Over
120,000 Syrians have fled the Daraa region since fighting broke out in
south western Syria earlier this week.
Around 50,000
are heading to the boarders of Jordan and Israel. Although Israel has warned that it will not
allow violations of its sovereignty and refugees spilling over its boarders, the
Israeli army said that they shipped humanitarian aid last night to those
Syrians fleeing the fight who are currently living in makeshift camps near her
boarder in the Golan Heights. A group
of Syrians who are fleeing the fighting have asked Israel to help them. A video
appeared on YouTube asking for help. The
United Nations Security Council unanimously renewed its mission on Friday to
continue the ceasefire in the Golan
Heights, and called for all armed groups to leave the area between Syria
and Israel.
Friday, June 29, 2018
Thursday, June 28, 2018
June 28, 2018 -- Prince William's Final Day in Jerusalem
As
Syrian President
Assad prepares to retake southwest Syria, Israel may seek an agreement with
Syria to remove Iranian forces and Shiite militia. Saudi
Arabia, Jordan, and Palestine have all cautioned Israel on Turkey’s growing
influence in East Jerusalem. Israel has
been aware of Turkish President Erdogan’s increasing influence in the area and
has been watching his efforts for over a year.
On his final day in Jerusalem, Prince
William visited the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa, the Western Wall, and the Church
of the Holy Sepulcher. He left a prayer
in the guest book at the Western Heritage Foundation: “May the God of peace
bless this region and all the world with peace.”
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
June 27, 2018 -- News from Israel/Palestine
 |
Palestinian fishermen ride their boats as they return from fishing at the seaport of Gaza City.
(photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMMED SALEM)
|
Several Jewish
girls were jailed for two days after praying at the gates of the Temple
Mount/Al-Sharif. Israel announced
a plan to help relieve Gaza’s isolation and humanitarian needs by building
a port on Cyprus from which cargo ships with goods can be sent to Gaza after inspection
to insure that no weapons are smuggled to Hamas. On his Twitter account, Israeli
Prime Minister congratulated the Iranian soccer team and encouraged the
Iranian people advocating for peace between the peoples of the two countries. Prince
William met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, during
which Abbas is to have told the prince that, “the Palestinian side is committed
to the peace process with the Israelis.”
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
June 26, 2018 -- Prince William plays soccer with Muslim, Jewish, and Christian children in Jaffa, Israel.
 |
| Reuters |
A
report out of Israel has claimed that Israel fired two missiles
at a warehouse in Damascus’ International Airport. The Israeli military neither confirms nor
denies such action. Prince
William began his historic visit of Israel on Tuesday. This is the first from a
member of the British royal family. He
visited the Yad
Vashem, the World Holocaust Museum, and spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and Israeli
President Reuven Rivlin, who asked William to send greetings of peace to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas,
saying, “It is about time that we…find together the way to build confidence,”
and that, “All the Jerusalemites know we can live together and we will live
together.” William, also known as the
Duke of Cambridge, is scheduled to meet with President Abbas, and there was
talk that he might visit the Western Wall and perhaps the Temple Mount.
Monday, June 25, 2018
June 25, 2018 -- The US Middle East Peace Plan
Recently,
Jared Kushner has stated that the US
Middle East peace plan will be revealed soon. Jordanian King Abdullah II and US President Trump
met in the White House on Monday.
Although Trump said progress has been made in the Israeli-Palestinian
peace plan, he refused to give a timeline.
Here is a short video
of the event that also included the First Lady and Queen Rania Al Abdullah. Also in the news today, Iranians
protested on the streets of Tehran on Monday in response to the growing economic
problems in the country. In a strange
turn of events and it is worth waiting to see if the claim is true, protesters
are to have shouted, “Death to Palestine,” “Help us, not Gaza,” and “Leave
Syria alone and deal with Iran.” There
also was a report on Monday that the Saudi Prince Mohammed
bin Salman has thrown the Palestinians under the Bus; and that the US and
Arab governments believe they can force Mahmoud Abbas into submission. However, the Fatah leader in Gaza Yahya
Rabah argues that the Trump plan cannot succeed without President Abbas. A senior Palestinian official, Saeb
Erekat’s, has even gone as far as accusing the US of trying to topple Abbas’
government.
