~ Wednesday 27th January 2010 ~

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

PLEASE NOTE: There will be no report next week due to the CFI Trustees meeting. The next report will be out on 11th February 2010.

The Word: "But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you… Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honoured, and I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, and people for your life. Fear not, for I am with you..." (Isaiah 43:1-5)

""Son of man, can these bones live?"... Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!' "Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.” (Taken from Ezekiel 37:3-13)

• Pointers for prayer: Let us begin this weeks report by giving thanks and praise to the LORD God, for all He has done through the team of IDF soldiers, doctors and nurses in the field hospital in Haiti. Pray that many lives will continue to recover due to the work that was carried out there. Pray a special blessing upon all the babies born at the hands of the Israeli team.

• Let us also give thanks for the many recent stories broadcasted worldwide by the media showing Israel in a very positive light.

• Please hold the nation of Israel before the Lord in your prayers. Once again, please pray for protection for Israel from all the attempts by the enemy to destroy the plan of God by destroying His people.

The reason for the exceptional Israeli rescue effort Amidst the horror of the past few weeks in Haiti, I have to confess that I've struggled a little with pride. For the first time in my life of reporting the news and focusing in on areas for prayer, I have been astonished at how much Israel has been featured in their great humanitarian work. As you will have read in my previous weeks reports, and seen on major television news broadcasts, Israel has featured predominately for the response it has provided in Haiti after sending over 200 Israeli Defence Force (IDF) troops to assist in the search and rescue for survivors, along with setting up the best field hospital the world has ever seen. What has also been amazing is the response from news groups who have often only portrayed Israel, and especially the IDF, in a bad light. Yet I have witnessed America's CBN and ABC news channels, along with the UK's ITN, showing unbiased footage, that has certainly put Israel in a better light. In one report, CNN stated that, “No one except the Israeli hospital has taken any of our patients." As I reported last week, at seeing the Israeli field hospital, which was set up in a football pitch, the CNN reporter stated, “I am amazed at what’s here. Its like another world compared to the other hospital”. “Have the Americans set up a field hospital? Not yet. And yet the Israeli’s came from the other side of the world”.

So why exactly have Israel been able to shame huge nations such as America in their quick, thorough, and highly trained skills? Well first of all, I believe it is simply because the LORD God chooses to bless people through His people, Israel. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who is the sole creator of the world and all that is in the Universe has said that above all other nations Israel is His very own! The above Scriptures prove this. In Isaiah 43:1, we read, "But now thus saith the LORD… O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine." Secondly, I believe it is due to what Israel themselves have had to learn. When Israel became a state again in 1948, the landscape was very dry and arid. Where it wasn't dry, malarial swamps covered areas and clean water sources were scarce. All of this changed very quickly as the land that was once unable to be tilled, became a lush green farm.

When the nation of Israel was given back to its rightful owner, the agricultural production improved over 16 fold due to a massive increase in available farmland. In 1948, only about 408,000 acres of Israeli soil was able to be farmed, now over 1.07 million acres are being cultivated. Due to the scarcity of the water in Israel, in 1948 over 75% of all the water in Israel was set aside for agriculture. Due to the many new improvements in technology, state-of-the-art techniques are being used to help lower the huge cost of agriculture. Furthermore, because of the new techniques and technologies, Israel now produces about 95% of the domestic food supply. The only food purchased from outside of the country, is what it can't grow. This cost is balanced by the large range of foods that Israel exports to other countries. However, Israel is also one of the leading countries with computer technologies and pharmaceutical products. In fact, whether in communications, medicine, industry or agriculture, Israeli cutting-edge technology leads the way.

Thirdly, due to Israel's long history of enduring bomb and missile attacks from surrounding enemy nations, the IDF is one of the most experienced in the world in treating mass-injuries and using specially trained sniffer dogs to locate dying and wounded people in destroyed buildings. As reported in previous Watching Over Zion reports, the IDF was one of the first on the scene in Haiti, sending considerably more troops than, for example, Britain and France did. Over 5,000 Haitians have been treated in the IDF Medical and Rescue Field Hospital, set up in a large tent on a football field in Port-Au-Prince. In addition, Israeli forces located and rescued survivors trapped in ruined buildings, including many who were injured during the collapse of the UN headquarters. In addition to teams from the IDF's canine unit, Israel sent 52 doctors and 25 nurses as well as paramedics; set up a pharmacy, a children's ward, a radiology department, an intensive care unit, an emergency room, two operating rooms, a surgical department, an internal medicine department and a maternity ward. Following this, Israel sent a further 220 doctors, medics and nurses, and also a number of French-speaking translators to aid doctors (as the main language in Haiti is French). One report by CNN described the Israeli Army as the “Rolls Royce” of medicine in Haiti.

There is, I believe a fourth reason too, which I will come back to. However, the work in Haiti appears to have been fulfilled. On Monday night (25th January 2010), two weeks after the IDF rushed to Haiti to help treat those wounded in the devastating earthquake, the field hospital, which became to symbolise the exceptional Israeli rescue effort - finally closed its doors. Among the very large number of people treated by the Israeli's, 13 women gave birth naturally, three babies were delivered using Caesarian sections, and 314 operations were performed. Fifteen people remained hospitalised at the facility, and they will continue to receive treatment over the next few days until the IDF forces pull-out completely. The closure is expected to continue until Thursday, when the last members of the medical team will fly back to Israel. Until that point, those doctors still at the facility will continue to admit special emergency cases.

We give the LORD God of Israel the praise that Israel won, if only for a short time, international praise for the speed and efficiency in which it established the hospital in Haiti. Just 16 hours after landing in the beleaguered country, the facility was up and running. To see the footage go on Google, & "Youtube Israel in Haiti".

Before I give my fourth point, I'd just like to mention this. In last weeks report, I mentioned about an email that the head of the ZAKA International Rescue Unit delegation managed to send to the ZAKA headquarters in Jerusalem. In the email, it was written, “Shabbat from hell. Everywhere, the acrid smell of bodies hangs in the air. It’s just like the stories we are told of the Holocaust – thousands of bodies everywhere. You have to understand that the situation is true madness, and the more time passes, there are more and more bodies, in numbers that cannot be grasped. It is beyond comprehension”. Well amid the stench and chaos that the ZAKA delegation found, they also found time to pray and recite the Shabbat prayers. This can only be described as a surreal sight, as ultra-orthodox men wrapped in prayer shawls standing on the collapsed buildings prayed to the LORD God of Israel. The Zionist Federation this week commented on this, stating that "many locals sat quietly in the rubble, staring at the men as they prayed facing Jerusalem. At the end of the prayers, they crowded around the delegation and kissed the prayer shawls". This is Israel, whether it be earthquakes, or other disasters, war or peacetime... prayer is still so important.

So... what is my fourth reason for Israel’s quick response and success? Amid the good and accurate reports of Israel's help in Haiti, there has still been some sad people who will always criticise Israel. On some websites (of whom I refuse to give glory by mentioning them), articles and blogs have been written condemning Israel's actions, and stating that while Israel condemn Gaza, causing them to "die of hunger", the Israeli's are seeking glory by deliberately sending the IDF into Haiti, and making sure they have a film crew with them. Well... to these sad people, all I can say is... "you simply don't get it do you"! There is one reason, and one reason alone why Israel have been seen displaying this kind of humanitarian aid. It is summed up in the old saying from the Talmud: "Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroys an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved the world entire". To the Jew, life is precious. This is why Israel lead the way in Haiti, and this is the reason for their exceptional rescue effort.

