10/05/11

* 2,000 Through Porous Sinai Border into Israel An estimated 2,000 people managed to sneak through the porous Israel-Egypt border along the Sinai Peninsula in August.

* Russia and China Veto UN Resolution on Syria Russia and China joined forces on Tuesday and vetoed a European-drafted UN Security Council resolution condemning Syria.

* Syrian Unrest Spilling into Lebanon Syrian tanks entered the Bekaa border region of Arsal in on Tuesday and fired in the direction of an abandoned factory.

* Boycott looms as Egyptian elections near Less than two weeks left before campaigning begins for what are supposed to be Egypt’s first ever free and fair elections, a boycott by opposition activists, some political parties and the country’s Christian minority remains on the table.

* Turkish PM: Israel a nuclear threat Turkey’s prime minister says Israel is a threat to the region for having a nuclear weapon.

* Bibles rescued from Syria in secret op It was a James Bond-style, continent-wide operation with many participants. It began in Syria, continued in the United States and ended in Israel.

* Ahmadinejad: Missile shields won’t prevent collapse of Zionist regime Iran criticized Turkey on Tuesday for agreeing to allow NATO to station an early warning radar in the southeast of the country.

* Somali famine: Red Cross aid push in Islamist areas The International Red Cross has begun a huge distribution of aid to one million people in famine zones in Somalia controlled by Islamist militants.

* Germany Reopens Investigations into Hundreds of Nazi Guards The German government has launched a last-chance blitzkrieg on the dormant cases of hundreds of former guards and other personnel at Nazi death camps.

* Unrest spreads to military as retired Greek officers storm defence ministry The Greek armed forces now appear to be entering the political and street-level debate in the country over EU- and IMF-imposed austerity.

10/4/11

* Assad threatens to attack TA in case of NATO strike Syrian President Bashar Assad on Tuesday threatened to set fire to the Middle East.

* Sinai Anarchy to mean More IDF Reserves Former IDF soldiers may find themselves called back to duty more frequently this year as the IDF responds to growing terrorist threats from Sinai.

* US says Israel, PA support new Quartet approach to talks In an apparent effort to keep the most recent Quartet initiative alive, the US embassy circulated a statement Tuesday giving the impression both Israel and the Palestinians have equally accepted a Quartet framework for returning to direct talks.

* World’s most powerful telescope up and running A radio telescope high in the Chilean desert is the world’s most powerful eye on the universe.

* Iranian Extremists Pursue Christians Overseas Iranians who fled their country after converting to Christianity have received death threats in their new homes overseas.

* Early Hitler letter urging annihilation of Jews goes on display in U.S. Adolf Hitler’s anti-Semitic 1919 Gemlich letter, described as the most significant document ever acquired by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, is now on display.

* Nobel Prize for physics awarded for supernovae research Three scientists shared the 2011 Nobel Prize for physics for the stunning discovery that the expansion of the universe is speeding up.

* Europe Finds Slope Ahead Is Growing Ever Steeper Europe has had a rough ride since Greece confessed it falsified its books to join the euro.

* ‘No need’ for US troop immunity post-2011: Iraq leaders Iraqi leaders said in a statement Tuesday there was “no need” for US forces that stay beyond year-end.

* Arab Spring sparks sharp fall in foreign investment The flow of foreign direct investment into the Arab world is expected to slump by 17 percent in 2011.

10/03/11

* Panetta hints US opposed to unilateral action against Iran After meeting with Barak, US defense secretary repeats that countries must work together to prevent Iranian threat to region.

* Israel is the West’s creation for Mideast dominance Iranian president slams “western intolerance for debate over Jewish state’s existence” at “Intifada Conference” in Tehran.

* Israel fears Iran will copy its policy of nuclear ambiguity Defense official tells reporters Iran could continue on current course of enriching uranium without publicly making nuclear weapon.

* Hitler letter offers first glimpse of anti-Semitic passions “The Gemlich letter proves obsessive hatred of Jews more clearly than in his later book ‘Mein Kampf'” says founder of Wiesenthal Center.

