Tag Archives: middle east conflict

Oct 11 2017

The myth of Palestinian nationalism – part one

IMG_20160606_151120229 small.jpg

IMG_20160606_151306966_HDR - smallOften common mainstream opinion these days is Israel “goes and helps itself to someone else’s land and justifies it by religion and nationalism.”    But actually, when you look at history this isn’t true.

I found this old book at a library of a charity I was working for in 2016, but one with no interest in Israel.   Its a Reader’s Digest Atlas, its first printed in 1965 and this edition is from 1982.

Contemporary maps may mark out the West Bank and Gaza regions as ‘Disputed territory’ just to be even-handed and diplomatic.

IMG_20160606_151044743 small Bethlehem jordan small

Jerusalem was recaptured by Israel in the Six Day war of 1967.   Therefore much of this book predates it.   It would appear the 1972 reprint didn’t show a modern Arab Palestine.   Before 1948 Israel was the British Mandate of Palestine, and before 1918 it was owned by Turkey.

A new proposed Palestine is proposed as being sovereign Arabic nation, this is actually a modern concept which leaders around the world are trying to make a reality to appease Islamic authorities in the name of peace.   They are severely misguided.   The most well known father of Islamic Palestinian nationalism is Yasser Arafat.    Who was born in (cough ahem) Cairo, Egypt.

Palestine as a name was invented by Roman emperor Hadrian in AD120.   When crudely transliterated into Arabic, it is pronounced Filastin.   This is because the Arabic language doesn’t have a letter P.

You might think “hold on, you can’t gauge history by just one book?”   – well if you care to look at reliable sources of history, rather than Islamic sources you will find this to be correct.

 

Mar 18 2016

Is the bogus “Emerging Church” movement coming near you?

Years ago, I heard about these two American pastors who were at an event in Bethlehem, the “Christ at the Checkpoint” event , which was a new strategy to sway Christian evangelicals from support of Israel, to Palestinian fulfillment theology, a theory of making another Islamic state run by the two different groups who hate each other, Hamas and Fatah would make an extra new nation that would some how make peace between Jews and Arabs.   The organisers were Arab Christians who hold onto this idea, even though their Islamic government would keep them as poorly treated minorities, where as Arab Muslims and Christians living in Israel have freedom of speech and live in a democracy. (although plenty of room for improvement)   There is no mention of the Jewish/Arab victims of Islamic terror at this event.

These two American evangelicals were a well known pastor called Tony Campolo who is in his 80s and his dreadlocked head scarfed companion Shane Claybourne.   Something immediately didn’t seem right in my spirit about these two even way before I could see what side they were coming from.

Fast forward to 2016.  This is a hard blog post to write.   I was shocked to see Shane Claiborne was speaking in two different churches I really respect, one of these in Portsmouth, where I am from. 😦   He is also due to headline a popular Christian festival also.

In the past, there has been several fads in Christian teaching, some that are particularly appealing to Christian youth.   This is the “Emergent church” movement.

Looking at Campolo’s Red Letter Christians web site is basically a classic example of this movement.   There is no statement of faith, and is keen to support New Age themed ideas on spirituality, unbiblical acceptance of homosexuality and general void of sound biblical teachings.   It frequently often bangs on about being “ordinary radicals” and “New Monastic” (whatever that means)

The most popular figure of the Emergent Church movement is Rob Bell who was kicked out of his church for his Universalism, and denial of the existence of hell.  Yet he has sold 2 million books and still has a blog and pod cast on his weirdo ideas.   The Zimzim of love anyone?    You really want your Christian youth into this garbage??

The Emergent church is liberal sugar coated drivel that doesn’t feed Christians with knowledge of the bible and you should steer clear of it.   We need to show love to people caught in ways of the world by preaching the gospel out of kindness, and relying on God to change them and turn away from sin.

This web site exposes some of the dangerous false teaching by the Emergent Church and its main people such as Tony Campolo, Shane Claiborne, Rob Bell, Mark Driscoll, Brian McClaren and more.   I think its interesting all of Paul’s books have a section to warn about false teachers, particular in latter times.

http://www.submergingchurch.com/

not emergentThis book was recommended to me by a friend which I’d like to get hold of soon “Why we are not emergent” by by Kevin DeYoung & Ted Kluck http://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Were-Not-Emergent-Freedom-ebook/dp/B00125L8DK/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458332803&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=why+we+are+not+emergent

In all honesty, I don’t like thinking of people of groups to bash on my blog. I’d rather look for things to provide joy and encouragement to others and myself.  I’d love to share with you things that have helped young Christians grow with their walk with Lord and help them be passionate for Christ in another post soon.

1 Timothy 4 : 1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

1 Timothy 4 : 6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters,a you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.

 

 

Sep 1 2015

Why to say Israel is an apartheid state is completely and utterly false, here’s a different method to prove it

Ok, photos can easily be manipulated, so for Muslims, liberals, lefties and political hipsters who seem attracted to the Pro-Palestine movement, instead of showing you photos and links why this is not at all true, let me try a different approach;

I like Google street map view.   In fact I’m a huge fan of most of Google’s services.   Using Street map view is a great way to look at where you went on holiday or where you are planning to go.   You can see such things as what is next to a hotel, a building site or a nice view of a beach.  There all kinds of uses for this fantastic web based app.   It great for bloggers as it a doddle to put a window into the world in an average typical WordPress blog like mine.

