TRUCE?

It is Shabbat again (10/11) and I am looking out the window at an approaching thunderstorm rumbling away in the distance. 

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
The God of glory thunders;
The Lord is over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty

Psalm 29:3-4 

Now the first drops of rain are falling. How beautiful is the sound of rain on the Land. We have had a few thunderstorms this week and I hope it is just the beginning of a really good rainy season which will cleanse the Land, and fill the rivers, lakes and aquifers on which we all depend. Please keep praying for good rain, strong and steady, but not excessively so, for that can cause serious flooding and much damage. 

A rain storm over the  Sharon Plain from Bitan Aaron  2009
Copyright: Talia Voice

Yesterday flash floods again struck Jordan as heavy rain fell in desert areas. At least 13 people were killed and 3700 tourists had to be evacuated from the ancient city of Petra, one of Jordan's main tourist attractions. Searches for missing people continue (1). Three Israelis were among the missing but they have been found. This comes just two weeks after 21 people were killed, mainly children on a school outing, as they were swept away by flash floods in the same area. A State of Emergency has been declared in the area of Aqaba on the Red Sea and schools, universities and roads closed. The mountains on the eastern side of the Dead Sea (in Jordan) rise considerably higher than those of the western side of the Rift Valley (the Judean Hills) and therefore receive a much higher rainfall. 

On the same day around 50 Israeli hikers had to be rescued from the Negev because of flash flooding, in spite of many warnings not to go into the desert.  

This past week Hamas announced that it had reached a truce agreement brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the UN. They emphasized that Israel was not a party to the agreement.  It has been difficult to learn the exact terms of the ceasefire but it seems that in the short term the Gaza Strip will receive more medical supplies, its fishing zone will be extended to 16km (12 miles), and it will receive money from Qatar to pay public servants and for more electricity from Israel.  In addition, some 50,000 Gazans will be given permits to work in Israel. Over the next 6 months Hamas will endeavor to reduce the March of Return border protests and in return, Israel will undertake electricity, sewerage and water projects and open a sea route from Gaza to Cyprus (2) . 

A total of $US 90 million is to be transferred from Qatar to Gaza over the next 6 months to pay the salaries of civil servants and to aid the needy.  On Thursday this week the first monthly installment, $US15 in cash, was carried by Qatari Ambassador, Mohammed Al-Emadi, in suitcases via the Erez Crossing from Israel. According to the "Times of Israel,  "Qatar has also said it would hand out $100 to each of 50,000 poor families, as well as larger sums to Palestinians wounded in clashes along Gaza’s border with Israel"(3). Another $10 million were earmarked for electricity payments. This infusion of cash is intended to ease the suffering of Gazan people and defuse the border demonstrations, but apparently not all are happy about it. As Al-Emadi prepared to leave the strip some Gazan teens threw stones and smashed his bodyguard's car (4). A case of biting the hand that feeds you! 

The Qatari handout also evoked an angry reaction from Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. The PA is trying to wrest back control over the Gaza strip and some time ago had stopped the payment of the salaries and imposed strict sanctions on the Strip, in an effort to bring down the Hamas government. The Qatari handouts undermine his plans. 

Reaction to the so-called Truce Agreement here is mixed. Some are relieved that we are not going to war has been staved off for now, but others are skeptical, and still others are angry that it appears we have sold out to Hamas. 

Although I agree that something had to be done to ease the suffering of the Gazan population,  I  do feel that by allowing these concessions to Hamas, we are sending the wrong message. Essentially these concessions reward Hamas for the months of border violence we have suffered at their hands. No doubt they will see this as a victory. Already Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official told reporters that " Today, we see some fruits of the protests — the partial breaking of the siege on Gaza,” I am also skeptical that the violence will decrease significantly. Hamas has already let the genie out of the bottle. It will not be easy to stuff it back in!  

