What is special about Israel? The State of Israel is the only Jewish nation in the modern period, and the region that now falls within its borders has a lengthy and rich history that dates from prebiblical times. In Genesis 12 God promised the land of Israel, then called Canaan, to Abraham’s descendants. The book of Joshua tells of the conquering of Canaan—the Promised land. Over the centuries, the Jews faced many occupying nations, however, a remnant stayed and survived in the land all the way until the founding of Israel as a nation in 1948. No other people group has remained a distinct people through multiple expulsions and dispersion. Leviticus 26:33 prophesied of the coming trials for the Jews: “And you, I will scatter among the nations, at the point of My drawn sword, leaving your country desolate and your cities in ruins.” The Jews were indeed scattered to every nation around the globe—multiple times—yet even without a homeland, common language, or shared history, they maintained their Jewish identity and many were regathered when Israel became a nation again. After a 2,000 year expulsion and exile, Israel now governs in the same land, under the same name, with the same language and religion as it did 3,000 years ago. No other nation in the world can say that. The Jews still speak Hebrew more than 2000 years after immigrating to other nations. It usually only takes two generations in a new culture to lose a language. Through the years, Hebrew was lost as a spoken language for the Jews, but it experienced a rebirth through Jewish settlers in Palestine during the 19th century and later when it was adopted as the official language of the newly formed state of Israel in 1948. Today over 6 million people speak Hebrew as their primary language. The state of Israel was reborn in a day. Isaiah 66:8 tells of the miraculous day when Israel shall be a nation once again: “Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children.” Moses also prophesied in Deuteronomy 30:3-5 of the day when “the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will take you. And the Lord your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers.” The Balfour Declaration of 1917 gave the Jewish people the right to rebuild their National Home in Israel and in 1947, after the horrors of WWII, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution for the establishment of a Jewish State. On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was created—in one day. THE MIDDLE EAST’S ONLY TRUE DEMOCRACY Israel is the only true democracy in the Middle East, applying rights equally to all its citizens. The Israeli society is an open society of people from all over the world, including Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. There are over 1.8 million Arabs who are Israeli citizens and many Arabs hold important positions in the government, legal system, ministry of foreign affairs, and the military. Israel protects human rights, women’s rights, religious freedom, and safeguards the rights of free speech and assembly.