I take an intense interest in Israeli affairs and of all the material I digest, I have found the simple emailed newsletter of Vision for Israel to be the best. Log onto www.visionforisrael.com to see what this great organization is doing and you can subscribe to their marvelous, barebones newsletter while you are there. I've copied a sample of this newsletter below. By the way, notice what the Palestinian Authority is up to these days. And don't forget to contribute if you subscribe. Enjoy.

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JERUSALEM-ON-THE-LINE

News Update November 17^th 2009

JNN NEWS, P.O. Box 7411, Jerusalem 91073, Israel

PALESTINIANS THREATEN TO DECLARE STATEHOOD WITH UN BACKING: Despite Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's repeated requests to restart direct peace talks, senior Palestinian officials at the weekend declared Israel does not want to reach an accord, and threatened to unilaterally declare Palestinian independence. The Palestinian Authority is considering approaching the UN Security Council about recognizing a Palestinian declaration of independence in all of Judea and Samaria and the eastern half of Jerusalem. (Israel Today)

NETANYAHU WARNS PA NOT TO UNDERTAKE UNILATERAL MOVES: Prime Minister Netanyahu said Sunday the only way the Palestinian Authority would achieve anything was through negotiations around the bargaining table. Addressing threats the PA was planning to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state in areas of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, Netanyahu stated "there is no substitute for negotiations between Israel and the PA.  Any other side path will just disembowel the framework agreements we already have, and will only lead to unilateral actions on the part of Israel.”  The US on Monday also reaffirmed its support for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through negotiations, in its first official response to Palestinian threats to declare statehood without Israeli consent. (INN/Ha’aretz)  

LIEBERMAN: PA PLAYING UGLY ‘DOUBLE GAME’ WITH ISRAEL: Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Monday accused the Palestinian Authority of playing an "ugly and double game," by seeking Israel's support in crushing the Hamas terrorist group while submitting simultaneous complaints to the international community. "During Operation Cast Lead, the Palestinian Authority pressured us to crush Hamas," Lieberman said.  "Then, a month later, they submitted a complaint against us to the International Criminal Court in The Hague."  Even before the Goldstone Commission published its condemning report about Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, said Lieberman, "there were a thousand complaints against Israel at the ICC, a large number of them encouraged by the PA.” (Ha’aretz)  “I am a man of peace; but when I speak, they are for war.”  Ps 120:7

SYRIA TURNS DOWN DIRECT TALKS WITH ISRAEL: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's offer of direct peace talks with Syria was rebuffed on Friday. Syrian President Bashar Assad insisted since peace negotiations must focus on Israel's relinquishing the Golan Heights to Syria, direct talks between himself and Netanyahu would be fruitless. (Israel Today)  From the western Golan, it is some 60 miles to Haifa and Acre, Israel's industrial heartland. The Golan also overlooks Israel's richest agricultural region. From 1948-67, when Syria controlled the Golan Heights, it used the area as a military stronghold from which its troops randomly targeted Israeli civilians. In a surprise attack on Yom Kippur 1974 the Syrians overran the Golan Heights before being repulsed by Israel’s military forces.  After the war, Syria signed a disengagement agreement that left the Golan in Israel's hands.  For the Jewish state, relinquishing the Golan to a hostile Syria, along with many other dangers, could jeopardize its early-warning system against surprise attack.

EGYPT WARNS OF IRANIAN MANEUVERS: Egypt has issued a warning about Iran's growing potential to change the balance of power in the Middle East. Cairo's suspicions are based on an estimate of the Iranian regime's intentions to spread its Islamic Revolution to Shi'ite and Sunni states and communities in the region - including those in Egypt. The concern was discussed at a conference held in Cairo late last month, at which experts evaluated the entire Iranian strategic threat to the region. (Arutz 7) Pray for the spread of the gospel in Islamic nations.

IRAN: WE COULD PRODUCE OUR OWN MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM: Iran will soon be able to produce an advanced missile defense system itself if Russia does not deliver it to the Islamic Republic. The warning by Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who heads the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee, was the latest sign of growing irritation in Tehran over what it sees as Moscow's failure to fulfill a missile sales agreement. Moscow, which is under Western pressure to distance itself from Iran over its disputed nuclear ambitions, has not followed through on proposals to supply high-grade S-300 air defense missiles to the Islamic Republic. The S-300 missile systems could inflict significant damage on US or Israeli forces were they to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. (Reuters)

HASSAN CALLED HIMSELF ‘SOLDIER OF ALLAH’: Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan called himself a "soldier of Allah" on business cards found in his residence after the shooting rampage at Fort Hood in which he is accused of murdering 13 people. The cards were among numerous discoveries in Hasan's apartment of interest to investigators, who also are looking into whether Hasan wired money to Pakistan before the recent massacre. (Fox)

SCHWARZENEGGER TO SIGN COOPERATION TREATY WITH ISRAEL: Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger are set to sign an document of understandings regarding industrial cooperation in the field of renewable energy. The agreement with California will advance cooperation between the State of Israel and California in the renewable energy and environmental technologies fields, by creating partnerships between Israeli firms that specialize in these fields and California industries and municipalities. (INN)

OFFICIALS SAY HAREDI VIOLENCE WILL NOT SOLVE SABBATH STRUGGLE: Intel on Sunday said it had no plans to close its Jerusalem facility on Saturdays, despite violent protests by ultra-Orthodox Jews who accuse the chip maker of desecrating the Jewish Sabbath. About 1,500 protesters, dressed in traditional black hats and long coats, demonstrated outside the factory over the weekend. Trade Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer said such violence and vandalism would not be tolerated by the government. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat also came out in support of Intel on Sunday, encouraging it to continue its work in the city. (Ha’aretz) “Pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.”  Ps 73:6

MEETING ISRAEL’S NEEDS DURING INCREASINGLY TROUBLED TIMES: The National Insurance Institute's annual Poverty Report released Nov. 2009, paints an extremely grim picture: There are 1,651,300 needy people living in Israel, including 783,600 children. Hardship is mounting. Please continue to enable us to assist terrorist victims, entire households suffering from poverty, the elderly and others in need in Israel. Your donations are needed and welcomed at www.visionforisrael.com Make your online donation today. For residents in the UK and outside North America you can visit www.josephstorehouse.co.uk  If you prefer to send your donation by check, you can mail it in to the Israel address or the addresses in the USA and the UK or one of our other branches in The Netherlands and Germany:        

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