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Visit our Web site: www.bridgesforpeace.com | July 28, 2011 |
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1. Poll: Palestinian Goal - Moving from Two States to One Palestinian State
2. Turkish Leader Erdogan's Plan B: Downgrading Israel Ties
3. European States Pull Out of UN Event, Concerned about Israel-bashing
4. Israel Readies for Rocket Barrage
5. Palestinian Observer Breaks Down during UN Debate
6. Dead Sea Weapon Haul
7. Turning Gray Water Green
8. Rare Ancient Golden Bell Discovered in Jerusalem
1. Poll: Palestinian Goal - Moving from Two States to One Palestinian StateThe Palestinian people are solidly opposed to a third intifada and support negotiations with Israel, but they also have not reconciled themselves to the existence of the Jewish State of Israel and believe the goal should be to eventually turn it all, including Israel, into a single Palestinian state, according a recent poll.
According to the poll of West Bank [Judea and Samaria] and Gaza Palestinians-conducted by Stanley Greenberg of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research with the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion and sponsored by The Israel Project-52% of Palestinians said the real goal should be to start with two states and then move to one Palestinian state.
That support is down eight points, however, from where it was in October 2010. In the latest poll, conducted from June 20 to July 8, just 25% say the best goal is for a two-state solution. Greenberg, speaking in a conference call on July 21 sponsored by The Israel Project, said that there's a big rise in "undecided" in the move to the one-state question. However, when asked to choose which position they agree with more, even if neither is exactly right, two-thirds say moving to one Palestinian state.
Greenberg said that while they did not ask specifically in the poll, he leans towards thinking that the one-Palestinian-state goal is more of a general goal in their current situation. He notes it highlights the need for education of the people by Palestinian leaders, but he said that Palestinians are not interested in making such a move to one-state through violence.
Similarly, Palestinians were asked about their feelings regarding Obama's support for two states: "Palestine" as the homeland for the Palestinian people and Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. The poll found that 61% reject that concept, with just 34% accepting it.
Greenberg said he'd "leave it to others on how to evaluate" the one-third acceptance of that two-state approach and also said that in their last Palestinian poll-when they included a variety of conditions in a two-state solution and described them in the questioning-it was possible to see Palestinian support of two-states reach about 50%.
The data also notes that less than a quarter feel a "warm, favorable feeling" towards a two-state solution, whereas 51% feel favorable towards a one-state solution.
Greenberg, who has served as a polling adviser for former US President Bill Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, said it remains to be seen if Palestinian support for two-states will increase over time, although one needs to realize where things are starting at now.
He said that when asking in a more general sense without any elaboration whether Palestinians say that "I will accept" or "I will not accept" the two-state solution, support for two-states actually dropped from October 2010, from 60% to 44%. Said Greenberg, "This process that we're watching here is not leading to a rise in support for a two-state solution; we're actually showing a weakened support."
Interestingly, the Palestinians polled said they did believe in negotiations with Israel-despite obvious differences with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on what the parameters for a peace deal should be. The poll even showed a disconnect between the people and the Palestinian leadership, as 52% wanted negotiations instead of continuing to boycott talks.
Palestinians also said the brutal Itamar attack that murdered children and rocket attacks on Israeli cities were both wrong, but also said naming streets after suicide killers, kidnapping Israeli soldiers, and teaching songs in school that talk about hating the Jews were all considered "right." Said Greenberg, "There clearly is a long way to go."
Meanwhile, though the Palestinian leadership seems intent on going to the United Nations to seek statehood recognition, less than 40% of Palestinians polled think UN action will get them closer to independent statehood. However, almost two-thirds support the UN recognition approach anyway. Greenberg said the support was tactical.
"Only 12% strongly support it [going to the UN], and in the groups that we had the degree of support was only based on it being tactical. That is if it were part of a peace process, it might enhance the negotiating position," said Greenberg. "But there's no belief that it ought to impact things on the ground…On whether, in fact, it will help in negotiations, it's split evenly, 41%-41%, on whether the UN would help in the negotiating process, which is one of the reasons for doing it."
The Palestinian people have also made the UN recognition matter very low on what they believe should be President Mahmoud Abbas' list of priorities. Just 4% said getting the UN to recognize a Palestinian state should be one of the two highest priorities for Abbas in dealing with national questions facing the Palestinians, well below creating new jobs, expanding healthcare and solving water shortages, strengthening education and more.
"So this is clearly not something people are invested in, and I don't expect much of a reaction," said Greenberg. He noted that Palestinians are "more focused on economic issues and building the quality of life in Palestinian areas. Particularly given the belief that violence is not a productive course right now and that peace negotiations are not a productive course, there seems to be greater interest in building Palestinian institutions and quality of life."
(By Joshua Spurlock, BFP Israel Mosaic Radio, July 26, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the international community, recognizing the impact of these poll results, will join with Israel in encouraging the Palestinian people to acknowledge that the nation of Israel is here to stay and to think realistically about their future.
Scripture
"Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance" (Psalm 33:8-12).
2. Turkish Leader Erdogan's Plan B: Downgrading Israel TiesTurkish newspaper Hurriyet on Monday [July 25] reported that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is considering moving to a "Plan B," which will see relations with Israel suffer further by downgrading the level of Turkey's diplomatic staff in Israel. On Sunday [July 24], Erdogan said that he still expects an apology from Jerusalem [over the 2010 Gaza flotilla incident].
"We will wait for the Israelis' decision a certain period. If they don't apologize by this time, we shall move to Plan B," he said. According to Hurriyet, "Plan B" means cooling down relations with Israel. One of the most significant steps will be downgrading the level of Turkey's embassy staff in Israel.
Ankara recalled its ambassador following last year's flotilla event. It is also possible Turkey will not approve an Israeli ambassador to replace Gaby Levy.
On Sunday, the Turkish newspaper reported that Israel is considering compensating the families of the nine people killed aboard the ship and intends to issue a statement regretting the loss of life-regardless of Turkey's demand for an official apology.
(Excerpts of an article by Ynet, Ynetnews, July 25, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the Lord will intervene in this situation and heal this diplomatic relationship. Pray that Israel will do the right thing and not be pressured into doing the "politically correct" thing.
Scripture
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye" (Psalm 32:8).
3. European States Pull Out of UN Event, Concerned about Israel-bashingThree European nations have expressed their intention to boycott an upcoming United Nations event due to concerns about anti-Israel content. According to a newsflash on the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web site, Italy and the Czech Republic have joined with the Netherlands in announcing they will not attend the 10th anniversary event of the Durban declaration on racism.
Canada and the US have also expressed their intention to boycott. The original Durban events on racism, held in Durban, South Africa in September 2001, degenerated into an unfair singling out of Israel. As a result, the US was among the nations to boycott the follow-up event, Durban II. There, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad slammed Israel in a speech.
In the newsflash, the Dutch Foreign Ministry noted that since the 2001 Durban event, "a number of countries have repeatedly used discussions on combating racism, xenophobia, and discrimination to draw attention to the peace process in the Middle East and denounce Israel's right to exist."
In order to prevent this from happening again, the three European nations wanted to include a statement in the final declaration effectively saying that all participating states "agree to distance themselves from attempts to connect the Durban declaration to issues that have nothing to do with fighting racism."
However, the Netherlands said that "because such a guarantee proved impossible to achieve, the three countries now feel they have no option but to pull out of preparations for the celebrations and to stay at home in September."
Despite their intention to avoid the event over anti-Israel concerns, the Dutch wanted to emphasize that "needless to say, the Netherlands remains committed to fighting racism, xenophobia and discrimination in more productive ways."
(By Joshua Spurlock, BFP Israel Mosaic Radio, July 26, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Praise the Lord for these nations that are standing against anti-Semitism by boycotting this event. Pray that many other nations will do so as well and pray that this event will actually prove to be a non-event..
Scripture
"The LORD is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy" (Psalm 145:17-20).
4. Israel Readies for Rocket BarrageNo one can say when the next war will come, but when it does, Israel's main cities will almost certainly come under sustained bombardment by thousands of tons of warheads. That scenario has the military commanders responsible for protecting its citizens in a frenzy of preparedness.
Across the country this summer, Israelis have been subject to home front drills, sending people scurrying into shelters, sirens blaring and gas masks distributed. Defense planners want to use underground parking garages and road tunnels as massive bomb shelters.
Israel's enemies-Hizbullah in the north, Hamas in the south, and Syria and Iran to the east-are stocking up missiles on an unprecedented scale. "Most of the rockets that are in the world today are pointed at Israel," Avi Schnurr, executive director of the Israel Missile Defense Association, told The Media Line. "The work that has been done in Israel, the leadership shown in terms of missile defense, has been extraordinary."
Matan Vilnai, Israel's minister for home front defense, told a conference on missile defense on Monday [July 25] that Palestinian rockets will hit Tel Aviv in any future conflict in the Gaza Strip. "In the next conflict with Gaza, even if it is at a much lower intensity than a war, missiles will fall on Gush Dan [Tel Aviv's metropolitan area]-for all intents and purposes, inside Tel Aviv," Vilnai said, referring to the heavily populated center of the country [of over 3 million or 42% of Israel's population].
"Terror organizations are making great efforts in order to threaten our heartland," he added. "Today, we understand that the next war there will be no difference between the rear and the front line.
Last month, Israel carried out a massive five-day exercise drilling its home front in dealing with a massive missile attack. Dubbed "Turning Point 5," the drill involved testing the nationwide siren-alert system, distribution of nuclear-biological-chemical (NBC) protection kits, evacuations and shelter procedures. For the first time, lawmakers also participated in the exercise.
