My husband and I were watching one of the nature channels, where they had a show called, Hunter and The Hunted.  And they were showing tigers in this particular scene.  And what struck me was how the hunter gets so focused on one particular target and goes after it.  Seeing absolutely nothing else.  The tiger had his eye set on this particular deer and all these other deer were right there, much easier to catch than what he had his eye on.  But he kept focused, determined to catch what he caught sight of failing to see all the other deer.  And God said to me, sometimes we can be so focused on something that we fail to see anything else around us.  And I said. “Wow.”  We get so focused on something and fail to see the blessing that is right before our very eyes.  That is right in our grasp.

And that can be a dangerous thing.  Because if our focus is not in the right place, we may end up with something that God did not desire us to have in the first place.  And as I put this together I hear the Spirit speak of relationships.  Sometimes people zoom in on a person, for all the wrong reasons, but they want them so badly, that they fail to see anything else.  They fail to see how that person may be treating someone else.  They fail to see how the person overreacts because someone stepped on their toe or they waited too long in line at the grocery store.  Or even the fact that they may have some baggage that you were not quite ready for.  But for whatever reason, the relationship does not last AND you end up hurting, in more ways than one.  Nine times out of10, it is because your focus was in the wrong place.  So it’s important that we focus on the right thing, otherwise we may miss what God has for us.  We may miss the blessing that is right before our very eyes but are somehow failing to see.

But that wasn’t the best part… God had me to say it again…. “Sometimes we can be so focused on something that we fail to see anything else.”  And I said, “Okay, Lord…, what?”  God said say it again.  And I said, “Sometimes we can be so focused on something that we fail to see anything else.”  And I still did not get it.  So He said say it again but this time change it around.  And as I began to say it again, “Sometimes we can be so focused on something…. How, Lord, change it how?”  And He said, sometimes you can get so focused on something that you fail to see anything else.  FOCUS ON ME.  Sometimes you can get so focused on ME, that you fail to see anything else!”

And that’s when I got the revelation.   Hallelujah!  If we get focused on God, we will fail to see anything else.  If we get focused on God, we will fail to see the faults of others.  We will fail to yield to our flesh.  If we get focused on the Word, we will fail to believe the tricks of the enemy.  If we get so focused on doing the Word, we will fail to do anything contrary to it.  If we get so focused on the Will of God, we will fail at doing things our own way.   If we get so focused on God, we won’t fail at having the life of victory that He promised is ours! 

And I can’t even remember whether or not that tiger got the deer that he wanted, but most of the time, whatever we focus on we will receive. 

God is so good.  If we would just keep Him in focus, nothing else will truly matter.  Because our focus will be where it should be.  Our focus will be on the right thing and it will get us the RIGHT things. 

Bless the Lord!  God is real, even in the Animal Kingdom, and He loves you.  Get Him in focus.

A servant of the Lord,

Sis. E

Praise the Lord, saints of God!

I want you to know today that God cares about you so much.  He desires that you be in health even as your soul prospers.  He desires that you be strengthened and encouraged.   He wants you to walk in total victory over the enemy.  That whatever he may throw your way you will be able to overcome.  Because God has given you the power to do so.  He taught you how.  We just got to remember that and do what we were taught to do.

I start off there because God just dropped that in my spirit as I began to write what He had given me over the last few days.  God is real.  And He just wants to love on us and let us know just how real He is and just how much He cares about our walk with Him. 

Many of you know that my daughter Jasmine recently graduated from Pitt and has since been accepted into Harvard Law School and God blessed my husband and I to be able to purchase a brand new Mini-Cooper for her, to celebrate her and let her know just how godly proud we are of her accomplishments.  It was something that she desired since she was a freshman in high school and the joy on her face when she received it was unspeakable!   She could not be thankful enough and it was all over her.  And as I saw that, God said to me, “Imagine how I feel when I have granted you the desire of your heart, and you express your gratitude.”   And all I could say was, “Wow!”  Just to glimpse of the Father’s love for me, what an awesome thing!   But in the same instant realize the magnitude of the hurt He feels when He gives us a good thing and we’re ungrateful, or we act like it’s nothing, or we were supposed to have it, or even squander it. 

