Friday, December 16, 2022

2022: One of Israel’s Bloodiest Years in Recent History

by Kate Norman

Wednesday, 14 December 2022 | 2022 has been marked by violence, as a wave of terror attacks and clashes between Israeli security forces and armed terrorists have resulted in one of the bloodiest years in the Jewish state’s recent history.

Some 27 civilians, three soldiers and a police officer have been killed in terror attacks this year across Israel—a total of 31 deaths. Nineteen of these were killed in a terror wave between March and May made up of six separate attacks.

In an effort to curb the attacks, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at the end of March launched Operation Breaking the Wave, which consists of near-nightly counterterror raids to arrest terror suspects and confiscate illegal weapons. But armed terrorists are often waiting for the Israeli security forces, resulting in clashes.

Those clashes have resulted in the deaths of 151 Arabs in 2022, the Times of Israel reported, citing the IDF’s numbers, though the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry puts the number higher at 167.

According to the Times of Israel, the death toll of 31 Israelis and foreign nationals by terror attacks is the highest since 2015, when 29 people were killed. 2022 also saw the highest death toll for Palestinians since 2006, as 151 were reported killed in clashes this year, compared to 220 in 2006, the Times of Israel reported.

Most of the Palestinian deaths were due to the clashes and terror, as many of the terrorists were killed while carrying out the attack.

A United Nations (UN) official is currently visiting Israel for a yearly report on harm that children experience amid the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. This year, as Virginia Gamba, UN representative for children and armed conflict, visits the Jewish state, Israeli officials will present her with proof that most Palestinian minors killed in clashes this year have ties to terrorist groups or were engaging in terrorist activity, Channel 13 and Kan news reported.

An unnamed diplomatic source told Channel 13 that Israel will provide Gamba with proof of the “cynical use of kids by Palestinians, especially by terror groups: from recruiting children and teenagers as combatants to weapons training, summer camps, indoctrination, and using UNRWA schools as shelters for terrorists.

“Regarding the Palestinian casualties, Israel will present data indicating that most teenagers were operatives of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror groups, or engaged in military activity or military-linked activity,” the report added.

“Additionally, Israel expects Gamba to examine the Palestinians’ use of teenagers as part of terror activities,” Channel 13’s source concluded.

Israel’s top security officials have warned that the violence is not expected to stop anytime soon, as the Israeli military continues its efforts to curb terrorism, and the armed terrorists continue to fight back.

Source: (Bridges for Peace, December 14, 2022)

Photo Credit: Israel Police/en.wikipedia.org

Photo License: wikipedia

Prayer Focus
Cry out to the Lord for a blanket of His protection to surround His chosen people and for an end to this senseless violence. Pray for the nation as they mourn the lives of so many and beseech Him for peace and healing for all of those who have been traumatized during this bloody year. Pray that UN Official Virginia Gamba will see the truth and bring a report that will move the UN to put its efforts behind ending Palestinian abuse of children and civilians.

Scripture

Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; but you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.

- Isaiah 60:18

Herzog Grants Netanyahu Extension to Form New Israeli Government

by JNS

Monday, 12 December 2022 | Israeli President Isaac Herzog has given Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu an extension until December 21 to form a new government.

In a letter to Herzog, Netanyahu had requested the full 14-day extension allowed by law to form a government. The initial mandate was set to expire on December 9.

Although Netanyahu signed up enough coalition partners for a parliamentary majority, he cited a need to agree on the roles of his new partners.

“Some issues related to [coalition partner] roles have yet to be agreed upon,” Netanyahu wrote in his letter.

Earlier last week, Netanyahu’s Likud party reached interim coalition agreements with the United Torah Judaism and Shas parties. With the support of right-wing and religious parties, Netanyahu’s government is expected to control 64 out of the Knesset’s [Parliament’s] 120 seats.

If Netanyahu fails to meet this new deadline, Herzog can task another member of Knesset to try forming a government. Otherwise, a new election will be called.

Source: (Excerpt from an article originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on December 9, 2022 Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Kobi Gideon/GPO/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Pray again for political stability in the nation of Israel. Pray that a solid coalition that is truly committed to the good of the country will be established, and pray for Netanyahu as he cites “a need to agree on the roles of his new partners.” Pray that a government that honors the Lord and heeds His voice will lead the nation.

Scripture

For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.

- Proverbs 2:6–8

Czech President Requests to Move Embassy to Jerusalem

by Itamar Eichner~Ynet

Wednesday, 14 December 2022 | Czech President Miloš Zeman requested on Monday to move his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in the coming months.

Zeman has asked Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala to approve the move before his term ends next March but could face opposition from the EU [European Union].

The president even suggested he and Fiala would visit Israel for the grand opening.

In an interview with Rádio Jornal in the Czech Republic, Zeman said he assumed that this time, the Czech government would approve his request for the transfer of the embassy after the previous prime minister opposed the move.

According to estimations, Zeman’s statement was intended to put pressure on the Czech government because he considers the embassy a legacy he seeks to leave behind.

Fiala had previously signed as a member of parliament in the Czech opposition a petition calling for the transfer of the embassy.

However, Fiala faced several obstacles. The process is not supported by the Czech coalition, and the dependence of Prague on the EU—in terms of policy against Russia, its ongoing energy crisis, and other issues—means a great deal of difficulty in putting such a move into effect.

Source: (Excerpt of an article originally published by Ynetnews on December 13, 2022. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Pirátská strana/en.wikipedia.org

Photo License: wikipedia

Prayer Focus
Pray that the desire of these two political leaders to see their nation’s embassy moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem will be realized. Pray that any opposition will be overcome, and ask the Lord to bless these leaders and their country as they take steps to make this dream a reality.

Scripture

The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; let the earth be moved! The LORD is great in Zion, and He is high above all the peoples. Let them praise Your great and awesome name—He is holy.

- Psalm 99:1–3

Israel Releases Photo Proving Gazan Terror Groups Launch Rockets from Schools

by Ilse Strauss

Thursday, 15 December 2022 | Israel has long since claimed that Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip use their own people—including children—as human shields. Yesterday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) presented another piece of evidence to back up its claim, releasing satellite photos that show rocket launching sites positioned next to three separate schools in the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave.

“Over 1,000 innocent students attend these schools that Hamas uses for terrorist activities,” the IDF said in a statement in both English and Arabic that accompanied the pictures. “Hamas purposefully puts both civilians and pupils in danger by using them as human shields. The cynical exploitation of schools proves once again that the terrorist organization consciously chooses to endanger Gazan civilians and use them as ‘human shields’ to benefit their terrorist agenda.

“Schools are meant for children—not rockets,” the IDF charged.

The statement identified three schools by name: the Mo’ath Bin Jabal School in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City; the Khalil Al Nobani School in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City; and the Al-Furqan Elementary School in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City.

The Mo’ath Bin Jabal School is supposed to double as a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) safe haven for Gazan civilians during emergencies, the statement charges. Yet instead of protecting the children entrusted to his care, the IDF continued, the school’s principal, one Mehammed Abu Oun, was in contact with a Hamas rocket operative ahead of Operation Guardian of the Walls last May. The UN claims that 256 Gazans, including 128 civilians, were killed during the 11 days of fighting, a tally for which Israel was lambasted in world forums, on social and traditional media, from international governments and by the ordinary man and woman on the street.

Yesterday’s reveal comes two weeks after UNRWA admitted to discovering a “man-made cavity” underneath one of its schools in Gaza. The UN body called it a violation of international law and a threat to children and staff, but failed to respond to a request for further information. UNRWA was also careful to avoid any references to a tunnel or to link the so-called “man-made cavity” to terror activity, including the extensive network of terror tunnels that Hamas constructed under Gaza to store weapons and move forces.

Hamas’s tactic of deliberately hiding its fighters and ammunition behind innocent civilians serves the terror group in two ways. First, Hamas cruelly capitalizes on Israel’s commitment to the sanctity of life. If the instruments of death and destruction are positioned among women and children or nestled in schools, mosques, hospitals and family homes, Israel will deliberately refrain from striking, even if it means armed terrorists or caches of missiles remain unscathed. Second, if Israel strikes without the knowledge that the enemy has embedded itself among innocents, inadvertently causing civilian casualties, Hamas capitalizes on the tragedy by decrying Israeli cruelty to the international community, splashing heartbreaking images of grieving parents and tiny flag-draped corpses on social media.

