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ISRAEL
- WILL U.S. PUSH ISRAEL TO CONCEDE BIBLICAL HEARTLAND?
November 27, 2008 - By: Aaron Klein - WorldNetDaily - The Palestinian
Authority has asked the U.S. to impose sanctions on Israel if
the Jewish state continues building any new housing structures
in the strategic and historic West Bank, a top PA source told
WND. The source, who works from PA President Mahmoud Abbas' office,
said the threat of sanctions would be part of a series of Israeli-Palestinian
understandings to be guaranteed by the U.S. that both sides are
trying to reach before January.
- The understandings, the source said, would result in an eventual
Israeli withdrawal from the vast majority of the West Bank, an
area rich in biblical history and significance. Last week, informed
Israeli and Palestinian sources told WND that despite media reports
painting a dismal picture of negotiation prospects, Israel and
the PA are still quietly working to conclude a major agreement
before President Bush leaves office at the end of the year. Aside
from a major West Bank withdrawal, the agreement would also grant
the PA permission to open official institutions in Jerusalem
but would postpone talks on the future status of the capital
city until new Israeli and U.S. governments are installed next
year. Continued:
- http://support.tjci.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5473
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- MAP OF "PALESTINE" ERASING ISRAEL ON WALL IN ABBA'S
OFFICE
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- (Palestinian Media Watch)This week the Palestinian Authority
daily Al-Ayyam published a picture of Mahmoud Abbas - while behind
him is a map of "Palestine" that erases and replaces
all of Israel. In addition, the PA flag is placed above the map.
Abbas was speaking from the "Headquarters of the Palestinian
Presidency" in Ramallah, that is, part of Abbas' office
complex, at the opening meeting of the PLO Central Council.
http://support.tjci.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=5621.0&dlv_id=9941
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- JERUSALEM REPORT
from the founder of the Jerusalem Prayer Team - ALERT!! - I have
received many requests from Jerusalem Prayer Team members asking
about President-Elect Obama's foreign policy team and if it would
be good for Israel. One of the first appointments is General
James Jones as National Security Advisor. I first met General
Jones in Jerusalem several months ago. Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice appointed General Jones as special envoy for Middle East
Security on November 28, 2007. She called Jones a key component
in formulating U.S. policy between the U.S. and Israel. Jones
has been working with the Israelis and Palestinians to strengthen
security for both sides. Under Secretary Rice, Jones' role was
monitoring the development of Palestinian security services,
and working closely with the U.S. security coordinator for the
Palestinians. Rice made her announcement of Jones' appointment
during the Annapolis Summit, which I attended. The plan is to
divide Israel, Judea and Samaria and establish East Jerusalem
as the capital of the Palestinian Authority. This cannot be done
without implementation of the Shelf Agreement formulated during
the Annapolis Summit. General Jones will be as strong in his
position for President Obama as Henry Kissinger was for Richard
Nixon.
- The second appointment is that of Hillary Clinton as Secretary
of State. She is 100 percent in favor of a Palestinian State
with East Jerusalem as its capital. She proposed that as First
Lady and will now work aggressively with General Jones to implement
it. President-elect Obama has appointed Daniel Kurtzer, a former
U.S. ambassador to Egypt and Israel, as his top Middle East advisor
and U.S. envoy to the Middle East. Kurtzer was seen in Jerusalem
as one of that nation's greatest foes in Washington. He came
under fire last summer when he attempted to fast track negotiations
with Israel aimed at withdrawing from the Golan Heights. My first
experience with Kurtzer was in 1988 when I confronted Yasser
Arafat at the U.N. General Assembly meeting in Geneva where he
disputed that the PLO had planned scores of attacks against the
West. The candy-covered Purim package was placed outside the
front door of the Ortiz family. Purim is the annual celebration
of the victory of the Jews over their enemies in ancient Persia.
The Book of Esther tells the story of Haman, royal vizier to
King Ahasuerus. Haman planned to kill the Jews, but his plans
were foiled by Esther... Your gift to the Jerusalem Prayer Team
today will help give children like Ami - kids who have been injured
in these cruel attacks no matter whom the perpetrators - their
lives back. May the God of Abraham bless you as you bless these
precious children who are his descendants!
