Hamas Threatens: The Attacks Will Spread to All of Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem

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Ancient Inscription with Name of King Darius Found in Israel

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This video brings you the latest updates on the ongoing civil unrest and riots in Israel, as well as news from other countries in the region. 

In addition, we also cover the latest developments with Iran's nuclear program and positive news on Israel's economic growth. 

Stay informed with our comprehensive coverage of the Middle East.

Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanoua welcomed the shooting attack in the Jericho area on Monday, February 27, in which a 27-year-old man was murdered. 

The Israeli-American man who was shot and killed during the terror attack in the West Bank was named as Elan Ganeles, an Israel Defense Forces veteran, originally from West Hartford, Connecticut. 

According to the IDF, multiple gunmen arrived by car on the Route 90 highway, close to the Nevo military base, and opened fire at an Israeli-owned vehicle. The terrorists then continued driving and opened fire at another car near the Beit Ha’arava Junction, before continuing and shooting at a third car nearby.

"The shooting action in Jericho came as part of the response to the crimes of the Zionist occupation and its hordes of settlers, and the latest of which was the savage aggression against our people in Huwara," said al-Qanoua, referring to the clashes that broke out in Huwara on Sunday night, following a terrorist attack in which two Israeli brothers were murdered. 

"We salute the heroes of the resistance and the knights of the Lions’ Den who confront the occupation and perform heroic actions against its soldiers and herds of settlers in defense of our people and our country." 

"Never will the crimes of the occupation and its hordes of settlers not be met by further stabbing, shooting and ramming, and they will set flames and fires all over the West Bank and Jerusalem," said al-Qanoua. (INN / VFI News)

“God, we ask that You provide stability in our country, and that terrorist attacks against Israeli people are always averted onwards. We trust that malignant actions towards Israel will no longer be materialized, and that the victims’ families will heal and honor their dead in peace.”

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.

Israel committed to halting new settlement projects Sunday, February 26, during a summit in Aqaba, according to a joint communiqué issued after the meeting, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly denied there would be any construction freeze over the Green Line. 

Israel agreed to “stop discussion of any new settlement units for four months and to stop authorization of any outposts for six months,” said the statement after the five-way meeting. A senior official confirmed that Israel had told its interlocutors that there would be no additional announcements about settlement construction in the coming months. 

But hours after the joint statement was released, Netanyahu tweeted that “the building and authorization in Judea and Samaria will continue according to the original planning and building schedule, with no change,” using the biblical term for the West Bank. “There is not and will not be any freeze,” he continued. 

National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi insisted too that “there is no change in Israeli policy.” “In the coming months, Israel will authorize nine outposts and will approve 9,500 new housing units in Judea and Samaria,” he said in a statement. “There is no settlement freeze or change in the status quo on the Temple Mount, and there is no limitation on IDF activities.” 

During the summit, it was agreed that the parties will hold another meeting before Ramadan, under the auspices of Egypt, in order to examine the progress in the field of security.  (TOI / VFI News)

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."  Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.” - Psalm 91:1-3

Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant spoke Friday, February 24, with his US counterpart, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The discussion focused on security developments in the Middle East region, including Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the Palestinian arena. 

Minister Gallant briefed Secretary Austin on the counterterrorism activities conducted by Israel’s security forces in Nablus, operating against a group of terrorists responsible for shooting attacks in Israel and for planning additional terrorist attacks to be conducted in the future. 

Minister Gallant and Secretary Austin discussed ways to ensure stability in the region during the upcoming holiday period. At the same time, Minister Gallant stressed the importance of maintaining a decisive position against terrorism in Judea and Samaria. 

The parties also discussed the Iranian nuclear threat. Minister Gallant expressed his concern regarding Iran’s continued nuclear enrichment and emphasized the importance of preventing a nuclear Iran. 

Minister Gallant thanked Secretary Austin and the US Administration for their partnership and commitment to the security of the State of Israel. They agreed to continue the discussion in person. (INN / VFI News)

“God, we thank You for enabling us to partner with people and nations that play a vital role in the global community. We hope that they will strongly defend Israel against mistreatments and attacks, and that the cooperation proves mutually beneficial.”

Iran said on Friday, February 24, that it developed a cruise missile with a range of 1,650 km, in a move likely to raise Western concerns after Russia's use of Iranian drones in the Ukraine war, British media reported, citing Iranian media. 

An Iranian television report broadcast what it said was the first footage showing the new Paveh cruise missile. 

Iran’s ballistic missile tests and satellite launches in recent years have been condemned by the West and particularly the US, which says that Iran’s ballistic missile tests are a violation of UN Security Council resolution 2231, which enshrined the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

Iran denies its ballistic missiles violate this UN resolution. Separately, Amirali Hajizadeh, the head of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace force, also spoke of Iran's often repeated threat to avenge the US killing of a top Iranian commander, saying, "We are looking to kill (former US President Donald) Trump."

