1.
Why Is Russia Threatening to Deny Iran Enriched Uranium?
2. Iranian Leader
Says Pursue Nukes at All Cost
3. Olmert Offers Arabs More “Sweeping,
Painful” Concessions
4. Jailed Fatah Leader Barghouti Calls for
Million-Person March
5. Katushya Hit Haifa Refinery in Summer War
6. Summer Conflict Named Second Lebanon War
7. Four-Year-Old Girl
Vows to Be Suicide Terrorist
8. Poll Shows Israeli-Arab Holocaust Denial,
Support for Hizbullah
9. Jews Welcome Nisan, Hebrew Month of Redemption
10.
Turning Contaminated Water into Drinking Water Instantly
________________________________________________________________________________
1. Why Is Russia Threatening to Deny Iran Enriched Uranium?
Russian
President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have been pretty cozy
up until now. In recent years, Russia has built nuclear facilities for Iran, sold Iran
hundreds of millions of dollars worth of nuclear technology, trained over a thousand
Iranian nuclear scientists, run political interference for Iran at the United Nations over
the nuclear issue, and was due, this month, to deliver enriched uranium to Iran.
But
now Moscow is balking, and Tehran sounds testy. Poor Mahmoud, not a fun way to spend the
Persian New Year, fretting about how best to complete his nuclear weapons arsenal. The
Russians are claiming that Iran has failed to pay its bills for the nuclear reactor it’s
building at Bushehr. The Iranians say that’s nonsense. They claim they are all paid up
and that the Russians are just delaying—yet again.
“It is deplorable that there
has been a delay in launching the Bushehr plant,” said Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator
Ali Larijani, according to a report by Agence France Presse. “The Russians should keep
their promises on time. According to the initial contract, the plant was set to be
launched on July 8, 1999. It has been delayed five times.”
Mohammad Saeedi,
deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, says, “Iran has had no delay
whatsoever in making payments for the Bushehr nuclear power plant.” Nevertheless, the
New York Times is now reporting that: “Russia has informed Iran that it will withhold
nuclear fuel for Iran’s nearly completed Bushehr power plant unless Iran suspends its
uranium enrichment as demanded by the United Nations Security Council, European, American,
and Iranian officials said.
“The ultimatum was delivered in Moscow last week by
Igor Ivanov, Russia’s Security Council Secretary, to Ali Hosseini Tash, Iran’s deputy
chief nuclear negotiator, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because
a confidential diplomatic exchange between two governments was involved.”
What
does the Bush administration make of the sudden tensions between Russia and Iran?
“We’re not sure what mix of commercial and political motives are at play here,” one
senior Bush administration official in Washington told the New York Times. “But clearly
the Russians and the Iranians are getting on each other’s nerves—and that’s not all
bad.”
The Drudge Report has a banner headline in red tonight: “Russia Warns
Iran It Will Withhold Nuclear Fuel,” linked to the Times story. It is certainly an
interesting development, and one that’s had me curious for the last week or so, but
honestly, I’m not so sure it’s as dramatic as some—including Drudge and the
Times—seem to believe.
All indications thus far have demonstrated that Putin
believes Russia’s strategic interests lie in developing a military and economic alliance
with Iran, but Putin also wants it to be clear to Ahmadinejad—and to the West—who is
really in charge of this relationship. Thus, while this could eventually prove to be a
strategic change of direction for Russia, it is more likely a power play by the Kremlin to
remind Iran, the junior partner in this emerging alliance, just who’s the boss.
We’ll
likely have a somewhat better sense of the relationship between Putin and Ahmadinejad in
the next few days.The Iranian leader has requested a visa to come to the United States,
and the State Department has granted his request. Ahmadinejad wants to attend the UN
Security Council debates in New York over whether new economic sanctions will be imposed
on Iran. That should be interesting to watch.
(By Joel C Rosenberg, http://joelrosenberg.blogspot.com,
March 19, 2007)
Prayer Focus
The Lord knows what is in the heart of man,
and no matter what man devises, the Lord has the answer. Pray that God’s will be done as
recorded in Scripture.
Scripture
“And you, son of man, prophesy
against Gog, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the
prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal; and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing
you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. Then I will
knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right
hand”’” (Ezekiel 39:1–3).
________________________________________________________________________________ 2.
Iranian Leader Says Pursue Nukes at All Cost
Iran’s
top leader said Wednesday [March 21] that the Islamic Republic will continue to enrich
uranium and develop its nuclear power regardless of which actions the international
community takes.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated statements made by President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Iran will defy any mandate by the United Nations Security Council
to cease its nuclear development programs. Khamenei claimed that until now Iran has acted
in accordance with UN regulations.
(Arutz Sheva, March 22, 2007)
Prayer
Focus
God has an answer for the Iranian threat. It is no big deal to Him. Praise
God that we can trust His ability to deliver.
Scripture
“He shall
deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you” (Job 5:19).
________________________________________________________________________________ 3.
Olmert Offers Arabs More “Sweeping, Painful” Concessions
Just
how far he is prepared to go to keep his word is unclear, but a domestically increasingly
unpopular Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Thursday [March 21] messaged the
Israel-hating Palestinian Arabs that he is ready to make “sweeping, painful, and
tough” concessions to persuade them that Israel seriously seeks peace.
Olmert,
who according to nationwide surveys only has the support of two or three percent of the
Israeli electorate, appeared to be pinning his hopes of leaving a legacy on the
“Palestinians” snapping at, and swallowing, his bait.
The concessions he is
believed to be contemplating include the surrender of more Jewish lands to the Arabs and a
severing for all time of any Jewish claim to great swathes of Jerusalem, including the
Temple Mount. This would be in line with US expectations and international demands on
Israel.
The world rejects the Jews’ right to any of their biblical heartland
including their holiest site. Instead, it has become universally supportive of the Arab
claim that these lands are rightfully theirs.
Where left-wing Israeli politicians
once dismissed as unthinkable any notion of establishing a Palestinian state in the Land
of Israel, international pressure has successfully eroded that position so that today all
the political parties except for those on the extreme right endorse this idea. This
despite the fact that there has historically never been a Palestinian state nor a
Palestinian nation.
(By Stan Goodenough, Jerusalem Newswire, March 22, 2007)
Prayer
Focus
Pray that Israel will understand that the Land is God’s not theirs to give
away.
Scripture
“…therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Surely I
have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom,
who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and spiteful minds,
in order to plunder its open country’” (Ezekiel 36:5).
________________________________________________________________________________ 4.
Jailed Fatah Leader Barghouti Calls for Million-Person March
Jailed
Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti has called for preparations to be made for one million
Palestinians to demonstrate across the Palestinian territories. According to the
Palestinian Maan news agency, the occasion would be the 40th anniversary of the 1967 war,
the result of which was Israeli control over territory that was under Jordanian control
between 1948 and 1967. It is that land that the Palestinians claim for a future state.
In
part, the statement called for “the Palestinian people including all factions,
organizations, leaders, authorities, and the PLO [Palestine Liberation Organization]…to
transform this anniversary into an opportunity to renew unanimity in rejecting the
occupation and insist on resistance so as to achieve freedom, independence, and right of
repatriation.”
Barghouti, one of the most popular Palestinian leaders, is serving
five consecutive life terms for participation in terrorist murders in his role as head of
Tanzim, an armed unit of Fatah.
(The Media Line)
Prayer Focus
Pray
that Israel will realize the dangers in allowing a prisoner such as Barghouti the freedom
to communicate with his followers and that they will bar him from being able to make such
calls to the Palestinian populace.
Scripture
“Hear my voice, O God,
in my meditation; preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret plots
of the wicked, from the rebellion of the workers of iniquity” (Psalm 64:1–2).
________________________________________________________________________________ 5.
Katushya Hit Haifa Refinery in Summer War
Almost
eight months after the war, it was revealed that a major disaster was avoided as a rocket
falling on one of Israel’s most sensitive facilities landed in an open area, just
missing the chemical-filled containers.
“It was horrifying,” recalled one of
the refinery’s workers. “We saw the rocket flying into the refinery and approaching a
container holding tons of chemical substances.” Such an explosion could have caused a
leak of dangerous chemicals and led to hundreds of deaths in the Haifa area.
The
war severely affected the oil refineries’ financial situation, since their activity was
halted during the war, and routine maintenance work had to be put on hold and performed
later at a higher cost.
(By Tani Goldstein, Ynetnews.com, March 22, 2007)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3379838,00.html
Prayer
Focus
Praise God for His abundant mercy!
Scripture
“Your
mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds; Your
righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O LORD, You
preserve man and beast” (Psalm 36:5–6).
________________________________________________________________________________ 6.
Summer Conflict Named Second Lebanon War
Israel’s
conflict with Hizbullah last summer will now be referred to as The Second Lebanon War,
according to a decision by the Ministerial Committee for Symbols and Ceremonies on
Wednesday [March 21].
