Muslim IDF Soldier: I Love Israel! - Israel Today

Muslim IDF Soldier: I Love Israel!

Thursday, December 08, 2016 |  Israel Today Staff

RELATED STORIES

• Druze celebrate 40 years of IDF combat service
• Now It's Up to the Israeli Arabs
• Some Arabs Rejoice Over Israel Fires, Others Shelter Victims

Topics:

Israeli Arabs

A growing number of young Arabs are volunteering to serve in Israel’s army. In so doing, they are rejecting the stereotype of an oppressed minority foisted upon them by the world media.

“The country helps us and I will have a good future,” Sergeant Saleh Khalil, 20, told Reuters in a rare interview with active combat soldiers.

Khalil belongs to that sector of Arab Muslim society that believes it also has a responsibility to the state. “I enlisted in order to contribute to the country, because I live in this country,” he said.

His comrade in arms, Sergeant Yusef Salutta, 20, took that sentiment a step further.

“Why did I decide to enlist? Because I’m from this country and I love the country and I want to contribute,” he told reporters. “Everyone should enlist, anybody who lives here should enlist.”

And for Salutta, it was not just words. Reuters reported that the young Arab Muslim soldier actually wears a silver Star of David around his neck.

PHOTO: Soldiers with the IDF’s all-Arab Bedouin Reconnaissance Unit train in the southern Negev region.

Want more news from Israel?
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates

Deepening Our Roots in the Holy Land ✡ "Plantest Them in the Mountain" - ISRAEL365

Thou bringest them in, and plantest them in the mountain of Thine inheritance, the place, O Hashem, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, the sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established. Exodus 15:17 (The Israel Bible™) תְּבִאֵמוֹ וְתִטָּעֵמוֹ בְּהַר נַחֲלָתְךָ מָכוֹן לְשִׁבְתְּךָ פָּעַלְתָּ יְהוָה מִקְּדָשׁ אֲדֹנָי כּוֹנְנוּ יָדֶיךָ שמות טו:יז t'-vi-AY-mo v'-ti-ta-AY-MO b'-HAR na-kha-la-t'-KHA ma-KHON l'-shiv-t'-KHA pa-AL-ta Ha-shem mik-DASH a-do-NAI ko-n'-nu ya-DE-kha

Today's Israel Inspiration "The mountain of Thine inheritance" is understood to be either the Temple Mount or the entire Land of Israel. When Hashem says that the Jewish people will be planted in the Land of Israel, He means that they will establish roots there and flourish. The Midrash explains that this is a reference to the times of Mashiach, when the Children of Israel will be brought back to the Land of Israel, never to be uprooted again. For two thousand years, Jews have been asking for the fulfillment of this verse each week as part of the Shabbat prayers, "that you should bring us with happiness to our land and plant us in our borders". Now you can help bring God's promise to fruition and deepen Judaism's roots in the Holy Land. Plant a tree in Israel today » What is the Prayer Over Planting a Fruit Tree in Israel? Every commandment fulfilled in the Holy Land is accompanied by a special blessing to mark the significance of fulfilling God's mitzvot (good deeds). Learn the prayer over planting a fruit tree in Israel! Watch » Biblical Pillar of Cloud Protects Israel From ISIS Over Golan Heights A startling video which has been shared over 140,000 times on Facebook reveals without a doubt the hand of God protecting Israel against her enemies. Read more » Today's Israel Photo "Looking Out" over the ramparts of the ancient city of Jerusalem, one can see the Montefiore Windmill. The windmill was erected through the efforts of noted British Jewish banker and philanthropist Moses Montefiore. Today it proudly stands in the midst of the Mishkenot Sha'ananim neighborhood. Yesterday's Photo Trivia If you guessed Rosh Hanikra, you are correct! For thousands of years, the ocean's waves pounding against the rocks have formed the most beautiful grottoes in the northern city of Rosh Hanikra, which is located near Haifa. Rosh Hanikra's stunning geological formations are now a popular tourist attraction and a calming place of serenity. 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. Thanks to our recent Thanks to our recent Arson Terror Attack Donors "Todah Rabbah" to Florence Ho from NSW, Australia; Juan Pablo from Ohio; Doreen Poole from Texas; Ron & Debra McKendrick from Florida. Donate to our Arson Victims Fund » Thank You to our latest Tree Donors "Todah Rabbah" to Albie & Trudi Basson from South Africa; Audrea Delerson from Texas; Elizabeth Brannon from Florida; LaShelle Patterson from Louisiana. Plant a Tree in Israel » Thank you to our Israel365 Store Customers "Todah Rabbah" to Hendrik Smit from Australia; John Simpson from Indiana; Jon Courson from Oregon; Rowena Wareham from Canada. Shop the Israel365 Store » 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 » “God Bless and Enrich All of 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 » Shalom from Kokomo, Indiana. My wife & I embrace Israel and believe it is the rightful country set aside for the chosen people of God. We are Christians and yet stand firm for the Jewish culture and beliefs.  As Gentiles we too love our Holy Father God. We struggle in America because of hatred, violence and cruelty and yet fail in comparison to the enormous struggles of our Jewish  friends. May God's blessings pour in abundance His deep love and mercy for all of Israel. Many Americans stand in solidarity with Israel and will fight along side if the need comes. God bless you and God bless and enrich all of Israel and protect the IDF. Shalom my friend. Ken Rainey Shalom, Rabbi Tuly Weisz RabbiTuly@Israel365.com

