US President Donald Trump was in Warsaw on Thursday and in a speech which focused on what he described as an existential battle the West is engaged in with the enemies of freedom, he urged Russia to “cease its destabilizing activities in Ukraine and elsewhere, and its support for hostile regimes, including Syria and Iran, and to instead join the community of responsible nations in our fight against common enemies, and in defense of civilization itself.”

Jerusalem’s Teddy Kollek Stadium hosted the opening ceremonies of the 20th Maccabiah Games on Thursday, with around 10,000 Jewish athletes from over 80 countries around the world parading to the delight of tens of thousands of fans. Athletic competition already began on Tuesday and will continue until 18 July, with activities encompassing 43 different sports and four divisions, Junior, Masters, Open, and Paralympics.

The World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) held a vote by secret ballot on Friday which resulted in a decision to register the Old City of Hebron and Cave of Patriarchs to the “State of Palestine” despite the Cave being considered the second holiest site in the world to Judaism. In remarks echoed by other Israeli officials, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely described the vote as a “badge of shame for UNESCO, which time after time prefers to stand with the side of lies.”

A team headed by Tel Aviv University researcher Dr. Assaf Distelfeld recently published an article in the prestigious journal Science which includes the genome sequence for wild emmer wheat. The research has the potential to contribute to efforts aimed at providing higher crop yields in all types of agricultural conditions, greatly increasing the supply of food for the world’s growing population.

A senior IDF officer briefed reporters on Thursday on preparations made for future conflicts. “The army is in a completely different place than it was in 2014,” he said, citing the massive amounts of money spent on replenishing and reorganizing the ammunition, fuel, food and equipment stocks which were expended and/or destroyed in the 2014 conflict. “If a war breaks out on both the northern and Gaza borders, the IDF is ready.”

Israel’s ties with India and China represent a major shift in the foreign relations component of Israel’s overall strategic balance. Navigating between China and India, monitoring their different economic clocks, and juxtaposing these trends with global developments requires skilled and artful coordination on diplomatic, economic, security, public, and private sectors levels.

A news clip from the 1950’s shows the foundations of the modern Maccabiah Games which have since become a staple of Israel’s sports scene and known worldwide as the “Jewish Olympics.”