Compiled by David Soakell Tel: 01323 410810
E-mail david@cfi.org.uk Website: www.cfi.org.uk

The Word: And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:15-18)

The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains; rugged are the mountains of Bashan. Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the LORD himself will dwell forever? The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord [has come] from Sinai into his sanctuary. (Psalm 68:15-20)

Pointers for prayer: The Lord has clearly outlined His purpose for Israel in His word. Israel and the Jewish people are to be a testimony to His existence, His character and His faithfulness. They prove that His word is true. Pray that He will bless and use Israel for His glory, not for their sakes, but His Holy Name’s sake (Ezekiel 36:22) Pray for those in authority. Israel’s leaders face a spiritual battle as well as a physical one, and need our help. Pray for the leaders in every sphere of life to be guided by God and to govern according to the principles of His word. Pray too for righteous leaders to be raised up for the Palestinian people who will truly care and work for their welfare.

Please continue to pray for protection for Israel from all the attempts by the enemy to destroy God’s plans for Israel. Pray that God will grant Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government courage to not give in to international pressure to divide Jerusalem! "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe." (Pr 29:25) Continue to proclaim God's sovereignty over the nation of Israel. As you read through this News Report & Prayer Update, please bring all these issues before the Lord, that this generation may know the relevance of the days in which we live.

The Approaching Chariots of Fire? Mention the term Chariots of Fire, and most people would think of the opening credits of the film, during which a group of young men, barefoot and dressed in white, run through the ocean shore to Vangelis's unforgettable theme music. The story is of two British track athletes, one a determined Jew, and the other a devout Christian who compete in the 1924 Olympics. And, although Biblically and theologically inaccurate, others might instantly think of the line "Bring me my chariot of fire" from the William Blake poem adapted into the hymn "Jerusalem".

In the Bible, the chariot was a powerful religious symbol for ancient Israel. Not the ordinary chariots used for war, but what the Bible calls "chariots of fire." The first mention of chariots of fire is in 2 Kings 2:11. This is the story of Elijah being caught up into heaven. Although tradition imagines it was the chariot that carried him away ("Swing low, sweet chariot"), the Bible says a fiery chariot and its horses separated Elijah from Elisha, his disciple, while a strong storm wind snatched Elijah away. Have you ever pondered who was actually driving the chariot? It doesn't say, but it's very mysterious. The next mention of chariots of fire is in 2 Kings 6:17. Elisha, now a famous prophet in his own right, was trapped in the small town of Dothan by the army of the Aramaeans. They were the enemy of Israel, ruling from Damascus, as the Syrians do today. They had come to Dothan to capture Elisha because he was constantly defeating their secret war efforts by revealing them to the king of Israel. The sight of the vast enemy army frightened Elisha's servant. So Elisha calmly prayed for the servant's spiritual eyes to be opened. When they were, he saw the mountain on which the city was built covered with horses and chariots of fire.

The book of Psalms also mentions chariots of fire in a poetic declaration of God's overwhelming power: "The chariots of God are tens of thousands, and thousands of times over (Psalm 68:17). This Psalm really spoke to me today. The Psalm speaks of the mountains of Bashan (including Mount Hermon) which stood at the northern boundary between Judea and the "heathen world". So here, David is using the mountains of Bashan as a symbol of the world’s majesty, and comparing those mountains to “the mountain where God chooses to reign”, that is, Mount Zion. From the world’s viewpoint, the mountains of Bashan were more beautiful and majestic than Mount Zion. Nevertheless, the mountains of Bashan “gaze in envy” at Mount Zion, because God dwells in Zion. But perhaps the strangest mention of a chariot in the Bible is in 1 Chronicles 28:18. This section gives the details of David's plans for the construction of the Temple, later fulfilled by his son, Solomon. In the plans for the innermost chamber of the Temple, along with the Ark of the Covenant, is a golden chariot. What is a chariot doing in the holiest part of the Temple? A careful reading of the verse shows that it has something to do with the two large cherubim that Solomon placed in the Holy of Holies, whose wings, from the wingtips of one to the wingtips of the other, stretched across that innermost chamber. But why a chariot? And what is it about this Holy place that man is prepared to fight to his death for? As I pondered on this place, a thought occurred. Psalm 68:17 states that the mountains of Bashan still “gaze in envy” at Mount Zion, because God dwells in Zion. One could indeed say that the Arab world gazes in envy at Jerusalem. Syria; Lebanese Hezbollah; Arab Fatah & Hamas, plus other Arab states look with envy at Mount Zion. Nothing has changed, and nothing will stop their lustful longings, wanting to make Jerusalem their own.

