Archive for June 30, 2012

Former PM Yitzhak Shamir passes away at age 96 in Tel Aviv

Israel’s seventh prime minister passes away in Tel Aviv nursing home, scheduled to be laid to rest in state funeral on Monday; receives praise from across political spectrum for uncompromising loyalty to Israel.

 

 

Former prime minister Yitzhak Shamir passed away at the age of 96 on Saturday at the nursing home in which he resided in Tel Aviv after a long illness.

He will be laid to rest at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl Cemetery in a state funeral on Monday after his son, Yair, returns from abroad. The procession will begin at the Knesset, where the public will be invited to pay its last respects.

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UNESCO Approves PA ‘Emergency’ Bid for Church of Nativity

UNESCO approves the PA’s bid to place the Church of the Nativity on its list of sites of World Heritage in Danger.

By Elad Benari, Canada 

 

 

UNESCO’s World Heritage committee on Friday approved a Palestinian Authority bid to place the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on its list of sites of World Heritage in Danger.

A report in The Associated Press quoted PA spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi as having said the vote was an affirmation of “Palestinian sovereignty” over the site that marks the place where Christians believe Jesus was born.

Church of the Nativity

Church of the Nativity - Reuters

Israel angrily denounced the vote. Continue Reading »

Israelis line up for Polish citizenship

Number of Israeli citizens hoping to gain Polish citizenship has increased since Poland joined EU. Israelis say they view Polish passport as ticket to European prosperity

Itamar Eichner

 

Since Poland joined the European Union in 2004, the Polish Embassy building in Tel Aviv has become a site of pilgrimage for a growing tide of Israelis who are seeking to claim Polish citizenship.

European passport Photo: Index Open

European passport - Photo: Index Open

Over 10,000 Israelis have applied to become citizens of their parents’ and grandparents’ homeland and received the sought-after document, according to the Polish Embassy in Israel.

According to data published on the occasion of the annual Business Opportunities in Poland conference, some 20,000 Israelis also hold Polish citizenship, some 50 percent of whom became Polish citizens after Poland joined the EU. Continue Reading »

Fatah to Israel: Do What We Want, or Face Intifada

If Israel does not agree to terms laid out by the PA, Fatah recommends a new intifada to for Israel to give the PA what it wants

By David Lev 

 

If Israel does not surrender all the lands liberated in the Six Day War of 1967, set up an Arab state with Jerusalem as its capital, and make significant concessions in accepting as citizens descendants of Arabs who fled Israel in 1948, a third intifada should, and must, be conducted. The call for a new “uprising of the people” against Israel was part of a the summation statement issued at the end of the two day Palestinian Revolutionary Council (PRC) general meeting held this week. Continue Reading »

PA and Israel negotiate over Palestinian water shortage

Head of Palestinian Water Authority says Israel wants to increase price of the water it supplies to the PA from NIS 2.60 for one cubic liter to NIS 3.70, concedes that there are additional water problems being caused by poor management on the Palestinian side.

By Israel Hayom Staff

 

 

In an interview with Palestinian news agency Ma’an, the head of the Palestinian Water Authority Shadad al-Ateli said on Wednesday that Israel is seeking to increase the price of the water it supplies to the Palestinian Authority, raising it from 2.60 shekels for one cubic liter to 3.70 shekels. Al-Ateli claimed the change will cost the Palestinian Treasury around 700 million shekels (which is the equivalent of around $177 million).

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Israel’s top 10 airport security technologies

 

No-one understands security like the Israelis, that’s why some of the world’s best new innovative airport security technologies are being developed in Israel.

 

 

Since the attempted terror attack on board a US airplane last Christmas day, airport authorities around the world are in a race to find novel solutions to fight terror. Israeli strategic and technical tactics feature high on their lists. What’s the secret to the country’s success in keeping Ben Gurion Airport terror free?

“Israel concentrates on the passengers and not their luggage so we have a real edge over the rest of the world in protecting travelers,” says Rafi Sela, a top security consultant and former chief security officer at the Israel Airport Authority. Continue Reading »

Hamas operatives head to Jordan for assassinated terrorist’s funeral

Group’s Politburo Chief Khaled Mashaal, other officials attend funeral of Hamas member who was assassinated in Damascus. ‘He survived several attempts on his life,’ say anonymous Hamas source

By Elior Levy

 

 

The mystery surrounding the assassination of Hamas official Kamal Ranaja in Damascus on Wednesday has yet to be resolved, but media outlets released new details Thursday shedding light on the life of the man who replaced Mahmoud al-Mabhouh and was claimed to be a key player in the organization’s military wing.

Ranaja

Ranaja

According to reports, between 12 and 24 hours passed before Ranaja’s body was discovered. Several eyewitnesses have reported that the house was torched by the assassins, but neighbors claim only the kitchen and entrance were set on fire. Continue Reading »

Hareidi Youth to Bear Olympic Torch

A hareidi young man with seven charities to his name will carry the Olympic Torch in London.

By Maayana Miskin

 

A hareidi-religious young man from London will be among those carrying the Olympic Torch in Britain this summer. Efraim Goldstein, 22, was chosen due to his long history of volunteerism.

The sun sets at London's Olympic Park

The sun sets at London's Olympic Park - Reuters

Goldstein had established seven volunteer organizations by the age of 16. The groups he set up now have a total of several hundred volunteers.

