Shalom friends,

I want to mention again that this newsletter cannot cover the up-to-date current events surrounding Israel. For that type of input please see the Intercessors for Israel - Friday Payer Alerts that I write weekly. You can sign up to receive them or read them online on the IFI website. Thank you all who have supported this ministry over the decades with your prayers, encouraging notes and donations. It is greatly appreciated!

Truth has fallen in the streets (Isa. 59:14)

We are witnessing many end-time events in the process of being fulfilled like the birth pangs of a woman, as they occur more frequently and become more painful to those involved. Yeshua warned us to expect this type of situation just before His return: For nation [also ethnic group] shall rise against nation [ditto], and kingdom against kingdom: there shall be earthquakes in various places, famines and troubles [+ seditions]: these are the beginnings of sorrows ["sorrows" in the Greek often refers to pain as in childbirth]. (Mark 13:8)

The Lord also told us that this time would be just like the days of Noah, with life going on as normal (Matt. 24:37-39). Yet God destroyed the world at that time because of the prevalence of violence (Gen. 6:11-13). And that spirit is running rampant throughout the earth – via terrorism, wars, anti-Semitic demonstrations and acts, in the media, and even inside families.

It is also quite evident that truth has fallen in the streets – with many joyously stomping on it (Isa. 59:13-15). For that reason God has sent them a strong delusion (2 Thess. 2:10-12). I believe that God-sent delusion is also because they dare to call evil good and good evil, to put darkness for light and light for darkness and to declare that which is abominable and blasphemous as righteous and holy (Isa. 5:20-24).

Of course, Israel is right in the center of what God is doing to wrap up this age and send His Son from His eternal throne next to the Father (Psa. 110:1) to Jerusalem to rule and reign as King of kings and Lord of Lords (Psa. 110:2; Rev. 17:14; 19:16). But let's not hide our heads in the sand about His return. It will at first be very bloody as He comes to judge the earth in righteousness (Psa. 2:9; 110:6; Isa. 11:4; 63:2-6; Rev. 14:19-20; 19:15, 21).

Aliyah – end-time prophecy's backbone

Recently, the Spirit of God revealed to me that aliyah– the return of the Jewish people from their captivity among the gentiles back to their land of promise – is the foundation, the spine if you would, upon which all other end-time prophecies depend.

Without aliyah there would be no need for Israel to possess the land (Ezek. 36:8-12).

Without aliyah there would be no need to even create the modern Jewish nation of Israel (Isa. 6:8-10).

Without aliyah there would be no need to have that prophesied exceedingly great army" to protect the Jewish people and the nation of Israel (Ezek. 37:10).

Without aliyah there would be no need to reclaim Jerusalem as Israel's eternal capital (Psa. 147:2; Luke 21:24).

Without aliyah there would be no reason for nations to be so upset with Israel as it defends itself or proceeds to possess all of its possessions, or whatever else Israeli Jews decided to do (Jer. 33:9 [In the KJV, the word translated tremble is actually be agitated, be furious in the Hebrew]; Obad. 1:17: Zech. 12:2-3).

Without aliyah all Israel would not be saved as the salvation of the Jews as a nation occurs in the land (Jer. 32:37-40; Ezek. 36:24-32; Zech. 12:10; etc.).

Without aliyah there would be no Jerusalem to where Messiah Yeshua will return (Psa. 102:16; Zech. 14:3-4).

Without aliyah we would not be witnesses to see the only thing that God has promised in all of His Word to do with all of His heart and His soul – which is to plant the Jews back in their land (Jer. 32:41).

And most importantly from the point of view of Messiah's Body, aliyah is God's answer to the 2,000 year old prayer of the Body for God's name to be sanctified (Isa. 43:5-7, 21; Ezek. 36:23-24) through His Kingdom coming and His will being done on earth as it is already done in heaven (Matt. 6:9-10).

To whom much is given

Messiah Yeshua said to whom much is given – much more is required (Luke 12:48). Now what He has given to His Body, the Church, since His resurrection is so much more than what was given to the Jews. The Body has both the Tanach – the Old Testament – and the New Testament; the abiding presence of God's Spirit; the full revelation of Messiah Yeshua – that He is God the Son and Israel's King; and to make a way for gentiles to be grafted into Israel's olive tree, God has, for a season, partially blinded most of His people, the Jews (Rom. 11:25)! Yet with all of this spiritual wealth and its deep biblical connection to Israel and the Jewish people by being grafted into Israel olive tree, the Body has a historic track record that is way more disobedient to God's Word than the pre-saved nation of Israel has had over the past two thousand years.

Replacement theology is just one horrific example of gentile pride rising up against its spiritual roots, leading to Hamas-type massacres of Jews, especially in Europe including in the recent past, as many Nazis could kill Jews and then go home to "honor" Christ, by celebrating Christmas with their families.

