Watchman Newsletter

Jordan's king: Region heading towards abyss

YNet News (Link) - Roee Nahmias (November 9, 2009)

In interview to al-Hayat newspaper, King Abdullah warns, 'If we miss this opportunity and peace is not achieved in a year or two, I believe our generation will not see peace'

Jordan's King Abdullah II warned on Monday against the continuation of the political stalemate reached in the region. In a special interview to London-based al-Hayat newspaper, Abdullah warned that if the current situation continues, it would be "heading towards an abyss. If there is no progress, if there is no vision, I am concerned about Palestine, and about the entire region."

In the first part of the two-part interview, Abdullah urged Israel to cease its "illegitimate steps that make chances for peace tough."

He said, "Jerusalem is the red line. The Israelis must understand Jerusalem's standing among the Arabs, the Muslims and the Christians, and should not play with fire."

He also commented on statements made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who said he does not plan to run for another term in office. "He is a true partner in the peace process, and does everything he can for his people's interests in order to obtain the Palestinians' rights and peace based on two states.

PM heads to U.S. under threat of Palestinian statehood declaration

Haaretz (Link) - Barak Ravid and Natasha Mozgovaya (November 8, 2009)

Concerns are growing in Israel's government over the possibility of a unilateral Palestinian declaration of independence within the 1967 borders, a move which could potentially be recognized by the United Nations Security Council.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently asked the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama to veto any such proposal, after reports reached Jerusalem of support for such a declaration from major European Union countries, and apparently also certain U.S. officials.

The reports indicated that Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has reached a secret understanding with the Obama administration over U.S. recognition of an independent Palestinian state. Such recognition would likely transform any Israeli presence across the Green Line, even in Jerusalem, into an illegal incursion to which the Palestinians would be entitled to engage in measures of self-defense.

In late August Fayyad presented the international community with a detailed plan for building up Palestinian Authority institutions and set a timetable of up to two years for its implementation. Senior Israeli officials said Fayyad's plan initially met with positive reaction in Jerusalem for its emphasis on institution-building and making security services more efficient.

But some Israeli officials told Haaretz that alongside the clauses reported in the media - which are similar to elements of Netanyahu's call for "economic peace" between Israel and the Palestinians - Fayyad's plan also contains a classified, unreleased portion stipulating a unilateral declaration of independence.

'Hizbullah getting ready for new war'

The Jerusalem Post (Link) (November 8, 2009)

Fearing Israel will launch an assault on Hizbullah ahead of a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, the Lebanese guerrilla group is getting ready for war, The Observer reported on Sunday.

Hizbullah has been "busy reinforcing fixed defense positions" North of the Litani River, and after losing many of its bunkers in the south during the Second Lebanon War, is preparing "a new strategy" to defend villages there, according to the British newspaper.

"Sure, we are rearming, we have even said that we have far more rockets and missiles than we did in 2006," a Hizbullah commander, speaking on condition of anonymity, was quoted as saying by the newspaper. "We had to blow up or leave some of our bunkers and fighting positions, but we still have plenty of capabilities in the south. We expect the Israelis to come soon, if not this winter, then they will wait until spring, when the ground isn't too soft for their tanks."

The report comes less than a week after the Israel Navy seized a cargo ship loaded with hundreds of tons of weaponry sent to Hizbullah from Iran.

Andrew Exum, a military expert on Hizbullah at the Washington-based Center for a New American Security, was quoted by the Observer as saying that Hizbullah no longer controls the border, due to the presence of UNIFIL.

"They appear to be hardening the villages for this next round of fighting, while pushing their fixed positions north, away from UNIFIL, to protect the approaches to Beirut and the Bekaa Valley," he said.

TAU scientists use lightning to 'take the sun's pulse'

The Jerusalem Post (Link) - Judy Siegel-Itzkovich (November 8, 2009)

Tel Aviv University geophysicists have unintentionally struck pay dirt by discovering that ordinary lightning hitting Earth can be assessed to use sunspots for measuring the sun's rotation and preparing long-range predictions of the planet's future.

Sunspots are temporary dark blotches that seem to float over the sun's surface and tell scientists much about the Earth. They are caused by intense magnetic activity, which inhibits convection, forming areas of reduced temperatures on the sun's surface.

Sunspots expand and contract as they move across the surface of the sun and can be as large as 80,000 kilometers in diameter, making the larger ones visible from Earth without the aid of a telescope (though the ordinary eye can never look at them directly).

Scientists rely on them, among other things, to measure the sun's rotation. But some years, like this one, sunspots cannot be viewed clearly from Earth. That poses a problem for scientists in a new scientific field called "space weather," which studies the interaction between the sun and the Earth's environment.

Thanks to a serendipitous discovery by TAU Prof. Colin Price, a leading climate change expert and head of the department of geophysics and planetary science, and his graduate student Yuval Reuveni, a more definitive and reliable tool for measuring the sun's rotation when sunspots aren't visible is available.

