Holy Land News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomes Italian PrimeMinister Matteo Renzi to Israel.

Italian PM Matteo Renzi: Boycotts Are "Stupid and Futile"

“How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?” (Numbers 23:8)

In a speech before the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) on Wednesday, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi aligned Italy with the Jewish state.

“Italy will always stand for cooperation and never for boycotts, which are stupid and futile. Peace for Jerusalem is peace for the whole world. Our fate is your fate. Together we will build a more just world," he told the Knesset.

Renzi also said that “the existence of the State of Israel is not a gesture of the international community after the Holocaust, but a fact that predates any international agreement … Israel exists despite the Holocaust not by virtue of the Holocaust.” (Haaretz)

Renzi also told the Members of Parliament in attendance that he would tell representatives of the PalestinianAuthority, whom he met later in the day, that “to recognize Israel is to recognize reality.”

As well, he rebuked the call of a European think tank to expand boycotts against Israelis and their institutions in territories wrested from Jordanian occupation in 1967.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi (Photo byPSD Romania)

According to the European Council on Foreign Relations, in addition to targeting businesses operating withinIsraeli communities in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem, Europe should cancel tax exemptions for continent-based charities that work with Israelis or Jews in these areas.

The council’s report also seeks to reject university and industry qualifications earned by Israelis in the territories, and would restrict loans and mortgages, as well as isolate banks that are involved with Israelis living in the disputed areas.

“Whoever boycotts Israel doesn’t understand that he is boycotting himself and doesn’t understanding [sic] that he is betraying his own future,” Renzi said.

The day before, Renzi visited Tel Aviv University (TAU) to attend an innovation conference launched in cooperation with the Italian Embassy.

Renzi told university representatives that “the Israeli start-up nation … has become for us Italians a model and a close partner. Israel is a country of growth and opportunity—filled with incredible success stories and great dreamers. This is a great message for our country; we can share the dream with Israel.”

Matteo Renzi with Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu

Meanwhile, the recommendations of the Council, whose ideas have taken root previously in European policy, caused a dive in the capital market for Israeli banks, noticeably more for those with a large overseas presence.

However, a top European Union diplomat doused the fears of investors, citing the council’s influence as bearing no more weight than any other.

“We have no intention of imposing restrictions on Israeli banks that do business in the settlements. This entire issue is complete nonsense. This issue has never been considered,” the EU diplomat stated. “Anyone can publish reports. It has no basis in reality. There are no plans for further legislation on this issue except for the plans to label settlement products which are moving forward, but have yet to be finalized.” (YNet)

Nevertheless, a senior banking representative in Israel responded to the report as a serious threat: “For the European, the settlements include Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, which means that almost all thebanks are involved. It is hard to quantify the threat, but it is dramatic.” (Globes)

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your

walls and security within your citadels.’” (Psalm 122:6–7)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Italian Prime Minister Renziwarmly hug at a special Knesset session in honor of the Italian PM.(GPO photo by Amos Ben Gershom)

Canada Modernizes Free Trade Agreement with Israel

“Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever.” (Psalm 112:5–6)

While many around the world seek to enforce and expand a boycott of Israel, Canada enriched its Free Trade Agreement with Israel on Tuesday,strengthening ties between Canadian and Israeli businesses.

When the deal was announced last week, Canadian politicians not only hailed the agreement's benefits, theyalso emphasized commitment to Israel.

“Canada and Israel are the most natural of economic partners. This agreement will fuel job creation and economic growth in both of our countries, which is in Canada’s national interest. It is also another example of our government’s unwavering commitment to the future of the State of Israel,” Canada's Minister of Finance Joe Oliver stated.

“Israel is a priority market for Canada and holds great potential for Canadian companies in a variety of sectors. An enhanced free trade agreement will strengthen an already stellar relationship between our two countries, creating jobs and opportunities for both our peoples,” said Ed Fast, Canada's Minister of

International Trade.

Ed Fast, Canada's Minister of International Trade, applauds theconclusion of the enhanced Canada-Israel free trade agreement.

Although Canada's trade agreement with Israel is one of many, Oliver said that Israel is special

“Today we have agreements with 43 countries, including the world’s two largest markets, the United States and the European Union,” he said. “One of those agreements is with Israel, and I take great pride in it. Afterall, Israel is a light to the world, the city upon the hill for the Jewish People. In a too frequently hostile or indifferent world, Israel has no greater friend than Canada.”

