Watchman of Zion

You may view the 5 minute update this week via audio:

1) Listen to the audio

In this week’s 5 minute update, we focused on:

1) The current situation with the Israel / Palestinian peace process

Sweden has become the first major European country to recognize a state of Palestine. Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said: “Today’s recognition is a contribution to a better future for a region that has for too long been characterized by frozen negotiations, destruction and frustration. Some will state this decision comes too soon. I am afraid, rather, that it is too late. Our decision comes at a critical time because over the last year we have seen how the peace talks have stalled, how decisions over new settlements on occupied Palestinian land have complicated a two-state solution and how violence has returned to Gaza,” she said. “Together with other European countries, as well as the United States and other regional and international organizations, the government will now work to support renewed negotiations to reach a final agreement.” Wallstrom said Sweden’s move aimed at supporting moderate Palestinians and making their status more equal with that of Israel in peace negotiations, as well as giving hope to young people on both sides.

Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman denounced the Swedish government’s official recognition of a “Palestinian state” as “deplorable” saying it would undermine efforts to resolve the conflict. He said:  ‘The decision of the Swedish government to recognize a Palestinian state is a deplorable decision which only strengthens extremist elements and Palestinian rejectionism.” The Palestinian Authority immediately praised the decision. “President [Mahmoud] Abbas welcomes Sweden’s decision,” spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said saying the Palestinian leader described the move as “brave and historic.” Abbas called for other countries to follow Sweden’s lead. “All countries of the world that are still hesitant to recognize our right to an independent Palestinian state based on 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital, (should) follow Sweden’s lead,” he said. Seven EU members in eastern European and the Mediterranean have already recognized a Palestinian state – Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland and Romania. Non-EU member Iceland is the only other western European nation to have done so.

In an interview with a senior Obama administration official, Jeffrey Goldberg, of the Atlantic magazine asked the question regarding what foreign leader makes the US most frustrated. The senior Obama administration official responded by saying that it was Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Then, the official referred to Netanyahu as “chickensh*t”. This comment is representative of the brutal manner in which American and Israeli officials now talk about each other behind closed doors and is yet another sign that relations between the Obama and Netanyahu governments have moved toward a full-blown crisis. The relationship between Israel and the US is now the worst it’s ever been and it may get worse after the US midterm elections on November 4.

There is hints that the US may withdraw their diplomatic cover for Israel at the United Nations in the next couple of months. Obama administration officials are expressing “red-hot anger” at Netanyahu for pursuing settlement policies on the West Bank, and building policies in Jerusalem, that they believe have fatally undermined Secretary of State John Kerry’s peace process. Goldberg believes that the Obama administration may be looking to make Israel pay direct costs for its settlement policies. Next year, the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, will quite possibly seek full UN recognition for a state of Palestine. Goldberg believes that the US will still try to block such a move in the UN Security Council but it might do so by helping to support a stridently anti-settlement resolution in its place. Such a resolution would isolate Israel from the international community.

US Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the statement made by the senior Obama administration official who called Netanyahu, “chicketsh*t”.  The insults were “disgraceful, unacceptable and damaging,” said Kerry. Kerry also vowed to work “quietly and effectively” to restart the failed “peace process” with the Palestinian Authority (PA), saying that the endeavor is “doable, but it takes courage and strength.” Apparently, it seems that the term “chickensh*t” was used in an attempt to condemn Netanyahu for not being “brave enough” to make extraordinary concessions to the PA that would put Israel in existential danger and forfeit critical parts of the Jewish state for “peace.”

In an interview with Israel Radio, columnist Jeffrey Goldberg said that he wasn’t surprised that Kerry would distance himself from the anonymous Obama official who made the comment saying, “That’s a completely normal course of events, someone tells the truth and then because the truth isn’t diplomatic, they have to say they weren’t authorized to speak,” he said. He said Obama believes Netanyahu is a smart, tough negotiator, but that Obama believes that Netanyahu doesn’t “spend his political capital in a particularly risky or brave way.” Goldberg drew these conclusions after his many personal talks with President Obama.

Goldberg said Netanyahu has “written off” Obama, but Obama has not “written off” Netanyahu. He says that Secretary of State John Kerry is the “last man standing” and could still come through with a peace deal. The sense is, Goldberg said, that “Israel needs the US more than the US needs Israel,” and that “there is a feeling, especially when it comes to the defense minister, that they’ve been treated disrespectfully.” The veteran reporter claimed that the situation could still be remedied if Netanyahu was willing to make compromises, especially regarding the settlements.  “For it to be reversed, from the American standpoint, they would have to see the Israeli government take some of the steps Obama has been asking for for years.” Goldberg said “provocative moves” are the “core of their [Obama officials] anxiety,” and that the settlements are the “key sources of tension.” He concluded by saying: “Unless Netanyahu is able to take control from some of the right wing members of [his] cabinet, no, I don’t think things will get better.”

A leading figure in Netanyahu’s Likud political pary, MK, Miri Regev, who chairs the Knesset’s Interior Committee, condemned the comments made by the unnamed Obama senior government offical by saying, “With all due respect for Obama, who is he to hand out grades to the prime minister? The utterances are unacceptable and constitute intervention in Israel’s affairs by President Obama. Jews will build homes everywhere in the Land of Israel, including eastern Jerusalem, and the Arabs can also live anywhere in the state of Israel,” she said.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to these comments by saying, “I am being attacked because I’m defending Israel. I respect our relationship with the US but I’m not ready to make concessions that would endanger our country.”  With regards to Jeusalem, Netanyahu said, “Our vital interests, first and foremost our security and a unified Jerusalem, are not the uppermost interests of the unnamed officials who attacked our government and me personally. I’m being attacked simply because I defend the State of Israel… Despite all the attacks against me, I will keep defending our country and Israel’s people. Israel’s economic minister and the leader of the Jewish Home political party, Naftali Bennett, rebuked the US for “throwing Israel under the bus.” The Israel Prime Minister is “the leader of the Jewish State and the entire Jewish people. Cursing the prime minister and calling him names is an insult not just to him but to the millions of Israeli citizens and Jews across the globe.”

In an editorial in the Jeruslem Post, it was pointed out that this is just the latest in a series of vindictive acts by the Obama administration because Israel has dared to reject its diktats. Nothing illustrates President Obama’s contemptuous attitude toward Israel more than his directive to withhold arms to Israel during wartime because Israel had rejected Kerry’s initiative to engage Qatar as the mediator to end the Gaza hostilities. The Obama administration adamantly insists that the Israel – Palestine status quo is untenable. Yet it remains silent as Hamas boasts of efforts to restore its tunnel network in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas humiliated the US administration by merging with Hamas without prior consultation. Furthermore,  the US failed to criticize this move nor has condemned Abbas for killing any Palestinian found selling land to an Israeli. Netanyahu should be commended for his extraordinary diplomatic balancing act in withstanding the unreasonable pressure from Obama and Kerry, avoiding outright confrontations and in so doing, retaining the support of American public opinion and Congress.

The US administration is planning to present a proposal to resume the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians after the mid-term elections for Congress on November 4. The report came as State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki announced that a Palestinian delegation would arrive in the US on November 3 for high-level talks on ways to move forward with the stalled peace talks and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian sources, the new US proposal consists of three points: ending construction in the West Bank and in east Jerusalem; suspending the Palestinian bid at the UN Security Council for a resolution setting a timeline for an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines; and resuming the peace talks from the point where they ended last April. The initiative is being prepared by the US State Department and will be officially presented by the end of this year or the start of next year.

Western diplomatic sources said the Americans had received a promise from the Palestinians to postpone a potential draft resolution at the UN Security Council until after the November 4 US congressional elections to help the Obama administration avoid having to use its veto prior to the elections. These sources say that for the first time, the US is considering abstaining from using its veto power to prevent recognition of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its captial at the UN Security Council attributing this possibility to two factors: the first is the Obama administration’s overall dissatisfaction with Netanyahu’s policies and positions; and the second is that the Palestinian draft resolution used mild language appropriate for the Americans.

Palestinian news sources indicated that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will reject the US peace proposal. Instead the Palestinians plan to ask the UN Security Council to vote on recognizing a PLO State with East Jerusalem as its capital in early 2015. The Palestinians are not confident that they have 9 members on the UN Security Council who would agree to bring the proposal to a vote. However, on January 1, there will be 5 new security council members more supportive of the Palestinian cause who will replace 5 countries who are less supportive. The new security council members on January 1 will be: Venezuela, Angola, New Zealand, Spain and Malaysia. They will be replacing Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, South Korea and Rwanda.

Yehuda Glick, a leading advocate for Jewish rights on the Temple Mount, was shot 4 times outside the Begin Heritage center in Jerusalem where he was giving a speech entitled, “Israel returns to the Temple Mount.” In the past, Glick was the Executive Director of the Temple Institute, a Jewish religious organization which is dedicated to the rebuilding of the Temple. Recently, he founded the Initiative for Jewish Freedom on the Temple Mount. Glick was shot after a terrorist pulled up on a motorcycle and  asked Glick to identify himself indicating that it was a targeted assassination before leaving the scene. Glick was taken to a local Jerusalem hospital where he was immediately taken to surgery. He is in critical but stable condition. Palestinians in the Old City of Jerusalem set off fireworks in celebration of the shooting. Israel Housing Minister Uri Ariel said that the bullets fired at Glick “were aimed at all Jews who wish to pray on the Temple Mount.”  Uriel demanded access to all Jews on the Temple Mount in response to the shooting.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that incitement by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was partly to blame for the shooting of Yehuda Glick. “I said only days ago that we are facing a wave of incitement by radical Islamic elements and by Palestinian Authority head Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas], who said that the ascent of Jews to the Temple Mount needs to be prevented by every means,” Netanyahu said. “I still have not heard one word of condemnation from the international community against this incitement. The international community needs to stop its hypocrisy and act against the inciters, those who are trying to change the status quo,” Netanyahu said.

The terrorist shooter has been identified as, Muataz Hijazi, who a member of the movement, Islamic Jihad. A representative of Islamic Jihad, Daud Shihab, said that the organization supports the struggle for Jerusalem. Shihab said that “the attempt to hurt Rabbi Glick is a natural response of Palestinians who are trying to protect the Temple Mount.” He continued and said his organization supports the Intifada in east Jerusalem. “Just like we were at the heart of the struggle in Gaza, that’s what we’ll do in Jerusalem.”

The shooter lived in East Jerusalem. He had been employed at a restaurant where the Jerusalem’s Begin Center was located. He left work about 1/2 hour before the shooting took place. After the shooting, Israel counter-terrorism Police officers arrived at the suspect’s house and attempted to arrest him when they came under fire. The Israel police returned the fire and killed the shooter as he yelled, “Allah Akbar”. The motorcycle and pistol used in the shooting of Yehuda Glick was found at the shooters house.

He has spent 11 years in Israeli prison over security-related offenses. In 2000, Hijazi was sentenced to 6 years in prison for a series of arson attacks in Jerusalem. His jail time was extended while in prison after he wounded two prison wardens in the face with a razor blade. He was released in 2012, after spending some of his imprisonment in isolation because of his violent behavior.

