Thursday, January 26, 2017

Jonathan Cahn's Last Words to Obama and Charge to President Trump - JONATHAN CAHN CHARISMA NEWS


Rabbi Jonathan Cahn ( Ha Navi Gallery/ ajmu)

Jonathan Cahn's Last Words to Obama and Charge to President Trump

JONATHAN CAHN  CHARISMA NEWS
Jennifer LeClaire is now sharing her reflections and revelations through Walking in the Spirit. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

Editor's note: This is a guest column from Jonathan Cahn. He gave this speech at the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast.
Members of the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast Committee, Government Members and Representatives, Ambassadors and Delegates from other nations, ministers and people of God, and to all who will hear these words. We are gathered here in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2017, on the day of the changing of powers, leader, and governments. And we are gathered here in the name of Him whose kingdom changes not.
As we came here to this city four years ago, we come now with one agenda and one purpose, to seek His face and to pray for His will for this government and for this nation. It is fitting that we do so on this day which more than any other day represents the future of our nation. And on the day of the inauguration, we are here to inaugurate the purposes of God.
We've come from every part of this land to stand before the Almighty, before whom kings and kingdoms rise and fall, and nation's ascend and descend, Who alone remains the same yesterday, today, and forever.
We must pray according to God's will and truth. So this message will not be politically correct, but it will be true.
The Message of the Arbella
Three Hundred and Eighty Six Seven Ago, the ship called the Arbella journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World. Aboard that ship was John Winthrop who would pen the founding vision of the civilization that would be called 'America.'
If America followed the ways of God, he wrote, then, 'The Lord ... will command a blessing upon us in all our ways ... He shall make us a praise and glory ... For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill.' America was to be as a city on a hill, to which the eyes of all people would look. Winthrop's vision was based on the nation of Israel.
In the history of this planet only two civilizations came into existence on the solitary foundation stone of God's calling and purposes. The first was Israel. And the second... was America.
The Fall of Ancient Israel
Israel was consecrated to the will and purposes of God. But in the midst of its blessings, the nation made a fatal mistake, it turned away from God. The people began removing Him from their lives. They removed Him from their culture, they legislated Him out of their government, they silenced Him from their public squares, they ruled Him out of their kingdom.
In His place they brought in foreign gods and idols, gods of sensuality and materialism, and idols of wealth, carnality, and sexual licentiousness. They replaced the standards of righteousness on which the nation was founded for a new morality a new immorality. What they once knew as sin, they now called good, and what they once knew as good, they now called evil, and what they once knew as right, they now called intolerant and dangerous.
It was now a civilization inverted, at war against the foundation upon which it had been established, and at war against the God of its foundation. They blasphemed the name of God and descended into the darkest of sins. They now killed their own children on the altars of Baal and Molech. And those who remained true to God, were now vilified, marginalized, mocked, and persecuted.
And God called them back, and sent prophets to awaken them. But they hardened their hearts and warred against the prophets. And they stood at the brink of judgment.
The Fall of America
What about America? Those who came to these shores four centuries ago dedicated the new civilization to God and consecrated it to His will and purposes. America was to be a city on a hill, a holy commonwealth. Its first governments were established in the name of Jesus and for the glory of God. It public school system was founded for the purpose of teaching the Word of God. And as Winthrop had prophesied, God had commanded a blessing. America would become the most blessed, the most powerful, and the most prosperous, nation the world had ever seen, a praise and glory in the earth.
But something happened to the city on the hill. As the people of ancient Israel, in the midst of their blessings, committed a fatal error, so too have we. We have turned away from God. We've ruled Him out of our culture, out of our government, out of our lives, and banned Him from our public squares.
In His place we have brought in idols of carnality and gain, and gods of materialism and licentiousness. We have replaced the eternal standards of righteousness for a new morality of immorality. The nation that was brought forth to fill the world with the light of God, now fills the earth with pornography. And what we once knew to be sin, we now call good, and what we once knew to be right, we now call intolerant and dangerous. And those who held true to God and His Word, were now marginalized, mocked, and vilified. We have become a civilization inverted, at war against the foundation upon which it had been established, and against the God of its foundation.
We have descended to the darkest of sins. Israel killed thousands of its children on the altars of Baal. But we have killed millions. We've offered up our unborn children on the altars of self-obsession. It was here in this city that their murder was legalized forty four years ago. And their blood cries out to Heaven against us.
If John Winthrop could now return, he would find his city on the hill darkened and progressing to judgment. For no nation can wage war against the God of its blessings and expect those blessings to remain.
The Last Eight Years
A nation's apostasy cannot be blamed on any one leader. It is the nation that is ultimately accountable. But an ungodly leader, a Jeroboam or an Ahab, can help turn a nation away from God, and deep and accelerate its departure. And a godly leader, a Hezekiah or a Josiah, can slow a nation's fall, or help lead it back to God. In the past years eight years, America's spiritual fall and moral descent has both deepened and accelerated.
The present administration has led this nation to champion the killing of the unborn, and not only within its own borders, but in that of other nations across the world.
The present administration has labored to strike down the standards and order ordained by God concerning man and woman and marriage, not only within these borders, but around the world.
