>> REMINDER: “Wake Up Call” webcast event on September 11th
>> UPDATE: New Washington Post editorial warns Iran nuclear threat growing, not dimming
More than ever, Israel needs leaders like the “sons of Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” (I Chronicles 12:32, NIV) Israel also needs faithful friends who will show unconditional love and unwavering support for the Jewish people, while also showing love and compassion towards the Palestinians. These are increasingly difficult times for Israel, and Christians around the world need to be even more faithful in prayer for peace and more determined to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, as The Joshua Fund seeks to do faithfully every day, with your help.
Evidence of a gathering storm continues to mount in the epicenter. Consider the latest:
- “Recent revolutions in the Arab world and the deteriorating ties with Turkey are raising the likelihood of a regional war in the Middle East, IDF Home Front Command Chief, Major General Eyal Eisenberg warned Monday,” reports Ynet News. “‘It looks like the Arab Spring, but it can also be a radical Islamic winter,’ he said in a speech at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.”
- “‘This leads us to the conclusion that through a long-term process, the likelihood of an all-out war is increasingly growing,’ the IDF general said. ‘Iran has not abandoned its nuclear program. The opposite it true; it continues full steam ahead,’ he said. ‘In Egypt, the army is collapsing under the burden of regular security operations, and this is reflected in the loss of control in the Sinai and the turning of the border with Israel into a terror border, with the possibility that Sinai will fall under the control of an Islamic entity.'”
- “Referring to what he characterized as the possibility of a ‘radical Islamic winter,’ Major-General Eisenberg said: ‘This raises the likelihood of an all-out, total war, with the possibility of weapons of mass destruction being used.'”
- A new U.N. report (the “Palmer Report”) investigating Israel’s conduct regarding the Gaza flotilla from Turkey has — surprisingly — actually vindicated the actions of the Israeli military. “Here’s a story for the man-bites-dog folder: The United Nations has conducted another inquiry into an Israeli military operation—and produced a report that mainly vindicates the Jewish state. And here, alas, is a story for the dog-bites-man folder: The Turkish government has responded to the U.N. report by withdrawing its ambassador from Tel Aviv and expelling Israel’s from Ankara. The Palmer report—named for the inquiry’s chairman, former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer—was commissioned by the U.N.’s Secretary General to investigate the May 2010 ‘flotilla incident,’ when six ships sailing from Turkey to Gaza on an alleged humanitarian mission were boarded by Israeli commandos enforcing a naval blockade of Gaza. Nine passengers were killed (and several Israeli soldiers badly beaten) in the ensuing melee, sparking a crisis in Jerusalem’s already frayed relations with Ankara.”
- Yet tensions with Turkey are mounting.
- This week, Turkey expelled Israel’s Ambasador.
- Yesterday, Turkey cut off all trade ties with Israel.
- Meanwhile, evidence continues to mount that Iran is working on nuclear weapons. “The U.N. nuclear agency said Wednesday it is ‘increasingly concerned’ about a stream of intelligence suggesting that Iran continues to work secretly on developing a nuclear payload for a missile and other components of a nuclear weapons program,” reports the Associated Press. “In its report, the International Atomic Energy Agency said ‘many member states’ are providing evidence for that assessment, describing the information it is receiving as credible, ‘extensive and comprehensive.’ The restricted 9-page report was made available Friday to The Associated Press, shortly after being shared internally with the 35 IAEA member nations and the U.N. Security Council.”
- And the Palestinian leadership continues to wage an all-out effort to isolate and delegitimize Israel, while seeking the U.N. General Assembly to vote for unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state later this month.
Please continue to pray for the Lord to protect Israel and give her leaders wisdom at this time. Please also consider making a financial contribution to the work of The Joshua Fund as we educate and mobilize Christians around the world to bless Israel and her neighbors, as well as provide humanitarian relief to the poor and needy in the epicenter.
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>> With Iran threat rising, The Tehran Initiative launches on October 18th