I am sitting out on my deck enjoying the peace of Shabbat and the green lushness of Spring (aka the weeds in my garden!!) Spring has truly come now after a long and wet winter. The Land is a garden of glorious wildflowers and all the fields and open spaces are green – for a few short weeks, until the first sharav (hot, dry east wind) comes and kills them all off. The birds are all singing joyously and the air is full of butterflies.

Spring wildflowers in Nazareth, Israel 4 April, 2019

Just a week ago, when I last wrote, we seemed to be on the brink of yet another war with Gaza. Seven Israeli civilians had been injured, and their home destroyed in the central town of Mishmeret by a missile fired from Gaza. Hamas claimed that this attack was another ‘mistake’. Forgive me if I don’t believe it was any mistake. It is the third time that Hamas claimed a missile was fired by mistake – the first towards Beer Sheva in October last year, followed by two towards Tel Aviv in February this year and then this latest one. Hamas seems rather accident prone!! The truth is that either rouge elements in Hamas, or Islamic Jihad operatives probably fired them. Whether or not these attacks were sanctioned by the Hamas leadership is unclear, but Israel always takes the position that Hamas is to be held responsible for any attacks coming from its territory. Consequently, Israel retaliated by attacking many Hamas positions and bases in the Gaza Strip, and during the following night some 60 rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza.

The weekend following was the first anniversary of the so-called March of Return and also Palestinian Land Day. Hamas called for massive rallies along the border fence. They hoped for a million men to come. In preparation for these expected riots and attempts to infiltrate Israeli towns the IDF brought forward several armored divisions, tanks and artillery, canceled weekend leave and called up many reservists.

In the event only 40,000 ‘demonstrators’ turned out – perhaps largely due to the unseasonably wet and cold weather. Although the numbers were lower than Hamas expected, the riots were particularly violent and as a result some 4 Gazan rioters were killed. They were however prevented from infiltrating Israel.

Whilst all this was happening an Egyptian delegation was in Gaza trying to broker a ceasefire agreement between Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Israel. This past Wednesday it was announced that Hamas and Islamic Jihad and Israel had agreed on calm and Hamas and IJ had promised to stop the border riots and the release of incendiary and explosive balloons into Israeli territory in return for some concessions from Israel, including the reopening of the Erez Crossing and the expansion of the fishing zone. In spite of Israel’s concessions, which have already been enacted, the violent riots along the border continued this Friday as they have done for the last year. Both Hamas and Israel are now claiming that no ceasefire has been reached and this coming Tuesday Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are planning to begin an open-ended hunger strike demanding the unjamming of their cell phones, family visits and improved conditions.

Although we do seem for now anyway to have taken a step back from the brink of war, nothing has really changed. There is growing feeling here that Hamas is just playing cat and mouse with us and we are the mice! They are cynically taking advantage of the fact we are reluctant to go to war, which would exact a high price on all sides with a lot of civilian deaths and suffering. They push us to the brink and then demand concessions to ease the pressure. This has been going on for years and years, and the Israeli population, especially those living in the south have had enough. A large group of southern residents have set up a protest tent camp in the middle of Tel Aviv demanding a stronger and more decisive action from the government and our armed forces. We seem to be getting closer and closer to having no choice but the retake the whole of the Gaza Strip and depose Hamas and disarm Islamic Jihad. This would be almost impossible as several generations now have been brainwashed from birth to hate Israel. We could not rule such a population and no one else wants to try either. Nor do they seem capable of ruling themselves. It is a seemingly insoluble dilemma.

The “Jewish Press” published a summary of the border incidents over the last year (3), saying that,

“The total number of border incidents since March 30, 2018 stands at 2,199, including:

* 1,233 rocket/mortar bomb launches
* 18 incidents of gunfire from the Gaza Strip
* 94 IED incidents, where one or several explosive devices were hurled across the security barrier
* 600 Molotov cocktail incidents
* 152 incidents of arson/burning tires/hurling of various objects.”

In addition, “arson balloons and kites launched from the Gaza Strip are believed to have caused a total of 1,963 fires, sometimes as many as 30+ in a single day.

These fires have caused extensive damage in a land area of approximately 35 square kilometers, including 13 sq. km. of nature reserves and 11 sq. km. of Jewish National Fund forests. The combined damages suffered by Israelis due to rocket fire and arson balloons from Gaza are estimated at approximately NIS 35 million.”

Perhaps the most affected Israeli town is Sderot, a town of some 28,000 inhabitants. Sderot lies less than one kilometer from the north-eastern corner of the Gaza border, and since 2001, it has ‘absorbed’ a rain of some 13,000 rockets fired from within Gaza. Can you imagine that? What if 13,000 rockets were to fall on your town or neighborhood? What if your children are growing up knowing nothing else but ‘code red sirens’ and bomb shelters. Sderot is the ‘bomb shelter capital of the world’! All homes, schools and public places have bomb shelters and often, specially reinforced roofs. Residents have less than 10 seconds to reach shelter when the sirens go off. It means you must live in a constant state of hyperalertness, always looking around for the nearest shelter in case the sirens sound. Most of the population are suffering from some degree of PSTD. Yet, in spite of this, the town is growing as new neighborhoods and even a new shopping mall are being built. This is the spirit of Israel. The more our enemies try to destroy us the more determined we are to not only survive, but flourish.

