New Medical School in Safed

Bar-Ilan University, Israel’s second-largest university, is expanding its reputation as a leading research institute by building a medical school in Safed, north of the Sea of Galilee.

Bridges for Peace IN ACTION: Practical Gifts for Practical Needs

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MAKING ALIYAH—THE DREAM of a Jewish family to return to Israel, the land of their forefathers—is an exciting event in the lives of new immigrants coming to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Tiberias, Haifa, Beersheva, and countless other communities across Israel. But such a drastic move also involves plenty of practical considerations. There’s only so much you can pack in your suitcase, after all, and though you might like to take the kitchen sink, airline baggage regulations limit how much you can put in your luggage!

Ashkenazi: We Won’t Rely on Foreign Armies

{image_1}ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES CHIEF OF STAFF GABI ASHKENAZI gave a speech in Berlin in October in which he promised never again to allow foreign armies to be the sole protectors of the Jewish people. “We will never look lightly upon those who scheme our demise. We will not deposit our security in the hands of foreigners, and we will allow no one to control the future of the State of Israel,” he said during a ceremony held at the ill-famed Platform 17 in Berlin, from which many Jews left for concentration camps.

Nasrallah Rages against “Hegemonic” US

HIZBULLAH Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah laid out his political platform on November 30 during a speech filmed by closed-circuit cameras. The platform promotes armed battle against Israel and the United States, as well as all of the latter's protectorates. “We see the US as a power that aims to impose hegemony in the region,” Nasrallah explained. “The Islamic resistance movement in Lebanon aims to fight this hegemony and the [Israeli] occupation.” He said the United States has been treating the globe as a market it aims to control, and that it was waging “a strategy of unlimited expansion.”

“The Bush administration found in September 11 a chance to impose his influence, with the excuse of a war on terror,” the Hizbullah leader said. “He tried to create a parallel between terror and resistance. There is no doubt that American terror is the source of all terror in the world. This administration gave itself the right to embark on a war of destruction, which does not distinguish between one man and the other.”

Investors Should Focus on Israel

BANK OF AMERICA MERRILL LYNCH has advised international investors to temporarily avoid speculation in Dubai and focus on the Israeli stock market. The report, “Play Defense,” earmarks Israel’s banks and telecom companies as particularly promising businesses. “Israel should go back under investors’ attention,” Haim Israel, head of Research with Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Israel, told The Media Line.

10 Commandments of Arab Myths

1. The Palestinian people have a historic connection to the land.

{image_1}There is no such thing as a “Palestinian people.” When the Romans changed the name of Israel to Palestine, the people living in the land at the time were Jews, not Arabs.

An Eye from Zion

“AT FIRST, I THOUGHT I'D DIE.”That's what an ex-Mossad [Israeli intelligence] chief said about his first “operation.” Yoram Hessel, now the director of Eye from Zion, wasn't talking about a secret operation for the Israel government. He was referring to sight-restoring cataract surgery that he had witnessed firsthand.

Investing Millions in Jerusalem

THE ISRAELI TOURISM MINISTRY is putting money behind their words with plans to invest 15 million shekels (US $4 million) in Jerusalem during 2010. According to a press release, the funds will go towards tourism infrastructure and tourism event promotion “in order to encourage domestic and incoming tourism…This is in line with the new work plan presented by the Tourism Minister which positions Israel as the Holy Land with Jerusalem at its center.”

Dare to Dream of a Rebuilt Temple

{image_1}On October 5, just prior to the traditional Priestly Blessing during the week of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), police limited the number of Muslim worshippers allowed on the Temple Mount as a precautionary measure against possible rioting. This is a normal procedure whenever a special event takes place at the Western Wall. This time, some 150 Arabs arrived at Lions Gate and began stoning police. The Islamic Movement made statements to purposely incite Arabs, and Hamas called for a new intifada (uprising).

Missiles: From Iran to Tel Aviv

{image_1}BEFORE THE DUST SETTLES from Israel's attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities, the Islamic Republic will send its ballistic missiles into the very heart of Tel Aviv. This was spelled out by a deputy of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's representative in the Revolutionary Guards, Mojtaba Zolnour.

Wireless Luggage Finder

{image_1}ISRAELIS LOVE TECHNOLOGY. They are early adapters and relentless innovators, always looking for ways to improve their lives. So, it's no surprise that some of the world's top gadgets were designed and developed in Israel.

Regenerating Lost Limbs?

{image_1}A 3D SCAFFOLD THAT CAN REPLACE missing bone while helping it regenerate, a biodegradable stent that releases drugs while keeping a weak artery open, a wound dressing that releases antibiotics and then magically disappears when the job is done… all this has been made possible by Meital Zilberman, an Israeli researcher at Tel Aviv University's Department of Biomedical Engineering, who has invented a series of drug-releasing fibers that dissolve over time.