ARTICLES

The United States and Israel: The Ties that Bind

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

The early connections, relationships, and responsibilities between the United States and Israel go deep, in a grand story mostly forgotten. That story starts in 1772—before we became a country—when a Polish-Jewish immigrant to the American colonies became a hero. At the request of General George Washington, Haym Salomon, a successful merchant, helped establish America during the Revolutionary War.

Although Salomon’s efforts were mostly unsung at the time, a commemorative stamp issued more than 200 years later, in 1975, described him as “responsible for raising most of the money needed to finance the American Revolution and later to save the new nation from collapse.” Despite a surge of antisemitism demonstrated by yelled insults, aggressive social media posts, and hostile actions, the ties that bind Israel and the United States together remain robust and mutually beneficial. As patriots—Salomon, a Jew, and Washington, a Gentile—the two men set the stage for the United States and Israel with a strong underlying bond of Judeo-Christian values.

Today, how is our relationship with Israel beneficial for the United States and vice versa? Let’s begin with the U.S. economy. The numerous deep connections between Israel and the U.S. are packed with trade benefits, including partnerships that support over 255,000 American jobs. Israel has contracts with over 1,000 companies in 48 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia.

The 1985 Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Israel was the United States’ first FTA and created a bonanza for both countries. In 2024, for example, goods and services traded rose to an estimated $55 billion. Keep in mind that Israel is called the “innovation nation” for a reason. Although the goods and services into the U.S. from Israel are too numerous to name, they include electrical, optical, photo, and technical devices, as well as electronic equipment, precious stones, medical instruments, and pharmaceuticals.

Here’s a little-known fact that is part of our annual congressionally approved security assistance to Israel: Both Democratic and Republican administrations have approved Israel’s aid. Despite repeated and heated disagreements in both the House and Senate, the final outcome rests on the benefits that this security aid adds to the safety of the United States.

Such security aid is often challenged—but it is essential to America. Since Israel gained modern independence in 1948, its enemies have forced the world’s ancestral homeland onto the front lines of freedom—fighting their enemies, which are also our enemies, when the Islamic Regime established its oppressive dictatorship in 1979. The Regime, the purveyor of international terror, views Israel as the “Little Satan” and the United States of America as the “Great Satan.”

For the U.S., Israel is the only democracy we can count on in an explosive region with their shared intelligence and counter-terrorism cooperation. The necessary weaponry manufactured in the U.S. not only directly creates over 20,000 American jobs, but Israel spends 75 percent of that security assistance within the U.S.—purchasing weapons and military equipment exclusively from American companies.

The U.S. State Department lists various military exercises with Israel, such as Juniper Oak and Juniper Falcon, plus joint research and weapons development. Bilateral defense cooperation agreements from 1952 onward reflect strong cooperation, which is necessary in a progressively perilous world.

Our strategic relationship with Israel also reaches into other sectors. Israel is a world leader in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and works with the United States to help prevent and treat PTSD in American troops. It is essential to know that Israel’s policy is to defend itself by itself—with no U.S. soldiers fighting on the ground in Israel.

If you are on a tour flying non-stop from New York to Tel Aviv about 6,000 miles away, it may seem surprising to learn that more than 2,500 U.S. businesses are in Israel. It is likely not on your itinerary but driving by Israeli locations and seeing huge logos affixed on buildings for Intel, Google, Microsoft, IBM, Apple, and others is an amazing example of Jerusalem’s ancient walls contrasted with modern U.S. corporations. Seeing these familiar names is a reminder that the mobile phones we hold in our hands depended on key Israeli components and advancements, even the ones used by Jew haters who have no idea that Israel had everything to do with this invention.

Collaboration with Israel isn’t limited to federal laws and initiatives. Individual states have enacted mutually beneficial agreements with Israel through organizations including the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD), established in 1977. BIRD provides grants to small businesses involved with software, instrumentation, communications, medical devices, and semiconductors.

Daniel 2:21 states that God “changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.” God’s sovereignty is unchanging. Nevertheless, we must do our part to follow Moses and Esther, biblical role models for political advocacy. Moses’ persistent appeals to the Pharoah freed the Jews after 400 years. Esther’s brave request to King Ahasuerus saved the Jews from Haman’s murderous goal.

