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| Visit our Web site: www.bridgesforpeace.com | January 14, 2011 |
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1. Serious Rain Shortage
2. Hizbullah-influenced Faction Resigns, Toppling Lebanese Government
3. Bloody Weekend along Israel-Gaza Border
4. Lebanon: Grenades Hurled at Christian Party's Office
5. Congress Hints: No Cuts in Iron Dome Aid
6. Shepherd Hotel Demolished for Future Development
7. Poll: Jerusalem Arabs Prefer Israel
8. Tourism Looks Ahead to a Good Year
9. Out-Sniffing the Dogs
1. Serious Rain Shortage
The rainy season in Israel, which typically begins in the fall (autumn) and runs through the spring, got off to a very bad start in Israel before a recent improvement beginning in December. When coupled with the dry end to the last rainy season, Israel went more than nine months without a serious rainfall event.
According to Water Authority spokesperson Uri Shor, the multiple years of below-average rainfall places Israel in a serious water situation: "We are very, very severely lacking in water in our resources," said Shor. He said this rainy season isn't looking very good either. "All of our models seem to show that this coming winter won't be a successful winter, although we all pray to get much more rain than the prediction," said Shor.
"We have a very serious problem, and if we look also at the average amount of water that rainfall usually comes [and brings for this time of year], then we've received less than 60% of the average winter, and that's very bad."
Although the last month has seen improvement in the current season, as of Tuesday [January 11], it was between 80-90% of the average for this time of year in the North, including the all-important Sea of Galilee [Kinneret] region, but just 40-50% in the center and south of the country, according to Dr. Amos Porat, head of the climatology branch at the Israel Meteorological Service (IMS).
Porat said the 2010-11 rainy season got off to an "awful start" prior to the most recent rains. While not making an official prediction, he said statistically, it would be expected to improve, since the woeful beginning would be extremely bad if continued for an entire season. So far, it looks like things are getting better. Mid-December saw a huge storm hit Israel with lots of rain in the North, and January has already had some rain with more expected. But according to Shor, this season isn't expected to fix what has been a multi-year problem.
Porat said rainy seasons in Israel haven't exceeded normal for rainfall since the season for fall 2002 to spring 2003. While most years are close to average, including last season, the below-average years start adding together. "Below normal could be something like 5-10% below normal, so it's not that bad, but if you have year after year like this, then it accumulates to a big deficit," said Dr. Porat. "Because [a deficit of] 10% each year will accumulate eventually to 70 or 80%, so we have a deficit of almost a whole rainfall season."
The dangers of a lack of rainfall are diverse. Shor said that as of Tuesday, the Sea of Galilee was already almost a full meter, 98 cm, below the lower red line, a level they really don't want to be under at all. However, he said they believe the Galilee will not reach the black line, where it can no longer be used for producing drinking water, but will be "very close" to the line.
However, drastic water cut backs have been in effect for farmers, and there is the potential for restrictions banning the watering of grass this summer. "It won't be a pretty sight, but in order to prevent [reducing] water in the households, that's a solution," said Shor.
Last year's lack of rain was further complicated by record-high temperatures. Porat said overall 2010 was "definitely the warmest year ever recorded in Israel." He noted that the combination of high temperatures and dry weather had a negative effect on agriculture, and when added to winds, also played a role in the horrific Carmel forest fire in early December. Porat said it started getting cooler, close to average, in January.
The good news for Israel is that help is on the way in the form of desalinated drinking water taken from the sea. Shor said that currently desalination accounts for 40% of Israel's household and city water, and that figure is expected to increase to around 70% by the end of 2013. By 2020, Israel will be able to produce more than 100% of the current water needs.
In the meantime, however, limitations are needed to preserve the struggling water supply. Aside from agriculture water cuts, Shor pointed to a major campaign to reduce consumption with advertising, education, and price increases, which, over the last year-and-a-half, saw households reduce their water consumption by almost 20%. Shor said the efforts to add supply and reduce demand are an attempt to "try to pass this crisis as best as we can."
Of course one of the biggest helps for Israel's water situation is more rain this winter and spring. For that, Shor suggested: "Let's all pray for rain."
(By Joshua Spurlock, BFP Israel Mosaic Radio, January 12, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the Lord will have mercy on the nation of Israel, open the heavens, and pour out rain in significant amounts, refilling the Sea of Galilee and restoring agricultural production. Pray that Israel's efforts to provide drinking water through desalinization will be effective.
Scripture
"But as for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause - Who does great things, and unsearchable, marvelous things without number. He gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the fields" (Job 5:8-10).
