MOMENTOUS DAYS

 Oh, that my head were a spring of water
    and my eyes a fountain of tears!
I would weep day and night
    for the slain of my people.

Jeremiah 9:1

Looking towards Jerusalem

Yesterday (14/04) was a glorious spring day in Israel and I took a walk in the forest nearby. It was so quiet and peaceful, and all I could hear were the singing of birds in the trees and the gentle sussuration of the breeze through the pine needles. At ground level there was  a colorful display of late-spring wildflowers. On such a seemingly perfect day it is hard to believe that very close by war is raging, with much hatred, killing and destruction. I always feel that if more people would take the time to take a walk in the forest (or desert or any wild place) the world would be a better place. 

My forest walk

Today 17/04 we are marking Memorial Day in memory of the 23,646 people who have fallen in Israel as a result of wars and terror attacks since 1860. This year 72 security personnel and 12 civilians were added to the list. Since Independence was declared in 1948, some 3,134 civilians have died because of enemy activity (1).  This evening, sirens sounded throughout the country and we all stood in silence in their memory. Last week the sirens sounded also, as we remembered the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust.  It is fitting that both Holocaust Day and Memorial Day immediately precede Independence Day, in which this year we will celebrate the 70 years since the Declaration of Independence. It is because of the sacrifice of our soldiers and  other security personnel, in death and in service to the country, that any of us can celebrate the survival and success of the Israeli nation. May their memory be blessed. Please pray that no more will be added to this number in the coming year and that God will comfort all those who mourn, especially the thousands of family members and friends.  

Drivers observe a 2 minute silence on Holocaust Day 
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5228133,00.html

THE KADISH PRAYER FOR MOURNING

May His great name be exalted and sanctified.
in the world which He created according to His will.
May He establish His kingdom
and may His salvation blossom and His anointed be near.
during your lifetime and during your days
and during the lifetimes of all the House of Israel,
speedily and very soon. And say, Amen.
May His great name be blessed
for ever, and to all eternity.
Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted,
extolled and honored, adored and lauded
be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He,
above and beyond all the blessings,
hymns, praises and consolations
that are uttered in the world. And say, Amen

Tomorrow evening we will pass from sorrow to joy as Memorial Day ends and the Independence Day celebrations begin. In the evening every town and neighborhood holds public gatherings with songs, music and of course, fireworks. Street parties abound. The next day we will see flyovers from the Air Force and El Al (the Israeli airline), and the whole country will head out to the forests, beaches and parks for 'al ha esh' - the traditional barbecue. My friends and I have opted to avoid the traffic and we will barbecue in the yard - much less crowded and frenetic. 

This year, the 70th Anniversary of the State is special and will be celebrated with great joy, but in the shadow of threat.  While we civilians are enjoying our barbecues with family and friends, our security forces will be watching our borders with a very high level of vigilance. 

On our southern border the Palestinians of Gaza are continuing their daily protests and acts of violence leading up to Nakba Day on the 15 March. After the Friday of Tires (see my previous blog) demonstrations continue to be a daily event. The latest weapon being used by the Gazans are incendiary devices attached to kites. Today a field of ripe wheat was set on fire in this way. Sources say that around 20-30 Palestinians have died and thousands injured during the protests which have been going on for around 3 weeks now. This week a Palestinian was shot and killed by Israeli forces as he tried to cross the border, and Israel suffered its first casualty when a tank guarding the border tipped over down a bank killing one of the soldiers inside and injuring three. Yesterday several Palestinians were injured when an explosive device they were preparing exploded. 

A few days ago a tunnel which stretched from the Gaza Strip, under the border and into Israeli territory was destroyed by Israeli forces. This is the 8th such tunnel destroyed by Israel in recent months. These tunnels are intended for use to penetrate Israel to carry out terror attack or mass incursions. They which costs millions of dollars  and huge quantities of cement and stones to build, precious resources that should have been used to rebuild homes and infrastructure in Gaza,  Some of the tunnels have been exploded but in this instance tons of concrete were poured into it by the IDF. 

Ynet news quoted Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman's  tweet about the incident, saying, "We've opened the week with an impressive intelligence and operational achievement with the destruction of another tunnel, the longest and deepest exposed thus far.

