~ Thursday 2nd September 2010 ~

Compiled by David Soakell Tel: 01642 469663 E-mail david@cfi.org.uk Website: www.cfi.org.uk

The Word: I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore. (Psalm 121)

Pointers for prayer: As you read through this week’s Watching over Zion News Report please proclaim the Word of God over these issues.

• Pray in line with the Scriptures: "Arise, O Lord. Do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your sight. Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men." (Psalm 9:19,20) "The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever... The people He has chosen as His own inheritance." (Psalm 33)

• As we continue to monitor the situation in Gaza, we would ask that you continue to intercede for all who are involved here, from Arab victims of Hamas to those of the Jewish community of Sderot who suffer attacks from Gaza. Please continue to pray into the whole situation regarding how Gaza is portrayed by the media and groups such as Amnesty International who hold a big say on public opinion.

• Pray for encouragement, strength and perseverance for the Israeli people in the face of constant physical and spiritual opposition. And continue to pray that ordinary Jewish and Arab people, whether living in Israel proper or what the world terms as the "Territories", will have a desire for reconciliation and to live side by side in peace and harmony.

Monitoring the Gaza issue & Amnesty International Last week's News Report started with a story under the heading "Know the certainty of the words of truth", and featured a report on Gaza which caused lot's of "interesting" comments from our readers. It followed some photographs of Gaza which completely contradicted images that groups like Amnesty International and Christian Aid continually feature. As I mentioned last week, some people simply did not believe that any of these photos could be Gaza, while others were shocked at what they saw. As I researched further on this subject, I actually came across a Palestinian website that actually backed up some of the photos (Click here to view: http://www.palestineonly.net/de/bilder/mix/Uni-Gaza/01_index.htm ). The photos on the pro-Palestinian website clearly show the new Palestinian University in Gaza, along with various other photos that look as if they should be found in London, Paris or New York. Having viewed these photographs, I pondered where in the mindset of all those "humanitarian aid flotillas" the concept of poverty fitted in here?

The problem is, how do we discern what the true picture is? And if we know what the true picture is, how do we convey this message to the thousands who received a completely different view at this year’s Greenbelt festival (see report later)? And what about the photographs that do portray real suffering and poor living conditions for Palestinians? In an email from Tom Gross (former Middle East correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph and the New York Daily News), he writes, "Below are more pictures of Gaza. Yes, there are poor areas of Gaza too. There are also plenty of slums in Paris (and London and Rome and New York), but the media tend to focus their pictures on the Eiffel Tower and Champs Elysee instead. Not so in Gaza where many journalists (who in private, even more than in public, disparage Israel in every way) are doing their best to paint a distorted picture of the economic situation there, showing off the worst possible aspects -- and using words like “devastated economy” (BBC) and “dire humanitarian situation” (Sky news) -- in order to fool everyone from the common reader right up to politicians such as British Prime Minister David Cameron into thinking conditions in Gaza resemble some kind of prison camp."

Tom Gross continues, "Such media distortion is unhelpful, to say the least, in helping policy makers formulate good policy for the region for the benefit of Palestinians and Israeli's alike. You would never know from the media coverage that people in Gaza are by many economic and health indicators, on average better off than those in Turkey, from where the most controversial of the recent “humanitarian aid” flotillas came. For example, in Turkey life expectancy is 72.23 and infant mortality is 24.84 per 1,000 births. In Gaza, life expectancy is 73.68 and infant mortality is 17.71 per 1,000 births." Tom also included further evidence with more pictures of Gaza. To view the following pictures please go online at the following links: www.tomgrossmedia.com/mideastdispatches/archives/001127.html; www.tomgrossmedia.com/mideastdispatches/archives/001072.html; www.tomgrossmedia.com/mideastdispatches/archives/001114.html.

You can also view more photo's of the Islamic University of Gaza at www.iugaza.edu.ps/en, Gaza Al-Quds University at www.qou.edu/homePage/english/index.jsp?pageId=176, the Gaza Grand Palace Hotel at www.grandpalace.ps, the Al Deira Hotel at www.aldeira.ps and the Gaza Commodore Hotel: www.commodoregaza.ps/hotels-home.html

The problem of course is made all the harder when fellow Christian groups such as Christian Aid, feature reports such as the one I mentioned in last week's report: http://www.christianaid.org.uk/emergencies/past/gaza-crisis/failing-gaza... ) which shows a really poor version of Gaza. However, as mentioned last week, on their website under Israel, one finds: "Israel / occupied Palestinian territory". Under the word "Capital", they state "Not applicable"... which is interesting, as it would appear that Israel does not have a capital. Now I have to stress, I hate criticising fellow Christian organisations, and I'm sure Christian Aid actually do a lot of excellent work, however when their website declares, "Palestinian poverty levels have trebled and violence on both sides has escalated due to the ongoing conflict and Israeli occupation", it does cause problems. Another problem is that this Christian group is also telling a story that is actually an Amnesty International report as well, and this carries a massive amount of weight. However, is Amnesty International above reproach? Well let's have a look at what other groups and very recent media reports are saying about Amnesty International.

