NETANYAHU: WE WILL NEVER SURRENDER GOLAN HEIGHTS:

Israel’s Cabinet convened its weekly meeting atop the Golan Heights on Sunday, 17 April 2016, so that PM Netanyahu could pointedly inform the world that, in light of the current situation in the region, there is no chance Israel will ever return the strategic plateau to Syrian control. "The time has come for the world to recognize our sovereignty here,” said Netanyahu. The international community needs to accept this.” The statement comes amid mounting assessments that Syrian dictator Bashar Assad will survive the ongoing civil war and maintain power in Damascus, largely thanks to the assistance of Iran and Russia. For nearly 20 years the Golan Heights was used as a platform to launch attacks on the Galilee region, before being captured by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War. Israel officially annexed the Golan in 1981, but came under heavy American pressure in the 1990s to relinquish control as a first step toward making peace with Syria and the broader Arab world. Had Israel succumbed to that pressure, its northern towns and cities would today be under tremendous and sustained threat from groups like ISIS and the various Al Qaeda-affiliated gangs fighting in Syria. (Israel Today) Continue to pray for wisdom and courage for Israel’s leaders not to bend to foreign demands to achieve a false peace with those who have no intention of relinquishing their hatred and violence towards the Jewish state. Intercede for the safety of Israel’s northern and southern borders.