Australian FM to United Nations: Stop the Constant Israel Bashing


Australia’s recent abstentions “reflected the  gov’t’s concern that Middle East resolutions should be balanced.”

By Israel Today Staff

 

 

Australia recently surprised everyone by abstaining on two UN General Assembly resolutions targeting Israel, signaling that the folks “down under” are growing fed up with the world body’s biased approach to the Israeli-Arab conflict.

Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop - Photo: SBS/AAP

Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop – Photo: SBS/AAP

Like most other nations, Australia typically votes in favor of the dozens of UN resolutions targeting Israel every year. By the end of the General Assembly’s current session, it will have passed 22 resolutions against Israel, and only four against the rest of the world combined. Continue Reading »

Jerusalem asks Berlin to return stolen Nazi loot to Jewish hands

 

Deputy FM Zeev Elkin urges Germany to donate all Jewish-owned art from a trove discovered in Munich in 2012 to Jewish or Israeli museums if owners or heirs can’t be found.

Jerusalem asks to join German investigation into the discovery of 1,400 works of art seized by the Nazis.

By The Associated Press & Israel Hayom Staff

 

Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin has urged Germany to give any Jewish-owned art from a trove discovered in Munich to Jewish or Israeli museums if heirs are not found.

Otto Griebel’s “Kind am Tisch” (“Child at a table”), which was among the more than 1,400 works of art seized by German authorities in a Munich apartment in February 2012 – Photo: AP

He said Israel has requested to join the German investigation into the roughly 1,400 artworks found in the apartment of a reclusive Munich collector last year. Continue Reading »

French envoy has dinner reception to honor Hezbollah lawmakers

 

France’s Ambassador’s dinner may be considered in violation of EU sanctions outlawing contact with Hezbollah’s terrorist designated military wing.

By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL & JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT
 

BERLIN – Patrick Paoli, France’s Ambassador to Lebanon, hosted a dinner reception in early November for Hezbollah MPs and the political militia’s international affairs representative in which he honored the three Hezbollah members.

Hezbollah members rally in Beirut in Nazi salute - Photo: Reuters

Hezbollah members rally in Beirut in Nazi salute – Photo: Reuters

The Lebanese Daily Star reported the dinner gathering on Thursday. Hezbollah MPs Ali Fayyad and Nawwar Saheli along with international affairs member Ammar Moussawi were honored by Paoli.

It is unclear if the ambassador violated EU sanctions outlawing contact with the military wing of Hezbollah.

Continue Reading »

Hundreds launch from Gaza in ‘reverse flotilla’ to confront Israel’s naval blockade

 

 

Hundreds of Gazans launched protest flotilla in protests of joint Israel-Egyptian blockade of Gaza but fail to make it to Israel

By News agencies

Hundreds of Palestinian youth activists sailed from the shores of the Gaza Strip on Monday to protest at Israel’s restrictions on fishing in the seas off the Islamist-ruled enclave.

En route to Israel (Photo: EPA)

En route to Israel – Photo: EPA

Around 20 Gaza fishing boats carrying several dozen activists claimed to have broken the naval blockade on the territory in a move denied by the Israeli military. The “resistance flotilla” was at sea for several hours before returning with the claim it had “broken” the blockade which bars fishing vessels from sailing six nautical miles from the shoreline. Continue Reading »

Chabad’s ‘Mitzvah Tank’ takes Chanukah into Australia’s Outback

Even if there are more deadly crocodiles than Jews in Australia’s Outback,that’s not going to stop Chabad emissaries from bring Chanukah to the few wandering Jews.

 

 

Hanukkah Down Under is arguably the most public of Jewish festivals, an eight-day blitz of festivities across the continent.

Chabad's Mitzvah Tank

The ‘Mitzvah Tank,’ a synagogue on wheels, belonging to Chabad of Rural and Regional Australia.- Photo: George Koulakis

Cherry pickers hoist rabbis high above the crowds to light giant Hanukkah menorahs in public spaces; inside the Westfield chain of shopping malls – founded by Holocaust survivor Frank Lowy – menorahs jostle alongside Christmas decorations; on the beaches and in the bays, in parks and even in parliament, Hanukkah is a hive of activity. Continue Reading »

24 hrs later: Still no word from Hassan Nasrallah

With no word from Hezbollah, and no other sources to confirm the report on a Lebanese website that Hezbollah’s leader was injured in a blast that killed 22 of his men, the Free Syrian Army reports to have injured the Shiite terrorist group’s leader.

By Gil Ronen

 

Syrian rebel forces claim that they have succeeded in injuring Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, a Lebanese website reported this morning, citing a Facebook message. No other source has confirmed the report.

Free Syrian Army

The Lebanese report was cited by JerusalemOnLine, which did not name the website that carried the news.

According to the report, a commander of the Free Syrian Army announced that members of Jabhat Al-Nusra, an Islamist Sunni rebel group linked to Al Qaeda, succeeded in the early morning hours in blowing up the headquarters where Nasrallah lives in Bint Jbeil, Lebanon. Continue Reading »

Israel’s PM Netanyahu chats with Pope Francis I

 

Netanyahu meets with pontiff at Vatican for 1st time since his ordination in March.

The 2 discuss the Iranian nuclear program, Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Christians in Israel & the Mideast.

PM expected to invite Pope Francis to Jerusalem.

By ERIC J. LYMAN
 

VATICAN CITY – Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with Pope Francis in a 25-minute closed-door meeting Monday, with a host of geo-political and religious issues on the agenda as well as a formal invitation for the pontiff to visit the Holy Land next year.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahy with Pope Francis at the Vatican, December 1, 2013.-  Photo: Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahy with Pope Francis at the Vatican, December 1, 2013.- Photo: Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO

 

It was the first time the two leaders met face to face, and they discussed the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the escalating worries about Iran’s nuclear program, the Syrian civil war, the welfare of Christians in Israel, as well as the pope’s expected visit to Israel.

Continue Reading »

Poll: Which country suffers most in ‘Suffering index’ – Not Israel!

 

 

Gallup poll released the results of a survey measuring suffering worldwide: Bulgaria takes dubious 1st place 3rd time in row.

How miserable are Americans, Israelis or even Iranians?

By Ynet

Despite the great affection for complaining and occasional self-loathing, Israel still ranks quite high on surveys measuring happiness and optimism. A Gallup survey released Monday, which purports to measure global suffering, ranks Israel in a low and encouraging spot: Only 4% of Israelis who responded to the organization’s questions were defined as people whose lives causes them misery.

sadness illustrated – Photo Courtesy

Bulgaria takes the dubious first place for the third year in a row, with 39% of the respondents defined as “suffering”. Continue Reading »

IDF retaliates into Syria after gunmen shoot at Israeli soldiers on Golan Heights

 

IDF statement reads ‘hit confirmed’ on Syria gunmen.

Mortar shell falls on Israeli side hitting Druze village of Majdal Shams, leaving no casualties, in apparent spillover from Syria civil war.

By Reuters &

 

 

The Israeli army fired into Syria on Monday after its troops were shot at on the Golan Heights, the military said.

Israeli soldiers sit atop a tank as they watch the border with Syria

Israeli soldiers sit atop a tank as they watch the border with Syria near the Quneitra border crossing between Israel and Syria, on the Golan Heights July 3, 2013.- Photo: Reuters

“Gunfire was opened from Syria toward IDF soldiers in the central Golan Heights. Continue Reading »

Israeli Navy Expects ‘Exiting Gaza Flotillas’

Gaza protest group plans to sail from Gaza to confront Israel’s naval ships enforcing the strip’s blockade.

By Gil Ronen

 

The IDF and Israel Navy are prepared to encounter what has been dubbed a “reverse flotilla” from Gaza, reports Israel Hayom Monday. The political flotilla will be coming at the Israeli ships from Gaza and going westward, as opposed to previous political flotillas that came from the west toward Gaza, hence the name “reverse flotilla”.

