24. 14 June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Upcoming SCAFI Virtual Event in 2021

32.  $oMVNn ] /eXs June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Gerald Steinberg n In recent years, EU recognition of the damage done by and the need for independent oversight of Europe’s relationships with NGOs in Israel has been increasing. But beyond the logos, the details of the deep and often personal European relationships with the leaders of influential Palestinian and Israeli NGOs were and remain closely guarded state secrets on the level of nuclear weapons. This strange and fundamental departure from the transparency that is central to democratic norms explains why year after year, the members of an NGO network linked to a terror organisation, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), are among the main recipients of European funding. Since 2011, European governments have provided at least 200 million euros to these organisations, including 40 million from the European Union, and probably more from subcontracting that is not reported and from grants that remain hidden. The arrest and indictment of a number of four individuals with high-level positions in the benignly named Health Workers Committee, who are charged with diverting NGO funds directly to terror groups, shines a bright spotlight on this core dimension of the NGO industry. After many years of hiding the details and denying the extensive evidence of links published in NGO Monitor research reports, it will now be harder for the European officials in charge of the funding to continue to claim “we did not know,” “the evidence you provide is not absolute proof,” or “we do not need to examine the recipients because other countries and the UN are funding the same groups.” In official correspondence and awkward meetings with European ambassadors and other officials, they offered rehearsed justifications for funding for Palestinian and Israel NGOs leading anti-Israel ‘apartheid’ demonisation. Often reading uncomfortably from pre-cooked slogans, they have claimed (without credibility) that their governments only support projects and not organisations, that the NGO links to the PFLP are outdated and invalid, and even that the PFLP is a legitimate political organisation. The long-standing relationships between PFLP officials and their European sponsors, including leaders of powerful church groups such as Pax Christi, are never acknowledged. One year ago, Olivér Várhelyi, EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement (which has jurisdiction over some of the seven distinct EU funding mechanisms), ordered a comprehensive investigation of terror ties involving NGO grantees, and declared that such funding “will not be tolerated.” That report is expected very soon. In addition, the European Parliament’s committee responsible for budgetary issues (‘Discharge’) recently told EU officials to “thoroughly verify” that funds are not “allocated or linked to any cause or form of terrorism and/or religious and political radicalisation.” Grant funds that went to any person or organisation with terrorist ties must be “proactively recovered, and recipients involved are excluded from future union funding.” To the degree that the officials implement this policy, the results will require a fundamental change in the NGO funding process. In the Netherlands, the foreign and development ministers initially rejected the information showing clear links between their funding for the UAWC and the officials charged with the 2019 murder of Rena Schnerb but later were forced to retract their claims. Under parliamentary questioning, they acknowledged that Dutch funding paid part of the salaries and suspended grants pending an investigation by a private firm, which has begun. These and similar developments in other countries suggest that after many years, the results of free-flowing European support to the NGO industry, without transparency and due diligence, are becoming too costly. Perhaps as a result of the most recent developments and arrests, the careless and dangerous European NGO subcontracting will be reduced or stopped. But even if this happens, the immense damage resulting from these policies will take many years to repair. Gerald M. Steinberg is a professor of political science at Bar-Ilan University and president of the Institute for NGO Research. This article first appeared in Israel Hayom. The End of Europe’s Romance with Palestine Terror? Palestinian militants from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). | Photo: Flash90 The Fourth Gaza War Continued from page 1 Then there was the Cornet anti-tank missile, a deadly weapon also in use by Hezbollah in Lebanon. Both Hamas and PIJ used the Iranian-supplied Cornet missile several times during the current war, resulting in the death of at least two Israelis, one of them an IDF soldier. Hamas also used a new type of rocket named Ayyash. The missile has a range of 250 kilometres, and Hamas used it to stop flights to Israel when it shot the Ayyash in the direction of Ben Gurion Airport and the new Ramon Airport in the vicinity of Eilat. Israel seemed to realise that all these changes on the Palestinian side required a different approach because this war could be the testing ground for a much bigger conflict in the future. For this reason, the Israeli military bombed the military- and more civil infrastructure of Hamas and PIJ to smithereens and also tried to assassinate as many commanders of the two organisations as possible. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Air Force (IAF) also introduced a new tactic never seen in the history of war. Israel knew that Hamas, with Iranian help and funding, had created an underground city where it stored weapons and was in use as a bunker for Hamas operatives in case of war or other emergencies. At the same time, the IDF didn’t want to make the same fault as in 2014 when it lost soldiers during operations inside Gaza trying to blow up terror tunnels. Thus the Israeli military used very different methods to destroy what it calls ‘the Metro’ Hamas’ reinforced underground tunnel network. After four days of fighting, some 160 warplanes and assault helicopters conducted a massive attack on the tunnels in the northern Gaza Strip simultaneously. According to the IDF, the aircraft used 450 missiles and dropped 80 tons of explosives on the tunnel complex. The whole operation took a little more than 40 minutes and has reportedly killed hundreds of terrorists. A similar operation was later used to destroy another stretch of the ‘Metro’ complex. Israel knows that the improved skills and weapons of Hamas and PIJ are the result of the Iranian involvement in Gaza. How Do We Know? Hamas leaders and PIJ officials talked about it openly, most recently Ramez al-Halabi, one of PIJ leaders. During an interview with al-Ahd TV in Iraq, Al-Halabi said that his organisation gets its weapons, money, and even food from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in Iran. The Telegraph in the United Kingdom, citing unnamed intelligence officials, confirmed that Iran is helping Hamas in all sorts of ways to improve its military capabilities, especially when it comes to the manufacturing of missiles. So, the bigger picture of this latest Gaza War is that Israel is not only fighting two Palestinian terror groups. The real battle here is against Iran that has vowed to destroy the Jewish state and is trying to achieve this in different ways. It is done by providing assistance to its proxies in Israel and by stirring up unrest among Palestinian Arabs living in Judea and Samaria and Israeli Arabs. In addition, via Hezbollah, Iran has been caught trying to create new terror groups in Judea and Samaria a s well in northern Israel. According to the IDF, the aircraft used 450 missiles and dropped 80 tons of explosives on the tunnel complex.

30. 12 Archeology Kay Wilson n Israeli Tour Guide | Author | Cartoonist The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls months before the birth of the modern state of Israel was arguably the greatest archaeological and historical find in history. Not only did it verify that the land of Israel had been the national homeland of the Jewish people for millennia, but it also confirmed the authenticity of the Bible. The Hebrew scrolls have been dated to be two thousand years old and contained the same unchanged text that was passed on throughout the generations. A similar important historical discovery caused waves to sweep throughout Israel and the world a few months ago, when fragments of ancient Biblical scrolls, and other treasures, were found in caves on the cliffs that hug the Dead Sea. Many are calling this Israel’s biggest archaeological find since the Dead Sea Scrolls. Dr Eitan Klein, the archaeologist who led the digs, is now a household name in Israel. He has also won the affectionate title ‘Indiana Jones’ due to the risks incurred by him and his team in salvaging the scrolls. The discovery of the fragments involved a plot worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster. Klein mapped it all out using a fascinating combination of gathering intelligence from Bedouin informers, cutting-edge technology and sheer courage required to rappel hundreds of meters to reach the entrance of the caves with an abyss hovering below. Before the first shovel of earth was unturned, Klein and the Israel Antiquities Authority set up a network of Bedouin informants to retrieve intelligence about the theft of Israeli antiquities. Not only did Klein have to squeeze out information from convicted antiquities thieves who, as Bedouin, are people loyal to their tribe, he also had to work with the Israeli police, Interpol and even the FBI. This is because looted artefacts can eventually end up in museums as far a way as Paris, London and New York. After gathering the necessary intelligence, Klein used an ‘air force’ of drones that could photograph in such a fine resolution that it was possible to measure the specifications of the caves and retrieve accurate imagery of up to an astonishing one centimetre. The state-of-the- art drones came with a fully autonomous functioning mode which meant no internet connection was required, which is an absolute necessity when mapping the remote and unforgiving desert. It was thanks to this ‘air force’ of drones that a 6000-year-old mummified girl was also discovered even before any digging had begun. The centre of the excavations was the ‘Cave of Horrors,’ chillingly named seventy years ago when thirty skeletons from the Bar Kochba period were found there. Perching over an abyss, the cave was the home of Jews in rebellion hiding from the cruel Romans until, with nowhere to escape to, they eventually starved to death. These latest finds also date to the Bar Kochba rebellion of 132 CE. For the most part, the scroll fragments came from the books of the prophets Zechariah and Nahum. Unlike the earlier Dead Sea Scrolls, or the fragments discovered previously from the Bar Kochba period (in which the leader asks for a lulav to celebrate the festival of Sukkoth), these newly discovered pieces were not written in Hebrew; they were all in Greek. The only exception was the tetragrammaton, the four-letter Hebrew word for the most holy name of God. It is a name so sacred that, even today, it is rendered unpronounceable by Jewish people for fear of desecrating His name. The fact that Greek could have been a lingua franca, and yet Jewish people still insisted on writing the unutterable name in Hebrew, is remarkable. No matter what the surrounding culture, the God of Israel, was always the God of the Hebrews. So much so that the Jewish people stuck stubbornly to their beliefs and creeds in the face of a cruel Roman Empire bent on destroying them. Raiders of the Lost Scroll June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Fragments of the newly discovered Dead Sea Scroll were found in a desert cave. | Photo: Flash90 Biblical Archeological Society n A recent computer analysis of handwriting from the Great Isaiah Scroll—one of the longest and best preserved of the Dead Sea Scrolls—found the 54-column text was produced by two different scribes who apparently worked in shifts to complete the task. Researchers from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, used artificial intelligence (AI) technology to train their computers to detect minute differences in the shape, styling, and curvature of the thousands of letters written on the scroll parchment. Although the styles of the letters appear nearly identical to the naked eye, the AI analysis revealed the work of two distinct scribal hands, with the second scribe taking over from the first about midway through the manuscript. Given the close similarity in penmanship, the researchers believe the two scribes likely received the same training or were even peers within the same scribal school. The researchers also believe that such analyses may also help answer a number of unresolved questions about the scrolls. For example, given that the Great Isaiah Scroll is securely dated by radiocarbon to the second century B.C.E., the AI-based handwriting analysis could potentially identify other scrolls written in a similar style and therefore likely produced at about the same time. Similarly, AI analysis of the handwriting found on the more than 40,000 scroll fragments could help scholars finally piece together at least some of the 900 scroll manuscripts from which the fragments originated. Hidden away nearly 2,000 years ago in desert caves adjacent to the ruins of Qumran along the shores of the Dead Sea, the Dead Sea Scrolls, first discovered by local Bedouin in 1947, include biblical manuscripts like the Great Isaiah Scroll, but also previously unknown sectarian writings likely associated with the early Jewish community who lived at Qumran. The scrolls revolutionised scholarly understandings of early Judaism during the Second Temple period and provided new information about the varieties of Jewish thought that flourished at the time. Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls? Palestinian Authority Salaries to Terrorist Prisoners Amount per month in US dollars Time in prison Palestinian Authority lifetime payments to Families of Terrorist ‘Martyrs’ Amount in US dollars The amounts mentioned refer to the payments of the Palestinian Authority in 2020, based on the average exchange rates Shekel US dollar. Facts Speak

8. 6 Ukraine History Anemone R ü ger n Project Coordinator - Holocaust Survivors in Israel & Ukraine | Christians for Israel For centuries, Ukraine was home to thousands of Jewish shtetls –small towns with a large Jewish population- where even the Ukrainian neighbours spoke Yiddish. Fleeing discrimination and persecution in Western Europe, Jews had found refuge here in the East as early as the Middle Ages. The religious and cultural life of Eastern Jewry developed to a considerable extent on Ukrainian soil - from the Hasidic movement to klezmer music and Yiddish literature, most prominently represented by Scholem Alejchem. Here, too, Jewish communities were repeatedly plagued by pogroms - in the 17th century under Khmelnitsky, in the 18th century under Gonta and Selesnyak. At the end of the 19th century, a whole wave of pogroms flooded the region, culminating in the massacres in the wake of the October Revolt. The bitter lessons of the region's history eventually produced notable pioneers of the modern state of Israel, who saw the only chance of survival for the Jewish people in the return to their historic homeland between the Mediterranean and the River Jordan. The last ship to Haifa Israel left Odessa in 1919; then, the Soviet Union was closed. After the Third Polish Partition (1795) and a considerable land gain in the west of her empire, Catherine the Great had decreed that Jewish settlement was to be limited to a rayon between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea; thus, the Jewish population in Ukraine had steadily increased. Holocaust by Bullets With Hitler’s German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 – now 80 years ago- centuries of Jewish history and culture in Ukraine came to an abrupt end. Official estimates put the number of Jews murdered during the Nazi occupation at 1,700,000 by the end of 1944. Since all men of military age - including Jewish men - were immediately drafted into the Red Army and sent to the front, it was mostly women, children and the elderly who were overrun by the brutality of the German troops. The invading soldiers were immediately followed by the Einsatzkommandos of the SS, who were usually supported by Ukrainian police forces. Town by town, the Jewish population was rounded up and shot at mass graves already dug - long before the infamous Wannsee Conference. Children were not shot - they were often buried alive. Babi Yar Babi Yar became known as the largest mass grave on Ukrainian soil. Shortly after the takeover of Kiev, which was preceded by fierce fighting, the Jewish citizens were ordered by a notice on 28 September 1941, to present themselves with valuables and luggage at 8am the following day at the Jewish cemetery on the outskirts of the city. At the entrance to the then barren area, which is now in the Kiev city area, the unsuspecting doomed victims were met by police and dogs. First, they had to hand over their papers, then their valuables. When they were forced to undress, it was clear that they would never arrive in Palestine, as they had thought. Under severe beatings and unspeakable humiliations, the Jews of Kiev who had not been able to escape were driven to the ravines behind the cemetery and shot. 33,771 women, children and elderly people were executed by the Einsatzkommandos together with the help of Ukrainian police on 29 and 30 September 1941. The executioners had deliberately chosen the time for the unprecedented massacre: It was Yom Kippur, the highest Jewish holiday. In the months that followed, Babi Yar remained a notorious execution site: More than 150,000 people, including Sinti and Roma and a unit of the Soviet Navy, were murdered in the Babi Yar ravine. But every Ukrainian town where Jews once lived has its own ‘Babi Yar.’ Wherever the German occupation forces went, they immediately took care of the ‘final solution’ and sometimes exterminated entire Jewish communities. Only relatively few survived in hiding with the help of courageous Ukrainian rescuers. It is now assumed that there are 2000 Jewish mass graves in Ukraine. To this day, new execution sites are being discovered; eyewitnesses are revealing their terrible secrets in their twilight years. The Land of Anatevka June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Former shtetl (small town) of Bratslav. | Photo: Christians for Israel Einsatzgruppen murder Jews in Ivanhorod. | Photo: Public Domain Mass shooting by a mobile death squad of the Nazi SS near the town of Vinnitsa. Photo: Public Domain. Menorah shaped monument, erected at Babi Yar after Ukraine became sovereign in 1991. | Photo: Shutterstock The executioners had deliberately chosen the time for the unprecedented massacre: It was Yom Kippur, the highest Jewish holiday... Babi Yar remained a notorious execution site

16. 6 June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Aliyah in troubled times This is the story about a young couple from Belarus who made aliyah on the Jerusalem’s Day and the day before the missile attacks from Gaza Strip began. Valery and Evgenia Stepashihins have been under the rockets for ten days during their stay at the Tel-Aviv quarantine hotel. Valery is only 34 years old, Evgenia is 25, and they have never seen the war so close before. They left the country escaping dictatorship regime and fear of repressions as there they had been restless all the time. So they hoped to find peace and tranquility in Israel, but were faced with the Gaza Strip aggression instead. From their first day in Israel they understood the cost the Jews paid for being let into that Holy Land. For them it was impossible to admire the sea views from hotel windows when hundreds of hostile lights were flashing in the sky. And those were not stars. Under the shelling they also met Shavuot—the sacred day when G-d handed Torah to Jewish people on the Mount Sinai. There was the only way out for the family—to trust their lives to Israel and to stay calm. And so they did. “We arrived in Israel on 9th of May—one day before the beginning of the attack. We knew about rockets from the Internet and started searching for any information about it. At first missiles flied to the South of Israel but later the center of the country was also affected. It was terrifying! For the first and second times our hearts were throbbing with fright, but then we comprehended that we should stick to the instructions to be safe. Because of the quarantine, we had to stay in the hotel room and couldn’t go to the shelter. We did as we were instructed and went out into the hall when we heard the sirens. I asked my mum in Belarus to calm down because ‘if G-d brought us there, then nothing bad should happen to us’”, said Valery. At this moment they are going to kibbutz Ein Hashofet hoping for being secure in their new home. Despite all difficulties more olim families are planning to come to Israel in the near future. At this very stressful time your support is especially important for all of them—for families who consider making their aliyah and for families who have come recently and now live in kibbutzim in the South near the Gaza Strip. Let’s bless them for their new life where there is neither war nor violence! ________________________________________________________ Because of generous supporters who give to causes like Aliyah and First Home in the Homeland, olim can find safety and security within their true homeland. If you’d like to participate in what God is doing around the world—bringing comfort to His people and returning them safely to the Holy Land—please prayerfully consider giving today! See the back page or donate online at myaccount.c4israel.com.au Koen Carlier Christian’s for Israel Ukraine The Day Before War Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth Isaiah 43:5-6 Destroyed house, South of Israel. D.G. Photo: Israeli Police Press Service Valery and Evgeniya in the hotel hall during a missile attack

10. 8 C4I Events June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Chan Siew Fong n Regional Trainer | Christians for Israel Asia Due to the pandemic, Christians for Israel International’s biennial forum, which is usually held in Jerusalem, had to be moved online for the first time. The conference was conducted over two days in two and a half hours each day. The content delivered at this forum on 4 - 5 March was as excellent as in past conferences, with the added potential of reaching many more since the videos are easily accessible on the internet. The conference began with a warm welcome from our Chairman, Dr Leon Meijer. Following that, Reverend Cornelis Kant, our Executive Director, explained the choice for the theme for this forum: “For such a time as this, this theme, taken from Esther 4:14, is directed at our understanding of the times and seasons that we are living in and knowing what we ought to do. Just as the Jewish people were at risk of a genocide orchestrated by Haman, Israel is under attack today militarily, socially, and politically. Even sections of the Church, through ignorance, delegitimises Israel.” Reverend Kant made a stirring call to the Christians for Israel International family to stand with Israel in our times and bring awareness to the Church in our nations of Israel’s unique role in God’s salvation plan. The session, How Western indulgence of the Palestinian dream has obstructed the path to peace by Dr Einat Wilf had me soak up every word. Dr Einat Wilf, co-author of War of Return, is a leading thinker and international speaker on foreign policy, economics, education, Israel, and the Jewish people. Some nuggets I caught are: “The right of return is not a marginal issue in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. It is how the Palestinian Authority hopes to transform Israel into an Arab-majority state. It is also the reason behind Palestinians’ rejection of land for peace as they want ‘Palestine for Palestinians’ from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. This is a battle of mutual exhaustion. Who will tire first?” Reverend Willem Glashouwer, President of Christians for Israel International, issued the following challenge. With the world convulsing from birth-pangs leading to the emergence of Anti-Christ and the final world empire, as prophesied in various scriptures, the urgency of the hour is to bring the message of the gospel to the nations and to comfort God’s chosen people before the soon return of the Prince of Peace. Johannes Gerloff, theologian and journalist, pointed out that it was never a reality that Jews might perish in a genocide orchestrated by Haman as described in the biblical narrative of ‘Esther’. Since God had promised to preserve Israel forever, He will always do just that. What was hanging on the balance was Esther’s decision. She could choose to be silent and save her own skin or risk her life to save her people. If she chose the former, then God would supply relief from another source (Esther 4:14). Israel’s existence was and is never in question. How we respond to threats to Israel’s existence is the issue – are we prepared to pay the price in support of the Jewish people? Aliyah Danielle Mor, Vice-President for Israel and Global Philanthropy at the Jewish Agency for Israel, Isaac Herzog, Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel and Michael Freund, founder and chairman of Shavei Israel, brought heartening news that Aliyah had continued unabated despite immense logistical challenges during the pandemic. The regathering of Jews to the Promised Land is miraculous in many ways, the most astounding being closing a time gap of 27 centuries. Danielle Mor shared a video clip, M ission to Ethiopia, that featured a community’s Aliyah journey from the prayer closet to Ben Gurion Airport. Hineni Benjamin Philip, Director Hineni, Jerusalem, reported that the soup kitchen functioned as normal during the pandemic and gave even more meals than before with the increase in demand from holocaust survivors who are living without home care. The work of Christian volunteers to prepare and deliver warm meals and the financial support from Christians for Israel had brought comfort to many Jewish people. Judea and Samaria Sondra Oster Baras, Director from Christian Friends of Israeli Communities, told us that she had discerned a significant recent change in opinion - a vast majority of Palestinians may now be open to Judea and Samaria being annexed and brought under the Israeli government. This is because the silent majority may no longer be buying into anti-Israel propaganda, as they have observed that funds have gone into boycotting Israel or the pockets of the elite rather than into projects for improving the lives of ordinary Palestinians. Virtual Tour Moshe Garbay, Director of Keshet Journeys, took us on a virtual tour of Israel starting from Mount Ebal at the altar of Joshua. In between sessions, we were treated to beautiful music by a host of musicians - world-renown harpist Maestro Alvaro Sanchez, violinist Seow Jin Chong and pianist Soh Hwee Ping from Singapore, Christian Verwoerd and Band from the Netherlands, and Christian for Israel’s homegrown talents, Peeber and Maaike. There were opportunities for networking in breakout rooms after the sessions each day. All too soon, the conference was over. Kudos to all who had organised this online forum painstakingly and caringly with the worldwide Christians for Israel family in mind. C4I’s First Online Forum Christians for Israel staff in our headquarters in Nijkerk, Netherlands. | Photo: Christians for Israel An impression of the Christians for Israel 2021 Forum from our headquarters in Nijkerk, Netherlands. | Photo: Christians for Israel For such a time as this, this theme, taken from Esther 4:14, is directed at our understanding of the times and seasons that we are living in and knowing what we ought to do... If you would like to watch the Forum, go to our website: www.c4israel.org/forum2021

22. 12 June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Field report from Jerusalem Appointment in Jerusalem For as long as I can remember I have had a deep affection for the Jewish people. There is no logical reason for this apart from my awareness that as a young man I would have loved to go to Israel to live and work in a Kibbutz. I have had a deep sadness for the Jewish people for all that they have been through. About 4 years ago I began receiving a newspaper every 2 months called “Israel and Christians Today.” In it was an abundance of information about Israel’s place in God’s plan. What took my notice was reading of Jewish people from the Ukraine and Russia making their Aliyah (in Hebrew meaning the return of Jewish people to Israel). I admired the vast number of people who assisted in this Aliyah process. Just under 3 years ago there was an article in this newspaper telling of the existence or a kitchen called Hineni (in Hebrew meaning “I am here” ). It was run by the director Rabbi Benjamin Philip with a staff of 4, with volunteers coming from around the world. A hot meal was provided along with food packages for the very poor and elderly immigrants living in Jerusalem. I began donating to Hineni, never thinking that one day I would be one of those volunteers. About that time I was phone counselling a young lady, Jen, who wanted to pay me for my services. I refused. Jen insisted. So I asked her to pray about it and we would settle for whatever God decided. Jen agreed. The next time we caught up Jen announced “I prayed and God said you are to give Steele $20,000 and he’s to use it to go to Jerusalem.” Jen had no idea how I loved the Jewish people. I had decided that I would only go there if God told me to go. Truly amazing stuff. Through Christians for Israel, Australian director, Ian Worby, it was arranged that I would spend my time in Jerusalem working at Hineni as a volunteer. Putting my wife, Jennifer Joy, into respite care while I was away was huge for her, but it turned out to be a great blessing with many visiting her in my absence. The beautiful mystery of it all was that I had no idea why God was sending me, a very imperfect 84 yr old, to Jerusalem. I stayed at Abraham’s hostel for the few weeks I was in Jerusalem. Each day I walked along Jaffa Road to Hineni. I found it unbelievable that I was actually there. As volunteers our day began at 9am with “coffee” when the director, Rabbi Benjamin Philip, would attend and lead discussions on Torah, Judaism and Christianity. He spoke with great insight. Food preparation followed. Meat and fish were specially prepared. We prepared vegetables, cleaned the large cooking utensils and packed the meals for the guests. At noon the large number of elderly immigrants began arriving. We served them a hot meal and gave them the packed meals to take home. At 1 pm young immigrant students arrived from the nearby teaching facility. They were there learning Hebrew. We attended those sitting at the tables making contact with these brave impoverished people, who had arrived on their Aliyah. None of us shared the same language but there was a wonderful rapport. When all was done we volunteers sat down for lunch, then set up for the following day. Hineni was closed for Shabbat (6pm Friday till 6pm Saturday) as was all Jerusalem. Therefore all the guests were given a double supply of food on Friday morning. The rest of the afternoons were free, so I used that time to visit some special places. These included Old Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, the Western Wall (Weeping Wall) and Gethsemane. I still remember standing beside the olive garden at Gethsemane realising that Jesus had prayed there before His trial and execution. No words for that. Matthew, Monique and Judy were three volunteers who I worked with and we became good friends. On Shabbat Judy invited me to go with her to a messianic church service. It was very like a Jewish service with the reading from the Torah, but also from the New Testament. I found it very moving and longed for the day when it would be like that for all Jews when Jesus, their long awaited Messiah, returned. On my last day at Hineni, Rabbi Benjamin Philip gave me a statuette of a man. The inscription on the base in Hebrew when translated said “My people are your people.” He then went on to say “Steele, Hineni is your spiritual home in Jerusalem.” Felt that I had truly arrived, as Hineni means “I Am is here.” It was God saying that He was there and we were there serving the wounded ones He sent along. It wasn’t till I got back to Newcastle that I realised why God had sent me. My first Messianic message from Jerusalem began “Steele, you are now a watchman on the wall for Jerusalem.” As a watchman my daily prayer is that all His people will return to Israel and will know that Jesus is their long awaited Messiah. If God calls you, just go. ________________________________________________________ If you’d like to give a donation to Henini or Aliyah see the back page of this Newspaper or go to: www.c4israel.com.au/israeli-projects Steele Fitchett VolunteerAdvocate for Hineni a large volunteer group including Steele in the dining area oif a Hineni kitchen. Benjamin and Steele at a Hineni kitchen in Jerusalem. I still remember standing beside the olive garden at Gethsemane realising that Jesus had prayed there

21. 11 June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Indian Jews return to their homeland Israel Approved Aliyah for 548 Bnei Menashe in India The government of Israel approved the proposal of Minister of Immigration and Absorption Pnina Tamano-Shata to bring members of the Bnei Menashe community on aliyah. It is considered an emergency operation and the immigrants are expected to undergo a 3-month absorption process and then move to permanent residences in Nof HaGalil in northern Israel. In the context of the spread of the coronavirus in India and the worsening situation of the disease in the region, and in light of the efforts of the Minister of Immigration and Absorption, Pnina Tamano-Shata, the cabinet approved the aliyah of 548 immigrants from northeast India. Candidates for aliyah to Israel were approved by the Chief Rabbinate about 3 years ago, but hardly anything progressed on the issue. As you will recall, the first group of approximately 250 Bnei Menashe immigrants arrived in December 2020, and now the rest of that group was approved and 548 more Bnei Menashe will be able to arrive in Israel and start this new chapter of their lives. Minister of Aliyah and Absorption, Pnina Tamano-Shata said: “Today, on the eve of Jerusalem Day, I had the privilege of passing another important decision in the government regarding bringing another group of immigrants to Israel. The decision made today will put an end to the agonizing wait for [a number of] immigrants from northeast India, will bring them to Israel by law, and bring reunification of families that have been separated for many years. I hope to meet the immigrants very soon at Ben Gurion airport on the way to their new home in Israel.” Finance Minister Israel Katz, who helped pass the resolution said: “Just before Jerusalem Day, the Israeli government approved the immigration from India of 548 members of the Bnei Menashe community, who from generation to generation prayed for the next year in rebuilt Jerusalem. They kept this hope and ideal until it was realized. I give my blessing to them and I am proud of the important decision I made together with the Minister of Aliyah and Absorption, Pnina Tamano-Shata, and the Mayor of Nof Hagalil, Ronen Plot.” The decision was also facilitated by the Minister of Finance and his office and the Ministry of the Interior. For the first time, the Jewish Agency will also participate, along with Shavei Israel, in bringing Bnei Menashe immigrants to Israel. _______________________________________________________ _ Help make this emergency mission possible! Make your gift of aliyah at www.c4israel.com.au/aliyah or the form on the back page of this newspaper. Chaya Castillo www.shavei.org FROM DESPAIR TO DELIVERANCE AUSTRALIAN 2022 SPEAKING TOUR Retired IDF Major Rami Sherman was involved in the planning and execution of a rescue mission that stunned the world with its audacity and amazing success. The rescue of over 100 mainly Jewish hostages at Entebbe in 1976 is an inspirational story that has enduring relevance. Rami gives an interesting, first-hand account of this rescue in a thought-provoking presentation. He is hoping to have his “boots on the ground” in Australia in the latter part of 2022. If you would like to host Rami Sherman for a speaking engagement: Please contact Pamela Hecht at: talk.tour.info@gmail.com Rescue at Entebbe the Bnei Menashe community ... prayed for the next year in rebuilt Jerusalem. They kept this hope and ideal until it was realized

31. 13 Historical Israel June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Short News Jews and Tunisia We read from Mokhtar Essid (from Tunisia, connected with the Cornerstone Foundation) that there is reason for great concern about the Jewish population in Tunisia. A summary of what he writes: “The Tunisian president stirs up hatred against Israel and the Jews. As one might expect, antisemitism increases, the hatred against Jews is growing. About a month ago he accused the Jews of theft. He made the lives of the Jews miserable by ordering the put up of pro-Palestinian signs on the island of Djerba, where approximately 1,500 Jews live. He even went so far as to change the names of the Jewish Quarters into Islamic names. A recent series of antisemitic incidents against the Jews in Tunisia is a direct result of the sedition by the president and the Tunisian media, who have become hostile against Israel and the Jewish people. This has never happened before in Tunisia, where the Jews were always defended and were simply referred to as ‘Tunisians’ and not as Jews.” | Photo: Synagogue in Tunis by S. Frantzman Study Shows Junk Food Harms Children’s Bones Ultra-processed foods are proven for the first time to severely damage skeletal development. Parents may want to consider limiting their children’s consumption of ultra- processed packaged foods not only because these foods can lead to obesity and diabetes. They may also stunt bone growth. A definitive link between ultra- processed foods and reduced bone quality in the development stage was revealed by a team of researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The study, from the Department of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition at the university’s Faculty of Agriculture, was published in the journal Bone Research. The conclusion was that even in reduced amounts, ultra-processed foods can have a definite negative impact on skeletal growth. These findings are significant because children and adolescents are intense consumers of ultra-processed food. According to some estimates, half of all American kids eat junk food every day. | Photo: Unsplash Tortured in Nazi concentration camps, these individuals survived to fight back. Many had lost relatives, who were assumed to have been gassed and slaughtered. ‘I am greatly satisfied,” declared General Mark Clark, the US 5th Army commander, emphasising “that the Jewish people, who have suffered so terribly at the hands of the Nazis, should now be represented by this frontline fighting force.” Speaking in March 1945 from his headquarters in Italy, he was referring to the new Jewish Brigade, whose vehicles, arms and uniforms bore the Star of David and who had become a vital and operational military force under him. Led by its initial commander, Brigadier EF Benjamin, the soldiers of the Jewish Brigade, fought alongside troops of other nations. “Tough, tanned and thirsting for revenge,” one military correspondent put it, “these Jewish soldiers have something personal to fight for. Tortured in Nazi concentration camps, these individuals survived to fight back. Many had lost relatives, who were assumed to have been gassed and slaughtered.” Finally, in that month of March 1945, side by side with British and American forces, they held their own against the Germans. “The Brigade members have killed Nazis and suffered casualties as well. They have proven on the field of battle what the Jew can do,” Clark powerfully concluded. The American general saw his Jewish brethren as superb fighters, but he did not realise that this Jewish Brigade was the first ‘world-accepted’ entity of the State of Israel, which was to be born in 1948. Only by reading the regular daily newspapers and weekly English-language Jewish papers from the English countries can one experience what a ‘Jewish army’ meant. However, behind the scenes, even greater strides were being taken to move the mandate out of British hands into those of the budding UN, born in San Francisco in May 1945. In the latter part of that year, even with the war over, the numbers of the Holocaust victims being made known and the unimaginable sights of the survivors and the dead carcases in the former concentration camps, a poll of American citizens indicated that 55% were familiar with the discussion about permitting the Jews to settle in Palestine. Some 76% were in favour; 7% opposed. How could the thinking of Americans be changed so ‘settlement’ was transformed to permitting the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine? From various locales, the champions of our people arose. A southern American editor, Ralph McGill, wrote after a month-long mission to Nuremberg, Cairo and Palestine. “In the Holy Land, a sharply etched, living and breathing, hard-working and productive, deeply rooted Jewish life exists all up and down the country. It will not be blown away by the gales of power politics. It has proved to be practical by any standard of measure.” He first brought this message to the public in an address on 17 March 1946. His six articles describing what he had just seen were syndicated in the US, Canada and Great Britain in the spring of that year. His basic conclusions: “objections to Jewish migration into Palestine ridiculous; Jews there ha ve built up the country; 80% of survivor Jews in displaced persons’ camps want to go to Palestine; plenty of room for them – Palestine solution to the problem.” From his return after his Middle East mission until November 1947, he wrote numerous articles, spoke over the radio constantly, and participated in many national events arranged by the American Christian Conference on Palestine. At Boston’s Symphony Hall on 20 November 1946, 1,000 people were present to hear Senator Owen Brewster of Maine; James G. McDonald, who became the US’ first ambassador to Israel and Dr Harry Atkinson, a founder of American Christian Palestine Committee and Ralph McGill. The radio carried the event to the entire area from Boston south to New York City. Since McGill was the only one that night who had actually seen both the DP camps in Europe and Palestine up close, the crowd hung on his every word. “The Britains have said that without Jewish industries in Palestine, the British could not have held out during the early years of WWII. Furthermore, without t he 60,000 Palestine Jewish troops in the allied forces and the Jewish Brigade itself, many American generals believe the war would have continued on much longer.” A Tennessee country boy in his youth, McGill stressed “never seen harder working farmers than the Jews...nor better farms.” He described the modern cities in the country and factories “wherefrom cleanup forces to executives all were Jewish.” He concluded that until Palestine problem worked out, “we cannot be comfortable calling ourselves a Christian nation.” Behind the trip to the Holy Land of McGill and his writings and addresses throughout the US stood Herbert Bayard Swope. Swope, head of the Overseas News Agency, had sent McGill abroad to get ‘the real story of Palestine.’ The first American Pulitzer Prize Winner and a leading Zionist, always out of the spotlight, this journalist and financier knew well that in 1938 McGill was present in Vienna when Hitler led the Nazis as they marched into the city and took over Austria. Even before the war began, after being one of the few Americans to see Hitler, McGill called for the establishment of a Jewish state. Dr Shulamit Schwartz Nardi, who worked closely with Dr Abba Hillel Silver, handling publications in the 1940s to make the case for an Israel, including the publication and distribution of a million copies of James McDonald’s book on Palestine Jewish farming, once told me that Swope played a role in the 29 November 1947, vote which can never be documented because of the manner in which he conducted his affairs. She also told me that perhaps the greatest moment in American Zionist history was when, in October 1947, Dr Silver, not David Ben-Gurion, opened the debate at the UN in Flushing Meadow, New York, on the future of a Jewish state. Great and lesser-known figures worked hand in hand so that the vote on 29 November 1947 would favour the UN Partition Plan. Seventy-four years later, through war and peace, incredible achievements and terrible tragedies, we are the proud citizens of the State of Israel – so may it ever be. This article was originally written by David Geffen and published by The Jerusalem Post (www.jpost.com). The Jewish Brigade in WWII The 1st battalion of the Jewish Brigade on parade. | Photo: Army Film & Photographic Unit Seventy-four years later, through war and peace, incredible achievements and terrible tragedies, we are the proud citizens of the State of Israel. 12 Archeology Kay Wilson n Israeli Tour Guide | Author | Cartoonist The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls months before the birth of the modern state of Israel was arguably the greatest archaeological and historical find in history. Not only did it verify that the land of Israel had been the national homeland of the Jewish people for millennia, but it also confirmed the authenticity of the Bible. The Hebrew scrolls have been dated to be two thousand years old and contained the same unchanged text that was passed on throughout the generations. A similar important historical discovery caused waves to sweep throughout Israel and the world a few months ago, when fragments of ancient Biblical scrolls, and other treasures, were found in caves on the cliffs that hug the Dead Sea. Many are calling this Israel’s biggest archaeological find since the Dead Sea Scrolls. Dr Eitan Klein, the archaeologist who led the digs, is now a household name in Israel. He has also won the affectionate title ‘Indiana Jones’ due to the risks incurred by him and his team in salvaging the scrolls. The discovery of the fragments involved a plot worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster. Klein mapped it all out using a fascinating combination of gathering intelligence from Bedouin informers, cutting-edge technology and sheer courage required to rappel hundreds of meters to reach the entrance of the caves with an abyss hovering below. Before the first shovel of earth was unturned, Klein and the Israel Antiquities Authority set up a network of Bedouin informants to retrieve intelligence about the theft of Israeli antiquities. Not only did Klein have to squeeze out information from convicted antiquities thieves who, as Bedouin, are people loyal to their tribe, he also had to work with the Israeli police, Interpol and even the FBI. This is because looted artefacts can eventually end up in museums as far a way as Paris, London and New York. After gathering the necessary intelligence, Klein used an ‘air force’ of drones that could photograph in such a fine resolution that it was possible to measure the specifications of the caves and retrieve accurate imagery of up to an astonishing one centimetre. The state-of-the- art drones came with a fully autonomous functioning mode which meant no internet connection was required, which is an absolute necessity when mapping the remote and unforgiving desert. It was thanks to this ‘air force’ of drones that a 6000-year-old mummified girl was also discovered even before any digging had begun. The centre of the excavations was the ‘Cave of Horrors,’ chillingly named seventy years ago when thirty skeletons from the Bar Kochba period were found there. Perching over an abyss, the cave was the home of Jews in rebellion hiding from the cruel Romans until, with nowhere to escape to, they eventually starved to death. These latest finds also date to the Bar Kochba rebellion of 132 CE. For the most part, the scroll fragments came from the books of the prophets Zechariah and Nahum. Unlike the earlier Dead Sea Scrolls, or the fragments discovered previously from the Bar Kochba period (in which the leader asks for a lulav to celebrate the festival of Sukkoth), these newly discovered pieces were not written in Hebrew; they were all in Greek. The only exception was the tetragrammaton, the four-letter Hebrew word for the most holy name of God. It is a name so sacred that, even today, it is rendered unpronounceable by Jewish people for fear of desecrating His name. The fact that Greek could have been a lingua franca, and yet Jewish people still insisted on writing the unutterable name in Hebrew, is remarkable. No matter what the surrounding culture, the God of Israel, was always the God of the Hebrews. So much so that the Jewish people stuck stubbornly to their beliefs and creeds in the face of a cruel Roman Empire bent on destroying them. Raiders of the Lost Scroll June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Fragments of the newly discovered Dead Sea Scroll were found in a desert cave. | Photo: Flash90 Biblical Archeological Society n A recent computer analysis of handwriting from the Great Isaiah Scroll—one of the longest and best preserved of the Dead Sea Scrolls—found the 54-column text was produced by two different scribes who apparently worked in shifts to complete the task. Researchers from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, used artificial intelligence (AI) technology to train their computers to detect minute differences in the shape, styling, and curvature of the thousands of letters written on the scroll parchment. Although the styles of the letters appear nearly identical to the naked eye, the AI analysis revealed the work of two distinct scribal hands, with the second scribe taking over from the first about midway through the manuscript. Given the close similarity in penmanship, the researchers believe the two scribes likely received the same training or were even peers within the same scribal school. The researchers also believe that such analyses may also help answer a number of unresolved questions about the scrolls. For example, given that the Great Isaiah Scroll is securely dated by radiocarbon to the second century B.C.E., the AI-based handwriting analysis could potentially identify other scrolls written in a similar style and therefore likely produced at about the same time. Similarly, AI analysis of the handwriting found on the more than 40,000 scroll fragments could help scholars finally piece together at least some of the 900 scroll manuscripts from which the fragments originated. Hidden away nearly 2,000 years ago in desert caves adjacent to the ruins of Qumran along the shores of the Dead Sea, the Dead Sea Scrolls, first discovered by local Bedouin in 1947, include biblical manuscripts like the Great Isaiah Scroll, but also previously unknown sectarian writings likely associated with the early Jewish community who lived at Qumran. The scrolls revolutionised scholarly understandings of early Judaism during the Second Temple period and provided new information about the varieties of Jewish thought that flourished at the time. Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls? Palestinian Authority Salaries to Terrorist Prisoners Amount per month in US dollars Time in prison Palestinian Authority lifetime payments to Families of Terrorist ‘Martyrs’ Amount in US dollars The amounts mentioned refer to the payments of the Palestinian Authority in 2020, based on the average exchange rates Shekel US dollar. Facts Speak

3. Understanding Israel and world events from a Biblical perspective & Christians Today ISRAEL June 2021 Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Israel & Christians Today is the premier publication of Christians for Israel The Land of Anatevka - 67 2 Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of War Crimes 11 A Day of Fasting and Commemoration 16 Emergency Situation in Israel A long exposure photo showing the Iron Dome anti-missile system firing interception missiles at rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel. | Photo: Flash90 Yochanan Visser n Christians for Israel Correspondent | Israel The Fourth Gaza War has come to an end - for the time being. The war started effectively after Israel refused to withdraw its security forces from the Temple Mount and re-open the Damascus Gate Square in Jerusalem. The square was closed after violent riots that lasted for days. On Monday morning, 10 May 2021, Palestinian Arabs again violently clashed with Israeli security forces and during the skirmishes, at least 395 of them were injured. Hamas leaders reportedly watched the video footage of this bloody riot and then issued an ultimatum to Israel. Israel had to withdraw its security forces from the Temple Mount without further delay. However, the government in Jerusalem refused because it doesn’t take ultimatums from Hamas and considers itself the legitimate power in Jerusalem. The Iranian-backed Sunni terror organisation then launched rockets at Jerusalem which triggered a harsh Israeli response. In the ensuing hours, the Israeli air force (IAF) started to bomb some Hamas facilities in Gaza. The Palestinian terror organisations in the coastal strip shot at least 200 rockets at southern Israel. The Fourth Gaza War had begun, but this one would differ from the previous three ones. First of all, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad appeared to be in possession of ultra-modern weaponry and used different tactics than they did in the past. For example, the two terror groups launched rockets in salvos, a tactic that apparently was meant to ‘mislead’ the Iron Dome anti-missile shield. Indeed, Iron Dome proved to be far less effective than in the previous wars between Israel and the Gaza-based terror groups. There were many direct hits in several Israeli cities, causing the death of at least ten people. Another number of rockets landed in parks, roads, and other places in these cities. Another new tactic used by the two terror groups was inciting the Arab Israeli population, resulting in massive and very violent protests against the Israeli security forces and numerous brutal attacks on Jewish Israelis or Jewish property. Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu recognised what was going on and told the public that Israel was “fighting on two fronts”. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also introduced new weapons such as a kamikaze drone. This unmanned aerial vehicle can carry a payload that explodes when it hits its target. The Israeli military intercepted one at the beginning of the war. The Fourth Gaza War Continued on page 14 www.c4israel.com.au | info@c4israel.com.au AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA

9. Practical Help Instead of a childhood, the Holocaust survivors had an inconceivable tragedy that scarred them for life. Now, in their old age, the heavy memories force themselves in their consciousness. In Ukraine, there are still about 500 Jews who survived a concentration camp and another 17,000 who managed to save themselves by escaping under horrible circumstances. The survivors of the second generation also suffer enormously from what their parents went through and what was taken from them in terms of extended family. In addition, there has been an increasing hardship in recent years: the struggle for physical survival. Today's seniors have spent their lives paying into a system that no longer exists - neither free medical care nor a decent retirement. While housing was usually allocated by the state in Soviet times, the costs of living increased tremendously, while pensions remained very low. More than 500,000 Jewish people have made Aliyah from Ukraine to the land of Israel since the opening of the former Soviet Union in the early 1990s, fulfilling biblical prophecy. But not all have the necessary documents or the support of a family for such a step. Many stayed behind. Christians for Israel International have been on the ground for many years, maintaining relationships with the Jewish communities in Ukraine and assisting both those who want to make Aliyah to Israel and those in need. Tens of thousands of food packages are distributed annually. Well over 1000 seniors are now supported through sponsorships. 7 Ukraine History June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Christians for Israel handing out food parcels in Ukraine. | Photo: Christians for Israel “I Fear No Evil” Born in Donetsk, Ukraine, Natan Sharansky campaigned in the 1970s for the rights of Jews in the Soviet Union in the 1970s. He was imprisoned for nine long years in a Siberian gulag for alleged espionage activities. Into his isolation cell, he had managed to smuggle a precious small Hebrew booklet with Psalms. During the long period of imprisonment, the mathematician deciphered the Hebrew letters until he understood the words. The first sentence he could read was from Psalm 23: "I will fear no evil, for you are with me." Under great international pressure, Sharansky was exchanged for a Soviet spy on the Glienicke Bridge in Berlin in 1986 and emigrated to Israel. From 1996 he held various ministerial positions in Israel and recently headed the Jewish Agency, Israel's immigration authority, for ten years. Then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres greets Natan Sharansky at Ben-Gurion Airport, where he was flown from Germany in February 1986 after being freed from a Soviet prison. | Photo: GPO Rising Tension Aliyah fieldworker Koen Carlier: “In recent months there was much speculation about the Russian troop buildup in Crimea (southern Ukraine) and near the border with Russia in eastern Ukraine. Since the war broke out suddenly in the spring of 2014, the conflict in eastern Ukraine gradually transitioned into a stalemate. However, now that war violence has flared up again, with several soldiers killed, mostly on the Ukrainian side, people fear that the situation might escalate again. In 2014 our Aliyah team was confronted with thousands of Jewish refugees from the east seeking refuge in western Ukraine as we ll as helping those who wanted to go to Israel. Currently, our Christians for Israel team in Ukraine is already noticing an increase in the demand for the help we provide during the Aliyah process. People are asking for assistance with passports applications and for their visits to the Israeli embassy, which is needed to obtain the necessary papers to make Aliyah. What the future brings us in Ukraine is still a matter of guessing. We are not going to speculate too much, but we try to prepare ourselves as best as we can in the event that a new war breaks out. Of course, we pray and hope for the best, but we prepared for the worst.” | Photo: Christians for Israel The central ceremony for the Holocaust Memorial Day in Yad VaShem. Natan Sharansky placing a wreath of flowers. | Photo: GPO 6 Ukraine History Anemone R ü ger n Project Coordinator - Holocaust Survivors in Israel & Ukraine | Christians for Israel For centuries, Ukraine was home to thousands of Jewish shtetls –small towns with a large Jewish population- where even the Ukrainian neighbours spoke Yiddish. Fleeing discrimination and persecution in Western Europe, Jews had found refuge here in the East as early as the Middle Ages. The religious and cultural life of Eastern Jewry developed to a considerable extent on Ukrainian soil - from the Hasidic movement to klezmer music and Yiddish literature, most prominently represented by Scholem Alejchem. Here, too, Jewish communities were repeatedly plagued by pogroms - in the 17th century under Khmelnitsky, in the 18th century under Gonta and Selesnyak. At the end of the 19th century, a whole wave of pogroms flooded the region, culminating in the massacres in the wake of the October Revolt. The bitter lessons of the region's history eventually produced notable pioneers of the modern state of Israel, who saw the only chance of survival for the Jewish people in the return to their historic homeland between the Mediterranean and the River Jordan. The last ship to Haifa Israel left Odessa in 1919; then, the Soviet Union was closed. After the Third Polish Partition (1795) and a considerable land gain in the west of her empire, Catherine the Great had decreed that Jewish settlement was to be limited to a rayon between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea; thus, the Jewish population in Ukraine had steadily increased. Holocaust by Bullets With Hitler’s German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 – now 80 years ago- centuries of Jewish history and culture in Ukraine came to an abrupt end. Official estimates put the number of Jews murdered during the Nazi occupation at 1,700,000 by the end of 1944. Since all men of military age - including Jewish men - were immediately drafted into the Red Army and sent to the front, it was mostly women, children and the elderly who were overrun by the brutality of the German troops. The invading soldiers were immediately followed by the Einsatzkommandos of the SS, who were usually supported by Ukrainian police forces. Town by town, the Jewish population was rounded up and shot at mass graves already dug - long before the infamous Wannsee Conference. Children were not shot - they were often buried alive. Babi Yar Babi Yar became known as the largest mass grave on Ukrainian soil. Shortly after the takeover of Kiev, which was preceded by fierce fighting, the Jewish citizens were ordered by a notice on 28 September 1941, to present themselves with valuables and luggage at 8am the following day at the Jewish cemetery on the outskirts of the city. At the entrance to the then barren area, which is now in the Kiev city area, the unsuspecting doomed victims were met by police and dogs. First, they had to hand over their papers, then their valuables. When they were forced to undress, it was clear that they would never arrive in Palestine, as they had thought. Under severe beatings and unspeakable humiliations, the Jews of Kiev who had not been able to escape were driven to the ravines behind the cemetery and shot. 33,771 women, children and elderly people were executed by the Einsatzkommandos together with the help of Ukrainian police on 29 and 30 September 1941. The executioners had deliberately chosen the time for the unprecedented massacre: It was Yom Kippur, the highest Jewish holiday. In the months that followed, Babi Yar remained a notorious execution site: More than 150,000 people, including Sinti and Roma and a unit of the Soviet Navy, were murdered in the Babi Yar ravine. But every Ukrainian town where Jews once lived has its own ‘Babi Yar.’ Wherever the German occupation forces went, they immediately took care of the ‘final solution’ and sometimes exterminated entire Jewish communities. Only relatively few survived in hiding with the help of courageous Ukrainian rescuers. It is now assumed that there are 2000 Jewish mass graves in Ukraine. To this day, new execution sites are being discovered; eyewitnesses are revealing their terrible secrets in their twilight years. The Land of Anatevka June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Former shtetl (small town) of Bratslav. | Photo: Christians for Israel Einsatzgruppen murder Jews in Ivanhorod. | Photo: Public Domain Mass shooting by a mobile death squad of the Nazi SS near the town of Vinnitsa. Photo: Public Domain. Menorah shaped monument, erected at Babi Yar after Ukraine became sovereign in 1991. | Photo: Shutterstock The executioners had deliberately chosen the time for the unprecedented massacre: It was Yom Kippur, the highest Jewish holiday... Babi Yar remained a notorious execution site

12. 2 June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Biblical Commentary Through Jewish Eyes Enoch Lavender Pastoral leader of Shalom Israel and Assistant Pastor at Living Way Christian Network. “Can we ever live together in peace?” asked my Orthodox Jewish friend. She was despairing over the situation in Gaza and the ongoing fermenting of terrorism by radical Islamists. Like her, many of her fellow Israelis have lost hope in a future peaceful co-existence with their Palestinian neighbours and especially with those living under Hamas in Gaza. ‘Will there ever be peace?’ my Orthodox friend repeated. I found myself unable to answer her question, and decided to study the Scriptures to see what the Bible reveals about the future of Gaza. What I found surprised and excited me, and gave me hope that this horrible situation will one day be turned into a beautiful picture of co-existence and harmony in submission to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! Gaza in Bible Times During Old Testament times, Gaza was the home of Israel’s feared archenemy— the Philistines. It was from Gaza city that Samson carried away the city gates up to hilly Hebron (an impressive feat!), and it was here that Samson spent his days in prison until his spectacular death while tearing down the Temple of the Philistine god Dagon. Many might find it surprising that the Bible places the territory of Gaza within the inheritance allotted to the tribe of Judah (see Joshua 13:1-3, 15:21,47). I therefore believe that at some point in the future God will place Gaza back firmly under Israeli control even if this does not occur until the Messianic era. The Judgment of Gaza But what about the Palestinians living in today’s Gaza? Although modern Palestinians are not descended from this ancient and long-extinct Philistine people, Palestinians have inherited much the same geographical areas and share a similarly antagonistic relationship with Israel. The destiny of Gaza and her Palestinian inhabitants is foretold in the prophecies of Zephaniah and Zechariah. In the context of “the day of the Lord’s anger”, Zephaniah 2:4 foresees a time when Gaza shall be ‘forsaken’ or abandoned. In verse 5, the Lord pours out judgment on Gaza, and in verses 6-7, the prophet foresees the coast of Gaza being allocated for the ‘remnant of the house of Judah’. Similarly, Zec. 9:5 predicts that the ‘king shall perish from Gaza’. Ultimately the spiritual law of sowing and reaping will come into effect, and the terror that has emanated from the mouth of the Gazan leadership will return in judgement upon these leaders. God is a God of justice, and will in His timing render to ‘each his due’. Is there Hope for Gaza? It is important to note that the very same Scriptures that predict the judgment and destruction of Gaza, also give a message of radiant hope for the ‘remnant of Gaza’. Zec. 9:7 (NKJV) says that those who remain in Gaza shall: • “Be for our God ” • “Be as a governor in Judah ” • “Be as a Jebusite ” The first promise tells us that the remnant of Gaza shall experience a great turning to the Lord—the Lord God of Israel. They shall not all be wiped out, but many shall have a change of heart and turn from a religion of violence to the find the true Prince of Peace. The second promise is that this remnant of Gaza is to be ‘as a governor in Judah’. The word ‘governor’ can also be translated intimate friend. Not only will the remnant of Gaza turn to the Lord, but they will also become true friends of Israel. What an amazing miracle! Furthermore, the word translated ‘governor’ is today used to describe officers in Israel’s army. Perhaps this Scripture is foretelling that one day Gazans will become trusted leaders in Israel’s army! The third and final promise reinforces the first two promises given to the remnant of Gaza. This promise confidently declares that this remnant will one day be ‘as a Jebusite’. Who were the Jebusites? The Jebusites were an ancient people who once controlled Jerusalem. Many Jebusites remained living among the people of Israel after the conquest of Canaan—and the most famous of these Jebusites in Scripture is Araunah. Araunah was going about his daily business as the owner of a threshing floor, when King David pays him a visit. As King David encounters Araunah, we can observe several key facts about this Jebusite and his relationship to Israel’s King, People and the God of Israel (2 Sam 24:18-23): 1. Although he lived among the peopl e of Israel, Araunah was still known as a Jebusite and maintained his separate identity. 2. He bowed down and honoured the King of Israel and even described himself as the King’s servant. 3. Araunah believed in and honoured the God of Israel. Zechariah’s prophecy foreseeing the Gazan remnant being ‘as a Jebusite’ thus tells us that the remnant of Gaza will live among the Israelites, but maintain their own separate identity. It further foresees that they will live in peaceful submission to Israeli authorities, and ultimately that they will turn to and believe in the Lord God of Israel. Yes, There is Hope for Gaza! To answer the question of my Orthodox Jewish friend, I believe that despite the current conflict between Hamas and Israel, there is indeed hope for Gaza. A day of reckoning is coming for wicked terrorist leaders unless they repent. On the other hand, the Scriptures give us hope for a remnant from Gaza which will one day live peacefully among Israelis, be in submission to the Israeli government and most importantly be believers in the one true God of Israel. In these days of escalating Palestinian / Israeli tensions, let us pray for the Lord’s mercy on individuals on both sides of the conflict. Let us pray that His spirit will be poured out on both sides in an even greater measure, and for a continued strengthening of the unity between Arab and Israeli believers. Let us also look forward to the prophetic destiny of the remnant of Gaza knowing that at some point they will be turning to the Lord and in fact become true and trusted friends of Israel. ________________________________________________________ Ps. Enoch Lavender Enoch is the Pastoral leader of Shalom Israel and serves as Assistant Pastor at Living Way Christian Network. Sarah is a graduate of the Caleb Company training program and has led a ministry tour to Israel and been involved in many aspects of local church ministry. A Biblical Hope for Gaza The destiny of Gaza and her Palestinian inhabitants is foretold... View of the city of Gaza from the roof of a 5-storey building. Val_Yankin / Shutterstock.com

