~ Thursday 30th June 2011 ~
Compiled by David Soakell Tel: 01642 469663 E-mail david@cfi.org.uk Website: www.cfi.org.uk

PLEASE NOTE: Due to two week’s annual leave, this will be my last News Report for three weeks. The next report will be out on 21st July 2011.

The Word: For behold, the kings assembled, they passed by together. They saw it, and so they marvelled; They were troubled, they hastened away. Fear took hold of them there… as when You break the ships of Tarshish with an east wind. As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it forever. We have thought, O God, on Your loving-kindness, in the midst of Your temple. According to Your name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. Let Mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of Your judgments… For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death. (Psalm 48:4-14)

• Pointers for prayer: As mentioned above, due to two week’s annual leave, this will be my last News Report for three weeks. The next report will be out on 21st July 2011. As the old Biblical saying goes, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41), and, as reported over the past few weeks, the battles have been on-going, especially recently with certain Christians, who are calling for Israel to give up their "Zionist" hold on "Palestine", along with Councillors, who hold the strong opinion that Israel is "an apartheid state". The correspondence has been tough, and many appear to believe that Israel operates Apartheid policies against the Palestinians. Meanwhile, as more flotillas’ approach Gaza to take action in illegal attempts to break what is a legal naval blockade under international law, the heart-wrenching scenario of the five year abduction of Gilad Shalit continues. With the Arab Middle East continuing to spark fresh troubles, we all need to remain on high alert (holiday or otherwise) with our intercession. For all who have faithfully supported our work over the past 25 years or so, and continue to intercede for Israel, please know that your faithfulness is wholly appreciated, and your acts of kindness and petitions to God have indeed pierced the heavens (The LORD... hears the prayer of the righteous (Proverbs 15:29); The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16-17).

• Who knows the power of God's anger?" Regarding the latest threats on Israel by the flotilla, Barry Shaw writes, "Please write to everyone you know about the real intentions of the flotilla people, why what they are doing is wrong for Israel, wrong for the Palestinians, and wrong for peace...". Please pray that as the flotilla approaches the waters around Israel/Gaza, that the very "fear of the Lord" would cause those on board to denounce terrorism, and acts of violence against the Jewish State.

• Please continue to pray that the Israeli government would not give in to the world's demands, and would scrap any plans of giving up Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem. However, also 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.

• It has been five years since Gilad Shalit has been captured. Please pray that the Israeli Government would do its utmost (without compromise) to bring the release of Gilad. The heart-wrenching scenario has been a point of bitter political debate within Israel, and the five year anniversary only exacerbated the situation. As a parent, I cannot even begin to imagine what Gilad Shalit’s parents have, and still are going through. Please pray for Gilad’s immediate release, and pray for strength and hope to fill his families hearts. “God on high, hear our prayer. In his need, You have always been there. He is young, he's afraid... Bring him home”.

• Finally, please do continue to pray for the truth to be revealed regarding how Israel, and in particular Gaza, are portrayed by the media. There is far too much distortion within the media, which is being blindly accepted by many people without checking the truth. Do pray into this.

Gaza Flotilla To Provoke Violent Confrontation? As I was preparing this news report, I was pondering a verse in the Scriptures. It was connected with the ships of Tarshish. The ships of Tarshish are often mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), but the meaning of the expression is not quite obvious; (see 1 Kings 10:22, Psalm 48:7 above). It is evident that "Tarshish" was some distant land from which was imported gold, silver, iron, lead, tin, etc. It is now generally agreed that "Tartessus" in Spain is referred to by the Tarshish of Scripture. Some however, presume it was in Africa. In 2 Chronicles 9:21, it is said that the ships of Tarshish returned every three years, bringing gold and silver, ivory, apes and peacocks. These are productions chiefly of India, but they might have been obtained in trade during the voyage. In Isaiah 23:1, the phrase, 'ships of Tarshish,' seems to denote ships that were bound on long voyages, and it is probable that they came to denote a particular kind of ships adapted to long voyages, in the same way as the word "Indiaman" does today. However, the precise situation of "Tarshish" is not necessary to be known in order to understand the passage here. The phrase, 'ships of Tarshish,' denotes clearly ships employed in foreign trade, along with introducing articles of commerce, and particularly of luxury. The meaning is, that God would embarrass, and destroy this commerce; that his judgments would be on their articles of luxury.

