Israeli Public Prepares for Possible Syrian Attack as Shekel Plummets

Israeli Public Prepares for Possible Syrian Attack as Shekel Plummets

Posted by: Ahuva Balofsky August 28, 2013 , 1:04 pm

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1 [A Psalm] of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? {N} The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evil-doers came upon me to eat up my flesh, {N} even mine adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; {N} though war should rise up against me, even then will I be confident. 4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: {N} that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, {N} to behold the graciousness of the LORD, and to visit early in His temple. 5 For He concealeth me in His pavilion in the day of evil; {N} He hideth me in the covert of His tent; He lifteth me up upon a rock. 6 And now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me; and I will offer in His tabernacle sacrifices with trumpet-sound; {N} I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD. 7 Hear, O LORD, when I call with my voice, and be gracious unto me, and answer me. 8 In Thy behalf my heart hath said: ‘Seek ye My face’; Thy face, LORD, will I seek. 9 Hide not Thy face from me; put not Thy servant away in anger; {N} Thou hast been my help; cast me not off, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. 10 For though my father and my mother have forsaken me, the LORD will take me up. 11 Teach me Thy way, O LORD; and lead me in an even path, because of them that lie in wait for me. 12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine adversaries; for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out violence. 13 If I had not believed to look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!– 14 Wait on the LORD; be strong, and let thy heart take courage; yea, wait thou for the LORD. {P} (Psalms 27)

An Israeli woman shows her children how to put on a gas mask as they pick their gas masks at a distribution center in Jerusalem on August 27, 2013. As talks of an international attack on Syria heighten, the demand for gas masks in Israel rose. (Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

During the weeks preceding and following the Jewish New Year, beginning this year on the evening of September 4, Jews around the world recite this psalm twice daily.  In light of rising tensions with Syria, this seems particularly apropos.

As the governments of the US, Britain, France and Turkey move towards authorizing a strike on the abusive Syrian regime, Israel is bracing itself for the potential fall-out.

“The state’s duty is to be ready for any scenario,” MK Eli Yishai, chairman of the Knesset Homefront Preparedness Subcommittee, said.  The subcommittee is scheduled to meet tomorrow to examine the homefront’s readiness.  This follows a pre-planned drill Tuesday in the Golan Heights region, involving security and emergency forces, and, according to Army Radio, a surprise meeting of the security cabinet, presumably to discuss the current situation with Syria.

After the meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “The State of Israel is prepared for every scenario.  We’re not part of the Syrian civil war, but if we’ll spot an attempt to harm us we’ll respond with great force.”

Residents have also responded to the impending danger.  About 40% of Israelis do not have their gas masks, distributed since 2010 by the Israel Postal Company.  In recent days, however, demand has increased to the point where people are being encouraged to use the website or call center to order their kits, to reduce strain at the distribution centers.  As one resident of Zichron Yaakov told Ynet, “Though the risk is low, it still seems more probable than before.  The Americans are going to attack and we already know that Assad has chemical weapons, so why take the risk?”  Homefront command has not yet issued new instructions to citizens to obtain gas masks, but the Israel Postal Company has prepared for the increased demand.

Other preparations being taken include putting Haifa’s Patriot anti-missile batteries on alert and aiming them towards the north.  Along with Iron Dome, the Patriot batteries are part of Israel’s extensive missile defense system, responsible for stopping incoming Scud missiles during the 1991 Gulf War.

On Wednesday According to The Times of Israel reported that the Syrian opposition on Wednesday charged that regime forces had unleashed a chemical attack on civilians in Damascus overnight Tuesday. They claim the attack has left 20 dead. The reports are thus far unconfirmed.

Israel expects to be alerted ahead of any US attack on Syria.  The defense establishment is considering every scenario, including a moderate Syrian retaliation, possibly without direct involvement, in the form of rocket fire or an attack at the border.

According to Bloomberg  News, following US Secretary of State John Kerry’s announcement that the US was going to retaliate, with an expected  subsequent Syrian attack on Israel, the New Israeli Shekel has suffered its steepest two-day drop in over three months. The shekel depreciated 1.2 percent to 3.6519 a dollar, at 5:45 p.m. in Tel Aviv, taking the two-day decline to 1.7 percent, the most since the two days ending May 14. The currency is today the fifth-worst performer among an expanded list of 31 major currencies tracked by Bloomberg. Israel’s TA-25 benchmark stock index slumped 2.4 percent to 1,156.19, the lowest level since Sept. 23.

Foreign investors are shunning Israeli assets on concern that a possible U.S. attack on Syria will include Israel in an escalation,” said Moshe Nir, a trader at Mercantile Discount Bank Ltd. in Tel Aviv.

Over 50 Churches Burn as Egypt Descends Into Chaos

Love For His People Editor's Note: True colors of the hatred of the so called "peaceful religion." As believers in the True Messiah of Israel and the Nations, Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach, we need to stand with our brothers and sisters against this hatred. We are not to cower in fear, but to stand up and be heard - telling it like it is!  Steve Martin

Over 50 Churches Burn as Egypt Descends Into Chaos

Posted by: Doni Kandel August 16, 2013 , 11:53 am

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Neither shalt thou stand idly by the blood of thy neighbor: I am the LORD (Leviticus 19:14)

As chaos rages on in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood has targeted the Christian community, burning over 50 churches and institutions. Earlier in the week, a young Christian girl was shot dead by the Brotherhood on her way home from Bible study. (Wikimedia Commons)

As the battle between the pro-deposed former President Mohammed Morsi Muslim Brotherhood and the military-backed fighters of Interim-President Adly Mansour in Egypt rages on, with hundreds of daily casualties,  the Christians of Egypt have become one of the most targeted groups of the growing chaos. According to Breaking Christian News, Christian leaders around the world, including in Egypt, are pleading for prayers as over 50 churches and Christian institutions have been attacked or destroyed by the Muslim Brotherhood.

