In another sign of increased tensions between the US and Iran, the US State Department ordered the departure of “non-emergency US government employees” from Iraq on Wednesday following an assessment by US Central Command (CENTCOM) of the likelihood of an “imminent” attack against US forces in the region by Iran and/or terror militias it sponsors. The move came despite a speech by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Tuesday in which he said, among other things, that “there was not going to be any war.”

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman was the guest of honor Tuesday evening at events to mark the one-year anniversary of its opening. During his remarks, Friedman said, among other things, that the US had “created a new shrine in the ancient city of Jerusalem, and we’re extremely proud of it.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also a guest of honor at the event, saying during his remarks that the Jewish people are “the only people on Earth who live in the same land where they lived 3,000 years ago, with the same capital, the same language and the same religion.”

The movement to Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) Israel suffered another defeat this week when UK pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca signed an agreement with the Economy Ministry aimed at increasing investments in biomedical innovation and research conducted in the Jewish State. “There is a lot of interest from the British side to engage with Israel, aware of the opportunities of Israeli innovation,” Dr. Samuel Cronin, UK Israel Tech Hub healthcare innovation manager, told The Jerusalem Post. “On the other side, we’re seeing a lot of interest from the Israeli companies going more and more toward the UK.”

The 1st conference of the Israeli Olympic Sports Research Center began Wednesday at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. The purpose of the conference is to explore ways for technological innovation to assist athletes and trainers to enhance their performance and reduce injuries related to sports and athletics. Leading experts in the fields of sports medicine, computer science and engineering, along with Israeli Olympic athletes, are scheduled to attend.

Pop superstar Madonna landed in Israel Tuesday, expressing her intention to make a guest appearance at the Eurovision song contest later this week despite intense pressure from the BDS campaign. The arrival was good news for the contest which has seen some setbacks in its initial days, with the webcast of a semi-final competition Tuesday evening being disrupted for several minutes in a hack being blamed on the Islamist terror militia Hamas and the accidental death of an employee on Tuesday morning.

After a year in which Iran opted for “strategic patience,” in the hope that European nations would compensate for the US sanctions, it now seeks to present a price tag for the US measures against it, and has thus embarked on a response comprising action in three realms: nuclear, military, and oil exports from the Gulf. In the current circumstances, Iran and the US are demanding conditions that would make a resumption of negotiations difficult, although both sides apparently understand that dialogue may ultimately be the less dangerous option for them.

Israel is one of the most free and most prosperous countries in the world. Not only is Israel a booming economy and a wellspring of innovation, it is the only democracy in the Middle East. So why is it so controversial to support the Jewish state? Stephen Harper, the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada, lays out several fundamental truths about America’s most critical ally.

“Comfort ye, comfort ye My People” – The quote is taken from Isaiah 40:1-2. It is the “mandate from heaven” given to the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem three decades ago. It also includes an exhortation that appears to be a contradiction, at least if one applies it to the modern day context.