Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

What Happened to the Demilitarization of Gaza?
Oct 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Destruction in Gaza

Reuters

The international donors’ conference on rebuilding Gaza, which began on Sunday in Cairo, left out Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s key demand for Gaza to be demilitarized.

During Israel’s self-defense Operation Protective Edge in Gaza this past summer, Netanyahu demanded that the rehabilitation of Gaza be linked to its demilitarization. However, officials admitted to Channel 2 News on Sunday evening that in reality, the rehabilitation of Gaza was not contingent upon its demilitarization but only on a ceasefire.

Israel will demand the demilitarization, the officials said, in return for the continued development of the coastal enclave.

Hamas has repeatedly declared that it would reject any attempts to disarm the terrorist groups in Gaza, while issuing an unprecedented demand for a port and an airport and for terrorist releases, which Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has rejected.

It should be noted that Egypt decided not to invite Israel to attend the rebuilding conference and that the talks between Israel and Palestinian Arab factions, which ended on August 26 with an open-ended truce agreement, are separate from this conference.

"Israel has nothing to do at this gathering of donors in Cairo," political officials told Channel 2 News on Sunday. "We are donating anything to the rebuilding of Gaza.”

UN Chief Ban: Israeli Occupation Led to Gaza War
Oct 12th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon blamed last summer’s Gaza war on Israel’s “occupation” of Palestinian territories, as he called on both parties to finalized an agreement for a two-state solution.

“We must not lose sight of the root causes of the recent hostilities: a restrictive occupation that has lasted almost half a century, the continued denial of Palestinian rights and the lack of tangible progress in peace negotiations,” Ban said.

He spoke on Sunday at a donor conference in Cairo to raise funds to repair the damage from the Gaza war. On Monday he is expected to visit Israel, where he will meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni. On Tuesday he will visit Gaza.

In Cairo, he said, “I call on all parties to come together to chart a clear course towards a just and final peace - including achieving a full lifting of the blockade, ensuring Israel’s legitimate security concerns; and establishing two States living side by side in peace and security.”

The U.S. Supreme Court and Bible Prophecy
Oct 12th, 2014
Commentarywayoflife.org
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

In ruling after ruling, the United States Supreme Court is fulfilling Bible prophecy. Most recently, it did so by letting federal court rulings stand, thus overthrowing the laws of states that forbade same sex "marriage," effectively making this abomination the law of the nation. In 1973, in Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruled that American women have the right to murder their unborn children that bear God's image. The rule was based on a mythical "right to privacy." In 1963, the Supreme Court ruled that Bible reading and prayer is not allowed in public schools. This effectively robbed students and teachers of their constitutional rights of free speech and the free exercise of religion. All of these were rulings against Almighty God and His holy Word. It is a fulfillment of Psalm 2, which describes the rulers of the earth taking counsel against the Lord and against His Anointed (Messiah in Hebrew and Christ in Greek). According to the 3,000-year-old prophecy, the rulers will say, "Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us" (Psalm 2:3). That is a reference to a rejection of God's law. Of course, the U.S. Supreme Court is not the only institution taking counsel against God. It is a global phenomenon in preparation for the rise of the antichrist and the Battle of Armageddon.

Russia to Support Palestinian Bid for Security Council Mandate for Statehood
Oct 12th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Russia announced on Sunday that it intends to support the Palestinian Authority’s draft resolution to the UN Security Council mandating an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, according to Russian news media.

“I cannot see any reasons to cavil about this text, or about Palestinian people’s wish to say once again ‘let’s have a look at this situation, in the UN framework’,” Moscow’s deputy foreign minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, told RIA Novosti. “So we say [to Palestinians], if you find one option or another suitable, then we will support you as friends. You know better what you need and how to achieve it. We think that the Palestinian case is fair, meaning that people have a right to self-determination, up to establishing their state.”

Russia to Support Abbas's 'Deadline for Israel' Bid
Oct 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Russian President Putin and PA Chairman Abbas

Reuters

Russia announced on Sunday that it will back Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s plan to ask the United Nations to impose a deadline for Israel to withdraw from Judea and Samaria.

“I cannot see any reasons to cavil about this text, or about the Palestinian people’s wish to say once again ‘let’s have a look at this situation, in the UN framework,’” Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.

“So we say [to the Palestinians], if you find one option or another suitable, then we will support you as friends. You know better what you need and how to achieve it. We think that the Palestinian case is fair, meaning that people have a right to self-determination, up to establishing their state,” Bogdanov told journalists, according to the report.

Abbas’s move, which he plans to carry out through a resolution at the UN Security Council, is a unilateral move which is in direct violation of the Oslo Accords.

The draft resolution will reportedly call for Israel to “end the occupation” by November of 2016.

Its key provision calls for "the full withdrawal of Israel, the occupying power, from all of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, as rapidly as possible and to be fully completed within a specified timeframe, not to exceed November 2016, and the achievement of the independence and sovereignty of the state of Palestine and the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people."

In 2012, the PA unilaterally turned to the United Nations and received recognition as a non-member observer state by the General Assembly.

Since then, the PA has threatened several times that if peace talks fail, it would turn to international institutions and seek to sue Israel in the International Criminal Court.

Netanyahu Holds a Special Hearing to Discuss Ebola
Oct 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines

Binyamin Netanyahu

Flash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu convened a special hearing at his office Sunday morning, on the subject of the spread of the Ebola virus. This meeting, following another discussion last week, aims to examine the progress made by state authorities in the case an Ebola-stricken individual arrives in Israel. 

The hearing was attended by representatives of the Ministries of Health, Transportation, Interior, Foreign Affairs and Justice, as well as the Israel Airports Authority, Israeli Police and the Israeli Defense Forces. The representatives have decided to focus attention on prevention. The plan is to question passengers arriving in Israel, at all border crossings, particularly those arriving from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone - centers where the deadly epidemic has spread quickly. 

"Israel is prepared to prevent the entry of Ebola patients into our borders as part of the sustained effort we are making to protect the borders," Netanyahu said during the meeting, Walla! reported.

"This is a global epidemic and we are cooperating with other countries. If Ebola patients do arrive within our borders, we are taking a number of steps to isolate patients, and of course to take care of them through our health system. We hope there will be no need for it, but we are prepared for any eventuality." 

Ben Gurion Airport manager Shmuel Zakai, who attended the hearing, said: "We are spreading a wide net at all border crossings to prevent the entry of passengers infected with Ebola." 

Health Ministry Director, Prof. Arnon Afek, noted that the health care system is carefully watching the spread of Ebola and is in contact with others experts throughout the world. "We are constantly improving our health system and our level of preparedness to address anyone with Ebola who may enter Israel."

The internal meeting came just 24 hours after a meeting with the Palestinian Authority (PA) to discuss ways of battling the epidemic. 

The preventive measures against the Ebola outbreak which Netanyahu announced this morning, join measures taken in other Western countries around the world.

Five airports in the United States - Kennedy Airport in New York, Newark, Washington Dulles Airport, Atlanta Airport, and Chicago O'Hare - are now carrying out health inspections and ordering arriving passengers to fill out a medical questionnaire created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Growing concern in Europe has also led to new preventive measure. After the death of a British citizen in Macedonia from Ebola, Britain has taken new precautions. Heathrow and Gatwick airports, as well as Eurostar train terminals, will begin questioning and tests for passengers arriving from heavily infected areas. 

Last Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the number of people who have died from the Ebola virus is 4,033 . According to the data, 8,376 people have become infected by the disease raging in in West Africa. Nearly half of them died - mostly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The latest figures also include Thomas Duncan, a citizen of Liberia diagnosed with Ebola on United States soil, where he died Wednesday.

MK Feiglin: 'Hamas and ISIS Control the Temple Mount'
Oct 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Arab rioters on the Temple Mount

Flash 90

Deputy Knesset Speaker Moshe Feiglin (Likud) attacked the Israeli police's decision to close the Temple Mount to Jewish worshipers on Sukkot. Sukkot is one of the three Jewish pilgrimage holidays that in ancient times required Jews to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem - a practice maintained today.  

The decision to bar Jewish worshippers comes following an onslaught of violent Arab riots against police and Jewish visitors to the mount. 

"Hamas and ISIS have taken control of the Temple Mount for the fourth day [of Sukkot]. The Prime Minister's words claiming victory over Hamas and sending a message of deterrence to Hezbollah are crashing into a rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem" Feiglin said Sunday morning. 

"Hamas representatives and ISIS members have been able to barricade themselves at the mount. Meanwhile, (Yitzhak) Aharonovich (Minister of Internal Security - ed.) prevents police from arresting terrorists in the heart of the capital, which would free the mount from their hands and allow Jews to ascend to the Temple during Sukkot."

According to Feiglin, this is a crushing defeat against terror organizations, and there may be a very grave price to pay for it on both the Gaza border as well as the North.

"The person responsible for this is the Prime Minister (Binyamin Netanyahu). I call on the prime minister to order an immediate removal of all Muslims from the Temple Mount during Sukkot. This would allow Jews to visit freely and safely on the holiday." 

Not to be completely deterred, thousands of people came to the Western Wall Sunday morning to attend the Birkat Kohanim (Priestly Blessing) ceremony. Present were also Chief Rabbis Yitzhak Yosef and David Lau. Despite the mass of visitors, police closed the Temple Mount for Jews, stating that the decision was made ​​following a security assessment.

Let the Headlines Speak
Oct 12th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Dallas Healthcare Worker Tests Positive for Ebola
A Texas health care worker tested positive for Ebola even though she wore full protective gear while caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, the hospitalized patient who later died from the virus, health officials said Sunday. If the preliminary diagnosis is confirmed, it would be the first known case of the disease being contracted or transmitted in the U.S. He said another person is in isolation, and the hospital has stopped accepting new emergency room patients.  

Has terrorism turned liberal Australia into a police state?
Australia had just thwarted an Islamic State plot to behead random Australians, and the prime minister's tone was somber. It granted criminal and civil immunity to law enforcement agents who may break the law in the course of the work as long as those prospective crimes don't cause death, serious injury, sexual harm or significant property damage. The bill also made it an offense, punishable by 10 years in prison, for anyone -- whistleblower, journalist or otherwise -- to "disclose information" relating "to a special intelligence operation." Australia's press corps just about went apoplectic over that one.  

Syria: Kobane situation remains 'dangerous' says US
The situation in Kobane in northern Syria remains "dangerous" says US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel. Fighting between Islamic State militants and Kurdish defenders continues, with more than 500 people reported dead in a month of conflict. Mr Hagel said that US-led air strikes had made progress against the militants, but they still occupied areas on the town's outskirts.  

Ebola: Health care worker tests positive at Texas hospital
A preliminary test shows a Texas health worker who treated Ebola victim Thomas Duncan before he died is also infected with the virus, US officials say. "We knew a second case could be a reality, and we've been preparing for this possibility," said Dr David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services.  

Kerry calls for renewed peace push, slams 'unacceptable and unstable status quo'
US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Sunday for a renewed commitment to achieving Middle East peace, saying a lasting deal between Israel, the Palestinians and all their neighbors could be achieved. "Out of this conference must come not just money but a renewed commitment from everybody to work for peace that meets the aspirations of all, for Israelis, for Palestinians for all people of this region.  

Ukraine crisis: Putin 'orders Russian troop pullback'
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered thousands of troops stationed near the Ukrainian border to return to their bases, Russian media report. Mr Putin's spokesman said about 17,600 soldiers on training exercises in the Rostov region would be pulled back.  

War against Isis: US strategy in tatters as militants march on
America's plans to fight Islamic State are in ruins as the militant group's fighters come close to capturing Kobani and have inflicted a heavy defeat on the Iraqi army west of Baghdad.  

