NETANYAHU: ‘PEACE WITH SYRIA – WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS: Speaking at the Sunday cabinet meeting, PM Binyamin Netanyahu said Israel seeks a peace treaty with Syria along with all of its neighbors, similar to the treaties it negotiated with Jordan and Egypt. The prime minister made it clear, however, "there will be no major concessions in advance of the negotiations. All agreements we make must place the security of Israel first."  February has seen a recent escalation of the war of words between Damascus and Jerusalem. (INN)  Leaders in the region are attempting to downplay the seriousness of renewed tensions between Israel and Syria, but it is necessary to keep a prayerful eye on the situation. Verbal conflicts can lead to further dangerous schisms in the Middle East, such as the rapid and ongoing one between Israel and Turkey.     

ISRAEL’S FOREIGN MINISTER LIEBERMAN WARNS SYRIA AGAINST WAR: Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned Damascus on Thursday against drawing the State of Israel into another war, promising that such a conflict would result in the deaths of many Syrian soldiers and the collapse of President Bashar Assad’s regime.Lieberman further warned Syria to abandon its attempts to reclaim the Golan Heights, liberated by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War.  Assad’s foreign minister threatened Israel earlier last week, saying Israeli cities would be attacked in a future conflict between the countries. International figures believe Damascus wants to reach an agreement with Israel - albeit one that restores all of the Golan Heights to it. (Arutz-7) Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has repeatedly made it clear his government would not hold direct peace negotiations with Israel until the Jewish state agrees to the full return of the Golan Heights captured from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War. Examining the cost; this would give Damascus control of the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, Israel's main source of fresh water. There are dozens of Jewish settlements on the Heights, with more than 30,000 Jewish residents who have cultivated vineyards and orchards and raise livestock. The region is a major supplier of Israel's fresh fruit and vegetables.  Rainwater from the Golan feeds into the Jordan River providing a third of Israel's water supply.  The nation’s only ski resort is also located on the Golan.  The region, overlooking northern Israel and southern Syria, is strategic to the security of the Jewish state as it enables Israel to monitor Syrian movements. 

US URGES ISRAEL, SYRIA TO CURB RENEWED TENSIONS: Washington has called on Israel and Syria to curb recent tensions that might make it more difficult to resume stalled peace negotiations. State Department sources said the US was determined to see Israel re-enter the peace process, both on the Palestinian and Syrian track. Israel responded it wants to start talks that would culminate with a permanent peace agreement with Syria, but would continue to react against any threats to its safety. (INN)

AHMADINEJAD: IRAN WILL ENRICH URANIUM TO 20%: Iran’s president Ahmadinejad has ordered his country's atomic chief Salehi to "begin production" just days after saying that Iran would abide by West's proposal and ship uranium to Europe. "God willing, 20% enrichment will start to meet Iran's needs,” said Ahmadinejad. Producing enriched uranium is the international community's core concern over Iran's nuclear program since it can be used to make nuclear weapons. Iran continues to bide for time as it defiantly moves forward to develop nuclear arms that will endanger the world as well as Israel. (AP)  

HAMAS: WE DID NOT APOLOGIZE FOR HITTING CIVILIANS: Hamas justice minister Muhammad Faraj Al-Ghoul said Saturday that contrary to media reports, its reply to the Goldstone commission contained no apologies for targeting Israeli civilians with rocket fire, or for the abduction of IDF Sgt. Gilad Shalit. A major news agency reported last week the document Hamas sent the Goldstone commission had addressed the Israeli public, saying: "We hope the Israeli civilians understand that their government's continued attacks on us were the key issue and the cause."  Al-Ghoul stated no such hint at apology was made and that the missile fire against Israel would go on. (Arutz-7)

BRITISH PM DEEPLY TROUBLED BY RECORD ANTISEMITISM IN 2009: British PM Gordon Brown on Friday called the record number of antisemitic incidents across the UK last year "deeply troubling.”The Community Security Trust reported 2009 was the worst year for antisemitic incidents in Britain since the Jewish group first began tracking them in 1984. Some 924 anti-Jewish incidents occurred in the UK in 2009. (Ha’aretz)

TURKISH GIRL BURIED ALIVE FOR TALKING TO BOYS:  A teenager's father and grandfather have been arrested over a suspected 'honor killing' after police unearth the girl’s shackled body last week. She was buried alive by relatives as a punishment for talking to boys, a Turkish newspaper reported on Thursday. A postmortem examination revealed a significant amount of soil in her lungs and stomach, indicating that she was buried alive and conscious, according to forensic experts. (Ha’aretz)  A recent report by the Turkish Prime Ministry's Human Rights Directorate says that in Istanbul alone, there is one honor killing every week; and reports over 1,000 during the last 5 years. Honor killings are taking place daily in Muslim communities, worldwide - even in the US, Canada and across Europe. 

THE DIRE PLIGHT OF ISRAEL’S MOST POOR: Israel’s poor live in a much deeper state of poverty than their counterparts in the UK, a study carried out by academics at Bar-Ilan University and the University of Bristol has found. According to the research, in Israel, people living in poverty are six times more likely to go without food than Britain’s poor and are four times more likely to have their phones or electricity disconnected. The researchers noted Israel’s poor were much more likely to suffer from chronic health problems than those in the UK. (J.Post) “Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name.” Ps 74:21

MEETING ISRAEL’S NEEDS DURING INCREASINGLY TROUBLED TIMES: The National Insurance Institute's annual Poverty Report released Nov. 2009, paints an extremely grim picture: There are 1,651,300 needy people living in Israel, including 783,600 children. Hardship is mounting. Please continue to enable us to assist terrorist victims, entire households suffering from poverty, the elderly and others in need in Israel. Your donations are needed and welcomed at www.visionforisrael.com Make your online donation today. For residents in the UK and outside North America you can visit www.josephstorehouse.co.uk  If you prefer to send your donation by check, you can mail it in to the Israel address or the addresses in the USA and the UK or one of our other branches in The Netherlands and Germany:     

Vision for Israel   P.O. Box 7265   Jerusalem, 91073 Israel

The Joseph Storehouse Trust  P.O.Swindon, SN3 4FB Box 5    England

Vision for Israel P.O. Box 7743 Charlotte, NC  28241 USA

Blessings from Jerusalem,
Barry Segal with the Editorial Staff