Saving Little Hearts in Tanzania

{image_1}A medical team from Israel's Save a Child's Heart has successfully performed the first ever pediatric open heart surgery in Mwanza, Tanzania. Laurencia Simon is four years old, the daughter of two farmers, and lives in a mud hut without electricity or running water. Two years ago, she was diagnosed with congenital heart disease.

What’s Blooming in Jerusalem?

{image_1}Hop aboard the jolly red locomotive that winds around the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, and you're likely to see blooming and budding everywhere you look. But it's not just the 10,000 species of plants that are blossoming at this 30-acre oasis at the southeast corner of the Hebrew University's Givat Ram campus. The gardens are also alive with the sounds of some 180,000 visitors per year, up from 80,000 in 2008.

Israel Sends Aid to South Sudan

{image_1}After the new Republic of South Sudan was given statehood [July 9], Israel recognized the new republic the following day. Later, the Israel Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that the two countries “wished to promote and strengthen ties of friendship and cooperation between their countries and peoples on the basis of equality, mutual respect, and non-interference in the internal affairs of one another.” This statement was followed up by the fact that new ambassadors would be accredited in each country.

Israel Readies for Rocket Barrage

{image_1}No one can say when the next war will come, but when it does, Israel’s main cities will almost certainly come under sustained bombardment by thousands of tons of warheads. That scenario has the military commanders responsible for protecting its citizens in a frenzy of preparedness. Across the country this summer, Israelis were subject to home front drills, sending people scurrying into shelters, sirens blaring and gas masks distributed. Defense planners want to use underground parking garages and road tunnels as massive bomb shelters.

Propaganda – The Palestinians’ Political Warfare

{image_1}There is a word in Hebrew that is used often in certain segments of Israeli society that denotes a very important but strangely illusive concept for the modern state. The word is hasbara, and it refers to Israel’s public diplomacy efforts. It is a noun that actually means “explanation,” and many from Israel, including her Christian friends, are engaged in what is called “doing hasbara.” It is traditionally one of the few things that the nation of Israel has not excelled at.

Hamas: No Recognition of Israel

{image_1} A key official with Hamas told the Palestinian Ma’an News Agency that they would be willing to accept a Palestinian state on the 1967 lines—regarding the West Bank [Judea and Samaria], East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip—but that they would not recognize Israel. Comments by Mahmoud al-Zahar, cofounder of Hamas, to Ma’an radio imply that, for Hamas, the creation of a Palestinian state could result in a long-term truce with Israel, but would not lead to permanent peace with Israel. Zahar said that formally recognizing Israel would threaten to prevent millions of Palestinian refugees and their descendants from coming to Israel as well as “cancel the right of the next generations to liberate the lands [presumably the rest of Israel].”

Gearing Up for September

{image_1} Iran said it has successfully tested a new ballistic missile that is harder to detect and will now start mass-producing them. The missile, called Qiyam, is reportedly designed without stabilizer fins and was delivered to the aerospace wing of the Revolutionary Guards. Iran’s state television, Al-Alam, said the surface-to-surface missile was a pure Iranian project. The missile’s range wasn’t disclosed, but experts believe it is similar to Russian-designed Scud rockets, which can reach several-hundred kilometers. They make up the core of Syria’s arsenal, and reports said the new Iranian missile could find its way to Hizbullah in Lebanon.

Hidden Treasure: Beetroot and Pomegranate Salad

{image_1} Have you ever opened a pomegranate and marveled at the mass of sparkling rubies one finds? Almost like opening a treasure chest with great expectation, and there—glistening in the light—are tiny clusters of gems. One can only be in awe of the intricacy of God’s creation. Quite regal in appearance with its crown prominently displayed, the pomegranate is one of the seven species of the land of Israel (Deut. 8:8). It is the fruit that ripens in September, heralding in Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year. Pomegranate trees throughout the Holy Land are laden, and there is an expectancy of hope and joyous celebrations.

Toothpaste that Saves Kangaroos

{image_1} Kangaroos in captivity often develop a contagious and sometimes fatal gum condition called lumpy jaw disease. Now, veterinarians at Jerusalem's Biblical Zoo and the northern Gan Garoo Park have teamed up with dentists and pharmacists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to create a tooth varnish that successfully prevents the condition.

Building Up Jerusalem

{image_1} The Israeli government has pledged to continue building up Jerusalem. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “the heart of the nation” would receive more than US $115 million in investment. The Cabinet approved the Merom Development Plan, an economic plan to strengthen Jerusalem through tourism and high-tech, during a meeting in Jerusalem.

Massive Desalination Plant Gets Go Ahead

{image_1} Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz signed an agreement in May approving the construction and operation of a massive new desalination facility near Ashdod. The plant, which will be one of the largest in the world, will, on completion, mean that almost 70% of Israel's water needs will be met by desalinated water.

Vote for the Dead Sea!

{image_1} The Israeli government is promoting a plan to have the Dead Sea named as one of the natural wonders of the world in the New7Wonders of Nature campaign, which finishes worldwide voting on November 11 of this year.

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