Cyclone Hudhud Reaches Peak Strength As It Batters India
Cyclone Hudhud, packing gusts of up to 195 kilometers an hour (over 120 mph), reached peak strength and caused extensive damage to India's eastern seaboard on Sunday morning. It was expected to hit the coast with full force around noon local time.  

Toddler first in Michigan to die from enterovirus strain
A 21-month-old girl is the first in the state of Michigan and second in the U.S. to die this year from a strain of the enterovirus that has infected more than 500 people across the nation, health officials said on Saturday.  

How Many Times Should We Rebuild Gaza?
More than 2,200 people, including more than 500 Palestinian children, lost their lives during the devastating war between Israel and Hamas this summer. About 108,000 people in Gaza are left without a home, and 450,000 people are unable to access municipal water. The 50 days of war have laid large swaths of the Gaza Strip in ruins. On top of the incalculable human suffering and loss, Gaza is left with reconstruction costs amounting to at least 4 billion dollars.  

North Korea leader Kim is still in charge, has leg injury: source
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is in firm control of his government but hurt his leg taking part in a military drill, a source with access to the secretive North's leadership said, playing down speculation over the 31-year-old's health and grip on power in the nuclear-capable nation.  

Tropical Storm Fay Heading Towards Bermuda, Hurricane Watch Issued
Tropical Storm Fay is maintaining its strength and as of 5 p.m. EDT Saturday, maximum sustained winds are 70 mph. Fay is expected to maintain its current strength until Sunday afternoon when wind shear (changing of wind direction with height) will increase, which will begin a weakening trend.  

Japan: Super-typhoon in South, strong earthquake in the north
A 6.3 earthquake has been registered early Saturday off Japan’s northern coast by the US Geological Survey. The quake comes as the world’s biggest super-typhoon this year, Vongfong, is striking the south of the country.  

Kurds Hold Off Islamic State in Kobani
Oct 12th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

MURSITPINAR, Turkey/BAGHDAD - Kurdish defenders held off Islamic State militants in Syria's border town of Kobani on Sunday, but the fighters struck with deadly bombings in Iraq, killing dozens of Kurds in the north and assassinating a provincial police commander in the west.

The top US military officer suggested that Washington, which has ruled out joining ground combat in either Iraq or Syria, could nevertheless increase its role "advising and assisting" Iraqi troops on the ground in the future.

In Syria, the main focus in recent days has been on the mainly Kurdish town of Kobani near the Turkish border, where Kurdish defenders have been trying to halt an advance by fighters who have driven 200,000 refugees across the border.

The jihadists have laid siege to the town for nearly four weeks and fought their way into it in recent days, taking control of almost half of the town. A UN envoy has said thousands of people could be massacred if Kobani falls.

Kerry Meets Abbas, Discusses Peace Efforts
Oct 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

John Kerry, Mahmoud Abbas

Flash 90

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas met on Sunday with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Cairo, following the international donor's conference for Gaza, the Bethlehem-based Ma'an news agency reported.

The two discussed international efforts for rebuilding Gaza and reviving the Israeli-PA peace process, according to the report.

Other officials were present at the meeting as well, including chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat, Abbas’s spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the head of the Palestinian Authority's central intelligence, Majid Farraj, and the PA’s Ambassador to Cairo Jamal al-Shoubaki.

AFP reported earlier that in his meeting with Abbas, Kerry was expected to try to dissuade him from seeking further recognition of the PA at the United Nations, including joining the International Criminal Court.

While in Cairo, Kerry is expected to call on Israel and the PA to resume peace talks, even though the last round he initiated failed in April when the PA signed a unity deal with the Hamas terror group.

Abbas, for his part, has announced a plan to ask the United Nations to impose a deadline for Israel to withdraw from Judea and Samaria.

Abbas’s move, which he plans to carry out through a resolution at the UN Security Council, is a unilateral move which is in direct violation of the Oslo Accords.

The draft resolution will reportedly call for Israel to “end the occupation” by November of 2016.

The move has been backed by Russia, as its deputy foreign minister announced on Sunday.

In 2012, the PA unilaterally turned to the United Nations and received recognition as a non-member observer state by the General Assembly.