Under the present administration, relations between the United States and Israel have been brought to their lowest point in the history of the two nations. And the administration's parting gift to the Jewish nation was to abandon it at the United Nations, to allow and even foster a resolution declaring that Israel's ancient holy city Jerusalem, belonged not to Israel, but was, quote, "Palestinian territory." In this way too, the present administration was waging war against the Word of God.
From the days of pagan Babylon and Rome, to the Soviet Union and Communist China, governments at war with God have not only persecuted His people, but have used the powers of state to coerce them to desecrate their faith and commit acts against the commands of God.
And now in the United States of America, under the present administration, the government has used the powers of state to force believers to commit acts against the commandments of God, to take part in the overturning and destruction of God's sacred order of marriage, to pay for and become accomplices in the murder of the unborn.
And for the first time in American history, those who refused to violate the Word of God, faced being put in prison by the state. And of their imprisonment, the present administration issued its blessing.
But in a very short time, the present administration will cease to be the present administration.
America at the Threshold
The stakes of this election could not have been any higher. The Democratic campaign for the presidency was a battle to seal the changes enacted in the past eight years into permanency. At stake was the appointing of the Supreme Court justices who would determine America's future as touching life and death, morality, and religious freedom.
For the first time in history, the Democratic platform called for the striking down of the Hyde Amendment, so that all Americans, could now through their taxes, directly fund the murder of unborn children.
And for the first time in American history, a major presidential candidate uttered these words: "Deep seated religious beliefs... must be changed..." The war against God had now reached the stage that a mainstream candidate for the presidency could call for the overruling of God's word, and for the eradicating of faith. And why was that faith to be altered? So that abortion could be expanded still further.
America stood at the threshold in the face of an election that threatened to establish for ages the edicts of apostasy and the ways godlessness, and an open war against the people and gospel of God.
The Surprise
And then there was Donald Trump. There had never been a candidate like him. Whatever it was that one was never supposed to do when running for president, he did them all. Poll after poll after poll foretold a sure Democratic victory if not a landslide. The only question was how much of a landslide and how much destruction the Republican Party would incur. The Democrats prepared for victory. The Republicans prepared for defeat. And the media, the pollsters, and the president prepared to be vindicated.
But then something happened. And nobody was sure exactly what. The election took a strange turn. And what everyone was sure could never happen... happened. The media was in shock. Democrats were in shock. Obama was in shock. The Republicans were in shock. And it appears that Donald Trump couldn't believe it happened either.
But as it was written in ancient times, it is no less true to this day: "As high as the heavens are above the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways. And My thoughts than your thoughts."
And as we can bear witness today in the city of Washington, on January 20, 2017 ... "With God, nothing... shall be... impossible."
Donald Trump had not lived the life a believer, and there was much concern among God's people. Can God use those who have not known or walked with God to accomplish the purposes of God? Can He choose them and anoint them to lead nations?
In Isaiah 45, God speaks to Cyrus, King of Persia:
"Thus says the Lord to Cyrus His anointed, whom I have taken by the right hand... to open doors so that gates will not be shut... The Lord God of Israel who calls you by your name for the sake of Jacob My servant, and Israel My chosen one, Though you have not known Me, I have called you by name."
The Lord called the prophet Elisha to anoint the warrior Jehu, to be king over Israel. Jehu didn't know God and was a man of fiery passion. But God chose him and used him as a vessel, a vessel to cause the shaking of a nation and the ending of the dynasty of Ahab and Jezebel, and the rule of the priests of Baal, along with their evil.
God can and has used such men as His vessels - for the sake of His kingdom and His people. And now we must pray for Donald Trump, that he will fully yield his life to be used as a vessel for the purposes of God.
In the days of Israel's apostasy, when the people were warring against His ways, God extended His mercy. He gave the people time to repent. So too, in the days of our apostasy, God is giving us a time to repent.
To Barack Obama in the Last Hour as President
Before I speak of the significance of what we have witnessed, and of what we must do as we go forth from here, and of what lies ahead, we must first speak to that which is about to lie behind, namely this administration. On the day of the last Presidential Inauguration, I asked a question of President Obama. Now as we approach the President's last hour, there are other questions that must be asked. These words are being recorded and now he will have more time to see it.
President Obama, with all respect that is due, as you approach the last hour of your presidency, you were shocked by the outcome of the election. And it now appears that your legacy will largely be undone.
You came to the presidency claiming that as a Christian you could not support the ending of marriage as it had always been known. And then you did everything in your power to end that very thing. And then you sought to force believers to take part in that very thing you said a believer could not support because of God. And then, those who would not take part of it, you sought to punish them.
If one believes that God is real, how can one do such things?
You came to the presidency speaking of tolerance. And yet you showed no tolerance for the lives of the unborn. But you zealously fought to defend the carrying out of their murder and, beyond that, to expand their murder around the world.
And then you went farther. You sought to force God's people to partake in the killing of the unborn, to pay for their deaths. You even took them to court to coerce them into doing it.
If one has any fear of God, how can one do such things?
President Obama, on the day when marriage as we know it, as ordained in the Word of God, was, with your help, struck down in this land, you celebrated it by lighting up the White House in the colors of the rainbow. Did you not know that the rainbow does not belong to man – or to any movement of man? The rainbow... belongs to God. It is the sacred sign of God's covenant, and the sacred colors of His throne?
