Because today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I am reposting an article and video that The Joshua Fund published in 2009.

>> SHORT VIDEO REPORT FROM AUSCHWITZ

(December 9, 2009) — In November, after teaching on Bible prophecy and God’s love for Israel and the Jewish people at a wonderful, pro-Israel evangelical church in Germany, I had the opportunity to travel to Krakow, Poland with the pastor of that church and his wife, and a dear pastor friend from the U.S., and his wife. Together, the five of us spent a day touring the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps not far from Krakow. None of us had ever been there before. None of us will ever forget the experience. More than 1.3 million prisoners were brought to the camps by the Nazis during World War II. Of those, 1.1 million were exterminated in the gas chambers and the crematoria. One million were Jews. So many of them were children.

It is difficult to describe my emotions as a Jewish person as I stood inside one of the Nazi gas chambers. Or walked through rooms filled with enormous glass cases filled with human hair. And glasses. And shoes. And suitcases from all over Europe. How can one explain the inexplicable? With the help of my eldest son, Caleb, I’ve produced this short video report from Auschwitz to share with you, at least, some of the images that my colleagues and I saw at the camps. At the end of the video, you’ll also see an excerpt of a speech that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered in 2010. He said that the prophecies of Ezekiel 37 regarding the “Valley of the Dry Bones” were fulfilled during the Holocaust and the subsequent resurrection of the State of Israel. I couldn’t agree more. I hope you’ll take a moment to watch the video and encourage your friends and family to watch it as well.

My time at Auschwitz raised many sobering questions. Among them: Why was the world silent for so long? Why didn’t the U.S. and the allies take decisive action to stop Hitler before it was nearly too late? Why didn’t the Church do more to rescue Jews? As difficult as these questions are to answer, more difficult still are these: Why is much of the world largely silent again today as Radical Muslims in Tehran and elsewhere in the Middle East threaten to annihilate Israel and the Jewish people? Why are the U.S. and our allies refusing to take decisive action now to neutralize the Iran nuclear threat before it’s too late?

That said, I am glad to be able to report some good news: More and more Christians are repenting for the Church’s sins against the Jewish people in the past. The Church is mobilizing today to bless Israel and the Jewish people in ways that to her shame she did not in the 1930s and 1940s. More followers of Jesus Christ are hearing and heeding the call to learn, pray, give and go to the work of the Lord and caring for Holocaust survivors today than ever before. More Christians are helping persecuted Jews immigrate to Israel than ever before. More Christians are helping to feed and clothe the poor and needy in Israel than ever before. More Christians are visiting the Holy Land and meeting Israelis and learning about the past, present, and the future of the Promised Land and the Chosen people than ever before. Not all. And not enough. But more than ever. This is good, but more must be done. Evil is rising once again. Israel faces existential threats. The world is increasingly turning a blind eye to the fate of the Jews. Now evangelical Christians are the best friends that Israel and the Jewish people have. We cannot undo the past. But we can ask the Lord to forgive us and ask Him for the courage to be faithful to the Scriptures and to the Jewish people in the times in which we live. We can bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, according to Genesis 12:1-3. We can show unconditional love and unwavering support, come what may. This is the heart of The Joshua Fund. That’s what our work is all about. And visiting Auschwitz was another powerful reminder to me personally that this work is more vital and urgent than ever.

As 2011 ends, therefore, I see the gathering storm on the horizon, but I am not frightened or discouraged. I know the God of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. I know He is moving powerfully. I know the Lord is taking what man meant for evil and turning it for good. Indeed, the Lord is moving powerfully to care for His people, Israel, and turn their hearts back to Him and His Word. And for this reason I rejoice. I look forward to 2012. I’m determined to stay the course, and I hope and pray that you will be, too.

“Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it,” declares the Lord.’”(Ezekiel 37:11-14)

Photo from the U.S. Holocaust Museum.

UPDATED: Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. All over the world, Jews and Christians and many others are remembering the most catastrophic event in the history of modern Judaism — the systematic murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime during World War II. 

