Shalom Everyone - Here is the latest update for your urgent prayer attention as at 5 pm Monday 31st July

Wednesday night is Tisha B'Ac, the recurring date when all of Israel's worst tragedies have taken place.  As you will see fromn the following news items, the crisis is deepening with no real sign of a cease fire.  The Middle East is on the brink of all out war.
Every nation will be affected.  Added to the war with Hizb'Allah, the UN today ordered Iran to cease all nuclear activity. Iran has refused and China & Russia are supporting Iran.  Here is the real axis of evil =- Iran - China - Russia and you can put Syria in there too.  With Tish B'Av only 2 days away Israel & the free world may well be on the edge of an abyss of no return.  This is not sensationalism.  I may be wrong, but I may be right.  I hope the former is true.  But if not now, it will happen sooner rather than later.  Please don't distance yourself from what  is happening in the Middle East.  It will touch you too - Its time to pray & fast as never before.

1/  Tradgedy in Qana     -  Excuse Me - We Have Some Questions   Lekarev Report  July 31

Deja Vue? Do you remember the international outcry a few years ago about the so-called "Jenin Massacre"? >From one end of the globe to the other, Israel was bashed as criminal, arrogant, murdererous - you name it, they said it.   Some months later a United Nations investigation reluctantly acknowledged that there was NO IDF massacre in Jenin; that the body count had been falsified, etc. ,etc. Of course, by then the damage against Israel had been done by the international media who did not rush to widely publicize the UN report.   What do we know for sure about what happened in the southern Lebanese village of Kana yesterday? We know that an explosion killed more than 50 civilians. Israel has been blasted for it around the world. But hold on a minute - we have some questions that are yet to be answered.

FACT: The IDF dropped leaflets in Arabic into the village five days earlier, warning the residents of the impending attack and advising them to leave the war zone. Why didn't they? Was it because Hezbollah didn't allow them to? Keep in mind that these are the kind of groups that "celebrate" the deaths of children for 'Jihad' - you only have to remember what Nasrallah said after the two little boys were killed in Nazareth a little over a week ago! Now Israel has halted air strikes to "give the civilians time to leave southern Lebanon". What if they still don't leave? Then what? Are we supposed to just let Hizbollah continue to fire rockets into Israel and do nothing? A high-ranking officer said, "We warned the residents that we would be attacking. (After warnings are given) we work under the assumption that the villages are empty and that whoever is there is affiliated with Hizbullah."

FACT: Hizbullah terrorists consistently store weapons caches in residential buildings and set up their rocket launchers between the buildings in areas with a concentrated civilian population. And why do you suppose they do that? Why don't they protect their own civilians??? INCLUDING children???

FACT: IDF video demonstrates a significant contradiction between the time of the bombing and the explosion that brought the building down. There is a very plausible possibility that explosives previously stored in the building were blown up purposely or accidentally by Hizbollah themselves. Video information shows that the Israeli Air Force planes bombed the building between midnight and 1:00 a.m.; reports of the explosion that caused the civilian deaths came at 8:00 a.m. Question: So what happened between 1:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.??? A building hit by a bomb strong enough to level it doesn't stand there for seven hours before it falls! And if the building was indeed hit by such a bomb, why did all those people stay inside for seven hours before the building collapsed???? It just doesn't make any sense.

FACT: IDF intelligence equipment can detect missile launchers but not civilians. IDF Chief of Staff Halutz said, "Had we known there were that many civilians inside, especially women and children, we certainly would not have attacked it," a senior air force commander told Reuters News Agency.

FACT: Hizbollah has fired more than 150 rockets from the village of Qana into Israel. Why is it that Israel is pressed to agree to a 48 hour cessation of air strikes? Has anybody pressured Hizbollah into a 48 hour cessation of rocket fire into Israel?

UPDATE: CNN has just announced that the Kana building was NOT hit by an Israeli strike. CNN's Ben Wedeman, who was at the site, reported that no ordinance actually hit the building, but hit the ground nearby, creating a large crater. He speculates that the impact weakened the building causing it to collapse several hours later

2/  PM Olmerts Speech  -  Prime Minister says fighting won't end until rocket threat gone
    Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday evening that there would be no cease-fire in the coming days, despite a 48-hour halt in Israel Air Force activity in Lebanon. "Israel is continuing to fight," Olmert said in an address to the nation from Tel Aviv. He said the offensive in southern Lebanon would end when the rockets fired by Hezbollah cease and the two Israel Defense Forces soldiers abducted on July 12 are returned.  "We will stop the war when the [rocket] threat is removed..., our captive soldiers return home in peace, and you are able to live in safety and security," Olmert said, addressing the mayors of northern towns.  He also warned that Israel still faced "no small number of days  of fighting."   "We should be ready for pain, tears and blood," he said. "Missiles and rockets will still land in Israel in the coming days."

