Former Palestinian Terrorist Invited to the Knesset

Both, a senior terrorist’s brother & a former terrorist prisoner are invited to address the Knesset.

By Maayana Miskin

 

Members of Knesset and ministers who support the “two-state solution” and diplomatic talks with the Palestinian Authority have organized a conference that aims to provide a response to the spate of public officials who have recently declared that there is no realistic solution to the Israel-PA conflict on the horizon.

Among the speakers who will appear at the conference Monday are controversial PA figures.

One of the names that stands out is that of Dr. Khalil Shikaki, who directs the Center for Palestinian Policy and Research in Ramallah. Continue Reading »

Female Muslim student in Germany vandalizes Israeli art exhibit

The University says they reserve option to take legal action against female Muslim vandal who ripped down parts of an Israeli graphic novel art exhibit.

By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL, JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT
 

 

BERLIN – A female Muslim student at the University of Duisburg-Essen ripped down parts of a graphic novel exhibit, which included the work of the internationally known Israeli artist Rutu Modan.
Rutu Modan’s graphic novel ‘Exit Wounds,’ the target of vandalism in Germany.

Rutu Modan’s graphic novel ‘Exit Wounds,’ the target of vandalism in Germany. – Photo: Drawn & Quarterly

In a commentary in the left-liberal website Taz on Thursday, journalist Pascal Beucker attributed the June 24 attack on the exhibit “to an anti- Israel, if not anti-Semitic, motive.”

Continue Reading »

Kerry’s plan for restarting talks: prisoner release & settlement freeze

 

U.S. Sec of St John Kerry’s plan to restart peace talks: Israel will release 103 Palestinian terrorists from prison, freeze home construction outside major towns & a $4B transfer to the Palestinian leaders by the U.S.

The Palestinians are still not satisfied.

By Elor Levy

US Secretary of State John Kerry‘s plan to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians calls for the release of some 103 Palestinian prisoners serving time in Israeli prisons from a time prior to the signing Oslo accords, London-based Al Hayat reported, citing Western diplomatic sources.

אבו מאזן וקרי ברמאללה (צילום: רויטרס)

Kerry, Abbas – Photo: Reuters

According to a Palestinian source, the difference of opinions between the two sides remain large, as the Palestinians demand the release of all 103 together and a complete halt in settlement constriction. Continue Reading »

Amb. Oren Finishes His Term This Year

Israel’s  Ambassador to the U.S. says he is ending his term this fall.

Unofficially, his replacement may be Ron Dermer.

By Gil Ronen

 

 

Israel’s Ambassador in the United States, Michael Oren, announced Friday evening on his Facebook page that he will end his term in the fall.

Amb. Michael B. Oren

Amb. Michael B. Oren – Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S.

According to Globes, there were rumors several months ago that Oren wishes to remain in his position for an additional year. He has been serving as ambassador since being appointed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in 2009.

Globes quotes “assessments in Washington” according to which Oren will be replaced by Ron Dermer, a trusted confidante of Netanyahu. Continue Reading »

Foreign Ministry’s strike may cause no-shows for Maccabiah athletes

Israel’s Foreign Ministry workers have been holding the country hostage as their strike continues on.

 

JERUSALEM — The 19th Maccabiah Games could become the next victim of a strike by employees of Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

MaccabiahAthletes from 14 countries are unable to travel to Israel for the major sporting event because they need visas to enter the country.

Late last month, employees at Israeli embassies and consulates in the United States and around the world halted all consular services, including issuing visas. Exceptions are being made for medical emergencies, adoptions and transporting bodies for burial. The halt in consular services was the latest salvo in a 3-month-old labor dispute.

Continue Reading »

Israelis, West Bank & Gaza Palestinians come together to talk water

 

Scientists from Gaza, West Bank, Jordan,

France,

& Israel travel to southern Israeli town of Sde Boker to discuss water production.

