Israel came to a standstill on Wednesday to mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calender. Millions of Jewish men and women spent the day praying in Synagogues while many children took part in the traditional day of biking and otherwise playing in the empty streets. One group which was kept busy was the Magen David Adom ambulance service, which reported treating 1,728 people for injuries suffered in bike and scooter accidents, dehydration and weakness caused by fasting.

A senior-level team from the Israeli Air Force was in Moscow on Thursday to present data to Russian officials regarding the downing on Tuesday of a Russian Air Force reconnaissance aircraft on Tuesday, killing 15 Russian serviceman. The Kremlin blamed Israel for the incident, saying Israeli attack aircraft used the Russian plane for cover as they launched a strike on Iranian-supplied missiles being transferred to Hezbollah in Syria’s Latakia province. The anti-aircraft missiles fired by Assad regime forces at the Israeli planes hit the Russian plane by mistake, according to the Kremlin assessment.

The US State Department issued its annual survey on global terrorism Wednesday, once again naming Iran as the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. “Designated as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1984, Iran continued its terrorist-related activity in 2017, including support for Lebanese Hizballah, Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza, and various groups in Syria, Iraq, and throughout the Middle East,” the report said. It added that Iran has a highly active offensive cyber program which has carried out attacks against computer networks belonging to a variety of governments and private entities around the world.

The Palestinian Authority announced this week that it will provide a monthly stipend of NIS 1,400 to the family of Khalil Yusef Ali Jabarin, the terrorist who murdered 45-year-old Israeli journalist Ari Fuld last Sunday. The announcement led to a renewed debate in Israel over enforcement of recently passed legislation which would deduct the amount of money the PA budgets for such stipends from the amount Israel transfers to the PA from collected taxes on Palestinian goods and services traversing Israeli territory.

The recent Russian-Turkish-Iranian summit in Tehran underscored the Islamic Republic’s determination to take an active and central part in the future reconstruction of Syria so as to promote a range of civilian and security interests that are bound to work to Israel’s detriment.

Gregg Roman, Director of the Middle East Forum think tank, breaks down the evolving regional situation in the Middle East and Israel’s position among the power players.

The ICEJ’s 2018 Feast of Tabernacles will open this Sunday evening at the Ein Gedi oasis near the Dead Sea in southern Israel and will continue through Friday, the 28th of September. If you can’t be here with us in Israel to enjoy it, you can still watch all the main events on our live streaming feed.