The Israeli government has given the green light to build a Bible museum in the country of Jesus' birth.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper reports that the Israel Bible Valley project will combine exhibits depicting Old Testament characters and times alongside displays of biblical artifacts. The Knesset, Israel's main governing body, unanimously approved the initiative yesterday and will soon decide the museum's place on the map.

"It's absurd that in the land of the Bible, there is no center dedicated to it," Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, told Haaretz. more >>

In a technical gaffe, President Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy were overheard by journalists at last week’s G20 summit in Cannes slamming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The conversation was meant to be private but their microphones were left on and Sarkozy was noted to have called Netanyahu a “liar.”

Not to be outdone, Obama replied, “You’re fed up, but I have to deal with him every day,” as reported by Reuters. Reuters reports that Netanyahu’s office declined to comment but tried to downplay the episode by saying, “everyone talks about everyone.”

The interesting thing about these remarks is that it is not very shocking to anyone at all who has observed the relationship between Israel and the U.S. since the Obama administration came to power. The two heads of states have had what is often regarded as the worst relations between an American president and Jewish head of state since 1948. more >>

As Iran continues to demonstrate a desire and capability to attain nuclear weapons, Israel is determined to make sure that does not happen. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has implied that Israel’s patience with the Islamic Republic is growing thin and that diplomacy may soon come to an end.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported Netanyahu as saying on Oct. 31, “If I had to summarize what will happen in our region, I would use two terms: instability and uncertainty.”

He continued, “A nuclear Iran would pose a terrible threat on the Middle East and on the entire world. And of course, it poses a great, direct threat on us (Israel) too … A security philosophy cannot rely on defense alone. It must also include offensive capabilities, which is the very foundation of deterrence. more >>

Palestinians eager for self-empowerment and a state of their own are achieving mixed results on securing greater international support for their independence during recent interactions with the U.N.

The potential country achieved a major leap forward in global prominence by gaining admittance to UNESCO, the U.N.'s cultural agency, after 107 out of 173 U.N. members voted in favor of the status upgrade, according to The Associated Press.

By contrast, a proposed Nov. 11 bid by Palestinians to take a place amid U.N. members is in serious jeopardy after one of the organization's Security Council nations, Bosnia-Herzegovina, decided to abstain from voting on the proposal. The move leaves Palestine with eight confirmed votes, just short of the nine needed to sway the 15 nation board. more >>

The Middle East has been abuzz Tuesday after an Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas for five years returned to the Jewish state, while hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, many held for violent crimes, were released in exchange for his freedom.

Shalit, 25, was greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon landing at an air base in central Israel Tuesday.

In comparison, Gaza exploded in celebrations when 477 Palestinian prisoners were freed from Israeli jails at the same time. The total number of Palestinian prisoners to be released is 1,027. more >>

WASHINGTON – House Majority Leader Eric Cantor urged Americans on Friday to stand for persecuted Christians such as Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, the country of Israel and religious liberty.

Cantor (R-Va.) used the Values Voter Summit stage to spotlight the plight of the jailed Iranian pastor.

"As we sit here today, Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is literally fighting for his life in Iran simply for his Christianity," he said. more >>