If you believe that God is real, how could you use the sign of God to celebrate the striking down of the Word of God? And if you dishonor His throne, will He not dishonor yours?
If you overturn the edicts of God, should you be surprised that your own edicts will now be overturned? And if you strike down the precepts of God, will not your own precepts be struck down?
The Covenant of Abraham
You launched accusations against the leader of Israel in a way you never have against the leaders of enemy nations. You took part in isolating and condemning Israel before the world, and advancing a resolution that proclaimed that Israel had no right to Jerusalem.
If one has ever read the Bible, how could one foster such a thing? Did you miss what the Word of God says concerning Jerusalem?
There is only one who has authority over Jerusalem. And it is not the United Nations. It is not the European Union. And it is not you. There is only one. And His name is the Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – the Holy One of Israel.
Long before there was a United Nations or a United States, or any of the nations that cast this vote, the Lord issued His own resolution concerning Jerusalem. And no law, no executive order, and no U.N. vote will ever overturn it. And concerning that U.N. resolution, the Almighty has issued His own response........ He vetoes it.
Four thousand years ago God made a covenant with Abraham, that states that whatever you do to Israel, shall be done to you.
You sought to intervene in an election held within the borders of a sovereign nation, Israel. Therefore should you now be surprised if God intervenes in the election in your own borders? You sought through Israel's election to nullify the stands and legacy of its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu.
So should you now be surprised if God through the American election overturns the actions and positions of your government and nullify your legacy?
Despite how you treated the name of God, the Word of God, the ways of God, the hand of God, and the people and kingdom of God, the inconvenient truth is - God is real, His Word is true, His ways are eternal, His hand is mighty, and His kingdom is without end, and the darkness will not overcome it.
Mr. President, I am here to report to you good news - the God of Israel is alive and well and His arm is strong, to the rising up and casting down of kings and kingdoms, governments and administrations. You don't think He can do that? To paraphrase your own words – Yes He Can!
The Three-Thousand-Year-Old Word
Three thousand years ago, King Solomon stood in front of the temple and prayed for his nation, that if it the people of Israel ever departed from God and His ways, that the Lord would have mercy on them. And God answered His prayer with these words: "If My people who are called by name will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, I will hear from Heaven, I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land."
Thirty seven years ago America was in deep crisis. Its economy was in shambles, inflation was in double digits as was unemployment. And around the world, the nation's prestige and power were crumbling. The Soviet Union was advancing. And over fifty Americans were taken hostage in Iran.
Every day Americans turned on their television sets to see multitudes across the world chanting "Death to America. Death to America. And then the president sent in a rescue mission. But it ended in disaster. The helicopters crashed in the desert and the bodies of American soldiers were now displayed in front of the world. America was helpless, and a gloom fell upon the nation.
It was then that believers gathered from across the country to this city with the hope of one Scripture that was proclaimed that day over and over again, 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If My people who are called by My name."
The Gathering
They gathered on the Washington Mall to humble themselves and pray, to seek His face, to turn from their evil ways, and to cry out for America.
Two prayers were foremost above all, one, that where America's military was helpless, God would by His own hand set the hostages free. And, two, with the multitude lifting up their hands toward the western side of the Capitol Building, that God would bring to Washington, those of His choosing to lead the government.
That following autumn came the presidential election and there was a revolution at the polls. Those candidates supporting Judeo-Christian values were swept into power. Foremost among them was Ronald Reagan. On Inaugural Day, 1981, Reagan made a change. He altered the location of the Inauguration from the eastern terrace of the Capitol Building, where it had always been, to the western terrace, where it has been ever since.
And as he stood on the western terrace, he was now facing the very place where the believers had gathered that day to pray. He was standing on the very spot to which they had pointed their hands as they asked God to bring into power those of His choosing. God was answering the prayer in the very place it was prayed.
And then, the hostages were released from Iran in that very same hour. The two prayers were answered at the same time and in the same place where they had been lifted up to God.
The Left Hand of God
With the raising of Reagan's right hand to take the oath of presidency, America's history changed, as did the history of the world. American economic power rebounded, as did American military power, and American prestige around the world. Its arch-nemesis, the Soviet Union, began to collapse, leaving America the world's only superpower. It was called morning in America.
And it all began, and the history of the world changed, on that solitary moment when Reagan raised his right hand. But there was a mystery to that moment, a mystery the world never saw, a mystery that resting on Reagan's left hand, and the left hand of God, the secret ways of the Almighty. And in the mystery of that moment are the key to the changing of history. Reagan's left hand was placed on the Bible - and not only on the Bible, but on one particular verse in the Bible to which he was led. The history of the world changed on a Scripture. What was it? It was this:
If My people who are called by My name, will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land."
His hand was resting on the exact same Scripture proclaimed the day when believers came from all over America to do that very thing in that very place. It was not politics that changed the world, or economics, or military power. It was God. It was the hand of the Almighty, in answer to the prayers of His people. And it changed the course of world history.