Today is also the 69th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp by the Soviet Red Army on January 27th, 1944.

Sadly, too many people — especially young people — don’t really know what happened. They’ve never been taught. Or they’ve not paid attention. But we must never forget. If you’re a Christian — and especially if you’re a pastor or Christian leader — may I especially appeal to you to use this year to learn more and teach more about the Holocaust, and to find ways to bless survivors, as well as to bless Israel and the Jewish people with the love of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?

As readers of this blog know, I am personally making 2014 a year of both of remembering the Holocaust and sharing its history and lessons with others. This will involve releasing The Auschwitz Escape; doing radio and TV interviews about the novel and the true stories that inspired it; speaking at various schools, conferences and churches; meeting with Holocaust survivors to hear their experiences; finding ways to do more to care for survivors in Israel who are poor and needy; visiting the U.S. Holocaust Museum; visiting Yad Vashem in Israel; encouraging Christian leaders to do more to teach the lessons of the Holocaust; encouraging joint events with Jewish and Christian leaders; and using plays and books and films and other resources to teach my own four sons about what happened and why.

There are many ways you can remember what happened and to help others to remember and learn vital lessons. Here are a few possibilities:

* Watch Schindler’s List with family and friends — Use discretion with younger children, but it’s a film every person must see. “Experience one of the most historically significant films of all time like never before with the 20th Anniversary Limited Edition of Steven Spielberg’s cinematic masterpiece, Schindler’s List. Winner of seven Academy Awardsr including Best Picture and Best Director, this incredible true story follows the enigmatic Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), who saved the lives of more than 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust. It is the triumph of one man who made a difference and the drama of those who survived one of the darkest chapters in human history because of what he did. Meticulously restored from the original film negative in pristine high definition and supervised by Steven Spielberg, Schindler’s List is a powerful story whose lessons of courage and faith continue to inspire generations.” (Amazon description)

* Read The Hiding Place or watch The Hiding Place film with family and friends — “Corrie ten Boom was a woman admired the world over for her courage, her forgiveness, and her memorable faith. In World War II, she and her family risked their lives to help Jews escape the Nazis, and their reward was a trip to Hitler’s concentration camps. But she survived and was released-as a result of a clerical error-and now shares the story of how faith triumphs over evil. For thirty-five years Corrie’s dramatic life story, full of timeless virtues, has prepared readers to face their own futures with faith, relying on God’s love to overcome, heal, and restore. Now releasing in a thirty-fifth anniversary edition for a new generation of readers, The Hiding Place tells the riveting story of how a middle-aged Dutch watchmaker became a heroine of the Resistance, a survivor of Hitler’s death camps, and one of the most remarkable evangelists of the twentieth century.” (Amazon description)

* Read Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl with your children, or watch the 1959 film, The Diary of Anne Frank — “Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has since become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit. In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annex” of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.” (Amazon description)

* Read Night by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel on your own, or with your family — “Night is Elie Wiesel’s masterpiece, a candid, horrific, and deeply poignant autobiographical account of his survival as a teenager in the Nazi death camps. This new translation by Marion Wiesel, Elie’s wife and frequent translator, presents this seminal memoir in the language and spirit truest to the author’s original intent. And in a substantive new preface, Elie reflects on the enduring importance of Night and his lifelong, passionate dedication to ensuring that the world never forgets man’s capacity for inhumanity to man. Night offers much more than a litany of the daily terrors, everyday perversions, and rampant sadism at Auschwitz and Buchenwald; it also eloquently addresses many of the philosophical as well as personal questions implicit in any serious consideration of what the Holocaust was, what it meant, and what its legacy is and will be.” (Amazon description)

COVERAGE:

• Half of Knesset in Poland for Holocaust memorial (Times of Israel)
• Herzog at Auschwitz calls on Jews to always be self-reliant (Jerusalem Post)
• Israeli Knesset delegation holds memorial service at  Auschwitz death camp — Prior to historic Knesset meeting on Polish soil, politicians take part in International Holocaust Remembrance Day observance at site of death of more than a million Jews (Ynet News)

RESOURCES:

• Yad Vashem
• U.S. Holocaust Museum

>> New novel, “The Auschwitz Escape,” will release March 18th. Inspired by true story of the greatest escape of all-time — learn more, or pre-order here.

So often there are war or rumors of wars to report from the Middle East. But this week Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a fascinating speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It was chock full of good news.

You can read it here, or watch it here.

Several elements caught my attention.

• One: Netanyahu said “Israel is the epicenter of world innovation right now.”
• Two: The Prime Minister cited the Bible as one of the reason’s for the strength of the Jewish people and the Israeli economy.
• Three: He gave interesting examples of Israeli innovation — including how scarce water resources has inspired Israelis to develop the world’s most advance technologies for re-using water, and how scarce agricultural land has inspired Israelis to learn how to get more milk out of every cow (“Whose cows produce the most milk? Don’t guess: it’s Israel. It’s a computerized cow. Every ‘moo’ is computerized and we increased the productivity.”)

I encourage you to read or watch it for yourself.

Excerpts from a Jerusalem Post story about the speech:

• Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Thursday at the Davos World Economic Forum that investing in the Israeli economy is a way to facilitate peace in the region.
• In a speech that largely focused on the strength of Israel as a hub for innovation, as well as research and development, Netanyahu said that the advancement of the Israeli economy would help Israel’s Arab neighbors, specifically the Palestinians.
• The prime minister stated that “Israel is not what’s wrong in the Middle East, it is what’s right with the Middle East.”….
• The premier used his remarks to praise his country’s economic prowess, which he credited to “the indispensable element of entrepreneurship” as well as “sound macroeconomic policies.”
• “Israel is often called the ‘start-up nation,’ but I call it the ‘innovation nation,'” Netanyahu said.
• The premier touted an economic policy of “cutting taxes and removing barriers to competition so that the private sector could run forward and compete.”
• Netanyahu said that in the ten years since he took over as finance minister during the administration of Ariel Sharon, Israel managed to bring down the debt-to-GDP ratio to 67 percent while reducing inflation and cutting down unemployment.
• The premier said that Israel’s small size and the Jewish culture of “asking questions” has contributed to the country’s strong economic performance.
• “From the Talmud to Einstein, Jewish people were always asking questions,” the prime minister said. “The questioning mind is something in our culture and adds very much to our capacities. We’re very small, everything is close by, and everyone competes and collaborates with each other.”
• “This is an invitation to innovation nation, it’s open for business, it’s open for your business, please come join us,” he stated.

CNN’s Fareed Zakaria interviews Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

“In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani forcefully asserted that Iran would not destroy its nuclear centrifuges ‘under any circumstances,'” reports the Washington Beacon. “Rouhani’s comments come just days after the U.S. and Iran began to implement a deal which the White House claims will scale back Iran’s nuclear program. The Obama administration claims the goal of the deal is to prevent a nuclear Iran, yet Rouhani’s comments show Iran views the deal much differently.”

“Reacting to Rouhani’s position, Zakaria told CNN that the Iranian President’s comments struck him as a ‘train wreck,'” the Beacon reported.

“This strikes me as a train wreck. This strikes me as a huge obstacle because the Iranian conception of what the deal is going to look like and the American conception now look like they are miles apart,” Zakaria said.

Below is a full transcript of the exchange:

HASSAN ROUHANI: So in the context of nuclear technology, particularly of research and development and peaceful nuclear technology, we will not accept any limitations. And in accordance with the parliament law, in the future, we’re going to need 20,000 mega watts of nuclear produced electricity and we’re determined to get it at the hands of our Iranian scientists. And we are going to follow on this path.

FAREED ZAKARIA: So there would be no destruction of centrifuges?

ROUHANI: Not under any circumstances. Not under any circumstances.

CHRIS CUOMO: I mean, Fareed, what is the deal? That’s supposed to be the whole underpinning of moving forward from the United States perspective is that they scale back, they dismantle, all this stuff we’ve been hearing. How do you interpret what you just heard from the president?

