Haifa chemical plant workers worry a disaster might be imminent, following the blast in Waco. [Times of Israel] A Hungarian accepts responsibility for his nation's role in the Holocaust. [Forward] Israel intelligence says prisoners from the Gilad Shalit swap are returning to terrorism. [Algemeiner] Ben-Gurion customs prevent a "frog terrorism attack." [Arutz Sheva] An Israeli lawmaker says Israel has too many chief rabbis in the kitchen. [Times of Israel] Yale has its first Israeli student union president. …More

Details about Gilad Shalit’s capture have come to light, following the ex-IDF soldier’s sit down with military investigators. Shalit, who was famously held captive by Hamas for five years, spoke about the moment he was kidnapped, as well as his fear to fight back. “I was completely confused. I did not think about anything. I was in shock,” Shalit said, according to the Jerusalem Post. The Post ran an extensive overview of the investigation, which reveals some of the failings that might …More

The man on track to be Great Britain's first technically-Jewish prime minister has resigned from a sports role, after a soccer club chooses a Nazi-saluting Italian as its coach. [Times of Israel] Egypt has changed its mind once again on allowing a screening of a Jewish film. [NYT] New details emerge on Gilad Shalit's Hamas kidnapping. [JPost] A Canadian exhibit recalls Jewish refugees imprisoned with Nazis. [Times of Israel] An Israeli confectioner has created a line of candy to help consumers lose weight. …More

Gilad Shalit penned another letter calling for the release of Jonathan Pollard. [Times of Israel] John Kerry plans to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu Saturday to discuss peace negotiations. [Algemeiner] Check out this bromance video the embassy released on Bibi and Obama. [Jewcy] An Israeli man was arrested for issuing a death threat against Obama. [Times of Israel] The Brooklyn hit and run killer was going twice the speed limit when he killed a young Orthodox couple. [Forward] Two rabbis, two styles--new …More

As President Obama’s trip to Israel approaches, supermodel Bar Refaeli has added her name to the 155,000 signatures on a petition supporting the release of Jonathan Pollard. Pollard is currently serving his 28th year in a United States prison for selling top-secret information to Israel when serving as a US Naval intelligence analyst. While Pollard is up for parole in 2015, many Israelis and Americans have called for his early release, believing that he has served enough time for passing secrets to an …More

Freed Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit joined the call on President Obama to release Israel's spy Jonathan Pollard. Shalit signed an online petition asking Obama to commute Pollard's life sentence to time served on Monday. "I have signed a petition, and call on you to do the same. Freedom is a great gift and privilege," Shalit posted on his Facebook status. "I thank those who worked for my release, and now I ask you to join the struggle to save Pollard." More than 150,000 Israelis have signed the petition so far. …More

The IDF and the Israel Security Agency (ISA, or Shin Bet security service) have uncovered and disrupted a terror infrastructure belonging to the military wing of Hamas, which had acted to establish a regional headquarters so as to carry out attacks in the area of Hebron. Roughly 20 terrorists – known Hamas members who had previously served prison sentences in Israel for their previous terror activity – were arrested. The investigation carried out by the security forces revealed that the arrested …More

Shalit vs Armstrong As the world reacts to Lance Armstrong’s admission of doping, Gilad Shalit used his sports column in Israel’s “Ynet” to express his feelings and thoughts on the breaking news: “It was hard for me to hear the news on Lance Armstrong’s confession to using drugs to help him win seven titles. I grew up idolizing him, and every summer I looked forward to watching his amazing performances on his bike for hours, and was extremely disappointed when I found out …More

A collection of immigrant soldiers in Israel recently received a surprise visitor—Gilad Shalit. The ex-IDF soldier, who was famously held captive by Hamas for five years, visited 50 troops known as “lone soldiers” at the offices of Nefesh B’Nefesh. The term refers to young men and women who immigrate to Israel without their families and are therefore left without a close familial circuit in the Jewish state. “I admire each one of you for what you are doing for our country,” …More

A smuggling tunnel has been discovered along the Israel-Gazan border. The tunnel was uncovered by IDF near a security fence separating the two regions. An investigation has been launched to determine when the tunnel was created. "The tunnel, large enough to carry people, is the same kind of tunnel used in 2006 to ambush IDF soldiers & kidnap Gilad Shalit," the IDF said on its Twitter account. More than six years ago, Shalit was dragged through a similar tunnel in the Kerem Shalom crossing and held captive …More

Israeli war criminal Ahmed Jabari was killed by an IDF targeted strike today, the IDF’s first assassination in the evolving Operation Pillar of Defense. Jabari, 52, was the head of al Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing. He took over the position in 2006, after predecessor Muhammad Deif was seriously injured by an Israeli strike. Jabari was previously a member of the West Bank’s Fatah party, but changed loyalties after spending time in an Israeli prison. He is blamed for leading …More

The Israeli military has launched a targeted campaign against Hamas leaders and weapons holdings, starting with the assassination of Hamas military head Ahmed Jabari. The mission is being called Operation Pillar of Defense, and has already seen several air strikes on Gaza rocket launching sites today. Hamas has declared a state of warfare with Israel, and the south is under a state of alert, as several portions of the south shut down for civilians. IDF Spokesman Yoav Mordechai said, “Jabari is the first …More