Israel's Contribution to the World

Posted: Sat 30th January 2010 3.53 PM  | Author: David Soakell

Whether in communications, medicine, industry or agriculture, Israeli cutting-edge technology leads the way.
And, amazingly, yet again a leading News group actually covered the following story.  Under the heading, " Israel:  Eco-revolution in the desert", the Daily Express wrote a really good article about Israel’s achievements and contribution to the world. 

Speaking of the nation of Israel, the Daily Express state, "It grows food in sand, powers homes with the sun and this year launches the world's finest city-wide electric car system. So how has war-torn Israel become such an eco-pioneer?"  

The article then goes on to state that Israel will be the first country in the world with its electric car technology. The electricity for the cars will come from solar technology being developed in the desert in southern Israel.  The Daily Express write, "Amid the gunfire, this tiny country the size of Wales, and with a population of just under 7.5million leads the world in developing and exporting green technologies that could save the planet.  Ironically it is precisely because of its precarious position that such eco-inventions have flourished.  In innovation it outshines all its neighbours."   

Israeli farmers radically revolutionised the watering of agricultural crops more than 40 years ago.  Today, one can travel the length and breadth of the nation of Israel, and see the drip irrigation system in action.  This system has since been adopted worldwide. 

Netafim, which markets the technology, says it is now used in more than 110 countries and has helped create self-sustaining agricultural communities in drought-stricken areas, particularly in Africa. 

The article, written by Daily Express' Matthew Kalman goes on to say, "Israeli ingenuity in electricity is not limited to the sun. Innowattech is developing a system to generate electricity from the pressure of traffic driving along roads. Piezo-electric generators are installed inches beneath the upper layer of asphalt and convert the mechanical energy of traffic passing over them into electrical energy.  Before too long it will be possible to drive an electric car powered by a battery whose electricity was generated by the sun or by other cars driving across a sub-surface generator, and whose engine is cooled by recycled water.  But only in Israel." From Isrelate.com

These people may be blinded to their Messiah, but God protects them and makes them leaders in all aspects of technology. Much of what we take for granted today has come from Israeli ingenuity. The world knows this as well, and like juveniles in junior high school, they vent their envy and jealousy and turn others against the very ones who make the world a better place in which to live...until the Lord returns!!

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Iran leader predicts destruction of Israel

Wed Jan 27, 2:49 am ET

TEHRAN (AFP) – Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is confident Islamic nations will one day watch the destruction of arch-foe Israel, his website Wednesday quoted him as saying.

Khamenei made the remark during a meeting with Mauritanian President Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz in Tehran, the website said.

The all-powerful Iranian leader also said that Israel's continued "pressure to erase Palestine from the world of Islamic nations" will fail.

"Surely, the day will come when the nations of the region will witness the destruction of the Zionist regime... when the destruction happens will depend on how the Islamic nations approach the issue," Khamenei told Aziz, who arrived in Tehran on Monday.

"The Zionist regime, by continuing to use pressure, blockades and committing genocide, wants to erase Palestine... but it will not succeed."

Praising Mauritania for cutting its ties with Israel, Khamenei said the "Zionist regime is a great danger to the world of Islam as it was thinking of expanding its influence and grip on the region every day."

Iranian officials, including Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have earned the wrath of Israel and Western powers for their repeated anti-Israel comments.

Relations between the two nations have deteriorated particularly under Ahmadinejad who has often said that Israel is "doomed to be wiped off the map" and has termed the Holocaust a "myth".

Israel shut down its embassy in Nouakchott following Mauritania's decision in January 2009 to suspend diplomatic ties with the Jewish state a decade after they were launched.

Mauritania was one of only three Arab nations that had formal diplomatic ties with Israel, apart from Egypt and Jordan.

Story here




Well...the "all-powerful" Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is very wrong!

He hasn't yet met the all powerful God of all creation...the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob...the God who said that as long as the sun, moon, stars and sea exist - the offspring of Israel will exist...nor has he met the one true God who will judge him and declare his eternal future.

No, Mr Khamenei hasn't met Him yet...but he will. He can count on that!

