Archive for August 19, 2013

Russia’s Jewish Autonomous Region Under Flood Threat

As worst floods of past 120 years hit, about 170,000 people have already been evacuated from Amur, Khabarovsk & Birobidzhan provinces, near Russia’s border with China. Birobidzhan,was once intended to serve as an alternative Soviet homeland for the Jews.

By Reuters

 

 

As many as 100,000 people may be evacuated from their homes near Russia’s border with China if the region’s biggest floods for 120 years get worse, Russian media reported on Saturday.

A boy watches his father gets water from a hydrant in Khabarovsk, on the banks of the Amur river, Ru

A boy watches his father gets water from a hydrant in Khabarovsk, on the banks of the Amur river, Russia. – Photo: Reuters

The floods, caused by a month of unusually heavy rain, are not expected to start receding until early September, the head of Russia’s hydrometeorology monitoring service told news agency Ria Novosti. Continue Reading »

‘Palestinian’ Hacked Zuckerberg’s Facebook Account

After Facebook ignored his glitch discovery when reported, Palestinian computer expert Khalil Shreateh, demonstrated his point by hacking CEO Marc Zuckerberg’s personal page leaving him a message.

By Kochava Rozenbaum

 

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

Facebook - Photo: IsraelandStuff/PP

Facebook illustrative – Photo: IsraelandStuff/PP

The native Arabic speaker wrote to the Facebook security team: “My name is Khalil Shreateh. Continue Reading »

Former Minister Beilin: The Egyptian Army Rigged Last Election

Former Israeli  minister reveals that the Egyptian Generals, fearing violent protests from the Muslim Brotherhood as are happening now, rigged the results of Egypt’s last elections to maintain the peace.

By Elad Benari

 

Former minister Yossi Beilin revealed in a column published in the Israel Hayom daily on Sunday that the Egyptian army rigged the results of last year’s presidential elections, in which Islamist Mohammed Morsi was declared the winner.

“An Egyptian official told me in person that the army rigged the presidential elections in June 2012, fearing widespread riots should the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate, Mohammed Morsi, lose the race,” wrote Beilin. Continue Reading »

United States paying Abbas $148M to stay at Peace Table

Continuing the “peace talks” with Israel is paying big-time for the Palestinian Authority. They’ve succeeded in receiving huge ‘pay-offs’ for each attendance.

By Gil Ronen

 

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 the United States Agency for International Development, David Harden, reported the Bethlehem-based Maan news agency.

“Hamdallah applauded the US government for supporting the Palestinian people financially and noted that the latest grant would help Palestinian institutions continue to provide services to citizens,” said Maan, which is seen as a semi-independent news agency. Continue Reading »

Here we go again: PLO charges Israel with ‘war crimes, anti-human, racist acts’

 

With Abbas having little or no support with other Palestinian factions, PLO leaders say talks are “cover for settlement project”.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH, HERB KEINON
 

 

The PLO leadership on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Israel and threatened to go to international agencies to punish it for its “war crimes, anti-human racist acts and violations of international laws.”

PA's Abbas heads meeting of PLO Executive  C'tee

PA’s Abbas heads meeting of PLO Executive C’tee – Photo: REUTERS

The attack came during a meeting in Ramallah of the PLO Executive Committee under the chairmanship of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The PLO leaders said they would not accept a situation where the peace talks with Israel, which resumed recently, would become a “political cover for the implementation of the largest settlement project.”

Continue Reading »

U.S. to Israel: Free murdering terrorists, but not killers of Americans

After capitulating to unknown pressure on PM Netanyahu to take steps that would brings Arabs to peace-table, the U.S. State Department was very concerned and opposed of Israel releasing a terrorist who murdered former U.S. Marine in Israel.

By Maayana Miskin

 

Israel’s decision to release terrorist prisoners as a “gesture” to the Palestinian Authority led some Israeli MKs to criticize 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 terrorism.”

Abbas welcomes freed terrorists – Reuters

Arutz Sheva posted an article by David Bedein on Monday, August 12 – before the prisoner release – that exposed the fact that terror victim Frederick Rosenfeld, whose murderer was to be released, was an American citizen, and told the tragic story. Continue Reading »

Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei blames Israel & US for turmoil in Egypt, Syria & Lebanon

 

 

Iranian supreme leader Tweets that former ousted president Hosni Mubarak is a “servant to the Zionists.”

In earlier tweet he posted that the “Zionist regime” is behind the turmoil in all of the Arab countries. “Muslims must beware,”

By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
 

 

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is placing the blame for Egypt’s political turmoil on Jerusalem and Washington.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – Photo: Ho New / Reuters

The Shi’ite religious leader took to his official Twitter account on Saturday, to attack Egypt’s former leader Hosni Mubarak and his relations with Israel and the US.“Mubarak’s
Continue Reading »

Israel begins countrywide Polio vaccination campaign

 

After 50,000 plus children have already been vaccinated in southern Israel, Health authorities gear up to vaccinate all children under age 9 nationwide.

By Yaron Kelner


Parents of children residing in northern and central Israel who were born after January 1, 2004 were called on Sunday morning to join a nationwide campaign of vaccinations against polio.

