MOMENTOUS DAYS
Oh, that my head were a spring of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears!
I would weep day and night
for the slain of my people.
Jeremiah 9:1
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| Looking towards Jerusalem |
Yesterday (14/04) was a glorious spring day in Israel and I took a walk in the forest nearby. It was so quiet and peaceful, and all I could hear were the singing of birds in the trees and the gentle sussuration of the breeze through the pine needles. At ground level there was a colorful display of late-spring wildflowers. On such a seemingly perfect day it is hard to believe that very close by war is raging, with much hatred, killing and destruction. I always feel that if more people would take the time to take a walk in the forest (or desert or any wild place) the world would be a better place.
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| My forest walk |
Today 17/04 we are marking Memorial Day in memory of the 23,646 people who have fallen in Israel as a result of wars and terror attacks since 1860. This year 72 security personnel and 12 civilians were added to the list. Since Independence was declared in 1948, some 3,134 civilians have died because of enemy activity (1). This evening, sirens sounded throughout the country and we all stood in silence in their memory. Last week the sirens sounded also, as we remembered the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. It is fitting that both Holocaust Day and Memorial Day immediately precede Independence Day, in which this year we will celebrate the 70 years since the Declaration of Independence. It is because of the sacrifice of our soldiers and other security personnel, in death and in service to the country, that any of us can celebrate the survival and success of the Israeli nation. May their memory be blessed. Please pray that no more will be added to this number in the coming year and that God will comfort all those who mourn, especially the thousands of family members and friends.
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Drivers observe a 2 minute silence on Holocaust Day
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5228133,00.html |
THE KADISH PRAYER FOR MOURNING
May His great name be exalted and sanctified.
in the world which He created according to His will.
May He establish His kingdom
and may His salvation blossom and His anointed be near.
during your lifetime and during your days
and during the lifetimes of all the House of Israel,
speedily and very soon. And say, Amen.
May His great name be blessed
for ever, and to all eternity.
Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted,
extolled and honored, adored and lauded
be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He,
above and beyond all the blessings,
hymns, praises and consolations
that are uttered in the world. And say, Amen
Tomorrow evening we will pass from sorrow to joy as Memorial Day ends and the Independence Day celebrations begin. In the evening every town and neighborhood holds public gatherings with songs, music and of course, fireworks. Street parties abound. The next day we will see flyovers from the Air Force and El Al (the Israeli airline), and the whole country will head out to the forests, beaches and parks for 'al ha esh' - the traditional barbecue. My friends and I have opted to avoid the traffic and we will barbecue in the yard - much less crowded and frenetic.
This year, the 70th Anniversary of the State is special and will be celebrated with great joy, but in the shadow of threat. While we civilians are enjoying our barbecues with family and friends, our security forces will be watching our borders with a very high level of vigilance.
On our southern border the Palestinians of Gaza are continuing their daily protests and acts of violence leading up to Nakba Day on the 15 March. After the Friday of Tires (see my previous blog) demonstrations continue to be a daily event. The latest weapon being used by the Gazans are incendiary devices attached to kites. Today a field of ripe wheat was set on fire in this way. Sources say that around 20-30 Palestinians have died and thousands injured during the protests which have been going on for around 3 weeks now. This week a Palestinian was shot and killed by Israeli forces as he tried to cross the border, and Israel suffered its first casualty when a tank guarding the border tipped over down a bank killing one of the soldiers inside and injuring three. Yesterday several Palestinians were injured when an explosive device they were preparing exploded.
A few days ago a tunnel which stretched from the Gaza Strip, under the border and into Israeli territory was destroyed by Israeli forces. This is the 8th such tunnel destroyed by Israel in recent months. These tunnels are intended for use to penetrate Israel to carry out terror attack or mass incursions. They which costs millions of dollars and huge quantities of cement and stones to build, precious resources that should have been used to rebuild homes and infrastructure in Gaza, Some of the tunnels have been exploded but in this instance tons of concrete were poured into it by the IDF.
Ynet news quoted Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman's tweet about the incident, saying, "We've opened the week with an impressive intelligence and operational achievement with the destruction of another tunnel, the longest and deepest exposed thus far.
"Millions of dollars were invested in its excavation," the defense minister added, "money that would have been better served mitigating the plight of residents but has now sunk into the sand. Gaza residents, Hamas is frittering away your money on tunnels leading nowhere. We will get to them all." (2)
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The tunnel that was destroyed this week.
https://www.idf.il/en/minisites/hamas/the-idf-thwarts-a-hamas-terror-tunnel/ |
It is interesting to note that many Arabs in Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and other Arab countries have voice opposition and 'backed Israel's side of the conflict and lambasted Hamas for its exploitation of the inhabitants of Gaza, who they rule." (3)
The Gazan protests have been somewhat sidelined by events in the north. Following the terrible gas attack which killed around 70 civilians in Doum in Syria, the USA, the UK and France carried out last Saturday a combined missile attack on several sites within Syria aimed at giving a message to Syrian President Assad that the use of gas weapons would not be tolerated by the international community. There has been no retaliation from Syria or Iran since then but it may still come.
Perhaps of more concern here was a missile attack on the T-4 military base which killed 14 military personnel including 7 Iranian officers,one of whom was the commander of the Revolutionary Guards Drone Force. Israel is suspected to have carried out the attack but has not admitted responsibility. This has led to a volley of threats from Iran to attack Israel. The newspaper, the Times of Israel , claims that
"Ahead of Israel’s Independence Day, the military was preparing for the possibility of a direct attack by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ air force in response to a strike on Iran’s air base in Syria earlier this month." (4)
The newspaper YnetNews said this:
"Amid foreboding Iranian omens of impending reprisal for alleged Israeli attack on T-4 Airfield in Syria, Quds Force leads move that may take place in near future using drones, even rockets launched at Israel. Iranian airmen now stationed at 5 Syrian airfields, ready to direct such attack at Israel. ..
"According to Israeli assessments, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)'s Quds Force Qasem Soleimani is planning a retaliatory attack that would be launched out of an Iranian base in Syria using precision-guided missiles or armed drones—to be launched directly by the Revolutionary Guards rather than by proxies, as they have done before... The IDF will do everything to ensure Independence Day will be quiet, and that the citizens of Israel are able to enjoy the holiday. The IDF is prepared for a wide variety of scenarios, so the citizens of Israel can properly celebrate the 70th Independence Day," a security official said." (5)
Please pray that Independence Day will pass peacefully and that our forces will be alert and ready to counter any such attack on that day or any of the coming days.
References:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/at-least-3-palestinians-said-hurt-by-israeli-fire-at-gaza-border/
5. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5230863,00.html
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