US Senators Act to Force Recognition of Jerusalem as Capital

Israel National News (Link) - Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu (November 7, 2009)

Seven United States senators have sponsored a bill that would abolish the “security” waiver that American presidents have used to prevent implementing a 1995 law declaring that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

Kansas Republican Senator Sam Brownback, a long-time supporter of Israel, introduced the bill and said, "It is long overdue for America to recognize the sovereign right of Israel to choose Jerusalem as its capital city.”

The proposed Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act law, number S. 2737, is "a bill to relocate to Jerusalem the United States Embassy in Israel" and has six co-sponsors--five Republicans, from Kentucky, Texas, Arizona, and Louisiana and Independent Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

It would remove the current waiver, which gives the president authority to delay recognition of Jerusalem as the capital on the premise that doing so would endanger the security of the United States. Previous presidents, including George W. Bush, vowed during their election campaigns they would recognize Jerusalem as the Jewish State’s capital but they have failed out to carry out their election promise.

The senators introduced the bill following last week’s visit to the United States by Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, who said, “I believe moving the American embassy to Jerusalem will the first step towards other embassies moving to the capital, as in every other country in the world.”

Who Owns the Land of Israel Today?

Bible Prophecy Today (Link) - Arno Froese (November 5, 2009)

The answer to this question is fiercely debated between the Jews and Arabs who live in Israel and their surrounding neighbor states. It seems as though the entire world gets involved when it comes to the ownership of the land of Israel. It is rather significant that not a single country sides with the territorial boundaries God ordained and preserved in His Word. The deed to the land of Israel clearly states that the Jews are the original and only legitimate owners defined by geographical references. Genesis 15:18 says:

“In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.”

Notice that this resolution is written in the past tense,

“...have I given this land....”

Of course, the world disregards what the Bible says about this land and its people, so let's look at it from a political perspective. Israel fought five major wars against its Arab neighbors and was victorious each time. But something strange happened; Israel was not allowed to keep the territory it had conquered. Why not? The nations of the world, particularly the United States, have pressured Israel into surrendering areas of the Promised Land to the Arabs, from whom the Jews conquered the land. This is unusual because every country was established by the force of weapons.

Spain, Israel, and the Fight over UNIFIL

Pajamas Media (Link) -  Soeren Kern (November 5, 2009)

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has canceled a November 4 and 5 visit to Spain amid a dispute over the command of the European-led United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The visit was called off after reports surfaced that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had secretly asked Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to keep Italy in command of the 13,000-strong UNIFIL force for six months longer than planned, instead of allowing Spain to take over.

Italian General Claudio Graziano is scheduled to turn the command over to a Spanish general in February 2010. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz says Israeli officials want Graziano to stay on because they believe that replacing the UNIFIL commander now might further destabilize the already precarious security situation in southern Lebanon. The Spanish newspaper El País adds that Italian officials want to retain the command because it would be beneficial to Graziano’s career.

In any case, considering that Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero leads what is arguably the most anti-Israel government in Europe, Netanyahu is probably justified in having some misgivings about a Spanish-led UNIFIL.

Indeed, the unabashedly pro-Arab, pro-Hamas, pro-Hezbollah, and pro-Iranian Zapatero says the Middle East will be a top  priority when Spain takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union in January 2010. Spanish officials now worry that a six-month delay in taking over the UNIFIL command will deprive Zapatero of a bully pulpit he believes will help him raise his profile in the region.

'Ship shows Iran-Lebanon arms route'

The Jerusalem Post (Link) (November 5, 2009)

Following the seizure of a massive shipment of Iranian arms bound for Hizbullah, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Thursday that the successful Israel Navy operation proved the arms flow to Syria and south Lebanon from Iran.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry stepped up diplomatic efforts, inviting foreign ambassadors stationed in Israel to inspect the container-loads of weapons.

The ministry told its staffers to present the weapons that are displayed at the Ashdod port, and detail their capabilities and intended use.

Furthermore, in an apparent effort to increase international pressure on Teheran at the UN, the Foreign Ministry has also instructed Israel's envoys abroad to bring up an the arms capture in discussions with foreign diplomats and media outlets.

Israeli ambassadors were instructed to stress that the attempt to smuggle arms to Syria and Hizbullah was an Iranian violation of a UN Security Council resolution, diplomatic sources told The Jerusalem Post.

"Iran continues to smuggle arms to terrorists under the guise of legitimate international commerce, turning the Mediterranean Sea into a platform for illegal action," the ministry reportedly wrote in a memo to the envoys.

'Enough weapons for month of war with Israel'

WorldNet Daily (Link) - Aaron Klein (November 4, 2009)

A ship seized by the Israeli navy near Cyprus today had been carrying enough weapons and munitions for the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group to fight Israel for at least one month, announced Rani Ben-Yehuda, the deputy commander of Israel's navy.

The cargo ship originated in Iran and was headed for Syria, the Israeli army said. Iran regularly attempts to send weapons to Syria, and from there the shipments are smuggled to Hezbollah bases in Lebanon, Israeli security officials said.

Ben-Yehuda told reporters at a press conference today the ship had been carrying 40 containers filled with 300 tons of weapons each, all meant for Hezbollah to pose a threat to Israel. He said the shipment was much bigger than the famous Karin-A, a Palestinian freighter caught by Israel in 2002 carrying 50 tons of weapons to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Ben-Yehuda said the Antigua-flagged ship was first detected during a routine patrol, although Israeli security sources told WND the ship was flagged earlier. In coordination with NATO ships, the Israeli navy first boarded the ship about 100 nautical miles west of Israel.