The way the drill was played out saw Hizbullah launching rocket attacks on Israel, joined by missile barrages from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Finally, Syria joins in with rocket strikes. Israeli intelligence estimates that among the 50,000 rockets in Hizbullah's arsenal, at least a few hundred can reach Tel Aviv.
Syria's formidable arsenal of Scud rockets are tipped with chemical and possibly biological warheads and can reach nearly every location in the country. "Syria possesses one of the largest ballistic missile-development programs in the region. Its arsenal already includes hundreds of mobile SCUD-class and short-range ballistic missiles," U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance Frank Rose said in Tel Aviv on Monday.
Speaking at the missile conference, Rose said the U.S. would continue to collaborate with Israel on its missile defenses and said that it was soon dispatching to the region another early-warning radar system to enhance Israel's missile-detection capabilities.
Intelligence reports were leaked last week saying that the embattled Syrian regime had been transferring missiles to Hizbullah in Lebanon, including 10 Scud-D class rockets, due to the unrest sweeping the country. If true, this would mark the first time that a non-state organization holds such destructive weaponry.
The Israel Defense Force's Home Front command is predicting that another confrontation with Hizbullah will see at least 400 rockets pounding the northern port city of Haifa. For this reason, it is working to turn the Carmel Tunnel into a public bomb shelter able to hold some 6,000 people. There are also plans to prepare a field hospital in the tunnel.
The National Emergency Authority is also reportedly seeking legislation giving it the power to expropriate parking lots and other underground spaces to provide the public with vital services during an emergency.
While the leaders and commanders in Israel have been highlighting the risk of nuclear-tipped missiles from Iran, they have rarely spoken of the other, potentially more deadly in scope, threat that comes from chemical weapons. These are aimed at Israel in staggering quantities. According to the Israel Defense Web site, Germany has offered to give Israel eight TEP 90 decontamination systems free of charge.
In the future, the warheads are expected to be more numerous and deadlier. They won't just damage apartment buildings, but topple them. Some have warheads weighing hundreds of kilos such as the M-600, Fateh-110 and Scud Ds with a nearly half ton warhead. The drills are as much psychological preparation as they are physical.
(Excerpts of an article by Arieh O'Sullivan, The Media Line, July 26, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that these stores of rockets remain unused, and none are ever fired at Israel. Pray that the Lord will move dramatically to protect His people from these deadly threats.
Scripture
"Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; defend me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloodthirsty men" (Psalm 59:1-2)
5. Palestinian Observer Breaks Down during UN DebateWASHINGTON-A routine Security Council debate on the Middle East and Palestine became Israel's and the Palestinian Authority's dress rehearsal for September's General Assembly conference where the Palestinians will seek UN recognition. Palestinian observer Riyad Mansour called on the UN to recognize a Palestinian state.
It's time to end the occupation, he said, before bursting into tears. Israel's Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor warned that the Palestinian way of bypassing peace talks will lead to frustration and violence.
He later addressed Mansour and asked him: "On behalf of whom will you present a resolution in September? Mr. Abbas or Hamas?" He called on the Palestinians to embrace "a road of solutions, not resolutions; dialogue, not monologue; and direct negotiations, not unilateral declarations."
Prosor continued: "There is much uncertainty about the future Palestinian government: its acceptance of the Quartet conditions, the peace process, control of its security forces, and many other questions… on these issues Israel and the international community must have clarity. For Israel, this so-called unity has only brought continued impunity for the terrorists that fire rockets into our cities."
He noted that "even the most basic condition for statehood does not exist. The Palestinian Authority [PA] does not maintain effective control of all its territory nor does it hold a monopoly on the use of force."
Addressing the Security Council member states, Prosor stressed: "Unilateral actions will not bring peace to our region. The Palestinian initiatives at the United Nations may be superficially attractive to some. Yet, they distract from the true path to peace. There are no shortcuts to statehood. You cannot bypass the only path to peace. The Palestinians will have to get off the bandwagon of unilateralism-and back to the hard work of direct peacemaking."
Mansour, on his part, accused the Israeli government of sabotaging peace efforts and defended the Palestinian bid as logical, just and in keeping with Security Council resolutions. He noted that the PA remains committed to September 2011, which he said could create the necessary dynamic for a breakthrough.
US Ambassador to the UN Rosemary A. DiCarlo said that Washington was committed to a just solution and stated that core issues could only be resolved through negotiations and not in the UN. She added that an effort to isolate Israel in the General Assembly will not promote a Palestinian state.
(Excerpts of an article by Yitzhak Benhorin, Ynetnews, July 26, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the number of nations that will oppose a Palestinian declaration of statehood in September will continue to grow and that any such unilateral action will be defeated.
Scripture
"In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us" (Psalm 62:7-8)
6. Dead Sea Weapon HaulTwo Palestinians in their 40s were intercepted and arrested by Israeli security forces today [July 25] when they were caught gun-running in a rubber boat across the Dead Sea. They were attempting to smuggle weapons from Jordan to Israel, although so far it is not clear who was to receive the haul. The boat carried ten Kalashnikov assault rifles and the same number of ammunition clips.
