“The LORD gives strength to His people; the LORD blesses His people with peace.”
Psalm 29:11 (NIV)
Shalom, my friend.
In whatever you’re facing today, I pray God’s strength and peace for you.
I’m reminded, that no matter what we face – no matter what God’s Chosen People face – He’s close at hand to bring strength and peace.
That’s why I’m hoping you’ll join with me and everyone at Jewish Voice as we pray for Israel. The conflict with Iran continues to fester. There’s unsettling animosity – that, when unleashed, poses a grave threat to Israel and Her people.
We must stand together, remain watchful and vigilant . . . and ask God to strengthen His people, give them peace and change the hearts of their enemies.
AT U.N. ANTI-RACISM CONFERENCE, IRAN FOREIGN MINISTER INVOKED THE DESTRUCTION OF THE JEWISH STATE
The U.N.’s Durban IV event in mid-September, with the theme of “Reparations, racial justice and equality for people of African descent,” commemorated and adopted a statement 20 years after the first meeting in Durban, South Africa.
Concerning the event, U.N. Secretary-General, António Guterres is quoted as saying, “Wherever we see racism, we must condemn it without reservation, without hesitation, without qualification.”
Fox News reported that while the original purpose of the event was combating racism, critics say it has been hijacked by an anti-Israel agenda that turned it into an anti-Semitic hate fest leading the U.S. and Israel to walk out of the first conference.
With the U.S. and 37 other nations boycotting this year’s conference due to its history of anti-Semitism, Iran’s new Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, invoked the destruction of the Jewish State.
As reported, Abdollahian further said his country opposed all forms of racism while threatening the existence of Zionism.
“As the new foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I’m honored to announce that my nation’s willpower is dedicated to the total elimination of all forms of racial discrimination, including apartheid and Zionism.”
Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies who focuses on Iran, told Fox News, “Abdollahian didn't mince words: the Islamic Republic will use every opportunity afforded to it to seek ‘the total elimination’ of Zionism. That is code for working towards the destruction of the Jewish state.”
Taleblu said the new Foreign Minister’s words should serve as a warning to the Biden administration about engaging with the regime in Tehran.
“Washington should understand that working zealously to engage Iran with the aims of reviving the flawed 2015 nuclear deal not only makes no strategic sense given Iran’s irreversible nuclear advances in 2021, but would result in yet another infusion of cash to the world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism,” Taleblu said.
“That would mean men like Abdollahian would be in a greater position to put their money where their mouth is.”
“THE WAR WITH ISRAEL HAS ALREADY STARTED”
The Jerusalem Post reported that late last week Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, told Israeli reporters that “The war with Israel has already started.”
Khatibzadeh continued, “Israel has carried out attacks that were intended to destroy our nuclear program for peaceful purposes. It murdered nuclear scientists and harmed the Iranian people. Iran is accused of terrorism, but there is no good or bad terrorist. The whole crisis in the region is Israel's fault.”
And while Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian revealed Iran has agreed to return to negotiations and resume compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal soon in Vienna, The Jerusalem Post reports that Khatibzadeh has accused Israel of having “done everything” to thwart such negotiations – and to cause conflict between Iran and the world powers.
The Vienna talks, which aim to bring both Washington and Tehran back into compliance with the deal, were adjourned in June after hardliner Ebrahim Raisi was elected Iran’s President.
ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER’S HISTORIC VISIT TO BAHRAIN SENDS A CLEAR MESSAGE OF UNITY TO THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC
Israeli Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, arrived in Bahrain late last week.
According to Israel Hayom, this is the first high-level visit to the small Gulf state by a senior Israeli official since the signing last year of a landmark agreement to establish diplomatic ties.
Israel established formal diplomatic relations with four Arab states last year as part of the U.S.-brokered “Abraham Accords.” Lapid has already visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Morocco.
The deals to establish relations with Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco and the UAE were the first peace accords between Israel and Arab states in decades, after peace treaties with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1995.
According to The Times of Israel, the centerpiece of Lapid’s mission to Bahrain was the visit to Naval Support Activity Bahrain, the home of the U.S. Fifth Fleet.
The Fifth Fleet operates in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean, where Iran has been stepping up operations and covert attacks.
“We’re very aware of Iran’s posture and we’ll be prepared to deal with that appropriately,” U.S. fleet commander Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said.
The attending dignitaries, according to The Times of Israel, made statements that didn’t explicitly mention Iran, as they stood in front of the USS Pearl Harbor, a hulking 16,000-ton amphibious warship.
But the statements were clearly beside the point. It was the visual that mattered: representatives of the three countries with the most adversarial relationship with Iran standing together beneath a clear symbol of U.S. military might on the coast of the Persian Gulf.
The message was stark: The U.S. backs Israel’s burgeoning ties with Gulf states; Washington is determined to protect civilian shipping against attacks by Iran and its proxies; any who believe the American withdrawal from Afghanistan means the U.S. is washing its hands of the region are mistaken.
EU TO WITHHOLD 20 MILLION EUROS IN AID FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IF IMMEDIATE CHANGES ARE NOT MADE TO SCHOOL CURRICULUM
YNet News reported early last week that the European Parliament’s Budget panel approved an amendment to withhold 20 million Euros in aid to The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) if immediate changes are not made to the curriculum taught in its schools, which allegedly includes anti-Israel rhetoric and incitement of violence.
According to the approved amendment, 20 million Euros in aid “will be released by the next academic school year if substantive positive changes are made in the Palestinian Authority curriculum that promote coexistence and tolerance with the Jewish-Israeli ‘other’ and peace education with Israel in alignment with the goals of the two-state solution.”
The amendment added, “Should there be no change, appropriations in reserve shall be used for funding Palestinian NGOs that have a proven track record of promoting educational initiatives in school settings for children designed to foster tolerance, coexistence and respect towards the Jewish-Israeli ‘other.’”
Prior to the amendment on the conditional funding, Al-Monitor reported that Palestinian factions in Gaza organized a conference in the al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, to call for the revocation of the framework between the U.S. and UNRWA.
The conference was attended by hundreds of citizens. The Palestinian flag was raised while several banners stressed “the refugees’ rejection of the conditional funding of UNRWA and the rejection of the agreement.”
Let Us Pray Together
Please pray with me for:
- God’s peace to turn the hearts of Israel’s enemies
- God to strengthen His people against the threats they face from Iran and terror organizations along the Gaza Strip
- God’s continued wisdom to be poured out on the world’s leaders in handling the nuclear threat from Iran
- Peace in the hearts and minds of the people of Israel and their enemies
- Jewish people to recognize Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah
