Israel

22 Feb 2019; AFP: An unmanned rocket took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Thursday night carrying Israel's Beresheet spacecraft, aiming to make history twice: as the first private-sector landing on the Moon, and the first from the Jewish state.

The 585-kilogram (1,290-pound) Beresheet, which means "Genesis" in Hebrew, lifted off at 8:45 pm (0145 GMT Friday) atop a Falcon 9 rocket from the private US-based SpaceX company of entrepreneur Elon Musk.

JERUSALEM, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main challengers announced on Thursday that an alliance has been formed for the upcoming elections, the first plausible alternative to Netanyahu's long-time rule.

Benny Gantz, 59, Israel's former Chief of the General Staff, and Yair Lapid, chair of centrist party Yesh Atid, announced they would present a joint list for the April 9 elections.

In a joint statement, the two said their list "will constitute the new Israeli ruling party, in a move "motivated by national responsibility."

JERUSALEM; 20 Feb 2019; AA: Israeli forces Tuesday evening attacked Palestinian Muslim worshippers inside the Al-Aqsa mosque in the occupied city of Jerusalem, leaving many of them wounded, while arresting others, according to eyewitnesses.

The Israeli attack took place near the Al-Rahma gate of the flashpoint mosque, the eyewitnesses added, without specifying the number of soldiers.

JERUSALEM, Feb 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) – An Israeli army officer was charged with failing to prevent his soldiers from beating two Palestinian detainees, Israel’s army said on Sunday.

The commanding officer, whose identity was not disclosed, was indicted for “failing to prevent a crime, negligently causing injury and conducting unbecomingly as an officer,” Israel Defence Forces Spokesperson’s Unit said, in a statement.

The officer was suspended until further notice, the army said.

JERUSALEM, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Arab-Israeli women employees earn less than 50 percent of the national average wages, according to a report published Monday by the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission at Israel's Ministry of Labor.

The report noted that Arab-Israeli women are the most discriminated in the state's employment market.

In the computer manufacturing industry, for example, Arab-Israeli women without an academic degree make only 37 percent of the average salary of Jewish-Israeli workers without a degree.

JERUSALEM, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed on Tuesday night to Poland to attend the Warsaw Conference on the Middle East.

"The focus of the conference is Iran," Netanyahu told reporters before leaving.

"We employ many means against Iran's aggression, against their attempts to achieve nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles," Netanyahu said.

Iran denies it attempts to develop nuclear weapons.

JERUSALEM, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) - Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that some of the money transferred by Israel to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) will be frozen.

Israel collects customs duties on goods exported to the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip via Israeli ports and then transfers the funds to the PNA. The levies amount to some 127 million U.S. dollars per month.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Seeking re-election under a cloud of criminal investigations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks to be channeling his inner Donald Trump in an angry campaign against perceived domestic enemies.

Drawing clear inspiration from Trump, Netanyahu’s Likud party has plastered huge billboards of the two leaders together and launched a Trump-like weekly webcast to counter what it calls the “fake news” industry.

JERUSALEM: 06 Feb 2019; AA: Israel's top court has rejected a petition to postpone a decision by the attorney-general on the indictment of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on graft allegations until after the April polls.

Last week, Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit said that he would decide whether or not to indict Netanyahu on multiple graft charges before Knesset elections slated for April 9.

JERUSALEM; 05 Feb 2019; AA: Israeli forces rounded up 25 Palestinians in overnight raids carried out across the occupied West Bank, according to the Israeli military on Tuesday.

The individuals were arrested for “suspected involvement in popular terrorist activities”, the army said in a statement, without elaborating on the nature of these activities.