Israelis Prepare for the Worst
On April 1, sirens across the entire State of Israel sounded for a full 90 seconds, warning all citizens to head immediately for the shelters. This exercise was no April Fools’ Day trick.
Israel in the News
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2008
Below are excerpts from U.S. President George W. Bush’s speech to the Israeli Knesset in May to celebrate Israel’s 60th anniversary. Speaking of God’s promise to give the Jewish people the land…
Security Fence
To protect itself from car bombs and suicide bombers, Israel is constructing a security barrier that runs roughly along the perimeters of the 1949 armistice lines. Unfortunately, huge chunks of the barrier…
Order of Battle
Maj.-Gen. Gadi Shamni, Ehud Olmert’s former military aide, was appointed head of Central Command in June 2007 by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi.
The Home Front
Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan is the recently appointed commander of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front, replacing Yitzhak Gershon who stepped down following harsh criticism of his command’s performance during the Second Lebanon War in 2006.
Israeli Economy Gallops Ahead
As Israel turns 60, its economy is moving ahead more rapidly than anyone would have guessed. Here are some facts and figures that probably will astound you.
You’ve Come A Long Way, Israel
Israel may be small, but it ranks high when it comes to education. Such regard for learning is rooted in Scripture. Nehemiah 8:8 states, “They read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God…
Making Medicines That Help the World
Seventy-one-year-old Iowa resident Ruth Brown may have no idea that she owes a debt of gratitude to an Israeli company located south of Haifa. Doctors had probed Ruth’s stomach and performed a colonoscopy…
Israel: A Technology Power House
When E. F. Hutton talks, people listen.” So says the investment firm of E. F. Hutton, anyway. The company’s slogan made the point that it is so good at what it does that everyone…
Israel in the News Mar/Apr 2008
January was one of the worst months for Kassam attacks in Sderot. Arutz-7 reported many straight days of more than 40 hits per day. Parents keep their children home from school…
From Bill Sutter’s Desk Jan/Feb 2008
This year—2008—marks the 60th anniversary of the rebirth of the nation of Israel. On May 14, 1948, the Jewish People’s Council assembled at the Tel Aviv Museum to approve the historic proclamation…
Eye on the Middle East Jan/Feb 2008
A man identifying himself as a “missionary in Jerusalem” wrote a scathing response to an op-ed piece I wrote recently for The Jerusalem Post. The writer castigated me for my apparent lack of love…
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2008
ARUTZ-7—The Jewish state’s first Arab minister, Raleb Majadle, has declared that Israeli sovereignty over the Temple Mount is nonexistent and that he will always give his allegiance to Islam over Israel…
Eye on the Middle East Nov/Dec 2007
A recent report out of the Middle East could provide a formula for how not to run a war. Following the cease-fire that interrupted the battle between Hezbollah and Israeli forces in Lebanon…
Pulling the Plug on Christian TV in Israel
When Israelis turn on their televisions, they can choose from a sophisticated array of programming: educational, live political debate, ESPN and FOX sports, the History Channel, home shopping, and much more. But if one…
Israel in the News Nov/Dec 2007
Intense rocket fire from Palestinian Gaza into Jewish Sderot has led Defense Minister Ehud Barak to declare a state of emergency in the western Negev communities, thereby transferring authority over local councils…
Kissing Freedom Goodbye
For years realists on Middle East affairs said a Palestinian state would become a platform for radical Islamist terror and that the most dangerous merchants of death would populate the ministate…
Israel in the News Sep/Oct 2007
Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel must learn from Hamas’s takeover of Gaza. “Every piece of land that we unilaterally evacuate becomes a place where rockets are deployed against us. We must ensure…
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2007
Former Knesset member Azmi Bishara faces allegations that he sold intelligence information to Hezbollah for several hundred thousand dollars during Israel’s Second War in Lebanon last summer. He is also suspected of stealing millions…
Israel in the News Mar/Apr 2007
American rifles supplied to the Palestinian Authority (PA) may be used against Israel if PA President Mahmoud Abbas has his way. WorldNetDaily’s Aaron Klein reported that Abbas has called on Arab…
Eye on the Middle East Jan/Feb 2007
