SITUATION ANALYSIS -- 117

Jerusalem, Israel

APRIL 2017 PRAYER UPDATE

Israel and the Nations

The recent chemical attack in Syria, allegedly committed by the military forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad, has sent shockwaves throughout the world. Photos of dying children on social media has outraged civil societies. International leaders are trying to come to grips with these scenes and figure out the best way to move forward. 

The United States holds the current monthly presidency of the United Nations under U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley. An emergency meeting is being set up at the UN Security Council to discuss the Syrian crisis, as leaders try and understand what would motivate Assad to carry out another destructive assault on his own people (he has done this several times before). 

If Assad did use the chemicals, he has violated international law, as well as commitments he made in 2013, to rid his country of these WMD’s. Both he and Russian President Vladimir Putin have denied Assad’s involvement in this latest chemical attack. Putin has placed Russian advanced military equipment in Syria to help Assad win the current war against Syrian rebels; a war which has taken place for six years now; killed hundreds of thousands of people; and displayed millions of Syrians. If Assad is guilty, then Putin is implicated in this latest tragedy.

In March 2017, Assad’s air force attempted to shoot down Israeli jets on the Golan Heights. The Israeli Air Force had been on a mission to eliminate an advanced arms shipment that was traveling by truck from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon. While Israel has knocked out these type of advanced armed shipments before, this time Assad’s forces retaliated. Three Syrian missiles were fired at Israeli jets. One fell inside Jordan; another in an open area of Israel; and, the third was intercepted by Israel’s Arrow anti-missile defense system. There were two other incidents that occurred on the Golan border between Israel and Assad’s forces during that time, but the border has been quiet since then.

In late March, this writer took part in a telephone conference call with Israeli Brig-Gen (res) Nitzan Nuriel who spoke to journalists about the first incident. Nuriel analyzed Assad’s intentions:  “Assad does not read the map correctly, and he believes it’s only a question of weeks, maybe months, before he can declare a full victory. Therefore, he is looking at the next change... Clashes in Syria are going to stay with us for at least 3-6 years. So, I believe he does not read the map correctly.”

The fact that Assad is not reading the map correctly is a major problem for Israel. Analysts have not yet said, what has become a concern for the state of Israel; that is, Assad still has access to chemical weapons and would not hesitate to use them, not only against his own people, but against Israel.

While international leaders try to gain evidence as to whether Assad did order the chemical attack, intercession to stop any future attacks is needed:

 

PRAYER:

·        Pray for those Syrians that have lost loved ones in this horrible tragedy. Weep with those who mourn. Pray God’s comfort over the Syrian families who are struggling to survive. Ask the Lord to heal those who have been wounded by these chemicals; that God would restore them to perfect health.

·        Proclaim that all WMD’s in Syria will be destroyed, and that no retaliation will take place to try and stop this action.

·        According to Psalm 121:4, “He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”                                                                                            

       Psalm 32:7 says: “You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”  Declare these promises of God over Israel.

·        Pray that the Lord will remove His enemies in this battle according to Psalm 108:13: “Through God we will do valiantly, And it is He who shall tread down our adversaries.”

Reportedly, ISIS is also believed to have obtained chemical weapons in the regions where it has control (Iraq, Syria, and Libya) and has used the WMD’s in battles more than 50 times.  Experts on this subject believe that ISIS could try and use chemical weapons in a terrorist attack against Israelis or against Jews traveling in Europe. 

PRAYER:

• Declare Psalm 44:5 for the Jewish People, worldwide: “Through Thee will we push down our enemies: through Thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.”   
• God will prevail over ISIS, according to Isaiah 60:12: “For the nation or kingdom that will not serve You will perish; it will be utterly ruined.”

Several leaders from Arab nations have been visiting U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House including PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Jordanian King Abdullah, and Saudi leaders. There are preliminary plans to host a summit or international peace conference between Israel, the Palestinians, and Arab nations, sometime during the summer of 2017. So far, the only plan being offered is the outdated Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, which Israel rejected, and continues to reject in its current state. Even if this plan is altered, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians will not be solved based on secular ideas of land for peace. This is a religious conflict and a fight between Islam and the God of Israel over His Covenant Land!

PRAYER:

• Proclaim that it is the Prince of Peace, Israel’s “Sar Shalom”, Messiah Yeshua, who rules over the Middle East region, including Israel, the territories occupied by the Palestinians, and Arab lands. Declare that it is the Lord’s peace, according to John 14:27 that is the only way to true victory: “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
• Pray that this on-going conflict in the Middle East will be over soon because revival will come to the nations and cause the peoples to enter into true peace with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Himself!                                               
• Declare: John 16:33: "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Psalm 29:11: “The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.” Isaiah 57:19: “Creating praise on their lips. Peace, peace, to those far and near, says the Lord. ‘And I will heal them.’ ”

The Jerusalem Post reported (3/16/2017), that the U.K. Community Security Trust recorded 1,309 anti-Semitic incidents in 2016, the highest number in Britain since the Community Trust began collecting statistics 33 years ago. Anti-Semitism in the United States has soared since the U.S. presidential election campaign, and continues to be a source of great anxiety for American Jewish communities. Anti-Semitism on social media has caused record levels of incitement against the Jewish People worldwide. The Anti-Defamation League is, reportedly, building a sophisticated command center in California’s Silicon Valley, to combat cyber hate. The center will monitor, track, analyze and mitigate hate speech and harassment across the Internet. But, this is not enough!  

It is time for us to lift our hearts to the Lord of Heaven and ask Him to stop this hatred against His Chosen People, release the Jews from the nations and bring them home! 

PRAYER:

• Declare, according to Zechariah 8:23: "This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: 'In the future, ten men speaking all the languages of the nations will grab hold of one Jewish person by the hem of his garment and say, ‘Let us go up to Jerusalem with you, because we heard that God is with you.’ ”

• Proclaim God’s Aliyah promises over Israel, including, Isaiah 60:4: “Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home.” Isaiah 43:5-6: "Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will gather you and your children from east and west. I will say to the north and south, 'Bring My sons and daughters back to Israel from the distant corners of the earth.’ ”

There is increased prostitution happening inside Israel’s Defense Forces (the IDF). Females are resorting to sex for pay in order to rid themselves of financial difficulties. Some female soldiers find it difficult to survive on military salaries and get involved in prostitution despite it being illegal in Israel. At least 500 soldiers are estimated to be involved in prostitution in the IDF. The Labor and Social Services Ministry in Israel reports that there are an estimated 11,420-12,730 sex workers nationwide.

PRAYER:

• Pray that the Lord clamps down on this immoral sex industry. Intercede for those women who have entered into prostitution – that they will repent, find help, and be restored spirit, soul, and body. Ask the Lord to guide these women into moral ways of provision for themselves and their families, according to Philippians 4:19.                               
•  Declare, over the IDF,  1 Thessalonians 4:3:  "For it is God's will that you should be holy; you must abstain from sexual immorality; each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor…” 

PRAISE:

Israel now has diplomatic relations with more than 160 countries. As Israelis turn to the God of Israel, He is blessing them in their redemptive purpose:  To be a light to the nations!

SITUATION ANALYSIS -- 116

Jerusalem, Israel 

 

MID-FEBRUARY 2017

Israel and the Nations

THE TRUMP-NETANYAHU MEETING -- MAJOR FOCUS ON IRAN EXPECTED

U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on February 15, 2017 for what should be an historic meeting and a new start for both countries. Iran is a topic that Middle East analysts expect will be the main focus of the White House discussions. 

Major General (res.) Yaacov Amidror, former National Security Advisor to Netanyahu, thinks that the U.S. and Israel will focus on how to succeed in preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear state at the end of the 15 year Iran nuclear deal. This agreement, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed by the P5+1 nations (the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Russia and China), plus the EU, in 2015.

According to Amidror, “The bad agreement which was signed by the previous (Obama) Administration might lead to a situation in which, at the end of that period, the Iranians will be in a better position to acquire military nuclear capability and Israel will face a stronger Iran than before.”

That kind of legitimacy given to Iran by the previous American government has contributed to an overall sense that the agreement was not good for Israel or for the United States. Amidror thinks this will lead to better cooperation between both allies in the future.

The other concern that Trump and Netanyahu are expected to discuss has to do with Iran’s long military reach – not just its strategic arms expansion in the Middle East – but how that is affecting global stability. 

Amidror explains that the two allies will also have to figure out, along with other countries, how to contain Iran, to destroy ISIS, and to stop radical Islam, which has strengthened its grip on the Middle East. “Israel and the Americans, here in this case, have a historic moment in which they can build something totally new, based on the same interest – that which we are sharing with so many Arab countries in the Middle East.

Reportedly, Netanyahu spoke with Jordan’s King Abdullah, and Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi before embarking on his trip to America. Partnerships between Israel and the Gulf Countries are becoming more known, publicly, and it is no secret that these nations, along with Saudi Arabia, see Israel as providing a military umbrella if Iran’s hegemonic ambitions are not contained.

Trump, as well, has been talking with Arab leaders, and some analysts speculate that Egypt may be working behind the scenes in trying to establish an Arab peace deal with Israel. 

Ambassador Dennis Ross, a Distinguished Fellow with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, thinks that Netanyahu will want to talk to Trump about the importance of teaming up with Sunni Arab countries. “The level of cooperation between Israel and the leading Sunni states, vis-à-vis Iran, and vis-à-vis ISIS, is an asset for the U.S. And, we should be thinking of how to take advantage of it, and what more can be done to take advantage of it, both to counter the Iranians and to counter ISIS.”

Israel could become part of a U.S-led Middle East coalition; a moderate bloc with Sunni Arabs states, to crush ISIS. But, Israel is also worried about Iran’s influence on its norther border with Syria, where Hezbollah, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and Shia militias have had an increased presence. They have propped up the army of Syrian President Bashar Assad. 

Ross says the agenda between the U.S. and Israel should include a strategic approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ross does not believe that Netanyahu is against U.S.-Russian cooperation.

“He wants to be sure that, at a minimum, that whatever comes out of Syria, it can’t be a new front that Israel faces on its border, with the Revolutionary Guards and with Hezbollah.” 

That is also a concern of Israeli Brigadier General (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser. He states that if Iran has its way, Syria could become a base from which the Iranians would exert their military power in the Middle East and beyond. 

“This possibility that they will have a contiguous axis, starting in Iran and ending in the Mediterranean with Hezbollah, is something that we all should be extremely worried about. This has to stop.”

The Russian military build-up in Syria is problematic for Israel. Netanyahu has met with Putin several times in past months, not only making sure that there is no accidental conflagration between Israel and Russia over Syria. Netanyahu also wants the continuous flow of weapons from Iran through Syria to Hezbollah to cease. 

So far, Russia has been passive when Israel has gained intelligence information and knocked out some of these arms shipments. But, how long will that last?  Also, Russia has, reportedly, built a strong military base in Syria, including the possible placement of anti-missile defense systems in the country, which would make it more difficult for targeted Israeli airstrikes against Syrian aggression in the future.

For now, if Trump is able to get Russia to distance itself from Iranian influence in Syria, encouraging the Russians to move diplomatically closer to Turkey, Ross thinks that would be a positive step.

Meanwhile, Amidror says much depends on what will happen in the Middle East, and how Israel will be integrated into American efforts. “It is known that when a new administration is coming in, it takes time to shape the policy.”

Both men would agree that the meetings between the U.S. and Israel will be publicly deemed successful, because Trump and Netanyahu want to move forward from the negativity that existed between Israel and the former Obama Administration. 

According to Ross, “There is a strong presumption to send a message of how close things are between the two leaders.” 

There’s also an excitement building in Washington that the U.S. and Israel will make the effort to be on the same page strategically and practically. Furthermore, that the strategic alliance between both countries will be brought to a higher level, because the Israeli and American people want it that way.

“There are many plans in a man’s heart. Nevertheless, the LORD’S counsel – that will stand.”

Proverbs 19:21