CHRISTMAS IN JERUSALEM

For most Israelis Christmas Day is a working day like any other but I am not sorry to miss out on all the glitz and glitter, and the shopping madness of Christmas abroad. Instead, on Christmas Eve, after a lovely meal with friends, I attended the  annual carol singing service put on by the congregation of Christ Church, in the Old City.  It was very special.  In the understated British way, the church opened its doors for all and sundry with warmth and sincerity, welcoming us all in from the chilly night with warm mulled wine, soup and home-made Christmas cookies. In spite of the cold, and the fact that two Israeli citizens had been brutally killed just a stone's throw away the day before, a good crowd filled the church to overflowing and for several hours we sang and sang all those wonderful songs of Christmas. It was so simple and so real.

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At the Carol Singing in Christ Church, in the Old City

How good it was just to be with brothers and sisters in the Lord to celebrate this special event, the central point perhaps of all human history, the birth of the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus). The following day at my own congregation we sang some of those same Christmas Carols but this time translated into Hebrew. That too was special. Many Messianic believers refuse to celebrate Christmas as it is seen as a Gentile pagan festival. I understand this point of view, but I see it differently. I see the coming of our Lord, even if it didn't happen at this time of the year (and it almost certainly did not), as something worth celebrating. Why not then join in with  the brethren all over the world as we celebrate together. I choose to rejoice in the fact that even if many of the European traditions surrounding Christmas did originate with pagan religion, our Lord Yeshua has overcome all that, just as he took away our old lives, and gave us new life in Him.

 

On Boxing Day, feeling a bit sad as it was the first anniversary of the passing of my mother, I spent a pleasant few hours strolling around the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, rejoicing in the beauty of life and God's creation. There I saw a group of ring-tailed lemurs all cuddling together in a ball and it made me think of  Psalm 133, which says:

 



 

Lemur 'ball' at the Zoo

 

 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!

 It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.
 It is like the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing—
Life forevermore

Psalm 133

This affirmation of life and love stand in stark contrast to the words of death and hatred we hear every day here coming from the followers of the lying god of Islam. This week we passed the '100 days of terror' mark since the first knifing death, on September 14th, of the current terror wave.  Here are the cold statistics, as they appear on the Israel Defense Forces website: (as of December 25 )

• 99 Stabbing attacks
• 35 Shooting attacks
• 21 Car Ramming attacks

https://www.idfblog.com/blog/2015/11/25/live-updates-terror-strikes-israel/

Here is a summary of attacks over just the last two weeks:
December 26
4:20 P.M. – Palestinian rammed car into IDF forces south of Nablus, wounding a soldier. Forces responded and shot the assailant.
December 25
4:55 P.M. – Attempted car ramming attack in Silwad. Assailant shot.
December 24
10:30 A.M. – A Palestinian armed with screwdriver approached checkpoint near Hebron and attempted to stab forces. Forces responded and shot perpetrator.
9:20 A.M. – A Palestinian armed with a knife stabbed two people in Ariel. The two victims were security personnel. They respond and shot assailant.
December 23
1:20 P.M. – Two assailants stabbed 3 Israeli civilians near Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate. 2 people succumbed to their wounds. Assailants shot.  (Note: a third died later)

 

December 20
10:00 P.M. – A gunman shot at IDF forces, damaging a military post near Hebron.
1:00 P.M. – Assailant attempted to stab soldiers in Hebron. Assailant arrested and evacuated for medical treatment.
December 19
4:20 P.M. – Palestinian stabbed 3 Israelis in Raanana. Assailant arrested.
December 18
4:45 P.M. – Car ramming attack thwarted during violent riot near Ramallah. Assailant shot.
3:20 P.M. – Palestinian assailant attempted to ram vehicle into security forces at Kalandia Crossing. Assailant shot.
December 17
11:30 A.M. – Palestinian with knife attempted to stab forces after being approached for questioning. Perpetrator shot.
December 14
7:00 P.M. – Israeli woman wounded after rocks were hurled at her vehicle near Beit Arye.
3:30 P.M. – Driver rams vehicle at pedestrians at entrance to Jerusalem, injuring 11. An ax was found in car. Assailant shot.
https://www.idfblog.com/blog/2015/11/25/live-updates-terror-strikes-israel/

Since this list was published there have been a number of additional attacks, the latest being yesterday (1 January) when a gunman opened fire on people celebrating a birthday in a street-side bar in Tel Aviv . Two young men were killed outright and a further six injured. The attacker, a 29-year old Arab from the Wadi Ara area, has not yet been captured.