To whom does Jerusalem belong? The Word of God states clearly that "God dwells in Zion". So to whom does Jerusalem belong to? As Derek White wrote some years ago, "In view of the relentless pressure upon Israel to yield up Judea and Samaria for a “Palestinian State”, it is essential that concerned people understand clearly the basis upon which Christians are called to support the legitimacy of the State of Israel, and of the Jewish people’s right to occupy the whole of the land of Israel, including Judea and Samaria… If God, in His sovereignty over the nations, has indeed chosen both the land and people of Israel for His redemptive purposes, especially for this present time, then it becomes a deeply serious matter when the Church in particular, but also nations, deny that choice.”

Today, with US President Obama leading the way, the nations are indeed pushing to deny Israel that choice. And even Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu seems to be agreeing... or is he? In a rather anxious letter, IMRA's Dr. Aaron Lerner wrote this week, "So here we are at the very time that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has focused on demilitarization as a critical feature of a Palestinian state and the U.S., Egypt and Syria are all working on arranging for the deployment of military forces from Egypt, the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and other Arab countries in the Gaza Strip. One shudders to think that historians may later note the tremendous irony that the seeds for a major Arab-Israeli war were sown this week because the Israelis were so caught up with finding a way out of the confrontation with Obama over settlement construction etc. that they never gave much thought to this development..."

Lerner continued, "And it doesn't take much thinking to realize how deploying military forces from Egypt, the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and other Arab countries in the Gaza Strip could lead to war. In point of fact, it is insulting the intelligence of Hamas to assert that they couldn't come up with a way to manipulate the presence of such a force in order to create a series of events that plunges the Arab states into war with the Jewish State. Is the Netanyahu team asleep at the switch?" Well, I'm not so sure. The way I see it Netanyahu is playing his cards closely to his chest. He's saying that the Arabs can have a Palestinian state "providing that this is a de-militarised state, of which of course the Palestinians will never agree to... " in which case there will be no "Palestinian state".

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Yaalon on Monday praised the peace policy speech given by Netanyahu for exposing the true root of the Israeli-Arab conflict: the Arabs’ long refusal to accept Israel as the national homeland of the Jews. Speaking to Army Radio, Yaalon said that Netanyahu’s speech had unmasked Palestinian rejectionism. Yaalon repeated Netanyahu in noting that Israel has surrendered large areas of land to the Palestinians already, only to receive increased terrorism in return, thus proving that the conflict isn’t really over a few scraps of land. While Netanyahu disappointed many of his right-wing backers by supporting the eventual creation of a Palestinian state, he put such conditions on that outcome that it is very likely to never become a reality. First, Netanyahu was adamant, and spent much of his speech demanding that the root of the conflict be addressed, that the Arabs explicitly recognize Israel as the national homeland of the Jewish people before any final status peace deal is considered. Second, Netanyahu firmly and repeatedly stated that his government will only ever agree to the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state, as the only purpose for such a state to have weapons would be to threaten Israel. And third, Netanyahu was clear that major Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria will not be uprooted to make room for a Palestinian state, nor will that state be given even one inch of Jerusalem as its capital. Needless to say, these conditions have all been rejected by the Arabs in the past, leading many Israeli commentators to note that while Netanyahu is representing Israel’s initial core peace demands in a way that former prime ministers failed, he has effectively and indefinitely stalled progress in the land-for-peace process.

