TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s latest hit TV series takes the viewers straight into the heart of the country’s archenemy Iran. “Tehran” tells the story of Tamar Rabinyan, a young Mossad operative tasked with hacking into and disabling an Iranian nuclear reactor so the Israeli military can carry out an airstrike. But when the mission goes wrong, the agent goes … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli top model Bar Refaeli signed a plea bargain agreement with authorities on Tuesday to settle a long-standing tax evasion case against her and her family. The deal will require Refaeli to serve nine months of community service while her mother, Zipi, will be sent to prison for 16 months. The two are also ordered to pay … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — This year’s official international ambassador to Tel Aviv’s Gay Pride Parade says he has no interest in being a gay icon. TV star Neil Patrick Harris arrived in Israel Wednesday along with his husband, the chef and actor David Burtka, to headline Tel Aviv’s annual celebration of its famous gay-friendly scene. But Harris, who has … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Netherlands won the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv Saturday, with Duncan Laurence’s doleful piano ballad “Arcade” crowned champion of Europe’s annual music extravaganza. The 25-year-old was tapped as an early front-runner before the Grand Final but was only ranked third after the vote of professional juries from the 41 participating countries, trailing … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s winner of last year’s Eurovision song contest said Monday there was no place for boycott calls of this year’s competition in Tel Aviv, saying that to snub such a popular world event celebrating diversity would be akin to “spreading darkness.” Noting Israel’s upcoming annual Holocaust Remembrance Day, pop icon Netta Barzilai reminded a group of foreign … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — A long-hidden trove of unpublished works by Franz Kafka could soon be revealed following a decade-long battle over his literary estate that has drawn comparisons to some of his surreal tales. A district court in Zurich upheld Israeli verdicts in the case last week, ruling that several safe deposit boxes in the Swiss city could be opened … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot has come to the rescue of a fellow Israeli celebrity in a spat with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Gadot, who typically shies away from politics, is rallying behind Rotem Sela, one of Israel’s top models and TV hosts, who drew fire from Netanyahu for criticizing his fearmongering election campaign against the country’s … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s embattled peace movement bid a final farewell Monday to one of its most prominent figures, the renowned author Amos Oz, at a memorial service that tried to restore hope in a political climate that is rapidly shifting rightward. Oz was revered by Israel’s dovish left as an eloquent and outspoken advocate of peace with … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Sacha Baron Cohen is at it again. After tapping into his familiarity with Israel and his fluency in Hebrew to shape previous eccentric personas such as Borat and Bruno, the Jewish comedian has created his most stereotypical Israeli character yet — a grotesque, faux counterterrorism instructor in his new Showtime series “Who is America?” Retired Col. Erran … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — When the Israeli creators of the Netflix show “Fauda” first came up with its concept, they doubted whether an action series based on the never-ending Mideast conflict would make for must-see TV. “Why would somebody want to watch in their spare time something that is right outside their door?” pondered Avi Issacharoff, a longtime Arab affairs journalist … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Thousands of Israelis took to the streets early Sunday to celebrate their country’s victory in the Eurovision Song Contest. Fans flooded Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square in front of City Hall, with some euphorically jumping into a public fountain, after Netta Barzilai was announced the winner in Portugal with her techno dance tune “Toy.” The City … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — For a country that takes pride in even the smallest successes of its international celebrities, the debut of Wonder Woman has sparked an Israeli lovefest for homegrown hero Gal Gadot. A huge billboard overlooking Tel Aviv’s main highway is tagged with a provincial “we love you” greeting, her Hebrew-accented appearances in the international media are reported upon … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli rocker Aviv Geffen broke into “The Hope Song,” a signature hit he wrote after the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin that is often referred to as the Israeli version of John Lennon’s “Imagine.” But his peace anthem took on new meaning when his on-stage partner sang along in Farsi — the language of … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren said Wednesday she was a “believer” in Israel and rejected efforts to boycott it. Mirren showered Israeli artists with praise and said she opposed both the efforts by pro-Palestinian groups to boycott them and the decision of some international artists to shun Israel. “I think that art is an incredibly important way of … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — In her feature film directorial debut, Academy Award winning actress Natalie Portman brings to life the autobiographical novel of celebrated Israeli writer Amos Oz about his youth during the Jewish state’s founding years. But in many ways, the Israeli-born Portman says “A Tale of Love and Darkness” also mirrors the story of her own family. Her paternal … Read More