Israel in the News: Recent Episodes
International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
Israel in the News features timely news stories and on-site reporting on a variety of topics related to Israel and the Jewish people. You’ll also hear weekly commentary from those with an on-the-ground vantage point in the Holy Land, including Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship), Yael Eckstein (The Fellowship’s Senior Vice President), and other Fellowship staff.
The show presents listeners with up-to-date reports on what is happening in Israel and the Middle East, and addresses other topics that are of significance to the Holy Land and the Jewish people. Through this weekly broadcast, which is now aired on nearly 1,500 stations in the U.S. and abroad, The Fellowship hopes to increase positive public awareness and knowledge about Israel and counter the mainstream media’s often negative view of Israel and her people.
A terrorist rocket attack on southern Israel this Wednesday forced Prime Minister Netanyahu to seek shelter during a campaign rally. The post Netanyahu Evacuated as Rockets Fired appeared first on International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Portugal on Wednesday to discuss Iran and how to respond to the anti-Iranian protests now taking place in Baghdad, Beirut, and Iran. The post Pompeo, Netanyahu Meet to Discuss Iran appeared first on International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched dozens of attacks against Iranian targets in Syria. At least 23 were reportedly killed in the pre-dawn attacks. The post IDF Hit Iranian Targets in Syria appeared first on International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
On Thursday morning, Egypt brokered a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian terror group responsible for firing hundreds of rockets at Israel from Gaza since Tuesday. The post Ceasefire Called After Hundreds of Rockets Fired at Israel appeared first on International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced this week that Iran will move forward with plans to develop its nuclear program, a move that violates the 2015 nuclear deal. The post Iran to Expand Nuclear Capabilities in Violation of 2015 Pact appeared first on International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
In the wake of a U.S. raid in Syria last week that led to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the main objective was to get “this bad guy … off the face of the planet.” The post Pompeo Praises Baghdadi Raid appeared first on International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
Earlier this week, the IDF reportedly shot down a drone along Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip. The post Israel Shoots Down Drone from Gaza Strip appeared first on International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
Two people were shot and killed in Germany on Wednesday by a gunman who attempted to enter a Jewish synagogue in the city of Halle on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Also this week on Israel in the News: Tens of thousands of worshippers flocked to the Western Wall in Jerusalem […] The post 2 Dead in Synagogue Shooting in Germany appeared first on International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
At the United Nations General Assembly last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani first agreed to a meeting with Donald Trump, but backed out at the last minute after insisting that the U.S. first lift all sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Following what has been identified as an Iranian attack on Saudi oil facilities last month, […] The post Iran Backs Out of Nuke Talks with US appeared first on International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
Following indecisive election results, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin announced this week that he will ask current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form the next government. The post Israeli President Taps Netanyahu to Form New Government appeared first on International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
In an address before the Federalist Society, National Security Adviser John Bolton said the U.S. plans to close the office of the Palestinian Liberation Organization in Washington.
An Iranian company called Qeshm Fars Air has used civilian aircraft to transfer weapons to its terrorist proxy in Lebanon, according to Western intelligence sources. The first fight took place last month.
Protests are continuing at the Gaza-Israel border for the 22nd Friday in a row. The demonstrations by Palestinians started around the time U.S. President Trump announced the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Meeting this week in Jerusalem, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed how to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
With a sharp decline in military activity on both sides of the Gaza Strip, Israel reopened the Kerem Shalom Crossing on Wednesday.
In another round of violence initiated by terrorists in Gaza, Hamas fired more than 180 rockets and mortars into southern Israel, injuring at least seven Israelis and causing damage to homes and infrastructure.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the world to help the people of Iran, while lambasting the Iranian government for wasting billions of dollars on war.
On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces shot down a Syrian jet as it crossed into Israeli territory near the Golan Heights. The IDF has been on alert as fighting in Syria has intensified.
After a weekend of sustained rocket attacks near Israel's southern border with Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited residents there to offer reassurance.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin just days before Putin will hold a summit with U.S. President Trump.
Hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled from Syria as the Russian-backed forces of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad have bombarded rebel-held cities in the southwest corner of the country with airstrikes and rocket fire.
Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, made a historic visit to Israel this week the first official visit by a British royal to the Holy Land.
Citing its anti-Israel bias, the Trump administration announced this week that it will withdraw from the U.N. Human Rights Council.
The U.N. General Assembly Wednesday passed a resolution condemning Israel for using "excessive force" against the violent protests at the Gaza border. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, said the resolution is further evidence of the U.N.'s bias against Israel.
Following a three-day diplomatic trip to Europe, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached a "general agreement" with the leaders of Germany, France, and Britain regarding the removal of Iranian forces from Syria
In the largest barrage since 2014, more than 100 rockets and mortars were fired from Gaza into Southern Israel earlier this week.
On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces carried out airstrikes against Hamas underground terror infrastructure in northern Gaza. The strikes come in response to an arson attack on an Israeli military position by Palestinians who infiltrated Israel from Gaza.
Seventy years after Israel declared its independence, the United States officially opened the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem the first country to do so.
