Middle East

‘Son of Hamas’ rocks U.N. with defense of Israel

Mosab Yousef testifies before the U.N. Human Rights Council Sept. 25, 2017 The son of a prominent Hamas leader shocked members of the U.N. Human Rights Council, including representatives of the Palestinian Authority, declaring in testimony that the PA is the “greatest enemy of the Palestinian people.” “If Israel did not exist, you would have

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International, Middle East

Rivlin weighing special pardons for Israel’s 70th anniversary

President Reuven Rivlin said on Thursday that he is considering issuing a special pardon for prisoners to mark the Jewish state’s 70th anniversary, which Israel will celebrate next year. “I am considering the possibility of advancing a special process of pardons in honor of the country’s 70th year,” said Rivlin during a tour of the

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Middle East

WJC condemns UN threat to Judea and Samaria companies

The World Jewish Congress (WJC) on Wednesday condemned threats to blacklist 150 Israeli and international companies for doing business in “occupied Palestinian territories.” The condemnation followed reports in Haaretz of a letter sent two weeks ago by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra”ad al-Hussein warning the companies that they would be added to

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International, Middle East

‘I wanted to show the terrorist how strong the Jews are’

Nearly two months ago, 42-year-old Niv Nehemia was fighting for his life after an Arab terrorist stabbed him repeatedly at the Yavneh supermarket where he worked as deputy manager. After making a remarkable recovery, Nehemia confronted his would-be murderer Thursday in court, an appearance Nehemia said was important to show the terrorist that neither he

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Middle East

Bnei Brak threatens to cancel rail project over Yom Kippur work

The Bnei Brak municipality has threatened to cancel the Tel Aviv light-rail train project if work on the route takes place on the Yom Kippur holiday as planned. NTA Ltd, which has been contracted to build the Tel-Aviv light rail, first informed the Bnei Brak Municipality that they would be carrying out underground drilling work

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Jewish Religion, Middle East

‘Israeli soldiers’ bodies are not bargaining chips’

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside of the Qatari embassy in Washington Thursday to protest the Hamas terror group”s refusal to return the bodies of two slain IDF soldiers killed in 2014, and demand that the Qatari government pressure Hamas to release their bodies to Israel. Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul were killed during Operation Protective

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Middle East, USA

Coalition members demand expansion in Hevron

Ten Knesset members from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu”s coalition government have called on the Prime Minister to back construction in Israeli towns across Judea and Samaria, including in Hevron”s Jewish community. The letter, penned by MK Sharren Haskel (Likud) to Netanyahu days after the Rosh Hashanah holiday and signed by nine other coalition MKs, called

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Middle East

Scholar protests in open letter to Turkey’s Erdogan

By Alon Ben-Meir Dear Mr. President, I have been in your country scores of times and developed close and friendly relations with many Turks from all walks of life, who all took pride in the incredible progress Turkey made under your leadership. During your first ten years as prime minister, you transformed Turkey economically, socially,

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Alon Ben-Meir, International, Middle East

Uncertainty — a theme for this year’s Yom Kippur

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Uncertainty.  This is an appropriate theme in this season of Yom Kippur. While the conventional emphasis that day is personal atonement, we might also see its implication for thinking about our communities’ sins, accomplishments, and problems. Nothing is certain. The possibility of disease and accidents are close to all of

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International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA

92% of Iraqi Kurds back independence from Baghdad, election commission says

Iraqi Kurds have voted overwhelmingly for independence in a contentious referendum, the High Elections and Referendum Commission announced Wednesday, a vote that has angered the government in Baghdad and regional heavyweights Turkey and Iran. Hendrin Mohammed, the head of the electoral commission, announced the official results at a press conference, saying the referendum passed with

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Middle East