"Our cruise missile with a range of 1,650 km has been added to the missile arsenal of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Hajizadeh was quoted as having told state TV. "God willing, we are looking to kill Trump. (Former Secretary of State Mike) Pompeo ... and military commanders who issued the order (to kill Soleimani) should be killed," (INN / VFI News)

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

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, new immigrants from Ethiopia and other nations.

Anti-Semitic protesters from the Goyim Defense League (GDL) harassed Jewish people at the entrance of the Chabad in Orlando, new video footage posted on social media on Wednesday, February 22, showed. 

Videos posted on Twitter show members of the anti-Semitic organization approaching a car driven by an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man. 

The GDL protesters were also shown approaching police vehicles holding signs promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, who drove by the protesters. 

"Leave our country, go back to Israel. You know, where you bomb Palestinian kids?" a GDL protester holding a megaphone said in the video. He also accused the Jewish man he was harassing of trying to run him over. A report stated that the protester holding the megaphone is GDL founder Jon Minadeo. 

"You look like a Jewish horse. Look at the horse-face on this Jew," Minadeo said. Other remarks he used to harass Jews include "filthy" and "piece of s***." (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we pray that Jewish people can live safely and comfortably, no matter where they reside. We ask that anti-Semitic attacks, as well as hate speech are severely punished at all times, and that more countries condemn such actions publicly.”

Papua New Guinea will move its embassy to Jerusalem this year, Israel announced on Sunday, February 26. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen spoke last week with his Papua New Guinean counterpart, Justin Tkachenko, according to the Foreign Ministry. 

Papua New Guinea does not have an embassy in Israel, but does maintain a consulate near Tel Aviv.  Israel’s relations with the island nation are handled from its embassy in Australia. The two countries established ties in 1978. 

Papua New Guinea is one of the Pacific nations that regularly vote with Israel at the United Nations, and Tkachenko told Cohen that his country would continue to do so.  In December, Papua New Guinea was one of the 25 countries that joined Israel in opposing the UN General Assembly resolution requesting that the International Court of Justice weigh in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

However, in 2018 it voted to condemn the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, while five other Pacific nations rejected the condemnation. 

According to the Israeli readout of the call, the two also discussed expanding bilateral economic ties, particularly in agricultural technology. Cohen called the embassy plan “further evidence of the warm and important relationship between the countries.” (TOI / VFI News)

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

With the chic of Milan and the tech developed in Tel Aviv, an Israeli materials science startup has rolled out fashionable footwear made of fully compostable material, in an effort to replace polluting plastic currently used by fashion brands for clothing and shoes. 

Balena’s shoes are made of 100% BioCir, a flexible biodegradable material consisting of natural ingredients bound by polymers and modifiers, which decomposes back into the earth without leaving harmful waste and chemicals. 

Designed and manufactured in Italy, the Tel Aviv company in December debuted cinnamon-scented flip-flops for both men and women, selling the first thousand pairs in Tel Aviv for NIS 180 ($49) each. 

Once users decide they are done wearing their shoes, they can bring them to designated flower or plant stores around Tel Aviv, where they will be taken to an industrial compost facility in the south of Israel, rather than ending up in a landfill. 

Balena CEO David Roubach says the startup has debuted the world’s first fully compostable plastic fashion product made to provide an alternative to the toxic, fossil fuel-based materials used in the fashion industry. For Roubach, footwear is only the start for the potential use of biodegradable plastic in fashion, clothing and other consumer products. (TOI / VFI News)

“He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers.” - Exodus 35:35

In December 2022, Eylon Levy, international media advisor to the President of the State of Israel Isaac Herzog, and his friend Yakov Ashkenazi, visited the Tel Lachish National Park and chanced on a small potsherd with some inscribed letters. 

When they reported it to the Israel Antiquities Authority, the ostracon was examined in the advanced Analytical Laboratory, and studied by Saar Ganor of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Dr. Haggai Misgav of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 

To their astonishment, it turned out to be a rare find furnishing evidence for the Persian royal administration at Lachish in the Achaemenid period, at the turn of the fifth century BCE. The Aramaic inscription on the fired potsherd reads “Year 24 of Darius,” dating it to 498 BCE. 

The short text thus records the name of the Persian king Darius the Great (Darius I), the father of Ahasuerus—also known as the biblical Achashverosh from the Book of Esther, which is read annually on the Jewish festival of Purim. 

This is the first discovery of an inscription bearing Darius the Great's name anywhere in the Land of Israel. During his long reign (522–486 BCE), the Persian Achaemenid Empire expanded, reaching its greatest extent under his son Hishrash (Ahasuerus, Xerxes in Greek), who ruled most of the ancient world. 

It appears that the inscribed ostracon, discovered in the area of the Persian building, may have been an administrative note, akin to a receipt for goods or for their dispatchment. (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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