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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 »

Category: The Diaspora | Tags: David Friedman, Israel US, U.S. Senate, US politics

israelandstuffcom | March 23, 2017

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 ADAM RASGON

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 »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: Arab League, Arab Peace Plan

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 »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Central Bureau of Statistics, construction, Jewish construction, Judea and Samaria, Peace Now

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 »

Category: Israel News | Tags: archaeology, Archaeology Authority, British soldiers, WWI

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.

Category: Israel News | Tags: Hezbollah - Syria, IAF strike, IAF Syria, Israel China, Israel Russia, Xi Jinping

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).

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: anti-Israel bias, Inter-Parliamentary Union, Kuwait

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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”.

Category: Israel News | Tags: border fence, Gaza border, IDF Armored Corps, security fence, tank, terrorists killed

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 »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Happy, UN, United Nations, World Happiness Report

Planned 100-story ‘Tower Between Cities’ in Tel Aviv to be Israel’s tallest building

After construction, the commercial and residential tower next to Tel Aviv’s Savidor railway station would be 400 meters (1,300 feet) high.
• The Moshe Aviv Tower in Ramat Gan, has been Israel’s tallest building since 2001.

By Hezi Sternlicht

Plans for a 100-story tower to be constructed on the border between Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan have been submitted to the Tel Aviv Regional Planning and Building Committee.

Tower Between Cities, planned to be the tallest building in Israel – Photo: Miloslavsky Architects website

If approved and built, the so-called “Tower Between Cities” will be Israel’s tallest building, reaching a height of 400 meters (1,300 feet). Continue Reading »

Category: Jewish News | Tags: construction, Tel Aviv

WATCH: David’s Sling officially enters service completing country’s multi-layered missile defense program

The Israeli Air Force officially declares the David’s Sling missile defense system operational, as tensions rise on the northern border.
• David’s Sling joins Iron Dome and Arrow’s 2 and 3 systems to support Israel’s multi-layered missile defense measures.

By Yossi Yehoshua

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) officially inaugurated the David’s Sling missile defense system on Monday. The system was designed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and American defense contractor Raytheon.

It is officially operational and functions as a part of Israel’s multi-layered missile defense program.

In this capacity, David’s Sling operates in the layer above the Iron Dome and below the Arrow system.

Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News, Video's worth Viewing | Tags: Arrow 3, David's Sling, IAF, Israeli Air Force, missile defense program

Israel arrests BDS founder Omar Barghouti for tax evasion

BDS co-founder Omar Barghouti, the Qatari Arab who moved to Israel and studied at Tel Aviv University, was arrested for allegedly concealing $700,000 of income from tax authorities.

By David Rosenberg

One of the founders of the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement has been arrested for concealing large sums of money from tax authorities.

Police say Omar Barghouti, founder of both the BDS movement and the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, was arrested on suspicion he committed tax evasion over the past decade, concealing $700,000 in earned income from tax authorities.

BDS – Wikimedia

During a raid of Barghouti’s house, police say they found credit cards and purchase records confirming the allegations against him. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: arrested, BDS, Israel boycott, Omar Barghouti, tax evasion

#BDSfail: Events scheduled for both Frankfurt and Bonn, cancelled

The Jewish communities and Wiesenthal Center welcomed the decisions of cancelling the separate pro-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions conferences that were set to take place in Frankfurt and also in Bonn.

By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL

After a wave of objections to a boycott-Israel event scheduled for next week in Bonn, Germany, the Jewish community there on Monday announced its delight with cancellation of the gathering and a widely criticized antisemitic talk that was to be given at it.

A separate pro-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions conference set to take place in June in Frankfurt was also canceled.

“The Jewish community is pleased that the event was canceled,” a spokeswoman for the Bonn Jewish community told The Jerusalem Post. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: #BDSfail, anti-Israel Propaganda, anti-Israel Protesters, BDS, Germany, Simon Wiesenthal Center

israelandstuffcom | March 20, 2017

9 Byzantine-era bronze coins discovered in roadwork west of Jerusalem

The rare trove of nine bronze coins dating back to the 7th century C.E. was found during excavation held to allow the expansion of a major highway.
• The coins display embossed Byzantine-era emperors and Christian crosses, that were all minted in locations that are now present-day Turkey.

By Yori Yalon

A cache of nine bronze coins dating back to the end of the Byzantine period, or the seventh century C.E., was recently uncovered during an Israel Antiquities Authority excavation.

The excavation, which began last June as part of roadwork to expand a section of Highway 1 running west of Jerusalem, uncovered what was a large two-story building and a wine press — part of a larger complex apparently used by Christian pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ancient coins, archaeology, Byzantine, Israel Antiquities Authority

israelandstuffcom | March 20, 2017