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ISRAEL

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Top Dems push back after ‘Squad’ member called Israel a ‘racist state’ Rep Pramila Jayapal’s comment about Israel prompted backlash from Democratic Reps Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark, Pete Aguilar, Adam Schiff and others

By on July 18th, 2023

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-dems-push-back-squad-member-called-israel-racist-state

Several top Democrats in the House of Representatives responded after one of their fellow party members, Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, called Israel a “racist state” over the weekend and then walked back the comment.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass. and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., put out a statement Sunday countering Jayapal’s remarks.

“Israel is not a racist state,” they said without specifically mentioning Jayapal by name.

“Certainly, there are individual members of the current Israeli governing coalition with whom we strongly disagree,” the leaders added. “Government officials come and go. The special relationship between the United States and Israel will endure.”

Jewish House members Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, Brad Schneider, D-Ill., Dean Phillips, D-Minn., Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla. and Kathy Manning, D-N.C., also wrote a letter that called Jayapal’s comments “unacceptable,” according a draft of the letter obtained by Fox News that is still being circulated for more signatures.

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Ramat Gan wine-shop owner battles city over rainbow Pride flags “There’s an aggressive silencing of the Jewish voice in the public sphere,” the merchant’s attorney said. by David Isaac

By on July 18th, 2023

https://www.jns.org/israel-news/lgbtq/23/7/17/302985/

For several years, a Ramat Gan store owner has found himself under fire from the municipality for opposing LGBTQ flags adorning the city’s thoroughfares, including in front of his shop, during the annual Pride Month (June).

Facing thousands of shekels in fines, he and his attorney say he is the target of selective enforcement in a clash echoing a wider cultural war against religion in the Israeli public square.

Amnon Goldis, the owner of a small boutique wine shop, “Kosher Wine Or Ganuz,” felt compelled to act three years ago when gay pride flags appeared along Ramat Gan’s Jerusalem Boulevard, where his store is located. His protest took the form of banners he placed above his storefront. The first was simply the Jewish creed, “Shema Yisrael”: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.”

The original Shema Yisrael sign was a temporary vinyl banner above the store in 2020. .

But Ramat Gan, located just east of Tel Aviv, came down hard on Goldis. In 2020, he received a call and a letter from the municipality warning him to remove the sign immediately or face a fine. Goldis refused, telling radio station Kol BaRama at the time: “I made it clear to the municipality that I do not intend to take down the sign. They can issue fines, make committees—I am not taking down this sign.”

Goldis then made the Shema sign permanent, placing it where his store sign had been. Essentially, he changed the name of his store.

Each year a new sign followed. In 2022, there was Zechariah 13:2, “And the spirit of impurity I will cause to pass out of the land.” This year it’s a combination of Ezekiel 9:4 and Ezekiel 8:6, “that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof … even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary.”

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LAWMAKERS TO BOYCOTT ISRAELI PRESIDENT’S SPEECH TO CONGRESS

By on July 16th, 2023

https://unitedwithisrael.org/reps-bowman-bush-join-ilhan-omar-in-boycott-of-israeli-presidents-speech-at-congress/?utm_source=

Rep. Ilhan Omar had said there was “no way in hell” she would attend Herzog’s speech.

By United with Israel Staff and Andrew Bernard, The Algemeiner

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) on Thursday indicated he will be skipping Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s joint address to Congress on 19 July, citing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.

“The Office of Congressman Jamaal Bowman can confirm that the Congressman will not be attending President Herzog’s address,” a Bowman spokesman said, Haaretz reported on Thursday.

“I don’t think Israel has gone far enough in protecting and uplifting Palestinian rights and Palestinian lives,” Bowman explained, according to the Epoch Times.

The offices of Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cori Bush also confirmed they would not attend the speech, The Times of Israel reported.

The moves follow Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) announcement on Wednesday that there was “no way in hell” she would attend Herzog’s speech.

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GOOD NEWS FROM AMAZING ISRAEL FROM MICHAEL ORDMAN

By on July 16th, 2023

https://verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com/

Another dazzling compilation of Israel’s 24/6  contributions to technology, medicine, innovations and the hopes of all people throughout the globe to have  safer, and healthier lives. 