ZAKARIA: Well, I was as struck by it as you were, Chris. This strikes me as a train wreck. This strikes me as potentially a huge obstacle because the Iranian conception of what the deal is going to look like and the American conception now look like they are miles apart. The Iranian conception seems to be they produce as much nuclear energy as they want, but it is a civilian program and you can have as much monitoring and inspections as you want. The American position is that they have to very substantially scale back the enrichment of uranium and the production of centrifuges. For the first time you have the president of Iran unequivocally saying there will be no destruction of centrifuges. He also made clear in the interview with me that the two heavy water reactors would continue in operation. So this seems like — you know, this is stillborn — I’m not even quite sure what they’re going to talk about if these are the opening positions. And it’s very hard to walk back from as absolutist a position as the president of Iran laid out.

Egyptian police officers and firefighters gather at the Egyptian police headquarters after a blast in downtown Cairo on Friday, January 24, 2014. (photo credit: AP/Khalil Hamra)

>> Fourth bombing hits Cairo

Earlier this week, this column suggested we keep a close eye on the Egyptian-born terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri in 2014, and argued that the al Qaeda network he leads is on the rise, rather than in retreat as the U.S. administration has argued.

This morning we got a fresh reminder of just how much the al Qaeda world is on the move.

“Three bombings hit high-profile areas around Cairo on Friday, including a suicide car bomber who struck the city’s police headquarters, killing five people in the first major attack on the Egyptian capital as insurgents step up a campaign of violence following the ouster of the Islamist president,” reports the Associated Press.

“An al-Qaeda-inspired group called Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or the Champions of Jerusalem, claimed responsibility for the first attack on its Twitter page,” noted AP. “The attacks bore the hallmarks of the Islamic extremist group that has increasingly targeted police and the military since the July 3 coup against Mohammed Morsi and a fierce crackdown on his supporters led by the Muslim Brotherhood.”

“The explosions struck as the country was on high alert ahead of the third anniversary of the January 25 start of the 2011 uprising that toppled autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak,” the AP added. “Morsi’s supporters had vowed to use the event to gain momentum in their efforts turn to a new momentum to ‘break the coup.’ Friday’s violence began when a suicide bomber rammed a car into cement blocks surrounding the main Egyptian police headquarters in the heart of Cairo, killing at least four people and sending billows of black smoke into the sky. The blast also tore through nearby buildings, including the renowned Museum of Islamic Art.”

Please pray for the people of Cairo.

Sadly, I suspect there is more al Qaeda violence to come there, and throughout the region.

LATEST UPDATES:

• Egypt violence: Deadly blasts hit police in Cairo — 5 dead, 90 wounded (BBC)
• Cairo blasts send worrisome message on eve of Tahrir anniversary — Five policemen were killed in attacks on Cairo’s police headquarters and two other locales Friday. The bombings come amid deep polarization as the military-led transition moves forward (CSM)

Publishers Weekly, the industry trade magazine and website, just posted the first review of my forthcoming novel, The Auschwitz Escape.

“The strong religious conviction evident in Rosenberg’s previous novels (Damascus Countdown), which were focused on the Middle East and Muslim-Western relations, is reflected in his latest book—a work of historical fiction, about a heroic escape from the Nazis.

“Luc, a French pastor, who is sentenced to the Auschwitz death camp for helping Jews, joins forces with Jacob, a Jewish man sent to the camp after his attempt to hijack a train bound for Auschwitz fails. Together they plan to escape to tell an unbelieving world about the Holocaust.

“During the escape, the two form a strong bond, learning about each other’s faith and doubts. When Jacob questions why Luc has joined the Resistance, the pastor responds, ‘The real question is “Why aren’t all the Christians here?”‘

“Rosenberg has done what he does best: create believable characters set in a political milieu and also in religious context, acting on conviction or exploiting religion for selfish or evil ends.

“This is Rosenberg’s most deeply moving work to date.”

>> To learn more about the book, read an excerpt, or to pre-order your copy (releasing March 18th), please click here.

