In the middle of southern Israel’s desert, engineers are hard at work building the world’s tallest solar tower, reflecting the country’s high hopes for renewable energy. Once completed in late 2017, the Ashalim Tower will rise to 787 feet. The construction, costing an estimated $570 million, is being financed by USA firm General Electric, France’s Alstom, and Israeli investment fund Noy. Israel’s government launched a tender for the project in 2013, committing to purchase electricity from it over 25 years as part of a shift towards renewable energy. The tower should provide two percent of Israel’s electricity needs, enough for a city of 110,000 households. The country of eight million people is seeking, with the construction of additional towers in the future, to make renewable energy account for 10% of its total consumption by 2020. Solar power offers a clean alternative to fuel- and carbon-fired electricity plants, which contribute to global warming with their heat-trapping CO2 emissions. "Israel could in theory meet all its electricity needs through solar energy by using only four percent of the Negev desert, said Eitan Parnass, head of the Green Energy Association of Israel. (Times of Israel) [Comment]

A senior Defense Ministry official said 15 June 2016 that the next round of fighting in the Gaza Strip against the Hamas terror group was inevitable, because Hamas is gearing up for it, and that it must be the last. "A war of attrition is not an option. The next confrontation must be the last in terms of Hamas’ regime,” said the official. New Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has frequently criticized the government in recent years for failing to smash the Hamas terrorist organization, and repeatedly called for more to be used in the course of the 2014 war, during which he was himself a member of the key security cabinet that oversaw the conflict. With strict border control and occasional large-scale operations, Israel works to deplete Hamas’ supply of weapons and fighters. Meanwhile Hamas, with rockets and "terror tunnels,” hopes to diminish Israeli resolve.

As well as in 2014, Israel launched operations in Gaza in December 2008 and November 2012. The official stressed that Israel does not seek another war, but says "Hamas is a growing threat. Their goal is destroying the State of Israel,” he added. In his first meeting with senior generals after appointed as defense minister last month, Liberman hinted at a new strategy to deal with Hamas, suggesting he would not allow continued military conflicts in Gaza. The defense official also lashed out at Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, describing him as "the number one problem for Israel,” and saying he was not interested in bringing about a peace agreement. "Abu Mazen isn’t interested in progressing anywhere or beginning any process towards peace,” he said. "That man doesn’t have the public support or the will to reach any arrangement or agreement.” (Times of Israel) "He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Prov 29:1 [Comment]

A senior Hamas military officer, Bassam Mahmoud Baraka, has fled from Gaza to Israel with a laptop full of information about Gaza tunnels. Baraka reportedly went to the border fence and gave himself up to IDF soldiers who were waiting for him. Baraka, who is the son of a Muslim religious judge affiliated with Hamas, told his family that he was going on errands, and hasn't been seen by them since. The Red Cross reportedly informed his family in Gaza that he was in Israeli custody. In their reports, the Fatah-affiliated websites lambasted Hamas for its men surrendering to Israel, noting that this was not the first time that senior members of the organization, particularly those involved in the Gaza tunnel operations, ended up in Israeli custody. Last month a 17-year-old Hamas member, who was captured by Israel after infiltrating the country, gave investigators information about the group's tunnel activities. The youth told his investigators about the work of Hamas in digging tunnels to allow its fighters to infiltrate Israel, about the routes of tunnels intended for use in case of emergency and information about the location of many tunnel shafts. (Ha’aretz [Comment]

Official state TV in the Palestinian Authority has claimed Mount Meron in northern Israel as part of "Palestine.” During a special Ramadan program for children on The Best Home television show, callers on the show were asked trivia questions and awarded prizes. Some of the questions clearly had a political agenda, furthering the goal of delegitimizing the State of Israel and encouraging young Arabs to claim the entirety of "Palestine.” The Palestinian Media Watch noted, for example, that one of the quiz questions claimed several Israeli locations as being "Palestinian.” The show’s host asked callers to identify the "highest mountain in Palestine,” giving them the options of Mount Meron in the Galilee, the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, or Mount Ebal in Samaria. While Mount Ebal is under Palestinian Authority control - and the Mount of Olives - Mount Meron is well within the Green Line. Nevertheless Meron was included, and was the winning answer for the question. (Arutz-7) Intercede that Hamas, and the Palestinian Authority will be made to feel the increasing futility of educating its youth to hate and deny Israel. [Comment]

