The UN Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry into Israel and the Palestinian territories has demonstrated its incapacity to function as an independent tribunal based on the rule of law.
September 2018 marks twenty-five years since Oslo and that famous handshake on the White House lawn by Prime Minister Rabin and Chairman Arafat under the patronage of President Bill Clinton. And a lot will be written about this anniversary. The one undeniable truth over this period has been the disenchantment of those who supported Oslo and who had believed that finally the Palestinians were going to reverse their original mantra as expressed in 1921 by the Palestine Arab Executive Committee when they said: “Either us or the Zionists. There is no room for both.” Those in Israel who still support the principles of Oslo and yearn for a Two State solution, understand where the fault lies for it not yet occurring. AB Yehoshua who was at one time on the Meretz list running for the Knesset, said in an interview in Ha’artez that: “Yasser Arafat first misled the world when he said he wanted a secular, pluralistic and democratic state and then trampled the Oslo Accords with terror attacks.” Yehoshua also blamed Arafat’s successor, Mahmoud Abbas, for “rejecting Israel’s land-for-peace offer in 2008”. Einat Wilf a former Labour MK, in a recently published book says that her party’s assumption in […]
Last July 19 the Israel Knesset passed the Nation-State Law 62-55. Opinion, argument and comments came quickly. Frankly, the wording of the Bill simply summed up values known for 70 years. The founding fathers proclaimed ‘the establishment of a Jewish State in Eretz Israel May 14, 1948. It was to be known “as the state of Israel”’. Everyone who has become residents of the land since 1948 has clearly known the Jewish status and cultural significance of the Jewish national tradition. The Basic Principles are listed in the Law first. A) The land of Israel is the historical homeland of the Jewish people, in which the State of Israel was established. B) The State of Israel is the national home of the Jewish people, in which it fulfils its natural, cultural, religious and historical right to self-determination. C) The right to exercise national self-determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish people. No surprise there! It is also hard to argue with the ‘Symbols “ the Law lists next. 1). The name of the state is “Israel.” 2). The state flag is white with two blue stripes near the edges and a blue Star of David in […]
In early July I was invited to join the Victorian chapter of the Liberal Friends of Israel. I learnt about this initiative over a morning coffee with Noa Bloch and Lexi Kowal, the Political Affairs Director and former board member of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) respectively. Founded by Senator James Paterson, David Southwick MP and Tim Wilson MP, the network is already working with its NSW counterpart to build greater appreciation of the Australia-Israel friendship within the Liberal Party, attracting a large membership base in Victoria. Spokesperson David Van told I&CT, “we’ve been thrilled by the launch: the response has been extraordinary.” The Liberal Party will always be a Zionist Party The launch on 26 August drew more than 300 local supporters including 16 state Liberal MPs. The current Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg demonstrated his solid understanding of Israel’s history and spoke with great conviction in support of the bilateral friendship. Stalwart ambassador for the Christian Zionist community Jill Curry was well received. Curry gave a lucid summary of Christians’ rationale for supporting Israel before introducing Dave Sharma, former Australian Ambassador to Israel. On September 13, Sharma was preselected as the Liberal candidate for Turnbull’s former seat […]
In Part 01 of our series about Jerusalem and Christians visits, we learned that the ‘river of pilgrimage’ has been flowing from the very beginning of the church age. Christians constitute the highest amount of sacred visitors to a holy city which is also sacred to Judaism and Islam, too. This growing phenomena in Christian visits is even more remarkable considering that neither Christ nor the apostles command it, and there is more of a spiritual, rather than geographic, emphasis in Christian worship. We also learned why Christians visit Jerusalem. They can be summarised in two key words: Devotion: From the very beginning, Christians have been motivated to visit Jerusalem so that they can ‘walk where Jesus walked.’ Following in the footsteps of the Master is a strong sign of devotion. Education: Pious believers visit Jerusalem because they want to learn more about the Bible. Considering that Jerusalem is mentioned over 811 times in the KJV, it is indisputably the premier city of Scripture. What is remarkable is that these twin pillars of devotion and education can be applied across the board, to pilgrims from every denomination and every century of the church age. The Tourism Factor To the ancient […]
Isaiah 66:8 records the famous question ‘can a nation be born in a day?’ 2’700 years later the question was answered. Despite insurmountable odds, Israel—armed with help from above and the heroic courage of its men and women—was born in a day on May 14, 1948. In this article we are going to look at three unique heroes of Israel’s miraculous modern-day re-birth. Golda Meir – An Amazing Fundraiser Golda Meir is famous for becoming Israel’s first female Prime Minister in 1969. However, many are unaware of the pivotal role she played in 1948. Israel desperately needed modern weapons if it’s rag-tag band of Jewish fighters were to stand a chance against the impending onslaught by five modern Arab armies. However, their main funding source— the US Jewish community—was already stretched to the limit with various local projects such as schools and other Jewish institutions. They were growing tired of the incessant appeals for help from the Jews of Palestine, and it was estimated that they would only be able to raise $5 million for Israel—just a fraction of the amount needed. Zionist leader Golda Meir immediately volunteered to go to America. Two days later she was on her way […]
The European Coalition for Israel (ECI) has recently released its European Report from 2014, which features interviews of Tomas Sandell, Andrew Tucker, and Matthijs de Blois, following the C4I International / ECI conference in Nijkerk in June 2014. Its primary point of focus was the BDS movement, which is rife throughout Europe. ECI is a joint initiative by major international Christian pro-Israel organisations to address the issue of growing anti-Semitism in Europe. The coalition was formally launched in Brussels in 2003, officially cementing long term partnerships. ECI informs political leaders in Brussels and throughout Europe about the complex realities of the conflict in the Middle East. Acknowledging the right for Israel-—the only democracy in the region—to exist within secure borders is a fundamental premise to this conversation. The European Report of 2014 focuses on ECI’s work to counter the prominent BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanctions) movement. BDS is a global campaign targeting Israel which applies economic and political pressure in attempts to disrupt the state’s exports. The movement’s proponents regularly cite the alleged illegality of Jewish settlements in the Judean and Samarian disputed regions (commonly referred to as the West Bank). Tomas Sandell (Founder and Director of ECI) highlights three major […]