- Your ambassador to Jerusalem, Mike Evans
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- TROUBLE AT TEMPLE MOUNT
December 5, 2008 - U.S. warns nationals against traveling to
Jerusalem amid Hebron tensions
By Yossi Melman, Haaretz Correspondent, and News Agencies. U.S.
citizens and staff workers at its embassy in Tel Aviv received
an advisory on Friday to avoid traveling to Jerusalem in the
wake of Thursday's evacuation of a Jewish squatters from a disputed
house in the West Bank town of Hebron. The government is also
advising Americans to refrain from driving on the main highway
connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Highway 1, due to heavy traffic
delays and "ongoing police activity." The advisory
does not specify the reason behind the recommendations, though
it would be reasonable to assume that it stems from the settler
riots that followed the Hebron house evacuation on Thursday.
The notice, which was disseminated by the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem,
reads: "Based upon past events, Americans should be alert
to the possibility of demonstrations and other actions throughout
Israel. American citizens should stay current with media coverage
of local events and be aware of their surroundings at all times."
Earlier Friday morning, clashes erupted in Jerusalem's Old City
between Arab youths and police forces who were deployed in the
area. Two Arab youths were arrested near the Temple Mount after
trying to force their way into the Old City. Israel Police on
Friday restricted the entry of male Muslim worshippers to the
Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, fearing disruptances in the wake
of the evacuation of settlers from a disputed house in Hebron
a day earlier. Only men over the age of 45 with a valid Israeli
identification card will be allowed to enter the Muslim holy
site. Woman will not be restricted from entering.
The Jordanian government Thursday strongly condemned Israel for
"violating" international law by allowing 70 Jews to
enter the yard of mosque, which Israel captured from Jordan in
the 1967 Six-Day War.
"The Jordanian government strongly condemns the Israeli
police's permission of 70 ultranationalist Jews to enter the
Islamic shrine under their protection, and consider it a provocation
for Muslim feelings," Minister of State for Information
Affairs and Communication Nasser Judeh said. "Jordan considers
Israel, as an occupation power, directly responsible for such
violations of international law and their dangerous repercussions."
Judeh urged the world community and parties concerned with the
peace process to "move promptly to force Israel to stop
these violations and provocations, which could negatively affect
the ongoing peace negotiations" between Israel and the Palestinians.
Under the peace treaty that the two countries concluded in 1994,
Israel recognized Jordan's right to look after all Muslim and
Christian holy places in East Jerusalem.
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- FIVE BASIC ARGUMENTS AGAINST A PALESTINIAN STATE
By Prof. Paul Eidelberg - Contrary to the governments of the
United States and Israel, various experts in both countries reject
the “two-state” solution to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. I shall mention their views while developing five decisive
arguments against a Palestinian state: Economic, Demographic,
Political, Strategic, and Democratic. Let’s begin with the
1. Economic Arguments
a. A RAND study indicates that a Palestinian state would not
be economically viable. It would require $33 billion for the
first ten years of its existence—and this study was made
before the economic crisis now confronting the United States
and entire world.
b. Besides, to confine more than two million Arabs to the 2,323
square miles of the so-called West Bank, and to squeeze another
million into the 141 square miles of Gaza , is to doom these
Arabs to economic stagnation and discontent. The projected state
would be a cauldron of envious hatred of Israel fueled by the
leaders of one or another group of Arab clans or thugs parading
under the banner of Allah.
c. Moreover, to compensate perhaps 200,000 Jews expelled from
the “West Bank”—or even half that number—would
bankrupt Israel’s government, to say nothing of the resulting
trauma and civil discord.
- Continued: http://support.tjci.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5475
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- UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT CALLS FOR BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL
Washington, November 25, 2008 "Israel filed a formal complaint
with the United Nations on Tuesday over statements made by UN
General Assembly President, Father Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann
of Nicaragua, who called for an international boycott of Israel
after accusing it of being an apartheid regime. D'Escoto went
on to decry the "Our Greatest Failure."
- The United Nations is currently marking its annual International
Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which is set on
the anniversary of the 1947 date it adopted Resolution 181, calling
for the partition of the land under British control into two
states? Jewish and Arab. Over the course of two days the General
Assembly will host a series of anti-Israel venues, including
exhibits on Palestinian suffering and films comparing Israel
to the Nazi regime. The pinnacle of the event will come in the
form of a marathon of discussions, to culminate with the passing
of six resolutions against Israel. These include ones calling
for the return of the Golan Heights to Syria and the division
of Jerusalem. In his address on Monday d'Escoto said: "Although
different, what is being done against the Palestinian people
seems to me to be a version of the highest policy of apartheid."
D'Escoto said the fact that Palestinians still had no statehood
represents the "single greatest failure" of the UN.
The General Assembly president called on international institutions
to boycott Israel and sever its financial ties to the world,
and for the imposing of sanctions against Jerusalem..
Full story: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3628618,00.html
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- PRESIDENT HILLARY CLINTON OF ISRAEL
- by Barry Chamish - Just a typical week in Israel. A Hamas
rocket wounds eight Israeli soldiers, PM Olmert and Foreign Minister
Tzipi Livni lie that they will order retaliation and instead,
pardon 230 convicted "Palestinian" prisoners. What
they forgot to announce was that a think tank in New York called
the Council On Foreign Relations (CFR) has banned all real military
measures against the "Palestinian" leadership, and
they obey the CFR. Then a legitimately bought building in Hebron
is evacuated in less than an hour using the same tactics previously
employed against Gush Katif. Provocateur Itamar Ben Gvir brings
in his hoodlums, and they scare and disgust the minions of good
Hebron residents away from the building. Those remaining wear
no protection against the police and will offer no serious opposition.
While Defence Minister Ehud Barak pretends to negotiate with
the Yesha Council, he is awaiting a message from inside the building
that everyone has sat down to lunch. Then the order to evacuate
is given and Peace House falls like a piece of halvah in an hour.
nd the Jews don't blame the real enemy, the CFR, which has banned
all Jewish expansion in Judea and Samaria. And Barak obeys the
CFR. This is just the beginning of the end, as PM Olmert promises
that Peace House is the first step in a mass uprooting of Jews
from Judea and Samaria, as dictated by the CFR. Olmert alludes
to looming 'West Bank' evacuations PM says an unstoppable process
has started that will ultimately uproot 'tens of thousands' of
Jews.
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=17688
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- BLAIR URGES COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS TO PRESSURE ISRAEL
December 05, 2008 by Baruch Gordon - (IsraelNN.com) Former British
Prime Minister Tony Blair called for United States President-elect
Barack Obama to press hard for Israel to make further territorial
concessions to the Palestinian Authority. Blair, speaking at
the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Wednesday, also
praised Obama's selections to lead his national security team,
most notably former NATO commander General James L. Jones as
National Security Advisor for the incoming administration. Jones
was until recently the US special envoy for Middle East security
and in that role has advocated sending a NATO force to impose
a solution in Judea and Samaria. Blair is currently the international
envoy to the Middle East for the Quartet, which is made up of
the US, European Union, United Nations and Russia and has been
pushing President George W. Bush's Road Map for a Palestinian
state to be created in parts of Israel. Blair told a meeting
of the Council on Foreign Relations that the time is now right
for renewed pressure on the Jewish state and that much will be
riding on what course of action Obama decides to take.
- According to the Associated Press, Blair said, "What
the president-elect has put together is a very, very strong team;
not just with Hillary Clinton as secretary of state," but
also retired General James L. Jones as Obama's national security
adviser. Noting that he has worked with Jones in the retired
NATO commander's role as US special envoy for Middle East security,
Blair said Jones is 'omeone who understands the situation very
well.' "I think there is a consensus now among the international
community " not just America, but everyone " on how
to deal with this," Blair said. "The question is now,
what people will watch for: Is it taken forward with the requisite
urgency and determination" I have every confidence that
it will be."President-elect Obama, himself a member of the
CFR, has pledged to make progress on the Middle East conflict
a key diplomatic priority from his first day in office. He has
called for a sustained push to achieve the goal of two states,
one Jewish and one Arab, both in the small territory between
the Mediterranean Sea and Jordan River.
- Yehuda HaKohen of the Zionist Freedom Alliance told Israel
National News that Tony Blair is "one of the biggest obstacles
to regional stability" and that so long as the Quartet and
CFR interfere in the Middle East, there will never be peace between
Arabs and Jews. "Tony Blair and other foreign leaders are
responsible for fanning the flames of conflict in the Middle
East," HaKohen said. He continued: "In fact, it was
the British who originally turned local Arabs and Jews against
one another in order to further their own colonialist agenda
for our region. And now Western governments arm both sides and
then attempt to impose artificial diplomatic solutions. The Israeli
government and PA leaderships today both behave as puppets to
foreign regimes and both the local Jewish and Arab populations
are suffering. The way to achieve real peace between peoples
here is to work from the bottom up and not the top down. The
Jewish and Arab peoples are both native to the Middle East. We
have a great deal in common. But for efforts at genuine peace
to succeed, Western governments and multinational corporations
need to leave our region alone and let the indigenous Jews and
Arabs settle things between ourselves."
