Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat was denounced by a chorus of left-wing political and social leaders in Israel Wednesday following his announcement that he would not be marching in the capital’s LGBT Pride parade Thursday afternoon. Critics accused the mayor of pandering to “religious extremists” and sending an unacceptable message of hatred and intolerance to the LGBT community. The parade, which has been rigorously protested by several religious leaders in Jerusalem, is scheduled to start at 5 PM.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan deepened his crackdown on domestic political opponents following last week’s unsuccessful coup Thursday, declaring a three-month state of emergency, insisting that the move “is absolutely not against democracy, rule of law and freedom — the opposite. It has the purposes of protecting and strengthening these values.” The measure empowers the government to impose curfews, close media outlets, shut down traffic, ban private gatherings, and search private homes, among other things.

Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani gave a fiery speech Wednesday, accusing Washington of failing to live up to its side of the JCPOA nuclear deal and declaring that this left the Islamic State with no choice but to attack the US. He added a condemnation of the UN for continuing to sanction Revolutionary Guards commanders despite their contribution in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terror militia, which he said only Iran was seriously confronting.

Outrage was growing in the Arab world Wednesday following the dissemination of a video showing the beheading of a Palestinian child by an Islamist rebel group in Aleppo, Syria. The ten-year-old boy was accused by the the Nureddin Al Zenki rebel group of fighting against them with a pro-regime Palestinian group called the Al Quds Brigade, which issued a statement denying he was among their troops. The video was strongly condemned by several governments and groups on all sides in the Syrian conflict.

International efforts to Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) Israel took another hit Wednesday when the West African country of Guinea announced it was renewing diplomatic ties with the Jewish State 49 years after breaking them following the 1967 Six Days War. “This is part of a process that is gaining momentum and is very important,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “It opens Israel up to Africa, and it obviously helps us in other aspects.”

Several members of the ICEJ Headquarters staff were on hand Wednesday afternoon to greet a flight at Ben Gurion airport carrying 200 French Jews who were making Aliyah to Israel. ICEJ helped fund the flight as part of its ongoing efforts to assist the Jewish Agency in its Aliyah work. The newest citizens of Israel were welcomed with joyful dancing and music proclaiming God’s covenant faithfulness in preserving them and bringing them back to their homeland after 2,000 years.  “One couldn’t help but marvel and join in the excitement with them!,” said ICEJ Aid Director Nicole Yoder.

After a jihadist in a truck killed 84 people in Nice on Bastille Day, the French are trying to comprehend their new normal: terror attacks. As prime minister Manuel Valls said: “France must live with terrorism.