February 2014 Archives

Report: Vatican Maneuvering for Control of Mount Zion in Jerusalem

Christian leaders pressuring Israel to relinquish to the Vatican control of Mt. Zion housing King David’s tomb, and the building with the ‘last supper’ hall.

By Maayana Miskin

Christian leaders reportedly pressured Israel to turn over control of Mount Zion in Jerusalem during a clandestine meeting of senior city officials.

The meeting took place Tuesday in the office of Attorney Amnon Merhav, the director-general of the Jerusalem municipality. It was attended by officials from the Prime Minister’s Office, President’s Office, Tourism Ministry, Police, Kotel Rabbi’s Office, and more.

During the meeting, representatives of Christian groups in the capital pushed Jerusalem leaders to give the Catholic Church control over the Mount Zion area that includes the “Hall of the Last Supper.” Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Catholic Church, Jerusalem, King David's Tomb, Mount Zion

US Professors Follow Scarlett Johansson’s Lead in Rejecting Boycotts of Israel

248 heads of major American universities & colleges publicly object to the ASA academic boycott of the Jewish state.

By Yossi Aloni

Scarlet Johansson is not alone. At least 248 major colleges and universities in the US have outright rejected any boycott of Israel

zzz Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson is not alone in her principled stance against boycotts targeting Israel. Following intense activity by Jewish organizations, Israeli consulates and various friends of Israel, the heads of no fewer than 248 major American universities and colleges have in recent weeks openly stated their rejection of an academic boycott against the Jewish state. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: BDS, Israel boycott

Bank of Israel chief warns ultra-Orthodox & Arab sectors could drag economy backward

Dr. Karnit Flug, the Bank of Israel Governor, believes a tax increase may be required to meet needs created by growing demographic trends in Arab and haredi sectors.

United Torah Judaism MK calls Flug’s comments “incitement.”

By Hezi Sternlicht, Zeev Klein, Yehuda Shlezinger

Current demographic trends could cause Israel’s economy to regress in terms of employment rates, Bank of Israel Governor Dr. Karnit Flug warned Monday.

Bank of Israel Governor Dr. Karnit Flug – Photo: Lior Mizrahi

Flug, speaking at a Central Bureau of Statistics seminar, said that “the makeup of the population is expected to change, with greater weight comprised by the Arab and especially the haredi sectors.” Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Bank of Israel, Demographics, Israel economy, taxes

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Israeli agricultural know-how boosts East African farms

The UN awarded Israeli agro-tech company Amiran, a prize for helping eradicate extreme poverty & hunger, one of the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals for Africa.

By Ben Sales

NAIROBI, Kenya (JTA) — Bags of seeds from the Israeli seed company Hazera Genetics line the shelves of one warehouse.

Chris Mutune, a greenhouse caretaker for Amiran Kenya, working in one of the company’s sample greenhouses. (Ben Sales)

Another houses rolls of plastic from StePac, an Israeli firm whose bags can keep vegetables fresher for longer.

In a third warehouse are rows of coiled hoses, each pricked with holes engineered by Netafim, the Israeli company that pioneered drip irrigation. Continue Reading »

Category: Innovations & Discoveries, The Diaspora | Tags: agriculture, farmers, hi-tech, Israel Kenya, Israeli Technology

Two Syrian shells explode in Golan Heights

Once again Syrian shells land relatively near Israel’s border fence with Syria.

No injury or damage reported.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN

Two mortar shells exploded in the Golan Heights on Tuesday afternoon.

The shells were fired amidst battles between the Syrian army and rebels.

A SOLDIER from the Nahal Reconnaissance Company looks out at the border with Syria. – Photo: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post

The explosions, which caused no injuries or damage occurred near the border fence between Israel and Syria.

Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited a field hospital on the Golan Heights treating Syria’s wounded.

The Golan sees periodic fallout from the fighting in Syria in the form of mortar shells.

Category: Israel News | Tags: Golan Heights, IDF, Syrian unrest

2,300 yr-old town discovered outside Jerusalem

During the construction of a gas pipe line 6 months ago, a Second Temple era rural town was found and has been under excavation ever since.

By Aryeh Savir, Tazpit

Remains of a village that is 2,300 years old have been uncovered near the “Burma Road”, on the main route to Jerusalem.

The excavated village – Photo: Skyview, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority

The remnants of the rural town, which was lived in for approximately two centuries during the Second Temple era were first discovered in June 2013, when Israel Natural Gas Lines (INGL) began construction on a gas line running from the coast to the outskirts of Jerusalem. Continue Reading »

Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Jewish News | Tags: archaeology, Israel Antiquities Authority

Israel boycott fears facilitated 2 foreign bidders to withdraw ports tender

2 local joint concerns and a Chinese company remain in contention to build the private port facilities in Ashdod & Haifa.

By Avi Bar-Eli

The deterioration of Israel’s international standing has been evident this week as at least two leading international companies bidding to build private seaports here dropped out of the government’s tender due to concerns over the political repercussions.

The Haifa port. – Photo: Albatross Aerial Photography

Royal Boskalis Westminster, a Dutch operator of ports that had submitted a proposal under the name Holland Terminal in the prequalification stage last December, dropped out shortly thereafter. More recently, Italy’s Condote de Agua withdrew after passing the prequalification process.

Category: Israel News | Tags: Ashdod Port, BDS, Buisness, Haifa Port, Israel boycott

Rambam Medical Center in Haifa Saves Lives of 2 Pregnant Women from Gaza

Israel puts politics aside and continues saving the lives of Palestinian Arabs on a daily basis.

By Tova Dvorin

Israel accepts medical patients from Gaza for treatment on a regular basis, often as many as 70 patients per day.

The twins leaving Gaza – Piotr Flitr

But even the most seasoned Israeli doctors were surprised earlier this month when two separate, rare high-risk pregnancy cases were admitted to the same hospital, just days apart.

H., 35, was the first to arrive. The Gaza native was nine months pregnant and suffering from a rare blood clotting disorder which could endanger her life if she gave birth to her twins naturally. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Gaza, medical attention, Rambam Medical Center

El Al’s launches its low-cost carrier UP in late March

UP airlines will operate 36 discount flights to 5 European cities starting this spring. Just remember to bring your own lunch.

By Zohar Blumenkrantz

Cheap flights to Berlin, Budapest and three other European cities will be available 36 times a week when El Al Airlines’ new low-cost carrier takes to the air for the first time March 30, El Al announced Monday.

El Al CEO Eliezer Shkedi at the launch of UP, the airline’s new, low-cost brand. – Photo: Ofer Vaknin

The number of flights offered by the discount brand, called UP, will jump to 52 a week in July and August. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Ben Gurion International Airport, El Al

Israel’s PM Netanyahu: ‘Israel’s boycotters are classic anti-Semites’

Addressing the Conference of Presidents in Jerusalem, PM Netanyahu slams nuclear talks with Iran, saying they will lead nowhere, and repeated his calls for Palestinian recognition of Jewish Israel.

By i24NEWS

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Monday evening the recent international wave of boycotts against Israel, focusing especially on the European boycotters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference with his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper (unseen) following their meeting in Jerusalem, on January 21, 2014 – Photo: Menahem Kahana/AFP

“There is a new campaign against us. [People] think the boycotts will hurt us. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: BDS, Conference of Presidents, Iranian nuclear program, Israel boycott

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Arabs Attacked Jewish Holy Site Over 200 Times in 2013

Rachel’s Tomb, a favorite site for Palestinian Arab mobs seeking incitement, regularly hurls fire-bombs and throws rocks at the Jewish worshipers.

By Israel Today Staff

Think the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is winding down? Think again. In 2013 alone, one of Judaism’s holiest sites, the traditional tomb of the biblical matriarch Rachel, was attacked no fewer than 200 times by Palestinian mobs.

Rachel’s Tomb front gate – Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Rachel’s Tomb, located just inside Bethlehem, is a highly frequented place of prayer for religious Jews. While the holy site is situated in Palestinian-controlled territory, the “Oslo Accords” afford Israel security control over Rachel’s Tomb in order to ensure the right of Jews to worship there. Continue Reading »

Category: Jewish News | Tags: incitement to violence, Rachel's Tomb, ‘Palestinian’ incitement

Google scoops up its 5th Israeli company

Google acquires its 5th Israeli company, SlickLogin, a 3-person company that developed tools to verify user ID through audio signals sent via a smartphone app.

By Ilan Gattegno

Google has purchased yet another company, continuing its Israeli buying streak. SlickLogin, the Tel Aviv-based startup, developed technology that verifies and authenticates user identity (when logging onto a website) by using an audio signal sent through a smartphone app.

Google purchases Israeli company SlickLogin – Photo: YouTube Screenshot

Founders Or Zelig, Eran Galili and Ori Kabeli began developing their program in August 2013; in September, they presented it at San Francisco’s technology startup conference TechCrunch Disrupt and only in December registered as an official company.

Category: Israel News | Tags: app, Buisness, Google

Huckabee in Jerusalem, lambasts BDS movement & peace negotiations

Huckabee praised Scarlett Johanssen saying boycotting Israel is “embarrassingly stupid since Israel is the one place (in the Middle East) where freedom exists.”

By DANIEL K. EISENBUD

Presumptive 2016 US Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee did not mince words regarding his stances on the burgeoning Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement and floundering Palestinian peace negotiations while visiting the capital Monday.

Presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee in Jerusalem – Photo: DANIEL K. EISENBUD

During a press conference held at Jerusalem’s Bible Lands Museum, Huckabee patently denounced the BDS movement as “embarrassingly stupid,” and questioned the substance and viability of US-brokered peace talks. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: BDS, Israel boycott, Mike Huckabee, Scarlett Johanssen

israelandstuffcom | February 17, 2014

IDF’s newest American recruit, the Talon – The perfect tunnel explorer

Lean, mean, & great in small dark places, the IDF’s elite engineering unit presents Talon, a new American robot recruit.

By Yoav Zitun

The IDF’s newest recruit is a versatile little American who proved he can handle himself on the battlefields of Iraq. Drafted for use in the dangerous tunnels on the Gaza Strip border, the Foster-Miller military robot Talon 4 will be deployed instead of soldiers to reduce risks to troops.

IDF’s newest American recruit, the Talon – screenshot

“We don’t rush to put fighters in tunnels,” explains members of Yahalom, the IDF’s Special Operations Engineering Unit. For this reason, this Wall-E lookalike is expected to be a hit with the unit’s members. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: IDF, Robitics, US Army

israelandstuffcom | February 17, 2014