Palestinians attacked Israel as the only country to cut its ties with the United Nations Human Rights Council, in spite of Jerusalem’s efforts to resume those relations, during a Geneva debate on the matter Friday.
“Israel is the only state that has expressed its disengagement from the council,” the PLO deputy charge d’affairs Imad Zuhairi told the UNHRC.
Jerusalem cut is ties with the the UNHRC in March 2012 to protest council actions which it considers show a persistent bias against Israel.
Defense Ministry Director General Udi Shani sent an urgent letter Wednesday to Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he requested that he intercede to end the strike within the Foreign Ministry as soon as possible, in order to save Israel from possible harm to its security and diplomatic ties.
Foreign Ministry union members. – Photo: Emil Salman
A senior Israeli official, who read the letter, stated that Shani wrote to Netanyahu that the diplomats’ strike, as well as the decision of the Foreign Ministry union to halt all cooperation with the Israeli Defense Forces has severely hindered the process of changing military and defense ministry attaches in at least ten countries around the world. Continue Reading »
By JTA
A Paris museum subsidized by the French government opened an exhibition of photos of Palestinian suicide bombers, which the museum calls freedom fighters.
The exhibition of 68 photos entitled “Death” by Ahlam Shibli opened on May 28 at the Jeu de Paume museum of contemporary art in Paris.
The museum’s website describes suicide bombers as “those who lost their lives fighting against the occupation,” and the exhibition as being about “the efforts of Palestinian society to preserve their presence.” Continue Reading »
By Itamar Eichner
Three months after succeeding Benedict XVI , Pope Francis has intimated he is planning a visit to Israel.
Pope Francis – Photo: AP
The meeting was held at the Pope’s residence rather than the reception hall, at the Pope’s request. At the end of the meeting, the deputy foreign minister presented the Pope with a silver embossment of Jerusalem and invited him to visit Israel, to which he replied that he has every intention of doing so.On Wednesday, the Pope met with Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin as part of Israel’s ongoing dialogue with the Vatican. Continue Reading »
Saskia Pantell, Vice Chair of the Zionist Federation of Sweden, praised to pro-Israel sentiment expressed at a rally this week. “We cannot allow politicians in Sweden to avoid the problem any longer,” Pantell stated. “We need to speak up and say what is really going on.”
Sweden Rally for Israel
courtesy http://izionist.org
She spoke to Arutz Sheva – Israel National Radio on the Tamar Yonah Show about the event.
Part of the impetus of the rally were controversial comments made by the mayor of Malmo, Sweden against Zionism. Continue Reading »
By Israel Today Staff
In a must-watch interview with Arutz Sheva TV, a British-born Pakistani Muslim and an Egyptian Christian pastor explain how Israel’s Islamic enemies have turned anti-Zionism into a convenient cover for what is really anti-Semitism.
Kasim Hafeez – Screenshot
The two men, who were visiting Israel last week, note that while openly advocating the murder of Jews is no longer en vogue, denying Israel the right to defend itself (which is essentially the same thing) has become internationally acceptable. Continue Reading »
By Yoav Zitun
Dozens of Syrians arrived at the Quneitra border crossing between Israel and Syria at around noon Thursday and requested entry into Israel.
Syrian-born fire reaches Golan shrubbery – Photo: Haggai Aharon
According to assessments, hundreds of dunams have gone up in flames, some of which have come near the IDF’s Golan positions. An Israeli firefighter squad is currently at the scene attempting to take control of the fire and the IDF has instructed local farmers to stay away from their lands near the border for the time being. Continue Reading »
The Jewish National Fund (Keren Kayemet Leyisrael) said on Thursday that it will not take part in an upcoming gala event attended by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, and will not pay him $500,000 to give a speech at this gala.
Clinton and Peres – Photo by Reuters
Earlier this week it was reported that the JNF would pay Clinton this huge sum for the gala evening, to be held June 17 in honor of President Shimon Peres’s 90th birthday. Continue Reading »
Security personnel at Ziv Medical Center in Safed Thursday evacuated the emergency room and trauma unit after a stun grenade was found in the pocket of one of two wounded Syrian nationals who were transferred to the hospital earlier in the day, Channel 10 reported.
According to the report, sappers were called to the scene to neutralize the weapon, after which patients were permitted to return to the previously evacuated areas.
Israel’s Druze population last week celebrated 40 years since the establishment of a special, elite infantry unit for members of the community joining the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The all Druze, ‘Swords’ 299 unit of the IDF celebrate 40 years of combat service
Israel officially exempts minority groups from mandatory military service, but shortly after the Jewish state’s modern rebirth, leaders of the Druze community demanded that Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, also draft their young men for service. Continue Reading »
By
On Wednesday, President Obama nominated Samantha Power to be US Ambassador to the United Nations. Power has “been a relentless advocate for American interests and values, building partnerships on behalf of democracy and human rights, fighting the scourge of anti-Semitism and combating human trafficking,” the president contended. Power’s record, however, tells a much different tale. Power is, unsurprisingly, not only a radical leftist who believes America is evil and owes the world an apology, but someone with an egregious history of antipathy directed towards Israel.
This week the bulldozers and steamrollers finally kicked up their first cloud of sand as work began on the new international airport, in Timna, in the Arava Desert.
Architect’s rendering of the planned Timna international airport near Eilat. – Photo Courtesy
The cornerstone of the facility, whose official name is the Ilan and Asaf Ramon Airport, was laid two weeks ago in a ceremony attended by Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, Israel Airports Authority officials, Eilat Mayor Meir Yitzhak Halevy and members of the Ramon family including Rona Ramon. Continue Reading »
Senior Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat threatened on Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority will carry out its threat to charge Israel with war crimes in the international court if it does not agree to direct talks for establishing a Palestinian Authority independent country based on the PA’s definition of borders.
Middle East Peace Process, May It Rest in Peace
He also said that it will be Israel’s fault if Palestinian Authority violence and terror escalates unless Israel agrees to its conditions for talks, which U.S. Continue Reading »
Israeli defense officials believe Hezbollah has been trying to establish a strategic foothold in the Syrian Golan Heights to facilitate attacks on Israel from that area, Israel Hayom has learned.
The Syria-Israel border may become a new venue for Hezbollah attacks – Photo: AFP
Although the organization still has a long way to go before it has a permanent presence in the area, its leader, Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, has recently indicated the existence of such a plan.
JERUSALEM — Syria’s military threatened Israel after reportedly capturing the town of Qusair on the Lebanon border.
The Quneitra Crossing between Syria and the Israeli Golan Heights – Photo AP
SANA, Syria’s state news agency, said the Syrian army on Wednesday took control of Qusair from rebels who had been fighting government forces and Hezbollah volunteers for more than two weeks as part of Syria’s two-year civil war. Qusair had been in rebel hands for more than a year, according to reports.
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