Early Thursday morning, Iran launched 20 rockets into Israel from its military bases in Syria. Israel responded with its greatest show of force in Syria since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims he has evidence that Iran has been lying about developing nuclear weapons.
Both President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are calling for a major overhaul of the Iran Nuclear Deal or its demise.
Israel celebrated its independence day this week – 70 years since the founding of the modern Jewish state, which rose in the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust.
Israeli officials are refusing comment, but Moscow is blaming Israel for an airstrike earlier this week against a Syrian airbase outside the city of Homs. Among the 14 killed were Iranian soldiers.
On Easter Sunday, tens of thousands of Hamas-organized protestors tried to rush an Israeli border fence in Gaza.
Earlier this week, the terrorist group Hamas staged a large-scale military drill in Gaza that included detonating bombs and firing machine guns. The exercise triggered Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system, which sent rockets into the night sky.
Israel is confirming for the first time that it was behind the bombing of a suspected nuclear reactor in Syria more than 10 years ago.
In an interview with Fox News during his recent visit to the U.S., Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Iranian nuclear deal has paved the way for Iran to fund aggression and terrorist activity.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the United States this week, praising the U.S. administration during his speech at AIPAC, and inviting Donald Trump to Israel in May for the celebration of Israel's 70th birthday and the coinciding American embassy move to Jerusalem.
The U.S. State Department announced last weekend its intentions to open a new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem as early as this May. The opening will be much sooner than anticipated.
Earlier this week, sirens sounded along Israel's border with Gaza as a terrorist rocket hit a home in southern Israel.
Earlier this week, Iran brazenly violated Israeli sovereignty when they dispatched an Iranian drone from Syrian territory into Israel. Israel responded with airstrikes on Syrian and Iranian military targets in Syria.
Earlier this week, an Israeli rabbi was killed after being stabbed several times in the chest in a West Bank terror attack. Rabbi Itamar Ben-Gal was killed as he was going to a circumcision ceremony for his nephew.
During his first State of the Union address as President this week, Donald Trump mentioned the American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, as well as its rethinking of foreign aid.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence addressed the Israel's parliament, the Knesset, on Monday the first time a sitting Vice President has done so.
In light of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' recent anti-Israel speech, the U.S. has cut its funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) that provides aid to Palestinians displaced during Israel's War of Independence.
Israeli Rabbi Raziel Shevah, a father of six, was killed this week in the West Bank while driving in his car near the Palestinian town of Nablus. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Millions of Iranian citizens have taken to the streets in protest of the totalitarian regime, calling for economic and political reform. To date, the protests have resulted in more than 20 deaths with over 1,000 arrests.
Despite growing tensions between Palestinians and Israel amid the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, Christian pilgrims flocked to the traditional site of the birthplace of Jesus.
Protests and violence continue in and around Jerusalem as Palestinians react to the Trump administration's decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
Palestinians called for a "day of rage," and protests and violent clashes erupted throughout the Holy City in the wake of President Trump announcing that the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
President Trump this week announced that the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and plans to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump said that recognizing Jerusalem is just acknowledging reality.
On Thursday, Hamas militants fired mortars at Israeli troops along the Gaza border in apparent retaliation for the destruction of a terror tunnel by the Israel Defense Forces a month ago.
As the resumption of peace talks appeared to be near, Palestinian leadership has frozen contact with the U.S., effectively cutting off all communication.
As the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah consolidates power in the Lebanese government, Saudi Arabia is telling its citizens to leave Lebanon amid threats of war.
Vice President Mike Pence and the Second Lady met with families of victims and survivors of the tragic shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, which left 26 worshipers dead.
Eight people were killed in lower Manhattan on Tuesday when a man drove a rented pickup truck down a bike path, striking both cyclists and pedestrians.
The Israel Defense Forces retaliated this week after a number of rockets strayed from Syria into Israel's Golan Heights, as tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon increased.
The White House this week decided not to certify Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal, but agreed to remain in the coalition of nations responsible for hammering out the agreement.
The White House announced Thursday that the U.S. will withdraw from UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural body, citing its anti-Israel bias. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to react, calling the decision a "brave and moral choice."
After the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history left at least 59 people dead and hundreds wounded, world leaders from Vladimir Putin to the Pope and the Queen of England responded with condolences for the people of Las Vegas and the U.S.
Three Israelis, a border police officer and two security guards, were killed earlier this week in a terrorist attack near the entrance to a settlement outside Jerusalem.
Prior to addressing the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday, President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met to address issues of mutual concern. Topping the agenda was the Iran nuclear deal.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, the Israel Rescue Coalition and United Hatzalah of Israel were the first international search and rescue organizations to arrive in the U.S. to aid Hurricane Irma relief efforts. Both are made up of community–based volunteers.
Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., is making the case against President Trump certifying that Iran is complying with major components of the 2015 nuclear agreement. This after Iran recently conducted ballistic missile tests and refused to allow nuclear inspectors into its military sites.
After massive flooding hit the Houston area in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, a former IDF soldier now living in Houston rescued a couple from their flooded home.
