Displaying items by tag: israel

In 2017 Hamas said its smuggling and terror tunnel network was twice as large as the Viet Cong’s was at the height of the Vietnam War. In 2018 Israeli technology has proved successful in locating and blocking many Hamas tunnels. Many believe the terror group, fearful of losing a major strategic weapon, could take desperate measures. Pray that this will not happen, particularly after the destruction of a massive Hamas tunnel on 20 January. It ran under the Gaza border, near where Egypt, Israel and Gaza meet, not only entering Israel, but also entering Egyptian territory - violating both Israeli and Egyptian sovereignty. Ironically, Hamas was targeting Palestinians’ economic lifeline, a passage where thousands of trucks carrying Israel’s merchandise cross the border bringing supplies to the residents of Gaza, the economic oxygen of the Gaza Strip. According to security forces, Hamas planned to blow up the entire complex.

Speaking on TV, Hezbollah’s secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, said he recently discussed the ‘liberation’ of Jerusalem with Fatah leaders and other Palestinian factions. He added that Iran is directly providing financial aid and weapons to Palestinian groups independent of Hezbollah. He explained how these groups are prepared to put aside differences for a new ‘intifada’; they will unite in the event of a large-scale war to liberate Jerusalem, not just Galilee. When asked whether cooperation meant demonstrations, Nasrallah replied, ‘Within occupied Palestine it is about direct confrontation. We all know what intifada means.’ Hezbollah is a Lebanese-based terrorist organisation banned by many countries, including the Arab League, United States, France, and Israel - but not by the UK. It calls for Islamist revolution around the world, and its members have caused terror attacks for thirty years.

An Israeli thinktank has warned of several security threats this year. These could include war with Hezbollah or with Syria, supported by other Iranian proxies, or a war with both, with full-blown Iranian involvement. Iran continues to arm and finance proxies near Israel’s borders, and Tehran’s steps to build a military force in Syria may lead to an escalation on the northern front, given the Israeli government’s resolute stance. Noting the presence of Russian forces in Syria, the report said Moscow could be expected to maintain neutrality, but could impose limitations on Israel’s freedom of action. Another potential for a flare-up is in Gaza, where Hamas continues to build its strength. IS presence on Israel’s borders was the third challenge noted.

During Advent we sing ‘O come, O come, Emmanuel’ and prepare our hearts to celebrate the long-awaited arrival of our Saviour Jesus. We honour the most famous Jewish man who ever walked the earth: Yeshua, the Messiah. Yet His chosen people - His treasured possession - have not recognised Him. For them, Advent has not yet come. However 1.7 million Jewish people are now celebrating that the Messiah has come - and his name is Jesus! More Jews believe in Jesus today than in the past two thousand years combined. Despite a turbulent history with the Church that has left many Jews resistant to Christian evangelism, God is healing wounds of the past and creating new relationships of respect and communication between Christians and Jews. Thus avenues are opening that reflect Jesus’ love for the Jews and sharing of the Gospel more lovingly and effectively.

Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has generated aggressive reactions. The PLO are seeking full UN membership again (they failed in 2011), and will no longer accept the USA participating in peace negotiations. Turkey called Israel a ‘terrorist state’. Pakistan’s prime minister said, ‘We hope the demonstrations of rage will not dissipate into passive acceptance of the status quo.’ Many onlookers believe that Hamas deliberately resorts to violence to pursue its ends. The violence is rarely spontaneous, is well organised, and used by leaders because violence achieves their goal. It works because policymakers abstain from making controversial decisions, fearing violent reactions. Meanwhile fighting continues in Jerusalem with ten dead, 2809 injured and 400 arrested. This week a 25-member Bahraini delegation held a five-day visit to Jerusalem, ‘sending a message of peace’, as Israeli military carried out air strikes on Hamas training compounds in the Gaza Strip after rocket attacks came out of Palestinian territory. See

Six weeks after blowing up a Palestinian jihad tunnel, the Israeli army demolished a second, 'substantial' attack tunnel that began at the southern Gaza Strip and finished 0.6 miles away in agriculture fields near Kibbutz Nirim in Israel. In the 10 December blast, no Palestinians were killed. The military is currently constructing underground barriers around the Gaza Strip that are meant to prevent future attack tunnels and discover ones already constructed. The military’s ‘toolbox’ for underground warfare is improving. Pray that future tunnels do not become death traps for the terrorists digging them. Hamas is responsible for everything that happens in Gaza, in the air, on land and underground. Meanwhile the Anglican archbishop in Jerusalem has called for tolerance, harmony and mutual respect for all, as sporadic fighting continues after President Trump decided to move America’s embassy there. See

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered humanitarian assistance, via the Red Cross, to the victims of a devastating 7.3 magnitude earthquake that killed hundreds in Iran and Iraq on 13 November. He was immediately refused. Netanyahu said Israel has no quarrel with the people of Iran; the quarrel is with the regime that threatens Israel’s destruction. Meanwhile tens of thousands of Iranians are living in the open, after homes built with earth were totally destroyed. The terrain is mountainous, and the temperature is dropping. The head of the Revolutionary Guards, Major General Jafari, said the immediate need was for tents, water and food. Pray for this crucial aid to reach the inaccessible areas as helicopters and army vehicles are mobilised. Pray for clear communication between agencies organising search and rescue operations and relief camps. Pray for those in hospitals, and those in mourning. See also

In 1867, two visitors to Ottoman Palestine separately showed that Palestine had declined since the Jews had left. First a British archaeologist, Charles Warren, conducted major excavations of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount and found relics of King David’s city; then American writer Mark Twain, after visiting the Holy Land, wrote a hugely popular travel memoir entitled ‘The Innocents Abroad, or the New Pilgrims’ Progress’. In 1917 the British defeated the Ottoman Empire and took control of Palestine. On 2 November 1917 they issued the Balfour Declaration pledging to support the establishment of a Jewish national home in the territory. In 1948, Zionists drove the British out of Palestine and founded the state of Israel. Then, when Israel captured eastern Jerusalem and its holy sites from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War, some claimed the messianic era was nigh.

Prime Minister Theresa May hosted her Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, to mark the centenary of the Balfour Declaration. It was a British pledge that paved the way for Israel's creation by supporting a Jewish national home in Palestine. Israel and Jewish communities view the pledge as momentous, while Palestinians regard it as an historical injustice. The UK has rejected calls to apologise for their actions and support of Israel as a nation and has said it is proud of its role. Mr Netanyahu had dinner with Mrs May and the shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, a long-time critic of Israeli policy towards the Palestinians, declined an invitation to attend. The Balfour Declaration was meant to bring peace between two peoples, but 100 years later there is still no peace.

Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran’s nuclear programme chief, said on 29 October that Iran can begin producing weapons-grade nuclear material quickly if the nuclear deal with foreign powers fails, and insisted that international inspectors would not be given access to Iranian military sites. In early October President Trump told the world, ‘Iran is not in compliance with the deal, and it needs to be renegotiated even though our allies, and even our enemies, do not agree.’ Mr Trump said that the agreement had not curbed Iran’s missile programme and destabilising activities in the Middle East. Mr Salehi said that, although Tehran prefers to keep the agreement intact, they could quickly ramp up uranium enrichment to produce 20% enriched uranium in four days. He made these comments after meeting the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano. Mr Amano also met President Rouhani and foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. See