Northern Israel resident Rania Dandan, 51, said she acted on Hamas’ behalf out of a desire to support “resistance against the State of Israel.”

By World Israel News Staff

An Israeli Arab Christian woman has been arrested for allegedly aiding the Hamas terror organization, authorities announced on Friday.

In a joint operation conducted by the Shin Bet security agency and the Coastal District of the Israel Police, Rania Dandan, a 51-year-old Israeli citizen and resident of the northern town of Kiryat Motzkin, was arrested several weeks ago on suspicion of “assisting the advancement of Hamas’ objectives,” authorities said.

During her interrogation, Dandan told investigators that she acted on Hamas’ behalf out of a desire to support “resistance against the State of Israel in the context of the ongoing war [in Gaza],” police and the Shin Bet said.

On Friday, Attorney Shikma Nechamias of the Haifa District Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment against Dandan with the Haifa District Court.

Among other things, Dandan is accused of helping Hamas operate a smear campaign against Israel online, aiding the terror group in disseminating anti-Israel propaganda and maintaining fake social media profiles which were used to spread false information and sow fear in Israeli society.

Dandan allegedly edited, translated, and administered content in multiple Telegram groups linked to Hamas.

Furthermore, Dandan is said to have helped Hamas hack into public display screens in Israel.

Years before her indictment, Dandan had tried to convert to Judaism, and she recalled her difficulties in an interview with the Walla news site.

Dandan said she decided to convert after she divorced her husband in 2006.

At the time, she was living in an apartment in a predominantly Orthodox Jewish neighborhood, and had become “enchanted” by her family-oriented, Sabbath-observant neighbors.

“I decided to convert to Judaism and start anew,” she told Walla.

Dandan reached out to a prominent rabbi, who advised her to live in a religious community for half a year before approaching the rabbinate conversion court in Haifa. He added that she should have the local rabbi accompany her to the court.

However, Dandan said that she was unable to find a community willing to take her in. She eventually enrolled in a conversion program linked to the Technion but claimed that the Haifa court rejected her petition to convert, saying she must first find a community to host her conversion efforts.

“Even though I explained to him that communities do not want to take me in, it did not help,” she told Walla.

“I told him I was willing to do anything, but I needed their support. I asked them to find a community and speak with a rabbi who would accept me for six months. He refused, and I left there deeply frustrated and in tears. It was extremely humiliating.”

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Right-wing, pro-Trump candidate declared winner of Honduras’ presidential election, promises Israel’s foreign minister he will work to repair relations hurt by the left-wing incumbent.

By World Israel News Staff

Honduras’ new president-elect has vowed to repair relations with Israel after being declared the winner of last month’s heavily contested election.

On Wednesday, the Honduran National Electoral Council certified the results of the November 30 presidential vote, formally declaring Nasry Asfura of the National Party the winner and president-elect.

Asfura narrowly edged out a centrist candidate, Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party, by a margin of 40.3% to 39.6% in a three-way vote.

President-elect Asfura is the son of Christian Arabs who emigrated from the British Mandate for Palestine in the 1940s.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Asfura Wednesday, after President Donald Trump endorsed him ahead of the November election.

“The United States congratulates President-elect Nasry Asfura of Honduras on his clear electoral victory, confirmed by Honduras’ National Electoral Council,” Rubio said.

“The United States urges all parties to respect the confirmed results so that Honduran authorities may swiftly ensure a peaceful transition of authority to President-elect Nasry Asfura.”

After being declared the winner, Asfura spoke by phone with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who also offered his congratulations.

According to a statement by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Asfura and Sa’ar agreed to “strengthen” ties between the two countries – more than two years after the country’s far-left incumbent, Xiomara Castro, recalled the Honduran ambassador to Israel over the Gaza war.

“Honduras and Israel have a historic relationship that began 72 years ago with the establishment of the State of Israel,” the Foreign Ministry said Thursday morning.

“In recent years, however, under the current administration, relations between Israel and Honduras deteriorated. After Oct. 7, Honduras recalled its ambassador from Israel and has not since appointed a new ambassador to Israel.

“In addition, Honduras has not yet accepted the credentials of Israel’s ambassador to Honduras. In the conversation between Minister Sa’ar and President-elect Asfura, the two agreed to strengthen bilateral relations for the benefit of both countries. During the call, Minister Sa’ar also invited the president-elect to visit Israel.”

Sa’ar took to X shortly after the call, writing that the incoming president seeks to improve bilateral relations.

“I was glad to congratulate the President-elect of Honduras, ‘Tito’ Asfura, on his election as President of Honduras. I conveyed our warm wishes to the people of Honduras, wished him success in his role, and invited him to visit Israel.”

“Honduras has a long history of friendship with the State of Israel and the Jewish people. We agreed to work to strengthen bilateral relations for the benefit of both countries,” Sa’ar wrote.

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, also a member of the National Party, relocated his country’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem in 2021 following a similar move by the US three years earlier.

However, with the election of Castro later in 2021, ties between Israel and Honduras cooled, culminating in the recalling of the Honduran ambassador two years later.

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Palestinian Christian leaders claim the site was targeted in an arson attack that the media reported was carried out by ‘Israeli settlers,’ although there is no proof.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the Christian town of Taybeh in Judea and Samaria on Saturday, urging accountability after a recent string of incidents, including an arson attack near a centuries-old church.

The visit highlighted the ambassador’s commitment to religious freedom and the protection of sacred sites.


Huckabee, a longtime supporter of Israel, toured the remains of the Church of St. George. Palestinian Christian leaders say the site was targeted in an arson attack that the media reported to have been carried out by “Israeli settlers,” although there is no proof.

The ambassador’s visit came in response to growing concerns about isolated acts of violence in the area.

“Desecrating a church, mosque or synagogue is a crime against humanity and God,” Huckabee posted on X. “I work for ALL American citizens who live in Israel—Jewish, Muslim or Christian. When they are terrorized or victims of crime, I will demand those responsible be held accountable with real consequences.”

Calling the church fire “an act of terror,” Huckabee said justice must be pursued firmly. “Not just reprimanded, that’s not enough. People need to pay a price for doing something that destroys that which belongs, not just to other people, but that which belongs to God.”

Huckabee also condemned the recent death of Palestinian-American Saif Musallet near Ramallah, calling it “a criminal and terrorist act.”

The implication is that Israeli civilians are responsible, but the facts are not clear and Israeli authorities have said an investigation is underway.

An investigative report by TPS found inconsistencies in Palestinian claims that Israeli settlers set the fire.

In fact, video footage of the incident shows Israeli settlers – most of whom work at a nearby farm – trying to extinguish the blaze.

The church itself was not damaged. The fire was in an outside area, adjacent to the church. 

The fire in question was only one of four blazes reported in the area. Jewish farmers and shepherds complained to police in all four instances, accusing Arabs of torching areas they used as pasture for their flocks.

The incident quickly gained international attention, including from American lawmakers.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican, mistakenly told Fox News that a church was “burned to the ground.”

“There was a Catholic church burned in the West Bank. I am incredibly upset by that. I am an unapologetic supporter of Israel. As a Christian, you can go to Jerusalem and worship safely; as a Muslim, you can do the same,” Graham said.

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‘This is further proof of Hezbollah’s cynical exploitation of Lebanese civilians and holy sites for its terrorist activity.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Nine IDF soldiers were wounded, one seriously, after being hit while rescuing an injured elderly man from a church that had been attacked by Hezbollah.

Soldiers assisted an 80-year-old who was wounded after Hezbollah fired a missile from Lebanon and hit St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Iqrit.

The terrorist group was trying to strike an IDF position in Shomera but hit the holy site in the Arab Christian village by mistake.

During the rescue of the wounded man, Hezbollah launched another missile and wounded the soldiers as they were carrying out the evacuation.

In response, the IDF launched a missile at a Hezbollah target in Lebanon including the building where the person who launched the missile was believed to be hiding.

Hezbollah was firing missiles into Northern Israel from a mosque in Yaroun, demonstrating the willingness of the terrorist organizations to use holy sites and civilian areas for fighting.

“This is further proof of Hezbollah’s cynical exploitation of Lebanese civilians and holy sites for its terrorist activity,” the IDF said.

Military operations on the northern border between Israel and Lebanon have heated up recently, with speculation about the possibility of a war opening up on the northern front.

Last week, Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets at the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona prompting Israel to retaliate by striking terror sites in Lebanon.

At least eight rockets were launched by Hezbollah, two hit within the city, damaging infrastructure, including homes, vehicles, and a preschool, but since many of the residents had been relocated to other areas of the country, there were no injuries.

Israel’s Iron Dome defense system intercepted five rockets, with the other landing in an open area.

In retaliation, Israeli aircraft aimed at Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and struck at the source of the rocket fire.

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