Archive for Israel News

IDF Security Drill Tests Effectiveness of New Gaza Border Community’s ‘Smart fences’ 

Security drill verifies effectiveness of new motion-detection fences enveloping Gaza-adjacent communities, proving it can not only automatically detect possible infiltrations, but also instantly alert troops as to exact point of incursion.

By Matan Tzuri

 

Israel has installed new “smart” fences around Gaza-adjacent communities in the wake of Operation Protective Edge, featuring the ability to recognize suspicious activity and send troops to the scene in seconds. 

Israelis test the new system – Courtesy

Reports have surfaced in recent days, both from Israeli and Palestinian sources, that Hamas has accelerated its construction of hidden attack tunnels. On Tuesday, Ibrahim Adel Shehadeh Shaer, a Hamas operative in Israeli custody, told the Shin Bet of the organization’s plans to use tunnels in a future conflict. Continue Reading »

Both Israel & US Developing Laser Beams to Intercept Mortar Shells

Following the unprecedented success of IDF’s Iron Dome against Hamas’ terror-rockets, another new system is being developed to neutralize deadly mortar fire cheaply & effectively.

By Hillel Fendel

 

Mortar shells are less powerful than Katyusha rockets, but have been lethally used against Israel by terrorists in Gaza and Lebanon during the Second Lebanon War and Operation Protective Edge. Both Boeing and Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Ltd. (Israel’s second largest defense company) are working on laser defense systems against this threat.

IsraelDefense reports that Rafael’s system is known as Iron Beam, and could become operational within five years. Boeing, too, is working on a system, called “High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator”, which could be ready by mid-to-late 2017. Continue Reading »

British Petition Calls to Arrest Netanyahu Upon September Visit to UK

Israel’s Foreign Ministry: Petition signed by 40,000 to arrest PM for “war crimes” is merely a public relations stunt with no practical significance.

By Eli Leon & Israel Hayom Staff

 

As of Wednesday morning, nearly 40,000 people had signed an online petition calling for the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on war crimes charges during his visit to the United Kingdom next month.

Continue Reading »

Will American Jews Turn ‘Never Again’ Pledge Into Empty Slogan?

Op-ed: American Jews, who traditionally have been overwhelmingly Democrat, need to choose if the Jewish state’s security & survival trump the legacy of, & loyalty to, a lame duck president that Israel feels is endangering it.

By Shoula Romano Horing 

 

After World War II, Jews everywhere promised that never again would they be silent or sit idly by while evil tries to destroy the Jewish people. Iranian leaders have repeatedly promised to destroy the Jewish state. It appears that the nuclear deal will give them the means to do it. 

Democratic Senator Eliot Engel (L), who has come out against the Iran nuclear deal, with Secretary of State John Kerry – Photo: AP

American Jews, who are overwhelmingly Democrats, will have to choose the Jewish state’s survival and security over the legacy of and loyalty to a lame duck president from the Democratic Party. Continue Reading »

Israelis put politics aside making Turkey their top destination in July

Despite Ankara’s years of anti-Israel rhetoric, Israel Airports Authority’s data show 172,507 passengers traveled on Israel-Turkey route in July, a 30% increase from last year.

By Danny Sadeh

 

Despite the chilly relations in the diplomatic arena, Turkey has become the most active destination for flights from Israel, according to an Israel Airports Authority (IAA) summary of the month of July, which was released Monday.

Antalya. Are Israelis returning to Turkey’s holiday resorts? – Photo: Ilan Halperin

The United States, which has been the most active destination of direct flights from Israel for years, fell to the third place, while Greece went up to the second place.

Continue Reading »

New IDF Rules of Engagement: No Shooting At Terrorists

‘Fire only in the air except in immediate threat to life’ means that terrorists can escape the IDF without fear of being shot, after completing shooting, stabbing or vehicular attacks.

By Gil Ronen

 

The IDF has changed its open-fire instructions for warriors serving in Judea and Samaria, making it even more difficult for them to fire at terrorists.

The new instructions determine that only in cases of real danger to life may the soldier fire at the terrorist’s lower limbs.

This is a radical change in the longstanding open-fire instructions that call for a soldier to call out warnings to terrorists, then fire in the air several times. Continue Reading »

Arrested Hamas militant gives details about Gaza’s tunnel network to Israel

Israel’s Shin Bet arrest Hamas operative who confessed to his involvement in terror tunnel planning, attacks, and much more from Gaza.

By i24news

 

The IDF revealed Tuesday that Israeli security forces had arrested a militant of the Hamas terror organization who was actively involved in plotting tunnel attacks from the Gaza Strip.

Hamas fighters inside a tunnel – Al Qassam Brigade file photo

Rafah resident Ibrahim A’adel Shahada Shaer, 21, was arrested in early July as part of a joint Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency] and Israeli police operation, the IDF spokesperson said in a statement.

Shaer gave interrogators a plethora of detailed information regarding Hamas’ terror activities in Rafah, including how Hamas planned attacks during conflict and its intentions to use terror tunnels to carry out attacks against Israel civilians. Continue Reading »

Israeli 15 yr-old Entrepreneurs Take 3rd Place at European Contest

Delegation of 15 yr-old Israelis take 3rd place out of 37 countries competing at the Junior Achievement contest in Berlin. 

