Yeshuatami News Blog

All Things Israel

Conflict

Hezbollah

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A Brief Background

After the British mandate left Palestina in 1947, (a name given to the land of Israel by the conquering Romans), the Arabs refused to divide the land and attacked the Jews in the land from all sides. Against all odds, Israel won the war of Independence and became a nation in 1948. The name of the land was changed back to the land of Israel and Jewish citizens to Israelis instead of Palestinians (all people living in the land before 48 were called Palestinians, Jews and Arabs.) Many Arabs fled in the war to neighboring countries, mainly Jordan and Egypt.

Lebanon was at that time multi-sectarian, with Sunni Muslims and Christians being the majorities in the coastal cities, Shia Muslims in the south and east, and Druze and Christian in the mountains. The Lebanese government operated under the influence of the elites Maronite Christians and the western world. However, the Muslims opposed the western influence of the government.

The Palestinian Arabs formed the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) and Fatah brigade to fight Israel.

After the six-day war with Israel, Jordan lost the West Bank and allowed Fatah under the PLO and their leader, Yasser Arafat, into the country from where they stepped up their guerrilla attacks against Israel. However, after many fights with the PLO who turned against the Jordanian leadership, they were expelled to southern Lebanon along with Yasser Arafat, where they regrouped.

The enlarged PLO presence in Lebanon and the intensification of fighting on the Israeli–Lebanese border stirred up internal unrest in Lebanon. The PLO recruited militants from among the families of Arab Palestinians who had fled to Lebanon during the Israeli independence war.

Demographic tensions over the Lebanese National Pact led to the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990) where militia clashed with Palestinian factions over their terror attacks against Israel from Lebanese territory.

A PLO terror attack on March 11, 1978, was the last straw for Israel. An Israeli bus was seized by terrorists, and 38 Israeli civilians including 13 children were killed, with 76 wounded. The Israeli air force, navy, and land units entered south Lebanon with the aim of capturing the strongholds of the terrorist groups. Heavy face-to-face fighting resulted in Israel taking over the south Lebanon region, 300 terrorists were dead and many civilians fled to northern Lebanon, among them many terrorists. Israel suffered 18 dead soldiers.

Eventually, Israel withdrew back to the original border. UNIFIL units were stationed in the demilitarized zone. Another force, the Christian militia who were favorable to Israel and were supported by the Israeli army, formed the army of south Lebanon there.

However, terror attacks continued now from northern Lebanon which fired Katyusha rockets and missiles into northern Israel. Simultaneously, Israeli and Jewish targets were hit around the world. The situation became unbearable, forcing Israel to launch another large-scale military operation in 1982.

This new operation, called “Peace in Galilee” targeted the terror organizations who had returned to southern Lebanon. Heavy fighting broke out between the Israeli army and PLO terrorists who also had headquarters in Beirut. Many Katyusha rockets were fired into northern Israeli northern population. Israeli paratroopers fought terror pockets in villages along the road from the border to Beirut.

The Israeli army got tangled up in the Lebanese war against thousands of terrorists who were hiding in densely populated areas with the help of the Syrian army. The result was the defeat of the Syrian army, the death, and capture of many terrorists and much ammunition being taken by Israel. The PLO was expelled from Lebanon, including Arafat who fled to Tunisia.

Israel withdrew from most of Lebanon in 1985 but kept control of a 12-mile security buffer zone, held with the aid of proxy militants of the South Lebanon Army (SLA). Israel suffered many losses, about 1200 soldiers died in the first Lebanon war between the years 1982-2000. The war also resulted in the surfacing in south Lebanon of another terror organization, Hezbollah.

Eventually, the Israeli army had to withdraw also from the militarized zone in southern Lebanon in 2000.

The Rise of Hezbollah

Hezbollah, which means in Arabic “Party of Allah”, is a Shi’a Islamist militant organization and political party based in Lebanon headed by Hassan Nasrallah. Hezbollah, along with its military wing is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the European Union.

