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Hamas in America

December 22, 2025 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

_{Image from unsplash, by Luke Braswell}

A Hamas network has been in operation nationwide in the USA since the 1980s, active in fundraising, education, and propaganda. Their propaganda is mainly against Israel, demonizing the Jews, portraying them as savages, racist, power hungry, and seeking world dominance.

In 1993 and mostly based in Chicago, Dallas, and Washington D.C., they established Islamic and pro-Palestinian committees and public organizations such as The Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), the financial arm represented by the Holy Land Foundation, HLF (previously the Occupied Land Foundation), and United Association for Studies and Research (UASR).

Throughout the years, fearing FBI investigations, they have used different tactics to hide their Hamas affiliation. According to leaks from secret meetings, they realized they needed to “deceive the enemy”, avoiding the use of Islamic and Hamas flags and violent language. They also understood the need to be “a front” in order to “camouflage” their Hamas association.

Since the 1960’s Palestinian members of Muslim Brotherhood networks in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (Hamas is one of their wings) have been immigrating to the US as American university students or as immigrant refugees.

Since Hamas’s official foundation in 1987, it has increasingly organized itself, creating a relatively large set of public organizations devoted to activities such as funding, lobbying, education, and disseminating propaganda.

In 1997, the US government designated Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization, and since then the US authorities have conducted several activities to expose and shut down some of their multiple front organizations. US authorities have been able to deport some members and prosecute Hamas operatives.

Some of the organization leaders were prosecuted in 2001 for funneling approximately $12.4 million to Hamas.

Nevertheless, these networks and members have recovered and resumed their pro-Palestinian activities in various forms, mainly by political means.

A subgroup of the MB (Muslim Brotherhood) in the US which is made up mostly of members of Palestinian origin, the Palestine Committee issued a memorandum expressing their vision of the Jihad to liberate the Holy Land from the “defilement of the Jews that will continue until the Day of Resurrection. It is a Jihad for victory or martyrdom.”

The Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), the financial arm represented by the Occupied Land Fund (which later became the Holy Land Foundation, HLF), and the United Association for Studies and Research (UASR) are three US Muslim Brotherhood organizations, each operating in its individual fields but interconnected in their aim to aid Palestinian Hamas.

As internal Palestine Committee documents obtained by the FBI confirm, IAP and HLF constituted the main entities of the public-facing, pro-Hamas network. Musa Abu Marzook, a native of the Gaza Strip who obtained a doctorate in industrial engineering in Louisiana, was instrumental in the foundation and development of the Chicago-based IAP and was the head of the Hamas political wing in the US.

After being deported from the US for transferring $150,000 to HLF, Abu Marzook became one of Hamas’ most senior leaders.

Typical of the Muslim Brotherhood mode of operation, the Hamas network in the US, such as IAP, HLF, and other of their organizations, was founded and operated by a small group of Palestinians connected by kinship or business ties who shared the same MB and Hamas worldview. They were also connected to top Hamas leaders in the Middle East.

The organizations determined that fundraising was the most important activity in local Muslim communities. Most of the funds went to Hamas, with a small amount going to orphans and needy children.

Hence, the HLF organization could maintain its image of being a charitable organization. However, it was shut down by US authorities at the end of 2001 after the prosecution of its members for funneling to Hamas more than 12 million dollars.

The pro-Palestinian anti-Zionist organizations that supported Hamas were against peace treaties with Israel and actively spread this message and the need to support Hamas among the American Muslim youth.

They also stressed the need for their Committees to increase their “influence with Congress.” This could be achieved by infiltrating American media outlets, universities, and research centers, and also by working with organizations such as the American Muslim Alliance, the United Muslims of America, MPAC [Muslim Public Affairs Council].

“If American Muslims engage in political activism and public relations, we will have an entry point to pressure Congress and the American decision-makers.”

To this end, they developed a media strategy that would support Hamas without blatantly supporting violence. While supporting Hamas inwardly, a necessary tactic was to take a more moderate position outwardly for the American general public and policymakers.

