israeloutlook.com

Being a Christian in Israel is no big deal.

In fact, it’s really no more difficult than being a Christian in the US – which is to say that it’s not really that difficult. The worst that you can say about Israel and the US is the temptation to be something other than Christian.

That’s pretty much it.

Not so, in Palestine.

If you are a Christian, in the West Bank or Gaza, you are in a lot of trouble. In fact, you might be in so much trouble that you might have to run for your life – or lose it.

I have just learned something awful, and for security reasons I can’t tell you much of it right now.

Yesterday, the Palestinian police arrested a man and put him in jail because his father is a Christian, in hiding.

I can’t tell you more than that for fear of endangering the father and his family.

But, I can tell you that this makes me absolutely sick and extremely upset.

What kind of insane world is this when a man’s son is put in jail and interrogated because is father believes that Jesus is the Messiah. And, what kind of insane world supports a government that does things like this?

Hamas has finally declared its everlasting love and devotion to Israel. I knew that they must have been secretly in love with the ‘Zionist Entity’, but now we know. Hamas loves Israel, and they don’t care who knows it.

It’s this classic love story where a girl (or guy) desperately in love acts in an outrageously hateful way to get the attention of the one that she loves.

What evidence do we have of this heated devotion?

I know that you won’t believe me, so I’ll let Hamas speak for themselves. Here’s a quote from the Jerusalem Post:

I ended yesterday’s post with the words:

Tisha b’Av is a reminder to us all.

How, you might ask, is Tisha b’Av a reminder to us? Even to those of us who, like me, are NOT Jewish?

First of all, please remember that the Jewish people are no different than you or me. They are as awful and as awesome as any group of people you can name. They have the same failings. They have the same strengths. They love their kids and argue with their neighbors in exactly the same way that you and I do.

From sundown last night, until sundown tonight, Israelis are fasting in remembrance (among other things) of the destruction of both the first and second temples.

Wikipedia has as a pretty good article on the topic, here.

It really is one of the most significant days of the year, and it directly impacts Israeli nationalism. And, in its own way, it reinforces the national identity of Israel and reminds everyone of the mistakes of the past and the hope for the future.

Tisha b’Av is a reminder to us all.