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Understanding the NEW Israeli Government

June 4, 2021 By Bella Davidov 1 Comment

Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
And because lawlessness will abound,
the love of many will grow cold.
But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
Matthew 24:11-13 NKJV

In the last election on March 23, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud party won the most seats (30) but together with his right-wing allies, THIS was not enough to form a coalition. Consequently, the mandate to try to form a government went to Lapid.

Yesterday, Lapid announced he had the Knesset’s confidence to swear in a government, thus potentially unseating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Yamina leader Naftali Bennett agreed to join Lapid and would be the first to serve as Prime Minister in a rotation deal. Ra’am, the kingmaker Arab party, signed on the bloc at the last moment.

Hence, the so-called “change coalition”, which is based on left-wing parties as well as some right-wing factions and lawmakers that parted ways with Netanyahu, have – at least on paper – enough votes in the Knesset to win a plenum vote that would end the premiership of Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister of more than 12 consecutive years on top of another three years in the 1990s.

But Netanyahu still has about a week to convince enough MKs (Parliament Members) in the “change coalition” to vote against it, thus preventing a swearing-in. As the saying goes: “it’s not over until it’s over.”

Understanding the New Want-to-be Israeli Government

When the children of Israel left slavery in Egypt to become a nation and enter and possess the Promised Land, they had two types of leaders. There was “prophetically-inspired Moses” who was loving but stern, following God’s lead in what the people of Israel needed and not what they wanted. And there was “Aaron,” A people-pleaser who listened to the desires of the people of Israel and fulfilled them by making the Golden Calf.

Today, Naftali Bennett, the head of Yamina is neither of the above.
Bennett has little public support and no legitimacy to serve as prime minister (he wasn’t voted in by the majority of the people.) In the last election, he got only 7 seats compared to Netanyahu who got 30 seats.
Nonetheless, he has convinced himself that he is a figure of historic Biblical proportions.

Bennett claims that everything he does is for the sake of “My People”. This is the recurring theme of his social media posts and interviews:
“When I see “my people” suffering because of leadership failures, I cannot stand idly by; I love my people; My people are hurt, and I will dedicate my whole life to healing the wound.” These statements are a justification for his lies and betrayal.

According to Bennett, not only is the Likud, under the leadership of PM Netanyahu, the only reason behind all that ails the people of Israel, but everything will be “fixed” only once he becomes PM.

The Yamina leader may soon become a Prime Minister with little public support (as we said, 7 seats he received from mostly right-wing voters). His voters are now remorseful and feel betrayed as they believed his platform of not sitting in government with the anti-Zionist Arab representatives. “His people” – the people of Israel – have become irrelevant and are ignored (the majority of Israelis are right-wing and voted for Netanyahu.)

To form a government, a party leader usually needs the support of a 61-seat majority in the Knesset (Israeli parliament) and a vote of confidence. When no one party has a majority, a coalition is built with smaller parties, sometimes from opposite sides of the spectrum.

Currently, the anti-Netanyahu bloc, composed of small mostly left-wing parties, appears to have the edge. Some small parties were originally right in ideology but are acting like the left, although some right-wing MKs in the bloc may eventually defect back to the right block.
As of now, there is

Center-left: Yesh Atid with17 seats (its leader Lapid will be next PM in rotation after Bennett,);
Center-left: Blue-white with 8 seats; Yamina (originally Right) with 7 seats;
Israel Beiteinu: – lost their Right identity, mainly anti-Bibi – with 7 seats;
Labor: Left with 7 seats;
New Hope: – Right in ideology but mainly anti-bibi with 6 seats; and
Meretz: – Extreme left – with 6 seats.

These parties total 58 seats and they are claiming to be able to form the 61 seat government.

Yet, to pass any legislature, Bennett’s government would need the support of Ra’am, the anti-Zionist, left Arab Muslim party.Read more about Ra’am in this article.

How did these parties ever come together?

The new prospective (“Mish-Mash”) coalition’s diverse members share little in common apart from the desire to end the 12-year run of Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader of right-wing administrations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Sunday that Yamina leader Naftali Bennett’s decision to partner with the Left to form a so-called “change government” would spell disaster for Israel and was a form of betrayal of the Right.

He addressed Bennett directly: “Naftali, your values are not even light-weight; not a single person would have voted for you had they known what you were planning to do (join the Left and the anti-Zionist Arabs).”

Naphtali Bennett shrewdly hid his true intentions while preparing for this moment when he revealed, by his actions that his party “Yamina” is Yamina In name only (Yamina means “to the right” in Hebrew.) Bennett has abandoned his right-wing ideology and is going to the left instead.

Apart from a handful of Yamina supporters, the vast majority of those who are backing Bennett and his latest moves are supporters of Labor, Meretz, and Yesh Atid. The left-wing parties will be happy to see him as Prime Minister, allowing them to have major offices in the new government, especially Labor and Meretz who hardly passed in the last elections.

