Israel News for 10-4-2021
News Update
PM Bennett announced that the IDF and Shin Bet would join police in fighting violent crime in Arab communities. Other government bodies including the National Security Council, the State Attorney’s Office, the Tax Authority, and the Anti-Money Laundering Authority will also take part in the effort. The PM said, “The state is now mobilizing to protect Arab citizens from the blight of crime and illegal weapons, and from murder and protection rackets. This will take considerable time, effort and resources. And while the state is mobilizing, the Arab public must understand that the security forces are not the enemy – they are the solution.”
Palestinian Authority President Abbas hosted a meeting with Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz and Regional Cooperation Minister Iswai Frej in Ramallah last night. Meretz leader Michal Rozin also attended the meeting. Abbas said that he wants to meet with all Israeli ministers, and he specifically mentioned Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, who openly rejected his offer saying she would not meet with “a Holocaust denier who is suing Israel soldiers at The Hague and paying murderers of Jews.” PM Bennett has also said that he has no plans to meet with Abbas.
An Israeli delegation headed by Energy Minister Karine Elharrar left for France today to attend an OECD conference on climate change. Elharrar will speak at the opening session of the conference alongside US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and will discuss the adoption of the OECD’s standards and principles as part of Israeli legislation designed to combat the climate crisis. She will state in her remarks “the desire of the State of Israel to deepen economic, research and development ties with the countries of the world, and especially with the countries of the region, as part of future peace processes.”
A Hamas delegation is in Cairo today for talks with Egyptian intelligence officials, who have been mediating between the Gaza rulers and Israel over a possible prisoner swap.
Israel’s Health Ministry reported that 2,653 new coronavirus cases were diagnosed on Sunday, producing a positivity rate of 2.83%. 564 coronavirus patients are hospitalized in serious condition, with 204 on ventilators. Since the start of the pandemic, 7,827 people have died of coronavirus. Over 3 and a half million Israelis have already received a 3rd dose of the vaccine.
Western Wall Prayers
For nearly 2,000 years, since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70CE, the Western Wall has served as the primary gathering place for Jews and believers of all faiths to pour out their hearts in prayer to the Almighty. While God listens to our prayers wherever we are, we turn our faces towards the Temple Mount in Jerusalem where our Holy Temple once stood, and will one day soon stand again.
Therefore, it is considered efficacious to pray at the Western Wall. It is also customary to insert a written note with your prayer into the crevices of the Western Wall’s stones.
We will be visiting the Western Wall on a regular basis during the year.
- To have us insert your prayer note at the Western Wall, click here.
- To have us include the name of your loved one in our prayer for healing at the Western Wall, click here.
Our next journey to Jerusalem will be on Sunday Oct. 10.
