On last week’s program, we reported on the recent increase in the number of Jews returning to Israel. There are several reasons why aliyah to Israel is on the rise, such as the global economic woes, growing anti-Semitism worldwide, and the threat of Muslim violence against Jews, especially in Europe. The Ukrainian crisis is also forcing Jews in that troubled country to consider leaving for the safety of Israel. As a result, Jewish immigration to Israel is expected to be much higher in 2014 than in recent years. And slowly but surely, we are approaching the threshold whereby more than 50% of the world’s Jews will soon be living back in their ancient homeland. It has been 27 centuries since we could say that, so it is quite an historic milestone to look forward to. And it also makes us ask why are the Jewish people finally coming home now after more than 2,000 years of wandering and exile. How accurate is the Bible in predicting the modern-day return of the Jews to the Land of Israel? And what does the restoration of Israel say about God’s rule over the affairs of men? The Great Ingathering – Part II! That’s our focus this week here onFront Page Jerusalem. We’ll continue our look at the prophetic return of the Jews to their ancient homeland and show you that the Bible is amazingly accurate in how it foresees this all happening such a long, long time ago.
On today’s program, we’re looking at the great In-gathering of the Jewish people back to the Land of Israel in modern times. There’s been a definite rise in aliyah, or return of Jews to Israel, in 2014 and we’ll look at the factors causing it and how the Bible foresaw the modern-day In-gathering long ago. Here’s Front Page senior producer David Parsons with an overview of the recent history of aliyah and how the Bible says it would happen, with even Gentile Christians playing a key role in bringing the Jews home from the four corners of the world.
Interview
This week’s special guest is Michael Freund of Shavei Israel. He has been working with the International Christian Embassy to bring back one of the Lost Tribes of Israel, the Bnei Menashe community from northeast India. This is a fascinating people with a remarkable story of faith and perseverance, and an unquenchable dream to one day return to Zion.
Join hosts Earl Cox, Ben Kinchlow and David Parsons for this week’s Front Page Jerusalem, on a radio station near you or visit our website to download the MP3 and to subscribe to program podcasts
This week, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas announced that he has formed a national unity government with the rival faction Hamas. Most Western governments have quickly indicated they will do business with the new Palestinian leadership, even though Hamas has been declared a terrorist organization by the US and European Union. This move has outraged Israeli officials, who sharply criticized Abbas for choosing to side with terror rather than continue down the path of peace. Now the new Palestinian cabinet is a temporary government made up of technocrats who are there mainly to prepare for Palestinian elections by early next year. Yet the possibility of Hamas gaining political acceptance among the Western democracies is a huge concern for Israeli leaders. The Obama administration has said they will monitor the situation closely and judge Palestinian actions more than words. But Jerusalem sees it as a major compromise in the global fight against terrorism and a serious setback in the regional search for peace. So just who is in the new Palestinian unity government and how concerned should we be about it? Why are Western leaders so ready to deal with the new PA cabinet? Is the West giving legitimacy to Hamas? How will Israel respond to these developments? And what impact could this all have on the Middle East peace process and the global war on terrorism? The Pretense of Palestinian Unity! That’s our focus next week here on Front Page Jerusalem. We’ll look at the new Palestinian unity cabinet and Israel’s concerns over Hamas being accepted as a legitimate player in regional politics. Our guest analyst will be Pinchas Inbari, a veteran Israeli journalist who has been covering Palestinian affairs for decades.