PAKISTAN - INDIA TENSIONS

CHANUKAH DAY 7 TODAY

LEARN ABOUT CHANUKAH
http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday7.htm
CHANUKAH DAY 1-8 SCRIPTURES
http://israndjer.blogspot.com/2007/12/hannuka-day-1-8-scriptures.html
MACCABEES STORY
http://israndjer.blogspot.com/2007/12/7s-and-maccabees.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.com/2007/12/maccabees-story.html

The Insiders: Architects of the New World Order (Part 1 of 9)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1grmqT_kOHQ&eurl=http://www.gcnlive.com/&feature=player_embedded
The Insiders: How and Why America is Being Betrayed Part 2
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BG_acaZHOEo
The Insiders: How and Why America is Being Betrayed Part 3
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GrO5objpI6c
The Insiders: How and Why America is Being Betrayed Part 4
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dNuA4dT0Z8I
The Insiders: How and Why America is Being Betrayed Part 5
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn8wqnq2Mdk
The Insiders: How and Why America is Being Betrayed Part 6
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GQx7RQPbz6g
The Insiders: How and Why America is Being Betrayed Part 7
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LlF9Z-Yk5D0
The Insiders: How and Why America is Being Betrayed Part 8
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=unx39gfdWI4
The Insiders: How and Why America is Being Betrayed Part 9
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FYNbkgl7rns

THAT 3RD TEMPLE MIGHT BE REBUILT SHORTLY IF RUSSIA WOULD TEAM UP WITH THE MUSLIMS AND MARCH TO ISRAEL FROM EZEKIEL 38+39,GOD WOULD DESTROY 5/6TH OF THEIR ARMIES AND THERE WOULD BE NO WAY TO STOP ISRAEL FROM REBUILDING THE THIRD TEMPLE BECAUSE THE MUSLIMS,RUSSIA COUNTRIES WOULD ALMOST BE ALL DESTROYED. ISRAEL ID FINALLY FIGHTING BACK AGAINST HAMAS KILLING AT LEAST 200. ALL THE MEDIA IS BLAMING ISRAEL JUST LIKE I FIGURED,MEANWHILE OVER THE LAST 8 YEARS THE ARABS SHOT 10,110 ROCKETS AND MORTARS INTO ISRAEL,THIS IS ISRAEL PROTECTING ITSELF.

Israel demolishes Hamas compounds, over 200 dead DEC 27,08
By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press Writer

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israeli warplanes retaliating for rocket fire from the Gaza Strip pounded dozens of security compounds across the Hamas-ruled territory in unprecedented waves of airstrikes Saturday, killing more than 200 people and wounding nearly 400 in the single bloodiest day of fighting in years.Most of those killed were security men, but an unknown number of civilians were also among the dead. Hamas said all of its security installations were hit, threatened to resume suicide attacks, and sent at least 70 rockets and mortar shells crashing into Israeli border communities, according to the Israeli military. One Israeli was killed and at least six people were hurt.With so many wounded, the Palestinian death toll was likely to rise.The strikes caused widespread panic and confusion in Gaza, as black clouds of smoke rose above the territory, ruled by Hamas for the past 18 months. Some of the Israeli missiles struck in densely populated areas as children were leaving school, and women rushed into the streets frantically looking for their children.My son is gone, my son is gone, wailed Said Masri, a 57-year-old shopkeeper, as he sat in the middle of a Gaza City street, slapping his face and covering his head with dust from a bombed-out security compound nearby.He said he had sent his 9-year-old son out to purchase cigarettes minutes before the airstrikes began and now could not find him. May I burn like the cigarettes, may Israel burn, Masri moaned.

The offensive began eight days after a six-month truce between Israel and the militants expired. The Israeli army says Palestinian militants have fired some 300 rockets and mortars at Israeli targets over the past week, and in recent days, Israeli leaders had threatened to launch a major offensive.There is a time for calm and there is a time for fighting, and now is the time for fighting, said Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, vowing to expand the operation if necessary.Asked whether Hamas political leaders might be targeted, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni declared at a news conference: Hamas is a terrorist organization and nobody is immune.The first round of airstrikes on Gaza came just before noon. More than 100 attacks took place, continuing well into the evening.Hospitals crowded with people, civilians rushing in wounded people in cars, vans and ambulances. There are heads without bodies .... There's blood in the corridors. People are weeping, women are crying, doctors are shouting, said nurse Ahmed Abdel Salaam from Shifa Hospital, Gaza's main treatment center.The offensive sparked angry protests throughout the Arab world, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the Vatican, the U.N. secretary-general and special Mideast envoy Tony Blair all called for an immediate restoration of calm. The Arab League scheduled an emergency meeting Sunday to discuss the situation.In Washington, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said, Hamas' continued rocket attacks into Israel must cease if the violence is to stop. The United States urges Israel to avoid civilian casualties as it targets Hamas in Gaza.

