WAR WITHOUT END AND THE END OF WAR

The Second World War (WWII) ended in Europe on the 8-9^th May (depending on time zones) in 1945 when Berlin, the German capital, was surrounded by the allied armies, Hitler committed suicide and the German army surrendered.  In September of the same year the Japanese surrendered after nuclear bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

World War II, like many before it, had a beginning and an end. At the end of WWII spontaneous street parties erupted and people celebrated, except those too badly injured or in deep mourning for lost loved ones.

Here in Israel we are about to mark the 3^rd anniversary of the beginning of the current war against Iran and its proxies, and there is no end in sight. Whilst it is true there is something of a hiatus in the active fighting and the war has fallen from the international headlines, it is far from over and there are no street parties in Israel. This is a war without end, and it began long ago with the murder of Abel by his brother Cain. When mankind rebels against God’s ways, hatred, murder, violence and war are the inevitable result. This has been so since the garden of Eden and will be until the Messiah Yeshua returns. Only then will warfare cease on the Earth and peace reign.

Meanwhile, the weary war goes on.

Life in Israel has resumed a semblance of normality and we are living as if there is no war. We get up, go to work, sit in cafes with friends or go to the beach. We celebrate our festivals with family and friends. Behind it all though is the constant awareness that at any moment all could change, the sirens could blare, a car could veer towards a crowded bus stop, a passing motorcyclist could shoot you through the window of your car. It’s just that it is impossible to live on high alert all the time. You put it on to the back burner and live in denial – “it won’t happen to me”.

Jews have lived for thousands of years with wars and persecution, and have developed strong resilience in the face of danger and suffering. Strong extended family and community ties provide support. There is a deliberate choice to ‘chose life’ over despair and death. A belief in the value of every individual life and a deep belief in God exists, even amongst most of those called ‘secular’. This all creates hope, and hope makes it possible to go on.  

Nevertheless, the constant pressure, sorrow and mourning takes its toll. Marital breakups, mental illness and suicides are surging, and surveys show that about 30-40% of the adult population are experiencing at least some clinical signs of PTSD.

As I write, there are three ceasefires in effect and here in Israel we have enjoyed a cessation of incoming rocket and missile fire since April 8 this year. This however does not represent the end of the war of Israel against Iran and its proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Iraqi Jihadi militias and the Houthis in Yemen. Since the ceasefires were declared, fighting sporadically continues in both Gaza and Lebanon, and in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). At least 13 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the ceasefire. Tensions remain high and the nation is on the highest level of alert especially as the Jewish High Holy Days are being celebrated, and the 3^rd anniversary of the October 7^th massacre is soon to be commemorated.

In Gaza, the IDF is clearing up pockets of terrorist activity and destroying Hamas’ installations in the around 70% of the Gaza Strip it currently controls. The Comprehensive Plan to end the Gaza Conflict has stalled because Hamas is refusing to disarm and give up its political and administrative control over the Gaza Strip.

The Iranian front is quiet although tensions between the USA and Iran are simmering and threatening to boil over. Iran is sporadically attacking its neighbors, ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and American bases throughout the Middle East. The USA has responded with limited retaliatory attacks.  Iran has not fired any rockets, missiles or drones towards Israel since the ceasefire declared on April 8^th, 2026.   That said, Iran is refusing to surrender and hand over its nuclear material or its control over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis have taken over a large swathe of the Red Sea coast of Yemen, and now control the Bab el-Mandeb (the Gate of Tears in Arabic), a narrow strait at the entrance to the Red Sea which leads to the Suez Canal, through which a large percentage of the world's shipping passes. The Houthis have not attacked Israel since June 8.

In November 2024 a trilateral agreement between Lebanon, the USA and Israel led to a ceasefire in Lebanon. The ceasefire is contingent upon a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hezbollah operatives from the region south of the Litani River in Lebanon.  The ceasefire has led to a decrease in hostilities but drone attacks across the border and against IDF soldiers have occurred. The trilateral agreement was not agreed upon by Hezbollah, who refuse to surrender or give up their weapons.

What is the common denominator in these three fronts? Even though Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah have been largely defeated militarily, they refuse to surrender and lay down their arms, unlike Germany and Japan in WWII. Why not?

The current Iranian ayatollah regime, Hamas, the Houthis and Hezbollah are all motivated by the same jihadi imperative, to fight the ‘infidel’ and conquer the world for Islam. In such a world view surrender is impossible and their weapons are the foundation of their reason for existence. What would these jihadist terror entities be without their guns? Nothing. They care for nothing else but the death of the ‘Zionist entity’, and ultimately, world domination. They make no secret of this goal.

This ideology and aggression are intrinsic and essential to fundamentalist Islam and is promoted and supported by the ayatollah regime of Iran. Neither the Iranian regime, nor Hezbollah, nor Hamas will ever admit defeat, surrender or lay down their arms. They cannot.  They will fight to the last man. They must, otherwise their whole identity and everything they have lived and fought for will be as nothing. From the cradle these terrorists have been instilled with one, and only one, life goal which is to kill Jews, and other infidels (including Christians), and die a martyr in the cause of world domination.

