Archive for May 2, 2014

Al Qaeda, Hamas & Hezbollah Flags Wave in Jerusalem

At Arab wedding procession in Jerusalem’s Old City, terrorist flags are waved amid shouts of ‘we will write on the pistol: Al-Aqsa is holy to us.’

By Ari Yashar

 

During an Arab wedding procession in Jerusalem’s Old City on Thursday night, the Jewish state’s 3,000-year-old capital bore witness to a multitude of terrorist organization flags.

Participants in the wedding, who received permission from the police to hold the procession in the Old City, waved the flags of terror groups including Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, and Hamas, alongside the flag of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

As they marched with the flags, the Arab revelers chanted slogans insulting Israel and Judaism, such as “even with the rifle, the (‘Palestinian’) nation will live and will not die,” and “we will write on the pistol: Al-Aqsa (Jerusalem) is holy to us.” Continue Reading »

Saudi Kingdom debuts country’s acquired ballistic missiles

 

Saudi Arabia unveils for the first time missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads purchased from China.

Israel used to be the Saudi’s main target, but Jerusalem & Riyadh now have a common enemy – Iran.

By Udi Etzion

 

Saudi Arabia showcased its new ballistic missiles in the country’s military parade on Thursday. The Chinese-made Dongfeng-3 missiles have a range of up to 3,300 kilometers and are armed with nuclear warheads.

Saudi Arabia's Ballistic Missiles (Photo: Fisher Institute)

Saudi Arabia’s Ballistic Missiles – Photo: Fisher Institute

In the past, sources voiced concern that the Saudi missile’s main target is Israel, but due to the growing strategic rivalry between the Riyadh and Tehran, Iran has become the primary enemy. Continue Reading »

Reform Jewish groups threaten to leave or overhaul Conference of Presidents

 

Conservative Jewish group’s VP calls for major overhaul after rejection of yesterday’s J Street’s membership bid.

By

 

The Union for Reform Judaism is seeking an overhaul of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in the wake of its rejection of J Street’s bid for membership.

Rick Jacobs. Photo: Screenshot from URJ Biennial's Twitter page.

Rick Jacobs. – Photo: Screenshot from URJ Biennial’s Twitter page.

The Reform group in a statement posted Thursday on its website said leaving the Presidents Conference, an umbrella body, is an option.

“As of yesterday, it is clear that the Conference of Presidents, as currently constituted and governed, no longer serves its vital purpose of providing a collective voice for the entire American Jewish pro-Israel community,” URJ President Rick Jacobs said in the statement.

Continue Reading »

1st Hareidi Hesder Yeshiva Combines IDF Cyber-Defense & Torah

Unique ground breaking 4-yr program opened in Jerusalem, integrates 2 years of study with 2 years of service in IDF’s Cyber Defense Unit.

By Ari Yashar

 

The first hareidi hesder yeshiva has been opened in Jerusalem. The ground-breaking program will combine Torah study with IDF army service.

Last August, the first hareidi mechina, or pre-army preparatory academy, began operating, offering two years of intensive Torah study and preparation for the army, followed by a full three-year service. The hesder program combines military service and Torah study, usually for a period of four to six years. Both options already exist for religious-Zionists, but these two institutions are the first of their kind to cater for hareidi men after they leave high school. Continue Reading »

Violent Response to Christian IDF Enlistment

Unsurprisingly, Israel’s support of Christians volunteering for the IDF is sparking antagonist, even violent reaction from Israeli opponents. 

By Israel Today Staff

 

The Israeli Christian Recruitment Forum, which advocates young Arabic-speaking Christians voluntarily joining the Israeli army, has long had vocal critics. Now that the State of Israel is publicly backing the Forum’s efforts, that criticism has turned to open violence.

An Israeli soldier wearing crosses around his neck.

An Israeli soldier.- Photo: AP

More and more young Christians are deciding to volunteer for IDF service as a first step to greater integration with Israeli Jewish society. And the number is expected to rise exponentially after the Israeli government decided last month to begin sending voluntary IDF recruitment letters to local Christians when they reach 18 years of age. Continue Reading »

IRS to receive American’s account information from Israeli banks

 

The 2010 Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act requires international banking institutions to inform the IRS of all financial information on their American clients.


 
The Finance Ministry reached an agreement to turn information on US citizens’ bank accounts over to the United States’ Internal Revenue Service, in compliance with a tough US law designed to counter tax evasion.
Bank Hapoalim

Bank Hapoalim – Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski

The 2010 Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), requires international financial institutions to turn over all the information on their US account holders, or else face tough sanctions from the US.

