This is a special edition of the Daily Brief, focusing solely on news and prayers for Israel.
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
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The Daily Brief Friday, November 23, 2012
"You are my King and my God who decrees victories for Jacob." (Psalm 44:4)
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News from Bridges for Peace
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All articles below were published early today by Bridges for Peace. Used with permission. To access their website, go here.
- Firing Ceases, Fear Remains
- Netanyahu Agrees to Cease Fire
- Main Points of Cease-Fire Agreement
- Gaza Rockets Hit South After Truce
- Tel Aviv Bus Bombing Suspects Arrested
- Support for Hamas Grows in the West Bank
- Morsi-Above the Law in Egypt?
- Iran Reacts to Gaza Ceasefire
- Rockets Fired at Israel from Lebanon Fall Short
- Fire Exchanges on Syrian Border
1. Firing Ceases, Fear Remains
Looking into the eyes of the Israeli child in front of me, I saw nothing but fear and trauma. As a 4-year-old boy from Netivot, he has never known life without the regular intrusion of Red Alert sirens. His excursions to the park or to the mall with his mother have always occurred under the shadow of potential incoming rockets. His family has worked hard to make his life as normal as possible, but his eyes tell it all. He is afraid. (Read More)
- Pray for those that have been dealing with the unceasing rocket fire in southern Israel. Pray that the "God of All Comfort" will heal their emotional wounds and give them peace.
- "Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to Your word to Your servant." (Psalm 119:76)
2. Netanyahu: Operation Pillar of Defense-Ceasefire
Prime Minister Netanyahu made the following statement at the November 21 press conference with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense: "Citizens of Israel, eight days ago, Israel embarked on Operation Pillar of Defense. The government decided to launch the operation after the frequency of the terror attacks originating from Gaza increased over the last few months. I announced that we would respond forcibly to these attacks when we see fit. I said that we would exact a heavy price from the terror organizations. (Read More)
- Pray for godly wisdom for Prime Minister Netanyahu. Pray that God walks closely with those leading Israel, that they take Israel in the direction He intends for His chosen nation.
- "Hear instruction and be wise, and do not disdain it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the LORD." (Proverbs 8:33-35)
3. Main Points of Cease-Fire Agreement
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Egypt which took effect Wednesday evening ([November 21] at 19:00 GMT. In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the deal, saying he had agreed after consulting with US President Barack Obama. However, Netanyahu warned that more forceful action might be necessary if the ceasefire fails. He said Israel had destroyed thousands of missiles as well as Hamas installations. (Read More)
- Thank the Lord for this time of quiet. Pray that it will be a time of restoration for Israel.
- "The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit." (Psalm 34:18)
4. Gaza Rockets Hit South After Truce; IDF Holds Fire
Several rockets were launched from Gaza toward south Israel after 9 pm Wednesday [November 21], when the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect. The Israel Defense Forces [IDF] held its fire. (Read More)
- Thank God that Israel did not react to the continued rocket fire, but allowed time for Gaza to settle and cease from firing. Pray that God will block any evil thought or deed aimed at Israel.
- "The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways." (Deuteronomy 28:7)
5. Tel Aviv Bus Bombing Suspects Arrested
A man suspected of carrying out the bombing attack on a bus in central Tel Aviv Wednesday [November 21] was apprehended by Israeli security forces within hours of the attack. The suspected terrorist was apprehended in a joint operation conducted by the Shin Bet [Israeli internal security], Israel Police and the Israel Defense Forces [IDF]. Twenty-nine people were injured in the attack. (Read More)
- Thank God for the capture of the terrorist suspects that bombed civilians on a bus. Pray that all the wounded will heal completely.
- "You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God." (Psalm 40:17b)
6. Support for Hamas Grows in the West Bank
Some West Bank [Judea and Samaria] residents welcomed the bombing of an Israeli bus in Tel Aviv on Wednesday [November 21] that left 17 Israelis wounded, while solidarity demonstrations with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continued. Many have also cheered the ongoing Hamas rocket strikes on Israel, and expressed sympathy for victims of Israeli air strikes. (Read More)
- Pray that the glorification and support for Hamas will stop. Pray that the Arab people who live in Judea and Samaria will not seek a government that is known for terrorism.