 Israeli lawmakers on 15 June 2016, voted to approve an anti-terror bill which increases the punishments for those who organize terror attacks and which enables courts to convict terror cell leaders more easily. The bill passed into law with 57 lawmakers in favor and 16 opposed. The legislation replaces a series of emergency provisions used since the establishment of the state and marks the first time that punishments for terror attacks have been enshrined into Israeli law. According to the law, people directly or indirectly involved in organizing terror cells could receive up to 25 years in prison. Terrorists who are found to have used chemical, biological, or radioactive weapons during attacks will face life sentences as part of the new reforms. The legislation defines terrorism as an action or threat done out of a "political, religious, nationalistic or ideological” motive. The law does not differentiate between Jews and Palestinians or soldiers and civilians. The passing of the legislation comes as Israel is still reeling from a mass terrorist shooting attack in Tel Aviv that left four dead last week. (i24) Intercede also that terrorists will not be paid plush salaries by the PA and Hamas during their time in prison. Continue to pray for the safety of residents throughout Israel, and especially in and around Jerusalem during the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. Islamic hate groups, especially ISIS, have called for stepped-up terrorist attacks against the Jewish state (and throughout the West) during the 30 day observance of Ramadan. [Comment]

 Israeli lawmakers on 15 June 2016, voted to approve an anti-terror bill which increases the punishments for those who organize terror attacks and which enables courts to convict terror cell leaders more easily. The bill passed into law with 57 lawmakers in favor and 16 opposed. The legislation replaces a series of emergency provisions used since the establishment of the state and marks the first time that punishments for terror attacks have been enshrined into Israeli law. According to the law, people directly or indirectly involved in organizing terror cells could receive up to 25 years in prison. Terrorists who are found to have used chemical, biological, or radioactive weapons during attacks will face life sentences as part of the new reforms. The legislation defines terrorism as an action or threat done out of a "political, religious, nationalistic or ideological” motive. The law does not differentiate between Jews and Palestinians or soldiers and civilians. The passing of the legislation comes as Israel is still reeling from a mass terrorist shooting attack in Tel Aviv that left four dead last week. (i24) Intercede also that terrorists will not be paid plush salaries by the PA and Hamas during their time in prison. Continue to pray for the safety of residents throughout Israel, and especially in and around Jerusalem during the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. Islamic hate groups, especially ISIS, have called for stepped-up terrorist attacks against the Jewish state (and throughout the West) during the 30 day observance of Ramadan. [Comment]

"Every friend of Israel is a friend of the United States and every enemy of Israel is an enemy of the United States,” said Governor Michal Huckabee, 44th Governor of Arkansas and two-time GOP presidential hopeful. Speaking on 15 June 2016 during the annual Herzliya Conference, Governor Huckabee said "America is looking into the mirror and sees Israel.” Huckabee immediately noted that the greatest common foe facing the two countries and the free world is a "radical Islamic ideology that takes us back to the 7th century.” He repeated, "We have a common enemy and that enemy is radical Islam that wishes to destroy civilization itself and wishes to turn the clock back to centuries ago.” He said that he feared that sometimes people were afraid "to call out the common enemy of radical Islam in case we offend someone,” but went on to state that he was offended when innocent people were murdered in the name of an ideology that wishes to destroy all semblance of peace.” He referred to the "ill-fated and tragic deal to trust the Iranians” saying that "there can be no deal with those who believe it’s okay to murder people” because of their race, religion or ethnicity. It’s impossible to enter into any agreement with the present leadership of Iran. I hope and pray that it will be rescinded.” (INN) Pray that governments throughout the world will be united against Islamist incitement to carry out acts of terror and that the nations will honor rather than demean Israel for its stand against Hamas, the Palestinian Authority and Hezbollah terrorist organizations, and it's decades'-long warnings about the global dangers of Iran. Pray for multi-faceted methods against terrorist groups and for stiff penalties for those who promote and carry out acts of terror and anti-Semitism. [Comment]

Amos Gilad, Director of the Defense Ministry’s Political-Military Affairs Department, spoke on Wed. 15 June at the 2016 Herzliya Conference, warning that the Iranian regime represented the greatest threat to Israel’s security. In his address, Gilad rejected calls for efforts to spread democracy in the Middle East, arguing instead that for the moment, stability must be the priority. "We need to emphasize stability over ideas about bringing democracy to the region,” said Gilad. "You can’t force your culture onto other peoples." Gilad also pointed out that while Iran currently represents the greatest security threat for Israel, the danger posed by the Shi’ite regime could grow significantly. Rather than move towards regional reconciliation, says Gilad, Iran has used the nuclear deal to fund a massive expansion of its missile program. "Under the cover of the deal they’re developing surface-to-surface missile capabilities in Iran and Hezbollah controlled territory in Lebanon. In Lebanon there are now more than 100,000 rockets pointed towards Israel. They’ve identified that front with Israel as a vulnerable point.” (Arutz-7) [Comment]