- I have no idea what the Zionist Freedom Alliance is, but
finally, its spokesman Yehuda HaKohen, condemned the CFR for
fueling conflict in the Middle East. I've been waiting to read
that in an Israeli news item for a decade and a half. Mine is
but an impoverished existence. I seek the most humble satisfaction
that occurs when one other Israeli forms an organization and
condemns the real enemy. It sure beats reading the half-cocked
"analyses" by Israeli writers blaming their troubles
on anything from "post-Zionism," mentally ill leaders,
self-hatred, corruption, lefties...anything but the truth.
- Newsletter continued: http://www.thebarrychamishwebsite.com/
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- SAN FRANCISCO, CA - POLICE PROBING DOCTOR'S DEATH PLUNGE
IN ELEVATOR SHAFT
- San Francisco, CA - December 2, 2008 - A prominent Israel
activist was found dead at the bottom of an elevator shaft by
workers inspecting the elevator in the historic, nine-story Sharon
Building at 55 New Montgomery St. - Daniel J. Kliman, 38, was
the co-founder of San Francisco Voice for Israel, an affiliate
of the national Israel advocacy group StandWithUs, and a well-known
pro-Israel activist in the San Francisco Bay area. His body was
found in the San Francisco building where he was taking Arabic
classes. It had been at the bottom of the elevator shaft since
Nov. 25, building manager Brad Bernheim said. There were no classes
held last week, but he apparently didn't know that, said a close
friend, and the elevator supposedly was closed for repairs. Police
are investigating his death. Continued:
- http://www.vosizneias.com/23683/2008/12/02/san-francisco-ca-police-probing-activists-death-plunge-in-elevator-shaft/
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- HAMAS REJECTED ISRAELI OFFER TO RENEW GAZA TRUCE!
- Barak (Labor leader) expels Jews from Hevron, but has done
nothing about rockets, which are still being fired from Gaza:
Photos Video - See the self-hating government of traitors
in action! International press is quiet about brutality and excessive
force that was used against Jewish patriots! There is not condemnation
from the United Nation! Rabies and community leaders are mute!
What a shameful silence!
- "Treachery and Tyranny in Hebron. by Fundamentally Freund
- Israel's government today sent the security forces into Beit
Shalom in Hebron and forcibly evicted its residents, despite
overwhelming evidence that the building was legally purchased
from its previous Arab owner. In a shocking display of ruthlessness,
the government has trampled on the property rights of the Jewish
owners, tossing to the wind one of the foundations of democracy
and civil society.
- Make no mistake - this travesty was carried out for purely
political motives. The Labor party and Kadima are both sagging
in the polls, and fear that parties such as Meretz will steal
their thunder and their votes..."
- With the truce like this, who needs war. The Oslo Agreement
was about giving people, who call themselves Palestinians, limited
self-governing autonomy in exchange for cessation of terror.
Terror has not ended, only escalated, but the push for the creation
of an independent terror state proves again that our enemies
and fake friends will never rest until the Jewish state is destroyed!
- Steven Shamrak
- Likud Primaries and Jewish Leadership Faction. Fifteen of
the top 30 candidates chosen in Likud primaries were on a list
recommended by Jewish Leadership faction head Moshe Feiglin.
The faction recommended only those candidates who are opposing
territorial concession in negotiations with the Arabs. (Will
they be able or willing to promote and enforce original Likud
ideological platform - Revisionist Zionism? Party members voted
for the Change!)
- Electric Car Venture Charge Stations in Israel. Electric
car operator Better Place unveiled in Israel its first charging
stations as part of a network it hopes will replace gasoline-powered
engines worldwide. The $200-million venture-backed company is
still in an early stage. About 10,000 charge spots will be installed
in 2009 across Israel, and that will increase to 100,000 by 2010.
(Just imagine what a "green" revolution it could be
with the 13 billion dollars the US government is giving to the
auto industry, which has deliberately sabotaged any alternative
to petrol cars! The low oil price, alternative energy sources
and electric cars will put a squeeze on financiers of Islamic
terrorism.)