Israel had had no choice but to begin its attacks on Hezbollah after the guerrillas carried out their cross-border attack, in which eight other soldiers were killed, he said. "We could not let the terror organization on our border get stronger, let them get more missiles," he said. "If we had held off, the day would have arrived soon when they would have caused unprecedented damage."  He said that even as he spoke, Israeli forces continued fighting in the air, from the sea and on the ground in Lebanon.  "We are determined to succeed in this struggle," he said. "We will not give up on our goal to live a life free of terror."  Hezbollah is not the same organization it was before the offensive began 20 days ago, the prime minister said, adding that Israel has destroyed its command centers and many of its long-range missiles.  "Hezbollah has suffered a heavy blow, and will take a long time to recover, if at all," he said.  "This is a unique opportunity to change the rules in Lebanon,"  he said.

The prime minister brushed off international criticism about the fighting in Lebanon, saying that no other country would accept similar attacks against it.  Hezbollah has fired more than 1,600 rockets into northern Israel since the conflict erupted.  At least 300,000 of the one million residents of the north have been driven from their homes. Others have been holed up in bomb shelters. The prime minister expressed regret for the attack in the southern Lebanon village of Qana on Sunday, which killed 56 people, among them 37 children. "I am sorry from bottom of heart for all deaths of children or women in Qana," Olmert said. "We did not search them out... they were not our enemies and we did not look for them."

Addressing the people of Lebanon, he told them that they were not Israel's enemy, but rather Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah - whom he accused of carrying out the policies of Syria and Iran - was.  "We are not fighting against the Lebanese people. We are not fighting against its government. We are fighting terrorism and we will not stop the fight against them until we push them away from our borders," he   said.

3/  Peretz: IDF to step up action
Defense Minister Amir Peretz told the Knesset on Monday afternoon that Israel must not agree to an immediate cease-fire, and that the military would expand and strengthen its attacks against Hezbollah  The suspension of aerial activity was announced in the wake of the IAF strike in Qana.  A senior government source said earlier Monday that the IAF had been told to continue acting against "targets that present a threat to Israel and its troops, including rocket launchers, vehicles transporting ammunition, Hezbollah fighters, weapons stores and Hezbollah assets."

The term "Hezbollah assets" refers to people identified with the organization, including those who do not pose an immediate threat. "If they are identified with Hassan Nasrallah, we will hit them," the source said.  Regarding the instructions to the IAF, the source said, however, "there will be no attacks on buildings that had not been identified" as part of efforts to strike Israel, and held, for example, ammunition, Hezbollah fighters or their commanders." "We cannot agree to an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon because then we will find ourselves in a few months in a similar situation," Peretz told a heated parliamentary debate during which four Israeli Arab lawmakers were escorted out for heckling. One Knesset member called Peretz a murderer.

"We have to finish the operation, and I will do it," he said. "The army will expand and deepen its actions against Hizbollah."  He expressed regret over the deaths of civilians in an IAF strike in Qana on Sunday, and said that the army would investigate.  "When Hezbollah kill civilians in Haifa, they see it as an operational success, but when we harm civilians, it's a failure," he said. "I am sorry for what happened in Qana village, and we won't hesitate to investigate any operation we carry out, [but] we aren't doing it to look good in anyone else's eyes."

For the coming Kingdom

David & Josie 

there is an organisation that is sending Pizza & Coke to the soldiers.  Josie & I want to encourage you to bless the young men & women in the IDF by sending them a Pizza  Here is the link to the website    www.pizzaIDF.org

We want to recommend you watch the excellent coverage that Fox TV News are giving 24/7.
And you can watch Israel news on your computers here at www.jerusalemonline.com
For up to the minute news updates   www.haaretz.com


After 20 days of war, we need to see where we are and where we are headed.

The rocket attacks on Israel have not stopped, averaging over 100 a day. All of northern Israel , from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River , has been under constant attack. On Sunday 140 rockets were falling on Israel . Kiryot Shmona was attacked with 100 of them.

The ground war has been costly, with at least 20 Israeli soldiers dead and many injured-perhaps for life. While the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have won their ground battles, still they have not taken much ground nor substantially eroded Hizbullah's fighting ability or morale. The IDF infantry has shown great valor, yet in basic terms we cannot say there has been a significant victory. On the contrary, if we continue with the tactics we have used till today, Israel is headed for a major defeat-a defeat that will have great and terrible consequences not only for us, but also for the entire Western world.  

