Latest News Briefs

The trip scheduled for 9:00 on the train line from Jerusalem to Ben-Gurion Airport was canceled, after an earlier train got stuck on the tracks.

A flaming incendiary balloon landed near student residences on a kibbutz in Sha'ar Hanegev on Thursday morning, according to Israeli public television.

A student who noticed the balloon immediately extinguished the fire

Jason Greenblatt, United States Special Representative for International Negotiations, wrote on Twitter, Thursday morning, "Thank you to the Kingdom of Bahrain for hosting our Peace to Prosperity Workshop which despite the cynical efforts of some galvanized enthusiasm among potential investors to transform the Palestinian economy if a political agreement between Israel & Palestinians can be achieved."

Retired general Yair Golan said Thursday morning that the establishment of the new party headed by Ehud Barak which he has joined "is the desired and proper body."

Interviewed by Israeli public radio, he explained, "It's not a schism in the [left] bloc, but an addition of an element to the bloc, and I believe that with this approach we will succeed in expanding it, too. If it was harmful, I would not embark on this process. I think that the left-center bloc lacks a body that is attractive and can unite everyone."

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani warned on Thursday that Tehran's response will be stronger if the United States continues to make what he called mistakes.

He added that any violation of the country's borders would be met with a military response.

An earthquake measuring 3.8 on the Richter Scale felt in the area of the Dead Sea. No injuries or damage reported.

Reuters reports a Russian source has responded to a Galei Tzahal report of its being responsible for GPS problems at Ben-Gurion Airport by saying, “This report is a "red herring" (literally mouse on mushrooms). We don’t comment on every [piece of] nonsense.”

Former military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin had theorized that the problem could be spillover from Russian electronic warfare in Syria.

Locals in German town where festival held buy more than 200 crates of beer from local grocery store. 'We wanted to dry the Nazis out.'

Senior Blue and White Party member Moshe Yaalon has responded to Ehud Barak's return to politics by calling him "A worthy man with a lot of merits, but it is not clear to me how he can contribute to the replacement of the government."

Interviewed by Galei Tzahal, Yaalon explained, "The State of Israel in an emergency as [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu is enslaving everything to his interests."

Firefighters who were summoned to a fire on Yaakov Yehoshua Street in the Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood of Jerusalem managed to rescue a family of ten who had been trapped on the porch of the house.

Some of them suffered from smoke inhalation. Six of them were evacuated for further treatment at Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital.

Former minister Haim Ramon has attacked former prime minister Ehud Barak on Wednesday's announcement of a return to politics at the head of a party that will run in the September Knesset election.

Interviewed by Israeli public radio, Thursday morning, the former Labor Knesset member said, "Barak does not add to the left bloc. No one will move from the moderate right because of him. Only two months ago there were elections. Neither Blue and White nor Labor wanted to touch Barak. He begged them to take them and no one wanted to. They knew what they were talking about."

Southbound Highway 6 is congested from the Baka Interchange to the Nitzanei Oz Interchange, due to an accident.

It is recommended to take alternate routes.

Six firefighting teams have been sent to deal with a fire that broke out at the Leonardo Club Hotel in Tiberias.

When the teams arrived at the scene, it turned out that the fire was in the elevator room on the roof of the building. As a result of the fire, a lot of smoke poured into the interior of the hotel. The fire fighters are working to extinguish the fire and remove the smoke from the building, in addition to searching for trapped persons and evacuating civilians from the building. So far, no one is known to be trapped or injured.

Jared Kushner, senior advisor to United States President Donald Trump, has told the London-based pan-Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat that he does not think the economic plan he helped draft for the Palestinian Authority as part of an Israel-PA peace plan is a bribe.

Kushner said he thinks it is an opportunity for people to overcome problems they have suffered for a long time. Noting rapprochement between Israel and Arab states over the past few years, he said that when the region unites, it will release tremendous economic potential and security will increase.

Russia is responsible for disrupting the Global Positioning Satellite systems at Ben Gurion Airport, according to Galei Tzahal, citing senior officials involved in the details.

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The Meretz Party Conference is scheduled to vote today on who will lead it in the upcoming elections, incumbent Chairwoman Tamar Sandberg or former Knesset member Nitzan Horowitz.

The conference will also choose the composition of Meretz's Knesset list. The elections will be held among 1,000 members of the conference to be held at the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds. The polling stations are scheduled open at 12:00 and close at 22:00.

Oman announced on Wednesday that it will open an embassy in the Palestinian territories in support of the Palestinian people, AFP reports.

The announcement coincided with the US-led economic workshop in Bahrain in which the Trump administration unveiled the economic portion of its Middle East peace plan.

The British Society for Middle Eastern Studies has passed a resolution calling for an academic boycott of Israeli institutions, JTA reported on Wednesday.

