Free Republic

Video IDF soldier Sergeant Ron Yitzhak Kukia, 19, who was murdered on Thursday evening in the stabbing attack in Arad, was laid to rest on Sunday afternoon, accompanied by hundreds of family and friends. Minister of Science Ophir Akunis, Head of Central Command Roman Numa, Head of Southern Command General Eyal Zamir and the Head of the IDF's Technological and Logistical Directorate, Lieutenant General Aharon Haliva, arrived at his funeral in the military section of the Kiryat Shaul cemetery. Minister Akunis eulogized Ron on behalf of the Israeli government. "How heroes have fallen, the people of Israel bow their heads...

Mahmoud Al-Habbash, a senior adviser to Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas, on Saturday declared that an American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital will destroy the peace process. His comments followed reports that U.S. President Donald Trump could recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as soon as Wednesday. “Any American declaration of recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel – if there is one – would mean total destruction of the peace process," said Al-Habbash, who was quoted in Israeli media. “The whole world will pay a price for any change or harm to the political reality of Jerusalem,”...

Jim Nabors, who gave popular culture its most enduring image of a wide-eyed, good-natured if none too bright hayseed in a character whose very name – Gomer Pyle – would become synonymous with lovable rube, died Thursday in Hawaii. He was 87. Nabors’ husband, Stan Cadwallader... With catchphrases “Shazam!” and “Gollllly!” (the latter drawn out to four or five lilting syllables), Nabors debuted his downhome, gas station attendant character in 1962 on The Andy Griffith Show, where the slow-going, dim-witted Gomer was a constant irritation to Don Knotts’ officious, high-strung Deputy Barney Fife. The Gomer character, and Nabors’ odd-couple chemistry...

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Wednesday criticized President Donald Trump after he retweeted anti-Muslim propaganda originally shared by Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of the extremist group Britain First. "It is shameful and dangerous that the president of the United States is retweeting disturbing and violent anti-Muslim videos sourced from a far-right nationalist with a long and dubious record of propagating hate videos. ....

SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea said on Wednesday it had successfully tested a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that could reach all of the U.S. mainland. .....

Israeli security forces began the destruction of Jewish homes the Netiv Ha'avot neighborhood of Elazar in Samaria, an IDF source reported. Security forces are working to complete the demolition while ensuring security, law, and order. According to the IDF, the demolitions are being done "as per the request of the political echelon." Gush Etzion Regional Council Head Shlomo Ne'eman said, "It's very said that we have reached this moment. We've lost control and we've lost sovereignty. People tell us that this is 'the rule of law' but really, i's a loss of control and the destruction of law. Not only...

Manhattan terrorist pleads not guilty Sayfullo Saipov, who is accused of killing eight people in New York City on Halloween, pleads not guilty to federal terrorism charges. Sayfullo Saipov, who is accused of killing eight people in the terror attack in New York City on Halloween, pleaded not guilty to federal terrorism charges Tuesday, reports Fox News. Saipov, 29, faces eight counts of murder in aid of racketeering, 12 counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, one count of providing and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State (ISIS) and one count of violence and destruction of...

A federal jury on Tuesday convicted Libyan terrorist Ahmed Abu Khattala on terrorism charges related to the 2012 attacks on U.S. government facilities in Benghazi, but acquitted him of murder, the most serious charge he faced, reported The Hill. Abu Khattala, 46, was convicted on four counts, including conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. At the same time, he was also acquitted of 14 other charges. He faces up to 60 years in prison. Abu Khattala, a leader of the terrorist organization Ansar al-Sharia, was captured by American forces in Libya in June of 2014, and has previously denied...

Let this be a lesson to you, young man. Yeah, dad. I realize now that I shouldn't grab a girl's boobs while she's sleeping and photograph. Now it's time to get back to work, and don't let me catch you resigning or doing anything like this again. Sure, dad.

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo said North Korea violated the ceasefire agreement between the two countries when North Korean soldiers fired at a defector who fled through the demilitarized zone...

The European Union rebuked Israel on Friday, condemning the Jewish state for the demolition of illegal Arab buildings and demanding Israel refrain from further demolitions. In a statement released by the local Office of the European Union Representative, the EU slammed Israel over the planned eviction of Bedouin squatters who established illegal settlements in the northern Jordan Valley in eastern Israel over the past decade. Ein al-Hilweh and Umm Jamal, home to an estimated 400 Bedouin squatters, were first established in the mid-2000s. The two illegal settlements, which have sprawled around roads and intersections, have hindered traffic in the area,...

