A year ago, Australia joined the handful of countries that voted against, or abstained from voting for a series of one-sided anti-Israel resolutions that were put forward in the UN. Since then, Australia, under Tony Abbot’s government, has repeatedly made it clear that it’s actually going to be taking a balanced position when it comes to Israel.
On Wednesday evening, the Australian government unequivocally stated it would not use the word “occupied” in reference to eastern Jerusalem. Continue Reading »
The tensions between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas, despite the newly founded unity government on Monday, were displayed on Thursday as PA security services arrested Hamas members in Hevron located in Judea.
Members of the Gaza-based Hamas terror organization tried to organize a large event in Hevron for “Naksa Day,” the annual demonstrations against the 1967 Six Day War liberation of Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights by Israel. Continue Reading »
Israel’s Housing Ministry announced Wednesday that it was advancing plans for 1,500 new housing units in Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem in response to the establishment of a new Palestinian unity government.

The East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo – Photo: AP
Israel has vowed to take punitive action in response to the Palestinian unity government formed last week because it is backed by the militant group Hamas.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu threw his support Thursday behind a bill that would enable courts to convict terrorists to life in prison without any chance of a presidential commutation of their sentences, in a move apparently connected to the recent Hamas-Fatah unity pact.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Knesset. – Photo: GPO
The security cabinet on Thursday decided to bring the proposed law to the government on Sunday, where it will be backed by Likud-Beytenu and Bayit Yehudi ministers. Continue Reading »
By Ynetnews
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s government has decided to drop the word “occupied” when describing Israel’s settlements in East Jerusalem, Australian Associated Press reported Thursday.

Australia’s Attorney General George Brandis – Photo: Ray Strange / Source-TheAustralian
According to the report, the government said it was “unhelpful” at a time when the peace process was still viable.
The move was announced following a fire debate in the Australian legislator regarding the legality of Israel’s settlements, the press agency reported. Continue Reading »
For a group of long-time professionals like the Rolling Stones, their performance Wednesday evening in Tel Aviv was just another night among thousands – but for the 50,000 people attending the concert in Park Hayarkon, it was a singular event.

Mick Jagger in Rolling Stones concert in Tel Aviv, June 4, 2014. – Photo: IsraelandStuff/PP
The Stones alluded to the event’s gravity relatively early in their concert, when a video projected on giant screens behind the performers combined archival clips from their concerts in the 1960s with live shots of the Tel Aviv concert audience in 2014. Continue Reading »
The unity government founded between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and terrorist group Hamas on Monday is hitting early snags, as brawls broke out in Gaza on Thursday over the payment of employees of the two groups, leading to the closure of banks.
Hamas violently took control of Gaza in 2007, and began cracking down on Fatah officials living in the territory. Since then the PA has continued paying roughly 70,000 employees in Gaza.
Thousands of Hamas employees, who have not been paid for the last several weeks, lined up at bank ATMs in Gaza on Thursday, hoping to now withdraw their back-logged salaries thanks to the unity government, reports Reuters. Continue Reading »
By Ahiya Raved
Close to 100,000 Israelis spent the Shavuot holiday at celebrations in Kibbutzim across the country Wednesday, including in the Upper Galilee region where some 25,000 guests spent the day on 29 different Kibbutzim. The high holiday turnout comes despite high temperatures Wednesday throughout the country.

Photo: Avihu Shapira
Since the founding of the first Kibbutz, Shavuot was one of the major holidays celebrated in the farming communes due to their agricultural character.
Wednesday’s Kibbutz celebrations included large parades which displayed the best products from various industries and homes as well as children and of course babies born over the last year. Continue Reading »
The women’s stories are always similar: They report waking up in hotel rooms, strange apartments or even in public bathrooms after an evening encounter that clearly ended in rape, but can remember absolutely nothing of what had transpired.

For an unknown number of victims, a night out in a Tel Aviv nightclub ended in rape – and total memory loss. – Photo: David Bachar
They are victims of what are commonly called “date-rape drugs” that were added to their food or drink without their knowledge.
The Temple Mount became Jewish again on Tuesday, and Jordan didn’t like it.
Temple organizations reported Tuesday morning that about 400 Jews had ascended to the Mount in the morning hours, and that police allowed them in without undue delays.

Jews pray on Temple Mount – Temple Mount HQ
Muslim worshippers, who often harass Jews on the Mount, were not allowed in because police and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) had received intelligence about “malicious intentions” and Islamist incitement calling on Arabs to riot and prevent the Jews from entering. Continue Reading »
A Palestinian carrying a knife was arrested on Tuesday outside of an IDF base in the Binyamin region of the West Bank.
IDF soldiers arrest a Palestinian man [file]. – Photo: REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman
Security forces arrived on the scene and took him into custody.
No injuries were caused to the IDF forces or the suspect. Continue Reading »
By Itay Blumenthal
Justice Minister and Israel’s chief peace negotiator Tzipi Livni presided over a same-sex civil marriage, despite the fact that Israeli law does not yet recognize gay couples.

Livni with Guy and Tzach – Photo: Motti Kimchi
Livni arrived Monday night at an event hall in Jaffa and married the couple, after the partners requested she participate in the ceremony and give them her blessing. The justice minister obliged and even spoke at the event, which was conducted in a Jewish fashion, despite the fact that the ceremony was not conducted by an ordained rabbi. Continue Reading »
The new Palestinian unity government has received three welcome endorsements from major world powers India, China and Turkey, all within a day of Palestinian President Abbas swearing in a cabinet of 17 technocrats.

Women from India in Manger Square, outside the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, May 25, 2014. – Photo: Reuters
All three called on the international community to throw its support behind and work with the new government, in contrast to the wishes of the Israeli government, which is seeking to punish the Palestinian Authority for forming a government with Hamas.
By Yoav Zitun
Meet the IDF’s future combat vehicle, the Combat Guard, which was developed by the Israel Military Industries, has now successfully passed final testing and is ready to be presented for the first time in a Paris arms show in some two weeks.

IDF’s new APC combatguard – Screenshot
The car, dubbed the ‘bodyguard’ in Hebrew, is one of the deadliest, fastest and most protected armored military transporters developed in Israel. Continue Reading »