They stressed the need for publishing messages in prominent American Newspapers in English geared to western audiences that differed from those they published in Arabic to Muslim audiences.

According to Islam and therefore, American Muslims, “war is deception.” “We are fighting our enemy with a kind heart… Deceive, camouflage, pretend that you’re leaving while you’re walking that way. Deceive your enemy.”

“Politics is a completion of war,” because of Hamas’ negative image, they realized the need for creating a new official US Islamic organization that would serve as a “cover for the existing Hamas-supporting organizations,” camouflaging extreme Islamic ideologies and avoiding use of Muslim terminology such as “Al Aqsa” or “Al Quds.” “It is hoped that it will become an official organization for political work. It’s headquarters will be in Washington D.C., as it represents the political aspect of the American front.”

That organization became the Washington D.C.-based Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).

The reorganized US-Hamas network has become a large dynamic network functioning under the guise of a regular Islamic charity organization, dedicated to improve its American citizens’ conditions and fight so-called “Islamophobia.” Some network organizations focus on fundraising activities while others concentrate on political and educational activities.

Hamas in the Bible

The Hebrew word HAMAS, (which means violence, malicious, cruel) first appears in Genesis after the fall of Adam and Eve when sin entered the world and spread through all the earth.

Genesis 6:11: Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with HAMAS (violence).

Genesis 6:13: Then God said to Noah, “the end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with HAMAS.

In Ezekiel, Hamas appears in connection with the fall of Satan:

Ezekiel 28:16: By the abundance of your trade you were internally filled with HAMAS (violence), and you sinned. Therefore, I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God, and I have destroyed you, O covering cherub.

More scriptures with the Hebrew word Hamas:

Exodus 23:1: You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a HAMAS (malicious) witness.

Isaiah 53:9: His grave was assigned with the rich…Because he had done no HAMAS (violence) nor was there any deceit in his mouth.

Isaiah 59:6b: Their works are works of iniquity, and acts of HAMAS (violence) are in their hands.

Psalm 11:5: the Lord tests the righteous, but the His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves HAMAS (violence).

Psalm 18:48: He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; from the HAMAS (violent) man.

Psalm 25:19: Consider my enemies, for they are many; and they hate me with HAMAS (cruel) hatred.

Psalm 74:20: for the dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of HAMAS (cruelty).

Habakkuk 2:17: for the HAMAS (violence) done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and the devastation of its beasts by which you terrified them, because of human bloodshed and HAMAS done to their land, to the town and all its inhabitants.

Zephaniah 1:9: In that same day I will punish all those who leap over the threshold, who fill their master’s house with HAMAS (violence) and deceit.

Ezekiel 7: 23: Make the chain, for the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of HAMAS (violence).

Ezekiel 45:9: Thus says the Lord God, enough, you princes of Israel, put away HAMAS (violence and destruction), and practice justice and righteousness.

Amos 3:10: But they do not know how to do what is right,” declares the Lord, “these who hoard up HAMAS (violence) and devastation in their citadels.”

Isaiah 60:18: HAMAS will not be heard again in your land.

Other scriptures include:

Psalm 58:3, Proverbs 3:32, Prov. 8:36, Prov. 10:6, Micah 6:12

Image from Unsplash, by Luke Braswell

They Shall Come Back

October 13, 2025 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

And they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope in your future, says the Lord, your sons shall come back to their own border. Jeremiah 21:16b-17

This happened today, Monday October 13.

Exactly two years ago, on the Holiday of Succot (booths), Hamas brutally attacked southern Israel from Gaza, murdering 1,200 Israelis and abducting 251 into Gaza. Israel declared war on Hamas and that has been fought since then.

Now, there is great joy in Israel as all the hostages are Home.

So, all who had returned from the captivity…sat under the booths… And there was very great joy and gladness. Nehemiah 8:17

Late on October 9, Israel’s cabinet formally approved plans for a ceasefire with Hamas, setting a Gaza peace process in motion.