Today (26 September) is the first day of the Jewish festival of Succot (the Feast of Tabernacles). On the eve of the festival, Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, addressed the leaders of the nations of the world at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Before he said even one word, at least half the delegates rose and left the auditorium. It was shocking to see, and a cowardly and shameful act. Even those who stayed for Netanyahu’s speech could barely bring themselves to clap politely when he concluded.

This was not primarily a reflection of their political stand nor of their dislike of Netanyahu himself or even of Israel’s actions in this war, it was something much more insidious. It was a demonstration of deep antipathy towards the people of Israel, the Jews, God’s chosen people, and even towards God himself. It also demonstrated their unwillingness to listen or open their eyes and hearts to truth, or even to tolerate a different point of view. This is the very definition of prejudice.

It is interesting that today, in synagogues across the world, the final Bible reading is Zechariah 14: 1-21. Coincidence? I think not. This prophecy predicts a coming disaster when all the nations of the world will rise up against Jerusalem:

A day of the LORD is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.

I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city ( Zechariah 14: 1-2).

This echoes Zechariah’s earlier words, in chapter 12:1-3,

A prophecy: The word of the LORD concerning Israel.

The LORD, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the human spirit within a person, declares: “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.  

I once thought I would never see this prophecy fulfilled in my lifetime. I am now nearly 73 years old, and it seems this day is now very close, and drawing closer at breakneck speed. The walkout of the nations at the UN General Assembly made it seem very plausible and even imminent. From my viewpoint here in Israel I feel that nearly all the world hates us, with baseless hatred. They have bought into the lies of the enemy, and the Enemy (Satan), and have closed their ears to the truth.

Few seem to be able to discern truth from falsehood anymore, and with social media and AI, it is getting harder and harder to do so. The result is confusion and a morass of moral error.

The most moral army that has ever existed, that puts its own soldiers at great risk to ensure the safety of enemy civilians in the theatre of war, is being accused of genocide. Israel, which has allowed about 3000 calories of food aid per person per day into Gaza, far more than is necessary for health, is being accused of causing famine. Israel which evacuated every last Israeli citizen or soldier from the Gaza Strip in 2005, and ceded rule to the Gazans, is accused of occupation. I could go on, but suffice to say, everything seems to have been turned upside down.

The prophet Isaiah had this to say about this phenomenon, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20).

The Hebrew word אוֹי (oy), here translated as ‘woe’, has a much stronger meaning than the English word suggests. ‘Oy’ is the anguished, gut-level gasp that something is terribly wrong, and it erupts from the mouth of one overwhelmed by calamity, moral outrage, or impending judgment.

All those who buy into the propaganda of the Evil One, calling good evil, and consequently slander the innocent, are setting themselves up for the judgement of God.

The prophecy of Zechariah goes on to say that although the nations of the world will initially have victory over Jerusalem and Judah in this coming war, God himself, and his heavenly armies, will come to Israel’s aid.

Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle ... Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him (Zechariah 14: 3,5).

The nations which come against Israel need to take this very seriously. This is what will happen to them:

This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. On that day people will be stricken by the LORD with great panic. They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another (Zechariah 14: 12-13).

Not a very pleasant end for those nations. But for those who survive this ‘plague’, they will then be forced to acknowledge the God of Israel as sovereign and Jerusalem as His holy city.

Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain (Zechariah 14: 16-17).

This victory of God over his enemies and ours is our hope, and it is this that gives us strength to go on in these dark and turbulent times. We know that the day is coming when the King Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus) will come and reign over the whole earth from Jerusalem, and then warfare will cease.

I do not claim that Israel is perfect or has done no wrong, but to judge her on the basis of false accusations and slander emanating from her enemies is reprehensible. It is especially so when those who are called by His name, Jews and Christians alike, fail to discern truth and believe the lies.

According to some polls roughly 60% (nearly 2 out of 3) of self-professing evangelical Christians under the age of 30 say they do not support Israel. This is deeply disturbing. It is all right to disagree with Israeli policies, and even to criticise our actions, but as believers we are called to love the chosen people of God, Israel, the people of our Saviour, just as God does. That means we need to pray for Israel’s welfare, offer support and comfort in her times of distress, and stand against those who would slander her and accuse her unjustly.

I am pleased to say that many Christians have shown unwavering support throughout the 3 years of war we have suffered, and this is seen and deeply appreciated by most Israelis. To the others who claim to be Christians, I would say “Read your Bible – all of it”. Read it yourself, discuss it with others, study it closely and ask God to interpret it to you by his Holy Spirit. Be very careful that you do not find yourself in opposition to God on the Day of Judgement.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE WAR?

27 January 2025

It has been several weeks since my last update, but it is not for the want of trying. As fast as I write, events overtake me. Facts on the ground are changing by the minute, as you will see if you read my earlier entries below. 

