At American Studies Association, 37 speakers of 44 supported resolution boycotting Israel

At the annual meeting of the American Studies Association, participants who favored boycotting Israeli universities far outnumbered those opposed.

By Ron Kampeas

 

WASHINGTON (JTA) — For 90 minutes in a packed hotel conference room in the heart of Washington, Israel was the colonizer, the settler state, the perpetrator of apartheid.

As the annual meeting this weekend of the American Studies Association demonstrated, participants who favored boycotting Israeli universities far outnumbered those opposed.

Of 44 speakers, 37 supported the resolution, in which the association would endorse and “honor the call of Palestinian society for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions.” The preamble to the resolution accused Israeli universities of complicity in the occupation.

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IDF to redefine cyber defense units as ‘combat’ in new classification of soldiers’ roles

 

New changes define four categories of soldiers:
1. full-fledged combatants
2.
battle soldiers
3. facilitators of weapons
4. home-front soldiers

 

 

In part of an extended process of defining categories of soldiers within the IDF which is near completion, the IDF is expected to define some of its cyber units as attack units.

IDF soldiers engaged in cyber security – Photo: yadlashiryon.com

The IDF spokesman only officially confirmed that defining “who is a ‘combatant'” in the IDF had been “approved and agreed to by [Lt. Gen. Benny Ganz] the Chief-of-Staff” and would be “distributed” throughout “relevant units” in the IDF after an additional approval from Gantz. Continue Reading »

Thousands bury al-Qaeda terrorists killed by Special Forces

 

Radical Islamists terrorists killed by Israeli forces in Hebron buried in West Bank.

Both Israel & the PA are concerned by rise of jihadi Salafis in territories.

By the Associated Press

 

 

Thousands of mourners attended the funerals Wednesday of suspected Palestinian terrorists who were killed in an IDF raid in the West Bank Tuesday.

Yamam, urban special forces

Yamam, urban special forces – MAGAV training film screenshot

The three were jihadi Salafis, or followers of a violent stream of puritanical Islam, and had planned attacks on Israelis and on the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian self-rule government in the West Bank, said Lt. Continue Reading »

Tug-of-war over American commitment to return Jewish archives to Iraq

 

Iraqi Jews claim materials were forcibly taken from them & should be returned to owners or descendants….not Iraq.

By Reuters

 

 

Jewish books and documents found by U.S. soldiers in the flooded headquarters of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and sent to the United States for restoration have touched off a dispute between Baghdad and Iraqi Jews who fled the country.

A Passover Haggadah from Vienna, 1930

A Passover Haggadah from Vienna, 1930 is pictured after treatment in this undated handout photo from the National Archives obtained by Reuters November 26, 2013.- Photo: Reuters

After a $3 million restoration, the collection has been put on display at the Washington-based National Archives. Continue Reading »

Palestinian Incitement: Al Aqsa Mosque Preacher Says ‘Put the Jews to the Sword’

 

Leading Palestinian cleric uses Temple Mount for incitement in his sermon for continuous war against, and the slaughter of the Jews.

By Israel Today Staff

 

 

Unbelievably, Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, is still used today, even under Israeli control, as a platform from which to incite jihad against the Jewish state.

Kill JewsLast Friday, Palestinian Authority (PA) religious leader Sheikh Omar Abu Sara’a delivered a sermon at the Al Aqsa Mosque in which he lambasted the PA for being so weak as to actually negotiate with the Jews.

Sara’a noted that Islam’s Prophet Mohammed urged his followers to “fight” the Jews, not treat with them. Continue Reading »

Rabbinical Court fines woman $140. day until she circumcises her son


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Israel’s Prime Minister & President sing Arik Einstein song

Bibi Netanyahu & Shimon Peres sing Arik Einstein’s Ani Ve’ata (You & I) along with Ofra Haza & Dan Shilo.

 

 

Amid the grief over the passing of iconic Israeli singer Arik Einstein, the internet has given us a gem:

Bibi Netanyahu and Shimon Peres sing Arik Einstein - Channel 2 screenshot

Bibi Netanyahu and Shimon Peres sing Arik Einstein – Channel 2 screenshot

Bibi Netanyahu and Shimon Peres — together, in the nineties — singing one of Einstein’s best-known songs, “Ani v’Ata” (You and I).

The clip starts with Israeli celebrities Ofra Haza and Dan Shilon singing the song on stage, but at about 1:30 they descend to Bibi and Peres, who stand and somewhat awkwardly sing along.

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Teheran Reports its Construction Will Continue at Arak Nuclear Site

Referring to loophole in deal with West, Iran’s FM Zarif says “no new nuclear fuel will be produced,” and no new components will be installed, but Islamic Republic will continue building the heavy-water reactor.

By REUTERS

 

 

DUBAI – Iran will press on with construction at a nuclear reactor site at Arak, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif said on Wednesday, despite an agreement with Western powers to halt activity.