Don

Church Leaders Silent on Arab Christians' Persecution by Muslims

 In the picture: Muslims in Manger Square









I wrote about this in my novel, Barriers, just released on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com and WestBowpress.com.  You need to read the entire article and note the sources listed at the end.
Arab Christians suffer at the hands of Muslims!!
On December 11, 2009, a group of Palestinian Christian leaders issued a 13 page document known as "Kairos Palestine-2009: A moment of truth." Having "reached a dead end" because of the "Israeli military occupation," the leaders appealed to churches worldwide to treat Israel as they had apartheid South Africa by divestment and economic boycott.[1]
Given that the authors of this document include Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Lutheran Bishop of Jerusalem Munib Younan, Archbishop of Sebastia Atallah Hanna from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, we should not be surprised with this distorted description of the plight of Christian Arabs in Gaza, Judea and Samaria.
Justus Reid Weiner, an international human rights lawyer, warns that the present Christian Arab leadership is not telling the truth about the real conditions in these areas, and who is really responsible for perpetuating the anguish of Arab Christians. The "patriarchs and archbishops of Christian Arab denominations," he says, "who are currently deceiving the international community, are self-interested people. They collaborate with the Muslim perpetrators of intimidation and violence. Against all evidence they claim that the Christians Arabs are living comfortable and prosperous lives. In fact the present situation is growing worse by the day."[2]
Read the rest HERE

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Report from Epicenter Conference in Asia

By: Joel Rosenberg

(Honolulu, Hawaii, January 27, 2010) -- The first Epicenter Conference in Asia is now complete. By God's grace, we were able to educate pastors and lay people in the Philippines about God's love and plan for Israel, teach Bible prophecy, and share the work of The Joshua Fund. We explained the increasingly dangerous Iranian nuclear threat, and the urgent need for Christians to get ready and be prepared for the trials around the world and especially in the Middle East that will come in the last days.

Full details and pictures on the weblog. Highlights:

* More than 30,000 Filipinos attended the various conference events, including the five Sunday services where I preached on Israel at Christ's Commission Fellowship (CCF), a dynamic pro-Israel evangelical church that sponsored and organized the conference. Dozens of senior government officials, Congressmen, military leaders, and most of the leading presidential and vice presidential candidates (national elections are in May) heard the message. Thousands more across the Philippines watched by live webcast and satellite TV broadcast, as well as through numerous media interviews.

* Hundreds of people prayed to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. Many more rededicated their lives to the Lord in light of the signs of the times. * More than 1,500 Christians were trained to become new small group Bible study leaders. Another 1,500 current Bible study leaders received additional training during the conference. On February 14th, CCF hopes to launch several thousand 6-week studies exploring End Times prophecies and God's love for Israel and her neighbors.

* Israeli Pastor David Ortiz shared the story of how his family was targeted for death in 2008 by a Jewish terrorist. But his son, Ami, has miraculously recovered from his near-deadly wounds. Ami and his family have even forgiven the terrorist who was caught and put on trial late last year. David urged Christians to follow Jesus' model and commands to "love your enemy and bless those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44)

* Pastor Hormoz Shariat -- the Billy Graham of Iran -- shared his love for Israel after Jesus changed his heart from a Radical Shia Muslim to a born again follower of Christ. He also shared what few Asian Christians have ever heard: millions of Muslims in Iran and throughout the epicenter are leaving Islam and becoming followers of Christ, just as he did. * American Pastor Ray Bentley urged Asian Christians to pray faithfully for Israel and her neighbors, and gave practical suggestions on how to do just that. The conference will be turned into a DVD that will be distributed to pastors, ministry leaders and young people throughout Asia to help educate and mobilize a movement of pro-Israel Christians.

Thanks so much for your prayers and financial support to The Joshua Fund that helped make this week of ministry in the Philippines possible. Now, I'm en route to teach on Israel and Radical Islam at an evangelical Christian conference in Canada, the country with the most pro-Israel leader in the world....Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

[Picture: Preaching at pro-Israel church in Manila.]

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Gush Etzion-permanent Jewish community!

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu planted a tree in Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem, Sunday afternoon, a symbolic move that firmly dug into place a message to the United States that large centers of Jewish population in Judea and Samaria will remain part of the State of Israel.

The ceremony took place several hours after the Prime Minister met with U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell, whose efforts to bridge the deep gaps between Israel and the PA have failed, leaving American officials publicly pessimistic for the first time in the 19 years since it pressured then-Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir to debate Yasser Arafat in Madrid.

"Today's tree planting reinforces this international position,” the Prime Minister said. “Our message is clear. This [tree plantin is significant for making it clear that Gush Etzion is inseparable from the State of Israel forever. This is the first stop, and from here we will plant in Maaleh Adumin and Ariel.” The tree planting was staged several days before Jews celebrate Tu B'Shvat, the “New Year for Trees," which falls on this year on the Sabbath when planting is forbidden.