Earlier in the week, the committee decided to define the
conflict as a war. The government is expected to officially approve the term during its
weekly meeting on Sunday. The term has been accepted by the Israel Defense Forces and the
bereaved families.
The committee considered naming the conflict the War of the
North, or Shield of the North War, before finally deciding on The Second Lebanon War. The
committee wanted to have the name approved before this year’s Remembrance Day.
“The
most important thing is that we kept our commitment to ending this quickly and choosing a
name for the war,” said Minister Jacob Edery, chairman of the committee.
“After
seven months of waiting, there is finally a name for this war that can be used on the
graves of the fallen and on medals of honor. We committed to doing this quickly, and we
have,” he added.
Minister Eitan Cabel, also a committee member, said that The
Second Lebanon War was the most appropriate name for the war since it has already been
“burned into public conscience.” According to a Ynet poll, 77% of readers agreed that
the best name for last summer’s conflict was The Second Lebanon War.
(Ronny Sofer,
Ynetnews.com, March 22, 2007)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3379605,00.html
________________________________________________________________________________ 7.
Four-Year-Old Girl Vows to Be Suicide Terrorist
Hamas
TV broadcast today [March 21] a video dramatization of the four-year-old daughter of
female suicide bomber Reem Riyashi singing to her dead mother and vowing to follow in her
footsteps. The video clip ends as the little girl picks up sticks of explosives from her
mother’s drawer.
The Al Aqsa TV children’s program shows a child actress
playing the daughter, watching Riyashi preparing the bomb and asking her mother, “Mommy,
what are you carrying in your arms instead of me? A toy or a present for me?” She later
sees a TV news story about her mother’s suicide mission and death and realizes her
mother had been carrying a bomb.
“Only now, I know what was more precious than
us…” she sings of the bomb.
Although she misses her mother, she vows to follow in
her footsteps.
Background: “Reem Riyashi killed four Israelis and wounded seven
at the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel in 2004. She gained the sympathy of the
Israeli soldiers at the checkpoint by telling them that she had a metal plate in her leg
that would trigger the metal detector. After she was taken to a room to be searched
privately, she detonated the bomb hidden under her clothes.”
The following is the
text of the song that Duha, Reem’s daughter, sings to her mother:
[Daughter sees
mother preparing explosives sticks] “Mommy, what are you carrying in your arms instead
of me? [Mother turns to hide bomb]
A toy or a present for me? Mommy Reem! Why did you
put on your veil? Are you going out, Mommy? Come back quickly, Mommy. I can’t sleep
without you, unless you tell me and Ubaydah [her brother] a bedtime story.”
[Daughter
sees mother's picture and news story about bombing on PA TV] “My mother, my mother, me
and Ubaydah are awake and waiting for you to come to put us to sleep. Me and Ubaydah, oh
Mommy, still need you to wipe our tears. Instead of me you carried a bomb in your hands.
Only now, I know what was more precious than us. May your steps be blessed and may you be
flawless for Jerusalem. Me and Ubaydah wish we were there with you.”
[Images of
her mother’s grave and the graves of other terrorists, including Aayat Al-Akhras,
17-year-old female suicide terrorist] “Send greetings to our Messenger [Muhammad] and
tell him: ‘Duha loves you.’ My love will not be [merely] words. I am following Mommy
in her steps. [Finds explosives that mother left in her drawer, picks up stick of
explosives] Oh Mommy, oh Mommy.”
(By Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook, Palestinian
Media Watch, March 21, 2007)
Prayer Focus
Pray for the Palestinian
children who have no way of knowing the truth unless God miraculously intervenes. God can
reveal Himself, even to children, so pray that He will do so throughout Judea and Samaria
(the West Bank) and Gaza.
Scripture
“Teach me Your way, O LORD, and
lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my
adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out
violence” (Psalm 27:11–12).
________________________________________________________________________________ 8.
Poll Shows Israeli-Arab Holocaust Denial, Support for Hizbullah
A
new Haifa University study reveals that, among Israeli Arabs, there is an alarming trend
of Holocaust denial, sympathy with Hizbullah, and belief that they will one day be
transferred out of Israel.
The survey, conducted by the university’s Dean of
Social Studies, Sammy Smooha, found that more than a quarter of Israel’s Arab citizens
believe the Holocaust never happened. The poll found that 28% shared that belief, and that
the percentage actually rose the more educated those asked were. Of college and
high-school grads, one third (33%) believe the Holocaust to be fiction.
Although
tens of thousands of Israeli Arabs were forced into bomb shelters during the war against
Hizbullah, nearly half (48%) believe that Hizbullah’s shelling of Israel’s northern
residents was justified. The same figure believe the kidnapping of Israel Defense Forces
reservists Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser was justified, and 90% consider Israel’s
bombing of Lebanon to have constituted war crimes.