Video House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi defended Rep. John Conyers on Sunday while saying accusations of sexual harassment against the 88-year-old Democratic congressman from Michigan should be taken “seriously.” On NBC’s “Meet The Press,” Pelosi called Conyers “an icon in our country” who “has done a great deal to protect women” and deserves “due process.” “Just because someone is accused — and was it one accusation? Is it two?” Pelosi, D-Calif., said. “The fact is, as John reviews his case, which he knows, which I don’t, I believe he will do the right thing.” Last week, BuzzFeed revealed that in...

Khaled Al-Batash, one of the senior leaders of the Islamic Jihad terrorist group in Gaza, reiterated on Saturday that the organization is determined to retaliate for Israel blowing up a terror tunnel which led from Gaza into Israel, resulting in the deaths of 17 terrorists, most of them members of the Islamic Jihad. The bodies of 12 of the terrorists were recovered by the Palestinian Authority (PA), while Israel recovered and is holding the bodies of the remaining five. In an interview with the Palestinian Arab Quds Press news agency, Batash said, "We are not discussing with anyone our right...

The deputy head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Brigadier General Hossein Salami, warned Europe on Saturday that if it threatens Tehran, the Guards will increase the range of missiles to above 2000 kilometers. “If we have kept the range of our missiles to 2000 kilometers, it’s not due to lack of technology. ... We are following a strategic doctrine,” Salami said, according to the Reuters news agency, which cited a report in Iranian media. “So far we have felt that Europe is not a threat, so we did not increase the range of our missiles. But if Europe wants to turn...

The number of “Palestinian refugees” in Lebanon has decreased significantly over the past few years and many are leaving for other countries to try to improve their situation. In an interview with the Hamas newspaper Palestine on Thursday, Hamas’s representative in Lebanon Ali Baraka said that some 260,000 “Palestinian refugees” had left the refugee camps in Lebanon to various countries in recent years because of the difficult security and economic conditions. According to him, the figures he cited are based on a poll conducted by the Lebanese authorities and which indicates that there is a deliberate action to bring about...

...that the PA is freezing all contacts with the United States over last week's announcement by Washington that it will close the representative office of the PA and PLO in Washington, DC under law unless the PA resumes serious negotiations with Israel. PA Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Malki told AFP.“In practice by closing the office they are freezing all meetings and we are making that official.” A spokesman for the PLO confirms that it had received instructions from PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas “regarding closing down all communication lines with the Americans.”

North Korea stepped up its repression of its own citizens by banning drinking and singing,the Yonhap news agency reported Monday. According to the report, North Korean citizens are banned from attending “any gatherings related to drinking, singing and other entertainment." The move may be part of an effort to stifle “a possible negative impact” of sanctions against the rogue regime for its recent nuclear weapons tests. ....

Noam Arnon, the Spokesman for the Jewish Community of Hevron, participated in the conference hosted by Arutz Sheva and the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce held at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, and came with a message. “We spoke today about the future of Israel, and America, and the whole region. I want to say one thing: Sovereignty is responsibility. A two-state solution is a destruction.” “Sovereignty is responsibility for the people of Israel - and the Arabs. Most of the Arabs, when I talk to them, say that they want Israeli sovereignty. It sounds strange, but if you...

NEW YORK (AP) — PBS says it is immediately halting distribution of Charlie Rose's interview program and CBS News suspended him following The Washington Post's report of eight women who accused the veteran newsman of multiple unwanted sexual advances and inappropriate behavior. The women, three of whom spoke on the record in the deeply-reported story, accused Rose of groping them, walking naked in front of them and relating an erotic dream. Rose told the Post that he was "deeply embarrassed" and apologized for his behavior. Rose's PBS show features his in-depth interviews with newsmakers....

Army Radio reporter Hadas Shteif at a Shabbatarbut event in Ness Ziona claimed former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sexually harassed her several years ago. Speaking to Amalia Dwek, the event organizer, Shteif said the incident occurred when she worked at the Israel Broadcasting Authority's studios. After the Shabbatarbut event, Shteif tweeted, "It is all true. I spoke the truth to many people. I was grossed out. I have not forgotten. Because of what I went through, I believe the words of every woman who dares to speak up 30 years later." .....