He added that Israel also will build in these areas, where he has clamped a 10-month temporary building freeze on new construction of Jews in a goodwill gesture to the Obama administration’s attempts to coax the PA to resume talks with Israel. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has rejected American overtures and insists that Israel answer U.S. President Barack Obama’s call last year for a total and permanent freeze on Jewish building in eastern Jerusalem as well as in Judea and Samaria.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said at the tree planting ceremony, “There is a national consensus regarding this issue in Israel, and this recognition is slowly permeating the international arena.”.

The PA ridiculed Prime Minister Netanyahu’s tree planting Sunday as an “unacceptable act that destroys all the efforts being exerted by Senator Mitchell.” 
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Israel earns media accolades for disaster efforts

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1263147932545&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

By JUDY SIEGEL AND GREER FAY CASHMAN

Israeli medical experts and rescue teams in Haiti have received much positive publicity around the world, as major media outlets have focused on the intense life-saving efforts going on at the IDF field hospital set up in a soccer stadium in the capital Port-au-Prince.

CNN's report compared America's failure to be a major lifesaving force while Israelis came from "the other side of the world" to set up the impressive field hospital within four hours of their arrival in Haiti on Saturday.

Dr. Jennifer Furin of Harvard Medical School told CNN said that only Israel has managed to provide advanced assistance quickly.

"I've been here since Thursday; no one except the Israeli hospital has taken any of our patients," said Furin. "It's like another world here compared to the other hospitals. They have imaging... my God, they have [scanning] machines here, operating theaters, ventilators, monitoring. It's just amazing."

Asked why the Americans had yet to provide a similar level of service in Haiti, which is located at its back door, the doctor said, "It's a frustrating thing that I really can't explain."

Other laudatory reports about Israeli rescue efforts appeared on the BBC, CBS, ABC and Sky News, as well as in several US newspapers.

Full story at link...


It's my understanding that Israel support and rescue teams from the other side of the globe were among the first to arrive on site with the most manpower and elaborate medical equipment.

Pray for the people of Haiti.

Don

Inscription From King David's Period Found

More than one university professor has cast doubt on the existence of King David and the ancient Kingdom of Israel. Academics are prone to say David was the Jewish equivalent of King Arthur, the stuff of myths and legends. Once again, archeology is proving these doubts wrong. An inscription on a pottery shard found near the valley where David slew Goliath offers evidence that the books of the Old Testament are much older than academics previously thought, and scribes certainly could have been recording the lives of David and his sons 3000 years ago.

An inscription on a pottery shard dating to the 10th century BC has been declared to be in Hebrew. Not only does the ancient language on the shard use certain words specific to Hebrew, but the inscription speaks about taking care of the weaker people in society - widows, orphans and strangers - and calls for the king to get involved. Other Middle East cultures of the time did not promote the protection of the weak; these were ideas unique to the Old Testament and the Hebrew culture.

Professor Gershon Galil of the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Haifa, who deciphered the inscription, argues that this pottery shard offers evidence that the Kingdom of Israel was indeed in existence in the 10th century BC (the time of David), had a king, and had people capable of writing down histories. It therefore gives evidence to something some of us have never stopped believing, that the Scriptures are as old as they claim to be, despite what modern day scholastics may think.

"It can now be maintained that it was highly reasonable that during the 10th century BCE, during the reign of King David, there were scribes in Israel who were able to write literary texts and complex historiographies such as the books of Judges and Samuel," Galil said.

Galil points out that the shard was found in Khirbet Qeiyafa, a rural Judean town near the Valley of Elah. He argues that if scribes out in the country were able to write the complex text found on this pottery shard, a number of capable scribes would have also lived in central Judea and in the city. This contradicts many academics who have argued that the Hebrew Scriptures could not have been written before the Babylonian captivity because of widespread illiteracy.

While the inscription does not match any exact Old Testament passage, the gist is similar to ideas expressed in verses like Exodus 22:21-23; 23:3, demonstrating a flow of ideas in line with what Scripture taught.

Academics have long complained that the great kings David and Solomon did not really exist because archeological evidence of them has not popped up all over Israel. Yet, conquest during the time of the kings, destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians, Israel's years of being a battle ground between Syria and Egypt, the destruction of the 2nd Temple and eventually the razing of Jerusalem by the Romans all would have played a big part in wiping out the majority of King David-related artifacts.  King Solomon's golden shields (1 Kings 10:17) would have been long gone. Still, David's story remained safe in the Scriptures, protected and fastidiously copied down through the centuries.

