Israel today is vastly different to the Israel a century ago. Before 1900, visitors to Palestine/Israel described it as follows:
Palestine sits in sack cloth and ashes … desolate and unlovely … hardly a tree or shrub anywhere [Mark Twain on his visit in 1867] I traveled through sad Galilee in the Spring and I found it silent … as everywhere in Palestine, cities and palaces have returned to dust [Pierre Loti, La Galilee, 1895]
Fig.1: Central Israel and the West Bank
The restoration of the ancient nation of Israel started in the late 19th century, and the first wave of emigration (first ‘aliyah’ or ascent) to Israel came in 1882, mainly from Russia and Romania. Then, in 1897, Theodore Herzel convened the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland. The Congress dealt with ways for implementing the goals of Zionism – the movement to restore Israel as a nation in her own land and to create a Jewish state. Major milestones followed, with the liberation of Jerusalem from Turkish rule in 1917 and the declaration of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948. Specifically, this declared ‘the establishment of the Jewish State in Palestine, to be called ISRAEL’, link.
This declaration led immediately to Israel’s War of Independence, when five Arab armies invaded Israel. After the war, in 1949, Arab countries refused to sign a permanent peace treaty with Israel and so UN Security Council Resolution 62 called for armistice agreements that would lead to permanent peace. This resulted in Israel’s borders being temporarily re-established along the armistice or “Green Line” and the creation of the so-called ‘West Bank’ (Fig.1). Since then, despite aggressive neighbours, Israel has prospered and seen:
The establishment of a western-style democracy
Rapid population growth (mass immigration), outstripping other nations
Rapid land restoration, afforestation, and growth in agriculture and food production
Rapid industrial growth, with some of the most hi-tech industries in the world
Rapid development of modern cities and infrastructure (as in highways and water systems)
The revival and daily use of the ancient Hebrew language
Discovery of abundant natural resources of gas and oil
The development of an effective hi-tech defense force, the IDF
Small but Outstanding: Within just 100 years, Israel has been remarkably transformed in terms of land and people. Israel has gone from a land of very mixed ethnicity, desolate agriculture, low industrialization and impoverished cities to a democratic nation with a clear identity, vibrant hi-tech agriculture, successful hi-tech industries, modern cities and new infrastructure. Israel today now ranks high in the world in terms of research, science and technology,link, and is seen as entrepreneurial and innovation-based and a good place for investors, link. It figures third after the USA and China on New York’s Nasdaq stock exchange, link – a small country that punches above its weight!
Add to all this Israel’s rich biblical history and it is natural to ask: ‘Why has all this happened – what is special about Israel – does she have a special role in the world? More …
Tourism
Favorite Tourist Sites: Israel offers many historical and religious sites, as well as beach resorts. Favorite sites are the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, link, the mountain fortress of Masada at the south west tip of the Dead Sea, link, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem (Israel’s largest cultural institution), link, the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley to the east of Jerusalem, link, the Garden of Gethsemane on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, link, the picturesque Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret), link, and the Dead Sea (who’s shores are the lowest points of dry land on earth), link.
Cities: Historic Jerusalem is the most visited city followed by Tel Aviv which attracts tourists for its famous night life, great beaches, modern dining and café culture. Tel Aviv is also the financial and business hub of Israel. The picturesque city of Haifa on the northern coast is the perfect base to explore the views from Mt Carmel (546m) and the beautiful, green Galilee region to the east. Eilat, located at the southern tip of Israel is Israel’s premier resort town and a favorite for tourists. Nazareth has grown from an insignificant backwater during the time of Christ (Yeshua) to one of northern Israel’s largest cities.
In recent years tours in Israel have increased. The year 2013 was Israel’s record year for incoming tours with 3.54 million visitor entries. Christians represented more than half (53%) of all incoming people. More …
Weather
Israel is a subtropical region located 29°-33° north of the equator and the climate is midway between the Mediterranean and the desert type. Summers are hot, peaking in July and August at around 30°C (hotter in the south), link, but tempered on the coast by westerly winds from the Mediterranean. Winters are cool, dropping to 16°C in January, and snow falls on the Golan heights. The transitory seasons are characterized by occasionally dry and very hot weather, often combined with drying easterly winds. For Jerusalem, rainfall occurs almost exclusively between October and April, with peak rainfall in January and February, link. Further south, the sparsely populated desert area (the Negev) between Be’er Sheva in the north and Eilat in the south has an annual rainfall of just 2-6 inches.