17. 7 June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Olim safe and secure in Israel—even under Terrorist Threat This night was not a common spring night for the Holy Land. More than 1,000 missiles were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel. Jerusalem’s Day was a starting point for a new confrontation. We feel pain in our hearts for all the Israelis, but most of all for olim families living in the South of Israel. In 2020, we welcomed fifteen of them in kibbutzs Zeelim, Gvulot and Ein Hashlosha in the Eshkol area. The fire hasn’t stopped for two days. And they were hiding in the shelters every time they heard the sirens: “We heard the alarm at 3 a.m. and immediately entered the shelter. But in general, everything was calm. All the people of Israel are in the same situation now and we are waiting for the fire to stop” , said Alexei Rakitin from kibbutz Zeelim. According to Kristina and Alexander Gegenava from kibbutz Gvulot, on hearing the alarm this night, they and some other families hid in the shelter located near their house. “The whole of Israel was awake. It was unusual, but we had no panic attacks, we had all the guidance and felt safe together” , added Kristina. We try to support all those families but it is the Ivanovs from kibbutz Ein Hashlosha that is our focus now. We have already written about that place, which is frequently mentioned in the news as being attacked from the Gaza Strip because of its challenging location. We have told you about the strong and happy people who live there. Today this is especially important to know how they feel after two terrible days and still remaining on the fire border. “I, my husband Valentine and two our sons—Petr (3 y.o) and Alexander (2 y.o.) made aliyah from St. Petersburg in July, 2020” , said Svetlana Ivanova. “We knew enough about that place. It was a well-thought decision. We feel safe here but nevertheless are always on the alert expecting to hear the alarm. Before this dangerous period, we heard it once within two-three months. This week was different. All started at 6 p.m. on Monday and continues up to now. We are sleeping in a special room and when we hear the alarm or see flashes in the sky, we have just two seconds to get to the shelter. I work at the kindergarten while Valentin works night shifts at the factory where he rides to by bike every evening. In such moments, I don’t know how I can help him. I just believe in Israel its army and our G-d. I and our sons are waiting for him at home and praying. I am reading fairytales to them and thinking to myself that all will finish soon and we will return to our normal life!” Christians for Israel will support this family who lives on the small kibbutz near the Gaza. First Home on the Homeland program and Jewish Agency provide psychological aid for all these families. We will overcome this crisis if we are together! We are very grateful to you! It is important for us to feel you are near! Now we are praying for all of Israel in the hope for the fire of the skies to end, for the smoke to clear and for the sun to shine on the olim, on the land and its beautiful people. Please, pray with us! ________________________________________________________ Becuase of generous supporters who give to causes like Aliyah and First Home in the Homeland, olim can find safety and security within their true homeland. If you’d like to participate in what God is doing around the world—bringing comfort to His people and returning them safely to the Holy Land—please prayerfully consider giving today! See the back page or donate online at myaccount.c4israel.com.au Elena Kovarsky First Home in the Homeland, Director Under the Burning Skies So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them Exodus 2:25 Iron Dome Rocket Interceptions of Hamas Rockets being fired into Southern Israel. Kristina and Alexander Gegenava with son and daughter who were under rocket fire in Southern Israel. Photos take of a home in the Eshkol Regional Council that was directly hit by a rocket during the recent bombardment by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza: https://twitter.com/manniefabian/status/1393594525235486720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

2. Informs • Inspires • Comforts / Other Easy Ways To Donate Name on card: My Donation Today: $ Exp Date The 3 digits of the reverse of your credit card. (4 digits if using Amex) Card No Visa Mastercard Amex (Payable to Christian’s for Israel Australia Inc) Cheque/Money Order Credit Card *CVC Cardholder’s signature: Over the Phone 07 3088 6900 (during office hours) Securely Online c4israel.com.au TEL. 07 3088 6900 EMAIL info@c4israel.com.au www.c4israel.com.au Visiting address: 3398 Pacific Highway Springwood QLD 4127 P.O. Box 1508 Springwood QLD 4127 Australia ABN: 79 941 819 693 Christians for Israel Australia Inc. Bank Transfer BSB: 014-279 ACC: 405318551 REF: Member Number food parcels, Hineni soup kitchens and emergency services like Zaka (see inside for amazing stories and partnership opportunities) are all vital to give hope and comfort to those who need it most. “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for His name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we des ire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who throug h faith and patience inherit the promises.” – Hebrews 6:10–12 ESV We also value and rely on your continued prayer support. In fact, if you didn’t already know, we regularly upload to our website ( www.c4israel.com.au/prayer-calendar ) and app a bi-monthly prayer calendar so you can know exactly what and when to pray for Christians for Israel . May God bless you as you bless others and seek His Kingdom first. In His strong and mighty name. Ian Worby, National Leader And the Christians for Israel Australia team. P.S. Can you help support and grow the reach of this publication? Please consider giving a one-off donation to cover print and distribution costs of this newspaper or even by ordering more copies to give to friends or family so they too can be informed and inspired by the message of hope.

13. 3 June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 New Attractions to see in the Holy Land Tourists! This Year in Jerusalem Israel tourism suffered a critical decline as a direct impact of the Covid 19 pandemic. Consider the contrast. In 2018 Jerusalem visitor numbers jumped to an increase of 37.5% according to a survey by the Ministry of Tourism. The annual contribution to the national economy was estimated to be 8 billion shekels ($3,157,716 AUD). Then came Covid 19. Airflights stopped, businesses folded, restaurants, bars, cafes, souvenir shops closed. Tourist employees were laid off, taxi drivers, employees at famous historic and religious landmarks suffered. No one escaped. At the end of 2020 the government stepped in to subsidise businesses whose prospects were critical. The Apostle Paul wrote, ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Romans 12:21) It looks to me we are about to witness that verse in action. During the time the tourist door was closed Israel worked to add new attractions for the eager visitor. The feast for Christians is very exciting. The Emmaus Trail Hike Let us begin at Abu Gosh. It is an Arab village named Kiryat Yearim in the Bible. It is said to be the place where the Ark of the Covenant was hidden for 20 years to keep it away from the Israelites. It is Abu Gosh where an exciting hike to Ayalon Canada Park begins. Along this path Jesus walked with two disciples. Luke 24: 13-35 explains. The resurrected Lord walked with these two men but they did not recognise Him. It is said this happened the same day of the Lord’s resurrection. One of the disciples was Cleopas or Apheus who commentators say was the brother of Joseph, the earthly father of the Lord. They walked to Emmaus. The Matthew Henry Commentary said they talked together about all that had happened. This was an enlightening and informative conversation. Luke tells us Jesus explained to them ‘what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.’ (Verse 27) Finally in verse 31 ‘their eyes were opened and they recognised Him.’ Visitors to Israel are now invited to hike the Emmaus Trail. You begin near the village of Abu Gosh and proceed about 18 kilometres. Henri Gourinard, a lecturer on historical geography. published a 50 page illustrated guide book to the Emmaus trail. There are four legs to the hike, he explains. The observant will take in history from the Roman and Byzantine eras but surprise, surprise there is also ‘the Elvis Diner’ and yes it contains memorabilia of Elvis Presley. (I particularly enjoyed the milkshakes!) During the last leg, through Park Ayalon’s Spring Valley (Emek HaMayanot) you will be captivated by the Roman Bathhouse, an ancient winepress, a square water reservoir dating back to the Second Temple. Emmaus was the site where Judah the Maccabee (of Hannukah fame) defeated the Syrian Seleucid army in 166BCE. Henri Gourinard in his Guide Book said, “It’s a nice way to end a pilgrimage and to meditate on before leaving the country.” Bein Harem Tourist Services in a press release stated the obvious. “Israel doesn’t need to try very hard to impress visitors with its attractions; the incredible ancient history and the religious significance of the Holy Land are enough to make any trip one to remember.” Hebron Visitor Centre and Heritage Museum Tourists might overlook a visit to the West Bank and Bein Harem advise it is wise to travel in an official group or with an Israeli tour guide. Hebron is deeply treasured by the Jews. It is mentioned 87 times in the Bible and is the world’s oldest Jewish city. The Machpelah in Hebron is the final resting place of the Biblical figures Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebekah and Leah—the Jewish patriarchs and matriarchs. The latest addition to the city is a 4D movie called “Touching Eternity” that takes visitors on a virtual journey through the history of Hebron. Touching Eternity transports you through time to when Abraham purchased the land in Hebron; the Ottoman conquest and the return to the city in 1967. The state-of-the- art movie theatre and Hebron History Museum are housed in the Hebron Visitors’ Center at Beit Hadassah.  Friends of Zion Museum The Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem takes you on a 3D virtual tour through history focusing on the everlasting bond between Zionist Jews and Christians. The advanced technology used to bring history to life is accompanied by surround sound, an original musical score, lighting effects, wooden sculptured figures, map projections and murals. As you go through the exhibit the presentation pauses at significant moments when champions of the State of Israel emerged. Animated images of Biblical figures, military leaders and even academics and ground-breaking business people tell the story of how different faiths worked together to make the State of Israel a reality. Highlights on this journey through time include the moment God promised Abraham a land for his people. Touch the interactive mural in the Hall of Visionaries to see people like Churchill, Queen Victoria and Woodrow Wilson who contributed to the realization of the Zionist dream. The dark years of WWII are highlighted and the international leaders who consequently championed the State of Israel. Beersheba Australia and New Zealand have deep connection with the Biblical city Beersheba. On October 31, 1917 the Australian Light Horse made their historic charge against a firmly entrenched enemy. In every way, a David and Goliath scenario. The Hebrew be’er means well. Abraham built a well in the Negev Desert (Gen 21:51). Hence Beersheba was born. When his well was seized Abraham appealed to the king who settled the dispute with a treaty. Until recently, Abraham’s well stood in Old Beersheba under a simple shelter. Since 2013, however, the well has been part of a massive modern production called Be’er Avraham. It begins in a large structure symbolically designed to remind visitors of a tent, where a guide explains Biblical passages relating to Abraham. Then, with the latest that technology has to offer, you join him on his desert journey. As the doorway to Israel begins to open the time is on hand for an enriching visit to the Holy Land. For Christian visitors ‘the rocks cry out’, as promised. _______________________________________ Ron Ross worked as a newsman in Jerusalem, broadcasting Middle East reports internationally. He is the Middle East correspondent for Vision Christian Radio and a popular speaker. ronandyvonne@mac.com Ron Ross Author and Middle East correspondent and commentator Emmaus / Nicopolis - the ruins of the Byzantine church complex believed to be where Christ broke bread with the two disciples at the end of the Emmaus trail. the incredible ancient history and religious significance of the Holy Land are enough to make any trip one to remember.

23. 13 June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 More places for quality, trusted content No More Fake News If you need accurate faith-based news from Israel subscribe to the Joshua and Caleb Network , which produce weekly podcasts, videos and articles straight from Israel’s Heartland. In the Biblical account of the 12 spies, only Joshua and Caleb shared the positive report from Israel, while the other 10 spies shared a negative report. In today’s world of rapidly increasing anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism, anti-Israel and fake news, it is of the utmost importance that we as Christians from the nations be accurately informed about what is happening in Israel. It will enable us to speak the truth and walk in truth in our circles of influence as we align ourselves with the Word of God and the truth of Israel and the Jewish people. The Joshua and Caleb Network produce weekly shows and articles that teach from the Bible, share the latest Israel news, educate about the land of Israel, and inspire you with stories of the men and women who live there. Don’t settle for lies and negativity regarding Israel and the Jewish people—sign up for the weekly shows to be empowered to stand confidently with God’s land and people. Deon van Baalen Australian Advocate for HaYovel SEARCH: ‘C4I’ in your app store Have you downloaded the FREE C4I app yet? • Read the latest editions of Israel & Christians Today , plus past editions. • Easily access all current and past topical articles. • Listen and watch teaching resources about Israel and the Church from a Biblical perspective. • Access current and past prayer calenders , so you know what and how to pray for our ministry. • Make secure online donations towards Israeli Projects, C4I A ustralia and teaching resources. • You can also stay in touch by sending secure messages via a simple form. DOWNLOAD TODAY! Inspiring and informative content, wherever you are. SUBSCRIBE TODAY: www.joshuaandcaleb.com

20. 10 June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Lessons learned from Entebbe hijack rescue I Will Redeem You I have seen the oppression . . . heard their cry . . . know their sorrow . . . have come to deliver them. Some things should never be forgotten. Which is why a pattern of rituals for remembrance was established in the Torah, for God’s people. Through traditions and festivals, feasts and fasts—God’s goodness, patience and mercy, are remembered. Living memories hold for one generation only and unless passed on to the next— to be ‘remembered’ and kept alive— living memories become lifeless history. Significant events and any lessons learned, from things bad, or things to be celebrated... will be forgotten. God has not forgotten His people and His people have not forgotten how to follow His pattern. They ‘remember’ events that have happened to them millennia ago, through to recent times—such as mourning the Holocaust, and celebrating the re- establishment of Israel as a nation. Passover is one such feast of remembrance, and the first to be established—celebrating God’s mighty deliverance of the children of Israel, over 3000 years ago. The greatest rescue story. “So, this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.” – Exodus 12:14 ‘And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrow. So, I have come down to deliver them . . .”’ – Exodus 3:7,8 Moses was God’s chosen instrument for delivering His people. Moses needed to be convinced that God was real . . . that He was who He said He was . . . and He could do what He said He would do. Moses then needed to convince the children of Israel, that God was coming to deliver them. I WILL REDEEM YOU In Egypt, the Hebrews had ‘forgotten’ who they were. Forced into slavery and “because of the anguish of spirit and cruel bondage” , they did not believe Moses when he spoke God’s words to them “I am the Lord; I will rescue you . . . I will redeem you”. Seeing God as real, available and ready to help, is difficult when someone has been suffering from anguish and oppression for a sustained length of time. In the battle with Pharaoh, what seemed like multiple setbacks and stalemates— was instead the comprehensive build- up to an absolute VICTORY. ‘‘But the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”’ Like many of us, the slaves needed a new outlook. By witnessing the miracles of God, they received one. When Moses finally gave the people their departure orders, that outlook of doubt, had become one full of hope “. . . Then the children of Israel went away and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.” – Exodus 12:27, 28 Part of the instructions involved sacrificing a lamb and using hyssop dipped in the lamb’s blood, to strike the lintel and doorposts of the house. The destroyer would then ‘pass over’ that house. The occupants would be safe—if they remained inside and did not go through the door until morning. Decades later this redemption was still being remembered . . . Rahab recalled it when she said to the spies in Jericho: “For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites . . . And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath . . .” – Joshua 2:10 Rahab was instructed by the spies to bind a scarlet cord in her window, gather those she wanted kept safe, and remain with them inside her house during the destruction of the city—the Israelis would then return for them. . . . Surely modelled on the life experience of the Israelis—their own deliverance by God and His instructions to Moses. Remain inside the house . . . with red blood on the doorframes. This same foundation is the basis for Christian redemption—the red blood on all points of the wooden cross (the doorframe). And remaining in Him, Yehoshua, for safekeeping (the house). I WILL RESCUE YOU God is still concerned about His chosen people and His special land. In recent history—only 28 years after the miracle birth of modern Israel, and part of her ongoing battle for existence—another rescue took place. 104 mainly Jewish people—some of them Holocaust survivors—were in bondage— victims of a hijacking. Held hostage and fearing for their lives, because of their Jewish identity. Staying in solidarity with them, were Air- France pilot, Captain Michel Bachus, and his crew. July 4th this year, will be the 45th anniversary of their release. Jews the world over are familiar with this story. It is one of self-sacrifice and courage—individuals risking their lives, to rescue strangers. A story that would inspire Christians and many others also. An Air-France plane carrying 248 passengers, was hijacked by Anti-Israel, anti-Semitic terrorists, while en-route from Tel Aviv to Paris, on June 27th 1976—and then diverted to Entebbe, Uganda, 4000 km from Israel. One week later the crisis was over when remaining hostages were freed in a surprise raid by Israel. Passengers, who were not Jewish, had been freed from Entebbe in the first few days after the hijack. However, a deadline for killing the remaining hostages, was fast approaching. Negotiating with terrorists seemed Israel’s only option, but a plan of action was also formulating. What followed was a short swift intervention by Israel to rescue the hostages. With only 3 days to plan and execute an almost impossible operation, many things needed to ‘fall’ into place—and they did. The world was stunned when news broke on 4th July 1976 that Israel had managed to rescue her own, with minimal losses to the elite IDF team and the hostages. Safety for the hostages, came with specific instructions. They were told to lie down on the floor and stay there—otherwise they risked being killed in the cross-fire. The Entebbe rescue was considered a miracle in the hearts and minds of many. Deliverance had literally ‘come from the sky’. Still a living memory for many people—it is a story to be kept alive by next generations. Not forgotten or relegated to lifeless history. It is sadly and especially relevant today— because of ongoing violent anti-Semitism. Rescued passengers from Entebbe highjacking welcomed at Ben Gurion Airport. Flickr - (GPO). God has not forgotten His people Pamela Hecht Writing on behalf of Rami Sherman

14. 4 June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Something to thinc. about with our new C4I strategic ministry partner Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison affirmed on May 6, 2021, that the Australian government: “will not associate Australia with one-sided and contentious language that singles out Israel or an event that champions such language. This is entirely consistent with my Government’s very strong voting position on UN General Assembly resolutions in the Human Rights Council and elsewhere. We will continue that same approach to Durban for later this year. ... I do not accept that anti-Semitism, cloaked in the language of human rights, serves any justified purpose nor the cause of peace. Just in case anyone was in any doubt.” Human rights? Indeed, while expressed in lofty language, the human rights system is an empty shell that can be—and is daily—filled by an infinite variety of moral, religious, ideological and political forces. In his recent important book Jewish Internationalism and Human Rights after the Holocaust (Cambridge University Press, 2021) Dr. Nathan Kurz writes: “Recent empirical work has laid bare a fundamental truth: despite pretensions to a historical universality, human rights are a political language, and actors often graft concerns they bring with them from elsewhere onto the universalist template of human rights. Both Latin American solidarity activists and African nationalists transposed circulating anti-imperialist rights discourses onto human rights. American conservatives and West German professional associations appropriated human rights for anticommunist aims. Ecumenical Christians recast their struggle for religious freedom in the language of human rights. Trade unions remolded their activism on behalf of workers into a contest over the freedom of association. Even Amnesty International, the prototype for the modern human rights NGO, folded human rights into a liberal British preoccupation with civil liberties. The very existence of multiple “vernaculars” of human rights owes much to how their elasticity has served as a crucial component of their attraction for so many. It is left for readers to decide whether human rights has served as “an empty vessel that could be filled by a wide variety of conceptions.” The human rights system is the main weapon used by the opponents of the Jewish people to undermine and delegitimize the Jewish state of Israel. Durban Perhaps the most blatant example of how the human rights system can be abused is the Durban debacle. As is well known, the Durban Declaration (2001) in effect was the reincarnation of the infamous UN General Assembly’s “Zionism-is-racism” resolution (1975). After that resolution was revoked by the General Assembly in 1991, it was the Durban Declaration that took its place. According to the Declaration, Palestinians are “victims” of Israeli racism. Israel is the only state mentioned in the entire global manifesto, notwithstanding that it purports to address racism and xenophobia the world over. The UN-sponsored World Conference Against Racism held in Durban in 2001 was intended to confront racism. Instead, it turned into a disturbing orgy of overt, violent anti-Semitism. Resolutions were adopted calling out Israel as an apartheid state, and demanding it be sanctioned and removed from the UN. The US and Israeli delegations stormed out of the meeting. The Role of Europe With the active support of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, the European Union negotiated with the Arab/Islamic states and South Africa to produce the final declaration. According to Prof. Anne Bayefsky of Human Rights Voices, “The deal they struck was to include the isolation and condemnation of Israel in exchange for the removal of references to reparations for slavery and other items that would have had direct and financial ramifications for European states. The product is known as the “Durban Declaration and Programme of Action” or the DDPA.” What Did the Durban Declaration Say? The Durban Declaration says: ‘Victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance’ Para. 63. We are concerned about the plight of the Palestinian people under foreign occupation... The claim is sometimes made that the Durban Declaration does not use the exact words of Zionism-is-racism. This of course completely misunderstands the language, intent, origins, and use of the Declaration and its message ever since—and the total isolation of Israel in the Durban “anti- racism” frame of reference. The clear intent of the Durban Declaration is the lie that Palestinians are victims of racism at the hands of their occupier Israel. No other state is singled out as victimizing anybody for racism. “Durban IV” On December 31, 2020, the UN General Assembly decided that in September 2021 it will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the racist “anti-racism” world conference held in Durban, South Africa in 2001. More specifically, the UN plan is to garner universal approval from Presidents, Prime Ministers and foreign ministers from across the globe for a formal “political declaration” in support of the Durban Declaration. The following countries voted against the merits of the resolution: Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Germany, Israel, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Netherlands, Slovenia, United Kingdom, and United States. The Human Rights Council—an about face? However, on March 19, 2021, the United States delivered a statement at the UN Human Rights Council in which it seemed to support the Durban Declaration and the 20th anniversary. The US statement was made on behalf of “more than 150” states. This was alarming, to say the least. Given the substance of the 2020 General Assembly resolution, there can be no doubt that “Durban IV” will violate the stated interests and values of Western nations like the USA, Australia and EU member states. It has already been decided by the General Assembly that the political declaration to emanate from “Durban IV” will reaffirm the 2001 Durban Declaration in its entirety. Fortunately, the US has on May 3, 2021, announced that it will not support the “Durban IV” conference. This is a bold and principled move that is to be applauded. Following flurried lobbying by many Jewish and Christian organizations, Australia and Canada have also confirmed that they will not be participating in “Durban IV”. It is to be hoped that other nations follow the example of the US, Australia and Canada and confirm that they too will be boycotting the Durban initiative as long as it continues to single out the Jewish people for approbation. ________________________________________________________ Andrew Tucker is Director of The Hague Initiative for International Cooperation ( thinc. )—a global initiative to advance the fair and just application of international law. For more information: www. thinc.info If you’re keen to support the initiative of fighting misinformation and “lawfare”, defending the rights of Israel and the Jewish people, and promoting a new legal framework for peace in the Middle East, please consider donating to assist Andrew and the team at thinc. Your gift of $30, $50 or your best gift will help them be a powerful and credible voice to the nations including the International Criminal Court in the Hague where Israel is often unfairly attacked and marginalized. See the back page or visit www.thinc.info Durban and the Abuse of Human Rights Andrew Tucker Director, The Hague Initiative for International Cooperation (thinc.) The U.N. World Conference against Racism in Durban, South Africa in 2001. (UN Photo)

18. 8 June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Pastoral Insights: A Series on Tabernacling with God Keith Buxton Fourth Encouragement: The Joy of the Festival Reflects the Believer’s Journey of Faith We have seen already that the Feast of Tabernacles is marked by a real spirit of joy, celebration and thanksgiving. In ancient times, it was by far the most festive of “the Lord’s appointed feasts”. This feast celebrates the gathering of the harvest—but not the earlier harvest of the wheat or barley that is used to make the bread that sustains life. No, this is the later time of the year when grapes for wine and eating are picked, and olives, pomegranates and figs are harvested. It is also called the Feast of the Ingathering, a time to rejoice in God’s provision of those sweet fruits to be gathered for the Israelites to enjoy throughout the year. We have also seen that it is very much a time of remembrance, as the Jews recall with gratitude to the Lord His presence and His faithfulness in protecting and providing for His people during their desert wanderings. During the seven days of the feast the family members live in a sukkah , a temporary little hut or shelter with a roof covering of leaves, sticks and branches. The intentionally flimsy nature of the sukkah is a powerful reminder to the Jews, and to all of us, that life on earth is a temporary journey, a journey of faith and trust in the living God. Earlier we have focused on the sukkah as a symbol of our own human frailty and weakness. Now we look at this matter of our being “aliens and strangers on earth” (Hebrews 11:13). The sukkah is not a permanent home—not at all! Nor is this earth our true home— we are just “passing through”. All through Genesis we read of the patriarchs—Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob—dwelling in tents. There may well be a spiritual significance in that, for in Hebrews 11:8-16 we read: “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God... “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own... They were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” They were aliens and strangers on earth longing for a better country. In similar fashion, for 40 years God led the Israelites in the wilderness desert where they had no permanent homes. They were on their way to the Promised Land—they were heirs to the land, but had not yet reached it, and their temporary dwellings were a picture of that. Peter makes this same point, namely that as Christians we are pilgrims in this world: “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia..... Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul...” (1 Peter 1:1, 2:11). Jesus makes the same point too when in His beautiful prayer to His Father recorded in John 17 He says about His disciples: “I have given them Your Word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.” However, as we all well know, the constant assaults of the advertising media in our consumer-oriented world, coupled with our natural human desire for possessions, combine to hold many of God’s people in the grip of materialism. We are continually confronted with the danger of living and acting as though we are here to stay for good. Some of us may invest huge sums of our money in property and possessions, and before we know it we are struggling to repay debt to banks and big business. We can even be so deeply rooted in the ways and pattern of this world that we live in mortal fear that we could lose everything— which of course we could! Sadly some here in Australia—and many others worldwide— have experienced significant loss due to various natural disasters, and the current COVID-19 pandemic has radically impacted the lifestyles of literally billions of people. The Jew has opportunity to gain a proper, Biblical perspective on life as he enjoys eating meals—and maybe even lives and sleeps—for the seven days of Tabernacles in his temporary booth. He learns afresh that he is called to trust in Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides, and to hold on as lightly as he can to the material things with which he has been blessed. After all, it is the Lord who gives and the Lord who takes away. Freely you have received, and freely you are to give (something else I have touched upon earlier). This really is the pathway to joy! There truly is a joy, a deep sense of freedom, that accompanies the capacity to hold all things loosely, and also to give them away. I remember conducting a memorial and celebration service for an 80-year-old lady who quite unexpectedly went to be with the Lord. The moment I was given the news of her death on the phone I sensed very strongly the Lord saying to me, “She’s Mine!” The clarity of the phrase really impacted me. Our problem is that we live in a world, and if not careful are dominated by a world system, controlled by the enemy of our souls. And the Lord says to us, “Don’t listen to the devil! Remember, you’re Mine! All that you need for your faith journey in this world I have provided already! Be anxious for nothing.” The call to us all is to be like Paul and learn contentment, something that is desperately hard in our obscenely materialistic age. In Philippians 4:11-12 Paul wrote: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” It is worth noting that Philippians is full of references to Paul’s joy. Here is a mighty servant of the Lord whose whole life as a believer is an extraordinary faith journey, full of difficulties, trials, persecution, hostility—you name it—and yet he constantly rejoices and urges the Philippian believers to rejoice. How can this be? Because the world had no hold on him. Only the Gospel and the things of eternity had any real significance for him. He could even rejoice in prison because his imprisonment enabled him to share the Gospel with his captors. True joy, for us as for Paul, is in the journey of faith. It can never be in things which by their very nature tend to control, enslave and even manipulate us. They become idols. So in his Tabernacles sukkah the Jew thinks deeply on the fact that he is only passing through this world. I am reminded of my years of Christian service in Papua New Guinea. I will never forget one morning entering a small grass hut in the highlands and being greeted by two of the most shining, joy-filled brown eyes I have ever seen. They belonged to a young woman who had recently come to faith in Jesus. By our standards she lived in real poverty. Her workday started at sunup and did not end till sunset. Her possessions were meagre. But as I talked with her it was clear that “the eyes had it”! They never stopped shining. The joy in her eyes reflected her new faith journey and her contentment in the Lord. 1 Timothy 6:6-8 might have been written for her! “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” Paul understood where his true citizenship lay. In Philippians 3:20, he wrote: “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” When you next celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, will you with me reaffirm your true citizenship, and let the joy of the festival reflect your journey of faith? ________________________________________________________ Keith Buxton is an ordained pastor. He currently serves on the C4I Australia management committee and is a liaison with C4I Oceania Island affiliates Former National Director of Bridges for Peace Australia “...looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Photo: David Padfield/FreeBibleimages.org

