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:            

 

 

OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD

Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.

 

Daniel 2: 20-22

 

As I rose to yet another beautiful, but tense, Jerusalem day this morning, I wondered what I could write about in my blog. It all starts to sound a bit repetitive, the terrorist incidents, incitement and tension. Sometimes it seems there is no light in all this, no hope of a better future. Its easy to begin to despair, lose faith and stop praying.

 

So it must have seemed to the Israelite captives of Babylon:  their Temple destroyed and looted, the city of  Jerusalem plundered and its inhabitants taken into captivity far away in the pagan city of Babylon. Where was their God? He must have seemed far away to them. Yet he had not abandoned them. He was preparing for them a great future and from amongst the captives he raised up Daniel and his friends, who did not despair, but put all their hope and trust in the God of their fathers. They prayed to their God, and He answered them with knowledge, revelation and wisdom, and at the right time He restored the people of Israel back to the Promised Land.

 

So let's not stop praying.

 

It helps sometimes to consider the awesomeness and majesty of our God. Nothing is impossible for him. 

 

Consider this: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth..." Genesis 1:1.  This simple sentence embodies things unimaginable and infinitely awesome.  Traditional Christian and Jewish theology has long taught us that God created the universe from nothing - even though in our human experience all things come from some pre-existing thing. But not the Universe. Modern scientific discoveries have confirmed this idea. Physicists now believe that for every particle of matter that exists, there is a particle of antimatter, and if a particle of matter comes together with a particle of antimatter they will annihilate each other. In other words, the sum total of all the matter in the Universe is zero. God separated out the matter from the antimatter and made the Universe as we know it.  How amazing it is to contemplate this - everything that exists in our world came from nothing, at the word of our God who created all things and sustains them.
 

 Just think a moment about the immensity of the Universe.

 

Our sun is a medium sized star on the Orion Arm of the vast galaxy we call the Milky Way.  There are somewhere between 100 billion and 400 billion stars in our galaxy. How many is a billion? Its impossible for us to imagine such a number. We cannot even imagine a million.

It would take us about 11.5 days to count to a million at a rate of one per second, no stops. So how many is a billion? It depends where you live. In some countries a billion is a million million, but in others it is a thousand million. It doesn't matter which billion you use, because we cannot really imagine either number. Yet given that it is estimated that there are at least 170 billion galaxies in the observable universe, each holding an average of some 100-400 billion stars, there are something like a septillion (10 followed by 24 zeros) stars in the observable universe. And beyond the observable universe? No one knows. 

 

 

Thousands of galaxies in a small part of the Universe as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope

(each point of light is not a star but a galaxy)

http://i.space.com/images/i/000/039/832/original/hubble-telescope-most-colorful-universe-evolution.jpg?1401833077

 

The famous image above pictures that tiny part of the sky that could be blotted out by a sand grain on the end of your finger at arms length. If there are that many galaxies in such a small portion of the sky, how many are there all together? 

 

Its pretty hard to get any sense of the immense scale of the universe. Here is a YouTube clip that gives us a mind boggling idea (each circle represents a ten-fold increase in scale)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhofN1xX6u0



 

“There are one million grains of sand in a handful of sand… There are more stars in the universe than all the sand on the sand on all the beaches on Earth”

 

BBC  documentary “The Planets”

 

And our God made them all!!!!! What an awesome God we have.  God in his discourse with Job, challenged him saying, 

 

Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
 Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
 When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

 

Job 38: 4-7

 

How sad it is that most of us never really look at the stars. Indeed most of us live in cities where there is so much light and air pollution it is impossible to see very many stars at all. A few years ago, I was in New Zealand and one cold, frosty night my sister-in-law and I went up onto a hilltop, far from any town or city, to try and photograph the Aurora Australis (the Southern Lights) which were playing at the time. I remember being 'blown away' by the multitude of stars in the sky and their incredible beauty. After years in the polluted northern hemisphere I had forgotten their splendor. I came home again with a renewed sense of God's majesty and power.

How amazing it is that this creator God, takes any interest at all in our puny human affairs. I can only echo King David, the friend of God, who cried out thus:

 

O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

 

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
 What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

Psalm 8: 1, 3-5

 

And yet, God does care for every one of us. Jesus said,

 

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.   But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.   Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

 

Matthew 10: 29-31

 

 

As I am writing the Code Red sirens are sounding in the Western Galilee. So far three rockets have fallen in open areas near Nahariyah. There have been no casualties or damage as a result of this  volley. Presumably the rockets were fired by Hezbollah in Lebanon in response to the assassination last night of Samir Kuntar, a senior Hezbollah commander, in Beirut. Israel is being blamed for the assassination. Israeli is neither denying nor admitting to this accusation. In 1979 Kuntar and three other PLO terrorists infiltrated Israel via the beach in Nahariyah  and broke into the home of the Haran family. They kidnapped the father, Danny, and his 4 year old daughter, Einat, and took them to the beach where they killed them.  Haran's other daughter, Yael, aged two, was accidentally smothered to death as she and her mother, Smadar, hid from the terrorists in the apartment's crawl space. Kuntar was captured and was in an Israeli prison until a prisoner swap deal in 2008. He was welcomed in Beirut as a hero and he joined the terror organization, Hezbollah.   http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Israeli-officials-praise-reports-that-terrorist-Samir-Kuntar-killed-in-Syria-437840 News is now coming in that Israel has retaliated by firing rockets into Lebanon. Now we will wait and see if this incident will escalate further.

Meanwhile, over the last week, we have also continued to suffer terrorist attacks here in Jerusalem and elsewhere. On Tuesday I was driving home thinking to myself (foolishly!) that things seemed to be calming down here in Jerusalem, when news came in of a 'vehicular attack' near the Strings Bridge, at the entrance to Jerusalem. A terrorist had rammed his car into a group of people waiting at a bus stop and injured 8, including a pregnant woman and her 18 month old son. The little boy's foot was severed and later had to be amputated below the knee. 

The aftermath at the site of the attack near the Strings Bridge (the car also struck a water hydrant)
http://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?ID=321071

Yesterday another attack took place in Ranaana when a terrorist  stabbed people at a synagogue, injuring three, one seriously. Last night a group of armed Palestinians fired at an IDF post but there were no casualties. Today a woman attempted to attack a soldier outside Hebron but she was shot and captured. A tourist was also stabbed in Beit Sahour, near Bethlehem, today but it transpired it was criminal rather than political, a result of an argument over money.

And so it goes on - day after day. Please keep praying for us, and especially for those who have been injured and affected personally by all these attacks. Pray for our police, soldiers and rescue services who daily put their lives at risk to protect us all. Pray especially for one of my students, aged only 16,  who was amongst the ' MADA (ambulance service) first responders' at the Strings Bridge attack, and is suffering trauma as a result. Keep praying that God will watch over our borders, cover us and protect us from all our enemies. Pray too for our enemies who have raised themselves up against God. They may win a few battles but in the end they will face judgment. God has decreed it.  Daniel rightly said, "He removes kings and raises up kings".  Whatever our enemies may plan against us, God is for us and He is all powerful.

Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
 The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”

 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”

 

Psalm 2: 1-6

 

Hallelujah, God has set His King, Yeshua the Messiah, upon the Holy Hill of Zion. It is already done in the heavenlies, and one day soon the King will return to establish his holy kingdom on Earth and bring peace to all men.

HALLELUJAH

 

Day  4 of the Ceasefire.

 

In You, O Lord, I put my trust;
Let me never be ashamed;
Deliver me in Your righteousness.
² Bow down Your ear to me,
Deliver me speedily;
Be my rock of refuge,
A fortress of defense to save me.

³ For You are my rock and my fortress;
Therefore, for Your name’s sake,
Lead me and guide me.
⁴ Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my strength.
⁵ Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth

Psalm 31: 1-5 (NJKV)

When I pick up my Bible these days, its so like reading the latest news paper!

On Tuesday night of this week I opted to skip the city-wide prayer meeting that was being held here in Jerusalem to pray concerning  the current Israel-Hamas confrontation. It was Day 50 of  Operation Protective Edge, and rocket fire from Gaza was coming in fast and furious. Every two or three minutes the orange and blue popups were flashing onto my TV screen announcing yet another "Code Red" warning of incoming fire. Residents in the south were having to dive for cover every 10-15 minutes. It was quieter in the center but nevertheless residents of Ashdod, Asquelon, Beer Sheva and Tel Aviv and other central towns also were coming under periodic attack.

