“From the LORD comes deliverance. May Your blessing be on Your people.”
Psalm 3:8 (NIV)
Shalom, my friend.
Thank you for your love and compassion for Israel and the Jewish people.
I’m so grateful that you are willing to stand with her through your ongoing prayers and financial support. I pray God’s blessing on you and His presence with you for your faithfulness toward His people.
And I pray that, no matter what you may be facing today, you’ll embrace the Truth of the Scriptures from the Psalmist – that “deliverance” comes “from the LORD.”
Whether it’s fear or anxiety, sickness or any other challenge . . . look up to God – call out to Yeshua (Jesus), and He will hear you. May you experience His deliverance and His blessing.
Thank you again for praying with us and for us.
U.S. VOTES “ABSTENTION” IN AFFIRMING THE RIGHT OF RETURN OF PALESTINIAN REFUGEES TO ISRAEL
According to The Jerusalem Post, in the U.N.’s General Assembly resolution voting, the U.S. abstained during the vote on the right of return for Palestinian refugees to sovereign Israel as part of a broad text in support of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
This abstention comes after the previous administration under President Trump voted “No” to all such resolutions and texts. Historically, every US administration has sided with Israel during U.N. votes. The Obama administration in 2016 was the first to abstain on a vote related to Israel.
The Trump administration had opposed UNRWA and cut U.S. funding to the organization over charges that textbooks used in the agency’s schools are anti-Semitic and incite hatred against Israel.
According to The Jerusalem Post, prior to last week’s vote, an Israeli representative spoke out against UNRWA at the Fourth Committee meeting:
“We cannot stand idly by when a UN humanitarian agency promotes a political agenda under the guise of true assistance. UNRWA must be accountable for the hateful indoctrination of children in its classrooms. It must put an end to the spreading of anti-Semitic lies by its employees, and it must show a genuine commitment to transparency and accountability.”
She added that UNRWA resources and infrastructure must not be hijacked by Hamas in conducting acts of terror.
American Deputy Ambassador Richard Mills told the assembly’s Fourth Committee that “under President Biden, the United States announced it would restore its financial support to UNRWA, which we do believe is a vital lifeline to millions of Palestinians across the region. Since April, the U.S. government has provided more than $318 million to UNRWA in fiscal year 2021, including critical support for education, health and social services benefiting millions of Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA.”
The Jerusalem Post reports that these resolutions are part of a package of close to 20 annual resolutions against Israel the General Assembly is set to approve before the end of the year.
The Israeli representative told the General Assembly that these texts were “disproportionate, one-sided and rooted in bias against” her country. “Israel is the only country – the only country – that is subject to such systematic discrimination in the U.N.”
U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N. TO MAKE FIRST VISIT TO ISRAEL
United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, makes her first visit to Israel this week alongside her Israeli counterpart, Gilad Erdan.
Thomas-Greenfield will be the first White House cabinet official to visit Israel since the formation of its new government in June, in a trip that will “reinforce the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and discuss continued US-Israel cooperation at the UN and a full range of regional issues,” her office said in a statement.
Since her confirmation as U.S. President Joe Biden’s ambassador earlier this year, Thomas-Greenfield has consistently defended Israel at the U.N. and criticized the Security Council for its disproportionate focus on Israel.
“This council spends a great deal of time on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is both understandable and consistent with the agenda. But far too often, the substance of these discussions is centered almost entirely around criticism of Israel and counterattacks,” she has said.
“I sincerely hope that going forward, council members will do their best to take a more balanced approach. Also, there are other countries and situations in the region that merit Security Council attention and should not be neglected.”
UAE, BAHRAIN, ISRAEL AND U.S. JOIN FORCES IN FIRST JOINT NAVAL DRILL
YnetNews reported last week that forces from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Israel and the United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) began a multilateral maritime security operations exercise in the Red Sea.
This is the first publicly acknowledged naval exercise between the United States, Israel and the two Gulf countries.
According to a senior Israeli naval official, as reported by YnetNews, the drill is meant to send a “direct message” to Iran and its “power projection” in the region.
“We intend to continue to cultivate relations with the countries participating in the exercise,” he said. “The Iranians are quite independent in the maritime space, and it is important to keep their activities away from the State of Israel in order to prevent terrorism.”
The five-day exercise includes training on the USS Portland and will “enhance interoperability between participating forces' maritime interdiction teams,” a statement by the United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) said.
Iran also announced that its own large-scale sea, land and air military drill will be held east of the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman, and the northern parts of the Indian Ocean.
ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY GUARD CORPS COMMANDER: IF ISRAEL STARTS A WAR, IT WILL END WITH ITS DESTRUCTION
The Jerusalem Post reports that Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Aerospace Force, warned late last week that if Israel starts a conflict, Iran will “destroy” it, according to Iranian media.
“The Zionist regime officials know that they can be the initiators, but the end is with us,” said the commander. “The end of this work is the destruction of the Zionist regime, and if they give us an excuse . . . their destruction will certainly be advanced historically.”
Hajizadeh went on to boast about Iran’s growing use of drones and that the technology has become “a thorn in their side,” speaking of Israel and Western powers.
Israeli Defense Forces OC Artillery Corps Brig.-Gen. Neri Horowitz agreed on Wednesday that drones are going to be a large part of future conflicts, an that there may even be drone vs. drone battles in future conflicts with Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel has already established two unmanned ariel vehicle units with a third coming in the future.
ISRAEL UNVEILS STATE-OF-THE-ART ELECTRONIC DEFENSE SYSTEM
According to YnetNews, in last month’s joint “Blue Flag” military exercise, Israel Aerospace Industries successfully tested a new state-of-the-art defense system called Scorpius.
Scorpius scans a large area for targets and deploys narrowly focused electromagnetic beams to counter multiple aerial and ground threats simultaneously. This allows it to disrupt a target’s critical systems, including radar, electronic sensors, navigation and data communications.
Current electromagnetic systems can only deal with one target at a time unless they employ a wider beam that risks disrupting friendly forces.
Scorpius may eventually be deployed alongside Iron Dome and Israel’s other defense systems to increase protection for Israeli citizens. Because it only requires electricity to work, it could be crucial during future, large-scale attacks meant to exhaust Iron Dome’s missile supply. Scorpius could knock out advanced missiles and swarms of drones indefinitely, freeing up Iron Dome to intercept just the unguided rockets.
Let Us Pray Together
Please pray with me for:
- God to give wisdom and insight to Israeli leaders as they navigate threats from enemies who are surrounding them – and protection for the Jewish people
- God to move in the hearts of Iranian leaders, turning them towards peace to prevent the current nuclear hostilities from escalating
- Peace in the hearts and minds of the people of Israel and their enemies
- Jewish people to recognize Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah
