• Israel says it's poised to send quake aid for old foe Syria
• Israel and Jordan agree to team up to save Jordan River
• Israel to cut 85 percent of emissions by mid-century

• Joining hands to create peace in Israel and the Middle East
• President Obama, PM Netanyahu, military leaders urged to adopt Invincible Defence Technology: The Daily Mail International (Pakistan)
• Potential for creating stress-free schools stirs deep interest in Israel

• Israeli troops fire on Palestinians seeking food. Israel says deadly scene was a chaotic stampede
• Israel and Lebanon are prepping for a war neither wants, but many fear it's becoming inevitable
• Israel finds large tunnel adjacent to Gaza border, raising new questions about prewar intelligence

---

Positive Trends
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Israel says it's poised to send quake aid for old foe Syria
6 February 2023 - Israel said on Monday [6 February] that it had received a Syrian request for assistance with earthquake relief for the Arab state and that it was prepared to oblige, in what would be rare cooperation between the enemy neighbors. ... Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech he had ordered aid sent to Turkey, the epicentre of Monday's earthquake, with the airlifts that began in the afternoon. (more)

Israel and Jordan agree to team up to save Jordan River
17 November 2022 - Israel and Jordan signed a declaration of intent on Thursday [17 November] at the U.N. climate conference to conserve and protect their shared Jordan River -- a sacred waterway nearly running dry because of climate change, pollution, and other threats. (more)

Israel to cut 85 percent of emissions by mid-century
27 July 2021 - Israel will cut carbon emissions by 85 percent from 2015 levels by the middle of the century, its government says. Its prime minister said the decision would help the country gradually shift to a low-carbon economy. Targets include cutting the vast majority of emissions from transport, the electricity sector and municipal waste. (more)

Israeli experts announce discovery of more Dead Sea scrolls
16 March 2021 - Israeli archaeologists on Tuesday [16 March] announced the discovery of dozens of Dead Sea Scroll fragments bearing a biblical text found in a desert cave and believed hidden during a Jewish revolt against Rome nearly 1,900 years ago. The fragments of parchment bear lines of Greek text from the books of Zechariah and Nahum and have been dated around the first century based on the writing style, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority. (more)

New piece of Dead Sea Scrolls jigsaw discovered after 60 years
16 March 2021 - Israeli archaeologists racing against treasure hunters to search caves near the Dead Sea have discovered a trove of artifacts, including fragments of a biblical text, the like of which has not been seen for decades. ...The fragments of parchment, about 2,000 years old, bear biblical verse, written in Greek, and match a scroll discovered about 60 years ago called the 'Book of the 12 Minor Prophets'. (more)

Covid recovered patients volunteer in Israeli hospital (BBC video)
6 September 2020 - Jerusalem's Hadassah hospital has been recruiting recovered Covid-19 patients to volunteer inside its coronavirus wards to help patients there. Under the pilot scheme, they visit patients in moderate or serious condition, who would otherwise be in isolation. The volunteers help the patients eat or just lend a listening ear. The hospital believes the project to be the first of its kind in the world. (more)

Israeli dig unearths large trove of early Islamic gold coins
24 August 2020 - Israeli archaeologists announced Monday [24 August] the discovery of a trove of early Islamic gold coins found during recent salvage excavations near the central city of Yavne. The collection of 425 complete gold coins, most dating to the Abbasid period around 1,100 years ago, is a 'extremely rare' find. (more)

Trove of 1,000-year-old gold coins unearthed in Israel
24 August 2020 - Israeli youths have unearthed hundreds of gold coins stashed away in a clay vessel for more than a thousand years. The treasure was discovered on Aug 18, the Israel Antiquities Authority said on Monday [Aug 24], by teenagers volunteering at an excavation in central Israel. The area it was found in housed workshops at the time the treasure was hidden and the identity of the owner is still a mystery. (more)

Israel: How goats could become the next fire fighters
12 July 2020 - Israeli towns are preventing fires with the help of some unusual firefighters. The group in question consists of about 160 goats, sheep, cows, and camels. Grazing -- especially by goats -- has been found in many studies as an effective, ecologically friendly way to reduce the risk of extensive fires. Now, a new Israeli study explores how to expand and encourage goat grazing in Israel. (more)

Israel unveils 80 billion shekel plan to boost solar energy
1 June 2020 - Israel's Energy Ministry unveiled an 80 billion shekel ($22.8 billion) plan to increase the use of solar power over the next decade as the country's population and energy demand are set to surge. Though awash with sunlight, at the end of last year Israel was producing just 5 percent of its electricity from solar energy. The new target ... is to outpace rising demand and have solar power production grow to 30 percent by 2030, or about 16,000 megawatts. That is roughly the same as total energy production today. (more)

