SITUATION ANALYSIS -- 111

Jerusalem, Israel

NOVEMBER 2016 PRAYER UPDATE

Israel and the Nations

In praying for the U.S. elections, one of the greatest concerns from an Israeli perspective has been the Anti-Semitic undertones among both Democratic and Republican campaign supporters. Anti-Semitism is on the increase in both America and Europe. The Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) is being spearheaded by students on U.S. college campuses, with the worst attacks on Israel and the Jewish People coming from Brooklyn College, Northwestern University, and many schools in California. 

In America, 60% of reported hate crimes are against Jews. Last year, there was a 50% rise in violent anti-Semitic attacks in the US. 

Reportedly, 25% of Western Europeans are anti-Semitic. There’s been an increase in hate attacks against Jews in France, Belgium, Denmark and Bulgaria. Jewish people in Europe are afraid to identify themselves as Jews. This has caused 33% of the Jewish population to consider emigrating from Europe to other countries.

A “code of conduct” is being established by Israel and Jewish leaders for the Internet, calling into question methods from Google, Yahoo, and other search engines. The rules Israel hopes will be implemented is that incitement against Jews will be taken off the Internet within 24 hours of it being reported.

PRAYER POINTS:

THE ANSWER TO INCREASED PERSECUTION OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE IS FOR THEM TO COME HOME! DECLARE SCRIPTURES ON ALIYAH THAT DRAW HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE TO CONSIDER IMMIGRATING TO ISRAEL. AND, PRAY THAT THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT WILL WELCOME ALL JEWS WITH OPEN ARMS:

PSALM 107:2-3: “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so; whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary. And, gathered from the lands. From the east and from the west; from the north and from the south.”

HOSEA 11:10:  “They will follow the LORD; He will roar like a lion. When he roars, His children will come trembling from the west.”

ISAIAH 11:12: “And He will lift up a standard for the nations. And, assemble the banished ones of Israel. And, will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”

ISAIAH 43:5-7: “Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east; and, gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And, to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring My sons from afar; and, My daughters from the ends of the earth; everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory; whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” 

ISAIAH 49:22: “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I will beckon to the nations, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their hips.”

AMOS 9:14: “I will bring my exiled people of Israel back from distant lands, and they will rebuild their ruined cities and live in them again. They will plant vineyards and gardens; they will eat their crops and drink their wine.”

The Israeli government has said that the greatest stumbling block to ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been the refusal of the Palestinians to recognize Israel as the Jewish State. What the Palestinians are doing is challenging Israel’s sovereignty… not just along the 1967 borders, but throughout the whole land! 

The nations voting within the United Nations Education and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), passed two resolutions recently, declaring the holy sites in Jerusalem, as well as the Temple Mount itself, as having significance to the Muslims (using Muslim names to describe the areas). There was no emphasis on these sites as being holy to Christians or Jews.

This was a victory for the Palestinians, but proved that they not only do not want to recognize the Jewish State, they are also looking for ways to deny Jewish historic ties to the Holy Land!

Israeli leaders have declared that attempts to cut off the Jewish people from their homeland and heritage will not be successful, and will not bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Furthermore, the battle for Jewish sovereignty over the land that God has given the Jewish People continues. A type of diplomatic terror against Israel is happening at UN institutions. 

Israel is preparing for a possible escalation of pressure against the Jewish State at the UN Security Council, sometime after the November U.S. elections and before the new U.S. President comes to power in January 2017. The concern is that outgoing American President Barack Obama may give his approval to binding UN resolutions that would change Israel’s land status at the UN.  

Since 1967, the UN resolutions that have been binding have been 242 and 338, which explain that the land areas in question are the “disputed territories” of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), to be determined in future peace negotiations between the parties in dispute.

If Obama sets parameters for a two-state solution in a new UN Security Resolution, it could be considered an update to those resolutions, resulting in the area of dispute being called “occupied territories”. It could pave the way for other international binding resolutions, calling for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be determined with the UN becoming a third party in peace talks.

PRAYER POINTS:

Ask God to hold back any U.S. or European resolution in the UN Security Council that would hurt Israel’s diplomatic standing among the nations. Intercede that there will be no success in passing resolutions that would challenge Israel’s sovereignty over the land that the Lord has given her… land from the Great Sea to the Euphrates River.  Declare that all attempts by the Palestinians to push forward documents that challenge Israel’s historic ties to Jerusalem and its holy sites, especially the Temple Mount, will be null and void. Entreat the Lord for Israel’s standing to be favorable among the nations:

ZECHARIAH 8:22-23:  “So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the LORD of Hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD. “Thus says the LORD of Hosts, '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.' "

ROMANS 9:4-5:  “They are the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs is the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.”