How can we be wining the battles and losing the war?

At this point, Hizbullah has been more successful in fighting Israel than any of the armies of the Arab nations. While they are taking great losses, they continue to attack us both in the air (with rockets) and on the ground. The fact that they cannot destroy Israel nor defeat our forces is almost irrelevant. Their resistance, continued defiance, and survival are victories in and of themselves.

More importantly, the government of Israel has continued to downgrade its objectives in the war. We started out by promising to defeat and destroy utterly Hizbullah. We downgraded that aim to destroying their ability to fire rockets at us and eliminating their presence on the Israeli-Lebanese border. We are now at the point where we are looking to the international community to disarm Hizbullah and "make it behave." In the agreement that is being "cooked up" at the United Nations, Hizbullah may even become a part of the Lebanese army.

Currently, this is a massive victory for Hizbullah, and it will make them the undisputed leaders of the Arab fight against Israel .  

Compromise, compromise, compromise

The cease-fire deal under way includes not only what I have just written, but also the ceding of the Shaba Farms area to Lebanon . The reports coming out are that United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is pushing for this. If the reports are true and this comes to pass, it will have disastrous consequences not only for Israel , but also for the entire "free" world.

When Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, the UN itself formally and legally confirmed that Israel had withdrawn to the international border. According to international law, the Shaba Farms area is "occupied Syrian territory," conquered by Israel in the 1967 war.

One of Hizbullah's demands over the years has been the "return" of Shaba Farms to Lebanon . So after six years of agreeing that Shaba Farms does NOT belong to Lebanon, to turn around and award it to Lebanon as a price for Hizbullah to stop rocketing Israel is utter capitulation to terror and cancellation of international law. It would bring the world one more step toward total surrender to terror and Islam and the reality that there are two standards of international law: one for Israel and one for the rest of the world.  

A strong nation and a weak government

The people of Israel remain strong in the face of these unrelenting rocket attacks. The majority sentiment throughout the country, including the areas under attack, is "crush Hizbullah and destroy its ability to attack us." The Israeli government seems to have neither the will nor the courage nor the intelligence to make this Israel's strategy. I am very concerned that in an attempt to improve Israel's position in the run-up to a cease-fire, we will rush our troops into an unprepared and foolhardy battle-not to crush the enemy, but to make a political point.  

What kind of war are we fighting anyway?

The war in Lebanon is unlike any war Israel has ever fought. The tactics we have chosen to use are not the tactics that have brought Israel victory in the past. Israel's classic technique is to overwhelm the enemy with superior force and tactics-bypassing strongholds, if needed-to strike a swift and decisive blow to the enemy's main force and command and control centers. Instead, we are depending very heavily on the air force and using the infantry in a very ineffective way.

Despite the obvious truths that the air force cannot stop the rocket attacks and that we clearly need a ground attack - in force - to crush Hizbullah or at least drive them north out of rocket range of Israel, we are not learning this lesson nor adapting our tactics to the reality of the situation.

Former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon, a brilliant tactician and strategist who was especially gifted in fighting guerilla warfare, was removed because he did not agree with former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan for Gaza . The present Chief of Staff, Dan Halutz (a clear political appointment by Sharon ), is the former head of the Israel Air Force (IAF). This is the first time we have had an air force general as head of the IDF, and the results so far are not good. He is attempting to fight an American-style war, but Israel is not America , and we are fighting on our doorstep, not thousands of kilometers away from home.  

The air war

Some clarity is needed to understand the air war. Hizbullah's rocket attacks on Israel (over 2,500 at last count) are obviously targeted against civilians. The very nature of the Katyusha rocket is that it is an unguided terror weapon: Point it in the general direction of an Israeli population center and let it go.

The IAF has attacked Hizbullah rocket launchers and command and control centers. These are military targets, as are the Beirut airport and the bridge and road junctions taken out to prevent or at least hinder Hizbullah's resupply by Syria and Iran .

Hizbullah has purposely put its rocket launchers, rockets, and fighters in the very heart of civilian neighborhoods-in effect, hiding behind a civilian "human shield." Hizbullah does not care if there are Lebanese civilian casualties and probably even welcomes them as another weapon in the fight against Israel .

