Greece, Israel & the U.S. Launch Joint Naval Exercise

US, Israeli & Greek warships begin a 2-week joint naval exercise codenamed “Noble Dina” on Thursday, the Israeli military reported.

By Maayana Miskin

 

Israeli, Greek and US warships began a joint two-week Mediterranean naval exercise on Thursday, IDF spokespeople revealed. The exercise has been codenamed “Noble Dina.”

NavyThe drill will test a variety of skills, including navigation, search and rescue, fast response to naval crisis situations, medical evacuation and more.

According to AFP, there are reports that the exercise was designed in part to practice defending offshore gas rigs. In recent years Israel has discovered huge gas fields off the Mediterranean shore. Continue Reading »

Syria TV airs found ‘Israeli spy gear’

Syrian State television shows footage of fake rocks used to ‘camouflage’ surveillance cameras found on Syrian coast.

Regime Army Officer: Rebels and Zionists benefited from information gathered by espionage system.

Roi Kais, AFP

 

The official Syrian Arab News Agency published photos on Thursday of what it said was Israeli espionage equipment recently found at an unspecified coastal location.

State television also broadcast pictures of the “Israeli spy devices” unearthed in Syria, in what it said was proof of Israel’s involvement in the armed revolt against President Bashar Assad .

The broadcaster showed footage of rocks used to “camouflage” surveillance cameras found on the Syrian coast, as well as recording and video devices to transmit pictures and audio “in real time” from “sensitive locations.” Continue Reading »

190 ‘Lone Soldiers’ Complete IDF’s Hebrew Course – ‘Ulpan’

This week, some 190 “Lone Soldiers” finished an ‘Ulpan’, a special Hebrew crash-course run by the IDF’s education branch.

By David Lev

 

Some 190 “Lone Soldiers”, immigrants who have come to Israel without their families to serve in the Israeli army, finished a special Hebrew instruction course run by the IDF this week.

Lone soldiersThe soldiers, about 100 of whom are headed to combat units, recently made Aliyah from 25 countries from around the world: Argentina, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Peru, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, the United States, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela.

Continue Reading »

Terra incognita: Separating Facts from Fiction on ‘Palestinian bus line’

Every published story about the ‘segregated Palestinian only’ bus line was a spin, based on ignorance or meanness, of the true situation.

 

The Twainist witticism of the “lie traveling halfway round the world while the truth puts on its socks” was never more true than with regard to this week’s story about Israel inaugurating “segregated bus lines.”
התור לאוטובוסים ביום הראשון להפעלתם (צילום: גור דותן)

Commotion on the bus lines – Photo: Gur Dotan

is story began with Israeli media reporting Sunday: “Israel introduces ‘Palestinian only’ bus lines, following complaints from Jewish settlers” (Chaim Levinson, Haaretz). The mainstream newspaper Yediot Aharonot reported on “Separate but equal bus lines?”

Continue Reading »

For some Muslims, ‘Zionism’ means something completely different

After 1000’s of years, we are now witnessing God’s promise in the Qur’an & in the Torah, with our own eyes, in the return of the Jews to Israel.

By AYLIN KOCAMAN

 

Many Muslims dislike the word “Zionism.” A great many of these are actually people who like Jews. They have no complaint about the existence of Israel. But they always object to the word Zionism. In their eyes, Zionists are bad people who cause war and unrest. Zionists are supposedly even behind many tragedies in the world.

A mosque in Turkey

A mosque in Turkey – Photo: Reuters

The reason for this is that for years the name Zionism has been thought to be part of the different and false belief known as “goyim.” Continue Reading »

Mock Eviction Notices on Harvard University Dorms Initiate ‘Israel Apartheid Week’

In promotion of ‘Israeli Apartheid Week’, mock notices saying, ‘Your suite is scheduled for demolition,’ are  posted on Harvard student dorms.

Yitzhak Benhorin

 

WASHINGTON – The battle for the American student public continues, with pro-Palestinian Harvard students posting mock eviction notices on the doors of student dorms on campus, warning students their homes are scheduled for demolition.

הכרזה. "יחס אכזרי ובלתי מתקבל על הדעת"

The ‘notice’

“This may seem harsh, but this is the state of affairs in the West Bank,” say the notices posted on March 2, promoting the “Israeli Apartheid Week” organized by the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee.

Rabbi Jonah Steinberg, head of the “Hillel” Jewish students organization in Harvard, sais this is an all too familiar tactic: “Had the group placed its flyers on bulletin boards, there would be no violation of University policy, no warning from administrators in reply, and no big story about ‘Israel Apartheid Week’ in the campus or national news.” Continue Reading »

Anti-Semitic Fan of 9/11 to be Honored by Michelle Obama & State Dept.

America’s 1st Lady Michelle Obama & U.S. Secy of St. John Kerry will pay honor this week to an anti-Semite who celebrated Al Qaeda’s 9/11 attack on America.

By Chana Ya’ar

 

First Lady Michelle Obama and the U.S. State Department this Friday honor 10 women with the Int’l Women of Courage Award – including one who tweeted her joy about Al Qaeda’s 9/11 attack on America.

First Lady Michelle ObamaSamira Ibrahim, a 25-year-old women’s rights activist, was a participant in the January 25 Revolution demonstrations in Cairo’s Tahrir Square that brought down the regime of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and eventually morphed into the region wide Arab Spring uprisings.  Continue Reading »

IAEA Officials walk out of meeting after Iranian cites Israeli ‘genocide’

The U.S. ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), accused Iran of “deception, defiance and delay” in its dealing with the agency, and called their accusations “baseless.”

