“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
Matthew 5:44-45 (TLV)

Shalom. There is so much happening that requires our prayer and attention and so I’m grateful for a few minutes of your time today.

Thank you for standing on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people through your support and your prayers.

I’ve included the verses above because you will see that much of the news this week concerns two countries that are enemies of Israel and her people. But we are called to pray for them – for their leaders and their people. And God is working His plan – a plan we can trust completely.

Regarding the nuclear talks with Iran – both the Iranian and U.S. governments report “progress” in the process of coming to an agreement. The Biden administration has offered to “ease sanctions” – without citing which ones exactly. And the Iranian government has responded positively to the prospect – again, without citing which specific steps they would take to de-escalate. These talks are at an extremely fragile point and present an excellent opportunity for prayer.

Syria is again making headlines after a Syrian missile exploded deep in Israeli territory last week, not far from a nuclear reactor. The Israeli military and a top U.S. military official both said they do not believe the reactor was the intended target.

In addition, you will find a current news story regarding COVID-19 and Israel.

As you read these stories, please lift these events, situations and the people involved in prayer.

SOME PROGRESS MADE, BUT DISAGREEMENTS PERSIST IN IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL TALKS

U.S. President Biden’s administration has indicated openness to easing sanctions against Iran vital to their economy, including oil and finance, with the goal of narrowing differences in the nuclear agreement conversations. This is according to a report in The Wall Street Journal last week.

Even with this progress, senior diplomats involved in the process say weeks of difficult negotiations over the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) remain. The talks, taking place in Vienna, are complicated by Iran refusing to meet directly with the U.S. as well as domestic politics in both Washington, D.C. and Tehran.

Senior officials resumed talks this week after five days of meetings last week. Those involved say progress has come as the U.S. provided more information about the sanction relief the country is prepared to provide.

A senior U.S. State Department official said, “There still are disagreements, and in some cases, pretty important ones. We are not near the conclusion of these negotiations. The outcome is still uncertain. We have made some progress.”

U.S. CONTINUES CONVERSATIONS WITH ISRAEL CONCERNING NUCLEAR DEAL

Regarding Israel’s reservations about returning to the deal, the State Department official said: “We have numerous conversations with Israeli officials before and after every round of talks. We will have one again [this week].

“We believe we have been transparent within the process; we intend to be as transparent as we can. We know there’s a disagreement with Israel’s perspective and we respect that. We’ll try to be as transparent as we can about how we do things, [and] that we want to go and listen to their perspective as well.”

SYRIAN MISSILE LANDS DEEP IN ISRAELI TERRITORY

Last Thursday, a Syrian missile reached deep into Israeli territory and set off air raid sirens near the country’s top-secret nuclear reactor. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officials said it was a misfire and not a deliberate attack. In response, Israel fired airstrikes on the missile launcher and other targets in Syria.

“There was no intention of hitting the nuclear reactor in Dimona,” said Brig. Gen. Hidai Zilberman, the IDF’s chief spokesman.

An Israeli missile-defense system tried to intercept the incoming missile but failed. Defense Minister Benny Gantz said the incident was under investigation.

Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, gave a similar assessment to the Senate Armed Services Committee last Thursday, The Washington Post reported.

“I think it reflects, actually, incompetence in Syrian air defense, where they were responding to Israeli strikes on targets in Syria. They fired their missiles, the missiles went ballistic, literally, and followed a parabolic trajectory to Israel,” McKenzie said. “I do not believe it was an intentional attack, but just rather a lack of capability on the part of the Syrian air defenders.”

Israel has launched airstrikes at Syria multiple times in recent years at military targets connected to Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, both allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad. These strikes routinely draw a response from Syria. Thursday’s exchange was unusual because the Syrian missile landed deep inside Israel.

SANA, Syria’s state news agency, said the exchange began with an Israeli airstrike on a suburb of the capital, Damascus. This area is believed to house Syrian army installations and equipment as well as bases and weapons depots belonging to Iran-backed militias. SANA said four soldiers were wounded.

