Dozens Killed In Israel As Grandstand Collapses At Jewish Festival
Authorities say they fear dozens have died after a grandstand collapsed at a large gathering to celebrate the Lag B’Omer Jewish festival at Mount Meron.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
EU condemns UNRWA for ‘hate speech and violence’ taught in PA schools
The European Union on Wednesday passed an unprecedented resolution to condemn the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees for printing, distributing and using textbooks inciting and endorsing violence against Israel and the Jewish people in Palestinian Authority schools.
Bennett, Sa’ar meet to talk unity gov’t, as Shaked said hoping to thwart efforts
Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett and New Hope chief Gideon Sa’ar held lengthy talks at the Knesset on Wednesday to coordinate demands that the right-wing bloc of a perspective unity government will make in negotiations with Yesh Atid’s Yair Lapid.
Abbas tells global allies he will postpone Palestinian elections
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has notified the European Union, Jordan and Egypt of his decision to postpone Palestinian parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for May 22, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported on Tuesday.
Gantz appointed justice minister after Netanyahu U-turn; court cancels hearing
While insisting that the disputed vote he held in the cabinet on Tuesday to appoint Likud’s Ofir Akunis as justice minister was a legitimate move, Prime Minister Benjamin backed down Wednesday from his refusal to appoint anyone else to the position, agreeing to make Blue and White’s Benny Gantz justice minister for the duration of the transitional government.
Cyber directorate warns of anticipated attacks to mark Iran’s ‘Jerusalem Day’
The National Cyber Directorate warned Wednesday that coordinated attacks against Israel are expected next month to mark Iran’s annual Quds Day, and the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Kerry Denies Telling Iranians About Covert Israeli Operations; State Dept. Says It Was Public Knowledge
Facing calls for his resignation, President Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry on Monday denied as “unequivocally false” claims that he had informed Iran’s foreign minister about covert Israeli military strikes against Iranian facilities in Syria.
IDF shoots down Hezbollah drone on Lebanon border
Israeli forces shot down a drone belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist group that crossed into northern Israel from Lebanon on Tuesday, the IDF said.
Byzantine-era mosaic pavement uncovered in central Israel
Architects in Israel recently unearthed a 1,600-year-old mosaic pavement in the ancient city of Yavne in central Israel, Israel365 reports. According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Byzantine-era flooring will eventually be exhibited at the Yavne cultural center.
France: Family of brutally murdered Jewish woman filing for Islamist killer’s extradition to Israel for trial
The family of Sarah Halimi, an Orthodox Jewish woman who was murdered by Islamist Kobili Traoré in France on April 4 2017, is to file a legal claim for the killer to be extradited to Israel for trial, BBC News reported last week. Traoré claimed he was in a drug-induced delirium at the time of the brutal slaying, and a French court has found he cannot therefore be held criminally responsible under the country’s law. Outrage over the court’s decision caused thousands of people to protest in New York, Paris, Rome and Tel Aviv this weekend.
John Kerry told Iranians about secret Israeli operations in Syria: Report
Former Secretary of State John Kerry kept Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif informed about secret Israeli military actions in Syria, the Iranian diplomat said in recently leaked audio, casting new light on communication between the two men after Mr. Kerry returned to life as a private citizen in 2017.
Netanyahu said willing to let Sa’ar be PM first in latest rotation deal proposal
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, running out of time to form a coalition, is reportedly willing to offer former ally Gideon Sa’ar a rotation deal with the current New Hope leader to serve first as prime minister, Hebrew media reported Monday.
Israel shuts down Gaza fisheries following three straight nights of rockets from the Strip
After three consecutive nights of rockets firing from Gaza into southern Israel, and five rockets overnight, Israel shut down the Gaza fishing zone Monday, the Times of Israel reports. Israeli journalists have noted that airstrikes are normally conducted in retaliation for Gaza rockets, and that the closure of fisheries appears to be Israel’s only response in this round of the ongoing conflict.
Dozens arrested in night of chaos and clashes in Jerusalem
The Israel Police said 44 people were arrested and 20 officers were wounded in a night of chaos in Jerusalem, where security forces separately clashed with Palestinians angry about Ramadan restrictions and Jewish extremists who held an anti-Arab march nearby.
Southern Israel pounded by dozens of rockets in overnight strikes from Gaza
Palestinian terrorists fired at least 36 rockets from Gaza into Israeli communities overnight Friday, in one of the worst rounds of cross-border violence in months, setting off sirens across the south and sending residents scrambling for bomb shelters.
IDF chief to make first US visit next week to discuss Iran, Hezbollah
IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi will travel to the United States on Sunday to discuss the threat of Iran’s nuclear program and its entrenchment throughout the region, the military said Friday.
Top court rules no grounds to disqualify Netanyahu as PM ‘at this time’
The High Court of Justice on Thursday rejected a petition seeking Benjamin Netanyahu’s removal as prime minister over his ongoing criminal trial.
IDF probing why air defenses didn’t intercept Syrian anti-aircraft missile
The Israel Defense Forces launched an investigation to determine why its air defenses failed to intercept an errant surface-to-air missile fired from Syria that landed in southern Israel on Thursday morning.
US official: We’re updating Israel on Iran talks in Vienna despite differences
The US has been updating Israel on the progress of indirect negotiations with Iran over a possible return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and will continue a policy of transparency moving forward, a senior State Department official said Wednesday.
Israel hits back after Dimona nuclear reactor rocket alert
The Israeli military said early Thursday that a missile was fired from neighboring Syria, and that it had struck Syrian missile batteries in retaliation.