No one understands how Julian Edelman made the catch that led his team to victory on Sunday night, 5 Feb. 2017. Many are already calling it the greatest catch in the history of the Super Bowl. Others say it's just the craziest. "I don't know how he caught it. I don't think he knows," said teammate and New England Patriots star Tom Brady, who made the pass. The game was one of the most dramatic in the history of American football, and has been compared to Donald Trump's election victory. The Patriots were in arrears 28-3 versus the Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter of the game, but finally managed to win 34-28 in overtime. Edelman's catch was in the fourth quarter, when the Falcons led 28-20. The ball was thrown from a distance of about 25 meters, and was at first fumbled by one of the Falcons, Robert Alford. But Alford could not gain control of the ball, it hit his leg. And somehow, with perfect instincts, Edelman managed to catch it a few inches from the turf. Edelman became the star of the Super Bowl and commentators who interviewed him after the game said that the game will be remembered for his historic play. (Arutz-7) [Comment]

 Likud MK Yehuda Glick discussed the Regulation Law, which passed its second and third readings in the Knesset on Mon. evening, 6 Feb. 2017. The Jewish communities in Judea & Samaria are "an irreversible process”, Glick explained. "If we see thousands of houses that are in danger, we have to make sure that they are legal, and therefore the law which legalizes these houses is something to which we are obligated. The Israeli government, run by Binyamin Netanyahu and the Likud party, promised our people that we positively support the Jewish settlements in Judea & Samaria, and we will do everything we can in that regard,” he said. "Eventually, our next step is implementing Jewish-Israeli sovereignty over all of Judea & Samaria,” declared Glick. (INN) [Comment]

The Israeli Knesset on Mon. night 7 Feb. 2017, voted in favor of legislation that would see thousands of housing units in Judea & Samaria outposts legalized, in a move that is already causing widespread criticism. The Regulation Law legalizes and protects thousands of Jewish homes in Judea & Samaria which were built with government backing and no knowledge of the existence of absentee land owners, but against which there are now claims of property ownership. Under the Regulation Law, the homes built on such properties will be allowed to remain, and owners with proven claims to the land will be given a choice of receiving an alternate plot of land or monetary compensation for 125% of their land's value. The law has been condemned by the previous USA administration of Barack Obama, the European Union, the UN and Israel’s own attorney general, Avichai Mandelblit, who has warned that it marks the first time Israeli legislation explicitly affirms government support for the settlements, and would openly curtail property rights of Palestinians in Judea & Samaria. (Times of Israel/Arutz-7/i24) [Comment]

Danny Danon, Israel's Ambassador to the UN, has responded to the Iranian ballistic missile test by saying, "Iran has once again defied Security Council resolutions and revealed its true intentions." Danon warned, "The international community must not bury its head in the sand in the face of this Iranian aggression. The Security Council members must act immediately in response to these Iranian actions which endanger not only Israel, but the entire Middle East." (Arutz-7) [Comment]

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Trump at the White House on 15 Feb. 2017. Netanyahu thanked Trump for the invitation and said he looked forward to discussing "the areas of cooperation between us that are so vital to the security and well-being of our two countries.” Iran is expected to be a main topic at the White House meeting. Iran this week test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile, in what Netanyahu called "a flagrant violation of a Security Council Resolution.” The Israeli leader said he plans to "raise the need for a renewal of sanctions against Iran - sanctions against ballistic missiles but also other sanctions, against Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism, and also to deal with this entire failed nuclear agreement” in his meeting with Trump. Israel’s Intelligence Minister, Israel Katz, likewise said on Tues. 31 Jan. 2017 that "there is no doubt that further sanctions on Iran are needed," following the ballistic missile test. Katz said that not only Iran's ballistic missile program, but also its entrenchment in Syria and the aid it gives to Hezbollah constitute threats to Israel's security. The intelligence minister suggested that the Trump administration and its stance on Iran, offers new opportunities to thwart Iran's hegemonic ambitions in the region that endanger Israel. "The Trump administration and other [Middle East] leaders see Iran in a negative light. This is a significant development. There are initiatives to prevent Iranian meddling in the region, and Iran's entrenchment in Syria. These are goals that we must promote," Katz said. (NY Post/Times of Israel/J. Post) Intercede that world leaders will take action against the ploys and moves of the Islamic Republic to advance its weapons arsenal and its support of terrorism. [Comment]

Iran carried out a test launch of a medium-range ballistic missile on 29 Jan. 2017, which exploded after 630 miles, a USA official said the following day. The source disclosed the test launch was carried out from a site 140 miles east of Tehran. The last time this type of missile was test launched was in July 2016. The Obama administration previously said that Iran's ballistic missile tests had not violated the nuclear agreement, but President Donald Trump has said he will stop Tehran's missile program, per the UN resolution agreement. Under the UN motion approving the nuclear deal that was made in 2015, Iran is 'called upon' to refrain from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons for up to eight years. The deal was brokered by the United States, Russia, China, Britain, Germany and France. (UK Daily Mail) [Comment]

