UPDATES
6 pm Israel time, Saturday, May 2 2015
**Jimmy Carter’s current visit to Israel has not gone as he planned.
First, Israel’s new president Reuven Rivlin refused to meet with him because of Carter’s constant demeaning of Israel. Then, PM Netanyahu was quick to follow suit. Next, Carter (who is supposedly here to trumpet reconciliation between the PLO and Hamas) was told by Hamas not to come to Gaza because it could not ensure Carter’s “security.”
But all of this hasn’t stopped Carter from embracing his beloved PLO friends in Ramallah. Always the Arafatophile, this morning saw the disgusting Carter saluting at the grave of his good friend and arch-terrorist, Yasser Arafat–a man he once described as a “fighter for just causes” around the world-–and a man responsible for the murder of hundreds of Israelis:
At Arafat’s grave today: could Jimmy Carter possibly be any more nauseating? (Picture: Mustafa Bader).
**The Palestinian terrorist news from the Palestinian state of Gaza today:
—a Hamas terrorist was killed in a tunnel collapse this morning.
—a Palestinian terrorist attempting to infiltrate Israel at Kibbutz Nirim in the Eshkol Region was captured this morning.
—an Islamic Jihad terrorist was killed in a “training exercise” in northern Gaza this afternoon.
—a Palestinian terrorist commander of Hamas forces in the Khan Younis area was dragged out of his house this afternoon and executed by members of the Ansar Beit Al Maqdis (terrorists identified with IS) for allegedly cooperating with Israel.
—another Palestinian terrorist in Rafah on the Egyptian border was dragged out of his house and executed in the street by members of the Ansar Beit Al Maqdis in front of his family.
The Palestinian terrorist news from Israel today:
—a Palestinian terrorist attempted to stab an IDF soldier at a checkpoint on Highway 60 near Jerusalem but was captured.
TODAY’S BLOG:
The level of Christian proselytizing in Israel is expanding exponentially. Your humble servant saw it last month in his home in Ashdod when he opened his front door and found three Jehovah’s Witnesses there to tell me that I should join their faith.
Today, there has been a large demonstration in Ra’anana against an event in the city’s Sports Hall organized by the same Jehovah’s Witnesses. According to the demonstrators, the participants in the event have as their goal the conversion of Jews to Christianity.
A gigantic missionary event, the Jerusalem 2015 Global Congress, is scheduled to take place at the basketball stadium arena in Jerusalem in three weeks.
Organized by the group “Holy Spirit Empowered 21” (21 refers to the 21st century), the Congress and organization have very transparent goals.
As stated on their website: “[Our] vision is that every person on Earth would have an authentic encounter with Jesus Christ through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit by Pentecost 2033.”
And the content of the conference is clearly delineated:
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“This Jerusalem 2015 Global Congress will begin with a grand opening celebration in the Jerusalem Arena on Wednesday, May 20, 2015. The next day will feature general sessions and focused tracks including: prayer and intercession, discipleship task force, next gen youth leaders, pastoral leadership, scholars consultation, prophetic themes, missions/global evangelism, the land of Pentecost, signs/wonders/healing, marketplace and church planning, and the book of Acts.”
And what the missionaries will do after the Congress is spelled out:
” . . . conference attendees will spread out to bless the land in an outreach called “Hope in the Holy Land.” Attendees will work on a variety of service projects including: blood drives, cleaning neighborhoods, feeding the poor and serving at community centers to show love and appreciation to the Holy Land.”
In other words, they will proselytize Jews wherever they can find them.
As you might imagine, the Conference has evoked many angry reactions from all over the Israel. Jerusalem City Council member Mina Fenton angrily demanded today that Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat stop the conference. In a letter to Barkat, Fenton noted:
“This is a Christian movement that wants to influence and conquer the world and certainly the Holy Land. It is inconceivable that the Jerusalem Municipality approves a missionary training conference to strengthen the missionary activity in Israel. It is up to our government to to maintain our sovereignty and Jewish identity.”
Your humble servant has to say that he completely agrees with Fenton and with the demonstrators in Ra’anana. Unlike the laudatory evangelical group Christians United for Israel which specifically rejects proselytizing Jews, groups like “Holy Spirit Empowered 21” specifically target Jews for conversion.
The time has come in Israel to stop assisting groups like “Holy Spirit Empowered 21” in their mission.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.