Israel continued fighting against Hamas and Hezbollah

The Israeli government feels it is urgent to further expand its fight against Hamas and Hezbollah.

On Monday, Israel engaged in its most deadly attacks in Lebanon since its 2006 invasion of the country, striking heavily populated areas throughout southern Lebanon — including hitting medical centres and ambulances, according to the Lebanese health minister — and expanding its attacks to Beirut and the Bekaa Valley in the east.

As if civilians could be expected to know where weapons stores might be, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee said Israel warned people to go away from places where Hezballah could have hidden weapons. The message on X sounded as:

“If you are inside or near a house containing Hezbollah weapons- you must leave it and move away from it within two hours to a distance of no less than 1,000 meters outside the village, or go to the central school near you and do not return until further notice.
Anyone who is near Hezbollah elements, facilities, and weapons is putting his life and the lives of his family members at risk.”

Israeli forces subsequently bombed the area.

While the IDF has portrayed these orders as humanitarian-motivated evacuation warnings, it has issued identical communications throughout its 11-month war against the Palestinians of Gaza only to later bomb areas to which it told residents to flee. Also, this time schools and ordinary homes were bombed.

Israel has launched numerous brutal military campaigns in Lebanon in prior decades. Its claim today that it is aiming to protect civilian life with evacuation messages was widely rejected by Lebanese and other observers — and fed suspicion that Israel is attempting to ethnically cleanse southern Lebanon of its residents to establish a military buffer zone inside Lebanese territory.

For many it is clear that the Israelis would not have launched such large scale attacks without a “green light” from the U.S.. Karim Makdisi, a professor of international politics at the American University in Beirut, told Drop Site News:

“I think they’ve been given a kind of clear understanding that they have until the elections to do what they want.”

The Lebanese understand that basically, the West has given up even pretending to do anything about it. The Lebanese people have expressed several times in interviews with the foreign press that they are fed up with this war that their country appears to be stuck with.

In the previous months, Israel managed to bring the Gaza Strip to almost total destruction and kill a lot of Palestinians, while the Western World largely let it happen. Emboldened by this, it now sees its chances of further targeting Hezbollah. As long as Israel enjoys unconditional American support, it knows it can violate international norms and laws of war, and perhaps even resort to the deployment of nuclear weapons — with U.S. backing.

Over the past several weeks, U.S. officials have made public statements claiming that they would like to see a “diplomatic resolution” to the stand-off between Israel and Hezbollah that began after October 7 of last year. Some officials have also claimed that the U.S. has been working to prevent an escalation, with U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby telling ABC News on Sunday that the U.S. was trying to prevent “all-out war” between the two sides and that the Biden administration disagreed with Israel’s policy of expanding the conflict into Lebanon.

Iran does not wish to confront Israel directly while the U.S. is prepared to deploy warships across the region in Israel’s defence. Israel’s need for direct U.S., European, and even Arab military intervention to defend itself against non-state actors in Palestine and Lebanon exposes its own strategic vulnerabilities.

Although it’s possible that a second Trump administration, or the present one, might support Israel in an attack on Iran, it is highly unlikely that the U.S. would participate in a full-scale war against Iran, especially after the failures of recent U.S. military interventions in the Middle East.

While Iran remains the only country willing to risk its own stability and economic well-being to provide military and financial support to Arab resistance groups, there is growing pressure from Arab public opinion for Iran to take more direct action against Israel if it is to benefit from its continued support for the Palestinian cause.
Iran is not so crazy as to go all-out against Israel. After all, they do not want another war situation that would put them in penury for years to come.

Gulf media outlets have already accused Iran of avoiding direct confrontation with Israel, but this war which is unfolding, involving key Iranian allies Hamas and Hezbollah, is one of the longest in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict (perhaps with the possible exception of the war of attrition between Egypt and Israel, 1968 and 1970).