Following the Islamic revolution in Shīʿite Iran in 1979 and the Israeli operation in Lebanon in 1982, a group of Lebanese Shīʿite clerics formed the Hezbollah organization, which holds to an extreme Shīʿite ideology with three main aims: Jihad (holy war) against all foreigners in Lebanon, the destruction and annihilation of Israel; and spreading the Islamic revolution and turning Lebanon into another Islamic republic like Iran. Since its beginning, Hezbollah organization considers Israel an enemy and never refers to it by its name but rather calls it “occupied Palestine,” or the “Zionist enemy.”

Hezbollah organization uses guerrilla and terror warfare in order to achieve its goals. It promotes suicide bombing, kidnappings, car bombings and grand terror attacks around the world and against foreigners in Lebanon, which gives other terror organizations inspiration to do the same. Hezbollah was based in the predominately Shīʿite areas in southern Lebanon, and southern Beirut. Throughout the 1980s, Hezbollah engaged in attacks against Israel and fought in Lebanon’s civil war (1975–90). It also worked at establishing a comprehensive social services network for its supporters.

Being a proxy of Iran and Syria, Hezbollah remained a militia organization after the end of the Lebanese civil war In May 1991, when the other militias were dissolved and continued to fight a sustained guerrilla campaign against Israel in southern Lebanon.

After the Israeli army withdrew from the militarized zone in southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah took control over the area, with the help of Syria and Iran. It built many headquarters and strongholds, built military infrastructures, and a massive missile and rocket arsenal. Hezbollah members were trained in progressive fighting techniques by Iranian military and intelligence personnel, who helped build bunkers across the Israeli border in South Lebanon, and assisted in forming command headquarters and control and surveillance systems within the organization’s headquarters in southern Beirut.

On July 12th, 2006, Hezbollah executed a preplanned artillery attack across the Israeli northern border. They ambushed two Israeli patrol vehicles, killing three Israeli soldiers, wounding two and kidnapping two.

IDF (Israeli Defense Force) began a war against Hezbollah with an aerial attack on thousands of targets within Lebanon: Hezbollah’s rocket system, Hezbollah posts, arms storages, training camps, command headquarters, Beirut Airport, and bridges. The Israeli Air Force dropped pamphlets calling Lebanese citizens of settlements in southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes.

Hezbollah began firing hundreds of rockets towards populated areas in Israel. The citizens of Haifa and northern Israel had to reside in shelters and protected areas. On July 14th, Hezbollah fired at an Israeli missile boat, in which four naval soldiers were killed. The war escalated into massive attacks and crackdowns on all terrorists who were hiding in civilian facilities.

In the 33 days of the war, there were 164 Israeli citizen casualties (119 soldiers and 45 civilians) and hundreds injured. Approximately 4,000 rockets hit the north of Israel and significant economic damages were incurred. Hezbollah had also lost hundreds of its members and the organization’s strategic fighting ability was hurt. Its headquarters in South Beirut were destroyed.

On August 11th, the United Nations’ Security Council issued a resolution calling for “a complete halt of acts of aggression, and especially those committed by Hezbollah and the military actions of Israel.”

The UN resolution called for the withdrawal of the Israeli Defense Force from Lebanon and for the South Lebanon Army and UNIFIL to take control over the south Lebanon area, prohibition of carrying arms without the consent of the Lebanese government; and the prohibition of the trade or transfer of arms to Hezbollah. Lebanon had to see to the disarmament of armed militias and the unconditional release of the Israeli soldiers imprisoned.

Somehow Hezbollah and its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, emerged from the war with Israel as heroes throughout much of the Arab world. Hezbollah used its new position to attempt to topple Lebanon’s government after its demands for more cabinet seats were denied.

In May 2008, clashes between Hezbollah forces and government supporters in Beirut were sparked by government decisions that included plans to dismantle Hezbollah’s private telecommunications network. Nasrallah saw it as a declaration of war and mobilized Hezbollah forces, which quickly took control of parts of Beirut. In the following days the government reversed its decisions and granted the Hezbollah-led opposition the desired veto power.

