Archive for Israel News

| January 3, 2014
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Israel Air Force destroys Hamas rocket launchers in Gaza airstrike

 

 

IAF strikes several Gaza targets in retaliation for rocket fire earlier Thursday that landed in open area inside of Sdot Negev Regional Council.

Yoav Zitun

The IDF launched airstrikes on three Gaza Strip targets. Military sources reported that rocket launchers and observation posts were destroyed.

The strikes, the sources noted, were in retaliation for Palestinian rocket fire on Israeli territory.

On Thursday evening a Qassam rocket was launched from the Gaza Strip and exploded in an open area at the Sdot Negev Regional Council.

The rocket hit away from residential area and a color red alert was therefore not activated. Continue Reading »

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| January 3, 2014
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Security forces arrest 4 Palestinians suspected of planting Bat Yam bus bomb

 

Shin Bet arrests 4 Islamic Jihad members accused of perpetrating terrorist attack and 10 more suspected of aiding them.

Prime Minister: It’s time Abbas stopped celebrating with freed murderers & led his people to peace.

By JPOST.COM STAFF



 

Security forces have arrested 14 members of an Islamic Jihad terrorist group from Bethlehem who is suspected of blowing up a bus in Bat Yam last month, it was cleared for publication on Thursday.

Bat Yam bombing suspects.

Bat Yam bombing suspects – Photo: Shin Bet

The passengers of the bus narrowly escaped the December 22 bombing when an alert passenger informed the driver of a suspected package on the bus.

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Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| January 2, 2014
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View Habayit Hayehudi’s New video clip: The American Bluff

In response to unrealistic White House security proposals to guarantee Israel’s defense in the Jordan Valley, Habayit Hayehudi’s (Jewish Home’s) secular branch released a parody trailer.

By Ari Yashar

 

US Secretary of State John Kerry, in Israel for his tenth visit since taking office, has been raising serious concerns with his security arrangement proposals that would include a full Israeli withdrawal from the Jordan Valley – as well as much of the rest of Judea and Samaria – over a period of 10 years.

Inbal Lieber, Jewish Home’s secular branch – The Secular Branch

While some Israeli officials, such as Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar, are using logic to argue for the security necessity of having an Israeli presence in the region, others have turned to humor to point out the infeasibility of Kerry’s plans. Continue Reading »

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| January 2, 2014
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IDF appoints 1st female battlefield battalion commander

 

Maj. Oshrat Bachar will first be promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Col and after completion of a battalion commander’s course will she head the Eitam battalion, tasked with monitoring terrorist activities in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN

 

 

The IDF has appointed its first female battalion commander, Maj. Oshrat Bachar, who will head a Combat Intelligence unit in the Southern Command along the border with Egypt.

IDF soldier Oshrat Bachar

IDF soldier Oshrat Bachar – Photo: IDF archiv

Maj. Bachar will be promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Col, and will take charge of a battalion named Eitam, tasked with monitoring hostile terrorist activity in the Sinai Peninsula. Continue Reading »

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| January 2, 2014
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Thinking they were Jewish, Arabs attack Palestinian family

Three Arab thugs tried pulling the couple out of the car as they beat them. Luckily, the wife was able to speed away when the attackers paused, hearing Arabic spoken by the couple.

By: Sarah Weiss

 

 

A group of Arab thugs attacked a Palestinian family in Jerusalem after they thought they are Jews, the family said in a statement.

Rashuan and Dina Salman - Photo source: .yourjewishnews.com

Rashuan and Dina Salman – Photo source: Your Jewish News

The Muslim family of East Jerusalem, came under attack by three men in the Sur Baher area. However, after the group learned that the family was Palestinian, they fled from the scene.

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| January 2, 2014
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Deputy foreign minister echos Abba Eban: “The 1967 borders are Auschwitz borders!”

Deputy FM Zeev Elkin added: Likud must reject any proposal to withdraw from the West Bank, “Anyone who gives up the Jordan Valley will turn Kfar Sava into Sderot.”

By

 

 

Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin said Thursday that “the 1967 borders are Auschwitz borders” and therefore Likud has to reject any proposal to withdraw from the West Bank.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud hard-liner Zeev Elkin.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin. – Photo: Olivier Fitoussi

Elkin, of the Likud party himself, spoke during a morning tour of settlements in the Jordan Valley attended by parliamentarians and ministers that are members the Land of Israel lobby. Continue Reading »

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| January 2, 2014
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Women of the Wall Allowed, but Their Torah Scroll Banned from Kotel

Controversial women’s group, Women of the Wall were allowed into the Kotel to pray, but without their Torah.

By Maayana Miskin

 

The controversial women’s prayer group Women of the Wall held its monthly Rosh Hodesh prayers at the Kotel (Western Wall) on Thursday in honor of the first day of the new Hebrew month.

Activists with Torah scroll – Photo: Miriam Alster

The group brought roughly 200 worshipers – an unusually large number given the group’s usual attendance of several dozen at best. While the group was allowed in to pray, the Torah scroll they had planned to use in their service was not allowed in. Continue Reading »

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| January 2, 2014
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Unconfirmed Report: Defense Ministry Rejects White House Security Plan for Jordan Valley

Maariv daily reports that Israel’s Defense Ministry rejected proposed security plans offered by John Kerry for Jordan Valley, based on White House perception of Israel’s security needs.

By Tova Dvorin

 

The Defense Ministry has rejected the US’s security plan for the Jordan Valley, Maariv reports Wednesday.

