President Herzog Attends King’s Coronation
Israeli President Isaac Herzog (Source: Wikimedia Commons/Spokesperson Unit of the President of Israel)
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal represented Israel at King Charles III’s coronation events this past weekend. While at Buckingham Palace with other world leaders, Herzog shook hands with leaders from Oman and Qatar, countries with whom Israel does not have formal ties. He also had warm conversations with leaders from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. King Charles spotted President Herzog in the crowd and asked for a special moment with him. The British monarch commended him on his efforts to find compromises in the judicial overhaul and spoke about the situation in the Middle East.
The Herzogs also had lengthy conversations with the United States’ First Lady Jill Biden and Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska. French and German leaders discussed the proposed judicial overhaul with Herzog. This trip is President Herzog’s third time meeting King Charles. His previous visit was to attend the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Prime Minister Netanyahu also sent wholehearted congratulations to the new king, writing, “May it mark the further strengthening of the deep bond between our two nations.”
Please pray for King Charles as he steps into this new role and for the world leaders around him to continue to work together in unity.
Read more at The Times of Israel. . .
Hamas Launches More than 100 Rockets from Gaza
The Iron Dome battery deployed near Ashkelon (Source: Flickr/Israel Defense Forces)
This past week, Hamas launched more than one hundred rockets at Israel’s south over a twenty-four-hour period. The aggression started after a prominent Islamic Jihad leader died in an Israeli jail following a prolonged hunger strike. The Iron Dome intercepted twenty-four projectiles, a 90 percent interception rate of rockets headed toward populated areas. This defensive system usually has a higher interception rate. Israeli military reports the Iron Dome’s interception rate last year was 97 percent.
The Israeli Defense Forces are researching the circumstances of at least two rockets falling in populated areas. Overnight, the Israeli Air Force targeted a Hamas training camp, a weapons production site, an attack tunnel, and a location belonging to Hamas naval commandos. Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations helped broker a ceasefire.
Please pray for restored and continued peace along the Gaza-Israel border.
Read more at The Times of Israel. . .
Israel Says Iran Has Enough Uranium for Five Nuclear Bombs
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (cropped/Source: Flickr/U.S. Embassy Jerusalem)
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant recently said Iran has enough enriched uranium to build five nuclear bombs. “If Iran enriches to the 90 percent weaponized level, it would be a great error and the price would be heavy, and there would be consequences which could inflame the Middle East,” he added. As Iran nears obtaining nuclear weapons, Israel sees its ties with the United States as even more crucial. Iran is bolstering its ties with Turkey, Syria, and Russia. The country has also been rebuilding relations with its former regional rival, Saudi Arabia. Iran’s deepening partnership with other Arab countries is evidence of its influence in the Middle East.
Please pray Iran’s stock of uranium never becomes a deadly nuclear weapon.
Read more at The Jerusalem Post. . .
Israel Sends Missile Alert System to Kyiv
Kiev, Ukraine (Source: Unsplash/Artem Zhukov)
Over the next couple of months, Ukrainian forces in Kyiv will test and install a missile alert system to detect incoming Russian rockets. Israel developed the system to alert the city of incoming rockets. Unlike Israel’s Iron Dome, this system does not deploy missile interceptors. Officials are trying to tweak the system for precise coverage areas as Ukraine is much bigger than Israel. Russian rockets are also more advanced than those sent against Israel. Citizens in the area will receive alerts via sirens, phone, television, and radio.
The Israeli-made system combines radar and electro-optic devices to detect incoming rockets, missiles, and drones. It will recognize their size and level of threat. Then, the system will display on a map what areas are in danger. Ukraine asked Israel for the Iron Dome, but Israel is trying to walk a tight diplomatic line to maintain good relations with both Ukraine and Russia.
Please pray for peace between Ukraine and Russia, for the people to live in safety.
Read more at The Times of Israel. . .
Chosen People Ministries—Israel Calls People Who Ordered Isaiah 53 Explained
Isaiah 53 Explained in Hebrew
A steady stream of Israelis has already ordered the Isaiah 53 Explained book in Hebrew. A few of our staff took an evening at our ministry center in Tel Aviv to call everyone who noted they would like to talk. Each team member made dozens of calls and were able to speak with some. A few of those conversations were incredibly meaningful and opened the door for further dialogue as the person requested to meet or expressed a willingness to come to an event. For those we could not reach, we sent a message through WhatsApp, a texting app. Some have continued to chat on WhatsApp.
Please pray for these conversations, as seekers talk about what they read and what they think of the prophet Isaiah’s words, which point to Jesus, the Jewish Messiah!
