A City Divided
On June 30, 1967, the first Friday after the official reunification of Jerusalem, Muslim and Christian Arabs—whom Jordan had banned from the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque, and…
ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT
Israel’s Government Today
In May 1948, the Jewish people became sovereign in their land for the first time in more than 2,500 years. Spearheading the modern government was the venerable David Ben-Gurion, who…
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2015
Suha Arafat, widow of the late terrorist and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, said recently, “We need to clearly express the recognition of Israel; no one can doubt…
Inside View Nov/Dec 2014
After Joseph’s brothers were reunited with him in Egypt, they began worrying he might seek revenge because they had sold him into slavery many years earlier. But Joseph…
Eye on the Middle East Nov/Dec 2014
Do a computer search for “ISIS” and “Christians” and prepare to gasp in horror. ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or simply Islamic State) is slaughtering Christians in the Middle East…
Israel in the News Nov/Dec 2014
Intel will spend $6 billion to upgrade its Kiryat Gat chip manufacturing plant in one of the biggest single investments ever by a foreign company in Israel. The deal is expected to…
Life at the Checkpoints
While Palestinian Christians complain obsessively about the so-called atrocities suffered at the checkpoints, Capt. Joshua Lazarus, a Messianic Jewish officer in charge of…
Top 5 Flaws of the Israel Apartheid Movement
This year campuses across America held their 10th annual Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW). As the name suggests, the protest organizers aim to equate the government of Israel with…
Dr. Ateek’s Rose-Colored Glasses
Naim Ateek is not a large man. He is slender, around 5 feet 7 inches tall, with white hair and a self-effacing, gentle look about him. He is not loud or aggressive, and he would…
Pushing the Anti-Israel Agenda
The “empire” is dying, according to Phyllis Bennis. When Bennis says “empire,” she is not referring to the massive Roman Empire that once ruled Europe and the Middle East…
Israel in the News Sep/Oct 2014
Israel is a small country, with a population of 6.1 million Jews. The ratio of Americans to Jewish Israelis is a staggering 52 to 1. By press time, 43 Israeli officers and soldiers…
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2014
An anti-Semitic cartoon published recently in Hamas’s official daily newspaper tries to scare away new immigrants to Israel and threaten everyone living there with genocide.
Give More, Get War
Under threat of international isolation and more boycott and divestment scenarios, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said, “Enough.” His declaration of…
Israel in the News May/Jun 2014
The U.S. State Department is rejecting nearly one out of 10 Israelis who apply for tourist visas to the United States. “This is more than a threefold rise in visa rejections…
Eye on the Middle East Mar/Apr 2014
When members of the American Studies Association (ASA) voted to boycott Israeli academic institutions in December 2013, they probably had no idea their plan would…
Insult to Injury
Talk and turning up pressure on Israel have obviously replaced rational movement toward peace in the Middle East. The prevailing powers seem to prefer to reward…
Israel in the News Mar/Apr 2014
Israel hosted more than 3.54 million visitors from around the world in 2013, a new all-time high, according to the Israel Ministry of Tourism. Twenty percent came from…
Inside View Jan/Feb 2014
I often encourage people to advocate for Israel and speak up when others berate the Jewish state. Recently, a friend, Pastor Roger Truax, contacted me because of an anti-Israel article published…
Eye on the Middle East Jan/Feb 2014
“Iran poses absolutely no threat to the world or the region.” Or so Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani assured United Nations members in September 2013. His words may have impressed many…
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2014
The New York Times has apologized for the picture it chose to go with an article it published in November about the brutal murder of 19-year-old Israel Defense Forces soldier…
Eye on the Middle East Nov/Dec 2013
It was merely a handshake. But it was no ordinary handshake. It was one of a kind, seen by millions around the world. It was proclaimed as the event that sealed the deal that would alter the…
It Is About Religion
The day held a unique significance for Egyptian President Anwar Sadat as he sat in a reviewing stand accompanied by a host of political, military, and visiting international dignitaries. It was…
Israel in the News Nov/Dec 2013
Recent excavations near the southern wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem have unearthed a literal treasure trove, again confirming an ancient Jewish presence in the city. Led by archaeologist…
Creating History
The craft has been around forever, but now lying has reached new heights. Even the most salacious prevaricators over past centuries did not take it on themselves to alter the history of…
Land Rights of the Patriarchs
For centuries people have argued over who has the legitimate claim to the land known today as Israel. The Arab-Israeli conflict has raged for decades, with both sides claiming exclusive rights…
The British Mandate
World War I (1914–1918) changed the map of the old Ottoman Empire in the Middle East. The region was split into two great sections. The northern half went to France (the French Mandate)…
The Arab Riots of the 1920s
A prevailing sentiment around the world seems to be that if Israel had never gained its independence, the Arabs would be happy; and there would be peace. But Arab terrorism started…
The Hadassah Hospital Massacre
