Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
The following is a brief response to the wave of anti-Jewish terror now engulfing Israel and how Palestinian society is relating to it. This post is important because of who wrote it. It was penned by “Matthew”, our Palestinian Christian brother whose true identity must be concealed for obvious security reasons.
The original title of “Matthew’s” article as submitted to Israel Today was “When News Becomes Lies”
Perhaps you were unable to discern what I want to say from the title (“When News Becomes Lies”). To understand my articles and my perspective, you need to know a little about me and my background.
I am a young Palestinian man, living in the Palestinian-controlled territories. Until recently, I hated Israel and the Jews as much as anyone could. I used to rejoice every time I heard that Jews had been killed.
But God changed my heart, and through the love of Christ, I now love the Jewish people. I have written more extensively about this transformation in previous articles (see the June 2015 issue ofIsrael Today, page 22).
Over the past week, more than nine terror attacks have been carried out by Palestinian terrorists against Israelis. This wave of terror began just after Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas delivered his speech before the United Nations.
My heart bled when I heard the terrible news of the first attack, in which Palestinian terrorists assaulted an Israeli family and murdered the parents in front of their young children.
My sorrow was deep and real, but the thing that shocked me most was the lack of any condemnation of this barbaric crime from the Palestinian side. In fact, most people here rejoice in the murder of Jews, and celebrated this deadly attack.
But their reaction was much different when Israel responded by killing the terrorist responsible. Suddenly, Palestinians began demanding justice against the “racist” Israelis.
And then the news begins to lie to the people, who are told that these terrorists who were shot by the Israelis weren’t really trying to stab anyone. They are told that the Israelis invented stories about the attacks, that the Palestinians who were shot weren’t really armed, and that the Jews killed them simply for being Arabs.
The media’s publishing of these false accounts sadly transforms them into a kind of pseudo truth. Please do not allow such lies to influence your thinking. Use your brain and seek out true justice.
I know that my words are simple. I am just one person who has for years been living under these chains of hatred and lies. But God set me free, and I feel a calling to share the truth with the world.
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Why are so many disturbed young men in the United States carrying out massacres? (iStock photo )
Just one day before a crazed young gunman killed nine people in Oregon last week, police arrested four males who planned to go on a bloody rampage at their high school in central California. Fortunately those four juveniles are now in custody—but it doesn't lessen the pain of the families who lost loved ones in the Umpqua Community College shooting in Oregon.
What is happening? Why are so many disturbed young men in the United States carrying out massacres? Consider these four recent cases:
1. Christopher Harper-Mercer, 26, killed nine people at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, Oct. 1, 2015, using five handguns and a rifle. He killed himself after the rampage. An unemployed loner, his parents were divorced and he lived with his mother. He suffered from mental disorders, and neighbors said he sometimes paced the floor of his apartment until 4 a.m. According to posts online, he was fascinated with guns and frustrated that he didn't have a girlfriend. When he broke into a classroom last week he asked some students if they were Christians before shooting them in the head.
2. Dylann Storm Roof, 21, is an avowed white supremacist who shot and killed nine people, including a pastor, in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17, 2015. He used a .45-caliber Glock pistol. His mother left his father before he was born, and his father was later accused of abusing his second wife. A high school dropout, Dylann used drugs, showed signs of obsessive compulsive disorder and was convinced that African-Americans are taking over the world. In his online posts he talked of starting a civil war. He will stand trial in July 2016.
3. Elliot Rodger, 22, went on a bloody rampage on the University of California/Santa Barbara campus on May 23, 2014. First he stabbed three Chinese men (two of them his roommates), then he shot three students at a sorority house using three semi-automatic pistols. Then he killed himself. Coming from a divorced home, he was described by those who knew him as a loner who had been bullied in school. In a video he posted on YouTube just before his shooting spree, he said he wanted to punish women who had rejected him, and to punish sexually active males because they had a more enjoyable life.
4. Adam Lanza, 20, was responsible for storming into the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Dec. 14, 2012, and killing 20 first-graders and six adults. He murdered his mother first, then used her rifle to shoot his victims, and then killed himself. After the incident, investigators learned that Adam suffered from numerous mental problems. He loved horror movies and was fascinated by mass killings. Adam had had a strained relationship with his father since his parents separated in 2002.
