ISIS ON OUR DOORSTEP

http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/images/recent/ISIS_jewishthreat.jpg

At 10:54 PM on Wednesday the 8th February the Code Red Alert sirens sounded in the southern resort city of Eilat  as four rockets were fired towards the city from the Sinai Peninsula. As residents rushed to their shelters the Iron Dome anti-missile system shot down 3 of the rockets and the fourth landed in an open area. There were no casualties and no damage but shrapnel from the rockets landed in a hotel swimming pool. Eilat is a popular winter resort and at this time of the year the hotels are full of European tourists seeking respite from their long cold winter.  This incident could have ended with much more serious consequences.

 

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4919939,00.html

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/224675

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-israel-rocket-attack-latest-port-eilat-launch-egypt-resort-islamic-state-terror-group-a7570991.html

 

The following day ISIS (IS or Day'esh) claimed responsibility for the rocket attack.  According to Ynetnews, "The organization issued a statement saying: “A number of rockets were launched at Jewish centers in Eilat, known as Umm Rashrash. The Jews and Crusaders should know that the war of the apostles will not save them in any way.” http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4919939,00.html
 

 

As the world is preoccupied with the new American President and his activities, awareness of the threat of ISIS seems to have fallen off the radar to some extent. In Syria and Iraq ISIS is in retreat as local forces, backed by Russian, US and others, launch operations against them. Yesterday Iraq announced the beginning of an operation to free the last major ISIS stronghold in their country, in western Mosul.

 
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/02/19/iraq-forces-operation-western-half-mosul-islamic-state/98124940/
 
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/iraq-launches-offensive-re-take-part-mosul-isis-prime-minister-n722916

 

While ISIS may be in retreat in some areas it is quietly slipping into others and building strength there. One such area is right here on our doorstep in the Sinai Peninsula, where ISIS has an estimated force of some 800-1000 soldiers which fight against Egyptian forces there. Egypt has destroyed some six ISIS tunnels passing into Eygptian territory in just the last month. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4919939,00.html

 

This Saturday (the 18th) the ISIS group claimed that an unmanned Israeli aircraft attacked one of their bases killing 5 of its operatives. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4924789,00.html
 

On Monday (20 February) two more rockets were fired from the Sinai into Israel. They fell in open spaces. http://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/two-rockets-fired-into-southern-israel-from-egypt/. ISIS has subsequently claimed responsibility. Meanwhile in the north Ynetnews reports that on the 21st " ISIS-affiliated groups opened a major offensive in the tri-nation border of Israel, Syria and Jordan, attacking various rebel factions and have managed to take control of four villages—Adwan, Saham al-Jawlan, Jalin and Tasil—in addition to the strategic southwestern suburb of Daraa, which is the capital of Hauran" http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4926370,00.html

ISIS TROOPS ADVANCE IN SYRIAN GOLAN
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4926370,00.html

 

In Gaza there are also changes in the power structure and this is ringing warning bells in Israel . Hamas has elected a new  leader, Yahya Sanwar, who is both a radical and extremely militant in his views and actions .

Sanwar is a convicted terrorist who was released from an Israeli prison in exchange for the release of Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit some years ago. His appointment shatters any hope for a future prisoner exchange that would bring about the release of several Israelis currently being held in the Gaza Strip.

Mohammed Deif will theoretically become the head of the military wing of Hamas, but in reality, Sanwar will be both the political leader and the military leader, as the supreme commander of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.

This is not only bad news for Israel but also for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. It means that now all of Hamas' resources will be subject to the needs of the military wing and their preparations for war with Israel - amassing arms, training combatants and digging tunnels.  The living conditions for the civilian population may well deteriorate even further.

Ismail Haniyeh, a Sunni Muslim, will take over from Khaled Mashal, as the Head of Hamas' political bureau. He seeks to improve  relations with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf States
 in order to ease conditions for the people, but at the same time he wants tighter relationships with Iran, which funds military training and the military technologies.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4922229,00.html

Ismail Haniyeh (L), Yahya Sanwar (center), Khaled Meshaal (R)
https://www.israelandstuff.com/khaled-mashal-replaced-ismail-haniyeh-ignored-after-hamas-elections-in-gaza/ismail-haniyeh-l-yahya-sanwar-center-khaled-meshaal-r

 

 Israel's chief of the IDF, Gadi Eisenkot,  had this to say about the situation: " the election of the radical Yahya Sanwar as the head of Hamas's political wing in Gaza proves that any distinction made in the past between the Gaza terror organization's political and military branches was now null and void."