Smooha, not known to be
sympathetic to the right wing, said he was surprised by the survey’s results. “One
would expect Israeli Arabs to be more pro-Israel due to the unique situation in the last
war. The war did not involve the Palestinians, and the Hizbullah rockets endangered their
lives and property too. The aggressor was a fundamentalist Islamic organization that most
Israeli Arabs do not support.”
The study found that 63% of Israeli Jews are
afraid to enter or drive through Arab towns or cities, while the same percentage of
Israeli Arabs believe Israel may transfer authority over their villages to the Palestinian
Authority. 60 percent fear that they will be transferred out of Israel en masse. 76
percent of Arabs believe that Zionism is racist, and 68 percent of Israeli Jews fear an
Israeli-Arab wave of violence.
(Excerpts of an article by Ezra HaLevi, Arutz Sheva,
March 18, 2007)
Prayer Focus
When the next war breaks out in Israel, will
Israeli Arabs just be an additional enemy Israel will have to face from within? According
to this poll, they could become a great threat to the safety of the Jewish people. Pray
that God will protect His people.
Scripture
“Plead my cause, O LORD,
with those who strive with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of
shield and buckler, and stand up for my help” (Psalm 35:1–2).
________________________________________________________________________________ 9.
Jews Welcome Nisan, Hebrew Month of Redemption
The
first commandment given to the nascent nation of Israel before the Exodus from Egypt was:
“This month [Nisan] shall be for you the first of the months” (Exodus 12:2). [The
first day of Nisan this year was Tuesday, March 20.] Nisan is the first month specifically
for the Jewish nation as it contains within it Pesach (Passover), the holiday in which the
exodus and birth of the Jewish nation took place and are recounted to the next generation.
Although
the Tanach [Gen—Mal.] numbers months from Nisan, Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year, is
observed six months later on the first of the month of Tishrei, as it is considered the
new year for all people and living creatures in the world. “By counting every month from
Nisan, we constantly commemorate the miracle that G-d performed when He took us out of
slavery,” the Ramban (Nachamnides) writes.
Rosh Chodesh Nisan is counted as the
new year for the purpose of counting the reign of the kings of Israel and the months on
the Hebrew calendar. Other new years are the first of Elul (for the tithing of animals)
and Tu B’Shvat, the 15th of Shevat (new year for trees, to determine when a given
tree’s fruit is first permitted for consumption). Rosh HaShanah, the first of Tishrei,
is the new year for counting years from creation and toward Shmita (Sabbatical) and Yovel
(jubilee) years.
Nisan is referred to in the Torah as “the month of the spring”
(Chodesh HaAviv) as well as “the month of the redemption” (Chodesh HaGeula). According
to the Talmud, all three patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—were born and passed away
during the month of Nisan. Dates of note in Nisan, with corresponding civil dates for this
year:
Nisan 1 (Tuesday, March 20): After a 7-day training period, the Mishkan
(Tabernacle) built by the Jews in the Sinai Desert following the Exodus began to be the
active center of worship. Aaron and his sons began serving as priests, the Divine Presence
began to dwell in the Mishkan, and special offerings were brought.
Nisan 7 (Monday,
March 26): Joshua dispatched two scouts across the Jordan River to Jericho in order to
gather intelligence in preparation for the entry into the Land of Israel and the
conquering of Jericho.
Nisan 10 (Thursday, March 29): The Prophetess Miriam, sister
of Moses, passed away at the age of 126, i.e. 39 years after the Exodus and exactly one
year before the Children of Israel entered the Land of Israel.
Nisan 10: The Jordan
River splits 40 years after the Red Sea split (Joshua 4), and the nation of Israel,
carrying the Holy Ark, crosses over into Israel opposite Jericho.
Nisan 13 (Sunday,
April 1): King Achashverosh of Persia endorsed the Amalekite Haman’s plan “to destroy,
kill, and annihilate all Jews, from young to old, infants and women, on a single day, on
the 13th day of the 12th month, the month of Adar,” sending out the decree to all 127
countries of the Persian Empire. Esther asked that a 3-day fast (Nisan 14–16) be
proclaimed during which the Jews would repent and pray for the success of her plan to
appeal to the King uninvited.
Nisan 14 (Monday, April 2): Fast of the Firstborn [a
Jewish tradition when firstborn sons fast in remembrance of the last plague when the
firstborn of Israel were saved, Exodus 12:12].