 

‘Water can be an issue for conflict or for peace,’ says French ambassador to Israel

By jn1.tv

Under the patronage of the French Embassy in Israel, scientists from France, the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan and Israel will travel to the southern town of Sde Boker to talk common water production issues.

water reservoir

water reservoir – IsraelandStuff/PP

At the French ambassador’s villa in picturesque Jaffa, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, yet another cocktail party is being hosted, but this event is very special because sworn enemies are here to talk their future survival. Continue Reading »

Coptic Christian Priest assassinated in latest Egyptian violence

The murder of  Mina Aboud Sharween, a spiritual leader of Egypt’s 8 million Christians, is attributed to his supporting Morsi’s removal.

This latest sectarian attack appears to be 1st sign of ethnic violence since ouster of elected Islamist president Morsi.

By REUTERS

 

 

 

CAIRO- Gunmen shot dead a Coptic Christian priest in Egypt’s lawless Northern Sinai on Saturday in what could be the first sectarian attack since the military overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, security sources said.

A cross and a Koran at an anti-Morsi protest in Tahrir Square, July 4, 2013.

A cross and a Koran at an anti-Morsi protest in Tahrir Square, July 4, 2013. – Photo: Reuters

At least 30 people died and more than 1,000 were wounded after Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood movement called “Friday of Rejection” protests across the country and tried to march on the military compound where the ousted president is held.

Continue Reading »

Tel Aviv, and its Traditional Summer Water Fight

In local municipal tradition, young & old alike, are invited to Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, to battle each other in the scorching heat with water pistols & balloons, using square’s fountain as ammunition!

By Gilad Morag

Tel Aviv‘s annual water battle has returned. Like every summer, Friday afternoon saw hundreds of Tel Avivians of all ages swarm to the city’s Rabin Square. They came armed with squirt guns, water balloons, buckets and heavy water canons.
(צילום: מוטי קמחי)

Water war. Rabin Square (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

At 3 pm, when the bell was sounded, all mayhem broke loose. Learning the lesson from years past, those attending where requested to leave their electronic devices at home, less they fall victim to water’s destructive capabilities. Continue Reading »

Britain asks EU to Reconsider and Blacklist Hizbullah

The UK’s push to have Hizbullah blacklisted may have gained support due to the group’s actions in Syria, say diplomats.

By Elad Benari, Canada

 

Britain has asked European Union foreign ministers to once again discuss putting Hizbullah’s so-called “military wing” on the EU terror list, diplomats said on Friday.

Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah – Photo: AFP

Several weeks ago, a British drive to reach a unanimous decision to blacklist Hizbullah failed, when the EU expressed fear that such a move would lead to instability in Lebanon and the Middle East.

Austria and the Czech Republic opposed the move to add Hizbullah to the EU terrorist list, which includes several groups such as Hamas and Colombia’s FARC guerrillas, who are subject to an asset freeze. Continue Reading »

Explosions Heard at Regime’s Ammunition Depots in Syria

Explosions rocked several of the army’s ammunition depots just north of Latakia.

Rebels blame the explosions on Israel.

By Elad Benari,

 

 

Explosions rocked several army ammunition depots in the western Syrian province of Latakia on Friday, possibly after they were targeted with rockets, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, according to the AFP news agency.

A Google map image showing Mushayrafet al-Samouk, Syria where the blasts were reportedly heard.

 

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said there were reports of deaths and injuries in the blasts but he had no further details.

“Explosions around dawn today rocked an area… in the east of Latakia apparently as a result of blasts in ammunitions depots near a brigade of regime forces,” the Observatory said in an email quoted by AFP. Continue Reading »

Muslim Brotherhood claims Egypt’s interim president is a Jew

Wash Post reports: MB website claims Israel & U.S. conspiring to insert ElBaradei as Egyptian President

By JPOST.COM STAFF

 

The Muslim Brotherhood claimed in a post on its official website that Egypt’s new interim president Adli Mansour is Jewish, The Washington Post reported on Friday. The article on IkhwanOnline was subsequently removed.