This missile exchange comes at a time of growing tensions between Israel and Iran. It also threatens to complicate attempts to revive the JCPOA nuclear deal.

ISRAEL’S HEALTH MINISTRY REQUESTS CITIZENS AVOID TRAVELING ABROAD

All Israelis are being advised to avoid unnecessary trips abroad to prevent new variants of the COVID-19 virus from entering the country. This recommendation was issued by Israel’s Health Ministry last Thursday, according to The Jerusalem Post.

“The situation in the world is such that we highly recommend not to travel abroad if you do not have to,” the Ministry’s Director-General Chezy Levy said last Thursday. “At the same time, the Health Ministry identified seven countries where there is very high COVID morbidity and a good chance of getting infected or catching variants. We recommend as much as possible not to travel to these countries. Just don’t go.”

Even those who are vaccinated against COVID might be at risk of getting infected with new variants, the Ministry’s warning said.

LET US PRAY TOGETHER

Please pray with me for:

• God’s provision and direction concerning the JCPOA nuclear deal negotiations
• Protection for Israel from Syria, Iran and others who oppose Israel and the Jewish people. And, pray for these countries that they will seek peace with Israel rather than conflict
• A peaceful God-inspired solution for Israel’s government following the country’s fourth inconclusive election in the past two years
• Protection for the people of Israel from variants of COVID-19
• Jewish people to recognize Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah

The Lord is at work wherever His people come together in His name. This has been clear in Africa, where we have seen people saved, set free and healed, as well as gathered into local Messianic fellowships of Believers. 

We are excited to revisit these African congregations affiliated with us. Last year, so much of our scheduled in-person time with them had to be canceled due to COVID-19. We were blessed to finally visit them at the end of 2020, and we are looking forward to seeing them again during the first three weeks of May.

Two leaders from our Congregational and Leadership Development Department will make the trip together from the U.S. They hope to offer great encouragement to leaders and congregants and are dependent on the Lord to minister through them by His Spirit. May this trip allow them to be a blessing and to receive in-the-moment insight from the Lord regarding the needs and concerns of these precious Believers.

The trip will be from May 2nd through May 20th, first throughout Ethiopia and then Zimbabwe. The team is deeply grateful for your prayers. Please pray for:

1. Safety of all kinds for our two team members as they travel to, within and from Africa,  as well as the Lord’s protection over their families at home
2. Protection from COVID-19 and any other illness and for all COVID-testing requirements to be met without delays or difficulty
3. Favor with all government and local officials – as the team will travel to many locations in both Ethiopia and Zimbabwe
4. The Lord’s grace to minister to each group and every congregant with precisely what they need to be edified and encouraged 
5. Protection, strength, and good sleep for our team considering the rigors of traveling long hours on rough roads to minister to as many people as possible
6. All logistics to run smoothly and efficiently in both countries
7. The clear and tangible power of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) in preaching and prayer for congregants and any unbelievers at the many meetings

Let’s Pray 
Lord, may Your Spirit be upon our brothers as they travel and minister to these many young congregations, their leaders and members. May the gifts and ministry of Your Holy Spirit build up Your Body in every meeting and encounter. We pray that Your Kingdom will come in power and might within each nation through this trip. In Yeshua’s name, AMEN.

Thank you for blessing so many Jewish people in Fiche, Ethiopia! Earlier in the year, we told you about our upcoming Medical Outreach to Fiche. Our team went to help impoverished Jewish people living on the outskirts of an already rural community.  

Thanks to your support and prayers, this Outreach was a resounding success. You helped us bring the Gospel to these Jewish people and their neighbors – many thousands of them! – along with much needed medical care, clean water.  

Hear directly from from Eric Pires, Director of Global Outreach, in this short video.  

Thank you again for your financial and prayer support. You make all the difference. 

Shavuot 2021 is May 17 and starts at sundown the evening before.

