Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JNS) - Israel's 36th government passed a vote of confidence at a special Knesset session on Sunday night with Yamina Party leader Naftali Bennett sworn in as the country's 13th prime minister. Bennett has replaced now-former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who held the position for the past 12 years and who served another three years prior to that, from 1996 to 1999, making him the longest-serving premier in Israel's history. With the transfer of power, Netanyahu became the head of the...
(JNS) — Israel’s Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations Gilad Erdan met with senior leadership of the Associated Press on Monday in New York, where he told the media outlet that Hamas was using the Gaza media tower to jam Iron Dome batteries in Israel. “The unit was developing an electronic jamming system to be used against the Iron Dome defense system,” said Erdan, officially informing for the first time why Hamas operating in that building posed such an imminent threat to Israeli civilians and was prioritized by the Israel...
Hours before a vote to oust him, outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly accused President Joe Biden of endangering Israel’s security by taking a soft line on Iran. He also compared Biden’s Iran policy to the refusal of the U.S. to bomb the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944. Netanyahu said that the Biden administration had asked him to keep their disagreements on Iran private, Axios reported, but that he refused to do so, valuing his hard line on Iran over smooth relations with the United States. The prime minister dep...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — The years of archaeological excavations Israel has conducted on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City have yielded no proof that a Jewish Temple ever existed in the city, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh told Al Jazeera on Monday. When asked about current tensions in Jerusalem, Shtayyeh said that Jerusalem was at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “Since 1967 and the occupation of the West Bank, Israel has carried out a series of excavations underneath al-Aqsa mosque which haven...
(JNS) - They're baaaaack! If you're in Israel this month, you can't miss the clusters of them downing falafel on Jerusalem's Ben-Yehuda Street, cooling off in the Dead Sea, climbing Masada at sunrise or slipping prayers between the stones of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. After more than a year of pandemic silence, the Birthrighters have returned with all the gusto of young adults who'd waited out the year of coronavirus restrictions with visions of Israel dancing in their heads. Take Conor...
(JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned violent rhetoric on “every side” of the political spectrum Sunday but also claimed that Israel’s incoming government, which will replace him, is the result of “the greatest electoral fraud in the history of the country.” Netanyahu’s speech came as the head of Israel’s Shin Bet security service warned of a rise in rhetoric that encourages violence. A pro-Netanyahu lawmaker compared two of his rivals to “terrorists” facing a “death sentence,” and members of the incoming coalition have...
(JTA) - Benjamin Netanyahu will no longer be Israel's prime minister, as his political opponents announced Wednesday night that they have formed a coalition that will replace him, pending a vote in Israel's parliament. The new coalition, dubbed the "change bloc," is an ideologically broad alliance that spans the Israeli political right, center and left. For the first time in Israeli history, it will include an Arab-Israeli party, not as an external supporter of the government, but as a full memb...
(JTA) - In the days before Benjamin Netanyahu's rival lawmakers announced that they had formed a government to replace the longtime prime minister, one fled her home with her partner and baby after receiving what she called "severe threats" against their safety. The threats to Tamar Zandberg of the left-wing Meretz party included a fake notice of her death that circulated on social media. Zandberg wasn't the only Netanyahu opponent to receive death threats. So did Avigdor Lieberman and Naftali...
JERUSALEM - Isaac Herzog, former minister, chairman of the Labour Party and leader of the Opposition, was elected by the Knesset (parliament) to serve as Israel's 11th president. Herzog currently serves as the chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel. Herzog was elected with the support of 87 out of the 120 Members of Knesset and his tenure will begin on July 9. President-elect Herzog noted: "For over two decades I have fulfilled the mission of my life, to serve my people and...
The Iron Dome, Israel’s miraculous missile defense system literally saves the lives of millions of Israeli and Arab civilians during this most recent military conflict. The unique defense system and how it came to be created is the focus of a documentary series aptly called “Under the Iron Dome,” by Dinnar Productions. The three-part series is making its worldwide debut only on IZZY, a TV streaming platform that exclusively features Israeli programming for global audiences. Viewers can stream the on-demand via IZZY on iOS, Android, Apple TV, A...
(Israel Hayom and JNS staff via JNS) - Israel's National Insurance Institute (NII) is proposing compensation in the amount of 100,000 shekels ($30,800) for each of the families who lost loved ones in the Lag B'Omer stampede at Mount Meron. A total of 45 participants in the festivities, including children as young as 9, were killed. The investigation into the Mount Meron disaster is still underway, and a government commission of inquiry has not yet been formed, though Israeli lawmakers on Monday...
NEW YORK & TEL AVIV — The first group of Birthright Israel, the largest educational tourism organization in the world, landed May 21 at Ben Gurion Airport, marking the resumption of activity following a yearlong Covid-19 pause. The participants are vaccinated students from the United States, arriving in Israel today for a 10-day educational tour. Dozens of more trips are expected during May and June, with many more tour groups planned for July, August, and October. The group that arrived today will visit the Golan Heights, Safed, Jerusalem, M...
