Dispatch from Jerusalem

Broken Promises

{image_1}An Arab refugee in Lebanon described in an interview on Palestinian Authority [PA] TV how he and other Arabs left for Lebanon from Israel during the 1948 war after Arab leaders said their absence would be temporary: “They [Arab leaders] said, 'A week, two weeks, approximately, and you'll return to Palestine,'” said Sadek Mufid. This refugee's testimony is yet another example of how Palestinian leaders, writers, and refugees themselves have begun to speak out in recent years and openly blame the Arab leadership for the creation of the Arab refugee problem.

Gaza Teen “Killed” by IDF Recounts Egyptian Prison Ordeal

“I won’t go back there even if they offered me [US] $1 million.” Muhammad Farmawi, the 15-year-old boy from the Gaza Strip who was thought to have been killed by Israel Defense Forces [IDF] soldiers [the end of March], revealed on April 5th that he had been held in an Egyptian prison.

Messiah—Mashiach

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Both Christians and Jews eagerly long for the coming of the Messiah. Yet, the topic of Messiah is one that has caused great division between Christianity and Judaism. The greatest dispute is the identity of the Messiah. As Christians, we know that Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) is the Messiah. Jews equally “know” that He is not the Messiah. The Jewish rejection of Yeshua as the Messiah has been a catalyst for Christian persecution of Jews throughout the centuries.  Perhaps we can shed some light on these differences by looking at the meaning of the Hebrew word and its Greek equivalent.

Salt Therapy—A Breath of Fresh Air

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After three years of unsuccessfully treating his five-year-old son's chronic ear infections with conventional medicine, Jonathan Kestenbaum, an immigrant to Israel from New York, started to explore alternative therapies. “We were at a point where it was either tube surgery or antibiotics for an undetermined amount of time,” explains Kestenbaum, 32. He researched several alternatives before he stumbled upon salt therapy, a natural remedy for respiratory and sinus problems dating back to salt caves in Greece in the Middle Ages

New “Gospel Trail” Inaugurated

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Now Christian pilgrims can bike where Jesus walked. Along the 40-kilometer (25-mile) trail from Nazareth to Capernaum, bikers can stop at several sites mentioned in the Bible during Jesus’ Galilean ministry. As anyone knows, one gets a much better feel for the country when biking and walking instead of speeding along in a car or tour bus on a heavily-trafficked paved roadway, and, of course, Jesus walked at a much slower pace.
 

Birds and Legislators Share Jerusalem Hill

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It may be the seat of power in Israel and located in the middle of a busy city, but Jerusalem Hill—the site of Israel's parliament—is also home to a significant bird observatory. When it comes to birds, Israel is one of the busiest thoroughfares in the world. Every spring and fall [or autumn], without fail, half a billion birds cross the country on their long migration from Africa to Europe and back. As the first green habitat they encounter on their long and perilous journey, it's no surprise that Israel takes its birds seriously—so seriously, in fact, that even in the heart of Jerusalem, just a stone's throw from the Supreme Court and the Knesset, you can find a bird observatory.

Haitian Child Receives Cardiac Op

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When the members of Israel's rescue team returned home from Haiti, they brought along six-year-old Woodley Elisse.

Israel, Syria Open the Border for Apples

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Israel and Syria may be enemies and currently not even meeting for peace talks, but there’s at least one simple interest they share in common: apples from the Golan Heights. According to an Israel Defense Forces [IDF] press release, thousands of apples grown in the Israeli Golan, which was taken by Israel from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War, will be transferred into Syria.

On Palestinian Glorification of Terrorists

Palestinians continue to defend their practice of honoring terrorists who have killed Israelis by naming public places and events after them.

The End of the iPhone?

{image_1} Else has developed one of the most innovative cell phone devices to hit the market in a long time. CEO Amir Kupervas tells ISRAEL21c that the First Else is more device than phone. “Our approach to this device is to ensure that it provides users with the experience they want…” he says. “If users want to take a picture with the device, we want to make sure it functions as a high-level camera, similar to a digital camera.”