Sinai Peninsula, officials report. During all of August there were no cases of illegal entrants breaking through or otherwise getting past Israel’s new border fence. Officials are now…

Egyptian police have arrested a duck that they fear was sent by Israel as a spy, Egypt’s Al-Ahram news agency reports. The bird was spotted by a fisherman in the Nile River, in the Qena region, as it swam with other birds. The fisherman noticed that the bird had a device attached to its feathers,…

Two suspects have been arrested over the recent rocket attack from Lebanese territory into Israel, the Lebanese Army said Saturday. In a statement quoted by the Lebanese-based Daily Star, the Army said the two suspects – Youssef Mohammad Fliti and Omar Abdel-Mawla al-Atrash – confessed they had supplied the four rockets used in the August…

Authorities in the Suez Canal said on Saturday that a “terrorist” staged an unsuccessful attack on a container ship passing through the canal in an attempt to disrupt the flow of ships through the waterway. The attempt failed completely and there was no damage to the ship or the containers it carried, reported Al Jazeera.…

In an emergency meeting held late last week in light of threats from Syria, the Samaria Regional Committee was instructed to prepare in case the region is asked to absorb Israelis from the Tel Aviv region. Samaria (Shomron) could be used as a refuge in case of a chemical weapons attack from Syria. Military experts…

U.S. President Barack Obama said Saturday that he has decided to take military action against Syria, but that he wants this action approved by Congress first. He delivered the message in a special Rose Garden address from the White House. he began with a dramatic description of the chemical weapons attack ten days ago, speaking of…

As US President Obama continues to mull his options over a potential military intervention in Syria, Syrian state media is upping the ante, publicizing a list of “targets” that the Syrian military could target with “long-range missiles” in the event of a US-led attack. Aerial photos of the purported targets were released by state media, including strategic military positions…

Lebanese newspaper Aldiyar, which is considered to be close to Syria’s official leadership, reported Saturday that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is in an undergtound bunker at an unknown location, where he is staying along with his senior staff and other unknown senior officials. The bunker is serving as an operational headquarters in advance of the…

United Nations inspectors have finished collecting samples from the site of the alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria on August 21, the Associated Press reported on Friday. UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said that the team is “now packing up” and preparing to leave for The Hague on Saturday, where its members will take samples to…

The goal of any military intervention in Syria should be to topple Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday. Erdogan said that the limited strikes which the United States is reportedly planning against Syria would not be enough and pushed for a broader military offensive. “A limited operation cannot be…

British Prime Minister David Cameron and United States President Barack Obama discussed on Friday the British Parliament’s block on UK involvement in possible military action in Syria, the BBC reports. The two men spoke by phone for 15 minutes, and the tone of the conversation was said to be friendly. The prime minister reiterated that…

The civil war in Syria has badly hurt the quality of life in the country – to the extent that Damascus is now listed as the worst city in the world to live in. The Syrian capital came in dead last in the survey of 140 world cities by the Economist Intelligence Unit, an analysis…

Among the many complaints the PA has against Israel is the IDF’s patrol of the Gaza coast, enforcing the naval blockade of the Hamas-controlled territory. IDF ships patrol a perimeter off the coast, and prevent vessels from crossing that perimeter, either from the open sea to Gaza, or vice-versa. Occasionally Gaza Arab terrorists try to…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry declared on Friday that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad on August 21 used chemical weapons against his own people. In a live statement on Syria which some analysts said laid the groundwork for an impending strike in the war-torn country, Kerry said that the attack killed at least 1,400 people,…

An anti-Israel campaign was launched this week on the public transportation system  in the western Canadian city of Vancouver, by a coalition of seven pro-Palestinian organizations. The campaign consists of 15 bus posters illustrating the “disappearance of Palestine due to Israeli occupation over the past 65 years.”  The group that created the campaign, the Palestine Awareness Coalition, published a statement:…

A battery of the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system has been deployed in the Gush Dan area near Tel Aviv. The move was in preparation for a scenario resulting in an attack on Syria over its reported use of chemical weapons against its citizens last week. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that Israel had deployed its Iron Dome…

A BBC team inside Syria filming for the Panorama program witnessed the aftermath of a fresh horrific incident, an incendiary bomb dropped onto a school playground in the north of the country. The attack left scores of children with napalm-like burns over their bodies, the network reported on Thursday. Eyewitnesses described a fighter jet dropping…

The Obama administration apparently views Israel as one of the top spying threats facing its intelligence services, according to leaked documents which were exposed Thursday. A secret budget request obtained by The Washington Post from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden lumps Israel alongside U.S. foes Iran and Cuba as “key targets” for U.S. counterintelligence efforts.…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu revealed that Israel will deploy its Iron Dome system, on Thursday, at the start of security consultations at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv. “At present there is no need to change daily routines,” Netanyahu reassured and added, “Despite the low assessment regarding Israel’s involvement in what is going on in Syria,…

Iran’s army chief of staff, General Hassan Firouzabadi, echoed the remarks of Iranian officials who have declared that “any military action against Syria will drive the Zionists to the edge of fire,” Islamic Republic News Agency  quoted. “Any new (military) operation in the region will leave behind a lot of damage, which will be of…

Unemployment among Israelis age 15 and over dropped to 6.3% in July, compared to 6.7% in June, the Central Bureau of Statistics reports. The data includes any person who is on record as jobless and actively searching for work as “unemployed.” Those who choose not to join the workforce, or who have given up on…

Samir Jibreel, the director of the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education office in Jerusalem, informed parents of school children that at least five PA schools in Jerusalem will switch to using Israeli education materials, the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency reported Thursday. The director of education said that Abdullah Bin Al Hussein, Ibn Roshd, and Ibn…

US Ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, said Thursday that a “strong” US response to Syria’s use of chemical weapons against civilians is a certainty. When asked on on public radio Reshet Bet‘s morning newscast, Yoman Haboker, why US President Barack Obama has not yet decided on action against Syria , Shapiro said, “You are correct in saying that President Obama…

Russia is about to send two warships to the Mediterranean Sea, in an unmistakable warning to the US not to carry out a threat to strike Syria, according to Russian news agency Interfax. The report is quoted on Skynews. The ships are an anti-submarine ship and a missile cruiser, according to the report. A military…

Thousands of Israelis lined up at gas mask protection kit distribution centers around the country, ostensibly to obtain kits for their families in case of a Syrian attack on Israel. But at least some of those kits, it appears, are helping fuel an uptick of gas mask sales on the Internet, According to business daily…

Hundreds of Ethiopian immigrants landed in Israel on Wednesday, marking the end of the Jewish Agency’s decades-long campaign to bring Jewish Ethiopians to Israel. While individual Ethiopians of Jewish descent will still be eligible for aliyah (immigration), there are to be no more coordinated efforts to bring over groups of new immigrants. The final group…

A new report from the United Nations’ nuclear agency finds that Iran has further boosted its capacity for uranium enrichment, reports the BBC. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says Tehran has now installed more than 1,000 advanced centrifuges at its Natanz enrichment plant, according to Wednesday’s report. The report comes as the IAEA says…

The decision is part of Israel’s preparations for the possibility that the Syrian regime could choose to attack Israel in “retaliation” for intervention by the US and its allies, following threats to that effect by a number of Syrian officials. Most recently, a senior official in the Syrian army warned the United States and its…

Deputy Foreign Minister Ze’ev Elkin met with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide on Monday night in Jerusalem. Norway is the leading donor state to the Palestinian Authority, and therefore has a special interest in the political process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The Norwegian FM agreed with Elkin that “the fact that a large percentage of…

Every year, while thousands of Israeli 18-year-olds enlist in the IDF, others defer their service in order to spend a year studying in mechina programs – pre-army institutes that help their students prepare to do the best they can during their years in the military. This year, 3,300 young men and women will be studying…

Numerous citizens were standing in line to obtain gas masks Wednesday as media warned that a US attack on Syrian targets was imminent, and as Bashar al-Assad’s regime warned that it would respond to such an attack by targeting Israel. The IDF expressed satisfaction at the fact that so many citizens are finally getting masks,…

Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Rogozin, compared western nations’ behavior vis-a-vis the Islamic world to a “monkey with a hand grenade,” according to a report by Russian news agency, Ria Novosti. His short statement was communicated in the Russian language via his Twitter page on Tuesday; Rogozin has yet to elaborate or explain his comparison. Rogozin, formerly Russia’s…

The Qatar-based Al Jazeera network quoted members of the Opposition in Syria Wednesday as saying that there has been another poison gas in attack on civilians in Damascus. About 20 people were hurt in the attack, they claimed. The report has not been confirmed by other sources and Opposition claims in the two-year-old civil war…

A senior official in the Syrian army warned the United States and its partners on Tuesday that waging a full-scale war on Syria would be reciprocated with an immediate attack on Tel Aviv. “If Damascus comes under attack, Tel Aviv will be targeted too and a full-scale war against Syria will actually issue a license…

The Arab League said on Tuesday that those behind the chemical attack in Syria should face international justice. In a statement issued after a meeting in Cairo, the 22-member organization said it held the Syrian government, led by President Bashar Al-Assad, fully responsible for last week’s gas attack in which hundreds were killed. The League…

French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday that his country is prepared to take action against those responsible for last week’s deadly chemical attack in Syria. “France is ready to punish those who took the heinous decision to gas innocents” in Syria last week, Hollande said at a conference with France’s ambassadors, according to the…

This morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the “Avivit” kindergarten and elementary school in Netanya, as Israeli schools all over the country begin the first day of the new academic year. Education Minister Shai Piron and Netanya Mayor Miriam Feirberg accompanied the Prime Minister at the meeting. “Avivit” kindergarten opened this year in the framework…

On Tuesday, a court in Hamas ruled Gaza sentenced a man to death for collaborating with Israel, according to Ma’an News Agency. The man, who is only identified as B.H, was ordered to death by hanging by the Gazan court. A date for the execution has not been set. The court will also allow the defendant to appeal…

United States Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday that there is “no doubt” that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad was responsible for the August 21 chemical weapons attack near Damascus. The comments came as the United States deliberates on how to respond to the chemical attack, which rebels said killed hundreds of people. Speaking at the…

Israel will strike back “fiercely” if Syria attacks, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned Tuesday. “The state of Israel is prepared for every scenario,” he said. “We are not part of the civil war in Syria, but if we detect any attempt to hurt us, we will react, and react fiercely.” A top Syrian official warned…

US President Barack Obama has ordered his legal advisers to draw up a document outlining the legal justifications for military intervention in Syria. According to a CBS News report there is unanimous support for such military action within the Obama administration, following an apparent chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime on a suburb of Damascus which killed hundreds,…

About 2,130,000 students began the new school year Tuesday – 150,000 of them in first grade. A total of 429,177 children are enrolled in the public pre-school system, about 960,000 in elementary school, and another 662,500 in middle and high schools. A total of 4,555 schools started the school year, 164 of them new. All…

Former MK and director of Professors for a Strong Israel (PFSI) spoke with Arutz Sheva on Sunday to explain his vision for an alternative to a “Two State Solution” which would see a Palestinian Arab State established in Judea and Samaria. Professor Eldad was speaking at a PSFI-organized conference entitled “Two States for Two Peoples,…