In one report last week, Amnesty International's Frank Johansson wrote in Finland's third largest newspaper, "Israel is a scum state." In his column for Iltalehti, Johansson recounted that during a recent visit a friend who works in Israel told him that Israel is, in his eyes, "a scum state." Johansson then wrote that "based on my own visit[s], which occurred during the 1970s and for the last time in the 1990s, I agree." When questioned by The Jerusalem Post, Johansson stood by his remarks, and said they were based on what he called Israel's "repeated flouting of international law," and his own personal experiences with Israelis. Israel of course have long maintained that organisations such as Amnesty International and the people who run them do not give the Jewish state a fair image due to personal biases and politicised views of the conflict. However, this week, the NGO Monitor (Non-governmental Organisation Monitor) who are based in Jerusalem, Israel, wrote a very condemning report on Amnesty International.

The NGO Monitor's stated aim is to generate and distribute critical analysis and reports on the output of the international NGO community for the benefit of government policy makers, journalists, philanthropic organisations and the general public. You can read the NGO's mission statement and view their website here: http://www.ngo-monitor.org/articles.php?type=about. On the 26th August 2010, the NGO wrote to Mr. Salil Shetty, the Secretary General of Amnesty International, stating, "Your appointment as Secretary General of Amnesty International follows a major decline in this once prestigious organisation's moral reputation and influence. We therefore strongly urge you to give priority to ending Amnesty's systemic bias, lack of credibility, and violation of universal principles in many of its activities."

The NGO Monitor then goes on to give a list of areas which they have major problems with Amnesty International. They mention about Gita Sahgal, in which Amnesty's leading women's rights activist was forced to resign after questioning cooperation with an alleged Taliban supporter, Moazzam Begg, and the interim Secretary General Claudio Cordone publicly condoning "jihad in self-defence." In the letter to Salil Shetty, the NGO state, "Amnesty's activities related to the Arab-Israel conflict reflect a consistent and intense bias. For example, during and after the Gaza war (December 2008-January 2009), Amnesty issued many unsupported condemnations of Israel's response to rocket attacks against civilians, including unverifiable and false charges of "war crimes." Amnesty also led one-sided calls for an arms embargo against Israel, as part of the wider BDS campaign. This focused on Israel ignored illegal arms shipments from Iran and Syria to Hamas, reflecting the disproportionate attention given to Israel by Amnesty."

According to NGO Monitor, Amnesty International has also been central in promoting the distortion of international law and false claims made against Israel in the Goldstone report, including intense lobbying of the UN and the EU. With the exception of Israel and Iran, and to a lesser extent Iraq, Amnesty International does not report on Middle Eastern countries. This biased agenda ignores systemic human rights violations by the regimes in Saudi Arabia, Libya, Syria, Egypt, Gaza, and many other countries, and violates the core principle of universality in human rights. In their letter, the NGO Monitor concludes, "While Amnesty has conducted an obsessive (and inaccurate and misleading) campaign on the issue of water in the Arab-Israeli conflict, there has not been a sustained campaign on behalf of the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held in Gaza without Red Cross access for more than four years." If you would like to read the full letter to the Secretary General of Amnesty International, please go to: www.ngo-monitor.org/article/ngo_monitor_letter_to_salil_shetty_secretary...

Disgust at Greenbelt As I was compiling this report, I pondered on how many people at this year’s Greenbelt Christian Arts festival were actually supporters or influenced by groups such as Amnesty International? Well two participants this year were Steve and Monica Maltz (Steve Maltz will be the guest speaker at this year’s Beit Yeshua Conference, Gateshead in October). Steve Malts writes, "This was our first visit for some 20 years. It was interesting and challenging, but all for the wrong reasons. For me it vindicated my choice of subjects to write about, but for the 20,000 or so Christians - particularly the young and vulnerable - I fear for them, for the teaching and propaganda they received over the 4 day event. Firstly, propaganda. Greenbelt has decided to target Israel, a decision made around 3 years ago, and to highlight the plight of the Palestinians living in Gaza. That's fair enough, if a balanced view is given and their views are presented sensitively in Christian love. They decided instead to go all-out, all-guns-blazing, with a sustained attack on Israel through every way possible - talks, exhibition displays, visual aids even drama."

Apart from their own complaints, Steve states that they saw no evidence of any protests during their time there. Even during a communion service, a short film was featured - without any spiritual content - of testimonies inside Gaza. Steve Maltz writes, "Politics in a communion service! We could have been at a New Age peace camp, honestly. Do any of you remember Greenham Common? As for the THEOLOGY - don't get me started. The key speaker - drawing the largest crowds - was a Franciscan from the USA, who spoke on a "cosmic Christ", universalism and encouraging us into relativism and minimising what our Messiah Jesus did for us on the cross. His name is Richard Rohr. Do your own homework. The sad thing is that 20,000+ people (many of them seekers or new Christians) will come away thinking that Israel is the most evil nation on Earth and that that there are many roads for God, Jesus only came to show us how to protest and care for our environment." To read the full report and watch the drama greeting everyone entering the field on Sunday morning for a communion service click here: http://www.hebrewroots.com/node/659

Arab terrorists kill four at Jewish Community As you may have seen on National TV News, four Israelis were killed as terrorists opened fire at an Israeli vehicle near Kiryat Arba in Hebron on Tuesday evening. The victims include 2 men and 2 women, one being pregnant. The attack came before Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and PLO leader Abbas were set to meet in Washington for peace talks. Israeli ambulance Magen David Adom crews and IDF forces were immediately sent to the area of Hebron to provide care.

According to one MDA Spokesman, the victims included two men aged 25 and 40 and two women also aged 25 and 40. Yitzhak and Talia Ames, both age 40, leave behind six children. The other woman, Kochava Even-Chaim, leaves behind a daughter and was also pregnant with her second child at the time of the attack. Avishai Schindler was the fourth victim. The IDF was on high alert in Judea out of fear that increased attacks by Palestinians terrorist would try to increase further attacks. Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack is further evidence of why Israel must stick firmly to its security demands. Many other Israelis said it is further evidence that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas either has no control over his people or doesn't care to stop them from killing Jews, and that in either case, he is not a viable peace partner.

Reports out this week state that when Israeli-Palestinians peace talks resume in Washington on Thursday, US President Barack Obama intends to strongly press both sides to sign a peace deal, even if it can't be fully implemented. According to a leaked transcript of a conference call between Obama Administration officials and US Jewish leaders, Obama will pressure Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas to sign a framework deal now that will lead to the signing of a final status peace deal within one year. It would appear that the importance of Obama's "can he fix it, yes he can" image is far more important than the lives of those who have to live with terror 24-hours-a-day in Israel. The signing of such an agreement will give Obama the diplomatic achievement he needs to bolster his increasingly unpopular presidency. But that will do little to change the situation on the ground in Israel, as evidenced by the fact that even Obama acknowledges it can't be implemented in the short term.

Speaking about Jerusalem, and with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in the audience, PA "Minister of Religious Affairs" Mahmoud Al-Habbash in his Friday sermon threatened that "Jerusalem can ignite a thousand and one wars" and that unless Jerusalem "returns" to the Palestinians, "its owners," and unless it becomes the capital of the Palestinian people, "there is no peace."

A lesson from my olive tree Reflecting on all that I've written this week, and reading back all the comments from those who clearly oppose the people and nation of Israel, I started to feel despondent and heavy hearted. Can anyone tell me of a nation that has been so attacked, vilified, and persecuted, as much as Israel? My wife and son came back from shopping in our local town yesterday with photo's and disturbing news of pro-Palestinians waving placards demanding, "Give our Palestine back". These were displayed by girls of 18 or 19 year old who were also selling T-shirts with slogans stating "Hands off Palestine". These "kids" had probably never even set foot in Israel, but I bet they have had lots of brainwashing at local Universities, or "Greenbelt" style conventions. And yet I don't know of any other nation that has risen so brightly and brilliantly above the hatred, the scorn, and the vindictiveness as Israel.

These people who oppose Israel will talk of occupation, yet they will ignore the fact that Israel's history is steeped in blood by invading Arab armies and hordes of fanatical Islamic terrorists and murderers. They will thrust placards in shoppers faces and talk about oppression, yet will ignore how Israel rose above the heavy weight of murderous intent to develop one of the most modern and democratic nations on earth.

These groups of pro-Palestinians, liberal Christians, and other political groups will promote a tearful picture of victimised Arabs, yet completely ignore a Jewish nation that was attacked in its weakness by surrounding nations in 1948 and 1967, who still demand its eradication. They will repeatedly condemn and insult this tiny nation, yet Israel will continue to be a beacon for the future, bringing new inventions into the world. But where will Israel's help come from in this world of hate? Their help will come from the LORD, the One who called this Nation into being. He alone, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the One who will give Israel the strength, the intelligence, and the will, to suppress the external dangers while offering the olive branch of peace. Israel will remain.

In our small garden is a fledgling olive tree. Someone once told me that there is no way this little olive tree will survive. Yet like the tiny nation of Israel, this olive tree is surviving. Olive trees grow in rugged and infertile soil, yet flourish into character and beauty. And so, with the promises of God as the ground in which the Jewish nation was planted, no matter what the world may throw at Israel, the nation will survive and will still be a blessing to the world.
David Soakell

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

CFI UK Website: www.cfi.org.uk
CFI Jerusalem Website: www.cfijerusalem.org
CFI UK Young Adults website: www.isrelate.com