SITUATION ANALYSIS -- 69

Jerusalem, Israel

AUGUST 2013 PRAYER UPDATE

Israel and the Middle East

Psalm 121

Going into these negotiations with the Palestinians, does the Israeli government have “red lines” in place that they will not cross, regardless of U.S. pressure?  Those “red lines” would be:  

(1) No division of the land (no withdrawing to the pre-1967 lines; no uprooting of major settlements).

(2) No division of Jerusalem (no Arab control over east Jerusalem, including neighborhoods in the Old City and its surroundings. No official Palestinian or foreign control over the holy sites; no custodial arrangements of shared power over the Temple Mount).

(3) No international peacekeeping force along the Jordan Valley. Only a strong Israeli military presence will be allowed on the eastern border with Jordan.

(4) No return of Palestinian “refugees” to the state of Israel.

(5) There must be a Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish State.

(6) The Palestinians and Arab countries must be willing to end the conflict with verbal and written assurances.

(7) Any Palestinian entity on any of the land of Judea and Samaria must be de-militarized.

Ecclesiastes 7:25 states:

“So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.”

Pray that the Lord will give Israeli leaders great discernment, courage, and conviction to not cross “red lines” as they proceed with peace talks. Pray that they will search out the Lord Almighty for His wisdom and counsel, seeking to know what is behind the negotiations that are the result of evil plans created for evil purposes (ploys that are working directly against the will of God!)

*Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said, “This land belongs to us.”  He has stated there will be no peace without Jerusalem; no Palestinian state without Jerusalem; no security and stability without Jerusalem.

Ask the Lord to close the mouth of Abbas so that he cannot declare that Jerusalem belongs to the Palestinians. When Abbas opens his mouth, pray that he declares, Zechariah 12:3:  "It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured…”

We know that all the nations of the earth will eventually be gathered against Jerusalem. Pray that during this present time of grace, God will preserve nations for Himself; those nations that will come into alignment with His Kingdom purposes. Though such nations may fall, pray that they will rise up again, in repentance, and declare the salvation of the Lord and His Glorious Presence to all mankind!

Zechariah 8:20-22: “Thus said the LORD of hosts; it shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities. And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also.’ Yes, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.”

*Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett has stated that Jews were in Judea and Samaria thousands of years ago, and they will continue to live there for thousands of years into the future. He has also stated that the Palestinians think the only way to defeat Israel is “to brainwash us and make us forget that the Land of Israel is ours. Judea and Samaria are ours, not because they protect Gush Dan, but because Abraham walked there.” (6/20/2013 Jerusalem Post).

Intercede for Naftali Bennett who is a torch bearer for Israel and the Jewish people. Declare over his life Isaiah 62:1, and come into agreement with this enduring promise from God:  “For Zion's sake I will not keep silent; and, for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quiet, Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, And her salvation like a burning torch.”

Pray that the Israeli and Palestinian peace negotiating teams will speak of God’s everlasting covenant with the Jewish People, through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – from generation to generation. Declare the Lord’s promises concerning the Jewish People, especially the scriptures that speak of the dimensions of the land covenant He has entered into with Israel – stretching from the Euphrates River to the Great Sea. (Genesis 15:18; Exodus 23:31; Joshua 1:4).

*On the 9^th of Av, many Jewish and Christian worshippers in Jerusalem were making their way to the Temple Mount to pray and repent for the destruction of the 1^st and 2^nd Temples that happened on that day. When they approached the Mount, they were turned back by the Israeli police. The police were concerned there would be riots and violence because it was Ramadan and there were many Moslems up on the Mount praying. The police had granted thousands of Arabs entry to pray at the Dome of the Rock. This infuriated the hundreds of Jews and Christians who wanted to pray peacefully on the Mount. 

