What in the world is going on with the military buildup in the Middle East? Things are getting crazy and very dangerous!

ISRAEL COMMITTING SUICIDE!
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

(IsraelNN.com) Shortly after it was made public on Thursday that Israel approved the transfer of thousands of assault weapons from Jordan to the Palestinian Authority, Likud Knesset Member and faction chief Gideon Saar warned that the guns will be used against Israelis. A Popular Resistance Committee (PRC) terrorist said that, in any case, the guns will end up in different hands than those for which they are intended.

The transfer of 3,000 guns – some reports said 1,000 – from Jordan to PA forces in Jericho was apparently approved by the Israeli government this week. The guns are earmarked for PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s elite Force 17 militia. It will be the largest such weapons transfer in several years.

In reaction to the news of the intent to further equip PA forces, MK Saar said, “This is an irresponsible move by [Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert and [Defense Minister Ehud] Barak. It is based on totally ignoring our past experience and lessons, which show that the guns will be used against Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers. Fatah has no lack of weapons.”

PRC spokesman Muhammad Abdul El (“Abu Abir”) seemed to confirm MK Saar’s warnings: “The PA hasn’t learned from Gaza, as we warned in the past, that the weapons transferred to Gaza would eventually end up in the hands of the Palestinian resistance. So we promise that these weapons will end up in the hands of the Palestinian resistance.”

Thousands of weapons given to Abbas’s Fatah militias ended up in Hamas hands during the Hamas takeover of Gaza.

The PRC is a local Gaza confederation of armed factions from several PA terrorist groups, operating in unison under a Hamas umbrella. The PRC was one of three terrorist groups that kidnapped IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit in June 2006. Shalit’s exact whereabouts and condition are currently unknown.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This decision by Israel’s politicians is another example of what is wrong in the struggle which the Nation of Israel has. In order to please world leaders, Israel does what is totally dangerous! This matches the recent monies given to Hamas and Fatah by the US Administration that are designated for the purchase of weapons (which, of course, will be used against Israel!). The sale of massive weapons to Saudi Arabia by the US recently is another example of the confused and dangerous policies of this US Administration. Russia has also completed one of its biggest sales of military weapons and equipment to Iran. The world is moving rapidly right now to a major military confrontation in the Middle East – may God give us a heart to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for the soon coming of our blessed Lord Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel!)

Believe it or not – some significant evangelical leaders put their signature and name to the support of a Palestinian State and urged US President George Bush to keep the pressure on for this goal, believing that it is the right thing to do!

EVANGELICALS’ LETTER BACKS PA STATE
July 30, 2007 by Jerusalem Post Staff and Etgar Lefkovits

Many evangelical Christians throughout the United States support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and seek “justice” for both sides, reads an open letter to US President George W. Bush published in Sunday’s New York Times. The letter, signed by several dozen evangelical clergy and activists, urged the Bush administration not to “grow weary” in its attempt to negotiate a “lasting peace” in the region.

The letter’s authors sought to correct what they called a “serious misperception” that all American evangelicals objected to the establishment of a Palestinian state, and said they hoped that the awareness of a large body of evangelical support for a permanent status agreement between Israel and the PA would “embolden” Bush.

Those who love [Israel] are not forced to withhold criticism, the letter argued, adding that “genuine love and blessing” meant promoting one’s neighbors well-being. According to the letter’s authors, both Israel and the Palestinians had rights to the land of Israel that stretched back “millennia.” Both sides, the letter said, had committed acts of violence.

Only a lasting peace agreement, the letter exhorted, would end bloodshed and ensure that each side had a “viable” state. To this end, the letter’s authors expressed their support for the road map peace plan, and endorsed former British prime minister Tony Blair’s efforts in his new role as the Quartet’s Middle East envoy.

“We renew our prayers and support for your leadership… and justice and peace for all the people in the Holy Land,” the letter concluded.

But other senior evangelical Christian leaders in the US blasted the letter as misrepresenting mainstream evangelical beliefs. “The authors of this letter do not represent the views of the vast majority of Bible-believing mainstream evangelicals in America,” said San Antonio-based Pastor John C. Hagee, a prominent Israel supporter.
“The problem in the Middle East is that Israel has no partner for peace, and Israel’s neighbors refuse to recognize Israel’s right to exist,” Hagee said. He added that the assertion by letter’s writers that the Palestinians have a historic connection to the Holy Land is “absolutely incorrect.”