2. Hizbullah-influenced Faction Resigns, Toppling Lebanese Government
The government in Lebanon led by West-backed Prime Minister Saad Hariri was brought down politically on Wednesday [January 12] when 11 of the 30 cabinet members stepped down, according to the Hizbullah-affiliated Al-Manar TV Web site.
The resigning members said the step was due to a political crisis stemming from the State Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which is investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the father of Lebanon's current leader. Though the STL has not publicly issued indictments yet, it is widely expected that they will accuse Hizbullah members of being behind the killing.
Of those cabinet members who resigned, 10 were members of the opposition, including two Hizbullah members. Al-Manar said the opposition members urged President Michel Sleiman to quickly take the steps needed for a new governing cabinet to be formed.
Al-Manar termed the resignation as "unprecedented" and US spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters on Wednesday afternoon in comments posted on the State Department Web site that the situation is "fluid." Concerns have been raised that the political tensions could lead to a new government influenced more so by outside forces, hinting at further Iranian or Syrian interference, or possibly even to violence.
Al-Manar said the opposition accused Saad Hariri's pro-West coalition of giving into American pressure, obstruction, and of failing to follow the advice of a Saudi-Syrian effort to resolve the tensions. The opposition members said they resigned following refusal by Hariri's bloc to hold an immediate cabinet session.
The US, meanwhile, expressed their support for a stable Lebanon and accused the Hizbullah-influenced opposition of using the resignation to intimidate the Lebanese government from supporting the STL's international investigation into the 2005 assassination.
Said spokesman Crowley, "Trying to bring down the government is an attempt to undermine the special tribunal, and it is an abdication of that responsibility [to serve the Lebanese people]… We decry the motives of Hezbollah and what they've obviously tried to do to continue to intimidate the government and use this activity as a pressure tactic."
Looking ahead to the next government in Lebanon, the US wants a government that supports the Lebanese people and the STL investigation.
"We are expressing our heartfelt view that we felt there was a government in Lebanon serving the interests of the people of Lebanon, which includes supporting the pursuit of justice for Lebanon through the special tribunal," said Crowley. "We look forward to the emergence of a new government. This government should be formed from inside Lebanon. It should not be subject to influences from those who have outside agendas, and we don't think those outside agendas are in the long-term interest of Lebanon."
As for violence, a former senior official from the Israeli Mossad on Wednesday told a conference call organized by The Israel Project he did not think the political situation would escalate that far. According to a press release from The Israel Project and posted on their Web site, Ilan Mizrahi noted Syria and Saudi Arabia's interest in reaching a deal between the Lebanese blocs: "All the parties will do their best to avoid civil war, and I think they will succeed in avoiding it."
Despite that positive assessment, Mizrahi also believes Hizbullah will be strengthened by the crisis, as concessions will be made to the terror group in order to maintain peace. He also did not think the situation would spill into another Hizbullah-Israel war in the near term, as both sides are interested in avoiding conflict.
(By Joshua Spurlock, BFP Israel Mosaic Radio, January 13, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the Lord will restore political stability in Lebanon, protecting the Lebanese people from extremist forces and ensuring that the circumstances do not escalate into conflict with Israel.
Scripture
"Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men; preserve me from violent men, who plan evil things in their hearts; they continually gather together for war" (Psalm 140:1-2).
3. Bloody Weekend along Israel-Gaza Border
The frontier between Israel and the Gaza Strip heated up in the first week of 2011. Islamic Jihad militants said they fired mortar rounds into Israeli villages on Saturday [January 8], wounding at least two foreign workers. An Israeli paratrooper was killed, and three others [were] wounded by friendly fire a day earlier when their unit moved to stop Palestinians attempting to plant a bomb on the border. The unit was hit by an errant mortar round fired by the Israeli army.
The weekend caps several weeks of growing tension, with cross-border attacks increasing despite efforts by Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, to enforce a de facto ceasefire. At least a dozen Palestinians have been killed in the past month by Israeli retaliatory fire.
Former Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz, who lives in the town of Sderot adjacent to Gaza, said on Israel Radio that the deterrence created by Israel's incursion against Hamas two years ago was beginning to weaken and urged a stronger Israeli military response to the ratcheting up of violence.
(By The Media Line, January 9, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the Lord will intervene and bring this mounting border tension to an end. Pray for the protection of Israel's citizens and military as well.
Scripture
"Have mercy on me, O Lord! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may tell of all Your praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation" (Psalm 9:13-14).