Phase I

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that it constituted the “first phase” of his twenty-point peace plan that the White House had unveiled last week.

Qatar, a critical player in the mediation efforts, confirmed the developments, as did Israeli and Hamas officials. It has been a long and drawn out effort of negotiations between Israel and Hamas through the mediators, Egypt and Qatar, for the release of the remaining hostages still held in Hamas’ terra-dungeons in Gaza, because of Hamas’ unreasonable demands.

Israel’s military action in Gaza had reportedly intensified until right up to the ceasefire deadline. Since the truce, Palestinians have been returning in droves to Gaza City after an Israeli military spokesperson declared it safe to head back to the enclave’s previously most populous city.

The Israeli army, Israel Defense Forces (IDF), agreed to withdraw their troops up to a line that leaves it in control of 53 percent of the strip.

With the withdrawal complete, a seventy-two-hour window was given to Hamas to return the remaining hostages taken on October 7. Twenty were believed to be alive; another twenty-eight deceased. This is the first stage of the agreement.

Until now, out of the 251 hostages, 147 were released or exchanged in prior deals, eight of whom were dead, and the bodies of dozens more have been recovered by the IDF.

In this first phase, Hamas agreed to release the hostages safely and quietly, without victory demonstrations.

Israel agreed to release 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israel, as well as 1,700 detainees from Gaza.

Israel published its official list of who would be freed on Friday; not including several high-profile political figures at the top of Hamas’s list. Israel also agreed to give back fifteen Palestinian bodies for the remains of each Israeli hostage it received.

Trump was very pleased with the progress, as he said that it was a “great day” for the Arab and Muslim world, Israel and all surrounding nations, as well as the US. “We thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!” he posted.

As Israel anxiously awaited the return of the 20 live hostages and the bodies of twenty-eight hostages brutally murdered by Hamas, there was an extensive preparation underway to receive the bodies, honor the fallen, and support their bereaved families.

However, the exact number of the fallen hostages remains uncertain. There is also the danger that the bodies may be booby-trapped with grenades or explosives, as was the case in the past.

President Donald Trump arrived in Israel this morning for a very short visit. It coincided with the arrival of the hostages from Gaza.

President Trump’s visit lasted close to four hours. Air Force One landed at Ben Gurion Airport at 9:20 a.m. and due to the short visit, there was only a red carpet, flag bearers, honorary salutes and handshakes, but no speeches and no anthems.

Phase II

The President visited the Israeli Knesset (parliament) where he delivered a speech. Then he flew to Egypt for a summit of Arab and world leaders on the topic of Gaza to raise support and finalize an agreement over the second phase of the president’s post-war Gaza plan. Israel was not invited to attend the summit.

During the summit, leaders are expected to sign the U.S.-brokered peace agreement aimed at ending the conflict in Gaza. [Click here to read Trump’s 20 points of the Gaza peace proposal.]

Let’s thank the Lord that the 20 live hostages have returned. Please pray for their care and rehabilitation now that they are home. Please pray that all of the deceased will be returned. Pray that Israel will be able to eliminate Hamas’s military and political power in Gaza, as part of the second phase. (we will report on that in our next newsletter.)

Image by R.D. Smith, Unsplash

The Veil and Israel [Part 1]

March 19, 2025 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

Moses, the great prophet with whom the God of Israel spoke face-to-face:

“And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the pillar of cloud descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses”. Exodus 33:9

So the Lord spoke with Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And Moses returned to the camp. .. Exodus 33:11a

“I speak with him (Moses) face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?” Numbers 12:8

Since that time, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. Deuteronomy 34:10

The Glory of the Lord

Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. Isaiah 60:1

In the above scripture, the Glory of the Lord is promised to shine upon Israel and God’s people, which includes us. Now that Yeshua is seated at the right hand of God the Father in heaven, He has received back His Glory as He prayed to the Father in John 17:5:

“And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the Glory which I had with You before the world was…And the Glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one…“Father, I desire that they also, whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

Mt. Horeb/Sinai

Mt. Horeb, the Mountain of God, known also as Mt. Sinai, is where God first appeared to Moses and spoke to Him from the burning bush. There, Godcommanded Moses to lead the people of Israel out of slavery from Egypt into the Promised Land. Hence, Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt, through the Sinai desert, and into the promised land.

