RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://www.wsj.com/articles/israel-closes-pedestrian-crossing-with-gaza-1534674761

Israel closed its only pedestrian crossing with the Gaza Strip on Sunday in response to violent protests at the border fence, a move that comes amid a fragile truce and talks for a long-term cease-fire.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli Defense Ministry branch that operates the border crossings with Gaza said the Erez Crossing was closed in response to “violent protests” that took place Friday. Exceptions will be made for humanitarian cases

Thousands of people gathered along the security fence dividing Gaza and Israel, with some hurling firebombs and improvised explosive devices, Israel’s military said Friday. Its military forces responded with riot-dispersal measures as well as live fire, which Gaza’s Ministry of Health said killed two people.

The United Nations and Egypt are mediating a long-term cease-fire between Israel and Gaza ruler Hamas after a spate of violent clashes at the border and intense fighting between the two sides in recent months. Israel last week reopened the only commercial crossing between Gaza and Israel as those talks progressed.

The crossing in northern Gaza usually sees relatively little traffic but its closure comes as the region breaks for a Muslim religious holiday—Eid al-Adha—when people often use it to travel outside through Israel. The flow of people between the blockaded Gaza Strip and the West Bank also increases during the holiday period.

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com
www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Nitrogen test for early cancer diagnosis. Researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have discovered that in many cancers, the body’s mechanism for producing nitrogen is disrupted so that the tumors can grow faster. These mutations can be detected early on, by analysis of the body’s urea cycle.
https://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/life-sciences/disrupted-nitrogen-metabolism-might-spell-cancer

Link between near drowning and kidney failure. Rambam Hospital doctors have discovered acute kidney injury (AKI) to be a common complication of near-drownings. Of 95 Rambam patients who nearly drowned between 2000 and 2017, 45% developed AKI. The reason is lack of oxygen and potassium, high blood sugar and constricted kidney blood vessels. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/250572

A revolution in blood testing. This Israel21c article features three Israeli startups that are working on instant diagnosis of viruses and bacteria. I already featured Sight Diagnostics (see here) and Efa (see here). Sonorapy has developed a sensor to identify each pathogen from the unique acoustics it emits in response to soundwaves.
https://www.israel21c.org/the-revolution-thats-about-to-transform-blood-testing/
http://sonorapy.com/ https://www.youtube.com/embed/K-KLyLt00q0?rel=0

Freezing tumors to be performed in Israel. (TY Hazel) I’ve reported previously (see here) on Israel’s IceCure Medical and its technology for freezing and destroying tumors. Now Haifa’s Elisha Medical Center is the first Israeli hospital to offer IceCure’s treatment for malignant kidney tumors and benign breast tumors.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3744462,00.html

Find a local doctor while overseas. If sick while on vacation in Europe and the Americas, Israeli startup Air Doctor Ltd will locate pre-vetted doctors that provide services to tourists. Air Doctor’s web interface and app will find and book appointments with relevant local general physicians, pediatricians, gynecologists etc.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3744300,00.html

New immigrant medics are eager to contribute. In the latest Nefesh b’Nefesh flight there were 27 US and Canadian medical professionals (doctors, nurses, paramedics etc.) who want to get to work as soon as possible. Meanwhile, top liver transplant surgeon Daniel Azoulay has left Paris to join the staff of Sheba Medical Center.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-newest-doctors-hope-to-make-an-impact-on-overburdened-medical-system/ https://www.timesofisrael.com/top-liver-transplant-surgeon-immigrates-to-israel/

Trust your gut to manage your health. Israeli gut microbiome analysis startup DayTwo Ltd. has partnered with Clalit, one of Israel’s four health care providers. Clalit will offer its members DNA analysis of their gut microbiome and provide personalized nutritional insights based on DayTwo’s technology.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/diet-advice-via-gut-bacteria-coming-soon-to-israels-largest-healthcare-provider/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3744390,00.html