A truck-ramming terror attack in Barcelona last week left 15 people dead and more than a hundred injured. ISIS quickly claimed credit for the attack.
Heather Heyer was killed this weekend when a car driven by an attendee of the so-called "Unite the Right" white supremacist protest rammed into a crowd of anti-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was sworn in this week to his second term as the U.S. put into place new sanctions against Iran. The sanctions were ordered in response to Iran's recent ballistic missile tests that may be in violation of the Iran nuclear deal.
Despite heightened tensions that have led to violence in the past weeks, more than a thousand Jews visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem Tuesday to commemorate Tisha B'Av, setting a record for the most Jewish visitors to the site in a single day.
Thousands of Muslim worshipers returned to the Temple Mount Thursday, with violent clashes erupting at the holy site. Earlier, Muslim leaders had called for a boycott of the Temple Mount in protest of metal detectors installed by Israelis.
Two Israeli police officers were killed last week inside the Temple Mount compound during a shootout with three Arab-Israeli gunmen. All three attackers were killed.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced this week that the U.S. and Qatar have signed an agreement to fight terrorism despite the Arab nation's continued support for Hamas.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrated America's Independence Day aboard the U.S. Navy's newest and largest aircraft carrier, the USS George H. W. Bush.
Senior White House advisor and son-in-law of President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, had "tense meetings" with Palestinian officials this week after the White House demanded that the PA stop funding terror groups.
Senior White House advisor and son-in-law of President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, is in Israel looking to resume peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis.
The Gulf nation of Qatar is under fire for its support of terror and radical regimes, including a campaign by The Fellowship urging the U.S. to hold the Qatari government accountable and to stop terror.
This week marks the fiftieth anniversary of Israel's shocking and decisive victory in the Six-Day War of 1967, in which the Jewish state defeated Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, while retaking the West Bank and the Old City of Jerusalem.
An Israeli official testified this week before the Knesset, Israel's parliament, that the Palestinian Authority has given more than $1 billion to terrorists in the past four years alone.
This week, Israel marked the 50th annual Jerusalem Day, which celebrates the reunification of the Holy City under Israeli control after the 1967 Six-Day War.
U.S. President Donald Trump will make his first diplomatic trip overseas next week, stopping in Israel on Monday. During his visit, Trump plans to visit the Western Wall, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit that site.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that they have not received information of any U.S. decision not to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. President Trump has previously intimated that he plans to move the embassy to Jerusalem.
Earlier this week, the U.N.'s cultural body, UNESCO, passed another resolution denying any Jewish ties to the city of Jerusalem, which Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called "absurd."
On Monday, the nation of Israel paused to observe Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. For two minutes, the sirens sounded and traffic stopped as Israelis remembered the six million Jews exterminated by Hitler's Nazi regime.
A British student studying in Israel as part of a student exchange program was stabbed to death last weekend in Jerusalem by a Palestinian terrorist while riding the light rail.
A series of terror attacks on Palm Sunday against Egypt's Coptic Christian community have left at least 45 people dead. ISIS is claiming responsibility.
After a suspected gas attack killed at least 72 in northern Syria this week, both Israel and the U.S. have called for immediate action from the U.N. Security Council.
Speaking this week at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee the largest pro-Israel lobby in the U.S. U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley stressed her efforts to defend Israel on the world stage
A terrorist used his vehicle to ram into pedestrians on the Westminster Bridge in London earlier this week, killing two, including an American citizen. The terrorist then ran toward Parliament, stabbing and killing a police officer.
Terror struck again in Jerusalem's Old City earlier this week when a Palestinian man attacked two Israeli police officers, stabbing them with a butcher's knife. The assailant was shot and killed.
The wave of anti-Semitic attacks continued this week as Jewish Community Centers in the U.S. and Canada responded to more bomb threats.
The wave of anti-Semitic attacks continued this week as Jewish Community Centers in the U.S. and Canada responded to more bomb threats.
The troubling wave of anti-Semitic attacks across the U.S. continued Monday when at least 29 Jewish community centers and schools received bomb threats, prompting evacuations
Rockets fell across Southern Israel this week, but they were reportedly fired from ISIS-affiliated terrorists from the neighboring Sinai Peninsula in Egypt and not from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
This week, President Donald Trump held his first meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since being elected. In a joint press conference, the two allies pledged support for one another.
ISIS has claimed credit for rockets fired at southern Israel this week. No injuries were reported, and most of the rockets were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system.
Officials announced that Iran conducted a test launch of a ballistic missile this week, in direct violation of U.N. rules. Both Israel and the U.S. reacted swiftly.
President Donald Trump this week announced that his administration is taking steps toward fulfilling a campaign promise to move the American embassy to Jerusalem. Israel recognizes Jerusalem as its capital, as do Palestinians.
An Israeli police officer was killed after a car driven by an Israeli Arab rammed into a group of police officers in village of Umm-Al Hiran.
Four soldiers-in-training for the Israel Defense Forces were killed earlier this week when a truck driven by a Palestinian drove into them while they were sightseeing in Jerusalem.