An Oath to Defend Israel ✡ "He Shall Not Break His Pledge" - Israel365

If a man makes a vow to Hashem or takes an oath imposing an obligation on himself, he shall not break his pledge; he must carry out all that has crossed his lips. Numbers 30:3 (The Israel Bible™)   אִישׁ כִּי־יִדֹּר נֶדֶר לַיהוָה אוֹ־הִשָּׁבַע שְׁבֻעָה לֶאְסֹר אִסָּר עַל־נַפְשׁוֹ לֹא יַחֵל דְּבָרוֹ כְּכָל־הַיֹּצֵא מִפִּיו יַעֲשֶׂה במדבר ל:ג ESH kee yi-DOR NE-der la-do-NAI o hi-SHA-va sh’-vu-AH le-SOR i-SAR al naf-SHO LO ya-KHAYL d’-va-RO k’-khol ha-yo-TZAY mi-PEEV ya-a-SEH

Today's Israel Inspiration Numbers 30 discusses the laws regarding vows and oaths.  Hashem takes these matters very seriously, and commands that any commitment to do something must be fulfilled.  In fact, violating one’s vows is a sin. This commandment teaches how important it is to be true to one’s word: Hashem expects us to keep our word, just as He keeps His.  Today, we are witness to Hashem’s fulfillment of His promise, made through His prophets, to return His people to the Promised Land.  We hope to see the fulfillment of the rest of the Divine promise, that the People of Israel will live peacefully in the Promised Land, very soon. While Hashem is responsible for the return of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel, the brave soldiers of the IDF are responsible for defending and protecting Israel's citizens. Show your support to the heroes of Israel » The "Monkeys" of the IDF Meet the Lotar Unit of the IDF who are responsible for rescuing hostages.   Watch » Israel Putting An End to PTSD Former Israeli army mental health officer Moshe Farchi has developed a simple yet effective model for dealing with trauma which reduces Post Traumatic Stress Disorder   Read more » Honey From Israel! Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year is only a few weeks away! It is customary to eat apples dipped in honey on Rosh Hashana as an omen for a sweet year ahead. Order your honey directly from the Land of Israel now in time for the new year! Buy Now! » Plant a tree to demonstrate your support for Israel's soldiers.   PLANT NOW » Today's Israel Photo A rare glimpse into the work of IDF paratroopers as they land in their new training field in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ; If you enjoy your Israel365 daily email newsletter, please consider donating to one of our causes or buying products from our store and blessing the Land and the People of Israel.   Thank You to our Israel365 Store Customers "Todah Rabbah" to Cheryl M. from Texas; Pauline R. from France; Sonja B. from Norway; Barbara V. from Washington. Shop the Israel365 Store »  Thank You to our latest Tree Donors "Todah Rabbah" to Zbigniew K. from Washington; Belinda R. from Texas; Daniel W. from Florida; Oscar H. from Tennessee. Plant Vineyards in Samaria »   Thank You to Our Holocaust Campaign Donors "Todah Rabbah" to Robert S. from Australia; M Rose T. from Washington; Aafke T G. from Norway; Christopher A. from India. Donate to Holocaust Survivors Now »  Thank You Please help us continue to spread the beauty and significance of the Land of Israel!   Sponsor a day in honor of a loved one » “Support and Pray for Israel” It’s great to hear from you and make new friends from all over the world. Please send me an email and let me know how you are enjoying Israel365 (don’t forget to say where you are from!).   Stay in Touch » I support and pray for Israel. As the Scripture says, pray for the peace of Jerusalem and I do. --Richard Razvillas Shalom, Rabbi Tuly Weisz RabbiTuly@Israel365.com

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Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog: A new bipartisan move, led by Senators Rubio & Cardin, is underway in Congress to defend Israel against UN Resolution 2334.

New post on Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

A new bipartisan move, led by Senators Rubio & Cardin, is underway in Congress to defend Israel against UN Resolution 2334. This is encouraging. Here’s the latest. by joelcrosenberg There is good news to report as 2017 begins. With Members of Congress back in Washington to begin a new legislative session, a major bipartisan effort is now underway in both chambers to counter U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334, the anti-Israel measure President Obama shamefully refused to veto just before Hanukkah and Christmas. I commend my friend, Sen. Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican, and Sen. Ben Cardin, the Maryland Democrat, for leading this effort to defend Israel, America's most faithful and loyal ally in the Middle East. Today, they introduced a Senate resolution with broad bipartisan support that strongly opposes the actions taken by the U.N. and the Obama administration and lays out a positive American agenda towards Israel and the peace process with the Palestinians going forward. In the House, a similar resolution has been introduced by Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) and Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY),  which I also commend. President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence have, to their credit, denounced UNSC Resolution 2334. If they move quickly to enact the Rubio-Cardin recommendations, these will be steps in the right direction. Like most of my fellow Evangelicals, I want there to be a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. I support good faith efforts to bring healing and reconciliation between both sides and I am praying to that end. After all, in the Scriptures the Psalmist commands us to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem." What's more, our Lord Jesus Christ instructed us, "Blessed are the peacemakers." Therefore, I believe there should be direct peace talks between both sides at the highest levels. The talks should be serious and constructive and hopefully lead to the end of the conflict and real protection of Israel’s rights and security needs balanced with real protection for Palestinian human rights and civil rights and security needs. Unfortunately, since 2009 the Palestinian leadership has consistently refused Israel's oft-repeated offers for direct bilateral negotiations. They also brought the Hamas terror organization into their government and have supported two rocket wars against Israel. This is no way to make peace. Nor is the UN's attempt to force a solution on Israel. We must vigorously oppose any and all efforts by the U.N. and other international bodies to dictate terms to Israel, or unilaterally declare illegal Israel's legitimate claim to Jerusalem, the Biblical and eternal capital of the Jewish people. We must also strongly oppose every effort by the UN and others to delegitimize Israel and isolate her through boycotts, sanctions and divestment (ie, the "BDS" movement). Such efforts are unfair, unjust, and counter-productive. They make peace more difficult to achieve, not easier. All that said, let me be clear: strongly supporting Israel's freedom and security against Radical Islamic terrorism and international anti-Semitism and injustice does NOT mean a person has to be against the Palestinian people. Christ commanded us to love our neighbors and our enemies. We can -- and should -- love the Palestinians, and want a better life for them, and pray for their welfare, and support serious efforts to improve their lives and defend their rights and freedoms against injustices of all kinds. Indeed, Christians outside the region can -- and should -- pray for the Palestinian people personally, and get to know personally our Palestinian brothers and sisters in Christ. We should work to understand their needs, and develop sincere friendships, stand with them against poverty and terror and injustice, and encourage them as they proclaim the Gospel to their people and shine the light of Christ in the darkness. The Scriptures are crystal clear: God loves the Jewish and Palestinian people dearly, and so must we. Here's the full text of the statement issued by Sen. Rubio, with a link to the full text of the Rubio-Cardin Senate resolution -- I commend both to your attention: U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) today introduced a Senate resolution objecting to the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, as well as all efforts that undermine direct, bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians for a secure and peaceful settlement. They are joined in this effort by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Dean Heller (R-NV), John McCain (R-AZ), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Rob Portman (R-OH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Todd Young (R-IN). “Efforts to delegitimize Israel have been underway a long time at the United Nations and have now sadly been aided by the outgoing administration, but the time has come to turn back the tide and renew America’s commitment to the Jewish state,” said Rubio. “When it comes to the U.S.-Israel alliance, we believe that senators of both parties must stand firmly with Israel and condemn efforts to undermine Israel's legitimacy. This resolution expresses the Senate's rejection of continued anti-Israel efforts at the United Nations, reiterates our commitment to Israel, and urges the incoming administration to work with Congress on this issue.” “I am deeply disappointed that the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 2334, which is a one-sided text that makes direct negotiations for a two-state solution more challenging.  Our Senate Resolution sends the message that the U.S.-Israel partnership is ironclad,” said Cardin.  “Going forward, Congress will take action against efforts at the UN or beyond that use Resolution 2334 to target Israel.  I hope that in 2017 we can look at policies and actions that facilitate resumption of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, and I stand ready to support productive efforts.” “The decision taken by the President to abstain from this vote--to fail to act on behalf of an ally represents a failure of leadership and judgment. It is highly regrettable that one of President Obama's last actions in office was again to abandon our ally Israel,” said McConnell. “As this resolution notes, the United Nations is not the appropriate venue for dictating parameters for a two state solution, this can only come from direct negotiations between the parties.” “Since the days of ‘Zionism is racism,’ the U.N. has been a fervently anti-Israel body and, unfortunately, that bias has never diminished. Knowing this, past administrations – both Democrat and Republican – have protected Israel from the vagaries of this biased institution,” said Schumer. “Unfortunately, by abstaining on United Nations Resolutions 2334, this administration has not followed in that path. This Senate resolution reaffirms that peace must come through direct negotiations in order to achieve a sustainable two-state solution.” A PDF of the resolution is available here. The resolution: Expresses grave objection to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016); Calls for United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 to be repealed or fundamentally altered so that it is no longer one-sided and allows all final status issues toward a two-state solution to be resolved through direct bilateral negotiations between the parties; Rejects efforts by outside bodies, including the United Nations Security Council, to impose solutions from the outside that set back the cause of peace; Demands that the United States ensure that no action is taken at the Paris Conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict scheduled for January 15, 2017, that imposes an agreement or parameters on the parties; Notes that granting membership and statehood standing to the Palestinians at the United Nations, its specialized agencies, and other international institutions outside of the context of a bilateral peace agreement with Israel would cause severe harm to the peace process, and would likely trigger the implementation of penalties under sections 7036 and 7041(j) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016 (division K of Public Law 114–113); Rejects any efforts by the United Nations, United Nations agencies, United Nations member states, and other international organizations to use United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 to further isolate Israel through economic or other boycotts or any other measures, and urges the United States Government to take action where needed to counter any attempts to use United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 to further isolate Israel; Urges the current presidential administration and all future presidential administrations to uphold the practice of vetoing all United Nations Security Council resolutions that seek to insert the Council into the peace process, recognize unilateral Palestinian actions including declaration of a Palestinian state, or dictate terms and a timeline for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; Reaffirms that it is the policy of the United States to continue to seek a sustainable, just, and secure two-state solution to resolve the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians; and Urges the incoming Administration to work with Congress to create conditions that facilitate the resumption of direct, bilateral negotiations without preconditions between Israelis and Palestinians with the goal of achieving a sustainable agreement that is acceptable to both sides. [This column is based on my personal beliefs and opinions. I share them in my personal capacity as an American citizen and an author. They do not reflect the views of The Joshua Fund, which is a non-profit organization and takes no political or legislative positions.] —————- You can now pre-order my next novel — Without Warning — which will release on March 14, 2017. Click here for details. Order The First Hostage today — the new political thriller about genocidal ISIS leaders plotting a terrorist attacks against Israel, Jordan and the United States — available in paperback, hardcover, e-book and audio formats. Order THE THIRD TARGET today , the first in this new series — now out in paperback — the New York Times best-selling novel about ISIS capturing chemical weapons in Syria and plotting genocidal attacks on the U.S. and our Mideast allies. ———————-—- Would you like to make a secure, tax deductible investment in The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net)? This is the non-profit organization Lynn and I founded in 2006 to educate and mobilize Christians to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, to care for the poor and needy in Israel (both Jews and Arabs) with food and other humanitarian relief, care for Holocaust survivors, and strengthen the Church in the epicenter. The Joshua Fund is a member in good standing of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Please click here to learn more. Thanks so much! Click here to read the 2016 Joshua Fund Donor Report — and watch the short videos, as well Subscribe (free) to the RSS feed (click here) and receive every new posting on this blog directly via email. Follow on Twitter — @joelcrosenberg joelcrosenberg | January 4, 2017 at 9:04 pm | Categories: Epicenter | URL: http://wp.me/piWZ7-6sQ

