KENYAN MPs IN KNESSET: ‘WE MUST JOIN HANDS TO FIGHT TERRORISM’: Members of the Kenyan parliament`s Committee on National Security visited the Knesset on 28 Nov. 2016, where they met with Knesset Director-General Albert Sakharovich and other MKs. The Kenyan MP's spoke of the terrorist attacks which have been carried out on Kenyan soil by terrorist organizations, such as al Qaeda. They stressed the need for countries “to join hands" to combat terrorism. Director-General Sakharovich noted the friendship that has developed between the Knesset and the Kenyan legislature. ”I hope and believe that your visit will strengthen the ties between us even more,” he told the MPs. ”The war against terror is a war we are all forced take part in,” he added. “The Knesset members you have met with here have stood at the forefront of the war against terror in Israel.” (INN)

PRESIDENT OF WORLD JEWISH CONGRESS: ‘I’VE KNOWN TRUMP 50 YEARS, HE’LL BE A STRONG ADVOCATE FOR ISRAEL’: While voicing concern about rising antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment around the globe, World Jewish Congress President, Ronald Lauder, stresses that Israel is still the only thriving democracy in the Middle East, and that the USA-Israel relationship remains strong despite recent tension. In an exclusive interview with Israel’s daily, The Jerusalem Post, Lauder – the preeminent leader of global Jewry – says last year’s Iran deal put an unfortunate strain on USA-Israel ties, “but I am confident that President- elect Donald Trump, who I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for nearly 50 years, will be a strong and resolute advocate for the Jewish state.” When Lauder was asked what he views as the main challenges facing the world today, he replied: "There’s no denying that we face tumultuous times and consequential challenges, from the spread of ISIS and radical Islam, to the greatest humanitarian crisis in recent history in Syria. The loss of life and suffering is staggering, and unrest in the Middle East is unsettling for all of us who care deeply about a secure Jewish homeland.”

 The United States reclaimed its seat on the UN Human Rights Council on Friday 29 Oct. 2016, and immediately called for a change in its treatment of Israel. “While important challenges remain, including ending the council’s excessive and biased focus on Israel, we look forward to cooperating with other council members to address human rights concerns, advance human rights around the world, and ensure the Council fully realizes its purpose,” USA Secretary of State John Kerry said. The elections are held annually, for three-year terms, and no member state can sit on the council for more than two consecutive terms. The USA ended its six years on the council in 2015. During that time, it was the one consistent vote in support of Israel on the UNHRC, which spends more time condemning the Jewish state than any genuine human rights abusers. Aside from the USA, the following countries will begin serving on the council in 2017: Brazil, Croatia, Egypt, Hungary, Iraq, Japan, Rwanda and Tunisia. Cuba, Saudi Arabia, China, South Africa and Great Britain are already on the council and will be serving second terms. “The re-election of China, Cuba and Saudi Arabia – regimes which systematically violate the human rights of their citizens – casts a shadow upon the reputation of the United Nations,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer. (J.Post)

Amid the uproar caused by a UN resolution passed this week denying any Jewish connection to Jerusalem and its Temple Mount, Pope Francis on 26 Oct. 2016, insisted that Israel’s ties to the Holy Land are both ancient and divinely ordained “The people of Israel, who from Egypt, where they were enslaved, walked through the desert for forty years until they reached the land promised by God,” the pope said. Shortly after, the pontiff met with Israeli Deputy Minister for Regional Cooperation Ayoub Kara who, despite not being Jewish or Christian himself (Kara is a member of Israel’s Druze population), said Francis’ words were a clear rebuke of the UN and its efforts to rewrite history. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein had written to the Vatican urging it to more forcefully reject the UN resolution, which Edelstein called “an assault on history and deeply offensive to both Christianity and Judaism.” (Israel Today) 

 Speaking at a synagogue in Florida, Ivanka Trump assured Jewish voters that her father would “100 percent” move the USA embassy to Jerusalem if he is elected president. Ivanka Trump, who converted to Judaism in 2010 and is married to a Jewish man, called her father, the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, an “unbelievable champion” for the State of Israel and for the Jewish people during a talk on Thurs. 27 Oct. 2016, at The Shul of Bal Harbour in Surfside, Florida. “You won’t be disappointed,” she told the audience during the talk. In addition to saying Donald Trump will move the embassy to Jerusalem, which she called “the eternal capital,” she also said he supported her conversion to Judaism before her marriage to Jared Kushner. “I so respect the fact that he supported me from day one,” she said. “There was no question, there was no argument. He was very supportive.” Congress passed a law in 1995 mandating the move of the embassy to Jerusalem, but allowed the president a waiver. Each president since then has routinely exercised the waiver, citing the national security interests of the United States. (Jerusalem Post)

RUSSIANS FEAR TENSIONS WITH USA OVER SYRIA CIVIL WAR MAY LEAD TO WORLD WAR 3: Nearly half of Russians fear that Moscow's bombing campaign in Syria could spark World War III, a poll showed on 31 Oct. 2016. Moscow, an ally of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, has been staging bombing raids in Syria since Sep. 2015. That figure was up from 29% in July of this year. Moscow's air strikes have negatively affected the way Russia is perceived internationally, 32% said, up from 16% in November 2015. Nevertheless, 52% of Russians said they back Moscow's air strikes, while 26% said they opposed them. Western powers and rights groups have accused Syrian and Russian forces of carrying out indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure in the country, particularly around the former economic powerhouse Aleppo, parts of which have been reduced to rubble. (Arutz-7)