What Is It Really Like to Follow Jesus in Israel?

[One hour, one minute]

Symbols found in Gaza homes motivate IDF soldiers to fight harder:

What does Gaza have to do with Jerusalem?

Apparently, quite a lot.

During the ongoing operations against the Hamas terror group in Gaza, IDF soldiers have reported a striking and recurring sight inside Arab homes: pictures of the Dome of the Rock, the Islamic shrine located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

While the pictures are meant to inspire Muslims, ironically, for many Jewish soldiers, they serve as a powerful and unexpected reminder of what they are fighting for: the connection of the Jewish people to Jerusalem and the ancient Jewish Temples.

One soldier recounted, “When I saw that picture on the wall, it hit me. They have a symbol of their claim to our holiest place. It made me realize that this fight is not just about territory; it is about our history and our future on the Temple Mount.”

Another soldier shared, “We are fighting in their tunnels and their homes, and they have pictures of the Dome of the Rock hanging up everywhere. It reminded me that we are fighting for the right to pray at the Kotel and to one day see the Temple rebuilt.”

https://worldisraelnews.com/symbols-found-in-gaza-homes-motivate-idf-soldiers-to-fight-harder/   

Tens of thousands stream to Western Wall as Tisha B'Av begins:

As sun sets on Israel, crowds gather at the Western Wall to hear Lamentations and recite traditional prayers of mourning at the start of the fast of Tisha B'Av.

As the sun set on Wednesday evening, the Jewish people entered Tisha B'Av (the Ninth of Av), the national day of mourning marking the destruction of the First and Second Temples.

Across Israel and Jewish communities worldwide, worshippers gathered in synagogues to read the Book of Lamentations (Eicha) and recite traditional elegies.

Tens of thousands are expected to assemble at the Western Wall Plaza for prayers and the recitation of "kinot," traditional prayers of mourning, near the remnant of the Holy Temple.

...Tisha B'Av, which began at sunset Wednesday and will last until nightfall on Thursday...

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/430599   

Syrian president: No interest in conflict with Israel, wants security arrangement:

Syria is not seeking confrontation with Israel and is working toward a security arrangement with the Jewish state, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in an interview.

In an interview with Qatar's Al Jazeera, Sharaa, a former Islamist terrorist, spoke about Syria's relations with two of its neighbors, Israel and Lebanon, and expressed hope that a security deal with Israel could pave the way for a comprehensive peace proposal.  

Al-Sharaa said he hoped that a security agreement with Israel could serve as a foundation for negotiations toward a comprehensive peace agreement, while maintaining that Syria would not give up its “rights in the occupied Golan.”

The United States is the only country to have formally recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, with the Trump administration announcing the move during his first term in office in 2019.

Israeli forces moved into several additional positions in southern Syria, saying the deployment was needed to create a security buffer zone. As one of the reasons for its actions, Israel cited repeated statements by militias aligned with al-Sharaa’s regime calling for an invasion of Israel.

Israel has also said the positions are necessary to prevent a massacre of the Syrian Druze communities near the border.

Al-Sharaa rejected the possibility that the Syrian army would take action against Hezbollah, despite repeated calls from President Trump for Damascus to confront the terror group.

“We support the Lebanese state's monopoly on weapons,” he said, referring to the Lebanese government’s plan to disarm Hezbollah as part of an agreement that would also include the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon.

https://allisraelnews.com/syrian-president-no-interest-in-conflict-with-israel-wants-security-arrangement   

A court cannot summon the Messiah: On the limits of the Sanhedrin’s authority:

A reconstituted Sanhedrin has issued a ruling asking Heaven to reveal the Mashiach and rebuild the Temple. But the classical sources draw a sharp line the court has crossed.

When a reconstituted Sanhedrin issues a formal ruling that asks Heaven to reveal the Mashiach (Messiah), clear every obstacle to the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple), restore prophecy, and remove every hostile force from the Land of Israel, the first question is whether the court has stayed within the boundaries the Torah and the Sages set for it.... or whether it has stepped into territory no court was ever authorized to enter.

Nowhere... does the court receive authority to issue a psak (binding ruling) that obligates Heaven to bring the Mashiach or to rebuild the Temple.

... It does not authorize a court to decree redemptive events and then treat Heaven as obligated to perform them. 

https://israel365news.com/420068/a-court-cannot-summon-the-messiah-on-the-limits-of-the-sanhedrins-authority/