Benjamin Netanyahu to meet with 127 North American immigrants arriving to serve in IDF

350 Canadian & American immigrants to be welcomed at Ben-Gurion Int’l Airport by Netanyahu • Majority wish to serve in IDF combat units • “I want to be part of something that’s bigger than me,” says Alona Bargi from California.

Yael Branovsky

 

One hundred and twenty-seven young American and Canadian immigrants will arrive in Israel on Tuesday to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces. The record number of North American new immigrants ensliting in the IDF are part of an overall group of 350 olim who will touch down at Ben-Gurion Airport on Tuesday morning.

“Enlisting in the IDF feels like the right thing to do,” says Alona Bargi.

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Israel may have to destroy parts of Lebanon to stop rockets from killing Israelis

Past Mossad chief discussed the possibility of rockets raining down from Lebanon & Gaza following Israeli attack on Iran, says rockets “can cover all of Israel, & that is the main problem.”

 

Israel may need to destroy parts of Lebanon and Gaza if Hezbollah and Hamas rain missiles upon the country in response to an Israeli attack on Iran, former Mossad head Danny Yatom said Monday.

Rockets fired from gaza - Photo: Nikola Solic/Reuters

Rockets fired from gaza – Photo: Nikola Solic/Reuters

Yatom, in an interview on Israel Radio, warned against presenting an apocalyptic picture of how Iran will respond if Israel takes military action against its nuclear program.

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New Book: Barak was opposed to a strike on the Syrian reactor

‘Inside Israel’s Secret Wars,’ tells that Ashkenazi, Dagan and Olmert claimed political considerations were behind defense minister’s opposition to a strike on Syria’s nuclear site at Dir a-Zur

Itamar Eichner

 

Defense Minister Ehud Barak is pushing for an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, but five years ago he was staunchly opposed to the successful attack on Syria’s reactor, a new book reveals.

According to foreign reports, the Israeli Air Force bombed the reactor in Syria‘s Dir a-Zur region on September 6, 2007 under a veil of secrecy. Only some six months later US government officials announced that the destroyed target was a nuclear plant that was built with North Korea’s assistance. Continue Reading »

El Al being sued by Florida woman over gender discrimination

El Al statement: “Flight attendants are at the service of passengers.”

By JTA

 

A Florida woman reportedly is suing El Al for gender discrimination after she was forced to change seats to accommodate an ultra-Orthodox man.

Debra Ryder charged that a flight steward moved her to a seat in the back without her prior consent, Israeli media reported. The ultra-Orthodox man had refused to sit next to her and then moved into her aisle seat.

El Al plane

El Al plane – Photo by Nir Keidar

Ryder reportedly filed a lawsuit on Aug. 9 seeking some $12,500 in compensation, including for distress. She had obtained an aisle seat for medical reasons, she told Army Radio. Continue Reading »

Report: Israel Assured by the U.S. that it will Join War on Its Side

The Obama administration and Romney camp have both reportedly told Israel the U.S. will provide a protective umbrella against Iran.

By Gil Ronen

 

Israel has received assurances from the administration of Barack Obama, as well as the camp of Republican presumptive nominee, Mitt Romney, that the United States will join a war against Iran on Israel’s side, if such a war breaks out.

USS Nimitz

USS Nimitz
Reuters

The daily newspaper Maariv reported Monday that the assurances were delivered in secret messages to senior officials in the bureau of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, from officials close to Obama and from Romney political advisors as well as Republicans who served in senior roles in former administrations and are expected to serve in important roles again if Romney is elected. Continue Reading »

Islamic Jihadist Suggests to Iran, Uprising in Jordan Will Crush Israel

Islamic Jihad official, Abu Sharif, tells Iran that a popular uprising in Jordan could break the last part of Israel’s “security chain.”

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

 

An Islamic Jihad official told Iran that a popular uprising in Jordan would break the last part of Israel’s security chain.”

Abu Sharif stressed that the recent popular uprisings in the region have harmed the interests of Israel, according to the Iran’s controlled Fars News Agency.

Soldiers patrol Jordanian border

Soldiers patrol Jordanian border
Israel news photo: IDF spokesmen

“These developments (popular uprisings) in the region are in the interest of the regional nations and against the interests of the Zionist regime and have disturbed the power balance between the supporters and opponents of the Zionist regime,” Abu Sharif said. Continue Reading »

Knesset Bill calls for Jewish prayer times on Temple Mount

Suggested prayer times would be separate, held for Muslims and Jews with overlap for Christians at Jerusalem’s most holy site.

By LAHAV HARKOV

 

On the heels of a US State Department report criticizing Israel for not allowing non-Muslim prayer on the Temple Mount, MK Arye Eldad (National Union) has drafted a bill mandating separate hours for Jews and Muslims to pray at the holy site.

The Temple Mount, built on top of Judaism’s Most Holy Site – Photo: Phillip Pasmanick

“The Temple Mount is the holiest place for the Jewish People, where the First and Second Temple stood,” Eldad explained.

