Now, finally he was set free, Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier, in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners! Sources close to Hamas claimed for years that Israel was postponing the release of Shalit on purpose. This was picked up with gusto by a Dutch-Islamic website, which “improved” the news by speaking of the “prisoner of war” Gilad Shalit. However, the truth is that Shalit was by no means involved in military actions and battles, but was definitely kidnapped. A Palestinian terror commando had advanced by a subterranean tunnel into an Israeli area and had attacked a post stationed there. In doing so, two soldiers of the Israeli army were killed, four more were wounded, and Shalit, also wounded, was dragged away beyond the line of demarcation and brought to an unknown place in the Gaza Strip.

The media and the worldwide public in general love to report about a suffering Palestinian population, and at the same time to portray Israel as the guilty party and the aggressor. The other side—for example, all the many rockets which the Palestinians continually fire at Israeli targets—is overlooked. In effect, the view is completely unchallenged that Israel is responsible for it all. Thus, the thesis, “The Jews bear the guilt” is quasi declared a fact. And hardly anyone still dares to defend Israel, much less will anyone bring to mind what sufferings the Jewish people themselves had to endure. For many, the notion “Holocaust” has already become a foreign word. When the trial against the Nazi thug John Demjanuk took place in Munich in 2009, the former vice president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany said: “It is right and important that this trial takes place … One must fight the beginnings. In Germany there are many signs that these beginnings are again increasing. This trial will show where this is leading.” The magazine Die Welt confirmed: “No state is seen with as much criticism in Germany as Israel. Although it is the only democracy in the Near East, people see the Jewish state as the greatest threat to world peace. Besides, they believe that it commits crimes against the Palestinians which are comparable to the crimes of the Nazis against the Jews. Whence comes this explicitly bad image? The foundations for it are probably already laid in the schools. All the three large German schoolbook publishers, Klett, Westermann and Cornelson, offer detailed materials on the Near East conflict, and a completely one-sided view of this seat of crises is provided which makes Israel the culprit and the Palestinians the victim. These three publishers together dominate 90% of the entire German market.”

Today’s generation grows up with a completely topsy-turvy view of the facts. A poll among Americans showed that many don’t even know any more what the Holocaust is! And in the social networks Israel is most shamefully abused.

What can we do against this development? What God the Lord ordered His people Israel already at the time of their wandering in the desert: parents and grandparents (Deuteronomy 4:9) are to teach their children and grandchildren His commandments, “These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house … And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you? Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen …” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, 20-21). Parents and grandparents should never forget this commandment of the Lord! They should testify to the children how the Lord saved them out of “Egypt,” from the power of darkness, when He died on the cross for their sins. This is not merely a matter of speaking, but especially of exemplary living. The personal relationship of the parents to Jesus opens the children’s hearts for the greatest Son of Israel and for His earthly people, and they learn to distinguish between truth and lie.