  Fourth Commandment-“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath” rsk

 

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Precision medicine for infectious diseases. Personally tailored treatments for cancer patients are well known. Now Tel Aviv University researchers propose a similar approach to fighting infections. Two immune markers in the blood indicate which medication and dosage can best fight the pathogen and repair the damage.

https://en-lifesci.tau.ac.il/news/2023/bacharach/gat   https://www.jns.org/israel-news/medicine/23/7/9/301160/

https://www.cell.com/cell-systems/pdf/S2405-4712(22)00463-X.pdf

Personalized IVF treatment. Israel’s FertiliFit is developing a solution that uses AI-based technology to personalize IVF (and IUI) treatment to the specific patient.  Its deep learning model inputs the patient’s medical history, physiology, hormone levels etc., to identify the best treatment and the probability of success.

https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/s1uwsity2   https://www.fertilifit.ai/

Developing a pan-coronavirus vaccine. The Sheba Pandemic Research Institute (SPRI) is partnering with the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and others to develop a pan-coronavirus booster vaccine. The vaccine will also be applied to other viruses, including influenza, with the goal of preventing future pandemics.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/sheba-pandemic-research-institute-and-partners-developing-pan-coronavirus-vaccine/

Preventing strokes. Israel’s Avertto won the 2023 Hebrew University Asper Prize. Most stroke patients do not reach the emergency room on time. Avertto’s system monitors blood flow to the brain, detects any changes and provides real-time alerts to enable timely treatment, thereby preventing strokes.

https://en.huji.ac.il/news/avertto-wins-hebrew-university%E2%80%99s-asper-prize-startup-award-2023

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-746424   https://avertto.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nABJez_vxQg

Digitizing foot therapy. Israel’s Actic Medical has developed the Hybrid+ insole. It has sensors that can measure the pressure, temperature, and motion of the foot to inform the wearer of impending foot ulcers. The patient then uses a special screwdriver to change the insole’s shape to redistribute the pressure.

https://nocamels.com/2023/06/custom-smart-insoles-combat-dangerous-diabetic-foot-ulcers/

https://www.acticsmedical.com/

Diagnosing from tears. Bar-Ilan University graduate Aviv Mesika has developed the LacriScan diagnosis test which uses a patient’s tears to diagnose Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s in their pre-symptom stages. The new test is more sensitive than previous ones and checks for multiple brain chemical markers of the two diseases.

https://nocamels.com/2023/07/tracking-your-tears-in-early-test-for-alzheimers-and-parkinsons/

Protecting 1 million Americans from prescription errors. (TY OurCrowd) Healthcare organization Ballad Health, serving around a million people in 29 US counties, is adopting the AI-powered drug safety platform from Israel’s MedAware (see here previously). The system identifies potential medication-related errors.

https://www.balladhealth.org/news/ballad-health/medaware-partnership

Celebrating Sheba’s 75 years of excellence in healthcare. This brief video summarizes the successes of Israel’s leading hospital – Sheba Medical Center. It emphasizes Sheba’s ethos of innovation, compassion, and a commitment to a global well-being.  Advancing healthcare not only to Israelis, but to the citizens of the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TEWyaS0ms0   https://sheba-global.com/

Bringing Israeli medical innovation to Florida. The Israeli nonprofit Start-Up Nation Central has announced a new initiative, Hospital2Hospital, to partner South Florida’s Baptist Health Innovations and Israel’s Sheba Medical Center’s ARC Innovation. Israeli startups will compete for a $75,000 grant to help launch in the US.

https://www.jns.org/startup-nation/technology/23/6/26/298064/  https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/12/6/1017

https://lp.startupnationcentral.org/sheba-baptist-health-hospital-2-hospital-challenge/

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FOREIGN POLICY, ISRAEL Comments turned off

Biden Administration Funding Iran’s Nuclear Bomb Tests, Threatening Israel for Trying to Prevent Them? by Majid Rafizadeh

By on July 15th, 2023

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19803/biden-funding-iran-nuclear-bomb

Secret attempts by the Biden Administration to reach an interim deal with the mullahs threaten not only to add an estimated $100 billion into the treasury of the Iranian regime’s struggling economy, but, worse, catapult an Iranian nuclear menace onto the world.

Iran’s aggression threatens not only its own brutalized citizens – Iran has executed more than 200 people in just the first half of this year and deliberately poisoned more than 1200 schoolgirls — but also the entire region, Europe and the United States.