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Second Patient with Bone Marrow Failure Saved After Treatment With Pluristem’s PLX Stem Cell Therapy

Patient Recently Release From Hadassah Medical Center Hospital Becomes 2nd Person Whose Life Was Saved by PLX Cells Therapy, Joining 7 yr old Girl Who Suffered From Severe Aplastic Bone Marrow

 

By:

Israel, (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pluristem Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:PSTI) (TASE:PLTR), a leading developer of placenta-based cell therapies, announced today that the life of a patient suffering from bone marrow failure in which there was a dangerous reduction in the number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets (pancytopenia) has been saved using Placental eXpanded (PLX) cells. This is the second time in the past three months that a patient suffering from bone marrow failure was successfully treated in a compassionate use treatment with PLX cells with a return of bone marrow function. Continue Reading »

Bravado or No? Iran claims the ability to attach nuclear warheads on missiles

A new U.S. Report: Iran has made “substantial & surprising” progress • White House spokesman: “We would know if and when Iran made … a breakout move toward acquiring a weapon”

By Shlomo Cesana, Yoni Hirsch, News Agencies & Israel Hayom Satff

 

The rift between Israel and the U.S. has grown as the two countries remain at odds over the timetable for a possible military strike against Iran’s nuclear program. The matter has become especially pressing with the release of a purported new U.S. National Intelligence Estimate report, presented to U.S. President Barack Obama last week, which states that Iran has made “substantial and surprising” progress and boosted its efforts to attach a nuclear warhead to ballistic missiles.

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Israeli Cocktail Straw Can Detect Date Rape Drugs

Israeli scientists developed a small affordable sensor-straw for use in mixed drinks

By Stephanie Butnick

 

Israeli scientists Fernando Patolski and Michael Ioffe, both professors at Tel Aviv University, have developed a sensor that, when submerged in either an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink, can detect the presence of two common date rape drugs.

So far tests on the unfinished product—which the developers say will be a small, inexpensive device resembling a stirrer that lights up discretely or sends a message to a cell phone if the drugs are present—have been 100 percent accurate.

Photo from facebook

According to reports, the device simply needs to be placed into a drink:

The sensor works by picking up a bit of alcohol and mixing it with a patent chemical formula, which was also developed by Patolsky and Ioffe.

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Meteor shower in Israel send hundreds to Mitzpe Ramon for spectacular event

‘We’ll see between 30/50 shooting stars per hr,’ says Dr. Laufer from TAU’s Geophysics & Planetary Sciences Dep’t

Ilana Curiel

 

Hundreds of astronomy fans will gather in Mitzpe Ramon on Sunday evening to watch a meteor shower in the Negev skies.

‘Like fairytale’ – Photo: AP

Mitzpe Ramon’s unique desert location and high altitude make it a perfect observation spot.

As part of the event, which was organized by The Israeli Astronomical Association (IAA), the Tel Aviv University’s Astronomy Club, Reshit Mada Foundation, the Mitzpe Ramon Regional Council and Sde Har HaNegev field school, all of the lights in Mitzpe Ramon will be dimmed as well as several of the military bases in the area. Continue Reading »

Report: Israelis less productive than most workers in other developed countries

Israel labors longer hours but productivity falls short of other OECD countries; also, the number of college-educated adults is dwindling.

The productivity of the average Israeli worker last year was well below the average among developed countries, new OECD figures show. Israel ranked 24th of 34 countries surveyed.

Israeli workers at a customer-service call center.

Israeli workers at a customer-service call center. – Photo by Dror Artzi

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, whose members comprise the countries of the developed world ‏(including Israel‏), the productivity per hour of the average Israeli worker last year was $34, which is 30% lower than the OECD average of $44. Continue Reading »

Will Obama Dine with Ahmadinejad & Morsi at upcoming U.N. General Assembly?

General-Secretary Ban Ki-moon has invited Obama to join Ahmadinejad and Morsi at a ‘VIP lunch’ on the opening day of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City.

By Rachel Hirshfeld

 

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi will meet Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at next month’s U.N. General Assembly in New York, diplomatic sources say.

In addition, U.N. General-Secretary Ban Ki-moon has invited President Obama to join the two leaders at a VIP lunch on Sept. 25, the opening day of the General Assembly, The Washington Times reported.

Iranian official Mohammad Reza Forqani dismissed the speculations saying, “Publishing such a report by the Washington Times daily is a media commotion,” the Fars News Agency reported. Continue Reading »

Palestinian President Abbas urges Egypt to destroy Hamas’ underground tunnels

For first time, Palestinian Authority publicly  asks Egypt to destroy tunnels along its border with Gaza to tighten blockade.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

 

Buoyed by growing tensions between Hamas and Egypt in wake of last week’s terror attack in Sinai, the Palestinian Authority Saturday called on the Egyptians to tighten the blockade on the Gaza Strip by destroying all underground tunnels along their shared border.

A Gaza smuggling tunnel.

A Gaza smuggling tunnel. – Photo: Ashley Bates

The PA said that the tunnels do not contribute to the economy in the Gaza Strip and are being used only by a small number of people for personal gain.

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Deadly earthquake shakes Iran

Iranian media outlets say at least 180  dead in 6.4 magnitude earthquake in northwest Iran

By Dudi Cohen and Reuters

 

Two strong earthquakes struck northwest Iran on Saturday, killing at least 180 people and injuring 1,300, Iranian media said.

מאות פצועים פונו לבתי החולים (צילום: AFP)

Wounded residents receive medical attention – Photo: AFP

The Iranian Students’ News Agency quoted the head of the government’s emergency centre, Gholamreza Masoumi, as announcing the casualty figures.

A local official in the area told ISNA that six villages had been completely destroyed and 60 villages had been 50 to 70% destroyed.

The US Geological Survey measured the first quake at 6.4 magnitude and said it struck 60 km (37 miles) northeast of the city of Tabriz at a depth of 9.9 km (6.2 miles). Continue Reading »