There are indications in the Bible that towards the end of this age there will be a restoration of the regular autumn (October-November) and spring (March-April) rains, as needed for productive farming (Joel 2.23, Deut 11.14)
Language
Tourist information says that Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages of the State of Israel, with English as a semi-official language, link. The CIA claims that Hebrew is the official language, Arabic is the official language for the Arab minority and English is the most commonly used foreign language, link.
However, there are political moves to remove Arabic from the list of official languages on the basis that, in 1948, Israel declared the establishment of a Jewish State and that this was ‘open to Jews from all countries’. In Israel today, Modern (secular) Hebrew is spoken by the majority of the population, link, and all new immigrants to Israel are requested to learn Hebrew via intensive language programs (Ulpan, link). Speakers of Modern Hebrew can typically read Biblical (ancient) Hebrew without difficulty. So Israel is unique in that it is the only nation that uses a previously dead language as its native tongue! The restoration of Hebrew to a modern day spoken language is a unique historical phenomenon and many claim it aligns with Bible prophecy (Zeph 3.9, Isa 19.18),link. More …
Capital City
In 1950 the Israeli Knesset proclaimed Jerusalem to be the capital of the new State of Israel, link. This proclamation was based upon historical connections, Bible prophecy and the true legal position defined by the 1920 San Remo Resolution, the 1922 British Mandate for Palestine and Article 80 of the UN Charter, link. Today, Jerusalem is where the Israeli government resides, where the country’s parliament stands and legislates and where the President, Prime Minister and Cabinet have their offices.
But Israel’s stance is still disputed by the international community (as in the UN and the EU) which argues that Jerusalem must be the capital of both Israel and Palestine. According to the US Supreme Court, ‘Jerusalem is not a part of Israel’, link. So in practice, the US and all other countries still have their embassies in Tel Aviv.
Demographics
In the early 20th century the land of Israel was a mix of many peoples representing some 50 languages, link. It was described as ethnologically a chaos of all the possible human combinations with no common Arab identity i.e. no ‘native Palestinians’, link, link. In contrast, Israel today has a distinct ethnicity, namely Jewish. In fact, Israel is the world’s only Jewish State and the only country in the world where a majority of citizens are Jewish. In 1915 there were just 83,000 Jews, link, but this increased to 6.2 million Jews in 2015, corresponding to an amazing 7400% increase. Today the ethnicity is Jews (74.9%), Arabs (20.7%) and ‘others’ (4.4%), link. ‘Others’ includes for example non-Arab Christians and non-Arab Muslims.
Religion
Religion in Israel is closely tied to Israel’s demographics. Of the 6.2 million Jews in Israel (2015), some 80% of these practice Judaism in some form whilst the remaining 20% are non-religious or secular. Some divide the 80% between ultra-Orthodox/’haredi’ (8%) and traditional/modern-Orthodox (72%), link, whilst others put the ultra-Orthodox/modern-Orthodox mix at 20% and 60%, link. Within these Jewish sects lies Reform Judaism – the most liberal expression of Judaism – which provides innovation whilst preserving tradition, link.
Since Israel is a democracy it welcomes people of all faiths to participate fully in Israeli life. So Muslims (a significant 17% of the Israeli population) observe Islam freely according to their beliefs and practices. There are also various Christian communities in Israel, including Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant, and there many Christian sites for tourists, link. Christians make up about 2% of population and 4 out of 5 Christians are Arab.
first in the world for expenditure on R&D (as % of GDP)
Not surprisingly, Israel today has a technologically advanced market economy, driven mainly by science and technology, and manufacturing and agriculture are highly developed and sophisticated. Exports, which account for some 40% of economic activity, rose by 18% between 2010 and 2014, with top exports including cut diamonds, electronic equipment, pharmaceuticals, chemical goods, machines and medical equipment, link. Israel’s innovative hi-tech economy is reflected on the stock markets, with Israel third after the USA and China on New York’s Nasdaq stock exchange, link. As of 2015, Israel’s debt-to-GDP ratio (a critical economic indicator) of 67.5% compared favorably with 90% for the UK and 101% for the US, link. Trade deficits are part compensated by tourism and foreign investment inflows.
