German Chancellor Adolf Hitler and his personal representative Rudolf Hess, right, during a parade in Berlin, Germany, on Dec. 30, 1938. (Photo by AP/Haaretz)

(Tampa, Florida) — Why do tyrants throughout history want to “annihilate” the Jewish people?

With Jews around the world celebrating the biblical holiday of Purim this past weekend — and in light of the release of my new novel, The Auschwitz Escape, tomorrow — I addressed this question last night as I taught from the Book of Esther at Idlewild Baptist Church in Tampa, Florida.

Some notes from my message:

From Haman to Hitler to Hamas to Khamenei, evil men throughout history have not simply opposed or disagreed with the Jewish people.

Again and again they have used the language of “annihilation” and they have pursued policies to accomplish this diabolical mission.

HAMAN — Consider what the Bible teaches about this evil Persian leader sought to do in ancient times.

“When Haman saw that Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage to him, Haman was filled with rage. But he disdained to [simply] lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom….Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to seize their possessions as plunder. A copy of the edict to be issued as law in every province was published to all the peoples so that they should be ready for this day.” (Esther 3:5-6, 13-14)

HITLER — “Today I will once more be a prophet: if the international Jewish financiers inside and outside Europe should succeed in plunging the nations once more into
a world war, then the result will be…the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe.” — Adolf Hitler, January 30, 1939 (quoted in Haaretz, January 30, 2014)

HAMAS— “Let me congratulate you on your future victory and the annihilation of Israel.” — Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad (January 24, 2014, Times of Israel)

KHAMENEI —

• “The Israeli regime is doomed to annihilation.” — Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (November 20, 2013, Jerusalem Post)
  “[I]f they make the slightest mistake the Islamic Republic will annihilate Tel Aviv and Haifa to the ground.” — Khamenei (March 21, 2013, ABC News)

EXAMPLES OF OTHER TYRANTS:

• “Anyone who loves freedom and justice must strive for the annihilation of the Zionist regime.” — Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (August 2, 2012, Jerusalem Post)
• “God will gather Israelis so we can kill them….these Israelis are an advanced instrument of evil.” — Fatah leader Abbas Zaki, advisor to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas (March 13, 2014, Times of Israel)

WHAT LESSONS CAN WE DRAW?

The Bible teaches that throughout history, Satan has raised up leaders like Haman who are Hell-bent on annihilating the Jewish people.

The Bible also teaches that throughout history, God raises up servants like Mordechai & Esther who are heaven-sent to help rescue the Jewish people.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible makes clear that Satan hates the Jewish people.

Yet the Scriptures also make clear that God has always loved the Jewish people, even though we have not always loved, obeyed or followed Him.

Consider Jeremiah 31:1-3  — “’At that time,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.’  Thus says the Lord, ‘The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness — Israel, when it went to find its rest.’ The Lord appeared to him[Israel] from afar, saying, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.'”

Consider, too, Genesis 12:1-3, when the Lord makes a profound covenant with Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel, promising to bless him, and bless all the families of the world through his seed. Then the Lord vows to “bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you.”

One of the most important verses to understand why tyrants want to annihilate Israel and the Jewish people comes from the New Testament. 

In John 10:10, Jesus said, ” The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

In one verse, we get such concise theology on the nature of Satan in sharp contrast to the nature of Jesus.

• Satan is a thief — he comes to steal, kill and destroy.
• But Jesus comes to give all people — Jews and Gentiles — an abundant, meaningful, peaceful, joyful life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come.

Here’s how these truths play out throughout history:

• In His love, God chose the Jewish people to bless them.
• In his cruelty, Satan chose the Jewish people to curse them.
• God chose to give the Jewish people the land of Israel.
• So Satan chose to take the land of Israel away from the Jewish people.
• God chose to make Jerusalem the City of Peace.
• So Satan chose to make Jerusalem a city of bloodshed.
• God chose to make the Temple Mount holy unto His name.
• So Satan chose to desecrate the Temple Mount.

When we understand the whole counsel of Scripture, we come to understand that Satan is doing everything he can to rob, kill and destroy everything and everyone that God loves and counts as precious — starting with Israel and the Jewish people.

