Israel celebrated the nation’s 70th year anniversary on May 14, 2018! This was such a historical and exciting celebration. May 14, 1948 was the day everything changed for Israel and that it was announced the Jewish state would be reestablished and at that point, Israel was considered once again as a nation.
At the celebration Vice President Mike Pence spoke declaring how President Donald Trump has kept his word on everything he has said about Israel. Also, reportedly as many as forty United Nation Ambassadors visited Israel, and this was a total of 20% of the UN Ambassadors! They spent time with President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and visited many sites in the nation. One UN Ambassador shares about his experience in Israel. “This has been a fantastic experience,” Ethiopian Ambassador Tekeda Alemu said after visiting the Western Wall. “My fellow ambassadors and I learned many lessons. One lesson was the fact that there is a clear connection between the Old City of Jerusalem and the Jewish people. That is something that cannot be ignored.” Jerusalem Post reports: “The purpose of the trip is to give the ambassadors, who are often called upon to vote on Israel-related issues – and who generally don’t vote in Israel’s favor – a firsthand look at the challenges the country faces and to emphasize, in light of recent UNESCO votes that have sought to erase a Jewish connection to Jerusalem, the Jewish people’s link to the historical capital.”
Deputy Minister of Public Diplomacy, Michael Oren, who is also a historian shares how at the time that Israel became a nation, the Jewish state was not in the best condition. “Then there were 600,000 people here, about the size, half the size of a mid-sized American city and with basically handguns fighting six Arab armies that came within 25 miles of Tel Aviv. It’s hard to imagine, [they] surrounded Jerusalem, not far from where we are sitting. [Israel had] no economy, no allies [and] a population that was still languishing in displaced person camps in Europe after the Holocaust. I mean, think about that.” Now seventy years later as the world has seen, Israel has grown and is the world leader in many industries. Gurion says, “Our economy has one of the most highest growth rates in the world. We have one of the most powerful armies in the world; we’re a world leader in technology and Israel is regularly listed as one of the seventh or eighth most powerful countries in the world.”
Also, at the 2017 Christian Media Summit, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answered the question, why does Israel reach out to help so many other nations when it’s surrounded by enemies on all sides? Prime Minister Netanyahu responded, “Because we’re a light to the nations. It’s a fulfillment of that great prophecy. In fact, that is what Israel is doing. It’s doing it in places like Haiti and the Philippines or Mexico.”
He also shared at AIPAC 2018 how Israel’s economy is booming, the nation is a leader in technology and is very strong in cybersecurity. Prime Minister Netanyahu shared many more of the nations successes and plans at AIPAC.
It is exciting to see Israel succeed and to see the answer to prayers that many have been praying for, for years and years. As Genesis says, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Israel is truly blessing the world and as a nation, shining forth the light of the Lord to the World! We want to hear from you!