A Palestinian driver on Thursday morning 29 Tishrei, at about 8:40am, tried to crash the Focus Checkpoint in proximity to Beit El. The driver slammed into a police vehicle. Magen David Adom reported there were no injuries. It was explained later the vehicle that slammed into the police car was being pursued by authorities.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions strongly defended President Donald Trump’s firing of James Comey, but at a Senate hearing Wednesday repeatedly declined to discuss private conversations with the president about the dismissal, frustrating Democratic lawmakers who wanted to link the firing of the FBI director to a broader inquiry into Russian election meddling. The repeated, often-testy questioning about the Russia investigation, coming even as Sessions spearheads sweeping changes to the Justice Department in the areas of LGBT rights, criminal justice and immigration, illustrates the extent to which the probe continues to shadow Sessions even though he recused himself months ago. Sessions advised the Senate Judiciary Committee at the outset of his first oversight hearing as attor...
A family feud in Tel Sheva erupted on Wednesday evening into a shooting battle the resulted in one dead and 8 injured. Pahri Abu Taha (23) was shot and killed while standing next to his mother (50), who was injured in the gun battle. Only two weeks ago, Abu Taha’s first son was born. According to initial reports, a man walked into their house and shot them both after a spat of violence erupted between members of their extended family and the Abu Asa family who reside in the same locale. Aside from the mother and son, another seven people were injured in the incident. Among them were two 14-year-old boys. Most of them were injured from gunfire, while some were injured by violence and one was run over by a vehicle. Three of the people were in serious condition while the other f...
A man who authorities say fell under the influence of the Islamic State group was convicted Wednesday of plotting to behead a conservative American blogger for organizing a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest. Jurors found David Wright guilty of all charges, including conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries. The 28-year-old from Everett, Massachusetts, faces up to life in prison when he’s sentenced in December. Federal officials called Wright’s conviction a victory for America in its fight against terrorism. “We can all sleep better now knowing that David Wright, a person who wanted to kill in the name of ISIS, will no longer be free to walk the...
According to reports in the British Press outlet Ashar al-Awsat, the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Israel that Moscow has agreed to expand a buffer zone along the Israeli-Syrian border. This buffer zone will be a no-go for Hezbollah and Iranian forces operating in Syria. The agreement came following a meeting held between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman with high-level officers of the Russian military that included Shoigu. According to the report, the KRemlin has agreed to expand the buffer zone around Israel’s northern border from 5 kilometers to 15. High-level Jerusalem officials told the British paper that the Israeli request was to expand the no-go zone to 40 kilometers of Syrian territory. Such a distance is more tha...
An Arab worker was caught in Betar Illit and arrested after uploading photos with a tractor on Facebook with the caption “Hurt them”, indicating that he wanted to run over Jews. The information about him came from the residents of the city, who identified to their horror the caption “hurt them” with the city in the background and picture beside a large tractor. In addition, on his Facebook page, there have been additional posts of support for terrorism and terrorists. Many Arab workers come to the chareidi city every morning, most of them working in construction, but not only as they are found in other areas of employment too. In the past, attempts were made to reduce the number of Arab workers in the city due to security concerns.
Greg Pence, one of Mike Pence’s older brothers, has filed a tax document indicating he will seek the eastern Indiana congressional seat that the vice president and former governor represented for 12 years. He formed the Greg Pence for Congress Committee on Monday, according to a filing with the Internal Revenue Service that was obtained by The Associated Press. Greg Pence, who once ran the family’s now-bankrupt chain of Tobacco Road convenience stores, previously said he had been courted to run for the district, which covers a broad swath of central and southeastern Indiana — including Muncie and Columbus. As the vice president’s brother, he is likely the hands-down favorite to win in the overwhelmingly Republican district. He has a famous name, owns an ant...
Israel has expanded the Gaza fishing zone for the coming months through the end of the Gregorian year. The new expanded regulations go into effect on Wednesday, 28 Tishrei. The decision was made by IDF Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) in coordination with the IDF Southern District Commander and Israel Navy. The explanation is the coming months are the winter fishing season and the move was done to permit Gaza fisherman to maximize the season as is done during the spring fishing season.
Millions of Americans would lose a prized tax break under President Donald Trump’s sweeping revamp of the tax code, but corporations would get to keep it. The Republican proposal would eliminate the federal deduction for state and local taxes, a widely popular break used by some 44 million Americans, especially in high-tax, Democratic-leaning states like New York, New Jersey, California and Illinois. But corporations, which pay billions in local property levies and state income taxes, wouldn’t be affected. Republicans are determined to overhaul the nation’s tax system by year’s end, offering a plan that lowers the corporate tax rate from 36 percent to 20 percent and reduces the number of tax brackets. Trump and the GOP cast the plan as a boon to the middle c...
A Jerusalem police spokesman’s unit official reported on Wednesday morning 28 Tishrei that a burglar who broke into a bank in the southern capital during the night, was apprehended while hiding from police as seen in the accompanying photo. The call came in during the predawn hours Wednesday for a “Suspicious person hanging out in the shopping center area. A police patrol was dispatched and the team checked out the stores, finding the bank’s door had been forced open. They entered and apprehended the suspected in the act. The suspect is a 23-year-old resident of the Shuafat refugee camp. He was arraigned on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump says the nation faces a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to overhaul the tax system. Trump spoke during a White House meeting with a group of senators. The president is convening Republicans and Democrats from the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee to build support for his plan. Trump says it will provide the largest tax cuts in the country’s history and is outlining details of the plan. It calls for a large cut to the corporate tax rate, reducing it from 35 percent to 20 percent, and an end to the estate tax. The president was seated next to Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Republican, and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat. Trump says, “a lot of people are liking” his plan, which still lacks specific legislation.