This is why throughout history Satan has raised up tyrants not simply to disagree with or oppose the Jews, but to seek to utterly annihilate them.

These are the constants of history — God’s love for the Jews, and Satan’s hatred for the Jews.

The variable is you.

Which side are you on? Do you love and follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to Israel, born as a Jew, raised as a Jew, lived as a Jew, taught to the Jews, healed the Jews, fulfilled Jewish prophecies, died as a Jew, and rose again on the third day, according to the Jewish Scriptures?

If so, if you have the Holy Spirit in you, then you cannot hate the people whom the Father and Son love so much. It is simply not possible.

A person who hates Jews but calls himself a “Christian” is a liar — he does not truly love and follow Jesus.

Anyone who calls himself or herself a true “Christian” — an honest, humble follower of Jesus — must love the Jewish people with unconditional love, and unwavering support.

We don’t have to agree with everything Israel says or does, or everything that every Jewish person says or does. What’s more, the Bible teaches we must also love the Arabs and the Iranians and all of Israel’s neighbors and enemies. But the Bible clearly and repeatedly teaches us to love and bless Israel and the Jewish people, and teaches that the Lord will bless those who do, and curse those who don’t.

This is why studying the Book of Esther is so important. This is why it’s so important to understand why celebrate the biblical holiday of Purim. Because it is in this book and in this holiday that we learn so much about the historical hatred of the Jewish people as well as what it means to love the Lord our God and to love the Jewish people He created and chose, just like Esther and Mordechai did.

“Then Mordecai told…Esther, ‘Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?'” (Esther 4:13-14)

>> To order a copy of The Auschwitz Escape, please click here.

Israel and the Jewish people face many threats these days — from a nuclear Iran, from terrorist rocket fire out of Gaza, from Syrian chemical weapons, and from rising anti-Semitism and a global movement to isolate and delegitimize Israel, especially pernicious in Europe, to name just a few.  

Sometimes Jews wonder, “Why are we the Chosen People? How has that worked out well for us? The Pharoah chose us. Hitler chose us. Stalin chose us. The ayatollahs chose us. Choose someone else, Lord, please!” It’s a sad but understandable sentiment.

As we see current threats — and as we remember the horrors of the Holocaust and the Nazi regime’s determination to annihilate all the Jews of Europe — we need to remember that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has never forgotten or forsaken the people He sovereignly chosen. We have, all too often, forgotten Him. But He has never forgotten us.

Indeed, that is why His Word commanded us to celebrate Purim, which takes place this weekend.

Purim is the Jewish holiday that celebrates the remarkable story of how the God of Israel used two faithful believers — Esther and Mordechai — and a movement of prayer and fasting to rescue the Jewish people from an evil Persian regime determine to annihilate them.

Remember: the evil Persian leader Haman literally used the language of annihilation all those years ago. As we read in Esther 3:13, “Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day….”

The Bible tells believers throughout the ages to celebrate this important holiday. This weekend, I will be teaching at a Baptist church in Tampa about the Jewish holiday of Purim, and why it is so important, and how from ancient Persia to Hitler’s Germany to modern Iran, Purim reminds us of God’s faithful love for and sovereign protection of the Jewish people from those who seek to destroy them.

Here are four ways you and your family can celebrate this year:

1. Learn – Jewish families around the world read the Book of Esther as a family to remember all the details of this amazing story, and Christians should, too. Study the story in its own historic context, to understand what was really happening, and the enormous faith and courage it took for Mordechai and Esther to do what they did. Then consider how the lessons in the historical account apply to Israel’s challenges today’s, and your own. To read the Book of Esther on-line, please click here.
2. Pray– We are to praise the God of Israel that He is the Redeemer of the Jewish people, and of all people. We should thank Him that He also saved so many Persian people who turned to the Living God at the end of the story (many people miss this part). And especially in these times, we should follow Mordechai and Esther’s example by praying and fasting for the redemption of the Jewish people amidst this current showdown with an evil Persian regime that wants to annihilate them, and praying for the Persian people to be saved as well. Who knows if God has chosen us for a time such as this?
3. Give — In the Biblical account, the Lord encourages us to give food and other gifts to the poor. We read in Esther 9:20-22, “Then Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, obliging them to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same month, annually, because on those days the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing and sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor.” Consider how you can give to the Jewish people today and be a blessing to Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus.
4. Go — If you’d like to invest to a ministry that is providing food and other gifts to the poor and needy in the Land of Israel, please go to The Joshua Fund’s website at www.joshuafund.net.

