Archive for March 25, 2017

High ranking Hamas militant assassinated in Gaza

 

According to a Hamas report, Fukha, who was released in the prisoner exchange for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, was shot 4 times in the head by unknown attackers who disappeared.

By Elior Levy

 

Unknown assailants gunned down Hamas operative Mazan Fukha Friday night outside his home in Tel al-Hawa, in the Gaza Strip.

According to Hamas’ military wing, Fukha, who was released in a prisoner exchange deal for captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, was shot in the head  four times with a silenced weapon by unknown attackers who fled the scene.

Fukha, who was deported to Gaza as part of the Shalit deal, was responsible for planning terror attacks in the West Bank. Continue Reading »

American Appeals Court refuse terror suit against Palestinian Authority

 

The U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the American families of victims at Joseph’s Tomb attack, won’t be allowed to sue Palestinian Authority for compensation.

By Arutz Sheva (North America Staff)

 

A federal appeals court in the United States ruled on Friday that the families of Jewish worshippers who were killed or wounded during a 2011 attack in Joseph’s Tomb will not be allowed to sue the Palestinian Authority (PA) for damages in U.S. courts.

The decision upheld a lower court ruling to dismiss the case, according to The Associated Press.

IDF soldiers protecting Joseph’s Tomb – Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit

The attack, which was carried out by a PA security guard, killed Israeli citizen Ben-Yosef Livnat, nephew of former Likud Minister Limor Livnat. Continue Reading »

Survey: Twitter tops list of social networks with most antisemitic content

 

A study conducted throughout 2016, which was commissioned by the World Jewish Congress, found Twitter particularly reluctant in complying with European legislation, allowing it to lead with most antisemitic posts among most popular social media platforms.

By JTA

 

Twitter emerged as the social network with the most antisemitic content in a comprehensive analysis of the prevalence on such platforms of expressions of hatred of Jews.

The study, commissioned by the World Jewish Congress, was conducted throughout 2016.


Nearly two thirds of 382,000 posts deemed antisemitic in the World Jewish Congress study appeared on Twitter, followed by 11 percent that were posted to Facebook, 6 percent on Instagram and 2 percent on YouTube. Continue Reading »

Washington talks on Israeli settlement homes construction ends without agreement

 

Despite setting a more positive tone towards Israel, the 4-day round of talks between the Trump administration and Israeli officials has ended without agreement over the issue of settlements, since the US delegation reiterated Trump’s concerns over Israeli settlement activity.

By Reuters

 

The Trump administration reiterated its concerns about Israeli settlement activity, the two sides said on Thursday, as a round of talks ended without agreement over limiting future construction on land the Palestinians want for a state.

POTUS tells PM Netanyahu to hold off on the construction.- Photo: GPO

The four days of high-level meetings in Washington marked the latest step by President Donald Trump’s aides aimed at opening the way to renewed peace diplomacy between Israel and the Palestinians, despite deep skepticism in the United States and Middle East over the chances for success.

Continue Reading »

Techniques used by Israeli-American bomb threat suspect to evaded capture

 

Using disposable phones, Google Voice paid with Bitcoin and a VPN to make his IP address untraceable, the Israeli-American suspect in the bomb threats against Jewish institutions succeeded in hiding his identity until Israel Police cyber unit got involved.

By JTA and Arutz Sheva Staff

 

The Israeli-American suspected of perpetrating more than 100 bomb threats against Jewish institutions used technologies including Google Voice, a call forwarding service, and Bitcoin, a digital currency, to make the threats.

Israel Cyber Defense – Israel Police Spokesperson Dept.

According to an article in The Daily Beast, Israel’s anti-fraud squad arrested the 19-year-old suspect at his home in southern Israel and searched the premises on Thursday. Continue Reading »

REPORT: IDF kills Palestinian & 3 wounded when throwing molotov cocktails at soldiers

 

• IDF reports soldiers responded with gunfire as Palestinians threw molotov cocktails at security forces.
• Palestinians report one teenager killed by gunfire, 3 others seriously wounded during skirmish with IDF soldiers.

By i24NEWS – AFP

 

Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian teenager Thursday in the West Bank and seriously wounded three other Palestinians, the Palestinian health ministry said in a statement.

It did not give the circumstances, but said the shooting happened near the Jelazoun Palestinian refugee camp.

A general view taken on December 28, 2016 shows a partial view of the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev near the West Bank city of Ramallah – Photo: AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP

An Israeli army spokeswoman said soldiers shot a number of Palestinians throwing petrol bombs at Beit El settlement, close to Jelazoun, but she could not confirm the death. Continue Reading »

Renewed interest of Palestinians seeking Israeli citizenship in Jerusalem

 

Israeli officials: With the path to citizenship having always been open, Interior Ministry notes renewed interest in formal requests, with those applying citing pragmatism as their reason.

By The Associated Press & Israel Hayom Staff

 

More Palestinians in east Jerusalem are applying for Israeli citizenship in hopes of swapping their vulnerable status as mere city residents for the rights and ease of travel that come with an Israeli passport.

But after long touting its offer of citizenship to them, Israel is now dragging its feet in granting it, said those who track Palestinian applicants. Lawyers said their Palestinian clients now wait months for an appointment with the Interior Ministry and an average of three years for a decision. Continue Reading »

US Senate confirms Trump’s lawyer, David Friedman to be next Ambassador to Israel

 

Friedman who was confirmed along party lines is known for his inflammatory language against those with whom he had political disagreements, such as describing former President Obama an anti-Semite.

By Reuters

 

The US Senate on Thursday narrowly confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, a bankruptcy lawyer aligned with the Israeli right.

The vote was 52 to 46, almost exclusively along party lines.

Only two Democrats, Senators Robert Menendez and Joe Manchin, joined Trump’s fellow Republicans in backing Friedman.

David Friedman and Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan – Photo: Trump Campaign in Israel

That amount of opposition is highly unusual for a nominee for US ambassador to Israel, a close ally of the United States. Continue Reading »

UK Report: Arab League Chief announced new peace-plan to be presented by Palestinians

 

Official from Abbas’ Palestinian Authority said that “is not correct,” but, “If the Arab League secretary-general is packaging that as a new plan, we have no problem.”

By 

 

The Palestinian leadership will present “a new plan” to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the upcoming Arab League Summit in Jordan, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmad Abul Ghaith told a pan-Arab, London-based publication.

Arab League HQ in Cairo Egypt – Photo: Ijanderson977/Wikimedia Commons

“There is a desire on the Palestinian side to reformulate some ideas… They [the Palestinians] promised to put forward a new plan pertaining to the Palestinian issue in general,” Abul Ghaith told Al-Sharq al-Awsat in an interview published on Wednesday, without elaborating. Continue Reading »

Jewish Construction in West Bank Rises 40% in 2016

 

Jewish home construction last year in Judea and Samaria reached ‘2nd highest number in 15 years.’

By AFP and Arutz Sheva Staff

 

Construction on new homes for Jewish residents in Judea and Samaria rose by 40 percent in 2016 compared with the previous year, official figures showed Wednesday.

Ground was broken on 2,630 housing units last year compared with 1,884 in 2015, figures from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics showed.

Radical-leftist NGO Peace Now called it “the second highest number of construction starts in the past 15 years”.

The highest number during that time was 2,874 in 2013.

“On average, since 2001, 1,790 housing units begin to be constructed in West Bank settlements each year,” Peace Now said. Continue Reading »

WATCH: Israeli archaeologists find hundreds of liquor bottles from WWI

 

The hoard of century old liquor bottles that were found near a building which was converted into barracks for British soldiers during WWI, is demonstrative of the amount of alcohol the soldiers consumed during their service.

By Emily Rose

 

Israeli archaeologists discovered hundreds of liquor bottles that belonged to British soldiers during WWI in an excavation near the central city of Ramla, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced on Wednesday.

The assemblage of bottles that was revealed in the excavation – Photo: Clara Amit, courtesy of Israel Antiquities Authority

The 100 year-old bottles were found near a building, which was used for agricultural purposes during the Ottoman period and converted into barracks by British soldiers during the war. Continue Reading »

Netanyahu: Agreement with Putin solid- Israel will neutralized weapons transfers

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “Russia’s position on the matter has not changed.” The agreement between Jerusalem and Moscow continues to allow the Israel Air Force to carry out defensive actions against terrorist targets in Syria.

By Shlomo Cesana, Lilach Shoval & Israel Hayom Staff

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on a state visit to China, commented Tuesday on Israel’s recent airstrike in Syria, targeting a Hezbollah-bound weapons convoy, saying if a threat to Israel is detected it will be neutralized.

Flames and smoke from the Mazzah military airport outside Damascus, following an explosion at an ammunition and weapons stockpile attributed to Israel.

Continue Reading »

Kuwait makes another attempt to expel Israel’s Knesset from Inter-Parliamentary Union

 

Kuwaiti parliament speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim, “The goal of bringing about Israel’s ousting doesn’t derive from racist motives, but [from] loud & blatant violations of int’l resolutions.”

By YASSER OKBI/ MAARIV HASHAVUA, & JPOST.COM STAFF

 

Kuwait has decided to forge ahead with a move that would attempt to expel Israel from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Continue Reading »

IDF tank kills Palestinian inside ‘no-go zone’ on Gaza-Israel border

 

IDF spotters identify three Palestinians entering no-go area of the Gaza border fence last night, which led to tank fire.
• IDF investigating whether the 3 were attempting to plant an explosive device on the border fence.

By Yoav Zitun, Elior Levy

 

An 18-year-old Palestinian man was killed was another was wounded overnight Tuesday from IDF fire near the Gaza border fence, according to Palestinian reports.

The IDF said that three Palestinians were spotted making their way towards the Gaza border fence in southern Gaza and arouse the suspicion of IDF lookouts.

Female members of the infantry battalion, “Lions of Jordan”.

Continue Reading »

UN REPORT: Israel ranks 11th as ‘World’s Happiest Country’

 

According to the United Nations’ 2017 World Happiness Report published Monday, Israel has been ranked the world’s 11th happiest country for the 4th year in a row, placing comfortably ahead of the United States, which is 14th.

By i24NEWS – AFP
The report, which was released to coincide with the UN’s International Day of Happiness, uses happiness levels to quantify social progress and direct the goals of public policy.

It is the fifth such report since the first was published in 2012. Israel has climbed in the rankings from 2012, when it placed 14th, and has remained at 11 each year since then. Continue Reading »