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700,000 Jews living in the 1967 liberated territories of Judea and Samaria (aka The West Bank)
New figures show that God's purpose not the worlds is being realized.
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February 1, 2014 - Audio, 12.50 MIN
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As the world lead by the United States continues to discuss “the peace process” the numbers of Jews in the “West Bank” continues to climb to record numbers. Dave reasoned earlier on this program this month that “it is evident that the current round of talks, on a purely practical basis, cannot go anywhere.” Well apparently the penny may be starting to drop for others.
A report from the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that Israels defence minister Moshe Ya’alon came out hammering Kerry’s security proposals as part of his peace plan as being “not worth the paper it is printed on” and something that won’t provide security for Israel. The newspaper also reported Ya’alon calling Kerry “inexplicably obsessive” and “messianic” in his attempts to force the two sides into a peace agreement. Ya’alon further said that Kerry has “nothing to teach me about the conflict with the Palestinians. “All that can ‘save us’ is for John Kerry to win a Nobel Prize and leave us in peace,” the newspaper reported.

The Defense Minister obviously came under fire for such straight comments but many Israelis could not agree more. Incredibly enough even Obama was reported by the New Yorker on the 27th to say that “the odds of completing the final treaty was 50-50.”

What all this has shown is that the relationship between Israel and the United States is currently strained (This is interestingly bringing Israel closer to some of its Arab neighbors). The truth is that it must be frustrating to try and work against Almighty God. Simply it is His land and it is His hand that had brought the Jews back to their ancient land. As Dave also mentioned on this program a few weeks back “There will be Jews who have returned from exile living on the "mountains of Israel"”. This is what Bible students have expected for many years and we are so privileged to see. Well talking about being privileged to see God’s hand, this week population data from the west bank was published from the Israeli Ministry of the Interior that reports 700,000 Jews are living in the West Bank including east Jerusalem. So despite all the world speaking of Jews leaving the West Bank, the opposite is happening. The population is continuing to grow just as God said it would. I found the numbers quite fascinating and helps to make the situation very real especially when you think how many of these people are living in small settlements surrounded by much larger Arab populations. That said I decided to publish the list here so you can see it for yourself:

All figures are as of December 31, 2013

330,000 Jews live in the following eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem:

Armon HaNatziv
Beit Orot
Givat HaMivtar
Givat Hanania
Gilo
French Hill
The Old City
Mount Scopus
Har Homa
Kfar Shiloah
Maale Zeitim
Neve Yaakov
Nof Tziyon
Sanhedria Murchevet
Ir David
Pisgat Zeev
Ramot
Ramot Eshkol
Ramat Shlomo

373,992 Jews live in the towns of Judea and Samaria according to the following stats for each town:

Northern Samaria
Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
Chinanit  1070    1100
Chermesh    231    239
Mevo Dotan    348    354
Rechan    192    203
Shaked    729    750
Total: 2,646

Ariel-Elkana Bloc (Trans Samaria H’way)
Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
Revava    1,628    1,774
Oranit    7,685    8,171
Alfei Menashe    8,009    8,066
Elkana    3,815    3,855
Ariel    18,689    18,757
Barkan    1,622    1,659
Elei Zahav    732    1,087
Etz Efraim    903    1,270
Peduel    1,430    1,501
Kiryat Netafim    693    700
Shaarei Tikva    4,995    5,162
Total: 52,002

Maaleh Adumim Bloc
Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
Maaleh Adumim    38,934    39,421
Kfar Adumim    3,456    3,652
Mitzpe Yericho    2,054    2,130
Keidar    1,202    1,255
Total: 46,458

Eastern Etziyon
Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
Maaleh Amos    471    470
Nokdim    1,420    1,565
Tekoa    2,677    2,938
Metzad-Asfar    478    519
Total: 5,492

Samaria
Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
Itamar    1,006    1,009
Elon Moreh    1,613    1,661
Bracha    1,888    2,037
Yitzhar    1,243    1,308
Migdalim    155    157
Shavei Shomron    836    871
Avnei Hefetz    1,722    1,782
Yakir    1,737    1,819
Kfar Tapuach    1268    986
Maaleh Shomron    842    915
Nofim    502    533
Salit    574    593
Immanuel    3,545    3,665
Einav    745    764
Tzofim    1,519    1,667
Kedumim    4,168    4,223
Karnei Shomron    7,172    7,222
Total: 31,212

