Showing posts with label gaza. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gaza. Show all posts

Monday 6 May 2019

Akkoord tot een staakt-het-vuren tussen Palestijnse leiders in Gaza en Israël

De afgelopen dagen is er heel wat heen en weer geschoten tussen Gaza en Israël.

Volgens het ministerie van Gezondheid in Gaza kwamen negentien Palestijnen om bij Israëlische bombardementen. Onder de doden zijn een zwangere vrouw en een baby van van vier maanden. Zeker zes Palestijnen waren militanten van de islamistische groep Hamas, of bondgenoot Islamitische Jihad, zeggen de twee organisaties.

Aan de Israëlische kant van de grens kwamen vier burgers om door raketbeschietingen. Er was ook zeker één antitankraket bij, zeggen de Israëlische autoriteiten. De secretaris-generaal van de Verenigde Naties, Antonio Guterres, riep zondag op tot 'maximale terughoudendheid' en een 'onmiddelijk de-escalatie'.

Na het ergste geweld in de regio sinds de oorlog van 2014 kwam door bemiddeling van Egypte een staakt-het-vuren van kracht vanaf maandagochtend 6 mei om 4.30 uur. Een Egyptische verantwoordelijke, die anoniem wil blijven, bevestigt het nieuws aan AFP. De woordvoerder van het Israëlische leger gaf geen commentaar.

Een raketaanval vanuit Gaza. In Israël vielen zondag vier doden, in Gaza waren dat er negentien. © Reuters

Friday 16 September 2011

Turkey vs. Israël


During the Jewish month Tishrei when New Year and Yom Kippur are held in Israel Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan rings with the word “collusion”.

 There is mounting concern that the Palestinian statehood bid at the UN on September 20 could spark a massive Palestinian assault on Israel's borders. Depending on how far Israeli soldiers are forced to go in defending themselves and the borders, the situation could quickly deteriorate into open warfare.
 To prepare young Israeli soldiers for what could be the most intense fighting most of them have ever experienced, some army officials are turning to the Bible.

 In an interview posted to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) website, Lt.-Col. Yitzchak Ben-Yosef, rabbi of the Ground Forces Command, suggested that unlike during the height of the fighting during the recent "Oslo War," the IDF will be prepared with enough Bibles for all soldiers.
"As [the former] Rabbi for Judea and Samaria I remember that we were often short of copies," said Ben-Yosef, as he recalled having to bring Bibles in under fire as Israeli reservists battled terrorists during Operation Defence Shield.

Religious commanders in the Israeli army insist that the biblical history of their nation provides the most powerful motivation for young Israeli soldiers to fight bravely. While secular voices often protest, the fact remains that the most courageous heroics are typically carried out by Bible-believing Israeli soldiers.

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Wim Verdouw, van Immanuël, Gemeente van het Levende Woord, schreef:
“De Turkse premier Erdogan komt zogenaamd op voor het Gazaanse volk, hypocrieter kan haast niet meer. De Turkse natie heeft een eeuwenoude geschiedenis van bezetting, onderdrukking en genocide van dozijnen volkeren en naties.

Turkije hield ook Israël [en dus ook de Gazastrook] voor 400 jaar lang bezet, van 1517 af tot in 1918. Het zijn de Britten, onder het bevel van Generaal Edmund Allenby die tijdens de Slag van Megiddo [de tegenwoordige naam van het Bijbelse Armageddon]  eind september 1918 het Ottomaanse/Turkse Leger zullen verslaan. Die Ottomaanse strijdmacht stond onder het mede-commando van Mustafa Kemal Pasha – later bekend als Atatürk, de stichter van de moderne staat Turkije. Na die vernietigende slag in Megiddo zullen de Britten op de veroverde gronden  in 1922 het Britse Mandaat Palestina oprichten, de facto historisch Joodse gronden, en het land van Israël 30 jaar lang bezet houden

Het land weigert de massamoord op het Armeense volk van 1915 te erkennen en houdt het grootste deel van het voormalige land Armenië tot op vandaag bezet net zoals het ook grote delen van Georgië (Lazistan, in 1578 veroverd door de Turken) heeft afgenomen en bezet houdt. Daarnaast organiseert het land systematisch klopjachten op de Koerden die door Ankara als 3de rangsburgers worden behandeld en een eigen land – Koerdistan – ontzegd worden.

