Gantz tells army to step up preparations, as West Bank annexation looms

By Judah Ari Gross, Times of Israel— Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Monday ordered IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi to “step up preparations for the Israel Defense Forces,” ahead of a government proposal to annex portions of the West Bank, his office said. The military has roughly one month to complete preparations ahead of…

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IDF Preparing for 3rd Intifada Should PA Drum Up Arab Violence

By David Israel, Israel Hayom— The former head of Israel’s National Security Council, Brigadier General Yaakov Amidror, warned about a third intifada that would erupt in Judea and Samaria in response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s promise to impose Israeli sovereignty on parts of the 1967 liberated territories come July 1, and the announcement of…

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‘Corona is not behind us,’ Netanyahu says, amid plans to heal economy

By World Israel News— Israel had relaxed the restrictions recently due to the low number of cases, but it appears that too many people may have been ignoring the rules altogether. A sharp increase in confirmed infections over the past several days appears to come from a combination of the economy opening up and citizens…

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Israel, a Land Flowing with Milk and Honey: Trashed by the Palestinians

By Victor Sharpe— Milk and honey” refers to the nectar of the fruit, and a land “flowing with milk and honey” is an expression used for a particularly fertile land that could produce abundant produce and fruit. The saying is used several times in the Bible, each time conveying the richness of the Promised Land…

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In the era of coronavirus, who can enter Israel and how do they do it?

By Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman, Jpost— On March 18, the Israeli government closed its borders to all foreigners in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. In mid-April, the first time the Health Ministry reported on the main ways that Israelis got sick from from SARS-CoV-2, nearly 20% of infections had started from abroad…

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Settler leaders produce map they claim shows Trump plan for Palestinian state

By Jacob Magid, Times of Israel— Settler leaders have been meeting with right-wing lawmakers over the past week and presenting them with what they claim is a map of the Palestinian state envisioned by the Trump plan, which would encircle 15 Israeli communities in a manner they say is unacceptable. The Yesha umbrella council of…

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Shavuot Roses, Wisdom and Beauty

By Inna Rogatchi, Rogatchi Foundation— After forty nine days of counting the Omer which also means an annual inner preparation for Shavuot, giving us the moral code, we are about to enter the celebration of getting wisdom. Preparing for the celebration, we at The Rogatchi Foundation thought to engage people from some communities world-wide, our…

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European leaders said to implore Netanyahu not to advance annexation

By Raphael Ahren, Times of Israel— Several European leaders reportedly sent personal letters to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent days asking him not to push ahead with plans to unilaterally annex parts of the West Bank. “I ask you, in a spirit of friendship, that your new government not take unilateral action . Such…

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Netanyahu Criminal Trial Opens in Jerusalem

By Aryeh Savir, Israel Today— Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday arrived at a Jerusalem court to face corruption charges in three cases, becoming the first sitting prime minister in Israel’s history to be tried before a three-judge panel. Netanyahu was indicted for breach of trust in Case 1000, the illegal gifts affair, for breach…

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Shavou’ot (Pentecost) guide for the perplexed, 2020

By Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative” 1. Impact on the formation of the US The holiday of Shavou’ot (Pentecost) commemorates the legacy of Moses – the Exodus, the Ten Commandments and the Torah (the Five Books of Moses) -which had a significant impact on the key values and achievements of the…

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Palestinians: The Home Demolitions No One Talks About

by Khaled Abu Toameh, Gatestone Institute— Hamas, the Iranian-backed terrorist movement controlling the Gaza Strip, is often one of the first Palestinian groups to condemn Israel for demolishing homes of terrorists or Palestinian-owned houses built illegally in the West Bank and Jerusalem. While international human rights groups and the European Union have also been condemning…

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After Zionism Denounced as ‘Satanic’ at Virtual ‘Quds Day’ Event in Canada, Jewish Group Calls for All-Out Ban

By Algemeiner Staff— An online video event in Canada hosted by virulently anti-Zionist activists to mark the Iranian regime’s annual “Quds Day” protest calling for the elimination of the State of Israel was distinguished by its antisemitic rhetoric, a leading Canadian Jewish advocacy organization said on Monday. In a statement, B’nai Brith Canada noted that…

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Israel’s Control of Judea & Samaria – a Prerequisite for Security

By Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative” The mountain ridges of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) – 3,000ft above the Jordan Valley and 2,000 ft above Israel’s heavily populated coastal plain – constitute the “Golan Heights” of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion Airport, the key north-south transportation artery Highway 6, critical commercial…

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