On 8 March 2016, Saudi journalist Muhammad Aal Al-Sheikh wrote in the Saudi daily Al-Jazirah that today, Iran is the number one enemy of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries, supplanting the historical enemy Israel. Arguing that Iran is exploiting the Palestinian issue as a pretext for "infiltrating deep into the Arab world, shredding its Arab fabric, and dragging Arab society into supporting its expansionary plan," he emphasized that the Palestinians should expect no salvation from Iran. He also warned the Gulf Shi'ites that they were mere pawns for Iran, which was using them to promote Persian national aspirations. (MEMRI) [Comment]

 Israeli President Reuven Rivlin landed in Moscow Tues. night, 15 March 2016, and on Wed. began talks with Russian leaders including President Vladimir Putin. Rivlin is expected to press his – and Israel’s - admonition that Iran is as great a threat as is ISIS. Israel was reportedly caught by surprise when Putin announced the Syrian pullout and Rivlin will no doubt do what he can to understand what the strategic thinking behind the move was. It seems clear to the defense echelon that Russia will maintain a military presence in Syria after the withdrawal and Israel needs to understand the limitations and complications of its own operations in Syria based upon the Russian presence there. A senior Israeli official was quoted as saying, "What we want is that Iran and Hizbullah not emerge strengthened from this process.” Jerusalem is hoping that Russia shares its belief that the Lebanon-based Iranian proxy Hizbullah terror network that has been fighting alongside Syrian President Assad’s forces must not be allowed a stronger foothold in Syria. Russian envoy Alexi Drobinin was quoted as saying, "We will try to ensure that the Syria crisis is resolved, and we will also do everything so that Israel’s national security interests are not harmed in this process. (Media Line) Be prayerfully alert to events taking place in countries adverse to the Jewish state on the other side of Israel’s northern borders. This region, most immediately, includes Syria and Lebanon, out of which terrorists groups rabidly hostile to Israel and supported by Iran, operate. Pray for the Lord’s angelic shields to be along Israel’s northern borders. [Comment]

 Newly published documents show the EU spends tens of millions of Euros from public funds to build illegal settlements and roads for Palestinians within the designated Israeli sections of Judea & Samaria. The documents outright state that the construction is designed to "pave the way" for Palestinians to take control of more land. The EU does not deny its actions, nor that they violated the Oslo Accords. Instead the European organization tries to justify them by claiming they are in accordance with the body's belief that all of Judea & Samaria should be "part of any future Palestinian state."

According to the Oslo agreement, Judea & Samaria were divided into three sections, known as A, B and C. The Palestinian Authority was given civil and security control of Area A, only civil control of Area B, and Area C remained under Israeli control. Despite this, the EU has illegally paid for over a thousand buildings for Palestinians in Area C. Israel regularly destroys the illegal constructions, but the EU continues to send more taxpayer money to rebuild them. PM Binyamin Netanyahu has pointed out that "When we take down these illegal constructions, we are then again condemned, so it's a Catch-22. This is a clear attempt to create political realities. I think we need to re-set our relationship with the EU." Regavim CEO Ari Briggs says, "The EU is attempting to establish a de-facto Palestinian State on Israeli territory, with mountains of European taxpayers' money. They act as if they are above the law and are now attempting to hide behind diplomatic immunity. These actions would not be acceptable anywhere else on Earth, and the EU must be held accountable." (Arutz-7) [Comment]

 Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely spoke on Wed. 16 March 2016, with 50 law students from Harvard University's honors program. As part of her ongoing efforts to campaign for Israel's rights in its Biblical heartland of Judea & Samaria, Hotovely took the opportunity to speak to the students about the criticism against Israel over its presence in the region. "The time has come to return to the legal truth according to international law - the 'occupation' is a lie from the Palestinian libel factory, together with the claims of apartheid. This is slander disconnected from the legal reality," she said. Hotovely explained, "the state of Israel did not occupy Judea & Samaria in 1967 from the state of Palestine, because there never was such a state. Jordan was illegally in possession of the territory, and we liberated Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria in a defensive war. After they were unable to defeat us in war throughout the years, the stage of delegitimization began; the BDS movement negates the state of Israel's right to exist, and the way to fight it is by revealing the lies and letting the truth be heard throughout the world." Regarding the legal status of Israel's presence in Judea & Samaria, the 2012 Levy Report determined that Israel's presence is fully legal according to international law. (INN) "They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.” Ps 139:20 [Comment]