In Gaza City's main security compound, bodies of more than a dozen uniformed Hamas police lay on the ground. One survivor raised his index finger in a show of Muslim faith, uttering a prayer. The Gaza police chief was among those killed. One man, his face bloodied, sat dazed on the ground as a fire raged nearby.By early evening, 205 Gazans were known to be dead and 388 wounded, Gaza health official Dr. Moaiya Hassanain said. He did not provide figures on civilian deaths. But earlier in the day, police said about 140 Hamas security forces were killed. Some of the dead, rolled in blankets, were laid out on the floor of Gaza's main hospital for identification.Israeli military officials said more than 100 tons of bombs were dropped on Gaza by mid-afternoon. They spoke on condition of anonymity under military guidelines.Defiant Hamas leaders threatened revenge. Hamas will continue the resistance until the last drop of blood, vowed spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.Israel told its civilians near Gaza to take cover, and in the West Bank, moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a bitter rivalry with Hamas, condemned Israel. Egypt summoned the Israeli ambassador to express condemnation and opened its border with Gaza to allow ambulances to drive out some of the wounded. Despite the overwhelming show of force, it was not clear whether it would halt the rocket fire. Past operations have failed to stop the attacks. One rocket struck the Israeli town of Netivot, killing an Israeli man and wounding four people, rescue services said.

Dozens of stunned residents, some of them weeping, gathered around the house that took the deadly rocket hit. A hole gaped in one of the walls, which was pocked with shrapnel marks. The crowd broke up after an alert siren went off and everyone went running. Streets were nearly empty in Sderot, the Israeli border town that has been pummeled hardest by rockets. A few cars carried panicked residents leaving town. Dozens of people congregated on a hilltop to watch the Israeli aerial attacks. Protests against the campaign erupted in Arab Israeli villages, the Abbas-ruled West Bank and across the Arab world. The most violent West Bank response came in the city of Hebron, where dozens of youths, many of them masked, hurled rocks for hours at Israeli forces, who lobbed tear gas and stun grenades in response. Officials in Bethlehem, Jesus' traditional birthplace, turned off Christmas lights and traders shuttered shops to protest the Israeli attack. Anti-Israel protests also erupted in Amman, Jordan, and in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and Syria. Israel has targeted Gaza in the past, but the number of simultaneous attacks was unprecedented.

Israel left Gaza in 2005 after a 38-year occupation, but the withdrawal did not lead to better relations with Palestinians in the territory as Israeli officials had hoped. Instead, the evacuation was followed by a sharp rise in militant attacks on Israeli border communities that on several occasions provoked harsh Israeli military reprisals.

REBUILT 3RD TEMPLE (THE EU DICTATORS TEMPLE)

REVELATION 11:1-2
1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

DANIEL 9:27
27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

REBUILT 4TH TEMPLE (THE TRUE MESSIAHS TEMPLE)

ZECHARIAH 6:12-13
12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

ISAIAH 60:9-10
9 Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

ISAIAH 2:1-5
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

MARK 11:9-10,15-17
9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

EZEKIEL 40 TO 48 IS THIS 4TH TEMPLE TO BIG FOR THE MOUNT I BELIEVE TO BE BUILT 25 MILES FROM JERUSALEM.

WHY I ASK DO THE ISRAELIS NOT DO THEIR 'COMMAND' FROM 'GOD' TO REBUILD THE 3RD TEMPLE.

FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU Jews return to Joseph's tomb,Judaism's 3rd holiest site regarded as burial place of biblical patriarch December 26, 2008 1:20 am Eastern By Aaron Klein 2008 WorldNetDaily

