Nations Up in Arms Over Additional Housing in Jerusalem Neighborhood

October 5, 2014 Israel's latest building project, to add 2,500 homes to the Givat Hamatos neighborhood of Jerusalem, was put in the pipeline for construction two years ago, but its final approval only came last week with an announcement from the Jerusalem municipality. The White House, however, sees the neighborhood growth in Jerusalem as a slap in the face of the peace process.

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Third Temple Blueprint Campaign Exceeds Funding Target

October 2, 2014 An Internet-based crowdfunding campaign between the Ninth of Av and Rosh HaShanah surpassed its 60-day goal of $100,000, as almost 900 investors pitched in to rebuild the Beit HaMikdash (בית מקדש, God's Holy Temple). Drawing $104,814 from its first ever Indiegogo campaign, the Temple Institute stated the 882 pledged contributions would pay for the complete work-up of the future Temple's architectural plans.

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Israel Tourism Becomes Casualty of War

September 29, 2014 Even though a ceasefire has been in place since August 26th, Israel’s tourism industry continues to suffer. Prior to the war with Gaza, tourism was on the upswing. Although everything indicated that the 2014 tourist season would be record breaking, hopes were dashed when the 50-day Gaza war caused cautious travelers to cancel their trips, leaving hotel rooms empty and tourist sites barren. The loss is estimated to be hundreds of millions of dollars.

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Father Gabriel Nadaf Calls on UNHRC to Stand with Israel

September 29, 2014 On Tuesday, Father Gabriel Nadaf, a Greek Orthodox priest and a leader of the minority Aramean Christian community in Israel, addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), calling on the world to stand by Israel in its fight against Islamic terrorism. Nadaf told the UNHRC that Israel is the one country in the Middle East where Christians are not persecuted, but rather “affectionately granted freedom of expression, freedom of worship and security.”

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Israel Rights Historic Wrong for Aramean Christians

September 22, 2014 Israel officially recognized Aramean as a separate population group last week after Interior Minister Gideon Saar instructed the Population, Immigration and Border Authority (PIBA) to allow Christian Arabs to register as Arameans, an ancient people group that Encyclopedia Britannica says ceased to exist centuries ago. Many of Israel's 160,000 Christians who had been registered as Arabs are now eligible to re-register as Arameans. The decision reflects a growing demand on the part of some Christian Arabs to not be identified as Arabs. In fact, some Aramaic Christians applied as a group of a status change to the Interior Ministry as far back as 2010. MK Yariv Levin, who has been arguing for such a move said, “I don’t try to change the reality; the reality is there. There is a big difference between Christians and Muslims, and they deserve recognition and separate representation.”

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Increased Number of Israeli Families Need Food for the High Holy Days

September 21, 2014 As the High Holy Days approach, Israeli food distribution centers are reporting a sharp increase in the number of Israeli families in need of help just putting food on their table. One NGO reports that distribution of holiday food basket requests is up to 12,300 from 10,500 a year ago. Many of the needy are senior citizens from the former Soviet Union. Long lines have formed with many waiting hours to receive their holiday basket.

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Shalit-Swap Prisoner Funded and Planned Kidnappings of 3 Israeli Teens

September 12, 2014 Two prisoners released in the 2011 prisoner exchange for Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit have been linked to the June 12 kidnapping and murder of the three murdered Israeli yeshiva students: Eyal Yifrach, 19, Naftali Frankel and Gilad Shaar, both 16.

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Former Israeli President Peres and Pope Unite Against Terrorism

September 7, 2014 Former Israeli president Shimon Peres met with Pope Francis this week to discuss the rise of terrorism in the Middle East. The two talked about “Operation Protective Edge” and the many terrorist activities that Hamas attempted to carry out during the recent conflict. Peres told the Pope, “Hamas’ use of schools, hospitals and mosques as launching pads, and its use of human shields, are opposed to all religious beliefs,” adding, “The war on terror is painful and harms innocents on both sides.” They also discussed the growing threat of the Islamic State in Syria and the threat of Al-Qaeda forces on Israel’s northern border.

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Jordan Warns Israel: Remove Temple Mount Bridge

September 7, 2014 Mounting Jordanian protests against a bridge for non-Arabs to reach the Temple Mount has resulted in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) ordering the bridge be taken down.

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At Risk Israeli Farmers Get Bomb Shelters and 500 Helping Hands

August 28, 2014 Many of the rockets that are fired from the Strip fall in agricultural fields. Until now, no farmer has been hurt, but the crops and fields have suffered. The government has committed to assisting those farmers who have suffered losses to crops and livestock. The director of Yofi Shel Yerakhot (Beautiful Vegetables) a cooperative of farmers in the Negev, said that their members as well as their workers (many of whom are Thai foreign workers), are committed to working the extra hours needed to assure a steady supply of vegetables to Israeli tables despite the crisis of Hamas bombing. Another group of foreign workers—500 Christian volunteers—will be arriving over the next three months to help farmers in Judea and Samaria. They have come as a part of a trip organized by the American Christian organization HaYovel (the Jubilee).

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