Feast of Tabernacles and to show support for the Holy Land, despitereports of the worst battles in the nearby Gaza Strip in recent memory. Christians celebrated after the Palestinian Authority declared a state of emergency Saturday, October 2, following an Israeli incursion into the Gaza Strip which killed dozens of Palestinians since Thursday.
On Saturday and Sunday, Israeli troops reportedly killed 12 alleged militants in and around the northern Gaza strip raising the Palestinian death toll to at least over 50 in what media described as one of "the biggest and bloodiest offensives" in four years of conflict. Five Israelis were also killed, according to news reports.
Shops in the West Bank and Gaza Strip closed for the day to protest the attacks, amid concern that residents will experience the same troubles as during an earlier Israeli military siege of Bethlehem, where the Bible says Jesus was born.
Amid the violence, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia postponed a trip to Moscow, and officials urged the international community to help safe the Road Map to Peace, a U.S. backed peace plan for the region, which also envisages the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat urged the international community and peace movements in Israel "to move quickly and immediately to stop the inhumane, monstrous and racist Israeli military atrocities against our people."
The Israeli government said its military action is needed as it must "fight terrorism", following a rocket attack that killed two children last week, while they prepared for the Feast of Tabernacles, known as Sukkot in Israel.
HAMAS VOWS VIOLENCE
A spokesman for the Hamas militant group defended this kind of violence, saying that Palestinians must defend themselves through rocket attacks "on Israeli targets" as the international community was not intervening, Al Arabiya television reported.
Vowing to "teach the enemy an unforgettable lesson," Hamas — sworn to Israel’s destruction — threatened Saturday to use its rockets to hit Ashkelon, the closest major Israeli city, 12 km (7.5 miles) up the coast from Gaza, the Reuters news agency said.
Apparently anticipating a Hamas strike, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian commandos who had crossed from Gaza into Israel and were prepared to carry out an attack on an Israeli town, according to news reports.
SUICIDE BELTS
Reuters reported that four Palestinians were wearing belts of explosives, indicating they were part of a suicide-bomb squad. In the Gaza refugee camp Jabalya, the focus of an intense Israeli offensive, military helicopters targeted a group of gunmen shortly after midnight, the Voice of America (VOA) network said.
Palestinian hospital workers were quoted as saying that three militants from the Islamic Jihad group were killed. About 200 of Israel’s tanks and armored vehicles are at Jabalya, which is home to more than 100,000 Palestinians, VOA reported. Israeli officials claim they have moved into what is known as the largest Palestinian refugee camp "to hunt for militants" involved in a series of violent incidents.
The latest violence was expected to boost calls from evangelical Christians from 100 nations to pray for Israel and the region during major events to honor Sukkot, when from September 29 to October 6 Jews build ‘booths’ or ‘sukkas’, in private balconies, front lawns, parks, restaurants, and public plazas.
MAKE SHIFT TENTS
These are makeshift tents with roofs made of palm fronds and leafy tree branches, with walls made of bamboo matting, straw, cloth, and other flimsy material. They are meant to look like the collapsible tents the Israelites lived in when they encamped in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land as described in the Bible.
With battles nearby, evangelical Christians said the Feast is a vivid reminder that life on earth is impermanent, and a journey to the ultimate Promised Land, the U.S. based Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) reported.
"It’s a reminder not to accumulate too many possessions in this life, to travel light. We don’t really belong here. We’re headed for a better place," German pilgrim Erika Loeffler told CBN. Loeffler has come to Israel for the Sukkot more than seven times in past years.
Christians also consider their participation in the Sukkot a prophetic gesture, a time to pray and stand with what they call "God’s purposes for Israel, the Jews, and the nations at the end of the age." The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), which is organizing several mega sukkot meetings, expects at least 5,000 Christians from over 100 nations to attend its celebrations as well as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