Unity is not a word often bandied about in Middle East circles. For whatever it’s worth, however, there has been a rare occurrence of unity in a coalition of Conservative…
When Israel Sins
It was one of those truly soul-rattling moments (metaphorically speaking). In the heart of Jerusalem, the Israeli Supreme Court rendered a ruling that seems to betray one of God’s clearest…
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2007
In a move presented as an effort to counter the growing strength and influence of Hamas, the United States has been arming and training Fatah fighters, headed by Palestinian Authority…
Eye on the Middle East Nov/Dec 2006
The late Yasser Arafat and his Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) cronies made a big mistake years ago when they chose to line their own pockets with the loot garnered from the benevolent West, rather…
Israel in the News Nov/Dec 2006
The father of an Israeli soldier abducted and killed in 2000 says he has proof the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) filmed the kidnapping, sold the film to Hezbollah, and then denied…
Eye on the Middle East Sep/Oct 2006
Over a year ago, in a good-faith attempt at conciliation to Palestinian and international demands, Israel left the Gaza Strip. Eight thousand to 10,000 Israeli citizens were expelled from their homes…
Siding With Israel’s Enemies Is a Crime Against Humanity
What is often swept under the proverbial rug by those attacking Zionism—Christian or otherwise—is the fact that more than 5 million Jewish people live in the State of Israel. They approximate in numbers…
Dancing with the Devil
Like it or not, Hamas now controls the Palestinian Authority. Does this mean Israel must negotiate with terrorists? This lawyer says no.
To Build or Not to Build: Jerusalem’s Housing Controversy
Concrete jungle or luxury high-rise? The million-dollar digs going up in Jerusalem mean different things to different people.
China & Israel: Inscrutable Relations
Which way does China swing when it comes to Israel? In the past, China has fully supported the Arabs. But it may be moving in another direction.
How China Shifted Toward the PLO
Almost as soon as Jerusalem’s foreign policy apparatus was up and running after the 1948 War of Independence, Israel sought diplomatic relations with China. Since Washington didn’t establish formal ties with Beijing…
Israel in the News: Special Report
Brigitte Gabriel is a survivor of Islam’s jihad against Lebanese Christians. Her story will astound you. Reared in an Arab country that taught her to hate Israel, her love for the Jewish state…
The Lowdown on Hezbollah
Hezbollah makes no secret of its objective, namely, the destruction of Israel. It committed an act of war by crossing the international border and attacking soldiers in Israel and kidnapping two…
Eye on the Middle East Jul/Aug 2006
Speaking before the British House of Commons on June 8, 1982, President Ronald Reagan gave his famous “evil empire” speech in which he affirmed the reality of evil in the world and insisted…
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2006
A senior Palestinian Authority (PA) religious leader has said on a PA-affiliated Web site that Christian Zionists worship “Satan as God.” So reports Palestinian Media Watch (PMW). The author of the PMW article…
Bulldozing Caterpillar
The Church of England’s vote to divest from companies doing business in Israel is causing a stir, even among Anglicans. But it has made a few things crystal clear.
These Are the Facts
Israel became a nation around 1450 B.C., some 2,000 years before the rise of Islam. Jewish people have lived in the land continuously since the days of Joshua—some 3,000 years. The Jewish…
JNF Blueprints the Negev
More than 6 million Israelis live on 8,000 acres less than Nebraska plants in wheat alone. With Israel’s population now at 6.6 million, the Jewish National Fund (JNF) is looking toward the Negev…
Israel in the News May/Jun 2006
The Palestinian Authority’s ruling Hamas terror group has launched a Web site for children, using cartoons and children’s stories to preach the moral desirability of being a suicide terrorist. The Hamas-run Al-Fateh.net…
Eye on the Middle East Mar/Apr 2006
When Israel’s prime minister, Ariel Sharon, was stricken with a devastating, career-ending stroke in January, an era came to an end. Sharon was the last of the giants who have fallen…
The Day Rose-Colored Glasses Turned Green
On January 25 things looked pretty good for wishful thinkers who perpetually see the world through rose-colored glasses. The Palestinian election polls were showing a 10-point spread between Palestinian President Mahmoud…
The Beginning of the Reckoning
The Islamic Center in Munich, Germany, was founded by Muslim Nazis. But that link is only one of many in a surprisingly strong Muslim-Nazi connection.
Israel in the News Mar/Apr 2006
As the government declares “war” on unauthorized Jewish communities, Arabs, funded by the Palestinian Authority (PA), are deciding Israel’s future borders through unhindered illegal building. Unauthorized Arab building…
Myths/Facts: Israel & the Middle East Jan/Feb 2006
Myth: Egypt is no longer a military threat since signing a peace treaty with Israel. Fact: While Egypt remains formally at peace with Israel and honors its Camp David commitments, Cairo has nevertheless amassed…
What a Difference a Flag Makes
Some people have integrity; others don’t. Now is a good time to consider what flag you want flying over Jerusalem.
The Anti-Terror, Pro-Israel Sheik
Few Muslims these days have the courage to support Israel and condemn terror. Sheik Abdul Hadi Palazzi, a highly educated imam, professor, co founder and cochairman of the Islam-Israel Fellowship…
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2006
The Palestinian Authority (PA) wants the United States to pressure Israel into allowing PA polling stations and campaigning in Jerusalem, enabling the Hamas terrorist organization pledged to Israel’s destruction to campaign…
Myths/Facts: Israel & the Middle East Nov/Dec 2005
In Gaza, Israel’s intent was always to withdraw completely, and no settlements were viewed as vital to Israel for economic, security, or demographic reasons. The situation in the West Bank is completely different.
Never Miss an Opportunity
Was Gaza enough? Not on your life. Now Abbas is beating the drum for a move on Jerusalem, while archaeologists uncover something wonderful.
Israel: Inside the International Pressure Cooker
Years ago, few thought Ariel Sharon would ever give up Gaza. The reasons for his dramatic U-turn, however, aren’t that difficult to understand.
They Must Start Over—Again
Nisanit was the second largest of the 21 Gaza Strip Jewish communities destroyed in August. The oldest was Kfar Darom, erected in 1946, two years before Israel became a state.
Traveling the Fence Route
On a hot, dry, Friday morning in July, my wife, Lisa, and I traveled the entire length of the route of the fence that will envelop metropolitan Jerusalem. Starting in Gilo, we headed east toward…
What I’d Tell My Dad
I’ve never known a time when there was not an Israel. As a child I’d look up at the big map on my Hebrew School wall and knew it was the country that belonged to…
Jordan’s Disengagement Connection
As the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in August forcibly evacuated Jewish settlers and their families from the communities where they had lived, many of them for more than 30 years…
The Staggering Cost of Disengagement
The cost of family relocation alone is estimated to be nearly $1 billion of the country’s annual $59 million state budget. In addition, the Israel Defense Forces will spend some $500 million to remove military…
Eye on the Middle East Nov/Dec 2005
For Israelis, Gaza is history—it’s over. The tears have been shed, and lingering, bitter memories still distress many of the displaced. For example, the evacuees from Kfar Darom will not forget the heavy price exacted…
Israel in the News Nov/Dec 2005
ARUTZ-7—As the Israeli flag was being lowered over Gaza to mark the end of Israel’s 38-year-presence in the area, teenaged Arabs threw rocks at Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops near the demolished Neveh Dekalim community.
Myths/Facts: Israel & the Middle East Sep/Oct 2005
In March 2005, Israel announced the intention to build 3,500 homes on a strip of territory that has been declared state land between the community of Ma’aleh Adumim and Jerusalem (Jerusalem Post, March 20, 2005).
Red Skies Over the Temple Mount
The most hotly contested piece of real estate in the world is the Temple Mount. Today three ominous trends threaten the area.