'In Next War, All Israel Will Be One Front'

Israel National News (Link) - Gil Ronen (November 4, 2009)

In the next war, missiles will rain down on all of Israel, Major General (ret.) Uzi Dayan, the former Head of Central Command and head of the National Security Council, told Arutz Sheva Wednesday. The discovery of the weapons shipment and the information provided Tuesday by Military Intelligence regarding a long range missile tested by Hamas prove yet again that in the next round of fighting, “all of Israel will be a single front,” he said.

“The IDF can chalk up a great achievement after using precise intelligence to take over a ship 200 km from Israeli territory,” Dayan said. He added sarcastically: “I think Judge Goldstone can write up another report against Israel, on how it dared to flout international law and take over a ship that was floating in international territorial waters, but we do not have to be concerned about that.”

“We need to protect ourselves because it is our basic right to live here. Whoever does not want to help us, let him at least be quiet when we defend ourselves,” he said.

Iran is continuing to beef up its outposts in the Middle East, Dayan explained. “The Iran-Syria axis continues to strengthen its northern outpost outside of Iran, the Hizbullah, and it wants to establish a similar array in Israel's south and we must not let that happen because then we will be in a complicated situation,” he warned.

The continued rearming of Hamas and Hizbullah stem from Israel's failures in the last wars, he added. “If you do not end a war with a military decision, then you need to continue to deal with the unsolved problem again and again. We should have brought Hizbullah to a collapse in the Second Lebanon War and we should have brought Hamas to a collapse in Cast Lead. We did not do that and now we have to deal with their continued rearming.”

Israel Official Says Hamas Rockets Can Reach Tel Aviv

Bloomberg (Link) - Gwen Ackerman and Calev Ben-David (November 3, 2009)

The Islamic Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip can now launch rockets capable of reaching the Israeli metropolitan area of Tel Aviv, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said at a Jerusalem briefing.

“We know they have tried to, and have obtained missiles that reach 60 kilometers (37 miles),” Ayalon said today. “Tel Aviv and its vicinity are now under the range of Hamas.”

During Israel’s military operation against Hamas in Gaza, which ended in January, the farthest rocket strike was some 40 kilometers into Israel, endangering southern cities such as Ashdod and Beersheba.

Since the three-week operation, Hamas has been able to replenish its stock of military equipment and explosives as well as upgrade its rocket capability, Ayalon said. Hamas is receiving support from Iran, which is using the Islamic movement to increase its influence in the region, he said.

Hamas recently successfully tested a rocket with a 60- kilometer range, Major General Amos Yadlin, chief of military intelligence, told a parliamentary committee in Jerusalem today, according to the YNet news Web site.

Iran, Israel, and War

BrittGillette.com (Link) - Britt Gillette (November 2, 2009)

Rumors of Iran, Israel, and war are everywhere you look in today’s news headlines, and for those with knowledge of bible prophecy, this should command immediate attention. Why?

Because, when it comes to the end times, the Bible has a lot to say about Israel and war with her neighbors.  In fact, Iran is specifically mentioned in this context... 2,600 years ago, the prophet Ezekiel identified modern day Iran (Persia) as a key player in the last days Gog / Magog invasion:

“This is another message that came to me from the Lord: ‘Son of man, prophesy against Gog of the land of Magog, the prince who rules over the nations of Meshech and Tubal. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: Gog, I am your enemy! I will turn you around and put hooks into your jaws to lead you out to your destruction. I will mobilize your troops and cavalry and make you a vast and mighty horde, all fully armed. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya will join you, too, with all their weapons. Gomer and all its hordes will also join you, along with the armies of Beth-togarmah from the distant north and many others.’” Ezekiel 38:1-6 (NLT)

In addition, Psalm 83 identifies Syria as a land that will conspire to destroy the nation of Israel:

“‘O God, don’t sit idly by, silent and inactive! Don’t you hear the tumult of your enemies? Don’t you see what your arrogant enemies are doing? They devise crafty schemes against your people, laying plans against your precious ones. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence.’ This was their unanimous decision. They signed a treaty as allies against you – these Edomites and Ishmaelites, Moabites and Hagrites, Gebalites, Ammonites, and Amalekites, and people from Philistia and Tyre. Assyria has joined them, too, and is allied with the descendants of Lot.”  Psalm 83:1-8 (NLT)

All that said, why should it matter that the prophets long ago identified these nations as end times enemies of Israel?

Because through careful study of the scriptures, one can see today’s geopolitical landscape aligning itself for fulfillment of these very end times bible prophecies.  And, of course, in order to fulfill end times bible prophecies we must be in the end times, and the scriptures reveal that Jesus Christ will return as the final fulfillment of all end times prophecy.