The police said that it was treating the incident as an attempted weapons smuggling operation and not as an attempted militant attack. The Israel-Jordan border is generally quiet. Israeli security authorities have identified the lake as a route for smugglers with small boats. They bring drugs into Israel from Jordan, but weapons seizures are rare. Over the past year, there have been two foiled attempts to smuggle drugs across the Dead Sea. In one case, smugglers used a boat, and in the other, they tried to swim.
(By Edgar Asher, Isranet, July 25, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Praise the Lord that these weapons were intercepted. Pray that the Lord will continue to protect all of Israel's borders, including this one, from any kind of incursion by smugglers or those that would do Israel harm.
Scripture
"I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness" (Psalm 101:3-4)
7. Turning Gray Water GreenThe facts on the ground are stark: Israel is in a serious water deficit. The Sea of Galilee is shrinking every year, as are its underground aquifers. Yet water needs are increasing along with energy costs. One answer to this crisis may be found in the water we send down the sink and bathtub drains. Much of this "gray water" can be lightly treated and reused to flush toilets and water gardens. Putting that ideal into action on a large scale is the target for Gil Ben-Meir, inventor of the Evergreen gray water solution developed by his company, Green Solutions. Some 150 family Israeli homes have already installed Evergreen.
Fitted to every pipe but the kitchen sink and toilet-wastewater from these drains contains too much organic material and oil to be safely recycled-the system collects gray water from baths, showers, hand-washing basins and washing machines. Running through a specially developed biofilter, the treated gray water is then sent to the toilet and to the garden, where it can be reused instantly.
It's easy to install, the filters are self-cleaning and the maintenance is simple-"once every three or four months," says Ben-Meir. "Everything one needs to operate it is supplied with the system."
With the average cost for parts and installation about [US] $4,000, or NIS 15,000, the return on investment is about five years, and the system runs on the same amount of electricity as it takes to burn a 70-watt bulb all day. Evergreen can be scaled up for apartment complexes and other higher demand locations.
Quieter than an air conditioner, Evergreen measures about 180 by 70 centimeters (71 by 27.5 inches)-much smaller than similar solutions, says Ben-Meir. "The innovation here is its adaptation to smaller applications with a small footprint. What usually takes three to four square meters of space is now contained in less than two square meters, at a 50% cost reduction."
Ben-Meir founded Green Solutions after living in the United States for 13 years and studying energy management at the New York Institute of Technology. "I came back from a long stay in the States, where I was doing something completely different, and in 2005 I decided to switch to the environment field-to the clean-tech sector," says Ben-Meir. "I completed a master's degree and decided to come back to Israel and to work on solutions for gray water."
At that time, Israel was at the start of five years of drought. "There was a serious shortage of fresh water, and I was looking for ways to recycle and save water. Here is the fruitful soil to grow on and develop it," he adds, referring to Israeli expertise in water reclamation. Based in Zichron Yaakov, Green Solutions currently employs three people, and also provides solar energy solutions for homeowners.
(By Karin Kloosterman, Israel21c, July 21, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Praise God for this wonderful Israeli innovation. Pray that it will be quickly made available to the many nations worldwide that are facing serious water shortages.
Scripture
"Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done marvelous things!...Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you-the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month" (Joel 2:21,23)
8. Rare Ancient Golden Bell Discovered in JerusalemA small golden bell-that was apparently originally sown on to the clothing of a high official in Jerusalem roughly 2000-years-ago and bring to mind the Biblical priestly garments-has been discovered in an archaeological excavation. According to an Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) press release, the rare gold bell has a small loop on its end and is presumed to have come from the edge of a garment.
In the Bible, Exodus 28:33 describes the robe of the high priest: "Upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around."
The IAA press release said of the possible connection of the discovered bell to the priesthood, "It is impossible to know for certain if the bell did indeed belong to one of the high priests; however, the possibility should not be entirely discounted."
The bell itself was discovered during an archaeological excavation of a drainage tunnel that runs from the Shiloah Pool (Pool of Siloam beneath the City of David) to near the Western Wall. In the region of the excavation, back during the Second Temple Period (first century AD), there was a main road above the channel, which was linked with a bridge, known today as Robinson's Arch, that led up to the Temple Mount.
The incident appears to be an expensive and long-lasting case of lost and found. The IAA press release said that "apparently, the high official was walking in the Jerusalem street in the vicinity of Robinson's Arch and lost the gold bell that fell from his garment into the drainage channel beneath the road."
According to comments in the press release from the excavation directors, archaeologists Eli Shukron and Professor Ronny Reich of Haifa University, "It seems the bell was sewn on the garment worn by a high official in Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple period. The bell was exposed inside Jerusalem's main drainage channel at that time, among the layers of earth that had accumulated along the bottom of it.
