Jerusalem, Israel
TERROR ON ISRAEL'S SOUTHERN BORDER
The recent terrorist attack on Israel’s resort town of Eilat killed eight people and wounded more than two dozen others. The terrorists infiltrated Israel from the Egyptian-ruled Sinai. They successfully carried out their well-planned attack, despite the fact that the IDF (Israel’s Defense Forces) had been warned for some time that the interim Egyptian government was no longer involved in enforcing the law in the Sinai.
The terrorists hit several buses, private cars, and an IDF border patrol in Israel’s well-known southern resort town. They used automatic rifles, missiles, roadside bombs, and other sophisticated weapons. Before and after the attack, Palestinian terror groups in Gaza launched more rockets against nearby Israeli southern towns.
The terrorists who attacked Eilat were well-trained and most likely had accurate intelligence information on Israeli defense operations, including important details about Israel’s homefront. The IDF was not prepared for the multi-level highly visible attack on such a popular destination for tourists who regularly visit the sunshine city from destinations around the world. Certainly, tourism to Israel will be affected by this recent incident.
Since the fall of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s regime, and even during his rule in Egypt, the Bedouins living in the Sinai were known to be aiding terrorists. The tribes have cooperated with radical Islamic forces, helping them to smuggle well-trained operatives and sophisticated weapons along routes from Egypt to Gaza. Some of these forces are now reportedly operating freely in the Sinai, including the Moslem Brotherhood, Al-Qaeda cells, and Hamas terrorists.
When Egypt’s ruling military party, following Mubarak’s departure, opened the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza in June 2011, it allowed highly trained terrorists and advanced weapons to flow freely. This has led to an increased weapons arsenal for Hamas. The terror group now has at least 10,000 rockets it wants to use against Israel, including several long-range Iranian missiles that can hit Tel Aviv. Hamas has smuggled into Gaza at least three times as many explosives this year as they were able to smuggle in last year.
The Egyptian government has also stopped building a wall under the Philadelphia Corridor, which is now encouraging more weapons to be smuggled through underground tunnels between Egypt and Gaza. In addition, it appears that Hamas is trying to extend its rule in the Sinai, in opposition to the current Egyptian military government.
It is obvious that Egyptian’s current interim government has lost its grip on the Sinai, as the gas pipeline that provides gas to Israel and Jordan has been bombed, repeatedly, by local jihadists. Furthermore, it is possible that Thursday’s attack included soldiers associated with the Egyptian army patrolling the Sinai, which further complicates the sensitive and highly volatile relationship between Israel and Egypt.
While the current Egyptian interim government develops closer ties with the Moslem Brotherhood and Iran, the IDF must be prepared to protect Israel’s porous border with Egypt. This means deploying many of Israel’s best troops to the south. Israel is currently building a fence along the border, but plans are that it will not be completed for several years. Therefore, the border will continue to be vulnerable to terror attacks emanating from the Sinai.
Though the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty is supposed to protect the relationship between the two countries, that treaty is now in jeopardy as radical Islamic forces are poised to take over the Egyptian government in the near future. These are worrying signs for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition government, as the balance of power in the southern region is being altered. In addition, Palestinian terror groups are attempting to store missles and launchers throughout the region. The IDF will have to prepare to operate along the Egyptian border and in the Gaza Strip to stop rocket attacks against Eilat, Beersheva, Ashdod, Ashkelon and Tel Aviv.
The Israeli government cannot afford to wait any longer to prepare its citizens for war on its southern front. Whatever it takes to expand Israel’s defense budget in order to meet IDF requirements for a greater presence in the south, Israeli citizens must cooperate.
The domestic problems that have divided Israelis this summer due to rising housing costs, insufficient medical services and a troubled education system, are worthy of consideration. But, these problems cannot compare to the rise in enemy forces on Israel’s southern border who want to destroy the Jewish State, militarily.
Once more the Jewish nation is focused on protecting the homefront from outside hostilities. Citizens will have to find a way to live together to combat these forces as a national priority. This will need to happen before Israel can sufficiently solve its economic problems that are hindering progress within the state.
Israelis cannot afford to do otherwise. Their lives depend on it!
"In that day there will be an altar to the Lord, in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border." Isaiah 19:19
MORE INFORMATION AND PRAYER POINTS:
Political ramifications regarding the change in leadership of Egypt since former President Hosni Mubarak's fall from power in the Spring of 2011:
(1) A majority of Egyptians favor the Moslem Brotherhood, and the Brotherhood is expected to gain great influence in the new Egyptian government which is supposed to be established in September.
(2) A majority of Egyptians want to scrap the peace treaty with Israel.
(3) Egyptian religious fanatics have been protesting on Egyptian streets, mingling in with the masses, demanding that Egypt become a Sharia state under Sharia law.
(4) A majority of Egyptians want Amr Moussa, the former head of the Arab League, to become the next president of Egypt in September 2011. If he becomes the next Egyptian president, he will look to weaken ties with Israel, which could jeopardize the peace treaty.
*Pray that all ties between radical groups in Egypt, and those in Gaza, will cease. Pray that all smuggling of arms and terrorists will be stopped. Pray that God shows the Israelis the exact location of where the terrorists are infiltrating Israel's borders, so that the IDF can stop all future attempts to terrorize the Jewish nation.
*Pray for an extra measure of protection on Israel's border with the Egyptian-ruled Sinai. Pray that the IDF will be prepared for any changes on the border in the future. Pray that the Israeli government will equip all defense forces with the ability to fight terrorism emanating from the Sinai. Pray that the Egyptian army will not join the terrorists in a military conflict against Israel. Pray that the Lord of Hosts will lead and guide the Israeli government in all decision-making concerning Egypt and Gaza.
*Pray that Israel is able to deal strongly with the influx of weapons going to Hamas in Gaza. Pray that the Lord shows the IDF where all arms factories are located so that the weapons of all terrorist cells in Gaza will be destroyed. Pray that the IDF will also be able to locate all rockets and launchers, and identify all terrorists planning to do evil against the Jewish State.
*Pray that all long-range Iranian weapons in the hands of Hamas will be destroyed and rendered useless. Pray that no more rockets will be able to be smuggled into Gaza, and none will reach the West Bank (Judea and Samaria). Pray that God will protect Ben Gurion airport from these weapons of destruction.
*Pray for boldness among secular Egyptians who are being intimidated by radical elements within Egyptian society. Pray that they take authority over all groups trying to bring Egypt into greater repression through religious rules and regulations.
*Pray that the Lord shields the Egyptian people from a return to Sharia law. Pray that all elements trying to bring Sharia Law into Egyptian society will be exposed.
*Pray that repentence falls on the Egyptian people, and that they line up with the Word of God for their nation.
*Pray that the people vote for a president that wants peace with Israel. Pray for greater favor for the Israeli people within Egyptian society.
*Pray that the Lord convicts the Egyptian people of anti-Semitism, and gives them His heart for His Chosen People, Israel.
*Pray that Coptic Christians that know the Lord have extra favor in influential places within Egyptian society, especially among government leaders.
*Pray that Egyptian government leaders adhere to the laws that protect the Copts from violent elements among radical Islamists.
*Pray for revival among those that the Coptic Christians are trying to reach, and that no intimidation will keep them from being a strong witness to Egyptian Moslems.
A News Prayer Network, providing prayer points on current issues in the news, from Jerusalem to the rest of the world
Friday, August 19, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
SITUATION ANALYSIS -- XXXVI
Jerusalem, Israel
NAKBA DAY – REFUSING TO RECOGNIZE THE NATION STATE OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE
This weekend, Israeli Arabs and Palestinians took to the streets to protest the existence of the state of Israel. Clashes with IDF forces resulted in deaths and injuries, as Israeli troops tried to quell the riots.
In an alleged terrorist attack on Israeli citizens in Tel Aviv, a truck driven by an Israeli Arab crashed into pedestrians and cars, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen others.
Clashes also occurred on the northern border with Syria and Lebanon, as Palestinians and Druze tried to cross into Israel, resulting in the deaths of several protestors. IDF forces also clashed with Palestinians in Gaza, in the West Bank, and in Jerusalem.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians joined in protests throughout the world.
The occasion is Nakba Day, the day of “catastrophe” for Arab and Palestinian communities in the Middle East, who are protesting the League of Nations decision on May 15, 1948, to establish the modern state of Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people.
In a cabinet meeting this weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated: “I regret that there are extremists among Israeli Arabs and in neighboring countries who have turned the day in which the State of Israel was established, the day on which the Israeli democracy was established, into a day of incitement, violence and rage. There is no place for this; for denying the existence of the State of Israel; No to extremism and no to violence. The opposite is true.”
For two years now, since Netanyahu became Prime Minister of the State of Israel for the second time in his political career, he has entreated the international community to recognize Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people. During his tenure, he has also spent much time laboring over the fact that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has not wanted to enter into direct negotiations with Israel, except during a brief period last year. Abbas has also been unwilling to recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people.
During Nakba demonstrations, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has called on Moslems in Gaza to pray for the end of Israel. This coincides with the Hamas charter which calls for Israel’s destruction. Now that Hamas in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank have reconciled and signed a unity agreement, the new government they form can be expected to follow in the footsteps of Hamas – no recognition of Israel.
In the meantime, over 150 countries throughout the world have recognized and supported the establishment of a Palestinian state. In September, Abbas plans to go before the UN General Assembly, unilaterally declaring statehood, hoping to take future peace negotiations out of the hands of American brokers, and into the hands of international diplomats within the UN, Quartet and EU. If the UN officially recognizes Palestinian statehood this paves the way for direct negotiations between “Palestine” and Israel, which would give the Palestinians equal footing, diplomatically, in a land they do not possess, except in their own verbal decrees.
In this kind of environment, Hamas says it will accept, for a limited time only, a Palestinian state on the land beyond the 1967 Green Line. This is spelled out in the Arab Peace Initiative. This would include all of the West Bank (Judea and Samaria). A Hamas-Fatah government would agree to a temporary cessation of violence against Israel. They would also allow Palestinian negotiators to enter into a temporary peace agreement with Israel, until, at which time, the unified government felt Israel was weak enough to go to war against the Jewish state. Then they would look to occupy all of the territory that is currently the Jewish homeland. These are the intentions of both Hamas and Fatah whether clearly stated publicly or not.
This is a plan that Abbas is willing to accept for the Palestinian people, along with solving the so-called Palestinian “refugee” problem. Recently, Abbas reiterated that the “refugees” must be able to return to their homes in Israel in any negotiated peace settlement.
In 1948, rather than accepting a two-state solution, the Arab world went to war against Israel. They told Israeli Arabs to flee Palestine, and most did. The Arab nations lost that battle, dubbed “Israel’s War of Independence”. Now, the children of that generation want to return to the area.
What is the goal of these Palestinians who today live in Lebanon, Jordan, Gaza, the West Bank, and in other parts of the world? They do not want to enjoy the privileges of their own independent state in the West Bank and Gaza. A majority of these “refugees” want to use the keys given to them by their ancestors and take over Jewish property in Israel which they continue to claim belongs solely to them. If they do not recognize the state of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, then as they lay claim to homes and apartments in the land, would they not be expected to try and expel the Jews?
Currently, Netanyahu is being pressured by the international community to offer more concessions to the Palestinians, through a new diplomatic initiative he is supposed to spell out before Congress and AIPAC, in the coming days. Pressure is mounting, again, from the U.S. Administration as well as Europe, to get Netanyahu and Abbas back to the peace negotiating table no matter what turmoil is going on in the Middle East. Upheaval in Arab countries; clashes on Israel’s borders; uprisings in the West Bank and Gaza; riots on the streets of Israeli neighborhoods; demonstrations throughout Israel, the Middle East and the world are, supposedly, all because these two men haven’t achieved peace. This is what many leaders in the global community believe.
The question is, what can Israel offer the Palestinians that would satisfy their appetite when the Palestinians have already declared their intentions? Whether it is step-by-step, accepting the partial plan of Palestinian statehood on part of the land, pushing Israeli communities back to the Green Line; or, whether it is the intention of taking the whole land by peace or by war, it is clear what they want. Yet, it is still not clear to the international community what the aspirations are of the Palestinian people.