Lebanese security sources told the London-based Asharq al Awsat newspaper Tuesday that the U.S. has a list of about 150 targets that it would strike in a possible attack on Syria. The list is largely made up of military installations that include air force and aerial defense bases, missile bases, command and control sites and…

A senior Israeli delegation visited the White House on Monday for high-level talks on the building Syria crisis and the nuclear showdown with Iran, reported AFP. Officials said that U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice met Yaakov Amidror, the outgoing Israeli national security advisor. The talks centered on “Iran, Egypt, Syria, and a range of…

An aide to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) warned the White House on Monday that it must consult with congressional leaders before taking any military action in Syria. Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said in a blog post that President Barack Obama was obligated to “consult with Congress on the options he sees as a viable…

As talk and rumors of an impending Western attack against Syria mount, a top Syrian official said Monday that if attacked, his country would react – against Israel. Speaking to an Arabic-language radio station operated by the United States, Syria’s Deputy Information Minister Halaf Al-Maftah said that Israel would face not only Syria in the…

In what might indicate that the British army is preparing for an attack on Syria, the Guardian reported on Monday that warplanes and military transporters have begun arriving at Britain’s Akrotiri airbase on Cyprus, less than 100 miles from the Syrian coast. Two commercial pilots who regularly fly from Larnaca told the Guardian that they…

A newly discovered field off Israel’s coast may have a significant amount of light crude oil – the kind of oil that international producers use to make most of the world’s gasoline. The Shemen company informed the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Monday that the Yam 3 field, where drilling has been going on for several…

On Monday, Syrian President Bashar Assad denied allegations that his administration used chemical weapons against its civilians and warned that any U.S. military intervention in his country would fail. In an interview with Russian newspaper Izvestia, Assad said: “How can any government use chemicals or any other weapons of mass destruction in a place where its own…

Both Britain and Turkey said on Monday that it would be possible to respond to the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime, even without the unanimous backing of the United Nations Security Council. ‘So, is it possible to act on chemical weapons, is it possible to respond to chemical weapons without complete unity on…

Dozens of female officers and NCOs who serve in the IDF’s Standing Army (Tzva Keva) have sent a letter to Personnel Branch Head, Major General Orna Barbivai, demanding that they be exempted from limitations on nail polish, and that these limitations only be applied to soldiers in mandatory service. Current orders allow female soldiers to…

A car carrying United Nations inspectors was shot at “multiple times” by snipers Monday as it headed to the scene of a suspected chemical weapons attack in which the Syrian regime is believed to have targeted its own people. The inspectors were forced to abandon their investigation after they were shot at near Damascus. The experts were…

Britain is planning to join forces with the United States and launch military action against Syria in response to the chemical attack believed to have been carried out by President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces, the British Telegraph reported on Sunday. Royal Navy vessels are being readied to take part in a possible series of cruise missile…

A Carl Gustav recoilless rifle and ammunition were found hidden in the side of the rear trunk of an Arab car Sunday, by alert guards at the Ariel checkpoint in Samaria. Something abouth the car and its occupants aroused the guards’ suspicion, and they conducted a through search. The weapons had been hidden under the…

The Syrian government has agreed to allow UN inspectors to investigate allegations of a chemical weapon attack near Damascus last week. The UN team is to begin work on Monday. Activists say Syrian forces killed more than 300 people in several suburbs east and west of the capital on Wednesday, and numerous amateur videos have…

Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon met Sunday with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in Jerusalem, and in his statements, indirectly confirmed that Israel has no doubt that Bashar al-Assad’s forces are behind the use of chemical weapons against civilians last week. In the course of the meeting, Yaalon said, “There are many events taking place in our…

A project that organizers hoped would bring masses of tourists to the western Negev – an elephant park – apparently won’t be getting off the ground, despite the fact that Kibbutz Nahal Oz and other investors have sunk over a million shekels into it. But despite international laws against transporting elephants, organizers are still helpful…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday that even if Isrsel achieves a peace treaty with the Palestinian Authority (PA), this will not stop Iran’s centrifuges or change the fact that there is “an endemic instability” in the Middle East. Netanyahu met Sunday with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and said at the start of the…

A bus carrying Yemeni air force personnel was bombed on Sunday, killing 6 people and wounding 26 others in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. Al Qaeda is suspected to be behind the attack, although details have not yet been released. Witnesses say the van had been driving towards the Sanaa International airport, returning the soldiers…

Sinai security sources said that Hamas’ military wing intended on attacking security sites and troops stationed in the Sinai Peninsula, but were blocked by Egyptian security forces. According to a report by Kuwaiti newspaper, Alrai, the Hamas squad entered into Egypt with 15 terrorists through one of the smuggling tunnels and transferred weapons in order…

The subject of the “Women of the Wall” group has become a controversial topic in recent weeks as the group continues to hold monthly prayers at the Kotel (Western Wall) despite opposition. Opponents have held prayer gatherings and demonstrations, and in some cases have even resorted to violence. Now, Minister of Economy Naftali Bennett- who…

If claims that Syria used chemical weapons several days ago are true, a speedy response will be needed to prevent another such attack, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Friday. In addition, a senior Defense Department official told CNN that military planners have updated Syrian target lists. The US navy is expanding its presence…

A preliminary assessment made by U.S. and allied intelligence agencies concludes that chemical weapons were indeed used by Syrian forces in an attack near Damascus this week. It is believed the attack was carried out with high-level approval from the government of President Bashar Al-Assad. American and European security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity…