Hagee’s organization “Christians United for Israel” which has been dubbed the Christian AIPAC and which held its second-annual Washington summit last week with 4,500 delegates from across the US, is planning on sending US President George W. Bush its own letter voicing their opposition to American pressure on Israel for any further land withdrawals.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: It is absolutely astonishing that these evangelical “leaders” would argue that the Palestinians have a long-standing right to the land – completely denying the truth that there is no Palestinian language, culture, country, or people! Denying that the majority of those who have lived in the land since the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD have been Jews, not Arabs, they argue a position that is totally contrary to the teaching of the Bible. This land was a part of the unconditional, everlasting covenant of God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their physical descendants. Examining the list of names who signed this letter to President Bush we notice that this is nothing “new” about their position – they have held it for some time, and many of them simply adhere to the sickness and heresy of “replacement theology.” Read Psalm 105:8-11 which was written about 1000 years after the promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!

US President George Bush has laid out his vision and plan for a Palestinian State within the Covenant land which God has given to the Nation of Israel. This is a very dangerous plan. Bill Koenig has written an excellent article on his web site concerning this. Bill is a White House Correspondent, and this weekend announced his candidancy for President of the United States in 2008! Bill will be one of the speakers at our Annual Israel and Bible Prophecy Conference – August 3-5, 2007.

UPDATE AND COMMENTARY by Bill Koenig
A Perspective on President Bush’s Vision for the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

I have provided President Bush’s Monday, July 16, 2007, speech on his vision for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There are a lot of ifs, ands and buts. The contingencies he laid out for Hamas are unreachable and he may very well know that.
He is giving Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas some sizeable economic inducements and is hoping to spread democracy to the Palestinians.

He called on Israel to freeze further settlement construction and evacuate unauthorized settlements. He has Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert meeting with Abbas in an effort to prop him up. Olmert is keeping busy on the peace front in an effort to stay in office, but he is probably to weak to force Israelis out of their settlement homes without toppling his government through a no-confidence vote due to his very slim majority.

Could President Bush be planning for Israel to give the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) to Abbas for the beginning of a Palestinian state, with the Gaza problem to be worked out later? We will watch this closely.

Additionally, he strongly called on other Arab countries to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist and to open diplomatic relations; this is very unlikely to happen too.

The bottom line is, there are a lot of major benchmarks in his speech that must be fulfilled; and based on history, these will be grandiose plans and visions that never come to fruition. Rhetoric seldom leads to accomplishment in the Middle East.

Following are highlights from President Bush’s speech, along with my perspective. This will give you a good handle on President Bush’s thinking and help you further see the challenges of dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

President Bush stated in his vision for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on July 16, 2007, at the White House:

“More than five years ago, I became the first American President to call for the creation of a Palestinian state. In the Rose Garden, I said that Palestinians should not have to live in poverty and occupation. I said that the Israelis should not have to live in terror and violence. And I laid out a new vision for the future — two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security.

Hamas radicals betrayed the Palestinian people with a lawless and violent takeover. By its actions, Hamas has demonstrated beyond all doubt that it is [more] devoted to extremism and murder than to serving the Palestinian people.

There is the vision of Hamas, which the world saw in Gaza — with murderers in black masks, summary executions and men thrown to their death from rooftops. By following this path, the Palestinian people would guarantee chaos, suffering and the endless perpetuation of grievances. They would surrender their future to Hamas’s foreign sponsors in Syria and Iran. And they would crush the possibility of any — of a Palestinian state.”

PERSPECTIVE: Hamas won 70 percent of the vote in the January 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections. Arafat and Abbas’ Fatah were known for corruption, embezzlement and not meeting the social needs of the Palestinians; by contrast, Hamas met many of those needs and won Palestinian favor.

Will Hamas’ recent horrific violence against Fatah followers move the Palestinians away from Hamas? Not likely — at least, not in large numbers. But if they don’t move away from Hamas, Abbas will have little chance of implementing his plans.

Will money buy Abbas support? Abbas’ cooperation with President Bush and the international community has put a lot of money at his disposal, as you will see below.

