In The News

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Texas synagogue hostage-taker said to have ‘prayed two years’ for attack

A British man who took hostages at a Texas synagogue told his family he had prayed for two years to carry out the attack, media reported Thursday, as police made two arrests.

Malik Faisal Akram, 44, from Blackburn in northwest England, was shot dead by the FBI during a 10-hour siege in the small town of Colleyville last Saturday.

His four…

In The News

Unilever’s Israel boycott said to cost company $26 billion

Unilever’s stock has plunged 20.7% in the six months since it informed Avi Singer, the owner of Ben & Jerry’s Israel, that his contract was over unless he stopped selling the company’s ice cream in Judea and Samaria.

That amounts to a $26 billion loss, according to Channel 12 News, which first reported on the story.

The loss stems from…

Post-fire, Jewish community keeps flow of aid, supplies, support to those in Bronx

More than a week after a fire in the Bronx, N.Y., killed 17 people, including eight children, the Jewish community is continuing to provide aid to the families of those who lost loved ones and those who were displaced by the blaze.

“I have been saying throughout the week, nobody wishes to be in such a calamity, in such a difficult situation,…

Iran reveals key details of Yemen Houthi attack on UAE

A recent drone and missile attack on Abu Dhabi has raised concerns across the Middle East about the increasing threat of Iranian drone technology. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are alleged to be responsible for the attack, but key details remain missing from many accounts about how it was carried out.

A long article at Iran’s Tasnim…

“Prepare the rifles… We’ll declare war… This is a threat” – Fatah threatens terror if terrorist prisoner dies of cancer

Nasser Abu Hmeid is Palestinian terrorist prisoner serving 7 life sentences for his part in the murder of 7 Israelis during the PA’s 5-year terror campaign, the second Intifada. He was a commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (Fatah’s military wing).

Nasser Abu Hmeid is now sick with lung cancer and although he is being treated in an…

In The News

US enacts sanctions on Hezbollah-tied businessmen for exploiting Lebanon amid economic collapse

The United States announced on Tuesday that it is sanctioning three Hezbollah-linked facilities and their Lebanese-based travel company for their role as financial facilitators of the Iranian-backed terror group at a time when Lebanon is facing a dire economic crisis.

According to the U.S. Treasury Department, Adel Diab, Ali Mohamad Daoun,…

Iran sees ties with Russia as ‘new Middle East’

Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi is in Moscow on January 19 to meet President Vladimir Putin. This is happening as the US is concerned about a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has backed Tehran at the Vienna nuke talks with the West. This comes as Russia may also take part in another naval drill with Iran and China.

These are important talks….

Israel, US ‘Successfully’ Test Arrow-3 System to Intercept Ballistic Missiles Outside Earth’s Atmosphere

Israeli and American missile defense agencies completed a “successful” flight test on Tuesday of the Arrow-3 weapon system, which was built to intercept ballistic missiles outside of Earth’s atmosphere.

The Arrow Weapon System (AWS), jointly developed by Israel’s Missile Defense Organization and the US Missile Defense Agency, comprises the top…

Tel Aviv University, Israeli Air Force launch first-of-its kind joint research center

Tel Aviv University and the Israeli Air Force have announced the establishment of a first-of-its-kind center that will “harness the world of civilian research and knowledge to advance various areas related to policymaking and strategic thinking on issues of air and space.”

The Air and Space Power was officially established on Dec. 30 at Tel…

USC outlines concrete steps to respond to campus antisemitism

After receiving criticism for what some Jewish members of the University of Southern California Jewish community have called an insufficient response to anti-Semitism on campus over the last few years, the university announced on Thursday that it was taking additional steps to combat anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism.

In a letter from university…

Former Iran Hostage Announces Hunger Strike: ‘No Deal Unless Hostages Are Free’

One of the victims of the Iran hostage crisis is launching a hunger strike this week to pressure Washington and its allies to make the return of current hostages held by the Islamic Republic a precondition to any nuclear deal.

Talks to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers are currently ongoing in Vienna. Former…

In The News

UK police arrest 2 teens over Texas synagogue attack, reportedly gunman’s sons

The UK’s counter-terrorism police said it detained two teenagers on Sunday evening in connection with the hostage-taking incident by a British national in a Texas synagogue over the weekend, as a US report said the detainees are the sons of the attacker.

“Two teenagers were detained in South Manchester this evening. They remain in custody for…

Bennett offers UAE ‘security and intelligence support’ following Abu Dhabi attack

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett condemns the Houthi attack on Abu Dhabi yesterday, in a letter he sent to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.

“I strongly condemn the terrorist attacks in Abu Dhabi carried out by the Iranian-backed Houthis and send condolences to the families of the innocent victims,” Bennett says. “Israel stands with the…

1,000-strong multifaith crowd rallies around Jewish community at post-standoff vigil

Roughly one thousand people of various faiths and backgrounds gathered for a vigil at a church five miles north of Colleyville, Texas, on Monday evening, showing solidarity with the nearby Jewish community as it began to heal from the hostage standoff at Congregation Beth Israel 48 hours earlier.

“While very few of us are doing okay right now,…

‘We can never let guard down,’ says Jewish security official, urging congregant training drills

The Jewish community “must be ready” and stay “vigilant and strong” to respond to any anti-Semitic incidents, emphasized Michael Masters, CEO and national director of the Secure Community Network, the security arm of the organized Jewish community.

“We are just 2 percent of the U.S. population, but 58 percent of religiously motivated hate…

Pro-Israel groups fearful that Iron Dome funding may end up blocked long-term

With a deadline to fund the U.S. government past the temporary Continuing Resolution (CR) passed last month set to expire mid-February, pro-Israel organizations have been pushing to bring supplemental funding of Iron Dome interceptor missiles back to the forefront.

Since September, senators have tried four times to bring a standalone…

‘Calm, collected’ synagogue rabbi wowed FBI through 10-hour Texas hostage crisis

Local and federal law enforcement credited Congregation Beth Israel Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker’s “calm and collected” demeanor for helping bring about a miraculous end to the ten-hour hostage crisis at his northern Texas synagogue on Saturday night.

Cytron-Walker and the three other worshipers who made it to Sabbath morning services in the…

Three killed in drone attack on Abu Dhabi

Three people were killed and six were injured after Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement claimed responsibility for an alleged drone attack on the United Arab Emirates that occurred Monday morning, state media reported.

Shortly afterward, the Saudi-led coalition claimed that it had managed to down eight drones launched in the direction of Saudi…