9. Israel Sets New Tourism Record for a Year
1. Abbas: No Jerusalem Construction Freeze, No TalksPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday [November 21] that the Palestinians will not return to the negotiating table should the renewed construction freeze not include east Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Shas [Israeli religious party] is demanding written assurances from the US on the exact same issue [that construction in east Jerusalem not be frozen].
Prior to meeting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, Abbas told reporters that the Palestinians have yet to receive an official US invitation to renewed talks, which commenced in September and were halted three weeks later following the Netanyahu administration's refusal to freeze construction in the settlements.
Asked whether direct talks will resume should the moratorium not include east Jerusalem Abbas said: "Obviously if the settlement construction freeze will not be complete and include east Jerusalem we shall not accept it."
Meanwhile, Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is awaiting a written US assurances paper regarding Jerusalem construction. Shas Chairman and Interior Minister Eli Yishai stated at Sunday's cabinet meeting that until there is a final paper, Rabbi Yosef will not permit [Shas] ministers to avoid voting on the plan [and let it pass by abstaining]. "As of now we oppose an additional freeze," Yishai stressed.
Shas is the deciding factor in the government's decision whether to accept the freeze proposal. "Rabbi Ovadia wants to see things clearly and only then will he make a decision," Yishai said.
"The rabbi asked for a US guarantee there will be no freeze in Jerusalem and that there will not be an additional freeze after three months. All Israeli administrations built in Jerusalem, even the left-wing governments did not stop for one second," he added.
(By Ronen Medzini, Ynetnews, November 21, 2010)
Prayer Focus
Pray that Priime Minister Netanyahu will not buckle under pressure to include Jerusalem in any building freeze.
Scripture
"And he said: 'The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; the God of my strength in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You save me from violence'" (2 Samuel 22:2-3).
2. Netanyahu: Palestinians Distort HistoryThe Palestinians are spreading libelous propaganda against Israel and distorting historical facts about the causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu charged Thursday [November 26]. The Palestinian refugee problem "is a result of what happened in 1948 [Israel's war for independence against Arab attack]," the PM told Likud activists at the party's Tel Aviv headquarters.
"Had they refrained from attacking us, these people would not have become refugees," he said. Netanyahu also dismissed claims that Israel's settlements in the West Bank [Judea and Samaria] are the root cause of the conflict.
"They are trying to say that our presence in Judea and Samaria is the reason for the conflict, which isn't true," he said. "They took the results of the 1967 conflict [the Six-Day War against multiple Arab enemies]-that is, the construction in Judea and Samaria-and turned them into the reason for the conflict."
Addressing the current peace talks, Netanyahu said that he expects written US assurances for the benefit package to be received by Israel in exchange for a three-month extension of the settlement construction freeze. The PM made it clear that there will be no progress in peace talks without such a pledge.
"As long as there's nothing in a written document, we won't be able to advance," he said. "Reality is complex, and that raises the need for an explicit American pledge."
The meeting was attended by some 40 activists and was held at Netanyahu's initiative, as part of his promise to hold closed-door sessions with activists once every two weeks in order to share developments on the diplomatic and political front with them.
(By Attila Somfalvi, Ynetnews, November 26, 2010)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the Lord will intervene to stop the flow of vicious lies that are coming forth from the Palestinain community. Pray that the international community will face the truth of Arab revisionist history.
Scripture
"'And like their bow they have bent their tongues for lies. They are not valiant for the truth on the earth. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know Me,' says the Lord" (Jeremiah 9:3).
3. Law Passes Requiring Public Support for WithdrawalThe Israeli Knesset [parliament] passed a new law on Monday [November 22] that will require a public referendum vote, or the approval of 80 of the 120 Knesset members, for any attempts to withdrawal from East Jerusalem or the Golan Heights. According to The Jerusalem Post, the National Referendum Law passed in the Knesset 65-33.
Though the law applies to East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim for their capital, and the Golan Heights, which is claimed by Syria, it does not apply to the West Bank [Judea and Samaria]. This is because the West Bank was never fully annexed by Israel as civilian territory, whereas the other two areas were. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the law as supporting democracy.
In comments to reporters posted on the Prime Minister's Office Web site, Netanyahu called the legislation "very important." Said Netanyahu of the referendum law, "It ensures that there won't be tension in the country. If we enter into a peace process that could bear historic fruit, the public knows that in the end it will decide, not parliamentary maneuvering, not a happenstance majority, but the people will decide and I rely on the Israeli people."
Continued Netanyahu, "I think that we are a wise and sagacious people. Therefore, I am convinced that if I submit an agreement to the people, it will pass. In any case, whoever wants to bring about an agreement with national achievements, and with very important historic consequences for the national interests of the State of Israel, need not fear submitting these agreements to the people. "I think that it is the democratic thing and the right thing; it is also the most responsible thing."
