Displaying items by tag: israel

A study by Tel Aviv University found anti-Semitic incidents dramatically increased across the world last year. The USA, Canada, Germany, Australia and the UK experienced the sharpest rise fuelled by radical left- and right-wing political movements and incitement on social media. The report's release coincides with Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, 28 April, commemorating the six million Jews murdered by Nazi Germany across Europe during World War Two. It is based on the analysis of dozens of studies from around the world, as well as information from law enforcement bodies, media, and Jewish organisations. Anti-Jewish hate crimes in New York and Los Angeles were almost twice that of the previous year. In France, anti-Semitic incidents increased by almost 75%. The gravest concern is the dark web, which shelters extremists. Anti-Semitic content is freely and openly spread, but is only accessible through special illegal browsing software.

Israeli police entered the al-Aqsa mosque compound in East Jerusalem on Easter Sunday, leading to renewed clashes with Palestinians. Tensions flared during a rare week in which Easter, Passover, and Ramadan coincided. Police confined Palestinians in the compound to a small area and denied entry to those outside after dawn prayers so that Jewish worshippers could tour the perimeter of the complex under armed guard. Whilst Jews are allowed to visit the al-Aqsa compound, which they refer to as Temple Mount, they are not allowed to pray there. The Israeli police arrested nine Palestinians, saying that they had hurled rocks and firecrackers at them. Footage has emerged of Israeli forces using batons to beat journalists recording the clashes, as well as Palestinians who appear to be bystanders. Hamas warned, ‘Israel will bear all the consequences of the brutal attacks on al-Aqsa’.

In East Jerusalem/Gaza City tensions are heading towards a large-scale eruption this Ramadan and residents fear another war. ‘We are moving gradually towards an escalation - the conditions are ripe for an explosion,’ said a Jerusalem-based political analyst. ‘The escalation may come from different places, including but not necessarily from Jerusalem,’ Fears are growing of a possible large-scale Israeli invasion of Jenin’s refugee camp, where the armed wings of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Fatah are active. On April 10, a PIJ threatened, ‘continued aggression on the Jenin camp will lead events to an open and full confrontation soon.’ Hamas said, ‘Things are likely to erupt based on developments on the ground. Hamas will not stand idly by if Israelis continue storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The resistance in Jenin is part of us; we will not allow harm to our people.’ On April 14 Hamas called for a ‘general mobilisation’ to defend against Israeli incursions into the West Bank and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Israel’s domestic security is among the world’s most effective, but it failed recently to foil three deadly terrorist attacks that killed 9 Israelis and 2 Ukrainian migrants. Israel has not experienced such intense terrorism since the second Palestinian intifada 20 years ago. Two attacks were carried out by Israeli Arab citizens identifying with IS, the third was a Palestinian inspired by the previous two. The timing is not coincidental, coming just before Israel’s most sensitive dates - March 30 Land Day protests, April 2 Muslim Ramadan started, April 15 the Jewish Passover starts, two days later is Easter Sunday. Major religious observances coinciding within less than a month in the small confines of one of the world’s perennial flashpoints is dangerous. As in the 2015-16 terror wave, the attackers were not terrorists under chains of command. Instead, Israelis face millions of Palestinians, some intent on achieving the glory reserved for martyrs, as depicted on TikTok and other social media.

Iranian-backed Hamas and PIJ are the two largest groups in the Gaza Strip, but they are not trying to improve the living conditions of their people. They have brought war and destruction on the strip by firing rockets towards Israel, forcing Israel to strike back to defend itself. Instead of building schools and hospitals, the leaders have invested tens of millions of dollars in a tunnel network along the border to attack and kill Jews. Hamas and PIJ leaders don’t live in Gaza; they lead luxurious lives in Doha, Istanbul, and Beirut, and call Palestinians to pursue the fight against Israel from their gyms, jets, and jacuzzis. Some have finally realised that their leaders care only about their personal interest and the well-being of their families and are enjoying the good life. Pray for Palestinians to remove their leaders and move forward with their lives.

Amnesty International’s recent report accusing Israel of ‘apartheid’ is ‘a shameful misrepresentation of Israel’s diverse and dynamic society’, said the Israeli embassy in London, describing it as antisemitic. ‘We do not agree with the use of this terminology’, a Foreign Office spokesperson said. The UK has joined other countries who have spoken out against the Amnesty report, calling it ‘false, biased, and antisemitic’ and endangering the safety of Jews around the world. Israel’s foreign ministry said Amnesty UK was ‘corrupted by racism and xenophobia’. Its foreign minister said Amnesty was no longer ‘a respected organisation’, but the opposite. ‘It echoed propaganda without checking the facts. Instead of seeking the truth Amnesty echoes the same lies as terrorist organisations.’ Meanwhile anti-Semitism in 2021 is 'the worst year on record': see

Throughout the Holy Land, Christians are targeted with frequent attacks by fringe radical groups. Since 2012 priests and clergy have been physically and verbally assaulted and Christian churches and holy sites regularly vandalised and desecrated. There has been ongoing intimidation of Christians who simply seek to worship freely and go about their daily lives. These tactics are being used in a systematic attempt to drive the Christian community out of Jerusalem and other parts of the Holy Land. Russel Rook, director of the Protecting Holy Land Christians campaign, reported Christians being spat at as they walked into a church. For priests, it is having a rock thrown at them and their church vandalised or firebombed. These dramatic, terrible things have caused the Christian population in the Holy Land to drop from 12% at the turn of the century to just 1% today. Persecution forces many to seek refuge elsewhere in the world. See

Born and raised in Bethlehem, Grace teaches at Bethlehem Bible College and serves her local church. The Holy Land’s Christian population is just 1%. Grace said, ‘Today in Bethlehem, as Christianity continues to dwindle, we trust that the Lord will not leave Himself without a witness in this land. This year, my niece will be Mary in our church’s nativity play. As we watch the children join her as shepherds, wise men and angels, our hearts will be strengthened to know that Christianity still remains the heartbeat of this region, despite its decreasing percentage.

Joe Biden plans to open a consulate in Jerusalem. This amounts to an actual US embassy to the Palestinians on Israeli territory. Many believe its true purpose is to undermine Israeli sovereignty in its own capital city. It will also jeopardise future prospects for peace between Israel and Palestinian Arabs. As well as betraying Israel, Biden's diplomatic signalling also appeases his hard-left supporters and is a betrayal of the Palestinian people. They have suffered too long and too hard under the hostility of their leadership, which has consistently refused to entertain all proposals for peace with Israel that could lead to the establishment of their own state. Successive Palestinian leaders have been encouraged in their inflexibility by the US and Europe, who have for decades extracted concession after concession from Israel while Palestinians make none. The intended consulate in Israel's capital will encourage greater support for Hamas, currently ruling Gaza.

19 rockets fired by Hezbollah into northern Israel on 7 August sent local residents into the towns’ shelters. These barrages, the first since the 2006 second Lebanon War, followed similar attacks the previous day. More provocations from Tehran by the new hard-line leader, Ebrahim Raisi, and his proxies increase the likelihood of Israel’s retaliation. The defence minister recently indicated that Israel is ready to counter Iran's aggression. The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said the situation is ‘very serious’ and urged everyone to cease fire. But on 11 August rockets were fired again from Lebanon into Israel, which increases the threat of major hostilities after fifteen years. Pray for an end to these ongoing games of brinkmanship so that harmony between Israel and Hezbollah holds. May the prospect of full-scale war be a disincentive for either side to push too far.