19. 9 June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 ZAKA Volunteers Save Countless Lives: Urgent Funds are Needed Be a Servant of God Bless Israel Now ZAKA Search and Rescue volunteers are reporting that the tragedy on Mount Meron was by far the most devastating disaster ever experienced by our veteran staff . For 32 years, ZAKA has been on Israel’s front lines whenever tragedy strikes, rescuing the lives of those who can be saved and honouring those who cannot. What happened on Lag Ba’Omer stretched our ZAKA volunteers to the limit, including: • Performing lif esaving CPR and critical first aid to stampede victims • Locating and identifying bodies of vi ctims • Initiating contact with victim ’s families who were unaware of the fate of their loved ones • Ensuring that each victim is buried in accordance with Jewish law In addition to tending to the heartbreaking “Chesed Shel Emet” (loving kindness) of identifying the 45 bodies of those who were killed, saving the lives of countless injured, ZAKA volunteers were comforting and counseling the grieving mourners in real time in the most chaotic environment imaginable. The severe psychological trauma that our hardened ZAKA volunteers are going through is unimaginable and indescribable. We are both extremely proud of their efforts over the last 48 hours and extremely concerned about their physical and emotional wellbeing. It’s been heartwarming to see the outpouring of unity from within Israel and all over the world and many are coming forward now asking how to help? The answer is clear: this tragedy serves as an important reminder of the vital role ZAKA fulfills in Israel and we urgently need your help now more than ever. Please show your support for ZAKA today so that we can strengthen our volunteers and always be there when the Jewish people are in danger. ________________________________________________________ David Rose International Director of ZAKA Magen David Adom is Israel’s national emergency medical services organization and saves lives every day. Israel’s national rescue organization, faithfully serves all of the country’s population, providing first-aid and emergency medicine, medical training and life-saving blood. We operate as an integral part of the Israeli scene in helping the needy and the sick, caring for the wounded and injured, every day of the year. Our team rescues victims of accidents, terror and wars, and all peoples throughout Israel. Today, MDA has grown into one of the world’s largest services and is sending first responder teams to disaster areas around the globe. MDA manages 127 emergency medical stations in Israel alone with over 14,000 volunteers. Christians Friends of Magen David Adom CFMDA gives Christians around the opportunity to bless Israel in a meaningful way. We are a not-for-profit, non- governmental organization that serves all people living in Israel. CFMDA are involved in many aspects of supporting Israel: not only do our supporters raise funds and contribute with ambulances and other equipment, but they also advocate on Israel’s behalf, visit the Holy Land, donate their blood and receive training in emergency response care. We look forward to see you here in Israel and be part of this amazing blessing! ________________________________________________________ You can donate towards the good work of Christian Friends of Magen David Adom online: www.cfmda.com Support Israeli Projects Photo Credit: (Ishay Jerusalemite/Behadrei Haredim via AP) Associated Press Photo credit: (David Cohen/Flash90 Photo Credit: ZAKA Photo Credit: ZAKA Visit www.c4israel.com.au/zaka or the back page of this newspaper and please give generously today to ZAKA Search and Rescue. David Rose International Director of ZAKA

15. 5 June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Something to thinc. about – extended double feature In this article Professor Gregory Rose (Wollongong University) explains the legal status of UN resolutions. Courts and tribunals often erroneously refer to UN resolutions as authoritative sources of law. Are United Nations resolutions binding law? There are many different kinds of United Nations resolutions. Resolutions differ in terms of (a) which body adopts them, (b) whether they are expressed as “decisions” or “recommendations”, and (c) what they contain. Most resolutions adopted by UN bodies are expressed as recommendations. The vast majority of UN resolutions are not binding. The two main UN organs that adopt resolutions are the General Assembly and the Security Council. UN General Assembly resolutions Most UN General Assembly resolutions concern the maintenance of international peace and security and of cooperation in economic, social, cultural, educational, health and political fields. These resolutions are adopted by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting. These resolutions are recommendations only, and are not binding. UN General Assembly resolutions on internal UN administration matters of budget and rules of procedure are binding. However it should be noted that, although not formally legally binding, UN General Assembly resolutions may have extrinsic value, such as by providing evidence of the expression of a State’s opinion as to the development of international customary laws. The voting participation pattern and whether the content of the resolution articulates a legal rule or a finding of fact affect the weight of that resolution as evidence. UN Security Council resolutions UN Security Council resolutions adopted under Chapter VI of the UN Charter on the maintenance of peace and security are recommendations only, and are not binding. UN Security Council resolutions adopted under Chapter VII (on the maintenance of peace and security) are decisions , and are binding. Resolutions adopted under Chapter VII usually explicitly state that they are decisions and are adopted under Chapter VII. All the UN Security Council resolutions concerning Israel since 1945 have been adopted under Chapter VI, not Chapter VII, and are therefore not binding. What is the relationship of the international judiciary to United Nation’s resolutions? UN resolutions do not bind international courts and judicial tribunals. However, they are increasingly acknowledged and “obeyed” (ie. seen as authoritative) by courts. This is a reflection of the fact that international tribunals and courts are becoming more politically active. The most important international court is the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ has two different functions: (a) it can decide on disputes between States when asked to do so by those states; and (b) it can issue an “advisory opinion” when asked to do so by a UN organ. When exercising its advisory jurisdiction, the ICJ is bound by the scope of the UN General Assembly resolution requesting advice. This advisory jurisdiction, which was originally a technical function, has become a politically-driven legal tool by which blocks of UN member states use the General Assembly to obtain a favourable opinion from the ICJ. A good example is the 2004 Advisory Opinion on the “Wall”, where the (predominantly Arab and Islamic) UN member states had a biased resolution adopted in the General Assembly, which in turn asked the ICJ for an advisory opinion. The judges of the International Court of Justice are appointed by the General Assembly. The ICJ has no authority to critique UN resolutions, and is it subordinate within the UN hierarchy. Does the International Criminal Court treat United Nations resolutions as binding? The International Criminal Court Pre-Trial Chamber 1 relied on UN General Assembly resolution 67/19 (2012) to come to the view that the Court has jurisdiction over crimes committed by Israeli leaders “in Palestine”. In this indirect way, it gave this very politically-driven UN resolution a binding effect. Two judges in the Chamber majority failed to analyse the resolution in terms of its content or its voting pattern, or to contextualise its effect as evidence of opinion in international customary law. The dissenting judge (the Hungarian Judge Peter Kovács, who is the more senior and the president of the chamber) wrote a Dissenting Opinion 2 twice as long as the majority that went into these issues and heavily criticized the majority for their interpretation and application of resolution 67/19. What lies ahead in the International Criminal Court case concerning the “Situation in Palestine”? The recent decision 3 of the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber that it has jurisdiction over crimes committed in the Gaza Strip, “East Jerusalem” and “West Bank” presents challenges both for Israel and for the ICC itself. Neither the ICC jurisdiction nor the interests of justice are clear in this case on behalf of Palestine. It has been many years already in the preliminary examination phase prior to commencing investigations, and prosecutions might run easily another 15 years. Given the high expense and low prospects of success, the case might be regarded as wasteful. The ICC is serving a political function in this case, which poses many risks to it as an international institution. Its funding and reputation, and the willingness of states to co-operate with its staff, are at risk. The playing field in the ICC tilts against Israel and there is no fair or winnable legal game. This “Situation in Palestine” has been a politically-driven process intended to attack Israel, from the beginning. A crime of indirect transfer of civilians was inserted in the ICC’s Statute of Rome when it was being negotiated in 2000 specifically to prosecute Israel (article 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute). The ICC Prosecutor has consulted and collaborated intensively with Palestinian officials and NGOs over the past decade. The ICC prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, announced commencement of the formal investigation during the final months of her tenure, in order to pave the way for the incoming prosecutor, Karim Khan, to implement that investigation when he starts his 9-year terms as Prosecutor in June 2021. ICC States Parties have limited possibilities to influence these events. Although a State Party might object or even initiate a dispute (under article 119 of the Rome Statute) within the ICC Assembly of States Parties, a majority will isolate any objector, as a result of leverage exercised by the 56-member block of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation. Therefore Israel needs to take political steps to counter the ICC. It can prohibit within its domestic jurisdiction all cooperation, funding or activities that support the ICC prosecution. It can also seek to mobilize external political support, in the form of non-cooperation by other countries with the ICC, their reviews of ICC performance and budget, and even sanctions on ICC staff. 1 www.icc-cpi.int/CourtRecords/CR2021_01165.PDF 2 www.icc-cpi.int/RelatedRecords/CR2021_01167.PDF 3 www.icc-cpi.int/CourtRecords/CR2021_01165.PDF ________________________________________________________ Professor Gregory Rose is professor of law at Wollongong University in Australia. He is Chairman of the University Senate. He is Academic Adviser to The Hague Initiative for International Cooperation (thinc.) www.thinc.info If you’re keen to support the initiative of fighting misinformation and “lawfare”, defending the rights of Israel and the Jewish people, and promoting a new legal framework for peace in the Middle East, please consider donating to assist Andrew and the team at thinc. Your gift of $30, $50 or your best gift will help them be a powerful and credible voice to the nations including the International Criminal Court in the Hague where Israel is often unfairly attacked and marginalized. See the back page or visit www.thinc.info Israel, the Courts and United Nations Resolutions Prof. Gregory Rose Professor at Wollongong University, Aus and Academic Adviser (thinc.) The 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Drop of Light / Shutterstock.com

1. Please send mail-in donations to: Christians for Israel Australia PO Box 1508 Springwood QLD 4127 AUSTRALIAN EDITION EMAIL: info@c4israel.com.a u PHONE: 07 3088 6900 ABN: 79 941 819 693 Thanks for your financial support See over for credit card and other giving options My Gift Your latest edition of Israel & Christian’s Today is enclosed. We hope you enjoy and are greatly encouraged by the latest News articles and stories. Simple. Just visit myaccount.c4israel.com.au and login with your username and password. Haven’t setup your online account? Go to myaccount.c4israel.com.au/page/ registeremail and follow the instructions. Need to change your address or Newspaper order? 21 June 2021 continued over... LeN0621 Truth & Hope in a Dark and Uncertain World Dear <first_name>, The world continues to be in a state chaos. Wars and rumours of wars, disasters, religious persecution, political upheaval and all kinds of trials. And even with today’s technological breakthroughs for sharing and accessing information, it seems harder than ever to sift between truth and lies; reality and fake news—to find hope and light in the darkness. This is why the ministry of Christian’s for Israel is so desperately needed. With your partnership we’re able to produce high quality trusted resources like Israel & Christians Today —which informs believers and the wider public with the truth of what’s really going on in Israel, the Church and the Global landscape. This world-class publication cuts through the tabloid trash to give you the facts and carefully curated opinion pieces from a truly Biblical perspective—so you can make up your on mind. We hope this edition of Israel & Christian’s Today like our past editions continues to bless and inspire you, as it has for one supporter in WA: “I thank the Lord for your publication as it is a unique blessing in more than one way.” If you too have been encouraged through this publication we’d love to hear your story as well. You can mail us or send us a message instantly online: www.c4israel.com.au/contact or info@c4israel.com.au We’re also incredibly grateful to everyone who partners with us financially as well. Your generous gifts towards various Israeli projects like Aliyha, $ ____________ MY TOTAL DONATION TO: Christians for Israel Australia Inc. Name: ___________________________________________________ Member Number: ______________________________________ Yes Ian, I’d like to give a special one-off donation towards... $__________ Aliyah: $350=1 person $1250=5 people $6250=25 people $__________ Food Parcels ($15 per parcel) $__________ for Newspaper Printing & Postage *please don’t use staples*

27. 9 Analysis June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Ardavan Koshhnood n There is no doubt that the agreement will boost Iran’s intelligence and counterintelligence capabilities and thereby make it more aggressive. During the rule of Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the Sino-Iranian relationship was strained. At a time when socialist countries in the Middle East were moving quickly to establish diplomatic relations with China (Egypt and Syria in 1956 and Iraq in 1958), Iran had close ties to Western countries and recognised Taiwan as a sovereign state. However, as the ideological and political distance between China and the Soviet Union expanded in the 1960s, Tehran and Beijing found they had a common rival in Moscow and grew significantly closer. The two states established formal diplomatic relations in 1971, and in 1973 Iran sent its first ambassador to Beijing. In September 1978, when Iran was in turmoil, the premier of the People’s Republic of China, Hua Guofeng, visited Iran as a show of support for the Shah. China perceived Iran as a major political and economic actor in the Middle East, playing an important role in keeping the region stable while balancing between East and West. During his visit, Guofeng warned the Shah “against joint Soviet-American interference in Iran and their collusion in destabilising the country.” After the fall of the Shah, Sino-Iranian relations continued to improve. The new Islamic regime saw both the United States and the Soviet Union as antagonists, not least because of their support for Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War. The Soviet Union, which had initially claimed to be neutral, provided Saddam Hussein with support during the last years of the war. Although the relationship between Iran and Russia is cordial today, Tehran knows it cannot rely solely on Russian support in times of crisis, especially in the face of US sanctions. By strengthening its relations with China, the regime hopes to create a triangular alliance that will benefit its position in the Middle East and toward the West. For Beijing, Iran is strategically located between China and Europe and is a vital country for the Belt and Road Initiative. Iran helps China expand its influence in the Middle East, a region that contains a vast quantity of energy resources that China needs. The Chinese focus on the Middle East is not only about energy resources and economics. The region is also important to Beijing from a military-strategic standpoint. China has long viewed the Middle East as a buffer zone against foreign aggression on its western frontier. The Sino-Iranian relationship, driven by common economic and security interests, has been friendly for five or six decades. In view of this fact, the newly signed Iran- China deal should not come as a surprise. The 25-Year Deal On Saturday, 27 March 2021, the foreign ministers of Iran and China signed the Sino-Iranian deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the People’s Republic of China. The deal covers 25 years of cooperation between the two states and helps Iran break the international isolation it has been suffering through US sanctions. The deal also helps China expand its global influence. It is believed that the deal will provide China with a highly discounted supply of Iranian oil. In exchange, it will invest $400 billion in Iranian infrastructure, from telecommunications and information technology to health and transport systems. Of course, because of the Islamic regime’s unwillingness to improve the lives of the Iranian people, these Chinese investments will primarily, if not solely, benefit the regime’s elites. Beyond the deal’s economic features, it has important security aspects pertaining to intelligence and military collaboration. While the economic prospects of the deal should by no means be ignored (as economic power is critical to political and military power), the security collaboration stipulated in the deal deserves equal attention. This collaboration would strengthen the position of the Islamic regime both in Iran and in the Middle East while enhancing China’s global position by enabling it to wield immense influence in the Middle East region. With respect to military cooperation, the deal outlines joint training exercises as well as research and weapons development. While Iran and China already have a well- established military cooperation, the deal will institutionalise it even more. Intelligence sharing is another aspect of the security collaboration between Iran and China, as presented in the deal. While this aspect remains secret for obvious reasons, it is more likely that China will have a large role in Iranian intelligence and counterintelligence than the other way around. Through Iran, China will be able to collect intelligence more easily concerning geopolitical changes and threats in the Middle East. Iranian intelligence and the Islamic regime’s Quds Force are highly active and have established a region-wide intelligence network that can benefit Chinese interests. Implications of the Deal The Islamic regime in Iran has experienced numerous intelligence and counterintelligence failures over the last decade. To a large extent, this is due to the regime’s destruction, out of fear of coups, of the Iranian military and intelligence community after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Over its 40-year tenure, the regime has mainly leaned on the tools of violence, torture and assassination to gather intelligence and neutralise threats. The regime understands that effective intelligence and counterintelligence are vital for its survival. To reform and improve these areas, Iran recently signed an intelligence pact with Russia. The intelligence collaboration stipulated in the deals is in alignment with this goal. The Sino- Iranian deal will give Iran access to Chinese technology, training and expertise, and will contribute to stronger Iranian intelligence and counterintelligence. Iran is highly active in the region as well as in Europe and the United States with regard to espionage, terrorism and destabilisation, and there is no doubt that the Iran-China deal will boost its intelligence and counterintelligence capabilities and thereby make it more aggressive. This will have serious ramifications for the Iranian opposition, as the Islamic regime will be more effective against its opponents. The Islamic Republic will become more robust and forceful as a result of the deal. Ardavan Khoshnood, a non-resident Associate at the BESA Center, is a criminologist and political scientist with a degree in intellig ence analysis. He is also an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Lund University in Sweden. This article was first published by the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. Security Implications of Iran-China Deal Wang Yi and Mohammad Javad Zarif after signing the Joint Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on 27 March 2021. | Photo: Wikimedia Signs of Faith By Kees de Vreugd Havdalah In this series, ‘Signs of Faith’, objects that express Jewish faith are explained and discussed. There is a distinction between light and darkness, between holy and profane, between Israel and the nations between the seventh and sixth working days. That is an essential value in Judaism, expressed in the Havdalah prayer. The Havdalah is a short ceremony at the close of the Shabbat and holidays, marking the distinction between the sanctified day and the transition to the new week or workday. This happens when it has become so dark that you can discern three stars in heaven. The lamps at home are not yet burning so that the light of the Havdalah candle can be seen better. So light and darkness have their places in the ceremony. The Hebrew word Havdalah means distinction. The ceremony dates back to the early second temple period. According to Jewish tradition, the text of the blessing was formulated by the ‘Men of the Great Assembly’. They were the successors of Ezra the Scribe (Ezra 7:6). That would imply that this berachah is one of the oldest Judaism knows. For the Havdalah at the end of the Shabbat, a cup of wine, a candle and a box of fragrant spices are used. The candle is braided in a special way and has three pits. Of course, the spices box (hadass) is beautifully designed, often in silver. The ceremony opens with reciting verses from Isaiah 12:2-3: “See, God is my salvation...,” followed by a couple of other Bible verses. With words from Psalm 116: “I shall lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord” (verse 13), the blessing over the wine is introduced: “Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.” Finally, the blessing over the light follows. God is given thanks as the Creator of ‘the light of the fire’. Lighting fire is the principle of one of the categories of work that are forbidden on Shabbat. Everybody takes a smell of the spices, the candle is extinguished in a few drops of wine, and everybody wishes each other a good week. The Shabbat is bidden farewell, but with the scent of the spices, the Shabbat is yet taken into the new week. | Photo: Shutterstock

11. Dear Faithful readers and friends (Chavorim), Welcome to this June-July edition of Israel and Christians Today . Again, I find myself apologizing for the late delivery of the paper. Despite our best efforts, we were delayed with last minute changes and of course, the ongoing disruption of the Covid pandemic is a challenge for the printers, the Post Office, and us. Thanks for your patient understanding and prayerful support. One of the benefits of the lateness in this edition is that I can now tell you Israel has new President, and soon, the new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will replace Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12 year leadership as Israel’s longest serving Prime Minister has finally drawn to a close. Former Labor Party leader and previous head of the Jewish Agency, Isaac Herzog, was chosen to be Israel’s figurehead for the next seven years, beating his opponent Miriam Peretz 87-33. The Knesset voted Wednesday to elect Herzog as the country’s 11th president, the mostly ceremonial job that is currently held by President Reuven Rivlin. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Herzog on his victory, saying, “I wish him great success on behalf of all Israeli citizens. I thank Miriam Peretz for her honorable candidacy and I am convinced that she will continue to contribute.” I want to thank all of our faithful contributors who faithfully write articles, commentaries and opinion pieces without charge so that you are all informed and inspired , to continue to stand up for, support and comfort Israel and her people both in the land and out in the diaspora. Last month we were again able to send very significant financial support to the international office who works closely with the Jewish Agency in Aliyah—bringing the Jews home to their ancestral homeland of promise, as prophesied in the Scriptures. AUD $30,000 was raised for the January March Quarter and nearly AUD $40,00 raised for the many important humanitarian projects that help clothe, shelter, feed and give medical aid and comfort to the Lord’s people in their time of need. Special thanks and praise for the 50 Jewish holocaust survivors being sponsored with some of your $45/month gifts for food, warm blankets, medical visits and personal care— showing the love of God from Christians all the way from Australia to cities in Ukraine. See https://c4israel.com.au/israeli-projects to decide what project you might like to support. In addition to that, I’m pleased to say we finally sent our application off to the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profit Authority (ACNC) to apply for charity and Deductible Gift Recipient Status. We did this with a specialist law firm FAL in Melbourne and it took a bit of time and planning to get everything filled in and it was at a reasonable expense of $8,000 but if we’re successful all donations of $2 or more will become tax-deductible. We hope that will be of great incentive for more people to give larger gifts for these projects. (If you would like to contribute towards the legal fees that would be very welcome) We also had enough general donations to pay for the previous newspaper and postage bills at nearly $13,000 for 7,000 copies being sent out to nearly 4,000 subscribers. So a big thanks to everyone who sends in those general donations to keep the paper printed and posted. As you all know with Covid lockdowns and travel bans we are only able to continue this important work through this newspaper and our website and social media pages. Even our regular study tours to Israel with Vision Christian Tours and C4I are likely to be postponed as our Prime Minister Scott Morrison recently announced that International travel from Australia with the exception of New Zealand would not be happening for the next year or even indefinitely at this stage. So in the meantime we will continue to promote and circulate the newspaper freely across the nation and even out to the islands of Solomons, Vanuatu and Fiji. Also we are doing some online webinars and zoom meetings. Thanks to everyone who attended the recent webinar by thinc. and C4I International. If you missed it live the event can be viewed free here www.c4israel.org/webinar-icc My wife Mandy, who hosts the daily radio show on Vision Christian Media’s 740+ radio network at midday to 3PM EST, was a special guest on the S outhern Cross Alliance for Israel , sharing her story and her love of Israel, the link is here: https://vimeo.com/528268647/8fb0fecd61 (@ 31 min); and I have also been invited to be a special guest on the SCAFI zoom event on June 22nd where I will share about what Christians for Israel does to help inform and inspire Christians to comfort Israel, even during these very uncertain and disrupted times, especially during the recent fourth Gaza war and uprise in anti-jewish relations around the world. See page 13 for details on this free online event So if you are asking what the biggest need is right now; it would be to keep supporting our projects and keep helping to bring the Jews Home to Israel. To help with emergency food and shelters and be informed so you can stand up with confidence when defending Israel in a very hostile media landscape. So a very easy and practical thing to help would be simply to order a few more copies of the newspaper and give them to family, friends and church colleagues, a small donation to help cover the costs and your regular prayers are also very much appreciated. My prayer for you is from Hebrew 6:10 NIV “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” Until next time God Bless you and keep you safe in His strong arms. _____________________________________ Ian Worby National Leader & Regional Director for Christians for Israel Australia & Oceania. June 2021 Report From Our National Leader Comforts Informs Inspires Ian Worby C4I Australia National Leader and Regional Director for Oceania Ian Worby (L) and President Reuvin Rivlin (R) at Christians for Israel event in 2019. Presidential candidates Isaac Herzog and Miriam Perezt in the Knesset ahead of the vote, June 2, 2021. (Flash90/Olivier Fitoussi) Benjamin Netanyahu - Israel’s longest serving Prime Minster in their history. Naftali Bennett, leader of the Israeli right wing ‘New Right’ party and new Prime Minister of Israel. (Gil Cohen Magen / Shutterstock.com) a big thanks to everyone who sends in those general donations to keep the paper printed and posted!