I know. I was there. And in the spring of this year, I returned to the Mall, for a gathering of prayer and intercession for America. And I led those gathered to turn to the Capitol Building and lift up their hands to the western terrace where the presidential inauguration would take place – and pray for God to have His way in that Inauguration and in America.
And so in this last election, the pollsters couldn't believe what happened and the experts couldn't explain it. But there was a reason for what happened. Against all odds, the people of God gathered to pray for the election - in small groups and large gatherings, around the nation and across the world.
What was it that all the experts and pollsters missed? The answer was 3000 years old: If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land." For the power of prayer is stronger than kingdoms. And God is faithful. And His promises are true.
Charge to the New President
And now to you, Donald Trump, who will shortly take your oath of office. As you are lifted up to become the most powerful man on earth, remember always that it is the Almighty who lifts up kings to the throne, and the Almighty who removes them.
Your authority comes not from man but from God, the King above all kings. Therefore, submit your life to His authority and by His authority you shall lead.
Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.
Your life has been a vessel of your will. Now it must become the vessel of His will and His purposes. Walk in His footsteps, seek His righteousness, and follow the leading of His voice.
Uphold His ways, and you shall be upheld. Keep His Word and you shall be kept. Give honor to His name, above all names, and your name shall be honored.
Love the Lord your God, with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. If you do this, and you will arise, and you will shine, and the glory of the Lord will rise upon you.
The Window and the Call of God
And now to you, God's people: We have witnessed the fall of a nation away from God as in the fall of ancient Israel to judgment. But even in the ancient template, God gave to His nation windows of mercy. And so God has now given a reprieve, a window of grace – to return. But what shall we do with that window? 
If we should now place our faith in man or in our own powers, our pride and greatness, then we will have repeated the mistake made in ancient Israel, as recorded in Isaiah 9:10. Then we risk disaster. America can be great again. But it will not be by trusting in its own greatness or relying on its powers. The only way America will be great again... is for America return to the God who made America great in the first place. Without that return, there will be no greatness and no hope.
For the answer is not government, not the military, and not the economy. The answer... is God and the only way... is revival. And for revival to come, there must be repentance. For without repentance, there can be no revival. And that repentance must begin with the people of God - If My people who are called by My name..."
We have not come to Washington DC to seek the agency of government. We have come to seek the agency of the Holy Spirit. We have not come here to place our trust in the abilities of man. We have come to invoke the power of the Almighty... for revival.
We have been given this window and we must not waste it. We must work while it is yet day. This is the Inauguration Day. And beyond the Inauguration that the world will see with its eyes, we are here to inaugurate the purposes of God.
Before God
So let the word go forth from this place and this day to every child of God in this land, to every church and gathering in His name, that we commit ourselves from this time forth to fervently pray for revival, to work for revival, to repent for revival, to humble ourselves for revival, to seek His face for revival, to turn from our evil ways for revival, to proclaim the Gospel to revival, and by the power of God to live our lives in revival. For there are only two options: revival or judgment. The answer must be revival. However it comes, whether by blessing or by the shaking of a nation, let revival come.
We come now before the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of Moses, the God of Elijah, the God of the prophets, the God of Messiah, the God of the Red Sea, and the God of the Resurrection, we to the throne of the Sovereign Almighty God of Israel.
Let this Inaugural Day be the Inauguration of a New Day, of the moving of God's Spirit across this land.
And we cry out to God, 'Have mercy! Have mercy on this land! Lift up your eyes again upon this city on the hill, and have mercy. Let your power again be seen in this nation. Let it fall upon your people. Let it fall upon your Churches. Let it fall upon the heartland. Let it fall upon the coast land. Let it fall upon this capitol. Let it fall on the White House. Let it fall upon the Congress. Let it fall upon us. Let there be revival in the land. Let the lost be saved. And let the saved be revived. No matter what it takes, let there be revival in this land!
God of the Impossible
Is it possible? We declare that with God, nothing shall be impossible. Can He do it? We answer: Yes He can.
For our God is the God of Israel. And Israel is the nation of the impossible. And for over three thousand years all the forces of hell have tried to wipe the children of Israel off the face of the earth.
The Pharaohs tried to destroy them. The Assyrians tried to bury them. Babylon tried to crush them. Rome tried to wipe them off the annals of history. The Third Reich tried to annihilate them. The Soviet Union tried to eliminate it. And the terrorists have tried to obliterate them.
But the Pharaohs are gone. Assyria is no more. Babylon has fallen. Rome has perished. The Third Reich is destroyed. The Soviet Union has crumbled. And the terrorists, the will be no more.
But the Nation of Israel Lives. Am Yisrael Chai, The nation of Israel lives. For the God of Israel lives. For the Messiah of Israel lives. And so you His people will live. For the light of God is stronger than the darkness. And the name of God is stronger than the kingdoms of this world. And the government shall rest upon His shoulder. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
For some trust in chariots, and some trust in princes, but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God, and in the only name under heaven by which we must be saved. We will trust in the name of Yeshua Ha Mashiach Jesus the Messiah.
Let the name of God be lifted up. And let this city on the hill called America shine again with the light of the fire of the presence of the glory of the living God in the name above all names, the name of Yeshua Ha Mashiach, Jesus the Messiah, the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, the Name of all names, the Light of the World, the Glory of Israel, and the one and only hope of these United States of America. So help us God. Amen. 

