A warm atmosphere

The atmosphere at the Meir Panim free restaurants is relaxed and warm. Over time, camaraderie develops and the restaurants become a "second home” for many of the patrons. Troubled diners open up to the caring volunteers who are always ready to listen, encourage, and assist in any way possible.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin accused the Hamas terrorist organization this week of turning hospitals and other civilian buildings in the Gaza Strip into terror bases. Rivlin visited the headquarters of the Gaza Regional Division of the IDF on 21 Jan. 2018. He then toured the new neighborhood being built at Kibbutz Nirim. Rivlin received a briefing on the current challenges in the sector from high ranking military and security officials. "I am coming to you now from meetings with the security forces and from operational surveys," Rivlin said. "We fought for the houses, the kindergartens and the schools, the paths and the fields. It was a war for our existence and daily life." The president said that Israel remains at war with the Hamas terrorist organization which rules the Gaza Strip. "The mission of the State of Israel has not been completed. We are fighting a terrorist organization that is cruel, extremist, and murderous. It is a terrorist organization that devotes no thought to the future and well-being of Israel, the people of Gaza, and for whom "reconciliation" of one kind or another is only a step towards advancing the war.

"Hamas is cultivating terror bases in hospitals, mosques and schools, and continues to invest its energy in military armament, tunnel construction, and planning attacks against the State of Israel. We are not complacent. We know that the next battle, if imposed on us, will be different and harder than the previous one. But we are determined that when it comes, we will be ready and trained. We will surprise and not be surprised, and we will strike the enemy with a hard and cutting blow," added Rivlin. "The entire world must know and understand that the ones preventing the rehabilitation [of Gaza] is Hamas. Israel is the only entity in the region that transfers - regardless of the situation - the minimal needs to the residents so that they can maintain their well-being. Unfortunately, Hamas is exploiting the plight of Gaza's citizens and using the materials - which are sent to the Gaza Strip for the benefit of the lives of the residents - for terror purposes instead. (Arutz-7) [Comment]

At the behest of Fatah, Palestinians in Jerusalem, Judea & Samaria kept their shops closed on Tues. 23 Jan. 2018 to protest the USA vice president's trip to Israel. Palestinians took part in a general strike, protesting Pence's time in Israel, and his Knesset speech in support of USA President Donald Trump's Dec. 2017 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Shops in Palestinian cities and in east Jerusalem were locked and shuttered, and the streets were nearly entirely empty. On 22 Jan. 2018, Pence's speech to Israel's Knesset was briefly disrupted, at the outset, by Arab Israeli parliament members who held up protest signs in Arabic and English, reading "Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine." They were immediately ejected by ushers. Pence responded to the incident by saying with a smile: "It is deeply humbling for me to stand before this vibrant democracy." (J.Post) [Comment]

Pence rapped Iran as the world’s biggest state sponsor of terrorism, in his speech to Israel’s Knesset and used the phrase "radical Islamic terrorism” several times, saying it "respects no creed, stealing the lives of Jews, Christians and Muslims. Together with our allies we will continue to bring the full force of our might to drive radical Islamic terrorism from the face of the earth,” he said. During his speech, Pence waxed poetic about Israel and Jewish history. "As I stand in Abraham’s Promised Land, I believe that all who cherish freedom and seek a brighter future should cast their eyes here and marvel at what they behold. How unlikely is Israel’s birth; how more unlikely is her survival?” Pence said the Jewish people held on to the hope of returning to their homeland over a 2,000 year exile, "through the darkest and longest nights. Tomorrow, when I stand with my wife Karen at Yad Vashem to honor the six million Jewish martyrs of the Holocaust, we will marvel at the faith and resilience of your people, who just three years after walking in the shadow of death, rose up from the ashes to resurrect yourselves, to reclaim a Jewish future and rebuild the Jewish State.” Speaking on Israel’s upcoming 70th Independence Day, Pence said the Shehechiyanu ("who has granted us life”) blessing. Pence’s blessing was met with a standing ovation from nearly all of the MKs present, as were several other points in his speech. (J.Post) [Comment]

USA Vice President Mike Pence was met with one standing ovation after another in the Knesset, during his speech rife with Biblical references and expressions of support for Israel and the Jewish people. Pence said, "We stand with Israel, because we believe in right over wrong, in good over evil, and in liberty over tyranny. The people of the USA have always held a special affection and admiration for the People of the Book. In the story of the Jews, we’ve always seen the story of America. It is the story of Exodus, a journey from persecution to freedom, a story that shows the power of faith and the promise of hope,” he stated. Pence, the first USA Vice President to address the Knesset’s plenary, spoke to a packed room. A devout Evangelical Christian, Pence paraphrased Psalms: "The USA is proud to stand with Israel and her people, as allies and cherished friends. And so we will pray for the peace of Jerusalem, that those who love you will be secure, that there be peace within your walls and security in your citadels. And we will work and strive for that brighter future, so everyone who calls this ancient land home shall sit under their vine and fig tree, and none shall make them afraid.” Pence urged the Palestinians, who are boycotting his visit to the region, to come to the negotiating table. "We recognize that peace will require compromise, but you can be confident in this: The USA will never compromise on the safety and security of the State of Israel. The USA remains committed to peace,” Pence stated, saying that the USA will support a two-state solution if both sides want it. That comment was met by a standing ovation. The vice president announced that the USA embassy will move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by the end of next year, emphasizing that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. (J.Post) [Comment]

The USA will not provide $45 million in food aid for Palestinians that it pledged last month as part of the Judea & Samaria/ Gaza Emergency Appeal led by UNRWA - the USA State Department said on 18 Jan. 2018. The State Department said on 16 Jan. 2018 that Washington would withhold a separate $65 million from UNRWA, saying it needed to make reforms. "The United States plans to make this funding available to UNRWA in early 2018,”said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert. The United States had made clear to UNRWA that the $45 million was a pledge aimed at helping the agency, but it was not a guarantee, Nauert told reporters. "At this time, we will not be providing that, but that does not mean that it will not be provided in the future,” Nauert said. She repeated the USA view that UNRWA needs reform, saying there are a lot more refugees in the program than previously, and that "money coming in from other countries needs to increase as well to continue paying for all those refugees. So we’re asking countries to do more,” Nauert said. "Fundamentally, we just don’t believe that we have to be the chief donor to every organization around the world.” Despite the decision on the food aid pledge, she said: "We remain the most generous country on the planet.” (Reuters) [Comment]