Het is Turkije dan ook helemaal niet te doen om de Gazanen te helpen, of Gaza te ‘bevrijden’ van de Zionistische bezetter. Premier Erdogan geeft geen moer om de Palestijnen. Dat volk kan wat hem betreft hem gestolen worden. Het is Erdogan in werkelijkheid enkel om Israël, om de Joden, te doen. Dat land wil hij eerst vernietigen en de Joden in zee drijven. Dan kan de natte antisemitische droom van die nep-Ottomaan van een nieuw sterk Turks islamitisch imperium in het Midden-Oosten weer werkelijkheid worden. Maar eerst de Joden uitroeien. Die sta-in-de-weg moet eruit, en de Turken binnen.”


Thursday 22 July 2010

Hamas Panicked When Israel Eased Blockade

(16-JUL-10):Hamas Panicked When Israel Eased Blockade
 A7 News 16-07-10 by Hana Levi Julian

Israel's decision to ease its blockade on Gaza has had an odd effect on the region: it has apparently thrown Gaza retailers into a panic, causing them to pressure their rulers.
As a result, the Hamas terrorist organization is fighting the implementation of the crossing agreements proposed by the Palestinian Authority and Israel.  This, despite years of bitter complaints from Hamas, albeit unsubstantiated, that the blockade by Israel was causing a humanitarian crisis in the region.
According to the Gaza-based Al Ayyam newspaper, clothing retailers are claiming that rather than a lack, there is now an overabundance of selections in their market.
The problem is that since Hamas has not paid salaries, there are few customers available to buy the goods.
Soft drink manufacturers and those in the furniture industry are also complaining, as they don't want to compete with the lower prices of Israeli goods.
Both have called on the de facto Hamas government to prevent the entry of Israeli products, citing their ability to meet the needs of the local market themselves and fears they may have to close their factories if they cannot meet the competition.
Due to the goods that continue to be "imported" through the Gaza smuggler tunnels, as well as those that enter the region by truck, there is now a surplus of products in the small market.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri claimed the agreement is "part of the plot by Israelis, Arabs and Europeans to restore the rule of the [Fatah-led] Palestinian Authority in Gaza."

Aid to Gaza Up by 60% While Hamas backpedals on its claims that Israel has been starving its population by limiting the flow of aid through the crossings, the new policy change has resulted in what Gaza retailers are calling a glut of goods in the region.
Data gleaned from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (CoGAT) for June showed a 60 percent increase in aid transferred from Israel to Gaza via the Kerem Shalom Crossing.
A new joint task force comprised of personnel from the Palestinian Authority and the IDF's CoGAT was created to oversee the policy changes and work on advancing coordinated projects to be supervised by the international community.  The task force also continues to work on finding ways to increase the capacity of goods being transferred daily through the crossings, according to a statement from the IDF Spokesman's Office.
More than 3,000 trucks crossed into Gaza through Kerem Shalom and the Karni Crossing last month.  In addition, the Jewish State continued to supply the region with heating gas (4 million liters), cooking gas (4,000 tons) and diesel fuel (approximately 600,000 liters).
Some 2,500 PA residents of Gaza entered Israel as well during the month of June, passing through the Erez Crossing, which is specifically intended for human traffic.  The number is a 25 percent jump over previous figures.
In total, the number of trucks making their way into Gaza through the Israeli crossings has increased by 12 percent, according to the CoGAT.

Libyan aid ship vows to break Israeli blockade of Gaza

Vervolgend op Schieten op hulpgoederenvoorzieners


Daily Telegraph 11 Jul 2010 A new confrontation was looming off the coast of Gaza on Sunday night as a Libyan-backed ship pledged to break through the Israeli blockade on the territory.

By Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent, and Samer al-Atrush in Cairo The Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation said its ship, which left port in Greece on Saturday, was aiming to reach Palestinian land with its cargo of 2,000 tons of food and medical supplies.

"Our goal is not to provoke a clash, but we intend to go to Gaza," said Yusef Sawani, director of the charity, which is under the control of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son and heir apparent of the Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

"This is a humanitarian operation - it has no political objective.  Our ship is carrying food aid, not fighters," he told the Daily Telegraph.

Israel has said it is maintaining its sea blockade of Gaza, while easing restrictions at its land border.  It says the blockade remains necessary to prevent arms being delivered to the militant group Hamas, which controls the territory.

It has offered to allow delivery of the aid items at its own port of Ashdod, but also says it has been assured the boat will avoid confrontation by heading for the Egyptian port of El-Arish.

But Mr Sawani said Israel's claims that an agreement had been reached for the ship to be diverted to Egypt had been denied to him.

"Our trusted sources in the Greek government have denied any agreement," he said.

The boat, the Amalthea, which has 12 crew and 15 activists on board, is Moldovan-registered and set sail from the port of Lavrio in Greece.  The compromise to allow it to head for Egypt was said to have been agreed between the Greek and Egyptian authorities.

"The goods can be transferred to the Gaza Strip through Ashdod port after being checked," a statement from the Israeli defence minister, Ehud Barak, said.

"However, we will not allow the entry of arms, weapons or anything which will support fighting into Gaza.  We recommend that the organisers either let the ship be escorted by navy vessels to Ashdod port or that is sails directly to the port of El-Arish."

The Israeli authorities are keen to avoid a repeat of the international condemnation which followed the clash between its navy and an aid ship chartered by a Turkish group in which nine activists were killed six weeks ago.

The Libyan charity plays a key political role in promoting the younger Mr Gaddafi's attempts to modernise Libya without losing his father's reputation for Arab nationalism.

It was prominent in the arrangements surrounding the release of the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, from prison in Scotland and his return to Libya a year ago.

Mr Sawani said he did not want to "provoke" Israel.  However, the El-Arish port authorities said on Sunday night they had received no request from the ship to dock there.

Monday 19 July 2010

Two State Solution

A majority of British Jews believe Israel should swap territory for peace, and negotiate with Hamas, a survey suggests. Some 72% agreed Israel's action in Gaza in 2008 and 2009 was "a legitimate act of self-defence".
But 77% favoured a "two-state solution", creating a Palestinian state, as the "only way" to make peace.
The study of 4,000 people was carried by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research.
Just over half, 52%, said they would support Israeli government negotiations with Hamas. The study found British Jews strongly identified with and supported Israel, with nine out of 10 having visited it.
BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott said although Israel clearly remained a cornerstone of Jewish identity in Britain, the survey suggested a substantial majority of Jews believed that they should be free to criticise Israel.
It is remarkable that so many Jews seem to think that withdrawing from the land that God has given them will bring them peace. It shows an utter contempt for God and his hand in bringing them back to the land (as promised) and establishing them there.

A few years ago a survey was done in Israel which showed 60% of Israelis (living in Israel) supported further unilateral withdrawal from the land in a similar way to how they pulled out of Gaza in 2005.
These percentages are mentioned in the Bible. Zec 13:8. We are told that 66% of those living in Israel will be killed in the coming war. Perhaps those who do not believe they can live in the land will be “removed” from the land – as with the Israelites who did not believe they could take in land when the 10 spies reported back in the days of Moses.

"wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?... And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? ….Your carcases SHALL fall in this wilderness; " (Numbers 14:3,26,29)

Read more about today's situation > Weekly World Watch 11th - 17th July 2010‏

Tuesday 1 June 2010

Schieten op hulpgoederenvoorzieners

Een konvooi bestaande uit zes schepen met 750 activisten (verschillende nationaliteiten) en vijftien ton hulpgoederen zoals waterzuiveringsmiddelen, cement, medisch apparatuur, rolstoelen, speelgoed en schoolspullen op weg van Cyprus naar Gaza is maandag door Israëlische soldaten aangevallen en naar Ashod gebracht.

