A NATION BLESSING THE WHOLE WORLD

Consider that the Jewish people came back to a barren land, but they have brought the desert back to life. In the 1950s, Israel first built the National Water Carrier to bring fresh water to the Negev, making the desert blossom like a rose, just as the prophet Isaiah foresaw. “The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.” (Isaiah 35:1) By the 1960s, Israel was a world leader in conserving and recycling water. Today, the nation re-uses 85% of its water supply. Israelis also invented drip irrigation and water desalination methods that are now being used around the world. In addition, they have planted over 300 million trees, which both beautify the land and filter out carbon emissions from the air. “This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden...” (Ezekiel 36:35)

Did you know that Israel also invented the long-shelf cherry tomato? Indeed, Israeli fruit and produce, such Jaffa oranges and Medjool dates, are popular exports around the world. “Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.” (Isaiah 27:6)

Later, Israel emerged as one of the most innovative nations on earth. Did you know that Israelis developed the first microprocessor for personal computers? The first firewall to protect computers from data theft? And the world’s first USB memory stick? In medicine, Israeli researchers invented the PillCam – a little camera that you swallow which allows doctors to detect diseases inside us without invasive surgery. They also have come up with a phone that can diagnose diseases through smell. And then there is ReWalk – a battery-packed ‘exoskeleton’ which allows the disabled to walk again. The list of Israeli innovations goes on and on. They gave us WAZE, the first driver assistance phone program with real-time traffic information. The new Watergen system produces clean drinking water out of thin air. And now we have MobileEye, a leader in the race for self-driving cars. Plus, let’s not forget Israel’s pioneering work in the field of solar energy. And then there is the Iron Dome, the world’s most effective anti-missile system to defend civilian populations from rocket attacks.

So, Israel has truly been blessing the whole world over its first 75 years as a nation restored to life. And God remains “zealous” to perform all His good promises and plans for Israel. “I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; With great fervor I am zealous for her.” (Zechariah 8:2)

Digital revolution: Israeli researchers at the Intel lab in Haifa designed the world’s first microchips for the 386 Microprocessor, which powered the first PC built by IBM. This breakthrough allowed computers to become ever smaller.

So, we join with the Jewish people in celebrating seventy-five years of the restored nation of Israel – a great blessing in the midst of the earth!

Drip Irrigation: In 1965, Israeli engineer Simcha Blass noticed that one of two adjacent trees was growing faster because of a leaking water pipe next to it. He launched Netafim, which today supplies drip irrigation systems in 112 countries worldwide.

Agri-tech: A special cherry tomato (tomaccio) that stays ripe for long periods was developed by two professors with the Hebrew University.

Conserving Water: Watergen is a new Israeli company that has developed a portable generator which produces pure drinking water from humidity in the air.

Flash Drive: In 1999, an Israeli techie introduced the Disk-on-Key, the world’s first portable USB memory storage device, later bought by SanDisk. These small, handy devices are known today as flash drives or data sticks.

Medical Marvel: An Israeli company developed the PillCam – a miniature camera which is swallowed and then sends images and detects disorders as it traverses the digestive system, avoiding the need for invasive surgery in many patients.

Cyber-security: In 1993, the Israeli start-up Checkpoint developed the first information security software program, called Firewall-1, to protect computers from data theft.

Getting There: Developed in Israel, Waze was the first smartphone navigation app to provide real-time traffic updates to help people avoid congestion. It was bought by Google in 2013 for $1.1 billion and today is used by millions of drivers worldwide.

Missile Shield: The mobile Iron Dome missile battery, developed mostly in Israel with joint US funding, has quickly proven to be the world’s most effective short-range anti-rocket interceptor, with a shoot-down rate of 95%.

Self-Driving Cars: The Israeli company Mobileye has partnered with leading car manufacturers to pioneer the safest, most reliable computer-assisted driving programs. MobileEye cameras are already used in cars built by BMW, GM, Volvo, and other automakers.

Israeli Foreign Minister Hosts Icej Leaders

Icej Welcomes Slovakia Prime Minister To Israel

Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen recently hosted ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler and Vice President & Spokesman David Parsons for a meeting in his Jerusalem office. They discussed global Christian support for Israel and encouraging more nations to move their embassies to Jerusalem, among other topics. FM Cohen was especially grateful to learn about the ICEJ’s efforts to care for needy Holocaust survivors.

Icej Joins Hague Conference On Lawfare Against Israel

Prime Minister Eduard Heger of Slovakia was recently welcomed to Jerusalem by ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler and his wife Vesna (who is of Slovakian descent) during his state visit to Israel in early March. The official Slovakian delegation visiting Israel included Peter Svec, senior advisor to the Minister of Economics as well as the ICEJ’s national director for Slovakia. Among other topics, Dr. Bühler discussed with PM Heger his country’s recent decision to open a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem.

ICEJ Vice President & Senior Spokesman David Parsons recently spoke at the conference “Israel on Trial”, held in Den Haag and Nijkerk, in the Netherlands. The event was organised by thinc and Christians for Israel International, and featured a number of prominent Israeli and international legal scholars who made presentations concerning the Palestinian-led efforts to charge Israel with war crimes and other false accusations at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Parsons also joined ICEJ-Netherlands national directors Jacob and Hennie Keegstra and local minister Jack van der Tang for a time of prayer in front of the Peace Palace, home to the ICJ.