They Cry in Silence May/Jun 2006
The accusation is often leveled that The Friends of Israel is anti-Palestinian and, therefore, without sympathy for Palestinian Christians. This is in no sense the case. These accusations usually come…
ISRAELI LIFE
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…
Zvi May/Jun 2006
Many years ago new immigrants moved into our neighborhood in Jerusalem. One family in particular became special to us because they spoke about the faith. Yet they did not like people who believed…
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…
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…
Zvi Mar/Apr 2006
We are approaching the great days of Passover, which begin April 12. This holiday brings unity to our nation, as we give thanks for all that God has done for His Chosen People Israel. For those…
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.
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…
Zvi Jan/Feb 2006
From time to time I go to the Orthodox to bring them the good news of the Lord. With them, you cannot finish a conversation in a few minutes. They are suspicious…
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.
The New Wall of Jerusalem
A top Jerusalem Post writer gives you an insider’s look at Jewish life in Israel’s City of Gold and what many feel is the only viable way to protect it.
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.
Zvi Nov/Dec 2005
This time of year Christians think about the birth of the Messiah. We know what the Bible teaches, and we understand who He is. But in Israel there is great confusion about the Messiah.
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…
Zvi Sep/Oct 2005
In Deuteronomy 31 it is written, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lᴏʀᴅ your God, He is the One who goes with you.
From Bill Sutter’s Desk Jul/Aug 2005
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, prosperity within your palaces” (Ps. 122:6–7). Jerusalem. The very word stirs the hearts of Jews and Christians alike.
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…
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.
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…
Zvi Jul/Aug 2005
It is written in Deuteronomy, “You shall not pervert justice;…You shall follow what is altogether just” (16:19–20). What organization on Earth should be the best example of this command? The biggest organization: the United Nations…
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…
Playing the Blame Game
In today’s upside-down world, right looks wrong, wrong looks right, and the good guys are getting the short end of the stick. If you don’t believe that, read this.
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…
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…
Zvi Mar/Apr 2005
In Proverbs 13:3 it is written, “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.” Today so many people curse at one another.
From Bill Sutter’s Desk Jan/Feb 2005
As services at the Jerusalem Assembly in Israel came to a close recently, I realized that those of us in attendance had witnessed the compelling truth of Galatians 3:28: There is neither Jew nor Greek…
Myths/Facts : Israel & the Middle East Jan/Feb 2005
Israel is not a theocracy. However, it is governed by the rule of law as drafted by a democratically elected parliament. It is informed by Jewish values and adheres to many Jewish religious customs…
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…
Zvi Jan/Feb 2005
Wherever you go in Jerusalem these days, you see many pictures of the late Rabbi Menachem Mendel schneerson of New York City, who led the lubavitch movement of Hasidic (ultra-Orthodox) Judaism for forty-four years.
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 in the News Nov/Dec 2004
“The Painful Truth: All the World Terrorists are Muslims!” So writes Abdulrahman al-Rashed, general manager of AI-Arabiya television, in his…
From Bill Sutter’s Desk Sep/Oct 2004
Thus reads the headline on the brochure from Volunteers for Israel (VFI). Since VFI’s inception in 1982, more than a hundred thousand people from thirty countries have volunteered their time and energy to immerse themselves…
Targeting Hamas
The goal of Hamas is clear. As stated in the organization’s covenant, the Islamic Resistance Movement “strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine.” No negotiations or compromises are possible.
Israel in the News Sep/Oct 2004
An Israeli toddler being dropped off at nursery school by his mother was killed when a Palestinian Kassam rocket exploded in the heart of Sderot in the Negev. More than 20 others, including youngsters…
Zvi Sep/Oct 2004
But to my regret, this is not so. From time to time I visit the ultra-Orthodox at their synagogues, which they call “holy of holy.” But when I arrive there, even though I am Jewish…
Eye on the Middle East Jul/Aug 2004
The family finished their evening meal and gathered in the living room to sing and enjoy a relaxing time exchanging pleasantries and stories. Later Esther put four of their young children to bed…
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.
Zvi Jul/Aug 2004
Everyone talks about the “road map” to peace. They say, “Peace, peace; when there is no peace” (Jer. 6:14). And there will be no peace until the Prince of Peace comes.
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…
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…
Zvi May/Jun 2004
Psalm 81 is a nice chapter in the Word of God. It begins, “Sing aloud unto God, our strength; make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob” (v. 1). Unfortunately, many of the people who…
From Bill Sutter’s Desk Mar/Apr 2004
In traveling to Israel recently on a solidarity tour with representatives of our nearby Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Jewish community, we prayed that our lives as Christians would reflect both our commitment to the Bible…
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..
Anti-Zionism or Anti-Semitism—By Any Name, The Game’s the Same
No matter how attractively you wrap garbage, it still reeks. And despite clever repackaging, “anti-Zionism” still smells like Hitler’s “final solution.”
Called to Repentance
The book of Zechariah is among the most profound in the Old Testament and of great importance in view of the times and circumstances in which it was written. Zechariah summed up and condensed most…
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…
Zvi Mar/Apr 2004
Not long ago I received a nice visit in our home from four men who considered themselves extremely pious. They believed they were fighting for justice and righteousness; and wherever they went…
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…
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…
Zvi Jan/Feb 2004
History has shown us that where there is no faith there is hate. So it was with Hitler when the Nazis in Germany sang, “Today Germany belongs to us. Tomorrow, the world.” Then came Saddam Hussein….
The More Things Change…
For thousands of years the world has produced people eager to destroy the nation of Israel. But the conflict is far greater than it appears.
Road Map to Armageddon
The PLO holds every terrorist record on the books, and Arafat has violated every agreement he ever made with Israel. What kind of “peace” lies ahead?
Is the Quartet Fiddling the Same Old Tune?
Despite Israel’s unfaltering devotion to America, some feel Bush’s Road Map plan is selling Israel down the river.
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.
Israel in the News Nov/Dec 2003
What is the Palestinian fascination with the Kassam rocket, an imprecise weapon containing 10 to 15 kilograms (22–33 pounds) of explosives with a range of six to eight kilometers (3.73 miles)? Caroline Glick of The…
Zvi Nov/Dec 2003
As it is written in Ecclesiastes 11:1, “Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.” So it has been with me. Before I was married, I worked in a joinery…
Eye on the Middle East Sep/Oct 2003
When Israel, in accordance with its agreement with the new Palestinian government, pulled Israel Defense Forces troops out of Bethlehem recently, many residents of the Jerusalem suburb of Gilo feared the worst. And they…
Israel in the News Sep/Oct 2003
Had she been Palestinian, the entire world would be up in arms. But she was Israeli, so no one even noticed when seven-year-old Noam Liebowitz was shot to death while riding in her family car…
Zvi Sep/Oct 2003
We are again approaching Yom Kippur, this most solemn of days, when people ask the Lord to forgive their sins. And what is more, they are so sure that when they come with their “sacrifices,” their sins…
Potholes in the Road Map
Just how difficult it will be to negotiate the much-ballyhooed “road map” to peace in the Middle East was summed up by Israel’s prime minister, Ariel Sharon, after the Israeli cabinet recently approved the plan…
Serving the Double Standard
An issue is festering in the road map process that cannot be overlooked and certainly should not be honored. It is the insistence of the Palestinians and their Arab mentors that millions of “refugees” be…
Play Ball!
Sports radio, a relative newcomer in the arena known as talk radio, is a result of the mutual admiration between professional athletes and the fans who watch them. The last names of the people who produce…
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2003
“I’m telling you frankly, the attitude of Islam is not to accept a foreign state in this area.” So said senior Hamas spokesman Mahmoud a-Zahar on the BBC. He later met with Palestinian Authority (PA)…
Zvi Jul/Aug 2003
The ninth day of the month of Av is drawing near (August 7). So the people of Israel come to the Western (Wailing) Wall, weeping night and day and reading the book of Lamentations, asking…
Israel in the News May/Jun 2003
Palestinian Authority (PA) Arabs made no bones about whose side they were on during the recent war in Iraq as tens of thousands took to the streets waving flags and pictures of Saddam Hussein and calling…
Zvi May/Jun 2003
When the weather is nice, many people come out on the streets; and we have nice conversations. In fact, you can meet people here from all over the world and hear many different languages spoken. Before…
From Bill Sutter’s Desk Mar/Apr 2003
Israelis were proud . . . and so were we. Then they grieved; and we grieved with them. For a fleeting moment, the beleaguered Jewish state forgot its bitter sorrow as it watched its first astronaut…
Israel in the News Mar/Apr 2003
ARUTZ-7-The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that Arab residents of Yesha have found a new way to take advantage of…
Zvi Mar/Apr 2003
Despite all that is happening, people still come to Israel. Why? Because Israel is like an electromagnet, drawing people from all over.
From Bill Sutter’s Desk Jan/Feb 2003
It was a trip none of us will forget. As our group of 45 landed in Tel Aviv, we did not realize that, for the next ten days, we would be the largest…
Israel: Still a Miracle
The world thought it impossible. But with God, nothing is impossible. And if you don’t believe that fact, you don’t know the history of little Israel.
The War of Independence
When the British received their League of Nations mandate over the Holy Land at the San Remo Conference in 1920, they were told to implement the Balfour Declaration that called for “the establishment…
The Yom Kippur War
Anwar Sadat replaced Nasser as Egypt’s president after Nasser’s death in 1970. Sadat believed he had to regain the Sinai taken by Israel in 1967. Israeli intelligence warned the government that war…
The Terrorists
When it comes to terrorists, it is sometimes difficult to tell the players without a program. Although the secular press of late has taken to calling them militiamen, freedom fighters, militants, and other such misleading…
The Awful Price of Terror
We hear about Israelis killed by terrorist bombs. But what about those who survive—and are crippled for life? Here is a story you won’t soon forget.
The PLO and PA
If these organizations confuse you, read this article. It will untangle the web that Yasser Arafat has spun over the eyes of the Western world.
Israeli-Palestinian Peace Accords
Israel has (1) recognized the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the representative of the Palestinians; (2) allowed complete Palestinian autonomy in certain areas and civil autonomy in others; (3) allowed Palestinian…
The Intifadas
The word intifada is Arabic for “shaking off.” It refers to two violent Palestinian-Arab uprisings in Gaza and Judea/Samaria (West Bank). The first occurred from December 1987 through September 1993; the second began…
The Key Resolutions
Israel will be 55 years old in May. The country was established under sanction of inter national law after the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 181 in 1947, dividing the remaining 23 percent…
Twenty Facts About Israel and the Middle East
The world’s attention has been focused on the Middle East. We are confronted daily with scenes of carnage and destruction. Can we understand such violence?
Status of Jewish Holy Sites
Under Jordanian occupation (May 28, 1948—June 7, 1967), all Jewish holy sites in East Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria were off-limits to Jews. In East Jerusalem, 58 synagogues were destroyed or desecrated. Jordan built…