"This drainage channel was built and hewn the length of the Western Wall of the Temple Mount on the bottom of the slope descending to the Tyropoeon Valley. This drainage channel conveyed rainwater from different parts of the city, by way of the City of David and the Shiloah Pool, to Nahal Kidron [Kidron Valley]." The excavations are being done on behalf of the IAA in cooperation with the Nature and Parks Authority and the Ir David Foundation.
(By Joshua Spurlock, BFP Israel Mosaic Radio, July 25, 2011)
Note: All Scripture is taken from the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.
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According to the poll of West Bank [Judea and Samaria] and Gaza Palestinians-conducted by Stanley Greenberg of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research with the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion and sponsored by The Israel Project-52% of Palestinians said the real goal should be to start with two states and then move to one Palestinian state.
That support is down eight points, however, from where it was in October 2010. In the latest poll, conducted from June 20 to July 8, just 25% say the best goal is for a two-state solution. Greenberg, speaking in a conference call on July 21 sponsored by The Israel Project, said that there's a big rise in "undecided" in the move to the one-state question. However, when asked to choose which position they agree with more, even if neither is exactly right, two-thirds say moving to one Palestinian state.
Greenberg said that while they did not ask specifically in the poll, he leans towards thinking that the one-Palestinian-state goal is more of a general goal in their current situation. He notes it highlights the need for education of the people by Palestinian leaders, but he said that Palestinians are not interested in making such a move to one-state through violence.
Similarly, Palestinians were asked about their feelings regarding Obama's support for two states: "Palestine" as the homeland for the Palestinian people and Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. The poll found that 61% reject that concept, with just 34% accepting it.
Greenberg said he'd "leave it to others on how to evaluate" the one-third acceptance of that two-state approach and also said that in their last Palestinian poll-when they included a variety of conditions in a two-state solution and described them in the questioning-it was possible to see Palestinian support of two-states reach about 50%.
The data also notes that less than a quarter feel a "warm, favorable feeling" towards a two-state solution, whereas 51% feel favorable towards a one-state solution.
Greenberg, who has served as a polling adviser for former US President Bill Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, said it remains to be seen if Palestinian support for two-states will increase over time, although one needs to realize where things are starting at now.
He said that when asking in a more general sense without any elaboration whether Palestinians say that "I will accept" or "I will not accept" the two-state solution, support for two-states actually dropped from October 2010, from 60% to 44%. Said Greenberg, "This process that we're watching here is not leading to a rise in support for a two-state solution; we're actually showing a weakened support."
Interestingly, the Palestinians polled said they did believe in negotiations with Israel-despite obvious differences with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on what the parameters for a peace deal should be. The poll even showed a disconnect between the people and the Palestinian leadership, as 52% wanted negotiations instead of continuing to boycott talks.
Palestinians also said the brutal Itamar attack that murdered children and rocket attacks on Israeli cities were both wrong, but also said naming streets after suicide killers, kidnapping Israeli soldiers, and teaching songs in school that talk about hating the Jews were all considered "right." Said Greenberg, "There clearly is a long way to go."
Meanwhile, though the Palestinian leadership seems intent on going to the United Nations to seek statehood recognition, less than 40% of Palestinians polled think UN action will get them closer to independent statehood. However, almost two-thirds support the UN recognition approach anyway. Greenberg said the support was tactical.
"Only 12% strongly support it [going to the UN], and in the groups that we had the degree of support was only based on it being tactical. That is if it were part of a peace process, it might enhance the negotiating position," said Greenberg. "But there's no belief that it ought to impact things on the ground…On whether, in fact, it will help in negotiations, it's split evenly, 41%-41%, on whether the UN would help in the negotiating process, which is one of the reasons for doing it."
The Palestinian people have also made the UN recognition matter very low on what they believe should be President Mahmoud Abbas' list of priorities. Just 4% said getting the UN to recognize a Palestinian state should be one of the two highest priorities for Abbas in dealing with national questions facing the Palestinians, well below creating new jobs, expanding healthcare and solving water shortages, strengthening education and more.
"So this is clearly not something people are invested in, and I don't expect much of a reaction," said Greenberg. He noted that Palestinians are "more focused on economic issues and building the quality of life in Palestinian areas. Particularly given the belief that violence is not a productive course right now and that peace negotiations are not a productive course, there seems to be greater interest in building Palestinian institutions and quality of life."
(By Joshua Spurlock, BFP Israel Mosaic Radio, July 26, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the international community, recognizing the impact of these poll results, will join with Israel in encouraging the Palestinian people to acknowledge that the nation of Israel is here to stay and to think realistically about their future.
Scripture
"Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance" (Psalm 33:8-12).
2. Turkish Leader Erdogan's Plan B: Downgrading Israel TiesTurkish newspaper Hurriyet on Monday [July 25] reported that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is considering moving to a "Plan B," which will see relations with Israel suffer further by downgrading the level of Turkey's diplomatic staff in Israel. On Sunday [July 24], Erdogan said that he still expects an apology from Jerusalem [over the 2010 Gaza flotilla incident].