This new inscription offers evidence outside the Scriptures by establishing that the Israelites of David's time had writing capabilities.  It isn't alone; there are other evidences of ancient Israel outside the Bible. The Tel Dan Stele describes the victory of a king of Damascus over a "king of Israel" and a king of the "House of David" during the 9th century. (After King Solomon died, Israel was split into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Southern Kingdom of Judah, which was ruled by the descendents of David.) The Mesha Stele, excavated at the capital of ancient Moab, also declares victories over a king of Israel – Ahab, son of Omri. And the Sennacherib Prism describes the Assyrian king's attack on Jerusalem during the reign of Hezekiah – an attack which failed as described in 2 Kings 18-19.

The Hebrew Scriptures are more than just Jewish history and mythology jotted down hundreds of years after the facts described. These books, penned by dozens of authors, are a consistent message from the I AM, the God not constrained by Time. The Scriptures not only provide readers with the history of Israel, but also give previews of events hundreds or thousands of years before they occur. Most importantly, they describe in advance the death of the Jewish Messiah for our sins (Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, Acts 8:26-39) and his victory and future reign on the throne of his father King David (2 Sam 7:16-17; Psalm 110:1-2; Matt 22:42-46; Isaiah 9:6-7).

From the Koinonia House News
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Jordans-Palestinians... Former Israel Territory

 The interesting thing about this story is at the end!!!

Knesset Speaker Rivlin and MK Eldad to Be 'Tried' in Jordan
by Gil Ronen

The Jordanian prosecution authorities have given the green light to a criminal proceeding in Jordan's courts against Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin and MK Aryeh Eldad. They are being charged with endangering of the sovereignty of the Hashemite Kingdom by saying that Jordan is the Palestinian state.

The charges were brought by four lawyers who contend that Rivlin and Eldad called for turning Jordan into the Palestinian state and creating a 'Larger Israel' on both banks of the Jordan River.

The plaintiffs said that the statements by Rivlin and Eldad endanger Jordan, and can thus be prosecuted according to Section 118 of the Jordanian Criminal Law. They note that Jordanian law applies to foreign citizens who attempt to damage the country's sovereignty. A court date for the proceeding has not been set.

The Israeli Ambassador to Jordan was reprimanded by the Jordanian Foreign Minister in May 2009, when MK Eldad made his statement. Eldad was unrepentant, however, and repeated his claim: “Jordan is Palestine, period.”

About 70% of Jordan's population is Palestinian, but the kingdom is ruled by the Hashemite minority. Both present-day Israel and present-day Jordan were included in the British Palestine Mandate after World War I, but the British gave 80% of the territory -- then known as Transjordan -- to the Arabs, and advocated the partition of the rest of the land between Arabs and Jews. 

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Hizbullah behind Tehran Professor's Murder?

You know, God can fold Iran in on itself without any help from Israel or the US...in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a major disaster hits...or they destroy one another like Israel's enemies did in the Old Testament...at any rate, I think it's a given that they will blame Israel and the US/CIA for anything and everything...just to get press and to threaten with empty words. I'll put my trust in God, who says He'll deal with Israel's enemies!  Mid

4. Hizbullah may be Behind Murder of Tehran Physics Professor
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

Evidence is mounting that Hizbullah may have been behind last week's assassination of Professor Ali Mohammadi, a physics professor who was murdered in a booby-trapped motorcycle explosion near his home.

Contrary to initial reports, Mohammadi apparently was not a nuclear physicist and had no connection with the development of Iran’s nuclear program, thus ruling out a motive that opposition groups were responsible for killing him.

He also supported Mir Hossein Mousavi in the election against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He reportedly signed a petition on behalf of those who protested what they called the rigged re-election of Ahmadinejad last June.

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Israel Is Due, And Ill Prepared, For A Major Earthquake

The magnitude of the earthquake that struck Port au Prince was 7.0 on the Richter scale, with an epicenter 15 kilometers from the city and at a depth of 10 kilometers. In 1770 a powerful earthquake occurred, destroying the city, but many years have passed and it has slipped from Haiti's national memory.

In Israel the last destructive earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.2 on the Richter scale, occurred in 1927. Its epicenter was the Dead Sea, and its effects were felt in Jerusalem, Nablus, Jericho, Ramle and Tiberias, resulting in 500 deaths and injuries to 700. An earthquake in 1837 killed 5,000 people. According to the Jewish historian Josephus Flavius, in 31 B.C.E., 30,000 people lost their lives in an earthquake.

On average, a destructive earthquake takes place in Israel once every 80 years, causing serious casualties and damage. The more time passes since the previous earthquake, the closer we are to the next. In other words, we are running out of time.The news from Port au Prince suggests that the destruction is complete - of buildings and infrastructure. The earthquake occurred in the afternoon, at a time when schools and public buildings were empty.

The main concern in Israel is that an earthquake would strike during hours when public buildings are populated. Most schools and hospitals in Israel were constructed before new building codes - which take into account the effects of earthquakes - were enacted. Moreover, some 50,000 residential buildings in Israel do not meet the new codes and are expected to collapse in the event of an earthquake. Even though this fact is known by all decision makers, nothing has been done to strengthen buildings and prevent them turning into death traps.

Billions of shekels are invested in the defense budget, and this is seen as an obvious investment, but reinforcing hospitals or schools so they can withstand earthquakes and their aftermath receives no allotment. The plan for installing safety cages in classrooms may be a move in the right direction, but in practice their installation has not begun and the budget for this will most likely be taken from the funds allotted for reinforcing buildings.

It is important to note that public buildings will have to serve as places of refuge for many after a disaster. Also, even though there have been plans and government decisions, the program for reinforcing buildings, especially in towns situated in high-risk areas - along the Jordan Rift Valley and the Zevulun Valley - has not been promoted sufficiently.It does not appear that in the coming decade the situation will change, even though the danger of a powerful earthquake is no less than that of a nuclear disaster - with the difference that we know that an earthquake occurs on average every 80 years.

Story continued at link:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1142886.html


Oh...There certainly is a major earthquake scheduled for Israel in the future. We know exactly when it will take place, and the precise location of its center. When it takes place - when our Lord returns to deliver the remnant from the City - Jerusalem and the nation of Israel will experience a violent earthquake such as the world has never seen before, nor will it ever see again. Nothing could ever be done to insure protection against that earth-shaking event.

Zechariah 14:4-5 NKJV
And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the LORD my God will come, And all the saints with You.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Don

Jerusalem is our Heart!

Tevet 28, 5770, 14 January 10 07:27

by Menachem Sachs

(Israelnationalnews.com) Someone once wrote to a doctor and asked,"Doctor, would you operate to remove someone's heart if you knew that the rest of the body will survive at the status quo?"The doctor responded by writing back,"Even if the body stays at the status quo, why would I do this. Without a heart, how would the patient feel?"
When thinking of this story I think of Jerusalem as the heart and the Jewish people as the body. As of late there has been a lot of debate on the status of the city of Jerusalem. You have to give credit where credit is due, the Arab propaganda machine has some how created a link between final peace agreement and Jerusalem.
Yet Jerusalem has been at the heart of the Jewish people ever since we have been a "people". It was divided, we were not allowed into its Old City. Finally in 1967, during the 6 day war, we liberated it from Arab (Jordanian) control.
Looking back before '67 we see that the Arab's did nothing but conduct missions of destruction to all Jewish and Christian sites in the Old City. Jewish cemeteries were desecrated and tombstones taken and used as sidewalks and latrines. Synagogues were destroyed and vandalized, all in the name of Islam. Under Israeli control, Jerusalem has grown for all religions and become a safe haven for all religions to worship freely.
Jerusalem is also important to the Jewish religion as compared to the Islamic religion. One needs only look into the holy book of each religion to see the level of importance. In the holy Torah (Judaism) Jerusalem is mentioned, by name, 622 times. In the Koran (Islam) Jerusalem is not mentioned once, by any name. Oddly enough, the country of Israel (or any other name for that piece of land) is also not mentioned in the Koran. So on what basis is it that they demand Jerusalem?
The only reasons possible are as follows:
1. To destroy any chance for peace because of the importance of Jerusalem to the Jewish people.
2. To get Jerusalem as a strategic position for a future attack or war.
Thats it.... there are no other reasons that the Arabs could want Jerusalem other than to be a stepping stone towards the complete wiping out of the State of Israel. Arabs have been able to buy property, vote in elections and (in most cases) work in Jerusalem if they were residents of the city.
What has bothered them up until now? Why are they complaining? The answer is that as a victim, you get more air time. Thats it. This is the same story in Gaza, Jenin, Hevron and so on. As victims they get TV air time, international aid, sympathy from western states and still can try to achieve the goal of Jihad (holy war) against Israel.
Jerusalem is Israel and Israel is Jerusalem, no Jew in the world will deny this. Jerusalem is the heart of the Jewish people and we cannot let this heart be operated on, cut, divided or (G-d forbid) removed. Back in the times of King David, there was a legion whose only responsibility was to protect Jerusalem... these were great men. Now we have no king and we have no legion, the closest thing we have is our desire to live in our holy land with Jerusalem as it's capital. The IDF shall be our Legion.
We must all do our part to stop Obama from trying to dictate the negotiation of Jerusalem and we must do our part to not allow Benjamin Netanyahu to even consider Jerusalem as part of the agenda for talks.
Write people, call people, talk to people... let us organize so we can be heard and save Jerusalem.

www.IsraelNationalNews.com

© Copyright IsraelNationalNews.com

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Jewish Woman Flees Gaza with Children

by Hana Levi Julian

"Where are you?" demanded the brother-in-law of 29-year-old Oshrit Ohana suspiciously, just seconds before the taxi in which she and her children were racing to the Gaza security barrier managed to reach the Erez border crossing terminal. "Return home immediately!"

