"Watching Over Zion" (The CFI News Report & Prayer Update)

~ Thursday 19th November 2009 ~

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

The Word: This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families... from Ekron to the sea, all that lay near Ashdod, with their villages; Ashdod with its towns and villages, Gaza with its towns and villages--as far as the Brook of Egypt and the Great Sea with its coastline. And in the mountain country: Shamir, Jattir, Sochoh, Dannah, Kirjath Sannah (which is Debir), Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, Goshen, Holon, and Giloh: eleven cities with their villages... Hebron and Zior... In the wilderness: Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah, Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En Gedi: six cities with their villages. (From Joshua 15: 20, 46 - 53, 61 - 62) To read full list see verses 20-62.

Now after Yeshua (Jesus) was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet [Micah 5:2]: 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.' " (Matthew 2:1-6)

He remembers His covenant forever, the word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac, and confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan as the allotment of your inheritance," (Psalm 105:8-11)

• Pointers for prayer: As we continue to battle on in prayer and support of the State of Israel, please seek the LORD as to how you should pray concerning these days we are living in.

• As the media once again portray a distorted picture of Israeli "settlements", cry out that God would reveal the truth regarding this whole situation.

• Earnestly intercede for the Jewish people as they face much spiritual warfare aimed at thwarting their divine destiny. Pray for their protection and for their spiritual preparation as they continue to face a difficult future. Cry out too for the Arab people struggling under the heavy restraints of Islamic oppression. Pray that they may find freedom in following the Lord God.

• Pray that the Lord would hear the cries of His people for the nation of Israel. May He turn His ear to them and see their troubles. Continue to pray that the LORD would bring peace (shalom ~ wholeness, completeness, salvation) to Jerusalem. Let Peace reign within her walls and within all the borders of the land. For you have sworn that your steadfast love shall not depart from Israel, nor your covenant of peace be removed from her. You are a compassionate and covenant keeping God. We bless your holy name. (Psalm 122:6; 147:14; Isaiah 54:10).

• Pray that Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria & the Golan Heights would remain in Jewish hands, now and until the Messiah returns. But pray too, that the Arab communities would recognise and receive their blessing in wanting to live in harmony with Israel.

British & US fury over Jewish community

On numerous occasions when I have been in Israel, I have both visited and stayed with Jewish friends in a well established town on the hills of Jerusalem. The place, Gilo, is really a suburb of Jerusalem, however it is also a place that appears rather controversial... but more of that shortly. In the above Scriptures of Joshua 15, the Bible gives us an account of towns in the southern lands of this area. Negeb (south-land) was the name given to the southernmost district of Canaan in its full extent, from the Arabah, at the southern end of the Dead Sea, right across to the coast of the Mediterranean, and from the southern border of Canaan, as described in vv. 2-4, as far north as Wadi Sheriah, below Gaza, on the western side, and going across to the mountains and desert of Judah on the east, stretching to the wadis of es-Seba, Milh, and Ehdeib. The Negeb formed a kind of intermediate link between the fertile land and the desert. As mentioned, the word neg'-eb (ha-neghebh), from a root meaning "to be dry," implies the "dry" or "parched regions," hence, in the Septuagint it is usually translated eremos, or "desert,". And, as the Negeb lay to the South of Judah, the word came to be used in the sense of "the South".

Again, according to the Scriptures, Gilo (Giloh/Gilon) is a town in the hill country of Judah mentioned along with Jattir, Socoh, Debir, Eshtemoa, etc. (Joshua 15:51). Ahithophel came from here. It states in 2 Samuel 15:12, "While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counsellor, to come from Giloh, his hometown... Here he is called the Gilonite (also 2 Samuel 23:34). Whether or not this town of Giloh is the same area where modern Gilo stands I'm not certain (although I expect the original Giloh was slightly further south), however, one thing is for sure ~ the whole region of land, was given as the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah. Directly across the valley from modern Gilo is Bethlehem ~ the very town most churches will be singing about in a few weeks time. The very same place where, according to the New Testament, the Jewish Messiah Jesus was born. Yes... Jesus the JEW, from the tribe of Judah... not Jesus the Palestinian as the BBC allowed one Arab to proclaim recently. This territory was, and still is Jewish land. The LORD God confirmed it to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan as the allotment of your inheritance," (Psalm 105:11)

In modern times, during the 1948 War, the Egyptian army positioned its artillery at Gilo, heavily shelling West Jerusalem. An attempt to advance on Jerusalem from Gilo was beaten back in a fierce battle. The Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, a place I've stayed at many a time, located just north of Gilo, changed hands three times, ultimately remaining part of Israel, but Gilo remained on the other side of what is known as "the Green Line" until 1967. This land where Gilo stands was owned by Jewish institutions prior to the 1948 Arab - Israeli war. Gilo is certainly not a "settlement" in the most widespread sense of the term, which HonestReporting states "can conjure up images of isolated enclaves in the West Bank". Gilo lies within Jerusalem's municipal boundaries and is geographically contiguous to surrounding Jewish neighbourhoods that pre-dated the Six Day War of 1967.

