VFI News Tues, May 9 — Promising Beginnings | VFI News

In this week's news update from Israel, we cover the historical significance of the oil used in the King of England's coronation that came from Jerusalem. We also delve into the increasing nuclear threat from Iran against Israel and the country's response to it. Additionally, we highlight the latest advancements in Israel's aerospace industries, including the unveiling of the BlueWhale unmanned mini-submarine. Stay informed with the latest news from Israel.

King Charles III was formally crowned King of England on Saturday, May 6, at Westminster Abbey, in a ceremony officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

England declared several celebratory measures for the occasion, including a bank holiday, a special medal for the military and emergency personnel participating, and the publication of educational materials for schoolchildren to help them appreciate the significance of the event.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday congratulated King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla on the coronation. "Together with all of Israel's citizens, my wife Sara and I send our warm blessings to King Charles III and to Queen Camilla, on their historic coronation," Netanyahu tweeted.

Israel's President, Isaac Herzog, was among the many foreign dignitaries that came to pay their respects to the King.

Both President Herzog and Britain's Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, benefited from a number of special accommodations that allowed them to participate in the proceedings without violating the Shabbat, despite the coronation taking place on a Saturday.

Rabbi Mirvis said "His Majesty King Charles III has made it clear that he wants representatives of the Jewish community and other minority faith communities to be present for the coronation service. At every stage, the Palace has been sensitive to the requirements of halacha when considering how best to include us."

"We are blessed to have a Monarch who holds a deep, personal conviction that there is great strength in the diversity of our country and who cherishes his warm relationship with British Jews." (INN / VFI News)

“God, we ask that King Charles III of England will have a long and prosperous reign, and will be continually surrounded by loyal counselors while protecting the British citizens’ interests to the best of his abilities. We are also very grateful for the strong alliance and the care that he shows to Jewish people and our traditions.”

The articles included in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Vision for Israel. We try to provide accurate reporting on news pertinent to Israel, the Middle East, the diaspora, and Jewish issues around the world—and we hope that you find it both informative and useful for intercessory prayer.

The oil which was used during King Charles III's coronation ceremony on Saturday, May 6, was consecrated in Jerusalem in early March, according to the Royal Family's official website.

The oil was produced from olive groves on the Mount of Olives, from the Monastery of Mary Magdalene and the Monastery of the Ascension.

The Monastery of Mary Magdalene has a personal connection to the King, as it is the burial place of Princess Alice of Greece, his grandmother.

The oils were pressed just outside Bethlehem and perfumed with essential oils such as sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin, amber and orange blossom.

The oils were then blessed by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, and the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, The Most Reverend Hosam Naoum, at a ceremony in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

The formula is based on the same one that was used during the late Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953 and has been used for hundreds of years. The tradition of anointing kings with holy oil in Europe traces its origins to the same tradition performed by the ancient Israelites. (JPost / VFI News)

“Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head.” - Exodus 29:7

During a joint operation, Israel Security Agency (Shabak), Israel Border Police, Yamam (Israel's national counterterrorism unit), and the IDF on Thursday morning, May 4, eliminated the two terrorists responsible for the Dee family murder. Lucy Dee and her daughters Rina and Maia were murdered last month in a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley.

The terrorists have been identified as Hassan Qatna'ani and Ma'ad Masri, Hamas operatives, who were hiding in an apartment in Shechem (Nablus). The Palestinian Authority Arab who aided them in the murder, Ibrahim Hura, has also been eliminated.

The operation lasted one-and-a-half hours and involved 200 IDF and Yamam fighters. Efforts to apprehend the terrorists began immediately following the terror attack. The terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire, and a Kalashnikov rifle and two M16s were found in the apartment.

Responding to the eliminations, Rabbi Leo Dee, father of Rina and Maia and husband of Lucy, said, "The kids and I were comforted to hear that the Israeli security forces have eliminated the Iranian-funded terrorists responsible for Lucy, Maia, and Rina’s murders. This has been done in a way that has not endangered the lives of Israeli soldiers, nor innocent Palestinian civilians - in a way that only the Israeli army knows how to do."

"Furthermore we have asked for the opportunity to speak with the terrorists’ families and ask what good they thought would come out of their actions and to hear their vision for a better world." (INN / VFI News)

“God, we thank You for enabling our defense forces to apprehend and eliminate dangerous individuals that have harmed Israeli citizens. We pray for the long-term elimination of all terrorist actions against Israel, and for the healing of the families that have been afflicted by terror.”

Iran has enough enriched uranium for five nuclear weapons, should it decide to weaponize it and complete the detonation and delivery tasks for firing a weapon, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Thursday, May 4.

“Iran is not sufficing with one nuclear bomb,” he told his hosts during a visit to Greece. “It has already accumulated enough enriched uranium at the 20% and 60% levels for five nuclear bombs.”

“If Iran enriches to the 90% weaponized level, it would be a great error and the price would be heavy, and there would be consequences which could inflame the Middle East,” he added.

Gallant suggested that he was taking the opportunity to discuss Iran’s nuclear threats and regional terrorism in greater detail because there were recent efforts by the IRGC to perpetrate terrorist attacks against Jews in Greece. Only top-level intelligence cooperation by Israel and Greece had prevented a disaster, Gallant said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said Iran could blackmail any US city if it acquired nuclear weapons. “To have Iran being able to threaten every city in the United States with nuclear blackmail is a changing of history,” he told a visiting congressional bipartisan delegation.

“Iran is 50 North Koreas,” he said. “It is not merely a neighborhood bully like the dynasty that rules North Korea.” (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we pray that more national officials come to the realization that Iran poses a grave nuclear threat globally, and we are grateful for the countries that are already committed to preventing a nuclear war.”

In this beautiful text, David asks God for continued counsel, refuge, and love. Like him, we must all trust in our Father and never doubt His loving-kindness, which is new every morning. Together, let us call out to our heavenly Father, to teach us the way in which we should walk, for God lifts up our souls.

The French National Assembly voted down a resolution stating that Israel instituted an apartheid regime, with 199 opposed and 71 in favor on Thursday, May 4.

Dep. Jean-Paul Lecoq of the French Communist Party, which is part of the Democratic and Republican Left parliamentary group, proposed the resolution to “reaffirm the need for a two-state solution and condemn the State of Israel's institutionalization of an apartheid regime as a result of its colonial policy.”

French Secretary of State for Europe Laurence Boone said in his speech opposing the resolution that "France is a friend of Israel. France is unfailingly committed to Israel's security."

Boone added that France rejects terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians and seeks security for Israelis and Palestinians. Boone also quoted French President Emmanuel Macron's past comments that antisemitism is often behind anti-Zionism.

Meyer Habib, the representative of French ex-pats in the Mediterranean region, including Israel, spoke in the name of his party, Les Republicains, “To blame the State of Israel, the only democratic state in the region, of apartheid is to make cynical use of history,” he said.

“The fact that we are voting on this proposal is in of itself shameful to the republic, to the French parliament, to the Left.” (JPost / VFI News)

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” - Proverbs 17:17

Housing and Construction Minister Yitzhak Golknopf, head of the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition could collapse if a law that exempts members of the ultra-Orthodox community from military service does not pass.

“If the [military] draft outline is not settled, the government will fall apart,” the headline for Goldknopf’s interview read. The remarks came as Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox allies have turned up the heat on this divisive issue in recent days.

Haredi Knesset members have leveraged the upcoming vote on the 2023-2024 state budget in late May to push for progress on the exemption law. The budget must be passed by May 29 to prevent the Knesset’s automatic dissolution, resulting in snap elections.

The coalition agreement between Likud and UTJ stipulates that a Basic Law enshrining Torah study as “a foundational value in the heritage of the Jewish people” and legislation allowing for blanket exemptions from IDF service for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students would pass before the state budget was brought to a vote.

The demand for the Basic Law on Torah study is designed to prevent the High Court of Justice from striking down the blanket exemptions law, as it has done on three occasions in the past on the basis that such exemptions violate the principle of equality for all citizens since all other Jewish men are obligated to perform military service.

Netanyahu’s right-wing, religious coalition is seeking to pass new legislation that would lower the age after which men are exempt from military service from 26 to 21 years old. (TOI / VFI News)

Israel Aerospace Industries on Thursday, May 4, revealed a first-ever and potentially game-changing Israeli-made unmanned mini-submarine. It is expected to expand the IDF’s intelligence-gathering capabilities and significantly reduce maintenance and training costs.

The 12-meter-long “BlueWhale” mini-submarine is intended for covert intelligence-gathering operations. It can detect submarines and gather acoustic intelligence. It could be the start of a future in which the Israel Navy shifts to more unmanned vehicles that require fewer sailors.

In addition, the vehicle’s small size, which is possible because it does not need room for human operators, makes it much harder for enemy forces to detect than many current options in the Navy.

The large autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) has successfully conducted thousands of hours of submerged and autonomous operations. BlueWhale uses radar and electro-optical systems, “fitted to a telescopic mast, to detect sea and coastal targets,” IAI said in a press release.

The mini-submarine is also equipped with “dedicated sonars to enable the detection of both manned and unmanned submarines and map mines on the seabed.” In addition, a special sensor suite ensures safe transit for the submarine both below and in the proximity of the sea surface, on which it is also capable of “landing.” (JPost / VFI News)

“He holds success in store for the upright, He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless.” - Proverbs 2:7

After stops in London, Tel Aviv, and other locales, the world’s oldest nearly-complete Hebrew Bible is on view in New York City beginning Sunday, May 6.

Known as the Codex Sassoon, the book — which was written by a single Jewish scribe on 400 pages of parchment about 1,100 years ago — will be on view at Sotheby’s auction house (1334 York Ave.) by appointment until Tuesday, May 16.

The following day, it will be sold at auction and is estimated to fetch between $30 million to $50 million — possibly making it the most expensive book or document ever sold.

“Codex Sassoon has long held a revered and fabled place in the pantheon of surviving historic documents and is undeniably one of the most important and singular texts in human history,” Richard Austin, Sotheby’s global head of books and manuscripts, said.

“In Codex Sassoon, a monumental transformation in the history of the Hebrew Bible is revealed,” said Sharon Mintz, Sotheby’s senior Judaica specialist for books and manuscripts.

“The biblical text in book format marks a critical turning point in how we perceive the history of the Divine word across thousands of years and is a transformative witness to how the Hebrew Bible has influenced the pillars of civilization — art, culture, law, politics — for centuries.”

Sotheby’s New York galleries are free and open to the public, and the Codex Sassoon can be viewed by appointment. (INN / VFI News)

“He answered, ‘I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’” - Jonah 1:9

The suggestions, opinions, and scripture references made by VFI News writers and editors are based on the best information received.

Want to see more from VFI? Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/visionforisrael and hit “like” if you like us!