A growing number of young men—even teens—are snapping. What is causing this?
The debate rages today about gun control—and certainly a case can be made that these men should never have had access to handguns or rifles. But this dilemma can't be solved simply by stricter background checks. (Elliot Rodger, for example, stabbed three of his victims with a knife, one of them 94 times. In other cases, they used guns owned by family members.)
In the cases I've described, each young man came from a broken home marked by abuse, rejection or neglect. Each was tormented by inner demons that caused him to be fascinated with conspiracies, weapons and violence. And after each massacre, people who knew these young men said they detected that they were deeply disturbed and needed intervention.
Other factors may have played a role, including drugs, video games, violent entertainment and broken relationships. But one clear factor is mental illness and an obvious lack of support for families that struggle with this problem. A lot of young men in this country today are battling anxiety, compulsive behaviors and serious psychological problems, and we can't sit back and wait for politicians to solve this.
We need spiritual answers—and the church must step up to the plate to provide more help to people like Christopher, Dylann, Elliot and Adam before they reach the breaking point. That's why I'm grateful California Pastor Rick Warren and his wife, Kay (whose 27-year-old son battled depression and committed suicide in 2013), have organized a conference on mental illness that begins today. The Gathering on Mental Health and the Church will convene at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, Oct. 7-9.
"It's time to break the silence and stigma surrounding mental illness," says Kay Warren. "Every church, regardless of size or location, can be a place of refuge and love and compassion for those who need it most."
Hopefully Saddleback's willingness to apply the gospel to this taboo topic will result in a wave of healing in this country. For too long we have ignored this complicated problem—or we've deliberately swept it under the rug. The church should be the place where families go to find answers to mental illness—and not after a school massacre but before it happens.
For more information on the Gathering on Mental Health and the Church, go to mentalhealthandthechurch.com.
J. Lee Gradyis the former editor of Charisma and the director of The Mordecai Project. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. Check out his ministry atthemordecaiproject.org.
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You would think that of all the people depicted in the Bible, the moms would be the ones who could best understand our frustrations as mothers. That's probably why there are so many books titled something like, "Moms of the Bible." We're supposed to read about moms and learn from them. Be inspired by them, even.
All of that is well and good. But lately, I've come to think that the biblical personage who could best understand a mom's frustration is Moses.
Moses was a father, but not a mother. He wasn't even a woman. How could he be the one who best understands moms?
Consider his words to God for yourself, and see whether you agree that he understands:
"Why have You hurt Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your eyes, that You lay the burden of all this people on me? Have I conceived all this people? Have I given them birth, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse bears the nursing child,' to the land which You swore to their fathers? Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep to me, saying, 'Give us meat, that we may eat.' I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. If You do this to me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your eyes, and do not let me see my misery" (Num. 11:11-15).
I kid you not! That's what Moses said. (You can look up the full passage in Numbers 11.)
Yet we also know that Moses is the only human being ever to have seen God's face (see Ex. 33:11 below).
That means there is hope for you and me, moms. We don't have to be some kind of superspiritual Christian in order to have a close relationship with God. Intimacy with Him is possible for anyone who desires it—even for us!
I'm not saying that our emotions are always righteous (far from it!). What I'm saying is that if we do what Moses did, we can still have precious intimacy with God, even though we're not perfect.
What did Moses do? He talked to God about what he thought and how he felt. He didn't just stuff his feelings down, or try to deal with them in his own strength. He admitted he needed God, and he begged God for help.
But Moses didn't just come to God when he needed something. He came to God often. He loved God with his whole heart. He maintained that relationship all the time, not just when he wanted to ask God to do the genie thing and pop out of a bottle and rescue him.
Moms, did you realize you can bring your thoughts, emotions and frustrations to God? Moses did, and God didn't zap him to death. Instead, He helped him. God's not going to zap you either when you come before Him honestly and pour out your heart. He will help you—not condemn you.
So take a cue from Moses. Seek a relationship with Him always, even when things are going well. And when something comes up, admit what you think and how you feel and pour your heart out to God.
Doing so won't prevent you from experiencing intimacy with Him. In fact, it's necessary in order for intimacy to happen. You have to share your heart.
