Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Moscow Thursday afternoon for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In his greeting to Putin, Netanyahu  brought up the upcoming holiday of Purim and compared it to the present-day situation in which the main threat to Israel comes from Iran. However, the crisis in Syria was expected to top the agenda for the summit. Meanwhile, US ground troops continued their deployment to Syria this week.

As Israel and the UK prepare to mark the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, a document seen as a pillar of the legal framework which led to the establishment of the Jewish State, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson arrived in Jerusalem Wednesday for a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials, as well as opposition groups and the PA.

General Petr Pavel, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, was in Israel Wednesday on an official visit as the guest of the IDF, under the auspices of Israel’s membership in the NATO Middle East Dialogue program. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, chief of the US Army’s European Command who is also Supreme Commander of NATO forces in Europe, is also in Israel this week to inspect joint US-Israel defense programs and receive briefings on various topics.

The international effort to Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) Israel suffered more defeats this week, as Spain’s ruling political faction, the Partido Popular (People’s Party), voted during its 18th Ordinary Congress to approve amendments to its bylaws specifically rejecting BDS and declaring it to be a form of anti-Semitism and illegitimate. Elsewhere, on Wednesday, Switzerland’s National Council, the lower chamber of the legislature, passed a bill cutting government funding to groups which promote BDS.

Israeli sports fans were delighted Thursday when Israel’s national Baseball team defeated powerhouse Holland 4-2 to advance to the quarterfinals in the World Baseball Classic Tournament, to begin on Sunday in Tokyo. Israel’s success so far in the tournament has caused a sensation in the Baseball world because it entered the tournament ranked 41st in the world and was widely expected to be eliminated early.

The Knesset approved a preliminary reading of the so-called “muezzin bill” on Wednesday by a vote of 55-48, outlawing the use of outdoor loudspeakers by religious institutions from 11 PM to 7 AM. Although the legislation drew predicable charges of “racism” from opposition lawmakers, proponents said it was a measure which had been demanded by many citizens from all religions and regions of the country who complained of themselves and their children being awoken far too early in the morning by the Moslem call to prayer.

Russia and Iran have penetrated the Syrian Arab Army’s command-and-control authorities at all levels and propped up the force by providing the bulk of its offensive combat power. The pro-regime coalition cannot secure all of Syria and primarily serves as a vehicle for Moscow and Tehran’s regional power projection.

Recently, the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs think tank held a conference to mark the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, considered one of the key international legal documents underpinning the modern Nation-State of Israel.