Thursday, May 24, 2012
1. Israel hands over terrorists' bodies
2. US Senate mulls over aid to Israel
3. Turkey seeks life sentences for Israeli commanders
4. Israel Chemicals Profit Rises 3%
5. Bethlehem's existence centuries pre-Jesus
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Israeli archaeologists have discovered the first physical evidence supporting Old Testament accounts of Bethlehem's existence centuries before the town became revered as the birthplace of Jesus.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Israel Chemicals Ltd. (ICL), which extracts potash from the Dead Sea to make fertilizer, said first-quarter profit rose 3 percent as product prices increased.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
A Turkish prosecutor has prepared an indictment seeking 10 life sentences for four former Israeli military commanders over their alleged involvement in the 2010 killing of nine Turks on a Gaza-bound aid ship. The Istanbul chief prosecutor however must approve the indictment before it is sent to the relevant court.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
The US Senate is currently reviewing the US-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012 which passed in the House of Representatives earlier this month. The bill proposes shared satellite intelligence, aerial refueling tankers, specialized munitions and surplus drawdown gear from Iraq. A Senate aide said the bill has already amassed nearly 50 co-sponsors and is expected to pass once it reaches the Senate floor. The bill was introduced by Jewish Senator Barbara Boxer of California and aims to extend US government-backed loan guarantees to Israel through 2015.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Israel will hand over the bodies of 130 terrorists to the Palestinian Authority in a gesture to President Mahmoud Abbas approved by the government several weeks ago. The process is already in motion and according to the Palestinians may take place this weekend. Last week, the government directed the defense establishment to prepare for the transfer of bodies of Palestinian terrorists buried in Israel. The matter was apparently raised during a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's envoy Yitzhak Molcho and the Palestinian president.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
1 US Senate approves Iran sanctions
2 Assad in control of chemical weapons
3 Beirut sees worst clashes in four years
4 Holocaust pressure over euro
5 Ultra-Orthodox rally for more kosher Internet
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Some 65.000 ultra-Orthodox men attended a mega-rally in New York on Sunday to discuss the dangers posed by the Internet. The event took place at the Citi Field Stadium in Queens, New York, home of the Mets. One speaker compared the threat of the Internet to the dangers that Zionism and the European Enlightenment posed in the past to traditional Jewish life. Without letting up on their severe condemnation of technology and the Internet, the rabbis behind the event are accepting the Web's inevitability while instructing their followers to use Internet-filtering technology.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Former German central banker Thilo Sarrazin, whose musings on Muslim immigrants sparked outrage in 2010, has triggered fresh controversy with a book that paints Germany as the euro zone's hostage, forced to pay out vast sums to atone for the Holocaust. In his book "Europe doesn't need the euro", Sarrazin argues that the euro zone is holding Germany to ransom over its past aggression, blackmailing it into agreeing to euro bonds or mutualised debt.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahid, an opponent of Syrian President Bashar Assad, was shot dead at a Lebanese army checkpoint on Monday in a part of Lebanon where Sunni sentiment is with Syria's rebels. Demonstrators blocked roads and burned tyres in the northern province of Akkar, and similar protests in Beirut gave way to firefights with machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Yair Naveh said on Tuesday that despite the ongoing upheaval in Syria, President Bashar Assad is still in control of Syria's advanced weaponry, including its chemical weapons arsenal. According to Naveh Syria has spent $3 billion in recent years on advanced Russian surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems and the proliferation of these system needs to concern not just Israel, says Naveh, but also the entire world.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
On Monday The US Senate unanimously approved a package of new economic sanctions on Iran's oil sector just days ahead of a meeting in Baghdad between major world powers and Tehran. The House of Representatives passed its version of the bill in December and now the Senate and House must work out their differences in the legislation. The West suspects Iran is working to build a nuclear bomb and the sanctions are meant to strip Tehran of revenue by shutting down financial deals with Iran's powerful state oil and tanker enterprises. Iran has said its nuclear program is for civilian purposes.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