If you diligently obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands … you will be blessed in the city (Deut 28.1,3)
Industry
Fig.2: The world’s largest solar energy dish, Ben-Gurion Solar Energy Center, Israel Image: David Shankbone [CC BY 3.0],Wikimedia Commons.
Israel today has highly developed banking, health, and university systems and her industries include textiles, food processing, mining, agriculture and forestry. Israel is particularly advanced in the hi-tech industry (see also Technology) such as computer science, electronics, genetics, medicine, optics, solar energy (Fig.2) and electric cars. Research projects include transportable solar energy, link, solar-pumped lasers and production of hydrogen from water for use as a clean fuel. Israel manufactures the world’s first solar window using transparent photovoltaic glass, link.
Some 1,000 Israeli companies are in healthcare or life-science products, including 700 in medical devices. The mining sector of Israel extracts magnesium, bromides, phosphates, potassium, calcium and chlorides of sodium (mainly from the Dead Sea) and exports via Israel’s southern port of Eilat. In 2010 Israel’s share of the world’s output of monopotassium phosphate was over 40%, link. More …
Science & Technology
In 2015 Israel was ranked as the world’s fifth most innovative country ahead of the US and the UK,link. In terms of Nobel Prizes, over 850 have been awarded to individuals worldwide, of whom some 23% were Jews or people of strong Jewish ancestry. Of these, Jews have won a total of 28% in medicine, 26% in Physics and 19% in Chemistry, link.
Technology: Israeli technology is wide-ranging. Computing: Intel microprocessors, USB thumb drive storage, Microsoft operating systems, Microsoft Office, firewalls, voice mail, body controllers e.g. for games, cell phones. Transport: development of a national transport system without oil using a nationwide grid for recharging electric cars. Agriculture: development of hi-tech drip-irrigation offering 40% more crops for half the normal amount of water. These are self-cleaning and maintain uniform flow rate regardless of water quality and pressure. Medical: development of cardiac stents, swallowable camera pills (PillCam) for intestinal visualization, and radiation-free diagnosis of breast cancer. More ….
Today, Israel’s agriculture is the success story of a long hard struggle against adverse conditions, Fig.3. In 1909 Israel’s first kibbutz was founded by young Jewish immigrants and kibbutzim played a key role in Israel’s agricultural development. New immigrants also embarked upon an extensive program of afforestation, and since 1900 almost 250 million sub-tropical trees have been planted in all regions of Israel. Some claim that the reforestation program has had a favorable effect on the humidity of the soil and on rainfall, thereby changing the climate, link.
In recent years, technology has played a key role as in the Israeli drip and micro-irrigation systems (sales of which have spread worldwide). This is enables more than 40% of the country’s vegetables and field crops to be grown in the Negev desert. Israeli fruit production includes oranges, grapefruits, lemons, apples, apricots, grapes peaches, mangoes, plums and pears. All this calls to mind the Bible prophecy “Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the world with fruit” (Isa 27.6).More …
Natural Resources
It is often claimed that Israel has few natural resources. But in 2010 Israel discovered nearly 1000 billion cubic meters of natural gas – much off it offshore in the Eastern Mediterranean [Tamir Abudi Report 2014]. This is more than enough to feed Israel’s domestic demand, with surplus for export. In 2014 Israel’s proved reserves of natural gas (estimates with a high degree of confidence) were 10 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), and Israel’s proved reserves of oil were 11.5 million barrels, link. Israel also has one of the world’s largest deposits of shale oil with a potential of some 250 billion barrels in the Shfela basin. Besides oil and gas, timber, potash, copper ore, phosphate rock, and magnesium bromide are also of commercial importance. In particular, the Dead Sea contains some 45,000 million tons of salts rich in minerals, making the Dead Sea the largest concentration of minerals in Israel. More …
Israel’s total annual renewable natural sources of fresh water are well below the UN definition of water poverty. Some 80% of Israel’s natural water is in the north and the National Water Carrier (NWC) system (Israel’s traditional water ‘artery’) conveys water from Lake Galilee southwards, Fig.4. The NWC was started in 1959 and now comprises a system of giant pipes, open canals, tunnels, reservoirs and large scale pumping stations.
Today, Israel is meeting much of its water needs by purifying seawater from the Mediterranean and some 80% of domestic water in Israeli cities comes from desalinated water, link. The construction of the coastal desalination plants required a change in direction for Israel’s traditional water arteries, and Israel’s New National Carrier connects the desalination facilities to the NWC. So Israel today makes extensive use of desalination plants, reuse of treated sewage for agriculture, computerized early-warning systems for leaks, and computerized drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers.
