Israel News - Haaretz Israeli News source.

Denmark to ban labeling West Bank products as 'Made in Israel', report says

Report comes after South Africa says only recognizes State of Israel within borders demarcated by UN in 1948; move is in line with U.K. recommendation from 2009.

By Amira Hass, Barak Ravid, Anshel Pfeffer | May 19, 2012 | 08:18 PM

South Africa to ban labeling West Bank settlement products as 'made in Israel'
By Amira Hass | 1

An Iranian technician works at the Uranium Conversion Facility just outside the city of Isfahan

U.S., Iran seek closer ties alongside nuclear program

The Obama administration and the Iranian regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are entering a critical week of decisions over the...

By Amir Oren | 03:56 PM | 15

French President Francois Hollande, with U.S. President Barack Obama at the G8 Summit at Camp David

Obama says G8 in agreement on Iran nuclear program

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Saturday that leaders of the Group of Eight major economies are committed to continuing...

By Reuters | 07:57 PM

Manny Waks, a former student at Yeshivah College, who claimed in 2011 that he was molested

Australian sex abuse scandal tars name of venerated Chabad rabbi

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - The tightly knit Chabad Lubavitch community in Melbourne has been rocked by claims about the role of the...

By Dan Goldberg | 08:53 PM

Toronto Islamic school sent packing over anti-Semitic lessons

School loses right to use public school for its classes after referring to Jews as 'crafty' and 'treacherous,' contrasting Islam with 'the Jews and the Nazis.'

By JTA | May 19, 2012 | 10:13 AM

Ari Babaknia speaks at the book launch, held at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles,

Holocaust history published in Farsi for Iranians

After 15 years of research, four-volume book on Holocaust is released by Iranian-born Jewish author.

By JTA | May 19, 2012 | 07:34 PM

In south Tel Aviv, Israelis anguished and bitter due to influx of African refugees

A day in Tel Aviv's Shapira neighborhood, where tensions between veteran Israelis and African asylum seekers have boiled up to the surface recently.

By Shoham Smith | May 18, 2012 | 02:38 AM | 20

TV hero Edward James Olmos scouts out the Holy Land

Actor in Israel to research a film about Bergson Group, which pressed the U.S. to rescue European Jewish refugees during the Holocaust.

By Mordechai I. Twersky | May 18, 2012 | 02:38 AM

Middle East

An aerial view shows the site of two explosions in Damascus, May 10, 2012.

Car bomb kills 9, wounds 100 in eastern Syria city

A car bomb that rocked the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zor on Saturday killed nine people and wounded about 100, the...

By Reuters | 11:32 AM

Poll: Opposition to Iran going nuclear widespread throughout world

Opposition to Iran obtaining nuclear weapons is widespread around the world, including in neighboring countries Egypt, Jordan...

By The Associated Press | 11:03 PM | 30

Thousands of anti-Assad protesters rally in Syria, two shot dead in Damascus

Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad shot two protesters in the capital Damascus on Friday and fired in the air to...

By Reuters | 08:37 PM

U.S. Senate Republicans block new Iran oil sanctions

Republican senators surprise and anger Democrats by saying they need more time to review a new package of U.S. sanctions on Iran's oil sector.

By Reuters | May 17, 2012 | 09:21 PM | 4

Ahmadinejad eager to attend London Olympics, despite 'Zion' logo

Iran threatened last year to boycott the 2012 London Olympics over the event logo's resemblance to the word 'Zion.'

By Reuters | May 17, 2012 | 08:16 PM | 3

Egyptian court acquits 14 policemen of protesters' deaths during revolt

Nearly 200 security officers and officials of Hosni Mubarak's regime face trial for the deaths of some 850 protesters during the uprising in Egypt last year.

By The Associated Press | May 17, 2012 | 07:18 PM

Diplomacy & Defense

AHAVA revitalize - extreme firming eye cream. No longer 'Made in Israel'?

South Africa to ban labeling West Bank settlement products as 'made in Israel'

South Africa intends to ban marketing products made in Israeli West Bank settlements with the labels "Made in Israel,"...

By Amira Hass | 04:04 PM

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano May 4, 2012 (AP)

IAEA chief to visit Iran for talks on nuclear deal

UN atomic watchdog chief Yukiya Amano and top aides will travel to Tehran on Sunday for talks with Iran's chief nuclear...