Efraim currently volunteers for the Shomrim Patrol, an emergency search and rescue group that he established. He also runs a soup kitchen for the homeless, and visits sick children through the Helping Hand organization. Continue Reading »

Assassination in Damascus: ‘Mabhouh’s aide’ killed

Islamist group says it is launching investigation to discover who is behind ‘despicable crime.’ Al-Mayadeen: Kamal Ranaja served as aide to top Hamas man killed in Dubai in 2010

Elior Levy

 

 

A senior Hamas operative has been assassinated in his Damascus apartment, the Islamist terror group announced Wednesday evening.

According to a statement by a member of Hamas’ politburo, the organization did not know who was responsible for the death of Kamal Ranaja, known as Nizzar Abu-Mujhad, but was launching an investigation to discover who is behind the “despicable crime.”

There was no word about the manner in which Ranaja met his death. Continue Reading »

Hamas Terror Mastermind Convicted of 46 Murder

Israeli military court rules that Hamas member Ibrahim Hamad is guilty of ordering terror attacks which murdered 46 Israelis.

By Elad Benari

 

An Israeli military court ruled on Wednesday that Ibrahim Hamad, the former commander of Hamas’ military wing in the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria, is guilty of the murder of 46 Israelis.

Ibrahim Hamad in court

Ibrahim Hamad in court - Photo: Reuters

According to a report on Channel 2 News, Hamad was convicted of involvement in a series of suicide terror attacks. These include an attack at the Sheffield Club in Rishon Letzion which killed six Israelis, a suicide attack at Café Moment in Jerusalem which killed 12 people, an attack at the Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall in Jerusalem and an attack at the cafeteria of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Continue Reading »

Islamic Movement outraged at Putin’s visit to Western Wall

“The wall is a holy Muslim site that is exclusive to Muslims,” Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage writes on its website; Islamic Movement spokesman calls Putin a “Russian bear who licks the blood of our relatives in Syria” and accuses him of sucking up to Israel.

by Israel Hayom Staff

 

 

Wearing a kippah (a skullcap worn by religious Jewish men), Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Western Wall — Judaism’s holiest site — in Jerusalem on Tuesday, sparking the rage of many Israeli Muslims.

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Tuesday. | Photo credit: AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Tuesday. - Photo: AP

The official spokesman of the Islamic Movement — a group that advocates Islam among Israel’s Arab citizens — issued harsh criticism against Putin, saying that the “Russian bear, who licks the blood of our relatives in Syria” had adopted a stance that “sucks up to the Israeli institution at any cost.”

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Liberman on Iranian VP: Hitler also said crazy things

FM says Iranian regime is composed of anti-Semitic fanatics who seek the destruction of Israel after Iranian VP Rahimi blames Jews for controlling int’l drug trade at UN-sponsored conference in Tehran.

By JPOST.COM STAFF

 

 

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman on Wednesday condemned Iranian first  Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi for a speech he gave at a UN conference in Tehran on Tuesday in which he blamed Jews for controlling the international drugtrade.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman - Photo: Ronen Zvulun / Reuters

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman - Photo: Ronen Zvulun / Reuters

“Hitler also said crazy things and succeeded in carrying out his plan,” Liberman stated, adding that the world has not yet fully come to understand the danger that Iran poses. Continue Reading »

‘Zionists to blame for world drug trade’

In blatantly anti-Semitic speech Iranian VP Mohammad Reza Rahimi says Jews, Talmud incite global narcotics trade. ‘Jews think they’re a superior race,’ he blasts

Ynet

 

In blatantly anti-Semitic speech, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi condemned the “Zionists” and the teachings of the Talmud for “inciting global drug trade and addiction in a bid to annihilate non-Jewish communities,” Iran‘s Fars News Agency reported Wednesday.

Mohammad Reza Rahimi Photo: EPA

Mohammad Reza Rahimi - Photo: EPA

Rahimi, who spoke during a ceremony marking International Day against Drug Abuse held in Tehran on Tuesday, said that it is, in fact, the Talmud, which is a central text of Judaism, that “teaches (Zionists) how to destroy non-Jews so as to protect an embryo in the womb of a Jewish mother.” Continue Reading »

Abbas Lauds Putin in Bethlehem with ‘Dead Man’s Honor’

Putin had to swallow hard when Abbas named a road in Bethlehem in honor of his guest. In Europe, the honor is reserved for the dead.

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin had to swallow hard Tuesday when Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas surprised him by naming a road in Bethlehem in honor of his guest. In Europe, as in Israel, the honor is reserved for those who are dead.

 Abbas and Putin walk past an honor guard in Bethlehem Tuesday

Abbas and Putin walk past an honor guard in Bethlehem Tuesday - Reuters

Putin, speaking in Jordan after his visits to the Palestinian Authority and Israel, admitted he was “at a bit of a loss” when Abbas named the Bethlehem street after him. Continue Reading »

US Senate urges Munich Olympic moment of silence

Legislative body passes resolution calling on Olympic C’tee to commemorate Munich massacre at upcoming London games.

By JTA

 

WASHINGTON — The US Senate unanimously passed a resolution urging the International Olympic Committee to observe a moment of silence at the 2012 London Olympics for the Munich 11.

The Senate resolution, which passed Monday,  is part of a larger global effort calling on the IOC to honor the 11 Israeli athletes and coaches who were murdered at the 1972 Games in Munich by members of the Palestinian terrorist group Black September. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced the measure.

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