Who will tell the Haredim how to serve, who will dare to dictate conditions of service to them? To them it’s the army of the czar, who drafted them into its ranks against their will, by force.

Terrorist Arrested in Cyprus Who May Have Targeted Israelis

A man detained a week ago on suspicion of planning a terror attack in Cyprus may have targeted Israeli interests.

By Elad Benari, Canada

Cyprus authorities have detained a man on suspicion of being involved in planning a terrorist attack on the east Mediterranean island, a police spokesman said Friday.

The Associated Press quoted spokesman Andreas Angelides as having said that police have “an individual in custody on possible charges pertaining to terrorism laws.”

Angelides declined to identify the suspect, the level of his involvement in the plot and what the intended target would have been. He said disclosure of any details about the case could compromise an ongoing investigation. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: Cyprus, terrorist

Germany says it will allow religous circumcisions

Merkel says she favors religion in Germany, doesn’t want to punish circumcision if it is carried out in a responsible manner.

By REUTERS

BERLIN – Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman promised Germany’s Jewish and Muslim communities on Friday they would be free to carry out circumcision on young boys despite a court ban which has provoked concerns about religous freedom.

An infant Jewish boy at his ‘secular-friendly’ circumcision.
– Photo by Phillip Pasmanick

In a country that is especially sensitive to allegations of intolerance because of the Nazis’ slaughter of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust, the government said it would find a way around the Cologne court ban in June as a matter of urgency. Continue Reading »

Category: Jewish News | Tags: circumcisions, Germany

Israeli book leaves Iranian leaders atwitter

New book exploring alleged Israeli connection to hits on Iranian nuclear scientist is causing a stir in Tehran; but other in Iran’s media question information’s validity

By Ynet

An new book penned by two Israeli journalists and focusing on Israel’s alleged link to the assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists, is all the rage among Iran‘s top political echelon, the New York Times reported Friday.

Scene of a hit on Iranian scientist (Archvies)

According to a report, the book – “Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel’s Secret Wars,” by Dan Raviv and Yossi Melman, has “set off a buzz” among the regime, the Iranian Opposition and the Islamic Republic’s media. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: Iran Nuclear Program

How to dismantle the IDF

Who will tell the Haredim how to serve, who will dare to dictate conditions of service to them? To them it’s the army of the czar, who drafted them into its ranks against their will, by force.

By Yossi Sarid

Who is opposed to eliminating terror, who is opposed to equal sharing of the burden. We’re all unanimously in favor, nobody is opposed. My friends and I once also made the demand for conscription of the Haredim (ultra-Orthodox) a top priority, but that was a long time ago, decades ago, and eventually I changed my mind. Not because I have become wiser since then, but because I opened my eyes. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: IDF, ultra-Orthodox

IDF Soldiers Kill Armed Terrorist Near Kibbutz Erez

Muslim war against Israel never stops: armed terrorist shot dead as he tries to cross over from Gaza. 3 security actions since Thursday morning

By Gil Ronen

The Muslim war against Israel never stops: an IDF force shot dead an armed terrorist who tried to cross into Israel from Gaza near Kibbutz Erez Friday afternoon.

A security source said that the IDF force identified an infiltration attempt. As soon as the soldiers verified that the infiltrator is an armed terrorist, the soldiers opened fire on him and killed him.

The level of alert in the Jewish communities near Gaza was elevated after the incident, out of concern that additional terrorists were on the loose. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: Hamas terrorist

Iran’s Central Demand in its Negotiations

Iran did not come with clean hands when it demanded that its right to enrich uranium be recognized.

By Dore Gold

The main theme raised by Iranian negotiators during the talks with the P5+1 in Moscow last month was their claim that they have a legal right to enrich uranium under the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. David Ignatius, The Washington Post’s commentator for Middle Eastern affairs, obtained a copy of the Power Point that the Iranians used in the negotiations and he noticed that this argument appeared in the first third of the 48 page Iranian document. Ignatius understood through his contacts that for the Iranians any diplomatic compromise must include the West conceding to this Iranian demand. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: Iran, Iran Nuclear Program

The US believes Syria is moving part of their chemical stockpile

Officials concerned that Syria is moving stockpiles of sarin nerve agent, mustard gas & cyanide, shows intent to use weapons; others suggest he’s safeguarding them, ‘The Wall Street Journal’ reports.

By REUTERS

WASHINGTON- US officials said that Syria has started to move part of its chemical weapons arsenal out of storage facilities, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

Chemical WMDs (illustrative) – Photo: Reuters

The country’s undeclared stockpiles of sarin nerve agent, mustard gas and cyanide have long worried US officials and their allies in the region, the report said.

