Dispatch from Jerusalem

50,000 Israeli Arabs Will Flee PA-Controlled Jerusalem!

{image_1}Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) has told peace-talk negotiators that Jerusalem will be the capital of the proposed new Palestinian state. Protests have not been as loud or demonstrative as many might have expected.

Crane Visits Increase 30%

{image_1}Cranes have become familiar guests at Hula Lake. During Israel’s autumn and winter months (October to March), there is an average of 10,000–30,000 cranes at the lake every day. Recently, a new daily record was set at Hula Lake—41,600 cranes in one day, as compared to last year’s record of 32,000, a 30% increase! They migrate from Europe to Africa and back, passing through the Hula on their way. Their habitat is primarily swamp areas and quicksand.

Watering the Prospects for Peace

{image_1}Can water resources unite Jordanians, Israelis, and Palestinians?

Leggy Beauty

{image_1}Denise the giraffe and her new baby are wowing the crowds at the Ramat Gan Safari Park in Israel. Denise, now seventeen years old, gave birth to her tenth calf, following a fifteen-month pregnancy. Mother and child are left to their own devices in a small, covered enclosure. Safari’s veterinary staff says, from their observation, the new calf looks very well. After all, Denise has had a lot of previous experience with her previous offspring! In fact, it is likely that Denise will break the world record for giraffe births in captivity. The previous record was 10 calves before age 20.

Remembering the Courage of the Light Horse Brigade

{image_1}The 90th anniversary of the lightning strike of the Light Horse Brigade was commemorated in Beersheva with a realistic reenactment of the last-ditch, seemingly near-suicidal charge by Australian and New Zealand horsemen against the Turks on October 31, 1917. It was a turning point in World War I and helped pave the way for the creation of the State of Israel. Nearly 1,000 Australians, New Zealanders, Israelis, Britons, and others gathered to remember the heroic battle that led to the liberation of Beersheba and was a vital key in opening the gateway to the ancient city of Jerusalem. On the same day as the Beersheva charge, the British Government drafted the Balfour Declaration, which was the foundation for the recognition of the State of Israel.

Israel—Alone Again?

{image_1}We have experienced a series of earthquakes in Israel this year but none recorded anything like the shock that came with the US National Intelligence Estimate (NIE). “Iran froze its nuclear weapons program in 2003” was the intelligence assessment that shook the foundations here. The NIE report was issued by 16 American intelligence agencies. The spy guys were leaders in their field and included the FBI, CIA, The Department of Homeland Security, The US State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, the National Security Agency, and the Defense Intelligence Agency. It was stunning news in Israel, which has a particular awareness of Iran and its objective to “wipe Israel off the map.” The highest priority for the Mossad (Israeli intelligence agency) for the past five years has been the Iranian nuclear program and its increasing risk for Israel.

Light—God’s Redeeming “Or”—Or

{image_1}What was the first thing that God made during His 6-day process of creation? He created light (“or”), and not because He needed light to see by, but because His original heavens and earth were still dark and void, and His future creation would need light to live and subsist by. When God said, “‘Let there be light’; and there was light” (Gen. 1:3)—or in Hebrew, “Yehi or, vayehi or”—His very words caused the light to come forth from His countenance and expel the darkness. “LORD, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us” (Ps. 4:6b, KJV). His light now reached into the darkest depths of the universe.

Boasts and Threats from the Other Side

{image_1}“Muslims Are Masters of the World”

“The Muslims and their societies are more advanced and more sublime than the West and its societies…are more perfect in value system and humanity. The fact that there are those who believe that these are Western values—it is a delusion and false, since the Muslims are masters of the world, its leaders and teachers, even if the West rejects this.”

Dead Sea “Saves” Boy

{image_1}Religious and secular rescue workers reportedly danced on the beach of the Dead Sea in the early hours of an August morning to express their thanks to God after a Jewish boy feared drowned was found safe and sound. According to a report on Israel National News, Schneur Zalman Friedman, 8, had gone missing after taking a dip with members of his orthodox family the afternoon before.

Nazi Graffiti Across Israel

{image_1}Nazi-related graffiti is appearing on synagogues and other buildings throughout Israel in a markedly increased fashion. In September, eight members of a neo-Nazi cell in Petah Tikva were arrested. The cell members were charged with several violent attacks, as well as defacing property, including several synagogues last year. Upon searching their homes, police found neo-Nazi movies, posters, and other materials, as well as weapons such as brass knuckles, knives, and an improvised pistol. The suspects were taken into custody awaiting trial.