Makdisi assesses that the U.S. wants to separate the Gaza and Lebanese fronts in an effort to force Hezbollah to end its attacks against northern Israel. Hezbollah has maintained that it will not do so until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza — a point which Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary general, emphasised in a speech last Friday.

“Whatever the sacrifices, whatever the consequences, whatever may happen, we will not cease our support for Gaza, and Lebanon’s front with Israel will not stop until the aggression on Gaza stops,”

Nasrallah said in his first speech following Israel’s surprise attacks last week, when thousands of pagers exploded simultaneously, killing more than a dozen people and wounding hundreds more. Later in that week walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah forces detonated in similar fashion killing more people.

Makdisi said that since its 1982 invasion of Lebanon, Israel has aimed to demilitarise the south of that country, including through its 2006 ground war. Hezbollah is widely seen as having defeated Israel in the 2006 conflict by forcing it into a ceasefire. Makdisi assesses that Israel – with U.S. backing – believes that it can achieve its goal this time by smashing Hezbollah’s military capabilities in the south and imposing its will on the region.

“They can’t coexist with any country around them or any people around them without them accepting defeat. That just is a prerequisite. So this just has to be contextualised not just in the history of Lebanon, but Zionism itself,”

Makdisi said.

Israel

“needs the Palestinians to give up, needed the Egyptians to give up. It needed the Jordanians to give up and it needs the Lebanese to give up. That is the context.”

 

Endangered humanitarian aid in Gaza

Of the 378 aid workers killed worldwide since October 7, more than 75 percent have been killed in Gaza or the West Bank, according to the Aid Worker Security Database, the agency that records major incidents of violence against aid workers.

In Gaza, Sudan, and other conflicts, concerted humanitarian advocacy efforts with governments – both public and behind the scenes – have resulted in little change in policy and tactics. Far from protecting and facilitating humanitarian aid, militaries have repeatedly obstructed and endangered it. Global efforts to address the problem of violence against aid workers through UN resolutions and international media campaigns like #NotATarget, have also not managed to slow the continued upward trend of global casualty numbers.

The number of humanitarians killed in Palestinian territory in the last three months of 2023 was more than the deadliest full year ever recorded for aid workers.

Without any shame, the Israeli government manages to apologise for the civilian casualties each time, reporting that alleged Hamas terrorists were hiding in the bombed sites.

Israeli attacks on aid organisations have become routine, despite systems in place to avoid humanitarian deaths. Through a process called deconfliction, aid groups coordinate with warring parties to avoid being attacked. Popular deconfliction mechanisms used by aid groups in Gaza include clearly marking their assets, arranging their movements with Israeli authorities, and sharing their location with the Israeli military.

Even though the aid organisations pass on their positions very well, they are still attacked by the Israeli army at those declared positions. One can ask questions, even if the government first lets the Palestinians flee to those places to supposedly stay in a safe zone.

Christopher Lockyear, Secretary General of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), told the United Nations Security Council in February that

“this pattern of attacks is either intentional or indicative of reckless incompetence.”

Forty-eight hours earlier, a 120mm Israeli tank shell exploded in a MSF facility in Khan Younis, killing two people and severely injuring six others. It was the second time a MSF facility had been attacked by Israeli forces.

The White House is aware of this trend. In May, a Biden administration report to Congress noted the following:

“One specific area of concern is the impact of Israel’s military operations on humanitarian actors. Despite regular engagement from humanitarian actors and repeated USG interventions with Israeli officials on deconfliction/coordination procedures, the IDF has struck humanitarian workers and facilities. While Israel repeatedly committed to improve deconfliction and implemented some additional measures, those changes did not fully prevent subsequent strikes involving humanitarian workers and facilities.”

“Concern” might be too strong a word to express the White House’s interest in preventing humanitarian deaths. The same day successive Israeli precision drone strikes killed seven aid workers, including one American citizen, from World Central Kitchen — a humanitarian group founded by Chef José Andrés — Biden approved the transfer of over 2,000 bombs to Israel.