Burning fat or carbs? (TY Calcalistec) Israeli startup Metaflow’s Lumen is a respiratory metabolism tracking device that determines whether you are burning fat or carbohydrates. An AI-based app then provides nutrition and fitness advice based on the test’s results and personal goals. Lumen has raised $1.4 million on Indiegogo.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/lumen-hack-your-metabolism-lose-weight-apps-food#/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I035rbT6sI

Record numbers of births. Israeli hospitals reported record numbers of new babies in July, always the busiest month. The 1,518 deliveries at Soroka in Beersheva was 10% higher than last July’s record. Tel Aviv’s Ichilov recorded 1,014 births – 10% more than average. Israel’s 3.11 births per mother is the highest in the OECD.
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/three-israeli-hospitals-break-newborn-birth-records-in-july/2018/08/13/

I don’t know how, but she swallowed the nail. Doctors at Baruch Padeh Medical Center near Tiberias removed a 2-inch long (5cm) nail from the small intestine of an 8-year-old Arab girl. She had been using her teeth to pull the nail out of a plastic bottle and when it emerged, she accidentally swallowed it.
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/israeli-arabs/tiberias-surgeons-endoscopically-remove-2-inch-nail-from-8-year-old-girls-intestine/2018/08/15/

ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL

Summer camp for special needs. Israeli charity Ezer Mizion runs a summer camp at Moshav Nechalim for 300 special needs children and young adults. Each camper has a personal counselor, a yeshiva student who decided to volunteer in this summer camp instead of spending vacation time with his friends.
http://www.ezermizion.org/blog/special-needs-special-opportunities/

Imparting skills to underprivileged teens. Israeli NGO Unistream runs a multi-year program and an annual competition to give entrepreneurship and leadership skills to 4,000 underprivileged teens. This year’s winners developed an allergen detector, an app to recommend charities and a clothing line for special needs children.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3743713,00.html

Democracy Pavilion. Tel Aviv’s new Democracy Pavilion, on Rothschild Boulevard, is an exciting and rich multimedia experience which brings awareness to Israel’s core values of equality, freedom, and diversity. The exhibition is a part of the Independence Trail (see here) which can be followed using an interactive mobile app.
https://www.touristisrael.com/democracy-pavilion-tel-aviv-israel/23611/

Israeli homes for disabled and Bedouin. Israel has approved the construction of several new towns in the Negev and Galilee geared to serve the Bedouin and disabled populations. Shibolet, in the southern Galilee, will have a total of 350 units. 500 units will be built at Daniel in the south. 20% are for people with disabilities.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-approves-construction-of-housing-for-bedouin-disabled-populations/
https://www.youtube.com/embed/PNZjJ4ZrNMs?rel=0

A closer look at Operation Good Neighbor. Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, Israel has treated about 5000 patients from Syria -both adults and children. The army coordinates their transport, usually at night, to Israeli hospitals mostly in northern Israel.
https://www.jpost.com//Jerusalem-Report/Operation-Good-Neighbor-564579

Two Israeli universities in top 100. In the 2018 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), Israel’s Technion was ranked at number 77, up from 93 last year. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem moved into the top 100 at number 95 after being in the 101 – 150 section last year.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3744361,00.html

Partnering to ease African poverty. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and Israel’s Ministry of the Economy are working together to alleviate poverty among Africa’s smallholder farmers. They will leverage Israeli agricultural technology as part of JDC’s new Tikkun Olam Ventures (TOV) program.
https://www.jns.org/jewish-aid-group-and-israel-team-up-to-alleviate-african-poverty-through-agtech/

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

$1.8 billion campaign for global innovation. Israel’s Technion Institute has launched a global $1.8 billion, ten-year fundraising campaign. The campaign has already raised 40% of the required funds that will be used to support world-changing, life-saving innovation. https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kvf85BSOXnQ?rel=0
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2018/06/unprecedented-1-8-billion-campaign-for-world-changing-innovation/

$123 million for research universities. Israel’s Council for Higher Education has approved an investment of $123 million (NIS 458 million) over 5 years to fortify research programs in Israeli universities. It is 83% more than that invested in the last 5-year plan. 90% of the funds will be used for lab equipment.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3744217,00.html

$24 million to strengthen cyber security. Israel has launched a 3-year NIS 90 million dedicated program to strengthen Israel’s cyber industry. Its aim is to ensure that Israel continues to meet the cyber sector’s biggest challenges, secures its place at the forefront of innovation, and bolsters its global leadership in the industry.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-earmarks-24-million-for-new-program-to-boost-cybersecurity-startups/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3744382,00.html

Turning jellyfish into plastic filters. I reported previously (see here) on Israelis making use of jellyfish. Now, scientists at the University of Haifa are developing a filter made of jellyfish mucus to isolate microplastics in the oceans. The research is part of the International Go Jelly project, funded by the EU Horizon 2020 program.
http://nocamels.com/2018/08/jellyfish-plastic-waste-israeli-scientists/
https://gojelly.eu/partners/university-of-haifa-israel/

Clean technologies for a better environment. This video summarizes Israel’s work in water recycling, solar energy, wind energy and other alternative energies. More than 400 Israeli companies specialize in developing sustainable technologies. https://www.youtube.com/embed/MwQiJ83Kv3g?rel=0

Cybersecurity wherever you work. More and more employees are working away from their main offices. So, the security of their data and devices needs to move with them. Israeli startup Meta Networks has implemented a cloud-based solution which protects the employee (and the company) anytime, anyplace.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZLk0X_NW9ms?rel=0 https://www.metanetworks.com/

Get connected like never before. You have HDMI for your TV, Internet, video, audio, and cables all over your house. With the HDBaseT tester from Israel’s MSolutions, the installer connects everything in every room with just a flick of a switch. https://www.youtube.com/embed/8SifyYhv9ng?rel=0 https://www.m4sol.com/

Keeping pizza fresh for 8 weeks. Israel-based startup Timeless Foods makes firm disposable plastic containers for vacuum packaging delicate foods. It means manufacturers can vacuum seal delicate foods and produce, thus significantly prolonging their shelf life. Pizza, for example, stays fresh for up to 8 weeks without freezing.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3744054,00.html
https://www.f6s.com/timelessfoodtechnologies

Alternative protein sources. Israel’s InnovoPro is developing a technology for extracting concentrated protein from chickpeas. InnovoPro is one of the two winning start-ups in the 2018 Calcalist FoodTech competition.
https://innovopro.com/innovopro-wins-calcalist-foodtech-competition/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3744035,00.html

3D-printed vegan steaks. Tel Aviv-based startup Jet-Eat develops 3D printing technologies for vegan meat substitutes. The printed meat substitute is designed to emulate the appearance, texture and taste of beef and can be cooked like beef. Jet-Eat was a finalist in the 2018 Calcalist FoodTech competition.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3744064,00.html

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

17 trillion shekels. As he opened trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) last week, Israel’s Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon revealed that the State of Israel would be worth NIS 17,638,763,277,054 if it floated on the TASE. This was according to the latest methodology used by the World Bank in a survey of 140 countries.
https://worldisraelnews.com/israel-gets-nis-17-6-trillion-valuation/

Indonesia selects Israel transportation app. (TY Tower) The Asian Games (Aug 18 – Sep 2) doesn’t allow Israeli athletes to compete, but the host country Indonesia has chosen Israel’s Moovit as the games’ official mobility app. Moovit is the world’s most downloaded transit app with over 200 million users in 82 countries.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-moovit-chosen-as-official-transit-app-for-asian-games-in-indonesia/