Under the 1995 Oslo II Accord, Israel continues to supply agreed water amounts to Palestinian areas, link. As of 2007, the total water available to West Bank Palestinian areas was 200 million cubic meters per year, link. But the actual water supply would be improved significantly if the Palestinian Water Authority drilled all the sites approved for drilling by the JWC in the Eastern Mountain Aquifer (West Bank area), stopped serious leakage and utilized waste-water for agriculture, link, link.
Politics & Democracy
The Israeli political system has three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. The Knesset (Israel’s parliament) is the legislative branch with the power of legislation i.e. to pass laws. It has 120 members and supervises the work of the Israeli government (the executive branch). Israeli’s don’t vote for a particular politician, but for a political party. So members of the Knesset are not elected directly, but they run as representatives of the parties that were elected. In 2015, Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu formed a right wing coalition government consisting of Likud, United Torah Judaism, Shas, Kulanu and the Jewish Home parties.
Democracy: Israel’s Declaration of Independence guarantees freedom and equality for all, regardless of which religion one may choose:
THE STATE OF ISRAEL … will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace … it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture … [ The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, May 1948 ]
Such a promise of democracy is to be welcomed in the Middle East. For example, Israel’s free press contrasts with the mostly government-controlled media outlets in the region, and Israel is the only country in the Middle East where women enjoy full political rights. In fact, Israel today is the only democracy in the Middle East, as in a multiparty system, regular elections, changeover of governments, free media, impartial judiciary, and a military under civilian rule. It is claimed that Israel’s remarkable economic development is mainly due to Israel’s liberal democracy. The Israeli government counters international political bias against Israel by disseminating positive information about the country (the practice of ‘Hasbara’, link). More …
In recent years Israel’s relationship with her strongest ally, the US, has sunk to an all-time low. This is attributed in part to Israel’s pursuit of her settlement policies on the West Bank and her building policies in Jerusalem, link, link. As a result, the US could even withdraw her diplomatic cover or shield for Israel at the United Nations, link. At present this cover protects Israel’s desire to maintain the status quo and refrain from reaching an accommodation with the Palestinians. If this cover was removed, the US could refrain from vetoing any UN resolution calling for the creation of a Palestinian state. As for the UN, its numerous resolutions against Israel speak for themselves. As of 2013, the UN General Assembly adopted 21 resolutions critical of Israel and only 4 against the rest of the world, link. For her part, Israel continues to ignore such resolutions.
In general, the international community supports some form of boycott of Israel, link. And Israel’s relationship with Islamic countries, notably Iran, is non-existent. Iran maintains that there can be no two-state solution; in Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s view there can be only one state and that would be called Palestine under Muslim rule, link.
The international political situation is rapidly aligning itself to Bible prophecy which says that at the end of this age all nations will be aligned against Israel (Zech 14.2).
Israel’s Defense against Hostile Neighbours: the IDF
Israel is a tiny country just 290 miles (470 km) long and 85 miles (135 km) across (at it’s widest point), see Fig.5. She is a single Jewish State surrounded by 22 hostile Arab/Islamic dictatorships totaling 640 times her size, link. Since her birth, Israel has been repeatedly attacked by her neighbors, most notably in 1948–49, 1956, 1967, 1973, and 1982, link, and today they aim to replace her with an Islamic caliphate. Such hostility birthed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in 1948, with the mission to defend the existence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the State of Israel. As of 2015, the IDF had nearly 3 million fit for military service, some 160,000 active front line personnel, over 4,000 tanks, nearly 700 military aircraft and over 50 coastal defense craft, link. More …
The Aim of this Site
This site was created to expose what the Bible plainly says about the people and the land of Israel. To use a biblical term, the site is a ‘watchman’, observing how world events are aligning with the biblical text, highlighting the importance of Israel, and warning of God’s impending intervention in the world. God says:
I have set watchmen (Heb ‘shamar’ – to keep, watch, preserve) on your walls, O Jerusalem … You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent … till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isa 62:6,7)
The site may please, may enlighten, may perturb, may shock or even repulse. But if it helps to explain what is happening in the world (especially in the Middle East), or if it gives hope in these troublesome times, then its goal would have been achieved. It is all to the glory of the God of Israel.