So current events in the Middle East should serve as a reminder of Christ’s imminent return. In fact, the Lord Himself expected his disciples to carefully examine the Word of God so as to be prepared for His return:

“So be prepared, because you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.” Matthew 24:42 (NLT)

Jesus went so far as to rebuke the Pharisees for not recognizing the signs of the times, for the religious leaders of His day had full knowledge of the prophecies of the Messiah, yet they still chose not to believe in Him:

“One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus’ claims by asking him to show them a miraculous sign from heaven. He replied, ‘You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow, red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You are good at reading the weather signs in the sky, but you can’t read the obvious signs of the times!’” Matthew 16:1-3 (NLT)

This passage reveals the expectation Jesus had for the people of His day.  He expected them to fully recognize and eagerly await the time of His first coming. Should we expect any less in regard to His second coming?  Without a doubt, he holds our generation to the same standard of accountability.

Because the Lord commanded us to be watchful, we need to pay careful attention to today’s headlines. Here’s a few recent ones:

Sanhedrin to UN: Goldstone Will Bring Judgment Upon You

Israel National News (Link) - Hillel Fendel (November 2, 2009)

The Sanhedrin has warned the UN General Assembly not to hold a plenum debate this Wednesday on the anti-Israel Goldstone Report.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and the UN's member states, the Sanhedrin warns that continued consideration of what it calls the "hostile, fallacious, and malicious" Goldstone document will bring upon the world the catastrophic events described in the Bible's Book of Joel, Chapter 4.

The Goldstone commission found Israel guilty of committing war crimes during its anti-terror Cast Lead offensive in Gaza early this year. Many in Israel feel that the commission's purpose was to categorize Israel's attempt to fight the same terrorist threat that threatens the entire world as "war crimes."

The Sanhedrin is an initiative of recent years to recreate the traditional supreme legal tribunal in Judaism.

The letter reminds the UN that when it was decided in Geneva two weeks ago to have its Security Council discuss and approve the Goldstone Report, "we sent you a copy of the injunction issued by the Sanhedrin’s Court that prohibits any of the UN institutions from deliberating on this matter."

The Sanhedrin then explained by what authority it issues injunctions to the United Nations: "The International Court of the Sanhedrin operates by the power of the Bible, the only Holy Writ whose essence was handed over to mankind at Mt. Sinai [the Torah], and of the Prophets, sent to all nations of the world and universally held in respect by them. By virtue of this delegated authority, passed down from one generation to the next ever since the time of Moses our teacher, the master of all of prophets, and by virtue of the succession of authority in Jewish tradition, we appealed to you that you might not fail and thus fail the world, bringing upon it catastrophe."

PM: Unprecedented prosperity among Palestinians

YNet News (Link) - Roni Sofer (November 1, 2009)

"The Palestinians should come to their senses and enter negotiations as soon as possible," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Sunday's cabinet meeting.

The prime minister also said that US special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell will remain in Israel an extra day "in order to coordinate an effort to jumpstart the peace process."

Netanyahu briefed the cabinet ministers of his meeting with Mitchell and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who ensured Netanyahu on Saturday that a settlement building freeze will not be a precondition to renewing negotiations, despite Palestinian demands to the contrary. "We had a very good, long, and serious meeting with the secretary of state," he said.

"We are making a concerted effort to renew negotiations. This is not the effort of a moment. We have been making these efforts since the government was formed," said Netanyahu.

Is Jerusalem About to Explode?

The Trumpet (Link) - Stephen Flurry (October 30, 2009)

During his speech before the United Nations General Assembly last month, President Barack Obama called on the State of Israel to end the “occupation” that began in 1967—using the same term many of Israel’s enemies rely on to denounce any Jewish presence in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Since that time, Arab-Israeli tensions have escalated noticeably—particularly around the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

On Sunday, for example, a wall of Israeli riot police clashed with Palestinian protesters near the al-Aqsa Mosque, after Muslim authorities and Arab media outlets called on Palestinians to defend the compound against “Jewish conquest.” An Arab-Israeli Knesset member has even hinted that Israel is using archaeological excavations to sabotage the Temple Mount so that Jews might eventually build a synagogue where the al-Aqsa Mosque has been standing for 1,400 years.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu angrily dismissed these accusations as baseless “lies” that were aimed at fomenting violence and division.

An eerily similar storyline played out in September 2000 soon after the peace process collapsed at Camp David. In that version, Yasser Arafat used Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount as grounds for a Palestinian uprising that became known as the second intifada. Arafat, however, called his war the al-Aqsa intifada in hopes of rallying Arab forces to capture Jerusalem.

In this chapter, Arafat’s successor Mahmoud Abbas has warned of a “religious war” unless Israel stops all “provocative” acts. In a speech on Wednesday, Abbas said “the fanning of flames by Israeli extremists has caused the dangerous situation which currently prevails in Jerusalem.”

The Return of Israel's Existential Dread

The Wall Street Journal (Link) - Yossi Klein Halevi  (October 30, 2009)

The postcard from the Home Front Command that recently arrived in my mailbox looks like an ad from the Ministry of Tourism. A map of Israel is divided by color into six regions, each symbolized by an upbeat drawing: a smiling camel in the Negev desert, a skier in the Golan Heights.

In fact, each region signifies the amount of time residents will have to seek shelter from an impending missile attack. If you live along the Gaza border, you have 15 seconds after the siren sounds. Jerusalemites get a full three minutes. But as the regions move farther north, the time drops again, until finally, along the Lebanese and Syrian borders, the color red designates "immediate entry into a shelter." In other words, if you're not already inside a shelter don't bother looking for one.

The invisible but all-pervasive presence on that cheerful map of existential dread is Iran. If Israel were to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, Tehran's two terrorist allies on our borders—Hezbollah and Hamas—would almost certainly renew attacks against the Israeli home front. And Tel Aviv would be hit by Iranian long-range missiles.

On the other hand, if Israel refrains from attacking Iran and international efforts to stop its nuclearization fail, the results along our border would likely be even more catastrophic. Hezbollah and Hamas would be emboldened politically and psychologically. The threat of a nuclear attack on Tel Aviv would become a permanent part of Israeli reality. This would do incalculable damage to Israel's sense of security.

UN Secretary-General's message to the Jerusalem International Forum

Secretary-General Office of the Spokesperson (Link) - Robert H. Serry, Ban Ki Moon’s Personal Representative to the PLO and the PA (October 28, 2009)

I send my greetings to the leaders gathered in Rabat for this international forum on Jerusalem. I thank His Majesty, King Mohammed VI, the Chair of the Jerusalem Committee of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and the Yasser Arafat foundation for hosting this event.

For Muslims, Jews and Christians, for Israelis and Palestinians, and for peoples around the world, Jerusalem represents a place of faith and longing, a symbol of aspirations for nationhood, and a sacred space that must be open to all. As we are constantly reminded, events in Jerusalem can undermine trust on the ground and be felt in distant lands. It is for this reason that we must ensure that the holy city becomes a true symbol of peace, bringing people together and marking a new, more positive era for the whole region.

As has long been agreed between Israelis and the Palestinians, Jerusalem is a core issue that must be resolved through negotiations, along with all other core issues. The international community does not recognize Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem, which remains part of the occupied Palestinian territory subject to the terms of the Fourth Geneva Convention. If peace is to be achieved, the goal must be for Jerusalem to be the capital of two States living side-by-side in peace and security, with arrangements for the holy sites acceptable to all. This is the road to the fulfillment of both the vision of Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, and the yearning for peace of people from all over the world.

The Immovable Rock — What Holly Thinks

Fulfilled Prophecy (Link) - Holly Pivec (October 27, 2009)

An unnamed U.S. diplomat’s choice of words fascinated me.

A Jerusalem Post article, published Monday, reported that U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell plans to return to the Middle East this week to pressure Israel and the Palestinian Authority to resume negotiations. The article quoted one diplomatic official who said the intended purpose of Mitchell’s visit is to continue “pushing the rock.” (Note his use of the word “rock.”) The article goes on to cite the official, who said that the United States plans to keep applying pressure until it achieves its goal:

The US, he said, has made clear that it will do so until — perhaps because of a change of conditions — the rock actually moves. (Read the article here.)

The official’s use of the metaphor of a heavy rock — used to describe the stalled peace process — fascinated me because it reminded me of an ancient Bible prophecy. Zechariah chapter 12 records the following words spoken by God, where He also used the metaphor of a heavy rock:

Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. … And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:2-3, 9).

In other words, God said that, in the last days, all the nations of the earth would gather against Israel to take its land. But Israel would be like a “heavy stone” they couldn’t budge.

This is what we are seeing today — all the nations pushing Israel to relocate its borders. Reading this ancient prophecy is like reading today’s news headlines.

Yet, it’s also like reading tomorrow’s headlines. What do I mean? Well, God not only said that the nations will gather against Israel, but he also warned that those nations that do gather against Israel will themselves be destroyed in the process. But George Mitchell probably isn’t familiar with this prophecy.

So, while he heads off to the Middle East this week to attempt to move the “rock,” we already know the outcome. Though negotiations may resume, this rock — Israel — isn’t going to roll. That’s because when nations mess with Israel they’re messing with Israel’s God, who, interestingly, is also described as a “Rock” in Scripture (Deuteronomy 32:3-4, 32:15, 32:18; 2 Samuel 23:3; Psalm 31:3; Isaiah 26:4; 1 Corinthians 10:4 and others). And this Rock is immovable.

Turkish PM: Iran is Our Friend

Israel National News (Link) - Maayana Miskin (October 26, 2009)

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed his country's increasingly close ties with Iran on Monday in an interview with British newspaper The Guardian. Of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Erdogan said, “There is no doubt he is our friend.”

Relations between Iran and Turkey are “very good,” Erdogan reported, even as many Israelis see Turkey increasingly distance itself from Israel. He defended Iran against charges that it is actively seeking nuclear weapons, saying the Islamic republic wants nuclear technology “for the purposes of energy only.”

The Turkish PM will visit Iran this week, and will meet with Ahmadinejad as well as Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The talks are expected to focus on economic ties between the two nations, which have grown dramatically in recent years to an estimated $9 billion.

Erdogan said he would not challenge Iran over the alleged abuse of pro-reform demonstrators. Turkey does not interfere in Iran's domestic affairs, he said.

