Herzog Backs Firm American Response to Iran as Colombia Prepares to Open Its Jerusalem Embassy

Herzog: 'Not Surprised at Collapse of Iran MOU'

Colombia's Incoming Foreign Minister: Bogota Will Open an Embassy in Jerusalem

Knesset Observes a Moment of Silence for Senator Lindsey Graham

Church of England Votes in Favor of Text Calling Israel a 'Colonial Enterprise Built on Racism'

WATCH: Oseh Shalom with Barry & Batya Segal

Oseh Shalom (He who makes peace) by Barry & Batya Segal

High Court Freezes Implementation of Law Banning Arrest of Haredi Draft-Dodgers

Eggs Thrown at Tax Inspectors During Bnei Brak Riot

Bnei Brak Set to Implement Gender Segregation on Two Main Streets

Five Countries Over Four Days: How Cuba's Maccabiah Games Delegation Made it to Israel

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VFI News Final | VFI News | Vision for Israel

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Thursday, July 16, that he is “not surprised” by the collapse of the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran and the renewal of military hostilities. Speaking in an interview with an Arabic-language broadcaster, Herzog affirmed his belief in a diplomatic solution to the conflict. “I think this is absolutely what needs to be done, and I actually know that this is the clear Israeli position,” he said.

Herzog placed the breakdown squarely on Tehran's record. He said he is “not surprised that this is the situation because with the Iranian pattern of behavior, which we know, it's impossible to do deals.” The regime violates agreements constantly and interprets plain language on its own terms, he said, pointing to proxies operating on its behalf “simply to stir up and radicalize the situation leading to instability.” He added that he is “happy that the American reaction” to Iran's violation of the agreement and its attacks on international shipping “is firm and clear, so that everybody understands, especially the Iranians, that they cannot goof around here.”

“The whole situation is controlled and led by President Trump,” Herzog said, adding that he trusts the American president fully on the matter and believes the United States must handle it together with its allies. Closing the Strait of Hormuz, he said, is another extortionate step in Iran's relations with the world. Turning to the prospect of peace with Israel's Arab neighbors, Herzog described a dream of driving to Beirut, of going to Damascus, and of seeing peace and normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia. He said he believes the children of Abraham are destined to live together and must move forward together, including with their Palestinian neighbors.

Dear Lord, we thank You that Israel's leadership sees clearly and speaks plainly about those who would do her harm, and we ask that You grant our president and our government wisdom to discern every deception before it takes root. We pray in Yeshua's Name that You strengthen the resolve of Israel's allies, so that firm and clear action restrains the aggressor and protects the innocent on land and at sea. We ask that You frustrate every scheme of the Iranian regime and its proxies, and that You turn the hearts of those who plot violence toward repentance and life. And we pray for the day when the children of Abraham dwell together in peace, when the roads to Beirut and Damascus stand open, and when Your shalom rests upon this whole region.

Colombia's incoming foreign minister, Omar Bola Escobar, informed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar that his country will open an embassy in Jerusalem, Sa'ar's office announced on Wednesday, July 15. The commitment follows President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella's vow that Colombia would have a relationship with Israel “like never before” once he takes office. Colombia will become the ninth country to open an embassy in Israel's capital.

The United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Fiji and Somaliland already maintain embassies in Jerusalem, while Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia operate embassy branches in the city. During their meeting in Washington, Sa'ar and Bola Escobar also agreed to restore full diplomatic relations and to remove visa requirements between the two countries. Colombia recalled its ambassador in June 2024, and Israel responded by declining to replace its own outgoing envoy.

Relations deteriorated under President Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first leftist leader, who severed diplomatic ties and suspended the purchase of Israeli weaponry, ending a partnership that had made Israel one of Colombia's principal military suppliers. De la Espriella has said he will reverse those decisions. Among his central campaign pledges were to “renew a strategic alliance with the State of Israel,” open an embassy in Jerusalem, and “defend the Judeo-Christian principles that form the foundation of Western civilization.” He takes the reins from Petro in August.

"And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising." – Isaiah 60:3

Israel's lawmakers honored the memory of one of their most pro-Israel American counterparts on Wednesday, July 15, rising together in the Knesset for a moment of silence for Senator Lindsey Graham, who passed away suddenly this week. The tribute produced a rare moment of bipartisan unity in the plenum, with members from across the political spectrum standing side by side. The chamber, which has spent recent weeks locked in some of the sharpest disputes of the current Knesset, fell silent together.

