VFI News February 18, 2022

12 hurt as drone targets Saudi airport & Bahrain calls on cooperation between countries needed to tackle Iranian threat and more! join Barry to hear about it and about more news!

#Drone #Target #airport #Bahrain #iranian #Minister #Naftali #Jews

• 00:55 - 12 hurt as drone targets Saudi airport
• 02:50 - Unauthorized bus stop signs smearing Israel as ‘apartheid’ state appear in London
• 04:37 - MK Mansour Abbas says that Israel is not an apartheid state
• 05:46 - Bahrain calls on cooperation between countries needed to tackle Iranian threat
• 08:01 - Prime Minister Naftali Bennet says that the middle east no longer should be defined by religious extremism
• 10:25 - Iranian march calls for death to Israel, US, and the UK.
• 11:53 - Dutch plan to force universities to reveal ties to Israel is blasted as antisemitic

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Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani praised Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s historic visit to his country on Tuesday, February 15.

“The two sides discussed political and security developments in the region and the challenges facing its countries, including the Iranian nuclear file, terrorism, religious extremism, poverty, as well as social issues,” Al-Zayani said.

“They underlined the importance of intensifying joint efforts to address regional challenges and threats, maintain stability and security in the Middle East, and enhance regional and international peace.”

He added: “Prime Minister Bennett invited his Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister to visit the State of Israel, an invitation which was accepted, with the visit anticipated to take place in the near future.”

Al-Zayani said that he “greatly appreciated” Bennett’s “clear dedication and commitment to further enhancing and strengthening our relations and his government's determination to support and advance this process across the board.”

Al-Zayani said when asked by Israel National News that the “Palestinian issue is always there on the table.”

“In once again welcoming the success of this visit, I look forward to new horizons of cooperation, understanding, and opportunity for our countries and their peoples,” he said.

“Our stand is always calling for the two parties to negotiate. Our position is hopefully to have negotiations to reach a solution that can achieve two states," Al-Zayani said. (INN/VFI News)

“God, we ask that You advance the cause of peace and collaboration in the Middle East.”

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.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke to Bahraini students during his visit to the Gulf country Tuesday, February 15. Following are some of his remarks.

“I have come here to talk about the future. Your future. My people’s future. Our shared future. A future that chooses cooperation over conflict, hope over hostility, and friendship over fear. A future that is dependent on all the people sitting in this room.

There was once a tent — that was the first home of all of us: The tent of Abraham. Abraham, you know, he was not your average leader. He was a man of God, he was a man of the world. He wasn’t just a family man — but a businessman. A man who was both deeply attached to his faith, but at the same time — open to the world. Everyone was welcome in Abraham’s tent. It was wide open.

I think it is remarkable that the historic agreements between Israel and the Arab nations are called “the Abraham Accords”.

When I became Prime Minister, I was asked what I thought about the “Abraham accords”; I was asked if I planned to keep using this name — I said, “There could be no better name.” Religion in the Middle East no longer needs to be defined by brutality and extremism. For the like-minded leaders of the Abraham Accords, our faith was the glue that healed the wounds of our past — and strengthened the connection between us.

My Bahraini friends — together we sit in the great tent of Abraham. In this tent, no one is a stranger — we are all family.

Come and see for yourself what Israel is about. The Israeli people welcome you with open arms. The Middle East is changing and I am convinced that Israel’s growing friendships with Bahrain and other countries in the region — are a leading force in the profound change. Together, we are creating a new reality in the Middle East that will greatly benefit our people, our countries and the entire region.

We must seize the momentum of the historic Abraham accords, we must make the most of the opportunity we’ve been given.

וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָם אֶל לוֹט אַל נָא תְהִי מְרִיבָה בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶיךָ וּבֵין רֹעַי וּבֵין רֹעֶיךָ כִּי אֲנָשִׁים אַחִים אֲנָחְנו:

And Abraham said unto Lot — who your Quran refers to as ‘Lut’: “Let there be no strife between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brothers” (Gen. 13:8). We are brethren and together, God-willing, we can fulfill Abraham’s dream.” (INN / VFI News)

Tens of thousands of Iranians on motorcycles and in cars celebrated the 43rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution on Friday, February 11, Ynet reported.

In 1979, the pro-Western shah (king) Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was deposed and the powerful cleric Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini became the country's supreme leader.

According to the Ynet report, revelers attended the celebrations in their vehicles due to COVID-19 restrictions forbidding public gatherings. Some participants burned Israeli and American flags while shouting "We will not give up," the report said.

Processions were held in numerous cities and towns, including Isfahan, Shiraz, Mashhad, and Tabriz. Some attendees held photos of current Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, former Supreme Leader Khomenei, and the late general of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated in 2020 in an American drone strike in Baghdad, Iraq, the report quoted Iranian media as saying.

Ynet added that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi spoke before Friday prayers, saying the country was never dependent on the ongoing negotiations with world powers in Vienna, Austria, regarding its nuclear program. "We hang [our] hopes in the east, west, north, and south of our country," he said. "We have never hung [our] hopes in Vienna or New York."

The report noted some attendees of the speech chanted "Death to America," "Death to Israel" and "Death to England." (JPost/ VFI News)

“God, we ask that You bring Iran to stop their acts of terrorism and hate.”

Ra’am Party leader MK Mansour Abbas rejected the claim that the State of Israel was guilty of the crime of apartheid within its sovereign borders.

“I would not call it apartheid,” he said during a virtual talk he gave at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy on Thursday, February 10.

He defended his position by pointing out the obvious: that he leads an Israeli-Arab party that is a member of the government’s coalition.