Copyright © 2016 Israel365, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up for daily Israel Scenes and Inspiration on our website, www.israel365.com. Our mailing address is: Israel365 34 Nahal Ein Gedi Apt #17 Beit Shemesh 9909875 Israel

MAOZ ISRAEL REPORT - December 2016 - Ari & Shira Sorko-Ram

December 7, 2016  Follow Maoz Israel Ministries                A TESTIMONY OF A GENTILE CHURCH STANDING WITH ISRAEL                  I have never lived farther than five miles of where I live today. As a fifty-year-old man I have watched my home, rural Johnson County, Texas, change from a farming community to a growing suburb south of Dallas/Ft Worth. In all my young days, I had never placed a value on the importance of standing with Israel. It wasn't a part of our southwestern culture. However, when I became a follower of Jesus, all of that changed. I learned very quickly that I am not just a resident of Texas but a resident of heaven who lives in Texas. If I was going to follow Him, Israel would have to become big in my heart.           That was in 1986 and I was only 19 years old. Nine years later, my young wife and I founded a church we called Open Door. We modeled it after the church of Philadelphia in the Bible, because we were sort of born breach. We started off as a food outreach and then later started church services. Our heart for reaching the lost, feeding the hungry and helping the hurt was a primary emphasis and continues today at Open Door. Our food bank became very successful and before we even realized it, we were responsible for over 1700 orphans in seven different orphanages on 4 different continents—all this from a church of less than 200 people.        Like any breach birth, there was a very scary and painful time. With such a small and poor congregation, we struggled to maintain these ministries and creatively met our financial obstacles. Leanna and I mortgaged our home seven times between 1995 and 2011 in order to grow our food bank and maintain our orphanages. There was no financial victory in our church for over 16 years. We literally were in survival mode and many times without even the basics of electricity. All the while, we fed tens of thousands of people every year and cared for thousands of children throughout the world. Read the article...

MaozIsrael Ministries - US Office: PO Box 535788 Grand Prairie, TX 75053

War On The Homeless: Cities All Over America Are Passing Laws Making It Illegal To Feed And Shelter Those In Need - Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE

War On The Homeless: Cities All Over America Are Passing Laws Making It Illegal To Feed And Shelter Those In Need Posted: 06 Dec 2016   Michael Snyder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE  If you want to be a “Good Samaritan” to the homeless in your community, you might want to check and see if it is legal first.  All over the country, cities are passing laws that make it illegal to feed and shelter the homeless.   For example, in this article you will read about a church in Maryland that was just fined $12,000 for simply allowing homeless people to sleep outside the church at night.  This backlash against homeless people comes at a time when homelessness in America is absolutely exploding.   In a previous article, I shared with my readers the fact that the number of homeless people in New York City has just set a brand new all-time high, and the homelessness crisis in California has become so severe that the L.A. City Council has formally asked Governor Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency.  Sadly, instead of opening up our hearts to the rapidly growing number of Americans without a home, way too many communities are trying to use the law to force them to go somewhere else. For nearly two thousand years, churches have been at the forefront of helping the poor and disadvantaged, but now many communities are trying to stop this from happening.  Earlier today, I was absolutely stunned when I came across an article that talked about how a church in Dundalk, Maryland has been fined $12,000 for allowing the homeless to sleep outside the church at night… “I showed up Wednesday morning to find a citation on the door that said we’re going to be fined $12,000 and have a court date because we have unhoused homeless people sleeping outside the church at night,” said Reverend Katie Grover with the Patapsco United Methodist Church. Grover added that the men and women who sleep outside their doors do so because they have nowhere else to go and because they feel safe there. “We feel we here as a church that it’s scriptural mandate that’s it an imperative to care for the least, the last, the lost, the poor, the hungry,” she said. The authorities in Dundalk say that the church is running a “non-permitted rooming and boarding house”, and the severity of this fine is likely to put the church in significant financial difficulty if it is forced to pay it.  You can watch a local news report discussing this story on YouTube right here… Of course Dundalk is far from alone.  All across the U.S. laws have been passed that specifically target the homeless.  According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, the following are some of the most typical ways that the homeless are targeted… Carrying out sweeps (confiscating personal property including tents, bedding, papers, clothing, medications, etc.) in city areas where homeless people live. Making panhandling illegal. Making it illegal for groups to share food with homeless persons in public spaces. Enforcing a “quality of life” ordinance relating to public activity and hygiene. There are some people that have been feeding the hungry for decades that now find that their work has been suddenly made illegal.  For instance, down in Houston a Good Samaritan named Jay Hamberger is outraged that the help that he has been providing to the homeless for 27 years has now made him an outlaw… Jay Hamberger has been bringing food to Houston’s homeless for 27 years. He feels the city is infringing on his right to help others by requiring him to have prior permission to distribute food on public and private property. “I’ve done it with impunity for 27 years now, and I’m the most law-abiding outlaw, because what I’m doing is illegal,” Hamberger said. “My understanding is that there’s no legal way to make this right with the city.” This is just another example of how our society is being strangled to death by control freaks. If I see someone that is desperately hungry and I want to give that person food, then I am going to do it no matter what the law says. Unfortunately, as the homelessness crisis continues to escalate these types of laws are only going to increase.  Even in supposedly “tolerant” areas of the country we are seeing draconian measures being implemented.  For example, just check out the new ordinance that was just passed in Los Angeles… LA legislators passed an ordinance that would ban people from sleeping in cars and recreational vehicles (RVs) near homes, parks and schools. Advocates see the ordinance as the latest move to criminalize homeless people. The Los Angeles City Council voted in favor of the ordinance on Wednesday. Banning people from sleeping near homes, schools and parks in their vehicles, would, if signed into law, only make it legal to sleep overnight in cars and RV’s in industrial or commercial districts from 9:00pm to 6:00am. As millions of Americans have fallen out of the middle class in recent years, we have seen an explosion in the number of people living in cars, trucks and recreational vehicles.  This is something that I addressed in my recent article entitled “Living In A Van Down By The River – Time To Face The True State Of The Middle Class In America“.  During this time of the year many that live in their vehicles head for warmer climates, and cities like Los Angeles are responding to the influx of homeless people by trying to force them to go somewhere else. And this “war on the homeless” has actually been ramping up for quite a while.  Just check out these numbers from the Washington Post… Cities have enacted a wave of crackdowns and new laws against panhandling, camping and other activities associated with homelessness. They say such efforts help preserve the renewed vitality, curbing crime, health problems and behaviors that bother residents and disrupt business. Between 2011 and 2014, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty found that bans on sleeping in cars shot up 119 percent, citywide camping prohibitions jumped 60 percent, anti-loitering laws increased 35 percent and anti-begging laws increased 25 percent in a survey of 187 cities. Homeless people do not have a permanent address, and there is always a temptation to try to force them to go somewhere else so that they become someone else’s problem. But the truth is that we have a massive national crisis on our hands.  The number of homeless children in this country has increased by 60 percent since the end of the last recession, and the number of homeless people sleeping in shelters has risen to record levels in major cities on both the east and west coast. And considering the fact that about two-thirds of the country is currently living paycheck to paycheck, how bad will things get once the next major recession strikes? Poverty is growing all over the nation, and at the same time hearts all over America are growing very cold. I truly fear for what this country is going to look like just a few years from now.