The news that Nechirvan Barzani will not continue as prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq is causing Turkey to worry that the new KRG Cabinet will not be formed of allies of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
For about 10 years, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which controls Erbil and Dahuk provinces in Iraq, has enjoyed close working relations with the Turkish government on trade, energy and security. The main architect of this opening has been the KDP's Nechirvan Barzani. The KDP, unlike other Iraqi Kurdish groups, has also acted as a counterweight since the 1990s to the formidable Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrilla movement — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s archenemy — by allowing Turkey to establish a number of military bases to monitor PKK activities.
However, Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) since 2012, was not nominated by the KDP to form the next KRG Cabinet. This is causing Erdogan to worry about the fate of a 50-year secretive energy deal made with Barzani in 2014.
Turkey does not want to see another self-administered Kurdistan on its doorstep that spends millions of dollars annually on lobbying in Washington and other Western capitals. Since 1992, Turkey has faced numerous problems with the Iraqi Kurds from whose territory PKK fighters cross the border into Turkey and attack Turkish security forces and their Kurdish collaborators. In the first decade of Kurdish rule in northern Iraq, Turkey enticed Kurdish peshmerga to fight a bloody battle against the PKK fighters in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan; still, the Iraqi Kurds, feeling more anchored and connected internationally, have become more independent actors.
The issue of the Syrian Kurds is a big headache for Erdogan; another one involves the activities of the PKK in the Sulaimaniyah area, the seat of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Since August 2017, when the PKK abducted two senior officials of the Turkish intelligence agency near Sulaimaniyah, Ankara has placed tremendous pressure on the PUK to limit PKK activities. Turkey also has continued a ban on flights through its airspace to the Sulaimaniyah airport that started after the Iraqi Kurdish independence referendum in September 2017.
Ankara says there is no coherent rule in PUK-controlled areas, unlike in KDP-controlled areas under Barzani. A Turkish diplomat told Al-Monitor that this has created a vacuum the PKK has exploited to increase its activities. A Turkish diplomat told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the main stumbling block is “financing and sending new recruits to the mountains, which is done in safe houses in Sulaimaniyah.” Still, the PUK has intensified its crackdown on PKK activities, leading to the arrests of dozens of people affiliated with the groups close to the PKK in Sulaimaniyah. Turkey is allegedly prepared to lift the ban on use of its air space for flights to Sulaimaniyah later this month following the recent visit of Iraqi President Barham Salih, who is a senior member of the PUK.
Turkey apparently also has concerns about PKK activities in KDP-controlled areas as well as the activities of Gulen educational institutions. “The KRG has taken over all our institutions, and we are not operating anything there,” a Gulen movement official who operated in Kurdistan until two years ago told Al-Monitor via Facebook from a Western capital. “The terror that Erdogan unleashed against us made life unbearable for us in Kurdistan.”
Erdogan’s overzealous drive to strike hard at opponents in and around Turkey will undoubtedly win him votes inside the country, but Turkey is bound to be troubled by the Kurdish issue for years to come as demonstrated by the changing US position on the Kurds of Syria.
The PKK is a powerful transnational armed organization and further pressure from the PUK on its activities and activists in Sulaimaniyah area could propel the group into reacting, which could have devastating consequences for the stability of the Sulaimaniyah region.
As for the formation of the next KRG government, negotiations are dragging on. Erdogan's ally Nechirvan Barzani has been nominated to be KRG president, a post that is expected to be less important than prime minister. There is no clear indication as to how he and his cousin Masrour Barzani will share power.
By: Fazel Hawramy (Al-Monitor, Iraq Pulse 1/16/2019)
Pray that even after Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, there would be continued peace between Kurdistan and Turkey.
Pray that Erdogan and the current Turkish government would deal peacefully with the upcoming new Kurdistan government.
Pray that God's kingdom and His righteousness and His divine order would come upon both Turkey and Kurdistan.
U.S. peace envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (pictured) says that although talks with the Taliban have produced the framework for a peace deal there is still a "long way to go" before a final agreement.
Speaking at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington on February 8, Khalilzad said he was "hopeful" a peace deal could be finalized before Afghanistan’s presidential elections in July, but warned that there remained "a lot of work" to do.
"We are at the early stages of a protracted process," said Khalilzad, who has met with Taliban negotiators for a series of talks in the Middle East in recent months.
Khalilzad held six days of talks with Taliban negotiators in the Qatari capital, Doha, last month, culminating in the basic framework of a possible peace agreement.
The agreement calls for the Taliban to prevent international terrorist groups from basing themselves in Afghanistan and for the United States to withdraw its forces from the country.
The Taliban has yet to make concessions on two key U.S. demands -- implementing a cease-fire and agreeing to negotiate directly with Afghan government representatives as part of an Afghan-led, intra-Afghan peace process.
The Afghan government has been absent from the U.S.-Taliban talks, prompting anger and frustration in Kabul.
The Taliban considers the Kabul government a Western puppet and has so far refused to directly negotiate with it.
But Khalilzad said the next phase of the peace process will have to be Afghan-led, saying Washington role’s will "decrease" as Afghans from the warring sides hammer out a possible deal through an "inter-Afghan dialogue."
Khalilzad said there were indications that the Taliban could sit down with government representatives in a "multiparty format."
The former U.S. ambassador said there was "positive change" in Pakistan, which Washington and Kabul have long accused of sheltering the Taliban.
Khalilzad said Islamabad had helped facilitate recent talks between the militants and the United States, although he said Pakistan should "do more."
Russia hosted a second peace conference in Moscow from February 5-6, attracting representatives of neighboring countries, powerful Afghan power brokers, and Taliban officials.
U.S. officials have accused Russia of attempting to muddle the U.S.-backed peace process.
Khalilzad said the Russia-backed talks were "positive" as long as they helped facilitate intra-Afghan talks, not if they "polarize Afghans further."
"I'm not seeking to monopolize" the Afghan peace process, Khalilzad said, adding that regional countries should play a role in resolving the 17-year conflict.
As we go to print, we are hearing that following significant meetings in Doha, Qatar on Feb 26, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban has said the group is close to reaching an agreement with the United States on the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
Pray for wisdom and guidance for Zalmay Khalilzad as he seeks to broker an end to the fighting and insecurity.
Pray for meetings between politicians, tribal, ethnic and religious groups that they will build reconciliation and trust.
Pray that the superpowers will co-operate and not compete in the peace process.
Pray for the support and positive engagement of neighbouring countries.
Pray that the recent attacks in disputed Kashmir (between Pakistan and India) will not affect this peace process. Pray that the tensions between Pakistan and India will also be resolved.
Pray for lasting peace in Afghanistan.
Suicide Attempts on the Rise
Officials said domestic violence, forced marriages and lack of awareness are among main reasons behind the suicide attempts.
The Public Health Directorate in Herat province, in the west of Afghanistan, has recorded almost 1,600 cases of suicide attempts since last March, showing a 10 percent decrease in the figures compared with the last solar year – March 2017 to March 2018.
The figures by the Directorate show that 50 of those who attempted suicide lost their lives and those who attempted suicide aged between 15 to 25 years old.
Moreover, of the 1,600 individuals who have attempted suicide, at least 300 of them are men while others are women and girls.
The health directorate’s assessments show that domestic violence, forced marriages, lack of education and poverty are among the main reasons behind suicide attempts among the young generation in the province.
The head of Herat Hospital’s Burn Unit, Haidari, said lack of awareness about life is also among the main reasons behind suicide attempts by the youths.
Meanwhile, statistics by the provincial Women's Affairs Directorate show that at least 600 cases of violence against women have been reported in the province since last March.
Herat Women’s Affairs Directorate Sumayya Taheri said women prefer to commit suicide “instead of suffering domestic violence”.
“The graph of suicide attempts and self-immolation cases is high in Herat and most of such cases are not registered,” Taheri said. “The statistics of the Public Health Directorate show an increase in suicide attempts and self-immolation cases in Herat which is concerning for us.”
Please keep Afghanistan and its long-suffering people in your prayers for peace and life to return to their land which has so long known much death and destruction through war and despair.
Pray too for deliverance from the false ideology of radical Islam that has fueled this tragic situation.
May His Gospel speed on and triumph there so that everyone may hear!
