Friday, September 6, 2024

Netanyahu: Why the Gaza–Egypt Border ‘Determines our Future’

by JNS

Tuesday, 3 September 2024 | The Israel Defense Forces [IDF] will stay on Gaza’s border with Egypt to prevent Hamas from rebuilding its strength by smuggling in arms, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday night. He also vowed to exact a “very heavy price” from the terrorist group for its recent execution of six captives.

“We are in the midst of an existential war against Iran’s axis of evil, and the first condition of victory is unity among us,” the Israeli leader said in an address to the nation. “We must stand united against a brutal enemy seeking to destroy us all—left or right, religious or secular, Jews and non-Jews. We have seen that not only on October 7, but throughout the war.”

Netanyahu said that, in conversations with the families of hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, Carmel Gat and IDF Master Sgt. Ori Danino—who were executed by Hamas terrorists last week and whose bodies were retrieved for burial in the Jewish state over the weekend—he asked for forgiveness that Israel’s government and security forces failed to bring them back home alive.

“We were very close, but we were not able to do so,” Netanyahu said, warning that Hamas “will pay a very heavy price” for the six murders.

The premier continued by saying that all of the government’s war goals in the Gaza Strip, including the return of the 101 remaining hostages, “go through one gate, the Philadelphi Corridor. It’s the oxygen of Hamas.

“The axis of evil needs the Philadelphi Corridor; for this reason, we need the Philadelphi Corridor,” Netanyahu said, using the IDF’s name for the 8.5-mile-long [13.6 km.] belt of land along Gaza’s border with Sinai. “This corridor determines our entire future.”

If Israel gives up control of the border area, as Hamas has demanded during the ongoing hostages-for-ceasefire talks, the remaining captives could be smuggled out to Egypt and from there to Iran or Yemen, he said.

The premier noted during his address that Israel controlled all other entry points to the Gaza Strip, by land and by sea, and that leaving the Sinai border open since the 2005 disengagement was what had enabled Hamas to arm its forces and fight three previous wars against Israel.

Pivoting to the US-brokered ceasefire negotiations, Netanyahu noted that Hamas did not budge for months. “The first crack came when we went into Rafah and took over the Philadelphi Corridor, when we took over the passage; that’s when they started talking differently,” he said.

“As soon as they think there is weakness on our side, or pressure, they’ll go right back,” warned the premier, adding that he was “absolutely shocked” that some Cabinet members, most notably Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, have suggested that Israel leave the Philadelphi Corridor.

Pointing to a document that was reportedly discovered by forces in a Gaza tunnel earlier this year, he said that shifting all blame towards Netanyahu was a key component of Hamas’s psychological warfare.

“We have agreed to the outline presented by President Biden on May 31; we have agreed to what they called the final bridging proposal on August 18, but Hamas said no to the first and no to the second,” the prime minister noted, in an apparent reference to Monday’s criticism from the American president.

Netanyahu concluded, “Together we stand, together we fight, and together, with God’s help, we will overcome.”

One hundred and one hostages—alive and dead—are still held captive in Gaza after more than 300 days. Off-and-on negotiations have continued for months with the United States, Egypt and Qatar acting as mediators.

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on September 2, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Thank the Lord for the clarity of vision with which Prime Minister Netanyahu sees the critical importance of the Philadelphi Corridor and Israel’s need to maintain control of that border. Pray in agreement with his statement that, “Together we stand, together we fight, and together, with God’s help, we will overcome.”

Scripture

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob defend you; may He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion.

- Psalm 20:1–2

Israeli Economy Slows, Inflation Rises as War-driven Financial Swings Continue

by Joshua Spurlock ~ The Mideast Update

Monday, 2 September 2024 | Israel’s wartime economic trends are looking like the peaks and valleys in a heartrate monitor, after growth dropped substantially in the second quarter to almost zero. This follows the dramatic swings in the prior six months, when the country had a sharp economic downturn in the months after October 7 and a notable uptick in the first quarter of 2024. Inflation also rose in second quarter.

However, not all was bad news for Israel, which also saw the unemployment rate decline, according to the latest report from the Bank of Israel (BOI), who on August 28 kept interest rates steady at 4.5%.

The nation’s central bank reported that Israel’s national economic growth in the April–June period dropped to just 0.3% growth as measured by gross domestic product (GDP), a sharp contrast to the more than 4% growth the quarter before. In fact, a report in late August from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reported that Israel had by far the largest drop-off in economic growth from the first to second quarters of 2024 among the more than two dozen member nations that reported. That’s in part because Israel also had by far the most economic growth in the first quarter among the reporting nations, as the Jewish state recovered from the dramatic economic impact of the October 7 Hamas terror massacre and start of the Gaza war.

The BOI noted the nation’s economic growth measurement was revised upwards for both fourth quarter 2023 and the first three months of this year, even as growth in the second quarter was below the bank’s trend line. The bank’s press release pointed directly towards the impact of the war in Gaza—for which large numbers of military reserves have been called into duty—and Hezbollah’s ongoing attacks that have shut down the north of the country.

“Supply limitations, primarily in view of the shortage of workers, particularly in the construction industry, are a main factor in the gap of GDP from its growth trend line,” said the BOI press release, noting that this is expected to continue “as long as the shortage of non-Israeli workers, the considerable mobilization of the [IDF] reserves, and the limitations on activity in the Northern border area continue.”

Meanwhile, inflation is speeding up in Israel, raising costs. As measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), inflation rose 0.6% in July after rising slightly in June. The national bank reported that over the last 12 months, costs in Israel are up 3.2%, which the bank said is “slightly” above the higher range of where inflation should be. This has led the bank to predict inflation for the coming year will be higher than previously expected.

On Friday, Israeli Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich highlighted honey as a product in scope for cost-reduction efforts as the season for the traditional food for Rosh Hashannah (Jewish New Year) comes up. In a post to X on Friday, Smotrich said: “We continue to fight the cost of living in every way. Towards Rosh Hashanah and the winter months, when honey consumption is at its peak, we reached understandings that will allow the market to be opened to imports, which will lower honey prices in Israel. We are fighting the cost of living with all our might and we will win this fight.”

Government spending amidst the war effort rose in July, per the BOI. The government’s budget deficit as compared to the overall economy rose to 8.1% of GDP during the month. The bank said that uncertainty around next year’s budget and implementation of cost-cutting measures “is liable” to hamper the return of inflation back toward its target rate.

Smotrich, in a separate post to X on Thursday highlighted the “unprecedented” financial impact caused by the Gaza war. This includes 200,000 evacuees, half a million requests from businesses for indirect war-related compensation and 36,000 claims for direct damage.

On the positive side, unemployment in Israel dipped to 4% in July from 4.6% the month before. Those figures are even lower when not including those serving in the IDF reserves (3.3% unemployment in July versus 3.7% in June). Since the start of 2023, wage growth has increased more than in prior years, although due to inflation the “real wage” number is close to the trend line. Overall, the national Bank said indications are for moderate growth for businesses in Israel in the July-August stretch.

That comes as Israel’s stock market is pointing up for the year. The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange’s (TASE) flagship group of largest companies, known as the TA-35, is up a little more than 11% year-to-date according to the TASE website. A comparable collection of top companies in the United States, as measured by the S&P 500 index, is up 19%.

Source: (Excerpt from an article originally published by the Mideast Update on September 1, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today.)

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Prayer Focus
As the financial burden of fighting a war for their existence increases, pray that the wealth of the nations—donations from believing Christians—will flow to Israel. Pray for the encouragement of those soldiers serving in the reserves who also own businesses and are facing the challenge of keeping them afloat.

Scripture

Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.

- Isaiah 60:5

Archaeology Is a Big Problem for the Palestinian Cause

by Moshe Phillips ~ JNS

Wednesday, 4 September 2024 | Israeli archaeologists in Jerusalem found a 2,700-year-old stone seal last week near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It’s just a few inches in diameter, but it’s a big deal for Zionism—and another blow to the Palestinian cause.

The discovery highlights the importance of the continuing work by archaeologists who have spent years sifting through tons of debris that have been dumped outside Jerusalem’s walls by the Islamic authorities who control the mosques on the Temple Mount.

That debris comes from renovations undertaken by Islamic officials on the Temple Mount plaza, the holiest site in Judaism. In callous disregard for the sanctity of the site, the Islamic authorities have been discarding the debris from the renovations as if it were garbage.

There’s been a lot of talk in recent weeks about the “status quo” on the Temple Mount. US State Department officials and angry pundits treat the “status quo” as if it’s holy. They seem to forget that just because something has been the “status quo” for a while doesn’t make it right. For many years, apartheid was the status quo in South Africa, and racial segregation was the status quo in the American South.

The archaeology question is the never-talked-about aspect of the Temple Mount “status quo.” The Islamic officials on the mount have been exploiting their privileged status to bury—literally—the voluminous evidence of the site’s Jewish roots.