As Israeli and Palestinian Authority negotiators continue the current round of United States-brokered peace talks, residents of Gaza, where Hamas rules, are protesting against the talks. The AFP news agency reported that hundreds of people in Gaza protested on Friday against Israeli-PA peace talks, in marches organized by the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror groups.…

Syrian activists said on Friday they are smuggling out body tissue samples from victims of an alleged chemical weapons attack outside Damascus, according to the Reuters news agency. The activists said they were trying to get the samples to a team of United Nations inspectors staying in a hotel a few miles away. “The UN…

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday condemned the firing of rockets against Israel from Lebanon. He urged all sides to exercise “maximum restraint,” and cooperate with the UN force in Lebanon to prevent an escalation, reported AFP. In a statement, Ban said he was “greatly concerned” by the incident, “which is a clear…

A vow by Al-Qaeda to carry out an attack that would “change the face of history” was behind this month’s closures of Western embassies, the president of Yemen revealed Friday, according to Reuters. In the first public disclosure by a government leader of details of the intercepted call that prompted the U.S. alert, President Abd-Rabbu…

Dirar Abu Sisi, the member of Hamas who was arrested in Ukraine and brought to Israel two and half years ago, has gone on a hunger strike to protest being held apart from the prison’s general population. Abu Sisi has apparently entered the third day of his hunger strike. In response, prison authorities have removed his personal belongings, including…

The latest violence in Egypt has finally put an end to kosher food exports from the country. Several Egyptian factories that marketed reliably kosher food to Israel will no longer be able to do so. Over the past two and a half years, kosher certification companies in Israel have continued to send their workers (mashgihim)…

Bnei Akiva counselors who arrived at the headquarters of the group’s Shunra branch in Jerusalem on Tuesday morning were horrified to discover that the center, which includes a synagogue, had been badly vandalized. Arutz Sheva spoke to branch manager Dana Amar, who said the vandalism included “destruction of property and graphic images. Even in our…

The United States on Thursday slapped sanctions on four members of the Shiite Hezbollah terror group, reported the Associated Press. The Treasury Department order bars any Americans from dealing with the terrorists and freezes any money they may have in the U.S. Treasury Undersecretary David Cohen predicted that other financial institutions across the world, including…

A U.S. institute tracking Iran’s military program said on Thursday that recent satellite images show further major alterations of a military site that the UN atomic agency suspects may have been used in trying to develop nuclear arms. The most recent imagery from satellite company Digital Globe is from August 13 and was seen by…

President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi has called upon support from the United States to supply Yemen with drones in order to fight Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, in the aftermath of threats that forced the temporary closure of embassies of many Western countries in Sanaa, according to the Daily Star. President Hadi has been quoted by…

The commander of a pro-Al Qaeda militia in Pakistan who has sheltered foreign Al-Qaeda fighters in the country was killed on Thursday by a roadside bomb. Ghulam Jan Wazir died on the spot when his vehicle hit the bomb in the Sholam area, five kilometres (three miles) west of Wana, the main town in South Waziristan…

Noor TV, an Islamic television station which broadcasts from the UK, has been fined £85,000 (more than $130,000) for comments inciting murder made by one of its presenters during a call-in show. In December, Ofcom – Britain’s media regulating body – ruled that the station had breached broadcasting codes after Presenter Allama Muhammad Farooq Nizami urged…

A leading supporter of the Hezbollah terrorist group was assassinated in Tripoli on Thursday. Al-Mouri was gunned down by “masked men on motorbikes,” along with a security official and a bystander, according to a security source quoted by the Lebanese Naharnet website. The 40 year-old leader of a pro-Hezbollah Sunni militia was standing at the entrance to…

An apartment security system developed in Israel will be used in housing projects in New York, according to a report in the New York Post. The system does not use keys but is rather based on face and voice recognition. A low-income project in Harlem and a new luxury condominium will be getting the high-tech…

The United Nations Security Council convened on Wednesday to discuss ways to respond to reports suggesting that forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad killed more than 1,300 people using chemical weapons, AFP reports. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s office said he was “shocked” by the reports and that UN weapons experts in Syria to…

At least 635 people have been killed in a nerve gas attack on Syria’s Eastern Ghouta, activists at the Local Coordinating Committees told Al Arabiya on Wednesday morning. Other news sources cited lower numbers of deaths. Hundreds of others were reported wounded in the attack on rebel-held areas of eastern Damascus. According to Al Arabiya, the…

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has apparently forgotten his admission last week that the organization he heads is biased against Israel. During his visit to Israel last week, Ban told students that “Unfortunately, because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel has been weighed down by criticism and suffered from bias and sometimes even discrimination”. Ban…

The White House said on Tuesday that media reports suggesting that the United States has cut aid to Egypt are inaccurate. President Barack Obama is expected to hold a Cabinet-level meeting to discuss the issue, according to White House spokesman Josh Earnest. “That review has not concluded and … published reports to the contrary that…

Welsh singer Tom Jones, who is set to perform in Tel Aviv in October, is facing, as many others have before him, a campaign by anti-Israel activists who are calling on him to cancel the concert. According to Wales Online, a branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, a group which accuses Israel of ethnic cleansing…

Israeli and Palestinian Authority negotiators on Tuesday night concluded a third meeting as part of the renewed peace talks between the sides. The meeting, reportedly held at an undisclosed location in Jerusalem, was described as “serious”. The sides agreed to meet again soon. As usual, Israel was represented at the meeting by Justice Minister Tzipi…

The White House condemned Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s claim, made Tuesday, that Israel had a role in toppling ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, AFP reports. “What do they say about Egypt: democracy is not the ballot box. Who is behind this? It’s Israel,” Erdogan told a meeting of his Islamic-rooted Justice and Development…