A wave of popular uprisings in early 2011, known as the Arab Spring left Hezbollah in a difficult position. After applauding revolutionary movements in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Bahrain, the group found its interests threatened by a similar movement against its key ally, Syrian Pres. Bashar al-Assad. As protests spread throughout Syria and the civilian death toll mounted, Nasrallah spoke out in support of Assad, echoing Assad’s denunciations of the Syrian opposition as being agents of a foreign conspiracy. The conflict soon escalated into a full-blown civil war.

Since 2012, Hezbollah has helped the Syrian government during the Syrian civil war in its fight against the Syrian opposition, which Hezbollah has described as a Zionist plot and a “Wahhabi-Zionist conspiracy” to destroy its alliance with Assad. It had deployed its militia in both Syria and Iraq. Nasrallah publicly confirmed Hezbollah’s involvement and vowed to fight until the rebels had been defeated.

On May 6, 2018, Lebanon held its first legislative election since 2009. Hezbollah got a politically dominant position in the government for the first time. Top-level positions in the parliament nonetheless remained the same, including Hariri as prime minister.

Hezbollah has been described as a “state within a state”, and its military strength has grown significantly with its military wing that is now considered more powerful than the Lebanese Army. The organization has seats in the Lebanese government, a radio and a satellite TV station, social services and large-scale military deployment of fighters beyond Lebanon’s borders, Hezbollah receives military training, weapons, and financial support from Iran, and political support from Syria.

Terror Strikes Israel

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Direct Gaza rocket hit into an Ashkelon apartment.
Direct Gaza rocket hit into an Ashkelon apartment.

When Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, Israelis left their homes, greenhouses, and farms intact. Immediately, the Palestinians entered and destroyed everything. And as soon as Hamas took control by force in 2007, they spent all international monies donated to them on rockets, ammunition and building tunnels.

Hamas terrorizes Israel by firing thousands of rockets indiscriminately into southern Israeli cities and villages. They even use their own citizens as human shields and store rockets near or even inside hospitals, mosques, and schools. They fire rockets from residential areas and civilian facilities and dig tunnels from beneath homes and civilian institutions.

Despite the terror attacks, and for humanitarian considerations, Israel continues to supply electricity and water to the Palestinian people. Thousands of truckloads of supplies of meat, vegetables, canned food, milk products medical and school supplies and more from Israel have crossed into Gaza for consumption and use by the citizens.

Hamas could have decided to improve the economy and offer Palestinians a better life. Instead, it has focused only on attacking Israel and maintaining its goal of “return” to Palestine (the entire land of Israel) and the destruction of the Jewish state.

Hamas concentrated on building tunnels: Tunnels to Egypt brought consumer goods, fuel and, of course, weaponry; tunnels into Israel were to kidnap or kill Israelis and infiltrate Israeli territory. However, Egypt has closed the tunnels, and Israel has developed high-tech capabilities to detect and destroy them.

In the last eight months, Hamas has mobilized thousands of Gazan civilians on the border fences along with its own armed men; carrying grenades, guns, and other weapons. The goal is obviously to enter Israel, in order to kill and destroy as much as possible. With Israeli soldiers defending the border, all are pushed back, except for a few who are caught and arrested. Several who cut through the wire fence were shot, killed or wounded. Despite all this, every Friday, after their prayers, Hamas calls its citizens to storm the border fence by the thousands. Unfortunately, they were able to destroy Israeli border fields, trees, and livestock with fire.

If only Hamas would stop using its citizens in their fight against Israel; if only they understood that their dream of destroying Israel and taking over the land is a fantasy that will never come true. If only they would concentrate on economic recovery rather than building tunnels and amassing Iranian rockets and missiles. If only they would cooperate with Fatah and put away their arms. If only they would recognize Israel’s right to the land. Then there would be peace and quiet.