When asked about Turkey's ties to Israel, Erdogan stated that the two countries remain strategic allies. However, he also slammed Israel for allegedly threatening nuclear war on Gaza.

Israeli Flags Burn in Istanbul

Hundreds of Turkish Muslims protested against Israel on Monday in response to calls from Muslim leaders in Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Muslim leaders in Jerusalem had accused Israel of planning to harm the Al-Aksa Mosque atop the Temple Mount.

Screaming “We will defend Al-Aksa,” the Turkish demonstrators marched on Israel's consulate in Istanbul. The protesters burnt Israeli flags and waved PLO flags and pictures of the Al-Aksa mosque.

Rabbis Convene, Call for Ascent to Temple Mount

Israel National News (Link) - Gil Ronen (October 25, 2009)

At a special conference Sunday night at Heichal Shlomo in Jerusalem, Zionist rabbis are calling for Jewish ascent to the Temple Mount and for an end to the use of the Temple Mount as a platform for Muslim incitement.

The rabbis participating in the conference include Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi Yuval Cherlow, Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, Rabbi Yaakov Madan and Kotel Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich. Also participating are Knesset Members Uri Ariel, Aryeh Eldad and Michael Ben-Ari of the National Union, MK Uri Orbach (Jewish Home) and Kadima's Otniel Schneller. Jerusalem Deputy Mayor David Hadari and Moshe Feiglin are also among the scheduled speakers.

The chairman of the conference, Temple Institute Director Yehudah Glick told Arutz Sheva that the conference's date was chosen because this is the anniversary of the visit by Rambam (Maimonides) to the Temple Mount.

“There is a worrisome phenomenon that every time two or three rocks are thrown [by Arabs], the Jews are distanced from the Temple Mount,” he said. “The Arabs learned this and they behave accordingly.” Glick said that the police's decision to close down the Mount to Jews during the Sukkot holiday week was a move that could not go unanswered.

Many Zionist rabbis support ascent to the Temple Mount but some do not, citing the Nation of Israel's current state of impurity. Those who support ascent insist that the visitors first undergo ritual immersion in a mikveh, remain along the outer perimeter of the grounds and stay outside of areas where Jewish law forbids them to go.

Solana to Haaretz: New rules of war needed for age of terror

Haaretz (Link) - Adar Primor (October 25, 2009)

For exactly 10 years Javier Solana has represented the "international face" of Europe; 10 years in which he has closely followed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with all its turns and crises; a decade in which, to a great extent he was the answer to the famous question of Henry Kissinger: "Who should I call when I want to talk to Europe?"

To a certain extent Solana, the head of Europe's Common Foreign and Security Policy, has served simultaneously as the counterpart of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Secretary of Defense Bill Gates.

Soon, the most complicated role in the world may come to an end: with the final ratification of the Lisbon Treaty - the constitutional document of the European Union - the EU will appoint, for the first time, a foreign minister, who will head a European diplomatic service. Solana will step down. A proverbial moment before he does, he has agreed to grant Haaretz an exclusive interview.

The 67-year old Solana, who was in Israel this week as a guest at the President's Conference, is uncertain what the future holds for him. He is also not willing to reveal whom, among the candidates for the new position, he prefers. He prefers to talk about the day to day issues that were his bread and butter during the past decade.

For example, he would like to understand what troubled Israel that led to its decision to prevent French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner to travel to the Gaza Strip this week. After all, he says, the visit was humanitarian in nature. He was told that Israel would like to prevent a "Hamas festival" that will grant legitimacy to the terrorist group ruling the Gaza strip.

Waging Diplomatic War

The Jerusalem Post (Link) - Caroline Glick (October 23, 2009)

If, to paraphrase Carl von Clausewitz, diplomacy is war by other means, then just as armies are called upon to concentrate their efforts and resources where they can do the most good for their cause, so governments must utilize their diplomatic resources - whether plentiful or scarce - to advance their most important national interests.

The Palestinians and the Iranians have formidable diplomatic resources at their disposal. Both the Palestinians and Iran can expect to receive the support of automatic majorities at the UN for everything they do. And today most international diplomacy is conducted under the aegis of the UN or its affiliated bodies. Understanding their strength, the Palestinians and the Iranians use the UN and its affiliated organs to advance their most important goals. In the Palestinians' case, UN-based diplomacy is used to delegitimize Israel. In the Iranian case, UN-based diplomacy is used to facilitate the mullocracy's acquisition of nuclear weapons. Over the past week, both the Palestinians and the Iranians enjoyed strategic victories in their diplomatic campaigns.

Last Friday, the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution condemning Israel in every possible way for asserting its sovereignty over its capital city and for defending its citizens against wanton, massive, unprovoked and illegal terror from the skies emanating from Hamas-controlled Gaza. The resolution represented a massive achievement for the Palestinians. It referred Israel to the Security Council with the recommendation that Israel's leaders be tried as war criminals before international tribunals. That is, the UNHRC's resolution effectively delegitimized Israel's right to exist by denying that it has a right to defend its territory and its people from illegal aggression carried out by an illegal terrorist organization.

