Abe Katsman

Abe Katsman

Articles by Abe Katsman

Irish Parliament Votes to Recognize Palestinian State

The Irish parliament on Wednesday voted in favor of Irish government recognition of a Palestinian state. The motion passed unopposed. The non-binding motion called on the Irish government to “officially recognize the State of Palestine, on the basis of the

Irish Parliament Votes to Recognize Palestinian State

Palestinian Poll: 80% Support Jerusalem Terror Attacks

According to a Palestinian opinion poll released Tuesday, an overwhelming majority of Palestinians are in favor of the recent round of terror attacks against Israeli civilians in and around Jerusalem. The Washington Post reports that the poll also showed a

Palestinian Poll: 80% Support Jerusalem Terror Attacks

Iranian Nuclear Cheating Prompts Speculation of Pre-Emptive Israeli Strike

Quiet allegations of Iranian cheating on its interim nuclear agreement are fueling speculation in the Israeli press that Israel may be preparing to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, reports the Algemeiner. The official position from Washington has

Iranian Nuclear Cheating Prompts Speculation of Pre-Emptive Israeli Strike

Major Oil Pipeline Spill Hits Israeli Desert

In one of Israel’s worst environmental accidents, millions of liters of crude oil gushed from a pipeline leak into a desert nature reserve on Wednesday and Thursday, causing severe damage, reports the BBC. The spill damaged the Evrona nature reserve

Major Oil Pipeline Spill Hits Israeli Desert

UN General Assembly: Israel Must Renounce Nuclear Arms

In a lopsided 161-5 vote, the UN General Assembly on Tuesday approved an anti-Israel resolution backed by Arab nations. The resolution calls on Israel to not only subject its nuclear facilities to international oversight, but also to renounce possession of

UN General Assembly: Israel Must Renounce Nuclear Arms

Jordanian MP: “By Allah, It Is an Honor to Incite Against the Jews”

Two Jordanian MPs on Jordanian television went on verbal attacks against Jews and Israelis, praising the recent Jerusalem synagogue massacre and encouraging incitement against Jews. The Times of Israel reports that according to Middle East media watchdog MEMRI, the anti-Semitic

Jordanian MP: “By Allah, It Is an Honor to Incite Against the Jews”

Hamas: Unity Government with Fatah Is over

Leaders of Hamas, the Palestinian terror group in control of Gaza, announced Sunday that the unity government it had established with Fatah last spring is now over, reports The Jerusalem Post. Fatah is the leading secular Palestinian political party in

Hamas: Unity Government with Fatah Is over

Israel Foils Hamas Plans for Major Jerusalem Terror Attacks

Israel announced Thursday that it had discovered and prevented multiple plans by Islamist group Hamas to launch a series of terrorist attacks against Israelis in several locations, including Jerusalem’s largest soccer stadium, the city’s light rail, the West Bank, and

Israel Foils Hamas Plans for Major Jerusalem Terror Attacks

Poll: 77% of Israeli Arabs Prefer Israeli Rule to Palestinian

A recent Statnet Research Institute poll reported by the Jerusalem Post shows that 77% of Israeli Arabs prefer to live under Israeli rule than to be governed by Palestinians.   Of the Arabs who responded that they prefer to live

Poll: 77% of Israeli Arabs Prefer Israeli Rule to Palestinian

UN Chief Ban: More Countries Will Recognize State of ‘Palestine’

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday called on Israel and the Palestinian Authority to resume peace talks, predicting the current pro-Palestinian diplomatic wave will only get stronger. Israel National News reports that Ban predicted that the recent trend of countries

UN Chief Ban: More Countries Will Recognize State of ‘Palestine’

Egypt Willing to Contribute Troops to Secure a Palestinian State

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a weekend newspaper interview that Egypt was willing to lend troops to help secure a future Palestinian state, offering stability for local police and providing an extra level of security reassurance for Israel,

Egypt Willing to Contribute Troops to Secure a Palestinian State

Palestinian Terrorists Slaughter Five Jews in Jerusalem Synagogue Attack

Two Palestinian men armed with a meat cleaver and a gun killed fourJews worshiping at morning prayers (Update: and one police officer) in a West Jerusalem synagogue early Tuesday, reports Reuters. Israel’s ambulance service said that several other people were seriously wounded.

Palestinian Terrorists Slaughter Five Jews in Jerusalem Synagogue Attack

Mecca Plan for Luxury Malls, Palace Sparks Outrage

In Mecca, rapid new construction has already destroyed hundreds of historic monuments. Now, reports the Independent, even the site where Mohamed is said to have been born is about to be replaced by a huge royal palace. The multi-year, multi-billion

Mecca Plan for Luxury Malls, Palace Sparks Outrage

Israeli Arabs Stone Jewish Students, Injure Preteen Girls

A Galilee field trip and hike turned into a nightmare Wednesday for several Israeli sixth-grade girls and their teachers as they came under an attack of rocks thrown by Arab teenagers, the Algemeiner reported. The girls, aged 10-11, from a

Israeli Arabs Stone Jewish Students, Injure Preteen Girls

France Set to Vote on Palestinian State

A French Socialist Party proposal to recognize Palestine as a state will be voted on in the French National Assembly on November 28, reports AFP. Because France’s president holds the ultimate prerogative to recognize states, the vote would be nonbinding.

