The Golan Regional Council, representing Israelis living in the Golan Heights region which borders southern Syria, have taken it upon themselves to initiate a campaign to raise money and collect humanitarian supplies for the growing number of war refugees on the other side of the border. The campaign was launched this week even as negotiations between rebel factions and the Assad regime, brokered by Russia, have reportedly broken down.

Reports surfaced in various Arab-language media outlets that the Islamist terror militia Hamas and Israel have engaged in secret, indirect negotiations which will soon result in a prisoner exchange and perhaps a long-term cease-fire. The reports resulted in expressions of deep anger by Palestinian activists who accused a Qatari diplomat who mentioned the talks during an interview with a Chinese news agency earlier this week of entering into a “conspiracy against the Palestinian people” along with Israel and the US.

Residents of Haifa and the Galilee were startled on Wednesday evening as an earthquake, measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale, shook the region around 10:45 PM. It was the second time northern Israel had felt a tremor during the day, with a 4.1 quake hitting around 5:00 AM near the city of Tiberius.

Gonen Segev, the former Energy and Infrastructure Minister who previously spent time in prison for drug smuggling, forgery and fraud and lived for years in Nigeria in self-imposed exile before being arrested recently on charges that he engaged in espionage against Israel on behalf of Iran, spent Thursday morning in court as his trial began. The trial’s proceedings are not open to the public due to the classified nature of much of the evidence being presented and prosecutors have hinted that a plea deal is in the works since Segev has reportedly already admitted to the charges against him.

The international movement to Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) Israel suffered another defeat this week when Empire State Development in the US State of New York announced that the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Agricultural Research Organization in Israel have signed a cooperation agreement. The agreement is part of ongoing efforts “to strengthen economic ties with Israel, create new jobs and attract additional international business investment in New York through the Global NY initiative,” according to the announcement.

Israel must halt the reconsolidation of the Syrian regime, especially in the country’s south. Russia helped to bolster the regime through airpower. In response to the resulting and growing threat, Israel must now unleash the might of the IAF.

The Palestinian Authority’s legislation and allocations of monthly salaries and benefits rewarding imprisoned and released terrorists, and the families of “Martyrs,” amount to $300 million annually. This financial reward clearly demonstrates the PA’s institutional commitment to sponsoring terror against Israel.

Approximately one third of Israel’s some 180,000 Holocaust Survivors are impoverished, struggling with illness, or living alone. In 2009, ICEJ began a partnership with the local charity to provide a Home especially for lonely survivors. It offers attractive assisted-living facilities and a warm family environment.