SITUATION ANALYSIS -- 89

Jerusalem, Israel

NOVEMBER 2014 PRAYER UPDATE

Israel and the Nations

·         There has been extensive rioting in Jerusalem over the past several months. Tensions have dramatically increased, with rock-throwing, Molotov cocktails, stabbings, and shootings by Arabs against Jews. Jerusalem is experiencing signs of a third Intifada (Uprising). The Temple Mount was shutdown, temporarily, on Thursday, October 30, and re-opened on Friday, the 31^st, but with limitations. 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared that the temporary closing of the Temple Mount by Israel was a “declaration of war.” This incited the Arab population and Jerusalem is now like a powder keg ready to explode!

This past week, an Arab kitchen worker in a fine restaurant at Jerusalem’s Menachem Begin Center shot a rabbi as he was standing outside the front of the Center. The rabbi, Yehuda Glick has undergone several surgeries for gunshot wounds, and he is struggling for his life at Shaare Zedek hospital. He was hit by the assassin after giving a lecture on the Temple Mount at the Center. His lecture encouraged Jews to find ways to be able to pray on the Mount.  The assassin was a former terrorist who somehow got clearance by the police to work in the restaurant.

This is a serious escalation in hostilities of Arabs against Jews. Pray for the rabbi to be healed in Yeshua’s name. Pray for calm to be restored to the city, and protection over all those who are living and working in and around Jerusalem.

Declare Isaiah 62:1 over Jerusalem:  “Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.”

·         Relations have rapidly deteriorated between the U.S. Obama Administration and the Israeli government as the deadline of November 24^th draws closer for a nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 nations. Israel has been critical of U.S. efforts to strike an agreement with Iran that would leave, in place, thousands of nuclear centrifuges. This would allow Iran to be a nuclear threshold state, which in turn would be a great threat to Israel. Netanyahu has privately and publicly vocalized his concerns. This has resulted in senior officials in Obama’s White House lashing out at Netanyahu, personally, with public insults and curse words. The behind-the scenes bickering between the two governments has now become a public concern. The sense is that what cannot be worked out among leaders privately eventually becomes a public matter. 

Most likely, Obama will use American leverage on Israel in this way:  If Netanyahu doesn’t go along with the November 24^th U.S. brokered Iran deal, then Obama will instruct America’s ambassador to the United Nations to withdraw diplomatic cover for Israel. So, when it comes to anti-Israel resolutions being brought before the UN Security Council, the U.S. will not use its future veto power to protect Israel. 

This is a serious matter that needs vital intercession! For Netanyahu, a bad deal with Iran affects the national security of Israel. For Obama, no deal with Iran affects his own legacy. And, this seems to be what the two leaders are fighting about. 

One of the ways that the Obama Administration has been challenging Israel is in the area of human rights. For the first time, senior U.S. officials have questioned Israel’s adherence to international human rights law because of Israel’s bombing of a UN building during the Gaza War that Hamas was using to launch rockets. In the past, the U.S. has sided with Israel in its war efforts, but now, Obama is using this as leverage to constrain Israel in order to get the Netanyahu government to comply with his wishes. 

The U.S. State Department continues to condemn Israel for “illegal” housing development in Jerusalem and the West Bank (Judea and Samaria). This feeds into the Palestinian narrative that Israel is occupying Palestinian land and oppressing the aspirations of the Palestinian people. 

Proclaim that the people of Israel are not occupiers of Palestinian land, but rightful owners of the land God promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through His eternal covenant with the Jewish People. Pray for current Israeli Ambassador to the U.N., Ron Proser, who recently declared:  “The people of Israel are not occupiers and we are not settlers. Israel is our home and Jerusalem is our eternal capital of our people.”  

Intercede that other leaders in Israel will have the boldness to state the biblical and historical truth about the land of Israel. 

CRAFTED PRAYER:

Heavenly Father we declare Zechariah 8:22-23, that many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of Hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. As You have proclaimed: 'In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’ “ 

We proclaim the favor of God over Israel, and that You will cause the nations to do what is good in Your sight towards Your Chosen People. May Your truth be revealed as You contend with those who contend with Israel. May You bring forth her righteousness as the light of the noonday sun, and cause the United States and other nations to submit to Your Kingdom authority concerning Your beloved nation. We prophesy over the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, thus says the Lord God, 'Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My wrath because you have endured the insults of the nations.’ Therefore thus says the Lord God, 'I have sworn that surely the nations which are around you will themselves endure their insults. But you, O mountains of Israel, you will put forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel; for they will soon come home.' "

We entreat You Lord to open the gates and let Your people in, especially the believers, to become citizens of Your great nation Israel. And, purge all radical elements that would try to harm Israelis who are living and abiding in their biblical homeland. Continue to raise up prophets who proclaim the biblical and historical Jewish heritage of this land, in Yeshua’s name.

·         While Syria has given up its chemical weapons to be destroyed by the international community, Syrian President Bashir Assad has retained tactical chlorine weapons for his use. The IDF is training for any future scenario where they will need to wear protective gear and gas masks in a possible confrontation with Syria. 

New defenses are also needed for Israel to act against possible Hezbollah attacks on Israel’s off-shore natural gas rigs near the coast with Lebanon. Hezbollah’s large arsenal of long-range missiles gives the terrorist group the capability of shutting down Ben Gurion Airport or Haifa Airport if it launches these missiles against Israel in the future. This could also create economic havoc on the State of Israel. 

CRAFTED PRAYER:

According to Psalm 68:1-3, we declare, “Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered. Let those who hate Him, and His people Israel, flee before Him. As smoke is driven away, so drive Your enemies away. As wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish before You. But, let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God; Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.” 

According to Numbers 10:35 and Judges 5:31, "Rise up, O Lord! Again, we say, may Your enemies be scattered; may Your foes flee before You. May all Your enemies perish! But, may all who love You be like the sun when it rises in its strength. Then the land had peace forty years.”

CONCLUSION: Darkness is increasing; the land is being attacked with violence; there are bitter words against Israel’s senior leader.  But, the Word of God is our hope and our deliverance. 

It says in Isaiah 60:2-3, that “darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”     

 We declare this over Israel and ask you to do the same!

SITUATION ANALYSIS -- 88

Jerusalem, Israel

OCTOBER 2014  PRAYER UPDATE

Israel and the Nations

A perspective on why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not authorize IDF ground troops to stay in Gaza and finish the job of getting rid of Hamas during Operation Protective Edge. Netanyahu had to consider several matters:

(1)     There was a lack of unity within the Inner Security Cabinet of Netanyahu’s government. There was not an agreement among government leaders that would enable the IDF to take over all of Gaza and get rid of Hamas. The IDF advised the Inner Security Cabinet that to destroy Hamas it would require a full-scale invasion of Gaza. However, from the beginning of the war, the main goal announced publicly was to stop Hamas rocket fire and eliminate tunnels that could infiltrate Israel. The Israeli government planned to weaken Hamas but leave it in place to govern the people of Gaza. This is because Israeli leaders could not see any other group ready to govern if Hamas was destroyed.

(2)     Netanyahu was not sure that the nation of Israel could cope with hundreds of IDF soldiers being killed as a result of the war being expanded.  His political favor was not strong enough to keep his government in power if mistakes were made during the war that could have resulted in a large number of deaths in Israel or in Gaza.

(3)     Diplomatically, the nations were already raging because of the high “collateral” damage in Gaza. With over 2,000 people killed (even if a majority were members of Hamas and other terrorist organizations), Israel was already being accused of massacring the Gazan people (lies that were being spread throughout the media). Could Israel handle the diplomatic fall-out that would happen if thousands more lost their lives in Gaza because of a prolonged war with Hamas? It would mean greater isolation for the Jewish State; more boycotts; more campaigns to de-legitimize Israel; and, more possibilities that Israel would be dragged before the International Criminal Court for war crimes.

(4)     Anti-Semitism was already at its greatest increase since pre-WWII, especially in Europe. What would it be like for Jews living abroad if the war had been expanded?

(5)     Economics and Education:  Already, it has been a hardship for Israeli southern communities to repair damages done – infrastructure of buildings, homes, and roads. Children in the south would have not be able to start school on time had the war continued. Whole communities would have stayed away from the south for prolonged periods of time to avoid living in the war zone. 

(6)     Hamas was a clear distraction from Israel’s main enemy, Iran. Netanyahu needed to be able to diplomatically focus on Iran, pressuring world leaders to listen to Israel’s point of view, especially as the P5+1 nations are trying to make a deal with Iran by November 24^th, in order to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear state.

·         As you go to prayer for Israel, please remember these points mentioned.     

                                                            

Israel still has not been able to successfully eliminate rocket fire on its citizens. The nation is only in a temporary cease-fire with Hamas. If Hamas does not get what it wants in indirect negotiations with Israel (which are being conducted in Cairo), then it has threatened to resume attacks on the Jewish State. Reportedly, 80% of its rocket arsenal was destroyed. But, Hamas still has more than 2,000 rockets it can fire on Israel in the future. Additionally, it can use mortar fire against citizens in the south, which the Iron Dome cannot intercept.

Israel gained a temporary respite. So far, the IDF can say it has achieved a level of deterrence in the south of the country. But, critics of Netanyahu’s government say that Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon did not push hard to end the war fast, and did not take the war far enough into enemy territory.

Please pray that the deterrence will remain effective for the long-term. Pray that Israel’s enemies in the south (Hamas and other terrorist groups) will not be able to re-group, or to re-stock any more weapons in their arsenals. Pray that the rockets Hamas does have will become useless; rocket launchers will break down; all command and control centers will become dysfunctional; and, that God will raise up an army of angels to infiltrate the ranks of every terrorist group in Gaza and cause mass confusion in Yeshua’s name!

Declare God’s favor for Israel; that the IDF will triumph over its enemies, according to Deuteronomy 7:23: “But the Lord Your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed.”

·         Israel is preparing for a war in the north, as Hezbollah continues to get stronger, with an arsenal of 100,000 rockets it wants to use in a future battle with Israel.

Pray according to Exodus 23:27, entreating the Lord to help the IDF prepare for conflicts on the horizon: “I'll go ahead of you and terrorize all the people to whom you are coming. I'll confuse your enemies and make them turn their backs on you and run away.”

 

·         It appears that Iran is helping Al-Qaeda. And, Shiites in Iraq and Syria have committed the same atrocities and barbaric acts that Sunnis like Al-Qaeda and Islamic State have committed. The concern that Middle East analysts have reported is that various Sunni jihadist groups will begin to join ranks and unify as has already happened among the Shiites (Iran, Hezbollah and Syria’s Assad regime). Sunni radicals like Al-Nusra Front and Islamic State in Syria are starting to unify, as the U.S.-led coalition continues its air strikes, and more nations join in. What the U.S. should be preparing to do is use the same coalition of Arab states and Western nations to threaten Iran if it does not surrender to world pressure to stop its quest for nuclear weapons!

As intercessors, let’s stand in the gap and pray that the Lord will intervene in this region and stop the bloodshed. Let’s believe for His sovereign plan that will save the Middle East peoples and bring revival to these tribal nations. Pray for all enemy lines to be pushed back. Pray that a wall of protection will surround Israel that cannot be penetrated; that her borders will be secured; that she will enjoy calm, quiet, and peace from the north to the south, and the east to the west.

Thank the Lord for His promises and declare Isaiah 60:2-3 over Israel:  “For behold, darkness will cover the earth; and, deep darkness the peoples; but, the Lord will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”

·         There is a strong relationship between Turkey’s intelligence services and Iran, resulting in a rift and developing mistrust in the Turkish-Israel relationship. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to antagonize Israel with anti-Semitic statements. He has also kept his country from entering into the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. And, he has not allowed Turkish Kurds to cross the border and help their Syrian brothers in the fight against Islamic State. 

·         Pray for the Turkish President to accept the ways of the Lord and His Kingdom; or if not, that God would remove him from government. Thank the Lord for His Word and His Authority that is above all!      

    

Daniel 4:35: “All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: "What have you done?"

·         Almost immediately after the recent meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Netanyahu, the White House blasted Israel for its settlement policy, condemning Israel for approving the construction of new houses in Jerusalem. This has caused another rift between the U.S. government and Israel. (Most likely, it is the Obama Administration’s way of preparing for another round of futile talks between Israel and the Palestinians, when Israel will be pressured to freeze new construction in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria).

Ask the Lord to remove the animosity between these two allies. Pray that Obama and his administration will surrender to God’s Word pertaining to the covenant the Lord has made with Israel. Pray that God will raise up new leaders in the U.S. who will be favorable towards Israel, especially in the elections soon to take place in America. 

Proclaim, according to the land of Israel and its inhabitants, Psalm 89:3-4: “I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, I will establish your seed forever, and build up your throne to all generations."

·         Mahmoud Abbas wants to force a two-state solution on Israel through a future vote in the UN Security council. He has submitted a draft resolution that would set a deadline of November 2016 for Israel to withdraw to the pre-June 1967 border. This deadline would be right after the 2016 presidential elections, and before the new U.S. president takes office. This would allow Obama, as a lame duck president, to act on his personal vendettas. He could direct America’s UN representative to vote on behalf of the PLO’s plan and not veto the plan on behalf of Israel. 

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is, reportedly, trying to organize a regional peace conference that would force Israel into accepting the 2002 Saudi Peace Initiative (which would leave Israel with indefensible borders; not a good plan!)

Declare Isaiah 54:17 over Israel; that God would thwart the ways of those who have ill plans for the Jewish State:  "No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and, every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me, declares the Lord.”

·         Another disagreement between the Obama Administration and the Netanyahu government has to do with foreign policy. Recently, Netanyahu said in his UN speech that all of militant Islam poses a cohesive ideological threat to the Western world. The U.S. State Department disagrees. Its spokesperson, Jen Psaki tried to differentiate between various jihadist terrorist groups. Netanyahu sees them all as evil. He stated at the UN:  “The Nazis believed in a master race. The militant Islamists believe in a master faith. They just disagree about who among them will be the master of the master faith.”

Intercede before the Lord that He will enlighten U.S. foreign policy makers and the Obama Administration to the fact that militant Islam wants to dominate the earth and destroy Israel and the West, and all these extremist groups are radically trying to achieve the same goal. Thank God that no matter what its U.S. ally is saying or doing, He will not allow Israel’s foot to slip. “He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalm 121:3-4).