BBC admits Israel is creating UK jobs. (TY WIN) What a contrast to the BBC’s normal biased anti-Israel reporting. BBC World’s “Talking Business” program included this feature by Jonathan Josephs. It highlights the UK-Israel Tech Hub as the ideal model to expand UK hi-tech business and create jobs post Brexit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXxF8Ncy7SI

BBC “dragon” funds Israeli startup. Israelis Yosi Romano and Ziv Leinwand went on the BBC’s “Dragon’s Den” program, winning a £125,000 investment from star “dragon” Touker Suleyman. Their device protects babies from pollution, sucking in air, cleaning it and blowing it into the child’s breathing space in its pram.
https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/two-israeli-investors-scoop-125000-dragons-den-investment/

El Al buys 16 Dreamliners. El Al has purchased 16 Dreamliners (Boeing 787s) in a $1.2 billion deal, which will gradually replace older Boeing 747 and 767 planes. El Al received its 6th Dreamliner in a ceremony with the PM’s wife Sara Netanyahu who dressed as an El Al flight attendant – one of her previous jobs.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3744318,00.html

More Israeli hostels. Good news for backpackers. Latin American hostel and co-working company Selina and Israel’s Ampa Real Estate have been scouting locations in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and the southern Negev desert. Selina intends to open several hostels with a combined capacity of 5,000-7,000 beds within five years.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3744406,00.html

Warren Buffet buys more Teva shares. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has upped its stake in Israeli biotech Teva by another 6.7%. Berkshire Hathaway now owns nearly $1 billion of Teva shares.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/warren-buffet-ups-bet-on-ailing-drugmaker-teva/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3744381,00.html

Visa invests in Israeli Fintech startup. I reported previously (Feb 2017) on Israel’s Behalf which provides short-term loans having used hi-tech to decide on a company’s risk profile. Now financial giant Visa is partnering Behalf to “support small business growth”. Behalf’s clients receive a tokenized Visa Virtual Card.
http://nocamels.com/2018/08/visa-behalf-small-business/

Gett generates $1 billion of revenue. Israel’s Gett makes 100 million rides a year, mostly with its London and NYC taxis. This generates around $1 billion in mobility services, according to Stockholm-listed venture capital firm Vostok New Ventures Ltd in its latest financial report.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3744466,00.html

Bringing Hungarians and Bulgarians to Eilat. Low cost Hungarian airline Wizz Air is commencing twice-weekly flights from November between Eilat and both Budapest and Sofia. Wizz already operates services from Eilat to London, Vienna, Bucharest, Riga, and Warsaw.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3744163,00.html

CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT

Annual stork migration begins. The annual migration of the storks has started in Israel. Thousands of storks were spotted flying over the Rotem Plain in southern Israel, according to the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI). (No connection with the large numbers of Israeli births last month!)
http://www.jewishpress.com/uncategorized/theyre-baaaaaack-annual-stork-migration-has-begun-in-israel/2018/08/12/

Colombian Superstar Carlos Vives performs in Israel. Award-winning Colombian musician Carlos Vives held a successful concert in Tel Aviv. He tweeted, “Thanks Tel Aviv! It has been a very special night! What an incredible concert, we are very happy to have been here with you to share and learn from here a little more!”
https://unitedwithisrael.org/colombian-superstar-carlos-vives-rejects-bds-performs-in-israel/

Michael Jackson is to tour Israel. Well, not the superstar himself, obviously, but the “I Am King” tribute to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, is landing in Israel for 20 spectacular dates in 2019. Performances begin in Herzliya on Jan 19 and end in Haifa on Feb 20. Catch it in Tel Aviv on Feb 14 and Jerusalem on Feb 16.
https://www.touristisrael.com/i-am-king-michael-jackson-tribute-israel/23873/

