iBlog: behind the stories
Iran, Iran, Iran
By Marney Blom
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stunned the nation on Tuesday by signing a deal with the Kadima party, giving him the largest coalition in 28 years and avoiding an early election in September.
For the most part Israelis back the new unity government believing it will help stabilize the nation. Pundits however contend that Netanyahu will have his hands full trying to corral consensus amongst an even wider range of opposing views.
So what is really behind the unity deal? According to Gil Hoffman, chief political correspondent and analyst for the Jerusalem Post, the answer is simply, “Iran, Iran, Iran.”
An early September election would likely oust the unpopular Ehud Barak, whose military advise and strategy Netanyahu respects, particularly as the PM personally served under his command. By nixing early elections, Netanyahu keeps Barak in place.
Secondly, Netanyahu’s surprise unity government victory could send strong signals of the Israeli PM’s increasing fortitude, and possibly intimidate the reluctant Iranians back to the negotiating table later this month.
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Israel remembers
By Marney Blo
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To view video of Israel’s Memorial Day (Yom HaZikaron) click VIDEO.
Marney Blom is news director for the Acts News Network.
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Heed the sounds …
Traffic stops for Holocaust Remembrance Day siren, Jerusalem
By Marney Blom
Today it is Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Remembrance Day. From my 14th floor Jerusalem office window, I could hear the air-raid siren, see the cars stopping and the people standing at attention in memory of the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust.
Last night Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reminded the nation of it’s obligation to remember the events of the past. He urged the nation to take seriously the Iranian threat, calling the modern state “a generation that once again is faced with calls to annihilate the Jewish State.” He recalled Zev Jabotinsky’s words of warning to the Polish Jews in 1938 – a plea to leave Poland before it was too late.
“It is already three years that I am calling upon you, Polish Jewry, who are the crown of world Jewry. I continue to warn you incessantly that a catastrophe is coming closer. I became grey and old in these years, my heart bleeds that you, dear brother and sisters, do not see the volcano which will soon begin to spit its all-consuming lava … I see that you are not seeing this because you are immersed and sunk in your daily worries … Listen to me in this twelfth hour, in the name of G-d! Let anyone of you save himself, as long as there is still time, and time there is very little.”
Sadly, few Polish Jews heeded Jabotinsky’s warnings. More than three million perished in the Holocaust.
It appears that the prime minister of Israel is determined to do his part in perpetuating the sounding of the alarm. Iran is an existential threat to Israel that cannot be ignored.
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Relics of the resurrection?
The Garden Tomb, Jerusalem
By Marney Blom
2000 years after Jesus’ resurrection was first reported, the ancient city of Jerusalem is still buzzing with the story – particularly during the Easter season.
For thousands of Christians visiting Israel last week, ground zero was the Garden Tomb, a large stone burial chamber located meters away from the “Golgotha” cliff, and a stone’s throw from the Damascus gate. Alternatively, orthodox pilgrims paid homage and said prayers at the church of the Holy Sepulcher, another proposed burial site of the crucified Christ.
Conveniently timed to coincide with the resurrection season this year, another site claimed to be the ultimate resting place of Jesus surfaced.
In the residential Jerusalem neighbourhood of Talpiot, ancient carvings of Jonah and the whale – believed to be the earliest iconic identification of the resurrection – were found on an ossuary (burial box) under an apartment block. In close proximity, a second ossuary engraved with an ancient Greek inscription alluding to the resurrection was discovered. Although the new find itself is astounding, the investigator’s interpretation of the engravings is troubling. Taking a swipe at the central tenet of the Christian faith, the new find “reinforced” the investigators’ earlier conjecture that the body of the risen Saviour had remained in the grave.
Follow Acts News Network for an upcoming report featuring the Resurrection.
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Making room for God
Khirbet Qeiyafa excavation site. Courtesy: Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
By Marney Blom
3,000-year-old artifacts dating back to the time of King David, were recently unearthed in an archaeological excavation of the ancient Judean border town, Khirbet Qeiyafa, overlooking the valley where David slew Goliath.
What makes this recent find so significant? For the first time worship artifacts have been discovered that confirm the religious practices of David’s day. The absence of animal and human figurines – characteristic of pagan worship – plus clearly identifiable motifs not only bring clarification to obscure biblical terminology but highlight the historical accuracy of the Bible. Their discovery in special rooms built into the walls of the city is evidence that honouring God had a prominent place in David’s day.
Stay tuned to Acts News Network for the full story.
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