Jews return to Joseph's tomb to pray, repair damage

JERUSALEM – Eight years after the site was heavily desecrated by Palestinians, Jews this week quietly returned to Joseph's Tomb in the northern West Bank to rebuild the structure in hopes of a continued Jewish presence at the tomb - Judaism's third holiest site. Joseph's Tomb is the believed burial place of the biblical patriarch Joseph, the son of Jacob who was sold by his brothers into slavery and later became viceroy of Egypt. Following repeated Palestinian attacks, Israel in October 2000 unilaterally retreated from Joseph's Tomb and, with very few exceptions, banned Jews from returning to the site purportedly for security reasons. Within less than an hour of the Israeli retreat, Palestinian rioters overtook Joseph's Tomb and reportedly ransacked and then partially destroyed the structure. Local Arabs have since set the tomb on fire several times, including an incident last February in which WND first reported burning tires were found inside. The past few months, the Israeli Defense Forces has been protecting small, monthly convoys of Jews who quietly pray at the tomb for about an hour under the cover of darkness. The visits were arranged by Israel's Shomron Regional Council head Gershon Mesika along with a local organization, Shchem Ehad.Get Aaron Klein's classic book: Schmoozing with Terrorists: From Hollywood to the Holy Land, Jihadists Reveal their Global Plans – to a Jew! On Monday night, Mesika led a group of Jewish students and professional contractors to the tomb, where the group repainted the exterior and interior of the structure and laid a new concrete stone covering on Joseph's tombstone, which had been smashed by local Muslims. Shromron Community Council liason David Haivri told WND the plan is to bring more professionals to the tomb in the near future to complete renovations. He said the ancient dome-shaped roof needs to be reinforced and a Jewish seminary attached to the tomb structure needs to be completely rebuilt. In 2000, television footage showed the dome being smashed by Palestinians after it was painted green - a color associated with Islam. We hope to bring Joseph's Tomb back to the Jewish people, Haivri said. It was unclear whether the Israeli government would change their policy by allowing Jews to visit more frequently.

Israel forfeits tomb

The tomb is located just outside the modern city of Nablus, or biblical Shechem, in the northern West Bank. Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, which granted nearby strategic territory to the Palestinians, Joseph's Tomb was supposed to be accessible to Jews and Christians. But following repeated attacks against Jewish worshippers at the holy site by gunmen associated with then-Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat's militias, then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak in October 2000 ordered an Israeli unilateral retreat from the area. Building at Joseph's Tomb site after Palestinian Authority took control in 2000 . Immediately following the Israeli retreat, Palestinian rioters overtook Joseph's Tomb and reportedly began to ransack the site. Palestinian mobs reportedly tore apart books, destroying prayer stands and grinding out stone carvings in the Tomb's interior. Palestinians hoisted a Muslim flag over the tomb. Amin Maqbul, an official from Arafat's office, visited the tomb to deliver a speech declaring, Today was the first step to liberate (Jerusalem).One BBC reporter described the scene: The site was reduced to smoldering rubble – festooned with Palestinian and Islamic flags – cheering Arab crowd.

Third holiest site turned into mosque

The Torah describes how Jacob purchased a land plot in Shechem, which was given as an inheritance to his sons and was used to re-inter Joseph, whose bones were taken out of Egypt during the Jewish exodus. Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, are also said to be buried at the site. As detailed in the Torah, shortly before his death, Joseph asked the Israelites to vow they would resettle his bones in the land of Canaan, biblical Israel. That oath was fulfilled when, according to the Torah, Joseph's remains were taken by the Jews from Egypt and reburied at the plot of land Jacob had earlier purchased in Shechem, believed to be the site of the tomb. Modern archeologists confirm Nablus is the biblical city of Shechem. Yehuda Leibman, who until the Israeli retreat from Joseph's Tomb in 2000 was director of a yeshiva constructed there, explained, The sages tell us that there are three places which the world cannot claim were stolen by the Jewish people: the Temple Mount, the Cave of the Patriarchs and Joseph's Tomb.There is evidence suggesting for more than 1,000 years Jews of various origins worshipped at Joseph's Tomb. The Samaritans, a local tribe that follow a religion based on the Torah, say they trace their lineage back to Joseph himself and that they worshipped at the tomb site for more than 1,700 years. Israel first gained control of Nablus and the neighboring site of Joseph's Tomb in the 1967 Six-Day War. The Oslo Accords signed by Arafat and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin called for the area surrounding the tomb site to be placed under Palestinian jurisdiction but allowed for continued Jewish visits to the site and the construction of an Israeli military outpost at the tomb to ensure secure Jewish access. Following the transfer of control of Nablus and the general area encompassing the tomb to the Palestinians in the early 1990s, there were a series of outbreaks of violence in which Arab rioters and gunmen from Arafat's Fatah militias shot at Jewish worshipers and the tomb's military outpost. Six Israeli soldiers were killed, and many others, including yeshiva students, were wounded in September 1996 when Palestinian rioters and Fatah gunmen attempted to over take the tomb. Eventually, Israeli soldiers regained control of the site. Gravestone at traditional burial site for biblical patriarch Joseph after it was ransacked by Palestinian mobs. The Palestinians continued to attack Joseph's Tomb with regular shootings and the lobbing of firebombs and Molotov cocktails. Security for Jews at the site increasingly became more difficult to maintain. Rumors circulated in 2000 that Barak would evacuate the Israeli military outpost and give the tomb to Arafat as a peacemaking gesture.In early 2000, the Israeli army began denying Jewish visits to the tomb on certain days due to prospects of Arab violence. Following U.S.-mediated peace talks at Camp David in September 2000, Arafat returned to the West Bank and initiated his intifada. During one bloody week in October 2000, Fatah gunmen attacked the tomb repeatedly, killing two and injuring dozens, prompting Barak to order a complete evacuation of the holy site Oct. 6. In a WND exclusive interview, Tariq Tarawi, a Fatah lawmaker who in 2000 served as chief of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group in the vicinity of the tomb, said the Palestinians would never allow Israel to rebuild a yeshiva or synagogue at Joseph's Tomb. The Brigades carried out most of the attacks against the tomb site. A yeshiva is an institution, said Tarawi. An institution can be the beginning of claiming rights and these claims can bring once again the Israeli army to establish a base in the place, and we cannot accept this. If the Jews try to build a yeshiva, we will shoot at them.