When God called Israel out of Egypt to be a people unto Him, He commanded they observe annual “appointed times” before Him. Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks, is one of them. It’s a commemoration of receiving, offering and thanksgiving.

The gift of bread

In ancient Israel, Shavuot was an agricultural feast. Every man physically able was to bring the first of his wheat crop to the Temple in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord. It was an act of both thanksgiving for present provision and trust for the full harvest yet to come. At Shavuot, we thank the Lord for His provision of food to nourish our bodies and sustain our lives.

The gift of the Torah

Shavuot also commemorates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. The Israelites left Egypt on Passover and arrived at Mount Sinai just over seven weeks later. There, Adonai gave us His Law, the Torah. It is the collection of His commandments for how we are to live for Him and with Him as His people.

God’s Word, our bread

The word Torah means “instruction.” As such, we celebrate the whole of Scripture on Shavuot. It, too, gives us nourishment and sustains our spiritual lives. The Lord fed the Israelites with manna for 40 years in the wilderness. They complained about the lack of variety, but the Lord had a reason for it. He explained in Deuteronomy 8:3 that it was to show them that life is not merely about eating to stay alive, but that we should take in His every word as life-giving sustenance.

Jesus, hungry after 40 days of fasting, quoted this same verse to the devil when tempted to turn stones into bread (Matthew 4:4). Jesus told His disciples that the words He spoke to them are Spirit and life (John 6:33).

A prophecy within Shavuot

At Shavuot, we celebrate the gifts of God’s provision and His Word. Both are meant to sustain and feed us. Yet, this Feast of the Lord holds another gift as well. In it, God placed a prophetic picture of what He would bring to pass in fulfillment of what the prophets Joel and Jeremiah foretold.

The gift of the Spirit

Shavuot is also called the Feast of Weeks as God told Israel to determine its date by counting seven weeks from the Sabbath after Passover and then bring the first fruits wheat offering. Because this marks 50 days, Shavuot is also known as Pentecost, from the Greek word meaning 50. 

The New Testament event known to most Christians as Pentecost, the giving of the Holy Spirit to Believers that is recorded in Acts chapter 2, is Shavuot. Jewish travelers had flooded into Jerusalem on their pilgrimage to present their Shavuot offerings. The miracle of the Holy Spirit descended on the Believers there and caused them to speak in languages they didn’t previously know. Jewish pilgrims from every nation heard the wonders of God in their own language, and thousands came to faith in Jesus the Messiah on that very day.

Holy Spirit, breath of new life

While the Hebrew word for spirit is “ruach,” the Greek word is “pneuma,” which also means wind and breath.

Bread and breath

Shavuot joins two amazing gifts from God. The Lord gave us “bread” when He gave us the Torah, His instruction. It nourishes us with His words and is infused with His life. When He gave us His Spirit to live inside us, He gave us the “breath” of new life and placed His Law in our hearts in fulfillment of what He said He would do.

May your Shavuot be a celebration of God’s provision and these life-giving, life-sustaining gifts.

“With God we will do mighty things,
and He will trample our foes.”
Psalm 60:14 (TLV)

As Israel is commemorating both Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day or Israel Fallen Soldier’s Remembrance Day) and Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day) this week, I am reminded of both the sacrifices made by so many and the miraculous victories God has brought to pass for Israel and her people.

I am also reminded of you and your great compassion and love for the Jewish people.  Thank you.

In the news this week, you will see Iran mentioned frequently as well as a story about Israel’s response to the International Criminal Court’s war crimes probe. We have also included a story about last week’s Holocaust Remembrance Day observation.

As is often the case, there are many reasons to rejoice and reasons to pray. Again, thank you for your partnership.

During Visit From U.S. Defense Secretary, Netanyahu Speaks Out About Israel’s Need to Defend Itself Against Iran

On Monday, while hosting U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at his office in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel and the U.S. agreed on never allowing Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.

“As you know, the U.S.-Israel defense partnership has continually expanded over successive administrations and our cooperation is crucial in dealing with the many threats confronting both the United States and Israel,” Netanyahu said during a press conference with Austin, The Times of Israel reported.

“In the Middle East, there is no threat more dangerous, serious and pressing than that posed by the fanatical regime in Iran,” said Netanyahu, citing Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, arming of terror groups and calls for Israel’s complete destruction.

“Mr. Secretary, we both know the horrors of war. We both understand the importance of preventing war. And we both agree that Iran must never possess nuclear weapons,” said Netanyahu. “My policy as prime minister of Israel is clear – I will never allow Iran to obtain the nuclear capability to carry out its genocidal goal of eliminating Israel.”

Speaking days after an apparent attack on the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran, which Tehran has blamed on Israel, Netanyahu said that “Israel will continue to defend itself against Iran’s aggression and terrorism.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Expresses Desire to Work With Israel to “Address Shared Challenges in the Region”

Austin, who spoke after Netanyahu, refrained from explicitly mentioning Iran but said he traveled to Israel to “express our desire for earnest consultations with Israel, as we address shared challenges in the region.”

Austin’s two-day visit is the first official visit to Israel by an American secretary of defense since 2017. He is the first member of U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to pay an official visit to Israel.

While affirming the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s security and qualitative military edge in the region, Austin said he and Netanyahu discussed “ways to deepen our longstanding defense relationship in the face of regional threats and other security challenges, and I affirm the department’s support for our ongoing diplomatic efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Arab and Muslim-majority nations.”

Israel Submits Formal Response to ICC’s War Crimes Probe

Last Friday, Israel sent a formal response to the International Criminal Court’s (ICC’s) decision to probe alleged war crimes by Israel. The response stated that the ICC doesn’t have jurisdiction to investigate it.

“In the letter, it will also be noted that Israel completely rejects the claims that it is carrying out war crimes,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said, according to The Times of Israel.

The Prime Minister’s Office said Israel’s stance has been made known to the court by “central countries and world-renowned experts” and emphasized that Israel is “committed to the rule of law” and capable of investigating itself.

The decision on how to respond came after two days of talks held by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and other top officials.

“I am sure many countries will understand that there is no room for [such an] investigation, that could harm many other countries in the future,” Gantz said, adding that such an ICC investigation would harm Israel’s relations with the Palestinians and make it difficult to “improve the regional situation.”

Last month, the ICC sent formal notices to Israel and the Palestinian Authority about the impending investigation. The notices stated that they had a few weeks to seek a deferral by proving they are carrying out their own investigations. The deadline to respond was April 9.

ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced on March 3 that she was opening an investigation into actions committed by Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem since 2014. The announcement of the investigation came less than a month after the court ruled it had the jurisdiction to open a probe.

Israel Comes to a Standstill In Remembrance of Holocaust Victims

Last Thursday at 10 a.m. sirens halted Israeli outdoor life in memory of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis during World War II. Pedestrians stood in place, buses stopped and cars pulled over, their drivers standing on the roads with their heads bowed.

The annual Holocaust Remembrance Day is one of the most solemn days on Israel’s national calendar. The main opening ceremony on Wednesday night was attended by Holocaust survivors, President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other dignitaries, The Times of Israel reported.

In his speech, Rivlin spoke of the 900 Holocaust survivors who died over the past year due to COVID-19.

“They survived the ghettoes and the death camps, the immigrant ships and the internment camps,” he said. “But the final battle of their lives was fought with them bewildered and isolated, behind masks and gloves, yearning for contact but parted from their loved ones.”

The ongoing plight of Holocaust survivors was in the news early last week when a survey conducted by the Holocaust Survivors’ Welfare Fund found that 51 percent of respondents said they relied on food provided by a variety of charities, one third said they were in dire need of the assistance.

