The delegation of the United States National Security Council (NSC) visiting Israel attended a special candle-lighting ceremony on Sunday evening in the Kotel (Western Wall) Tunnels with US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Robert O’Brien, US National Security Advisor, and Meir Ben Shabbat, Israel’s National Security Advisor.

They were taken on a tour of the new excavations in the Western Wall Tunnels where they encountered Jerusalem’s past and the deep connection between the Jewish nation and its capital.

Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz thanked President Donald Trump, “in the name of the entire Jewish nation, for the great light you have brought to this country and to the entire world over the past four years.”

“It is a light of historic justice and of simple truth that believes in the power of good and in the obligation placed upon each and every one of us to do everything so that good defeats evil and light defeats darkness,” he declared

He recounted a story about President Abraham Lincoln, who once said, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” May we always be on God’s side and be loyal emissaries to spread the light and the goodness from the Land of Israel around the entire world.”

NSA Robert O’Brien said that he has “had the opportunity to come back as a tourist and as a government official many times, and every time you come here you feel a very special spirit…For our family, Jerusalem is a very wonderful, special, meaningful place.”

“The next time we’re having a Passover seder… and we hear ‘Next year in Jerusalem,’ this is the place I’ll think of, this spot right here,” he added.

Ambassador Friedman said that “the heart of Jerusalem is the heart of the United States. We’re together in this.  It’s something we’re joined in.  The values that come from Jerusalem are the same values that formed the United States and motivate the State of Israel. We’re brothers and sisters.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday directed Prime Minister’s Office personnel to continue Israel’s assistance to Honduras and Guatemala via an additional financial allocation that was transferred to the Israeli embassy in Guatemala, which will carry out the necessary procurements for the two countries.

Netanyahu’s office made the statement as a 15-member IDF Search and Rescue team returned from Honduras, where it worked to rehabilitate a village, give medical care, conduct damage assessments and create a plan for the people who were impacted by the hurricanes last month.

The Government of Honduras requested the IDF aid delegation following Israel’s accumulated knowledge in dealing with emergency situations.

Eta, a category four hurricane, hit the region at the beginning of November, and Iota, a category five hurricane, hit the area about two weeks later.

Millions of people were affected by the storms, which killed hundreds of people.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless due to the damage caused by the two storms.

This is a disaster of a magnitude the region has not known since Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

Israel initially transferred emergency assistance to Honduras and Guatemala for the purchase of emergency goods, including clothing, food and hygiene products.

The IDF’s Home Front Command mission aided in meeting the needs of hurricane victims.

Orlando stated that “it is not necessary to have the same language. The language of solidarity is universal.”

He thanked the “mission of the brotherly people of Israel that, in addition to assessing the damage caused by the storms, carries a message of hope to our people!”

Israel will launch its operation to inoculate the population against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) on December 27, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday evening.

The first batch of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Israel earlier in the day and another two shipments are expected to arrive in the country on Thursday and Friday.

Medical teams and health system workers will receive the vaccine as soon as next week.

Speaking at the Health Ministry during a press conference with Health Minister Yuli Edelstein following a professional discussion on readiness for the vaccinations, Netanyahu stated that “on the eve of Chanukah, we have brought great light to the State of Israel. The first Pfizer vaccines arrived in the country.”

He pointed out that “it is not a given that the State of Israel, a giant country in so many ways, but a small state with nine million citizens, would receive the vaccines at the same as Great Britain and the leading and largest countries in the world. This is a great achievement for the State of Israel; I am very proud of it.”

Netanyahu has had eight conversations with Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla.

“This evening, I announce to you that the first vaccines will be given on 27 December. This is in another 18 days, two-and-a-half weeks,” he declared.

The plan is to vaccinate 60,000 a day.

Those who received the vaccine will get a “green passport” that will enable them to enter events, malls, facilities and all kinds of services with no restrictions.

According to estimates, about one million Israelis will be eligible for the green passport by the end of January. More than half a million citizens are expected to be vaccinated, in addition to more than 300,000 Israelis who have recovered from Corona.

Furthermore, about 40,000 Israelis are tested for COVID-19 daily, so there will be about 120,000 citizens who were tested in the last 72 hours, at any given moment. Additionally, these are those who have been found to be carrying antibodies in serological tests.

“It will arrive. It is not yet over but it is on the way. What we will start in another few days is not only an operation to inject encouragement, it is a great thing. We are bringing the end of the pandemic and this is certainly a reason to say – happy holiday,” declared Netanyahu.

Israel and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have signed an agreement to support the newly launched Food Coalition.

The goal of the Food Coalition is to facilitate access to food, increase the resilience of agri-food supply chains, and transform agri-food systems to be more sustainable and equitable.

The Food Coalition also aims to “mobilize financial resources, innovation and technical expertise, promote advocacy initiatives and establish a neutral space for dialogue among diverse and key stakeholders in support of countries most in need.”

Since the formation of the Food Coalition, Israel “has been actively participating and committed voluntary financial contributions,” the FAO stated Wednesday.

Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol stated that she is “delighted that Israel will be supporting these vital initiatives. This is a much-valued contribution, which will go towards the essential task of mitigating the impact of COVID-19.”

Ambassador Yael Rubinstein, Permanent Representative of the State of Israel to FAO said that “Israel is excited to be part of the global effort to deal with concrete projects and steps that will help us achieve better solutions to solve the food problems we face now at an extreme level, as a result of C0VID-19.”

Israel has commenced in preparations for the tourists expected to come from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and other countries, and as part of these preparations, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation has initiated Arabic versions of its information page, guide, and the map distributed to those who visit the Western Wall, one of the holiest and most visited sites in Jerusalem.

The Western Wall brochures are distributed for free to all who visit the Western Wall.

The brochures in Arabic were produced in honor of the Abraham Accords signed with the UAE and Bahrain in September and “countries which will hopefully follow in their footsteps.”

The information presented to the visitors recounts the heritage of the Western Wall, its customs and traditions.

Copies of the brochures will be distributed also to the Tourism Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Government Press Office, and the Jerusalem Municipality’s Tourism Office “as part of the State of Israel’s preparation for the era of peace and friendship with the sons of Abraham in the Middle East,” the Western Wall Foundation said.