“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: may they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122: 6
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Victor Davis Hanson—A Stronger Israel:
In postmodern wars, we are told, there is no victory, no defeat, no aggressors, no defenders, just a tragedy of conflicting agendas. But in such a mindless and amoral landscape, Israel in fact is on its way to emerging in a far better position after the Gaza war than before.
Analysts of the current fighting in Gaza have assured us that even if Israel weakens Hamas, such a short-term victory will hardly lead to long-term strategic success – but they don’t define “long-term.” In this line of thinking, supposedly in a few weeks Israel will only find itself more isolated than ever. It will grow even more unpopular in Europe and will perhaps, for the first time, lose its patron, America – while gaining an enraged host of Arab and Islamic enemies. Meanwhile, Hamas will gain stature, rebuild, and slowly wear Israel down.
But if we compare the Gaza war with Israel’s past wars, that pessimistic scenario hardly rings true. Unlike in the existential wars of 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973, Israel faces no coalition of powerful conventional enemies. Syria’s military is wrecked. Iraq is devouring itself. Egypt is bankrupt and in no mood for war. Its military government is more worried about Hamas than about Israel. Jordan has no wish to attack Israel. The Gulf States are likewise more afraid of the axis of Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Muslim Brotherhood than of Israel – a change of mentality that has no historical precedent. In short, never since the birth of the Jewish state have the traditional enemies surrounding Israel been in such military and political disarray. Never have powerful Arab states quietly hoped that Israel would destroy an Islamist terrorist organization that they fear more than they fear the Jewish state.
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SnyderTalk Comment: Israel is stronger now than it was a few weeks ago and Operation Protective Edge helped to unify the country politically, but there is still something missing, something important. Yahweh is Israel’s only hope. The sooner the people of Israel accept that fact and learn to lean on Him the better.
Israel has no shortage of enemies. If one disappears another one pops up. That’s the way it was; that’s the way it is; and that’s the way it will continue to be. As I said, Yahweh is Israel’s only hope. He is our only hope, too, no matter where we live because there is only One God, and His Name is Yahweh.
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Charles Krauthammer: Kerry the Clueless— John Kerry is upset by heavy criticism from Israelis — left, right and center — of his recent cease-fire diplomacy. But that’s only half the story. More significant is the consternation of America’s Arab partners, starting with the president of the Palestinian Authority. Mahmoud Abbas was stunned that Kerry would fly off to Paris to negotiate with Hamas allies Qatar and Turkey in talks that excluded the PA and Egypt. The talks also undermined Egypt’s cease-fire proposal, which Israel had accepted and Hamas rejected. “Kerry tried through his latest plan to destroy the Egyptian bid,” charged a senior Palestinian official quoted in the Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat — a peace plan that the PA itself had supported.
Meredith Tax: The Muslim Right and the Anglo-American Left: The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name— The Muslim Right is a range of transnational political movements that mobilize identity politics towards the goal of a theocratic state. It consists of those called “moderate Islamists” by the media, who propose to reach this goal gradually by electoral and educational means; extremist parties and groups called “salafis,” who run for office but also try to enforce some version of Sharia law through street violence; and a much smaller militant wing of salafi-jihadis, whose propaganda endorses military means and who practice violence against civilians. The goal of all political Islamists, however, whatever means they may prefer, is a state founded upon a version of Sharia law that systematically discriminates against women along with sexual and religious minorities. Some in the human rights movement have gone overboard in their desire to defend the victims of state counter-terrorism, and ended up embracing the Muslim Right. A section of the Anglo-American left has done the same, focusing only on wrongs done by the United States and acting on the fatal principle that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Israel Has a Duty to Defend Its Citizens—Israel is a democratic country that wishes to live in peace with its neighbors, but cannot escape a duty to defend its citizens. Hamas is a terrorist group whose whole reason for being is genocide. It is dedicated to the extermination of the State of Israel and to the extinction of all Jews, whom it refers to as “inherently evil.” Hamas operates by creating grief and then exploiting it. It places missile batteries next to playgrounds, private homes, and mosques – inviting retaliation. It uses UN facilities as weapons depots. Hamas sacrificed the Palestinian people for its ideological cause. Its attack was specifically designed to produce images of dead and injured Palestinians for television. Having more dead on your side does not make you right. It didn’t make Japan or Germany right in World War II. The American public is on tricky ground judging Israel on how it treats Palestinians, because we don’t have Palestinians threatening us. We can’t possibly know how we would cope with rockets, kidnappings and neighbors preaching annihilation. We must ask ourselves what we would do under a situation like this, living in a very small territory and with the constant threat of annihilation. The Jews of Israel have learned in the most barbaric way imaginable that the price of being too strong is not as high as the price of being too weak.
Yoram Schweitzer: After Operation Protective Edge: Hamas’ Sense of What it Achieved— There are at least two conflicting points of view on the latest campaign in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. In terms of the campaign over the story of the campaign, Israel must avoid wrestling with Hamas’ claims of victory and focus its efforts on conveying the narrative of a clear defensive operation. The international criticism regarding Israel’s operations in Gaza due to the difficult pictures of the massive destruction and the large extent of collateral damage to civilians and civilian property does not necessarily reflect general criticism of Israeli behavior. Israel, which during the campaign conducted restrained diplomacy and, in contrast to Hamas, showed a persistent readiness to accept international calls for a ceasefire, must capitalize on this in order to win international backing for its security demands in Gaza, which aim to deny the reconstruction of Hamas’ terrorist infrastructure and guarantee quiet for Israeli cities and communities, particularly in the south.
Rabbi Nechemia Coopersmith: 8 Lessons from the War in Gaza—In addition to the most important discovery during the war – unearthing and destroying dozens of tunnels snaking into Israel to be used for terror attacks and the kidnapping of soldiers and civilians – the war in Gaza revealed some important discoveries. And like the tunnels, we may have known about their existence but not the full extent of the story. 1. The war revealed the Jewish nation’s underlying unity. There has never been a time in recent history where the vast majority of Israelis – along with Jews around the globe – came together to fight a just battle that was forced upon us. Tens of thousands of yeshiva students delayed their summer vacation so that the merit of their Torah learning would help protect soldiers. We came together at Israel solidarity rallies (some erupting spontaneously in the New York diamond district, and in an outpouring of love to soldiers. And we united in pain, at the funerals for our 64 fallen soldiers.
Eyal Megged: Parallel Lives: Imagining a Different Future for Israel and Palestine—“We are not going to get rid of them. They will continue to live around us and in our midst.” I wrote those words to open an article for Haaretz on the Parallel States plan as the 2013 Knesset campaign was drawing to a close. The sentiment was expressed in response to a comment by Israel’s newest political savior, former newsman Yair Lapid, in a rally for his Yesh Atid (There Is a Future) party on October 29, 2012. “We have to get rid of the Palestinians,” he declared when asked about his peace plan. Lhipater—to expel, get rid of, dispose of. There is no ambiguity in the word he chose. Nevertheless, of course, people immediately began to “explain” his intention—“What he means, of course, is not that … ”; “He doesn’t really want to expel them; he means we have to get rid of the demographic threat”; and so on. Indeed, Yitzhak Rabin used similar language—he spoke of a desire to “divorce” the Palestinians, the centerpiece of Labor Party rhetoric at the start of the Oslo era.
Moshe Phillips and Benyamin Korn: The Gaza War, and the New U.S. Jewish Consensus on Israel— It’s hard to imagine any issue on which more than 90% of American Jews agree. Is anti-Semitism bad? Are latkes good? Are reruns of “Seinfeld” worth watching? Yet we finally do have one such issue. According to a new Gallup Poll released on August 1, when asked about the Gaza War, 93% of American Jews said they sympathize with Israel, 5% sympathize with both sides, and 2% sympathize with the Palestinians.
Ephraim Mirvis: There Is No “Cycle of Violence” in Gaza; Hamas Is Trying to Annihilate Israel—What we have witnessed in Gaza is not a conflict between Israel and the Palestinians but a war between Israel and Hamas – a ruthless terrorist organization. Within the last month alone, Hamas has fired over 3,000 missiles at population centers in Israel. Hamas does not distinguish between Jew, Muslim and Christian, so hell-bent is it on killing Israelis. Hamas has been diverting humanitarian funds donated by us, the international community, intended to assist and enhance quality of life for the people of Gaza. These funds have instead been used to perpetuate terror and hate. Concrete and other materials intended for the building of vital infrastructure have been expropriated by Hamas to build a network of tunnels for use in the murder and kidnapping of Israelis. Hamas does not seek a two-state solution, or any kind of accommodation with Israel. Hamas’ stated aim is the elimination of the Jewish state and all its Jewish citizens. As recently as July 25, Hamas warned, “We will exterminate you [Jews], until the last one, and we will not leave even one of you.”
Alan M. Dershowitz: Hamas’ Phony Statistics on Civilian Deaths— It’s a mystery why so many in the media accept as gospel Hamas-supplied figures on the number of civilians killed in the recent war. Hamas claims that of the more than 1800 Palestinians killed close to 90% were civilians. Israel, on the other hand, says that close to half of them were combatants. The objective facts support a number much closer to Israel’s than to Hamas’.