Just as rumors of an  imminent ceasefire were beginning to be heard, I watched in horror as mortar fire on Kibbutz Nikim, near the Gaza border, struck a team of men who were repairing an electrical transformer that had been struck by a rocket earlier in the day. Two of the team, kibbutz members,  were killed and several injured, bringing the toll of Israeli civilians killed during the Operation to 6.  Then the news came in - a ceasefire had been declared by both sides and the firing was to stop at 7PM. A steady salvo of rockets kept coming over Israel right up to, and even for a few minutes after, the 7PM deadline, but then all fell quiet. Was it a coincidence that just at that moment believers from all over Jerusalem were beginning their prayer meeting?

At first it was hard to believe that the rocket fire had stopped. I kept watching with bated breath as the minutes ticked by, one hour and the ceasefire was still holding, two hours and three. It was hard to know what to think. I kept having to remind myself to breathe!

Now 4 days have passed and the Ceasefire is holding. An uneasy calm has settled over the Land.  It is time to take stock. Who won this war? Did anyone?

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4565603,00.html

Of course, Hamas claims that it won. Minutes after the ceasefire, celebrations erupted on the streets of Gaza, proclaiming their victory over the 'Zionist Entity' (Israel). No one there was asking why Hamas had put the citizens of Gaza through 50 days of terror and bloodshed only to accept the identical terms proposed in the very first ceasefire suggested by Egypt and agreed to by Israel. Here is Ismail Haniyeh, the former Hamas Prime Minister of Gaza, giving the V sign of victory while standing in the ruins of his home.  Is this victory?  Or is this victory? See the article below for a video of an aerial view of  the ruins of the Gazan suburb of Saja'iyah? It looks like an earthquake hit it! There is hardly a building undamaged.  Is this victory?
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4565726,00.html

Hamas not only brought unimaginable suffering to  all Gazans, its attempts to wreak similar havoc on Israel were foiled over and over again.  During the 50 days of Operation Protective Edge  4564 rockets, mortars and missiles were fired at Israel, but only 224 of these struck built up areas, and  735 of the larger, longer range missiles were shot down by the Iron Dome System.  In spite of this heavy barrage of fire, 'only' 71 Israelis, including 64 soldiers, one soldier on leave, and 6 civilians were killed during the Operation, and 469 people wounded.

In contrast the Israeli forces  attacked  some 5,226 targets in Gaza, destroying 1,814 targets linked to rocket firing, 109 weapons depots, 85 weapon-making factories and  312 houses belonging to people who were involved in terrorism. The air force also carried out 840 strikes to support ground forces, and 192 attacks on Hamas military or training sites. 32 tunnels designed to carry out infiltrations and terror attacks in Israel, were also destroyed, and several attempted infiltrations blocked.  
http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/50-days-of-Israels-Gaza-operation-Protective-Edge-by-the-numbers-372574
It is difficult to know just how many Gazans were killed, given the inflated figures reported by Hamas *, but it seems likely that around 1000 Hamas operatives and a similar number of civilians were killed. (* for more on this see http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/08/12/hamas-lies-about-the-gaza-civilian-death-toll-and-the-media-bought-it )

We could ask, "What was it that caused Hamas to call for a ceasefire that they had previously rejected?" Could it be that they were in dire straights? Their operational abilities were being drastically eroded and several of their leaders killed. Perhaps their rocket supply was running low? One thing is sure however, that whatever the reason, they called for the current ceasefire because they believe it to be to their advantage, and for no other reason. They do not care about the plight of their civilian population. Only one thing is important for them, and that is the destruction of the Zionist Entity, Israel, and Islamic Jihad. They would only agree to a ceasefire if it served that end. They wanted time to regroup and rearm so that they can continue the fight. Already they are boasting of the 'next round' with Israel.  On Thursday evening, just 48 hours after declaring the Ceasefire, Khaled Mashal, the Hamas political chief who sat out the war in his perch in a hotel in Qatar, had this to say,"This is not the end. This was not the last campaign to liberate Palestine – it was an important stop on the road to victory." http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4565395,00.html