CHRISTIANS WE NEED TO ENCOURAGE NETANYAHU WITH E-MAILS TO PUT FEILIN 2ND BEHIND HIM IN THE ELECTION LINEUP,HES SQUEEZED FEIGLIN RIGHT OUT OF CONTENTION. FEIGLIN IS AN ORTHODOX JEW AND I BELIEVE IT WILL BE THE ORTHODOX IN POWER TO HAVE THE THIRD TEMPLE REBUILT,SO WE MUST GET NETANYAHU TO PUT FEIGLIN 2ND IN LINE BEHIND HIM IN THE ELECTIONS.

NETANYAHU WEBSITE
http://en.netanyahu.org.il/

Netanyahu promises to topple Hamas leadership if elected Israeli PM
December 25, 2008

Israel's Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu promised Wednesday that he would act to topple the Hamas leadership if elected prime minister, local daily Ha'aretz reported on its website. The opposition leader made the remarks to a group of Russian speakers, saying that under his leadership, Israel would move from a policy of absorbing blows to a policy where it is on the offensive. In addition to stopping the rocket fire from Gaza Strip, such a policy would also restore Israel's national honor, said Netanyahu. Meanwhile, he reiterated previous remarks that Israel would hold on to the Golan Heights, saying that It should be clear to the Syrians and to the world, the Golan Heights will stay in our hands.In response to reports that leaders of the left-wing Meretz party are seeking to create a blocking majority against a rightist government, Netanyahu emphasized the importance of turning Likud into the biggest party so that it could form a government.

The rightist camp would be his first option in the search for coalition partners, said the opposition leader, adding that he would also turn to other parties in order to establish a wider coalition. Earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister and ruling Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni made similar remarks to Netanyahu's regarding Hamas. On Sunday, Livni said that she would lead the government to topple the Hamas' regime in Gaza Strip if elected prime minister in the February parliamentary election. The people of Israel are threatened, missiles are falling, she said to Kadima members. I won't say what moves should be made. There is no calm in Hamas-controlled Gaza. Israel, and a government under my leadership, would topple Hamas in Gaza with military, economic and diplomatic means.She vowed that Israel must respond to restore its deterrence and stop the fire as long as it is fired upon, adding that's what the government must do, and will do, under my leadership. Source:Xinhua

Celebrating The Festival Of Lights December 18, 2008
Dear Friend of Israel,

Sunday, December 21 at sundown is the beginning of Hanukkah. It is a festive time of the Jewish year, especially for children, who receive a gift each day of the holiday along with Hanukkah gelt (a small amount of money, usually given in coins), and delight in lighting the menorah, playing with the four-sided top called the dreidel, and eating special holiday treats such as latkes (potato pancakes).During Hanukkah, Jews celebrate two miracles. The first miracle is the military victory 2,100 years ago of a small group of Jews, the Maccabees, against a powerful Greek-Syrian army that had invaded and occupied Israel, defiled the Temple, and tried to impose paganism upon the Jewish people. Despite overwhelming odds, the Jews fought fiercely and, through God’s favor, prevailed. This pivotal victory was the key to the survival of the Jews as a people and Judaism as a faith.The second miracle involves a flask of oil. After overcoming the invaders, the Jews set about to purify the Temple during the eight day Feast of Dedication. Upon entering, they found only one flask of purified oil for the eternal flame – enough to keep it burning for just one day. But, miraculously, the oil lasted eight days and nights until more pure oil could be brought. This is why Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days, and why it is called the Festival of Lights.

