Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi weighed in on negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority Tuesday, offering his help in reaching an agreement which would provide “hope for the Palestinians and security for the Israelis.” Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu immediately issued a statement welcoming Sisi’s remarks, while PA President Mahmoud Abbas issued a statement blaming Israel for the impasse and making various demands.

Father Gabriel Naddaf, a Greek Orthodox priest who has been at the forefront of efforts to increase the numbers of Christian Arab-Israelis who enlist in the IDF and the general integration of Christian citizens in Israeli society, has been rocked in recent days by accusations of sexual harassment and indecent assault. Since the accusations were first publicized, he has flatly denied them.

Kremlin officials were denying reports Wednesday about the construction of a permanent Russian military base near the UNESCO world heritage site in the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra, recently liberated from the Islamic State (IS) terror militia. Fighting in the area remains intense, even as an international efforts to end the multi-faceted war in Syria continue to be bogged down.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne was in Israel this week at the lead of a large delegation of Canadian business, political and community leaders in a demonstration of solidarity with the Jewish State.  “Any opportunity to cooperate with Israel on many levels is beneficial to both Israel and Canada,” said Donna Holbrook, ICEJ Canada National Director.

Israeli-developed drip irrigation technology and other innovations are set to become widely used in China following the recent inauguration of a production facility there by Israeli water-tech giant Netafim. The plant is configured to produce equipment to assist Chinese farmers produce high crop yields despite diminishing supplies of water.

Iran’s ongoing subversive activity in assisting Lebanese Hizbullah in Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, and other places is intended to signal that Iran will keep working to export the Iranian revolution to the changing region, with the aim of making it supportive of Iran and part of its sphere of influence.