Archive for February 17, 2014

| February 17, 2014
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Revealed: Mossad’s Rabbi’s Identity is Top Secret

With so many religious recruits joining the Mossad in recent years, Israel’s covert organization has added an official rabbi to counsel agents.

By David Lev

 

So many religious recruits have joined the Mossad in recent years that the organization has hired an official rabbi to advise agents and employees on a wide range of issues, a report said Monday.

Mossad’s Emblem – Israel news photo

Among the questions the rabbi deals with are those relating to religious practices, keeping kosher, Sabbath observance, and other matters that may require compromise or adjustment regarding Jewish Law on the part of an agent during a mission. Continue Reading »

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| February 17, 2014
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Renowned European scientists debunk Palestinian myth Arafat was poisoned

A doctor treating the Palestinian leader said in the days before his death that Arafat had a blood disorder – though they ruled out leukemia. This was confirmed by French doctors.

By YOCHANAN VISSER

 

At the end of January, there were media reports that Palestinian officials were very angry at US Secretary of State John Kerry for threatening PA President Mahmoud Abbas. Kerry had reportedly said that Abbas would meet the same fate as his predecessor, Yasser Arafat, if he were to turn down Washington’s proposals for a peace agreement with Israel.

Yasser Arafat

Yasser Arafat, not yet dead

Kerry’s remarks were no doubt a reference to the isolation of Yasser Arafat by the Bush administration after it became apparent that the PA president was behind the botched attempt to smuggle weapons from Iran to the Palestinian Authority in 2002. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| February 17, 2014
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Israeli Star Wars ‘Iron Beam’ inches closer to deployment

 

A Rafael Advanced Defense Systems spokesman reports: “It’s exactly like what you see in Star Wars. You see the lasers go up so quickly, like a flash, and the target is finished.”

Iron Beam will complement the already proven Iron Dome.

By The Associated Press and Israel Hayom Staff

 

A laser-based missile shield that evokes “Star Wars” technology is moving closer to becoming a reality deployed over Israel, according to the state-owned arms company that is developing it.

Manufacturer’s impression of the Iron Beam engaging an inbound projectile – Photo: Rafael

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems said the development of the Iron Beam system was advanced enough for the company to be comfortable with publicizing it at this week’s Singapore Airshow, Asia’s largest aerospace and defense exhibition.

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| February 17, 2014
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Hamas & PA worried over Knesset proposal to ‘impose Israel’s sovereignty’ on Temple Mount

This week the Knesset is scheduled to discuss a proposal that places the Temple Mount under Israeli sovereignty.

Hamas official criticizes Abbas’ Fatah Minister for saying Jews would be allowed to pray at the  Western Wall under the future Palestinian state.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
 

 

The Palestinian Authority and Hamas warned Sunday of Israeli “plans” to impose Israeli sovereignty on the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

The Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site for well over 3,000 years.

The Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site for well over 3,000 years.

PA Minister for Religious Affairs Mahmoud al-Habbash said that there would be no sovereignty over the Aqsa Mosque and Islamic and Christian holy sites other than Palestinian sovereignty. Continue Reading »

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| February 17, 2014
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Chief Arab negotiator: If peace talks fail, Palestinian blitz at Int’l Court with 50 petitions ready

Palestinian chief negotiator

, Saeb Erekat threatens that the PA will take Israel to ‘int’l tribunals & join calls for economic sanctions’ should Kerry’s initiative fail, but warns worst result would be ‘collapse of Palestinian Authority’ which would mean Netanyahu will have to take control of the West Bank.

By Attila Somfalvi

 

The chief Palestinian negotiator says that if US-brokered peace talks fail to result in an accord, then the Palestinian will call for an economic boycott of Israel, in contradiction to conciliatory statements made by Palestinian president before a group of Israeli students.

Saeb Erekat (Photo: EPA)

Saeb Erekat – Photo: EPA

Saeb Erekat made the comments during an interview given to Al-Jazeera last Friday before an audience of hundreds of students at Britain’s Oxford University. Continue Reading »

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| February 17, 2014
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Abbas: Temple Mount to be in Palestine, but Jews can pray at Western Wall

PA President Abbas, addressing 300 Israeli students in Ramallah, says East should go to the Palestinians, West to remain in Israel.

