PM Binyamin Netanyahu, at the start of Sunday’s 17 July 2016 Cabinet meeting, addressed the terror attack in Nice, France: "I sent condolences - on behalf of the government and people of Israel - and my wishes for a recovery to the wounded. The Palestinian Authority also sent condemnations and condolences, but with one difference: Here, not only do they not condemn vehicular terrorism, they encourage it. They glorify the terrorists responsible and finance them, and also their families if the terrorists are dead. Terrorism is terrorism, whether it is in France or Israel, and there must be a unified approach of condemnation and war on this terrorism – here and everywhere else." (INN) Intercede that governments throughout the world will be united, and on highest alert against Islamist plots and incitement to carry out acts of terror. Pray for stiff penalties for those who plan, carry out and glorify in deeds of terror - and that Israel will be supported rather than condemned for doing so on its own home turf. [Comment]

Following the capture Sunday morning 17 July 2016, of a Palestinian Authority resident carrying a pack of explosive devices, Jerusalem District Police Commander Yoram HaLevy confirmed that the would-be bomber had targeted the Jerusalem light rail. The terrorist was intercepted by train security guards after arousing their suspicion. During questioning by the guards, the terrorist admitted that he was carrying bombs in his bag. The terrorist was distanced from the train and sections of Yafo and King George streets were shut down to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The terrorist was carrying a large explosive pack, which he intended to set off after he boarded the light rail train. The District Commander added that the bomber was stopped thanks to alert train guards. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat praised the guards’ work, thanking them for warding off what could have potentially been a catastrophic attack. (Arutz-7) Thank you intercessors for on-going prayers that terrorist attacks will be averted throughout Israel. Please keep praying. [Comment]

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has been graded as the best university in the Middle East, according to the Center for World University Rankings. The 12 July 2016 report also ranked the university 26th among more than 25,000 degree-conferring universities from all over the world. Other Israeli universities to finish in the top 100 were the Weizmann Institute of Science, at 41, and Tel Aviv University, at 81. Among the factors considered in rating the world's top 1,000 universities were quality of education and faculty. Hebrew University placed 16th and 15th, respectively. Other categories were alumni employment, publications, influence, citations, broad impact, and patents. The top 10 schools were all either from the United States or the United Kingdom, with Harvard ranked first followed by Stanford, MIT, Cambridge, Oxford, Columbia, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Chicago, Princeton and Yale. (Arutz-7) [Comment]

Austria's government moved on 12 July 2016, to seize the house where Adolf Hitler was born to prevent it becoming a site of pilgrimage for neo-Nazis, and the country's Interior Minister said he wanted to tear it down. Hitler's family lived in the house in Braunau on the Inn for three years around his birth on April 20, 1889; but the fate of the three-story building coated in pale yellow paint has long been the subject of controversy. A spokesman for the interior ministry said the government had agreed on a law to take ownership after the building's landlord, a local woman, had refused to sell it to the state. The bill will now go before parliament. "The decision is necessary because the Republic would like to prevent this house from becoming a 'cult site' for neo-Nazis in any way, which it has been repeatedly in the past," said Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka. Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938. Debate still smoulders over whether Austrians were willing accomplices, many having cheered his return to his country of birth at the time, or the first victims of a dictatorship that ultimately reduced much of Europe to ruins and cost tens of millions of lives. (J.Post) [Comment]

Jerusalem is confident that the strong relationship with Britain it enjoyed under PM David Cameron will continue under former Home Secretary Theresa May who took over Cameron's post on 13 July 2016. May, according to former ambassador to London Daniel Taub, "has been a long-standing friend of Israel and the Jewish community.” He said that as home secretary, May was very supportive of "our efforts to deepen British- Israel ties in the area of homeland security, and also very receptive to the concerns of the Jewish community regarding anti-Semitism and violent extremism.” One Jerusalem official said that when it comes to Israel, May "comes with her heart in the right place.” Israeli PM Netanyahu wrote a letter of congratulations to the new UK Prime Minister following her installation this week. (J.Post/Arutz-7) [Comment]

