Dispatch from Jerusalem

What Is Happening in the Middle East?

I have heard this question nearly every day recently. It is the subject of countless newspaper articles, and everyone in Israel is talking about the changing face of the Middle East. I have also heard the phrase “Gog and Magog” repeatedly used in connection with the shaking Middle East. It isn’t unusual to hear Christians talking about future events and Bible prophecy, but it is much more unlikely in the Jewish world. So, I have been surprised recently to hear many Jewish people referring to the present time as times leading to Gog and Magog.

Saving Lake Victoria

{image_1}Israel and Germany have signed a letter of intent for a first-of-its-kind joint cooperation effort, with the goal of saving Lake Victoria in Kenya. Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the second largest in the world and is being threatened by a severe ecological disaster. Half of the fish species in the huge lake—410 kilometers (255 miles) long and 250 kilometers (150 miles) wide—have already become extinct. About 30 million people make their living from the seaweed-filled lake that has low oxygen levels. Lake Victoria is one of the sources of the Nile, which is also suffering from the lake's ecological disaster.

A Glass Tribute

{image_1} Much has been written about the contributions Jewish people worldwide have made in cultural, scientific, and technological fields in modern times. It has been noted that though they only comprise 0.25% of the world’s population, they make up 22% of all Nobel Prize winners. Their contribution has also impacted the arts, and one of today’s greatest contributors is Dale Chihuly, a world renowned glass artist. In December, he opened a four-month long exhibit in Tel Aviv, featuring about 100 of his works, 10 of which were created specifically for that exhibit.

Below the Lines

{image_1} The need for potable water has reached critical proportions in Israel because of a seven-year drought, as reported in the February Dispatch. Internet sites record every millimeter of rain that falls on a daily basis. However, that information can be somewhat difficult to comprehend, especially those for the Sea of Galilee (or Kinneret). What are the two “red lines” often referred to? And what about the “black line”? How much water is needed to get from one to the other, and what are the consequences of falling below any one or all three lines?

The Culture of the Bible

{image_1}In my role as International President and CEO of Bridges for Peace, I travel to various places around the world. It is fascinating to visit other countries and absorb the local culture, tasting new foods, learning a bit of the language, enjoying the mannerisms and clothing, and visiting spots of beauty and history. What is ordinary and well understood by those within the culture seems exotic, strange, and unique to me. Outward differences can be readily seen in how we greet one another, how we dress, how we speak, but other differences go much deeper.

“Palestine Is Big”

Palestinian TV, which is owned by the Palestinian Authority (PA, Fatah) and operated under the auspices of Mahmoud Abbas's office, frequently presents Palestinians with a world without Israel, which is the most explicit non-recognition. Following are instances from three recent programs.

Abbas’s Contradictory Statements

{image_2} Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has made contradictory statements concerning violence and war against Israel.

US, Britain’s Destiny Worse than Hitler’s

{image_1}“The American, British and Zionist regimes are the three sides of the evil triangle of warmongering and terrorism in the world.”

Netanyahu Speaks

…on Egypt

{image_1} “Israel believes that the international community must insist that any Egyptian government maintain the peace treaty with Israel.”

The Muslim Brotherhood

{image_1}As turmoil continues in the Middle East, one organization whose name has surfaced often is the Muslim Brotherhood. Some in Western media describe the Brotherhood as a moderate organization that eschews violence and stands on a platform of humanitarianism and democracy. Others portray the group as radical and militant, with a history of violence and a very political agenda. In the final analysis, perhaps there is some truth in both views.