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Jonathan Cahn is the author of The Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah, the president of Hope of the World Ministries and leader of the Jerusalem Center in Wayne, NJ. To get in touch, receive prophetic dates, and free gifts: Go to HopeOfTheWorld.org or find Jonathan Cahn on Facebook.
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The Left Lost Its Logic On Israel - Noah Beck ISRAEL TODAY

The Left Lost Its Logic On Israel

Thursday, January 26, 2017 |  Noah Beck  ISRAEL TODAY
Originally written for the Investigative Project on Terrorism
Support for Israel among Democrats has plummeted in recent years, a new Pew poll shows, with about as many – 31 percent – saying they sympathize more with the Palestinians than with Israel, which garnered 33 percent support.
By contrast, 74 percent of Republicans surveyed sympathize more with the Jewish state. That is the widest partisan gap since 1978.
A similar poll last year found a deep divide within the party, with conservative and moderate Democrats favoring Israel over the Palestinians by 53-19 percent.
This trend has accelerated during President Barack Obama's tenure. During Israel's 2014 war with Hamas, 61 percent of Democrats sympathized with Hamas and hundreds of left-wing historians openly sided with the terrorist group.
Bernie Sanders, whose liberal support nearly won him the 2016 Democratic primary, sought to empower anti-Israel figures like Cornel West – a supporter of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement – and James Zogby of the Arab American Institute.
President Obama's refusal to veto an anti-Israel U.N. resolution last month was ranked as the most anti-Semitic incident of 2016 by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. When Congress condemned that resolution, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, a leading contender to run the Democratic National Committee, voted against it.
This hostility toward Israel is not limited to the American Left.
In the UK, it often coincides with anti-Semitism. As Jonathan Tobin observed, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has been "openly sympathetic with Hamas and Hezbollah," has "campaigned for the release of terrorists convicted of attacking Jewish targets," and "praised vicious anti-Semites." The co-chairman of the Oxford University Labour Club resigned after the organization voted to endorse Israel Apartheid Week. The club has a growing record of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel incidents. Last May, Britain's Labour Party secretly suspended 50 of its members for anti-Semitic and racist comments.
France's left-wing government just convened a 70-nation "peace conference" that was hostile to Israel
. France has summoned far less international pressure to the exponentially bloodier conflict next door in Syria. Moreover, the French government funds French, Israeli, and Palestinian organizations that support and promote BDS campaigns against Israel, a report by NGO Monitor shows. Such boycotts are illegal under French law.
France also funds several other NGOs with alleged ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror group, the report notes.
In the West, the political left considers itself "progressive," yet it increasingly targets the only Mideast country that actually embraces progressive values such as the rule of law, gender and sexual equality, and freedom of religion and speech. "Progressives" attack the only Mideast country making progress for all of humanity in science, technology, and medicine – from a crowdsourced solution to traffic (Waze) to breakthrough research on melanoma and leukemia.
Yet, on university campuses, where the minds of future politicians are formed, hatred of Israel and Jews has become endemic. The AMCHA Initiative, a non-profit organization that tracks BDS and anti-Semitic activity on U.S. campuses, reported more than 600 instances of such activity in 2016.
So why do liberals embrace illiberal players in the Arab-Israeli conflict? Double standards, underdog favoritism, media bias and group think, and prejudice at institutions like the United Nations.
Because Israel is a country of laws and Western values, Western critics often hold Israel to a standard that no democracy could meet. Alan Dershowitz captures the standard that should apply: "Name a single country in the history of the world faced with internal and external threats comparable to those faced by Israel that has ever had a better record in human rights; a better record with compliance of the rule of law; a better record of concern for civilians?"
In addition, media coverage often is skewed by Palestinian intimidation and deception, by reporters who uncritically favor underdogs, and by sloppy journalism and outright bias.
Hamas physically intimidates journalists who dare to defy its propaganda goals, thus distorting both the "facts" and the photos distributed to the world.
"Pallywood" – the practice of staging casualties and defaming Israel – has been deceiving journalists for at least 16 years. A particularly galling Pallywood example from 2015 was the inflammatory lie – by "moderate" Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas – that Israeli forces "executed" a 13-year old after an attempted terrorist attack. The truth: the child was treated in the same Israeli hospital as the boy he tried to murder.
Even Amnesty International acknowledged the unreliability of "eyewitnesses" in the conflict.
By contrast, during the 2014 war, Hamas executed 23 Gazans and tortured dozens of others.
In September 2015, Hamas imprisoned Gazans for protesting over a lack of electricity, causing some Gazans to admit that they prefer Israeli rule to Hamas.
Consistently sloppy journalism also poisons public opinion against Israel. News organizations often fail to identify the terrorist and the victim when reporting on Arabs killed by Israelis trying to defend themselves from a terrorist attack. Such missing context creates the false impression that Israelis wake up every morning asking how they can hurt Arabs.
The BBC's distortions often turn terrorists into victims. Its bias is so egregious that even its former chief complained:
"Regrettably, this is not the first time the standard of reporting and impartiality has been unsatisfactory in recent weeks. On Saturday 3rd October, I was disappointed to see the BBC News website publish a misleading and counter-factual headline: 'Palestinian shot dead after Jerusalem attacks kills two'. I note reports that this headline underwent four revisions following public criticism." The BBC's horrible headlines continue, describing the terrorist in last month's Jerusalem track-ramming attack as a "Driver of a lorry...allegedly ramming pedestrians."
Worse still, mainstream political figures sometimes promote anti-Israel calumnies. Last April, Sanders claimed that Israelis killed "over 10,000 innocents in Gaza," an estimate nearly seven times higher than Hamas's propaganda estimate of civilian deaths. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes falsely claimed in a recent PBS interview that Israel has built "thousands of new settlements" (rather than about 200). PBS never corrected this falsehood.
Thus, the "free press," which is supposed to act as a check on the government, ends up abetting its misinformation campaign against Israel.
The Obama administration and most of the political left promote a kind of anti-settlement religion that blames the lack of peace with the Palestinians on settlements. This position ignores the last century of Arab Muslim attacks on Israelis, starting decades before any settlements existed. The anti-settlement religion axiomatically affirms that settlements are illegal, even though legal scholars have concluded otherwise. The same religion also ignores Israel's removing the settlement of Yamit for peace with Egypt in 1982, and its unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. Those actions did nothing to persuade Palestinians to pursue peace, as they responded with more than 10,000 jihadi rocket attacks aimed at Israeli civilians.
Liberal support for illiberal players is illogical and counterproductive. If "progressives" choose only to blame Israel and never ask Palestinians to embrace liberal values, stop their incitement to violence, renounce terror, and accept Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, then such "liberals" have mislabeled themselves while making peace less likely.
Noah Beck is the author of The Last Israelisan apocalyptic novel about Iranian nukes and other geopolitical issues in the Middle East.
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Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog “Without Warning” named one of the “must read thrillers of 2017.”

withoutwarning-bookspy

New post on Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

“Without Warning” named one of the “must read thrillers of 2017.”

by joelcrosenberg
(Central Israel) -- With less than two months to go before the launch of the next (and final) novel in the J.B. Collins series, I'm excited to report that a great website that tracks and reviews all the latest thrillers and spy novels has named Without Warning one of the "20 must-read thrillers of 2017."
Ranking it #6, they say "the jaw-dropping ending alone is worth the price of admission." To read the more detailed "feature review" -- the first that's been published so far -- please click here. Thanks to "The Real Book Spy" website for your support!
In other news, this weekend I plan to head back to Washington to attend the National Prayer Breakfast, have meetings on Capitol Hill, and continue to prepare for the release of Without Warning on March 14th.
Would you join me in praying for those planning the National Prayer Breakfast that all the many logistical details will come together just right? Let's pray, too, that those who will be speaking will be clear, compassionate and courageous in their messages. I've been to several of these in the past (though it has been awhile) and each time it's been a truly fascinating and impactful event.
First started in 1953 under the leadership of President Dwight Eisenhower and the Reverend Billy Graham, among others, this one-of-a-kind annual event typically attracts more than 4,000 leaders of all kinds, from Evangelical pastors and ministry leaders to Members of Congress to members of the administration to ambassadors and world leaders, and usually the President of the United States.
Especially now as we pray for our new leaders and pray for a great national spiritual awakening, let's pray together that the Lord will use this year's breakfast in a unique and very special way.

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joelcrosenberg | January 25, 2017 at 2:52 pm | Categories: Epicenter | URL: http://wp.me/piWZ7-6HU

When Pro-Abortion Sentiments Trump Science and Common Sense - MICHAEL BROWN CHARISMA NEWS


This ultrasound proves the person in the womb is just that, a person. (robmcbell/Flickr/CC)

When Pro-Abortion Sentiments Trump Science and Common Sense

In the Line of Fire, by Michael Brown
There is a reason many women contemplating abortion decide not to abort when they see an ultrasound of their baby. There is no denying the humanity of this tiny creature, which is anything but a clump of cells.
As the baby grows in the womb and is seen by ultrasound imaging, it's common to hear parents exclaim, "Look at those little hands! Look at that adorable nose (it looks like Grandpa's nose, doesn't it?)! And look—it's a girl!" (Or, "It's a boy!")
How amazing it is to see the ultrasound of your baby, especially when it's your first child. Not surprisingly, both of our daughters, now in their late 30s, had the identical reaction when they saw the ultrasounds of their first babies: How could anyone abort their child?
It is for good reason that pro-abortion legislators fight against laws that would require abortion clinics to show an ultrasound of the baby prior to the decision to abort. They know it would be bad for business (plus, they argue, it adds to the inconvenience of the mother wanting to dispose of the contents of her womb).
It is hard to deny the personhood of the fetus when you see an ultrasound, which is why, during last year's Super Bowl, Doritos incurred the wrath of NARAL (the National Abortion Rights Action League) when it aired an innocent, light-hearted, commercial featuring a very pregnant woman, her husband and an ultrasound of their baby. According to NARAL, Doritos had committed the cardinal sin of "humanizing fetuses." Oh, the very thought of it!
But there is something even worse than that Doritos ad. According to a bizarre article in The Atlantic, pro-life groups are being devious and deceptive when they use ultrasounds to convince women that their babies are human. How low will these pro-lifers go?
The article, written by Moira Weigel and posted on Tuesday, was originally titled "How the Ultrasound Pushed the Idea That a Fetus Is a Person" with the subtitle, "The technology has been used to create sped-up videos that falsely depict a response to stimulus." (Its current title is, "How the Ultrasound Became Political." The subtitle remains the same.)
Weigel's article, which was marred by embarrassing errors (as pointed out by Alexandra DeSanctis on the National Review), not to mention being marred by bizarre claims, denied the reality (and significance) of fetal heartbeats as early as 5 or 6 weeks old, downplayed the evidence of ultrasounds and claimed that—gasp!—the pro-life movement was yet another example of patriarchal overreach. Yes, the science of "ultrasound made it possible for the male doctor to evaluate the fetus without female interference." Those dastardly, duplicitous males. They are at it once again.