On Sunday, for the first time, Bennett ripped off his mask and told everyone the truth, including the journalists and media people who followed him. As of now, it seems that most members of his small party will follow him, unless at the last minute some may have a bit of value or ideology left in them to leave. Here is an account of one of them:
“I did everything I could in recent months so that the Yamina Knesset list would garner a significant number of votes in the elections and Naftali Bennett would be Israel’s Prime Minister. I believed in him, his integrity, and his love for Israel and Zionism, and I supported him with all my might… Yet this is not the path. He said loudly and clearly: “I won’t be Prime Minister with 10 mandates. That [is] not moral, and it’s not democratic” (Amichai Chikli, an MK as part of the Yamina faction.

He is right. The premiership should express massive -+ public support we didn’t earn.

Every decision he makes as Prime Minister will require the de facto approval of the Yesh Atid party (that is on rotation bases co-partner in premiership), a party that is three times as large as Yamina but shares none of its founding principles [platform]- neither questions of the relationship between the legislative and judicial authorities or questions of policy or public security.

There is no real agreement on issues concerning the State of Israel’s DNA either (Zionism). Yesh Atid identifies with President Reuven Rivlin’s talk of a “collection of tribes” and opposes the nation-state law (the State of Israel’s definition of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people). Yamina, on the other hand, supports it, accusing PM Netanyahu of spreading fake news about him, Bennett said:

“Bibi’s spin is an absolute lie. These are my principles for the next government:

Lapid will not be prime minister. I am a man of the Right, as are a majority of the voters (even though they gave Netanyahu 30 and Lapid 17).
The next government that will be established will be a right-wing government that cares [about its voters].”

In retrospect, it turns out the spin was Yamina’s (Bennett): allowing, on a rotation basis, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid will be prime minister (after Bennett’s 2 years), and although a majority of Yamina’s voters are members of the Right, the government that will be a Left, Center-left government, with the addition of a few “fig leaves” from the Right. (Bennett’s Party) Yamina broke a majority of its promises to voters, through the gross violation of the most basic of democratic codes: Tell the truth to voters and make an honest effort to meet your commitments to them.

Now for the significance of the decision to establish a left-wing government – from a societal standpoint, this is in no way a “unity” government, but rather a government that excludes over a million right-wing voters.

Now that Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked (his second in command ) two self-proclaimed “leaders”) who started as ideological Right-wing (hence the name Yamina, “to the right”) defected from their home base to form a leftist government supported by anti-Zionist, pro-Palestinian Arab parties, what could be the national consequences of their move?

The Danger from Outside

The ministers in this new government who support the Biden administration’s Middle East policies will hold an absolute majority.

Iran. The Biden administration’s commitment to returning the US to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran leads only in one direction. Biden’s Iran policy guarantees that Iran will achieve its goals of developing A nuclear arsenal by 2030, after receiving billions of dollars in cash payments in the form of sanctions relief and new lines of credit. This will aid the Khomeinist regime’s ambition to deepen its control over Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, to expand its war against Saudi Arabia while compelling the Gulf States and maybe even Jordan to surrender. After that, it will target Egypt and the Sisi government in order to replace it with Muslim Brotherhood leadership. Unfortunately, unlike the former Trump and Netanyahu governments, the Left-wing west, including the US and the new Israeli government is too naïve to see or understand the above scenario and even support it.

The leftist government that Bennett and Shaked are about to form will not be able to oppose Biden’s policies because most of its cabinet ministers support those policies.

The Abraham Accords. And this spells the demise of the Abraham Accords. The rationale behind those peace deals was faith in Israel’s willingness to confront Iran even in defiance of the US. Once that is gone, the Abraham Accords will not be able to survive.

The Biblical Heartland – Judea and Samaria. As far as the territories in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank, the leftist government that Bennett and Shaked are now forming will allow for the Palestinian Authority’s complete seizure of Area C (area controlled by Israel,) which the Palestinians have undertaken with funding by left-wing international organizations, endangering Israel’s strategic interests and imperiling its communities. Most of the members of a mostly left government will object to any steps to secure Israel’s rights and strategic interests in the territories. Not only are they themselves ideologically committed to undermining Israel’s rights in Judea and Samaria, but they also will never dare to defy the Biden administration, which supports Palestinian control over the area. Israeli PM Netanyahu could have stood against Biden as he stood firm against Obama.

Hamas and Gaza. Under the leftist government, Hamas will rebuild its military capabilities in a matter of months. With the economic and political support from the Biden administration, the EU, and the UN, Hamas will be able to import all the building materials and other products it requires without limitations. Here too, a majority of the cabinet members support the US plan to “rebuild Gaza” for “humanitarian” reasons, unaware of Hamas’ strategy to use these materials to rebuild its underground “Metro” of tunnels to infiltrate Israel to kill Israeli citizens and/or kidnap Israeli soldiers.