After the miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea and wandering in the desert, the people of Israel cried for water. God led them to Mount Horeb (Mt. Sinai) and instructed Moses to miraculously get water from the rock.

Exodus 17:6, “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.”

Later, God met Moses once again at Mount Sinai/Horeb with an awesomedisplay of power: thunder and lightning, a dark cloud, fire and smoke, the blast of a trumpet, and quaking of the earth (Exodus 19:18). This was to warn the people not to approach or touch God’s holy mountain as God is so Holy that anyone doing so would die.

Then, God thundered out His commands, frightening all the Israelites. They asked God to speak only to Moses and let Moses be the intermediary between themselves and God (Exodus 20:19. By the way, Jews often say that they don’tneed an intermediary to talk to God when it comes to Yeshua.)

The Covenant Through Moses

And God called Moses on the mountain to receive the commandments for Israel.

“And all the people answered with one voice and said, ‘”All the words which the Lord has said we will do.’” They made burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words” (their promise.) Exodus 24:3b, 5-8

Now the Glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered the Mountain of God for six days. And on the seventh day, God called Moses out of the midst of the cloud. The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.” (vs. 13, 16-18)

There on the mountain, Moses received the plans for the Tabernacle and the tablets of stone on which God had written His commandments with His own finger.

However, at the bottom of the mountain, the Israelites had grown impatient waiting for Moses all that time, not knowing what had happened to him.
They asked Aaron to make them a god in the form of a golden calf. Overjoyed and excited, the people sacrificed to the golden calf, celebrated, and worshiped their new god in a frenzy.

However, at the top of the mountain, God told Moses what was happening in the camp below.

When Moses descended the mountain and saw everyone worshiping the golden calf, he became enraged and smashed to bits the stone tablets on which Godhad written His commandments with His own finger. Moses reproved Israel for its terrible sin against the one true God after promising to serve Him and keep His commandments. (including not making any images for worship) (Exodus 32.)

After dealing with the sin issue (including the death of many of the idol worshipers (Exodus 32:28) Moses burned the golden calf with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it (verse 20.)

Then, the Lord said to Moses,

“Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the Words that were on the first tablets which you broke.”

Facing God on the top of the mountain, Moses begged God to forgive the children of Israel, His people. God listened to Moses, forgave them, and renewed the covenant with Israel. He once again wrote His Commandments on new stone tablets (Exodus 34:1–27.)

The Veil on Moses’s Face

Moses spent another 40 days and nights in the presence of God on Mt. Horeb, the mountain of God, not eating or drinking, and God allowed Moses to see His glory. God’s glorious presence sustained him.

When Moses came down the mountain after spending this extended time in the presence of the Lord, Moses was unaware that his face shone powerfully, reflecting God’s Glory. Because everyone feared to approach him, Moses covered his face with a veil, hiding the bright light of the Glory that was unbearable to the people in their sinful condition, so they would not be frightened. (Exodus 34:1–29)

Moses went up to speak to the Lord several times and brought Israel the Torah he had received from the Lord for them.

“But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would remove the veil until he came out; and he would come back and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.” (Exodus 34:34-35)

The Prophet Elijah on Mt. Horeb

When the prophet Elijah ran away from Queen Jezebel who wanted to kill him, he stopped to rest in the desert. There, an angel of the Lord fed him, and

“strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb (Mt. Sini,) the mountain of God.” (1 Kings 19:8)

Elijah stayed in a cave at Horeb/Sinai, where he met the Lord Who spoke to him with “a still small voice.” (1 Kings 19:12)

It is interesting that both Moses and Elijah, who were prophets of God, were on the same Mountain of God, sustained by God for 40 days and nights; both met with God there and heard His audible voice.

