In 1948, before the establishment of Israel, the 2500 year old Jewish community in Egypt numbered 80,000. Similar communities, numbering about 850,000 in total, were scattered around the Arab world.
After the formation of Israel, many Palestinian Arabs fled from Israel and received worldwide attention as refugees. Their demand to return, and thereby overrun democratic Israel, is a major stumbling block to Middle East peace. And the war the Arabs began in an attempt to destroy Israel in 1948 continues to this day, with almost daily terrorist attacks against Jewish civilians.
Little noticed or publicized was the fate of the 850,000 Jews living in Arab countries.
Many were attacked by mobs, burned out, robbed, and forced to flee for their lives. Today it is estimated that only 4300 Jews remain in the Arab countries, and the Jewish refugees are conveniently forgotten by Arabs demanding “justice.”
It was 36 years ago this week that Egyptian President Anwar Sadat made his historic peace visit to Israel. The world hoped that peace could be achieved in the Middle East, but Sadat was assassinated for his efforts and by radical Muslims of the infamous Muslim Brotherhood. Since then the Jihadists seem to have only grown stronger, while hopes for peace have receeded.
These developments do not surprise us, as we believe that a long period of war between the Arabs and Israel is prophesied in the Bible (see our Special Report “Understanding The Times”). However, as Christians we cannot turn a blind eye towards the suffering of Arabs and Jews, and we must remember that God loves them all.
So pray for the Palestinian and Jewish refugees of the long Middle East war. Pray for healing of their mental, emotional, and physical wounds. Pray that they find the true path of peace through Jesus Christ.
Above all, like the Bible says, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.