Displaying items by tag: israel

Iran has built a new precision missile factory in the outskirts of Latakia, a port city in Syria near the Russian air force base. The Syrian government and Hezbollah reportedly assisted Iran in constructing the factory. Missile parts were ordered from Italy, China, and other Asian countries, through companies established by Syria’s scientific research centre. Meanwhile, Iran’s official news agency reported a new ballistic missile with a range of 1,000 kilometres to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. In September 2018 Israel Defence Forces issued a rare statement confirming they struck a Syrian military facility near Latakia ‘from which systems to manufacture accurate and lethal weapons were about to be transferred on behalf of Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon’.

Since 2012, Israel and Germany have worked together on policies to aid the development of African countries. Germany is providing 90% of the financial support, which enables the Israelis to bring their expertise into the latest agricultural developments. Large projects, which Israel cannot carry out alone, will grow with German provision. As Israel was forced within its own land to find solutions for the lack of water in desert areas, Israelis are now blessing many countries in Africa with their knowledge, fulfilling God’s word ‘and you will be a blessing’ (Genesis 12:2).

The Bishop of Southwark was one of fifteen bishops who visited the Holy Land for ‘2019 Holy Land Coordination’. A communiqué issued by this group said: ‘We have seen how there are Israeli citizens from many different backgrounds who coexist and work together for the common good of our society. Christians there make a vital contribution, especially through schools, hospitals, involvement in public life, and attempting to build bridges between different faiths. Yet it is clear that they also face profound difficulties across all aspects of their lives. Along with Palestinian Arab citizens and migrants, many Christians are systematically discriminated against and marginalised. Those we met expressed particular concern about the Nation State Law that was recently passed. They warn that this creates a constitutional and legal basis for discrimination against minorities, undermining the ideals of equality, justice and democracy. We stand with Israel’s Christians and all those challenging discrimination, in support of their call to protect the country’s pluralism.’

At the UN Security Council’s Middle East monthly meeting, the Syrian ambassador threatened an airstrike on Israel’s international airport near Tel Aviv, in retaliation for Israeli air force attacks on military targets at Damascus and elsewhere in the country. When the Syrian war erupted, Israel stated it would stay out of the conflict unless actions were hostile to the Jewish state, including the transfer of arms to Iranian proxy Hezbollah. As indications grew that Iran was exploiting the void left by the Syrian turmoil to build its own presence there, Israel vowed to act against Tehran’s entrenchment, and has repeatedly attacked Iranian targets. After a daytime Israeli strike on Damascus airport, an Iranian-made surface-to-surface missile was fired from Syria into the Israeli side of the Golan Heights. IDF’s defence system intercepted the rocket. This escalation is seen as the most serious in many months.

On 26 December the Knesset disbanded and called elections for 9 April. The same day, Mahmoud Abbas disbanded the Palestinian legislature, with a view to 2019 elections. Many say it is hard to see how new parliamentary elections can take place in the West Bank and Gaza at the same time. ‘When Abbas dissolves the Palestinian parliament and the Knesset dissolves itself in the same week, Hamas smells trouble’. There is concern that Israel will block Qatari financial aid and seek an excuse to suspend the cease-fire deal. The Zionist Union, a joint list of the Israeli Labour party and the Hatnuah party, has broken up ahead of the Knesset elections. At the same time the Labour party, which has dominated Israeli politics for the past thirty years, is declining in popularity: see https://worldisraelnews.com/zionist-union-party-dissolves-ahead-of-elections/ An Israeli defence source told Al-Monitor that Israel assumes Hamas is gearing up for another round of widespread violence. The relative calm could end at any moment.

70% of what had been Palestine until 1949 is now controlled by Israel. After the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and the continuing expansion of settlements and military law in the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority now has control over about 18% of the West Bank - which includes Bethlehem. The tourism industry there is yet another battleground of Palestinians and Israelis for controlling the narrative around the occupation. At Christmas there are strings of lights over the town's famous Manger Square, with a life-sized nativity scene, and pilgrims entering the church to see where Jesus was born. Tourists come in groups organised by Israeli tour companies, while native Palestinian local guides look for individual tourists to show them around their hometown. There is an unseen struggle for Palestinians, many of them Christians, to earn a living.

Britain is Israel’s largest trade partner in Europe; that relationship seems to be going from strength to strength. Exports from the UK to Israel increased by 75% in the first half of 2018, with more than £7 billion in trade between the two countries in 2017. Trade minister Liam Fox, on a visit to Israel to strengthen trade relationships, told prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ‘As we leave the EU and Britain takes its place as an independent state of the World Trade Organization, we want to push our concept of free trade even further. In a world where the siren calls of protectionism are rising, two free-trade nations like ours need to make the case for global free trade because trade spreads prosperity.’ Netanyahu said, ‘Britain is one of our most important trading partners in the world, and we value the friendship.’

The precarious situation with Iran and Hezbollah on Israel's northern border has intensified greatly recently (see ). The risk of an all-out war in that area was one reason why prime minister Netanyahu pushed for a cease-fire in the south with Hamas in Gaza. Ask God to give the Israeli air force all it needs to defend the nation. Pray that Israel may obtain accurate, actionable intelligence concerning all their enemies' plans, and that it will know how to deal with the Russian equipment in Syria (eg anti-aircraft missiles). Pray for God to infuse the IDF soldiers along the Syrian border with alertness, wisdom, and courage. Ask Him also to impart insight to all security leaders in Israel - especially Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently both prime minister and defence minister.

UNPRECIDENTED ROCKET ATTACK, GOVERNMENTAL RESIGNATIONS, A GOVERNMENT POISED TO FALL—RECOVERED, BUT HOLDING ON BY A THREAD.          

Hamas rained down almost 500 rockets on Southern Israel over a two and a half day period. Netanyahu sat 7 hours with his cabinet discussing whether or not to go to war.        

Some of his cabinet felt there was no other choice except to go to war, as these last months of terrorism - sending fiery balloons over the border burning up farmland and forest areas, hordes of Palestinians trying to break through the border, etc., etc., etc. were bringing a living hell to the Israeli citizens in the south.            

Others believed that because of the certain loss of many lives in the IDF that would occur, and the world's condemnation that would surely come, if Egypt could help put together a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, that would be the best direction.        

Netanyahu chose the latter.  Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman was furious and resigned, taking his party of 7 Knesset seats with him.  That left Netanyahu with 61 Knesset seats in his coalition.  Netanyahu needs 61 out of 120 to lead the nation.            

Naftali Bennett, who also felt the nation must go to war to defeat Hamas and give relief to the hundreds of thousands of Israelis in the south, told Netanyahu he wanted to take Lieberman's place as defense minister - or he would leave the government with his 8 Knesset seats.  Netanyahu refused and Bennett says he is also leaving the government. That means elections are here.            

It would seem logical that Netanyahu believes he can win a snap election, or he would not have let his government fall.  He would have given Bennett the job.            

Netanyahu is the most popular politician in Israel.  The issue is that he has the entire group of ultra-Orthodox parties in his coalition, as he bends towards the religious.  That means the Haredim (ultras) have tremendous power in Israel.  They basically let Netanyahu do whatever he wishes to do, as long as he fills their coffers with shekels to support their men of whom the majority won't work or serve in the army.  Aside from the harassment and persecution against Messianic Jews and Messianic congregations, the Haredim take far more than their share of finances, and give back little to Israeli society.

Yet, there is no other strong leader in any of the other parties that stands out who the Israeli public have faith that he or she can keep Israel in survival mode. Israel lives in the most dangerous neighborhood in the world.            

So let us pray for God's will to be done in this upcoming election (2019).            

Lord, we pray, in the awesome Name of Yeshua, that You will hear the prayers of Your people who have a personal relationship with You and Your Son, and give us relief from the Haredi persecutors. We pray that You will put together the coalition that You desire.  Hear the words of our hearts, because we don't know who we should pray for or how to pray.  But You have a plan.  You have a plan to save all Israel and to bring revival to the nations of the world.

Use Your people here in Israel that love You. Give us opportunities and freedom to spread the Word of God more and more here in Israel. 

SHIRA SORKO-RAM

PLEASE PRAY:  

• That God will “redeem Israel out of all of his troubles” (Psalm 25:22).  That a government will be put in place which is not out of alignment with those redemptive purposes!
• That while it is time for the present government to stand, it will stand; when it is time for it to be replaced, that it will fall.
• That with the resignation of Defense Minister Lieberman, a man or woman of courage, integrity and wisdom for that job will be chosen to take his place.
• That, as Shira mentions above, the ultra-Orthodox members of the present government (or one which may arise in its place), will not be allowed to work injustice nor take unfair advantage of their positions to coerce the government in a direction which is unrighteous and unjust.
• That God minister strongly to Prime Minister Netanyahu during this time.  That he humble himself before his God, and allow himself to be led in ways which are truly aligned with God’s purposes for Israel this year.  That he fulfills the length of days God has ordained for him to lead.   That a godly, strong God-fearing leader be being nurtured to be raised up to take his place.
• That the warm, strong relationship between the governments of Israel and the United States which God has brought into place during this season would not be threatened or adversely effected by a shake-up in the Israeli government outside of God’s timing. 

Martin and Norma Sarvis

Jerusalem

 “A PRAYER FOR RAIN…THE NEED IS BECOMING SERIOUS.

On Shmini-Atzzeret—the last day of the fall festival of Sukkot (1 October this year), it is traditional to pray for rain. For the “former rains”, which in Israel begin in the fall.  The “latter rains” fall roughly from Passover in the spring, until around middle May.  Afterwards, there is usually no measurable rain in Israel for five months—we are dependent upon the former and latter rains. 

We have often mentioned in these prayer updates the need of rain in Israel.  but during the past five months acuteness of this need has become more evident.  Israel recently completed her fifth year of an officially-declared drought.  On August 26^th, an article in The Times of Israel was entitled, “Israel enters 6^th year of worst-in-a-century drought, girds for even worse.”   The article points out how “Many of Israel’s lakes, riverbeds and aquifers are at unprecedented 100-year lows, with the Sea of Galilee [the nation’s largest natural water source] dangerously close to its “black line,” the level below the intake pipes of the water pumps that send the lake’s water to nearby towns.”  Many of the springs in the north, whose streams supply much of the waters to the Sea of Galilee, have slowed to a trickle.  In May, the Water Authority launched a public awareness campaign to make Israelis aware of the shortage and to encourage them to conserve their water usage.  

But with the construction in recent years of five large desalinization plants (which now effectively provide drinking water from the Mediterranean for the country’s most populated regions along the coast), Israelis have tended to put away concern about water.  After all, Israel invented “drip irrigation” (virtually all her produce is now economically watered that way); 86% of her wastewater is purified and used for agriculture.  And now redeeming water from the Mediterranean Sea seems to be taking care of our needs.  Except that it isn’t—even with the two new plants which are being built, there will not be enough for crops necessary to feed this population.  And if the Sea of Galilee continues to sink, it will mean an ecological disaster there, down the Jordan River and the Dead Sea.  Israel is planning to pump desalinated water into the lake—but that is really a stop-gap measure. And the de-salinized water is lacking in many nutrients, and is even being presently studied in Israel as a possible contributor to heart disease.  

Israel—and our neighbors—are desperately in need of rain water.  The scientists are pointing towards Global Warming as being the most probable cause of the drought.  Yet, the Scriptures often connect the coming or withholding of rains in Israel with the favor and mercy of her God (the Creator of the “globe” which is warming!), and with the humility of His people in acknowledging awareness of their need of that mercy:  

 PLEASE PRAY:

• That God will in mercy send abundant rains on His Covenant Land this year…a land which was meant from the beginning to, “drink water from the rain from heaven, a land for which the LORD God cares; the eyes of the LORD God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year”  (Deuteronomy 11:11-12).
  
• That Israel will awaken to her need for water—and an awareness that her God is the source of that water—as He was for our Fathers in ancient times,  when they drank from the spiritual rock which followed them around the desert…and that rock was Messiah! I Corinthians 10:4).
• That believers in the Land will ourselves take this need seriously, will humble ourselves, pray, seek His face and turn from evil ways—cry out to Him for this need,  that He may hear from Heaven and heal our land.

Martin and Norma Sarvis