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4. Lebanon: Grenades Hurled at Christian Party's Office
A day after Hizbullah shook the Lebanese political system, talks aimed at easing tensions in the country are continuing. Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah promised that the resignation of the Shiite party's ministers from the government would not lead to a civil war, but a short while later, two grenades were hurled at the headquarters of Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement north of Beirut.
Aoun is considered an ally of Hizbullah. Lebanon's official news agency said the grenades were thrown at the Christian party's office in the village of Beit Habab, located some 25 kilometers (16 miles) from Beirut.
Sources in Lebanon reported that only one grenade exploded and caused damage, but there were no reports of casualties. Officials were quick to condemn the attack, though it is still unclear whether it was related to the [political] toppling of Prime Minister [PM] Saad Hariri's government.
Hariri met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris Thursday [January 13], but the two leaders did not speak to the press. The Lebanese PM is expected to continue to Turkey for a meeting with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and then travel to Syria before returning to Beirut.
Also Thursday, Nasrallah met with Druze leader in Lebanon Walid Jumblatt to discuss the political developments in the country since the resignation of the opposition's ministers from the government. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said talks on forming a new government will begin next week.
Nasrallah rejected the possibility of a civil war, saying, "There will never be a war between the Sunnis and Shiites. We will calculate our steps." Al-Jazeera reported that in a closed meeting with Hizbullah leaders, Nasrallah said he considers the filing of indictments in the Hariri assassination case [of the former prime minister, which is expected to accuse Hizbullah members] a deliberate attack on the Shiite group.
(By Roee Nahmias, Ynetnews, January 13, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the Lord will move to ease tensions in Lebanon and along Israel's northern border. Pray that stability will be restored and Hizbullah's influence will be weakened rather than strengthened by these developments.
Scripture
"Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men; preserve me from violent men, who plan evil things in their hearts; they continually gather together for war. They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; the poison of asps is under their lips. Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked" (Psalm 140:1-4a).
5. Congress Hints: No Cuts in Iron Dome Aid
WASHINGTON-Senior officials in the House of Representatives in Washington made it clear Monday [January 10] that the funding for the development of missile defense systems was still a top priority in the foreign aid budget in spite of pressure from Congress' Republican majority to make significant spending cuts [due to the inflated US budget deficit].
In an interview to The Hill, a newspaper covering the comings and goings on Capitol Hill, senior officials Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) and Rep. Steve Rothman (D-N.J.) said that they support the ongoing special funding allocated by the Obama administration for the Iron Dome and Arrow-3 anti-missile program, aid that stands at more than US $442 million.
The US budget for 2011 has been delayed for over three months and includes the annual defense aid to Israel, including the special additions that the new Congress has yet to address.
Granger said that her panel's funding has jumped 33% over the past two years, and lawmakers on the subcommittee [on State and Foreign Operations] will look to those recent funding additions first when it comes to cuts. Among the initiatives that the Republicans seek to cutback on are the presidential initiatives on global health and climate change.
"As we look at cuts, we have to always look at national security and the security of our partners, which is our security, too," Granger stated. She mentioned that she agreed with cutbacks announced by Defense Secretary Robert Gates that don't touch the missile defense programs.
In response to the Republican demand to make cutbacks to all budgets, which came specifically from the new members from the anti-Obama administration Tea Party faction, Granger noted that the Hizbullah now has 45,000 missiles, which demand some kind of response.
In 2010, President Obama presented Congress with a request for US $205 million in special aid for the development of the Iron Dome short-range missile defense system and US $200 million for the Arrow-3 program, which is supposed to add an additional layer of protection from ballistic missiles.
Over the past two years, the US funded nearly US $1 billion in developing anti-missile systems in Israel, and Congress has been signaling its intent to continue funding the protective projects. "Israel has assisted in the security of the United States on literally thousands of occasions in nearly immeasurable ways since her birth and continues to be an even more essential partner with the U.S. in not only protecting our shared values and interests but the very national security of the United States," Steve Rothman said.
(By Yitzhak Benhorin, Ynetnews, January 10, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the friendship between Israel and America will stay strong. Pray that the missile defense program will receive the funding it needs. Pray that people will all recognize that it is God Himself, however, who is their shield and defender.
Scripture
"For I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save me. But you have saved us from our enemies, and have put to shame those who hated us. In God we boast all day long, and praise Your name forever" (Psalm 44:6-8).
6. Shepherd Hotel Demolished for Future Development
Today [January 9], following several years of dispute, a derelict hotel in the predominately East Jerusalem Arab neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah was partially demolished this morning to make way for construction of 20 new homes designated only for religious Jewish families.