1. IAF to counter new missiles
2. Katsav leaves prison to attend son's wedding
3. Rabbis pass hotel equality resolution
4. Surrogacy for homosexual couples?
5. Israel's Gelfand beats defending chess champ
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
The Israel Air Force is drafting a new operational doctrine aimed at improving its ability to confront the proliferation of advanced surface-to-air missile systems throughout the region.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Former Israeli president Moshe Katsav went on his first vacation from jail on Sunday since he began serving time for his rape conviction in December. Katsav was given permission to leave Maasiyahu prison for seven hours in order to attend his son's wedding, after which he will return to his cell. Katsav's family had requested permission to enter the prison by car in order to avoid the media coverage, but the request was denied by the Israel Prison Services.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
A new resolution was passed by the international association of Conservative rabbis, at its National Convention in Atlanta earlier this month that calls upon Israeli hotels to treat all denominations of Judaism equally. Over the past year, there has been an increasing number of cases when Conservative Jewish groups have wished to pray in Israeli hotels and have been denied the use of hotel-owned Torah scrolls if the service was not in accordance with Orthodox practice.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
A public committee tasked with examining issues of fertility and birth has recommended that homosexual couples be allowed to have children using surrogate mothers. The committee's recommendation applies only to "altruistic" surrogacy, as opposed to paid surrogacy services. Moreover, the committee has set a number of limitations on who can serve as a surrogate mother. Surrogacy will be permitted only to couples who do not already have more than one child or to single men who do not have any children.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Israel's Boris Gelfand took a significant step towards an historic achievement on Sunday, beating defending-champion Viswanathan Anand in Game 7 of the World Chess Championships in Moscow to take a 4-3 lead in the best-of-12 series.
After the first six games all ended in draws, Gelfand made the most of playing with white pieces and Anand's under-par play to claim a win and edge closer to becoming just the 16th undisputed world champion since 1886.
Monday, May 21, 2012
1 PFLP cell arrested for attempted kidnappings
2 Illegal migrants could reach 600,000
3 Palestinians suffer from boycott
4 Israel celebrates 45th Jerusalem Day
5 Israeli rock band's song in Fiat ad
Monday, May 21, 2012
A new TV commercial of the Fiat car manufacturer chose to feature a song by the Israeli hard rock band, Hayehudim, known overseas as IUDM. The song "You Hurt Me Anyway" is the English version of a song from the band's 2007 album, "Forte." The ad was released online several weeks ago, and is expected to be broadcast on US television, in spite of the fact it is in Italian. The band's PR office said the commercial was made in Italian to maintain its authenticity, since Fiat is an Italian car.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Israeli ministers held a special cabinet meeting at Ammunition Hill on Sunday to celebrate Jerusalem Day when the Jewish state captured the Arab eastern sector 45 years ago during the Six-Day War. The cabinet decided to allocate 350 million shekels to create public spaces in Jerusalem over the next six years in a bid to develop tourism and infrastructure. Celebrations were lined up throughout the day with formal ceremonies, parties and the annual flag march through east Jerusalem to mark the "reunification" of the city which took place after the 1967 war.
Monday, May 21, 2012
The South African Trade and Industry Minister's decision to mark products from the settlements did not surprise factory owners in the West Bank, who are accustomed by now to boycott attempts; however, some of them are concerned that the current move will be followed by other countries, potentially leading to substantial damages for them and for their employees. Ironically, those who would get harmed the most by the move are some 15,000 Palestinian workers who are employed in the West Bank.
Monday, May 21, 2012
PM Netanyahu has said that his government was working to curb the flow of illegal migrants and to "begin removing" others from Israel. He said there were currently 60,000 migrants but that the number could easily reach 600,000. Netanyahu told his ministers that this threatens national security and identity and the government is therefore forced to erect a physical barrier on the border with Egypt that will be completed by October.
