SPECIAL EDITION
Friday, October 19, 2007
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (I Timothy 1:7)
SPECIAL NOTICE --
Every article in this Special Edition comes from today's alert from Bridges for Peace in Jerusalem.
Possible World War III In The News
Israel Warns World War III May be Biblical War of Gog and Magog
US President George W. Bush said a nuclear Iran would mean World War III. Israeli newscasts featured Gog and Magog maps of the likely alignment of nations in that potential conflict. Channel 2 and Channel 10 TV showed the world map, sketching the basic alignment of the two opposing axes in a coming world war, in a manner evoking associations of the Gog and Magog prophecy for many viewers. The prophecy of Gog and Magog refers to a great world war centered on the Holy Land and Jerusalem, and first appears in the book of Yechezkel (Ezekiel). On one side were Israel, the United States, Britain, France, and Germany. On the other were Iran, Russia, China, Syria, and North Korea.
US President Bush said Wednesday [October 17] during a press conference that Iran attaining nuclear weapons raises the risk of "World War III." "If Iran had a nuclear weapon, it'd be a dangerous threat to world peace," Bush said. "So I told people that if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested [in preventing a nuclear Iran] I take the threat of Iran with a nuclear weapon very seriously."
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iran Tuesday and slammed the United States' refusal to rule out the use of force against Iran's nuclear project. "Not only should we reject the use of force, but also the mention of force as a possibility," he said. Russia has blocked tougher sanctions in the UN Security Council, where it has veto power. Putin asserts that there is no evidence Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons rather than a peaceful nuclear power program.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni called for a new UN Security Council resolution against Iran at a press conference following her meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Wednesday. "I do believe there is a need for another Security Council resolution," she told reporters. "In the past, the need to get everybody on board-including Russia and China-led to some compromises on the nature of the sanctions. I hope this will not be the case this time." (Excerpts of an article by Ezra HaLevi, IsraelNationalNews.com, October 18, 2007)
· Praise God that the Jewish people are reading the Hebrew Scriptures. Pray that they will take heart from the Word of God with regards to the destiny of Israel and also be moved to humility and repentance before the God of Israel.
· "Thus says the Lord GOD: 'Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them? . . . And I will bring him to judgment . . . I will rain down on him . . . and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD' . . . So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day forward." (Ezekiel 38:17, 22-23, 39:22)
"Israel Cannot Be Destroyed," Says Former Mossad Chief Halevy noted that Israel would not be destroyed. "We cannot say that the Iranian threat is an existential threat on the State of Israel. I believe that the State of Israel cannot be eliminated. It cannot be destroyed because of things you know and because of things you can imagine." According to the former Mossad chief, Iran was the big loser of the Second Lebanon War. "What happened in Lebanon was an Israeli move which hit the Iranians right between the eyes. They did nothing, absolutely nothing. It was a powerful and direct move by Israel, and they did nothing. This should teach us that the Iranians are not huge. We saw ourselves as grasshoppers compared to them. This is our problem." As for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, "Had he not existed, we would have had to create him. He is doing great things for us." Addressing Israel's activity in the face of the Iranian nuclear program, Halevy said, "You should assume that things have been done and things are being done, and assume that the Jewish mind can create amazing things. Iran is a bitter enemy, but this does not mean that it should be an enemy forever. "The situation in Iran has not been particularly good over the past year. The economic situation is worsening, there is 30% inflation, official unemployment of 25%, and in Tehran the unemployment rate is 50%. Those who elected Ahmadinejad president did not elect him to develop nuclear weapons, but rather to serve as a successful mayor in Tehran. Students at Tehran's university chant, 'Death to Ahmadinejad,'" Halevy concluded. (By Ronny Sofer, Ynetnews.com, October 18, 2007) · Pray that Israel will not be like the 12 spies of Moses's time, who saw the enemy as giants in the land and themselves as grasshoppers. Pray that Israel will learn that when God is for them, no man can stand against them. · "Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them." (Numbers 14:9) Palestinians Disappointed with Outcome of Rice's Visit To make the conference worthwhile, Palestinians want a specific framework agreement addressing the "core" issues of the conflict: the borders, the status of Jerusalem, and the fate of Palestinian refugees. The Palestinians have said they will not attend the conference without a document that contains details on these matters, as well as a specific time line, warning that failure at the conference will ignite another uprising similar to that which followed the collapse of the Camp David talks in 2000. Israel officials, meanwhile, are seeking a vague document that will leave the big questions open, fearing that conceding too much too soon could drown the whole process in domestic opposition. The United States has not set a date yet or issued invitations but hopes key Arab states, including Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, will attend. Arab leaders have said that before accepting an invitation they want to be sure the conference deals with substance. On Tuesday [October 16], Rice met in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, who said the conference should be put off if a strong deal was not reached. Rice met with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas again later on Wednesday after visiting Bethlehem for a meeting with Palestinian intellectuals and businessmen. Later in the day, Rice will leave for London to meet with Jordan's King Abdullah II in a bid to build support for the conference among skeptical Arab nations. (The Media Line, October 17, 2007) · Though the pressure for a Middle East peace solution is increasing, there seems to be no