Current News Blog

Israel’s military is claiming that Hamas has a new rocket capable of reaching Tel Aviv and other Israeli population centers. Hamas apparently test-fired their new rocket, believed to be Iranian-made, out into the sea. Hamas denies having a new rocket, saying Israel is trying to turn world opinion against them.

Most of the rockets fired from the Gaza Strip are very short range and have notoriously unreliable aim. Collective Journalism contributor Zouheir al-Najjar had incredible access to a militant group constructing rockets – and they walked him through how they’re made. As you’ll see at the end of the video – the rockets aren’t very precise weapons.

Gaza Rockets (Video)

On the other side of the fence, Israelis in the city of Sderot live in constant siege from the haphazard firing of these unpredictable rockets. The rockets can’t hit specific targets but their unpredictability makes them more of a menace to the civilian population.

City in the Crosshairs (Video)

If Hamas does have this new rocket that Israel claims it does – then the fear is that many more cities would become like Sderot, living in constant fear of wanton rocket fire. Of course the other question will be how many rockets could Hamas get its hands on. They are, after all, under an extensive blockade with just a trickle of supplies coming through their tunnels. Blogger Ibn Larry has a great write-up of the tunnels and blockades – and gives us a shout out as well (thanks!).

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Over at True/Slant, Neal Ungerleider has a write-up of the annual Oktoberfest in a small West Bank town called Taybeh. Oktoberfest in the Palestinian Territories? Well, it’s largely to support homegrown company Taybeh Brewery. He went to visit, and added a slew of photos to his Flickr stream. We’ve got a great piece on the Taybeh Brewery. Enjoy!

Beer of Palestine (Video)

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Stone-throwing is back in fashion in Jerusalem as clashes and riots have broken out in the city near the religious site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to the Muslims as Haram al-Sharif.

From the BBC:

On Monday, minor clashes broke out at the mosque, although tens of thousands of Jewish worshippers attended a blessing ceremony at the Western Wall for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot without major incident.

Police said they closed the mosque to male worshippers under 50 after finding wheelbarrows full of stones inside the complex.

Elsewhere in Jerusalem, an Israeli policeman was stabbed in the neck while carrying out an inspection on a bus.

Reports said youths began throwing stones after a Palestinian was arrested in connection with the attack.

With a heavy police presence in the streets, Israel is hoping to quiet down any possible clashes in the next few days.

If you’re in Jerusalem, and can tell us anything about what’s been happening, leave a comment over here on Current News.

Also from Israel
- Victims of Peace (Video): Israelis displaced from Gaza during the disengagement still await their chance to return
- Gaza Tunnels (Video): Despite the Israeli blockade, Gazans still manage to get what they need through tunnels under the Egyptian border.