Exodus 33:11 says, "The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When he returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tent."
Adapted from Megan Breedlove'sblog, Manna for Moms. Megan is the author of Well Done, Good and Faithful Mommy and Manna for Moms: God's Provision for Your Hair-Raising, Miracle-Filled Mothering Adventure (Regal Books.) She is also a stay-at-home mom with five children.
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Did you hear the one about the Orthodox Jewish students who rescued a TV cartoon character? Seriously, some things simply can't be made up.
Recently, late night TV host Jimmy Kimmel set up a "social experiment" on the sidewalk outside the theater from which his show is broadcast. He had a person dressed up as SpongeBob lying down and crying out for help to get up. Watching the video is telling and shows that maybe we all could use a refresher course in basic values as Kimmel notes, it's "important to assist people in need wherever you can."
Watch the video (at the end of this article) for yourself, but it won't surprise anyone that the people who came to SpongeBob's rescue was a group of Orthodox Jewish boys, people who study and internalize the Torah laws and values that Jews aspire to implement in every facet of our lives.
Among Jews, the video went viral. It's funny, almost in an embarrassing way, to see the blatant disregard by so many: running, stepping over and taking pictures of the fallen SpongeBob as if he were a bag of garbage. It's hard not to laugh at people doing so. It says a lot about so many people blatantly ignoring cries for help, even from a TV cartoon character however, which is not funny at all.
The week the video went viral, Jews in synagogues around the world read the Torah portion from Deuteronomy 12:10-25:19, which is rich with many laws and values we need to apply in our lives today. In fact, this is the one weekly portion that has the single largest number of commandments, 74 out of 613. I've read it dozens of times, but each time, something new jumps out. That week it was verse 22:4, "When you see your neighbor's donkey or ox fallen along the road, do not ignore it; you must be sure to help him get the animal on its feet again."
Of course. That's nice and something we shouldn't have to be told, but a valuable lesson all the same, even today when few of us actually know people who own donkeys, much less use them for work.
And maybe, or especially, if we don't know people with donkeys, we should apply that Scripture to other aspects of our lives, even helping a person dressed up as a TV cartoon character. Therefore, when confronted by Jimmy Kimmel's experiment, these young men who have studied this Scripture, and all the Torah, and live by it in every facet of life, did what they thought was the only option.
Over the years, I have been blessed to be the recipient of so much warmth, solidarity and unconditional love from Christian friends throughout the world. As much as I have been blessed personally with genuine friendships that have enriched my life, I always find it interesting when I am introduced as an Orthodox Jew from Israel. Almost always, whether one on one or speaking to a whole congregation or conference, there's an instant affinity, interest and respect, but clearly not a full understanding of what it means to be an Orthodox Jew in Israel or anywhere else. Similarly, there's a lack of understanding of the difference between someone like myself, modern orthodox as compared to someone who is ultra-orthodox and more readily identified by his attire. That's not a fault of course, just an observation. I'm certainly no expert of Christianity.
However, I am surprised that more Christians don't know more about Judaism, both given that we share so much in terms of Scripture in the Torah and other biblical texts, values from these, and of course that Jesus was an Orthodox Jew in Israel as well. While there's been an evolution of Jewish practice in the past 2,000 years of diaspora, and only a restoration and return to Israel in the last 100 plus years, if Jesus were to return today, He'd find Himself very comfortable and familiar with the worship in my synagogue, perhaps even more so than in most churches, as Christian tradition rooted in the New Testament did not thrive until after His death.
Of course, one thing that's missing in my life today that Jesus had in his life is the opportunity to worship, teach and bring offerings in the Temple. Sadly, if He were to return to the same Temple Mount today, where He preached and worshipped some 2,000 years ago, he'd be met by hostile chants and threats by Muslim extremists, if not have rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at him. That's for a much longer article on its own.
Anytime I am confronted with questions about what it means to be an Orthodox Jew, I try to explain honestly and clearly how we live our lives through the prism of the Torah. It's not only authentic Jewish tradition, but also the foundation of Christianity. More and more Christians seek me out because of this, not that I am an expert, but as a practicing Orthodox Jew, they recognize a piece of at least early Christianity that's missing from their lives that people like myself have lived and maintained for thousands of years.
