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** Gog and Magog?
25 August 2023
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Iran is responsible for growing chaos in the Palestinian-controlled territories. The situation in the territories that are controlled (or supposed to be controlled) by the Palestinian Authority is becoming more volatile by the day.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) – who is also leader of Fatah, Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO – that aims to annihilate the Jewish State of Israel) and so-called “President of the State of Palestine” (that does not exist) - is now 87 years old. He no longer has legitimacy amongst his own people.

There is increasing opposition to the PA in Palestinian society. According to polls, 80% of Palestinians want Mr. Abbas to resign, and 50% say the PA’s dissolution is in their interest. PA security services attempting to regain control of the Jenin refugee camp, a militia stronghold, were met this month with armed resistance. Taylor Luck writes that “Even in Ramallah – a gentrified suburbia of shopping malls and chic cafes and the PA seat of power since Oslo – its grip is rapidly loosening.”

There is no succession plan for Abbas. What happens when he dies is unknown. There is a real possibility that the PA will implode, and Palestinian society will descend into chaos and civil war.

All of this is deeply related to the role of Iran in the region. According to a recent report published by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA), “the battle in the West Bank, and Jenin specifically, is not an Israeli-Palestinian conflict per se but part of a more significant Iranian-Israeli conflict, part of Iran’s plans to support and build up terror capabilities along Israel’s borders and in Gaza and the West Bank.”

For Israel this presents a dilemma – to support the PA, and/or to prepare for a future without the PA? The Israeli Cabinet decided in July to “work to avoid the collapse of the Palestinian Authority.” No plan has yet emerged.

Accordingly, it is important that Western governments recognize the dilemma’s facing the State of Israel. Instead of constantly criticizing Israel, they should look at the region as a whole, not at the “Israeli-Palestinian conflict” in isolation.

From a Biblical perspective, we should keep our eyes on Iran and Russia (and their allies). Remember that Israel and the Jewish people will face attack from the north. The prophecy of the conflict of “Gog and Magog” described in Ezekiel 38 has yet to be fulfilled. It remains to be seen who the forces referred to in this chapter will be. Nevertheless, it can hardly be doubted that modern-day Iran (ancient Persia) will be part of this alliance of nations from the north that will seek to invade Israel.

The Editorial Team - Israel & Christians Today

Why Palestinian self-government is unraveling under President Abbas

Taylor Luck writes at Christian Science Monitor: Mr. Arafat’s successor, Mahmoud Abbas, whose elected mandate ended 14 years ago, has shut off the Mukataa and PA, the institutional embodiments of Palestinian autonomy, to everyone but himself and his inner circle. And while the succession process triggered by the passing of Mr. Arafat was an orderly affair that followed a nascent constitution and political consensus, plans for succeeding the 87-year-old Mr. Abbas are far from clear. Jassir Ghafri, one of hundreds of young Palestinians who have been driven from Fatah in recent years, says: “We have a crisis in leadership and a crisis of ideas. There are no visions on where to go from here or how to improve our lives,” he says. Thanks to Mr. Abbas’ crackdowns, “we have no national project, no vision, no direction. Only arms.”
Read more ([link removed])

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Jenin, Psychological Warfare, and the West’s Perceptual Failure

Aviram Baleishe writes at JCPA: “There is a clear need to change the false narrative of young Palestinian freedom fighters struggling against the “Zionist occupier” to a more accurate narrative that reflects a carefully planned, Iranian regime-backed initiative that supports and directs Palestinian terror activity from the West Bank against Israeli civilians.”
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Australia must do more about Iran

Oved Lobel writes at AIJAC: “Instead of focusing solely on Israeli–Palestinian issues, Australian pressure should also be directed towards the Iranian regime over its piracy, terrorism, nuclear program, regional destabilisation, weapons proliferation and material support for Russia.”
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Interview with Tal Hartuv | Terror attack survivor

In 2010, Tal Hartuv survived a horrific attack in Israel in which her friend, Christine Luken, was killed. In this interview she shares her personal story and, how she dealt with the loss of her dear friend. The interview also includes a part of the documentary ‘Black Forrest’, showing Tal going back to the crime scene. Today, Tal is mainly active as speaker and writer.

Watch Here ([link removed])


** SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK:
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** Ezekiel 38:1-6; 14-16
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The word of the Lord came to me:
^2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him
^3 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal.
^4 I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords.
^5 Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets,
^6 also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you.

^14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it?
^15 You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army.
^16 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.

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