Record $158.3 billion in worldwide debts owed to Israel
Israel is owed a record $158.3 billion in debts from countries around the world, according to figures published by the Bank of Israel and Central Bureau of Statistics on Monday.
Security
Republicans brush off Trump budget request
Congress loves to ignore presidential budget requests, and this year, lawmakers are even more eager to dismiss President Trump’s spending blueprint.
In Israel, A Stand Out Year For Artificial Intelligence Technologies
Artificial Intelligence technologies in Israel saw significant growth in 2018, in the number of companies raising funding, the amounts invested, as well as new products released, a new report by Start-Up Nation Central shows.
Trump’s Mideast envoy meets UN Security Council, offers no details on peace plan
US President Donald Trump’s Middle East adviser Jason Greenblatt met with the UN Security Council on Friday but gave no details of a much-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, diplomats said.
Netanyahu warns Hamas: Don’t count on elections preventing major Gaza operation
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip should not assume that Israel won’t respond to their recent attacks with a major military operation in the territory just because of approaching elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday, warning that the country will do whatever is necessary to restore security to southern communities.
Hamas is willing to risk war to avoid economic collapse
Tensions between Israel and Hamas are surging again, following a string of attacks from Gaza and Israeli retaliation airstrikes.
Israeli jets strike Hamas targets after mortar launched from Gaza
Israeli planes struck targets in the Gaza Strip early Sunday, the latest tit-for-tat cross-border fighting that has set the restive region on edge.
Trump’s 2020 budget calls for $2.7T in spending cuts, promises to erase deficit in 15 years
President Trump will unveil his fiscal 2020 budget request to Congress on Monday which calls for $2.7 trillion in spending cuts and balances in 15 years, according to the White House budget office.
11 Christian Children Arrested in Violent Raid as China Increases Persecution
China’s crackdown on Christians and their churches is intensifying as officials have targeted yet another church with a major arrest that included nearly a dozen children.
Trump administration warns of record illegal border crossings ahead of vote by Congress
The Trump administration warned Republican lawmakers Tuesday about record numbers of illegal crossings at the southern border with Mexico as Congress appeared to be on the verge of terminating President Donald Trump’s declaration of an emergency there.
Top US general: No F-35s if Turkey buys Russian defense system
The United States should not sell its high-tech F-35 fighter jet to Turkey if Ankara moves ahead with plans to buy a Russian missile defense system, the top US military commander for Europe told Congress on Tuesday.
Guaido returns to Venezuela and a new phase in campaign
Opposition leader Juan Guaido shrouded the route and timing of his return in secrecy amid concerns he might be detained by Venezuela’s government. Yet he breezed through airport immigration checks and brazenly called for the downfall of President Nicolas Maduro at a rally where the presence of security forces was minimal.
Mitch McConnell: It’s clear Senate will vote against President Trump’s national emergency
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hoped President Donald Trump wouldn’t declare a national emergency over border security, but said Monday that he was ‘obviously’ unsuccessful in arguing against the move.
NSA Weighs Ending Phone Surveillance Program Exposed by Snowden
The National Security Agency is considering ending a once-secret surveillance program that annually collects hundreds of millions of telephone call records, including those belonging to Americans, because it lacks operational value, according to people familiar with the matter.
Top U.S., Russian Generals To Meet In Vienna To Discuss Syria, Other Key Issues
The top U.S. and Russian generals are set to meet to discuss the situation in Syria, where the two countries, along with Iran and Turkey, have been militarily involved in the Middle East country’s eight-year civil war.
UN Security Council Rejects U.S., Russia Resolutions On Venezuela
The UN Security Council has rejected rival resolutions on the crisis in Venezuela presented by the United States and Russia.
Netanyahu After Kremlin Meeting: Putin ‘Showed an Understanding of Israel’s Security Needs’
Following their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ‘showed an understanding of Israel’s security needs’ regarding Iran’s presence in Syria.
Netanyahu in Moscow tells Putin Israel will continue hitting Iran in Syria
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Israel will continue to take action against Iran in Syria, in the first significant meeting between the two since a major spat developed over a downed spy plane last year.
‘You Are Finished!’ Threaten Vandals Against Church in Turkey
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on Sunday, February 23, 2019, threatening graffiti messages were found on the main entrance door of the Armenian Church of the Holy Mother of God (Balat Surp Hreshdagabet) in Istanbul, Turkey. According to a statement issued by the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, ‘There were written racist and hate speeches in both English and Arabic [saying] you are finished!’
Christian Leaders Disappointed After Israel Shuts Down Government Christian Forum
Israel announced it will discontinue the ‘Government Christian Forum,’ an initiative created in 2013 aimed at strengthening the relationship between Israel’s Christian community and the Israeli government.