“I am within the coalition,” he said, adding that the option also exists for Israeli-Arabs to be ministers in the government.

He was quizzed about the issue during his talk, in light of Amnesty International’s report last month which accused Israel of apartheid both within sovereign Israel and within the West Bank and Gaza. Human Rights Watch and the Israeli NGO B’Tselem have made similar claims.

Abbas was asked if he felt the term apartheid aptly described the relationship between Arabs and Jews within sovereign Israel.

He responded that he was not a fan of exploring the situation from the broad macro-level such as apartheid or racism, but preferred instead to take a hands-on approach to solve discrimination at the micro-level.

Such accusations do not help resolve the issues, he said, adding that reports such as the one published by Amnesty and others outline areas of discrimination that should be addressed.

“This is an opportunity for us to look at what is happening and to be introspective, to see what we can fix and change,” he said.

“I do not have the privilege to judge people,” the Ra’am leader said. “But I have the wish, a desire to accomplish this change together with them. I will change, you will change. It is not that I am the good one and you are the bad one. Our fate here is to live together and we can decide how we want to live together.”

When it comes to the larger Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Abbas said that he tends to rely on the framework set by the international community and international law. (JPost / VFI News)

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” - Matthew 5:9

Official Video for Barry & Batya Segal's single, “Hashomer" (He Who Keeps)

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said Thursday that 12 people were wounded in a drone attack on an airport in the southern Saudi region of Abha near the kingdom’s border with Yemen.

It was not immediately clear from the coalition statement whether the people, who included travelers and workers at the airport, were wounded by the drone itself or from fallen debris.

Saudi air defenses destroyed the drone, according to the statement, which also said it was launched by Houthi rebels inside Yemen early Thursday afternoon, February 10. Saudi state television and accompanying social media accounts carried video from inside Abha’s airport showing operations there running as normal.

Saudi Arabia has been at war in Yemen since 2015 fighting against Iranian-backed Houthis who overran the capital and ousted the government from power.

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden spoke with Saudi King Salman. The White House said the president and king discussed “Iranian-enabled attacks by the Houthis against civilian targets in Saudi Arabia.” Biden underscored US commitment in supporting Saudi Arabia in the defense of its people and territory from such attacks, it added.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, both fighters and civilians, and spawned the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. (TOI / VFI News)

“God, we ask that You protect Your children from war and other terror.”

Posters labeling Israel an “apartheid” state have been illegally placed in bus stops around London, England, the Jewish Chronicle reported.

The posters resemble dictionary entries, with the word “apartheid” written as a dictionary definition. The definition of the word is given as a “system of oppression and domination by one racial group over another, as imposed by South Africa (1948-1991) and Israel (1948-present).”

The posters also say “Usage: Amnesty International called for Israel to end its system of apartheid against the Palestinian people.”

The full-length ads, which have been noted at bus stops in north London district Chalk Farm, were not authorized by Transport for London (TfL).

The unauthorized posters appeared a week after a much-criticized report from Amnesty International that alleged Israel was guilty of “apartheid.” (INN/ VFI News)

Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure. - Psalm 101:5

The chief rabbi of the Netherlands has slammed an order that forces Dutch universities to reveal ties to Israel and Jewish institutions, saying it “reeks of antisemitism,” the Jewish Chronicle reported.

The move came about after a pro-Palestinian advocacy group, The Rights Forum, placed a freedom of information request to compel universities to disclose “institutional ties with Israel universities, institutions, and businesses and with organizations that propagate support for the State of Israel.”

Reportedly the list of institutions includes national and international Jewish community organizations such as the Central Jewish Board of the Netherlands, the Anti-Defamation League, and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

The Rights Forum also put in freedom of information requests to force universities to reveal ties to Israeli international defense and electronics company Elbit, B’nai Brith, and Christians for Israel.

“The clear inference is that some shadowy Zionist/Jewish cabal is operating in the Dutch university system. This reeks of antisemitism, but it comes as no surprise to me given this group’s reputation,” Chief Rabbi of the Netherlands Binyomim Jacobs told the Chronicle.

Rabbi Jacobs said the most concerning aspect was the “number of universities that were so compliant with such a transparently antisemitic request.”

“It reminds us that most mayors cooperated during the occupation to pass on the names of their Jewish citizens to the Germans,” he said. (INN / VFI News)

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. - Leviticus 19:18

Israel technology firm ThetaRay will license a financial crime detection tool that monitors transactions for correspondent banking to Emirati bank Mashreq, the companies said on Monday, February 14.

It is ThetaRay's first direct licensing agreement with a bank from the United Arab Emirates, Chief Executive Mark Gazit said, declining to disclose the annual fee.

The Israeli-developed tool uses artificial intelligence to identify financial cyber threats like money laundering or fraud so users can take action against suspicious transactions.

"It's almost like a scanning machine," Gazit told Reuters.

Dubai-headquartered Mashreq, which in the past has paid penalties for violating US sanctions, said the solution allowed banks to "effectively thwart financial crime risks in the increasingly complex space of cross-border payments."

The UAE, the Middle East's financial and trading hub, has in recent years tightened banking and financial regulations - and urged banks to increase anti-money laundering efforts - to tackle a perception it is a hot spot for illicit money.

ThetaRay's Gazit said he hoped the Mashreq deal would pave the way for more contracts in the UAE and other Arab countries.

In 2020, Israel and the UAE established ties under a US-brokered deal that expanded to Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.

Gazit also said the company planned to remain private in the near term and could soon raise on the "higher side" of tens of millions of dollars to help it expand and build capacity. (JPost/ 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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