Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
"Partners in Prayer for Our Nation"
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief Wednesday, November 14, 2012
"See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn." (Isaiah 60:2,3)
|
The Daily Brief
|
|||
 |
||||
1. David Petraeus scandal widens to include Barack Obama's cabinet
- UK Telegraph
The crisis over General David Petraeus's resignation reached Barack Obama's cabinet for the first time as it was claimed the US Attorney General knew about the affair for months but kept it secret until the day of the presidential election.
Eric Holder, the head of the Justice Department, was reportedly told in the late summer that FBI agents were investigating the former CIA director's sexual relationship with Paula Broadwell, his biographer. The information was kept inside the Justice Department until last week, even though FBI agents had already discovered classified information on Mrs Broadwell's computer.
Allegations that one of the President's closest allies had known about the affair fueled theories of a cover-up as the scandal expanded to include a second woman and continued to shake Washington. Any suggestion that the Justice Department kept its investigation in Gen Petraeus's affair secret to prevent it from becoming an election issue could be hugely damaging to the Obama administration.
A friend of Gen Petraeus questioned the "very suspicious" timing of the resignation, less than a week before the Benghazi hearings. "A lot of very senior people in the administration did not want him to give that evidence," the friend said.
(Peter King, a Republican congressman who sits on the House intelligence committee), has called the former general "an absolutely essential witness" and demanded that he still appear, while other Republicans last week raised the possibility of issuing a subpoena to force him to testify.
Mr Obama will be forced to answer questions about the affair during a press conference at the White House on Wednesday, his first since the election.
- Lord , we lift up the name of Jesus over America, and pray the light of the Holy Spirit will continue to reveal all hidden iniquity and cover-ups. Let our nation understand that such iniquity in its elected officials will destroy us from within. We lift up the name of our Brother in Christ, Ty Woods, who died valiantly defending the Benghazi Consulate, while Washington denied to send help. We pray that You bring about justice for his heroic death! In Jesus' name, let the Gospel go across America with new vigor through Your Church, bearing fruit to take back the land our enemy satan is trying to completely destroy!
- "Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city! She has not obeyed His voice, She has not received correction; She has not trusted in the Lord, She has not drawn near to her God. Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; Her judges are evening wolves that leave not a bone till morning. Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people; her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. The Lord is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails, but the unjust knows no shame." (Zephaniah 3:1-5)
2. Pelosi to seek another term as House Democratic leader - FoxNews.com
Nancy Pelosi announced Wednesday that she plans to seek another term as House Democratic leader, though Democrats were unable to win back control of the chamber.
"There is no better person to preside over the most liberal House Democratic Caucus in history than the woman who is solely responsible for relegating it to a prolonged minority status," said Paul Lindsay, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. "This decision signals that House Democrats have absolutely no interest in regaining the trust and confidence of the American people who took the Speaker's gavel away from Nancy Pelosi in the first place."
- Lord, Your Word tells us that "when the righteous rule, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan." (Proverbs 29:2) Raise up the righteous in this land O God, who have the favor and votes of the citizenry; who will uncompromisingly out-persevere the wicked, and lead this nation in lawful wisdom and integrity to the glory of Jesus' name!
- " But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. " (2 Peter 1:5-7)
3. Pa. officials plan no probe despite extraordinary turnout, totals for Obama in Philly - Fox News
Pennsylvania election officials say they are not planning to investigate the extraordinary turnout and vote totals that President Obama garnered from parts of Philadelphia last Tuesday.
Press secretary for Pennsylvania's Department of State Ruman's comments came as Philadelphia news outlets and election analysts have flagged the near-unanimity with which the Obama-Biden ticket swept pockets of the City of Brotherly Love. As the Philadelphia Inquirer first reported last week, six of Philadelphia's 66 wards handed the president victory shares of 99 percent or better. In 20 of the wards, the Obama vote totals exceeded 97 percent.
On Monday, the Inquirer reported that in 59 of Philadelphia's "divisions" -- these are subsets of wards, wherein fewer than 1,000 people might be registered to vote -- GOP nominee Mitt Romney failed to win even a single vote. Collectively, the votes for Obama across these divisions added up to 19,605, to Romney's zero.
"I don't find it hard to believe that there are neighborhoods in the United States where President Obama got 97 to 99 percent of the vote -- basically all African-Americans," said Michael Barone, a Fox News contributor who is the longtime editor of The Almanac of American Politics. "There are such neighborhoods, and you can see them in central-city, black ghetto (areas)." However, Barone noted that turnout rates in these areas was sometimes reported to have exceeded 90 percent, a level of enthusiasm that he said should arouse suspicion. "Philadelphia's been a place that's had some pretty irregular election procedures in the past," he said.
- Father, in light of the frequent, noted cases of early voter fraud witnessed this November, it is reasonable to look with suspicion on these high turnouts. We ask You to completely expose any and all fraudulent voting accomplished in this election. Raise up individuals with the power to expose and the power to overturn what fraud may have accomplished. We thank You for the right to cast our vote and pray that we will carefully guard this freedom, in Jesus' name.
- "But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. " (2 Corinthians 4:2)
4. Marc Faber: Prepare for a Massive Market Meltdown - CNBC
The markets are going to go into meltdown soon, so expect stocks to lose 20 percent of their value, Marc Faber, author of the Gloom, Boom and Doom report told CNBC on Tuesday.
"There will be pain and there will be very substantial pain. The question is do we take less pain now through austerity or risk a complete collapse of society in five to 10 years' time?" he said, adding that there was a lack of political will to tackle the U.S. budget.
I think the whole global financial system will have to be reset and it won't be reset by central bankers but by imploding markets - either the currency markets, debt market or stock markets," he said. "It will happen - it will happen one day and then we'll be lucky if we still have 50 percent of the asset values that we have today."
- Lord, our nation seems like a ship purposely heading full steam ahead into the financial storm, even though we possess the instruments to avoid it. We repent today of the reckless spending and fiscal irresponsibility of our nation's elected leaders. Our only help is in You! As grave financial stresses rock the nation, may Your children purposefully support Israel, give to the poor and the widows as You have commanded, knowing that in doing so from pure hearts, You will be our Protection and supply. We thank You for being The Faithful God, in Jesus' name, amen!
- "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6:38)
5. White House Secede Petitions Reach 675,000 Signatures, 50-State Participation - Washington Times
It's traditional for Americans to threaten to move to France or Canada when their candidate loses, but this year some disappointed voters are implementing a different plan.
In the wake of the Nov. 6 election, petitions seeking to secede from the union have been filed on behalf of 23 states on the White House website, https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petitions. Most of the petitions contain the same wording and ask to withdraw "peacefully" from the United States in order to form independent governments.
The White House may have to take the requests seriously. According to the website, any petition receiving 25,000 online "signatures" on the "We the People" page within 30 days of posting will receive a review by the appropriate executive department and a response from a White House staffer.
Petitions have been filed on behalf of the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Read more: Petitions to secede are filed for 23 states since election - Washington Times
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/nov/12/petitions-to-secede-are-filed-for-23-states-since-/#ixzz2CDHXFvgO
- Lord, thank You for American citizens who are lawfully rising up to stand in disagreement with the fiscal irresponsibility, anti-Christian, anti-Israel, anti-personal freedom policies of the Obama governing machine. We pray for positive, effective results from these petitions that will reign in the above policies, and accomplish more than we have yet imagined. May Your name be glorified in this nation as Your Church prays in Jesus' name!
- " For I work a work in your days." (Acts 13:41)
6. W.H. Petition Calls for Stripping Citizenship and Exile for Anyone Who Signs Petition to Secede - Weekly Standard
A White House petition gathering force calls for citizenship to be stripped and exile for anyone who signs a petition in favor of a state's secession.
