On May 8, 1972, Palestinian terrorists hijacked Belgian airliner Sabena Flight 571 en route from Vienna to Tel Aviv. The four terrorists--two men and two women--were part of the Black September terror organization, the same group that, just four months later, would perpetrate the notorious Munich Olympics massacre. Motivation for the hijacking stemmed from lingering anger over Israel’s success during the Six Day War in 1967. Terror organizations were looking to indiscriminately kill Israelis around the …More

In a rare press interview, former Israeli Defense Force chief Gabi Ashkenazi sat down with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour to talk about Syria, Iran, and Israel’s newly mended fences with Turkey. Israel’s strategy relating to Syria is currently a popular topic on numerous news outlets, and Tuesday’s interview was no different. Ashkenazi said the West could consider “lethal assistance” in dealing with the two-year long conflict, saying, “Weapons, in order to help them to topple …More

To coincide with this year’s Yom Ha’atzmaut theme—Heritage—the Prime Minister’s Office rolled out a special campaign to highlight past prime ministers in private moments. The project began this week and entails photo albums on the PMO’s Facebook page, with archived images of past leaders like David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir and Yitzhak Rabin. The photos range from the mundane, like a haircut for Yitzhak Shamir, to the historic, like Menachem Begin’s accords with Jimmy …More

Moshe (Bugi) Ya'alon assumed his new role as Defense Minister in a ceremony held today to mark the handover from outgoing Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz attended the event, as well as the Defense Ministry's Department Heads and the General Staff of the IDF. Outgoing Defense Minister Barak, who has held the position for the past six years, congratulated Minister Ya'alon on his appointment and told him that he is receiving a defense system which is in good hands, and …More

Israel’s 33rd government was sworn in today, heralding in a more central governing bloc and introducing new titles to politicians both freshman and veteran. Election golden boys Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett are two newcomers set to hold heavy influence. As heads of the two largest parties after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s, there was plenty of speculation over what ministerial positions the pair would receive. After days of negotiations, it was agreed Lapid will serve as finance minister …More

Ehud Barak officially concluded his tenure as Israel’s defense minister, with a farewell ceremony last night at Bar-Ilan University. Barak saw Israel through some critical times during his 2,000-plus days at the post, including Gaza operations Cast Lead and Pillar of Defense. But Barak’s political career stretches far back. He served as prime minister from 1999 to 2001, an achievement among a handful of government positions including minister of foreign affairs and IDF chief of staff. “I …More

Jacob Kamaras, JNS.org Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted nearly 400 Gaza rockets last November alone, with an 85 percent success rate, amid the Israel Defense Forces’ Operation Pillar of Defense. But the brains behind the system isn’t resting on his laurels. “I’m realistic, so I’m not putting all the eggs in one system, [even though] it had much success,” IDF Brig. Gen. Dr. Danny Gold, who had the initial idea for the Iron Dome, said in an interview …More

Israel's Ehud Barak will be the first foreign defense minister to meet with new US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. Barak and Hagel will meet Tuesday at the Pentagon, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed US official. The meeting will take place following Barak's speech on the last day of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual policy conference in Washington. The defense chiefs, who have known each other for more than a decade, will discuss the Iranian threat, according to Reuters. They are also …More

US Vice President Joe Biden will be headlining this year’s Policy Conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. AIPAC’s annual conference, expected to draw 13,000 participants this year, is considered among the top events in the pro-Israel community. Biden will speak on the morning of March 4, White House and AIPAC officials confirmed. His speech comes ahead of President Obama's visit to Israel later in the month, and at a time of renewed concerns about Iran's suspected nuclear weapons …More

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly rejected Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s offer to write an apology to his Turkish counterpart for possible “operational errors” during the IDF raid of Mavi Marmara in May 2010. Relations between Turkey and Israel have been strained since the incident, which resulted in the death of nine activists. Israeli daily Haaretz, citing unnamed Foreign Ministry sources, reported Sunday that Netanyahu vetoed Barak, who has repeatedly advocated an …More

The IDF completed its first successful test of the Arrow 3 interceptor missile this morning in cooperation with the United States. Set to become operational around 2016, the Arrow 3 missile defense system will join Arrow 2, the Iron Dome and David’s Sling as another layer of defense against incoming fire at the Jewish State. The system operates in space, leaving the atmosphere at twice the speed of a tank shell to track and destroy long-range projectiles like Iran’s Shihab 3 missiles. Defense …More

On February 23, 2000, Israel lost one of its most beloved singers. Ofra Haza, an artist of Yemeni-Jewish background, died at the age of 42, of AIDS-related pneumonia. She left behind a musical legacy that endures today, in her many albums and hit singles. Haza was born in the Hatikva Quarter outside Tel Aviv, the youngest of nine children. She joined a theater group as a child, earning a love for entertaining, and was spotted at age 12 by a recording agent. At 19 she was already a veritable pop star in the …More