- Labor deputy Ophir Pines-Paz said that defense minister Ehud
Barak, leader of Labor party, showed ''leadership and determination''
by using force to evacuate the ''house of contention'' in Hebron.
Selling Out Israel, Bit by Bit. The Amidar Company sold a Haifa
synagogue and all its contents to an Arab. Amidar, which was
established in 1949, a year after the inception of the Jewish
State, is owned by the Jewish Agency, the Jewish National Fund,
and the Israeli government. Another 'Decisive' Cop-Out. Likud
head Binyamin Netanyahu that he would create a unity government
if Likud wins the national elections. "Our way of doing
things combines decisiveness on defense and diplomatic pragmatism."
Steven Shamrak http://www.shamrak.com
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- BUSH'S DECEMBER SURPRISE
By Michael Freund - With just a month left to go before he leaves
office, George W. Bush has decided to pull the trigger and drop
a bomb on the Middle East. Only instead of targeting Iran's illicit
nuclear program, or Syria's nefarious regime, the outgoing US
president has inexplicably chosen to detonate a diplomatic device
over the heads of all Israelis. In a move that was said to have
been "personally led" by Bush, diplomats from the 15
member nations of the UN Security Council convened for an emergency
session on Saturday to discuss the text of a proposed resolution
aimed at tying the hands of Israel's next government.
- The draft resolution, which was slated to be passed Tuesday,
calls on Israel and the Palestinians to continue to negotiate
"core issues" such as dividing Jerusalem, even after
the present Israeli and Palestinian governments leave office
in 2009. "The initiative," as Haaretz reported on Sunday,
"is seen as a bid to cement the Annapolis process with the
approval of the highest authority," with Bush hoping that
Security Council backing will make it "irreversible."
This, he believes, will result in "shielding it from the
administration changes in both Israel and the US." Continued:
http://support.tjci.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5479
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- NO TWO STATE SOLUTION
- We have to face up to reality. There’s no way to sugarcoat
this. The two-state solution is rapidly nearing its tipping point.
Tipping point… you know, that moment when slow and gradual
change drip, drip, drip suddenly becomes a deluge. If two-state
is frighteningly near its tipping point, what does this mean
for those of us who reject a two-state solution? What are the
consequences for those of us who carry a Zionist vision of a
Jewish homeland from the river to the sea? How does this affect
those who advocate a return from exile, the unification of Jerusalem,
restoration of the Temple, and await Moshiach?
 http://support.tjci.org/site/PageServer?pagename=copy_of_WeeklyarticleinEnews4
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- BARRY CHAMISH UPDATE ON ISRAEL 12.15.2008
 chamish_121508a.mp3
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- A MODERN HANUKAH
by haRold Smith from Jerusalem, Israel TODAY - ISRAEL IS AT WAR.
 A six-month truce expired this
week in Gaza with the democratically elected terror organization
Hamas sending over 70 rockets into southern Israel on Wednesday
through Friday. At 11:00 am on Saturday, December 27, the Israeli
Defense Force retaliated by firing about 40 missiles at targets
inside Gaza, destroying several Hamas compounds where the perpetrators
were suspected to be.
- Sources in Gaza report at least 155 killed, 270 injured by
waves of Israeli Air Force planes which destroyed Hamas security
headquarters in Gaza City, as well as compounds, police stations
and ports across the Gaza Strip. Several Hamas commanders were
killed in the bombardment. Hamas and other Palestinian factions
have ordered its "fighters to avenge Israeli attacks."
The Israeli military spokesman said the Gaza operation is "just
beginning." An Israeli official said all Air Force planes
had returned safely to base but the operation carried out in
response to the terrorist attacks would be expanded and intensified
if needed. The entire region was placed in a state of emergency
and Israeli police forces began pouring in. The IDF has opened
a war emergency room. Magen David Adom's medical aid service
is on its highest alert level.
- Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas' Damascus-based
political bureau, said his organization would retaliate. "We
will defend our women and children by any means necessary. All
the options are open," he said. Senior Islamic Jihad figure
Khaled el-Bash told Al-Jazeera that the IDF strikes "mean
war - Israel has declared an open war on the Palestinian people.
This never would have happened had it not been for the Arab states'
silence. We will never surrender in the face of planes and tanks,"
he said. Hamas said a new wave of suicide terror attacks is underway.
