Yeshuatami News Blog

All Things Israel

War

Between the Straits

By Leave a Comment

Thus says the Lord (The God of Israel) Who gives the sun for light by day; the ordinances of the moon and the stars for light by night; Who rouses the sea and its waves roar (The Lord of hosts is His name): “If these ordinances ever depart from before Me,” says the Lord, “then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever.” Jeremiah 31:35-36

If the enemies of God’s people, Israel, knew these scriptures from His Word, they would shoot their rockets and missiles at the sun, moon, and stars because only when they can destroy those ordinances could they destroy the people of God, and the seed of Israel would cease from being a nation before Him forever.

However, since they don’t know this formula of Israel’s destruction, they keep firing rockets at Israel.

Since last week, Iran and Hezbollah have been threatening Israel with reprisal attacks and many in Israel and around the world are expecting this to happen very soon. Some predict that it will happen on the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av, the 13th of August.

The 9th of Av is the culmination of the 3 weeks called “Between the Straits.”

“From the straits I called to Yah”Psalm 118:5
The three weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av is known as “the Dire Between the Straits” (see Lamentations 1:3  “All her persecutors overtake her in dire straits”.)

The period of the Dire Straits starts on the 17th of Tammuz (the month before Av), marking the breach and fall of Jerusalem’s walls and the destruction of her first and second temples on the Temple Mount on the same day, the 9th of Av and most of the Jews going into exile – the first time to the Babylonian captivity for 70 years, and the second to a far greater Diaspora throughout the world for about 2000 years.

The Jews have experienced many calamities over the centuries, and it is amazing to learn that many of those calamities have occurred on the same day of the year, the 9th of Av.

The Destruction of the two Temples, especially the Second Temple, changed the path of Jewish History and the nation of Israel, dispersing the Jewish people among the nations.

Against all odds, the Jews have survived persecution, expulsions, relocation, pogroms, and calamities. Nonetheless, Jewish learning, wisdom, and tradition have not only survived but have flourished in many countries, enriching the world in many ways.

The 9th of Av, Tisha b’Av, commemorates a list of catastrophes so severe that Jews believe God set it aside for their suffering.

 Jews Praying at Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, by Johann Martin Bernatz (Ottoman Archives, 1868)

Some of the catastrophes and calamities that happened to the Jews on the 9th of Av were:

  • The First Temple was destroyed on the 9th of Av (423 BCE).
  • In 70 CE, The Romans torched The Second Temple and destroyed it and much of Jerusalem on the same day as the First Temple.
  • When the Jews remaining in the Land rebelled against Roman rule, they believed that their leader, Simon bar Kochba, would fulfill their messianic longings. But their hopes were cruelly dashed in 133 CE as the Jewish rebels were brutally butchered in the final battle at Betar. The date of this massacre was the 9th of Av!
  • One year after their conquest of Betar, the Romans plowed over the Jew’s holiest site, the Temple Mount.
  • In 1290 CE on the 9th of Av, the Jews were expelled from England.
  • In 1492, the Golden Age for the Jews of Spain, freedom and prosperity ended when the Queen of Spain and her husband banished Jews from their land. The edict of expulsion was signed on March 31, 1492, and the Jews were given exactly four months to leave the country. The Hebrew date on which no Jew was allowed any longer to remain in Spain was the 9th of Av.
  • World War II and the Holocaust were actually the outcome of World War I which began in 1914. The Hebrew date when Germany declared war on Russia setting the First World War into motion was the 9th of Av.
  • The evacuation of Jewish settlers from Gaza in 2005 occurred on the 9th of Av. Two years later, In June 2007 the terrorist organization of Hamas took over the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority. Since then, many thousands of rockets and mortar shells have been fired by Hamas from the Gaza Strip onto southern Israeli towns and villages, terrorizing and destabilizing the lives of hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens. Now, since October 7th, 2023 when Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, committing atrocities against Israeli men women, children, and soldiers, for the past ten months, Israel has been engaged in a terrible war against Hamas in Gaza, claiming many Israeli soldiers’ lives. Hamas’ creed is to destroy Israel as a Jewish nation and take over the land as their homeland of Palestine.