"We will wait for the Israelis' decision a certain period. If they don't apologize by this time, we shall move to Plan B," he said. According to Hurriyet, "Plan B" means cooling down relations with Israel. One of the most significant steps will be downgrading the level of Turkey's embassy staff in Israel.
Ankara recalled its ambassador following last year's flotilla event. It is also possible Turkey will not approve an Israeli ambassador to replace Gaby Levy.
On Sunday, the Turkish newspaper reported that Israel is considering compensating the families of the nine people killed aboard the ship and intends to issue a statement regretting the loss of life-regardless of Turkey's demand for an official apology.
(Excerpts of an article by Ynet, Ynetnews, July 25, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the Lord will intervene in this situation and heal this diplomatic relationship. Pray that Israel will do the right thing and not be pressured into doing the "politically correct" thing.
Scripture
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye" (Psalm 32:8).
3. European States Pull Out of UN Event, Concerned about Israel-bashingThree European nations have expressed their intention to boycott an upcoming United Nations event due to concerns about anti-Israel content. According to a newsflash on the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web site, Italy and the Czech Republic have joined with the Netherlands in announcing they will not attend the 10th anniversary event of the Durban declaration on racism.
Canada and the US have also expressed their intention to boycott. The original Durban events on racism, held in Durban, South Africa in September 2001, degenerated into an unfair singling out of Israel. As a result, the US was among the nations to boycott the follow-up event, Durban II. There, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad slammed Israel in a speech.
In the newsflash, the Dutch Foreign Ministry noted that since the 2001 Durban event, "a number of countries have repeatedly used discussions on combating racism, xenophobia, and discrimination to draw attention to the peace process in the Middle East and denounce Israel's right to exist."
In order to prevent this from happening again, the three European nations wanted to include a statement in the final declaration effectively saying that all participating states "agree to distance themselves from attempts to connect the Durban declaration to issues that have nothing to do with fighting racism."
However, the Netherlands said that "because such a guarantee proved impossible to achieve, the three countries now feel they have no option but to pull out of preparations for the celebrations and to stay at home in September."
Despite their intention to avoid the event over anti-Israel concerns, the Dutch wanted to emphasize that "needless to say, the Netherlands remains committed to fighting racism, xenophobia and discrimination in more productive ways."
(By Joshua Spurlock, BFP Israel Mosaic Radio, July 26, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Praise the Lord for these nations that are standing against anti-Semitism by boycotting this event. Pray that many other nations will do so as well and pray that this event will actually prove to be a non-event..
Scripture
"The LORD is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy" (Psalm 145:17-20).
4. Israel Readies for Rocket BarrageNo one can say when the next war will come, but when it does, Israel's main cities will almost certainly come under sustained bombardment by thousands of tons of warheads. That scenario has the military commanders responsible for protecting its citizens in a frenzy of preparedness.
Across the country this summer, Israelis have been subject to home front drills, sending people scurrying into shelters, sirens blaring and gas masks distributed. Defense planners want to use underground parking garages and road tunnels as massive bomb shelters.
Israel's enemies-Hizbullah in the north, Hamas in the south, and Syria and Iran to the east-are stocking up missiles on an unprecedented scale. "Most of the rockets that are in the world today are pointed at Israel," Avi Schnurr, executive director of the Israel Missile Defense Association, told The Media Line. "The work that has been done in Israel, the leadership shown in terms of missile defense, has been extraordinary."
Matan Vilnai, Israel's minister for home front defense, told a conference on missile defense on Monday [July 25] that Palestinian rockets will hit Tel Aviv in any future conflict in the Gaza Strip. "In the next conflict with Gaza, even if it is at a much lower intensity than a war, missiles will fall on Gush Dan [Tel Aviv's metropolitan area]-for all intents and purposes, inside Tel Aviv," Vilnai said, referring to the heavily populated center of the country [of over 3 million or 42% of Israel's population].
"Terror organizations are making great efforts in order to threaten our heartland," he added. "Today, we understand that the next war there will be no difference between the rear and the front line.
Last month, Israel carried out a massive five-day exercise drilling its home front in dealing with a massive missile attack. Dubbed "Turning Point 5," the drill involved testing the nationwide siren-alert system, distribution of nuclear-biological-chemical (NBC) protection kits, evacuations and shelter procedures. For the first time, lawmakers also participated in the exercise.
The way the drill was played out saw Hizbullah launching rocket attacks on Israel, joined by missile barrages from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Finally, Syria joins in with rocket strikes. Israeli intelligence estimates that among the 50,000 rockets in Hizbullah's arsenal, at least a few hundred can reach Tel Aviv.
Syria's formidable arsenal of Scud rockets are tipped with chemical and possibly biological warheads and can reach nearly every location in the country. "Syria possesses one of the largest ballistic missile-development programs in the region. Its arsenal already includes hundreds of mobile SCUD-class and short-range ballistic missiles," U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance Frank Rose said in Tel Aviv on Monday.