* PA Maps Show State that Swallows Up Israel While the PA speaks of the indefensible 1967 “borders” at the UN, its maps tell a different story – one in which Israel no longer exists.

* Erdogan playing with fire Turkey’s recent military moves, rhetoric have shifted from cursing to war games

* Virtual Dead Sea scrolls get more than a million hits in just one week 400,000 Americans visit new website launched by Israel Museum and Google.

* Libya conflict: New offensive on Sirte Forces of the Libyan transitional government have launched a new offensive against the pro-Gaddafi stronghold of Sirte.

* Iraqi Forces Battle Bombers, Gunmen to End Siege Iraqi security forces on Monday killed several suicide bombers and gunmen to rescue hostages seized by insurgents after they attacked a local government compound and a police station in Anbar province.

* Arab Housing Day accentuates Palestinian building boom Palestinian dwellings built this year expected to exceed total dwellings built in Israel in 2010; number of units expected to reach 884,385 in 2011.

10/01/11

* ‘US to hand fighter helicopters to Turkish army’ US Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone said on Friday that the US will give three Super Cobra helicopters to Turkey.

* Temple Mount: Plenty to see for all 3 religions A Jewish tour guide and a Muslim tour guide meet on the Temple Mount and talk about Christianity.

* Khamenei rejects two states, calls Israel ‘cancerous’ Iran’s supreme leader rejected the Palestinians’ UN statehood bid on Saturday.

* Hamas: ‘Resistance’ against Israel is only option left for Palestinians Hamas leader Khaled Meshal told an international conference in Iran on Saturday that “resistance” was the only option left for the Palestinians.

* Palestinian official: Mideast Quartet envoy Tony Blair ‘useless’ A senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday said that former British premier and current Mideast Quartet representative Tony Blair was “useless.”

* Officer: Syrian defectors target security police More than 10,000 soldiers have deserted the Syrian army and defectors are attacking security police.

* UN panel holds first meeting on Palestinian statehood bid A UN Security Council panel on admitting new members to the United Nations met on Friday for the first time.

* Tehran to host Intifada conference Hundreds of Iranian and foreign politicians are due to participate in an international conference in support of the Palestinian Intifada in Tehran.

* The making of a shofar Expert shofar maker Aharon Shternberg shows us how it’s done – from the ram’s horns as nature made them to the synagogue floor.

* Dangerous al-Qaida propagandist eliminated The killing of senior al-Qaida propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen represents a significant blow to the organization’s indoctrination capabilities.

09/30/11

* Islamist cleric Anwar Awlaki ‘killed in Yemen’ US-born radical Islamist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, a key al-Qaeda leader, has been killed in Yemen.

* Activists in Arab World Vie to Define Islamic State By force of this year’s Arab revolts and revolutions, activists marching under the banner of Islam are on the verge of a reckoning decades in the making.

* Iran: We’ve produced domestic version of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles Iran has completed the production of a self-made version of the Russian S-300 missile.

* Egyptian envoy to PA: Israel plotting to retake Sinai Egyptian Ambassador to the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Othman believes Israel is plotting to retake control of the Sinai peninsula.

* Iranian Pastor Sentenced to Death: Nadarkhani Refuses to Convert Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who is facing the death penalty, again refused to convert to Islam to save his life.

* Europe again steps back from brink in debt crisis Following a now-familiar script, Europe again averted disaster in its debt crisis when German lawmakers rallied behind Chancellor Angela Merkel to approve a stronger euro zone bailout fund.

* Medvedev Defends Plan to Trade Places With Putin President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia tried on Friday to counter complaints that the government reshuffle announced last week strips voters of any voice in the country’s future.

* Poor nations urged to spur growth by getting online With online business increasingly driving economic growth, developing nations’ top priority should be the infrastructure their citizens need to get connected.

* ‘Israeli jets fly low over Turkish gas exploration ship’ Low-flying Israeli warplanes and helicopters “harassed” a Turkish ship exploring for natural gas reserves near Cyprus.

* European Parliament: Palestinian statehood is ‘legitimate’ The European Parliament on Thursday adopted a resolution which declared the Palestinian people’s “legitimate right to create an independent state.”

09/29/11

* Tony Blair’s job in jeopardy as Palestinians accuse him of bias Tony Blair’s future as Middle East peace envoy was in jeopardy.

* 35% of Egyptians Support Muslim Brotherhood More than a third of Egyptians support the extreme Muslim Brotherhood movement.

* Netanyahu rejects criticism of Jerusalem construction beyond green line Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected Western and Arab complaints that the planned construction of 1,100 new homes in Gilo on annexed land close to Jerusalem would complicate Middle East peace efforts.

* PA: We are one vote shy of a majority in Security Council Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said Thursday that the Palestinians have received approval from eight members of the UN Security Council.

* Israelis Consume 2,000 Tons of Honey in Tishrei Israelis this year will consume 2,000 tons of honey during the Hebrew month of Tishrei.

* Turkey’s Elephant in the Room: Religious Freedom With his triumphant tour of the countries of the Arab Spring this month, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has managed to set up Turkey on the international stage.

* Assad supporters pelt US envoy with eggs Supporters of Syria’s President Bashar Assad pelted the US ambassador to Damascus with eggs and tomatoes.

* Israelis Happy at Home but Glum About Peace With the start of the Jewish New Year at sunset on Wednesday, a traditional time for stock-taking in Israel.

* Rocket launches Chinese space lab A rocket carrying China’s first space laboratory, Tiangong-1, has launched from the north of the country.

* Libyan forces take Sirte airport Forces loyal to Libya’s transitional authorities have taken the airport in the city of Sirte, the birthplace of fugitive leader Muammar Gaddafi.

09/28/11

* Rosh Hashanah, The Jewish New Year, Begins Wednesday Night The Jewish People begin the High Holydays on Wednesday evening, ushering in the year 5772.

* France: Iran nuke drive raises risk of strike France’s UN envoy warned that Iran faces the risk of a military strike if it pursues its nuclear drive.

* UN review panel mulls Palestinian statehood bid The UN Security Council has handed the Palestinian bid for full membership of the world body to a review panel.

* U.S. demands action on Pakistani terrorist network The United States on Tuesday demanded that Pakistan dismantle a terrorist network blamed for attacking a U.S. embassy.

* Iran begins mass producing cruise missile for Navy Iran has begun to mass produce the Qader marine cruise missile, designed to target warships, frigates and coastal targets.

* Region Watch: Storm clouds over eastern Mediterranean Early this week, the US-based Noble Energy Company began exploratory drilling for offshore gas deposits off the coast of Cyprus.

* Security forces on high alert ahead of holiday weekend As Israel readies to welcome Rosh Hashana, the nation’s security forces have declared a high state of alert.

* Taiwan 7-Eleven suspends sales of cartoon products resembling Hitler The 7-Eleven convenience store chain in Taiwan has suspended sales of cartoon products said to resemble Adolf Hitler.

* EU ‘faces its greatest challenge’ – Jose Manuel Barroso The head of the European Commission has told Euro MPs that Greece will stay in the eurozone.

* Iranian Pastor Faces Execution for Refusing to Recant Christian Faith An Iranian pastor who has refused to renounce his Christian faith faces execution as early as Wednesday after his sentence was upheld by an Iranian court.

09/27/11

* US calls new construction in J’lem ‘counterproductive’ The United States said on Tuesday that Israel’s decision to approve construction of 1,100 homes in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo – located past the Green Line – was “counterproductive”.

* Erdogan: UN should impose sanctions on Israel like Iran Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that the UN Security Council should have followed through with resolutions on Israel.

* Fearing Change, Many Christians in Syria Back Assad Abu Elias sat beneath the towering stairs leading from the Convent of Our Lady of Saydnaya.

* Syrian uprising showing signs of armed rebellion Once-peaceful Syrian protesters are increasingly taking up arms to fight a six-month military crackdown.

* Libya adrift Nothing is settled yet in Libya, and it is unclear what will happen in the coming weeks and months.

* Christians Fleeing Egypt, NGO Reports The number of Christians to have fled Egypt since March is approaching 100,000.

* ‘Budapest – Europe’s Capital of Anti-Semitism’ The rise of right-wing and anti-Semitic parties heralds a new wave of anti-Semitism that is headquartered in Budapest.

* Egyptian FM backs treaty with Israel Egypt’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Amr said Monday his country will always respect its landmark peace treaty with Israel.

* Iran says could deploy navy near U.S. coast Iran raised the prospect on Tuesday of sending military ships close to the United States’ Atlantic coast.

* Hamas Calls for Strategic Dialogue With Fatah Ismail Haniyeh, who serves as the ‘prime minister’ in Hamas-run Gaza, called on Monday for an ‘inter-Palestinian’ strategic dialogue to decide on a joint strategy for establishing an independent state.

09/26/11

* 58 Percent of Jewish Israelis are Religious or Traditionalist Census stats: 33 percent of Jews are religious, another 25 percent see themselves as “traditionalist but not so religious”.

* Israel on New Year: Population of 7,797,400 Central Bureau of Statistics releases data on Israeli population ahead of Jewish New Year. Findings show growth in birth rate and aliyah

* Netanyahu: Abbas Trying to Detour Negotiations Netanyahu on “Meet the Press”: “The Palestinians are trying to get a state without giving Israel peace. That should not succeed.”

* In Mideast Riddle, Turkey Offers Itself as an Answer Not so long ago, the foreign policy of Turkey revolved around a single issue: the divided island of Cyprus.

* Netanyahu terms Erdogan comments ‘outrageous, false’ PM tells Post that Turkish PM’s claims that Israel has killed thousands of Palestinians and uses Holocaust to perpetrate victimhood have nothing to do with facts.

* How Putin Arranged His Return to the Presidency The false suspense ended as Dimitry Medvedev announced Putin’s candidacy.

* Abbas Launches “Palestinian Spring” in Ramallah Cheered by thousands, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas announced the start of “Palestinian Spring” in Ramallah Sunday upon his return from the UN.

* Dead Sea scrolls: Now online Israel’s national museum and the international web giant Google are behind the project, which put five scrolls online Monday.

* App helps travelers speak in foreign languages The translation engine trains itself to determine the most common way a native speaker would say a particular phrase.

* If vultures in danger, ‘entire ecosystem in trouble’ Experts from around the world meet in TA to discuss how to revive scavenger bird’s global population.

09/24/11

* Netanyahu to Abbas: Let’s Just Negotiate Peace! Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.

* Following UN Speeches: Quartet Sets Timetable for Talks The Middle East Quartet published on Friday a new timetable for re-launching negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

* PM: I’m the one who will establish peace between 2 states Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed his domestic audience on Saturday.

* PA unhappy with ‘incomplete’ Quartet peace initiative The Palestinian Authority is unhappy with the Quartet’s latest initiative to launch peace talks with Israel.

* Security and Defense: Challenging times On June 5, when pro-Palestinian protesters tried crossing from Syria into Israel like they had on Nakba Day a month earlier.

* Opinion: Palestinian Authority Apocalypse Israeli families are not paid rewards by their government when their relatives are killed.

* Israel on Ahmadinejad: Threatens World Peace and Security Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued an official response on Thursday evening.

* Europe must save the two-state solution The speeches have been given, and each leader pandered to his audiences.

* Fighters Renew Attack on Surt, Qaddafi’s Hometown Fighters trying to root out loyalists of the fugitive Libyan leader Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi renewed their attack on his hometown, Surt.

* Putin Once More Moves to Assume Top Job in Russia Vladimir V. Putin, who transformed post-Soviet Russia by imposing strict Kremlin control over most aspects of public life.