By JTA

 

WASHINGTON  — U.S., Canadian and Australian officials walked out of a meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency when the Iranian envoy accused Israel of genocide.

Fordo nuclear siteJoseph Macmanus, the U.S. ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, stormed out of the meeting in Vienna on Wednesday after Ali Asghar Soltaneh made the accusation, Reuters reported, as did Canadian and Australian officials.

Macmanus earlier had accused Iran of “deception, defiance and delay” in its dealing with the agency. Continue Reading »

PA Advances Plans to Register Additional Sites with UNESCO

Palestinian Authority forms committee to prepare applications to register additional sites, including the Dead Sea, on UNESCO’s world heritage list.

By Elad Benari

 

The Palestinian Authority cabinet on Tuesday decided to form a committee to prepare applications to register sites on UNESCO’s world heritage list, the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency reported.

Omar Awadallah, the head of UN file in the PA’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the committee’s mission was to prepare heritage sites for the list to “protect them from harm.”

Each ministry has been asked to cooperate with the UNESCO committee, and will prepare the files, he said. Continue Reading »

Report: Once again, Shi’ite terrorist network targeting Israelis overseas

NSC counter-terrorism bureau warns ahead of the Passover holiday that Iranian Quds Force & their proxy the Hezbollah, are plotting attacks against Israelis/Jews.

A global Shi’ite terrorism network made up of Iranian Quds Force operatives and Hezbollah continues to target Israelis overseas, the National Security Council’s counterterrorism bureau warned on Wednesday, ahead of the Passover vacation season.

Iran revolutionary guards

Iran revolutionary guards – Photo: Raheb Homavandi/Reuters

Twenty-seven countries have been designated by the bureau as being under a travel alert of varying severity.

The Sinai Peninsula is designated as a place with a very high, concrete threat level, and the bureau is urging Israelis to stay away from the area due to a plethora of intelligence leads pointing to kidnapping plots and terrorist threats.

Continue Reading »

The UNSC demands immediate & unconditional release of UN Hostages

20 UN peacekeepers detained in Golan Heights by member of ‘Martyrs of Yarmouk’ saying hostages would not be released until Assad’s forces withdraw from Golan village of Jamla

News agencies

 

The United Nations said about 20 peacekeepers had been detained by around 30 armed fighters in the Golan Heights on the border between Syria and Israel on Wednesday and that it has sent a team to resolve the situation.

כוח אודו"ף של האו"ם. מסייע למשטר אסד? (צילום: רויטרס)

UNDOF force in the Golan Heights – Photo: Reuters

The UN’s Security Council demanded their immediate and unconditional release.

The United Nations confirmation came in response to YouTube videos purporting to show Syrian rebels with the seized convoy. Continue Reading »

Peres tells EU president: Israeli settlements not the obstacle to peace, Terror is!

On a tour of European countries, Shimon Peres rejects the generic criticism of West Bank settlements, saying that terrorism is what prevented the implementation of 2-state solution.

By DPA

 

President Shimon Peres rejected European Union criticism of his country‘s settlement policy during a visit to Brussels on Wednesday, arguing that it did not stand in the way of peace in the Middle East.

President Peres and European Union Council President Herman Van Rompuy in Brussels on March 6. (AFP)

President Shimon Peres and European Union Council President Herman Van Rompuy in Brussels on March 6. – Photo: AFP

EU President Herman Van Rompuy said there would be no sustainable peace until Palestinian aspirations for statehood and sovereignty, and those of Israel for security, were fulfilled by a comprehensive deal based on the two-state solution. Continue Reading »

Expert: “Without Israel, Cyprus & Saudi Arabia are toast, and they know it.”

Strategy analyst Mark Langfan: “Without Israel, oil would be $1,000 a barrel. Without Israel, the US would have to fund an extra $200 billion yearly defense budget to defend southern NATO countries from a Muslim caliphate’s northward tsunami.”

By Gil Ronen

 

The U.S. is not doing Israel any favors by granting it special status as a strategic ally, according to New York based strategy expert Mark Langfan. He predicts a domino effect in which other U.S. allies in the region would collapse, if, G-d forbid, Israel does..

Domino effect“Without Israel, Cyprus and Saudi Arabia are toast,” Langfan told Arutz Sheva, “and they know it.” Continue Reading »

Locusts diverge on Israel, but are stopped dead in their tracks

Israeli authorities immediately began blanketing the entire region with pesticides, both from the air and on the ground.

Experts predict that shifting winds in the coming days will push the swarm toward Saudi Arabia.

By Israel Today Staff

 

A 1-million strong swarm of locusts that broke away from the plague-sized multitude that continues to attack northern Egypt invaded Israel on Tuesday, only to be stopped in its tracks a day later.

Locusts invade Israel, are stopped in their tracks

Locusts invade Israel, are stopped in their tracks – Israel Today

The locusts crossed the Sinai Peninsula into southern Israel overnight Monday. By Wednesday morning it had reached the northern Negev region, blotting out the sky in many areas. Continue Reading »

Lieberman: Defense Committee Hearings Closed to Media

 

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz appeared before the Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee, and in line with a new policy, no information was passed to media on what was said.

Gideon Allon

 

The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee decided on Tuesday to impose a blackout on an appearance of Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz before the committee, even though Gantz’s statements contained no secret information, according to people who were present.

The head of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Avigdor Lieberman approved the decision to bar the media from reporting on some of the committee’s meetings.

Continue Reading »