JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – Please stop everything and take time to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” according to Psalm 122.
Usually, we pray for God to protect Israel from external enemies.
But right now, we need to pray that God will show mercy to Israeli citizens who are more deeply divided than any time in the last 75 years of the modern state.
The battle over the judicial reform legislation being advanced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government coalition has created an unprecedented crisis.
It’s dividing Israeli society worse than anything I’ve ever seen before.
To better understand what’s happening and what it means, I spoke with Calev Myers, Israel’s leading Christian attorney, a partner in one of Israel’s leading law firms, and the founder of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, a non-profit organization that promotes and defends human rights and civil rights for Israelis.
We discussed a range of critical questions:
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Why did Netanyahu fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant?
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Why did Gallant give a live statement to the nation over the weekend?
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Is Gallant opposed to the judicial reforms that Netanyahu is pushing for, or simply asking that the prime minister slow down the process during the Passover holidays and search for a compromise?
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Why are far-right Knesset members like Itamar Ben Gvir threatening to bolt the Netanyahu coalition and bring down the government?
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Why was the Israeli airport been shut down on Monday?
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Why are all Israeli public schools and universities shut down?
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Why are all of Israel’s ports shut down to commercial traffic?
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Why are IDF air force pilots and combat soldiers – including those in elite units – threatening not to show up and serve in their units?
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Why do many Israeli followers of Jesus feel threatened by the current judicial reform plan, even if they agree that reforms are needed?
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Where does Israel go from here?
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And what are other ways that Evangelical Christians around the world can be praying for Israel at this critical hour.
It was an important conversation and I encourage you to watch it in full and share it on social media with family and friends and mobilize them to pray, as well. {eoa}
This article originally appeared on ALL ISRAEL NEWS and is reposted with permission.
Joel C. Rosenberg is the editor-in-chief of ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS and the President and CEO of Near East Media. A New York Times best-selling author, Middle East analyst and Evangelical leader, he lives in Jerusalem with his wife and sons.
