Archive for Israel News

IDF Southern Commander Trying to Destroy Hamas Tunnels

IDF Southern Command chief trying to stop aggressive tunnel rebuilding, but being blocked by politics as ‘half of Gaza is rearming & digging new tunnels.’

By Uzi Baruch, Ari Yashar

 

Hamas’s “military wing,” the Al-Qassam Brigades, announced on Saturday morning that a terrorist in the organization was killed in Gaza’s Beit Lahiya.

IDF soldiers expose Gaza terror tunnel (file) – IDF Spokesperson

The announcement revealed that the terrorist died when the tunnel he was working to dig collapsed.

Hamas has been actively rebuilding its terror tunnel infrastructure meant to facilitate attacks from within Israeli territory, with the digging said to be taking place six days a week with three shifts each day on roughly 30 tunnels – around the same number as was destroyed in last summer’s war, but in different routes.

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OCHA reports on International teams to Nepal

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ report confirms Israel sends the largest emergency medical team to Nepal.

By the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

 

Many Member States are offering support to the Nepal Earthquake response. Below is a snapshot of some of the operational and in-kind support provided based on initial information received, reflecting part of the tremendous effort of the entire international community in support of the Government and people of Nepal

 

Nepal Earthquake: Foreign Medical Personnel Snapshot (as of 30 April 2015)

 

Israel, far from being the first to arrive or the largest contingency sent, the IDF sent to Nepal the largest medical team.

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Israel’s ‘Police Minister’ Aharonovich resigns

Public Security Minister says his resignation comes from Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman’s hint to ‘make way’ for younger MKs, and not because of the party’s corruption case, or poor job performance.

By Tova Dvorin

 

Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich (Yisrael Beytenu) gave one final interview before leaving office on Friday, wherein he reflected on his political career and why he decided to leave political life.

Aharonovich began by addressing his relationship with Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino, which was often stormy.

“The reasons are not simple, but complex,” he told Walla! News. A very public spat erupted between the two defense officials in October 2014. 

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Left-wing group turns to High Court to relieve Elad control of Temple Mount tunnel

Archeological activist from Emek Shaveh dismiss the group as a “radical left-wing organization,” funded by European gov’ts, believes they should have control of the tunnel, which extends from the Silwan parking lot opposite the Dung Gate to the Western Wall.

 

During a Thursday morning press tour of a contested tunnel being excavated under the Temple Mount, Yonathan Mizrachi stopped to explain why his archeological NGO submitted a petition to the High Court requesting that a right-wing NGO cease managerial oversight of the project.

EMEK SHAVEH archeologist Yonathan Mizrachi leads members of the press on a tour of the contested Temple Mount tunnel.

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Buses to run in Jerusalem on Shabbat

The “Shabus” bus line will begin operating with 3 mini-buses from an east Jerusalem transportation company from 8 pm Friday night to 2 am on Saturdays.

 

The Cooperative Transportation Association of Jerusalem will begin operating its new “Shabus” program next weekend, introducing buses that will run between Jerusalem neighborhoods and the city’s nightlife destinations on Friday night.

Members of the Cooperative Transportation Association of Jerusalem holding signs for the new bus line that will run on Shabbat, called “Shabus” – Photo: Ori Katzman

Public transportation in the vast majority of Israeli cities does not operate on Shabbat. Continue Reading »

Copenhagen’s bus agency removes anti-Israel settlements ad

Danish propaganda campaign scrubbed for being ‘unnecessarily offensive’ by local authorities after public transport agency flooded with complaints from residents.

By The Associated Press

 

Copenhagen’s public transport agency on Thursday ordered the immediate removal of posters opposing Israeli settlements on the capital’s city buses after getting “a considerable amount of complaints.”

“Our conscience is clear! We do not buy products from Israeli settlements or invest in settlement industry.” – Facebook

 

Movia, owned by eastern Denmark local authorities, said the campaign by the Danish Palestinian Friendship Association was “unnecessarily offensive.”

The campaign that started Monday was calling for labels on goods produced in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Continue Reading »

#BDSfail: Robbie Williams arrives in Israel for concert ignoring efforts by Waters to boycott

Williams, one of the top selling artists of all time, lands with family & dog ahead of his Saturday night concert in Tel Aviv to tour Israel, visit Jerusalem.

By Ari Yashar

 

In yet another failure of the BDS movement calling to boycott Israel, the international pop superstar Robbie Williams landed in Israel on Thursday at 6 p.m. ahead of a concert in Tel Aviv on Saturday night.

Robbie Williams

Robbie Williams – Thinkstock

The 41-year-old British musician, who is one of the best selling artists of all time, touched down at Ben-Gurion International Airport in his private Boeing jet, according to Yedioth Aharonoth.

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Apple to expand even further in Israel

Apple’s Israeli research center already 2nd largest outside of its California campus, but newly added expansion into planned development center sees Apple adding 100s of additional Israeli workers.

By Ari Yashar

 

Apple, the iconic global technology giant, is further building its presence in Israel by expanding the size of the offices in its new Herzliya headquarters.

Apple (file) – Reuters

According to a report in the Hebrew language The Marker on Wednesday, Apple has decided to increase the size of its second Herzliya research building to be built later this year by no less than 4,000 meters.

The extra office space is estimated to allow for the employment of 150 to 250 new Israeli employees.

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Turkey & Qatar reportedly broker new truce deal between Israel & Hamas

According to the Israeli report, Turkey has delivered to Israel a proposal for a 5-yr ceasefire.

By i24news

 

Qatar and Turkey have drafted a new proposal for a long term ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Israeli news site Walla! News reported on Tuesday.

Palestinian Baha Obeid (L) and his cousin Mohamed Obeid paddle on their makeshift boat made of plastic bottles on April 18, 2015 at the port of Gaza City – Photo: Mohammed Abed/AFP

According to Palestinian sources quoted by Walla! Turkey has passed on to Israel a proposal for a five-year ceasefire, during which a floating port would be built across from the Gaza Strip’s sea shore, where cargo ships would dock.

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Israel’s Jewish Youths to Promote More Arabic in Jerusalem

In effort to counter recent spat of hate crimes, 150 Jewish high school students in Jerusalem will be riding the Light Rail while speaking only in Arabic.

By Ryan Jones

 

Next week a group of 150 Jewish high school students will ride Jerusalem’s light rail while conversing only in Arabic. It is a noble initiative that has been poorly presented by some organizers and journalists giving the impression of overbearing racism in the Jewish state.

Jews and Arabs ride Jerusalem’s light rail together. – PHOTO Source: Israel Today

The event has been organized by the movement known as Tag Meir, established to combat those hate crimes perpetrated by Jews, primarily against Arabs. Continue Reading »

Roger Waters presses Robbie Williams to cancel his Israel concert

Pink Floyd front-man and BDS advocate Roger Waters, urges fellow British rocker to nix his scheduled appearance in Tel Aviv in support of ‘Palestinian children’s rights’.

By JPOST.COM STAFF

 

Outspoken Israel critic Roger Waters has called on fellow English entertainer Robbie Williams to nix his upcoming Tel Aviv performance in line with the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

British rock star Roger Waters of Pink Floyd walks along the controversial Israeli barrier in the West Bank city of Bethlehem June 21, 2006. – Photo: REUTERS

Williams, who rose to fame in the 1990s as an international pop sensation, is scheduled to hold his first concert in Israel at Tel Aviv’s Park Hayarkon as part of his “Let Me Entertain You” world tour. Continue Reading »

Law Experts on Armed Conflict: IDF Doesn’t Commit War Crimes

US Naval War College military experts on the law of armed conflict conclude: “We found that their [Israel’s] approach to targeting is consistent with the law and, in many cases, worthy of emulation.”

By Israel Today Staff

 

Two of the world’s leading experts on the laws of armed conflict have, in the wake of last year’s Gaza war, conducted a thorough survey of the Israel Defense Force’s targeting policies and concluded that the Israeli army does not as a matter of policy commit war crimes.

IDF Merkava tank unit – file photo

Traditionally, the IDF has been closed regarding its operational procedures for fear that Israel’s antagonists could exploit that information in their ongoing quest to smear the Jewish state. Continue Reading »

Palestinian Saboteur Shot On Security Fence by IDF Dies of Wound

Refusing to heed IDF warnings to step away from border security fence, soldiers opened fire, hitting leg of 18 yr-old Palestinian, who reportedly died after IDF medics released him to the Red Crescent.

By REUTERS, YAAKOV LAPPIN

 

A Palestinian shot on Monday evening while sabotaging the West Bank security fence has died of his injuries, Palestinian medical sources said.

A protester places a Palestinian flag at the Israeli barrier fence in the West Bank village of Rafat near Ramallah – Photo: REUTERS

On Monday, according to an army spokeswoman, a group of Palestinians arrived at the security fence near the Palestinian village of Araka, west of Jenin, and began attacking the security barrier. Continue Reading »

Sirens Automatically Activated When Syria Fired 2 Mortars Into Northern Israel

IDF officials confirm mortars were probably ‘spillover’ from fighting in Syrian Golan, where heavy battles have been ongoing in recent hours.
• No injuries reported.

By Ron Ben-Yishai & Ahiya Raved

 

Two mortars fell in northern Israel early Tuesday afternoon, shortly after air raid sirens blared throughout the area of Kibbutz Ein Zivan in the northern Golan Heights, warning of fire from Syria. Local residents reported hearing blasts in the area shortly after.

The mortars landed in an open area near orchards and a UN base.  The IDF has confirmed that the two mortars were errant fire from battles raging in Syria, near the border with Israel, and not an intentional attack.
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Photo Album: Israel’s Medical Assistance in Nepal Begins

First humanitarian mission aircraft has landed in Nepal. Israel’s priorities:
• Search & rescue survivors from the rubble
• Assemble IDF field hospital to begin rendering medical attention to the injured
• Locate Israelis and return them home

 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel has been providing assistance to Israelis, Nepalese and others since receiving the first reports of the earthquake that hit Nepal.
The Ministry, via Israel in Nepal, is aiding Israelis in the stricken area and is in touch with the families of Israeli travelers who have not yet established contact.

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