For good reason, Sean Davis of The Federalist wrote that, "Moira Weigel took a sledgehammer to basic science and then did her best to vacuum its brains out before anyone could figure out what just happened." The title of his article was as accurate as it was snarky: "Abortion Science: Heartbeats Are Imaginary, Unborn Babies Aren't Alive and Ultrasounds Are Just Tools of the Patriarchy."
Further underscoring the absurdity of Weigel's article was this tweet from Denise Russell, which Davis reproduced: "Before ultrasounds, a woman had to wait until delivery to find out if she was getting a puppy, a goat or a human." How did we forget that?
Responding to the Republican-led effort to pass the "Heartbeat Bill," which would prohibit doctors from aborting a baby if a heartbeat was detected (in the words of its sponsor, Congressman Steve King, "If a heartbeat is detected, the baby is protected"), Weigel asks, "What is a fetal heartbeat? And why does it matter?"
Her answer to these questions can be summed up, respectively, in three words: "Nothing" and "It doesn't."
Forget the fact that doctors check the baby's heartbeat during each prenatal visit, since this is an indicator of health, or the fact that they carefully monitor the baby's heartbeat during delivery to be sure the child is OK. And forget the fact that doctors look for a pulse to see if someone is still living or the fact that a person is declared dead when their heart stops beating for good.
No. When it comes to abortion, all those facts conveniently disappear, and the heartbeat of that tiny pre-born child is of no significance at all. Indeed, Weigel opines, "Doctors do not even call this rapidly dividing cell mass a 'fetus' until nine weeks into pregnancy." (I must be getting old, but somehow, I don't recall my wife, Nancy, saying to me decades ago, "Honey, I just got the test results back, and I have a rapidly dividing cell mass inside of me!")
But it is not just the fetal heartbeat that holds no meaning for Weigel. Ultrasounds also have no meaning for her since ... well, since she's doesn't believe they should. (If you think I'm exaggerating, read her article.) She notes that posting pictures of ultrasounds on social media has "heightened the social reality of the unborn," as if this were somehow a bad, misleading thing.
And she points to an American couple who "posted a video of their sonogram fast-forwarded so that their fetus appeared to be clapping in time as they sang, 'When You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands.'" The implication is that because the video was sped up, giving the false impression that the baby was clapping to the beat, the more basic impression was also false, namely that there was a little human being in that mother's womb who was putting their two little hands together. Pretty good for a clump of cells and a mass of tissue!
Although Weigel cites those who claim that pregnant women who see their ultrasounds are less likely to abort, she disputes these claims, pointing to a "2014 study published by the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, which drew on the medical records of nearly 16,000 women seeking abortions" and "found that viewing an ultrasound had a negligible impact on whether they decided to proceed."
Other studies I have read have come to very different conclusions (see here, for examples), and a pro-life ministry that offers ultrasounds to women considering abortion has also seen tremendous results. But I doubt that all the studies in the world would convince Weigel right now, since her objections seem to be based on ideology more than science. As observed by Alexandra DeSanctis, "The reason that progressives such as Weigel denounce ultrasound technology is ... because they want to continue denying the humanity of the unborn child, a humanity that is undeniable whether or not the mother wants the child."
Yes, "Pro-life activists and parents who want to keep their unborn children will acknowledge this humanity. We all know it. Abortionists know it. Mothers aborting their babies know it. Planned Parenthood executives know it. Perhaps many are able to dull their consciences and convince themselves that it's 'just a clump of cells.' But deep down, they must know. We all do. And that's why the Left has to work so hard to deny it."
And the harder the left works to deny the humanity of the unborn child, the more it exposes its moral and scientific bankruptcy. In that regard, Weigel's article does a great service to the pro-life cause, and for that, we should be glad. Truth is sweeping away the lies.  
Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is Breaking the Stronghold of Food. Connect with him on Facebook or Twitter.
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State Department Blocks Transfer of Funds to Palestinian Authority - CBN News Tzippe Barrow

US State Department, Courtesy Wikipedia
US State Department, Courtesy Wikipedia
State Department Blocks Transfer of Funds to Palestinian Authority
01-25-2017
CBN News Tzippe Barrow

JERUSALEM, Israel – In a stunning reversal, the U.S. State Department froze $221 million designated by former President Barack Obama to the Palestinian Authority on his last full day in office. The funds had previously been budgeted to the Palestinian Authority but blocked by Congress. Obama released the funds just hours before Trump was sworn-in as president.
Officials at the State Department decided to freeze the transfer until the appointment of former Secretary of State John Kerry's replacement. Trump's nomination, Exxon CEO Ray Tillerson, generated some controversy because of his business dealings with countries considered human rights violators and concern that he might show favoritism to his Russian contacts.
On Monday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee endorsed his nomination, albeit split along party lines, paving the way for confirmation by the full Senate.
The 11-10 vote came after Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and John McCain, R-Ariz., decided to back the former Exxon Mobil Corp. chairman's nomination. During the confirmation hearings, Rubio was reportedly the most vocal of the three senators.
Representatives Ed Royce, R-Calif., who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Kay Granger, R-Texas, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, blocked the funding packages in 2015 and 2016 in response to the P.A.'s efforts to join international organizations.
Granger said she'd "worked to make sure that no American taxpayer dollars would fund the Palestinian Authority unless very strict conditions were met," israel national news  reported on its website, Arutz Sheva.
"While none of these funds will go the Palestinian Authority because of those conditions, they will go to programs in the Palestinian territories that were still under review by Congress," Granger said, adding "The Obama administration's decision to release these funds was inappropriate."