Sinds de machtsovername van Hamas in 2007, onderwerpt Israël Gaza aan een draconische economische blokkade. Volgens de VN kan slechts een fractie van de broodnodige hulpgoederen het gebied in. “Als bezettende macht moet Israël nochtans instaan voor het welzijn van de burgerbevolking in Gaza”, stelt Brigitte Herremans, medewerker Midden-Oosten van Broederlijk Delen en Pax Christi Vlaanderen. “Zo moet het land de doorgang voor personen en goederen voorzien, zodat de mensen in Gaza een waardig en normaal leven kunnen leiden. "

De overtocht van de ‘Freedom Flotilla’ gebeurde onder leiding van de Turkse Humanitarian Relief Foundation maar omhelsde vele nationaliteiten van medewerkers en sympatisanten, o.a. uit België, Nederland, Groot-Brittannië, Ierland, Zweden, Griekenland, Kuwait, Algerijë en Turkijën welk toch een moslim land was dat tot nu toe enig begrip en samenwerking met Israël kon opbrengen.

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‘De commando's daalden vanuit een helikopter neer op het schip’, zegt Audrey Bomse, woordvoerster van Free Gaza Organization aan het Duitse persagentschap dpa. De Israëlische commando’s werden volgens Channel 10 aangevallen met messen en bijlen, waarna ze begonnen te schieten. Er zouden zes soldaten naar het ziekenhuis afgevoerd zijn.

Op de Britse nieuwssite The Guardian staat een filmpje waarmee Israël probeert aan te tonen dat de activisten op de boot geweld gebruikten tegen de Israëlische soldaten. Greta Berlin, een organisator van de beweging Free Gaza, zei tegen de Arabische nieuwssite Al Jazeera dat de activisten niet eerst hebben geschoten en dat elke vorm van geweld zelfverdediging was.


De Israëlische staat doet meer slecht dan goed aan haar reputatie met de aanval op weerloze burgers gisteren.
Zij beweren dat zij rechtmatig ingrepen om dat het konvooi met hulpgoederen onterecht de Israëilische wateren binnendrong en zij werden aangevallen.
Op dat vlak gingen verscheidene zogenaamde vredelievende missiegangers hun boekje te buiten en zien wij ze toch soldaten te lijf gaan en zelfs soldaten over boord gooien.

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Spijtig genoeg kan men door deze opgenomen videos tijdens de belegering zien dat er naast de onbewapende burgers aan boord die geen agressieve houding aannamen er ook mensen waren die hun boekje te buiten gingen en met metalen staven de soldaten te lijf gingen. Men kan zien hoe er wordt ingeslagen op de inspectie troepen en hoe de IDF aanhangers schandalig hard blijven slaan op neergebrachte soldaten en zich barbaars gedroegen. Het gevaar is dat de zogenaamd onschuldige organisatie militanten aan boord heeft gebracht met het doel een confrontatie te veroorzaken met het doel Turkije bij het conflict te betrekken. Daarin zouden zij nu dan ten dele gelukt zijn.

Verder kan men ook de vraag stellen of deze burgers al of niet op voorhand geprovoceerd hebben, wat nog steeds niet de actie van de soldaten verantwoord, maar men kan de vraag stellen of het werkelijk zo is dat Israël de mogelijkheid en toelating had gegeven om de artikelen over land te vervoeren. Op de televisie konden wij wel zien dat toen een van de schepen in de verboden wateren voer zij meermaals gewaarschuwd werden. (Maar die beelden kunnen natuurlijk ook naderhand samengesteld zijn geworden.)

De actievoerders kunnen misschien politieke agitatoren genoemd worden, alhoewel zij een vredelievende missie voor hadden. Hun hoop om hulpgoederen te leveren in de Gaza strook kon niet aanzien worden als een bedreiging of gevaar voor het sterke Israëlische leger. Als ze deze schepen wilden blokkeren dan had dat zonder het doden van mensen gekund!

In de onderstaande video legt de Amerikaanse geboren pro-Palestijn activist Huwaida Arraf de Vrije Gaza Bewegingsvoorzitter en delegatiemede-coördinator voor het smaldeel, de missie van het smaldeel uit dat Israël hen dreigt aan te vallen alhoewel het  duidelijk is dat zij gewone burgers zijn, zij geen bedreigingen stellen behalve het feit dat zij samen het recht van de Palestijnse mensen willen verdedigen Om een leven met waardigheid te leiden.

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Iets voor gekidnapt te worden door Israël, verklaarde Arraf: "Niemand kon misschien geloven dat onze kleine boot flotilla een bedreiging voor Israël samenstelt. Wij dragen medisch en wederopbouwgoederen en speelgoed voor kinderen. Onze passagiers omvatten een Nobel vredesprijslaureaat en een voormalig V.S. congreslid. Onze boot werd onderzocht en ontving een veiligheidsvergunning van deCyprische Haven Autoriteiten voor wij vertrokken en in geen tijd benaderden wij Israëlische wateren".

De vijf Belgen die mee waren met de humanitaire vloot worden volgens Buitenlandse Zaken gevangen gehouden door de Israëlische autoriteiten. BuZa eist onmiddellijke toegang tot de landgenoten voor consulaire bijstand. Het gaat over een cameraman van Al Jazeera, twee allochtone Belgen en twee Belgische vrouwen.

Die laatse zijn Griet Deknopper (32) uit Halle/Dworp en Inge Neefs (26) uit Leuven. Zij zaten niet op de Marmara, de boot die aangevallen werd door de Israëlische troepen, maar vaarden mee met de Challenger 1. Zij plaatsten eerder een persoonlijke videoboodschap op You Tube waarin zij hun situatie uitleggen.

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Het is wel heel duidelijk dat de mensenrechten geschonden werden. Ook al gingen sommigen van de actievoerders hun schoentje te buiten, verantwoord dit nog niet de militaire acties van de Israëlische regering. De gehele beschaafde gemeenschap hoort hiertegen te reageren.


Ontslagnemend minister van Ontwikkelingssamenwerking Charles Michel is geschandaliseerd en veroordeelt het gebruik van geweld door het Israëlische leger bij de raid op het hulpkonvooi. De minister protesteerde in het verleden verscheidene keren tegen de  Israëlische blokkade van Gaza.




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"Deze internationale vrijwilligers wilden de blokkade van Gaza aan de kaak stellen en doorbreken."  zegt Brigitte Herremans, " Het Israëlische leger gebruikte echter excessief en dodelijk geweld tegen hen. Dit incident toont opnieuw aan hoezeer internationale actie voor Gaza broodnodig is. De internationale gemeenschap maant Israël wel aan om de grenzen te openen, maar onderneemt geen concrete actie. Verschillende ministers bezochten de regio om de bevolking een hart onder de riem te steken. Ze oefenen echter onvoldoende druk uit op Israël om zijn verplichtingen onder het internationale recht na te leven en de grenzen te openen. Dit zet verontrustte burgers wereldwijd aan om zelf in actie te schieten en tegemoet te komen aan de noden van de bevolking in Gaza. De internationale gemeenschap moet nu ook in actie schieten.”

Saturday 24 January 2009

Hamas the modern Philistines

The retaliation of Israel against Hamas in Gaza has opened a "can of worms" as far as the United Nations is concerned, but it has reinforced the expectations of those who understand the Plan and Purpose of God Almighty that we are living in what is scripturally termed "the Last Days." The attention of the world has now centred on that tiny country and, in the near future, that attention will focus on Jerusalem, for God has decreed He will draw all nations against it to battle. The god of the world, Money, has proved powerless to save.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
and a light unto my path”. Ps 119:105 SIGNS OF OUR TIMES
Isaiah 11:14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward
the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their
hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.