- To the South, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee
in the Egyptian parliament, Dr. Mustafa El-Fiqi, said that "Israel
is an aggressive country which poses a danger to all the nations
in the region…its aspiration may not stop at the Gaza Strip
and may stretch to Egypt. Egypt has tried to stop the rocket
fire and the Israeli operation but to no avail. The claims that
the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza is closed are false
– it is open for humanitarian aid and 60% of the aid going
into Gaza goes through it; but every county must guard is borders."
In the North, sappers defused 13 rockets inside Lebanon pointing
at Israeli cities. The rockets were disarmed shortly before their
timing devices would have launched them against Nahariya and
Maalot. Military sources quote Israeli northern command officers
as reporting that on the night of Dec. 25, eight rocket launchers
were found ready to fire in Wadi Hamoul, 5 km from the Israeli
border. This dry river bed was used by Hizballah to bombard Nahariya
and Maalot in the 2006 Lebanon War. The cluster was made up completely
of the latest Iranian launchers capable of double-loading, so
that eight launchers could fire 16 rockets.
- Israeli military sources are certain that Hizballah handed
the rockets to Hamas terrorists at the Ain Hilwa camp in south
Lebanon and guided them to the exact launching site for hitting
the two Israeli towns. Their point was to demonstrate that Hamas
could hit Israel with rockets not just from Gaza but also from
a second front in Lebanon in the event of an Israeli military
operation against Hamas.
- It is quite compelling that we are witnessing these events
transpire in the middle of the Jewish observance of Hanukah,
which is a celebration of another time in which this God of Abraham
arose to defend His People in such a miraculous way that could
not be denied, causing the people to turn back to their God.
- The word "Hanukah" actually means dedication, and
refers to the rededication of the temple on 25 Kislev 165 BC,
after it had been desecrated by the Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes.
Antiochus attempted to force his own Greek culture and pagan
religion on the people of Judea, going as far as to erect an
altar of Zeus in the Holy Temple, and even sacrificing a pig
on the altar. Of course, the Jewish people were outraged, and
staged a successful rebellion led by Judah Maccabee. (You can
read about this in the book of Maccabees). That the Jews were
able to defeat this overwhelming force was a miracle in itself
for they were outnumbered hundreds to one. It was a long struggle
taken over three years and incurred many acts of self-sacrifice
to achieve.
- As soon as the war was over, the Maccabees returned to Jerusalem
and cleansed the Temple. According to the Talmud, when the temple
was being restored, there was only enough oil found to light
the Menorah to last for one day, and yet, by some miraculous
provision of God, the oil lasted for eight days - long enough
for a new batch to be secured. Afterward, they held a service
of dedication - the first Hanukah! By the time of Yeshua, Hanukah
had become a regular holiday, as is mentioned in the Gospel of
John 10:22: "And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication
(i.e., Hanukah), and it was winter."
The course of events of overthrowing a seemingly insurmountable
force followed by the prolonged lighting of the Menorah caused
the entire nation of Israel to fall on their faces and re-embrace
their God, acknowledging that these miracles could only have
come at His Hand. Today, with the world clamoring for the destruction
of Israel from every corner, Israel once again finds herself
in the Hands of the One True God who has sworn to defend her
(Jeremiah 31:35-36 click on highlighted reference for the scripture).
- There are many who believe we are now on the brink of the
Gog-Magog invasion, precipitating the Armageddon war described
in the Book of Daniel, Ezekiel and Revelation.
- I do not know if these are those events - they could be.
I do know that it is through Israel's very vulnerability that
God will rise to keep the covenant He made with Himself in Genesis,
that it could not be broken (Genesis 22:16). This whole region
is a powder keg poised to ignite with the slightest agitation.
With Israel now engaging Hamas in the south, Hezbollah in the
north has already stated they will jump into the fray. Syria
(who is the principal intermediary between Hezbollah and Iran)
will most certainly use the distraction to activate the troops
they have been building along Israel's border to the east for
the past months to try to retake the Golan. Once this fracas
begins, the other Arab states (Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and
Lebanon) will be forced into the fight, not wanting to be accused
after it is over of not helping their Arab brothers. Then, of
course, Iran will be more than willing to launch what arsenal
she has ready, already showing a willingness to supply and equip
her proxy in the area, Hezbollah - which will bring the US and
Russia, China, India and Pakistan to the forefront of engagement
(today, the forces of war seem to be pushing these latter two
nations to the brink).