The story of the Maccabees and their courageous stand against foes who wanted to separate them from their faith contains a lesson for Christians and Jews alike. All of us must at one time or another be willing to take a stand against that which we believe is contrary to God’s will, even if taking that stand means we have to struggle against great odds. We may not immediately see the fruit of our faithfulness – in the Maccabees’ case, their struggle for victory against their oppressors took years! But in doing so, we know that we are doing what is right, and acting as partners with God to fulfill his purposes. And it is always possible that, like the Maccabees, God will bless us with a miracle for our faithfulness.

Today I invite you to learn more about Hanukkah by viewing online the Hanukkah episode of our Journey To Zion television program, and reading my in-depth teaching on Hanukkah’s meaning and significance. I hope these resources will help you grow in your faith as you come to better understand what is perhaps the most widely known Jewish holiday.For both Jews and Christians, this is the season of miracles. May it be a time of joy for you and your loved ones — and may you be blessed, even as you have blessed God's children, Israel.With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein President International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageServer

The CARMEL ALERT Dec 26th 2008 A compilation of news reports from the past week for the information of those committed to praying for Israel and the salvation of the Jewish people.

David's Comment: Israel is in Desparate Need of a 21st Century Judah Macabee
As the Christian world celebrates the birth of a Jewish baby 2000 years ago who was destined to become the King of Israel and the Saviour of the World, the Jewish world is celebrating the festival of Hanukah. Stefan shared with you the meaning and relevance of Hanukah in his comment last week, so you know that Hanukah is about God partnering with those who will stand with Him in the face of major adversity. That recipe, God + man = VICTORY. And we see over and over again in Israel's history that recipe works every time. If that recipe worked for Israel in the old days, then we can be sure it will work for Israel in the 21st Century - and the Lord knows how His nation of Israel needs a major victory today.

Last Friday the 6 month cease-fire that Egypt brokered between Israel and Hamas came to an end. This was a typical cease-fire for Israel - Israel ceased and Hamas kept firing. Hundreds of rockets were fired at Southern Israel from Gaza over the 6 months of the cease-fire, while the Israeli army, one of the most powerful armed forces in the world, sat back with its hands tied by a weak and inept government, whose inaction against the constant rocket attacks, can only have been due to massive pressure being applied from the US administration. Hamas, who are not afraid of the USA, have announced their decision not to renew the cease-fire.

In the first few hours after the cease-fire ended, the rocket attacks immediately increased. Rockets are falling on houses, community centres, and very close to strategic installations. Israeli citizens are being injured, private and public property is being destroyed and the army is still waiting for a green light from the government. It seems the government is more concerned with keeping President elect Obama happy than defending the people who voted them into power. The upcoming Israeli elections may also be a consideration in the way this situation is being handled, or more accurately, not handled. Over the last 6 months of the so called cease-fire Hamas, following the example of Hizbollah, has regrouped, re-armed and re-established itself as a real force to be reckoned with. Hamas is ready for a full scale war with Israel - a war which they believe they can win, thus realising the Muslim world's goal of driving Israel into the sea. In the natural the future looks very bad for Israel. Hamas is ready for war on the southern border, Hizbollah is ready for war on the northern border, and Iran's maniacal leader is constantly calling for Israel's destruction. The question we should all be asking is what will it take for Israel's leadership to wake up? Only now after this week's barrage of rockets following the end of the cease-fire, is the Israeli government threatening and preparing to hit Hamas hard.

It will be interesting to see how they carry out that threat. A ground operation will place IDF soldiers at a huge risk of injury and death. The only sensible option is to use the Air Force and hit Gaza from the air, wiping out Hamas leadership, and then sending in the ground forces to fully retake and occupy the Gaza Strip. This current violence is due to the fact that the Sharon government removed all Israel civilians and the military from the Gaza Strip on 2006.
That political decision is now seen as the biggest mistake in the history of modern Israel.The aspirations of Israel's enemies to bring about the end of the Jewish state overlooks one key dynamic - the all powerful God of Israel, also known as the Lord of the Armies, who makes it very clear in His Word that He will never allow His land and His people to be destroyed. Every previous enemy of Israel lost their place as the dominant world empire after attacking the tiny nation. Israel is a very small nation but the God of Israel is a very big God. The story of Hanukah has been repeated over and over again as a continual line of Satanically inspired bullies attempted to destroy Israel and the Jewish people, and ended up as the defeated ones.We are witnessing in our day yet another attempt to remove God's nation from the face of the Earth. Even those who see themselves as Israel's friends are working with her current enemies to weaken and hog-tie the tiny state. The situation is extremely serious and it is surely the time for a warrior like Judas Macabee to rise up in Israel. A leader who will refuse to bow down to the likes of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. A leader who will not sacrifice the plan of God to appease the EU or UN or the Quartet. A leader who will refuse to allow a parasite state inside the borders of God's Land. A leader who will not allow the Holy City to ever be divided again. A leader who will trust in Word of the Lord to see the miraculous victory that only the God of Israel can bring about supernaturally.

