Israel reported significant progress last month on an underground fence around the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Officials say Israel is close to completing the underground component and can see the finish line with the above-ground elements (roughly 80% complete). Once fully assembled, the three-layered barrier may be the most sophisticated barrier in the world.

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In this already stormy century, freedom has many powerful enemies, and few powerful defenders. That's not just my impression. "Freedom in the World 2021," a study recently released by Freedom House, documents "heavy new losses" in the "struggle against authoritarian foes, shifting the international balance in favor of tyranny." It reports, too, that 2020 "marked the 15^th consecutive year of decline in global freedom."

If you care about the outcome of this struggle, you should at least know the names and stories of some of those risking – and in too many cases sacrificing – their lives to keep the flickering flame of liberty from being extinguished.

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In 2016, following major attacks targeting Jewish and Israeli targets around the world, and based on earlier text adopted by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, the government-based International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) published a two-page working definition of anti-Semitism. This initiative was designed to fill the vacuum that fostered ineffective policies and willful blindness in countering the sources of hate crimes directed specifically at Jews.

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As Kay Coles James prepares to leave her position as president of the Heritage Foundation, the storied conservative institution faces some serious challenges. Once at the vanguard of conservatism, the Heritage Foundation, like conservatism itself, is somewhat adrift at a time when America needs a conservative voice more than ever.

In the quest for a new leader, Heritage should return to its roots and learn from its past successes. A look at the history of what has worked—and what has failed—will help Heritage reclaim its position as a top-flight institution that unleashes ideas, equips leaders and pushes freedom and opportunity for all.

To this end, the think tank's new leader should aim to do four things:

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China's geopolitical ambitions in the Middle East took a giant leap forward over the weekend, when Chinese and Iranian officials convened in Tehran to formally sign a massive new cooperation agreement. The summit, which took place during a state visit to the Islamic Republic by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, codifies a trend that has been in the works for some time: a major strategic alignment between Beijing and Tehran.

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As Jews around the world gather together to celebrate the onset of Passover, we will all sit down to participate in one of the most intriguing religious rituals ever conceived.

Whereas many of the other acts that have come to define Jewishness center around certainty, the Seder is at its core an exercise in questioning, probing the extent of our knowledge and inspiring ourselves and others to explore the unknown.

From the Four Questions posed by the youngest at the table to various other elements of the Haggadah, such as dipping parsley in salt water or repeatedly covering and uncovering the matzah, we strive to pique the interest of young and old alike, hoping to arouse the participants' curiosity.

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The Danish Parliament has approved a new law that bans foreign governments from financing mosques in Denmark. The measure is aimed at preventing Muslim countries, particularly Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, from promoting Islamic extremism in Danish mosques and prayer facilities.

Denmark joins a growing list of European countries — including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland — which have taken varying degrees of action to prevent foreign governments from financing the construction and upkeep of mosques on their territories.

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It's a new day in the Middle East and in Washington. While the contours of President Joe Biden's Mideast policies are still being formulated, his administration took two important actions in as many days that highlight not only his goals for the region but also his red lines.

On Friday, the administration implemented a law passed by Congress which former President Trump had ignored requiring the declassification of an intelligence report on the brutal killing and dismemberment of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

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Even as the amazingly fast development of new high-tech COVID-19 vaccines enthralls the world, a simple piece of fabric has become the surprise emblem of the fight against one of the worst health crises in the nation's history. The ordinary facemask has brought home a basic truth about public and personal health: simple and smart works.

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The deadly Wuhan Coronavirus, dubbed "2019-nCoV" by the World Health Organization (WHO), is spreading farther and faster than the SARS virus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) did at a similar point in its outbreak, although this corona virus' lethality rate is still lower than for SARS at around 4% so far. The pathogens are the same — both are corona viruses — but something has changed with the Wuhan variant that has allowed the rate of transmission to increase significantly over SARS.

Despite the rapid spread of cases both within China and globally over the last weeks, however, the WHO so far has not declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

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Matthew RJ Brodsky joins Executive Director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, Halie Soifer on i24News special coverage of Joe Biden's inauguration.

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