Sunday morning, the IAF bombed rocket launchers in the town of Qana . The report is that 50 people have been killed, many of them children, and the world is in an uproar and is calling for an immediate cease-fire. Qana had been the center for rocket fire on Kiryat Shemona and Afula. Its residents were warned many days ago to evacuate, because the rocket launchers were in their midst. In the IAF attack to destroy the launchers, a building was also hit, causing the casualties.

There are many discrepancies concerning this attack. Israel attacked between midnight and 1:00 a.m. , but the building collapsed only at 8:00 a.m. What happened in the interim? Were there Katyushas in the building that were "cooking off" from the bombing? Did Hizbullah destroy the building and kill the Lebanese to bring blame to Israel ? Did the weakened building just collapse seven hours after the attack? I do not know the answer, but my trust of the truth of what Hizbullah and the Lebanese say is not even zero.

What is Israel to do? The world would have us give safe haven to the Hizbullah rocket launchers, just because they are hidden behind a civilian screen. While that is an untenable position, it must be emphasized that Israel does not target civilians. Those who were killed were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is tragic and regrettable, but what can Israel do? I have not yet heard any individual or country calling the thousands of rocket attacks on Israel a "massacre" or a crime against humanity. When Dresden was firebombed during World War Two, was that disproportionate use of force? When Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed (to save the life of a million American soldiers), was that disproportionate use of force? When the French destroyed whole villages in Algeria , was that disproportionate use of force? The truth is that Israel , more than any other country, has held back and not flattened villages, which would have incurred many civilian casualties, and instead has sent in ground forces, who have paid with their own lives in operations that could have been done by the air force. There IS a dual standard here. As with the case of international law: one standard for Israel and one standard for the rest of the world.

American pressure has now brought Israel to call a unilateral 48-hour suspension of the air campaign. This is to allow for an investigation of the Qana tragedy and a window for civilians in south Lebanon to leave for the north. Militarily, this is a big mistake: We are giving Hizbullah a breather and the ability to resupply. I don't know if this suspension will extend to air cover for our ground troops, but if this is so, it could be very costly in terms of Israeli lives.

A very basic question is raised here: Who is Israel responsible to protect-Israeli civilians and soldiers or Lebanese who are used as human shields by Hizbullah?  

International separation force

The Israeli government is agreeing to the stationing of an international force to help the Lebanese army disarm Hizbullah and keep them from Israel's border. This too is a very dangerous turn of events. According to UN resolution 1559, the Lebanese army was to disarm all militias and take up positions on the Israeli border. They have not even tried to do this, giving Hizbullah free rein in south Lebanon . Hizbullah's fighting force has less than 10,000 men (some say only 3,000), while the Lebanese army has 50,000 soldiers. Now, the idea is to bring 15,000 to 20,000 foreign troops to south Lebanon to help keep the peace. If it follows in the footsteps of all other UN forces, it will do nothing to stop Hizbullah and all that it can to hinder Israel from protecting herself.

The other great danger of this move is that not only would it put Israel's defense in foreign hands, but also it will encourage the Palestinians by setting a precedent for their demand to station foreign troops within Israel to "protect" innocent Palestinian terrorists.  

Lebanese democracy

The Americans have put a lot of faith in the "new" Lebanese government, touting it as a great example of democracy in the Middle East . But what is this government? First of all, Hizbullah is a member and sits in its cabinet. Both the prime minister and the president have come out in support of "patriotic" Hizbullah in their fight with the Israeli aggressor. Is this a government that the Americans can count on? Is this a government that will see to the disarming of Hizbullah? This is a very bad and sick joke, and Israel is once again called to pay the price for the world's weakness and inability to call things the way they really are.  

How do we pray?

Lord, take the prosecution of this war out of the Israeli government's hands. You have a purpose at this time-involve Yourself, please. Roll up Your sleeve and put Your Hand directly into this mess, and arrange and rearrange all that is out of place. May Your will be done at this time, on earth as it is in heaven.

Lord, please protect the Israeli soldiers who are fighting for Israel's survival. May Your shield be upon them, over and under them, and around them too. Protect them not only from the enemy, but also from "friendly fire."

May the believing soldiers have a direct anointing from You to discern the enemy and his attacks before they are sprung, and may they be a light in the midst of their units.

Lord, protect all the innocent civilians on both sides of this conflict.

Lord, in the midst of fear and war, may many on both sides cry out to You, and may You bring salvation to many.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26).

Eliyahu Ben-Haim
Jerusalem  July 31, 2006
To visit the Sound of the Shofar Web site, go to www.shofar1.org

 
David & Josie Silver
Out of Zion Ministries
Mt Carmel
Israel
www.out-of-zion.com