By Shlomi Balbul

 

Israeli teenagers won third place at a competition for young entrepreneurs held by the Junior Achievement organization in Berlin last week.

Booth of the Israeli team in Berlin

The teens presented Sit Up, a safety harness allowing children aged seven and younger to be carried on one’s shoulder, at the competition.

Start-up companies formed by teens from 37 countries participated at this year’s contest. At 15, the Israelis happened to be the youngest participants this year.

Over 20,000 students from around Europe, who founded hundreds of small companies, were involved in this year’s contest. Continue Reading »

Israel Prison Service To Establish Emergency Room for Hunger-Strikers

In order avoid irreversible health problems caused by long-term fasting, the IPS medical center in Ramla will establish an emergency room to deal with hunger-strikers.

By Mati Tuchfeld, Itsik Saban & Gadi Golan

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the authorities on Sunday to examine the possibility of building a special medical emergency room in the framework of the Israel Prison Service, in light of the case of Mohammad Allan, an Islamic Jihad activist imprisoned in Israel who has refused food for over 50 days.

Prisoners in an Israeli jail – Photo: Tal Cohen

The new emergency room is expected to be set up at the IPS medical center in Ramla. Continue Reading »

Palestinian Leaders Silent With Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians in Arab Countries

PA leaders seek “war crimes” charges against Israel at ICC on cynical claims, but when Palestinians are seen as parasites and victims of actual ethnic cleansing & torture in Syria, Lebanon & Iraq, they do nothing.

By Khaled Abu Toameh

 

It is no secret that most of the Arab countries have long been mistreating their Palestinian brethren by subjecting them to a series of Apartheid-like discriminatory laws and regulations that often deny them basic rights.

Part of the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, near Damascus, Syria, after being damaged by fighting. – Photo: RT video screenshot

In countries such as Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Syria, Palestinians are treated as second and third class citizens, a fact that has forced many of them to seek better lives in the U.S., Continue Reading »

Ignoring Hamas’ policies, UN blames Gaza’s rising infant mortality rate on Israel

UNRWA: “We are very concerned about the impact of the long-term blockade on health facilities, supplies of medicines & bringing equipment in to Gaza.”

By REUTERS

 

The infant mortality rate in Gaza has risen for the first time in more than half a century, according to the United Nations, raising concerns about the impact of the Israeli blockade on health facilities in the region.

Continue Reading »

2 Druze from Golan Heights Indicted for Murder of Wounded Syrian

view videoGag order lifted: The 2 individuals, a 48 yr-old woman & a 22 yr-old man from Majdal Shams were among those who ambushed an IDF ambulance in route to hospital & beat the 2 wounded Syrians, killing one.

By Ido Ben Porat

 

A 22-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman from Majdal Shams in northern Israel have been indicted for murdering a wounded Syrian and critically injuring another in late June.

A gag order on the developments in the case was lifted Monday.

The two are Amal Abu Salah and Bashira Muhammad, who were documented on video among the dozens of Druze who chased down a military ambulance that passed near Majdal Shams, took out the wounded Syrians and beat them wildly. Continue Reading »

New York imam reinterprets Islamic hadith, seeking end of war with Jews

view videoImam: “We cannot say that all Jews are bad. The Jews here, in America, are a million times more honorable than the Muslims…Our dispute is with [Israeli] bully politicians – not because they are Jews, but because they are bullies.”

By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON

 

A New York-based imam made a rare attempt at reinterpreting a selection of Islamic texts that make harsh statements against Jews.

Screenshot from MEMRI (the Middle East Media Research Institute) video clip

Screenshot from MEMRI (the Middle East Media Research Institute) video clip

“This hadith is very strange, and we should reexamine it, because it leads Islam to disaster. It says: ‘Judgment Day will not come before the Muslims fight the Jews, and then the rocks and the trees will say: Oh Muslim, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him,’” said Imam Tareq Yousef al-Masri, from the Oulel-Albab mosque in Brooklyn. Continue Reading »

WATCH: Heartwarming Israeli commercial goes viral

view videoWith Ashton Kutcher’s seal of approval this Super-Pharm commercial is generating a lot of buzz with over 4.7 million views and counting.

By Ynet

 

An Israeli commercial for razors has gone viral, garnering 4.7 million views and creating a buzz on major websites like Buzzfeed, Huffington Post and the Daily Mail.

YouTube Screenshot

YouTube Screenshot

The commercial for Super-Pharm’s “Life” razors shows a man shaving his beard for the first time in 14 years, and his family members having a hard time recognizing him after his transformation.

On Friday, famous American actor Ashton Kutcher posted a link to the commercial to his 17 million Facebook followers. Continue Reading »

Strong Shekel Sends Israelis Traveling Abroad In Record Numbers

Tourism record made in July with 777,500 Israelis leaving the country to see the world, a record likely to be broken in August.

By Moshe Cohen

 

Israelis set a tourism record in July – one that is likely to be broken in August. The strong shekel and weak dollar and euro means that Israelis can get a good vacation deal in the U.S. or Europe, and more Israelis than ever are doing just that.

Israeli passport – Photo: IsraelandStuff/PP

According to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, 777,500 Israelis left the country to travel abroad – 20.9% more than the 673,000 in July 2013, the previous record month. Continue Reading »