It Is Happening Again!
“For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land.” (Isa 40:1-3)
The United States of America has once again succeeded in forcing Israel to negotiate the surrender of its heartland, including Jerusalem, to its sworn enemies! It beats all common sense why they keep pursuing this futile issue with such tenacity and why Israel is once again caving in. The Palestinians have no interest in making a lasting peace with Israel. It runs completely contrary to their fundamental convictions. Please click here for proof from their statements!
Right after the announcement of the renewed peace negotiations, Palestinian Authority Minister of Religious Affairs Mahmoud Al-Habbash reassured opponents within the Palestinian camp that the present political peace process is just part of a larger scheme to defeat Israel. Here is a quote from an article inIsrael Today (July 29, 2013) by Ryan Jones:[i]
“In a sermon delivered in the presence of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and broadcast on official Palestinian Authority TV, Al-Habbash compared the US-driven peace negotiations to the Hudaybiyyah Peace Treaty concluded between Islam's prophet Mohammed and the Quraish tribe of Mecca.
“Peace talks with Israel at this time are "the right path, which leads to achievement, exactly like the Prophet [Mohammed] did in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah," Al-Habbash stated, noting that all of the Palestinians' achievements to date "never would have happened through Hamas' impulsive adventure."
“Al-Habbash explained that, like Hamas, many of Mohammed's companions burned with anger that their leader was negotiating with the Quraish tribe rather than attacking Mecca. But Mohammed knew that only a more measured approach would lead to ultimate victory.
“Two years after signing the treaty, Mohammed's forces had gained enough strength and he launched the brutal conquest of Mecca.
“"This is the example and this is the model" that the Palestinian leadership is following, Al-Habbash acknowledged.
“Amazingly, all of the doe-eyed Israeli commentators who believe that this round of negotiations is for some reason going to be different from all the previous fail to take the simple step of listening to what the Palestinians themselves are saying.
“"Abbas is a real peace partner," they shout, while willfully ignoring what Abbas' own ministers are telling the public, in his name and in his presence, without any refutation by the "president."
[Translation of Al-Habbash's televised speech courtesy of Palestinian Media Watch]” (End quote)
Nobel Prize winner Professor Yisrael Aumann won the prestigious Nobel Prize for his research in game theory. Among his notable research are findings regarding war and conflict, including the theory that overly simplistic attempts at peace can cause war, while credible threats of violence can prevent it. He has compared the Israel-Arab conflict to the "blackmailer's paradox" in game theory. Here are some of his statements from a recent interview,
[Professor Yisrael (Robert) Aumann]
“Aumann is baffled by Israel’s decision to return to negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. It is obvious that peace talks with PA Chairman Abbas are meaningless, he told Arutz Sheva.
““This whole matter of diplomatic negotiations is absurd. The whole Middle East is going up in flames, there’s chaos in Syria, Egypt, and Iraq – and the Americans are only worried about us,” he said.
““It’s clear as day that any agreement signed with [Abbas] isn’t worth the paper it’s written on,” he argued. “Abbas cannot sign anything real. After all, as soon as we expelled the Jews from Gush Katif, Fatah was pushed out of Gaza, so his signature means nothing.” Abbas’ PA currently has effective control only in Judea and Samaria, while Hamas controls Gaza. In addition, Abbas’ term in office expired in 2009.
“Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza and northern Samaria only made things worse, he said. “When you demonstrate weakness, that invites further attacks,” he warned.
“He compared it to encountering a black bear. “If you see a bear, the worst thing you can do is run. That’s the worst, because the bear will chase you and catch you… You also must not approach him, and definitely do not turn your back… You need to stop and look at him, that’s what I always do, and after a few minutes he leaves.”
“It’s the same way with people… Whenever Israel defeated its enemies – after the Six Day war, the Entebbe operation, the strike on the [Iraqi] reactor – everywhere on earth people told us, ‘Good for you.’ When we expelled Israelis in the Disengagement nobody told us ‘good for you,’” he concluded.”[ii] (End quote)
In the end, US pressure to force Israel into this deception will harm the US a lot more than Israel. God will not be silent over this issue! When God restores the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, as He has done over the past century, He will enter into judgment with all nations over the division of His Land.
It is also written, “On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves.” (Zec 12:3) The United States of America is no exception! Just as the sun sets in the west at the end of the day, so at the end of this age, the sun is now beginning to set over the West while God’s glory is rising over Zion!