Sings of our Times Vol. 20 No. 2
February 2009

HAMAS - THE MODERN PHILISTINES

The above passage from Isaiah is found in the context of a prophecy which foretells the return of the Jews to Israel.
Isaiah 11:11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and they that vex Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.

However, the earlier section of the chapter contains the well-known passage
“6 And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them,” so it is difficult to know if the attack on the Philistine territory now known as Gaza refers to the present or the future when Christ (“a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots” [v.1]) is ruling in Jerusalem.

Certainly the Israelis are dwelling together amicably and the old divided nation consisting of two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, has been replaced by “the nation of Israel” in fulfilment of the latter part of v.13 “..... Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.” However, the earlier part of that verse reads: “The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off:”

Perhaps we are witnessing this prophecy in progress, but the following extract from an article from TIME
Magazine, January 19, 2009 itemizes the difficulties.

AS ISRAELI TROOPS ENCIRCLE Gaza City, their commanders are faced with a painful dilemma: How far must they advance into the deadly labyrinth of slums and refugee camps where Hamas militants await with booby trapped houses and snipers? With each passing day, Israel's war against Hamas grows riskier and more punishing, with the gains appearing to diminish compared to the spiralling costs - to Israel's moral stature, to the lives of Palestinian civilians and to the world's hopes that an ancient conflict can ever be resolved. Ideally, in a war shaped by television images, Israelis would like a tableau of surrender: grimy Hamas commanders crawling from underground bunkers with their hands up. Instead, the deaths of at least 40 civilians taking shelter at a United Nations-run school north of Gaza City are more likely to become the dominant image of the war. Israeli politicians and generals know that the total elimination of Hamas' entrenched military command could take weeks; it might be altogether impossible.

The more realistic outcome is an unsatisfactory, brokered truce that leaves Hamas wounded but alive and able to regenerate - and Israel only temporarily safe from attack. Israel's Defence Minister, Ehud Barak, has promised a "war to the bitter end." But after 60 years of struggle to defend their existence against foreign threats and enemies within, many Israelis may be wondering, Where does that end lie?

The threat posed by Hamas is only the most immediate of the many interlocking challenges facing Israel, some of which cast dark shadows over the long-term viability of a democratic Jewish state. The offensive in Gaza may degrade Hamas' ability to menace southern Israel with rocket fire, but, as with Israel's 2006 war against Hizballah, the application of force won't extinguish the militants' ideological fervour. The anti-Israeli anger swelling in the region has made it more difficult for Arab governments to join Israel in its efforts to deal with Iran, the patron of both Hamas and Hizballah and a state whose leaders have sworn to eliminate Israel and appear determined to acquire nuclear weapons. Just as ominous for many Israelis is a ticking demographic time bomb: the likelihood that Arabs will vastly outnumber Jews in the land stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean is a catastrophic prospect for a nation that defines itself by its faith.

Israelis will have to choose between living with an independent Palestinian state or watching Jews become a minority in their own land.

As much as any other nation on earth, Israel is based on a dream: the aspiration to establish a home for the Jews in the birth-place of their ancestors. To a remarkable extent, that dream has been fulfilled, as Israel has grown into the most modern and democratic country in the Middle East. A strong, confident Israel ... is one that can find peace with its neighbours, cooperate with the Arabs to contain common threats and, most important, reach a just and lasting solution with the Palestinians. But how do you make peace with those who don't seem to want it? How do you win a war when the other side believes time is on its side? And what would true security, in a hostile neighbourhood populated with enemies, actually look like? As is always true in the Middle East, there are no easy answers.

How to Deal with Hamas

THE MOST IMMEDIATE CHALLENGE facing Israel is that posed by Hamas. Gaza's tragedy has for days been playing out on the world's TV sets. By Jan. 7, more than 700 Palestinians, many of them non-combatants, had been killed. But there's something tragic, too, in Israel's predicament: in any confrontation with its enemies, it is damned if it does and doomed if it doesn't.

Across Israel's political spectrum there seems to be a consensus that Hamas' provocative rocket barrages could not go unanswered - though whether Israel's response has been proportional to the threat is, at the least, questionable .Perhaps more threatening than the rockets themselves was the doubt they cast over Israel's vaunted power of deterrence, which is key to keeping its hostile neighbours at bay. That power was badly eroded in 2006, when Hizballah was able to withstand the Israeli onslaught, force a cease-fire and claim victory in the process. That surely emboldened Hamas, which intermittently sent rockets into southern Israel and finally prompted Israel to respond in force. As respected Israeli columnist Nahum Barnea wrote in the Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth, "A country that is afraid to deal with Hamas won't be able either to  deter Iran or to safeguard its interests in dealing with Syria, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority."

-WITH REPORTING BY TAMIL HAMAD/RAMALLAH, AARON J.
KLEIN/GAZA BORDER AND SCOTT MACLEOD/CAIRO ? (Abridged)


GOD’S ANSWER TO ISRAEL’S DILEMMA

We have seen in Isaiah 11 that God will have an input into what seems to be, in human terms, Israel’s  dilemma.

Surrounded by enemies on every side with the vowed intention of eliminating that tiny State - which, with the
backing of Iran and Russia, seems quite feasible, Israel appears to have a limited existence.
However, God has decreed that Israel will survive after going through “a time of trouble such as never was.”

Below are a number of verses taken from the prophecies of Jeremiah. They are being fulfilled in this generation.

Jeremiah 30:3 [NKJ] ‘For behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the LORD. ‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’"
4 Now these are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah. 5 "For thus says the LORD: ‘We have heard a voice of trembling, Of fear, and not of peace. 6 Ask now, and see, Whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins Like a woman in labor, And all
faces turned pale?
7 Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it.

The present retaliation by Israel against the thousands of rockets fired by Hamas into Israel over the past year has roused the ire of hordes of protesters world-wide.
Throughout Eastern and Western Europe, the UK, and all the Islamic countries down to Indonesia and even in Australia. Synagogues have been torched and antisemitic feelings have manifest themselves in vandalous actions.

The Scriptures indicate a united Arabic conglomerate that will attack Israel prior to the Return of Christ.

Psalm 83 gives the ancient names of all the nations that surround Israel today. The prophecy of Joel 1, 2 &3
describe a huge “locust horde” of nations conducting a “holy war’ (jihad) against Israel. Zechariah 12 & 14
includes “all the nations round about” in a siege against Jerusalem that results in “the city ..... taken ..... and half the city shall go into captivity.”

God’s solution to this event is outlined in the same Scriptures already referred to:

Zechariah 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Joel 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

Perhaps the clearest record of Israel’s present and future condition is to be found in Jeremiah 30:
11 For I am with you,’ says the LORD, ‘to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’12 "For thus says the LORD: ‘Your affliction is incurable, Your wound is severe.13 There is no one to plead your cause, That you may be bound up; You have no healing medicines. 14 All your lovers have forgotten you; They do not seek you; For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, With the chastisement of a cruel one, For the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased. 15 Why do you cry about your affliction? Your sorrow is incurable. Because of the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased, I have done these things to you. 16 ‘Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured; And all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; 
Those who plunder you shall become plunder, And all who prey upon you I will make a prey. 17 For I will restore health to you And heal you of your wounds,’ says the LORD, ‘Because they called you an outcast saying: "This is Zion; No one seeks her."’

ISRAEL’S FUTURE

Some time in the near future, Israel will find herself without a friend in the world “All your lovers have forgotten you; They do not seek you” [v.14]. In other SOTs we have shown from Revelation 9 & 16 that
the nations east of the Euphrates will rise against the West. Perhaps this will prevent the US from assisting
Israel; or the economic situation will be too severe; or ecological calamities wreck all communication and
travel - what ever it is - Israel will stand alone!
Israel will cry to God for help - and it will come!