Should Israel topple Hamas and then leave? There is a real risk that either an ISIS affiliate or Islamic Jihad would take over. Both are much more militant than Hamas, and things would get worse. War with Hamas, who uses its own people as human shields, would cause many civilian casualties, including women and children. The ensuing global anti-Israel outcry would seriously hinder present Israeli diplomatic efforts for support against Iran. This would obviously be most sorrowful, especially in light of Israel’s new relations with Sunni moderate Arab nations, such as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf nations, who oppose Iran.

For these reasons, Netanyahu agreed to the cease-fire, hoping that the Egyptians will help Israel achieve quiet at least for a bit longer.

Israel: A Jewish State

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God says that the Land of Israel is His land, and the city of Jerusalem is His dwelling place.

“…I will enter into judgment against them (the nations)… for they scattered My people among the nations and divided up My land.”   Joel 3:1-2

“For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place”
Psa. 132:13
“Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, Who dwells in Jerusalem!”  Psa. 135: 21

God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham – to give him and his descendants the land of Canaan for an EVERLASTING possession and make them into a great nation

Abraham had a son from his wife’s Egyptian maid Hagar – Ishmael. In Gen. 17:18,19 Abraham pleaded with God:

“Please let Ishmael be the son you promised,” God said: “NO, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name ISAAC; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.”

Then God chose to continue the lineage with the younger of Isaac’s twins, JACOB. God changed Jacob’s man-given name to ISRAEL, which contains His name – El means God in Hebrew. God said to Jacob:

“And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, I also give to you, and I give this land to your descendants after you.“  Gen. 35:12

The nation of ISRAEL – the 12 children of Jacob/Israel became the 12 tribes of Israel who formed the Nation of Israel. God calls Israel His first-born (among nations). As a good father, God had to discipline His children in different ways but never stopped loving them. One of the punishments included being under foreign rule in their own land and expulsion from the land. The Jews went into exile twice, but God promised to gather them from all the nations where they were scattered and bring them back to the Land of Promise, the Land of Israel (formerly Canaan.)

Second Diaspora

In 70 AD, the Romans who occupied Judah destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Jewish Holy Temple. Most of the Jews were taken into captivity and exiled. The Romans renamed the land Palestine, a name that remained through the different conquerors who came and went throughout the centuries, including the Christian crusaders and Muslim Arabs. All who lived in the land of Palestine were called Palestinians, both Jews, and Arabs.

God’s Promises and Prophecies Fulfilled

…” I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.”
Jer. 16:14-15
…“I will bring my people Israel back from exile.”   Amos 9:13

Israel: a Jewish State

Slowly the Jews began to come to Palestine as pioneers in the 19th century while it was under the Turkish Ottoman Empire for 400 years.

On November 17th, 1917, after winning WWI, United Kingdom of Britain Foreign Secretary and former Prime Minister, Arthur Balfour, made a formal declaration that a Jewish state should be established in Palestine.

On July 24th, 1922, Fifty-one member countries – the entire League of Nations (later to become the U.N.) – unanimously declared: “Whereas recognition has been given to the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine and to the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country.”

They appointed Britain as the Mandatory for Palestine, with the explicit goal of “placing the country under such political, administrative and economic conditions as will secure the establishment of the Jewish national home.”

Political rights to self-determination for Arabs were guaranteed by the same League of Nations in four other mandates – in Lebanon and Syria (The French Mandate), Iraq, and later Trans-Jordan [The British Mandate]. Palestine was actually the ancient land of Israel.

More Jews returned to Palestine, bought land and built Jewish settlements, Kibbutzim, farms, and cities. A transformation started to happen as land that had lain desolate for 19 centuries started to bloom. Prophecies were fulfilled.

Ezekiel 36:8-11, ‘But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, and I will multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole house of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will increase the number of men and animals upon you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before.’