June 25, 2018 -- Drone captures fire damage in Israel.
It has been two months since flaming kites began to drop into Israel. Although no one has been killed, it has rained down destruction on fields, wildlife, and farms. The flaming kites that were sent from Gaza demonstrate that not all demonstrators were entirely peaceful. I found a video from a drone that captures some of the damage. Click Video from HAARETZ .
 |
| Credit: Maya Ben Nisan |
Two months of burning kites from Gaza
Sunday, June 24, 2018
June 24, 2018 -- JERUSALEM INTERNATIONAL YMCA (2017)
 |
| Jerusalem International YMCA |
It has been over a year, but I want to share a couple experiences
that happened to me when I first visited Israel in the summer of 2017. Each centers on an encounter with a
woman. One was an Israeli, and the other
was a Palestinian. As I was settling
into my seat for the flight from JFK to Tel Aviv, I sat next to a man on my right
and an empty seat on my left. Suddenly,
a young woman walks toward us in the isle and stops. She looked at the empty seat and then looked at
me and shrugged her shoulders. As she
was settling into the seat next to me, I asked her why she was so distraught. She said that normally she sits in the back
of the plane in an area where she can stretch out and unwind. I tried to encourage and comfort her. We talked a little and exchanged pleasantries. I soon realized that she was Israeli. A curious thing about her was that she had
what looked like a fish tattooed on her hand.
At one point, I thought to myself, “I am sitting next to a
literal descendent of Abraham, on my way to the land where Abraham was a sojourner,
and the land where the twelve tribes of Israel inhabited. This was a land of promise, fulfillment,
desolation, and destruction. Yet, after
nearly 1950 years, Israelis had made their way back to the land and were making
a way at it. Later when I prayed that
the Holy Spirit not pass me by, I felt drawn to the Israelis.
Toward the end of my stay in Jerusalem, I attended a little
gathering where I was staying at the Jerusalem International YMCA. They were all celebrating the work at the
YMCA that fosters understanding among Israelis and Arabs in Jerusalem. The location has become a center for
cultural, musical, athletic, social, hospitality, and intellectual life. One example is the YMCA Jerusalem Youth
Chorus, which encourages youth from both East and West Jerusalem (Muslim,
Christian, Jewish) to come together in peace to foster dialogue and share in
music and performance. In
front of the YMCA is a sign in three languages: Arabic, English, and
Hebrew. This is what it says,
HERE IS A PLACE WHOSE
ATMOSPHERE IS PEACE
WHERE POLITICAL AND
RELIGIOUS
JEALOUSIES CAN BE
FORGOTTEN
AND INTERNATIONAL
UNITY BE
FOSTERED AND
DEVELOPED.
The saying is attributed to Lord Allenby and his dedication
address in April, 1933.
 |
| Sign in front of YMCA |
ough my mind.
SEND FORTH YOUR LIGHT
AND TRUTH O GOD
AND LET IT BE OUR
GUIDE
BRING US TO THE HOLY
PLACE WHERE YOU ABIDE
GUIDING BY YOUR GLORY
GUIDING ALL AFFAIRS
PROTECTED FROM All
EARTHLY
AND ALL WORLDLY
CARES.
I felt like my heart was dancing. She looked at me and I at her. She just smiled and I smiled back. I later thanked her for the work they were
doing. I took some final pictures and
went on my way. When I finally departed
from Jerusalem that summer, I realized that I had a love for both Israelis and
Palestinians. I also knew that the land
of Israel/Palestine was very much a disputed land, but that I had spent time
with descendants of Abraham, both Israelis and Arabs.
 |
Woman who shared during gathering at YMCA
|
Saturday, June 23, 2018
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
June 20, 2018 -- Gaza fires 45 rockets into Israel, prompting air strikes from Israeli aircraft.
Jerusalem
(CNN): In one of the biggest
exchanges of fire between the two sides in years, militants in Gaza launched
some 45 rockets toward Israel early Wednesday morning, prompting retaliatory
airstrikes from Israeli fighter jets, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Israel warns Hamas as tensions escalate over Gaza rockets and incendiary kites
Israel warns Hamas as tensions escalate over Gaza rockets and incendiary kites
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Sunday, June 17, 2018
June 6, 2018 -- Turkish President Erdogn, Gaza, and the Temple Mount
 |
| Turkish demonstration on the Temple Mount |
Turkish
President Erdogan and other Turkish affiliates are stepping up their influence in Gaza and
Jerusalem. Erdogan wants to bring Hamas,
who is in Gaza, under his control. The
president also desires to be the defender and liberator of the Al-Aqsa
Mosque.
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Thursday, June 14, 2018
June 14, 2018 -- Where is my place in the universe?
 |
| Graphic Illustration of our Milky Way and our Sun (University of Wisconsin) |
I may not be the most eloquent person alive or the most intelligent. That is OK!
I have come to realize that I am only one person among nearly 7.6
billion people alive on the earth. It
has been estimated that 107 billion people have ever lived on earth. We all live on only one planet that is part
of several planets that revolve around the sun, which is itself only one among
billions of other stars revolving around a mysterious center in our galaxy, which
is itself only one among 100 billion other galaxies that exist in an ever expanding
universe. Sure I feel small! But, I also believe therefore I speak. I am aware of You, God Almighty, who lives
deep within and beyond all things. I reverence You who have made the heavens, the earth, and all the waters there in.
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
June 12, 2018 -- The New Middle East
I came across a recent article in The
New Yorker written by Adam Entous entitled, “Donald
Trump’s New World Order.” It is
rather lengthy and detailed. Some claims
are made that are not verifiable.
However, it does paint a clear picture of a new constellation of nations
(US, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE) who have coalesced together and have been
working to confront Iran. Although Palestinian
President Abbas has been left out, there is evidence that some are seeking the welfare
of the Palestinians and to make things better, though the article ends with a
suggestion that the Palestinians “seem to be the likely losers” in the coming “New
Middle East.” The article also has an
audio option that allows viewers to listen to the report.
June 12, 2018 -- "Life to the Iranian People"
 |
| "Ten years ago, I swear, our water was fresh and plenty," said Karim Baluchi as he loaded hay onto a truck in Qiyasabad, Iran. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) |
Within the last four years
(2014-2018), there have been various news reports that Iran is drying out
as drought
grips the nation causing a water crisis, whose “groundwater depletion rate is among the fastest in the world.” This
past Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu made an “unprecedented offer to Iran,” which is “related to
water.” While Iran has said, “Death to
Israel,” Israel shouts, "Life to the Iranian people.” Netanyahu claims that Israel will launch a
Farsi website that will provide Iranians details on how they can recycle
waste-water, how they can save their crops, and feed their families. You can see the
video here. Although Netanyahu
expresses love for the Iranian people, he does not praise the Iranian regime,
which he accuses and calls “cruel and tyrannical.”
Monday, June 11, 2018
June 11, 2018 -- US, Israeli, PA, and Saudi Arabia -- a change in the Middle East
As Trump-Abbas ties soured, a bad phone line epitomized their broken connection
Here are a few points from some of the sections from the article.
6. In meetings with US officials in Saudi Arabia and in the US, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has “routinely remarked that ‘Israel’s never attacked us,’ and ‘we share a common enemy,'” and has “privately said that he was prepared to have a full relationship with Israel.”
From section 8: The article claims that Salman is to have said, “I’m going to deliver the Palestinians,” and that Trump "is going to deliver the Israelis.”
From sections 11-15: Following his election, President Trump's relationship seems to have started off well with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. However, it later soured. It is now uncertain whether or not Abbas will accept the coming peace plan.
Sunday, June 10, 2018
June 19, 2018 -- I see a fire in the Middle East; hope and pray that we may live peaceful, prayerful, and godly lives.
On May 14, 1948, the State of
Israel was founded. Thirty years later the
Islamic Revolution was taking place in Iran that ended in the overthrowing of
the Shah and the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979 under the
Ayatollah Khomeini. I have memories of
events surrounding the revolution from TV news stations and news papers such as the Iran
hostage crisis when 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days, the 1979
energy crisis, and moving images of the burning of the American flag in the
streets of Tehran outside the US Embassy.
 |
Iranian students climb over the wall of the U.S. embassy in Tehran during the Iranian Revolution, 4th November 1979. The students went on to seize the embassy staff, and hold 52 of them as hostages for 444 days. (Photo by AFP/Getty Images)
|
 |
| AP Photo, Nov. 9, 1979 |
 |
| Protest against U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel in Tehran, 11 December 2017; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Demonstrations_and_protests_against_United_States.... |
Even as recent as May 2018, you find a video of Iranian lawmakers burning the US flag and shouting “death to America,” following US President Trump’s announcement that the US would pull out of the 2015 Iran Deal. Back in December 2017, Iranian protestors burned both the US and Israeli flags following President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Also in response to US President Trump’s acknowledgement of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the Iranian assembly passed a bill recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. Later in February 2018, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran Abbas Araqchi said, "Jerusalem is the unchangeable capital of the Muslim world and of Palestine," and that Iran will, "confront any attempt to change this reality." On June 10, 2018, the leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, said that the fate of Palestine must be determined by the Palestinian people, including Muslims, Jews, and Christians through a democratic process. Unfortunately, he went on to accuse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying, “that oppressor [and] wicked … child killer goes [to other countries and] plays the victim that Iran wants to do away with several millions of our population.”
 |
| Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei addresses a meeting with a group of university professors and academics in Tehran on June 10, 2018. (Photo by leader.ir) |
Saturday, June 9, 2018
June 9, 2018 -- 200,000 Palestinians gather for prayer on the Temple Mount/Al Aqsa for the last Friday of Ramadan. Four Gazans killed and hundreds wounded at Gaza boarder.
 |
| MOHAMMED ABED/AFP |
 |
| Palestinians gather to perform the last Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the old city of Jerusalem on June 8, 2018. (AFP PHOTO / HAZEM BADER) |
June 8, 2018
200,000
Muslims visited the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem on the last Friday of
prayer for Ramadan. This was in sharp
contrast to the Gaza boarder where four Gazan protestors were killed by Israeli
soldiers and hundreds of others were wounded.
Israel claims the protestors threw grenades, explosives, and rocks at
soldiers. They also burned tires, flew
incendiary kites and balloons into Israeli land, which started a number of
fires. A video
appeared on Twitter claiming to show one of the fires. Israeli troops used tear gas in order to
disperse the demonstrators, but also confirmed they used live fire according to
rules of engagement. It was also reported
that for the first time an Israeli military drone fired a warning shot at
Gazans who were preparing to send flammable balloons into Israel.
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
June 6, 2018 -- In Honor of Robert Kennedy
 |
| Robert Kennedy in front of the King David Hotel |
In April 1948, Robert F Kennedy
visited Palestine after which he
wrote four articles for the Boston Post on the situation in Palestine. The visit came one month before Israel
declared independence and the Arab-Israeli War broke out. In the articles, Kennedy shared his
experiences among Arabs, Jews, and the British.
He expresses his support of Israel and admits that, “hatred between Jews
and Arabs” increases daily. However, he
goes on to say, “in many cases Jews and Arabs work side by side in the fields
and orange groves outside of Tel Aviv. Perhaps these Jews and Arabs are making
a greater contribution to the future peace in Palestine than are those who
carry guns on both sides.”
In a twist of irony, 20 years later
Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan and later died on June 6, 1968. This happened one year after the 1967
Arab-Israeli War. In a 1989 interview with David Frost, Sirhan claims
that Kennedy was his hero, but the devastation of the Arabs losing the war and
Kennedy’s support for Israel were among the reasons leading to his
assassination of Kennedy.
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
June 5, 2018 - Perplexing
On June 3, 2018, the Twitter account
of Khamenei.ir posted its stance on Israel.
It shows the depth of its love for Israel.
There have been injustices on both
sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, yet I have experienced people of
good will on both sides. Both Israelis
and Palestinians have the potential to love God, love their neighbors, and even
love and pray for their enemies. However,
a threat to destroy an entire nation and people is not the answer. If a war broke out, it would possibly destroy both
nations and peoples. This is not the
path to peace, justice, and mercy.
Please consider the seriousness of
the threat and contacting Twitter that it is “harmful” and directs
hate against an entire people and nation.
We need to find a way to help both the
Palestinians and the Israelis of good will.
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