In This Issue• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• The President's Budget
• New Middle East - Part Two
• A Word to the Wise
• Rumsfeld Warns of Iran EMP Attack
• Watching the U.N.
• The Good News Corner
• Worship with Us Today!
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The Daily Brief - Thursday, February 17, 2011
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
The Daily Brief
1. Obama says governments in the Middle East must recognize 'hunger for freedom' - Washington Post
In the wake of the uprising that toppled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, President Obama on Tuesday sharply criticized Iran for using force against protesters and said that governments in the region "can't maintain power through coercion" and must recognize their populations' "hunger for freedoms." "The world is changing," Obama said at White House news conference, in a message directed at autocratic rulers across the region. Read more
A) Forget Ahmadinejad, Protesters Target Ayatollah- Fox News
B) Army locks down Bahrain, police storm protest - AP
C) Police kill 2 in clashes with Yemen protesters - AP
D) Car Bomb in Iraq Kills 13 as Protests Continue- Fox News
- Father, as "change" is demanded across the Middle East, we ask that You protect the "hunger for freedom" from those who would destroy it. We pray for an Awakening of the One True God all across the region!
- "Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, and I will praise the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord, through which the righteous shall enter." (Psalm 118: 19-20)
2. In sharp reversal, U.S. agrees to rebuke Israel in Security Council - Foreign Policy
The U.S. informed Arab governments Tuesday that it will support a U.N. Security Council statement reaffirming that the 15-nation body "does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity," a move aimed at avoiding the prospect of having to veto a stronger Palestinian resolution calling the settlements illegal.
- Father, we pray for mercy over America as our leaders make decisions which are against Your Word. Grant our leaders and our people the ability to
repent, Lord, and stop any actions which harm Your people Israel.- "And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed." (Joel 2:27)
3. US intelligence unsure over Moslem Brotherhood agenda - Jerusalem Post
Top US intelligence officials faced tough questions from lawmakers Wednesday over Egypt's Moslem Brotherhood, acknowledging the spy agencies lack certainty on the opposition group's views.
- Lord, we continue to be amazed that our intelligence community cannot see the danger posed by the MB. We pray that You will release truth to o
ur entire intelligence and security community so that they may present a united front against all evil plans.- "Through You we will push down our enemies; through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us." (Psalm 44:5)
4. Hawaii Legislature OK's same-sex civil unions - USA Today
Hawaii lawmakers approved a bill Wednesday to allow civil unions for same-sex couples, marking an end to what the governor called an "emotional process" for a longtime battleground in the gay rights movement.
- Father, we repent for the actions of the Hawaiian legislature, and ask Your forgiveness and repentance in this issue across America. We ask that You help us all know the difference between loving the lost and condoning sin.
- "and the truth of the Lord endures forever." (Psalm 117:2b)
5. Calif. Court to Answer Question on Gay Marriage Ban - Fox News
California's highest court decided Wednesday to wade back into the legal morass surrounding the state's voter-approved gay marriage ban, agreeing to rule on a question of state law considered crucial to the survival of Proposition 8.
- Lord, we pray for protection for proposition 8 against the enemy's plan to remove it.
- "Forsake foolishness and live, and go in the way of understanding." (Proverbs 9:6)
6. 'Egypt cancels Iran warship passing' - Ynet News
The Suez Canal has been told that plans by two Iranian naval ships to cross the waterway were cancelled, an official said on Thursday, removing a potential policy headache for Egypt's new army rulers.
- Thank You, Lord, for this answer to prayer!
- "For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling." (Psalm 116:8)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
Blessed be the name of God forever and ever: for wisdom and might are His. He changes the times and seasons. He removes kings, and sets up kings. He gives wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: (Daniel 2:20-21)
1. Abbas says no to elections if Gazans cannot vote - Jerusalem Post
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that elections in September would be canceled if Hamas refused to allow voting in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported.
2. Israel Warns It Might Act on Iranian Warships Passing Through Suez Canal - Fox News
Israel is monitoring two Iranian warships about to pass through the Suez Canal for Syria and warn they might act.
3. Hezbollah threatens Israelis 'anytime, anywhere' - AFP
Hezbollah's chief on Wednesday urged his Shiite fighters to stand ready to take Galilee in any future Lebanon-Israel war and threatened Israelis "anytime, anywhere" to avenge a top operative's killing.
The President's Budget
The President's Budget: 'Debt On Arrival'
If you thought your job was tough, try spending a week as the clerk of the U.S. House.
