Sharon – War Hero To Politician

As we write this, Ariel Sharon remains in Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital in a medically induced coma from a debilitating stroke he had on January 4. Regardless of how we view his latest political policies, the Bible admonishes us to pray for our leaders, so we encourage you to pray during this difficult time.

Economy Grows 5.2% in 2005

Israel’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 5.2% to nearly NIS 523.9 billion (US $113.3 billion) in 2005, its biggest gain in five years and well above the Bank of Israel’s most recent forecast, according to preliminary figures released January 1 by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).

Christians Track Israel Support

In an unprecedented move, a major conservative Christian advocacy group in the United States will include the voting records of American legislators on Israel in its biennial Christian voting guide.

The Christian Voter Guide—put out by right-wing Christian Coalition of America every two years ahead of American congressional and presidential elections—has previously only included American domestic social issues. Now the guide is branching out to deal with American’s foreign relations for the first time.

Iran Holds Huge Military Exercise

Iran has completed a huge military exercise that tested Teheran’s ability to attack Western shipping and Arab oil facilities in the Gulf.

Western diplomatic sources said that in December 2005, Iran completed its largest military exercise in years. The sources said the military conducted an air and sea exercise designed to test capabilities to strike the United States and Arab targets throughout the Persian Gulf.

Synogogue—In Ramallah?

“And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places. But he always returned to Ramah, for his home was there.” 1 Sam. 7:15–17a.

North American Aliyah Highest Since 1983

The aliyah (immigration) rate from North America this year is the highest it has been since 1983, according to the Jewish Agency. More than 3,100 North Americans moved to Israel by the end of 2005.

Tony Gelbart, cofounder of Nefesh B’Nefesh— Jewish aliyah organization, insisted, “This is just the beginning. We are rolling up our sleeves and getting to work…you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Light Rail Collides with Antiquity

About five kilometers (3 miles) north of the Old City, the Moriah Company––a municipal company contracted to prepare the infrastructure for Jerusalem’s new Light Rail system––unearthed a first-century community that existed sometime between the Second Temple destruction in AD 70 and the Bar-Kochba Rebellion of AD132.

Post Election Quotes

After Hamas won a landside victory in the Palestinian election on January 25, the following statements were made:

Help for Broken Vertebra

The first clinical trials of a new and minimally invasive procedure for vertebral fracture reconstruction have recently been started at the Beilinson Hospital in Petah-Tikva. The new method uses a smart implant made of Titanium that is inserted into the spinal cord of the patient using a small tube. The implant, called Bidex, grips a broken vertebra, and creates scaffolding, which lifts the vertebra up in order to allow the insertion of a special “glue” which is used to repair the broken vertebra.

Salt-Tolerant Plants – An Agricultural Revolution

The productivity of crops is greatly affected by salt stress. The progressive salinization of soil, estimated at around 20% of irrigated land, has made the genetic improvement of salt tolerance an urgent priority for the future of agriculture. Salt tolerant plants can facilitate use of marginal areas for crop production or allow a wider range of sources of irrigation water.

A Jot or a Tittle

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“I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” Matthew 5:18, NIV

De-Icer For New Car Models

As an Israeli, Solomon Franco had never experienced an iced-over windshield until he moved to London. After painstakingly scraping the ice off, he wondered how it was possible that humanity had developed the technology to reach the moon, but still had not figured out a way to automatically clear windshields of snow and ice.