- This scenario is not only possible, but plausible. From what
the Lord has been showing me, however, is that before Gog-Magog,
there must be a time of peace. If you study Ezekiel 37-39 very
carefully, verse by verse, then all the conditions described
therein have not yet been fully met for the ultimate invasion
from the North. It says Israel must be living in peace and security,
with unwalled villages, etc., indicative of a country that has
placed all of its foes at bay and is at rest. If ALL the events
of chapters 36 and 37 must precede chapters 38-39, then we should
also expect a dramatic and massive spiritual revival here in
Israel first. If Ezekiel 37.9-14 is read closely, this has not
happened yet. We are still waiting for those dry bones to come
fully alive - seemingly, the next big event that has to happen
here in the Land. If the Bible verses are to be followed in context,
one after the other without jumping all around then, in my humble
opinion, what is happening now is probably just a very serious
precursor for the big event, which could still be some years
away. The destruction of Damascus, a terrible and still future
calamity for them, as indicated in Isaiah 17 could happen almost
anytime now and probably BEFORE we ever get to the Gog and Magog
scenario of Ezekiel 38-39. Time will tell....
- But, consider that, if a time of great peace and prosperity
is to exist in Israel, as mentioned, it would mean that Israel
had taken on her enemies - and prevailed. This would result in
leaving a very bitter taste in the mouths of her vanquished foes
and their allies, particularly Russia who is increasingly investing
in everything anti-American and, by extension, anti-Israel, here
in the Middle East. That kind of a defeat would foment a hatred
and a jealousy within them to cause them to be looking with even
more intensity to avenge that loss, thus setting the stage for
that major invasion from the North.
- My sense is that there is going to be war here and very soon,
but when the dust clears Israel will be, if not THE superpower
of the world, at the very least among the two or three that are
- and, unfortunately, America will not be one of them (already
we are witnessing the weakening of the USA as a deterrent to
Russia's ambitions in Georgia, Venezuela and elsewhere around
the globe). The newly elected American administration has already
made it convincingly clear that it will pursue a policy of pushing
Israel to give up her Land. So radically swift, impressive and
undeniable will be the Lord's intervention on Israel's behalf
in defeating her attackers that it will be reminiscent of times
in history past when He has rescued her and will engender a turning
of the hearts of the people of this Land to the Lord (70% of
which are considered to be secular Jews) to receive this massive
outpouring of the Holy Spirit prophesied of old. (Ezekiel 39:29).
- For all who love Israel, let our prayer be, "Amen, Lord.
Let it be so."
"I shall lay your cities waste, And you shall be desolate.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD. Because you have had
an ancient hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of
Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity,
when their iniquity came to an end, therefore, as I live,”
says the Lord GOD, “I will prepare you for blood, and blood
shall pursue you; since you have not hated blood, therefore blood
shall pursue you." Ezekiel 35:4-6
- "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: They shall prosper
that love you." (Psalm 122:6)
(prosper - from the Hebrew, "shalav", meaning "to
be at rest") http://hethathasanear.com
- -----
- ISLAMIC JIHAD - OUR ROCKETS WILL FALL LIKE RAIN
- By Stan Goodenough - December 16, 2008 - The Palestinian
Islamic Jihad group lost one of its top commanders to an IDF
operation Tuesday, and vowed it would avenge his death by raining
rockets down on Jewish towns. Jihad Nawhda was reportedly shot
and wounded after trying to evade arrest at an Internet cafe
in the northern Samarian town of Jenin. He died while being evacuated
to hospital.
- Nawhda's fellow terrorists messaged cadres of the group in
Gaza who launched four Kassam rockets and a number of mortars
at Israeli communities in the Negev. Their commander might have
been a "soldier," but their murderous response was
- as always - be aimed at civilian Jews, whom they hate. Israel's
citizens in the Negev are bracing for renewed onslaughts on their
towns as an on-again, off-again "truce" between Israel
and Gaza's Arabs is set to expire in a few days. Source: http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2593
- -----
- HAMAS AND ISRAEL: CONFLICTING STRATEGIES
- An improved understanding of the dynamics of the conflict
between Hamas and Israel -- one that goes beyond "they started
it" -- is probably a prerequisite to any enduring reduction
of the violence and the terrible human suffering that the conflict
now entails.
- A detailed new assessment (pdf) by an analyst at the U.S.