The Danger From Within

In the international arena, the establishment of a left-wing government that includes those who side with the International Criminal Court will be yet another blow to the nationalist-conservative parties. We can expect to see victorious rejoicing in [Biden’s] Washington, Ramallah, the Gaza Strip, and above all else, Iran. (They will be happy to see strong right-wing Netanyahu go.)

The new government can be formed only with the support of the anti-Zionist Muslim Arab party Ra’am, which has expressed the desire for Israel to be a nation of all its citizens and not only a state of the Jews. [Please check our blog about the Nation State law in Israel.]

When it comes to the balance of power between the legislative and judicial branches, the State Attorney’s Office and the judicial branch will be handed a victory. The justices of the Supreme Court (mostly left-wing) and attorneys in the Attorney General’s office and state prosecution, WHOSE aim is to have complete power over the Knesset and Government offices, supported by a large majority of ministers in the leftist government now being formed, will be able to exercise unchallenged authority over all aspects of public life. The chance of restoring the powers of Israel’s elected leaders and returning sovereignty to the people will be gone the minute this government is sworn into office.

This is going to be (if it happens AT all) the most radical and weakest government Israel has ever known.

A Little History

In 1990, in rotation with Yitzhak Shamir (right-wing) Shimon Peres (left-wing) secured the signatures of 61 MKs to set up a government with himself as PM. At a celebratory Knesset session, convened to swear in the new government, two members who had promised to back Peres failed to show up. Mr. Peres announced his intention to make peace negotiations with Palestinians his new government’s top priority. The defectors opposed a government that depended on Arab members of parliament for support, and also rejected the return of occupied land in exchange for peace. Peres failed to get the needed 61 MKs to form a coalition, so the Right remained in power for another two years.

We hope and pray that it will happen again, with one difference. Back then, it was Peres and the Left who were subverting the Right. Today, it’s Naftali Bennett, from the Right who is willing to hand over power to the Left.

Israel is at war, and it’s over Jerusalem!

May 16, 2021 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today…The LORD will fight for you…” Exodus 14:13-14

“He [the Lord your God] will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,” Psalm 91:4-5

We greet you in the wonderful name of Yeshua the Prince of Peace. Our hearts grieve again as there is fighting and many innocent people suffer.

As we write, report, and ask for prayer requests, we want to emphasize that our hearts are filled with compassion for the suffering people on both sides. Knowing that God loves all people and wants them to be saved.

As followers of the Messiah who believe the Bible is truly the Word of God, we are aware of the Spiritual Warfare against God’s plan in Israel and around the world.

As Israeli Jews and Messianic, we (Simcha and Bella) are very much aware that there is some prejudice against Arabs in predominantly Jewish Israel. This does not justify the violent and murderous attacks against innocent Jewish people. We see how it is clearly instigated by an evil spirit from the enemy satan, who uses people who are deceived by the spirit of Islam.

The Bible shows us the big picture, including the past and future, which help us to realize that these last attacks are part of the opposition to God’s plan, where Israel has a very central part. The enemies of Israel are the enemies of the Lord, God of Israel, King of the universe.

The War Goes On

Saturday marks the sixth consecutive day of rocket fire from Gaza directed at Israeli population centers. Attacks began Monday evening with a missile Hamas launched at the Jerusalem area following days of clashes in the city between Palestinians and Israeli security forces.

That initial attack has been followed by ongoing, nearly continuous, intense rocket fire into the center and south of Israel. Even as far as Elot near Eilat (the farthest city in south Israel). To date, 6 Israelis have been killed and dozens have been wounded

The IDF (Israeli Defense Force) is bombing Hamas targets in Gaza, careful to avoid civilian structures and populations as much as possible. Nonetheless, at least 132 Gazans have been killed, including many Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists. Missile launching sites and Hamas headquarters have been destroyed. Ironically, some Palestinian civilians, including children were killed in Gaza as a result of many failed Hamas rockets fired at Israel.

Israel gives advance warning to the residents of buildings Hamas is using for terrorist activities that are the targets of airstrikes, so the people who are not involved can evacuate the premises and their lives are spared.

Hamas Targets Civilians

Hamas deliberately targets Israeli civilians in most of the cities, firing long-range missiles and also short-range rockets at nearby (to Gaza) towns and villages.

Their ideology is for the “Liberation” of Jerusalem. That was the goal of the first missile they fired as Israel was celebrating Jerusalem Day in honor of the unification of Jerusalem which followed Israel’s victory in the 1967 Six-Day War. “We fired 100 rockets at Tel Aviv and other cities and are prepared to fire more,” said a leader of the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad group, referring to the Tuesday night’s barrages on the center of Israel. “We will continue our struggle and not back down. Gaza is the sword of Jerusalem.”

To win this round, Israel must destroy the infrastructure and enemy manpower in Gaza, but also must realize that it is a fight for Jerusalem. Israel must be more forceful than ever before. The world will most certainly blame Israel even though Hamas started this round and (as of Saturday night) has fired so nearly 3,000 missiles at innocent civilians.

