Police: Arab Attack on IDF Soldiers – Case of Mistaken Identity

Posted on: February 26th, 2012

Police investigating the violent assault on two soldiers on Shabbat in Haifa now believe the attack was not carried out for nationalist reasons, as they originally assumed, but resulted instead from mistaken identity. Still, the accounts of both victims about anti-Semitic slurs that accompanied the brutal blows cannot be brushed aside.

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Livni Stakes Political Future on Yeshiva Students’ IDF Service

Posted on: February 26th, 2012

The first Israeli pol to be taking a ride on the back of the Supreme Court's decision to kill the Tal Law is stating her motivation bluntly: "I'm sick and tired of hearing that it's impossible to implement the law, because the Haredim or the Arabs don't want to join." Being sick and tired can be a recipe for political success in Israel – provided you don't face a field of multiple opponents who are all equally disgruntled.

Why Are Israelis Trimmer than Americans? Their Chocolate Costs Double

Posted on: February 26th, 2012

It's not nearly as funny as it sounds, though. Israeli food products are the costliest in the Western world, and that goes practically across the board. The reason appears simple enough: lack of competition for the country's food behemoth, the Strauss Group.

Two US Congressmen Caught in Arab Rock Throwing Near Temple Mount

Posted on: February 24th, 2012

A rock throwing Arab mob attacked on Friday a group that included Congressmen Elliot Engel and Jerald Nadler. The two legislators from New York State were on tour of the Mount of Olives Cemetery, along with Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Malcolm Hoenlein, and Rabbis Abraham and Menachem Lubinsky, founders of the International Committee for the Preservation of Har HaZeitim. Their tour was guided by JewishPress.com Managing Editor Yishai Fleisher.

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MK Danon: Stop Arab MKs from Joining Qatar Anti-Israel Conference

Posted on: February 24th, 2012

Qatar is going all out to assemble a major conference next week, with 350 representatives from Arab and Islamic countries, who will discuss "the legal status of Jerusalem before and after the Israeli occupation." The funny thing is that Palestinian Knesset members who will be spewing their venom at the conference, decrying Israeli crimes against humanity, yada, yada, yada, will be the only democratically elected officials. Is this a fun region or what?

Israelis Petition: We Love the Iranian People

Posted on: February 24th, 2012

Some days you just have to love Israelis, who take time out of their busy schedules to express their love thine enemy thing online.

Chief Military Rabbi: Religious Soldiers Do Not Have to Hear Female Singers at IDF Events

Posted on: February 23rd, 2012

On the heels of the Supreme Court's annulment of the Tal Law, and following weeks of harsh debates over the coerced participation of religious soldiers in IDF sponsored concerts with women singers, the IDF Chief Rabbi admitted Thursday that despite his liberal ruling on the matter, soldiers should be allowed to avoid entertainment they find religiously problematic.

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Jewish Leaders: Arabs Looking to Israel to Eliminate Iran Threat

Posted on: February 23rd, 2012

Malcolm Hoenlein: “While I choose not to reveal their names, they [Arab leaders] have all expressed serious concern about Iran and are interested in making peace with Israel. They are serious about what they say and proof of that has been seen in recent weeks, as you don’t hear many of these leaders raise the Palestinian issue against Israel in our discussions or in the headlines.”

Iran to SC: Blame Israel for Absolutely Everything

Posted on: February 23rd, 2012

On occasion it's nice to read good things about one's country, reflected through the eyes of a sworn enemy. If half of what Iran's UN ambassador Mohammad Khazaee told the UN Security Council about Israeli covert operations, cyber warfare, psychological war and assassination of nuclear scientists is true, then we should sleep quietly tonight…

VIDEO: Yeshiva Student Lynchmobbed

Posted on: February 23rd, 2012

On the face of it, it sounds like Arab on Jew violence, but we'll learn more once the police report is made. Meanwhile, if you're visiting the snowy Hermon site in your yeshiva outfit, better bring along someone who can protect you.

As IAEA Fails, Lieberman Says: Israel Will Decide Whether to Bomb Iran

Posted on: February 23rd, 2012

As atomic energy watchdogs reported being denied access to critical Iranian nuclear facilities, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told reporters that Israel alone would make the decisions necessary for the security of its citizens.

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Israel Approves 695 New Housing Units in Sister Settlements Shilo and Shvut Rachel

Posted on: February 22nd, 2012

Two settlements in Samaria will be celebrating a modest expansion with Wednesday's decision to add nearly 700 housing units to an area where so much Jewish blood has been spilled. Now wait for it… wait for it… international condemnations!

Journalist: Secular Fear of Haredim Drove Court’s Rule on Service Deferments

Posted on: February 22nd, 2012

Journalist and radio host Israel Gelis offers the Haredi point of view on the Supreme Court's decision to kill the Tal Law, which served as a moderate avenue for Haredim to join modern Israeli society, while holding on to their unique values.

Rabbi Lau Pens Poignant Letter Protesting Tel Aviv Decision to Run Buses on Shabbat

Posted on: February 21st, 2012

Tel Aviv Chief Rabbi Lau responds with dismay to a resolution passed by the Tel Aviv-Jaffa City Council to operate public transportation on Shabbat. He appealed to Mayor Ron Huldai, who supported the resolution, not to "allow the candle of Shabbat to burn out."

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2012 Sees Lowest Number of IDF Recruits

Posted on: February 21st, 2012

The IDF website reports a decline in the number of army recruits this year, pinning the lowest recruitment rate in eight years on slower immigration and a low birth rates in 1994, when the 2012 generation was born. This year manpower shortage in the IDF will reach a peak, after a steady decline of 7.5 [...]

Obama’s Meeting with Netanyahu a Last Ditch Effort to Halt Allied Attack on Iran

Posted on: February 21st, 2012

At stake is nothing short of an all out effort on the part of Israel, Britain, France, and the US, to squash, militarily, the Iranian nuclear program. In a regional mood that's becoming reminiscent of the days before Desert Shield, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, as well as Russia, will likely, if tacitly, support and encourage an attack on Iran. What we may be seeing in the days leading up to the Obama and Netanyahu March 5 meeting, is a president being dragged, against his best intentions, into a new, hot war.

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Rabbi Elyashiv’s Condition Improves, But is Still Critical

Posted on: February 20th, 2012

Although the Rabbi is conscious and responsive, he is still breathing with the assistance of an artificial respiration machine.

Eco-Activists Defend the Environment In Judea & Samaria

Posted on: February 20th, 2012

The majority of eco-activists in Israel choose not to operate over the Green Line, neglecting to address the eco-needs of the people there, despite the fact that Judea and Samaria are dotted with unauthorized dump sites and stone quarries. Green Now, the only non-governmental organization dedicated to the issue of environmental hazards everywhere in Israel, has exerted legal and political pressure on the various governmental agencies responsible for addressing these eco-hazards, yielding some real successes.

Santorum: Obama Wants a Nuclear Iran

Posted on: February 20th, 2012

Anyone seeking to find daylight between the Republican and Democrat positions on Israel will get plenty of it now, with the Conservative challenger to the mainstream Republican presidential candidate. Has Israel (and the Jewish voter) found a potential, unexpected ally in the White House?

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Canada’s FM Tossed Pro-Palestinian UN Speech in Favor of Unabashed Support for Israel

Posted on: February 19th, 2012

It was touch and go for a while at the Canadian mission to the UN, as Foreign Office Mideast hands managed to sneak pro-Palestinian statehood paragraphs into the FM's speech against his expressed wishes – and views. In the end, Baird proved he was able to speak softly and carry a big pair of scissors.