Sadly, Hamas is winning the battle for public opinion, stirring hearts and minds with a victim narrative, while Israel stands as the villain.

Will yesterday’s pictures do anything to change the anti-Israel sentiment? Will the international community be awakened to Hamas’s cruel treatment of its own—and its blatant deception and manipulation of public opinion?

Probably not.

A bell can, after all, not be unrung. The images of grieving parents and tiny flag-draped corpses cannot be unseen. And despite the facts, even after all the evidence, Israel will probably continue to be painted as the vile villain by world forums, social and traditional media, international governments and the ordinary man and woman on the street.

Source: (Bridges for Peace, December 15, 2022)

Photo Credit: Suhair Karam / IRIN | www.irinnews.org/flickr

Photo License: flickr

Prayer Focus
Pray for protection for these innocent children who are being victimized by terror factions who place no value on human life and have no concern for the safety of civilians, but rather see them only as a means to achieve their goals: the delegitimization and eventual destruction of Israel. Pray that this evidence will capture the attention of world leaders and will, in fact, awaken them to the truth of Hamas’s cruelty, deception and manipulation of public opinion.

Scripture

The LORD tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain coals; fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.

- Psalm 11:5–6

Study: Four in Five Israeli Teens Have Experienced Anti-Semitism Online

by JNS

Tuesday, 13 December 2022 | Eighty-one percent of Israeli teens report having encountered anti-Semitism online, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, found that 71% of Israeli teens had encountered anti-Semitism on social networks, 66% were exposed to web pages displaying anti-Semitic content, 65% were exposed to songs or videos with anti-Semitic content and 30% have come across entire websites dedicated to anti-Semitic content, according to Ynet.

Only 14% of the respondents reported never encountering any anti-Semitism online.

The study also found that an “overwhelming majority” of respondents could distinguish between criticism of the State of Israel or government policies and other anti-Semitic statements, according to the report.

Eighty-four percent stated that imposing a boycott on Israel constitutes anti-Semitism, 88% said that denying the existence of the State of Israel constitutes anti-Semitism and 88% said that publishing conspiracy theories about Israel and the “Zios” ruling the world constitutes anti-Semitism.

Only 29% of respondents stated that criticizing Israeli policies equates to anti-Semitism.

The Maagar Mochot Institute conducted the poll using a combined telephone and internet survey of 708 Jewish Israeli respondents between the ages of 15 and 18.

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on December 12, 2022. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Pixabay/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Cry out to God for an end to anti-Semitism in all its forms, but particularly in its epidemic presence on the internet and social media. Pray that the rest of the world will take a lesson from Israeli teens and come to recognize that boycotting Israel, denying Israel’s right to exist and publishing age-old conspiracy theories about Jews are all forms of anti-Semitic hate speech and have no place in public discourse.

Scripture

Let all those who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back. Let them be as the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up.

- Psalm 129:5–6

IDF Chief: Israel behind November Strike on Convoy along Syria–Iraq Border

by Kate Norman

Thursday, 15 December 2022 | Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi acknowledged yesterday that the Israeli military was behind a targeted air strike on a convoy near the Syria–Iraq border in November.

In a 50-minute speech at a ceremony at Reichman University in Herzliya, the IDF chief made a casual comment with a relatively big implication while discussing the Israeli military’s impressive intelligence and operative capabilities.

Israel was blamed for a November 9 air strike on a convoy of trucks crossing the border from Iraq into Syria. The convoy was reportedly bringing fuel to Lebanon from Iran. It wasn’t just fuel though; the care package also reportedly included weapons.

Truck number eight in the 25-truck line, which reportedly was carrying the weapons, was targeted in a strike, which the Wall Street Journal reported killed 10 people, some of whom were Iranians. Iranian media, however, denied that any of its people were casualties of the Israeli strike.

In line with its standard policy, Jerusalem did not comment on its involvement in the attack—until over a month later, when Kohavi stepped up to the microphone yesterday and praised the Israeli military’s intelligence for identifying the weapons shipment and the specific truck that was carrying it.