Israeli navy ship – Israel news photo: IDF spokesman

The IDF estimates that dozens of Arab and European activists will be on the flotilla, and that it will include several boats. Continue Reading »

1000 Palestinians plan to protest Canadian PM’s appearance at JNF event

 

JNF-KKL event honoring Canadian PM Harper expected to attract 1,000 strong Palestinian protesters against Israel’s Bedouin resettlement bill.

‘JNF’s trees are soldiers in Zionist army of occupation’ says Palestinian.

By Ofer Petersburg

Canadian police forces are currently preparing for a Palestinian protest against Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper who is expected to participate in a Jewish National Fund of Canada event.

The event is a dinner being held in the prime minister’s honor and the protest is expected to be attract at least 1,000 people. According to the protest’s organizers, the demonstration is being held in wake of the Praver Plan to resettle Bedouins. Continue Reading »

Israel’s Prime Minister to meet Pope Francis Monday

Prime Minister Netanyahu lights candles for 5th night of Hanukkah with Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta at Rome synagogue.

 

 

 

Prime Minister Benjamin visited the Great Synagogue of Rome on Sunday with his Italian counterpart, Premier Enrico Letta.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Italian Premier Enrico Letta

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Italian Premier Enrico Letta light a candle for Hanukkah at the Great Synagogue of Rome on Dec. 1, 2013.- Photo: AFP

During their visit, Letta said his country’s economic crisis is feeding “the forces of extremism, hatred and intolerance” in Italy.

He pledged, “We will resist always the forces of violence, first verbal then physical, intolerance, xenophobia and racism, and these temptations that are a detriment.” Continue Reading »

PA Threat #83: Cancel Building Tenders Or Peace Talks Finished

Abbas claims Israel didn’t really cancel the construction tenders for new homes announced several weeks ago, so they are once again threatening to end talks.

By Elad Benari

 

 

The Palestinian Authority (PA) is threatening once again to pull out of the peace talks with Israel over its plans to build in Judea and Samaria.

Channel 2 News reported on Sunday that the PA is accusing Israel of not having really cancelled tenders that were issued several weeks ago for 20,000 new homes in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reprimanded Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel over the construction and cancelled it, but the PA is now claiming, according to Channel 2, that the announcement of the tenders appeared as “active” on the Housing Ministry’s website until at least this past Thursday. Continue Reading »

Watch: Australian Peace Activist Shocked to the Core by the Real Israeli-Arab Conflict


 

Australian peace activist returned to back the ‘Palestinian cause,’ but was shaken by reality & left the Palestinians, convinced the Arabs never really wanted peace.

By Israel Today Staff

 

 

Like many people abroad, Darly Johns of Australia was taken in by propaganda that showed dead and wounded Palestinian children, purportedly the victims of heartless Israeli aggression.

Every year, during school and summer camps, Palestinian children are systematically indoctrinated into seeking the death of Jews & the annihilation of Israel.

But when Johns decided to do something about the situation and come volunteer in “Palestine,” she was greeted by a far different reality wherein local Arab children are actually the victims of child abuse from their own society. Continue Reading »

Binyamin Netanyahu: I won’t ‘shut up’ when Israel’s interests are at stake

 

Netanyahu responds to criticism from previous PM on his approach to Iranian deal.

Olmert: Netanyahu has “declared war” on the U.S. by slamming closest ally’s role in brokering interim accord. Olmert continued saying Israel should urge the U.S. to lead efforts on preventing a nuclear Iran.

By HERB KEINON, HENRY ROME
 

 

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his predecessor Ehud Olmert battled over Israel’s Iran policy Sunday, with Olmert slamming Netanyahu for “waging war” against the US administration and Netanyahu responding that he would speak out loudly when Israel’s security is at stake.

“As opposed to others, when I see that interests vital to the security of Israel’s citizens are in danger, I will not be quiet,” Netanyahu said in Rome in a clear reference to comments Olmert made earlier in the day. Continue Reading »