A general view of the Arak heavy-water project, 190 km (120 miles) southwest of Tehran

A general view of the Arak heavy-water project, 190 km (120 miles) southwest of Tehran – Photo: REUTERS

The uncompleted heavy-water research reactor emerged as one of several crucial issues in negotiations in Geneva last week, when Iran agreed with six world powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear program for six months in return for limited sanctions relief. Continue Reading »

Israel’s Elbit Systems profit soars as do their UAVs

 

Business & Finance News: One of Israel’s top Defense electronics firm reports higher than expected quarterly profit due to sales growth in airborne systems, UAVs & cost cutting measures.

By Reuters

 

 

Israeli defense electronics firm Elbit Systems reported higher quarterly profit that beat estimates due to sales growth in airborne systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as well as cost cutting measures.

Elbit drone

Elbit drone

Elbit earned $1.32 per diluted share excluding one-time items in the third quarter, up from $1.18 a share a year earlier, the company said on Thursday.

Revenue grew to $730.6 million from $677.5 million. Continue Reading »

Israel Wins Gender Equality Prize From European Parliament

European Parliament to bestow upon Israel prize as the leading Middle East country in gender equality.

By Ari Yashar

 

The European Parliament intends to give Israel a prize Wednesday, recognizing it as the leading nation in the Middle East and North Africa in terms of gender equality.

The “Reducing the Gender Gap” prize will be given at Women in Parliaments Global Forum Annual Summit in Brussells, which is expected to bring together over 9,000 international female parliament members.

Supreme Court Judge Dafna Barak-Erez will accept the prize for Israel. Various female MKs will represent Israel at the conference, and MK Shuli Mualem-Rafaeli (Jewish Home) will speak about her life story. Continue Reading »

White House Tells Congress New Sanctions May Kill Diplomatic Talks with Iran

Secretary of State John Kerry warns congressmen that passing additional sanctions on Iran may jeopardize White House negotiations on Iranian nuclear program.

By Elad Benari

 

The U.S. administration on Tuesday stepped up its battle to thwart moves by lawmakers to tighten sanctions on Iran, AFP reports.

The administration warned that passing new sanctions on Iran would jeopardize tough negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program.

Secretary of State John Kerry videotaped a message to members of Congress warning against any new sanctions during the six-month period of talks foreseen by a deal struck last weekend in Geneva.

“He certainly understands that this will be a vigorous debate, though he believes that everything doesn’t have to be a showdown,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki was quoted as having told reporters. Continue Reading »

Obama’s Agenda & the goal of the White House’s foreign policy

 

The administration’s goal is not to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power. The goal of Obama’s foreign policy is to weaken the State of Israel.

 

 

It isn’t surprising that the US and the other five powers signed a deal with Iran on Saturday. Over the past few weeks, US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry made it clear that they were committed to signing a deal with Iran as quickly as possible.

US President Barack Obama - Photo Alexei Danichev, Host Photo Agency via Getty Images

US President Barack Obama – Photo: Alexei Danichev, Host Photo Agency via Getty Images

And it isn’t surprising that the deal these overeager leaders signed with the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism makes the world a much more dangerous place than it was before the agreement was concluded. Continue Reading »

2 Palestinian Salafi jihadi terrorists killed in West Bank by Israeli special forces

The Palestinian terrorists, discovered in the Hebron region, were in the planning stages of a terror attack supposed to take place in upcoming days.

Special security forces say the men were found with explosives & 2 handguns in their possession at the time of their death.

 

 

 

Two Salafi-jihadi terrorists in the Hebron region who were in the middle of planning a terror attack for the coming days were killed in counter-terrorism mission, the Shin Bet announced on tuesday evening.

Salafi Palestinians -  Photo: Reuters

Salafi Palestinians – Photo: Reuters

The terror suspects were found in possession of explosives and two handguns, and the Counter-Terrorism Unit together with other special forces attempted to arrest them before opening fire, the Shin Bet added. Continue Reading »

Palestinian “Resignations” and their exploitation of the Peace Process

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Palestinians win their 1st Emmy with ‘5 Broken Cameras’

Emad Burnat, from the village of Bil’in, who co-directed the Oscar-nominated film with Israel’s Guy Davidi, is the 1st Palestinian to have won an Emmy.

 

 

The Oscar-nominated film “5 Broken Cameras,” a chronicle of Palestinian nonviolent resistance co-directed by Palestinian Emad Burnat and Israeli Guy Davidi, nabbed the best documentary award at the 41st annual International Emmy Awards.

Palestinian director Emad Burnat with his best documentary Emmy.

Producer Christine Camdessus and Palestinian director Emad Burnat with their best documentary award during the 41st International Emmy Awards in New York, November 25, 2013. – Photo: Reuters

Burnat said he is the first Palestinian to win an Emmy. Continue Reading »