“Update, Wednesday, March 8, 2006.”
 

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

Please keep in prayer the upcoming March 28th elections in Israel. Pray for a leader who will protect freedom of religion for the Messianic Jewish believers in Israel, and yet stand up for Israel’s right to her land. Pray for revival and salvation to sweep through the land.

The articles below raise many issues that we should pray about.

One of them mentions a new terror group in Gaza. I would add that al-Qaeda is reported to have a presence there and in Judea and Samaria. This is a bad trend, of course, and I ask you to pray that the enemies of the Lord would be divided and unable to act effectively (please review Psalm 83).

Please pray for the administration in D.C. to take effective action to support Israel’s right to her land, and not allow creation of a terror state next to Israel. Please pray for other nations to cooperate in this matter. Pray for wisdom in promoting democracies in this area, or not promoting them, inasmuch as it may create a groundswell for radical Muslim revolutions and takeovers throughout the area.

Please also pray for the situation in Iran, considered the foremost threat to Israel.

Thanks for praying, thanks for caring!

Shalom,

David




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ICEJ News [mailto:media@icej.org]
Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 11:40 AM
To: Weinberger, David
Subject: Monday 6 March


News & Analysis from the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem

Monday 6 March 2006

"O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago."  Isaiah 25:1

Latest News

Olmert Draws Fire for Withdrawal Plan
Military proposes drawing new defensive lines
Figures from all sides of the political spectrum balked on Sunday at Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's proposal to enlist international support for a large-scale unilateral pullout from Judea and Samaria, should he win the March 28 Knesset election, calling the bid a "prize to Hamas." Read More

Headlines

Hamas, PA shaken by Shi'ite group in Gaza
Iran seen as extending influence in the territories
Palestinian Authority security forces have established an investigation to determine the source of support for a new Shi'ite Muslim terror group operating in the Sunni-dominated Gaza Strip and believed to be directly backed by Iran.
Read More

AIPAC talks tough on Tehran
Bolton calls for immediate action against the Iranian Nuclear Threat - John Bolton, US ambassador to the UN, told a crowd of 5,000 American policy-makers on Sunday that Iran's nuclear ambitions must be brought to a complete and immediate halt. Read More

In Brief

"Serial Troublemaker" Incites Nazareth Riots
Regional Police Chief Dan Ronen has called for heightened security measures at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth following rioting on Friday triggered by the detonation of firecrackers inside the church by a known "troublemaker". The mob of stone-throwing rioters left 17 police officers injured and several police vehicles burned after 44 year-old Haim Havivi lit the explosives during a packed Lent service in an attempt to draw attention to his plight. "I have nothing against Christians or Muslims. All I want is my children who were taken away from me by the state," insisted Havivi at a hearing on Sunday.

Halimi Killer Extradicted to France
The admitted leader of the gang wanted for the murder of French Jew Ilan Halimi was handed over to French authorities on Saturday for extradition from the Ivory Coast. Youssouf Fofana confessed his involvement in the kidnapping and torture, but denied any anti-Semitic aspect to the abduction, claiming that it was done for financial reasons. Halimi's murder has revived concerns of growing anti-Semitism in France, home to the largest Jewish community in Europe.

Latest News

Olmert Draws Fire for Withdrawal Plan
Military chiefs propose drawing of new defensive lines

Figures from all sides of the political spectrum balked on Sunday at Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's proposal to enlist international support for a large-scale unilateral pullout from Judea and Samaria, should he win the March 28 Knesset election. Rivals from Olmert's former Likud party called the bid a "prize to Hamas."

"Walls should be constructed around Hamas, because all land that will be given to the movement will strengthen it," Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu said in response to the withdrawal plan put forward by Olmert's new centrist Kadima party.

"Kadima's plan for a withdrawal from Judea and Samaria is a prize for Hamas. It's not surprising that [exiled Hamas leader] Khaled Meshal, in Moscow, rushed to support it. The land evacuated by Israel will immediately become bases for new Hamas attacks against Israel," said Likud campaign chairman MK Gideon Sa'ar.

Olmert's suggestion comes in the wake of a defense establishment proposal that Israel withdraw to new defensive lines in the West Bank, which would include the Jordan Valley and key points along the central mountain ridge: Ariel, Ba'al Hatzor, Gush Etzion and Jerusalem.

