Israel News

Ministerial Committee: Knesset Can Veto High Court Annulment Decrees

MK Shaked’s bill basically states that with a 61-seat majority, the Knesset will be able to undo High Court ruling if the justices strike down a law.

By Ido Ben Porat, Gil Ronen

The Ministerial Committee on Legislation approved on Sunday a bill submitted by MK Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) that would enable the Knesset to override a High Court decision to strike down a law it had previously legislated.

The bill would add a clause to the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Freedom, allowing the re-legislation of laws annulled by the High Court, with a 61-seat majority. The clause would be added to the Basic Law as a temporary order for a period of four years. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Ayelet Shaked, High Court, Knesset

10th female in the Abu Ghanem clan falls victim to ‘Honor Killing’

Busan Abu Ghanem, 31, the 10th female in her clan, executed; shot at close range while going to pick up her children.
• Over the last ten years: Victim’s mother was murdered, Victim’s sister, believed to be dead, still missing.

By Shlomi Diaz and Israel Hayom Staff

Ten years after her mother was murdered and six years after her sister was declared missing, Busan Abu Ghanem, a 31-year-old mother of six, was shot to death in Ramle on Saturday. Police suspect that the motive for the murder was an honor killing.

The scene of the murder of 31-year-old Busan Abu Ghanem – Photo: KOKO

Abu Ghanem was shot several times while sitting in a parked car in town.

Category: Israel News | Tags: Honor killings

Israel’s colleges, universities see record enrollment

New academic year kicks off with over 300,000 students enrolling, an increase of 1% from last year, in Israel’s 65 colleges & universities.

By LIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZI

Some 310,000 students kicked off the academic school year on Sunday at 65 higher education institutions throughout the country.

Tel Aviv University campus. – Photo: PR

According to the Council for Higher Education (CHE) some 238,420 will be enrolled in bachelor’s programs, 59,455 will pursue master’s degrees, and 10,860 will study in doctoral programs. These figures marked a 1 percent increase from the previous academic year, in which 307,020 students were enrolled in academic institutions. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Education, Israeli culture, universities

Israeli President makes history by attending massacre ceremony

Local residents hope for formal apology as President Rivlin becomes 1st sitting Israeli president to attend & participate at Kafr Qasimin’s annual massacre ceremony.

By Hassan Shaalan

Reuven Rivlin became the first sitting Israeli president on Sunday to participate in an annual ceremony marking the Kafr Qasim massacre. “It was an atrocious massacre. A severe crime was perpetrated here. It is a dark and irregular episode in the relations between us, the Jews and Arabs who live here.”

President Rivlin speaks at anniversary ceremony – Photo: Hassan Shaalan

President Rivlin emphasized the importance of preserving positive ties between Arabs and Jews in Israel. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Israel Arab, massacre, Reuven Rivlin

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NY Times Cited Again for Journalistic Manipulation, This Time in Infant’s Terror Murder

NYT cited again for anti-Israel bias, this time for diminishing any Palestinian culpability of infant’s murder, using pejorative labels for Israelis, and omitting a multitude of incriminating details that unbiased media outlets would have reported.

By Hillel Fendel

The CAMERA media watchdog group has mounted a frontal assault on a New York Times article yet again – this time regarding biased coverage of the Palestinian terror attack in which an infant was killed.

At issue is the Times story reporting on last week’s Palestinian terrorist attack in Jerusalem that killed a 3-month-old infant and wounded eight other Israelis. “But instead of presenting the rather clear-cut events in an objective, straightforward manner,” writes CAMERA, “reporter Isabel Kershner quickly redirected readers away from the facts of Palestinian violence to focus instead on Israel’s alleged misdeeds.” Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: anti-Israel Propaganda, NYT

Hamas Official Proclaims ‘Silent Intifada’ in Jerusalem

Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar condemns PA forces that ‘suppress intifada against Israel,’ calling for more Jerusalem violence as ‘the solution to Israeli aggression.’

By Tova Dvorin

Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar, declared the constant cycle of violence in Jerusalem an “intifada” on Saturday night, making rumors of a so-called “silent intifada” official despite declarations from the Israeli security establishment that statements to that effect are exaggerated.

“Escalating the resistance in the city is the solution to Israeli aggression,” Zahar told Hamas news agency Al-Risala.

Zahar also slammed the Hamas-Palestinian Authority (PA) “unity government”‘s security coordination with Israel.

“The security coordination is a problem in that is suppresses the intifada against Israeli aggression,” he stated. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: hamas, Intifada, Jerusalem, Mahmoud Al-Zahar

Apartheid? A lesson on the facts of Jerusalem’s Light Rail

Op-ed: David Ha’ivri educates UK parliamentarians who echo the propagandists claim that Israel’s capital promotes apartheid

By David Ha’ivri

During my recent visit to the British Parliament, I heard concern from a number of members that Jerusalem’s new light rail system was built as a “tool of Israel‘s apartheid.” This type of claim can leave one baffled – where do you start explaining, when an intelligent elected official hits you with a claim that is so totally off base? Aside from the issue of priorities, since people are being killed by Assad daily in Syria, it is so hypocritical for world leaders to ignore that massacre and waste their time and effort in seeking out something to pin on Israel. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Jerusalem, Jerusalem light rail

With Palestinian encouragement Kuwait augments secondary boycott of Israel

Kuwait is planning to terminate relations with 50 companies involved anywhere past the Green Line in Israel, including Jerusalem.