It seems that the US government is making no effort at all to force Israel to abide by the laws of war and not to shoot hospitals and relief camps. The Biden administration has done nothing but issue words of concern from the briefing podium.

Aid groups in Gaza, had notified Israeli authorities of their location and movements, their vehicles or facilities were clearly marked as humanitarians, and were often operating in Israeli-designated “safe zones,” but they were attacked anyway by Israeli forces.

Aid groups are regularly assured that there were no Hamas fighters around, while the Israeli government claimed otherwise, and managed to make so many innocent victims again.

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in Rafahalso has given the Israeli government her positions, more than once. Repeatedly they shared the coordinates of the buildings with Israeli officials, including on the 8th of December attack in Rafah. Agency staff told Human Rights Watch that they were unaware of any military targets in the area. Afterwards, the Israeli military said the attack was carried out by mistake.

In the meantime, many mistakes have happened, killing several innocent Palestinians. Thus, the Israeli government succeeds in carrying out a true genocide, while the rest of the world watches carelessly and does not do much about it.

Citizens who walk to a church are also not safe. Two ladies were attacked by snipers. When others in the church ran toward the women, Israeli snipers shot them too, wounding several, including two children. Pope Francis condemned the attack, calling it “terrorism.”

Emails between Catholic Relief Services and U.S. Senate staff obtained by Politico show that Catholic Relief Services (one the largest Christian aid organisations operating in Gaza) had provided the coordinates of the two buildings to Senate staffers, who then relayed that information to the IDF. The IDF confirmed the location of the buildings that Catholic Relief Services requested for protection. The aid group also provided aerial photos of the facilities directly to Israeli authorities. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Church said they shared their GPS coordinates with the IDF several times before the attack.

Several times vehicles clearly-marked with U.N. insignia, traveling along a route designated by the Israeli military were shot at. Also several emergency medical workers had to leave in a hurry their posts, even when the Israeli military explicitly reassured aid staff through text messages that they were safe.

Also the offices of the Belgian development agency, Enabel, were completely destroyed on January 31, 2024. Handicap International, an NGO, had offices in the same structure. Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said that Israeli authorities

“knew very well that Enabel’s offices were located in this building.”

Earlier that day, the Belgian government announced it would not suspend funding for UNRWA, after the Israeli government claimed without evidence that UNRWA staff had participated in the October 7 massacre. In the meantime, it has already become clear that UNRWA was not involved at all in the October attack.
In mid-February, Israeli forces claimed it had not bombed the Enabel building, but that it was destroyed when they blew up the building next door for an unspecified military reason. In this way, the Israeli government knows how to come up with some excuse to prevent what they have done.

February 5, 2024: Israeli ships shelled a clearly-marked UNRWA convoy, damaging one of the aid trucks. The convoy was stopped at an Israeli-designated holding point when it was shelled. UNRWA had coordinated the convoy’s movement with Israeli authorities. As a result of the attack, UNRWA had to pause its operations in northern Gaza for nearly three weeks, affecting 200,000 people. Israeli authorities later acknowledged the attack and said it had put in place “prevention measures” to prevent another incident. The next month, the Israeli government blocked UNRWA from providing any food assistance to northern Gaza.

In this way we can continue with monthly attacks against the care providers and protection of completely innocent civilians, where the young children certainly have nothing to do with Hamas or Hezbollah.

In any case, it is high time that the public and external governments put more pressure to put an end to this long-lasting “slaughter”.

