Knesset Speaker: Elections in September; New Law Will Reduce Power of High Court; Pollard Will Go Free

Posted on: April 11th, 2012

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin says elections for Israel's next government will be held this coming September. There's one major reason why Rivlin is interested in going to the voter soon: he hopes that the in the next Knesset he'll get the votes to pass his new bill, seeking to level the playing field between the High Court and the Knesset. He also believes Peres will bring Pollard home.

With JP Morgan Purchase, Conduit Becomes Israel’s First Billion Dollar Internet Company

Posted on: April 10th, 2012

JP Morgan acquired a $100 million stake in Conduit from investor Yozma fund at a $1.4 billion valuation. Conduit’s cash cow is its toolbar, which the company says has been used by more than 200,000 sites, including MLB.com and Miniclip, to reach 250 million users.

Egypt Sending 2,000 officers into the Sinai, Well Above Treaty Limits, to Fight Rampant Terrorism

Posted on: April 10th, 2012

Egyptian Maj.-Gen. Ahmad Jamal said that Egypt's Interior Ministry decided to send 2,000 officers and soldiers from the Special Forces to the north of Sinai, in order to increase security control of the area. He said the ministry has already sent 150 officers and the rest will be sent soon. The main reason for sending them is to implement security plans, especially plans to protect the natural gas line.

Obama to Pollard, Peres, Knesset: Drop Dead

Posted on: April 10th, 2012

The White House on Monday rejected an emotional appeal by Israel's President Shimon Peres to commute convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard's life sentence. Peres based his appeal on Pollard's fast deteriorating health, after Peres' recent conversation with Pollard's wife Esther. Peres' appeal came after he had received a petition signed by 80 MKs, urging Obama to release Pollard.

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Esther Pollard Pleads Imprisoned Husband’s Case, Deteriorating Health, with Peres

Posted on: April 8th, 2012

Israeli President Shimon Peres met with the wife of Jonathan Pollard, who asked Peres to request her husband’s release “before it is too late.” Along with her came MK Uri Ariel (National Union) who delivered a petition for Pollard’s release, signed by more than 80 Knesset members. Esther Pollard met with Peres in Jerusalem on [...]

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IDF Leadership Facing New Terrorist Front in the Lawless Sinai

Posted on: April 6th, 2012

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz said the rocket fire that hit the city of Eilat Wednesday night was "an extremely severe act of hostility." Head of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Kochavi confirmed that "more than ten terror bases in Sinai were revealed and dismantled over the past few months." After the fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s, the rule of law has collapsed in much of Sinai, leaving a vacuum where Islamist militant groups are thriving.

Machpelah House Tenants Decided to Move in After Arab Sellers and their Families Were Arrested by PA

Posted on: April 5th, 2012

Shlomo Levinger and attorney Doron Nir Tzvi say the purchase of the House had been in the making for some three years, and the tenants wanted to patiently await government approval for their purchase. But the arrest of several Arabs by the Palestinian Authority on suspicion of selling real estate to Jews changed the plan.

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Hebron House Evacuees Have Pitched a Protest Tent Outside their Empty Home

Posted on: April 5th, 2012

The evacuated residents of Machpelah House in Hebron have erected a protest tent a few hundred meters from the Cave of the Patriarchs, in front of their empty property, which was locked by Border Police and will remain a closed military area until further notice, under order of Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The Arab who sold them the house is held in a PA jail, as are members of his family.

Israeli Shop Owners Enlist YouTube to ID Shoplifters

Posted on: April 5th, 2012

Israeli shop owners have been resorting to You Tube in their efforts to help police apprehend thieves who brazenly walk away with thousands of shekels worth of merchandize. All of Israel's high end shops have been training security cameras on their aisles, but once they have the incriminating evidence on tape, no one knows who the perpetrators are.

IDF to Become ‘Kosher for Passover’ by Thursday

Posted on: April 4th, 2012

As of Thursday, the Military Rabbinate will render all IDF bases kosher for the Jewish holiday of Passover. After weeks of heavy-duty spring cleaning, soldiers across the IDF will be joined in the field by military rabbis who will certify the bases and assist if need be. By the end of the day, with the mission accomplished, the IDF will be declared Kosher for Passover.

Ten Years Later, Emotional Reunion For Families: Victimized By Park Hotel Terror Attack

Posted on: April 4th, 2012

NETANYA – “The expression ‘time heals all wounds’ is simply not true, even a decade after the Pesach terror attack at the Park Hotel,” Batya Weinberg, a caseworker for the OneFamily organization said on the eve of last week’s 10th anniversary memorial gathering of victims and families who were directly affected by the atrocity.

Nadia Matar Calling from Hebron Site: Netanyahu as Guilty as Barak in Removal of Jews from their Home

Posted on: April 4th, 2012

Matar was responding to an emergency SMS alerting Judea and Samaria Jews—most of whom were busy with pre-Passover cleaning—of the unexpected forced evacuation, less than one day after Israel's government appeared to be deciding to await verification of the sale of the house in Hebron to its new owners. She dropped everything and rushed over.

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World’s Largest Haredi News Portal Suspected of Corruption, Blackmail

Posted on: April 4th, 2012

According to Police, B'Hadrei Haredim's directors attempted to "squeeze" rabbis, politicians and business executives, as well as business outfits, over the past two years, threatening that if they did not pay large sums of money, the website would publish negative reports about them and block the posting of positive articles.

Ya’alon Wants Barak Removed from Decision Making on Hebron House, Jewish Communities

Posted on: April 4th, 2012

Deputy Prime Minister Ya'acov Ya'alon accused Defense Minister Ehud Barak of "starting up fires," after Netanyahu and his cabinet had decided that the newly settled Machpela House, at the Cave of the Patriarchs, would be evacuated only if it is proven that it had been purchased illegally. According to Ya'alon, Barak is purposefully "sticking up the process, not only in Hebron, but all across the Jewish communities."

Deputy Minister Ayalon: Israel to Treat Refugee Problem as Two-Way Street

Posted on: April 4th, 2012

At a press conference Tuesday, Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon announced a new state policy regarding dispossessed Jews who were forced to flee from their homes in Arab countries. A 2008 study indicates that Arabs lost 450 million dollars in property and assets ($3.9 billion in today's numbers). Their Jewish counterparts lost 700 million dollars ($6 billion in today's numbers).

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Photo Essay: Passover Preparations in Israel

Posted on: April 3rd, 2012

As Israel and the Jewish world prepare for the 5772/2012 Pesach holiday and pilgrimage, JewishPress.com is proud to present a photo essay illustrating the colorful season of Passover in Israel.

New Jersey Governor Has Warm Words for Israel

Posted on: April 3rd, 2012

When asked how he felt about the warm reception, the governor responded “it’s a little disorienting. I just got here 9 am this morning and did not expect to meet Americans from Tennessee, Minnesota, California, and New Jersey.” Chants of “2016” could be heard among the crowd, referring to the governor’s potential bid for the next presidential election in four years time.

Deadline for Evacuation of Hebron House Passes Without Implementation

Posted on: April 3rd, 2012

Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the Defense Ministry have remained silent in the few hours since the ministry reiterated that the deadline was still in effect.

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Rains from Samaria – The Largest Source of Water in Israel

Posted on: April 3rd, 2012

The mountain aquifer situated in the Judea and Samaria area supplies an average of 600 million cubic meters of water. This is the most significant body of water in Israel, supplying Israelis and Arabs alike. In comparison, Lake Kinneret, which is the center of attention when relating to sources of water in Israel, supplies 570 million cubic meters.

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New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in Israel for First Official Visit

Posted on: April 2nd, 2012

Gov. Christie, who is visiting with his family and a delegation of leaders from the business and religious sectors, told the Prime Minister that “this is my first visit abroad as Governor and there was never any question of where we would come first, so I’m glad we did.”