Bombshell Report Reveals Obama Spied on Netanyahu During Iran Negotiations By Lea Speyer - BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

Bombshell Report Reveals Obama Spied on Netanyahu During Iran Negotiations

By Lea Speyer   BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS  December 30, 2015

“That He will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.” (Psalm 91:3)

In a bombshell revelation, the US National Security Agency (NSA), under direction of US President Barack Obama, has been eavesdropping on phone conversations between top Israeli officials and American-Jewish groups and US lawmakers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

Citing current and former US officials as sources, the Obama administration is believed to have intercepted classified information on Israel’s stance against the Iran nuclear deal to be used against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Among various tactics used by the NSA, spying on Jerusalem included “a cyber implant in Israeli networks,” which would open up access to information in Netanyahu’s office.

According to the report, the NSA informed the White House of Netanyahu’s strategy to leak certain details, which were gathered through Israeli espionage operations, of the US-Iran negotiations that could ultimately put Israel in great peril.  

NSA reports, delivered to top Obama administration officials, allowed the White House to gain insider information on Israeli lobbying efforts in Congress to turn away support from the nuclear deal.

The Journal described how Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer coached pro-Israel groups on how to formulate their arguments in opposition of the Iran agreement when meeting with US lawmakers. An Israeli Embassy spokesman in Washington told the Journal that this was “total nonsense.”

 In January 2014, Obama declared that the US would limit its foreign eavesdropping operations on allies following espionage revelations by former NSA contractor and whistle-blower Edward Snowden.

According to the Journal, while a number of friendly leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande were declared off-limits, Obama cited “compelling national security purpose” to continue monitoring Netanyahu.

“Going dark on Bibi? Of course we wouldn’t do that,” a senior US administration officials told the Journal.

Following Israel’s launch of lobbying efforts against the Iran deal on Capitol Hill, the report stated that Obama administration and intelligence officials quickly realized the NSA was gathering the content of conversations between Israel and US lawmakers.

Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer (Photo: Miriam Alster, Flash90)

While a 2011 NSA directive stated communications between members of Congress and foreign intelligence targets must be destroyed upon interception, the NSA director can issue a waiver if he determines “significant foreign intelligence” is contained in the communications.

The report revealed that during Israel’s lobbying efforts in Congress, the NSA removed the name of lawmakers from their reports on Israel but passed them on to Obama officials.

When asked by the newspaper for a comment, a White House National Security Council spokesman stated: “We do not conduct any foreign intelligence activities unless there is a specific and validated national security purpose. This applies to ordinary citizens and world leaders alike.”

In Israel, Intelligence and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz stated Wednesday that Israel does not spy on the US and expects any administration to do the same.

“Israel does not spy on the US, and we expect that our great friend, the US, will treat us in a similar fashion,” Katz told Ynet news. “If the information on the subject turns out to be true, Israel must file a formal protest with the American government and demand it stop all activities of this kind.”

Former Israeli national security adviser Yaakov Amidror told Army Radio that claims of the US spying on Israel are unsurprising.

“The US listens in on everyone, we don’t need to get excited about it. Everyone knows — it’s a fact,” he said. “Israel is careful not to carry out any spying operations in the United States, not even a little bit.”

I Am Releasing My Glory Through Rough, Unpolished Diamonds In The Earth - Bill Yount

Rough and Uncut, finished diamonds I Am Releasing My Glory Through Rough, Unpolished Diamonds In The Earth Posted: 25 Oct 2015  BILL YOUNT Diamonds In The Rough Are Rising In Demand In The Jewelry Market and In God's Kingdom. I read an article published by The Wall Street Journal with the title, "'Rough' diamonds -- some looking more like gravel than gems -- edge into the jewelry market." Here are some excerpts taken from that article, "A new look in diamond jewelry is on the rise...Known as rough diamonds, these are the stones in their natural state, before they've been cut with the facets that give diamonds the sparkle, brilliance and clarity they are known for...Luxury consumers are maturing "beyond the 'look at me' phase."  As I read this article I sensed the Father saying, "I'll buy that. Many of My people have hindered My glory from moving throughout the earth. They have become enamored with perfection, waiting to be cut just perfectly before they think the world will see Me in them. Many have become like diamonds waiting to be cut and polished until no earthly resemblance is left in them. Many then get stranded inside of My house thinking if they go into the world, something earthly could stain and cause My shine to fade." "But now, I am releasing My glory into the earth as I release My diamonds in the rough. Many of these vessels who seem more 'earthy' than others will begin to shine even brighter as My glory pierces through these cracked and seemingly broken vessels. The defects in some earthen vessels will actually give way to more of My glory shining through them." The most valuable fine cut diamonds in the world can only be seen in museums under lock and key and can never be touched by human hands. Diamonds in the "rough" can turn up anywhere and can be touched by anyone. Be careful who you think has a lot of earth left in them after they are redeemed...there may be a larger diamond under all that earth! 2 Corinthians 4:7, "If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at..." ( Message Bible ) Bill Yount   www.billyount.com Love For His People Editor's Note: Photos of the diamonds added to the original message.

Is ISIS now using chemical weapons? - Joel Rosenberg

New post on Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

Is ISIS now using chemical weapons? Sounds like “The Third Target,” but U.S. intelligence says the evidence shows the Islamic State now has weapons of mass destruction. by joelcrosenberg (source: UK Mirror) (Washington, D.C.) -- U.S. intelligence officials believe that jihadists operating under the direction of the Islamic State have not only captured chemical weapons -- most likely in Syria -- but have actually used such weapons of mass destruction on the battlefield. They are also investigating the possibility that ISIS is mass producing such weapons and asking where will ISIS strike next? I realize this seems like the plot of my most recent novel -- The Third Target -- and its forthcoming sequel (The First Hostage, to be released on December 29th). But this isn't fiction. Unfortunately, this is all too real. Consider the following headlines from the past few days: Islamic State Suspected of Using Chemical Weapon, U.S. Says (Wall Street Journal) Report: U.S. Suspects ISIS Used Chemical Weapons in Iraq (Reuters) Poisonous gas attack by ISIS leads to fears terrorists are mass producing chemical weapons (UK Express) The Troubling Truth Behind ISIS Chemical Weapons Claims (U.S. News & World Report) The notion of the Islamic State having chemical weapons is a chilling one and a potential game-changer. The Kurds appear to have been the first ISIS target. But if ISIS has more such weapons stockpiles, against whom will they use them against next? The U.S.? Israel? One of our European allies? An Arab state like Jordan or Egypt? As more information comes out, I'll keep you informed. In the meantime, please keep praying for U.S., Western and Middle Eastern leaders to get serious about crushing and truly defeating ISIS, not just pinprick attacks that are not truly neutralizing this serious and growing threat. Here are excerpts from the article in the Wall Street Journal: Islamic State militants likely used mustard agent against Kurdish forces in Iraq this week, senior U.S. officials said Thursday, in the first indication the militant group has obtained banned chemicals. The officials said Islamic State could have obtained the mustard agent in Syria, whose government admitted to having large quantities in 2013 when it agreed to give up its chemical-weapons arsenal. The use of mustard agent would mark an upgrade in Islamic State’s battlefield capabilities, and a worrisome one given U.S. intelligence fears about hidden caches of chemical weapons in Syria, where Islamic State controls wide swaths of territory. It raises new questions about the evolving threat posed by Islamic State and the ability of U.S. allies on the ground to combat it. Frontline Kurdish, Iraqi and moderate Syrian forces say they aren’t getting enough U.S. support now to counter Islamic State’s conventional capabilities. Officials say these forces may need specialized equipment and training to help protect them against unconventional weapons if they become a fixture on the battlefield. U.S. intelligence agencies thought Islamic State had at least a small supply of mustard agent even before this week’s clash with Iraqi Kurdish fighters, known as the Peshmerga, U.S. officials said. That intelligence assessment hadn’t been made public. The attack in question took place late Wednesday, about 40 miles southwest of Erbil in northern Iraq. A German Defense Ministry spokesman said about 60 Peshmerga fighters, who help protect Kurdish areas in northern Iraq, were reported to have suffered injuries to their throats consistent with a chemical attack while fighting Islamic State. Mustard agent, first employed as a weapon in World War I, can cause painful burns and blisters, immobilizing those affected by it, but it is usually deadly only if used in large quantities.... The possibility that Islamic State obtained the agent in Syria “makes the most sense,” said one senior U.S. official. It is also possible that Islamic State obtained the mustard agent in Iraq, officials said, possibly from old stockpiles that belonged to Saddam Hussein and weren’t destroyed.U.S. intelligence agencies are still investigating the source and how it could have been delivered this week on the battlefield, officials said. Islamic State has taken control of territory in Syria close to where President Bashar al-Assad’s forces stored chemical weapons, including mustard agent. The regime said in 2013 that all of its mustard stockpiles had been destroyed, either by Syrian forces themselves or by international inspectors..... Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former commanding officer of the British army’s chemical-weapons unit, said the use of mustard agent by Islamic State could give a boost to the group’s psychological warfare campaign. “You mention chemical weapons, people immediately freeze and are irrational. That’s why Islamic State wants to use them,” he said. ————————– Pre-order your copies of THE FIRST HOSTAGE now in hardcover, e-book or audio formats — it releases on December 29, 2015 Order The Third Target today -- the New York Times best-selling novel about ISIS capturing chemical weapons in Syria and plotting genocidal attacks. Order Implosion: Can American Recover From Its Economic & Spiritual Challenges In Time? Learn more about The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net) – educating and mobilizing Christians to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, and caring for the poor and needy with food and other humanitarian relief – read our latest Donor Report, and make a tax deductible, secure, on-line contribution. I’m excited to announce The Joshua Fund’s 2015 “Prayer & Vision Tour of the Holy Land.” Come with me and walk where Jesus, the apostles and the prophets walked. Study the Word of God. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and all the people of the epicenter. Meet and worship with local believers. Serve the poor and vulnerable. Discover the Lord afresh, and even be baptized in the Jordan River. This is a journey that could change your life! Here are the details. Follow on Twitter — @joelcrosenberg Receive every blog post automatically via the RSS feed. joelcrosenberg | August 17, 2015 at 6:29 pm | Categories: Uncategorized | URL:http://wp.me/piWZ7-3kv