World War II – 1930’s and 40’s – From the very beginning, the Arabs used violence to oppose the establishment of a Jewish nation in Palestine, and the British caved in to this violence and abandoned their international obligation to facilitate the establishment of a Jewish national home. The British didn’t abide by the League of Nation’s mandate, forgetting their promises of a Jewish homeland, but refused entry to Palestine to many Jewish refugees after 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis in WWII. In response to the 1936-1939 Arab revolt, Britain issued the White Paper which limited Jewish immigration to 75,000 for 5 years and ruled that further immigration was to be determined by the Arab majority. Restrictions were put on the rights of Jews to buy land from Arabs.

November 1947: The United Nations resolved that the Jews were to have their homeland in part of Palestine, while the Arabs will have the other part. Jerusalem would be an international city. While the Jews accepted this proposal, the Arabs rejected it. The 5 neighboring Arab nations declared war and attacked the newly established Jewish state from all sides. With little weaponry and a small army, Israel miraculously won the war and gained territory that included much of the land allotted to the Arabs. The borders were set, excluding the Old City of Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria remained in Jordanian hands. They renamed Judea and Samaria the ‘West Bank’. Jews fled the Old City. All Jews were denied access to the Old City and the Western Wall. Many holy places were desecrated.

In 1948, the British left and on the 14th of May 1948 Israel gained its independence and became the State of Israel. Israel made the western half of the city Jerusalem its capital.

1967: 19 years later, Israel won the 6 Day War against 3 of its enemy neighbors, and recaptured and Old city of Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria. New west Jerusalem and Old east Jerusalem were united under Israeli sovereignty as prophesied in Ps. 122:3.

“The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel.” Psa. 147:2
“Jerusalem stands built up, a city that was joined together as one.” Psa. 122:3

United Jerusalem: Old and New

Ez. 37:21-22; Ez. 37:21-22:

“Surely I will gather the children of Israel from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land… of Israel…they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.“

God is faithful to His word and His promises. Israeli soldiers stood with amazement in front of the Western Wall for the first time in their lives. The Israeli commander exclaimed: “The Temple Mount in our hands.” And there was much excitement in the land. But the Arabs and many Gentile nations rejected the outcome of a war they started, and they have continued to come against the nation of Israel.

Israel and its neighbors.

Until 1948, all who lived in Palestine, were called Palestinians, Jews and Arabs. After winning the war of Independence in 1948, Israel changed the name of Palestine back to the original God-given name of Israel. All Jews in Israel are now called Israelis, but the Arabs kept the name

Palestinians cover all of Israel with their flag.

Palestinians. Now they are teaching in their schools that all of the Land of Israel is occupied Palestine, and that one day it will belong to them.

Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Muslims worldwide want to destroy Israel.
Israel is surrounded by Muslim enemy nations who still seek to destroy the Jewish nation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But . . .according to the word of God…

“The Lord has sworn: ‘For I will defend this city (Jerusalem) to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.’”   Isa. 37:35

Special Report – Israel November 6, 2017

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“For I gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle…Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle.” Zech. 14:2a, 3

Special Report – Israel November 6, 2017

Iran is closing in, pressing to get closer to Israel’s borders.  Recent developments on Israel’s northern and southern borders seem to indicate Iran’s involvement.  The stability of Israel is tenuous.