According to the daily, Jerusalem has told US officials ahead of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit this week that the Jordan Valley security arrangement is unacceptable for Israel’s security needs. This report remains unconfirmed.

The US’s security plan involves a slow transition from IDF patrols over the region to Palestinian Authority (PA) forces, with an international presence, according to reports. Continue Reading »

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| January 2, 2014
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Unemployment in Israel at all time record low

 

Israel’s unemployment reaches a record low of 5.5%, according to govt’s Central Bureau of Statistics.

Housing prices rise by 9.4% this past year, making a cumulative jump of 77.4% since 2008.

Rent prices climb an average of 17% since January 2011.

By Zeev Klein

 

Unemployment in Israel reached a record low of 5.5 percent in November, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics report published on Tuesday.

Bank of Israel Governor Karnit Flug – Photo: Dudi Vaaknin

The plunge in the unemployment rate means there are currently 204,000 jobless Israelis, down by 11,000 in a single month. The unemployment rate has fallen by 1.4 percent from 6.9% midway through last year.

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Category: Israel News | Tags: , ,
| January 2, 2014
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1st Time: Israel is naming a military facility after a non-Israeli

For the 1st time, Israel is naming an IDF military base, the Arrow site, after a foreigner, the former U.S. Senator and Medal of Honor recipient, Daniel Inouye.

By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON
 

 

Israel plans to name an Arrow defense missile facility after deceased former US senator Daniel Inouye for his contribution to Israel, marking the first time Israel has named a military facility after a non-Israeli.

Arrow missile defense system. - Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

Arrow missile defense system. – Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit

“I knew Inouye for 30 years, and he was Israel’s greatest supporter in Congress,” Robert Asher, a former president of AIPAC, told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| January 2, 2014
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1st Time: US extradited to Israel man who refused to give ‘Get’

 

In legal precedent for both countries, Israel’s Justice Ministry uses suspected criminal offenses to ask American authorities to extradite man who fled Israel without granting his wife a Jewish divorce.

By Kobi Nachshoni

 

 

A man who fled to the United States without granting his wife a divorce has been extradited to Israel by the American authorities.

Woman 'chained' to her marriage - Photo: Shutterstock

Woman ‘chained’ to her marriage – Photo: Shutterstock

This is the first time an Israeli citizen is extradited over denial of a “get” (a religious divorce under Jewish Law), which is not considered a criminal offense – using other offenses he is suspected of. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News, Jewish News | Tags: , , ,
| January 2, 2014
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Within Upcoming 2 yrs Israel’s Knesset plans to become greenest Parliament in the world

 

A $2 million plan to minimize Knesset’s ecological footprint, including it’s own solar panel field to generate its electricity, has expected savings at $430,000 per year.

By

 

 

Over the next two years, Israel’s Knesset compound will undergo a series of renovations, aimed at transforming it into a “green parliament.” With an unprecedented price tag of 7 million shekels ($2 million), 13 different water and electricity saving systems will be constructed for the Knesset, headlined by a solar battery that will cover 4,500 square meters on the facility’s roof.

The Knesset

The Israel Knesset – Photo: Eli Tamsa

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein said on Wednesday that “this is not a small financial investment, but it will bear fruit, and pay for itself in time. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| January 1, 2014
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Hospitalized Former PM Ariel Sharon’s Condition Deteriorating

Israel’s former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s condition has taken a turn for the worse, after undergoing surgery last month.

Family members report, Sharon, 85, has 1-4 days to live.

By Tova Dvorin

 

 

Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s condition continues to worsen, Sheba Hospital in Tel HaShomer reported Wednesday to Channel 10.

Sharon’s condition has been on the decline since being hospitalized for renal failure. The former premier underwent kidney surgery last month to fix the problem, but the move backfired, causing a further breakdown in his vital functions.

Medical officials are reportedly not optimistic; all treatment options have been exhausted they say. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| January 1, 2014
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The PM’s Envisioning the Galilee’s future: Connecting the North to the South

 

PM Netanyahu says Kiryat Shmona is to be linked with Eilat by road & rail, and the Galilee will become a global center for life sciences.

President Shimon Peres calls to establish a university in the Galilee.

By Daniel Siryoti

 

“The periphery must be eliminated, primarily by means of the transportation plan, including high-speed rail, interchanges and roads to connect the Galilee and the Negev with [central Israel],” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday in an address at the seventh annual Galilee Conference in Tiberias.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Galilee Conference in Tiberias on Tuesday - Photo: Gil Eliyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Galilee Conference in Tiberias on Tuesday – Photo: Gil Eliyahu

Netanyahu said the government had allocated 27 billion shekels ($7.8 billion) to its transportation plan to bring all parts of Israel closer together.

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| January 1, 2014
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Making History: For the 1st time Israeli gov’t pays salaries to Reform Rabbis

“This is a historic & important step in the long struggle toward pluralism, religious freedom & the recognition by the State of Israel of all branches of Judaism,” said Rabbi Gilad Kariv.

 

 

JERUSALEM — Israeli government money was transferred for the first time to the Reform Movement in Israel to pay the salaries of four community Reform rabbis.

Rabbi Miri Gold. – Photo: Gil Cohen Magen/HAARETZ

The transfer of the more than $86,000 on Wednesday comes 18 months after Israel’s Supreme Court approved an arrangement to enable non-Orthodox rabbis who lead congregations to receive state salaries like their Orthodox counterparts.

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