However, as the Lord God of Israel has promised in many prophecies to return His beloved Jewish people from the diaspora to the land of Israel, the Land of Promise, the Jewish state is a reality that is here to stay. The enemies’ plans to annihilate Israel and take over the land promised to the Jews, will never come to pass.

In fulfillment of God’s promises, Israel is back in the Land physically. Now God plans to bring them back to Him spiritually, through faith in Messiah Yeshua.

One day, Israel will look upon the pierced Yeshua (Zech. 12:10,) and will invite Him to return, proclaiming, “Baruch Haba Beshem Adonai, as Yeshua said: Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord, (Matt. 23:39).

On that day, the day they see Him again, they will see Him as He is, their Messiah and Savior. They will mourn for Him as for a first-born Son (Zech. 12:10). And then, All Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26.) On that day, God will turn their mourning into great joy again.

Please continue to pray for the salvation of Israel and the Jewish people – that God touch hearts of mourning on the 9th of Av; that they recognize their rebellion against their God and repent and accept His Salvation, Yeshua.

Pray that until that day, Israel, with God’s help, stands against the enemy that wants to annihilate her and thwart God’s good plans for Israel.

Pray for victory over all God and Israel’s enemies, and that the Lord, the God of Israel, get all the glory, for His Name’s Sake. Amen

Image above: Tisha Be’av at the Western Wall 370 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem – The Jerusalem Post)

Israel Threatened

By Leave a Comment

“So shall all Your enemies perish, O Lord; but they that love Him
be as the sun that shines in full strength…”
Judges 5:31

Last week Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, officially endorsed and empowered 69-year-old heart surgeon, Masoud Pezeshkian, as the new Iranian President. Pezeshkian replaces President Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash in May.


Iran’s New President: Pezeshkian

Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran’s ninth President at a ceremony attended by senior officials from several countries including Armenia, Tajikistan, Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Cuba, and Brazil, and even the European Union envoy Enrique. Also present were Iran’s proxy leaders including the late Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh; Islamic Jihad head, Ziyad al-Nakhalah; Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General, Naim Qassem, and Yemen’s Houthi spokesman, Mohammed Abdulsalam.

During the ceremony, many chanted, “Death to Israel, Death to America.”

A day earlier, Pezeshkian warned Israel against attacking Lebanon, saying “heavy consequences” would ensue. Pezeshkian also reaffirmed support for the so-called “axis of resistance,” the Hezbollah and Houthis terrorists that support Hamas against the Zionist enemy – Israel.

The ceremony took place amid concerns of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah following Hezbollah’s rocket attack which killed 12 children in a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams on the Israeli Golan Heights. In response, Israel struck Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, targeting and killing Fouad Shukur, a top Hezbollah commander allegedly behind the rocket attack. According to Israel, Shukur was responsible for most of Hezbollah’s superior weaponry as well as Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel since October 8, a day after the Israel-Hamas war erupted. [Image of Fouad Shukur from Post Register Lebanon]

Ismail Haniyeh

Hours later, in Iran’s capital, Tehran, a direct missile hit Haniyeh’s residence, killing him and one of his bodyguards. [Image from South China Morning Post]

Iran and the militant Revolutionary Guard group immediately blamed Israel for the surprise assassination that risks escalation into an all-out regional war. Iran’s supreme leader vows revenge against Israel. Israel had pledged to kill Ismail Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders over the group’s October 7th attack on southern Israel that erupted into war in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel has not taken responsibility for Haniyeh’s assassination. Without mentioning Haniyeh’s death, Israeli PM, Netanyahu, proclaims that Israel “will exact a very heavy price from any aggression against us on any front.There are challenging days ahead.”

Israel often refrains from commenting on assassinations carried out by its Mossad intelligence agency or strikes on other countries.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has stated that Israel doesn’t want war despite killing the Hezbollah commander in Beirut, “but we are preparing for all possibilities.” He did not mention Haniyeh’s death.

Haniyeh left the Gaza Strip in 2019 and lived in exile in Qatar. Israel has targeted Hamas figures in Lebanon and Syria but targeting Haniyeh in Iran’s capital was vastly more involved, though Israel has operated there under cover in the past.

Following Haniyeh’s assassination, Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared that revenge was “our duty” and that Israel had “prepared a harsh punishment for itself” by killing “a dear guest in our home.” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned that Israel would face a “harsh and painful response” from Iran and its allies around the region. The Iranian Parliament held an emergency meeting later that day.

Hamas said Haniyeh’s assassination “takes the battle to a new level and will have major repercussions on the entire region.”

Khalil al-Hayya, a powerful Hamas figure formerly close to Haniyeh, said that Haniyeh’s replacement would “follow the same vision” regarding negotiations to end the war and continue the same policy of resistance against Israel.

Haniyeh’s killing creates the potential for direct confrontation between Iran and Israel should Iran choose to retaliate.

Israel and Iran – Bitter Enemies

Bitter enemies for years, Israel and Iran risked war earlier this year after Israel hit Iran’s embassy in Damascus in April. Iran retaliated by sending about 300 missiles and drones into Israel, most of which were intercepted by Israeli and Israeli allies’ defense mechanisms. Israel countered with an unprecedented strike on Iran’s facilities. However, international efforts succeeded in containing the violence before an all-out war broke out.

Besides direct retaliation on Israel, Iran could increase attacks through its proxies, the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” including Hezbollah, Hamas – mainly Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria – and Yemen Houthi rebels.

Netanyahu’s Response

Netanyahu declares that Israel will continue its war in Gaza until Hamas is totally eliminated. He asserts that Israel’s achievements in recent months are due to resisting pressure to end the war at home and abroad.

Hamas’ demand to end the war; to release a small number of abductees and to continue supplying weapons into Gaza while remaining in power is unacceptable to Netanyahu. Israel will never agree to demands that endanger its security; it would be a complete surrender to the terrorist group. Israel will continue fighting until complete victory is achieved, declares Netanyahu.

Please Pray

  • May all the plans of the enemy be null and void, in Yeshua’s name.
  • May the enemy’s traps be traps unto themelves.
  • May the enemy fall into each and every trap it prepares for Israel.
  • May confusion reign among Israel’s enemies. 
  • Please Lord, send Your warring angels to thwart each and every rocket thrown  at Israel.
  • May the God of Israel glorify His Name in bringing victory to Israel, His inheritance.  
  • Please continue to stand together with us for the protection of Israel from her surrounding enemies.
  • Father God, we worship You and thank you for giving the Israeli government and the army commanders wisdom and unity in making crucial decisions  during these challenging times.
  • Lift up in prayer the hostages in Gaza, the many thousands OF evacuees from their homes and the soldiers in line of duty and those in the reserves.
  • Father God, we thank You for drawing many Israelis to You during these war times(almost 10 months now)
  • We especially pray for the families who have lost loved ones, fathers, children, relatives and friends during the war.

Other image: Enormous Funeral for the 12 child victims of the bombing of a children’s soccer field in Madjal Shams. Photo from The Guardian

Wars and Rumors of Wars

By Leave a Comment

The Lord said to me [Jeremiah], “From the north calamity shall break forth on all the inhabitants of the land.” 

Jeremiah 1:14 NKJ

The Dangerous Scope of the War

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said recently that Israel is fighting battles in seven sectors across the Middle East – against Hamas in Gaza, against Hezbollah in Lebanon, against the Houthis in Yemen, against the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, against Iran itself and against Palestinian terrorists in Judea and Samaria.

Furthermore, the Jewish state faces a diplomatic battle against the International Criminal Court, whose chief prosecutor is seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and even the IDF itself.

Nevertheless, Netanyahu insists that he will resist international pressure in pursuit of the goals of the war: eliminating Hamas, bringing the hostages home, and ensuring Palestinian terrorists never again pose a threat from Gaza.

“We are committed to total victory,” Netanyahu said. He emphasized that he was not prepared to accept Hamas’ demand that Israel halt the war without achieving war goals.

“Our future will not exist here against the axis of evil of Iran and its proxies if we simply fold our hands,” he said. He reiterated that among those war goals was the safe return of all the hostages.

Since Oct. 8, Hezbollah – Iran’s greatest proxy on the northern Israeli border – has been firing rockets and drones from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. The attacks have escalated over recent days, forcing more than 100,000 Israelis in northern Israel to evacuate their cities, farms, and villages. 

Photo from Buzzkue – Hezbollah Rocket and Drone Attacks Spark Fires in Northern Israel.