SnyderTalk Comment: Numbers are important because we’re talking about human beings, but numbers aren’t the most important issue here. What we should be discussing is Hamas’ decision to execute its citizens by purposely placing them in locations that they knew were going to be attacked.
How did Hamas know that those places were going to be attacked? Because Israel told them so that civilians could vacate.
Rather than allowing them to leave, Hamas beat them if they tried to escape. I’ve posted videos on SnyderTalk showing it.
The bottom line: Hamas leaders are guilty of cold-blooded murder of their own citizens. As I have said before, Hamas really isn’t a political party and it’s certainly not running a government. It’s a crime syndicate and a terrorist organization, and it’s running a terrorist training camp.
Lee Smith: John Kerry Has Hamas’s Back. So Who Has Israel’s?—You know there’s something going on when Haaretz, the flagship of the Israeli left, reads like it’s being edited by Dick Cheney. Last Friday Secretary of State John Kerry presented the Israeli cabinet with a draft of a ceasefire agreement that, in the words of Haaretz columnist Barak Ravid, “could have been penned by Khaled Meshal. It was everything Hamas could have hoped for.” The draft, Ravid explained, “recognized Hamas’ position in the Gaza Strip, promised the organization billions in donation funds and demanded no dismantling of rockets, tunnels or other heavy weaponry at Hamas’ disposal.” Accordingly, wrote another Haaretz columnist, Ari Shavit: “The Obama Administration proved once again that it is the best friend of its enemies, and the biggest enemy of its friends.” The fact is that Haaretz is simply in step with Israeli public opinion. One poll, conducted by Israel’s Channel 10, showed that 87 percent of Israelis were in favor continuing the operation in Gaza, with another 69 percent in favor of toppling the organization that the White House wants to save. Another poll showed that 86.5 percent are against a ceasefire right now because “Hamas continues firing missiles on Israel, not all the tunnels have been found, and Hamas has not surrendered.” Therefore, explained one pollster, Netanyahu would be confronting the vast majority of Israel if he accepted, as Obama reportedly demanded in a phone call Sunday, an immediate ceasefire.
SnyderTalk Comment: Haaretz is the New York Times of Israel. Its writers are the best friends that Barack Obama and John Kerry have in Israel and maybe on the planet. I’m telling you this because some of you may think that I have been trying to bash President Obama and Secretary Kerry with my criticisms of Obama’s policies regarding the Middle East, Israel, and the rest of the world. I haven’t been bashing them. I’ve been telling the truth—something that Obama and Kerry don’t want to hear. In their cloistered world, they think that they are always right no matter how wrong they are.
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Reporter: Gazans only want us to show damage, not shooting
Report: Palestinians in Gaza to cease fire unilaterally at 8 p.m. on Friday
Sderot mayor blasts Ya’alon as ‘resounding failure’ for continued Gaza rocket fire
Three injured in Israel by Gaza rocket attacks; Direct hits on Sderot homes
Iron Dome intercepts two rockets over Beersheba; Three Israelis hurt in south
Five Palestinians dead, at least 30 hurt as IAF strikes terrorist targets in Gaza
Right, left call for strong response to renewed Hamas rocket fire
Israeli delegation leaves Egypt; Gazans flee eastern neighborhoods, again
Obama orders strikes against ISIS in Iraq, citing threat of genocide
Hamas says executed Palestinians suspected of spying for Israel
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Miracle in Sderot: Rocket Hits House, But No Injuries
Two Wounded from Rocket Fire; IAF Retaliates
Report: Wife of Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto Missing in Argentina
US Airstrikes Hit ‘Islamic State’ Terrorists in Iraq
Proposal: Strengthen Communities near Gaza, Sderot
Rockets Fired as Truce Breaks; Talks Continue
Ministers Call for Israel to Respond to Rockets
Hamas, Islamic Jihad Refuse to Extend Ceasefire
Iran and West to Hold Talks Before UNGA
Erdogan Tells Female Journalist to ‘Know Your Place’
SnyderTalk Comment: I thought Erdogan was evil. He may be just stupid. Thankfully, he said it before the election. We’ll see.
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Another casualty of the war: Journalism
In front of CNN, hundreds protest anti-Israel media bias
Boston city hall scene of 3,000-strong Israel rally
LA leaders hold moment of silence in solidarity with Israel
Attorney sues Kerry, Hagel over Israel aid
Some Gazans Want Hamas to Resume Fighting
Rocket hits Sderot home after Hamas ends truce, IDF strikes targets across Gaza
Tunnels still intact, say Hamas, Al-Jazeera
IDF indiscriminately killing in Gaza? Data says no
Analysis: Why is the US on the sidelines as Cairo talks collapse?
