Israel

Haaretz.com/Channel 10 daily feature for September 4, 2008.

Israeli President Shimon Peres appeared side by side to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday at the Ambrosetti Forum, an annual gathering of global political and business leaders in an Italian lakeside resort. ...

John McCain accepted the Republican presidential nomination Thursday, warning Washington politicians that change is coming and denouncing the partisan rancor he said was gripping the country's ruling establishment that he has been a part of for more than two decades. ...

How do we know if this time, when Vice Premier Haim Ramon presents the cabinet's legislative committee with an evacuation-compensation bill, it's serious? Going through the proposed 2009 budget looking for the part where paying for the evacuation is listed, and when there is no mention of such funding, we turn to the Finance Ministry to see if there is any "extra-budgetary funding" of the kind used in the disengagement. When there is no hint of that either, we know that Ramon has not changed one bit. ...

Bashar Assad on Thursday said he will not cut Syria's ties with Hezbollah, despite other statements the Syrian President made during the day signaling progress in peace talks with Israel. ...

Tel Aviv stocks retreated further yesterday as news emerged of the Finance Ministry's plan to scale down growth forecasts in 2009. The TA-100 index lost 0.5% to 900 points, while the TA-25 index fell 0.6%, to 984 points. ...

The first bricks-and-mortar Apple Store is set to open on September 18 at the Ramat Aviv Mall. ...

Giora Yaron, Benny Schnaider and Rami Tamir have done it again. The serial entrepreneurial trio are fattening their respective bank accounts by several million dollars more after the American open-source software giant and Linux operating system vendor Red Hat announced yesterday that it was purchasing the Israeli startup Qumranet for about $115 million. (The published price is $107 million, but that is not the real amount.) ...

This is not a photomontage. The accompanying photo shows Jerusalem's Ramot Polin neighborhood as depicted by Yanai Toister's camera recently, more than 30 years after the housing complex was built. The beehive-shaped neighborhood was planned by architect Zvi Hecker in the 1970s, at the height of the euphoria after the Six-Day War. It was built on land expropriated from the village of Nebi Samuel and was considered both the epitome of avant-garde design and an irresponsible experiment in human housing. ...

Gordon Books has found an interesting way to survive: The guidebook publishers' texts are externally attractive and enticing - they are small, well-designed and impossible to ignore in stores. "My goal is to create objects that are hard to pass up, that provide the sense that they can make life a bit more pleasant and gratifying," says designer Amir Hadad, who founded Gordon Books five years ago with his wife, Shira, who edits original titles for Keter Publishers. ...

Rehearsals began Sunday for "Bat Yam-Tykocin Express," a co-production between the Habimah Theater and the Contemporary Theater of Wroclaw, Poland. Actors from both countries are participating, along with Polish director Michal Zadara and Israeli director Yael Ronen. ...

"I wasn't aiming for a commercial success, but I was aware of where I want to go," says Dana Lapidot, whose eponymous maiden album will be released today. Over the past three months, two singles from it were released, "Moniyot" and "Meshuga'at," and both have been top-ten hits played frequently on the radio. "Mainstream is not a vulgar word in my opinion," she adds. "If you bring the truth, it works. Time will tell: If the album sits in stores and doesn't sell a single copy, I still stand by it. It's so me." ...

We tend to speak about architecture in aesthetic or technological terms and discuss building methods or architectural styles, but refrain from relating to the broad contexts in which architecture operates, says British critic Deyan Sudjic in his book "The Edifice Complex." This avoidance is strange, he adds, because of the intimate ties between architecture and power. The most important question is why buildings are constructed, and not how they are built. ...

Israeli President Shimon Peres appeared side by side to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday at the Ambrosetti Forum, an annual gathering of global political and business leaders in an Italian lakeside resort. ...

Haaretz.com/Channel 10 daily feature for September 4, 2008.

John McCain accepted the Republican presidential nomination Thursday, warning Washington politicians that change is coming and denouncing the partisan rancor he said was gripping the country's ruling establishment that he has been a part of for more than two decades. ...

How do we know if this time, when Vice Premier Haim Ramon presents the cabinet's legislative committee with an evacuation-compensation bill, it's serious? Going through the proposed 2009 budget looking for the part where paying for the evacuation is listed, and when there is no mention of such funding, we turn to the Finance Ministry to see if there is any "extra-budgetary funding" of the kind used in the disengagement. When there is no hint of that either, we know that Ramon has not changed one bit. ...

Bashar Assad on Thursday said he will not cut Syria's ties with Hezbollah, despite other statements the Syrian President made during the day signaling progress in peace talks with Israel. ...

Hundreds of Palestinians hurled rocks at Israel Defense Forces soldiers in the West Bank after the army blocked them from attending Friday prayers at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, witnesses said. ...

Tehran on Friday rejected remarks by French President Nicolas Sarkozy that Iran's nuclear weapons program is a threat to the region and global community. ...

France, currently the president of the European Union is considering the possibility of sending a European Union mission to help security in the Palestinian territories, diplomats said on Friday before a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers. ...

An Israeli security official on Friday said Israel allowed Palestinian security forces to receive a shipment of around 1,000 rifles and tens of thousands of bullents in a step aimed at bolstering the moderate Palestinian government. ...

Major General (res.) Moshe Ivri-Sukenik, who resigned as commander of the Israel Defense Forces' Northern Corps earlier this year, has sharply criticized the way the army is training. In his first public comments on the matter, Sukenik says the army's training program is flawed and troops are not being prepared for future challenges. ...

The Magistrates Court in Tel Aviv extended the remand of the parents of a 3-year-old disabled girl on Friday, who allegedly abused and burned their daughter. ...

Public Security Minister Avi Dichter said Thursday that officials who leak sensitive information to the media are akin to participating in a criminal gang or a terrorist group. ...

The Israel Police on Friday detonated an explosive device in Jerusalem. The device is believed to have targeted Sami Amira, who is linked to the Abergil crime family and who was also the alleged target of July's botched gangland hit in Bat Yam. ...

The Education Ministry is to ban Bible aid booklets that help elementary and junior high school students by "translating" the text into simple Hebrew. Private publishers defend the booklets by arguing that biblical Hebrew is a foreign tongue to young Israelis. ...

The person who wants to become mayor of Jerusalem needs to please four different constituencies: the people of Jerusalem, the people of Israel, the Jews of the world and the rest of the world, Nir Barkat, the reported front runner in the race for city hall, said at a campaign event last week. But, practically speaking, there is another significant voting bloc worth paying attention to: the tens of thousands of Anglos who live here. ...

There were periods when politicians in this country wanted to be the Israeli Jimmy Carter or the Israeli Bill Clinton: new, plain, promising and charismatic. Years later - for a while, until his initial glamour faded - they tried to be the Israeli Tony Blair: energetic, young social democrats. Nowadays the last word in political pretension is the attempt to be the Israeli Barack Obama: "social," authentic and inspiring. ...

Last week, the Jewish Agency signed its own death certificate. The agreement with Nefesh B'Nefesh (NBN), the private organization that has been helping thousands of Jews immigrate from the United States and Canada, whereby the agency will cease its aliyah operations in North America and NBN will become the only address for those thinking of making the plunge, means that the agency is relinquishing its main historic mission in the world's largest Jewish community. It also embodies the fundamental change in the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora. ...

At our age, a man begins to develop a certain interest in the black-bordered notices on the obituary page. You find friends and acquaintances there every day. Those who live long become sought-after eulogizers. Eulogizing becomes a way of life. ...

Along the timeline, 15 years minus one week since the signing of the Oslo Accords on the lawn of Bill Clinton's White House, it seems the prime minister is right. We have never been so close to peace with the Palestinians. It's enough to mention that 13 years ago minus one month, during the most sensitive days of the Oslo process, then Jerusalem mayor Ehud Olmert convinced the Republican candidate for the U.S. presidency, Senator Bob Dole, to introduce a bill to move the U.S. embassy to Israel's "undivided" capital. ...

Yesterday's four-way summit in Damascus was one of this region's most important diplomatic events for some time. It is not merely Bashar Assad's newfound standing because of the French attitude to Syria, but a new strategic opportunity. ...

The person who wants to become mayor of Jerusalem needs to please four different constituencies: the people of Jerusalem, the people of Israel, the Jews of the world and the rest of the world, Nir Barkat, the reported front runner in the race for city hall, said at a campaign event last week. But, practically speaking, there is another significant voting bloc worth paying attention to: the tens of thousands of Anglos who live here. ...

Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb defines his first visit to Israel this week as a neutral fact-finding mission. However, in an interview with Anglo File the minister was careful to distance himself from the highly critical approach of Erkki Tuomioja, who became known as one of Israel's harshest critics during his 7-year term. ...

