Past US President Bill Clinton is warning that there is no alternative to a two-state solution, and is urging Israel and Palestine to make peace now, while there is still time. “If you don’t have a vision of where you want to wind up,” he said, “bad things are going to happen sooner or later. You have a better chance if you are driven by a vision of peace and reconciliation.” “No matter how many settlers you put out there, the Palestinians are having more babies than the …More

Behind every machine is a story of an inventor--and the advanced technology of the IDF is no exception, ranging from unmanned vehicles to environmental innovations to computer systems. Israel is known worldwide for its high concentration of startups, which improve the standard of living in Israel and export technology abroad. The IDF’s use of technology is an integral part of this phenomenon, thanks in part to institutions like its Center of Computers and Information Systems--Mamram as it is known in …More

This week, the IDF marks 65 years of success, perseverance, dedication and struggle. Today, we take a short historical tour by honoring six great heroes from each of the six and a half decades of the IDF’s existence. These figures faced fear with courage and each one left a mark on the State of Israel, paving the way for a stronger and safer country. Read on to learn about the courage exemplified by these heroes, and let us know whose story you most connect with. DAVID BEN-GURION David Ben-Gurion long …More

Two Italian cities renamed its parks in honor of Simon Wiesenthal and Yitzhak Rabin. At a ceremony on Friday, a park in Turin was formally named the Simon Wiesenthal Garden in honor of the Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter who died in 2005. Also last week, a park in Bologna was named for Rabin, the Israeli prime minister who was assassinated in November 1995. Local mayors, other officials and Jewish community representatives took part in the ceremonies in both cities. …More

On May 15, 1941, Israel’s first elite fighting squad was created. The Palmach, as it would come to be known, was a special fighting force of the Haganah, Israel’s precursor to the Israeli Defense Forces. The Haganah defended the Jewish state during the British Mandate for Palestine era, and the Palmach provided crucial services from 1941 to 1948. Beyond its military services, though, the Palmach had incredible influence over the shape of Israel’s defense system generations after it ceased to …More

While Yossi Benayoun has been suffering anti-Semitic abuse on Twitter, basketball and soccer fans in the holy land have continued to cross all lines, causing riots and interfering with police work. In Israeli soccer, Beitar Jerusalem’s fans are causing most of the commotion during bouts with Saknin. Beitar management has also been targeted by a violent group of racist fans that call themselves “La Familia” and are dedicated to “Keep Beitar Pure” as signs stated months ago in a match …More

The museum dedicated to the memory of Yitzhak Rabin raises nearly half its money from labor leaders. It’s just not the labor you think. Members of US labor unions raised $1.4 million for the Yitzhak Rabin Center in Tel Aviv last year, 45 percent of the center's total 2012 fundraising. Since 2005, American unions have raised $12 million for the center. Labor leaders say programs at the center, which celebrates the slain Labor Party prime minister who signed the 1993 Oslo Accords and promotes dialogue among …More

Mount Herzl is the resting place of some of world Jewry’s most beloved figures, from Yitzhak Rabin and Golda Meir to Theodor Herzl himself, the man for whom the site was named. Herzl spent a sizable portion of his life dreaming of a Jewish state, and working to convince others that such a dream was possible. He never lived to see his vision realized, but he wrote a year before his death that he hoped his final resting place might one day reside in the home of the Jewish people. “I wish to be buried …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

Alina Dain Sharon, JNS.org During the Six Day War, when famous Israeli spy Eli Cohen worked for the Mossad in Syria, he suggested that Syrian soldiers plant eucalyptus trees near army fortifications in the Golan Heights. He told Syrian officials this would make Israel think the area was unfortified and would help Syrian soldiers stationed there survive the heat. Shortly after, he conveyed the locations of the trees to Israeli officials, helping the Israeli army know exactly where the Syrian bunkers were. The …More

The Six Days War was one of Israel’s most important military missions, resulting n the liberation of the holy city of Jerusalem. The operation led to many iconic images, not least of all the depiction of three Israeli leaders walking through the capital for the first time. On the second day of the war in June 1967, Jordan moved from neutral status to join the Palestinians and attack Israel in west Jerusalem. Israel ultimately overcame Jordan, which controlled the Old City, reunifying Jerusalem for the …More

President Barack Obama concluded his 51-hour trip to Israel today with a jam-packed morning that spoke to some of the more emotional sites in the Jewish state. The president first traveled to Mount Herzl with Benjamin Netanyahu and Shimon Peres, to visit the graves of Theodor Herzl and assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Obama laid wreaths and met with members of Rabin's family, writing in the Mount Herzl guestbook, “It is humbling and inspiring to visit and remember the visionary who began …More