More:https://www.tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan/suicide-attempts-rise-herat
Let me begin by saying, I believe New York City has a birthright to birth Intercession to the Nations, with this gifting of birthing comes a great responsibility in what we export to the Nations. Many looking from the outside would say not much good comes from New York City.
But God…..
Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, Romans 5:20
Recent updates in the natural do not paint a pretty picture such as the new law passed by NY City Council, which states. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2019 anyone who was born in New York City has the ability to have the gender marker on their birth certificate changed to X, rather than simply male (M) or female (F), and is able to do so without a doctor's note or medical assessment.
The New York City law doesn’t allow parents to select X at birth, but they will have the ability to change the gender marker on the certificate any time before the child is 18 years old. People over the age of 18 have the ability to make the change themselves.
On Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019 the NY State Legislature passed the “Reproductive Health Act” and Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law this late term abortion bill on the 46th Anniversary of thelandmark court ruling of Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision. Advocates said the measure is needed to protect abortion access in New York in the event the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. That evening the Freedom Tower was lit up pink at the sight of 9/11 Memorial. This a memorial to the thousands of innocent lives lost, now celebrating the choice to end innocent lives of babies…
I believe there is a progression of sin that leads to Gods judgments, when we go from sin, not knowing that we are sinning against God, to rebellion - choosing to do what is wrong, to iniquity which is making laws that are against God’s Biblical mandates.
Several days after this we in NY received a prophetic word from Chuck Pierce
There would be an earthquake in New York and 1,000 people killed for every abortion. He then followed up
This thing with New York - let me tell you something - God is God! And the blood speaks. That blood will get so loud in New York, it will jar those bridges! You write it down! That heartbeat will get so loud it will make Scrooge in that movie where he’s visited by those demons, look like patty-cake. I know God too well and I know how He works. When you decide to run with demons, they’re going to come back for you eventually.
This drastic move by the enemy has awoken a somewhat complacent church in NY. Leaders across the state are now seeing opportunity for a real Unity arising between Upstate and NYC, which we did not have after 9/11. It was much easier for people to go back to their so-called normal lives disconnected from the trauma of 9/11. But in this case this law is affecting everyone’s conscience and spiritual beliefs.
We ask for your prayers that we the ecclesia will unite in a unified strategy to turn our state from the culture of death to a state that Champions a Covenant of Life. We are launching a 40 day campaign of fasting, prayer, and action beginning Wednesday, March 6, 2019 and ending on Sunday, April 14,2019.
…. but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. Daniel 11:32b
UNITED NATIONS
There have been and continues to be many ministries focused on the United Nations. Some have specific focuses to Ambassadors, others to staff of the Secretariat, and still others as NGO lobbyist groups whose targets are Conferences and events. I believe it is important to honor and bless those who have gone before us, as well as those who are presently ministering at this Global Gate.
Last September, President Donald Trump during his speech in the General Assembly made a profound statement.
“America is governed by Americans. We reject the ideology of globalism, and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism”.
Because of this statement and the actions of the United States the Globalist who’s whole agenda is for a One World Government are now in a state of ciaos, which is why I believe we are seeing an opening like many of us have not seen in all the years we have been laboring at the UN.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Romans 1:16
I ask that you focus your prayer for those who will be attending and hosting events during the sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Womenwhich will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from March 11, 2019 to March 22, 2019.
There are thousands of individuals who come from around the worldto this conference, they are seeking answers to the Global Challenges, yet we know there is only one place to find those solutions that is from the King Of Kings and Lord of Lords. Pray for those with Kingdom solutions to have access to World Leaders and those who council them.
Secondly, pray for those in our government who work in collaboration with the United Nations and its organizations, they are currently pushing the most pro-life agenda then any previous Administration.
Finally, pray for the confirmation of Kelly Knight Craft who has been nominated to be the next UN Ambassador, this is a very influential position and carries a weighty responsibility; we desire God’s person to be brought forth.
In closing, I want to thank you in advance for your prayers on behalf of NYC and the UN; I believe we serve a Big God who wants us to pray Big Prayers! I look forward to sharing the Glory Stories of Kingdom Advancement in the near future.
JODY WOOD
Director, New York City Intercessors
United Nations NGO Representative and Global Prayer Coordinator
“Former Labour leader Tony Blair has admitted there is a ‘nascent alliance’ between Islamists and the political left in Britain.” This alliance has actually been established for a long time. Many Leftists have been found to be working closely with Islamic supremacist organizations with established connections to jihad terror groups such as Hamas, including the American and Canadian supporters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its allies.
It is peculiar, however, to see Tony Blair admit that this is happening across Europe:
And you can see this not just here in the UK, you can see it across Europe — and yes, it gives rise to anti-Semitism. It’s not your old traditional anti-Semitism of the old kind of right-wing nature of, you know, not wanting Jewish people in golf clubs and that type of thing, but it’s every bit as pernicious and, you know, to have a situation where you’ve got Labour MPs worried because they happen to be Jewish, I mean…”
It is critical to note is that CAIR and other such groups are stealth purveyors of anti-Semitism; their links to Hamas are just one indication of this. Western Leftists who ally themselves with such groups should be marginalized. Instead, they themselves work to silence those who speak the truth.
“Tony Blair Admits to ‘Nascent Alliance’ Between Islamist and Left-wing Politics,” by Jack Montgomery, Breitbart, February 12, 2019:
Former Labour leader Tony Blair has admitted there is a “nascent alliance” between Islamists and the political left in Britain.
In a wide-ranging interview focusing mainly on his desire to overturn the British public’s vote for Brexit in 2016, the controversial 65-year-old told Sophy Ridge of Sky News: “There is, I’m afraid, there is a kind of nascent alliance between what I would call bits of the sort of Islamist type of politics and the left.”
“And you can see this not just here in the UK, you can see it across Europe — and yes, it gives rise to anti-Semitism. It’s not your old traditional anti-Semitism of the old kind of right-wing nature of, you know, not wanting Jewish people in golf clubs and that type of thing, but it’s every bit as pernicious and, you know, to have a situation where you’ve got Labour MPs worried because they happen to be Jewish, I mean…” Blair added, trailing off.
Several of Labour’s Muslim politicians have been implicated in anti-Semitism scandals in recent years, such as Shadow Minister of State for Women and Equalities Naz Shah.
Shah was briefly suspended from the party over posting anti-Semitic remarks such as “The Jews are rallying” on social media — although she was not disciplined for liking and retweeting a comment saying that “abused girls in Rotherham and elsewhere just need to shut their mouths for the good of diversity” at a later date.
Hard-left party leader Jeremy Corbyn, too, has come under fire for previous remarks that British-born “Zionists” struggle to understand “English irony”, and for allegedlyparticipating in a Tunisian wreath-laying ceremony for the Black September terrorists who murdered Jewish athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.
Blair seemed confident that there would be no issues with Labour and anti-Semitism if he was still in charge, asking Ridge: “Can you imagine that, when I was leader of the Labour Party, having a conversation with me about whether anti-Semitism is in the Labour Party or not?”
Pray for this alliance between Leftists and the political Left in Europe and the Americas to be exposed, disrupted and brought to an end.
Pray that the false ideologies of Socialism and Islam will be shown up for the destructive forces they are and rejected across our world.
BY: CHRISTINE DOUGLASS-WILLIAMS
And Things Could Get Worse
“The steadily deteriorating state of religious freedom in China has been a frequent topic of late, both here on BreakPoint and other media outlets. The picture is bleak. An estimated one million Muslim Uighurs have been detained in what are essentially re-education camps, as part of an attempt to erase their religious and cultural identity.
There’s also been a strong assault on Chinese Christianity. What little freedom Chinese Christians had is now being taken away: Provincial officials have demolished crosses, cracked down on house churches, arrested pastors, and put officially-recognized churches under tighter control.
Thus, the recent report out of Liaoning province, a region near the border with North Korea, shouldn’t surprise us. It should trouble and appall us, but not surprise us.
According to the Australian website MercatorNet, the Education Bureau of Lishan district” in Liaoning “issued a plan for the campaign to resist religious beliefs in kindergartens.”
The plan prohibits schools from “hiring [new] teachers who hold religious beliefs.” With regard to existing teachers, it calls for increased supervision, including “comprehensive inspections of teachers’ preparation for lessons in order to root out any and all religious content.”
But the plan doesn’t stop with teachers. Students, as well as teachers, are now required to “sign a commitment statement promising they won’t browse religious websites or participate in religious forums.” The statement reads in part, “I will adhere to the correct political direction, advocate science, promote atheism, and oppose theism.”