 May the Lord bless you, and all of Israel, and all of the Persian people this Purim season.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and his British counterpart David Cameron attend a joint press conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday, March 12, 2014, following their meeting. (photo credit: AP)

British Prime Minister David Cameron, on his first state visit to Israel, spoke about his Jewish relatives and about how seriously he takes the history of the Holocaust.

He visited Yad Vashem on Wednesday, the Israeli Holocaust museum and research center.

During his address to the Knesset, Cameron also announced that he will be visiting the Auschwitz death camp in southern Poland later this year, and said, “I want every child in Britain to learn about the Holocaust and to understand just how vital it is to fight discrimination and prejudice in our world.”

Excerpts from an interesting address:

One of the most moving experiences I have had as Prime Minister came in January this year, when I held a reception in Downing Street for 50 Survivors of the Sho’ah. ‪I met some of the most inspiring people and heard some of the most incredible stories.‬‬

‪People like Harry Spiro who couldn’t understand why his mother pushed him out of her house and off to the factory, when she was actually saving his life.‬

‪Gena Turgel, who witnessed her brother being shot by the Nazis and lost another brother and two sisters before she was eventually liberated from Bergen-Belsen and went on to marry the British soldier who freed her.‬

‪And Ben Helfgott who endured 3 years in a ghetto, 2 labour camps and 3 concentration camps to make it to England where he was reunited with one of his sisters, the only other member of his family to survive. Ben went on to represent Britain as a weightlifter in 2 Olympics set up a society for Holocaust survivors and was honoured in Poland for his reconciliation work between Poles and Jews. And I am delighted that Ben has come with me here today.‬

‪All of the survivors have made such an incredible contribution to Britain.‬

‪And one of the things so many of them have done – and which never ceases to amaze me – is to go into our schools and share their testimony first hand.‬

‪It is hard to imagine the sheer strength of humanity it must take to do that.‬

‪‪And I am determined that long after they are gone and long after we are all gone their memory will be as strong and vibrant as it is today.‬‬

‪As a father, I will never forget last year visiting the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin with my young children and for the first time trying to explain to them quite what had happened.‬

‪I want every child in Britain to learn about the Holocaust and to understand just how vital it is to fight discrimination and prejudice in our world.‬

‪It is vital that we do all we can with our international partners to preserve the site at Auschwitz, which I will be visiting later this year.‬

‪But we need to do more.‬

‪That is why I have set up the Holocaust Commission in Britain. A number of the Commissioners are here with Ben and me today and as we visit Yad Vashem together later today, our pledge to Ben will be that Britain will never forget what he and his fellow survivors have taught us.‬

‪We will preserve the memory of that generation for every generation to come.‬

‪But remembering the past goes far beyond that horrific suffering of a generation.‬

‪It is about remembering the long and rightful search of a people for a nation. ‪And the right for the Jewish people to live a peaceful and prosperous life in Israel.

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>> Pre-order The Auschwitz Escape — releasing on March 18th — retailers providing steep discounts for pre-orders of hardcover, e-book and audio formats

>> Pre-order The Auschwitz Escape — releasing on March 18th — retailers providing steep discounts for pre-orders of hardcover, e-book and audio formats

I’m both humbled and excited to announce that as part of The Auschwitz Escape book tour, I will be speaking at a Synagogue in Manhattan, in an event hosted by an Orthodox Rabbi.

The event will be called, “Are We Still Alone? In a time of crisis, will there be Christians standing with Jews?”

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Chancellor of Ohr Torah Stone, and the chief rabbi of the Israeli community of Efrat (ancient “Ephratah,” near Bethlehem), will be one of the main speakers. I will be the other.

The evening will be moderated by David Nekrutman, executive director of the Center for Jewish Christian Understanding and Cooperation. (CJCUC was founded by Rabbi Riskin.)

Please make plans to join us for a very special evening as we discuss the themes of the novel, some of the key lessons of the Holocaust, whether Christians risked their lives to save Jews, why many Jews felt alone during World War II, what Jews and Christians need to know about each other in light of history, and where Jewish-Christian relations stand today.