Looking at the current political theater in Israel one might think politics here is pretty much as bad as it gets. But Eli Gurock, the Anglo coordinator for Jerusalem mayoral candidate Nir Barkat, prefers Israel to America when it comes to politics. ...

Recognizing a technology gap among NGOs, two Anglo marketing professionals this week launched a new social media community for Israeli and Jewish charity and non-profit organizations. ...

Local activists this month decried a land deal approved by the city of Beit Shemesh benefitting Ultra-Orthodox allies. They say mayor Danny Vaknin took advantage of the deputy mayor's absence from an August 3 city council meeting to get the hotly contested plan approved that very session. The plan drew heavy criticism from virtually all the town's non-Haredi residents, many of them Anglos. ...

If Palestinians are on the way to changing their goal, and presenting the world with a new vision for their future, Israel shouldn?t be lagging behind

The old-style, activist-driven battle for Darfur is over. Choosing China over Bush is one reason that it ended before it even really began

If Israel declares it would only act with U.S. permission, it risks giving up on the one chip it has in its arsenal.

I realized that for Rodman the one key message was this: Israel's leaders (and the U.S.'s) should make sure that they not only "make the right decisions, but also that they are making them for the right reasons."

In a predictable outburst of provincialism, the Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama, has become the fashionable darling of the Israeli left.

After closing its Tel Aviv-New York route, reducing its flights to Europe and firing 30% of its employees, Israir - and its owners, Nochi Dankner and Avi Fischer - seem to be giving up on the dream to turn the airline into an a regular international carrier and compete with El Al instead of remaining just a charter and local airline. ...

Between January and July 2008, Russians tourists to Israel outnumbered the French, topping the list of European nationalities that have visited the country this year. Figures from the Tourism Ministry indicate that a total of 1.7 million tourists visited Israel between January and July of 2008, compared to 1.2 million in the same period in 2007, a rise of 41%. ...

US Airways wants to offer year-round daily service between Philadelphia and Tel Aviv. The Tempe, Arizona-based carrier said Tuesday it is applying to start service in July 2009, subject to approval by the U.S. and Israeli officials. It will offer a single daily nonstop flight, will be the longest nonstop segment in the US Airways network, more than 9,000 kilometers. ...

During the late-night hours the battle between Tel Aviv residents and French tourists can be most clearly observed: Locals used to waiting only a few minutes for a taxi watch helplessly as cabs carrying French tourists zoom by. ...

The performance by Deep Purple at Tzemach at the start of the 1990s was, by most accounts, one of the most pathetic rock 'n' roll jokes ever seen here. The soloist, Joe Lynn Turner, (who at that time was replacing Ian Gillan, the singer in the 'classic' makeup of the band), struck ridiculous poses of a rock star, even though his renditions were very feeble. In the breaks between numbers, according to a soundman who was there, Turner hastened backstage where his girlfriend was waiting with a hot hairdryer to refresh and style his hair. ...

Regarding "Scapegoats," Haaretz Magazine, August 29 ...

How pleasurable is routine. True, it has yet to reach perfect ripeness, but there is no doubt that I am already beginning to smell its renewed flowering. A clear-cut sign of a return to the good old days is the fact that I have nothing more to write about, or anything urgent to say. Again, as in the old days, I have to work hard to string words together and fill these lines with acceptable sentences. How wonderful. ...

Recent news reports about crime boss Itzik Abergil, along with his youthful criminal appearance, have evoked within me forgotten images from my adolescence in Petah Tivka. After my parents left the kibbutz to start a new life in the city, with no financial help whatsoever, we moved into a two-room apartment in the Argov housing project in Petah Tikva. Argov was inhabited by laborers and consisted of about 10 buildings separated by huge lawns, which were like heaven for children and dogs. It was a safe time, and we could wander around the vast space alone after dark without being bothered. ...

When I was little, I read a popular children's book about a prince who was cursed to become exceedingly clever, but exceedingly ugly. As I recall, the kiss of a beautiful and fairly dim-witted girl undid the spell and transformed him into a handsome hunk. She, meanwhile, came away from the transaction with a bit more smarts. The message of the tale is problematic: If beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder, and if inner beauty is truly sufficient, why did the prince need to change? And if the beautiful girl was already smart enough to sense that inner beauty, why did she need to gain more…

In the medieval St. Burchardi Church in Halberstadt, Germany, the longest and slowest concert of all time is going on. Two months ago, one more note of the avant-garde American composer John Cage's work "Organ2/ASLSP" (the second part of the name means "As Slow as Possible") was sounded. The work, whose name is taken from Cage's instructions on how it should be performed, was written in 1985 as an act of protest against the modern conception of time. The notes in the original version for piano cover just eight pages, but each one can be played with almost interminable slowness. ...

When, in 2003, the veteran Labour MP Tam Dalyell described the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair as being influenced by a "Jewish cabal," he was roundly condemned for making what many saw as an obviously antisemitic remark. Some, though, sought to justify his comment as a legitimate, if poorly-worded, criticism of Israel's supporters, rather than something more sinister. ...

WINNIPEG - Canada's largest Jewish organization has asked Prime Minister Stephen Harper to reject plans to call a federal election for October 14, which is the first day of Sukkot. ...

The Chabad envoy to Alaska on Thursday praised State Governor and recently nominated Republican candidate for Vice President Sarah Palin for her steadfast support for Israel. ...

Deputy State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan on Thursday ordered police to investigate Israeli daily Maariv's publication of a prayer note placed in the Western Wall by United States presidential hopeful Barack Obama. ...

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Republican Governor Linda Lingle, the first Jewish chief executive of the Aloha State, knows something about being the woman governor of a state which is isolated, relatively new and, in the eyes of many Americans, almost mythical in nature. ...

Speaking in Italy, Peres says most Arab states opposed to Teheran having nukes, expresses support for progress in Israel-Syria talks.

PA president admits Bush's goal might not be achieved, says agreement must address all issues.

A royal invitation led to hobnobbing with Nobel Laureates while getting to know international youth.

A special bond between a Florida retiree and a needy Pardess Hanna children's village.

Palestinians pelt security forces with stones; thousands of police deployed around Temple Mount.

But Syrian president tells Hizbullah's 'Al Manar' TV that his country will continue to back "resistance."

Says documentary "made us look like a mafia;" vows to use NIS 4m. it seeks in damages for welfare.

Counter-Terrorism Bureau publishes travel advisory, says Hizbullah poses worldwide threat to Israelis.

Surprisingly, Livni is in her element on the campaign trail.

Former head of investigations says cops who specialized in organized crime sometimes "crossed to other side."

One of Jerusalem's toniest and now infamous streets honors a distinguished Frenchman who toiled for Jewish rights both here and abroad.

Former chief rabbi and modern orthodox leader gives major boost to secular opposition candidate.

Past conviction likely to bar former Shas leader from entering race this year.

Katamonim residents demand state religious school in their area.

Byzantine-era wall also discovered; archeologists hope First Temple wall will be uncovered next.

Both sides in court case claim legal victory in "kosher anti-Semitic label case" in Cologne, Germany.

Katamonim residents demand state religious school in their area.

Initiative to help those seeking to plant their feet in both countries.

High Rabbinical Court rules that woman who stripped in public is still entitled to monetary benefits.

In YouTube clip, vandals decried "propaganda about chosen people."

This weeks Torah Parsha is Shoftim. In this Parsha we read how the Jewish People prepared for war. The Kohen Gadol (High Priest) would first except people from army service. Soldiers who were newlywed or had recently built new homes or planted new ...

If you listened carefully on Sunday, you could hear the ground shake under the corner of King George Avenue and Rehov Keren Kayemet in Jerusalem. It was there, at the headquarters of the Jewish Agency, that a revolution ...

I read recently that Labour party leader and minister of defense Ehud Barak is trying to sell his luxury apartment for 40 million shekels which is, at current exchange rates...well, a lot of money. In fact it is about 10 times what the late Prime Min ...

"My Heart is in the East" - Rabbi Yehuda Halevi (1075 - 1141) Reading the term "East Jerusalem" in two different publications by two different authors on the same day caused this writer to pause. After all, "East Je ...

Just received a note from Jack Ross saying "Kahanist Thunderbolt Is Going Under!" It referred me to this editorial from Seth Lipsky, editor of the New York Sun, warning that the paper is scrambling for new funding and may well close by the ...

amid parliamentary outcry, court case contesting the below-market price. Israel passed to Egypt El Arish gas field of Sinai in the Camp David deal, and now buys from Egypt the gas which God gave us in the Promised Land, which includes Sinai. Israeli trading firm, a partner of the Egyptian gas supplier, sells gas to Israeli power stations at market prices, received about 1,000% profit.

Police arrived in Osphia village to confiscate several $200,000 cars which the Druzes mortgaged with Israel bank. A crowd gathered in the village, threatened to kill the policemen and burn local police office. The policemen were then ordered to withdraw. Israeli police normally don’t enter Arab villages lest they riot.

There are several problems, though. Any type of nuclear reactors, including the “peaceful” ones, can be potentially used to harvest weapons-grade uranium. Jordan’s light-water reactor can also be used to harvest plutonium; the Arabs only need to stop the reactor for a few weeks. A nuclear reactor run be Bedouins is a major ecological hazard for Israel. Jordan possesses massive deposits of natural uranium, which it intends to use in its nuclear program. But the deposits are really Israel’s, as what is termed “Jordan” is just a part of the Promised Land.

In the first deal of its kind, Italy pledged Libya $5 billion compensation for the 30-year-long occupation in 1913-43. Libya is a vehemently anti-Israeli country, and recently voluntarily ended its secret nuclear program, sending the unsuspecting world intelligence community into shock. Now Israel can rightfully ask Italy for reparations for Flavii aggression, Hadrian occupation, and Pompey’s boorish conduct in our Temple.

Elections to the Shura Council almost entirely replaced the older and relatively moderate Hamas officials with younger generation of extreme militants, reports Jerusalem Post. Shura Council is modeled on Iran’s Council of Elders which allows ayatollahs to control the parliament. It is not the Hamas’ highest body, but the most authoritative and secretive. Shura Council includes Hamas members in exile. Hamas membership in Gaza is about 20,000 gangsters who mostly support highly aggressive course against Israel as propounded by Izz ad-Din Kassam Brigades. As the ceasefire continues,…

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According to senior figures in the party, because Kadima will hold a primary for the party's leadership in less than two weeks, it would ...

ISRAELI BARRIERS IN WEST BANK OBSTACLE FOR MOVEMENT OF PALESTINIANS - BLAIR RAMALLAH, Sept 5 (NNN-KUNA) -- The international quartet committee envoy Tony Blair has said ...

President Bashar al-Assad said resumption of the talks and their outcome would hinge on who succeeds Ehud Olmert as Israel’s prime minister in upcoming elections there.

Prominent mainstream Palestinians are warning that they may pursue a one-state solution based on a long-term fight for equal rights within Israel.

Israeli agents who kidnapped the Nazi mastermind Adolf Eichmann from Argentina in 1960 found the notorious death camp doctor Josef Mengele but let him get away, one of the operatives said Tuesday.

Israeli and Palestinian officials played down the prospect of any immediate peace deal as Ehud Olmert, Israel’s discredited prime minister, begins his final phase in office.

Israel is in the grip of a nightmarish tale of a French girl named Rose, who police say was killed by her grandfather.

Jews For Jesus head David Brickner claimed that terrorist attacks on Israel are punishment for failure of the Jews to accept Jesus as savior. Evidently, this is his idea of Christian mercy and compassion. Brickner also remarked that Jews are intractably rebellious and hence cursed. Brickner should know, as he is a prime example of the sort of revolting Jew who is obviously going to incurr divine wrath, not to mention the wrath of decent people everywhere. The remarks were apparently made at Sarah Palin's church, though it is not clear that she was there. Brickner and…

Major General (res.) Moshe Ivri-Sukenik, who resigned as commander of the Israel Defense Forces' Northern Command earlier this year,  has sharply criticized IDF training and readiness.   Sukenik was commander of the IDF's ground forces several years ago. After the Lebanon war he led the investigation into battles by Division 162. Sukenik was asked to return to the ranks and command the Northern Command, but he resigned in January, in part to protest what he calls the insufficient allocation of funds for training the land forces. Sukenik spoke in Ramat Efal at a conference on…

Defense industry develops GPS mortar shellYaakov Katz , THE JERUSALEM POST Sep. 2, 2008 Implementing the lessons of the Second Lebanon War, Israel Military Industries has designed a mortar shell that uses a satellite guidance system to accurately hit its target.The 120mm mortar shell is in the final stages of development by IMI and the American Raytheon defense company. The shell has a range of 10 kilometers and with the GPS system hits targets within a three-meter radius.The built-in guidance system also allows operators to direct the mortar shell to its target with a laser-honing…

What does Mr. Assad want, and more important, what do we want? Are we really willing to give up the Golan Heights in return for a "peace" like we have with Egypt? Will it really neutralize the threat of Syria permanently?   What Mr. Assad wants, like what everybody wants, is to buy cheap and sell dear, to play off both ends against the middle, to have his peace and eat it. Assad is certainly a good Levantine trader, as his father war. But what is he selling and what are we buying? His merchandise may be defective, and his coins may be counterfeit. The record of the Syrian…

Israel is not just about conflict folks.     Israeli firemen drilling in France rescue local girl Firemen exercising water rescue strategies spot kayak overturning in raging current, jump in to save drowning girl   Raanan Ben-ZurPublished:  09.04.08, 01:05 / Israel News   A team of Israeli firemen performing rescue drills in France saved the life of a local girl found drowning in a river Wednesday. The firemen rushed to pull her out when the kayak in which she was paddling turned over in the water.   The men are in France conducting drills focusing on rescue…

Israel's anti-terrorism unit Thursday warned of threats against Israelis traveling abroad, officials said.

Tony Blair toured a Palestinian aluminum factory Thursday and was told it runs at one-third capacity because of Israeli import restrictions. He promised he'll take it up with Israeli authorities.It's a typical encounter in the Mideast envoy's yearlong push to boost the West Bank economy.In an interview summing up his efforts, Blair said he'd like to see much quicker progress toward freedom of movement for Palestinians. Israeli roadblocks and obstacles, set up after the outbreak of the second Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation in 2000, keep disrupting life and trade.

Imam Mohammad Qatanani prays in the Mosque at the Islamic Center of Passaic of Imam in July.

Israeli archaeologists rediscovered the 2100-year-old Jerusalem perimeter wall along with beer bottles left behind by 19th century researchers who first discovered the stone defences Israeli archaeologists say ...

For the first time since Golda Meir more than three decades ago, a woman is within reach of becoming the prime minister of Israel, a nation dominated by macho military men and a religious establishment with ...

[New York Times] Robert F. Worth - President Bashar al-Assad of Syria said Thursday that the latest round of indirect negotiations with Israel had been postponed. Syrian and Israeli representatives have held several rounds of meetings this year via Turkish mediators. But the Israeli negotiator, Yoram Turbowicz, announced his resignation as Olmert's chief of staff in July.

[Times-UK] Richard Kerbaj - Israel banned five British-based charities operating in Gaza for their links with Hamas, including Muslim Aid, Human Appeal International, Muslim Hands, Human Relief Foundation, and Educational Aid for Palestinians. This came as the Israeli Embassy in London warned that action would be taken against charity organizations that were dealing with terrorism groups. The military wing of Hamas, Izz al-Din al-Qassem Brigades, which has been responsible for numerous suicide attacks in Israel, was banned by Britain in March 2001. An Israeli embassy spokesman said: "Israel…

[Washington Post] Steve Luxenberg - In his new book The War Within: A Secret White House History, 2006-2008, scheduled for release Monday, Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward says the U.S. troop "surge" of 2007 was not the primary factor behind the steep drop in violence there during the past 16 months. Rather, "groundbreaking" new covert techniques enabled U.S. military and intelligence officials to locate, target, and kill insurgent leaders and key individuals in extremist groups such as al-Qaeda in Iraq.

[Christian Science Monitor] Howard LaFranchi - When Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits Libya Friday for a sit-down with once-reviled leader Muammar Qaddafi, it will symbolize from the Bush administration perspective the potential for pariah states to come in from the cold, and the U.S. will be hoping that Iran and North Korea, in particular, are taking note. Instead of confronting the U.S. and the international community with a nuclear weapons program, U.S. officials say, Libya is reaping the economic and diplomatic benefits of having renounced its terrorist avocation and…

[Washington Times] Sara A. Carter - U.S. ground forces crossed the border from Afghanistan and attacked suspected al-Qaeda targets in Pakistan on Wednesday as part of an aggressive new strategy to kill or capture Osama bin Laden before President Bush leaves office, U.S. officials said. "I know the hunt is on; they're pulling out all the stops," said a Defense Department official with knowledge of the situation. "They want to find bin Laden before the president leaves office and ensure that al-Qaeda will not attack the U.S. during the upcoming elections." The attack, mounted by U.S. commandos…

Gaza residents should be treated the same way Gilad Shalit is being treated

Yaniv Ronen says Georgia war shows that relying on America may lead to isolation, defeat

Likud officials unimpressed by Chairman Netanyahu’s ‘foolish’ moves

Political sources increasingly convinced that Livni will win primaries, replace Olmert

Tighten your seatbelts: Anger expected to explode in Arab world following Ramadan

French presidency of EU said to be considering possibility of sending European mission to help improve security in PAFrench presidency of EU said to be considering possibility of sending European mission to help improve security in PA

Peres says he does not support military strike on Iran, adds Tehran's nuclear threat should be addressed through political, economic moves; President also urges Syria's Assad to meet with Israeli PM in order to advance peace talks

Some 100 Palestinians riot at Qalandiya checkpoint, dispersed by Israeli security forces. Mass Ramadan prayer session at Temple Mount passes without any unusual incidents; Palestinians, leftists hold anti-fence rallies in Bil'in, Naalin

Major arrested after daughter files complaint. Man denies claims, police suspect he also assaulted one of his sons

Security officials say Israel allowed PA security forces to receive some 1,000 rifles, tens of thousands of bullets through Jordan in move aimed at bolstering Abbas against Hamas

Long-lost capital of Khazar kingdom unearthed in southern Russia; finding said to be of immense importance

Hasidim fear attack at gravesite of sect's founder in Uman as retaliation for Hizbullah commander Mugniyah's assassination

Lawmakers, Jewish groups slam National Democratic Party branch in Saxony for racist, cynical use of murder in an attempt to boost image

Naftali Sheetrit, who was critically injured in Mercaz Harav shooting, greeted in moving ceremony half a year after bloody attack. 'This is our greatest revenge,' says yeshiva source

Posts installed in Jerusalem marking Shabbat-friendly areas vandalized, making area ‘non-kosher’. Religious women unable to walk children in strollers, men unable to carry prayer books to synagogue

Hey Jewneric Family, I want to share with you an incredible opportunity to help the Jewish community at large. The friendship Circle in West Bloomfield is holding its third annual Walk4Friendship. And I think that this is something we can get involved in. The friendship circle has over 70 locations worldwide, and has just opened the first ever Kosher Living Facilities for people Jews to go to. Yah I know most people think that drinking and drugs is not a Jewish problem. But believe it or not, it is. If everyone who reads Jewneric donated $2.00 we could raise thousands. Let’s make it happen.

My last post was about the trials of packing, this post is about what I am feeling this very moment. I’m scared. It’s starting to really hit me.  I think what opened this dam of emotion is something my grandmother said to me.  She asked if my father was sad that I was leaving.  So while I figure he’s not the happiest about it, he hasn’t expressed anything major.  But she said that when she asked him what he thought about me leaving, he said, “I don’t want to talk about it.” That hurts me.  The idea of my strong, stoic father hurting or sad…

I will always remember Friday night. I came to a realization, an understanding, the veil of darkness was lifted from my eyes. I recall the mad dash before leaving for my brother’s house, seeing online that McCain had chosen Sarah Palin for the job of VP, in the likely case that he won. Immediately, I started researching the future Veep, with much gusto and fervor. I wanted to know everything I could about her, so I can be in a strong position to debate everyman (and everywoman) on the street corner, in a true democratic-style intellectual tete-a-tete. I finally felt vindicated. Anyone…

In his weekly opinion column on August 22, M.J. Rosenberg argues that Israel would endanger Jews living outside of Israel by attacking Iran.  Furthermore, he rattles off a frightening laundry list of negative outcomes which he claims would result from such an attack: “An Israeli attack on Iran—absent an imminent threat of attack from Iran—is a terrible idea for many reasons. It would not succeed in eliminating Iran’s nuclear program but would almost surely prompt Iran to both opt out of the international inspection regime and redouble its efforts to produce a bomb. It would unite…

Over the past number of years I have seen numerous friends and networking partners get new jobs. I usually send an email congratulating them, if I know the industry I will ask if I can help. I almost always let them know to feel free to ask for an introduction through linkedin. But in most cases I wasn’t very proactive in trying to drive them business. About 3 months ago I started with a new company. I am in the same industry, but a new role, a new service, new clients, and new pipeline. I put a few networking feelers out there asking for introductions to Insurance Agents (my prospects and…

There is again a lion crouching at the door.

Sarkozy arrived in Damascus.

The blueprint for all the interim steps, as well.

This would be money well spent.

Livni must not escape responsibility.

SemantiNet just announced a 3.4M$ round. SemantiNet is working on a browser plug-in that will deliver relevant content to the user, based on the site he's surfing. Investors in this round include Yossi Vardi, Jeff Pulver, Giza and others. Read more here (TheMarker, hebrew)

Corrigon just raised 2M$ from Lab-One incubator. Corrigon develops technology for visual-search, allowing users to find images over the web without 'text' search in the image description. Read more here (TheMarker, hebrew)

Affilicon Israel ,an Affiliate Marketing Conference & Exhibition, will be held in November 24-25, 2008. It's a chance to meet face-to-face in Israel with top affiliate marketers and learn from experts in Search Engine Optimization, social networking and media, and other leading internet technologies. There will be two packed days of learning and discussion of tactics, strategies, and other topics related to affiliate marketing. More on Mashable. 

Speakitz is shutting down, they couldn't get funding. Their technology allowed web publishers to easily offer readers to post comments - basically a forum. Speakitz was established in 2005, and never raised any money - the founders invested themselves something between 100K$ - 200K$. We're always sorry to hear such news, better luck next time!  Read more here (TheMarker, hebrew) 

A new, three-week exhibit at Beit Sokolov in Tel Aviv, organized by the Foreign Press Association, is featuring stills and photographs of five long-time news photographers, David Rubinger (Time magazine), Shlomo Arad (Newsweek), Havakuk Levison (Reuters), Andre Brutman (Der Spiegel) and David Silverman (Getty images). At the end of the exhibit, the photos will be sold [...]

My older stepdaughter, Amira, 17, passed her driving test on the first round. That’s big news in these parts, not just because she can now drive — accompanied by another driver older than 25 for the first three months — but due to the fact that the system here often has teenage drivers failing one, [...]

The Shrine of the Book, the home of the Dead Sea scrolls, has long been one of the most popular destinations for visitors to Israel. The Dead Sea scrolls are Israel’s greatest archeological find and are sought out by scholars throughout the world for detailed study. Permission to access to them for study from scholars [...]

Ever ponder seeing an Israeli film, but wind up too intimidated by the choice of what’s out there? There are some great cinematic experiences available, and Jewish film festivals and repertory theaters in the US and Europe are increasingly screening blue and white movies. Heck, we almost won an Academy Award last year for Beaufort. So, [...]

It’s been a bad couple of weeks on the child safety front in Israel. Starting with four-year-old Rose Pizem’s disappearance and suspected murder at the hands of her 44-year-old grandfather — who is married to her mother — continuing with the suspected drowning of a four-year-old boy by his mother and then the discovery of [...]

Israel National Radio Audio Newscast Latest News Previous News Parashat Shoftim Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, tribe by tribe; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons; neither shalt thou take a gift; for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. Justice, justice shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Israel National Radio Audio Newscast Latest News Previous News Have You Heard the One About the Rabbi, the Artist and the Lawyer Who Made Aliyah? Dovid and Go'el talk with R' Ari Berman, formerly senior rabbi of The Jewish Center in NY, who made Aliyah three weeks ago. And they hear from the owners of Tabernacle Cafe in biblical Shilo about the dramatic life change brought on by their Aliyah.

Israel National Radio Audio Newscast Latest News Previous News Biblical Marketing and the Worst Government Ever Is Israel best represented by Ingenuity, Fusion, and Passion, or is there a better draw to the Jewish State? A listener who loves Israel but is holding on to a false god mulls the idea of Aliyah. Nadia Matar tells the story of her latest arrest, with tales of police brutality against female protesters, and comments on Yishai's assertion that the Olmert government is the worst in Israel's history.

Israel National Radio Audio Newscast Latest News Previous News The Waqf Admits to King Solomon's Temple on Temple Mount The Islamic Authority on the Temple Mount (Waqf) adamantly denies that a Jewish temple ever existed on the Temple Mount - but that's not what they were saying 80 years ago. A shocking find by Ze'ev Orenstein has brought their lies out into the open. Yishai and Malkah also read listener e-mails and find a barnyard solution to scorpions.

Israel National Radio Audio Newscast Latest News Previous News Barak Shocker! Jerusalem 'Could Become Palestinian Capital' Aaron Klein, Jerusalem Bureau Chief for WorldNetDaily.com, reports that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak conceded on Al Jazeeera that some neighborhoods in Jerusalem could become the capital of a future Palestinian state as part of an agreement with the Palestinian Authority. "We can find a formula under which certain neighborhoods, heavily-populated Arab neighborhoods, could become, in a peace agreement, part of the Palestinian capital that, of course, will include…

Jeff Ooi, a Malaysian Blogger was elected to parliament after he succeeded to raise sufficient funds for his campaign through his blog. While being elected after a 12 day campaign is one of the greatest successes, in a scale that any class president has to work harder to be elected, one should compare his ability to raise funds to Barack Obama’s success in generat