(By Joshua Spurlock, BFP Israel Mosaic Radio, November 23, 2010)
Prayer Focus
Pray for wisdom for the Israeli people as this legislation gives each one responsibility in the destiny of the nation.
Scripture
"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God" (Psalm 20:7).
4. Palestinian Economy Is Booming, Thanks to Foreign AidIn the lobby, a pair of workers is hanging large portrait photographs of Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas, while outside, a construction scaffolding sits close by the front entrance, but otherwise the West Bank's [Judea and Samaria] first five-star hotel is open for business.
Banners advertising the Palestinian stock exchange's annual conference in the grand ballroom adorn centerpieces, while smartly dressed women and men in dark business suits mingle over drinks. Indeed, the demand for conference space is so strong that the Ramallah-based Movenpick Hotel began hosting them weeks before its first guests checked in.
The peace talks with Israel have stalled, and Hamas and Fatah remain at loggerheads over who is the legitimate ruler of the Palestinian areas. But, the economies of the West Bank and Gaza Strip are shrugging off their uncertain political future and booming. Yet, economists warn, the boom is a precarious one.
"When the political situation allows it, the economy recovers and people rush out and say that is economic development. That's not what's happening," Nathan Brown, professor of political science and international affairs at the George Washington University, told The Media Line.
The International Monetary Fund estimates that their combined gross domestic product will grow 8% this year. In Gaza, whose economy is coming back to life as Israel has eased its three-year-old blockade, GDP is likely to grow 16% in the first half of 2010. Indeed, Gaza is due to gets its first five-star hotel soon as well, the Palestinian Ma'an news agency reported this month. The hotel was ready to open in 2007 when Hamas seized control of the enclave and forced the developers to mothball it.
Ramallah, the West Bank's commercial center and unofficial capital, is replete with construction sites, but the prosperity is relative. The West Bank and Gaza are still engaging in catch-up from the days before the Intifada exploded in 2000. The subsequent fours years of violence left 3,400 Palestinian dead (as well as over 1,000 Israelis) and left the West Bank divided by Israeli army checkpoints that continue to choke commerce to this day [which were put in place to prevent terrorism and have eased some as terrorism has declined].
In Gaza, GDP per capita is only 60% of its level in 1994, the year the Oslo peace process with Israel got underway, according to the IMF. More than a third of the working age population is unemployed. The West Bank has fared better, but its per capita GDP only clawed back to its pre-Oslo level last year. Its jobless rate was 16% in the fist half of the year.
Law and order in the cities, and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's campaign to clean up the Palestinian Authority's [PA] finances and a crack down on corruption have all helped boost economic growth in the West Bank. Israel has eased the checkpoint regime. But the main driver for prosperity is huge levels of foreign aid that is used principally to fund the Palestinian Authority's budget deficit.
The Palestinian Authority is slated to get US $1.2 billion in outside assistance this year, a sum equal to about 15% of its GDP. Investment in infrastructure, whether it's by foreigners or the private sector, is minimal. US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton pledged US $150 million more last week. The latest infusion of money brings America's total direct budget assistance to US $225 million for this year alone and overall US support and investment to almost US $600 million for the year.
"What you see is that anything related [to] government expenditure is doing very, very well. But no external investors are rushing to get in," said Brown. Moreover, economic growth is focused on residential building, Paul Rivlin, a senior research fellow at Tel Aviv University, told The Media Line. "The problem is that in an economy that is filled [with] political uncertainty and numerous restrictions," said Rivlin. "One of the things [on which] you can make quick and easy money and meet needs is construction. Building factories has a payoff only when you start production."
(Excerpts of an article by David Rosenberg, The Media Line, November 16, 2010)
Prayer Focus
Thank the Lord for his blessing on the Palestinian economy. Pray that an understanding of these numbers will bring into question the media coverage that portrays a devastated, starving Palestinian population.
Scripture
"Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in You" (Psalm 33:20-22).
5. Israel, Jordan Team Up in Oil Spill ExerciseIsrael and Jordan successfully carried out a joint oil pollution combat exercise last month, simulating a 100-ton oil leak from a tanker in Jordan's Aqaba Port, according to the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection. In a communiqué posted on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web site, the environmental ministry said that "the Jordanian and Israeli forces worked in full cooperation while using dedicated equipment for combating marine oil pollution from the two countries."
According to the communiqué, Jordan and Israel used their own oil containment booms during the exercise to create a unified containment boom "aimed at improving treatment and control of the oil spill." The drill also used vessels from both of the countries for oil containment, pumping and storage.
While the exercise focused on an oil spill in Jordan's port on the Red Sea, Israel also has a port on the important waterway in the southern city of Eilat. The joint exercise shows an understanding of the joint risk shared by the two nations.
Said the communiqué, "Joint action and mutual assistance in the event of a major oil spill in the Upper Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba are crucial to protect the natural and landscape assets which are shared by both Israel and Jordan."
(By Joshua Spurlock, BFP Israel Mosaic Radio, November 22, 2010)
Prayer Focus
Thank the Lord for the relationship that exists between Israel and Jordan and for these kinds of joint efforts. Pray that the Lord will continue to strengthen this relationship.
Scripture
"The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright, but the wicked will fall by his own wickedness" (Proverbs 11:5).
6. Netanyahu, Russians Discuss Bilateral TiesIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a Russian leader recently discussed cooperation in a variety of areas ranging from natural gas exploration to space research. According to a report of the meeting posted on the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Web site, Netanyahu met on November 17 with Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov and also "agreed on wide-ranging bilateral cooperation" in the areas of agriculture and economics.
Iran, whose nuclear program poses a potential threat to Russia and Israel, was also discussed. Israel and Russian relations cover a variety of connections, including tourism. Russia is a major natural gas provider to Europe, and Israel has in recent years discovered a surprising amount of natural gas in the Mediterranean Sea.
With that in the background, the PMO Web site's report on the meeting with Zubkov said that Netanyahu called for Russian companies to "join gas exploration efforts in Israel and said that he had no doubt that Israel could learn much from Russian companies' considerable experience and know-how in the field."
Israel, meanwhile, has things to offer Russia in the field of agriculture with regards to technology and "know-how." According to the PMO, Netanyahu noted that Israeli advantages in the field, when combined with Russian water resources, "could lead to fruitful bilateral cooperation." Zubkov was in Israel leading a Russian economic delegation.
Israel-Russian economic ties have shown marked growth the first two-thirds of this year. According to a previous PMO press release, Netanyahu spoke by phone last week on November 16 with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the two men "noted the rapid growth in bilateral trade and emphasized that trade in the first eight months of 2010 was higher than in all of 2009. They also noted the growing cooperation between the two countries in technology and investment in infrastructure."
Said Netanyahu in the press release, "I welcome the increase in trade, tourism and economic cooperation with Russia. We are committed to continuing to advance bilateral relations, with emphasis on expanding trade and investments."
(By Joshua Spurlock, BFP Israel Mosaic Radio, November 21, 2010)
Prayer Focus
Pray that this relationship will be strengthened and guided by the Lord in its development.
Scripture
"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes" (Proverbs 21:1).
7. Poll: Most Palestinians View Talks as Precursor to One StateThe majority of Palestinians support direct talks and the two-state solution, but ultimately want the entire area between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea to turn into one Palestinian state, a poll sponsored by The Israel Project, a Jewish-American organization, shows. The data, collected by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research in October, shows that the Palestinians blame Hamas for the current state of affairs in the Gaza Strip, and are hostile not only towards the Islamic organization but also towards Iran.
According to the poll, 61% of Palestinians from both Gaza and the West Bank [Judea and Samaria] support direct negotiations with Israel, and 60% accept the two-state solution. A 54% majority also agree peace is possible with Israel.
A closer look, however, reveals a different picture: According to the poll, most Palestinians refuse to reconcile with the idea of Israel as a Jewish state. While 23% accept the statement that "Israel has a permanent right to exist as a homeland for the Jewish people," two-thirds prefer the alternative statement that "over time Palestinians must work to get back all the land for a Palestinian state."
Moreover, the Palestinians perceive the two-state solution as a precursor to this entirely Palestinian state. When presented with the statement that "the best goal is for a two-state solution that keeps two states living side by side," 30% agreed, while 60% opted for the alternative statement that "the real goal should be to start with two states but then move it to all being one Palestinian state."
On the issue of terrorism, 58% said they support the armed struggle with Israel, while 36% believes that the direct talks are the only option. In the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead, support for armed struggle was lower in Gaza (51%) than in the West Bank (62%).
In response to a scenario where Palestinian institutions are built up for independence and territories are exchanged in line with the 1967 borders, Palestinians show a shift towards acceptance of Israel as a Jewish state. Considering this scenario, 50% of respondents said they would "favor the Palestinian Authority officially recognizing Israel as a Jewish state as part of a two-state solution."
Furthermore, 56% in the West Bank and 58% in Gaza said that if this scenario takes place, streets and squares should cease to be named after suicide bombers, and 51% in the West Bank-though only 12% in Gaza-favor depicting Israel on maps of the region in schoolbooks and official documents [as opposed to maps where Israel does not exist].