sign of a breakthrough on the same hard issues. Pray that Israel will stand strong and not bend to international demands she cannot afford to concede. · "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong." (1 Corinthians 16:13) Olmert-Dividing the Land-Faces Unprecedented Third Criminal Probe Israel's attorney general triggered a bomb shell Sunday [October 14] when he announced that Ehud Olmert was under criminal investigation for an unprecedented third time since becoming prime minister. The allegations at the center of this latest affair are reportedly graver than any made in the previous two investigations that are still ongoing against the premier. News of the new probe came as Olmert's ministers were meeting with visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to discuss the increasingly desperate US-pushed effort to create conditions for the birth of a Palestinian state. According to reports, the new investigation will look into suspicions of cronyism, conflicts of interest, and political appointments made by Olmert while serving as trade and industry minister in the government of Ariel Sharon. Right-wing and leftist politicians clamored for "the most-ever-investigated prime minister in the history of Israel" to immediately step down. But political analysts believe it unlikely that the prime minister, who wants to go down in history as having made peace with the Palestinian Arabs, will bow out anytime soon. "Olmert is a tough politician who, throughout his career, has never been inhibited by moral considerations or public opinion from exploiting his authority to the hilt." wrote Dan Izenberg in Monday's edition of The Jerusalem Post. While the Knesset [Parliament], in which Olmert has some serious political foes, could force him to resign, this was an unlikely option because too many MKs [members of Knesset] preferred holding on to their seats to seeing a disgraced prime minister face justice. Olmert's "popularity might continue to plummet-if, indeed, it can go any lower than it already is-but the odds are that not only will he continue to govern, but he will do so without displaying even the smallest degree of inhibition in using his powers," concluded Izenberg. (By Stan Goodenough, jnewswire.com, October 15, 2007) · Pray that Israel's justice system will work for the good of the country to eradicate all corruption and wickedness. Pray that God will raise up righteous leadership for Israel. · "Blessed are those who keep justice, and he who does righeousness at all times! Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people. Oh, visit me with Your salvation, that I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, that I may glory with Your inheritance." (Psalm 106:3-5) Syria Confirms Israel Destroyed Nuclear Facility A Syrian official has admitted that the Israeli operation on September 6 destroyed a nuclear facility, but the admission was followed shortly afterwards by a Syrian government denial. A Syrian representative said Tuesday [October 16] at the United Nations that reports that the target was a nuclear device were accurate. Syrian officials, including President Bashar Assad, had previously claimed that Israel attacked an abandoned army base or an agricultural facility. During a meeting of the UN Disarmament Commission, the Syrian representative acknowledged that the target had been the nuclear facility. Israeli foreign ministry officials also attended the meeting. He accused Israel of aggression for targeting the facility. In Israel, details of the strike, beyond the fact that an operation took place on September 6 in Syria, are still under gag order. Local media continue to skirt the order by leaking information to foreign papers and then citing their reports. Some analysts have said the reason for the continued silence of the Israeli government on the attack is to avoid humiliating Assad and leading to a possible military escalation. Dr. Elon Liel, a former director general of the foreign ministry, has gone one step further in his hope for a conciliatory approach to Israel's northern neighbor, sending a letter to Israeli Education Minister Yuli Tamir asking her to prevent high school students from participating in the "In the Footsteps of the Warriors" tours in the Golan Heights. Liel said he feared the tours would strengthen the students' connection to the Golan. He called the tours "a provocation," saying Israel would discourage Syria from negotiating an Israeli retreat from the Golan. Brigadier-General Avigdor Kahalani, who participated in the liberation of the Golan and the creation of the "In the Footsteps of the Warriors" tours, rejected Liel's demand as "nothing more than a leftist initiative." The tours are important to the students' morale and strengthen their sense of identification with Israel Defense Forces soldiers who fought in previous wars, he said. "A bus full of students is not a provocation." (By Ezra HaLevi, IsraelNationalNews.com, October 17, 2007) · Pray that God will protect Israel's border with Syria and the entire Golan Heights. · "Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, and you shall tread down their high places." (Deuteronomy 33:29)
Mossad Chief: "Israel Cannot Be Destroyed"
..."Israel cannot survive"!
Israel cannot be destroyed, former Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy said Wednesday evening [October 17]. "(Russian President Vladimir) Putin is not interested in a nuclear Iran," Halevy said, adding that there was a big chance the Iranians would not achieve what they were after. Speaking at an event organized by the Lander Institute in Jerusalem, a day before Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's visit to Moscow and a day after Putin's visit to Tehran, Halevy said that "all the problems Israel had were not the result of unidentified threats. Iran must be dealt with in two simultaneous ways. They must be pressured through the global economy, and they must be given an opportunity to talk once they change their ways."
Palestinians Disappointed with Outcome of Rice's Visit
Palestinian officials expressed disappointment with the pronouncements of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over the importance of a joint Palestinian-Israeli statement to be reached ahead of the peace conference scheduled for the United States later this year. Rice, who did not rule out the possibility of delaying the conference, has downplayed expectations over an imminent breakthrough in the talks between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators, due to sharp differences.
Olmert Faces Third Criminal Probe
Syria Confirms Israel Destroyed Nuclear Facility
