M E N O R A H

A peek into Temple Mount excavations

2009-11-09T05:04:15-06:00

Western Wall Heritage Foundation holds tour of tunnels in attempt to ward off Muslim claims that al-Aqsa Mosque is in danger of collapsing. Waqf refuses offer for similar tour for Muslims, saying 'settlers won't give us approval to enter a Muslim-owned area'.

Initial photos obtained by Ynet show the excavation works along the tunnels, as photographed during a tour held in the area about two weeks ago, which was attended by several officials and organizations from all parts of the political spectrum. More

Judea and Samaria ruled by the PA under Abbas and Gaza under Hamas ruins chance of two state solution

2009-11-09T04:58:50-06:00

(IsraelNN.com) The de facto Hamas terrorist rule in Gaza is the real problem behind last week’s announcement by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas that he will not run for re-election, former IDF intelligence director Zev Farkash said.

Speaking at a lecture in Netanya, Farkash stated, "Abbas has no control in Gaza. The chance of a peace pact between Hamas and Fatah [Abbas’ party] is zero. The physical separation of the Palestinian Authority into two areas - Judea and Samaria ruled by the PA under Abbas and Gaza under Hamas – has virtually ruined any chance that the PA can carry out the American goal of turning it into a country." More

Obama, Netanyahu to meet Monday evening amid doubt on peace talks

2009-11-08T17:51:13-06:00

Ending days of uncertainty, White House announces meeting between US president, Israeli prime minister to be held in Washington on Monday evening. Administration offers no immediate information about what will be on their agenda.

The prime minister's plane landed at Washington's Andrews Air Force Base Airport on Sunday evening (local time). Israel has yet to be informed of the exact time of the meeting with Obama.

Obama's decision to meet Netanyahu will likely anger Palestinians already frustrated by a perceived shift in policy by the Obama administration to accommodate Israeli expansion of West Bank settlements. More

Again Obama Declares Support For Dividing Jerusalem

2009-11-08T07:40:22-06:00

President Obama once again reaffirmed that he sees Jerusalem as a divided city. Haaretz reports: "President Barack Obama has promised the Palestinian leadership that there will be no change to U.S. policy on the issue of Jerusalem, and that East Jerusalem does not constitute part of the State of Israel."

It is important to always keep in mind that when the term "East Jerusalem" is used it includes the Old City and the Temple Mount. In other words Obama supports dividing Israel's capital and taking a way Israel's control of the Old City. By all accounts Israel's governance of the Old City has been stellar. Before Israel took control, Jews were banned from the Old City and Christians had limited access. Today, thanks to Israel, the Old City is open to everyone. More

US Senators Act to Force Recognition of Jerusalem as Capital

2009-11-07T18:41:44-06:00

The proposed Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act law, number S. 2737, is "a bill to relocate to Jerusalem the United States Embassy in Israel" and has six co-sponsors--five Republicans, from Kentucky, Texas, Arizona, and Louisiana and Independent Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

It would remove the current waiver, which gives the president authority to delay recognition of Jerusalem as the capital on the premise that doing so would endanger the security of the United States. Previous presidents, including George W. Bush, vowed during their election campaigns they would recognize Jerusalem as the Jewish State’s capital but they have failed out to carry out their election promise. More

J'lem mayor finds support for united city in US Congress

2009-11-07T05:25:08-06:00

Barkat warmly received in Washington, with Congress members presenting to him legislation proposal to have US embassy moved from Tel Aviv to capital without need for president's consent.

WASHINGTON - Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat met with Democratic and Republican Congress members in Washington on Friday, and was pleased to find wall-to-wall support of the need to keep Jerusalem united.

The mayor, who is on a two-week visit to the United States and Canada, arrived at Congress accompanied by Israeli Ambassador to Washington Michael Oren. Barkat was received warmly, and learned that it is seemingly easier to run Jerusalem from the US capital than from the Israeli one. More

Policewoman Kimberly Munley shoots Ft. Hood killer after she is wounded

2009-11-06T17:31:38-06:00

The most informative and straightforward account of the massacre I've seen is in London's Sun newspaper. It pays tribute to policewoman Kimberly Munley, who was on a routine traffic patrol and became the first officer on the site. (There were lots of soldiers there, of course, but they were all unarmed because it was a "gun-free zone"--sort of a microcosm of the adage that when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.) It would have been easy for her to conclude that this incident was way beyond her pay grade and wait for reinforcements, but instead Sgt. Munley sought out the murderer, confronted him and shot him four times while being wounded herself. The Sun quotes Base Commander Lt. Gen. Bob Cone: More

Cousin: Maj. Malik Hasan has "always been a Muslim"

2009-11-06T03:59:25-06:00

Nader Hasan said his cousin, of Middle Eastern descent, was born in the U.S., attended high school in northern Virginia and graduated from Virginia Tech.

Retired Maj. Gen. Robert Scales told Fox News the massacre did not appear to be the act of a mentally ill or extremely stressed person.

"This was a deliberate act of execution," he said. More

And Jihad at Fort Hood

Is Abbas (Arafat in a suit) just crying wolf again?

2009-11-05T17:03:19-06:00

Resignation, or rather the threat of resignation, is not an invention of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser used to wield the same weapon to boost his public support, and Yasser Arafat would from time to time threaten to quit just to shake up public opinion. It is true that Abbas sounded adamant on Thursday, but within the past year he has made decisive announcements on other matters only to backtrack later. He accepted the resignation of his prime minister, Salam Fayyad, only to reappoint him. He pushed for the submission of the Goldstone commission report to the United Nations, but reconsidered and shifted course again. More

General James Jones on an ego trip

2009-11-05T10:47:44-06:00

"We are clear, unambiguous and consistent," said Gen. Jones, "The time has come to relaunch negotiations without preconditions to reach a final status agreement on two states." The National Security Advisor emphasized that, "President Obama's dedication to achieve these goals is unshaken, is committed, and we will be relentless in our pursuit of achieving these." He said that ending the conflict and the occupation is essential because what is at stake is "nothing less than the dignity and the security of all human beings." "We must move beyond talking about talks and get to the hard work of addressing the core issues that separate Israelis and Palestinians," Jones said...." More