Yeshua with Moses and Elijah

It is also interesting that when Yeshua was on the Mount of Transfiguration, out of all the people of God, He met with the prophets Moses and Elijah.

While on earth, Yeshua’s divine glory was veiled by His humanity, except for this event when His human appearance was changed and His face shone like the sun and His clothes turned blazing.

In an audible voice, the Lord spoke from a bright cloud saying:

“This is my Son, Whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)

This happened in the presence of Peter, James, and John, the brother of James who

“beheld His Glory, the Glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

From Glory to Glory

Ephesians 2:6-7
“And God (the Father) raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Messiah Yeshua, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Messiah Yeshua.”

In the Spirit realm, we are seated with Messiah in the heavenlies. God has taken us from Glory to Glory, just as Yeshua prayed before He ascended to the right hand of the Father.

And just as John, Peter, and James beheld His glory on the Mount of Transfiguration, we too behold His glory.

God’s light shines through us a witness for all to see as we reflect His glory.

As believers in Messiah Yeshua, Who fulfilled the Torah, we also reflect the Glory of the Torah revealed to Moses.

Yet, the Glory of the Torah that shone so brightly on Moses’ face and required a veil covering, faded when Israel broke the Old Covenant.

The Torah, written with the finger of God (Exodus 31:18,) is the same Torah that Messiah Yeshua came to fulfill; it is the eternal and glorious Word of God.

Now, by our faith in Yeshua, we receive glory through the New Covenant that is spiritual, eternal, and doesn’t fade for it is written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit of God.

(Jeremiah 31:33: “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts…”)

By this, we are transformed from the Glory of Moses to the Glory of Yeshua, from the Glory of the Old Covenant to the Glory of the New Covenant, which far surpasses the Old.

The Torah given to Moses was written on earthly stone, a substance doomed to disintegrate and perish.

God’s Holy, good, and righteous Torah was given to sinners to make them holy as the giver of the Torah is holy. But they had to obey all Torah’s laws.

In fact, the Torah was merely a temporary guardian (Galatians 3:23–25) until something better appeared.

The better thing is the New Covenant that absolves us of all sin and gives us everlasting life (John 6:63).

Hence, our obedience to God stems from within us. As true believers, we desire to obey Him and love Him with all our hearts and souls, and not out of legality or fear of punishment.

No longer is it an uncaring, animal-blood covenant of rigid rules, written on cold stone tablets but rather a covenant of Messiah’s own blood, written by the Holy Spirit on the tablets of our warm hearts of flesh.

We, His people, no longer need an earthly tabernacle or a mountaintop to meet with God’s Holy Presence. Rather, the Father, and Messiah Yeshua, and the Holy Spirit dwell within us and tabernacle with us in our born-again inner New Man, in loving intimacy, teaching us all things. (John 14:23; 16:13)

“Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

“For God, Who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His Light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s Glory displayed in the face of Messiah Yeshua.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

As we move from Glory to Glory, the Holy Spirit transforms us into the image of God’s own beloved Son, Messiah Yeshua. (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:28–30; Philippians 3:20–21)

When we believe Yeshua is Lord and Savior, receive Him into our hearts by faith, and accept His atonement for our sins, He opens our spiritual eyes and transforms us even in this life to bring us “from Glory to Glory.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV)

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

[Watch for the next installment of this article soon]

Image by Chil Vera from Pixabay

Christmas and the Jews

December 24, 2024 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

Most Jews in Israel and around the world reject the idea that Christmas is a Jewish holiday. As far as they are concerned, Christmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of someone they don’t believe to be the Messiah and is in direct opposition to their Jewish faith. Many Holocaust survivors claim Hitler and the Nazis were Christians and that the Christian church is anti-Semitic; that in the name of Jesus, the Church persecuted Jews as “Christ-killers.”

Even non-Jews around the world who celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas day do not realize that He is the Messiah of Israel, as well as the Savior of the world.

Nativity Image by Michelle Scott from Pixabay

The prophet Isaiah made this Messianic prophecy to Israel about the Jewish Messiah, Who also fulfilled the promise God gave to Abraham in Genesis 12, that through Him all nations would be blessed. Therefore, the prophecies of the Messiah’s coming, His sacrifice for humanity, His resurrection, and His return to earth apply to Israel as well to all nations.

“The people living in darkness have seen a great light; upon those living in the land that lies in the shadow of death, light has dawned. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; dominion will rest on His shoulders, and He will be given the name Pele-Yo‘etz (Wonderful Counselor,) El Gibbor (Mighty God,) Avi-‘Ad (Everlasting Father) Sar-Shalom (Prince of Peace)”. Isaiah 9

The world celebrates Christmas with cheers, decorated evergreen trees, flickering lights, manger scenes, and baby Jesus, all the while unaware of its Jewish roots. That the story took place in Israel with Israelites and angels who spoke Hebrew seems far away. But the fact is that Mary was Miriam, Joseph was Yoseph and Jesus was Yeshua – all Hebrew names. Yeshua was born in Beth Lehem (the house of bread in Hebrew) fulfilling the Hebrew prophet Micah’s words as recorded in Micah chapter 5:1 “But you, Beit Lehem Ephratah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting days.”

The story of Christmas starts with God’s angel appearing to the priest Zecharya (Zechariah in English which means God remembers in Hebrew) who was chosen by lot to enter the Temple of the God of Israel for the incense offering (Luke 1:9-11). This was in accordance with the law God gave to Moses for the priests from the tribe of Levi. Exodus 30:7-8: “Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come.” The angel announced to Zecharya that his barren wife would bear him a child to fulfill the prophecy of Malachi 3 to “go as a forerunner before Him (the Messiah) in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children” (Luke 1:16-17). His name would be Yohanan, meaning God pardons (known as John the Baptist in English.)

A short time later the angel Gavriel (Gabriel, means God is my strength) appeared to Miriam, announcing that she would conceive by the Holy Spirit of God. Miriam was a young Jewish virgin from the Jewish village of Natzeret, Israel, engaged to a Jewish man, Yoseph, of the house of David. The angel Gavriel told her (in Hebrew,) “Do not be afraid, Miriam; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Yeshua (meaning Salvation in Hebrew.) (Jesus is the English letters of the name Yeshua.) He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and God will give Him the throne of His father David (the Jewish king.) And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:26-33).

It is no coincidence that the Savior of the world would have a Hebrew name and would be born of a Jewish mother in a Jewish town near Jerusalem, the Jewish capital. He is Emmanuel (God with us in Hebrew) Who will sit on King David’s throne forever and rule from Jerusalem. All nations will come to hear the Word of the Lord from Zion (Jerusalem). (Isaiah 2)

When Yoseph (Joseph) learned Miriam was pregnant, he feared she had been unfaithful to him. As a righteous man, he didn’t want to expose Miriam to public disgrace and planned to divorce her in secret. But the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said (in Hebrew), “Yoseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Miriam as your wife because what is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Yeshua (meaning Salvation) because he Yoshia (will save) his people (Israel) from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ – which means (in Hebrew, ‘God with us.)” Matthew 1:18-25

We present this holiday to our Jewish people in this Jewish setting with Jewish characters, saying that Yeshua is our Jewish Messiah, as well as the Savior of the world, and that He didn’t come to start a new religion. As a matter of fact, Yeshua was against religion as well as men’s traditions.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of our Jewish friends, family, and neighbors to see that Christmas celebrates the birth of our Jewish Messiah Who came to the world in Israel.

From the first verses in the New Testament, we see how Jewish it is. This is the genealogy of Yeshua the Messiah (a Hebrew word,) the son of David, the son of Abraham (the father of the Jewish nation). Yeshua’s birth and reincarnation were prophesied in the Hebrew Bible, written in Hebrew, by Hebrew prophets. His Jewish parents took him to the Jewish Holy Temple when He was eight days old to be circumcised; how much more Jewish can you get?