Since the current round of fighting broke out on May 10, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad had fired nearly 3,500 rockets at Israel, the Israeli military said on May 18. Of those, some 500 have fallen inside Gaza, according to the IDF. Israel’s Iron Dome defense system intercepted approximately 90 percent of projectiles heading for populated areas in Israel.The barrage continued until a ceasefire came into effect on 21 May. The following is a compilation of articles from JNS and JTA that covered the 11 days of combat: • Israel says that it...
(JNS) — During his first public speech since the start of the latest escalation of rocket attacks from Gaza and Israeli retaliation, Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh on Tuesday declared “victory” over the Jewish state. The Hamas head said that Israel’s cancelation of its traditional Jerusalem Day flag march, and the delay of a court ruling over home ownership in eastern Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, were expressions of this victory, according to Israel’s Channel 12. “Jerusalem is the central axis of struggle, and we will n...
A senior Hamas leader who helped found the Iran-backed terror group in Gaza came out of hiding, saying that while he thinks the recent ceasefire will hold, his organization remains totally committed to replacing Israel with a Palestinian state, Sky News reported Monday. “I think nobody on both sides is looking for escalation,” Mahmoud al-Zahar told Sky News’ Mark Stone, who interviewed the Hamas co-founder in Gaza after top leaders of the terrorist group emerged from hiding following their rocket attack on Jerusalem May 10 that sparked 11 da...
(JNS)— Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized to foreign diplomats that the Israel Defense Forces go to great lengths to target its enemies with great precision and to avoid collateral damage. Speaking to more than 70 diplomatic representatives from several countries, including the United States, the European Union, Russia, China, India, Germany, Austria, Australia, Japan, Brazil, Canada and Italy, the Israeli leader said that Hamas “indiscriminately targets everyone.” “They murder everyone—any civilian they can get their han...
(JNS) — As violence in Israel persists for a second week, Yad Sarah announced its commitment to remaining open and providing full services to citizens across the country. From the outset of rocket attacks launched from Hamas and other terror groups in the Gaza Strip, the organization has sent reinforcement to branches in southern Israel, providing supplies like home hospital equipment, wheelchairs, crutches, respiratory aids and more by the hundreds. Along with increasing its lending services in the south, volunteers are directly delivering m...
(JNS) - As the truce in Gaza takes hold, Israel and the international community must employ multiple approaches to prevent Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad from once again using a quiet period to rearm themselves, a former Israeli defense official has said. Col. (res.) Shaul Shay, who served as the deputy head of the National Security Council and is today a senior research fellow at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, told JNS on Monday that setting this goal would be a good...
(ISRAEL21c) - Medical staff at hospitals up and down the country have come together in solidarity to call for peaceful coexistence and cooperation between Jewish and Arab medical personnel during trying times. Staff at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, and Emek Medical Center in Afula, have all taken part in initiatives to try to promote unity. At Sheba, the staff which consists of both Jewish and Arab doctors and nurses,...
(JNS) - A heavy rocket barrage fired by Gazan terror factions at central Israel killed an Israeli woman in Rishon Letzion and injured more than 20 civilians in multiple locations. In Holon, eight people were injured and taken to hospital, two in serious condition, said Israeli paramedics. Five civilians sustained light injures in Givatayim, east of Tel Aviv. "United Hatzalah volunteers treated a bus driver who was seriously injured by a rocket that exploded near his bus in Holon, as well as six...
(JTA) - In the seven years since the last war in Gaza, Israel and Hamas have repeatedly come close to reigniting the conflict. But the peace on the Gaza border has largely held - until this week. Since the end of Israel's last major offensive in the summer of 2014, there has been unrest in Jerusalem and elsewhere, terror attacks across Israel and protests on the Gaza border that turned deadly. Many of the tensions that have bubbled up in recent weeks between Israelis and Palestinians are not new...
(JTA) — A rocket from Gaza killed a 5-year-old child in the Israeli city of Sderot, bringing Israel’s death toll to seven in its exchanges of fire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In Gaza, 83 people have died, including 14 children, according to Save the Children, an aid group with a Gaza office. In addition, four Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli troops in the West Bank this week. Alongside the fighting between Israel and Hamas, several people have been wounded in clashes that have raged inside Israel between crowds of Arabs and...
In the wake of a barrage of 250 missiles launched from Gaza into Israel, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin invited citizens from the Gaza “envelope” (periphery) area and greater southern Israel to his official Jerusalem residence, Beit Hanasi. “Dear families, groups of children and adults from the Gaza envelope and the areas under missile attack, you are invited to the President’s House to enjoy the educational and experiential tours of the visitor center. The President’s House will provide extra tours to help relieve your tension and give respit...
UPDATE: Israel’s announcement of a ground operation in Gaza may have been intended to misdirect Hamas militants. While the Israeli army bombarded Gaza on Thursday, the army later clarified that troops did not enter the territory. (JTA) — Israel’s army unleashed a wider military attack on Gaza Thursday night, inaugurating a new phase in a conflict that has claimed dozens of lives in the last several days. The war has already reached several milestones in a region accustomed to conflict. Hamas, the terrorist group that controls Gaza, has sent...
(JNS) — With Israel coming under the fire of more than 1,300 rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, many U.S. lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have vocalized their support for Israel. As to be expected, some in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party harshly criticized Israel’s response. Three Muslim lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives released a joint statement characterizing the violence Monday as “attacks on Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan.” “We are horrified by the violent assault by Israeli forces on the Al...