6. News 4 Ariel Ben Solomon n Jewish News Syndicate Israel remains in a political deadlock as both right-wing, and left-wing blocs remain unable to form parliamentary majorities and cannot find formulas to create a unity government. The situation is creating an opportunity for Arab parties, which have never previously joined any Israeli government, to solve the impasse by throwing their mandates behind one of the blocs. In particular, the United Arab List, known in Israel by its Hebrew acronym Ra’am, has signalled its willingness to break from long-held political tradition and sit alongside its Jewish counterparts within a coalition. Ra’am party chairman Mansour Abbas has entered into negotiations with both blocs, seeking to extract substantial political returns in exchange for the party’s four seats. Yet opposition—particularly among right-wing Jewish parties—over the Ra’am Party’s still-radical ideology may ultimately prevent the political branch of Israel’s Islamic movement from becoming a political ‘kingmaker.’ Rodayna Badir, an expert on Arab society in Israel, warns that Abbas’s willingness to sit with his Jewish Knesset colleagues is not an ideological shift towards religious coexistence but a rather shrewd political tactic to increase its influence, particularly among more than a million Arab voters. The Islamic movement has its roots within the Muslim Brotherhood. Ra’am’s sister organisation in the Gaza Strip is the Hamas movement. While Hamas utilises violent tactics to achieve its political goals, Ra’am represents a much smaller subsection of society within Israeli society, severely limiting its ability to advance a political agenda. Badir noted that it is consistent with the history of the southern branch of the Islamic movement to try and reach understandings with the Israeli government, despite the movement’s radical Muslim Brotherhood roots. She said that remaining outside of the government has prevented significant portions of Israel’s large governmental budget from reaching the Arab sector for many years. Entering the government and receiving special budget allocations for the Arab sector “would only strengthen their power in Arab society,” Badir told JNS. As far as Arab voters are concerned, many seek additional funds to address growing violence and crime within their communities and improved housing and infrastructure. A Power Struggle over who will Lead Israeli Arabs Before the most recent election—Israel’s fourth in just two years—Ra’am broke away from a larger Joint List of Arab parties. The breakaway paid off for Abbas when Ra’am barely crossed over the Knesset’s minimum vote threshold. Now the Knesset has two separate Arab parties, and Abbas can potentially be a political kingmaker even as other Arab Knesset members prefer to remain in the opposition. “The history of the Islamic movement shows that it is not used to receiving instructions or being No. 2,” assessed Badir. As for the Joint List, “Ra’am was second in power after the Communist Hadash Party, so a power struggle ensued over who will lead the Israeli Arabs.” By entering the government and receiving a special budget for the Arab sector, “this would only strengthen their power in Arab society,” she added. “The Islamic movement always moves on two equal axes: what the Arab public wants and preservation of its power as an organisation.” Hamas in the Gaza Strip is a more radical Muslim Brotherhood offshoot that regularly uses violence to achieve its goals. In other countries, including inside Israel, the movement utilises more pragmatic political tactics. Being that Ra’am is just one component of an Arab minority in a strong majority Jewish state, it is drastically limited in what actions it can effectively carry out. Arab society currently seems deeply conflicted, continued Badir, adding that the current leadership vacuum is not helping the community deal with its pressing issues. “Arabs are tired of slogans and are looking for a change,” she said. “The Islamic movement has managed to absorb this sentiment and act on it.” Shahin Sarsour, a veteran Arab political obser ver and f ormer adviser to various Arab Knesset members, explains that the Islamic Movement has a base of around 175,000 to 205,000 voters or approximately four to six mandates. “Their voters want to see an Arab party that has influence and not just sits in the Knesset without any achievements for the Arab sector,” he said. Still, Sarsour told JNS that despite Abbas’s efforts, the likelihood of Ra’am joining either a right-wing or left- wing government remains low. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has aggressively courted Ra’am’s four seats, which represent critical mandates he needs to form a majority, key political ally Betzalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionists Party refuses to sit with any Arab party. It’s not clear whether key additional right-wing party leaders Gideon Sa’ar or Naftali Bennett would agree to sit together with Ra’am or rely on it to support a minority government from outside the coalition. In early May, Bennett met with Abbas—the first-ever direct meeting between the two-party leaders—to explore whether there was any room for cooperation. Even if Ra’am doesn’t join a government, its efforts to engage with the Israeli political establishment is a drastic change from the Arab parties’ role in the past, which was limited to criticising Israeli governments from the opposition. Such efforts may ultimately lead to Arab parties playing a more active role in forming governments in Israel, gaining increased budgets for the Arab sector and improving cooperation with their Jewish counterparts. This article was originally published on 4th May 2021 by Jewish News Syndicate (www.jns.org). Republished with permission. A New Role for Arab Parties in Israel? Mansour Abbas, head of a conservative Islamist party Raam, speaks at his campaign headquarters in the northern Israeli city of Tamra on March 23. | Photo: Getty Images June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Arsen Ostrovsky n A brief summary of the facts and chronology of the dispute over the Jerusalem neighbourhood. The case of Sheikh Jarrah is a complex and long-running legal matter, subject to competing property claims by Jewish owners and Palestinian tenants over a small area of land in Jerusalem. The affair also incorporates the area’s religious significance and spans a history dating back to the pre-1948 British mandate era. The case has been subject to legal proceedings since 1972 and is currently before Israel’s Supreme Court, where a final decision is expected in the next month. This particular case has garnered unprecedented attention in the wake of the recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report accusing Israel of engaging in ‘apartheid’ practices, the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation of alleged Israeli war crimes and a concerted campaign by the pro-Palestinian BDS and NGO network, as well as the Palestinian leadership, to exacerbate and inflame the currently tense situation in and around Jerusalem. Where is Sheikh Jarrah? Sheikh Jarrah is a predominantly, though not exclusively, Arab neighbourhood of Jerusalem, located about a mile and a half from the Old City. What’s the Historical Significance of the Area? Jews refer to the area as ‘Shimon Hatzadik,’ ‘Simeon the Just,’ a revered 3rd century B.C.E. Jewish High Priest whose tomb is located there. Jewish pilgrims often visit the neighbourhood. Palestinians claim the area derives its name from Sheikh Jarrah, a physician to Saladin, the Islamic military leader who fought the Crusaders in the 12th century. His body is believed to be buried there. What is the Claim Against Israel? The pro-Palestinian community is claiming that Israel is unjustly evicting four Palestinian families from their homes in the neighbourhood. This exemplifies accusations against Israel in the context of the broader conflict with the Palestinians. In response, the owners of the property (a private Israeli NGO, Nahalat Shimon) claim they have the legal title to the property in question and that, in the absence of rent being paid by the tenants, the tenants ought to be evicted for breaching the law. What is the Chronology? Sheikh Jarrah is an Arab neighbourhood that developed outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem in the 19th century. According to Israel’s Supreme Court, the land in question was purchased by the local Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities from its Arab owners in 1875, primarily because of the area’s religious significance in housing the tomb of ‘Simeon the Just.’ The property was registered in the Ottoman land registry as a trust under the name of rabbis Avraham Ashkenazi and Meir Auerbach. The Sheikh Jarrah Conflict Continued on page 5 News 4 Ariel Ben Solomon n Jewish News Syndicate Israel remains in a political deadlock as both right-wing, and left-wing blocs remain unable to form parliamentary majorities and cannot find formulas to create a unity government. The situation is creating an opportunity for Arab parties, which have never previously joined any Israeli government, to solve the impasse by throwing their mandates behind one of the blocs. In particular, the United Arab List, known in Israel by its Hebrew acronym Ra’am, has signalled its willingness to break from long-held political tradition and sit alongside its Jewish counterparts within a coalition. Ra’am party chairman Mansour Abbas has entered into negotiations with both blocs, seeking to extract substantial political returns in exchange for the party’s four seats. Yet opposition—particularly among right-wing Jewish parties—over the Ra’am Party’s still-radical ideology may ultimately prevent the political branch of Israel’s Islamic movement from becoming a political ‘kingmaker.’ Rodayna Badir, an expert on Arab society in Israel, warns that Abbas’s willingness to sit with his Jewish Knesset colleagues is not an ideological shift towards religious coexistence but a rather shrewd political tactic to increase its influence, particularly among more than a million Arab voters. The Islamic movement has its roots within the Muslim Brotherhood. Ra’am’s sister organisation in the Gaza Strip is the Hamas movement. While Hamas utilises violent tactics to achieve its political goals, Ra’am represents a much smaller subsection of society within Israeli society, severely limiting its ability to advance a political agenda. Badir noted that it is consistent with the history of the southern branch of the Islamic movement to try and reach understandings with the Israeli government, despite the movement’s radical Muslim Brotherhood roots. She said that remaining outside of the government has prevented significant portions of Israel’s large governmental budget from reaching the Arab sector for many years. Entering the government and receiving special budget allocations for the Arab sector “would only strengthen their power in Arab society,” Badir told JNS. As far as Arab voters are concerned, many seek additional funds to address growing violence and crime within their communities and improved housing and infrastructure. A Power Struggle over who will Lead Israeli Arabs Before the most recent election—Israel’s fourth in just two years—Ra’am broke away from a larger Joint List of Arab parties. The breakaway paid off for Abbas when Ra’am barely crossed over the Knesset’s minimum vote threshold. Now the Knesset has two separate Arab parties, and Abbas can potentially be a political kingmaker even as other Arab Knesset members prefer to remain in the opposition. “The history of the Islamic movement shows that it is not used to receiving instructions or being No. 2,” assessed Badir. As for the Joint List, “Ra’am was second in power after the Communist Hadash Party, so a power struggle ensued over who will lead the Israeli Arabs.” By entering the government and receiving a special budget for the Arab sector, “this would only strengthen their power in Arab society,” she added. “The Islamic movement always moves on two equal axes: what the Arab public wants and preservation of its power as an organisation.” Hamas in the Gaza Strip is a more radical Muslim Brotherhood offshoot that regularly uses violence to achieve its goals. In other countries, including inside Israel, the movement utilises more pragmatic political tactics. Being that Ra’am is just one component of an Arab minority in a strong majority Jewish state, it is drastically limited in what actions it can effectively carry out. Arab society currently seems deeply conflicted, continued Badir, adding that the current leadership vacuum is not helping the community deal with its pressing issues. “Arabs are tired of slogans and are looking for a change,” she said. “The Islamic movement has managed to absorb this sentiment and act on it.” Shahin Sarsour, a veteran Arab political obser ver and f ormer adviser to various Arab Knesset members, explains that the Islamic Movement has a base of around 175,000 to 205,000 voters or approximately four to six mandates. “Their voters want to see an Arab party that has influence and not just sits in the Knesset without any achievements for the Arab sector,” he said. Still, Sarsour told JNS that despite Abbas’s efforts, the likelihood of Ra’am joining either a right-wing or left- wing government remains low. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has aggressively courted Ra’am’s four seats, which represent critical mandates he needs to form a majority, key political ally Betzalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionists Party refuses to sit with any Arab party. It’s not clear whether key additional right-wing party leaders Gideon Sa’ar or Naftali Bennett would agree to sit together with Ra’am or rely on it to support a minority government from outside the coalition. In early May, Bennett met with Abbas—the first-ever direct meeting between the two-party leaders—to explore whether there was any room for cooperation. Even if Ra’am doesn’t join a government, its efforts to engage with the Israeli political establishment is a drastic change from the Arab parties’ role in the past, which was limited to criticising Israeli governments from the opposition. Such efforts may ultimately lead to Arab parties playing a more active role in forming governments in Israel, gaining increased budgets for the Arab sector and improving cooperation with their Jewish counterparts. This article was originally published on 4th May 2021 by Jewish News Syndicate (www.jns.org). Republished with permission. A New Role for Arab Parties in Israel? Mansour Abbas, head of a conservative Islamist party Raam, speaks at his campaign headquarters in the northern Israeli city of Tamra on March 23. | Photo: Getty Images June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Arsen Ostrovsky n A brief summary of the facts and chronology of the dispute over the Jerusalem neighbourhood. The case of Sheikh Jarrah is a complex and long-running legal matter, subject to competing property claims by Jewish owners and Palestinian tenants over a small area of land in Jerusalem. The affair also incorporates the area’s religious significance and spans a history dating back to the pre-1948 British mandate era. The case has been subject to legal proceedings since 1972 and is currently before Israel’s Supreme Court, where a final decision is expected in the next month. This particular case has garnered unprecedented attention in the wake of the recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report accusing Israel of engaging in ‘apartheid’ practices, the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation of alleged Israeli war crimes and a concerted campaign by the pro-Palestinian BDS and NGO network, as well as the Palestinian leadership, to exacerbate and inflame the currently tense situation in and around Jerusalem. Where is Sheikh Jarrah? Sheikh Jarrah is a predominantly, though not exclusively, Arab neighbourhood of Jerusalem, located about a mile and a half from the Old City. What’s the Historical Significance of the Area? Jews refer to the area as ‘Shimon Hatzadik,’ ‘Simeon the Just,’ a revered 3rd century B.C.E. Jewish High Priest whose tomb is located there. Jewish pilgrims often visit the neighbourhood. Palestinians claim the area derives its name from Sheikh Jarrah, a physician to Saladin, the Islamic military leader who fought the Crusaders in the 12th century. His body is believed to be buried there. What is the Claim Against Israel? The pro-Palestinian community is claiming that Israel is unjustly evicting four Palestinian families from their homes in the neighbourhood. This exemplifies accusations against Israel in the context of the broader conflict with the Palestinians. In response, the owners of the property (a private Israeli NGO, Nahalat Shimon) claim they have the legal title to the property in question and that, in the absence of rent being paid by the tenants, the tenants ought to be evicted for breaching the law. What is the Chronology? Sheikh Jarrah is an Arab neighbourhood that developed outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem in the 19th century. According to Israel’s Supreme Court, the land in question was purchased by the local Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities from its Arab owners in 1875, primarily because of the area’s religious significance in housing the tomb of ‘Simeon the Just.’ The property was registered in the Ottoman land registry as a trust under the name of rabbis Avraham Ashkenazi and Meir Auerbach. The Sheikh Jarrah Conflict Continued on page 5 What Does A Bennett-Lapid Government Mean? David Isaacs Jerusalem News Syndicate “This looks to me like a car with four different wheels, and every wheel is going in a different direction,” said Lt. Col. (res.) Dr. Mordechai Kedar. “The only thing they agree upon is the need to get rid of [Benjamin] Netanyahu. This objective will be achieved in the first minute of this government.” (June 2, 2021 / JNS) Yesh Atid Party head Yair Lapid and Yamina Party head Naftali Bennett announced on Wednesday that they have secured an agreement to form Israel’s next government, thereby likely ending the 12-year consecutive term of Benjamin Netanyahu as the country’s prime minister. The new government will be unprecedented in its composition, consisting of seven parties spanning the entire Israeli political spectrum, plus the backing of an Arab party for the first time. As such, questions remain over the ability to successfully govern such a disparate group of parties at a time when the country faces serious security threats stemming from Iran and its terror proxies, as well as internal social discord between Jews and Arabs. Nevertheless, most analysts JNS spoke with were hopeful, especially when it comes to improving U.S.-Israel ties. “It could certainly help the mood, initially,” Daniel Pipes, president of the Middle East Forum, told JNS, saying that the United States will be pleased with a government that includes left-wing members. Though he cautions, “I could well see the Biden administration disappointed if the right- wing parties—which are, in fact, more right than Netanyahu—have their way.” Pipes expects the right-wing coalition partners to dominate, noting that in the negotiations on forming the coalition, the three right-wing parties—Yamina, New Hope and Yisrael Beiteinu—“have been in the driver’s seat,” and Yamina, with only seven seats, has been given the premiership. Other analysts are even more optimistic about an upswing in U.S.-Israel relations, including Shmuel Sandler, professor emeritus of Bar-Ilan University and current president of Emunah-Efrata College; Eyal Zisser, vice rector of Tel Aviv University and professor of Middle Eastern Studies; and IDF Col. (res.) Elad Shavit, senior researcher on U.S.-Israeli relations at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies. All three believe that recent U.S.-Israel tensions, which they attribute to Netanyahu’s close Republican ties and more confrontational approach, will subside. Shavit disapproves of Netanyahu’s more aggressive approach, noting as an example the prime minister’s remarks on Tuesday, when he said if the choice was between friction with the United States and confronting Iran, Israel would choose to clash with its staunchest ally. “Israel needs to carry out discreet strategic talks with the American administration to achieve its results and not to turn differences into a public confrontation,” he said. None see major policy changes in the offing. Pipes notes that not only do right-wing coalition members like Bennett, New Hope’s Gideon Saar and Yisrael Beiteinu’s Avigdor Liberman share the same view of the Iranian regime as Netanyahu, so do centrists like Lapid and Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz of Blue and White. “I don’t imagine there’ll be large differences and maybe a fresh start,” said Pipes. “It’s quite clear that Meretz and Labor are side-lined.” Sandler agrees that “Iran will be a continuation, more of the same. Everybody in the government understands that Iran is the big enemy, a strategic threat to Israel’s existence.” He notes that the coalition’s ideological differences act as a brake on major policy moves. “You’re not going to see an Oslo here or an annexation,” he said, referring to the 1992 Oslo Accords, which handed over parts of Judea and Samaria to the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and recent politically opposite efforts to apply sovereignty to sections of those territories. “The basic policy of Israel won’t change,” agrees Zisser, noting also that much of Israel’s security policy is formulated by the Ministry of Defense and the Israel Defense Forces. Even if Bennett or Lapid wanted to enact dramatic policy changes, they wouldn’t have the political capital to overrule those institutions, he says. All the pundits agree that nothing is going to change on any of the major issues confronting Israel, whether it’s the Palestinian conflict, Hamas, Hezbollah or the economy. ‘He’s the one who’s the glue’ Still, not all share a hopeful view of this new government-in-waiting. “This looks to me like a car with four different wheels, and every wheel is going in a different direction,” said Lt. Col. (res.) Dr. Mordechai Kedar, senior research associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. “The only thing today which they agree upon is the need to get rid of Netanyahu. This objective will be achieved in the first minute of this government. So what will keep it together in the second minute?” On the other hand, Sandler and Pipes see the government lasting precisely because of Netanyahu, assuming that he remains the leader of the Likud Party in the opposition. “As long as Netanyahu stays in politics, I think they’re going to stick together. He’s the one who’s the glue,” says Sandler. Kedar acknowledges the logic of this argument, though adds that “the question is which is more powerful: the struggles inside the government or the fear of Netanyahu?” He continues, saying there are too many ideologically based issues and those will lead to a “divorce in this unnatural marriage.” He argues also that there’s no escape from ideology because the voters are watching, and anyone who concedes his agenda will be seen “as some kind of spineless invertebrate.” Kedar foresees that the coalition partners will find themselves caught in an impossible situation. Sensitive issues are embedded in the budget, he notes, like building roads in Judea and Samaria. “If Meretz agreed to such a thing, they’d actually be cutting off the branch on which they sit because according to their ideology, Israel should withdraw from those areas altogether.” On the other side of the coalition are Bennett and Saar, who need to prove their right-wing bona fides precisely by building in those areas. “This is why I think this government will not last more than a few weeks,” says Kedar. Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid in 2017. Photo by Gershon Elinson/Flash90

33. 15 From Our Projects Part of our mission is to comfort Israel and the Jewish people through prayer and action. If you would like to support one of our projects you can complete the coupon on page 16 or make an online donation. Thank you very much for your support! Aliyah Aliyah is the Hebrew word for the return of the Jewish people to Israel. We support Aliyah mainly from Ukraine (and the former Soviet Union), but also from India and France. Furthermore, we help new immigrants (in Hebrew: olim ) to integrate into Israeli society. Hineni Soup Kitchen We help the poor of Israel, by providing them with food. We do this in partnership with the Hineni Center in Jerusalem, headed by Benjamin Philip. Your gift for the soup kitchen goes directly to the purchase of food. Holocaust Survivors We support impoverished Holocaust survivors in Israel and Ukraine through various projects which provide assistance to survivors of the Holocaust. Those survivors are elderly and will not be among us for long, and there is a growing demand for practical assistance. Christian Friends of Israeli Communities (CFOIC) You can support the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, the heart of Biblical Israel. The main purpose is to encourage the people in the Biblical Heartland and to show them that there are Christians throughout the world who support them and share the belief that the areas of Judea and Samaria are part of Israel’s inheritance. Food Parcel Campaign Ukraine We distribute food parcels amongst Jewish people in Ukraine. These parcels are handed out to Holocaust survivors, needy families, and the sick. Those food parcels are a sign of friendship that demonstrates your support for our Jewish brothers and sisters and that they are not alone. Arab Christians Life for Christians in Bethlehem is often not easy. Christians for Israel supports the First Baptist Church of Rev Naim Khoury in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The members of this church spread the gospel among Arabs and share their love and heart for Israel and the Jewish people. For country-specific or further information on our projects, go to our website, www.c4israel.com.au Overview of our projects Anna Klechenova n Project Manager | First Home in the Homeland | The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) We’d like to tell you about three olim families who made Aliyah via the First Home in the Homeland programme in October 2020 – how they are doing now, and what are their impressions of Israel are. Do you remember the Little Prince story and its main character’s words that “we are responsible for what we have tamed”? For us, providing assistance is not a single action we take and soon forget about. We are in touch with all of the families that we have helped to start their new lives in the Holy Land. We spoke to the three families mentioned in this article on the eve of the Holocaust Remembrance Day, and there was something sacred about it. On the one hand, being a Jew and being an Israeli is something to take pride in, but on the other hand, it is far from easy. When you are planning your Aliyah, you are conjuring idealistic images in your mind. But what will you be faced with after landing in Israel? Who will take care of you and who will accompany you? The Skrygina Family Ekaterina Skrygina (43), who made Aliyah from Ukraine with her husband Georgii (44) and two children, Elizaveta and Alexander (13 and 11), recounted: “Marina, our coordinator in Kibbutz Iftach, has become a kind of second mother for us. She is close by all the time, so we feel more confident in starting to get to know this country better and believe in it. I moved to Israel because my relatives lived there. Knowing they are close helps me to go on. My grandmother has carefully preserved family traditions for all of us, and we must share them with our children! That’s why we are here. After six months, we continue to learn Hebrew. Currently, we work in a branch of the world’s leading irrigation company ‘Netafim’, which is located in our kibbutz. I also plan to take some courses for mastering my professional engineering skills! “ The Koshelev Family Anton Koshelev (35), his wife Asia (34) and their daughters (9 and 1) made Aliyah from St. Petersburg. The move to Israel was very important for Anton because the Nazis murdered almost all his distant relatives during World War II. During his childhood, the fear of oppression was still present, and this was; therefore, the family kept it a secret that they are Jewish. Despite all of the difficulties, after more than 70 years passed, Anton and his family eventually found themselves in his historical homeland on Kibbutz Neot Mordechai. “Our daughters are really happy here. It is a great place to grow up! Every month something new takes place in our kibbutz, which brings us closer to one another and Israel. Living on a kibbutz is a good experience for our family. It makes us feel like we belong to Jewish traditions. We continue studying in Ulpan (school for intensive study of Hebrew), and we are improving our Hebrew from day to day. Anton has already found a job in his speciality, and I work in a shoe store on weekends,” said Asia. The Alexandrov Family Another family from St. Petersburg are the Alexandrovs. Maxim (34) and Margarita (30) made Aliyah with their daughter Sofia (8) and are very happy to have done it. Now the family lives in Kibbutz Yiron. “The First Home in the Homeland Programme helped us a lot: we could learn Hebrew and feel safe. Our kibbutz coordinators provide 24-hour assistance to us.” Margarita said they had already finished U lpan and were considering getting a good education in Israel. At the moment, Margarita works at the kibbutz’s dining room while Maxim is working at a furniture factory. After Sofia finishes third grade at school this year, they will move to the city. Maxim is looking for a new job as an electrician. Thanks to the programme, everything in their new life is going very well. Margarita confessed that making Aliyah was a tribute to her ancestors. For her, belonging to the Jewish people meant being chosen. “After arriving here, my life has changed for the better!” she concluded. It is a pleasure to know that all these families feel comfortable in their Homeland. Thank you for your support, love and kindheartedness! Please support the First Home in the Homeland Programme. Assisting a family in the programme costs AU $325 per month. Please complete the coupon on the back page. Any amount is welcome! Six Months in the Promised Land “The First Home in the Homeland Programme helped us a lot: we could learn Hebrew and feel safe.” June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781  $oMVNn ] /eXs June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Gerald Steinberg n In recent years, EU recognition of the damage done by and the need for independent oversight of Europe’s relationships with NGOs in Israel has been increasing. But beyond the logos, the details of the deep and often personal European relationships with the leaders of influential Palestinian and Israeli NGOs were and remain closely guarded state secrets on the level of nuclear weapons. This strange and fundamental departure from the transparency that is central to democratic norms explains why year after year, the members of an NGO network linked to a terror organisation, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), are among the main recipients of European funding. Since 2011, European governments have provided at least 200 million euros to these organisations, including 40 million from the European Union, and probably more from subcontracting that is not reported and from grants that remain hidden. The arrest and indictment of a number of four individuals with high-level positions in the benignly named Health Workers Committee, who are charged with diverting NGO funds directly to terror groups, shines a bright spotlight on this core dimension of the NGO industry. After many years of hiding the details and denying the extensive evidence of links published in NGO Monitor research reports, it will now be harder for the European officials in charge of the funding to continue to claim “we did not know,” “the evidence you provide is not absolute proof,” or “we do not need to examine the recipients because other countries and the UN are funding the same groups.” In official correspondence and awkward meetings with European ambassadors and other officials, they offered rehearsed justifications for funding for Palestinian and Israel NGOs leading anti-Israel ‘apartheid’ demonisation. Often reading uncomfortably from pre-cooked slogans, they have claimed (without credibility) that their governments only support projects and not organisations, that the NGO links to the PFLP are outdated and invalid, and even that the PFLP is a legitimate political organisation. The long-standing relationships between PFLP officials and their European sponsors, including leaders of powerful church groups such as Pax Christi, are never acknowledged. One year ago, Olivér Várhelyi, EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement (which has jurisdiction over some of the seven distinct EU funding mechanisms), ordered a comprehensive investigation of terror ties involving NGO grantees, and declared that such funding “will not be tolerated.” That report is expected very soon. In addition, the European Parliament’s committee responsible for budgetary issues (‘Discharge’) recently told EU officials to “thoroughly verify” that funds are not “allocated or linked to any cause or form of terrorism and/or religious and political radicalisation.” Grant funds that went to any person or organisation with terrorist ties must be “proactively recovered, and recipients involved are excluded from future union funding.” To the degree that the officials implement this policy, the results will require a fundamental change in the NGO funding process. In the Netherlands, the foreign and development ministers initially rejected the information showing clear links between their funding for the UAWC and the officials charged with the 2019 murder of Rena Schnerb but later were forced to retract their claims. Under parliamentary questioning, they acknowledged that Dutch funding paid part of the salaries and suspended grants pending an investigation by a private firm, which has begun. These and similar developments in other countries suggest that after many years, the results of free-flowing European support to the NGO industry, without transparency and due diligence, are becoming too costly. Perhaps as a result of the most recent developments and arrests, the careless and dangerous European NGO subcontracting will be reduced or stopped. But even if this happens, the immense damage resulting from these policies will take many years to repair. Gerald M. Steinberg is a professor of political science at Bar-Ilan University and president of the Institute for NGO Research. This article first appeared in Israel Hayom. The End of Europe’s Romance with Palestine Terror? Palestinian militants from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). | Photo: Flash90 The Fourth Gaza War Continued from page 1 Then there was the Cornet anti-tank missile, a deadly weapon also in use by Hezbollah in Lebanon. Both Hamas and PIJ used the Iranian-supplied Cornet missile several times during the current war, resulting in the death of at least two Israelis, one of them an IDF soldier. Hamas also used a new type of rocket named Ayyash. The missile has a range of 250 kilometres, and Hamas used it to stop flights to Israel when it shot the Ayyash in the direction of Ben Gurion Airport and the new Ramon Airport in the vicinity of Eilat. Israel seemed to realise that all these changes on the Palestinian side required a different approach because this war could be the testing ground for a much bigger conflict in the future. For this reason, the Israeli military bombed the military- and more civil infrastructure of Hamas and PIJ to smithereens and also tried to assassinate as many commanders of the two organisations as possible. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Air Force (IAF) also introduced a new tactic never seen in the history of war. Israel knew that Hamas, with Iranian help and funding, had created an underground city where it stored weapons and was in use as a bunker for Hamas operatives in case of war or other emergencies. At the same time, the IDF didn’t want to make the same fault as in 2014 when it lost soldiers during operations inside Gaza trying to blow up terror tunnels. Thus the Israeli military used very different methods to destroy what it calls ‘the Metro’ Hamas’ reinforced underground tunnel network. After four days of fighting, some 160 warplanes and assault helicopters conducted a massive attack on the tunnels in the northern Gaza Strip simultaneously. According to the IDF, the aircraft used 450 missiles and dropped 80 tons of explosives on the tunnel complex. The whole operation took a little more than 40 minutes and has reportedly killed hundreds of terrorists. A similar operation was later used to destroy another stretch of the ‘Metro’ complex. Israel knows that the improved skills and weapons of Hamas and PIJ are the result of the Iranian involvement in Gaza. How Do We Know? Hamas leaders and PIJ officials talked about it openly, most recently Ramez al-Halabi, one of PIJ leaders. During an interview with al-Ahd TV in Iraq, Al-Halabi said that his organisation gets its weapons, money, and even food from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in Iran. The Telegraph in the United Kingdom, citing unnamed intelligence officials, confirmed that Iran is helping Hamas in all sorts of ways to improve its military capabilities, especially when it comes to the manufacturing of missiles. So, the bigger picture of this latest Gaza War is that Israel is not only fighting two Palestinian terror groups. The real battle here is against Iran that has vowed to destroy the Jewish state and is trying to achieve this in different ways. It is done by providing assistance to its proxies in Israel and by stirring up unrest among Palestinian Arabs living in Judea and Samaria and Israeli Arabs. In addition, via Hezbollah, Iran has been caught trying to create new terror groups in Judea and Samaria a s well in northern Israel. According to the IDF, the aircraft used 450 missiles and dropped 80 tons of explosives on the tunnel complex.

