The USA House of Representatives on Thurs. 7 July 2016, approved measures to block USA companies from selling commercial passenger aircraft to Tehran. Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), the amendment's sponsor, said, "To give these types of planes to the Iranian regime, which still is the world's largest state sponsor of terror, is to give them a product that can be used for a military purpose.” He claimed the jets could be reconfigured to carry 100 ballistic missiles or 15,000 rocket-propelled grenades. New York Democrat Jose Serrano opposed Roskam's measure, saying it was part of a broader Republican strategy to make the nuclear agreement and the Obama administration look bad. (UK Dailymail) Actually, the Republicans have no need of a "strategy” to make the nuclear agreement and the Obama administration "look bad.” Iranian leaders, on a near daily basis, thumb their noses at the USA government and continue with threats to annihilate Israel. Meanwhile reports rolling in from Germany confirm that Iranian efforts to illegally procure nuclear technology are as high as ever. Pray that many more government leaders will take stands to effectively undermine Iran’s vicious goals against Israel and the West.
[Comment]

On 8 July two years ago, one of Israel's longest wars erupted. In the summer of 2014, the IDF and Hamas in Gaza traded fire for 50 days; Israeli cities came under near daily Hamas rocket attacks, warning sirens rang out and Iron Dome interceptors flooded the skies; IDF ground units moved into the Strip to destroy 34 cross-border tunnels; and the Israel Air Force dropped thousands of bombs at Hamas targets, which had been hidden near residential buildings, hospitals and mosque. During the past two years, Hamas has worked to replenish its rocket stockpiles. At the same time, Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system has continued to evolve. The batteries can intercept at greater range, contend with larger salvos, and have additional, classified abilities. To deal with the tunnel threat, advanced tunnel detection technologies are in place. The IDF Southern Command is also constructing a massive underground barrier on the Gazan border, which should be completed within a year and a half, and stymie the tunnel diggers. (J.Post) [Comment]

The Presbyterian Church, USA, is raising eyebrows after lifting up prayers to Allah at its General Assembly meeting last week. "Allah bless us and bless our families and bless our Lord. Lead us on the straight path-the path of all prophets: Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad." These were the words that rang out over the congregation at the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, USA meeting in Portland, Oregon. Wajidi Said, co-founder of the Muslim Education Trust, led the attendees in the prayer to the Islamic deity--a move arranged by the Ecumenical and Interfaith ministry staff at the assembly.

The prayer was part of the "first order of business" during the meeting's opening session, a time dedicated to praying for those affected by the Orlando shooting that occurred just weeks before. "In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful, let us praise the Lord. Peace be upon them and peace be upon Allah," Said prayed. Later, at the conclusion of the session, Rev. Gradye Parsons offered an apology to anyone who was offended by the prayer. However, Rev. Parsons said, the Presbyterian church still affirms that it will advocate for "positive relationships with people of other religious traditions" and is committed to fighting "the rise in Islamophobia." (Charisma) "Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth.” Acts 20:30

The writer is the son of Richard Lakin, who was murdered by Palestinian terrorists in Jerusalem in October 2015: "Here is a picture from my daughter's nursery school graduation in Tel Aviv this week. In the background is a mural depicting children of various cultures. The Hebrew caption reads: ‘Children all around the world hold hands.’ My daughter and her friends are holding traditional Arab drums called Darbuka and demonstrating how they learned to count in Arabic. We are educating our children in the core values of diversity, pluralism, love, and mutual respect. The second picture is from a kindergarten play in Gaza. Two boys point guns at the head of a third child who kneels on the ground, his hat adorned with a blue and white Star of David. Tragically, this is a typical Palestinian elementary school. They are teaching their children to hate and to kill. As long as radical Islamists continue to teach this to their children, terror will continue to spread throughout the Western world.

"My late father taught me that every child is a precious that should be nurtured, not poisoned. Have a look again at the mural on the wall in my daughter’s school: you will notice iconic images of London, Paris, New York, Rome and Mumbai. For us, these are centers of culture and history. For the ISIS, Al Qaida, Boko Haram, Hezbollah, Hamas and all other Jihadists, these are targets. If we want to stop the terror, we must demand that all of our Muslim brothers teach their children the core values of freedom, love, and mutual respect. And we must hold accountable those who fail to do so. (Times of Israel) [Comment]

 According to the Algerian media, a friendly soccer match that was scheduled to take place in Algeria in September 2016 between the local national team and Ghana was canceled in order to prevent the arrival of Ghana's Israeli coach, Avraham Grant, to the Arab country. Ayman Gada, an Algerian journalist, wrote on his Facebook page on 4 July: "The Algerian national team canceled the friendly match with Ghana because it refused to host Ghana's Israeli coach, Avraham Grant." In light of the frequent pageants of solidarity with Palestinians that have been taking place in Algeria recently, the Algerian soccer association feared that Grant's arrival to Ghana might infuriate the Algerian population. Sixty one-year old Grant is a well-known Israeli soccer coach who has been training Ghana's national team for the last two years. In 2007, he became one of the most famous coaches in the world after he was appointed as the manager of the British soccer team Chelsea. (J.Post) [Comment]