Apart from the ongoing so-called "Intifada of the Knives" Israel continues to face threats from several other sources.

Hezbollah in the North

A few days ago, Hezbollah leader,  Hassan Nasrallah threatened a revenge attack on Israel for the assassination of Samir al-Kuntar, a senior Hezbollah official, the previous week in Beirut. Although a rebel group in Syria claimed responsibility, Nasrallah remains convinced that it was carried out by Israel, and he said,
"The response for the assassination of al-Kuntar is coming, there’s no doubt. The Israelis have a reason to be worried, in the border area and outside it,”  and  added that the response was “now up to the resistance fighters.”
https://www.rt.com/news/327216-nasrallah-vows-vengeance-israel/

ISIS in the North, East and South
 



 The ISIS (Dai'esh) leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, also threatened Israel in an audio recording released on Saturday (26th Dec), saying "The Jews thought we forgot Palestine and that they had distracted us from it, ... Not at all, Jews. We did not forget Palestine for a moment. With the help of Allah, we will not forget it… The pioneers of the jihadist fighters will surround you on a day that you think is distant and we know is close. We are getting closer every day." 

 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4744423,00.html

This last week senior IDF officials warned that an ISIS-affiliated group, located in Syria about 15 km from the Israeli border, may be planning a large scale attack on Israel. This group of about 600 fighters possess a large arsenal of weapons, including anti-tank missiles, car bombs, machine guns, tanks and APCs.  http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/57591/idf-serious-isis-threat-massing-israels-northern-border-israel-news/#qAsXyqvOtohS24s2.97

Meanwhile this week there have been further revelations of the awful depth of depravity promoted by ISIS leaders. In May this year US Special Operations Forces in the course of a raid targeting a top Islamic State official in Eastern Syria uncovered a 'treasure trove' of documents and data belonging to ISIS. Two significant Fatwa's (official religious rulings) brought down by the Islamic State's Research and Fatwa Committee were among these documents.  Fatwa 68, made in January 2015 , states that the harvesting of organs from living 'apostates' in order to save the life of a Muslim is permissible. It says:

"The apostate's life and organs don't have to be respected and may be taken with impunity,...

  Organs that end the captive's life if removed: The removal of that type is also not prohibited."

The term 'apostate' is not defined in this Fatwa but the Islamic State has killed or imprisoned non-Muslims, such as Christians, Shiite Muslims, and even Sunni Muslims who don't follow its extremist views. This document does not give proof that such organ harvesting is in fact taking place, but even before it came to light there had been allegations made of such an abomination occurring.

A second Fatwa, number 64, gives a detailed ruling on when and how ISIS "owners" of female captive slaves may or may not have sex with them. The fact that the Islamic State systematically enslaves and condones the rape of captive women is well documented. This Fatwa does not prohibit this practice but rather endorses and justifies it, while specifying some limitations on permitted intercourse.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4744261,00.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-islamic-state-sexslaves-exclusive-idUSKBN0UC0AO20151230
A translation of the Fatwa can be read on http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/doc/slaves_fatwa.pdf

 

A wide number of military powers are actively fighting ISIS and it is hard to get a coherent picture of what is actually happening on the ground.  A US-led coalition has carried out thousands of air strikes against ISIS in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. In addition a Russian-led coalition, an Egyptian-led coalition and an alliance of many Arab nations are all actively engaged in fighting ISIS, creating a confusing mosaic of who holds what and where in the MIddle East. An up-to-date map, as of 1 January 2016, can be viewed on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Syrian,_Iraqi,_and_Lebanese_insurgencies_detailed_map