Pray that, in the future, Israel will exercise its sovereignty over the Temple Mount and strengthen its authority over the Holy City, Jerusalem. Pray that Israeli security forces will stop fearing repercussions from the Moslem community when Jews and Christians request to pray on the Mount. Intercede, asking God to change the hearts of men, so that the site will be open to Jews and Christians who want to enter it, according to the basic right of “freedom of religion”. This right should be exercised in Jerusalem, according to the biblical fact that the Temple Mount is the holiest area to the Jewish People. Pray that the police will stop making excuses about security and begin to protect Jewish citizens who want to pray there, especially during important holidays that have biblical significance. 

*There has been an increase in racially motivated attacks in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv (stabbings; murder), along with criminal killings. There has also been an increase in rapes this summer of women tourists, especially in Tel Aviv and Jaffa. Meanwhile, Jerusalem security guards have been acting out their hostile aggressions with a spate of shootings over the past month. Some officials are concerned that these guards can easily obtain gun licenses for their jobs, which gives them the ability to use their weapons against innocent civilians. Ask the Lord to expand security operations in Israel, especially in major cities. Pray that all citizens, and those who are visiting Israel, will be shielded from perpetuators of evil. Pray that God will cleanse the land of all violence and hatred. 

*A Jewish law of return has gone into effect in Lisbon, Portugal.  The Portuguese government has recognized the Jewish descendants of those who perished in the Spanish Inquisition; or, were persecuted and fled to other nations. Now, those “anusim”, who through ancestry, language and name can identify with the Jewish People, will be allowed to return to Portugal and claim their Jewishness!  

This is the beginning of the release of Jews from Spanish-speaking countries who will eventually be allowed to make Aliyah to Israel! Once the “anusim” return to Portugal to live, they will then be able to apply to immigrate to this land as Jews!

Thank the Lord for this breakthrough for the Portuguese Jews! Pray that Spain will follow in passing a bill through parliament that will allow the naturalization of the Jewish descendants of expelled Jews from the Spanish Inquisition. Pray that all nations in Latin America will also follow suit.

Declare, as in Obadiah 1:20, that the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad (Spain) shall possess the cities of the South in Israel (the Negev), and live there forever! Hallelujah!

* There was an increase of 40% in Aliyah from France in 2012.  Pray that the Jewish people keep making their way to Israel, and that they will begin to return to their homeland in mass numbers in the days to come. Pray for a great wave of immigration to Israel from western countries in 2013!  (Isaiah 43:5-6).

 

*Chaos and upheaval continue in Syria and Egypt, while the world looks on, not knowing what to do.  Declare the healing of both these nations and the promise of hope that the Syrian and Egyptian people have in future times.

Isaiah 27:13: “And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.”

 

SITUATION ANALYSIS -- 68

Jerusalem, Israel

JULY 2013 PRAYER UPDATE

Israel and the Middle East

                                               Lamentations 3:21-26

The Israeli Jewish Agency seems to have lost its vision for Aliyah. While it wants to upgrade cooperation with Diaspora communities, it is more interested in promoting Jewish identity than it is in encouraging Jews to immigrate to Israel.   

At a time when Israeli leaders are in fear that the land will soon contain an Arab majority (a lie they believe!), they are doing little to encourage Jewish People to return to their homeland, Israel. Ethiopian Aliyah is also coming to a close as the Jewish Agency will no longer support it.   

Pray that leaders in Israel will have dreams and visions of God’s prophetic promises to the Jewish People regarding their return to the land of their inheritance. Pray for an awakening, especially in the life of Jewish Agency Director, Natan Sharansky. He, himself, was a Refusnik in the former Soviet Union, imprisoned for years, and then came to Israel on Aliyah many years ago. Pray that faith will increase within the Israeli government to believe for the Aliyah that they do not yet see. Pray that their hearts will hope for it!  Intercede that all lies will dissolve and they will begin to study the Word of God about the return of the Jews to the land of Israel.  (For further reference see Zechariah 8:7-8; Jeremiah 30:3; Jeremiah 30:10; Jeremiah 31:10; Psalm 107:2-3; Isaiah 11:12; Isaiah 43:5-6; Isaiah 49:12; Hosea 11:10).    

