Archive for Israel News

| February 12, 2014
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Micronesia Presents Israel’s President with an Island

 

During a ceremony when President Peres received Letters of Credence from 4 new ambassadors, the Micronesian envoy gushed with love & praise for Israel.

By Yossi Aloni

 

New ambassadors from Hungary, Serbia Turkmenistan and the tiny island nation of Micronesia recently submitted their credentials to President Shimon Peres at an official ceremony in Jerusalem.

Micronesia Gives Shimon Peres an Island

Ambassador Asterio R. Takesy from Micronesia presents credentials to Israel’s President Shimon Peres – Photo: Mark Neiman/GPO

In light of the special frienship that has blossomed between Israel and Micronesia – which has a strong record of voting in favor of the Jewish state at the United Nations – Ambassador Asterio R. Continue Reading »

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| February 12, 2014
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Israel to legislate the end of plastic bags in supermarkets

 

In order to prevent further pollution, the Environmental Protection Ministry is drafting a law that bans distributing plastic bags in chain stores.

By Dan Lavie

 

Plastic bags have long been part of the Israeli landscape — for better or (mostly) for worse. In fact, Israelis are practically addicted to these bags, with every citizen consuming some 275 plastic bags on average a year, playing their part in polluting the environment. But now the Environmental Protection Ministry aims to put a stop on this: The office is drafting a bill that will prohibit retail chain stores do distribute free plastic bags.

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| February 12, 2014
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Israel’s Foreign Minister Liberman: ‘Israel’s isolation is being greatly exaggerated’

 

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman announced Israel’s new membership in 2 int’l groups, a UN group known as JUSCANZ and also gained observer status in the Pacific Alliance in Latin America.

By HERB KEINON, NIV ELIS

 

 

Reports of Israel’s international “isolation” have been greatly exaggerated, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said Tuesday, announcing Israel’s new membership in two international groupings.

OVERVIEW OF the Human Rights Council at the UNHRC – UN Photo/Pierre Albouy

“Next time you hear reports of diplomatic isolation or a wave of boycotts threatening Israel, know that the reality is very different,” he wrote on his Facebook page, announcing Israel’s membership in a UN grouping known as JUSCANZ and the observer status it gained in the Pacific Alliance in Latin America. Continue Reading »

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| February 11, 2014
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Israeli figure skating duo qualify for Sochi finals


Andrea Davidovich & Evgeni Krasnopolski set their hopes on Israel’s 1st ever medal at the Winter Olympics.

By

 

Israeli athletes Evgeni Krasnopolski and Andrea Davidovich qualified on Tuesday for the figure skating finals at the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Israel's Andrea Davidovich, left, and Evgeni Krasnopolski perform during pairs free skating

Israel’s Andrea Davidovich, left, and Evgeni Krasnopolski perform during pairs free skating of the Golden Spin figure skating competition in Zagreb, Croatia, Dec. 7, 2013.- Photo: AP

The two scored 56.90 points on their total segment score at the Pairs Short Program.

The Chinese team scored the most points (70.59), followed by the U.S. (67.44) and France (65.36).

The finals will take place on Wednesday at 7:45 P.M.

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| February 11, 2014
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Portman confronts local resistance over filming in Jerusalem

Israeli directorial debut to be shot in Haredi neighborhood of capital, to the chagrin of its residents.

By i24NEWS

 

Ultra-Orthodox residents of Jerusalem are reportedly trying to forestall Hollywood star Natalie Portman from shooting scenes from her upcoming directorial debut in Israel’s capital, increasingly defined by its religious majority.

Natalie Portman – Photo: AFP

According to the Haaretz daily, Portman, is set to film in an ultra-Orthodox part of the Nahlaot neighborhood. While she coordinated the shoot with the Jerusalem Municipality, officials apparently failed to inform the residents, who wrote a letter complaining that the filming will take place near synagogues and yeshivot. Continue Reading »

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| February 11, 2014
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WATCH: Israel Hayom Debate Marijuana Legalization in Israel

 

Israel Hayom editor Steve Ganot moderates debate between fellow editor Elia Berger & contributor Simona Weinglass on the legalization of cannabis for recreational use in Israel.