By Reuters, The Associated Press | 05:52 PM

Netanyahu: No evidence Iran intends to halt contentious nuclear program

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday he is skeptical that Iran will agree to halt its nuclear program,...

By The Associated Press | 01:23 PM | 13

Iran, IAEA making gains toward nuclear framework deal, diplomats say

Sources in UN watchdog report progress in Vienna talks, fearing Iran could still use debates over procedural matters as a way to buy more time as its nuclear program advances.

By Reuters | May 18, 2012 | 12:21 PM | 16

Justice Ministry proposes bill that would expand the state's power to tap phones

The bill would almost double the number of state agencies allowed to access such data when conducting investigations.

By Tomer Zarchin | May 18, 2012 | 02:38 AM

Panetta: U.S. to give Israel additional $70 million for Iron Dome

Defense Minister Barak meets with U.S. Defense Secretary in the Pentagon, welcomes new U.S. aid; Israel has already received $205 million from the U.S. to support the short-range missile defense system.

By Natasha Mozgovaya, Reuters | May 17, 2012 | 09:26 PM

Jewish World

Portion of the Week / Two fantasies, divine and human

This week's Torah portion lists the blessings bestowed upon those who perform God's commandments and the curses inflicted on...

By Yakov Z. Meir | 10:31 AM

All the Torah news fit to print

The first issue of Torah Tidbits - the weekly "parsha pamphlet" produced for the Anglo community by the Orthodox Union's...

By Andrew Esensten | 02:38 AM

Bible translated into Inuit language after 34-year Canadian project

For the first time, the Bible and New Testament have been translated to an Inuit language. A group of Inuit Christians in the...

By Limor Shmuel Friedman | 01:52 PM | 3

Economic crisis strikes Talmud program for women

About 25 percent of the program's participants over the years have been native English-speakers or have come from English-speaking homes.

By Mordechai I. Twersky | May 18, 2012 | 02:38 AM

Ex-Hasidic rapper comes out of closet, receives support of Orthodox fans

Y-Love tells Haaretz, 'I fully expected to lose most of my Orthodox fan base.'

By Andrew Esensten | May 18, 2012 | 02:38 AM | 3

London Jews relieved at Livingstone's loss

London’s Jews will be hoping the Labour candidate defeat means they can return to the politics of ‘Yes, we can.’

By Dave Rich | May 18, 2012 | 09:42 AM | 3

National

Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino in the regional command center the night of the robbery.

Police shoot robber after botched heist in central Israel

An attempted robbery in Bat Yam Friday night ended in the injuring and arresting of one assailant. The second perpetrator is...

By Yaniv Kubovich | 01:36 PM

Israel High Court: Onus on employers to explain lower pay for women

Dramatically strengthening women's workplace rights, a High Court of Justice ruling released on Thursday gave Israeli women...

By Tomer Zarchin | 01:43 PM | 2

London-bound El Al airliner forced to land over technical fault

An El Al airliner bound for London was forced to land in Ben-Gurion International Airport on Friday shortly after taking off,...

By Tomer Zarchin | 12:29 PM

Israeli NGO: Police beat handcuffed detainees in Palestinian solidarity protest

Complaints filed over alleged use by police of Taser electroshock weapons, beating and kicking bound detainees, racist verbal abuse and sexual harassment of female detainees.

By Akiva Eldar | May 18, 2012 | 02:38 AM | 24

Israel mulls ban on biking with headphones

New bill would forbid bicycle riders to listen to music via earphones while on the road; while no such ban exists in other countries, its sponsors say it has the support of local cycling groups.

By Jonathan Lis | May 18, 2012 | 02:38 AM | 6

Gadi Vichman's teen killer charged with murder

Vichman, a Be'er Sheva resident, was killed two weeks ago when he went downstairs to confront a group of teens making noise outside his window late at night.

By Tomer Zarchin, Yanir Yagna | May 18, 2012 | 02:38 AM

Culture

Breastfeeding: An obligation or a mother's choice?

I am a good enough mother. And I didn’t breastfeed. Not during the first three years, not during the first three months. In...

By Shani Litman | 02:18 AM

Israel's past seen anew, as Jerusalem's historic Custom House reopens

Customs clerk Ben-Moshe's night shift at Jaffa Port on June 1, 1962, began as usual. He arrived at 9:30 P.M., as he wrote in...