Since then, the PA has threatened several times that if peace talks fail, it would turn to international institutions and seek to sue Israel in the International Criminal Court.

ISIS's Professional 'Training Camp' in Iraq
Oct 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;War

A fighter of the Islamic State (ISIS)

Reuters

Islamic State (ISIS) is getting more and more professional as time goes on, new footage reveals.

The propaganda arm of Islamic State has released a video Saturday documenting one of its training camps in Ninawa city, just 108 km (67 miles) from Mosul - a center of ISIS territory the group seized earlier this year. 

Map: Ninawa - 108 km (67 miles) from Mosul, in ISIS territory Google Maps

In the video, hundreds of terrorists are shown - seemingly after completing a basic training course - building their skills in four areas: self-defense, physical fitness, weapons proficiency, and strengthening religious faith.

It is evident in the footage that the self-defense training is being run by professional instructors although not in the most professional manner. One of them can be seen kicking each terrorist in the stomach to test abdominal strength. 

The training camp is fraught with danger as well.

Among other things, students practice crawling under live fire, as shots are fired point-blank by the instructor in a "training exercise" to rescue wounded terrorists. 

In another scene, a cleric, lecturing the students, stressed the importance of Jihad and the desire to die for Allah's way, which will "reward all who sacrifices his life for Islam." 

ISIS's professional capacity seems to have expanded along with its territory over the past several months. 

As the group has taken large swathes of Iraq and Syria - and launched campaigns along the Lebanese and Turkish borders - so too has its propaganda campaign expanded, to both a large social network recruitment system and even a full-length feature film. 

The terror organization's aims may be expanding, as well. On Friday, one military expert estimated that ISIS may seriously be evaluating bioweaponry, specifically, using the latest Ebola outbreak as a weapon against target cities or countries.

Is Your Church Doing Spiritual Formation? Pt. 1
Oct 12th, 2014
CommentaryLighthouse Trails
Categories: Warning;Contemporary Issues

Is your church involved in a Spiritual Formation program? If so, you might want to ask the question, what exactly is Spiritual Formation? It’s a fair question, and one that, if not asked, could end up surprising you when your church changes in ways you never imagined.

A Christianity Today article states: “Spiritual Formation is in.” The article defines Spiritual Formation in this way:

Formation, like the forming of a pot from clay, brings to mind shaping and molding, helping something potential become something actual. Spiritual formation speaks of a shaping process with reference to the spiritual dimension of a person’s life. Christian spiritual formation thus refers to the process by which believers become more fully conformed and united to Christ.

Such a definition would hardly send up red flags. But what this definition excludes is how this “process” of conforming and uniting to Christ takes place and who is eligible to participate in such a process.

The “how” is done through spiritual disciplines, primarily through the discipline of the silence. The silence is an altered state that is reached through a mantra-like meditation, breath prayers, or some other meditative practice. The idea behind it is that if you go into this silent state, you will eliminate distractions (thoughts) and be able to hear God’s voice. He in turn will transform you to be like Christ. The “who” (who can practice these disciplines and become like Christ) is anyone (according to Spiritual Formation pioneer Richard Foster and other proponents of Spiritual Formation). A Christian, a Buddhist, a Muslim, even an atheist—anyone at all can benefit from the spiritual disciplines and become like Christ (the question is which Christ?).

Richard Foster, the “Father” of the Evangelical Spiritual Formation Movement

Now many evangelical seminaries offer programs in spiritual formation. Renovare, which Richard Foster and others founded in 1989 to cultivate spiritual formation (especially among evangelicals), today offers retreats and resources worldwide.

In 1989, Richard Foster began an organization called Renovare, but eleven years earlier (1978) his book Celebration of Discipline first came out, and that has been a Spiritual Formation primer ever since. The following quote by Foster, written in a “pastoral letter” sheds light on the roots of Spiritual Formation (the Catholic Church) as well as how prolific it is today:

When I first began writing in the field in the late 70s and early 80s the term “Spiritual Formation” was hardly known, except for highly specialized references in relation to the Catholic orders. Today it is a rare person who has not heard the term. Seminary courses in Spiritual Formation proliferate like baby rabbits. Huge numbers are seeking to become certified as Spiritual Directors to answer the cry of multiplied thousands for spiritual direction.