Bush Says There Is an Alternative: the Abbas-and-Fayyad Vision. According to President Bush, in order to achieve a peaceful state called Palestine as a homeland for the Palestinian people, the following must happen:

Work to build the institutions of a modern democracy.
Strengthen the Palestinian security services so they can confront the terrorists and protect the innocent.
Set up competent ministries that deliver services without corruption.
Take steps to improve the economy and unleash the natural enterprise of the Palestinian people.
Ensure that Palestinian society operates under the rule of law. By following this path, Palestinians can reclaim their dignity and their future — and establish a state of their own.
They will find new life in ensuring that Palestinian society becomes law abiding citizens.
By supporting the reforms of President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad, we can help them show the world what a Palestinian state would look — and act — like.
We can help them prove to the world, the region and Israel that a Palestinian state would be a partner — not a danger.
We can help them make clear to all Palestinians that rejecting violence is the surest path to security and a better life.
Help them demonstrate to the extremists once and for all that terror will have no place in a Palestinian state.

PERSPECTIVE: This all sounds great in a perfect world. This vision has Fatah gaining a new start through democracy — but with its very tarnished past, this isn’t likely. Are Fatah members going to lay down their guns and other weapons? Are they going to be able to offer services without corruption? President Bush said only the Palestinians can decide which of these courses to pursue. History shows us not to expect much.

Violence is in their DNA. Look at the fighting between the Shiites and Sunnis throughout the Middle East. Plus there is infighting within the Shiite and Sunni sects in various countries.

Immediately after President Abbas expelled Hamas from the Palestinian government, the United States lifted financial restrictions on the Palestinian Authority that we had imposed.

This year, we will provide the Palestinians with more than $190 million in American assistance — including funds for humanitarian relief in Gaza.

PRESIDENT BUSH CONTINUES:
“To build on this support, I recently authorized the Overseas Private Investment Corporation to join in a program that will help generate $228 million in lending to Palestinian businesses. Today, I announce our intention to make a direct contribution of $80 million to help Palestinians reform their security services — a vital effort they’re undertaking with the guidance of American Gen. Keith Dayton.

We will work with Congress and partners around the world to provide additional resources, once a plan to build Palestinian institutions is in place. With all of this assistance, we are showing the Palestinian people that a commitment to peace leads to the generous support of the United States. Second, we’re strengthening our political and diplomatic commitment.

President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert sat down together on July 16 to discuss priorities and resolve issues. Secretary Rice and I have strongly supported these meetings, and she has worked with both parties to sketch out a “political horizon” for a Palestinian state. Now we will intensify these efforts, with the goal of increasing the confidence of all parties in a two-state solution. And we will continue to deliver a firm message to Hamas that it must
stop Gaza from being a safe haven for attacks against Israel.

Accept the legitimate Palestinian government.

Permit humanitarian aid in Gaza, and dismantle militias.

Reject violence.

Recognize Israel’s right to exist.

Commit to all previous agreements between the parties.”

PERSPECTIVE: Based on history, these Bush contingencies are unachievable by Hamas. If Hamas fails, which is likely, it is possible that President Bush will lead Israel’s Olmert into an agreement whereby Abbas will be allowed to establish a Palestinian state in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), further isolating Hamas in Gaza (for now). This may be what President Bush is doing, based on his financial inducements and his continued support of Abbas.

Bush continued: “Third, we’re strengthening our commitment to helping build the institutions of a Palestinian state. Last month, former Prime Minister — British Prime Minister Tony Blair — agreed to take on a new role as Quartet representative. In this post, he will coordinate international efforts to help the Palestinians establish the institutions of a strong and lasting free society — including effective governing structures, a sound financial system and the rule of law. He will encourage young Palestinians to participate in the political process. And America will strongly support his work to help Palestinian leaders answer their people’s desire to live in peace.

All the steps I’ve outlined are designed to lay the foundation for a successful Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza — a nation with functioning political institutions and capable security forces, and leaders who reject terror and violence. With the proper foundation, we can soon begin serious negotiations toward the creation of a Palestinian state. These negotiations must resolve difficult questions and uphold clear principles. They must ensure that Israel is secure. They must guarantee that a Palestinian state is viable and contiguous. And they must lead to a territorial settlement, with mutually agreed borders reflecting previous lines and current realities, and mutually agreed adjustments.

America is prepared to lead discussions to address these issues, but they must be resolved by Palestinians and Israelis themselves. Resolving these issues would help show Palestinians a clear way forward. And ultimately, it could lead to a final peace in the Middle East — a permanent end to the conflict and an agreement on all the issues, including refugees and Jerusalem.

