Shalom from CONNECT in Israel! As I work on this, it is still Wednesday. In other words, today is 9/11. I can still remember being in the Twin Towers on September 10, 2001, asking my friend who accompanied me what would happen if a plane were ever to strike the buildings. Isn’t it interesting that I was in-country when America was viciously attacked, but I was out of Israel on October 7, 2023, when my country was brutalized. Thinking back 23 years, I can recall the day after the towers came down. Sorrow, anger, shock, vengeance – all were in the hearts and minds of the people. The same emotions filled the population here in Israel eleven months ago. Although I missed the day of the invasion, I was home soon after and have been riding the aftermath rollercoaster ever since. Just as the memory of 9/11 still haunts so many over twenty years later, I know the specter of 10/7 will plague the minds of Israelis for decades to come.
A major reason that Hamas was able to hit Israel so hard was that we didn’t take their cunning and their ruthlessness seriously enough. We didn’t know the details about the miles of tunnels under Gaza nor the immense size of the weapons cache smuggled in from Egypt through the Philadelphi Corridor. We learned our lesson on the military side. We are also learning our lesson on the political side.
This past Friday, the German newspaper BILD published a document that appears to have come from the computer of Yahya Sinwar. In it, we find a ceasefire strategy that shows the manipulative and disingenuous of Hamas’s claims to want to return hostages and end the war. The article detailed six key points:
1) Blame Israel: Hamas is committed to blaming Israel for every failed hostage negotiation. This is going according to plan. Despite Hamas rejecting every deal that doesn’t include a complete Israeli surrender, the media lays the responsibility at the feet of Netanyahu without fail. Just last week, the BBC was found to have breached journalistic rules 1500 times in the past months, pushing their agenda of anti-Israel propaganda in order to brainwash the people.
2) Preserve Military Power: Hamas is not thinking about giving up. They are ready to fight to the death of the last of their human shields. But they may be facing trouble very soon now that the IDF has closed the underground armament highway from Egypt through the Philadelphi Corridor. In fact, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant revealed a letter yesterday from the recently exterminated Khan Yunis brigade commander Rafa Salama to Yahya and Mohammed Sinwar in which he reported that 70% of Hamas’s weapons had been destroyed, 95% of its rockets were ruined, and 50% of his operatives had been killed or wounded. Worse yet, 60% of his terrorists who were still of able body had fled, leaving him at only 20% strength. In summary, Hamas is not negotiating from a position of strength.
3) Use Hostages for Pressure: This is where Hamas is finding its most success, both in Israel and abroad. Last Friday, 25,000 demonstrators marched in Tel Aviv demanding that Netanyahu sign a hostage deal. This is despite the fact that there is no hostage deal. I understand the pain of the families of the hostages. But we cannot just cut and run out of Gaza. Hamas must be broken, or there will soon come a day when the butchers will pour over the border again, slaughtering more people and kidnapping more hostages.
4) Prolong the Negotiations: Hamas does not want a deal. They thwart every attempt. That is because the greatest weapon they have is public opinion. The longer they can extend the talks – despite the suffering of their own civilians – the more the pressure will build against Israel’s government to either cave or to throw Netanyahu out of office.
5) Use Arab Forces as a Buffer: This is a strategy in which they envision placing Arab troops along the border between Israel and Gaza. Doing this will allow Hamas to buy time and regroup, as they prepare for a future confrontation.
6) Keep Raising the Price for Hostages: Like going to a retailer who ups the price every time to reach for your wallet, Hamas continues to raise their demands with each negotiation. Again, this is because they have no interest in returning the hostages. They are just pawns in Hamas’s terrorist game. This was made quite clear this past week when RAdm. Daniel Hagari of the IDF showed the horrific conditions in which six hostages were kept for the last 11 months. When it became evident that the hostages were about to be rescued, Hamas put a bullet into the back of each innocent’s head. To Hamas, Israeli hostages are no different than their own civilians – they are just cannon fodder to be used then disposed of when their usefulness is at an end.
This is what Israel is dealing with. Anyone who believes that Netanyahu or his government can just negotiate their way out of this conflict has absolutely no understanding of the true situation.