Mahmoud, age 7, Sali, age 6, Abdel Rahman, 5 and Asma, almost 2 years old, had accompanied their mother in a desperate bid for freedom after she had quietly decided months earlier to leave her Arab husband behind.

The children had no idea, of course. They thought they were going shopping, which is what Ohana had told her husband’s brother. He had been watching her carefully for weeks and had already threatened to kill her if she tried to run away. His brother Abdullah, Ohana’s husband, was sitting in an Egyptian jail.

The young woman, originally a resident of Ashdod, had met Abdullah through friends in the city. She married her Muslim boyfriend and soon after, the two moved to Gaza seven years ago. Abdullah was not wealthy, and ended up working for smugglers in the tunnels underneath the border city of Rafiah between Gaza and Egypt. Eventually, she decided it had to end, but it took years to figure out how. Her chance to leave came finally after Abdullah was arrested in Egypt.

Dressed in her hijab – the traditional Muslim woman’s head covering – she told her brother-in-law she was escorting her sister-in-law to school before going shopping, and would later return to the apartment they all shared together.

But then the plan went into action: Ohana had previously contacted her family in Ashdod by email, and they had been in touch with the Yad L’Achim anti-missionary and outreach organization. The group helps rescue Jewish women from unwanted marriages with Arabs – and they arranged for people in place, ready to help Ohana.

The plan, coordinated by text messages, called for the young woman to bring her four children to the Erez Crossing, where IDF officials would let her through to the Israeli side. Yad L’Achim would find a safe place for her to live, where Abdullah would never find her, and would help her financially until she could get back on her feet on her own.

Not so simple for a young woman in Gaza speaking Arabic with a Hebrew accent, to explain why she needed to take four children to the Erez Crossing, quickly. "I asked how much it costs to get to the Erez crossing," she related. "He said, ' It's 70 shekels.' I said, 'No. Take 100 shekels, and hurry.' I tried to speak as little as possible, so he wouldn't notice my accent."

Cutting through the region, Ohana said the taxi had to pass through several checkpoints manned by Hamas terrorists. "Each time, I kept myself covered modestly and tried to speak as little Arabic as possible," she said, "so they wouldn't notice my accent."

The Hamas officials let her through, all the way across the region, and even at the Erez Crossing. However, when she got to the other side, Israeli security officials were cautious, even though the commander had been notified that she would be arriving. Yad L’Achim had already been in touch with the Defense Ministry and Shas party chairman and Interior Minister Eli Yishai to make sure everything would go off without a hitch.

She was questioned by Israeli soldiers to make sure she was not a suicide bomber or a spy. Still, one IDF officer told an official from Yad L'Achim, "I donate to your organization regularly and I feel that it is in that merit that I was privileged to be able to participate in this rescue today."

According to Yad L'Achim director Rabbi Shalom Dov Lipshitz, there are still “hundreds” of other Israeli women caught in similar situations, “some in Gaza, others in Shechem or Tulkarm…and there are even some in neighboring Arab countries.”

Ohana and her children, meanwhile, celebrated their new-found freedom that night with her family. Her little ones will soon be given Hebrew names, and together they will all start a new life in Israel. 
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Turkey Boosts Ties with Israel's Sworn Enemies

Turkey Boosts Ties with Lebanon, Syria and Iran
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri is visiting Turkey to ratify agreements that would scrap visa requirements and strengthen defense cooperation as Ankara tightens its friendship with Israel’s three declared enemies to the north. Turkey and Lebanon also are signing military agreements for training, weapons and exchanging expertise.

Turkey's continuing warming of relations with Iran, Syria and Lebanon comes as leading Israeli media have criticized Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon for disparaging the Turkish ambassador to Israel. Ayalon voiced anger at the envoy on Monday over a Turkish soap opera that spread a blood libel against Israel by depicting Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) agents as kidnappers of babies.

Foreign Ministry bureaucrats suggested that Ayalon and Minister Avigdor Lieberman are trying to create a crisis in order to torpedo a planned visit by Defense Minister Ehud Barak to Turkey.