Travel magazine awards for 3 Israeli locations. Travel + Leisure magazine’s 2018 World’s Best Awards included Jerusalem (3rd place) and Tel Aviv (4th) in the “5 best cities in Africa and the Middle East” category. The Beresheet in Mitzpe Ramon came 3rd in the “Top Resort Hotels in Africa and the Middle East” category.
http://nocamels.com/2018/08/tel-aviv-jerusalem-desert-resort-top-travelleisure-magazines-2018-worlds-best-awards/ https://www.youtube.com/embed/5gyW3JkOgw8?rel=0

Dog TV is now on satellite. I reported previously (see here) about Israel’s Dog TV channel that allows dog owners to leave their pets home alone but happy. Dog TV is now available on U.S.-based satellite broadcast provider Dish Network Corporation. It is already on Comcast’s cable Xfinity and AT&T’s DirecTV.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3744254,00.html

Israel to host Euro Championships of Flag Football. Israel has been chosen to host the European Championships of flag football next year in Jerusalem. The tournament will feature both men’s and women’s competitions and is currently scheduled for June 2019. http://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/big-sports-news-israel-chosen-to-host-the-european-championships-of-flag-football-next-year-in-jerusalem/2018/08/16/

Para-Euro swimming champions. Israeli swimmers won two gold medals in the European Paralympic championship held in Dublin, Ireland. Inbal Pezaro, 31, won the women’s 200-meter freestyle final and Ami Dadaon, 17, won the men’s 100m freestyle. Both are members of the ILAN Haifa swimming club.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-swimmers-bag-2-gold-medals-in-european-para-championship/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8l-qkGs4Rk

Medals for windsurfers. (TY Nevet) Israelis Eyal Zror and Liam Segey came 1st and 2nd in the men’s U17 category at the 2018 RS:X Windsurfing Youth World Championships in France. Israelis Naama Gazit and Linoy Geva won silver and bronze in the main women’s event. Geva came 1st in the women’s U17 category.
http://www.rsxclass.org/youthworlds2018/results/youth-women/

THE JEWISH STATE

239 new immigrants fly in. The 15th Aug Nefesh b’Nefesh flight contained 239 new Olim from 24 US states and 3 Canadian provinces. They included 57 lone soldiers, 27 medics and 90 children including 3 sets of twins.
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/us-news/239-north-american-olim-land-in-israel/2018/08/15/

When Ray Charles met David Ben Gurion. I just read about world-renowned singer/songwriter Ray Charles’ support for the Jewish State. In 1972 he visited David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, during his 86th birthday celebrations at Kibbutz Sde Boker. “Israel is one of the few causes I feel good about supporting,” Ray Charles said in 1976. https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-when-ray-charles-met-israels-first-prime-minister/

Jerusalem festival re-enacts Jewish history. (TY WIN) The Kings Valley Festival in the Kidron valley celebrates Jerusalem’s history, offering family workshops and a chance to see what daily life was like in the ancient city during ancient times. https://www.youtube.com/embed/fqVirXKji4o?rel=0

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2018/08/time_to_change_the_rules_in_gaza.html

The night of August 14, 2005 remains firmly in the memory of many Israelis. For thousands it was their last night at home in the Gaza Strip. The following day was the deadline for all Jews to evacuate. August 15 saw those who remained being forcibly evicted by Israeli soldiers.

Gut wrenching images of screaming Jews being carried away from their homes were all over the media. Soldiers were being cursed. It was an unimaginable scene of Jew against Jew. Israel was almost brought to its knees, coming close to civil war. By September 12 none of the 8,000 Jews who lived in Gaza remained.

After 38 years Israel unilaterally turned this small enclave over to the Arabs. Residents were promised financial compensation, homes and employment by the Israeli government. Ten years on the government had failed to honor its promise to many hundreds of the forced evacuees.

Why would Israel take such an unprecedented step, which severely divided the nation?

For one reason: because Israel sincerely desires peace. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, once a lion who himself championed the development of Israeli communities in Gaza and Judea/Samaria, made an unprecedented and bold move in an effort to bring stability and coexistence with Israel’s Arab neighbors.

