A New Perspective on Constantine

(Worthy News) – The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of a teacher challenging Kansas’ new law barring state contractors from participating in boycotts against Israel, saying it’s a clear violation of her free speech rights.

The lawsuit was brought on behalf of Esther Koontz, a math and science curriculum coach at a Wichita public school, seeks to overturn a law that took effect July 1 and prohibits the state from entering into contracts with individuals or companies participating in a boycott of Israel. Twenty-one states have such policies, from liberal California to conservative strongholds such as Alabama and Texas; in Kansas, the measure had strong bipartisan support.

States have enacted their laws in recent years amid an increasingly visible movement protesting Israel’s policies toward Palestinians. Backers of boycotting Israeli companies argue that they’re defending Palestinians’ human rights, while boycott critics contend the goal is to destroy the Jewish state. [ Source: Times of Israel (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – The Trump administration is planning to withdraw from UNESCO, the United Nation’s cultural and educational agency, over its bias against Israel, Foreign Policy reported on Thursday.

According to the report, the decision is also tied to the administration’s attempts to cut its funding to the cultural agency, which it owes some $500 million, and could be announced as early as next week. 

If the Trump administration indeed withdraws from UNESCO, it will be the second American administration to take such a step. The Reagan administration quit the organization in the 1980’s, and the U.S. rejoined it only two decades later, under the George W. Bush administration. [ Source: Ha’aretz (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – Over 60,000 people attended the annual Jerusalem March on Tuesday. Delegates from organizations and countries from all over the world participated in the 3-km. walk.

The delegation of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, composed of Christian pilgrims – the largest group, consisting of participants from more than 90 nations.

The pilgrims, visiting the capital to celebrate Sukkot and attend the Feast of Tabernacles celebration, were waving flags, chanting “we love Israel,” calling out “shalom,” and holding signs expressing support for the State of Israel. [ Source (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – The U.S. military is ramping up operations and bombing raids against the Islamic State in Libya, where the terrorist group’s fighters have increasingly found refuge as their territorial base shrinks in Syria and Iraq.

U.S.-backed militias largely crushed the Islamic State’s Libya operation in late 2015, but signs that the group is gaining a new foothold in the North African nation began emerging last month. Images of Islamic State fighters moving through the vast deserts around their former stronghold in Libya’s northern coastal city of Sirte circulated through the terrorist group’s social media and online propaganda sites in mid-September.

Libya is seen as a promising base for the terrorist group because a deep factional split has prevented the creation of a functioning national government in Tripoli since the ouster of dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. [ Source (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – The Federal Emergency Management Administration and a House commission both approved sizable financial assistance for relief efforts to help Puerto Rico recover from Hurricanes Maria and Irma.

FEMA approved $140 million in aid on Wednesday. The agency said $44 million will help individuals and $96 million will go toward emergency work on the island.

On Tuesday night, the House Appropriations Committee approved a bill for $36.5 billion, which would go into a more general disaster fund. [ Source: UPI (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – President Donald Trump says he will “very shortly” announce his decision on U.S. participation in the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, as aides prepared for an end-of-the-week rollout.

Trump has until Sunday to notify Congress whether Iran remains in compliance with the accord under which it limited its atomic program in exchange for sanctions relief. A congressional source and a non-governmental source familiar with the matter said the White House was looking at a Friday announcement after scrapping a tentative plan for Thursday.

Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Trump did not discuss specific timing but told reporters: “You’re going to see very soon. We will be announcing that very shortly.” [ Source: Washington Times (Read More…) ]