Image: Nativity by Michelle Scott from Pixabay

Does Lebanon Have Complete Control Over its Diplomatic Agenda?

September 23, 2024 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

For the past eleven months, Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian militia, has been fighting Israel in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza. While neither Hezbollah nor Israel appears to seek an all-out war, the situation could spiral out of control. On the ground, the risk of escalation is very real. Washington and Paris have decided to “coordinate closely” concerning Lebanon to avoid such an escalation.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah continues to expand its influence. In addition to the financial support it receives from Iran (several hundred million dollars yearly according to the U.S.), the militia receives donations from the Lebanese Shia diaspora and profits from both its legal and illegal (drug trafficking) businesses. Since the 2000s, Hezbollah has developed an integrated economy organized around a bank (al-Qard al-Hassan), powerful charities, and the al-Sajjad network of local supermarkets, offering discounts on basic goods. These economic structures insulate the southern region from the rest of Lebanon, and now, protect it from the effects of the national economic crisis.

Hezbollah has adopted a wait-and-see attitude. With patience it takes its time, counting on the slow disintegration of the country, weakened by double-digit inflation.

*Michel Aoun – Image from Simple Wikipedia*

Lebanon has been governed by a caretaker cabinet since Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned in August 2020 amid protests demanding accountability for the Beirut blast, when a stockpile of highly explosive ammonium nitrate was stored improperly at Lebanon’s most vital port. Michel Aoun, the Lebanese president at the time, accepted the resignation of the government and the Prime Minister and asked the government to stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet was formed.

On 10 September 2021, Mikati was able to form a government of 24 members after long negotiations with President Aoun, and the various political parties. When he took office, Lebanon was in the grip of a very serious economic crisis: the collapse of the national currency, galloping inflation (the cost of food had jumped by 700% in the previous two years), massive layoffs, a poverty rate of 78% according to the UN, frequent power cuts, fuel shortages, etc. Mikati is depending on the solidarity of the Arab world to help the country out of its crisis.

Mikati has been backing the Shiite groups, Hezbollah and Amal, but faces resistance from Christian lawmakers. Mikati himself does not represent a political party.

Najib Mikati, a Lebanese politician and businessman, has served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon since September 2021. Mikati said after his nomination that his priority would be to implement a French-backed reform plan that would unlock much-needed foreign financial aid.

*Lokman Slim, Image from Times of Israel*

Different sectarian groups are operating in Lebanon. Lebanese politics is based on a power-sharing system among these groups, including Hezbollah. Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim organization that emerged in the 1980s, has by now near total control over its own community, which it also represents in parliament. Dissenting Shia voices against Hezbollah have all but disappeared following the assassination of a Shia public intellectual and vocal Hezbollah critic, Lokman Slim, in 2021. Supporters of Hezbollah had previously threatened Slim’s life.

The leaders of Lebanon’s two major communities, the Sunni Muslims and the Christians, and those of the smaller but politically powerful Druze community, have issued statements urging caution and restraint. Yet, some Sunni and Christian groups in particular are sympathetic to Hezbollah.

Unlike the secular Sunni Muslim Lebanese, who call for restraint, religious Sunni Islamist groups are now siding with Hezbollah against Israel since the start of the Gazan war and some have even gotten closer to the organization over the past nine months.

In the past, many Sunni Islamists in Lebanon were against Hezbollah after an intense brief burst of violence in 2008, when Hezbollah attacked Sunni supporters of the then-Lebanese government.

Another Sunni group is the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose Al-Fajr forces, however symbolic and limited, have participated in the hostilities against Israel in southern Lebanon alongside Hezbollah since late October 2023, and even lost seven of their fighters in May of 2024.

Lebanese Christians are divided into three political parties, and so is their position towards Hezbollah: the Kataeb and the Lebanese Forces (LF) on the anti-Hezbollah side, and on the other side the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) which has broadly supported the Shia Hezbollah party since 2006.

In recent months, the leaders of both the LF and Kataeb have opposed Hezbollah’s war of attrition against Israel which they claim is provoking Israel to attack and devastate Lebanon. However, they are powerless against Hezbollah. Nevertheless, they complain that Hezbollah is acting and making decisions in the name of all Lebanese citizens.

Two other important Christian groups are the Patriarch of the Maronite church, Bechara Boutros Rai, and a rightwing private militia in eastern Beirut called Jnoud al-Rab (Soldiers of God).

*Bechara Boutros Rai, Image from Catholic Weekly*

Jnoud al-Rab claims that Hezbollah’s actions are endangering the country and Lebanon’s Christian community. In January 2024, the group hijacked flight screens at Beirut airport and displayed a message warning Hezbollah against engaging in war with Israel.

Since November 2023, Patriarch Rai has regularly issued statements against Hezbollah’s involvement in the Gaza war and has urged officials of the need to protect Lebanon.

In June 2024, he described Hezbollah’s activities in the south as acts of terrorism, which caused the Shia religious leadership to boycott the Patriarchate’s June spiritual summit.

*Gibran Bassil, Image from the Arab News*

As for the FPM party that has been favorable to Hezbollah, the relationship has become increasingly strained since October 2022, when the then president Michel Aoun’s term came to an end and Hezbollah refused to support EPM’s leading candidate as the new president and Aoun’s son-in-law, Gibran Bassil.

In April 2024, Bassil came around and declared that the FPM supports “the Resistance” (Hezbollah’s adopted name), but “rejects Hezbollah’s position to participate in the Gaza war without internal national consensus”.

Druze

The leading Druze politician, Walid Jumblatt, is the weathervane of Lebanese politics. Despite being retired, he remains an important voice for the Druze (who constitute around 5% of the Lebanese population).

In October, he called on Hezbollah “not to be dragged into the war”. He also took to social media asking Hezbollah not to participate in the war.

However, he clearly stated at the beginning of the conflict that he would side with Hezbollah should Israel attack Lebanon. And, since then, Jumblatt has noted that “the rules of engagement have changed”.

Lebanon’s major communities have largely been consistent in urging restraint and would prefer to see Hezbollah avoid a war with Israel. Should war break out, however, the sects of Lebanon will probably all rally around Hezbollah, as was the case in 2006.

History of Wars Between Israel and Lebanon

Since the end of the Six Day War, Palestinian terrorist militant groups have initiated attacks from south Lebanon against Israel, and even against Lebanese Christian militias inside Lebanon in the mid-1970s. In reprisal, the IDF, Israeli Defense Force have attacked in different operations, the most notable of which was the Litani Operation in 1978.

In 1975, the Lebanese civil war broke out, which lasted until 1990. With its own army operating freely in Lebanon, the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) had created a state within a state in south Lebanon. By then, more than 300,000 Palestinians lived in Lebanon. Lebanon’s Muslims and leftists who supported the PLO sought more political power. The Christians, seeking to maintain their political dominance, opposed the PLO. The factions fought fiercely through early 1976, and Lebanon became divided, with the Christians in power in the north and the Muslims in the south.

Israel helped the Christian Maronite militias by supplying them with arms, tanks, and military advisers. Initially, Syria, fearing loss of commercial access to the port of Beirut, supported the Maronites who had the majority in the government. Later, however, Syria switched sides by supporting the Palestinians instead.

In 1982 the Israeli army entered southern Lebanon with the goal of destroying the Palestinian guerrilla bases. The battle resulted in the expulsion of the PLO from Lebanese territory and their relocation to Tunisia.

In 1989, Christian leader Gen. Michel Aoun attempted to drive Syria out of Lebanon but was defeated and the Arab League mediated a peace deal. Aoun’s removal from power in October 1990 marked the end of the civil war and eliminated one of the major obstacles to the implementation of the 1989 peace accord.

Following the PLO’s expulsion from Lebanon, the Israeli military and Lebanese Christian militias began fighting the growing Iran proxy Shia Muslim terrorist group, Hezbollah, in south Lebanon, marking the beginning of the ongoing fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.