To make this prospect a reality, the Palestinian people must decide that they want a future of decency and hope — not a future of terror and death. They must match their words denouncing terror with action to combat terror. The Palestinian government must arrest terrorists, dismantle their infrastructure, and confiscate illegal weapons — as the road map requires. They must work to stop attacks on Israel, and to free the Israeli soldier held hostage by extremists. And they must enforce the law without corruption, so they can earn the trust of their people, and of the world. Taking these steps will enable the Palestinians to have a state of their own. And this is the only way to end the conflict, and nothing less is acceptable.

Bush stated Olmert/Israel must do the following:

Prime Minister Olmert must continue to release Palestinian tax revenues to the government of Prime Minister Fayyad.

Prime Minister Olmert has also made clear that Israel’s future lies in developing areas like the Negev and Galilee — not in continuing occupation of the West Bank.

This is a reality that Prime Minister Sharon recognized, as well. So unauthorized outposts should be removed and settlement expansion ended.

At the same time, Israelis should find other practical ways to reduce their footprint without reducing their security — so they can help President Abbas improve economic and humanitarian conditions.”

PERSPECTIVE: President Bush said the Palestinians should be confident that the United States will never abandon its commitment to the security of Israel as a Jewish state and homeland for the Jewish people. How does moving Israel into indefensible borders make Israel more secure? This comment is an example of an idealistic approach to radical Muslims, acting as if they can be converted and transformed. It will be too late for the U.S. to respond if Palestinian and Syrian weapons start raining down on Israeli cities.

President Bush also said:

“The international community must rise to the occasion and provide decisive support to responsible Palestinian leaders working for peace. One forum to deliver that support is the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee — a group chaired by Norway that includes the United States and Japan; the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund; and Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. Today I call for a session of this committee to gather soon, so that the world can back its words in real support for the new Palestinian government.”

PERSPECTIVE: Again, rewarding or attempting to appease Palestinian terror organizations will not bring peace.

Bush’s International Meeting:

“I will call together an international meeting this fall of representatives from nations that support a two-state solution, reject violence, recognize Israel’s right to exist and commit to all previous agreements between the parties. The key participants in this meeting will be the Israelis, the Palestinians and their neighbors in the region.

Secretary Rice will chair the meeting. She and her counterparts will review the progress that has been made toward building Palestinian institutions. They will look for innovative and effective ways to support further reform. And they will provide diplomatic support for the parties in their bilateral discussions and negotiations, so that we can move forward on a successful path to a Palestinian state.”

PERSPECTIVE: This very likely will be a non-meeting if the participant’s activities are strictly monitored.

Bush’s Plan for the Arabs:

“Arab states have a pivotal role to play, as well. They should show strong support for President Abbas’s government and reject the violent extremism of Hamas. They should use their resources to provide much-needed assistance to the Palestinian people. Nations like Jordan and Egypt, which are natural gateways for Palestinian exports, should open up trade to create opportunities on both sides of the border.

Arab nations should also take an active part in promoting peace negotiations. Re-launching the Arab League initiative was a welcome first step. Now Arab nations should build on this initiative — by ending the fiction that Israel does not exist, stopping the incitement of hatred in their official media and sending cabinet-level visitors to Israel. With all these steps, today’s Arab leaders can show themselves to be the equals of peacemakers like Anwar Sadat and King Hussein of Jordan.”

PERSPECTIVE: The Arab countries won’t likely oblige — especially the Saudis, who brokered a peace deal between Hamas and Abbas only to have it shattered in the recent war. These countries don’t like having Washington tell them how to manage their affairs especially when it has to do with Israel.

Bush on Middle East Extremists:

“The conflict in Gaza and the West Bank today is a struggle between extremists and moderates. And these are not the only places where the forces of radicalism and violence threaten freedom and peace. The struggle between extremists and moderates is also playing out in Lebanon — where Hezbollah and Syria and Iran are trying to destabilize the popularly elected government. The struggle is playing out in Afghanistan — where the Taliban and al Qaeda are trying to roll back democratic gains. And the struggle is playing out in Iraq — where al Qaeda, insurgents and militia are trying to defy the will of nearly 12 million Iraqis who voted for a free future.

Ceding any of these struggles to extremists would have deadly consequences for the region and the world. So in Gaza and the West Bank and beyond, the international community must stand with the brave men and women who are working for peace.”

PERSPECTIVE: These are sectarian Muslim problems that exist in country after country. Over and over again, President Bush has demonstrated the belief that he can change 3,900 years of historical conflict and destructive behavior with promises of democracy and freedom.