Though expatriate Americans don’t know it, they are required to file their income with the IRS each year with a 1040 tax form.

Continue Reading »

Israel celebrates Independence Day: 66 years with 8,180,000 Israelis

 

Israeli population increased by 157,000 since Independence Day 2013.

Nearly 24,000 people made aliyah in the past year.

By Ynet

Israel will celebrate its 66th Independence Day with 8,180,000 citizens, according to an annual demographics report published Thursday.

From 1948 to 2014

From 1948 to 2014 – Source: Ynet

The Central Bureau of Statistics reported that the Jewish population stood at 6,135,000 – or 75 percent of the population. The Arab population numbered at 1,694,000 (20.7 percent), while non-Arab Christians and other minorities made up 4.3 percent of the population at 351,000 citizens.

The Israeli population grew by 157,000 – about 2 percent – over the last year. Continue Reading »

The Falafel Index: Israel home to the most expensive Falafel in pita

Forbes magazine’s new purchasing index concludes that Israel’s shekel is one of the most overvalued currencies in the region.

 

The Israeli shekel is among the most overvalued currencies in the Middle East and food prices in Israel have increased more than in any other developed country since 2005, according to a new purchasing index from Forbes magazine called the Falafel Index.

The Falafel Index

The Falafel Index is a version of the Economist’s Big Mac Index tailored for the Middle East.

Like its older counterpart, the Falafel Index determines the purchasing power of different currencies – but rather than comparing hamburgers, it compares the prices of falafel across the region. Continue Reading »

Tourists & Jews Forced to Wait Hours to Ascend Temple Mount

Jews & Christians were again blatantly discriminated against this week as hundreds were forced to wait for hours to visit the Temple Mount.

By Yaakov Levi

 

Jews and tourists who attempted to ascend the Temple Mount this week were subjected to long lines and waits of hours to enter the Temple compound, while Muslims were able to enter the area unhindered. That, said Yehuda Glick of the Liba Project for Jewish Freedom at the Temple Mount, is a clear case of racism and discrimination. “It is hard to believe that the state does not already recognize the Temple Mount as a Muslim site, with anyone who is a non-Muslim an unwelcome annoyance,” Glick said. Continue Reading »

Trying to Sell a Moderate Hamas

A Point to Remember: The ideological orientation in Hamas for its use of mass murder through suicide bombings & rocket attacks on Israeli population centers, has never been condemned by the Palestinian leadership in Gaza or in Ramallah.

By Dore Gold

 

Every time the profile of Hamas rises as a result of some development in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, there is an effort undertaken to repackage Hamas as a moderate organization.1

Ismail Haniyeh (R) with Hamas chief Khaled Mashaa (L) – Reuters

Right after the Palestinian elections in 2006, Musa Abu Marzuq, the deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, published an op-ed in the Washington Post declaring: “a new breed of Islamic leadership is ready to put into practice faith-based principles in a setting of tolerance and unity.” Continue Reading »

Major American Jewish Org. Rejects J Street’s Admission

51 American Jewish organizations rejected the admission of the far left-wing lobby into the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

 

 

The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, a non-profit U.S. group comprised of 51 national Jewish organizations, voted Wednesday at 6:00 P.M. EST to reject the dovish lobby J Street’s request for admission.

J Street supporters holding a rally in Boston for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.

J Street supporters holding a rally in Boston for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. – Photo: Bob Nesson

The self-declared “pro-Israel, pro-peace” organization was founded in 2008 and presents itself as an alternative to AIPAC, the powerful, veteran pro-Israel lobby.

Continue Reading »

Intel Plans Investment of $6 Billion Dollars in Israel

Israeli Ministers welcome Intel’s plan to upgrade its Kiryat Gat plant, which involves a reciprocal investment in the Israeli economy.

By Yishai Karov

 

Major hi-tech and computing company Intel is investing 5-6 billion dollars to upgrade its plant in Kiryat Gat, the company announced Wednesday.

The investment plan includes a deal between the company and the state, by which Intel will receive a 750 million shekel ($216,706,500) construction grant from the government in return for its commitment to invest 5% of the investment money into the Israeli economy.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the investment plan Wednesday night.

“This investment plan is the result of the process we’ve been working on for several years,” the Prime Minister stated. Continue Reading »