We also look forward to taking your questions.

** NOTE: Very important, the event is free, but you must RSVP to attend as there is limited seating. Please see below.

• Tuesday, April 1, 2014 at 7:30pm
• Lincoln Square Synagogue
• 180 Amsterdam Avenue
• New York NY 10023

RSVP to Ohr Torah Stone: (212) 935-8672, or email to ohrtorahstone@otsny.org.

We are planning to have a book signing afterwards.

Again, I am really looking forward to this event with Rabbi Riskin. Please sign up to come and encourage your family, friends, synagogue members and church members to RSVP and come with you.

>> LATEST UPDATES: Israeli aircraft hit 29 targets in Gaza after rocket attack — Islamic Jihad bases targeted; State Department calls heavy barrage ‘reprehensible,’ says Israel has the right to defend itself

• IDF attacks numerous terror targets in Gaza in response to rocket fire (Ynet)
• Gaza militants fire barrage of rockets into southern Israel (Haaretz)

“The Israeli Air Force launched airstrikes in the Gaza Strip shortly after 10 p.m. on Wednesday in retaliation for a massive rocket barrage earlier in the day, the largest of its kind since 2012,” reported the Times of Israel at 5pm eastern. “Israeli planes struck 29 targets in the Strip, the army said in a statement. Palestinians said at least five strategic points were hit in the coastal enclave, primarily in areas around the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah.”

As of this hour, Haaretz is reporting at least 70 rockets have been fired from Gaza at southern Israel.

“Israeli communities near southern and northern Gaza have come under heavy rocket attack on Wednesday evening,” reports the Jerusalem Post. As of 1:30pm eastern, “the IDF said at least 30 rockets had been fired in the largest attack since 2012’s Operation Pillar of Defense. “

“Israel Radio reported that up to 55 rockets had been fired into Israel in the deluge of projectiles,” the Post noted. ” The Iron Dome rocket defense system shot down three of the rockets, according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Office.  The IDF fired artillery rounds at two terror infrastructure targets in response.”

The Post added: “Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack, according to reports by Palestinian media. On Tuesday, the Israel Air Force struck an Islamic Jihad cell in southern Gaza, minutes after identifying it as being behind a mortar attack on  an IDF unit on the Gaza-Israel border….Islamic Jihad said the Israeli strike killed  three of its operatives. The IDF confirmed the aircraft’s hit on the terrorist  cell, and said that the aircraft had then returned safely to its base. The army added that it would not tolerate any attack on military forces operating along  the border. Islamic Jihad has been behind a trickle of attacks in recent days that have tested the cease-fire in place between Palestinian terrorist  groups in Gaza and Israel.”

Developing….

>> Pre-order The Auschwitz Escape — releasing on March 18th — retailers providing steep discounts for pre-orders of hardcover, e-book and audio formats

UK Prime Minister David Cameron addresses the Knesset (photo credit: Knesset spokesperson/Times of Israel)

>> Read full text of PM Cameron’s address to the Knesset

On his first state visit to Israel, British Prime Minister David Cameron today told the Knesset he has Jewish roots, including a relative who wrote the first Yiddish novel, and vowed that Britain would always stand as a friend to Israel and the Jewish people.

He spoke out strongly against international efforts to delegitimize Israel, and warned that Iran’s government is a “despotic regime” with “nuclear intentions.” He vowed to work with all in the region to help make peace while standing firmly behind Israel’s right and need for security.

“You have a British prime minister whose belief in Israel is unbreakable and whose commitment to Israel’s security will always be rock-solid,” Cameron said.

Speaking of the IDF’s intercept of an Iranian ship offensive arms to Gaza, Cameron said this was “yet another despicable attempt by the Iranians to smuggle more long-range rockets into Gaza….It gave me a renewed understanding of what it must be like to be afraid in your own home.”

The trip is brief — just 24 hours — and Cameron will also be meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem.

Cameron called for an end to Palestinian incitement, and also for a cessation of settlement building.