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Find also to read:

1. Al Shifa Medical Complex and other hospitals in Gaza under Israeli fire
2. In the news February 12-18, 2024
3. In the news February 12-18, 2024
4. Weekly World Watch for the first part of February 2024
5. The first part of March 2024 in the spotlight
6. We won’t stop Rafah offensive, vows Netanyahu
7. What attracted attention in the second half of April 2024
8. IDF orders evacuation of central Rafah as it prepares to expand its offensive
9. Democrats and Republicans: US enablers of Israeli onslaught on Rafah
10. The War that will continue
11. Blatant attacks in Gaza
12. Don’t Normalize the Political Violence in Gaza

The new school and academic year

1 September and 1 October are for many a new start after the summer holiday.

Many encounter then a time where they can calibrate what actions they have taken and thinking of a plan for those they have yet to instigate…

Girls as young as 9 years old to be married is a fundamental violation of their human rights

Across Iraq, there has come fierce debate since The Coordination Framework, a bloc of Shiite parties, is leveraging its parliamentary majority to push a proposed amendment to the country’s Personal Status Law through, that represents a profound decline in both civilisational and human progress in the nation, with the backing of religious authorities in Najaf.

This legislation, should it pass, would allow girls as young as 9 years old to get married. It is nothing short of a license to rape children, under the guise of religious and cultural practices. Young girls should be able to be a child and to be educated. They belong in school, pursuing their education and building their futures, not in marital beds, stripped of their childhoods and forced into a life they are much too young to understand.

Neither in the Old or New Testament books or the Quran does it indicate that young girls should be at the mercy of men’s sexual urges.

As it currently stands, the 1959 Personal Status Law prohibits marriage before the age of 18. But the reality is that child marriage is already a significant problem in Iraq. Yet in Iraq, as in many other Muslim countries, we can see that young women have little say in marriage and that in those countries, but also here among Muslims, one can still see younger girls being married off.
According to the UN, 28 percent of Iraqi girls are married before their 18th birthday, often in informal ceremonies conducted by clerics without any official registration.

The new amendment will only exacerbate the situation by formally lowering the legal marriage age to as young as 9 years. This is a horrifying prospect that would effectively endorse and legalise the exploitation of children under the guise of tradition and religious law.

Until now, it was already a very big problem to have control or opportunities to prevent child marriage.

With the proposal on the table, children will have even less say in what happens to them and even more girls will be forced into unhappy marriages where, after a few years, they will also face other girls taking over the role of housewife and sex partner.

The backlash against the proposed amendment has been fierce, particularly from women’s rights activists, who have protested in the streets. In Najaf, a demonstration by female activists was met with hostility from clerics and tribal figures, who demanded the protesters disperse. The confrontation was so intense that the police had to intervene to prevent it from escalating into violence.

Such tensions highlight the deep divisions in attitudes about the role of religion and tradition in shaping the legal framework of Iraq, particularly when it comes to the rights of women and children.

Civilised countries should insist that the government of Iraq take measures to protect the children. A decision by authorities that allows girls as young as 9 years old to be married is a fundamental violation of their human rights. Those children who need to be protected by their parents and the state should still be able to play to the full and go through life carefree. They should also still be given ample opportunities to develop spiritually and freely complete studies that will allow them to do a job. It is a direct assault on their right to education, their right to childhood and their right to bodily autonomy.

The international community cannot stand idly by while Baghdad contemplates the legalisation of what is, in essence, the unpunishable rape of children. It has a moral obligation to intervene and put pressure on the Iraqi government to abandon this harmful and regressive legislation.

International organisations, human rights groups and foreign governments must speak out against this proposed law, and make it clear that such a violation of human rights will not be tolerated. Diplomatic channels, sanctions and public condemnation must all be considered as part of the global response to this egregious assault on the rights of children.

The proposed amendment to the Personal Status Law is not only a domestic issue for Iraq to address, it is also a test of the world’s commitment to the protection of the most vulnerable among us. The fight to defeat this legislation is a fight for the very future of Iraq’s children and for the principles of human dignity and equality that should guide every society.

Enjoying mountain walks

Describe one habit that brings you joy.

I loved climbing’ but I have come to realise my wife an I have come at an age we are to much aware of certain dangers. Going up steep rocks or crossing glaciers is not any more in our diary.

We must be happy now with doing a maximum of the blue or red tracks. The black once we leave to the younger ones.