By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON

Kuwait’s Commerce Ministry is on the verge of ending its relations with 50 European companies because of their dealings in the “occupied territories” taken in the 1967 Six Day War, sources told an Arab newspaper.

Kuwait’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki sign a memorandum of understanding as PA President Abbas stands behind them in Ramallah September 14. – Photo: REUTERS

The ministry is also looking into information that the British security firm G4S plc, which works in the “occupied Palestinian territories,” is active in Kuwait, the Jerusalem- based Al-Quds on Tuesday quoted the sources as saying. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Israel boycott, Judea and Samaria boycott, Kuwait

India prefers Israel’s anti-tank missile over the U.S. made Javelin

New Delhi has committed to purchase at least 8,000 of Israel’s Spike missiles along with more than 300 launchers in a deal with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems worth $525 million.

By Reuters

NEW DELHI – India has opted to buy Israel’s Spike anti-tank guided missile, a defense ministry source said on Saturday, rejecting a rival US offer of Javelin missiles that Washington had lobbied hard to win.

Prime Minister Netanyahu meets with new Indian premier Modi (Photo: GPO)

Prime Minister Netanyahu meets with new Indian premier Modi – Photo Courtesy: GPO

India will buy at least 8,000 Spike missiles and more than 300 launchers in a deal worth 32 billion rupees ($525 million), the source said after a meeting of India’s Defense Acquisition Council. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Israel India, Rafael

IDF Shot Palestinian Teen Dead While Throwing His Last Firebomb

IDF troops shoot dead a Palestinian Arab teenager who was caught trying to firebomb Israeli vehicles by throwing a Molotov-cocktail as they drove by.

By Ben Ariel, Canada

Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian Arab teenager Friday during clashes with rock-throwing protesters near Ramallah, Palestinian medical officials and security sources told AFP.

Arab terrorist throws firebomb – Reuters

They named the dead youth as Orwa Hammad, 17, and said he was shot in the village of Silwad.

The IDF said that troops opened fire towards the teenager upon identifying that he was preparing to throw firebombs towards a local road. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Arab riots, firebomb, IDF, molotov cocktail

PayBack: White House rejected Ya’alon request to meet ranking gov’t officials

Tit for tat: Obama administration declined Ya’alon request for meetings with top figures, an act of political punishment for Israel’s defense minister calling John Kerry ‘obsessive & messianic’.

By Yitzhak Benhorin

WASHINGTON – The US administration prevented Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon from meeting with key officials during his visit to Washington, DC, American sources told Ynet on Friday.

Ya’alon and Power – Photo: Defense Ministry

The defense ministry did not comment, though sources close to Ya’alon said “the aim was to meet with the security echelon, and that was what happened.”

Ya’alon arrived on Tuesday to meet his counterpart, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, and American intelligence officials. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Moshe Ya'alon, politics, White House

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Disregarding regulations & protocol, Women of the Wall sneak miniature Torah into the Kotel

The religious feminist organization says this is 1st time in 25 years women have read from the Torah at the holy Jewish site.

Western Wall Rabbi condemns the group’s ‘deception.’

By Alona Ferber

Defying regulations by Western Wall rabbinic authorities, members of Women of the Wall smuggled a tiny Torah scroll into the women’s section of the Kotel Friday morning, in what the feminist prayer group said was the first reading from the Torah by women at the holy site in 25 years.

Bat mitzvah girl Sasha Lutt reads from the Torah scroll smuggled into the Kotel.

Bat mitzvah girl Sasha Lutt reads from the tiny Torah scroll smuggled into the Western Wall, Fri.

Category: Israel News, Jewish News | Tags: Jerusalem, Judaism, Torah, Western Wall, Women of the Wall

Aliya makes historic shift as it went from ‘rescue’ to smart ‘choice’

During the last Jewish year of 5774, aliya from around the world increased by more than 30%, reaching around 25,000 immigrants.

By Natan Sharansky

The Zionist project of ingathering the exiles is undergoing a historic shift: We are moving from an aliya of rescue to an aliya of free choice.

FRENCH JEWISH children at the historic Synagogue des Tournelles in Parisin July ahead of their aliya with their families. – Photo:EREZ LICHTFELD

During the most recent Jewish year, 5774, aliya from around the world increased by more than 30 percent, reaching some 25,000 immigrants.

Behind this huge increase are two highly symbolic developments. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News, Jewish News | Tags: Aliya, Natan Sharansky