Archive for January 16, 2013

Farmers from Gaza invited to Israel Agriculture Expo

If things are calm on the security front, there is no reason not to boost agricultural and economical ties.

By Israel Today Staff

 

In yet another piece of news contradicting claims that Israel “has it out” for the Palestinians, some 30 farmers from the Gaza Strip were invited to attend an agricultural expo in southern Israel earlier this month.

Palestinian farmer – Photo by Israel Today“Agriculture knows no borders,” Uri Madar from the agriculture department at Israel’s District Coordination Office told the Ynet news portal. “If things are calm on the security front, there is no reason not to boost agricultural and economical ties.”

Ahmed Shafi, the head of the Gaza City Agricultural Association, also refuted accusations that Israel is imposing a blanket siege against Gaza with the aim of crippling its economy. Continue Reading »

Ayalon: Israelis won’t need visas for entering US within 2 years

Unlike past efforts to add Israel to the visa-exemption list that did not succeed, thanks to Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, within 2 years, there will no longer be long lines around the block at the U.S. Embassy in Israel (for those waiting to request a visa).

By Yoni Hirsch and Israel Hayom Staff

 

The United States Congress began reviewing a proposal on Tuesday to add Israel to the list of countries where citizens do not require a visa to enter the United States.

We’re coming to America. Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon in Washington D.C. on Tuesday. – Photo: Shmulik Almani

The bill was drafted by Reps.

Continue Reading »

Hadassah wires $10 million to Israel to help cover hospital’s deficit

Spread out on 2 campuses, Ein Kerem and Mt. Scopus, Hadassah Medical Center is one of the largest hospitals in Israel & the only one specializing in head trauma.

By Gil Shefler

 

NEW YORK (JTA) — Hadassah transferred $10 million to Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem to help cover its subsidiary’s $50 million deficit.

The Hadassah University Hospital-Jerusalem

The New York Jewish Week reported Monday that the Zionist women’s group took the unusual measure after learning of the deficit run up by the hospital, which was founded nearly 80 years ago.

Meanwhile, the medical center’s director general, Ehud Kokia, has submitted his resignation. The medical center’s board chair, Esti Dominissin, will fill the position until a replacement is found. Continue Reading »

View video of Donald Trump endorsing Netanyahu

American real estate billionaire praises Israeli PM as “a terrific guy, a terrific leader, & great for Israel.”

 

American real estate mogul Donald Trump expressed frustration that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu cannot be president of the United States in an interview Tuesday with The Jerusalem Post.

Donald TrumpNetanyahu, who spent much of his childhood in a Philadelphia suburb, cannot be US president, because he was born in Israel. Trump led high profile, unsuccessful efforts to prove that US President Barack Obama was not born in America and even offered to donate money to charity if Obama produced his birth certificate. Continue Reading »

Inflation rate for 2012 was at 6-year low

Consumer price index in Israel up 0.2% in December, Central Bureau of Statistics reports. Annual inflation rate totals 1.6% compared to 2.2% in 2011, 2.7% in 2010

By Amnon Atad, Calcalist

 

Israel‘s annual inflation rate continued to fall in 2012, reaching its lowest level in the past six years, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported Tuesday.

2012 inflation rate at 6-year lowDecember’s consumer price index rose by a moderate 0.2%, after the previous two months recorded a negative CPI – down 0.5% in November and 0.2% in October. September’s CPI remained unchanged from August.

The inflation rate for 2012 totals 1.6%, compared to 2.2% in 2011 and 2.7% in 2010. Continue Reading »

Report: Construction in Judea & Samaria Highest in Years

A new report by Peace Now, meant to elicit a public backlash & anger against Israeli policy, has instead been met with cheers & praise from the residents of Judea and Samaria as well as int’l supporters of Israel.

By Annie Lubin

 

A new report by a radical left-wing organization meant to elicit backlash and policy changes has been met with cheers and praise from the Yesha Council and residents of Judea and Samaria.

According to a “Settlement Watch” report published Wednesday by Peace Now, 2012 was a record year for construction and development beyond the so-called “green line,” the 1949 armistice line.

Continue Reading »

Muslim Scholar: The Qur’an Says that the ‘Holy Land’ Belongs to Israel

The Qur’an expressly recognizes that Jerusalem plays the same role for Jews that Mecca has for Muslims. True Muslims must admit that there is no real link between al-Mi’raj and sovereign rights over Jerusalem, since the city was not under Islamic but under Byzantine administration.

By Professor Abdul Hadi Palazzi

 

Jerusalem: Three-Fold Religious Heritage for a Contemporary Single Administration

Any discussion of the problem of sovereignty over Jerusalem necessarily means involvement in a kind of investigation that has political, cultural, psychological and religious implications. For Jew or Muslim, religious or secular, thinking of Jerusalem means to feel reason and sentiment mingled together. Continue Reading »

IDF Discovers Tunnel Shaft from Gaza to Israel

During Operation Pillar of Defense airstrikes destroyed dozens of tunnels but the discovery of a tunnel that leads into Israeli territory remains a top priority.

By Annie Lubin

 

A shaft to a smuggling tunnel into Gaza was discovered Monday afternoon by IDF forces who were engaged in combat near the security fence in southern Gaza.

Tunnel into Gaza discovered by the IDF

Tunnel into Gaza discovered by the IDF – IDF Spokesperson

The IDF has launched an investigation in an effort to figure out when the tunnel was built.

IDF airstrikes during Operation Pillar of Defense destroyed dozens of smuggling tunnels leading into Gaza and the army continues to make the discovery and closure of such smuggling tunnels a top priority. Continue Reading »

Facebook deactivates page of Palestinian writer posting anti-corruption articles

Veteran Journalist Khaled Abu Toameh, has had his Facebook account deactivated because of Hamas & PA threats, ‘simply’ for posting articles detailing Palestinian Authority corruption.

by The Commentator

 

Social networking website Facebook has today been accused of attempting to silence critics of the Palestinian Authority as it cracked down on the page owned by Arab-Israeli writer Khaled Abu Toameh.

Khaled-abu-toameh

Arab-Israeli writer Khaled Abu Toameh

Abu Toameh, the son of an Arab Israeli father and a Palestinian mother, is a former senior reporter for the Jerusalem Post. He has reported that as of yesterday, his Facebook page had been deactivated.

The Commentator has learned that following complaints from the Palestinian Authority and Jordanian security authorities about his articles dealing with corruption, Facebook had taken the steps necessary to effectively censor his work.

Continue Reading »

The word ‘Jew’, is the new ‘cool’ in Dutch, linguist says

Dutch teenagers use the word “jood” as an expression of enthusiasm.

The kids are also using the Yiddish word “tof” as “good.”

By JTA

 

THE HAGUE – Dutch teenagers are using “Jew” akin to “cool” or “awesome” in English, according to a linguist from Leiden University.

Jewish gay participants cruises canals in Holland. Photo by REUTERS - Michael KoorenProfessor Marc van Oostendorp wrote Monday on his blog that he heard the new usage of the word “jood” (pronounced yode) at a high school in Leiden shortly after learning about the phenomenon from an online forum about the Dutch language.“One is at first unsettled by it. The word Jew is still a slightly sensitive issue if used improperly,” van Oostendorp wrote, adding an example of how soccer fans use it as a pejorative.
Continue Reading »

Police foil Palestinians’ plans to return to E-1 outpost

Regional Arabs try to return to tent encampment in disputed E-1 area following Sunday’s forced evacuation; Israeli Border Guard block their path at entrance to main road.

By Elior Levy, Itamar Fleishman

 

Dozens of Palestinians on Tuesday attempted to return to the Bab al-Shams outpost they recently erected in the disputed E1 area between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim.

Arabs try to enter E1 outpost  Photo by Ohad ZwigenbergThe Palestinians attempted to arrive at the site on foot, but Israeli security forces chased after them and managed to block them at the entrance to the main road leading to the site.

The tent encampment was evacuated by Israeli security forces on Sunday, citing security concerns. Continue Reading »

Israeli cabinet secretary: Israel to renovate 9 West Bank ‘National Heritage Sites’

Israeli Cabinet Secretary Tzvi Hauser says Israel is adding handicapped access to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, and the obligation to renovate is unrelated to politics.

 

The Israeli government says it is moving forward on a plan to invest in places it considers part of Israel’s national heritage, including nine West Bank sites.

The Cave of the Patriachs in Hebron. – Photo: Hagai Ofen

Israeli Cabinet Secretary Tzvi Hauser says Israel is adding handicapped access to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, a site in the West Bank city of Hebron sacred to both Jews and Muslims. The announcement comes a week before Israeli elections and could appeal to hard-line voters. Continue Reading »

Obama: Israel doesn’t know what’s in it’s own best interests

Obama said repeatedly, “Israel doesn’t know what its own best interests are….Netanyahu is so captive to the settler lobby,”

By Gil Ronen

 

The Atlantic‘s Jeffrey Goldberg, writing in Bloomberg View, has revealed that U.S. President Barack Obama said repeatedly recently that

Barack Obama

Barack Obama – Reuters

When informed about the Israeli decision to approve construction plans in the E1 area, “Obama, who has a famously contentious relationship with the prime minister, didn’t even bother getting angry,” wrote Goldberg. “He told several people that this sort of behavior on Netanyahu’s part is what he has come to expect, and he suggested that he has become inured to what he sees as self-defeating policies of his Israeli counterpart. Continue Reading »

Jewish synagogue found where Jesus may have taught

When the synagogue was first discovered in 2009, the archaeological team found a large stone table or altar with intricate carvings.

By  Israel Today Staff

 

A team of archaeologists from Israel’s Antiquities Authority have unearthed an ancient synagogue with some very unique characteristics in a small Galilee village frequented by Jesus and his disciples.

Migdal synagogueThe synagogue was found in Migdal (known in the New Testament as Magdala), which sits just north of Tiberias on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

During Jesus’ time, Magdala was a thriving fishing village, and home to many of his followers, most notably Mary Magdalene (literally: Mary of Magdala). Continue Reading »

Arab shot near Gaza border; IDF denies any involvement

Palestinian officials accuse IDF soldiers of shooting the man near the border. The Gazan, taken for treatment later dies of head injury at Shifa hospital.

 

By REUTERS

Palestinian medical officials accused Israeli soldiers of killing a farmer in the Gaza Strip on Monday, but a military spokeswoman denied any Israeli involvement.

IDF vehicle patrols along Gaza border fence - Photo REUTERSMustafa Abu Jarad was shot in the head in the town of Beit Lahiya on the border with Israel, said Gaza’s health ministry, run by the territory’s Islamist Hamas rulers.

The 21-year-old was taken to Shifa hospital but died later, said doctors.

An IDF spokeswoman said officials had checked “and apparently the incident is not related to the Israeli army.”

Continue Reading »