The calamity that the IDF can bring upon the enemy will traumatize whatever leadership is left, unfortunately along with the residents of Gaza and Judea and Samaria, and the Arab citizens and residents of Israel.

When Should Israel Stop Targeted Bombing?

Many Israelis don’t want the military operations in Gaza to stop until all objectives are achieved.

Concerning Jerusalem, Israel must implement measures that change the status quo on the Temple Mount providing access for the Jews. Israeli sovereignty needs to be accepted.

It would help if parts of the Gaza Strip, preferably its northern section, reverted to Israeli hands. IDF commanders must be assertive. This is war. Hamas leadership in Gaza and Palestinian Authority in the West Bank must endure the consequences of their actions.

The question remains: will the IDF continue to fight until the end? Israeli PM Netanyahu has promised: “It will take a little while longer, but with a large number of strikes, both defensive and attacking, we will attain our goal – that of restoring calm to the State of Israel.”

Jerusalem is a Red Line for Hamas

On Thursday morning, thousands of Muslim worshipers arrived at the Temple Mount at the conclusion of the Ramadan holy month. Some of those in attendance expressed support for Hamas and called for the Gaza Strip to “stand strong” in the face of the IDF operation there. Posters in support of Hamas leaders said: “Jerusalem is a red line.” One of those Muslim worshipers wore a shirt that read: “We are all Gaza, Jerusalem will rise.” The leader of a Jewish organization in favor of Israel’s control of the Temple Mount said to the press: “The time has come to fight this Operation Guardian of the Walls in Jerusalem.”

Last week, Hamas activists in Jerusalem proved they control the Temple Mount and East Jerusalem Streets. Israel must fight this terrorist organization in Jerusalem.

Many Israelis believe that a great opportunity exists now. With the proper response, Israel will win, and not just on the battlefield.

Along with Hamas – whose ideology is to take back Jerusalem and all of “Palestine” (the land of Israel) – the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) and the P.A. (Palestinian Authority) pose a danger to Israel’s existence as the sole Jewish nation.

Consider the anti-Zionist rhetoric of the traditional Israeli Arab leaders, who take advantage of Israel being a democracy and openly call Israel a racist Jewish state, an apartheid colonialist state, and the IDF soldiers terrorists. (Click more here read more about the Cause of the Current War.)

What About The Riots?

Today radical fundamentalist Arab Muslims, who are Israeli citizens, are burning streets in the mixed Israeli cities (cities with large populations of both Jews and Arabs) destroying hospital emergency rooms, and burning synagogues to the ground.

Israel HAS BEEN forced to evacuate Jews AS the rampaging mobs, fueled by Hamas propaganda, ARE MAKING EFFORTS to lynch Jewish residents. Cars were stopped on the highways and the Jewish passengers were beaten by Arab lynch mobs. Presently there is a curfew in one of the mixed cities.

In Jerusalem, riots have now continued for a month, leaving many Jews injured.

Jerusalem Day Parade – Canceled

For the first time since 1967, Israel canceled its Jerusalem Day celebratory flag march and the government has barred Jews from entering the Temple Mount.

Israel backed down and postponed a court hearing on the eviction of Arab squatters from houses in which they have lived for 50 years while refusing to pay rent to the Jews who have held the deed to the land for a century. This contributes to the international assertions Jewish land deeds are less valid than others and the presence of Jews in the city they made holy is an “illegal” act, as U.S. Democratic politicians have said. Click here for more details on the subject.

Is This War About Jerusalem?

Hamas has made clear that this war is about Jerusalem. Israel permitted the eroding of the Status Quo in Jerusalem and the Temple Mount has become, in essence, a sovereign and entirely independent Muslim mini-territory.

Israeli sovereignty on the Temple Mount has been forfeited as no Israeli authority or police can enter without encountering violence, provoking an international crisis and threats of international intervention. Will Israel win this war, not just militarily but also ideologically? Victory is defined by strategy and perception, not only by power.

According to Hamas, victory is all about Jerusalem. Hamas understands that the city and the holy sites are at the heart of the Jewish people, and that is why every one of its thousands of missiles into Israel is linked to the control over the Temple Mount. Hamas aims to become the leader of the Muslim world in the “holy struggle to free Jerusalem” from the “Zionist enemy.”

Wicked Friends of Hamas

With the support of Turkey – which declared willingness to send troops to help fight the Jews in Jerusalem – Jordan, and of course Iran, they fight against any non-Muslim control of the holiest place of the Jews in united Jerusalem — the Temple Mount. Gaza is no longer the target, but Jerusalem, along with the heartland of the Holy Land, the hills of Judea and Samaria, including cities holy to Judaism such as Hebron, Shiloh, and Mount Eval as well as Christian holy sites like the Old City of Jerusalem, Golgotha (Calvary) the Garden Tomb and Bethlehem.

Israel must establish her presence on the Temple Mount. Some publically suggest an arrangement to share the area, which is big enough for the two faiths to have their places of worship, side by side.