Israel's embassy in Addis Ababa, as well as the Jewish Agency, are working on plans to fly a group of Israelis holed up in a building in Gondar out of the city, marred by ethnic tensions that took 10 lives on Tues. 12 July 2016. Some 6,000 Jews live in Gondar and there is currently a delegation of 23 Jewish agency emissaries there. According to a Foreign Ministry spokesman, they are presently in a secure and guarded building. In addition there are an undetermined number of Israeli tourists believed to be in the region. Ethnic fighting recently broke out between the Amhara and Tigray groups when armed forces from the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) entered Gondar, a city with a majority Amhara population, early Tues. morning. The forces have since arrested prominent local political lobbyists and have been accused of committing massacres. Latest reports reflect that the Jewish Agency emissaries are safe in the Gondar airport, waiting for flight out. (J.Post) Pray for the safety of the Jewish community in Gondar, for the emissaries on their way out of the troubled area, and for tourists endangered by the violence. Pray for quiet to be restored. [Comment]

 Israel is given tremendous credit as a global leader in education, innovation, technology and entrepreneurship. Nevertheless, one-fourth of the country lives below the poverty line. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently reported that Israel has the second highest poverty rate among its 34 member countries. When walking around the glittering streets of Tel Aviv, whose modern buildings and sophisticated, high-end restaurants boast prosperity, Israel seems far from a poor country. Like many other western nations, though, Israel faces a major pay gap, a phenomenon that is entirely consistent with being the "start-up nation." Additionally, various minorities, including Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews, present different cultural and religious challenges that contribute to broader economic problems. Also, Israel is a country built on immigrants, and it takes a significant amount of time for new citizens to integrate into an entirely different economic system. Some 18% of Israelis suffer from food insecurity. (J. Post) Pray according to scripture: "Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.” Isa 61:7 [Comment]

Jewish-American Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman has been named to the USA women’s gymnastics team. Raisman, 22, will compete in her second Olympics when she heads to the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She earned two gold medals in the 2012 games in London: for floor exercise and one as part of the team competition. At 22, Raisman is the oldest member of the team, which reportedly has earned her the nickname "Grandma.” Following the London Olympics, Raisman took time off from gymnastics to enjoy opportunities that had come her way -performing on tour with her teammates, competing on "Dancing With The Stars,” and being a special guest at the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel, the global Jewish sporting event. (J.Post) [Comment]

An exhibit that is intended as a replica of the biblical Noah's ark has just opened in Kentucky. The exhibit, claiming to be the largest timber structure in the world, is part of a Christian theme park called Ark Encounter, whose purpose, according to founder Ken Ham, is to teach an evangelical Christian reading of the Bible. "I find some of the aggressive secularists try to shut down people talking about the Bible," Ham said. "So for us it's, 'How can we get a message out there about the Bible?'" 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high, Ham claims that the ark's dimensions are based on those given in the Bible. He said that his exhibit will stand as a testament to the truth of the Biblical stories. (Arutz-7) May this exhibit be the delight and joy of many in the days to come. May it far exceed expectations in terms of lasting wonder and Biblical impact on both young and old who visit. [Comment]

Senior Egyptian official and former parliamentarian, Mohamed Kamal, claims Israel and Egypt are cooperating in the war on terrorism, working together closely to defeat the ISIS terror organization in the Sinai. "There is definitely a high level of cooperation that could be unprecedented, especially in the field of combating terrorism," Kamal told media sources. The report noted that Egyptian President El-Sisi has aggressively fought Islamic terrorists inside Egypt – including in the Sinai, where treaty limitations restrict Egyptian military deployments. Kamal's comments validate claims by IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan, who suggested Israel and Egypt were closer than ever before, sharing intelligence information and effectively operating in tandem in the Sinai. A senior Israeli official speaking on condition of anonymity said Israel was operating armed airborne drones in the Sinai, with the full support of Egypt. (Arutz-7) Pray that governments throughout the world will be united against Islamist strategies to carry out acts of terror. Intercede also for increasing co-operation between Egypt and the Jewish state on military, trade and cultural issues. [Comment]