Christians are the "favorite prey” of ISIS jihadis, according to a video released. 20 Feb. 2017 by an ISIS affiliate showing the suicide bomber who slaughtered nearly 30 people in a Coptic cathedral late last year. The masked man identified as Abu Abdallah al-Masri is seen promising jailed jihadists in Egypt that they will be freed soon when the group "liberates” Cairo. A narrator rails in the 20-minute clip against Egypt’s 9 million Christians, singling out figures like the Coptic pope and Christian businessmen as the terror group’s "favorite prey.” Al-Masri - which means "The Egyptian” - was the name that ISIS gave the terrorist behind the suicide bombing at St. Mark’s Cathedral that killed 29 people, mostly women and children. ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombing, its deadliest attack in Egypt outside the Sinai Peninsula, where it has been waging an insurgency since 2013. Orthodox Copts, who comprise about 10 percent of Egypt’s 90 million people, are the Middle East’s largest Christian community. The video contained a new logo reading "Islamic State in Egypt” - as opposed to "Sinai Province,” the original name for the ISIS presence in the country. (NY Post) Pray for the protection of Egyptian Christians against ISIS, the most brutal terrorist group on the earth. Intercede that ISIS and all of its affiliated branches will be utterly dismantled and defeated. [Comment]

The United States and Israel have a "grand mission” to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, the Jewish state’s leader told Fox News on 16 Feb. 2017. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu - fresh off his White House meeting with USA President Donald Trump - said, "Since the signing of the nuclear deal, Iran has become more aggressive, more deadly, sponsoring more terrorism and with more money, a lot more money. And people are saying, wait a minute, this roaring tiger, if it’s not stopped, will devour all of us. We’re all prey to this militant Islamic regime that will arm itself with nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles that could reach you. They’ve killed Americans all over the place. They sponsor terrorism against Americans all over the place. Now they’re going to build ICBM that can reach the United States and have the multiple warheads to do that. It’s dangerous for America, dangerous for Israel, dangerous for the Arabs. Everyone now understands it, and there is an American president who understands it, and we are talking about what to do about this common threat.” The prime minister called his White House visit this week "historical” and described his encounter with Trump as "a meeting of the minds and a meeting of the hearts. (Algemeiner/Fox) In a past report , a media interviewer had this to say: "I recently asked one of his advisers to gauge for me the depth of Mr. Netanyahu’s anxiety about Iran. His answer was to think in terms of Amalek – a nation that wished to wipe out the Jews.” Amalek was the first to make war against Israel, attacking the rear guard of the Israelites on their deliverance from Egypt. Jewish tradition hold the Amalekites are the undying foe of the Jews. "Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. He said, ‘Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation’” Ex. 17: 15-16 [Comment]

 Israel’s economy had its strongest quarterly performance since 2013, the country’s Central Bureau of Statistics said on 16 Feb. 2017. The economy grew by an annualized 6.2 percent in the last quarter of 2016, 4.2% in the third quarter, and 5.3% in the second quarter. The increase in gross domestic product in the second half of 2016 reflected a 3.5-% increase in public consumption, and 2.9% growth in private consumption per capita. Israel’s exports of goods and services, excluding diamonds and start-ups, were up 4.5% in 2016, and investments in fixed assets climbed 10.2%. Imports of goods and services went up 10.6% in the second half of 2016, the report said. (Algemeiner) "Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” Ps. 35:27 [Comment]

 According to the American MarketWatch web-site report, exchange-traded funds that track the Israeli equity market have flourished since Donald Trump won the Nov. 2016 presidential election. "The Trump administration has repeatedly signaled that it is going to treat Israel as a major USA ally and strategic asset. While the Obama administration maintained security ties between the countries, you didn’t always get this kind of language,” MarketWatch quoted Steven Schoenfeld - chief investment officer of BlueStar Indexes - as saying. "With a closer relationship, Israel will benefit not only in terms of investor perception, but also tangibly.” Schoenfeld further noted that the Israeli technology and defense stocks are in the highest demand. "If the Trump administration moves forward with its own initiatives on border security, military spending or intelligence, Israeli companies are likely to benefit from that,” he said. "The Israeli tech scene is second only to Silicon Valley, and it includes many of the biggest cybersecurity and ‘actionable intelligence’ companies that trade. The focus on closer security ties between the USA and Israel may mean bigger orders for Israel’s military or the militaries of its allies.” Any Trump administration policy initiatives regarding the peace process with the Palestinians, Schoenfeld stated, will have "minimal impact” on the Israeli economy. "There could be strife, but every time there’s geopolitical issues like that the market takes a short-term hit and brushes it off,” he said. "If there’s civil unrest, that doesn’t mean Check Point will export less software.” The report was published the same day Trump met with visiting PM Netanyahu at the White House. (Algemeiner) [Comment]

Israel quietly withdrew its ambassador from Egypt several weeks ago, according to Israeli officials. Sources in Egypt said Ambassador David Govrin was pulled out of the country at the end of last year over concerns about his security. The ambassador is currently working from Jerusalem and the Israeli government hopes that he will be able to return to his post soon. It is not clear what the security concerns were but Egypt has been wracked by a series of terror attacks in the last year. The case highlights the difficulties Israel faces in carrying out diplomatic work in Egypt, which along with Jordan is the only Arab country to have diplomatic ties to the Jewish state. Israel and Egypt established diplomatic relations in 1980 after thirty years of war but the relationship is sometimes referred to as "a cold peace”. While the two governments cooperate closely on security issues their citizens rarely visit each other’s countries and anti-Israeli sentiments still run high in Egypt. (UK Telegraph) [Comment]

Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman and also a former Shin Bet director, MK Avi Dichter (Likud), said that Hamas elected a leader, Yahya Sinwar, in Gaza who is a murderer by all means. "Even when he was in prison he continued his activities – he lives for killing," said Dichter. "This appearance that Hamas has a political branch and a military branch was always wrong and today it's officially gone." Dichter added that "Hamas leadership sees the world through the rockets, the tunnels and the attacks on Israel. This is what they wish for." Dr. Kobi Michael, former Deputy Director General at Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs, said Sinwar "represents the most radical and extreme line of Hamas," and is affiliated with, and favors support from, Iran. Describing Sinwar as a "bitter enemy" of Egypt, Michael said Sinwar also favored cooperation with ISIS affiliates fighting the Egyptian Army in Sinai. (J.Post) [Comment]

Yahya Sinwar has been elected to lead Hamas in the Gaza Strip after internal elections were held for the organization's institutional and leadership positions. Sinwar was one of the most senior officials released by Israel in the Shalit deal in which hundreds of terrorists and political prisoners were released in exchange for the return of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. He has developed a reputation as being among the most radical in Hamas, calling since his release for further kidnappings of IDF soldiers, and is thought of as the link between the military and political wing of the terror organization. With his ascent to power, Sinwar will take the reins to rule the Strip from Khaled Mashal. (Ynet) Terrorist murderers released in prisoner swap deals notoriously return to their terrorist occupations despite signing promises to refrain from doing so. They receive the status of Palestinians heroes, and, as in the case of Yahya Sinwar, rise to the ranks of elected Palestinian leaders. As such, it is a reflection of the values of the society and officials who put such men into power. Pray there will be growing numbers of Palestinians who weary of terrorist leaders and their focus on destruction of Israel, rather than on building better lives for their own citizens. [Comment]

The USA and European terror forecast for 2017 'looks alarming,' in part because of increased pressure on ISIS and other terror groups on their home turf, according to a monthly assessment by House lawmakers. Officials predicted necessary efforts to crush foreign terror groups could actually spur more attacks on Western soil. Coming attacks in the USA and Europe could be carried out by lone wolves as well as homegrown terrorists who return from fighting in such places as Iraq, Syria and Somalia. "I am very encouraged that the Trump administration is preparing to put greater pressure on jihadists in their safe havens throughout the world,” said House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul. "But as they do, we can expect to see militants [terrorists] returning to the West to build new networks and to plot more deadly operations.” The report is based on information gleaned from the media, publicly available government data and documents and nongovernmental assessments. Since the beginning of 2016, there have been plots or attacks by 39 homegrown jihadists in 19 USA states. Two instances occurred on American soil last month: The attack at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport carried out in the first week of 2017 by Esteban Santiago, radicalized by ISIS videos, and the 31 Jan. murder of a Denver Regional Transportation District contract security officer by a suspect carrying jihadist material in his backpack. The report also cites numerous incidents in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. (Fox) [Comment]

As tensions between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip increase, Hamas has issued a new animated video in Hebrew, called "Zionist: You Will Perish in Gaza.” The song was uploaded to YouTube on Tues. night 7 Feb. 2017, and has started going viral. The rhetoric including "I will eat you alive, tastes best without salt, Zionist –Yes, yes, you” is accompanied by swords chopping bodies in half, and bloody heads being severed. The video threatens Israeli military sites including the "kirya” or Defense Ministry, and is sung in Arabic-accented Hebrew. Israeli analysts said the goal of the video was to scare Israelis into pressuring their government not to enter a new round of fighting in Gaza. Earlier this week, a rocket from Gaza hit southern Israel and Israel responded with a series of attacks on Hamas installations in Gaza. (Medialine) [Comment]

IDF tanks and aircraft destroyed six Hamas positions on 6 Feb. 2017, after a rocket was fired toward Israel and Hamas forces opened fire on an IDF force working near the Gaza border fence. Israel’s PM Netanyahu said: "We will respond to all shooting with heavy fire. There is no way that someone can shoot at us and we don't respond." (Ynet News) [Comment]