HERE IS THE LATEST "NEWS FROM ISRAEL" FROM MY VERY GOOD FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE DAVID HOYLE!!

News from Israel by David Hoyle April 20^th 2016

Anti-Semitism continues to flourish & grow worldwide.  It is tragic to record that Jewish people & Israel are becoming increasingly isolated, persecuted & vilified on almost every land.  In the Jewish press in our own country the headlines almost weekly are concerned with events of an anti-Semetic nature in the UK.  Last week the headline in the Jewish Telegraph read, “Corbyn backs race-row Piers” (his brother) who had defended his brother's “Zionist” slur against a Jewish MP Louise Ellman.  Mrs Ellman had called for a clampdown on anti-Jewish prejudice in the Labour Party.  Piers Corbyn called her request absurd & Jeremy stated Piers was right.  

Piers also said “Zionists can't cope with anyone supporting rights for Palestinians.”  Mrs Ellman has long been targeted by the hard left: at a recent meeting her opponents suggested Israel was supporting ISIS & that Israeli forces were were covertly operating with Jihadis. Mrs Ellman drew attention in the House of Commons to the tunnels being built  by Hamas into Israel & the same critic drew a sick parallel with the tunnels built by the Jews trying to escape from the Warsaw Ghetto during the 2^nd World War.

The previous week the headline in the same newspaper read “Assurances not enough”.  Mrs Ellman was calling for more action against anti-semitism & less talk.  Mr Corbyn constantly states he abhors anti-semitism but his shadow chancellor John McDonnell admits the Labour party has a problem with it. Labour MP Wes Streeting said “too many of our Jewish Members think the Labour Party is apologetic to anti-Semitism & isn't a place for Jewish members.”    

Michael Foster whose family have donated 400K to the Labour Party said “Mr Corbyn clearly leans toward Hamas”.  

He went on “People, like those in his party he will not confront, see Jews as all controlling demagogues, malevolent rich demons intent on committing incremental genocide against the Palestinians”. 

One non Jewish man who has been a Labour member for 40 years said that when he defended Mrs Ellman he was called “A Jewish Chronicle reading Zionist fascist”.   That the level of Jew hate was terrifying. 

America  Actor Michael Douglas & Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky teamed up to combat growing anti Semitism & the Boycot, Divestment & Sanctions movement (BDS) on US campuses.  Mr Douglas described the BDS movement as an “ugly cancer”.  This movement is of course rampant in our own country.  A few years ago I met Mr Sharansky in London who said to me. “Please ask your friends to pray for us, that's what we need & it helps”!

There is concern in Israel over who will be America's next President.  Very few want Hilary Clinton but there is concern how supportive the unpredictable Mr Trump would be.  God will have the last word!

Judea & Samaria (West Bank)  Soda Stream has sacked it's last 74 Palestinian workers.  The BDS movement have forced them to move from Mishos Adumin, a settlement in Judea to Lehavim in Southern Israel.  500 Palestinians have thus lost their jobs & the last 74 were denied extended work permits.  In order to achieve their ends the BDS movement hired the actress Scarlett Johansson as a spokeswoman. 

In Britain the company closed it's Brighton store after weekly protests & John Lewis has removed Soda Stream products from it's shelves.

Ahava, the Dead Sea products manufacturer has been sold to China for £54,047,000.  The Far East conglomerate will wholly own Ahava, which makes skin products from Dead Sea minerals.  They hope to extend it's market as well as tapping the growing market in China itself.  They may also move the factory from the West Bank, again because of the BDS opposition.  All my groups to Israel have visited this factory close to Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered.  This would mean a settlement lost it's main source of income! 

Gaza  Israelis living on the southern border are used to the sound of underground drilling waking them at night the Palestinians continue to tunnel under the border.  The heavy winter rains have killed 12 Palestinians through tunnels collapsing & yet another tunnel collapsed this week.

Cement for the tunnels is smuggled through Sinai & passes to Gaza through tunnels built under the Egyptian border. Egypt's President Sisi hates Hamas & has destroyed hundreds of tunnels but many that remain are so sophisticated they can even take cars & animals through!  America is assisting Israel to confront this problem & would like to see a solution that would help them with their Mexican border. 

Terror Attacks  Mr Netanyahu states he is “cautiously optimistic” by a drop in terrorist attacks.  However whilst stabbings have decreased, security personnel disrupt emerging plots in the West Bank on a nightly basis.

Travel  Israel has warned its citizens to take great care in travelling to Europe & North America, to be vigilant & extra careful among crowds.  Last week they put out an advisory to all Jewish visitors to Turkey to leave!  Sinai too is under severe threat warnings.  Many Israelis like to go to Sinai only a couple of miles from Eilat as Eilat is much more expensive than Egypt.

Jerusalem  was rocked by a rush hour bomb on a bus.  21 people were injured, 2 seriously.  This happened during the evening rush hour in a busy area of the city, Talpiov.  The explosion set fire to a second bus & several cars.  Hamas has claimed responsibility.  

New York  An Israeli tourist who fell asleep on a subway bench in Manhattan was stabbed in the neck, hands & arms.  Dressed in Hasidic clothing & on his way to the diamond district he had lost his way.  

Golan Heights  Mr Netanyahu has vowed that the Golan Heights would “forever” remain in Israel's hands as he took the cabinet there for a meeting.  He was allaying any fears that Israel would give in to pressure to vacate the Golan and abandon its 20,000 Jews there.

UK Universities  The Chairman of Oxford University Labour Club has resigned because of its anti Semitism & poisonous attitude to minorities, also because of its support for a series of lectures against Israeli settlements & for Israel Apartheid Week.  Mr Chalmers who made the protest is not Jewish!  At the School of Oriental Studies the Jewish Society President said she was “too scared to go anywhere” after students voted to academically boycott Israel.  Earlier this year an Israeli speaker cut short his lecture at Kings College London due to violent demonstrations by pro Palestinian activists.  A Jewish student told the student newspaper Tab that their schools were advising Jewish students not to go to certain universities.

Iron Dome  Israel's anti missile system is now reported to be much superior to that introduced 5 years ago.  Along with David's Sling is Israel's other defence system, almost any incoming rockets can now be intercepted.

Tarfzq Abbass son of the Palestinian President Mahmood Abbass has an investment of $982,000 in an investment company according to the Panama Papers.  Where did that come from?

Donald Trump  said last week “In my opinion Barak Obama has been tremendously disloyal to Israel & yet my Jewish friends go out & fund raise for him all the time.  Some day they will explain to me what they are doing”.  

Iran is planning to buy war planes from Russia.  Discussions are ongoing.

Samaria  Whilst Israelis were asleep IDF forces were hard at work in Samaria locating illegal weapons. They discovered M16 assault rifles, pistols, bullets, night vision goggles, binoculars & other military equipment.

Germany  At a time of rising anti Semitism in Germany Jews look on the influx of Arab Muslims with concern.  Whilst in favour of not closing Germany's borders to refugees, they ask, will it bring more anti Israel sentiment?

As we look around the world & see anti Semitism on every hand & see the line up of the nations we must surely agree that as in the days of Belshazzar & the fall of Babylon “the writing is on the wall”.  Jesus is coming soon.  Are you ready? Everything points to the fact that soon we shall be with the Lord – if we trust in Him.  Israel's growing isolation, according to scripture is our most compelling sign of the King's coming.  Watch Israel “God's Prophetic Clock” but above all keep looking up!

David