Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke forcefully Wednesday evening at an event to celebrate fifty years of Israeli communities in the West Bank, declaring that, among other things, “Settlement is important to you my friends, it is equally important to me, so I say before all and clearly: There will be no more uprooting of settlements in the Land of Israel. It is not just a question of the connection to the homeland, of course that is correct, but first of all, it is not the way to make peace. We will not uproot Jews, and not Arabs.”

Following a referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan this week which saw over 90% of ballots being cast in favor of political independence, the regime in Baghdad was exerting maximum pressure on the provisional government in Erbil to stand down. Calls were made by several Iraqi officials for direct military action by federal forces to forcibly take control of oil fields and other vital infrastructure currently controlled by Kurdish militias, while Turkish, Iranian and Assad regime forces, along with already mobilized Iranian controlled-Shi’ite militias, held menacing drills on all of the semi-autonomous region’s borders.

Israel’s defense intelligence community issued a statement Wednesday casting doubt on a recent announcement by Iran that it had tested a long-range ballistic missile, the Khorramshahr, a weapon with a 2,000-km. range and the capability to deliver nuclear warheads. Several media reports have indicated that Western satellites and other platforms for monitoring Iranian airspace did not pick up any indication of the launch which allegedly took place last Saturday, while video of the event released by Iranian state-run TV has been pointed out to be of a failed test of a different missile seven months ago.

A team of researchers at Beersheeba’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev published an article this week in the prestigious Journal of the American Chemical Society. The research, titled “Highly Efficient Flavin–Adenine Dinucleotide Glucose Dehydrogenase Fused to a Minimal Cytochrome C Domain” will make it possible for much more accurate blood-sugar tests and more precise doses of medication, simplifying treatments for the millions of people worldwide who live with diabetes.

Israel’s Agriculture Ministry announced this week that it is classifying medical-grade-cannabis growing as an official farming sector, paving the way for what supporters hope will be a multi-billion dollar export opportunity for Israeli farmers. “Dealing and using cannabis is still illegal in most of the world’s countries, but it appears that the use of cannabis for medical purposes is gaining popularity in many countries, and an increasing number of studies are confirming the positive effects of cannabis, while showing its risks and damage,” said a statement by the Ministry.

After years of disagreement between Iran and Turkey, particularly regarding the war in Syria, there are many recent signs of an increase in cooperation between Tehran and Ankara. A range of developments on the ground, including the success of Iran and Russia in ensuring the continuation of the Assad regime, have spurred the need for an Iranian-Turkish rapprochement and growing cooperation with Russia.