Yesterday the border violence continued although numbers are said to have decreased to only (!) about 12,000 protestors, compared to the around 16,000 the week before. Some of the 'protestors'  tried to attack IDF positions and sabotage the border fence. One Palestinian was shot dead and at least 37 injured as the IDF responded, according to the Gazan-run Health Ministry. Today a Gazan activist infiltrated through the border fence and entered an Israeli community and set fire to an agricultural greenhouse causing hundreds of thousands of shekels of damage (5).  

This week some 6,000 Israeli high school students from the Gaza perimeter communities marched the 90 km from the Gaza border to Jerusalem in order to protest the ongoing situation there and the failure of the government to protect them from the rocket fire and incendiary fires emanating from Gaza. Many of them have known nothing else but the constant threat of rocket attacks, and now also the incendiary fires. This is no way to grow up and many suffer ongoing trauma symptoms. 

The young people walked under banners saying "Let Us Grow Up in Peace"  and their journey took 5 days in often wet and miserable weather conditions. Many of their peers joined them along the way and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin greeted them as they entered Jerusalem with these words:

"How fortunate are the people whose youngsters march at its head, and happy are the parents who raised their children with such a feeling of national pride, of love of the country, of such a meaningful connection to our wonderful country. You are not the young people of the area around Gaza, you are the young people that embrace the whole country. We hear your call and it breaks our hearts. I promise you: we will not, and we must not, let the Code Red alarm become a routine. Red will remain the color of the wildflowers that grow in the area.”  (6)

Wildflowers in the Negev
Copyright: Talia Voice

Rivlin then walked the remaining distance with them to the Rose Garden opposite the Knesset building. One of the marchers, Roi Rahaf, a 12th Grade student from Kibbutz Miflasim explained, 

 “Our message is that we want change,”  “Ever since we were born we have been living between wars… The government has the power to change this, which is why we are marching to the Knesset. It is a march to arouse awareness regarding what is occurring in the Gaza vicinity, to tell our story of youth dealing with the difficult security situation. It is a long and enriching journey”(6). 

Participants in the  5-day, 90 km Youth March from Gaza to Jerusalem
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5392985,00.html

12 November

In the last two hours some 200 rockets have been fired into Israeli territory from Gaza. This is an ongoing action. Rockets are still falling and the situation far from clear.  What I do know is that two were injured, one seriously, when a rocket hit a bus. A mini-market is on fire after gas bottles outside it burst into flames, and a factory sustained a direct hit in Sderot and a house in Netivot was also hit and destroyed. Hamas has warned that unless Israel stops its operations in Gaza they will extend the range of rocket fire, and already this has happened with 'code red' sirens sounded in the Dead Sea region and in Ashkelon and Beer Sheva. A report is just coming in of a direct hit on a house in Ashkelon. The IDF reports that they have attacked some 30 military targets in the Gaza Strip, in a measured response. 

This latest salvo of rocket fire began at 5:40 this evening, just as people would have been coming home from work and shopping. This after a period of quiet since 1:40 AM. The current escalation began yesterday when a group of Israeli special forces entered Khan Yunis, a city in southern Gaza Strip, apparently on an intelligence gathering mission. Israeli often carries out such incursions but this time it went wrong. Hamas operatives spotted them and opened fire killing the officer in charge, Lt-Colonel M, and seriously injuring a second.  During the exchange of fire a senior Hamas officer and 6 other Hamas operatives were killed. With their vehicle damaged the Israeli soldiers destroyed it, and were forced to evacuate under fire and on foot. The Israeli Air Force provided cover. Amazingly they managed to reach Israeli territory bringing with them the body of Lt.Col. M and the injured soldier, thus preventing a situation in which Hamas would take hostages, always our worst fear.  

During the night some 17 rockets were fired into Israel by Hamas and Israel continued to attack targets in and around Khan Yunis. Around 1:40 AM all fell quiet. Schools in the south were closed for the day, the train line closed and some roads declared a closed military zone, but apart from that people cautiously returned to work, until this evening when this latest round of rocket fire began. 

The latest reports are that some 14 Israelis have been hospitalized with injuries, including at least one seriously, who still fighting for his life. The family dog was killed at one of the houses that was hit.  One young girl was hospitalized when her fingers were shut in the door of the bomb shelter, and others injured as they fell while running for the shelters.  These numbers could yet rise as reports are still coming in and the rockets continue to fall. 

What will happen in the coming hours is anyone's guess. Schools will remain closed and residents in the south have been instructed to stay in their bomb shelters or within 30 seconds of them.  Pray for God's mercy for all of us, Israelis and Gazans together. Is it too late to hope for peace?  Has the situation gone beyond the point of no return? If war breaks out, what will be the end result? Israel does not want to occupy Gaza but the situation cannot continue. There is increasing pressure on the government to solve the problem once and for all. But what would that involve? Israel does not want to occupy Gaza but the prophet Zephaniah prophesied of the time when Gaza would be returned to its rightful occupiers, the tribe of Judah.  Perhaps that time is drawing close.

In the day of the Lord’s anger.  For Gaza shall be forsaken,...The seacoast shall be pastures,With shelters for shepherds and folds for flocks.7 The coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah;

Zephaniah 2: 3-4, 6-7

Mayoral Elections in Jerusalem and Haifa

Earlier this month local body elections were held. According to the Law a winning candidate must win at least 40% of the votes, and if not a second round of elections must be held. In both Haifa and Jerusalem no candidate won more than 40% and consequently the second round will be held tomorrow. In Jerusalem the candidates are Moshe Lion and Ofer Berkovitch.  Lion has the support of the ultra-orthodox faction Shas and part of United Torah Judaism and has been accused of backroom dealing. Berkovitch has served years on the City Council with an unsullied record and has the support of the more secular population of the city (7). Please pray for the outcome of this crucial election. May God's will be done!

There are many things I could write about but as I want to get this published I will stop for now. 

Our Father in heaven,Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.Your will be doneOn earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6: 9-10 

References:

1. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/10/jordan-flash-floods-kill-eleven-and-forced-tourists-to-flee

2. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5395425,00.html

3. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-qatar-said-to-agree-to-sea-crossing-between-cyprus-and-gaza-strip/

4. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5394624,00.html

5. https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-infiltrates-gaza-border-fence-nabbed-after-intense-manhunt/
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5395425,00.html

6. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5392985,00.html

7. https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-shock-lion-and-berkovitch-appear-headed-for-runoff-in-jerusalem

A JERUSALEM SPRING

 

I awoke this morning to see clouds of 'smoke' rising from amongst the trees around my building. Fearing a fire I leapt out of bed to investigate, and to my relief, saw that it was just clouds of pollen smoking off the cypress trees. Spring is here, almost a month early this year, and the pollen season has begun. Woe to all hay fever sufferers! 

Then I opened my Bible and read about how Solomon built the first temple. He bought cedar and cypress wood from the King of Lebanon and lined the stone temple walls and ceiling with beams and planks of cedar ('erez' in Hebrew). The floor was made of cypress ('brosh' in Hebrew) (1 Kings 6). 

The cedar (Cedrus libani)  and the cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) are both native to the Eastern Mediterranean region and reference to them is frequent in the Bible. Both produce a hard, close-grained resinous and fragrant wood that is naturally insect proof - ideal for building purposes. The cedar is popularly known as the Cedar of Lebanon and grows only above 1000m altitude. As such it is mostly confined to the high mountains of Lebanon, but in Israel a few can be found scattered on the slopes of Mt Hermon.  The cypress is more common and thrives in the mountains of Judah where it co-exists with the Jerusalem pine and many other shrubs and bushes.



Cypress trees in the Jerusalem Forest
https://whereintheworldarebillandcindy.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/image67.jpg

 God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah had this to say,

"I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
¹⁸ I will open rivers in desolate heights,
And fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
And the dry land springs of water.
¹⁹ I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree,
The myrtle and the oil tree;
I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine
And the box tree together,
²⁰ That they may see and know,
And consider and understand together,
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
And the Holy One of Israel has created it".