The Shepherd Hotel was constructed in the 1930s for the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin Husseini, the anti-Zionist and pro-Hitler ally. Today's [partial] demolition, which leaves most of the building intact, is owned by the Jewish American developer, Florida businessman and patron of Jewish settlers Irving Moskowitz.
Moskowitz received a building permit from the Jerusalem Municipality for the construction, which was underwritten by an Israeli court after evidence had been provided showing that there was clear documentary evidence that in the past Jews had owned or openly legally purchased the land from Arabs in this part of the city. The hotel was declared "absentee property" by Israel after it captured and annexed East Jerusalem. The title was transferred to an Israeli firm, which sold it in 1985 to Irving Moskowitz.
The United States expressed its irritation concerning the project to Israel's Washington ambassador in 2009 after the plan received the green light from the Jerusalem municipality. However Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded publicly at the time to the United States position by saying that Jews have right to live anywhere in Jerusalem, the united capital of Israel.
(Excerpts of an article by Edgar Asher, Isranet, January 9, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the nations of the world, and the Palestinian people as well, will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's undivided capital, acknowledging that the Jewish people have a right to live anywhere within the city. Pray that this development does not spark more violence.
Scripture
"Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet home, a tabernacle that will not be taken down; not one of its stakes will ever be removed, nor will any of its cords be broken. But there the majestic Lord will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams, in which no galley with oars will sail, nor majestic ships pass by (for the LORD is our Judge, the LORD is our Lawgiver, the LORD is our King; He will save us)" (Isaiah 33:20-22).
7. Poll: Jerusalem Arabs Prefer Israel
WASHINGTON-The future of Jerusalem is considered one of the core issues in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and one of the most significant obstacles to a permanent agreement between the two sides. However, it appears that on the Palestinian side, those who live in Jerusalem have already made their decision on the matter - and the Palestinian Authority [PA] leadership in Ramallah may not like it.
A public opinion poll carried out by American Pechter Middle East Polls for the Council on Foreign Relations, showed that if Jerusalem were divided as part of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, East Jerusalem Arabs would prefer to live under Israeli sovereignty.
The poll, which comprised the residents of East Jerusalem's 19 Arab neighborhoods, also pointed out that their opposition to Jerusalem's division is so intense that they would rather move to a new home within Israel's borders than live under the authority of a Palestinian state.
The study also showed that Jerusalem's Palestinian residents were interested in keeping their Israeli Identity cards and enjoying the State's health and social benefits. Some 35% of them said that Israeli citizenship is their preferred citizenship, and only 30% chose to be citizens of the future Palestinian state. An additional 30% said that they didn't know or preferred not to answer the question.
And what would the neighbors say? When asked "if most people in your neighborhood" would prefer to become citizens of Palestine or of Israel: 31% estimated that most people prefer Palestinian citizenship; 39% estimated that most people prefer Israeli citizenship; and 30% declined to answer or said they didn't know.
It would seem that the residents of East Jerusalem are willing to pay a high price in order to carry the blue Israeli identity card: 40% said they would move in order to remain Israeli citizens if their neighborhood was transferred to Palestinian sovereignty. In contrast, only 29% said that if the opposite were to occur, and their neighborhood remained under Israel's authority, they would move to an area under Palestinian authority.
In addition to the social benefits, those who chose Israeli citizenship most often mentioned freedom of movement in Israel, higher income, and better job opportunities. Those who chose Palestinian citizenship overwhelmingly cited nationalism and patriotic reasons as their primary motivation.
(By Yitzhak Benhorin, Ynetnews, January 13, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that this startling information will come to the attention of world leaders, impacting their actions and decisions regarding the division of the city of Jerusalem. Pray that Jerusalem will always remain the undivided capital of Israel, to the benefit of Jews and Arabs alike.
Scripture
"For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: 'This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread" (Psalm 132:13-15).
8. Tourism Looks Ahead to a Good Year
Figures released yesterday [January 3] by the Ministry of Tourism show that a record number of almost 3.5 million visitors came to Israel last year. This is a 14% increase in the previous record set in 2008. In 2009, tourism numbers declined due to the world's economic crises. In 2010, more than two-thirds of visitors were Christian and 23% were Jewish.
There was also a significant increase in visitors from Russia and Europe. The Tourism Ministry has indicated that providing there are no "unpleasant surprises," 2011 could easily see more than 4 million visitors coming to Israel.
This welcome upturn in tourism has encouraged relevant government ministries, such as tourism and regional development, to initiate improved facilities for tourists across the country. New hotels are being constructed or are planned in the main tourist centers throughout the country.