However, instead producing a path to peace, the situation only got worse. Subsequent to Israel’s withdrawal Hamas and Fatah engaged in a power struggle. In June 2006 Hamas abducted IDF soldier Gilad Schalit and held him prisoner for five years.

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12844/islam-jerusalem-mecca

When the time for the Muslim prayer came, Omar declined the invitation by Sophronius, the patriarch of Jerusalem, to pray inside the Church and instead prayed outside. Omar’s fear was that that Muslims who would come after him might establish a mosque in place of the church if he would pray at the site. Omar, then, was conscious of what belonged to the Muslims and what belonged to the Christians.

Naming the Jerusalem mosque Al-Aqsa was an attempt to say that the Dome of the Rock was the very spot from which Mohammed ascended to heaven, thus connecting Jerusalem to divine revelation in Islamic belief. The problem however, is that Mohammed died in the year 632, which was 73 years before the first construction of the Al-Aqsa Mosque was completed.

Intriguingly, only when non-Muslims are in control of Jerusalem do Muslims seem to remember the city. Otherwise, as history shows, Muslims have never attached real significance to it. They never claimed Jerusalem as the capital of any country or empire. In fact, Muhammad instructed his people not to pray toward Jerusalem, as they had done previously, but to Mecca:

“And We did not make the qiblah which you used to face except that We might make evident who would follow the Messenger from who would turn back on his heels. And indeed, it is difficult except for those whom Allah has guided. And never would Allah have caused you to lose your faith.” — Quran 2:143, Sahih International.

Jordan-Israel negotiations based on President Trump’s long-awaited peace plan seem increasingly likely to happen – following retired Jordanian Ambassador and former editor of the Jordan Times– Walid Sadi – flagging Jordan’s legal and sovereignty claims in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and East Jerusalem (“disputed territories”).

Sadi – in an op-ed article in the Jordan Times on 12 August – has forcefully argued that Jordan’s decision to cut off all legal and administrative relations with the disputed territories in July 1988 did not amount to Jordan ceding its claims to sovereignty for the following reasons:

“First of all, the unity of the West Bank with the East Bank was officially and constitutionally adopted on 24 of April 1950. No one disputes this fact. The Constitution of the country at the time was the 1952 Constitution, which stipulated in no uncertain terms that no part of the Kingdom shall be ceded, period. This provision makes the 1988 decision to cut off all legal and administrative relations between the two banks stopping short of ceding the West Bank to any side whatsoever. Any other interpretation of the 1988 political decision is absolutely untenable constitutionally.”

The Jordan Times is published by the Jordan Press Foundation – in which the government-owned Social Security Investment Fund has a majority stake. Wadi’s politically-charged and highly-significant article could only have been published with the knowledge and approval of Jordan’s King Abdullah.

Jordan’s claims are far superior to those of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) – Jordan being the last Arab state to occupy and claim sovereignty (albeit illegally) in the disputed territories from 1948 until their loss to Israel in the 1967 Six Day War.

Indeed the 1964 PLO Charter made no claim to sovereignty in the disputed territories –completely negating any claimed ancient and long-standing rights accruing to its Arab populations which would outweigh the claims by Jordan to these areas – where sovereignty still remains undetermined between Arabs and Jews.

http://daphneanson.blogspot.com/

To quote CAMERAorg:

‘G while speaking at a meeting of the denomination’s House of Bishops during the 2018 General Convention.

During her testimony in favor of a resolution that condemned Israel for allegedly mistreating Palestinian children (but made no mention of the hate-indoctrination on television shows broadcast by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority), Harris accused Israeli soldiers of shooting a 15-year-old Palestinian boy in the back 10 times.

When did this happen? What is the name of the victim? The first that the world heard of this atrocity was from Harris herself speaking at a church meeting a few years after the alleged incident happened. That doesn’t make any sense. Since when would Palestinian leaders fail to broadcast such an atrocity to the world?

