|
|
Resources
for Life |
|
QuickLinks© |
| Index to This Page | Newsroom | Resources for Life Home | Quick Links© | Map | |
|
Search | MegaLinks© |
SPECIAL UPDATE:
|
 | Top of Page |
| The Present Situation |
| Media Misreporting and Distorting |
| The Wisdom of Solomon |
| Background |
| Conclusion |
| Quick Links© |
The Present Situation
[Index | Newsroom | Resources for Life Home | Quick Links© | Map]
At the time of this writing, the land of Israel is in the midst of a crisis which has now sparked serious terrorist acts and violence in and against various nations around the world including: The United States, France, Britain, and others.
In France alone, there have been some 22 anti-Semitic attacks in recent weeks. On Wednesday night vandals set light to the door of the synagogue in La Seyne-sur-Mer near Toulon. The flames were doused before significant damage was caused. The previous night a synagogue just outside Paris was destroyed in a blaze. French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin says his government will use the full force of the law when dealing with those responsible for the current wave of anti-Semitic attacks.
Yesterday, in the Biblical town of Jericho, a mob set fire to the townÕs ancient Shalom Al Yisrael synagogue burning a Torah scroll and other religious artifacts.
Terrorist acts have injured innocent Israeli citizens including women and children. The targets of the terrorism have been random and terrorists have gone so far as to attack people attending the funeral of a Rabbi in Israel.
[Index | Newsroom | Resources for Life Home | Quick Links© | Map]
This two week onslaught of violence against Israel started as the nation was looking toward the Jewish New Year and the most holy days of the Jewish calendar year: Rosh Hashanah (September 30), Yom Kippur (October 9), and Sukkoth (which begins this evening at sundown).
Israel is geographically surrounded by Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, and Iran ø nations that have historically been antagonistic toward Israel. Iranian and Iraqi officials are meeting today for the first time in ten years to Òput aside differences and join in the holy war" against Israel. At least 15,000 members of Saddam Hussein's heavily armed elite Republican Guards began heading to the virtually unprotected eastern Jordanian border on Wednesday. Other divisions are expected to join them. Palestinian radio has been quoting the Iraqi dictator's reported pledge of full backing for an imminent Islamic Òjihad for Jerusalem."
[Index | Newsroom | Resources for Life Home | Quick Links© | Map]
Israeli forces are on high alert today following the apparent collapse of the Oslo peace process yesterday, with expectations growing that Yasser Arafat is preparing to proclaim the unilateral establishment of a Palestinian state. Arafat told reporters last night he will continue his "march to Jerusalem" whatever the cost. More Israeli civilians are being called up for military reserve duty, while security forces braced themselves for today's Palestinian "day of rage," and further clashes over the weekend. Published calls for widespread Palestinian attacks on Israeli soldiers and positions today were issued by militant Palestinian Islamic groups, and by Yasser Arafat's PLO Fatah movement.
This week, Senior Palestinian negotiator Hassan Asfour said Palestinians should now target settlers stating, ÒThe settlers must now be a target by every Palestinian . . . and they must be uprooted from our Palestinian occupied lands.Ó About 200,000 settlers live beside more than three million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, according to recent statistics.
|
"We are experiencing . . . the most pervasive, massive, and intense proliferation of anti-Jewish propaganda since the fall of the Third Reich. It emanates from almost every corner of the earth and it finds expression in almost every institution within our society." Alan Dershowitz, 1992 |
Media Misreporting and Distorting
[Index | Newsroom | Resources for Life Home | Quick Links© | Map]
It is not unusual for minority groups to be threatened or attacked during their religious holidays. This is a common terrorist tactic. What is unusual is how the media has been portraying the current crisis in Israel. A recent New York Times report on the violence in Israel showed a picture of an Israeli Police Officer with a club standing over a boy who had clearly been beaten and was bleeding. The caption to this photograph indicated that this was a Palestinian boy who had been beaten by the police officer in the photo. When the boyÕs father saw the story, he complained to the New York Times. The boy, in fact, was Jewish. The police officer had been protecting the boy from a mob of Palestinians who had beaten him up. The boy isnÕt even an Israeli citizen. He is a US Citizen. The New York Times apologized. This is just one example of how the media has distorted or misreported the news in Israel. Many incidents of violence against Israeli citizens have gone unreported.
In reality, the Israeli response to the terrorist attacks has been very limited. It is reported that they are using less that 1% of the potential military response. In a recent retaliation Israel gave a three-hour advanced warning to the Palestinians on where they were going to strike and then firing warning shots first to show it was serious in order to reduce casualties.
[Index | Newsroom | Resources for Life Home | Quick Links© | Map]
We would urge you to question the validity of any news report that presents derogatory and inflammatory statements denouncing the actions of Israel and the Jewish people. We would also point out that the horrific actions you see on television or read about in the paper represent the actions of fringe groups, fanatics, or mobs that are behaving uncharacteristically. Do not allow yourself to form opinions about entire religious or racial groups based on what the media is reporting. Know that most Arabs, Jews, Palestinians, Israelis, Muslims (or whatever group) are basically good people who want to live a normal life in a peaceful world. The fringe radical fundamentalist terrorist factions do not represent entire groups of people. There are many encouraging and good stories of diverse people living together in peace and harmony. We hope to cover more of these in the future.
The Wisdom of Solomon
[Index | Newsroom | Resources for Life Home | Quick Links© | Map]
King Solomon was considered to be one of the wisest men in history. Much of the book of Proverbs in the Bible is attributed to him. Once two women came before him with an infant. (1 Kings 3:16-28) Each woman claimed the child was her own. The women argued before the King. As a test, Solomon said, ÒCut the child in two and give half to one and half to the other.Ó The childÕs true mother said, ÒPlease, my lord, giver her the child! DonÕt kill him!Ó The woman who was not the childÕs mother said, ÒNeither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!Ó In this way, King Solomon was able to determine who the childÕs true mother was.
The Jewish people in the land of Israel, like the true mother in this story, have been willing to give their land away for peace because of their passionate love and maternal instinct for the land. Meanwhile terrorist groups that want to take the land by force are burning down forests that were planted by the Jews and raging war against the land and the people. Like the story of the two women who stood before King Solomon, today it is quite clear who the land of Israel truly belongs to.
This dynamic is similar to the history of the Native American people in North America who were willing to give away their land for peace in one peace treaty after another, until they had no more land to give away.
Background
[Index | Newsroom | Resources for Life Home | Quick Links© | Map]
The restoration of Israel that has occurred over the past 50 years is a modern day miracle. It is a process that began about 100 years ago and is a fulfillment of Biblical prophecies written over 2500 years ago that describe the rebuilding of the ancient land of Israel by the Jewish people. (See, Isaiah 44:26, Isaiah 58:11-12, Joel 3:16-21, Amos 9:13-15). This restoration process has engaged Jewish believers throughout the world over the past five decades in an organized effort to restore streets, farms, forests, businesses, schools, universities, and entire cities in a desert land that was mostly forgotten and uncared for.
Today, the nation of Israel has been significantly restored through the blood, sweat, tears, and financial investments and sacrifices made by generations of Jewish people from around the world.
Now, at the advent of IsraelÕs glorious restoration, as one might imagine, thousands of groups have flocked to the land of Israel, with new or renewed interest, claiming their own inheritance in the land. Political groups, international corporate interests, and religious organizations from around the world have all come to Israel. The landscape of Israel is dotted with various temples, mosques, shrines, churches, and other holy sites, as well as corporate headquarters and foreign government buildings.
Of course, it is very unlikely youÕll find a synagogue built on the ruins of an ancient church. JudaismÕs presence in the land far outdates any other modern day religious presence. The ever-present archaeology of ancient Israel is a consistent reminder of IsraelÕs past and the Jewish peopleÕs long enduring history in the land. For this reason, many of the holy sites that other religious groups claim ownership of are ironically built on top of Jewish archaeology, in Biblical towns with Hebrew names.
[Index | Newsroom | Resources for Life Home | Quick Links© | Map]
Over the past 4000 years, various nations and empires have attempted to take Israel by force. For this reason, the ÒownershipÓ of the land appears to have changed hands several times. Many of the ruins of these conquering imperialists, such as Rome, remain to this day in the land of Israel as a visual reminder of the past failed attempts of these fallen civilizations to conquer the land and people of Israel. Meanwhile, the Jewish people are still in the land and continue to thrive to this day.
What makes the land of Israel unique is that it is perhaps the only nation named after a person! The Jewish patriarch Jacob was given the name Israel about 3800 years ago (See Genesis 32:22-29). The name Israel was later used to refer collectively to all Jewish people. This is how the land was given its name. It is the land that belongs to the people known as ÒIsrael.Ó In this way, the name of the land, and the name of the people have been one and the same for thousands of years. This long history would explain the deep emotional tie to the land that exists in the collective soul of the Jewish people.
Conclusion
[Index | Newsroom | Resources for Life Home | Quick Links© | Map]
We hope this report has provided you with some useful and insightful information. For balanced, complete, accurate and up to date news from Israel, we would encourage you to visit the following web sites:
The Jerusalem Post at www.jpost.com
Israel National News at www.israelnationalnews.com
If you are someone who prays, we would encourage you to pray for peace in the middle east and around the world.
[Index | Newsroom | Resources for Life Home | Quick Links© | Map]
This page complies with Planning & Development Standards - Revision 20010209fr1010
Please use the QuickLinks© below to jump to another location. [Index | Top of Page]