28. 10 Theology Jewish Festivals Tzom Tammuz Fast commemorating breaching the walls of Jerusalem before the destruction of the Second Temple 27 June 2021 The Seventeenth of Tammuz (Hebrew: Shiv’ah Asar b’Tammuz) is a Jewish fast day commemorating the breach of the walls of Jerusalem before the destruction of the Second Temple. It falls on the 17th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz and marks the beginning of the three-week mourning period leading up to Tisha B’Av. Shabbat Chazon Shabbat before Tish’a B’Av (Shabbat of Prophecy and Vision) 16-17 July 2021 Shabbat Chazon (’Sabbath [of] vision’ takes its name from the haftarah (a series of selections from the books of Nevi’im of the Hebrew Bible that is publicly read in a synagogue as part of Jewish religious practice) that is read on the Shabbat immediately prior to the mournful fast of Tisha B’Av, from the words of rebuke and doom coming from Isaiah in the Book of Isaiah 1:1-27. It is also referred to as the Black Sabbath due to its status as the saddest Shabbat of the year (as opposed to the White Sabbath, Shabbat Shuvah, immediately precededing Yom Kippur). Tish’a B’Av The Ninth of Av 17-18 July 2021 Tisha B’Av is an annual fast day in Judaism, named for the ninth day (Tish’a) of the month of Av in the Hebrew calendar. The fast commemorates the destruction of both the First Temple and Second Temple in Jerusalem, which occurred about 655 years apart, but on the same Hebrew calendar date. Tisha B’Av is never observed on Shabbat. If the 9th of Av falls on a Saturday, the fast is postponed until the 10th of Av. Tu B’Av Jewish Holiday of Love 23-24 July 2021 Tu B’Av is a minor Jewish holiday (the fifteenth of the month Av). In modern- day Israel, it is celebrated as a holiday of love (Hebrew: Hag HaAhava), similar to Valentine’s Day. It has been said to be a ‘great day for weddings’. Shabbat Nachamu Shabbat after Tish’a B’Av (Shabbat of Consolation) 23-24 July 2021 Shabbat Nachamu takes its name from the haftarah from Isaiah in the Book of Isaiah 40:1-26 that speaks of ‘comforting’ the Jewish people for their suffering. It’s the first of seven haftarahs of consolation leading up to the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Book Review By Andrew Tucker Jewish Internationalism and Human Rights after the Holocaust by Nathan A. Kurz In a way, the seeds of the modern law of human rights – its strengths, but also its inherent flaws – were laid in Europe in the early 1920s. Following the 19th century of colonialism in which the European powers expanded globally, after WWI, it was the victorious western powers (France, Britain, Italy, the USA) who decided how the territories of the defeated German and Ottoman empires in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and beyond should be divided up. At Versailles, the modern concept of self-determination of peoples was born. A first, albeit very imperfect, manifestation was the League of Nations (created in 1922). This included the Mandate system, which was intended to help the peoples of mandate territories to independence, and the complex set of agreements dealing with minority rights. Tragically, this system failed to prevent Europe from again plunging into war. After the horrors of WWII and the Shoah, the allies agreed not only on the new borders of Europe. They also agreed on a new international legal order. In the 1940s, three things happened that changed the world fundamentally. The first was the creation of the UN and the development of a real system of international law: the United Nations, with its myriad of organs and institutions, tribunals and even a court (the International Court of Justice). For the first time in history, we can speak of a truly universal legal system. An imperfect one, but nevertheless one that potentially has teeth. The second was the creation of the State of Isr ael in 1948. Separated for two millennia from their land, struggling to retain their Jewish identity while integrating into their host nations, suffering pogroms and persecution wherever they went, Jews returned to their ancient homeland from the mid 19th century onwards. After European Jewry faced near-extinction in the Holocaust, the Jewish State of Israel was born on 14 May 1948. The third was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948, laying the foundations of the modern human rights movement. While human rights were barely mentioned in the UN Charter, since the 1970s, we have witnessed the explosive development of the modern human rights movement. Today, the international legal system is organised not only on the basis of states but increasingly around the notion of individual human rights. The individual - not the state or even the nation - is becoming the main object of international law. Remarkably, Jews played a major role in all three: not only in the State of Israel (obviously) but also in the development of the UN and the conceptualisation and organisation of the modern human rights movement. This important book by Nathan Kurz (Birkbeck College, University of London) is one of a growing body of academic literature examining the philosophical and intellectual roots of the concept of human rights and the role of Jews and Jewish organisations in the development of the modern human rights movement. The book’s core thesis is that the creation of the State of Israel meant that it was ‘all but inevitable’ that the Jewish internationalism that had developed over previous decades would irreconcilably collide with the modern human rights movement. He describes two aspects to this. The creation of the Jewish State of Israel in the midst of conflict in 1948 brought with it the seeds of divorce. Kurz acknowledges that the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is “deeply complex” and that “Israel was never solely responsible for its continuation”. Nevertheless, “the non- resolution of the Palestinian refugee problem, a long struggle to grant full citizenship to an Arab minority, and the maintenance of a military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza all represented structural constraints that severely impeded the practice of Jewish human rights advocacy.” Kurz criticises modern representations (such as Philippe Sands’ recent best-seller East-West Street), which generally position the modern human rights movement, and the Jewish thinkers like Hersch Lauterpacht, who provided its intellectual foundations, as providing a response to deal with the atrocities of the Holocaust. According to Kurz, this kind of “celebratory narrative that venerates the formative role played by Jewish lawyers, diplomats, and activists in laying the foundation for a new architecture of international human rights and criminal law in the twentieth century” fails to appreciate “how fraught the relationship between some Jews and international rights protection became in the second half of the twentieth century”. Andrew Tucker is Director of The Hague Initiative for International Cooperation. Jewish Internationalism and Human Rights after the Holocaust by Nathan A. Kurz. Cambridge University Press, 2021. ISBN 9781108870429 June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Kees de Vreugd n Theologian | Christians for Israel International & Editor | Israel & the Church “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses...” Matthew 23:2 In the common parlour, the Pharisees do not have a good name. According to Dutch dictionaries – and I suppose it will be the same in English – a Pharisee is a hypocrite. That seems to find support in verses from the Bible. But is that all the New Testament tells about the Pharisees? It is remarkable that it was Pharisees who came to warn Jesus for Herod. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were prominent Pharisees. In the Book of Acts, it is no one less than Gamaliel, who takes up for the followers of Jesus (Acts 5:34). There exists a natural kinship between the Pharisees and the ‘first church’, just as that was felt with Jesus (compare Matthew 22:34 and Marc 12:28). Presumably, the negative image of the Pharisees is fed mainly by their alleged role in the trial of Jesus (although they gradually disappear from the scene), by certain parables, and by the eightfold ‘Woe’ in Matthew 23. Jesus’ warnings there – for that is what I believe it is – are by no means soft. As a matter of fact, you can find comparable critique in the Talmud as well. So also, Matthew 23 is not disconnected from Jewish tradition. Meanwhile, we could easily read over a fundamental saying of Jesus: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe,” even if they perhaps do not do it themselves (Matthew 23:2-3). So, according to Jesus’ saying, the Scribes and the Pharisees have the authority to explain and apply the laws of the Torah (Moses). Jesus is speaking to ‘the crowds and His disciples’. Implicitly, He thus affirms the validity and the legitimacy of the ‘oral Torah’ (the tradition of the Pharisees, continued by the rabbis after the destruction of the Temple AD 70). And this is after that, in the previous chapters, the bankruptcy of the Sadducees was declared (Matthew 21:43; 22:29). Despite their own shortcomings, the leadership over the people is entrusted to the Pharisees. They may be called ‘rabbi’ (teacher), even though only One is ‘your Teacher’. Therefore I plea for the rehabilitation of the Pharisees. Rehabilitation of the Pharisees The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses... (Matthew 23:2)

26. 16 June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Resources to Equip You in Your Faith $15 (includes p+h) PAPERBACK | by Edda Fogarollo Edda retraces the principal events, emotions, efforts, adversities and the protagonists who enabled the Jewish people to become a nation after a diaspora lasting for two hundred years Page after page, one experiences the narration of the accomplishment of something that is much more than a collective dream: a miracle announced by the prophets and fulfilled before our very eyes. $15 (includes p+h) DVD Series | by Enoch Lavender Israel and the Church have both experienced momentous changes in the past 100 years. Join Ps Enoch Lavender in the TBN Pacific TV Studio as he examines how the stage is being set for the Lord’s return. Learn about the dual restoration of Israel and the Church as well as recent developments surrounding the Temple Mount. The worldwide regathering of the Jews from the four corners of the earth is one of the most remarkable events of the past century. 90 minutes. $20 (includes p+h) PAPERBACK | by Rev. William Glashouwer For many people today there is no certainty anymore God exists, or if He does, has anything to do with me or this world. Rev. Glashouwer demonstrates how the Christian claims of deliverance, redemption and spiritual freedom are real and that it’s possible to live a life of victory. The Holy Spirit empowers our new life to bring forth the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit. That’s not a fanciful dream—its’ a Biblical promise! $20 (includes p+h) $20 (includes p+h) 2 DVD Set | by Enoch Lavender PAPERBACK | by Enoch Lavender This series looks at: The Passover in Jesus day. How the feasts set the exact timing and sequence of events in Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. How the remaining three feasts provide a unique prophetic preview of End Time events. Practical lessons from the feasts about preparing for the Lord’s soon return, how to pray for Israel and how to intercede even for those who persecute us. 4 x 30 min sessions. Are you waiting for the fulfilment of a promise from God? Join Enoch and Sarah as they share with you their story of waiting to see God’s promise of marriage come to pass in their lives. Hope Fulfilled covers the challenges they faced, the powerful lessons they learned along the way, as well as their story of finally receiving what God had promised. This book also features key insights into ancient Jewish wedding practices and End Times. Approx. 80 pages $36 (includes p+h) PAPERBACK | by Rev. William Glashouwer Is the last book of the Bible—The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John—only understandable to theologically trained people? Rev. Glashouwer presents ‘Revelation’ in a new light. Study God’s roadmap for the future, step-by-step. You only need a couple of minutes each day to study one or two verses to better grasp its meaning. You will discover God is the beginning and the end—Who is and Who was and Who is to come. $30 (includes p+h) PAPERBACK | by Kelvin Crombie During 1933-1945 Jews throughout Europe were persecuted by the Nazi regime and some six million were murdered. What’s not so well known is the tens of thousands of Jewish Christians who also suffered. The Jocz family was typical of such treatment by the Nazis and their allies—some of whom survived. This book provides insight into the collective story of these over-looked Jewish victims of the Holocaust. $20 (includes p+h) PAPERBACK | by Enoch Lavender Preparing for the Lord’s Return. This book chronicles the dramatic rise of the prophetic movement to build Israel’s Third Temple. It looks at the painstaking preparations taking place to recreate the Temple vessels, as well as the use of DNA technology to identify priests for the restored Temple service. The ultimate goal of this book is to highlight how the stage is increasingly being set for the Lord’s Return. Approx. 88 pages TO ORDER USE THE FORM ON THE BACK PAGE OR SECURELY ONLINE: C4ISRAEL.COM.AU/STORE NEW! $30 2 DVD SET | $35 DVD + STUDY GUIDE BUNDLE | $15 PAPERBACK $5 STUDY GUIDE | $5 FACILITATORS GUIDE NOTE: all prices include p+h $25 ON-DEMAND (Digital) go to: whyisrael.c4israel.com.au SPECIAL —Use Coupon Code: ‘FIVEOFF’ to save $5. Only applicable for Digital Copy. Deal extended till August 31, 2021. TEACHING RESOURCE FORMATS Why Israel? The series explores the Biblical significance of Israel and the Jewish people for Christians today. It gives an inside look from a Biblical, historical and prophetic perspective at God’s work with Israel. We see miracles happen in our days: the Jews are returning to the Promised Land just as the Bible prophesied. It brings to light that God has not forgotten the Jewish people and that Jesus is coming soon! This new series of Why Israel? challenges the church to embrace and bless the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. It also shows howIsrael is a sign of hope to the world. Chapters Included: 01. God loves Israel 02. The Covenants 03. Old Covenant, New Covenant 04. Israel and the Church 05. Anti-Semitism 06. Israel and the nations 07. Jerusalem 08. The Kingdom of God 09. Jesus 10. His blood be on us by Rev. Willem J.J. Glashouwer

25. 15 June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Opinion Piece from Beersheba Vision Sign up a friend to ‘Israel & Christians Today’ Newspaper and receive the ‘ Israel 70 Years Magazine ’ or the new ‘ The Signs of the Times DVD ’ FREE * ! Your Full Name: ____________________________ Address: _________________________________ _________________________________________ State: ________________ P ostcode: __________ Friends Full Name: _________________________ Address: _________________________________ _________________________________________ State: ________________ P ostcode: __________ Number of Newspapers Bi-monthly: c 1 c 2 c 5 c Other: ______________________ *1 Magazine or DVD per person. limited offer. while stocks last. SEND DETAILS TO: Christians for Israel, Australia , PO Box 1508, Springwood, QLD, 4127 Israel 70 Years Commemorative Magazine OR Please choose ONE of the below gifts to receive upon successfully signing up a new friend to ‘ Israel & Christians Today’ Newspaper. The Signs of the Times DVD ( 7+ Hours Teaching) The friend/church you nominate to receive the Israel & Christians Today Bi-monthly Newspaper will also receive a complimentary copy of ‘The Signs of the Times’ DVD as well. Vaccine Passports are Coming The driver is the quest for herd immunity The percentage of the population that needs to give herd immunity against a disease depends on the disease, for Covid it is thought to be at least 80%. Recent polling shows that 33% of Australians are either refusing or reluctant to get the jab. This statistic does not bode well for a Government intent on achieving “herd immunity” as they firmly believe this is the only way for us to move freely within our borders. Government coercion most likely will be required to achieve this goal Dealing with vaccine hesitancy is a major problem for the Government, and this hesitancy is very understandable. Have we not heard the phrase operating “out of an abundance of caution” yet if someone exercises this caution by holding off being vaccinated they are castigated. Remember this “vaccine” with its radical new technology is very different to previous vaccines. Further, the USA C.D.C as of April 23, stated that 10,262 fully vaccinated people were “reported” to have contracted Covid 19, with about 10% being hospitalised, this must raise concern given these are just the reported cases, even so it must be said given the millions vaccinated, the number is still relatively small. Given some cases of myocarditis among adolescents plus some fertility concerns beginning to surface it is entirely reasonable for someone to hold off being vaccinated, until more data surfaces. Especially so, when the statistical risk of catching Covid in Australia is very small, and that of becoming seriously ill exceedingly small. This reasoning unfortunately is brushed aside by a Government intent on getting everyone vaccinated. So, it appears to be impossible to achieve herd immunity without some form of Government intervention. This could come via the promise of mores restrictions and lockdowns if one is not vaccinated. Maintaining perspective We have got to learn to live with this virus, in various forms it will be with us for years. It may mean that we have to endure plastic screens at stores and perform other basic hygiene measures, this we can do without compromising our basic freedoms. Maintaining perspective during this “pandemic” is critical, for as bad as this Covid virus is, it is not Ebola. We must remember that over 99% of Covid cases are comparatively mild, many completely asymptomatic. In addition, we now have medications like Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine that have now proved beyond doubt that with prescribed early use the effects of Covid can be greatly ameliorated. However, it seems authorities are wilfully overlooking these measures for what can only be described as political and financial reasons. Refer to Professor Borody’s “Ivermectin Triple Therapy Protocol for Covid” for example. Over the next few months more data may come to light that will avert the fears of many who are hesitant. This may enable herd immunity to be achieved, removing the necessity for an “official” vaccine passport, but sadly I fear the writing is on the wall, Covid passports are headed our way. Will it be called a passport? Prime Minister Morrison stated on radio station 3AW in early May, that a vaccine passport is the next step in the campaign against Covid. Will it be actually called a passport, probably not, as that terminology has very negative political connotations, no doubt it will have a much more palatable name, but as the story goes, if it “quacks like a duck, and waddles like a duck...” Needing a vaccine passport to enter another country I can live with, as it is a sovereign country’s prerogative to determine who may cross its borders. However, for Australians in their own country, this proposal is nothing less than medical apartheid with millions of Australians denied their rights to move freely within their own country, a right enshrined in our Constitution. It’s un- Australian and an assault on our freedom. Remember this is not the first time we have faced disease and yes sadly some may get sick and some even die, but does not our ANZAC history tell us freedom always comes at a cost. We must not keep silent. ( Note: this view is in accordance with Beersheba Vision stated objectives) ________________________________________________________ Barry Rodgers OAM, President of Beersheba Vision . Website: www.beershebavision.org Email: admin@beershebavision.org Barry Rodgers OAM President of Beersheba Vision

4. June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Editorial 2 Colophon Israel & Christians Today is the premier publication of Christians for Israel Mission Our mission is to bring Biblical understanding in the Church and among the nations concerning God’s purposes for Israel and to promote comfort of Israel through prayer and action. Editorial Team Andrew Tucker International Editor-in-Chief atucker@c4israel.org Cathy Coldicutt Managing Editor newspaper@c4israel.org Marloes van Westing International Communications Manager international@c4israel.org Ian Worby, Bryce Turner, Rita Quartel, Marie-Louise Weissenböck and Marijke Terlouw Scripture references: THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. C4I Offices Christians for Israel International Leon Meijer, Chairman Rev Willem J.J. Glashouwer, President Rev Cornelis Kant, Executive Director P.O. Box 1100 | 3860 BC Nijkerk, The Netherlands | Tel: +31 33 422 0405 info@c4israel.org | www.c4israel.org The English Edition of Israel & Christians Today is published by the following English speaking branches: Christians for Israel - Australia Ian Worby, National Leader PO Box 1508, Springwood Queensland, Australia 4127 Tel: +61 (7) 3088 6900, info@c4israel.com.au www.c4israel.com.au Christians for Israel - New Zealand Bryce Turner, National Executive Director PO Box 12 006, Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand 1642 Tel: +64 9 525 7564, info@c4israel.org.nz www.c4israel.org.nz Christians for Israel - Korea Rev Paul Wonil Jung, Director Suite 3, 37 Railway Parade, Eastwood NSW, Australia 2122 Tel: +61 410 430 677 email: c4israelkorea@gmail.com www.c4israelkorea.org Christians for Israel - USA Fred J van Westing, CEO PO Box 2589, Manteca, CA 95336, USA Tel: +1 925 984 6671 usa-info@c4israel.org www.c4israel.us DISCLAIMER - Articles printed in Israel & Christians Today expr ess the views of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Editors or that of the Board of Christians for Israel. The printing of articles or advertising in Israel & Christians Today does not necessarily imply either endorsement or agreement. ©Christians for Israel International Reproduction, or storage in a retrieval system or in any other form, is prohibited without permission. Please contact the Managing Editor should you wish to syndicate or republish any articles or materials appearing in Israel & Christians Today. Andrew Tucker n International Editor | Christians for Israel On 27 April, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its report entitled A Threshold Crossed - Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution . It is a 213- page litany of accusations and complaints. It portrays the Jewish State of Israel as an inherent apartheid state whose sole purpose is to persecute the Palestinians. According to HRW, Israel is guilty of crimes against humanity – apartheid and persecution. All Israeli laws showing preference to Jews must be abolished. Israel’s leaders should be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court, and Israel should be subject to international condemnation, isolation and sanctions. What clearly most offends the writers of this report is that Israel dares to be a Jewish State – a homeland for the Jewish people. How dare the Jews claim a homeland of their own? How dare the Jews be Jews? The report comes as no surprise. For decades, since the 1970’s the claim that ‘Zionism = Racism’ has remained etched in the minds of many who refuse to accept the existence of the Jewish people. The Palestinian leadership has made an art form of rejectionism. Endless missed opportunities. It’s always Israel’s fault. Like many of its predecessors, which have relegated to the dustbin of history, this report is full of black-and-white generalisations, one-sided assertions, and a broad smattering of blatant falsifications. But this reflects more the growing modern trend that divi des history into ‘victims’ and ‘perpetrators’, claims all suffering must be the fault of the other, and demands justice. There is not one word even suggesting the slightest possibility that the Palestinians themselves, or their brothers and sisters in the Arab world, share responsibility for their dire situation. Nothing about the Holocaust, the Grand Mufti’s alliance with Hitler, the 1948 attack on Israel by the Arab states, the subsequent attempts to exterminate the Jewish State, the intifada’s or Arafat’s rejection of Barak’s offer in 2000. Tragically, the report also ignores the many examples of Jewish/Arab cooperation in Israel, the Arab Israeli’s who work hard to make Israel a success, and those Palestinians who do not blame Israel for their sufferings. Israeli-based NGO Monitor issued a detailed analysis of the HRW report. It concludes that: “HRW’s text is part of a renewed NGO push over the past 18- months, attaching the term ‘apartheid’ to discourse on Israel. Capitalising on their breakthrough in the International Criminal Court (ICC), the NGO network seeks to reinforce political narratives in contrast to credible factual presentation and legal analysis. In a broader context, this report is another move in the decades-long series of obsessive attacks against Israel and its legitimacy as the nation-state of the Jewish people. The organisation has again demonstrated the accuracy of founder Robert Bernstein’s condemnation, in the New York Times, of HRW for ‘issuing reports on the Israeli- Arab conflict that are helping those who wish to turn Israel into a pariah state.’” Germany was very quick to express its rejection of the report. German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said that the international human rights watchdog’s assumption that “Israel is committing the international law crime of apartheid is explicitly not endorsed by the federal government. We don’t think that is a correct assessment.” Joshua Block wrote in Jerusalem Post: “To get a sense of HRW’s disturbing anti-Israel bias, consider this: over the past five years, the NGO has authored seven special reports on Israel. In comparison, the organisation published none condemning North Korea, one of the worst criminal regimes in the world; and only three reports addressed the human rights violations of the repressive, theocratic regime in Iran. Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of War Crimes Prayer Points By C4I Prayer Team Israel l Pray for the reduction and easing of the unrest in Israel and Jewish-Arab tensions and violence. Pray for the people of Gaza, that they’ll be freed from the terror regime of Hamas and PIJ, that they will be spared unnecessary harm. l Pray for Israel’s protection against rocket attacks from Gaza. In recent years relatively quiet periods alternate with periods of heavy fire. Pray that the attacks will cease completely and that Israel will be protected. l Pray for the Israeli government. Pray that after the elections, a good coalition government will be formed that will govern the country resolutely in the coming three years. Pray that personal interests will be set aside and that all attention and efforts will be for the national interest. Also, pray that politicians will put their trust in God. l “Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all generations” (Joel 3:20). On 10 May, Israel celebrated Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day). On this day, Israel commemorates the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 and the establishment of Israel control over the Old City. Give thanks that this extraordinary event took place and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Israel & the Nations l Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain have discussed expanding cooperation in facing common enemies. All four believe a nuclear Iran would be a major threat. The remarks came following an article by World Jewish Congress president Ron Lauder in Arab News calling for a ‘NATO of the Middle East.’ Pray for a continuous blessing for Israel with alliances and friendships that keep her safe. l Apparently, many anti-Semitic images are being sent over WhatsApp, especially in young people’s WhatsApp groups, such as school classes or sports teams. Pray that there will be a greater awareness among young people of the suffering caused by jokes about the Holocaust and that this will stop. Christians for Israel l Please pray for the Aliyah field workers of Christians for Israel in Ukraine. They often have to do their work in exhausting and dangerous circumstances. Pray also for the distribution of food parcels to the Jewish communities throughout Ukraine. For daily Prayer Points, go to our website www.c4israel.com.au Human Right Watch has long been a leader of the coalition of numerous powerful NGOs targeting Israel. | Photo: Shutterstock www.facebook.com/c4israelAUS