In an interview following his release from the Israeli prison, Hijazi said: “I’m glad to be back in Jerusalem. I hope to be a thorn in the Zionist plan of Judaizing Jerusalem. What makes me most happy is to return to Jerusalem to be among my family and people.”

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinian shooter would go to heaven as a martyr. Abbas said: “With anger, we have received the news of the vicious assassination crime committed by the terrorists of the Israeli occupation army against [your] son Mu’taz Ibrahim Khalil Hijazi, who will go to heaven as a martyr defending the rights of our people and its holy places.”

Netanyahu condemned the words of Abbas. “While we are trying to calm the tense situation, Abbas sends a condolence letter over the death of someone who tried to commit an abominable murder,” Netanyahu said. Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman criticized Abbas by saying, “these words prove more than anything that Abbas is indeed a partner – a partner for terror, a partner for terrorists, a partner for murderers. This despicable letter by Abbas openly supports terror and encourages more killings. I call on the international community to condemn this man who is leading the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to violent and horrible places,” Lieberman said.

After the shooting, Netanyahu held a special meeting on the shooting and increase in tensions and violence in Jerusalem. In attendance were the defense minister, security minister, the head of the Shin Bet, the police chief, the mayor of Jerusalem and IDF representatives, among other officials. He said, “I have ordered a major increase in presence of forces…so that we can maintain a safe Jerusalem and also keep the status quo in holy sites.” Netanyahu concluded by saying that “the struggle here can be long and drawn out, but here, like all the other struggles, we need to put out the flames. Neither side needs to take the law into their hands, we need to act calmly, responsibly and decisively.”

In order to protect against increased violence in Jerusalem over the issue of having access to and praying on the Temple Mount, Netanyahu ordered the Temple Mount closed to prayers for Jews and Muslims for several days. In response Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that this is a “declaration of war,” not only on the Palestinian people and their sacred sites, but on the entire Arab and Islamic nation.

An agreement to divide Jerusalem and establish a PLO state is a tribulation event.

The link to these articles are as follows:

1) Sweden officially recognizes Palestinian state
2) Liberman Issues Biting Response to Sweden Palestine Recognition
3) After Sweden’s recognition of Palestine, Liberman says ‘issues more complex than Ikea furniture’
4) Jeffrey Goldberg: Obama doesn’t think Netanyahu is a brave leader
5) Leading Likud MK Blasts Obama’s ‘Chutzpah’
6) Netanyahu hits back: I’m being attacked because I defend Israel
7) Netanyahu: Israel Facing an Attack on its Right to Exist
8) Kerry Calls ‘Chickens**t’ Slur ‘Disgraceful and Damaging’
9) Candidly Speaking: Obama is seeking a confrontation with Israel
10) US administration to unveil peace talks proposal
11) Palestinian delegation leaves to Washington to meet Kerry
12) Abbas to present US peace framework to PLO
13) Palestinians will wait until January to seek UN recognition
14) Breaking: Temple Mount Advocate Yehuda Glick Shot in Jerusalem
15) Activist was threatened before assassination attempt, friends say
16) Police brace for violence after right-wing activist shot in Jerusalem
17) Islamic Jihad: Glick incited death of Abu Khdeir; he got what he deserved
18) In past interview, Islamic Jihad shooter ‘wished to be a thorn in the throat of Zionists’
19) Assassin was a serial arsonist, assaulted 3 wardens in prison
20) Suspected shooter of Temple Mount activist killed in gunfight
21) Bennett: Glick Shooting Crossed a ‘Red Line of Blood’
22) PM blames Abbas for inciting shooting of Jewish activist
23) Abbas sent condolence letter to family of Glick’s shooter
24) Abbas says Glick shooter will go to heaven as martyr
25) Netanyahu: Struggle over Jerusalem may be long, but we must act with composure
26) Abbas: Closing of Temple Mount tantamount to declaration of war

From a Biblical prophetic perspective, the reason why the God of Israel would allow these events to happen is because it will result in the end of the exile of the house of Jacob and the reunification of the 12 tribes of Israel (Ephraim and Judah).

We will to be “watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem” and we will not rest until the God of Israel makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62).

Shalom in Yeshua the Messiah,

Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l

You may view the 5 minute update this week via audio:

1) Listen to the audio

In this week’s 5 minute update, we focused on:

1) The current situation with the Israel / Palestinian peace process

According to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, if there is ever to be a Palestinian state, everyone is going to have to adjust their ideas of sovereignty. Netanyahu said that the only way to ensure that territory ceded by Israel does not turn into a “third Iranian enclave around Israel’s border,” is to have a long-term Israeli security presence inside a future Palestinian state. So we have to find a security solution that is real, and I think it’s possible.”

To do this, he said, “I think we have to adjust our conceptions of sovereignty. I don’t know if there’s absolute sovereignty anywhere. I don’t see it in the economic field. We’re all tied to international structures. We’re all tied to limitations. And I think we have to think about having these security arrangements, which over time could be made shared security arrangements, but that’s the way to keep Israel safe, paradoxically to keep the Palestinian Authority intact and ultimately to secure peace.” The Palestinians have made it clear that they are adamantly opposed to any protracted Israeli security presence anywhere in a future Palestinian state, including along the Jordan River.

In a recent meeting with US President Barak Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that, among other things which happened in that meeting, was that he had agreed to an American framework proposal whereby Israel would negotiate peace with the Palestinians on the basis of the ’67 cease-fire lines with territorial swaps. He added that in discussions with Secretary of State John Kerry, it was understood that Israel had several reservations about details of the plan which would have to be ironed out. In order to meet with Netanyahu, Obama demanded that Netanyahu declare his commitment to the two-state solution before the meeting or risk another crisis in the relations between Israel and the U.S. It is likely due to this reason that Netanyahu had to clarify before the meeting that he is still committed to the two-state solution in exchange for recognition of Israel as a Jewish state by the Palestinian Authority (PA). The United States was dissatisfied with Netanyahu’s speech at the UN in late September where he did not specifically mention the two-state solution.

Israel TV reported that US Secretary of State John Kerry is seeking to hold direct, intensive talks between Israel and the Palestinians under the auspices of regional Arab powers. Kerry wants negotiations to last two months and involve nations such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. In addition, US President Barack Obama is expected to request of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly express a positive attitude towards the 2002 Saudi-drafted Arab Peace Initiative — if not by endorsing it wholesale, at least welcoming its general intent — in order to help enlist Arab nations to the new initiative.

In his meeting with Obama in the United States, Netanyahu said: “Something was “changing in the Middle East” offering a new “commonality of interest between Israel and leading Arab states, and I think that we should work very hard together to seize on those common interests and build a positive program to advance a more secure, a more prosperous and a more peaceful Middle East. I remain committed to a vision of peace of two states for two peoples based on mutual recognition and rock solid security arrangements on the ground,” he said. The US and Israel should “think outside the box” and “see how we can recruit the Arab countries to advance this very hopeful agenda.”

The Swedish new government indicated that it wants to be the first member of the European Union to recognize the state of Palestine. During his inaugural speech, Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said “the conflict between Israel and Palestine can only be solved with a two-state solution, negotiated in accordance with international law. The two-state solution requires mutual recognition and a will to co-exist peacefully. Sweden will therefore recognize the state of Palestine,” he said. Several European countries including Hungary, Slovakia and Romania have given their recognition of Palestine as a state but did so before they became members of the EU.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki welcomed Lofven’s announcement and called on other European Union countries to follow suit. “In the name of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian leadership, we thank and salute the Swedish position,” Malki said.

Sweden’s ambassador to Israel has been summoned for a reprimand meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem after Lofven made the announcement. Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Lofven’s announcement was unfortunate as he “likely has yet to have enough time to delve into matters and understand that the side which has been a spoiler for the past 20 years to advancing an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians – is the Palestinians.” Lieberman said that the “Swedish Prime Minister Lofven needs to understand that no declaration and no step by an outside player can replace the direct negotiations between the sides and a solution that will be part of a comprehensive agreement between Israel and the entire Arab world.”

The United States called the decision by the new Swedish government “premature” and expressed its disapproval of the decision. US State Department spokesman Jen Psaki said: “The United States believes that the peace process is one that has to be worked out through the parties to agree on the terms of how they’ll live in the future of two states living side-by-side,” said State Department spokesman Jen Psaki.

As a result, the Swedish Embassy in Israel has softened its position regarding the recognition of Palestinian statehood, saying it favors peace negotiation to unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, Sweden said that it will recognize a Palestinian state at the end of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, the British parliament voted on October 13th to recognise the state of Palestine.  The vote was 274-12. However, the vote has no practical significance since it does not oblige the British government to change its current policy of recognizing Palestine only after a peace deal is reached between Israel and the Palestinians. Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi said the vote was “both a principled decision and a significant step towards justice and peace. Our right to self-determination has never been up to negotiations,” she said in a statement released by the PLO. “The recognition of Palestine is not contingent upon on the outcome of negotiations with Israel and certainly not something we will trade for; this claim is not only unfair, but immoral. This vote sends the right message to the British government and the rest of Europe— it will enhance the European voices calling for the recognition of Palestine and will create the right environment for the international community to grant the Palestinian people legal parity and rights.”

Israel said the British motion “undermines the chances to reach a real peace. The route to Palestinian statehood runs through the negotiation room,” a statement from the Israeli Embassy in London said. “Premature international recognition sends a troubling message to the Palestinian leadership that they can evade the tough choices that both sides have to make, and actually undermines the chances to reach a real peace,” the statement went on to say. “Recognition of a Palestinian state should be the result of a successful conclusion of direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority,” the statement concluded.

France’s foreign minister said that the French policy should recognize a Palestinian state only if doing so would help achieve peace, not as a symbolic gesture. However, if negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel fail, France “would not shirk its responsibilities” but would recognize the Palestinian state, the minister, Laurent Fabius, said. It has said that when the time comes it will recognize a Palestinian state. “Until now the prevailing idea was that recognition should be linked to the negotiations,” Fabius said. “But if negotiations were to prove impossible or have no conclusion, then France will naturally have to assume its responsibilities.”

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said that the Palestinians will launch a diplomatic push in November to gain international recognition for an independent state in spite of Israeli and US warnings against it. Erekat said that if Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “believes that he can sustain the status quo and [that] we’ll do that for him, forget him. This will not last beyond November… we will not take it any more, business as usual no more,” said Erekat. In addition, Palestinian leader, Nabil Shaath said that a political war”will begin if there is a negative response to Abbas’s steps to gain recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN Security Council. “This is the last chance for the world to accept the resolution that is currently being prepared for at the Security Council,” Shaath said.