The Israeli embassy in Paris announced on Saturday, 12 March 2016 that France will oblige a request by Israel to end the broadcast of the Al-Aqsa television station, affiliated with the Gaza-based Hamas movement, over France's EUTELSAT satellite company. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with French President Francois Hollande and asked for his help in the fight against Palestinian incitement against Israelis and Jews by ending the station's transmission over French satellites. Israel in recent months has stepped up its crackdown on incitement in Palestinian media, which it implicates as a driving factor behind the recent upsurge in stabbings, car-ramming, and other attacks, many of which have been perpetrated by Palestinian youths. Israeli forces on Friday 11 March, 2016 conducted an overnight raid of the Judea & Samaria offices of Palestine Today television and arrested its manager over allegations of inciting violence, Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency said. (i24) Continue to pray that Israel will be successful as it seeks measures to combat incitement to violence that has lead to the recent outbreak of terrorist knifing, car-ramming, and other attacks against Israelis. Many of these assaults have been carried out by Palestinian teenagers and children raised on Palestinian television programs, school books, and summer camps that glorify Jihad terrorism and hatred of the Jewish state.  [Comment]

The security cabinet late Thurs. night, 10 March 2016, approved the immediate renewal of construction work on the security barrier around the area of Jerusalem, in an effort to halt Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israelis. It was one of a series of measures the cabinet took just hours after USA Vice President Joe Biden flew out of Ben-Gurion Airport for Jordan. The security barrier has been largely frozen since 2007. Only some 470 km. of its 790-km. route has been erected. It has yet to be built around the Gush Etzion, Ariel and Ma’aleh Adumim settlement blocs. There are also gaps in the barrier around Jerusalem that need to be completed. The USA has opposed construction of the barrier in Judea & Samaria, but while Biden was here opposition leader Issac Herzog spoke with the vice president about the need to finish it. "Only separation will stop terrorism. If we do not separate from the Palestinians, the Jews will continue to be killed here,” he told Biden. (J. Post) [Comment]

 Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is donating a GalMobile water purification vehicle to drought-stricken Papua New Guinea. The GalMobile connects to any possible water source and produces drinking water in 30 minutes, yielding 8,000 cups of water per hour. Hundreds of children in Papua New Guinea die every year from diseases caused by drinking poor quality water. (Israel21c) [Comment]

 Innovation Africa, an Israeli charity led by women and employing Israeli technologies, has connected 104 villages across Africa to water and electricity in Malawi, Uganda, and Tanzania, Israel's Channel 2 reported last week. Israeli solar panels allow power for refrigerating medicine and food, or for turning on the lights in schools. They allow villagers to recharge cellular phones and expand their access to communications and the Internet. At the same time, Israeli drip irrigation systems are dramatically leading to cheaper and larger crop yields. And a manual pump that can purify water to make it drinkable without the use of electricity is making water safer. These projects have reached nearly a million people since 2008. (Times of Israel) [Comment]

An Israeli citizen who survived two world wars and some of humanity's worst horrors and suffering was named the world's oldest man Friday, 11 March 2016 by Guinness World Records. Kristal was born in Poland in 1903 and worked in his family's candy business before Adolf Hitler's Nazis seized Poland. He and his family were forced to live in the infamous Warsaw ghetto, where thousands of Jews were incarcerated in just a few blocks before nearly all of them were sent to Nazi death camps. Kristal was put in Auschwitz and weighed just 37 kilograms (less than 82 pounds) when he was freed. His wife and children had been killed. Kristal moved to Israel, remarried, and started a successful candy business. His daughter said her father considers it a privilege to have reached his age. (VOA/Arutz-7) "With long life I will satisfy him.” Ps 91:6 [Comment]

The CEO of Israel Natural Gas Lines said Thurs.10 March, 2016 that the first natural gas pipeline from Israel to Jordan is scheduled to begin operating in 2017. Samuel Tordjman was referring to the pipeline which is currently being constructed in the Sodom area near the Dead Sea. The pipeline will supply gas from the Tamar reservoir to private customers in Jordan, as part of a gas deal signed between Israel and Jordan in 2014. Under the agreement, Israel will supply Jordan with $15 billion worth of gas from its Leviathan field over the next 15 years. Leviathan, which holds an estimated 22 trillion cubic feet of gas, is operated by USA-based Noble Energy and the Israel-based Delek Group. (i24) [Comment]