Yesh Atid initiates a new Knesset Bible study group

Having been labeled anti-religious by some ultra-Orthodox leaders, Yesh Atid has since been the most dominant party getting  Israelis to study the Bible.

By  Israel Today Staff

 

We have already reported several times on Benjamin Netanyahu’s revival of the Prime Minister’s Bible Study group in Israel. Now the Knesset is getting in on the trend with the establishment of its own weekly sessions of scriptural enlightenment.

Bible – israeltoday.co.il

The initiative came from one of the new Knesset parties, the centrist Yesh Atid, which fields both secular and religious lawmakers.

Despite running an election campaign that emphasized an end to army exemptions for and exaggerated welfare payouts to the ultra-Orthodox Jewish sector, and subsequently being labeled anti-religious by ultra-Orthodox leaders, Yesh Atid has since the election been the most outspoken party about getting more Israelis to study the Bible. Continue Reading »

Are the Haredim to ‘face the music’?

Is the Bennett-Lapid  alliance the revenge of the ‘knitted kippot’?

The Haredim annulled their conversions, called them “gentiles & heretics” and humiliated them at every possible opportunity.

The Haredim treated the national-religious sector like hired help for years, & systematically pushed them out of almost every state-religious institution.

By Yehuda Shlezinger

 

 

Yaakov Rivlin, one of the most respected commentators of the haredi system, recently expressed an insight that some would call historic. “The national-religious are about to take the place of the haredim in the religious and political systems of life in this country, and we must resign ourselves to that,” he wrote in the haredi newspaper BaKehila [In the community].

Continue Reading »

Israel awards the 1st drilling license for oil in Golan Heights

A New Jersey-based company is the 1st to receive a license to drill for oil covering half the length of the Golan Heights.

By GLOBES & JPOST.COM STAFF

 

Israel awarded the first license to drill for oil on the Golan Heights, local media reported Thursday. A New Jersey-based company was awarded the license, covering half the area of the Golan from the latitude of Katzrin in the north to Tzemach in the south.
The Golan Heights

The Golan Heights – Photo: Seth J. Frantzman

Sources informed ”Globes” that, a few days ago, the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources’ Petroleum Council recommended awarding the license to Genie Energy Ltd.,

Continue Reading »

Egypt arrested 4 students for ‘Harlem Shake’ video

4 pharmaceutical students from Cairo invoke the wrath of Egyptian authorities after posting lude Harlem Shake version.

Officials: ‘Scandalous act’.

View Clip….judge for yourselves.

AFP

 

Egyptian police said Saturday they have arrested four students who filmed themselves publicly dancing in their underwear, as more people around the world emulate a viral dance craze called the “Harlem Shake.”

The four pharmaceutical students shocked residents of a middle class Cairo neighbourhood when they removed most of their clothes and videotaped themselves performing the pelvis-thrusting dance, a police official said.

The hostile audience tried to assault the students, who are accused of committing “a scandalous act,” the official added. Continue Reading »

Arabs report 9 people wounded in clashes with Jewish residents near a Palestinian village

A 30 year-old Palestinian prisoner dies of a heart attack in Megiddo jail while another Palestinian reportedly hospitalized because of gunshot wound.

By Gili Cohen , and

 

Violent clashes erupted on Saturday near the West Bank village of Qusra, south of Nablus, between villagers and Jewish settlers from nearby Jewish outpost. IDF forces arrived on the scene and employed crowd-control measures.

Qusra - AFP

A Palestinian protestor (R) clashes with an Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Qusra near Nablus on February 23, 2013.- Photo: AFP

The Palestinians reported nine people wounded, among them seven from rubber bullets. Continue Reading »

Purim Starts Tonight with the Reading of the Megillah

Few people know that Purim, the ‘Holiday of Costumes & Merriment’ is one of Judaism’s most Holy days.

By Gil Ronen and Rochel Sylvetsky

 

Purim, 5773, officially began Saturday evening as the Megillah of Esther is being read in hundreds of synagogues in Israel alone. The holiday celebrates the defeat of one of Israel’s worst enemies, Haman the Wicked, in ancient Persia.

In Jerusalem, the Purim celebration will only begin Sunday evening. This has to do with the fact that Jerusalem was surrounded by walls from the time of the conquest of the Land of Israel by Joshua. Jewish tradition has it that Jews in the walled city of Shushan – the capital of ancient Persia – fought against their enemies for an extra day before defeating them, and therefore people living in walled cities begin celebrating Purim a day later than others. Continue Reading »

Did Mofaz Switch Teams Because his Demand to be Defense Minister was Rejected?

Mofaz reportedly joined the pact between Bayit Yehudi & Yesh Atid because his demand to be Defense Minister in the next gov’t was not accepted by Likud Beytenu negotiators.

By Elad Benari, Canada

 

Kadima chairman MK Shaul Mofaz joined the pact between Bayit Yehudi and Yesh Atid because his demand to be appointed Defense Minister was rejected, Channel 2 News reported on Friday.

MK Shaul MofazAccording to the report, Mofaz’s representative, Attorney Alon Geller, arrived at the coalition talks with the Likud Beytenu negotiating team and presented Mofaz’s demand that he be appointed as Defense Minister in the next government.

The Likud Beytenu reportedly rejected the demand on the spot, leading to Mofaz deciding to join the pact with Bayit Yehudi and Yesh Atid and form a united front against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Continue Reading »

‘Arab Spring’ has Israel’s enemies fighting one another

By taking Israel out of the equation, the Muslim Brotherhood would be fighting the secular Egyptians, Al Qaeda & Global Jihad fighting the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Assad’s army & the Hezbollah in Syria, as the Palestinians would be fighting Egyptians, Syrians, Jordanians, and the Hezbollah in both Lebanon & Syria.

