VFI News Aug 2, 2022

An Israel-based legal group brought accusations of torture against the Palestinian Authority (PA) before the International Criminal Court (ICC) on July 18, the first request of its kind, ahead of a United Nations report.

The International Legal Forum (ILF) requested the ICC to investigate President Mahmoud Abbas, now in his 18th year in office after canceling numerous scheduled elections, and the PA for “rampant, wide-spread and systematic torture” against Palestinian and Israeli nationals, ILF Chair and CEO Arsen Ostrovsky told the media.

“The Palestinian Authority are yet to be held accountable under the law for committing such grave crimes as torture. We say ‘enough is enough’ and seek to change that,” said Ostrovsky.

Examples include Palestinian human rights activist Nizar Banat, who criticized the PA and died after being beaten in the custody of the Palestinian security services in 2021. A trial against the officers responsible for his death has not yet concluded, with Banat’s family calling the trial a “farce”.

The PA also claims jurisdiction over Hamas-controlled territory in Gaza, where the recognized terrorist group took two mentally-ill Israelis, Hisham al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu, hostage after they inadvertently crossed into Gaza in 2014 and 2015, respectively, and refused to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross access to them. (DC / VFI News)

“God, we ask that you protect us from malevolent attacks, and those who have been traumatized will receive justice and experience prosperity onwards.”

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.

A Palestinian man allegedly opened fire at a military position near the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday night, July 28, and was shot by Israeli soldiers, the military said. According to the Israel Defense Forces, several armed Palestinians arrived by vehicle at a military post between Nablus and Huwara. One person got out of the car and opened fire.

“The armed man was identified by troops operating in the area,” the IDF said, adding that soldiers returned fire and wounded him.

He was taken to an Israeli hospital for medical treatment, and was expected to be questioned. Palestinian media reports, citing the Palestinian Red Crescent Medical Service, said two people were being treated for gunshot wounds. (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 91:1-6

Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Representative of “Palestine” to the United Nations, said that the Palestinian Authority’s leadership is conducting talks at the highest levels, led by PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, with the aim of demanding full membership of “the State of Palestine” in the United Nations, in order to preserve the two-state solution.

In an interview, Mansour said that the Palestinian Authority approached US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Jordanian King Abdullah II, and the member states of the Security Council in this regard.

He added that the Palestinian demands were raised in a speech made on behalf of “the State of Palestine” and which was delivered during an open session of the Security Council, and they are being studied by the members of the Security Council. A response is expected in the near future, said Mansour.

He emphasized the importance of "the international community taking responsibility for the situation by providing international protection to the Palestinian people and maintaining the two-state solution, in light of the apartheid policy pursued by the occupation." (INN / VFI News)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. - Matthew 5:9

Iran expert Ben Sabti tweeted that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “Telegram channel threatens to produce atomic warhead for missiles,” citing the channel’s message: “Iran can immediately return to Emad project and build an atomic bomb if Natanz facilities are attacked.”

The Emad, cited in the message, is an Iranian long-range missile.

The Telegram channel published a video titled "When Will Iran's Sleeping Nuclear Warheads Awaken," according to a London-based Iran news outlet.

The short video declares that Iran’s regime will develop nuclear weapons in a rapid-fire period of time “if the US or the Zionist regime make any stupid mistakes.”

The video states that Iran’s ballistic missiles have the capability of “turning New York into hellish ruins,” in an ostensible reference to Iran’s space program. (JPost / VFI News)

In a small ceremony at the Millennium Center, Vision for Israel donated a new life-saving medi-cycle to ZAKA. The medi-cycle is equipped with the best medical equipment and will provide first-aid, quick response in Eilat and the surroundings.

The Islamic Republic of Iran brutally killed more than 1,700 stray dogs in an animal shelter, according to video footage posted on Twitter by Iranian journalists and human rights experts.

"The [Ali] Khomeinist regime's main reason for incessant killing and promoting the culture of cruelty to animals is another way of depriving the Iranian people of joy or comfort that animals bring to humans,” Iranian-American journalist and human rights expert Banafsheh Zand explained. “It’s the old-fashioned irrational methods of control, imposed by the authorities in the USSR or the Chinese Communist Party.”

Iranian-American human rights activist Marjan Keypour tweeted, “When it comes to Iran, nothing matters. Civil rights leaders don’t care about Iran’s minorities; Western feminists don’t care [about] our women; environmental groups don’t care about our drying lakes & rivers, environment; animal rights activists don’t care [about] Iran’s massacred dogs.” (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we ask that you protect innocent animals from the evil of people who seek to harm them.”

British broadcast regulatory authority Ofcom ruled that Shia Muslim TV channel Ahlebait was guilty of “antisemitic hate speech” in response to Community Security Trust (CST) complaints it received.

Ofcom said the station broadcast material that “amounted to antisemitic hate speech” and was “abusive and derogatory towards Jewish people,” the media reported. The ruling came after Ofcom looked into complaints made by the CST, over a live discussion show that aired in March 2021.

During a discussion on “20th Hour” about money and power, one of the guests spoke about Jewish people, saying: ”Their antisemitism comes from their actions of impoverishing people and they then respond and then they call it antisemitism but we know that it’s because they do and they get punished and as Allah says, you know, he will expel... send them to all corners of the world to be an excoriation and a hissing and a booing to wherever he had sent them.... So antisemitism comes from debt, not cancelling the debt, and usury.”

He added this was why Jews had been “expelled from 47 different countries and city-states in the last one thousand years.” The host of the show called the antisemitic statements “interesting” and then claimed that “money is being weaponized” by the US. (INN / VFI News)

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all. - Proverbs 22:2

With the participation of Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Yair Lapid, as well as Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz), Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital inaugurated on Thursday, July 28, a new Sylvan Adams Emergency Hospital, which at 8,000m2 stands as the largest ER in the world. It carries the name of philanthropist Sylvan Adams, who donated around $28 million for its establishment.

Opening the event, President Herzog spoke of his appreciation for the dedication of the medical staff, and at his pride on the opening of the new emergency hospital. He thanked Sylvan Adams for his generous support of the Israeli people and said, “You are a true ambassador of the Israeli society.”

Prime Minister Lapid added his thanks and said to Sylvan Adams, saying, “Both of us are children of Holocaust survivors. You were brought up with a strong sense of responsibility for the State of Israel, for the next generation, for its welfare and for its values. Your father, Marcel, of blessed memory, would certainly have been proud of you today. On behalf of the State of Israel, thank you.”

The facility is equipped with the latest technology in patient assessment, enabling patients to self-triage, scanning in their identity documents or medical referral, and checking temperature and blood pressure levels before being assigned to a medical professional for treatment. At each stage, the recording of any abnormal or critical results will immediately alert the medical staff. In addition, the hospital has dedicated sections for care to be provided determined by the patient’s condition and psychiatric classification, a short-term hospitalization department, and it includes the “Maor” Center – a room for the acute care of victims of sexual assault. (INN / VFI News)

Ben & Jerry's and its parent company Unilever did not reach an out-of-court agreement on a dispute over the sale of the ice cream maker's Israeli business to a local licensee, a source with direct knowledge said, sending the issue back to a federal judge.

The maker of Chubby Hubby ice cream sued Unilever this month to block the sale of the Israeli business to the licensee, Avi Zinger, saying Unilever had guaranteed Ben & Jerry's the right to protect its brand when buying the company in 2000.

The Burlington, Vermont-based Ben & Jerry's said last year it was ending sales in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories because it was "inconsistent" with its values, a move that ultimately led to the sale to Zinger.

Ben & Jerry's and Unilever agreed in mid-July to try to reach a deal out-of-court by July 28. The talks did not work out because Ben & Jerry's does not want to "cave" on its social mission and stance on Palestinian human rights, a source said. (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we ask that you protect our reputation and give us opportunities to make allies and thrive through our hard work together”

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

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