The Middle East
If you have not subscribed to my Telegram channel, I would encourage you to do so. It will keep you on the cutting edge of what is happening in the Middle East and in the world. Also, if you missed my CONNECT MidEast Update Tuesday, please take time to watch it. It will take what you read in this newsletter to a deeper level.
Israel’s Focus Shifting North
Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant clearly indicated the changing attention of the Israeli Defense Forces from south to north when he told troops, “The center of gravity is moving northward, we are near to completing our tasks in the south, but our mission here is not yet done.” A second indication of this shift also came Tuesday when US CENTCOM chief Gen. Michael Kurilla met with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and others to discuss Lebanon. Israel will not be safe as long as the terrorist group Hezbollah has thousands upon thousands of rockets pointed toward the border.
In preparation for the coming attack, the Israeli military has been daily destroying Hezbollah’s ability to launch their missiles. This included an unusual strike in the heart of Syria last Thursday into Friday. The target was an Iranian research facility that worked with drones and chemical weapons. There were three waves to the attack at Masyaf. The first destroyed access roads to the targeted facility. The second wave took out the anti-aircraft batteries. The third wave brought commandos in helicopters. They took out a number of people at this Iranian research facility, confiscated computers, then destroyed the compound. When they left, they brought some prisoners with them to be interrogated. If you want to find out more about this, watch my Breaking News Update from this morning.
Unfortunately, there are many more sites to hit and so many more rocket launch locations to go, as evidenced by the 60 rockets fired at Israel from Lebanon in a single hour just yesterday. This shift of focus to the north will be the first time that my region in Jezreel will be seriously affected by the war. My family and I are preparing for some difficult times ahead. Still, we are anticipating the beginning of the northern battle, because once it starts, we will be that much closer to it being over with. It is then we can experience peace again, reestablish tourism, and no longer fear being attacked in our own homes.
New Eastern Front in Israel
Even as the IDF gears up for the north, a new front is rearing its ugly head. Citing Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei’s statement that the West Bank will be armed like Gaza, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on X, “The Iranian terror octopus is working to establish an eastern terror front against Israel and moderate states in the region.” Many don’t realize that 50-60% of those living in Jordan are Palestinian. So, it was no wonder that when a Palestinian opened fire at the Allenby Crossing between Israel and Jordan on Sunday, killing three Israeli civilians, there was great celebration in Jordan with the passing out of sweets and the setting off of fireworks.
You’ve read in this newsletter many times about the terrorist threat in the West Bank. Where do you think their weapons came from? You need only look to the east. In fact, just this past Sunday, police foiled an attempt to smuggle 74 handguns into Israel from Jordan. Then, the next day near the Na’aran settlement in the West Bank’s Jordan Valley, the IDF located and confiscated more handguns, along with a shotgun. Sadly, when the terrorists don’t have guns, they make do with what they have. The day after the attack at the Allenby Crossing, a 58-year-old Palestinian drove his tanker truck into a bus stop killing 24-year-old Staff Sgt. Geri Gideon Hanghal. Fellow soldiers, along with a civilian, ensured that the perpetrator would never have the opportunity to hurt anyone ever again.
Bad Day in Gaza
Yesterday was a difficult day in Gaza. A Yanshuf (Black Hawk) helicopter on an evacuation mission crashed near Rafah, killing Sgt. Maj. (res.) Daniel Alloush, 37, and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Tom Ish-Shalom, 38, and injuring seven others. While these Israelis gave their lives to aid someone else, Hamas is sacrificing other people’s lives to aid themselves. An Israeli news station reported Tuesday that the terrorist organization has profited by at least a half billion dollars by stealing humanitarian aid, then selling it to civilians who are in need. That right there is the epitome of the Hamas mindset.
An interesting idea is being discussed that could eventually bring normalization to the region. One of the strongest relationships for Israel to come from the Abraham Accords is the one they share with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While Prime Minister Netanyahu demands open-ended control of the Philadelphi Corridor and the border with Egypt, he is open to discussions that might place an Emirati-controlled buffer between Gaza and Israel. It will be interesting to watch if the Emiratis and other Arab states warm up to the idea.
The United States Election
Tuesday saw the first post-convention debate between the presidential candidates. On one side was former president Donald Trump. On the other side were current vice president Kamala Harris and the two moderators from ABC. I will not give my opinion as to who I thought won the verbal contest, because I’ve got no business declaring winners. I am an Israeli. I have no vote.
