June 30, 2017 -- Eyes on USA and Russia!

I heard this morning that the USA and Russia are to have conversations next Saturday.  I was presently surprised to read that President Trump and President Putin with be at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany next weekend.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/german-foreign-minister-welcomes-trump-putin-meeting-g20-48375174

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/29/white-house-sanctions-first-trump-putin-meeting

June 30, 2017 -- Israel, Russia, and the USA

Israel expressed concerns to Russia that growing tensions between Russia and USA concerning the conflict in Syria might spill over into Israel.

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Israel-to-Russia-Were-concerned-your-tensions-with-the-US-might-endanger-our-border-498286

June 29, 2017 -- Israel has its radicals too!

Dormition Abbey Church on Top of Hill

Since returning from Israel I have reflected about many things.  The one that occupies my thought today is radical extremism.  Yes!  Israel has its radicals too.   When I visited the Dormition Abbey Church in Jerusalem, I had heard that it was vandalized a number of times since 2014.   The Abbey is a German Benedictine monastery just outside the Old City walls.  The present church and abbey was dedicated in 1906.  On January 17, 2016, the walls and doors of the Abbey were vandalized with anti-Christian slogans written in Hebrew.   The vandalism is thought to be the result of Jewish extremists.

On June 20, 2017, three Palestinians were reportedly assaulted by a Jewish extremist group called Lehava in Jerusalem.  The incident has been verified by a video, which I viewed.  It really is not clear who instigated the conflict.  I have included three links below.        

http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.697847

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Jewish-extremists-accused-of-targeting-beating-Palestinians-in-Jerusalem-498342

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=898ubW553Wc

June 27, 2017 -- Men and Women at the Wall Redux

As it turns out, there is more to the story concerning mixed prayer at the Western Wall.  First, there already exists a place for mixed prayer near Robinson’s Arch.  This was the result of a compromise between orthodox leaders in Israel and Conservative and Reform Jewish leaders from America.  What was rejected earlier this week by the government is known as the Sharansky Compromise, named after the Israeli politician Natan Sharansky.  This second compromise would have had three goals: 1 ) extend the present area for mixed prayer near Robinson’s Arch; 2) introduce a new entrance to the area; and 3) allow oversite to Conservative and Reform Jewish leaders and not the Western Wall Foundation.  However, the first compromise still stands and there is still talk of expanding the area.  With the rejection of the Sharansky Compromise, the issue now goes to the Israeli High Court.

I have included a link below to a recent video of Naftali Bennett, who is presently an Israeli Minister, who explains in more detail the history of the Kotel compromise.

https://www.facebook.com/bennettnaftalienglish/videos/1043164625814835/

Existing Area for Mixed Prayer.  If you look closely inside the blue circle, you can see a small platform near the wall.  When I visited, I did not notice anyone praying there. 

An illustration of Natan Sharansky's proposal, which would have expanded the Western Wall and create a permanent egalitarian space in the Robinson's Arch area. (photo credit: Creative Commons/Graphics by Uri Fintzy/JTA)

When I visited the Old City of Jerusalem, I took numerous pictures of the Western Wall.  Among them is the first picture above that captures a small platform near the wall.  As it turns out, this appears to be the existing area for mixed prayer.  The second picture and caption are from Uri Fintzy/JTA, which shows where the Sharansky’s Compromise would have expanded the mixed area of prayer.

https://www.facebook.com/bennettnaftalienglish/videos/1043164625814835/

June 26, 2017 -- Men and Women at the Wall

There has been a recent development near the Temple Mount.  While Visiting Israel last month, I went to see the Kotel (the Western Wall) where Jews are allowed to pray.  I noticed first hand that access to the wall is divided.  Only men are allowed to pray on one side; and only women on the other.  However, there was a proposal to introduce a third area that would allow mixed access for men and women to pray together in a new and expanded area near Robinson’s Arch, but the plan was rejected yesterday by the Israeli government.

The Western Wall is presently governed by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation and overseen by an Orthodox synagogue.  The idea of a mixed area for men and women to pray together was put forward to the Israeli government by a number of American Jewish leaders such as The Jewish Federations of North America and other Reform and Conservative movements.  On January 31, 2016 the plan seemed to win the support among Israeli President Netanyahu and members of his cabinet, but news out of Jerusalem on June 26, 2017 reports that the government has now rejected the plan.  This has created tensions between the two groups.  A number of questions arise!  Is it a difference between conservative and liberal ideals?  Is it a religious struggle?  Is it political?  Is it something of both?  Or is it that we do not have all the facts?  It will be interesting to see how this story unfolds.

