Anglican Friends of Israel has produced a short booklet - written by our membership director, Fran Waddams - to mark Israel's 60 years of independence.

Anthony Julius has written a foreword, as follows: 

“I am delighted to have been asked to contribute a foreword to this pamphlet, written to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Israel, the Jewish State. There is a long and honourable history of Anglican involvement in the Zionist project. From the 17th to the 20th centuries, English advocates of the Jews' restoration in the Holy Land worked tirelessly to realise Jewish dreams – often, in more practical ways than by the Jews themselves. It became their mission to restore the land to its lawful owners, and thereby assist in fulfilling Biblical prophecy. The pamphlet, in its own sober and factual way, is but the most recent instance of this centuries-long endeavour. I welcome it.”

Download a PDF copy of the booklet here .

We hope you will enjoy reading it. Please feel free to download it and share it with your friends, church or synagogue. 

UPDATE: Abbas withdraws award to honor female terrorists

During a telephone conversation on Wednesday, Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas informed Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik that he had decided against bestowing the prestigious Al Kuds Mark of Honor medal to honor two Palestinian women who assisted in terrorist attacks that killed Israelis. Instead the awards - the highest medal granted by the PLO - will be given to the families of the terrorists on Thursday. Abbas told Itzik that awards for any Palestinians prisoners have been retracted. Israeli leaders and citizens were furious over the plan to honor the female terrorists, said Itzik, who added that it would not have been beneficial to peace talks. The imprisoned women to be honored were Ahlam Tamim, a Hamas loyalist who drove a suicide bomber to the Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem in summer 2001 where he blew himself and killed eight people. The other female was Amra Muna, who enticed Israeli teenager Ophir Rahum through an Internet chat room to meet her in Ramallah where he was killed by Palestinians. 

AFI COMMENT: By giving these honours to the families of the terrorists, instead of the terrorists themselves, Abbas is still condoning their actions even while trying to assauge international outrage. 

Abbas: A "Moderate" Honoring Terrorists

From HonestReporting :

Why does the media continue to refer to the Palestinian leadership as "moderate"? 

On the eve of the anniversary of the horrific 2002 Passover massacre in Netanya's Park Hotel, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas has delivered a stinging reminder that "moderacy" on the Palestinian side is a relative term.

The Jerusalem Post reports that the Al Quds Mark of Honor, the PLO's highest medal, will be given to two female terrorists who helped kill Israelis.