Monday, January 18, 2016

News From the Holy Land

Recently a Christian church in Jerusalem was vandalized with hateful graffiti by settler extremists.
Jerusalem’s Dormition Abbey has been vandalized for the second time in two years, with violent and threatening graffiti scrawled across its exterior. The incident is the latest in a series of attacks on Christians in Israel. ...
The graffiti featured messages such as “Death to heretical Christians, the enemies of Israel,” “The children of Israel’s revenge is coming” and “May his name and memory be obliterated,” in reference to Jesus (whose name in Hebrew appeared as an acronym). One spot featured a hand holding a sword, apparently dripping in blood, next to a Star of David. (Natasha Roth, Jewish extremists deface Jerusalem abbey with anti-Christian graffiti, +972 Magazine, January 17, 2016.)
It is terrible that these extremists should defile this church.

It is terrible that they should defile the beautiful symbol that is the Star of David, an ancient symbol that is so precious to Jews all over the world. May they be swiftly caught and face justice for this threatening act.

Here's one tweet by a Jewish woman calling out Christians United For Israel for presumably not alerting their readers to incidents like this.



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On July 31, 2015 a Palestinian family were burned alive after their house was set on fire by Israeli settler extremists in a truly terrible act of terrorism. Three members of the family died because of this act of terrorism, including an eighteen month old baby, the father and the mother. Only one young boy survived. One of the lawyers for one of the accused in this terrorist attack made the following statement while debating with a Zionist Union MK.
Ben-Gvir works with the legal defense organization Honenu and is currently representing one of the suspects in the Duma arson He and Bar recently had an explosive confrontation during a panel on the Knesset Channel. At one point Bar demanded that Ben-Gvir denounce the murders in Duma and call them "terror." Ben-Gvir responded by saying, "We should have more 'terror' like this." (Arutz Sheva, January 16, 2016.)
Incidentally recently I read the 2015 issues of the digital magazine of Christians United For Israel, The Torch. This terrible incident was never mentioned.

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Recently there was a celebration for some lone soldiers who have gone to Israel to join the Israeli Defense Forces. There a speaker, a mother who had two sons who died in IDF service, makes the following statement to these lone soldiers.
Tova compared the relationship that the volunteers have with Israel. “In America you have your family and your community, but you don’t have your real family and your real community. Your family is. I have a lot of love and gratitude to America, but Israel is home!” (Arutz Sheva, January 17, 2016.)

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