Two much-slandered organizations are key to providing ongoing U.S. congressional security aid, which is mutually beneficial for the United States and Israel. Two American organizations—the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Christians United for Israel (CUFI)—represent millions of Christian and Jewish activists who contact and educate members of the U.S. Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, to vote for Israel’s security aid favorable in multiple mutual benefits to both nations. Yes, it is “politics,” yet for a high calling.

Our times demand our attention and our activism politically, for the land God calls His own and for His chosen people whom He has not and will not abandon. 

Our CBN Israel team welcomes you to join us in prayer this week and to share “wisdom and knowledge” with others.

Prayer Points:

  • Pray for more U.S. citizens to interact with Congress in the footsteps of Moses and Esther.
  • Pray for wise decisions in our government benefiting the U.S.-Israel relationship.
  • Pray for AIPAC and CUFI for their successes in educating U.S. Congress members about our ally Israel.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.

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Answering the Cry of the Hungry

Before the war with Iran and its terror proxies in the region, more than 20 percent of Israelis lived below the poverty line. Since then, that number has more than doubled as families have been pushed into financial crisis.

Today, thousands of citizens remain displaced across Israel. Many have lost jobs or been forced to close their businesses. Some are living in temporary shelters without a way to cook a hot meal, while others struggle daily against rising prices that make survival even harder. Local charities now report a 60 percent increase in families asking for help since October 7.

The need is staggering. According to Israel’s 2024 Alternative Poverty Report, more than 22 percent of families now live in poverty and nearly 40 percent of them are children. Over 10 percent of households face severe food insecurity, not knowing where their next meal will come from. And during holidays, when families should be celebrating around a full table, many experience the pain of empty cupboards and loneliness instead.

In the face of this crisis, CBN Israel and its partners are working every day to bring relief. With the help of generous supporters, monthly food packages, fresh groceries, and hygiene items are being delivered to tens of thousands of families. These efforts reach Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze, and Bedouin households alike, ensuring that no one is forgotten.

Supporters are also making possible large-scale food rescue initiatives, where surplus food from manufacturers and retailers is salvaged and redirected from waste into the hands of those in need. Families are receiving shelf-stable and fresh items, poultry, and other proteins that provide balanced nutrition and restore dignity.

One local partner shared heartfelt thanks, saying, “You made us feel we are not alone in a very lonely and scary time.”

The generosity of CBN Israel’s friends is already answering the cry of the hungry. But the need continues to grow, and there is room for you to join in this vital mission. By standing with Israel’s most vulnerable, you can help bring food to empty tables, relief to displaced families, and encouragement to those who feel forgotten during one of the hardest seasons in Israel’s history.

Your gifts to CBN Israel can give hope and aid to so many in need who feel alone. You can offer them hot meals, safe lodging, financial help, and more.

Please consider a special gift to bless others today!

GIVE TODAY

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Where Heaven Meets the Water

By Stephen Faircloth

The Sea of Galilee is unlike any other place on earth. Though it is a freshwater lake, it sits 600 feet below sea level, making it the lowest freshwater lake in the world. Luke, ever the careful historian, calls it a lake in his Gospel, reminding us of its true nature (Luke 5:1; 8:22, 33).

Fed by the Jordan River from the north, where three mountain streams converge, the waters flow through Galilee and then continue south toward the Dead Sea. Hills rise around the lake on nearly every side, with fertile valleys to the northwest and northeast. These valleys, Gennesar and Bethsaida, were home to fishing villages, farmland, and most importantly, the heart of Jesus’ ministry. Nearly 95 percent of His recorded works took place in this very region.

Here He taught on the hillsides, healed the sick, calmed storms, walked on the waves, and fed the multitudes. The Bethsaida Valley was home to Peter, Philip, and Andrew. Capernaum, often called “His own city,” became a hub of miracles and teaching. Yet these same towns, so familiar with His works, were warned for their hardness of heart.

The Sea of Galilee is also a place of sudden storms. The geography funnels fierce winds across the water, stirring waves up to 10 or 12 feet high. Fishermen feared these squalls, and the disciples themselves cried out in terror when one such storm arose. Yet it was here, in their fear, that they heard the voice of Jesus: “Peace, be still.”

This lake provided food, trade, and travel for its people, but for Jesus it became a living classroom. Every shoreline, every wave, every storm, and every valley was used to reveal the kingdom of God.

When we picture Galilee, we see more than a lake. We see the stage of the Master Teacher, where heaven touched earth and ordinary lives were transformed.

What are the “lakes” in your life, the ordinary places where Jesus may be teaching you today? Like the disciples, we often meet Him in our storms, our work, and our everyday routines.

Stephen Faircloth is the President of CBN Israel, an initiative dedicated to sharing the true story of the Jewish nation and inspiring a global community of Christians to stand with Israel and support her people in need. Our vision is to reshape the global conversation about Israel by fostering understanding, hope, and healing between Jews and Christians around the world. For more than 50 years, the Christian Broadcasting Network has supported Israel. By joining CBN Israel, you become part of this enduring legacy, transforming lives today and strengthening Christian support for Israel for generations to come.

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Weekly Devotional: Walking in What God Desires

Have you ever opened your Bible and felt overwhelmed by all its instructions? Have you asked, “How can I possibly live this way and truly please God each day?” If so, you are not alone. God’s people have wrestled with that same difficult question throughout history.

The prophet Micah gives us one of the clearest answers in Scripture: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

Micah does not give us a list of rituals to complete or rules to check. Instead, he points to a way of life that pleases God. Do what is right. Show mercy. Live humbly before God. These are not abstract concepts. They are seen daily in how we treat others and how we walk with the Lord.

This is the heart of biblical faith. It is not simply agreeing with the right ideas or reciting words. Faith is expressed in obedience to God, and obedience is most visible in our love for others. James reminds us that faith without works is dead. Micah reminds us that God is looking for a life that reflects His character.

Jesus made the same point when asked about the greatest commandment. He replied, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength,” and added, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Both commands go hand in hand. Love God and love people. That is the life that pleases Him.

We often complicate things by chasing after new insights or spiritual goals. Yet God’s Word makes His will plain. If you want to honor Him, live in love, justice, mercy, and humility. This is what the Lord requires.

Where can you begin to simplify your faith today? How might you clearly show your love for God in the way you treat others?

PRAYER

Father, keep me from being distracted by many lesser things. Teach me to walk humbly with You, to live with mercy toward others, and to honor You always by doing what is right. Amen.

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The Olive Tree’s Trunk, Roots, and Branches: A New Dimension of Building Bridges

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

In November 2024, a one-of-a-kind story unfolded along the Gaza border during the first tour of Root & Branch. As you may recall, this amazing humanitarian organization has as its goal the promotion of Christian-Jewish unity, offering trips for Christians to harvest olives in Israel with Jewish people—and exemplify the ancient connection between Christians and Jews. Led in a partnership by Marziyeh (Marzi) Amirizadeh, CEO of NewPersia.org, and Jonathan Feldstein, creator of the Genesis 123 Foundation, their team on the 2024 trip harvested more than olives. On that occasion, a surprising and particularly profound moment awaited their group.

Root & Branch is a collaboration that is expanding the profound truth and symbolism of Israel’s ancient olive tree. The olive tree reflects the ancient Jewish faith described by the Jewish Apostle Paul in Romans 11, where he expressed that Christians are grafted into the covenant that God made with the Jewish people, that the root supports the branch.

The November 2024 encounter took place between Marzi and one of the elite units of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). As part of the Root & Branch itinerary, Marzi, Jonathan, and their tour group hosted a meal for the IDF soldiers. Afterwards, as artillery fired in the background, Marzi told her esteemed guests, “As an Iranian woman, I know the evil nature of the Islamic Republic Regime.” She explained how Islam hijacked the land of her birth—and how she was arrested and sentenced to death “because of the ‘crime’ of converting to Christianity,” and for distributing thousands of forbidden Bibles.

The former death row inmate emphasized how “Israelis and Iranians have suffered at the hands of the ayatollahs, our common enemy.” Marzi described her imprisonment in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison: “I witnessed the execution of my cellmates and best friend, as well as the torture and abuse of countless innocent women. The regime killed my husband and destroyed my father’s life.” After nine horrific months in this place, she was miraculously released.

Marzi’s shocking revelation is possibly the first time that any IDF soldier heard statements of such weight and significance from an Iranian-born Christian, someone who could understand the deep trauma of being imprisoned as a hostage.