Countless evangelical leaders have gotten on Foster’s Spiritual Formation bandwagon. One example is Rick Warren who considers the Spiritual Formation movement to be a worthy wake-up call to the evangelical church:

From time to time God has raised up a parachurch movement to reemphasize a neglected purpose of the church. . . . [the] Spiritual Formation Movement. A reemphasis on developing believers to full maturity has been the focus . . . authors such as . . . Richard Foster and Dallas Willard have underscored the importance of building up Christians and establishing personal spiritual disciplines. . . . [this] movement has a valid message for the church . . . [it] has given the body a wake-up call.

There are some who are deeply concerned about this movement. Author and missionary Roger Oakland expresses concern about this supposedly “valid message” and says Spiritual Formation came upon the church like an unsuspecting avalanche:

A move away from the truth of God’s Word to a mystical form of Christianity has infiltrated, to some degree, nearly all evangelical denominations. Few Bible teachers saw this avalanche coming. Now that it is underway, most do not realize it has even happened.

Oakland explains how this paradigm shift has come about:

As the Word of God becomes less and less important, the rise in mystical experiences escalates, and these experiences are presented to convince the unsuspecting that Christianity is about feeling, touching, smelling, and seeing God. The postmodern mindset is the perfect environment for fostering Spiritual Formation. This term suggests there are various ways and means to get closer to God and to emulate him.

NB - This material is available in booklet form from Lighthouse Trails.

Hamas Threatens Jews to Leave Israel - or Else
Oct 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Hamas terrorists in Gaza

Flash 90

Hamas leader Khalil al-Haya insisted that Hamas "would not abandon its weapons" on Saturday, boasting that the group is allegedly closer to defeating "the Israeli entity and its leaders" more than ever.

"We say to those who brought the Jews [to Israel] from all over the world, we are now confident and believe more than ever in the implementation of the promise of Allah - that we will not keep you [Jews] in our country," Al-Haya threatened. "The option available to you is to leave the country for its native residents [Palestinian Arabs]."

Al-Haya added, in this context, that Hamas is "paving the way" for the success of the Palestinian "unity government," noting that Sunday's talks for international aid for Gaza in Cairo legitimizes the terror group politically and proves that war works.  

He expressed confidence that the process of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip will be accelerated due to the conference, and that the "armed resistance" is not a burden, but rather a boon to the Palestinian Arab PR war on Israel. 

Hours earlier, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri threatened to wage war against Israel once again, unless the international community forcibly intervened in Israel's foreign policies to remove travel and import restrictions on the terror government. 

"If the international community wishes that the situation will not blow up again, it must step in and resolve the situation and handle it through a real and serious removal of the siege," Abu Zuhri stated.

This is not the first time that the Palestinian Arab world has threatened Jews - publicly and in official media - with exile or even death. 

In May, Hamas threatened the wide Jewish world with genocide pledging to kill immigrants to Israel in a cartoon published in its official Palestine (Arabic: Falastin) daily. The publication was later among many shut down by the Israeli government.

Conference to 'Rebuild Gaza' Sees Donations - and Skepticism
Oct 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Gaza man in the ruins of his home.

Reuters

The international community insisted that Hamas's Gaza is in a "humanitarian crisis," in a conference of more than 50 international and corporate representatives in Cairo on Sunday. 

Hamas officials have already stated that the conference is a means of "proving" that war works in the "struggle against the Israeli entity," and have hailed the conference as a victory in the PR war against Israel. 

But the declarations have not prevented global powers from taking the bait of legitimacy, according to AFP, and pledging money to Hamas and to the Palestinian Authority (PA). 

"Gaza remains a tinderbox, the people desperately need to see results in their daily lives," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon insisted Sunday.

The US, meanwhile, unveiled $212 million in aid to help Gaza, after pledging $47 million already in July. 

"The people of Gaza do need our help, desperately, not tomorrow, not next week, they need it now," US Secretary of State John Kerry declared.  

Agenda machine

Others, including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, used the conference to push their agenda for the Middle East. 

"I call on the Israeli people and the government: now is the time to end the conflict... so that prosperity prevails, so that we all can have peace and security," Sisi said, urging for a renewal to peace talks in his opening remarks.

Kerry also pushed for peace talks. "Ceasefire is not peace. We got to get back to the table and help people make tough choices, real choices ... choices about more than just a ceasefire." 

"I say clearly and with deep conviction here today that the United States remains fully, totally committed to returning to negotiations not for the sake of it but because the goal of this conference and the future of the region demand it," he continued. 

Washington is committed to a so-called "two-state solution" under which Israel and a future Palestinian state would live side-by-side.

"I don't think there is any person here who wants to come yet again to rebuild Gaza only to think that two years from now, or less, we are going to be back at the same table talking of rebuilding Gaza because the fundamental issues have not been dealt with," Kerry said. "In the end we all want the same things. Security for the Israelis, freedom, dignity and a state for the Palestinians, peace and prosperity for both peoples."

As usual, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas pleaded for support. 

"Gaza has suffered three wars in six years. Entire neighborhoods have been destroyed... There is a tangible need for funds to bring back government institutions, because they have all been destroyed," Abbas pleaded. He neglected to mention that Hamas began each war by launching thousands of rockets on Israeli civilians. 

"There must be a new international approach to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," he added. "More than ever, the international community needs to support our attempt for a UN Security Council resolution to set a deadline to end the occupation."

'Please, sir, we want some more'

The Palestinian "unity government," as well as the UN, have already asked for an unprecedented $5.6 billion in aid to "rebuild Gaza." 

However, confidence in a true "rebuilding of Gaza," is waning, one diplomat revealed Friday, noting that, due to Hamas's constant wars, and statistics proving that it does not actually rebuild civilian areas, the campaign is suffering from "donor fatigue." 

"We have seen infrastructure projects that we have contributed to which have been destroyed," the diplomat said, adding that skepticism had existed even before the recent conflict.

Ample evidence has proven that Hamas uses UN and other aid money, as well as materials, to build terror tunnels into Israeli territory with the aim of attacking Israeli citizens, instead of providing buildings to its own citizens. 

As such, Israeli officials continued to defend the right to defend itself, in remarks to the Israeli press as the conference unfolded. 

"Gaza cannot be rebuilt without the cooperation and participation of Israel," Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman warned, in an interview with Yediot Aharonot.  Only then, he said, would it be "receptive" to plans for "the reconstruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza," adding that calls to renew peace talks would be a "waste of time" if they are "only going to deal with the demands of the Palestinians."

By creation we have the capacity to know God
Oct 12th, 2014
Thought For The WeekA.W. Tozer
Categories: Commentary;Inspirational

God wants to communicate with us through the avenues of our minds, our wills and our emotions. The continuous and unembarrassed interchange of love and thought between God and the soul of the redeemed man is the throbbing heart of New Testament religion!

The intercourse between God and the soul is known to us in conscious personal awareness. It is personal: that is, it does not come through the body of believers, as such, but is known to the individual, and to the body through the individuals which compose it. and it is conscious: that is, it does not stay below the threshold of consciousness and work there unknown to the soul.

You and I are in little (our sins excepted) what God is in large. Being made in His image we have within us the capacity to know Him. The moment the Spirit has quickened us to life in regeneration our whole being senses its kinship to God and leaps up in joyous recognition. That is the heavenly birth without which we cannot see the kingdom of God!

It is, however, not an end but an inception. That is where we begin, but where we stop no man has yet discovered, for there is in the awful and mysterious depths of the Triune God neither limit nor end!

"All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you." (John 16:15.)

Birkat Kohanim, Sukkot 5755
Oct 12th, 2014
Daily NewsYou Tube
Categories: The Nation Of Israel