The problem however remains. Another problem lies also with those who are pressing for a "two-state solution". It would appear that their ears are blocked to Israel's needs, choosing only to hear what they wants to hear. A statement released by US President Barack Obama on Sunday indicated that he had only heard those parts of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s peace policy speech that he wanted to hear. White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs said that Obama was very pleased to hear Netanyahu finally publicly commit to the creation of a Palestinian Arab state. He completely glossed over Netanyahu’s insistence that the peace process focus on the root of the conflict - the Arabs’ refusal to recognize Israel as the Jewish state - rather than on the international community’s desired outcome.

And so, the battle for Jerusalem continues. Albeit verbally at present, one wonders how long the Arab world will sit by watching without action? Netanyahu's 14th June speech was certainly met with hostility by all Palestinian factions. The Palestinians called Netanyahu "a liar and a crook," stated that the only purpose of his "hollow" speech was to placate U.S. President Barack Obama, and claimed that he was effectively ruining the chances for peace. Senior Palestinian Authority officials called on the U.S. to force Israel to implement the two-state solution, and on the PA to toughen its positions. Hamas called on PA to stop security coordination and to reassess their position on negotiations with Israel.

Palestinian Authority negotiations department head Saeb 'Ariqat stated: "The peace process can be compared to a turtle, and now that Netanyahu has turned it over, it's lying on its back. Not in a thousand years will Netanyahu find a single Palestinian who would agree to the conditions stipulated in his speech. The speech is a unilateral declaration ending the political negotiations on permanent status issues." Nabil Abu Rudeina, spokesman for the Palestinian Authority president, stated: "The speech has destroyed all peace initiatives and chances for a solution." He called on the U.S. administration to fulfil its responsibility in this respect, and added that "Netanyahu's failure to recognize the Arab Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state and his attempt to impose a solution to the Palestinian problem outside Israel will not lead to a just and comprehensive peace, as prescribed by the U.N. resolutions."

PLO Executive Committee Secretary Yasser 'Abd Rabbo stated: "Netanyahu's speech was hollow, and it ruined the chances to advance toward a balanced settlement. The speech is worthless and warrants a determined response. Netanyahu is a liar and a crook; he is looking for ploys to disrupt the peace endeavour." Senior Fatah official Bilal Al-Hassan contended that the Palestinians must set forth the following demands: full Israeli withdrawal from the territories occupied in 1967; the dismantling of all settlements, including construction in East Jerusalem; the establishment of a fully sovereign Palestinian state; rejection of the idea of exchanging territories; the payment of damages to West Bank and Gaza residents for all the destruction caused by the occupation; and a solution to the right of return problem based on U.N. Resolution No. 194. In addition, should Israel not agree to the return of the Palestinian refugees, only a hudna truce and an agreement on reversing the consequences of 1967 war will be signed - but not a Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement.
And of course the usual threat of war was uttered... The Islamic Jihad stated: "The Arab League must declare the Arab peace initiative revoked, and stop betting on a settlement, because Netanyahu's speech was an answer to this initiative. The Palestinians must unite their ranks, as should the Arabs and the Muslims, in order to stand up to radicalization that has taken hold of Israel on all levels. It is impossible to come to terms with the occupation, even of one inch of the Palestinian soil. The conflict will continue until the occupation of Palestine ends." The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine called Netanyahu's speech "akin to a declaration of war and an insult to the international community." It was further stated: "It is a mockery of the Arab leaders and the Arab peace initiative."

So, are the battle lines drawn? The wall-to-wall Arab opposition throws the ball into the court of the Western world and places U.S. President Barack Obama into a tight spot. Both the U.S. and the European Union praised the speech as a move in the right direction, but Prime Minister Netanyahu made it clear that his conditions are red lines that cannot be crossed. Can we hear the rolling of Arab tanks? Will the Arab world unite and try to force the issue once again by war? And will we see a repeat of the testimonies of Israeli's in the 1948 /67 wars? Will the mountains around be full of horses and chariots of fire? Only time will tell. One thing is for sure... as ever Israel needs our continued support and intercessory prayers. Please beseech the LORD God over this issue, and encourage other Believers to join us in this battle over Jerusalem. And pray too for the Palestinian Arabs who would happily co-exist with Israel. The fundamental issue today is that the power of Islam is contending at every level the Jewish peoples’ Biblical, historical and legal right to the Land of Israel as their national possession and homeland. Sadly, the Palestinian occupants of Judea, Samaria and Gaza have become pawns of this powerful spiritual and political anti-God power. The increasing frequency with which Arabs suspected of moderation or any wish to co-exist peaceably with Israel are being assassinated by fellow Arabs indicates the true nature and intentions of extremist Islamic forces arrayed against Israel.