I will tell you, though, that the world is closely watching the United States. I know that all of Israel is monitoring it, because we know that our future will be affected by the outcome. Harris claimed in the debate that she has always been a big supporter of Israel, then immediately followed by saying that too many innocent Palestinians are being killed and we need a two-state solution. Oy! When Trump was asked what he would do, he responded by saying that if he were president October 7 never would have happened. And he’s probably right. Still, as an Israeli, I would have liked to hear him say that he’s going to let us fight this war to the end.
So many parts of this globe will feel the effects of the November election. My prayer is that the church pours out in droves, prays on their way to the election booth, then votes the way the Holy Spirit is leading. If that is done, then good cannot lose.
Erdoğan is Still being Overly Chatty
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey has a vision of making his country the center of Sunni Islam. To become so, he needs to somehow find a way to matter on the world stage. Thus, the president is using his platform to try to rally Muslim nations together against Israel. At a recent event, he blustered, “The only step that will stop Israel is the alliance of Islamic countries.” He went on to complain about Israeli expansionism, which is understandable when you consider all the colonies Israel has established around the world. Oh wait, there are no colonies. Maybe the president needs to look up the word “expansionism” in the dictionary. I do not think it means what he thinks it means. All that being said, President Erdoğan has developed a passionate hatred for Israel and will do what he can to help destroy the nation. That’s why it is not surprising at all that I spent a great amount of time last week filming the promo to our next book, The Sick Man’s Rage, that focuses on Turkey and its desire to destroy Israel. According to the prophecies of Ezekiel, Turkey must rise up and join an alliance with Russia and Iran and others. Together, they will strike Israel. Unfortunately for them, their attack will not quite go as they planned.
Got Any Extra Missiles?
If you happen to have any ballistic missiles laying around, I hear Russia will be more than happy to take them off your hands. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed Tuesday that Iran has sent more than 200 short-range ballistic missiles to Russia. In return, Russia provided Iran with technological information that just maybe could have been nuclear in nature. As part of a food-for-arms deal, North Korea has sent millions of rounds of ammunition and artillery shells to Russia, along with a hefty supply of ballistic missiles. So, if you have any spare rockets, give Putin a call. I hear that with every hundred missiles you send, you get a free set of hand-painted matryoshka nesting dolls. What a deal!
The Ministry
As I mentioned earlier, October 7 was a day of unimaginable horror. Few, if any, of us will ever experience the unfathomable terror of being chased down, assaulted, and killed. Because of that lack of personal experience, there is a danger of downplaying the nightmare of each individual and relegating the victims into statistics. Steve Yohn and I are determined to not let that happen. That is why the beginning of our next novel takes the reader through that traumatic day, both from the standpoint of a victim and that of the helpless friends and family who could only sit by and watch. From there, the rest of the thriller lets you see how Israel deals with those who perpetrate violence on its people, along with the ones who support them. The Sick Man’s Rage is a novel unlike anything you’ve read before. Preorder your copy today.
How do we know that what’s in our Bible is what God intended to be there? Maybe the formulators of the New Testament simply took the many Gospels that had been written, threw them up in the air, then chose the first four that landed in a basket. If you want to know why you can trust your Bible, then join Dr. Rick Yohn and me on Monday, September 16 at 11:00 AM PDT for “Explore the Bible”. And, don’t forget, you can also go to the “Explore the Bible” page on our website for even more resources.
As I mentioned above, if you missed Tuesday’s CONNECT MidEast Update, be sure to check it out. We dove deep into what is happening in the north of Israel and the threat coming from the east. Also, on Monday I had a great time with Pastor Barry Stagner and Pastor Mike Golay for CONNECT Q & A. As always, it was deep, powerful, and just plain fun!
Make sure to take the time to visit our Behold Israel Shop to check out our most recent additions! We have even added a build-your-own-bundle feature in order to provide you with efficient pricing as you add more books to your cart. At the end of the day, our passion is to get resources into the hands of people everywhere. We have also added new accessories and apparel!
The world is in upheaval. But those of us who belong to the Messiah can have blessed peace. No matter what happens, He will carry out His plan to perfection. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us and supported this ministry. May God bless you deeply.
Awaiting His Return,
Street Address
City, State, Zip
Phone Number
Your Custom Text Here