Monday, May 21, 2012
The Shin Bet has arrested 9 Palestinians from the Ramallah area who tried kidnapping a number of Israelis in the West Bank in March. The youths were members of a cell that was led by 22 year old Mahmad Ramdan, , and were affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The cell members rented a car in March and traveled throughout the West Bank where they tried to kidnap a soldier without success. The cell members obtained an electrical shocker, tear gas, a lighter that looks like a gun and planned to hide the kidnapped Israeli in a cave or an apartment near Ramallah.
Friday, May 18, 2012
1 Turkey accuse Israel of Airspace Violation
2 Israel's global image plummeting?
3 MK Gideon Ezra dies at 74
4 Jewish pilgrims in Morocco
5 NIS 40M to be invested in Eilat
Friday, May 18, 2012
Turkey accused Israel on Thursday of violating the airspace of Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus in a controversial oil and gas exploration area. The Israeli aircraft violated the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus's airspace five times in Monday's incident which saw Turkish fighter jets chase out the intruder. There were no other details about the incident nor the type of Israeli plane involved in the alleged incursion over the breakaway statelet, which is recognized only by Ankara.
Friday, May 18, 2012
The BBC's annual poll shows that Israel is ranked third among nations perceived as having a negative influence on the world. Only Iran and Pakistan did worse than Israel in the survey. Iran took the unflattering top spot and Pakistan ranked second with Israel and North Korea tied for third place. The Jewish state's situation is particularly grim in Europe.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Knesset Member Gideon Ezra passed away early Thursday at the age of 74. He was diagnosed with lung cancer two years ago. He had served as a minister several times and was also deputy head of the Shin Bet. Born in Jerusalem, Ezra spent his military service at the Nahal Brigade and served in the Shin Bet. He was first elected to the Knesset as a Likud member in 1996 and sat in various committees. In 2003, he was appointed a minister without portfolio in Ariel Sharon's government. Later he joined Sharon in his new party Kadima and in March 2006 was elected Knesset Member on behalf of Kadima.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Thousands of Jews from Morocco, Israel and other parts of the world have carried out an annual pilgrimage to the Islamic nation of Morocco this week to honor celebrated rabbis. The North African nation has for centuries had a vibrant Jewish population and some 1,200 of the faith's pious ancestors are buried in cemeteries there. In recent days, about 5,000 pilgrims have gathered to pray for peace at sanctuaries and gravesites. The pilgrimage will finish Saturday, following five days of prayers and celebration.
Friday, May 18, 2012
The Ministry of Tourism is expected to invest NIS 41 million in the southern resort town of Eilat in 2012. The investment was allocated as part of a five-year plan, to leverage the tourism potential of the resort. The investment will incorporate marketing, events, infrastructure and improving the tourism product in the city. As part of the five-year program from 2010 to 2014 the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Finance and the Municipality of Eilat have assigned NIS 103 million for tourist infrastructure development and upgrading of existing and new infrastructure.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
1 Israeli MI chief in U.S. for secret talks
2 Israeli group wins $323 M in terror suit
3 Former US secretary of state Rice to visit Israel
4 Turkey suspects bird of being Israeli spy
5 Benayoun leaving Arsenal on a high
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi made a secret visit two weeks ago to Washington and to UN headquarters in New York, where he discussed the Iranian nuclear program, the Syria crisis and Hezbollah's increasing power in Lebanon. Kochavi met in Washington with senior White House and State Department officials, as well as senior officials in the Defense Department Intelligence agency and the CIA.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
An Israeli advocacy group won a $323 million judgment in a US court against Iran and Syria for supporting Palestinian militants that killed an American teenager and ten others in a 2006 bombing. The Shurat Hadin Israel Law Center was representing the family of 16-year-old Daniel Wultz of Florida, who was among 11 killed when an Islamic Jihad suicide bomber set off his explosives at a Tel Aviv restaurant six years ago. The judgement said that Iran supports the Islamic Jihad movement financially while Syria had granted the group a haven to train in its territory.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Condoleezza Rice, who was secretary of state under US president George W. Bush, will visit Israel next week to take part in a conference on home front security. Rice, whose name has been mentioned as a possible Republican vice presidential candidate for presumptive Republican candidate Mitt Romney, is scheduled to meet with President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during her stay.
