Displaying items by tag: israel

The roots of violence, despair and hatred between Palestinians and Israelis goes deep, generated by possession of the land. The latest Israeli attack on the West Bank targeted the ‘unified command centre for the Jenin Brigade’ which has been at the heart of twelve months of escalating violence (over fifty recent attacks have come from there). Bulldozers drove through the Palestinian refugee camp which was also attacked by aircraft, reviving a tactic it halted two decades ago. Eight Palestinians were killed and one Israeli. For over a year, army raids have been linked to a series of deadly attacks by Palestinians against Israelis and rampages by Jewish settlers against Palestinian villages. Israel said it was striking terrorist infrastructure targets and armed gunmen in the Jenin camp and shared documents showing Jenin as a ‘stronghold of terrorist activity’ where half the people belong to militant groups. However, the scale of the attack on Jenin has drawn strong criticism from many sourcres.

Arab reports indicate a Palestinian terror group based in Syria with ties to Iran and Hezbollah is actively preparing for a new series of attacks inside Israel. Speaking from Syria, Fadi Malach, commander of the Galilean Wolves, said, ‘We are in the midst of preparations for a series of additional operations inside Israel, despite Israel’s warning to Hezbollah, who might go on another adventure.’ Malach also said that his group was responsible for a roadside bombing at the Megiddo Junction in northern Israel on 13 March, which injured an Israeli motorist. The man who planted the bomb was subsequently killed by Israeli soldiers while driving back towards the Lebanese border. Explosives and a weapon were found in the vehicle, and the terrorist wore a suicide bomb belt. Malach said Galilean Wolves have been active since 2004, in an effort to liberate Galilee in the first stage, and they are not co-opted by Iran.

With the budget passed, the coalition has much to focus on apart from judicial reform. Pray for God’s priorities to be the government’s priorities, and ask God to show the various ministers how to work in unity as they deal with issues. Ask God to place the coalition's reins firmly in prime minister Netanyahu’s hands, and use his partners to keep him turning Israel onto a more biblical path, while removing any ungodly advisers from him. Ask God to anoint finance minister Smotrich to win the war against Israel's high cost of living and show every ministry how to reduce wasteful spending and increase the effectiveness of their budgets. May national security minister Ben-Gvir use the budget dedicated to reinforce and encourage Israel's police force to do just that - while also removing all unrighteousness from its ranks. And finally, ask God to help the housing industry to make affordable housing readily available. See

Bassam Tawil, a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East writes, ‘If anyone has been desecrating al-Aqsa Mosque, it is Muslims who have been rioting and using rocks and fireworks to attack police officers and Jewish visitors. Muslim rioters, not peaceful Jewish visitors, are the real threat to the sanctity of the mosque. Israeli authorities have clarified that the route of the “flag parade” absolutely does not include entry into any mosque. Such assurances have not stopped Palestinians and other Muslims from spreading fake news and libels against Jews. Iran's terror proxies Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have also used the celebrations in Jerusalem to spread the libel that Jews are planning to “desecrate” al-Aqsa Mosque. As far as Hamas and other Palestinians are concerned, the very presence of Jews at their holy site and in Israel is a “provocation”. Terror groups are repeating the lie that the mosque is in danger.’

On 10 May militants fired 507 rockets and mortars at Israel, and Israel struck 158 Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in Gaza. Twenty-five people have died and 76 injured in Gaza since 9 May, when Israel began its operation against PIJ with a series of strikes which killed three of its commanders. The PIJ is responsible for many recent rocket attacks on Israel. On 11 May Israel's military killed the commander of the PIJ and two other militants in a pre-dawn air strike on an apartment in Gaza. Later Israel’s sirens sounded as 10 mortars were fired from Gaza at Israeli communities in southern Eshkol. Some hit homes and buildings, but most landed in open areas or were intercepted. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned, ‘Israel's campaign is not over. We have hit PIJ with the most significant blow it has ever suffered’. PIJ threatened ‘dark days ahead' if Israel increased aggression.

Jewish and Christian leaders representing fifteen nations gathered at Israel's parliament, the Knesset, to discuss how scripture says the law of the Lord will come out of Jerusalem. Micah 4:2 says, ‘For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.’ Knesset members from the Netanyahu coalition and the opposition addressed the gathering. Ohad from the Religious Zionist Party said, ‘The Bible is the core of the base and the core of our identity and of all Western civilisations. We all need to strengthen and deepen our relation, connection and knowledge of the Bible.’ Michael from the opposition National Unity Party thanked others for their commitment to the state of Israel. Dr Ruth Plummer added, ‘Today was such an important time for the Knesset members, the rabbis and Christian leaders to study the word of God together in the capital, Jerusalem. It was just beautiful.’

Settlement expansion is not the only reason why a dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis is almost impossible. The USA, which sponsored talks in the past, has other preoccupations. It is much more concerned with its rivalry with China and the war in Ukraine. The Palestinian political leadership is deeply divided between Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority on the West Bank. They are not capable, as things stand, of making or delivering any sort of deal. The Palestinian Authority is barely capable of exercising its own limited powers. Israel is deep in its own internal political crisis about the nature of its own democracy. Peace between Palestinians and Israelis is as far away as ever. Neither side trusts the other. This year a serious upsurge in violence and death is a serious warning of even worse trouble ahead. Everyone here knows the risks they are running, but there is no realistic plan to head off the deadly trouble that lies ahead.

Following two nights of violence between police and ‘agitators’ at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque, 34 rockets were launched into Israel’s civilian population from southern Lebanon terrorists. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said 25 of the projectiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome defence system. See Israel’s military then carried out air strikes on Hamas targets in southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Gaza retaliated with dozens more rockets. IDF warplanes struck Hamas’ infrastructures in Lebanon and Gaza, including an underground shaft to construct weapons, three weapons workshops and an underground terrorist tunnel. Another 44 rockets from Gaza towards southern Israel were intercepted. See On Good Friday, two British-Israeli sisters were killed and their mother later died after being shot in the West Bank. The next day, an Italian tourist was killed and seven others injured in a Tel Aviv car-ramming. Benjamin Netanyahu has called up army and police reservists.

Sharren Haske, a prominent Israeli opposition politician, has urged Christians in Britain to pray for peace for her country, following massive protests against plans to reform Israel's judiciary. This week, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a delay to the plans, saying he is ‘not ready to divide the nation in pieces’. Sharren is a member of the opposition National Unity party and chairs the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus. ‘It's a very challenging time right now in Israel. Many of our citizens are really heartbroken’, she said. ‘The division among the nation is one of the biggest challenges that such a diverse community as the people of Israel is facing every single day. We're not against it. We understand that there is the need for reform and for changes. The question is how the judicial system is going to look, the next day. They take a more extreme approach, we are for a more moderate one.’

The World Council of Churches’ General Secretary has condemned an attack that took place in the Church of Gethsemane in Jerusalem on 19 March and has expressed solidarity with the Patriarchate of Jerusalem in calling for international protection of holy sites. ‘This terrible attack – which appears to have purposely targeted religious leaders – is an egregious violation of international law’, he said. ‘We stand in solidarity with the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and all those calling for the protection of holy sites, and we reiterate our calls for such protection during Christian holidays and during all days of importance for all faith communities. We are extremely concerned about the increasing attacks on holy sites in Jerusalem and deem it necessary to facilitate a meeting of key religious leaders in the near future to discuss what can be done to stop these uncalled-for attacks on religious leaders, sacred places and institutions.’