The Torah is full of lessons, values and laws by which Jews today continue to live, by which Jesus lived, and which was the foundation for his ministry. It's noteworthy that in the same Torah portion also teaches in verse 24:17 that we need to be considerate of the widow and orphan, an injunction of course that's reiterated in James, John and Mathew.
These and many other such values are central to Judaism and Christianity. For us, the addition of rabbinic teachings over the past 2000 years helps us understand and apply these values to modern life.
Surely in Biblical times nobody could imagine that there ever would be a SpongeBob. But today, when we might be more likely to come across a cartoon character in distress than a donkey fallen under its burden, the same value applies.
I relish the opportunity to share aspects of my life, doing my best to be an Orthodox Jew not just in the State of Israel, but the Land of Israel where so many of the specific laws apply uniquely. While large sections of the Torah may not seem relevant today, and are not taught in many churches, living in the Land as an Orthodox Jew, you'd be surprised as to how these are relevant and we apply these in a way that's modern, always being sure to sanctify God. Our tradition is that no single letter of the Torah is extraneous, and we have the benefit of tens of generations of rabbinic teaching to understand this all and apply it in our lives.
Since we never know when we will be tested, or by whom, whether under the eye of a Jimmy Kimmel experiment, or the much more important Eye of Eyes, living and applying biblical values throughout our lives is not just a good idea to avoid embarrassment on TV, but to do what's right in the eye of God. That's how Orthodox Jews live, by applying the Torah to our everyday lives.
So when you read your Bible and something doesn't make sense, or is culturally part of a time past, don't brush over it and think it's irrelevant. If we believe in the divinity of Scripture, all the Scripture, every Hebrew letter, every verse is relevant, even if we don't yet understand how or why.
That's what it means to be an Orthodox Jew, and watching the video of these young men helping SpongeBob off the sidewalk is what we call a Kiddush Hashem, sanctification of God's name.
Watch the video for yourself, but it won't surprise anyone that the people who came to SpongeBob's rescue was a group of Orthodox Jewish boys, people who study and internalize the Torah laws and values that Jews aspire to implement in every facet of our lives.
Jonathan Feldsteinwas born and educated in the U.S. and immigrated to Israel in 2004. He is married and the father of six. Throughout his life and career, he has been blessed by the calling to fellowship with Christian supporters of Israel and shares experiences of living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel. He writes a regular column for charismanews.com's Standing With Israel. He can be reached at FirstPersonIsrael@gmail.com.
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A recent poll in Israel showed almost half the citizenry wants the third Jewish temple built, the Levitical priesthood established and animal sacrifice resumed. Amazing, considering the high-degree of animal-rights sensitivity today. But even more amazing (to me) is how many Christians also want to see the temple up and running.
Jews obviously want it so they can again worship in the way God instructed them through Moses. But most Christians see the temple as just a temporary edifice needed to fulfill a handful of Scriptures for Antichrist to “take his seat” and declare himself God. Or to be the “holy place” where the abomination of desolation can stand.
But does the New Testament actually say a third Jewish temple will be built? Or can those few Scriptures that imply the presence of an end-time tabernacle be understood in some other way? I believe they can. I believe all should be understood as carrying the alert Matthew attached to the so-called “holy place” mentioned by Jesus - “Let the reader understand” (Matt. 24:15).
Oh, there surely will be a third temple that will be more glorious than Solomon’s. But it won’t be a building! How can God allow another stone temple to arise when the entire New Testament is an argument against the reestablishment of an animal sacrificial system? I have no doubt the reason God allowed the Muslim Dome of the Rock to be sitting where it is today was to block the temple’s rebuilding. Or it would already be up.
With the New Covenant, God moved into a new kind of house. The Mosaic Law permitted His presence to dwell with us, but now he could dwell in us. The body of Messiah is now His only official place of residence on earth: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16).
Didn’t Isaiah tell us, “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool, where then is a house you could build for Me?” (Acts 7:48,49).
But that still begs the question: Will God allow even a false or temporary temple to be built for end-time purposes? And should Christians (or Jews) expect to see it as a sign of Messiah’s coming?
My advice is to scratch that sign off your list. God can’t allow another physical temple to be built or it would be a denial Messiah has already come. The author of Hebrews explained it this way: “The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the first tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time.” (Heb. 9:8,9)
In other words, the very existence of the Mosaic Temple meant God’s presence could only be accessed through the Levitical priesthood and the blood of animals. But when the curtain in front of the Holy of Holies was supernaturally torn from top to bottom at Yeshua’s death it signified we could now go directly into His presence by “a new and living way” (Heb. 10:20). And there was no going back.
Let’s not become so distracted looking for a red heifer we miss the completion and coming of God’s true temple in Yeshua…”in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph 2:19-22).
“Yes, it is he who will build the temple of Yahweh, and he who will bear the honor and sit and rule on his throne.” (Zech 6:12,13)
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This summer’s bruising and ultimately failed effort to torpedo US President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran has provided pro-Israel activists in the United States with an important and timely lesson.
Despite spending tens of millions of dollars, organizing advertising campaigns in the print and electronic media and lighting up switchboards on Capitol Hill, they did not succeed in preventing the White House from putting together the votes needed to stymie opposition to the atrocious atomic accord.
Clearly, Israel’s defenders in the US are in dire need of some reinforcements, and I believe that Hispanic Americans may just provide the key to ensuring long-term support for the Jewish state.
While organizations such as the Conference of Presidents and the American Jewish Committee have been reaching out to the Latino population in the US in recent years, far more must be done to court this crucial sector of American society and it behooves Israel to wake up and take notice.
We have all heard a lot about the growing political and social clout of US Hispanics, but it is the numbers which tell the full story.
According to a June 15, 2015, research report by the Pew Center, which is based on US Census Bureau data, the number of Hispanics in the United States reached a new high of 55.4 million people in 2014, representing 17.4 percent of the total US population. This means that more than one out of every six Americans is Hispanic, making them the largest minority group in the country.
And projections by the Census Bureau estimate that by 2050 the number of Hispanic Americans will more than double to 106 million.
These figures simply cannot be ignored. Latinos will continue to climb the economic and political ladders in the US, ascending to new heights of power and influence and reshaping the country. If Israel is not on their radar, it will inevitably affect the bilateral US-Israel relationship in the decades to come.
A number of Jewish groups are already utilizing some of the standard tools available in pro-Israel advocacy work, such as organizing leadership trips to the Jewish state and producing materials in Spanish that explain Israel’s cause.
But I believe there is a far more powerful instrument at our disposal, one that will touch the souls of many Hispanics and draw them closer to Israel and the Jewish people, and that is the Jewish ancestry that many of them share.
In recent decades, an awakening has been taking place as a growing number of people throughout the Spanishand Portuguese-speaking world are discovering their Jewish roots. These people, known as Bnei Anusim (Hebrew for “the progeny of those who were coerced”) or by the derogatory term “Marranos,” are descendants of Iberian Jews who were forcibly converted to Catholicism in the 14th and 15th centuries. Despite being hunted by the Inquisition, many continued to preserve Jewish practices and customs covertly down through the generations.
Nowadays, as more people discover their historical Jewish connection, either through genealogical research or DNA testing, this almost inevitably results in reshaping their attitudes toward Israel and the Jewish people. As chairman of Shavei Israel, the largest organization in the world today working with Bnei Anusim, I have seen this burgeoning phenomenon first-hand.
Consider the following: over the past decade, a series of genetic tests carried out on Hispanic men living in New Mexico, southern Texas and northern Mexico found that as many as 15% had Sephardic Jewish ancestors.
The phenomenon was the subject of numerous articles in the mainstream press, including The New York Times, Newsweek magazine and Smithsonian.com.
Similarly, in 2008, geneticists discovered a unique genetic mutation related to a form of breast cancer among Hispanic Catholics in Colorado that is identical to that found among Central European Jews, which clearly suggests that they have shared ancestry.
If indeed 15% of Hispanic Americans have Jewish ancestry, this means that as many as eight million US Latinos are descendants of Jews. This presents a unique opportunity for Israel and the Jewish people to reach out to them, and it is one that should not be missed.