SnyderTalk Comment: Good question. Remember, Obama and Kerry were instrumental is setting the stage for Operation Protective Edge, and left to their own devices, they would have given Hamas more than they hoped for. I’m just guessing, but I think Obama wants a better deal for Hamas than Egypt is willing to offer.
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Ebola-infected American doctor releases statement from isolation: ‘I am growing stronger every day’
Iraq jihadist offensive sparks mass Christian exodus
Dearborn residents on terrorist watch list second only to New York
Obama: Hamas Deliberately Sites Rocket Launchers in Population Centers
Archbishop: Hamas Fired Out of Our Church in Gaza (VIDEO)
Netanyahu: Hamas’ Human Shield Strategy Is a Test for the Civilized World
F/A-18 jets dropped 500-pound laser guided bombs on ISIL
Obama allows limited airstrikes on ‘barbaric’ ISIS
SnyderTalk Comment: I’ve heard just about enough from self-seeking politicians in Turkey—including Prime Minister Erdoğan.
Israel to UN: Hamas Must Be Disarmed, Gaza Must Be Demilitarized
SnyderTalk Comment: It sounds good, but it’s impossible to achieve. Hamas has proven one thing beyond a shadow of a doubt: it can smuggle weapons into Gaza under the noses of every country on the planet—including Israel. So can Hezbollah. Eliminating Hamas is a better idea. That sounds good, too, but it too is impossible to achieve. Islamists are like Hydra the many-headed serpent. Cut off one of its heads and another one steps in to fill the void. Yahweh is the solution, the only solution.
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Email Distribution List:
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Genesis 24: 28-41
28 Then the girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban; and Laban ran outside to the man at the spring. 30 When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “This is what the man said to me,” he went to the man; and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31 And he said, “Come in, blessed of Yahweh! Why do you stand outside since I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels?” 32 So the man entered the house. Then Laban unloaded the camels, and he gave straw and feed to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 But when food was set before him to eat, he said, “I will not eat until I have told my business.” And he said, “Speak on.” 34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 Yahweh has greatly blessed my master, so that he has become rich; and He has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and servants and maids, and camels and donkeys. 36 Now Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master in her old age, and he has given him all that he has. 37 My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; 38 but you shall go to my father’s house and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’ 39 I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman does not follow me.’ 40 He said to me, ‘Yahweh, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you to make your journey successful, and you will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house; 41 then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my relatives; and if they do not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’”
SnyderTalk Comment: Read His Name is Yahweh.
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His Name is Yahweh explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important. It’s available in eBook format and in paperback. It’s also available for free in PDF format.
- God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This [Yahweh] is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3: 15)
- “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know My power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahweh.” (Jeremiah 16: 21)
- “Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘Yahweh our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23: 5-6)
- Yeshua said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8: 58)
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The Palestinian Charter Still Calls for Israel’s Destruction
Click here to download the entire audio presentation for free and with no strings attached. Share it as often as you want.
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Blessings in the Book of Revelation is a book that you need to read, especially now. There are blessings throughout the Scriptures but Revelation is the only book in the Bible actually containing a specific blessing for reading it. It’s repeated twice, once at the beginning and again at the end. This is the reason that I believe Revelation should be the first step toward studying biblical prophecy. Though not easy to do, Revelation can be broken down and understood by anyone, not just the academic elite. So, Revelation’s blessings are for everyone. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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Other Books by Neil Snyder
- Stand! is a suspense novel that exposes the lies, corruption, and greed underlying the theory that man-made CO2 emissions are responsible for global warming. Professor Wes Carlyle and Karen Sterling, his research collaborator, carefully scan the audience for their would-be attacker—a member of the enviro-gestapo who has been following them for days. Wes spots his man in the back of the room leaning against the wall. Suddenly, another man in the audience steps forward and moves toward Karen at a menacing pace. With a vicious stroke, he swings a billy club at her head. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
- What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life? deals with a question that every Christian has to consider: what should I do with my life? Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
- Falsely Accused is a true story about a young woman who was accused of committing a double homicide. It’s about a travesty of justice, and it reveals Yahweh intervening in the life of a believer to rescue her from danger in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Everyone will enjoy the book, but young people in particular need to read it because the mistakes made that led to the problem could have been avoided. They were the kinds of mistakes that young people are prone to make. As they say, forewarned is forearmed. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
