http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/israel-news/ en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:39:34 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418556/posts I don’t want to be profiled at the airport. It has happened before, and I hate it. Volunteering for more isn’t what I feel like doing right now, but our airport security system is so half-baked and dysfunctional it may as well not even exist, and flying is about to become more miserable anyway. So rather than doubling down on grandma and micromanaging everyone on the plane, we might want to pay as much attention to people as to their luggage, especially military-aged males who make unusual and suspicious-looking travel arrangements. That’s what the Israelis do, and that’s why security... Commentary http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418556/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:39:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418548/posts While North America's airports groan under the weight of another sea-change in security protocols, one word keeps popping out of the mouths of experts: Israelification. That is, how can we make our airports more like Israel's, which deal with far greater terror threats with far less inconvenience. "It is mind boggling for us Israelis to look at what happens in North America, because we went through this 50 years ago," said Rafi Sela, the president of AR Challenges, a global transportation security consultancy. He has worked with the RCMP, the U.S. Navy Seals and airports around the world. "Israelis, unlike... Toronto Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418548/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:28:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418477/posts Stress Security, Not ConvenienceThe safest airline in the world, it is widely agreed, is El Al, Israel’s national carrier. The safest airport is Ben Gurion International, in Tel Aviv. No El Al plane has been attacked by terrorists in more than three decades, and no flight leaving Ben Gurion has ever been hijacked. What are the Israelis doing that we aren’t? Airports in the United States and many other countries are built around convenience while in Israel it’s all about security. We get our boarding passes online and check our baggage at the curb. At T.S.A. checkpoints, youths stare at... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418477/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:57:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418298/posts Israel must simultaneously pursue three interdependent tracks for advancing Israeli-Palestinian relations: capacity-building measures that foster the rule of law within the Palestinian Authority, regional economic cooperation, and meaningful political dialogue. Although conducting dialogue with the Palestinians is a matter of utmost importance for Israel, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's recent plan to unilaterally declare statehood after a two-year state-building process is unrealistic. The emergence of a future Palestinian state will only be a result of consensus and successful negotiations, not an artificial timeline. If we are to proceed with a viable diplomatic process with the Palestinians, it is critically important... Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418298/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:45:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418093/posts Twenty years ago, Kibbutz Sasa was eking out a living with plastics-maker Plasan. Today, the firm is a world leader in armor for vehicles, helped no small amount by America's involvement in Iraq. Has being in the war business made the community any less peaceful? It is noon on Kibbutz Sasa, way up in the northern Galilee, at the foot of Mount Meron. Dozens of kibbutz members and hundreds of workers from the kibbutz-owned factory Plasan are thronging as usual to the dining hall for a pauper's meal. The simple lunch and vibrant kibbutz ambiance give no hint of the... Haaretz http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418093/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:41:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417700/posts (IsraelNN.com) Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas publicly proclaimed three terrorists who murdered a Jewish father of seven children to be “shaheeds” – holy martyrs, according to a report by the PA media watchdog, Palestinian Media Watch. Abbas declared the killers – all members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades -- to be shaheeds and sent his personal emissary to visit their families following last Thursday’s attack. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades is part of the Fatah faction, which is headed by Abbas. PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad personally visited the families, along with a number of top PA officials, and condemned the... INN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417700/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:30:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417484/posts A U.S. federal judge Tuesday castigated the Obama administration for being “particularly unhelpful” and the State Department for being “mealy mouthed” concerning a lawsuit filed against the Palestinian Authority for a terrorist attack. Israel National News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417484/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:59:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417297/posts Jerusalem, Israel (LifeNews.com) -- The top two Jewish rabbis in Israel sent a letter on Monday to their colleagues denouncing abortion. They said that abortion kills thousands of Israeli babies a year and delays the coming of the Messiah and they promised to do more to promote pro-life and pregnancy help efforts. Rabbis Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar sent a letter yesterday to all of the state-employed Jewish rabbis saying they would "strengthen" the efforts of the pro-life council in the rabbinate to help reduce abortions.The letter says "the vast majority of abortions are unnecessary and Halacha severely prohibits... Life News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417297/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:27:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417292/posts One of the holy grails of the Palestinian movement is the "right of return," and it is one that always haunts any peace agreement. Alongside it is one of the most vilified pieces of Israeli legislation, the Absentee Property Law, which has provided more grist for the academic mill of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than anything else. Even after 60 years of conflict, there is very little understanding by Palestinians or others of either the concept of "return" or that of absentee property - which together represent an idea and the thing to which people might return. It is important to... Jerusalem Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417292/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:24:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417149/posts The would-be bomber of the airplane en route to Detroit, Michigan last Friday is from a wealthy family and stayed in Yemen in an area heavily populated by the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization, which said it was behind the bombing. The attempted terrorist attack again exploded the myth that claims that poverty spawns terrorism, following several incidents of wealthy Muslims being involved in terror. Israel National News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417149/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:39:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417106/posts A Mass Grave NO MORE by Ari Bussel Like an ancient song, the melody has not changed: a group of Palestinians, armed and trained by the USA with Israeli consent, target a single driver in Judea and Samaria. He was just 45 when his life was taken. His only fault: being Jewish. He dies, leaving a wife and seven children behind. A senseless act of murdering another human being is “heroism” to a barbarian. We, the Jewish People, cannot comprehend this murder. Everything we believe points to holding the sanctity of life above all else. Our enemies, animals of the... "Postcards from Israel - Postcards from America" http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417106/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:19:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417007/posts A 50-year-old man from Jerusalem has been granted a divorce for the 11th time, a new Israeli record for Jews according to a Rabbinical court. He told the court he usually divorced his wives every two years and looked for a new bride immediately after. The man said he regretted his first divorce as it had begun a never-ending search for the next "experience". His newest ex-wife said that since they married he had not worked and had lived off her income, amassing large debts. The previous Jewish Israeli record for divorces by one person was seven. BBC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417007/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:45:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416980/posts AFP - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad branded Sunday's anti-government protests as a "nauseating play" staged by the United States and Israel, state news agency IRNA reported. "Iranians have seen lots of these games. Americans and Zionists are the sole audience of a play they have commissioned and sold out," he said on Tuesday in reaction to the protests, in which eight people were killed. "A nauseating play is performed," he said. AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416980/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:59:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416696/posts I don't know whether our NATO "allies," whom we defended from Russia for over one half of the century, have Sep 11 memorials. We are sill building ours. But Israel has one. YouTube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416696/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:48:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416669/posts Mideast: As the death of a dissident cleric spawns renewed protests, Sen. John Kerry seeks to make nice with the oppressors of those who truly deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. How about regime change, Senator? The death toll from the brutal suppression of the latest round of Iranian protests against their government has reached double digits. We wonder if the senator still wants to be the highest U.S. official to visit Tehran since U.S. hostages were held for 444 days by the very same regime. To Kerry and this administration, the problem is one of mistrust and misunderstanding. Come, let... Investors.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416669/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:01:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416553/posts JERUSALEM — Israel announced Monday that it would build nearly 700 housing units in Jewish areas of Jerusalem, on territory conquered in the 1967 war that the Palestinians claim for their future state. The move was criticized by Washington and condemned by Palestinian leaders, who cited it as evidence that the Israelis were undermining efforts to restart peace talks. Tenders for the 692 new units were issued by the Housing Ministry as part of the third and last batch of construction permits for 2009 across Israel. The other tenders issued, for almost 6,000 units in about 54 towns and communities,... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416553/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 22:34:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416527/posts Europe We Hardly Knew Ye By Norma Zager “The last time I saw Paris, her heart was warm and gay, I heard the laughter of her heart in every street café. The last time I saw Paris, her trees were dressed for spring, And lovers walked beneath those trees and birds found songs to sing...” Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein. The latest terrorist attempt on a Northwest Airlines plane bound for Detroit is the greatest example and warning to the world that a sleeping giant has awakened. We are all bursting with pride. Obviously, the terrorist had no idea what... "Postcards from Israel - Postcards from America" http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416527/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:45:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416414/posts White House Opposes New Construction in East Jerusalem December 28, 2009 The Obama administration said today it opposed Israel’s move to build about 700 apartments in East Jerusalem. President Obama has been working to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the bargaining table, but efforts have been stalled over the question of construction in the settlements and in parts of Jerusalem. Obama has demanded an end to all construction, but has appeared in recent statements to have eased his stance, much to the annoyance of the Palestinians who continue to call for an end to all building. After meeting... LATimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416414/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:41:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416406/posts A recent papal decree moved Pope Pius XII, among others, closer to sainthood -- returning to the forefront the controversy over his role in World War II and the Holocaust. Growing up Jewish in Queens, I never dreamt I would be defending the man I once believed to be a Nazi sympathizer and an anti-Semite. But my work since 2002 with my wife, Meredith, and the Pave the Way Foundation has led me to this point. We founded Pave the Way to identify and eliminate nontheological obstacles between religions. Thus, despite our early prejudices, we decided to investigate the papacy... New York Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416406/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:31:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416302/posts The world is heartily sick of listening to talk of the – always dashed – hopes for peace in the Middle East: the tantalising prospect that Israelis and Palestinians might find a way to share the Holy Land, that sliver of land over which emotionally overwrought conflict seems for ever to have been with us. Are there not so many more, and more urgent tasks for statesmen to resolve, such as how to avoid another great recession, prevent climate change and advance nuclear disarmament? Even inside the broader Middle East region – the arc of crisis – are there not... Financial Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416302/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:09:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416202/posts The recently-revealed Qom nuclear plant in Iran is buried so deep under concrete that a "regular" military attack would not affect it, Defense Minister Ehud Barak revealed to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee on Monday. Concerning Iran, the Defense Minister said that the Qom nuclear reactor was under construction for several years and is buried in a bunker that is resistant to regular bombing. He did not mention the prospect of a nuclear strike. IsraelNationalNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416202/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:28:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416125/posts The Palestinian Authority revealed on Sunday that it rewards both Hamas and Fatah terrorists with higher “salaries” for committing more serious terrorist attacks that are followed by convictions for long-term sentences in Israeli prison. Most of the PA’s funds come from European Union countries, and the United States earlier this month, for the first time ever, included the PA in its foreign aid package with a $500 million grant. Israel National News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416125/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 07:24:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416098/posts Humanitarian crisis? What crisis? The Arabic-language PalToday website, based in Gaza, recently posted pictures showing a world of plenty for residents, despite more than two years of reports that the area is suffering from a humanitarian crisis. However, its English website for foreign audiences showed a picture of misery, focusing on a girl who wanted her terrorist father freed by Israel. Israel National News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416098/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:43:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416033/posts (IsraelNN.com) The Arabic-language PalToday website, based in Gaza, recently posted pictures showing a world of plenty for residents, despite more than two years of reports that the area is suffering from a humanitarian crisis. However, its English website for foreign audiences showed a picture of misery, focusing on a girl who wanted her terrorist father freed by Israel. The pictures on the Arabic-language site were posted for the Eid al Adha Muslim festival, which recalls the forefather Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son, who the Bible states was Isaac. The Muslim tradition substitutes him with Ishmael. INN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416033/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:48:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415997/posts The killing of the three Fatah operatives in Nablus by the IDF over the weekend could trigger a third intifada, Fatah officials warned on Sunday. But the new intifada, they said, would be different from the first two - this time it would be directed against the Palestinian Authority. During the funerals of the three men, all veteran members and leaders of Fatah's armed wing, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, thousands of Palestinians chanted slogans accusing the PA of collusion with Israel and calling for an end to security coordination with Israel and the dismantling of the PA. For several hours... Jerusalem Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415997/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 01:29:04 GMT