Proclaim the release of the Jewish People from the nations -- that the gates of Aliyah in Israel would be open, welcome and inviting. Pray that every stronghold that is keeping Jewish people from entering those gates will be broken. Pray that the immigration authorities in Israel will be staffed with those who are more lenient, less intrusive, more helpful, and more encouraging to every Jewish person who has the desire to live in this land!

At the recent President’s Conference, former U.S. ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer said that there is an incorrect perception in the Middle East of a decline in American power. He claimed that this perception has dramatic implications for Israel. The U.S. Administration believes that America is Israel’s strategic backup. Kurtzer stated:  “If there is a decline in U.S. power, there’s a perception of a decline in Israeli deterrence.”  Basically, he is saying that Israel needs the U.S., militarily and diplomatically, as a shield to defend itself from its enemies. 

Pray that Israeli leaders will be less dependent on the United States for military or diplomatic power. Pray that God will use whatever resources He chooses to increase Israel’s strategic defense forces. Intercede for the IDF to rely on the Lord, and His Word for wisdom and protection. Declare that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will submit to God’s Kingdom purposes in the administration of his government, looking to please the Lord and not man in every decision made. (Isaiah 9:6-7). 

Egypt is in great turmoil with half the population demanding that Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi be removed from office and new elections called. Hundreds of thousands of people are on the streets protesting. Ask God to bring mercy to the Egyptian people; and that His justice and righteousness would prevail in the halls of government in Egypt.  

 Pressure on Israel has intensified with the continued visits by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to the region. The Palestinians are blaming Israel for the lack of progress in re-starting peace negotiations. Netanyahu, so far, is standing strong in the face of lies and deception. 

But, there is a lie that is being told throughout the land, and government leaders have accepted it as part of their world view. Recently, a member of Israel’s Labor party, MK Hilik Bar, declared, “The dream of all Israelis and Jews is to live in Greater Israel, but unfortunately, the political reality makes that impossible if Israel wants to guarantee its future as a Jewish democratic state in Israel.”  (Jerusalem Post, 6/4/2013). 

Declare John 14:27 in prayer for Israeli leaders who are considering another round of peace talks. Pray for them to stand strong against the wiles of the enemy who wants Israel to give up land for an illusion of peace. Declare the rights of the Jewish People to this land, according to God’s covenant promises!  (Psalm 147:19; Jeremiah 31:9; Ezekiel 34:25-31).   

Leaders in Israel’s Yesh Atid and Hatnua parties are pushing for a bill that would allow homosexual couples to wed. It’s part of legislation that would deal with civil marriages in Israel. Israeli Minister of Justice, Tzippi Livni wants to change a bill that is being proposed in the Knesset. It refers only to heterosexual couples being allowed to wed in a civil ceremony, without the need of Orthodox approval. She would change the bill’s text from “man and woman” to “spouse” in order to open up the door for same-sex couples to marry (as is now the case in the U.S.). 

Pray that God would weaken every political strategy that goes against His Word regarding the sacredness of marriage. 

Pray for Naftali Bennett, head of the Bayit Yehudi party in Israel, and Israel’s Economy and Trade Minister. He has declared, on more than one occasion, that the land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel and is not occupied territory. At a public relations conference in Jerusalem, sponsored by communities in Judea and Samaria, Bennett claimed, “We have to tell ourselves and the whole world that this land has belonged to us for 3,000 years.  The most certain path to defeat is for Israel to forget its sense of justice. This is true historically and legally. There has never been a Palestinian state here.”  

Thank the Lord for this true standard-bearer! He is challenging Israeli leaders to believe in what they have been given stewardship over by God. Intercede that Bennett will begin to quote the Holy Scriptures and proclaim Israel’s biblical right to the land. 