For a summary of who is doing what the following article gives a summary, from a somewhat American biased viewpoint

http://fox6now.com/2015/11/20/war-against-isis-whos-doing-what/

 

The question remains - are these attempts sufficient to destroy the threat of ISIS both here in the Middle East and elsewhere? There have been some victories.  Last week Islamist fighters were given free passage out of the Yarmouk Palestinian Refugee Camp in Syria in a deal brokered by the UN. This camp once housed 170, 000 Palestinians, who were caught between ISIS and other Islamist groups fighting against the Syrian regime and various rebel groups. ISIS eventually took over the camp and essentially besieged it. Most of the inhabitants fled or were killed by the fighting, disease and starvation. Only 5,000 remain. The 'freeing' of this camp is a small and somewhat hollow victory it would seem, but perhaps a ray of hope.

An apocalyptic scene as survivors in the Yamouk camp queue for food
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4744324,00.html

Hamas in the South

 

Last night  (1 January) missile alert sirens sounded once again in the south of Israel as a volley of at least 4 missiles were fired from Hamas-held Gaza Strip. At least two of the missiles landed inside the Gaza Strip but two landed in Israel in open areas causing no casualties. These ongoing attacks remind us that Hamas still represents a serious threat to Israel.  This past week the IDF (Israel Defense Force) carried out exercises in the south in preparation for the horrifying potential scenario of a school being captured, and children held hostage, by a infiltration of  Hamas terrorists from Gaza.

IDF troops simulate a rescue of school children hostages
https://www.idfblog.com/blog/2015/10/15/parents-worst-nightmare-terrorists-infiltrating-schools/

Hamas has publically admitted that it has instructed sleeper cells in the West Bank to carry out suicide bombings inside the Green Line (in Israel proper). So far this has not happened but recently Shin Bet and the IDF captured and arrested members of one such cell in Abu Dis (an Arab village near Jerusalem which I can actually see from my apartment!) and which was close to carrying out an attack. They also uncovered a lab in which they were manufacturing explosives. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4746811,00.html

 

Happy New Year ?
 

This is the situation as we enter the new year of 2016. What will it bring?  That I cannot answer but I do know that God is still in control and in spite of the threats all around and even within us, Israel is much beloved of God, and He has said that he who harms his chosen people will be destroyed. We cling to these promises and continue to trust in the LORD God of Israel.

 

 Now also many nations have gathered against you,

Who say, “Let her be defiled,

And let our eye look upon Zion.”

 

 But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord,

Nor do they understand His counsel;

For He will gather them like sheaves to the threshing floor.

 

Micah 4: 11-12

 

 

And now for a little light relief....  
 

An ostrich was found taking a stroll in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Gilo.  Unaware of the danger of approaching a large animal whose kick can kill a man, some people posed for selfies and children came out of a nearby school to pat it. Fortunately the ostrich did not attack and was eventually captured by the city veterinary services and the owner. The owner will be charged with keeping a protected wild animal without a license. The ostrich meanwhile has now found a new home in the Biblical Zoo.  Ostriches once roamed the wilderness in Israel but have been extinct  in the wild here since the 1920s. Attempts to reintroduce them to the Negev have so far failed.  

An ostrich takes a stroll down the street in Gilo, Jerusalem
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4745056,00.html

In the Bible ostriches are often linked together with jackals, beasts of the desert, and are a symbol of abandonment. For example, Isaiah prophesied of the fall of Babylon saying,

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
²⁰ It will never be inhabited,
Nor will it be settled from generation to generation;
Nor will the Arabian pitch tents there,
Nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.
²¹ But wild beasts of the desert will lie there,
And their houses will be full of owls;
Ostriches will dwell there,
And wild goats will caper there.
²² The hyenas will howl in their citadels,
And jackals in their pleasant palaces.
Her time is near to come,
And her days will not be prolonged.”