UPDATE ON CAMERON’S SPEECH AND TRIP

• “British Prime Minister David Cameron, in an address to the Knesset Wednesday afternoon, stressed his country’s backing for Israeli efforts to achieve peace and security, and promised his support in combating international attempts to boycott and sanction the Jewish state,” reported the Times of Israel.
• “Delegitimizing the State of Israel is wrong,” he said. “It’s abhorrent. And together we will defeat it.”
• “You have a British prime minister whose belief in Israel is unbreakable and whose commitment to Israel’s security will always be rock-solid.”
• The British prime minister emphasized his support for “the long and rightful search of a people for a nation. And the right for the Jewish people to live a peaceful and prosperous life in Israel.”
• Cameron was adamant about his position against efforts to boycott Israel.
• “Britain opposes boycotts. Whether it’s trade unions campaigning for the exclusion of Israelis or universities trying to stifle academic exchange Israel’s place as a homeland for the Jewish people will never rest on hollow resolutions passed by amateur politicians.”
• Cameron also referenced his own Jewish great-great-grandfather, and another ancestor who penned the first Yiddish novel.
• Painting a picture of a vibrant and open Middle East after a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians, Cameron said he understood Israeli security concerns, and backed Jerusalem’s right to defend itself.
• “I will always stand up for the right of Israel to defend its citizens. A right enshrined in international law, in natural justice and fundamental morality, and in decades of common endeavor between Israel and her allies.”
• Turning to last week’s interception of the Klos C ship carrying Iranian arms, Cameron called the incident “yet another despicable attempt by the Iranians to smuggle more long-range rockets into Gaza… It gave me a renewed understanding of what it must be like to be afraid in your own home.”….
• Cameron directed harsh criticism at Iran. “There is no rule that says if Israel and the Palestinians make peace, Iran is somehow going to dismantle its despotic regime or abandon its nuclear intentions.
• “That can only be done through sustained international pressure. I share your deep skepticism and great concern about Iran. I am not starry eyed about the new regime. A nuclear armed Iran is a threat to the whole world — not just to Israel and with Israel and all our allies, Britain will ensure that is never allowed to happen.”…..
• The British prime minister praised ongoing efforts by US Secretary of State John Kerry to forge a peace agreement between Israelis and the PA.
• “We back the compromises needed — including the halt to settlement activity and an end to Palestinian incitement too.
• “And we recognize the difficult and courageous decisions both sides are taking, not least with Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu’s decision to release terrorist prisoners, with all the anguish that can bring for affected families.”
• Cameron outlined a vision of “a proper lasting peace that allows a strong moderate Palestinian government to end the fears of a failed state on Israel’s border… A deal that means an end of all claims — and an end of all conflict.
• “Israelis and Palestinians no longer each other’s enemy, but actually working together to maintain security against those who would seek to harm us all.”

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• Pre-order The Auschwitz Escape — releasing on March 18th
• Learn more about The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net) – educating and mobilizing Christians to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, and caring for the poor and needy with food and other humanitarian relief – read our 2013 Donor Report, and make a beginning-of-the-year, tax deductible, secure, on-line contribution.

(Washington, D.C.) — One day after the commander of Iran’s air force said he was ready to destroy Israel, Russia decided to build Iran more nuclear facilities.

“Iran and Russia reached a preliminary agreement to build at least two new nuclear power plants,” Iranian Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said in remarks reported by Iranian news services and the Times of Israel. “The two new 1,000 megawatt plants will be built alongside the existing power station in Bushehr, which was also built by Russia, Kamalvandi said.”

“The air force commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps was quoted by Iran’s Fars news agency as saying Tuesday that Iran’s military has its finger on the trigger to destroy Israel as soon as it receives the order to do so,” reports the Times of Israel. “In an article headlined ‘IRGC Commander: Iran’s Finger on Trigger to Destroy Zionist Regime,‘ Fars wrote that Brigadier General Hossein Salami had declared that Iranian military commanders are prepared to attack and destroy the Zionist regime of Israel as soon as they receive such an order.”

“Today, we can destroy every spot which is under the Zionist regime’s control with any volume of fire power (that we want) right from here,” Fars quoted Salami as telling a conference in Tehran Tuesday on “The Islamic World’s Role in the Geometry of the World Power.”