 

He also noted that " that at present, he does not see willingness among enemies both on the northern front and in Gaza to initiate a military campaign against Israel."

 

Earlier this month Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah threatened to attack Israel's nuclear reactor in Dimona and the ammonia tank currently located in Haifa in the event of a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4923673,00.html

 

In response to this boast, Gadi Eisenkot, asserted that Nasrallah "was all bark and no bite as his threats against Israel come while his organization is deep in crisis", and that his threats "to fire rockets at the Haifa ammonia facility and the Dimona nuclear reactor were meant to create deterrence and maintain the status quo with Israel as he sees it".

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4926181,00.html

 

 

Earlier this month the Haifa Local Affairs Court ordered the 12,000 ton Haifa ammonia tank to be emptied and relocated within 10 days.  This aging and dangerous tank, established in 1989,  stores all the ammonia imported by Israel. According to a report by researchers at the Haifa Technion Institute of Technology "an enemy strike on the facility and ammonia delivery vessels could bring catastrophe to the area.
While an attack on the container could lead to the deaths of thousands of residents, an attack on the ships conveying the ammonia to the region could kill hundreds of thousands, numbers that were inconceivable in any apocalyptic scenario ever described by the security establishment in the State of Israel,”  http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Haifa-toxic-ammonia-gas-tank-ordered-emptied-in-10-days-481309.  The Haifa Chemicals company has applied for an extension and has been granted an additional 3 months to comply.

Haifa Bay’s 12,000-ton ammonia tank. (photo credit:MAX YELINSON/ MAARIV)
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Haifa-toxic-ammonia-gas-tank-ordered-emptied-in-10-days-481309.

 

The day after the rocket attack on Eilat there was a terror attack in the city of Petach Tikva.  A 19-year old Palestinian terrorist, from the Nablus area, opened fire with a homemade rifle outside the crowded market on Baron Hirsch St. Three people suffered gunshot wounds to their legs. Bystanders gave chase and two were injured, one sustaining a stabbing wound to his neck. The terrorist then entered a sewing machine shop where his gun jammed. His pursuers then neutralized him with a sewing machine ( that must be a first!) and he was captured.    http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4920284,00.html 

 

On the home front there are some serious social problems in Israel.  A little while ago a video, filmed by a hidden camera,  was released of elderly and infirm people in a nursing home being physically beaten and abused by their carers. This video shocked the nation, and brought to the fore the concern that the situation in many such institutions is similarly appalling. Health Minister, Yaacov Litzman, is calling for the urgent transferrance of funds to totally reform the system, which has 'no supervision, no standards and no budget ' .One wonders why it has taken him so long to take some action?
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4925540,00.html.  With the 'baby boomers' now reaching old age there is an urgent need to make better provisions for the  elderly.  It is not only nursing homes that need reform. The pension provisions are also far from adequate, forcing many elderly to live in substandard conditions and work in degrading and physically demanding jobs beyond their capabilities. Some are reduced to begging on the streets.

 

I, myself have been laid off my job and in June will be forced to retire. I will receive the princely sum of 1500 shekels a month from the government to live on, and this after paying national insurance (social security) for around 35 years.  With even the cheapest apartment in Jerusalem costing more than 4000 shekels a month, you can see that it is impossible to make ends meet, unless one has additional resources. For most of the generation now reaching retirement age it has been impossible to save for retirement as the cost of living in Israel is very high and salaries very low in comparison.  Most Israelis finish the month in minus, even if they are working. 

 

There is a serious need for financial reform as the current system favors the wealthy and penalizes the poor. This is something about which the Bible has much to say. Again and again God speaks out against the oppression of the poor, the widows and the orphans. When He gave Moses the Law on Mt Sinai He said:

Therefore you shall not oppress one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 25: 17

 

The oppression of the poor is one of the main reasons that God allowed Israel to be conquered by the Assyrians and the Babylonians,

 

"The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger.   So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.   Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God."

Ezekiel 22: 29-31

 

 

Please pray for the protection of the LORD from all the enemies that surround us, but also pray for righteousness and justice within the nation.  Our national sin is much more dangerous than the enemies that surround us.  We will not find righteousness until we find our God again. We are like sheep without a shepherd. Pray for the salvation of Israel in Yeshua, the Messiah.   

 

Now to finish I want to share some images of the first intimations of spring in our beautiful Land:

 

 

Floods in Kiryat Yam (Photo: Tunnel flooded in Haifa (Photo: Haifa Coastal District Fire Department))
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4921150,00.html

 

 

Snow in Golan Heights Golan Heights (Photo: Lilach Ashter)

 

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4923639,00.html

                             

      

Anenomes on Har Hatormusim  (the Lupin hill)

Almond blossoms in Ein Kerem (the birthplace of John the Baptist)

Almond blossoms in Ein Kerem

Mountain lupin and white mustard at Har Hatormusin, Emek Elah (where David fought Goliath)

Wildflowers on Har Hatormusim

Mountain lupin

         

   Thank you so much  for standing faithfully with us and all Israel in your prayers.  We appreciate you so much and pray the God of Israel will richly bless you in return and faithfully keep you under the shelter of His wings.  

I have until now never asked for donations as I have been working full time, however now that I have been laid off my job and am being forced to retire, I am in need of additional finances to live.  If you would like to help out you can give an offering on-line through paypal, click on the donate button below:            

 

 

LIFE ON THE EDGE

Looking out over  Maktesh Ramon  (The Ramon Crater) at sunset

 

 

Life in Jerusalem is very intense and those of us who live here find the need to escape the pressures from time to time. Last weekend I decided to do just that and set off in my little car for Maktesh Ramon in the Negev Desert. As I left the lush pine and cedar forests of Jerusalem, passed through the rolling steppes north of Beersheva, at this time of year green from the crops of winter wheat that flourish there, and then  travelled on southwards into the true desert I was reminded of another trip I made years ago. On that occasion I visited a friend in Eilat and as I left her she prayed that the Lord would give me some revelation as I journeyed north. I was a bit skeptical when she prayed in that way, and I don't know what prompted her to do so, but as I travelled I did indeed receive a  revelation.  As I travelled northwards I was powerfully struck by the way the summer sere, brown desert quite suddenly gave way to the outskirts of Tel Aviv. I had not realized before just how close the desert was to the very heartland of Israel, and how tenuous is our existence here.

 

If you look at a satellite image of the Earth you will see the great Saharan Desert stretching across North Africa blending into Arabian Desert to the east. Right on the edge of this huge band of desert lies tiny Israel. If the desert were to move just a few kilometers further north Israel would be engulfed. We are truly living on the edge.



 

Have you ever wondered why God chose this Land for the Israelite people? Why didn't he take Abraham further north into bounteous, well-watered Europe? Why did they have to live here where broiling summer temperatures bake the land for 8 months of the year giving way to cold, wet winters only briefly. Why did they have to scratch out a few acres of powdery soil from among the stones just to grow a few grains of wheat?

 

When God came down to rescue the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, he promised to bring them out  to a spacious land flowing with milk and honey.

 

And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. ⁸ So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey...

 

Exodus 3: 7-8

Surely, after wandering 40 years in the howling wastes of the Sinai and Negev, the land we now call Israel must have looked like paradise, green and lush in comparison the desert lands.  Yet the phrase 'milk and honey' does not refer to well-watered fertile soils but rather to marginal lands suitable only for the grazing of cattle (milk) in pastures of wildflowers (honey).

Meadowland in the Judean Hills in spring

So why did God bring us here, to a place where life is hard and tenuous? Do we not all wonder at times why our lives are so difficult? I do not have the whole answer but I can see at least part of the answer exemplified in the modern miracle of Israel. Difficulty is the mother of invention. Against all the odds, an arid marginal land with few natural resources, constant war and terror, Israel today is a successful modern nation which leads the world in many technological innovations, such as water engineering for irrigation and recycling, and the construction of desalination plants. Israel is also second only to the USA, and fast overtaking it, in the development of new hi-tech applications, computer software and medical apparatus. We have exported these technologies all over the world blessing many people - just as God promised Abraham our father so long ago:

And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

 

Genesis 12: 3

In our housegroup we have lately been studying the book of Hebrews and one of the recurring themes is that of the need for perseverance.

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end,  that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,  saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”^[ 

And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

 

Hebrews 6: 11-15

In the letters to the seven churches, in the book of Revelation, it is  'he who overcomes  ... to the end' who will receive the prize (Revelation 2 and 3). One day last weekend when I was down in the desert I went on a solo hike. At one point I found myself in a narrow ravine picking my way through huge fallen boulders, with others just waiting to fall teetering above my head. It felt very threatening and I almost gave in to my fear and turned back, but then I saw ahead of me something I took to be the caves marked on my map, which indicated I was nearing the end of that section of the hike. That gave me the courage to keep on walking and soon I found myself out of that dangerous section and into a beautifully eroded chasm of white limestone worn smooth into beautiful swirling shapes. There I also found the caves I sought, and I had an amazing encounter with a flock of Arabian babblers ( a kind of bird), and got some wonderful photos.  Had I given into my fear I would have missed that amazing experience, and not only that, I would have been left with the bitter taste of failure in my mouth. Instead I finished my hike with a warm glow of accomplishment and great pleasure.