There is an interesting summery within Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 48:1-7. It states, "God made their enemies to fear Israel. The very sight of Jerusalem struck them into a consternation and gave check to their fury, as the sight of the tents of Jacob frightened Balaam from his purpose to curse Israel (Numbers 24:2): They saw it and marvelled, and hasted away... the sight of it brought to mind what they had heard concerning the special presence of God in that city and the divine protection it was under, and God impressed such terrors on their minds thereby as made them retire with precipitation. Though they were kings, though they were many in confederacy, yet they knew themselves an unequal match for Omnipotence, and therefore fear came upon them, and pain... God can dispirit the stoutest of his enemies... The defeat hereby given to their designs upon Jerusalem is compared to the dreadful work made with a fleet of ships by a violent storm, when some are split, others shattered, all dispersed (v. 7)... The terrors of God are compared to an east wind (Job 27:20-21); these shall put them into confusion, and break all their measures. Who knows the power of God's anger?" Today, many ships are coming against the people and nation of Israel, under the disguise of bringing alleged "humanitarian aid" to Gaza. As you read the report here, please pray that as the flotilla approaches the waters around Israel/Gaza, the very "fear of the Lord" would cause those on board to denounce terrorism, and acts of violence against the Jewish State.

As you will recall, last year, anti-Israel extremists and Turkish jihadists organised a flotilla to violate Israel’s naval blockade of Hamas-controlled Gaza. The Israeli Navy redirected five of the boats to the Israeli port of Ashdod without incident. However, those on the sixth boat refused to cooperate. When Israeli officers boarded the ship, the Turks brutally attacked them with knives, metal bars, and guns. Nine on board were killed. Once again, the same anti-Israel extremists are attempting another international flotilla battle against Israel. According to reports, an estimated 10 to 15 ships with 1,000 to 4,000 passengers from 32 countries, purportedly to bring “humanitarian goods” aim to “break” the blockade to Gaza. This time however international leaders, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, have urged the organisers to cancel the flotilla. The wise words however have been ignored.

The problems within Gaza of course are not helped by shoddy reporting, or journalists quoting only “Palestinian sources”. Nor is this situation helped when Political leaders such as David Cameron go on record by describing Gaza as a "prison camp". And we certainly should be concerned by the announcement that among those sailing on the flotilla to Gaza are journalists representing mainstream media, including the New York Times and camera crews from CNN and CBS. What are the real reasons behind these media crews being on an illegal mission? Have they simply believed the lie that Gaza is the most destitute place on earth, and that the people there live in abject poverty and despair? Or is there something more sinister behind their actions? And even if they get the opportunity to see the truth regarding the fact that Gaza is no better or worse off than any other Islamic Arab state, will they actually report it? After all, the stories of “suffering” sell more newspapers and advertising slots. Yet as I reported last week, the truth that Gaza is really no worse off than anywhere else in the Middle East has been revealed in a series of photographs showing local residents of Gaza enjoying the opening of their new water amusement park, which features massive water slides, rides for children and luscious green lawns ~ all located in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, which is often referred to by mainstream media outlets as a "refugee camp." The set of photos posted on the news site Rotter.net are proof of this, and even Egyptian journalist Ashraf Abu al-Houl has written following a tour of Gaza that “A sense of absolute prosperity prevails, as manifested by the grand resorts along and near Gaza’s coast. Further, the site of the merchandise and luxuries filling the Gaza shops amazed me.”