Way back on 23rd January 2001, the CBS program "60 Minutes II" focused on the Palestinian town of Beit Jala (which is really just an extension of Bethlehem) and the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Gilo. The broadcast, entitled "No Way Out" was hosted by Bob Simon, however it presented a badly biased picture of the problems in and around this area. The "60 Minutes II" segment is based on the faulty premise that Gilo was built on captured Arab lands. In fact, as mentioned, the majority of Gilo is built on land legally purchased by Jews prior to 1948. It is an "open secret" in Beit Jala that Jabra Hamis, former mayor of Beit Jala, sold Israelis the land on which parts of Gilo are built. In the 1948 war, Jewish lands in Gilo were captured and confiscated by the Jordanian government. From 1948-67, Jewish landowners did not relinquish ownership to their land in Gilo, and when Israel recaptured the land in 1967, Gilo was built ~ not because of war victories, but because of longstanding legal land purchases. I state all this because I believe this is vitally important when we hear the condemnation Israel are coming under today from both Britain and the US in relation to building houses. Once again, due to shoddy media coverage, this area is being presented from a badly biased picture.
As mentioned, Gilo is an Israeli town. However, it is considered a "settlement" by the United Nations. Some media outlets, including CNN, Associated Press and CBS News, have actually described Gilo as a "neighbourhood". A CNN memorandum to its staff stated that "We refer to Gilo as a 'Jewish neighbourhood on the outskirts of Jerusalem'... We don't refer to it as a settlement." The United States government refrains from classifying Gilo and other East Jerusalem locales as settlements, instead referring to them as neighbourhoods, and "a neighbourhood of Jerusalem", which makes the latest harsh attack from the US all the harder to take. Other media outlets however, such as the BBC, Reuters and the Economist describe Gilo as a "settlement". Several large Jewish neighbourhoods are situated on this side of Jerusalem including the neighbourhoods of Ramat Eshkol and French Hill. There are hundreds of thousands of Israelis living in those neighbourhoods. And, these Jewish towns are certainly NOT "settlements". As already mentioned, but it needs to be heard... so I'll repeat it again... Gilo is a sprawling neighbourhood in southern Jerusalem purchased by Jews before World War II. Before the Jews cultivated this area, it was only barren land.

And so, as I sat and watched the ITN news last night (Tuesday), I was amazed that they covered a story that stated, "Strained relations between Israel and the United States hit a fresh low today when the State Department condemned the construction of 900 new housing units in an East Jerusalem settlement suburb as “dismaying”." Britain also joined in the condemnation of what ITN News called "the controversial decision by Israel to go ahead with the major construction project in Gilo, which was built on land conquered in the 1967 war, calling the move “wrong.”"

U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell reportedly asked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, during one of their recent meetings, to freeze a construction project of dozens of housing units in Gilo. However, Netanyahu turned him down. Gilo is one of Jerusalem’s largest neighbourhoods with 33,000 people. Netanyahu refused the U.S. request, explaining that the construction in Gilo, as in most places of the world, does not require government approval. He also explained that the neighbourhood is “an integral part of Jerusalem.” A government official said that Netanyahu “is ready to show the maximum restraint when it comes to construction in Judea and Samaria to help restart negotiations, but this policy does not apply in Jerusalem, our capital.” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also asked for a construction halt in Jerusalem ~ but she has also acknowledged that the negotiating process has never before been made contingent upon a construction freeze in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem.

A statement issued by the British consulate in Jerusalem added David Miliband’s displeasure to the US warning. “The Foreign Secretary has been very clear that a credible deal involves Jerusalem as a shared capital. Expanding settlements on occupied land in East Jerusalem makes that deal much harder. So this decision on Gilo is wrong and we oppose it,” the statement said. But hold on a moment Mr Miliband... Gilo is not a settlement! What does he mean by the word "settlement". What does the general listener who has no knowledge of this issue conjure up in his mind when he hears the word "settlement"? In fact... has Mr Miliband ever actually been to Gilo? Yet, in a sign of growing British and US anger, the Politicians went even further, attacking Israel’s alleged "evictions" of Palestinian families from war-conquered East Jerusalem and the alleged demolition of Palestinian homes. The Arab Palestinians of course want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state (actually, they won't be happy until they have the whole of Israel) - yet "East Jerusalem" is part of the City which includes the historical Old City, full of ancient and holy sites which are of huge importance to both Jewish people and Christians alike.

Many Christians also appear to support the Arab Palestinian cause regarding this battle for the land of Israel. Yet this seems to contradict the Scriptures. In view of the relentless pressure upon Israel to yield up Judea and Samaria (commonly misnamed the West Bank) for a “Palestinian State”, I feel it is essential for any concerned Christian to understand the scriptures, especially when we get to the third chapter of Joel, and the basis upon which Christians are called to stand with the legitimacy of the State of Israel, and of the Jewish people’s right to live in the land of Israel, including Judea and Samaria. In Joel 3:1-2, it is written: "In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning My inheritance, My people Israel, for they scattered My people among the nations and divided up My land." If God, in His sovereignty over the nations, has indeed chosen both the land and people of Israel for the working out of His end time purposes, then it becomes a deeply serious matter when the Church in particular, but also nations, deny that choice.

Biblically, the territory known as Israel, including Judea and Samaria, belongs to the Jewish people. For when God made the land covenant with Abraham he gave the land of Canaan to his descendants as an everlasting possession (Genesis 15:7-21; 17:7-8). This promise of ownership was transferred through Isaac and Jacob to the twelve sons (tribes) of Israel (Genesis 26:3-4; 28:13-14; 35:12; Psalm 105:8-11). It is important to note that the Arab claim that the land also belongs to them by divine promise is unfounded, since, although Ishmael is certainly blessed by God, the covenant is with Isaac (Genesis 17:7-8, 18-21; 21:12). God refers to the unique character of this territory (Israel) by referring to it as “My land” (Ezekiel 36:5,20; 38:16; Joel 3:2), and as the Jewish peoples “own land” (Ezekiel 36:17,24; 37:21). Indeed, the people of Israel and the land of Israel are so intertwined in scripture as to be described as “married” to each other (Isaiah 62:4-5). In many ways, I believe that the unique relationship of the Jewish people to the land of Israel during this century bears this out. Maybe the British and US politicians should start to study the Scriptures... perhaps starting with Joel chapter 3?

Gaza once again under smoke-filled skies

For the seventh straight day, a seven-kilometre-long noxious black cloud is hovering over central Gaza, because a missile aimed at Israel by an Islamic terrorist group, backfired and hit a waste disposal site in Wadi As-Salqa, inside Gaza, starting a huge fire. According to sources, the mayor of Wadi As-Salqa, Abdul-Mahdi Abu Mugheseeb, said that the fire started near the border with Israel, and that smoke spread to Deir Al-Balah, six kilometres away. Sources have stated that the cause of the fire was “a homemade projectile fired towards Israeli towns.” This of course did not prevent Arab officials from blaming Israel for the fire.

Abu Mugheseeb said that bulldozers from Gaza attempted to extinguish the fire by pouring truckloads of sand on it. However, he claimed, Israeli forces stationed at the border prevented access to the landfill site from the east, forcing fire fighters to attempt to access the fire from the west. In order to do this, they needed to coordinate the activity with the International Red Cross, but this too was a problem, another official said. Muhammad Majdalawi, head of the Gaza solid waste council, claimed that “On the first day when fire erupted, we were about to complete the job before the Israelis forced us to withdraw our staff and vehicles half an hour before we finished.” So there you have it... Islamic terrorist group in Gaza, fires a missile at Israel which explodes in Gaza, and it's Israel's fault!

Misery continues for the residents of Sderot

Meanwhile weapons are still being smuggled into Gaza from Egypt, and rocket attacks keep hitting the Jewish town of Sderot, causing continued misery for the residents of Sderot. Smuggling weapons into the Gaza Strip from Egypt beneath the Philadelphi Corridor has returned to the busy levels that prevailed before Operation Cast Lead last winter. The Jerusalem Post have stated that estimates of how many tunnels are now functioning range from several hundred to 1,000, although the most authoritative figures indicate that between 350 and 500 are currently operating. The IDF claimed to have destroyed about 300 tunnels during Cast Lead. Israel has long asserted that the Egyptians could put an end to the entire smuggling industry within 24 hours if they wanted to, using military obstructions along the length of the Philadelphi Corridor.

Meanwhile the residents in Sderot continue to suffer attacks. When I was last in Sderot, I interviewed and listened to many residents who have suffered great trauma due to these attacks. But how quick the world has forgotten about these people. The world still aggressively condemns Israel for its action in trying to end this suffering by waging war on Hamas in Gaza earlier this year, yet are quite happy to ignore the plight of thousands of Israeli's still suffering attacks today. One group attempting to keep this in the public eye is the Sderot Media Centre ( SMC). Their mission is to generate global awareness and empathy with the residents of Sderot and the western Negev through on-site media coverage of the rocket terror. SMC's media outreach, education seminars, and social media projects have brought the story of Sderot to millions of people across the world, including political leaders and international policy makers. Do check out their website at http://sderotmedia.org.il/

This past week, Cheryl Hancock took a trip to Sderot to report on the latest events. Since the end of the 'conflict' 270 rockets have been fired into Israel. The people in Sderot are still being terrorized with threats and sirens, yet thankfully no one has been injured recently. The last rocket attack was a few days ago at midnight, waking the people up with the code red siren. To hear the 6-minute radio interview from Cheryl Hancock please go on line at: http://www.biblevoice.org/listen/news/middle-east

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