Site of the Israeli bombing in Syria

North of Israel

Syria/Israel Conflict

      According to the Syrian claims, the Israeli air force launched a strike from Lebanese airspace on Syria’s Scientific Studies and Research Center near Masyaf in Hama province in the early hours of Thursday, November 2. (The center is responsible for the research and development of nuclear, biological, chemical and missile technology and weapons.) The strike resulted in the deaths of two Syrian soldiers and material damage.
Israel, not admitting to launching the strike, announced that the Syrian military-scientific site produces precision missiles as well as chemical weapons and barrels of explosives that have killed thousands of Syrian civilians. However, Israeli officials have in the past admitted that Israel has repeatedly struck weapons shipments bound for Hezbollah, an ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, without specifying which ones.
News expert, Ron Ben Yishai said that the site is using research and knowledge provided by North Korea and Iran. Ben Yishai and other Israeli news commentators warn that Iran is seeking to establish one of its planned weapons and precision missiles production factories to gain a foothold in Syria, and supplying Hezbollah with precision-guided missiles, in addition to the tens of thousands of ballistic missiles that Hezbollah already has. Only recently Israel warned that an expansion of the Iranian foothold on Syrian soil would not be tolerated by the Jewish state.
The Syrian army warned Israel of “serious consequences.” The Syrian army accused Israel of being in cahoots with ISIS. “The attack proves Israel is directly supporting ISIS and other terror organizations.” (How ridiculous!)

Lebanon

     November 5: The resignation of Lebanon PM, Saed Hariri, is the latest Iran-generated shaking in the Middle East. Hariri claims there was a recent attempt to assassinate him so he fled to Saudi Arabia. (His father, Rafiq Hariri was killed by Hezbollah in 2005.)

Why is it important?

     According to Hariri, Iran who is forcibly meddling in his country, has generated “disorder and destruction” in Lebanon and meddled in its internal affairs as well as in other Arab countries such as Syria, Iraq, Bahrain, and Yemen. Especially supporting and funding Hezbollah terror organization. Hariri claims that Iran’s arm is establishing a fact on the ground through the power of weapons. “They have built a state within a state,” he declared. Furthermore, Hariri states that Iran has been working to establish a military presence in Syria and now is trying to do the same in Lebanon.

Iran denied Hariri’s charges and said, “Hariri’s resignation was a US and Zionist plot against the Islamic Republic.”
Meanwhile, the future of Lebanon’s government remains cloudy.

South of Israel

     Hamas’ tunnel network is a vast underground city with dozens of access points located throughout Gaza. Hamas uses these tunnels as weapons caches, bunkers, command centers and a concealed transportation artery for terrorists and weapons, including rocket launchers.
Some of these tunnels lead directly from Gaza into Israeli communities near the border, for the purpose of infiltrating, kidnapping and attacking Israeli civilians and soldiers. The residents of southern Israel live in constant fear knowing that, at any time, a terrorist could emerge from a tunnel near their home.
In 2014 Israel engaged in Operation Protective Edge with Hamas. The fighting lasted 50 days. The Israeli army destroyed 32 terror tunnels, 14 of them crossed into Israel. Unfortunately 64 Israelis, soldiers and civilians lost their lives. Two soldiers’ bodies are still being held by Hamas.
Hamas has resumed the digging of the tunnels, ironically with the concrete materials Israel is supplying for rebuilding the houses that were destroyed in the war.
Since the end of Operation Protective Edge, Israel has invested billions of shekels in the research and development of ways to detect and destroy terror tunnels. Now, a simple Israeli-made smart-sensor system proves to be the most effective solution to the threat.
On Monday it detected the exact outline of a terror tunnel! The tunnel was destroyed by explosion killing 12 terrorists – two Hamas and ten Islamic Jihad terrorists (who dug the tunnel.)
The IDF is making efforts not to divulge the technology it used in the operation against the terror tunnels, thus the claim of IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis, “Only conventional measures were used. The secondary damage underground resulted in fatalities. There was no intention to target any specific individual. The operation took place in our territory.” This is a battle of the minds with Hamas, who is also investing in research and development for improving the system of digging the tunnels in order to overcome the advantage of the Israeli technology.
A spokesman for the Palestinian terrorist group called the incident a “clear declaration of war by Israel. We are examining all the options so as not to squander the possibility of responding to this aggression.”
Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip called the Israeli bombing of the tunnel “a desperate attempt to sabotage efforts to restore Palestinian unity and maintain the state of division.” and that “the Zionist enemy will pay for its crimes. We will not sit idly by.”

Israel’s enemies from the north and from the south
are tightening their cooperation.