After my 4th heart attack, it can well be we even have to drop the red tracks of our list from now onwards. But for sure I shall not let it come to my heart and I shall enjoy it very much to go high up in the mountains again this Summer.

In the second half of August we shall enjoy the French Alps around Lake Annecy. Afterwards to go back to the region of Nice, staying in Vence. Our stay over there, a little bit more tranquil than previous years.

This year our eyes are directed to art and musea viewing.

A view of Vence with the Mediterranean Sea in the background

Good morning 🌞🌄 . . . You know that glorious, happy feeling…

Image source: A Friend

* You know that glorious, happy feeling when you realize the true luxuries in life include … “slow mornings, being with people you love and enjoying home made food … quiet moments, uninterrupted quality time and nature … learning, growth and deep sleep … a good book, the freedom to travel, watching the sunset … […]

Good morning 🌞🌄 . . . You know that glorious, happy feeling…

Night’s darkness, a bag bursting with the gold of the dawn

Image source: Jana Eid

We all know some good and bad moments in our lives. We may not forget that there is the light of better times after the darkness or bad events in our lives.

One of my favourite writers, the Bengali poet, short-story writer, song composer, playwright, essayist, and painter, Rabindranath Tagore, the first non-European to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, wrote about it more than once, examining “humble lives and their small miseries.” This often gave me some spirit to continue in what I was doing or going for.

He a.o. said.:

Night’s darkness is a bag that bursts with the gold of the dawn.

Photo Credit|Pinterest Upload by Heather

Good Morning . . . Welcome to a glorious dawn

Source: Contemplative Monk

Why is it “Time to change”?

In the United States of America, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and Belgium, lots of politicians are saying it is “Time to Change.”

Therefore, I could ask the above-posed very profound question!

The phrase “Time to change” is often used to convey a sense of urgency or necessity to alter a current situation, behaviour, or circumstance. Here are some possible reasons why it’s “time to change”:

1. Inadequacy or stagnation: The current state of affairs may not be meeting expectations, and a change is needed to improve or progress.
   In industrialised countries everywhere we see that the expectation of the people is not reached. Inflation makes weekly shopping very expensive and limits people in what they want to do.
2. New information or discoveries: New data, research, or insights have emerged, challenging previous assumptions or understanding, making it necessary to adapt and adjust.
   The big problem is that many people are seduced by basing themselves on social media where they are thrown from one side to the other, or receive one-sided information by providing messages sent by the algorithms.
3. Growing pains or discomfort: A situation may have become uncomfortable, painful, or unsustainable, requiring a change to alleviate the discomfort.
   In several countries, we see an increase in poverty and displeasure because people feel deprived, while many want to shift their difficulties to incoming foreigners, whether refugees from war zones or economic refugees.
4. Evolution and adaptation: As circumstances evolve, it’s essential to adapt and change to remain relevant, competitive, or effective in a changing environment.
   Many who feel annoyed by the current situation demand that politicians show up for solid changes that should free them from all their headaches.
   No one can ignore the fact that something is going wrong with Mother Nature and that it is high time to remedy something about it before it gets much worse and natural disasters and hazards become something of a daily occurrence.
5. Opportunity and growth: Change can bring new opportunities for growth, learning, and personal development, allowing individuals or organizations to thrive.
6. Uncertainty and risk: In uncertain or unpredictable times, it’s essential to be prepared to adapt and change quickly to respond to shifting circumstances.
   One cannot ignore it. We have fallen into very uncertain times. In the northeast there is Russia that speaks threatening language towards the NATO countries, while it is causing increasing destruction in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the wind is also blowing very hard in the east, where Israel is carrying out one war crime after another, while the world seems to be watching helplessly.
   Politically, a lot is going wrong for the moment and we are now in a worse or warmer position than before in the Cold War.
   Reason enough for many to worry about heading for World War III.
7. Personal fulfillment and purpose: Sometimes, people feel the need to change their lives or behaviours to align with their values, passions, or goals.
   Values and norms have undergone many changes in recent years and for many ethical values seem lacking.
   People are increasingly getting the idea that our society is derailing. Many people then have to put a lot in order again.
8. Crisis or emergency: In times of crisis or emergency, it’s essential to make swift changes to address the situation and restore stability.
   In 2008 there was a major financial crisis that affected many, but where they saw governments choosing to keep a hand over the big banks. The people felt rightly put in the bag.
   It was crawling out of a deep valley and when they almost reached the end of the well, there was a health crisis that literally killed many people. Anyone who thought Corona was a thing of the past is very wrong. Long covid still defies a lot of people.