Paul's warning to gentile believers to not be arrogant against unsaved Jews has more often than not been rejected (Rom. 11:18-21). Even today large segments of the Body are opposed to Israel possessing its possessions (Amos 9:11-15; Obad. 1:17) and are aghast as Israel wars against its modern-day Amalek enemy – fundamentalist terrorist Muslims – who are driven with eternal hatred towards God's people (Ex. 17:14-16; Num. 24:20; Deut. 25:19; Ezek. 25:15; 35:5-6, 11-13; Obad. 1:10).

The warning to curse those who curse Israel – both the nation (Num. 24:9b) and the individual Jew (Gen. 12:3a) – is still valid. The Body has a great need of repentance in order to get their relationship with the natural family of Yeshua in proper order, and to do that before He returns.

God is fulfilling 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12

As mentioned above, with so many in the post-Christian West now calling good evil and evil good, and actually justifying the wicked (Isa. 5:20-23), it is time to realize that God is pouring out a strong delusion on those who have rejected His truth – the Word of God (John 17:17; 2 Thess. 2:10-12). The following shines some light on this current reality, as in February, Hillel Fuld, an American-Israeli technology business advisor and blogger, listed some of the more "twisted aspects of the Israeli-Hamas war" to prove "how morally bankrupt" is the anti-Israel crowd.

Why has anti-Semitism increased and support for Israel decreased after Hamas' Oct. 7th massacre?

Why call for a "ceasefire," which will leave Hamas still in existence, even after it openly bragged that it will repeat Oct. 7th until Israel is destroyed?

How can sane people deny "the barbaric Hamas atrocities of Oct. 7th" even though Hamas filmed it and has never denied that they did it?

How can "otherwise moral people and even human rights activists literally support rape and pedophilia as long as the victims are Jews?"

Why are so many "women's rights activists" so silent "about the savage sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas," with some even denying that it ever happened?

Why do so many "normal people" quote from Hamas' casualty figures, knowing that it is a terrorist group that has lied and will continue to do so to further Allah's cause?

Why is "Israel is being accused of genocide when Hamas' declared goal is exactly that – genocide?"

Why is the West "calling for Israel to stop" the fighting, "instead of calling for the release of the hostages?"

Why hasn't America used "its influence over Qatar to make them pressure Hamas to release the hostages?"

How come "the Red Cross hasn't visited the hostages or gotten them medical care and no one seems to care?"

Why do US Secretary of State Blinken and the US State Department "think they have a right to dictate to Israel how it should and should not defend itself?"

Despite the "hard evidence that Hamas steals the foreign aid going into Gaza," why do nations still send in aid and force Israel to do the same?

How can so many worldwide chant "'From the river to the sea' without even knowing what it means (the total erasure of Israel) or what sea and river they're even talking about?"

Also, how can these same people call for a ceasefire and "for an intifada, even though those two things are mutually exclusive?"

Why does any liberal stand "against Israel despite the fact that their liberal values align with Israel and are the literal opposite of the values of the people they are defending?"

Why is it that Palestinian Authority [PA] President Abbas "denies the Holocaust and pays terrorists but somehow governments and politicians…continue to pretend that he's a moderate and can take over for Hamas in Gaza?"

How can it be that while every survey shows that most "Palestinian Arabs support Hamas and are proud of Oct. 7th," yet the tale that most of them "are innocent keeps being pumped out and shoved down our throats?"

How come everybody "knew that Germany had to be de-nazified at all costs; the same for Japan, but when it comes to Gaza, despite evidence of indoctrination from age zero, things are different?"

How come most of the world "knows Iran is behind all of this" and not only ignores that, but "continues to give Iran money and legitimacy as if they're not a genocidal regime that wants to erase the West?"

Why, when "Iran is weeks away from a nuclear bomb," is the West doing nothing although Iran openly admits "they want to destroy Israel and America?"

Fuld concludes, "The double standard and hypocrisy surrounding this war and Israel, in general, is astounding and disgraceful. My only hope is that the Israeli leadership doesn't cave to the hypocritical international pressure and continues to do what it needs to do until complete victory over Hamas." ("Dear world, we see you. We see you, and we won’t forget," H. Fuld, Arutz 7 Op-ed, 14 Feb. 2024)

So far, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has not caved in and is standing against what the nations, especially the USA, and even some in his government and in Israel's military want – which is to do whatever it takes to bring about a ceasefire and the release of just "some" of the hostages. We bless God for him and continue to pray for him.

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, the President of the International American Council on the Middle East [ME], and an expert on Islam and US Foreign Policy, said, "It is astonishing and difficult to comprehend how," after the Oct. 7th pogrom, "the West has progressively adopted policies that support" not only Hamas, but also its backers, Qatar and Iran.

"This policy is particularly perplexing given the violent nature of the attack" and the well-documented links between Hamas and Iran, whose regime has supported "Hamas both financially and militarily. The West's stance also raises questions about the strategic and ethical considerations behind such policies," considering the effects on "regional stability and the ongoing threat posed by these groups."