Twenty-one hours after the Tuesday session began and some 400 amendments later, Karen Haas could finally call it a day. By early this morning, when members finally adjourned from their epic budget debate, she had been called on to read and call roll on pages of proposals -- everything from banning the Feds' first-class airfare to ending the government's sponsorship of NASCAR. Even the President's teleprompter wasn't immune. Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) tried to offer an amendment to slash the dollars for Obama's trusty prop. (I'm sure the President was speechless when he heard.) In the end, Rep. Womack had to pull the language because he wasn't sure how much it would save.
By tonight, Karen and the entire House of Representatives will have trudged through hundreds of amendments like Womack's- a marked difference from the iron-fist of the previous leadership, which shut down any possible debate. " Every member will have an opportunity to submit his or her vision of how we can reduce the deficit," said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). "This is an open process."
It was open, all right. Open until 1:12 a.m. Wednesday morning. Republican leaders have been adamant that they want the "House to work its will." And that means allowing the minority a say. Democrats took advantage of the unlimited debate to try to block measures like Rep. Chris Smith's (R-N.J.) and others' that aim to end the forced partnership between taxpayers and the abortion industry. With just 16 days until the current budget expires, both sides will have to come to some sort of agreement to continue on the continuing resolution (CR).
Meanwhile the CR makes for an interesting backdrop to the fight over the President's budget for next year -- which Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) has called "Debt On Arrival." As our staff has combed through the White House's offering, there's not a lot to like. Obama's budget would increase spending by more than $8.7 trillion (against the recommendations of 150 economists who have warned that what we need are spending cuts), hike taxes by $1.6 trillion, and add another $13 trillion to the national debt (which would double it in the President's first term). As far as social issues go, the President insists on more money for D.C. abortions, the U.N.'s population fund, Title X "family planning" programs, and other familiar avenues for advancing the culture of death. While Congress tries to clear a path to financial stability, encourage them to keep fighting for policies that are pro-pocketbook and pro-family.
New Middle East - Part Two
Country by Country (Part Two)
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
The Cabinet headed by prime minister Salam Fayyad submitted its resignation to PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Monday, and Fayyad was immediately re-appointed to head the new government. Abbas, whose Fatah organization runs the Judea/Samaria parts of the Palestinian Authority, has called for new elections "by September at the latest" - but Hamas, which controls Gaza, says it will not take part.
Only minor protests have been held, but the Abbas government has been under criticism for the lack of progress in the talks with Israel, for having reportedly made concessions to Israel, and in light of constant Hamas criticism.
Jews, by definition, do not live in the PA-controlled areas. This past December, Abbas said, "We have frankly said, and always will say: If there is an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, we won't agree to the presence of one Israeli in it." Months earlier, he even said that he would not agree to a single Jewish soldier in a NATO peacekeeping in the region, but later backtracked.
JORDAN
Though no acute danger faces King Abdullah's regime, he is experiencing popular protests, and his wife, Queen Rania, has been accused of corruption. A letter signed by 36 leading Bedouin representatives says that Rania must return land and farms expropriated by her family. The letter endorses several demands expressed by the Islamist opposition, and warns that Jordan "will sooner or later face the flood of Tunisia and Egypt, due to the suppression of freedoms and looting of public funds."
At the same time, Islamist voices are coming to the fore in Jordan; the country's new Justice Minister has praised the murderer of seven Israeli girls and called for his release from prison. The lethal attack occurred on the Israeli-Jordanian border in 1997.
Abdullah has formed a new government in response to the protests, and U.S. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Jordan over the weekend to discuss current events with the leadership.
Jewish history in what is now Jordan goes back to Biblical times, when Moses granted permission to two and a half tribes to live there after taking part in the war for the Land of Israel. Over the centuries, the Jewish population dwindled to nothing. In the 1930's, leading residents of what was then Transjordan requested that Jews move in to help revive the economy - but the British, who ruled the area, did not want more Jewish-Arab problems, and passed legislation banning Jews from living there.
After the Kingdom of Jordan was created, it ratified this law in 1954, declaring that any person may become a citizen unless he is a Jew (or if a special council approves his request and he has fulfilled other conditions). Jordan has no Jewish community at present.
LIBYA
Underground opposition groups reportedly tried to organize Day of Rage protests on Monday, and have now rescheduled them for this Thursday. Moammar Gadhafi, who has ruled the country since 1969, met last month with political activists and journalists, warned that they would be held responsible if they took part "in any way in disturbing the peace or creating chaos in Libya."
In 1931, 21,000 Jews lived in Libya - 4% of the total population - under generally good conditions. In the late 1930s, the Fascist Italian regime began passing anti-Semitic laws, and in 1942 - when 44 synagogues were operative in Tripoli - German troops occupied the Jewish quarter of Benghazi and deported more than 2,000 Jews to labor camps across the desert, where more than a fifth of them perished.
After World War II, anti-Jewish violence and murderous pogroms caused many Jews to leave the country, principally for Israel, and under Gaddafi's rule, the situation deteriorated so badly that only 20 Jews remained by 1974. In 2003, the last Jew of Libya, 80-year-old Rina Debach, left the country.