Vaccines in Tel Aviv (Photo: Motti Kimchi)


Vaccines in Tel Aviv – Photo: Motti Kimchi

Vaccinations have been administered in southern Israel for the past two weeks in the form of a live and weakened vaccine against the deadly virus. The vaccinations will take place in Health Ministry‘s Tipat Halav baby clinics, as well health care clinics in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Continue Reading »

Past Lebanese PM: Hezbollah pulling us into ‘Syrian fire’

Lebanese Sunni leader and ex-PM Saad al-Hariri, responds to Nasrallah’s statement that Hezbollah would escalate its military support for Assad’s regime.

By Reuters
 

Lebanon’s leading Sunni Muslim politician Saad al-Hariri accused Hezbollah on Saturday of dragging the country deeper into Syria’s civil war after the Shi’ite militant group’s leader said he was ready to go to Syria himself to fight.

Hezbollah supporters cheer Nasrallah as he broadcasts his speech from a hidden underground bunker that protects him from Arab assassins & Israel. – Photo: AP

Hariri, a former prime minister, was responding to a speech by Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah who said that a car bomb in Shi’ite southern Beirut would only redouble the group’s military support for Syrian President Bashar Assad. Continue Reading »

First Temple Era Pottery Found in City of David

The archaeologists who discovered the pottery shards with writing dating back 2,700 years say the find sheds more light on life in Jerusalem during the period of the First Temple.

By Shlomo Pyutrokovski

 

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.

The pottery shard – Courtesy of Israel Antiquities Authority

One recently discovered item has aroused particular interest: a pottery shard dating back to the First Temple period that includes part of a phrase etched into its rim. Continue Reading »

Haifa Launched Unique ‘Metronit’, Fast Stretched-Bus System

Friday, Israel’s northern city of Haifa launched a special fast stretched-bus system, the Metronit, aimed at reducing traffic & commuting times.

By Maayana Miskin

 

The city of Haifa’s Metronit system launched on Friday. The system is undergoing  a test run, during which passengers can ride the Metronit buses for free.

Haifa’s Metronit mass-transit system launched on Friday

City officials will weigh the impact of the new system and will consider changes to local bus routes.

The Metronit system uses a special extra-long, fast bus, with several doors to allow for quicker pauses at crowded bus stops. The bus will be given precedence at intersections and will have several streets to itself, allowing it to progress quickly through the city. Continue Reading »

Israeli Jumbo Jet returns to airport to retrieve cancer-stricken girl

 

When Passport was found on board, El Al pilot turns packed airliner AROUND to retrieve cancer-stricken girl, 11, after having to leave her behind when she lost her passport.

 

By Ryan Gorman

 

An Israeli airline – with the support of everyone on-board – turned around a plane to pick up an 11-year-old cancer patient.

Planes almost never turn around: No one could believe the plane returned to pick up Chomsky

Planes almost never turn around: No one could believe the plane returned to pick up Chomsky

All set to fly to New York August 7 to attend a camp for paediatric cancer patients, Inbar Chomsky, was taken off an El-Al Airlines flight after her passport went missing. Continue Reading »

Egypt’s Tamarod party calls on gov’t to cancel Israel peace treaty & stop US aid

 

The Tamarod movement played a major role in the ousting of President Morsi, is now demanding a referendum on banning US aid, canceling the peace agreement with Israel, & rewording security-related treaties to allow Egypt to “revive its national sovereignty”.

By JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERS

 

 

 

The Tamarod (“Rebellion”) movement in Egypt has joined a campaign calling to stop US aid to Egypt, and to cancel the 1979 Camp David peace treaty with Israel, Daily News Egypt reported on Saturday.

Menachem Begin, Jimmy Carter and Anwar Sadat at Camp David in 1978.

Menachem Begin, Jimmy Carter and Anwar Sadat at Camp David in 1978. – Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The campaign is in response to “unacceptable” US interference in Egyptian political affairs, after US President Barack Obama decided to cancel a joint drill with the Egyptian military in response to the outbreak of violence in the country earlier this week. Continue Reading »

NYT Report: Israel promised General al-Sisi US military aid would continue

 

The New York Times reported Western diplomats saying Israel & Egyptian defense ministers are maintaining constant communication even as blood flows in streets of Egypt.

According to sources, Israel doesn’t give any weight to the US threat to cut Egyptian aid.

By Yitzhak Benhorin

The White House was unprepared for what is happening in Egypt, The New York Times reported on Saturday, quoting diplomatic sources that said that Israel and Egyptian Defense Minister General Abdel Fatah al-Sisi have been in close contact. These same diplomats say that Israel assured Egypt it did not have to worry about the US threat to cut its enormous aid package to that country. Continue Reading »

IDF Retaliates After Syrian Shells Target Golan Heights

IDF Radio reported Saturday evening that the Israeli response destroyed a Syrian military position, the source of the attack on Israel.

By Arutz Sheva

 

 

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 AFP.

Israeli military “forces carried out a pinpoint strike, targeting the source of the shooting. A hit was confirmed.” Continue Reading »