These are kindergartners!
It’s not only in that province. Students in other parts of China have also been coerced into signing anti-religious pledges. And there are reports of students who, because they refused to sign, have been beaten.
Unfortunately, short of divine intervention, it may be that things will get significantly worse. As I’ve told you before on BreakPoint, Xi Jinping has become the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao. Like Mao, Xi has fostered a cult of personality. He calls himself lingxiu, a reverential term for “leader” not heard since the days of Mao. It’s very similar to what Fuehrer means in German. Fawning coverage of Xi in official media borders on self-parody.
Christians have been in the crosshairs of the Xi Jinping cult. Believers in south China have been forced to take down pictures of Jesus from their walls and replace them with pictures Xi Jinping.
Not only is he a jealous would-be god, he’s also an insecure one. To understand why, you need to understand that the source of the Communist Party’s legitimacy has been economic growth. For the past forty years, the Chinese people have been asked to trade certain freedoms that we take for granted, such as freedom of speech and religion, for increasing prosperity. That trade has preserved a measure of social order.
But now, many economists see signs that the good times are coming to an end in China. In fact, that may be an understatement. It could be something even worse. As the Wall Street Journal reports, “China’s consumers and businesses are losing confidence. Car sales have plunged. The housing market is stumbling. Some factories are letting workers off for the big Lunar New Year holiday two months early.”
In other words, the Communist Party may not be able to keep up its end of the bargain. If they fail, ordinary Chinese people could remember everything they’ve had to put up with and get angry. Very angry.
So how will Xi respond to this? We already know the answer to that question. He will crack down even harder. Cult leaders don’t admit mistakes, much less give up their power voluntarily. They look for scapegoats and hunt for heretics.
In China, Christians qualify as both. As adherents to what many Chinese regard as a “Western” religion, their loyalties can be called into question. And they’ll likely not join Xi’s cult of personality, so they will be ideal targets.
All of this is why our brothers and sisters there need our prayers. And our voice. We must urge our government and U. S. corporations that do business in China to use their influence on behalf of persecuted Chinese Christians.
by: John Stonestreet & Roberto Rivera
More: http://www.breakpoint.org/2019/02/breakpoint-persecution-rising-in-china/
CHURCH LEADERS AROUND THE WORLD URGED TO ADD THEIR SIGNATURES TO DISSIDENT CHINESE PASTOR’S DECLARATION
Church sanctuaries decked with national flags and leader’s photos. The Ten Commandments edited. Bibles retranslated as state church leaders emphasize the need to free Christianity from its ‘foreign cultural captivity’. These are the reports emerging from China today. According to many Chinese religion analysts, they represent not a return to the Cultural Revolution but to something even earlier.
“Put the photos of 1930s German church sanctuaries and 2019 Chinese church sanctuaries side by side. Put the speeches of the leaders and officials side by side. The similarities are striking,” says the Rev. Dr. Eric Foley, CEO of Voice of the Martyrs Korea, part of a worldwide fellowship of organizations aiding persecuted Christians worldwide with roots dating back to World War II.
“Xi Jinping calls it Sinification—freeing Christianity and other religions from foreign cultural entanglement. Hitler called it Nazification. Both pledged freedom of religion to those who would hang national flags and leader’s portraits in their sanctuaries.
Both trotted out theologians who insisted the Bible needed to be retranslated to be properly understood. Both accused those who disagreed of seeking to subvert the state.”
“Think Stalin and Hitler, not Mao,” says the Rev. Dr. Bob Fu, founder and director of China Aid, a US-based organization that helps Chinese Christians and reports on human rights and religious freedom developments in China. “China is now taking a page from the 1930s totalitarian playbook. Whereas before the government’s goal was to stamp out Christianity, now all efforts are directed at co-opting the moral influence of Christianity and other faiths to advance the Communist Party’s social agenda.”
Foley and Fu see a parallel not only in the actions of the governments but in the response of the faithful Christians of both eras. They are calling on church leaders around the world to offer today’s dissident Chinese Christians things their earlier suffering German and Russian counterparts were unable to receive: solidarity and global theological endorsement.
“There was no Internet when the German ‘Confessing Church’ wrote the Barmen Declaration in opposition to Hitler’s attempt to redefine Christianity,” says Foley. “Today the Barmen Declaration and those who wrote it are revered. But at the time they were cut off from the Body of Christ around the world and forced to suffer while their ‘Confessing Church’ was crushed.”
That has Foley and Fu calling on Christian leaders worldwide to add their names to a declaration of religious freedom written by the former law professor and now-jailed Chinese pastor of the Chengdu Early Rain Church, Wang Yi. The document, entitled “A Joint Statement by Pastors: A Declaration for the Sake of the Christian Faith”, was originally published in September 2018 with signatures from 439 Chinese pastors.
“As the author of this important document, Pastor Wang and Early Rain were also the ones responsible for gathering the signatures of pastors for it,” says Fu. “Now that Pastor Wang Yi and the Early Rain leaders are in prison and many pastors who signed the statement are facing similar difficulties, we as Christian leaders worldwide must carry on the good work they began. We must sound a global ‘amen’ that the Christianity for which they are now suffering is ‘the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.’”
The document written by Wang Yi and signed by the Chinese pastors contains four declarations:
- Christian churches in China believe unconditionally that the Bible is the Word and Revelation of God. It is the source and final authority of all righteousness, ethics, and salvation.
- Christian churches in China are eager and determined to walk the path of the cross of Christ and are more than willing to imitate the older generation of saints who suffered and were martyred for their faith.
- Christian churches in China are willing to obey authorities in China whom God has appointed and to respect the government's authority to govern society and human conduct.
- All true churches in China that belong to Christ must hold to the principle of the separation of church and state and must proclaim Christ as the sole head of the church.
The full declaration is available at www.chinadeclaration.com, the website created by Voice of the Martyrs Korea and China Aid to enable pastors and church leaders to add their own names to those of the 439 Chinese pastors.
Those wishing to sign the declaration should do so, along with their church name, role, and a contact email, by the end of March. Voice of the Martyrs Korea and China Aid will verify each signee and present the ‘signed’ document to the Chinese Embassy in Seoul.
“It’s important to note that the declaration written by these Chinese pastors is entitled ‘A Declaration for the Sake of the Christian Faith’,” says Foley. “This is about more than China. It is about the Christian faith. An attack on the integrity of the Christian faith anywhere at any time is an attack on the integrity of the Christian faith everywhere at all times.”
“439 Chinese pastors signed this declaration,” says Fu. “We are asking the Lord for each signature to yield a hundredfold harvest, which means we are praying for 43,900 pastors and church leaders around the world brave enough to sign this document in suffering solidarity with the pastors of China.”
To make a donation to ChinaAid, please click here: https://secure3.convio.net/china/site/R?i=F9MeEUcylGvJsaaIUzaqHw
Please pray about the steadily deteriorating state of religious freedom in China and that the oppressive hand of the Chinese government as well as the cult of personality of its leader will be broken over Christ’s people and the other people of this most populous nation.
Pray for believers languishing in prison or labor camps for their faith that they will be strengthened and victorious, winning many more to Christ in the midst of their current trials.
“The present Israeli government, which held on longer than most, came to an end a few months ago (a full term would have lasted until November). Early elections will be April 9th…
The past month has seen parties splitting or dissolving, new ones coming into being. At present, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud [“Consolidation”] appears well in front in the polls, but a new party called
Hozenl’Yisrael [“Israel Resilience”] lead by former General and Chief of Staff of the Military Benny Ganz is rapidly gaining ground. The YeshAtid [“There is a Future”] party of YairLapid is third. Yet much can change within the next month-and-a-half.
We will say here that it is not at this time clear to us who should be our next leader. Of course, Mr Netanyahu is the only candidate with experience in the office (at this time he is Israel’s second-longest serving Prime Minister), he is a brilliant statesman, respected around the world. He has a fierce loyalty to Israel and to the Land. And up until now, he has been a prime minister in whom the people have trust regarding national security. That said, his position is presently weakened by serious allegations against him related to abuse of his office—corruption, including fraud and bribery.
The Attorney General appears set to recommend indictment, perhaps before the elections. It this occurs, it would seriously impair his ability to continue to devote his energies to administrating his office with the integrity and freedom necessary. Another issue which concerns us is Mr Netanyahu’s historical inclination to bring the ultra-Orthodox parties into his government, and, having done so, invariably to grant the portfolio of Ministry of the Interior to the ultra-Orthodox Shas party. Among other things, this ministry decides “who is a Jew” for purposes of Aliyah (emigration)…
The dramatic appearance of Mr Ganz is bringing an unexpected threat to Netanyahu and the Likud. He is a respected military leader, he presents a likable image, reasonable and a left-of-center choice against Netanyahu’s right-of-center position. But the problem is that so far he is keeping his cards covered regarding his position towards some of the hot issues. He recently seemed to voice approval for the “way things were done” in the Disengagement from Gaza.
It is unclear what his stance is regarding Israeli sovereignty of the land—Judea and Samaria, and the current Israeli presence there. Might he countenance further “disengagements” from the very land in which the divine covenants were made? Ehud Barak was the most-decorated soldier in modern Israeli history, yet proved a terrible Prime Minister, who was willing to barter away almost all of the territory gained by Israel in 1967.
We believe that it is essential at each election to come to Our Lord seeking His counsels for choosing the next leader, whatever our own personal leanings. It is He who knows what lies ahead, who is more equipped to lead the country in His ways. It is He who establishes rulers, who knows who will be more likely to receive His wisdom; He knows what lies hidden, and Light dwells with him (Daniel 2:21-22).
In Exodus 18:21, when Moses’ father-in-law is expounding to him the tenets of a system of government which will bring order and righteous judgment into the leadership of the society, he instructs him, “You shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain.” The word “select” or “choose” is an interesting word in the Hebrew, techeze. It isn’t the regular Hebrew word for “choose” as appears later in verse 25, but rather a prophetic word, related to clarity of vision. As the Everett Fox translation puts it, “You are to have the vision (to select) from all the people men of caliber, holding God in awe, men of truth, hating gain...”
There is only one Source for such vision – for the insight necessary to make the proper choice for our leaders.”
PLEASE PRAY:
- For the Lord to raise up the party and leaders for the next government in Israel—and that He in mercy grant vision to a majority of the electorate to select the leaders of His own choosing—among them a Prime Minister who will lead in humility, integrity, righteousness.
- That a strong government come into place in Israel—one which will lead the people and govern all of the Land God has entrusted to them with equity, justice, integrity and truth.
- That Benjamin Netanyahu fulfill the days which the LORD (upon whose shoulders rest all government) has allotted to him to govern the land and people. That if there is “dishonest gain” which warrants exposure, it come to light; if not, that he be vindicated.
Martin & Norma Sarvis
Jerusalem
In this video from his Extreme World documentary, Kemp tracked down and interviewed Mr. Kahn, a child trafficker in India who is being investigated for over 25 different offences.
Kahn says he has been trafficking for 7 years, and that he has “trafficked” 3,000 or 4,000 young girls, “maybe more”. He goes to poor communities, often in Muslim or “tribal” areas, and looks for “real beauties”. The girls are auctioned and go to the highest bidder. The most Kahn got for a sale was a million taka, the currency of Bangladesh — the equivalent of £8,500 or US$10,935.
Kemp asks if it’s true that Kahn has sold girls as young as nine for sex, to which the man replies, “I’ve sold girls who are 12.”
Kemp then asks if Kahn had ever returned any of the children to their communities, to which Kahn replies, “No”.
Kemp asks a follow-up question if it’s true that Kahn kills the children that he can’t sell. Kahn replies:
“If they try to run away, or if there’s any trouble selling them, they are killed and buried. If our bribed police can’t handle it, it goes to the CID, then we kill the girls. We don’t count them. About four or five hundred. I’m telling you the truth.”
Speaking about the encounter afterward, Kemp said he had to fight back the tears and was “shocked” and “horrified” by what Kahn told him: “Interviewing a guy who admits to killing 400 to 500 kids but doesn’t know exactly how many – that did make me cry.”
Ross Kemp, 54, is an English actor, author and investigative journalist who has received international recognition as a journalist for the BAFTA Award-winning documentary series Ross Kemp on Gangs on modern gang culture in the UK and around the world.
Pray that these evil people doing the child (and adult) trafficking will be brought to justice
Pray for the families of those affected
Pray for an end to police corruption that allows such criminals to continue to operate
Pray for the trafficking that is taking place across the world to be stopped - it's not just Asia.
Esther 8:6 For how can I endure to see the calamity which will befall my people, and how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?
Proverbs 21:1 The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.
Please pray and fast for the people of Syria on March 1-3, 2019. People across the Middle East, in the US, and around the world will be praying with you.
WHY?
People in Syria’s Northeast (Kurds, Christians, Yazidis, and Arabs) have fought ISIS since 2014. They have a homegrown pluralistic democracy giving equal rights to all, including religious minorities and women—a stark contrast to ISIS. A battlefield victory is near, due to US-led Global Coalition Support.
But they still face serious threats of invasion from Turkey and the Assad regime, backed by Iran and Russia. ISIS will likely try to regroup. Managing captured ISIS fighters and their families, uncovering genocide and war crimes, and the destruction and causalities of five years of war are huge challenges.
Recent changes in US policy have confused and terrified these people. They thought the US would stay and help them clear up remaining ISIS fighters and deal with the aftermath of a horrific war. They thought the US presence would help them negotiate a good peace with their neighbors so they could keep their hard won freedoms.
President Donald Trump suddenly announced a complete US departure in December, drawing criticism from leaders in the region, Global Coalition allies, the US Congress, and US military leaders. On February 21, 2019, he reversed course saying some troops will stay. But details are still unclear.
A power vacuum created by a poorly planned US departure could result in new wars and in chaos affecting the entire region. This area is the only thing keeping Iran from having a highway right up to Israel’s Northern border.
Iran poses an existential threat to Israel and to Christians in Syria and Iraq. Turkey poses an existential threat to all residents of the Northeast—threatening a repeat of its war crimes and genocide in Afrin that started a year ago.
PLEASE!
Pray for wisdom for President Trump, his military and diplomatic advisers, the Congress, other world leaders, and leaders of the Self-Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria (SANES), including the SDF.
Pray that good decisions are made leading to peace and stability for people who have endured unimaginable horrors.
Pray against deception and intimidation by Turkey, Iran, Assad, Russia, and Islamist terrorists.
Pray that the sacrifices made by the SDF and others in the region will be rewarded.
Pray that their dreams of freedom, including religious freedom, will come to pass.
Pray that all nations fall in line with God’s plans for this area.
In Isaiah 19, the Lord speaks of a “highway” between Syria, Israel, and Egypt. Pray that roadblocks will be torn down and replaced with a spirit of reconciliation.
Pray that the Lord’s name can be known throughout this region and that He will be glorified
How to Pray?
Pray for at least one hour on each of the days. Fast as the Lord leads you. A true Esther fast requires abstaining from both food and water for three days. This is not healthy or wise for many people. The Lord looks at the heart, not what we eat or wear.
We are fasting from Midnight AM on 3/1 to Midnight PM on 3/3 EST.
INFORM YOURSELVES ON THE AREA AND ISSUES: Read or watch
VIDEO SUMMARY: https://www.facebook.com/JerusalemDateline/videos/2232676127050974/
Letter of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable to President Trump dated January 9, 2019 with appeals from Christians and Yazidis and maps:
http://jubileecampaign.org/letter-to-president-trump-support-do-not-abandon-christians-yazidis-and-kurds-in-syrias-northeast/
Jerusalem Dateline: 2/1/19 Exclusive: Christians in NE Syria Warn of Genocide and follow on videos: https://www1.cbn.com/video/jerusalem-dateline/2019/02/1/jerusalem-dateline-2-1-19-exclusive-christians-in-ne-syria-warn-of-genocide?fbclid=IwAR1LcZJUet-dKxlfKSMb7LKVGkcXVTZPYXsMnEv2x8iedxRwDtD1yTEIX34
A New Democratic Government Emerges Out of Syria – But Will it Last?: http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/israel/2019/february/a-new-democratic-government-emerges-out-of-syria-ndash-but-will-it-last
700 Club 2-20-2019 at minute 12:16: http://www1.cbn.com/video/700club/2019/02/20/the-700-club-february-20-2019?show=700club
Respected NGO Genocide Watch issues genocide warning if Turkey invades the NE: