70 Ambassadors Attend Israeli Passover Seder at the UN

Tues, April 4 — Turmoil in the Middle East | VFI News

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International Court of Justice Rejects Iran's Bid to Claim $2 Billion Frozen by US

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Spotify Removes Hateful Content that Incites Violence Against Jews

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Many Christian supporters of Israel offer unwavering support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, believing that he is the natural ally of Christians. 

However, this unyielding backing often leads to the view that any opposition to Netanyahu is part of a sinister leftist plot, or even the work of demonic forces. But where does this blind support for Netanyahu end? 

In this video, we dive deep into the latest updates concerning the proposed judicial reform and ongoing protests, as well as look back at history to teach us where this may all lead. 

We ultimately believe that through prayer and a desire for unity, Israel can become united once again. Join us as we explore these critical issues and ask ourselves, where does it end?

Dear readers, with Passover almost upon us, we would like to wish you Chag Pesach Sameach. May all of you receive one blessing after the other during this joyful season, and may you treasure the freedom our Lord has gifted us.

On Tuesday, March 28, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan, in collaboration with Aish Global, hosted a mock Passover Seder in the United Nations with the participation of 70 Ambassadors from around the world. 

Traditional holiday foods were served, excerpts from the Haggadah were read, and the Ambassadors learned about the traditions and customs associated with the holiday. 

The event was initiated by Ambassador Erdan with the aim of strengthening the familiarity of Judaism and Jewish traditions and values among the Ambassadors. 

In his remarks, Ambassador Erdan said, "At the Seder, we are commanded to retell the Exodus as if we ourselves were slaves in Egypt and we ourselves were brought out by the hand of God. This is how the Exodus becomes a collective memory for every Jew around the globe. But even more than that, the Exodus – going from slavery to freedom – has become the universal theme of liberation for all people, Jews, and non-Jews alike. "

"It is not only the story of Jewish emancipation and nationhood; it is also the story of Jewish Statehood – the legitimate right of the Jewish people coming home to the land that God promised us. Today, the Modern State of Israel is the continuation of that very same Exodus. And it is a story of great success." (INN / VFI News)

“God, we thank You for granting us freedom and the ability to live in Your promised land. We thank You that we can celebrate Passover while honoring our traditions and collective memories during this season. We especially take time to remember Your strong hand and outstretched arm that saves us from bondage even today.”

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 International Court of Justice on Thursday, March 30, rejected the Iranian government's bid to free $2 billion in Iranian bank assets which have been frozen by the US. 

US authorities have frozen the assets to be used as compensation for the victims of terrorist attacks which have been linked to Iran, including the 1983 Beirut Barracks Bombing, in which 241 American military personnel were killed.

In a 10-5 ruling, the court justices determined that the International Criminal Court of Justice does not have jurisdiction over the case, and therefore cannot accept the Iranian government's appeal. 

In its 67-page decision, the court did find that some of the American government's moves to seize Iranian assets violate a 1955 treaty between the US and Iran, and the countries should negotiate between themselves for compensation for those seizures. 

Should they not reach an agreement on those issues, they could return to the Hague for another ruling. However, the court found that the terms of the same treaty prevent the court from having jurisdiction over the majority of the funds Iran sought to unfreeze, $1.75 billion plus interest in bonds held in a Citibank account in New York, as the treaty does not extend to central banks and state holdings. The US welcomed the court's ruling. 

State Department acting legal adviser Rich Visek called the ruling "a major victory for the United States and victims of Iran’s state-sponsored terrorism." “The court’s decision today rejected the vast majority of Iran’s case, including notably Iran’s claims on behalf of Bank Markazi," Visek said.  (INN / VFI News)

“God, we pray that all terror acts will stop and peace will prevail across the Middle East. We are also grateful that powerful nations take proactive steps to prevent known malevolent states from gaining even more assets.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian arrived in Moscow last week for important meetings with Russian officials. 

Among the topics of discussion was the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the Iran deal of 2015. Iran continues to say that it wants support for a return to the Iran deal, even as it enriches uranium above 80 percent and stockpiles the enriched uranium. 

Iran said that “Russia played an efficient role in the new round of the 4+1 talks in Vienna, which continued for a few months. Our Russian colleagues keep fulfilling their obligations related to returning the sides [to the negotiating table]."

Iran is also seeking more work with Russia on the International North-South Transport Corridor, which means increased trade via the Caucasus. In general, this is about creating new networks to avoid the US and the West as sanctions grow on Iran.

Iran also hopes that “Russia and Iran would agree on visa-free travel for individual tourists later this year. Currently, visa-free travel from Russia to Iran is possible only in groups.” (JPost / VFI News)

“But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.” - Proverbs 4:19

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen met with his Greek and Cypriot counterparts on Friday, March 31, in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia for trilateral discussions on international and regional developments including Russia’s war on Ukraine and the growing threat of Iran’s terror activity on European soil. 

The meeting came just three days after Greece, with help from the Mossad, foiled a suspected Iranian plot to attack Jewish and Israeli targets in Athens. 

The ministers also discussed boosting trilateral cooperation in areas like energy, environmental disaster management, security, and tourism. 

In their meeting, Cohen urged his colleagues to work towards designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization in the European Union, “especially in light of the Iranian attack that was thwarted this week in Greece against Israeli and Jewish targets,” according to a Foreign Ministry readout of the meeting. 

In his talks with Cyprus’ Foreign Minister Dr. Konstantinos Kombos and Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, Cohen also pointed to the presence of Iranian drones in and around Ukraine, where Russia has been waging a war since February 2022 and making use of advanced, kamikaze drones manufactured in Iran that crash into civilian and military targets since last fall. (TOI / VFI News)

“God, we ask for courage in our mission to maintain stability in our region, as well as throughout Europe. We pray that we will always be prepared and defend our people to the best of our abilities, along with our trusted allies.”

Thanks to wonderful supporters like you, hundreds of families all over the country received financial aid from VFI for Passover. Among them were: terror survivors, lone soldiers, families in need (including many single-parent families), Holocaust survivors, and new immigrants from Ethiopia and other nations.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday, April 2, warned Iran and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group that Israel would not tolerate any efforts to harm the country or its citizens. 

The comments came after a series of airstrikes in Syria on Friday, March 31, that the Syrian government attributed to Israel, and a warning from Iran over the attacks, “The Zionist regime will undoubtedly receive a response to this crime.” Syria said five soldiers were injured and Iran claims that two IRGC soldiers died during the airstrikes.

“We have tensions on all fronts,” Gallant said in a pre-Passover toast with soldiers in the Etzion Brigade in the West Bank, saying Iran was attempting to make inroads into the territory.   

“The Iranians are extending their outreach to Judea and Samaria and Gaza, and are attempting to entrench themselves in Syria and Lebanon,” Gallant said. 

“We will not allow the Iranians and Hezbollah to harm us. We have not allowed it in the past, we won’t allow it now, or anytime in the future.” (TOI / VFI News)

“You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked.” - Psalm 12:7

Progressive Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), a member of the far-left Squad, faced a barrage of criticism on Twitter after falsely claiming in a tweet that a fight between Palestinian Arab youth in Jerusalem was really the "violent apartheid government of Israel" using the IDF to target Arabs. 

After being corrected by dozens of Twitter users, the anti-Israel Congress member partially deleted the tweet, with Twitter adding a message stating: “Readers added context they thought people might want to know. The context of this video is that the Israeli police were separating a fight among Palestinian teenagers at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem.” 

Tlaib posted the tweet on Sunday after the pro-Palestinian NGO Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) published a video showing a fight happening at the Damascus Gate during Ramadan observances, American media reported. 

Tlaib replied to IMEU’s tweet by charging that Israel was guilty of “apartheid” and alleging that Israeli soldiers were targeting "Palestinians celebrating the first day of the holy month of Ramadan in occupied Jerusalem." 

Dozens of Twitter users, including Jewish organizations and journalists, responded to Tlaib’s baseless claim by pointing out that she was not telling the truth. (INN / VFI News)

“Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.” - Proverbs 12:19

Music streaming platform Spotify has removed content that incites “hatred and violence against Jews and Israel” after pressure from a pro-Israel advocacy group. 

Songs taken off the service include “Arabic Katyusha,” “The Death of Israel” and “Udrub Udrub Tel Abib,” which incite violence against Jews using antisemitic lyrics, Jewish media reported. 

The song’s hateful language includes the lyrics: “Strike a blow at Tel Aviv and frighten the Zionists. The more you build it the more we will destroy it”, “All we want is to strike Tel Aviv”, “Oh you settler, with your sidelocks, in your shelter you cower with fear”, “Strike, oh Qassam missile, do not let the Zionists sleep. Even if they beg for mercy – be sure not to show Tel Aviv any mercy”, and “Oh Fajr missile, explode in the Knesset and the army base.” 

The successful campaign to convince the streaming platform to remove the content was organized by the We Believe In Israel (WBII) Jewish advocacy organization. 

WBII’s campaign called for Spotify to take down “dozens of instances of problematic material,” including Lowkey’s “Long Live Palestine – Part 2 rap,” which includes references to having “globalized the intifada” and claims to have “studied the Torah and learnt by their own admission Israel’s actions are not kosher in their own religion.”. (TOI / VFI News)

Researchers from Tel Aviv University and the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute (IOLR) have succeeded in significantly increasing the ability of seaweed to produce healthy natural materials. 

The current study focused on enhancing the production of bio-active compounds that offer medical benefits to humans, such as antioxidants, the concentration of which in the seaweed was doubled; natural sunscreens concentrations tripled; and unique protective pigments of great medical value that were stimulated substantially by ten-fold.

The study was carried out with the innovative and sustainable approach of integrated aquaculture, which combines seaweed with fish cultivation. This method benefits the seaweed while at the same time helping to purify the seawater and minimize negative environmental Impacts. 

Using their cultivation approach, the researchers believe that in the future it will be possible to elevate additional natural materials in seaweed with important medical properties, such as anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and antibiotic substances. 

Furthermore, the current methodology has the potential to be applied in the seaweed global aquaculture industry and can help promote the State of Israel as a leading power in seaweed biotechnology. (INN / VFI News)

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

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