June 25, 2017 -- The Status Quo

Did you know that Jews are allowed limited access to ascend to the Temple Mount?  Since the Six-Day War in 1967, the Israeli government enforced the “Status Quo” on the Temple Mount.  After the capture of the mount by Israeli soldiers, it was quickly decided to continue to allow Moslems to pray on the mount, but forbid the Jewish people from also doing so.  However, the “Status Quo” does not necessarily prevent the Jewish people from going up to the mount.  Their access has changed through the years.  Presently, Jews are allowed limited entry to the Temple Mount under the guidance and protection of Israeli police in order to protect them (and perhaps to prevent them from praying).  For example, a video surfaced from Passover 2014 that shows a conflict that arose when one group was being escorted on the mount by Israeli police.  The first group appears as though moving through peacefully and from the other group certain individuals are yelling at the first group.  If you look closely, you will see olive trees that bare witness quietly.

I have included a link below to the video, and also a link to more information on the “Status Quo.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bew7Wzio-Vg

http://jcpa.org/article/status-quo-on-temple-mount/

June 24, 2017 -- House of Prayer for all Nations

I recently came across an article that argues there is a growing sense among some Christians that the Temple Mount is the center for what needs to be a house of prayer for all nations.  It is even called a Christian awakening.  The argument is based on the saying, “my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”  What is your sense?     

The phrase is originally associated with the Solomon Temple from the First Temple Period (ca. 1000-586 BCE).  Following judgement, exile, and the destruction of the First Temple, there is announcement of a coming restoration and rebuilding of the temple (Isa 44:24-28).  Later within the context of the Book of Isaiah we find the words, “my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (56:7). 

The second time in which the phrase appears is during the Second Temple Period (ca. 538 BCE-70 CE).  During his ministry in Jerusalem, Jesus confronts the chief priests and the scribes saying, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers” (Mk 11:15-17).  In the end this temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.

June 23, 2017 -- 300,000 Palestinians on the Temple Mount

Temple Mount on the last day of Ramadan (Photo by Flash 90)

Near the end of Ramadan, Palestinians ascend to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to observe Laylat al-Qadr (the night of power) this past Thursday.  This year it has been reported that over 300,000 Palestinians visited the Temple Mount.  The good news is there does not appear to have been an attack or an act of terrorism. 

https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/90173/thousands-palestinians-flood-temple-mount-last-day-ramadan/#tPlDBc3FDUGI8fli.97

June 22, 2017 - The Jerusalem Syndrome: The Case of Denis Micchael Rohan (1969)

THE JERUSALEM SYNDROME

Before going to Jerusalem, I occasionally had conversations with friends who told me about “the Jerusalem Syndrome.”  I have to admit that I had heard about an episode from The Simpsons in which Homer is on vacation with his family in Israel.  Although he is not impressed at first, Homer gets lost in the desert and after a state of dehydration awakens in a hospital where he tells his family that he is the chosen one, the messiah, who wants to unite all the faiths of the Holy Land.  Homer is suffering from “the Jerusalem Syndrome.”  He sets out to the Dome of the Rock to proclaim his message.

One of the most famous real life examples of Jerusalem Syndrome is Denis Michael Rohan.  On August 21, 1969 he set fire to the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  He believed that if the mosque was destroyed this would launch God’s plan.  Rohan would build the third temple and God would “set him up as king over Jerusalem and Judea.”  Although the fire did not entirely destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the incident did spark an international concern that a holy war might ensue.  Rohan was arrested in Israel, tried, and found insane.  After spending time in a mental institute in Israel, he returned home to Australia apparently under psychiatric care.  He died later in 1995.   

I have included three links below.  The first gives a description of the Jerusalem Syndrome.  The second provides information, an audio file, and a transcript on the story of Denis Michael Rohan.  The third is a link to a video of the 1969 Al-Aqsa fire.  The video is from a site that calls Rohan a Zionist.  However, he is generally understood as a Christian (either protestant, evangelical, or a fundamentalist) who was influence by, though not endorsed by, the Worldwide Church of God and its magazine The Plain Truth.  

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-jerusalem-syndrome

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/backgroundbriefing/rohan-and-the-road-to-the-apocalypse/3070866#transcript

http://178.32.255.194/hispantv/20160821/alaqsa.mp4

June 19, 2017 -- News From Israel

Dome of the Al-Aqsa Mosque

I found two other Palestinian news agencies that carried the story from yesterday reporting that Israeli police and officers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque and arrested a number of Palestinians.  However, the account has not appeared on any Israeli news sites that I can find.  This raises some questions.  Was the action too embarrassing to report?  Is Israel being cautious?  Did the raid not happen?  As the Latins would say, tempus omnia revelat – time reveals all things!