In Nazareth, a new US $20 million four-star, 140-room hotel is to be built in the city. In Tel Aviv, a second Waldorf Astoria hotel is to be built adjacent to the Tel Aviv Hilton, while further south along the Tel Aviv shoreline, Keminski Hotels are to open their first hotel in Israel in 2013. The luxury hotel market will also be augmented by two Ritz Hotels being built in the Herzlia Marina and Tel Aviv's Rothschild Boulevard.
Jerusalem's German Colony will be home to a new Four Seasons Hotel, while not far away, the Hilton chain is currently building The Jerusalem Hotel on the corner of King David and Agron Streets.
Ten boutique hotels are in the planning stage in Haifa, while to the east, in Tiberius, the Scot's Hotel on the shores of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) is to add a US $2.6 million fitness center to its already popular hotel. In Mitzpeh Ramon in the Negev Desert the Isrotel group is to open in a few months time the 112-room Beresheet Hotel. This development is intended to attract visitors to the famous crater and adjacent desert as well as the facility of a state-of-the-art convention center.
The most-visited site in 2010 was the Kotel (Western Wall), of which 77% of all tourists visited, followed by Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter with 73%, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher with 61% and the Via Dolorosa with 60%.
Today [January 4], Silvan Shalom, vice prime minister and minister for regional development, visited the Qasr el-Yahud baptism site on the Jordan River. The site has undergone an extensive US $860,000 renovation to make it more convenient and safe for Christian tourists. The baptism site is situated in between two regional councils of Israel: the Jordan Valley regional council and the Dead Sea regional council, on the west bank of the Jordan River about 10 kilometers [6 miles] east of Hebron. It is maintained by the Israeli Parks and Nature Authority.
(By Edgar Asher, Isranet, January 4, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Praise God for the increase in tourism! Pray that people will continue to come, fall in love with the Land, and return home determined to speak out on behalf of Israel.
Scripture
"but the land which you cross over to possess is…a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year" (Deuteronomy 11:11a, 12).
9. Out-Sniffing the Dogs
It doesn't have a nose of its own, but the small, portable sensor developed by a research team at Tel Aviv University (TAU) has not had a single detection error, as it correctly identified multiple types of explosives in every lab test administered to date. Based on recent advances in nanotechnology, the device is made from an array of silicon nanowires coated with a compound that binds to explosives to form an electronic nanotransistor.
Security companies and fellow scientists are already paying special attention to the invention developed by lead researcher Prof. Fernando Patolsky and his team from TAU's Raymond and Beverly Sackler School of Chemistry.
In addition to its perfect detection record for explosives-including those used in the recent Yemeni bomb threat [last October, when explosive packages addressed to Chicago synagogues were found]-in the future, the sensor may also be used to detect toxins and other biological threats, such as anthrax, cholera or botulinum, the team reports. And looking beyond national security, the sensor offers attractive applications in the medical field.
Patolsky notes that the sensor is especially effective at detecting TNT. Existing methods and devices used to trace the explosive have the drawbacks of high cost, lengthy decoding times, size, and a need for expert analyses: "There is a need for a small, inexpensive, handheld instrument capable of detecting explosives quickly, reliably, and efficiently," he says.
The researchers are adamant that the new sensor can out-sniff even a champion sniffer canine. To enhance the sensitivity of chips in the nanotransmitter, the scientists developed each one with 200 individual sensors that work in harmony to detect different kinds of explosives with an unprecedented degree of reliability, efficiency, and speed.
One major advantage of the new sensor is its portability; it can be carried from place to place by hand. It is also capable of detecting explosives at a distance, as it can be mounted on a wall, with no need to bring it into contact with the item being checked. And unlike other explosives sensors, it enables definitive identification of the explosive that it has detected.
Scientific findings on the sensor were published recently in the prestigious Angewandte Chemie journal and the American company Nanergy has developed a prototype based on the patent. It is already in contact with potential partners to develop explosives sensors for the commercial market.
With Patolsky, who recently returned to Israel from Harvard University at its helm, the research team is considered to be one of the world's leaders in developing nano-based sensors that can detect chemical and biological molecules. It seems that dogs, previously heralded as man's best bomb detector, will be sent back to the doghouse.
(By ISRAEL21c Staff, Israel21c, January 6, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Praise God for this amazing invention that may save countless lives around the world and in Israel as well. Pray that it will be put to immediate use, helping the nations to protect their citizens from terror attacks.
Scripture
"Save me, O God, by Your name, and vindicate me by Your strength. Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers have risen up against me, and oppressors have sought after my life; they have not set God before them" (Psalm 54:1-3).
Note: All Scripture is taken from the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.
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