Nisan 15–21/22 (evening of Monday,
April 2 till evening of Monday, April 9 in Israel and through April 10 in the Diaspora):
Pesach (Passover). The Exodus occurred at midnight on the 15th.
Nisan 16 (Tuesday,
April 3): Esther appeared before King Achashverosh, despite not being summoned—a capital
crime.
Nisan 17 (Wednesday, April 4): Haman the Persian Amalekite was, himself,
hanged on the gallows he had specifically prepared for Mordechai the Jew.
Nisan 21
(Sunday, April 8): The Red Sea split for the Jewish people as they fled Egypt. The
Egyptians followed, but the water returned to its natural state, drowning them. The nation
of Israel sang the “Song at the Sea” celebrating the miracle. The song is recited
daily by Jews to this very day.
Nisan 27 (Saturday, April 14): Warsaw Ghetto
Uprising began on this day in 1943 and lasted 27 days, as Jewish fighters drove back Nazis
with the small arms cache they had managed to smuggle and amass. Yom HaShoah v’HaGevura
(Day of the Holocaust and of Courage) is observed on this day.
Nisan 28 (Sunday,
April 15): Crumbling of the walls of Jericho, conquered by the nation of Israel after
encircling the walls for seven days with the Holy Ark.
(Excerpts of an article by
Ezra HaLevi, Arutz Sheva, March 20, 2007)
Prayer Focus
Pray that God will
encourage the Jewish people during this Passover as they remember God’s miraculous
deliverance during the Exodus. Pray that they will have faith to believe that God can
miraculously deliver them from their enemies once again.
Scripture
“And
Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the
LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you
shall see again no more forever’” (Exodus 14:13).
________________________________________________________________________________ 10.
Turning Contaminated Water into Drinking Water Instantly
The
Sulis Personal Purification System (PPS) takes all the ingredients needed to transform
dirty water into clean water—whether it be for stranded hikers, soldiers in the field,
or victims of disasters—and has miniaturized the technology to fit into the top of a
cork that can be plugged into virtually any size bottle, container, or tap.
“Above
everything else, the product we’ve developed is going to save lives,” explained Yossi
Sandak, the CEO of Watersheer, the Israeli company that has developed the Sulis PPS.
“Over 1.6 million children under the age of five die each year in the undeveloped world
from drinking untreated water. What we have is a solution to reduce death in the world
that is not a medical solution, but simply providing people with clean drinking water.”
The
Sulis unit is lightweight and small (10 grams/0.35 ounce, 7 cm/2.7 inches) and is designed
to fit onto most universal bottles. According to Sandak’s partner, Ron Shani, the
founder, chairman, and vice president of Watersheer’s R&D division, the Sulis system
treats water from upper sources containing organic, biological, and chemical contaminates.
“The
problem is that there aren’t enough products in the humanitarian field that are
inexpensive enough and efficient enough to solve the problems of contaminated water—from
a biological and chemical standpoint,” Shani told ISRAEL21c.
The 39-year-old
engineer spent 12 years in public organizations and international companies in the field
of business development and building marketing and sales systems, but five years ago
decided to leave the high-tech world behind in order to “look for the next big thing.”
He says it was only natural that he gravitated toward the subject of water.
“I
was raised around water and water technology. For 40 years, my father developed water
technologies and infrastructure, so I’m no stranger to the field. With Sulis, it’s
simple, quick, and you don’t need any additional energy source. And anybody can do it.
In a minute, you go from undrinkable water to pure drinking water. And for someone in a
life-threatening situation, that time is crucial.”
Sandak, a former general in
the Israeli Air Force, added that another improvement on existing purification systems is
the taste of the water produced. “In a survival situation, you need to be drinking a lot
of water. The problem is that, with other systems, the process creates water that tastes
awful, so you end up drinking the minimum. With Sulis, you can drink freely, and the
taste, if I must say so, is excellent,” he told ISRAEL21c.
“It’s really a
universal solution for the military, humanitarian, and outdoors market,” said Sandak.
“We now have an alpha version, and we expect to begin mass producing the Sulis in June.
For military or government use, the system will need to be brought back to the lab for
testing and approval, but for travelers, it will be available on the market.”
Sandak
added that the company is looking for investors in order to open a production plant in
Sderot once orders start pouring in. While they don’t affix an actual price to the
system, Shani and Sandak say that the Sulis will cost no more “than a large coffee and
cake at Starbucks.” Considering one Sulis cork can purify 1,000 liters [264 gallons] of
water before being replaced, that’s quite a bargain.
(David Brinn, Israel 21c,
March 18, 2007) |
