Israel News

Numerous shells hit Golan from Syrian battle

No injuries, no damage in what looks like apparent stray fire from ongoing fighting between Syrian gov’t forces & rebels fighters.

By Gil Ronen

exploded shell – Photo: IsraelandStuff/PP

Mortar fire from inside war-torn Syria hit the Israeli part of the Golan Heights on Tuesday, an IDF spokeswoman said.

“Several mortar rounds fired from Syria exploded in northern Golan without causing any damage or casualties,” the spokeswoman told AFP.

It was apparently stray fire from fighting between Syrian government forces and rebels and was not deliberately fired towards Israeli territory, she added.

The Golan has been tense since the beginning of the conflict in Syria more than two years ago, but so far there have been only minor flare-ups as Syrian small arms fire or mortar rounds hit the Israeli side, prompting an occasional Israeli response. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Golan Heights, Syrian unrest

Arabs prepared to deliver anti-Israeli resolution to IAEA over alleged nukes

Arab states relaunching efforts to single out Israel for criticism at Int’l Atomic Energy Agency conference by presenting resolutions over Israel’s alleged possession of a nuclear arsenal, suggesting Jerusalem’s refusal to acknowledge it has such arms, threatens Mideast peace.

By The Associated Press & Israel Hayom

After a two-year hiatus, Arab nations are relaunching efforts to single out Israel for criticism at a major international conference by preparing a resolution over the country’s alleged nuclear arsenal, suggesting that the Jewish state’s refusal to acknowledge it has such arms is threatening Middle East peace.

The Arab push was a mainstay of recent annual meetings of the 159-nation International Atomic Energy Agency, where it was usually narrowly voted down by Israel’s allies.

Category: Israel News | Tags: Arab, IAEA, Israel nuclear

Temple Mount closed on Tisha B’av to Jewish visitors

Islamic terror prevails on Temple Mount, Judaism’s most Holy site. Jews bared from entry to prevent Arab violence.

By the JTA

JERUSALEM — The Jerusalem Police closed the Temple Mount to Jewish visitors a day after Arabs protested such visits.

A Muslim policeman and Jordanian Waqf official followed the Jewish group closely, urging them to move quickly.

When allowed to ascend to the Mount, policeman and Jordanian Waqf official followed the Jewish groups closely, to guarantee they don’t pray & urging them to move quickly. – Photo: Atara Beck

The closure on Tuesday coincided with the fast of Tisha B’av, a day of Jewish mourning for the destruction of the two Jewish Temples that were located on the site.

Category: Israel News | Tags: Kotel, Temple Mount, Western Wall

Final operation to retrieve ‘left-behind’ Jews in Ethiopia

6,300 Jewish Ethiopians made it to Israel in last three years.

From now, aliyah requests for Falashmura Jews to be handled on individual basis, like everywhere else.

By Danny Adeno Abebe

On August 28, two last flights will land in Israel, bringing 400 Falashmura new immigrants to the holy land. After this, the Jewish Agency will be closing down its camp in Gondar and the interior minister will hold an emergency hearing for all those who received negative answers.

Protest for Falash Mura in Jerusalem. Yearning for left-behind relatives to come to Israel. (archives) – Photo: Guy Assayag

Since 2010, 6,300 Falashmura Jews have been accepted for aliyah, thousands more were refused and at the end of August, for the last time, 400 will make aliyah, on two incoming flights. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Aliyah, Ethiopian Jews, Jewish Agency

KKL-JNF Opposes Shale Oil Extraction in Southern Israel

KKL-JNF’s Board of Directors, headed by Chairman Efi Stenzler, reached a decision this week to oppose gov’t plans to extract shale oil from the Adullam region in southern Israel.

By KKL-JNF STAFF

KKL-JNF’s Board of Directors, led by Chairman Efi Stenzler, decided this week to oppose plans to extract shale oil in the Adullam region.

The Board unreservedly adopted the report by the professional committee established by KKL-JNF to investigate the matter and headed by Board member and well-known leading environmental activist Dr. Orr Karassin.

KKL-JNF – Photo: KKL-JNF

It is already widely known that the American owned company IEI has been granted an exploration license by those responsible for oil at Israel’s Energy and Water Ministry, and that it has received authorization to establish a pilot plant in order to examine the economic feasibility of extracting oil from kerogen shale in the Adullam region.

Category: Israel News | Tags: energy, KKL, shale oil

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European Union Formally Limits Israel to Borders of 1949 Lines

For the 1st time, the EU formally forbids trade or agreements with Jewish representatives situated beyond 1949 Armistice lines, including the Golan Heights.

By Gil Ronen

The European Union has issued orders forbidding its member states from cooperating, transferring funds, giving scholarships or research grants to bodies in Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem , and even the Golan Heights, Haaretz wrote Tuesday.

map of Israel – Arutz Sheva

The new instruction, promulgated bt the European Commission, which is the operative arm of the EU, sets parameters for cooperation between the EU and its members states, on the one hand, and Israeli governmental and private elements on the other. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: 1949 Armistice Line, EU

Outrage as Participant in Hevron Massacre of 1980 to Manage Cave of the Patriarchs

MK Yariv Levin calls on gov’t to suspend all agreements with PA regarding Cave of the Patriarchs until appointment of past-terrorist Taysir Abu Sneina is cancelled.

By Gil Ronen and Ari Soffer

Taysir Abu Sneina, a terrorist who was involved in the murder of six Jews in Hevron on May 2, 1980, is the man whom the Palestinian Authority has appointed to manage the Muslim side of the Cave of Machpela (known in English as the Cave of the Patriarchs).