Trade Ministry Press Secretary Max Moncaster also affirmed the Canadian commitment to Israel.

“Canada deeply values its close ties with Israel and is fully committed to continuing to strengthen our economic partnership,” Moncaster said. (The Whig)

According to Moncaster, the trade minister’s “trade mission to Israel will provide on-the-ground support to Canadian companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, as they take advantage of the opportunities available in one of the most dynamic economies in the Middle East.”

Fisherman on the Galilee (KORE photos)

The updated Canadian-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA) promotes e-commerce, eliminates non-tariff barriers and eases regulatory hurdles. It also reduces or eliminates taxes on imported agriculture, seafood, and fish products

“Four existing areas of the current CIFTA have been modernized, namely market access for goods, rules of origin, institutional provisions, and dispute settlement,” the government's press release states. “In addition, seven new chapters have been included in the areas of trade facilitation, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, intellectual property, electronic commerce, labour, and environment.”

Fast seeks to strengthen bilateral trade with Israel not only in agriculture and seafood, but also in renewable energy and water technologies, information and communications technologies, and the life sciences. (The Whig)

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper shakes hands with IsraeliPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper noted that the modernized CIFTA has the capacity to support Canadian industries with greater visibility in Israeli markets.

Following the announcement on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Harper, telling him: "Canada is one of Israel's closest friends. We deeply appreciate our extensive and deep cooperationwith the Canadian government, which has flourished in recent years and of which the free trade agreement is but one example. This expanded and modernized agreement will further energize the trade between our countries to the benefit of both our peoples."

A recent scan of this charred scroll, which was found in an Ein Gediark, revealed the first eight verses of Leviticus. (IAA photo byShai Halevit)

CT Scanner and Virtual Unwrapping Identify Charred Leviticus Scroll

"He has revealed His word to Jacob, His laws and decrees to Israel." (Psalm 147:19)

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has identified the remains of a charred parchment scroll, which was found near the Dead Sea 45 years ago, as a portion of the Book of Leviticus.

A micro-CT scanner captured a 3D image of the blackened parchment. That image was sent to University ofKentucky computer-science professor Brent Seales and his research team who have developed imaging tools that unraveled the 3D image into a flattened layer.

"The page actually comes from a layer buried deep within the many wraps of the scroll body, and is possible to view it only through the remarkable results of our software, which implements the research idea of 'virtual unwrapping,'" Seales said. (UKY)

Researchers were surprised to actually see writing on the ancient burnt fragment. The scanner and software technology team not only revealed the first eight verses of the Book of Leviticus, but also the date the parchment burned—1,500 years ago.

"This discovery absolutely astonished us; we were certain it was just a shot in the dark but decided to try andscan the burnt scroll anyway," Dead Sea Scrolls project curator Pnina Shor said. (Christian Post)

Tourists visit the Ein Gedi desert oasis

The burnt Scriptural fragment was found in the ruins of Ein Gedi—now known for its waterfalls and hiking trails. In the 4th–7th centuries, a prosperous Jewish village with a synagogue and an ark to house the Torahscrolls was situated here.

"This is the first time in any archaeological excavation that a Torah scroll was found in a synagogue, particularly inside a Holy Ark," the IAA website states.

"The settlement was completely burned to the ground, and none of its inhabitants ever returned to residethere again, or to pick through the ruins in order to salvage valuable property," Ein Gedi excavation head Sefi Porath told the Jerusalem Post.

"In the archaeological excavations of the burnt synagogue, in addition to the charred scroll fragments [found inside the synagogue's Torah ark], we found a bronze seven-branched menorah, the community’s money box containing 3,500 coins, glass and ceramic oil lamps, and vessels that held perfume," Porath said.

One scan is merged with another toconnect the text (Seth Parker, Universityof Kentucky, IAA)

The Torah fragment was chosen for deciphering a year ago by the Israel Antiquities Authority, in connection with Merkel Technologies Company, Ltd., which provided the Bruker Skysan model 1176 scanner.