Harris also told a story about Israeli security officials attempting to handcuff a three-year-old boy after his rubber ball bounced off the Temple Mount onto the Western Wall.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center highlighted the absurdity of the bouncing-ball story: “There is a high stone wall on top of the Temple Mount that blocks balls and people from going over the side.” Moreover, as anyone who has been on the Temple Mount can attest, Israeli soldiers do not need to “come up” to the Temple Mount as Harris stated, because they are already stationed on the site.

CAMERA has called on Bishop Harris to provide confirmatory details about these stories and if she can’t retract them and apologize for spreading unsubstantiated propaganda to her fellow Bishops. The Israel-Palestinian conflict is tragic enough. It does not need to be made worse by unsubstantiated atrocity stories that only serve to demonize Israel.’ (See also here and here)

I was praying at the Western wall of Solomon’s Temple, the holiest place of Judaism, the place which witnessed the beginning of the transformation of pagan humanity into Western civilisation. The experience of touching the hewn stone blocks, polished by a myriad kisses and caresses, was profound.

israel flag IIThe Jews do not weep at the Western (Wailing) Wall about the loss of their country anymore. They sing and dance with joy. This year we found ourselves in Jerusalem after a three-week stint as volunteers for the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) program called Sar-El. There aren’t that many days in our life which one can look back to and say – truly, Fate gifted me the experience of a lifetime. I found myself in the midst of an historic occasion – a treat which not many people are privileged to witness.

Yerushalayim was festooned with Israeli and American flags. The signs “Trump make Israel great” and “Trump is a friend of Zion” were ubiquitous. Israel was preparing for the American Embassy’s transition to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. And yet, amid the rejoicing, I was unable to shake the feeling that however important this symbolic act of supreme political realism and courage might be, it was not the main reason for the boundless joy which filled the streets on that day. ews, young and old, Orthodox and secular, atheists and believers — none of them could cared less about what the world thought of Jerusalem and who it does or does not belong to. It was Jerusalem Day, pure and simple.

It was also Israeli Flag Day and most of the people we saw carried the national flag, waving them, wrapping themselves in them. Jerusalem of Gold was transformed into Jerusalem white and blue. That was the main event: the joy of being and belonging and living, of expressing love, patriotism, ancient heritage and pride. All this was mixed up in eruption of overwhelmingly positive energy which demanded release. Intoxicated by the enthusiasm around me, that feeling was infectious. I was whooping and jumping with the rest of the crowd, which accepted me without demur and in the blink of an eye. This was the day the witness of my eyes demolished the sardonic dictum of patriotism being the last refuge of a scoundrel.

I saw Jerusalem’s soul laid bare for anyone to see on that day. I was praying at the Western wall of Solomon’s Temple, the holiest place of Judaism, the place which witnessed the beginning of the transformation of pagan humanity into Western civilisation. The experience of touching the hewn stone blocks, polished by a myriad kisses and caresses, was profound. So, too, watching the emotions of people communing with the Almighty and asking Him favours by way of notes pushed into the cracks and gaps between the ancient stones.

The Jews do not cry at The Wall anymore. On this day, singing at the tops of their voices, there was unashamed joy in observing the public and unadulterated confirmation that Jerusalem is and always has been the eternal capital of the Jewish people. The sentiment was manifest everywhere I turned — on the streets, on the roofs, on the buses and trams – everywhere. The picturesque Yerushalayim of golden sandstone was full of pretty girls handing out sweets and drinks to dancers. There were cars with loudspeakers blaring folk music to the delight of youngsters dancing horas. Smiling police on placid horses calmed the excess of enthusiasm by letting people dance but also making passage for cars stalled by the festive throng. Families with little children waving flags, bemused foreign tourists drawn into the knots of dancers, some of them evangelical Christians wqith Lion of Judah flags.