ISRAAID LAUNCHING NEW AID INITIATIVE TO TRAIN MEDICAL, MENTAL-HEALTH PROFESSIONALS: The disaster-relief nongovernmental organization IsraAID has embarked on a new, international initiative to train doctors, dentists, nurses, engineers and mental-health professionals to respond to disasters. The IsraAID Humanitarian Professionals Network (IPHN) was launched mid-January 2019 in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area. “IsraAID draws on Israeli social innovation and expertise to benefit people in need around the world,” said Seth Davis, executive director of organization’s branch in the United States. “We are now leveraging our organization’s unique capabilities to train professionals in the United States interested in developing life-saving skills and joining humanitarian relief missions globally, hand in hand with professionals from Israel. The network will equip skilled individuals in hands-on disaster relief experience and provide enhanced capacity if local disaster were to strike,” added Davis. Current IsraAID missions have provided assistance in multiple disasters including the November 2018 wildfires in California; violence in Uganda; cyclones in Vanuatu; and refugee crises in Greece, Kenya and Bangladesh. “IsraAID will make Los Angeles more secure by leveraging their unique expertise in disaster response to train professionals in our community,” said Los Angeles council member Paul Koretz. “I look forward to partnering with IsraAID to help them roll out their IHPN program in California.” (Jewish News Syndicate)

PM TO IRAN: ‘GET OUT OF SYRIA FAST, WE WON'T STOP OUR ATTACKING POLICY’: Israel’s PM Netanyahu sent a warning to Iran on Tue. Morning, 15 Jan. 2019.  Referring to Iran's entrenchment in Syria, Netanyahu said: "I'm telling you, get out of there fast. We won’t stop attacking." Netanyahu mocked an Iranian official who denied the presence of Iranian troops in Syria and said that Iran only served in an advisory position. "They always lie. They are lying with that and they are lying when they say their attempt to launch a satellite into space failed," Netanyahu said. The Premier accused Iran of using the issue to cover up their real intentions of developing intercontinental ballistic missiles.  On Wed. 16 Jan. 2019 Iran's Revolutionary Guards commander announced Iran will leave all its forces in Syria despite Israel's threats. "Netanyahu, don't play with the lion's tail - because he'll attack," warned the Iranian general. "You have to know and fear that one day the precision missiles will work, and all our facilities and military personnel and advisers will remain in Syria and will not exit. Even if Israel continues to attack Syria - they will only continue to grow." (J.Post/INN) 

     Intercede that the Islamic Republic’s regime will crack and fall. Iran’s oppressive Islamist leaders have repeatedly threatened the Jewish state and are steadily preparing for war against Israel on its northern borders with militias and terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Syria, Lebanon, and the Revolutionary Guards. Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism.

IDF STRIKES IRANIAN, HEZBOLLAH TARGETS NEAR DAMASCUS: Syrian air defense units fired on enemy targets above Damascus, Syria's state news agency SANA said late Friday 11 Jan. 2019. Video footage showed explosions above the city. Sources in the Syrian opposition reported that the Israeli Air Force attacked the bases of Iranian militias and Assad's regime forces southwest of Damascus.  Israeli naval vessels were reportedly off the southern Lebanese coast during the attack. Syrian military reports said that the assault began from the skies of Lebanon around 11:30 pm. Israel has mounted attacks in Syria as part of its effort to counter the influence carved out there by Iran, which has supported President Bashar al-Assad in the war that erupted in 2011. A senior Israeli official recently said Israel had carried out more than 200 attacks against Iranian targets in Syria in the last two years. (J.Post)

USA AMBASSADOR: NO PEACE PLAN IN NEAR FUTURE: USA Ambassador to Israel David Friedman indicated that his country would not likely be releasing its Middle East peace plan in the immediate future. Speaking in Jerusalem this week, Friedman assessed that Trump’s peace plan would be released within the next several months. "We want to release it in a way that gives it the best chance of getting a good reception," he said, adding that Israeli elections "are a factor, but not the only factor," alluding to the ongoing Palestinian Authority refusal to accept the plan. Friedman said the contents are "pretty much completed," but there is additional "wordsmithing and smoothing" that needs to be done. "The challenge to a peace plan is making the case for a much more sober assessment of the realities in this region," Friedman asserted. "The last time there was a meaningful agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians was 1993. A lot has happened since 1993.” (Arutz-7) 

