Today's News for Prayer• Introduction to this Special Edition
• Bulletin from ECI
• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• U.N. Aftermath
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The Daily Brief - Monday, Sept. 26, 2011
SPECIAL EDITION
"Our help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth." (Psalm 124:8)
Congress is now in recess for the remainder of the week. On Capitol Hill This Week will return next Monday, Oct. 3.
Introduction to this Special Edition
Over the past year, the European Coalition for Israel (ECI) has been working to release a hidden key to the current Israeli-Palestinian negotiations toward a peace process:
THE SAN REMO CONVENTION.
The San Remo Accords were drafted in 1920 at the San Remo Conference in Italy, and determined the legal boundaries for a Jewish state. This is a document of law, and all other negotiations since have had to adhere to this truth.
Recently, we were blessed to attend a briefing, sponsored by ECI and its U.S. partner, the Unity Coalition for Israel, on Capitol Hill. At that briefing, Dr. Jacques P. Gauthier, world-renowned international legal scholar, author, and human rights advocate, presented the documentation showing the history of Jerusalem and Israel's long established international legal rights. Without doubt, this land belongs to the Jews.
You can view the video of this documentation -- also referenced in the press release issued today by ECI, by going here.
And, to learn more about this riveting briefing on the Hill, go here.
Finally, please pray in agreement with us that this news of the legal rights of Israel to reside on their land and of its basis in the San Remo Accords would reach ALL in authority, and be picked up by ALL broadcast media. This is the law of the land. Amen.
BULLETIN FROM THE EUROPEAN COALITION FOR ISRAEL
ECI mission at the UN in New York accomplished
Open letter handed over to the UN
Quartet calls for peace talks to be resumed
New York, September 26th, 2011 - After a year of research and active campaigning, the first phase of the ECI initiative to present the legal foundations of the modern state of Israel has been succesfully concluded. Despite the insistence of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to bring his statehood bid to the UN Security Council today Monday, the Middle East Quartet said in a statement that they will recommend that the two parties resume talks by giving them a new timeline for negotiations which may extend the deadline to December 2012. By then a comprehensive peace agreement will have to be achieved. But the new proposal could still fail. Within one month, the two parties would have to agree the basis for the new negotiations in order for the process to continue.
ECI director Tomas Sandell welcomes the recommendation:
It has been our clear objective from the very beginning to ask the Middle East Quartet to reject the unilateral declaration and call for the two parties to start negotiating without any preconditions. If the new Quartet recommendations are implemented, the campaign will have been a great success. The members of the Quartet together make up the bulk of funding for the Palestinian Authority, and without their support, the PA would collapse in weeks.
The ECI campaign has been presented in parliaments in The Hague, Brussels, Berlin, Rome and London as well as to governments in Africa and elsewhere in the world. It culminated in a two week final effort also to present the case to the United Nations in New York. During the UN General Assembly session, the team was able to speak both to UN member state delegates and media, as well as hand over an open letter of support for negotiations signed by 16 prominent European leaders. The letter was presented to the Middle East office of the Secretary General of the United Nations on Thursday. The letter, plus an information pack consisting of the film "Give Peace a Chance", a research document on the Legal foundations of Israel and petitions from Germany, Finland and Italy will be hand delivered to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon within the next few days.
In the last few weeks, the film which presents Israel's legal case in only 15 minutes, has been translated into 10 languages and viewed by over 38,000 people online, as well as large tv audiences around the world. Whilst in New York, the team had an opportunity also to give interviews and present the film to media in Ukraine, Brazil and Japan, as well as international media outlets such as Newsweek.
Though it would be presumptuous for us to take credit for the calls for renewed talks by the Middle East Quartet, we have worked very hard for over a year to present the facts. We are thankful that reason has prevailed -at least for the time being. By giving the process more time, we will also have more opportunities to present our material to additional UN member states around the world. Though the pressure on Israel may have eased temporarily, the Israeli Government will continue to face major challenges in the coming months, and the pressure for further concessions will continue. At the same time, the Palestinian leadership will continue to press for the approval of the Security Council.
In a conference organized by the Hudson Institute on Thursday, ECI was able to speak with Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel about the current mood in the EU towards Israel. When asked if he was disappointed by the lack of support for Israel, he answered - 'I never had any expectations, but Europe should learn from history.'
Though the initial phase of the campaign has now come to an end, ECI will now renew its efforts to present the legal case for Israel in the coming months in order to reach the UN member states with the historical and legal facts of the creation of the Jewish state and its legitimacy under international law.
For more resources please watch www.givepeaceachance.info
P.O. Box 189
FI-00181 Helsinki, Finland
Tel.: + 358 9 6948056
Fax: + 358 9 6948056
info@ec4i.org
www.ec4i.org
The Daily Brief1. Herman Cain slices past Perry, Romney in Fla. GOP poll - Washington Examiner
Herman Cain won an early test vote in Florida that lacked most of the leading candidates' participation.
- We continue to pray over every single step of Election 2012, even as it takes shape this year. May truth be revealed; error and deceptiveness cast down; and freedom ultimately triumph in this election.
- "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)
2. Senate OK's Bill to Avert Shutdown - Fox News
After a heated battle between Dems and GOP over disaster aid, the Senate votes to send a temporary spending bill to the House to avoid a government shutdown.
- God, we know that You are in control of the $3.65 billion in disaster relief funding that will be the answer to the tremendous needs of people suffering from the recent natural disasters. We thank You that this Bill has been passed to protect our government from shutdown and that vital government programs and services will be maintained. You are Lord over all our government and mighty in strength and wisdom to guide our country to a safe haven of knowing we are in the exact perfect will of God. In Jesus' Name.
- "Our help comes from the Lord, which made heaven and earth." (Psalm 124:8)
3. Obama lets states opt out of federal school rules - AP
Nearly everyone agrees the fix needs fixing. The No Child Left Behind law that was supposed to improve American education has left schools grumbling at being labeled "failures," state officials fuming and complaints everywhere about required testing.
- Offer a chorus of praise for this turn of events. The No Child Left Behind Act, originally signed into law by President George W. Bush, has over the years been met with increasingly convoluted and unreasonable demands as others in authority have adapted this program. Pray for wisdom for those in the Department of Education who are tasked with helping our children to learn, and with empowering our teachers to make them do so. God will make a way!
- "To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven . . . " (Eccl. 3:1)
4. Texas School Punishes Boy for Opposing Homosexuality - Fox News
An honors student in Fort Worth, Texas, was sent to the principal's office and punished for telling a classmate that he believes homosexuality is wrong.
- Father, our hearts are grieved at the way our education system in America has turned upside down the laws You gave us. We pray Your protection over the young children who are being influenced this way and ask that You would cause them to stand in Your truth.
- "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)
5. Dozens arrested in 8th day of 'Occupy Wall Street' protests - CNN
About 80 people were arrested on the eighth day of protests in New York on Saturday, the greatest number since demonstrations started near Wall Street.
- Gracious Lord, we thank You that these protests have not grown bigger than they are. We speak peace over this group and ask that You would show them the truth about the things they are protesting. May Your Spirit arise and may the enemy be scattered, that our streets would be peaceful again.
- "Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face." (Psalms 89:14)
6. Turkey to deploy warships over gas dispute with Cyprus - Ha'aretz
Fighter jets to be stationed in Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus. It is still unclear whether gas exploration will take place in areas where Israel and Greek-controlled Cyprus have divided exploration rights. Read more.
- We bind up all attempts to intimidate Israel over this exploration for oil. Father, we ask that You would cause these additional actions planned against Your People to fail.
- "O, Israel, trust thou in the Lord: he is their help and their shield." (Psalms 115:9)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure." (Psalm 93:1)
1. Netanyahu at UN: Palestinians can get state only after peace with Israel - Ha'aretz
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that the Palestinians must first make peace with Israel, and only after that will get their state, during his address to the UN General Assembly in New York.
2. Abbas destroying peace process by not negotiating - Jerusalem Post
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday blamed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for destroying the peace process by refusing to negotiate.
3. Peres: Quartet plan creates new chance to resume talks - Jerusalem Post
President Shimon Peres on Monday praised the new peace initiative introduced by the Quartet of Middle East mediators on Friday, saying the plan creates a new opportunity to resume direct negotiations with the Palestinians, Israel Radio reported.
4. Barak: Despite doubts, we should adopt Quartet plan - Jerusalem Post
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Sunday that Israel should adopt the new peace initiative introduced by the Quartet of Middle East mediators on Friday at the UN, even if there were reservations.
5. Abbas to demand changes to Oslo peace accords - Ha'aretz
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday that he intends to demand the reopening of the Paris Agreement, the part of the Oslo Accords that deals with economic relations between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
U.N. Aftermath
Netanyahu returns from successful UN trip
Abbas warmly welcomed in Ramallah
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to Israel on Monday after a packed week of meetings, speeches and interviews surrounding events at the UN in New York. The most high profile moment of his trip came on Friday, when he addressed the UN General Assembly. His speech was received politely but unenthusiastically by the majority of diplomats, in stark contrast to the extended standing ovation received by Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas took the podium. However, much work was conducted out of the public eye, with Netanyahu reportedly gaining appreciation from the US and European governments for his willingness to work with the Quartet on a new peace initiative that sets a new date of December 2012 for a final-status agreement. Meanwhile, the PA flatly rejected the Quartet's ideas, with diplomats confirming that the issue of Israel as a Jewish State was the main sticking point.
Outside the UN, Netanyahu sat for several interviews with major American TV networks, which Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Oren called "an unqualified success." He added "the United States and Israel are more closely coordinated now than they have been at any time in the last two years. We see things very much eye-to-eye on how to move forward. We see the United States as Israel emphasizes that there is no alternative to direct negotiations."
"The truth," Netanyahu said at the UN, and repeated with slight variations in many of his interviews "is that Israel wants peace. The truth is that so far the Palestinians have refused to negotiate. The truth is that Israel wants peace with a Palestinian state, but the Palestinians want a state without peace."
For the full text of Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech, as well as a video, click HERE.
Meanwhile, Abbas was given a warm welcome upon his return to Ramallah on Sunday afternoon, where soon after arriving he placed a garland of flowers on the mausoleum of Yasser Arafat before addressing the crowd of well wishers. He declared that the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital he had demanded from the UN on Friday would come into being through peaceful protest and negotiations, but only after construction in Israeli settlements had been completely stopped.
(ICEJ News) Read more.