    With the excuse of being freedom fighters of the resistance against “the Zionist enemy” Israel, needing to liberate the entire “occupied Palestine” since 1948, both the terrorist organizations of Hamas in the south and Hezbollah in the north, met together in Lebanon to join forces for this cause.
This meeting came a few months after Iran, Hezbollah’s main supporter, and Hamas agreed to restore diplomatic relations to the level at which they were before the Syrian civil war when the sides broke. In a recent phone call, Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, stressed that Hezbollah “stands by the resistance movements in Palestine.”

We know that God is sovereign over All of these events that involve the enemies of Israel on the northern and southern borders. Behind them is Iran who is closing in and pressing in to get closer to Israel’s borders. He is Israel’s protector.
Please pray and stand with Israel as these events continue to rock our region. Pray for wisdom for the leaders, and most of all – for Israel’s salvation.

Sovereignty Over the Temple Mount

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The tension in East Jerusalem has to do with the issue of sovereignty over the Temple Mount. With the escalating violence and tensions in Jerusalem recently, the Temple Mount has become a major item on the social, religious and political agenda. The international community, including Israel, keep repeating the mantra “to maintain the status quo** there.” which states that the Muslim Waqf* manages the Temple Mount, as they have since the Muslim re-conquest of Jerusalem from the Christians in 1187.
This one-sided status quo ignores and denies the divine heritage of the Jews, their return to their land and the establishment of the State of Israel against all odds. To the Jews, it is the most sacred ground on earth. It’s the only Holy Mountain in the world because the Holy God of Israel says it’s His mountain.
In fear of Muslim reaction and threat of an Islamic Arab riot, as well as world criticism, most of Israel’s leaders are reluctant to take a stand for the spiritual right of the Jewish people to “worship the God of Israel on His Holy Mountain, the place He chose for His dwelling place”.

  • Israel is told in Psalm 9:11:  “Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.” 
  • Isa. 60:14 “and they shall call you The City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
  • Joel 3:21: “for the LORD dwells in Zion.”
  • Ps. 132:13-14: “For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for His dwelling place: ‘This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.’”
  • Ps. 87:1-3: “His foundation is in the holy mountains. The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God! Selah.”
  • Also see: Psalm 48; Ps. 87:5; Ps 149:2; Song 3:11; Isa. 33:14; Isa. 33:20; Jer. 9:19; Jer. 30:17; Zech.9:13; Isa. 59:2

