BIDEN FLIPS RECOGNITION OF GOLAN HEIGHTS: Under cover of media silence the Biden Administration has reversed US recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
A State Department official stopped short of saying that the administration still recognized the Golan Heights as part of Israel, which the Trump Administration recognized in 2019, calling Israel’s control of the strategic territory a “practical matter.” “As long as [Bashar al-Assad] is in power in Syria, as long as Iran is present in Syria, militia groups backed by Iran, the Assad regime itself—all of these pose a significant security threat to Israel, and as a practical matter, the control of the Golan remains of real importance to Israel’s security,” the official said. The Beacon called the policy shift a “significant blow” to Israel. (INN / VFI News)
ISRAEL DELAYS ENTRY OF VACCINATED TOURISTS UNTIL AUGUST DUE TO COVID UPTICK: Vaccinated foreign tourists are not going to be allowed into Israel before August 1, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government decided Wednesday, as Israel faces an increase in coronavirus cases.
In addition, the obligation to wear masks indoors will be restored if the average daily cases will exceed 100 for a week. “Our goal at the moment, first and foremost, is to protect the citizens of Israel from the Delta variant which is raging in the world,” Bennett said. “At the same time, we want to reduce as much as possible the disruption to daily life in the country. Therefore, we decided to act as early as possible – right now – so as not to pay a heavier price later on, by taking responsible and quick actions. (JPost / VFI News)
HONDURAS BECOMES 4TH COUNTRY TO OPEN EMBASSY IN JERUSALEM: Honduras officially moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem on Thursday in the presence of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and visiting Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández.
“Mr. President, you are a true friend of Israel,” Bennett told Hernández shortly before the inauguration ceremony at the Technological Park in the Malha neighborhood of Jerusalem. “The Jewish people have a long memory, and you will be recorded in the pages of history as having done a brave and justified deed for the State of Israel.” Thursday’s ceremony made Honduras the fourth country to open an embassy in Jerusalem, following the United States, Guatemala, and Kosovo. (TOI / VFI News)
PA UPSET AFTER HONDURAS OPENS EMBASSY IN JERUSALEM: The Palestinian Authority (PA) “foreign affairs ministry” on Thursday strongly condemned the relocation of the Honduran embassy to Jerusalem, calling it a “blatant violation of international law and clear UN decisions regarding the holy city and its legal and political status.”
“It is unfortunate that the President of Honduras has decided to be on the wrong side of history and take this hostile step against the Palestinian people, while the occupying force is working to escalate violations of rights against the Palestinian people and implement its racist plan in Jerusalem to establish the occupation and destroy any real opportunity for just and comprehensive peace,” said the bureau in a statement. The “ministry of foreign affairs” stated that this decision completely contradicts the decision made by Honduras on August 26, 2011, recognizing the state of “Palestine” with eastern Jerusalem as its capital. (INN / VFI News)
HAMAS LEADER TO ISRAEL: ALLOW TRANSFER OF $30M FROM QATAR OR HEAD TO ESCALATION: Hamas plans to escalate tensions with Israel unless it allows Qatar to transfer $30 million to the Gaza Strip to help pay salaries.
The terrorist group’s leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, met on Sunday with the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland and pressed him on the matter. A discouraged Sinwar briefed reporters on the failure of the talks with the UN envoy and accused Israel of blackmail, calling for popular resistance while pledging to convene a meeting of all the Palestinian factions to unite their efforts. Israel and the UN are particularly concerned about the resumption of Qatar cash payments out of fear that Hamas will use the funds to rebuild its military capabilities, significantly weakened during the latest round of violence last month. (JPost / VFI News)
IDF CHIEF WARNS US AGAINST REJOINING IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL: Military chief Aviv Kohavi warned American officials against their government’s plan to reenter the 2015 nuclear deal this week during a visit to Washington, DC, as part of a last-ditch effort by Israel to affect the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran in Vienna.
The Israel Defense Forces chief of staff arrived in the United States on Sunday, June 20, and spent the past two days in meetings with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in the Pentagon, the military said. “The chief of staff presented the failures of the current nuclear deal, which allow Iran to make significant advances in the coming years in the quantity and quality of centrifuges and in the amount and quality of enriched uranium, and he stressed the lack of oversight in the area of developing a nuclear weapon,” the IDF said in a statement. (TOI / VFI News)
IRAN NUCLEAR CENTRIFUGE FACILITY SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED IN ATTACK: A sabotage operation against one of the buildings of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) caused major damage – despite Iranian denials, The Jerusalem Post learned on Wednesday night.
Although Iran has claimed throughout the day that the sabotage failed and caused no damage or casualties, the Post has been given strong indications otherwise, though it has no way to independently confirm. The Post also reported that the attacked site was likely one of Iran’s centrifuge manufacturing sites, which meant a major setback for the Islamic Republic’s uranium enrichment program for nuclear weapons. (JPost / VFI News)
ISRAELIS CONSTRUCT FIRST-EVER ‘BLUE-AND-WHITE’ CAR T CANCER TREATMENT: A team of Israeli scientists and doctors have developed the country’s first blue-and-white CAR T immunotherapy for the treatment of multiple myeloma, potentially giving thousands of sick patients access to this life-saving treatment.
Multiple myeloma is a still incurable cancer within the spongy bone marrow. A Phase I clinical trial kicked off during the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, seven patients have received the treatment, and it is proving safe and effective. (JPost / VFI News)
The suggestions, opinions and scripture references made by VFI writers and editors are based on the best information received.
Blessings from Jerusalem,
Barry Segal with the Editorial Staff