If the U.S. vetoes the resolution, Erekat said the Palestinians would respond by applying for membership in some 522 organizations, protocols, and treaties, a move aimed at gaining further recognition for a Palestinian state.  The Palestinians would then demand that Israel fulfill all its obligations as an occupying power. Erekat said that the PLO would remain the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. Elections would also be held for the Palestinian presidency and National Council but during the interim period the PLO would effectively seize power. “Before the elections there will be elections for the PLO’s executive committee with the participation of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and the executive committee will become the temporary government for the occupied Palestinian state and the National Council will be considered the parliament of the Palestinian people,” he said.

Under pressure from the United State, the Palestinians have agreed to delay by two months its plan to seek a Security Council resolution calling for recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN Security Council. This will give US Secretary of State, John Kerry, two months to present his own plan and to pressure Israel. The Palestinians are conditioning a resumption of talks with Israel on Israel presenting a map with its borders and a full cessation of settlement construction during the talks. The Palestinians said that they are willing to return to negotiations with Israel but not according to the  “old mechanisms.”

Finally,  according to a former US envoy to Israel, the personal relationship between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama is so poor that it could seriously hurt otherwise strong bilateral ties. “The relationship between the two leaders is worse than I’ve ever seen a relationship between a president and a prime minister,” said Daniel Kurtzer. “There’s no trust between them. There’s a growing lack of respect. There’s a sense of — I’d even say betrayal.”

An agreement to divide Jerusalem and establish a PLO state is a tribulation event.

The link to these articles are as follows:

1) PM: For Palestinian state to emerge everyone needs to adjust concepts of sovereignty
2) Netanyahu says he agreed to Obama framework for negotiations
3) Did Netanyahu Cave in to White House Demand?
4) Bennett slams Netanyahu’s commitment to 2-state solution
5) Kerry said to be planning peace talks under Arab auspices
6) Sweden to be first EU country to recognize Palestine
7) Swedes backtrack Palestinian statehood recognition
8) US: Sweden’s recognition of Palestine is ‘premature’
9) UK set to vote on recognition of Palestinian state
10) U.K. parliament passes non-binding motion to recognize Palestinian state
11) Israel decries UK vote on Palestinian state; PLO rejoices
12) Israel: Palestinian statehood can only come from negotiations
13) France says will recognize Palestinian state if negotiations fail
14) PA negotiator vows to press for statehood
15) Abbas Threatens Israel with ‘Political War’
16) PA official warns of consequences if US vetoes UN bid
17) Report: Palestinians accept US request to delay Security Council bid for statehood
18) Report: PA Agrees to Delay UN Securtiy Council ‘Palestine’ Vote
19) Former US envoy: ‘Sense of betrayal’ in Obama-Netanyahu relationship

From a Biblical prophetic perspective, the reason why the God of Israel would allow these events to happen is because it will result in the end of the exile of the house of Jacob and the reunification of the 12 tribes of Israel (Ephraim and Judah).

We will to be “watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem” and we will not rest until the God of Israel makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62).

Shalom in Yeshua the Messiah,

Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l

You may view the 5 minute update this week via audio:

1) Listen to the audio

In this week’s 5 minute update, we focused on:

1) The current situation with the Israel / Palestinian peace process

PA president Mahmoud Abbas said that his government and the Arab Group have prepared a draft Security Council resolution which would “push forward the efforts to achieve peace” and “correct the deficiency of the previous efforts to achieve peace by affirming the goal of ending the Israeli occupation and achieving the two-state solution”. The Palestinians have submitted this draft resolution asking the UN Security Council to set a deadline of November 2016 for an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It also calls for “a just resolution” of the status of Jerusalem as the capital of two states, and of the Palestinian refugee problem. The draft also demands an end to all Israeli military operations and settlement activities, the opening of all border crossings in the Gaza Strip, and deployment of “an international presence” throughout the Palestinian territories to protect Palestinian civilians.

Abbas highlighted the potential diplomatic benefits that would accrue to Israel if it accepted the 2002 Saudi Arab Peace Initiative. “The Arab Peace Initiative states that all of the Arabic and Muslim countries are ready to establish normal relations with Israel, immediate normalization of relations with Israel. The Arab and Muslim states, 57 of them, can immediately recognize Israel and in return Israel withdraws from the Arab occupied territories. We are completely determined to move forward to take the rights in favour of our people within the framework of the political process and enlarged international discussions to put an end to the Israeli occupation of territories of the Palestinian state within a precise deadline. The moment has come to stop the policy that wants to create a fait accompli – the policy of Apartheid, established by Israel and equally the colonization and the confiscation of land in the West Bank and including East Jerusalem.”

In response, Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyah said that the 2002 Saudi peace initiative of 2002 is no longer relevant in the much-altered Middle East of 2014. “The question is not the Saudi peace initiative,” Netanyahu said, asked if he would accept the proposal now. “If you read it carefully, you’ll see it was set up in another period, before the rise of Hamas; before Hamas took over Gaza; before ISIS [Islamic State] took over chunks of Syria and Iraq, effectively dismantling those countries; before Iran’s accelerated nuclear program,” he said. Obviously referring to the Saudi proposal’s call for a full Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines, including returning the Golan Heights to Syria, Netanyahu noted that this plan was made “before the takeover of Syria by al-Qaida on the Golan Heights.”

Furthermore, French President Francois Holland said that a “solution to the conflict” between the Israelis and Palestinians will be put to the UN Security Council. “We will have a resolution, to be presented to the Security Council, that will say very clearly what we expect from the (peace) process and what the solution to the conflict must be,” Hollande said. The French president said that stop-start negotiations had gone on “too long” and “there is a perception that there will never be a solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, even though we know the outlines” of a possible deal. What we must look for is a durable peace accord,” he said, adding that stalled peace talks “must now reach their end”.

However, the text has not been formally circulated to the full 15-nation Security Council, a move that can only be done by a council member. As a result, it remains unclear when, and if, it will be put to a vote. Speaking to journalists in Ramallah, Abbas said the Palestinians were meeting with representatives of the Security Council states to persuade them to accept the resolution once proposed. We hope to get an answer within a month. Of course we are not sure whether the Security Council will agree on it or whether we will get the right number of countries on our side. But whatever will happen, we have something to say. We put it in writing and this is clear. We don’t need to repeat it again,” he said. Abbas added that once a timetable for Israeli withdrawal was set, he would agree to return to the peace talks with Israel. “As soon as we get that, we are willing to return to the negotiating table,” he said. Abbas said that the PA would reevaluate its security coordination with Israel in the West Bank if its statehood bid to the UN Security Council was rejected, and added that the Palestinians would file for membership to the ICC if the resolution failed to pass, according to Arabic media.

Israel’s UN Ambassador Ron Prosor said that by pursuing this draft resolution, “once again, the Palestinians are shooting in all directions, missing the real target. Their habit of bypassing negotiations by taking unilateral action and blaming everyone but themselves will only move the region further away from stability,” Prosor said. “It’s time for the Palestinians to aim higher and find constructive solutions, instead of avoiding a real dialogue. Only when they start taking responsibility, we will be able to move forward.”

The Arab League reiterated its support to the upcoming Palestinian bid at the United Nations Security Council, demanding ending the Israeli occupation, and called on the United States to refrain from using its veto power to topple the move.

Head of the Palestine and Occupied Arab Territories Committee at the Arab League Mohammad Sbeih said that Palestine would be heading to the Security Council with full Arab support, based on a previous resolution approved by the Arab League.

The PLO has a three-step plan for a two-state solution that involves a UN Security Council resolution, and if this fails, an appeal to the International Court of Justice and as a last resort, ending security cooperation with Israel, Palestinian sources said.

Should the resolution pass, the PLO hopes to negotiate with Israel on all core issues, with the understanding that there would be a two-state solution within two years, one Palestinian source said.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said of the resolution, “We’ve seen the text and have not had an opportunity to study it yet, so I can’t comment on the specifics. As a rule, we don’t typically predict how we’ll vote on any given issue in advance.”

A Palestinian source explained to The Jerusalem Post that should the UNSC bid fail, the PLO plan would move into phase two, which would involve signing international treaties, including the Rome Statute. Acceptance of the Rome Statute could allow it bring Israel before the International Criminal Court, in hopes of forcing it to leave the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Joining the court would allow the Palestinians to pursue war crimes charges against Israelis.

With peace talks going nowhere and Israeli settlements expanding, Riyad Mansour said the Palestinians have turned to the Security Council “to force Israel to negotiate in good faith the end of occupation within a time frame.”

As a last resort the PLO would consider dissolving its security arrangements with Israel, first set in place under the 1993 Oslo Accords, the source said.

In response, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that any Palestinian push to try Israeli officials for war crimes at a United Nations tribunal would end any chance of reaching a peace deal. “If Abu Mazen attempts it, this will have dire consequences,” he added, using another name for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. “He could bring The Hague to do it, bringing us to the destruction of any chance of a sane peace deal.”

The PLO ambassador to the US said that the Palestinians are not looking to clash with the US over their plans to obtain a UN Security Council resolution setting a deadline for an Israeli pullout of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In an interview, he explained the Palestinian postion.

TML: Are the Palestinians finding resistance from the US regarding its plans to obtain a UN Security Council Resolution setting a timetable for the withdrawal of Israeli forces?

Areikat: When President Abbas met with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Kerry did not tell Abbas not to go through with it. He asked for clarifications and stressed that the US prefers to advance the political process through direct negotiations: the same US position we’re all familiar with.

TML: If the Palestinians know that the US will veto any Security Council resolution for an independent state, why are they going ahead with it?

Areikat: First of all, we hope that the US will not veto such a resolution. That is why we are talking to them and talking to other parties: the United Nations, Europe, Russia and others to make sure that the resolution is submitted to the Security Council. We hope that the US will understand that trying to get such a resolution passed is not contradictory to the American position. We still have hope that the United States will not veto it.

TML: Do you believe the US can be an honest broker in the conflict? What specifically would you like to see the US do?

Areikat: Everybody knows the importance of the United States. Everybody knows that they have always been engaged in efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the larger Middle East conflict since this conflict started. We also know the special relationship between the United States and Israel – which the United States provides to Israel militarily, economically and politically. Having said that, some people argue that it is difficult for the United States to be an honest broker when they are giving so much unlimited support for Israel. I still believe that there is a role for the United States to play. They need to understand that the approach that they have taken over the last 20 years did not produce any results. Therefore, there has to be something wrong with the approach and the process. And a new approach must be considered that could involve the United Nations, the international community, in order to arrive at a formula that would be supported by the entire world. We hope the United States will view the Palestinian efforts at the United Nations as part of a larger effort to get the international community involved in order to expedite the resolution.

TML: You have included timetable (in the Palestinian proposal), although the Americans have not (agreed to one). Are you worried that there will be a clash?

Areikat: No. We said we want to reach out to people to specify a timeframe for the end of the occupation. We would like to do all this in coordination with the Americans. We haven’t reached the point of discussing the number of years, but in principle, we’re specifying a time frame for the end of the occupation. We would like to do all of this in coordination with Americans. There have in the past been media reports that 3-years are needed to phase-out the Israeli occupation. Nothing has been agreed to yet. However, it is important to see a specific time to put an end to this occupation.