"Millions of dollars were invested in its excavation," the defense minister added, "money that would have been better served mitigating the plight of residents but has now sunk into the sand. Gaza residents, Hamas is frittering away your money on tunnels leading nowhere. We will get to them all." (2)   

The tunnel that was destroyed this week.
https://www.idf.il/en/minisites/hamas/the-idf-thwarts-a-hamas-terror-tunnel/

It is interesting to note that many Arabs in Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and  other Arab countries have voice opposition and 'backed Israel's side of the conflict and lambasted Hamas for its exploitation of the inhabitants of Gaza, who they rule." (3)

The Gazan protests have been somewhat sidelined by events in the north. Following the terrible gas attack which killed around  70 civilians in Doum in Syria, the USA, the UK and France carried out last Saturday a combined missile attack on several sites within Syria aimed at giving a message to Syrian President Assad that the use of gas weapons would not be tolerated by the international community. There has been no retaliation from Syria or Iran since then but it may still come. 

 Perhaps of more concern here was a missile attack on the T-4 military base which killed 14 military personnel including 7 Iranian officers,one of whom was the commander of the Revolutionary Guards Drone Force. Israel is suspected to have carried out the attack but has not admitted responsibility.  This has led to a volley of threats from Iran to attack Israel. The newspaper, the Times of Israel , claims that  

"Ahead of Israel’s Independence Day, the military was preparing for the possibility of a direct attack by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ air force in response to a strike on Iran’s air base in Syria earlier this month."  (4)

The newspaper YnetNews said this:

"Amid foreboding Iranian omens of impending reprisal for alleged Israeli attack on T-4 Airfield in Syria, Quds Force leads move that may take place in near future using drones, even rockets launched at Israel. Iranian airmen now stationed at 5 Syrian airfields, ready to direct such attack at Israel. ..

 "According to Israeli assessments, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)'s Quds Force Qasem Soleimani is planning a retaliatory attack that would be launched out of an Iranian base in Syria using precision-guided missiles or armed drones—to be launched directly by the Revolutionary Guards rather than by proxies, as they have done before... The IDF will do everything to ensure Independence Day will be quiet, and that the citizens of Israel are able to enjoy the holiday. The IDF is prepared for a wide variety of scenarios, so the citizens of Israel can properly celebrate the 70th Independence Day," a security official said."  (5)

Please pray that Independence Day will pass peacefully and that our forces will be alert and ready to counter any such attack on that day or any of the coming days.  

References:

1.   https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5229185,00.html

      https://www.timesofisrael.com/at-least-3-palestinians-said-hurt-by-israeli-fire-at-gaza-border/

2. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5232918,00.html          https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5230863,00.html

3. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5225041,00.html

4. https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-prepares-for-iranian-revenge-to-include-missile-attacks-drone-strikes/

5. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5230863,00.html

TUNNEL TERROR

 

Its a gorgeous spring morning here in Jerusalem and it is Shabbat. I love Shabbat. Here in Jerusalem it is truly a day of rest. Nearly all the shops are closed, the streets are almost devoid of traffic, and a hush falls over the city as we pause from our frantic lives. It is good to stop awhile and focus on the goodness of our LORD who gave us Shabbat. I also just need the rest. I could never keep going if it wasn't for this one day when I do not have to rush about doing this and that. It is not uncommon for me to rise late and eat a leisurely breakfast in my PJs sitting out on my balcony listening to the chorus of birds in the trees. It's a very special time.

 

We have just finished celebrating the week long holiday of Passover. Since this is the most beautiful time of the year in this land, which is still green from the winter rains and festooned with flowers, and the weather is perfect, Passover is the time many Israelis take time out from their busy lives and just go out to the forests and lakes and the seaside with their families, camping, making barbecues and just enjoying life. National Parks, hiking trails, beaches and 'watering holes' were full to capacity and roads clogged with traffic. It's at time like this you are hit by how small this little land is. It is just impossible to find a place 'a way from it all'.

 

Ein Sataf, a natural spring,  near Jerusalem
http://cdn.timesofisrael.com/uploads/2016/04/F160424YS20-635x357.jpg
 

 

The Sea of Galilee during Passover 2016
https://cdn.jerusalemonline.com/images/AAABecca/seaofgalilee.jpg

 

I personally opted to avoid the crowds and the impossible traffic and stay home. Jerusalem was like a ghost town. The streets were practically empty as many vacationers were scared to come here after the months of terror attacks and the bus bombing that had occurred just two days before the beginning of the holiday. Many Jerusalemites took the opportunity to leave the city and enjoy the relative peace elsewhere. I stayed home and I enjoyed the peace and quiet at home or swimming at my local pool, working on a summer suntan. One day I took myself off to one of our local parks, the Gazelle Park, and found it almost totally deserted to my delight. The weather was a perfect 24ish (degrees Celsius) and the last of the spring flowers still blooming. The gazelles were grazing peacefully or sleeping. The frogs were making a terrible racket calling for mates. The city has put out deckchairs around the park and I found one, and just lay out under the shade of a tree, beside the little waterfall for the longest time. What could be better? Here are some of my photos:

Not all of us were able to relax at Passover and I am very grateful to all those who were busy guarding our borders , roads and towns, so that we could enjoy ourselves in peace. Some 3,000 police, border guards and soldiers were guarding the streets of Jerusalem alone.



Border guards near the Damascus Gate of the Old City
http://www.timesofisrael.com/passover-vacationers-fill-beaches-hiking-trails-beyond-capacity/



This week we all went back to work and life resumed its usual hectic pace. On Tuesday night though the nation paused once more as places of entertainment closed their doors,  and many attended services commemorating the loss of family members and the attempted genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust. As always the names of all those Jews murdered by the Nazis were read out. As the last of the survivors live out their last days many people are busy trying to record their stories before it is too late. After the Holocaust most of the survivors were too traumatized to want to talk about it and did not tell their stories even to their family members. It is only now after 60 years that they are beginning to talk, but these people are now growing old, and each year there are fewer and fewer. Yesterday at our congregation three of our members told the stories of family members who had survived the Holocaust and the many more who did not.  It was a reminder that although the generation of the Holocaust is passing away their children and their grandchildren still bear the scars, and it is important that the generations to come never forget what happened.



When the sirens sound on Holocaust Memorial Day all Israelis stop and stand in honor of the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust
http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Israelis+Observe+Holocaust+Memorial+Day+1Ipn-lLOS3yl.jpg

This is all the more so at this time as once more we are seeing a massive increase in Antisemitism all over the world. How short are our memories. There are still many who want to see the Jewish people and the nation of Israel wiped off the map. Once again Israel is being blamed for many of the world's ills, and vicious lies and distortions creating a groundswell of hatred and fear. The Arab press and others are reviving the ancient libels and accusations, and many are being deceived by these lies. Movements like the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) feed on latent Antisemitism  in order to undermine Israel's economy. Iran, ISIS,  the Palestinian government and various terror organizations, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, speak openly about their desire to push Israel into the sea.  From our point of view another 'Holocaust' seems all too possible.


http://www.prophecysociety.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/holocaust_remember.jpg





Although things have been relatively quiet over the Passover holiday there is still much tension in the air. The situation in the south seems once more to be reaching boiling point. On Friday Prime Minister Netanyahu called a special meeting of the Security Cabinet to discuss the escalation that has occurred over the last week.  During the last Gaza War in 2014 some 30 terror tunnels that passed under the border fence from Gaza and into Israeli territory, some opening near towns and kibbutzim in the area, were destroyed by the IDF.  In recent months new technologies developed by Israel have led to the recent discovery two new tunnels, the latest  this last week. This tunnel is 28m (90ft) deep and extends at least 300 m into Israeli territory (its opening has not yet been found). http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4799687,00.html

Over the last week IDF soldiers working near the border to destroy the tunnels, and trying to find any others that exist, have come under constant attack from Gaza.   Some 16 mortar shells were fired at IDF troops in at least 12 incidents over the last week.  Yesterday two rockets were fired from Gaza towards a civilian area in the Eshkol region. They fell in an open area and no damage or casualties occurred. The IDF has responded to these attacks with tank fire and aerial bombing of Hamas targets in the Strip. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4800244,00.html

Although Hamas claims that it is not wanting to open a war front at this time, they have made no secret of their preparations for an attack on Israel at some time in the future. They are very busy rearming and rebuilding tunnels and other  military infrastructure.  According to a senior IDF commander Hamas employs some 800 specialist tunnel diggers who receive a higher salary than other operatives  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4793038,00.html. If Hamas is not calling for war it is only because it is not yet ready and wants more time to prepare.



Hamas fighters inside a tunnel
http://images1.ynet.co.il/PicServer4/2014/08/19/5532916/55328780100488640360no.jpg

The sad thing is that while Gazan citizens sit and wait for essential building supplies, such as cement, so that they can rebuild their homes lost in the last war, Hamas is channeling all the cement and building supplies into building its tunnels and other military installations.  The tunnels reach as much as 30 m underground and the ground is just sand. The tunnels have to be strongly lined with concrete. Indeed there have been several instances recently of tunnels collapsing and workers being killed during their construction.

This week we saw another consequence of the chronic mismanagement of the Gaza Strip at government level. One of Israel's main water sources, the desalination plant at Ashkelon, was forced to close for the third time in recent months because the sea water it uses was found to contain dangerous levels of E.coli and other bacteria due to raw sewage drifting northwards along the coast from Gaza. Over 900 million cubic liters of raw sewage is dumped into the Mediterranean every day from Gaza, polluting its own coastline and contaminating its own water sources, and drifting towards Israel in the northward current along the eastern Mediterranean shoreline.  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4780754,00.html

Last year a new water treatment facility was completed in  northern Gaza with international funding at a cost of $100 million. This facility has however not come on line because of the erratic supply of electricity in the Gaza Strip. The Strip has only one power station and this supplies roughly 30% of its needs. The remainder is supplied by Israel (around 60%) and Egypt. https://electronicintifada.net/content/how-gaza-gets-power/7844 Of course Israel is blamed for the power shortages in Gaza but what other country in the world is expected to supply electricity to its enemies, something we continued to do for humanitarian reasons even during the war? Although it is true that Israel was accused of bombing the Gaza power station during the last war, something that Israel denied,  that station was operating fully after just two weeks of the supposed attack http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2014/09/destroyed-gaza-power-plant-miraculously.html.  In fact the station was not 'destroyed' as claimed, just some diesel tanks. 

The shortage of electricity is also blamed on the Israeli blockade of Gaza. In spite of the blockade however Israel continues to facilitate the transfer of fuel into the Strip, but Hamas strategically refuses to buy sufficient to meet the needs of its citizens (suffering citizens are a powerful weapon it its propaganda war), and Fatah, which is contractually responsible for footing the bill, refuses to pay for it. Instead Israeli taxpayers, myself included, are paying for Gaza's power supply.

 What is more, many of the 'shortages' are not because there is insufficient energy being generated or supplied, but because of infighting about how it is allocated and mismanagement of its distribution. Qatar has offered to fund a project to bring more power lines into the Strip. Israel approved the scheme but Palestinian President, Abbas, refused the offer, thus perpetrating the suffering of his people. http://mondoweiss.net/2016/03/uproar-in-gaza-as-abbas-rejects-new-electricity-lines-to-address-power-crisis/

This is a prime example of the complexity of issues here. It is rather simplistic to merely blame Israel for the suffering of the Palestinians, which though extreme and regrettable, is very largely the result of their own actions.

This coming week we will mark Israel's Remembrance day when we remember and honor all those who gave their lives in the various wars and in terror attacks, since the founding of the State.  Again places of entertainment will close and ceremonies of remembrance will be held all over the country. Few families in Israel have not lost someone and many visit the graves of the fallen.

http://www.vosizneias.com/assets/uploads/news_photos/thumbnails/700_t6ak6sis4xi0fzkac9wjqnfo39yjncgr.jpg

 With nightfall on the Day of Remembrance (Yom Hazichron) the mood suddenly changes as Israel's Independence Day begins. This year we will celebrate 68 years since the founding of the State. This juxtaposition of moods, mourning followed by rejoicing, is  difficult emotionally but very much characterizes the people of Israel who have endured unimaginable suffering, but still retain their affirmation of life which they live with great courage and even joy.

http://jccsyr.org/images/2016-Israel-independence-day-445.gif

Please pray that we will pass these solemn and joyful national days in peace this year.

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

 I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go into the house of the Lord.”
Our feet have been standing
Within your gates, O Jerusalem!

 Jerusalem is built
As a city that is compact together,
Where the tribes go up,
The tribes of the Lord,
To the Testimony of Israel,
To give thanks to the name of the Lord.
 For thrones are set there for judgment,
The thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
 Peace be within your walls,
Prosperity within your palaces.”
 For the sake of my brethren and companions,
I will now say, “Peace be within you.”
 Because of the house of the Lord our God
I will seek your good

Psalm 122



LEST WE FORGET

 

Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me.
² Many are they who say of me,
“There is no help for him in God.” Selah

³ But You, O Lord, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
⁴ I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

⁵ I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.
⁶ I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.

⁷ Arise, O Lord;
Save me, O my God!
For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
⁸ Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah

Psalm 3  

 

As I sit down to write the air is filled with the wailing of the muezzin calling the Muslim faithful to prayer, a reminder of the fact that the LORD's redemption of this, His Holy City, is not yet complete. Every time I hear the muezzin it prompts me to prayer, that soon they will be silenced, and only the voice of the God of Israel will be heard in this city.

 

YOM HASHOAH

A Holocaust survivor lighting the flame at Yad Vashem
http://www.blog.standforisrael.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/
YomHashoahYadVashem2015.jpg

It has been a solemn week here in Israel as we observed Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Flags fly at half-mast and all places of entertainment are closed. The sirens sounded at 10AM and all cars stop, and people everywhere stand in silence for two minutes as we remember those 6 million Jews who were murdered by the Nazi Regime during World War II. Every settlement, village and neighborhood has its own memorial ceremonies, and at the official national memorial ceremony, held at Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Museum), the names of the Jews who perished are read out, lest we forget that those 6 million ‘statistics’ were real, living people, with names and lives and families.  Survivors of the Holocaust, now elderly men and women, give testimony and light torches, lest we forget that in spite of the horrors they experienced, they not only survived but overcame all the odds and lived a full life, marrying and raising children, and grand-children and great grandchildren. This is the proof of victory. Hitler and his henchmen tried to destroy ‘Am Israel’ (the people of Israel) but not only did he fail, the Holocaust provided the motivation for the establishment of the State of Israel, and the survivors came and worked and struggled to make it the amazing, wonderful nation it is today. What a testimony!

MEMORIAL DAY

This coming week we will be commemorating the 23,320 soldiers and victims of terror who have fallen since the arrival of the first Zionists in the 19th Century, including the 116 who have perished in this last year, and the one killed just this week in yet another terror attack in Jerusalem*. It too is a solemn day.  Ceremonies are held at the Mt Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem and in every town, village and neighborhood. Sirens again sound and we all stand in silent contemplation and respect, remembering those who have given their lives in defense of us all. Immediately upon the end of Memorial Day, we switch gears and begin to celebrate Independence Day, our 67th. It is sometimes hard to make that switch but it is fitting, for our Independence has only been won through the shedding of much blood. Always our celebrations are underlain by sadness; that has long been the lot of the Jewish people and so it is still. Only when Messiah comes will he wipe away the tears and our joy be untarnished by grief.

* Before I even got to publish this news is coming in today (Sunday 19th) of yet another victim of a terror attack in the Sharon region, a cyclist run down by a car, bringing the number killed this year to 117

ANZAC DAY

And we are not alone. This week too, New Zealand and Australia commemorate ANZAC Day, which commemorates the landings of the Australian and New Zealand forces on the beaches of Gallipoli in Turkey during the First World War, exactly 100 years ago this year. During those landings, 5709 Australian and 2721 New Zealand soldiers were killed and many more wounded. This was a serious blow for those fledgling nations and awakened strong nationalistic feelings. This tragedy is credited with igniting the beginning of independent national identities in Australia and New Zealand.  This year, the centenary year, large public celebrations will be held in both nations on ANZAC Day which is the 25th April. 

Today news is coming in of a massive police operation in Melbourne, Australia, in which  they captured 5 Muslim young men who had been plotting a terrorist  attack during the ANZAC celebrations in that city. The Australian Federal Police Acting Deputy Commissioner, Neil Gaughan,  said  that they have evidence that has led them to believe it was ISIS inspired. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-18/five-arrested-in-melbourne-after-a-joint-terrorism-operation/6402810. This particular plot has been foiled but it raises fears that there may be other cells or individuals plotting other attacks. This all just underlines the seriousness of the Salafi Muslim threat, not just to the Middle East and Israel, but also to the whole free world.  Many are our enemies that rise up against us!!!

IRAN DEAL

In my last post I wrote of the deal signed between Obama and his allies and Iran regarding Iran's nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions. It now seems we have all been misinformed. It now is becoming apparent that no such deal was signed.

A well-known Israeli commentator, Shoula Romano Horing, an attorney, claims that,

 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was correct when he said on April 9 that the White House was lying about what the Americans call a framework agreement regarding the Iranian nuclear program.
 

Iran Agreement

The soft power of diplomacy actually works / Aviad Kleinberg Op-ed: American sanctions led to the rise of a pragmatic regime in Iran, which isholding talks to freeze its nuclear program and silently cooperating with US efforts to restrain radical Sunni forces. Full op-ed

Obama is untruthful when he repeatedly claims that Iran has agreed to a detailed and comprehensive nuclear framework agreement. Iran has never signed or agreed to the framework agreement. The framework agreement, with its many specific numbers, productions limits and specific deadlines, is an Obama and Kerry wish list of their own best case scenario of a futuristic agreement.

 
Two documents were produced in Switzerland on April 2. The first document is a detailed US fact sheet titled, "Parameters for a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Nuclear Program," which the Americans refer to as "The Framework Agreement," which Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and the media have repeatedly discussed.

The second document is a thin, page and a half statement read jointly by European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, which lacked any of the details, numbers, and deadlines mentioned in the framework agreement. Those two documents contradict each other on many points and reveal Obama and Kerry's dangerous lies. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4647981,00.html

Horing is not alone in her belief. This week Senator McCain also accused Kerry and Obama of fabricating the 'agreement', saying  in a radio interview with radio host, Hugh Hewitt,

"I can't blame the ayatollah, because I don't think they ever agreed to it," McCain said. "And I think John Kerry tried to come back and sell a bill of goods, hoping maybe that the Iranians wouldn't say much about it."

In response to Senator McCain's accusations, Secretary of State, John Kerry responded thus," It's an unusual affirmation of our facts that come from Russia, but Russia has said that what we've set out is reliable and accurate". http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/04/12/john-kerry-so-far-iran-has-lived-up-to-its-end-of-nuclear-deal/ 

What has the USA come to when it has to rely on the witness of Russia to support its acts? Russia is no impartial observer in the situation. It has a strong stake in the lifting of sanctions against Iran, and it has wasted no time in taking advantage of the supposed lifting of sanctions, under the 'deal', to sell an advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Iran. Israel's Intelligence Minister, Yuval Steinitz, responded to this news thus:

 "Instead of demanding Iran put an end to the terrorism its instigates in the Mideast and around the world, it is being allowed to attain advanced arms which will only spur its aggressions...While Iran disregards article after article of the agreement reached last week, the international community is already begun to ease restrictions on it...
 
This is a direct result of the legitimacy that Iran obtained from the emerging nuclear deal...
 
This is proof that Iran will enjoy (an)economic surge in wake of the removal of sanctions which it will use for arming itself and not for the benefit of the Iranian people."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4646752,00.html


Russia is also standing behind Iran in its support of the Houthis insurgency in Yemen, and justifies its sale of the S-300 system in the belief  that "the conflict in Yemen will eventually lead to a direct clash between the Iranians and the Saudis, which will lead to a Saudi attack on the Iranian nuclear facilities".
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4646869,00.html
 
THE LATTER RAINS

This week Israel has been blessed with a drenching of later-than-usual latter rains. In the early hours of Wednesday morning we were all awakened by the crashing of thunder and the clatter of hail on our roofs. Over the several following hours around 40 mm of rain fell on the city, flooding dozens of homes and cars across the city. Several of my friends had their homes flooded. When I set off for work I was surprised to find the ground outside my building white like snow. It was a thick layer of hail.

Hail in Givat Ze'ev (Photo: Tehila Menachem)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4647639,00.html

 

Flooding in Silwan (Photo: Jerusalem field researchers)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4647639,00.html

Though most of the world has been enjoying warmer-than-usual April weather we have been having an extended winter. I cannot remember having such heavy rain in April. Usually by now it is easing off and the most we can expect is a few showers. Traditionally it always seems to rain on Independence Day when we are all outside enjoying our mangals (barbecues), and according to the weather forecasts, this year will be no exception. Nevertheless, whatever the weather, we will be celebrating the goodness of the Lord, in that we have survived one  more year, the 67th of the modern State of Israel. Please pray that we as a people will give the glory to God, who has preserved us and brought us back to the Chosen Land.

Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah
Psalm 3:8