VFI News May 7, 2021

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday failed to meet a midnight deadline to put together a new governing coalition, raising the possibility that his Likud party could be pushed into the opposition for the first time in 12 years.

The deadline closed a four-week window granted to Netanyahu by Israel's figurehead president. The matter now bounces back to President Reuven Rivlin, who announced just after midnight that he would contact on Wednesday the 13 parties with seats in parliament to discuss 'the continuation of the process of forming a government.'

Rivlin is expected in the coming days to give one of Netanyahu's opponents a chance to form an alternative coalition government. He also could ask the parliament to select one of its own members as prime minister. If all else fails, the country would be forced into another election this fall - the fifth in just over two years.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. - 1 Timothy 2:1-2

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.

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and Yamina chairman Naftali Bennett intend to engage in marathon talks to form a unity government beginning Thursday after President Reuven Rivlin announced Wednesday night that he is entrusting Lapid with the second mandate to form a government.

Lapid and Bennett wanted to form a government as soon as possible and believe it can be done within a week. They expressed concern that if they did not hurry, their efforts could be harmed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose mandate ended Tuesday night without a coalition being formed and is trying to sabotage the formation of a government that would replace him.

Yamina MKs are under pressure to oppose a unity government, following the lead of MK Amichai Chikli, who announced his opposition on Wednesday morning. Netanyahu vowed that more MKs would join him. (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we ask that you work through the leadership to enact your will for the people of Israel.”

The Jewish majority in Israel’s capital city continues to shrink, a new report finds, with just slightly over 60% of Jerusalemites being Jewish.

According to a report published in Hebrew Wednesday by the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Studies ahead of Jerusalem Day, at the end of 2020, just 60.4% of residents of Jerusalem were Jewish.

There were a total of 952,000 residents of the capital at the end of 2020, the report said, of which 38% were Arabs and 62% were in the category of ‘Jews and others’.

The vast majority (96%) of Jerusalem’s Arab population in 2019 was Muslim, with just 12,900 Christian Arabs. (i365 / VFI News)

Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David. - Psalm 122:3-5

A chemical factory near the Iranian city of Qom went up in smoke on Sunday, ABC reports. At least two firefighters were among the injured in the massive blaze.

The blaze’s cause was not immediately reported.

Twenty firetrucks along with 150 firefighters were deployed to the site. The ISNA, a semi-official news agency quoted from the Qom fire department spokesman Hamid Karimi who stated that the firemen were able to prevent the fire from reaching alcohol tanks.

However, there have been several explosions as well as two firetrucks that caught fire. Videos circulating on social media show heavy black smoke emitting from the Movaledan chemical factory which is in the area of Qom. Aside from being one of the Islamic Republic’s prominent religious cities, Qom is also located about 40 kilometers south of Iran’s nuclear facility.

When you take the field against your enemies, and see horses and chariots—forces larger than yours—have no fear of them, for Hashem your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt, is with you. - Deuteronomy 20:1

Pessy grew up in Leipzig and quickly bore witness to unspeakable atrocities acted upon her family and the other Jews of Europe. Her harrowing tale of escape, heroism, and redemption serves as an example—both of the inhuman treatment inflicted by the Nazis and the powerful perseverance of the faithful.

A unique bronze ‘lucky charm’ lamp dating back to the end of the Second Temple period was unearthed in Jerusalem in a Roman structure built on the site known as Pilgrimage Road, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Wednesday.

The artifact, shaped as a half-face with grotesque features, represents a unique finding in the city and possibly in the whole land of Israel. It was uncovered during excavations carried out by the IAA in the Jerusalem Walls-City of David National Park.

Pilgrimage Road is the path which, according to experts, ancient Jews walked to ascent the Temple Mount as they were performing the commandment of going up to the holy sanctuary three times a year – in the festivals of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot.

Recorded antisemitic incidents in Bavaria were up 30 percent in 2020 versus the previous year, a new study released on Monday found. The report by the Association of Research on Antisemitism (RIAS) tracked Bavarian antisemitic incidents. It found 239 incidents in 2020, an increase of 55 over 2019.

Nearly one out of every two incidents was related to the pandemic, including anti-Jewish conspiracy theories and antisemitic protests. The report details that this was a change from 2019 when most of the antisemitic incidents were related to right-wing or right-wing populist extremists.

Approximately 100 of the recorded incidents took place in Munich, which is the largest city in Bavaria and has one of the largest Jewish communities in Germany. (INN / VFI News)

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. - 1 John 3:15

“Lord, we pray that you will expose those with an antisemitic agenda and uproot antisemitism in Europe and the whole world.”

Israeli medical device company IceCure has developed a new technology called ProSense, which it says has proven extremely effective in treating women with breast cancer, the company said in a press release on Thursday.

ProSense was created to find a non-surgical and less invasive alternative that can destroy tumors using cryotherapy technology.

It utilizes a probe that is inserted into the tumor and freezes it by lowering its temperature, leaving the healthy tissue around it while alternating between freezing and thawing the specific area of the tumor.

The technology has been referred to as a "breakthrough device" by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which officially recognized the innovation last month as having the capabilities to save lives. (JPost / VFI News)

“Lord we thank you for another Israeli innovation that makes a significant impact on the health industry”.

Delta Airlines is increasing its flights from New York to Israel due to a rise in demand, with up to three daily flights planned for later this year.

The third daily flight will start September 2, in time for the busy High Holy Day season, and comes after Delta would already increase the frequency of its New York-Israel flights from 10 a week to 14 starting June 1.

The flights will be nonstop between Ben-Gurion Airport in Israel and JFK International Airport in New York on the airline company's newest aircraft: the Airbus A330-900neo. This state-of-the-art aircraft comes with in-seat power ports, full-spectrum LED ambient lighting, memory foam cushions, and thousands of hours of complimentary entertainment, just to name a few features. (JPost / VFI News)

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