Israel News

IDF’s elite counter-terrorism unit welcomes 1st female combat doctor

Dr. Shani joins the Duvdevan counter-terrorism unit as the 1st combat doctor, winning over 3 male physician for the position.

Dr. Shani: “I can’t wait to go out into the field with the other soldiers”.

Unit commander: ‘Don’t mess with her.’

Eran Navon

The commander of the Israel Defense Forces Duvdevan counterterrorism unit welcomed the first female combat doctor to join an elite unit at a ceremony on Sunday.

Dr. Shani joins the Duvdevan elite unit as a combat doctor, the first time a woman has been chosen for the position – Photo: Maya Baumel-Berger

“This is the unit’s new doctor.

Category: Israel News | Tags: Duvdevan Unit, IDF soldier, Medicine

Who does Israel export sophisticated weaponry to? The Defense Ministry is silent

Although, most of the countries are already known, Jerusalem refuses to disclose a detailed list of recipients to avoid a morel debate over selling arms to autocratic regimes.

By Aluf Benn

The Defense Ministry objects to any transparency or openness about Israeli arms sales, despite the serious failures that have recently been revealed in its export control department, as reported in Haaretz by Gili Cohen, and the recent forced resignation of department head Meir Shalit. The ministry almost always refrains from launching criminal investigations of exporters who break the law, preferring to settle the cases with administrative fines – or in other words, behind closed doors in the Defense Ministry, without anything being revealed. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Drone, Elbit, Exports, Rafael, UAV, weapons

Israeli Air Force Hits Gaza Terrorists Just After Mortar Attack

Israeli Air Force drone strikes terrorists preparing to launch rockets into southern Israeli towns.

By Ari Soffer

The Israeli Air Force struck terrorist targets in Gaza Wednesday morning, wounded two Palestinian terrorists in the south of the Islamist-controlled territory, medical and security sources said.

“Two Palestinians were hit and injured by an Israeli drone while they were riding on a motorbike east of Khan Yunis,” Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told AFP.

Hamas security sources described the two as “militants”, without saying to which group they belonged.

The IDF confirmed the strike in a statement, saying it had “intercepted terrorists during their final preparations to launch rockets towards Israel”. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: air strike, Gaza, IAF, IDF, terrorism

Taglit-Birthright: The most successful Jewish program in the world

In Birthright’s 13 years, the program brought more than 350,000 participants to Israel from 64 different countries & infused $825 million into Israel’s economy.

By Judy Maltz

Since it was launched in 2000, the Taglit-Birthright program has injected more than $825 million into the Israeli economy, according to the findings of an independent study conducted by the global accounting firm Ernst & Young, which were published on Wednesday.

A Birthright Mega Event in Jerusalem, May 9, 2012. – Photo: Emil Salman

The State of Israel contributes $35 million a year to the program’s $110 million budget. The rest of the funding comes from private philanthropists, most prominently casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, the Jewish federations of North America, Keren Hayesod and the Jewish Agency. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News, Jewish News | Tags: Israel economy, Israel US, Jewish World, Taglit Birthright, tourism in Israel

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The Enemy of my Enemy

Palestinian sources report that in late 2013 secret high-level contacts between Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem took place in Israel.

By LESLIE SUSSER

According to Palestinian sources, Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Amir Salman bin Sultan and two senior military officers made a clandestine early December visit to Israel where they had talks with senior defense officials and reportedly even met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Photo by: Fahad Shaheed/reuters

A few weeks earlier, according to Iranian sources, Saudi Intelligence Director Prince Bandar bin Sultan (the deputy defense minister’s brother) had a long, detailed covert meeting with Mossad Chief Tamir Pardo, in which they discussed “containing Iran by any possible means.” Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Israel Saudi Arabia

Pro-Israel law professor appointed new Canadian ambassador to Israel

Report says Canada’s PM will visit Israel this month for the first time as show of support for Israel.

By Haaretz

A Toronto law professor critical of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas was named Canada’s next ambassador to Israel, the National Post reported Wednesday.

Canada's PM Stephen Harper, left, shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper, left, shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a bilateral meeting in New York on September 28, 2012. – Photo: AP

According to the report, the appointment of Hebrew University alumna Vivian Bercovici reflects Ottawa’s increasingly pro-Israeli line.

As a columnist to the Toronto Star, Bercovici frequently censured the Palestinian leaders for “their collective ideological commitment to the total destruction of the state of Israel, which they regard as a blasphemous blight on the Arab and Muslim worlds,” the Post said, adding that she also slated the United Nations for lagging in action to fight human rights violations in Iran and Egypt. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Israel Canada

Mother of 4: ‘They Threw Stones at My Car to Kill Me’

33 year old mother of 4 said after attacked while driving in Samaria, ‘There’s glass in my eyes and mouth.’