By now, the deal with Hamas has been agreed upon and its implementation begun. To date, 7 female hostages have been returned alive to Israel, hundreds of Palestinian terrorists, some with Israeli blood on their hands, have been released from Israeli prisons, and today, the Netzarim corridor has been opened to allow evacuated Gazans to return to the northern part of the Strip. This is just the beginning of the first phase of the deal. Already Hamas is pushing the boundaries and there is no surety the agreement will stand long enough for all the hostages to be returned to Israel. We are holding our collective breath. 

Is the deal a good thing? No, I believe it is a terrible deal, giving Hamas at least the illusion of victory, but it was necessary at this point. Israel as a state has a strong moral imperative to rescue every last Israeli citizen if at all possible. No one is expendable. There is an extremely strong sense that we are all family, and you never abandon family. 

Is the war with Hamas over? No, they live to fight another day. Already Hamas is celebrating 'victory', regrouping, recruiting and replacing their lost arms. They are promising more 'October 7's and we believe them. I do hope however, that we will be ready next time and will not ever again be caught off-guard. 

Did Hamas win? In a sense perhaps they did. Their plan to take hostages and hold them to ransom has worked, and as a result they are receiving thousands of their people back to fight another day. Hamas as an organization and fighting force is still here, and has the support of many, if not the majority of Gazans.  Their ideology lives on and their aspiration to destroy the Jewish State, from the River to the Sea, has perhaps even strengthened.  On the other hand, if you see the images of the destruction in Gaza, large swathes of which have been literally flattened, and count the cost to the people of Gaza, it is hard to see it as victory. Nevertheless for Hamas that doesn't matter. They care nothing for the people they rule over. 

What will happen in Gaza now? That is the million (or billions!) dollar question. Hamas still is in control it seems. The international community may have other plans for Gaza but for now it is Hamas out on the streets with the guns. 

Many here hoped that US President Donald Trump, now having been sworn in, would endorse an allied attack on Iran's nuclear sites, and bring down the ayatollah regime thus slaying the 'head of the octopus'. It seems however that he prefers the diplomatic course, negotiations and sanctions. I am not sure we have time for that. I don't think we should negotiate with pure evil. It hasn't worked in the past and it won't work now. 

Trump yesterday released the shipment to Israel of the bunker busting bombs needed for an attack on Iran. This shipment was blocked for many months by the Biden administration. Is this move by Trump merely a completion of a business deal (Israel had already paid for these armaments), or is it a 'green light' for Israel to attack the nuclear sites in Iran. Perhaps it is just a message to Iran and its proxies? 

In the north, the ceasefire is holding in the sense that there has been no rocket fire into Israel since the ceasefire began. Skirmishes however continue between IDF forces and Hezbollah operatives who are infiltrating into the 'forbidden zone' south of the Litani River attempting to repossess arms caches and re-establish positions. The withdrawal of IDF forces from southern Lebanon was supposed to be completed by today (26 January), but it has been announced that the deadline will be pushed back to the 18th of February, because the Lebanese Army has not successfully enforced the pullback of the Hezbollah fighters nor taken control of most of the villages along the Israeli border as required by the agreement. It seems to me unlikely that the Lebanese army will be able to fulfil its obligations, since it is poorly equipped compared to Hezbollah, and in any case is partially made up of Hezbollah operatives. 

Since the albeit shaky ceasefires have been initiated in Lebanon and Gaza, focus has to some degree shifted to Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), where the IDF and the Palestinian Authority are trying to stamp out the nests of Hamas, ISIS, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and other terrorists. Will these operations be able to prevent these terrorists from carrying out more October 7 -type attacks on Israel as they plan?

As you can see, there are many questions. For now the rockets and missiles are not flying overhead and there is an uneasy calm, but the situation is tense and the skirmishes on the ground, in both Lebanon and Gaza could easily escalate once more. 

We are all feeling weary of the war, violence and hatred, and I sense that the world as a whole has rather lost interest in the fate of Israel in this situation. If you belong to the LORD, please do not give up praying for Israel. It may seem very far away, but what happens here will affect the entire world, and you, and I, are here 'just for a time like this'. If we do not 'stand in the gap', who will?

It feels to us here in Israel that the entire world is rising up against this tiny land and the Jewish people as a whole. Today is International Holocaust Day, the commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz 80 years ago, and once again expressions of blatant antisemitism have become socially acceptable in many countries, and in the media.  Will there be another Holocaust? Will you stand up against this tide of antisemitism or will you look the other way? We need to pray fervently and perhaps the LORD will relent. The prophet Amos said this,

I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”
 So the Lord relented.
“This will not happen,” the Lord said.
This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land.  Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!” So the Lord relented.
Amos 7: 2-6

Is Micah's prophesy about to be fulfilled?

But now many nations
    are gathered against you.
They say, “Let her be defiled,
    let our eyes gloat over Zion!”
12 But they do not know
    the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,
    that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 “Rise and thresh, Daughter Zion,
    for I will give you horns of iron;
I will give you hooves of bronze,
    and you will break to pieces many nations.”

Micah 4: 11-13

15 Jan 2025  9PM Israel time

It has just been officially announced that Israel and Hamas have both agreed to 3-stage plan to bring about the end of the war, and the release of the remaining Israeli hostages. The deal is expected to be officially signed in the coming hours. 

In the first stage, which will take six weeks to complete, 33 of the remaining 98 hostages will be returned to Israel. The process will begin this coming Sunday (the 19th), with the release of the first three hostages. The 33 hostages to be released include female civilians and soldiers, children, the elderly and the injured or ill.  We do not yet know the identities of those to be released nor whether they are alive or deceased. I cannot imagine the agony the waiting families must be experiencing. 

During this phase both sides will enter into a ceasefire, and Israel will start withdrawing towards the east, allowing Gazan civilians to return home and be rehabilitated in stages. Israel will also release thousands of Hamas terrorists from Israeli jails, some to Gaza, Judea and Samaria, and some to exile elsewhere.   

The other 65 Israeli hostages will be released only in the second and third stages, the details of which are still to be ironed out by the parties involved. 

Is this the beginning of the end of the war? Will both sides honor the agreements? Can it be ensured that Hamas will not regroup, rearm and again attack Israel? Who will govern Gaza?  

There are still so many questions to be answered, but perhaps there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Only God knows. 

As you can see, as fast as I write the situation changes.  Read what I wrote yesterday:

14 Jan 2025  Missile attacks from the Houthis

It is Day 466 of the war in Israel, and this morning at around 3AM we were yet again woken up by the missile alert sirens.  The ballistic missile was fired from Yemen by the Houthis, who claim to have hit the IDF Central Command in Tel Aviv. In reality the missile was shot down over Jerusalem and the shrapnel fell in the surrounding areas, one large fragment punching through the roof of a house in Mevo Beitar, which lies between Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh. No one was injured, except for around 11 people who sustained minor injuries while running for shelter, or who suffered anxiety attacks. 

https://static-cdn.toi-media.com/www/uploads/2025/01/AFP__20250114__36TP4MN__v1__HighRes__IsraelYemenPalestinianConflict-1024x640.jpg

A rocket fragment embedded in roof of house in Mevo Beitar near Jerusalem, January 14, 2025

 Earlier yesterday, another interception of a ballistic missile caused fragments to fall in the Afula - Beit Shean and Jordan Valley area. 

Since the ceasefire came into effect in Lebanon, and the fall of Assad's regime in Syria, there has been an increase in the number of attacks from the Houthis. Since the beginning of the war in October 2023, the Houthis have fired around 40 ballistic surface-to-surface missiles and 320 armed UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) at Israel. Most of these either fell short or were shot down before reaching Israel. One drone penetrated and killed a man in Tel Aviv but, apart from that, there have been no fatalities in these attacks (as far as I can remember). Even when the missiles are shot down there is a danger of falling debris, and as you can see some of this 'shrapnel' is very large indeed. 

Is a hostage deal imminent?

In spite of this latest missile attack this morning all the news is focusing on the hostage deal negotiations. The media is full of reports saying the 'deal is on' the 'deal is imminent', the 'deal is off' and so on. I cannot imagine what the families of the hostages are going through in this maelstrom of information,  misinformation and speculations, not to mention purely fake news. 

Israelis are divided about the wisdom of even a temporary  ceasefire at this juncture, and the release of thousands of Palestinian terrorist prisoners from Israeli jails. Some see it as tantamount to conceding defeat and rewarding Hamas for its aggression. Some Palestinians are already celebrating Hamas' victory over Israel, and Hamas is boasting of its plans for future invasions such as that which they carried out on October 7,2023. 

Other Israelis support the proposed deal in order to obtain the release of hostages 'at any price'. Although the exact terms of the deal have not been publicized, it seems that the first stage of the deal will secure the release of only 33 of the 98 hostages remaining in Gaza, and it is unclear how many of those 33 are still alive. It is also unclear when and if the other 65 hostage, dead and alive, will be released. The clock is ticking for the hostages, even for those who were young and healthy when captured, since they have been starved of food, light and fresh air, and kept in horrendous damp and unsanitary conditions far underground, and denied medical care. It is thought that around 50% have already died. 

Personally my heart is torn. On one hand I want to see all the hostages rescued but I fear the consequences of agreeing to  any deal which allows for the survival of Hamas and the release of terrorists, especially those with Israeli blood on their hands. Its a terrible choice. 

I cannot imagine the pressure on our PM Netanyahu today. As someone put it 'he needs Solomonic wisdom' to know what to do. Its a lose-lose situation, and the 'Palestinians' are already celebrating their 'victory'. May the LORD give Netanyahu divine wisdom and guidance! 

Ongoing fighting in the Gaza Strip

After 15 months of continual fighting, the IDF is still encountering pockets of resistance, discovering weapons caches, rocket launching sites and tunnels even in areas once deemed 'clear'. It is testimony to the massive preparations Hamas had made before their attack on October 7. It is also testimony to the massive amount of money they spent on military installations and equipment, rather than using it to improve the lives of the Gazan population. Over 300 km of concrete-lined tunnels have been discovered in a network under the Strip, which measures just  41 kilometres (25 miles) long, and from 6 to 12 km (3.7 to 7.5 mi) wide. (Just imagine how many homes, schools, hospitals etc. could have been built with that concrete, and how many water desalination plants and electricity stations and infrastructure could have been built with that money.)