Massive winter storms ushered in severe weather starting on Thurs. 26 Jan. 2016 and brought a significant amount of precipitation and high winds. From Thurs to Sunday, Jerusalem was hit the hardest, recording 70mm of rain. The country also saw snow fall in several high-altitude communities in the center and the north. Mount Hermon saw more than 50cm of snow. Temperatures have been unseasonably cold in recent days and the trend were expected to continue with more rain predicted for Mon.30 Jan. and Tues. 31 Jan as well. (Ynet) Continue to pray for much needed abundant rains to fall upon Israel this winter and spring. "Be glad, O people of Zion; rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.” Joel 2:23 [Comment]

Israel’s PM Netanyahu on Saturday 28 Jan. 2017, expressed his support for President Trump’s controversial plan to build a wall along the USA-Mexico border, saying the barrier he built along his country’s southern border "stopped all illegal immigration”. Trump last week signed executive actions to start the construction of a continuous, "physical” wall, making good on a campaign promise to keep out illegal immigrants from Mexico, particularly "rapists” and drug dealers. "Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders," Trump declared. "We are going to save lives on both sides of the border." Trump has forged ahead on the wall promise, despite Mexico refusing to pay the bill, as Trump said it would. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto responded immediately to Trump’s declaration, saying in a nationally televised address that he regrets and rejects the president’s decision, nixing a planned meeting between the two leaders.

The southern wall in Israel -- completed in 2013 after two years of construction and paid for by Israel -- is not the Judea & Samaria barrier, built to end terror attacks launched from Palestinian Arab cities. The Southern wall was built because Israel was facing problems from the influx of tens of thousands of illegal African immigrants through Egypt -- mostly from Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast and Nigeria and seeking employment and asylum. Their arrival also coincided with a spike in crime, more burden on the Israeli health system and other social problems. Those coming into the USA from the south are seeking better economic conditions and include people fleeing El Salvador and other parts of Central America, ravaged by poverty, violence and other consequences of the region’s drug wars. (Fox)

 PM Benjamin Netanyahu clarified on Sunday 29 Jan. 2017 that the Israeli government holds the position that the USA embassy in the country should be located in Jerusalem. The premier's remarks came amid implications that Israel had urged new USA President Donald Trump to delay fulfilling his pledge to move the American mission in Israel from Tel Aviv to the capital. "I would like to clarify unequivocally that our position - now and at all times - has always been that the USA embassy should be here in Jerusalem," he stated. "Jerusalem is Israel's capital, and not only should the American embassy be in Jerusalem, but all embassies should be moved here, and I believe that in due time they will all reach Jerusalem," Netanyahu added. The prime minister's remarks came after Marc Zell, the co-chairman of the Republicans Overseas Israel group, indicated that Netanyahu had urged Trump to delay the process of moving the embassy. "Before the election Trump said that he would move the embassy to Jerusalem. Then he spoke to Bibi Netanyahu. I don't know what happened, but suddenly the White House said 'we'll think about it' and that same week Israel announced the construction of 2,500 new settlement units and the response from Washington was extraordinary - quiet," Zell told Army Radio on Sundaymorning.

Once committed to quickly moving America's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the Trump administration has recently turned to express caution, promising only to review the matter extensively and in consultation with "stakeholders" in the conflict. Asked days ago about moving the embassy, a move he said he favored during the campaign, Trump said, "I don’t want to talk about it yet. It’s too early.” That deliberative process tracks closely with the policy evolution of two prior presidents, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, who also campaigned on a pledge to move the embassy. Both ultimately reversed course while in their first terms office. Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and other Arab allies have warned the White House of severe repercussions should it proceed with the move, including a review of bilateral relations with both the USA and Israel. Arab states have also warned of an upsurge in violence should the embassy be relocated. (J.Post) "This is what the Lord says, ‘I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.’”Zech 8:3

It happens nearly every night. After dark, the Syrian wounded come to known locations on the Israel-Syria front in the Golan Heights, driven by desperation to seek help from an enemy army. Israeli soldiers on lookout or patrol spot them waiting by the fence and whisk them away to a rear position where army medics soon arrive, according to army officials operating in the area that was seized by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. Israel refuses to accept refugees fleeing the nearly six-year conflict in Syria, a country with which it remains technically at war. But it has allowed in more than 2,600 Syrians for medical care. On one bitterly cold January night, gunfire and explosions could be heard in the near distance as Israeli medics dressed the injuries of two Syrian men, one suffering a head wound. "We're doing everything we can to save their lives, to stabilize them and evacuate them to hospital," said Captain Aviad Camisa, deputy chief medical officer of the Golan brigade.

"Some of the stories stir your emotions. When children come, as a father, it touches me personally," Camisa said. Millions have fled and hundreds of thousands have been killed in Syria's conflict, which shows only fitful signs of being resolved. The Israeli army helps facilitate access to nearby hospitals. One man, his legs pierced by shrapnel, survived a bomb attack in his village in which 23 people were killed. "In the past we used to know Israel as our enemy. That's what the regime used to tell us," he said. "When we came to Israel we changed our minds, there is no enmity between us. In the end we discovered that our regime is the enemy of us all," he said, referring to Syrian president Bashar al-Asad. (Reuters) [Comment]