He notes the insanity of Spain, Ireland and Norway formally recognizing a Palestine state "just seven months after Hamas invaded Israel…It is unprecedented in world history for a terrorist group to attack another country, murder its people and take hostages, only to then be rewarded with recognition of statehood…"

This reckless gift to the Palestinians "sends a message that the West is fearful and willing to capitulate…instead of standing firm against terrorism" and taking decisive action against the terrorists. This attitude will sink "the West's ability to contain terrorism inside its gates…"

Nations seem willing to recognize a Palestinian State as long as they do not "have to live next to it. As Harvard law professor emeritus A. Dershowitz and former NYC Council president A. Stein recently pointed out: 'Consider the fact that no Arab or Muslim nation has been willing to accept Palestinian refugees from Gaza'." The Arabs recall that anyone who has tried to help the Palestinians has regretted it, like Jordan, Lebanon, and Kuwait.

"This short-sighted agenda," isolates Israel who is "fighting not only for its survival but also the survival" of the West. Yet Western anti-Israel moves undermine and demonize Israel constantly, including Israeli PM Netanyahu, who Rafizadeh says, has been acting like "the Churchill of the Middle East".

"The decision to recognize Palestinian statehood reassures the terrorists that the West is willing to overlook the ongoing threats and violent actions not only against Israel but against itself. Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah clearly see that the longer they can keep their jihad on Israel going, the more the victim, Israel, will be demonized – not the terrorist perpetrators – and the better it will be for terrorism."

As more nations join in on this "assault by recognizing a Palestinian state," the more influence and power Islam will have in Europe. And once Iran develops nuclear weapons and the missiles to deliver them, "they will not even have to use them; only threaten to, as Putin is now doing in Ukraine," which has led to US President Biden holding back the Ukraine from winning. ("The West keeps rewarding …Hamas," M. Rafizadeh, Gatestone Institute, 8 June 2024)

Columnist David M. Weinberg also exposes the spread of God's "delusion" today. "It is maddening to see Western leaders and supposedly great minds of Western academia succumb with equanimity to Hamas' genocidal agenda" and criminal acts. They ignore "Hamas' anti-Semitic discourse and record of Islamist oppression and human rights abuse," disregard its support by Iran, and pay no heed to its "kidnappings, rockets, border-breaching massacres, and terror attack tunnels," while using Palestinian civilians as cannon fodder. They profess a concern for Palestinian rights "yet ignore Hamas' radical Islamic oppression" of those very people.

Being willingly deceived, they "pretend Hamas' assaults on Israel's sovereignty and security" are only "demands for humanitarian aid or a two-state solution," even though Hamas blows up all "the civilian and humanitarian supply infrastructures" facilitated for Gaza by Israel and others, and spends the hundreds of millions of dollars given for aid "on military attack infrastructures."

"Foreign ministers" and foreign journalists are so blinded that they do not see how Hamas, for the past 20 years has "rejected US, UN, EU, and Arab offers of billions of dollars of aid" for Gaza on condition that they surrender their weapons, halt terrorist attacks against Israel, and recognize the Jewish Nation. They also refuse "to credit Israel with trying to mollify Hamas by facilitating tens of millions of dollars of Qatari cash" for Gaza over the past decade, which has obviously turned out to be a "failed strategy."

How dare they state that the Israeli-Palestinian death toll is "disproportionate," which basically says "that not enough Israelis have been killed to justify Israel's military counterstrikes on Hamas? How many more Israelis must die for the sake of immoral symmetry and ersatz Western scruples?"

It is insane that "Western do-gooders" see Palestinian "Days of Rage," "Nakba Day" riots, and missile barrages "as expected behavior. As if the Palestinians cannot help themselves from throwing a tantrum; as if responsible and reasonable behavior, such as negotiation, democratic and peaceful discourse, and normative state-building, cannot be demanded of the Palestinians." This is the "soft bigotry of low expectations" of Palestinians, and contrasts harshly with the "hard bigotry, the impossible demands," made of Israel.

Weinberg finished by quoting from Rabbi Dr. Y. Herzog (1921-1972) who explained why Israel often "stubbornly refuses to accept rational calculations of diplomatic cost/benefit that are politely or impolitely impressed on it by allies." Israelis have a "deep-rooted belief in the power of Jewish history; by faith that Israel is guided by an astral calculus that is not always perceptible. This…undergirds the willingness of Israelis to sacrifice for independence. So those who consider history only in terms of politics and international relations underestimate Israel. They apply temporal yardsticks of measurement to Israel but fail to fathom the processes at work behind the curtain of current affairs." ("Israel needs a strong spine," D. Weinberg, Israel Hayom Op-ed, 13 May 2024)

The very deluded "United Nothings" (Isa. 40:17, 23; Dan. 4:35)

As you can read in the references in the title of this section, God Himself calls the nations as nothing before Him, so as we see the direction in which the UN is going at this time, I think that the "United Nothings" is most appropriate.