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met secretly in Jerusalem on Tuesday, a senior Palestinian Authority official said, a week after US-brokered peace talks were relaunched in the Holy City.     “A meeting was held today between the Palestinian delegation, headed by Saeb Erakat and Mohammad Shtayyeh, and the Israeli delegation of (Justice Minister) Tzipi Livni and…

The ethnic and sectarian violence that is currently affecting several Arab countries could ultimately destroy the Muslim world, Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned Tuesday. His warning was issued at a conference of religious scholars in Amman. The event was attended by Shiite Muslim, Sunni Muslim and Christian clergy. The conference focused on how Muslim countries…

Medical cooperation between Israel and the neighboring Arab countries exists, claims Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a recent article. Israel’s cooperation extends itself to countries like Egypt and Jordan, who have signed peace treaties with Israel, and also to those who have a relationship with Israel without prior peace agreements. Hadassah Medical Center in…

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah took part in assisting the heaviest man alive, Khalid bin Mohsen Shaari, who weighs 1,345 pound (610kg), to the country’s capital Riyadh for medical treatments. CNN reported yesterday that the obese young man had to be fork-lifted from his apartment bedroom to an airlift heading to the King Fahd Medical City.…

The U.S. government has temporarily suspended most forms of military aid to Egypt, despite deciding not to announce publicly that the ouster of Mohammed Morsi was a coup, a leading U.S. senator told the Daily Beast. The Obama administration has decided to temporarily suspend the disbursement of most direct military aid, the delivery of weapons…

Former foreign minister MK Avigdor Lieberman, who heads the Yisrael Beytenu faction within the joint Likud / Yisrael Beytenu list, mounted a harsh verbal attack Tuesday on the newspaper Israel Hayom, which he called “Pravda” – a reference to the press organ of the communist party in the Soviet Union, which was famous for its…

Angela Merkel will become the first German chancellor to visit the former Nazi concentration camp Dachau on Tuesday, as she steps up warnings about the far-right threat while campaigning for a third term. Ahead of an evening election rally in Dachau, northwest of Munich, Merkel will arrive at the memorial at 5:45 p.m. local time.…

Mohammed Badie, the Supreme Guide of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, was arrested shortly after midnight on Monday in northern Cairo, Egypt’s interior ministry said, according to Al Ahram. Ministry spokesman Abdel-Fattah Osman was quoted as having said in a television interview that Badie was hiding in a building in Cairo’s Nasr City district near Rabaa El-Adaweya…

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, hinted on Monday that Israel was losing its patience with the repeated Syrian violations of the 1974 ceasefire between the two countries. Prosor sent a letter of complaint to the Security Council after the latest incident on Saturday, when the Israeli army fired into Syria after shells…

At a press conference Monday, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that Washington was doing its best to stabilize the situation in Egypt, but admitted that there was only so much the U.S. could do.  “Our ability to influence the outcome in Egypt is limited,” Hagel said. “It’s up to the Egyptian people. And they are…

The National Security Archive over the weekend released documents that show clearly that the CIA, along with Britain’s MI6, were responsible for the overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq in 1953. Mossadeq was eventually replaced by the Shah of Iran, who was ousted as leader in the country’s Islamic Revolution in 1979 by Ayatollah…

Islamist groups are actively planning attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets abroad, the Anti-Terror Unit of the Prime Minister’s office said Monday. Specifically, Israelis were warned to stay away from Sinai, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, a number of countries in Central Africa, and Turkey. The Turkish threat was termed “potential and ongoing,” the Unit said.…

Israel’s celebrated wine industry is set to get even bigger in the near future. An additional 2,000 dunams of vineyards dedicated to wine-making grapes will be planted this coming season, with the support of the Agricultural Ministry. The vineyards will be planted in all parts of Israel, the Ministry said. Meanwhile, the harvest of this year’s…

The military interim government in Cairo is cracking down on a key adversary – satellite news network Al Jazeera, which is widely seen as being biased in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood. “The Cabinet has assigned competent authorities to assess the legal status of the Al Jazeera satellite channel, accusing it of threatening stability and…

Islamist terror network Al-Qaeda is plotting attacks on Europe’s high-speed rail network, German newspaper Bild reported on Monday, citing U.S. intelligence sources. The group could plant explosives on trains and tunnels or sabotage tracks and electrical cabling, said the newspaper, which is Europe’s most widely-read daily. The information reportedly came from the National Security Agency…

Islamist terrorists have killed 24 security personnel in an ambush in northern Sinai, officials in Egypt have claimed, according to Sky News. The BBC reported that the people killed were members of the police. They were travelling in two buses which came under attack from armed men close to the town of Rafah, on the…

A skilled computer hacker from the Palestinian Authority, Khalil Shreateh, found a dangerous glitch in the privacy sector of Facebook. Yet, after his warnings were generally ignored by Facebook, Shreateh took matters up with the CEO of the company, Mark Zuckerberg, by breaking the rules and posting on Zuckerbergs’s wall, reported the Daily Mail. The native…

At least 36 Islamist prisoners were killed on Sunday during an attempted jailbreak, in the latest violence since Egypt moved to crush supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi, AFP reported. The violence, the deadliest in Egypt’s recent history, comes amid a relentless security crackdown on Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood movement that includes the arrest of top…

Two wounded Syrians were brought by IDF soldiers to the Ziv Medical Center in the northern Israeli city of Tzfat on Sunday night, after being hurt during the ongoing civil war in their country. The two patients were listed in moderate condition, with one suffering from a bullet wound in his stomach and the other…

The Israeli economy continues to improve, figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics released Sunday said. According to the report, the Israeli economy grew by an annualized 5.1% during the second quarter of 2013, between April and June. Earlier forecasts had said that at best, the economy would grow by just 3% this year. The…

Negotiations with Israel are paying off already for the Palestinian Authority (PA). The United States’ consul general in Jerusalem, Michael Ratney, signed an agreement Sunday with PA caretaker prime minister Rami Hamdallah, according to which the U.S. will pay the PA $148 million. PA finance minister Shukri Bishara witnessed the ceremony along with the director of…

Arab media reported Sunday that a senior Hezbollah terror leader was killed in recent days in a battle with Syrian opposition forces. The battle occurred in the Damascus area. The reports did not identify the terrorist, but in recent days Hezbollah-affiliated news outlets showed images of the funeral of senior Hezbollah commander Ali Hossam Nasser.…

Some 30,000 children throughout the country were inoculated against polio on Sunday, the first day that the inoculation effort went nationwide. According to the Health Ministry, most of the Mother and Child clinics (Tipat Halav) throughout the country were open Sunday for administration of the vaccine, and would remain open throughout the day for at…

Archaeologists working in the Mayan Gihon area in the City of David in Jerusalem have discovered many ancient artifacts, including pottery shards, clay candle holders, and figurines dating back to the times of the First and Second Temples. One recently discovered item has aroused particular interest: a pottery shard dating back to the First Temple…

Israel’s decision to release terrorist prisoners as a “gesture” to the Palestinian Authority led some Israeli MKs to criticized the United States for allegedly pushing the release. MK Ayelet Shaked (Bayit Yehudi) even wrote a strongly critical letter to Secretary of State John Kerry in which she accused him of “forcing Israel to capitulate to…

Last Thursday saw the second annual fair in Netanya designed to encourage Jews from France to immigrate to Israel. The event was initiated by the World Zionist Organization, in collaboration with the city of Netanya. The purpose of the fair was to increase the number of Jews making Aliyah from France. Potential applicants for Aliyah…

The head of the United Nations admitted this past week that the organization he heads has had a bias against Israel. “Unfortunately, because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel has been weighed down by criticism and suffered from bias and sometimes even discrimination,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon admitted during his visit to Jerusalem, according to…

Iran has about 18,000 centrifuges, including 10,000 active ones, the outgoing head of the country’s atomic agency said Saturday, according to the AFP news agency. The comments confirmed figures from the UN watchdog overseeing its disputed nuclear drive. “At the beginning of the month of Mordad (from July 23) we had 17,000 first generation centrifuges,…

Tamarod, the Egyptian movement which led the opposition to ousted President Mohammed Morsi, apparently now has a new target: the peace treaty with Israel. Egyptian media reported on Saturday that Tamarod, which amassed 22 signatures to a petition demanding Morsi’s departure before the army ousted him in July, is now collecting signatures to a new…

The Egyptian government announced on Saturday that it had begun deliberations on whether to ban the Muslim Brotherhood in the wake of the latest violence in the country, reported the Associated Press. The Brotherhood was outlawed for years until the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, after which it swept to power in…

 The civil war in Syria has turned into a religious war between Sunnis and Alawite Shiites, and according to one report, over 1,000 mosques have been deliberately destroyed in the course of the fighting. The regime of President Bashar al-Assad is Alawite Shiite, and its allies are the Shiites from Iran, Iraq and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.…

At least 173 people were killed Saturday in Egypt in heavy fighting between security forces and the Muslim Brotherhood, as the country descends into a state that could be called civil war. Security forces broke into the Al-Fatah mosque in central Cairo, where hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters had holed up. The forceful entry had been…

The Israeli army fired into Syria after shells from the neighboring country hit the Israeli side of the Golan Heights on Saturday, a military spokesman said. IDF Radio reported the Israeli attack demolished a Syrian military position. “Today, several shells fired from Syria landed in the central Golan heights, adjacent to the Israel-Syria border,” the spokesman told…

Thousands of Arab supporters of the Islamic Movement in Israel demonstrated on Saturday in support of Egypt’s ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, an AFP correspondent said. Around 4,000 people led by preacher Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement, took part in the protest in the northern city of Nazareth,…

Scores are dead in Egypt as a Muslim Brotherhood-led “day of rage” turned to bloodshed on Friday. Al Jazeera reported that at least 80 people were killed and hundreds injured in Cairo’s Ramses Square as anti-coup protesters were fired on by government forces. A protester, Said Mohammed, told Al Jazeera that the crowds were shot…

The Israeli-Arab conflict has nothing to do with the “settlements” and everything to do with Arab refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told United Nations head Ban Ki-moon on Friday. Netanyahu and Ban met in Jerusalem, and the Prime Minister asked Ban to look into the UNRWA summer camps…

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz announced on Friday that the kingdom supports Egypt in its fight “against terrorism,” reported Al Arabiya. King Abdullah said Egypt’s stability is being targeted by “haters,” warning that anyone interfering in Egypt’s internal affairs is “igniting sedition.” The Egyptian presidency hailed King Abdullah’s support, saying Egypt will “never”…

An overwhelming majority – almost 80 percent – of Israeli Jews believe a peace deal with the Palestinian Authority is impossible, an opinion poll found on Friday, according to the AFP news agency. Asked whether “this time, we will reach a final agreement that will put an end to the conflict,” 79.7 percent of respondents…

According to a report by AFP on Friday, tourists visiting the Red Sea resorts of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt were urged to stay inside their hotels in wake of the violent protests staged for today. These resorts were not under the Foreign Office’s advice against travel to Egypt, as they are deemed far…