NETANYAHU MEETS WITH CHRISTIAN FRIENDS OF ISRAEL IN BRAZIL: PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Sara Netanyahu met with Christian Friends of Israel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday 30 Dec. 2018. During the event the post office of the Brazilian state of Amazonas launched a stamp that had been prepared by Christian Friends of Israel in honor of 70 years of Israel's independence. Netanyahu and his wife were on the third day of a six-day visit to Brazil to attend the inauguration of Brazilian president-elect Jair Bolsonaro. Netanyahu spoke at the event, "We have no better friends in the world than the Evangelical community, and the Evangelical community has no better friend in the world than the State of Israel. In other countries in the Middle East, Christians must either be very careful or leave the country, but not in Israel. You are our brothers and sisters, and we defend Christian rights just like we defend the rights of all religions. It is not solely a matter of justice or values, it is a matter of deep recognition of our common ancient customs and our common heritage.

"Our histories, our beliefs and our values are intertwined. Every time we dig in our land we uncover ancient synagogues or ancient churches. When you come to Israel today, you see a country that accepts you as brothers and sisters, you see a country that values freedom of religion, you see a country that is proud of our past and carries our values into the future. We now have the opportunity to create the future in Brazil together. President Bolsonaro said we were brothers. We are brothers and we will grasp the future together. I invite all of you to come to Israel in 2019. We will welcome you with all the love and warmth reserved for family members. I look forward to seeing you in Jerusalem”. (J.Post/Arutz-7)

TRUMP DECIDED ON SYRIA PULLOUT DURING PHONE CALL WITH ERDOGAN: USA President Trump made the shocking decision to withdraw troops from Syria during a phone call with his Turkish counterpart who said Turkey could clear the remaining jihadists from the country. Trump’s move came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to launch an operation against a Kurdish militia that is fighting against ISIS with American military assistance. Erdogan and Trump spoke on the phone as the American President made his decision. During the conversation Trump told his national security adviser John Bolton to “start the work” to prepare withdrawing troops from Syria. A Turkish daily said that Trump’s order to Bolton came after he asked Erdogan if Turkey would “clean up the remaining Daesh (ISIS) elements if we withdrew from Syria.” Erdogan reportedly told Trump that Turkey had cleared ISIS during its first military operation in northern Syria between 2016 and 2017 and could do so again. Trump replied by telling him to go ahead and do it. (Times of Israel)

    Pray against regional responsibilities being put into the hands of national leaders who are dangerous - or potentially dangerous - to the security of Israel. In this case it is Turkey, which shares outstanding trade agreements with the Jewish state, but whose relationship with Israel is often toxic. Turkey is 99.8% Muslim with Islamic leaders eager for power. Under Erdogan, Turkey's relations with Israel has turned sharply negative.

PALESTINIANS SIGNAL THEY WANT ALL OF JERUSALEM: Australia's decision on Saturday 15 Dec. 2018 to officially recognize the western half of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel prompted a number of outbursts, some of them very, very revealing. The government of PM Benjamin Netanyahu expressed disappointment that, unlike USA President Donald Trump, Australian PM Scott Morrison only acknowledged Israeli sovereignty over half of the Holy City, and did not commit to moving his nation's embassy there. The Palestinian Authority also protested Australia's announcement. Many in Israel assumed that the Palestinians would celebrate Australia recognizing only West Jerusalem as Israel's seat of government as yet another repudiation of the Jews' claim to the entire city as their eternal capital. But then PA negotiator Saeb Erekat explained the outrage, and Israelis were again reminded of just how distant a genuine peace based on historical accuracy remains.

"All of Jerusalem remains a final status issue for negotiations, while East Jerusalem, under international law, is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory," insisted Erekat. That came as a surprise to nearly all Israelis, including those to the far left of the political spectrum, who have never considered control of the western half of Jerusalem to be up for negotiation. Did Erekat merely misspeak, or did he reveal that even at the highest levels of the supposedly "moderate" Palestinian government, the long-term goal remains wresting all this land from Israel? At the very least, Erekat's statement should make it clear to the international community that there won't be any kind of peace agreement in the near future, as no Israeli government, regardless of which party is in charge, will ever consider, or be allowed by the public to put West Jerusalem on the table. (Israel Today)

THE GOAL: NO JEWS IN EUROPE AND NO JEWISH STATE IN THE MIDDLE EAST: “Decades after the Holocaust, shocking and mounting levels of anti-Semitism continue to plague the EU”, Michael O’Flaherty, the director of the European agency, said in a statement. “Jewish people have the right to live freely, without hate and without fear for their safety”. Nice words. But that is exactly the point. European Islamists, the lead actors of this new anti-Semitism along with the leftist useful idiots, are trying to stage a “final solution” of what they call the “Jewish-Zionist cancer” in the Middle East (Iran's Rouhani holds the copyright for that term). They really want a jüdenrein world- without Jews in Europe, fleeing from anti-Semitism, and without Jews in the Middle East, with the destruction of Israel. Europe has become the epicenter of the new war against Israel and the Jews. Europe fights the Jewish State in the political arenas, in the corridors of power in Brussels, in various Western European capitals and the UN, inside Israel with the NGOs it funds, the media and the diplomacy.

Europe is a bystander no more. It has become deliberately responsible for the abominable crime of cultural genocide: wiping out the past existence of a people – the Jews – to eliminate their current political legitimacy and its human, religious, cultural and historical rights. That is why Europe voted along with the Islamic regimes at the recent UN resolutions denying the Jewish history of Jerusalem. We are at the point that many Jews prefer to leave Europe to live in Israel. What a step back, the Jews flee again from Europe to seek peace and security in a country that has only enemies around it, those who as a single entity cultivate the will to find the way to destroy Israel and throw its corpse into the sea. (Arutz-7)

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY VOTES 87-57 TO CONDEMN HAMAS: A majority of UN member states voted in favor of a General Assembly resolution put forward by the USA on Thur. 6 Dec. 2018 condemning the activities of Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza. While 87 voted in favor, 57 voted against, and 33 abstained, the measure was not adopted because, in a procedural vote held before the main vote on the resolution, it was decided to require a two-thirds majority for passage. USA Representative to the UN, Nikki Haley, said that despite more than 500 General Assembly resolutions condemning Israel, not one condemning Hamas has ever been adopted. She described the two-thirds decision, which passed by just a handful of votes, as "unfair." Israeli PM Netanyahu, however, on Fri. 7 Dec. 2018 hailed majority backing in the UN General Assembly for the USA draft resolution condemning Hamas. "This is the first time that a majority of countries have voted against Hamas and I commend each of the 87 countries that took a principled stand. I thank the American administration and USA ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley for the initiative." (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)

HEZBOLLAH MONEY-LAUNDERING HAS A “SAFE HOME IN GERMANY”: German illicit terror finance policies permitted Hezbollah to run a vast enterprise to raise funds through a money laundering operation in Europe and South America. French prosecutors put 15 members of the terrorist organization on trial last week in Paris. The members are charged with laundering Colombian narcotics money with the aid of the Lebanese diaspora. Sven Giegold, a Green Party member of the European Parliament, said “It is fully acceptable that one can pay cash for luxury goods or real estate. There are also no legal limits on the use of cash. Cash from dirty sources has a safe home in Germany.” An export trader, named Ali Z., based in the city of Münster in North Rhine-Westphalia is believed to be one of the main Hezbollah agents who oversaw the illegal narcotics operation that trafficked cocaine for a Columbian drug cartel, and used the profits to purchase weapons for Hezbollah to wage war in Syria. Germany allows 950 Hezbollah operatives to raise funds and recruit new members in the Federal Republic, according to numerous intelligence reports in the country. The USA, Canada, the Arab League, the Netherlands and Israel classify Hezbollah a terrorist organization. Germany and the EU merely designate Hezbollah’s military wing as a terrorist entity. (J.Post)

Much prayer is needed for both Israel and Gaza. Perilous times are upon us. Evil, evil, evil rules and reigns in the hearts and minds of millions....

...and they overcame him (satan) by The Blood of The Lamb and The Word of their testimony. Revelation 12:11

Reports state.....

On Sunday night, an undercover IDF mission inside Gaza went awry. A high-ranking IDF officer was killed and one was wounded in the ensuing firefight. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short an official visit to Paris and flew back to Israel. Breaking Israel News

The latest escalation comes a day after a 41-year-old Israeli officer was killed and another was moderately wounded during an operation in the southern Gaza Strip. At least seven Palestinians were killed, including a commander in Hamas' military wing. Hamas claimed that six of the casualties were part of its organization. HaaretzNews

After a botched intelligence mission by undercover commandos left seven Palestinian fighters dead, the militant group Hamas and other armed factions mounted an intense and escalating rocket and mortar barrage across much of southern Israel that continued into Tuesday morning. New York Times

"Faith in The Blood of Jesus, and what God has said in His Word, when exercised in testimony against the evil one will always cause him to flee."
Resisting the Devil, by C. Nuzum