In April, Israel's then UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan, speaking to a UN "meeting on the war in Gaza," and likely not even knowing what the New Testament says, showed how the UN has also been given over to God's strong delusion today. He began by referring "to the historical connection between the Palestinians and Hitler," showing a photo of the meeting between Haj al-Husseini and the Nazi leader. "From well before the establishment of the UN – or the State of Israel – the Palestinians' goal has been clear: the annihilation of the Jews. Al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, one of the founding fathers of Palestinian nationalism, worked hand-in-hand with Hitler to achieve this. From then until today, the root of this conflict has not changed. It is not a political conflict or about partitioning land. It is solely about the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews."

He referred to the UN Security Council's [SC] push for the Palestinians to have "permanent member state status in the UN," which was specifically created "to prevent Nazi ideology from spreading." Yet today the UN is backing "modern-day Nazi Jihadists," by supporting "the establishment of a Palestinian terror state," which would be "an entity that achieved statehood" despite its commitment "to terror and Israel's annihilation. If Hitler was alive today, he would be singing the UN's praises."

Erdan listed how the PA was not qualified for this UN recognition: "…the basic requirements for admission to the UN are: a) permanent population, b) defined territory, c) government, and d) capacity to enter relations with other states." Also a vital principle in Article 4 of the UN Charter states, "Membership in the UN is open to all peace-loving states."

Erdan: "Peace-loving!" The Palestinians absolutely fail to meet these criteria, as according to "Palestinian law Palestinian terrorists are paid monthly salaries for murdering Israelis…These salaries can reach thousands of dollars each month, and they are on a rising scale. The longer the prison sentence…the higher the salary. You murder more Jews, you get more money." ("If Hitler was alive today, he would sing the UN's praises," Arutz 7, 9 Apr. 2024)

Former Israeli Ambassador to Canada and International Law expert, Alan Baker, exposed the absurdity of what we see today. He reminds people of that Hamas carried "out a brutal massacre, killing over a 1,000 innocent people, torturing, murdering, burning and carrying out sadistic mass rape," in just a few hours, and then ran back "to Gaza taking with them hundreds of hostages.

Think of how absurd the world is that even after the above, the PA, which still "encourages, finances, supports, and represents such Hamas murderers," is then "upgraded by the majority of member states" at the UN.

How absurd is it that "a group of non-democratic, terror-supporting states" force the UN General Assembly [GA] to elevate to permanent member state recognition the "terror-supporting" PA, in a foolish and "surreal demonstration of naïveté, skewed political correctness, hatred and acute hypocrisy."

Only in a deluded world "can the majority of the international community deliberately ignore the openly declared genocidal intentions of Iran, Hamas, and the PLO in their efforts to eliminate the Jewish state and kill all Jews – and this, while at the same time upgrading the Palestinian Arab representation in the UN."

Finally, only in a deluded world can this happen just "as incited and handsomely financed and organized groups of violent, hysterical, anti-Semitic demonstrators occupy campuses and town centers in the US and European cities, calling for the elimination of the only Jewish state."

Baker notes as an aside, that this UN "upgrade" does not give the Palestinians "the status of statehood or UN membership," as the UNGA has neither the "authority nor jurisdiction to establish states and grant membership status without Security Council sanction."

Then he continues, by saying that these deluded nations who backed this move, agreed that "the State of Palestine is qualified for membership in the UN in accordance with article 4 of the UN Charter." But as Erdan stated above, article 4 says UN membership is open to "all other peace-loving states which accept the obligations contained in the present Charter." Do any of the nations that voted for this resolution, like Norway, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and many EU member nations really believe that a Palestine would be a "peace-loving state," or is this "self-delusion, artificial political correctness, or naive wishful thinking?" [Or has God blinded these arrogant people?]

Also, international law demands "the fulfillment of universally accepted criteria for statehood, including control of a defined population and territory and enforcement of the rule of law, none of which the PA has ever fulfilled." This resolution is obviously a sham, as no part of the Palestinians' political life, whether we consider Hamas or "the terror-supporting PLO and its PA," fulfills any such conditions.

Like all UNGA resolutions, this one "is not binding, only recommendatory." However this "attempted change of status constitutes a serious and fundamental violation" of the Oslo Accords, by which the Palestinian leadership and Israel "agreed that all outstanding issues, including permanent status of the territories, must be resolved through negotiations and cannot determined by unilateral action, whether in the UN or anywhere else."

The UN has previously endorsed Oslo "as the only agreed-upon means to resolve the Israel-Palestinian dispute. Also, the EU, Russia, Egypt, and Norway, and the US, "are signatories to the Oslo Accords as witnesses." Thus this UN resolution "undermines the Oslo Accords and is contrary to the accepted obligations of states and organizations that witness international agreements." Those who support it are seeking to bypass Oslo and are attempting "to prejudge the outcome of any such negotiations unilaterally."

