ISSUES

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In Europe, Lapid tells NATO chief Israel wants to deepen ties

oreign Minister Yair Lapid met in Brussels with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday, ahead of a series of bilateral talks with several of his European counterparts.
Lapid expressed his desire to deepen ties with NATO and declared Israel’s readiness to support the alliance on matters of intelligence, cybersecurity, counter-terrorism,...

Hamas rejects proposed mechanism for transfer of Qatari funds

A senior security delegation will leave Israel later this week to Cairo with the aim of reaching a long-term ceasefire agreement with the Hamas terrorist organization, which will include the rehabilitation of the beleaguered coastal enclave.

Senior Egyptian intelligence officials confirmed to Israel Hayom that once in Cairo, the Israeli...

3,000-year-old inscription bearing name of biblical judge found in Israel

An inscription dating back to some 3,100 years ago bearing the name of a biblical judge was uncovered in the excavations at Khirbat er-Ra‘i, near Kiryat Gat in the Southern District of Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Monday.

The inscription features the name "Jerubbaal".

“The name Jerubbaal is familiar from biblical...

Iran has declared war on the US in Iraq through its proxies – analysis

Daily rocket and drone attacks on the US in Iraq are no longer just the harassment that began in May 2019. The targeted attacks are increasing, and they also involve more sophisticated drones than in the past.

While there have been no American deaths from these attacks since the spring of 2020, the overall picture is of a rising conflict in...

Bennett met secretly last week with Jordan’s King Abdullah in Amman

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Jordanian King Abdullah II met in secret last week at the crown palace in Amman, in the first summit between the countries’ leaders in over three years.
Bennett, who took office less than a month ago, traveled to meet Abdullah last Tuesday, a day after he spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi.
The...

Defense Ministry starts seizing Bitcoin being used by Hamas

The Defense Ministry says it has begun taking control of digital wallets being used by the Hamas terror group that contain virtual currencies from overseas donations.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz approved the seizure of a series of digital wallets on June 30 after a joint operation “uncovered a web of electronic wallets” used by Hamas to raise...

Gravestones vandalized with swastikas at Jewish cemetery in Baltimore

More than a dozen headstones were discovered vandalized with swastikas over the July 4 weekend at a Jewish cemetery in the Baltimore suburb of Dundalk, Maryland.
“It’s something I’ve never seen in all my years of cemetery-going,” said Deborah R. Weiner, a Baltimore Jewish historian who discovered the vandalism at German Hill Road Jewish...

Israeli NGO urges UNICEF to probe Hamas, PIJ for using child soldiers

The Israel-based NGO International Legal Forum (ILF) has called on UNICEF to investigate allegations of Palestinian children being trained as child soldiers in Gaza, following a report by The Jerusalem Post.

The NGO, which is a network of over 3,000 lawyers and activists in over 40 nations worldwide, stated that they have "grave concern"...

With Lebanon in dire straits, Hezbollah seeks to cast Iran as country’s savior

Fuel prices in Lebanon rose Wednesday to new heights, with a single liter of 95-octane gasoline costing 71,600 pounds ($47) after a 45 percent price hike prompted by the ending of government subsidies. Even the price of donkeys has tripled over the past two weeks, compounding the severity of Lebanon’s economic crisis, which has brought it to the...

Israel hails UN adoption of resolution linking antisemitism to terrorism

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan has lauded the General Assembly’s passage of a resolution that for the first time linked antisemitism and other forms of hate as causes of terrorism.
The Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy GCTS resolution, which is reviewed by the council every two years, was passed last Wednesday by the General...

Lavish Second Temple period building found by Western Wall in Jerusalem

A grandiose building dating back to the Second Temple period has been unearthed adjacent to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation announced on Thursday.
The structure contained two imposing rooms which might have been used to welcome important dignitaries visiting the city and the...

US Expects Seventh Round of Iran Nuclear Talks; No Details When

The United States said on Wednesday it expected a seventh round of indirect US-Iran talks on resuming compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal to take place “at the appropriate moment,” but did not say when that might be.
“Of course, nothing is certain in the world of diplomacy, but I think we have every expectation that there will be a seventh...

Israel, Hamas on path to more violence, warns official familiar with Cairo talks

Israel and Hamas are “on a path” toward another round of violence just weeks since the most recent flareup in the Gaza Strip, an official familiar with the indirect negotiations between the sides in Cairo told The Times of Israel on Wednesday.
The official noted Israel’s toughened stance since the 11-day May war vis-a-vis the Kerem Shalom goods...

Rockets hit Iraqi base housing U.S. forces, wounding two – U.S. coalition

t least 14 rockets hit an Iraqi air base hosting U.S. and other international forces on Wednesday, slightly wounding two people, the U.S.-led coalition said, as Kurdish-led forces in Syria said they thwarted a drone attack in an area where U.S. forces also operate.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attacks, part of a recent...

Iran Hosts Taliban Talks With Afghan Officials as U.S. Exits War

Iran is hosting talks between senior Taliban negotiators and officials from the Afghan government, as the militants make rapid territorial gains ahead of the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces.
The Taliban said its delegation was led by Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, deputy head of the movement’s political office in Qatar, where months of formal...

Israel slams ‘unacceptable’ remarks by Belarus leader that world bows to Jews

The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday criticized statements made recently by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, in which he said the world ‘bows’ to the Jews.
The ministry said the comments are “unacceptable” and that Gary Koren, deputy director-general for Eurasia and the Western Balkans, had summoned the chargé d’affaires at the Belarus embassy...

Iranians protest over power outage crisis, chant ‘Death to Khamenei’

President Hassan Rouhani apologized to Iranians on Tuesday over massive power outages during a heatwave that have drawn widespread criticism and triggered street protests.

Officials have blamed the blackouts on surging demand for power, along with low rainfall cutting hydroelectric output and illegal cryptocurrency mining farms accessing...

Iran takes steps to make enriched uranium metal; U.S., Europe powers dismayed

Iran has begun the process of producing enriched uranium metal, the U.N. atomic watchdog said on Tuesday, a move that could help it develop a nuclear weapon and that three European powers said threatened talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Iran's steps, which were disclosed by the International Atomic Energy Agency and which Tehran said...

Iran accuses Israel of June attack on alleged centrifuge plant

Iran on Tuesday accused Israel of a sabotage attack in June that reportedly targeted a nuclear facility near Tehran, the official IRNA news agency reported.
According to the report, cabinet spokesman Ali Rabiei said the alleged attack sought to thwart ongoing talks in Vienna on resurrecting Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers. IRNA...

NYPD Says Hate Crimes Skyrocket in New York City, Including 69% Rise in Attacks on Jews

Hate crimes have skyrocketed in New York City over the past year, including a 69% rise in attacks on Jews, NYPD figures reveal.
Through June 27 of this year, antisemitic assaults rose from to 113 from 67 in the same period of 2020, according to statistics cited by the New York Post.
One unnamed woman — who in June was pelted with eggs while...