After Great Britain had issued the Balfour Declaration to establish a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine, but then in the end refused to support its implementation, it ceased to be a world power in less than a decade. The same will happen to the US as they now pursue a similar path; it is already happening rapidly under President Obama.
However, Israel will also be hurt if they continue to pursue these futile peace negotiations. It will be Oslo revisited again with more death and pain. The Oslo Peace Accords led to more than 1,200 Israeli deaths and 14,000 wounded in terror attacks! This is equivalent to 50,000 dead and almost 600,000 wounded in the US.
Only God knows what another disastrous peace agreement with the Palestinians will lead to. But one thing is clear: it will definitely not lead to peace!
Pray For a New Leadership
Not only has Israel agreed to negotiate the surrender of its own heartland to their enemies. The US, who refuses to release the dying Jonathan Pollard, has also pressured Israel to release more than 100 hardcore terrorists with blood on their hands, in order to just start the negotiations!
[Demonstrators hold a placard and a picture of an Israeli who was killed by Palestinian terrorists, during a protest against the government's plan to free Palestinian prisoners with blood on their hands, in Tel Aviv on August 12.]
As much as we love and appreciate Benjamin Netanyahu and all that he has done and is doing for Israel, and as important as it is that we continue to uphold him in prayer as long as he is in office, we also believe that it is time to pray for a new leadership to come forth in Israel. This is very important!
If Netanyahu continues with the peace negotiations to establish a second Arab Palestinian state on Israel’s heartland, it will most likely lead, not only to the break up of the present Government in Israel, but also to the breakup of his own Likud party. The result will be very ugly and painful for Israel. One leader waiting in the wings is Danny Danon. Daniel Pipes recently wrote in an article in Jerusalem Post called The Right Moment for Danny Dannon?:
“‘Lunacy.” That’s how Danny Danon describes Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s decision to hand over 104 killers to the Palestinian Authority as a “goodwill gesture.”
“He’s hardly alone, as many observers (including myself) are outraged by this move. But Danon, 42, has a unique place in this debate because he (1) sits in the parliament as a member of Netanyahu’s Likud Party, (2) is chairman of Likud’s powerful central committee, and (3) serves as the country’s deputy defense minister.
“Danon’s ability to denounce his own prime minister’s actions points to his not being a routine politician. Three qualities stand out: a devotion to principle, a mastery of tactics, and the ability to articulate a vision.
“Danon has remained true to the core principles of his party and his country. His righteous opposition when his party makes mistakes – such as the 2009 freeze on building residences for Jews in the West Bank, or accepting the two-state solution – shows a strength of character. As he points out, “It’s not easy being in a room of 30 people, alone saying no.”
“His rise through the country’s national camp institutions reveals tactical skill: serving as assistant to Uzi Landau, as head of the World Betar Organization, then head of the World Likud Organization, as organizer of street protests and challenger to the prime minister for the party’s leadership.
[Knesset Member Danny Danon]
“These efforts culminated in his strong showing in his party’s electoral list (coming in No. 5) and the jaw-dropping 85 percent of the vote he won in elections to lead Likud’s central committee.
“With reason, The Forward newspaper calls him “a master of social and conventional media,” and the Times of Israel deems him “a major stumbling block toward Palestinian statehood.”
“Finally, the vision: Its fullest articulation is found in his 2012 book, Israel: The Will to Prevail (Palgrave), where he sketches an ambitious and contrarian view of his country’s foreign policy.
“Arguing that “history shows us Israel is often better off when she acts on her own behalf... even if that means contravening the wishes of US administrations,” he concludes that the Jewish state “fares best when she makes decisions based on her own best interests.”
“Jerusalem, he holds, should pursue its goals “with or without backing from her allies.” This argument, commonplace enough for most states, is audacious in the case of small, beleaguered Israel.
“Danon’s moment may have arrived. As Netanyahu appears to be making excessive and immoral concessions to the PA, Danon has emerged as a leading dissident ready to challenge his prime minister (remember “lunacy”).
“Should Netanyahu feel no longer welcome in his own party and leave it to found a new one (following exactly in Ariel Sharon’s 2005 footsteps), Danon will be a potential candidate to lead the Likud and win a subsequent election.
“One sign of his rise is the invective used against him. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni coined the term “Danonism” and demanded that Netanyahu reject it. Gideon Levy, an extreme-Left columnist for Haaretz, disdainfully but fearfully writes that “little Danny Danon will be big, the sugar of the Israeli right.... [He] will go far.”
“Viewed in historical perspective, since the taciturn but principled Yitzhak Shamir left the prime ministry in 1992, his six successors have variously engaged in political betrayal, ethical corruption and delusional egotism. Sharon (2001-06) abandoned his electoral mandate to the point that he had to flee his own party, even as his financial shenanigans had him in constant trouble with the law. Ehud Olmert (2006-09) had to resign due to a cloud of corruption charges.
“Focused on the Iranian threat, Netanyahu was doing well since 2009, but his recent offer of 104 murderers disturbingly contradicts the electoral platform of half a year ago.
“On a personal note, through the two decades since Shamir, I have constantly looked for someone with the character, energy, skills and vision to lead Israel. I have known Danon since 2009 and have concluded that he has the necessary qualities. I hope and expect he will stay true to his principles and rise to the point where he can end the recent desultory politics of the Jewish state and bring them in line with the country’s many remarkable achievements.”[iii] (End quote)
Another Important Prayer Request
When basically all the nations of the world pulled their embassies out of Jerusalem, after Israel voted to declare Jerusalem to be their eternal, undivided capitol, Christian supporters of Israel took the initiative to establish the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem (ICEJ).
As the nations of the world now unilaterally reject Israel’s right to Judea and Samaria, a similar initiative is now emerging, this time, however, from Jewish rabbis in Israel! Having noticed the unselfish and unwavering support year after year of the volunteer organization HaYovel led by Tommy and Sherri Waller from Nashville TN, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed has taken an initiative to establish a Christian Zionist Visitor Center on the Mount of Blessing in Samaria, in order to strengthen and encourage Christian support for the so called settlers.
Rabbi Melamed is Head of Yeshivat Har Bracha and is a prolific author on Jewish Law. He is well known in Israel and has a popular weekly column in the Beersheva newspaper called "Revivim." At the moment he is gathering other rabbis in Israel to get behind his historic initiative with a visitor center open for Christians on the Mount of Blessing.
We need to pray that Rabbi Melamed will succeed. Melamed has said that it is time for the Jewish people to act like Abraham, and open up the tent in order to receive those that have come to support them. He has gone even further and stated about HaYovel, “If we say no to these people, we will say no to the Messiah!”
HaYovel Ministries is this year once again mobilizing believers in Yeshua from the nations to help the farmers in Judea and Samaria to harvest their vineyards and olive groves. The number of volunteers is higher than ever this year. It is a fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah, which describes the restoration of Israel and says,
“They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers.” (Isa 61:4-5)
We have eight people who are willing and eager to join HaYovel in the harvest in Israel this fall, but they need financial help in order to do so. You can go to our web site to donate money to help them. Click here! Please indicate your donation “HaYovel.” Thank you for getting involved in the restoration of Israel!
Let us all do what we can right now to bless and comfort Israel in practical ways. Pray for the work of HaYovel and also help us send people to work with them this fall! If you cannot go yourself you can send someone else.
Prayer Points:
• Pray that the “peace negotiations” to divide God’s Land will fail and that more leaders in Israel will speak out against the “two state solution”!
“On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves.” (Zec 12:3)
• Pray that God will send strong confusion and division into the peace negotiations so that they will end as soon as possible!
“The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.” (Ps 33:10-11)
• Pray that God will raise up new leaders in Israel that will do His will and will refuse to negotiate the surrender of their heartland!
“I have given strength to a soldier. I have raised up a young man from among the people… My powerful hand will keep him going.
My mighty arm will give him strength. No enemies will require him to bring gifts to them.
No evil person will beat him down.” (Ps 89:19-22 NIV)
• Pray for the ministry of HaYovel and that we can send workers this fall to help Jewish farmers in Judea and Samaria!
“They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers.” (Isa 61:4-5)
• Pray that Rabbi Melamed's vision of a Visitor Center for Christian Zionists on the Mount of Blessing will get strong support and quickly succeed!
“Son of man, take a stick and write on it, ‘For Judah, and the people of Israel associated with him’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.’ And join them one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand… And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel.”(Ez 37:16-17,22)
• Pray that Israel will continue to build in Judea, Samaria, Golan and East Jerusalem like never before despite international pressure!
“And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.’” (Zec 12:5 NKJV)
• Pray that God will give wisdom to Israel to deal with the dangerous situation in Syria, Iran and Sinai!
“There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty. The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, Destroy.” (Deut 33:26.27)
May God bless you as watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem!
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