Isaiah 13: 19-22

 

 But speaking of the restoration of Israel, the LORD had this to say:
 

 Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.
The beast of the field will honor Me,
The jackals and the ostriches,
Because I give waters in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert,
To give drink to My people, My chosen.
 This people I have formed for Myself;
They shall declare My praise

Isaiah 43: 19-21.



An ostrich in the Hai Bar Reserve near Eilat

 

'

 

LEARNING TO DANCE IN THE RAIN

http://static1.squarespace.com/static/500af2aac4aa3053c4fc5ae1/t/504231d0e4b0991b72682caa/1346515408754/life-isnt-about-waiting-for-the-storm-to-pass-its-about-learning-to-dance-in-the-rain.jpg

I love the rain. It took me a year or two living in this arid land of Israel, on the edge of the great Saharan-Arabian Desert, to  learn to truly love rain. Now when I look out the window and see rain falling, and hear my neighbor calling for joy from his window, I will  go out to revel in the rain. Rain is joy, it washes the land and the trees and the air, and gives life to every living thing. Every drop that falls is precious. But sometimes you can have too much of a good thing....

On the 25th of October, at 3AM, here in Israel we set our clocks back to winter time. As if on cue,  just an hour or two later, summer fled away and winter came with a bang. The skies opened their treasuries and poured out a deluge of rain over the whole land. After 8 months of 'nary a drop' suddenly we had more rain than we could deal with. On the coastal plain streets turned to raging torrents a meter deep sweeping away cars, garbage bins and everything else in their path. Hundreds of shops and homes were flooded  and strong winds and lightning brought down many trees and power  lines leaving thousands of homes without electricity for  days. After four days without power, some people were just rejoicing in getting their power back, when 'wham' another storm hit causing more damage. Miraculously only two people died, one when a wall collapsed on top of him, but many had to be rescued from flooded cars and homes. 66 mm ( nearly 3 inches) of rain fell in half an hour in Ranaana. In Kfar Saba hailstones the size of tennis balls punched holes straight through car  windscreens.

For more dramatic photos and footage go to http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4717976,00.html



Wednesday 28th October  in Central Israel

Ranaana's main street
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4717497,00.html

Ranaana
 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4717497,00.html
 

Flooding in Herziliya
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4717497,00.html

Here in Jerusalem we got off fairly lightly with just a good wetting rain and a few gusts of wind. This last Friday though I happened to be driving to my congregation in the center of town and the skies opened briefly. Very quickly the streets turned to rivers, manholes burst open and emitted fountains shooting a meter high into the air and stairways became beautiful waterfalls. It was all over in  few minutes but it was a reminder that even here, on our mountaintop, rain can bring destruction as well as new life.

 

Yesterday I was emailing a friend who is a tour guide at the reconstruction of Moses' Tabernacle at Timna Park, near Eilat (some of you may have visited this enterprise and it is a very popular tourist destination). She filmed a flash flood that swept through the Park and the Tabernacle doing much damage. It gives you some idea of the power of flash floods in the desert.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwa2K3DPJn0

 

This week has been a bit less dramatic but we did have a nasty sandstorm on Wednesday which put the air pollution index some 70 times above normal but it only lasted a day before some nice heavy winter rains washed the sky clear again.

 

The arrival of winter in Israel always comes as a bit of a shock even though we  anticipate it anxiously. After around 8 months of continuously hot, dry weather the arrival of the first rains always seems to catch us out. It is funny seeing us all struggling through knee deep streams on the streets in our summer sandals and T-shirts soaked through to the skin. It takes us a while to make the adjustment to having to wear shoes, or even rubber boots, sweaters, and raincoats, and to carry about our battered umbrellas. You forget from year to year just how inconvenient and even unpleasant rain can be, but somehow after a short time, we rearrange our closets, dust off our heaters,  and get on with the new reality of cold, wet weather.

 

It seems that God has equipped us humans with an amazing capacity to adapt and cope with change and adversity. About two months ago, we Jerusalemites were faced with a drastic change in our living conditions. Violence has spiraled with rioting in various parts of the city, cars ramming into groups of people at bus stops and intersections, and random knife attacks. At first we were in a state of shock and fear, but we are now growing used to the new status quo. When the rains come you get out your rubber boots and umbrellas, make the adjustment, and get on with life. With violence now a daily part of our life, we likewise find ways to cope with the new reality. Although most of us feel a degree of fear and anxiety, we mostly manage to put it into the back of our consciousness and concentrate on other things. We may carry a loaded gun or a can of pepper spray, avoid the trouble spots and watch carefully the people around us on the street, but somehow we get on with life.

Of course there are also some do not manage to conquer their fear, and they hide themselves away.  Shops are reporting a drastic drop in business, restaurants are empty and some tourists are cancelling their trips. This is of course affecting our economy quite seriously.  However last night a friend and I braved the cold, wet weather and went to a popular gathering place for a meal. I was pleasantly surprised to see that all the restaurants there were quite full and a number of people, wrapped up in coats and scarves, were enjoying the free, live entertainment in the courtyard.

There is a belief here held by many people that even though there are dangers in going out to these sorts of places, we must do so, because if we don't we are giving the enemy victory over us. Israelis, known to be a 'stiff-necked' people, have a stubborn determination to 'make life' in spite of all.

 

The frequency  of terror attacks in Jerusalem  seems to have diminished slightly over the last two weeks, probably because of the intense level of surveillance, the watchfulness of the general public, the fact that many are armed, and the presence of 4000 police on the streets. All these measures make it much more difficult to carry out a successful attack, and quite a few would-be terrorists have been neutralized before they managed to kill anyone. The terror activity consequently seems to have moved more towards the outlying areas, especially around Hebron, and along route 60 north of Ramallah. These areas have borne the brunt of most of the attacks lately. In recent days the nature of the attacks has also changed with several shooting incidents carried out by operatives of identified terror organizations. This is a worrying development as these organization have access to guns and the equipment and know-how to make bombs.

 

A day in the life of Israel

We are still experiencing  4-5 attacks per day somewhere around the country. Here, for example,  is an excerpt from todays Ynetnews:

 

 A car attack wounded four pedestrians at Tapuah junction in the West Bank on Sunday morning. Two people in their 20s were wounded moderately and seriously while a pregnant woman was lightly injured. A woman suffered light-to-moderate wounds. 
Less than two hours later, a knife attack at the entrance to Beitar Illit lightly wounded one person. The attacker was shot dead.

 
At Tapuah, The terrorist drove rapidly towards a group of Israelis standing at a hitchhiking station before colliding with them. Border Two Border Police officers who are permanently stationed at the junction shot at the assailant, who ran into a concrete barrier, and killed him. He was identified at Sulemain Shaheen, 22, of Ramallah.
 

Scene of attack (Photo: Naftali Meir)

 
Four Israelis were wounded in three separate West Bank terror attacks on Friday, while another attack was averted when the perpetrator was shot dead.

 
An Israeli was stabbed near Sha'ar Binyamin, two were shot near Hebron's Cave of the Patriarchs, another was shot near Hebron, and a Palestinian 72-year-old widow was shot dead when she tried to run soldiers over with a car.

 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4722381,00.html

Behind all this the incitement of Palestinian propaganda continues. On Sunday the 25th of October, the Grand  Mufti of Jerusalem,  Sheikh Muhammad Hussein,  when asked during a TV interview if he accepts that the Jewish Temple existed on the Temple Mount said " the Aksa Mosque was an Islamic mosque since the world was created", and added that "It was never anything other than a mosque", thus claiming that there never was a Jewish temple on the site.  http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Grand-mufti-There-was-never-a-Jewish-Temple-on-Temple-Mount-430131

This rewriting of history is curious in that until 1948 (when the Jewish State of Israel was founded) their own Wakf handbooks clearly stated that the "that the Dome of the Rock is situated on the indisputable and universally accepted site of Solomon’s Temple”.

Last week Benjamin Netanya created a stir, when in a speech to the World Zionist Congress, he claimed that at a meeting between the then-Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, and Hitler in November 1941 it was the Mufti who suggested the 'final solution' of extermination of the Jews to Hitler, who at the time wanted to 'merely' expel the Jews from Europe.