Egyptian interim president Adli Mansour is sworn in, July 4, 2013

Egyptian interim president Adli Mansour is sworn in, July 4, 2013 – Photo: Reuters

Mansour, who previously served as the constitutional court’s chief justice was sworn in as interim president on Thursday after the army removed Islamist President Mohamed Morsi from power.

According to the Post, the article falsely stated that Mansour is “considered to be a Seventh Day Adventist, which is a Jewish sect.”

Continue Reading »

Sinai Jihadi movement claims they fired rockets at Eilat

The Jamaat Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis has claimed responsibility for rocket attacks on Southern Israel in the past and now, boasts its rockets ‘scared Israelis into shelters’ although explosions were heard, no signs of rockets were found.

By Roi Kais

 

The Jamaat Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis group, which operates in the Sinai Peninsula, took responsibility on Friday evening for the alleged launch of two Grad missiles toward Eilat on Thursday.

החיפושים אחר הרקטות, בחמישי באילת (צילום: מאיר אוחיון)

Searching for the rockets – Photo: Meir Ohayon

Though Eilat residents reported hearing two or three loud bangs, security forces have yet to finds any trace of the rockets.

In an internet statement, the group boasted the bangs “frightened Allah’s Jewish enemies” and made them run for shelter. Continue Reading »

IDF’s Druze Herev Battalion Tests New Fighting Techniques for Engaging Hezbollah

Israel’s Druze battalion developed successful techniques for fighting Hezbollah, based on years of experience operating on Israel’s northern border & including the Lebanon War II.

In a battalion-wide exercise last week the battalion’s new methods were tested.

By IDF Spokesperson’s Office

 

The IDF’s Herev Battalion, made up of members of Israel’s Druze community, has gained many years of experience performing unique missions near the Israel-Lebanon border. In the 2006 Second Lebanon War, for instance, Herev was the first force to cross the border and the last to return – exhausted from completing a range of complex missions that earned the unit a citation. Continue Reading »

Egypt seals Rafah crossing – Gaza Closed Indefinitely

Decision comes after Islamist gunmen staged multiple terror attacks on Egypt security forces 2 days after Army Generals forcibly replaced Islamist president Morsi.

By DPA and Reuters

Egypt has indefinitely closed the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip following attacks on security forces in northern Sinai, a security official said Friday.

Palestinians walking toward the Egyptian border crossing with Gaza in Rafah, Egypt

Palestinians walk toward the Egyptian border crossing with Gaza in Rafah, Egypt, Aug. 2012.- Photo: AP

The crossing was opened in 2011 following the ouster of Egyptian president Hosny Mubarak, whose administration opposed the Hamas rulers in Gaza, and helped Israel to enforce a blockade on the enclave.

Early on Friday, Islamist gunmen staged multiple attacks on security forces on Sinai two days after the army overthrew elected Islamist President Mohammed Morsi

The security sources said a soldier was killed and two were wounded when a police station in Rafah on the border with the Gaza Strip came under rocket fire. Continue Reading »

6 Gulf States Targeting Hezbollah with Sanctions

Senior Gulf Cooperation Council officials met in the Saudi capital to coordinate sanctions against Hizbullah because of the Shiite terrorist organization’s support for the Syrian regime.

By Elad Benari

 

Senior Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) officials met in Riyadh on Thursday to coordinate sanctions in the six member states against Lebanon’s Shiite Hizbullah terror group over its support for the Syrian regime, AFP reported.

Hizbullah flag – AFP photo

The meeting was “to develop mechanisms to monitor movements, financial transactions and business operations of Hizbullah,” said Bahraini deputy interior minister Khaled al-Absi, according to the news agency.

The GCC monarchies decided on June 10 to impose sanctions on Hizbullah, targeting residency permits and its financial and business activities in reprisal for the group’s armed intervention in Syria. Continue Reading »