By Nir Hasson | 02:38 AM

Sacha Baron Cohen's 'The Dictator' commits crimes against comedy

Long ago, in the days before web-streaming and pre-VCR, to watch a pornographic film, men (and women) had to sneak into a...

By Anshel Pfeffer | 12:34 PM | 8

British actor John Cleese to appear in Israeli heist comedy

The former “Monty Python” and “Fawlty Towers” star will play a role in award winning Israeli director Reshef Levy’s next flm.

By Nirit Anderman | May 17, 2012 | 11:52 AM

Modern Manna recipe / Knafeh in a skillet

A sinfully sweet Arab dessert, that's just as sinfully easy to make.

| May 17, 2012 | 10:47 AM

Be Merry / Putting all your eggs in one basket

Spanish tortilla is a deceptively simple dish, whose sum is greater than its parts.

By Limor Laniado Tiroche | May 17, 2012 | 05:41 AM

Haaretz Select

Hath not an Israeli theater company eyes? Does it not bleed?

Pro-Palestinian activists, including A-list actors, are calling for a boycott of Habima's upcoming London production of 'The Merchant of Venice.'

By Anshel Pfeffer | Week's End

Playwright Arthur Schnitzler was everything his friend Theodor Herzl hoped to be

By Robert Wistrich | Week's End

When Patinkin and Berg made starring visits to Israel

By Allison Kaplan Sommer | Routine Emergencies

Breastfeeding: An obligation or a mother's choice?

By Shani Litman | Culture

Pleasure hunting - Dan Peretz - May 18, 2012

No loafing around in Acre with the city's last baker

Ronit Vered spends a morning with Fahri Bishtawi, who still waits for the dough to rise in the Old City.

By Ronit Vered | Pleasure Hunting

The Makings of History / Myth of heroism - and treason

By Tom Segev | Week's End

Moshe and the amazing Technicolor festival

By Neri Livneh | Neri Livneh

Building, a relationship: Israeli architects once thrived in Iran

By Noam Dvir | Week's End

Opinions & Blogs

Israel's cell phone revolutions is an all-out victory

For many years, the Israeli public has suffered from the heavy hand of the four cellular telephone operators. They charged us...

Amiel Ungar What Likud's critics mean when they say undemocratic

Yossi Sarid Israel's elected officials nobody seems to have elected

Nehemia Shtrasler Croissants and ouzo today could mean crisis tomorrow

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi Watching the new state of South Sudan fall into chaos

Ari Shavit The Palestinian tragedy mustn't be used to spark a Jewish one

Roni Schocken Chilling effect of the Nakba Law on Israel's human rights

David Landau Israel's right-wing wants to maintain the occupation status-quo

Oded Diner Yishai's double standard over African refugees and the Ultra-Orthodox

Iran: The Debate

U.S. ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro visiting an Iron Dome station near Ashkelon, August, 2011.

Plans to strike Iran ready, U.S. envoy to Israel says

By Reuters | 10:10 AM | 15

Former Spain PM: Russia believes Israel will prevent Iran nuclear weapon

By Amos Harel | 07:02 PM | 10

Iran executes alleged Mossad agent for killing nuclear scientist

By Reuters | 11:03 AM | 5

U.S. Elections 2012

Obama's support for same-sex marriage isn't motivated by morals

By Yael Sternhell | 09:32 PM | 14

Obama becomes first U.S. president to support gay marriage

By Natasha Mozgovaya | 12:59 AM | 46

Newt Gingrich drops out of race for U.S. Republican presidential candidate

By Natasha Mozgovaya, Reuters | 11:00 PM | 8

Travel In Israel

The artist as wandering Jew

By Daniel Rauchwerger | 05:41 AM

U.S. music star Lenny Kravitz to rock Israel in October

By Haaretz | 10:17 PM | 3

The cover of the Talmud in Arabic that was published in Amman, Jordan.

National Library acquires first Arabic translation of Babylonian Talmud

By Nir Hasson | 12:41 AM | 2

Books

Israel bans Lebanese edition of Jewish philosophical work

By Akiva Eldar | 01:59 AM | 15

Peter Beinart's crisis of oversimplifying American Jews

By James Kirchick | 07:28 PM | 3

Turning the page on the third Jerusalem writers festival

By David Green | 11:32 AM