Netanyahu claimed that  al-Hajj Amin al-Husseini went to Hitler and said, ‘If you expel them, they’ll all come here [to Palestine].’” According to Netanyahu, Hitler then asked what he should do with them, to which the mufti replied, “Burn them.”

 



The Grand Mufti, Husseini, and Hitler in 1941
https://ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/mufti-and-hitler.jpg

 

There is currently much debate as to whether this conversation went exactly as Netanyahu claimed or not, and the fact remains that Hitler's program of extermination had already begun before this meeting, nevertheless there is no doubt that the influence of the Mufti and other Middle Eastern leaders greatly encouraged Hitler and supported his efforts.

 

Wolfgang G. Schwanitz, a historian and scholar at the Middle East Forum,  has studied this relationship in depth, and had this to say:

 

But there is much evidence to support Netanyahu’s underlying claim that the grand mufti had a substantial (and for a non-European, unparalleled) influence on the genocide that unfolded in Nazi-occupied Europe and that was planned for the Middle East as well.

After years of inciting violence against Jews as Jerusalem’s grand mufti (notably in 1920, 1929 and 1936), claiming “al-Aksa is in danger,” Husseini found an ally in Hitler’s Berlin during the 1930s. Husseini and many other Arabs of his day saw themselves as a defeated and humiliated people, much like the Germans after World War I. Nazi ideology therefore resonated deeply in the Arab world. In 1933, Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf, was serialized in Arab newspapers and became a best-seller.

The Germans encouraged the mufti’s activities, even providing funds and weapons for the 1936-39 Palestinian revolt led by Husseini. The mufti had a steady link to the Nazi security service from 1937 on.

That year, Husseini called on all Muslims to rid their lands of Jews and drafted a Nazi-Islamist pact encouraging the spread of Nazi ideology, and boycotts of Jewish goods, among other provisions. In 1941, he instigated the al-Farhud pogrom in Iraq. Above all, the mufti called for the Axis powers to stop any Jewish influx into the Middle East.

On November 28, 1941, the mufti met with Hitler and the two appeared to come to an understanding that Jews would be killed rather than deported, an option hitherto still under consideration. Although Nazi mass shootings of European Jews began soon after the June 1941 invasion of Soviet Russia, plans for their comprehensive extermination came after this first Hitler-Husseini meeting. At that time the Germans expected the Middle East to become the next theater of war and were therefore averse to disrupting their Arab-Islamist alliance by flooding the region with Jewish refugees.

Adolf Eichmann and his subordinates frequently briefed Husseini, who now lived in comfort in Germany, on the ongoing genocide, as if to reassure him that Hitler had not changed his mind. Husseini met six times with Eichmann, who testified in Jerusalem years later about the mufti’s fierce opposition to the mass transfer of Jews to Palestine. SS Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler met Husseini in mid-1943 and told him that three million Jews had been liquidated so far.

Eichmann’s aide Dieter Wisliceny testified at the Nuremberg trials, “The mufti was one of the initiators of the systematic extermination of European Jewry ... He was one of Eichmann’s best friends and had constantly incited him to accelerate the extermination measures. I heard him say, accompanied by Eichmann, he had visited incognito the gas chambers of Auschwitz.”

Husseini certainly believed his encouragement of Hitler and others to destroy the Jews of Europe was decisive in their decision to do so. He wrote in his memoirs that “world Jewry wanted to bring the Eastern European Jews to Palestine ... Germany agreed to this ... [w]e were able to foil this effort.”

The mufti further explained, “This caused the Jews to put ugly blame on me for being responsible for the liquidation of 400,000 Jews who were then not able to travel to Palestine,” referencing the known number of Hungarian Jews, half of whom perished.

“The Jews demanded to try me in Nuremberg as a war criminal.” Indeed, he put photocopies of those letters in his memoirs.

Beyond this, the mufti’s role in recruiting and indoctrinating Muslim SS troops in the Balkans and Soviet Asia makes him responsible for still more victims.

 

http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Netanyahu-was-right-about-Hitler-and-the-Mufti-432055

 

The debate over the veracity of Netanyahu's stated facts is somewhat missing the point of his remarks, which were intended to demonstrate that the lies, incitement, disinformation and violence directed against the Jewish people today is nothing new.  The parallels between today's anti-Israel propaganda, the incitement and the willingness of the people of the world to believe these lies, and the events and atmosphere leading up to the Holocaust are ominously similar. I suspect the Holocaust of WWII was just a practice-run for the great battle yet to come, the battle when Jerusalem will become the 'cup of drunkenness' spoken of in Zechariah 12:

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. ³ And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.

 

The stage is being set for the great battle for Jerusalem when all the nations of the world will rise up against her.

In fact the enmity between Palestinians and Israelis does not derive from the settlements or the occupation following the 1967 war, or even the establishment of the Jewish State. It goes back long before that. I believe this can be traced back centuries and even millennia right back to the original conflict between Cain and Abel. In fact this is the subject of a book I am currently writing. Here is an excerpt from the second chapter:

After Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, Eve gave birth to two sons, Cain the elder and his brother Abel. Abel grew up and became a keeper of sheep and Cain was a farmer, a tiller of the ground. In due course, they brought offerings to the LORD. Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground and Abel brought of the first-born of his flock, and we are told that God respected the offering of Abel, but not that of Cain. Understandably perhaps, Cain felt rejected and angry, but God came to him saying, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” (Genesis 4: 6-7).

 

In these words lies a fundamental principle, which underlies all God’s dealings with man and which underpins all of human history. Cain brought an unacceptable offering to the Lord. He had not done well, and his offering had been rejected by God. At first glance it seems that Cain had been treated unfairly by God. How was Cain to know what would constitute an acceptable offering? It is not totally clear in the Scripture, but some say that Cain should have known. In Genesis 3:21 we read that after Adam and Eve had sinned and become aware of their nakedness, God had killed some animals and made them tunics of skin. This is the first time that we see in Scripture the necessity of the shedding of blood for the covering of the results of sin. This happened before Cain was born but he would surely have known about it. Perhaps therefore he should have understood that the shedding of blood was required. Be that as it may, there can be no argument that Cain chose to do things ‘his way’ and not God’s way, whether knowingly or not.

 

From the passage quoted above it seems to me that Cain’s incorrect sacrifice was not counted as sin at that point, and God gave him an opportunity to correct his mistake. Cain still had the choice whether or not to let sin enter into his life. He could have simply brought to God the acceptable sacrifice and found full acceptance. However he chose otherwise. He allowed jealousy and anger to rule over him, and this ultimately led to the murder of his innocent brother.

 

Even after this terrible act, God gave Cain one last chance to repent, when He spoke with him saying, “Where is your brother Abel?”, but Cain refused to take responsibility for what he had done and lied to God (Genesis 4:9-10) thereby increasing the trespass even more. Consequently God cursed him saying, “So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand”. The word, ארור, here translated as ‘cursed’ implies that the very nature of something has changed. It also carries a sense of finality. There will be no more chances. Now Cain has so hardened his heart against God he will no longer listen to Him, nor even to his own conscience. Interestingly enough, if we continue reading in Genesis 4 we see that one of Cain’s descendants, Lamech, was also a murderer and even presumed to claim the ‘mark of Cain’ to protect him from vengeance ‘seventy seventy-fold’ (Genesis 4:23-24). If we harden our hearts against God there is a tendency to slide ever deeper into sin and this tendency is very often passed on down the generations.

 

Incidentally, we are told that Cain went out from the presence of the Lord (Genesis 4:16). This passage does not say that God cast him out from His presence. God had merely told Cain that he would be cursed from the ground, which would no longer yield its strength to him and he would become a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth. Yet Cain exaggerated the situation, and added his own interpretation, saying “I shall be hidden from your Face… and it will happen to me that anyone who finds me will kill me”. His anger and his sense of rejection caused him to perceive his punishment as being worse than God intended, and this just fueled his indignation and intensified his anger. It was this that drove him out from the presence of God. Thus it was Cain who rejected God, not the other way around.