“We could have not been aware of the Syrian convoy a few weeks ago,” Kohavi told the conference, as quoted by the Times of Israel.

“We could have not known that it was heading from Iraq to Syria,” the IDF chief added. “We could have not known what’s in it, and we could have not known that out of the 25 trucks, truck number eight was the one carrying weapons.

“We needed to send pilots to the right place, and they had to evade surface-to-air missiles fired at them,” Kohavi continued. “They needed to attack, they needed to hit their targets and come back safely and not kill people who shouldn’t be killed. These are very advanced capabilities.”

“To be clear,” the IDF chief added, as quoted by Ynetnews, “sometimes, 30 to 40 missiles are launched at our aircraft, with the highest number fired in one operation being 70. Forces need to attack, get a clean hit and return home. They’re also required not to kill uninvolved people. These are very advanced capabilities.”

Though Israel often does not comment on its involvement in specific strikes carried out in Syria, the Jewish state’s top brass have acknowledged and hinted over the years at carrying out hundreds of strikes in the war-torn country in order to prevent Iran from entrenching itself and strengthening its terror proxies in the region.

At the time of the strike, the head of the Knesset’s (Parliament’s) Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Ram Ben Barak, was asked about Israel’s involvement.

All he said was that Israel is “very determined to safeguard Israel’s security,” as quoted by the Times of Israel.

“We won’t allow Hezbollah to be armed with material of this type or others,” Ben Barak added. “We’ll do whatever is needed to prevent it.”

Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah is funded and backed by Iran, and often receives shipments of advanced weapons with love from Tehran.

After the November strike, Hezbollah claimed that it was not connected to the convoy, the Times of Israel reported. The convoy, however, was reportedly headed for the eastern province of Deir el-Zour in Syria, where many militias, including Hezbollah, are operating.

If the militias, Hezbollah and most importantly, Iran, take Kohavi’s speech yesterday as a warning of the IDF’s capabilities, they will think twice before attempting more under-the-table weapons shipments.

Source: (Bridges for Peace, December 15, 2022)

Photo Credit: Deror Avi/en.wikipedia.org

Photo License: wikipedia

Prayer Focus
Pray that Kohavi’s warning will be clearly heard, understood and heeded by Iran and her proxies. Pray that Israel’s advanced military capabilities will not only be effective when used, but even more effective as a deterrent to those who would attempt her destruction.

Scripture

Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.

- Deuteronomy 28:10

IDF: Palestinian Teen Killed During Jenin Firefight Likely Shot by Border Police Officer

by JNS

Wednesday, 14 December 2022 | A Palestinian teenager killed during a firefight in Jenin on Sunday was likely shot by a Border Police officer, according to the initial findings of an Israeli military investigation.

Jana Zakarneh, whose age has been reported as 15 or 16, was standing next to a Palestinian gunman on a rooftop, Channel 22 reported on Monday.

During the clash, Israeli forces identified two suspicious figures—one of whom was armed—on a nearby roof, according to the Israel Defense Forces [IDF]. A Border Police officer fired nine rounds at the pair, striking Zakarneh.

The report noted that Palestinian gunmen often fire from rooftops during Israeli security operations and also film Israeli movements from rooftops, later posting the videos to social media networks.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement that the Israeli military regrets all harm to non-combatants, “including those who are in a combat environment during exchanges of fire, in close proximity to armed terrorists. Security forces will continue to work to thwart terrorism anywhere that is needed, while attempting to prevent harm to non-combatants.”

Israeli forces arrested the three wanted suspects during Sunday’s operation, and transferred them to the Israel Security Agency for questioning.

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on December 13, 2022. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Office/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Pray for the IDF as it deals with the ongoing issue of non-combatants in the field. Pray that each soldier will have great wisdom and the necessary restraint even in the midst of battle and pray that the enemies’ intentional use of non-combatants to entrap Israel will fail.

Scripture

Blessed be the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle—my lovingkindness and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer, my shield and the One in whom I take refuge, who subdues my people under me.