Netanyahu recently said that his new government is a government of reforms. In less than 100 days since Netanyahu’s coalition was formed, a lot has been accomplished that has been good for the country. 

Pray that under this new leadership, the nation will be blessed with reforms that are Godly, biblical, full of truth, and righteous before the Lord.

                                                                    

SITUATION ANALYSIS -- 67

Jerusalem, Israel

JERUSALEM -- A STUMBLING BLOCK FOR ALL NATIONS

With America’s encouragement, Israel and the Palestinians are considering a revised peace plan based on the Arab League Initiative. The plan calls for an Israeli withdrawal to pre-1967 borders with some minor land swaps.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that any agreement must include Israeli security arrangements along the Jordan River; Palestinian recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish People; a solution for absorbing returning Palestinians into the state of “Palestine” (not into Israel); and an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

But, the elephant standing in the room of peace enthusiasts is the issue of Jerusalem. During Netanyahu’s second term in office (2009-2013), Israeli interlocutors agreed to leave Jerusalem to Final Status talks. However, in the revised 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which Israel is being pressured to adopt, East Jerusalem becomes the capital of a Palestinian state. 

This is not acceptable to a majority of Israelis, Diaspora Jews, and pro-Israel Christian supporters. Many have voiced opposition to a divided Jerusalem, and do not want Israel to share or relinquish control of its capital city.

Today, because Israel has legal jurisdiction over the holly sites, the Israeli police take action on the Temple Mount during violent disturbances. But, daily, the area is controlled by the WAQF (Moslem religious authorities). They refuse to allow Jews and Christians to pray on the Mount, yet Moslems can pray there freely. Their claim is that any change to the status quo will ignite a Middle East war. Israeli right-wing activists have tried to ascend the Mount during special holy days but have been refused by Israeli authorities. Several attempts by the Temple Mount Faithful group to lay a cornerstone on the Mount in preparation for the building of the Third Temple have been unsuccessful.  During Passover this year, they tried to bypass Israeli police and perform a ritual sacrifice of a lamb. The police caught them and refused access to the area.

In late March 2013, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah II signed an agreement to jointly defend Jerusalem, in an effort to further weaken Israeli control over the city. The deal states that Jordan has full right to exert all legal efforts at safeguarding and preserving the city’s holy sites. 

Jerusalem has been contested territory since the re-birth of the modern state of Israel 65 years ago, with few nations recognizing Israel’s rule over the city. America has contributed to the controversy. The State Department consistently refuses to acknowledge citizens born in Jerusalem, Israel on U.S. passports. Many American leaders, including past U.S. presidents will not acknowledge Israel's historical and biblical rights over the city. These leaders will not move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. All the nations that Israel has diplomatic relations with now have their embassies in Tel Aviv.

Since the Oslo Accords in 1993, the Palestinians have laid claim to Jerusalem as the capital of their homeland. During U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Ramallah in March 2013, he stated that the Palestinians should have a contiguous Palestinian State. He was implying that Israeli settlement building in the controversial E1 land corridor, which is on the outskirts of Jerusalem, would somehow separate East Jerusalem from the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), damaging Palestinian prospects. The Israelis deny this. They note that the Palestinians have two separate entities that make it impossible for their proposed state to be contiguous anyway. The Palestinian territories in the West Bank are under the rule of the Fatah government. The Palestinian entity of the Gaza Strip is under the rule of the Hamas government. But, once the Palestinians achieve reconciliation under one Palestinian government, their focus will turn towards Jerusalem. They will fly their flag over the city and demand their right to rule there.

Abbas is already accusing Israel of Judaizing East Jerusalem, urging Islamic states to prevent Israel from occupying Jerusalem and seeking to change the character of the city. Often, Jerusalem Arabs are incited by any slight changes to the area. Even talk of repairing a tourist ramp near the Temple Mount caused quite a stir this past winter.

Israeli former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been accused of negotiating the division of Jerusalem. Reportedly, Olmert agreed to West Jerusalem being a part of Israel, while releasing East Jerusalem to Palestinian or international control -- except for the Western Wall (which would remain in Israeli hands). Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak also negotiated with the Palestinians in regard to the division of Jerusalem. His comments became public knowledge and caused 600,000 Israelis to protest, forming a human chain around the city in 2001. 

Diplomatically, the world wants to internationalize Jerusalem. Spiritually, Jerusalem is the Divine seat of God’s governmental authority. According to the biblical scriptures, the fight over Jerusalem will only intensify in the days to come. The nations, one day, will surround Jerusalem with their armies. The city is a political and religious hot button that if pushed, ignites the masses and stirs passions on the streets of the Middle East.

Zechariah 12:2-3:  "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 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."

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SITUATION ANALYSIS -- 66

Jerusalem, Israel

JUNE 2013 PRAYER UPDATE

Israel and the Middle East

(Psalm 18:29-50; Psalm 46; Psalm 60:12; Psalm 91, Matthew 24:6; Ephesians 6:10-19, Isaiah 51:5):

a)     Reportedly, the recent Israeli civil defense exercise simulated massive missile barrages launched against populated urban centers. This was a practice to see how the public would respond to the possibility of missiles hitting anywhere in Israel, day or night, coming from Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Gaza.  A majority of the public did not take the drill that seriously.

b)     There’s a “leverage” game going on among the nations, which is part of the “brinkmanship” that is causing a high military alert in Israel.

c)     The U.S. and Russia are supposed to be conducting a peace conference in Geneva on the Syrian crisis sometime during the month of June. They want to bring together Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime with the Syrian National Council to see if they can negotiate a deal to end the two-year bloody war in Syria, which is now estimated to have killed almost 100,000 people and displaced more than 1.5 million throughout the Middle East.

d)     Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces are murdering Sunni rebels and masses of people near the Homs city of Qusayr. This is a city in western Syria located in the mountains near Lebanon. Obtaining control of this Alawite stronghold will give Assad the ability to continue his rule in part of Syria, while also allowing Iran to continue to supply him with weapons. These weapons could then flow to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran needs this corridor to be open in order to hold on to a Shiite arc of control in the Middle East. 

e)     Meanwhile, the Europeans cancelled an arms embargo, allowing countries such as Britain and France to begin supplying arms to the Sunni rebels. This has angered Russia who strongly supports the Syrian regime and opposes any western intervention in the Syrian crisis.

f)      Because of the possibility that the west could prop up Syrian rebels in the future, Russia is threatening to deliver advanced weapons systems to Assad so that he will have a much greater edge, militarily, over opposition forces. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, hoping to discourage him from delivering the S-300 advanced weapon system to Assad. Netanyahu has claimed it would tip the balance of power in the Middle East. Reportedly, these weapons would create a no-fly zone in Syria and Lebanon, not allowing Israel to conduct sorties over these nations in order to defend the homeland. The system has a 200 km range and could hit Israeli fighter planes in the north. Israeli officials have declared that if these weapons are delivered by Russia to Syria, Israel’s air force will knock them out in a pre-emptive strike. Israel would make sure that the weapons could not be used by Assad or transferred to Hezbollah. 

g)     The United States has been weak in its foreign policy concerning Syria. (See the previous blog post re: this subject). It appears that if the peace conference fails, the U.S. might begin to supply the Sunni rebels with weapons, following the lead of France and Britain. Assad has threatened to go to war with Israel because of this.

You can see how complicated this matter is, and how there appears to be no solution. From the Israeli point of view, if the Shiites are allowed to maintain control of this part of the Middle East, through the on-going instability in Syria, this would be the greater threat to Israel than the Sunni rebels taking over parts of Syria. It seems that the peace conference, if it happens, will be a determining factor in how things will look in Syria in the future. Please direct your prayers to the scriptures (above) and stand with us for God’s protection over the people of Israel at this time.