No Peace in Paris - Charles Gardner ISRAEL TODAY

No Peace in Paris

Friday, January 13, 2017 |  Charles Gardner  ISRAEL TODAY

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Peace Process

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a problem that is going to disappear with a wave of a magic wand weaved by the world’s politicians. It’s an age-old dilemma that has spiritual roots, and a spiritual solution.

Representatives of 70 nations will descend on Paris on Sunday for a global conference to promote a “two-state solution” as the way to lasting peace in the Middle East. It’s a ‘peace’ they plan to impose on Israel, who will not even be there! And the fear among Jews is that whatever is agreed in France will be used as the basis for a UN Security Council resolution that would permanently divide Israel and create an Islamic Palestinian state.

But the nations are merely engaging in another distraction – a denial of reality – that does not begin to address the issue. Just three weeks ago the UN passed a resolution declaring that Israel is illegally ‘occupying’ much of the land to which it is historically, and biblically, entitled – including the Temple Mount, Western Wall and the Old City itself (every inch of east Jerusalem, in fact) which has been part of Judaism for thousands of years. And Britain, to its shame, voted for this!

In rewriting history and making a mockery of justice and fairness, the United Nations has become a sick joke as it brazenly continues to back the Palestinian narrative that would drive Israel into the sea. Their spokesmen have been quoted over and again saying that they only want such a state as a launch pad for ridding the region of Jews altogether.[1]

The response to the truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem which killed four Israeli Defence Force soldiers[2] says it all. Arab Palestinians took to the streets and social media to celebrate and, in Gaza, the ruling Hamas terrorist group praised the attack as a “natural response to the Israeli occupier’s crimes”. People in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority-controlled ‘West Bank’ were seen festively handing out sweets to mark the occasion.

According to the PA, the murder of Israeli youths is sanctioned by Islam! The official PA daily said the killer “died as a Shahid” (that is, a martyr for Allah). And the Authority will now reward the terrorist’s wife with a lifetime monthly allowance of £627 ($760 or 2,900 shekels). And this in a territory led by Mahmoud Abbas – a so-called ‘moderate’.

No, the problem is not the settlements, or Jewish communities, built on disputed land claimed by the Palestinians. The root of this enduring conflict is anti-Semitism, currently in the shape of Islamic fundamentalism. Actually, Israel is entitled under international law to Judea and Samaria (currently known as the West Bank) courtesy of the San Remo Conference of 1922 in the aftermath of World War I. In fact it was around this time that a ‘two-state solution’ was first tried when, with the stroke of a pen, the British Government handed over a major portion of the territory originally earmarked for Israel to the Arabs – the country now known as Jordan. So why is there a need for further division?

The Paris Conference, like the recent UN resolution, could well make things worse for Israel and render peace even less likely by encouraging terror groups to believe they have the backing of world powers.

This would be a profound tragedy, however, especially for the nations involved. There will undoubtedly be further battles for Israel, but in the end they hold the ‘trump’ card – and I am not referring to the incoming U.S. President.

Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, will return to his beloved land – and the nations who scattered his people and divided up his land will be put on trial. But the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem will be restored. (See Joel 3.1f)

Jesus will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and will be king over the whole earth. (Zechariah 14.1–9)

Come, Lord Jesus!

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1. For this and other information in this article, I am indebted to David Soakell’s January 12 2017 newsletter, Watching Over Zion, produced weekly for Christian Friends of Israel, as well as to official PA TV, January 8 2017.  ↩
2. This included three young women aged 20–22, one of whom, Yael Yekutiel, was a Facebook friend of my CFI colleague David Soakell, who described the 20-year-old officer as “full of light and life” who “seemed to love everyone and everyone loved her.” David himself narrowly missed being a victim of a suicide bomb back in 2002.  ↩