---

Success of Maharishi's Programmes
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Joining hands to create peace in Israel and the Middle East
29 September 2015 - 'Transcendental Meditation in Israel, adopted by one or two per cent of the population of the country, and the attitude of the enemies around will change.' In a 1976 interview for Israeli TV, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi referred to recent research showing reduced crime rate in '1%' cities in the US. Now 50 demonstrations and 23 studies published in peer-reviewed journals have confirmed that group practice of TM and its advanced programmes by the square root of 1% of a population reduces violence and conflict and creates coherence and peace for the whole society. One study, published in the Journal of Conflict Resolution, was conducted in 1983 at the peak of the Lebanon war. On days when the number in a group in Israel practising these peace-creating technologies of consciousness was high, war deaths in neighbouring Lebanon dropped by 76% and other indicators of social stress declined in Israel. (more)

President Obama, PM Netanyahu, military leaders urged to adopt Invincible Defence Technology: The Daily Mail International (Pakistan)
27 March 2015 - 'According to US President Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the US Congress did not offer any ''viable alternatives'' regarding the ongoing negotiations with Iran concerning their alleged quest to obtain nuclear weapons,' writes Dr David Leffler in The Daily Mail International (Pakistan). Actually, he explains, 'neither leader's current strategies offer a scientifically-validated, field-tested means to solve this immediate crisis. Nor do they offer such an approach to rapidly dissipate the rapidly growing perilous instability in the Middle East.' Dr Leffler urges government and military leaders to quickly implement a proven, practicable, non-violent alternative, verified by extensive peer-reviewed research and military field tests: Invincible Defence Technology (IDT), which includes daily practice by specially trained military units of Transcendental Meditation and its advanced programmes to dramatically reduce social stress throughout the region. 'If the US military and/or Israeli military or any other organization intervened with this proven advanced military solution, rising tensions in the Middle East could be rapidly reduced.' (more)

Potential for creating stress-free schools stirs deep interest in Israel
7 January 2015 - The idea that education should be for enlightenment, and promote full development of the brain, met with great enthusiasm among people in Israel who attended a series of presentations on Consciousness-Based Education this past year by Dr Ashley Deans, an international expert in this field. Israelis deeply appreciated learning about stress-free schools--a welcome concept, almost incomprehensible in a country where many experience high levels of stress in daily life. People were moved to hear about the success of Consciousness-Based Education in hundreds of schools throughout the world, Dr Deans said--especially that it is a system backed by scientific research which can create world peace. (more)

Connecting with the 'deep soul'
23 June 2013 - In an insightful new essay Dr Craig Pearson describes the life and work of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865-1935), a renowned Torah scholar, 'a powerful leader, a profound thinker, a force for progress, peace, and unity'. In his writings Rabbi Kook repeatedly emphasizes the value of reconnecting with the 'deep soul' within, which he describes as a realm of bliss, equanimity, peace, truth, and liberation. When we experience the 'deep soul', he says, we discover who we really are--and when we emerge, our thoughts and actions are bold and joyful. This is the experience that the Transcendental Meditation technique leads us to twice each day, Dr Pearson writes. (more)

Creating peace in the Middle East with Transcendental Meditation: 'Not a matter of hope, we know how to do it'
21 March 2013 - Recently a leading newspaper in Israel, Yediot Ahronot, published an extended article by an Israeli journalist who attended the Third Annual Middle East World Peace Assembly in Turkey. The journalist, Moshe Ronen, wrote about the 150 participants from 13 countries who came to practise Transcendental Meditation and its advanced programmes together every day--a programme designed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to reduce violence and war, and create peace and harmony in the world. 'One thing is certain,' Mr Ronen wrote, 'the atmosphere here is good. ''There is no point in just sitting and hoping for peace to come between us,'' a member of the Lebanese delegation explains to me. ''Once it was like that, we were hoping and praying for peace. Today we know how to do it. It is all a matter of doing, not of hope.'' ' (more)

Israel: Violent school found peace with Consciousness-Based Education and Transcendental Meditation
12 May 2012 - Consciousness-Based Education was introduced to a high school in Israel as a last resort, said Dr Bevan Morris, President of Maharishi University of Management, commenting on a recent visit to the country. 'The principal introduced [it] when he found that his school was about to be closed because of all the violence in the school. After he had introduced Transcendental Meditation to his children he found that they changed from inside, so now they were actually able to follow the directives and the rules of behaviour' and became happier and more at peace within themselves. (more)

How Israel can have an 'invincible' military
27 March 2012 - Over the years Iranian leaders such as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel--raising fears about security and lasting peace for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other world leaders. Nearly 60 are attending the second Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in Seoul, South Korea, focusing on the threat of global terrorism and how to keep atomic materials safe from rogue terrorists. However, there is new hope, writes Dr David Leffler--if these leaders act quickly now, and implement Invincible Defense Technology (IDT)--a scientifically field-tested brain-based technology to prevent crime, terrorism, and war. (more)

Peace-creating technologies of consciousness support harmony and positivity in Israel
6 September 2011 - Several days ago, over 400,000 people demonstrated for 'social justice' in Israel. The authorities feared vandalism by the huge crowds, but the events surprised everyone by turning out completely peaceful and harmonious. An administrator of the Transcendental Meditation Programme in Israel explained that six special Vedic performances have been organized for Israel and are taking place during this key period, to create peace and harmony in the nation. (more)

Supporting peace and harmony in Israel
17 July 2011 - In the last year there have been several initiatives to support peace and harmony in Israel. Hundreds of people learned the Transcendental Meditation Programme, and hundreds more attended peace-creating assemblies. (more)

New Maharishi Vastu blog in Hebrew
30 January 2011 - A blog page in Hebrew has been established for Maharishi Vastu (Vedic architecture) news. The blog began around the new year, and was started by one of the Maharishi Vastu Coordinators who completed the recent Phase 2 training programme in Europe. (more)

---

Flops
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Israeli troops fire on Palestinians seeking food. Israel says deadly scene was a chaotic stampede
29 February 2024 - Israeli troops fired on a crowd of Palestinians racing to pull food off an aid convoy in Gaza City on Thursday [29 February], witnesses said. More than 100 people were killed in the chaos, bringing the death toll since the start of the Israel-Hamas war to more than 30,000, according to health officials. (more)

Israel and Lebanon are prepping for a war neither wants, but many fear it's becoming inevitable
1 February 2024 - The prospect of a full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militia terrifies people on both sides of the border, but some see it as an inevitable fallout from Israel's ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza. Such a war could be the most destructive either side has ever experienced. (more)

Israel finds large tunnel adjacent to Gaza border, raising new questions about prewar intelligence
17 December 2023 - The Israeli military said Sunday [17 December] it has discovered a large tunnel shaft in Gaza close to what was once a busy crossing into Israel, raising new questions about how Israeli surveillance missed such conspicuous preparations by Hamas for the militants' deadly Oct. 7 assault. The entryway to the tunnel is just a few hundred meters from the heavily fortified Erez crossing and a nearby Israeli military base. (more)

Blinken calls for Israel-Palestinian calm seem to fall flat
31 January 2023 - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a two-day visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank Tuesday [31 January] with little to show for his renewed appeals for Israeli-Palestinian calm amid an alarming spike of violence. (more)

Lakes are drying up everywhere. Israel will pump water from the Mediterranean as a solution
29 August 2022 - Despite its name, the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel is actually a freshwater lake, and it's one that has sustained life for millennia. Even today, the lake irrigates vineyards and local farms that grow everything from green vegetables to wheat and tangerines. Its archeology, hot springs, and hiking trails bring tourism and livelihoods for local communities. But this place of religious pilgrimage -- where the New Testament says many of Jesus' miracles were performed -- is facing a bleak future. (more)

Jerusalem erupts: Why Israeli, Arab bid to thwart violence fell short
24 April 2022 - The eruption of violence in Jerusalem and rocket-fire from Gaza this week is challenging both an Israeli government committed to 'shrinking the conflict' with Palestinians, and its Arab neighbors desperate to maintain calm in the occupied West Bank and in Gaza. And it is threatening a wider war all have tried to avoid. (more)

Civilians pay the price during worst Israel-Hamas fighting since 2014
15 May 2021 - Israel has responded to Hamas rockets with air strikes in Gaza this week. The Israeli strikes and shelling in Gaza, which the military says are aimed at Hamas targets, have killed 139 people, including 39 children as of Saturday [15 May], according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. At least 1,000 have been injured. Gaza is described by many human rights groups as an effective 'open-air prison.' (more)

Israeli strike destroys Gaza building with AP, other media
15 May 2021 - An Israeli airstrike on Saturday [15 May] targeted and destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City that housed offices of The Associated Press and other media outlets. Hours later, Israel bombed the home of Khalil al-Hayeh, a top leader of Gaza's ruling militant Hamas group. (more)

58 dead in Gaza protests as Israel fetes US Embassy move
15 May 2018 - In a jarring contrast, Israeli forces shot and killed 57 Palestinians and injured more than 2,700 during mass protests Monday (14 May) along the Gaza border, while just a few miles away Israel and the U.S. held a festive inauguration ceremony for the new American Embassy in contested Jerusalem. (more)

Israel's water worries return after four years of drought
23 October 2017 - It was a source of national pride -- technology and discipline besting a crippling lack of water. But four years of drought have overtaxed Israel's unmatched array of desalination and wastewater treatment plants, choking its most fertile regions, and catching the government off-guard. The Sea of Galilee, technically a lake near the border with Syria, is forecast to hit its lowest level ever before winter rains come, despite the fact that pumping there was massively reduced. Underground aquifers, the other main freshwater source, are nearing levels that will turn them salty. How to cope with the crisis is becoming an increasingly touchy subject in Israel. (more)