Displaying items by tag: peace of Jerusalem

We continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and thank God that the fragile ceasefire between Israel, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups in Gaza is holding. Hamas claimed a victory, but Israel did great damage to both the groups - to their leaders, weapons, headquarters, tunnels and personal homes, and probably to their reputation among Gazan civilians. However Israel knows this war is not over - with Iran openly boasting it is the driving force behind it all. The need for intercession has increased. Father, according to Numbers 10:35, we ask You to rise up, and scatter Your enemies. May all schemes plotted by Iran for the destruction of Israel come to ruin. We lift to you whoever leads the next government. Please fill them with heaven's wisdom to bring about Your purposes for the nation. We praise You for being a God who answers prayer (James 5:16b).

On 10 April Benjamin Netanyahu emerged as the winner in Israel’s election, supported by right-wing and religious parties. However, one right-wing party, led by former education minister Naftali Bennett, seems not to have passed the electoral threshold; it demanded a recount, claiming ‘someone is cheating the right-wing out of votes’. The vote was split: Netanyahu's Likud and the Blue and White party, led by Benny Gantz, received 35 seats each. The prime minister, however, secured his path to re-election by having a clear right-wing majority bloc in the Knesset. Many believe the political storm created by soft-spoken Mr Gantz has not blown over. Netanyahu recently said he would declare Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank if he won the election. This would be fiercely opposed by the three million Palestinians living there, and by much of the Arab world. See

Prince William’s visit comes during a period of increased tension in the region. He paid his respects at the tomb of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice of Greece, at the Mount of Olives. She saved Greek Jews in the 1940s German occupation. He attended events focusing on issues facing refugee communities and providing opportunities to celebrate Palestinian culture, music and food. He met Israel’s prime minister, seen as hugely significant for UK-Israel relations. Until now it had been British policy not to make an official royal visit until the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was resolved. British officials gave no detailed explanation for the policy change, other than ‘the time was right for the visit’. William shone a spotlight on the young generation of Israelis and Palestinians and their hopes for the future and briefly joined in for some football with Palestinian children. William said he was ‘struck by how many people in the region want a just and lasting peace.’

Before President Trump decided to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, he received last-minute pleas from many people, including the heads of Jerusalem churches and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Justin Welby wrote, ‘Mr President, we have been following, with concern, reports about the possibility of changing how the United States understands and deals with the status of Jerusalem. We are certain that such a step will yield increased hatred, conflict, violence and suffering in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, moving us farther from the goal of unity and deeper toward destructive division. We ask you to help us all walk towards more love and a definitive peace, which cannot be reached without Jerusalem being for all.’ For the full letter to President Trump, go to

Justin Welby had a 'profound sense of grief and sorrow' after listening to Palestinian Christians’ testimonies of living with a concrete separation wall near Bethlehem. He said, 'You cannot come and hear the testimonies I heard, you cannot hear from the people who live here, without your heart becoming heavier and heavier, more and more burdened, with that sense of people whose history has led them to a place where all they have known is disintegrating.' He also commented on Donald Trump’s possible role when it comes to bringing peace between Israel and the Palestinians. He said, 'We know from history in this region that determined leadership by the president of the USA, together with patient working by lots of other people in the background, often unknown, can tip things very, very decisively - it has done so in the past.' See also:

An Al Quds Day march will be held in London on 18 June. This is a day chosen by the late Ayatollah Khomeini to call for Israel to be destroyed. Previous marches have seen displays of support for anti-Semitic Hezbollah, causing great distress to Jewish communities. A Friends of Israel group in North London is encouraging people to email the mayor of London and ask him to take action on this issue. The military wing of Hezbollah is a terrorist group, but the political wing is not. However it is widely recognised that they are one, controlled by a single command structure and sharing the same flag. Hezbollah operates terrorist cells in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and targets Israeli and Jewish communities around the world.