Israel

Israeli scientists make model synthetic mouse embryo with stem cells

Circumventing the injection of an egg with sperm, Weizmann Institute of Science geneticists have accomplished a breakthrough – creating synthetic mouse embryos with beating hearts and brains outside the uterus using stem cells taken from skin and cultured in a dish.

“The embryo is the best organ-making machine and the best 3D bioprinter; we tried to emulate what it does,” noted research team head Prof. Jacob Hanna of the Molecular Genetics Department in the Rehovot institute.

Scientists already know how to restore mature cells to “stem-ness” – pioneers of this cellular reprogramming won a Nobel Prize in 2012. But going in the opposite direction – that is, causing stem cells to differentiate into specialized body cells, not to mention form entire organs – has proved much more problematic. Source: Jerusalem Post

17th of Tammuz: Record Number of Jews Ascend to the Temple Mount to Commemorate Jerusalem’s Destruction

On Sunday, Jews ascended to the Temple Mount, fasting to commemorate the breach of the walls of Jerusalem that led to the destruction of the Second Temple.

Saturday was the Seventeenth of Tammuz, but if it falls on Saturday (as it did this year), the fast is postponed until the following day.

Ascending to Judaism’s holiest site is a powerful rite for Jews, requiring immersion in a mikveh (ritual bath), and wearing leather shoes is forbidden. Despite Israeli law mandating religious equality at the site, The Israeli police routinely prohibit Jews (and Christians) from praying. Jews may only enter from one gate during limited hours and only after a rigorous background and security check. Source: Israel 365

Israel’s Former Washington Ambassador: Biden Leaked Israeli Intel for Iran Deal

As President Biden returns to the US from a visit to Israel and Saudi Arabia, one insider noted a disturbing factor contributing to the erosion of the relationship between the US and Israel; White House intel leaks that harm Israel’s security interests.

Ron Dermer is an American-born political consultant and diplomat who served as the Israeli Ambassador to the United States from 2013 to 2021. He previously served as Israel’s economic envoy to the United States from 2005 to 2008 and is a long-time adviser to Benjamin Netanyahu. Dermer outlined this theory in an interview on the podcast “Diplomatically Incorrect” with The Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), a  pro-Israeli lobby and think-tank, one month ago in preparation for Biden’s visit.

The interview began with Dermer and  Dr. Michael Makovsky discussing a New York Times article reporting on the assassination of Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodaei from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who was shot dead outside his Tehran home. The source or the story was a White House leak that gave out confidential intel on Israeli operations. Source: Israel365

Saudi Arabia Largely Eliminates Antisemitism from Textbooks

Antisemitism was by in large deleted from Saudi Arabian textbooks, The Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se) revealed in its annual report on education in the Kingdom.

The report, published last week, discovered that content that portrayed Jews as insubordinate and teachings of antisemitic stereotypes, including Jews being wealthy, was eliminated from the country’s curriculum.

Riyadh has experienced a trend of progress in deleting antisemitism from its curriculum recently, IMPACT-se reported. Source: Israel365

Israel’s ‘Iron Beam’ laser system may help deter Iran’s threat against the Holy Land

Hezbollah frequently launched several of its simplest rockets against Israel but hasn’t launched a major rocket or missile attack against Israel since 2018. The more rockets and missiles launched, the greater their capacity to overwhelm the limited number of defensive missiles that can be fired to intercept them.

The not-so-obvious problem with Iron Dome is that each Tamir missile costs about $50,000. The cost of a typical intercept is $100,000 or $150,000. Israel is a relatively wealthy nation, but those costs are not sustainable because of other demands — social welfare programs among them — on its budget.

What may be a solution to both problems has now been unveiled. Israel’s cheap shot — from its new “Iron Beam” laser system — will cost about $2 for each interception. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced the development of the system in early June. It is expected to be deployed next year. Source: Washington Times

Op-Ed: Time to help the Iranian people overthrow the regime’

The Iranian people don’t want the United States to overthrow their regime. They want the United States and the world to stand with them as they overthrow the regime, said Caroline Glick in this week’s episode of “Mideast News Hour.”

The people of Iran have been in a near continuous revolt against the regime since 2017. Yet, the United States—and particularly the Democratic Party—has ignored them. For the past three weeks, people from all walks of life in Iran have once again taken to the streets to call for the overthrow of the regime. This week, Glick spoke with Cameron Khansarinia, director of the National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI) in Washington, D.C., to discuss the latest round of national protests and the regime’s response.   Source: Caroline Glick / JNS News

Op-Ed: Damascus airport strike reflects a shift in Israeli policy

The central goal of the Israeli Air Force’s alleged strike on Thursday night was not Iran, but Syria. By striking the runways at Damascus International Airport and suspending flights for hours, Israel may have sought to pressure Syrian President Basher Assad into adopting a more active and assertive position against Iran’s use of its territory and infrastructure to continue to smuggle arms to Hezbollah and various other powerful elements inside Syria.

In the seven years since it began, the IDF’s “campaign between the wars” has recorded quite a few achievements. The intelligence infiltration that allowed for thousands of attacks did serious harm to Iran’s plan to establish permanent bases and armed militias inside Syria, and significantly disrupted its weapons convoys to Hezbollah. On the other hand, it failed to dissuade the Iranians from continuing their efforts.

The aim now, therefore, is to exert further pressure via the Syrian government. To lead Assad to draw the conclusion that the direct price he will pay for Iran’s continued activity in his country will be higher than the price of confronting them. Source: JNS