Bush: On the Problem in the Middle East:

“We must show that in the face of extremism and violence, we stand on the side of tolerance and decency. In the face of chaos and murder, we stand on the side of law and justice. And in the face of terror and cynicism and anger, we stand on the side of peace in the Holy Land.”

PERSPECTIVE: The Holy Land has never known lasting peace, and today there is sectarian chaos in many of the Middle Eastern countries, which can’t be blamed on Israel.

THE SHILOAH INSCRIPTION BEING RETURNED TO ISRAEL
July 17, 2007

After 120 years since its disappearance from the Shiloah Pool in the City of David, one of the most important archeological inscriptions confirming Jewish history during the Biblical Period of Jerusalem is finally returning home.

The Shiloah Inscription, otherwise known as the King Hezekiah Inscription, was discovered in the year 1880 in Hezekiah’s Tunnel within the City of David. The tunnel, 533 meters long, led water from the Gihon Spring in the east to the Shiloah Pool located on the south-western side of the City of David.

A Biblical verse describes that the tunnel was built in preparation for the war against the Assyrians in 701 BCE, by order of King Hezekiah. This incredible feat of engineering ensured the Israelites’ safe access to their water supply by diverting it inside the walls of the City of David.

“And the rest of the deeds of Hezekiah, and all of his might, and how he made the pool and the channel and brought the water to the city – are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah” (II Kings 20:20)

The inscription, which was originally etched into the wall of the tunnel, describes the final moments of the tunnel’s construction by two teams quarrying towards each other from opposite ends, and their dramatic meeting underground:

” [The] tunneling [is completed]. And this is the site of the account of the tunneling: While [the hewers were swinging their axe(s)] one (group) towards the other with three cubits yet to be hewn, a man’s voice was heard calling out to his fellow (worker). For there was a fissure in the rock to the right and to the left. And on the day of the tunneling the hewers bore through , one man towards the other, axe upon axe, and the waters flowed from the source to the pool, one thousand and two hundred cubits, and a [hu]ndred cubits was the height of the rock above the heads of the hewers.” (Shiloah Inscription)

According to a statement released on Monday, July 16 2007, Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski reached an agreement with the Turkish government to return the Inscription to Israel for a year in honor of Israel’s 60th anniversary. This landmark agreement follows years of diplomatic efforts, many of which were initiated by the Ir David Foundation.

The Inscription, currently on display in the Archeology Museum in Istanbul, Turkey, was taken by the Ottoman rulers when they left Jerusalem in 1917 after World War I. The exact location that the sign will be displayed in Israel has yet to be confirmed.

The reappearance of the Shiloah Inscription in Israel reinforces the historical bond of the Jewish People to Jerusalem, a bond which underlies our sovereignty in our capital in the present day.

STATE COMPTROLLER REPORT SMASHES OLMERT FOR HOME FRONT FAILURES
by Hana Levi Julian and Hillel Fendel

The much-awaited report by the State Comptroller’s Office on civilian preparedness during last summer’s Second Lebanon War was released at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, and contains sharp criticism of Prime Minister Olmert. Olmert has already dismissed the findings as “superficial,” “tilted,” “headline-grabbing,” and “based on the the Comptroller’s personal opinions.”

The commission, led by State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss, examined the state of affairs on the Home Front during the war. In accordance with predictions, strong criticism is leveled against Prime Minister Olmert and his cabinet, the Home Front Command and various local authorities. The report thrice uses the Hebrew phrase “likuy meorot,” which literally means “eclipse” or “darkening of the lights,” in referring to the government’s condition when it made war-related home front decisions.

The Lindenstrauss report blames Olmert, ex-Defense Minister Amir Peretz, ex-Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, and Home Front Commander Gen. Yitzchak Gershon for having “gravely failed in dealing with the Home Front during the Second Lebanon War.” The police were praised for their performance.

It took the government 18 days of warfare before it conducted a debate on the Home Front situation, the report states. It condemns officials for failing to correctly assess the extent to which Hizbullah would attack civilians during the war, and also slams the government for failing to prepare bomb shelters to be used for extended periods of time.

The lack of a distribution system for food and medicine during the war was also severely criticized, as was the government’s decision to shut down offices and public transportation in cities that were under attack.

Raanan Dinur, the Director of the Prime Minister’s Bureau, told reporters, “The Prime Minister knew the condition of the shelters and knew that Hizbullah would fire rockets at the Home Front. But the considerations were, what would be endangered if we take action as opposed to what would be endangered if we don’t take action and leave Israel vulnerable to this threat.”

The Prime Minister and his aides began criticizing the report even before its publication, noting that the government took office only a few months before the war began. Olmert’s staffer said the government has worked hard to prepare the country for conflict and that previous governments are responsible for last summer’s failures. Olmert said that Home Front preparedness has been “the top priority” for over a year.

The report was extensively reviewed by government and IDF officials, particularly Home Front Commander Gershon, who expressed concern that the report would be damaging to IDF officers.

Gershon’s lawyers and Lindenstrauss’s aides met several times for long discussions about some of the items listed in the report. As a result, parts of the original draft were eventually changed.

Gershon himself has considered quitting several times since the war, but was told by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi that he should remain in his position.

Once again, US President George Bush is seeking to re-establish his leadership role in the peace process between Israel and its hostile neighbors. Here is the article:

BUSH CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL REGIONAL PEACE CONFERENCE OF ISRAEL, PALESTINIANS AND NEIGHBORS – July 16, 2007

In a statement of Middle East policy, the US president stressed that all the participants in such a conference chaired by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice must recognize Israel’s right to exist and a two-state solution of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Egypt, Jordan and Qatar are the only Arab rulers likely to attend such a conference.

Referring to the Quartet meeting in Lisbon last Thursday, Bush outlined a plan for international sponsorship of the Mahmoud Abbas government in Ramallah.

He pledged $190 million dollars in US aid this year, another $208 million dollars in loans to Palestinian businesses and $80 million dollars for helping to reform Palestinian security services. Bush urged the Palestinians to choose the path of moderation rather than extremism and terror offered by Hamas which he said seized control of Gaza illegally. He commended the new Middle East envoy Tony Blair’s role in helping the Palestinians establish ruling institutions free of corruption.

Bush repeated his frequent assertion that the Palestinians are entitled to a stable viable and contiguous state, adjusted to the current realities, while calling on Israel to remove unauthorized outposts and halt settlement expansion on the West Bank. The US, he said, is committed to the security of Israel as a Jewish state.

(Editor’s NOTE: Once again the US President calls for Israel to do what is a violation of the teaching of the Bible and God’s everlasting, unconditional covenant that gives HIS land to the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The promises of millions of taxpayer’s dollars to the enemies of Israel does not endear him to the hearts of thousands of evangelical Christians who support the Nation of Israel. It is time to stop all the madness created by the Oslo Peace Process of 1993 and admit that the process does not work and will not work! “Land for peace” deals have been tryed at least ten times since 1993 and the results have been catastrophic for Israel. Israel’s enemies give up nothing, and demand that Israel gives them everything they want or else they will continue their terrorist attacks against innocent Israeli citizens.

Now the current Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert (who needs to resign!), is “flirting” with the idea of giving the Golan Heights back to Syria. Syria’s Prime Minister, Bashar Assad, insists that he will not negotiate with Israel until Israel agrees to give the Golan back to Syria! This is crazy and will lead to more terror attacks! The Golan is rich in agricultural development and is a natural barrier to Syrian attacks!

The GREAT NEED among Israel’s leaders is repentance and prayer – turning to the LORD GOD of ISRAEL as their only hope of survival and success!

Once again Israel is being blamed unjustly – this time by the World Bank over the deteriorating situation in Gaza. After forcing Israel to leave Gaza, and watching the year-long battle between Hamas and Fatah, killing each other – now we are suppose to believe that Israel is at fault? Sad, but true – read on!

WORLD BANK SAYS ISRAEL IS DESTROYING GAZA ECONOMY
by Hana Levi Julian (Arutz Sheva)

The World Bank is accusing Jerusalem of creating the conditions for an “irreversible” economic collapse in Hamas-controlled Gaza, blaming Israel for closures of the border crossings with the region. “The pillars of Gaza’s economy have weakened over the years. Now, with a sustained closure on this current scale, they would be at risk of virtually irreversible collapse,” said Faris Hadad-Zervos, the acting director for the World Bank in the Palestinian Authority territories.

Hadad-Zervos told participants at a closed-door meeting of private-sector organizations and aid groups that “A solution must be reached very soon, if not immediately…Otherwise, Gaza’s dependence on humanitarian assistance could become a long-term and comprehensive situation.”

