Canaanites in Gaza

As Michael Oren pointed out this week, three-fourths of the members of the United Nations have recognized a “state of Palestine.” He called on the remaining nations not to fall into that trap.

Yet therein lies Israel’s international problem, and explains why the government won’t move in and utterly wipe out Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The world wouldn’t like it.

Interestingly, Israel is enjoying closer ties with a number of countries, ranging from Gulf States to South America. Argentina just issued a statement pointing the finger at Hamas as the culprit in violence in Gaza. According to the Jerusalem Post:

“BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — In a sign of Buenos Aires’ changing attitude toward Israel, the Argentine Foreign Ministry has issued a statement that seems to put the blame for recent clashes between the Israeli military and Hamas squarely on the Palestinians.

“Referring to the recent escalation in tensions that has seen Hamas fire hundreds of rockets into Israeli territory and the Israelis carry out numerous retaliatory strikes against Hamas outposts and fighters, Friday’s statement expressed its ‘deep concern’ over the violence, which it said was ‘caused by the launch of rockets towards Israel.’

“Relations between Argentina and Israel have warmed significantly since the 2015 election of President Mauricio Macri. He replaced Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, under whose leadership bilateral ties frayed significantly. In 2010 Kirchner recognized Palestine as a ‘free and independent state.’”

Hamas is a demonic, murderous group that is raining-down rockets on Israeli communities. According to a report from the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center:

“As part of the summer camps for children and youth that are held annually, this year Hamas also organized summer camps at facilities and outposts of the Hamas military wing throughout the Gaza Strip. The camps opened on August 6, 2018, and are called Pioneers of the Liberation. The camps are held in two sessions (morning and evening). The instructors are military operatives, members of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, and the participants are children and youths, some of them in uniform, mainly the older ones.”

This is beyond sick. This kind of child abuse is tolerated by the international community. It is as good an indication as any that mankind is incapable of lifting up humanity. Only God can intervene and stop this evil.

The Netanyahu government, as all previous governments, operates with restraint. Israel could destroy Hamas in a few weeks’ time, but holds back so that diplomatic tensions and pressures don’t become too great.

One day they will. It won’t have any effect of course, but I call on the Israeli government to wholly destroy Hamas. Further from the Amit Center:

“Hamas and other terrorist organizations attach great importance to shaping the consciousness of and providing military training to the children and youth growing in the Gaza Strip, from preschool age to graduation from university. From Hamas’s perspective, this is intended to create a new generation of operatives, which will be integrated into the movement’s political, military and governmental activities and will guarantee its long-term rule over the Gaza Strip.

“Hamas inculcates radical ideology among the new generation: hatred of Israel, the ‘liberation’ of all of Palestine through a military struggle, the values of radical Islam according to the Muslim Brotherhood, and the return of the Palestinian refugees to ‘Ashdod, Yavne, Jaffa, Acre, Lod, Ramla and all the villages in Palestine’ (from a speech by Fathi Hamad, former interior minister of the Hamas de-facto administration, at the opening ceremony of training camps held at high schools, Al-Rai; Filastin Al-‘Aan, January 7, 2014).”

This insanity is, as you notice, dooming future generations. And, though this is a topic for another time, certain evangelical leaders like Bob Roberts Jr. and Ed Stetzer have cozied up to Muslim Brotherhood operatives, which is unconscionable. So the whole of the international community believes the Jews are to blame.

This is setting up a terrible day of reckoning for them, as they doom themselves by treating God’s Chosen People with contempt.

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com

Fiends in the Heartland

I’ve written recently about the “Christ at the Checkpoint” conference that is now opening a branch/front in the U.S. From October 15-18, in Oklahoma City, this diabolical group of anti-Israel, pro PLO narrative activists has now released a speaker’s list.

It’s a Who’s Who of Christian Palestinianists, including Gary Burge, Bob Roberts Jr., the overtly anti-Semitic Stephen Sizer, and Gerald McDermott. The latter is from Beeson Divinity School and is the only participant who is not anti-Israel/anti-Jew. In fact, McDermott has contributed good literature making the case for Christian Zionism.

My quibble with his participation is, as with other CATC conference speakers like Michael Brown, the PLO hacks organizing the event will use his participation as propaganda. As in, “Well, we’ve invited these Christian Zionist speakers in the interest of fair and balanced.”

The CATC is anything but fair and balanced, though. Theologically and politically, they insert their anti-Jew worldview into the Arab-Israeli conflict. This is of course being mainstreamed within Evangelicalism and, to date, no evangelical leader in America will denounce it.

Not one.

Think about that.

It grieves me that the conference will take place in my hometown. But to give you some historical perspective, Oklahoma City for decades has been home to pro Israel ministries like Southwest Radio Church and Prophecy in the News.

Can I be frank? Ministries like this are slipping in popularity due to the cultural changes we see now sweeping over the land. Noah Hutchings and J.R. Church would have led the fight against CATC in the heartland, but they are gone. That’s why the moment is right for hate groups like CATC to infiltrate (invade?) traditional strongholds for Israel.

They’re not meeting in New York City or Washington. They are meeting in Oklahoma City. The anti-Israel denomination the United Methodist Church is helping them, and I’m not aware of any pastors or ministries in the area opposing this grotesque conference.

I hope McDermott says some good things, but sadly, this will be seen as more talking-across-the-aisle and dialogue. All the while, from John Hagee to Ronnie Floyd to John MacArthur to Chuck Swindoll to…name several more…no one will condemn this anti-Semitic confab.

Among the other speakers is Bob Roberts Jr., pastor of the (Baptist) NorthWood Church in Keller, TX. Roberts engages in dangerous interfaith dialogue with our enemies, including the Muslim Brotherhood and Iranian imams.

Why is Roberts not called-out by fellow pastors and ministry leaders?

Mae Cannon, now director of Churches for Middle East Peace (an Israel-bashing group), was formerly with World Vision. She has also been, according to the website’s bio, “Director of Development and Transformation for Extension Ministries at Willow Creek Community Church (Barrington, Illinois), and as a consultant to the Middle East for child advocacy issues for Compassion International.”

Willow Creek? She cut her teeth on anti-Israel activism with Bill and Lynn Hybels. And Compassion? This is how insidious anti-Israel work is within evangelicalism.

Compassion International does terrific work around the world. They bring relief, especially to children. Their efforts are and should be applauded.

But by allowing people like Mae Cannon in the tent, it broadens her reach. When she does have private conversations with people in such organizations, inevitably the Middle East will come up. And inevitably people will hear that Israel brutally occupies the poor, defenseless Palestinians.

Now more of this sludge will be pumped into Middle America, via this conference in October.

Soft dialogue and reaching across the aisle and hesitancy to name names and problems has brought this about.

Pray for Israel, especially during this time, during the conference. Pray for the people who hear these messages, that the Israel-hate speech will not penetrate their hearts.

Oh, you’ll understand I’m sure that almost all the speakers at the OKC conference also despise the teaching of Bible prophecy.

This is a spiritual war that is raging.

I will support the Jews with the last breath in my body.

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com