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1. Palestinians Evoke '60s Freedom Riders in Bus Protest
They were expecting violence, segregation and arrest. Instead, six Palestinian activists were allowed to board and ride an Israeli bus in the West Bank [Judea and Samaria] in a highly publicized attempt to evoke the freedom rides of the U.S. Civil Rights movement.
"If we make it to Jerusalem, then it'll be a sign that the Israelis have become very savvy about their image. If we do make it, we want the world to know that this is an exception," said Huweida Arraf, a lawyer and human rights activist, who was one of the riders, speaking at a pre-boarding news conference.
The six, dressed in white T-shirts bearing the word "Freedom" and wearing black and white kaffiyehs [traditional Arab, cotton scarf headdress], did make it as far as the entry to Jerusalem, where Israeli security personnel stopped them and turned them back because they did not have permits to enter Israel. "We want the world to notice the apartheid segregation we live in under Israeli occupation," Arraf said.
The Palestinians had kept the actual site of their planned boarding of the Israeli bus secret out of fear of what they said could be violence by Israeli residents in the West Bank who opposed their presence.
Trailed by some 100 journalists, television crews, and onlookers, the six Palestinians chose the Israeli town of Kochav Ya'akov, southeast of the West Bank city of Ramallah, for their action. Bewildered residents moved aside as the six waited for bus No. 148-linking Jewish settlements situated on land acquired in the 1967 Six Day War with Jerusalem.
The Palestinians want the West Bank and the Gaza Strip for their future state, but during four decades of Israeli rule, some 350,000 Israelis have moved into the area as well as east Jerusalem (which the Palestinians also claim) and have constructed some 120 towns.
Palestinians not only want the Israelis to go back to pre-1967 Israel, but object in the meantime to what they say is a policy of segregation that has created separate roads and transportation networks. Israel says these are needed to protect its citizens against Palestinian terror attacks.
"If I got on one of their buses they would slaughter me," said an Israeli who would only give his first name, Elhanan. "It's a gimmick. The Arabs ride on our buses all of the time."
A number of buses drove by [the six Arabs] without stopping or opening their doors to let on passengers. Eventually one did. Pushing their way through a swarm of cameraman, the six managed to board.
The bewildered driver sold them a ticket, and they took their seats among the Israelis. Once on board, some held signs saying: "Freedom," "Justice," and "We Shall Overcome." The other passengers ignored them without any incidents.
The campaign sought to echo the 1960s-era Freedom Riders campaign in the southern U.S. and recall civil rights heroes that much of the world admires like Rosa Parks-who in an earlier protest refused to move to the back of a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama-and Martin Luther King Jr.
In its day, the American Freedom Riders movement sent out activists to ride on racially segregated buses and challenge local laws. The Freedom Rides and the violent reaction they provoked brought attention and credibility to the civil rights movement, ushering an era of equal-rights legislation and changing attitudes toward black-white relations.
"In the 1960s U.S. south, black people had to sit in the back of the bus. In occupied Palestine, Palestinians are not even allowed on the bus," a statement by the Palestinian group said. The movement's publicity material included an interview with an activist from the 1960s.
But one Israeli watching the episode on bus No. 148 said there was no comparison between the two situations. "They said they were reenacting the ride of the freedom riders from the U.S. civil rights movement and were acting in the non-violent spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. I told them, 'From what I understand, [Palestinian President Mahmoud] Abbas is no Martin Luther King, and we aren't any white supremacist government," said passenger Haggai Segal, a resident of Kochav Ya'akov.
(By The Media Line, November 16, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that such attempts on the part of Palestinians to cast Israel in a negative light will be seen as the provocative, ludicrous actions that they are. Pray that people will realize there is no comparison between these Palestinian activists and the US Freedom Riders of the 1960s.
Scripture
"Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, just as we hope in You" (Psalm 33:20-22).
"If we make it to Jerusalem, then it'll be a sign that the Israelis have become very savvy about their image. If we do make it, we want the world to know that this is an exception," said Huweida Arraf, a lawyer and human rights activist, who was one of the riders, speaking at a pre-boarding news conference.
The six, dressed in white T-shirts bearing the word "Freedom" and wearing black and white kaffiyehs [traditional Arab, cotton scarf headdress], did make it as far as the entry to Jerusalem, where Israeli security personnel stopped them and turned them back because they did not have permits to enter Israel. "We want the world to notice the apartheid segregation we live in under Israeli occupation," Arraf said.
The Palestinians had kept the actual site of their planned boarding of the Israeli bus secret out of fear of what they said could be violence by Israeli residents in the West Bank who opposed their presence.
Trailed by some 100 journalists, television crews, and onlookers, the six Palestinians chose the Israeli town of Kochav Ya'akov, southeast of the West Bank city of Ramallah, for their action. Bewildered residents moved aside as the six waited for bus No. 148-linking Jewish settlements situated on land acquired in the 1967 Six Day War with Jerusalem.
The Palestinians want the West Bank and the Gaza Strip for their future state, but during four decades of Israeli rule, some 350,000 Israelis have moved into the area as well as east Jerusalem (which the Palestinians also claim) and have constructed some 120 towns.
Palestinians not only want the Israelis to go back to pre-1967 Israel, but object in the meantime to what they say is a policy of segregation that has created separate roads and transportation networks. Israel says these are needed to protect its citizens against Palestinian terror attacks.
"If I got on one of their buses they would slaughter me," said an Israeli who would only give his first name, Elhanan. "It's a gimmick. The Arabs ride on our buses all of the time."
A number of buses drove by [the six Arabs] without stopping or opening their doors to let on passengers. Eventually one did. Pushing their way through a swarm of cameraman, the six managed to board.
The bewildered driver sold them a ticket, and they took their seats among the Israelis. Once on board, some held signs saying: "Freedom," "Justice," and "We Shall Overcome." The other passengers ignored them without any incidents.
The campaign sought to echo the 1960s-era Freedom Riders campaign in the southern U.S. and recall civil rights heroes that much of the world admires like Rosa Parks-who in an earlier protest refused to move to the back of a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama-and Martin Luther King Jr.
In its day, the American Freedom Riders movement sent out activists to ride on racially segregated buses and challenge local laws. The Freedom Rides and the violent reaction they provoked brought attention and credibility to the civil rights movement, ushering an era of equal-rights legislation and changing attitudes toward black-white relations.
"In the 1960s U.S. south, black people had to sit in the back of the bus. In occupied Palestine, Palestinians are not even allowed on the bus," a statement by the Palestinian group said. The movement's publicity material included an interview with an activist from the 1960s.
But one Israeli watching the episode on bus No. 148 said there was no comparison between the two situations. "They said they were reenacting the ride of the freedom riders from the U.S. civil rights movement and were acting in the non-violent spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. I told them, 'From what I understand, [Palestinian President Mahmoud] Abbas is no Martin Luther King, and we aren't any white supremacist government," said passenger Haggai Segal, a resident of Kochav Ya'akov.
(By The Media Line, November 16, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that such attempts on the part of Palestinians to cast Israel in a negative light will be seen as the provocative, ludicrous actions that they are. Pray that people will realize there is no comparison between these Palestinian activists and the US Freedom Riders of the 1960s.
Scripture
"Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, just as we hope in You" (Psalm 33:20-22).
2. "Don't Believe Iran Blast Was an Accident"
A Western intelligence source told Time Magazine on Monday [November 14] that he estimates that the Mossad was behind Saturday's explosion [November 13] at an Iranian missile base near Tehran. "Don't believe the Iranians that it was an accident," the official said.
According to the Time report, the same anonymous source said that more sabotage is being planned to impede the Iranian ability to develop and deliver a nuclear weapon. "There are more bullets in the magazine," he said. Saturday's blast killed 17 people including Hassan Tehrani Moqaddam, whose rank was equivalent to that of a brigadier general. He was described as one of the key figures in Iran's missile program.
The Revolutionary Guards vowed to continue in Moqaddam's "path." According to reports, the base stored Shahab-3 missiles and other surface-to-surface weapons. Iran claimed that the explosion was a result of an accident.
US blogger Richard Silverstein was the first to point a finger at the Mossad on Sunday. According to his blog, Tikun Olam, an Israeli official told him Israel's secret service and an Iranian dissident group were responsible for the blast.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said he did not know the reason for the explosion. Asked by Israel Army Radio about the damage caused to Iran, he said Sunday "I don't know but the more the merrier."
(Excerpts of an article by Ynetnews, November 14, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that Israel will continue to use whatever means necessary to combat the Iranian nuclear threat and that there will not be negative international pressure because of it.
Scripture
"Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, 'I have prevailed against him', lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved. But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation" (Psalm 13:3-5).
According to the Time report, the same anonymous source said that more sabotage is being planned to impede the Iranian ability to develop and deliver a nuclear weapon. "There are more bullets in the magazine," he said. Saturday's blast killed 17 people including Hassan Tehrani Moqaddam, whose rank was equivalent to that of a brigadier general. He was described as one of the key figures in Iran's missile program.
The Revolutionary Guards vowed to continue in Moqaddam's "path." According to reports, the base stored Shahab-3 missiles and other surface-to-surface weapons. Iran claimed that the explosion was a result of an accident.
US blogger Richard Silverstein was the first to point a finger at the Mossad on Sunday. According to his blog, Tikun Olam, an Israeli official told him Israel's secret service and an Iranian dissident group were responsible for the blast.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said he did not know the reason for the explosion. Asked by Israel Army Radio about the damage caused to Iran, he said Sunday "I don't know but the more the merrier."
(Excerpts of an article by Ynetnews, November 14, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that Israel will continue to use whatever means necessary to combat the Iranian nuclear threat and that there will not be negative international pressure because of it.
Scripture
"Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, 'I have prevailed against him', lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved. But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation" (Psalm 13:3-5).
3. Arab League Suspension Intensifies Pressure on Syria
The Arab League placed the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad under some of its harshest diplomatic pressure yet over the violent Syrian crackdown on protesters, with plans to suspend Syria's activities in the League and calls for Arab nations to remove their ambassadors from Damascus.
According to the Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star, the Arab League foreign minister's meeting also accepted the concept of sanctions, but did not go into detail. The newspaper said the Arab League decision, which was accepted by 18 of the 22 Arab state members on Saturday [November 12], suspends the activities of Syria's representatives effective November 16 until Syria implements the League's plan for resolving the protester situation.
The League also wants to meet with the Syrian opposition this week to outline a "joint vision for the coming transitional period in Syria." They have not yet decided whether or not to recognize the opposition.
The strong Arab League step against one of its members follows continued Syrian violence-even after the Assad government accepted the League plan for resolving the conflict on November 2.
According to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, more than 3,500 Syrians have died as a result of the Assad regime's assault on the protests. According to comments released by the UN office on November 8 by Ravina Shamdasani, the acting spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, dozens were reportedly killed after the Syrians accepted the Arab League plan.
Shamdasani said the Syrians announced plans to release 553 detainees on a holiday. Despite that, Shamdasani said that "tens of thousands remain in detention and dozens continue to be arbitrarily arrested everyday."
At the time, Shamdasani said that tanks and heavy weaponry were still being used on residential areas in the city of Homs, with the Syrian neighborhood of Baba Amr under siege.
Following the Arab League's stern announcement against the Assad regime, the United States released a statement supporting the measures. "The United States commends the principled stand taken by the Arab League and supports full implementation of its efforts to bring a peaceful end to the crisis," said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday.
In her comments, which were released by the US State Department, Clinton noted that the Assad regime has "lost all credibility" and called again for Assad to step down "so a peaceful transition can begin."
In addition, she said that the US "reiterates its calls for an immediate end to the violence, for free unfettered access for human rights monitors and journalists to deter and document grave human rights abuses."
Said Clinton, "As today's Arab League decision demonstrates, the international pressure will continue to build until the brutal Assad regime heeds the calls of its own people and the world community."
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themdieastupdate.com, November 13, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that these actions will bring an end to the violence and instability in Syria which not only threatens the Syrian people, but also the nation of Israel and the entire region.
Scripture
"As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect" (Psalm 18:30-32).
According to the Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star, the Arab League foreign minister's meeting also accepted the concept of sanctions, but did not go into detail. The newspaper said the Arab League decision, which was accepted by 18 of the 22 Arab state members on Saturday [November 12], suspends the activities of Syria's representatives effective November 16 until Syria implements the League's plan for resolving the protester situation.
The League also wants to meet with the Syrian opposition this week to outline a "joint vision for the coming transitional period in Syria." They have not yet decided whether or not to recognize the opposition.
The strong Arab League step against one of its members follows continued Syrian violence-even after the Assad government accepted the League plan for resolving the conflict on November 2.
According to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, more than 3,500 Syrians have died as a result of the Assad regime's assault on the protests. According to comments released by the UN office on November 8 by Ravina Shamdasani, the acting spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, dozens were reportedly killed after the Syrians accepted the Arab League plan.
Shamdasani said the Syrians announced plans to release 553 detainees on a holiday. Despite that, Shamdasani said that "tens of thousands remain in detention and dozens continue to be arbitrarily arrested everyday."
At the time, Shamdasani said that tanks and heavy weaponry were still being used on residential areas in the city of Homs, with the Syrian neighborhood of Baba Amr under siege.
Following the Arab League's stern announcement against the Assad regime, the United States released a statement supporting the measures. "The United States commends the principled stand taken by the Arab League and supports full implementation of its efforts to bring a peaceful end to the crisis," said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday.
In her comments, which were released by the US State Department, Clinton noted that the Assad regime has "lost all credibility" and called again for Assad to step down "so a peaceful transition can begin."
In addition, she said that the US "reiterates its calls for an immediate end to the violence, for free unfettered access for human rights monitors and journalists to deter and document grave human rights abuses."
Said Clinton, "As today's Arab League decision demonstrates, the international pressure will continue to build until the brutal Assad regime heeds the calls of its own people and the world community."
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themdieastupdate.com, November 13, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that these actions will bring an end to the violence and instability in Syria which not only threatens the Syrian people, but also the nation of Israel and the entire region.
Scripture
"As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect" (Psalm 18:30-32).
4. Storms Hit Israel: Heavy Rains Flood Mall
Heavy rains, hail, and thunderstorms hit Israel Monday [November 14] evening, flooding businesses and surprising residents nationwide. The Azrieli Mall in Modiin [just north of Jerusalem] had to be closed in the evening when water reportedly piled two meters [ feet] high outside its main entrance and flooded the premises.
"At first, there was a wave, a waterfall, that entered the avenue, and within seconds the whole area was submerged," Yossi, a salesman at the mall told Ynet. "We didn't have time to lift anything above the ground." Police and fire crews were alerted to the scene. The deluge surprised Jerusalemites as well-despite warnings issued by meteorologists.
"I heard on the weather report that it's a bit wintery, but I didn't expect such a downpour," Rachel Perry, a resident of the capital, said. "I went out with my son when the rain caught us without an umbrella. We were both soaked."
Orit, a Samaria resident, said that while she didn't anticipate more than a light drizzle, she was glad for the storm. "Thank God that there's rain," she said. "We cannot complain about that." According to Meteo-Tech meteorologist Nachum Malik, more flooding was expected in low regions along the coastal plain, where dozens of millimeters of precipitation are expected [for the next several days].
(Excerpts of an article by Shiri Hadar, Ynetnews, November14, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Praise God for the rain!! Pray that the Lord will continue to bless the land this winter season with enough rain to more than make up for the losses of the past several years of drought.
Scripture
"I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water" (Isaiah 41:17b-18).
"At first, there was a wave, a waterfall, that entered the avenue, and within seconds the whole area was submerged," Yossi, a salesman at the mall told Ynet. "We didn't have time to lift anything above the ground." Police and fire crews were alerted to the scene. The deluge surprised Jerusalemites as well-despite warnings issued by meteorologists.
"I heard on the weather report that it's a bit wintery, but I didn't expect such a downpour," Rachel Perry, a resident of the capital, said. "I went out with my son when the rain caught us without an umbrella. We were both soaked."
Orit, a Samaria resident, said that while she didn't anticipate more than a light drizzle, she was glad for the storm. "Thank God that there's rain," she said. "We cannot complain about that." According to Meteo-Tech meteorologist Nachum Malik, more flooding was expected in low regions along the coastal plain, where dozens of millimeters of precipitation are expected [for the next several days].
(Excerpts of an article by Shiri Hadar, Ynetnews, November14, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Praise God for the rain!! Pray that the Lord will continue to bless the land this winter season with enough rain to more than make up for the losses of the past several years of drought.
Scripture
"I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water" (Isaiah 41:17b-18).
5. Quartet Checks on Israeli, Palestinian Progress on Border Proposals
Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been suspended for more than a year, but international mediators are still trying to move forward in determining how far apart the sides are on borders and security. With that in mind, envoys from the Mideast Quartet-consisting of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia-met with the sides separately in Jerusalem on Monday [November 14].
However, it doesn't appear the sides are any closer to restarting negotiations, as the Palestinians continue to demand that Israel again freeze settlement construction before talks resume.
The Palestinians are also demanding that Israel accept the 1967 lines as the basis for borders talks-effectively conceding the amount of territory to be received by the Palestinians, although the specifics would still need to be negotiated. The preconditions were reiterated on Monday after the Quartet meeting by chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, according to the WAFA Palestinian news agency.
The Israelis slammed the Palestinian Authority (PA) for not returning to talks already. Prime Minister's spokesman Ofir Gendelman, in his Twitter feed, said the PA "keeps presenting obsolete positions" to the Quartet, which he said is "creating a charade as if it's ready for negotiations while in fact it avoids them."
The Quartet again called for the two sides to resume direct negotiations "without delay or preconditions." The current focus on borders and security, according to an interview from Quartet envoy Tony Blair to the Los Angeles Times last month, is "not quite" indirect talks with the Quartet acting as mediator. Instead, he said it is more to check on how far apart the sides are from each other to "see if there's a basis for negotiation."
Absent from the EU-released statement was any explicit mention of the timeline for presenting proposals on borders/security, which previously had been called for within three months.
The Israelis are willing to work with the Quartet to try and get back to talks, but they don't want the border discussions to turn into indirect negotiations. "Israel is working with the Quartet to find, we hope, a framework which will lead to the early-as-possible resumption of direct talks," an anonymous Israeli official told The Mideast Update last week. "There is no substitute for direct talks, and we have no intention of allowing the Quartet discussions to become a substitute for direct talks."
The EU statement said the Quartet envoys intend to hold another meeting in December, presumably with the sides, as well as to "remain in close contact with each other and the parties."
(Excerpts of an article by Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, November 14, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the Lord will direct any and all negotiations or discussions regarding Israel's borders. Pray that no pressure will be placed on Israel to make unwise concessions.
Scripture
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye" (Psalm 32:8).
However, it doesn't appear the sides are any closer to restarting negotiations, as the Palestinians continue to demand that Israel again freeze settlement construction before talks resume.
The Palestinians are also demanding that Israel accept the 1967 lines as the basis for borders talks-effectively conceding the amount of territory to be received by the Palestinians, although the specifics would still need to be negotiated. The preconditions were reiterated on Monday after the Quartet meeting by chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, according to the WAFA Palestinian news agency.
The Israelis slammed the Palestinian Authority (PA) for not returning to talks already. Prime Minister's spokesman Ofir Gendelman, in his Twitter feed, said the PA "keeps presenting obsolete positions" to the Quartet, which he said is "creating a charade as if it's ready for negotiations while in fact it avoids them."
The Quartet again called for the two sides to resume direct negotiations "without delay or preconditions." The current focus on borders and security, according to an interview from Quartet envoy Tony Blair to the Los Angeles Times last month, is "not quite" indirect talks with the Quartet acting as mediator. Instead, he said it is more to check on how far apart the sides are from each other to "see if there's a basis for negotiation."
Absent from the EU-released statement was any explicit mention of the timeline for presenting proposals on borders/security, which previously had been called for within three months.
The Israelis are willing to work with the Quartet to try and get back to talks, but they don't want the border discussions to turn into indirect negotiations. "Israel is working with the Quartet to find, we hope, a framework which will lead to the early-as-possible resumption of direct talks," an anonymous Israeli official told The Mideast Update last week. "There is no substitute for direct talks, and we have no intention of allowing the Quartet discussions to become a substitute for direct talks."
The EU statement said the Quartet envoys intend to hold another meeting in December, presumably with the sides, as well as to "remain in close contact with each other and the parties."
(Excerpts of an article by Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, November 14, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the Lord will direct any and all negotiations or discussions regarding Israel's borders. Pray that no pressure will be placed on Israel to make unwise concessions.
Scripture
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye" (Psalm 32:8).
6. Ireland Most Hostile Country in Europe
Hatred of Israel reaches new levels in Ireland: An outrageous anti-Israel display was held over the weekend on Dublin's main pedestrian street, presenting IDF [Israel Defense Force] soldiers as Nazi troops. As part of the display, sponsored by the Dublin City Council, a group of pro-Palestinian activists set up a model of the separation fence and an IDF roadblock.
The activists dressed up as soldiers and beat, humiliated and pointed their weapons at other activists dressed as Palestinians, in front of thousands of Irish citizens and tourists.
The display joins accusations voiced against Israel at the Irish parliament last week, on the backdrop of claims that Israel "kidnapped", abused and undressed Irish nationals who took part in a Gaza-bound flotilla stopped by the Israeli army recently. Israel has strongly denied the accusations.
But that's not all. A Facebook group launched about two months ago called for heavy rocks to be thrown at the Israeli Embassy building in Dublin. Anti-Israel elements recently vandalized a Dublin auditorium slated to host a concert by Israeli singer Izhar Ashdot.
The Facebook accounts of Israeli Embassy officials have been attacked by Irish hackers and, in addition, anti-Israeli elements are attempting to disrupt an Israeli film festival organized by the embassy in Dublin next week. "The Irish government is feeding its people with anti-Israel hatred," an Israeli official argued. "What we are seeing here is clear anti-Semitism."
Foreign Ministry sources said Ireland had undoubtedly become the most hostile country to Israel in the European Union, "pushing all of Europe's countries to a radical and uncompromising approach."
According to the sources, when Israeli Ambassador Boaz Modai arrived in Dublin, one of Ireland's leading newspapers greeted him with an article titled, "Welcome to hell." The officials voiced their concern that the pressures would lead to the cancelation of the Israeli film festival.
(By Itamar Eichner, Ynetnews, November 16, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the people of Ireland will repent of the anti-Semitism that is infecting their nation. Pray that government sponsored anti-Israel propaganda will be brought to a swift end. Pray that Ireland's hostility will be confronted rather than accepted by the rest of the European Union.
Scripture
"Save me, O God, by Your name, and vindicate me by Your strength. Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers have risen up against me, and oppressors have sought after my life; they have not set God before them" (Psalm 54:1-4)
The activists dressed up as soldiers and beat, humiliated and pointed their weapons at other activists dressed as Palestinians, in front of thousands of Irish citizens and tourists.
The display joins accusations voiced against Israel at the Irish parliament last week, on the backdrop of claims that Israel "kidnapped", abused and undressed Irish nationals who took part in a Gaza-bound flotilla stopped by the Israeli army recently. Israel has strongly denied the accusations.
But that's not all. A Facebook group launched about two months ago called for heavy rocks to be thrown at the Israeli Embassy building in Dublin. Anti-Israel elements recently vandalized a Dublin auditorium slated to host a concert by Israeli singer Izhar Ashdot.
The Facebook accounts of Israeli Embassy officials have been attacked by Irish hackers and, in addition, anti-Israeli elements are attempting to disrupt an Israeli film festival organized by the embassy in Dublin next week. "The Irish government is feeding its people with anti-Israel hatred," an Israeli official argued. "What we are seeing here is clear anti-Semitism."
Foreign Ministry sources said Ireland had undoubtedly become the most hostile country to Israel in the European Union, "pushing all of Europe's countries to a radical and uncompromising approach."
According to the sources, when Israeli Ambassador Boaz Modai arrived in Dublin, one of Ireland's leading newspapers greeted him with an article titled, "Welcome to hell." The officials voiced their concern that the pressures would lead to the cancelation of the Israeli film festival.
(By Itamar Eichner, Ynetnews, November 16, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the people of Ireland will repent of the anti-Semitism that is infecting their nation. Pray that government sponsored anti-Israel propaganda will be brought to a swift end. Pray that Ireland's hostility will be confronted rather than accepted by the rest of the European Union.
Scripture
"Save me, O God, by Your name, and vindicate me by Your strength. Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers have risen up against me, and oppressors have sought after my life; they have not set God before them" (Psalm 54:1-4)
7. Help Find 1,100 Holocaust Kids
WASHINGTON-On the one hand, new technology and social networks; on the other hand, a disappearing generation of Holocaust survivors. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is using technology in a race against time, with the aim of identifying and locating 1,100 orphaned babies and children and others separated from their families during the Holocaust.
"Remember Me?" is a campaign aimed at locating the people in the pictures [http://rememberme.ushmm.org/]
Dr. Lisa Yavnai-the Holocaust Memorial Museum's marketing campaigns manager and until recently the director of the Museum's Survivors and Victims Resource Center- believes that people reading this article on Ynet will be able to dramatically help solve the mystery: Where have so many people disappeared to?
"Every month, we receive more than 1,000 appeals from people from 70 countries. These people have been looking for more than 60 years for information on their displaced loved ones and still have no answers," says the Israeli-born Yavnai. "One of our tasks is to record what happened to the victims for the future, as part of the Museum's historical documentation," explains Dr. Yavnai.
This is how the Museum was exposed to "a collection of photos of children we knew almost nothing about, apart from the fact that they were rescued after the war. We knew some of their names, ages, and the countries they came from. We felt we were in a race against time to reach them." Yavnai explains that "these people are today between the end of their 60s and their early 80s. These are the younger victims of the Holocaust.
"In March, we began a campaign to locate the survivors in order to interview them and record their stories, but, as important, to connect them to other survivors and people who helped care for them during and after the war."
The Holocaust Museum's campaign has been published in Jewish media in the US and France. At the same time, the Museum has launched a campaign on Facebook and Twitter, seeking the public's help in locating and identifying the 1,100 children in the photos.
From the moment the campaign was launched, the "babies" began popping up. "We began the campaign on March 21. Twenty-four hours later, we were contacted by a first 'baby'from Paris, who said: 'C'est moi'('it's me'). Who would have thought that at this age you could find people on Facebook and Twitter? We expected younger family members from the community to help, but it turns out that the grownups themselves are on the Net," Dr. Yavnai notes.
Since 1945, efforts have been made around the world to locate missing people through one of the most accessible tools at the time-the radio. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) did it immediately after World War II. At the same time, the Jewish Agency began operating the Search Bureau for Missing Relatives, which was set up to help Holocaust survivors locate relatives and acquaintances lost during the war.
The Search Bureau for Missing Relatives concluded its activity in 2002, and five years later, Israel Radio relaunched a program by the same name. Listeners call in to locate people missing since the Holocaust and renew their ties with distant relatives.
In the days after World War II, there were no emails and no social networks, not to mention the Internet. Even those who managed to get any interesting information from the radio got stuck in a frustrating bureaucratic process, which included a lengthy correspondence with the interior ministry and authorities. But today, we have a quick and immediate social took, which can be used not just for uprisings in the Arab world.
(By Yitzhak Benhorin, Ynetnews, November 14, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that this campaign will be successful in locating survivors and uniting them with family members. Pray that the Lord will use such restoration to help survivors overcome the horrific pain of the past.
Scripture
"I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible" (Jeremiah 15:21).
"Remember Me?" is a campaign aimed at locating the people in the pictures [http://rememberme.ushmm.org/]
Dr. Lisa Yavnai-the Holocaust Memorial Museum's marketing campaigns manager and until recently the director of the Museum's Survivors and Victims Resource Center- believes that people reading this article on Ynet will be able to dramatically help solve the mystery: Where have so many people disappeared to?
"Every month, we receive more than 1,000 appeals from people from 70 countries. These people have been looking for more than 60 years for information on their displaced loved ones and still have no answers," says the Israeli-born Yavnai. "One of our tasks is to record what happened to the victims for the future, as part of the Museum's historical documentation," explains Dr. Yavnai.
This is how the Museum was exposed to "a collection of photos of children we knew almost nothing about, apart from the fact that they were rescued after the war. We knew some of their names, ages, and the countries they came from. We felt we were in a race against time to reach them." Yavnai explains that "these people are today between the end of their 60s and their early 80s. These are the younger victims of the Holocaust.
"In March, we began a campaign to locate the survivors in order to interview them and record their stories, but, as important, to connect them to other survivors and people who helped care for them during and after the war."