Closing thoughts by Steven Plaut This final section was sent to me from Norman & Lola Cohen in Jerusalem. The full version can be read at the following address: http://stevenplaut.blogspot.com/search?q= Under the heading "The Silly and Harmful Fantasy of "Two States for Two Peoples"" Steven Plaut writes, "Today to promote "Two States for Two Peoples" requires a bit of cognitive dissonance. After all, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, turning it over to the "Palestinian Authority," and the whole world saw the consequences. They included 8000 rocket missiles aimed at Jewish civilians inside Israel. So those who insist that the Palestinians will desire to live in peace once they have their own state are about as consistent and credible as are people who argue that North Korea and Iran will seek genuine peace once they get nuclear weapons, or those that once insisted that Hitler would be satisfied once he gets the Sudetenland. But more generally, the whole "Two States for Two Peoples" campaign is nothing more than a special case of the "Then Maybe they Will" doctrine. For the past 30 years the Israeli political establishment has been prisoner to the "Then Maybe They Will" doctrine. Every major policy decision made by the government has reflected the power of wishful thinking and faith in the make-pretend."

Steven Plaut then goes on to give what he calls "a brief recapitulation of the doctrine". He states, "If Israel gives Sinai back to the Egyptians, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL stop the Nazi-like anti-Semitic propaganda in their state-run media. If Israel agrees to limited autonomy for Palestinians, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL stop seeking Israel's destruction and the world will not try to set up an independent Palestinian Arab terror state. If Israel provides the Palestinian Authority with arms and funds, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL not be used for terrorist atrocities against Israel. If Israel grants it’s Arab citizens affirmative action preferences, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL stop cheering terrorists and seeking the annihilation of Israel and its Jewish population. If Israel frees thousands of jailed Palestinian terrorists, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL renounce violence and not murder any more Jews. If Israel agrees to hold talks with representatives of the PLO, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL put a stop to Palestinian terrorism. If Israel allows the Palestinians to hold elections, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL not elect Hamas. If the Palestinians elect Hamas, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL not pursue a program of aggression and terrorism against Israel... If Israel allows Arabs in Israel to build illegally, including on public lands, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL become pro-Israel and moderate. If Israel agrees to the stationing of UN troops in Lebanon, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL actually do something to stop terror attacks on Israel. If Israel ignores Hezb'allah border violations, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL come to an end. If Israel lets the Muslims control the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL respond with friendship and moderation. If Israel expels all Jews from Gaza as a gesture of friendship to the Palestinians, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL reciprocate with friendship toward the Jews. If Israel turns the Gaza Strip over to the Palestinians, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL not use it as a base for terror attacks against Israel. If Israel turns the other cheek after Qassam rocket attacks from Gaza, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL stop being fired. If Israel allows the Palestinian Authority to control parts of the West Bank, THEN MAYBE THE PALESTINIANS WILL not fire rockets at Jews the same way they do from Gaza. If Israel returns the Golan Heights to Syria THEN MAYBE THE SYRIANS WILL seek peace and reject the idea of using the Heights to attack Israel again. If Israel agrees to place its neck in the Oslo/Road Map/Saudi Plan noose, THEN MAYBE THE ARABS WILL not pull the rope. If Israel officially agrees in principle to let the Palestinians have a state, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL abandon their agenda of annihilating Israel."

David Soakell

Sources: Unless otherwise stated: Personal sources throughout Israel along with The Jerusalem Post, BBC News, Arutz-7 News, Israeli Embassy London, Independent Media Review and Analysis & Israel National Radio