News

Susan Rice Remarks on Biden and Israel

The election isn’t over quite yet, but that isn’t stopping President-elect Joe Biden from submitting his cabinet. There is speculation that former Obama…

News Digest — 11/20/20

Friday, November 20 marks 75 years since the beginning of the Nuremberg Trials, when the political, military, judicial, and economic leaders of Nazi Germany were put on trial for…

News Digest — 11/19/20

The IDF has revealed that the terror cell behind the placing of anti-personnel mines and other improvised explosive devices on the Golan Heights is Unit 840, which is being operated by…

News Digest — 11/18/20

At least 10 people were killed and more injured in Israeli airstrikes in Syria overnight, a monitor group reported Wednesday morning (18th). Israeli military aircraft struck…

News Digest — 11/17/20

A few days ago, a large group of Jews arrived at the site of the Sa-Nur settlement in northern Samaria, returning to where the community existed until…

Caught in Her Words

Noted news commentator Christiane Amanpour recently compared President Trump to the Nazi attacks of Kristallnacht, which occurred November 9, 1938…

News Digest — 11/16/20

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stark warning to Gaza’s terrorist organizations on Sunday (15th) following an overnight rocket attack, saying the price for…

News Digest — 11/13/20

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Thursday (12th) with Bulgarian Foreign Minister and Deputy Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zakharieva at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem…

News Digest — 11/12/20

The German company ThyssenKrupp on Wednesday (11th) delivered to Israel the Sa’ar 6 missile ship, the Magen, the first ship in the Israeli missile fleet. Delivery took place at…

News Digest — 11/11/20

The IDF brought down a Hezbollah drone that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon on Tuesday (10th), the IDF reported. The drone was identified and tracked during…

News Digest — 11/10/20

“The IDF will be ready for all eventualities of war regardless of the unique challenges posed by the coronavirus,” IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi…

Welcome Relief

Prime Minister Netanyahu today expressed his praise and appreciation for Pfizer Corporation’s announcement of a vaccine that has a 90% success rate…

News Digest — 11/9/20

Their land didn’t want them.  The people living on the land didn’t want them.  Many people left, but a few stayed. The Jews of Europe were tortured.  Their businesses…

France Faces Islamic Terrorism

French President Emmanuel Macron promised to maintain French values of freedom, which protect the right to parody the prophet Muhammad…

News Digest — 11/6/20

In a change of policy that could break Jewish law, the IDF decided several months ago that non-Jewish soldiers will be buried side-by-side with their fallen Jewish…

News Digest — 11/5/20

On November 9, 2020, March of the Living will mark Kristallnacht with the “Let There Be Light” #LetThereBeLight campaign, designed to mark the anniversary of…

The Future of Farming: Robots?

Tevel Aerobotics Technologies, an Israeli startup founded by members of its aerospace and electronics industries, has created a robotic fruit-picking system…

News Digest — 11/4/20

Malawi plans to open an embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, making it the first African state to do so, Malawian Foreign Minister Eisenhower Mkaka announced during…

Iran’s View of the US Election

Iran has suffered under the crippling sanctions of the United States. Their view of the elections on November 3 is very simple…

News Digest — 11/3/20

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined world leaders on Tuesday (3rd) in condemning the terrorist attack in which four people were killed in Vienna on Monday…

News Digest — 11/2/20

A source involved in the talks between Israel and Lebanon to set their offshore maritime border said new Lebanese demands are endangering the success of…

New Face Mask Technology from Israel

Scientists from Technion, Israel’s prestigious institute of technology in Haifa, have invented a new face mask that cleans itself…

News Digest — 10/30/20

After their son Menachem’s birth in 2002, Ari and Naomi Zivotofsky asked for a passport that recorded his birthplace as Jerusalem, Israel but received the document only…

News Digest — 10/29/20

Israel and the US signed agreements extending research cooperation to areas beyond the pre-1967 border.  Underlining the importance of the agreement…

News Digest — 10/28/20

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed in a commemoration ceremony held in honor of the 11 people whose lives were lost on October 27, 2018, during an attack on three Pittsburgh…

News Digest — 10/27/20

One of Israel’s largest hospitals, the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, is supposedly in negotiations with medical organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to discuss…

Waiting for the Big One!

The Abraham Accords continue to bring Muslim nations to recognize Israel, the latest being Sudan. Recently, a delegation of almost 1,000 people…

News Digest — 10/26/20

The number of Jews in Europe, including Britain, Turkey and Russia, has fallen to a 1000-year low, according to a new study conducted by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research in…

News Digest — 10/23/20

Two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at the city of Ashkelon and nearby communities north of the Gaza Strip on Thursday night (22nd) the military said, following months of…

News Digest — 10/22/20

As Bahrain and Israel celebrated the formalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries with a visit by an Israeli delegation to the Gulf state earlier this week, Axios…

Israel Takes On Outer Space

Israel’s Ben-Gurion University is branching into space! The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) has chosen to…

News Digest — 10/21/20

Washington – US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper addressed the recent agreements to normalize relations between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain, saying that they could help…

News Digest — 10/20/20

On November 9, 2020, March of the Living will mark the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht (night of broken glass, a pogrom against Jews in Nazi Germany) with a…

Do Good to Your Enemies

Palestinian Authority Chief Negotiator and confidante to Mahmoud Abbas, Saeb Erekat, has been hospitalized in Israel at the…

News Digest — 10/19/20

Israel and the United Arab Emirates will sign a deal on Tuesday (20th) to allow 28 weekly commercial flights between Ben Gurion Airport, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the Israeli…

News Digest — 10/16/20

Gush Etzion regional council chief Shlomo Ne’eman praised Israeli authorities Thursday (15th) after one of the communities in the area was granted…

News Digest — 10/15/20

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday (15th) spoke before the Knesset at a special hearing at which the UAE-Israel peace deal signed at the White House a month ago is…

Border Talks with Lebanon Underway

Israel has added to the list of diplomatic discussions and decisions it has made this fall. After agreeing to normalization deals with…

News Digest — 10/14/20

In a secret operation that took place last week and was made known to the public on Tuesday (13th), IDF Special Forces crossed the border into the demilitarized zone between…

News Digest — 10/13/20

On Monday (12th), the ship-to-shore crane paused above the cargo ship just arrived from Dubai, then set its load down on the pier in Israel.  One after another, eight containers…

Israel’s Battle With COVID

The surge of COVID in Israel has seen 200,000 cases of COVID, with over 1,000 deaths. “According to Health Ministry figures Monday…

News Digest — 10/12/20

The Israeli military on Sunday (11th) opened a new coronavirus unit in a converted parking garage at a hospital in northern Israel, in a first-of-its-kind effort by the army to assist…

News Digest — 10/9/20

Israel and Jordan reached an agreement allowing flights to cross over both countries’ airspace, the Transportation Ministry announced on Thursday (8th). The deal allows…

News Digest — 10/8/20

A rare October heatwave sizzled over Israel on Thursday (8th), bringing blazing temperatures to many parts of the country as an alarmingly hot summer and fall continued to…

Is Israel’s Lockdown Working?

After entering a second national lockdown nearly three weeks ago, Israel has reason to hope. The latest coronavirus results measured a 10.5% positive rate…

News Digest — 10/7/20

Jewish community leaders have praised the Trump administration for its international efforts to ensure those who observe the Sukkot holiday have full access to…

News Digest — 10/6/20

Like Jews elsewhere around the world, the Bnei Menashe community of northeastern India gathered this week to celebrate Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles.  In their festival…

News Digest — 10/5/20

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman attended the annual Sukkot Birkat Kohanim prayer service at the Western Wall Plaza, which took place Monday (5th).  The event was…

Israel in Second Lockdown

Israel’s government imposed its second national lockdown last Friday amid rising COVID cases. Under the new rules, nearly all businesses will be closed…

News Digest — 10/2/20

US President Donald Trump stunned the world Friday (2nd), tweeting that he and his wife have tested positive for COVID-19 and were quarantining themselves. “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I…

News Digest — 10/1/20

The International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem (ICEJ) will be holding a “Feast of Tabernacles” celebration online this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, considering the…

A Third Peace Deal in the Works?

After signing the Abraham Accords, normalization agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, earlier this month, Israel may already…

News Digest — 9/30/20

As patient numbers rise, some Israeli hospitals are struggling to give virus-positive children age-appropriate care.  At a new ward in one hospital, there will be…

Kosher in Dubai

For observant Jews who travel, finding a kosher restaurant can be challenging. In Dubai’s tallest building, on the ground floor of the luxury Armani Hotel…

News Digest — 9/29/20

Temple Coins has just minted a commemorative medallion in honor of the signing of the Abraham Accord between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, the coin maker…

News Digest — 9/28/20

Pedestrians and cyclists took advantage of Israel’s renewed lockdown on Saturday (26th), utilizing the quiet to stroll and bike along usually-busy thoroughfares. With synagogues…

Largest Banks in Israel and Dubai Unite

Israel’s largest bank, Hapoalim, announced that it had signed a banking and finance memorandum of understanding with the largest bank in Dubai…

News Digest — 9/25/20

Israelis on Friday (25th) braced for a strict nationwide lockdown imposed by the government in an attempt to curb the coronavirus pandemic from spiraling further out…

News Digest — 9/24/20

Israel’s Chief Rabbi David Lau hinted on Wednesday (23rd) that he would support closing synagogues on Yom Kippur if health officials decide “it’s the right thing to do.” Despite…

Bomb Shelters: Too Late or Just in Time?