After Muslim Brotherhood leaders gathered supporters in mosques for Friday prayers, their supporters are now marching from north-east Cairo to the city’s center in Ramses Square. According to a BBC News report, all roads leading to Ramses Square in Cairo are being blocked by officials. A state of emergency is in force and police have been authorized to use…

Most Israelis think the Oslo Accords were bad for Israel, and would not vote today for a diplomatic agreement that involves an Israeli withdrawal from Judea and Samaria (Shomron), according to a new poll from Maariv/nrg. The poll, conducted by Maagar Mohot, found that of Israelis who remember the Oslo Accords, 40% were opposed to…

UN chief Ban Ki-moon called on Israelis and Palestinians on Friday to overcome “deep scepticism” that he said risked thwarting efforts to reach a peace agreement.     “We must overcome the deep skepticism that comes from 20 years of stalemate,” Ban said at a meeting in Jerusalem with Israeli President Shimon Peres.  “I urge…

The Damascus Gate (Sha’ar Shechem in Hebrew) of the Old City of Jerusalem has been the site of violent riots and terrorism in recent weeks as local Arabs lash out at their Jewish neighbors and visitors. However, last week, during the final days of Ramadan, the high-tension area was the scene of a dramatic rescue that brought…

United States Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Thursday his country will retain its military ties with Egypt but more violence by the army could jeopardize the relationship. Hagel said he had called General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt’s defense minister and the central figure in the interim government, to express U.S. concern after Wednesday’s brutal…

”Reliant Mermaid 103,” a combined Israel Navy and United States EUCOM Naval exercise, ended on Thursday after a week and a half of combined training in the Mediterranean Sea that simulated a variety of search and rescue scenarios. “Reliant Mermaid 103” was not related to any real world events, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in…

At least 20 people have been killed by a large explosion in a southern suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut, with at least 30 reported wounded. Lebanon’s Daily Star reported that the blast took place on the main road between Rwais and Bir al-Abed. The neighborhood is a stronghold of Hezbollah. Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel…

The death toll from the violent clashes in Egypt has surpassed 600, according to updated figures released Thursday night. A spokesman for Egypt’s Health Ministry told the Al Ahram website that as of late Thursday, the casualties from Wednesday’s violence totaled 638 dead and 3,994 injured. Security sources were quoted by the AFP news agency…

Blueprints for an expansion of Holocaust hero Oskar Schindler’s Poland factory during World War II have been sold at auction online for $63,426, a New Hampshire auction house told AFP on Thursday. Dating back to 1943, and bearing the logo of German engineering firm Siemens, the construction plans refer to living quarters where Schindler housed…

Technology giant IBM has announced it is buying Israeli start-up firm Trusteer, which specializes in information security. The exact sum of money involved in buying Trusteer has not been disclosed but estimates run from $700 million to a billion dollars. Brendan Hannigan, General Manager of IBM’s Security Systems Division, announced the deal Thursday, saying that Trusteer…

U.S. President Obama said Thursday that the United States “deplores” and “strongly condemns” violence in Egypt, and as a result is canceling U.S.-Egyptian military exercises scheduled for next month.  He said the United States believes the Egyptian government’s “state of emergency should be lifted” and a process of reconciliation must begin. Obama did not suspend other forms…

 At least ten people have been killed by a large explosion in a southern suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut, with at least 30 reported wounded. Lebanon’s Daily Star reported that the blast took place on the main road between Rwais and Bir al-Abed. The neighborhood is a stronghold of Hezbollah. Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan…

At least 14 people have been killed and more than 80 injured in a series of apparently coordinated car bomb attacks in Baghdad Thursday. It is the latest attack in what has become one of the worst periods of violence in the country since the departure of US troops 18 months ago. The New York…

In a secret and complex operation, the Jewish Agency brought a group of 17 Yemenite Jews to Israel on Wednesday. The group is made of up of parents who came directly from Yemen and their children, who were taken by a group of Satmar hassidim from Yemen to Argentina two years ago. The new immigrants…

In order to save their children from the clutches of the Nazis and their Polish accomplices, many Jews in Poland handed over their young children to sympathetic Polish families during the Holocaust era. Many of those children survived physically, but not as Jews. As they grew up, many of these children aised their own children…

Prominent among the “collateral damage” victims of the ongoing violence in Egypt are the country’s Coptic Christians. Living on the tentative goodwill of the Muslim majority even during the best of times, the community has been the subject of attacks and persecution over the past year, since the fall of Hosni Mubarak, and the subsequent fall…

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will make history next week by becoming  the first German chancellor to visit the former Nazi concentration camp Dachau, AFP reported Wednesday.   The German leader will travel to the memorial near the southern city of Munich on Tuesday and, after making a short speech, lay a wreath of flowers and tour the remnants of the…

In the last few minutes, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has claimed the bombing attack which injured four Israeli soldiers on the border with Lebanon last week, saying his party “will face” any further border violations by the Jewish state. The Lebanese army had claimed that the four soldiers were located 400 meters inside Lebanese territory when the…

As violence in Egypt continues to spiral out of control, the country’s Vice President, Mohammed el-Baradei, has resigned. The Health Ministry says that 150 people have been killed and well over one thousand wounded in the clashes, which started Wednesday morning as bulldozers moved in to clear protest camps across the capital Cairo, including the largest protest…

In a statement made Wednesday by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office, Israel will begin sponsoring university students to fight Israel’s corner on social media platforms, reported BBC News. Israeli University students would receive full or partial scholarships for combating anti-Semitism and boycotts to Israel on networks such as Facebook and Twitter. “This is a groundbreaking project aimed at strengthening…