 

Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod to the east of Eden (Genesis 4:16). Where was the land of Nod?  We are told it was east of Eden and some believe it to have been the Arabian Peninsula. The land of Nod may not have been an actual place since this phrase could also be translated as the land of wandering, an allusion to the type of life Cain and his descendents would experience as fugitives and vagabonds.

 

As we continue to read through the historical books of the Old Testament we see this pattern, repeated again and again. Every individual and every nation faces exactly the same choice, then as it is today. Will we do it God’s way, or rebel and go our own way? Will we choose obedience or rebellion, love or murder? Will we accept God or reject him? Will we cooperate with him towards redemption or will we fight against him?

This is what I have called the Cain Principle and it underlies all of human history, from the time of the Fall until now. We can see it at work on many levels, but especially we can see it as it relates to the chosen line of the Messiah. The Enemy, Satan, works through mankind trying to bring to naught God’s redemption plan. If he, Satan, can arouse our jealousy and anger towards God’s chosen, he can lead us to murder. This is the root of the ancient enmity, towards God’s chosen, both Israel and the saints in Yeshua (Jesus).

Throughout all of recorded history the nations surrounding Israel walked in hatred against her, attacking her again and again. This enmity was driven by jealousy and fear which gives rise to hatred and finally murder. This I believe is the true root off all anti-Semitism in all nations and individuals who do not stand with Israel as God's chosen people. God has chosen the stiff-necked people of Israel to be the bearers of the historical record, the promises of God and his law, which we call the Word of God. Two thousand years ago they also gave birth to the incarnate Word, Yeshua (Jesus), the Messiah of Israel. This is God's way. Are you willing to accept it? Or will you fight against it? Is your nation willing to accept it or will they stand in opposition? Are you with God or against Him?
 

 

BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) and the European Union

 

 

This coming week, on the 11th of November (Ironically - Armistice Day!) the EU is expected to announce new measures requiring member countries to re-label all goods made outside 'Israel's internationally recognized borders', that is within the "Occupied Territories" or the West Bank.

The EU ambassador to Israel, Lars Faaborg-Andersen, told Israel Television last Tuesday that  in the EU goods made in the Territories can no longer be designated 'Made in Israel', but  labels must say that the product is made in a settlement in the West Bank. Such a move resonates in Israeli hearts with memories of similar labeling of Jewish goods in Germany before the Holocaust. 

 

Although the EU is disassociating this move from the BDS movement it is clearly intended to promote the boycotting of goods made in the Settlements, and ultimately encouraging the boycotting of all Israeli goods worldwide. Great Britain, Belgium and Denmark have already instituted similar labeling guidelines. The EU has already removed goods made in the Settlements from the duty-free status awarded to other Israeli-made goods according to a free-trade agreement with Israel.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/middle-east/article43192584.html

 

Such moves will not seriously affect the Israeli economy as a whole since such goods represent less than 1% of exports, but it will seriously affect the economy of the Palestinians themselves. At least 20,000 Palestinians are employed by settlement-run factories and even more are involved in the construction  and service of the settlements themselves. The Palestinian factory workers earn on average about 4000 shekels a month and are entitled to all the benefits of an Israeli worker - health care, pension plans and holiday pay. This compares to the average income of other Palestinians in the West Bank which is about 1000 shekels a month, with no additional benefits.  It is hard to see how destroying these jobs will benefit the Palestinians and promote peace.

 

Are you, followers of the LORD God of Israel, willing to stand for Israel, and God's redemption plan, in your countries? Are you willing to speak out against the BDS and other expressions of anti-Semitism? I believe that now is the time we all need to be willing to 'stand and be counted'. Things are coming to a climax. God will judge all those who oppose him, nations and individuals alike, and that time may well be soon. According to the prophecy of Zechariah quoted above all the nations who come against Jerusalem will be destroyed. This is the warning for our days. Pray for your nations that they may be found on the 'right' side, and for yourselves also.

 

It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem

 

Zechariah 12: 9