Then on Wednesday, Mohamed ElBaradei, the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency's virulently anti-Israel chairman, announced a deal has been reached between Iran and the US, Russia and France regarding Iran's nuclear program. The deal - which the parties initialized in Geneva after just three days of talks - legitimizes Iran's nuclear weapons program and effectively transforms the US, the EU and Russia into facilitators rather than opponents of that program.

According to news reports of the accord, the US agreed to send American personnel to Iran to upgrade a research reactor in Teheran that was provided to the Shah in the 1960s. Russia agreed to increase enrichment levels of Iranian uranium from their current level of 3.5 percent, to 19.75%. And France agreed to transform the higher-enriched uranium into metallic nuclear fuel.

Solana: Palestinian state in 1967 borders

YNet News (Link) (October 21, 2009)

EU Foreign Policy chief Javier Solana said the European Union's goal is to establish a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders.

Speaking in Ramallah on Wednesday, Solana said the sooner this happens, the better.

Solana met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday morning, and is scheduled to meet later with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

His visit to the Palestinian Authority is aimed at highlighting the EU's commitment to the region and supporting the PA leadership.

Solana is slated to visit Israel on Thursday, and meet with Israeli officials.

During his visit to Ramallah, Solana said there may be a need to exchange certain territories, but he said this should not disrupt the territory's continuity.

He said EU's stance in the matter is similar to that of the Quartet on the Middle East, and expressed his support of Abbas' efforts to unite the Palestinian people in light of the current dispute between his Fatah party and Hamas.

Solana's meeting with Abbas came before the latter's trip to Egypt. After the meeting, Solana said that Abbas took off to Cairo where reconciliation talks between the two Palestinian factions are ongoing, and stressed that Abbas is dedicated to closing a deal.

Later Wednesday, Solana told the Israeli Presidential Conference in Jerusalem that the world must not accept an Iranian nuclear bomb. According to Solana, "Tomorrow is today and we have no time to lose."

As for the peace process in the Middle East, Solana called for limited negotiations. "The time to do it is now. Nothing has been done in the world without taking risks."

Steve Rosen: CIA, FBI paranoid about Mossad

The Jerusalem Post (Link) - E.B. Solomont (October 21, 2009)

Charges of espionage against US Defense Department scientist Stewart Nozette reflect "extreme views" against Israel that could harm US-Israel relations, former AIPAC staffer Steve Rosen told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

Rosen, AIPAC's former foreign policy chief who was accused, with Keith Weissman, of passing along classified information, said it was revealing that Israel was inserted into the narrative of Nozette's entrapment and subsequent arrest. The case against Rosen and Weissman was dismissed last spring.

"One of the things that our case revealed is the very extreme views that are held by some in counterintelligence agencies of the CIA and FBI about Israel," Rosen said. "They believe that the Mossad spied on the US on a huge scale and they believe that the Pollard case was the tip of some sort of iceberg.

"When you keep repeating that the Mossad is spying on America, Israel is harming the United States, of course it harms the alliance between Israel and the US," he continued. "The current case is even more peculiar because the government of Israel did nothing.

"It's revealing that they used Israel for the sting," Rosen added. "They could have used China, or others. But they chose Israel."

New Iranian missiles for Gaza, Syria tops up Hizballah's rocket stocks

DEBKAfile (Link) (October 20, 2009)

Iran is making a huge effort to smuggle to the Palestinian Hamas Fajr-5 ground-to-ground rockets that bring Tel Aviv within range of the Gaza Strip. DEBKAfile's military sources also disclose that Syria, Iran's second ally with an Israeli border, has decided to transfer one-third of its missile stockpile to the Hizballah in Lebanon, topping up its arsenal with medium-range rockets that can cover central as well as northern Israel, which was heavily blitzed in the 2006 war.

Israel's top strategists are studying these massive missile transfers to hostile entities to find answers to a number of key questions:

1. Syria has destined some 250 surface missiles of its stockpile of 800 for Hizballah. Are they Scuds B, C and D whose ranges exceed 800 kilometers, or Iranian-Syrian made projectiles whose range is shorter?

2. Do the transfers mean Iran and its allies are gearing up for a major Middle East conflict in the months ahead, possibly in early 2010?

3. Will Syria hand over to Hizballah some of its chemicals-tipped missiles?

4. Will some batteries be installed atop the mountain ranges running down central Lebanon, together with air defense systems supplied at the same time by Syria?

Israel is particularly concerned by the Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt's recent decision to turn coat against the pro-Western camp led by Saad Hariri in favor of deals with Tehran and Damascus.

Encouraging Jewish Ties to Temple Mount

Israel National News (Link) - Hillel Fendel (October 19, 2009)

A large-scale gathering will take place in central Jerusalem next week featuring rabbis and public figures calling on the Jewish public to visit the Temple Mount “in purity.”

The event will be held on Sunday, the 7th of Cheshvan, a day after the anniversary of Maimonides’ visit to the Temple Mount in 1166. Maimonides, the renowned Torah giant known as the Rambam, later wrote of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, "We left Acco for Jerusalem under perilous conditions. I entered into 'the great and holy house' [the Temple Mount] and prayed there on the sixth day of the month of Cheshvan.”