Speaking at the missile conference, Rose said the U.S. would continue to collaborate with Israel on its missile defenses and said that it was soon dispatching to the region another early-warning radar system to enhance Israel's missile-detection capabilities.
Intelligence reports were leaked last week saying that the embattled Syrian regime had been transferring missiles to Hizbullah in Lebanon, including 10 Scud-D class rockets, due to the unrest sweeping the country. If true, this would mark the first time that a non-state organization holds such destructive weaponry.
The Israel Defense Force's Home Front command is predicting that another confrontation with Hizbullah will see at least 400 rockets pounding the northern port city of Haifa. For this reason, it is working to turn the Carmel Tunnel into a public bomb shelter able to hold some 6,000 people. There are also plans to prepare a field hospital in the tunnel.
The National Emergency Authority is also reportedly seeking legislation giving it the power to expropriate parking lots and other underground spaces to provide the public with vital services during an emergency.
While the leaders and commanders in Israel have been highlighting the risk of nuclear-tipped missiles from Iran, they have rarely spoken of the other, potentially more deadly in scope, threat that comes from chemical weapons. These are aimed at Israel in staggering quantities. According to the Israel Defense Web site, Germany has offered to give Israel eight TEP 90 decontamination systems free of charge.
In the future, the warheads are expected to be more numerous and deadlier. They won't just damage apartment buildings, but topple them. Some have warheads weighing hundreds of kilos such as the M-600, Fateh-110 and Scud Ds with a nearly half ton warhead. The drills are as much psychological preparation as they are physical.
(Excerpts of an article by Arieh O'Sullivan, The Media Line, July 26, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that these stores of rockets remain unused, and none are ever fired at Israel. Pray that the Lord will move dramatically to protect His people from these deadly threats.
Scripture
"Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; defend me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloodthirsty men" (Psalm 59:1-2)
5. Palestinian Observer Breaks Down during UN DebateWASHINGTON-A routine Security Council debate on the Middle East and Palestine became Israel's and the Palestinian Authority's dress rehearsal for September's General Assembly conference where the Palestinians will seek UN recognition. Palestinian observer Riyad Mansour called on the UN to recognize a Palestinian state.
It's time to end the occupation, he said, before bursting into tears. Israel's Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor warned that the Palestinian way of bypassing peace talks will lead to frustration and violence.
He later addressed Mansour and asked him: "On behalf of whom will you present a resolution in September? Mr. Abbas or Hamas?" He called on the Palestinians to embrace "a road of solutions, not resolutions; dialogue, not monologue; and direct negotiations, not unilateral declarations."
Prosor continued: "There is much uncertainty about the future Palestinian government: its acceptance of the Quartet conditions, the peace process, control of its security forces, and many other questions… on these issues Israel and the international community must have clarity. For Israel, this so-called unity has only brought continued impunity for the terrorists that fire rockets into our cities."
He noted that "even the most basic condition for statehood does not exist. The Palestinian Authority [PA] does not maintain effective control of all its territory nor does it hold a monopoly on the use of force."
Addressing the Security Council member states, Prosor stressed: "Unilateral actions will not bring peace to our region. The Palestinian initiatives at the United Nations may be superficially attractive to some. Yet, they distract from the true path to peace. There are no shortcuts to statehood. You cannot bypass the only path to peace. The Palestinians will have to get off the bandwagon of unilateralism-and back to the hard work of direct peacemaking."
Mansour, on his part, accused the Israeli government of sabotaging peace efforts and defended the Palestinian bid as logical, just and in keeping with Security Council resolutions. He noted that the PA remains committed to September 2011, which he said could create the necessary dynamic for a breakthrough.
US Ambassador to the UN Rosemary A. DiCarlo said that Washington was committed to a just solution and stated that core issues could only be resolved through negotiations and not in the UN. She added that an effort to isolate Israel in the General Assembly will not promote a Palestinian state.
(Excerpts of an article by Yitzhak Benhorin, Ynetnews, July 26, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the number of nations that will oppose a Palestinian declaration of statehood in September will continue to grow and that any such unilateral action will be defeated.
Scripture
"In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us" (Psalm 62:7-8)
6. Dead Sea Weapon HaulTwo Palestinians in their 40s were intercepted and arrested by Israeli security forces today [July 25] when they were caught gun-running in a rubber boat across the Dead Sea. They were attempting to smuggle weapons from Jordan to Israel, although so far it is not clear who was to receive the haul. The boat carried ten Kalashnikov assault rifles and the same number of ammunition clips.
The police said that it was treating the incident as an attempted weapons smuggling operation and not as an attempted militant attack. The Israel-Jordan border is generally quiet. Israeli security authorities have identified the lake as a route for smugglers with small boats. They bring drugs into Israel from Jordan, but weapons seizures are rare. Over the past year, there have been two foiled attempts to smuggle drugs across the Dead Sea. In one case, smugglers used a boat, and in the other, they tried to swim.