By Israel Today Staff

 

It is a given that without the common enemy of Israel, many of the Middle East’s factions would be warring with one another. This is becoming more apparent as a result of the various “Arab Spring” uprisings.

Israel’s enemies turn on one another – Israel Today

Two of Israel’s most active foes – Hamas and Hezbollah – are currently in danger of being swept up in intra-Arab violence that could cripple their respective ability to threaten the Jewish state. Continue Reading »

Turkish report: Israel mulling apology for ‘operational errors’ on Mavi Marmara

Turkish newspaper Radikal reports that partial apology may be forthcoming after  secret talks between Israel & Turkey.

By

 

Israel reportedly may apologize to Turkey for “operational errors” during its fatal raid on a 2010 Turkish aid flotilla to Gaza ahead of a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama.

Mavi Marmara May 22, 2010 (AP)

Mavi Marmara taken on May 22, 2010 – Photo by AP

The Turkish newspaper Radikal on Feb. 20 reported that the partial apology may have been the subject of secret talks between Turkey and Israel.

Radikal journalist Deniz Zeyrek wrote that unnamed Turkish foreign ministry officials told him on Feb. 19 that “such meetings could be going on.” Continue Reading »

IDF & Residents Ready for a possible ‘Volatile’ Golan Heights

The conflict in Syria has drawn many Druze residents of the Golan closer to Israel. More & more have requested Israeli citizenship.

By Maayana Miskin

 

The IDF is prepared for a new reality in the Golan as Syria continues to descend into chaos, Brigadier-General (ret.) Kobi Marom told Arutz Sheva.

“The IDF has prepared for the new reality that will be in the Golan,” he said. “There are fears of an escalation, and serious concern that if there is violence [in the region] the target will not be Assad.”

“It’s a problematic reality, and the IDF has prepared accordingly,” he continued. Continue Reading »

VIDEO: Haifa’s Technion students do the Purim Harlem Shake

Israel’s Institute of Technology students release their latest in a series of Jewish holiday dance videos intended to demonstrate the Technion as the hip institution, that it is.

 

The Technion has just released its latest in a new series of Jewish holiday videos – part of a campaign to promote itself as a hip institution.

Screenshot of Technion Purim dance video

Photo by Screenshot of Technion Purim dance video (below)

Its latest Purim video, just released on YouTube, shows a group of physics students doing their own version of the Harlem Shake, a 1980s dance recently re-popularized that has individuals dressed in strange attire jerking themselves around to the sounds of an electronic dance track. Continue Reading »

Foreign media workshop: ‘Don’t call it a settlement, when it’s a community’

Residents from Judea & Samaria met to receive tips on dealing with the hostile int’l press, which often depicts them as usurpers of land & religious fanatics

By Sigal Arbitman

 

 

 

The famous Chinese philosopher Confucius once said, “Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Let me do and I understand.” This quote served as the core of the message that was imparted to participants of a “foreign media workshop” held two weeks ago at the main visiting hall of the Binyamin regional council.

A community in Judea and Samaria. [Illustrative] – Photo: Yehoshua Yosef

On a cold, rainy night, 30 residents from all over Judea and Samaria, gathered in an auditorium for a three-hour learning session, during which they received tips on dealing with a hostile international press that is covering the daily events unfolding in their own backyards.

Continue Reading »

Hezbollah terror agent passed data on Israel flights

Hezbollah bomb plot suspect testifies from Cyprus that he was told to record landing times from Israel.

The NY Times: Hezbollah paid Yaacoub $600 monthly salary.

By JPOST.COM STAFF

Hossam Taleb Yaacoub, one of the suspects in a thwarted terrorist attack against Israelis in Cyprus in July, said on Friday that he was sent to record the time of arrival of flights from Israel, Army Radio reported.

Lebanon's Hezbollah supporters gesture as they march in Beirut, November 2011

Lebanon’s Hezbollah supporters gesture as they march in Beirut, November 2011 – Photo: Reuters/Khalil Hassan

According to the report, Yaacoub testified in court on Thursday that he was told by his superiors to document the landing times of flights from Israel.

Continue Reading »

Palestinian hunger striking prisoner jailed for 8 months

Wave of protests in West Bank over the arrest of Samer Issawi who broke his parole terms after his release under the ‘Shalit deal’.

Detained since July, he is expected to be released next month.

Aviel Magnezi

 

Against the backdrop of West Bank protests expressing solidarity with hunger striking Palestinian prisoners, administrative detainee Samer Issawi was sentenced Thursday to an eight month prison sentence – this for illegally entering the West Bank, thus breaking the terms of his release in the Shalit prisoner exchange.

His retroactive sentence, running from the day of his July 2012 detention, means his release is anticipated for March. Continue Reading »

Arab couple denied Doctor home visit

Arab resident from Beit Safafa calls Natali medical services to order a doctor’s visit for feverish husband only to be told ‘No doctor will go to an Arab neighborhood’

Noam (Dabul) Dvir

 

Are residents of Arab neighborhood expected to go without medical care due to their place of residence? Natali Seculife, a medical and emergency services company refused to send a physician for a house-call in Beit Safafa, a resident of Jerusalem‘s Arab neighborhood said.

Beit SafafaA call center representative told the resident that a company doctor will not visit an “Arab area.”

The incident occurred a week ago, when Sonia Alias, a resident of Beit Safafa, called the service and asked for a house-call for her feverish husband. Continue Reading »