Israeli officials expressed shock and sympathy to its neighbors Monday following a weekend which saw two massive terror attacks in Egypt and Turkey. The blast at Cairo’s Coptic cathedral killed at least 25 people and wounded many others just two days after roadside bombs killed six police officers. and wounded many others while car bomb attacks near a soccer stadium in Istanbul killed 38 people and wounded over 150 others.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosted a  trilateral meeting with the leaders of Greece and Cyprus on Thursday, announcing plans to build a joint emergency and rescue force to deal with natural disasters in the region. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades both expressed warm feelings for Israel and hopes for expanded cooperation in all areas moving forward.

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked announced recently that she is ordering an investigation into reports of threats and intimidation against Christian Arab citizens of Israel who volunteer to serve in the IDF. The announcement was made at the Christian Empowerment Council’s annual Christmas party in Nazareth on Tuesday night, which was also attended by several leaders of Israel’s Arab Christian community and Christian supporters of Israel from around the world, as well as the IDF, Border Police and various other security agencies.

The Palestinian Authority has dispatched a group of officials to Washington to lobby the outgoing Obama Administration against using America’s veto power at the UN Security Council against a resolution condemning Israeli settlements that the PA plans to bring before the Council in the near future. In related news, the Islamist terror militia Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, announced on Sunday that it is willing to share its arsenal of terror rockets with anyone willing to fire them into Israel.

Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev presented a coin to the cabinet meeting Sunday, minted 1,967 years ago and recently unearthed by archeologists in Jerusalem. The coin was inscribed with the words “Freedom of Zion” in Hebrew and was struck during the revolt against the Romans which culminated in the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD. It is scheduled to be displayed as part of the upcoming celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Jerusalem to be held next summer.

Israel (according to foreign reports) is continuing to attack weapons shipments in Syria earmarked for Hizbullah despite the massive Russian presence there. The Arab press has even reported that Moscow has tacitly agreed to these attacks and has also demanded of Hizbullah that it not respond. These reports show that the Russian presence in Syria could also provide certain benefits for Israel.