(By Edgar Asher, Isranet, July 25, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Praise the Lord that these weapons were intercepted. Pray that the Lord will continue to protect all of Israel's borders, including this one, from any kind of incursion by smugglers or those that would do Israel harm.
Scripture
"I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness" (Psalm 101:3-4)
7. Turning Gray Water GreenThe facts on the ground are stark: Israel is in a serious water deficit. The Sea of Galilee is shrinking every year, as are its underground aquifers. Yet water needs are increasing along with energy costs. One answer to this crisis may be found in the water we send down the sink and bathtub drains. Much of this "gray water" can be lightly treated and reused to flush toilets and water gardens. Putting that ideal into action on a large scale is the target for Gil Ben-Meir, inventor of the Evergreen gray water solution developed by his company, Green Solutions. Some 150 family Israeli homes have already installed Evergreen.
Fitted to every pipe but the kitchen sink and toilet-wastewater from these drains contains too much organic material and oil to be safely recycled-the system collects gray water from baths, showers, hand-washing basins and washing machines. Running through a specially developed biofilter, the treated gray water is then sent to the toilet and to the garden, where it can be reused instantly.
It's easy to install, the filters are self-cleaning and the maintenance is simple-"once every three or four months," says Ben-Meir. "Everything one needs to operate it is supplied with the system."
With the average cost for parts and installation about [US] $4,000, or NIS 15,000, the return on investment is about five years, and the system runs on the same amount of electricity as it takes to burn a 70-watt bulb all day. Evergreen can be scaled up for apartment complexes and other higher demand locations.
Quieter than an air conditioner, Evergreen measures about 180 by 70 centimeters (71 by 27.5 inches)-much smaller than similar solutions, says Ben-Meir. "The innovation here is its adaptation to smaller applications with a small footprint. What usually takes three to four square meters of space is now contained in less than two square meters, at a 50% cost reduction."
Ben-Meir founded Green Solutions after living in the United States for 13 years and studying energy management at the New York Institute of Technology. "I came back from a long stay in the States, where I was doing something completely different, and in 2005 I decided to switch to the environment field-to the clean-tech sector," says Ben-Meir. "I completed a master's degree and decided to come back to Israel and to work on solutions for gray water."
At that time, Israel was at the start of five years of drought. "There was a serious shortage of fresh water, and I was looking for ways to recycle and save water. Here is the fruitful soil to grow on and develop it," he adds, referring to Israeli expertise in water reclamation. Based in Zichron Yaakov, Green Solutions currently employs three people, and also provides solar energy solutions for homeowners.
(By Karin Kloosterman, Israel21c, July 21, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Praise God for this wonderful Israeli innovation. Pray that it will be quickly made available to the many nations worldwide that are facing serious water shortages.
Scripture
"Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done marvelous things!...Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you-the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month" (Joel 2:21,23)
8. Rare Ancient Golden Bell Discovered in JerusalemA small golden bell-that was apparently originally sown on to the clothing of a high official in Jerusalem roughly 2000-years-ago and bring to mind the Biblical priestly garments-has been discovered in an archaeological excavation. According to an Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) press release, the rare gold bell has a small loop on its end and is presumed to have come from the edge of a garment.
In the Bible, Exodus 28:33 describes the robe of the high priest: "Upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around."
The IAA press release said of the possible connection of the discovered bell to the priesthood, "It is impossible to know for certain if the bell did indeed belong to one of the high priests; however, the possibility should not be entirely discounted."
The bell itself was discovered during an archaeological excavation of a drainage tunnel that runs from the Shiloah Pool (Pool of Siloam beneath the City of David) to near the Western Wall. In the region of the excavation, back during the Second Temple Period (first century AD), there was a main road above the channel, which was linked with a bridge, known today as Robinson's Arch, that led up to the Temple Mount.
The incident appears to be an expensive and long-lasting case of lost and found. The IAA press release said that "apparently, the high official was walking in the Jerusalem street in the vicinity of Robinson's Arch and lost the gold bell that fell from his garment into the drainage channel beneath the road."
According to comments in the press release from the excavation directors, archaeologists Eli Shukron and Professor Ronny Reich of Haifa University, "It seems the bell was sewn on the garment worn by a high official in Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple period. The bell was exposed inside Jerusalem's main drainage channel at that time, among the layers of earth that had accumulated along the bottom of it.
"This drainage channel was built and hewn the length of the Western Wall of the Temple Mount on the bottom of the slope descending to the Tyropoeon Valley. This drainage channel conveyed rainwater from different parts of the city, by way of the City of David and the Shiloah Pool, to Nahal Kidron [Kidron Valley]." The excavations are being done on behalf of the IAA in cooperation with the Nature and Parks Authority and the Ir David Foundation.
(By Joshua Spurlock, BFP Israel Mosaic Radio, July 25, 2011)
Note: All Scripture is taken from the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.
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