News

News Digest — 7/18/22

The head of the United States Central Command began an official visit to Israel on Sunday (17th), the IDF’s Spokesperson’s Unit announced. Gen. Michael Kurilla is in Israel at…

News Digest — 7/15/22

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday (14th) signed a pledge to deny Iran nuclear weapons, closing ranks after long-running disputes between…

News Digest — 7/14/22

US President Joe Biden, who arrived in Israel on Wednesday afternoon (13th), visited the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center in the early evening hours.  The visit was…

News Digest — 7/13/22

US President Joe Biden departed from Andrews Air Force Base on Tuesday night (12th), as he makes his way to Israel. Biden is expected to land in Israel at 3:30 p.m. and begin his first…

Busted!

Israel has an existing law that any finds of ancient artifacts found in the land belong to the government…

News Digest — 7/12/22

The Israeli police announced on Sunday (10th) the completion of its preparations ahead of Wednesday’s (13th) visit to Israel by U.S. President Joe Biden…

News Digest — 7/11/22

Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Sunday (10th) urged “resolute international action” against Iran’s nuclear program, saying he plans to discuss the issue with…

News Digest — 7/8/22

Since the signing of the Abraham Accords about two years ago, Israeli defense and IDF officials have held about 150 meetings with their counterparts in…

News Digest — 7/7/22

A Syrian militant working with the Syrian Army was killed in an alleged Israeli drone strike in Quneitra in southwestern Syria on Wednesday (6th), according to Syrian…

News Digest — 7/6/22

Currently meeting with Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Prime Minister Yair Lapid stressed the imminent danger posed by Iran, insisting the world must take action. Noting that France is…

Jewish Connections

“Chabad rabbi says alleged July 4 shooter entered his synagogue on Passover. Rabbi Yosef Schanowitz, whose house of worship is near the…

News Digest — 7/5/22

An Israeli man was stabbed in Central Israel on Tuesday morning (5th) in what authorities believe was a terror attack.  Police have launched a manhunt for the terrorist. The victim…

News Digest — 7/1/22

A recent report that Hamas and Syria have established relations after a decade of rupture between them is a source of concern for Israel, Michael Barak, a senior researcher at the Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya told Jewish News Syndicate…

News Digest — 6/30/22

The 24th Knesset voted to disperse on Thursday morning (30th) with a 92-0 vote and to hold the next election on November 1…

News Digest — 6/29/22

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday (28th) that when it comes to the Iranian threat, the government’s policy remains the same as with…

News Digest — 6/28/22

The Hamas terror organization announced Monday (27th) that the medical condition of one of the Israeli captives has deteriorated…

News Digest — 6/27/22

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett convened what was likely his last Cabinet meeting as premier on Sunday (26th), with parliament expected to dissolve itself this week, triggering…

News Digest — 6/24/22

The Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday (22nd) ordered the Palestinian Authority to pay $37.5 million in compensation to 32 Israeli families that lost members to…

Israel’s Government Set to Dissolve

The Israeli Knesset voted unanimously to dissolve itself on Wednesday. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had called for the dissolution on…

News Digest — 6/23/22

Opposition leader MK Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud) has said in closed conversations that he is willing to compromise on both the Justice Ministry and the right of…

Second Thoughts

According to police, a 37 year old man from the Palestinian town of Anata, turned himself in to police upon having second thoughts of stabbing Israelis…

News Digest — 6/22/22

The legislative process to formally dissolve the Knesset kicked into high gear on Tuesday (21st). Coalition MK Boaz Toporovsky (Yesh Atid) and New Hope faction leader…

News Digest — 6/21/22

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid have agreed to dissolve parliament, triggering a new election, and Lapid will in the meantime…

News Digest — 6/20/22

Security officials suspect that rocket sirens heard in Jerusalem and Eilat on Sunday (19th) were the result of a cyberattack.  The Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) believes hackers…

News Digest — 6/17/22

Three armed Palestinian terror suspects who opened fire at Israeli troops were shot and killed by soldiers from a Golan reconnaissance battalion during clashes in…

News Digest — 6/16/22

Israel’s military on Thursday (16th) announced an exercise on the Israel-Lebanon border, saying it will include artillery fire, and stressing that the maneuvers were…

News Digest — 6/15/22

Israel joined a 47-country bloc that denounced China’s forced imprisonment of Uyghur Muslims at the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday (14th). “We continue to…

A Curious Event

Two generals received approvals for promotions from Defense Minister Benny Gantz, one with a serious reprimand in his resume…

News Digest — 6/14/22

The U.S. and 21 other countries denounced the Human Rights Council’s bias against Israel, following the release of an 18-page report which blamed the Jewish state for…

News Digest — 6/13/22

The Israeli military announced ground maneuvers near the Israel-Gaza border, saying the drill would take place on Monday….

News Digest — 6/10/22

For the second time this week, Israeli jets allegedly targeted sites south of the Syrian capital Damascus early on Friday (10th), a Syrian military official told a state media outlet. Syrian air defenses…

Reflections

Following our trip to Israel with the Zionist Organization of America a week ago, I have pondered the places we saw…

News Digest — 6/9/22

A drone attack in Erbil targeted a Mossad intelligence agency hit squad, Iran’s Fars news agency reported on Thursday (9th). A UAV exploded on a road in…

News Digest — 6/8/22

The air forces of Russia and Syria conducted a joint drill over the war-torn country Tuesday (7th), the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began more than…

News Digest — 6/7/22

Israel fired several missiles toward the southern part of Syria’s capital Damascus on Tuesday morning, (7th) causing material damage but no casualties…

News Digest — 6/6/22

754 Jews ascended the Temple Mount Sunday (5th) to celebrate the festival of Shavuot. This is an increase in the number of Jews ascending the mountain compared to…

Israel and UAE Make More History

Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed the first free trade agreement between the Jewish state and an Arab state…

News Digest — 6/3/22

Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Thursday (2nd) met in India with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a visit marking 30 years of diplomatic relations between the…

News Digest — 6/2/22

The Iron Beam, a new laser defense system under development, will “bankrupt” Israel’s foes, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said after a visit to the project’s Haifa…

Israel : Challenge and Celebrations

From May 23-30, four Friends of Israel Staff and four pastors joined the Zionist Organization of America’s Yom Yerushalayim Day (Jerusalem Day)…

News Digest — 6/1/22

Hundreds of Israeli Air Force aircraft including fighter jets and refueling aircraft took off overnight Wednesday (6/1) from various bases in Israel to simulate striking…

News Digest — 5/31/22

Israel has boosted the deployment of its air defense systems due to concerns that Iran could retaliate for the May 22 assassination of a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps…

News Digest — 5/27/22

Israeli security forces are on high alert ahead of Sunday’s (29th) flag march, with additional mobile shelters deployed to cities in the south, and an increase in police presence in…

News Digest — 5/26/22

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, 61, is struggling to stay relevant.  In a speech he gave this week, he once again reminded the few people who tuned in that in May 2000 Israel…

News Digest — 5/25/22

Thousands of Israeli worshipers, secured by IDF forces, prayed at Joseph’s Tomb in the city of Shechem (Nablus) on Tuesday night (24th), during which a terrorist who attacked…

News Digest — 5/24/22

Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency thwarted a Hamas terror cell of east Jerusalem residents who planned to carry out attacks on various Israeli targets including…

News Digest — 5/23/22

Israeli Minister of Immigration Absorption Pnina Tamano-Shata kicked off the Jerusalem Conference…

News Digest — 5/20/22

The Israel Security Intelligence Agency (Shin Bet) announced on Thursday (19th) the uncovering of an Iranian plot to lure Israeli academics and businesspeople abroad for…

News Digest — 5/19/22

King Abdullah of Jordan expressed concern Wednesday (18th) that the vacuum left behind by Russian troops who left southern Syria as the country shifts focus on Ukraine, will be…

News Digest — 5/18/22

Tens of thousands of people are expected to flock to Mount Meron on Wednesday night (18th) to celebrate Lag B’Omer, exactly one year after 45 people died there in…

News Digest — 5/17/22

Reports that Hezbollah and its allies have not performed as well as expected in the Lebanese elections may have ramifications.  The pro-Iranian group may suffer a…

Snakebitten!

A 20 year old member of the elite Air Force Shaldag commando unit was rushed to the Hillel Yafa Medical Center in Hadera with an apparent snake bite…

News Digest — 5/16/22

President Isaac Herzog flew to the United Arab Emirates Sunday (15th) to express condolences to the new president of the UAE, HH Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed, and to…

News Digest — 5/13/22

Police are aware that certain parties plan to turn Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Aqleh’s funeral into an incitement campaign, but will not allow that to happen,” a senior…

News Digest — 5/12/22

The Palestinian Authority is refusing to allow an Israeli investigation into the shooting death of Shireen Abu Aqleh and will not turn over the bullet that killed her for an…

News Digest — 5/11/22

An alleged Israeli missile strike targeted the Qurs al-Nafi site in Quneitra in southwest Syria near the border with Israel early Wednesday morning (11th), according to Syrian and…

News Digest — 5/10/22

As tensions boil over in the West Bank amid a string of deadly terrorist attacks in Israel, the IDF launched the largest exercise in its history on Sunday (8th). Thousands of…

News Digest — 5/9/22

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Sunday (8th) the creation of a national guard, with the aim of “strengthening the personal security” of Israeli citizens. “We are…

News Digest — 5/6/22

Three people were murdered and four wounded Thursday evening (5th) in a terror attack in Elad, a small city in central Israel. Two victims are in critical condition, one is…

News Digest — 5/5/22

The Central Bureau of Statistics on Monday (2nd) released its annual pre-Independence Day population data, showing that as it turned 74, the population of the Jewish state stands…

News Digest — 5/4/22

Israel honored its fallen with a one-minute siren at 8 p.m. Tuesday evening as Memorial Day began.  A national ceremony was also held at the Western Wall in honor of…

News Digest — 5/3/22

On Israel’s Independence Day this Thursday (5th), Israeli President and First Lady Michal Herzog will host the main national celebrations of the morning of Independence Day in the…

Heading Home!

The Israeli field hospital team has decided to return home after six weeks of operation. Located in western Ukraine in Mosytsk, about 30 west of Lviv…

News Digest — 5/2/22

The Israeli military will close all border crossings with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip from Tuesday (3rd) to Friday (6th), ahead of the Jewish state’s Memorial and…

Jewish Population Stats Released

Israel Central Bureau of Statistics recently released Jewish population stats. According to the CBS, there are 15.2 million Jewish people globally…

News Digest — 4/29/22

Ahead of Memorial Day, which begins on Tuesday night, May 3, the Ministry of Defense published the number of fallen IDF soldiers and victims of terrorism from…

News Digest — 4/28/22

Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day opened with the official state ceremony in Warsaw Ghetto Square at Yad Vashem, on the Mount of Remembrance…

Turkey Kicks Out Hamas

As Turkey strengthens its ties with Israel, it is beginning to proactively expel terrorists from its borders. Dozens of Hamas operatives and allies have been…

News Digest — 4/27/22

Four Syrian soldiers were killed and three others were wounded after alleged Israeli airstrikes targeted sites near Damascus early Wednesday morning (27th), according to Syrian…

News Digest — 4/26/22

The world Jewish population reached 15.2 million by the end of 2020 – approximately 1.4 million less than on the eve of the Holocaust in 1939, when the number was…

“From BOTH Sides?!”

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan used those words to express outrage and consternation at the international community’s call for…

News Digest — 4/25/22

The IDF fired dozens of artillery shells toward sites in southern Lebanon after a rocket was fired into northern Israel near the town of Shlomi. The retaliatory fire targeted…

News Digest — 4/22/22

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday (21st) shared some truths about the Temple Mount in a bid to stop dissemination of false information about the tensions at…

News Digest — 4/21/22

The Israeli Air Force struck targets in the Gaza Strip overnight on Thursday (21st) in response to earlier rocket fire launched toward southern Israel Wednesday evening (20th). The first…

News Digest — 4/20/22

The government led by Naftali Bennett has announced that it will block the entry of Jews to the Temple Mount for two weeks until the conclusion of the Muslim…

Threats to Peace

In both Hebrew and Arabic the word for peace is very similar; Shalom in Hebrew and Salaam in Arabic. Unfortunately, peace can be disturbed…

News Digest — 4/19/22

The Israeli Air Force struck targets in the Gaza Strip overnight Tuesday (19th) in response to earlier rocket fire launched towards southern Israel. “Fighter planes attacked…

News Digest — 4/18/22

Thousands of worshipers flocked to the Western Wall Plaza in the Old City of Jerusalem Monday morning (18th) for the Priestly Blessing (Birkat HaKohanim) ceremony. Held during…

News Digest — 4/14/22

Now that Seder night is free of social restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal – who are hosting their first Seder at the…

News Digest — 4/13/22

A construction team from the Samaria Regional Council quietly arrived at Joseph’s Tomb compound early Wednesday morning (13th) to repair damage caused by Palestinian…

News Digest — 4/12/22

Defense Minister Benny Gantz called for a regional alliance and an expansion of intelligence cooperation in order to make up for a lack of inspections on Iran’s…