ISRAEL

Israel, historically the Jewish homeland, their presence in the province dwindled due to mass expulsions as Israel was conquered in turn by the Greeks, Romans and Arab Muslims. It remained under Muslim rule until the 20th century. Zionist immigrants arrived back in 1897. By 1903 25,000 Jews lived among half a million Muslims. In the1920s and 1930s the influx of hundreds of thousands of Jews caused unrest in the Arab communities. They owned 6% of the land and formed 11% of the population.

By the late 30's militant Zionists executed attacks on Palestinian and British targets with the aim of pressuring the British government, which had ruled Palestine since 1920 into granting the nation independence.

The immigration problem became more critical with the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Jews fleeing the Nazi persecution during World war II in Europe in which six million Jews were killed.

The UN recommended splitting the territory into separate Jewish and Palestinian states. Palestinian representatives rejected the proposal; while the Jewish Agency accepted it.

Britain decided terminate its Palestine mandate on 15 May 1948 but hostilities broke out before then with attacks and counteracts on each others territory by both the Israeli Irgun and Palestinian Fatah

The State of Israel, was proclaimed on 14 May 1948 in Tel Aviv and the next day five Arab armies from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq invaded Israel but were repulsed losing large swathes of their land and the Palestinian territories.

Most of the Arab population (600,000 to 900,000) fled before or during the war due to encouragement by the surrounding Arab governments. The continuing conflict between Israel and the Arab world resulted in a lasting displacement that persists to this day.

Mounting tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbours culminated in six days of hostilities starting on 5 June 1967. Israel seized Gaza and the Sinai from Egypt in the south and the Golan Heights from Syria in the north. It also pushed Jordanian forces out of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The territorial gains doubled the area of land controlled by Israel. The victory heralded a new age of confidence and optimism for Israel and its supporters.

source:bbc, wikipedia

Prayer for Israel

• Pray for the opening of hearts blinded to the truth of the gospel and salvation of souls.
• Pray for the peace between the warring nations.
• Pray for outpouring of the Spirit of God on the nation.
• Pray for the government and leadership to operate in and submit to God's direction.

Above: Bishop Oluwafemi and friends in Israel

View our gallery showing Bishop Oluwafemi's visit to Israel