Stephen Harper shakes hands with King Abdullah II of Jordan at the Royal Palace in Amman on January 23 , 2014 prior to their meeting. (Photo credit: AFP)

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper made his first state visit to Jordan today, meeting with King Abdullah II, and announcing new humanitarian relief support for Canada’s most important Arab ally. Harper and his wife, Laureen, and part of their Canadian delegation have just completed a four-day visit to Israel. They will spend Thursday and Friday in Jordan.

It’s a smart move. Here’s why.

Canada’s evangelical Christian Prime Minister has developed very warm and close ties to the Israelis. Indeed, as I have noted often, Harper is the most pro-Israel leader on the planet.

That’s good, but it not enough. Now it’s vital that he forge deep ties with Jordan’s monarch.

Abdullah is the most moderate, peaceful and strategically-savvy Reformer/leader in the Arab world. He is building upon the extraordinary legacy of his father, the late-King Hussein, who battled Radicals, worked closely with Britain and the U.S., and forged a peace treaty with Israel in 1994. But Abdullah faces enormously serious challenges — a small territory, no oil, few other natural resources, a highly-educated population but not enough economic growth, extremist groups that want to topple his regime, and fellow Arab leaders who don’t all appreciate his moderate, pro-Western approach, especially with regards to peace with the Jewish “cousins” next door.

The fact is: King Abdullah and his nation need all the sincere, smart, principled friends and allies they can get. Harper and his nation are ideally suited to be such friends, and build a long-term relationship that can benefit both countries.

• Canada has oil and natural gas that could be a blessing to Jordan.
• Canada has high-tech businesses that can invest and expand into the Jordanian economy, creating jobs.
• Canadians should be encouraged to take tours both to Israel and to Jordan.
• Canadians are moderate, peaceful people who want to help build a stable, secure Middle East.

So Harper was right to plan two-days in Jordan on this trip to the epicenter. He sees the opportunity, and my early sense is that he is moving wisely.

“Harper began [the visit] with a roundtable discussion that included a variety of business officials,” reported The Canadian Press. “Harper, who was accompanied by International Trade Minister Ed Fast, made brief remarks about the importance of the Canadian-Jordanian relationship. Others at the roundtable included Nayef Stetieh, the president of the Jordanian-Canadian Business Association and Royal Jordanian Airlines chairman H.E. Nasser Lozi. Harper then had lunch with the king in an ornate room at the royal palace overlooking Amman….atri refugee camp, which is home to tens of thousands of Syrian refugees who have fled their country.”

“Canada is providing $100-million to Jordan to help it deal with the influx of refugees from Syria — with much of the money going towards propping up the country’s overloaded child education system,” reports the National Post. “The announcement was made Thursday by Prime Minister Stephen Harper after a meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II.”

“Jordan continues to show compassion and generosity by receiving Syrian refugees fleeing the crisis in their country,” Harper said in a prepared statement. “Our government is committed to helping them address the challenges posed by the Syrian conflict. The support announced today will help ensure that all children in Jordan, whether local or refugees, have access to a proper education.”

“Since the civil war began in Syria, about 576,000 refugees have fled to Jordan and now comprise about nine per cent of the country’s total population. This has put a tremendous strain on Jordan’s financial resources,” the Post noted. “Some of those refugees have ended up in massive tent camps while many others have ended up in Jordanian cities.”…..

The Post also reported that:

• The new funds promised Thursday are in addition to previously announced Canadian commitments for Jordan which include:
• $110-million to support development projects to ease the impact in Jordan of the refugee crisis, in areas such as health.
• 41.6-million for Jordan to mitigate the threat posed by Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons.
• $26.4-million for humanitarian assistance projects in Jordan, with the funds being delivered through bodies such as the United Nations, and the Red Cross movement. The money is spent in areas such as emergency shelter, food, nutrition, clean water and sanitation.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian-born leader of al Qaeda.

(Washington, D.C.) — This is the third in a series of columns on key leaders in the epicenter we should be keeping an eye on in 2014.

1) The first leader on my list was Jordan’s King Abdullah II — a fascinating Arab Reformer, the son of a bold Reformer, actively trying to lead his small, resource-poor, but vitally important nation towards progress and freedom, tolerance and modernity in a very tough neighborhood. The Big Questions: Will he play a key role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in 2014? Will he also continue to protect himself and his nation from the Radical forces that want his head?

2) The second leader on my list was Syrian President Bashar al-Assad — a cruel dictator, the son of a cruel dictator, who is massacring his people as he presides over the implosion of a country engulfed in civil war. The Big Questions: Will he survive through  2014? Or are we seeing the end of his regime and the Syrian geopolitical state as we have known it?

3) The third leader on my list is Ayman al-Zawahiri — a fanatical, Radical leader of al Qaeda who is Hell-bent on eradicating Jews, Christians and other “infidels” in the epicenter and establishing an Islamic state throughout the Middle East, no matter what the cost in blood and treasure.

The Obama administration has repeatedly made the case since the killing of Osama bin Laden that Zawahiri and al Qaeda are crippled and in decline, despite the attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Libya on September 11th, 2012. Consider this headline: “Obama Has Touted Al Qaeda’s Demise 32 Times since Benghazi Attack.”

In a new interview with the New Yorker, President Obama yet again dismissed al Qaeda’s role and influence saying, “The analogy we use around here sometimes, and I think is accurate, is if a jayvee team puts on Lakers uniforms that doesn’t make them Kobe Bryant.” 

But U.S. and Middle Eastern security, intelligence and diplomatic officials I’ve met with in recent months say just the opposite is true. They are increasingly concerned about al Qaeda’s resurgence, and say Zawahiri and his allies pose a growing danger to Americans, and particularly to friendly, moderate governments in the Mideast. 

Last fall, the Egyptian-born Zawahiri called for “lone wolf attacks” by Radicals in the U.S. He also continues to wage “economic jihad” against the U.S., saying in a video, “We must bleed America economically by provoking it, so that it continues its massive expenditures on security. America’s weak spot is its economy, which began to totter from the drain of its military and security expenditure.”

Zawahiri and his senior deputies and allies, former CIA and Mossad officials tell me, desperately want to launch horrific terror attacks against the United States and Israel. They also want to topple the regimes of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, King Abdullah II in Jordan, Nouri al-Maliki in Iraq, and General Sisi in Egypt. If they can also knock off some emirates in the Gulf and the Saudi leadership, they wouldn’t hesitate for a moment.

Several years ago, al Qaeda was on the ropes. The U.S. and allied military and intelligence operations were pressing the offensive, ripping up jihadist terror bases, arresting and killing their leaders and operatives, cutting off their financial networks, and protecting Muslim civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was messy and imperfect, but significant progress was being made.

But mounting evidence suggests a reversal is underway.

With the White House pulling U.S. military forces completely out of Iraq — and increasingly out of Afghanistan — numerous experts fear a vacuum is being created, and that Zawahiri and other Radical forces are moving to fill that vacuum. We are no longer pressing the offensive. Zawahiri and his deputies are.

Consider some headlines worth noting:

• Al-Qaeda planned to blow up US Embassy in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem convention center (Times of Israel)
• Al-Qaeda militants in Iraq seize Fallujah (USA Today)
• Al-Qaeda slaughters on Syria’s killing fields — more than 1,000 Syrians flee al-Qaeda-linked group as they mow down children and behead prisoners in cold blood (Aljazeera)
• What ISIS, an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, really wants (The Economist)
• Syria Rebels Turn Against Most Radical Group Tied to Al Qaeda (New York Times)
• Al-Qaeda emerges amid Egypt’s turmoil (Al-Monitor)
• In foiled Jordanian terror plot, officials see hand of resurgent al-Qaeda in Iraq (Washington Post)
• King of Jordan warns that Syria’s chemical weapons could be seized by al-Qaeda (UK Telegraph)

Consider, too, today’s news of Israel arresting an al Qaeda cell plotting attacks inside Israel.

“Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency cracked open an al-Qaeda plot, directed from the Gaza Strip, to carry out mega terror attacks in Israel against both US and Israeli targets, according to information the Shin Bet made available Wednesday,” reports the Times of Israel. “Israel is holding three suspects in the plot, it added, but the key plotter is still at large.”

Excerpts:

• The attacks, still in the planning stage, included twin suicide bombings, against the US Embassy in Tel Aviv and the main Israeli convention center in Jerusalem, where President Barack Obama gave the centerpiece of his Israel visit last March.
• An Arab resident of East Jerusalem, according to the plan, was to be sent to Syria to learn the nuts and bolts of the terror trade. He would then facilitate the twin attack, which would be carried out by al-Qaeda operatives entering Israel with Russian paperwork, according to the Shin Bet.
• The security organization fingered a Gaza-based al-Qaeda operative, Oreib al-Sham, as the point man for the twin attack. The fact that he was allowed to operate freely from Gaza, the Shin Bet said, indicates that “Hamas allows Salafists to carry out terror attacks so long as they are not targeting them.”
• It has also become increasingly clear, the security organization said, that the civil war in Syria, a magnet for terror operatives throughout the Middle East, has deepened the roots of al-Qaeda and other like-minded organizations in the region.
• Those organizations, the Shin Bet said, are striving to link up with willing Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in order to strike Israel and Western targets.
• In this case, al-Sham, which means Greater Syria in Arabic and is likely a pseudonym, drafted three willing Palestinians over Facebook and Skype. The most developed plans appear to have been hatched with an East Jerusalem resident, Ayad Abu-Sara, who expressed both a willingness to carry out attacks on his own and to help orchestrate foreign attacks.
• Al-Sham made contact with Abu-Sara four months ago via Skype and Facebook, the Shin Bet said. The 23-year-old resident of Ras Khamis, a neighborhood within municipal Jerusalem, allegedly agreed to shoot the tires of an Israeli bus heading downhill from Ma’ale Adumim to the Dead Sea. He would then fire at the passengers and the rescue workers arriving at the scene.

I will be watching Zahawiri closely in 2014. I pray he is brought to justice. But it’s not really about one man. Bin Laden and Zawahiri have inspired, mobilized and encouraged a movement of Sunni Radicals throughout the world. We dare not lower our guard. Far too much is at stake.

————————

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UPDATED: Since 1973, Americans have had more than 55 million abortions. Unless we change course, the number will soon be 60 million.

Consider the horror of that fact. We as a nation will soon have murdered ten times more Americans than the number of Jews that the Nazis killed during the Holocaust. 

How is this possible? How have we come to this point? The murder of 55 million human beings is a Holocaust.

We must call it what it is. We must be honest with the facts, and the implications.

This must stop. We must stop it, before it is too late — before we face implosion, or judgment, or both.

What do we think we come of all this? Will we not face the judgment of the Almighty God, unless we cry out in true repentance to the Lord? Did we not see the judgment that came upon Germany in World War II, the devastation and destruction? Do we expect to suffer less when our sins are ten times worse?  

I am deeply saddened today by President Obama’s statement praising the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 legalizing abortion.

“Today, as we reflect on the 41st anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, we recommit ourselves to the decision’s guiding principle: that every woman should be able to make her own choices about her body and her health,” the President stated. “We reaffirm our steadfast commitment to protecting a woman’s access to safe, affordable health care and her constitutional right to privacy, including the right to reproductive freedom. And we resolve to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, support maternal and child health, and continue to build safe and healthy communities for all our children. Because this is a country where everyone deserves the same freedom and opportunities to fulfill their dreams.”

Mr. President, how is abortion-on-demand a “safe and healthy community for all our children”?

Sadly, the President is not alone in his support for protecting the abortion industry. Millions of Americans have no problem with the taking of an unborn baby’s life — a just-released 2014 poll finds 36% of Americans believe abortion is “morally acceptable.” That’s more than 100 million people.

The good news is that 62% of Americans now believe abortion is “morally wrong,” a number that has climbed from only about 50% several years ago.

Abortion is morally wrong. Abortion is a terrible stain on our nation.

Yes, women need to be loved and protected and their rights to liberty and their pursuit of happiness need to be safeguarded. Absolutely.

But unborn children need to be loved and protected as well, and their right to life needs to come first.

These are the inalienable rights that our Creator has endowed us with, the rights of which our Founders saw as self-evident: the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — in that order.

The Scriptures teach us that human life is precious, even before birth. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” King David once prayed to the Lord (Psalm 139:13-14, NIV).

How long will the creator and sustainer of life bless the United States rather than judge and punish us when we take the lives of well over one million innocent children every year? Indeed, for this reason alone one has to wonder why God has not allowed the U.S. to implode already.

I am so grateful that so many Americans have long been praying for this horrific practice to end. Many Americans have been working tirelessly to change public opinion in favor of life, to persuade pregnant women to bring their children to term and encourage them to consider raising the children themselves or putting them up for adoption, to create legal restrictions against abortion, and eventually support a constitutional amendment banning abortion and protecting the sanctity of every human life, from conception to natural death. As a result, some progress has been made. Some important legislation has been passed. The number of annual abortions has declined somewhat. And this is good. But it is not nearly enough.

May America experience a profound change of heart, and soon, before it is too late. In the meantime, may we show unconditional love and mercy and kindness to all who disagree with us. May we show great love and practical kindness and compassion on all who are struggling with unwanted pregnancies, and great gentleness and forgiveness to all who have had abortions and feel haunted and scared and deeply saddened as a result.

Let us look with hope to the historic lessons of the First Great Awakening of the early 1700s and the Second Great Awakening of the early 1800s. Let us pray faithfully for a Third Great Awakening. Let us consider the words of 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” That was a promise to ancient Israel. But in that passage the Lord set forth an important principle. If we pray, and fast and humble ourselves, it doesn’t mean that God is obligated to give us a massive spiritual revival to save America. But we can be sure if we don’t pray, and fast, and humble ourselves and turn from our wicked ways, then how can we expect the blessing of the Lord at all?

>> Implosion: Can America Recover From Its Economic & Spiritual Challenges In Time?

Abbas heads to Moscow.

With Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper being feted by the Netanyahu team, taking his 200+ person delegation all over Israel, getting standing ovations in the Knesset, and showing deep affection for the Jewish and Israeli people, the Palestinian leaders are turning to Moscow, urging the Russians to play a “bigger role” in the Middle East in the months ahead.

Harper met with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Monday. In Ramallah, Harper announced $66 million in new foreign aid to the Palestinians. But Abbas seems little interested in lingering in the neighborhood while the most pro-Israel leader on the planet gets the red carpet treatment in the Holy Land. Abbas is, therefore, heading to the Kremlin for four days of high-level meetings with rising Czar Vladimir Putin and other top Russian officials.

“Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet Russian political and religious leaders during a four-day visit to Russia this week, the RIA Novosti news service reported Tuesday, quoting a senior Palestinian official,” reports Haaretz.

“Abbas, who arrives in Moscow on Wednesday, is expected to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, to discuss bilateral relations and the United States-mediated talks between the Palestinians and Israel,” the Israeli daily notes.

“Abbas’s visit takes place at the time when our talks with Israel are deadlocked,” said Nabil Shaath, Fatah’s Commissioner of International Relations.

“Russia has played a huge role in reaching agreement with Iran and we are also seeing progress [in talks] on Syria. This brings us hope that the visit [of Abbas] will ensure progress in settling the Palestinian-Israeli issue,” Shaath said.

“In an interview with the Voice of Russia radio,” Haaretz reports, “Shhath said that Russia had shown ‘that it can do much, including in the Middle East as in the case of the Iranian nuclear program and the search for a political solution to the Syrian crisis. We believe that Russia can play a still bigger role in tackling other international problems….We hope that Russia will be able to continue to play an important role in the Palestinian issue.”