Isaiah 41: 18-19
 

The cypress and the cedar are then part of the promises of God regarding the restoration of Israel in her land. They speak of health and bounty and prosperity. How wonderful it is to see this once neglected and almost totally deforested land once again covered in green forest. Israel is the only country in the world where the forests are actually increasing! Israelis love their trees and revere every one that grows. It is almost impossible to get a permit to cut even one down. The prophecy of Isaiah quoted above therefore has truly been fulfilled.

 Last weekend  I drove out through the miles and miles of the Judean forest land and was so blessed by the trees and wildflowers along the way. This is truly a beautiful land- a land of milk and honey indeed.  Here are a few of my photos.



Anenomes  in the wildflower meadows

Judean bugloss and a crown daisy

Anenome and  dyers alkanet

Almonds - the first of the flowering trees to blossom  in late winter

Sheep and goats grazing amongst the  flowers of the Judean shepelah (foothills) with winter wheat growing in the valley

 On a day like today when the sun is shining, it is neither too hot nor too cold, and the flowers and trees are blooming in all this splendor,  I cannot understand how anyone can hate or kill or maim. Yet, sadly, they do.

Yael and Tuvia Weissman

The recent weeks have been no exception. Over the last two weeks there have been a number of terror attacks against Israeli citizens. On Thursday last week two 14-year-old Palestinian youths attacked and wounded a shopper in a supermarket in Shaar Binyamin, north of Jerusalem. An off-duty, unarmed soldier, Tuvia Weissman (21) heard the screams and ran to the rescue, and as a result was himself stabbed to death. He leaves behind his childhood sweetheart and wife, Yael and a four-month old baby girl called Neta.  The two attackers were shot, one fatally, by an armed civilian. http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/28364/Default.aspx?topic=article_title 


This tragic event has led to the IDF changing its standing orders for off-duty soldiers, requiring them to carry their weapons even when on vacation http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4769554,00.html.  This makes sense at a time when even civilians are being encouraged to carry weapons. The quick intervention of armed civilians has on many occasions prevented additional casualties and neutralized attackers.

Sadly, things can sometimes go wrong. This last Wednesday a 26-year old Palestinian school teacher attacked with a knife an Israeli officer, Captain Eliav Gelman, at the Gush Etzion Junction. This junction has gained notoriety as the scene of at least 10  attacks in the last five months. A soldier nearby saw the attack taking place and opened fire on the terrorist neutralizing him. Sadly however a stray bullet hit Gelman also. Gelman later died of his injuries, leaving behind a wife in the seventh month of her pregnancy. http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Terrorist-stabbing-attack-at-Gush-Etzion-Junction-one-injured-445937

In the early hours of  Friday morning a 48 year old,  unarmed security guard at a supermarket in Maaleh Adumim, east of Jerusalem, was attacked by a Palestinian wielding an axe. The attacker fled the scene and still has not been apprehended. The security guard was critically injured and is still fighting for his life.

Scene of terror attack in Ma'ale Adumim (Photo: Medabrim b'Tikshoret
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4771223,00.html

This brings the death toll as a result of terror attacks over the last 5 months to 33. In addition, over 300 have been treated for injuries by the Magen David Adom (The Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross). At least 30 of these sustained serious injuries. In addition many Palestinian terrorists have been killed or injured, some of them children. Such a waste, a terrible, tragic waste, and for what?

