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A “peace conference” sponsored by the leftist Israeli newspaper Haaretz devolved into violence on Tuesday when an Israeli government official was heckled and then punched in the back by an attendee, according to reports. Attendees at the Israel Conference on Peace—which was kicked off with an endorsement by President Barack Obama and features a who’s who of liberal speakers—began shouting hateful slogans and then accosted Knesset member Naftali Bennett after he defended the government’s military action, which was undertaken to stop Hamas terrorists from bombarding civilians with rockets. Left-leaning government officials who spoke at the conference condemned Hamas’ aggression and...

No initial reports of injuries or damage after massive barrage across country; Netanyahu vows to widen Gaza operation, as cabinet okays call-up of 40,000 troops; rockets shot down over Tel Aviv; terrorists killed in firefight at Zikim army base; Gazan death toll in double digits. Israel launched a major operation against Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza in the early hours of Tuesday morning, dubbed Operation Protective Edge, following heavy Hamas rocket fire over the preceding days. The fast-escalating situation in the south comes in the shadow of spiking Jewish-Arab tensions in Israel over the brutal killings of four...

Israel came under a heavy barrage of rocket fire on Tuesday night, with code red sirens sounding off in central Israel, the Jerusalem area and as far North as Binyamina. More than 40 rockets were fired into Israel in the biggest ever salvo of long-range fire from Gaza. The Iron Dome rocket defense system intercepted a number of rockets and no significant injuries have been reported in the attacks. Meanwhile, 5 Hamas gunman attempted to infiltrate Israel at Zikim beach, near Gaza where they exchanged fire with IDF forces. All five terrorists were killed...

Gaza on brink of war as Hamas rockets slam Israel by Staff Writers Gaza City, Palestinian Territories July 07, 2014 Hamas militants in Gaza fired "dozens" of rockets into southern Israel late Monday, the Islamist movement said after six of its men were killed in air strikes. The bombardment was confirmed by the Israeli army which said militants had launched "a few dozen rockets" within a short period of time. At least four were intercepted over Netivot by the Iron Dome anti-missile system, while another 16 struck the area around the southern city of Beersheva, some 40 kilometres (25 miles)...

Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama draws on the deep well of his wisdom and his foreign policy successes to instruct Israelis on the path to peace in today’s Haaretz column “Peace is the only true path to security for Israel and the Palestinians.” Warning: Reading may induce nausea. “In President Abbas, Israel has a counterpart committed to a two-state solution and security cooperation with Israel,” Obama writes. Benjamin Netanyahu? The observant reader — such as Josh Lederman, the author of this AP story — will note that Obama offered no parallel praise for Netanyahu. He also omits any mention...

As a result of the July 8 rocket attacks on Tel Aviv and the potential for further attacks, U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv will operate at minimal staffing until further notice. Chief of Mission personnel will not be allowed to travel south of Tel Aviv without prior approval. Embassy families living in Tel Aviv are being advised to remain at home and in close contact with one another. The Embassy continues to closely monitor the security situation and advises U.S. citizens to visit the website of the Government of Israel's Home Front Command for further emergency preparedness guidance. Recent events underscore...

For second time on Tuesday evening, Gaza terrorists launch rocket at central Israel; Tel Aviv and Jerusalem open public bomb shelters. Air raid sirens rang out in Greater Tel Aviv, and in Jerusalem, Kfar Saba and the Binyamina area on Tuesday evening, marking an increase in the Gazan rockets’ range, on the first day of Operation Protective Edge. An Iron Dome battery intercepted the incoming rocket over Tel Aviv. Hamas announced it had fired four M-75 rockets at the capital. Two loud thuds were heard in downtown Jerusalem shortly after the rocket warning siren went off at 9:56 p.m. Thousands...

Ben-Gurion Airport, Israel, July 8 – Despite the escalating security situation in Israel, 64 new Olim from the United States made aliyah to Israel today with Nefesh B’Nefesh. The new immigrants hail from Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Virginia. The youngest immigrant is an eight-month-old baby while the oldest, Lottie Herman, is 92. Herman who fled Germany in 1939 to America, will be settling in Jerusalem. Among the other olim who arrived this morning was Becky Kupchan, 26, from Chicago. Kupchan will be moving to Beer Sheva, the capital city of Southern Israel. “Although...

Overnight summary: Hamas Rockets Fired at Major Israeli Cities Published on: July 9, 2014 10 Yesterday evening, terrorist organizations operating in Gaza launched a salvo of 45 rockets at major Israeli cities, reaching as far as Hadera, located 100 km from Gaza. The rocket that hit Hadera is an M-302 type rocket, similar to the ones found onboard the Klos-c, a vessel on which was an Iranian shipment of advanced weaponry intended for terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip the IDF intercepted on March 5. Onboard the Klos-C were forty M-302 rockets reaching up-to the range of 160 kilometers....