Seales described it as being "at a very high resolution, probably a hundred times more accurate than the medical procedures that we do." (Christian Post)

The only scrolls discovered in Israel that are older than the Ein Gedi parchment are the famous 2,000-year-old Dead Sea Scrolls, which consist of both Biblical and non-Biblical writings. (IAA)

Among the first eight verses of Leviticus that the scan made legible are verses that relate God's instructions about bringing offerings to the Lord:

"If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you are to offer a male without defect. You must present it atthe entrance to the tent of meeting so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you." (Leviticus 1:3–4)

Men stand on the edge of a Dead Sea sinkhole. (Photo byAsaf Antman)

Thousands of Dead Sea Sinkholes Threaten Tourism

“Living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter." (Zechariah 14:8The salty, mineral rich waters of the Dead Sea(Hebrew: The Salt Sea—Yam HaMelach) have drawn visitors and health pilgrims for millennia.

Recently, however, dangerous sinkholes have been rapidly appearing along the sea's banks as the water level recedes, posing a major threat to the area’s inhabitants, visitors, landscape, and tourism in general.

At 423 meters (1,388 ft) below sea level, the Dead Sea has about 34 percent salinity along with strong concentrations of sulfates and bicarbonates down to 130 feet and magnesium, potassium, chlorine, and bromine at 130–330 feet. (Britannica)

These minerals feed a thriving health industry, and the Dead Sea was first used as a health resort by King Herod. Floating on the waters is thought to help treat people with skin diseases and muscular issues.

At its low altitude, the Dead Sea also offers the health benefits of low solar ultraviolet exposure and greater atmospheric pressure, with fewer airborne allergens.

A tourist enjoys the unique characteristics of the Dead Sea. Becauseabout 34% of the sea is actually salt—roughly nine times saltier thanthe ocean—normal swimming is difficult. Floating, on the other hand,is so easy you can read a newspaper while in the water.

The site's beautiful waters with their natural buoyancy attract day trekkers and overnight tourists to the Sea'sresorts; nevertheless, the famed tourist destination has become treacherous with new sinkholes swallowing roads and buildings without warning. (BIN)

The gaping chasms now form a pocked landscape along the shores as water levels drop three feet per year. The number of annual tourists is also dropping by the thousands—stoking fears that if the sea is not drying up, its hospitality industry is.

Just last month, the Dead Sea's Mineral Beach resort at Mitzpe Shalem saw its parking lot, foliage, and treatment rooms sink into a new Dead Sea sinkhole. Six months prior, the problematic Swiss-cheesesurroundings led the resort to shut down, despite an annual average of 250,000 visitors. (NBC)

"We are a small kibbutz and this resort was our supporting pillar, economically but also socially," said resort manager Avi Cohen to NBC News. "This was a shock for us but slowly we are picking up the pieces and expect the country to help us out."

Dead Sea sinkholes can swallow buildings and roads without warning.

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While no one has died yet from these sinkholes, "if nothing is done, it's only a matter of time," Israeli Director of EcoPeace Middle East Gidon Bromberg told ABC News, citing the holes as "unpredictable and very dangerous."

The sinkholes, which can reach 80 feet deep and 130 feet wide, are the result of fresh groundwater dissolving the salt left in the sand as the water recedes. Underground cavities are then created. When the weight of the ground surface can no longer be supported above the cavity, it collapses and a sinkhole forms. (livescience)

Over 5,000 sinkholes have appeared since the 1980s with one or more materializing almost every day. Warning signs are posted in known sinkhole areas around the Dead Sea; however, in June 2009, an Israeli hiker fell into one that formed in an unmarked zone. He was critically injured.

In another case, described by National Geographic, geologist Eli Raz was documenting one sinkhole when he fell into another that formed as he worked.

"I just can tell you that it was terrible, very frighten[ing]; and in the first place, in the beginning, I started to write my will—without knowing that somebody will find it of course," said Raz, who spent 14 hours in the holebefore being rescued.

Warning that Dead Sea sinkholes lay ahead. (Photo by חזרתי)

The receding water line is not only a result of large-scale evaporation. Diversion of the Jordan River into crops and drinking water has reduced the flow of water into the sea to 20% of the 450 billion gallons of waterthat used to feed the sea. As well, mineral mining in the south removes water and minerals. (Times of Israel)

An attempt to help replenish the sea’s water began last month with the launch of the three-year Dead-Red Sea Canal project that will divert salt water into the sea. That water will be a byproduct of a desalination plant along the canal system.