“Iranian leaders regularly issue threats against Israel and the United States, but the wording ascribed to Salami on Tuesday was particularly aggressive,” the article noted.

“Islam has given us this wish, capacity and power to destroy the Zionist regime so that our hands will remain on the trigger from 1,400 kilometers away for the day when such an incident (confrontation with Israel) takes place,” he was also quoted saying in the speech.

“The comments came a day after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a shipment of what he said were Iranian arms intercepted at sea last week, which he charged were intended for terror groups in Gaza,” noted the Times. “Netanyahu castigated the West for clinging to the illusion that Iran had changed, and said it remained relentlessly committed to fostering terrorism and advancing a nuclear weapons program. Last month, Iranian state TV ran a documentary featuring a computerized video of Iran’s drones and missiles bombing Tel Aviv, Haifa, Ben Gurion Airport and the Dimona nuclear reactor in a hypothetical retaliation for an Israeli or American strike on the Islamic Republic. Iranian drones and missiles were also shown in the film carrying out simulated strikes on the American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, downing American aircraft and striking American military targets in the Persian Gulf.”

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• Follow on Twitter — @joelcrosenberg
• Receive every blog post automatically via the RSS feed.
• Pre-order The Auschwitz Escape — releasing on March 18th
• Learn more about The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net) – educating and mobilizing Christians to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, and caring for the poor and needy with food and other humanitarian relief – read our 2013 Donor Report, and make a beginning-of-the-year, tax deductible, secure, on-line contribution.

(Washington, D.C.) — Revealing dozens of missiles and rockets and 400,000 rounds of ammunition hidden on an Iranian ship bound for Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday warned that “just as they [Iran] concealed these weapons in containers on this ship, they could tomorrow conceal in other containers the ultimate weapon, nuclear weapons, which they could ship to any port in the world.”

Netanyahu urged world leaders to “awaken from their slumber” and realize just how dangerous the mullahs of Iran and how committed they are to acquiring nuclear weapons, despite the deceptive smiles of President Hassan Rouhani.

Here is the Prime Minister’s statement to the media:

“There are those who would prefer that we do not hold this news conference here today. They feel uncomfortable that we show what is really happening inside Iran. They prefer that we continue to nurture the illusion that Iran has changed direction. They’re not prepared to recognize that Iran, a brutal regime, has not abandoned its deep involvement in terrorism, its systematic efforts to undermine peace and security throughout the Middle East, and its ambition to destroy the State of Israel.

The weapons on this ship  were destined for terrorists in Gaza who are committed to Israel’s destruction. The goal was to have these weapons rain down on the heads of Israel’s citizens. The ship was organized by Iran, dispatched by Iran, financed by Iran. The missiles were loaded by Iran in Iran.

As usual Iran denies these facts. In fact, its foreign minister calls these facts ‘failed lies.’ But it’s Iran who’s lying. Our intelligence services exposed the ship’s wayward route and Iran’s efforts to disguise it; they exposed the ship’s deadly cargo, and its intended destination.

I appreciate the close cooperation of the intelligence services of the United States that have verified all these facts. The forged bill of lading that was presented to you here proves how Iran tries to disguise the loading of the weapons contained in this ship, the loading of the weapon containers on its own soil.

The ship’s crew testified how they loaded the containers which contained the weapons unknown to them in the main port of Iran, Bandar Abbas. In other words, Iran sent these missiles to terrorists, and Iran is brazenly lying.

So Iran hasn’t changed. Iran’s true ruler is not the smiling Rouhani – he’s nothing more than a PR man. The real ruler of Iran is the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is aptly called the Supreme Leader.

What is new? Are not Iran’s deeds or its lies but the desire of many in the international community to bury their heads in the sand? They conveniently ignore Iran’s continued criminal aggression in the mass killings in Syria; in supporting the terrorist organizations in Lebanon, in Gaza; in subversion throughout the Middle East; in dispatching terrorists to five continents; in the execution of hundreds of innocent people inside Iran every year. Above all, they deceive themselves into believing that Iran has given up its goal of developing nuclear weapons.

This determination to ignore the truth, that was exposed once again with the capture of the ship, is first of all hypocritical. I said a moment ago that at most I heard a few faint condemnations of Iran from the international community after we intercepted this murderous shipment. We even saw representatives of the world powers shaking hands and smiling with the heads of Iran’s regime, at the same time we were unloading these missiles here in Eilat.

And by contrast, if we build some apartment or some balcony in a neighborhood of Jerusalem, we hear a chorus of vociferous international condemnations against the State of Israel.

This is not only farcical, it’s dangerous. Because the willingness to ignore Iran’s real fallacies is highly irresponsible. Just as Iran hid its deadly missiles in the belly of this ship, Iran is hiding its actions and its intentions and many of its key installations for developing nuclear weapons.

Does anyone truly believe that Iran has given up its plans to develop nuclear weapons or long-range ballistic missiles that are capable of carrying nuclear warheads to Europe and the United States?

The missiles that we uncovered today were intended to strike at the citizens of Israel. The intercontinental ballistic missiles that Iran is developing are intended to strike at the citizens of the West. Come to think of it, Iran might not need ICBMs. Just as they concealed these weapons in containers on this ship, they could tomorrow conceal in other containers the ultimate weapon, nuclear weapons, which they could ship to any port in the world.

So my message today is simple: those engaged in self-deception must awaken from their slumber.”

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• Follow on Twitter — @joelcrosenberg
• Receive every blog post automatically via the RSS feed.
• Pre-order The Auschwitz Escape — releasing on March 18th
• Learn more about The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net) – educating and mobilizing Christians to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, and caring for the poor and needy with food and other humanitarian relief – read our 2013 Donor Report, and make a beginning-of-the-year, tax deductible, secure, on-line contribution.

(Washington, D.C.) — One week from today, The Auschwitz Escape will release nationwide. And it’s always good to save some money in these challenging times!

I can’t wait to begin sharing the story and characters with you, and to begin sharing some of the absolutely incredible true stories from history that inspired the novel. In the next few days, I’ll let you know about some wonderful events that we’ve been invited to where I’ll have the opportunity to speak about the book, answer your questions, and talk about why its lessons are so relevant for our time. I’m also looking forward to your reviews & comments.

In the meantime, it’s great to see so many retailers strongly supporting the book and offering big discounts for those who pre-order it in hardcover, e-book and audio versions. At the moment, Amazon Kindle is “leading the league,” offering a 65% discount on their e-book version.

UPDATE: Now LifeWay bookstores is offering a very cool deal — buy The Auschwitz Escape hardcover book at 30% off and get a copy of The Last Jihad (paperback) for free! Please visit your local LifeWay store to take advantage of the deal.

If you’re thinking of getting the book for yourself — or as a gift — you may want to pre-order now, as I don’t know how long these great discounts will last.

Thanks so much.

• Amazon Kindle — ebook (65% off)
• Amazon — hardcover (37%)
• Barnes & Noble — hardcover, Nook & audio book (36% off in hardcover)
• Books-A-Million — multiple versions
• Brilliance Audio — audio book
• ChristianBook.com — hardcover
• Family Christian Bookstores — hardcover
• LifeWay Bookstores — hardcover
• Parable Bookstores — hardcover

The emblem of the Arab League.

(Washington,  D.C.) — “Arab foreign ministers met at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on Sunday to discuss the obstacles facing the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian peace talks,” reports Israel Hayom. “Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby slammed Israel’s demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the Jewish state, calling it an inappropriate caveat to bring up during the current round of negotiations.”

“The council of the Arab League confirms its support for the Palestinian leadership in its effort to end the Israeli occupation over Palestinian lands, and emphasizes its rejection of recognizing Israel as a ‘Jewish state’,” Arab foreign ministers said in a statement in Cairo.

“Elaraby also said that demanding Palestinian recognition of the Jewish state was Israel’s latest attempt to derail the peace talks, especially because the same demand was not made of other Arab countries that signed peace accords with Israel,” the article noted. “Abbas complained on Saturday that Palestinians were being asked for something that had not been demanded of Arab countries that have previously signed peace treaties with Israel.”

“We recognized Israel in mutual recognition in the (1993) Oslo agreement — why do they now ask us to recognize the Jewishness of the state?” Abbas asked. “Why didn’t they present this demand to Jordan or Egypt when they signed a peace agreement with them?”

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