SIS CLAIMS ATTACK ON CHRISTIAN PILGRIMS IN EGYPT: The ISIS jihadist group on Friday 2 Nov. 2018 claimed an attack on three buses carrying Christian pilgrims on their way to a remote desert monastery south of the Egyptian capital of Cairo. Seven people were killed in the attack and three others were wounded, said the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Interior Ministry. The local ISIS affiliate, which calls itself Sinai Province, claimed responsibility for the attack. ISIS has repeatedly stated its intention to target Egypt's Christians as punishment for their support of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Sisi wrote on his Twitter account that Friday's attack was designed to harm the "nation's solid fabric" and pledged to continue fighting terrorism. Christian sites of worship across Egypt have been repeatedly targeted in attacks claimed by ISIS, prompting the authorities to impose a state of emergency. Coptic Christians make up about 10% of Egypt's predominantly Sunni Muslim population and have been continuously targeted by jihadists in recent years. Friday's attack is the second to target pilgrims heading to St. Samuel the Confessor Monastery. The previous attack in May 2017 left nearly 30 people dead. The Interior Ministry said police were pursuing the attackers, who fled the scene after Friday’s assault. (Arutz-7)

USA ENVOY NIKKI HALEY: PALESTINE IS NOT ANY STATE AT ALL: “The Palestinians are not a UN Member State or any state at all. The United States will continually point that out in our remarks at UN events led by the Palestinians,” USA Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said. She spoke after the UNGA placed the PA at the head of a group of 134 nations, known as the Group of 77. To do so, it had to temporarily confer additional rights on the Palestinians, who have a non-member state status at the United Nations. “Today’s UN mistake undermines the prospects for peace by encouraging the illusion held by some Palestinian leaders that they can advance their goals without direct peace negotiations”. Her office added, “The United States does not recognize a Palestinian state, notes that no such state has been admitted as a UN Member State, and does not believe that the Palestinians are eligible to be admitted as a UN Member State.” USA deputy UN Ambassador Jonathan Cohen told the UNGA that it planned to remind the UN that the Palestinians had not achieved statehood. His words were consistent with the United States position that recognition of Palestinian statehood should only occur after an agreement is reached ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (J.Post)

THOUSANDS OF ACRES DESTROYED IN 6 MONTHS OF GAZA ARSON BALLOONS: More than 3,000 acres of forest in the Northern and Western Negev desert have been damaged by terrorist arson attacks from Gaza. Marking six months since Gazan Arabs began sending incendiary balloons and kites over the border toward southern Israel, Keren Kayemeth L’Yisrael-Jewish National Fund reported on 10 Oct. 2018 that some 3,279 acres, a total of 12,270 dunams, of forests have been damaged by fires caused by the attacks. Another 4,000 acres of farmland also have been destroyed by the fires. Keren Kayemeth firefighting teams have been on call 24/7, in order to quickly detect and respond to the ongoing fires. KKL-JNF’s Board of Directors last week allocated 100 million shekels, or about $27.5 million, for special projects to help the Gaza border area communities. Meanwhile, copycats in Judea & Samaria have begun to send arson balloons toward Jerusalem and central Israel. An incendiary balloon was discovered on Wed. 10 Oct. 2018 in Jerusalem’s German Colony neighborhood. This comes on the heels of a similar arson balloon discovered in the courtyard of a home in the town of Givat Ze’ev, located just north of Jerusalem. Last week an incendiary balloon landed on a highway near the Modiin industrial zone in central Israel. (INN)

THREE ISRAELI GYMNASTS WIN GOLD MEDALS AT INT’L ACROBATICS COMPETITION: Three 15-year-old Israeli acrobats days ago won the gold in the Budapest Acro Cup for trio pyramid acrobatics at the advanced level between ages 12-18. Shai Horesh from Moshav Hatsev, Shir Edri from Rehovot and Leah Curcus from Rehovot competed against and eventually defeated some of the most renowned teams in the world such as China, Russia, and Great Britain. The Beer Tuvia local council stated "this is pride is a double one, both of the council and of course of Israel." "This is the happiest moment of my life," said an emotional Horesh. The leader of the dynamic trio, Horesh added that "the ambition and passion for personal excellence is an inseparable way of her life." "We wish Shai to continue breaking personal records," the Beer Tuvia council said. "We wish that she may continue to represent us with great pride." (J.Post)

AUSTRIA’S KURTZ TO NETANYAHU: I’M COMMITTED TO FIGHTING ANTI-SEMITISM: PM Benjamin Netanyahu met Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurtz in New York on 26 Sept. 2018. Netanyahu expressed appreciation for a series of decisions and actions that the Austrian government has adopted in recent months. The chancellor briefed Netanyahu on the steps taken by the Austrian government and parliament to reflect their appreciation of the Jewish community, the memory of the Holocaust and the struggle against anti-Semitism, including the closure of the journal Aula associated with the far-right Freedom Party of Austria. The chancellor said that Austria is committed to fighting anti-Semitism not only in its own country but throughout Europe, and that he intends to urge the leaders of the EU to fight anti-Semitism. Austria is currently the rotating president of the EU. The two leaders also discussed regional challenges and the need to curb Iranian aggression in the region and in the world. (J.Post)

JEWISH VICTIM DIES AFTER TERRORIST STABBING ATTACK: A man murdered in a stabbing attack near the shopping center at the Gush Etzion Junction was identified as Ari Fuld of Efrat, a father of four and a known pro-Israel activist. MDA medics administered first aid and evacuated the man to Shaare Tzedek hospital in Jerusalem. According to the hospital, the victim was connected to a respirator, was sedated and in critical condition. Later, however, his death was confirmed. The terrorist, a 17-year-old from the village of Yatta near Hevron, was shot and moderately wounded. Gush Etzion regional council head Shlomo Ne’eman said following the attack: “I view with severity the serious assault. The purpose of these attackers is one; to disrupt our way of life. Our Arab neighbors have to deal with one single question: Either you live with us here and behave like people, or you choose an aggressive way and pay the full price.” (INN)

TRUMP: JEWS’ STRENGTH AND PERSEVERANCE INSPIRE US ALL: USA President Donald Trump wished the Jewish people a Happy New Year ahead of the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, which began at sundown on 9 September 2018. “Melania and I wish all Jewish people Shana Tova and send our warmest greetings to those celebrating Rosh Hashanah and the start of the High Holy Days,” he said. “Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the New Year in the Jewish faith. Far and wide, the trumpet of the shofar signals both a time of reflection and repentance. Along with devout prayer and fellowship, Jews worldwide will practice teshuva during the Ten Days of Repentance to deepen their relationship with God,” continued Trump. “Today, we reflect on the importance of religious liberty and ask that the Almighty bless Jewish families, both in the United States and around the world. The Jewish people have endured and overcome unthinkable persecution and suffering. Yet, despite the challenges they have faced, their strength and perseverance continue to inspire us all. Melania and I pray that the High Holy Days are filled with God’s peace, love, and mercy. We wish a blessed and happy New Year to all those observing Rosh Hashanah,” concluded the President. (INN)

 “Shana tovah Israel....

ISRAEL'S ROSH HASHANAH GOOD NEWS: With the holiday season fast approaching and with the Jewish year coming to an end, the Central Bureau of Statistics has released its annual tables analyzing Israel's population. Israel has 8.9 million residents, 89% of whom claim to be happy with their lives. These numbers include approximately 6.6 million Jews (74.4%), 1.8 million Arabs (20.9%) and a half million (4.7%) belonging to other minority groups. Throughout this past year alone, 25,000 new olim (immigrants) moved to Israel and 175,000 babies were born here. The State of Israel contains 2.51 million households. The start-up nation is not shy about its high-ranking education systems, especially with the recent report in which both the TechnionUniversity in Haifa and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem were ranked in the top 100 universities in the world. Throughout the country, there are 63 institutions of higher education with 313,000 students. (J.Post) 

         “They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty,’ declares the Lord.” 
Jeremiah 31:12-14

“Though you have made me see troubles, 
many and bitter, you will restore my life again; 
from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. 
You will increase my honor and comfort me once more.” Ps 71: 20-21
 

SITE OF YESHUA'S FIRST MIRACLE UNCOVERED BY EXPERTS: Mystery has surrounded the site of Yeshua’s 'first miracle' for centuries, but an answer may finally be at hand. According to the Gospel of John, Yeshua changed water into wine during the Wedding at Cana. For hundreds of years, pilgrims have believed the site of the miracle to be Kafr Kanna, a town in northern Israel. But the true location has long been debated – and now archaeologists believe the Cana of biblical times may be a dusty hillside five miles further north. Excavations there have revealed a network of tunnels used for Christian worship. It's the former site of Khirbet Qana, a Jewish village between the years of 323 BC and AD 324, where archaeologists have discovered a number of compelling clues. Excavations there have revealed a network of tunnels marked with crosses and references to Kyrie Iesou, a Greek phrase meaning Lord Yeshua. There was also an altar and a shelf with the remains of a stone vessel, plus room for five more. Six stone jars like this held the wine in the biblical account of the miracle. Dr. Tom McCollough, who directs excavations at the site, said there were three other locations with a credible claim to being the Cana of scripture. 'But none has the ensemble of evidence that makes such a persuasive case for Khirbet Qana,' he said. (Daily Mail)