"Mr. President, please sign an executive order such that each American citizen who signed a petition from any state to secede from the USA shall have their citizenship stripped and be peacefully deported," the full petition reads.
The title of the petition is, "WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO: Strip the Citizenship from Everyone who Signed a Petition to Secede and Exile Them."
As of this writing, 2,205 have signed the petition; 22,795 more signatures are needed for the issue to be addressed by the White House. (Read more.)
- Offer a word of praise that, so far, very few have signed this petition on the White House website. Declare and decree against this "counter-movement" to the calls for secession out of Job 38:11. IT IS WRITTEN: 'This far you may come and no farther; Here is where your proud waves halt'?
- "You shall decree a thing and it shall be done." (Job 22:28)
7. BREAKING! Petraeus agrees to testify - Fox News
In a victory for lawmakers -- at least those who will hear from him -- Petraeus volunteered to speak to the House and Senate intelligence committees in a closed hearing perhaps as early as this week on Libya. Read more.
- Offer thanks for this answer to prayer and continue to ask that all hidden details be revealed, not only before this closed committee hearing, but to the general public, as well. Pray!
- "He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light." (Job 12:22)
8. Senators call for special committee to probe Libya - Fox News
On the heels of David Petraeus agreeing to testify on the Libya terror attack, Republican senators on Wednesday stepped up their call to empanel a "select committee" to investigate the tragedy -- as they raised concern that the administration's internal review would fall short.
"Let me be clear: there is no credibility among most of us concerning the administration and the numerous controversies and contradictions that have been involved in their handling of this issue," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said, at a lengthy news conference on Capitol Hill. . . Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid later said he would not support their proposal. (Read more)
- Ask our Lord to rule and overrule this opinion on the part of Harry Reid. Thank Him that He can and will remove every obstacle that stands in the way of our getting to the truth(s) of what happened in Benghazi, if we but ask!
- "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." (Matthew 21:22)
9. Hamas military commander killed in Israeli airstrike - Israeli Ground Forces Mobilized! - CBC
Israeli military says assassination of top Hamas commander in Gaza only 'the beginning' - Al Jazeera
An Israeli strike that killed Ahmad Jabari, Hamas's top commander in Gaza on Wednesday is only "the beginning" of an operation to target militant groups in the strip, a military spokeswoman said.
"After the rocket fire of recent days, the chief of staff (Lieutenant General Benny Gantz) has decided to authorise the targeting of terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and others," spokeswoman Avital Liebovich told reporters, adding: "This is the beginning." Read more here and here.
- Pray for P.M. Netanyahu, Defense Minister Barak and the Israeli Government to have the wisdom of God concerning the situation in the South and all the possible ramifications in the whole region.
- Pray for the P.M. and others to be able to clearly bring Israel's case of self-defense to an increasingly anti-Israel world.
- Pray for Egypt to stay out of any armed conflict.
- Pray for the protection of Israel's soldiers and the protection of all innocent civilians.
- If Israel does do a ground attack, pray . . .
[Submitted by Intercessors for Israel]
- "On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. . . Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, 'The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.'" (Zech. 12:3,5)
|
The Middle East in Focus
|
|||
|
||||
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"Hallelujah: for the Lord God omnipotent reigns." (Revelation 19:6)
1. 1,000 African migrants leave Israel willingly - Ynet News
More than 1,000 Sudanese and Eritrean migrants have voluntarily left Israel over the past two months, according to data released by the Population, Immigration and Borders Authority.
2. Israel prepares new missile defense system - Times of Israel
Israel's newest missile defense system, designed to provide another layer of protection against enemy fire, is on schedule for deployment in 2014, defense officials said Tuesday.
3. 'Absolutely no way' Arafat was poisoned, says top doctor - Times of Israel
Arafat was tested for radioactive poisoning, and symptoms would have been 'impossible to miss,' Roland Masse, a specialist on radioactivity and professor at Percy military hospital, tells Times of Israel.
4. Abbas says he'll return to talks with Israel-- right after UN recognition - Times of Israel
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday announced that he would be ready to resume talks with Israel immediately after the UN General Assembly votes to upgrade "Palestine" to nonmember status at the end of the month.
5. Israel-US drill simulates Syrian-Iranian attack, with Patriot missiles test-launched from central Israel - Times of Israel
Israel conducted an air defense drill on Monday, simulating a possible attack on the country by Syrian and Iranian long-range missiles.
6. IDF to hold large military drill in northern Israel - Jerusalem Post
The IDF was planning to hold a military drill in the north of the country, near Katzrin, Amiad, Gimla, Safed and Meron. There will be a heavy volume of military vehicle traffic in the North and sirens and explosions will be heard.
|
The Daily Jot
|
|||
|
||||
Voter fraud and who cares?
Joseph Farah says the last election was not fair and free. The WorldNetDaily founder and editor paints an even darker picture in a column at wnd.com, saying, "It was not a free and fair election. In fact, if we as a nation don't acknowledge the reality of what I am saying, we may never have a free and fair election again in the future of this once-great nation." Farah's point is well taken. The problem is: who cares? Americans do not seem to care enough to take to the streets and make this an issue. Those in the opposition party elected by the citizenry are hell-bent on finding some socialist-inspired, Communitarian world view, "common ground" with the White House. What to do?
In looking at the maps of who voted and where, it is amazing to me that small pockets of votes carried the election. More amazing to me, as a seasoned political campaign veteran, that in certain precincts, even counties, of the thousands who voted, the Occupant of the Oval Office's challenger received less than .2% of the vote. This is incredible and, quite frankly, not only unbelievable, but against all odds, nearly impossible. According to news reports, one Ohio county reported the president won 108 % of the registered voters. Now that is impossible. Members of our military who are serving overseas did not get to vote because military ballots were denied active-duty servicemen and women. Really?
Farah's own list of voter fraud examples goes on and on. He cites that "WND has proven that by actually contributing under the name Osama bin Laden from a Pakistani IP address, with a phony physical address and other neon-lit red flags in hopes of catching attention" that the president's campaign accepted illegal contributions, concluding, "No one can know the extent of the fraud" because the president refuses to release the names of donors under $200. Farah says that the Occupant won every state that didn't fully require photo ID to vote. He says that the president "won 99.8 percent of the vote in 44 Cleveland districts."
Farah is taking action by filing a Federal Election Commission complaint as well as exposing this voter fraud. Problem is, elected officials such as Republican House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio boy from the opposition party, are trying to find "common ground" with the president and encouraging him to lead. If indeed all of these people were elected fraudulently, who will be the champion of the disenfranchised? Who will stand in the gap to expose this corruption--whether it be Benghazi or the election or gun running in Mexico or the myriad of other issues that are disenfranchising all of us? The LORD said in Ezekiel 22:30, "And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none." The night is far spent, the day is at hand.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
|
The Madison Report
|
|||
|
||||
The Madisonian
The Legislative Bulletin for Conservatives
The Week of Nov. 13-16, 2012
Fellow conservative patriots,
In light of the results from last Tuesday's presidential election, the House of Representatives has become the most important branch of government. That is where we must make our stand for liberty. This week, Republicans will be holding conference elections that will determine party leadership positions and will have ramifications on the committee selection process for next Congress. Additionally, Congress will begin preliminary work on the fiscal cliff. We must be armed with the facts and committed to bringing the voice of the Tea Party to the halls of Congress. We have no other choice.
For Liberty.
The Honorable Jim Ryun
Chairman of the Madison Project
RSC Chairman Election Takes Place on Thursday
The most important election of the year will take place this Wednesday when the 164 members of the conservative caucus, Republican Study Committee, convene to elect a new chairman to replace Jim Jordan. With Boehner and GOP leaders prepared to capitulate on every issue on the table, it is imperative that we select an unadulterated conservative to lead the group of conservatives in the House. It's in the House where we can and must stop Obama's pernicious agenda, and it's the RSC chairman who will represent the Tea Party within the House.
Thankfully, we have a champion in Tom Graves (R-GA) to lead the RSC. He is tied for the most conservative voting record on our Madison Performance Index. He is committed to fighting the liberals in both parties over Obamacare, the debt ceiling, tax increases, and amnesty. Most importantly, he will not genuflect before unprincipled Republican leaders when the going gets rough. Graves is being challenged by Steve Scalise (R-LA), a man who is committed, along with his supporters, to brining the RSC in line with the moderate GOP leaders. If he wins it will be the death-knell of the organized conservative conference within the House. You can read more about the RSC and the race for chairman here.
Punchline:
Folks, this is our time to be heard. Please call your members of the House and ask them if they are part of the Republican Study Committee or plan to join next session. If so, ask them to maintain the integrity of the conservative conference by supporting Tom Graves during Thursday's election.
Stay informed every day at www.MadisonProject.com
|
ISRAEL AT WAR - [ 1 ]
|
|||
|
||||
From Chuck Pierce:
Pray Now for the Conflict in Israel!
Thank you for continuing to pray for the conflict in Israel. Daniel and Amber just called to let us know the situation has escalated with the killing of a top Hamas leader. Earlier today they wrote and shared:
I wanted to send all of you at home an updated prayer request concerning the situation in Gaza. In our last letter we discussed the development of several events that took place over the last week along the Gaza border. Hostilities started several days ago when terrorists in Gaza hit an Israeli military jeep with anti-tank munitions. Several soldiers were injured in the attack which led to three days of fighting between Israel and terrorist factions in Gaza. Tuesday was relatively quiet in the south as a cease fire went into effect. Officials stated they were unsure if four rockets that exploded in Israel on Tuesday had been launched from Gaza or Sinai. About a half an hour ago, I looked at the Jerusalem Post and saw that a top Hamas official had been assassinated in an Israeli air strike. Hamas's head of military operations Ahmed Jabari was killed in the strike. Israel immediately announced that this action was only the beginning of a larger Gaza operation aimed at deterring further acts of terrorism. Home front command has warned residents of the south to expect several more days of fighting and rocket fire.
Please continue to pray! They just called us from the bomb shelter in their home, and said its very intense in the atmosphere. I gave them several scriptures about hiding themselves (Ps. 17:8; Ps. 32:7; Prov. 22:3). In the midst of war, timing is very important. Below are a few excerpts from a recent ABC News post.
Blessings,
Chuck D. Pierce
The Israeli military said today its Air Force targeted and killed the top military commander of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in an airstrike that was part of a larger military operation in the Gaza Strip. Ahmed Jabari, the chief of staff of the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades and de facto leader of the military wing of Hamas, was killed in what the Israeli military called a "surgical operation" this afternoon. .
Israel accused Jabari of "executing terror attacks" from Gaza against Israel and said he was at the top of their most wanted list. He had previously escaped other assassination attempts. "The purpose of this operation was to severely impair the command and control chain of the Hamas leadership, as well as its terrorist infrastructure," the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. "This was a surgical operation in cooperation with the Israeli Security Agency, that was implemented on the basis of concrete intelligence and using advanced capabilities."
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) officials told ABC News that in today's strikes, known as Operation Pillar of Defense, the IDF also targeted Hamas' Fajar rockets, longer range Iranian rockets that could reportedly reach Tel Aviv from Gaza. .
"This blows a significant blow to the terror organization's underground rocket launching capabilities and munitions warehouses owned by Hamas and other terror organizations," the IDF said in a statement. "The Gaza strip, has turned it into a frontal base for Iran firing rockets and carrying out terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens. The IDF will continue to target terrorist sites that are used to carry out terror attacks against Israeli citizens." .
Hamas and the militant group Islamic Jihad have announced they will retaliate forcefully against Israel, with Hamas' Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades announcing Israel has "opened the gates of hell." . This is the first time such a senior Hamas commander was killed since Israel's Operation Cast Lead in 2008 and early 2009, during which around 1,400 Palestinians died along with 13 Israelis.
|
ISRAEL AT WAR - [ 2 ]
|
|||
|
||||
BREAKING NEWS FROM ISRAEL: TOP HAMAS MILITARY COMMANDER KILLED IN AIR STRIKE
8 developments this week you need to know about.
Joel C. Rosenberg
(Netanya, Israel, November 14, 2012) -- Night is falling here in the Holy Land. I was just emailing with a former U.S. presidential candidate about the latest developments here in Israel, and I thought I'd share the same information with you. Short version: it's been a challenging week. Here are 8 developments you need to know about.
1.) Syria and Israel have fired at each other multiple times for the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
2.) More than 160 rockets and mortars have been fired at Israeli towns in the southern tier by Iranian-backed Palestinian terrorists in Gaza since last Saturday, and more than 40 Israelis have been wounded.
3.) Under pressure from Egypt, Hamas is being told to stop firing rockets - and in the last 24 hours or so the rocket fire has slowed significantly. That said, four rockets were fired at southern Israel today (Wednesday), apparently by terrorists operating in the Sinai Peninsula.
4.) Moments ago, news broke that a top Hamas military commander was just killed in an IAF air strike. Now Israelis in the south are awaiting a possible new barrage of rockets from Gaza in retaliation. Still, Israeli officials believe they need to reestablish a deterrence factor by assassinating top Hamas leaders and thus raising the cost of rocket attacks.
5.) Meanwhile, the Palestinian leadership which has lost control of Gaza is moving towards unilaterally declaring a state. It is seeking a U.N. General Assembly vote recognizing the state. At this point, the U.N. vote is set for November 29th, which is the anniversary of the U.N. Partition Plan vote in 1947. Such a unilateral step would be in violation of the Oslo Accords signed by the PLO and Israel which disallows unilateral actions such as this.
6.) The Obama administration is pressuring Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas not to take unilateral steps, including with a personal phone call by President Obama to Abbas.
7.) Some media reports here say the Israelis are threatening to topple Abbas if he takes such unilateral actions in defiance of signed agreements.
8.) If this all weren't enough challenges, a new IAEA report due out this week will indicate that Iran is steadily moving its nuclear program into deep underground facilities and that there are now 2,700 centrifuges to enrich uranium located in the Fordow facility, close to the religious city of Qom.
As I note in my recently released e-book, ISRAEL AT WAR: "The corridor between Tel Aviv and Tehran is the most dangerous corridor on the planet. And make no mistake: Iran is already at war with the State of Israel. The radical mullahs in Tehran declared war against the Jewish state in 1979. They have been killing Israelis and other Jews ever since. Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his senior advisors are engaged in a high stakes diplomatic, financial and covert war to neutralize the Iranian nuclear threat before the mullahs -- driven by an apocalyptic, genocidal End Times theology -- get the Bomb and the means to deliver it. Now the question is: Will Netanyahu soon order his nation into a full scale, all-out war with Iran that could set the entire Middle East on fire?"
All that said, it should be noted that God is sovereign. As we continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem in obedience to Psalm 122:6, the Lord continues to protect the people of Israel, and He loves all the inhabitants of the land, Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs, Palestinian Arabs, Christians and Muslims. What's more, while there are serious tensions on the Gaza and Syrian borders, most of Israel is very safe. Tourism this year is at an all-time high. Indeed, the number of tourists coming into Israel in September was an all-time record. I've been here since Friday speaking at a pastors conference and I've never felt in danger. The challenges are real, but keep them in context that most Israelis and Palestinians are going about their daily lives without fear or interference. But please keep praying for peace, for wisdom for the leaders here, and for the followers of Jesus Christ to be a blessing to all the people here.
Thanks. Lord willing, I'll continue to keep you updated as best I can.
|
Statement Released by the Embassy of Israel
|
|||
|
||||
Statement Released by the Embassy of Israel
Washington, D.C.:
Israel Responds to Hamas Rocket Attacks
- If an alarm is sounded, people in southern Israel-1 million people-have 15 seconds to find shelter. I don't know if any of your governments will accept this reality. I cannot accept this."
- "The world needs to understand that Israel has the right and duty to defend its citizens." -- PM Benjamin Netanyahu
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched Wednesday afternoon a defensive strike on a significant number of long range rockets sites owned by Hamas.
In the last week alone, Hamas, a terrorist organization, has launched 150 rockets at Israel's south. The Government of Israel has decided to respond with targeted and surgical strikes against those responsible, and to impair its terrorist infrastructure. Israel cannot tolerate the escalation of rocket fire aimed at its citizens. The IAF seriously impacted Hamas's long range missile capabilities and underground weapons storage facilities. Most of the Hamas rockets that have been fired at our civilians in the past have had a range of up to 25 miles. Today, we have been targeting the Fajr-5, which has a range of nearly 40 miles, putting three million Israelis within terrorist missile range. The IAF has been surgical and restrained in its response to the Hamas missile escalations, and has not targeted the long-range missiles stored in mosques, schools, and hospitals.
As part of Operation Pillar of Defense, Israel eliminated Ahmed al-Jabri, the head of the Hamas military wing, who joined Hamas in 1995 and rose to a senior leadership position in 2004. He was directly involved in numerous terrorist attacks against Israel, including the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit.
"Israel has the right and duty to defend itself from terrorist attacks designed to kill thousands of its citizens," Ambassador Michael Oren said. "We are sending an unequivocal message that our citizens will not be hostage to terrorist missile fire and cross-border attacks. The scope of the IDF's defensive operation depends on Hamas and whether it takes the decision to cease firing missiles on our neighborhoods and homes."
President Peres Speaks to President Obama
The President of the State of Israel, President Shimon Peres, spoke to the President of the United States of America, President Barack Obama this afternoon. "The head of the military force of Hamas was killed half an hour ago. He was a most extreme man and was in charge of all the attacks and assassinations from Gaza against Israel. We shall handle it with great care. Our intention is not to raise the flames, but already for days, day and night, they are shooting rockets at Israel. Women cannot fall asleep. I was today there with the children. You know, there are limits. So I want you to know and I wanted to explain our motives."
Operation is a response to ongoing Hamas assault
Operation Pillar of Defense ("Amud Anan") was launched as a response to the ongoing Hamas assault on Israel's civilian population. More than 120 rockets were fired at southern Israel in the past four days, forcing more than million Israelis into shelters.
In addition to strikes on rocket facilities, the IDF targeted Ahmed Jabri, the head of Hamas' military wing. Jabri, a senior Hamas operative who was directly responsible for executing terror attacks against Israeli civilians in the past several years, was targeted in a surgical operation.
In the past month, Israeli civilian population has been subject to a barrage of rockets from the Hamas-controlled Gaza strip. The latest round began last Saturday afternoon with a deliberate attack on an Israeli military vehicle which was patrolling the Israeli side of the fence with Gaza, and then followed by the shooting of over 120 rockets into Israel's southern communities.
Israel unilaterally ended its military and civilian presence in Gaza in 2005. After taking over in 2007, Hamas has turned Gaza into a base for an ongoing terrorist assault on innocent Israeli civilians. Since 2009, thousands of rockets were launched from Gaza forcing more than million civilians in southern Israel into bomb shelters & repeatedly keeping Israeli children out of school.
According to the IDF statement, "this operation deals a significant blow to the terror organizations' underground rocket launching capabilities and munitions ware houses that are owned by Hamas and other terror organizations." Read more.
|
Worship with Us Today!
|
|||
|
||||
Worship with Us Today!
PRAY ON
by Babbie Mason
Pray on
For you are who the Lord is looking for
Pray on
For this will tear those mighty strongholds down
Stay on your knees for this is where the battle is won
Very soon you'll win the victory, pray on