Western nations have looked for signs amid the rebellion against President Bashar Assad’s government of any change in the location of those weapons, believed to be the world’s largest stockpile.

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: Syria, WMD

Goodbye, ‘occupation’ Myth!

Op-ed: Even in purely legal terms, Israel did not occupy a single inch of Judea and Samaria

By Hagai Segal

The era of occupation in the territories ended this week. Finally. A committee headed by Judge Edmund Levy and comprising senior jurists went out on a limb by asserting that Israelis not an occupying power in Judea and Samaria; rather, it is the rightful owner.

League of Nations
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland

In diplomatic terms, this is a problematic assertion. The gentiles won’t understand how the Levy Committee’s findings fit with all the Israeli rhetoric of the past decade, ranging from former PM Sharon’s Latrun speech to current PM Netanyahu’s Bar-Ilan speech. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: 'occupation'

Mitt’s fast-day faux pas with Sheldon Adelson’s ‘tainted money’

Romney says he will not hold a fundraiser dinner in Jerusalem on a fast day; Hillary Clinton prepares to visit Egypt & Israel.

By Natasha Mozgovaya

1. Romney: No Tish’a B’Av fundraiser

Even before landing in Israel as part of a foreign trip that includes Britain, Germany and Poland, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney experienced some of the complexities of Jewish politics – reports that he intends to attend a $50-60 thousand a plate fundraiser in Jerusalem on the day of the Tish’a B’Av fast raised some eyebrows.

Romney’s campaign was quick to point out that they were fully aware of the sensitivity of the date – and while Romney will be in Israel, he will not hold fundraising at the time of the fast. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Allen West, Mitt Romney

Hevron Hills Residents Protest & say ‘Enough!’ to Road Terror

Open roads policy means deadly terrorism in the Hevron Hills’ roads.

By Maayana Miskin

Dozens of Israelis from the town of Negohot in the Hevron Hills blocked roads Thursday in protest of terrorism. Residents of Negohot and other Hevron area Israeli towns say that Israel’s open roads policy puts their lives at risk.

Three years ago Israel began opening highways in Judea and Samaria (Shomron) to Arabs living under the Palestinian Authority. Previously, PA traffic had run along parallel PA roads, while access to Israeli roads was restricted due to terrorism fears.

Since then, residents say, the simple act of driving to school or work has been fraught with danger. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: road terror, terror attack

Greek Navy Chief Visits, Discusses Cooperation with Israel

While Israel’s relations with Turkey have cooled – its security cooperation with Greece has increased.

By Gil Ronen

The Commander of the Greek Navy, Vice Admiral Kosmas Christidis, concluded his first visit to Israel Thursday, hosted by Commander in Chief of the Israeli Navy, Vice Admiral Ram Rutberg.

In the course of his visit, Vice Admiral Christidis sailed on an Israel Navy Sa’ar 5 Class corvette. He received security and strategic briefings from senior navy officers, and discussed with them the cooperation between the Israeli and Greek navies.

The admiral was welcomed by an honorary Navy guard at the Haifa Navy Base. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: Greece-Israel

Minister Ya’alon threatens Hezbollah, demands US toughen its Iranian stance

Strategic affairs minister says Iran believes itself immune from further US action before the November election & warns Hezbollah of “heavy price” if it attacks Israel at behest of Tehran or Damascus.

By REUTERS

The United States must do more to show Iran it is serious about curtailing its nuclear ambitions because the current pressure is not working, Vice Premier Moshe Ya’alon said on Thursday.

PM Netanyahu & Deputy PM Yaalon – Photo: Reuters

Ya’alon also fired a warning at the terrorist Hezbollah movement in neighboring Lebanon, saying the Shi’ite group would be crushed if it tried to attack Israel at the behest of Tehran in any future war.

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: Hezbollah, Iran, Lebanon

The UN’s perpetual refugee machine

Op-ed: Instead of resolving Palestinian refugee problem, UN agency does everything to perpetuate it

By Yoaz Hendel

The relations between Israel and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) have known ups and downs. It’s a story that features familiar UN politics, and most of all, plenty of money.

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees

A few weeks ago, UNRWA officials decided to call off summer camps for Gaza Strip children. Israeli officials raised an eyebrow. Every year, the organization runs a loud campaign regarding the need for Gaza summer camps, Israel’s indifference that prevents the transfer of “summer camp goods” and the risk that children will end up turning to radical Islamic camps. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: UNRWA