Baker concludes: "Despite this resolution's artificial and ineffectual symbolic and cosmetic aspects, the overall result…is nevertheless grave and unfortunate. It will be seen by Hamas and the Palestinian Arab leadership as a green light from the international community for them to continue to support and conduct terrorism." The message that this UN resolution gives "is that the international community is not just ignoring Palestinian Arab terror against a fellow UN member state; it is encouraging it." ("The UN's world of the absurd," Amb. (ret.) A. Baker, Arutz 7, 17 May 2024)

Prof. Moshe Sharon & Islamic Jew-hatred

God's threat to destroy Mount Seir (Ezek. 35:4), which is biblically identified as Edom/Esau (Gen. 36:8), is because of its eternal hatred of the Jews: Because you have had an everlasting hatred, and have shed the sons of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time when their iniquity ended: (Ezek. 35:5) They also loved death more than life as they pursued blood (35:6) and they blasphemed by speaking against the mountains of Israel – today Judea and Samaria, or what the world calls "the Occupied Territories" – saying that Israel's mountains are theirs to possess. This, God says, is speaking against Him and He heard them (35:12-13). Esau/Edom/Mt. Seir is one of Islam's spiritual roots, and the description of what they say and do matches today's fundamentalist Muslims perfectly.

In this interview with 86 year old Israeli Prof. Sharon, a retired IDF colonel, he underlines, without referring to Ezekiel, how what is said by God in that chapter lines up with Islam's basic theological mindset. Sharon is a globally renowned researcher of Shia Islam – the form of Islam that the current Iranian regime believes in. He is also an expert on the history of Islam in the Land of Israel. Sharon is "convinced that the majority of Israelis have no real idea as to the profound depth of the hatred of Jews and Israel that is ingrained in Islam." And these are the roots that produced the vicious Hamas Oct. 7th massacre.

Sharon has worked with many influential people in Israel's government and its security services, and is currently pushing its policymakers to remove the words "peace" and "now" from their vocabulary in order "to guarantee the security of the citizens of Israel and create a tolerable state of affairs for them."

The following excerpts are from his lengthy interview with Israel Hayom in April. He was asked if "the images of Oct. 7 do indeed reflect the true face of Islam, and what is the basic attitude of Islam towards Judaism, Zionism and the State of Israel?"

Sharon replied that "from the outset, Islam has abhorred the Jews." Their rejection of Muhammad's teachings was "sufficient to categorize them as the 'enemies of Islam'," and this hostility will continue "until the 'end of days'." While in Judaism the 'end of days' is the wolf dwelling with the lamb, in Islam, according to the hadiths, which are the "sayings or traditions attributed to the Prophet Muhammad," the end of days does not come "until the Muslims kill all the Jews…"

Since the Jews are seen in the Quran as "the People of the Book," they can live under Islamic rule but must "pay the jizya, the poll tax imposed on non-Muslims in the Islamic world, and also provided that they are humiliated."

Asked to clarify "humiliated", Sharon answered, "…Muslims are not permitted to live in equality with Jews. This perspective is based on the adage that 'Islam is superior and prevails over all other religions'." This is not just ancient history as the "world view behind this conduct is still in full force and effect to this day…"

Concerning Israel's peace accords with Egypt, Jordan and the UAE, he said that while Israelis see these as "peace accords," most Muslims in those nations see them as "much 'softer' agreements, akin to a form of ceasefire, which derives from specific interest or interests. The word peace, as a political concept in Islam, exists only within the collective nation of Muslims. There is no peace between the Muslims and the Jews and/or the Christians."

Asked again if the ancient hatred of Jews still applies today, he said it did and added, "Islam's overall objective is to take over the world, and it is currently engaged in efforts towards that goal, with a considerable degree of success as far as it is concerned – in Europe, in Canada and also in the USA." [I would definitely add in Britain to that list.]

Islam sees Israel and the Jews as part of a "group of nations referred to as 'The House of War' (Dar al-Harb) … nations Islam is required to conquer." Therefore they can only enter into an agreement with the Jews if it follows the example of "the Treaty of al-Hudaybiya, which Muhammad made with his opponents, members of the Quraysh tribe, in order to buy time and rebuild his military force." He then violated the pact and slaughtered them. So these treaties are intended only to "buy time and to be disregarded later on, just like the agreement that Hamas aspires to reach with us today…"

Sharon continued, "Inhuman and barbaric incidents such as the Oct. 7 massacre have occurred in the past, but on a much more limited scale…" From his expertise of having studied the history of Islamic thinking, he said "the Oct. 7 massacre…which included the desecration of the dead and the living, incidents of rape and beheading, draws from the ancient taboo of Islamic religious law that does not allow Muslims to be ruled by Jews, even here in Israel."

Concerning Hamas' treatment of the hostages, he added, "In ancient wars waged by Islam, Jewish women were turned into slaves. Some were sold and some were taken as a prize by the Islamic enslavers. Muhammad was the one who set the examples," for in his wars against the Jewish tribes in Arabia, "the men were slaughtered and the women taken captive."

As all this is known to Israel's Islamic scholars, Sharon was asked how such grave errors in judgment could have been made about Hamas' intentions. He said the basic mistake was projecting Israel's "desires and view of things onto the Muslim world. We deluded ourselves into thinking that what we want is what they want." While Israel truly wants "peace," that term as we understand it, "does not exist at all in their lexicon." Western-style "peace" has no place in Islamic thought or theology. So the only alternative for Israel in the ME is to be strong enough to give Islam "an alibi to enter into an agreement with us…the Jews, members of the 'House of War'."

Sharon said Israel needs to erase the words "Peace" and "Now" when negotiating with Arabs. It needs to "flip the equation," so that the Arabs are forced to come to Israel asking "for peace," and then Israel must demand "something in return… 'Land for peace' – yes, but the other way round: They will pay us with land for the peace or the ceasefire that we grant them."

Asked about the America push for a "revitalized Palestinian Authority" to take over Gaza, he said "the PA is so dirty that we wouldn't be able to clean the dirt from it using bleach." When confronted with how the PA seems to be "playing ball with the Americans," as their government just resigned and were replaced with "moderates," Sharon retorted, Islam is "based on a culture of falsehood. The falsity in the pan-Arab relations, and also the relationship between the Arabs and the rest of the world, is a key element, a legitimate element."

Referring to the creation of a demilitarized "Palestine", he said, "Demilitarized means castrated"; the Arabs will never agree to that. Even if "they say they agree – they will be lying…Such a state will enter into defense pacts, and will play the 'refugee' card; it will continue to Arabize Jewish history and gradually you will see just how a hostile entity develops before your very eyes." Sharon added, "To Arabize is to turn any remaining fragment of Jewish history in Israel into something Muslim, to Islamize it."

Asked if he saw any differences between Hamas and the PLO, he said. "Only in the nuances not in their doctrine of the destruction of the Jews and the State of Israel; they share the same objective and it is only the method of achieving it that differs." If possible, PLO supporters would massacre Jews as well. "They simply are not able to do so, as the IDF is doing an excellent job of containing them in Judea and Samaria," and that must be maintained.

He believes that, "The Oslo Accords are the root cause of all evil. They were a disaster." Israel was deceived to think the PLO and Arafat were actually interested in "peace." Since then, Israel has tried "to 'understand them'," yet this is not relevant in the ME. "Is there anybody on the other side…trying to 'understand us'?" And what does trying to "understand them" mean anyway?

Sharon is deeply concerned with the many Arabs in areas under PA control, who always plot to destroy Israel. Faced with this reality, alongside Israel's security efforts, the most important thing for Israel to do is to expand its settlements. "Settlement is Zionism and settlement also takes land from the Arabs," which according to Islam belongs to them. So Israel needs to be much more aggressive in building more settlements and seizing more land.

So is it possible to live in peace with Israeli Arabs? Sharon: "Yes, the majority are law-abiding citizens, and most simply seek to…work and bring food home to their families, but unfortunately, it is not this majority that sets the tone. It is the Arab MKs [Members of Knesset – Israel's parliament], who set the tone, along with Arab clergymen, many of whom are genuine radicals…"

Sharon, an expert on Islam's Shi'ite sect and its impact on Iran, which is currently ruled by a radical Shi'ite regime, talked about the Iranian situation from the Shiite and the Jewish perspectives. Shiites have a "smoldering hatred" for Sunni Muslims who are the majority in Islam. They regard Sunnis "as being responsible for killing Muhammad's grandson, the ultimate prince of Islam," Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, the youngest son of Islam's 4th Caliph, i.e., the civil and religious leader of Islam and Allah's representative on earth. He was also the youngest son of Muhammad's daughter Fatma. Shiites view all Sunnis as "responsible for this terrible sin."

"Shiite's greatest hope is that the last (12th) Imam, who disappeared, Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Mahdī (the last descendant of Husayn) will one day reappear." At present, he has disappeared, so he "is neither alive nor dead. He has no grave. He disappeared in northern Iraq, and Shiites believe he is the Messiah who will redeem the entire world at the end of days."

Shiite theology states that their Messiah, the Mahdi, "will appear in the midst of a bloodbath…Shiites hope he will first destroy all Sunnis. A great war must occur before he appears"; then he will come to rule the world under Shia Islam. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the Gulf States and the entire Sunni world, including Hamas, are very aware of this apocalyptic theology and have a great "fear of the Shiites and Iran…" Questioned about Hamas in this list, he said the Iranians "want to see Hamas destroyed, even more than we do, as they are all Sunnis." So they are sending Hamas enough funding and weapons "to make Israel's daily life intolerable and to force Israel to destroy Hamas, to do Iran's work for it."

Turning to Iran's nuclear development, he stated that "Nuclear weapons in the Shiite-Iranian view are intended… to lead to a global war that will return the 12th Imam. Both Israel and the impure Jews will be destroyed as part of that world war." So while the destruction of Israel and all Jews is one of their goals, it is not their ultimate goal.

Finally, asked if there was anyone among Israel's current leaders who knows enough about the Arab mindset to conduct "effective negotiations on Israel's behalf," he replied, "Nobody, apart from PM Netanyahu perhaps, the only one who is able to conduct negotiations as they should be, who knows where to apply counter-pressure, as far as possible. But just look at what they are doing to him now – such disrespect. Perhaps, after he goes, people might then learn to appreciate him more." ("We need to flip the equation: Land for peace? Yes, but they should pay us with land for the peace we grant them," Israel Hayom Interview, 9 Apr. 2024)

If you wonder why, if Iran wants Hamas destroyed, their response to Israel's supposed killing of Hamas' political leader, Ismail Haniyah, is to be so outraged? It is because honor versus shame are the most important issues in the minds of ME Arabs. Haniyah was being hosted in Tehran. His security was Iran's responsibility – and because Israel shredded that protection in front of the entire world, it put to open shame the Iranian leaders and their IRGC military arm. Thus they are duty bound to exact revenge to restore their honor.

With that in mind, now read Psalm 83:16-18 as it is supposed to be understood – from a ME perspective.

Iran and a new world order

At the end of March Iran's late unlamented President Raisi said at a gathering in Tehran that the war in Gaza will lead to a "transformation in the unjust order that rules the world." He believes, along with most of Iran's other top leaders, that the war "will accelerate various processes in the global order," and that once the war is over, a new world order will be "very close and achievable."

Iran views the Gaza war as "part of a larger process…a precursor to a major global conflict. Battlegrounds are not the only arenas in which this war unfolds. It may include other types of struggles, such as Iran joining the BRICS and the SCO, two economic groups that are linked to China or Russia and which Iran wants to be part of in order to balance the Western-led economies such as the G7."

Raisi's statement is important as it reveals Iran's view of Oct. 7th and its long-term plans. Iran sees the war and "the suffering of Gazans as a benefit," and wants to exploit both for "it for its own interests." Raisi also elevated "Palestine as the most important issue in the Muslim world and stressed that the resistance by the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip will lead to changes in the status quo in the world."

Note Iran's hypocrisy. "On one hand, it claims to back the Palestinians. But it also wants to exploit them as part of its war on the West and on Israel. Iran also wants to use the war to diminish US influence in the region." Iran is also collaborating with Russia and China in their endeavors to bring down "the US-led world order." ("Iran believes Gaza war will 'shape new world order'," Seth Frantzman, JP analysis, 26 Mar. 2024)

The loneliness of Israel

While Jewish French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy does not say this, what he does say in his interview supports what we have been seeing since Oct. 7th – the quick fulfillment of Balaam's prophetic declaration in Numbers 23:9b: Behold, the people [Israel] shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

Lévy said that for five decades he has travelled "to the front lines to bear witness, to write, and to use my weapon, the pen…to support just causes." He sees the battle against Hamas as "a war that Israel did not wish for…and one it must win. It's about Israel's survival, but also about justice, freedom, and human rights."

He arrived in Israel days after Oct. 7th, weeks before the IDF entered Gaza, and described to his European readers in detail what he saw and felt while visiting the villages attacked by Hamas. Unlike so many others "his solidarity with Israel did not wane…" In interviews and newspaper op-eds he has consistently and clearly stated that "The world must not leave Israel alone in its battle against Hamas." All of this pushed him to "write and publish, amidst the atmosphere of Israel-hatred and anti-Semitism pervading Europe and North America," his book, The Loneliness of Israel.

Asked if Israel really is alone, he replied, "more than ever before…and it's reviled by everyone. There's absolute ignorance…about the history of the state, and about the place of the State of Israel in Jewish history." So he wrote the book to answer simple questions like, "Why does Israel exist? In what sense is it a colonial phenomenon? How can a people present in a place for 3,000 years be considered occupiers?" Europeans have no clue about any of this.

Today, the world questions "Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state." That is what people mean when they shout, "'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.' The meaning of that chant is the erasure of Israel, its elimination as a Jewish state and as a state altogether."

Asked who has abandoned Israel, he answers, "Its allies who've succumbed to public opinion at home; they're still Israel's allies, but today they're more cautious about anything concerning it…" They say they are still Israel's friends, and that "Jews are allowed to be strong…to defend themselves – but only up to a point. What country would allow its citizens to be attacked like that? None! Yet Israel is being asked to restrain itself. There's no limit to the double standards."

The problem is that Hamas is "not a normal, rational enemy," yet the West keeps treating it as one. But "Hamas must be dismantled for Israel's future," and also "for the future of the Palestinians…The world needs a Hamas-free space – from the river to the sea."

Lévy disagrees with pressuring Israel to reach a ceasefire. "Western leaders, led by President Biden, should invest every effort in pressuring Hamas until it surrenders." In an op-ed for the Wall St. Journal, he wrote, "Enough with these endless negotiations…A military victory over Hamas is essential; there's no other way for Israel and the region as a whole to move forward. Otherwise, Hamas will emerge victorious from this war and be able to take pride in having won." Yet Israel must win "for its security, for the sake of the Palestinians, for the sake of the entire region, and for the world…Israel's victory is a victory for freedom, for democracy, for everything right and just, whereas a Hamas victory is a victory for barbarism, for terror, for murder and rape…

"A Hamas victory is a victory for the Islamic Republic [Iran], for Russia, for Turkey, for China, for extremist Islam. To allow such a thing – that is, to push Israel to stop the war – would not just be a defeat for Israel, but for all of us. And that is unacceptable."

He added, "The world has forgotten the need for a State of Israel." The small strip of land given to the Jews "was to erect a barrier, to build a fortress against the rivers of Jewish blood spilled by hatred, pogroms, and the Holocaust over thousands of years. Today, it seems, no one understands that Israel is waging a war of existence."

Questioned if the issue was that facts were not being conveyed accurately to the world, he said the truth is out there, but "people really don't want to hear it. There are too many preconceptions, too many clichés. A thick layer of false knowledge has accumulated, preventing people…from knowing what really happened. It's a phenomenon" called "willful ignorance."

Lévy's remarks on the UN were excellent: "The UN is in the same state the League of Nations was in 1938, only worse. In the book, I've compiled the statements, the non-statements, the hypocrisy, the frivolity, and the lies of UN agencies from day one of the war. It's terrible." He sees the UN as barely alive.

He compares what is happening in Western higher learning and its anti-Semitism/anti-Israelism with 1933 when German's "Weimar Republic collapsed. It was the place that represented the pinnacle of intellectualism… It had all the symbols of the Enlightenment, of freedom of research and thought…Jewish science, knowledge, and research contributed greatly to its excellence." But it became "an intellectual desert, led by the most racist sciences, the most delusional linguistic research, and Nazi storm-troopers…" That is basically what we are seeing today in Western universities. It is "an ideological war…with the Jews and their friends at a disadvantage…"

The line between "opposition to Israel or Zionism and antisemitism" is in his opinion already impossible to draw.

Lévy sees it as "using a new word to say the same thing," adding that "Antisemitism has become a stream that stands on its own in Western political life."

In relation to the accusation that Israelis want to take revenge on Hamas, he has visited Israel several times since Oct. 7th yet he has "never heard anyone actually talk about revenge. Justice yes; freeing the captives yes; destroying Hamas' political and military capabilities absolutely. But not revenge."

He is quite blunt in stating that "The future of Jews is not assured anywhere. Not in Europe, as we're seeing right now; not in America, where we're discovering an antisemitism I long suspected existed…But even in Israel, the future of Jews is not assured, as Oct. 7th proved. This is our existential condition today." [I totally disagree with him concerning Jews in Israel based on God's many promises to bring His people back and protect them in His land. See: Jacob's Trouble - Past or Future? for an in-depth study on this subject.]

He ended this interview affirming his belief that Israel is alone and will only get lonelier as time goes by, which is actually a fulfillment of Numbers 23:9b. ("Loneliness of Israel: Bernard-Henri Lévy speaks," Israel Hayom Interview, 5 May 2024)

Theology hafuch

Coffee hafuch is a favorite drink of Israelis. It literally means "upside-down coffee" with the coffee being poured into hot milk as opposed to the other way around.

Theology hafuch is a favorite, but dangerous, drink of the modern Church. It is identified by those who say you need to interpret the Old Testament through the eyes of the New, even though Yeshua and the early believers did just the opposite; they interpreted the New Testament through the Tanach, the only Scriptures they had.

Here are a few questions that should turn upside-down "hafuch" theology: How often do the Psalms quote from the Gospels? What New Testament verses did Isaiah or any other Tanach prophets use to prove that what they said was from God? In the first five books of the Bible, the Torah, how often does Moses refer to Paul's writings? How many times does Daniel refer to the Book of Revelation? Obviously, the answer to all of these questions is "not even once!"

Yet how often does the New Testament quote or allude to the Tanach? Some scholars say as much as one-third of the New Testament does that, simply because the Tanach contains the foundation for every theological concept and insight in the New Testament.

If you're still not sure of what I am stating, try this simple thought experiment. Explain the God revealed in the New Testament without once referring to His revelation of Himself in the Tanach. It is not possible because the Holy Spirit expects that believers in Yeshua should know and treasure all of God's Word – both the Tanach and the New Testament.

Your words were found, and I did eat them;
and Your word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart,
for I am called by Your name, YHWH God of hosts.Jer. 15:16

Blessings from Jerusalem,

Chuck Cohen