Canadian Christians standing with Israel
Solidarity Tour offers support during Gaza conflict
WINNIPEG, MB—Canadian Christians are making their support for Israel known in the midst of escalating violence in Gaza with a recent Solidarity Tour organized by Winnipeg Jewish leaders.
Bridges for Peace is a Christian organization that supports Israel and strives to build relationships between Christians and Jews in Israel and around the world. Members took part in the recent solidarity trip to Israel as a response to the current crisis, along with members of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.
“To let Israel know they have friends, they have the right to defend themselves,” Don James, a national development director at Bridges for Peace says. “And they have our support.”
The group of 20 travelled to hospitals in Be’er Sheva and Tel Aviv during their five-day trip, visiting with wounded soldiers and civilians, along with parents of soldiers in comas, praying with them.
For James, it was a moving experience meeting with residents of Gaza. One man had become a local hero after rockets landed on his home during a birthday party. While children were hurried to an underground bunker, the man’s wife and child had not yet reached safety. When a rocket exploded nearby he shielded them both with his body and was seriously wounded by shrapnel as a result.
The Canadian group also travelled to the conflict area near the Gaza border and met with a woman named Dafna, the coordinator of more than 100 bomb shelters turned youth centre in the city of Ashkelon. James explained the shelters are safe places for kids and teens to play while their parents are at work.
“So they don’t have to worry about getting their kids into bomb shelters,” James explains.
While Israelis sympathize with innocent victims of the conflict, there is no hatred in Israel for Palestinians, says James of the attitudes he observed. Israelis see no other choice, he adds, but to defend against aggression rather than be overcome.
“We can’t be driven out,” James says, repeating Dafna’s words. “This is our only home, the only Israeli state.”
“There is lots of criticism of Israel,” he adds. “It puts them between a rock and a hard place.”
James says many Israelis try to see the good, even as the violence escalated with the kidnapping and murder of three Jewish teenagers this past June in the West Bank. He points to the discovery of an extensive network of tunnels going into Israel, being used to transport weapons and terrorists. A plot to use the tunnels to launch a massive assault into Israel during Rosh Hashanah, September 25, was also discovered.
The discovery potentially saved the lives of hundreds, James says. “They see the hand of God through this tragedy, greater good has come out of it.”
James is leading a second tour to Israel from October 30 to November 9 to provide another opportunity for Christians to “stand with Israel.”
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