Israeli and Palestinian Authority negotiators met for around five hours on Wednesday evening. Israeli media reported that the meeting began shortly before 7:00 p.m. and ended just before midnight. According to the reports, the talks were “long and serious” and the parties agreed to meet again within days. Israeli negotiator Tzipi Livni’s office said earlier…

Supporters of ousted Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi have reportedly been lashing out at Christian targets, besides confronting the government. In Fayoum, in Upper Egypt, pro-Morsi supporters set fire to a Christian youth center located next to the Muslim youth center where they had been protesting, according to a report on Ahram Arabic cited by the…

Syrian activists have reported that the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams (ISIS) has reportedly been killed on Sunday in Salamiya, on the outskirts of Hama, according to Asharq Al-Awsat. In a statement, an opposition activist claimed that “Imad Ahmad, a Palestinian national, the commander-in-chief of the ISIS, was killed last Sunday in the eastern suburbs of…

The Egyptian interim government has declared a state of emergency, as the death toll continues to mount as security forces attempt to put an end to weeks of protest by supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi. According to the BBC, the state of emergency was set to begin at 16:00 local time. It is set to last…

Amid ongoing sectarian violence in Egypt, 10-year-old Jessica Boulous was murdered last Tuesday after walking home from her Bible lesson with her teacher. She was gunned down on the street between Ahmed Esmat Street Evangelical Church and a market while walking home, Morning Star News reports. A report by Egyptian rights activists claim that Jessica’s…

The new Palestinian Authority Prime Minister has retracted his resignation following a meeting with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, and is to begin forming a new PA government. Hamdallah was appointed as PM by Abbas following the resignation of his predecessor Salam Fayyad. Fayyad’s resignation came as the result of internal PA pressures. He was long considered…

At Ben Gurion International Airport on Tuesday morning, 331 new Olim [immigrants] began a new chapter in their lives here in Israel. Enthusiastic guests, friends, and families greeted these Olim as they stepped off the jumbo sized charter flight organized by Nefesh B’Nefesh. The Olim, who flew for 10 hours, arrived at the ceremony hall and were…

It’s no secret that former soldiers who served in the IDF’s technology units can be found in key positions in the world of Israeli hi-tech. Now several hi-tech leaders have revealed just how deep the connection goes in interviews with The Guardian. Several ex-soldiers who spoke to the paper all served in the same unit:…

During the visit, General Dempsey is scheduled to meet with Lieutenant-General Gantz and other IDF commanders to discuss cooperation and common security challenges. Dempsey is also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. “In Israel, the chairman expects to discuss the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security, including…

The city of Eilat quickly returned to routine on Tuesday morning following a rocket scare at 1 a.m. “I didn’t see any hysteria,” Mayor Meir Yitzchak Halevy told Channel 10 news. Residents of the city and tourists know what to do in case of an attack, he said, and there are sheltered areas in hotels…

A Muslim Salafist group said Tuesday that it had fired rockets at Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat overnight and said it was in retaliation for an alleged IAF missile strike on its men last Friday. The jihadist Ansar Bait el Maqdas, which operates in Sinai, took responsibility for firing the rockets and said, “The response…

According to a statement made by Fatah on Sunday, Hamas officials have launched an arrest campaign against Fatah leaders and associates in the Gaza Strip. The Ma’an News Agency reported that on Thursday, Hamas security forces raided the home of Abed al-Aziz al-Maqadma, a senior Fatah official. Hamas confiscated his personal mobile phone and computer…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday that Israel’s announcement of new construction in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria was expected and added that it should not affect the resumption of peace talks. Kerry said Israel’s new homes “were to some degree expected” and added, according to Reuters, “What this underscores is the importance…

At least one rocket was fired towards the Israeli resort city of Eilat on Monday night. Sirens were heard throughout the city shortly before 1:00 a.m. Local residents reported hearing explosions following the sirens. The Iron Dome anti-missile system, which was just recently deployed near Eilat, reportedly intercepted the rocket before it could explode in…

In a café located in Central Iraq, a suicide bomber killed 13 people on Monday, officials told the Associated Press. This has been the latest attack in a months-long surge of violence. Police said the attack wounded another 25 people in the evening blast in Balad, 80 kilometers north of Baghdad. A medical official confirmed the…

The European Union has denounced the proposal for construction in Judea and Samaria and parts of Jerusalem beyond the 1949 Armistice Line.  The EU insisted on Monday that Israel and the Palestinian Authority should “avoid any actions which would halt negotiations,” according to AFP. Michael Mann, spokesman for EU foreign affairs head Catherine Ashton, responded to the announcement…

While the government claims that the murderers being freed as a “gesture” to the Palestinian Authority (PA) committed their acts before the Oslo accords were signed by then-Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and PA head Yasser Arafat, Arutz Sheva has revealed that this is in fact not true. Arutz Sheva‘s Hagai Huberman found that while…

The Israel Davis Cup team will be fined 10,000 euros for refusing to compete on Yom Kippur, it was reported Sunday. The game against the Belgian team which was scheduled for Yom Kippur is one in a play-off series. Immediately after it became known that the game had been scheduled for Yom Kippur, the team’s…

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas vowed on Sunday that none of the terrorists that Israel will release as a “gesture” to get him to agree to peace talks will be deported to areas other than Judea, Samaria and Gaza. When Israel released more than 1,000 terrorists in exchange for soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011, it…

The European Union should put its proposed boycott of Israeli businesses in Judea and Samaria on hold in order to help the diplomatic process, President Shimon Peres suggested Sunday in a meeting with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. Peres started by welcoming Westerwelle, and telling him that Israel appreciates the role Germany has played in…