Israel Joins Call for International Action in Syria

As social and traditional media was flooded this week with horrific images of the conquest of Aleppo, Syria, by forces loyal to the regime of President Bashar Assad and his allies from Russia, Iran and the Lebanese Shi’ite terror militia Hezbollah, a chorus of condemnation has come from Western governments and NGOs. Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman added his voice Thursday, calling Assad a “butcher” who needed to be pushed out of power.

Legislation providing for the continuation of Washington’s long-standing regime of sanctions on Iran was renewed Thursday without being signed into law by outgoing President Barak Obama. “This administration has made clear that an extension of the Iran Sanctions Act, while unnecessary, is entirely consistent with our commitments in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” the White House said on the president’s decision. “Consistent with this longstanding position, the extension of the Iran Sanctions Act is becoming law without the president’s signature.”

Researchers at Haifa’s Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, in cooperation with Rambam Medical Center and a group of visiting scientists from Canada, have made progress towards the development of a biological cardiac pacemaker. The research, which gives hope to millions of people who need a pacemaker but for whom the surgical insertion of a mechanical device would be difficult or even impossible, was published this week in the Nature Biotechnology journal.

US President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team announced on Thursday that attorney David Friedman will be nominated as the new US ambassador to Israel. “(Friedman) has been a long-time friend and trusted advisor to me,” the statement said. “His strong relationships in Israel will form the foundation of his diplomatic mission and be a tremendous asset to our country as we strengthen the ties with our allies and strive for peace in the Middle East.”

As a Jew, I didn’t want to celebrate Christmas when I became a believer, partly because it wasn’t “Jewish”, and partly because it was too paganized and commercialized. But the Lord began to show me that my reasons were not all correct.