Cave of Machpela – Jewish Community of Hevron

The Hatzala Yosh organization reported Sunday that Abu Sneina participated in the terror attack on the building known as Beit Hadassah, on May 2, 1980, in which six students from the Nir Yeshiva in Kiryat Arba were murdered. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Cave of Machpela, Hevron

Big plans for Beersheva including bringing 2,500 families to the Negev

Beersheva’s biggest boost may come from the new IDF training base complex, which is set to arrive by 2015, along with the army’s computer unit. The army estimates that this will streamline its operations and create 10,000 jobs.

By Ben Sales

BEERSHEVA, Israel (JTA) – In four years, it’s slated to be bigger than New York’s Central Park and consist of open fields, a sports complex, and a lake and a river filled with recycled water.

Patrons eating lunch in a row of recently opened restaurants on the ground floor of public housing in central Beersheva. – Photo: Ben Sales/JTA

Now, though, Beersheva River Park looks like much of the area surrounding the desert city of Beersheva: a panorama of sand and dirt, with a bit of trash and, on a good day, some dirty water trickling through a gorge.

Category: Israel News |

Under Pressure, Fanta Corrects ‘Mistake’ & Puts Israel Back on Site

Only after threatening to boycott Fanta products, Israel return to the company’s site.

Fanta claimed that the omission of Israel was a “mistake”.

By David Lev

A threatened boycott of Fanta products (bottled in Israel and elsewhere by Coca Cola) has succeeded in convincing the company’s directors to adjust its web site to reflect Israel’s presence in the Middle East, listing it among the 188 countries the product is sold in.

Coca-Cola / Fanta products – Photo: IsraelandStuff/PP

In what the company called “an error” last week, Fanta left Israel off the list, while making sure to put in the Palestinian Authority. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: boycott, Coca-Cola

Russia reports Turkey worked with Israel to target missile cache in Syria

Russia Today reports Israel Air Force jets used a Turkish air base to launch an attack on a Syria weapons depot in Latakia earlier this month.

Israel’s PM Netanyahu: I’m not in the habit of saying what we did or didn’t do.

By Israel Hayom Staff & news agencies

Turkey helped Israel carry out an attack on a Syrian arms depot earlier this month, Russia Today reported on its website on Monday. According to the report, Israeli jets used a Turkish military base to launch one of its airstrikes targeting an arms store in the Syrian port city of Latakia on July 5.

Category: Israel News | Tags: IAF strike, Israel Turkey, Turkey Syria

Since Pillar of Defense, Hamas produced rockets capable of hitting Tel Aviv & J’lem

Army Radio reported that Hamas is producing M-75-type rockets, which were used during Operation Pillar of Defense to target Tel Aviv, greater Jerusalem area.

IDF chief Gantz: Hanas’ production of weapons have become more advanced.

By JPOST.COM STAFF

Hamas has succeeded in regaining some of its capabilities which Israel wiped out in last year’s Operation Pillar of Defense and has rockets capable of targeting the Gush Dan region of central Israel in which Tel Aviv is located, Army Radio reported on Monday.

Gaza terrorists launch rockets [file] – Photo: IDF Spokesmans Office

According to the report, Hamas has regained the ability to produce advanced M-75 rockets which can reach Gush Dan.

Category: Israel News | Tags: Gaza rockets, Hamas missiles, Operation Pillar of Defense

Argument between U.S. Congress & administration over Israel’s visa deferment

Proposed Bill to allow Israeli citizens’ entry into the US without visas sparks debates in US Congress. Critics report that Israel doesn’t meet legal requisites for Visa Waiver Program.

By Associated Press

Legislation that would let Israelis visit the United States without visas but not demand full reciprocal treatment for all Americans wishing to travel to the Jewish state could put Congress and the Obama administration on a collision course in coming weeks.

Israeli, US passports. Illustration – Photo: IsraelandStuff/PP

Israel’s entry into the 37-nation US Visa Waiver Program is the most controversial element in a pair of broader US-Israel bills dealing with everything from improving cyber-security to enhancing economic cooperation. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Israel US, US Congress

With Plenty of Natural Gas – Exporting it is Another Story

Israel’s choice may be between selling gas quickly that may anger the Russians, or looking at a more long-term prospect without alienating the U.S.

By Saurav Jha

Last month, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to export up to 40 percent of the gas from Israel’s Eastern Mediterranean fields, with expected earnings of up to $60 billion over a 20-year period. This is, however, only the first step toward realizing export revenues from Israel’s gas reserves, a process fraught with complicated choices over the route and destination of those exports. Rather than aiming to use its gas for any great geopolitical gains, Israel currently seems happy to avoid unsettling interested parties while it reaps long-term economic gains from its gas bounty. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: energy, Israeli politics, natural gas, Tamar Gas Field

israelandstuffcom | July 14, 2013

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Father Gabriel Nadaf: We’re Christians….Not Christian Arabs

Israeli Christians should not be classified as Arabs, since the historical ethnic background of Christians in Israel is a mix of Jewish, Greek, Roman, Assyrian & other such peoples all of whom were here long before the Arab Muslims showed up.

By Ryan Jones

Father Gabriel Nadaf, a Greek Orthodox priest from the area of Nazareth, continues to make headlines in the Israeli press for advocating a new alliance between local Jews and Christians in service to the State of Israel.

In an interview with Israeli website News1, Nadaf said that Christians are tired of living as dhimmis (second-class citizens) in the Muslim world, and are starting to understand that the Jewish state is their ticket out of that situation. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: Arab Christians, Christians

israelandstuffcom | July 14, 2013