Due to the passage of centuries since the forced conversions and expulsions of Iberian Jewry, many Hispanics are no longer fully aware of their historical connection to the Jewish people. We must work to remind them of this salient fact, and to utilize it as the basis for a coordinated outreach program to build bridges between Hispanics and Jews.
As the general Hispanic population learns of their community’s connection with Jews, it will build new bridges of understanding with the Jewish community and Israel, make them less likely to fall prey to anti-Semitic stereotypes and less inclined to support anti-Israel initiatives such as the BDS movement.
The benefits of such outreach could also extend to the demographic sphere. Inevitably, upon discovering or re-discovering their Jewish roots, a certain percentage of Hispanics will seek to rejoin the Jewish people.
Indeed, according to the 2014 Religious Landscape Survey by the Pew Research Center, 4% of American Jews are Hispanic/ Latino. At least part of this number is attributable to the growing numbers of Hispanics who have returned to Judaism. Obviously, Judaism is not a missionary religion. But if even just 2% of US Hispanics were to join the Jewish people, it would result in an increase in the American Jewish population of more than 1.1 million.
Reawakening the Jewish consciousness of Hispanic Americans will naturally lead them to be more supportive of Israel in the political arena. This can serve as an important boost to Israel’s cause on Capitol Hill, resulting in a powerful alliance of pro-Israel forces ranging from Jewish organizations to Christian evangelicals to Hispanic-Americans.
Thankfully, a number of visionary Hispanic leaders have taken steps to strengthen their community’s relationship with Israel.
Earlier this year, US Pastor Mario Bramnick launched the Hispanic Israel Leadership Coalition, an important new group that will seek to build greater support for the Jewish state among the tens of millions of Hispanic evangelicals worldwide.
“We want to build the Hispanic Evangelicals to be a firewall,” Bramnick said, “a protection against this rise of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel rhetoric.”
Prominent Latino leaders such as the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez and Pastor Guillermo Maldonado have been outspoken in their love for Israel, inspiring many to stand with the Jewish state and pray for her well-being.
It is time for Israel to return the favor, and grasp the hand of Hispanic friendship that is being extended our way. In a world that is increasingly hostile to all we hold dear, it would be comforting to know that we have a large cadre of amigos whose friendship we can count on in our hour of need.
Since the beginning of Russia's military buildup in Syria, world leaders have been wondering what Vladimir Putin is really up to.
Yes, Putin needs to rescue his ally, the brutal Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, from losing a bloody civil war and Russia would like to hang on to its naval facility in the Syrian port of Latakia.
But is that all Putin is after, or does he have other goals in mind?
A few weeks ago, NATO Gen. Philip Breedlove admitted, "We don't truly understand as yet what it is Russian is going to do."
Experts agree that Putin could create a lot of trouble in the Middle East. But he could also help boost the ailing Russian economy, an economy that is still in the tank from low oil prices and from Western economic sanctions over Russia's annexation of Crimea.
When those sanctions began to bite, Russia's former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin told the press that Russia had "entered or (was) entering a real, full-blown economic crisis."
And despite Putin's efforts to diversify the economy, it still lives or dies with energy prices.
"The ruble is very sensitive to the moves of oil prices. So, if oil becomes cheaper, the ruble does the same," Nikita Bekasov, with the Moscow Exchange Press Service, said.
Putin has taken a big gamble with the public at home by going into Syria. Although he is still popular, polls show most Russians opposed sending troops to the war-torn country.
But perhaps Putin realizes that by moving into Syria, he can protect his ally Assad and gain the side benefit of rising oil prices, thus boosting the Russian economy and his standing at home.
Russia's military buildup and bombing campaign in Syria have already revived the so-called "security premium" on the world oil market -- small rally in oil prices based on the fear of shortages in other parts of the world because of war in the Middle East.
A big escalation in fighting could mean a big escalation in oil prices.
Russia is also competing with the Saudis for energy customers, and a war in the Middle East makes Saudi supplies looks less reliable. With its new airbase in Syria, Russia could coordinate with Iran to disrupt shipments from Persian Gulf and Red Sea terminals, reports Oilprice.com.
So by unleashing his military in Syria, Putin could kill two birds with one stone: both saving an ally and reviving Russia's oil-based economy.
