“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free!”
John 8:32 (TLV)
Shalom, my friend.
What a joy it is for me to connect with you each week and share important news about Israel and her people. Knowing you also care deeply for the Jewish people means so much to me.
For those of us in the United States, we just celebrated our country’s independence – our freedom. But for Believers, we know true freedom is found only in knowing Jesus as our Messiah.
He is the Truth and He sets us free. There is no greater freedom and blessing than this! I’m so thankful you share my heart’s desire for the Jewish people to also know this ultimate freedom.
As you pray for their eyes to be opened to Jesus, please also pray for their protection from enemies, for more opportunities for peace to be established with neighboring countries in the Middle East and for continued strong support from the U.S. and other world powers. Thank you for your partnership!
PRESIDENT BIDEN SPEAKS OF UNWAVERING SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL
Last week, during Israeli President Reuven Rivlin’s farewell visit to the U.S., President Joe Biden offered his strong support for Israel and said, “Iran will never get a nuclear weapon on my watch.”
The Jerusalem Post reported that Biden told Rivlin his commitment to Israel “is ironclad” and that he has an “unwavering commitment to [Israel’s] self-defense.”
Biden also spoke about his team working closely with the new Israeli government and said, “I am looking forward to hosting Prime Minister [Naftali] Bennett at the White House very soon.”
IRAN ACCUSES ISRAEL OF SABOTAGE ATTACK ON CENTRIFUGE PLANT IN JUNE
Earlier this week, Iran acknowledged damage to its Karaj facility and accused Israel of causing it with an attack in June.
This came from an official Islamic Republic News Agency report in which Iran’s government spokesman, Ali Rabei, said the alleged attack was an attempt to thwart ongoing talks regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, including the U.S.
“The Zionist regime carried out this action to signal it can stop Iran and to say [to world powers] that there is no need to talk with Iran. But whenever sabotage has happened, our strength has increased,” said Rabei, The Times of Israel reported.
The factory at Karaj was tasked with replacing centrifuges that had been damaged at Iran’s underground Natanz nuclear facility during a mysterious blackout in April, according to a New York Times report.
IRAN RESTRICTS UN NUCLEAR INSPECTORS ACCESS TO MAIN URANIUM ENRICHMENT PLANT
For weeks now, Iran has been restricting the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) access to its main uranium enrichment plant at Natanz. Iran is citing security concerns, saying the facility was attacked by Israel in April, The Jerusalem Post reported.
This standoff continues to raise tensions with the U.S. and other world powers regarding the ongoing discussions to try and revive the JCPOA nuclear deal.
This is the latest in a variety of actions by Iran that breach the 2015 agreement, including enriching uranium to close to weapons-grade and failing to explain the origin of uranium particles that the IAEA found at several undeclared sites in Iran.
GERMAN PRESIDENT REAFFIRMS HIS COUNTRY’S SUPPORT OF ISRAEL
During his visit to Israel last week, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier shared that his country is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, The Times of Israel reported.
This was Steinmeier’s last official visit with Israel’s outgoing President Reuven Rivlin before he is succeeded to Isaac Herzog on July 9.
The German president also condemned the recent missile attacks by Palestinian terror groups on Israeli civilians, saying it is “something we will never accept.”
Rivlin thanked Steinmeier for leading Germany “in the uncompromising fight against antisemitism,” saying the European country “has stood firm with us in our just campaign against terrorist forces that seek to wipe us off the map.”
OUTGOING ISRAELI PRESIDENT SAYS TO PA PRESIDENT: “IT’S UP TO US TO END THE CONFLICT”
Last week, while on his farewell tour of the U.S., Israeli President Reuven Rivlin made a request of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to work together to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“We are not condemned to live together, we are destined to live together,” Rivlin said at UN headquarters in New York to various United Nations ambassadors.
“It is up to us to end the conflict. Let us forget the past. Let us build confidence. There are possibilities to ensure a bright future for our people,” he said, according to Israel’s i24 News.
During a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Rivlin also spoke out about resolutions and commissions of inquiry that have been launched against Israel at the UN.
“Our Middle East region needs to build trust among peoples. Peace between Israel and the Palestinians will never be achieved through anti-Israel decisions or commissions of inquiry,” he said, according to a statement from his office.
“The bias against Israel in the UN institutions must end. We wish to continue working with the UN to meet the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza, with whom we have no conflict,” Rivlin said.
ISRAEL INAUGURATES EMBASSY IN UAE, COUNTRIES AGREE TO ECONOMIC AND TRADE COOPERATION
Last Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid inaugurated the country's new embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and called for peace with the country's neighbors.
This is the first visit to the UAE by an Israeli Cabinet minister since an agreement was brokered between the two countries and Bahrain by the Trump administration in September 2020. The agreement ended decades of conflict.
“We are standing here today because we chose peace over war, cooperation over conflict, the good of our children over the bad memories of the past,” Lapid said at the inauguration, United Press International reported.
In addition, Lapid and UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, H.E. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, signed a bilateral Agreement on Economic and Trade Cooperation.
Under the agreement, the governments are committed to developing economic relations and free flow of goods and services, as well as cooperation regarding trade fairs, exchanges of experts and knowledge, exchanges of delegations, cooperation in standardization and regulation, encouraging cooperation of the private sector, encouraging research and development, agro-technologies and more. This was reported by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Let us pray together
Please pray with me for:
- Continued strong support for Israel from the U.S., Germany and other countries
- Protection for Israel from Iran, Hamas and other terror groups
- Wisdom for the U.S. and other world powers regarding Iran and nuclear deal negotiations
- Israel and the Palestinian Authority to work together to end the conflict
- Additional countries in the Middle East to sign agreements with Israel and work together for peace
- Jewish people to recognize Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah
