Free Republic

Would Muslims surrender Mecca? Should Catholics give up the Vatican? These may seem like ridiculous questions. The answer to both by any sane person would be "of course not." Why on earth would the answer to "Would Jews ever surrender Jerusalem?" be any different? The answer is simple. It shouldn't. With the exception of a seven year period in the sixth century when the Persians restored Jewish sovereignty, the Jewish people were denied a homeland from 70 C.E. until 1948. During that time the Jewish people suffered pogroms, expulsions, mass murder, persecution, and assorted other forms of denial of basic...

Knesset holds session in memory of 12 Jewish underground members hung by British. Tibi: They fired at civilian bus, killed minister; are they heroes or terrorists? Amnon Meranda Published: 03.09.10, 18:16 / Israel News Knesset members Ahmed Tibi and Talab El-Sana (both United Arab List-Ta'al) were ejected from the Knesset plenum Tuesday after heckling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech during a special session in memory of the Olei Hagardom, the 12 members of the Jewish underground sentenced to hang by the British. The prime minister said, "I salute those who gave their lives in the struggle for freedom, whereupon Tibi...

Fourteen illegal Palestinian aliens were arrested Tuesday after being discovered staying in an ice-cream truck stationed in Netanya's Ramat Poleg neighborhood. (Raanan Ben-Zur)

1,600 housing units in east J'lem approved Interior Ministry's District Committee for Planning and Construction approves expansion in Ramat Shlomo neighborhood, located beyond Green Line while US Vice President Joe Biden in Jerusalem to promote peace talks with Palestinians. Ministry source says timing coincidental Ronen Medzini Published: 03.09.10, 18:13 / Israel News US Vice President Joe Biden is in the region to reignite the peace process, but the Interior Ministry seems unmoved by the political statements made and on Tuesday approved the addition of 1,600 housing units in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, which is located beyond the...

Israel's economic recovery accelerates The Central Bureau of Statistics reported that GDP grew 4.4% in the fourth quarter of 2009. The Central Bureau of Statistics today reported that Israel's GDP grew by 4.4% at an annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2009. GDP grew on a seasonally adjusted basis by 2.9% at an annual rate in the second half of last year, after a 1.6% fall in GDP at an annual rate in the first half of 2009. The 4.4% rise in GDP in the fourth quarter of 2009 followed a 3% rise in GDP in the third quarter...

Hezbollah on Tuesday urged France to "rein in Israeli aggressiveness" amid heightened concern in Beirut over recent Israeli warnings to the Shiite militant movement and its backer Syria. The group's representatives told French Senate President French Gerard Larcher that Israel's escalating policy was the cause of tensions in the region and that Lebanon had the right to hold onto the necessary power to deter any possible Israeli attack.

Chance meeting in Moscow restaurant between Greek, Israelis prime ministers dedicated mainly to economic issues, but Netanyahu takes opportunity to strengthen central message: Nuclear arms race underway in Middle East that includes Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt After his meeting with Russian president, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unexpectedly bumped into Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou Monday in a Moscow restaurant and took the opportunity to continue on the objective of his Russia trip – to warn against the Iranian nuclear threat. One of the threats to world peace out of a number of existing threats of the military nuclearization of Iran...

The Russians, also in their previous form as the Soviet Union, were never members of the Israel fan club. There were times when they openly stood by the State of Israel’s bitterest enemies. The Russians supplied both Egypt and Syria with the weapons they used in the wars against us. When we complained to them about it, the Russians suggested that we stop bothering them with nonsense; after all, they said, they have millions of hungry people to feed. The fact that Israel had destroyed a significant part of Russia’s weapons, used by the Egyptians and Syrians, hurt their ego...

World powers send letter to UN nuclear watchdog in response to Tehran's launch last week of higher-grade enrichment. Iranian President Ahmadinejad says any country which tries to impose new sanctions on Islamic Republic will regret its actions Published: 02.16.10, 16:42 / Israel News Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday talks were still going on over a proposed nuclear fuel swap and any country which tried to impose new sanctions on Iran would regret its actions. He was speaking a day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sought backing from oil giant Saudi Arabia to help win Chinese support...

Arabs have no choice but to engage in negotiations with Israel in order to promote peace, Qatari Prime Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabir al-Thani said Monday in a conference of Muslim states in Doha. "In order to advance the peace process, there is no choice but to sit at the negotiating table with Israel," the Qatari leader said. "We may agree or disagree with Israel, yet sitting at the negotiating table is the only way to achieve a satisfactory result," the Qatari leader said. Participants in the conference, which was examining ties between Muslim states and the United States, include...

Here is one of the more encouraging news we got from the IDF recently: Based on a report by Amir Bubut, as of May of this year a humanitarian aid officer will be accompanying any combat regiment entering the Gaza Strip. The coordinator of operations in the territories has decided that the mission of this officer – an Arabic-speaking reservist – would be to assist commanders in minimizing the harm done to and suffering sustained by the civilian population not involved in the fighting. The officer will make sure that the enquiries of citizens whose homes get caught up in...