Army Strategic Studies Institute traces the evolution of the
Israel-Hamas conflict prior to the end of the recent ceasefire
and identifies steps that both sides would likely have to take
in order to arrive at a long-term truce.
- "Neither Israel nor the Palestinians have a unified
position towards the other," writes Sherifa Zuhur, professor
of Islamic and regional studies at the Strategic Studies Institute.
"Each group is socialized in particular ways, through the
educational system, employment experiences; and for Israelis,
in the military, in political parties, families, and bureaucracies."
- Based on her own interviews and analyses, the author attempts
to elucidate the social, cultural and political factors at work.
- A struggle to control the narrative of the conflict is itself
part of the conflict and Prof. Zuhur's account may not be fully
embraced by anyone. On the whole, her analysis seems more sympathetic
to Hamas, whose objective, she says rather incongruously, "is
not the destruction of Israel" but only the "liberation
of Palestine."
- But even those who cannot accept her terms or the way she
frames some of the issues may find food for thought in her 100-page paper (which does not represent
an official U.S. Army position).
- She concludes optimistically that "each side is still
capable of revising its desired endstate and of the necessary
concessions to establish and preserve a long-term truce, or even
a longer-term peace." Source: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
- -----
- ISRAEL DESTROYS HAMAS HOMES, FLATTENS GAZA MOSQUE
- By IBRAHIM BARZAK and MATTI FRIEDMAN (AP) - January 02, 2009
- GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israel bombed a mosque it claimed was
used to store weapons and destroyed homes of more than a dozen
Hamas operatives Friday, but under international pressure, the
government allowed hundreds of Palestinians with foreign passports
to leave besieged Gaza. Israel has been building up artillery,
armor and infantry on Gaza's border in an indication the week-old
air assault against Gaza's Hamas rulers could soon expand with
a ground incursion. But at the same time, international calls
for a cease-fire have been growing, and French President Nicolas
Sarkozy is expected in the region next week to push for a halt
to the violence. Israel has so far been cool to a truce, and
in a setback for diplomatic efforts, Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice said she had no plans to come to the region. "Hamas
has held the people of Gaza hostage ever since their illegal
coup against the forces of President Mahmoud Abbas," she
said. Hamas seized control of Gaza from Abbas' Fatah forces in
2007 and Abbas set up a rival government in the West Bank. Rice
charged Hamas "has used Gaza as a launching pad" for
firing rockets into the Jewish state and that, as a result, the
Palestinians living in Gaza have had "a very bad daily life."
She said the U.S. supports a "durable and sustainable"
cease-fire, but any halt in fighting would depend on the willingness
of Hamas to stop firing rockets into Israel. Continued: http://www.cephas-library.com/israel_destroys_hamas_home_and_flattens_gaza_mosque.html
- -----
- RICE VOWS HARD WORK ON ARRANGING GAZA CEASE-FIRE
 Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice makes a statement to reporters outside the White House in
Washington, Friday, Jan. 2, 2009, after briefing President George
W. Ron EdmondsBy BEN FELLER - (A P) January 02, 2009 - WASHINGTON
- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday said the United
States and key world allies were pushing hard for a "durable
and sustainable" cease-fire in Gaza, but there was no end
in sight to the violence. The top U.S. diplomat said she was
not planning an emergency visit to the region. Rice briefed President
George W. Bush at the White House about the deadly toll in Gaza,
where intensifying rocket fire from Palestinian militants has
elicited days of punishing air assaults by Israel. Both Rice
and Bush have been working the phones with Israeli and Palestinian
leaders, as well as officials from Arab states and European countries,
in hopes of securing peace. The United States considers Hamas
a terrorist organization and does not deal with it directly.
"The Hamas has used Gaza as a launching pad for rockets
against Israeli cities, and has contributed deeply to a very
bad daily life for the Palestinian people in Gaza and to a humanitarian
situation that we have all been trying to address," Rice
told reporters on the White House driveway after meeting with
Bush. "It is obvious that that cease-fire should take place
as soon as possible," Rice said, "but we need a cease-fire
that is durable and sustainable." Hamas-run Gaza has been
largely isolated from the rest of the world since the Islamic
militants won parliamentary elections in 2006. Hamas violently
seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, expelling forces
loyal to moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who still
rules the West Bank.
- Continued: http://www.cephasministry.com/israel_rice_working_hard_on_cease-fire.html
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