Jordan has been dominating the Waqf (the Muslim religious trust that administers the Mount) with key allies but has proven incapable of keeping the status quo, permitting the Arab riots to continue on the grounds of the Temple Mount. A settlement might involve rearranging or replacing the character of the current Waqf and turning over its authority to a committee that is managed by another Arab country at peace with Israel, like the UAE or Bahrain. Hamas must lose its control over the Muslim agenda concerning Jerusalem.

Many Israeli Jews demand rights to a permanent presence for a place of worship on the Temple Mount, and for Israel to reassert control with a police presence there.

Israel is at war, and it’s over Jerusalem!

Please pray with us:

In 2017, Israel even yielded its control of access to the Temple Mount, removing metal detectors installed after Islamists brought weapons into the complex to attack and kill Jews. In order to avoid conflict, primarily with Jordan, Israel also relented from installing cameras to monitor visitors to the Temple Mount complex (to avoid unwelcomed visitors).

Israel is at a crossroads realizing the crisis will continue if it doesn’t make the right choices. All wars and choices have a price Israel has to pay. The battle defining this crisis, and labeled by Israel; “Defenders of the Walls” (no doubt meaning Jerusalem) is spiritual, and Israel’s victory must come on the Mountains of Jerusalem and not only from demolishing the terrorist’s tunnels in Gaza.

Please Pray with us:

That innocent lives will be spared in the fighting
That God through this turmoil will draw people on both sides to Himself.
For Born Again Believers to be filed with the Spirit and shine God’s light during this time of darkness.

RETURN TO ZION – the Miracle of Modern Israel

September 25, 2020 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

The destruction of Jerusalem and the second temple by the Romans in 70 CE and the banishment of the Jewish people to the far corners of the Roman Empire ended the Jewish nation and the sovereignty of the Jewish people of Judah for almost 2,000 years. During the following centuries, until the 19th century, whenever a Jewish population attempted to settle and gather in the suburbs of Jerusalem, they were warned off by the reigning empire—frequently by force. After the decree of Rome banishing the Jewish people from the city of Jerusalem and the region, the Roman government renamed the land “Palestine.”

Thereafter, the Jewish people suffered prejudice and persecution as a people. There ceased to be a Jewish nation – neither Israel nor Judah. As the Lord warned through the biblical prophets, the people of Israel were scattered around the earth. However, the Jewish people stayed together as a people wherever they lived throughout the world, observing the Sabbath and celebrating the Jewish (biblical) holidays. During the Passover Seder (meal), they recited the story of deliverance from slavery in Egypt, and at the end, they proclaimed: “Next year in Jerusalem!”

The land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem were never forgotten. In the latter19th century, events began to transpire that would eventually give birth, after almost two millennia, to the modern Jewish state of Israel.

The “Aliyah Movement”

The literal meaning of the Hebrew word, “Aliyah” is “to go up.” In other words, no matter where a Jewish immigrant is coming from to Jerusalem or the Land of Israel, he is going up. It is also the term for calling a member of a Jewish synagogue to “come up” to read the weekly portion from the Holy Torah scroll.

The Aliyah movement was a response to the historic and repeated persecution of European Jews. It swept young Jewish adults of Eastern Europe in an almost spontaneous burst of passion for the Land.

The First Aliyah in 1881 to 1882 – a reaction to pogroms (an organized massacre) in Czarist Russia would eventually include almost 35,000 Jewish pioneers, a generation of Jewish young adults determined to leave their countries of origin and “go up” to the land of their forefathers, now called Palestine. Their passion was to rebuild their families and the land. These pioneers frequently overcame monumental obstacles to reach the historic lands of Judah and Israel, at that time known as “Palestine,” in an attempt to build a new life for themselves and the Jewish people.

The First Zionist Congress – The second significant event in the latter 19th century was the emergence of Zionism under the initial inspiration and leadership of Theodor Herzl, a successful secular Jewish journalist from Vienna, who was shocked by the deadly anti-Semitism, prejudice, and persecution of the European Jews at the hand of the gentiles, and was convinced that they were a continual threat. The solution, according to Herzl, was a Jewish homeland in Zion, the ancient land of the Jewish people. To this end, he organized the First Zionist Congress, held in Basel, Switzerland, in 1897 with about 200 Jewish delegates in attendance from different nations.

During the 19th century, as the First Aliyah began to unfold, and the First Zionist Conference was held, Christian leaders were of mixed opinions as to the significance of these matters. Some read the prophecies in the scriptures and were certain the nation of Israel had to be reborn. Others, believing in the replacement theology, were just as certain Israel and the Jews were rejected by God and replaced by the “Church.” Depending on the denomination, churches were for or against, (moral) support to the Zionist cause.

