Israel News Update

The gaps between the two sides in the peace negotiations are still wide, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington on Wednesday.

A senior Palestinian official said Abbas told Rice that the administration needs to put more pressure on Israel to stop expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

En route to Washington, Abbas had said that Israel and the PA were in constant contact with each other regarding reaching a peace agreement and that the two sides were dealing extensively with the issue of Palestinian refugees.

Golan belongs to the Jewish people'

2008-04-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

Heads of Israeli towns in the Golan Heights convened Thursday for an emergency meeting following reports in recent days that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had agreed to relinquish the Golan Heights to Syria.

"The heads of Golan communities emphasize that the Golan belongs to the Jewish people, who will never agree to relinquish it," the Committee of Golan Heights Community Heads announced in a statement.

They also decided that construction and development of the Golan would continue, "out of certainty that any attempt to damage Israeli sovereignty in the Golan constitutes a grievous threat to national security and is destined to fail."

2008-04-24T12:03:00.001-07:00

Evidence on Syrian Nuke Project Today

U.S. thinks N.Korea aided Syria on plutonium program

Information on Syrian nuke reactor to be revealed 'soon'

'Syria must cut ties with terror'

N. Koreans Were Taped At Secret Syrian Reactor

2008-04-24T11:43:00.000-07:00

A video taken inside a secret Syrian facility last summer convinced the Israeli government and the Bush administration that North Korea was helping to construct a reactor similar to one that produces plutonium for North Korea's nuclear arsenal, according to senior U.S. officials who said it would be shared with lawmakers today. The officials said the video of the remote site, code-named Al Kibar by the Syrians, shows North Koreans inside. It played a pivotal role in Israel's decision to bomb the facility late at night last Sept. 6...

Bush meets with Palestinian leader as White House acknowledges Mideast talks have stalled

2008-04-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (Associated Press) -- President Bush says he remains confident that both sides in the Mideast peace process can agree on the definition of a Palestinian state by the end of his term.
Speaking in the Oval Office with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Bush said he assured Abbas that "the Palestinian state is a high priority for me and my administration."
The president added, "I'm confident we can achieve the definition of a state."

Israel Prepares for Gaza Invasion

2008-03-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

Israel's Army said it is ready, if needed, for a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.
The past two days, Hamas terrorists have launched dozens of rockets from Gaza into Israel, and thousands more Israelis are now within rocket range.

Israel Braces for Revenge Attacks

2008-03-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

JERUSALEM, Israel - Israel is bracing for a new round of possible terror attacks from the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group. Forty days of mourning for their slain terrorist leader will soon end, and Hezbollah has vowed to take revenge against Israel for his assassination.
In recent weeks, Israel has had its hands full trying to deal with rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip and riots in the West Bank. But the biggest worry for Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak may be to the north in Lebanon, where Iran's proxy, the radical Hezbollah terror organization, is loaded with weapons and bent on revenge.

More Tension, Talk of Dividing Jerusalem

2008-03-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

CBNNews.com - While some parts of Israel are under the constant threat of attack, Jerusalem has enjoyed relative quiet in recent years. But that may be changing, as residents try to deal with renewed violence and talk of re-dividing the city.
Many are still reeling from the recent murder of eight students in a Jerusalem seminary. The killer, an Arab resident of east Jerusalem, has become an honored martyr in the Muslim world.

The Shofar Blew: Jews Mark Rosh Hashanah

2008-03-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

CBNNews.com - Thursday marks Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish new year.
During this time, Israelis greet one another with the Hebrew greeting "sha-na toe-va," which means happy new year. In Israel, it's a national celebration but with deep biblical roots.

Gordon Robertson teaches on the Blowing the Shofar

2008-03-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

Gordon Robertson teaches on the Blowing the Shofar

Debka File: Cheney went to Middle East to talk war

2008-03-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

“Iran has got to be very high on that list,” said a senior aide ahead of the talks US Vice President Dick Cheney will hold during his 10-day tour of the Middle East and Turkey, which began Monday, March 17 in Iraq. Singling out Oman, the aide noted that the US and Oman are co-guardians of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. “The Omanis, like a lot of other people,” he said “are concerned by the escalating tensions between the rest of the world community and Iran and by some of Iran’s activities, particularly in the nuclear field, but outside its borders as well.” According to DEBKAfile, the official was referring to Tehran’s meddling in Iraq, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Our military, Washington and Gulf sources report that US Vice President Dick Cheney is again talking about possible US military action to shut down Iran’s covert nuclear program. Cheney stopped over in Oman Wednesday, Wed. March 19, after two days in Iraq. He will travel next to Saudi Arabia, is due in Jerusalem next Saturday and will also visit Ramallah and Turkey.

Defense official: Hizbullah ready to fight Israel

2008-03-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

The Hizbullah organization has completed its military and logistic preparations for a confrontation with Israel, a senior defense official told Ynet on Monday evening, based on recent intelligence assessments. Hizbullah's preparations reinforce the intelligence estimate that a conflict in northern Israel is closer than a wide-scale conflict in the Gaza Strip. This may be one of the reasons why the IDF is not rushing into a comprehensive operation in Gaza. Senior defense establishment officials, including Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

2008-03-11T15:44:00.001-07:00

Abbas: Top Israeli official is sabotaging peace talks

Iran: 'Bounty' put on heads of three top Israeli officials

2008-03-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 10 March (AKI) - Iran's Students for Justice Movement has gathered a million dollars to be awarded to whoever manages to kill three top Israeli figures including defence minister, Ehud Barak, hardline journalist Forouz Rajaifar announced. The hardline student group is offering a 400,000 dollar bounty for the slaying of Barak, 300,000 dollars to kill Mossad spy agency chief Meir Dagan, and the same sum for the assassination of military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin.

PA Arabs Set Fire to Joseph's Tomb, Later Claim He Was a Muslim

2008-02-14T11:34:00.000-08:00

(IsraelNN.com) Palestinian Authority Arabs set fire to Joseph's Tomb in Shechem (Nablus) Tuesday. The burial site of the Biblical Joseph is supposed to be protected under all agreements with the PA.

PMO issues global terror warning

2008-02-14T11:09:00.000-08:00

Following the assassination of Hizbullah arch-terrorist Imad Mughniyeh, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Thursday issued a global terror warning to all Israeli citizens abroad.

Nasrallah during Beirut rally: If Israel wants war, so be it

2008-02-14T10:57:00.000-08:00

Hizbullah's chief on Thursday vowed to retaliate against Israeli targets abroad after accusing Israel of taking the fight beyond Lebanese borders with its assassination of one of the group's top commanders, Imad Mughniyeh in Syria. "You have killed Hajj Imad outside the natural battlefield," Hassan Nasrallah said, addressing Israel and referring to Hizbullah's longtime contention it only fights Israel within Lebanon and along their common border.

Israel on Alert After Militant Killed

2008-02-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

JERUSALEM — Israel put its military and embassies on alert Thursday and advised Jewish institutions worldwide to follow suit as Lebanese guerrillas threatened to avenge the killing of a militant tied to spectacular attacks against U.S. and Jewish targets.

Bush launches Middle East peace drive in Israel

2008-01-09T20:27:00.000-08:00

JERUSALEM - U.S. President George W. Bush arrives in Israel on Wednesday aiming to boost efforts to achieve a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians before he leaves office in a year.

Israelis create Bible smaller than a pinhead

2007-12-19T12:32:00.000-08:00

Israeli scientists yesterday said they had created the world's smallest Hebrew Bible, fitting the book on to a gold-coated silicon chip smaller than a pinhead. Scientists at Technion, Israel's Institute of Technology, were able to pack the 308,428 words of what Christians refer to as the Old Testament on to a 0.5mm square of silicon by etching its surface with particle beams. "The Guinness Book of World Records has a Bible 50 times bigger," said Ohad Zohar, who directed the project.