Anyway, I mention all this, one because I just have to testify of the Lord’s goodness!  Because God is good and He is worthy of all praise and honor and glory for the great things He does for the children of men!  And two, to bring you to my point of writing in the first place.

I had the privilege of riding with Jas in her mini back to Pittsburgh as she sets herself to enjoy some of her summer with her friends, and for anybody that knows her, knows that she likes to listen to old music, I mean some from the 60s, 70s and 80s.   Her favorite being Michael Jackson, of course.  Well, she shared the honor of allowing me to listen to Going Back To Indiana and Rockin’ Robin to name a few and I did without saying much, as I realized that I was in her space and I actually enjoyed listening.   But then after awhile (bless the Lord!) she played my kind of music… gospel!  And my soul was blessed for the remainder of the 5 ½ hour ride. 

But anyway, a particular song came on, “Oh Happy Day,” a familiar song, heard many many times before.  But this version was from the movie, Sister Act II.  And I really got the chance to actually listen to it.  Sometimes we can hear things without listening.  Just like see things without watching.  But it is something about being still, with nothing else to do to distract you, but to listen.   Hear what I am saying.  The Scripture says, “Be still and know that I am God.”   The Holy Ghost had me just where I needed to be.  It had been some kind of couple of weeks for me, but here I was.  Still. (Oh, the Father’s love for me).  Ready to listen.  Ready to hear.  Hallelujah!  And God began to speak to me through that song, and as I was listening to the words, the Holy Spirit began to minister.  

The song was playing and as I first began to hear the words, “Oh Happy Day, Oh Happy Day… when Jesus washed.   When He washed.   When Jesus washed.  He washed my sins away,”  almost immediately it grabbed my attention.   Jesus WASHED my sins away!  Thank You Lord!  But it didn’t stop there. 

Then the next verse said, “He taught me how, to watch, fight and pray!   Oh Happy Day!”   “Yes,” I said, “Jesus taught me how to WATCH, FIGHT AND PRAY! “  Some versions say, walk right and pray, some say, wash, fight and pray.  But whatever, the key is HE TAUGHT HOW TO DO IT.  How to watch.  “Be not ignorant of Satan’s devices “(2 Corinthians 2:11) “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong “(1 Corinthians 16:12-13).

He taught us how to fight.  Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”   He taught us how to pray, “Pray without ceasing.”  “When you stand praying, forgive…”  “Our Father which art in heaven.”   Hallelujah!  He taught us how!  Thank You Jesus!  But it didn’t stop there….

And then the song went on, and this is what really caught me….  He taught me, “And to live REJOICING… every day! “   Then I got the revelation!!!  Praise the Lord!   Jesus not only saved us and washed us and taught us how to watch, fight and pray.  But He taught us how to LIVE….. REJOICING!  How to live in victory!  How to live in joy!  In peace.  How to love LIFE!   Live rejoicing.  The Scripture says, “Rejoice in the Lord, always, and again, I say, rejoice!”  There’s a reason for that.  If we rejoice in the Lord, always, if we live REJOICING, we will not be defeated.  We will not be discouraged.  We will not be let down.  We will not lose!   We cannot lose.

Trouble can be on our every side.  The enemy can come in like a flood.  But the Lord will inhabit our praises.  He will inhabit our situation.  So the standard will be lifted against the enemy and he will not prevail.  The troubles will come and surround us, but no harm will come near us for God is with us!!   He said He inhabits the praises of His people.  If we are praising Him, if we are rejoicing in the Lord, always, He has taken up residence with us!  He is already on the scene.  All we need to do is to do what we were taught, live REJOICING!   Make the decision to live REJOICING.  Look out for the enemy of your soul, you know he’s coming, especially if you decided to live for the Lord… and fight.  Put on your armor and stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.  And pray and keep on praying.  That’s how we live rejoicing.  And that’s what a happy day is.  When we live rejoicing!

Oh, yes, it was a happy day when Jesus washed.  When Jesus saved me.  But God is so so good.  And He cares about us so very much, that it will be a happy day when we decide to live it rejoicing!  He taught us how.

God is real.  And He loves you!

A servant of the Lord,

Sis. E   

Bron: Hamutal Rogel-Fuchs
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/myths2/exclusives.html#a129

Myths and Facts

MYTH:

"The flotilla bound for Gaza was on a humanitarian mission."

