Thousands of Israelis demonstrated across the country on Friday to mark four years since Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit was captured by Palestinian militants in a cross-border raid from the Gaza Strip.


Some 600 people marched down the main thoroughfare in the Galilee city of Nahariyah, while another 250 staged a protest outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Haaretz

The history of Israel

  

Jerusalém

The history of Israel is intimately tied to his God. The covenant people as they are known since antiquity is the chosen people, separated by God himself, with a lofty mission. God who has established an everlasting covenant with the patriarch Abraham and his future generations. A story that can be read the first book of the Torah.





It was from the choice of a man who found a rich and amazing story of faith, where the Eternal has become known as the Almighty. Under the leadership of Moses, the Hebrews would know God by the name of the Lord (Ex 6.3).

One people, one land, one God, an everlasting covenant explain why this war continued to survive, to remain on the world scene as a true and impressive nation.



The wealth of Jewish history can be extracted from each stage of their spiritual development, social and political characteristics of the purest of their religion to the courage, faith, stubbornness and determination of a people, their rights, for independence and the desire to live in peace in their land, "Dan to Beersheba" Golan, Negev and Eilat and in the land of Zion and Jerusalem.

Marion Vaz

Say NO to the captivity of Gilad Shalit

The absurdity of absurdities. We are to complete four years of captivity of Gilad Shalit, on June 25 this year, and I see no other way for their release except by divine intervention. It is now that I remember the Ten Plagues of Exodus, and I surrender to my indignation.

It would be nice and helpful if all the negotiations worked well and this nightmare would end.

But Moses did not work out that way, there was a year of dialogue with Pharaoh, God sent ten plagues and finally Israel left Egypt.

In the XXI century, our modern Israel should return to the way the Biblical Israel and could at least claim their God again and plead for a miracle for Gilad Shalit.

And as happened back then, the Eternal God of Israel will act with a strong hand in favor of his people.

The words of King David
"Although my house be not so with God, yet made with me an everlasting covenant ..."



Gilad Shalit is an Israel Defense Forces soldier held captive in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip since June 2006. Ongoing efforts to secure his release as part of a prisoner exchange, via German and Egyptian mediation, have to date proved unsuccessful.

The 23-year-old Shalit was born in Nahariya to Aviva and Noam, and was raised from the age of two in Mizpe Hila in the Western Galilee. He has an older brother and a younger sister, and also holds a French passport.

When he turned 18, Shalit was drafted into the IDF armored corps. On June 25, 2006, the then 19-year-old corporal and his comrades were manning a post alongside the Israel-Gaza border when Palestinian gunmen opened fire on their position. The gunmen had dug a tunnel underneath the Gaza barrier, allowing them to reach the position undetected. Two IDF soldiers were killed in the attack, three were wounded, and Shalit was led by his captors into Gaza. Three days after his abduction, IDF forces entered Gaza in an attempt to locate and retrieve him. In the operation, 277 Palestinians and five Israeli soldiers were killed, but Shalit was not returned.

Immediately following his capture, Hamas demanded the release of all female Palestinian prisoners and all prisoners under the age of 18 from Israeli jails in exchange for information on Shalit. Israel refused, and on July 1, 2006, his captors demanded the release of a further 1,000 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.

In June 2007, one year after his abduction, the Hamas military wing, Iz a-Din al-Qassam, released an audio tape in which Shalit is heard appealing for a prisoner-swap deal to be reached to secure his release.

In October 2009, in exchange for the release of 20 female Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, Hamas released a videotape of Shalit, in which he appeared to be in good health. Since his capture, neither the Red Cross nor any other external organization has been allowed access to the soldier in order to independently assess his physical and mental condition.

Shalit's parents have been waging an ongoing campaign for the past four years to pressure the Israeli government into reaching a deal that would free him. He has also been subject of various international campaigns and support groups, and was named an honorary citizen of Paris in December 2008.

Prayer: Almighty God to release the young Gilad Shalit from captivity. Amen.

Never again be two nations

After viewing the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37), the prophet Ezekiel makes reference to an order of God concerning Israel. From verse 15, Ezekiel receives permission to join two poles, whose meaning reflects the union of the kingdoms of Israel and Iehudah divided after Solomon's death. A piece of wood should write the prophet "by Iehudah," the other "by Joseph." The two poles would be united in the hand of Ezekiel. The meaning of this act is revealed in vs 22: "never again be two nations, no more for the future will be divided into two kingdoms."

A perusal of the chapter points to the revival of Israel as a nation in its territory, what happened in 1948. O vs. 21 shows God's desire in return of his people scattered all over the world to the land promised to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob The episode is commemorated today in Israel as Yom Ha'atzmaut - Independence Day. But the text also mentions the reign of David and a descendant to sit on his throne forever, which leads us to the Millennium, when Israel's Messiah will reign and bring peace to the whole earth (vs. 24-28).

What strikes us today is the intervention of major powers and organizations that insist on sharing the territory into two nations, openly opposing the sacred text. Time and time again we hear statements about the need for a Palestinian state, the division of Jerusalem to become capital of the West Bank, the rights of each citizen, the settlements, the construction of homes in the eastern area of Jerusalem. Controversies that have occupied the headlines of newspapers and the Internet.

Our president was in Israel stating his opinion about the Middle East peace process and raised the idea of a Palestinian state. As if we did not have enough problems here in Brazil to be solved, our authorities advocate a policy of support for certain leaders such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran

Regardless of the view "A" or "B", the Word is clear: never again be two nations! There is no middle ground, or a "knack carioca" or any politics that insists on division of territory that will not overshadow what the Word of God has appointed.

The peaceful coexistence between Jews, Arabs and dozens of other ethnic and religious groups has been the concern of the Government of Israel. Especially in Jerusalem, whose mixture of beliefs and traditions of three great religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, seek to harmonize gradually.

The construction of residences on Israeli soil is part of a government housing program to ensure the well being of its people, not only in big cities and in sparsely populated regions like the desert, which covers about 50% of the territory. Heated campaigns and Aliyah (Hebrew word that invites to return the land of Israel Diaspora Jews), promote the coming of Jews to Israel, as happened in the early colonization of the country in the 40s.

What bothers me is that Israel is severely criticized by an administrative policy, as its leaders and ministers were not able to take control of their own land. Nobody criticizes other countries for promoting the welfare of the population as in the U.S., Brazil, France, Japan Someone tells China to stop birth control? Someone sets the standard of living in Alaska? (Ps: the names were given randomly).

The Brazilian is also our policy that all resident and can live with dignity. Sanitation, water, electricity, infrastructure. Fight for better working conditions, for better hospitals, roads, etc.. We advocate equal rights for all regardless of race, creed and social advancement. This does not mean to deny the same rights to Palestinians. But nobody wants to split the Rio de Janeiro in half.

So why this "war" against Israel inflamed? Were the men conspiring to breach the Word of God? Those who associate these assaults, unaware of the sacred texts? Or simply ignore what the Eternal God of Israel promised to his people?

We believe that there will be a time when Israel will have dominion over the whole territory of the promise made to Abraham. We must be careful with certain public demonstrations, which mask their goals, behind a policy of defending human rights, trying to postpone or opting for non-fulfillment of God's Word.

Marion Vaz