An Israeli strike against Iran “could happen in a matter of months,” Sen. Ted Cruz reportedly told a US Jewish security group.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R).- Photo: REUTERS
Cruz (R-Texas) at a meeting of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, or JINSA, said Tuesday that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appears confident that “there is no credible deterrence from the United States” to prevent the Islamic Republic from progress in its nuclear development. Continue Reading »
By Roi Kais, Yoav Zitun
The Israeli Air Force attacked a terror target in Sudaniya in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday night, Palestinian sources said. According to the Palestinians, one person was killed and two others were wounded in the strike, one critically.
the terrorist who was killed in the strike.
The IDF said the strike was a joint operation with the Shin Bet, and that the targets were “global jihad-affiliated terrorists” who were planning attacks against Israel. Continue Reading »
Egypt has deployed a new infantry battalion in the Taba area of Sinai, south of Eilat, in a bid to prevent possible attacks on the Israeli resort city or on air traffic headed there, Egyptian sources said.
Egyptian Army soldiers on duty in northern Sinai. – Photo: AP
The deployment was coordinated with Israel.
The Egyptian forces will be stationed particularly close to the Israeli border, compared with previous Egyptian deployments to which Israel has agreed.
Israel has consented to such deployments several times over the last few years even though it is expressly prohibited by the military appendix of the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. Continue Reading »
The Knesset rejected Labor Mk Stav Shafir’s Civil Marriage bill Wednesday, which lost to a landslide vote of 19 for and 52 against.
Both Yesh Atid and Likud wholeheartedly rejected the civil marriage bill; surprisingly, even many members of Justice Minister Tzipi Livni’s left-leaning HaTnua party also abstained from voting. In addition, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu himself entered the voting hall to cast his opposing vote.
Shafir was reportedly shocked at the outcome, accusing several MKs and Ministers – specifically Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Culture Minister Limor Livnat (Likud), and Finance Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) of reneging on promises to support the civil marriage bill. Continue Reading »
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas admitted to Hamas officials during closed-door meetings that he has been lying to the United States, Palestinian Media Watch has reported, quoting a former Hamas spokesman.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas – Photo: Oren Nachshon
The PMW report said that former Hamas spokesman Ihab al-Rasin posted on his Facebook page that Abbas was lying when he told U.S.
By JTA
An exhibition on the Jewish presence in the land of Israel that had been canceled due to pressure from Arab states will open at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
The exhibit at UNESCO headquarters in Paris just needed to be installed – Jan.2014
“Book, People, Land — The 3,500-Year Relationship of the Jewish People With the Holy Land,” a joint exhibition of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the cultural arm of the United Nations, will open Wednesday.
More Palestinians want to bring Israel before the International Criminal Court than fight them in the streets in an armed third intifada, according to new poll conducted by Khalil Shikaki of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Research.
The Hague, International Criminal Court. – Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
Palestinian continue to support a two-state solution and do not believe that the newly unified Fatah-Hamas government is an obstacle to renewed negotiations, according to Shikaki’s data which he presented on Tuesday afternoon to the 2014 Herzliya Conference. Continue Reading »
By AFP
Several dozen radical Jews gathered Monday at the Jerusalem site known as the Cenacle to protest against Christian pilgrims praying there for Pentecost, a police spokeswoman said.
Photo: AFP
“Around 30 Jewish faithful gathered to pray in the presence of (rightwing Likud) MK Moshe Feiglin,” Luba Samri told AFP.
The Cenacle, or Upper Room, on Mount Zion is in a two-storey building considered holy to both Christians and Jews, who regard it as the place where the biblical figure David was buried. Continue Reading »
The debate over the size of the Israeli defense budget has reached the U.S. Senate too. In a committee session held at the beginning of June, senators raised, for the first time, the question of whether the United States needs to continue granting such a large amount of military aid to Israel.
An Iron Dome missile responding to a rocket launch from the Gaza Strip.
Senators debate $175 million in aid for missile defense system.-
Former Knesset speaker, Likud MK Reuven Rivlin, has won Israel’s presidential elections, beating his opponent MK Meir Sheetrit (Hatnua) in the second round of votes.
While the office of president is almost completely ceremonial in nature, Israel’s president plays a key role in summoning a party leader to try and form a coalition, after elections to the Knesset are held. If the next election results are close, as many expect them to be, the identity of the president could determine which party leader is summoned first to try and put together a coalition. Continue Reading »
Donatella Rovera, an Amnesty field investigator, wrote an interesting article about the challenges of fact finding in war situations.
One of her main points is that eyewitnesses are often unreliable. For example: 
Continue Reading »In Gaza, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, and other places I interviewed civilians who described what they thought were artillery or bomb strikes being launched by far away government forces and striking near their homes – whereas in reality the loud bangs and tremors were caused by mortars or rockets being launched by opposition fighters from their positions nearby.
The Knesset approved for the first reading a landmark bill Monday which would allow prison authorities to force-feed hunger-striking prisoners, sparking fury from several MKs.
The Government bill seeks to authorize the Commissioner of Prisons to petition the District Court to obtain a permit for medical treatment of hunger-striking prisoners.
The court will take into account the opinion of the ethics committee at the hospital where a patient prisoner, except in urgent cases, and will be required to consider the medical condition and mental state of the prisoner, the degree of intrusiveness of the treatment and its impact on respect for the prisoner. Continue Reading »
At only 19, Tania Leontieff of Safed has an interesting life story. As the daughter of an itinerant Gypsy (Roma) family, most of her life was spent moving from place to place around eastern Europe. Four years ago, Leontieff discovered that she had Jewish roots and made the bold decision to move to Israel alone. She was recently drafted into the Israel Police and become Israel’s first Gypsy policewoman.
By Reuters
The killing last month of two Palestinian teenagers during a protest in the West Bank might constitute a war crime by Israel, Human Rights Watch said in a report published Monday.
An image from the video that purportedly shows the shooting deaths of two Palestinians in Beitunia on May 15 – Photo: Defense for Children International Palestine website
Palestinian medics said Muhammad Abu Thahr, 16, and Nadim Nuwara, 17, were shot dead by IDF troops using live ammunition on May 15 as they took part in the demonstration. Continue Reading »
Israel launched an international diplomatic campaign last week aimed at putting pressure on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the new Palestinian government to assert its control over the Gaza Strip and take security responsibility for what happens there.
Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah (6th L) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (5th L) with ministers at the unity government’s swearing-in ceremony, Ramallah, West Bank, June 2, 2014.- Photo: Reuters
On Thursday, June 5, the Foreign Ministry issued an order to Israel’s diplomatic missions worldwide, regarding diplomatic activity following the wave of international recognition for the new Palestinian unity government.
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