France Set to Vote on Palestinian State

Israel Slams UN for Silence on Terror Attacks

On Monday, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor chastised the UN Security Council for its silence in the face of a number of recent terror attacks against Israel, and slammed EU countries for efforts to prematurely recognize a Palestinian

Israel Slams UN for Silence on Terror Attacks

Abbas: Closure of Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque Site a 'Declaration of War'

Israel’s closure of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound, known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount, following an assassination attempt on Wednesday, is tantamount to a “declaration of war,” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday morning. Only one day

Abbas: Closure of Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque Site a 'Declaration of War'

Poll: Israeli Perception of Obama Plummets

By better than a three to one margin, Israelis now consider U.S. President Barack Obama more pro-Palestinian than pro-Israel. According to a Smith Research/Jerusalem Post poll taken Wednesday night, only 16 percent of Israelis believe President Obama’s administration is more

Poll: Israeli Perception of Obama Plummets

Israeli Cult Leader Goel Ratzon Sentenced to 30 Years

One of the more bizarre episodes in Israel’s history has come to an end, as polygamist cult leader Goel Ratzon was sentenced by the Tel Aviv District Court on Tuesday to 30 years in prison on his convictions for sex

Israeli Cult Leader Goel Ratzon Sentenced to 30 Years

Abbas Aide, Fatah Praise Jerusalem Hit-and-Run Terrorist as "Heroic Martyr"

Praise was heaped Thursday on terrorist Abdel Rahman Al-Shaludi, who killed three-month-old American Chaya Zissel Braun and injured eight other Israelis in a hit-and-run car attack in Jerusalem Wednesday. Both a senior aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and

Abbas Aide, Fatah Praise Jerusalem Hit-and-Run Terrorist as "Heroic Martyr"

Israel Confirms Thwarting Massive Hamas Tunnel Attack

Hamas planned to carry out a massive attack on Israel by penetrating Israeli communities via tunnels dug under the border from the Gaza Strip, then killing or kidnapping as many people as possible, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officials confirmed Tuesday.

Israel Confirms Thwarting Massive Hamas Tunnel Attack

Netanyahu: US Criticism of Jerusalem Construction 'Against American Values'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shot back at the Obama administration’s criticism of planned Israeli construction in Jerusalem in an interview which aired Sunday on CBS’s Face the Nation. He charged that the White House’s rebuke of Israeli construction and Jewish home

Netanyahu: US Criticism of Jerusalem Construction 'Against American Values'

U.S., U.K., Australia Won't Support Palestinian Bid for Statehood at UN

Palestinian sources say that the US, UK, and Australia have each indicated that they would reject a Palestinian-proposed UN Security Council resolution setting a timetable for ending Israel’s administration of the West Bank and establishing an independent Palestinian state on

U.S., U.K., Australia Won't Support Palestinian Bid for Statehood at UN

Israel Shoots Down Syrian Fighter Jet Over Golan Heights

The Israeli Defense Forces shot down a Syrian fighter plane over the Israeli Golan Heights Tuesday morning using a Patriot missile, the Israeli army said. The Jerusalem Post reports that the Israel Air Force detected a Sukhoi-24 Syrian fighter jet

Israel Shoots Down Syrian Fighter Jet Over Golan Heights

Syria Reveals Previously Undeclared Chemical Weapons Facilities

Syria, which had claimed to have destroyed all of its chemical weapons production facilities, has revealed a previously undeclared research and development facility and a ricin-producing laboratory. Reuters reports that, according to diplomatic sources, Syria detailed three new facilities to

Syria Reveals Previously Undeclared Chemical Weapons Facilities

Syrian al-Qaeda Rebels Seize UN Weapons in the Golan

The al-Nusra Front, the Syrian rebel group linked to al-Qaeda, has seized UN weapons, uniforms, and vehicles from peacekeepers in the Golan and set up a zone from which to wage attacks, according to the Syrian United Nations ambassador. AFP

Syrian al-Qaeda Rebels Seize UN Weapons in the Golan

Israel Fears U.S. May Cozy Up to Iran in Fight with Islamic State

Israel on Wednesday voiced support for U.S.-led efforts to form an alliance to fight Islamic State jihadists in Syria and Iraq but expressed concerns of a rapprochement between Washington and Iran. On the eve of President Obama’s prime-time address on

Israel Fears U.S. May Cozy Up to Iran in Fight with Islamic State

Palestinian Official Calls Youth Soccer Match with Israel 'Crime Against Humanity'

One of the highest-ranking  Palestinian officials condemned a recent soccer match between Israeli and Palestinian schoolchildren on a southern kibbutz, calling the bridge-building event “a crime against humanity.” Palestinian Media Watch reports that Jibril Rajoub, the deputy secretary of the Fatah Central

Palestinian Official Calls Youth Soccer Match with Israel 'Crime Against Humanity'