Archive for Israel News

| October 12, 2013
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Netanyahu in NYT interview: Churchill & Herzl were even more alone

Amid tensions with paper, Israel’s PM speaks with New York Times. Although Netanyahu reiterates intentions regarding Iran, the paper chooses to focus on his growing isolation, taking jab at Netanyahu, saying ‘such isolation is hardly new to man with few personal friends’.

By Yitzhak Benhorin

 

WASHINGTON – Only a week and a half after taking a jab at the New York Times during his UN speech – a move that earned him a critical op-ed in the prestigious paper – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the paper an interview as part of his current media blitz.

Netanyahu at UNGA (Photo: AFP)

Netanyahu at UNGA – Photo: AFP

The story mostly focused on Netanyahu himself and depicted the Israeli leader as growing more and more isolated because of his hawkish stance on Iran – a position which according to NYT, the prime minister is no stranger to. Continue Reading »

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| October 11, 2013
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Israeli officials say US decision to cut Cairo aid may hurt Egypt peace treaty

Former Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, was uncharacteristically blunt in his criticism of US decision, saying the US was “essentially & unwittingly” working against its own interests.

By HERB KEINON, MICHAEL WILNER, ARIEL BEN SOLOMON

 

 

 

As tensions between the US and Egypt simmered over this week’s American decision to withhold aid to Cairo, Israeli officials said on Thursday that for Jerusalem, preserving Israel’s peace treaty with Egypt is paramount.

Anwar Sadat and Menahem Begin at the U.S. Capitol on 09-18-1978 – Photo courtesy Jimmy Carter Library

Concerned by the outlook for human rights and democracy in Egypt, the US announced on Wednesday it would withhold deliveries of tanks, fighter aircraft, helicopters and missiles as well as hundreds of millions in cash aid.

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| October 11, 2013
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TERROR ATTACK: IDF reserves colonel murdered outside his home

 

Officer’s wife reports hearing noise outside, went out to check & were ambushed by Arabs armed with an ax & iron rods.

Israeli security forces detain five suspects.

By , Gili Cohen and

 

 

Colonel (Res.) Seraiah Ofer was killed in an attack outside his home in the Jordan Valley settlement of Brosh Habika at 10 P.M. Thursday night. His wife Monique was moderately wounded, but managed to escape and contact police.

The scene of the murder in the Jordan Valley, October 11, 2013.

The scene of the murder in the Jordan Valley, October 11, 2013. – Photo: Gil Eliyahu

Israeli security forces detained five suspects in connection with the murder. Continue Reading »

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| October 11, 2013
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Palestinian Official: Israel should be ‘Removed’

Fatah leader Rajoub: “Israelis should decide whether they are part of the Middle East… If Israel is an alien body it should be removed.”

By Arutz Sheva

 

Fatah official Jibril Rajoub raised the possibility that Israel should be “removed” if it fails to make peace with the Palestinians, in an interview to i24News Wednesday,

Fatah official Jibril Rajoub

Fatah official Jibril Rajoub

“Peace is not a Palestinian interest, it’s an international interest, and the interest of the world is to put an end to this struggle. I think it’s also an Israeli interest – Israelis should decide whether they are part of the Middle East or an alien body. Continue Reading »

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| October 11, 2013
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IAF completes long-range mission drill regardless of Iran’s rhetoric

 

Israel Air Force drills midair refueling & missions far from Israel.

IDF Spokesman’s Office said, “When one mentions that ‘all options are on the table,’ it’s clear that military operations are also being talked about.” 

By YAAKOV LAPPIN

 

Amid tensions with Iran, IAF squadrons carried out exercises this week to practice long-range missions.

IAF plane refuels mid-flight during long range mission drill - Photo Courtesy: IDF Spokesperson's Office

IAF plane refuels mid-flight during long range mission drill – Photo Courtesy: IDF Spokesperson’s Office

Squadrons carried out midair refueling in the course of the advanced training, testing the capabilities of fighter jets to operate far from Israel.

“When one mentions that ‘all options are on the table,’ it’s clear that military operations are also being talked about,” the IDF Spokesman’s Office said on Thursday.

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| October 10, 2013
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iOS 7’s newest look is Israeli

Startup Any.do is the Israeli app that inspired Apple chief of design Jony Ive with its popular task-management app, the Verge reported online.

By
 

 

The new look of the iOS 7, Apple’s newest mobile operating system, is being hotly debated all over the Internet and is attracting plenty of criticism, including claims that it overly resembles the Android operating system and that some of its special effects make users nauseated. But there is no doubt that the operating system’s new configuration constitutes a revolution in Apple’s traditional approach to design.

Screenshots of the iOS7.


Screenshots of the iOS7. – Photo: Reuters

Earlier this week, The Verge, an online tech magazine, revealed that the Israeli firm Any.do Continue Reading »

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| October 10, 2013
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IMF: Israel’s economy better than all other Western economies

Israeli economy estimated to grow 3.8% in 2013 & 3.3% in 2014, whereas in same 2 years, the U.S. to grow by 1.6% & 2.6%, and the eurozone by 0.4% & 1%.

By Zeev Klein, Reuters & Israel Hayom Staff

 

The Israeli economy is expected to grow by 3.8 percent in 2013 and 3.3% in 2014, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday. The fund’s economists pointed out that Israel’s economy was strong, stable and diverse.

Israel’s economy likely to outperform other Western economies in 2013 and 2014 – Photo: Rafael Ben-Ari

The IMF’s outlook is similar to the that outlined by the Bank of Israel, according to which Israel’s economy will have grown by 3.6% by the end of 2013 and will grow by 3.4% in 2014. Continue Reading »

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| October 10, 2013
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PLO official: Palestinians considering declaring peace talks a failure

PLO official Hanna Amireh accuses Israel of trying to “win time” & blame the Palestinians for the failure of the US-sponsored talks.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
 

 

The Palestinians are seriously considering declaring the failure of the peace talks with Israel, a senior PLO official said Wednesday.

Israeli, Palestinian delegations meet in Washington for iftar dinner, July 29, 2013.

Israeli, Palestinian delegations meet in Washington for iftar dinner, July 29, 2013. – Photo: REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

Hanna Amireh, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, said that this was one of the scenarios that were discussed during the last meeting of the Palestinian leadership.

Amireh accused Israel of seeking to “win time” and blame the Palestinians for the failure of the US-sponsored talks.

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| October 10, 2013
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IDF missile destroys Syrian cannon that fired shells on Israel

 

Israeli Tamuz missile successfully destroys  Syrian cannon which fired 2 mortars at Golan Heights earlier in the day.

Yoav Zitun

An IDF Tamuz missile destroyed Wednesday afternoon a Syrian cannon which had fired two shells into Israeli territory earlier in the day and lightly injured two soldiers.

IDF soldiers shortly after shells landed (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

IDF soldiers shortly after shells landed – Photo: Avihu Shapira

During the incident in the northern Golan Heights, one soldier sustained light wounds from shrapnel, while another suffered from severe shock.

The IDF said the mortars were stray fallout from Syrian infighting near the border between President Bashar Assad‘s forces and rebels trying to overthrow him. Continue Reading »

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| October 9, 2013
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Two Israeli scientists win Nobel Prize in Chemistry

 

Michael Levitt, Martin Karplus & Arieh Warshel win Nobel Prize for the development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems.

All 3 scientists are Jewish, while Levitt & Warshel hold Israeli citizenship.

By Ido Efrati and

 

 

Three Jewish scientists – two of them Israelis who emigrated to the U.S. – won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday.

All three winners are U.S. Continue Reading »

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| October 9, 2013
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2 IDF Soldiers Injured In Golan Heights From Syrian Mortar Fire

2 Israeli soldiers were wounded from a mortar shell that fell next to them, on the northern Golan Heights.

By Kochava Rozenbaum

 

Two Israeli soldiers were slightly wounded by cross-border fire in the Golan Heights facing Syria.

A mortar shell exploded in the northern Golan Heights. It is not known whether the attack was spillover from the ongoing Syrian civil war or intentional.

According to preliminary reports, one of the soldiers was injured from shrapnel fragments and the other had suffered from shock as a result from the fall.

Both soldiers were initially treated for their moderate wounds at the scene by Magen David Adom medics, however, the pair will receive further treatment at a nearby hospital. Continue Reading »

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| October 8, 2013
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IDF: Arab Male Wounded After He Jumped Border Fence

The suspected terrorist was shot & wounded by the IDF during an arrest on Tuesday afternoon after trying to jump a border fence.

By Kochava Rozenbaum

 

New reports indicate a suspected terrorist was shot and wounded during an arrest procedure by Israel Defense Force personnel after attempting to cross a border fence.

IDF in action – Photo courtesy: IDF Spokesman’s Unit

The army identified the terrorist with a group of Palestinian Arabs attempting to jump the fence near the Oranit checkpoint.

The soldiers called out for the suspects to stop, but they ignored the calls, leading the soldiers to open fire. Continue Reading »

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| October 8, 2013
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World Bank: Lifting Israeli restrictions would help Palestinian economy

 

Not giving all of the West Bank to the Palestinians, restricts their economy by $3.4 billion annually, reports the World Bank.

By TOVAH LAZAROFF

 

 

The Palestinian GDP in the West Bank could increase by at least 35%, $3.4 billion annually, if Israel lifted its restrictions on Palestinian access and movement in Area C, the World Bank said in a report it issued Tuesday morning.

A Palestinian farmer in the West Bank ploughs his land.

A Palestinian farmer in the West Bank ploughs his land. – Photo: REUTERS/Baz Ratner

“Access to Area C will go a long way to solving Palestinian economic problems,” said Mariam Sherman, the outgoing World Bank Country Director for the Palestinian territories.

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| October 8, 2013
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New Apartment to Buy up 72% since 2007

 

Israel’s recent Central Bureau of Statistics figures show highest rise in housing prices happened in 2009. The actual number of Israelis living in apartment they own remains stable over past 40 years.

Yaron Druckman

Apartment prices in Israel went up by 72% from 2007 to 2012, according to figures released Sunday by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). The sharpest annual rise in housing prices was 21% – from March 2009 to March 2010.

It takes the equivalent of 135 monthly salaries to buy a home in Israel. – HAARETZ.com

According to the figures, from 2000 to 2006 apartment prices in Israel dropped 12%. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , ,
| October 8, 2013
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After 22 years of restoration, Czech village synagogue opens

More than 100 people were at the village of Ckyne to attend the ceremony rededicating the rare shul after its 22-year restoration process.

By

 

 

The synagogue in the southern Czech Republic village of Ckyne has been rededicated after a restoration process that took more than 22 years.

Former synagogue in the municipality of Ckyne, Prachatice District, Czech Republic, under reconstruc

Former synagogue in the municipality of Ckyne, Prachatice District, Czech Republic, under reconstruction in 2011. – Photo: Wikipedia Commons

More than 100 people attended the ceremony Saturday that included a religious service led by the cantor of the synagogue in the nearby Czech city of Liberec.

A Torah scroll found in the synagogue’s attic during the restoration was used in the service. Continue Reading »

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