7. 5 News Short News June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Saffron from Israel If the project succeeds, it could be very profitable. An entrepreneur from Israel developed a machine and a system to vertically grow saffron, with the possibility of several harvests per year. Currently, all the saffron in the world comes from Iran, and since it is the most valuable spice available on the world market, it also called ‘red gold’. It takes 150,000 flowers to produce one kilogram of saffron. And that one kilogram of saffron costs US $10,000. Saffran-Tech might be able to change this. | Photo: Unsplash Investigate Together The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Amazon have started working together in the area of quantum-computer research. Cooperation between the researchers and developers aims to accelerate the development of algorithms and hardware. It is the first time that Amazon has concluded such an agreement with an Israeli scientific institute. Turtles Together When Israel’s coast had to deal with this disaster, the turtles saved from the oil and tar spill in February are free again. The oil-covered turtles had a good cleaning in the past weeks and a mayonnaise-diet so that their intestines were cleansed as well. These are endangered species. They were put back into the sea at a considerable distance from the coast. Blooming Business For a dry Middle East country, Israel hosts a surprisingly robust flower industry, producing almost a billion picking flowers and ornamental branches a year. Israel is a major exporter of flowers, half of which are for export and half for the local market. Some 65% of flower exports are transferred to the flower exchanges in Europe, mainly Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. The rest are traded independently by the growers themselves, mainly in England and the Scandinavian countries, France, Germany, and today also in Japan and China. In total, there are about 250 flower growers in Israel, and the industry is considered stable. Only at the end of 2021 will the exporters know how deep the damage to the flower industry was caused by the Coronavirus crisis in Israel and around the world. | Photo: Flash90 A small Jewish community lived there peacefully in co-existence with the local Arab community until 1948, when the War of Independence broke out. The Jewish owners had tried to register ownership of the property with the authorities of the British Mandate in 1946. When the War of Independence broke out in 1948, the Old City of Jerusalem and its surrounding area—including Sheikh Jarrah—was captured by Transjordan (now Jordan). The Jewish families were forcibly evicted. Custodianship of the property was transferred to the Jordanian Custodian of Enemy Properties. In 1956, the Jordanian government leased the property to 28 families of Palestinian ‘refugees’ while maintaining ownership of the property. After the Six-Day War in 1967, when Israel regained control of Jerusalem, it passed a law allowing Jews whose families were evicted by Jordanian or British authorities in the city prior to 1967 to reclaim their property, provided they could demonstrate proof of ownership and the existing residents were unable to provide such proof of purchase or legal transfer of title. In 1973, ownership of the property was registered by Sephardic Community Committee and the Knesset Israel Committee with Israeli authorities pursuant to the above law. Subsequently, in 2003, the owners sold the property to ‘Nahalat Shimon,’ an Israeli NGO that seeks to reclaim property for Jews evicted or forced to flee as a result of the 1948 War of Independence. Beginning of Legal Proceedings In 1982, the Jewish owners (Sephardic Community Committee and the Knesset Israel Committee) sued the Palestinian families residing in Sheikh Jarrah. They demanded their eviction on the basis that they were squatters on the property. The Magistrate Court determined that the Palestinian families could not demonstrate their ownership of the property but that they enjoyed Protected Tenant Status. As protected tenants, they would be able to continue living on the property as long as they paid rent and maintained the property. This arrangement was agreed upon mutually in agreement signed by the p arties, in which the tenants recognised the trusts’ ownership in exchange for protected tenant status. Beginning in 1993, the trusts began proceedings against the residents based on their non-payment of rent and of illegal changes to the property. In 1997, Suliman Darwish Hijazi, a Palestinian man, attempted to challenge the trusts’ ownership of the property, based on a Kushan (Ottoman title) that he allegedly purchased from a Jordanian man al- Bandeq, in 1961. The court ruled that Hijazi failed to demonstrate that the Kushan refers to the claimed property in Shimon HaTzadik and that forensic evidence raised the likelihood that the Kushan had been altered or forged. Furthermore, Hijazi failed to prove that al-Bandeq had ever owned the property and thus had the right to sell it. Finally, Hijazi had never acted to protect his property rights, both during the Jordanian and Israeli periods, by registering it, charging rent, or paying property tax. Prior Court Rulings Key points: Ÿ The residents are protected tenants and must pay rent to the property’s owners. Ÿ The residents never paid rent and carried out illegal construction on the property. The court previously ordered the residents to pay the outstanding rent and immediately evacuate the illegally constructed additions. Ÿ The court rejected claims that the Jordanian government had committed to transferring ownership to the residents and that this commitment never came to fruition due to the outbreak of the Six-Day War. The only document ever provided as evidence was a copy of an unsigned standard Jordanian Department of Housing form that did not contain an agreement regarding the transfer of rights. Ÿ The court rejected claims that a resident purchased ownership rights from a man named Ismail. The claimant could not demonstrate that Ismail had been the property’s owner, that he had purchased the property from him or that the claimant had ever been a protected tenant at the time of the alleged sale. The Current State of Legal Proceedings Following the judgement of the Jerusalem District Court in February 2021, upholding an earlier court decision that, in the absence of payment of rent, the Palestinian residents must vacate the premises, the tenants appealed to the Supreme Court, with a final verdict expected in the next month. Arsen Ostrovsky is chairman and CEO of The International Legal Forum, an Israel-based legal network of over 3,500 lawyers and activists in 30 different countries, committed to the fight against antisemitism, terror and the delegitimisation of Israel in the international legal arena. Continued from page 4 | Photo: Flash90 Prayer Points & Weekly Update Would you like to receive the Israel & Christians Today Weekly Update and/or the bi-monthly Prayer Points directly into your inbox? Email info@c4israel.com.au, include your full name and email address, and let us know which one (or both) you would like to subscribe to. Israel Prayer Calendar June - July 2021 AUSTRALIA www.c4israel.com.au info@c4israel.com.au News 4 Ariel Ben Solomon n Jewish News Syndicate Israel remains in a political deadlock as both right-wing, and left-wing blocs remain unable to form parliamentary majorities and cannot find formulas to create a unity government. The situation is creating an opportunity for Arab parties, which have never previously joined any Israeli government, to solve the impasse by throwing their mandates behind one of the blocs. In particular, the United Arab List, known in Israel by its Hebrew acronym Ra’am, has signalled its willingness to break from long-held political tradition and sit alongside its Jewish counterparts within a coalition. Ra’am party chairman Mansour Abbas has entered into negotiations with both blocs, seeking to extract substantial political returns in exchange for the party’s four seats. Yet opposition—particularly among right-wing Jewish parties—over the Ra’am Party’s still-radical ideology may ultimately prevent the political branch of Israel’s Islamic movement from becoming a political ‘kingmaker.’ Rodayna Badir, an expert on Arab society in Israel, warns that Abbas’s willingness to sit with his Jewish Knesset colleagues is not an ideological shift towards religious coexistence but a rather shrewd political tactic to increase its influence, particularly among more than a million Arab voters. The Islamic movement has its roots within the Muslim Brotherhood. Ra’am’s sister organisation in the Gaza Strip is the Hamas movement. While Hamas utilises violent tactics to achieve its political goals, Ra’am represents a much smaller subsection of society within Israeli society, severely limiting its ability to advance a political agenda. Badir noted that it is consistent with the history of the southern branch of the Islamic movement to try and reach understandings with the Israeli government, despite the movement’s radical Muslim Brotherhood roots. She said that remaining outside of the government has prevented significant portions of Israel’s large governmental budget from reaching the Arab sector for many years. Entering the government and receiving special budget allocations for the Arab sector “would only strengthen their power in Arab society,” Badir told JNS. As far as Arab voters are concerned, many seek additional funds to address growing violence and crime within their communities and improved housing and infrastructure. A Power Struggle over who will Lead Israeli Arabs Before the most recent election—Israel’s fourth in just two years—Ra’am broke away from a larger Joint List of Arab parties. The breakaway paid off for Abbas when Ra’am barely crossed over the Knesset’s minimum vote threshold. Now the Knesset has two separate Arab parties, and Abbas can potentially be a political kingmaker even as other Arab Knesset members prefer to remain in the opposition. “The history of the Islamic movement shows that it is not used to receiving instructions or being No. 2,” assessed Badir. As for the Joint List, “Ra’am was second in power after the Communist Hadash Party, so a power struggle ensued over who will lead the Israeli Arabs.” By entering the government and receiving a special budget for the Arab sector, “this would only strengthen their power in Arab society,” she added. “The Islamic movement always moves on two equal axes: what the Arab public wants and preservation of its power as an organisation.” Hamas in the Gaza Strip is a more radical Muslim Brotherhood offshoot that regularly uses violence to achieve its goals. In other countries, including inside Israel, the movement utilises more pragmatic political tactics. Being that Ra’am is just one component of an Arab minority in a strong majority Jewish state, it is drastically limited in what actions it can effectively carry out. Arab society currently seems deeply conflicted, continued Badir, adding that the current leadership vacuum is not helping the community deal with its pressing issues. “Arabs are tired of slogans and are looking for a change,” she said. “The Islamic movement has managed to absorb this sentiment and act on it.” Shahin Sarsour, a veteran Arab political obser ver and f ormer adviser to various Arab Knesset members, explains that the Islamic Movement has a base of around 175,000 to 205,000 voters or approximately four to six mandates. “Their voters want to see an Arab party that has influence and not just sits in the Knesset without any achievements for the Arab sector,” he said. Still, Sarsour told JNS that despite Abbas’s efforts, the likelihood of Ra’am joining either a right-wing or left- wing government remains low. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has aggressively courted Ra’am’s four seats, which represent critical mandates he needs to form a majority, key political ally Betzalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionists Party refuses to sit with any Arab party. It’s not clear whether key additional right-wing party leaders Gideon Sa’ar or Naftali Bennett would agree to sit together with Ra’am or rely on it to support a minority government from outside the coalition. In early May, Bennett met with Abbas—the first-ever direct meeting between the two-party leaders—to explore whether there was any room for cooperation. Even if Ra’am doesn’t join a government, its efforts to engage with the Israeli political establishment is a drastic change from the Arab parties’ role in the past, which was limited to criticising Israeli governments from the opposition. Such efforts may ultimately lead to Arab parties playing a more active role in forming governments in Israel, gaining increased budgets for the Arab sector and improving cooperation with their Jewish counterparts. This article was originally published on 4th May 2021 by Jewish News Syndicate (www.jns.org). Republished with permission. A New Role for Arab Parties in Israel? Mansour Abbas, head of a conservative Islamist party Raam, speaks at his campaign headquarters in the northern Israeli city of Tamra on March 23. | Photo: Getty Images June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Arsen Ostrovsky n A brief summary of the facts and chronology of the dispute over the Jerusalem neighbourhood. The case of Sheikh Jarrah is a complex and long-running legal matter, subject to competing property claims by Jewish owners and Palestinian tenants over a small area of land in Jerusalem. The affair also incorporates the area’s religious significance and spans a history dating back to the pre-1948 British mandate era. The case has been subject to legal proceedings since 1972 and is currently before Israel’s Supreme Court, where a final decision is expected in the next month. This particular case has garnered unprecedented attention in the wake of the recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report accusing Israel of engaging in ‘apartheid’ practices, the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation of alleged Israeli war crimes and a concerted campaign by the pro-Palestinian BDS and NGO network, as well as the Palestinian leadership, to exacerbate and inflame the currently tense situation in and around Jerusalem. Where is Sheikh Jarrah? Sheikh Jarrah is a predominantly, though not exclusively, Arab neighbourhood of Jerusalem, located about a mile and a half from the Old City. What’s the Historical Significance of the Area? Jews refer to the area as ‘Shimon Hatzadik,’ ‘Simeon the Just,’ a revered 3rd century B.C.E. Jewish High Priest whose tomb is located there. Jewish pilgrims often visit the neighbourhood. Palestinians claim the area derives its name from Sheikh Jarrah, a physician to Saladin, the Islamic military leader who fought the Crusaders in the 12th century. His body is believed to be buried there. What is the Claim Against Israel? The pro-Palestinian community is claiming that Israel is unjustly evicting four Palestinian families from their homes in the neighbourhood. This exemplifies accusations against Israel in the context of the broader conflict with the Palestinians. In response, the owners of the property (a private Israeli NGO, Nahalat Shimon) claim they have the legal title to the property in question and that, in the absence of rent being paid by the tenants, the tenants ought to be evicted for breaching the law. What is the Chronology? Sheikh Jarrah is an Arab neighbourhood that developed outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem in the 19th century. According to Israel’s Supreme Court, the land in question was purchased by the local Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities from its Arab owners in 1875, primarily because of the area’s religious significance in housing the tomb of ‘Simeon the Just.’ The property was registered in the Ottoman land registry as a trust under the name of rabbis Avraham Ashkenazi and Meir Auerbach. The Sheikh Jarrah Conflict Continued on page 5 News 4 Ariel Ben Solomon n Jewish News Syndicate Israel remains in a political deadlock as both right-wing, and left-wing blocs remain unable to form parliamentary majorities and cannot find formulas to create a unity government. The situation is creating an opportunity for Arab parties, which have never previously joined any Israeli government, to solve the impasse by throwing their mandates behind one of the blocs. In particular, the United Arab List, known in Israel by its Hebrew acronym Ra’am, has signalled its willingness to break from long-held political tradition and sit alongside its Jewish counterparts within a coalition. Ra’am party chairman Mansour Abbas has entered into negotiations with both blocs, seeking to extract substantial political returns in exchange for the party’s four seats. Yet opposition—particularly among right-wing Jewish parties—over the Ra’am Party’s still-radical ideology may ultimately prevent the political branch of Israel’s Islamic movement from becoming a political ‘kingmaker.’ Rodayna Badir, an expert on Arab society in Israel, warns that Abbas’s willingness to sit with his Jewish Knesset colleagues is not an ideological shift towards religious coexistence but a rather shrewd political tactic to increase its influence, particularly among more than a million Arab voters. The Islamic movement has its roots within the Muslim Brotherhood. Ra’am’s sister organisation in the Gaza Strip is the Hamas movement. While Hamas utilises violent tactics to achieve its political goals, Ra’am represents a much smaller subsection of society within Israeli society, severely limiting its ability to advance a political agenda. Badir noted that it is consistent with the history of the southern branch of the Islamic movement to try and reach understandings with the Israeli government, despite the movement’s radical Muslim Brotherhood roots. She said that remaining outside of the government has prevented significant portions of Israel’s large governmental budget from reaching the Arab sector for many years. Entering the government and receiving special budget allocations for the Arab sector “would only strengthen their power in Arab society,” Badir told JNS. As far as Arab voters are concerned, many seek additional funds to address growing violence and crime within their communities and improved housing and infrastructure. A Power Struggle over who will Lead Israeli Arabs Before the most recent election—Israel’s fourth in just two years—Ra’am broke away from a larger Joint List of Arab parties. The breakaway paid off for Abbas when Ra’am barely crossed over the Knesset’s minimum vote threshold. Now the Knesset has two separate Arab parties, and Abbas can potentially be a political kingmaker even as other Arab Knesset members prefer to remain in the opposition. “The history of the Islamic movement shows that it is not used to receiving instructions or being No. 2,” assessed Badir. As for the Joint List, “Ra’am was second in power after the Communist Hadash Party, so a power struggle ensued over who will lead the Israeli Arabs.” By entering the government and receiving a special budget for the Arab sector, “this would only strengthen their power in Arab society,” she added. “The Islamic movement always moves on two equal axes: what the Arab public wants and preservation of its power as an organisation.” Hamas in the Gaza Strip is a more radical Muslim Brotherhood offshoot that regularly uses violence to achieve its goals. In other countries, including inside Israel, the movement utilises more pragmatic political tactics. Being that Ra’am is just one component of an Arab minority in a strong majority Jewish state, it is drastically limited in what actions it can effectively carry out. Arab society currently seems deeply conflicted, continued Badir, adding that the current leadership vacuum is not helping the community deal with its pressing issues. “Arabs are tired of slogans and are looking for a change,” she said. “The Islamic movement has managed to absorb this sentiment and act on it.” Shahin Sarsour, a veteran Arab political obser ver and f ormer adviser to various Arab Knesset members, explains that the Islamic Movement has a base of around 175,000 to 205,000 voters or approximately four to six mandates. “Their voters want to see an Arab party that has influence and not just sits in the Knesset without any achievements for the Arab sector,” he said. Still, Sarsour told JNS that despite Abbas’s efforts, the likelihood of Ra’am joining either a right-wing or left- wing government remains low. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has aggressively courted Ra’am’s four seats, which represent critical mandates he needs to form a majority, key political ally Betzalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionists Party refuses to sit with any Arab party. It’s not clear whether key additional right-wing party leaders Gideon Sa’ar or Naftali Bennett would agree to sit together with Ra’am or rely on it to support a minority government from outside the coalition. In early May, Bennett met with Abbas—the first-ever direct meeting between the two-party leaders—to explore whether there was any room for cooperation. Even if Ra’am doesn’t join a government, its efforts to engage with the Israeli political establishment is a drastic change from the Arab parties’ role in the past, which was limited to criticising Israeli governments from the opposition. Such efforts may ultimately lead to Arab parties playing a more active role in forming governments in Israel, gaining increased budgets for the Arab sector and improving cooperation with their Jewish counterparts. This article was originally published on 4th May 2021 by Jewish News Syndicate (www.jns.org). Republished with permission. A New Role for Arab Parties in Israel? Mansour Abbas, head of a conservative Islamist party Raam, speaks at his campaign headquarters in the northern Israeli city of Tamra on March 23. | Photo: Getty Images June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Arsen Ostrovsky n A brief summary of the facts and chronology of the dispute over the Jerusalem neighbourhood. The case of Sheikh Jarrah is a complex and long-running legal matter, subject to competing property claims by Jewish owners and Palestinian tenants over a small area of land in Jerusalem. The affair also incorporates the area’s religious significance and spans a history dating back to the pre-1948 British mandate era. The case has been subject to legal proceedings since 1972 and is currently before Israel’s Supreme Court, where a final decision is expected in the next month. This particular case has garnered unprecedented attention in the wake of the recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report accusing Israel of engaging in ‘apartheid’ practices, the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation of alleged Israeli war crimes and a concerted campaign by the pro-Palestinian BDS and NGO network, as well as the Palestinian leadership, to exacerbate and inflame the currently tense situation in and around Jerusalem. Where is Sheikh Jarrah? Sheikh Jarrah is a predominantly, though not exclusively, Arab neighbourhood of Jerusalem, located about a mile and a half from the Old City. What’s the Historical Significance of the Area? Jews refer to the area as ‘Shimon Hatzadik,’ ‘Simeon the Just,’ a revered 3rd century B.C.E. Jewish High Priest whose tomb is located there. Jewish pilgrims often visit the neighbourhood. Palestinians claim the area derives its name from Sheikh Jarrah, a physician to Saladin, the Islamic military leader who fought the Crusaders in the 12th century. His body is believed to be buried there. What is the Claim Against Israel? The pro-Palestinian community is claiming that Israel is unjustly evicting four Palestinian families from their homes in the neighbourhood. This exemplifies accusations against Israel in the context of the broader conflict with the Palestinians. In response, the owners of the property (a private Israeli NGO, Nahalat Shimon) claim they have the legal title to the property in question and that, in the absence of rent being paid by the tenants, the tenants ought to be evicted for breaching the law. What is the Chronology? Sheikh Jarrah is an Arab neighbourhood that developed outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem in the 19th century. According to Israel’s Supreme Court, the land in question was purchased by the local Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities from its Arab owners in 1875, primarily because of the area’s religious significance in housing the tomb of ‘Simeon the Just.’ The property was registered in the Ottoman land registry as a trust under the name of rabbis Avraham Ashkenazi and Meir Auerbach. The Sheikh Jarrah Conflict Continued on page 5

29. 11 Biblical Reflection Rev Cornelis Kant n Executive Director | Christians for Israel International Tisha B’Av is a day of fasting and commemoration, and is commemorated on the ninth of the Jewish month of Av. This year it will be on 18 July, starting the evening before. A lot of sad moments in Jewish history will be commemorated. In 587 BC, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar besieged the city of Jerusalem for almost two years. The famine became severe, and many inhabitants tried to escape. They were captured and killed or taken into exile to Babylon on the 9th of Av. The city and the holy Temple were entirely destroyed. We can read about this sad event in 2 Kings 25 and Jeremiah 52. In the book of Lamentation, the Jewish people lament and weep about this profound loss. Seventy years later, the Persian king Cyrus allowed Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city and the Temple. A time of joy and new hope for the Jewish people. In the year 70 AD, the Romans besieged the city resulting in another period of severe famine. Over a million Jews died of hunger or were brutally slaughtered by the Romans. This tragedy took place on that very 9th of Av. One hundred thousand young men and women were sold as slaves. And again, the city and the holy Temple were burnt down and destroyed. The beginning of 2000 years of the diaspora of the Jewish people. Today you can visit the museum ‘Burnt House’ in the old city of Jerusalem and see the remnants of the burnt houses. In 135 AD, a Jewish revolt led by Bar Kochba tried to chase off the Romans, but unfortunately, this ended in a bloodbath again on the 9th of Av. The Roman emperor Hadrian changed the name of Judea in Palestine in order to wipe out any memory of Israel and Jews. Every year on this same day, Jews worldwide sit down, read the book of Lamentations and commemorate these tragic events, of which the destruction of the temple is the culmination. One might assume that we as Christians are not involved in this, but unfortunately, this is not true. When the Roman Empire fell in the 4th century AD, the Christian Byzantines came to power in the holy land. They believed that God eternally condemned the Jews for killing Jesus. Only on the 9th of Av the Byzantines allowed Jews to enter the city of Jerusalem to commemorate the destruction of the Temple in return for payment. And as if this were not enough: in 1492 AD, the Spanish king and Christian Ferdinand van Aragon issued the ‘Edict of Expulsion’. Spain was to become a purely Christian country. Jews had to choose between conversion and baptism or expulsion from the land in four months. Over 100,000 Jews had to leave Spain and lost a lmost all their properties. The last Jew left Spain on the 9th of Av. Also, the famous Jewish scholar and rabbi Abarbanel left the country and lost his fortune. So it is important for us as Christians to be aware of our own history and to express our compassion to the Jewish people on Tisha B’Av. On this very day, the Jewish people are also looking hopefully forward. Once in the future, the Messiah will come and rebuild the Temple. Zechariah says: “Shout for joy and rejoice, daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” declares the Lord (...) And the Lord will possess Judah as His portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem’ ( Zechariah 2: 10-12). A Day of Fasting and Commemoration June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Boulders from Roman destruction of the Second Temple. | Photo: Shutterstock Rev Willem JJ Glashouwer n President | Christians for Israel International O God, do not keep silent; Be not quiet, O God, be not still. See how Your enemies are astir, How Your foes rear their heads. With cunning, they conspire against Your people; They plot against those You cherish. “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, That the name of Israel be remembered no more.” With one mind, they plot together; They form an alliance against You. (Psalm 83:1-5). Suddenly violence flares up in Israel. Hamas starts to fire rockets, and Israel defends herself and retaliates. Explosions of hatred all over the world against the Jewish people and the State of Israel. During the long history of the Jewish people, waves of hatred have hit the Jewish people and Israel. Why? And why is God silent, the Jewish author of Psalm 83 asks himself and asks the Almighty One? Then he makes this important discovery about the root of antisemitism. To hate the Jews is to hate the God of the Jews. This emerges clearly from the psalmist’s loud lament to Heaven, out of the depths of the misery of the Jewish people: “O God, do You not see it all? Of course, You do; but oh God, do not remain silent. Rouse Yourself, and do not remain idle. This is not just about our enemies, oh God; they are Your enemies as well. They hate You. They cunningly plot an attack against Your people because that is who we are—Israel: Your people. They want to strike those You love, so this is basically an attack against You, oh God. They want to hit You hard in Your heart. How do they plan to do that? By destroying Your Jewish people, so that the name of Israel will be forgotten and will be remembered no more.” “For they have conspired together with one mind,” says the psalmist, but he clearly sees beyond the immediate threats when he continues, “They form an alliance against You.” The battle is between the God of Israel and other gods of this world. That is what the hatred for Israel is ultimately all about. No other people on earth have been so persecuted and destroyed, nearly annihilated, and still remains a recognisable people. If the Jewish people themselves did not always want to be identified as Jewish, her enemies made sure that she was. While for centuries, when they lived in strange surroundings, often barely aware of their own Jewishness, those around them knew exactly who was a Jew and who was not. Hitler’s henchmen knew exactly how to trace them. In Russia and in its satellite countries, people filled with a fiery hate for the Jews knew where to find them. And when hate ‘rains’ on the Jewish people, ‘raindrops’ also fall on the Christians... at least on those who remain true to the Bible. It was so under Hitler and under Stalin and Russian communism. Right-wing fascists, national- socialist dictators, and left-wing communists might be fierce opponents ideologically. Still, they are united in their hatred of everything to do with God and the Bible. “They form an alliance against You,” the psalmist says. Hatred of Israel is hatred of the God of Israel. Christian anti-Semitism, Muslim anti-Semitism, left-wing and right-wing anti-Semitism, humanistic anti-Semitism: whatever the reasoning behind it is: the common goal is to finally get rid of the Jewish people and today of the State of Israel. Praise God, nowadays other voices are heard as well. Also, in the Muslim world. Look, for instance, at the Abraham Accords. It came unexpectedly. Israel and the United Arab Emirates concluded a bi-lateral agreement under supervision of the US. This was quite exceptional because Israel maintained only diplomatic ties in the Middle East with Jordan and Egypt. The deal is called The Abraham Accords after the common ancestor Abraham of both Jews and Arabs. Today many Muslim states have established new diplomatic ties with Israel. The prophetic return of the Jewish people back to the Promised land of Israel is actually the greatest sign of hope the world has ever seen. Pointing towards the future when one day peace and righteousness will flow forth from Jerusalem into the whole world. So let’s pray that the prophecy of Isaiah 2:2-4 will come true very soon: Ÿ In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s Temple (Mount Zion, the Temple Mount) will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Ÿ Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.” Ÿ The Law (Torah) will go out from Zion, the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Ÿ He (the Messiah of Israel, the great Son of David, the King of kings and Lord of Lords) will judge between the nations and settle disputes for many peoples. Ÿ They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. The Root of Anti-Semitism 10 Theology Jewish Festivals Tzom Tammuz Fast commemorating breaching the walls of Jerusalem before the destruction of the Second Temple 27 June 2021 The Seventeenth of Tammuz (Hebrew: Shiv’ah Asar b’Tammuz) is a Jewish fast day commemorating the breach of the walls of Jerusalem before the destruction of the Second Temple. It falls on the 17th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz and marks the beginning of the three-week mourning period leading up to Tisha B’Av. Shabbat Chazon Shabbat before Tish’a B’Av (Shabbat of Prophecy and Vision) 16-17 July 2021 Shabbat Chazon (’Sabbath [of] vision’ takes its name from the haftarah (a series of selections from the books of Nevi’im of the Hebrew Bible that is publicly read in a synagogue as part of Jewish religious practice) that is read on the Shabbat immediately prior to the mournful fast of Tisha B’Av, from the words of rebuke and doom coming from Isaiah in the Book of Isaiah 1:1-27. It is also referred to as the Black Sabbath due to its status as the saddest Shabbat of the year (as opposed to the White Sabbath, Shabbat Shuvah, immediately precededing Yom Kippur). Tish’a B’Av The Ninth of Av 17-18 July 2021 Tisha B’Av is an annual fast day in Judaism, named for the ninth day (Tish’a) of the month of Av in the Hebrew calendar. The fast commemorates the destruction of both the First Temple and Second Temple in Jerusalem, which occurred about 655 years apart, but on the same Hebrew calendar date. Tisha B’Av is never observed on Shabbat. If the 9th of Av falls on a Saturday, the fast is postponed until the 10th of Av. Tu B’Av Jewish Holiday of Love 23-24 July 2021 Tu B’Av is a minor Jewish holiday (the fifteenth of the month Av). In modern- day Israel, it is celebrated as a holiday of love (Hebrew: Hag HaAhava), similar to Valentine’s Day. It has been said to be a ‘great day for weddings’. Shabbat Nachamu Shabbat after Tish’a B’Av (Shabbat of Consolation) 23-24 July 2021 Shabbat Nachamu takes its name from the haftarah from Isaiah in the Book of Isaiah 40:1-26 that speaks of ‘comforting’ the Jewish people for their suffering. It’s the first of seven haftarahs of consolation leading up to the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Book Review By Andrew Tucker Jewish Internationalism and Human Rights after the Holocaust by Nathan A. Kurz In a way, the seeds of the modern law of human rights – its strengths, but also its inherent flaws – were laid in Europe in the early 1920s. Following the 19th century of colonialism in which the European powers expanded globally, after WWI, it was the victorious western powers (France, Britain, Italy, the USA) who decided how the territories of the defeated German and Ottoman empires in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and beyond should be divided up. At Versailles, the modern concept of self-determination of peoples was born. A first, albeit very imperfect, manifestation was the League of Nations (created in 1922). This included the Mandate system, which was intended to help the peoples of mandate territories to independence, and the complex set of agreements dealing with minority rights. Tragically, this system failed to prevent Europe from again plunging into war. After the horrors of WWII and the Shoah, the allies agreed not only on the new borders of Europe. They also agreed on a new international legal order. In the 1940s, three things happened that changed the world fundamentally. The first was the creation of the UN and the development of a real system of international law: the United Nations, with its myriad of organs and institutions, tribunals and even a court (the International Court of Justice). For the first time in history, we can speak of a truly universal legal system. An imperfect one, but nevertheless one that potentially has teeth. The second was the creation of the State of Isr ael in 1948. Separated for two millennia from their land, struggling to retain their Jewish identity while integrating into their host nations, suffering pogroms and persecution wherever they went, Jews returned to their ancient homeland from the mid 19th century onwards. After European Jewry faced near-extinction in the Holocaust, the Jewish State of Israel was born on 14 May 1948. The third was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948, laying the foundations of the modern human rights movement. While human rights were barely mentioned in the UN Charter, since the 1970s, we have witnessed the explosive development of the modern human rights movement. Today, the international legal system is organised not only on the basis of states but increasingly around the notion of individual human rights. The individual - not the state or even the nation - is becoming the main object of international law. Remarkably, Jews played a major role in all three: not only in the State of Israel (obviously) but also in the development of the UN and the conceptualisation and organisation of the modern human rights movement. This important book by Nathan Kurz (Birkbeck College, University of London) is one of a growing body of academic literature examining the philosophical and intellectual roots of the concept of human rights and the role of Jews and Jewish organisations in the development of the modern human rights movement. The book’s core thesis is that the creation of the State of Israel meant that it was ‘all but inevitable’ that the Jewish internationalism that had developed over previous decades would irreconcilably collide with the modern human rights movement. He describes two aspects to this. The creation of the Jewish State of Israel in the midst of conflict in 1948 brought with it the seeds of divorce. Kurz acknowledges that the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is “deeply complex” and that “Israel was never solely responsible for its continuation”. Nevertheless, “the non- resolution of the Palestinian refugee problem, a long struggle to grant full citizenship to an Arab minority, and the maintenance of a military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza all represented structural constraints that severely impeded the practice of Jewish human rights advocacy.” Kurz criticises modern representations (such as Philippe Sands’ recent best-seller East-West Street), which generally position the modern human rights movement, and the Jewish thinkers like Hersch Lauterpacht, who provided its intellectual foundations, as providing a response to deal with the atrocities of the Holocaust. According to Kurz, this kind of “celebratory narrative that venerates the formative role played by Jewish lawyers, diplomats, and activists in laying the foundation for a new architecture of international human rights and criminal law in the twentieth century” fails to appreciate “how fraught the relationship between some Jews and international rights protection became in the second half of the twentieth century”. Andrew Tucker is Director of The Hague Initiative for International Cooperation. Jewish Internationalism and Human Rights after the Holocaust by Nathan A. Kurz. Cambridge University Press, 2021. ISBN 9781108870429 June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Kees de Vreugd n Theologian | Christians for Israel International & Editor | Israel & the Church “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses...” Matthew 23:2 In the common parlour, the Pharisees do not have a good name. According to Dutch dictionaries – and I suppose it will be the same in English – a Pharisee is a hypocrite. That seems to find support in verses from the Bible. But is that all the New Testament tells about the Pharisees? It is remarkable that it was Pharisees who came to warn Jesus for Herod. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were prominent Pharisees. In the Book of Acts, it is no one less than Gamaliel, who takes up for the followers of Jesus (Acts 5:34). There exists a natural kinship between the Pharisees and the ‘first church’, just as that was felt with Jesus (compare Matthew 22:34 and Marc 12:28). Presumably, the negative image of the Pharisees is fed mainly by their alleged role in the trial of Jesus (although they gradually disappear from the scene), by certain parables, and by the eightfold ‘Woe’ in Matthew 23. Jesus’ warnings there – for that is what I believe it is – are by no means soft. As a matter of fact, you can find comparable critique in the Talmud as well. So also, Matthew 23 is not disconnected from Jewish tradition. Meanwhile, we could easily read over a fundamental saying of Jesus: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe,” even if they perhaps do not do it themselves (Matthew 23:2-3). So, according to Jesus’ saying, the Scribes and the Pharisees have the authority to explain and apply the laws of the Torah (Moses). Jesus is speaking to ‘the crowds and His disciples’. Implicitly, He thus affirms the validity and the legitimacy of the ‘oral Torah’ (the tradition of the Pharisees, continued by the rabbis after the destruction of the Temple AD 70). And this is after that, in the previous chapters, the bankruptcy of the Sadducees was declared (Matthew 21:43; 22:29). Despite their own shortcomings, the leadership over the people is entrusted to the Pharisees. They may be called ‘rabbi’ (teacher), even though only One is ‘your Teacher’. Therefore I plea for the rehabilitation of the Pharisees. Rehabilitation of the Pharisees The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses... (Matthew 23:2)

5. June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 News 3 Short News Corona and Israel The Corona crisis in Israel seems to be on its way out now. So much so that Israel again allows travelling to the country under certain conditions. People outside on the streets do not have to wear mouth masks anymore, and many amenities like shops and restaurants are reopened. | Photo: Flash90 #JeSuisSarah In April, a social media campaign was launched demanding justice for Sarah Halimi. Halimi, an Orthodox Jewish woman in her sixties, died in 2017 after being pushed out of the window of her Paris apartment by neighbour Kobili Traore, who shouted: ‘Alluha Akbar’ (God is great in Arabic). Recently France’s highest court decided that the murderer of Sarah Halimi cannot stand trial because he was too high on marijuana to be criminally responsible for his actions. Thousands of protesters, many of them Jewish, gathered in Paris to demand justice for Halimi. The rally was the first time in decades that a large number of French Jews gathered to protest against organs or actions of the French state. The Combat Antisemitism Movement launched a social media campaign, using #JusticeForSarah a nd #JeSuisSarah hashtags, aimed at showing solidarity with Halimi’s family and France’s Jewish community. In the wake of the ruling, French President Emanuel Macron expressed support for the country’s Jewish community and its efforts to bring Halimi’s killer to trial. He said he would seek a change to laws to prevent such a case from happening again. Politics and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum Three members of the advisory board of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum have resigned because of disagreement about the imposed appointment by the minister of Culture of a Polish Government politician in the advisory board of the museum. They fear that the history of Auschwitz-Birkenau becomes a stake in governmental political patriotism. The minister believes that the resignation of the three members ‘threatens to politicise the discussion about the most important museum concerning martyrdom in Poland’. | Photo: Flash90 Efraim Inbar & n Eran Lerman By ignoring Israel’s views on an issue critical to its security, Washington will cast a dark shadow over its status as a key ally in the Middle East. The United States is keen to return to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and is likely to do so even though Iran is playing hard to get. (This assumes that Ayatollah Ali Khameini indeed wants to renew the accord, to obtain sanctions relief). The Biden administration’s declared intention of reaching a “better and longer- lasting” follow-on agreement with Iran (focused on more effective inspections, Iran’s regional mischief and ballistic missiles) will be null and void if Iranian demands for full sanctions relief are met. Such a concession would leave the United States without any real leverage on Iran. Iran will certainly attempt to obtain an American commitment to preventing Israeli attacks against it in line with the Western commitment in the 2015 accord not to sabotage Iran’s nuclear facilities. Thus far, Washington has refrained from publicly criticising Israel for its alleged attacks on Iranian targets. But if Washington agrees with Iran on a return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Israel will be put in a difficult position. Does it continue covert action aimed at slowing the Iranian nuclear project against the wishes of the Biden administration? And if covert operations exhaust themselves, will Israel risk conflict with the United States by directly attacking Iranian nuclear facilities? Even if the lifting of sanctions gives the Iranian economy only a gradual boost, Tehran’s position in the Middle East will be significantly strengthened. Its aggressive behaviour across the region will intensify—as it did after the 2015 accord was signed. Worst of all, an American return to the 2015 agreement in defiance of Israel’s concerns on an issue that is vital to its security will cast a dark shadow over Israel’s status as a key American ally in the Middle East. And it would be wrong to assume that any ‘compensation’ offered to Israel by the United States will include armaments that will improve Israel’s attack capability against Iranian nuclear facilities. Under these circumstances, Israel’s entente with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia may intensify. On the other hand, it also is possible that the Gulf Arabs will bandwagon with Iran when they see America withdrawing from the region and Israel’s hands tied by the United States. The Biden administration clearly is less committed to the Abraham Accords than its predecessor. The seeds of a Saudi Arabia-Iran dialogue, brokered by Iraq, are already evident. There also are question marks about the future of ties between Israel and Azerbaijan, a country in which Israel has important strategic assets. However, Baku is growing closer to Ankara, and this could lead Azerbaijan to adopt a less friendly approach towards Israel, especially if Washington disregards Jerusalem. Such a weakening of Israel’s strategic status, alongside the Biden administration’s friendlier approach to the Palestinians, may increase the latter’s demands on Israel. This could be accompanied by Palestinian violence. In the face of these worrying trends, the following matters should be uppermost in Israel’s mind: Ÿ Israel must unapologetically explain its diplomatic and security stance and equip its friends with clear talking points—that a return to the 2015 agreement is not only a threat to Israel but will shorten the time for an Iran nuclear breakout and precipitate nuclear-weapons proliferation across the Mideast, including in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt; a danger to the entire world. Ÿ It is vital to preserve Israel’s freedom of action. A resolute Israeli position, backed by action against the Iranian nuclear project that threatens to cause nuclear proliferation throughout the Middle East, will strengthen the Abraham Accords and prevent Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states from moving closer to Iran. Speaking out loudly in opposition to the renewal of the JCPOA is an element in maintaining Israel’s freedom of action and deterrent ability. It is important to do so now in real-time. Ÿ Jerusalem needs to prepare for heightened tensions with Washington and attempt to temper this through diplomatic efforts in Congress, in the Jewish community and with friendly groups in the United States. Israel’s stance against the nuclear agreement still can receive considerable sympathy in the United States. Ÿ It is critical that these messages be conveyed by senior professional echelons, without partisan political messaging—Israeli or American. Even if there are disagreements with the Biden administration, the possibility of a U.S.- Israel rift must be avoided. Ÿ Israel should be prepared to defend itself against Iranian missile attacks from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Ÿ Iran wants to surround Israel with missile bases. In this context, Jordan is likely to be a target for Iranian subversion. Strategically, Jordan is Israel’s ‘soft underbelly.’ Therefore, Jerusalem must do what it can to help maintain the stability of the Jordan. Indeed, it will take a great deal of sophistication and skill to overcome the difficult situation in which Israel finds itself. Professor Efraim Inbar is president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security. He was the founding director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and a professor of political studies at Bar-Ilan University. He has been a visiting professor at Georgetown, Johns Hopkins and Boston universities. IDF Col. (res) Dr Lerman is vice president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security. Lerman was deputy director for foreign policy and international affairs at the National Security Council in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. He held senior posts in IDF Military Intelligence for more than 20 years and teaches in the Middle East Studies programme at Shalem College in Jerusalem. This article was first published by the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security. Ramifi:ations if /S RetLrn to   (L:Cear Agreement Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with President Joe Biden. | Photo: Flash90 Israel should be prepared to defend itself against Iranian missile attacks from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Editorial 2 Colophon Israel & Christians Today is the premier publication of Christians for Israel Mission Our mission is to bring Biblical understanding in the Church and among the nations concerning God’s purposes for Israel and to promote comfort of Israel through prayer and action. Editorial Team Andrew Tucker International Editor-in-Chief atucker@c4israel.org Cathy Coldicutt Managing Editor newspaper@c4israel.org Marloes van Westing International Communications Manager international@c4israel.org Ian Worby, Bryce Turner, Rita Quartel, Marie-Louise Weissenböck and Marijke Terlouw Scripture references: THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. C4I Offices Christians for Israel International Leon Meijer, Chairman Rev Willem J.J. Glashouwer, President Rev Cornelis Kant, Executive Director P.O. Box 1100 | 3860 BC Nijkerk, The Netherlands | Tel: +31 33 422 0405 info@c4israel.org | www.c4israel.org The English Edition of Israel & Christians Today is published by the following English speaking branches: Christians for Israel - Australia Ian Worby, National Leader PO Box 1508, Springwood Queensland, Australia 4127 Tel: +61 (7) 3088 6900, info@c4israel.com.au www.c4israel.com.au Christians for Israel - New Zealand Bryce Turner, National Executive Director PO Box 12 006, Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand 1642 Tel: +64 9 525 7564, info@c4israel.org.nz www.c4israel.org.nz Christians for Israel - Korea Rev Paul Wonil Jung, Director Suite 3, 37 Railway Parade, Eastwood NSW, Australia 2122 Tel: +61 410 430 677 email: c4israelkorea@gmail.com www.c4israelkorea.org Christians for Israel - USA Fred J van Westing, CEO PO Box 2589, Manteca, CA 95336, USA Tel: +1 925 984 6671 usa-info@c4israel.org www.c4israel.us DISCLAIMER - Articles printed in Israel & Christians Today expr ess the views of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Editors or that of the Board of Christians for Israel. The printing of articles or advertising in Israel & Christians Today does not necessarily imply either endorsement or agreement. ©Christians for Israel International Reproduction, or storage in a retrieval system or in any other form, is prohibited without permission. Please contact the Managing Editor should you wish to syndicate or republish any articles or materials appearing in Israel & Christians Today. Andrew Tucker n International Editor | Christians for Israel On 27 April, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its report entitled A Threshold Crossed - Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution . It is a 213- page litany of accusations and complaints. It portrays the Jewish State of Israel as an inherent apartheid state whose sole purpose is to persecute the Palestinians. According to HRW, Israel is guilty of crimes against humanity – apartheid and persecution. All Israeli laws showing preference to Jews must be abolished. Israel’s leaders should be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court, and Israel should be subject to international condemnation, isolation and sanctions. What clearly most offends the writers of this report is that Israel dares to be a Jewish State – a homeland for the Jewish people. How dare the Jews claim a homeland of their own? How dare the Jews be Jews? The report comes as no surprise. For decades, since the 1970’s the claim that ‘Zionism = Racism’ has remained etched in the minds of many who refuse to accept the existence of the Jewish people. The Palestinian leadership has made an art form of rejectionism. Endless missed opportunities. It’s always Israel’s fault. Like many of its predecessors, which have relegated to the dustbin of history, this report is full of black-and-white generalisations, one-sided assertions, and a broad smattering of blatant falsifications. But this reflects more the growing modern trend that divi des history into ‘victims’ and ‘perpetrators’, claims all suffering must be the fault of the other, and demands justice. There is not one word even suggesting the slightest possibility that the Palestinians themselves, or their brothers and sisters in the Arab world, share responsibility for their dire situation. Nothing about the Holocaust, the Grand Mufti’s alliance with Hitler, the 1948 attack on Israel by the Arab states, the subsequent attempts to exterminate the Jewish State, the intifada’s or Arafat’s rejection of Barak’s offer in 2000. Tragically, the report also ignores the many examples of Jewish/Arab cooperation in Israel, the Arab Israeli’s who work hard to make Israel a success, and those Palestinians who do not blame Israel for their sufferings. Israeli-based NGO Monitor issued a detailed analysis of the HRW report. It concludes that: “HRW’s text is part of a renewed NGO push over the past 18- months, attaching the term ‘apartheid’ to discourse on Israel. Capitalising on their breakthrough in the International Criminal Court (ICC), the NGO network seeks to reinforce political narratives in contrast to credible factual presentation and legal analysis. In a broader context, this report is another move in the decades-long series of obsessive attacks against Israel and its legitimacy as the nation-state of the Jewish people. The organisation has again demonstrated the accuracy of founder Robert Bernstein’s condemnation, in the New York Times, of HRW for ‘issuing reports on the Israeli- Arab conflict that are helping those who wish to turn Israel into a pariah state.’” Germany was very quick to express its rejection of the report. German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said that the international human rights watchdog’s assumption that “Israel is committing the international law crime of apartheid is explicitly not endorsed by the federal government. We don’t think that is a correct assessment.” Joshua Block wrote in Jerusalem Post: “To get a sense of HRW’s disturbing anti-Israel bias, consider this: over the past five years, the NGO has authored seven special reports on Israel. In comparison, the organisation published none condemning North Korea, one of the worst criminal regimes in the world; and only three reports addressed the human rights violations of the repressive, theocratic regime in Iran. Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of War Crimes Prayer Points By C4I Prayer Team Israel l Pray for the reduction and easing of the unrest in Israel and Jewish-Arab tensions and violence. Pray for the people of Gaza, that they’ll be freed from the terror regime of Hamas and PIJ, that they will be spared unnecessary harm. l Pray for Israel’s protection against rocket attacks from Gaza. In recent years relatively quiet periods alternate with periods of heavy fire. Pray that the attacks will cease completely and that Israel will be protected. l Pray for the Israeli government. Pray that after the elections, a good coalition government will be formed that will govern the country resolutely in the coming three years. Pray that personal interests will be set aside and that all attention and efforts will be for the national interest. Also, pray that politicians will put their trust in God. l “Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all generations” (Joel 3:20). On 10 May, Israel celebrated Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day). On this day, Israel commemorates the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 and the establishment of Israel control over the Old City. Give thanks that this extraordinary event took place and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Israel & the Nations l Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain have discussed expanding cooperation in facing common enemies. All four believe a nuclear Iran would be a major threat. The remarks came following an article by World Jewish Congress president Ron Lauder in Arab News calling for a ‘NATO of the Middle East.’ Pray for a continuous blessing for Israel with alliances and friendships that keep her safe. l Apparently, many anti-Semitic images are being sent over WhatsApp, especially in young people’s WhatsApp groups, such as school classes or sports teams. Pray that there will be a greater awareness among young people of the suffering caused by jokes about the Holocaust and that this will stop. Christians for Israel l Please pray for the Aliyah field workers of Christians for Israel in Ukraine. They often have to do their work in exhausting and dangerous circumstances. Pray also for the distribution of food parcels to the Jewish communities throughout Ukraine. For daily Prayer Points, go to our website www.c4israel.com.au Human Right Watch has long been a leader of the coalition of numerous powerful NGOs targeting Israel. | Photo: Shutterstock www.facebook.com/c4israelAUS

34. 16 Aliyah June 2021 | Israel & Christians Today Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Christians for Israel Staff n In recent weeks, violence has escalated in Israel. What began with riots on the Temple Mount has, in a matter of days, degenerated into a violent conflict, with over a thousand rockets fired from Gaza at civilian targets in Israel. Israel is trying to bring peace back to the country, but the situation is serious. That is why we call on you to pray and take action. What Can You Pray For? Ÿ Pray for peace and tranquillity. Pray that the riots will stop and that the rain of rockets from Gaza will cease. Ÿ Pray for honest reporting on Israel. No country in the world would accept rockets being fired at civilians. Pray that the media will see this and report on it fairly. Ÿ Pray for the innocent men, women and children in Gaza who are being used as human shields by the terrorist organisation Hamas. Rockets are fired from flats, hospitals and schools. When Israel defuses these rocket installations, there are unintended civilian casualties. Pray that this escalation of violence will stop. Ÿ Pray for the people of Israel. The rockets are not only targeting southern Israel but are now even reaching Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. There’s great panic. Pray that these rockets do not hit their targets. Pray, especially for Holocaust survivors and small children, for whom it is a traumatic experience to have to flee to shelters again and again. Ÿ Pray for wisdom for the Israeli government, army and border police to deal with this difficult situation. Ÿ The Bible calls us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. In doing so, we trust that God has everything in His hands. What Can You Do? We want to provide emergency assistance through our existing projects in Israel. The organisation Hineni in Jerusalem is going to distribute emergency food packages to poor people in southern Israel who have already been hit hard by the Corona Crisis and who do not have the means to buy food for a longer period of time in the shelters. Hineni intends to distribute these food packages in areas such as Ashkelon, Sderot, Ashdod: places that have been hit hardest. This aid will still be necessary when the current conflict is over. The Israeli organisation Keren Hayesod provides emergency assistance to the families directly affected by the rocket attacks. Some homes have been destroyed, and people have been traumatised by the ongoing rockets. Keren Hayesod provides initial emergency assistance, such as accommodation in hotels (for families whose homes were destroyed), clothing, toys for the children, mental support and trauma counselling. Additional shelters are being built, and defibrillators are being purchased for initial medical care. | Photos: Flash90 Will You Help? Emergency Situation in Israel - Your Prayers and Support is Needed Yes, I would like to make a donation towards... C4I MINISTRY 1 TEACHING RESOURCES & PREMIUM GIFTS DONATION DONATION SEE OUR FULL RANGE AT: C4ISRAEL.COM.AU/STORE QUANTITY SUB TOTAL $ ____________ SUB TOTAL $___________ MY TOTAL DONATION $ _____________ $ ___________ $ ___________ My donation for general admin costs (inc print & post) Thinc. 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The war started effectively after Israel refused to withdraw its security forces from the Temple Mount and re-open the Damascus Gate Square in Jerusalem. The square was closed after violent riots that lasted for days. On Monday morning, 10 May 2021, Palestinian Arabs again violently clashed with Israeli security forces and during the skirmishes, at least 395 of them were injured. Hamas leaders reportedly watched the video footage of this bloody riot and then issued an ultimatum to Israel. Israel had to withdraw its security forces from the Temple Mount without further delay. However, the government in Jerusalem refused because it doesn’t take ultimatums from Hamas and considers itself the legitimate power in Jerusalem. The Iranian-backed Sunni terror organisation then launched rockets at Jerusalem which triggered a harsh Israeli response. In the ensuing hours, the Israeli air force (IAF) started to bomb some Hamas facilities in Gaza. The Palestinian terror organisations in the coastal strip shot at least 200 rockets at southern Israel. The Fourth Gaza War had begun, but this one would differ from the previous three ones. First of all, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad appeared to be in possession of ultra-modern weaponry and used different tactics than they did in the past. For example, the two terror groups launched rockets in salvos, a tactic that apparently was meant to ‘mislead’ the Iron Dome anti-missile shield. Indeed, Iron Dome proved to be far less effective than in the previous wars between Israel and the Gaza-based terror groups. There were many direct hits in several Israeli cities, causing the death of at least ten people. Another number of rockets landed in parks, roads, and other places in these cities. Another new tactic used by the two terror groups was inciting the Arab Israeli population, resulting in massive and very violent protests against the Israeli security forces and numerous brutal attacks on Jewish Israelis or Jewish property. Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu recognised what was going on and told the public that Israel was “fighting on two fronts”. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also introduced new weapons such as a kamikaze drone. This unmanned aerial vehicle can carry a payload that explodes when it hits its target. The Israeli military intercepted one at the beginning of the war. The Fourth Gaza War Continued on page 14 www.c4israel.com.au | info@c4israel.com.au AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA Understanding Israel and world events from a Biblical perspective & Christians Today ISRAEL June 2021 Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Israel & Christians Today is the premier publication of Christians for Israel The Land of Anatevka - 67 2 Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of War Crimes 11 A Day of Fasting and Commemoration 16 Emergency Situation in Israel A long exposure photo showing the Iron Dome anti-missile system firing interception missiles at rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel. | Photo: Flash90 Yochanan Visser n Christians for Israel Correspondent | Israel The Fourth Gaza War has come to an end - for the time being. The war started effectively after Israel refused to withdraw its security forces from the Temple Mount and re-open the Damascus Gate Square in Jerusalem. The square was closed after violent riots that lasted for days. On Monday morning, 10 May 2021, Palestinian Arabs again violently clashed with Israeli security forces and during the skirmishes, at least 395 of them were injured. Hamas leaders reportedly watched the video footage of this bloody riot and then issued an ultimatum to Israel. Israel had to withdraw its security forces from the Temple Mount without further delay. However, the government in Jerusalem refused because it doesn’t take ultimatums from Hamas and considers itself the legitimate power in Jerusalem. The Iranian-backed Sunni terror organisation then launched rockets at Jerusalem which triggered a harsh Israeli response. In the ensuing hours, the Israeli air force (IAF) started to bomb some Hamas facilities in Gaza. The Palestinian terror organisations in the coastal strip shot at least 200 rockets at southern Israel. The Fourth Gaza War had begun, but this one would differ from the previous three ones. First of all, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad appeared to be in possession of ultra-modern weaponry and used different tactics than they did in the past. For example, the two terror groups launched rockets in salvos, a tactic that apparently was meant to ‘mislead’ the Iron Dome anti-missile shield. Indeed, Iron Dome proved to be far less effective than in the previous wars between Israel and the Gaza-based terror groups. There were many direct hits in several Israeli cities, causing the death of at least ten people. Another number of rockets landed in parks, roads, and other places in these cities. Another new tactic used by the two terror groups was inciting the Arab Israeli population, resulting in massive and very violent protests against the Israeli security forces and numerous brutal attacks on Jewish Israelis or Jewish property. Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu recognised what was going on and told the public that Israel was “fighting on two fronts”. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also introduced new weapons such as a kamikaze drone. This unmanned aerial vehicle can carry a payload that explodes when it hits its target. The Israeli military intercepted one at the beginning of the war. The Fourth Gaza War Continued on page 14 www.c4israel.com.au | info@c4israel.com.au AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA Understanding Israel and world events from a Biblical perspective & Christians Today ISRAEL June 2021 Sivan - Tamuz 5781 Israel & Christians Today is the premier publication of Christians for Israel The Land of Anatevka - 67 2 Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of War Crimes 11 A Day of Fasting and Commemoration 16 Emergency Situation in Israel A long exposure photo showing the Iron Dome anti-missile system firing interception missiles at rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel. | Photo: Flash90 Yochanan Visser n Christians for Israel Correspondent | Israel The Fourth Gaza War has come to an end - for the time being. The war started effectively after Israel refused to withdraw its security forces from the Temple Mount and re-open the Damascus Gate Square in Jerusalem. The square was closed after violent riots that lasted for days. On Monday morning, 10 May 2021, Palestinian Arabs again violently clashed with Israeli security forces and during the skirmishes, at least 395 of them were injured. Hamas leaders reportedly watched the video footage of this bloody riot and then issued an ultimatum to Israel. Israel had to withdraw its security forces from the Temple Mount without further delay. However, the government in Jerusalem refused because it doesn’t take ultimatums from Hamas and considers itself the legitimate power in Jerusalem. The Iranian-backed Sunni terror organisation then launched rockets at Jerusalem which triggered a harsh Israeli response. In the ensuing hours, the Israeli air force (IAF) started to bomb some Hamas facilities in Gaza. The Palestinian terror organisations in the coastal strip shot at least 200 rockets at southern Israel. The Fourth Gaza War had begun, but this one would differ from the previous three ones. First of all, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad appeared to be in possession of ultra-modern weaponry and used different tactics than they did in the past. For example, the two terror groups launched rockets in salvos, a tactic that apparently was meant to ‘mislead’ the Iron Dome anti-missile shield. Indeed, Iron Dome proved to be far less effective than in the previous wars between Israel and the Gaza-based terror groups. There were many direct hits in several Israeli cities, causing the death of at least ten people. Another number of rockets landed in parks, roads, and other places in these cities. Another new tactic used by the two terror groups was inciting the Arab Israeli population, resulting in massive and very violent protests against the Israeli security forces and numerous brutal attacks on Jewish Israelis or Jewish property. Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu recognised what was going on and told the public that Israel was “fighting on two fronts”. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also introduced new weapons such as a kamikaze drone. This unmanned aerial vehicle can carry a payload that explodes when it hits its target. The Israeli military intercepted one at the beginning of the war. The Fourth Gaza War Continued on page 14 www.c4israel.com.au | info@c4israel.com.au AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA Please post cheque or money order to: Christians for Israel Australia Inc (don’t use staples) NEW INTERNET BANKING DETAILS: BSB: ANZ BANK— 014-279 Account No: 405318551 Ref: Your name & donation purpose. Please confirm by emailing info@c4israel.com.au MY DETAILS Name: _________________________________________ If you don ’t know or have your Member ID please include: Address: ________________________________________ Phone: _________________________________________ Email: __________________________________________ Christians for Israel Australia ABN: 79 941 819 693 ICT0621 4 PLEASE COMPLETE FORM & RETURN TO: Christians for Israel Australia, PO Box 1508, Springwood, QLD 4127 or you can donate securely online c4israel.com.au/donate 3 SOCIAL WELFARE PROJECTS $ ___________ Hineni soup kitchen ($10 per meal) $ ___________ ZAKA Search and Rescue Emergency Appeal $ ___________ Meals on Wheels Ukraine ($15 per meal) $ ___________ First Home in the Homeland ($350 pp) $ ___________ Food Parcels ($15 per parcel) $ ___________ CFOIC (Judea and Samaria) Heartland ($30 or your best gift) 2 ALIYAH - BRING THE JEWS HOME $350 One Person* $6250 One Busload (25 persons)* $1460 Bnei Menashe - Asian Jews (1 person) $1250 One Family (5 persons)* *NOTE: Certificates for individuals and families from the Ukraine only. 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