The boycott passed on Monday at the society’s annual general meeting in Leeds with almost 80 percent support.

Senator Cory Booker was the only Democratic presidential candidate at a debate on Wednesday night to say it was a “mistake” to sign onto the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, The Associated Press reports.

The New Jersey senator was the only one of the 10 candidates on stage in the Miami debate not to raise his hand when asked if he supported the deal.

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert comments on the attempt to cancel the repeat elections.

Ireland announced on Wednesday that it would provide 5 million Euros to UNRWA, the UN agency for “Palestinian refugees”.

“Ireland is a longstanding supporter of UNRWA. Its work is essential to the delivery of healthcare, education and humanitarian relief and social services, including food assistance, to 5.4 million Palestine refugees. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East region has meant an increased demand for UNRWA’s services. I have seen these needs first hand during my regular visits to the region, as well as the significant operational challenges faced by UNRWA,” said Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney in a statement.

Talking about the first ever braille trope system, created especially for Batya Sperling Milner.

A key ally of British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who was suspended from the party for saying it is “too apologetic” over anti-Semitism has been readmitted, JTA reported on Wednesday.

A party ethics panel warned the lawmaker, Chris Williamson, for saying earlier this year that when it comes to Labour’s anti-Semitism problem, its deniers “have backed off too much, we have given too much ground, we have been too apologetic.”

Senior Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official Hanan Ashrawi on Wednesday rejected the US proposal which was presented at the Bahrain economic workshop, saying it is an "insult to our intelligence" and "totally divorced from reality."

"The economic peace, which has been presented before repeatedly and which has failed to materialize because it does not deal with the real components of peace, is being presented once again, recycled once again," she said, according to the AFP news agency.

US Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, a co-author of the Trump administration's peace plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict, on Wednesday told CNN he sees nothing to criticize in the decisions taken by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu concerning Israel's relations with the Palestinians.

Greenblatt, who has frequently criticized Palestinian Authority leaders for their policies and rejection of the Trump administration's efforts, said he has not voiced similar criticism of Netanyahu or other Israeli officials because he has not "found anything to criticize."

Which Democratic candidate has the most raw political talent? What weaknesses of Donald Trump's would they exploit in 2020?

ILTV speaks with Senior INSS Researcher Brig. Gen. Dr. Meir Elran & Fmr. Dep. Head Of The National Security Council Dr. Shaul Shay.

Former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked attacked former Prime Minister Ehud Barak on Wednesday evening after he announced his return to politics.

"Ehud Barak thinks that the Israeli public forgot his failed and blood-soaked tenure which brought the Second Intifada, the October riots and unilateral withdrawals," Shaked said.

The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday received an official letter from the Chilean embassy in Israel containing a clarification on the issue of the visit of the Chilean President and his entourage to the Temple Mount.

The letter clarified that the Chilean delegation had not agreed to any formal accompaniment of any party on the visit, which was defined as private, nor was it aware of the presence of Palestinian Arab officials.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday responded to US President Donald Trump's threats against his country.

In an interview with CNN, Zarif said that the United States "is not in a position to obliterate Iran", while adding that US actions have been "confrontational" and "provocative" but that Iran is not seeking war.

Gil Hoffman provides a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of internal struggles within the leftist bloc, ahead of the September elections.

Erdogan loses in Istanbul for the first time in two decades. ILTV speaks with Dr. Gallia Lindenstrauss, INSS Turkish Affairs Expert.

The US Federal Aviation Administration has identified a new potential risk that Boeing Co must address on its 737 MAX before the grounded jet can return to service, the agency told Reuters on Wednesday.

The risk was discovered during a simulator test last week, sources with knowledge of the matter told the news agecy. The new issue means Boeing will not conduct a certification test flight until July 8 at the earliest.

Prime Minister hosts Chilean President, signs bilateral agreements.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen announced on Wednesday night it had intercepted unmanned aircraft sent by the rebels to Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Arabia news agency SPA reported.

Earlier this week, a man was killed and 21 others were injured in a Houthi attack on the Abha airport in Saudi Arabia.

The manager of a popular restaurant in Pittsburgh was fired after he shared an anti-Semitic post on Facebook.

Yokoso Japanese Steakhouse owner Jeff Kim apologized in a Facebook post for the action of his employee, calling it “inexcusable.” He also wrote: “Please know that his comments and views do not reflect the values of the restaurant and its employees. His employment has been terminated.” The restaurant is located on the city’s waterfront.

Prof. Abraham Diskin thinks that the chances of canceling the elections are small, but there may be surprises.

Naphtali Bensimon discusses the summit hosted in Jerusalem to counter threats from Iran.

Education Ministry seeks to enforce law requiring public institutions to fly Israeli flag at their entrances.

Dutch national rail company says it will pay tens of millions of Euros to survivors, families of victims taken to death camps on its trains.