The Holocaust Museum's campaign has been published in Jewish media in the US and France. At the same time, the Museum has launched a campaign on Facebook and Twitter, seeking the public's help in locating and identifying the 1,100 children in the photos.
From the moment the campaign was launched, the "babies" began popping up. "We began the campaign on March 21. Twenty-four hours later, we were contacted by a first 'baby'from Paris, who said: 'C'est moi'('it's me'). Who would have thought that at this age you could find people on Facebook and Twitter? We expected younger family members from the community to help, but it turns out that the grownups themselves are on the Net," Dr. Yavnai notes.
Since 1945, efforts have been made around the world to locate missing people through one of the most accessible tools at the time-the radio. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) did it immediately after World War II. At the same time, the Jewish Agency began operating the Search Bureau for Missing Relatives, which was set up to help Holocaust survivors locate relatives and acquaintances lost during the war.
The Search Bureau for Missing Relatives concluded its activity in 2002, and five years later, Israel Radio relaunched a program by the same name. Listeners call in to locate people missing since the Holocaust and renew their ties with distant relatives.
In the days after World War II, there were no emails and no social networks, not to mention the Internet. Even those who managed to get any interesting information from the radio got stuck in a frustrating bureaucratic process, which included a lengthy correspondence with the interior ministry and authorities. But today, we have a quick and immediate social took, which can be used not just for uprisings in the Arab world.
(By Yitzhak Benhorin, Ynetnews, November 14, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that this campaign will be successful in locating survivors and uniting them with family members. Pray that the Lord will use such restoration to help survivors overcome the horrific pain of the past.
Scripture
"I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible" (Jeremiah 15:21).
8. Israel Launches Christian Tourism Youtube Channel
The Israeli Tourism Ministry's efforts to reach Christian tourists has again gone digital with the launch of a new Youtube channel featuring trip testimonials and information on holy sites. The channel, entitled the Spirit of the Holy Land, was announced on Monday [November 14] in a Tourism Ministry press release.
The videos come in a variety of languages ranging from English to Japanese and join the Tourism Ministry's Catholic-focused channel "Holyland Pilgrimage." Said Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov in the press release, "Incoming Christian tourism, in all its denominations, represents the main target market in which the Tourism Ministry focuses its marketing effort in order to increase incoming tourism.
"This new Web site will help transmit messages and the special spiritual significance of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land." The press release said the new channel includes trip testimonials from pastors, religious leaders and tourists on the "spiritual experience of their visit," in addition to information on religious sites and events.
Thousands of hits have been recorded on the new site in recent months during its running-in period, with the Tourism Ministry saying hits were coming even before the channel was promoted.
The press release said the Youtube channel is "designed to arouse interest amongst Christians around the world, challenge them to visit Israel and increase Christian tourism traffic to Israel."
(Excerpts of an article by Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, November 15, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Thank the Lord for this relationship-building effort. Pray that Christians will continue to come to Israel in record numbers, returning home as true advocates for the nation.
Scripture
"Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants-everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant-even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer" (Isaiah 56:6-8).
The videos come in a variety of languages ranging from English to Japanese and join the Tourism Ministry's Catholic-focused channel "Holyland Pilgrimage." Said Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov in the press release, "Incoming Christian tourism, in all its denominations, represents the main target market in which the Tourism Ministry focuses its marketing effort in order to increase incoming tourism.
"This new Web site will help transmit messages and the special spiritual significance of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land." The press release said the new channel includes trip testimonials from pastors, religious leaders and tourists on the "spiritual experience of their visit," in addition to information on religious sites and events.
Thousands of hits have been recorded on the new site in recent months during its running-in period, with the Tourism Ministry saying hits were coming even before the channel was promoted.
The press release said the Youtube channel is "designed to arouse interest amongst Christians around the world, challenge them to visit Israel and increase Christian tourism traffic to Israel."
(Excerpts of an article by Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, November 15, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Thank the Lord for this relationship-building effort. Pray that Christians will continue to come to Israel in record numbers, returning home as true advocates for the nation.
Scripture
"Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants-everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant-even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer" (Isaiah 56:6-8).
Note: All Scripture is taken from the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.
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