Saturday, October 24, 2015



THE CITY OF FEAR
 
Jerusalem is affectionately known by many Israelis as the City of Gold, thanks to the golden limestone from which it is built, and the golden light that suffuses the air. In the last weeks however a new title might be deemed more appropriate - the City of Fear.
 
I have survived 35 years of life in Israel during which I have gone through at least four wars, two Intifadas, and the constant threat of terror, but I have not felt before the level of fear apparent in the city at this time. Last Sunday I went out and, for the first time in my life, bought a weapon. It is just a can of pepper spray, but it is terribly sad to me that I feel the need to carry such a weapon, not just to try and defend myself should I be attacked, but perhaps to help save someone else. I am not alone. Last week the stores ran out of pepper spray and cans of tear gas, as many people rushed out to buy them.
 
Incitement
 
"The current violence in Israel has been characterized by two things: an unbridled bloodlust among an entire brainwashed generation of Palestinian Arabs, and an unprecedented level of faulty and biased media coverage".

For the last month or so our city has been the focus of an intense 'wave of terror' stirred up by the incitement coming from Arab leaders and the preachers in the mosques, which claim erroneously that Israel is trying to change the status quo on the Temple Mount, and plans to destroy the Muslim holy sites there. This vicious lie is being propagated in the mosques and newspapers, and especially in the social media, throughout the entire Arab world, and  it is willingly believed by a population that has been brought up to hate and fear Jews.  In a religious system that is based on submission (the very word 'Islam' means 'submission'), not only to Allah but also to his representatives, the spiritual leaders and teachers, people will believe what they are told to believe, without question. What is more, Islam sanctions the twisting of truths and out-and-out lies in the interests of Jihad, the goal of world domination. This is called the doctrine of al-taqiyya. (For more on this see  "Islam's Doctrines of Deception" by Raymond Ibrahim, Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst, on   


 
Islam offers no certainty of salvation or eternal life, except to those shahids (martyrs) who die in the cause of Jihad. Shahids are promised 72 virgins in Paradise. Add to all this a generation of Palestinian children who have been brainwashed from the womb to hate Jews and to believe these lies, and you have an explosive mix.

For more about the promise of virgins see "Suicide, Terror and Shahada" in http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=565
 
Every war or terror wave seems to have its catch phrases, and that of the current one gripping Jerusalem and Israel is
'incitement', or 'hatzitah'  in Hebrew. The word 'hatzitah' literally means to set alight or to ignite a fire. The problem with lighting fires that once lit they take on a life of their own. They will keep burning and spreading as long as there is fuel and the right atmospheric conditions. It's a whole lot easier to light a fire than put one out, especially if there is an abundant supply of fuel and the right conditions.
 


 


Clashes in the West Bank city of Hebron
Palestinian protesters sling stones at Israeli soldiers during clashes in the West Bank city of Hebron on Oct. 22, 2015.
(Abed Al Hashlamoun / European Pressphoto Agency)

http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-backstory-israel-palestinians-20151022-story.html

 
 
The preachers of the Lie and the inciters of violence have lit a fire in Jerusalem. There is plenty of fuel and the conditions are 'right'. There seems little chance of it burning itself out or of anyone being able to subdue it. It is spreading to Hebron, Bet Shemesh  and other towns and villages throughout Israel and the West Bank.
 
The acceptance of the Lie by a poorly educated and deeply brainwashed Palestinian population is easy to understand, but it is much more difficult to understand the degree to which the Western Press is willing to swallow the lies and deceptions of Palestinian propaganda. Most of the headlines in the western press suggest that the Palestinians killed or injured by Israeli security forces are the victims rather than the perpetrators of the violence. The level of bias in the reporting of the situation by the BBC, for example,  is so high that even its former chairman, Lord Michael Grade, spoke up against it saying that the BBC has shown 'inexcusable bias' against Israel.
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Isaiah 5:20
 
 
 
Fear
 
To put all this in perspective, the level of violence in the current terror wave has not, yet at least, reached that which we experienced during the Second Intifada (2000 -2005), when we suffered the  suicide bombings of buses, shopping malls, markets and restaurants, and in which 1053 Israelis, including 714 civilians died.  Nevertheless in the past month,  we have seen around 4-5 terror attacks daily, and ongoing rioting in many parts of the City and elsewhere in Israel and the West Bank.  Ten Israeli citizens have been killed, and many more seriously wounded, mainly as a result of stabbing, shooting or by the throwing of  rocks and Molotov cocktails.  Some 47 Palestinians have also been killed when they tried to attack Israeli citizens or soldiers. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4714804,00.html.
 
These attacks are creating a high level of fear because they are being carried out by the Arab men, women and children who are our neighbours and work colleagues, or who serve us in shops, repair our houses, and drive our buses and taxis.  In a city in which 40% of the population is Arab, anyone standing beside you at a traffic light or walking behind you on the street might be a terrorist. He or she could  pull out a knife and slit your throat in a flash. Some of the attackers have been children of only 13 or 15 years of age. You can trust no one. This creates an atmosphere of fear and suspicion, and we are all walking the streets in an intense state of watchfulness and caution.  
 
I live in the part of the city, known as Armon Hanatziv (or East Talpiot) that adjoins the Palestinian villages of Jebel al- Mukaber and Tsur Baher, from whence many of the attackers have come. Normally we get along fine. We rub shoulders in the supermarket and shops of our shared shopping center, and treat each other with respect and tolerance. Now however we are all afraid of each other, Jew and Arab alike.
 