History

According to the Hebrew Bible Solomon’s Temple was built atop what is known as the Temple Mount in the 10th century BCE. Solomons’ Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, and the Second Temple was built by the Jews, completed and dedicated in 516 BC.
Around 19 BCE Herod the Great began a massive expansion project on the Temple Mount. In addition to fully rebuilding and enlarging the Temple.  The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.
According to Wikipedia history encyclopedia, the history of the Temple Mount starts and ends with Israel.
Israelite period – Jerusalem was a Canaanite city called Jebus, established around 1850 BCE in the vicinity of the Temple Mount. The Jewish King David bought the area for fifty pieces of silver from the Jebusite Araunah who owned the area and used it as a threshing-floor (2Sam. 24:24). David wanted to build a sanctuary to the Lord, God of Israel, but the Lord said that David’s  son would be the one to build Him the Temple. King Solomon, David’s son built the first Holy Temple on the site, outside Jerusalem’s wall on the northern edge of the hill.
Persian and Herodian periods – Solomon’s temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II king of Babylon in 586 BCE and was rebuilt by the Jews under Persian rule around 516 BCE. Herod the Great expanded the Mount and renovated the temple. The Second Temple was destroyed in 70 CE by the Romans.
Roman and Byzantine periods – Roman emperor Hadrian rebuilt Jerusalem and changed the name of the city to Aelia Capitolina and built a temple to Jupiter on the site of the former second Jewish temple on the Temple Mount. All Jews were forbidden to enter the city or the surrounding territory around the city.
In 325 CE, Emperor Constantine I, who promoted Christianity, destroyed the Jupiter shrine on the Temple Mount. Jews were allowed to come to Jerusalem once a year, on Tisha b’Av (9th of the Jewish month of Av)  to mourn the destruction of 2 temples.
In 534 CE Emperor Justinian built a huge substructure as a foundation for the new Church of St. Mary over the site of Solomon’s temple. Other than that, the Temple Mount was neglected by the Romans.
Byzantine period – The Byzantines built elaborate church buildings, monasteries and other public buildings on the Temple Mount.
Muslim period – In 637 CE Muslim Arabs conquered Jerusalem from the Byzantine Empire. Caliph Umar found the Temple Mount covered with rubbish. He built a mosque to the south of the rock over some ruins, known as the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The mosque was completely destroyed and rebuilt several times, the last one in 1035 CE is the one that still stands today.
In 691 CE Caliph Abd al-Malik built around the rock the Dome of the Rock (Qubbat as-Sakhra). The dome was covered in gold in 1920 [with textual and architectural narratives reinforced one another] ??.
For Muslims, the importance of the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque makes Jerusalem the third-holiest city, after Mecca and Medina. The Dome of the Rock is located close to the area where the Holy Temple of Israel previously stood. The mosque and shrine are currently administered by a Waqf* (an Islamic trust).
The Crusaders – In 1099 the First Crusaders captured Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. The Dome of the Rock was converted into a church called Templum Domini (the Temple of the Lord) and al-Aksa became a church called Templum Solomonis (Solomon’s Temple.)
Back to Muslim rule  – In 1187 Jerusalem was re-conquered by Saladin, and The Dome of the Rock and al-Aksa were changed back into Muslim houses of worship, and have remained so ever since.
The Ottoman Empire – with the expansion of the Turkish Ottoman Muslim Empire, Palestine was included in their conquests in 1516. They prohibited non-Muslims from setting foot on the Temple Mount until the early 19th century, when non-Muslims were again permitted to visit the site.
British Mandate – After WWI, the entire area, including Palestine (today the land of Israel) and Trans-Jordan (today Jordan), was given to the British Mandate, including the Old City of Jerusalem. It maintained the Muslim status quo of the Temple Mount sites. Later, when Jordan became an independent state, it established the current Waqf (religious Muslim Council of the holy places on the Temple Mount.)

After 1948

The State of Israel was established in 1948 after winning the war of independence against its five neighboring Arab nations. East Jerusalem and the West Bank remained in Jordanian hands. Under Jordanian control, Jews were completely expelled from the Old City including the Jewish quarter, and Jews were barred from entering the Old City for 19 years, effectively banning Jewish prayer at the site of the Western Wall.
     Israel period – On June 7, 1967, Israel won the Six Day War against the armies of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. In the fighting against Jordan, Israel gained control of The West Bank and East Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount.
The Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) passed the Preservation of the Holy Places Law, ensuring the protection of the Holy Places against desecration, as well as freedom of access thereto. The site remains within the area controlled by the State of Israel, with the religious administration of the site remaining in the hands of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf. Arabs can enter the Temple Mount through one of ten different Muslim-only gates from various sites in the Old City. Tourists and Jews are only allowed access to the site through the Mugrabim Gate (via the Mugrabim Bridge) which is located just above and to the left of the Kotel, (Western Wall) plaza. Non-Muslims are not allowed to pray on the Temple Mount.

Insight

As we see, God has fulfilled His promises and closed the cycle. Now that Israel has come back to the Land, the Temple Mount is in Israel’s hands. For now, God allows it to be religiously administered under Muslim control. If Israel had taken control of the Temple Mount religiously, the Jewish religious leaders would have started building the third Temple, and it is not God’s time, it’s not His purpose yet for Israel. Mean through the Muslim Arabs, the enemy is doing everything he can to cause Israel to completely lose sovereignty over the Temple Mount.