Contrary to widespread perceptions, the IRS still appears to be enforcing the unpopular Obama-era requirement that most people carry health insurance or risk a fine. The agency says on its website that it will automatically reject electronic returns for tax year 2017 that don’t specify if the taxpayer had health insurance. That insurance requirement, known as the individual mandate, is the top target of so-far fruitless efforts by Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Under the ACA, taxpayers are supposed to specify if they had coverage, or they were eligible for an exemption, or if they will pay the fine. But several million skip over that question and file “silent” returns. This year the IRS continued to process such returns. However, taxpayers who ski...
US Special Envoy Jason Greenblatt says Hamas must disarm, abide by Quartet decisions, recognize Israel. US Special Envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt on Wednesday issued a statement regarding the Palestinian Authority's (PA) recent reconciliation agreement with the Hamas terror group."All parties agree that it is essential that the Palestinian Authority be able to assume full, genuine, and unhindered civil and security responsibilities in Gaza and that we work together to improve the humanitarian situation for Palestinians living there," Greenblatt said. "The United States reiterates the importance of adherence to the Quartet principles: any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognize the State of Israel, accept p...
The European Union on Wednesday unveiled new measures to help counter deadly low-tech attacks following a spate of killings in major cities by extremists driving vehicles into crowds of people. The European Commission, which proposes and ensures compliance with EU laws, said the measures aim to better protect major gatherings like concerts or sports events. They include additional funding and training to improve cooperation between police and private security at malls or concerts. “Terrorists don’t stand still. They change and adapt their methods. We need to be ready to adapt our response,” EU Security Commissioner Julian King said. The response, he said, is meant to “build our resilience, to limit terrorist access to the means they use to carry out attack...
Over several nights in September, some 10,000 men, women and children fled areas under Islamic State control, hurrying through fields in northern Syria and risking fire from government troops to reach a province held by an al-Qaida-linked group. For an untold number of battle-hardened jihadis fleeing with the civilians, the escape to Idlib province marked a homecoming of sorts, an opportunity to continue waging war alongside an extremist group that shares much of the Islamic State’s ideology — and has benefited from its prolonged downfall. While the U.S.-led coalition and Russian-backed Syrian troops have been focused on driving IS from the country’s east, an al-Qaida-linked insurgent coalition known as the Levant Liberation Committee has consolidated its control ...
Zahava Gal-On informed the Knesset Speaker of her resignation from the Knesset in order to concentrate on her role as Meretz chairman and lead open primaries. Meretz Chairman Zahava Gal-On on Wednesday, 28 Tishrei informed Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein that she is resigning from the Knesset in order to devote the next few months to her position as Meretz chairman, in order to change the electoral system and lead open primaries. Gal-On says she has reached the understanding that she must work full-time as chairman of the party and invest all her time in the struggle to increase Meretz’s powerbase by opening the ranks to new audiences. Mossi Raz will serve in the Meretz faction in the Knesset and will serve as secretary-general of the party. In a letter to party members, Gal-...
Washington - The White House says President Donald Trump has sent a $25,000 check he promised to the father of an Army sergeant killed in Afghanistan. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Trump offered the money during a telephone conversation with the father of Dillon Baldrige a few weeks after the 22-year-old was killed in Afghanistan on June 10. The Post reported that White House officials declined to discuss the matter when contacted Wednesday morning. White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said later Wednesday that the check has been sent. She did not say when. Walters also criticized the news media and accused reporters of using a “generous and sincere” gesture made privately by Trump to advance what she describes as a “biased agenda.” Walters calle...
Yishuv Amichai, the new home of the uprooted Amona, was finally approved Wednesday by the High Planning Council of the Civil Administration. For nearly a year since they were evacuated from their homes, where they lived for about two decades, the Amona residents will be able to start packing up in hopes of leaving the Midrasha (high school) dorms in Ofra. Within the framework of the HEPC meeting, 102 units were approved for construction, following a stubborn struggle by the headquarters of the struggle for Amona, which demanded that the government ministers quickly promote the establishment of their settlement as promised. Avichai Boaron, chairman of Amona’s campaign for the struggle, said he was pleased with the decision and said it was a formative one. “The decision t...
President Donald Trump emphatically rejected claims Wednesday that he was disrespectful to the grieving family of a slain soldier, as the firestorm he ignited over his assertions of empathy for American service members spread into a third contentious day. “I have proof,” he insisted. The controversy over how Trump has conducted one of the most sacred of presidential tasks generated new turmoil in the White House and left chief of staff John Kelly, a retired Marine general whose son was killed in Afghanistan, angry and frustrated at the way the issue has become politicized. It was fresh evidence of Trump’s willingness to attack any critic and do battle over the most sensitive of matters. The aunt of an Army sergeant killed in Niger, who raised the soldier as her so...
North Korea’s deputy U.N. ambassador said Tuesday the country plans to launch many more satellites and accused the United States of trying to block its efforts to help peacefully develop outer space. Kim In Ryong told a U.N. General Assembly committee meeting on “International Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space” that the country’s five-year plan for 2016-2020 includes development of “practical satellites that can contribute to the economic development and improvement of the people’s living.” As a party to several space treaties, North Korea’s space development activities are “all ground on legal basis in all aspects,” Kim said. But he said the United States is “going frantic to illegalize our developmen...
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