"No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him On those who hope in His mercy...." Psalm 33:16-18
Predictably, Israel has been a primary topic of discussion along the campaign trail. In numerous public debates, all of the Republican candidates with the exception of Representative Ron Paul have expressed strong pro-Israel positions.
Romney has repeatedly criticized Obama for "throwing Israel under the bus" and insists that Israel must be free to decide its own fate, but he has consistently shied away from laying the blame for the lack of peace on Israel's enemies. It can be deduced from Romney's remarks that he would maintain the status quo established by Clinton and Bush; a slow-moving peace process that periodically requires Israel to make dangerous concessions, but that in the short-term leads nowhere. It is possible to suggest the opposite of Gingrich.
Gingrich has spent some time criticizing Obama for his treatment of Israel, but has expended far more effort trying to clarify the purposely muddied Israeli-Arab conflict. Gingrich has slammed the Palestinian Authority as a gang of terrorists and facilitators of terrorism, and is adamant that the starting point of the peace process must be the basic truth that there never was a sovereign Palestinian Arab nation.
A Gingrich presidency could potentially produce a seismic shift in the Middle East peace process, a Romney presidency could potentially produce the same ole, same ole.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
“They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from [being] a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:” Psalm 83:4-5
Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson Mahmoud Ghezlan told the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper on Wednesday that the militant group will neither speak nor meet with Israeli officials.
"The Brotherhood’s stance on Israel is unwavering and not up for discussion. “It’s illogical to have dialogue, any dialogue, in light of the Israeli practices against the Arab peoples."
In the spirit of cooperation, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yigal Palmor told Israeli radio that Israel has not ruled out talks. "We will be happy to hold dialogues with whoever wants to have dialogue with us."
Yet far too many continue to hold Israel responsible for the lack of peace in the Middle East.
Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson Mahmoud Ghezlan told the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper on Wednesday that the militant group will neither speak nor meet with Israeli officials.
"The Brotherhood’s stance on Israel is unwavering and not up for discussion. “It’s illogical to have dialogue, any dialogue, in light of the Israeli practices against the Arab peoples."
In the spirit of cooperation, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yigal Palmor told Israeli radio that Israel has not ruled out talks. "We will be happy to hold dialogues with whoever wants to have dialogue with us."
Yet far too many continue to hold Israel responsible for the lack of peace in the Middle East.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Anti-Semitism is a smokescreen created to conceal the identity of our true enemy.
It was long argued that bringing democratic freedom to the Middle East would greatly lessen or even eliminate regional Muslim hatred for the democratic West, and in particular for Israel and the Jews.
That theory was put to the test over the past year as dictatorships were toppled from Libya to Egypt to (almost) Syria. It did not receive a passing grade.
Instead of softening their attitude toward Israel and the Jews, democratic freedom has led to the rise of Islamist forces and a seeming explosion of anti-Semitic discourse in the newly free nations.
While the popular uprisings in the Arab world do not represent a general change in attitude towards Israel, Zionism and the Jews it seems the anti-Semitic discourse and incitement have become more extreme and violent. Charges of an international Jewish conspiracy have been a central motif in the anti-Semitic propaganda that has accompanied the Arab Spring uprisings.
Sha'alu Shalom Yerushalayim ~ Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
It was long argued that bringing democratic freedom to the Middle East would greatly lessen or even eliminate regional Muslim hatred for the democratic West, and in particular for Israel and the Jews.
That theory was put to the test over the past year as dictatorships were toppled from Libya to Egypt to (almost) Syria. It did not receive a passing grade.
Instead of softening their attitude toward Israel and the Jews, democratic freedom has led to the rise of Islamist forces and a seeming explosion of anti-Semitic discourse in the newly free nations.
While the popular uprisings in the Arab world do not represent a general change in attitude towards Israel, Zionism and the Jews it seems the anti-Semitic discourse and incitement have become more extreme and violent. Charges of an international Jewish conspiracy have been a central motif in the anti-Semitic propaganda that has accompanied the Arab Spring uprisings.
Sha'alu Shalom Yerushalayim ~ Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
"...the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you. ...your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.... And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant....Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” Genesis 17:1-2, 5, 7-8
"I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Genesis 12:3
"I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Genesis 12:3
Friday, January 20, 2012
The revolutions in the Middle East can be seen in the context of God’s plan of salvation. These new Arab governments have arisen in order to enter into Holy War with Israel.
Both Zechariah and Isaiah provide stunningly clear insight into what is currently unfolding for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. For the rest of the world, the Arab Spring will remain a cultural phenomenon gone wrong.
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives.... To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:1-3
Both Zechariah and Isaiah provide stunningly clear insight into what is currently unfolding for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. For the rest of the world, the Arab Spring will remain a cultural phenomenon gone wrong.