- Psalm 144:1–2

Iran Slams Shut Cash Coffers, Cutting off Palestinians

by Kate Norman

Tuesday, 13 December 2022 | The Iranian regime is known as the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism—but as the sponsor is facing a financial crisis, the flow of funds are halting to its beneficiaries in the Holy Land.

Arabic Jerusalem-based newspaper Al-Quds reported recently, citing unnamed sources in Lebanon, that Iran has cut off its funding for several of its terrorist proxies operating in and around Israel.

The decision was reportedly made about three months ago—around the same time the protests began in Iran that have rocked the nation and caused an internal crisis.

That crisis is now trickling down to Tehran’s terror proxies, particularly within the Gaza Strip, according to the report.

Though the report did not name specifically which groups were cut off from funding, i24news noted that the main factions who receive funding from Iran are Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

And the funding affects the organizations deeply, as the sources reportedly revealed that Iran’s money pays salaries for leaders of the various groups and also covers costs for their “various activities.”

The cut funding also means some of Iran’s beneficiaries will not be able to keep their electricity running, according to the report, including media outlets for terrorist organizations.

A “well-informed military source” from PIJ in Gaza recently told Al-Monitor that the Iranian protests are a concern for the PIJ leadership. “We are concerned the protests will also affect the future of Iran’s financial and military support,” Al-Monitor quoted the source as saying.

Those fears apparently have come true, as Iran is having to put out its own fires rather than starting others across the region.

Source: (Bridges for Peace, December 13, 2022)

Photo Credit: Michio Nagata/bridgesforpeace.com

Prayer Focus
Praise God that our prayers are being heard and Iran’s flow of cash and goods to Israel’s enemies is being interrupted. Pray that such a decline in support will force terrorist organizations to cease their activities and actually shut down operations.

Scripture

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler…You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day.

- Psalm 91:1–3a, 5

Christian Media Summit Brings Israel Allies to Jerusalem

by Etgar Lefkovits~JNS

Thursday, 15 December 2022 | The group stood in prayer for the State of Israel. An American evangelical bishop took the stage to lead in the singing of Israel’s national anthem at the culmination of a gala opening evening at a Jerusalem banquet hall.

It certainly was not your standard international conference or foreign press association gathering in Israel.

Welcome to the 2022 Christian Media Summit in the Holy Land.

This is a time of rising global anti-Semitism and deep divisions among Israelis spilling out into growing tensions with Diaspora Jewry [population outside Israel] over the makeup of Israel’s incoming government. The gathering of global philo-Semites [those who hold respect and admiration for the Jewish people] included a colorful mix of 150 Christian news executives, journalists and Christian supporters of Israel from 28 countries around the globe. The gathering spoke volumes both about the budding relations between Israel and the diverse Christian world, and the importance the Jewish state places on nourishing these ties.

“We are living in the golden age of Jewish–Christian relations with some serious flaws and challenges,” said Rabbi David Rosen, international director of interreligious affairs at the American Jewish Committee. “We have never had a relationship with the Christian world as good as the one we have now.”

“Forty years ago this very gathering would have been unthinkable,” said Bishop Robert Stearns, founder and executive director of the western New York-based Eagle’s Wings Ministries.

Organized by Israel’s Government Press Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage, the sixth annual four-day conference, which runs through Wednesday, includes a scheduled briefing with Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu, news seminars, interfaith panels, a tour of the Gaza border area and a visit to the Knesset [Parliament]. It is the first in-person conference in three years due to the COVID pandemic.

Yet in an era of “social justice” and political correctness, both veteran religious leaders—who appeared in a joint panel at the conference—cautioned, however, that serious road bumps lie ahead in preserving the relationship that has blossomed over the last quarter century.

“We are witnessing a massive drop in support and even in interest in Israel among young evangelicals,” Stearns told the gathering, speaking of a denomination of Christianity known to be most supportive of the Jewish state due to its predominantly conservative leanings.

He added that at the same time, young Israelis often only know Christianity in its negative connotations after centuries of anti-Semitism and pogroms.

Stearns, who has worked closely with Efrat Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, the chancellor of the Ohr Torah Stone network of high schools, colleges and graduate programs, said that he was “not optimistic about this moment in time but not with[out] hope,” citing the unbridled growth of technology as “a threat to the human soul.”

“This boon of technology brings with it a secularism and materialism which gnaws at the human soul,” Stearns said.

“It is inevitable that even if Israel is seen in historical and religious terms, that the more Israel is portrayed as insensitive to Palestinian suffering the less young Christians—and Jews—will support Israel,” Rosen said.

He noted that mainstream Protestant churches are much more social justice-oriented, with the Israeli–Palestinian conflict looked at in simplistic terms and a role reversal of the David vs. Goliath story. Meanwhile, the Catholic Church, while mostly sympathetic and desirous of riding itself of centuries-old anti-Semitism—especially in communities with a vibrant Jewish community as in North America—is dealing with local constituents who are Palestinians.

With global anti-Semitism on the rise and a new Israeli government slated to be formed next week which will include ultra-nationalist parties whose leaders have espoused controversial views on other faiths, the religious leader pointed to the need to maintain and nurture Jewish–Christian ties.

In the meantime, the outpouring of faith-based support for Israel among participants at the gathering was both distinct and visceral, even as some of the journalists in the crowds said they had hoped to see Palestinian Christians in attendance, a group that was conspicuously absent.

“I am Christian and I love Israel,” offered Dieudonne Gollet, the CEO of the Ivory Coast based-LMTV, the first Francophone television station in Africa for Christians. A former entrepreneur whose first name means “God has given” in French, he said that God put it in his hands to create a TV station. “My work is to support Israel’s vision in Africa and to show the truth to the people.”

“It is shocking that even in this time, the Jewish people have to hide their Judaism in Germany,” said Dana Nowak with Christians for Israel–Germany, who was a longtime editor at a Christian news site, noting the uptick in anti-Semitism in Germany. “But we also see more awareness of the situation.”

Her organization plans to conduct a bus campaign against anti-Semitism through various cities in Germany this spring.

“Israel is the primary custodian of the biblical history which has to be preserved at all costs because without it the Bible is completely abstract,” said Sudanese-born William Levi, founder of the Massachusetts-based Operation Nehemiah Missions, which works with Christians in Sudan. “It is not economics or politics but the will of God which attracts me to Israel.”

“I am working to mobilize support for Israel in Africa against this assault of Islamist radicalism on the continent,” said Rev. Dennis Nthumbi, the Kenya-based Africa Director of the Israel Allies Foundation, a faith-based international powerhouse that promotes pro-Israel legislation among parliaments the world over. “Africa must realize the great input Israel has in all fields, including in agriculture technology and medicine.”

Ironically, Rosen said that Israel may have more work to do on intra-faith relations among Jews than on interfaith relations with Christians.

“The challenges to the Jewish people’s future are always as much within as without,” he said.

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on December 14, 2022. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Twitter/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Thank God for the strong friendship that has been built between Israel and the global Christian community. Pray that the relationship will continue to grow and strengthen and pray that Christian leaders will reach out effectively to younger Christians, passing on their love for Israel and instilling a commitment to support the nation of Israel.

Scripture

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.

- Proverbs 13:22a

Israel Ranked World’s Fifth Safest Country for Tourists

by JNS

Monday, 12 December 2022 | Israel is the fifth safest country in the world for tourists to visit, according to data on the 50 most popular destinations.

According to data reviewed by the Swiftest analytics startup for its Travel Safety Index, published earlier this month, the top-ranked country was Singapore, followed by Denmark, Netherlands and Switzerland.

Israel came next, followed by Sweden, Austria, Ireland, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Japan, France, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Australia and Croatia.

The deadliest travel destination was South Africa, followed by India, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Brazil, Cambodia, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia.

The index is based on seven risk factors: death rates from homicide, road traffic accidents, poisoning and poor hygiene conditions; life years lost from communicable diseases and injuries; and a natural disaster index.

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on December 11, 2022. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Maddie Hunt/bridgesforpeace.com

Prayer Focus
Praise the Lord for this wonderful and amazing statistic! Pray that increasing numbers of Christians and Jews worldwide will be encouraged to make pilgrimage to the land of the Bible, falling in love with the Land and the people, and returning home as advocates for the place where God says His name will dwell forever.

Scripture

For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: “This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision.

- Psalm 132:13–15a