Slated for Destruction: Life in Gush Katif
When Israel abandons Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip, it will walk away from 21 communities that house schools, businesses, farms, and 900 acres of high-tech hothouses that yield nearly 70 percent of all Israel’s…
Eye on the Middle East Sep/Oct 2005
In the quest for peace and survival in the Middle East, a little history and a few questions may be to our benefit. Following Britain’s defeat of the Muslim Ottoman Turks in 1917, the Mandatory…
Israel in the News Sep/Oct 2005
ARUTZ-7—An outstanding issue in the ever-so-complicated disengagement/expulsion is what to do with the residents’ property. “What-ever we can fit into two large containers, we will take,” army Brig.-Gen. Guy Tzur told the people of Gush…
A Hand of Help for Gaza
Although the context is far removed from the essence of that ancient encounter, if you have ever ventured into the Gaza Strip you have likely thought something similar. On my last visit…
Myths/Facts: Israel & the Middle East Jul/Aug 2005
Long before 1967, when Israel captured the West Bank, Arabs used violence to try to first prevent the establishment of a Jewish state and then to destroy Israel. Anti-Jewish riots began in 1920 and were…
The Flip Side of Disengagement
Israelis are being expelled from the land they worked so hard to cultivate. Will this bring peace to the region? You be the judge.
Eye on the Middle East Jul/Aug 2005
In this troubled world, it’s always a plus to live in a safe place where the neighbors are friendly and always ready to lend a helping hand. Good neighbors are even more important…
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2005
Police detectives searched the IDF soldier’s vehicle after they deemed his behavior suspicious. Heroin was found, and he was arrested. During his arrest, the soldier told the police officers that he was a neo-Nazi…
From Bill Sutter’s Desk May/Jun 2005
The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose (Isa. 35:1). With the founding of the modern State of Israel in 1948 followed…
You Only Get One Mistake
I have a friend who spent his military career in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as a sapper—a military demolitions specialist. His job was to defuse land mines and other lethal explosives. Upon being inducted…
Can Abbas Deliver?
None should have any illusions about newly elected Palestinian Authority (PA) president, mahmoud Abbas. He was the number two person in the Palestine Liberation Organization and a founder of the Fatah terrorist …
Eye on the Middle East May/Jun 2005
The Palestinian leadership has proven its ability to keep the situation under control. It has also proven its ability to coordinate the activities of all Palestinian organizations, including those who hold tough positions…
Israel in the News May/Jun 2005
Two sisters who had not seen each other since the start of World War II have been reunited through the Yad Vashem database. Hannah Katz, 78, and Klara Blire, 81, were separated in 1939…
Myths/Facts: Israel & the Middle East Mar/Apr 2005
“Hamas as a political organization does not mean that every member is a militant and we do not do political vetting and exclude people from one persuasion against another.” Although Hansen makes specious distinctions between…
The Children Who Remain
My friend brenda Giles is no stranger to suicide bombings. An evangelical christian who spends about as much time on her knees as she does on her feet, brenda lives in the Jewish neighborhood…
On the Way to Canaan Land
George W. Bush had just won the presidential election for a second term. The confetti was still lying on the floor of GOP headquarters when Britain’s prime minister Tony Blair jumped forward…
Israel in the News Mar/Apr 2005
Israeli security figures show that Palestinians nearly doubled the number of Kassam rockets they fired from Gaza after the Israeli cabinet approved the disengagement plan. And their smuggling operations have netted them a Strella missile…
School’s Out for Aviel
Three-year-old Aviel Atash was excited as he boarded the bus with his mother headed for his first day in school. Aviel never made it. A short distance from where he and his mom boarded…
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2005
As Palestinian mortar shells and rockets continued to pound the Jewish settlement of Gush Katif at the rate of over three per day, destroying homes and sending people to the hospital…
Eye on the Middle East Nov/Dec 2004
If oil is properly termed black gold, then one would suppose water could properly be termed liquid gold. Today the search is on for…
Israel’s Significance Is Insignificant
Geo-political Israel today is not to be understood as God’ s promise to Abraham and Joshua. IT IS NOT! …It is fair to say, the world owes them a homeland. But, and this is important…
The Courage to Fight On
Yoni was two years old when Israel was created. He was born on March 13, 1946, less than a year after the most extreme and horrendous attempt—out of a long, almost unending line of attempts…
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2004
ARUTZ-7—The United States has determined that Yasser Arafat approved the terrorist attack on a U.S. embassy convoy in which three Americans were killed in October 2003. Middle East Newsline reported in the name of U.S.