He added that unemployment levels, marked at 30 percent in January 2007, could reach 37 percent or higher if businesses remain closed in Gaza. Hadad-Zervos placed the responsibility for the dismal situation directly on Israel’s doorstep, claiming the closure of border crossings was responsible.

He did not mention the bloody civil war between the Fatah and Hamas factions, which lasted well over a year and resulted in hundreds of deaths and even more wounded from constant gunfights in the street. Gaza was taken over by Hamas in mid-June, effectively ending the brutal militia war but leaving the area in ruins.

The facts on the ground belie the claims at the conference table in other ways as well.
Hamas has refused to guarantee security at the border crossings, while demanding the right to bring merchandise into Gaza through the Rafiah crossing with Egypt. Entrances to Gaza from Egypt have been closed since the Hamas takeover several weeks ago. Palestinian Authority officials expressed sympathy, but said that the crossings could not be reopened due to Hamas’s presence.

According to security officials in Cairo, Egypt has significantly increased its troop levels on the border between Sinai and Gaza due to concerns that there will be a mass exodus from Gaza into Egypt. Hamas has threatened to attack any non-Hamas members who attempt to take control of the Rafiah terminal. The European Union has taken the warning to heart and is officially abandoning its role of monitoring the Gaza-Egypt border, pulling all but 15 of its international observers from the area. The EU’s presence was one of the conditions for Israel leaving the strategic Philadelphi Route, which runs along the Israeli side of the border. Hamas has rejected Israeli offers to open alternatives to the Rafiah crossing, saying its terrorists will attack anyone who tries.

One of those crossings is Kerem Shalom, which was one of the points through which food products, medical supplies and other humanitarian aid were transferred from Israel into Gaza. For example, Hamas Finance Minister Omar Abdel Razek closed the Kerem Shalom crossing to Israeli produce last Monday, despite an earlier announcement by the PA Agriculture Minister, who agreed to allow the produce into Gaza. Razek closed the crossing to all goods except for humanitarian aid. Food such as fruit and vegetables apparently did not meet the criteria. Roughly sixty truck drivers were forced to abandon their efforts to enter Gaza, and returned to Israeli cities.

Kerem Shalom has in any case been the scene of numerous mortar attacks by PA terrorists recently, and a deadly attack by Hamas terrorists last year that resulted in the kidnapping of IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit. The 20-year-old soldier is still in enemy hands, and his location and whereabouts are unknown.

All of the crossings except Rafiah have been used to transfer food, medicine, equipment and other necessities donated by Israel, Jordan and international aid organizations.
Less than two weeks ago, hundreds of tons of humanitarian and other aid flowed through the terminals to help keep Gaza residents fed and its business owners operating.

At the Erez crossing, also a favorite site for PA terrorist attacks on Israel, some 8,433 vaccines were sent into Gaza.

At the Kerem Shalom crossing, 191 tons of fruit, 71 tons of milk, 33 tons of meat, 4 tons of chicken eggs for breeding, five tons of medical supplies for babies and 10 tons of disposable diapers were transferred.

At the Sufa crossing, 676 tons of sugar, 159 tons of salt, 20 tons of coffee, 20 tons of cocoa, 36 tons of rice, 14 tons of milk powder, 36 tons of tea, 25 tons of silicon, 116 tons of oil, 375 tons of livestock feed, 79 tons of bananas, 637 tons of straw and 21 tons of hypochlorite were sent in.

At the Karni crossing as well, despite numerous terrorist attacks, Israel transferred basic foodstuffs. The Karni crossing was opened June 28 to allow the passage of 500 tons of wheat, the first time it had been opened since the Hamas military takeover of Gaza two weeks earlier. The wheat was transferred by conveyor belt.

Jerusalem said at the time that the opening was a “trial” to test cooperation on the side of Gaza officials to curtail terror. Israel has since been forced to operate the Karni crossing in between mortar shelling by Arab terrorists.

International media coverage has reflected the dilemma: Reuters News Agency reported Israel has kept the crossing closed in an effort to isolate Hamas, but the International Herald Tribune stated that Israel has tried to keep the crossing open.

(Editor’s NOTE: This is another example of the continued bias of world leadership concerning the truth about what is happening in Israel and Israel’s role. Israel has continued to help with humanitarian aid but instead of thanking them or appreciating all that they have done, they are criticized and the lies and fabrications continue. The LORD GOD of ISRAEL knows the truth!)

TINY TABLET PROVIDES PROOF FOR AUTHENTICITY AND RELIABILITY OF THE JEWISH BIBLE (OLD TESTAMENT)
By Nigel Reynolds – July 11, 2007

The sound of unbridled joy seldom breaks the quiet of the British Museum’s great Arched Room, which holds its collection of 130,000 Assyrian cuneiform tablets, dating back 5,000 years.

Michael Jursa, a visiting professor from Vienna, let out such a cry last Thursday. He had made what has been called the most important find in Biblical archaeology for 100 years, a discovery that supports the view that the historical books of the Old Testament are based on fact.

Searching for Babylonian financial accounts among the tablets, Prof Jursa suddenly came across a name he half remembered – Nabu-sharrussu-ukin, described there in a hand 2,500 years old, as “the chief eunuch” of Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon.

Prof Jursa, an Assyriologist, checked the Old Testament and there in chapter 39 of the Book of Jeremiah, he found, spelled differently, the same name – Nebo-Sarsekim.

Nebo-Sarsekim, according to Jeremiah, was Nebuchadnezzar II’s “chief officer” and was with him at the siege of Jerusalem in 587 BC, when the Babylonians overran the city.

The small tablet, according to Irving Finkel, a British Museum expert, is a bill of receipt acknowledging Nabu-sharrussu-ukin’s payment of 0.75 kg of gold to a temple in Babylon.
The tablet is dated to the 10th year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, 595BC, years before the siege of Jerusalem.

Evidence from non-Biblical sources of people named in the Bible is not unknown, but Nabu-sharrussu-ukin would have been a relatively insignificant figure.

“This is a fantastic discovery, a world-class find,” Dr Finkel said yesterday. “If Nebo-Sarsekim existed, which other lesser figures in the Old Testament existed? A throwaway detail in the Old Testament turns out to be accurate and true. I think that it means that the whole of the narrative [of Jeremiah] takes on a new kind of power.”

Cuneiform is the oldest known form of writing and was commonly used in the Middle East between 3,200 BC and the second century AD. It was created by pressing a wedge-shaped instrument, usually a cut reed, into moist clay.

The full translation of the tablet reads: (Regarding) 1.5 minas (0.75 kg) of gold, the property of Nabu-sharrussu-ukin, the chief eunuch, which he sent via Arad-Banitu the eunuch to [the temple] Esangila: Arad-Banitu has delivered [it] to Esangila. In the presence of Bel-usat, son of Alpaya, the royal bodyguard, [and of] Nadin, son of Marduk-zer-ibni. Month XI, day 18, year 10 [of] Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.

(Editor’s Note: PRAISE THE LORD!)

The following article appeared in the Jerusalem Post on July 10, 2007:

TEN EU FMs TELL BLAIR – ROAD MAP IS DEAD and CALL FOR INT’L CONFERENCE
By Mark Weiss

A group of 10 EU foreign ministers has called for an international conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, calling the road map peace plan dead.

In a letter to the Quartet’s new Middle East envoy, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the foreign ministers said the status quo that had prevailed since 2000 was leading nowhere.

Signing the letter, which was published in the French daily Le Monde on Monday, were the foreign ministers of France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Slovenia and Malta.

They called on Israel to make more concessions to boost the standing of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, such as the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners including Fatah leaders, and the immediate release of all the frozen Palestinian customs duties.

A senior official in Jerusalem noted that the letter did not constitute a change in policy of either the EU or the Quartet, and both bodies remain officially committed to the road map. The official also noted that individual European foreign ministers would sometimes state opinions on Middle East issues that actually contradicted the policy of the governments in which they serve.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Israel remained committed to the road map. He said the reason why there had been no progress on the plan until now was because the Palestinian leadership rejected peace and implementation of the measures called for in it. “Hopefully, with the formation of a new Palestinian government, we can take steps towards implementation of the road map,” Regev said. He also noted that Jerusalem was not opposed in principle to the idea of an international conference and such a conference was actually called for in the latter stages of the road map.

The road map was adopted in September 2002 by the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators from the US, the EU, Russia and the UN. It calls for a three-stage process leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

(Editor’s Note: The attempt to bring peace between Israel and its hostile neighbors is once again on the “front burner” of the world’s leaders. Daniel 9:27 does teach that a peace agreement will be enforced upon Israel, but the Apostle Paul warned in I Thessalonians 5:1-3 that the announcement of “peace and safety” will be short-lived and “destruction” will soon follow. May God give us all wisdom!)