With the fighting ongoing, soldiers of the IDF are still being killed. Just yesterday 5 were killed, and 10 injured, in the northern Gaza Strip, among them the son (aged 20) of one of my colleagues at All Israel News. His funeral is to take place in about an hour from now (at 2PM on 14/01). 

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has lost a total of 840 soldiers, including 55 in the current operation in the northern Strip which began in October 2024, according to the official figures of the IDF. 

Although the military apparatus of Hamas has been largely destroyed, it still has many fighters and much equipment and has made no secret of the fact they want to carry out more kidnappings and attacks in Israel. Lately, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad have even resumed firing rockets, on an almost daily basis, from Gaza into the southern communities of Israel, even as the traumatised people there are returning to try and rebuild their homes and lives.

It seems too that, against all the odds, Hamas is managing to rearm, and there are reports of large numbers of men being recruited into their fighting ranks. Some reports suggest that roughly the same number of new recruits have been added to their number as the number of Hamas operatives killed by the IDF. 

Ceasefire in Lebanon

The ceasefire in Lebanon, which began on the 27 November, seems to be more or less holding. Apart from one anti-tank RPG there has been no cross-border rocket fire from Hezbollah. The IDF has however been continually acting against Hezbollah operatives entering the region south of the Litani River, which was forbidden by the ceasefire agreement. The IDF has discovered massive preparations in tunnels and 'civilian' houses for a planned attack on northern Israel in which some 5,300 Hezbollah operatives were to storm the border in 36 places and capture and take hostage the residents of a number of Israeli towns in the Galilee and Golan.

The big question is: Why didn't they do it?  Had they carried out this plan simultaneously with the Hamas attack we would have been in big trouble. May God be praised!

The 60 day ceasefire ends on the 26th of January and by that time the IDF is supposed to have withdrawn all its troops from Lebanon, and the Lebanese government army (LAF) taken control in the region vacated, and all Hezbollah forces withdrawn north of the Litani River. Although the IDF has withdrawn from some towns and villages, there is doubt that the LAF will be able to take control and expel all the Hezbollah forces in that time frame. It may be that the IDF will have to extend the deadline. The IDF is still encountering Hezbollah operatives south of the Litani River, and uncovering Hezbollah weapons caches and military positions. 

The Fall of the Assad Regime in Syria

Since the lightning fast fall of the Assad regime in Syria the situation remains extremely fluid. A de facto government has been established under the leadership of Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani), the leader of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Al Sharaa is at pains to present himself and his organisation as being 'moderate' and as having no plans to threaten any other country. 

Thankfully our leadership is suspicious of this claim and is watching very carefully. Once things have quietened down, and the spotlight is turned off, Al Sharaa will most likely revert to type and introduce strict Sharia Law, persecute minority groups, and threaten Israel. We have seen this pattern in several instances elsewhere in the Middle East when terror groups take control. 

Israel has occupied the buffer zone between Syria and Israel, including the strategically important Syrian summit of Mt Hermon. The IAF has also been bombing and destroying Assad's heavy weapons, military equipment and arms caches so that these do not fall into the hands of HTS, ISIS or any other terror group.  The IDF is also destroying routes by which weapons were shipped through Syria from Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Iraq

Iraq, seeing the writing on the wall, also announced soon after the fall of Assad that it would no longer fire missiles at Israel, and would not participate in the smuggling of weapons to Hezbollah. 

Iran

The fall of Assad's regime came as a serious blow to Iran which had already more or less lost its two main proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah. After Israel destroyed most of Iran's defense capability on the 26 October 2024, Iran has repeatedly threatened retaliation but, to date, nothing has eventuated. 

It seems to me a shame that Israel and its allies, especially the US and the UK which already have forces in the region, have not taken the opportunity to destroy Iran's nuclear sites, once and for all. Why has this not happened? I suspect there are two main reasons: one, that the Biden administration has withheld from Israel the bunker busting bombs needed to do the job, and two, that Biden does not want it to happen on 'his watch'. He wants to go down in history as the President who made peace, not war, in the Middle East. 

I fear the opportunity created by Israel's destruction of Iran's defensive systems may already have been partially lost by this delay in taking action. There are reports that since October, Iran has managed to restore at least some of its defense capability. 

There is some expectation here that after Donald Trump is inaugurated as U.S. President on January 21st things will change. Although Trump has made it clear that he wants to deal with Iran through sanctions and diplomacy, with Iran only days or weeks away from producing a nuclear bomb, there is no time for those solutions. The question is, will Trump support and cooperate with Israel to destroy Iran's potential to build a nuclear arsenal? 

Turkey

Turkey's dictatorial President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has made no secret of his desire to reestablish the Turkish Empire. Turkey backed, armed and financed the HTS, and is reportedly amassing its army along the Turkish-Syrian border. Here in Israel, we are watching developments very carefully. 

Egypt

In 1979 Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty. The treaty stipulated very specifically what military resources Egypt was permitted to locate in the Sinai. These stipulations were relaxed in recent years to help Egypt counter the ISIS presence there. However more recently, Egypt has massively expanded and strengthened its military presence in the Sinai, far beyond what is permitted, and this with aid and arms provided by the USA. One must ask why? 

SOUND THE TRUMPET

One of my favorite restaurants in Jerusalem Botanical Gardens
December 2018     Credit: Talia

One day this past week I sat with a good friend at my favorite restaurant enjoying the warm winter sun and the view of the lake at the Botanical Gardens. As we drank our coffee I thought how blessed it is to live in this beautiful land, and the thought occurred to me that this is the life all the peoples of the Middle East could have if only they would renounce war and accept Israel. Sadly it is not to be - yet anyway.  Today I asked the Lord what I should read in His word and this is what He said, "Read the book of Joel". As I came to chapter 2 my heart skipped a beat and my stomach clenched - it read just like the news headlines. 

Blow the trumpet in Zion,
And sound an alarm in My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble;
For the day of the Lord is coming,
For it is at hand...

 A people come, great and strong,...The Lord gives voice before His army,

For His camp is very great;For strong is the One who executes His word.For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible;Who can endure it?...

 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord,"Turn to Me with all your heart,With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”

 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord,

Weep between the porch and the altar;
Let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord,
And do not give Your heritage to reproach,
That the nations should rule over them.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’

 The Lord will answer and say to His people,

“Behold, ...

  I will remove far from you the northern army,
And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land,
With his face toward the eastern sea
And his back toward the western sea;
His stench will come up,
And his foul odor will rise,
Because he has done monstrous things.”

Fear not, O land....

In the north

Is such an attack by a huge army from the north imminent? It would appear so. Two days ago i24 TV News claimed that Israel was poised for an attack against Hezbollah in Lebanon and that 4 European countries had naval warships hovering offshore in a show of support, including a French frigate that was docked in Haifa. This was not reported on Israeli media. Yesterday Netanyahu made an urgent trip to Belgium to meet with the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. Today news headlines in all the major Israeli papers announce that the IDF last night began "Operation Northern Shield" along the northern border, the Blue Line, to expose and destroy the network of tunnels that Hezbollah has dug under the border into Israel, in clear contravention of the ceasefire agreement that ended the 2006 Lebanon War (1). The Operation is intended to take place only within Israeli territory but there is a potential for serious escalation should Hezbollah respond by attacking Israel. 

Over recent months Israel has continued its attacks on Iranian bases in Syria and against Iranian arms shipments intended for Hezbollah. Last week the Syrian news media announced that the Syrian army had shot down an Israeli plane and a missile. This report was not true and later the same day the Syrian news media admitted as much. Earlier in the week, according to Israeli Intelligence, Iran used a Boeing 747 passenger plane to ship electronic missile guidance systems to Hezbollah in Lebanon last. This is a serious threat to Israel as it gives Hezbollah the ability to strike any target in Israel with precision. Hezbollah has been posting taunting threats against Israel in the social media, with images showing their intended targets, including the IDF Central Command in the Kiryia in Tel Aviv. There are also reports of a buildup of Syrian troops, led by Iranian officers, along the Syrian border with Israel.  Any confrontation with Hezbollah which is backed and supplied by Iran is likely to also involve Russia which is backing Iran. The alignment of these armies in the north resonates with the prophecy of Joel. Is this the beginning of the great day of the Lord? That I do not know, but I do know that we who are called by His name are also called to be priests before Him (I Peter 2:9) , and thus we are commanded to; 

"Weep between the porch and the altar;
Let them (the priests) say, “Spare Your people, O Lord,
And do not give Your heritage to reproach,
That the nations should rule over them.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’"

Joel 2: 17

In the south
In the south, the ceasefire with Hamas seems to be holding, more or less. There have been no rockets or missiles flying into Israel but there have been riots, and attempted infiltrations every Friday at the border fence. The numbers participating are decreasing, but still reaching about 10,000.  According to a Palestinian interviewed on i24 TV news today, Hamas pays every person coming to the border fence to protest $100 per month. This is very attractive to young men who have no work and no other way of earning money.  He also claimed that every person who is injured receives only $200, and that Hamas encourages women to come to the protests because they bring their younger children with them. If a woman or child is hurt it is 'good' propaganda against Israel. 

I have not heard of any fires being started by incendiary balloons or kites recently, but I do not know whether this reflects a real cessation of attempts or merely a result of the onset of the winter rains and a change in the direction of the wind lately. 

I am also glad to say that with good rains falling and warm temperatures, the vegetation is again growing in the burnt areas. Tourism coordinator in the Gaza region, Livnat Glanzburg, said 

“We are opening a new chapter in our lives and this is the time to call upon the citizens of Israel to come visit this beautiful region... There were rumors that the fires damaged the blossoming of the anemones, this is not true, and in a few months we expect a spectacular flowering of anemones. We only hope for calm on the security front and lots of rain” (2).

Before and after the rains bring regrowth of burnt areas in the Negev
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5416066,00.html

I thank God for the rains. So far they are good especially along the coast, and in the north and the south. Here in the Judean Mountains we have not yet had a lot of rain, but the landscape is beginning to turn green. Please keep praying for abundant rain in the region. It is too soon to say the drought has ended. We still need a lot more rain. especially in the north and along the mountain 'backbone' in order to recharge the aquifers.  

Will the government fall? 

In my last blog update I mentioned that Israel's Minister for Security, Avigdor Lieberman, had resigned in protest over the decision to accept the ceasefire with Hamas. This means the government now has a shaky majority of only one vote. A few days later the Education Minister, Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister, Ayelet Shaked, also threatened to walk out of the coalition, which would have toppled the government. We were all shocked when Bennett and Shaked backed down from their threat and decided to stay in the government (3). I believe this was a direct consequence of prayer. Whatever our political shade, no one wanted the government to fall at this delicate point of time. Bennett now however has a lot more power as he can hold over Netanyahu the threat to bring the government down. 

Netanyahu is facing yet another threat to his government today. The police announced that they have sufficient evidence to indict Netanyahu on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust for actions benefitting the telephone company, Bezeq, in return for favorable press coverage by the media company, Walla (4). Netanyahu denies the charges and dismissed the accusations as a 'witch hunt orchestrated by the media'.  He said, 

"The police recommendations regarding me and my wife don't surprise anyone. These recommendations were decided upon and leaked even before the investigation began.The police recommendations have no legal status. Just recently, the authorized bodies completely rejected the police recommendations against a series of public officials. I am sure that also in this case the relevant authorities, after examining the matter, will reach the same conclusion— that there was nothing because there is nothing. (4)"

This is the third accusation of bribery and corruption that Netanyahu has faced.  Both the earlier ones were not taken up by the Attorney General because of insufficient evidence. It remains to be seen if the Attorney General will indict Netanyahu this time. Is this all just another 'witch hunt' as Netanyahu claims, or is it a case of 'no smoke without a fire'? In any case, it is yet another threat to the stability of the government and many are calling for Netanyahu to stand down and call early elections. 

Our enemies beyond our borders do not understand that this squabbling, and the internal divisions of opinion, are not weakness but a sign of a healthy democracy and public debate. They should be aware that should there be any threat to the existence and survival of the State, we will forget all our differences and come together as one. 

Terror in Israel 

There has recently been an increase in the number of terror attacks and attempted attacks within Israel. The head of the Shin Bet (Israel's Security Agency), Nadav Argaman, claims that they had foiled some 480 Palestinian terror attacks in the last year, including 13 suicide attacks and 8 kidnappings. They also arrested some 1100 potential lone-wolf attackers.  (5). Recently the Shin Bet thwarted an attempt by Hamas to establish a terror network in the West Bank, recruiting and training potential terrorists to bomb large buildings, shopping malls, hotels, trains and buses, in order to escalate the security situation both in the West Bank and in Gaza.  According to Ynetnews, 

The Shin Bet noted this plot was at a much larger scope and posed far greater danger than similar attempts in the past, as it was directed by Hamas's high command in Gaza and not by former Palestinian security prisoners expelled from the West Bank, as previous attempts had been  (5).

Apparently, Hamas used people allowed into Israel for life-saving medical treatments, or businessmen with contacts in the West Bank, to carry messages to coordinate these planned attacks. 

Rewriting History

Another, more subtle but more insidious, attack on Israel comes by means of the Arab world's plan to rewrite history denying Israel's claim to possession of the Holy Land and Jerusalem. On Friday the UN General Assembly passed a resolution by 148 votes to 11, with 14 abstentions, which disavowed Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem. That resolution and a more global one about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict referred to the Temple Mount only by its Muslim name, al-Haram-al-Sharif (6). Israeli permanent representative to the UN, Noa Furman, said, "This omission was deliberate. It shows yet another instance of the Palestinian refusal to recognize the proven historical connection between Judaism, Christianity, the Temple Mount and Jerusalem as a whole."  She also called on the international community to "stop participating in such a blatant denial of history" (6). 

Throughout the Arab world a distorted view of history and geopolitics is propagated through school textbooks. Here are some excerpts from a Saudi Arabian textbook, for example (7):

Some excerpts from Saudi Arabian school textbooks
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5411308,00.html

 I am also astounded when people claim that modern archaeology does not support the Bible or Israel's claim to the land. Where does such an idea come from? There are massive amounts of archaeological evidence all of which support the Biblical accounts. This week another archaeological find added to this accumulation of evidence. The inscription on a signet ring found at the site of the Herodion near Bethlehem 50 years ago was recently deciphered for the first time and discovered to read in Greek script "Pilatus", and is believed to have belonged to Pontius Pilate who sentenced Jesus to death (8). 

Another interesting archaeological find this month is the discovery of an image of Jesus painted onto the wall of a 6th Century church in the Byzantine city of Shivta in the Negev. It depicts the head of a young man and follows the well-known iconography of the period depicting Jesus (9). It shows Jesus as having a somewhat Semitic appearance, unlike the long-haired European looking Jesus of the later church art we are more used to seeing. 

Dr. Emma Maayan-Fanar’s reconstruction on top of the face of Jesus found in a Byzantine-era North Church at Shivta in the Negev. (Dror Maayan)
https://www.timesofisrael.com/jesus-image-hidden-in-plain-sight-at-negev-church-is-one-of-earliest-in-israel/

Transport woes

If you have lived and worked in Israel you will know that one of our biggest difficulties is traffic congestion. Israelis are very mobile people, always on the go, and many commute long distances to work. Israel has an extensive and well-developed road system but with nearly 10 million vehicles on the roads in a small area, which could fit inside Lake Michigan, this translates to choking congestion at times. Some 230,000 new cars are being imported into Israel every year. Add to this Israeli impatience and general disregard for the traffic rules and you have a high number of traffic accidents, injuries and deaths. 

Gridlock on the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv in 2015 

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-said-to-seek-private-sector-help-to-limit-transportation-woes/

This is a great challenge for those responsible for our transportation and this week it was announced that they are turning to the private sector for help, an admission of defeat in view of the government's poorly executed rail projects (10). 

At the end of September the long-awaited, 1.8 billion dollar,  fast train from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was opened, but only the Ben Gurion (Airport) to Jerusalem section. Its first weeks of operation have been blighted by a series of incidents and failures, including one in which passengers were trapped inside a 13 km tunnel, the longest in the Middle East, for 3 hours due to a power failure. These delays and concerns about its safety have meant that most people have continued to use their cars for the TA to Jerusalem commute. Now there is talk of building a new highway into Jerusalem from the Motza interchange bypassing the current narrow, winding and very dangerous section at the entrance to the city. 

View of the new Tel Aviv-Jerusalem fast train seen over the Ha’Arazim valley just outside of Jerusalem, September 25, 2018 (Yossi Zamir/Flash90)

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-said-to-seek-private-sector-help-to-limit-transportation-woes/

The good news is that help is on its way. Noah's Ark is coming to Israel. A Dutch Christian, Johan Huibers, has constructed a replica of Noah's Ark as described in Genesis and is intending to sail it to Israel from the Netherlands (11). This project cost 1.8 million dollars and I cannot but wonder if  such a sum of money, and the immense effort involved, might not have been put to better use. 

This full-size replica of Noah’s Ark, built by Johan Huibers (Photo: EPA)
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5415765,00.html

Old Age Pension in Israel

Israel, like many Western countries, is facing an aging population as the 'baby boomers' reach old age. I have been on the national pension now for over a year and I receive just over 2000 shekels a month. Given that the average rent in this area is around 5,000 shekels a month and the cost of food per person is about 2,000 shekels, not to mention the costs of clothing, medicines and transport, you can imagine that ends don't meet for most elderly folk. Poverty amongst the elderly is a growing crisis. This last week a bill was proposed in the Knesset to increase the national pension to be equivalent to the minimum wage, of  5300 shekels per month (compare - the average wage is 9200 shekels). Sadly this bill failed to pass by two votes, apparently because of the absence of two opposition members, one because he was taking a personal phone call at the time and the other because he was "on a diplomatic mission in China" ( my guess - this is code for 'on personal business'). These MKs will be reprimanded but as the MK who proposed the bill, Itzik Shmuli,  said " the government spat in the faces of the elderly citizens who founded our country. Voting against the bill, after a measly NIS 60 were added to the old-age pension, is a crime." (12)

On that note I will bring this update to an end, go eat my lunch and head off to the pool for a swim. Life goes on.... 

References: 

1. https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/IDF-launches-Operation-Northern-Shield-to-destroy-Hezbollah-terror-tunnels-573459

2 https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5416066,00.html

3. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5409063,00.html

4. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5418366,00.html

5. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5412061,00.html  shin bet foils major terror attacks

https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Shin-Bet-thwarts-Hamas-terror-attacks-inside-Israel-572543

6. https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/148-nations-disavow-Jewish-ties-to-Jerusalem-Temple-Mount-573295

7. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5411308,00.html

8. https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium-ring-of-roman-governor-pontius-pilate-who-executed-jesus-found-in-herodion-site-1.6699353

9. https://www.timesofisrael.com/jesus-image-hidden-in-plain-sight-at-negev-church-is-one-of-earliest-in-israel/

10 https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-said-to-seek-private-sector-help-to-limit-transportation-woes/
year.http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/164663

11. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5415765,00.html

12. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5416606,00.html


Minimum Monthly wage:NIS 5,300.00 (as of Jan 12, 2017)    https://www.btl.gov.il/English%20Homepage/Mediniyut/GeneralInformation/Pages/MinimumWage.aspx

Under article 1 of the law: NIS 9,802 (as of Jan 01, 2018).  Average wage per month