In many cases, “Time to change” is a call to action, encouraging individuals or organizations to take bold steps towards improvement, growth, and progress.

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What specific context are you thinking of when you ask “Why is it ‘Time to change’?”

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Preceding

1. Why certain people are so stubborn and keep going against the mainstream
2. Banktransfer to one bank bad idea
3. What comes after neoliberalism?
4. The Paradox of Capitalism
5. 2015 Health and Welfare
6. If everybody tries to beat inflation it gets worse
7. From a land 90 times Belgium: Kazakhstan #3 Kazakhstan in the grip of a dictator
8. The importance of utopia and how to get there
9. I did not change much
10. An important place for spirituality in my life
11. Every day that comes with it

Waarom is het “Tijd om te veranderen”?

In de Verenigde Staten van Amerika, Groot-Brittannië, Frankrijk, Nederland en België zeggen veel politici dat het ‘Time to Change’ is.”

Daarom zou ik de hierboven gestelde zeer diepgaande vraag kunnen stellen!

De uitdrukking ‘Tijd om te veranderen’ wordt vaak gebruikt om een gevoel van urgentie of noodzaak over te brengen om een huidige situatie, gedrag of omstandigheid te veranderen. Hier zijn enkele mogelijke redenen waarom het “tijd is om te veranderen”:

1. Ontoereikendheid of stagnatie: De huidige stand van zaken voldoet mogelijk niet aan de verwachtingen en er is een verandering nodig om te verbeteren of vooruitgang te boeken.
   In geïndustrialiseerde landen zien we overal dat de verwachtingen van de mensen niet worden bereikt. Inflatie maakt wekelijks winkelen erg duur en beperkt mensen in wat ze willen doen.
2. Nieuwe informatie of ontdekkingen: Er zijn nieuwe gegevens, onderzoek of inzichten naar voren gekomen, die eerdere aannames of inzichten ter discussie stellen, waardoor het noodzakelijk wordt om zich aan te passen en zaken te veranderen.
   Het grote probleem is dat veel mensen verleid worden door zich te baseren op sociale media waar ze van de ene naar de andere kant worden gegooid, of eenzijdige informatie krijgen door berichten te verstrekken die door de algoritmes worden verstuurd.
3. Pijnen of ongemak die toenemen: Een situatie kan ongemakkelijk, pijnlijk of onhoudbaar zijn geworden, waardoor een verandering nodig is om het ongemak te verlichten.
   In verschillende landen zien we een toename van armoede en ongenoegen omdat mensen zich beroofd voelen, terwijl velen hun moeilijkheden willen verschuiven naar binnenkomende buitenlanders, of het nu vluchtelingen uit oorlogsgebieden of economische vluchtelingen zijn.
4. Evolutie en aanpassing: Naarmate de omstandigheden evolueren, is het essentieel om je aan te passen en te veranderen om relevant, concurrerend of effectief te blijven in een veranderende omgeving.
   Velen die zich geïrriteerd voelen door de huidige situatie eisen dat politici opdagen voor solide veranderingen die hen van al hun hoofdpijn moeten bevrijden.
   Niemand kan voorbijgaan aan het feit dat er iets misgaat met Moeder Natuur en dat het de hoogste tijd is om er iets aan te verhelpen voordat het veel erger wordt en natuurrampen en gevaren een dagelijkse gebeurtenis worden.
5. Kansen en groei: Verandering kan nieuwe kansen bieden voor groei, leren en persoonlijke ontwikkeling, waardoor individuen of organisaties kunnen gedijen.
   Onzekerheid en risico: In onzekere of onvoorspelbare tijden is het essentieel om bereid te zijn zich snel aan te passen en te veranderen om te reageren op veranderende omstandigheden.
   Men kan er niet omheen. We zijn in zeer onzekere tijden beland. In het noordoosten is er Rusland dat bedreigende taal spreekt tegenover de NAVO-landen, terwijl het in Oekraïne steeds meer verwoestingen aanricht. Ondertussen waait de wind ook heel hard in het oosten, waar Israël de ene na de andere oorlogsmisdaad pleegt, terwijl de wereld machteloos lijkt toe te kijken.
   Politiek gezien gaat er momenteel veel mis en bevinden we ons nu in een slechtere of warmere positie dan voorheen in de Koude Oorlog.
   Reden genoeg voor velen om zich zorgen te maken over het afstevenen op de Derde Wereldoorlog.
6. Persoonlijke vervulling en doel: Soms voelen mensen de behoefte om hun leven of gedrag te veranderen om aan te sluiten bij hun waarden, passies of doelen.
   Waarden en normen hebben de afgelopen jaren veel veranderingen ondergaan en voor veel ethische waarden lijken ze te ontbreken.
   Men krijgt steeds meer het idee dat onze samenleving ontspoort. Veel mensen moeten dan weer veel orde op zaken stellen.
7. Crisis of noodsituatie: In tijden van crisis of nood is het essentieel om snelle veranderingen door te voeren om de situatie aan te pakken en de stabiliteit te herstellen.In 2008 was er een grote financiële crisis die velen trof, maar waar ze zagen dat regeringen ervoor kozen de hand boven de grote banken te houden. De mensen voelden zich terecht in de zak gestopt.
   Velen moesten uit een diepe vallei klimmen en toen ze bijna het einde van de put bereikten, was er een gezondheidscrisis die letterlijk veel mensen het leven kostte. Wie dacht dat Corona verleden tijd was, heeft het helemaal mis. Long covid tart nog steeds veel mensen.

 

In veel gevallen is ‘Tijd om te veranderen’ een oproep tot actie, waarbij individuen of organisaties worden aangemoedigd gedurfde stappen te zetten in de richting van verbetering, groei en vooruitgang.

*

Aan welke specifieke context denk jij als men je vraagt “Waarom is het ‘Tijd om te veranderen'”?

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Voorgaande

1. De huidige toestand die ons zorgen zou moeten baren
2. Elke dag die er bij komt
3. Nieuwkomers, nieuwelingen, immigranten, allochtonen en import

Every day that comes with it

Every morning when I wake up I can only be happy to get another day.

Dance career

It has been wonderful that I have been able to do 45 years of what was so close to my heart. I can look back on some wonderful years in the dance world, which I wouldn’t want to miss for the world. Unfortunately, at some point it came to an end, less pleasantly, discarded as a greyhound that can no longer win prizes in steeplechase racing. (I also needed to understand that a “younger chick” was cheaper.)

Spiritual work

The loss of my activities in dance allowed my spiritual work to take several hours a day. Normally, I used to keep my preaching duties or spiritual activities away from this platform. I had set up several other websites specifically for spiritual work.

Growing older, counting the years, and looking to an unknown future, I have become even more aware of the need for that preaching work. The work in the art world has completely disappeared and politically I still had and still have my other website, which unfortunately does not receive as much attention as I would like. I’ll put a lot of time into it. Still, I keep going with “Some View on the World“.
The view of the world is very important in how we want to focus our lives and those of others.

Leftover texts

I have noticed that I still have a few draft articles for this site and on my other websites. I will now gradually publish them. But for new material, on this platform, I think from now on I will also highlight the spiritual material a little more.

Age and look at things

Perhaps with growing older, we think more about what life has been like and what we should start to do further with our lives?