Her next words added heartfelt encouragement. “I want to apologize to you having to leave your families to fight the Islamic Regime. Please know that Iranians are not the Islamic Republic. Millions, like me, have been oppressed and held hostage in Iran. Like many Iranians, I have never hated you. Our cultures share similarities—kindness, hospitality, and a love for life.”

Marzi prays for the day that friendships between Israel and Iran are restored, in a shared history “going back as far as King Cyrus.” She expressed her hope that Israeli and Iranian tourists, pilgrims, and businesspeople will build a bright future together.

She then reached out for their hands. When the circle formed, she prayed for her Jewish guests. Afterwards the IDF commander, identifying as a Christian, thanked her. “What you said and prayed as an Iranian, my soldiers will remember as long as they live.”

I agree wholeheartedly with the IDF commander. Marzi’s story and prayers will last a lifetime. One way for Jews and Christians to be part of future hopes and prayers is the upcoming Root & Branch Unity Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Jonathan, a modern Orthodox Jewish-Israeli American, and Marzi, a Christian Iranian-American, have planned programming aimed at friendship and teamwork. Three main sessions over two days will harmonize with Friday’s Shabbat dinner, where guests will enjoy an uplifting time of worship with Marzi as the featured speaker. Learning what happened last November is an inspiring appetizer for gathering with fine speakers, panels, and conversations. People are already registering from Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, and Kentucky.

Jonathan, among his plentiful abilities, is a prolific writer who initiates cooperative entrepreneurial projects. He views the future with this observation: “Following Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June, our friendship, partnership, and the Root & Branch Unity Conference, are more vital than ever. Ours is a model of how things can and should be in prayers actively prayed that our unity will develop into the norm for us all.”

Although the conference is not meeting in Israel, the commitment to September collaborations in Atlanta makes Christians and Jews stronger together and moves toward action. Given the urgency of Jew-hatred accelerating in more forms and venues in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, the time is right to unite in the new Root & Branch partnership of specialized tours and September’s first conference. The theme Root & Branch has adopted is clear and expressive: “Building Bridges and Planting Roots in Israel & Among the Jewish People with Unconditional Love.” Psalm 133:1 expresses their aspirations, How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

Please use this link to register or learn more about the conference: [visit here].

The host committee welcomes you to invite friends, family, pastors, rabbis, and Jews individually—with a request to refrain from mentioning it on social media posts. Increased security measures for meetings among Jews and Christians have become the norm. After registering, you will receive the event venue and hotel location. For Sabbath-observant Jewish participants, there are special accommodations and discounted hotel rates for all out-of-town participants.

The symbolism and reality of the olive tree’s trunk and roots connecting the branches portrays God’s gracious sovereignty. As noted in Romans 11, God grafts Gentiles into the branches—those Christians who esteem Israel scripturally and celebrate the land that birthed the Christian faith. Israel is our spiritual homeland. God adopts us into the family and plants our spiritual DNA within us as recorded in the Old and New Testaments in His redemptive plans.

Our CBN Israel team welcomes you to join us this week in prayers for the new Root & Branch outreach reflecting on Psalm 133:1—How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

Prayer Points:

  • Pray for Root & Branch directly connecting Jews and Christians together in shared projects.
  • Pray for conference participants to learn from each other and from the experts who speak.
  • Pray for Jewish and Christian organizations that deem Israel to be the Promised Land in compassionate outreaches.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.

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When Waters Speak of God

By Stephen Faircloth

The land of Israel is more than a backdrop for biblical events. Its rivers, hills, animals, and even its changing seasons fill the language of Scripture. The land itself shaped the metaphors, poetry, and images used by the prophets, psalmists, and storytellers of the Bible. To stand in certain places today is to hear, see, and feel the very scenes they described. The Dan Spring is one such place.

Located at the base of Mount Hermon, the Dan Spring is the largest of the three main sources that come together to form the Jordan River. Flowing with remarkable force, it produces an estimated 240 million cubic meters of water each year. In the winter and spring, as rains fall and snow melts from Mount Hermon, the sound of the rushing water becomes a deep, steady roar.

It is not difficult to understand why the psalmists drew spiritual imagery from this place. In Psalm 29, the writer describes the voice of the Lord over mighty waters, breaking cedars, and shaking the wilderness. References to Lebanon, Sirion, and Kadesh place this picture in the northern region surrounding the Dan Spring. To the psalmist, the roar of these waters reflected the power and majesty of God’s voice.

