February 12, 2009
Dear Friends,
The election is over in Israel but not all of the ballots have been counted. There seems to be consensus among those in the “know” that the present ruling party in Israel, Kadima, may get the same number of seats in the Knesset as Likud. As my good friend, Hela Crown-Tamar, in Israel wrote to me today, “this is the last word but it may not be final.”
The Israeli political system for national elections is patterned after the British system. The Knesset in Israel is the governing body elected by popular vote. There are 120 seats in the Knesset. It appears that both Livni (Kadima party) and Netanyahu (Likud party) won 28 seats in the Knesset. The choice of which one will be Prime Minister will be determined by which one can convince the other political factions to join them in a coalition. Leiberman (Yisrael Beitanu party) may join Netanyahu’s Likud party and that would swing the election to Netanyahu. If neither Livni nor Netanyahu can attract the necessary 61 seats, there will be another election.
Israel is a very unique country. With a Jewish population of less than the population of the greater Chicago area, the country commands a disproportionate amount of news coverage in the world. This is in line with some biblical statements that suggest that the news from Israel will override much of the other world news.
There has also been, along with the election, news about who is to “blame” for the last Gaza incident. There are certain words and/or phrases that are nearly always used in articles that address the conflicts between Israel and its militant neighbors. It may be written as “hold responsible” or “the cause of” but in the end, it will be used to show why an action was taken against another person or country.
There are annual memorials in Israel for those who died serving their country. This week, at Tamar, a memorial was held to remember Lotan, the brave son of Gil Slavin, my friend who is the Director of Development in the government office at Sapir (near Tamar). He died two years ago defending Israel in the second Lebanon conflict. He was a young tank commander with many talents and gifts. When we received the call from Israel reporting his death, it was like a knife in my own heart.
That same sickening feeling came when we learned that Ari, the Golani brigade soldier, son of the Pearlmutters (who formerly lived at Tamar) had been killed by a terrorist bomber, along with some of his soldier buddies several years ago. Memories of him playing and working around ancient Tamar and eating with us in the dining commons at Biblical Tamar Park are still fresh in our minds today.
We live in an imperfect world that may not be fair and where the fields are not level. Nevertheless, we do what we can to sort these matters out in our own minds and then do all we can to make the world a better place. The security that allows families from different parts of the world to grow in love and lead productive lives is not available for everyone. As we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we can pray for peace on earth too.
Would you like to spend several weeks or months in Israel? We need three or four people to volunteer at Biblical Tamar Park for part or all of the time between April 20 and August 20, 2009. Please email me if you are interested or if you have questions.
I will be in Israel leading a tour group and working with two other groups until the end of February. I have email access in our office at Biblical Tamar Park so I will be able to respond to your emails. Many have written comments back to me and I am happy to stay in touch with all of you. Please pray for our groups and our safety.
We have for 25 years encouraged people to support our Israel work through prayer, gifts, and touring. You can contribute electronically by going to our website and choosing “our store” on the link on the left: www.blossomingrose.org. Just use your credit card or send your gift to our address: Box X, Cedar Springs, MI 49319. My cell phone number is: 616-901-4153.
Thank you.
DeWayne Coxon
President