By and

 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday the Palestinian Authority would not agree to share sovereignty over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in the course of a peace deal with Israel, but would allow freedom of worship for Jews in the Western Wall Plaza.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (center), February 16, 2014.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (center), in a meeting with Israeli students in Ramallah. February 16, 2014. – Photo: AFP

Addressing about 300 Israeli students at a meeting in Ramallah, organized by the Lobby for the Promotion of a Solution for the Israeli-Arab Conflict and by a Palestinian group for promoting Israeli-Palestinian dialogue, Abbas added that he sees no reason to re-divide Jerusalem, adding that a Palestinian municipality could be established in East Jerusalem, which will coordinate with an Israeli-controlled West Jerusalem via a higher body.

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| February 17, 2014
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Knesset Committee for Legislation Approves Canceling Benefits for Terrorists

Israeli citizens convicted as terror murderers will no longer benefit from National Insurance benefits even if they’re released early in ‘deals,’ or ‘gestures.’

By Gil Ronen

 

The Ministerial Committee for Legislation voted Sunday in favor of the bill to prevent Israeli Arab terrorists released in deals or “gestures” to the Palestinian Authority from receiving the “acclimation stipends” that are paid to newly released prisoners, and make them ineligible for basic social security stipends.

MK Yariv Levin (Likud-Beytenu), who proposed the bill, thanked the committee for its decision and voiced hope that the legislation would be completed quickly.

“The situation whereby a terrorist who has not served the full term of his sentence and is released receives full social security and benefits from the government is absurd and unacceptable,” MK Levin stated Saturday night. Continue Reading »

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| February 16, 2014
Comments Off on Pro-Israel, Jordanian Palestinian sentenced to life in prison, for advocating Jordan is Palestine

Pro-Israel, Jordanian Palestinian sentenced to life in prison, for advocating Jordan is Palestine

 

The British gov’t has granted Mudar Zahran asylum and he reports that a source inside the palace told him that King Abdullah is pushing for control of Jerusalem.

By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON
 

 

Mudar Zahran, a Palestinian writer and academic from Jordan who has written op-eds for The Jerusalem Post, was sentenced last week to life in prison with hard labor.

Mudar Zahran

Mudar Zahran – Photo: Courtesy

He also says that he has learned that the Jordanian government may seek to have him extradited to Jordan to serve his sentence.

Zahran told the Post in an interview form the UK, where he has sought refuge, that a source inside the palace told him that King Abdullah, on his visit to the US, pushed for control of Jerusalem so that Jordan would become its key ally in the region, even bypassing Israel in importance. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| February 16, 2014
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Abbas shows flexibility to 300 visiting Israelis

In Abbas’ most conciliatory comments to date, the PA president says he doesn’t want to ‘drown Israel with millions of Palestinian refugees’, but condemns Natanyahu’s demand for ‘Jewish’ recognition, and goes on to admit: ‘Incitement (against Israel) does exists’.

By Elior Levy


RAMALLAH – Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has told some 300 young Israelis visiting him on Sunday in the West Bank that he does not want to “drown Israel with millions of (Palestinian) refugees to change its nature.”

Abbas with students. (Photo: EPA)

Abbas with students. – Photo: EPA

Abbas’ comment was his most conciliatory yet on the fate of Palestinian refugees who were uprooted from homes in what is now Israel, including in the 1948 War of Independence that followed Israel’s creation. Continue Reading »

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| February 16, 2014
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Taba Terror: Egypt Rejects Israeli Ambulances Entry into Sinai

After a terrorist attack in the Sinai, Egypt refused entry to Israeli MDA emergency medical response teams into Taba, where 3 Korean tourists & the Egyptian driver were killed, along with 33 wounded. 

By Gil Ronen

 

Egypt has refused to allow Israeli Magen David Adom ambulances and emergency teams to Taba, where four people are dead and 33 injured after a terror bombing Sunday. Three of the dead are tourists from Korea and one is a bus driver.