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Why Is Obama Moving Troops Into Poland And Provoking A War With Russia Right Before The Inauguration? - Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Why Is Obama Moving Troops Into Poland And Provoking A War With Russia Right Before The Inauguration? Posted: 12 Jan 2017   Michael Snyder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG January 20th cannot come soon enough.  Instead of stepping back and trying to ensure a smooth transition for Donald Trump, Barack Obama has decided to go hog wild and use every ounce of presidential power still available to him.  He has been establishing a bunch of new national monuments, he just stabbed Israel in the back at the United Nations, and on Thursday he even took time to give Joe Biden a Presidential Medal of Freedom.   But one of the things that has people the most concerned is his endless provoking of Russia.  Every few days it seems like Obama is doing something else to aggravate Russia, and if he wasn’t leaving office in about a week I am sure that the mainstream media would be full of speculation about a possible war. Lame duck presidents are not supposed to make risky moves like this once a new president has been elected.  On Thursday, we learned that U.S. troops have been permanently deployed to Poland for the very first time… American soldiers rolled into Poland on Thursday, fulfilling a dream some Poles have had since the fall of communism in 1989 to have U.S. troops on their soil as a deterrent against Russia. Some people waved and held up American flags as U.S. troops in tanks and other vehicles crossed into southwestern Poland from Germany and headed toward the town of Zagan, where they will be based. Poland’s prime minister and defense minister will welcome them in an official ceremony Saturday. Poland was once a key member of the Warsaw Pact alliance, and the Russians are quite alarmed that U.S. troops will now be stationed so close to the Russian heartland.  The following comes from ABC News… “These actions threaten our interests, our security,” President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday. “Especially as it concerns a third party building up its military presence near our borders. It’s not even a European state.” And it has also been announced that NATO troops will arrive in Lithuania in late January.  If you will remember, Lithuania was actually part of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. All of a sudden, Russia has become enemy number one.  Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton say that Russia is to blame for Clinton’s election loss, and so at the end of December Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats from the country. That is the sort of thing that you do before a war starts. Over in Europe, they are so freaked out about potential Russian interference in their elections that they are “erecting defenses to counter possible Russian cyber attacks”… Nations in Europe, where Germany and France this year hold elections, are erecting defenses to counter possible Russian cyber attacks and disinformation to sway Western politics, but intelligence experts say this might be too little and too late. The issue of Russian “influence operations” has taken on new urgency after U.S. intelligence agencies released a non-classified assessment that President Vladimir Putin ordered a campaign to move the U.S. election in favor of Donald Trump. European nations and NATO are setting up centers to identify “fake news”, bolstering cyber defenses and tracking use of social media which target Russian-speaking communities, far-right groups, political parties, voters and decision-makers. Back in 2012, Barack Obama mocked Mitt Romney for saying that Russia was a serious threat to our national security.  He even joked that the 1980s were calling Romney because they wanted their foreign policy back. At that time, Barack Obama boldly declared that the Cold War had been over for 20 years.  But now here we are just four years later and Barack Obama has gotten us into a new Cold War.  The crisis in Ukraine, the civil war in Syria, the price of oil, cyber-espionage and a whole host of other issues have brought tensions between the United States and Russia to a boiling point. Many are hoping that relations with Russia will improve during the Trump administration, but the truth is that things could go either way. It is important to remember that Trump will be surrounded by military people that are virulently anti-Russia.  For example, retired Marine General James Mattis has been nominated to be Defense Secretary, and this week he told Congress that Russia is the “principal threat” to U.S. security… While much of the hearing has so far been without controveries, in the most striking moment so far, Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russia stands as the “principal threat” to the United States’s security. He said this is because of its actions and efforts to “intimidate” other countries. Senator John McCain questioned Mattis to get his opinion on how much of a threat Russia represents. Mattis response was that the world order is “under biggest attacks since WW2, from Russia, terrorist groups, and China’s actions in the South China Sea”, agreeing with the neocon senator that Russia is trying to break up NATO. “I’m all for engagement” with Russia, “but we also have to recognize the reality of what Russia is up to,” Mattis told Senator Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island). There is a great deal of concern that Trump’s view of Russia could be significantly shaped by strong military men such as Mattis.  Both Democrats and Republicans want Trump to become much more anti-Russia, and let us hope that he does not give in to the pressure. Over in Russia, they view us very negatively as well.  A Gallup survey taken in mid-2016 found that current U.S. leadership (the Obama administration) only had a one percent approval rating in Russia. Yes, you read that correctly. You can’t get much lower than one percent. The Russians consider themselves to be the great force for good in the world, and they consider the United States to be the great force for evil.  They openly talk about the possibility of nuclear war on their news broadcasts, and on one recent broadcast people were actually encouraged to locate the closest nuclear bomb shelter to their homes. And in response to U.S. troops being deployed to Poland, the Russian government has deployed advanced anti-aircraft missile systems around Moscow… Russia has deployed anti-aircraft missile systems around Moscow to protect the capital from attack in the latest sign Vladimir Putin is preparing for war. The s-400 Triumph air defence system has been providing air cover for Russian forces in Syria since November, and is now being deployed on home soil. It is capable of hitting moving airborne targets including planes and incoming missiles and has a range of 400km. We should be very thankful that Barack Obama is leaving office, because right now we are on a path that leads to war with Russia. Every American should be hoping that Donald Trump will work to greatly improve relations with the Russians, but all it would take is one wrong move for things to start deteriorating once again. A new Cold War has begun, and as I recently told a live studio audience at Morningside, the stakes are incredibly high…

Video of the Day: Gate of Mercy - Israel Today

Video of the Day: Gate of Mercy

Friday, January 13, 2017 |  Israel Today Staff

On Thursday, popular Israeli musician, singer and poet Meir Banai passed away. He was only 55.

Banai belonged to the well-known Banai family that has produced many top artists and musicians over the years.

Meir Banai had numerous hits to his name, including the one in the video above, titled Sha'ar HaRachamim - Gate of Mercy.

WATCH HERE

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A 'New Day' for Christians Under Trump Administration? - CBN News Jennifer Wishon

A 'New Day' for Christians Under Trump Administration?

01-11-2017

CBN News Jennifer Wishon

WASHINGTON -- For nearly a decade, it seemed like Washington sent conservative Christians to wander in the wilderness, and now they feel a sense of deliverance. 

"The Christians are being treated horribly because we have nobody to represent the Christians," Donald Trump told CBN News shortly before he announced he was running for president.

Throughout his campaign, Trump reinforced his promises and since winning the election he's appointed one Christian conservative after another to his cabinet.

"I will be the greatest representative of the Christians they've had in a long time," Trump continued.

A 'New Day' in Washington

And now the vast majority of evangelicals who helped send him to the White House are ready to reap their rewards. Those include the appointment of pro-life Supreme Court justices and banning late term abortions.  

"A baby in the womb that has all its vital organs, has eyelashes and fingernails, can hear and respond to its mothers voice and feel pain deserves legal protection as a member of our human family. And he's agreed to sign that into law," said Penny Nance.

As president of Concerned Women for America, an author and a fierce advocate for the unborn, Nance says it feels like a new day in Washington.

"I really believe God listened to the prayers of the faithful around this country as we reached out one more time and said give us another chance," Nance said.

Freedom to Live Their Faith

There's also an expectation the new president will enforce the constitutional right for Christians to live their faith and obey their consciences. It's an issue that led to an historic turnout on election day.

"I think there's no more important issue at home or abroad than freedom of conscience or religious liberty," said Charles Haynes, founder of the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute.

"In this country, people seem to get the idea that now in the public square people of faith should be quiet about it, keep it in their homes or their churches or their places of worship but actually that's absurd. I mean, for most believers of any faith, practicing one's faith means practicing it all the time," Haynes continued.

"I don't want to equate persecution in the United States compared to what's taking place in China or anything like that, but you're seeing people of faith squeezed out," said Frank Wolf, fellow at the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative.

"We're finding a hostility in the media. We're finding it's okay to ridicule a Catholic priest or a Christian missionary - they're almost the brunt of a joke," Wolf said.

Christians wished it was a joke when the U.S. Civil Rights Commission issued its September report on religious freedom.

Commission chairman Martin Castro wrote "The phrases 'religious liberty' and 'religious freedom' will stand for nothing except hypocrisy so long as they remain code words for discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, Christian supremacy or any form of intolerance."

"This report was appalling to me because it really essentially said, when there's a conflict between principles in our public arena, nondiscrimination for example and religious freedom, guess what? Nondiscrimination always wins, religious freedom never has a voice," Haynes said.

We've entered an era, he says, where the claim of religious freedom is perceived as an effort to deny someone else their rights.

Frustration Turns to Relief

"By using language that suggests that Christians who object or who want accommodation are just by definition bigots is very wrong and dangerous," Haynes continued.

It's a frustration that has turned to relief for Christians with the new arrival of an advocate in the White House and Christians happy with Trump are thrilled with his vice president. Former congressman Frank Wolf served with Mike Pence in the house.

"We have one of finest men that I've ever served with as vice president. Mike Pence is honest, ethical, decent, moral man of great faith and so the opportunity and I think President-elect Trump has been very sympathetic," Wolf said.

He adds that the church needs to keep the lines of communication open with both the new president and Congress to keep this agenda moving in the right direction.

Obama has one more knife up his sleeve he is about to stab in Israel's back - Israel Video Network

Ted Cruz reveals what Obama is about to do to Israel in his last days in office The past two weeks have already seen Secretary of State John Kerry deliver a speech unfairly blaming Israel for the current impasse and the United Nations Security Council lead by Obama, pass a resolution broadly condemning the Jewish state. But it looks like there is more coming.... Click here to forward this email to your friends. Today's Most Watched Click here to watch: AMAZING – Brigitte Gabriel SHUTS DOWN Obama and Kerry!! Brigitte is right on - as usual. Timely Topics Click here to watch: Naftali Bennett reveals the simple facts that no one wants to talk about It is about time someone said this! Enrich Your Day Click here to watch: The story of Jerusalem that is not being told You are about to hear from a man that has lived and breathed Jerusalem for many years... Mexican Mariachi Band dances to Jewish songs! Today's Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places Feature - Hava Nagila has made it across the border! Register today! We invite you to send us any videos you think will help us connect people to Israel and the Jewish People. We love your feedback and read it everyday. Looking forward to hearing from you! If you received this email from a friend and wish to subscribe - Just click here. If you would rather receive a Weekly Connection to Israel instead, sign up here to be switched over to the weekly list. Shalom from Jerusalem! Avi Abelow avi@Israelvideonetwork.com

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