Beitar Illit
Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
Beitar Illit    44,608    47,311
Total: 47,311

Kiryat Sefer Bloc
Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
Hashmonaim    3,044    3,141
Kiryat Sefer (Modiin Illit)    57,897    61,273
Matityahu    547    590
Total: 65,004

Jordan Valley Region
Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
Avnet    96    111
Almog    221    225
Argeman    165    160
Bet HaArava    115    129
Bekaot    210    208
Gittit    332    349
Galgal    159    160
Vered Yericho    266    266
Hemdat    158    154
Hamra    168    174
Yetav    287    323
Yafit    182    180
Mehola    463    470
Mechora    149    165
Maaleh Efraim    1,582    1,562
Mitzpeh Shalem    201    204
Mesua    190    186
Maskiot    112    140
Niran    79    81
Naama    138    141
Netiv Hagedud    179    186
Fetzael    275    278
Kalia    382    396
Roi    157    151
Rotem    110    131
Shadmot Mehola    569    599
Tomer    305    303
Total: 7,432

Gush Etzion
Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
Elon Shevut    3,475    3,531
Elazar    2,393    2,474
Efrata    9,180    9,335
Bat Ayin    1,244    1,314
Har Gilo    943    1,258
Kfar Etziyon    681    726
Migdal Oz    446    438
Neve Daniel    2,312    2,414
Rosh Tzurim    925    989
Total: 22,479

Hevron Hill
Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
Adura    296    345
Eshkolot    517    496
Hevron    594    565
Haggai    554    564
Tene    740    813
Carmel    448    462
Maon    497    508
Metzudat Yehuda    453    480
Negohot    256    269
Susia    933    956
Otniel    717    744
Pnei Hever    384    418
Kiryat Arba    7,277    7,410
Shima    425    458
Telem    256    278
Carmei Tzur    968    1,085
Total: 15,851

Binyamin Region
Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
Bet El    5,970    5,981
Bet Aryeh    4,312    4,493
Bet Horon    1,195    1,226
Geva (Adam)    4,622    4,832
Givon Hahadasha    1,348    1,380
Givat Zeev    14,348    15,318
Dolev    1,337    1,345
Har Adar    3,955    4,023
Halamish    1,175    1,200
Talmon    3,482    3,612
Kochav HaShahar    1,957    2,019
Kochav Yaakov    6,982    7,232
Kfar HaOranim    2,434    2,458
Mevo Horon    1,986    2,125
Maaleh Levona    634    646
Maaleh Michmash    1,503    1,551
Nachliel    542    597
Nili    1,022    1,135
Naaleh    1,123    1,234
Ofrah    3,214    3,293
Ateret    531    557
Almon (Anatot)    1,213    1,280
Psagot    1,882    1,939
Rimonim    626    600
Shiloh    2,917    3,170
Eli    3,415    3,548
Total: 76,794

Ezekiel 37: 21,22 “Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel…”

We are living at “the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began,” of that there is no doubt. The question that the disciples asked Christ upon his resurrection in Acts 1:6 – “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel?” When we see the influx of Jews into the mountains of Israel with the waste places being rebuilt what we are seeing is the foundations for the kingdom of Israel to be re-established.

God is clearly working with natural Israel to fulfill His promise, the question for myself and anyone listening is, are we ready? Christ spoke of a parable of ten virgins, five were wise and five were foolish, the wise had oil in their lamps. The oil is the word of God, are we full?

The prophetic word is not written just so that we can be entertained, God has given us promises so that we might see God’s hand working in the world and in turn examine ourselves. Consider the following words from 2 Peter 3:9-11:

 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness…”

We know that God is not going to literally burn up the heavens and the earth but rather fill the earth with His glory as He says in Numbers. The heavens and the earth here are political, the world order that we know now will come to an end at Christ’s coming as he establishes David’s throne once again in the earth. The point for us now is “what manner of persons ought ye to be?”

Just yesterday a mass prayer rally was held at the Western Wall in Jerusalem which was held under the title "prayer for the redemption of the people of Israel and their portion." All these events that are in the news headlines regarding Israel are all shaping the character of the nation. Just as troubles in our own lives can change us and bring us to God so too on a national level with His people.

May Christ the son of David come soon and establish real peace and may we be ready. This has been John Billington with you this week for another edition of the Bible in the News.


Bible in the News provides a weekly analysis of world politics and events
in the light of Bible prophecy — the Bible in the News!