Ankara used to be considered a close friend of Israel, an image that officials of the Labor party, headed by Barak, are trying to maintain. Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a veteran Labor politician, said last month that there is no diplomatic crisis between the two countries despite harsh statements against Israel by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ministers.

Erdogan this week castigated Israel for bombing Gaza terrorists, allegedly without provocation, and accused Israel of threatening stability in the world because of its assumed nuclear capability. He said in Lebanon, "Is the Israeli government in favor of peace or not? Gaza was bombed again yesterday. Why?” Although Gaza terrorists have escalated rocket fire on Israel almost every day the past week, Erdogan stated, “There were no rocket attacks” when the IDF retaliated.

At a joint press conference with Erdogan, Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri declared that Israel is an enemy of Lebanon.

Turkey’s closer military ties with Lebanon follow by two months defense pacts signed with Syria and Iran. Erdogan last October stated that cooperation with the Syria and Iran is important for peace in the Middle East.

During a visit by Erdogan to Iran, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad praised the Turkish Prime Minister for his “clear stance against the Zionist regime.” Turkey also has signed military pacts with Syria and held a joint military drill with its army shortly after canceling the annual military exercise in which Israel participated.

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Israel Doesn't Need US Support or Aid

YNET News 
Great article on Mideast envoy George Mitchell's threat to freeze loan guarantees if  the Jewish state fails to make progress in peace process. As was pointed out by Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, it is the Palestinian Authority who is impeding the peace process by their continued rocket attacks and by publicly honoring known terrorist murderers. According to the finance minister, "Israel made and is making an effort which includes difficult gestures in a bid to resume the negotiations. I have no indication that we are going to be pressured with the guarantees."

 Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar addressed Mitchell's remarks as well. "When such statements are made in the way they were made, we must clarify that on the diplomatic level Israel will act in accordance with its vital interest without depending on its relations with other countries, " he said.
"I believe the American administration knows that the Palestinian Authority is the one preventing the peace talks by setting preconditions which were no set in the past. Israel has made tough and painful decisions while the Palestinians have not done anything. Israel will not accept preconditions for negotiations." 

I am amazed at how few people know the Bible and what it says about Israel. God watches over her, and will bring all prophesies to pass concerning this tiny nation. No matter what is done or by whom it is done, God's love for Israel is unconditional. She may reap the results of her rejection of Yeshua HaMashiach, but she will never be out from under God's Grace completely. All things are coming to pass as He has spoken it!


Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

IRAQ TO BUILD MASSIVE MOSQUE OVER THE TOMB OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL

The Iraqi government plans to convert the Tomb of the Prophet Ezekiel, one of the most sacred sites for Christians and Jews, into a massive new mosque.

What’s more, the Iraqis intend to erase all Jewish markings from the tomb so that no indication of its historic significance will remain for future generations.

The plan to transform the ancient burial site into a mosque was reported this week by Ur News, the Iraqi news agency, and Shelomo Alfassa, Director of Justice for Jews from Arab Countries.

Mr. Alfassa says that Iraq’s Antiquities and Heritage Authority “has been pressured by Islamists to historically cleanse all evidence of a Jewish connection to Iraq – a land where Jews had lived for over a thousand years before the advent of Islam.”

The desecration of the tomb, Mr. Alfassa adds, is taking place under “the pretext of restoring the site.”

Similar confirmation comes from Professor Shmuel Moreh, Israel Prize Laureate in Arabic Literature and Professor Emeritus at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who says that he is aware that the Hebrew inscriptions have been erased and that the plans for the new mosque are well underway.

The ancient burial site of Ezekiel is located in Al-Kifl, a small town south of Baghdad.

Ezekiel, whose prophecies included the Valley of the Dry Bones and the return of the Jews to Israel, lived in the sixth century B.C., having accompanied the exiled Judeans to Babylon.

Throughout the centuries, thousands of pilgrims visited the site of his tomb annually before Iraqi Jewry came to an abrupt end in 1979 with the rise of the Islamic Revolution. Though well over 100,000 Jews lived in Iraq, this number has been decimated to no more than eight, Professor Moreh said. “There are others,” he added, “but they barely know that they are Jews; in many cases, their parents did not tell them.”

Now the remaining Christians are killed or forced into exile. Over the holiday season, increased attacks by Islamists have taken place on churches and convents and a dozen Iraqi Christians have been put to death.

The violence, according to Monsignor Louis Sako, Archbishop of Kirkuk, is part of a project of “ethnic cleansing” against the Iraqi Christians that is taking place with the covert blessing of the Iraqi government.