Remember what is written in the Hamas Covenant  about negotiation:

'[Peace]  initiatives,   and   so-called   peaceful   solutions   and

international conferences are in contradiction to the  principles  of

the Islamic Resistance Movement... Those conferences are no more than

a means to appoint the  infidels  as  arbitrators  in  the  lands  of

Islam... There is no solution for the Palestinian problem  except  by

Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are but a

waste of time, an exercise in futility.' (Article 13)

 In a war against such an ideology there is no military solution.  The question we should be asking is  not who won the war, but what will happen now.

The mood in Israel is not one of victory celebrations. We mourn for our dead and suffering, and for those of the people Gaza.  We do not trust Hamas and do not believe the Ceasefire will hold long-term. At the same time events taking place  in the wider region  around us are of great concern. Even as we were getting used to the idea that the rocket fire from Gaza had stopped, for now,  a number of rockets were fired over the northern border from Lebanon and Syria. Israeli farmers were told to stay out of their fields and sirens blared in some northern communities. An army officer was injured. On Thursday Al Qaida affiliated rebels captured the Syrian side of the border crossing at Quneitra in the Golan Heights. This is getting too close for comfort. ISIL is promising to take Iraq and Syria and then Jerusalem, while the Western world is only just waking up to the threat on its very doorstep - perhaps too late.

As happens here after every war we are also indulging in a great deal of self criticism and the casting of recriminations. At the beginning of Operation Protective Edge Israeli citizens, well-known for their normally divisive and argumentative natures, were uncharacteristically united behind the war effort. We saw for the first time a real opportunity to crush Hamas once and for all. The international community seemed to be, if not behind us exactly, at least not very vocal in its opposition. We definitely had the military might to do the job, and felt we occupied the moral high ground. At this point polls showed 89% support for Netanyahu and his leadership.  As casualties rose in Gaza, and the international press began once again to present its lopsided 'take' on events, world opinion began, as always, to swing away from Israel. Even the USA, our only reliable friend in the past,  began to waver. Our leaders consequently hesitated to order another ground incursion, which seemed to be essential if we were to strike a fatal blow to Hamas. And then, just as such an incursion seemed to be about to happen, suddenly the Ceasefire was declared.

Many Israelis were shocked that we agreed to it. It seemed like failure. All those long days of fighting, destruction and death, and what did we have to show for it? Hamas was still in power and still armed. Although Netanyhu has repeatedly stressed that we have dealt Hamas a terrible blow,  we all know it was far from a fatal one. At this point, polls are showing only 39% support for Netanyhu's leadership. It is my feeling that most Israelis feel bitter disappointment that once more 'we didn't finish the job'. There is a lot of anger and a sense of betrayal.

I think we were caught up with a high degree of optimism at the beginning and it was not really based on reality. We dreamed of a Hamas-free Gaza, and one day a Gaza rebuilt and friendly, or at least not aggressive, towards us.  We wanted to totally destroy Hamas politically and dismantle its military apparatus. A bit of a pipe dream I think. Now we are beginning to realize that this was not really possible without the resolve and support of the rest of the world. There are those still hoping for the disarmament of Hamas when talks to bring about a permanent ceasefire begin in about a month, but this dream seems to be rapidly fading. The best we can hope for is a few months, perhaps years, of quiet before Hamas rearms and regroups and starts the next round of hostilitiesZ.

So where does this leave us, we who believe in the God of Israel and pray for His will to be done on Earth as in Heaven? We need to remember that the bottom line is that He is in total control. It is He who raises up leaders and kings, and brings them down. If he has spared Hamas for now, there is a good reason. It is  all part of His plan. We may not understand the timing or the details, but it is sure that He will bring about the final redemption of the world through the Messiah King, Jesus, and he will vindicate Israel in the end. Indeed in the spiritual realm he has already done so. It just needs to work its way out in the physical world.  This calls for much patience and longsuffering, and may test our faith to its limits. Please pray for all us who stand here on the front line of this battle, both physically and spiritually . We who live in the Land of Israel, and love her, face many difficulties every day . We need your prayers. However pray fervently for those others in the Land who do not yet know their God and do not have His comfort in these dark days. Pray that they will turn to God, acknowledge his sovereignty and find salvation through his Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus), to the Jew first but also the Arab and all other Gentiles. Only when this occurs, and the Enemy Satan, manifesting in these days through the Spirit of Islam, is defeated, will the world know any peace.

I will finish with the prayer of  David, in Psalm 31 (NJKV), which seems so immediate and relevant to our situation today:

I am a reproach among all my enemies,
But especially among my neighbors,
And am repulsive to my acquaintances;
Those who see me outside flee from me.
¹² I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel.
¹³ For I hear the slander of many;
Fear is on every side;
While they take counsel together against me,
They scheme to take away my life.

¹⁴ But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
¹⁵ My times are in Your hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies,
And from those who persecute me.
¹⁶ Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
Save me for Your mercies’ sake.
¹⁷ Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You;
Let the wicked be ashamed;
Let them be silent in the grave.
¹⁸ Let the lying lips be put to silence,
Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

¹⁹ Oh, how great is Your goodness,
Which You have laid up for those who fear You,
Which You have prepared for those who trust in You
In the presence of the sons of men!
²⁰ You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence
From the plots of man;
You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion
From the strife of tongues.

²¹ Blessed be the Lord,
For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city!
²² For I said in my haste,
“I am cut off from before Your eyes”;
Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications
When I cried out to You.

²³ Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints!
For the Lord preserves the faithful,
And fully repays the proud person.
²⁴ Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the Lord.

Day 47 of Operation Protective Shield.


Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
² When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
³ Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

It is a hot and sleepy Shabbat afternoon here in Jerusalem. In my neighborhood the only sound is the gentle cooing of doves and the occasional chirping of a bird.  As I look at the beautiful and deceptively peaceful view across the neighboring Arab villages and the distant, hazy hills of Jordan, it is hard to believe we are in the middle of a war.

                           http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/Terrorism/Pages/Rise-in-rocket-fire-from-Gaza-3-Jul-2014.aspx

Just 50 km away, all is not so tranquil. As I write orange and blue pop-ups appear regularly on the TV as 'code red' sirens sound in Ashdod, Ashqelon and the towns and kibbutzim around the Gaza Strip, warning of incoming rocket fire.  Close to the Strip the sirens sound every 10-15 minutes, each one giving the residents only 10 to 15 seconds to find shelter. In the days since the collapse of the last ceasefire, we have had record numbers of rockets raining down- around 140 per day.  Little wonder that most of the towns down there are like ghost towns. Over 80% of the residents have fled to the north, and those few who remain must stay indoors, close to their 'safe rooms'. Businesses and factories lie idle and late summer crops are rotting in the fields. 

Last night the first Israeli child, Daniel Trergerman, aged just 4 1/2 was killed when a mortar hit his home. It was Friday night and the children were playing outdoors in a moment of quiet. The parents managed to get their two younger children into the shelter but Daniel just couldn't run fast enough. He died. Put yourself into his parent's shoes this morning. They had been up north in relative safety for some weeks, but had decided to return home to try and put their lives back into some semblance of normality. After two days of constant rocket fire they had begun to pack up to return to the north, but too late. Daniel is dead, another little life cut off way too soon.  Here is a facebook post about Daniel. Read the small print.

Its an impossible situation for the citizens of the south. And an even more impossible situation for the citizens of Gaza who are suffering even more. It cannot go on.  Our government is again and again telling us that we need more patience. They say that it will all end but not yet. But how long can people hang on?

The mood here is changing. People are losing patience with the slow process of negotiation and counter negotiation in the search for peace. We don't believe that Hamas will honor any negotiated deal even if agreement is reached. After all, they have broken every one of the 11 ceasefires that we have had so far, even though they themselves were the ones to call for the ceasefires . The cry is getting stronger for a quick and decisive incursion into Gaza to 'finish the job', that is to say to disarm and cripple Hamas to the extent they are no longer able to fire rockets into Israel.   There is a feeling now that this is our ONLY real option, in spite of the fact we all know that this would cause a great many casualties on both sides, and would probably isolate Israel  even more in the international community. At the beginning over 80% of Israelis were in support of Netanyahu's approach to the situation but only around 56% support it now, according to polls.  

Meanwhile the world's eyes have been distracted by the events in Iraq, as the ISIL (ISIS) forces continue their relentless march to take over Syria, Iraq and eventually the entire Islamic block. ISIL has killed thousands of innocent people, massacring whole villages, raping and selling women and children into slavery, crucifying, beheading and stoning others, yet the world paid little attention until one poor American journalist is brutally beheaded.  The Western world is suddenly shocked and appalled by their medieval barbarism, but we here in the Middle EAst are not at all shocked. We have been trying to warn the West of this threat for years. After all Hamas is but a branch of the same tree that has given birth to Al Quaida and ISIL. The same ideology, jihadist fundamentalist Islam, committed to world domination, drives them all. Its time for the Western world to open up its eyes. Their whole civilization is facing an existential threat and for the most part they are blissfully unaware.
http://libertyunyielding.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Iraq-ISIS-ISW-BBC-map.jpg

Amongst Christian and Messianic believers here in Israel there is a growing awareness that the battle lines are being drawn up for the great and final showdown between the spiritual forces of  evil and the forces of the living God of the Bible, the God of Israel. It is time for all of us to get off the fence and decide which side we are on. There is a desperate need for Christians everywhere to go back to the Bible, read it as it is written, and not to listen to the myriad voices of liberal humanism in the media and the pulpits of many churches. I challenge every Christian to read the Bible literally. Where the words say "Israel" read it as "Israel" and not the "Church" as replacement theology teaches. The place and role of Israel in God's plan for the redemption of the World has not been replaced by the Church. God's promises and plans for the people of Israel are not void. God will not abandon his people at this time, just as His word says over and over again. Israel will survive and her enemies will be destroyed. The nations will be judged by their stand at the end. Will your nation stand with Israel or against her? Will you stand with Israel or against her?

Prayer points:

• Continue to pray for God's supernatural protection on the people of Israel. We have seen many miracles during this war and it is amazing that to date only 4 Israeli citizens have died in spite of  the more than 4000 rockets and missiles fired from Gaza since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge. http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/Terrorism/Pages/Rise-in-rocket-fire-from-Gaza-3-Jul-2014.aspx

• Continue to pray for our leaders who are under incredible pressure from every quarter, both within the country and internationally. May they make wise and righteous decisions and not allow themselves to be swayed by personal or political considerations or threats.

• Pray for the civilians of both Israel and Gaza, who are suffering daily physical danger, privation and economic tragedy.

• Pray for the  brave and selfless soldiers of Israel who are willing to suffer and sacrifice their lives minute by minute in order to protect us and allow us to more or less go about our lives as normal. Another 10,000 reservists were called up to supplement the 70,000 already called up, and the regular army. All these men and women have left behind mothers, fathers, siblings, wives and children, businesses and careers. Some have not been home for over 40 days, and are sitting out in the open with little or no  respite from the searing heat and dust of our late Summer.

• Pray for truthful, honest and unbiased reporting in the media. This issue is addressed very eloquently in this video by a Maori woman in New Zealand. http://www.israellycool.com/2014/08/10/a-maori-woman-stands-up-for-israel/

• Pray for church leaders and congregations that they will interpret Scripture according to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and not according to erroneous traditions and philosophies of men.

• Pray for your own nations and leaders that they will be found supporting the right side in this war.

• Pray for the enemies of Israel. They are the true victims in all this. They have been deceived by Satan into believing they are doing Good, destroying the infidel and winning the world for their false god, Allah. They will get a great shock when they meet the true God on Judgment Day. Pray that many will receive visions and revelations of the Truth, as some have already. Pray that they will be rescued from the Deceiver and the Father of Lies.

• Pray against the advance of the ISIL forces in Iraq and Syria,  and that the Western world will move to stop them before it is too late. Today it is Iraq and Syria, tomorrow Jerusalem and the next day, Europe. As someone in my congregation recently remarked "I am not afraid for Israel, but I fear greatly for Europe".

Psalm 27 (NJKV) from verse 11.

Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
¹² Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
¹³ I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.

¹⁴ Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!