Inside Israel News
Week of June 1, 2026
URL has been copied successfully!
U.S. President Trump Urges Muslim States to Join Abraham Accords
U.S. President Donald Trump maintains that as many Islamic nations as possible must normalize their relationships with Israel to facilitate a ceasefire between the latter and Iran. To this end, Trump is insisting that the aforementioned nations join the Abraham Accords.
Israel, the United States, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain are already members, and Trump is seeking commitment from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, and Jordan. The last three countries have rather strained diplomatic ties with the State of Israel.
The U.S. president proposed that Saudi Arabia and Qatar sign first, as this step might incentivize the other countries to follow suit. Trump also tried to inspire the holdout Middle Eastern nations to join the Accords by claiming that their engagement would “bring true Power, Strength, and Peace to the Middle East for the first time in 5,000 years”.
On the other hand, the U.S. president implied that the failure of the foregoing countries to accept the Abraham Accords could indirectly exacerbate the conflict between Iran and Israel. He went on to say that the U.S. is prepared to resume defensive strikes against missile bases and naval fleets in southern Iran.
The Abraham Accords consist of landmark normalization agreements to establish diplomatic, economic, and security ties between Israel and several Muslim states. They were originally signed by the U.S., Bahrain, the UAE, Israel, Morocco, and Sudan in Washington in September 2020.
Pray for:
- An end to hostilities of Iran against Israel and the US
- Divine protection of the believing community in Iran
- Saving knowledge of Yeshua the Messiah in all 3 nations
Israel Leads in Emergency Preparedness and Response
Statistics have indicated that Israel is currently far ahead of most other nations in terms of civilian recruitment and engagement in emergency services in particular, and volunteerism in general.
At a time when spikes in wartime civilian and military casualties, public health crises, and aerial bombardments cause citizens in many other nations to run for cover, Israelis are stepping up and going into the fray more than ever.
One reason for this commitment is the principle of kavod hameit—honouring the deceased. Traditional rabbinical Judaism mandates that the dead must be treated with utmost respect every step of the way. This process includes taharah—ritual washing; shmirah—guarding the body until interment; tachrichim—plain while linen burial shrouds; and kevurah—prompt burial.
Organizations such as United Hatzalah (“rescue”) and ZAKA Search & Rescue actively recruit and depend upon a force of over four thousand trained civilian volunteers to help them apply the foregoing principles consistently.
Between the mid-2010s and the present, the volunteer force of ZAKA has grown by more than fifty percent. Even though most Israeli citizens eligible for recruitment by ZAKA have undergone full training and service in the IDF, ZAKA still provides volunteers with intensive hands-on drill and simulation/scenario training to ensure emergency preparedness and rapid, coordinated response.
Recruits hail from all walks of life and practice a wide array of trades and professions. Their rescue services training is designed to develop or enhance existing critical thinking, technical expertise, and interpersonal skills using state-of-the-art technology and equipment.
Pray for:
- An end to the wars and the state of war in Israel
- Consolation for the families of the deceased and war casualties
- Strength and protection for the volunteers of Hatzalah and ZAKA
Magen David Adom is Now the First Response Pillar of Israel
Even before its establishment and recognition as a nation, Israel relied upon Magen David Adom (MDA; “Red Shield of David”) as first responders in civilian medical emergencies.
Since then, MDA has mushroomed into a nationwide network comprising three thousand employees, over thirty thousand volunteers, two thousand ambulances, eight hundred motorcycles, and fleets of rapid-response vehicles, rescue boats, ICU buses, and helicopters.
Once regarded as a glorified ambulance service, MDA has expanded into an emergency command centre, a blood supply authority, a humanitarian organization, and a pillar of national resilience. A major impetus for this growth was the aftermath of the terrorist attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The subsequent missile and drone salvos from Iran have further enlarged MDA.
The mass casualty incidents, attacks on civilian communities, decimation of telecommunication systems, and infrastructure devastation have compelled MDA to diversify and level up its rescue and relief services on a national scale.
To this end, MDA welcomes all Israeli citizens—Jew, Arab, Druze, Bedouin, religious, secular, young, old, novice, expert, tradespeople, professionals—but especially encourages youth recruitment and provides comprehensive training and engagement in operational and community activity. Eligibility for recruitment starts at age fourteen.
Magen David Adom was conceived and initiated in Tel Aviv in 1930 by Meshulam Levontin, and branches were later opened in Jerusalem and Haifa. It provided emergency health and medical services to all Israeli residents and citizens, regardless of their ethnicity. Knesset (Israeli parliament) awarded MDA the official status of the national emergency service of Israel in 1950.
Pray for:
- Strength and protection of the MDA volunteers
- Increase in blood donations to help overcome current shortages
- And end to the terrorist attacks on the State of Israel
School System Equips Druze Students as Israeli Citizens
While nearly three years of war have damaged much of the infrastructure in Israel, the Amal Educational Network in the Galilee and the border region south of Lebanon endeavours to build bridges between diverse communities there.
The Amal Schools were established by members of Israel’s minority Druze community not only to equip their youth with the vocational and social skills they require to thrive as Israeli citizens but to foster dialogue between culturally divergent ethnic groups in the Holy Land.
Amal reinforces in Druze youth both a deep knowledge and understanding of their heritage as well as pride in their Israeli nationality and citizenship. To this end, Druze students regularly collaborate on civic and social projects with Jewish, Arab, and Bedouin youth in English, Arabic, and Hebrew.
Certain academic facilities such as Yanuh Jat High School are open seven days a week, hold regular meetings among teachers, parents, and students, and furnish counselling and shelter services for young people contending with war trauma, home loss, and so on. Yanuh Jat is located near farmland and provides training for youth in agriculture, agronomy, and horticulture.
Other schools in the Amal system offer comprehensive STEM and vocational training curricula including medical and computer technology, business administration, emergency rescue services, and core academic subjects. Internships and practica are also available.
The Amal Educational Network has joined the Accord Centre of Hebrew University to assemble ethnically, religiously, linguistically, and culturally different educators and promote their personal and professional collaboration as fellow Israeli citizens.
The Druze community in Israel consists of about 150,000 predominantly Arabic-speaking citizens living mainly in the Galilee region and south of the Lebanon border. Unlike Jewish Israelis, Druze citizens are not subject to conscription. However, they are strongly patriotic and have readily volunteered for service in the IDF.
Pray for:
- Increased dialogue between ethnic groups in Israel
- Saving knowledge of Jesus Christ among Jews, Arabs, and Druze
- Protection of the Druze IDF volunteers serving in war zones
Good BBQ and Great Conversations!
Recently, a team of young adults came to serve with us. They took time to see the country and places of the Scriptures. It was wonderful for them to see the Bible become three dimensional in front of their eyes. Their favorite part of the trip was preparing, cooking, and serving a barbeque at a base in central Israel. One of our staff workers has been in mandatory reserve duty, serving the nation as well as serving his brothers in uniform. Everyone on base knows he is a believer in Jesus, and he gets asked many questions about his faith and the scriptures. The team was able to encourage those at the base and share reasons why they came to Israel and that they love Jesus, the Messiah of Israel. It was a relaxed and friendly time with conversations extending late into the evening. Once the group left, our staff worker was given the opportunity to have many more conversations about his faith, the team’s faith, and the hope (shalom) they have in Jesus. Food, good conversation, curiosity, and trust are wonderful bridges to gospel conversations!
Please pray that these soldiers and our staff worker would continue the dialogue.
URL has been copied successfully!