Psalm 42 offers another glimpse into the spiritual symbolism of these waters. Here, the psalmist compares his longing for God to a deer thirsting for fresh streams. Standing in the humid heat near the Dan Spring, he hears the thunder of its rushing flow and likens his feelings of being overwhelmed to waves and billows crashing over him. The geography is more than a backdrop. It is part of the message itself. The sound, the setting, and the experience all speak to the soul’s deep need for God.

Visiting the land of Israel is more than seeing historic sites. It is stepping into the physical world of the Bible and allowing the land to deepen our understanding of God’s Word. At the Dan Spring, creation itself declares the glory of God, reminding us that the geography of the Bible is one of its most vivid teachers.

If the psalmists could listen to rushing waters and hear the voice of God, what in your own surroundings can remind you of His power and presence? What everyday sights and sounds could you use as a prompt for worship?

Stephen Faircloth is the President of CBN Israel, an initiative dedicated to sharing the true story of the Jewish nation and inspiring a global community of Christians to stand with Israel and support her people in need. Our vision is to reshape the global conversation about Israel by fostering understanding, hope, and healing between Jews and Christians around the world. For more than 50 years, the Christian Broadcasting Network has supported Israel. By joining CBN Israel, you become part of this enduring legacy, transforming lives today and strengthening Christian support for Israel for generations to come.

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Weekly Devotional: Speaking Life

“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence” (Proverbs 10:11).

Our words are powerful. They can build up or tear down, heal or wound, bring hope or cause despair. Proverbs tells us that the mouth of the righteous is like a fountain of life. That is more than a beautiful image. It is a spiritual standard for every follower of Christ.

Jesus explained why our words matter so much. They flow from the heart: “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).

The psalmist understood this connection too, which is why he prayed, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

In biblical thought, the “heart” was not simply the seat of emotions but the center of reason, thought, and will. What fills our hearts shapes our thoughts, and what fills our thoughts shapes our words. If we meditate on God’s truth, our speech will reflect His love and righteousness. If we fill our minds with bitterness, pride, or fear, that will come out too.

In our world today, words are more public than ever. Social media has given nearly everyone a platform to speak instantly and globally. We can use that voice to encourage, inspire, and speak truth in love, or we can use it to vent, attack, and stir division. The choice is ours.

Some even justify harsh and unkind speech in the name of defending God or His truth. But Scripture calls us to a higher way. Our words should reveal that we belong to Christ. They should carry life to those who hear them.

So, what do your words reveal about your heart? Do they refresh, strengthen, and encourage? Or do they drain, discourage, and wound? Today, let us choose words that give life.

PRAYER

Father, fill my heart with Your truth and my mind with Your wisdom so that my words bring life to those around me. May my speech always honor You and encourage others. Amen.

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Israel: Still a Light to the Nations with Tikkun Olam

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

“A lie will go round the world while truth is pulling its boots on.” A quote often attributed to famous British preacher C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), its origin—as Spurgeon himself said—has actually been lost to time. Nevertheless, we as believers who stand with Israel have a choice: We must press on to share truth!

World news headlines detonate day after day with slanderous information and unfounded rumors about and against Israel. A cloud of despicable lies, accusations, actions, and ignorance continues to ignite the fires of Jew-hatred across the globe. It is past time for good news, and there is plenty of it. That’s because despite its seven-front war, Israel has not neglected one of its key foundations: “repairing the world,” or tikkun olam.

For centuries, the concept of “repairing the world” has repeatedly motivated the Jewish people and the Jewish state. Tikkun olam has no boundaries.

By educating ourselves through two excellent Israeli humanitarian organizations—IsraAID and MASHAV—we gain the facts and tools we need to share good news about Israel “repairing the world.” Although this catch phrase cannot actually be found word for word in Scripture, the concept flows throughout the Bible. The Hebrew verb TKN, which is used only four times in Scripture, is defined “to make straight, establish, arrange, or repair.” One example in Leviticus 19:9-10 calls for “leaving gleanings for the poor and the foreigner,” a way to share resources. Let’s look at the way this plays out in the two charitable groups just mentioned.

IsraAID, founded in 2001, is an international non-governmental humanitarian aid organization. Its teams have worked in emergency and long-term development settings in more than 60 countries globally. IsraAID also provides critical help inside the Jewish homeland. For example, they have been working with local municipalities in central Israel since June. These towns are hosting some 2,000 people whose homes were damaged or destroyed when Iran targeted Israeli civilians in missile attacks on residential buildings. IsraAID has been providing not only mental health support to those displaced, but help with education and logistics, as well.

In the company’s 2024 Annual Report, the list of IsraAID’s accomplishments globally is nothing short of astonishing, given that Israel is fighting a defensive war against the Islamic Regime and its terror surrogates. The report mentions IsraAID’s long-term humanitarian missions—which now face more emergencies, including Guatemala’s migration crisis, violence in Kenya, and refugees fleeing the Democratic Republic of the Congo into Uganda. When Cyclone Chido hit Mozambique last December, Israel’s emergency teams quickly responded with help.

This humanitarian organization also sent its rapid-response teams to Papua New Guinea after a devastating landslide in May. Already working in South Sudan, IsraAID noted that they frequently deal with a “crisis within a crisis.” One example highlights this reality. Over 500,000 people escaping Sudan’s next-door conflict were crammed into South Sudan’s refugee camps. The overcrowding set the stage for last December’s cholera outbreak. Here in the United States, IsraAID has often sent emergency teams to help communities devastated by fires, floods, hurricanes, or tornadoes.

Reading about Israel’s far-reaching commitment to tikkun olam shows us these facts dramatically reveal how outrageous are accusations that “Israel is an apartheid state.” Misinformed protesters grab the first headline they see despite the fact that Israel itself is a multi-colored country with Ethiopian, Asian, and Hispanic Jews. The apartheid designation is absurd. In addition, a look at the geographical locations of IsraAID’s humanitarian outreaches shows us that Israel treats all people in all crises with aid wherever possible. That includes Gaza.

IsraAID’s CEO, Yotam Polizer, quips: “We are FILO, First In and Last Out.” For Israel, wrongly defamed at every turn, IsraAID is a shining example of Israel’s commitment to helping others. IsraAID “repairs the world” regardless of religion or ethnicity. Its staff and volunteers view others simply as people in need.

MASHAV is another shining example of Israelis repairing the world. Its official name is “Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.” This organization was created in 1958 by two Israeli visionaries: Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir, his foreign minister and later a prime minister herself. Ben-Gurion and Meir applied tikkun olam—a dynamic Jewish cultural value—to share Israel’s expertise, particularly in technology, with other developing countries. After only 10 years as a modern independent nation, Israel was already reaching out in friendship with development aid to other countries. MASHAV’s mission: to help developing nations achieve sustainable development and transformation within their own societies. On X, MASHAV calls it #HumanCapacityBuilding to empower those living in poverty to improve their own lives.

Cooperative projects combine with other nations in strengths, experience, and expertise in 10 different priority sectors, among them food security and agriculture, education for all, medicine and public health, and innovation and entrepreneurship.

MASHAV’s statistics are astounding. With more than 50 training centers and demonstration projects worldwide, each year the organization sees 5,000 trainees take part in 160 training courses in Israel and abroad. In addition, it is involved in 100 short-term consultancy missions and has 35 ongoing partnerships with donor countries and international organizations. In fact, MASHAV’s practical and compassionate programs have made an impact in 140 out of 193 nations in our world—with over 300,000 graduates from their training programs.

Jews in their ancestral homeland number around 7.7 million in a population of 10 million. Israel makes IsraAID and MASHAV even more miraculous in blessing the family of nations. Shining into the darkness of nations in disaster or need, Israeli Jews are beacons of light, despite being beset with hatred and war themselves.

Tikkun olam is an observable, treasured Jewish value designed by God. He Himself in His sovereignty will “make straight, establish, arrange, or repair” our world for all who honor and believe His redemptive sacrifice for sins. Truth and tikkun olam will someday erase the cloud of lies. Let us be sure to do our part to repair the cloud of lies with truth and facts!

Our CBN Israel team welcomes you to join us this week to pray and to pass along facts about Israel reflecting on Matthew 5:16—“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Prayer Points:

  • Pray with praises for Israel’s extraordinary tikkun olam worldwide!
  • Pray for friends, family, and social media to read this article due to your sharing.
  • Pray for pastors and churches drifting away from Israel support to read the facts.
  • Pray for Evangelicals to proactively share facts about Israel to spread good news.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.

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Israel’s 25th Knesset Makes History with its Biblical Heartland Vote

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

On July 23, Israel’s Parliament (Knesset) passed a momentous resolution: a symbolic vote to advance the nation’s sovereignty over Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley. This historic decision could well have a lasting impact—and reshape the Middle East. With the Knesset currently composed of 26 political parties, it is close to miraculous that a majority—71 of the 120 Knesset members—voted in favor of the non-binding resolution. It is unusual that the Knesset agreed in a majority bipartisan vote.

Dan Illouz, a member of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud party, represented one of four Knesset parties that submitted the resolution for Israel’s sovereignty in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley. Illouz declared, “For the first time ever, the Knesset is expressing official support for the application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.” He added that their message was clear: “Judea and Samaria are not a bargaining chip—they are the heart of our country.”

Israel’s 25th Knesset also made history in another profound way. Today, Israel’s citizenry is 80 percent secular—yet in the recent resolution, politicians framed the new resolution in Scriptural terms that emphasized and recognized Israel’s biblical roots. As the resolution declares: “Centuries and millennia before the establishment of the modern state, the forefathers and prophets of the nation lived and acted in these regions. Here, the foundations of Jewish faith and culture were laid. Cities like Hebron, Shechem (Nablus), Shiloh and Beit El are not merely historical sites—they are living expressions of the continuous Jewish presence in the land.”

Sovereignty discussions are not new. The dedicated Israel Defense Forces have fought for 21 months in a defensive war where its enemies continue intensifying the threat to Israel’s security. The unspeakable murders and kidnapping of hostages on October 7, 2023—not to mention refusing to free all living hostages and bodies of the deceased (still true at this writing)—fueled an earlier vote on February 21, 2024. At that time, the Knesset voted 99–11 to support Israel’s Cabinet and to reject “international diktats regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians.” In plain terms, another big vote: No Palestinian statehood in Israel.

For decades, Israel has extended overtures for peace with Palestinians in the biblical heartland—moves that proved futile. Each attempt resulted in opposition. Certainly now, in the face of Hamas’s brutal invasions and massacres, those days are over. Twenty years of proof bolsters Israel’s overwhelming opposition to what I call another Palestinian state. Why?

In 2005, Israel literally gave a state to Palestinians living in Gaza when it ordered its 8,000 Jewish citizens to relocate to another part of Israel from their homes and businesses. Termed the “Disengagement,” this move was Arial Sharon’s concept as prime minister (2001-2006). By withdrawing, Sharon hoped to accomplish a meaningful step toward peace. The deadline for voluntary compliance was August 15, after which date Israel’s military forcibly evicted its own Jewish citizens—an agonizing, heartbreaking period of some weeks. Yet when the IDF finally locked the gate at the Kissufim crossing between Israel and Gaza—its Jewish families no longer there—Palestinians began destroying every good opportunity the Jewish community left behind, including homes and thriving greenhouse businesses. Destructiveness and chaos are among the reasons that other Arab nations are hesitant to relocate Palestinian Gazans into their countries.

Twenty years later, Gaza is undeniably a disaster. Rather than aiming at developing a gorgeous, productive Palestinian state, when Palestinians elected Hamas in 2007, their new Islamic patron—Iran—Instead twisted a rare opportunity into a death trap, complete with a vast network of underground of tunnels. Hamas has been using women and children as human shields, filled minds with demonic hatred, and attacked Israelis with rockets, fires, and murders. Then the atrocities of October 7 happened. Yet, despite Palestinian abuse of Israel’s generous gift for a Palestinian state in 2005, condemnation is globally and unsurprisingly adding up against Knesset’s sovereignty resolution. Thankfully, our U.S. Congress has introduced the “Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act” in both the House (H.R. 902) and Senate (S. 384)—using the genuine historic name in official U.S. materials and eliminating the term “West Bank.”

The Knesset’s resolution is not yet legally binding, but it opens a door to enact Israeli law for its rightful sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. The resolution does not call for an annexation. Annexation takes place when one country unilaterally, through force or by treaty, takes over another country’s territory—considered a violation of international law. In the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel liberated Judea and Samaria, which Jordan had occupied in an Arab war against Israel. Jordan had no interest to improve the land it seized and occupied for almost 20 years. As Jews began to move there again, with hearts and hands of love they made it beautiful and productive—and it now has upwards of 500,000 Jewish citizens.

Mainstream media and the uninformed often describe these citizens as “settlers” and call the region the West Bank—which is simply a geographical term meaning “west of the Jordan River.” I have visited many Israeli “settlements.” They are towns of varying sizes with businesses, schools, medical facilities, grocery stores, and synagogues. The most sacred marker of Israel’s ancestry is Shiloh, where the Tabernacle stood for 369 years housing the holy, treasured Ark of the Covenant. Shiloh was Israel’s first capital.

Some background for Knesset’s rightful resolution: More than 100 years ago, international law began codifying Israel as the national home of the Jewish people. That began the San Remo Conference in 1920 and the Balfour Declaration in 1922. On May 14, 1948, when the governing British Mandate ended, Israel declared its modern statehood based on previous international legal decisions. Yet those decisions are ignored now more than ever in the United Nations, where Arabs have rejected any previous plans or solutions attempted by the U.N.

These secular decisions, while not biblically based in international law, are outlined repeatedly in the Old and New Testaments by the God of Heaven’s Armies, the Premier Authority. In Amos 9:15 God declared HIS sovereignty: “I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them.”

The Evangelical Christian community embraces all of Israel as our spiritual homeland, including Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley where Jesus walked. In 1948, the decades of seeds planted with hope ripened into the rebirth of Israel and its Declaration of Independence. Reading the text of that Declaration from the simple podium at Tel Aviv Museum, David Ben Gurion—Israel’s first prime minister—also announced the new nation’s official name, “Israel.” Reestablished as a modern country after two millennia, Israel survives—in promises kept by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Let us agree with Israel Ganz, chair of the Yesha Council, the umbrella organization of all the local authorities in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley. “It is clear and undeniable evidence of the national will to realize our values and our right to our land,” he said.  “This vote is a significant milestone on the path toward advancing the strategic step that will fortify the security of the entire State of Israel.” Ganz then called on the government of Israel: “Turn this decision into reality on the ground.”

Our CBN Israel team invites you to pray with us this week and to be part of sharing this history-making Resolution for our spiritual homeland.

Prayer Points:

  • Pray for the Knesset to quickly enact the sovereignty resolution into law.
  • Pray with praise for the strong biblical references in the resolution.
  • Pray that as the resolution advances, unity will grow even stronger.
  • Pray for additional strength for the IDF to quell possible Palestinian protests in the heartland.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.

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Fresh Food and Fresh Hope for Families in Crisis

Hunger makes everything harder. It robs people of energy, health, and the ability to thrive. Yet today in Israel, nearly one in five people faces nutritional insecurity. Among the most affected are children, the elderly, at-risk youth, and single-parent families, many of whom live below the poverty line.

For these vulnerable individuals, daily life means making impossible choices. It may involve skipping meals, going to bed hungry, or relying on cheap, processed foods filled with sugar and unhealthy fats. The consequences are severe: malnutrition, obesity, diabetes, and other long-term health issues. Access to fresh, nutritious food like fruits and vegetables is often out of reach.

At the same time, the country wastes an estimated 2.2 billion pounds of edible food each year. More than 35 percent of the nation’s food supply is discarded, even though it could help feed those in need. This waste not only deepens human suffering but also places a heavy burden on the environment.

Thankfully, a smart and sustainable solution is already making an impact.

Through a strategic partnership with one of Israel’s largest food banks, CBN Israel is working with generous donors like you to help change this reality. Together, we are rescuing surplus produce and wholesome food that would otherwise go unused and bringing it directly to families in need.

This effort brings together thousands of volunteers, professional pickers, and dedicated transport teams. They collect excess food from fields, orchards, and packing houses, then deliver it to trusted local nonprofit partners. These organizations distribute the food, free of charge, to households that are struggling to put meals on the table.

This is just one of the ways your support of CBN Israel brings practical help and lasting hope. Your generosity also makes it possible to provide groceries, housing assistance, and vital care to refugees, Holocaust survivors, and victims of war who are trying to survive during these extremely difficult times.

Now more than ever, your partnership matters. Together, we can turn what would be wasted into life-giving provision and help restore dignity to those who need it most.

Will you join us today in reaching the people of Israel with compassion and care?

GIVE TODAY

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