VIDEO: This is Why We Defend Israel - Israel Today Staff

VIDEO: This is Why We Defend Israel

Thursday, June 02, 2016 |  Israel Today Staff

The IDF has posted the above video to show what our soldiers are fighting for, and why they are so fiercely dedicated to defending the Jewish state.

Watch video here: This Is Why We Defend Israel

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Father Gabriel Naddaf: Christians Should Defend Israel Alongside Jews in IDF by JNS - BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

Father Gabriel Naddaf: Christians Should Defend Israel Alongside Jews in IDF

By JNS April 3, 2016  BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

“There are friends that one hath to his own hurt; but there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24 (The Israel Bible™)

Father Gabriel Naddaf addresses the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Texas Region gala on March 28 in Houston. (Photo: Alan Ross/JNS.org)

Father Gabriel Naddaf, who visited Houston to address the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Texas Region gala on March 28, is best known for his efforts to bolster Arab Christians’ integration into Israeli society through their voluntary enlistment in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). For Israeli Jews, by contrast, national service through the IDF or other avenues is mandatory.

Naddaf’s pro-IDF stance is often accosted by Israeli Arabs and Palestinians, so much so that the pastor’s son was physically assaulted for that reason in December 2013. Yet Father Naddaf has pushed on with his IDF recruitment efforts, and upon meeting him in person, it’s clear that he exudes Israeli pride. What language other than Hebrew, then, would have been appropriate for this interview?

When Naddaf co-founded the Israeli Christians Recruitment Forum in 2012, the average number of Arab Christians enlisting in the IDF was 35 per year. That number skyrocketed to 150 in 2013 and continues to increase annually, albeit at a slower pace year to year, Naddaf says.

“It’s still not that a high a number, but the numbers are rising slowly every year,” he says. “You have to understand that there is a lot of pressure against [IDF enlistment] inside of Arab society, from Muslims and also from Christians who were taught for years that they should stand with the Muslims, with the Arabs, and not with the State of Israel. It’s a long process, but it’s changing. More and more Christians are joining this historic movement. I tell the Christians, ‘At this time, you see what is happening in the Middle East. It is very important to stand with the State of Israel.’ This is the Christians’ home. The Christians should defend, along with the Jews and with the Druze and with the Bedouin, the State of Israel and the Holy Land. Their roots are from the Holy Land, so they have to be on [Israel’s] side.”

FIDF’s Houston gala – during which Naddaf spoke in English – raised more than $500,000 to support the wellbeing of Israeli soldiers. Naddaf’s FIDF-organized United States trip also included a stop in New York City.

Pictured at the March 28 Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Texas Region gala: (back, from left) IDF Brig. Gen. Muni Katz; IDF Lt. Col. David Sonego; FIDF National Director and CEO Maj. Gen. (Res.) Meir Klifi-Amir; Brig. Gen. (Res.) Gila Klifi-Amir; Father Gabriel Naddaf; and IDF Capt. Gil Aginsky; (front, from left) FIDF Texas Region Gala Dinner chairs Bennet and Robin Greenspan as well as Susan and Max Reichenthal; and FIDF Texas Region Executive Director Scott Kammerman. (Alan Ross)

“I’m coming [to America] and I’m meeting my brothers,” Naddaf tells JNS. “Both of them, the Jews and the Christians, they are my brothers and I hope that I will keep meeting my brothers.”

Scott Kammerman, the executive director of FIDF’s Texas Chapter, says he first met Naddaf – and was inspired to bring him to Houston – at a Christians United for Israel (CUFI) “Night to Honor Israel” program.

“I noticed this Greek Orthodox priest was getting up there, and when [CUFI founder] Pastor [John] Hagee was explaining [Naddaf’s] mission, how he encourages Arabic-speaking Christians to join the IDF, the entire congregation of Pentecostals and evangelicals, completely different Christian denominations, stood up and applauded,” Kammerman tells JNS.org. “I thought to myself, ‘This is so important.’ His mission, and not just his mission, but the mission of all pro-Israel Christians…as Jews, we need to embrace and thank those Christians who are standing side by side with us, yad b’yad (hand in hand).”

Naddaf describes the current state of global terrorism as a case of history repeating itself through a new cast of characters.

“Today’s terror has a cultural and religious background…it’s not a political conflict,” he told JNS. “It’s a religious conflict. For religion, people do believe that it’s worth it for them to die because they’ll receive good things in the world to come…and it’s not just me saying this. The killers are also saying this, that they’re going to kill ‘non-believers,’ so they’re talking about religion and culture.”

Despite the ongoing internal terrorism and regional terror threats Israel faces, the Jewish state is witnessing the parallel development of increasingly positive relations with Arab neighbors like Egypt, which in January stationed an ambassador in Israel for the first time in three years and shares Israel’s goal of defeating Islamist terrorism in Gaza as well as the Sinai Peninsula.

What does an Israeli-Arab Christian leader like Naddaf think about Israel’s ties with Arab states?

“It’s very important for Israel to have relationships with strong Arab leaders, like [Egyptian President Abdel Fattah] El-Sisi, who is behaving much better towards the Christians [than his predecessor, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi],” Naddaf says. “I am also hearing voices from other leaders in the Middle East who are looking to have better relations with Israel. It’s positive and important, but we have to understand that in the Middle East, there are always ups and downs—including downs when the extremists are taking the lead, like what’s happened with Iran. But every time there is a good leader and a strong leader that looks to cooperate with Israel, it’s very good. It’s also easier if those [Arab] states will become more democratic.”

Given the Islamic State terror group’s conquering of large swaths of Iraq and Syria, JNS asked Naddaf what he thinks Israel can do to help persecuted Mideast Christians. He responds that Israel “can help keep and save Christians in the Middle East in their own home and place.”

“It’s not good to take people out of their homes because of any situation,” he says. “[Christians] should stay in their homeland, and that’s where Israel can help. A Middle East without Christians will be less stable. Without Israel, Christianity around the world would be nothing, because the Christians in the Middle East and Israel are the source of Christianity. Israel and the Middle East, it is where Christianity began. If there are no Christians in the Middle East, then what’s the significance, for example, of Christians in China? It is like if there would be Jews in Germany and France, but not in Israel. Something would be missing.”