- "Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; do not further his wicked scheme, lest they be exalted." (Psalm 140:8)
7. Morsi-Above the Law in Egypt?
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has emerged as a new regional leader in the Middle East, following his successful brokering of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas on November 21. He has received the praise of world leaders, particularly US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. In addition, Morsi has committed Egypt to be the "sponsor" of the ceasefire and the one to whom the parties would appeal if there are violations of the agreement. (Read More)
- Pray that whatever changes occur in the Egyptian government, their treaty with Israel will be honored. Pray for peace between Egypt and Israel.
- "Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless." (Psalm 108:12)
8. Iran Reacts to Gaza Ceasefire
News agencies are reporting festivities in Gaza these days, and not just celebrations of peace but of self-proclaimed victory over Israel. Hamas leaders are quoted as saying that Israel came out of the recent conflict having "tasted the Arab Spring" and are declaring a new found unity among various Palestinian factions. (Read More)
- Pray that God will send a spirit of confusion to anyone in Iran that wants to destroy Israel. Pray that any support of terrorist groups from Iran will be blocked.
- "Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues, for I have seen violence and strife in the city." (Psalm 55:9)
9. Rockets Fired at Israel from Lebanon Fall Short
On Wednesday [November 21], a day after Lebanese security forces discovered two Katyusha rockets aimed and ready for firing into Israel, an official reported the actual firing of two others but said they fell short and remained inside Lebanese territory. In both cases, officials surmised that the weapons were launched in solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza Strip as it battles the Israeli army. (Read More)
- Praise God that the rockets did not fall in Israel. Pray that Lebanon will not be allowed to open up a northern war front.
- "Blessed be the LORD, for He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city!" (Psalm 31:21)
10. Fire Exchanges on Syrian Border
Stray Syrian fire hit an Israel Defense Forces [IDF] patrol in the Golan Heights on Saturday [November 17] night. No injuries were reported but an IDF jeep was damaged. This is the fourth such incident recorded in the past week. (Read More)
- Pray that Israel will not be pulled into Syria's civil war. Pray for peace and protection over the Syrian border, as well as the rest of the nation.
- "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." (Psalm 91:1)
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From Debkafile: Details on the Cease-Fire
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Obama's pledge of US troops to Sinai next week
won Israel's nod for ceasefire
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu agreed to a ceasefire for halting the eight-day Israeli Gaza operation Wednesday night, Nov. 21, after President Barack Obama personally pledged to start deploying US troops in Egyptian Sinai next week, debkafile reports. The conversation, which finally tipped the scales for a ceasefire, took place on a secure line Wednesday morning, just hours before it was announced in Cairo. The US and Israeli leaders spoke at around the time that a terrorist was blowing up a Tel Aviv bus, injuring 27 people.
Obama's pledge addressed Israel's most pressing demand in every negotiating forum on Gaza: Operation Pillar of Cloud's main goal was a total stoppage of the flow of Iranian arms and missiles to the Gaza Strip. They were smuggled in from Sudan and Libya through southern Egypt and Sinai. Hostilities would continue, said the prime minister, until this object was achieved.
Earlier, US officials tried unsuccessfully to persuade Israel to accept Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's personal guarantee to start launching effective operations against the smugglers before the end of the month. The trio running Israel's Gaza campaign, Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, were willing to take Morsi at his word, except that Israeli security and intelligence chiefs assured them that Egypt has nothing near the security and intelligence capabilities necessary for conducting such operations.
When Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Jerusalem from Bangkok Tuesday, she tried assuring Netanyahu that President Obama had decided to accelerate the construction of an elaborate US system of electronic security fences along the Suez Canal and northern Sinai. It would also cork up the Philadelphi route through which arms are smuggled into the Gaza Strip. (The US Sinai fence project was first disclosed exclusively by DEBKA-Net-Weekly 564 on Nov. 9). US security and civilian units will need to be deployed in Egyptian Sinai to man the fence system and operate it as an active counter-measure for obstructing the smuggling of Iranian weapons supplies.
The prime minister said he welcomed the president's proposal to expedite the fence project, but it would take months to obtain Egyptian clearance. Meanwhile, the Palestinians would have plenty of time to replenish their weapons stocks after Israel's Gaza campaign. It was therefore too soon to stop the campaign at this point or hold back a ground incursion.
Clinton was sympathetic to this argument. Soon after, President Obama was on the phone to Netanyahu with an assurance that US troops would be in place in Sinai next week, after he had obtained President Morsi's consent for them to go into immediate action against Iranian smuggling networks.
Netanyahu responded by agreeing to a ceasefire being announced in Cairo that night by Clinton and the Egyptian foreign minister, and to holding back the thousands of Israeli reservists on standby on the Gaza border. debkafile's military sources report that the first air transports carrying US special forces are due to land at Sharm el Sheikh military airfield in southern Sinai in the next 48 hours and go into action against the arms smugglers without delay.
This development is strategically significant for three reasons:
1. Once the missile and arms consignments depart Iranian ports or Libyan arms bazaars, Tehran has no direct control of their transit from point to point through Egypt until they reach Sinai and their Gaza destination. All the same, a US special forces operation against the Sinai segment of the Iranian smuggling route would count as the first overt American military strike against an Iranian military interest.
Netanyahu, Barak and Lieberman are impressed by the change the Obama administration has undergone since the president's reelection. Until then, he refused to hear of any military action against Iran and insisted that Tehran could only be confronted on the diplomatic plain.
2. President Morsi, by opening the Sinai door to an American troop deployment for Israel's defense, recognizes that the US force also insures Israel against Cairo revoking or failing to honor the peace treaty Egypt signed with Israel in 1979.
3. In the face of this US-Israel-Egyptian understanding, Hamas cannot credibly claim to have won its latest passage of arms with Israel or that it obtained guarantees to force Israel to end the Gaza blockade. Indeed, Gaza's Hamas rulers will be forced to watch as US troops in Sinai, just across its border, break up the smuggling rings filling their arsenals and most likely laying hands on the reserve stocks they maintain under the smugglers' guard in northern Sinai, out of reach of the Israel army. This means that the blockade on Gaza has been extended and the focus of combat has switched from Gaza to the Sinai Peninsula. (Read more)
- O Jehovah, the Covenant-Keeping God, we come before You on behalf of Your Covenant people, Israel, who have been under almost constant attack. You hold the hearts of kings in Your hands, and turn them where You want them to go. We thank You that our President's thoughts have been inclined toward Israel, to send U.S. troops to the Sinai to stop the flow of weapons into Gaza. We ask that Egypt's President Morsi would also give his consent to the presence of these troops, and that they would be effective in stopping the further arming of Israel's enemies, particularly in Gaza.
Abba, we pray the protection of Psalm 91 over Israel and all her military personnel, and also our troops, as they perform their duties there. We pray for great wisdom, and courage for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and thank You that You have placed him in that position, for such a time as this! We thank You and Praise You for Who You are! Amen and Amen.
- "They were singing the song of Moshe, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: Great and wonderful are the things you have done, ADONAI, God of heaven's armies!
Just and true are Your ways, King of the nations! ADONAI, who will not fear and glorify Your name? Because You alone are holy, all nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous deeds have been revealed." (Revelation 15:3-4)
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BBC: Egypt in Turmoil
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Egypt protesters torch Muslim Brotherhood offices
Protesters in Egypt have set fire to Muslim Brotherhood offices in several cities, according to state TV. They were demonstrating against President Mohammed Mursi's decision to grant himself sweeping new powers. His decree states, among other things, that the president's decisions cannot be revoked by any authority - including the judiciary.
Egypt President Mursi defends new powers amid protests
President Mohammed Mursi has appeared before supporters in Cairo to defend a new decree that grants him sweeping powers.
He told them he was leading Egypt on a path to "freedom and democracy" and was the guardian of stability.
He was speaking as thousands of opponents gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square and offices of the president's party were attacked in several cities.
The decree says presidential decisions cannot be revoked by any authority.
Prayer from Victor Khalil:
Please pray for Egypt.
Egypt is in turmoil today.
Egyptians want to topple down the Muslim Brotherhood.
- Offer a prayer of agreement with our brother from Egypt. When two or three are gathered in His Name, our God hears our prayers and responds. By His Grace, tonight our own numbers are much greater than even the "two or three" required in His Word! As we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, let us pray for peace for Israel's neighbors, too.
Ask our Lord to release His angelic host to protect those who are trying to topple the false regime in Egypt, now controlled by the Moslem Brotherhood. May His will prevail in this matter. Amen.
- "The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless, but it is the ruin of those who do evil." (Proverbs 10:29)
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Worship with Us Today!
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Worship with Us Today!
Baruch Hashem Adonai
Who am I to be part of Your People
The ones that are called by Your Name
Could I be Chosen as one of Your Own
Could it be that our blood line is the same. . .
Praise to You Jesus the Veil has been parted
And what once was a secret is known
Now I can cry to You
Abba My Father and Praise You as one of Your Own.
Baruch Hashem Adonai (2 X)
Blessed be the Name of the Lord
Baruch Hashem Adonai.