Israeli MDA ambulances awaiting Egyptian permission to enter Taba to render assistance in Sinai terrorist attack - Photo courtesy Magen David Adom

Israeli MDA ambulances awaiting Egyptian permission to enter Taba to render assistance in Sinai terrorist attack – Photo courtesy Magen David Adom (Facebook)

An Egyptian security official told Egyptian newspaper Al-Youm a-Saba that Egypt is on the highest alert following the attack. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News, Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| February 16, 2014
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Australian army vet rises up to the IDF challenge

 

“I felt I needed to contribute to the security of the country. I understood that a strong Israel and strong IDF are the guarantee for safety for the Jewish communities around the world,” says Joe Rasmussen, 22, a lone soldier who immigrated to Israel from Australia.

By Danny Brenner

 

 

Joe Rasmussen, 22, a lone soldier who immigrated to Israel from Australia, will soon conclude his basic training with the Nahal infantry brigade. This would not be interesting where it not for the fact that Rasmussen has already completed basic training — in the Australian army, where he served for over a year.

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| February 16, 2014
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American supermarket chain Winn-Dixie expands kosher section

What makes the Boca Winn-Dixie unique is the unusual volume & variety of its offerings, including specialty items from Israel and New York.

BOCA RATON, Fla. (JTA) – Stroll past the kosher section of most large supermarkets in America and you could be forgiven for thinking that Jewish diets consist mainly of jarred gefilte fish, unsalted matzahs and Tam-Tam crackers.

The kosher section at Winn-Dixie's Boca Raton store is larger than that of many kosher-only supermarkets. (Uriel Heilman)

The kosher section at Winn-Dixie’s Boca Raton store is larger than that of many kosher-only supermarkets. (Uriel Heilman)

Not so at the Winn-Dixie supermarket in this affluent South Florida suburb.

There’s a kosher bakery with fresh pizza and dairy and pareve desserts; a meat and deli counter with hot foods like chicken wings, potato kugel and meatballs; a refrigerated case with cold salads; pre-packaged Winn-Dixie-branded matzah balls, chicken soup and carrot “tzimmise,” and even a kosher sushi chef who makes rolls to order.

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Category: Jewish News, The Diaspora | Tags:
| February 16, 2014
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Civil war facilitates thaw in Israeli-Syrian relations as Syrians are spreading the word

 

The disintegration of Assad’s regime is changing the opinions many of his people have of the Jewish state, after more than 700 Syrians have received needed medical attention in Israel.

By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL

 

SOFIA, Bulgaria – Before protests demanding democracy broke out in Syria in 2011, ordinary Israelis had no meaningful contacts with ordinary Syrians.

IDF Humanitarian Aid on Syrian Border

IDF Humanitarian Aid on Syrian Border – Photo courtesy: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit

The disintegration of the Syrian state has changed everything, including the view of many in the country toward the Jewish state. In interviews with The Jerusalem Post at two refugee camps in Sofia and in a hotel outside the city least week, Syrians expressed new perspectives on Israel. Continue Reading »

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| February 16, 2014
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Egypt Making Buffer Zone, Destroys 10 Newly Discovered Hamas Tunnels on Gaza Border

Adapting IDF protocols in security, Egypt continues its crackdown on Hamas’ treachery by destroying 10 smuggling tunnels and blowing up buildings that concealed them in it’s decision to create a sterile buffer zone on it’s border with Gaza.

By Elad Benari

 

Egypt is continuing its crackdown not only on Sinai terrorism but on Gaza’s Hamas rulers as well.

The Bethlehem based Ma’an news agency reported that Egyptian border forces destroyed 10 tunnels and seven homes in the Sinai on Saturday, as part of new campaign to create a buffer zone along the border with Gaza that would extend 500 meters in some places. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| February 16, 2014
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Israel receives welcomed weekend rain

Meteorologists predict weekend rains would continue overnight on Saturday & hopefully into Sunday, coming to an end by the afternoon.

By SHARON UDASIN

 


The country experienced a welcome hiatus from the dry winter on Friday night and once again during the day on Saturday.

Pedestrians in rain - Photo: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post

Pedestrians in rain – Photo: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post

The North received the most precipitation as of Saturday night, with 108 millimeters accumulating in Rosh Hanikra from Friday night through Saturday at about 8 p.m., on-duty weather forecasters at the Israel Meteorological Service told The Jerusalem Post.

Haifa received about 20 millimeters during that period, while Tel Aviv got approximately 16 millimeters. Continue Reading »

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