Shalom from Israel! It has been a very busy week. Pastor Mike Golay has been here with me, and we have been involved in meeting after meeting as we progress with the development of CONNECT. I am excited to tell you that not only is the construction work going exceedingly well, but our Israeli team is coming together.
Some have asked me, “Amir, with the war going on, why are you working on creating a ministry hub in Israel? Won’t it be a waste if things go badly for Israel?” I have two answers for that. First, we must always progress in ministry. If God gives a call, it is not our place to question it based on the circumstances around us. Second, because I read the Bible, I have confidence that it will not go badly for Israel right this moment. That difficult time will come, but it is not now. You see, my hope is in the Almighty God who has given us His plans for the world in general and Israel in particular. We will survive this war, and we will end up safer than we were before. This will happen. I have no doubt because my hope is in the Lord.
As believers, we carry a different perspective from the world. We do not allow ourselves to be bogged down in fears, conspiracies, speculations, and “What ifs”. Because our Heavenly Father is all-powerful and in control, we have the blessed luxury of dwelling above the fray. Sure, we may physically experience pain, struggle, deprivation, and violence. But because we have the example of our Savior on the cross, we can emulate Him, keeping that attitude of “This, too, shall pass and in the end there will be glory.”
Much of the world will memorialize the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ this weekend with Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. It is a time to recognize that our forgiveness, our hope, and our eternity rest in the work that our Messiah accomplished by dying on the cross and three days later emerging alive once again from the tomb. We believers who are in Israel still have a few weeks until Passover and then the Feast of First Fruits. It is at this time that we will remember Jesus offering Himself as the sacrificial lamb for our sins, then rising again as the first fruit of the resurrection. If you do not have the hope, peace, and eternal life that come from having received the free gift of salvation that Jesus’ sacrifice has provided, what are you waiting for? Let today be the day you receive Him as your savior. Let today be the day of your salvation.
1 Corinthians 15:20-23
But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.
The Middle East
There is so much going on in the world, that it is impossible for me to cover it all in this newsletter. That is why I greatly encourage you to subscribe to my Telegram channel, which I am constantly updating throughout the day. The details of what you read in the newsletter are found on my Telegram.
USA
This has been a very disappointing week as Israel has watched the United States separating itself from us. Through ultimatums, threats to withhold arms, vote abstentions, and condescending rhetoric, the Biden administration has made it clear that it believes that “peace at all costs” between Israel and Hamas is necessary for a November reelection.
This is in spite of a recent Harvard CAPS-Harris survey that showed Americans overwhelmingly back Israel. Nearly four out of five questioned expressed support for Israel over Hamas. More than two out of every three believe that Israel is seeking to do all it can to minimize casualties. Of course, you wouldn’t know that if you follow the news or pay attention to the words of the party in power in Washington. If those are your sources of information, you’d think there was a pro-Palestinian protest on every street corner populated by concerned citizens heartbroken over the genocide the evil Jews were perpetrating on the helpless Gazans. There is no mention of massacres or torture or systematic rapes or women and children being held hostage.
This is all part of the drift that I warned you about months ago back in the halcyon days when everyone supported Israel avenging October 7. “Go get them,” they said. “They must pay, and you must make yourself safe!” So, Israel did. But now that these people see what Israel has to do to make itself safe, they are all screaming, “Wait! We thought you’d just go in and arrest a few leaders. Maybe bomb a few buildings. You know, like you used to do in the good old days.” What they failed to realize – and, quite honestly, what Israel had failed to realize, also – was that the old way of doing things was nothing but dealing with the symptoms of the disease. For Israel to be safe, the cancerous tumor of Hamas has to be removed. The difficulty has been that the cancer spread throughout Gaza, garrisoning in civilian and humanitarian centers, like schools and hospitals, and burrowing in a vast and intricate underground tunnel system.
Israel was confronted with a new form of urban warfare that had never been experienced before. The leadership of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was confronted with the dual charges of destroying Hamas while protecting the human shields behind which the enemy had hidden. They have succeeded on both counts to an amazing degree.
It is not just me saying this. Last week, I linked you to a Newsweek opinion article written by John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute (MWI) at West Point and codirector of MWI’s Urban Warfare Project entitled, “Israel Implemented More Measures to Prevent Civilian Casualties Than Any Other Nation in History”. This week, Mr. Spencer followed up with another article called, “Israel Has Created a New Standard for Urban Warfare. Why Will No One Admit It?” He writes, “In my long career studying and advising on urban warfare for the U.S. military, I’ve never known an army to take such measures to attend to the enemy’s civilian population, especially while simultaneously combating the enemy in the very same buildings. In fact, by my analysis, Israel has implemented more precautions to prevent civilian harm than any military in history.”
Still, the U.S. attempts to dictate how Israel should prosecute the war. Vice President Kamala Harris warned, “Any major military operation in Rafah would be a huge mistake,” adding that Washington had been “very clear in terms of our perspective on whether or not that should happen.”
Perhaps most telling of all was the recent United Nations Security Council decision, led by Russia and China. It demanded a ceasefire in Gaza. There was no condemning of Hamas for initiating the war, and the mention of a hostage release was not linked to the ceasefire. Essentially, it was handing Hamas a victory in the war, telling Israel that the fight is over and to go home. Rather than vetoing the resolution, the U.S. abstained from the vote. Nothing could have more clearly communicated this administration’s view of Israel. As a result, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a state delegation that was scheduled to leave for America. What would be the purpose?
It used to be, “As America goes, so goes the world.” Now that is reversed. As I look around the globe, I see the Palestinian flag flying over the town center in Luton, UK. In the British parliament, 130 MPs sent a letter to the foreign minister urging for an arms embargo against Israel, citing the country’s non-compliance with the ridiculous UN Security Council ceasefire resolution. In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez agreed with the leaders of Ireland, Malta, and Slovenia to work towards the recognition of a Palestinian state. The global trend is away from Israel, and I fully expect this U.S. administration to follow lockstep behind.
Gaza
The end of last week saw furor over a story alleging the rape of Palestinian women by IDF troops in their operation targeting Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Soon, word spread throughout the gullible branch of the international community that the Israelis were no different than Hamas. Meanwhile, anyone with common sense smelled a rat. Sure enough, on Sunday night Al Jazeera had to retract their gleeful reporting of Israeli sexual abuse admitting that the accuser, a woman named Jamila al-Hissi, had made up the accusations in order to “arouse the nation’s fervor and brotherhood.” Great journalism there, Al Jazeera.
The battle in Shifa hospital continues. Again, it’s not where the IDF wants to fight. It is where Hamas is forcing them to fight. The terrorists intentionally chose the battlefield hoping for the maximum number of civilian casualties. This is the same reason that the IDF was forced to break into the Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis and is possibly also operating at Nasser Hospital. At Al-Amal, large numbers of terrorists have been killed or captured, and the IDF is now working on leveling the ground around the facility.
Lebanon and Syria
Airstrikes continue by the IDF against terrorist outposts and warehouses in Lebanon and Syria. Tuesday night, jets hit a building in southern Lebanon killing seven, including members of the al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya terrorist group who had been planning to infiltrate Israel for an attack. In response, Hezbollah fired 30 rockets at the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona. Most were downed by the Iron Dome or fell harmlessly. However, three hit their marks, with one resulting in the death of 38-year-old Zaher Bashara.
Earlier in the week, the IDF launched a Saturday night strike destroying a Hezbollah weapons storage location in Baalbek in the Beqaa Valley. The terrorist group retaliated by firing 50 Katyusha rockets toward an IDF base in the Golan Heights with little effect. The rocket launches alerted the IDF to the launchers’ location, and the Hezbollah soldiers consequently received a loud and fiery recognition of their actions.
Russia
On Friday, four Tajiki Muslims entered the Crocus City concert hall outside of Moscow and opened fire with automatic weapons. By the time they were through, 137 people were dead and more than 180 are still in the hospital. It is unimaginable the fear the victims endured. Immediately, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) claimed responsibility, releasing a video of their actions inside the hall. Despite the admission of ISIS-K, Moscow knows a good opportunity when it sees it, and is now desperately looking for any links the perpetrators may have had with Ukraine. All four suspects have already pled guilty before a court. At the hearing, each showed signs of torture, and videos have leaked clearly showing members of the Russian Spetsnaz brutally extracting the confessions. Imagine the uproar if it was an Israeli torturing a Muslim suspect. But no Jews; no news.
Amir Tsarfati
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