The four rabbis murdered in last week’s terrorist attack on a Jerusalem synagogue came to Israel to devote themselves to the study of sacred texts, to teach, and to serve. Giulio Meotti remembers them and contemplates their legacy:

When Palestinian terrorists stormed the synagogue in Har Nof, the four rabbis had their eyes turned to the east praying toward the Old City of Jerusalem where once stood the Temple and the holy Ark of the Covenant. They were killed wearing their phylacteries and prayer shawls, eyes still fixed on the siddur, the book of prayer, about to say a psalm: “This is the gate of the Lord and the righteous will enter it.”

They were really the princes of Israel. The day after the massacre, at the yeshiva of Bnei Torah on the western hill of Jerusalem, the blood of the martyrs, the kedoshim, was removed to be buried along with their poor remains. But the day after, dozens of Jews returned to the synagogue to thank God. So that God can smile down at His people again after that horrific day. I bow before them.

Yesterday, the Iranian foreign minister flew to Geneva to meet with European diplomats. President Trump, meanwhile, indicated that cease-fire negotiations might soon begin with Iran, which would presumably involve Tehran agreeing to make concessions regarding its nuclear program, while Washington pressures Israel to halt its military activities. According to Israeli media, Iran already began putting out feelers to the U.S. earlier this week. Aviram Bellaishe considers the purpose of these overtures:

The regime’s request to return to negotiations stems from the principle of deception and delay that has guided it for decades. Iran wants to extricate itself from a situation of total destruction of its nuclear facilities. It understands that to save the nuclear program, it must stop at a point that would allow it to return to it in the shortest possible time. So long as the negotiation process leads to halting strikes on its military capabilities and preventing the destruction of the nuclear program, and enables the transfer of enriched uranium to a safe location, it can simultaneously create the two tracks in which it specializes—a false facade of negotiations alongside a hidden nuclear race.