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana led the moment of silence. “In honor of one of the greatest friends the State of Israel has ever had, members of the Knesset, from both sides of the aisle, will now rise for a moment of silence to pay our respects to the legendary Senator Lindsey Graham,” Ohana said before the chamber went quiet.

Ohana framed the tribute as a matter for the entire House rather than for any one faction, calling on members from both sides of the aisle to rise together. His description of Graham as one of the greatest friends Israel has ever had placed the senator's record above the partisan lines that ordinarily divide the plenum. The Speaker closed with the words traditionally offered for the departed: “May his memory be a blessing.”

"A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." – Proverbs 17:17

The Church of England's General Synod voted overwhelmingly on Monday, July 13, in favor of a motion to “hear” a Palestinian Christian text that describes the State of Israel as “a colonial enterprise built on racism.” The General Synod is the national assembly and legislative body of the Church of England, the only body alongside the UK Parliament empowered to pass national laws for England, and it is responsible for setting church budgets and shaping doctrine. The chamber debated the measure — Motion GS 2451A, “Standing in solidarity for a just peace in Israel and Palestine” — on Sunday, July 12.

The motion calls on the Synod to take up the Kairos Palestine Declaration (2009), the Cry for Hope (2020), the Call for Repentance (2023) and Kairos Palestine II (2025) as expressions of the lived experience of Palestinian Christians. Kairos II, drafted on November 14, 2025 by the Palestinian Christian Ecumenical Initiative, has drawn the sharpest objections. The 14-page document denounces what it calls Zionist racism and Jewish supremacy, rejects Christian Zionism as a product of colonialism, calls for boycotts, divestment and sanctions, and casts the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023 as something born out of decades of injustice and displacement.

The vote drew immediate condemnation from Jewish leadership in Britain. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis called the outcome shameful, saying the document poses as a route to understanding while in fact serving as a barrier to it, and warning that it risks undoing decades of careful Jewish-Christian relationship-building. He called the result “a sad day for Jewish-Christian relations.” A spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews said any church seeking a credible role in tackling prejudice or advocating for peace in the Middle East should reject the text. Bishops voted 25 in favor, with none against and five abstentions, the laity 113 to 27, and the clergy 115 to 20.

Our Heavenly Father, we grieve that a church bearing the name of Yeshua has lent its voice to a document that denies the legitimacy of the land and the people You chose, and we ask that You open the eyes of every bishop, priest and layperson who voted to hear it. We pray in Yeshua's Name that You raise up faithful Christian voices in Britain and throughout the nations who will bless Israel rather than bear false witness against her. We ask that You guard the long labor of Jewish-Christian friendship, so that decades of patient relationship-building are not undone by inflammatory words. And we pray that Your Word, and not the spirit of this age, would shape the doctrine of the Church, and that all who love You would stand for truth without fear.

Experience the timeless Jewish classic 'Oseh Shalom' with Barry and Batya Segal, set against stunning 4K drone footage of the land of the Bible. Immerse yourself in the beauty of the land of the Bible and be inspired by the message of peace, unity, and hope in this beautiful lyric video for 'Oseh Shalom.' The stunning visuals and the moving vocals of Barry and Batya Segal make this lyric video a must-watch.

The High Court of Justice froze the implementation of a law banning the arrest of ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers on Wednesday, July 15, one day after the Knesset passed it. Responding to petitions against the legislation, the court ordered that a hearing be held as soon as possible and issued a temporary order preventing the law from coming into effect until further decision. It also issued a conditional order requiring the government to explain why the law should not be struck down.

Justice Ofer Grosskopf, who issued the decision, cited “this court's longstanding rulings on the issue of drafting yeshiva students,” the implications of freezing arrest and enforcement procedures with respect to only certain segments of the population, and the weighty arguments raised by petitioners against the law's validity. The legislation bars arrests, investigations and enforcement measures against draft dodgers enrolled in yeshiva study until November 30, though for legal reasons tied to the coming elections it would in practice extend to February 2027. Some 72,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged 18 to 24 are currently eligible for military service but have ignored conscription orders, while the IDF has said repeatedly in recent months that it urgently needs 12,000 new recruits.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir had called the law “inconceivable” on Monday, July 13, saying it was “clearly and unequivocally inconsistent with the IDF's needs.” Petitioners argued the legislation is discriminatory because it bars arrests of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students who defy conscription orders while allowing arrests of non-Haredi draft dodgers to continue. A hearing before an expanded panel of judges will now be scheduled, after which the court may issue an interim order freezing implementation of the law until a final ruling.

