The attempted coup in Turkey caught Istanbul's Jews by surprise as they were finishing their Friday night 15 July meals. Though Air Force planes only flew low over populated areas in Ankara, residents of Istanbul quickly understood that security tensions were at their highest, which led to the synagogues of Istanbul being half empty on Shabbat morning. "On Friday night we went to the synagogue as usual. It was only at 11:30 at night, when we were finishing our Shabbat meal, that neighbors came to tell us about the dramatic coup happening right then, with violent clashes in some places.” According to the source, morning prayers were finished hastily and the congregants returned to their houses quickly. "There was a large police and military presence in the streets. Naturally there was a lot of tension, though we already knew that the coup had failed.” In the hours since Friday's uprising - which left some 265 people dead in a chaotic night of violence and uncertainty - thousands of soldiers have been arrested and hundreds of judiciary members removed. The country's Prime Minister has vowed that "they will pay a heavy price." (Arutz-7) [Comment]

Following a failed coup attempt mounted by Turkey’s military, Turkish President Recep Erdogan has reasserted his control over the country. After the botched attempt to overthrow the government which left more than 265 dead and 1,440 injured, Erdogan has set out to purge the judiciary and military. More than 2,700 judges have been removed and nearly 3,000 soldiers arrested. The Turkish military had announced late Friday night 15 July 2016, that it had taken over power from the government, declaring that a "peaceful council” had been established "in the name of democratic order.” Army units occupied two key bridges in Istanbul, shutting down traffic in much of the city. State television and Ankara’s airport were also seized by the military. Flights to and from Ankara were cancelled following the take-over. Turkish President Erdogan issued no statements in the early hours of the coup, leading to suspicions he had been taken prisoner. Later, Erdogan spoke out, condemning the attempted coup and placing blame on an Islamic cleric living in exile in the USA, Fethullah Gulen, for spearheading it. (INN)

Schools have honor rolls that list students who reach certain grade levels or achievements, cities sometimes even acknowledge the accomplishments of their local star performers. So does the Palestinian Authority, which cites those who achieve martyrdom. "Sixteen succeeded the martyrdom (shahada) of the homeland and withstood its difficult tests, for death as a martyr is the path to excellence and greatness, and the path of those who know how to reach the great victory,” said WAFA, the official PA news agency. The encouragement to students was cited by the Palestinian Media Watch as well as the Middle East Media Research Institute. PMW’s Itamar Marcus wrote, "Since fear of death is a natural inhibiting factor to participating in violence and terror, to mitigate this fear, the Palestinian Authority educates its children that death as a martyr should not be feared. Martyrdom, the PA teaches, is the highest achievement and is more valuable and more rewarded than life itself.” PMW noted that Palestinian terrorists over 2015 and 2016 murdered 40 and injured more than 500. But it pointed out that the teens who died mostly died while attempting violence unsuccessfully. (WND) [Comment]

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]