Shortly after activation of ‘Color Red’ warning sirens, residents in the Western Galilee, Nahariya & other towns & villages along the border, heard sounds of distant explosions.

Israel Foreign Ministry’s distribution of terrorist-doll to Embassies comes under fire

Ambassador to Finland slams Israel’s deputy FM’s decision to send confiscated Palestinian terrorist-dolls, which were meant to indoctrinate Arab children, to all Israeli embassies around the world for ‘demonstrative’ purposes.

By Itamar Eichner

Israeli Ambassador to Finland Dan Ashbel on Saturday criticized Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely’s decision to distribute examples of dolls used to incite against Israel to all Israeli embassies, the idea being to demonstrate Palestinian demonization of Israel.

The doll at the center of the controversy – Photo: Haifa Customs Authority

Ashbel compared the initiative to distributing marijuana at every police station in order to permit them to demonstrate the dangers.

Category: Israel News | Tags: Foreign Ministry, Tzipi Hotovely

Analyst: Russia knew in advance of Kuntar airstrike inside Syria

Without Russian assurances to ignore foreign jets inside protected airspace, Israel would not have committed to ‘low-priority’ mission, says IMRA.

By Gil Ronen

Israel notified Russia that it intends to strike a target inside Damascus before the airstrike that killed Samir Kuntar, estimates Dr. Aaron Lerner, of Independent Media Review Analysis (IMRA).

Lerner bases this conclusion on the fact that the strike took place at a time that the Russian S-400 system is in full operation.

“Samir Kuntar is hardly such a critical target for Israel that it would employ techniques for engaging in operations within an active S-400 envelope,” he explained. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: airstrike, Hezbollah, IAF Syria, IMRA, Israel Russia, Israel Syria, S-400, Samir Kuntar

IDF artillery battery hits targets in Lebanon in response to earlier Katyusha rocket fire on Israel

IDF official said that it sees “the Lebanese army as responsible for activities in Lebanon & will continue to act against any attempt to harm Israeli sovereignty & the security of its citizens.”

By JPOST.COM STAFF

The IDF attacked targets in southern Lebanon with artillery fire on Sunday evening in response to earlier rocket fire from the country on Israeli communities in the western Galilee.

Israeli soldiers and trucks are seen from southern Lebanon, as a Hezbollah flag flutters.- Photo: REUTERS

The IDF stated earlier that three rockets were believed to have fallen in open territory in the North. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: airstrike, Hezbollah, IAF Syria, IDF Artillery Corps, Israel Syria, Katyusha rocket, Lebanon, rocket attack, Samir Kuntar

Hezbollah fires 3 rockets in Israel’s Galilee in retaliation for alleged IAF airstrike in Syria

Shortly after activation of ‘Color Red’ warning sirens, residents in the Western Galilee, Nahariya & other towns & villages along the border, heard sounds of distant explosions.

By i24news

At least three rockets struck northern Israel Sunday evening after an incoming rocket siren were activated.

There were no reports of any damage or injuries.

Shortly after the sirens, residents in the Western Galilee and other towns and villages along the border heard sounds of explosions.

Lebanese media saying reported that Katyusha rockets had been fired towards Israel. One was fired from al-Hinniyeh near the village of Sur and two others were fired from Tal al-Maaliyeh in southern Lebanon. Continue Reading »

Category: Jewish News | Tags: airstrike, Hezbollah, IAF Syria, Israel Syria, Katyusha rocket, Lebanon, rocket attack, Samir Kuntar

Blacklisted Hezbollah ‘Arch-Terrorist’ Samir Kuntar Killed in Syria By Suspected Israeli Airstrike

Watch Arab media Footage from site in Damascus of airstrike attributed to an Israeli drone-attack that killed the Hezbollah child-murderer, Samir Kuntar.

By Elad Benari

Arab media reports on Saturday night claimed that Israeli rocket fire destroyed a building in the Jaramana district of Damascus.

The dead, Samir Kuntar, may his soul burn in hell. – Photo: Reuters

According to Russia Today, Hezbollah-linked terrorist Samir Kuntar was the target of the strike and was reportedly killed.

Images from the scene show a collapsed multi-story residential building, with lots of rubble on the ground. Vehicles parked nearby appear to have been completely destroyed, the Russian news agency reported.

Category: Israel News | Tags: airstrike, Hezbollah, IAF Syria, Israel Syria, Samir Kuntar

France’s PM Valls condemns BDS for turning ‘Criticism of Israel into anti-Semitism’

French MP Meyer Habib, representing France’s dual-nationals, calls on his government to enforce existing anti-boycott laws.

By LAHAV HARKOV

The French government firmly condemns boycotts of Israel, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls this week said, warning against the phenomenon of organizations criticizing Israeli policies turning to anti-Semitic activities.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls leaves after a speech to present a plan to fight racism and anti-Semitism at the Prefecture in Creteil near Paris April 17, 2015. – Photo: REUTERS

Valls made his statement Wednesday in response to a question from French MP Meyer Habib, who pointed out the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel is active in France despite laws against boycotts, and called for better enforcement. Continue Reading »

Category: Jewish News | Tags: anti-Semitism, BDS, boycott, France, Israel boycott, Israel-France

israelandstuffcom | December 19, 2015

Time after time Hamas smugglers busted sneaking contraband to Gaza via Israel

As the Egyptian army continues to eliminate smuggling into Gaza, a single checkpoint in Israel has become a bottleneck for goods flowing to Hamas’s military industry, with Israel’s special intelligence team successfully foiling 670 ‘creative’ smuggling attempts so far this year.