Fallen rocks



The limestone chasm

Hardship builds strength of character and makes us tough and strong. We often fear it but we should not. God allows it into our lives to make us into better people. I find those who have suffered little in their lives shallow and often not very empathetic towards others. On the other hand I have a number of friends who have gone through, and are still going through, great traumas in their lives and they exhibit a tremendous depth of compassion, understanding of others, and strong faith.  These are the overcomers.  So too the nation of Israel, which has suffered many such traumas, and still does, but I find here in her midst great faith, great strength and great hope. We can find encouragement to go on even in the midst of the 'valley of the shadow of death' by contemplating these things. It has been my experience too that God will often send us some signpost of encouragement along the way, just when we most need it.

Some of the things the nation is going through right now threaten to tear her apart. Last month an IDF soldier Sgt. Azor Azaria was convicted for manslaughter because he shot and killed an already neutralized (wounded) Palestinian terrorist, who had stabbed and wounded another soldier. This has been a very controversial court case as many believe our soldiers should have our unequivocal support since they daily put their lives on line for us all. It is also feared that this verdict might cause other soldiers to hesitate before shooting terrorists and this could cost lives.  On the other hand many think it is important that we maintain the moral quality of our army and  soldiers that disobey standing orders, and commit immoral and illegal  acts should be punished.  Azaria is due to be sentenced later this month. Whatever your position this case demonstrates the moral and ethical standards maintained by the Israeli army and our courts.

This week the Jewish settlement of Amona in the Benjamin Region of the West Bank, near Ramallah, was evacuated after the High Court ruled that this settlement built on privately owned Palestinian land was illegal. This settlement  was established in 1995 and was the home of some 50 families numbering around 200 people.

Amona

By יעקב - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26170124

As unarmed police officers arrived to dismantle the settlement, some 1000 Israeli settlers confronted them and scuffles broke out in which some 13 police were injured.

Some see this evacuation as a victory for the Palestinians but, just hours before, the government had approved the building of some 3000  new housing units in the West Bank Jewish settlements, bringing the total approved to 6000 since US President Trump was inaugurated. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/31/israel-west-bank-settlement-homes. Today right wing, Education Minister, Naftali Bennet claimed that the Amona evacuation will eventually lead to the annexation of the West Bank. On Monday new legislation will go to  a final vote in the Knesset (Israel's Parliament) which will end the court-led actions in the West Bank and "retroactively legalize some 4,000 settler homes built on what the courts have ruled is private Palestinian property in Area C of the West Bank". http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Bennett-Amona-evacuation-will-lead-to-Israeli-annexations-in-West-Bank-480223


There is growing distance between the extreme right and left wings of Israeli society. Alarmed by the increasing boldness of the extreme right following Trumps appointment, left wing activists are becoming more vocal. Last night there was a march and a rally of around 4000 people in Tel Aviv. Protestors, "including Jews and Arabs, called for an end to incitement and racism" and for “Jews and Arabs to cease being enemies.” http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4917537,00.html
 Another issue that is hitting the headlines here is the possibility that Trump will bring the American Embassy to Jerusalem, as he has promised. I don't think anyone can foresee the implications of such a move, but for sure it will ignite passions among  both Jews  and Arabs, not to mention the international community.

As you can see there are many things 'on the boil' here and any one of them could 'overflow the pot' at any moment.  It is hard to know how to pray for these matters. The issues are so complex and the moral and ethical issues confusing, not to mention the spiritual ones.  Please pray that God's Will will be done here on Earth as it is in heaven, and that our government will make righteous decisions. It is comforting to know that God is in control but he is looking for intercessors who will stand with him in the spiritual battle in which we are all embroiled, wherever we might live in this world. As we pray we must let the Holy Spirit lead us and intercede for us with groaning. Words are not always necessary.

Finally here are some of my photos from Machtesh Ramon. These photos are copyrighted and please do not use them without my permission.

Nubian ibex - the patriarch

A porcupine enjoying the sun

Fat sand rats

The floor of the Maktesh

The Maktesh from the rim

Nubian ibex grazing at the spring

 Ibex watching me from a safe height

A female wheatear checking me out

Arabian babbler