By Ari Yashar

Wednesday morning Arabs threw rocks at the car of a resident of Karnei Shomron as she drove on Highway 55 in Samaria.

The shattered windshield – Shomron Regional Council

The driver, a 33 year-old mother of 4, briefly lost control of her car as the rocks shattered her windshield, showering her with broken glass.

“There’s glass in my eyes and mouth,” said the woman, noting “they threw the stone to kill me.”

She called on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to respond harshly to “the increase in attacks that aim to cut off the lives of residents.” Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Arab attackers, road terror, Rock-throwing, stone throwers

Kiryat Shmona in the Galilee to host auto racing track

Cars will race on the unused runways of Kiryat Shmona’s abandoned airfield with restriction from the Civil Aviation Authority that there will be no damage to the aviation infrastructure.

By Zohar Blumenkrantz

A court Tuesday paved the way for the opening of an auto racing track in Kiryat Shmona when it rejected a petition to delay a tender issued by the municipality.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Takuma Sato of Japan, Indianapolis Motor Speedway

A scene from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, soon to grace Kiryat Shmona. – Photo: Reuters

The ruling culminated a legal saga that began last May, when the city’s economic corporation sought permission from the Civil Aviation Authority to hold car races on the runways of a local airfield that hadn’t been used in years. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Galilee, Israel sport

American group won’t consider academic boycott of Israel, but the idea raises hackles

Though the MSA won’t consider a boycott of Israeli universities, it will consider a resolution calling on the U.S. State Dept. to oppose the entry of American academics seeking to interact with West Bank & Gaza universities.

By Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Until recently, the rule of thumb in the pro-Israel community was that the bigger the academic group, the less likely it was to consider a boycott of Israeli colleagues.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Professor Cary Nelson says if the Modern Language Association adopts a measure on academic freedom in Israel, it could pave the way to a wider boycott of Israeli academia.

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

Liberman quips: Suddenly Herzl has become Israeli Arabs’ ‘national hero’

FM Liberman in reference to moving Israel’s border: There is no reason why Israeli Arabs (living on border with PA territory) “should not join their brethren under full Palestinian sovereignty and become citizens of the future Palestinian state that they want so badly.”

By JPOST.COM STAFF

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman questioned the loyalty of some Israeli Arabs to the State of Israel on Wednesday in response to criticism over his recent statement about a possible future peace agreement with the Palestinians.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman – Photo: Olivier Fitoussi

Liberman said his party would only support a peace treaty if there were territory and population transfers of Israeli Arabs into a future Palestinian state. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Arab Israelis, Avigdor Liberman, Peace Process

Female IDF Soldiers Can Now Choose to Be Kashrut Inspectors

The new position opened up within the IDF for female soldiers, following a new Chief Rabbinate policy allowing women to serve as kashrut inspectors.

By Ari Yashar

The IDF has decided to let female soldiers serve as kashrut (Jewish dietary law) inspectors for the first time. Brigadier General Rachel Tevet Vizel, Advisor to the Chief of Staff on Women’s Issues, was behind the new move, although she notes female soldiers have yet to request the position.

Vizel told Kipa that regarding standards of religious public services, the IDF follows the policy of the state as established by the Chief Rabbinate and the Religious Services Ministry, and therefore women have not been allowed to serve as kashrut inspectors till now. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: IDF, IDF girls, Judaism, Kashurt

Dead Sea water level continues to fall despite winter storms

Even though the Dead Sea’s level continues to fall, Lake Kinneret in the Galilee celebrated an increase of 11 cm. during the same period.

By SHARON UDASIN

As rainstorms barreled through Israel in December, drenching fields and filling up reservoirs, the Dead Sea’s water level continued to drop.

The Dead Sea. – Photo: REUTERS

By early January, the Dead Sea fell to 427.82 meters below sea level, three centimeters lower than the 427.79 m. below sea level measured the month before, according to Dead Sea and Arava Science Center researcher Eli Raz, citing raw data from the Water Authority’s Hydrological Services. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Dead Sea, Israel weather, rainfall, Water Authority

israelandstuffcom | January 7, 2014

US envoy to Israel: Soon Kerry to Present Draft on Israel-Palestinian Deal

Ambassador Shapiro relayed that the U.S. proposal will include security arrangements, Jerusalem borders, & including other ‘core issues’

Associated Press

The US ambassador to Israel says a framework proposal on all issues at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be presented to both sides soon.

Kerry and Abbas last week – Photo: AP

Dan Shapiro told Israel Radio on Tuesday that the proposal will include security arrangements, borders, Jerusalem and all the other “core issues.”

He said it will be presented to the Israelis and the Palestinians in a few weeks’ time.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has been visiting the region often since talks resumed last July, shuttling between Israel and Palestinian leaders to mediate talks. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Dan Shapiro, John Kerry, Peace

israelandstuffcom | January 7, 2014