Jeremiah 31:10  "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’ 11 For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he. 12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, Streaming to the goodness of the LORD––For wheat and new wine and oil, For the young of the flock and the herd; Their souls shall be like a well–watered garden, And they shall sorrow no more at all. 13 "Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old, together; For I will turn their mourning to joy, Will comfort them, And make them rejoice rather than sorrow.
35 Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name): 36 "If those ordinances depart From before Me, says the LORD, Then the seed of Israel shall also cease From being a nation before Me forever."

Let us turn finally to Daniel 12:1  And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people [Israel]: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

“Even so, Come, Lord Jesus.”
 YBIC, Arthur Wright

Sunday 4 January 2009

Gaza in Bible Prophecy

Does Gaza have a significant role to play at the "time of the end"?

As if there were not enough problems in the world to occupy the minds of its inhabitants, such as widespread economic woes, cholera in Zimbabwe, the consequences of climate change and the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, there is now the spectacle of escalating violence in the Middle East.
Israel has been bombarded by thousands of Qassam missiles from Gaza, the first being fired in 2001. However, since the Israeli communities of Gaza were destroyed and the Jews forcibly removed in 2005, the missile fire has become much worse.
...
At this time many may be wondering what kind of role, if any, Gaza may play in Bible prophecy. Gaza or the Philistines is featured in "the word of the Yahweh which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles", starting in Jeremiah in 46. Gaza is mentioned in chapter 47. However, this is not a latter day prophecy.

The Philistines are listed in Psalm 83 as one of the groups that say: "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance." The Psalm is very clear that this campaign ends in the destruction and desolation of these nations. They are to become as "dung for the earth", "as stubble before the wind", they are to be filled with shame and the Psalmist says: "Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish". From this Psalm we definitely cannot expect the Gazians to have any great victories over Israel, rather we can expect them to be put to shame. Psalm 83 is a Psalm of Asaph and makes special reference to the "children of Lot". This is strongly connected with 2 Chronicles 20 where the children of Lot - Moab and Ammon - along with Mount Seir attack Judah. The victory is lead by Jahaziel a son of Asaph who with the singers goes before the army and takes up a refrain from a Psalm of Asaph in verse 21 and the battle is fought by Yahweh. The battle in 2 Chronicles 20 is typical of the time of the end.

Another prophecy that speaks about the area of Gaza is Joel chapter 3.  In Joel 3:4, the prophet speaks of "all the coasts of Palestine".

Read more > Bible in the news
Audio, 10.25 minutes Listen in MP3 Format

Of interest > 'Prophecies for the Era of Muslim Terror'
Rabbi analyzes the long-standing Arab-Israeli quagmire in light of the Torah
The uneasy six-month truce between Israel and the Hamas government in Gaza ended 22nd December 2008. > Signs of the times


Monday 29 December 2008

Bezoekersrecord voor Bethlehem tijdens kerstdagen

Bethlehem
Bethlehem (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Terwijl Gaza zaterdag gebukt ging onder hevige Israëlische luchtaanvallen waarbij ook een katholiek schooltje getroffen werd, maakte de toeristische dienst van Bethlehem bekend dat er in de kerstdagen een nieuw bezoekersrecord gevestigd is. Meer dan 1 miljoen pelgrims bezochten de geboorteplaats van Jezus. De burgemeester van Bethlehem Victor Batarseh spreekt tegenover Radio Vaticaan zijn tevredenheid uit over de hervatting van het toerisme, dat na de start van de tweede Palestijnse intifada vrijwel volledig in elkaar gestuikt was. Dat was vooral een ramp voor de vele christenen in Bethlehem, die vrijwel uitsluitend leven van inkomsten uit de toeristische industrie. De burgemeester noemt het vooral bemoedigend dat de toeristen ook opnieuw in Bethlehem zelf durven overnachten. De Israëlische toeristische dienst maakte pas bekend dat er dit jaar 3 miljoen pelgrims en toeristen het land bezochten, onder wie ruim 2 miljoen christenen.

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2016 update