The Middle East Spring
For some time, we have all been hearing about the so called "Middle East Spring" that began some months ago. For many of us, it gave us hope that finally, after decades of dictatorships and extremism, finally the Arab nations were taking the road to freedom, democracy and peace.
Unfortunately, the realities of the situation as we have seen them develop, paint a very different picture. Instead of freedom and democracy, we see the rise to power of even more extreme elements, elements which have a rabid hatred for Israel and the Jewish State. Instead of peace, we see Arab countries such as Egypt, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain slipping into a spiral of violence and hatred. At the moment, the violence is directed internally, however, it will not, in our opinion, be long, once the situation stabilizes, that the hatred will be focused on the traditional enemy – Israel.
Iran is another danger that Israel, and indeed the entire free world, faces. Iran is a known supporter of terrorist organizations such as the Hezbollah, the Hamas and El Qaida – funding them, training them and arming them. Iran's frantic race to develop a nuclear weapon along with long range delivery capabilities threaten the existence, not only of Israel, but other free nations across the world who dare disagree with the Ayatollahs' creed and viewpoint.
Two nations always seem to bear the brunt of the extremist's hatred, the United States and Israel. Both countries have suffered terribly for their beliefs and their ideals; both refuse to bow to the dictates of the terrorist and the demagogue!
Israel, in particular, is vilified by the press & media for being an apartheid state, for being "racist" whilst the Hamas are portrayed as "Freedom Fighters" or, at the worst, "militants" and the fact they they send women and children into Israel to blow themselves up on busses and in shopping centers is considered almost legitimate. When they launch rocket attacks at defenseless Israeli villages and towns it is acceptable but when Israel attempts to defend herself, she is the "bloodthirsty aggressor". The sad truth is that those who do not wish to see and hear the truth will forever remain blind.
Israel is a small nation with limited resources. Many of those resources are dedicated to the defense of the country from its enemies, both present and potential. As a result, Israel must depend on her friends, on her supporters across the world. Thankfully, our supporters are many, from all walks of life, both Christian and Jewish.
The EVP taps into this vast pool of friends and supporters, recruiting and training individuals and communities who care about Israel and who wish to play an active and significant role in its defense. The need for EVP volunteers, firefighters, medics, community workers, maintenance and logistic teams is very real. Our greatest hope is that we will never need to call upon our volunteers to step in and help preserve lives and property when Israel is under attack. We gain strength from the knowledge that there is an ever growing number of people who are willing to take a stand and come to Israel's aid.
Merely by the act of volunteering, EVP volunteers are saying to the terrorists and those that support them that they will not prevail. That so long as there are men and women of faith, conviction and courage, good will always triumph over evil, light will overcome dark and Israel and her friends will continue to grow and prosper.