5 Things I'd Tell President Obama if I Were His Pastor - Larry Tomczak

5 Things I'd Tell President Obama 

if I Were His Pastor

10/6/2014 LARRY TOMCZAK  CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Barack Obama

Recently an armed man breached White House security, leapt over the fence and made his way over 160 feet through the residency of our president and his family. The intruder barreled past a guard and made his way into the unlocked East Room before finally being tackled by an agent.

This represents a picture of the very center of America's political power with its defenses down, revealing a shockingly vulnerable state. Even our most elite protective security force seemed like hapless Keystone cops in this debacle. It should remind us of times in Israel's history when God brought judgment upon His people by withdrawing His hedge of protection and positioning them for humiliating defeat unless they repented.

The United States of America is at this tipping point. We are in a watershed moment where the outlook is increasingly grim. This is not pessimism but realism; yet God in His mercy is extending to us a lifeline of opportunity to see things turned around. Second Chronicles 7:14 says this begins with God's people humbling themselves and since our president proclaims himself to be a Christian, it is now the time for him to step up and lead the American flock by his example.

If I were his pastor, I would arrange a private meeting in the Oval Office where I would share the following thoughts with him on the pathway to America regaining its greatness under godly leadership.

5 Areas to Address

Mr. President, I am grateful for this time with you. I have specifically prayed for you every single day you've been in office. I have served on the board of Intercessors for America for 38 years calling people nationwide to pray for you and our government. Because of the critical times in which we live, we changed our recent board meeting into a prayer meeting where we gathered around the White House to intercede for you and our government.

Here are five areas where I respectfully ask you to humble yourself, acknowledge your errors and rectify the situation.

1. Demonstrate greater teachability.

"Know well the condition of your flocks, give attention to your herds" (Pr. 27:23). This is God's counsel to you in leadership and yet the Government Accountability Institute reports that you have missed almost 60% of your presidential daily briefings! This is unacceptable especially during these days of civilizational crisis.

Former President Reagan met regularly in these sessions, and his leadership style would be worth emulating. He would obtain a written document on critical issues; discuss with competent leaders the pros and cons; consider all the options; get staff recommendations; and then take time to ponder and return with a solution.

He worked with those of the opposing party (even his number-one nemesis, Tip O'Neill, the speaker of the House) something that you promised to do and yet have clearly not fulfilled. It's time to change—less golf, fewer vacations and fund raisers and more serious tackling of issues concerning our lives. There is too much at stake to neglect this anymore.

2. Take leadership!

"He who leads, (let him lead) with diligence" (Rom. 12:8, NASB). This is what the Bible tells you. Yet throughout your presidency you appear to be weak, regularly caught off guard, leading from behind, blame shifting, reluctant to make decisions, attempting to appear conciliatory and eager to appease radicalized militants bent on our destruction. (Why do you continue to call the Fort Hood killing of 13 and the recent Oklahoma beheading "workplace violence" when both murderers proudly proclaimed their Muslim identity and support for Islamic militarism?)

When even your loyalists like Bill Maher, Chris Mathews and Jon Stewart are ridiculing your stubbornness in this avoidance of the obvious, isn't it time to change? Chris "tingle up my leg" Mathews even went so far as to challenge you to get real when he said, "Get tough!"... "Stop being intellectually lazy." ... "Quit listening to the same voices all the time!"

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal explained how the Islamic State is getting stronger and stronger and yet you appear to be so out of touch with reality! Mr. Ryan Crocker, former ambassador to Iraq and Syria, stated that the ISIS situation, "will require something that has been in short supply in this growing crisis: American leadership. This country, and the president personally, must step forward and show the world that we can and will move decisively, collectively and immediately."

3. Tell the truth.

Christians are to be committed to integrity by "speaking the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15). Throughout your presidency, you regularly appear to be telling falsehoods and manipulating the truth for political ends.

You promised the American public more than 30 times that we could keep our health-care plan if we wanted, yet it simply wasn't true. You said emphatically concerning the V.A. scandal that "there was not even a smidgen of corruption," yet that was blatantly false. You tell us over and over that ISIS is not Islamic, but the facts remain that it is—even if you personally believe or state otherwise.

Most recently you were asked about the death-inducing Ebola virus and you said that "it was unlikely" to affect us here in America. Mr. President, it is already here! It is not widespread but the reality is that it is in our country NOW.

Dr. Kent Brantly, who unashamedly and publicly thanked God for his healing from the Ebola virus, met with you in the Oval Office before he testified before a Senate committee that if this outbreak is not stopped it will quickly become a matter of national security here in America. Look at the recent warnings from the World Health Organization. Or go to Matthew 24:7 where Jesus speaks of disease and epidemics in last day biblical prophecy.

President Obama, I know this is difficult to hear but you must come to grips with the fact that our Commander-in-Chief must be honest. Your credibility continues to plummet—it's time to rectify that.

4. Embrace historical facts.

The Bible you read contains many lists of genealogies that reinforce the evidence of generations. While it is cumbersome to read, it is critical so we have an accurate and trustworthy record of history.

While it may be unpleasant for you to admit, Islam has a long standing historical record as a "religion" that is both violent and not peaceful. Yet you continue to state publicly that Islam is a religion of peace and that Muslim terrorists and militants don't represent the true nature of Islam.

President Obama, what you say is just not the truth. Let me quote from a booklet that is available from the Christian Broadcasting Network entitled "Islam—Religion of Peace or War?"

"Their brutality knows no bounds. Since the beginning of the Islamic conquest until now, those slain by Muslim forces are as follows: over 51 million Christians (many place the number at 60 million) were slaughtered.  80 million Hindus were killed in Jihad against ancient India. Jihadists killed 10 million Buddhists in Turkey, Afghanistan, along the Silk Route, and in India. And upwards to 125 million Africans were slain, as Islam ran the wholesale slave trade in Africa..."

President Obama, do you see what is happening to Christians being slaughtered today in various parts of the world? After all our generals advised you to leave a strong "residual force" in Iraq you refused and pulled out with the disastrous consequences we are living with today. Imagine the genocide—once there were 1.5 million Christians there but now only 200,000 are left! Do you not know that the historical record proves that within four years after Muhammad's death nearly 335,000 Christians were slaughtered and in 10 years the number rose to 1 million!

As you are promising some type of executive order to allow more illegal immigrants into this country, please ponder the fact that we are also letting in individuals who have Islamic militant ties! In the past year alone 466,000 illegal immigrants were captured, yet 157,000 got away unaccounted for! They come from 140 countries including Syria, Iran, Iraq and some are terrorists. Please President Obama, I beseech you to secure the southern borders and change your mind about the realities of Islam, even though we know there are peaceful Muslims as well.

5. Become a biblical Christian, not a cultural "Christian."

Mr. President, there are two legs upon which our nation stands: the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage. If you are confused on these pre-eminent issues, I will be glad to spend as much time as you want to walk you through the sacred Scriptures so that you have a biblical worldview.

At one time you clearly stated that as a Christian you supported and upheld traditional marriage between one man and one woman. Then you capitulated and said you "evolved" to a more progressive approach. By bowing to the LGBTQ agenda and courting their favor you are tampering with the biblical definition of marriage and an institution that has stood strong for 4,000 years of Western civilization!

Likewise you have compromised on the protection of women and the unborn by your very public support for unfettered abortion on demand. You stood before the number-one abortion provider in America, Planned Parenthood, and told them "God bless you!" as you promised you would stand against any efforts to hinder their work.

Mr. President, 16 million black babies have been aborted since the infamous Roe v. Wade decision of 1973! These are your people. This represents genocide. In New York City more babies die in abortion than birth! In Mississippi 72% of babies aborted are black!

These are not minor social issues but civilizational issues! With all the love I can muster, I look you in the eyes and I issue you a challenge: Change your position on these moral issues so that we can protect women, rescue the unborn and reclaim marriage as the sacred institution God ordained.

Thank you for listening, President Obama. I remind you upon leaving that one day you and I will stand before God and give an account for how we have lived our lives and served our fellow man. God help you to change course before it's too late. May God bless you, and may God bless America.

Right before exiting, I turn and add one more exhortation. I refer him to an article I wrote months ago on my website entitled "President Obama, Are You Really a Christian?" [If you're interested, I encourage readers to go there at larrytomczak.com].

Larry Tomczak is a best-selling author and cultural commentator with 42 years of trusted ministry experience. His passion is to bring perspective, analysis and insight from a biblical worldview. He loves awakening people to today's cultural realities and responses needed for a restored, influential church. Please visit LarryTomczak.comand follow him on Facebook or at @larrytomczak on Twitter.

Unless otherwise specified, the opinions expressed are solely the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of Charisma Media.

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ISRAEL'S CHRISTIAN Awakening - WALL STREET JOURNAL

Wall Street Journal

Israel's Christian 

Awakening

A Controversial New Movement Wants to 

Cooperate More Closely With the Jewish State

By 

ADI SCHWARTZ

Dec. 27, 2013 

As Christmas neared, an 85-foot-high tree presided over the 

little square in front of the Greek Orthodox Church of the 

Annunciation in Nazareth. Kindergarten children with Santa Claus 

hats entered the church and listened to their teacher explain in 

Arabic the Greek inscriptions on the walls, while a group of 

Russian pilgrims knelt on their knees and whispered in prayer. 

In Nazareth's old city, merchants sold the usual array of 

Christmas wares.

This year, however, the familiar rhythms of Christmas season 

in the Holy Land have been disturbed by a new development: 

the rise of an independent voice for Israel's Christian community, 

which is increasingly trying to assert its separate identity. For 

decades, Arab Christians were considered part of Israel's 

sizable Palestinian minority, which comprises both Muslims 

and Christians and makes up about a fifth of the country's 

citizens, according to the Israeli government.

But now, an informal grass-roots movement, prompted in 

part by the persecution of Christians elsewhere in the region 

since the Arab Spring, wants to cooperate more closely with 

Israeli Jewish society—which could mean a historic change in 

attitude toward the Jewish state. 

"Israel is my country, and I 

want to defend it," says Henry Zaher, an 18-year-old 

Christian from the village of Reineh who was visiting Nazareth. 

"The Jewish state is good for us."

LOOKING UP: Celebrating Christmas in Nazareth, 

December 2012 Reuters

The Christian share of Israel's population has decreased 

over the years—from 2.5% in 1950 to 1.6% today, according 

to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics—because of migration 

and a low birthrate. Of Israel's 8 million citizens, about 

130,000 are Arabic-speaking Christians (mostly Greek 

Catholic and Greek Orthodox), and 1.3 million are 

Arab Muslims.

In some ways, Christians in Israel more closely resemble 

their Jewish neighbors than their Muslim ones, says 

Amnon Ramon, a lecturer at the Hebrew University of 

Jerusalem and a specialist on Christians in Israel at the 

Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies. In a recent book, 

he reports that Israeli Christians' median age is 30, 

compared with 31 for Israeli Jews and only 19 for 

Israeli Muslims. 

Israeli Christian women marry later than 

Israeli Muslims, have significantly fewer children and participate 

more in the workforce. Unemployment is lower among 

Israeli Christians than among Muslims, and life expectancy 

is higher. Perhaps most strikingly, Israeli Christians actually 

surpass Israeli Jews in educational achievement.

As a minority within a minority, Christians in Israel have 

historically been in a bind. Fear of being considered 

traitors often drove them to proclaim their full support 

for the Palestinian cause. Muslim Israeli leaders say that 

all Palestinians are siblings and deny any Christian-Muslim 

rift. But in mixed Muslim-Christian cities such as Nazareth, 

many Christians say they feel outnumbered and insecure.

"There is a lot of fear among Christians from Muslim reprisals,

" says Dr. Ramon. "In the presence of a Muslim student in one 

of my classes, a Christian student will never say the same things

 he would say were the Muslim student not there."

"Many Christians think like me, but they keep silent," says 

the Rev. Gabriel Naddaf, who backs greater Christian 

integration into the Jewish state. "They are simply too afraid." 

In his home in Nazareth, overlooking the fertile hills of the 

Galilee, the 40-year-old former spokesman of the Greek Orthodox 

Patriarchate in Jerusalem is tall and charismatic, dressed in a 

spotless black cassock. "Israel is my country," he says. "We 

enjoy the Israeli democracy and have to respect it and fight for it."

That is the idea behind the new Forum for Drafting the 

Christian Community, which aims to increase the number of 

Christians joining the Israel Defense Forces. 

It is an extremely 

delicate issue: Israeli Arabs are generally exempt from military duty, 

because the state doesn't expect them to fight their brethren among 

the Palestinians or in neighboring Arab countries. Israeli Palestinians, 

who usually don't want to enlist, say they often face discrimination

 in employment and other areas because they don't serve.

"We were dragged into a conflict that wasn't ours," says 

Father Naddaf. "Israel takes care of us, and if not Israel, 

who will defend us? We love this country, and we see the 

army as a first step in becoming more integrated with the state."

According to Shadi Khaloul, a forum spokesperson, the total 

number of Christians serving in the Israeli military has more than 

quadrupled since 2012, from 35 to nearly 150. This may seem a 

drop in the ocean, but it was enough to enrage many Palestinian 

Israelis. Father Naddaf says that his car's tires were punctured 

and that he received death threats, worrying him enough that he 

got bodyguards. 

Hanin Zoabi, an Arab-Muslim member of the 

Israeli parliament, wrote Father Naddaf a public letter calling him 

a collaborator and accusing him of putting young Christians 

"in danger." "Arab Palestinians, regardless of their religion, should 

not join the Israeli army," Ms. Zoabi told me. "We are a national 

group, not a religious one. Any attempt to enlist Christians is part 

of a strategy of divide-and-rule."

Many Arab Christians don't see it that way. "We are not mercenaries," 

says Mr. Khaloul, who served as a captain in an IDF paratrooper 

brigade. "We want to defend this country together with the Jews. 

We see what is happening these days to Christians around us—

in Iraq, Syria and Egypt."

Since the Arab revolutions began in Tunisia in 2011, many 

Christians in the region have felt isolated and jittery. Coptic 

churches have been attacked in Egypt, and at least 26 Iraqis 

leaving a Catholic church in Baghdad on Christmas Day were

 killed by a car bomb. Islamists continue to threaten to enforce 

Shariah law wherever they gain control.

The Christian awakening in Israel goes beyond joining the IDF. 

Some Israeli Christian leaders now demand that their history and 

heritage be taught in state schools. "Children in Arab schools in 

Israel learn only Arab-Muslim history," says a report prepared 

by Mr. Khaloul and submitted to Israel's Ministry of Education, 

"and this causes the obliteration of Christian identity."

Some Israeli Christians even recently established a new 

political party, headed by Bishara Shlayan, a stocky, blue-eyed 

former captain in the Israeli navy who told me that he once beat 

up an Irish sailor in Londonderry who called him an "[expletive] 

Jew." 

The new party is puckishly called B'nai Brith ("Children of 

the Covenant"), and Shlayan says it will have Jewish as well as 

Christian members. Nazareth's mayor, Ramez Jaraisy, recently 

told the Times of Israel that Shlayan was a "collaborator" with 

the Israeli authorities.

"The current Arab political establishment only brought us hate and 

rifts," says Mr. Shlayan. "The Arab-Muslim parties didn't take care 

of us. We are not brothers with the Muslims; brothers take care of 

each other." 

Mr. Shlayan, who advocates better education, housing 

and employment for Israeli Christians, says he also dreams of turning 

Nazareth into an even busier tourist spot by erecting the world's 

biggest statue of Jesus.

Should this Christian awakening succeed, it would be yet another

 notable shift in the balance of power among religious groups 

in the Middle East.

—Mr. Schwartz is a former staff writer and senior editor 

for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.