MOROCCO
A video has been distributed calling for a protest to be held on Feb. 20 to demand "equality, social justice, employment, housing, study grants and higher salaries," as well as "change, political reforms, the resignation of the Government and the dissolution of Parliament." Analysts do not expect the campaign to succeed. Some have said that the Moroccan government may face unrest in the west, thanks to Algerian instigators.
Before the founding of Israel in 1948, there were over 250,000 Jews in the country, but only 3,000 - 7,000 remain today, mostly in Casablanca. In June 1948, 44 Jews were killed in anti-Semitic riots, and large-scale emigration to Israel began. Between 1961 and 1964, more than 80,000 Moroccan Jews emigrated to Israel; by 1967, only 60,000 Jews remained, and four years later, this number was 35,000. Today, the State of Israel is home to nearly 1,000,000 Jews of Moroccan descent, around 15% of the nation's total population.
SYRIA
In an attempt to head off protests, the Assad government withdrew a plan to remove some subsidies. President Bashar Assad gave a rare interview to the Wall Street Journal in which he said he to hold local elections, pass a new media law, and give more power to private organizations. A planned "Day of Rage" that was organized via Facebook for February 5 failed to materialize.
Large Jewish communities existed in Aleppo, Damascus, and Qamishli for centuries. About 100 years ago, a large percentage of Syrian Jews emigrated to the U.S., Central and South America and Israel. Anti-Jewish feeling reached a climax in the late 1930s and early 1940s, and some 5,000 Jews left in the 1940's for what became Israel. The Aleppo pogrom of December 1947, a pogrom in Aleppo - the third in 100 years - left many dead, hundreds wounded, and the community devastated. Another pogrom in Damascus in 1949 left 12 Jews dead. In 1992, the few thousand remaining Jews were permitted to leave Syria, as long as they did not head for Israel. The few remaining Jews in Syria live in Damascus.
YEMEN
Tuesday marks four straight days of clashes between pro- and anti-government protesters in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. At least three people were injured on Tuesday as 3,000 activists attempted to march on the presidential palace. They are demanding the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power for 32 years. Protests have become increasingly violent. Besides poverty and unemployment, the Saleh government is grappling a secessionist movement in the south, rebellion in the north, and a regrouping of Al Qaeda on its soil.
Between June 1949 and September 1950, 49,000 Yemenite Jews - the overwhelming majority of the country's Jewish population - was transported to Israel in Operation Magic Carpet. Only a few dozen mostly elderly Jews remain in Yemen.
Amidst the Arab demands for the restitution of Arab refugees from the 1948 war, it is largely forgotten that around that time, more than 870,000 Jews lived in the various Arab countries. In many cases, they were persecuted politically and physically, and their property was confiscated; some 600,000 Jews found refuge in the State of Israel. Their material claims for their lost assets have never been seriously considered.
(Source: Arutz News)
A Word to the Wise
A response to the widening unrest across the Middle East
Rev. Malcolm Hedding
Events unfolding in Egypt on February 11th have been welcomed all over the world as they should be. The young, but leaderless, people of Egypt have demanded a true democratic form of government with all the freedoms that other nations, embracing this form of governance, enjoy. Having lived for thirty years under the heel of dictatorial rule they deserve it as do all the other peoples of the region.
However, once the euphoria of Mubarak's departure has died down the real process in this regard will begin to unfold and it is not a given that real democracy will replace the fallen rule of the Mubarak regime. Waiting in the wings, as we all know, are jihadist Islamic groups that want to seize power and move the wider region toward their goal and dream of a new Caliphate!
The Moslem Brotherhood are shrewd operators and will not immediately seize power. They will, for western political consumption, assume an influential role, and indeed a strong one, in the emerging Egyptian government. Thereafter, by a process of stealth and intrigue, they will slowly usurp power and steer the nation toward sharia law. All the while they will pursue and encourage a hostile relationship toward Israel. It is to be noted that while it was young people that called for democracy and spearheaded the revolution it is not to be taken for granted that they are well disposed toward Israel.
All of this has emboldened two groups:
First; the one that is looking for greater freedom in the Middle East in that young people all over the region in countries like Jordan, Syria, Yemen, Iran, the gulf states and elsewhere may attempt an Egyptian styled revolution. However, being without identifiable and proven leadership they will most likely win some concessions but in the end fail because these nations have watched and learned from what happened in Egypt and will no doubt use force immediately to put down a revolt.
The second group is the radical jihadist alliance, incorporating many factions but mainly Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Qaida, and of course the Moslem Brotherhood. These will ally themselves with Iran and already have and seek to take advantage of the present upheavals to strengthen and arm themselves and thereby prepare for war with Israel. They have already given notice of this! Truly the Middle East is on the brink of boiling over!
Read more.
A commentary from Mary Murphy:
We are watching history in the making in the entire Middle East and as the scripture tells us to always "watch and pray." As a nation we need to watch on our side of the world, as well, and become very alert to what is going on. The United States of America is not impervious to infiltration in our cities and revolution in our streets.
• PLEASE PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM.
• PRAY THAT THE JEWISH PEOPLE WILL ACCEPT JESUS AS THEIR MESSIAH
• PRAY THAT GOD SUPERNATURALLY SHOWS HIMSELF TO THE MUSLIM POPULATION IN THESE MIDDLE EASTERN NATIONS.
• PRAY THAT THE LEADERS OF THE UNITED STATES WILL STAND FOR US AND NOT ABHORANT REGIMES.
Rumsfeld Warns of Iran EMP Attack
RUMSFELD WARNS OF IRAN, NORTH KOREA ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE ATTACK
In an interview with Newsmax TV, Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he is concerned about the threat of an electromagnetic pulse attack from nations like North Korea and Iran. He warned that America's enemies see this as an attractive form of attack because it provides an alternative to direct competition with a large military and increases leverage for further conflict. Rumsfeld's new memoir, "Known and Unknown," describes his unsuccessful efforts to persuade the White House and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to take a harder look at nuclear threats from Iran.
Read more.
[Article and prayers, below, reported by: Intercessors for America]
- Pray for continued wisdom for U.S. leaders weighing ongoing threats from Iran and the need to intervene for those who are oppressed under Ahmadinejad's regime. Intercede for the spiritual battle being waged in the heavenly realm - that our leaders in places of influence and authority would be given wisdom and understanding, and would be shielded from spiritual attack, blindness, ignorance and apathy. Pray for freedom for the people of Iran, equal rights for women, and for the underground Church to be radiant with the light and hope of Christ their coming Savior.
- "But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come." (Daniel 10:13-14) "Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand." (Daniel 12:10)
Watching the U.N.
U.N. SAYS "CONSIDERABLE EFFORT" IS NEEDED TO REDUCE POPULATION
U.N. Population Division Director Hania Zlotnik insists that even countries with relatively acceptable levels of fertility (according to U.N. standards) need to reduce fertility to "replacement level" or below, i.e. the level at which a population replenishes itself each generation. A recent U.N. report claims that if countries do not reduce fertility and maintain below-replacement-level quotas, world population will quickly become unsustainable and unstable, especially in developing countries. The report warns that considerable effort is needed to make the reduction a reality.
Meanwhile, some good news from France: Alex Schadenberg, head of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC), reports that Prime Minister Fillon spoke out against the euthanasia bill proposed by the Socialist and Communist parties in France. "It was very important," says Schadenberg, "because he emphasized the nature of improving how we care for people rather than kill people." Fillon's voice proved instrumental as the bill was defeated in a 170-142 vote. France will remain euthanasia free. CLICK HERE . (Intercessors for America)
- Pray for the Lord to shield the nations from harmful agendas and leaders who seek to judge between who should live and who should die. Intercede for protection and strength for the weak, that the Lord's sovereignty would be evident and that the U.N. would be prevented from exerting "sovereignty" both here and abroad. Pray for areas of famine around the world where populations are suffering - that godly measures would be taken to curb starvation and disease. Give thanks for France's Prime Minister Fillon who promoted the rights of the elderly and the disabled.
- "I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice . . . they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations . . . You are My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign LORD." (Ezekiel 34)
The Good News Corner
CHURCHILL on ISLAM
[Note: we are running this article today because it demonstrates that, at least in days gone by, our elected officials were able to see and announce the dangers of this evil religion. Once upon a time, long, long ago, we were not a "polticially correct" nation. May we soon return as a nation to the wisdom of our forefathers, and begin to call good, good; and evil, evil. Amen.]
CHURCHILL on ISLAM
The speech below was written in 1899!
Winston Churchill speech delivered by him in 1899 when he was a young soldier and journalist. Churchill was a brave young soldier, a brilliant journalist, an extraordinary politician and statesman, a great war leader and Prime Minister, to whom the Western world must be forever in his debt. He was a prophet in his own time; He died on 24 January 1965, at the grand old age of 90 and, after a lifetime of service to his country, was accorded a State funeral.
HERE IS THE SPEECH:
"How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries, improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live.
A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement, the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.
Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome."
Sir Winston Churchill in 1899
Source: The River War, first edition, Vol. II, pages 248-50 London
Worship with Us Today!
"It Is Well Medley"
Nature's Praise, Part 1
"When I don't know just what to do, I Cast All My Cares Upon You"
Amen.
