UK REPORTS RECORD NUMBER OF ANTI-SEMITIC INCIDENTS: There were 767 anti-Semitic attacks recorded in the UK in the first half of 2017 - the highest six-month figure since monitoring began in 1984 and an increase of 30% from the same period in 2016, British Jewry's Community Security Trust reported Thurs. 27 July 2017. CST Chief Executive David Delew said that it is "sadly clear that the overall situation has deteriorated. Anti-Semitism is having an increasing impact on the lives of British Jews." (JTA)

WHITE HOUSE: TRUMP SHARES ISRAEL’S GOAL TO PREVENT IRANIAN RUSH THROUGH SYRIA: Netanyahu seemed to question that commitment over the weekend in Paris, outlining to reporters his opposition to a ceasefire agreement negotiated among Russia, Jordan and the USA holding in southwestern Syria since 11 July 2017. Israel fears the agreement grants Tehran de facto freedom of movement in a region close to its border. It was a rare rebuke of Trump from Netanyahu, who considers the new president a strategic ally. "Both governments – the United States and Israel – are rightly concerned about Iran’s malign influence in the region," said a White House official. "A core goal of USA policy in Syria is to ensure that no vacuum is created which Iran can fill." Israeli diplomatic sources said that Iran is working to establish air, land and sea bases in Lebanon – a development which Jerusalem cannot tolerate. Their designs extend into southern Syria. Jerusalem maintains that Iran is not only interested in sending military advisers to Syria, but also is keen on establishing ground and air bases there, something that could radically change the situation in the region. He said that Israel would oppose any agreement in Syria that enables Iranian backed Hezbollah presence there. (J.Post) How vital is the need for ongoing prayer that the Syrian crisis with so many dangerous political factors vying for a stronghold in the Middle East - and on Israel’s northern borders – will be contained and brought under control. Intercede against the establishment of a permanent Iranian presence in Syria and Lebanon.

LEADING PRO-HEZBOLLAH NEWSPAPER WARNS ISRAELIS TO EXPECT: ‘RAIN OF ROCKETS’: A leading article published in a Beirut newspaper known for its close ties to Hezbollah has stated that the Lebanese terrorist organization is now being deployed by its Iranian paymasters across the Middle East, warning that Israel can expect “the rain of rockets that will fall in the midst of summer.” Ibrahim al-Amin, the editor-in-chief of the Hezbollah mouthpiece, Al-Akhbar, wrote, “In Syria, Hezbollah has become the ally of the Syrian army in waging its battles, while in Iraq Hezbollah’s experts are present in the biggest operations rooms.” Al-Amin asked whether “Israel can directly confront Hezbollah in Lebanon while it is fully aware that it doesn’t control what will happen the day after the beginning of hostilities.” He continued: “Israel perfectly knows that all the drills and maneuvers undertaken to protect the domestic front will be of no use in controlling traffic in the central coastal area of Israel hours after the beginning of a total confrontation? Will the leaders of Israel be candid enough to tell their public what will be the fate of the electric grid, transportation networks, airports, sea ports, state headquarters and its infrastructure? Does the enemy really grasp ‘the rain of rockets’ that will fall in the midst of summer?” (Algemeiner) Last week, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot said, “Eleven years after the Second Lebanon War, stopping Hezbollah from improving the accuracy of its missiles and rockets is the “top priority” of Israel’s army. Eisenkot said the IDF has used the time since the Second Lebanon War to dramatically improve its abilities, and now has better intelligence and operational capabilities than ever before.

SATELLITE IMAGE SHOWS A STAR OF DAVID SHAPE TARGETED BY AN IRANIAN MISSILE TEST: In a document shared with members of the UN Security Council, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon revealed last week a startling photo showing that Iran recently used a Star of David (a Jewish symbol), as a target for a ballistic missile test. The Star of David was used as a target for a mid-range "Qiam" ballistic missile test in Dec. 2016. Alongside the Star of David, a round crater caused by the rocket can also be seen. "This missile test not only violates Security Council resolutions but also proves beyond doubt, once again, the true intentions of Iran to target Israel," said Danon in his message to Security Council member states. The Security Council must act immediately against this demonstration of hate and Iran's provocative violations that threaten the stability of the entire region," added Danon. Israel will test its Arrow 3 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) defense system in the United States next year. The news comes as concerns build over Iran's continued ballistic missile tests. The Arrow 3 system is considered one of the most technologically-advanced defense systems in the world, designed to intercept incoming missiles outside of the Earth's atmosphere. (J.Post) Pray Western nations will be unified with effective solutions to prevent Iran from continuing with its violations of existing UN sanctions, its ongoing support of terrorist organizations and violent threats aga

LIBERMAN: WE WILL NOT AGREE TO THE RETURN OF A SINGLE REFUGEE: Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on Thur. 22 June 2017 spoke to participants at the Herzliya Conference, and addressed the renewal of negotiations with the PA. He emphasized that the return of refugees was a red line for Israel. “We will not agree to the return of a single refugee to ‘67 borders,” he said. “There will never be another prime minister who makes propositions to the Palestinians like Ehud Olmert did.” He noted that an agreement with the PA will not solve regional problems. “There shouldn’t be any delusions: An end to the conflict with the Palestinians will not solve the problems - it will make them worse. We must first reach a regional agreement with moderate Sunni states, and only then an agreement with the Palestinians,” he said. (Arutz-7) Right of Return: When Israel was created in 1948, Arab states and Arab Palestinians attacked the Jewish community in Palestine and the Jewish state, vowing to "drive the Jews into the sea." They lost the war however, and some 725,000 Arab Palestinians at the behest of Arab leaders voluntarily fled from the area. Palestinian Arabs claim any peace agreement with Israel must allow the descendants and families of these refugees, now numbering 6 million, to return to Israel. If Israel were to agree to this Jews would became a minority in their own state. Return of the refugees would put an end to the Jewish homeland.