TML: If the United States agrees to your position and says “we have agreed to these things and we are not going to use our veto,” then what are the Palestinians willing to agree to?

Areikat: That would be the best case scenario, if we manage to get international support including the United States. What the United States and the entire world should understand is that this is a genuine effort on the part of the Palestinian leadership to once again highlight the importance – the urgency – to solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, of ending the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian people especially given all the changes and developments taking place in the region. I don’t think we have the luxury of wasting any more time. It will be something that we welcome very much if the United States will be on board to support our effort because the end objective is a peaceful resolution to this long conflict with Israel.

Israel Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said that after a 50-day summer offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip proved that a withdrawal from the West Bank would be both irrational and outdated. He said, “Immediately after Operation Protective Edge we heard: now is the time for a diplomatic process, In this situation, can one even consider restricting the freedom of action of the defense forces in the West Bank” he asked. “How one can rationally reach this conclusion — it is hard for me to fathom.”

A withdrawal, Ya’alon said, would facilitate the rise “of Hamastan” in the West Bank, followed by mortars, rather than rockets, on Israel’s international airport. The military air bases, in Ramat David in the Galilee and Nevatim in the northern Negev, would come under threat of anti-aircraft weapons. And the territory would be used, as in Gaza, by global jihad organizations. “Who can allow himself this sort of security situation in the West Bank” he sai

An agreement to divide Jerusalem and establish a PLO state is a tribulation event.

The link to these articles are as follows:

1) Abbas slams Israeli ‘genocide,’ makes new UN statehood bid
2) France: Israel-Palestinian solution to be presented to UNSC
3) France: Solution to Mideast conflict to be brought before UN Security Council
4) Netanyahu to ‘Post’: Saudi peace initiative is for a bygone era
5) Ahead of Netanyahu-Obama meet, Palestinians submit draft statehood bid to UN
6) Palestinians draft U.N. resolution on ending Israel occupation
7) Palestinians: Israeli occupation must end in 2016
8) Arab League Calls On US Not To Veto Palestinian Bid
9) PLO has 3-step plan for two-state solution
10) Palestinians: ICC if no Israeli pullout deadline
11) PM: No chance for peace deal if Israel sued for war crimes
12) PLO ambassador: Not looking for clashes with US at UN
13) Palestinians call for American pressure on Israel
14) Abbas: If US Vetoes, Security Coordination with Israel at Risk
15) Ya’alon rules out notion of West Bank withdrawal

From a Biblical prophetic perspective, the reason why the God of Israel would allow these events to happen is because it will result in the end of the exile of the house of Jacob and the reunification of the 12 tribes of Israel (Ephraim and Judah).

We will to be “watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem” and we will not rest until the God of Israel makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62).

Shalom in Yeshua the Messiah,

Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l

You may view the 5 minute update this week via audio:

1) Listen to the audio

In this week’s 5 minute update, we focused on:

1) The current situation with the Israel / Palestinian peace process

Prior to speaking before the UN General Assembly at the end of September, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas said that his speech was part of an effort at the UN to create a new political reality. Since the collapse of US-led peace talks with Israel in April, the PA has been pursuing a new diplomatic path to establish a “Palestinian state” via the United Nations and through joining international organizations – in breach of previous agreements with Israel. Abbas met with US Secretary of State John Kerry to lay out details of his initiative. “If he rejects it, the PA leadership has other options. We will go to international agencies and the Security Council,” PA spokesman Abu Rudeina warned. Abbas said that “Settlements must stop. Israel must be forced to accept international legitimacy and law,” he said. “If it does not, there will be another political reality to deal with. The next few weeks will see developments that will affect the peace process in the future.”

At his speech at the UN General Assembly, Abbas said the following: “In this year, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, Israel has chosen to make it a year of a new war of genocide perpetrated against the Palestinian people. In this year, in which this Assembly, on behalf of the countries and peoples of the world, conveyed the world’s yearning and determination to realize a just peace that achieves freedom and independence for the Palestinian people in their State of Palestine alongside Israel in order to rectify the historic injustice inflicted on the Palestinian people in Al-Nakba of 1948, the occupying power has chosen to defy the entire world by launching its war on Gaza, by which its jets and tanks brutally assassinated lives and devastated the homes, schools and dreams of thousands of Palestinian children, women and men and in reality destroying the remaining hopes for peace. I affirm in front of you that the Palestinian people hold steadfast to their legitimate right to defend themselves against the Israeli war machine and to their legitimate right to resist this colonial, racist Israeli occupation.

And now, where do we go from here?

It is impossible, and I repeat – it is impossible – to return to the cycle of negotiations that failed to deal with the substance of the matter and the fundamental question. There is neither credibility nor seriousness in negotiations in which Israel predetermines the results via its settlement activities and the occupation’s brutality. There is no meaning or value in negotiations for which the agreed objective is not ending the Israeli occupation and achieving the independence of the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital on the entire Palestinian Territory occupied in the 1967 war. And, there is no value in negotiations which are not linked to a firm timetable for the implementation of this goal.

During the past two weeks, Palestine and the Arab Group undertook intensive contacts with the various regional groups in the United Nations to prepare for the introduction of a draft resolution to be adopted by the United Nations Security Council on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to push forward the efforts to achieve peace.

This endeavor reaffirms our commitment to achieve a just peace through a negotiated solution and our adoption of a diplomatic and political effort through United Nations bodies. This endeavor is inspired by and based fully on the spirit and provisions of the many resolutions you have approved in the General Assembly and those adopted by the Security Council, which have set the foundations for a lasting solution and a just peace.

This endeavor aspires to correct the deficiency of the previous efforts to achieve peace by affirming the goal of ending the Israeli occupation and achieving the two-State solution, of the State of Palestine, with east Jerusalem as its capital, over the entire territory occupied in 1967, alongside the State of Israel and reaching a just and agreed upon solution to the plight of the Palestine refugees on the basis of resolution 194, with a specific time frame for the implementation of these objectives as stipulated in the Arab Peace Initiative. This will be linked to the immediate resumption of negotiations between Palestine and Israel to demarcate the borders, reach a detailed and comprehensive agreement and draft a peace treaty between them.”

The United States said that PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s speech at the UN was “counterproductive” toward reaching peace with Israel, US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, calling it “provocative” and saying the US rejects its contents.

Israel Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon hit back at Palestinian Authority (PA) Mahmoud Abbas after Abbas gave an incitement-laced speech at the UN General Assembly blaming Israel for “war crimes” and “genocide” during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.

“Through his speech at the UN, Mahmoud Abbas proves for the umpteenth time: this is not a leader who wants peace and the advancement of his people’s lives, but a person who distributes lies, incitement, and hate speech against Israel,” Ya’alon stated. “Mahmoud Abbas is not a man of peace, and is not really interested in an agreement with Israel, which means recognition of the Jewish national homeland. Time after time, Mahmoud Abbas goes on to deceive the international community, to throw at Israel false and racist accusations out of the hope that threats, pressure, and lies will scare us and make us acquiesce [to his demands],” Ya’alon continued.

Ya’alon implied that Abbas’s speech was particularly grave, and may have jettisoned future plans to renew peace talks. “He has no partner for a political agreement – which is essential to end the conflict – and we will therefore not compromise the security of Israeli citizens,” Ya’alon said, referencing plans to make a Palestinian state in the West Bank. “In every situation, we are responsible for our own destiny and our own security, and we will be in the future.” Ya’alon concluded by blasting Abbas for “not really coming to terms with Israel’s existence” and added that the claims “are detached from reality.”

Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ remarks before the UN General Assembly “clearly illustrate that he doesn’t want to be – and cannot be – a partner to a diplomatic settlement,” Lieberman said.  Abbas, Lieberman asserted, has “lost touch with reality.” The Palestinian president’s speech, Lieberman said, “really was a message of hatred and incitement. It’s clear that he has no intention to make peace with Israel and it’s not the first time,” Lieberman said. “There’s a reason that Abu Mazen entered into a joint government with Hamas. Abu Mazen complements Hamas in that he is preoccupied with diplomatic terrorism and slanderous claims against Israel,” he said. “As long as Abu Mazen is chairman of the PA, he will lead to a continuation of the conflict. Abu Mazen has once again proven that he is not a man of peace, but rather a successor to Yasser Arafat in other ways.”

Continuing his scathing criticism of the Palestinian leader, the foreign minister also questioned whether or not Abbas still had the legitimacy to speak for the Palestinian people. “It’s clear that he has no control over the Gaza Strip and he postponed his elections for more than four years – presidential and parliament elections – and I have some doubts regarding his authority,” he said.

Addressing what he termed as “the reasonable solution between us and Palestinians”, the foreign minister said “we are trying for many years to achieve a strategic breakthrough in our relations with the Palestinians, but it doesn’t depend only on Israel. We need a reliable partner from the other side and I’m sorry to say that we don’t have a reliable partner from the Palestinian side, and it’s a problem.” Lieberman asserted Israel has proven its desire and willingness to achieve “real peace, not as a lip service but in real actions” when it signed peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan, giving up territories three times the size of Israel in these accords.

“We withdrew from the Gaza Strip until the very last inch according to the ’67 line, we evacuated 21 flourishing settlements and we transferred more than 10,000 Jews from the Gaza Strip. The result is that we suffered more than 18,000 missiles and shells on Israel since the disengagement, since withdrawing from Gaza,” he added.

Mohammed Ishtayeh, an aide to Abbas, responded to Lieberman’s comments, saying: “Lieberman was trying to cover the war crimes his government committed in Gaza, but we have prepared the indictment list to take Israel to the ICC. We are going to build an international coalition against the Israeli occupation and its crimes, particularly building settlements on our land.”

In response to Abbas’ threat to unilaterally seek UN Security Council approval for statehood, Likud MK Danny Danon urged the government to annex the Jewish settlements of Judea and Samaria. “A unilateral step should be met with a unilateral step,” Danon said. “Every unilateral declaration by Abu Mazen needs to be answered by the application of sovereignty over the Jewish communities in the West Bank.”

In his speech at the UN General Assembly, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew a link between the threat Israel faces from Hamas in Gaza, to the threat the international community at large faces from the Islamic State. “Hamas, like the Islamic State, wants a caliphate,” he said. “Hamas’ immediate goal is to destroy Israel but has a wider goal the same as ISIS,” the prime minister said. “ISIS and Hamas are branches of the same poisonous tree. When it comes to their ultimate goals: Hamas is ISIS and ISIS is Hamas.” Hamas, Islamic State, Hezbollah and other militant Islam organizations “all share a fanatic ideology. They seek to create ever expanding enclaves of militant Islam. Where there is no freedom or tolerance,” Netanyahu warned. “The Nazis believed in a master race. The militant Islamists believe in a master faith.”

Palestinian chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said that Netanyahu’s speech at the United Nations “finally closed the door on progress towards a two-state solution within the 1967 borders and rejected any serious political solution” in the peace talks.