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives.... To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:1-3
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
"Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than heaven— what can you do? Deeper than Sheol— what can you know?" Job 11:7-8
I was never in favor of joint military exercises between the US and Israel - knowing how this administration feels about both Israel and her leadership I saw trouble ahead for Israel. I read this with a sigh of relief:
debkafile's sources disclose exclusively that, contrary to reports in Washington and in Jerusalem - it was Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, not the Obama administration, who called off the joint US-Israeli military exercise Austere Challenge 12, a step unprecedented in Israel-US relations.
Netanyahu acted when he judged the Obama administration's resolve to preempt a nuclear Iran to be flagging. His action also aimed at freeing Israel's hands for a unilateral strike on Iran's nuclear sites - if necessary.
"On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves." Zechariah 12:3
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." Psalm 122:6
I was never in favor of joint military exercises between the US and Israel - knowing how this administration feels about both Israel and her leadership I saw trouble ahead for Israel. I read this with a sigh of relief:
debkafile's sources disclose exclusively that, contrary to reports in Washington and in Jerusalem - it was Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, not the Obama administration, who called off the joint US-Israeli military exercise Austere Challenge 12, a step unprecedented in Israel-US relations.
Netanyahu acted when he judged the Obama administration's resolve to preempt a nuclear Iran to be flagging. His action also aimed at freeing Israel's hands for a unilateral strike on Iran's nuclear sites - if necessary.
"On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves." Zechariah 12:3
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." Psalm 122:6
Saturday, January 14, 2012
"All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; They have become her enemies." Lamentations 1:2
The bombing attack in Tehran which killed Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan last Wednesday, Jan. 11, generated an angry phone call from US President Barack Obama to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the next day, debkafile’s Washington and intelligence sources report. Washington is increasingly concerned, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, that Israel is preparing to strike Iran’s nuclear sites over US objections and has bolstered the defenses of US facilities in the region in case of a conflict.
Obama, Defense and Secretary Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have sent private messages to their Israel contacts warning them about the dire consequences of a strike. Top US armed forces chief Gen. Martin Dempsey will visit Israel next week. debkafile’s exclusive sources report that the differences between the US and Israel surfaced before the tough Obama-Netanyahu conversation last Thursday.
Political, military and intelligence officials privately voiced resentment over the strong and unusual condemnation the White House and Secretary Clinton issued over the death of the Iranian nuclear scientist.
By denying “absolutely” any US involvement in the killing, the administration implicitly pointed the finger at Israel – an unusual act in relations between two friendly governments, especially when both face a common issue as sensitive as a nuclear-armed Iran.
"... the Lord has rejected your trusted allies, and you will not prosper by them." Jeremiah 2:37
The bombing attack in Tehran which killed Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan last Wednesday, Jan. 11, generated an angry phone call from US President Barack Obama to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the next day, debkafile’s Washington and intelligence sources report. Washington is increasingly concerned, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, that Israel is preparing to strike Iran’s nuclear sites over US objections and has bolstered the defenses of US facilities in the region in case of a conflict.
Obama, Defense and Secretary Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have sent private messages to their Israel contacts warning them about the dire consequences of a strike. Top US armed forces chief Gen. Martin Dempsey will visit Israel next week. debkafile’s exclusive sources report that the differences between the US and Israel surfaced before the tough Obama-Netanyahu conversation last Thursday.
Political, military and intelligence officials privately voiced resentment over the strong and unusual condemnation the White House and Secretary Clinton issued over the death of the Iranian nuclear scientist.
By denying “absolutely” any US involvement in the killing, the administration implicitly pointed the finger at Israel – an unusual act in relations between two friendly governments, especially when both face a common issue as sensitive as a nuclear-armed Iran.
"... the Lord has rejected your trusted allies, and you will not prosper by them." Jeremiah 2:37
Monday, January 9, 2012
"O God, do not remain quiet; Do not be silent and, O God, do not be still. For behold, Your enemies make an uproar, And those who hate You have exalted themselves. They make shrewd plans against Your people, And conspire together against Your treasured ones. They have said, “Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation, That the name of Israel be remembered no more.” For they have conspired together with one mind; Against You they make a covenant: The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them. They have become a help to the children of Lot." Psalm 83
The first seven groups named in Psalm 83 were all located east of Israel. They were tribes whose moving boundaries often overlapped.
The first two, Edom and the Ishmaelites, are synonymous today with the entire Arab-Muslim world. Ishmael is a significant figure in Islamic theology. So in modern terms, these names could be referring to Saudi Arabia, which backed front-line Arab forces in 1948 and 1967, and/or to the entire Arab-Muslim world that stretches from Morocco to Oman.
Moab was located east of the Dead Sea, with Edom to its south and Ammon to the north. The other listed eastern tribes--the Hagrites, Gebal and Amalek--mingled in this area. The name Ammon, of course, is with us today. It is the capital of Jordan. Tyre was the leading city of Phoenicia in early Bible times. This area is now part of Lebanon.
The Philistines were believed to have sailed from Canaan to the Greek island of Crete, or from the Anatolian region of western Turkey. Wherever they originated, iron-wielding Philistine warriors proved formidable enemies to the Hebrew tribes, but were eventually absorbed by attacking Assyrian forces and disappeared as a separate people group.
Philistia was resurrected by the Romans, who applied that name to the Promised Land in an attempt to obliterate the Jewish connection to Zion. This occurred after the Roman legions destroyed Judea in AD 70. The main Philistine town was named Gaza, which today is the current seat of the Palestinian autonomy government, while the Gaza Strip is home to over one million Palestinians. This fact gives us a hint that they are today's equivalent of the ancient Philistines. The very name "Palestinians" is likely derived from the ancient Philistines.The last nation mentioned is the Assyrian empire, which acts as "a help to the children of Lot.”
The Biblical Hebrew states that Assyria became an extension of Lot's descendants and covered the enormous territory of several modern countries, ranging from western Iran, to parts of Turkey, most of Syria, and even down to portions of Egypt's Nile River. Although it was centered in what is known today as Iraq, the capital of Assyria was Nineveh, situated on the banks of the Tigris River.
From David Dolan's “Israel's Next War” commentary on Psalm 83.
The first seven groups named in Psalm 83 were all located east of Israel. They were tribes whose moving boundaries often overlapped.
The first two, Edom and the Ishmaelites, are synonymous today with the entire Arab-Muslim world. Ishmael is a significant figure in Islamic theology. So in modern terms, these names could be referring to Saudi Arabia, which backed front-line Arab forces in 1948 and 1967, and/or to the entire Arab-Muslim world that stretches from Morocco to Oman.
Moab was located east of the Dead Sea, with Edom to its south and Ammon to the north. The other listed eastern tribes--the Hagrites, Gebal and Amalek--mingled in this area. The name Ammon, of course, is with us today. It is the capital of Jordan. Tyre was the leading city of Phoenicia in early Bible times. This area is now part of Lebanon.
The Philistines were believed to have sailed from Canaan to the Greek island of Crete, or from the Anatolian region of western Turkey. Wherever they originated, iron-wielding Philistine warriors proved formidable enemies to the Hebrew tribes, but were eventually absorbed by attacking Assyrian forces and disappeared as a separate people group.
Philistia was resurrected by the Romans, who applied that name to the Promised Land in an attempt to obliterate the Jewish connection to Zion. This occurred after the Roman legions destroyed Judea in AD 70. The main Philistine town was named Gaza, which today is the current seat of the Palestinian autonomy government, while the Gaza Strip is home to over one million Palestinians. This fact gives us a hint that they are today's equivalent of the ancient Philistines. The very name "Palestinians" is likely derived from the ancient Philistines.The last nation mentioned is the Assyrian empire, which acts as "a help to the children of Lot.”
The Biblical Hebrew states that Assyria became an extension of Lot's descendants and covered the enormous territory of several modern countries, ranging from western Iran, to parts of Turkey, most of Syria, and even down to portions of Egypt's Nile River. Although it was centered in what is known today as Iraq, the capital of Assyria was Nineveh, situated on the banks of the Tigris River.
From David Dolan's “Israel's Next War” commentary on Psalm 83.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
From The Jerusalem Post:
Israel is moving forward with plans to hold the largest-ever missile defense exercise in its history this spring amid Iranian efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. Last week, Lt.-Gen. Frank Gorenc, commander of the US’s Third Air Force based in Germany, visited Israel to finalize plans for the upcoming drill, expected to see the deployment of several thousand American soldiers in Israel.
"My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels. Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies...." Psalm 81:11-14
Israel is moving forward with plans to hold the largest-ever missile defense exercise in its history this spring amid Iranian efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. Last week, Lt.-Gen. Frank Gorenc, commander of the US’s Third Air Force based in Germany, visited Israel to finalize plans for the upcoming drill, expected to see the deployment of several thousand American soldiers in Israel.
"My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels. Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies...." Psalm 81:11-14
Sunday, January 1, 2012
JERUSALEM - Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will meet after more than a year of deadlock in peacemaking, but both sides played down prospects of any imminent resumption of talks.
Yitzhak Molcho of Israel and Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat will meet Tuesday [1/3/12] in Jordan alongside representatives of the Quartet of Middle East mediators - the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.
"This aims at reaching a common ground to resume direct talks between the two sides and to achieve a Palestinian-Israeli peace accord ... by the end of 2012.!."
Yitzhak Molcho of Israel and Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat will meet Tuesday [1/3/12] in Jordan alongside representatives of the Quartet of Middle East mediators - the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.
"This aims at reaching a common ground to resume direct talks between the two sides and to achieve a Palestinian-Israeli peace accord ... by the end of 2012.!."
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