According to local sources, nearly 2,000 Christians have been killed in Iraq since 2003, the year of the fall of Saddam Hussein; thousands more have been driven into exile.

Iraq – the Biblical Mesopotamia -is almost as rich in Jewish history as the Land of Israel. It is the land where Abraham discovered monotheism, and where the prophets Ezra, Nehemiah, Nahum, Jonah and Daniel, along with Ezekiel, are also buried.

The plans for the mosque over the bones of the prophet have met with scant media attention and little outcry from Jewish and Christian communities.

By Paul L. Williams, Ph.D.

http://thelastcrusade.org/2010/01/05/iraq-to-build-massive-mosque-over-the-tomb-of-the-prophet-ezekiel/



Islamists and others are relentlessly attempting to remove and destroy everything Jewish and Christian.

During the Tribulation, if not before, the only thing surviving Christians and Jews may have left is the Word of God itself - no shrines, no historic sites, no churches - and we know what the AC will do with the soon-to-be-rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.

BUT, the Word of God is what will truly last - since the beginning of time until the end of the age - the Word will always be with us and among us. That will never be destroyed. Try as they may . . . He will not be mocked and He will watch over His People.

We serve a Mighty God, an awesome God, and He is in control of all. We must trust Him, for He will do as He has planned and promised!

Don

Arabs again lay claim to Jewish property

Mid: This is yet again a desperate attempt by Arabs to destroy Jewish history. We need to Pray Diligently, Every Day, for Israel and her people!

The London-based Globe and Mail reports that Jordan has asked Canada to seize Israel's 2,000-year-old Dead Sea scrolls that are currently on display in Toronto. The scrolls are on display until until Sunday at the Royal Ontario Museum.

Jordan claims that the scrolls were found in "disputed territory" that Israel captured from Jordanian control in 1967, and asks Canada to hold them until the question of their ownership is settled. Jordan's control of Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley - which it called the "West Bank" - from 1948 until 1967, was recognized internationally by only two countries: Great Britain and Pakistan.

A spokesperson for Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said that “differences regarding ownership of the Dead Sea scrolls should be addressed by Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. It would not be appropriate for Canada to intervene as a third party.” The Globe and Mail reports that even if Canada ignores the request, "it will make other countries think twice before accepting the controversial exhibit."

Jordan made its demand two weeks ago, summoning the Canadian chargé d'affaires in Amman. Citing the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, Jordan claims that Israel acted illegally after 1967 when it took the scrolls from the Rockefeller Museum in eastern Jerusalem and transferred them to the Israel Museum. The Palestinian Authority made a similar request several months ago.

The Dead Sea scrolls are about 900 documents and Biblical texts, discovered in one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century in the 1940's and 50's in caves in and around Qumran on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. The texts include some of the only known surviving copies of Biblical documents made before 100 B.C.E., and preserve evidence of Jewish life during the Second Temple period.

Israel's Side

Israel has never claimed to "own" the scrolls, but is acting simply as their "custodians," an Israel Antiquities Authority spokesperson said, and "as such, we have a right to exhibit them and to conserve them.” Israel also argues that short-term, temporary exhibitions of scrolls in another country are not forbidden under the Hague Convention, and that all the scrolls in its possession are part of Jewish heritage.

The Globe and Mail reports that the PA acknowledges that the scrolls are Jewish, but claims that they are "also part of Palestinian heritage just as ancient Roman and Byzantine ruins comprise part of their history."

Claims of this nature are belied by the fact that the contemporary "Palestinian nation" began, if at all, only in recent years. The only time the land once known as "Palestine" was ruled by an Arab sovereign was for about 22 years in the 7th century C.E. "The only Arab domination since the Conquest in 635 [C.E.] hardly lasted, as such, 22 years...," the Muslim chairman of the Syrian Delegation attested in his remarks to the Paris Peace Conference in February 1919.

New Arab Nation "Formed"

In addition, as documented by several works, including "From Time Immemorial" by Joan Peters, most of the Arab populace that today occupies the Holy Land is made up of immigrants from various Arab countries. They arrived over the course of the decades that preceded the formation of the State of Israel - and many of them were attracted by the economic growth and opportunities engendered by the area's growing Jewish presence.

"Existence of Palestinian Entity Serves Only Tactical Purposes"

Famously, a top member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Zuheir Muhsin, who headed the organization's Military Department and was a member of its Executive Council, said in March 1977, "Yes, the existence of a separate Palestinian identity serves only tactical purposes. The founding of a Palestinian state is a new tool in the continuing battle against Israel... "

By Hillel Fendel
Arutz News Service

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua