Archive for December 24, 2018

Amid IDF impasse, Netanyahu coalition calls to dissolve Knesset, call for elections

As Lapid backtracks on past support “in petty politics at the expense of the IDF and Israeli public” in a last-ditch effort to exploit the ultra-Orthodox draft impasse, Netanyahu’s gov’t decides to dissolve the parliament and call for early elections.

By i24NEWS

 

An emergency meeting of the heads of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition partners on Monday in a last-ditch effort to resolve an impasse over contentious legislation regulating military conscription for ultra-Orthodox Jews ended in a decision to dissolve parliament and call early elections.

The meeting, which got underway shortly after 1:00 p.m. local time at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, was called a day before Israel’s parliament was due to begin preparing a bill on the contentious issue for its final readings with less than a month left to pass a law on the matter under a Supreme Court-imposed deadline. Continue Reading »

Palestinian Security rounds up dozens, arrest 44 Arabs for selling property to Jews

Mahmoud Abbas’ security forces reported in a rare statement that they have arrested 44 Palestinians suspected of involvement in alleged real estate transactions of “transferring ownership over [Islamic] land to the occupation” and ‘urged’ others not to sell lands or homes in the West Bank and eastern side of Jerusalem to Jews.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

 

The Palestinian Authority announced on Sunday that its security forces have thwarted attempts by Palestinians to sell lands and houses in the West Bank and east Jerusalem to Jewish buyers, and the PA’s Preventive Security Service said in a rare statement that it has arrested 44 Palestinians suspected of involvement in the alleged real estate transactions. Continue Reading »

Honduran President follows US, Guatemala by moving embassy to Jerusalem

Report: Honduras ready to relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – but for a price.

By David Rosenberg

 

Honduras is prepared to relocate its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – but at a price – according to a report by Channel 2 Sunday evening.

Lawmakers in the Central American nation of nine million backed the embassy move in April, passing a non-binding resolution calling on President Juan Orlando Hernandez to follow the US and Guatemala in moving their embassies to Jerusalem.

Netanyahu meets with President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández – Photo: Kobi Gideon/GPO

According to Channel 2 Sunday, the Hernandez administration is prepared to move the Honduran embassy to Jerusalem, and as has even drawn up a plan for undertaking the move, with a possible site already chosen for a Jerusalem embassy. Continue Reading »

Palestinian officials call for Arab boycott of new, joint Israeli-Palestinian Mall

Palestinian activists, motivated by Fatah officials, have called for a total boycott by Arabs of the first joint Israeli-Palestinian shopping mall that’s set to open just north of Jerusalem.
– Economic normalization with Israel, the boycotters say, “is an act of intentional treason.”

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

 

Palestinian activists have called for boycotting the first Israeli-Palestinian shopping mall, which was built by supermarket chain owner and developer Rami Levy in the industrial zone of Atarot, north of Jerusalem. The mall, which is expected to open soon, cost NIS 200 million and has more than 50 businesses.

The activists took to social media and other platforms to call on Palestinians to boycott the new mall and other shopping centers in Israel. Continue Reading »

Israel’s Drone Dome defense system used to re-open Gatwick Airport

Gatwick Airport in London was only able to re-open after military reinforcements were brought in, equipped with technology that was used to defeat ISIS in Syria, which the Daily Mail identified as the Israeli-made Drone Dome.

By i24NEWS – AFP

 

Another drone sighting forced London’s Gatwick airport runway to close again on Friday..

Police were still unsuccessfully looking for perpetrators in a disturbance that grounded flights in the second-busiest airport in the United Kingdom on Wednesday and Thursday, although British media favored the option of a lone-wolf environmentalist attack.

London – Gatwick Airport – Photo: Andre Wadman/Wikimedia

The airport has been in an ongoing dispute with its neighbors and environmental groups about expansion. Continue Reading »

World leaders support Palestinian police-state despite arbitrary arrests, torture

VIDEO REPORT: Except Trump, world leaders support and defend the kleptocratic Palestinian heads, finance the corrupt and brutal police-state governments in both Gaza and the West Bank, and remain silent as hundreds of arbitrary arrests and torture are regularly used to crush dissent.

By Human Rights Watch, agencies, Israel and Stuff

 

A 2 year investigation by Human Rights Watch into patterns of arrest & improper detention conditions of 86 cases in the West Bank and Gaza, show that the Palestinian governments in both of the authorities routinely arrest those whose peaceful speech offends them and torture those in their custody. Continue Reading »

Israel, Greece, Cyprus agree on Mediterranean natural-gas pipeline deal

At tripartite summit held in Beersheba, the leaders of Israel, Greece, and Cyprus reaffirmed their commitment to an underwater trans-Mediterranean pipeline meant to carry Israeli natural gas to Europe.
• U.S. pledges its support for the ambitious project.

By Israel Hayom

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said that Israel, Greece and Cyprus will sign an agreement early next year to build a pipeline to carry natural gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe, while the United States pledged its support for the ambitious project.

The $7 billion project, expected to take six or seven years to complete, promises to reshape the region as an energy provider and dent Russia’s dominance over the European energy market. Continue Reading »

Palestinian leadership condemns Arab Journalists visiting Israel as a crime

The Palestinian government seeks to punish 7 foreign Arab journalists for accepting invitation to ‘see for themselves’ Israel, saying normalization with the Jewish State was an “unacceptable and unjustified disgrace,” adding it’s a “political and national sin and an unacceptable crime.”

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

 

The Palestinian Authority condemned the visit to Israel by seven Arab journalists and accused them of violating Arab policies that reject normalization with Israel.

The PA on Thursday called for punishing the journalists for allegedly supporting Israel, and said that normalization was an “unacceptable and unjustified disgrace.” Such visits, the PA added, are a “political and national sin and an unacceptable crime.” Continue Reading »

REPORT: Israel ranks 3rd most educated country

Israel outranks U.S., all European countries for percentage of citizens aged 25-64 holding degree in higher education, be it academic or vocational, according to latest OECD report.

By Abigail Klein Leichman

 

Israel is the third most educated country, according to 2017 data compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

OECD calculated the percentage of each country’s population between the ages of 25 and 64 who have completed a two- or four-year degree beyond high school – including both academic and vocational programs.

The data shows that 50.9 percent of Israelis in the target age bracket have a higher-education degree. Continue Reading »

High-level Russian delegation arrives in Israel to end tension, reset cooperation

The delegation’s visit, headed by the Kremlin’s Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman and Defense Committee Chairman, is viewed by Jerusalem as highly important as it symbolizes Moscow’s intention to leave behind the crisis over the plane that was downed in Syria during an IAF strike.

By Itamar Eichner

 

A special Russian delegation arrived in Israel on Wednesday, as part of Moscow’s efforts to ease tensions between the two countries following the downing of a Russian plane by Syrian forces in September, during an attempt to repel an Israeli airstrike.

The Russian delegation, headed by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Konstantin Koschev and Defense Committee Chairman Victor Bondar, was to discuss the Hezbollah terror tunnels that the IDF is working to uncover dug under the Israel-Lebanese border. Continue Reading »

‘Extraordinary times’: Israel and SIX Gulf States working together

Eye-opening revelations with ‘behind-the-scene’ Foundation for Ethnic Understanding president, who has been opening doors between Gulf State leaders and Israel for over a decade: “When in modern Jewish history have you had the forces of the United States, specifically the Trump Administration, the State of Israel, and the six Gulf states all coming together?”

By Eliran Aharon

 

Foundation for Ethnic Understanding President Rabbi Marc Schneier spoke to Arutz Sheva about his groundbreaking work bringing understanding and normalization between Israel and the Arab Gulf states: “We’re living in extraordinary times,” Rabbi Schneier said. “There’s a warming of relations between the Arab Gulf states and Israel. Continue Reading »

After breaking trade deal with Israel, Jerusalem bans Palestinian produce

In response to the Palestinian Authority’s ban on the sale of Israeli lamb inside the West Bank, Israel’s Minister of Agriculture, Uri Ariel has unilaterally frozen all imports of Palestinian produce, depriving the PA economy of more than 720,000₪ ($200,000) daily, until the Palestinians rectify the trade agreement.

By i24NEWS

 

The Israeli minister for agriculture, Uri Ariel, prohibited the entry of fruits and vegetables from the West Bank in Israel on Tuesday.

The move, which was reported on Israel’s Channel 10, was justified by an apparent decision by the Palestinian Authority to ban the sale of Israeli lamb inside the West Bank. Continue Reading »

Mossad tasked with securing Jewish communities abroad

The Mossad received about $2.8 million to increase security for Jewish communities worldwide after surveys showed 40% of European Jews are considering emigrating because they don’t feel safe.

By Mordechai Sones

 

The Mossad recently received more than NIS 10 million from one of the government ministries, with the aim of increasing security of Jewish community institutions around the world.

The money is intended to support local security forces and help coordinate various actions to protect Jews in the Diaspora.

Mossad Director Yossi Cohen – Reuters

The Israeli decision to increase security around the Jewish communities was made against the background of the rise in anti-Semitism and the increasing fear of terrorist activity. Continue Reading »

Prime Minister Netanyahu Admits Israel Has Spies in Iran

Speaking to a group of gov’t diplomats, the Prime Minister openly admitted that Israeli agents periodically “visit” Iran to stay up-to-date on its presumed quiescent nuclear program.

By Israel Today Staff

 

Some fear Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might have been a little too candid on Sunday when he told a group of diplomats at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Israeli spies routinely “visit” Iran.

“We are fighting all over the world in regards to Iran’s nuclear program,” said Netanyahu in remarks widely quoted in the Israeli press. “We also visit there periodically… to ‘catch up,'” he added.

A number of high-profile assassinations, computer hacks and other technical failures that have hindered Iran’s nuclear program have been attributed to Israeli intelligence agencies. Continue Reading »

Israeli spacecraft fits final component for 2019 moon launch – a Torah included

UPDATED: The final element on the Israeli spacecraft called “Beresheet” (“Genesis”) has been installed, a digital time capsule consisting of three discs containing the Torah, Israel’s national anthem, “Hatikvah”, an Israeli flag, Holocaust testimony and much more.
– Beresheet is set to blast off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in early 2019, making Israel the 4th country to carry out a controlled “soft” moon landing, after the U.S., Russia, and China.

By Reuters

 

Israeli engineers on Monday added the final element to a spacecraft destined for the moon – a digital time capsule – saying they aim to send the craft up early next year and land it between the landing sites of Apollo 15 and 17. Continue Reading »