Why do the Islamic authorities want to hide the rubble from the renovations? Because the Israeli archaeologists going through the discarded debris continually find pieces of the past that reconfirm the thousands of years of Jewish history in the Holy Land. The project’s work began in 2005 under the auspices of Bar-Ilan University, and their discoveries confirm that the Arab connection to the country is recent and weak.

The stone seal that was just discovered doesn’t have any inscriptions referring to “Palestine.” It doesn’t refer to any indigenous Palestinian holidays, nor does it bear any ancient Palestinian symbols—because none of those things exist.

The writing on the seal is Hebrew, not Arabic. The name written on it is a Jewish name, not an Arab or Muslim name: Yeho’ezer ben Hoshayahu. The black stone seal was found near the Temple Mount’s southern wall,

That name is very similar to the name of one of King David’s warriors. It’s not similar to the name of the warrior of some “Palestinian” king—because there never was such a thing.

It’s also very similar to a Jewish name mentioned in the biblical book of Jeremiah. It’s not similar to any names mentioned in the Quran. As a matter of fact, the city of Jerusalem itself is not mentioned in the Quran either. Isn’t that fascinating? Despite all the platitudes we hear about how Jerusalem is the “city of three ancient faiths,” Jerusalem does not appear a single time in the Quran.

Filip Vukosavovic of the Israel Antiquities Authority said the newly discovered seal, which dates to about 700 BC, was used by someone who “held a senior position in the Kingdom of Judah’s administration.” Note: Kingdom of Judah, not Kingdom of Palestine.

It was only some 1,400 years after the creation of that seal, in the seventh century AD, that the Muslims of the Arabian Peninsula invaded and occupied the Land of Israel. The Muslim occupiers never called the country “Palestine.”

Altogether, the archaeologists of the Temple Mount Sifting Project have uncovered several thousand items related to the biblical period. And not one of those items—not one—refers to “Palestinians.”

No wonder the Islamic religious authorities treat the debris from their renovations as garbage. They know that every scoop of dirt can reveal additional evidence that the rightful owners of Jerusalem and the Land of Israel are the Jews.

The Islamic officials on the Temple Mount would like to hide the past. Fortunately, however, Israel’s archaeologists have come to the rescue—that is, the rescue of Jewish national history. In the course of fulfilling the noble scientific purpose of archaeology, they are reaffirming the deep roots of the Jewish people in the Holy Land.

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on September 3, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today.)

Photo Credit: Eliyahu Yanai/City of David/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Rejoice and give thanks that physical evidence of the authenticity of the Jewish claim to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount continues to be uncovered, despite the efforts of Muslims to hide these facts as if they were garbage. Remind the Lord that He has chosen the city of Jerusalem for His dwelling, and pray for His quick return.

Scripture

There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

- Psalm 46:4–6

Samaria Car Bomb Intended for Israeli School Bus

by JNS

Wednesday, 4 September 2024 | A car bomb neutralized on Monday near the entrance to the Jewish community of Ateret in the Binyamin region of Samaria was intended to detonate while a school bus was passing by, security officials believe.

According to the Kan News broadcaster, the bomb, which was planted inside a gas cylinder, contained more than 100 pounds [45 kg.] of explosive material.

In addition, an initial probe of the incident shows that the bomb contained a camera facing the road, allowing the terrorists to detonate the explosive device remotely when a bus passed by, Kan reported.

Channel 12 News said the vigilance of a local Israeli resident prevented a “major disaster,” with Israeli security forces neutralizing the heavy bomb before school busses entered the town on Monday morning.

Israel Ganz, the head of the Binyamin Regional Council, which has jurisdiction over the area of Ateret, said on Monday, “The terrorism in Judea and Samaria requires military action just like in Gaza and Rafah.”

On Friday, terrorists linked to Palestinian Authority [PA] chief Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah [leading secular Palestinian political party] faction carried out a double car bombing in the Gush Etzion area of Judea, wounding two Israeli soldiers and a security guard.

Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades warned that it would “pursue the occupier at every intersection, alley and neighborhood, until it is expelled from our land and our holy sites, Inshallah [‘Allah willing’].”

Since January of this year, Judea and Samaria saw more than 500 Arab terrorist attacks each month on average, according to figures published on August 1 by Rescuers Without Borders (Hatzalah Judea and Samaria).

During that time, first responders recorded 3,272 acts of terrorism in the region, including 1,868 cases of rock-throwing, 456 attacks with Molotov cocktails, 299 explosive charges and 109 shootings.

Terrorists have killed 14 people and wounded more than 155 others in Judea and Samaria since the start of the year, the rescue group said.

Source: (Excerpt from an article originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on September 3, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Nati Shohat/Flash90/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Pray for the safety and security of the residents of Judea and Samaria, the biblical heartland, as they have been fighting an “unofficial” war against terror for years. Ask the Lord to give these residents “eyes to see” and wisdom to know what to do when a threat appears. Give thanks that this particular plan was stopped before it could kill and maim Israeli school children.

Scripture

Blessed be the LORD my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.

- Psalm 144:1

‘Take It or Leave It:’ US to Offer Final Hostage Deal Framework

by Daniel Edelson ~ Ynetnews

Monday, 2 September 2024 | American officials said that the US is discussing a final framework for a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza with Egypt and Qatar.

An official told the Washington Post on Sunday that US President Joe Biden’s administration considers this a “take it or leave it” deal as part of Biden’s efforts to expedite negotiations following the deaths of six hostages whose bodies were located, recovered and returned to Israel from the Gaza Strip by the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] on Saturday.

According to a senior Biden administration official, the Americans plan to present the framework to Israel and Hamas in the coming weeks. If both sides don’t accept it, this could lead to the end of US-led negotiations for a deal.

He said that the US, along with the other mediators, Egypt and Qatar, began working on the proposal even before the hostages’ bodies were discovered. Other officials said it was still unclear how the deaths of the six might affect the chances of reaching a deal in the coming weeks.

The White House announced on Monday that Biden and US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris will meet with the negotiation team in the White House Situation Room to discuss “efforts to promote an agreement that guarantees the release of the remaining hostages.”

Meanwhile, the families of hostages with US citizenship were invited to an online meeting with White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Biden’s Middle East envoy Brett McGurk on Sunday.

According to the families, Sullivan told them the coming days are “critical for the release of the hostages,” including the seven Americans still held captive by Hamas.

“The White House is heartbroken by this senseless and brutal act by Hamas,” Sullivan said, reiterating Biden’s commitment to working around the clock to secure a deal that will lead to the hostages’ release.

Ronen Neutra, the father of Israeli–American hostage Omer Neutra, told Ynet that Sullivan and McGurk clarified to the families that Israel has responded to its proposal and that the US is now waiting for Hamas’s answer, believing the gaps between the sides can be bridged.

“We hope their pressure on the parties, including Hamas, Qatar, Egypt and Israel, will finally yield the desired outcome,” he said.

Source: (Excerpt from an article originally published by Ynetnews on September 2, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: The White House/wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia

Prayer Focus
Pray for the truth to emerge, once and for all: Hamas has no intention of negotiating or releasing the hostages without a complete surrender by Israel. Pray that Prime Minister Netanyahu would stand firm as he continues to insist on ending the war only when Israel is guaranteed that its citizens can live without fear of acts of terrorism by Hamas, an entity which seeks their annihilation.

Scripture

They encourage themselves in an evil matter; they talk of laying snares secretly; they say, “Who will see them?” They devise iniquities: “We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”

- Psalm 64:5–6a

Exposed: UNRWA Teaches Children to Kill

by David Isaac ~ JNS

Thursday, 5 September 2024 | Revelations by Israel’s government about the United Nations Relief and Works Agency [UNRWA}] have shattered the group’s carefully cultivated image as a humanitarian organization, revealing it to be no less than an arm of Hamas in Gaza. However, little light has been thrown on UNRWA’s identical role in Judea and Samaria.

A new film, “UNRWA at War,” focuses on the educational side of UNRWA’s activities, in which children are taught not just to hate, but to kill. Just as it did in Gaza, UNRWA is inculcating children with the same genocidal creed in Judea and Samaria, only in this case for Fatah [leading secular Palestinian political party], the controlling party in the Palestinian Authority [PA].

The center’s director, David Bedein, told JNS that the movie shows what’s happening in Bethlehem. “That’s the next place they [the terrorists] are going to break out,” he said.

When could such an attack take place? “It could be as soon as tomorrow,” he said.

The film shows that terrorists, such as Dalal Mughrabi, a Fatah member who participated in the 1978 Coastal Road massacre in Israel, in which 38 Israeli civilians, including 13 children, were murdered, are routinely held up as heroes and role models in UNRWA schools. Images of Mughrabi and other terrorists adorn the schools’ walls.

In the film, Arab students in Judea and Samaria, products of UNRWA schools, speak of Mughrabi with reverence.

“She’s like my sister, like my mother. She’s part of our people,” says a boy from the Al-Amari refugee camp east of Ramallah. A girl of about six, also from Al-Amari, says, “Dhalal Mughrabi is a Palestinian martyr. She fought against the Jews. She blew them up.”

Bedein, who has been sounding the alarm regarding UNRWA for decades, describes the indoctrination the kids are receiving as “murder education.” UNRWA, he said, is a “machine” that produces genocidal children in a “cookie-cutter” manner.

Kutaiba Hatab, 15, attends the UNRWA Boys School in the Jalazone refugee camp north of Ramallah in Samaria. Asked in the film what he’s taught about the right of return, he says, “To fight, and to keep fighting, until Palestine is liberated!” He goes on to state that when he grows up, “I’ll be a jihadist and fight for Allah!”

“Do you hate Jews,” an interviewer asks Rada Abu-Hatab, 12, an UNRWA student in Jenin. “Yes, a lot,” she answers. “I want to fight and become a martyr and ascend to heaven with Allah!”

Mohammed Mahmud Khalil, an UNRWA student from Ein Arik, an Arab town near Ramallah, says, “What is the solution to Jerusalem? To kill the Jews. We’ll get rid of the Jews…With Allah’s help, I will become a holy warrior.”

All the children connected the Hamas invasion of October 7 to the right of return, characterizing the gruesome attack as an effort to liberate the land from the Jews.

“October 7 is related to the right of return because Hamas reconquered part of our land that was taken by the occupiers,” says Osama Belashe, an UNRWA student from Jalazone. “In school, our teacher taught us we have to return. Even if Israel gives us compensation [to stay here] we have to return.”

For Bedein, the most important thing the film documents is that at UNRWA, children receive military training. In previous films, Bedein has shown that these training camps were set up near Israel Defense Forces bases.

He worries that Israel has been slow to adapt to the post-October 7 reality. “They’re making the same mistake they made last October, not paying attention to the preparations for war in the UNRWA camps,” he said.

However, he sees signs of awakening, noting a recent Israel Army Radio report that the military intended to investigate military training at UNRWA camps.

And next week, Bedein is to present his findings to a Knesset [Parliament] committee. “People who did not take me seriously over a period of 36 years are now taking me seriously,” he said.

Although many have argued for doing away with UNRWA, according to Bedein, that’s not a realistic solution. The organization is too embedded in the territories and in the United Nations, and the General Assembly would never accept it, he argued. However, he continued, it is possible to change UNRWA from within by pointing out the absurd situation and demanding change.

“The theme of UNRWA education is ‘peace starts here,’” he said. “How could it possibly be that a UN social work agency would be using their education system to prepare kids for war?”

Bedein has put together a five-point plan for changing UNRWA from within:

1. Cancellation of the new UNRWA curriculum based on jihad.
2. Disarmament of UNRWA schools and cessation of paramilitary training.
3. Dismissing UNRWA employees affiliated with Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah.
4. Resettling fourth- and fifth-generation refugees from the 1948 war rather than keeping them in perpetual refugee status.
5. Demanding an audit of donor funds.

 

He has met five times with Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary general, whom he said is open to his proposals.

While UNRWA was always corrupt, it wasn’t always the way it is now, he said.

Even the children going through the schools, while they spoke of “their homes in Jaffa,” didn’t talk about going back and killing everyone in Jaffa as they do now, he said.

“The change took place after 1992 when the Palestinian Liberation Organization was put in charge,” he said. “UNRWA was handed over to the PLO.”

Source: (Excerpt from an article originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on September 4, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today.)

Photo Credit: Screenshot/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Pray for open doors at the United Nations for filmmaker David Bedein, whose documentary “UNRWA at War” demonstrates the fact that young children are being taught to hate and even kill Jewish people. Pray that his five steps for change in UNRWA would be taken seriously and implemented without compromise.

Scripture

Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloodthirsty men. For look, they lie in wait for my life; the mighty gather against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, O LORD.

- Psalm 59:2–3

Israel’s Battle to Curb Arms Flow to Hezbollah

by Ynetnews

Monday, 2 September 2024 | Since the start of the war, Israel has increased its attacks on terror targets in Syria, including targeted killings and airstrikes on fuel depots and arms stores. Despite those efforts, Israel has not succeeded in slowing Hezbollah’s military advancements, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, or its fortification along Lebanon’s border with Israel.

According to the paper, this is evidence that Iran continues to take advantage of countries with weak central governments as a conduit of its aggressions that now constitute an increased threat of a regional war.

Israel’s latest drone strike against a senior member of the Islamic Jihad near the Syria–Lebanon border earlier this week was the latest in over 180 attacks on Syria territory since October.

Israel’s efforts to target terrorists are part of its efforts to disrupt the supply of arms to the Lebanese terror group which is now the largest terrorist military force in the region with an estimated 150,000 strong fighting force and powerful missiles and rockets able to target the entire Israeli territory.

According to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces], the attack on Wednesday targeted an operative of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) that was responsible for arming the group in Lebanon and Syria and participated in attacks against Israel’s north.

Senior Israeli officials told the paper that to limit the repercussions of the Israeli attacks, the IDF did not claim responsibility for some of them especially when Hezbollah operatives were killed.

They said the Syrian regime, which was weakened by the long years of civil war, decided not to respond militarily and both Damascus and Iran have downplayed the damage caused.

The efficacy of Israel’s attack in Syria is mixed, the officials said. Syria has been deterred from joining the fighting and is preoccupied with its war against the Kurds and ISIS.

But several Israeli security experts told the WSJ that Israel will have to ultimately decide whether to expand its campaign in Syria to disrupt the arms flow to Hezbollah, more efficiently.

“Syria is part of the Iranian axis and most of Hezbollah’s arms are transported through it.”

Source: (Excerpt from an article originally published by Ynetnews on August 31, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Unknown author/wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia

Prayer Focus
Just as Israel must cut off the supply line of Hamas in the south, pray also for success in stopping the flow of weapons from Iran through Syria, eventually to be used against Israel by Hezbollah in the north. Pray for continued intelligence that will allow pinpoint accuracy in Israel’s strikes against weapons shipments from Iran. Pray for protection of Israeli pilots and planes as they carry out these strikes.

Scripture

Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, and you shall tread down their high places.

- Deuteronomy 33:29

Double Tragedy: Israeli Family Loses Father and Daughter to Terror

by JNS via Israel Hayom

Monday, 2 September 2024 | First Sgt. Roni Shakuri has been identified as one of three police officers killed in a shooting attack in Judea on Sunday.

His daughter, Master Sgt. Mor Shakuri, lost her life defending the Sderot police station during the Hamas October 7 onslaught on the northwestern Negev.

Sunday’s attack took place near Hebron, where terrorists opened fire on an Israeli vehicle. Israel Defense Forces launched an extensive search operation in the area after discovering an abandoned vehicle suspected to belong to the attackers.

Two officers died on the scene. Magen David paramedics evacuated Roni Shakuri to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva, where he succumbed to his wounds.

The Shakuri family is grappling with an unimaginable double tragedy.

Mor’s sister Sapir Shitrit, 31, shared her grief: “Mor was my best friend. She was always there for me, standing by my side during the toughest moments.”

She continued, “Mor was engaged to be married, and I was looking forward to celebrating at her wedding, which was planned for this June.”

Source: ( article originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate via Israel Hayom on September 3, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Courtesy/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Remember the Shakuri family and the multitude of other Israelis who are grieving and mourning the deaths of loved ones. Ask the Lord, the God of all comfort, to touch each one in during these dark times of unthinkable loss.

Scripture

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

- Psalm 23:4

IDF: Hamas Fudges Opinion Polls to Hide Diminishing Support

by Einav Halabi, Yoav Zitun ~ Ynetnews

Friday, 30 August 2024 | The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] on Thursday revealed documents of the Hamas security services, showing the terror group faked the results of opinion polls conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, headed by Khalil Shikaki, that were considered to be the most reliable indicators of Palestinian society.

According to the military, the revelations are especially significant because the polls led Israelis to believe that most Gazans support Hamas, despite the calamity it brought on the strip.

The documents found by troops in Gaza reveal the lengths Hamas went to in their efforts to forge the opinions of Gazans in the survey. The aim, the IDF said, was to create a false representation of public support, while on paper the documents showed the true opinions.

For example, when asked: “In your opinion, was the decision to attack Israel on October 7 the right one?” Hamas claimed that 71.3% said it was, 23% said it was not and 6% did not know. The actual results were: 30.7% said it was the right decision, 64.4% said it was the wrong decision and 4.7% did not know.

When asked who Gazans believed would win the war, Hamas claimed 56% thought Hamas would, while the actual figures show only 30% thought so, while 51.2% believed Israel would win.

The poll also asked who Gazans would support in an election for leader. Hamas claimed 48% support for Ismail Haniyeh, while in reality only 21.3% of Gazans supported the now-slain Hamas leader to lead the Palestinians. The figures also showed most Gazans would not participate in elections at all at 52.3%, while Hamas claimed that only 23% said they would not vote.

Most telling was the real compared to fake results when Gazans were asked if they wanted Hamas to rule over the strip after the war. Hamas claimed 59% of Gaza residents wanted them to remain in power when the war ended, while in fact only 32.3% said Hamas should rule.

Among the documents found by troops was a letter claiming the polling was amended according to past practices, and the results sent to the Palestinian Center for Policy, which is based in Ramallah. The letter also said that the results as they were sent by Hamas were published last Thursday. The poll was given to the Al Jazeera network, which broadcast its results to its viewers. “The true results attached are secret and for a limited distribution,” the letter read.

The IDF said there was no indication in the documents found that the polling center was in any way collaborating with Hamas to provide fake results.

In a file called “Security Communications and Public Opinion,” Hamas’s general security agency details how opinion polls are to be influenced and media campaigns run to spread confusion in the internal Palestinian political arena including disparaging those who voiced criticism against the terror group, including accusations that they were collaborating with Israel.

Shikaki said in response that he could not know if Hamas provided erroneous information. His office said that he has faith in the non-partisan pollsters in Gaza.

Source: (This article was originally published by Ynetnews on August 29, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Hadi Mohammad/Wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia

Prayer Focus
Pray for the Gazan citizens trapped under the brutal leadership of Hamas. Pray that they will have increasing courage to speak out and seek a government that will enable them to live and prosper rather than spend their days in poverty and fear.

Scripture

Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?

- Psalm 34:11–12

The Hope

by Ilse Strauss

Thursday, 5 September 2024 | Sunday was the start of a new school year here in Israel. You know the drill. Back-to-school advertisements for weeks. Pictures of beaming little ones dwarfed by giant backpacks. First graders walking oh-so-bravely through the gates of the “big school” while trying to keep the tears at bay. Mommies dropping off toddlers at kindergarten for the first time and then pausing to weep just out of sight.

The news broke as parents made their way to school. After nearly a year of waiting, yearning, praying and trusting, the bodies of six hostages who Hamas captured during the October 7 terror attack were discovered in a tunnel 12 miles (19 m.) underground in Gaza. They were shot at point-blank range in the back of the head. Executed.

It was like the entire country gasped for breath. “I don’t cry in front of my children,” my neighbor confided that afternoon in hushed tones, her eyes red-rimmed. “I don’t want them to know that such evil exists yet. But I just couldn’t help myself. I sobbed all the way to their school, with them in the backseat asking me why I was crying.”

My neighbor wasn’t alone. Clusters of parents huddled together for support. Teachers choked back tears to welcome little ones who don’t understand the promise into which they were born and the evil that will come against them because of the One who made a perpetual covenant with them.

Days before the six hostages died, their families and friends gathered on the Gaza border. Using a microphone, they shouted messages to their loved ones in captivity, hoping they would hear. The mother of 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin sobbed, “Hersh! It’s mommy! I’m here. We are all here. Just survive! Survive.”

Two days later, Hamas executed Hersh. He died next to Alexander Lobanov, whose wife gave birth while he was in captivity. They died next to Carmel Gat, who was one of the first hostages to be taken on October 7 from the first house attacked in Kibbutz Be’eri. I know the house. I walked through that house. They died next to Eden Yerushalmi. Almog Sarusi. Ori Danino.

There’s more. Two weeks ago, Sergent Yochai Chai Glam was killed in Gaza. Despite the tragedy, life must go on and Yochai’s two-year-old twins had to go to kindergarten for the first time on Sunday. But because Yochai wasn’t there to take them, friends from his unit showed up to make sure his wife and daughters were not alone. A picture of the dark-haired twins in the arms of their father’s friends appeared on social media.

Also on Sunday, three Israelis were killed in a terror attack. One of them was First Sgt. Roni Shakuri. Roni’s daughter was a police officer who fought on October 7, defending the police station in Sderot until she ran out of ammunition. Her last message to her supervisor was, “Stay strong! You’ve got this.” Roni’s wife, Ayelah, often meets with our Bridges for Peace team when we visit Sderot. Despite the tragedy of losing their daughter, Roni and Ayelah remained full of hope in God. Now Roni is gone too.

Then, on Monday morning, Israel discovered a car bomb with more than 100 pounds (45kg.) of explosives planted in a gas cylinder near the entrance to the Jewish community of Ateret in Samaria. The bomb was equipped with a camera and was intended to detonate while a school bus was passing by, killing and maiming all the children heading to school. That was the third attempted bombing in the biblical heartland Israel foiled in three days.

On Monday evening, Hamas released a video clip of the executed hostage Eden Yerushalmi, emaciated, skeletal and dark circles under her eyes stark against a ghostly face, telling her mom, dad and sisters how much she loves them. Eden’s body weighed a shocking 79 pounds (36 kg.) when it was discovered. Not once during her more than 300 days in captivity did the Red Cross visit this young woman. And 11 months after October 7, the United Nations Security Council has still not convened to discuss the hostages.

Then, in another act of cruel psychological terror, Hamas said it had recorded a video of the six hostages just before their execution. The terror group made the announcement in a cheap propaganda clip showing a snippet of the recordings, flashes of each of the hostages speaking to the camera, knowing what was to come, knowing it would be their last words to their loved ones. The footage ends with a montage of their faces moments before their execution, with a promise that the footage was forthcoming.

In a separate video on Monday, a spokesperson for Hamas proudly and publicly admitted that the terror group executed the hostages because they were about to be rescued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The Hamas spokesperson then announced—proudly and publically again—that it would continue to execute any remaining live hostages if the IDF closed in on their location and there was any chance of rescuing them and bringing them home alive.

Lucy Aharish, a Muslim Arab Israel news anchor reporting the story, shook her head in disbelief, saying, “To imagine there are college students cheering Hamas on is unfathomable. Just the worst of humanity.”

On Thursday, the IDF revealed footage of the entrance to the terror tunnel in which the six hostages were executed and their bodies discovered. The clip shows the ruins of a family home, with the tunnel shaft opening dug in what used to be a child’s bedroom, with walls decorated with paintings of Snow White and Mickey Mouse. This is where a child once slept and felt safe. And this was the last image the six hostages saw of the outside world before being forced below ground for their execution.

The nation of Israel is reeling. What cuts the deepest, they say, is the betrayal. “The world’s reaction has woken Israelis up to a new reality,” Rolene Marks, a freelance journalist and broadcaster, recently wrote in a Dispatch from Jerusalem article. “We received the message loud and clear from the international community that despite our trauma and despite everything we’ve gone through, they still are not on our side. It has made us extremely strong and resilient, because to be strong and resilient is to be victorious. However, it has also been a massive punch to our gut and a smack to our souls. We came to the realization that we are very much alone.”

It sounds rather pessimistic, I know. It isn’t though. Over the weekend, Israeli swimmer Ami Dadoun won a gold medal at the Paralympics in Paris. A clip of Dadoun singing Israel’s anthem, the Hatikva, The Hope, after he won a gold medal, went viral. If you haven’t seen it, it is well worth a watch. This is what everyone in Israel feels like at the moment. Such sorrow. Such heartache. But hopeless? Never!

Hope isn’t a flimsy feeling of optimism, a passive belief that things will just get better, that the glass is half full, that every cloud will have a silver lining, writes Rev. Cheryl Hauer in her latest teaching letter, “Finding Hope in a Hopeless World.”

“Throughout the entire Bible, there are two words that are used interchangeably: hope and trust,” she continues. “Trust is defined as a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability or strength of the object trusted, leading to unshakable confidence. In essence, this is the biblical definition of hope.” The wellspring of hope is thus rooted in the knowing that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He said He would do.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, renowned English Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian and author, famously called Israel the home of hope and the homeland of the people of hope, not because Israel is somehow better or smarter or holier. No. Because the people of hope living in the land of hope is sustained by the God of all our hope, who promised that our hope and our trust in Him will never be in vain.

Israel has been in desperate situations before. A few times. During one of those times, the prophet Habakkuk pointed his arm heavenward in what I see in my mind’s eye as the same way Ami Dadoun did before confessing his hope “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (3:17–19).

Yes, the tears fall frequently, but as they do, we lift our arms heavenwards and declare our hope: “We will be joyful in God our Savior.”

Source: (Bridges for Peace, September 5, 2024)

Photo Credit: Screenshot/youtube.com

Prayer Focus
Although much of the world has turned against the Jewish people and the Land of Israel, offer prayers of thanksgiving that the God of Israel has not, nor will He ever, abandon them. Pray that they will be strengthened and encouraged as they read the Tanakh (OT) with its promises and reminders of the eternal, everlasting covenant God made with them. Give thanks for the many Bible-believing Christians who do continue to stand with Israel.

Scripture

Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

- Psalm 31:24