Is there such a man out there? Only God knows. All we can do is pray that for such a time as this, He will raise up another man like Judah Macabee. As we all enjoy the festive season and look towards the rapidly approaching end of 2008, please don't forget to pray for Israel, and for the raising up of the Lord's appointed leader for this absolutely strategic time in the history of Israel, and the entire world. The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to the Jewish people by the God of Israel. Lets pray that Israel will turn back to their God. Do not be silent, but share this with your fellow Christians, share it with your pastors, and with anyone you have a chance to speak to. Lets also pray for that breakthrough to the Muslims, and please remember to pray for our son Jordan, and all of his fellow soldiers in the IDF.
Shabbat Shalom .... David & Josie.

MUSLIM NATIONS

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

First Published 2008-12-26
How Russia Courts the Muslim World

Russia is seeking strong political relations not only with Iran and Syria, but also with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey - which have long been close allies of the United States, notes Jacques Lévesque. Vladimir Putin was the first head of a non-Muslim majority state to speak at the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, a gathering of 57 Muslim states, in October 2003. That was a political and diplomatic feat, especially since Russia was waging a long-running war in Chechnya at the time. Putin stressed that 15% of the total population of the Russian Federation are Muslim, and that all the inhabitants of eight of its 21 autonomous republics are Muslim, and he won observer member status with the organisation, thanks to support from Saudi Arabia and Iran.Since then, Putin and other Russian leaders, including the foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, claim that Russia is, to some extent, a part of the Muslim world. In an interview with Al Jazeera on 16 October 2003, Putin stressed that, unlike Muslims living in western Europe, those in Russia were indigenous and that Islam had been present on Russian territory long before Christianity. So Russia now claims to have a privileged political relationship with the Arab and Muslim world and believes that, as a mostly European state, it has a historic vocation as a mediator between the western and Muslim worlds.There are reasons for these claims. The first is to counter the pernicious effect of the Chechnyan war, in Russia as much as in the rest of the world. The aim is to avoid, or at least limit, polarisation between Russia’s ethnic majority and its Muslims by reinforcing Muslims’ feeling of belonging to the state. We must prevent Islamophobia, said Putin in the Al Jazeera interview. That will be difficult given the way anyone suspected of being a Muslim fundamentalist is pursued, and not just in Chechnya. Terrorism should not be identified with any one religion, culture or tradition, Putin insisted. Before 9/11 he called Chechen rebels Muslim fundamentalist terrorists; now he speaks of terrorists connected to international criminal networks and drug and arms traffickers, avoiding any reference to Islam.

The other purpose in seeking special ties with the Arab and Muslim world is related to Russia’s foreign policy aim to reinforce multipolarity in the world -- to sustain and develop poles of resistance to US hegemony and unilateralism. This means taking advantage of the hostility to US foreign policy in the Arab and Muslim world. The Soviet Union used to present itself as the natural ally of anti-imperialist Arab states with a socialist orientation. Now Russia is seeking strong political relations not only with Iran and Syria, but also with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey, which have long been close allies of the United States.Economic considerations are important, especially in the energy sector -- the power behind Russia’s return to the international stage. The Kremlin believes there is a major future in nuclear energy and the export of nuclear power stations, which may give Russia a competitive edge in technology and make it more than just an exporter of raw energy. The same is true of high-tech weapons, which were the most successful economic sector of the former Soviet Union before serious difficulties in the 1990s.

The Kremlin is no longer seeking formal alliances. It wants strong but non-restrictive political ties in frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), which do not put it in direct opposition to the United States. Significantly, Iran only has observer status in this organisation, although it would like to be a full member.One more explanation for this new policy towards the Muslim world is the quest for a post-Soviet Russian identity at home and abroad. This is not just political opportunism. In 2005, the academic Sergei Rogov wrote in the official foreign ministry review: The Islamic factor in Russian policy is first and foremost a question of identity.… That is one of the reasons why Russia cannot yet be a nation state in the European sense of the term.… Our relations with the Islamic world directly affect our security.It is important to grasp what that means. In September 2003, Igor Ivanov, then foreign minister, said the war in Iraq had increased the number of terrorist attacks on Russian territory as elsewhere in the world. That was before Beslan, but Russia was already fearful of terrorism as a consequence of the Iraq war. Russia had hoped that a new multipolar configuration would emerge from the concerted opposition at the UN Security Council by France, Germany and Russia, which had deprived the US of international legitimacy for the war.Russian leaders, with Putin and Medvedev at the head, were seriously concerned that a clash of civilisations would become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Given the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and unconditional US support for Israel’s most intransigent policies, Russian leaders thought potential US attacks on Iran would be a catastrophe, with destabilising consequences in Iran, so close to Russia, as well as in several former Soviet republics and in Russia.This is a key to understanding the complex and difficult relationship that Moscow has with Tehran. Iran is an important geopolitical partner, as well as being the third-biggest buyer of Russian arms after China and India, and a showcase for the controlled export of nuclear power plants. Iran’s leaders have refrained from expressing support for Chechen rebels. Iran and Russia cooperated in supporting armed opposition to the Taliban in Afghanistan, long before the United States. (Afghanistan under the Taliban was the only state in the world to recognise the independence of Chechnya and offer assistance to Chechen fighters.) But Moscow did denounce President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s remarks about Israel as shameful and put pressure on Tehran by voting with the United States for economic sanctions at the UN Security Council, although it excluded military action.By risking a deterioration of its relations with Iran, Russia wants to show the United States and other western powers that it is responsible when it comes to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. It also wants to persuade Iran to find a modus vivendi with the International Atomic Energy Agency. By agreeing to limited and gradual sanctions, Russia hopes to reduce the threat of an armed attack against Iran for as long as possible. Russia does not want an Iran equipped with nuclear weapons on its frontiers, but it would prefer to live with a nuclear Iran than face the consequences of a US attack on Iran.

The ambivalence of these positions has contributed to a rapprochement with traditional US allies such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia -- both concerned that Iran may have access to nuclear weapons. However, like Russia and for the same reasons, they are opposed to US military action. They fear the consequences at home as well as among their immediate neighbours.As a result of the war in Iraq, Turkey has a de facto independent Kurdistan on its borders, a problem that would be seriously aggravated by a destabilised Iran. Russia intends to take advantage of this at a time when its economic exchanges with Turkey -- and political convergence -- are at their best for two centuries.Russia also intends to keep improving its relations with Saudi Arabia, which opposed the war in Iraq despite its hostility to Saddam Hussein. (It did, however, make its bases available to the United States.) In February 2007, Putin made a first visit by a Russian or Soviet head of state to Saudi Arabia and offered contracts for the construction of nuclear power plants and arms. He also pleaded for an increase in the number of Russian Muslims authorised to make the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Saudi support for the Chechen rebels, openly expressed until 2002 (without recognition of the independence they claimed), suddenly stopped. Jacques Lévesque teaches at the faculty of political science and law at the University of Quebec, Montreal, and is author of 1989, la fin d’un empire: L’URSS et la libération de l’Europe de l’Est, Presses de Sciences Po, Paris, 1995 -- translated by Krystina Horko.2008 Le Monde diplomatique.

Russia to Export Missiles to Syria, Venezuela, Vedomosti Says
By Lyubov Pronina

Dec. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Russia plans to supply air-defense missile systems valued at $250 million to seven countries including Syria, Libya and Venezuela, Vedomosti reported, citing an unidentified official in Russian Technologies Corp. Russia has started fulfilling orders of 200 S-125 systems that are due to be delivered during the next three years, the Moscow-based newspaper said. Russia will ship about 70 missile systems to Egypt, and also supply Myanmar, Vietnam and Turkmenistan, Vedomosti said. To contact the reporter on this story: Lyubov Pronina in Moscow at lpronina@bloomberg.net;

Pakistan moves troops toward Indian border,Tension grows between nuclear-armed neighbors following Mumbai attacks DEC 26,08 Vinay Joshi / AP