An agreement to divide Jerusalem and establish a PLO state is a tribulation event.

The link to these articles are as follows:

1) Abbas Prepares UN Bid to ‘Create a New Political Reality’
2) Full text of Palestinian Authority President Abbas’ address to the UN General Assembly in New York
3) US accuses Abbas of ‘counterproductive’ UN speech
4) Ya’alon: Abbas ‘Never Came to Terms with Israel’s Existence’
5) Lieberman calls Abbas ‘diplomatic terrorist busy with slandering Israel’
6) Lieberman: Abbas has lost touch with reality
7) ‘Defeating ISIS, but leaving Iran with nuclear bomb is winning battle, losing war’
8) PA’s Erekat says Netanyahu is same as Islamic State leader

From a Biblical prophetic perspective, the reason why the God of Israel would allow these events to happen is because it will result in the end of the exile of the house of Jacob and the reunification of the 12 tribes of Israel (Ephraim and Judah).

We will to be “watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem” and we will not rest until the God of Israel makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62).

Shalom in Yeshua the Messiah,

Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l

You may view the 5 minute update this week via audio:

1) Listen to the audio

In this week’s 5 minute update, we focused on:

1) Sukkot / Feast of Tabernacles and how it teaches us about Yeshua the Messiah

Eddie Chumney teaches on Sukkot / Feast of Tabernacles and how it teaches us about Yeshua the Messiah.

The link to these articles are as follows:

1) Book: Seven Festivals of the Messiah by Eddie Chumney / Chapter 9: Sukkot / Feast of Tabernacles

From a Biblical prophetic perspective, the reason why the God of Israel would allow these events to happen is because it will result in the end of the exile of the house of Jacob and the reunification of the 12 tribes of Israel (Ephraim and Judah).

We will to be “watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem” and we will not rest until the God of Israel makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62).

Shalom in Yeshua the Messiah,

Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l

You may view the 5 minute update this week via audio:

1) Listen to the audio

In this week’s 5 minute update, we focused on:

1) Yom Kippur / Day of Atonement and how it teaches us about Yeshua the Messiah

Eddie Chumney teaches on Yom Kippur / Day of Atonement and how it teaches us about Yeshua the Messiah.

The link to these articles are as follows:

1) Book: Seven Festivals of the Messiah by Eddie Chumney / Chapter 8: Yom Kippur / Day of Atonement

From a Biblical prophetic perspective, the reason why the God of Israel would allow these events to happen is because it will result in the end of the exile of the house of Jacob and the reunification of the 12 tribes of Israel (Ephraim and Judah).

We will to be “watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem” and we will not rest until the God of Israel makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62).

Shalom in Yeshua the Messiah,

Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l

You may view the 5 minute update this week via audio:

1) Listen to the audio

In this week’s 5 minute update, we focused on:

1) Some of the themes of Rosh HaShanah / Yom Teruah and how it teaches us about Yeshua the Messiah

Eddie Chumney teaches on Rosh HaShanah / Yom Teruah and how it teaches us about Yeshua the Messiah.

The link to these articles are as follows:

1) Book: Seven Festivals of the Messiah by Eddie Chumney / Chapter 7: Rosh HaShanah / Yom Teruah

From a Biblical prophetic perspective, the reason why the God of Israel would allow these events to happen is because it will result in the end of the exile of the house of Jacob and the reunification of the 12 tribes of Israel (Ephraim and Judah).

We will to be “watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem” and we will not rest until the God of Israel makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62).

Shalom in Yeshua the Messiah,

Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l

You may view the 5 minute update this week via audio:

1) Listen to the audio

In this week’s 5 minute update, we focused on:

1) The current situation with the peace process and the status of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will urge the United Nations to take over from the U.S. as the Middle East’s peace broker when he speaks at the United Nations later in September. Abbas will try to shame Israel into withdrawing from the West Bank and east Jerusalem, and if it doesn’t agree to a pullout, “we will confront Israel politically all over the universe,” said Nabil Shaath, an adviser to Abbas. “We are going to ask the world to treat Israel as it did apartheid South Africa.”

Following up on a failed effort two years ago to get full UN recognition for Palestinian statehood, Shaath said Abbas will ask the UN Security Council to “intervene and take control” of peace efforts. Abbas will seek a UN-endorsed deadline of three years for an Israeli retreat from the West Bank and east Jerusalem to pressure Israel toward compromise in negotiations, Shaath said. “We are telling the U.S., your plan has not worked out. We insist that the international community looks into another plan.”

Meanwhile, head of the Arab League, Nabil el-Araby said that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is ready for “real negotiations” with Israel. Real negotiations demand agreement on the principles established in international resolutions, such as the ’67 borders, East Jerusalem, and security for the two sides. When there is agreement on these three issues, it will be possible to reach an agreement in a week, not in a number of months.”

After speaking to the Arab League, Abbas was able to get Arab foreign ministers to support his appeal to the United Nations to set a deadline for Israel to end its control of lands captured in the 1967 war and make way for an independent Palestinian state. The Palestinian ambassador to Egypt, Jamal al-Shobaki, said that the Arab resolution calls for the Arab League chief to push the idea in the UN Security Council and other regional and international groups. Al-Shobaki said the appeal to the UN is in line with other international resolutions with regard to the establishment of a Palestinian state and the recognition of 1967 borders as a basis for negotiations. He said that an American veto is a possibility in the Security Council. If a veto happens, he said, the Palestinians will pursue their bid for joining the International Criminal Court, where they could pursue war crimes charges against Israel. “Going to the Security Council will force… the international community to do something.”

In order to rally his support for recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN Security Council, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will ask French President Francois Hollande to recognize ‘Palestine’ as a state as part of a broader effort to drum up international support for his new political initiative. PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said that the “current political climate” was better than ever before to push forward with the demands of the Palestinian people, adding that “now, more than ever,” the world was convinced that Israel was undermining the peace process with its expanded settlement activity. As European countries were becoming more aware of the need to push the Palestinian cause to the forefront of the international debate, he said the PA was going to demand the UN take a “clear stance” to put an end to the “occupation.”

US Secretary of State John Kerry has yet to respond to the plan, said Malki, who hopes to get an answer from the administration by Sept. 24, when the UN General Assembly kicks off in New York. Malki said returning to the negotiating table with Israel would only be possible if Israel freezes its settlement building, releases the fourth, final batch of prisoners held in Israeli prisons and outlines the borders of the future Palestinian state.

Mahmoud Abbas stressed the importance of the Chinese support to recognize a PLO state at the UN Security Council. During a meeting with visiting Chinese special envoy to the Middle East, Gong Xiaosheng, Abbas said the leadership is exerting tireless efforts to rebuild war-battered Gaza Strip. Xiaosheng underscored his country’s constant support to the Palestinian rights for independence, statehood and freedom. He added that his country supports the Palestinian people in all international forums and will continue to provide humanitarian and economic support to Palestine.

Furthermore, the Palestinian Authority called for an international coalition “to end Israeli occupation.” In doing so, Abbas reiterated his promise to go to the UN to achieve his goal. “We are going to the United Nations as one of the methods to achieve our goals,” he said. Abbas predicted there would be some parties that would try to prevent the Palestinians from going to the UN and seeking membership in various international organizations, hinting at the likelihood the US would veto such a move at the UN Security Council.

The US, which has veto power, has in the past opposed solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the United Nations and its Security Council. Furthermore, in a meeting with Palestinian chief negotiator in the peace process, Saeb Erekat, US Secretary of State John Kerry threatened the PA that the US would take harsh steps against it if the Palestinians decided to seek membership in international organizations such as the International Criminal Court. “Kerry said that if we go to the UN Security Council, the US government would veto it,” a Palestinian official said. “He also stressed that there would be serious repercussions to a unilateral approach on our part to the international organizations, such as halting economic support. He asked to delay the decisions and requested to meet with Abbas on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting” to take place later this month in New York. The source said that according to Kerry, Israel’s diplomatic position in the wake of the Gaza conflict has “become even harder. It is delaying even more on security issues.”An Israeli official said that the only path to a two-state solution was through negotiations. Both Abbas and Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu are expected to address the UN’s General Assembly in New York during the opening days of the 69th session, which kicks off on September 24.

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expressed an idea that a Palestinian state be established in the Sinai adjacent to the Gaza Strip. The proposal would expand the Gaza Strip to five times its current size. According to the plan, the territory would serve as a Palestinian state under the complete control of the PA. It would be a demilitarized state. In addition to the “Greater Gaza State,” the cities currently in the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank would be under the autonomous rule of the PA. In exchange, Abbas would give up claims to a state within the pre-1967 lines. Some Israeli politicians responded enthusiastically to the report. However, the idea was rejected by Mahmoud Abbas.

Israel Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and chief negotiator in the peace process said Israel needed to link itself to the West and to moderate Arab states by taking daring initiatives to solve the Palestinian conflict. Livni said the “struggle against terror is, among other things, an attempt to reach peace, just as reaching peace comes through the struggle against terror.” It is important to know with whom one fights and with whom one makes peace, she said. “Sometimes people get confused,” she explained. “It is clear that you fight the extremists, those engaged in terrorism, and make peace with the moderates. “There is no legitimate reason for terrorism – nothing to understand, no reason to speak to them, no reason to listen to what is bothering them,” she said unequivocally. “They are motivated by deep religious ideology; that is their roots and motivations. They are unable to accept infidels.” On the other side, she said – directing her words to “part” of Israel’s leadership – there are those who see moderates in the Palestinian camp as terrorists and “are not willing to pay the price of a diplomatic arrangement. Just as it is a mistake to try to appease the religious terrorism, it would be a mistake from Israel’s point of view to let the cruel terror in this region work against all rational thinking that obligates us to initiate and find a solution to the national conflict between us and the Palestinians,” she said. The justice minister made a clear distinction between the religious ideology motivating Hamas and what she believed was the nationalist ideology propelling the Palestinian Authority. She set up a construct whereby the world was divided into the bad – the religion-motivated leaders who use women and children as human shields and do not accept the “other” – and the good: people from different religions and nationalities who accept the “other.” Among the latter camp, she said, there could be conflict, although it was not religiously motivated, nor did it stem from an inability to accept anyone who thought differently.

Israel Finance Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) echoed Livni’s comments about the need for a daring diplomatic initiative, saying it was impossible to settle for a situation in which there was no “diplomatic vision. It can’t be that Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip against Hamas ends with a temporary cease-fire and we will sit and wait for the next time they fire on us,” he said. “Instead of that, we have first of all to restore our relations with the United States. Lapid said that instead of fighting with the US, there was a need to go to an international conference where “we will say that Israel’s security will always be in our own hands, but that we are willing to separate from the Palestinians and be part of the coalition fighting Islamic terrorism. The diplomatic process is stuck,” he continued, adding that an international conference was the only idea on the table. Lapid and other MKs, including those from Labor and Hatnua, are pushing the idea of a regional conference that would include Egypt, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority to work out a comprehensive peace plan.

Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said there was a desperate need for Palestinian elections because Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has lost legitimacy since the Palestinians have not held an election in over nine years. Without new elections in the Palestinian Authority, he said, any agreement signed with Abbas would be like “signing on ice.” Lieberman said he was in favor of elections in the PA even though Hamas could well win them, because “at least then we will know where we stand.” He voiced concern that if Israel would sign an agreement with Abbas now then whoever succeeded him down the line could very well say that he had no legitimacy to sign anything.

Regarding the ceasefire agreement with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hamas’s deputy leader, Mussa Abu Marzuq, said that indirect talks with Israel will resume between September 20-25. Fifty days of fighting between Israel and Hamas ended on August 26 with an open-ended truce agreement. Under terms of the deal, the parties agreed to resume Egyptian-brokered negotiations within a month to discuss key issues, including a Hamas demand for a port and an airport, a prisoner swap and Israel’s insistence on Gaza militants disarming.

UN Middle East envoy Robert Serry said that the United Nations, Israel and the Palestinian Authority have reached a stop-gap deal to allow reconstruction work to begin in the Gaza Strip with UN monitoring of the use of materials.  Serry said the United Nations had brokered the deal “to enable work at the scale required in the strip, involving the private sector in Gaza and giving a lead role to the Palestinian Authority in the reconstruction effort”. The agreement would “provide security assurances through UN monitoring that these materials will not be diverted from their entirely civilian purpose,” Serry added, alluding to Israeli demands that cement and other imports not be used to build Hamas command bunkers and cross-border attack tunnels. Egypt will host a donors’ conference on October 12 with the aim of raising reconstruction funds, and donor nations to the PA are due to convene on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next week.

Hamas said the Palestinian “national consensus” government should start building an airport and seaport in the Gaza Strip. Hamas was ready to support the government and remove any obstacles facing its mission of rebuilding the Gaza Strip, he said. “There is no other government that manages the affairs and interests of the Palestinians.” In addition, Hamas warned against any plan to deploy international troops in the Gaza Strip. The Hamas response came from a report that the Israel Foreign Ministry has prepared a plan that calls for deploying such troops in the Gaza Strip. According to the report, the international troops would be tasked with supervising the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and disarmament of terror groups there. “Hamas will deal with any international troops as a new occupation force,” Hamas representative Ismail Radwan said. However, Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that “there won’t be any demilitarization in Gaza.”

Nevertheless, Hamas is preparing itself for the next round of fighting with Israel, a senior Israeli diplomatic source said. Israel has detected Hamas smuggling weapons into the Gaza Strip. Likewise, he said, Hamas is working to restore the terrorist tunnels in Gaza, as well as to build up its rocket manufacturing capabilities. Gaza’s rocket manufacturing capacity is currently 40 percent of what it was at the outset of Operation Protective Edge and the Palestinians were continuing to build rockets, the source said.

The Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas has stepped up its arrests of Hamas group members and supporters. Recently, PA security forces have arrested around 40 Hamas men with 30 others summoned for questioning. The detainees reportedly included released prisoners and the family members of senior Hamas officials, as well as people who have demonstrated in support of the terrorist group and even some who made statements in its favor on social media following the Gaza conflict. Furthermore, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said that he would no longer allow Hamas to make policy decisions like signing agreements or initiating conflicts.

In addition, Abbas said that the Palestinian Authority has no intention to deploy forces in the Gaza Strip if there is not also a clear diplomatic end-game peace initiative between Israel and the PLO. Recently,  there has been several conversations between Israeli and Palestinian officials with the hopes of restarting talks, but in all of them Abbas said that it was apparent that Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not intent to present his plan for the potential borders for a future Palestinian state. “Israel needs to sit with us and write a diplomatic plan that links Gaza and the West Bank, that forms a diplomatic horizon and a peace agreement,” according to a Palestinian source. “The PA doesn’t aim to send forces to the Gaza Strip or to deploy them there as a buffer force between Israel and Hamas without such a plan. We would reach a situation in which Hamas and Israel will alternately attack us. The PA has no intention to take a role in Gaza, or to police Gaza, without a diplomatic horizon.”

The Palestinians said that a firm decision has been made to not get involved in Gaza without a clear agreement from Hamas that all the weapons that are currently in the Gaza Strip become “one weapon under one authority” — that is, that Hamas concede authority to Abbas’s PA. “We won’t accept the continuation of the situation with Hamas as it is now and in this shape,” Abbas said. “There must be one authority and one regime.” Abbas accused Hamas of running its own “shadow government” in the Gaza Strip. “They have 27 directors-general of ministries and they are running the Gaza Strip,” he said. “The PLO-Hamas national consensus government can’t do anything on the ground.”

An agreement to divide Jerusalem and establish a PLO state is a tribulation event.

The link to these articles are as follows:

1) Abbas to Push for UN as Peace Broker Instead of Kerry, Aide Says
2) Arab League head: Abbas ready for real negotiations
3) Arab League backs Palestinian UN bid for state
4) Abbas to seek statehood recognition from France during Paris visit
5) Abbas Stresses China’s role in Supporting Leadership’s Upcoming Political Step
6) PA calls for international coalition ‘to end Israeli occupation’
7) Israeli politicians praise Sisi plan to give Palestinians land for a state in Sinai
8) Abbas aide denies Egypt offered Sinai tract to settle Palestinians
9) Livni tells parley: Israel needs daring diplomatic initiative
10) Lapid: I Can Stop the Right’s Takeover
11) Liberman: Elections critical now in the Palestinian Authority, but not in Israel
12) Hamas: Cairo truce talks to resume mid-September
13) UN: Israel, PA reach deal on Gaza reconstruction
14) Hamas to unity gov’t: Build Gaza airport, seaport
15) Hamas says any international force in Gaza would be considered occupation
16) Lieberman: ‘No demilitarization in Gaza’
17) ‘Hamas already rearming, preparing for next round of fighting with Israel’
18) PA said to step up Hamas arrests
19) Abbas says he won’t let Hamas make foreign policy decisions
20) PA won’t deploy forces in Gaza unless Israel presents peace plan
21) Abbas hints PA close to ending unity agreement with Hamas

From a Biblical prophetic perspective, the reason why the God of Israel would allow these events to happen is because it will result in the end of the exile of the house of Jacob and the reunification of the 12 tribes of Israel (Ephraim and Judah).

We will to be “watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem” and we will not rest until the God of Israel makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62).

Shalom in Yeshua the Messiah,

Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l

You may view the 5 minute update this week via audio:

1) Listen to the audio

In this week’s 5 minute update, we focused on:

1) The current status of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip

Following the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, an overwhelming majority of Palestinians believe Hamas defeated Israel in the recent Gaza war and support the continuation of rocket attacks if Israel does not remove the blockade on the Gaza. 79% of Palestinians questioned in Gaza and the West Bank said that Hamas had won the war against Israel while only 3% said Israel had won. 94% of respondents said they were satisfied with Hamas’s performance in confronting the Israeli Army. Asked whether they supported transferring Hamas’s model of armed resistance to the West Bank, 74% of respondents in Gaza and 70% in the West Bank answered in the affirmative. If elections were held today, former Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh would easily defeat Palestinian Authority President Mahmood Abbas with 61% of the popular vote versus 32%.

Meanwhile, in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had an approval rating of 82% among the Israeli public at the start of the Gaza war. By agreeing to a ceasefire with Hamas without militarily removing them from power, Netanyahu’s approval rating plummeted to 32%. Furthermore, 39% of the Isaeli public now considers, the leader of the Jewish Home party, Naphtali Bennett, as being the leader of the “right wing” in Israel. 28% consider Netanyahu as the leader of the “right wing”.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the ceasefire agreement “might have” presented an opportunity for a diplomatic breakthrough in the region although it was incumbent on the Palestinian Authority to “give Hamas a divorce” in order for that to become a reality. “Today there might be a new set of circumstances that enable us to act in a way that on the one hand we could advance our security interests and also launch a responsible diplomatic process on the basis of this new reality,” Netanyahu said. However, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas would “have to choose between peace with Israel and peace with Hamas,” meaning that he would need to dismantle the unity government in Ramallah that has Hamas’ official backing. “If he chooses the path of peace, and I think he understands today that he needs to choose that over Hamas, which not only calls for our destruction but also wishes to topple him,” Netanyahu said. “Hamas recently tried to remove Abbas from power in the West Bank and Israel prevented it from happening. Abbas needs to choose between peace with Israel or Hamas,” Netanyahu said. “It’s one of the two. I can only hope” that Abbas “gives Hamas a divorce,” Netanyahu said.

Israel Finance Finance Minister Yair Lapid commented to Israel’s ceasefire agreement with Hamas saying, “We cannot, and will not, allow a situation whereby this ceasefire is the beginning of the countdown to the next round of fire. Hamas knows the price they have paid and they know the price they will pay if they start firing again. Israel had major military achievements and have now moved to the diplomatic front. The ceasefire is only the beginning of the next stage of the operation — the diplomatic stage that must lead to the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip – the only measure (which will) achieve a long term quiet.” In order to achieve this goal, Lapid is promoting the idea of a regional summit on the Gaza which he said “should focus on one thing, ensuring that rehabilitation (of Gaza) takes place alongside demilitarization. Lapid further noted that European and American leaders backed the idea of demilitarization during the operation and “now we need to work with them, and with the Arab world, to make that a reality. We need a regional conference, with the Egyptians, the Saudi’s, the Gulf States and of course the representatives of the Quartet. On September 22, the donor countries are scheduled to meet in New York (and) will commit aid to rebuild and rehabilitate Gaza. Israel must act before that to avoid a conference where Gaza gets support and Israel gets nothing.” Finally, Lapid urged more power be given to the PA and said such a move could help facilitate the renewal of peace talks.

Israel Justice Minster Tzipi Livni and Israel’s chief negotiator in the peace process with the Palestinians said that Israel must either renew peace talks with the Palestinian Authority or brace for a diplomatic backlash from the international community. In this post-war reality, “either we resume negotiations with the Palestinians to reach a permanent agreement, winning the world’s support, or we will find ourselves isolated, talking about not wanting to talk to those who have an agreement with Hamas [a reference to the unity pact with the Palestinian Authority], while having an agreement with Hamas [Israel’s recent ceasefire deal negotiated in Cairo]” she said. Livni criticized PA President Mahmoud Abbas, saying he was difficult to negotiate with and took actions in the international sphere she did not agree with, like threatening to join the International Criminal Court in the Hague, but stressed that if the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to engage him in talks, it would face “a diplomatic or legal intifada following this [military] operation.”

Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said that he would not agree for Hamas to disarm. He said that Hamas’s arms were “sacred” and demanded that the calls for disarmament also apply to Israel. Haniyeh said that Hamas has “the right to have the necessary means to defend ourselves.” He charged that as long as Israel exists, so will fighting and the “resistance” against “the occupation.”

Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Israel should topple Hamas in the Gaza Strip and cause a more moderate leadership to be in power. In addition, he said that Israel should seek a sustainable solution to the conflict.

Israel Finance Minister, Yair Lapid, indicated that Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will accept a request to hold a regional diplomatic conference of Israel and moderate Arab states in an effort to bring about Middle East peace. He said: “I discussed it with the prime minister and brought it up at the cabinet meeting and there was a general feeling that this is a good idea.” Lapid expressed confidence that holding a regional peace conference could provide the framework for a wider diplomatic horizon saying,. “I’m pushing forward the regional conference. We must and we will stay on the course this government was established with – that the two state solution is the only solution. I still think we can advance it.”

Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader, Khaled Mashaal, have agreed on a three-phase plan that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Mashaal said, “We want a full partnership with the Palestinian Authority, and in addition, we agree to the creation of a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders,” He urged the United Nations to draw up a “timetable” for the end of the “Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.” The PLO will submit an application to the UN Security Council on September 15 according to Palestinian official, Nabil Sha’ath.

The plan calls for giving the United States a period of four months to draw the borders of the Palestinian state and win Israel’s recognition for a PLO state. If the two sides agree on the plan, they would launch immediate negotiations with a defined timetable during which Israel would be requested to present a map showing its own borders. If the plan is rejected, the Palestinians, together with the Arab countries, would ask the United Nations Security Council to “evict Israel from the land of Palestine.” If this move also fails, the Palestinian leadership would resort to the third option, which is joining international treaties and conventions, including the International Criminal Court, in order to file “war crime” charges against Israel. Palestinian official, Nabil Sha’ath said, “Taking the case to the ICC is conditional upon the UN Security Council response to our request.”

ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said that Palestine was now eligible to join the Rome Statute and file war crimes charges against Israel. Initially, the Palestinian Authority sought to join the court in May 2009. After three years of research and analysis, the ICC Prosecutor’s Office determined in April 2012 that since Palestine was an “observer entity,” it could not sign on to the Rome Statute. Several months later, in November 2012, Palestine’s status was upgraded in the United Nations to “non-member observer state,” which gives it legitimacy to join the Rome Statute, Bensouda said. Fatah official Dr. Mohammed Ashtiya said that the move to indict Israel in the International Criminal Court is “ready.”  He said,  “We are telling the Israelis and the international community that we are very serious. [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas] is presenting his [plan for Palestinian statehood] to the international community and this time we will require a timetable for ending the occupation and not negotiations.” He said that the Palestinians have not set a deadline for action on the matter but believed there would be more clarity by November-December. Hamas has signed a pledge to back any Palestinian bid to join the International Criminal Court. Last month, Abbas said he would not make a move without the written consent of all Palestinian factions. Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas leader said that “Hamas has signed the paper” of support Abbas had requested. A senior Palestinian official has said Abbas likely would wait for the findings of a UN-appointed commission of inquiry into possible Gaza war crimes – due by March – before turning to the court.

Turning to the International Criminal Court became an option for Abbas in 2012, after the UN General Assembly recognized “Palestine” in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, lands captured by Israel in 1967, as a non-member observer state. The upgrade to a state opened the door to requesting the court’s jurisdiction in Palestine.

Palestinian leader, Mahmoud al-Habash, shared some of the details of the plan. Israel and the Palestinians would be given three months to negotiate the borders of a future Palestinian state. “The initial stage of the talks will be regarding the drawing of borders,” he said. “During this time, settlement construction will cease and the fourth round of prisoner releases, to which Israel obligated itself in March of this year, will go forward.” The Palestinian official said the peace talks would be based on UN Security Council resolutions and UN General Assembly Resolution 194, which calls for a just solution to the Palestinian refugee issue. In the second stage of talks, the parties would focus on the remaining core issues, including the future status of refugees, control of Jerusalem, the settlements, security, and water. “If Israel doesn’t agree to the allotted time frame, the Palestinians will begin to undertake unilateral diplomatic and political steps in order to force Israel to capitulate to the peace process,” al-Habash said. These steps would include joining more international treaties and organizations, including the Rome Treaty, so that the Palestinians can file “war crime” charges against Israel at the International Criminal Court.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will seek Arab League approval of his plan to be presented to Arab League foreign ministers on September 7. “President Abbas wants Arab support so that in the future he can submit it for acceptance by the international community,” al-Habash said.

Israel Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon opposed a diplomatic process with the Palestinians that would include Israel pulling out of the West Bank, saying that such a withdrawal would lead to rockets and mortar shells being fired at Israel’s Ben-Gurion A‏irport. When considering a diplomatic process, it must be remembered that every instance of the IDF withdrawing from territory led to a takeover by terrorist elements, Ya’alon said.

In any event, the United States has rejected Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s new political initiative for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a PA official said. The plan was presented by Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat when he met with US Secretary of State John Kerry recently. The United States rejected Abbas’s initiative saying it was opposed to any unilateral move that could negatively impact the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Instead, Kerry has been talking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. However, Netanyahu did not agree to the proposal. Instead, Netanyahu insisted that Israel will not conduct peace talks with a Palestinian government backed by Hamas.

Finally, Israel chief peace negotiator, Tzipi Livni warned against the threats of Abbas saying that Abbas “will have to understand a Palestinian state will not be established in UN institutions. Whatever the Palestinian people can achieve, they can achieve in the negotiating room. We need a comprehensive diplomatic process,” she stated.

An agreement to divide Jerusalem and establish a PLO state is a tribulation event.

The link to these articles are as follows:

1) Support for Hamas skyrockets following war, poll shows
2) Poll: Bennett Outpaces Netanyahu as ‘Leader of the Right’
3) Gaza operation could present opening for diplomatic breakthrough, Netanyahu says
4) Lapid: Diplomacy, demilitarization of Gaza only way forward
5) Livni: Resume peace talks or brace for diplomatic intifada
6) Haniyeh rejects calls for Hamas disarmament
7) Liberman: Israel should topple Hamas, not reoccupy Gaza
8) Netanyahu hints he will agree to convene regional peace conference, Lapid says
9) Report: New UN Resolution Demands Talks Based on 1949 Lines
10) Report: Abbas, Hamas agree on plan for independent Palestinian state
11) Report: Hamas’ Mashaal agreed in Doha meeting with Abbas to Palestinian state within 1967 borders
12) Abbas, Mashaal seek UN timetable to ‘end Israeli occupation’
13) Abbas plan calls for Israeli pullout from West Bank within three years
14) Ya’alon: West Bank withdrawal will lead to rocket and mortar fire on Ben-Gurion Airport
15) US rejected Abbas’s peace plan, PA says
16) Kerry said trying to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks
17) Israel insists it will not deal with Hamas-backed PA government
18) PA to tell UN: Force Israel out of W. Bank, or we’ll seek war crimes charges in The Hague
19) Abbas threatens to turn to ICC if no talks on ’67 lines
20) PA ‘ready’ to take Israel to international court
21) Hamas backs International Criminal Court bid
22) PM dismisses claim he agreed to state on 1967 lines
23) Livni, Lapid dismiss Abbas plan 

From a Biblical prophetic perspective, the reason why the God of Israel would allow these events to happen is because it will result in the end of the exile of the house of Jacob and the reunification of the 12 tribes of Israel (Ephraim and Judah).

We will to be “watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem” and we will not rest until the God of Israel makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62).

Shalom in Yeshua the Messiah,

Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l

You may view the 5 minute update this week via audio:

1) Listen to the audio

In this week’s 5 minute update, we focused on:

1) The current status of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip

Hamas started launching rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel on July 8. After 50 days of fighting, the 12th ceasefire between the two sides was agreed upon on August 26. Over the course of the conflict, Hamas fired almost 4,000 rockets at Israel including some 600 rockets launched from close to schools, mosques and other civilian facilities. The ceasefire agreement was brokered by Egypt. It is open-ended. It is very close to the proposal that Israel accepted and Hamas rejected on July 15, the eighth day of the fighting. The outline of the agreement is as follows:

Immediate steps:

• Hamas and the other terrorist groups in Gaza halt all rocket and mortar fire into Israel.

• Israel stops all military action, including air strikes, ground operations and targeted killings.

• The Palestinian Authority will lead coordination of the reconstruction effort in Gaza with international donors, including the European Union, Qatar, Turkey and Norway. Saudi Arabia is also likely to be a major donor, with the expectation in Jerusalem being that unlike Qatar, it will take pains to ensure that its funds will not be directed to Hamas, but rather to build up the PA.

• Israel is expected to narrow the security buffer – a no-go area for Palestinians that runs along the inside of the Gaza border – reducing it from 300 meters to 100 meters if the truce holds. The move will allow Palestinians more access to farmland close to the border.

• Israel will extend the fishing limit off Gaza’s coast from 3 miles to 6 miles, with the possibility of widening it gradually if the truce holds. Ultimately, the Palestinians want to return to a full 12-mile international allowance.

• Israel agrees to open the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings to the supervised transfer of goods, including humanitarian aid and reconstruction equipment, into the Gaza Strip.

Channel 2 reported that a three-person committee made up of Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai, the coordinator of government activities in the territories, UN Mideast envoy Robert Serry and PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah will supervise the process and determine what goods are allowed in.

Israel is demanding the tight monitoring of imports of construction materials like cement and cast iron to make sure they are used to rebuild homes, not destroyed terror tunnels, as well as ensuring that weapons, ammunition and any “dual-use” goods are prevented from entering Gaza.

Longer term issues to be discussed:

• Israel will demand that the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Gaza be linked to the enclave’s demilitarization, as called for under previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements.

Jerusalem’s formula will be that the extent of building above ground in Gaza must be linked to the degree to which “underground” Gaza is dismantled.

• Hamas wants Israel to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners rounded up in Judea and Samaria following the abduction and murder of Naftali Fraenkel, Gil-Ad Shaer and Eyal Yifrah in June. Among those arrested were some 60 prisoners freed in the Gilad Schalit deal, and 37 Palestinian parliamentarians, including 35 affiliated with Hamas.

• Israel will demand the return of the remains of slain IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin.

• Hamas wants to rebuild an airport and seaport in Gaza, as well as the transfer of funds to allow it to pay 40,000 police, government workers and other administrative staff who have largely been without salaries since late last year. The funds were frozen by the Palestinian Authority.

The ceasefire agreement was approved by Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was not put to a Cabinet vote. Netanyahu explained why he decided to opt for a ceasefire with Hamas as opposed to continuing the campaign and removing Hamas from power. Netanyahu said while it is still possible that the IDF will eventually topple Hamas altogether, “today, when I look around and I see Al Qaeda on the [border] fence, and ISIS galloping into Jordan and already in Lebanon, and in Lebanon there is Hezbollah that is a little larger than Hamas, and Iran that backs it, and Iran [itself] – and I say, in the face of these combined threats, we set a goal in the Israeli Cabinet, to deal Hamas a very severe blow, and we did this, with the thousand terrorists we killed, the senior commanders, the tunnels, the rockets… I decided not to put all of our military resources into removing Hamas from power and not be able to still have military resources to fight some of Israel’s other threats in the region.” Netanyahu said that once the tunnel threat had been dealt with, Israel pulled out the IDF forces from Gaza because he didn’t want soldiers getting killed and abducted. “Why do I need to go in? If I can hit them from the air and get the effect of grinding them without risking soldiers’ lives, why should I go in?”