Reports also indicate that the Iranian regime’s illegal nuclear activities have escalated in 2023 under the Biden Administration’s watch.

In spite of these factors and the strong opposition from the Congress — including a warning from U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul that according to the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, any agreement, even an informal one, with Iran about its nuclear weapons program, must be approved by Congress and no funds released until after 60 says — the Biden Administration has been holding​ ​secret talks in Oman…

Along with this Iranian plan to join the “nuclear club,” abetted by the Biden Administration, this same Biden Administration, in the face of Iran’s openly stated commitment to Israel’s destruction is, according to one report, now pressuring Israel to “commit suicide” or risk losing American support.

The dangerous legacy the Biden Administration appears to want to leave includes threats to the only democracy in the Middle East while capitulating to the world’s most vicious dictators in Afghanistan, China, Venezuela and Iran — which the US State Department has called the “top state sponsor of terrorism” — and soon, thanks to the Biden Administration, armed with nuclear bombs.

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HISTORY, ISRAEL Comments turned off

How Jews Fared in 19th Century ‘Palestine’ Before Zionism and Balfour. July 14, 2023 by Hugh Fitzgerald

By on July 14th, 2023

https://www.frontpagemag.com/how-jews-fared-in-19th-century-palestine/

In recent years, Palestinian and other Arab propagandists have claimed that before the Zionists appeared, supposedly intent on taking over by force land “belonging to the Arabs,” the local Arabs in “Palestine” (a toponym not used by the Arabs until the late 20th century, for until 1948 they thought of the area as part of “southern Syria”) had gotten along quite well with the Jews who had been living in the area long before the arrival of the first Zionist pioneers from Europe.

In this version of history, it was only when Jews, having become Zionists, suddenly became land-grabbers, “stealing Arab land,” that the Arabs, quite justifiably, turned on them in self-defense.

This claim is as false as the one that so many peoples in the West accept about Islamic Spain being a splendid example of interfaith tolerance and cultural syncretism. Elder of Ziyon several months ago compiled news reports from the period before the Balfour Declaration, even before the first stirrings of Zionism, to show what had been the real relations of Muslims to Jews in “Palestine.” More on the evidence showing the treatment that Jews had to endure at the hands of Muslims in “Palestine” in the period “before Balfour and before Herzl” can be found here: “A short catalogue of Arab intolerance of Jews in Palestine before both Zionism and the Balfour Declaration,” Elder of Ziyon, April 10, 2023:

There is no doubt that there were some friendships between some Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem and throughout the Arab world, but to use them as evidence of widespread acceptance of Jews as equals or near-equals is not only flawed reasoning but utterly false.

The evidence that Jews were treated horribly is irrefutable.

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Israel and Its Global Discontents Victor Davis Hanson

By on July 14th, 2023

https://victorhanson.com/israel-and-its-global-discontents/

I just returned from 17 days abroad and watched a lot of BBC and CNN international news, given there were no other alternatives. Their coverage of the recent Israeli effort to destroy a terrorist network in Jenin was surreal. It can be summed up as the following: Killing Jews randomly inside Israel is acceptable behavior. But trying to stop that by using violence to break up terrorist enclaves are crimes against humanity.

This asymmetry is, of course, not new. But what continues to explain the Western, and indeed, European, dislike of Israel?

The old anti-Semitism?

The fear of Islamic terrorism (Europeans slurring Judaism and Jews earn no rebuke, but printing a cartoon mocking the prophet can get an editor killed)?

The boilerplate leftwing mantra of “imperialism” and “colonialism” that slurs Israel as a Western interloper that has no business in the historic homeland of the Jews?

The Western overdog syndrome? Elite Westerners, Europeans in particular, must pay obeisance to the “victims” of the West?

Add up the biases and the current Pavlovian hostility still remains surreal. Yet one thing remains constant: year-by-year the leftwing/radical Palestinian/the Squad mantra of a Palestinian nation “to the sea” is not going to happen, ever.

I also just returned from Israel, and I was there a year ago as well. It has never seemed so wealthy, busy, and confident—despite media accounts to the contrary and Palestinian terrorists’ recent attacks on Jews inside Israel.

Construction cranes are ubiquitous. Young people predominate. Families are everywhere with not one or two, but three, four, and five children.

There are few visible homeless. There are no smash-and-grab crimes, no car jackings, no Saturday night shooting gallery à la Chicago, nor gratuitous violence such as in a typical day in Portland or San Francisco. I saw no excrement on the sidewalk. Sophisticated San Franciscans should send a delegation to Tel Aviv to be instructed in municipal hygiene.

Contrary to propaganda, Israel is diverse. There are black, brown, and white Jews, secular and religious, native born and immigrant. There are lots of Arab Israelis who at least publicly, whatever their private sentiments, seem to enjoy living more inside Israel than outside it.

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FOREIGN POLICY, ISRAEL Comments turned off

What Does Biden Have Against Israel? The President treats the governing coalition in Jerusalem worse than he does Iran.

By on July 14th, 2023

https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-israel-benjamin-netanyahu-tom-nides-iran-abraham-accords-judicial-reform-639bd846?mod=opinion_lead_pos3

Why does President Biden go out of his way to snub, criticize and give marching orders to the government of Israel? At least rhetorically, the President and his Administration treat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his governing coalition worse than they do the ruling mullahs in Iran.

Mr. Biden declined again this week in gratuitous public fashion to invite Mr. Netanyahu to the White House, pointing to the Prime Minister’s elected coalition partners. Tom Nides, Mr. Biden’s departing Ambassador to Israel, chimes in that the U.S. must speak up to stop Israel from “going off the rails.” Each gibe makes headlines in Israel.

When Mr. Netanyahu was most vulnerable, in late March, Mr. Biden needlessly decreed that Israel “cannot continue down this road” on judicial reform. The Prime Minister had already changed course and agreed to moderate the reforms—a domestic Israeli affair in which the U.S. President has no business. Mr. Nides publicly instructed Mr. Netanyahu, as if with his chauffeur, to “pump the brakes.”

The effect of this piling on is for Israelis to see that the U.S. sides with their opposition parties. This is no way to treat a democratic ally and no way to pursue U.S. interests while Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud Party is in power, as it has been for most of the past 25 years.

Whether Israel’s proposed reforms would rein in its high court’s unusual powers, in the absence of a constitution, or tip the balance too far toward British-style parliamentary supremacy, is for Israelis to debate. Which they do, noisily, without Mr. Biden’s commentary.

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ISRAEL, WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Iran’s Plan To Drive Jews Out of ‘Palestine’ by Bassam Tawil

By on July 10th, 2023

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19797/iran-drive-jews-out

Iran’s mullahs are seeking to create a situation where Jews no longer feel safe in their own country and are forced to leave Israel. To achieve this goal, the mullahs have instructed their Palestinian terror proxies, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), to step up their campaign of terrorism against Israel and Jews.

“Islamic Jihad & other Palestinian resistance movements have found the main key to fighting the Zionist regime. The continually growing authority of resistance groups in the #WestBank is the key to bringing the Zionist enemy to its knees, & this course must be continued.” — Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Twitter, June 14, 2023.

The leaders of Iran, Hamas and PIJ share the same goal: eliminating Israel and killing as much Jews as possible. They do not differentiate between a Jew living in Israel and a Jew living in the West Bank. In their view, all Jews are settlers, regardless of where they live. For them, there is no difference between Tel Aviv and a Jewish settlement in the West Bank. They see Israel as one big settlement that must be removed from the face of the earth.

“The Jews in other countries live in peace and prosperity. The only place where they’re being killed is in Palestine. Therefore, when we continue our fight, they will change their mind and realize that they made a historical mistake by coming to this place. They will realize that there is no chance of life for them and that they therefore should leave this country.” — PIJ Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah, al-vefagh.net, June 8, 2023.

This statement by the PIJ leader is important because it shows that the Palestinian terror attacks against Israel are not being carried out because of checkpoints, settlements or harsh economic conditions. Instead, the purpose of these attacks is to force the Jews out of their country and replace Israel with an Islamic state controlled by Iran and its proxies, especially Hamas and PIJ.

Those who believe that the Palestinian campaign of terrorism is a legitimate resistance against the “occupation” in the West Bank are totally clueless.

Thanks to Iran, Nakhalah said, the Palestinian terror groups are now capable of manufacturing their own weapons.

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ISRAEL Comments turned off

GOOD NEWS FROM AMAZING ISRAEL FROM MICHAEL ORDMAN

By on July 9th, 2023

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com 

This week’s amazing list of Israel’s varied, outsized, and vital contributions is about “connections” prompted by the news that Israel is building infrastructure to establish the Jewish State as a communications and solar energy hub connecting Europe and Asia. Meanwhile, Israel’s connections with the UAE prevented a major cyber-attack on the Gulf state. Its connections with Africa provided food for the disadvantaged in Senegal and saved the lives of children from Eswatini (Swaziland).

It evoked a memory in me of the late Menachem Begin’s first visit to the United States as the elected Prime Minister. In one of dozens of speeches, Begin used the word “connection” referencing the bonds between Zionists in every corner of the world and the State of Israel. That “connection” stokes the pride that I and all friends and supporters  share with every issue of Very Good News from Israel. Thank you Michael Ordman! rsk

 

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
 
Programming tumors to self-destruct. (TY WIN) Researchers at Tel Aviv University encoded a toxin into mRNA (messenger RNA) molecules and delivered them directly to cancer cells. The cells were instructed to produce the toxin that eventually killed them. Another breakthrough from the lab of Professor Dan Peer.
https://en-lifesci.tau.ac.il/news/2023/peer/cells  https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-748548
https://www.thno.org/v13p3497.htm
 
A molecule to prevent tooth decay. Scientists in Israel, China and Singapore have discovered a molecule 3,3′-Diindolylmethane (DIM – also known as bisindole) reduces the biofilms that produce dental plaque and cavities by 90%. The molecule is also found to have anti-carcinogenic properties and could be added to toothpastes.
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/Kushmaro_cavities_DIM.aspx
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-748213  
 
Proton Irradiation Center opens. Israel’s P-Cure (see here previously) has opened its Proton Irradiation Center (PIC) in Modi’in. Dozens of Israeli cancer patients will now be able to receive treatment with proton irradiation. Permission has been given for the PIC to treat hand-and-neck cancers and recurring brain cancers.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-748050
 
US approves treatment for lazy eye. Israel’s NovaSight (see here previously) has received FDA approval for its CureSight digital therapy device for amblyopia (lazy eye). Clearance was given following a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial of 103 participants under 9 years of age. 79% of children improved in the trial.
https://nocamels.com/2023/06/children-watch-tv-to-cure-their-lazy-eye/
https://eyewire.news/news/novasight-announces-fda-510k-clearance-of-curesight-digital-therapy-for-amblyopia
 
Safe removal of varicose veins. Israel’s VVT Medical has received US FDA approval for its Sclerosafe medical device for the treatment of varicose veins. Its unique, dual syringe injects a sclerosing substance into the vein through one syringe while simultaneously removing blood and residuals through the second syringe.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/vvt-medical-receives-fda-510k-clearance-for-its-sclerosafe-system-301857362.html  https://www.vvtmed.com/  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZqSIcWT4Hk
 
Another Israeli spine surgery navigation system. The 3D Optical Navigation System from Israel’s PathKeeper Surgical performed its debut commercial spine surgery on US patients. It was used in two successful lumbar spinal fusion surgeries for degenerative disc disease at VHC Health in Arlington, VA.
https://www.path-keeper.com/post/pathkeeper-surgical-commercializes-spine-navigation-system-with-first-u-s-cases    https://www.path-keeper.com/   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfhhLUgcHxg
 
Prolapse treatment gets European funding & US approval. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Escala Medical (see here previously) has received €5.5 million from the European Innovation Council for its non-surgical, incision-free 20-minute solution for patients suffering pelvic prolapse. It also recently received US FDA clearance.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/escala-medical-awarded-5-5-million-eic-funding-to-revolutionize-pelvic-organ-prolapse-treatment-301862578.html
 
Israeli surgeons reattach Palestinian Arab boy’s head.  This sounds like science fiction. 12-year-old Suleiman internally decapitated his head in a bicycle accident that detached the base of his skull from the top of his spine. Hadassah surgeons performed an extremely rare and complex operation to save Suleiman’s life.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/hadassah-surgeons-reattach-boys-head-to-his-neck-after-internal-decapitation/

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