By Israel Hayom Staff

 

With a number of European countries, Uruguay, and Colorado and Washington in the United States, legalizing recreational cannabis, will Israel follow suit?

Israel Hayom editor Elia Berger – screenshot

Around 9 percent of Israelis regularly smoke cannabis, and 26% support legalizing it as a recreational drug. Israel is considered a pioneer in research and use of medical marijuana — which has been legal since the 1990s — yet is tightly regulated. Continue Reading »

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| February 11, 2014
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Israeli jets strike 2 Hamas targets following Gaza rocket attacks

 

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit reported that the IAF had successfully destroyed an underground rocket launcher in central Gaza in retaliation for Palestinian rocket attacks.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
 

 

Following Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel, the Israel Air Force launched air strikes on two targets in Gaza overnight Tuesday.

A Palestinian man removes shattered glass from a window of a building after witnesses said it was hit in an Israeli air strike at Nusseirat in the centre of the Gaza Strip - Photo: REUTERS

A Palestinian man removes shattered glass from a window of a building after witnesses said it was hit in an Israeli air strike at Nusseirat in the centre of the Gaza Strip – Photo: REUTERS

The IDF said an underground rocket launcher in central Gaza, and a second terrorism target in the north of the Strip were hit in the air strikes, adding that both targets were accurately struck before fighter jets returned to base safely. Continue Reading »

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| February 11, 2014
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WATCH: Israeli Company Testing Unpiloted Flying Ambulance

The drone ambulance, named AirMule can fly with up to 800 pounds of cargo in search and rescue operations.

By Lily Wilf, The Scroll

 
 
Israeli startup Urban Aeronautics is testing a flying ambulance drone they hope to release before 2020, Business Insider reports. The vehicle, which is called the AirMule, would be used to perform rescues in places like dense urban environments, where helicopter maneuvering is difficult. The AirMule is directed and controlled remotely and it can fly unpiloted with up to 880 pounds of cargo.

The AirMule, an unmanned emergency rescue vehicle. (Tactical Robotics)

Its primary purpose is to assist with rescues during military operations:

A much quieter, remotely-piloted aircraft like this would be a game changer for military personnel.

Continue Reading »
Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News, Video's worth Viewing | Tags: ,
| February 11, 2014
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Poached Pet Parrot Battles Burglar, Catches Criminal

 

Beside the obvious empty parrot cage police notice hat that may have been knocked off robber’s head while tackling the pet. DNA sample leads detectives to parrot poacher.

By Matan Tzuri

Police were able to locate and detain a man who robbed a home in southern Israel after the burglar accidentally left his hat behind due to a fierce struggle with the house’s pet parrot. The bird has yet to be found, and it is suspected thief took the pet away with him and sold it to someone else.

Detective parrot cracks the case (Photo: Yaron Brener/Illustration)

Detective parrot cracks the case – Photo: Yaron Brener/Illustration

About a month ago, a resident of one of the communities in southern Israel filed a complaint with the police after his home was broken into. Continue Reading »

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| February 11, 2014
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Viber, Israeli rival to Skype, negotiating $300m sale to Chinese buyer

Israeli Mobile app Viber, allows free phone calls, text messaging and picture sharing from phone and computer.

By and Reuters

 

Viber, the Israeli mobile application that allows users to make phone calls and send text messages for free, is in talks with a potential Chinese buyer for a deal that could be worth around $300 million.

Viber logo

Viber logo

The news comes some six months after Viber approached investment banking firm Goldman Sachs to help it find a buyer. Viber has a large user base in Southeast Asia, although the negotiations are said to be proceeding at a slow pace with the Chinese firm.

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Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News | Tags: , ,
| February 11, 2014
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Arab MK Accused by Christian IDF Recruits of Acting ‘Like a Mafia Member’

Forum for Christian IDF Soldiers filed a formal complaint against Arab Muslim MK Hanin Zoabi, after she threatened their Christian representative in the Knesset.

By Tova Dvorin

 

Sha’adi Halul, the spokesman for the Forum of Christian IDF Soldiers, filed a request to the Attorney General’s Office asking for the removal of immunity for MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad).

The request, which was submitted by legal representative for the forum Attorney Uri Shenhar, calls out Zoabi for turning to Halul in a Knesset Committee meeting last week and calling him a “coward” who “can’t walk the streets of Nazareth and Kfar Kana and present his position” and threatened him, saying that if “you go through the streets of Nazareth and say what you want – they will give you a proper response.” Continue Reading »

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| February 11, 2014
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WATCH: 7th Armored Brigade upgrades to Merkava Mark IV with Trophy missile shield

Based in the Golan Heights, the 7th Armored Brigade has traded in their Merkava Mark II tanks for the worlds most undated tank.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN

 

 

An Armored Corps brigade based in the North is set to do away with its aged tanks and begin receiving the IDF’s last word in tank warfare, the Merkava Mark IV, equipped with the Trophy antitank- missile shield.

Photo courtesy: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit

Based in the Golan Heights, the 7th Armored Brigade has relied on Merkava Mark II tanks for more than 20 years. Some of the older tanks were manufactured in the late 1970s, but have since undergone a series of technological upgrades. Continue Reading »

Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News | Tags: ,
| February 11, 2014
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Israel’s Natural Gas Fields are Giving Putin Heartache

 

Israel’s gas find offers an opportunity for US interests by helping to secure Middle East peace & undercutting Putin’s pretensions in Europe & the East Mediterranean.

By Arthur Herman

 

If you think Vladimir Putin has enough worries on his plate dealing with the Sochi Olympics debacle, the turmoil in Ukraine and Russia’s sputtering economy, think again. A new potential source of trouble is brewing out in the eastern Mediterranean — one that could not only undermine Putin’s efforts to rebuild Russia’s influence in the Middle East, but his current strong hand in Europe.

Russian President Vladimir Putin - Photo: AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin – Photo: AP

The threat: Israel’s recently discovered offshore gas deposits — one of the biggest global finds of the past decade. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News, The Diaspora | Tags: , , , ,
| February 10, 2014
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Palestinian Minister: Palestine Will Have Sovereignty Over Old City, Including Kotel

Palestinian Authority Minister of Holy Places is demanding sovereignty over the entire Old City of Jerusalem, including City of David & the Kotel.

By David Lev

 

 

A top Palestinian Authority official said that the PA was demanding sovereignty over all areas of Jerusalem Israel liberated in the Six Day War, including the Kotel, the Western Wall. Speaking to Channel Ten, Mahmoud al-Habbash, Minister of Holy Places in the PA, said that “there will be no peace until the end of the Israeli occupation that began in 1967. Every piece of land that Israel conquered then belongs to the Palestinians.” Continue Reading »

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| February 10, 2014
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Finishing touch found by Israeli breast cancer survivor

Delicate and realistically textured, Kolath-Arbel’s nipples are surrounded by a semitransparent circle that blends with the skin on which it sits. All the doctors said, ‘We were waiting for someone to do this.’

 

 

KFAR SABA, Israel (JTA) — Michelle Kolath-Arbel squeezes a nipple, rolling it in her fingers with a look of mild disgust.

A sample of nipple prosthetics from the Israeli company Pink Perfect. (Ben Sales)

A sample of nipple prosthetics from the Israeli company Pink Perfect. – Ben Sales

This model, which Kolath-Arbel ordered from China two years ago for $50, is thick and crude and took three months to arrive in the mail.

“It was hard, rubbery,” she said.

Continue Reading »
Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News | Tags: ,
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