IDF units intercepted a Hamas commando unit that sought to infiltrate Israel from the sea at Zikim Beach, just north of the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday. Soldiers killed several terrorists, and pursued at least one more, security sources said, stressing that they were speaking as the incident continued to unfold. A senior security official said an IDF detachment was dispatched to Zikim Beach after the military detected suspicious movements in the area. The unit engaged the terrorists, and shot and killed five of them. One soldier was lightly wounded in the exchange of fire.

Three rockets were launched at Dimona in southern Israel on Wednesday afternoon. The Iron Dome intercepted one rocket before it could land, while two other rockets landed in open areas. Dimona is the location of Israel's nuclear reactor. There was no indication that rockets damaged any part of the reactor. Hamas claimed responsibility for the rockets, stating that it had been attempting to hit the nuclear reactor. Militants from Hamas's Qassam Brigades said they had launched long-range M-75 rockets towards Dimona.

According to statistics released by the IDF Wednesday, about 300 rockets have been fired at Israel since Operation Protective Edge began two days ago. Seventy-two rockets hit Israel in the course of Wednesday, by about 8:00 p.m. Two of the rockets were fired at Holon and Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv. One of them was intercepted by Iron Dome and the other struck an empty area. Islamic Jihad took responsibility for the rocket fire on the Tel Aviv area. Three other rockets were fired at Dimona, where Israel operates a nuclear plant. One was intercepted and the other...

Destroying the Dimona nuclear reactor and causing a leak is a long-standing goal of anti-Israel groups.According to breaking reports, Hamas has fired several rockets towards the Dimona nuclear reactor. Destroying the reactor and unleashing nuclear contamination has been a long-standing goal of Hezbollah, Iran and Hamas. Several days ago the IDF Spokesman’s Twitter account was hacked and a fake message that rockets had hit the reactor and there was a nuclear leak were posted — to cheers from pro-Palestinians on Twitter. According to official sources, the rockets actually fired today either missed or were shot down by Iron Dome. There...

Islamic State Media ‏@ISIS_Conquests 2h "Jama'at Ansar Al-Dawla Al-Islamiyah"take responsibility for the shelling of Israeli settlements from Gaza Strip http://justpaste.it/g61u

However, he pointed out that ISIS has been taking a systematic approach in its campaign, and outlined six specific stages it said needed to be fulfilled before taking on Israel. Some of those "stages" - building a firm base for an Islamic state in Iraq, and using it as a springboard to wage war in Syria and Lebanon - have already been achieved. But he said a number of other criteria still needed to be fulfilled before challenging Israel directly. Among them, Nuseiri said that the US - seen as Israel's greatest ally - needed to be weakened politically and...

Hamas terrorists have been busy in recent days launching hundreds of potentially lethal missiles on Israeli civilian populations. A new video from Hamas's TV reveals they have also been busy singing about launching the missiles on Israeli cities. In a song broadcast Wednesday on Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV, the terrorist group calls to "blow up Tel Aviv" and "fire without asking" on the southern Eshkol Regional Council. The video was translated by Palestinian Media Watch. Just a day later, the terrorist group rained another dozen or so rockets on Tel Aviv, after firing on the populous city on Wednesday and Tuesday...

As of Thursday afternoon, on the third day of Operation Protective Edge, the end of this conflict was nowhere in sight. Hamas had fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, reaching into distant and unexpected areas such as Dimona, Mitzpe Ramon, and Zichron Yaakov. The attacks, however, had not brought any loss of Israeli life. The Israeli Air Force, for its part, had bombed hundreds of targets in the Gaza Strip, without causing substantial damage to Hamas’s rocket stockpiles or command structure.

Washington - President Barack Obama is telling Israel´s leader that the United States is willing to negotiate a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Obama spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, as Israel was intensifying an bombardment of the Gaza Strip in an attempt to thwart rocket fire targeting Israel. The White House says Obama condemned the rockets and said Israel has the right to self-defense. But Obama also urged both sides not to escalate the crisis and to restore calm. Obama also relayed concerns about a Palestinian-American teenager who was detained and apparently beaten by Israeli

Despite fiery statements issued by Hamas spokesmen over the past 48 hours, it was obvious Tuesday night that the Islamist movement was searching for ways to rid itself of the current escalation. Hamas feels that it has been forced into a confrontation with Israel – one that it did not want at this stage because of its increased isolation and financial crisis. The massive Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours have surprised Hamas and other Palestinian groups. Hamas apparently expected a limited response to the recent rocket attacks on Israeli cities and towns. But...

Many of the graphic images being shared on social media are really from Syria or Iraq, finds the broadcaster. […] “A #BBCtrending investigation has found that many of these images are not from the latest conflict and not even from Gaza. Some date as far back as 2009 and others are from conflicts in Syria and Iraq.” …