There are those who call the current wave of terror a Third Intifada. It is far from that. An Intifada is a general uprising of the whole population. The current violence is being carried out by a relatively small number of young men and women, many of them mere children.  In spite of calls for a third Intifada, the general population of the Palestinian areas has not risen up. In fact, a recent poll carried out by the reliable and prestigious Palestinian  research institute, Awad, indicated that only 42% of Palestinians today support a third Intifada, down from the 63% who supported it in December. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4763051,00.html

In another development this week the Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon, Mohammad Fathali, announced that Iran will support the "Jerusalem Intifada" by giving to the family of every martyr the sum of $US 7,000 and to every family, whose home is demolished by the IDF, $US 30,000 http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Iran-offers-financial-reward-for-families-of-potential-Palestinian-intifada-martyrs-445966. This will provide an added incentive  for Palestinians to carry out attacks against Israelis, and clearly demonstrates Iran's role in financing terror.


Meanwhile our eyes are also on the deteriorating situation on our borders, especially in Syria.  At midnight last night the US and Russian brokered partial "cessation of hostilities" came into effect. This temporary truce includes Assad's army and some 97 different rebel militias. It does not however include the Islamic State (ISIS), the Al Qaida linked  al-Nusra, and the Islamist groups, Ahrar al-Sham and Jaish al-Islam http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35643151. 

This fragile truce is perhaps the first sign of hope for the Syrian people in this awful 5-year old conflict in which more than 250,000 Syrians have been killed, and over 11 million driven from their homes. Will the 'cessation of hostilities' hold? It seems doubtful and already today there are reports of some violations, although the Russians have halted their airstrikes and relative quiet has fallen in most areas covered by the truce. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4771356,00.html

The conflict in Syria is extremely complex. There are about 160 different warring factions. At the core is the Syrian Arab Army loyal to President Assad and the government. This is supported by many paramilitary groups and militias trained and financed by Iran and Russia. Opposing them is a loose confederation of groups collectively known as the Free Syrian Army and these are backed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, France, the UK and the USA. In the north the Kurds, an ethnic minority in Syria, is fighting for autonomy and to protect its area from the advancing Islamic State (ISIS). They now hold a large region in the north of Syria. The Kurds are also fighting Turkey. The Islamic State has seized considerable tracts of Syrian and Iraqi land. They are also in conflict with the al-Qaida backed al Nusra fighters. Below is a map of the current situation on the ground as of the 8 February.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/25/middleeast/syria-civil-war-q-and-a/index.html

Here in Israel we view with great concern the developing situation around us, especially the cooperation of Assad, Russia and Iran, supported oddly enough by the USA. In the days leading up to the current cessation of hostilities Russia and Assad carried out a massive bombardment of rebel held areas in order to consolidate Assad's government and expand the territory under its control. This has not exactly sown the seeds of peace.   


On a more positive note, about 2000 Syrians have received treatment in Israeli hospitals over the last two years. Although some of these have been civilian women and children the majority have been young fighters. This has raised some debate here in Israel. Should we be using taxpayer's money to treat injured Syrians when our hospitals are already full to bursting point. However staff at the hospitals are adamant that they do not differentiate between patients. They treat everyone that crosses the thresholds of the hospital the same. They do not even know from which militia or army their patients have come. One doctor put it this way, "We don't know who our patients are — Jabhat al-Nusra, the FSA, the Syrian Army. We can't tell, and it wouldn't make a difference".
Another doctor had this to say, "When you are a doctor, you don't get to know who is good and who is bad. You treat everyone ... And as a doctor, you can't take a side...This is a humanitarian mission and I am very proud to do it." 

Apart from the humanitarian side there is also another reason why it is to Israel's advantage to treat these patients. Every healed person who returns to his village knows that Israel and Israelis are not the Arab-hating monsters they have been taught to hate. Some have even acknowledged that Israeli hospitals are the best in the world. I don't know if that is true but they certainly surpass those in Syria and Jordan, which often do not have X-ray machines, CT scanners or even electricity.  It is hoped that these acts of goodwill  will serve to undermine the Syrian desire to fight us.

A prosthetic limb and an external fixator on a Syrian patient. (Photo via Ziv Medical Center)

https://news.vice.com/article/inside-the-hospital-where-israeli-doctors-treat-syrian-patients

As Yeshua (Jesus) taught us:

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven

Matthew 5: 43-48.