Update on ISIS from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA).   After ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack last Friday near the Damascus Gate, it appears some Israeli officials dismissed the claim.  However, Michael S. Smith II, who is an American terrorist analyst, and Rukmini Callimachi from the New York Times, both argue that ISIS and its threats against Israel should be taken more seriously.   Yisrael Katz, who is Israel’s Intelligence Minister, says that though Israel has no evidence linking the attack on Friday with any organization, Israel does take the threat from ISIS seriously.  See link below:

http://www.jta.org/2017/06/19/news-opinion/israel-middle-east/after-jerusalem-attack-us-experts-warn-islamic-state-may-be-coming-to-israel

June 18, 2017 -- Month Anniversary of Day Three on Temple Mount

News out of Jerusalem!  Credibility is uncertain! 

It has been reported that Israeli soldiers and undercover officers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque (Al-Qibil Mosque) on Sunday.  They are said to have detained and interrogated a number of Palestinians in order to examine ID cards.  This comes from IMEMCnews, which I am not familiar with, but wanted to note the story.  I have not been able to verify the account with any other news source.  It will be interesting to see what develops. 

I have provided two links below.

http://imemc.org/article/undercover-israeli-officers-invade-al-aqsa-mosque-smash-its-doors-and-attack-worshipers/

http://imemc.org/article/israeli-invasions-into-al-aqsa-mosque-continue-resulting-in-injuries-and-abductions/

Al-Aqsa Mosque (Al-Qibil Mosque)

June 17, 2017 -- Month Anniversary of Day Two on Temple Mount: Hamas Claims Responsibility for Yesterday's Attack

Hamas Claims Responsibility for Yesterday's Attack
More news out of Jerusalem today.  It now appears that Hamas is claiming responsibility for the attacks that took place yesterday in Jerusalem, a claim that also denies any involvement of ISIS.  Sami Abou Zouhri, the spokesperson for Hamas, said that the attacks were carried out by two Palestinians from the PFLP and a third from Hamas.  At this point, Israeli officials have not appeared to have confirmed or denied any involvement from ISIS or Hamas.  Regardless, it shows that both the PFLP and Hamas are not afraid to associate themselves with such evil attacks carried out yesterday.  I do not see how it justifies the cause of Palestinians living peacefully in Israel.  Rather, it shows the hypocrisy, hatred, and darkness of some of the leaders of ISIS and Hamas for Israelis.   Such attacks are not demonstrating life, light and liberty to the Palestinians either, who live in and around Jerusalem, rather the attacks manifest death and darkness. 

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/6/17/palestinians-shot-over-stabbing-were-not-is-says-hamas

UPDATE

Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Left and Olive Trees on the Right Foreground. 

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) now claims that the Palestinians involved in the attack yesterday were not part of Hamas or ISIS, rather it was the work of a local cell.  According to the IDF, the three individuals went to the Temple Mount to pray at the Al-Aqsa before the attack.  The IDF is concerned that more attacks might be repeated in the coming days.  In response, Israel revoked 250,000 permits that allowed Palestinians to visit Jerusalem during the month of Ramadan, though Muslims will still have access to the Temple Mount for prayers on Friday.

http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.796248
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.796203

Both Israelis and Palestinians suffer as a result of these terror attacks.  Both Israel and Palestinians are falling victims to the evil intentions, actions, and circumstances that surround them.  If it is true that the three attackers went up to the Al-Alqsa Mosque to pray, do not the actions demonstrate the intent of the prayer?  Since when is killing a sign of prayer and worship?  When will we wake up to what is happening in and around Jerusalem? 



 

June 16, 2017 -- Month Anniversary of Day One on Temple Mount: Israeli Police Woman Hadas Malka Stabbed near Damascus Gate

News out of Jerusalem today!  An Israeli police woman, Hadas Malka, age 23, was stabbed earlier today near the Damascus Gate.  She later died from her wounds.   Three Palestinians were shot dead after two of them attacked police with guns and knives, and the third stabbed the police woman.  Although ISIS claims responsibility, the assertion is uncertain.  It will be interesting to see how the Israeli government responds.  Will they restrict access to the Temple Mount?  If ISIS used the three Palestinians to carry out the attacks, it is hurting both the Israelis and the Palestinians. 

Damascus Gate

Hadas Malka