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan started to redeploy thousands of troops to the Indian border from the tribal areas near Afghanistan, intelligence officials said Friday, raising tensions in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks. The move was expected to frustrate the United States, which has been pushing Pakistan to step up its fight against al-Qaida and Taliban militants near the Afghan border. India has blamed Pakistani-based militants for last month's siege on its financial capital, which killed 164 people and has provoked an increasingly bitter war of words between nuclear-armed neighbors that have fought three wars in 60 years. The troops headed to the Indian border were being diverted away from tribal areas near Afghanistan, the two officials said. They said elements of the army's 14th Infantry Division were being redeployed to the towns of Kasur and Sialkot, close to the Indian border. The military began the troop movement Thursday and plans to shift a total of 20,000 soldiers, they said without providing a timeframe. Earlier Friday, a security official said all troop leave had been canceled. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. India and Pakistan have said they want to avoid military conflict over the attacks. But India has not ruled out the use of force as it presses its neighbor to crack down on the Pakistani-based terrorist group it blames for the attack.

The real issue
Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has promised to respond aggressively if attacked but reassured India Friday that Pakistan would not strike first. We will not take any action on our own, Gilani told reporters. There will be no aggression from our side.Meanwhile, Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee accused Pakistan of trying to divert attention away from its struggle to rein in homegrown terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, which Delhi accuses of masterminding the Mumbai attacks. They should concentrate on the real issue: how to fight against terrorists and how to fight against and bring to book the perpetrators of (the) Bombay terrorist attack, he said. Pakistan has arrested several senior members of the banned group and cracked down on a charity the U.S. and U.N. say was a front for Lashkar. India has demanded greater action, but Pakistan says it needs to share evidence backing up its claims. Mukherjee responded Friday by saying India had provided more than enough evidence about the militants, who infiltrated Mumbai by sea. We have indicated to them that there are ample evidences from the log book of the captured ship, from the information available from satellite telephones and various others that elements from Pakistan were responsible for this attack, Mukherjee told reporters.

Prevailing security situation
Earlier, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Friday with the chiefs of the army, navy and air force to discuss the prevailing security situation, according to an official statement. An Associated Press reporter in Dera Ismail Khan, a district that borders Pakistan's militant-infested South Waziristan tribal area, said he saw around 25 trucks loaded with soldiers and equipment heading away from the Afghan border Friday. A senior security official confirmed that soldiers were being moved out of the border area, but said it was a limited number from areas where they were not engaged in any operation.He declined further comment and asked his name not be used, citing the sensitivity of the situation. The White House said it was discussing the reported troop movements with U.S. embassies in the region and was urging both countries to cooperate in investigating the attacks and fighting terrorism. We hope that both sides will avoid taking steps that will unnecessarily raise tensions during these already tense times, said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

Warning to India
Analysts said the redeployment was likely meant as a warning to India not to launch missile strikes against militant targets on its territory, a response that some have speculated is possible. It is a message to India that if you think you can get away with strikes, you are sadly mistaken, said Talat Masood, a retired general and military analyst based in Islamabad. Pakistan and India have fought three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947, two over Kashmir, a Muslim majority region in the Himalayas claimed by both countries. They came close to a fourth after suspected Pakistani militants attacked India's parliament in 2001. Both countries massed hundreds of thousands of troops to the disputed Kashmir region, but tensions cooled after intensive international diplomacy. News of the buildup comes as Indian officials say militant activity in Indian Kashmir has fallen to its lowest levels since an anti-India militant movement began there in 1989. The number of militant attacks fell 40 percent from 2007-2008, reaching 709 this year from roughly 1,100 last year, Kuldeep Khoda, a senior police official, said in a statement.

Decrease in attacks
Police say there are 850 militants fighting in the region, including followers of Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is widely believed to be a creation of Pakistani intelligence in the 1980s and used to fight Indian-rule in Kashmir. Indian authorities say the decrease in attacks is the result of an experienced security apparatus that has struck at the heart of many militant groups — Khoda said Indian forces have killed about 350 militants this year, including some top-ranking commanders. But they also say that the militants have scaled back their attacks as a large public protest movement gained momentum since last summer. Pakistan has deployed more than 100,000 soldiers in Waziristan and other northwestern regions to fight Islamic militants blamed for surging violence against Western troops in Afghanistan as well as suicide attacks in Pakistan.

A serious blow
Security officials have previously said the country would be forced to withdraw troops from the Afghan border if tensions with India — whose army is twice as large —escalated. This is a serious blow to the war on terror in the sense that the whole focus is now shifting toward the eastern border, said Masood. It will give more leeway to the militants and increased space to operate.The United States wants Pakistan to stay focused on the fight against militants in the border region, where Osama bin Laden and other top al-Qaida leaders are believed to be hiding.