The Washington Post had an article by Howard Schneider yesterday about the dispute over property in in Sheikh Jarrah, a small Arab neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem. I have no problem with an article that presents both the Israeli and Palestinian side of a story like this. I have a huge problem with asserting facts which simply are not in evidence and skewing the picture in favor of one side, in this case the Palestinians.The article plays fast and loose with the facts. For example, it states that "Israel asserts its jurisdiction over the entire city -- including Arab areas it...

A most disturbing report by Avi Yelin for Arutz Sheva two weeks ago detailed how members of the tiny Jewish community in Malmö, Sweden's southern city, are fleeing violent anti-Semitism. In a city with only 700 Jewish residents there were 79 crimes against Jews reported to the Malmö police last year, doubling the number reported in 2008. The article continues: "Jewish cemeteries and synagogues have been repeatedly defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti, and a chapel at another Jewish burial site in Malmö was firebombed last January" Fredrik Sieradzki of the Jewish Community of Malmö is pessimistic about the future of his...

Mottaki says 'Zionist regime is in its weakest position' following Goldstone Report, Lebanon and Gaza wars, but warns entire region 'must be prepared for crazy operations against us' Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Monday referred to Israel as "a mad nation led by insane people". In an interview to the al-Jazeera network, Mottaki said that the Islamic Republic was not taking the Jewish state's threats to launch a military attack on its nuclear facilities seriously, but stressed that Tehran must be prepared for an Israeli attack. According to the Iranian minister, "The Zionist regime in the region is in...

Intel Israel general manager Maxine Fassberg: We want to build the next 22-nanometer fab in Israel, at an investment of $2.7 billion. ntel Israel Ltd. posted $3.4 billion in sales in 2009, 145% more than in 2008, as the company's Fab 28 in Kiryat Gat entered full production. Intel Israel general manager Maxine Fassberg said, "2009 exceeded all our expectations. We brought the Kiryat Gat fab to peak production capacity." Over the past decade, Intel Israel had $17.5 billion in exports. Intel Corporation (Nasdaq: INTC) invested $7.3 billion in Israel over the same period, including $3.3 billion in Fab 28....

President needs dramatic gesture to change perception of him as lightweight ideologue. I do not customarily offer advice to a president whose election I opposed, whose goals I fear and whose policies I work against. But here is a way for Barack Obama to salvage his tottering administration by taking a step that protects the US and its allies. If Obama’s personality, identity and celebrity captivated a majority of the American electorate in 2008, those qualities proved ruefully deficient in 2009. He failed to deliver on employment and health care, he failed in foreign policy forays small (e.g., landing the...

Gaza gunman claims many more bombs still at sea to avenge terror chief's death. Police sappers detonated a bomb found on the Palmahim beach late Wednesday afternoon, the third barrel containing explosives found on Israel's shores this week. Police closed down the entire area and shortly after 4 p.m., sappers blew up the barrel. A large explosion was seen and heard on the beach. The incident comes two days after two barrels containing explosive devices washed ashore on beaches in Ashkelon and Ashdod Monday. Both were destroyed by police sappers. Since Monday, dozens of policemen have been searching for additional...

Speaking at Herzliya Conference, Netanyahu praises Palestinian efforts to improve economy and build institutions, appeals to them to accept resumption of efforts toward peace accord. Photo by: GPO Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Wednesday he had reason to believe that long-stalled peace talks with the Palestinians could resume in a matter of weeks. Netanyahu did not give details, but an Israeli official indicated Israel would take a step to make it possible for the Palestinians to agree to talks. He did not give details and spoke on condition of anonymity because no offer has been made. Palestinians have been insisting...

The two week IDF rescue and medical mission to Haiti drew some absolutely amazing press. Even media outlets normally critical of Israel couldn’t heap enough praise on what Israelis did in Haiti. For example, watch this brief (under two minute) report on CNN. Here is another CNN story about Israeli rescue efforts. Even some in the Arab media covered the story. Here is what Palestinian-American journalist Ray Hanania had to say: “200,000 Haitians died in an earthquake. They sent doctors and supplies to help. That is a good thing. Just because we are fighting with Israel doesn’t mean we should...

Senior Palestinian source confirms explosive devices found on Ashkelon, Ashdod beaches were meant for attack on southern oil platform, cementing Israeli concerns that Palestinian groups are eyeing strategic facilities A senior member in one of the Palestinian organizations confirmed Monday evening that the two explosive devices found on beaches in southern Israel were meant to be used in a future terror attack an oil rig in the south. The confirmation verified various concerns in the defense establishment, that Palestinian groups will try targeting a strategic facility in Israel. Earlier, an explosive device was discovered floating just off Hofit beach in...