Netanyahu said that the US dealt with a similar situation in the past, with Fallujah in Iraq. Fallujah is one-tenth the size of Gaza, he noted, and the US fought valiantly against the Islamists there, and thousands of Iraqis were killed. But after the US pulled out of Fallujah, the Islamists took over again. In order to prevent this from happening in Gaza after Israel would have toppled Hamas, he explained, the Israeli army would have to remain in the Gaza and this would be very costly to Israel. He said that Hamas has been “ground,” it is isolated, and will not be able to rearm. He vowed that he will not allow “drizzles” of rocket fire from Gaza, and these will be answered with heavy IDF fire.

As a result of the ceasefire, several senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders appeared in public Among them was Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior member of the Hamas political wing, and senior Islamic Jihad leader Mohammed al-Hindi who gave a rousing victory speech to thousands of people gathered in a square in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood. “We’re going to build our port and our airport, and if they attack the port, they attack the port. But anyone who attacks the airport will have their airport attacked again,” Zahar said. Zahar also said that in addition to rebuilding Gaza, Hamas would continue “arming itself and developing its resistance capacity.”

Israel Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said that “there is no chance” that Hamas will receive a seaport in Gaza which was one of its demands as a precondition for a ceasefire. He said: ” “there is no chance that Hamas will receive a seaport – it is not in Israel’s interest, it is not an Egyptian interest, it’s not even in the interest of the Palestinian Authority.” From a military perspective the victory is clear – everything the IDF touched, it defeated the other side,” said Ya’alon, who added that the military achievements led to a ceasefire which is good for Israel and bad for Hamas, seeing as Hamas was forced to accept the Egyptian proposal over the Qatari initiative which was more favorable to Hamas.

However, Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman criticized the open-ended ceasefire deal reached between Israel and Hamas and said that Israel should not make political agreements with Hamas. He said: “As long as Hamas controls Gaza it is impossible to guarantee the safety of Israel and no accord can be reached – be it political or military. We must not and cannot trust such despicable murderers. Therefore we object to the ceasefire which offers Hamas the ability to continue to grow strong and fight future battles with Israel whenever it feels like. Israel must make sure that Hamas makes no political gains from this ceasefire.

Israel’s Finance Minister Yair Lapid said that the military operation against Hamas “cannot end with a ceasefire. The operation needs to end only after Gaza has been demilitarized. We cannot limit ourselves to easy achievements. The test of leadership is to find hope in every situation and to turn into something practical. The political process (with the Palestinians) must be on the table. We need a control mechanism which will lead to an eventual disengagement (between Israel and the Palestinians), and we need it now more than ever.”

US Secretary of State, John Kerry, said that an indefinite cease-fire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas in Gaza “is an opportunity, not a certainty. We are approaching the next phase with our eyes wide open. We have been down this road before and we are all aware of the challenges ahead,” Kerry said. “Today’s agreement comes after many hours and days of intensive discussions about how a sustainable ceasefire might provide the space and the opportunity to address long-term issues.” Kerry said that “certain bedrock outcomes” are minimal requirements for such a long-term solution, including a guarantee for Israel that terrorist attacks, rocket firings, and tunnel construction will cease, as well as the establishment of full economic and social opportunities for Palestinians, and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

As a result, the US government is working toward presenting to the UN Security Council a comprehensive proposal for the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip. The proposal calls for the disarmament of all militant and terror groups in the Hamas-controlled Gaza leaving the Palestinian Authority the only armed force. Under the terms of the proposal, all tunnels between the Gaza Strip and both Israel and Egypt will be destroyed as well. The proposal is set to be presented to the Security Council following negotiations over key issues between Israeli and Palestinian representatives which are scheduled for September in Cairo. The issues to be discussed include Hamas’s demands for a wider lifting of the blockade on the Gaza Strip — imposed by Israel and Egypt to prevent Hamas importing weaponry — as well as for a port and an airport, and the release of prisoners, as well as Israel’s calls to demilitarize Gaza.

However, Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal threatened to resume fighting Israel if the Hamas demands were not met and said that Gaza will never disarm its “sacred” weapons. “The rockets and tunnels exist; if the negotiations fail and there is a need, we will return to war until we reach our goals,” he said. “The issue is not up for negotiations. No one can disarm Hamas and its resistance,” he stated.

French President Francois Hollande said that Europe needed had to play a bigger role to help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and could no longer just play the role of a “bank window” for reconstruction after each war. The European Union is the biggest aid donor to the Palestinian Authority and Israel’s biggest economic partner, accounting for almost a third of its exports and imports.”For a solution to finally be reached, the United States’ role will be decisive,” Hollande said. “We have to go towards a progressive lifting of the blockade and the demilitarization of the Gaza” he said.  Hollande said that once the ceasefire was consolidated the path to peace would have to be taken as quickly as possible. “Everyone knows the conditions: a democratic and viable Palestinian state living side by side with an Israeli state living in security.”

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the ceasefire agreement “might have” presented an opportunity for a diplomatic breakthrough in the region although it was incumbent on the Palestinian Authority to “give Hamas a divorce” in order for that to become a reality. “Today there might be a new set of circumstances that enable us to act in a way that on the one hand we could advance our security interests and also launch a responsible diplomatic process on the basis of this new reality,” Netanyahu said. However, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas would “have to choose between peace with Israel and peace with Hamas,” meaning that he would need to dismantle the unity government in Ramallah that has Hamas’ official backing. “If he chooses the path of peace, and I think he understands today that he needs to choose that over Hamas, which not only calls for our destruction but also wishes to topple him,” Netanyahu said. “Hamas recently tried to remove Abbas from power in the West Bank and Israel prevented it from happening. Abbas needs to choose between peace with Israel or Hamas,” Netanyahu said. “It’s one of the two. I can only hope” that Abbas “gives Hamas a divorce,” Netanyahu said.

Israel Justice Minster Tzipi Livni and Israel’s chief negotiator in the peace process with the Palestinians said that Israel must either renew peace talks with the Palestinian Authority or brace for a diplomatic backlash from the international community. In this post-war reality, “either we resume negotiations with the Palestinians to reach a permanent agreement, winning the world’s support, or we will find ourselves isolated, talking about not wanting to talk to those who have an agreement with Hamas [a reference to the unity pact with the Palestinian Authority], while having an agreement with Hamas [Israel’s recent ceasefire deal negotiated in Cairo]” she said. Livni criticized PA President Mahmoud Abbas, saying he was difficult to negotiate with and took actions in the international sphere she did not agree with, like threatening to join the International Criminal Court in the Hague, but stressed that if the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to engage him in talks, it would face “a diplomatic or legal intifada following this [military] operation.”

Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas have agreed on a three-phase plan that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state. The plan calls for giving the United States a period of four months to draw the borders of the Palestinian state and win Israel’s recognition for a PLO state. If the two sides agree on the plan, they would launch immediate negotiations with a defined timetable during which Israel would be requested to present a map showing its own borders. If the plan is rejected, the Palestinians, together with the Arab countries, would ask the United Nations Security Council to “evict Israel from the land of Palestine.” If this move also fails, the Palestinian leadership would resort to the third option, which is joining international treaties and conventions, including the International Criminal Court, in order to file “war crime” charges against Israel. Abbas said he would present his initiative to US Secretary of State John Kerry during their meeting in early September.

Turning to the International Criminal Court became an option for Abbas in 2012, after the UN General Assembly recognized “Palestine” in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, lands captured by Israel in 1967, as a non-member observer state. The upgrade to a state opened the door to requesting the court’s jurisdiction in Palestine.

Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office denied a report suggesting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to withdraw to the pre-1967 borders and to the establishment of a Palestinian state in those territories. In an interview with Palestine TV, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said that Netanyahu agreed to establish a Palestinian state on land Israel captured in the 1967 war and that the only remaining step was to set a border. Abbas said that he would demand from Israel and the US to outline specific borders for a Palestinian state. If Israel does not respond, “we will join the International Criminal Court” he said. “We are willing to wait a day, a week or a month for a Palestinian state” Abbas said, “but not 20 more years.”

According to Nabil Sha’ath, a former Palestinian Authority foreign minister and chief PLO negotiator, the PLO will submit an application to the UN Security Council on September 15 demanding a timetable for an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines. The Arab League will meet on September 5 to discuss how to support the Palestinian plan. If the request is turned down, the PLO will apply to join the International Criminal Court. “Taking the case to the ICC is conditional upon the UN Security Council response to our request,” Sha’ath said.

Hamas has signed a pledge to back any Palestinian bid to join the International Criminal Court. In July, Abbas said he would not make a move without the written consent of all Palestinian factions. Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas leader, said that “Hamas has signed the paper” of support Abbas had requested. A senior Palestinian official has said Abbas likely would wait for the findings of a UN-appointed commission of inquiry into possible Gaza war crimes – due by March – before turning to the court.

Finally, Israel chief peace negotiator, Tzipi Livni warned against the threats of Abbas saying that Abbas “will have to understand a Palestinian state will not be established in UN institutions. Whatever the Palestinian people can achieve, they can achieve in the negotiating room. We need a comprehensive diplomatic process,” she stated.

An agreement to divide Jerusalem and establish a PLO state is a tribulation event.

The link to these articles are as follows:

1) Outline of Protective Edge cease-fire agreement with Hamas
2) Netanyahu on Gaza Pullout: We Didn’t Want a Fallujah
3) Ya’alon: ‘No Chance’ Hamas will Get a Seaport
4) FM Lieberman slams Gaza truce: No accord with Hamas
5) Lapid: Gaza op not over until Gaza demilitarized
6) US reportedly pushing Gaza demilitarization at UN
7) ‘We will never disarm,’ vows Hamas chief
8) Abbas blames Hamas for prolonged battle with Israel
9) Hollande: Europe must work towards lifting blockade, demilitarizing Gaza
10) Gaza operation could present opening for diplomatic breakthrough, Netanyahu says
11) Livni: Resume peace talks or brace for diplomatic intifada
12) Report: New UN Resolution Demands Talks Based on 1949 Lines
13) Report: Abbas, Hamas agree on plan for independent Palestinian state
14) PA to tell UN: Force Israel out of W. Bank, or we’ll seek war crimes charges in The Hague
15) Abbas, Mashaal seek UN timetable to ‘end Israeli occupation’
16) Hamas backs International Criminal Court bid
17) PM dismisses claim he agreed to state on 1967 lines
18) Livni, Lapid dismiss Abbas plan

From a Biblical prophetic perspective, the reason why the God of Israel would allow these events to happen is because it will result in the end of the exile of the house of Jacob and the reunification of the 12 tribes of Israel (Ephraim and Judah).

We will to be “watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem” and we will not rest until the God of Israel makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62).

Shalom in Yeshua the Messiah,

Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l