Displaying items by tag: Middle East

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.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have arrested a terrorist cell in Jenin that intended to carry out an attack ‘in an immediate time frame’. Five terrorists were detained during the raid carried out by the IDF’s undercover counterterror unit, a paratrooper patrol, and a Shin Bet-directed military unit which seized ammunition and military equipment. Two other wanted suspects were arrested overnight in counterterrorism operations elsewhere. In a village near Ramallah, Israeli forces arrested a wanted man. During the raid, rioters burned tires and threw stones at the soldiers, who responded with crowd disbursement measures. Another suspect was arrested in the village of Abu Najim, where Molotov cocktails and stones were thrown at soldiers, who employed crowd disbursement methods. The wanted men were transferred for questioning. These arrests follow a week of terrorist activity, killing Israelis and tourists. See also this week’s world article, ‘Israel: terrorist tensions’.

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.’

Located on the Mediterranean Sea, Latakia is a port city of Syria. Its population of 340,000 includes a large community of Alewite people. Alewite Islam is a sect of Islam that is related to Shia. They place an emphasis on their trinity: Muhammad; his nephew and successor, Ali; and Salman al-Farisi. They believe in reincarnation and take part in a ‘mass’ involving bread and wine. They have their own religious book. Among Muslims they are regarded as heretical because of their beliefs and practices. We can pray, ‘Lord, would you use the Alawites and their idea of the trinity to show them that the Father, Son, and Spirit are the true Trinity, the Bible is the only true Word of God, and Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. In this important port city, use this sect of people who have been rejected to bring Your truth to that city and country.’

Scores of Jewish settlers stormed Hawara torching vehicles and houses in a ‘revenge’ attack after two Israeli brothers were killed by a Palestinian gunman. West Bank’s safety has deteriorated with deadly attacks in Israel, leading to raids on Palestinian terror cells by Israel’s army. Israeli defence forces are being criticised for not quickly quelling Hawara’s violence, revealing stark divisions in Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government; some even encourage the settlers. Meanwhile, Netanyahu called on Israelis not to take the law into their own hands and condemned ‘anarchy.’ Many analysts say that he, the strong-minded leader, fears he is losing control of the security situation in the West Bank. This is a sensitive issue that will deepen government fissures if it goes unchecked. Jews rioting in Huwara have been rightly condemned. But why does the world tolerate Palestinian terrorism? Palestinians regularly take to the streets to celebrate the murders of Jews.

The death toll is tens of thousands. The devastation and trauma is palpable, after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook Turkey. Over several years, many foreign Christians have been expelled from Turkey. Most of those remaining are local Turkish believers, 0.5% of the population. Amid the suffering, Turkish Christians are helping one another and embracing Muslim neighbours with aid. In areas where rescue teams were slow to arrive, believers rushed in from other parts of Turkey to help. Their presence is opening doors to offer Gospel comfort. We pray for the grieving. We pray for the spiritually lost. Lord Jesus, break down deep-seated prejudices against Christianity. Move through your remnant church.

Rescuers once again searched for people under rubble after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake and 5.8 aftershock struck near Antakya, where massive quakes had devastated communities two weeks earlier. Buildings weakened by previous tremors collapsed this time. The death toll is relatively low because the area was almost empty after being hit by previous quakes. 294 people were injured - 18 of them seriously. Pray for God to comfort survivors like Ali who was looking for the bodies of his family after the previous earthquakes when the latest tremors hit. He said, ‘We grabbed each other and right in front of us, the walls started to fall’. Pray for the 865,000 people living in tents, 23,500 in container homes, and the 376,000 in public guest houses and student dormitories. Meanwhile Turkey is widening investigations into building servicers violating safety standards. By 23 February 564 suspects were identified, 160 arrested, and many more were under investigation.

Due to conflict, abuse, or persecution, large numbers of children are in need of hope and healing. This is why SAT-7 KIDS is creating a new programme, due to be broadcast in early 2023, to help children suffering from trauma. ‘Basically, if a child (or anyone) has not addressed their trauma, they cannot connect with their family, with others, or with God,’ said the president and CEO of Life Focus, with whom SAT-7 Egypt have produced the programme. ‘So, if you want someone to know Christ, you need to address trauma.’ The thirteen-part series addresses trauma caused by poverty, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and religious persecution, through drama, entertainment, and Bible verses. This aims to show young viewers that healing is possible and available for all broken hearts. It is not only for children; hopefully parents will watch and see the effect of their actions on their children.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is an Iran-supported terror organisation. On 27 January Israeli special forces conducted an unusually complex early morning raid in Jenin, eliminating a PIJ cell suspected of planning major attacks. The Associated Press reported nine dead including four Hamas terrorists and three from PIJ. The PIJ responded by issuing threats of escalation. We can pray for an increase in Israel's success against terrorism as accurate and actionable intelligence is passed on to Israel’s security forces. Hours after the raid seven people were killed outside a synagogue, and two Israelis were shot in occupied East Jerusalem. The worst violence in years across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories continues. On 29 January Pope Francis said, ‘It is with great pain that I hear news coming from the Holy Land.’ He called on Israel and Palestinians to engage in dialogue, pursue peace and halt the spiral of death.