TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Even casual Israeli basketball fans begin their day with an update on the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the newfound obsession with the NBA franchise has little to do with superstar LeBron James. Rookie head coach David Blatt is one of their own, making his name professionally in Israel and raising a family there. Nearly all of … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — One of the most unlikely stars of Israel’s election campaign is a musical artist whose popular video remixes of stump speeches have rocked YouTube, leading some of his most prominent targets to try to recruit him. Drawing his inspiration from the world of hip-hop, Noy Alooshe splices together catchphrases, awkward facial expressions and catchy dance … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — With elections on the horizon, the greatest obstacle standing between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a return to high office could be Netanyahu himself. A slew of challengers, including some of his traditional supporters, are taking aim at the longtime Israeli leader, saying that after nearly nine years in office, it is time for a new face … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Even before Israel’s hastily called election campaign kicks into gear, a former ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is shaping up to be the biggest potential challenge to his re-election. Moshe Kahlon was the most popular Cabinet minister in Netanyahu’s previous government, drawing wide appeal for his working-class background and for pushing daring reforms. But prior to … Read More
HURA, Israel (AP) — He was a quiet whiz kid at the top of his class in Israel, who overcame tough odds in this minority Arab village to become a star medical student and hospital intern. Could Othman Abu al-Qiyan have been radicalized by Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians — or something else? No one can quite explain what happened … Read More
PETAH TIKVA, Israel (AP) — At first glance, the multi-tiered jungle of concrete off a major central Israeli highway does not appear unusual in this city of bland high-rises. But the burgeoning towers are groundbreaking when you consider its future tenants: They will be homes not for the living but rather the dead. With real estate at a premium, Israel … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A group of young Israeli expats have unleashed controversy back home by encouraging others to join them in Berlin, touching on two of the most sensitive issues in Israel: the country’s high cost of living and Jews’ tortured history with Germany. While Israelis have been angered after learning that food prices are much lower in … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — It used to be that if you wanted to join one of the world’s most secretive espionage organizations you had to sneak into a foreign embassy, answer a cryptic newspaper ad or show up in a nondescript building in Tel Aviv to meet a shadowy recruiter. Now all it takes to apply for a job … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Hoping to impress NBA scouts when Maccabi Tel Aviv faces LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers next month, Alex Tyus has an important decision to make — whether to fast the previous day for the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. It’s just the latest twist in the remarkable journey of Tyus, a 6-9 power … Read More
CAMP ZIOUANI, Golan Heights (AP) — For four decades, a multinational United Nations mission has quietly monitored the sleepy Golan Heights — providing a symbol of stability between bitter enemies as it enforced a truce between Israel and Syria. But as Syria has plunged into civil war and the peacekeepers themselves have become targets of al-Qaida-linked rebels, the U.N. observer … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — With survivors dying in growing numbers and their live testimonies soon to be a thing of the past, Holocaust commemoration efforts are increasingly focused around preserving the belongings that contain their stories. This week Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial held a first of its kind workshop devoted to the physical and digital preservation of documents. Over three … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — When Israel completes its damage assessment from its latest war with Hamas, it may conclude that one of the biggest casualties was its all-important relationship with the United States. A recent American decision to hold back on the delivery of advanced Hellfire missiles offered dramatic manifestation of a relationship that appears to be deteriorating in large part … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli military tactic that allows overwhelming fire to stop the capture of soldiers — even at the risk of killing them — is facing criticism after its use in the Gaza war killed some 100 Palestinians. The military used the “Hannibal Procedure” after soldiers feared militants had captured an officer, unleashing heavy shelling on the southern … Read More
NAHAL OZ, Israel (AP) — With a cease-fire taking hold, residents of southern Israel slowly began trickling back Wednesday to hometowns that largely emptied out during a monthlong war against Hamas militants in the neighboring Gaza Strip. But even with the military giving them the go-ahead to resume normal life many say they aren’t ready to come home — and … Read More
TIRA, Israel (AP) — Facing the threat of rocket fire along with the rest of Israel, residents in this central Israeli Arab town have found themselves caught in the middle between Jewish neighbors and their fellow Palestinians who are dying in growing numbers in the Gaza Strip. The people of Tira, a town of some 25,000 people known for their … Read More