The Cell Phones Wouldn’t Stop Ringing
A friend of mine who lives in Jerusalem was on his way to work on the morning of January 29. He was suffering the usual heavy morning traffic, three cars behind an Egged bus…
Goose-Stepping Americans?
An influx of Muslim immigrants is changing the face of Europe. Suddenly, Americans are being called the new Nazis; and Bush, the new Hitler.
Islam’s Suicide Solution
As if it were not already enormous, the gulf between Islam and Christianity grew even greater in January when Reem Rayashi, a 22-year-old Palestinian mother of two, blew herself up at the Erez Crossing…
Myths/Facts: Israel & the Middle East May/Jun 2004
Arab leaders have repeatedly made clear their animosity toward Jews and Judaism. For example, on November 23, 1937, Saudi Arabia’s King Ibn Saud told British Colonel H.R.P. Dickson: “Our hatred for the Jews dates from…
Israel in the News May/Jun 2004
Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposed the deal, saying it was too expensive. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, however, said that the importance of the deal surpasses merely the water issue and affects the strategic relationship with…
Only in Israel!
For example, in November 2002 a suicide bomber boarded an Israeli bus in Jerusalem that was so packed with Jewish schoolchildren no one noticed him. He waited until the bus was full, then exploded himself…
Pondering Life in the ‘New Jerusalem’
That’s the dream. But dreams rarely reflect reality. And nocturnal pleasantries inevitably vaporize when exposed to the harsh light of morning. Such will be the case when foreign interlopers, dreamers, and wishful thinkers impose..
Myths/Facts: Israel & the Middle East Mar/Apr 2004
In the case of Israel, the necessity for checkpoints has been created by the Palestinians. By pursuing a violent campaign of terror against Israel’s citizens, they have forced Israel to set up barriers to make…
Eye on the Middle East Mar/Apr 2004
Last December thousands of Palestinians flocked to the home of a family whose newborn son caused a sensation. Muslims are revering the boy as the “miracle baby” of Bethlehem. The designation was given because…
Suicide Bombers
As part of its promotion of suicide terrorism, the Palestinian Authority (P A) has repeatedly taught its population the Islamic tradition that the Shahid (martyr) who dies for Allah will receive numerous heavenly rewards…
Israel’s Peculiar Position
The Jews are a peculiar people: things permitted to other nations are forbidden to the Jews. Other nations drive out thousands, even millions of people and there is no refugee problem. Russia did it…
Israel in the News Mar/Apr 2004
The growing alliance between Christians and Jews has prompted Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, to create a Christian Allies Caucus to maintain that relationship and support it. Said Knesset member Yuri Stern…
An Interview with David Bar-Illan
In 1998 David Bar-Illan was the policy and planning director for the administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. He also was a primary spokesman for the prime minister. Below are portions of an…
Eye on Middle East Jan/Feb 2004
Following the brutal suicide bombing that took twenty-one lives and wounded sixty others at the Maxim restaurant in Haifa on October 4, 2003, Israel went on the offensive. The terrorist group Islamic Jihad quickly claimed responsibility…
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2004
Forty-eight veteran Israel Air Force (IAF) pilots held captive in Syria or Egypt last year have petitioned Prime Minister Ariel Sharon not to free terrorist Mustafa Dirani, who tortured IAF navigator Ron Arad, still in…
Mahmoud Abbas: One More Victim of Terror
Is the Road Map just another “college try”? Israelis think so. They also think Arafat still holds all the power.
Fighting ‘World War IV’
Former CIA Director R. James Woolsey has an interesting slant on world events. As far as he’s concerned, World War III is over.