"The nuclear deal with Iran doesn't block Iran's path to the bomb. It actually paves Iran's path to the bomb." [ Benjamin Netanyahu, 2015 ]
The Bible speaks of the Gog-Magog war. Historians interpret Gog and Magog to be modern Russian states and Islamic nations. Wake up! Learn about this next big war: CLICK HERE
SELECTED NEWS QUOTE
IRAN THREATENS TO DESTROY TEL AVIV IF ZIONISTS ATTACK "If the Zionists were certain that they could win a war against us, they’d have initiated one by now, but...they do nothing but threaten... Should Israel nevertheless decide to strike Iran, the Islamic Republic’s missiles will fall in the heart of Tel Aviv even before the Zionists’ missiles will reach us," said Mojtaba Zolnour, who represents Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamene. ---------------------------- Quoted from The Times of Israel -----------------------------
This is easily explained, but impossible to solve given the current Arab-Palestinian view of Israel. Put simply, Israel wants to live in peace as a Jewish state, whilst the Palestinians want Israel eliminated - they do not recognize Israel's right to exist. The Hamas objective is to replace the Jewish state with an Islamic caliphate,link.
For Middle East peace, all the Palestinians have to do is recognize Israel as a Jewish state and promise to live in peace with Israel. See video:
The image above shows a seven-branched Menorah as used in the ancient Jewish Temple. Its unique God-given design symbolizes God's light spreading throughout the world through the nation of Israel:
"I give you as a light to the Gentiles" (Isa 42.6)
Did you know that the national emblemof the State of Israel includes such a Menorah, flanked by two olive branches? The designers of the emblem chose the seven branch Menorah since it represents the glorious past of the Jewish people, and added the two olive branches representing Israel's yearning for peace. The Menorah also reflects the true mission of modern Israel - to be a light to the nations.
Ben Gurion's Vision of Israel: Today and the Future
Based on a 1956 interview with the first Prime Minister of the State of Israel.
The Western Wall, Jerusalem
This is a remnant of the Second Temple, the most sacred building in the Jewish world. The Wall was liberated in 1967 and today it is a national symbol.
Haifa is Israel’s third largest city and has the country’s largest port. It is also one of its prettiest cities with beautiful beaches and a lot to offer visitors.
In 2004 the Trans-Israel Highway (Route 6) was planned to be Israel's largest ever infrastructure project, running 300 km from the very north of the country to south of Beer Sheva, link. Currently it is approximately 138 km long, link. As Israel's first toll road, it connects Israel’s peripheral regions to its center and boosts economic growth.
Is this the forerunner of the prophesied highway between Egypt and Assyria (northern Iraq-SE Turkey)?
"In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria" (Isa 19.23)
Israel's Hi-Technology
Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with substantial government participation. Haifa has the largest dedicated HiTech park in Israel.
The UN and the EU prefer a two-state solution such that Jerusalem is the capital of both Israel and Palestine. But since there never was a Palestinian State (and most likely never will be) then this position is academic. Also, no other country in the world has been asked to divide its capital, so why should Israel?
FACT; Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the U.S., like nearly all other countries, maintains its embassy in Tel Aviv, link. In 1980, the Knesset legislated `Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel' which restates the position that "Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel" and the seat of its main governing bodies, link.
Jerusalem: the Legal Position
International lawyer Dr Jacques Gautier explains Israel's legal ownership of Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem Covenant
On 19 May 1993 seventy representatives of World Jewry assembled in Jerusalem to sign The Jerusalem Covenant. This is a promise of faith made by the State of Israel to the city of Jerusalem. The covenant incorporates biblical passages as well as rabbinic texts that emphasize the importance of the connection to the city. The Covenant states:
"the State of Israel is the State of the 'Jewish People' and the Capital of Israel is the Capital of the People of Israel."
In recent years this Covenant has been supported by tens of thousands of people worldwide, link, in recognition of the importance of Jerusalem to the State of Israel.
"The Covenant illustrates that the connection between the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem does not stem from a war in 1948, but from the last 3,000 years of history. Other members of world governments don’t see that connection." [ Rabbi Dov Lipman, 2014]
Jerusalem and Weddings
Did you know that every Jewish bridegroom seals his wedding ceremony by pledging his (and therefore his family's) allegiance to Jerusalem? He vows:
"If I forget you O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! If I do not remember you let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth - if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy." (Ps 137.5,6)
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