RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com/

Psalm 41

This week’s compilation by Michael Ordman reminds one of Psalm 41:

“The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.”

Israel’s contribution to world health is nothing short of astonishing. Here are a few examples: 

1.“Potential goldmine” for new antibiotics.

2.Sheba is eighth best hospital. (TY Nevet) Israel’s Sheba Medical Center increased its position from ninth to eighth on Newsweek’s ranking of the best hospitals in the world

3.Saving lives after surgery. Nora Nseir is the founder and co-CEO of Nurami Medical (see here previously) explains Nurami’s latest groundbreaking product, which is able to to regenerate meningeal tissue after complex brain and spinal cord surgery.

 4.Reducing side-effects of cancer therapy.

As part of 2025 National Defibrillator Day, Magen David Adom volunteers set up over 500 training stations across Israel. They showed 35,000 members of the public how to recognize the signs of cardiac arrest, locate and operate a nearby Automated External Defibrillator, and call 101 for assistance.

And that’s just one week in a nation beset by enemies and terrorism. Read it all. rsk

https://www.israel21c.org/8-remarkable-israeli-female-scientists/

International Women’s Day, celebrated annually on March 8, emphasizes women’s rights, with a focus on gender equality, reproductive rights, and ending violence against women. 

Its origins, however, go back to the labor movement of Europe in the early 20th century, and women breaking glass ceilings in the workplace and academia is an integral part of this holiday.

To mark the 2025 International Women’s Day, ISRAEL21c compiled a list of eight veteran female Israeli scientists whose research and discoveries have changed the world for the better. 

https://pjmedia.com/david-solway-2/2025/03/06/the-real-problem-with-gaza-n4937651

President Trump’s controversial plan for solving the Gaza crisis has been received by Israel and many local conservative outlets with approval and by practically everybody else with disbelief, criticism, and even insult. The president suggested that the U.S. would come to “own” Gaza, resettle its population, and redevelop the land. 

“Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land,” he said. America would be “responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site” before it would “get rid of the destroyed buildings [and] level it out.” 

He proposed that the 1.8 million people living in Gaza could be moved to Jordan, Egypt, other countries, or “various domains” for them to “permanently… live out their lives in peace and harmony”—but with no right of return. “We’ll build safe communities, a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is.”

One can instantly see the problems with Trump’s “bold vision.” Nobody wants the Palestinians, whether those living in the West Bank or in Gaza, since history has shown they are nothing but trouble. To begin with, the Palestinians are not a nation with a long history, a universally recognized flag, an extensive literature, and demarcated borders, but an invented people whose date of birth is 1964 when the Palestinian National Organization (PLO) was established in Egypt under the aegis of the KGB and Yasser Arafat. This is, or should be, common knowledge. 

Acting like a nation when they are a collection of mainly South Syrians finding themselves stateless after the collapse of the Ottoman regime in World War I may garner empathy from some quarters but should not confer international credibility upon them or elevate them above every other displaced peoples.

It is significant that there are two United Nations Agencies to address the refugee crises. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) deals with the millions of post-WWII European refugees, while the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was intended specifically for over 700,000 Palestinian refugees. They were special. There is no mystery in their unique status. They were anti-Israel and anti-Jewish, which is all it takes to justify moral turpitude and subsidize political malevolence.

More to the point, to put it bluntly, they are purveyors of disruption, as every Muslim nation in the Middle East is well aware. The so-called Palestinians are serviceable only as diplomatic and propaganda weapons aimed at Israel; otherwise, they are rejected, avoided, or expelled as liabilities to societal cohesion.

https://www.jns.org/hamas-prisoner-deal-to-be-paid-in-future-dead-warns-terror-victims-group-head/

IDF Lt. Col. (res.) Meir Indor has waged an uphill battle against mass terrorist releases by Israel since 1986, when he founded the Almagor Terror Victims Association.

His latest effort was against the current deal, which saw some 1,900 terrorists, including hardened killers and 274 serving life sentences, released in exchange for 33 Israelis, some of whom were no longer alive.

Indor knows something about fighting terrorism. As an IDF soldier, he was a member of the first unit of mista’arvim, Israeli combat teams that disguise themselves as Arabs to operate undercover within Palestinian populations.

As a civilian, he became an activist in the wake of the Jibril Agreement, a prisoner exchange deal that took place on May 21, 1985. That deal marked the first mass prisoner release by Israel, in which 1,150 security prisoners were exchanged for three Israelis captured during the First Lebanon War.

Those terrorists would become the leaders of the First Intifada, which broke out less than three years later.

JNS spoke with Indor about the dangers of Israel’s approach to hostage agreements.

JNS: How many terrorists who have been released from Israeli jails return to terrorism?

Indor: We don’t have an organized tracking system. The Almagor Terror Victims Association is a voluntary body. Our dream is to establish a research division. But we occasionally receive different numbers from security agencies. There is a report that approximately 80% of released terrorists return to carry out more terror.

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21453/rebuilding-gaza

The establishment of a new government in the Gaza Strip while Hamas maintains its military capabilities there unfortunately will not work. Hamas’s presence during reconstruction will only result in the emergence of the Lebanon model: Hezbollah, another Iranian proxy terror group, simply created a terrorist state-within-a-state.

Worse, having a new government that would oversee reconstruction and humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip while Hamas is still there would exempt the Palestinian terrorist group from its responsibilities towards Gaza’s residents. The new government would not be able to stop Hamas from rearming, regrouping, and preparing more attacks against Israel — as Hamas has unremittingly vowed to do.

The new government would be busy rebuilding homes and skyscrapers and delivering humanitarian aid, while Hamas and the other terror groups would have all the time in the world to rebuild tunnels and manufacture weapons.

Hamas never cared about the well-being of the Palestinians under its rule in the Gaza Strip. The terrorist group could have built schools, universities, and hospitals. Instead, it chose to invest millions of dollars in building a vast network of tunnels to attack Israel, smuggle and hide weapons, and torture Israeli hostages.

The reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the resumption of humanitarian aid should be conditioned on the removal of Hamas from power and disarming of all of Gaza’s terror groups.

Hamas should be completely excluded from any plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip because all it cares about is pursuing its Jihad (holy war) to destroy Israel and murder as many Jews as possible.

As Arab and Western leaders continue to discuss plans to rebuild the Gaza Strip, the ran-backed Palestinian terrorist group Hamas has again rejected laying down its weapons.

For Hamas, preserving its weapons and military wing, Izz a-Din al-Qassam, is apparently more important than the reconstruction of thousands of homes and buildings destroyed during the Hamas-Israel war, which erupted after the terrorist group’s October 7, 2023, bloodthirsty attack on Israel.

https://dianebederman.com/why-we-must-learn-about-shiloh-no-other-land/

I must say that lately the Academy Awards have not failed me. I can count on them to include material attacking Israel and the Jews. This year, the Academy nominated a documentary: No Other Land, that accuses Israel of ethnic cleansing in Judea/Samaria. Seems history is superfluous to the members of the Academy. Obviously, no other documentary had a chance. Last year’s Awards were filled with people wearing Artists4Ceasefire red pins and pins for Gaza after Gazan barbarians invaded Israel during a ceasefire. Jonathan Glazer’s anti-Israel speech was also special. No one seems to care about Christians in Nigeria being murdered by Muslims, but I digress.

I returned to Israel late January, 2025 and was there for a brief time. But one should never go to Israel without learning about our history.

I was taken to a place called Shiloh. There I stood on ancient ground, looking up at modern-day Shiloh in the hills of Samaria. I consider myself a well-educated Jew but had no knowledge of this place in Samaria. Samaria – part of our legal, biblical and historical land. This land has been ours from the beginning of recorded history. Learning about Shiloh in Samaria, one of the most important places in Jewish history, helps us to fight the horrific Occupation Lie.

Archeological “findings in Shiloh confirm what we have long known, that the history of the Jewish people and the Land of Israel are intimately connected. We can trace our beginnings to Judea and Samaria through the Bible and modern archaeology just confirms it for us. Today, we have come back to live and develop the hilltops and biblical sites, including Shiloh, that formed the cradle of Jewish civilization.”

And this is so important, now, as Judea/Samaria is once again under attack from Muslims, claiming ownership of Israel’s historical, biblical and legal land.

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21442/palestinian-ex-prisoners

The Jordanians and Lebanese, for their part, have not forgotten how Palestinians sparked civil wars in their countries in the 70s and 80s.

[The Arab countries’] refusal to take in Palestinian prisoners probably arises from the fact that these countries actually do not care about the Palestinians and even consider them an ungrateful people and troublemakers. Many Arabs also seem to have lost faith in the Palestinians’ ability to implement reform and end rampant financial and administrative corruption in their governing bodies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

“The Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist organization. Help us modern-minded, secular, liberal Muslims marginalize their influence by declaring what they are: a terrorist organization.” — Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, in testimony before the US House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, July 11, 2018.

“In point of fact, nothing would be more pro-Muslim than the marginalization of the Muslim Brotherhood and its direct affiliates. Making the Muslim Brotherhood radioactive would allow the light to shine upon the most potent antagonists in Muslim communities: those who reject political Islamist groups and believe in liberty and the separation of mosque and state.” — Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, in testimony before the US House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, July 11, 2018.

“Call on American Muslim leaders to take a position on the Muslim Brotherhood and its overarching theo-political ideology. I ask my fellow Muslims: Will they be the side of freedom, liberty, and modernity, or will they be on the side of tyranny of the Muslim Brotherhood, Turkey’s AKP, the Iranian Khomeinists, or Pakistan’s Jamaat e-Islami?” — Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, in testimony before the US House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, July 11, 2018.

“Develop foreign policy mechanisms to disincentivize Qatari and Turkish Government facilitation of the Brotherhood and ultimately think about suspending Turkey from NATO.” — Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, in testimony before the US House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, July 11, 2018.

“And please stop engaging Muslim Brotherhood legacy groups in government, media, and NGOs, and recognize their Islamist terrorist sympathies.” — Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, in testimony before the US House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, July 11, 2018.

Such a designation would also make it far more difficult for the countries that support the Muslim Brotherhood, especially Turkey and Qatar, to keep on doing so. The Muslim Brotherhood has already been declared a terrorist organization by the governments of Austria, Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Most of the Arab countries are refusing to receive Palestinians released from Israeli prison as part of the US-brokered Israel-Hamas ceasefire-hostage deal. In the past few weeks, Israel released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners — many of whom were imprisoned for acts of terrorism — in return for Israeli hostages who kidnapped to the Gaza Strip during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel. At least 1,200 Israelis were murdered and thousands wounded on that day. Another 251 were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists and “ordinary” Palestinians.

https://www.jns.org/the-us-ukraine-and-israel/

The collective gasp that erupted on Friday across European capitals—and echoed in certain circles in Jerusalem—was warranted. Never before had a confrontation like the one between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office been so public, and so raw.

Even Trump couldn’t help noting at the end of the verbal brawl that it made for good television. He got that right. The exchange promptly went viral on every social-media platform.

For the past two days, analysts the world over have been weighing in on how the nearly hour-long meeting/impromptu press conference—in the presence of Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a slew of reporters—suddenly turned sour after a very civil, even friendly, start. The argument has two parts.

One is over decorum, with Ukraine sympathizers accusing Vance of instigating an ambush that Trump enthusiastically joined. The other centers on substance—the terms and wisdom of the “peace” deal Trump is trying to broker between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As for the first, whatever position one holds on the war in Ukraine, Zelenskyy’s behavior was totally out of line. In fact, it was he who caught his hosts by surprise and not the other way around.

Indeed, he had indicated that the purpose of his visit to the White House—at his own request, by the way—was to sign an agreement for a joint U.S.-Ukraine investment in the latter’s rare-earth mineral and other resources. But he made it clear in front of the media that it wasn’t sufficient to guarantee Kyiv’s security vis-à-vis Moscow.

Nor was this the first time in less than two weeks that Zelenskyy had pulled such a stunt with the new administration in Washington. But his cheeky insolence, sarcasm and puerile attitude toward Trump and Vance was flinch-inducing

http://bit.ly/43lFrp0

*The number of annual Jewish births in Israel surged by 73% from 1995 (80,400) to 2024 (138,698), compared to a 18% increase of annual Arab births in Israel during the same period (from 36,500 to 42,911), as reported by the February 2025 Monthly Bulletin of Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (ICBS).

*The 2024 Jewish births (138,698) were 76% of total births (181,609), compared to 69% in 1995.

*In 2024 (based on 2022 data), the Jewish fertility rate (3 births per woman) is higher than the Muslim fertility rate (2.86). It is higher than the fertility rates in all Muslim countries other than Iraq and the sub-Sahara Muslim countries.

*In 1969, Israel’s and Judea and Samaria’s (West Bank’s) Arab fertility rate was 6 births higher than the Jewish fertility rate. In 2015, both fertility rates were at 3.13 births per woman, reflecting the dramatic Westernization of Arab demography in Judea and Samaria and pre-1967 Israel, triggered by Arab modernity, urbanization, the enhanced social status of Arab women, older wedding age (24), expanded participation of Arab women in higher-education and the job market, a shorter reproductive time (25-45 rather than 16-55) and the increased use of contraceptives. 

*In 2023 (the latest available data), there were 41,345 Israeli Jewish deaths, compared to 31,575 in 1996, a 31% increase, compared to a 37% increase in 2022 (while the size of the population almost doubled!), which reflects a society growing younger. In 2023, there were 4,966 Israeli Muslim deaths, compared to 3,089 in 1996, a 61% increase, which reflects a society growing older.  

*Israel’s robust Jewish fertility rate is attributed to the high-level of optimism, patriotism, attachment to Jewish roots, frontier mentality, communal solidarity, high regard for raising children, and a declining number of abortions (34% decline since 1990, while abortion policy is liberal).

*In 2025, there is a potential wave of Aliyah (Jewish immigration) of some 500,000 Olim (Jewish immigrants) from the Ukraine, Russia, other former Soviet republics, West Europe, Argentina, the USA, Australia, etc., requiring the upgrading of Aliyah in Israel’s national order of priorities (as it was until 1992, serving as an economic, educational, technological and a military springboard), and resuming a pro-active Aliyah policy. 

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com 

A new innovative Israeli medical system unblocks arteries from the heart to the brain. And Europe is funding an Israeli professor’s innovative treatments for atrial fibrillation of the heart.  Another new Israeli medical tool helps detect a mutant gene linked to autism and cancer in children. And three new Israeli medical schools have already enrolled nearly 200 future young Israeli doctors. Israel is also building a future of hi-tech engineers at Tel Aviv’s Afeka College. Meanwhile, Israel’s Tech It Forward is giving young college graduate immigrants tours to help them choose future careers in Israeli hi-tech.  Michael Ordman

The foregoing is a fraction of the positive news from a small, embattled nation. Israel is a gem in an archipelago of tyrants and barbarians. Israel’s medical research alleviates humanity, ironically, including the barbarians and tyrants poised to destroy the nation. rsk

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
 
Unblocking the carotid arteries. Israel’s Pylon Medical has developed a first-of-its-kind system for treating carotid artery disease, one of the leading risk factors for stroke. Pylon’s new “specialty kit” includes a balloon catheter, an artery closure device, and an aspiration system that removes plaque in clogged neck blood vessels.
https://www.israel21c.org/treating-clogged-arteries-will-soon-be-safer-and-faster/
https://www.pylonmedical.com/   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4__4da9UWE
 
Brain on a chip is a game-changer. Israel’s Itay & Beyond is developing a medicine discovery and AI-based testing platform for psychiatric and neurological disorders. They generated stem cells from autistic individuals, grow brain cells on a chip, connect to a computer, teach it to play games and analyze changes from medicines.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-scientists-fuse-brain-tissue-and-electronic-chips-to-test-autism-treatment/
https://itayandbeyond.com/  https://itayandbeyond.com/Itay&Beyond-Video-Pitch-New-compressed.mp4
 
Rapid protection against viruses. Researchers at Israel’s Technion Institute have discovered a unique genetic mechanism that provides cells with rapid protection against viruses. Normally, molecules NORAD and STAT3 control the immune system. On virus attack, the cells eat NORAD, and STAT3 unleashes an immune response.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/blog/article/viruses-and-the-human-cell-the-evolutionary-arms-race/
 
Breakthrough tool for gene mutation research. Tel Aviv University scientists have developed an innovative biosensor imaging tool for measuring the gene PTEN, whose mutations are linked to cancer and autism. It should help develop personalized treatments and aid early disease detection and more effective therapies.
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/health-and-medicine/tau-researchers-on-brink-of-unlocking-gene-linked-to-cancer-and-autism/2025/02/25/  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-025-02610-9
 
AI is your doctor’s best friend. Israel’s Lavaa Health’s platform can identify disease and hard-to-diagnose illnesses at the earliest stage, allowing doctors to quickly draw up efficient treatment plans. It uses AI to connect a person’s medical data with its own massive database and identify hard-to-diagnose or rare illnesses.
https://www.israel21c.org/the-ai-tech-that-can-spot-serious-illness-before-the-doctor/
https://lavaa.health/
 
Revolutionizing group therapy with VR & AI. (TY Sharon) One of the Israeli startups presenting at the Conference of Presidents’ “Resilience Panel” was neao – a pioneering Virtual Reality platform for remote group therapy. It features anonymity (with avatars), wider access and accessibility, and tailored environments.
https://neao.io/  https://www.meta.com/experiences/neao-group-therapy/8222701291141191/
 
No-mask solution for sleep apnea. (TY Sharon) Another Israeli startup presenting at the Conference of Presidents’ “Resilience Panel” was appscent medical. Its SCENTIFIC® device is the world’s first non-intrusive, contactless, drug-free home use solution for the potentially dangerous sleep apnea condition.
https://www.appscent.com/   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV61Vnt3fx4
 
3 new medical schools. (TY WIN) Israel needs 2,000 new doctors every year but only gets 1,200. So it is opening three new medical schools, The private Reichman University in Herzliya (88 graduates) opened on 2nd Feb. Two others, at Haifa University (66) and Weizmann Institute of Science (40), are to open in Oct.
https://tps.co.il/articles/israel-launches-three-new-medical-schools-to-address-shortage-of-doctors/