It is evident that this body of water that lies between the hills of Judea on the west and Transjordan on the East needs real healing, and, indeed, the Prophet Ezekiel foretells that it will be fully restored when the Third Temple is built and the Glory of God returns to the Temple.

“He said to me, ‘This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh [ו פו רפ נר which is from the ,ופverb to heal—rapha, [ר]אפ]אא.’” (Ezekiel 47:8)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with film producer BrankoLustig, a Holocaust survivor who produced Schindler's List, winning anOscar for it. He came to Israel to donate that Oscar to Yad Vashem. (GPO photo by Kobi Gideon)

Schindler's List Producer Presents Oscar to Yad Vashem

"Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips.” (Proverbs 27:2)

On Wednesday, Schindler’s List co-producer, Croatian Auschwitz survivor Branko Lustig honored his 111 countrymen named as Righteous among the Nations by donating his 1994 Oscar to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.

Some Holocaust survivors who were on Schindler’s list—the real list—attended the ceremony.

Other Auschwitz survivors, diplomats, Yugoslavian expatriates and Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović were also present, with Lustig stating that the golden statuette would remind visitors that there is hope in the darkest times. (JPost)

Oskar Schindler was an ethnic Germanindustrialist, spy, and member of the Nazi Partywho is credited with saving the lives of 1,200Jews during the Holocaust by employing themin his factories

Schindler’s List earned seven Oscars including Lustig’s, for “Best Picture of 1993.” The movie brought to light the heroic deeds of German businessman Oskar Schindler, who saved more than 1,200 Jews from near-certain death at the hand of the Nazis.

Yad Vashem honored Schindler in the 1960s for his deeds, naming him among the “Righteous,” a designation bestowed upon Gentiles who have acted selflessly to save Jewish lives. (Auschwitz)

While Schindler has become a well-known figure, other heroic individuals who acted on behalf of theJewish people are still largely unknown.

Some, like British humanitarian Nicholas Winton and Chinese consul general Ho Feng Shan, intervened but kept silent about their deeds. Winton kept his salvation of 669 children quiet for 50 years, and Ho’s heroism was only discovered in 1997 after his death. He was 96.

During 1938–1940, the Nationalist Chinese government had him serve as consul general in Vienna. In direct defiance of orders, Ho signed off on thousands of visas being sought desperately by Jews

trying to escape Nazi-occupied Austria.

“Nowadays, most people believe that he saved more than 5,000 lives at the time,” Dr. Xu Xin, China's leading Jewish-studies scholar and professor at Nanjing University, said to CNN. "More importantly, Ho was probably the first diplomat to really take action to save the Jews."

A plaque hangs at the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum and OhelMoishe Synagogue honoring Dr. Ho Feng Shan. (Photo by Harvey Barrison)

Heroism is not beyond the reach of regular people, but requires principles and integrity, which Ho’s daughter said she recognized in her father. When the Nazis seized the Chinese embassy, the property owned by a Jewish person, Ho paid to open a new office where he continued the rescue mission, CNN reports.

Often it is the gratitude of Jewish survivors who cause these unknown heroes to come to light. And so in a July 12 ceremony in Warsaw, Jewish officials in Poland praised 50 Christian Poles for rescuing Jews during the Holocaust, naming them Righteous Gentiles. (World Jewish Congress

“It is so important to acknowledge the courage and heroism of the righteous, for each of you saved the honor of humanity,” Stanlee Stahl, Jewish Foundation for the Righteous executive vice president, said at the event. “You will always be remembered in our prayers for you made it possible for generations to be born and to live.”

Rescuer of the Jews and historian Janusz Durko now 100 years old said helping the Jewish people “was simply the ‘obvious’ thing to do and that he never considered himself courageous.” (AP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Croatian PresidentKolinda Grabar-Kitarović on July 22, 2015. (GPO Photo byKobi Gideon)

Outside of Jewish circles, national leaders are honoring the sacrificial efforts of their countrymen.

President Grabar-Kitarović committed this week to erecting a Holocaust monument in Croatia.

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou in June vowed to honor Ho as well as another war hero of the Chinese people, German businessman John Rabe, who raised the Nanjing safety zone in 1937 that protected 200,000 Chinese civilians against the Japanese army. (Taipei Times)

“I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph over me. Because of my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.” (Psalm 41:11–12)

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