According to the poll, many Holocaust survivors say they have no choice but to give up essentials in order to have enough money for food. Forty-three percent of respondents said they didn’t have enough money for eyeglasses, 33% said they couldn’t afford dental care and 27% said they couldn’t pay for hearing aids.

To help meet this critical need, Jewish Voice supports ministries in Israel dedicated to providing Holocaust Survivors with dental and eye care, as well as other important necessities. When you give to Jewish Voice, this is one of the many ways you help Jewish people around the world.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2020, there were 179,600 people defined as Holocaust survivors living in Israel. An additional 3,000 people were recognized as survivors in 2020, while 17,000 died, including the 900 virus victims.

Let Us Pray Together

Please pray with me for:

• A peaceful God-inspired solution for Israel’s government following the country’s fourth inconclusive election in the past two years
• The needs to be met for Holocaust survivors who struggle with basic necessities like food and healthcare – and that Jewish Voice can continue to help meet these needs
• Jewish people to recognize Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah

What an amazing time we live in. As dark as some aspects are, the Lord continues to map a way through this new territory we all navigate. This is especially true for our Global Outreach Team, who are our boots on the ground working to see Jewish people not only receive care and blessing, but most, and best of all, come to know Yeshua (Jesus).

We have wholeheartedly sought the Lord in this season, and He is answering with new strategies for ministry. As we follow His Spirit, He is helping us be agile and adaptable as we travel a path we’ve not known before. Our Outreach to Zimbabwe, starting now, is a great example

Because the current need in Zimbabwe is so great and so urgent, we are going immediately to provide humanitarian aid and share the Good News. We’re sending only one U.S. team member, who will partner with local staff and congregational leaders to serve as many Zimbabweans as possible in over a half-dozen different locations.

Please! Sign up quickly to cover this Outreach in prayer!

Our urgent response has left little time to solicit the prayer covering we know we need.

Please sign up here.

Below is a daily prayer guide of some areas that need focused prayer. Thank you for making a real impact in Zimbabwe by partnering with us in this way.

THURSDAY, APRIL 15 – Travels, Protection, Health • Psalm 91

• Safe travel for our Director of Global Outreach, journeying alone to Zimbabwe
• Safety for our local Zimbabwean team members and congregational leaders, who are traveling with him to specific communities
• Protection of all kinds, including from COVID-19 and any other incidents or maladies

FRIDAY, APRIL 16 – Supplies and Transport • Deuteronomy 28:8  

• Safe and timely transport of all the humanitarian supplies we’re distributing in each of the various locations
• Favor at all checkpoints
• Ongoing solid relationships with the vendors supplying these much-needed goods

SATURDAY, APRIL 17 – Open Doors into and through Zimbabwe • Psalm 121:7–8

• Safety on the road and journeying mercies
• God's guidance and timing for each leg of the travel from location to location
• Favor from all authorities and in every community

SUNDAY, APRIL 18 – Spiritual Preparation and Openness • Deuteronomy 1:30

• The Lord to prepare the way by softening hearts to eagerly receive not only humanitarian resources but Yeshua
• Spiritual forces opposing the Good News and love of Jesus to be bound off from all aspects of the Outreach and each location
• Communities and their leaders to see the heart of God in this endeavor and welcome Him into their communities and their own lives

MONDAY, APRIL 19 – Kingdom Relationships and the Excellency of Love • 1 Corinthians 16:14

• Special wisdom and grace for our Global Outreach Director working and ministering alongside beloved Zimbabwe brothers and sisters
• Strengthening of relationships between our local JVMI team members and the congregational leaders we’re partnering with there, as well as strong new relationships with other in-country partners and suppliers
• All things to be done with love, which is the more excellent way

TUESDAY, APRIL 20 – Local Leaders and Congregations • Ephesians 1:15–17

• Local congregation members to be excited not only acquire aid themselves but to bring an unsaved neighbor to receive provision and hear the Good News
• The Lord to draw recipients of these distributions to salvation and to start attending the local congregation
• Leaders and emerging leaders to grow in their capacity to minister to individuals and their community as a whole

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21 – Urgency to Reach as Many as Possible • Ephesians 5:16             

• A sense of urgency and the ability to reach as many people as is possible, by God's grace
• Team members and local partners to realize that we trust and obey, but it is the Lord who truly meets the needs
• Us to release this Outreach to the Lord, but with holy boldness to do all within our ability to share the Good News with everyone we can

THURSDAY, APRIL 22 – Needs Met • Matthew 6:26

• The humanitarian aid we’re providing to be a very real blessing to as many people and families as possible during this time of great crises and lack
• LifeStraws® to change lives and prevent disease
• Love and provisions to prepare the way for many to receive the Good News, meeting the greatest need of all – for Yeshua!

FRIDAY, APRIL 23 – Outcomes • Acts 2:46–47

• A positive impact and practical help to be experienced in each location
• A mighty move of the Holy Spirit in each area but also throughout Zimbabwe
• Our congregational partners to be encouraged by this initiative and prepared to receive from the Lord through our Congregational and Leadership Development team, who will visit them a few weeks later

SATURDAY, APRIL 24 – Zimbabwe • Jeremiah 33:3

• The Lord to hear the cries of His people for themselves, their neighbors and their nation, especially the prayers of the Lemba Believers who carry a priestly, intercessory mantle passed down through many generations
• God to turn the hearts of the nation's leaders to Him and to their own people so their land can be blessed to be a blessing once again
• For the Body in Zimbabwe to come together as never before in worship, prayer, unity and brotherly love as they reach out and minister to their fellow Zimbabweans

SUNDAY, APRIL 25 – Ongoing Ministry and Blessing • Psalm 32:8

• Discernment from the Lord regarding how, when and where He might be calling us to minister next in Zimbabwe
• Provision and favor to meet even more needs next time
• The Holy Spirit’s power to work in congregational leaders’ lives – as well as those they lead and the communities to which they are called – as they fulfill the purposes of God in their nation and generation

Let’s Pray:

Lord, please bless our dear partners who are answering Your call to pray that Jewish people and their neighbors in Zimbabwe will receive care and the Good News. May those in Zimbabwe who we minister to receive Living Water and the Bread of Life – Jesus – as they receive LifeStraws® and other provisions. May Your kingdom come to reign and rule in their hearts, families and communities. We are believing You for revival in Zimbabwe. Lord, hear our prayers. In Yeshua’s name, AMEN.

“But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of His heart through all generations.”
Psalm 33:11 (NIV)

Thank you for standing with Israel and for your love and support for the Jewish people. Your partnership means a great deal to me and to the ministry of Jewish Voice.

We also want to offer my encouragement with the words from Psalm 33 above – no matter what is happening in Israel, in our country and around the world, we can be confident in the plans of our God. He is in control from generation to generation and He is worthy of our trust and love!

In Israel this week, the outcome of the election continues to dominate the news as leaders meet to try to create a workable government and avoid yet another election.

You’ll also find news about a new super-fast COVID-19 test developed by an Israeli company, confirmation from the U.S. regarding Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and Iran continuing to violate the UN nuclear agreement. There is also a story about one Palestinian’s shocking experience after participating in a conference call with Israelis.

Again, thank you for your interest and for your prayers and support.

Netanyahu Secures Most Recommendations but Still Lacks Clear Path to Assemble a Coalition

On Monday, three parties (New Hope, Joint List and Ra’am) refrained from endorsing any candidate for prime minister. This ensures that Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu would have the most recommendations to form a government.

But to assemble a coalition, 61 seats are needed for a majority. After President Reuven Rivlin’s meetings with the 13 factions in the new Knesset (legislature) meant to determine who to task with forming a government, 52 members of the Knesset recommended Netanyahu, 45 recommended Lapid. Yamina recommended its leader, Naftali Bennett, and three parties recommended no one, The Jerusalem Post reported.

So Netanyahu still lacks a clear path to assembling a coalition, but his rivals also did not appear to have many options for clinching a government.

“… Democracy Has Exhausted Itself.”

As he began the meetings, Rivlin lamented that “at the moment, I can’t see a way to form a coalition.”

He also said if his first choice to form a government fails, he may kick the mandate back to the Knesset to make a choice, rather than giving a second person a chance to do so first, according to The Times of Israel.

The president added that “after four election campaigns, democracy has exhausted itself.”

The outcome of Monday’s discussions is up in the air. Neither the pro-Netanyahu bloc of parties nor the anti-Netanyahu camp has a clear path to a majority following the March 23 vote, which was Israel’s fourth inconclusive election in two years.

Super-Speedy Israeli COVID-19 Test Granted European Approval, Could Help Boost International Travel

Last week, an Israeli company said it received European approval for its rapid coronavirus test and was ready to help kickstart international travel.

Their test uses a handheld SpectraLIT machine which eliminates the need for complex lab equipment. It shines light through samples and gives immediate results using the spectral signature (matter reflects different light signatures, depending on its composition).

This means that airport staff who currently are required to collect test samples and send them to labs will simply have a machine at hand and be able to give test results for travelers after just 20 seconds of analysis.

The system, which is being piloted at 36 hospitals around the world, received European Medical Devices Directive approval for a swab version of its test, which allows it to start rollout across the European Union.

“Despite the global rollout of vaccination efforts, COVID-19 still needs rapid diagnostic solutions to take steps back to normality, including international travel, and this represents an important milestone,” Eyal Zimlichman, a senior doctor at Sheba Medical Center who helped develop the technology, told The Times of Israel.

The test was developed by Newsight together with Sheba Medical Center under the newly formed Virusight Diagnostic.

UN’s Nuclear Watchdog Says Iran Is Enriching Uranium

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nation’s atomic watchdog, has determined that Iran is now enriching uranium with a fourth cascade of advanced IR-2m centrifuges at its underground nuclear facility in Natanz, according to a report late last week.

“On 31 March 2021, the Agency verified at [the Fuel Enrichment Plant] that: Iran had begun feeding natural UF6 into a fourth cascade of 174 IR-2m centrifuges,” a report by IAEA cited by Reuters said. UF6 is uranium hexafluoride, which is fed into centrifuges for enrichment.

This move by Iran is the latest bold violation of the nuclear deal. The goal appears to be to pressure the Biden administration as Iran and the U.S. are at a standoff over who should make the first move to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The Biden administration has repeatedly said it will return to the nuclear deal if Iran first returns to compliance, while the Islamic Republic is demanding that the U.S. lift sanctions before it returns to the deal, The Times of Israel reported.

The intent of the JCPOA is to curb Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear bomb. The country started violating the agreement in 2019 in response to a U.S. withdrawal from the deal under the Trump administration and a reimposition of U.S. sanctions against Iran in 2018.

US Report Reaffirms Jerusalem As Israel’s Capital

The U.S. recently released its latest Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. This annual report is the first one authored by the Biden administration and it affirmed that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel.

But it also reintroduced language that spoke of Israeli occupation of territory, a two state solution for peace and gave a nod in the direction of Palestinian Authority rights to sections of Jerusalem.

The report looked at human rights issues in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza as part of its global analysis on nearly 200 nations.

Both the Biden and Trump administrations clarified that the U.S. has recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital since 2017. Neither report clarifies the boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, but both state that the boundaries are subject to negotiations, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Both reports also affirm Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which the U.S. recognized in 2019.

Let Us Pray Together

Please pray with me for:

• A peaceful God-inspired solution for Israel’s government following the country’s fourth inconclusive election in the past two years
• Continued support for Israel from the U.S. and wisdom for the U.S. in dealing with Iran and the JCPOA nuclear agreement
• Jewish people to recognize Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah