Monitor The Strategic Trends

Introduction:

And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
Zechariah 12:3

      Jerusalem is a holy city to three faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  As such, the debate over who should control the city is more than just a political one; it is a battle over which god is God, and which religion is the truth.  Centuries have passed since the founding of Jerusalem and, as Scripture has predicted, it has become a stumbling block for anyone who tries to pick it up.

      The sons of Israel could not hold it when they abandoned their convenant with God and were conquered by Babylon and Solomon's Temple destroyed. Centuries later the Romans again left the city in ruins, including Herod's temple as predicted by Jesus.  The battles over Jerusalem continued when Christian Crusaders tried in vain to drive out the Muslims who occupied the city.  The Ottoman Turks finally succeeded in gaining control over the city for hundreds of years and yet their empire also crumbled.  More recently, the British, who governed Jerusalem during the turbulent years leading up to the rebirth of Israel, discovered just how true the prophecies were regarding the difficulty of managing this city.

      The modern state of Israel won control over Jerusalem during the 1967 war. They later relocated their capital to Jerusalem amid much controversy.  The much debated, highly emotional status of Jerusalem is scheduled to be discussed in future peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.  However, as history has shown, there are no easy answers to this question.

The 'Piece' Process Resumes In Revised Mideast January 03, 2012

Jerusalem: The City Without A Country November 08, 2011

PA Determined To Be A UN State September 13, 2011

UN Blessed Palestinian State Will Solve Nothing August 30, 2011

It's Tel Aviv And Not Tehran August 09, 2011

Tisha B'Av and The Temple Mount Double Standard August 02, 2011

More Archeological Finds Correlate With Bible July 19, 2011

Israel Not Under The Bus May 24, 2011

Happy Birthday Israel May 10, 2011

The Piece Process by Dan Stolebarger

A History Of Preservation by Chuck Missler

New on DVD: Strategic Perspectives'Israel by Ron Matsen, Director of Koinonia House Europe

A Feasibility Study: Will Israel Attack Iran? by Mary Miller, Koinonia Institute

Mid-East Update: Five Basic Arguments Against a Palestinian State by Professor Paul Eidelberg

Book Review: Schmoozing with Terrorists by Dan Stolebarger, Executive Director of Koinonia Institute

A Timely Study: The Betrayal of the Chosen by Chuck Missler

Book Excerpt: Prophecy Past and Future: An Example by Chuck Missler

Updated Briefing: The Next Holocaust and the Refuge in Edom: Part 2 by Chuck Missler

Mid-East Update: What the Hamas Victory Means by Barry Rubin

Mid-East Update: What Happens Now? by Chuck Missler

Trip Update An Insider's Briefing on Israel by Chuck Missler

Betrayal of the Chosen? The New Bush Doctrine by Chuck Missler

Middle East Update: No Hurry for Peace by Barry Rubin

To the U.S. Senate: An Appeal on Israel's Behalf by Benjamin Netanyahu

Strategic Perspective: The Case for Jerusalem by John Loeffler

News Sources

NEW! Palestinians Refuse Peace Talks Without Designated Borders - The Palestinian Authority will not restart direct peace negotiations with Israel unless Jerusalem recognizes the borders of a Palestinian state, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday according to the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA). The most outstanding issue preventing the resumption of high-level direct negotiations is the continued expansion of Israeli settlements, especially in "occupied" Jerusalem, Abbas said according to the report. Israeli officials took a more positive tone, saying Tuesday they were confident the Palestinians would continue the talks being held in Jordan beyond the January 26 Quartet deadline, which Israel contests.

1500 y.o. Bread Stamp Found In Israel - A 1,500-year-old seal with the image of the seven-branched Temple Menorah has been discovered near the city of Acre. The ceramic stamp, which dates from the Byzantine period in the 6th century CE, was found during ongoing Israel Antiquities Authority excavations at Horbat Uza, east of Acre. "The stamp is important because it proves that a Jewish community existed in the settlement of Uza in the Christian-Byzantine period. The presence of a Jewish settlement so close to Acre - a region that was definitely Christian at this time - constitutes an innovation in archaeological research," said Dr. Danny Syon, one of the directors of the excavation, on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Coins Found Under Western Wall Shed Light On Building Date - Archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority now say diggers have found coins underneath the massive foundation stones of the compound's Western Wall that were stamped by a Roman proconsul 20 years after Herod's death. "The find changes the way we see the construction, and shows it lasted for longer than we originally thought," said the dig's co-director, Eli Shukron. The four bronze coins were stamped around A.D. 17 by the Roman official Valerius Gratus. The coins were found inside a ritual bath that predated construction of the renovated Temple Mount complex and which was filled in to support the new walls.

Backlash After Shalit Freed In Hamas Prisoner Exchange - Images of the lanky soldier with dark eyes have haunted Israel for five years, but Gilad Shalit may finally be heading home. Israel and Hamas announced an agreement Tuesday to free Shalit, who was abducted in a cross-border raid near Gaza Strip, in exchange for the release of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli soldier's 2006 capture pushed Israel to tighten a punishing blockade. Shalit's captivity has long been a source of national anguish in Israel. In a country where most young people are required to serve in Israel's army, nearly every household could identify with the Shalit family's pain. But the case also triggered national soul-searching over whether to negotiate with Hamas, which Israel and the U.S. consider a terrorist group, and how high a price to pay for one soldier's freedom.

Cracks In European Unity Over PA Statehood Bid - The Palestinians' bid for statehood is starting to create cracks in European unity, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Monday, after discussing the issue with his European Union counterparts in Luxembourg. "You see two tendencies appearing more and more among the 27 [member states]," he told reporters, saying that "a lot of energy" would be needed to keep them unified. The Middle East Quartet - the EU, United States, Russia and the UN - has been trying to get the two sides to resume negotiations.

Israel Seeking To Nip Sinai-Based Terror Attack - A cell of more than 10 terrorists is currently in the Sinai with plans to carry out an attack against Israel along its border with Egypt, Home Front Defense Minister Matan Vinai said on Tuesday. "Islamic Jihad is trying for a long time to perpetrate the attacks from the Sinai and the of Id al-Fitr is a good time for attacks," Vilnai said during a visit to an Elbit Systems factory in Sderot in reference to the Muslim holiday which begins on Tuesday. Vilnai said that the IDF and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) were working in close cooperation to thwart the attack and that Israel was also coordinating with Egypt.

US Aid to Egypt Depends On Making Friends With Israel - Washington's $2 billion in annual aid to Egypt will be cut off if Cairo backs out of the peace treaty with Israel, Congresswoman Kay Granger told The Jerusalem Post on Monday. "The United States aid to Egypt is predicated on the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, and so the relationship between Egypt and Israel is extremely important," the eight-term Republican from Texas said in an interview.

Jerusalem Dig Unearths Rare Artifacts - Israel's Antiquities Authority announced Monday that a rare Roman sword in its leather scabbard which belonged to a Roman soldier and an engraving of a Menorah on a piece of stone dating from AD 66 were found in recent days in the 2000 year old drainage system in Jerusalem which ran between the City of David and the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden. Professor Ronny Reich told CNN that the sword probably belonged to a Roman infantryman stationed in Jerusalem during the Great Revolt (AD 66).

Gunmen Blow Up Egyptian Gas Line To Israel - Saboteurs blow up an Egyptian pipeline distribution station in northern Sinai that supplies natural gas to Israel. At least four masked gunmen attacked the station, near the town of Al-Arish, about 30 miles west of the Israeli border, in the early hours of Tuesday. There were no reported casualties. It was the fourth attack on facilities supplying Egyptian gas to Israel this year.

Israel Top Country For Venture Capital - If Israel is a start-up nation, then it has achieved that status despite the bureaucratic obstacles facing entrepreneurs, according to an OECD report released over the weekend. While Israel ranks poorly in terms of bureaucratic obstacles, venture capital is relatively easy to obtain here, found the report on entrepreneurship drafted by the economic organization.

Archeologists Find New Synogogues - It seems like almost everywhere archaeologists dig in the eastern Galilee these days, they are coming up with ancient synagogues. In 2007, a third–fourth-century C.E. synagogue with beautifully decorated mosaic floors depicting Biblical episodes was discovered at the site of Khirbet Wadi Hamam outside Tiberias; just last summer, European archaeologists digging only 4 miles away, at Horvat Kur, announced that they, too, had found a synagogue, probably dating at least a century later. Perhaps the most exciting recent synagogue discovery in Israel was in Magdala, the home of Mary Magdalene...

The Quartet Still Pushing Obama's 'Peace' Plan - In a last-minute effort to stop the Palestinians from seeking unilateral recognition at the United Nations in September, the Mideast Quartet is planning to present a new international peace plan at a summit in Washington on July 11. The Quartet's envoys - representing the United States, the European Union, the United Nations, and Russia – will be mapping out a plan based on U.S. President Barack Obama's Mideast speech on May 19.

Netanyahu Wants A Separate Palestinian State - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surprised many of the participants in the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday when he embarked on a monologue praising the idea of parting from the Palestinians and in relinquishing portions of the West Bank. Netanyahu said the number of Palestinians and Jews between the Jordan River and the sea "is irrelevant" and that it's more important to "preserve a solid Jewish majority inside the State of Israel." Israel is in danger of being outpopulated by Palestinians within a few decades, simply due to the higher birth rate of Arabs to Jews.

Priests Have Rare Chance To Offer Blessings On Temple Mount - For the first time in the history of Israeli restrictions on Jewish entry to the Temple Mount, the recitation of the Priestly Blessing was permitted there. It happened on Wednesday, Jerusalem Reunification Day, when hundreds of visitors – all of whom immersed in a mikveh (ritual bath) prior to coming and took other precautions required by Jewish Law – were allowed to enter the Temple Mount in groups of 30-40. Among them were several Cohanim (descendants of Aharon the Priest). They spread their hands in the customary manner and recited, 'May God bless and watch over your… May God shine His countenance upon and show you grace… May God raise His countenance towards you and grant you peace' from Numbers 6.

Shavuot Began Tuesday Night - The Jewish feast of Shavuot - the Feast of Weeks - began at sundown on Tuesday, June 7. This feast comes from Leviticus 23:16, which points to "the morrow after the seventh sabbath" after the Feast of First Fruits. The Feast of Weeks is associated with the giving of the Law in Exodus 19, historically believed to have occurred on the 6th of Sivan, fifty days after the Jews escaped from Egypt. It was a holiday of gratitude; of giving God the first fruits of the bounty that He had provided. The seven Feasts of Moses are not only commemorative, they are also prophetic. The first three, in the month of Nisan, are predictive of the First Coming of Jesus. The last three, in the month of Tishri, are associated with His Second Coming. Shavuot, celebrated in the middle, is associated with the Church. It was during the feast of Shavuot that the Holy Spirit came and filled the disciples, an event which is celebrated by the Church as Pentecost.

Archeologist Identifies Second Temple Remains - One of the most prominent Israeli archaeologists declared today that remains from the First and Second Jewish Temple period – including the Second Temple itself – lie underneath the Temple Mount surface, just waiting to be excavated. Dr. Eilat Mazar of Hebrew University accused the site's Islamic custodians of destroying Jewish artifacts while attempting to turn the Temple Mount into a "giant mosque."

Ancient Jerusalem Takes Shape Underground - Underneath the crowded alleys and holy sites of old Jerusalem, hundreds of people are snaking at any given moment through tunnels, vaulted medieval chambers and Roman sewers in a rapidly expanding subterranean city invisible from the streets above. Archaeological digs under the disputed Old City are a matter of immense sensitivity. For Israel, the tunnels are proof of the depth of Jewish roots here, and this has made the tunnels one of Jerusalem's main tourist draws.

Israel Day of Prayer Held Sunday - On Sunday (May 15) Christians United for Israel (CUFI) held its third annual day of prayer for Israel. As with past years, hundreds of churches in almost every state in the U.S. as well as 49 countries around the globe, dedicated all or a portion of their worship service to praying for Israel. Israel needs prayer more than one day a year, though. Please keep praying for the power of God to work in Israel - in its leadership, its people, in Jerusalem, and in the nation as a whole.

Hamas Shuts Down Tunnels Linking Gaza And Egypt - Hamas ordered smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border closed until further notice, temporarily cutting a key economic lifeline for 1.5 million Palestinians in the impoverished territory. The tunnels under Hamas' direct control are known for transporting cash, weapons and militants in the Gaza Strip. The tunnels run side by side under the border, with just a few yards between each, their entrances covered by tents. On normal business days, the humming of generators, which power lighting, pulleys and other equipment, mixes with the sound of trucks rumbling along the unpaved paths.

Hezbollah Underground Bunkers Map Released - The Israeli military on Thursday released a map detailing what it says are nearly 1,000 underground bunkers, weapons storage facilities and monitoring sites built by the militant Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon. Many of the sites on the map are located south of the Litani River in Lebanon, the zone where Hezbollah is banned from keeping weapons under the UN-sponsored truce that ended Israel's summer 2006 war with the guerrilla group.

Jerusalem Fights UN Recognition of 1967-Borders Palestinian State - Israel's efforts to rally countries against Palestinian Authority plans to ask the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state along the pre-1967 lines are hindered by the fact that Israel has not presented any plan of its own, diplomatic officials said Tuesday. Israel has stepped up these efforts since the Palestinian Authority's Saeb Erekat said two weeks ago that the Palestinian leadership "decided to start implementing alternatives to negotiations, and the first of these is demanding recognition."

Bombing Fails On Israel-Egypt Gas Line - Gunmen overpower guard and plant explosive device at gas terminal near el-Arish in Sinai; soldiers defuse bomb, suspects flee. Six gunmen in Sinai targeted the pipeline that carries natural gas from Egypt to Israel and Jordan on Sunday, overpowering a guard and planting an explosive device before fleeing, The Associated Press reported. The explosive device failed to detonate and was eventually defused by soldiers at the gas terminal in the village of el-Sabil near el-Arish, AP quoted an Egyptian security official as saying.

IDF Intercepts Gaza-Bound Iranian Ship Full of Weapons - The IDF seized a freighter ship with dozens of tons of weaponry from Iran headed for Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. The ship, known as Victoria, was flying a Liberian flag, and was seized by the navy in the Mediterranean Sea, 200 miles off of Israel's coast. The ship set sail Monday night from the port of Lattakai in Syria and from there it traveled to Turkey. There, it was supposed to unload the weapons, which would travel by land to Gaza. The IDF's assessment is that the weapons did not originate in Turkey, but that the containers were unloaded there and transferred onto the Victoria.

Gaddafi Calls On Arabs To March on Israel - Libyan dictator Muammer Gaddafi has called for a mass Arab march on Israel, in an attempt to force Israel into accepting Arab demands. He directed his call to Palestinian Authority Arabs and to the millions of Arabs who define themselves as "Palestinian refugees" that seek to "return" to Israel. The purpose of the mass march would not be to declare war, but rather "to create a problem for the world."

US Alone Votes In Israel's Favor - The U.S. voted Friday against a resolution at the United Nations Security Council which condemned Israeli settlements, describing them as illegal, and called on Israel to stop all building activities in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The other 14 Security Council members voted in favor. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad Fayyad angrily denounced the U.S. veto earlier Sunday. "The Americans have chosen to be alone in disrupting the internationally backed Palestinian efforts," Fayyad said.

The Legacy: Israel In Prophecy In MP3 on CD-ROM - Chuck Missler Now in one self-contained CD-ROM; The Feasts of Israel, The Next Holocaust, Betrayal of the Chosen, The Prodigal Heirs, Legacy of Hate, and Jihad: America's New War! Click for more information - MP3 on CD-ROM

Thy Kingdom Come - Audio CD - Chuck Missler In this briefing pack Thy Kingdom Come, Chuck Missler gives insight into the questions, Are you ready?, Do you understand? Does your behavior now matter later? Click for more information - Audio CD with MP3

The Legacy: Israel In Prophecy In MP3 on CD-ROM - Chuck Missler Now in one self-contained CD-ROM; The Feasts of Israel, The Next Holocaust, Betrayal of the Chosen, The Prodigal Heirs, Legacy of Hate, and Jihad: America's New War! Click for more information - MP3 on CD-ROM

A Legacy of Hate - Audio CD - Chuck Missler and Avi Lipkin Avi Lipkin, a former Israeli Defense Intelligence specialist, details many of the reasons for the historic tensions between Islam and the Jews. Click for more information - Audio CD with MP3

Roots of War - Audio CD - Chuck Missler On September 11, 2001, Islamic extremists shook the world. This briefing will update you on the history of the Middle East since the fall of the Roman Empire. Click for more information - Audio CD with MP3