So I also think its a good weapon against political propaganda.

Please click and wiggle your mouse on any of these links

So Israel an apartheid state?

Well, would a country hateful against Arab people bother putting all the street signs in English, Hebrew and Arabic?

Is this sign discriminatory?  actually it is!!   An unusual idea in Israel’s highways, is they have a special fast lane.   Pay more money and dodge the traffic by travelling in a special premium lane.   This is ‘unfair’ to normal tax paying motorists but useful if you want to pay to get somewhere quicker.   The Sherut vans tend to use those.   Oh, Sheruts are yellow minibuses which are cheap and go to your door.   They have drivers who are Arabs or Jews and have passengers who are Jews or Arabs or foreigners.

Ok, recognise this place?  its a religious monument to the Bahai faith.   I don’t agree with the Bahais as they are sort of Universalists.  They believe in a little bit of everything, I don’t know much about this faith, apart from their pretty garden which stands out in Haifa.   But this group is allow to have their own freedom of religion here.  Can you image this happening in any other middle east nation?

What about other ethnic groups in Israel?

The Armenian Christians live in own community in Jerusalem

When a Turkish Pro-Palestinian ship went to dock with Gaza, on a ‘peace’ mission.   The Armenian Christian community put up a lot of posters reminding people of the 1 million or so Armenian Christians murdered by the Turkish in 1915.   An event largely forgotten and not willing to be reconcilled or any forgiveness by Turkey since then till now.  😦

Jews and Arabs work in the Shuk, the open air market for fruit and vegetables, and Jews and Arabs shop together. Jews and Arabs also go to modern supermarkets and malls too.

I like the fact that actually Jewish and Arab people tend to eat a lot of the same food too.

Nov 21 2013

War preparation for Hannukah

(From this time last year I wrote this, when war broke out with Gaza in November 2012)

Here in Jerusalem people are getting ready for Hannukah which is the end of November this year and buying doughnuts.

As well as this I got a few packages from work this week – gas masks.

We have to keep them in the sealed bags until there is a need to use them.    The reason being is the news has spoken quite a bit about more threats, this time not so much from Gaza (although there has been more rumours of shipments of FAJA-5 rockets from Iran sent to north Africa)     but this time from Syria.

Syria has had plenty of involvement with chemical weapons for sometime now, including Anthrax and different types of toxic gas including Sarin (stuff used by the Nazis)

P1060473

Stuff on my dining table: 6 pack of 2 litre water which we would have to grab and take to the bomb shelter, thing in bag  is a gas mask, bible, mug of tea, room mate’s camera bag.   When the siren goes off, I have to have my keys, phone, bottles of water handy.   Or the other type of siren means stay in and put on gas mask.

For folks reading this in the UK or some other western country, you may find it hard to understand why I am still here in a country threatened by war from multiple enemies.    Some people I work with include New Zealanders living in cities shaken by earthquakes that have knocked their houses down so many times they have given up rebuilding them.    People in different nations have to learn to live with and be prepared for different threats.

Nov 16 2012

Rockets hit Jerusalem

The last few days things have been heating up with bigger rockets coming out of Gaza.

Until recently cities in the more south of Israel, like Sderot, Ashdod, Ashkelon and Beer Sheva, were being hit with around 1 million people needing to regularly go into bomb shelters.

Now, longer range missiles hit Tel Aviv yesterday, landed on grass, no damage.   This is unusual as the regular GRAD missiles can reach a maximum of 40Km, so these are a different breed of weapon.

Today after I went home from work, an alarm sounded at about 16:45 – Jerusalem just had its first rocket attack in a long time.

After just getting on my shoes, coat and keys, me and my room mate ran downstairs to see most people hovering on the stairs that go into the basement where a large heavy door that has our bomb shelter is.

Having a bomb shelter is a legal requirement for all homes and businesses here.

Not many of my neighbours came in actually.   There were Ethiopian Jews, Russian Jews, one British lady and the rest of our block I think are sabra Israelis.  I have not seen on my neighbours together so this brought out a community spirit.  The elderly Ethiopian lady in her traditional clothing look noticeably in tears.

Across the road are two houses with Arab families which will having to deal this threat as well.   Something the mainstream news never really mentions.

This large room has some of other peoples stuff here, and someone painted some cartoon pictures on the wall, which actually makes the place look worse, like some kind of communist era prison.   This is an awful place to be, it feels like a prison and the toilets are grim, and a water tank is empty.  Actually I have to bring back some bottles of water which have to keep handy for disaster planning reasons.

I didn’t hear any explosions but there were some (maybe 2 or 3) from the west part of the city which friends told me online.

As today is Shabbat, the holiest day for Jewish people, this is a deliberate effort to frighten and worry people in the most holy city on earth.   There is a worry more attacks could happen (Saturday, the remaining part of Shabbat)   but we need to keep praying for safety and for a swift end to this war.   I know civilians in Gaza are no doubt going to be also stuck in the middle of this with possibly tragic consequences.

I have no desire to leave back to the UK, nor does anyone I know out of the three dozen Christian ministries I know that is here, we will continue to help this nation by prayer and in physical assistance.