In November 1947, the UN General Assembly passed a plan to partition what was left of British Mandate Palestine and establish separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem an international…
The Division and Desecration of Jerusalem
On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly approved Resolution 181, a plan to partition what was left of British Palestine into two states: one Arab, one Jewish. Seventy-seven percent…
Israel in the Book of Revelation
The struggle for the land of promise is merely the tip of a large iceberg. It is symptomatic of a far greater struggle between God and His enemy, Satan. The book of Revelation is apocalyptic…
Israel in the News Sep/Oct 2013
Now even Palestinians are fighting a recent European Union (EU) decision to boycott all Israeli businesses in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. A senior Palestinian Authority (PA) official who…
Eye on the Middle East Jul/Aug 2013
Moral equivalence is a tricky device often used by people who want to remove the focus from an obvious wrong and put it somewhere else. Commentary on the Arab-Israeli conflict…
Praise for Canada
Josh Reinstein, director of the Christian Allies Caucus of Israel’s Knesset, recently praised Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper as a “role model for world leaders.” He made the…
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2013
Communications mavens have been saying for years that Israel needs to get its message to the world via an Israeli-type Al Jazeera. Various business people have dipped their toes in the water…
Eye on the Middle East May/Jun 2013
How often have you seen a household appliance create an international commotion? Apparently, when an Israeli company manufactures it, people…
The Romans Are Back
Travelers standing atop the fortress Masada in the Judean wilderness and looking a dizzying 1,000 feet down to the desert floor become instantly…
Israel in the News Mar/Apr 2013
A New York Times columnist has come under fire after retweeting a message calling the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the National Rifle Association (NRA)…
Zvi Mar/Apr 2013
I want to wish you all the best as we approach the great days of Passover. This is a holiday to remember how God delivered the Jewish people from their bitter bondage in Egypt. Today we are free, but many people would like to see us return to bondage and remove us from the land God gave to us as the descendants…
The WCC: No Friend to Israel
The World Council of Churches’ negative attitude toward Israel has been evident from the organization’s formal inception in 1948. Its website speaks of helping “displaced Palestinians”…
Molding the Next Generation of Anti-Semites
Incoming freshman Ariel Kaplan and his parents had no idea what they were walking into when they arrived on the campus of the University of California (UC), Berkeley….
Where to Find Good Information Online
With so much material floating in cyberspace, it’s sometimes difficult to know which websites are dependable and which are not. Here are some sites that provide solid…
Jesus the ‘Palestinian’
In some Christian circles, the theological justification for gaining freedom from Israeli “occupation” is Christian Palestinianism, a form of liberation theology that emphasizes…
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2013
Many people in the world do not realize Israel supplies its enemies in the Gaza Strip with electricity. Not long into the Israeli government’s Operation Pillar of Defense…
Eye on the Middle East Nov/Dec 2012
In an attempt to comply with the U.S. State Department, an Israeli Knesset member has proposed legislation to let Christians and Jews pray on the Temple Mount. But the bill has ignited…
Selling the Big Lie
Explaining why she left her job, a reporter for a major organization in Washington, DC, said recently, “I feel like I am, as a reporter in the Capitol, lied to every…
Israel in the News Nov/Dec 2012
Moishe Oofnik, Israel’s version of Sesame Street’s Oscar the Grouch, is on the cover of a new 15-page pamphlet telling Israelis how to prepare for war. The leaflet, part of a public-awareness…
Eye on the Middle East Sep/Oct 2012
Have you ever heard the expression “the elephant in the room”? It was used first in a 1959 New York Times article about school finance that pointed out how ignoring…
Defining Our Obligation Toward Israel
The United States talks a lot about being Israel’s friend. But actions speak louder than words. And America’s actions are saying plenty, with little appearing pro-Israel.
Israel in the News Sep/Oct 2012
A new computer virus with Persian words in its programming code has infected sensitive computers across the Middle East, including Israel, and gathered information on critical national infrastructure, an Israeli security…
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2012
Many Arab graduates from Hebrew University in Israel refused to sing Israel’s national anthem at recent graduation ceremonies. “This is not a single event,” said someone who attended, “but a symptom…
Eye on the Middle East May/Jun 2012
According to a poll taken in November 2011 by the European Commission—the executive body of the European Union—15 European countries believe Israel is the greatest threat to world peace. The Organisation…
Christian Zionism—The Real Story
The heat is up on the idea of a two-state solution to the Israeli/Palestinian dilemma. The current offensive touts a single state that eliminates Israel in favor of a Palestinian fiefdom…
An Incentive to Pray Fervently for Israel
Naftali Bennett, chief of staff to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from 2006 to 2008, said Israelis are “more concerned now than ever about Iran’s race to acquire a nuclear bomb.” To plead…
A Letter From Jerusalem: Survival Strategies for Ordinary Living
Ever been to an outdoor market or a museum in Jerusalem? Journalist Elliot Jager takes you on a stroll through the city to see what everyday life is like for people who live there.
The Questions No One Asks
As the Palestinian-Arabs and their friends continue to push for “Palestinian” statehood, the wrong questions are being asked while the pertinent questions every reporter, activist, and foreign minister should be asking…
The Arab Revolts and Israel
Most people know the face of the Middle East is changing. How did the change begin? Where is it heading? The answers are here.
Ending the Palestinian ‘Right of Return’
This year the Israeli Supreme Court upheld a law that prohibits Palestinians who marry Israelis from gaining automatic citizenship. Although it was a controversial decision in some circles, Israel has good…
Israel in the News May/Jun 2012
Legal activists gave Delta Airlines a recent lesson in geography—and law—after its frequent-flyer program website referred to Ben Gurion airport in Lod outside Tel Aviv as “Occupied Palestinian Territory…
From Bill Sutter’s Desk Mar/Apr 2012
The Friends of Israel is known for being a forward-looking ministry. Though not neglecting important lessons of the past and working to keep abreast of the impact of current events…
Eye on the Middle East Mar/Apr 2012
For nearly all of its 64 years, the State of Israel has faced constant threats to its survival as a democratic, Jewish nation. The courage, tenacity, ingenuity, and determination…
Israel in the News Mar/Apr 2012
A cyber war between Israel and its enemies is heating up, with both sides hacking into each other’s websites. Hackers recently brought down the El Al and Tel Aviv Stock…
Zvi Mar/Apr 2012
Living in Israel is like living on an active volcano. It has been this way ever since I came here more than 65 years ago. More than 150 million Arabs…
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2012
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood held a “kill the Jews” rally in Cairo in November. Thousands attended, promising to “one day kill all the Jews” and wage war against Jerusalem’s “Judaization.” The rally…
Chasing Arafat’s Dream
During the fiasco over the Palestinian Authority’s all-out push at the UN in September for a unilaterally forged Palestinian state, the implausible morphed into the incomprehensible. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon eloquently illustrated…
Israel in the News Nov/Dec 2011
When Gaza-based terrorists opened up a fresh mortar attack on the Erez Crossing border terminal between Gaza and southern Israel recently, three Palestinian women and two infants were passing through.
Saying is Believing
Rhetoric is everything. Or at least it appears so nowadays. But what happens when rhetoric doesn’t match reality? See for yourself.
Israel’s Quest for Peace
The following is a brief excerpt from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before a joint session of the United States Congress on May 24, 2011: If history has taught the Jewish people…
Israel in the News Sep/Oct 2011
Israeli doctors recently saved the life of 7-month-old Odai al-Kafarna of the Gaza Strip by repairing a hole in his heart. His grandmother, who brought him to the Israeli hospital…
Zvi Sep/Oct 2011
Anyone who remembers our War for Independence in 1948 knows about Latrun. It is an area in Israel located on a hilltop on the road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem…
Eye on the Middle East Jul/Aug 2011
A different atmosphere has emerged in Egypt since President Hosni Mubarak’s departure. The Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and Iran are no longer viewed with disdain; and Hamas has an office in Cairo.
A Palestinian State: How to Lose and Still Come Out a Winner
It used to be that winners were winners and losers were losers, and to the victor went the spoils. Not today, particularly when it comes to Israel. See for yourself.
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2011
In August it will be six years since 10,000 Jews were expelled from 21 beautiful communities in Gush Katif/Gaza and the Shomron (Samaria). Most still live in trailer towns like Nitzan…
From Bill Sutter’s Desk May/Jun 2011
Blatant attempts to defame Israel as illegitimate and deny the Jewish state its rightful place among the countries of the world have been painfully obvious to those of us who stand with…
Eye on the Middle East May/Jun 2011
There are 450 different theme parks, amusement parks, and water parks in the United States, according to the International Association of Amusement Parks. Disney, the largest and most recognized, has six…
Connecting the Dots
Nehemiah had his work cut out for him. God had promised to return the Jewish people to their land after their captivity in Babylon. And true to His Word, God brought Nehemiah…
Israel in the News May/Jun 2011
“What kind of monster butchers an infant?” American TV personality Glenn Beck asked his viewers recently, following the brutal massacre of five Israelis in the West Bank town of Itamar.
Eye on the Middle East Mar/Apr 2011
Students at Princeton University voted last fall on a referendum combining politics and cuisine. The issue raised by The Princeton Committee for Palestine wanted students to approve a boycott on hummus.
Setting TIME Magazine Straight
In his latest article on Israel and the Palestinians, TIME magazine’s Karl Vick prejudges matters almost from the outset in his reference to “Israel’s 43 years of occupation of Palestinian territory.”
Israel in the News Mar/Apr 2011
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flag now flies in Washington, DC. PLO officials hoisted their banner over their U.S. mission for the first time in January.
Said mission chief Maen Areikat…
The Magic of Mahmoud
Like a diminutive political time bomb, Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stalked the halls of the United Nations in September. He took his vitriol to the podium of the General Assembly…
Assessing the Fear Factor
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, leader of the crusade to build a mosque near Ground Zero in New York City, trashed his “moderation” pose when he disregarded millions of concerned Americans…
The Jewishness of the Temple Mount
So prolific is Muslim propaganda that many Westerners today question the Temple’s historicity. So it’s time to review the evidence.
The Beginning of PA Denial
The Palestinian Authority’s (PA’s) political denial of the Jewish Temple’s existence first came to international attention at the Camp David II Summit in July 2000. In a final effort to resolve…
Muslim Backpedaling
Muslims today vociferously deny a Jewish Temple existed on the Temple Mount (Haram). However, their own literature affirms this fact and shows how they have changed their position to accomplish…
Why the Waqf Rules
When Israeli statesman Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in 2000, he was surrounded by 1,000 Israeli police. His visit, along with the announcement that the complex would…
Islam Rewrites the Bible
Millions of people today fail to grasp the differences between Jewish and Muslim claims to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. But the differences are enormous. Jewish claims are based on Scripture…
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2011
The Western Wall belongs to Muslims and is an integral part of al-Aqsa mosque and Haram al-Sharif (Islamic term for the Temple Mount complex), according to an official paper published…
From Bill Sutter’s Desk Nov/Dec 2010
Before Benjamin Netanyahu began his current term as prime minister of Israel, he spoke about Iran at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. I’ll never forget hearing him declare with conviction…
Eye on the Middle East Nov/Dec 2010
Here in the United States, citizens are befuddled about the meaning of the word illegal. A dictionary informs us it means “not according to or authorized by law.” Which says to most…
Israel in the News Nov/Dec 2010
Journalist Mitchell Prothero said Hamas is confiscating humanitarian goods donated by the international community and forcing Gaza Arabs to pay for them. Prothero spoke to a commander of Islamic Jihad…
Zvi Nov/Dec 2010
We live in a special situation in Israel. Most of the world is against us, particularly the Muslim countries that surround us. I have lived in this part of Jerusalem…
From Bill Sutter’s Desk Sep/Oct 2010
Keeping your eye on the ball is not only good advice in baseball, it is also essential to clearly understand and properly respond to the conflict in the Middle East. Israel’s…
Eye on the Middle East Sep/Oct 2010
Remember the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush during a press conference in 2008 and spent nine months in a Baghdad prison for his trouble? Well…
Israel in the News Sep/Oct 2010
Bypassing Senate confirmation, U.S. President Barack Obama in July named a Medicare chief who supports socialized medicine and belongs to an anti-Israel physicians’ group. Dr. Donald Berwick contributes financially to Physicians…
Eye on the Middle East Jul/Aug 2010
A recent Arutz-7 headline read, “Ex-US Envoy Indyk: Bibi’s Refusal to Obama ‘Threatens Alliance.’” Martin Indyk apparently has left Israelis wondering just how much is actually at stake in Israel’s decision…
Who Writes the Last Chapter?
Just when some of the “leading lights” of the international diplomatic community thought progress might be brewing in the quest to tame the Iranian mullocracy through UN sanctions, the lid…
Getting the Gist of J Street
A new movement is afoot to strip Israel of its Jewish identity. And, remarkably, the people propelling it are Jewish.
An Interview with Daniel Pipes
I think it is. There are three components to it. The first is demographic. Indigenous Europeans are not having enough children by about one-third. You need 2.1 children per woman…
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2010
U.S. President Barack Obama has threatened to impose his own solution to the Middle East problem, which “the Israelis won’t appreciate,” if Israel and the Palestinians fail to settle the situation…
Eye on the Middle East May/Jun 2010
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward (Ps. 127:3). This message from God’s Word is worlds away from the message of a Palestinian…