Otherwise, I also admit that in the past there may have been a fear of being personally attacked for my faith. That’s why I wrote on the religious sites under one of my pseudonyms. Openness is now open here on this site. No more fear of certain reactions, which, I admit, can sometimes be very harsh. Because my vision of faith clashes with many people. And they sometimes dare to react strongly. In that respect, I have been cursed several times to burn in hell. Fortunately, I don’t believe in the latter and rather have a positive insight into a loving Heavenly Father.

Difficulties and times of change

I have already encountered many difficulties in my life. So I’m not strange about it.

In 2014 we were allowed to have the wettest year since 1992. This year, who knows, there might also be such a record. With all that wetness came to me the rheumatic pain and other physical difficulties. Since July 2023, internal inflammation has come my way and has not made it easy for my heart. In less than a year I had four heart attacks and as many stents installed. You could call it a life-extension treatment.

I still have so much to do, so I would like to take every opportunity. Whether I can meet expectations will be another matter. But whoever doesn’t dare just wins!

2024 may be the wettest year, but I won’t let my dreams drown. With my boat, I continue to row upwards against the current and head to continue proclaiming the Good News in regions where news distribution is dying out.

A lot has changed in recent years. We seem to have gained momentum. This has not stopped me from trying to reach people on my many sites with that Good News from a coming Kingdom.

But every year has always offered its opportunities to proclaim the Good News. It is true that if more difficulties present themselves, people are more inclined to listen to the Word of God. To this end, I have eagerly used the past crises to make more use of them to proclaim.

Now, for many, calm seems to have returned after the storm, but we should not lose sight of the fact that in addition to Ukraine and Gaza, a lot else will soon come knocking at the door. I therefore keep my eyes open and want to follow up and comment on the regular news. (For which I invite my readers to my other websites that deal with the events.)
While I dare to muse a little further here.

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Find my news sites:

1. Some View on the World
2. The older ended newssite: Our World
3. The lifestyle magazine: From Guestwriters

My religious sites:

1. Belgische Broeders in Christus
2. Broeders in Christus – Brothers in Christ
3. My Brussel-Leuven ecclesia site: Belgian Christadelphians ecclessia Brussel-Leuven
4. My other ecclesia in the West of Brussels: Kanisa la Christadelphian huko Anderlecht
5. A site focusing on the Messiah: Messiah for all

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Previous

1. What makes me most anxious
2. A collection of Ballet magazines, articles, and memorabilia

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Additional reading

1. It is Today
2. When discouraged facing opposition
3. Many forgot how Christ should be our anchor and our focus
4. Jehovah steep rock and fortress, source of insight
5. A Living Faith #3 Faith put into action
6. A Living Faith #11 My place in the body of Christ and my ecclesia
7. Preaching to an unbelieving world
8. From Bibles and other religious writings and those who witness for Jehovah
9. Trying to get the youth inspired
10. Holland Week of billing
11. The gift of joy
12. Need to inspire others
13. Preachers should know and continue the task Jesus has given his followers
14. Belgian Christadelphians 2013 & 2014 in review
15. Stepping Toes 2014 in review
16. Positive Preaching Day 2015
17. Christadelphian Newsupdates from 2016 July onwards
18. Engaging the culture without losing the gospel
19. The untiring response of some Christadelphians
20. Today’s thought “Proclaiming the Message” (August 27)
21. Let us make sure we are not stiff-necked
22. Ability (part 7) Thought about the ability to grow as a member of the Body of Christ
23. Whether or not you feel at home in a church
24. Reason to preach #5 Trained to do it God’s way
25. Learn how to go out into the world and proclaim the Good News of the coming Kingdom
26. Helping websites to prepare for the last days
27. Jehovah’s Witnesses not only group that preach the good news
28. Different approach in organisation of services #3
29. Many looking for the church of the world instead of the Church of God
30. From house to house #2: Continuing to bring the good news right to the world
31. Who are the Christadelphians