Click on the link below for a Map of Sderot

https://www.google.co.il/maps/place/Sderot/@31.5198523,34.6123021,10.75z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x15028152b5bc422b:0x9eca44351ad2130a!8m2!3d31.522694!4d34.595581?hl=en

Hamas has vowed to turn Sderot into a ‘city of death’, but when the Messianic believers in the town began to fast and pray for its safety
“ a vast number of miracles began to occur. Although a constant barrage of rockets were being launched daily, even hourly, the great majority of them failed to reach their targets and actually fell between houses rather than on houses. If they did fall on houses, it always happened when people were not home and the houses were empty.  Whether they were shopping or on vacation, it was remarkable that this was the pattern.” (2) I would recommend you read this full article published in Kehila News. It is a great testimony to the power of prayer and the courage and boldness of the believers in Sderot. an example to us all:
https://kehilanews.com/2019/04/03/city-of-life-in-every-sense-of-the-word/

IN THE NORTH

In the midst of all this, developments were taking place also in the north. On the same night that the missile struck the house in Mishmeret, US President Trump signed a declaration recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Israel conquered the Heights during the 1967 war, and they have had the status of occupied territory every since. This high, plateau covered in large basalt volcanic bolders, was sparsely populated in 1967. Some 80-130,000 of the local residents fled to Syria. The remaining 7,000 now live in a handful of towns and villages around the foot of Mt Hermon. These are mostly Druse, about 50% of whom have accepted Israeli citizenship. and even serve with great distinction in the Israeli army. The others still see themselves as Syrian citizens under occupation, and of course many still have close family members in Syria. Jews have settled the area and it is now home to some approximately 20,000 Israeli residents living in 32 settlements, the largest of which is Katzrin.

In 1981 Israel passed the Golan Heights Law which extended Israeli
“laws, jurisdiction and administration”, in effect a de facto annexation. The Golan Heights Law has not been recognized by the UN or any nation until this recent signing of the declaration by the USA. Of course, Syria is not happy about this latest turn of events and vows to ‘reconquer the Heights’ at any cost. It is doubtful that Syria, still reeling from its five-year long civil war, is in any position to do so, but they do have some very powerful allies, Iran and Russia, not to mention Hezbollah. Needless to say the tension on the northern border continues to build and the situation there is as volatile, and greatly more dangerous, than that on the southern border. Please keep praying!


Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=204608

ELECTIONS

In just 3 days Israel goes to the polls to elect a new government. It is a national holiday in Israel designed to encourage people to vote. For many it is an excuse for an outing to the beach or the nature reserves. Polls indicate that the election will be closely fought between the incumbent Likud Party, with Netanyahu seeking a 5th term in office as Prime Minister, and the Blue and White Party headed by Benny Gantz. It is very likely that even if Gantz were to win a majority he would have difficulty forming a coalition large enough to oust Netanyahu’s block. Many are very uncertain about how to vote. Please pray that God will raise up in Israel a righteous government that will act according to His will.

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
 And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings

Daniel 2 : 21-22

God reigns over the nations;
    God is seated on his holy throne.
 The nobles of the nations assemble
    as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings[c]of the earth belong to God;
    he is greatly exalted.

Psalm 47:8-9

BUTTERFLIES FOR LOCUSTS

I was driving home the other day when I ran into a swarm of insects splatting on the windscreen. At first I thought they must be locusts but I quickly realized they were butterflies, much to my astonishment. A few weeks ago we were warned that, because of the abundant rains this year, large locust swarms were moving up the Arabian Peninsula and might soon arrive in Israel (4). They didn’t – they hit Saudi Arabia and Eygpt instead. And us? We got butterflies!!!! Millions and millions of Painted Lady butterflies, having bred in the lush rain-fed vegetation in the Arabian Peninsula, are now passing through Israel on their way to Europe (4). It was just lovely to watch so many butterflies passing through. God is good isn’t He?

A Painted Lady Butterfly (Vanessa cardui) Nazareth 4 April, 2019

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR PRAYERS – THEY MATTER MORE THAN YOU MIGHT THINK – AND MAY ALL YOUR LOCUSTS TURN INTO BUTTERFLIES!

References:


  1. https://www.jewishpress.com/news/eye-on-palestine/hamas/its-been-a-year-of-violence-at-the-gaza-border-the-statistics/2019/03/27/

  2. https://kehilanews.com/2019/04/03/city-of-life-in-every-sense-of-the-word/
  3. https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Speak-Of-The-Bible-Locust-Swarms-Imminent-In-Egypt-Saudi-Arabia-581377

  4. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5483476,00.html