Thousands of expatriate Americans living in Israel were preparing to celebrate American Independence Day Monday, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to visit the airport at Entebbe Uganda to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the IDF’s dramatic hostage rescue mission in which his brother Yonatan was killed. It will be the first stop on Netanyahu’s 5-day visit to several sub-Saharan African countries, the first by a sitting Israeli leader in decades.

The IDF was on high-alert on all borders Monday following a violent weekend which began with the murder of a prominent Rabbi Friday afternoon and ended Sunday evening with the IDF striking targets inside Syria to retaliate for errant fire from an Assad regime military unit. Rabbi Michael “Miki” Mark, 48, was the father of 10 children, two of whom, along with his wife, were riding in his car when a Palestinian terrorist opened fire as they drove along Route 60 in the South Hebron Hills on their way to a Sabbath meal at the home of a friend.

Friday saw tens of thousands of Iranians chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” as part of annual state-sponsored “Quds Day” events to protest Israel’s existence. Iran’s “moderate” President Hassan Rohani gave a fiery speech in Teheran, saying among other things that “conspiracies” by the US, UK, Israel and other enemies of his country were dividing Moslem communities in the Middle East and as a result “we are far away from the ideal of liberating Palestine.”

Israelis mourned the passing of Elie Wiesel on Sunday. The revered author, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Holocaust Survivor was also a staunch supporter of the Jewish State. “Your voice will continue to be heard. It is ingrained in our nation,” eulogized former Israeli president Shimon Peres. “Our people have known darkness and terrible danger, but also amazing rebirth. This is what allows us to continue on.”

Iraq was reeling Monday from a weekend of devastating attacks claimed by the Islamic State (IS) terror militia which killed at least 142 people in Baghdad and left many more wounded. The attack came even as IS has suffered several recent battlefield defeats in northern Iraq, Syria and Libya, although analysts warned that it is still too early to predict an end to these conflicts.

A Turkish cargo vessel loaded with freight bound for the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip arrived at Ashdod Port in southern Israel on Sunday. It was the first such delivery of Turkish supplies for Gaza since the recent renewal of full diplomatic relations between Jerusalem and Ankara. As per that agreement, Israel will inspect all supplies and send them on to Gaza through designated border crossings.

The proposition that “occupation” is to blame for Palestinian terrorism defies history, reality, and logic. Israel’s control of the Palestinian population of the West Bank and Gaza has been virtually nonexistent for twenty years, ever since the 1995 interim agreement and the 1997 Hebron redeployment. Palestinian terrorism has increased not in response to the “occupation,” but in response to its ending.