In fact, American and European diplomats are looking to find a way of accepting a unified Palestinian government even without the stipulation by the Quartet that Israel be recognized by Hamas. Abbas has provided an answer for them. If the international community will accept that the newly formed Hamas-Fatah government will consist of technocrats, and not political leaders, then there won’t be a problem. In other words, because these technocrats would simply be figureheads, not involved in political negotiations with Israel, and not involved in violent force against Israel, this would pave the way for the international community to accept the Palestinian unity government.
Independently, Abbas could keep pretending that he wants to negotiate with Israel; the international community could take ownership of the peace process; and, Hamas could keep launching rockets on Israel’s southern communities. Riots, violent demonstrations, terrorist attacks, and flotilla wars against Israel could continue in the name of “freedom fighters” who are just trying to help the Palestinians lay claim to their state. The new Palestinian unity government could distance itself from these more radical elements within their society, who they would claim they have no control over.
This way, all parties would be content except Israel. The Jewish state would know no peace; have no defensible borders; and the very survival of the country would be at stake.
If today’s Nakba demonstrations are any indication, there is no love lost between Israel, the Palestinians, and neighboring Arab countries. As time goes on, Israel should be distancing itself from a failed process of peace that is only bringing more violence to its borders and within its society. Proving that it has the ability to defend itself when provoked by rage and incitement, Israel must unify as the nation state of the Jewish people; and, along with pro-Israel supporters throughout the world, stand strong in the face of growing adversity, worldwide.
"Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing?" Psalm 2:1
NAKBA DAY – REFUSING TO RECOGNIZE THE NATION STATE OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE
This weekend, Israeli Arabs and Palestinians took to the streets to protest the existence of the state of Israel. Clashes with IDF forces resulted in deaths and injuries, as Israeli troops tried to quell the riots.
In an alleged terrorist attack on Israeli citizens in Tel Aviv, a truck driven by an Israeli Arab crashed into pedestrians and cars, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen others.
Clashes also occurred on the northern border with Syria and Lebanon, as Palestinians and Druze tried to cross into Israel, resulting in the deaths of several protestors. IDF forces also clashed with Palestinians in Gaza, in the West Bank, and in Jerusalem.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians joined in protests throughout the world.
The occasion is Nakba Day, the day of “catastrophe” for Arab and Palestinian communities in the Middle East, who are protesting the League of Nations decision on May 15, 1948, to establish the modern state of Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people.
In a cabinet meeting this weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated: “I regret that there are extremists among Israeli Arabs and in neighboring countries who have turned the day in which the State of Israel was established, the day on which the Israeli democracy was established, into a day of incitement, violence and rage. There is no place for this; for denying the existence of the State of Israel; No to extremism and no to violence. The opposite is true.”
For two years now, since Netanyahu became Prime Minister of the State of Israel for the second time in his political career, he has entreated the international community to recognize Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people. During his tenure, he has also spent much time laboring over the fact that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has not wanted to enter into direct negotiations with Israel, except during a brief period last year. Abbas has also been unwilling to recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people.
During Nakba demonstrations, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has called on Moslems in Gaza to pray for the end of Israel. This coincides with the Hamas charter which calls for Israel’s destruction. Now that Hamas in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank have reconciled and signed a unity agreement, the new government they form can be expected to follow in the footsteps of Hamas – no recognition of Israel.
In the meantime, over 150 countries throughout the world have recognized and supported the establishment of a Palestinian state. In September, Abbas plans to go before the UN General Assembly, unilaterally declaring statehood, hoping to take future peace negotiations out of the hands of American brokers, and into the hands of international diplomats within the UN, Quartet and EU. If the UN officially recognizes Palestinian statehood this paves the way for direct negotiations between “Palestine” and Israel, which would give the Palestinians equal footing, diplomatically, in a land they do not possess, except in their own verbal decrees.
In this kind of environment, Hamas says it will accept, for a limited time only, a Palestinian state on the land beyond the 1967 Green Line. This is spelled out in the Arab Peace Initiative. This would include all of the West Bank (Judea and Samaria). A Hamas-Fatah government would agree to a temporary cessation of violence against Israel. They would also allow Palestinian negotiators to enter into a temporary peace agreement with Israel, until, at which time, the unified government felt Israel was weak enough to go to war against the Jewish state. Then they would look to occupy all of the territory that is currently the Jewish homeland. These are the intentions of both Hamas and Fatah whether clearly stated publicly or not.
This is a plan that Abbas is willing to accept for the Palestinian people, along with solving the so-called Palestinian “refugee” problem. Recently, Abbas reiterated that the “refugees” must be able to return to their homes in Israel in any negotiated peace settlement.
In 1948, rather than accepting a two-state solution, the Arab world went to war against Israel. They told Israeli Arabs to flee Palestine, and most did. The Arab nations lost that battle, dubbed “Israel’s War of Independence”. Now, the children of that generation want to return to the area.
What is the goal of these Palestinians who today live in Lebanon, Jordan, Gaza, the West Bank, and in other parts of the world? They do not want to enjoy the privileges of their own independent state in the West Bank and Gaza. A majority of these “refugees” want to use the keys given to them by their ancestors and take over Jewish property in Israel which they continue to claim belongs solely to them. If they do not recognize the state of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, then as they lay claim to homes and apartments in the land, would they not be expected to try and expel the Jews?
Currently, Netanyahu is being pressured by the international community to offer more concessions to the Palestinians, through a new diplomatic initiative he is supposed to spell out before Congress and AIPAC, in the coming days. Pressure is mounting, again, from the U.S. Administration as well as Europe, to get Netanyahu and Abbas back to the peace negotiating table no matter what turmoil is going on in the Middle East. Upheaval in Arab countries; clashes on Israel’s borders; uprisings in the West Bank and Gaza; riots on the streets of Israeli neighborhoods; demonstrations throughout Israel, the Middle East and the world are, supposedly, all because these two men haven’t achieved peace. This is what many leaders in the global community believe.
The question is, what can Israel offer the Palestinians that would satisfy their appetite when the Palestinians have already declared their intentions? Whether it is step-by-step, accepting the partial plan of Palestinian statehood on part of the land, pushing Israeli communities back to the Green Line; or, whether it is the intention of taking the whole land by peace or by war, it is clear what they want. Yet, it is still not clear to the international community what the aspirations are of the Palestinian people.
In fact, American and European diplomats are looking to find a way of accepting a unified Palestinian government even without the stipulation by the Quartet that Israel be recognized by Hamas. Abbas has provided an answer for them. If the international community will accept that the newly formed Hamas-Fatah government will consist of technocrats, and not political leaders, then there won’t be a problem. In other words, because these technocrats would simply be figureheads, not involved in political negotiations with Israel, and not involved in violent force against Israel, this would pave the way for the international community to accept the Palestinian unity government.
Independently, Abbas could keep pretending that he wants to negotiate with Israel; the international community could take ownership of the peace process; and, Hamas could keep launching rockets on Israel’s southern communities. Riots, violent demonstrations, terrorist attacks, and flotilla wars against Israel could continue in the name of “freedom fighters” who are just trying to help the Palestinians lay claim to their state. The new Palestinian unity government could distance itself from these more radical elements within their society, who they would claim they have no control over.
This way, all parties would be content except Israel. The Jewish state would know no peace; have no defensible borders; and the very survival of the country would be at stake.
If today’s Nakba demonstrations are any indication, there is no love lost between Israel, the Palestinians, and neighboring Arab countries. As time goes on, Israel should be distancing itself from a failed process of peace that is only bringing more violence to its borders and within its society. Proving that it has the ability to defend itself when provoked by rage and incitement, Israel must unify as the nation state of the Jewish people; and, along with pro-Israel supporters throughout the world, stand strong in the face of growing adversity, worldwide.
"Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing?" Psalm 2:1
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
SITUATION ANALYSIS -- XXXV
Jerusalem, Israel
ISRAEL’S QUEST FOR PEACE AND SECURITY IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING REGION
The recent barrage of rocket and mortar attacks against Israeli southern communities; the brutal murder of five members of a settler family in Itimar, and the first bus bombing in Jerusalem since 2004, has, once again, shattered the sense of calm and well-being in Israel. Citizens are reeling from these recent terror attacks, wondering whether this means that Israel must prepare for another Gaza war; or, the possibility of the Palestinians launching a third Intifada.
Recently, Israel’s Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, ordered the deployment of the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system, bringing hope to some Israelis that if the rocket war with Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other terror groups in Gaza escalates, at least southern Israeli communities will be offered a measure of protection. The IDF has stated, more than once, that the system has flaws, is limited in scope, and cannot protect against all incoming missiles. But, the Israeli government is not ready for a full scale war, and is looking for a way of stopping the current eroding of its deterrence in the south, while also trying to keep residents there from panicking.
Meanwhile, as the unrest in Arab nations continues, Israel faces some of its most serious challenges this year. Reports indicate that Syria may be using Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, along with operatives from Iran, to quell the recent uprising against President Bashar Assad’s government. In Assad’s attempt to divert attention away from the upheaval in his own country, he could lash out at Israel. The IDF remains on high alert in the north of the country, as well as, in the south.
The IDF is currently preparing and training for the possibility of 600 rockets a day being launched by Hezbollah, aimed at Israel’s northern communities. Hezbollah has known to be armed with up to 50,000 rockets in its stockpile, including Iranian-made long-range missiles and Syrian Scuds, all capable of penetrating deep into the heart of Israel. Reports indicate that Iran provides $1 billion in annual military aid to Hezbollah.
Israel has other problems that could affect the security of the Jewish state. Taking advantage of instability in the region, Iran has been trying to transport massive weapons to Israel’s enemies in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria by land, sea and air. Israel’s recent interception of the Victoria ship; Turkey’s interception of two arms-laden planes; and convoys that have been intercepted originating from Sudan, are just some of the ways that intelligence-sharing capabilities between nations has helped to thwart Iran’s military ambitions. But, Israeli defense leaders admit that these interceptions have stopped only a fraction of the weapon transfers to Israel’s terrorist neighbors.
At the same time, Israel’s enemies are attempting to dig terror tunnels under the northern Gaza Strip which could be used to try and kill or kidnap Israeli soldiers, similar to events that triggered Israel’s 2006 conflict with Hamas. This, then, escalated into the Second Lebanon War with Hezbollah.
While the United States and other Western powers look at the current Middle East unrest as an opportunity for democratic reform, and greater freedoms for massive Arab populations, Israeli citizens wonder if new governments will be friendly or not towards the Jewish state.
For example, if Syria’s secular ruling elite were to fall, most analysts believe that Islamists would take over. In Egypt’s attempt to ratify its constitution, a call for early elections could result in the Moslem Brotherhood greatly increasing its political power within the new Egyptian government. Israelis see this as a slow eroding of good relations with Egypt, a threat to the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, and an opportunity for radical Islamic groups to have much greater influence within the Egyptian population.
Unrest in Jordan, and the possibility of a weakened Jordanian monarchy, could threaten Israel’s peace treaty with that country. A negative trend in Middle East regime change is already having its affect in Tunisia where the Islamization of that government is resulting in a deterioration of relations with the Jewish community. Israel is planning to help 25 Tunisian families immigrate to Israel during the next few weeks, hoping that others will follow. There are 1,500 Jews still living in Tunisia.
Israel is also weary of attempts by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to try and bring reconciliation between his Fatah supporters and their arch rival, Hamas. Reconciliation, resulting in unity between these two groups, would give the Palestinian’s the support they need for international approval towards statehood. Their demand for a contiguous land mass, encompassing most of the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and Gaza, would gain legitimacy if they could succeed in producing one unified government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that Fatah-Hamas unity will bury the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
Israel faces a diplomatic war unprecedented in the history of the Jewish state as the Palestinians are preparing to bring a resolution before the UN General Assembly in September which could hinder Israel’s ability to defend itself. The Palestinians are looking for international recognition of the right to establish the state of “Palestine” without the need of a peace treaty with Israel. Israel is concerned that the European Union (EU) will join over 170 countries that have already approved a Palestinian unilateral declaration. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has indicated the EU might consider such recognition.
In the meantime, the Palestinians have, successfully, delayed all direct negotiations with Israel. They are ignoring the U.S. as a peace power broker, and are intent on internationalizing the conflict. They are now looking for new “peace” partners who they can easily influence.
European states are showing greater hostility in their opinions and policies towards Israel. This is in addition to a rapidly expanding Moslem European population. Anti-Israel bias in European media outlets and negative reporting by human rights organizations has resulted in increased anti-Semitism and anti-Israel hatred throughout Europe. These trends are having a negative effect on Israel’s relations with international leaders. This is worrying to Israeli leaders who are losing favor in the global arena. Israel faces greater isolation among the nations, worldwide.
What’s clear, today, is that Israel is fighting an upward battle on several fronts. Despite unprecedented military assistance from the U.S. Administration, President Barack Obama’s diplomatic help to Israel remains uncertain. While American concern for maintaining Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge (QME) still remains a high priority for the Pentagon and the White House, Israel’s QME is currently being threatened by Russia’s decision to sell and soon deliver anti-ship cruise missiles to Syria. These missiles could end up in Hezbollah’s hands which would give the terrorist regime an advantage at sea over Israel’s sophisticated naval armaments.
Meanwhile, if the Palestinians do unite, and are diplomatically successful at the UN, this could result in collective measurements taken by UN states against Israel. A strong UN resolution could further erode Israel’s support among the nations.
The Israeli government’s formidable challenge is to guarantee safety for Israeli citizens despite the new terror war against the Jewish State. Netanyahu hopes that Israel can remain stable in a tumultuous neighborhood of regional chaos. The IDF will continue to strive for military superiority over Israel’s enemies despite massive arms sales and deliveries that threaten to tip the balance of power in the Middle East. And, Israelis of all ages and professions will fight for diplomatic recognition within the global community.
The nation’s quest for peace and security remains its greatest challenge and its greatest hope for the future.
PRAYER POINTS:
(1) PRAY THAT THE TUMULT IN THE NATIONS WILL BE CALMED BY GOD’S PRESENCE: Psalm 74:23 (the voice of God's enemies); Psalm Chapter 83 (the crafty counsel of the nations); Psalm 65:5-13 (God’s abundant provision); Psalm Chapter 110 (the wonderful works of the Lord where He makes His enemies His footstool; and, where He removes the leaders of many countries).
(2)PRAY FOR THE FAMILIES OF ITIMAR AS THEY GRIEVE, AND FOR THE FAMILIES WHO HAVE LOVED ONES THAT WERE KILLED OR INJURED IN THE JERUSALEM BUS BOMBING: Psalm 57:1-3 (for God's mercy over the land); Psalm 58:11 (that the Lord will reward the righteous and judge the wicked).
(3) PRAY THAT GAZA TERRORISTS WILL BE UPROOTED FROM THEIR POSITIONS AND WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO LAUNCH MISSILES AGAINST ISRAEL. PRAY FOR THE ROCKET AND MORTAR FIRE TO CEASE IMMEDIATELY. PRAY THAT NO WEAPONS FORMED AGAINST ISRAEL WILL PROSPER. PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE IN ISRAEL'S SOUTHERN COMMUNITIES TO NOT PANIC OR ENTER INTO FEAR. DECLARE PSALM CHAPTER 91 OVER ISRAEL.
(4) PROCLAMATION GOD’S BLESSINGS UPON HIS PEOPLE: Genesis 22:17-18. PRAY THAT THOSE WHO ARE DISOBEDIENT AND TRUST IN THE ABUNDANCE OF THEIR OWN RICHES SHALL RECEIVE THEIR JUST REWARD: Psalm 52:1-9. ACKNOWLEDGE, WITH PRAISE, ALL HE HAS DONE FOR HIS PEOPLE, ISRAEL.
ISRAEL’S QUEST FOR PEACE AND SECURITY IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING REGION
The recent barrage of rocket and mortar attacks against Israeli southern communities; the brutal murder of five members of a settler family in Itimar, and the first bus bombing in Jerusalem since 2004, has, once again, shattered the sense of calm and well-being in Israel. Citizens are reeling from these recent terror attacks, wondering whether this means that Israel must prepare for another Gaza war; or, the possibility of the Palestinians launching a third Intifada.
Recently, Israel’s Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, ordered the deployment of the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system, bringing hope to some Israelis that if the rocket war with Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other terror groups in Gaza escalates, at least southern Israeli communities will be offered a measure of protection. The IDF has stated, more than once, that the system has flaws, is limited in scope, and cannot protect against all incoming missiles. But, the Israeli government is not ready for a full scale war, and is looking for a way of stopping the current eroding of its deterrence in the south, while also trying to keep residents there from panicking.
Meanwhile, as the unrest in Arab nations continues, Israel faces some of its most serious challenges this year. Reports indicate that Syria may be using Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, along with operatives from Iran, to quell the recent uprising against President Bashar Assad’s government. In Assad’s attempt to divert attention away from the upheaval in his own country, he could lash out at Israel. The IDF remains on high alert in the north of the country, as well as, in the south.
The IDF is currently preparing and training for the possibility of 600 rockets a day being launched by Hezbollah, aimed at Israel’s northern communities. Hezbollah has known to be armed with up to 50,000 rockets in its stockpile, including Iranian-made long-range missiles and Syrian Scuds, all capable of penetrating deep into the heart of Israel. Reports indicate that Iran provides $1 billion in annual military aid to Hezbollah.
Israel has other problems that could affect the security of the Jewish state. Taking advantage of instability in the region, Iran has been trying to transport massive weapons to Israel’s enemies in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria by land, sea and air. Israel’s recent interception of the Victoria ship; Turkey’s interception of two arms-laden planes; and convoys that have been intercepted originating from Sudan, are just some of the ways that intelligence-sharing capabilities between nations has helped to thwart Iran’s military ambitions. But, Israeli defense leaders admit that these interceptions have stopped only a fraction of the weapon transfers to Israel’s terrorist neighbors.
At the same time, Israel’s enemies are attempting to dig terror tunnels under the northern Gaza Strip which could be used to try and kill or kidnap Israeli soldiers, similar to events that triggered Israel’s 2006 conflict with Hamas. This, then, escalated into the Second Lebanon War with Hezbollah.
While the United States and other Western powers look at the current Middle East unrest as an opportunity for democratic reform, and greater freedoms for massive Arab populations, Israeli citizens wonder if new governments will be friendly or not towards the Jewish state.
For example, if Syria’s secular ruling elite were to fall, most analysts believe that Islamists would take over. In Egypt’s attempt to ratify its constitution, a call for early elections could result in the Moslem Brotherhood greatly increasing its political power within the new Egyptian government. Israelis see this as a slow eroding of good relations with Egypt, a threat to the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, and an opportunity for radical Islamic groups to have much greater influence within the Egyptian population.
Unrest in Jordan, and the possibility of a weakened Jordanian monarchy, could threaten Israel’s peace treaty with that country. A negative trend in Middle East regime change is already having its affect in Tunisia where the Islamization of that government is resulting in a deterioration of relations with the Jewish community. Israel is planning to help 25 Tunisian families immigrate to Israel during the next few weeks, hoping that others will follow. There are 1,500 Jews still living in Tunisia.
Israel is also weary of attempts by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to try and bring reconciliation between his Fatah supporters and their arch rival, Hamas. Reconciliation, resulting in unity between these two groups, would give the Palestinian’s the support they need for international approval towards statehood. Their demand for a contiguous land mass, encompassing most of the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and Gaza, would gain legitimacy if they could succeed in producing one unified government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that Fatah-Hamas unity will bury the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
Israel faces a diplomatic war unprecedented in the history of the Jewish state as the Palestinians are preparing to bring a resolution before the UN General Assembly in September which could hinder Israel’s ability to defend itself. The Palestinians are looking for international recognition of the right to establish the state of “Palestine” without the need of a peace treaty with Israel. Israel is concerned that the European Union (EU) will join over 170 countries that have already approved a Palestinian unilateral declaration. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has indicated the EU might consider such recognition.
In the meantime, the Palestinians have, successfully, delayed all direct negotiations with Israel. They are ignoring the U.S. as a peace power broker, and are intent on internationalizing the conflict. They are now looking for new “peace” partners who they can easily influence.
European states are showing greater hostility in their opinions and policies towards Israel. This is in addition to a rapidly expanding Moslem European population. Anti-Israel bias in European media outlets and negative reporting by human rights organizations has resulted in increased anti-Semitism and anti-Israel hatred throughout Europe. These trends are having a negative effect on Israel’s relations with international leaders. This is worrying to Israeli leaders who are losing favor in the global arena. Israel faces greater isolation among the nations, worldwide.
What’s clear, today, is that Israel is fighting an upward battle on several fronts. Despite unprecedented military assistance from the U.S. Administration, President Barack Obama’s diplomatic help to Israel remains uncertain. While American concern for maintaining Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge (QME) still remains a high priority for the Pentagon and the White House, Israel’s QME is currently being threatened by Russia’s decision to sell and soon deliver anti-ship cruise missiles to Syria. These missiles could end up in Hezbollah’s hands which would give the terrorist regime an advantage at sea over Israel’s sophisticated naval armaments.
Meanwhile, if the Palestinians do unite, and are diplomatically successful at the UN, this could result in collective measurements taken by UN states against Israel. A strong UN resolution could further erode Israel’s support among the nations.
The Israeli government’s formidable challenge is to guarantee safety for Israeli citizens despite the new terror war against the Jewish State. Netanyahu hopes that Israel can remain stable in a tumultuous neighborhood of regional chaos. The IDF will continue to strive for military superiority over Israel’s enemies despite massive arms sales and deliveries that threaten to tip the balance of power in the Middle East. And, Israelis of all ages and professions will fight for diplomatic recognition within the global community.
The nation’s quest for peace and security remains its greatest challenge and its greatest hope for the future.
PRAYER POINTS:
(1) PRAY THAT THE TUMULT IN THE NATIONS WILL BE CALMED BY GOD’S PRESENCE: Psalm 74:23 (the voice of God's enemies); Psalm Chapter 83 (the crafty counsel of the nations); Psalm 65:5-13 (God’s abundant provision); Psalm Chapter 110 (the wonderful works of the Lord where He makes His enemies His footstool; and, where He removes the leaders of many countries).
(2)PRAY FOR THE FAMILIES OF ITIMAR AS THEY GRIEVE, AND FOR THE FAMILIES WHO HAVE LOVED ONES THAT WERE KILLED OR INJURED IN THE JERUSALEM BUS BOMBING: Psalm 57:1-3 (for God's mercy over the land); Psalm 58:11 (that the Lord will reward the righteous and judge the wicked).
(3) PRAY THAT GAZA TERRORISTS WILL BE UPROOTED FROM THEIR POSITIONS AND WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO LAUNCH MISSILES AGAINST ISRAEL. PRAY FOR THE ROCKET AND MORTAR FIRE TO CEASE IMMEDIATELY. PRAY THAT NO WEAPONS FORMED AGAINST ISRAEL WILL PROSPER. PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE IN ISRAEL'S SOUTHERN COMMUNITIES TO NOT PANIC OR ENTER INTO FEAR. DECLARE PSALM CHAPTER 91 OVER ISRAEL.
(4) PROCLAMATION GOD’S BLESSINGS UPON HIS PEOPLE: Genesis 22:17-18. PRAY THAT THOSE WHO ARE DISOBEDIENT AND TRUST IN THE ABUNDANCE OF THEIR OWN RICHES SHALL RECEIVE THEIR JUST REWARD: Psalm 52:1-9. ACKNOWLEDGE, WITH PRAISE, ALL HE HAS DONE FOR HIS PEOPLE, ISRAEL.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
SITUATION ANALYSIS -- XXXIV
Jerusalem, Israel
PEACE, PEACE, WHERE THERE IS NO PEACE
News events change suddenly in the Middle East, but what doesn’t change is the quest for peace. In 2011, peace between Israel and the Palestinians seems as elusive as ever.
As the sluggish peace process bumps along, the political climate of the country suggests that the Israeli public is tired of giving into the Palestinians and receiving nothing in return. In January, 350 prominent rabbis in Israel signed a petition asking Netanyahu not to make additional diplomatic and territorial concessions in order to get the Palestinians to return to direct talks.
For many years now, the Palestinians have reiterated their red lines, without deviating from their stated policy. They have demanded a complete Israeli land withdrawal to pre-1967 borders; the establishment of their own independent state with Jerusalem as their capital; and the right of return to Israel for millions of so-called Palestinian “refugees”.
While the Palestinians have stuck to their demands the same cannot be said of Israel. The vision of a Greater Israel (from the Nile River to the Euphrates), embraced by biblical Zionists during Israel’s first years as a modern state, has vanished. Now, the hope to remain on all the land from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River is vanishing, as well. Former leaders of Israel’s previous governments have been willing to relent to global pressure and give up land for peace. It’s been the Palestinians who have said, “No”, even when the Israeli’s went beyond their own red lines.
During negotiations between former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, resulting in the signing of the Camp David Accords in September 1978, Begin refused to put the status of Jerusalem on the peace bargaining table.
Yet, at Camp David in the year 2000, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak agreed to a division of Jerusalem. At the time, 600,000 Israelis protested, forming a human chain around the Old City, expressing their anger with Barak’s offer. It was former Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat who refused that deal.
Then, in September 2000, the Palestinians started the second Intifada (uprising), launching suicide bombings, blowing up buses and restaurants, killing over 1,000 Israelis and injuring more than 6,000 during the next several years.
In August 2005, former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon enacted the Gaza Disengagement Plan, adopted by the Israeli government. The unilateral withdrawal displaced all Israeli citizens living in the Gaza Strip, as well as those living in four settlements in the northern West Bank (Judea and Samaria). After the Gaza withdrawal, the Hamas terrorist group filled the vacuum. Today, they govern Gaza where no Jews live anymore.
In 2008, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas another generous deal, which included giving up 93-97% of the West Bank to the Palestinians, as well as additional land swaps. Jerusalem would be divided and under no sovereignty, but with oversight by several states. Abbas turned Olmert down.
There’s a familiar saying in Israel that “the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” Those reading this article, surprised by Israel’s concessions over biblical land, may be thanking God for those missed opportunities.
Netanyahu has inherited a peace process that started in 1977. After former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Arafat signed the Oslo Accords in 1993, for a period of seven years it seemed like there might be an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu, during his first term as Prime Minister, signed the Hebron Protocol in 1997 and the Wye River Memorandum in 1998, hoping to sustain a lasting peace.
The accords, protocol, and memorandum failed to produce positive results. The world has been grasping for a continuation of the process of peace, in lieu of peace itself, if only to keep another war from igniting in the Middle East.
Israel is about to celebrate its 63rd year of independence. Its leaders are still hoping the Palestinians, along with the global community, will recognize Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people. Netanyahu is demanding that the signing of any peace treaty will constitute the final end of the conflict. So far, Abbas and his negotiators have refused to accept Israel as the Jewish homeland, living side by side Palestinians in their own state. The PLO and Hamas Charters; Palestinian textbooks; statements in Arabic by Palestinian leaders; television broadcasts; and Palestinian maps acknowledge the existence of a Palestinian state, but no Jewish state.
Over 10,900 rockets and mortars have been launched against Israel by Palestinian militants since 2000, according to Hamas statistics; 68% of these attacks occurred after Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. Despite Operation Cast Lead (Israel’s war with Hamas in 2008-2009), rockets are still being fired on the Jewish State today by terrorist groups in Gaza.
Concerned that a further withdrawal from the West Bank will result in rockets launched by Palestinians into Israel’s major population centers, including Ben Gurion airport, Netanyahu has insisted on guaranteed security measures. While he has agreed to a de-militarized Palestinian state, he has been adamant that it must include IDF forces on the eastern border. This is to prevent terrorist infiltration from the Jordan Valley. Already, Israel is alarmed by global jihad terrorists reportedly establishing a presence on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea that could launch attacks against hotels on the Israeli side.
As Palestinian and Israeli negotiators hold to their positions on borders, security, Jerusalem, and refugees, the Netanyahu government is not willing to finalize a peace deal without all issues being agreed upon together. The stalemate continues.
Yet, the Palestinians, in an effort to pressure Israel, have sought international recognition. More than 170 countries have approved the formation of a Palestinian state, encouraging unilateral steps towards independence. Israel, and for the present time the United States, sees these steps as unproductive and a threat to peace in the Middle East.
However, America, along with many countries, has upgraded the diplomatic status of the Palestinians, allowing them to fly their flag in state capitols. In addition, millions of dollars have poured into Palestinian coffers to encourage state building The Palestinian Authority is the largest recipient of foreign aid in the world, reportedly receiving $1.2 billion in 2009, and $1.8 billion in 2010.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad plans to officially declare statehood this year. The Palestinians would like to seal that declaration with international recognition from the Quartet (the U.S., U.N., E.U., and Russia), along with an official UN Security Council resolution affirming their independence.
Some Israeli experts believe U.S. President Barack Obama will adapt a new peace plan, based on the Clinton Parameters (introduced in 2000), that would be similar to Ehud Barak’s offer to Arafat at that time. Others think that Obama will adapt the Arab Peace Initiative, with the urging of the U.S. State Department. Forcing Israel to accept either plan would jeopardize its security in today’s volatile environment; and, in the case of the Arab Initiative would not allow for defensible borders.
In a December 2010 speech at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton outlined America’s new peace demands. She declared the U.S. would “push the parties to lay out their positions on the core issues without delay and with real specificity.” She encouraged the Palestinians in their efforts at state-building, and pledged another $150 million in direct assistance. She stated that the U.S. and the world could not impose a solution on the two parties. Despite her words, the pushing and prodding, the constant pressure and forced one-on-one diplomacy, proves that America is determined to broker a final peace deal, dragging the Israelis and Palestinians along with them.
As the major peacemaker in the Middle East, the Obama Administration may fear that peace is slipping out of U.S. hands down a slippery slope into the hands of other global players. The Palestinians welcome this, and with Hamas, remain committed to the elimination of Jewish sovereignty in the Holy Land.
Israel continues to lose international support, while the Palestinians gain global legitimacy. Eventually, it will only be divine intervention that keeps Israel settled in the Promised Land, and keeps the Holy City in Jewish hands.
PRAYER POINTS:
(1) Declare, according to Deuteronomy 4:4-8, that Israeli citizens would obey God’s commandments and not succumb to pressure from the nations or to fear of man. Pray that they would hold fast to the Lord, and steward the land He has given them as an eternal covenant.
(2) Intercede for Israel’s government to receive great favor from the Lord when dealing with international leaders. Proclaim, by faith, that Israeli leaders will humble themselves before the Lord, and cry out to Him for their nation, according to 2 Chronicles 7:14-15.
(3) Pray for the Israeli people to not grow weary in desiring peace and security. Pray for renewed strength for those who make critical decisions for the nation, according to Isaiah 40:29-31.
(4) Pray for Palestinian leaders to not contend with God's plans for the Jewish people lest He contend with them. Declare Psalm 35:1 and Psalm 35:23-25 on Israel's behalf. Pray that the Palestinian Authority will walk in righteousness and integrity, and its leaders in wisdom, according to Psalm 2:10-12.
PEACE, PEACE, WHERE THERE IS NO PEACE
News events change suddenly in the Middle East, but what doesn’t change is the quest for peace. In 2011, peace between Israel and the Palestinians seems as elusive as ever.
As the sluggish peace process bumps along, the political climate of the country suggests that the Israeli public is tired of giving into the Palestinians and receiving nothing in return. In January, 350 prominent rabbis in Israel signed a petition asking Netanyahu not to make additional diplomatic and territorial concessions in order to get the Palestinians to return to direct talks.
For many years now, the Palestinians have reiterated their red lines, without deviating from their stated policy. They have demanded a complete Israeli land withdrawal to pre-1967 borders; the establishment of their own independent state with Jerusalem as their capital; and the right of return to Israel for millions of so-called Palestinian “refugees”.
While the Palestinians have stuck to their demands the same cannot be said of Israel. The vision of a Greater Israel (from the Nile River to the Euphrates), embraced by biblical Zionists during Israel’s first years as a modern state, has vanished. Now, the hope to remain on all the land from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River is vanishing, as well. Former leaders of Israel’s previous governments have been willing to relent to global pressure and give up land for peace. It’s been the Palestinians who have said, “No”, even when the Israeli’s went beyond their own red lines.
During negotiations between former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, resulting in the signing of the Camp David Accords in September 1978, Begin refused to put the status of Jerusalem on the peace bargaining table.
Yet, at Camp David in the year 2000, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak agreed to a division of Jerusalem. At the time, 600,000 Israelis protested, forming a human chain around the Old City, expressing their anger with Barak’s offer. It was former Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat who refused that deal.
Then, in September 2000, the Palestinians started the second Intifada (uprising), launching suicide bombings, blowing up buses and restaurants, killing over 1,000 Israelis and injuring more than 6,000 during the next several years.
In August 2005, former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon enacted the Gaza Disengagement Plan, adopted by the Israeli government. The unilateral withdrawal displaced all Israeli citizens living in the Gaza Strip, as well as those living in four settlements in the northern West Bank (Judea and Samaria). After the Gaza withdrawal, the Hamas terrorist group filled the vacuum. Today, they govern Gaza where no Jews live anymore.
In 2008, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas another generous deal, which included giving up 93-97% of the West Bank to the Palestinians, as well as additional land swaps. Jerusalem would be divided and under no sovereignty, but with oversight by several states. Abbas turned Olmert down.
There’s a familiar saying in Israel that “the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” Those reading this article, surprised by Israel’s concessions over biblical land, may be thanking God for those missed opportunities.
Netanyahu has inherited a peace process that started in 1977. After former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Arafat signed the Oslo Accords in 1993, for a period of seven years it seemed like there might be an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu, during his first term as Prime Minister, signed the Hebron Protocol in 1997 and the Wye River Memorandum in 1998, hoping to sustain a lasting peace.
The accords, protocol, and memorandum failed to produce positive results. The world has been grasping for a continuation of the process of peace, in lieu of peace itself, if only to keep another war from igniting in the Middle East.
Israel is about to celebrate its 63rd year of independence. Its leaders are still hoping the Palestinians, along with the global community, will recognize Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people. Netanyahu is demanding that the signing of any peace treaty will constitute the final end of the conflict. So far, Abbas and his negotiators have refused to accept Israel as the Jewish homeland, living side by side Palestinians in their own state. The PLO and Hamas Charters; Palestinian textbooks; statements in Arabic by Palestinian leaders; television broadcasts; and Palestinian maps acknowledge the existence of a Palestinian state, but no Jewish state.
Over 10,900 rockets and mortars have been launched against Israel by Palestinian militants since 2000, according to Hamas statistics; 68% of these attacks occurred after Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. Despite Operation Cast Lead (Israel’s war with Hamas in 2008-2009), rockets are still being fired on the Jewish State today by terrorist groups in Gaza.
Concerned that a further withdrawal from the West Bank will result in rockets launched by Palestinians into Israel’s major population centers, including Ben Gurion airport, Netanyahu has insisted on guaranteed security measures. While he has agreed to a de-militarized Palestinian state, he has been adamant that it must include IDF forces on the eastern border. This is to prevent terrorist infiltration from the Jordan Valley. Already, Israel is alarmed by global jihad terrorists reportedly establishing a presence on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea that could launch attacks against hotels on the Israeli side.
As Palestinian and Israeli negotiators hold to their positions on borders, security, Jerusalem, and refugees, the Netanyahu government is not willing to finalize a peace deal without all issues being agreed upon together. The stalemate continues.
Yet, the Palestinians, in an effort to pressure Israel, have sought international recognition. More than 170 countries have approved the formation of a Palestinian state, encouraging unilateral steps towards independence. Israel, and for the present time the United States, sees these steps as unproductive and a threat to peace in the Middle East.
However, America, along with many countries, has upgraded the diplomatic status of the Palestinians, allowing them to fly their flag in state capitols. In addition, millions of dollars have poured into Palestinian coffers to encourage state building The Palestinian Authority is the largest recipient of foreign aid in the world, reportedly receiving $1.2 billion in 2009, and $1.8 billion in 2010.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad plans to officially declare statehood this year. The Palestinians would like to seal that declaration with international recognition from the Quartet (the U.S., U.N., E.U., and Russia), along with an official UN Security Council resolution affirming their independence.
Some Israeli experts believe U.S. President Barack Obama will adapt a new peace plan, based on the Clinton Parameters (introduced in 2000), that would be similar to Ehud Barak’s offer to Arafat at that time. Others think that Obama will adapt the Arab Peace Initiative, with the urging of the U.S. State Department. Forcing Israel to accept either plan would jeopardize its security in today’s volatile environment; and, in the case of the Arab Initiative would not allow for defensible borders.
In a December 2010 speech at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton outlined America’s new peace demands. She declared the U.S. would “push the parties to lay out their positions on the core issues without delay and with real specificity.” She encouraged the Palestinians in their efforts at state-building, and pledged another $150 million in direct assistance. She stated that the U.S. and the world could not impose a solution on the two parties. Despite her words, the pushing and prodding, the constant pressure and forced one-on-one diplomacy, proves that America is determined to broker a final peace deal, dragging the Israelis and Palestinians along with them.
As the major peacemaker in the Middle East, the Obama Administration may fear that peace is slipping out of U.S. hands down a slippery slope into the hands of other global players. The Palestinians welcome this, and with Hamas, remain committed to the elimination of Jewish sovereignty in the Holy Land.
Israel continues to lose international support, while the Palestinians gain global legitimacy. Eventually, it will only be divine intervention that keeps Israel settled in the Promised Land, and keeps the Holy City in Jewish hands.
PRAYER POINTS:
(1) Declare, according to Deuteronomy 4:4-8, that Israeli citizens would obey God’s commandments and not succumb to pressure from the nations or to fear of man. Pray that they would hold fast to the Lord, and steward the land He has given them as an eternal covenant.
(2) Intercede for Israel’s government to receive great favor from the Lord when dealing with international leaders. Proclaim, by faith, that Israeli leaders will humble themselves before the Lord, and cry out to Him for their nation, according to 2 Chronicles 7:14-15.
(3) Pray for the Israeli people to not grow weary in desiring peace and security. Pray for renewed strength for those who make critical decisions for the nation, according to Isaiah 40:29-31.
(4) Pray for Palestinian leaders to not contend with God's plans for the Jewish people lest He contend with them. Declare Psalm 35:1 and Psalm 35:23-25 on Israel's behalf. Pray that the Palestinian Authority will walk in righteousness and integrity, and its leaders in wisdom, according to Psalm 2:10-12.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
SITUATION ANALYSIS -- XXXIII
Jerusalem, Israel
ISRAEL’S CHANGING DEFENSE NEEDS IN A TROUBLED MIDDLE EAST
For 30 years now, Israel’s peace treaty with Egypt has afforded the IDF (Israel’s Defense Forces) the ability to build-up its forces, with little consideration of developments on its southwest border. Since the “cold peace” between both countries was established in 1979, Egypt’s ability to confront Israel, militarily, has been neutralized. The IDF has not had to divert major resources to Israel’s southern front, nor focus much attention on the de-militarized zone in the Sinai.
According to outgoing IDF Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, who gave a keynote address at the Israeli Herzliya Conference on February 7, 2011, Israel’s defense strategies are now going through a process of change. The current uprising in Egypt came as a surprise to the IDF leader, but also to his counterpart in Egypt. Ashkenazi claimed that in the midst of regional tensions occurring with Arabs and non-Arabs, Sunnis and Shiites, and radicals and moderates, Israel was finding itself in the middle of a new reality.
“In general, the reality that is developing around us, we can view as an opportunity. It is a greater strategic and defense challenge to Israel. There has been a strengthening of the radical camp,” Ashkenazi acknowledged.
Speaking about situations beyond Egypt, he said, “Iran is behind the financing, arming, training, and equipping of most of the terror organizations, not only in our region.” Ashkenazi sees a weakening of the moderate camps of the traditional Arab leadership in the Middle East, including a waning of American strength in the region.
The IDF is reassessing its military doctrine in lieu of recent events in Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan. Israel’s military is looking to strengthen the nation’s assets, hoping to get the West to acknowledge Israel as an island of stability in an increasingly hostile hotbed of radical Islam.
Recently, Israeli analysts estimated that the IDF would now have to stretch its resources to the limit, looking not only to defend the tiny Jewish state against Iranian proxy, Hezbollah in the north; and Hamas in the south; but, also against an unstable Egyptian regime. The Israeli government is concerned that Egypt may lose control over terrorist groups trying to operate along its long porous border with Israel.
Already, a gas pipeline recently exploded in Egypt, possibly due to a terrorist attack, cutting off gas supplies to Israel and Jordan. In order to stop Bedouin forces from igniting terror in the south, Israel agreed last week to allow 800 Egyptian forces into the Sinai, in violation of the peace treaty. Now, the Egyptian government has asked to expand that number, but Israel has refused, citing it does not want to re-open the peace agreement during the current state of upheaval.
For years, IDF generals have expressed concern over Egyptian military exercises conducted near Israel’s border. Israeli military officers have acknowledged their frustrations with Egypt’s expanding defense capabilities, helped along by U.S. military aid totaling $1.3-1.5 billion each year since 1979. America has made good on its promise to supply Egypt with advanced military equipment as a result of Egypt’s continued willingness to keep the peace with Israel.
As events unfold in Egypt, and the likelihood that the Moslem Brotherhood will have greater influence in any future Egyptian government, the 30 year peace treaty is already being questioned by Egyptians. The IDF is preparing for a worst-case scenario, which could include an outbreak of war on two fronts at once -- something the IDF has not had to consider since the Yom Kippur War of 1973.
“I belong to the generation of the Yom Kippur War. The battlefields in the past were distant and sophisticated, and we paid the price of war there; the loss of territory. We would lose part of the country, and the same was true in the south,” Ashkenazi said, reflecting on the changes today because of the emergence of new radical groups. He talked of the need to fight on more than one front in the future. “The main change for us is on an operational and technical level,” he explained.
The IDF will now try to figure out how to build up its forces according to a different set of parameters which are far-reaching. This not only includes Egypt, but the increased threat from Iran and other rogue states. Israel is preparing for sub-conventional, conventional, and non-conventional warfare.
Ashkenazi talked about fighting a different kind of war. “Today, you don’t see divisions. It is a hybrid enemy. They are hiding in the nature reserves and among the civilian population. The war is occurring above your head in the depth of the home front. We were always told to move the war away from the civilian population. But, now the largest proportion of the fighting is on the home front,” he acknowledged.
Israel’s defense budget has been based on how many fighter jets, tanks, armored personnel and IDF reservists are needed to contend with threats coming from Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza, as well as internally, from the Palestinians. The IDF’s current resources are not built-up enough for it to deal with the possibility of Egypt as a new “live” front. Israel will have to increase its defense spending, considerably, to defend the home front in the future. To make matters worse, this comes at a time when American foreign aid to Israel and other countries is being re-evaluated by the new U.S. Congress. It could mean an eventual decrease in U.S. military aid to Israel.
The IDF cannot afford to wait on the outcome of future U.S. financial help in order to boost its defense forces. It has to prepare, now, for the current shift in the Middle East, which has become a strategic warning to the Jewish State. Therefore, the IDF is developing a multilevel defense strategy, which includes the refining and operational use of its own anti-missile defense systems. Israel faces a serious future missile war, as its enemies obtain advanced missile capability.
Ashkenazi admitted that Israel is concerned about a situation where there is inadequate mobilization of the civilian population while missiles begin to fall throughout the country affecting the entire home front. “We must prepare and defend strategic centers and population centers, to realize our military might and strategic ability. This war of missiles will grow,” he explained referring to the capabilities of Hamas in the south, Hezbollah and Syria in the north, and Iran.
Israel needs an active defense that allows the IDF to operate efficiently and effectively. “As part of our concept of security, our ability to cope with war is still there. It’s not enough to try and solve everything in using our fire power. I wish we could do it. What we need is a strong ability to maneuver on the ground, as well.”
The IDF has a large weapons arsenal but needs strong military intelligence in order to accurately hit enemy targets. Israeli military officers are focusing their attention on intelligence gathering and high level training for their troops in order to be ready for low intensity conflict, as well as all out war.
No matter what the outcome of events in Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, the IDF will need to reassess its military capabilities in lieu of the current facts on the ground. Those defense experts involved in writing Israel’s military doctrine will be going back to the drawing board soon. They will evaluate how to effectively keep the deterrence in place on Israel’s southern border with or without an effective Egyptian peace treaty.
According to MK Maj. Gen. (res.) Matan Vilnai, a leader in Israel’s Ministry of Defense, who also referred to the IDF’s challenges at the Herzliya Conference, “The strategic environment surrounding Israel is becoming less and less stable.” Vilnai believes there has been a global change in the nature of wars. “Most people cannot understand the meaning of this change. We are now in a third world war,” Vilnai proclaimed. He sees a weakening of the whole free world along with the development of a Beirut/Damascus/Tehran axis of evil.
As many experts in Herzliya attested to, the greatest threat to the region is Iran: its goal to obtain a nuclear weapon, its advanced ballistic missile capability, and its growing terrorist alliances towards regional hegemony. Now, Iran may take advantage of the instability in Egypt and try to turn the country into another Gaza, using the Moslem Brotherhood behind the scenes to radicalize the nation.
Reaching out to its natural allies, the Moslem Brotherhood may help prepare the Egyptians, while Hamas prepares the Gazans, for another war with Israel.
The sooner the IDF can overhaul its current military strategy to meet future threats, the more secure Israelis will feel as they recognize increased danger to their security on all fronts. Some Israelis say that these new challenges to the Jewish State are the most serious since 1948, as Israel faces the possibility of a future multi-front war against overwhelming odds.
At the Herzliya Conference it became evident that the IDF is seeking new partnerships in the free world; those who will stand by Israel’s side during future times of great uncertainty in the Middle East region.
PRAYER POINTS:
(1) Pray that the IDF will be united under the new Israeli Chief of Staff, Maj.-Gen. Benny Gantz, to be sworn in on February 14, 2011. Gantz takes on the new job after a shake-up in the IDF, and he will need to restore public confidence in the integrity of those who serve in its leadership. Declare Psalm 5:11-12, especially that God will defend Israel's soldiers, and with favor He will surround them as with a shield.
(2) Pray for protection over Israel's borders, especially its southwest border with Egypt. Because of instability in Egypt, Israel is now especially vulnerable to terrorist attacks originating from the Sinai and Gaza. Pray that the Lord's holy angels will stand as a guard and not allow Israel's enemies to enter the Promised Land. (See Psalm 7:10).
(3) As Egypt seeks to establish a new democratic government, pray about the burden against Egypt, mentioned in Isaiah Chapter 19. Declare God's promise at the end of that chapter, "Blessed is Egypt, My people" (verse 25). Pray for hope for Egyptian, Israeli and Iraqi citizens according to Isaiah 19:23-25, declaring the highway that will bless all three nations.
(4) As Israel fears the future, in regard to the peace treaty with Egypt, pray that citizens will trust in the Lord, their God, for true peace. Proclaim Isaiah 27:5: "Or, let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace iwth Me; and, he shall make peace with Me."
(5) Pray that Israel will know peace in the God of Israel, according to 2 Corinthians 13:11, and will live in comfort, peace, unity, and love.
(6) Pray according to Proverbs 8:15 as you intercede for government leaders in Arab nations in the Middle East: "By Me, kings reign; and, rulers decree justice. By Me, princes rule and nobles; all the judges of the earth." Pray that these regional leaders will submit to the Lord and release their citizens from oppression and dictatorial rule.
ISRAEL’S CHANGING DEFENSE NEEDS IN A TROUBLED MIDDLE EAST
For 30 years now, Israel’s peace treaty with Egypt has afforded the IDF (Israel’s Defense Forces) the ability to build-up its forces, with little consideration of developments on its southwest border. Since the “cold peace” between both countries was established in 1979, Egypt’s ability to confront Israel, militarily, has been neutralized. The IDF has not had to divert major resources to Israel’s southern front, nor focus much attention on the de-militarized zone in the Sinai.
According to outgoing IDF Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, who gave a keynote address at the Israeli Herzliya Conference on February 7, 2011, Israel’s defense strategies are now going through a process of change. The current uprising in Egypt came as a surprise to the IDF leader, but also to his counterpart in Egypt. Ashkenazi claimed that in the midst of regional tensions occurring with Arabs and non-Arabs, Sunnis and Shiites, and radicals and moderates, Israel was finding itself in the middle of a new reality.
“In general, the reality that is developing around us, we can view as an opportunity. It is a greater strategic and defense challenge to Israel. There has been a strengthening of the radical camp,” Ashkenazi acknowledged.
Speaking about situations beyond Egypt, he said, “Iran is behind the financing, arming, training, and equipping of most of the terror organizations, not only in our region.” Ashkenazi sees a weakening of the moderate camps of the traditional Arab leadership in the Middle East, including a waning of American strength in the region.
The IDF is reassessing its military doctrine in lieu of recent events in Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan. Israel’s military is looking to strengthen the nation’s assets, hoping to get the West to acknowledge Israel as an island of stability in an increasingly hostile hotbed of radical Islam.
Recently, Israeli analysts estimated that the IDF would now have to stretch its resources to the limit, looking not only to defend the tiny Jewish state against Iranian proxy, Hezbollah in the north; and Hamas in the south; but, also against an unstable Egyptian regime. The Israeli government is concerned that Egypt may lose control over terrorist groups trying to operate along its long porous border with Israel.
Already, a gas pipeline recently exploded in Egypt, possibly due to a terrorist attack, cutting off gas supplies to Israel and Jordan. In order to stop Bedouin forces from igniting terror in the south, Israel agreed last week to allow 800 Egyptian forces into the Sinai, in violation of the peace treaty. Now, the Egyptian government has asked to expand that number, but Israel has refused, citing it does not want to re-open the peace agreement during the current state of upheaval.
For years, IDF generals have expressed concern over Egyptian military exercises conducted near Israel’s border. Israeli military officers have acknowledged their frustrations with Egypt’s expanding defense capabilities, helped along by U.S. military aid totaling $1.3-1.5 billion each year since 1979. America has made good on its promise to supply Egypt with advanced military equipment as a result of Egypt’s continued willingness to keep the peace with Israel.
As events unfold in Egypt, and the likelihood that the Moslem Brotherhood will have greater influence in any future Egyptian government, the 30 year peace treaty is already being questioned by Egyptians. The IDF is preparing for a worst-case scenario, which could include an outbreak of war on two fronts at once -- something the IDF has not had to consider since the Yom Kippur War of 1973.
“I belong to the generation of the Yom Kippur War. The battlefields in the past were distant and sophisticated, and we paid the price of war there; the loss of territory. We would lose part of the country, and the same was true in the south,” Ashkenazi said, reflecting on the changes today because of the emergence of new radical groups. He talked of the need to fight on more than one front in the future. “The main change for us is on an operational and technical level,” he explained.
The IDF will now try to figure out how to build up its forces according to a different set of parameters which are far-reaching. This not only includes Egypt, but the increased threat from Iran and other rogue states. Israel is preparing for sub-conventional, conventional, and non-conventional warfare.
Ashkenazi talked about fighting a different kind of war. “Today, you don’t see divisions. It is a hybrid enemy. They are hiding in the nature reserves and among the civilian population. The war is occurring above your head in the depth of the home front. We were always told to move the war away from the civilian population. But, now the largest proportion of the fighting is on the home front,” he acknowledged.
Israel’s defense budget has been based on how many fighter jets, tanks, armored personnel and IDF reservists are needed to contend with threats coming from Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza, as well as internally, from the Palestinians. The IDF’s current resources are not built-up enough for it to deal with the possibility of Egypt as a new “live” front. Israel will have to increase its defense spending, considerably, to defend the home front in the future. To make matters worse, this comes at a time when American foreign aid to Israel and other countries is being re-evaluated by the new U.S. Congress. It could mean an eventual decrease in U.S. military aid to Israel.
The IDF cannot afford to wait on the outcome of future U.S. financial help in order to boost its defense forces. It has to prepare, now, for the current shift in the Middle East, which has become a strategic warning to the Jewish State. Therefore, the IDF is developing a multilevel defense strategy, which includes the refining and operational use of its own anti-missile defense systems. Israel faces a serious future missile war, as its enemies obtain advanced missile capability.
Ashkenazi admitted that Israel is concerned about a situation where there is inadequate mobilization of the civilian population while missiles begin to fall throughout the country affecting the entire home front. “We must prepare and defend strategic centers and population centers, to realize our military might and strategic ability. This war of missiles will grow,” he explained referring to the capabilities of Hamas in the south, Hezbollah and Syria in the north, and Iran.
Israel needs an active defense that allows the IDF to operate efficiently and effectively. “As part of our concept of security, our ability to cope with war is still there. It’s not enough to try and solve everything in using our fire power. I wish we could do it. What we need is a strong ability to maneuver on the ground, as well.”
The IDF has a large weapons arsenal but needs strong military intelligence in order to accurately hit enemy targets. Israeli military officers are focusing their attention on intelligence gathering and high level training for their troops in order to be ready for low intensity conflict, as well as all out war.
No matter what the outcome of events in Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, the IDF will need to reassess its military capabilities in lieu of the current facts on the ground. Those defense experts involved in writing Israel’s military doctrine will be going back to the drawing board soon. They will evaluate how to effectively keep the deterrence in place on Israel’s southern border with or without an effective Egyptian peace treaty.
According to MK Maj. Gen. (res.) Matan Vilnai, a leader in Israel’s Ministry of Defense, who also referred to the IDF’s challenges at the Herzliya Conference, “The strategic environment surrounding Israel is becoming less and less stable.” Vilnai believes there has been a global change in the nature of wars. “Most people cannot understand the meaning of this change. We are now in a third world war,” Vilnai proclaimed. He sees a weakening of the whole free world along with the development of a Beirut/Damascus/Tehran axis of evil.
As many experts in Herzliya attested to, the greatest threat to the region is Iran: its goal to obtain a nuclear weapon, its advanced ballistic missile capability, and its growing terrorist alliances towards regional hegemony. Now, Iran may take advantage of the instability in Egypt and try to turn the country into another Gaza, using the Moslem Brotherhood behind the scenes to radicalize the nation.
Reaching out to its natural allies, the Moslem Brotherhood may help prepare the Egyptians, while Hamas prepares the Gazans, for another war with Israel.
The sooner the IDF can overhaul its current military strategy to meet future threats, the more secure Israelis will feel as they recognize increased danger to their security on all fronts. Some Israelis say that these new challenges to the Jewish State are the most serious since 1948, as Israel faces the possibility of a future multi-front war against overwhelming odds.
At the Herzliya Conference it became evident that the IDF is seeking new partnerships in the free world; those who will stand by Israel’s side during future times of great uncertainty in the Middle East region.
PRAYER POINTS:
(1) Pray that the IDF will be united under the new Israeli Chief of Staff, Maj.-Gen. Benny Gantz, to be sworn in on February 14, 2011. Gantz takes on the new job after a shake-up in the IDF, and he will need to restore public confidence in the integrity of those who serve in its leadership. Declare Psalm 5:11-12, especially that God will defend Israel's soldiers, and with favor He will surround them as with a shield.
(2) Pray for protection over Israel's borders, especially its southwest border with Egypt. Because of instability in Egypt, Israel is now especially vulnerable to terrorist attacks originating from the Sinai and Gaza. Pray that the Lord's holy angels will stand as a guard and not allow Israel's enemies to enter the Promised Land. (See Psalm 7:10).
(3) As Egypt seeks to establish a new democratic government, pray about the burden against Egypt, mentioned in Isaiah Chapter 19. Declare God's promise at the end of that chapter, "Blessed is Egypt, My people" (verse 25). Pray for hope for Egyptian, Israeli and Iraqi citizens according to Isaiah 19:23-25, declaring the highway that will bless all three nations.
(4) As Israel fears the future, in regard to the peace treaty with Egypt, pray that citizens will trust in the Lord, their God, for true peace. Proclaim Isaiah 27:5: "Or, let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace iwth Me; and, he shall make peace with Me."
(5) Pray that Israel will know peace in the God of Israel, according to 2 Corinthians 13:11, and will live in comfort, peace, unity, and love.
(6) Pray according to Proverbs 8:15 as you intercede for government leaders in Arab nations in the Middle East: "By Me, kings reign; and, rulers decree justice. By Me, princes rule and nobles; all the judges of the earth." Pray that these regional leaders will submit to the Lord and release their citizens from oppression and dictatorial rule.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
SITUATION ANALYSIS -- XXXII
Jerusalem, Israel
SIGNS OF A NEW MIDDLE EAST EMERGING
The recent riots in Egypt could spread to more Arab states in the Middle East. These mass protest movements, which started in Tunisia, are based on public frustration with oppressive regimes. The protests are being labeled as pro-democracy uprisings by Western governments. However, the instability in the region could lead to a surge in radical Islam with an attempt by Islamists to gain control over moderate Arab governments. Already, the Moslem Brotherhood in Egypt has mixed with protestors on the streets, increasing the bloodshed and adding to the chaos. The likelihood is that Hosni Mubarak will step down as president of Egypt and possibly be replaced by his new Vice President Omar Suleiman. If a hostile regime takes over the Egyptian government, this could threaten the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty. It would also push the IDF (Israel’s Defense Forces) to the limit in terms of its ability to defend Israel on all fronts.
This article was written January 23, 2011, before the riots in Egypt began, but explains what this means, in terms of a united Iranian-Islamist front that is set to take over regimes in the Middle East as instability continues. Here’s more...
During one week in January, Israel’s government became embroiled in a coalition shake-up; Hezbollah quit the Lebanese government and threatened to take over Lebanon; riots broke out in Tunisia causing its president to flee the country; and Jordanians took to the streets to express their anger over their government’s policies. The beginning of 2011 will be remembered as a time of chaos and change in the Middle East.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is firming up his government rule to deal with the on-going Israeli-Palestinian conflict. During the next several months, he hopes to advance the peace process, thereby thwarting international recognition of an independent Palestinian State within the United Nations Security Council.
Arab leaders in the region are firming up their government rule, with some providing financial relief to the public in the form of food subsidies. They are hoping to keep their populations quiet as they monitor new develops in Lebanon, Tunisia, and Jordan. They wonder if their regimes are next in line to be challenged, threatened by a discontented public that is intent on being freed from oppression.
REGIONAL INSTABILITY
High unemployment; poverty; corruption and fraud within iron-fist ruling parties; a lack of personal freedoms; and limited free speech are causing Arab societies to rise up in protest. It could lead to the break-up of dictatorships in this volatile region. Demonstrations have already caused unrest in Algeria and Yemen and could spread to Egypt, Syria, Libya, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia, resulting in an Islamist surge that challenges these current governments.
Radical Islamic states and non-state players are looking for a greater role in the Middle East, and may try to motivate dissatisfied youth to take up arms with a mission and a purpose. They will look to take advantage of unstable repressive Arab regimes, offering young people an opportunity to join jihadist movements.
The question is: How much does the Israeli impasse with the Palestinians play into current regional instability, and what role is Iran performing behind the scenes?
AN IRANIAN-ISLAMIST ALLIANCE
According to Israeli analyst and author Jonathan Spyer, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is on a downward trend, while Iran and Islamists are joining forces, hoping to become a new united regional power. Promoting his new book, “The Transforming Fire – the Rise of the Israel-Islamist Conflict,” Spyer recently talked to a group of political activists at a meeting in Jerusalem’s Great Synagogue , “This Iranian ambition is immediately beset by two problems: The Iranians are not Arabs and they are not Sunni Moslems. And, they wish to assert themselves and become the central hegemonic power in a region consisting largely of Arab-speaking Sunni Moslems.”
Arab governments have privately expressed their distaste for the Persian regime, fearing that a nuclear Iran might threaten their regimes. Meanwhile, the Iranians have used the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to gain popular support on Arab streets. But, that’s changing as interest in the conflict subsides.
The Iranians, observing the current public discontent in the way Arab states are governing, will look to stir up new troubles in order to accomplish their goal of regional hegemony.
Arab leaders have had a difficult time expressing their displeasure, publicly, with Iranian aspirations; but, Iranian leaders have continued to spread radical Islamic ideology, attracting young zealous Arabs who are looking for a cause to fight for.
Joining forces with Islamists and forming new alliances, despite differences in religious ideologies, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds, Iran is beginning to ignite a new battle in the Middle East, which is undermining Western influence in the region.
Spyer says it is this Iranian-Islamist alliance that is the new emerging power which will cause the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to become less prominent in the future. “The emergence of the process I have been speaking about; the efforts of Iran, and the popular Islamic movements...is eroding this conflict, and giving birth to a new conflict. It’s still placing the existence of Israel as a Jewish state into question.”
AL QAEDA
Another problem is the rise of Al Qaeda in the region, especially in Lebanon and Gaza. The goal of Al Qaeda, similar to Iran, is to weaken the influence of Western nations in the Middle East. Al Qaeda will attempt to do this by causing further instability within moderate Arab states, resulting in their governments being more vulnerable to overthrow.
In Gaza, Hamas has cracked down on Salafi jihadist groups linked to Al Qaeda. According to former Deputy Director of the Mossad, Ilan Mizrahi, speaking to journalists in a recent conference call arranged by The Israel Project, Hamas has 100% control over Gaza. “If they see a party that is challenging their authority, they will finish it.”
However, Al Qaeda has successfully weakened Yemen, threatening Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt. “They chose it (Yemen) carefully and cleverly. This is a real strategic threat to the West and to pragmatic Arab states, and strategically towards Israel,” Mizrahi proclaimed.
IRAQ
What about post-Saddam Iraq? As the U.S. pulls out its military forces, will Iraq become dominated by the Shiites of Iran? Mizrahi doesn’t rule out that possibility, but he explains that some Shiites in Iraq align themselves with Iran and some don’t. “”There are those who are against Iranian hegemony over Iraq. You have Shiites who are against Iranian rule. Let’s not forget that in the last Iraqi-Iranian war, the Iraqis proved that their loyalty to the state was more than their loyalty to their religious brothers in Iran.”
ADVANCEMENT OF THE SHIITE CRESCENT
There is an increased danger that the Shiite Crescent will advance if Iran gains a stronger foothold in Iraq. If Hezbollah takes greater control over Lebanon, an Iran-Iraq-Lebanon alliance will strengthen the power of the Shiites. “I think the future of Iraq will have a huge strategic result in the Middle East,” Mizrahi said. He added, “After the U.S. will pull out from Iraq, the image of the U.S. in the Middle East will be weaker.”
Not all of these alliances forming are going to be permanent. Complications have already risen between various Sunni and Shiite movements, characteristically known as the Sunni-Shiite divide. Ideologies within each movement, clash, causing factional splits between members. For example, Hamas is not a Shiite movement, but a Sunni-Moslem movement, originally backed by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Arab states. Elements within Hamas are hostile to the Shiites and to Iran. According to Spyer, Gaza is maintained as a result of Iranian money, support and guns. “The contradictions in a Sunni Moslem movement finding its backing in a Shiite Islamist state are real.”
CONCERN FOR ISRAEL
How does instability in Arab states, along with the forming of new alliances between Iran and Islamists, affect the nation of Israel?
The Islamists believe that they are winning over Israeli land in stages, especially in the delegitimizing of the Jewish State on an international scale. Whereas Zionists originally had strong aspirations for a Greater Israel, now it seems to these Islamists that Israel may be willing to capitulate to the Palestinians and Arab nations by withdrawing to the pre-1967 borders. According to Spyer, “Islamists believe that it is their efforts that have brought Israel to abandon its ambitions, and will bring it to this limited level of aspirations.”
The ultimate goal of the Iranian-Islamist movement is to be victorious in their struggle with Israel and the West. They think that continued pressure on the Jewish State politically, diplomatically, militarily and within the media, will eventually undermine Israel’s goals on many battlefields. Spyer explains what these Islamists believe: “If Israel’s legitimacy can be questioned in the West, Israel will lose its support. A depleted, lessened, isolated, demoralized Israel will eventually be ripe for defeat in the hands of the Islamists.”
But, Spyer disagrees with this theory, and contends that, inevitably, the Islamists will be defeated. Islam will fail to produce what it promises, and the Islamists will not be able to destroy Israel. He also thinks that Western nations will provide the support needed.
“Israel finds itself not alone in this struggle. It’s between the pro-U.S. dispensation in the region, which Israel is an integral part of -- and a real and determined challenge to that dispensation, led by Iran; consisting of Iran and its allies, and also Islamist movements.”
Today, the internal strength of Western governments to deal, effectively, with this new Iranian-Islamist alliance is being challenged. Arab societies are being tested, especially regarding the cohesiveness within populations to deal with public dissatisfaction over autocratic governments. Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel is being questioned, internationally, distracting nations from dealing with the real issues plaguing the region.
In time, this shift in the regional map, with all its perplexities, will prove that there are definitive signs of a new Middle East emerging.
“Then, the seventh angel sounded: And, there were loud voices in heaven saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Messiah, and He shall reign forever and ever.' "
Revelation 11:15
PRAYER POINTS:
(1) As you pray, agree with David in 1 Chronicles 29:11 about God and His Kingdom rule.
(2) Pray that countries will come into alignment with God's plans. Psalm 20:7-8 (NIV): "Some nations boast of their armies and weapons, but we boast in the Lord our God. Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm."
(3) Pray for kings and rulers of nations according to Psalm 72:11.
(4) Pray, according to Isaiah 19:24-25: "In that day, Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria -- a blessing in the midst of the land; whom the Lord of Hosts shall bless, saying, 'Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.' "
(5) Proclaim that the Lord's dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His Kingdom is from generation to generation, and agree with Daniel 4:35 regarding the power of the Lord over the nations of this world.
(6) One day God's victory will be seen and nations will come into His peace. Declare Micah 4:1-3.
SIGNS OF A NEW MIDDLE EAST EMERGING
The recent riots in Egypt could spread to more Arab states in the Middle East. These mass protest movements, which started in Tunisia, are based on public frustration with oppressive regimes. The protests are being labeled as pro-democracy uprisings by Western governments. However, the instability in the region could lead to a surge in radical Islam with an attempt by Islamists to gain control over moderate Arab governments. Already, the Moslem Brotherhood in Egypt has mixed with protestors on the streets, increasing the bloodshed and adding to the chaos. The likelihood is that Hosni Mubarak will step down as president of Egypt and possibly be replaced by his new Vice President Omar Suleiman. If a hostile regime takes over the Egyptian government, this could threaten the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty. It would also push the IDF (Israel’s Defense Forces) to the limit in terms of its ability to defend Israel on all fronts.
This article was written January 23, 2011, before the riots in Egypt began, but explains what this means, in terms of a united Iranian-Islamist front that is set to take over regimes in the Middle East as instability continues. Here’s more...
During one week in January, Israel’s government became embroiled in a coalition shake-up; Hezbollah quit the Lebanese government and threatened to take over Lebanon; riots broke out in Tunisia causing its president to flee the country; and Jordanians took to the streets to express their anger over their government’s policies. The beginning of 2011 will be remembered as a time of chaos and change in the Middle East.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is firming up his government rule to deal with the on-going Israeli-Palestinian conflict. During the next several months, he hopes to advance the peace process, thereby thwarting international recognition of an independent Palestinian State within the United Nations Security Council.
Arab leaders in the region are firming up their government rule, with some providing financial relief to the public in the form of food subsidies. They are hoping to keep their populations quiet as they monitor new develops in Lebanon, Tunisia, and Jordan. They wonder if their regimes are next in line to be challenged, threatened by a discontented public that is intent on being freed from oppression.
REGIONAL INSTABILITY
High unemployment; poverty; corruption and fraud within iron-fist ruling parties; a lack of personal freedoms; and limited free speech are causing Arab societies to rise up in protest. It could lead to the break-up of dictatorships in this volatile region. Demonstrations have already caused unrest in Algeria and Yemen and could spread to Egypt, Syria, Libya, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia, resulting in an Islamist surge that challenges these current governments.
Radical Islamic states and non-state players are looking for a greater role in the Middle East, and may try to motivate dissatisfied youth to take up arms with a mission and a purpose. They will look to take advantage of unstable repressive Arab regimes, offering young people an opportunity to join jihadist movements.
The question is: How much does the Israeli impasse with the Palestinians play into current regional instability, and what role is Iran performing behind the scenes?
AN IRANIAN-ISLAMIST ALLIANCE
According to Israeli analyst and author Jonathan Spyer, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is on a downward trend, while Iran and Islamists are joining forces, hoping to become a new united regional power. Promoting his new book, “The Transforming Fire – the Rise of the Israel-Islamist Conflict,” Spyer recently talked to a group of political activists at a meeting in Jerusalem’s Great Synagogue , “This Iranian ambition is immediately beset by two problems: The Iranians are not Arabs and they are not Sunni Moslems. And, they wish to assert themselves and become the central hegemonic power in a region consisting largely of Arab-speaking Sunni Moslems.”
Arab governments have privately expressed their distaste for the Persian regime, fearing that a nuclear Iran might threaten their regimes. Meanwhile, the Iranians have used the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to gain popular support on Arab streets. But, that’s changing as interest in the conflict subsides.
The Iranians, observing the current public discontent in the way Arab states are governing, will look to stir up new troubles in order to accomplish their goal of regional hegemony.
Arab leaders have had a difficult time expressing their displeasure, publicly, with Iranian aspirations; but, Iranian leaders have continued to spread radical Islamic ideology, attracting young zealous Arabs who are looking for a cause to fight for.
Joining forces with Islamists and forming new alliances, despite differences in religious ideologies, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds, Iran is beginning to ignite a new battle in the Middle East, which is undermining Western influence in the region.
Spyer says it is this Iranian-Islamist alliance that is the new emerging power which will cause the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to become less prominent in the future. “The emergence of the process I have been speaking about; the efforts of Iran, and the popular Islamic movements...is eroding this conflict, and giving birth to a new conflict. It’s still placing the existence of Israel as a Jewish state into question.”
AL QAEDA
Another problem is the rise of Al Qaeda in the region, especially in Lebanon and Gaza. The goal of Al Qaeda, similar to Iran, is to weaken the influence of Western nations in the Middle East. Al Qaeda will attempt to do this by causing further instability within moderate Arab states, resulting in their governments being more vulnerable to overthrow.
In Gaza, Hamas has cracked down on Salafi jihadist groups linked to Al Qaeda. According to former Deputy Director of the Mossad, Ilan Mizrahi, speaking to journalists in a recent conference call arranged by The Israel Project, Hamas has 100% control over Gaza. “If they see a party that is challenging their authority, they will finish it.”
However, Al Qaeda has successfully weakened Yemen, threatening Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt. “They chose it (Yemen) carefully and cleverly. This is a real strategic threat to the West and to pragmatic Arab states, and strategically towards Israel,” Mizrahi proclaimed.
IRAQ
What about post-Saddam Iraq? As the U.S. pulls out its military forces, will Iraq become dominated by the Shiites of Iran? Mizrahi doesn’t rule out that possibility, but he explains that some Shiites in Iraq align themselves with Iran and some don’t. “”There are those who are against Iranian hegemony over Iraq. You have Shiites who are against Iranian rule. Let’s not forget that in the last Iraqi-Iranian war, the Iraqis proved that their loyalty to the state was more than their loyalty to their religious brothers in Iran.”
ADVANCEMENT OF THE SHIITE CRESCENT
There is an increased danger that the Shiite Crescent will advance if Iran gains a stronger foothold in Iraq. If Hezbollah takes greater control over Lebanon, an Iran-Iraq-Lebanon alliance will strengthen the power of the Shiites. “I think the future of Iraq will have a huge strategic result in the Middle East,” Mizrahi said. He added, “After the U.S. will pull out from Iraq, the image of the U.S. in the Middle East will be weaker.”
Not all of these alliances forming are going to be permanent. Complications have already risen between various Sunni and Shiite movements, characteristically known as the Sunni-Shiite divide. Ideologies within each movement, clash, causing factional splits between members. For example, Hamas is not a Shiite movement, but a Sunni-Moslem movement, originally backed by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Arab states. Elements within Hamas are hostile to the Shiites and to Iran. According to Spyer, Gaza is maintained as a result of Iranian money, support and guns. “The contradictions in a Sunni Moslem movement finding its backing in a Shiite Islamist state are real.”
CONCERN FOR ISRAEL
How does instability in Arab states, along with the forming of new alliances between Iran and Islamists, affect the nation of Israel?
The Islamists believe that they are winning over Israeli land in stages, especially in the delegitimizing of the Jewish State on an international scale. Whereas Zionists originally had strong aspirations for a Greater Israel, now it seems to these Islamists that Israel may be willing to capitulate to the Palestinians and Arab nations by withdrawing to the pre-1967 borders. According to Spyer, “Islamists believe that it is their efforts that have brought Israel to abandon its ambitions, and will bring it to this limited level of aspirations.”
The ultimate goal of the Iranian-Islamist movement is to be victorious in their struggle with Israel and the West. They think that continued pressure on the Jewish State politically, diplomatically, militarily and within the media, will eventually undermine Israel’s goals on many battlefields. Spyer explains what these Islamists believe: “If Israel’s legitimacy can be questioned in the West, Israel will lose its support. A depleted, lessened, isolated, demoralized Israel will eventually be ripe for defeat in the hands of the Islamists.”
But, Spyer disagrees with this theory, and contends that, inevitably, the Islamists will be defeated. Islam will fail to produce what it promises, and the Islamists will not be able to destroy Israel. He also thinks that Western nations will provide the support needed.
“Israel finds itself not alone in this struggle. It’s between the pro-U.S. dispensation in the region, which Israel is an integral part of -- and a real and determined challenge to that dispensation, led by Iran; consisting of Iran and its allies, and also Islamist movements.”
Today, the internal strength of Western governments to deal, effectively, with this new Iranian-Islamist alliance is being challenged. Arab societies are being tested, especially regarding the cohesiveness within populations to deal with public dissatisfaction over autocratic governments. Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel is being questioned, internationally, distracting nations from dealing with the real issues plaguing the region.
In time, this shift in the regional map, with all its perplexities, will prove that there are definitive signs of a new Middle East emerging.
“Then, the seventh angel sounded: And, there were loud voices in heaven saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Messiah, and He shall reign forever and ever.' "
Revelation 11:15
PRAYER POINTS:
(1) As you pray, agree with David in 1 Chronicles 29:11 about God and His Kingdom rule.
(2) Pray that countries will come into alignment with God's plans. Psalm 20:7-8 (NIV): "Some nations boast of their armies and weapons, but we boast in the Lord our God. Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm."
(3) Pray for kings and rulers of nations according to Psalm 72:11.
(4) Pray, according to Isaiah 19:24-25: "In that day, Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria -- a blessing in the midst of the land; whom the Lord of Hosts shall bless, saying, 'Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.' "
(5) Proclaim that the Lord's dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His Kingdom is from generation to generation, and agree with Daniel 4:35 regarding the power of the Lord over the nations of this world.
(6) One day God's victory will be seen and nations will come into His peace. Declare Micah 4:1-3.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
SITUATION ANALYSIS -- XXXI
Jerusalem, Israel
THE MOUNT CARMEL FIRE
The inferno that raged in Israel’s Mount Carmel’s forest region in December 2010 was the worst fire disaster Israel has experienced since its founding as a modern state. Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Norway, Turkey and Jordan sent firefighters, planes, and fire retardant to Israel to stop the blaze.
The fire was reportedly started by several Druze teenagers in the village of Isifiya who were negligent in putting out a small blaze where they had been smoking. Other blazes were started by arsonists later on. The fire raged out of control because for nearly ten months there was little or no rain in Israel, in addition to six previous years of below average rain fall. The forest was a tinder box ready to explode and the fire leaped from village to mountain top, making it impossible to control for at least four days.
The facts of the fire’s damage are staggering: A bus carrying Israeli prison guards was engulfed in the flames, and only a few made it out alive. A Haifa police commander, who thought one of her colleagues was on the bus, drove to the site, hit a fire wall, and incurred burns over most of her body. She died several days later. A 16 year old boy left school and ran to rescue his friends and died in the fire, as did several fighter fighters and volunteers.
Reports indicate that 44 people died as a result of the fire; 75-100 homes were destroyed; and, 35,000 dunams of trees burned, about a third of the Carmel forest. The cost of repair, including re-forestation, is expected to total billions of shekels. Many Israelis were displaced, and moved into hotels or stayed with friends and relatives. Some citizens are now receiving a small stipend from the government to pay for expenses, hopefully, until they are compensated for damages, and can re-build. Israelis want to re-build quickly and get on with their lives.
Yemin Orde, a youth village, was partially damaged in the fire. Bet Oren, a small kibbutz in the north, was at the epicenter of the fire. At least 15 buildings were destroyed there, including many apartments. In Ein Hod, an artist village nestled among the once beautiful trees of the Carmel region, several homes and book stores were burned to the ground.
Walking through Ein Hod it was obvious to this writer that some residents living there had been influenced by Eastern religions. It appeared that the artists had created idols for sale. One house, in particular, has been completely burned down. Many idols were sitting around the property, which was now only filled with ashes. On other properties, partially damaged by the fire, idols were laying on the ground, cracked and burned.
Many nations came to Israel’s rescue during the fire, even countries that had strained relations with the Jewish State. The general public was humiliated because Israel had to depend on other nations for help. Israeli citizens take pride in Israel being a “first responder” to other countries in times of crisis.
During the Second Lebanon War, Israel incurred damage in the north of the country, due to Hezbollah’s rockets exploding in the forests; and, due to fires started by arsonists. A subsequent report determined that Israel did not have enough equipment or staff to control a major fire. However, nothing was done to upgrade Israel’s fire and rescue services. When the Carmel fire erupted, Israel was understaffed, ill-equipped, and under-financed for such a major disaster. Was the Carmel fire a wake-up call to the Israeli government during peaceful times of what could happen during a future time of war?
PRAYER POINTS:
• Intercede according to Deuteronomy 4:23-36.
• Read Joel 2:30-32, and pray that Israelis would heed the words of the prophet, repent, and call on the name of the Lord.
• Acknowledging Malachi Chapters 3 and 4; 1 Kings 18:19-21; and 1 Kings 18:36-39, entreat the Lord on Israel’s behalf, praying its citizens would cry out to the Lord with one voice, turn from their idols, and seek Him above all. May the Spirit of Elijah prepare the way of the Lord on Mount Carmel and in all of Israel.
• It is Israel’s destiny to be a “light to the nations.” But, until the land is cleansed from iniquity, Israelis will have to lean on those people God provides, to aid and rescue them in their afflictions. As Israel mourns the death of loved ones lost in this devastating fire, pray that the Lord will pour out His Spirit of grace and supplication upon His chosen people. (See Zechariah 12:10).
• Pray according to 2 Chronicles 7:14, that Israelis will humble themselves, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from evil ways. May the Lord hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land!
THE MOUNT CARMEL FIRE
The inferno that raged in Israel’s Mount Carmel’s forest region in December 2010 was the worst fire disaster Israel has experienced since its founding as a modern state. Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Norway, Turkey and Jordan sent firefighters, planes, and fire retardant to Israel to stop the blaze.
The fire was reportedly started by several Druze teenagers in the village of Isifiya who were negligent in putting out a small blaze where they had been smoking. Other blazes were started by arsonists later on. The fire raged out of control because for nearly ten months there was little or no rain in Israel, in addition to six previous years of below average rain fall. The forest was a tinder box ready to explode and the fire leaped from village to mountain top, making it impossible to control for at least four days.
The facts of the fire’s damage are staggering: A bus carrying Israeli prison guards was engulfed in the flames, and only a few made it out alive. A Haifa police commander, who thought one of her colleagues was on the bus, drove to the site, hit a fire wall, and incurred burns over most of her body. She died several days later. A 16 year old boy left school and ran to rescue his friends and died in the fire, as did several fighter fighters and volunteers.
Reports indicate that 44 people died as a result of the fire; 75-100 homes were destroyed; and, 35,000 dunams of trees burned, about a third of the Carmel forest. The cost of repair, including re-forestation, is expected to total billions of shekels. Many Israelis were displaced, and moved into hotels or stayed with friends and relatives. Some citizens are now receiving a small stipend from the government to pay for expenses, hopefully, until they are compensated for damages, and can re-build. Israelis want to re-build quickly and get on with their lives.
Yemin Orde, a youth village, was partially damaged in the fire. Bet Oren, a small kibbutz in the north, was at the epicenter of the fire. At least 15 buildings were destroyed there, including many apartments. In Ein Hod, an artist village nestled among the once beautiful trees of the Carmel region, several homes and book stores were burned to the ground.
Walking through Ein Hod it was obvious to this writer that some residents living there had been influenced by Eastern religions. It appeared that the artists had created idols for sale. One house, in particular, has been completely burned down. Many idols were sitting around the property, which was now only filled with ashes. On other properties, partially damaged by the fire, idols were laying on the ground, cracked and burned.
Many nations came to Israel’s rescue during the fire, even countries that had strained relations with the Jewish State. The general public was humiliated because Israel had to depend on other nations for help. Israeli citizens take pride in Israel being a “first responder” to other countries in times of crisis.
During the Second Lebanon War, Israel incurred damage in the north of the country, due to Hezbollah’s rockets exploding in the forests; and, due to fires started by arsonists. A subsequent report determined that Israel did not have enough equipment or staff to control a major fire. However, nothing was done to upgrade Israel’s fire and rescue services. When the Carmel fire erupted, Israel was understaffed, ill-equipped, and under-financed for such a major disaster. Was the Carmel fire a wake-up call to the Israeli government during peaceful times of what could happen during a future time of war?
PRAYER POINTS:
• Intercede according to Deuteronomy 4:23-36.
• Read Joel 2:30-32, and pray that Israelis would heed the words of the prophet, repent, and call on the name of the Lord.
• Acknowledging Malachi Chapters 3 and 4; 1 Kings 18:19-21; and 1 Kings 18:36-39, entreat the Lord on Israel’s behalf, praying its citizens would cry out to the Lord with one voice, turn from their idols, and seek Him above all. May the Spirit of Elijah prepare the way of the Lord on Mount Carmel and in all of Israel.
• It is Israel’s destiny to be a “light to the nations.” But, until the land is cleansed from iniquity, Israelis will have to lean on those people God provides, to aid and rescue them in their afflictions. As Israel mourns the death of loved ones lost in this devastating fire, pray that the Lord will pour out His Spirit of grace and supplication upon His chosen people. (See Zechariah 12:10).
• Pray according to 2 Chronicles 7:14, that Israelis will humble themselves, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from evil ways. May the Lord hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land!
SITUATION ANALYSIS -- 242
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