The poll data also suggests that the Palestinians are turning away from Hamas; 68% say that pressuring the organization to renounce terrorism is an important step towards peace, while 62% said that Hamas should stop rocket fire from Gaza. Furthermore, 56% of Gaza residents have negative views towards Hamas' leadership. Overall, 53% of Palestinians feel hostility towards Hamas.
Iran's popularity proved to be quite low as well. In Gaza, 27% blame the Islamic Republic as a factor in the problems Palestinians face. Additionally, 55% of Palestinians negatively rated the nation as "cool," while 39% gave it a "very cold" rating. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad received similar marks.
Despite recent reports of Palestinian Authority [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas losing his footing, the poll shows that 61% of Palestinians support him. PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad showed greater popularity, with 65% of Palestinian support. As for Fatah [Abbas' political faction], 44% of Gaza residents expressed support for its leadership, while Hamas leaders received only 27% of the residents' support.
(By Yitzhak Benhorin, Ynetnews, November 20, 2010)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the results of this poll will be rightly interpreted by the international community, recognizing that the ultimate desire of most of those polled is the removal of the state of Israel from this region.
Scripture
"They have said, 'Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more'" (Psalm 83:4).
8. Ayatollah Prevents Movement toward Ahmadinejad ImpeachmentIranian parliamentarians are apparently no more impressed by the antics of bellicose Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than are western leaders. According to The Wall Street Journal, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had to intercede in order to prevent the Iranian parliament from initiating impeachment proceedings against Ahmadinejad-the first time an Iranian president has been so challenged.
On Monday [November 22], a report was presented to and debated in parliament. It argued that, "The president and his cabinet must be held accountable in front of the parliament…A lack of transparency and the accumulation of legal violations by the government is harming the regime."
Although support for impeachment seems to be growing, nothing can happen without consent by Khamenei, whose defense of Ahmadinejad appears to make that unlikely. Ahmadinejad's offenses relate to a lack of transparency and acting without approval from the parliament.
(By The Media Line, November 24, 2010)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the Lord will move to establish a government in Iran that will be supportive of human rights, Israel's right to exist, and abide by the international community's demands regarding its nuclear program.
Scripture
"The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed" (1 Samuel 2:10b).
9. Israel Sets New Tourism Record for a YearIsrael passed the 3 million-tourist-mark for this year on Monday [November 22], announcing they had broken their own record for incoming tourists in a year in a press statement from the Tourism Ministry. Estimates by the Tourism Ministry predict a total of 3.4 million tourists for 2010, which would eclipse the previous all-time high for a year, set in 2008, by 400,000 tourists.
Speaking in a press statement, Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov noted the importance of the record setting year. "Breaking records for incoming tourism to Israel reflects the revolution that has been taking place in the Israeli tourism industry over the last year," said Misezhnikov."
"This revolution is making huge contributions to the Israeli economy by creating new jobs, increasing revenue and improving Israel's image around the world as an attractive tourism destination." The economic impact should be noticeable. In the past, The Tourism Ministry has said that for every 100,000 additional tourists, about 4,000 new jobs are created and tens of millions of dollars are generated into the Israeli economy.
Fittingly, the tourist who set the new record in 2010 was a pastor with a group of Christian pilgrims to Israel. Pini Shani, director of the Overseas Department in the Marketing Administration of the Tourism Ministry, told Bridges for Peace in an interview that more than 60% of the tourists visiting Israel are Christians, noting that "they are very important, [they are] strong friends of the State of Israel, and we are very proud to host them in Israel and to show them the Land of the Bible."
Shani said that one reason 2010 set the record was due to marketing, which was given its largest government budget ever. He said taking care of tourism infrastructure, such as building new hotel rooms, was also a factor.
The 2010 estimate of 3.4 million tourists represented an increase of 700,000 tourists from 2009, a year that started slower, due in part to the financial crisis and the Gaza war, before finishing strong. Shani said that despite the dip in '2009 between the two record-setting years, he felt that tourism is "going in the right direction." Said Shani. "Altogether when we're looking at 2009 we see that the decrease was a minimum decrease compared to other countries in the world."
Looking ahead, Shani said that they are predicting that 2011 will be another record year with 3.7 million tourists, "but we are making great effort all the time, together with the travel industry, in order to increase this number; and we are looking forward for a very good year…We hope to reach the goal of 5 million tourists visiting Israel by 2015, and we are convinced that we can do it."
(By Joshua Spurlock, BFP Israel Mosaic Radio, November 25, 2010)
Prayer Focus
Praise the Lord for this remarkable achievement. Pray for a constant inflow of tourists to this nation who will go back to their nations as advocates for Israel.
Scripture
"Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues" (Psalm 31:19-20).
Note: All Scripture is taken from the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.
Bridges for Peace - 24 Hour Prayer Calendar Free registration - Signup today ! Isaiah 62:6-7 - I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, [which] shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. |
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