News from TheMediaLine.org.

A Kinder, Gentler Hamas?

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 18:30:00 GMT

That's what the Islamic movement is signaling – except when it's not

Is there a new Hamas in the making, one ready to put down its arms and live in peace with Israel? Or is it the same old Islamist movement putting on the airs of moderation as it abandons its old friends Syria and Iran and makes new ones in Egypt, Turkey and Qatar?

Anyone following the movement's l...

Seal Sheds Light on Temple's Day-to-Day Activities

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 18:30:00 GMT

Rare object was used to purchase ritually pure offerings

Its owner was probably on their way to the Temple to make a sacrifice sometime in the first century B.C. when they dropped the button-sized token that would show the priest that they had bought a ritually pure sheep or libation for their offering. It was finally found about two weeks ago.

That's more than 2,000 year...

Gaza in Shock After Rare Double Homicide

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:30:00 GMT

Son held in death of his parents, prompting a flurry of speculation

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – The Gaza Strip is all abuzz about a grisly murder of an elderly couple in a story that brings together drugs, money, the dangers of leaving home and family, and a desperate escape by tunnel to Egypt.

It's the routine stuff of tabloid journalism in America and Europe, but here...

Christians in Israel: Thriving, Beleaguered at the Same Time

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:30:00 GMT

They succeed at school and at work, but their numbers are barely growing

Economically, the Holy Land's tiny Christian minority is thriving as its moves into the holiday season this year. But, except for a one-time boost from a wave of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, their numbers are barely growing and they face petty discrimination in the streets and from the government.

New York Campus Signals Israeli University's Global Ambitions

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:30:00 GMT

Joint campus with Cornell near Manhattan will raise The Technion's profile

New York City's Roosevelt Island is half a world away from the Technion's home on Mount Carmel. But that is exactly the point, says Oded Shmueli, vice president for research, explaining why the Israeli university is embarking on an ambitious multi-billion-dollar joint venture with Cornell to build a new technology institute of higher educati...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 18:30:00 GMT

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Bethlehem Burgeons with Christmas Visitors

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 18:30:00 GMT

Christmas Eve saw more visitors to Bethlehem than at any time in a decade. According to the Israeli military, at least 100,000 people entered the town of Jesus' traditional birthplace, compared to 70,000 last year. As in past years, Israeli authorities eased travel restrictions in order to allow West Bank Christians access for religious observances. 500 permits were also issued for Christians living in the Gaza Strip to enter Israel to attend religious serv...

Egyptian Salafists Seek to Amend, Not Rescind, Egypt-Israel Treaty

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 18:30:00 GMT

Egypt's Salafist Al-Nour party says it will seek to make revisions in the 1979 treaty between Egypt and Israel rather than try to scuttle it altogether. In a statement released on Saturday, the party said it would use "legitimate means" to alter what it termed "exploitative clauses" including limits on the Egyptian force stationed in the Sinai Peninsula and revenue it receives from Israel pursuant to the natural gas contract. Despite its willingness to abid...