Tragically, in the Galilee area, Hezbollah rockets have caused many fires, consuming thousands of acres of forests.

Israel is rightly concerned that a full-blown war with Hezbollah would cause many deaths and much destruction in Israel. Unfortunately for Lebanon, already a failing state controlled by Hezbollah, it also faces great destruction from which it might never recover.

There is pressure on Israel from the Biden administration that is increasing its efforts to de-escalate the growing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in order to prevent a full-scale war. 

Hezbollah is using the war against Hamas as an excuse for its attacks in order to achieve its goal of taking from Israel the Har Dov strategic area, a region lying one hundred feet south of the Lebanese border. However, Har Dov is already recognized by the UN as Israeli territory. 

Nevertheless, Lebanon (Hezbollah) claims the area as its own. The US administration has been involved in talks with Lebanese officials to resolve the conflict. Unfortunately, the Lebanese government is powerless against Hezbollah. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said that he is committed to returning the evacuated Israeli citizens to their homes by finishing the fighting either by diplomatic or military efforts. 

“Hamas, and the other Iranian proxies, understand very well that we will fight with all means against their terrorism . … “Whoever tries to hurt us, whoever finances and organizes, whoever dispatches terrorists against Israel – will pay the full price,” Netanyahu said.

In response, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said that any Israeli military action in Lebanon including the assassination of Lebanese, Palestinian, or Iranian officials would drive his organization to retaliate.

In his recent visit with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant stressed the urgent need for immediate UN intervention in de-escalating tensions by strengthening UN peacekeepers’ authority in the region, ensuring their freedom of movement, and implementing their mandate. “Israel will not tolerate increasing threats to the security of its citizens, and will act as required in their defense,” Gallant added.

While Israel seeks first a diplomatic solution, it is obvious that the Proxies of Iran (including Hezbollah) will violate any and every ceasefire or peace agreement as they have always done in the past.
 

Our Past Treaty with Lebanon

Following the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, the ceasefire agreement and Security Council Resolution 1701 demanded from Israel a complete cessation of hostilities against Hezbollah in exchange for Hezbollah’s disarmament and the establishment of a zone from Lebanon’s border with Israel to the Litani River “free of any armed personnel, assets, and weapons other than those of the Government of Lebanon” and a U.N. force presence. 

While Israel honored the agreement, Hezbollah did not. The 10,000 U.N. troops deployed to enforce the demilitarization of southern Lebanon were powerless against Hezbollah’s blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement as Hezbollah hid thousands of missiles in mosques, hospitals, schools, and homes. Gradually, with the help of Iran, Hezbollah has increased in power in Lebanon, politically and militarily.

The question now is, how long can Israel allow Iran’s proxy on its northern border to continue its daily attacks, turning the Galilee region into an uninhabitable fire zone?

For now, the Israeli army continues to battle Hamas in Gaza in the south, while preparing for all-out war against Hezbollah in the north. 

Eventually, Israel must end the attacks from both terrorist jihadist groups.
 

With God’s Help

As Netanyahu has said in many of his speeches: “With God’s help we will win.”

Many in Israel, Arabs and Jews, and around the world join the effort to cover our country with prayers following the escalation security situation in the face of the treat of full-out war with Hezbollah are praying for this situation, including us in the Prayer and Worship tent on our roof here in Ashdod. Please join us in this effort. 

Pray for the protection of the citizens in the Galilee and our soldiers who are fighting on all fronts.

This is not just a physical war but mainly a spiritual war, as our chief enemy, is determined to annihilate the Jewish people. We trust the God of Israel and the world, Adonai Tzevaot will not abandon His people.

…For You [Lord] have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah

Psalm 3:7-8 NKJ

Other image: Photo from the Wall Street Journal. The Iron Dome in action.

The U.S. Administration – Friend or Foe of Israel?

By Leave a Comment

“It will come about on that day
that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples;
all who lift it will injure themselves severely.
And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.”

Zechariah 12:3 NAS

Pledging Total Victory over Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still pledging “total victory” against the Palestinian jihadists of Hamas.

“We will finish the task with our brave soldiers,” he said, “and ensure the civilian population has corridors to safety.”

For the last few months, Israel has been preparing to extend its activities to Rafah, Gaza’s south most city, with the intent to continue its full-scale operation in the Gaza Strip, ‘paving the way for a shift to a lower-intensity phase of targeted airstrikes and special forces operations.’ According to an Israeli military chief, this will happen after significantly damaging Hamas’ last remaining stronghold.

In order to achieve victory, Israel must dismantle Hamas’ control in Rafah. However, world leaders are more concerned about the humanitarian conditions in Rafah even though Israel encourages Gazans to evacuate their homes in order to avoid civilian casualties. While planning Operation Rafah, targeting Hamas fighters, command centers, and tunnels, the IDF is also taking extraordinary measures to avoid civilian casualties.

“There were 24 regional battalions in Gaza – we have dismantled 18 of them. Rafah is the last Hamas stronghold,” a top military Israeli stated. A Hamas official based in Qatar told the press that some 6,000 terrorists have been killed in the Gaza Strip since October 7; about half of the 12,000 IDF claims to have been killed. The Hamas source claimed the terrorist group is prepared for a long war in Rafah.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s options are difficult and ours are too. He can occupy Gaza but Hamas is still standing and fighting. He hasn’t achieved his goals to kill the Hamas leadership or annihilate Hamas.”
 

Who Decides for Israel?

In every Israeli war a coalition of world leaders along with some Israeli traitors, have tried to sabotage a full Israeli victory in military operation, or all-out war. They unite for the sole purpose of Israel’s defeat, especially when Israel is very close to complete victory. And this is exactly what is happening right now with world leaders, even Israel’s supposed ally, U.S. President Biden.   

Picture from Times of Israel.

While at the beginning of the war, Biden was supporting Israel in eliminating Hamas in Gaza, he is now doing everything in his power to ensure the survival of Hamas. By providing Gaza with fuel and humanitarian aid that Hamas steals at gunpoint, as well as unending pressure on Israel for a long cease-fire, Biden ensures Hamas’ survival over total Israeli victory and the release of Israeli hostages.                                                                                                     

Naturally, this aligns with Hamas’ aspirations for a long cease-fire that will prevent a full Israeli operation and Hamas’ defeat in Rafah.

Hamas hopes for a long cease-fire that will prevent a full-scale Israel operation and Hamas’ defeat in Rafah, Israel last crucial phase of the battle, which will ensure Israel’s complete victory.

Israel’s future as a sovereign, Jewish nation in the land of Israel is at stake. Not entering Rafah was a risk Israel could not afford to take. Not entering Rafah would have been a military disaster preventing Hamas’ complete destruction as a military and political ruler in Gaza.

Victory is so close, as PM Netanyahu said. It is a matter of weeks, not months.

President Biden worries that an Israeli ground operation crossing into Rafah through the Egyptian border will harm his relationship with Egypt as he says, “I’ve worked very hard to make sure we have a relationship and help. I’ve made it clear to Bibi and the war cabinet that they’re not going to get our support if, in fact, they go into these population centers.”

Rafah is the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip with an estimated million displaced people. It is also the entry point for much of the humanitarian aid into the Strip. Moreover, most of the Hamas leaders and remaining military forces are there, Israel says, along with the remaining hostages, both alive and dead.

Pictured left: Rafah Crossing from Wikipedia

Biden said a potential invasion of Rafah was ‘a red line’ for him.

In an interview, U.S. President Biden said he believes Netanyahu is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel” in his approach to the war, adding “He must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken.”

Finally, the IDF has begun conducting what it describes as ‘targeted strikes’ against Hamas operatives in eastern Rafah. IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Israeli aircraft struck more than 50 terrorist targets in Rafah amid the evacuation of residents in the area and the expansion of the humanitarian area in other parts of Gaza.

However, it was with limited force, which would not overtake all the Hamas forces there. In this first stage, Israeli soldiers attacked the east side of Rafah, which is mainly sand with little population and not many tunnels. It is obvious that this stage will not conquer Hamas but may bring them into agreement with Israeli terms to release the hostages.

Pictured Right: Map of Rafah Crossing from Twitter, Jordan News Daily

PM Netanyahu faces another problem in bringing into the war cabinet his rival, former defense minister, Benny Gantz. At the start of the war, this was essential in order to form an emergency, united coalition to unite the nation in the war effort. However, Gantz sides more with Biden than with Netanyahu.

