Auto giant Volkswagen has announced a $300 million investment in Israeli ride-hailing startup Gett (formerly Get Taxi). The strategic investment comes on the heels of Toyota’s backing of the U.S. ride-hailing app Uber. General Motors injected $500 million into Lyft, another U.S. ride-hailing app, in January. VW wants “to go beyond vehicle...

Iran’s defense minister claimed that conflicts in Iraq and Syria are the result of a “deep-seated U.S.-Zionist conspiracy” during a memorial service for Mustafa Baddredine, a Hezbollah commander who was responsible for bombing the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, Iranian media reported on Wednesday. “Zionists are supporting terrorists and equipping them,...

Hamas lawmakers said that they approved a measure allowing public executions on Wednesday, defying the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who had condemned the terror group’s plan earlier in the day. Although the announcement was made by Palestinian legislators in Gaza, it is unclear how many Hamas-affiliated parliamentarians approved the executions,...

A new investment club focused exclusively on high-tech startups headed by ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) entrepreneurs in the KamaTech accelerator points to the slow but steady growth of Haredi participation in the high-tech ecosystem in Israel. The 12Angels investment club includes some of Israel’s biggest names in the industry: Flash-drive pioneer Dov Moran, Facebook Israel general manager...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally signed a coalition agreement with the Yisrael Beiteinu party Wednesday, pledging during the ceremony to work towards peace with the Palestinians. The coalition agreement expands the governing coalition to 66 members of the 120-seat Knesset, expanding from the razor-thin majority of 61. “Israel needs governmental stability if it is...

In a rare criticism, the United Nations condemned Hamas on Wednesday after the Palestinian terror group announced plans to carry out 13 public executions. The UN is “deeply concerned” by remarks made by Hamas’ attorney general that the organization was planning to carry out public executions in the near future, Office of the High Commissioner...