The election victory by Donald Trump has left many wondering about the future direction of U.S. foreign policy. Supporters of Israel are immediately focusing attention on Trump’s approach to the much-discussed Iran nuclear deal, which was approved by the Obama administration and five other Western governments in July 2015. As a presidential candidate, Trump made a variety of comments regarding his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, ranging from calls for stronger inspections, to entirely nixing the Obama administration’s signing of the pact. “You’d have to have onsite inspections anytime, anywhere, to start off with, which we don’t have at…
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The Israel Police recently stated that evidence in their possession justifies charging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, with fraud and misuse of public funds. For more than a year, police have been investigating claims that Sara Netanyahu used taxpayers’ money for personal matters. Among the accusations are that the prime minister’s wife employed a live-in assistant for her late father and ordered exorbitantly-priced catering for Israeli friends, all at the public’s expense. Sara Netanyahu was questioned by police for nearly 12 hours at the beginning of December. The result of that session being that police feel confident that the accusations are…
The Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel put out an international call for donations to help the Moriah synagogue rebuild from the ashes after the recent week-long wildfires that raged across Israel. However, it was two small, local initiatives that put the damaged synagogue into the headlines. On November 30, a group of worshipers from all faiths attended a special prayer service for the new Hebrew month of Kislev and to show support for the rebuilding of the community. A local member posted Facebook photos of the service. One of the photos showed 20 saplings donated by a man…
Democratic and Republican lawmakers are vowing to challenge a limit on U.S. defense aid for Israel that President Barack Obama included in the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between the two nations. The agreement, that was reached in September, guarantees Israel $38 billion in aid over 10 years, but it also states that if Congress increases the aid, Israel is obliged to return the extra funds. U.S. Reps. Paul Gosar (R-Texas), Randy Weber (R-Ariz.), and Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) said at the Agudath Israel of America’s annual legislative luncheon in New York City that the restriction is “unconstitutional” because it would…
After Israel was miraculously restored from oblivion in the last century, Jews began to return from every nation to their ancient homeland. But they weren’t the only ones rushing to set foot on that storied land. Christians began flocking to the Holy Land as well. At first, we came as tourists to visit the ancient churches and to walk where Jesus walked. Then God awakened us to see this reborn nation was a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. But as the years passed, God showed us something else. We saw His everlasting love and compassion for His people who had suffered…
ISIS appears to be using tens of thousands of people as “human shields” in and around Mosul, where Iraqi forces are waging a large-scale offensive aimed at retaking the city. The UN human rights office has received reports of more than 200 people being killed for either refusing to comply with ISIS orders or belonging to Iraqi security forces previously. “ISIL is attempting to use the presence of civilian hostages to render certain points, areas, or military forces immune from military operations, effectively using women, men, and children as human shields,” spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani of the Office of the UN High…
Improving weather conditions, a massive influx of support from the international community, and efforts by Israeli first responders have enabled the Jewish state to get an outburst of raging wildfires under control. The recent week’s fires are expected to be among the costliest in Israeli history, with unofficial preliminary estimates projecting about $520 million in damage. The direct damage to Israeli homes is reportedly estimated to be more than $182 million, while destruction to public property such as roads, electrical power systems, and other infrastructure amounts to at least $78 million. “These damages are on an enormous scale, the likes…
Around 200 high school students from the “Amal” network of schools joined hands in forming a ring around Israel President Reuven Rivlin. What is special about this group is that it includes students from all four of Israel’s modern tribes (secular Jews, traditional religious Jews, ultra-Orthodox Jews, and Arabs). The event saw students come from all over the country to the President’s residence in Jerusalem, where Rivlin told them, “It is through you that we have come to understand that we can live together if we study together. You are the next generation of Israel’s leaders and you must always remember…
Prior to the election, the now President-elect Donald Trump stated to members of his Israel Advisory Committee his policies on multiple issues very close to Israel’s heart. Jason Greenblatt, one of the members of Trump’s committee, published a thorough statement detailing exactly what Trump stated towards each issue. Here is Trump’s policy statement, word-for-word, from the President-elect himself. 1. The nature and character of the State of Israel Israel is the state of the Jewish people, who have lived in that land for 3,500 years. The State of Israel was founded with courage and determination by great men and women…
One would think a story like this would be making major headlines, given the amount of attention that is afforded every other aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, the forced conversion of Christians to Islam by Gaza’s Hamas rulers just doesn’t seem to interest the media. This should be a wake-up call! Arab media commentator Raymond Ibrahim brings to light the story after surveying Arabic-language media sources, where the plight of Gaza Christians seems to be covered far more regularly than what we are regularly seeing. “…we hear of the kidnapping of Christians and the coercion of them to embrace the religion…