The Rambam further wrote that he visited the Machpelah Cave on the 9th of Cheshvan, and that he vowed to make both those dates “a special holiday [to mark the occasions] on which I will rejoice with prayer, food and drink.”

The event is being held on the backdrop of the closure of the holy site to all Jews throughout the weeklong Sukkot holiday, when many had planned on visiting. The police explained that they had no choice but to close it because of the Arab riots in the area. Hundreds of Jews visited the site after the holiday.

'Israel behind Iran attack'

YNet News (Link) - Dudi Cohen (October 19, 2009)

After accusing the United States and Britain of involvement in the suicide attack that took place in south Iran on Sunday, the Islamic Republic on Monday claimed that Israel was also involved in the terror attack.

Five senior Revolutionary Guards commanders and 37 others were killed in the bombing.

Revolutionary Guard chief Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari said Monday that the Sunni rebel group, known as Jundallah, or Soldiers of God, is at work to disrupt security in Iran and he vowed to deliver a "crushing" response.

"New evidence has been obtained proving the link between yesterday's terrorist attack and the US, British and Pakistani intelligence services," state TV quoted Jafari as saying. "Evidence shows that US, British and Pakistani intelligence supported the group."

He said the attack was "undoubtedly" planned and ordered by the three nation's intelligence services and that a delegation would soon travel to Pakistan to present evidence.

When asked how those responsible for the attack would be punished, Jafari said, "The American and Israeli intelligence agencies are behind this. We must pay them back in order to punish them, and, God willing, we hope to be able to do so."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the terrorist that carried out the attack are now hiding out in Pakistan, and said he had phoned his Pakistani counterpart and demanded the terrorists be extradited.

Hezbollah War Can Destroy Half of Israeli Army!

Bible Prophecy Today (Link) - Bill Salus (October 17, 2009)

President Barrack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but this crowning achievement certainly can’t be attributed to his “Engagement” Mideast peace policy. Current events in that hostile region depict the daunting prospect that the “Mother of all Middle East Wars” is coming soon!

For over six decades the international community has attempted to convince the Arabs and Jews to get along peacefully. It has reduced American presidents from kings to real estate brokers attempting to barter land for peace, and to what avail? The geo-political situation in the cradle of civilization worsens daily. The flawed land for peace policy does nothing more than ask the nation Israel to take a lethal bullet from point blank range for the good of the international community.

Israel realizes now, more than ever before, that their enemies don’t want peace with the Jews; they want peace without the Jews. The Arabs don’t want a 2 - State Solution; they seek a 1 - State Solution consisting of a final Arab State in the Mideast called Palestine. Furthermore, they now believe it is obtainable. The Palestinians and their Arab and Persian cohorts are no longer lobbing protest stones at the Jews but are on the verge of going nuclear!

Doomsday For Damascus?

Bible Prophecy Today (Link) - Michael G. Mickey (October 17, 2009)

Examining current events through the lens of bible prophecy continues to paint a more accurate picture of the end times as detailed in Scripture, seemingly by the hour.

In this commentary I want to illustrate how events presently taking place in Lebanon may be setting the stage for Damascus, Syria - the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world - to cease to exist.

The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap (Isaiah 17:1).

Damascus is today a city of well over 1.5 million inhabitants. Thus, the magnitude of an event occurring that would lead to it being so utterly destroyed it would no longer remain a city brings frightening, even apocalyptic, imagery to mind. But could it happen, potentially very soon? As I'm about to detail, there is little doubt.

Turkey Tightens Syrian-Iranian Axis after Snubbing Israel

Israel National News (Link) - Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu (October 14, 2009)

The threat of the anti-Israel axis north of the border worsened Wednesday with the announcement that Turkey, which has close ties with Iran, conducted joint military drills with Syria after snubbing Israel.

The maneuvers were held last week, revealed Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, who made the announcement on the Qatar-based Arabic-language Al Jazeera news network. "One week ago, Syria and Turkey carried out maneuvers near Ankara," Moallem announced. "This is important because it refutes reports of poor relations between the military and political institutes in Turkey over its strategic relations with Syria."

The Syrian-Turkish military exercises were apparently being held at the same time that Turkey was informing Jerusalem that it would ban the IAF from participating in the joint Anatolian Eagle exercise, a move that was not made public by Israel until Sunday. The war games, scheduled to be held together with Turkey, the U.S. and Italy, reportedly were to include mock bombing raids in air space near the borders of Iran, Iraq and Syria. Israeli planes are believed to have passed through Turkish air space two years ago during the attack on a Syrian nuclear facility under construction.

Two decades of close ties between Ankara and Jerusalem appear to be coming to an end, the Asia Times reported Wednesday. It explained that demands from the Arab world and from hard-line Muslims in Turkey have influenced the government to distance itself from Israel, which has supplied Ankara with hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of equipment for refurbishing tanks and airplanes.

"This is a seriously worrying development," former Israeli Air Force Commander Eitan Ben-Eliyahu told an interviewer on Israeli television. "Turkey is critically essential in the training of our air force over wide spaces, particularly given Turkey's strategic location adjacent to both Iran and Syria."