"That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." – Deuteronomy 16:20

A riot broke out in Bnei Brak's Kiryat Viznitz neighborhood on Thursday, July 16, after tax authority inspectors arrived to tour and inspect the area. As hundreds of students left the educational institutions nearby, a crowd began to gather around the inspectors. Within a short time, tensions boiled over.

Rioters hurled eggs at the inspectors' vehicle, smashed its windows, and damaged it. Police forces were rushed to the neighborhood and worked to extract the tax inspectors from the area. The inspectors had come to Kiryat Viznitz on routine business — a tour and inspection of the neighborhood — before the crowd closed in around them.

The riot joins a similar incident that occurred in the same neighborhood the previous week, when tax inspectors arrived to conduct an inspection. In that case, too, students began to gather around the inspectors. Fearing the situation would escalate, police were called, and the inspectors left before completing their inspection.

Dear God, we lift up the men and women who serve the State of Israel in ordinary, unglamorous work, and we ask that You protect them as they carry out their duties and grant them favor in every community they enter. We pray in Yeshua's Name that You cool the tempers that turn so quickly to violence, and that You give the young people of Kiryat Viznitz hearts that honor both Your Torah and their neighbor. We ask that You give Israel's police wisdom to keep the peace without inflaming it further, and that You spare this neighborhood from injury and loss. And we pray for genuine reconciliation between the ultra-Orthodox community and the wider Israeli public, that the sons of Jacob would dwell together in unity rather than turn upon one another.

The Bnei Brak municipality is working to establish gender-segregated sidewalks inside the largely ultra-Orthodox city. In accordance with a decision by the city's rabbis, Bnei Brak plans to segregate the bustling Shlomo Hamelech and Ezra streets with barriers and signage to prevent men and women from crossing each other's paths. The plan has been in development for several years and is likely to be expanded to other busy streets in the city, municipal officials said.

An official message from the city instructed residents of all ages to abide by the new guidelines. The municipality said the rabbis' instructions are “very clear and speak for themselves,” adding that the city's public, which is committed to obeying the great Torah leaders and heeding their words, will comply with their request. Bnei Brak's roughly 231,000 residents are mainly ultra-Orthodox.

Yael Yechieli, director of the 5050 initiative, which works for gender equality in Israel, decried the move. “Religious leaders want to exclude women from everywhere, and if we don't stop them, it will continue,” she said, noting that only men made the decision at the municipality. “The disaster of segregation must end, and the public needs to fight for it,” she added. The plan proceeds despite a 2017 Supreme Court order requiring the Beit Shemesh municipality to remove “modesty” signs instructing men and women to walk on opposite sides of streets in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood.

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" – Micah 6:8

Nearly three decades after Hella Eskenazi's first trip from her home in Cuba to the Maccabiah Games in Israel, the journey hasn't gotten much easier. This time she was joined by dozens of athletes who traveled through five countries over more than four days to reach Israel — a consequence of both the turmoil affecting travel to Israel generally and the unique complexities of getting anywhere from their island nation in the Caribbean. Eskenazi first made the trip in 1997, when she was a member of Cuba's national karate team and her country's sole representative at the competition known as the “Jewish Olympics.”

Now 56, Eskenazi is both an athlete and the vice president of Patronato de la Casa de la Comunidad Hebrea de Cuba, her nation's Jewish community and main synagogue. Cuba sent 52 athletes to this summer's Games, many of whom already live in Israel after making aliyah. For the 29 who traveled from Havana, the trip was anything but easy. With no national airline of comparable international reach, the delegation flew first to Panama simply to reach Paris; when flights to Tel Aviv were canceled, part of the group routed through Austria and part through Abu Dhabi, with layovers of 12 and 15 hours. Eskenazi credited the Maccabi World Union with getting them there at all.

The arrival was worth it. “It has been very, very emotional for us because in Cuba we have many difficulties right now,” Eskenazi said. To arrive in Israel, she added, and to have electricity, food, safety, friends, sport, and the company of people from all over the world, has meant a great deal to her athletes. Cuba has won several medals in softball, futsal and basketball, and Eskenazi took silver in the one-mile run and bronze in the five-kilometer race for the 55-59 age bracket. “When I visit Israel, I feel like Cuba, like my country,” she said. “I feel that this is my home, also.”

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

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