However, the fact regarding the latest flotilla to Gaza is that, according to international and customary law, Israel has the legal right to impose a land and naval blockade on Hamas-controlled Gaza. Hamas is openly dedicated to Israel’s destruction, and has been in an on-going aggressive state of armed conflict against Israel and has fired over 10,000 rockets into civilian towns and areas of Israel. Due to these terrorist actions, Israel has the legal right and responsibility to protect its citizens by inspecting goods entering Gaza to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas. If the only intention of the flotilla organisers is to aid and support Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organisation by members of the international community, including the U.S., Canada, Israel, the EU, Japan, and Jordan ~ due to Hamas’ founding document calling for the murder of Jews, the “obliteration” of Israel, and Israel’s replacement with an Islamist theocracy ~ then any action taken by the members of the flotilla is illegal. If however, the real aim is to provide “humanitarian aid” to Gaza residents, then they can legally do this by docking in Ashdod/Haifa, and transferring the goods onto IDF (Israel Defence Force) vehicles, which will then transport the goods, after being checked for weapons, into Gaza. Israel has repeatedly offered to deliver goods, though the Flotilla organisers have refused to comply.

However, as reported in previous News Reports, the majority of people within Gaza are not facing a humanitarian emergency that justifies breaching the blockade. Humanitarian and consumer goods enter Gaza on a daily basis; in fact, nearly 6,000 tons of food, fuel, materials and other supplies are transferred into the Gaza Strip on a daily basis. Yet does the delivery of goods ever turn into a media frenzy? Indeed when was the last time you heard the Western Media report such issues? Even UN officials have repeatedly confirmed that there is an ample supply of food and consumer goods. Israel only limits the entry of dual-purpose goods that could be used for weapons. International statistics indicate that the people of Gaza actually have a higher standard of living than people in nearly all of Africa, including South Africa, as well as parts of Asia and the Middle East. In fact, Gaza faces a glut of goods, not a shortage of goods, according to recent press reports.

On the issue of the “Blame game”, rather than condemning Israel, those who would truly desire to bless the Arabs within Gaza, should speak out against the Hamas group, who have chosen war against Israel instead of peaceful co-existence. The true message needs to told... Hamas has imposed a repressive, dictatorial, fundamentalist regime on its own people within Gaza, and has gone even as far as murdering its political rivals. The other issue that needs to be exposed is that if flotilla organisers were true “peace and human rights” activists, they would not go to Gaza but to Tunisia, Libya or Syria, where the brutal Assad regime has arrested, tortured, and murdered thousands of freedom-seeking demonstrators and has caused thousands of others to become refugees. The truth needs to be told... after all, the flotilla organisers are deliberately violating one of the most fundamental human rights, that is, a nation’s right and responsibility to protect itself from enemies hell-bent on murdering its citizens and destroying its state... and U.S. President Barack Obama, should listen to his own speeches, after all, on 1st May 2011, he stated, “As a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed. We will be relentless in defence of our citizens.” He expects this of his own, yet demands Israel give in to terrorism and reward the Arabs with yet another Muslim state in the heartland of Israel?

Meanwhile, as the world’s media start to focus on yet more “harsh conditions suffered by unnecessary flotilla's, it appears to ignore the fact that the Arab world holds about seventy per cent of world proven reserve of crude oil. So, while the Muslim world goes up in flames with any uprising, manufacturing countries of the industrialised countries of the world, e.g. the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the United States of America, Canada, China, Japan and South Korea will have to produce their products at much higher cost and this will only fuel global inflation that excludes no country on our planet. The Middle East uprising could have changed the political landscape in the Arab world for ever. The possible outcomes range from pro-democracy groups taking over in these countries could in turn nurture the feeling of self-empowerment in the people, that could hopefully translate to a higher level of patriotism and love for their own countries and the leaders elected in such a circumstances... but don’t hold your breath.

With the Islamic uprising bringing much death and destruction throughout the Middle East, and with the Muslim Brotherhood threatening to use democracy to destroy democracy, the future doesn’t look too bright. Add to that the violence by insurgents in Afghanistan over the weekend which killed dozens of people, including an 8-year-old girl used as a suicide bomber, and mind-set and history of the militant Islamic culture doesn’t exactly breed hope. Hamas in Gaza have used the same practice that was seen over the weekend as an 8-year-old girl was tricked by the Taliban to carry a bag containing a bomb that was set off remotely as the girl neared a police vehicle on Sunday in the remote village of Uwshi in central Char Chino district. Police said only the girl died in the explosion. Police official Fazal Ahmad Shirzad said he believed the girl was not aware the bag she was carrying contained a bomb. The death toll from the bombing on Saturday at a small hospital in south-eastern Logar province rose to 37. Another 53 were wounded in that attack.

Anti-flotilla Situation Room in Herzlia, Israel More on the flotilla situation... and as I was putting this report together, Barry Shaw contacted me to inform me that he is helping organise the anti-flotilla Situation Room in Herzlia, Israel. Barry Shaw has a growing team of savvy social media activists who are spreading the Israeli message on the flotilla worldwide in different languages. Barry is now asking for your immediate help and action even before the flotilla meets the Israeli navy. If you can, would you please inform people of the truth regarding this situation. Barry Shaw writes, “Please write to everyone you know about the real intentions of the flotilla people, why what they are doing is wrong for Israel, wrong for the Palestinians, and wrong for peace by using the material you can find on the website www.proisraeli.org and go to Like for Israel page on Facebook.”

Barry continues, "Feel free to send links to other people and to join us on Facebook. Please do this now. Do not wait for the maritime confrontation. If you need more info, or have questions, feel free to contact me by email (theviewfromisrael@gmail.com) or on my Facebook page. We are using the 48 hours before the confrontation with the Israeli navy to delegitimise the flotilla. Here are some examples of ideas you can expand on; 1. THERE IS NO HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN GAZA. The International Red Cross have said so. 2. THE FLOTILLA ACTIVISTS ARE DELEGITIMISING THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY. By their highlighting Gaza they are supporting HAMAS and causing a political crisis in Palestinian society. Their actions are not good for Israel, not good for Palestinians, and do no good for peace. 3. FLOTILLA ACTIVISTS ARE CRIMINALS. The Gaza blockade is legal. International law says so. The flotilla activists are knowingly setting out to break the law and commit an illegal act.”

Bring him home Having celebrated 22 years of marriage earlier this month, Julia bought me a wonderful album with “Bring Him Home”, one of the songs from Les Miserables soundtrack by the nation's favourite tenor, Alfie Boe. Back in April, there was a silent protest on Ben Yehuda Street using this song in a 5 minutes freeze for Gilad Shalit . Jerusalem April 2011. The lyrics of this song are so fitting for Gilad Shalit as they state, “God on high, hear my prayer, in my need, You have always been there. He is young, he's afraid, let him rest, heaven blessed... Bring him peace, bring him joy, he is young, he is only a boy. You can take, You can give, Let him be, Let him live... If I die, let me die, let him live, bring him home.” Saturday, 25th June 2011 marked the fifth anniversary of the abduction of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by Gaza-based Palestinian terrorist forces. Shalit was captured during a daring cross-border raid by the terrorists into southern Israel. Two other young soldiers were killed and five more were wounded at the time.

What was so sickening about this attack, and many others like it, was the fact that just one year earlier, Israel had fully surrendered Gaza to the Palestinians, all in the “name of peace”. During his captivity, the Hamas-aligned terrorists holding him have denied Gilad Shalit the most basic rights guaranteed by the Geneva Conventions. The heart-wrenching scenario has been a point of bitter political debate within Israel, and the five year anniversary only exacerbated the situation. Shalit's understandably frustrated family on Saturday chained themselves to the fence outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem. Despite the fact that Shalit was abducted during former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's role in office, the Shalit's blame Netanyahu's refusal to meet terrorist demands for their son's continued captivity. On the fifth anniversary of his kidnapping in Israel, the Red Cross in Gaza finally ask Hamas to show signs that Gilad Shalit remains alive. A Palestinian mob attacked the Red Cross Head Quarters in response.

In Israel, thousands of people participated in a protest rally on Monday calling for the release of Gilad Shalit, concluding the second day of the 12-day protest march in Kiryat Motzkin, a city in the Haifa District of northern Israel. Zvi Shalit, Gilad's grandfather, urged the government to announce its commitment to the release of his grandson, so "we can shorten this long and tiring march." Noam Shalit, Gilad's father, said that he and his family were touched by the number of supporters that arrived at the rally. "We expected hundreds of people and thousands came, which encourages us and strengthens us," Noam Shalit said. "I call on the nation of Israel to join us on the rest of our journey." Earlier Monday, the protest march started its second day as participants gathered for a ceremony at a memorial park in Acre. About 1,000 people joined the Shalit family as Acre's Chief Rabbi Yosef Yashar addressed them, who expressed support of the city's residents. "We are calling out to the prime minister: Gilad's life is dearer to us than despicable Hamas prisoners, even if they have blood on their hands. Show leadership." Noam Shalit also responded to talk that several ministers were planning to join the protest march and said, "We are happy to be joined by any minister, but this needs to be backed up by results. We are aware of the 'price' and that terrorists will be freed, but we expect results after four years."

Meanwhile... back in Gaza This week I received an article from Linda Gradstein, a reporter for NPR and contributor to the Washington Post. Linda Gradstein writes about the way Hamas are enforcing radical Islam upon the residents of Gaza. In her article, Gradstein interviews Fatma Ashour ~ who is not your typical women of Gaza. At 32, Ashour is single and a lawyer with her own office. Ashur, who wears the traditional Islamic headscarf, says it is not easy to be a woman in Gaza and describes a pattern of discrimination and even violence against women. “If I walk down the street and I am wearing [trousers] instead of the traditional dress, men will call me a prostitute.” Fatma Ashur, who grew up in the more liberal Egypt, said ruefully. “I can’t do a lot of things that I want to. I can’t go swimming. I can’t ride a bicycle. I can’t smoke a water pipe in a restaurant. I can’t even walk with a male colleague.” Last year, Gaza’s Islamist Hamas rulers announced that female lawyers must wear the headscarf and traditional dress known as the jilbab to appear in court. Ashour stayed home for three months in protest. Eventually, Hamas repealed the ban, but other directives, like making it illegal for women to smoke a water pipe in public, remain in force.

According to Khalil Shaheen, the director of the economic and social welfare department at the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), Gaza is a traditional society, and only an estimated 11-13% of women work outside the home. “Women’s rights are deteriorating day by day and there is growing violence against women,” he said. “There is a culture of fear in Gaza.” According to the report, Islamic law, which is enforced in custody cases in Gaza, mandates that fathers are given custody for boys older than age 7 and girls older than 9. If a divorced woman remarries, she must immediately give up her children, regardless of their age. These laws, combined with women’s lack of independent financial resources often keep women in unhappy marriages. Shaheen says Gaza mental health centre's are reporting more cases of verbal and physical abuse of women. Numbering about 2,000, Christians face great difficulties in Gaza. Legally, their right to worship is protected, but any suspected evangelism has been harshly stopped. In 2007, Rami Ayyad, the Baptist owner of a Gaza bookstore was killed after his bookstore was fire-bombed. Islamic extremists took responsibility and accused him of missionary activity. Most Christians in Gaza are Greek Orthodox. They see themselves as an integral part of the Palestinian nation. Some have complained they are uncomfortable with Hamas’s directives against women and feel social pressure to wear the veil, even though they are not Muslims.

In related news, there was a large explosion in Gaza City near a United Nations compound and Hamas offices this week. The blast tore a 6 foot hole through a wall surrounding the UN building. A BBC reporter at the scene said the blast had been caused by an explosive device. There have been no reports of casualties. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the explosion. Security forces in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory have cordoned off the area and denied access to journalists. How long before reports start to blame Israel I wonder?

And finally... a youthful call to come to Israel The young adults website of Christian Friends of Israel (Isrelate) are very excited to be teaming up with Revelation TV and supporting their November tour to Israel. Please do pass this onto your church youth etc. You can find out all the details on Isrelate.com by clicking here: http://www.isrelate.com/pages/1294/ The tour will be going to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Galilee and lots more places across the country. They'll cover it all, and at a great price too. There's also loads more to check out on Isrelate.com including some great new videos. Don't forget you can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

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.net
CFI UK Young Adults website: http://www.isrelate.com/
Kesher Website: www.keshercourse.co.uk
Read the report online at Steve Maltz's Saltshakers http://www.saltshakers.com/