Yesterday the Israeli government declared it will build 600 bomb shelters along Israel’s northern border separating it from Lebanon. Construction will begin…

News Digest — 9/23/20

Israel’s corona numbers continue to rise.  There were 3,858 reported cases on Monday (21st), up from 2,565 on Sunday (20th).  Of those tested, 11.2 percent are…

News Digest — 9/22/20

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz headed to Washington on Monday night (21st) for talks with his US counterpart on maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge (QME) following…

The Ripple Effect

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez and Prime Minister Netanyahu completed a mutual agreement to open embassies by the end of 2020…

News Digest — 9/21/20

Tens of thousands of Israelis are seizing the opportunity to avoid the new lockdown by flying abroad to enjoy a more relaxed vacation in another country…

News Digest — 9/18/20

“May it be a blessed year for realizing peace and stability in the region,” wrote Bahraini Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif al-Zayani in response to…

News Digest — 9/17/20

Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) released its annual report Wednesday (16th) showing key numbers as the country prepares for the Jewish…

An Up-and-Down Week in Israel

It’s been an interesting week in Israel—so much so that the 13 rockets Hamas fired at the nation this morning barely registers as out-of-the-ordinary news…

News Digest — 9/16/20

Terrorists in Gaza fired 13 rockets at Israel Wednesday morning (16th) as Hamas tried to divert attention from the historic signing ceremony in Washington where two…

News Digest — 9/15/20

Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto is the only EU minister invited by President Donald Trump who will attend the signing ceremony of the peace agreement between Israel and…

Help from a Friend

Two weeks ago, Israeli firefighters landed in San Francisco and headed to Sacramento to stand ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with California firefighters in battling the wildfires…

News Digest — 9/14/20

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left for the US Sunday evening (13th) to sign a historic deal with the United Arab Emirates at the White House on Tuesday (15th). Adding to…

News Digest — 9/11/20

Israeli aircraft launched a number of missiles at targets near the Syrian city of Aleppo in the early hours of Friday morning (11th), Syrian state media said. Syrian news outlets reported…

News Digest — 9/10/20

Health Minister Yuli Edelstein called Thursday (9th) for a full lockdown across Israel during the Jewish High Holidays, which begin next Friday (18th), at sundown, and end in…

Israel-UAE Deal Nears Completion

The agreement to normalize diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, announced on August 13, now has a date for completion…

News Digest — 9/9/20

Israel and the United Arab Emirates will sign their historic deal normalizing relations at a White House ceremony on September 15, US officials said on Tuesday (8th).  The ceremony…

From the World of Sports

Two stories from sports involving Israeli athletes have gained attention. First, in Turkey, 500,000 Fenerbahce football respondents to an…

News Digest — 9/8/20

The United Arab Emirates will make its first official visit to Israel on September 22nd, a source with the provisional itinerary said Monday (7th), according to Reuters…

News Digest — 9/4/20

It is apparently, “Next Year in Jerusalem” for the High Holy Days. Major Israeli-based tour operators tell Media Line they do not expect the country’s skies to open…

News Digest — 9/3/20

While the establishment of their embassy in Tel Aviv is a given, the UAE is also considering opening a consulate in the northern part of Israel to be closer to the center of…

Flying Cars and Baby Translators

I want to put a spotlight on Israeli technology this week. Israel always seems to be developing new, exciting devices or…

News Digest — 9/2/20

A terrorist ran his car over an IDF soldier and an Israeli police officer at the Tapuah Junction, south of Shechem (Nablus) on Wednesday morning (2nd). The terrorist exited…

News Digest — 9/1/20

“How do you spell Shalom?” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked elementary school pupils on the first day of school, in the settlement of Mevo Horon, Tuesday (1st). It was a…

First Steps

In a historic first, El Al flight 971, departed from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi, becoming, “The first ever commercial Israeli flight departed for the United Arab Emirates.”

News Digest — 8/31/20

One person and several others were injured on Monday morning (31st) in two separate explosions in the United Arab Emirates’ capital Abu Dhabi and its tourism hub…

Antisemitism Rises Online in UK

Antisemitic incidents in the United Kingdom have dropped by 13% in 2020 compared to the year before, this is likely due to COVID-19 lockdown regulations…

News Digest — 8/28/20

IDF forces struck targets in the Gaza Strip belonging to the Hamas terror group early Friday morning (28th) in response to six rockets that were fired from Gaza…

News Digest — 8/27/20

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hezbollah Thursday (27th) “not to test Israel’s resolve,” following an incident that heightened tensions on the northern border…

How the Light Blade Is Saving Israel

Hamas has ramped up their attacks on Israel in recent weeks. Their current method of attack is the incendiary balloon, which terrorists release from Gaza…

News Digest — 8/26/20

Hezbollah terrorists fired at Israeli Army troops on Tuesday evening (25th) at 10:40 p.m., the IDF reported. In response, IDF forces deployed dozens of illumination rounds and… 

News Digest — 8/25/20

On Tuesday (25th), IDF fighter jets, tanks and aircraft continued to strike Hamas terror posts and underground infrastructure in the southern Gaza Strip, the military reports. The IDF…

A Long, Hot Summer

I once asked a friend of mine in counter-terrorism what the next form that terror attacks might take. I never expected the following…

News Digest — 8/24/20

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to travel to Sudan following meetings in Jerusalem, the State Department said on Sunday (23rd) as reports of a…