According to the Jerusalem Post, based on unconfirmed Twitter reports from Coptic Christian leaders, there have been incident after incident of anti-Christian violence unleashed by the Brotherhood.

Bishop Anba Suriel, the bishop for the Coptic Orthodox Church in Melbourne, wrote on his Twitter micro blog, “over 20 separate attacks on churches and Christian institutions all over Egypt.” Suriel added, ”These attacks on the Copts is unprecedented in the modern era.” He called on the international community not to be passive.

The Egyptian state news agency Mena reported assaults on three churches, including the destruction of the Mar Gergiss church. AFP reported that the attackers tossed firebombs at Mar Gergiss in Sohag, on the west bank of the Nile. The city of Sohag has a large Coptic community.

AFP reported two churches were attacked in El-Menia province, causing fire damage to both buildings. There were reports that one of Egypt’s oldest churches, the fourth century Virgin Mary in Minya, was engulfed in flames.

Speaking with The Jerusalem Post from Ottawa, Irwin Cotler, a former Canadian justice minister and current Liberal MP, said the “Army should be providing more protection to the Copts.”

Cotler spearheaded a report – Securing the Human Rights of Coptic Christians in Egypt After the Arab Spring – in Canada’s Parliament in May to protect the rights of Copts and “hold those responsible for attacks on Copts.” The anti-Christian violence by radical Islamists and Muslim Brotherhood supporters is taking place within “a general culture of impunity,” he said.

Suriel complained on his Twitter feed that Western media have ignored the violent attacks.

Dexter Van Zile, the Christian media analyst for the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, told the Post, “The bishop has a legitimate beef with people.”

The “silence is troubling” from “the people charged with promoting human rights,” Van Zile said. “Progressive Christianity does not want to confront Islamic violence.”

Van Zile added it is “outrageous” that Copts are being scapegoated for the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated president Morsi.

According to the JPost, Andrew C. McCarthy, a leading US expert on radical Islam, blamed Western media reports for ignoring and distorting the “Islamic supremacist aggression against Egypt’s Christians – which was a prominent feature of Muslim Brotherhood governance.” He blasted Wednesday’s AFP report for exculpating “the Islamic supremacists by editorializing, in the report, that these were ‘reprisal’ attacks.”

McCarthy wrote, “The Brotherhood is not ‘retaliating’ against Christians. Islamic supremacists are persecuting Christians… which is what they do in Muslim-majority countries.”

All of these tragic reports come after the shooting of a young Coptic girl last week in Cairo. According to the JPost, Jessi Boulus was shot after completing her Bible class at the Ahmed Esmat Street Evangelical Church where her uncle works as a pastor.

According to Arutz 7, the majority of the information is coming via social media. Using the hashtag #EgyChurch, Egyptian users of Twitter and other social networks broadcast messages like “Can’t keep up with the number of churches, Christian businesses, and affiliates being attacked by ‘peaceful’ Muslim Brotherhood”, “It’s clear the Copts are having their churches burnt,” and “This is quickly becoming the worst sectarian catastrophe we’ve seen in our lifetimes.”

According to the Times of Israel, Egypt is anticipating another day of violence as the Muslim Brotherhood supporters called for a “Day of Rage” after security forces cracked down on two peaceful protests in support of Morsi.

“AntiCoup rallies tomorrow will depart from all mosques of Cairo & head towards Ramisis [sic] square after Jumaa prayer in “Friday of Anger,” tweeted Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Gehad el-Haddad late Thursday.

The Times also reported that in anticipation of more violence, the streets of Cairo have been officially closed with individuals setting up barricades and are even checking the IDs of people entering their neighborhoods in hopes of staving off attacks.

Earlier Thursday, the Egyptian Presidency’s office issued a statement criticizing the American and world reactions to the violence, particularly comments made by US President Barack Obama that ”traditional cooperation cannot continue as usual.” The presidential statement said the remarks were not based “on the truth of matters” and could be seen as “strengthening the armed violent groups and encouraging them in their path.”

Earlier in the week, dozens protested outside in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood outside the Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv, the Times reported. The protest, organized by the Islamic Movement in Israel, was not allowed by police to take place directly outside the embassy in the center of Tel Aviv, and was instead held at nearby Basel Square, Ynet News reported.

According to Breaking Christian News, an Egyptian Christian leader has asked the world to “Please continue to pray for my country. Those are the hardest days we’ve ever witnessed. The peaceful Egypt is now soaked into violence, hatred and desire to revenge. My heart and the hearts of millions of Christian and Muslim Egyptians are bleeding as we see Egypt turning into a strange country we’ve never knew before.”

Love For His People has added the following artwork, as part of this message.

We stand with our believing brothers and sisters worldwide. You are not alone!

Come Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) Bring Your love to Egypt!