 Last week two young men from Jebel al-Mukaber boarded our local bus, armed with a knife and a gun. Blocking the doors and all hope of escape, they set about stabbing and shooting  the passengers, until they were 'neutralized' . Two passengers were killed and some 40 injured.  Our bus lines now run almost empty.  A hidden  news camera on our bus last week captured the fear. A young Arab man boarded the bus and sat near the front. The ten or so other passengers quickly moved away from him, and most disembarked at the next stop. The newsmen interviewed the young Arab and asked him if he had noticed everyone's reaction to him. He said "Yes" and it made him feel very afraid. He said he had deliberately left his bag at home and carried nothing in his hands or pockets, because he was afraid of being taken for a terrorist as he travelled into the city to do some business at a government office. It is not only the Jews who are afraid these days, but also the Arabs.
 


 
Last Saturday I went up to the street to take out my garbage, and sat a while on  a bench to get some fresh air. I wanted badly to go for  a stroll but decided it was too risky. The only walker I saw was an elderly lady clutching a big spray can of tear gas as she went. That made me feel very sad. It was only a few minutes later, after I returned home, when I heard the 'thrub thrub' of a police helicopter circling overhead - a sure sign of trouble amiss. I later learned that a terrorist had been shot and killed, just down the road, when he pulled out a knife and threatened some border police officers who had stopped him because he had been reported as acting suspiciously by a passer by.
 
The following day it was with some trepidation therefore that I ventured into our shopping center to pick up a parcel at the post office. There were plenty of parks (unusually) and the shops were deserted. I was the only customer in the post office. Usually on a Sunday morning it is heaving with Jews and Arabs going about their business,  but not any more. People are basically staying home and just going out only when absolutely necessary.  
 
 
In view of the current tension our Mayor and the Heads of the Security Forces have advised all those who have guns to carry them, and those who do not have guns to arm themselves if possible with tear gas or pepper spray. This is pretty scary too. When I was in a shop buying some pepper spray there was a man there buying what looked to me a very deadly device consisting of two heavy metal bars joined by a chain - a sort of bolas-type weapon. I wondered what he planned to use it for and it made me afraid that such weapons are so easily available to all and sundry.
 
With many fear-filled civilians carrying weapons it was only a matter of time until something tragic happened. And it did. Last Saturday night a terrorist, armed with a gun, entered the central bus station in Beer Sheva and began attacking travelers, killing one and wounding ten others.  As chaos ensued with the injured on the ground and others fleeing in every direction, a security guard mistook an innocent Eritrean refugee for one of the terrorists and shot him. The angry crowd then fell on this refugee throwing chairs on him and kicking him brutally. He later died of his wounds.  Only some time later did it become apparent he was just an innocent traveler and it was all a terrible case of mistaken identity. This is an illustration of the danger of fear - it can easily erupt into hatred and violence especially in a crowd situation.  
 
This week the level of violence in the city seems to have diminished a bit - or perhaps we are all just growing used to it. The streets are now being patrolled by some 4,000 regular police, border police and soldiers. There are groups of police and soldiers, armed to the teeth, standing about at every potential flashpoint. Mounted police are clop clopping about the streets on quarter horses - something once seen only in the narrow alleyways of the Old City. Huge concrete blocks have been placed at the entrances to the Arab villages from whence terrorists have come or where rioting is occurring, and every car or pedestrian coming out of these villages are being searched. All these measures, along with the threat of the demolition of  the  family homes of terrorists (a controversial but effective measure), are having a calming effect. The heightened vigilance of both civilians and police also mean that quite often would-be attackers are neutralized before they can do any harm.
 
The truth is the violence is being perpetrated by only a small percentage of Arabs, mainly young men, and the vast majority of the Arab population wants to see it stopped as much as we do. The fear and the violence is affecting them even more than us. They cannot easily get out of their villages to go to work or school, and their shops, restaurants and market stalls are empty of customers.
 
 
 
 
Jewish worshippers in the Old City, September 15, 2015.
Border Police accompany Jewish worshippers in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, Jerusalem, September 15, 2015.AFP
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.676047
 

Border Police guarding the Damascus Gate entrance to the Old City
http://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?ID=304359
 
A Ray of Light
 
In the midst of  all this darkness this week a ray of light shone forth. In the bus attack in Armon Hanatziv one of the injured passengers was an amazing Dutch lady, Marike Veldman, who for 32 years has been running a foster home for Arab children from difficult backgrounds, both Muslim and Christian. She has raised 20 such children, one of whom is personally known to me. This quiet, but courageous Christian lady is now recovering at home from her wounds, both physical and emotional. Before being released from the hospital she gave an interview to the reporters from the Israeli online newspaper "Ynetnews". I recommend you read the article that appeared in the headlines on Tuesday,  and watch the embedded video of the interview. It is very uplifting. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4713456,00.html
 
Pray
 
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within your walls,
Psalm 122: 6-7
 
 
How can we pray at a time like this?
Pray:
  • That truth will be upheld, and lies and deception exposed;
  • Against the fear, especially that it will not develop into hatred and more violence, and trigger mob 'lynchings' and revenge attacks by Jews;
  • for a silencing of the voices of incitement and for a calming of the spirit of deception that is driving the present violence;
  • for our protection as we go about our daily business, especially for the children as they travel to school and play in the streets;
  • for the children and young adults who are carrying out these terrible attacks,  often being killed as a result, while the leaders, teachers and parents who have brainwashed them and incited them to violence sit safely in their homes and offices. This is child abuse of an extreme form  (Remember that our Lord Yeshua taught us that we should pray for our enemies);
  •  for the healing of the wounds, both physical and emotional, of those injured and harmed, and of those who have lost loved one, on both sides;
  • that Arab, Jew and Gentile alike will turn away from deception and lies, and cry out to the true living God of love and peace through Yeshua. There is no other answer and no other hope for the Middle East, and indeed the whole world.
 
I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
They shall never hold their peace day or night.
You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent,
7 And give Him no rest till He establishes
And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
Isaiah 62: 6-7
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 








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