Israel’s achievements and contribution to the world As mentioned in my first article this week, whether in communications, medicine, industry or agriculture, Israeli cutting-edge technology leads the way. And, amazingly, yet again a leading News group actually covered the following story. Under the heading, "Israel: Eco-revolution in the desert", the Daily Express wrote a really good article about Israel’s achievements and contribution to the world. Speaking of the nation of Israel, the Daily Express state, "It grows food in sand, powers homes with the sun and this year launches the world's finest city-wide electric car system. So how has war-torn Israel become such an eco-pioneer?" The article then goes on to state that Israel will be the first country in the world with its electric car technology. The electricity for the cars will come from solar technology being developed in the desert in southern Israel. The Daily Express write, "Amid the gunfire, this tiny country the size of Wales, and with a population of just under 7.5million leads the world in developing and exporting green technologies that could save the planet. Ironically it is precisely because of its precarious position that such eco-inventions have flourished. In innovation it outshines all its neighbours."
Israeli farmers radically revolutionised the watering of agricultural crops more than 40 years ago. Today, one can travel the length and breadth of the nation of Israel, and see the drip irrigation system in action. This system has since been adopted worldwide. Netafim, which markets the technology, says it is now used in more than 110 countries and has helped create self-sustaining agricultural communities in drought-stricken areas, particularly in Africa. The article, written by Daily Express' Matthew Kalman goes on to say, "Israeli ingenuity in electricity is not limited to the sun. Innowattech is developing a system to generate electricity from the pressure of traffic driving along roads. Piezo-electric generators are installed inches beneath the upper layer of asphalt and convert the mechanical energy of traffic passing over them into electrical energy. Before too long it will be possible to drive an electric car powered by a battery whose electricity was generated by the sun or by other cars driving across a sub-surface generator, and whose engine is cooled by recycled water. But only in Israel."

Tomb of Ezekiel to be replaced with Mosque? Some 2,500 years ago the prophet Ezekiel presented his Prophecy of Dry Bones. However, according to recent reports, Iraq is currently trying to remove the Jewish traces from the prophet’s tomb and turn it into a mosque. Ezekiel the Prophet, whose prophesy was recorded in the Book of Ezekiel, lived in what is modern day Iraq. According to Ezekiel 1:1, the prophet lived in Babylon. He was taken there during the exile from Jerusalem. So, at least at the time of the prophecies recorded in the book of Ezekiel, he was a resident of Babylon. Tradition has it that he is buried in the village of Al Kilf, south of Baghdad, and followers of the three monotheistic religions continue to visit his tomb to this day. However, Islam appears to want to wipe away any past by building a mosque.

Professor Shmuel Morre, former head of the Arabic Language and Literature Department in the Hebrew University stated recently, ”I received information from a senior Iraqi scholar pertaining to the local authorities’ intention of turning the tomb into a mosque under the guise of ‘preservation’ of the holy site." Morre stated, "The man who provided me with the information stressed that the Iraqi antiquities department has been under heavy pressure to erase any proof of the Jews’ connection to Iraq,” he notes. For centuries Jews, Christians and Muslims came to Al-Kifl, a small town south of Baghdad, to visit the tomb of the Prophet Ezekiel and pray. The distinctive Jewish character of the Al-Kifl shrine, namely the Hebrew inscriptions and the Torah Ark, never bothered the gentile worshipers. In the 14th century a minaret was built next to the shrine, but the interior design remained Jewish. The vast majority of Iraq's Jewish community left some 60 years ago, but Shi'ites took good care of the holy site. Until now that is.

Recently "Ur," a local Iraqi news agency, reported that a huge mosque will be built on top of the grave by Iraq's Antiquities and Heritage Authority, while Hebrew inscriptions and ornaments are being removed from the site, all as part of "renovations". Prof. Shmuel Moreh of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, winner of the 1999 Israel Prize in Middle Eastern studies and chairman of the Association of Jewish Academics from Iraq, speaking to The Jerusalem Post confirmed the report. "I first heard the news of tomb desecration from a friend of mine who is a German scholar. After visiting the site he called me and said that some Hebrew inscriptions on the grave were covered by plaster and that a mosque is planned to be built on top of the tomb. He told me that he found the changes at the tomb disturbing and warned me that I'd better act quickly, before any irreversible damage will be inflicted," Moreh said.

Iraqi press reports claim that the building must be destroyed because of its poor condition. However, Shelomo Alfassa, US director of Justice for Jews from Arab Countries believes that Iraq's Antiquities and Heritage Authority "has been pressured by Islamists to historically cleanse all evidence of a Jewish connection to Iraq - a land where Jews had lived for over a thousand years before the advent of Islam." According to Professor Shmuel Morre, many of the Muslims who visit the tomb today are unaware Ezekiel was a Jew. Iraq also contains the tombs of the Ezra the Scribe, the Prophet Jonah and King Zedekiah. According to Prof. Morre, who himself was born in Iraq, his colleague informed him that local authorities have already began erasing Hebrew inscriptions off Ezekiel’s tomb in order to turn the site into a mosque. Some people are worried about the well-being of Jewish sites in post-Saddam Iraq. Iraqi press reports claim the poor condition of the structure is the reason for its destruction. Others believe there is pressure coming from Islamists to strip Iraq of any of the Jewish history present in the predominately Muslim country

And finally... the hope that rises from the ashes In Ezekiel 37: 11, we read, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!' "Indeed, during the Holocaust, Israel must surely have believed that all hope was gone. And yet today, God has been faithful to His word by bringing the Jewish people back to the Land born out of the ashes of the Holocaust. What is more, the very hope that was lost became the Israeli national anthem ~ Hatikva ~ the hope! Today is Holocaust Memorial Day. 65 years have passed since the Holocaust, yet time doesn’t heal, and there are still thousands of Holocaust Survivors in Israel alone. That is why our organisation, Christian Friends of Israel is so vital. We have a team of people dedicated to going into these peoples homes to bring counselling, comfort, love and healing. Today, you can make a difference. You can be a part of the ‘legacy of hope’. You can stand up for the people and nation of Israel today. Why? Because we have to! We have to keep banging the drum, especially when people like Tadeusz Pieronek, a Polish bishop makes comments like the one he made this week. Pieronek said this week that the Holocaust is a “Jewish invention" that Jews magnify in the press as propaganda to gain support for Israel. Tadeusz Pieronek, a professor and friend of the previous pope, John Paul II, told the Catholic news site Pontifex.roma on Monday that the financial support, military power and lobbying efforts from wealthy Jews are the only reasons why the media covers the Holocaust and gives a skewed version of history.

During the Holocaust Memorial Service that my wife and I are leading today, a song is played called The Forgotten People. There is the line in the song which states, “Blessed people who tried to help, while evil people schemed among themselves. Everyday people who ignored the news, indifferent people sitting in the pews.” And then there’s a warning in the prayer at the end… “Lord, I see black smoke. It rises up and spreads out like a veil of darkness over our nations again! This dark veil is the sin of our silence... the peoples and nations are silent once again. Again, your people Israel are hated, despised and rejected – and yet we remain silent – even in the church. We are silent – concerning the sin of our fathers. We remain silent – and behold – the black smoke is covering us again. .. From the land of unmerited grace, we are calling out – Nations arise! For Zion’s sake, open your mouth! Never again – slander, hatred or death! Israel – we will never forsake you again! You are our inheritance, our love, the blessing for all nations! Listen! Receive the word! It will pervade your spirit. No more silence! Never again! Never again! Never again!”

As I said, today, you can make a difference. You can be a part of the ‘legacy of hope’. You can stand up for the people and nation of Israel today. How… You may ask? Well to start with, you can support our work through Christian Friends of Israel as we minister to the Survivors in Israel today. Secondly, you can make a difference where you live, by lobbying your MP when you hear of unfair reporting, or injustices against the Jewish people today and against Israel. You CAN make a difference! May this Holocaust Memorial Day not pass without those who stand with Israel praying for today's Holocaust Survivors, or making a stand where you are. "You have heard my voice: "Do not hide Your ear from my sighing, from my cry for help." You drew near on the day I called on You...” (Lamentations 3:56-57)

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