Inside Israel -
May 19, 2015
Israel’s New Government To Be Sworn In
Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s new government will be sworn in with a right-wing coalition
government by a slim majority of 61 seats out of 120 Knesset seats. He
finalized his government with 90 minutes to spare before his deadline. If he
had been unable to form the coalition, the opportunity to do so would have been
given to his rival and the party with the second largest number of seats in the
Knesset. Currently, Netanyahu’s coalition is made up of hard line and religious
parties that could create struggles with settlement and peace agendas. The
frail majority might not be able to hold together and many believe there will be
another call for elections in the near future.
Please pray for Israel’s government to take shape and lead the country
without struggles.
Civil Weddings Wanted In Israel
In Israel, all weddings must be conducted by the
Rabbinate in order to be valid and certified by the government. As most of
Israel is secular and not wanting Orthodox-religious ceremonies, this creates a
problem. Many Israelis travel outside of Israel to receive their wedding
license, then have a wedding party or ceremony in Israel. This is the same with
couples where one partner is not Jewish. Eighty percent of the public in Israel
wish to see changes made in the law that would allow civil weddings.
Please pray that the ultra-Orthodox would have less power in the
government.
Increased Cases of Cancer in Haifa
Air pollution levels in Haifa have reached record
highs. Oil refineries and other factories on the edge of the Mediterranean have
limited checks and inspections, allowing them to spew dangerous materials into
the air. As well as these high pollution rates, cancer rates in children living
in Haifa have increased. The people demand change from their mayor.
Please pray for safety for the residents of Haifa against these hazardous
materials.
Aid and Medical Help Sent to Nepal From Israel
Very quickly after the devastating earthquake hit
in Nepal, Israel sent an El Al aircraft to rescue and remove many of its
citizens from the region. Almost 300 people came back to Israel, including many
newborn babies, born from surrogates in Nepal. In addition, Israel sent 95 tons
of humanitarian and medical supplies as well as mobilizing 260 medical and
search-and-rescue teams to be sent to Nepal to help with the relief efforts.
Israel also set up a field hospital to treat the wounded since Nepalese
hospitals were overcrowded and running out of supplies.
Please pray for the wounded, grieving and homeless in Nepal.
Israelis Living With Stress Still Live Longer Than Most
Despite living under constant stress from a shaky
economy, nuclear threats and many military operations, Israelis live the third
longest of any other people in the world. Men’s life expectancy is the fourth
longest while women's is tenth longest – alongside countries like Australia,
Norway, Japan, Switzerland and Iceland. Reasons given for this ability to live
with stress are Israelis’ optimism – “People here are proud to be Israelis,
believe in values and believe that we will manage to face the threats in the
future as well,” says Professor Ben-Dor, a sociologist from the University of
Haifa. He also stated, "If someone comes from another country, he may be
alarmed by the weapons on the street, but here it's a routine matter. Compared
to other countries, the Israeli society has gotten used to living alongside war
and we are not so scared of traumatic events.” The warmth of Israelis, as well
as their families being close by foster close relationships with family
members.
Please pray for these “good feelings” to also translate to a spiritual
need leading to an understanding and belief in Jesus.
Gaza Construction Supplies Return from Israel
Israel has held an eight-year blockade against
allowing construction materials and iron into Gaza for fear that they will use
it for aggressive purposes including building attack tunnels. However, recently
Israel allowed 354 trucks to go from Israel to Gaza carrying 14,000 tons of
construction materials. This will help Gaza continue to rebuild after last
summer’s Operation Protective Edge where Israel sought out and destroyed many
attack tunnels built under apartment buildings and other public places.
Please pray for those who wish to re-arm and attack Israel, that their
efforts would be stopped.
Isaiah 53 Site Sparks Emailing and Questions About the
Bible
Recently, someone wrote in from the Isaiah53.com
Hebrew site, asking for an Isaiah 53 Explained book by Mitch Glaser.
He received the book and was sent a follow-up email a few weeks later. He got
angry and asked not to be contacted again, but strangely enough, kept emailing
with more questions and got more answers. Even though he said he didn’t want to
talk, he did! There have been some great email questions about the Bible and
about what Isaiah 53 has to say about the death of the One who was pierced for
our sins.
Please pray for the salvation of this man living somewhere in
Israel. |
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