The International Court of Justice is considering the status of the West Bank and East Jerusalem this week. 52 countries are addressing the court. The majority of them are hostile to the existence and security of the Jewish state of Israel.
One of the speakers at the hearings is jurist Andrew Tucker. He is attending the hearings this week at the Peace Palace in The Hague, also called the “temple of peace.” He sees this as a spiritual battle for which urgent prayer is needed.
How do you cope with the harsh reality of a family member being either taken hostage or killed? This heartbreaking situation has become a grim truth for numerous Israeli families since October 7th.
In 2014, amidst a cease-fire, Israeli Lieutenant Hadar Goldin was abducted and killed by Hamas. His body has been held by Hamas in Gaza ever since. The Goldin family has been advocating for a decade to retrieve Hadar’s body. In this interview, Leah Goldin, Hadar’s mother, and Hemi (Menachem), his brother, share their poignant story.
Shortly after the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, hundreds of bodies needed to be recovered and identified. Among those actively involved was Nachman Dickstein from the volunteer organization ZAKA, a unit specialized in rescuing terror victims and recovering and identifying bodies. On the day of the attacks, Nachman went to the Nova festival site where hundreds of people had been killed. After that, he spent two weeks working at the kibbutzim to identify victims. In this interview, Nachman shares his experiences and reflects on how his faith played a crucial role in guiding him through this challenging task.
Since October 7th, antisemitism has increased alarmingly worldwide. It is important to mention this on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Can we draw parallels between the time leading up to World War II and today, or is that too far-fetched? Through years of research Priest and Holocaust expert Patrick Desbois discovered numerous Jewish mass graves in Eastern Europe and he examined why “ordinary” people participated in the mass destruction during World War II.
Over the past few decades the ongoing conflict between Israel and the neighboring Arab nations has been explained as an age-old fraternal dispute in Bible studies, articles, and sermons. This dispute is commonly traced back to the biblical figures Isaac and Ishmael. Despite the story we read in the Bible of Hagar and Ishmael being expelled from the Promised Land, they are bestowed with promises and blessings. In this insightful Bible study Rev. Cornelis Kant explores this theme.
On Thursday, 11 January 2024, around 2,000 supporters of Israel were in The Hague to show their support. On this day the trial at the International Court of Justice began, in which Israel is accused of committing genocide.