Rosh Hashana special: Readers' most popular stories of 5774
Based on Ynetnews analytics, these are the most successful stories of the year as chosen by our readers.
1. Donetsk leaflet: Jews must register or face deportation
In mid April, the Jewish community in Donetsk, one of the largest Ukraine provinces, felt highly concerned when a leaflet was distributed across the province calling for all Jews over 16 years old to register as Jews.
The leaflet demanded that the city's Jews supply a detailed list of all the property they own, or else have their citizenship revoked, face deportation and see their assets confiscated.
The leaflet content caused quite a stir among Jews all over the world as it was very anti-Semitic and brought back traumatic memories from darker times. Just several decades ago almost a million Jews were murdered in Ukraine following pogroms and Ukraine's cooperation with the Nazis.
2. Iran's Revolutionary Guards committed to 'Death to America'
The Revolutionary Guards, the elite Iranian regime's army, said shortly after Hassan Rouhani was elected as the new president of Iran that they were committed to the slogan "Death to America".
This proved to many that despite Rouhani's relatively moderate approach, there is no real change in Iran's policy towards the west. The Revolutionary Guards are a strong conservative force in the country, but it's not always open to political change.
3. Rare golden treasure found in Jerusalem
Two bundles containing 36 gold coins from Byzantine era, gold and silver jewelry, gold medallion with menorah uncovered during Hebrew University excavations at foot of Temple Mount.
4. Hollywood heavyweights come out in support of Israel
Scores of celebrities and power-brokers from the Hollywood establishment have come out in support of Israel and a peaceful resolution to its conflict with Hamas, with stars as diverse as Sarah Silverman, Seth Rogen and Arnold Schwarzenegger signing a joint statement.
Hamas, they said, "cannot be allowed to rain rockets on Israeli cities, nor can it be allowed to hold its own people hostage. Hospitals are for healing, not for hiding weapons."
Israel's Operation Protective Edge saw the death of over 2,000 Palestinian citizens in the Gaza Strip which resulted in a massive international criticism against Israel's military policy in the Strip.
5. Iranians arrest 14 squirrels for spying
On July 2013, Iranian intelligence operatives detained over a dozen squirrels found within the nation's borders, claiming the rodents were serving as spies for Western powers determined to undermine the Islamic Republic.
Recently, Iran has increased its efforts in combating espionage by the west; however the use of rodents has not been documented in the past.
6. Foreign journalists reveal Hamas' false front
A day after Operation Protective Edge ended, a truer picture slowly began emerging: foreign reporters leaving the Gaza Strip revealed what Israel has claimed all along – that Hamas is firing out of population hubs and near UN facilities.
FRANCE 24 correspondent Gallagher Fenwick aired a report showing rockets being launched just 50 meters away from the hotel where foreign journalists were staying and 100 meters away from a UN facility.
Another foreign reporter said that it is an open secret that Hamas uses Al-Shifa hospital as its command center, but that reporters in Gaza would not report that out of fear that it would endanger them.
7. Palestinians rescue settlers after West Bank attack
A Jewish family driving through a Palestinian village was hurled with stones by several of the village residents, after they lost control of the car and it flipped over, they were surprised to discover that those who came to their aid were also Palestinians.
More and more Arabs arrived at the scene and asked if we needed help," she said. "One of them held Nitzan, who was pretty pleased about it. I was afraid, but I know how to distinguish between terrorists and human beings, and these were human beings."
8. Saudi TV features Hitler in ads
A Saudi-owned satellite television network showed the infamous Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler singing the praises of the network’s programming for September.
ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman called for the immediate removal of the promotional messages on the Saudi satellite television network MBC.
The ad campaign for MBC Action, which is based in Dubai, features clips from the 2009 Quentin Tarantino film “Inglourious Basterds,” where the Nazi dictator is shown speaking in a room to other Nazi officials.
9. Blair: Israel won't be able to destroy Hamas
In an exclusive interview to Ynetnews, Tony Blair, The former British prime minister who is now the representative for the Quartet of Mideast peacemakers said that Israel will not be able to destroy Hamas as a political movement.
"There won't be a destruction of Hamas ... you won't destroy Hamas as a political entity," he said. "...what I do know is that will only happen if it happens within the context of a way forward, particularly for the people of Gaza, which gives them some hope for the future," said blaire.
10. Private jets, restaurants, luxury hotels: the good life of senior Hamas officials
While most Palestinians are faced with shortages and restrictions on movement in the Gaza Strip, Hamas has millions in assets, and it seems that the wealth extends to day-to-day life as well as investments and fat bank accounts. For them, life is about private jets and luxury, not war planes and hunger.
On Sunday, Egyptian officials sharply criticized Hamas political leader Khaled Mashal, stating that "while the Hamas leadership lives in luxury hotels, it is abandoning the innocent Palestinian people, who are being killed in their dozens."
11. Inside the talks' failure: US officials open up
In an exclusive interview to Ynetnews, American officials involved in Secretary of State John Kerry's peace push this week agreed to share their take on the talks' failure.
"There are a lot of reasons for the peace effort's failure, but people in Israel shouldn't ignore the bitter truth - the primary sabotage came from the settlements. The Palestinians don't believe that Israel really intends to let them found a state when, at the same time, it is building settlements on the territory meant for that state".
Though Israel's Gaza operation eclipsed the rest of the year, immediately before the fighting in Gaza broke out, Israel was in the process of grieving the loss of three young Israelis (link) who were murdered and kidnapped in the West Bank, as well as balking at the horrendous killing of Mohammed Abu Khdeir in retribution.
Just this week (link), suspected killers of Eyal, Gil-Ad and Naftali were killed in gun clashes with the Israeli forces who attempted to arrest them near Hebron, bringing to Operation Brothers' Keeper to an end.
This year also saw the downfall of former prime minister Ehud Olmert in the biggest corruption trial in the historyof Israel
Olmert was sentenced to six years in prison and fined NIS 1 million in court in Tel Aviv for his role in the 'Holyland Affair', the real estate corruption case.