This debate continued right up until the UN voted in 1948 to make a way for a Jewish homeland, and continues to rage to the present day. Is it Prophetic or Political? Whether it is a Russian diplomat acting on behalf of the Czar; or a U.S. President, or the U.S. State, religious and/or political beliefs lie beneath the surface of action or inaction. Even today, beliefs, as well as self-interest and necessities, right or wrong, specifically affect individuals’ and nations’ positions on the events taking place in the Middle East.

Following the death of Herzl in July 1904, the banner for a Jewish state was carried by a new generation of secular, humanist, European Jews. Chaim Weizmann and David Ben-Gurion were the most notable. The motivating force behind the struggle for the creation of a Jewish homeland was driven by these men who were liberal, even socialist in their beliefs and politics.

Religious Judaism was not significantly represented among the early leaders of what became the first Israeli politicians. They were not motivated at all by a historical/biblical longing for the return to the land of their fathers. Their motivation was nationalistic; to the extent that they were convinced, there could never be peace for Jews in any non-Jewish country.

Internationally, and under all circumstances, whenever events turned negative—be they political, economic, or even climate change—the Jews were always the convenient scapegoats for blame. Even in the USA, it was widely held among the general population that “the Jews were behind the banking crisis and the Great Depression.”

The early Zionist founders were Jews but had no real connection to the Jewish religion or traditions. Some barely believed in God, or not at all. In fact, religious Judaism was skeptical of any effort to create a new Jewish state. Many Orthodox rabbis spoke openly against it, even maintaining it was up to the Messiah, when He comes, to reestablish the nation. Many went so far as to say working for a (secular) Jewish state was blasphemous.

The Balfour Declaration – Britain’s Lord Balfour’s declaration was a public statement issued on November 2, 1917, by the British government and published on November 9, 1917. It declared support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine, (which was at that time a Muslim Ottoman Empire region with a small minority Jewish population.)

It seemed to satisfy the vision Herzl had for a Jewish home in their homeland. However, its implementation met with opposition within the British government because England was dependent upon the expanding crude oil development of the Middle East, which necessitated good relations and support of the Arab populations and states that apparently controlled the crude reserves.

At the conclusion of WWI, the victorious Allies, at the encouragement of Great Britain, made several modifications to the map of the Middle East that was previously the undivided Turkish Ottoman Empire. They divided up much of that territory to create a new map. Included in this innovative map-making was the creation of several new countries that had never existed before, such as Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and others. The “Great Nations” behind this new map of the Middle East were Great Britain, France, and, to some extent, Russia.

A New Map

With all of this “new country creation,” the Zionists had realistic expectations, in light of the Balfour Declaration, that Great Britain would only allow for a sliver of land in Palestine for the first Jewish homeland in two millennia.

Unfortunately, even this did not happen at that time, as the national security voices within the British Foreign Office prevailed with the argument that the vast Arab majority of the Middle East, where the largest concentration of future crude oil was certain to be located, would not permit the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine, no matter how small.

The League of Nations (later to become the United Nations) gave Great Britain the mandate over the Palestine area, which included the area that is now Jordan. The British were supposed to be there until the Jews would be able to rule their new state. They were also supposed to keep the peace in this troubled spot. This enabled the British to maintain British dominance in this strategic region.

But, due to England’s growing prejudice and hostility toward world Jewry and their religion, as the 20th Century progressed, it became clear to the Zionists that a Jewish homeland in Palestine might never be achieved. With hostility increasing all over Europe toward the Jews and British policy limiting the immigration of Jews to Palestine, Jews began to resort to “illegal” means to enter and settle in Palestine.

Nowhere to go

Even as Hitler’s final solution to exterminate the Jewish population of Europe progressed, Great Britain continued to forbid entry of additional European Jews refugees to Palestine. Once Hitler was finally defeated, Europe found itself with millions of DPs, (Displaced Persons,) of which the majorities were Jewish survivors of the Hitler extermination machine. These Jewish Holocaust survivors soon discovered they were not even welcome to return to their former European homes or cities. When a few brave ones attempted, they were greeted not as survivors of Hitler, but as “the cause of the war.”

A significant number of those who survived Hitler were killed by angry anti-Semite mobs when they attempted to return to their homes which had been confiscated (among them were Bella’s father’s family.) In Poland, returning survivors were attacked with shouts of, “Hitler should have finished the job! Why aren’t you dead?” The Allies decided it was too risky to allow these Jewish survivors to “just run loose.” So, the Allied Occupation Command decided to convert many of Hitler’s “death” camps to “DP camps,” camps for displaced persons (Bella was born in a DP camp in 1947). Once again, the Jews were locked up!

Although pressure was mounting on Britain to let some of these Holocaust survivors enter Palestine, the British government feared it would provoke an Arab violent reaction, as it saw itself as the only peacekeeping force in Palestine between the Arab population and the growing Jewish one.

By the fall of 1947, the pressure upon the British had grown almost intolerable, with U.S. President Harry Truman leading the way, finally, Great Britain agreed to an option of ending the mandate (trusteeship) submitted to a vote by the newly created United Nations general assembly. Britain lobbied on behalf of a proposal, calling for the simultaneous creation of an Arab state and a Jewish state, dividing the previously undivided Palestine.

However, with the growing aspirations of the Soviet Union in the Middle East and the desire to reduce the influence of Great Britain in the region, the Soviet Union, with all of their vassal states, voted for the end of the mandate and the creation of an independent Jewish state.

The U.N. vote on November 29, 1947, ended the British mandate in the region, as well as the blockade of the European-Jews, immigrated to Palestine.

Declaration of the State of Israel

Immediately upon the withdrawal of the last British troops from Palestine, Ben-Gurion, the leader of the Jewish population in the land declared the independence and statehood of the Jewish nation, calling the new Jewish state and the land – “Israel.” In fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 66:8, on May 14, 1948, a nation, the Nation of Israel was truly born in a day.

Once the U.N. voted to end the mandate, and cleared the way for a Jewish state, it began to establish the permissible, likely borders. Also, it was envisioned that an additional Arab/Palestinian state would simultaneously be created in the former British Mandate Palestine.

The neighboring and existing (Islamic) Arab nations in the region opposed the idea of a Jewish state ever emerging in the Middle East, no matter how small. At the core of the Arab opposition was a fundamental Islamic inviolable precept that “Once a land or territory has been conquered by Islam, from that time that land is Islamic! All true followers of Islam are committed to going to war, and even dying, to enforce this Islamic dictum!” (Israel was conquered by Islam in the 7th century and reconquered in the 11th century)

The Miracle

This is the mantra of organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah as well as nations like Iran. To the secular nations, including the emerging secular leadership of the (then) proposed Jewish state, it seemed impossible to reason with such religious dogma. It appeared war would be the only solution. Jihad (Islam Holy War) was the only honorable response prescribed by Islam.

The outnumbered, outgunned Jews of the new state were seen as having no chance to survive such an attack from the surrounding enormous enemy armies. It was widely believed the Jewish state that was born in one day would not survive even one day. Miraculously, Israel defeated these enemies and God’s word of a reborn Jewish state prevailed.

New Moon Celebration

June 28, 2020 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

Exodus 12:1-3

Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month is the beginning of months for you; it shall be the first month of your year. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must select a lamb for his family, one per household.”

The gentile Gregorian calendar, based on the sun, substituted God’s biblical (Hebrew) calendar that was based on the moon as if saying that the substitute was a better way. They made a different day for the Sabbath, they made different dates for the Set Times of the Lord (the Jewish holidays) and omitted the celebration of the New Moon from the calendar.

This month some nations joined in Jerusalem for the first time to celebrate the New Moon, thereby reconnecting with God’s biblical calendar. It’s a huge thing, since the Gregorian calendar is actually part of the root of anti-Semitism, denying that God chose the Jewish nation to establish His calendar in the world.

When God took Israel out of Egypt and established her as a nation, He declared that this would be the first day of the first month (first new moon.) Our New Moon celebrations fulfill the declaration He made, that Israel and the nations would gather on God’s timetable.

The Lord’s Supper – Victory Meal

In Jeremiah 31, God promises: “The time is coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. God speaks of the new covenant He would give to Israel. We usually stop at the verse where the Lord declares, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” However, in the very next verse, 35 “This is what the Lord says, He who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar – the Lord Almighty is His Name: 36 “Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the Lord, “will Israel ever cease being a nation before Me.” He confirms this promise again in the next verse, “ 37 This is what the Lord says: “Only if the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,” declares the Lord.”

God affirms that His commitment to Israel is not dependent on what she does or doesn’t do. It is only because of His faithfulness that He will never reject Israel and Israel will never cease from being a nation before Him. Therefore, taking the Lord’s Supper on the New Moon is a victory meal, like a victory shout, that Israel exists before Him as a nation and that the One who brought us out of Egypt, the One Who was, is still alive and is the One Who is to come. As we line up with this promise, we are on a journey to the throne.

What will all nations sing before His Throne? The song, “Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb,” and “Worthy is the Lamb.” This journey started in Exodus, when He said in chapter 12:2, “This is the first of your month and the first of your year” and in the next verse He instructs to choose and take a lamb.

At Passover, all the people of Israel passed through the doorposts covered by the blood of the lamb. That event began the journey to the Throne. And each month, more people enter by one thing – by the Blood of the Lamb of God, Yeshua/Jesus. Each month we get closer and closer to His coming – the One Who was, Who is, and Who is to come. We are not just wandering around in this world. We have a purpose; we know where we are going.

The New Moon is a sign of the New Covenant in His Blood, and God’s eternal commitment to Israel. Even before He gave the Ten Commandments, He commanded:

“This is the first of the month”. That was the basis for His people’s calendar. It echoes way back to creation when He made the moon for signs and seasons.

For a long time, it was removed from our understanding. But now we are enlightened.

People may object saying that it is not in the New Testament. But in the Gospels, we see Yeshua honoring the Sabbath, honoring and celebrating the biblical feasts, so we have no reason to think that He didn’t celebrate the New Moon. On the other hand, there are no instructions to eliminate this set time.

We can’t know when Passover is if we don’t mark the New Moon of that month. We can’t go up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles if we don’t recognize the first of the seventh month. Colossians 2:16-17 “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.”17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is Christ.”

*At the time of the New Moon, the sliver of the moon is so small that you can barely see it.*

A shadow speaks of something real, a substance, which is Him. It’s all about Him. The New Moon celebration is not to be removed but to be fulfilled; Yeshua is its meaning. Therefore, it’s so significant that the nations honor this day.

Finally, the nations are saying, “We have joined the New Covenant by the Blood of the Lamb, and we recognize God’s eternal calendar by which He moves.”

May the nations reject the false calendar they set up and celebrate the New Moon to say, “We are joining in and honoring Jerusalem, the city of the Great King, the Coming King.”

Celebrating with the blowing of the silver trumpets in “My House”.

We are thankful for “My House” where we can celebrate every first of the month on God’s calendar until He returns to rule and reign from Jerusalem. This is a thanksgiving feast. To God be the Glory! Amen!

The Counting of the Omer

May 10, 2020 By Bella Davidov 2 Comments

“You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the Omer sheaf (sheaf) of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord.” (Leviticus 23:15-16)

In Jewish tradition, the Omer is considered to be a bridge that connects the Exodus from Egypt from slavery to freedom, to the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai seven weeks later, on the holiday of Shavuot (Pentecost.) Passover and Shavuot are two of the three pilgrimage festivals when the people of Israel went up to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem to come before the Lord.

God commanded the Israelites: “Three times a year shall all your men appear before the Lord your God in the place that God will choose [God chose Jerusalem as His dwelling place], on the festivals of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), and the Festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot). They shall not appear empty-handed. Each shall bring his own gift, appropriate to the blessing which the Lord your God has given you.” (Deuteronomy 16:16)

The Lord wants to bless His people with abundance, but He wants them to come to Him with the first Omer of their crop, and He will give the increase.

The three festivals are joyous times of anticipation for God’s blessings on their offerings. The time between Passover and Shavuot is truly a happy event, seven weeks of joyous celebration, believing God for a great harvest.

However, since the destruction of the Temple and the Jews dispersed to nations all around the world, the counting of the Omer has become a tradition of strict laws set by the rabbis.

Jews in the Diaspora developed laws regarding what to say and what to do. For example, one stands when counting the Omer, and begins by reciting the blessing in Hebrew translated: “Blessed are you, Lord our God, Sovereign of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to count the Omer.” After the blessing, one states the appropriate day of the count, like: today is the 28-day of the Omer, and so forth for each day. He also states the week, because the biblical text instructs, “you shall count 50 days.”

Furthermore, the text also says to “count seven complete weeks.” Therefore the tradition commands to count both days and weeks with the appropriate blessings as they appear in the prayer books for the evening service. However, if a person forgets to count the Omer on a particular evening, he may count the next morning for the previous day but without reciting the blessing, and then may continue counting, as usual, that evening with the blessing.

If, however, one forgets to count the Omer at night and also forgets to count in the morning, one should still count the Omer on every subsequent night, but should no longer recite a blessing before counting.

In Judaism, the days of the counting of the Omer have become a solemn time of partial mourning. In different Jewish communities, there are different traditions regarding how much of the Omer period is spent in mourning, and what restrictions apply, for at least some portion of the days of the counting of the Omer. Behavior such as listening to live music, celebrating weddings and Bar Mitzvahs, shaving, and getting haircuts are generally forbidden. There is just one day, the 33rd day of the Omer, Lag Ba’Omer, that is a joyous day, which is treated as a minor holiday with singing, dancing, (hair cuts are allowed), and gathering around lit bonfires.

According to the Talmud (Oral Law), the reason for the mourning during the counting of the Omer is to commemorate a terrible plague that killed 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva’s students during the Omer period (a famous rabbi who lived in Israel in the 130’s CE and is considered to be one of the greatest rabbinic sages.) The Talmud explains that this horrible tragedy was a punishment because the followers of Rabbi Akiva did not respect one another. The followers were extremely learned men who devoted their lives to the Torah, mainly the Oral Law; but their lack of respect for one another caused the devastation. Jewish tradition puts great emphasis on the treatment of people one to the other. It is not enough to learn Torah and be right with God without being kind and doing good to our fellow men.

Rabbi Akiva also proclaimed Bar-Kochba as the Messiah (a false one) which led to the rebellion against the Romans in AD 132, a rebellion that failed.

As followers of Yeshua/Jesus, the True Messiah, we lift up our attention and focus on God’s Eternal Kingdom. (Colossians 3:2)

During these 50 days of counting the Omer we look forward to Shavuot (Pentecost) and pray for Spiritual Awakening with the promise of God to pour His Spirit on all people. (Joel 2:28)