By Alex Fishman

Israel’s experienced intelligence officers treat this group as an enemy that must not be underestimated. It is a serious close-knit group of 40-something year olds who have been together for over 20 years. They all have experience with underground and military activities, they’ve all been wanted by Israel since the mid-90s, and they have all survived assassination attempts. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Airports Authority, COGAT, Gaza blockade, Kerem Shalom Crossing, Shin Bet, smuggling

Alert IDF troops avoid vehicular-attack killing Palestinian terrorist

Arab terrorist tried to run over IDF soldiers, who avoided the oncoming car & opened fire killing the Palestinian terrorist.
• Large knife was discovered in the vehicle.

By Ben Ariel, Canada

For the second time in two hours, IDF troops on Friday afternoon foiled an attempted Palestinian Arab terrorist attack.

A terrorist tried to run over IDF soldiers at the entrance to the village of Ofra, in the Binyamin region. The soldiers were able to avoid the vehicle and opened fire at the terrorist, killing him.

In a search of the vehicle after the terrorist was neutralized, a large knife was found, and it is believed the terrorist planned to carry out a bigger attack. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: vehicular terrorism

‘We love Israeli tourists’: Turkish businessmen embrace normalization, seeking return of ‘good ol’ days’

Hotel managers in Istanbul admits to the Israeli media that they eagerly await the return of Israeli tourists, saying, ‘We hope Israeli tourists will return en masse, they’re preferred customers.’

By Tova Dvorin

Turkish business owners eagerly await the return of Israeli tourism, Channel 2 reports Friday, less than 24 hours after Israeli and Turkish officials held normalization talks in Switzerland.

“We love Israelis and they have almost stopped coming in recent years because of politics,” Saardan, a hotel worker in Istanbul, told the Israeli daily. He added that Israelis were, and remain, “preferred customers.”

“The buffet awaits you,” Malek Kiyeh, a Turkish hotel owner, added. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Israel Turkey, tourism

Palestinian Military Wing of Hamas in Gaza Working Directly With Islamic State in Sinai

Hamas militants in Gaza are paying tens of thousands of dollars to the ISIS Sinai branch each month, in exchange for the group’s assistance at smuggling weapons into the terrorist enclave.

By Alex Fishman

Hamas’ military wing in the Gaza Strip has been transferring tens of thousands of dollars a month to the Islamic State group’s Sinai branch over the past year, via one of its emissaries.

Islamic State militants in Raqqa, Syria. – Photo: AP

The transfer of cash is just one part of the military and strategic cooperation between the two groups. The finances of Hamas’ military arm, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, are independent of those of the organization’s political bureau. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: hamas, ISIS, ISIS-Hamas

Czech Parliament rejects EU decision to label products from Jewish settlements

• Czech lawmaker Laudat, This “may evoke awkward reminiscence of marking Jewish people during World War II.”
• Czech Minister Herman said it was “absolutely necessary to reject the efforts to discriminate against the only democracy in the Middle East.”
• Czech lawmaker Boehnisch said it was absurd that the EU had argued that ‘the labels would benefit their consumers.’

By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL, HERB KEINON

The Czech Parliament passed a resolution on Thursday urging their government not to implement a European Union decision to label Israeli products exported from the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Czech Republic, EU bias, EU labeling, EU sanctions, Israel Czech Republic

Israel welcomes Turkey’s initiative by reaching 7-point reconciliation ‘understandings’

Israeli official reveals draft agreement to compensate families of those killed on the Marmara, and selling Israel’s natural gas, was reached in secret meetings with Turkish gov’t representatives in Switzerland.

By Ari Yashar

An Israeli official on Thursday revealed that “understandings” to normalize ties have been reached with Turkey, in a potential breakthrough for the strained relations that collapsed in the infamous Turkish Mavi Marmara flotilla incident in 2010.

Drafted in a secret meeting in Switzerland on Wednesday, the deal would have Israel pay compensation to the families of the radical activists on board the flotilla who attacked IDF soldiers with lethal force, and would also launch talks on natural gas exports to Turkey.

Category: Israel News | Tags: Israel Turkey, Mavi Marmara, Recep Tayyip Erdogan

israelandstuffcom | December 17, 2015

Israel Formally Signs Natural Gas Deal With US, Israeli Gas Companies To Develop Additional Gas Deposits

Israel’s PM Netanyahu, who is also Minister of Economy, signs deal after months of contention, that’s meant to regulate the energy market in Israel.
• Energy Minister Steinitz adds, ‘The people of Israel will get 60% of the profit, a higher percent of the natural gas profits, than most western countries get.’

By Amir Alon

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also the minister of economy, signed on Thursday the natural gas deal with US and Israeli gas companies to develop Israel’s offshore gas deposits, despite months of protest by liberal MKs and environmentalists.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signing gas deal – Photo: Haim Horenstein

Ahead of the signing, Netanyahu asserted that “there is no way to open up the additional gas fields without this plan, it is the only chance.” Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Israeli politics, natural gas

israelandstuffcom | December 17, 2015