A rising number of descendants of Jews who settled in the United Kingdom after fleeing Nazi persecution have sought German citizenship in the wake of the British referendum vote to leave the European Union, the London-based Independent reported 4 July 2016. While the Brexit vote has spurred an increase of British nationals seeking citizenship in the remaining 27 EU member states, members of the UK's Jewish population are also among those inquiring about alternative citizenship. The report stated that dozens of Britons from various walks of UK society have sought German citizenship in the past week, while only two or three UK nationals sought German nationality per year in the past. The German Embassy in London has reportedly seen an uptick in the amount of requests for details on citizenship from descendants of refugees living in the UK, including people whose Jewish families escaped the Nazis. While some British Jews seeking German nationality are doing so due to economic concerns, others are worried about an upsurge of extremism and racism. Under Germany's law on "restored citizenship," former German citizens and their descendants, "who were persecuted on political, racial or religious grounds" by the Nazis "between January 30, 1933 and May 8, 1945," can have citizenship restored upon application. (J.Post) Pray that UK Jews will understand that their ultimate security lies in Israel and in the God of Israel. "The Lord Dwells in Zion!” Joel 3:21 [Comment]

The Prime Minister's Office said on Friday 1 July 2016: Israel "welcomes the Quartet's recognition of the centrality of Palestinian incitement and violence to the perpetuation of the conflict. This culture of hatred poisons minds and destroys lives and stands as the single greatest obstacle to progress towards peace. Israel shares the Quartet's historical commitment to advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace through direct, bilateral negotiations without preconditions. In previous agreements, Israel and the Palestinians committed to discuss every difficult issue exclusively through direct, bilateral negotiations. Nevertheless, the record shows a history of repeated Palestinian rejection of offers to negotiate and compromise from Israeli governments across the political spectrum. Israel cannot negotiate peace with itself.

We regret the failure of the Quartet to address the real core of the conflict: the persistent Palestinian refusal to recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people in any boundaries. The report also perpetuates the myth that Israeli construction in the West Bank [Judea & Samaria] is an obstacle to peace. When Israel froze settlements, it did not get peace. When Israel uprooted every settlement in Gaza, it did not get peace. It got war. It is troubling that the Quartet appears to have adopted the position that the presence of Jews living in the West Bank [Judea & Samaria] somehow prevents reaching a two-state solution. The presence of nearly 1.8 million Arabs in Israel isn't a barrier to peace; it is a testament to our pluralism and commitment to equality." (Prime Minister’s Office)

For the Palestinian Authority, the killers of Jewish Israelis are considered "martyrs." As such, their families are paid for the service these murderers have done for the Palestinian cause. Palestinian prisoners and their families are actually paid a higher wage than what most Palestinians earn for nonviolent work. The mother of Mohammed Tarayra, the Palestinian who last week stabbed Hallel Yaffa Ariel, a 13-year-old Israeli girl, as she was sleeping in her bed, told a local news outlet: "My son is a hero. He made me proud." She will likely soon receive a steady check from the PA to honor her son's murder. In keeping with the Palestinian tradition of reverencing young people who carry out murderous acts of terror and their families who encourage them to do so, families of Palestinian teenage terrorists imprisoned in Israel were honored on 2 July 2016 at a special dinner in east Jerusalem. At the event, attended by former Jerusalem Mufti, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, each family was given a commemorative plaque and a drinking mug featuring an image of its jailed relative. (Bloomberg/Ynet) Continue to intercede that the outrageous payments and the honoring of Palestinian terrorists who have committed suicide to murder innocent Israelis or who are serving time in Israeli jails for acts of terror will be utterly cut off. Pray that stipends and payments to terrorist families will also cease and that foreign aid money supporting this practice will be terminated. [Comment]

PA President Mahmoud Abbas has refused to condemn the current surge in Palestinian terrorism, including the killing of a 13-year-old Israeli girl and a father of 10 last week, though he has been urged to do so by numerous Israeli and world leaders. Abbas is also said to be furious with the Quartet, which on 1 July 2016, issued a report that included withering criticism of PA incitement against Israel and the glorifying of terrorism. Since 13 Sept. 2015, 40 innocent people have been killed in Israel in Palestinian terrorist attacks and 511 wounded. There have been 155 stabbing attacks and 76 attempted stabbings; 96 shootings; 45 vehicular (ramming) attacks; and one bus bombing. (Times of Israel/Ministry of Foreign Affairs) [Comment]

Suicide bombers struck three cities across Saudi Arabia on 4 July 2016, in an apparently coordinated campaign of attacks as Saudis prepared to break their fast on the penultimate day of the month of Ramadan. The explosions targeting USA diplomats, Shi'ite worshippers and a security headquarters at a mosque in the Muslim holy city of Medina follow days of mass killings claimed by the ISIS terrorist group, in Turkey, Bangladesh and Iraq. The attacks all seem to have been timed to coincide with the approach of Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that celebrates the end of the fast. A Saudi security official said an attacker parked a car near the USA consulate in Jeddah before detonating the device. The official said the government was checking the reports of blasts in Qatif and Medina. In the only one of the three attacks that appeared to have caused many casualties, a suicide bomber detonated a bomb near the security headquarters of the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, the second-holiest site in Islam. (J.Post) [Comment]