DEUTERONOMY 7:6: "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”

PSALM 78:5: “For He established a testimony in Jacob, and  appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers; that they should teach them to their children; that the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born; that they may arise and tell them to their children…”

PSALM 147:19-20: “He declares His words to Jacob; His statutes and His ordinances to Israel. He has not done this for any other nation; they do not know His regulations. Praise the LORD!”

ZECHARIAH 12:2-4:  “Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah.  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. And, all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.”

ZECHARIAH 12:8-9: "In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the House of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD before them. "And, in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”

PSALM 122:6-7: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you. May peace be within your walls; and, prosperity within your palaces. For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, May peace be within you…’ ”

SITUATION ANALYSIS -- 110

Jerusalem, Israel

THE LAST OF ISRAEL’S FOUNDING FATHERS – SHIMON PERES

As dignitaries arrive from all over the world, to pay their respects to one of Israel’s greatest leaders Shimon Peres, it’s an opportunity to reflect on who the man was in his life, and what he contributed to the State of Israel before his death.

Perhaps, the greatest legacy he leaves behind is that he was one of the founding fathers of the modern state of Israel. He worked diligently in many areas of government, especially helping Israel to become a military and nuclear power. He formed alliances with world powers, putting Israel on the diplomatic world stage. He spoke often with heads of state regarding the importance of maintaining Israel’s national security and its economic growth. 

His career started before the state of Israel was born 68 years ago. Even when he “retired” from political service, in 2014, Peres remained active as the head of the Peres Center for Peace. This writer was invited to hear him speak during Purim this year, and as always, his message to mostly young people was the hope of “peace”.

 In his relentless quest for that “peace”, Peres was a controversial figure playing the role of mastermind behind the Oslo Accords, which he negotiated secretly, getting Knesset approval quickly, before the signing of the accords at the White House on September 13, 1993. It is interesting to note that many Israelis have come to see the Oslo Accords as a failure in Israel’s efforts to make peace with the Palestinians. 

While Peres gave undying hope to the younger generation, citizens did not always trust his compromising efforts towards a solution that would satisfy both the Palestinians and Israelis and solve the on-going conflict. Others were concerned with his vision for a New World Order. This writer attended several of the gatherings that Peres hosted that brought presidents of nations together in Israel to discuss globalization in areas of politics, diplomacy, and economics. The gatherings were not that successful in achieving genuine unity and developing partnerships. 

Peres was not always as popular at home as he was abroad. He never won a national election in Israel, yet managed to serve as prime minister (through rotation governments; and, temporarily after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin). He also served as foreign minister, defense minister, president, and in many other government appointments.

President Peres will be most remembered in recent years for bringing dignity back to that office (after former President Moshe Katsav left in disgrace, charged with sexual offenses). It was in his role as the ninth Israeli president that Peres flourished as a man of the people – both in Israel and within the international community. Tirelessly, he offered his wisdom and experience to heads of state, diplomats, opinion makers, journalists, celebrities, and the general public.

Peres was one of Israel’s greatest promotors. He was always informed about the most modern technology available to mankind, and he encouraged Israelis to take risks and explore avenues of innovation and entrepreneurship. He was responsible for promoting Israel as the Start-Up Nation, which drew many foreign leaders to come and do business with the Jewish State. 

Today, one of the reasons Israel is not isolated among the nations is because so many in the international community have come to admire and respect Israel for its brainpower in tech sectors; in research and development; in science; in medicine; in cyber technology, etc. Peres was an expert in relating to dignitaries in areas of soft-diplomacy…. a key policy of the Israeli government to deepen relationships between Israel and other nations.

Today, the Arab world is experiencing major upheaval, especially in the Middle East, where Peres envisioned Israelis living peacefully with their neighbors. This is one of the sad moments of reality as citizens mourn the death of Shimon Peres.

Still facing criticism into his 90’s, Peres raised some eyebrows in his continued meetings with Pope Francis. As the two men drew closer in friendship, working towards interfaith peace through religious tolerance, some people of faith were alarmed that these efforts could lend themselves to a constraint of individual religious freedoms rather than the development of mutual respect.

In all his ups and downs, as a major figure in Israeli politics, one thing cannot be denied, Peres worked determinedly towards Israel becoming a state that would successfully reach its destiny as a “light to the nations.” Regardless of political affiliation; of liberal or conservative ideologies; today both Israelis and the global community, respectively, remember Shimon Peres.

From the time of his major stroke on September 13, 2016, until the time of his death, 15 days later on September 28, 2016, the people of Israel were praying and preparing for the possibility he would not survive.

There is a certain sadness that prevails in his passing, as the nation mourns. Going into the Fall Feasts -- remembering the sweetness of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year; blowing the shofar to bring in the Feast of Trumpets; these celebrations will be more subdued this year, as the family of Shimon Peres sits “shiva” and as others remember a man who was called upon to help shape the Jewish nation and steer it towards its future destiny.

Jesus said, in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”