Hamas spokesman Abu Zuhri, in an interview to the pan Arab al-Jazeera satellite network, said that the Islamic group would continue its 'resistance' to the Israeli occupation, and increase its presence in the areas from which Israel would withdraw. Hamas would not recognize an additional Israeli withdrawal from the territories as a solution to the conflict, Zuhri said.

Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of the nationalist National Union party told Ha'aretz; "This [withdrawal] is irresponsible, strengthens Hamas, weakens Israel and encourages terror. The evacuation of settlements adjacent to Jerusalem will bring attempts at firing mortar shells on populated areas in Jerusalem, on government offices and the Knesset. That is what happened to towns adjacent to Gaza and that is what will happen to Jerusalem."




News Stories

Hamas, PA shaken by Shi'ite group in Gaza
Iran seen as extending influence in the territories

Palestinian Authority security forces have established an investigation to determine the source of support for a new Shi'ite Muslim terror group operating in the Sunni-dominated Gaza Strip and believed to be directly backed by Iran.

Known as the Higher Shi'ite Council, the group is led by Muhammad Ghawanmeh, a former Islamic Jihad operative from the West Bank.

PA and Hamas officials fear that the presence of a Shi'ite group operating in the Gaza Strip could lead to a similar situation as in Iraq, where the Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim populations are on the threshold of civil war.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post one PA official admitted that both Iran and the Lebanese-based Shi'ite militia Hizb'Allah are trying to establish a presence in Palestinian areas, believing that Hamas' recent electoral success will force the Gaza-based terror group to cut back on attacks against Israel.

Israeli defense sources have argued that both Iran and Hizb'Allah have been funneling money to Islamic Jihad and Fatah members in the territories for over a year in a bid to get them to breach the informal ceasefire with Israel. Iranian funds are believed to be behind the half-dozen deadly suicide bombings carried out in Israel in 2005.
 



News Stories

AIPAC talks tough on Tehran
Bolton calls for immediate action against the Iranian Nuclear Threat

John Bolton, US ambassador to the UN, told a crowd of 5,000 American policy-makers on Sunday that Iran's nuclear ambitions must be brought to a complete and immediate halt.

Speaking to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee at their annual policy conference in Washington, Bolton urged swift action - a key sign that the Bush administration could be considering a possibly military strike.

"The longer we wait to confront the threat Iran poses, the harder and more intractable it will become to solve," he said.

The leading voice in the US administration against Iranian nuclear capability, Bolton criticized the UN Security Council’s lack of action against Iran, warning that "failure by the Security Council to act on this matter would be a highly detrimental abrogation of the duties it is charged with under the UN Charter."

He emphasized to the AIPAC members that the US is not solely reliant on the UN to deal with the Iranian problem and would take other measures to deny the Iranian regime the ability to obtain or produce nuclear weapons.

"It is noteworthy that many other governments have begun to include the word "sanctions" in their discourse when discussing Iran. The Iran regime must be made aware that if it continues down the path of international isolation, there will be tangible and painful consequences," Bolton said.

Meanwhile, Israel is hopeful that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will refer Iran to the Security Council during meetings on Monday. Israel officials told the AP that referral to the Council was the first step down "a very long" corridor to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Israel has been pushing for many years to get the Iranian nuclear dossier picked up by the powerful UN body, with concerns now being that too much time has been wasted between Iran's development and the diplomatic efforts to stop it.

In response to the threats of sanctioning, Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said Sunday that it will start large-scale uranium enrichment if it is referred to the UN Security Council.

"If Iran's nuclear dossier is referred to the UN Security Council, (large-scale) uranium enrichment will be resumed," Larijani told a news conference in Teheran. "If they (the US and its allies) want to use force, we will pursue our own path."






ICEJ News - is a free email service providing news and comment on Middle East affairs compiled by journalists at the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem and supported by donations from subscribers. Feel free to publish/broadcast text with attribution.

News Sources: AFP, AP, BBC, CNN, Ha'aretz, IMRA, International Herald Tribune, Israel Defense Force, JCPA, Jerusalem Post, Ma'ariv, Memri, MENL, New York Times, Reuters, Yediot Ahronot.

Today's bulletin was written and compiled by Jake King. Editor: Michael Hines




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