It seems that Biden is more interested in removing Netanyahu as PM than in destroying Hamas. Netanyahu made it clear that his government will not allow for a Palestinian state under the current Palestinian authority in the West Bank and/or Gaza, which is part of Biden’s administration’s ‘regional

Integration’ policy. This policy allows Iran to continue operating through its proxies in the Middle East, with the goal of destroying Israel.

Biden sees Netanyahu as an obstacle to his plan to ‘share the neighborhood’ with Israel’s enemies. Hence, Biden and his administration want Netanyahu’s opponents to do the work for them – to defeat Netanyahu by interfering in Israel’s politics and war effort.And There is Benny

Biden has found a partner in Benny Gantz, hoping Gantz will replace Netanyahu as Israel’s next PM and form a left-wing coalition more favorable to his Two-state Solution, giving Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip to the Palestinians.

Never before has a U.S. administration so undermined Israeli democracy and sovereignty, dictating to an Israeli PM and army how to fight its enemies who seek to destroy the one and only Jewish state.
 

Why is Israel So Concerned?

Trusting in the U.S. presidential declarations – Obama’s and Biden’s included – to always support Israel, Israel stopped heavy precision ammunition productions decades ago and relied on its ally, the U.S. for unconditional supply of the ammunition. But this has backfired.

Now, dependent on American ammunition, Israel has given in to Biden’s demands to supply the Gazan enemy with massive humanitarian aid – the U.S. is even building a seaport to subvert Israel’s control of the flow of goods into Gaza – and respond with minimum force to Iran’s massive missile attack thereby, according to Biden’s request, preventing an escalation in the region.

President Biden and many Democrats publicly used foul language against Netanyahu. The Jewish Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, called on Israel to hold new elections, saying he believed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ‘lost his way’ and was an obstacle to peace in the region.
 

What Can the President Gain or Lose in this War?

By using Israeli and American Jewish leftists who oppose Netanyahu, Biden desires to disassociate himself from an anti-Israel or anti-Semitic image which could damage his re-election in key states like Florida, Arizona, and Michigan in light of anti-Jewish and pro-Hamas mobs across U.S. campuses.

Sadly, there exist anti-Zionist government Israeli officials who seem to be U.S. administration collaborators, likewise using mob demonstrations against Netanyahu. The Israeli organizers of these anti-Bibi demonstrations admit that they are in constant communication with the White House.
 

Where Do We Stand Now?

Last week, U.S. President Biden ordered PM Netanyahu not to enter the City of Rafah. During their 30-minute phone conversation between them, that Biden warned that should Israel go forward with the ground operation in Rafah, he would withhold military aid to Israel. Netanyahu made it clear that to defeat Hamas there was no choice but to conduct the ground operation in Rafah, wherein remain Hamas’ last four terrorist battalions.

Biden stated he is willing to supply Israel with defensive weapons such as the Iron Dome, but not weapons and artillery shells capable of destroying the vicious Hamas enemy.

“We will fight with our fingernails if we have to” responded PM Netanyahu.

Picture by M&AB// Mahsanai Hashuk

Please pray!

  • Israeli forces have gone into east Rafah. Along with killing about 50 Hamas terrorists, there were also Israeli casualties at the time of this writing. Please pray for the safety of the Israeli fighters.
  • Some brave Israeli citizens are blocking the entrance of “humanitarian aide” trucks “until our hostages are returned”. Please pray for the success of Israel in finding and rescuing the hostages.
  • Rockets continue to come into the north and the south, aimed at Israeli civilians. Please pray for protection of our forces and for them to be able to stop the attacks.
  • There are terror events in Judah and Samaria. Please pray for Israeli forces success of the counter-terrorist fighting.
  • Please pray for an increase of Israeli forces in Rafah and complete victory over the remaining Hamas forces.

The Threat of Ramadan

By Leave a Comment

With war in Gaza raging, tensions in East Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, (aka the West Bank territories) are escalating with the start of the holy month of Ramadan, particularly on the Temple Mount. Located in east Jerusalem’s Old City, the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the Temple Mount is considered the third holiest site in Islam, while to the Jews it is the most holy site as the location of the two ancient Holy Temples.

Even after Israel won the Six Day War and conquered and annexed east Jerusalem in 1967, including the Temple Mount, the Muslim religious facilities of the Temple remained under the administration of the Waqf, dedicated to Muslim religious purposes. All Islamic religious activity has remained under Jordanian control since the cease-fire of the 1948 war of Israel’s independence.

In Islam, the holiday of the Ramadan fast (and feasting every night) observed by millions of Muslims around the world is supposed to be a time of prayer, reflection, and community. The Muslims believe that during this holy month, their holy book, the Quran, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

However, since Israel gained control of the grounds of the Temple Mount, each year, the time of Ramadan has become particularly inflammatory. Every year violence erupts on Ramadan as Palestinians use the compound and even the mosque itself to riot and throw rocks in provocation of Israeli forces who are there to keep law and order. When Palestinian rioters are injured and many are arrested as a result of Israeli police dispersing rioters, even more violence ensues.

Image above: Cartoon by Alaa’ al-Laqta. Right: Incitement to violence.  The Arabic reads, “The meal of young Jerusalemites before the Ramadan fast” (Alaa’ al-Laqta’s Facebook page, April 23, 2021).

In 2022 and 2023 during Ramadan, inspired by Hamas and carrying Hamas flags, Palestinian terrorists shot, stabbed, and threw bombs on Israelis praying at the Western Wall below. PA (Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria) President Mahmoud Abbas negated any Jewish connection to Jerusalem by declaring, “We alone have the religious, historical, and legal right to Al-Buraq Wall (the Western Wall).”

Ramadan is not like any holiday in other religions. Rather than being a month of peace and harmony, it is a month of war and violence. From Islam’s beginnings, Ramadan was a time to wage war.

History of Ramadan

In 624 CE, during Ramadan, the Prophet Muhammad waged his first jihad (holy war). In 632, during the month of Ramadan, Muhammad attacked and conquered the city of Mecca with its Kaaba stone, which is Islam’s most holy site today.

Throughout the centuries, Muslims have waged wars and conquests during Ramadan. A few more examples are:

  • The conquest of Rhodes in 653 CE
  • The invasion of Spain in 710 CE and 
  • Battles against the Crusaders over Jerusalem led by Salah Al-Din in 1187 CE.
  • In 1260, Muslims defeated the Mongols in Palestine (now Israel,)
  • In the 20th century, between 1962 to 1970, during the Yemeni Civil War, Muslims fought each other through nine Ramadans.
  • In 1973 on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, Egypt and Syria, on Ramadan launched a surprise attack on Israel. The Israelis call it the Yom Kippur War whereas they call it the Ramadan War.  
  • In 1981, Iran rejected an offer for a Ramadan cease-fire from Iraq, and a year later attacked Iraq in what they called, “Operation Ramadan.”
  • Likewise, in 1987, Iran again rejected an offer of a Ramadan cease-fire from Iraq.
  • In Israel, Palestinians rioted from the years 1987 to 1993 during six Ramadans. From the 1990s and well into the beginning of the 21st century, during Ramadan, Muslims continued to war in other locations than just in Israel. For example, widespread fighting occurred in Kashmir when Muslims rejected a Ramadan cease-fire offered by India as a step for peace.

Ramadan Today

Now, at the start of Ramadan, as the war in Gaza continues, Hamas is calling for violence against Jews.

In a speech prior to the start of Ramadan which began on March 10th, Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, incited Palestinians in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria to storm the Al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount.

Haniyeh also called for the Iran-aligned “Axis of Resistance” members including Hezbollah, the Houthis, and various Iraqi Shia militias to escalate their attacks against Israel. A spokesman for Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), another Iranian-backed Palestinian terror group, called for a “month of terror” against Israel during Ramadan.

It is obvious that Hamas, under the guise of this holiday, intends to inflame religious tensions and increase attacks against Israelis, so the month of Ramadan begins the second phase of their plan that began on October 7th. Unfortunately, also the PA has increased incitement against Israel during this fragile period.

Unlike Hamas, Israel intends to do everything possible to decrease tension and prevent violence during this volatile time. Israel’s policy is to maintain religious freedom and access to holy places for all religions, including access for Palestinians and Israeli Arabs to Muslim holy sites on the Temple Mount.