FACT:

Israel and Egypt have imposed an embargo on the importation of weapons and certain dual-use items into the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Israel has allowed regular convoys of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, provided Palestinians access to medical care, continued to provide most of Gaza’s electricity, and transferred funds for the ongoing activity of international organizations and to pay the salaries of Palestinian Authority workers. Photos that appeared in a Palestinian newspaper showed bustling marketplaces full of consumer goods and fruits and vegetables.378

Hamas has nevertheless allied with various critics of Israel to promote the idea of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza for the purpose of embarrassing Israel and stimulating international pressure on Jerusalem to end its blockade. The latest provocation involved the mobilization of a flotilla of ships, which was advertised as an aid mission, but behaved in a manner that showed their true interest was to achieve a propaganda victory through a public confrontation with Israeli forces.

In the days before the ships left Turkey, the Israeli government informed the organizers of the mission that they would not be allowed to enter Gaza because it was a closed military zone. They were told that they would be welcome to dock in the Israeli port city of Ashdod where, after inspection to ensure no weapons or prohibited articles were included in the cargo, the goods would be handed over to the UN for delivery to Palestinians in Gaza. The organizers of the mission refused. They made clear that this mission was not about delivering aid, but was in fact a political demonstration to “break the siege on Gaza.”379

One of the organizations that organized this “humanitarian mission” is a radical Islamic, Turkish organization called IHH. This organization has publicly supported al-Qaeda and has ties to Hamas, the terrorist organization that has taken control of the Gaza Strip, calls for the destruction of Israel, and launched thousands of rockets and mortars onto Israeli civilians.

When six ships approached Israeli waters off the coast of Gaza in the early hours of May 31, 2010, Israeli naval forces met them in international waters. The ships were again told that they would not be allowed to sail to Gaza. If they attempted to continue on their course, they were informed they would be boarded and redirected to Ashdod.

When confronted with the Israeli naval blockade, five of the six ships complied and sailed on to Ashdod after being boarded by Israeli naval personnel. As an Israeli journalist witnessed, and videos confirmed, when Israeli naval personnel boarded the Mavi Marmara, however, they were ambushed by passengers on deck, wielding clubs, bats, pipes, and knives.380 The naval forces that boarded the ship, carrying non-lethal paintball guns as their primary weapons, were savagely beaten. Though they were carrying live-ammunition handguns as their secondary weapons, they were instructed not to use them, unless met with deadly force. The passengers wrestled one of the Naval commandos to the ground, stripped him of his handgun and threw him over the side, where he landed on a lower deck, 30 feet below, and suffered serious head trauma. At this point the commandos asked for permission to open fire if attacked. They fired on passengers who attacked them, some of whom had handguns that they had taken from commandos. One passenger opened fire with a rifle. Only after 30 minutes of melee and gunfire was exchanged, were the Israelis able to get to the bridge and take control of the ship.381 Nine passengers were killed in the fighting and seven Israeli soldiers were wounded.

It is clear the purpose of this mission was not to deliver goods to Gaza, but rather to initiate a violent confrontation with Israel. As the flotilla left Turkey, the passengers chanted songs about reaching martyrdom and the murder of Jews.382 On May 27, Greta Berlin, a spokesperson for the flotilla stated that “this mission is not about delivering humanitarian supplies, it is about breaking Israel’s siege.”383 Israeli soldiers found crates of weapons aboard that ship from which passengers armed themselves in preparation of Israelis coming aboard.

Israel’s soldiers sought to avoid a confrontation from the outset by offering to take the aid from the ships and make sure it reached the Palestinians. They also took every precaution to try to avoid violence and none transpired on five of the six ships; it was only in response to being attacked and their own lives put in danger that the soldiers responded with live fire. Tragically, lives were lost, but this could have been easily avoided if the passengers had not attempted to lynch Israel’s soldiers. Whether Israel could have handled the situation differently, or been better prepared for an ambush, were questions raised by Israelis immediately after the incident. There is no doubt, however, about the necessity of preventing Hamas from obtaining weapons through unfettered access to the Gaza Strip.

If a flotilla of ships from a foreign nation showed up on America’s shores with humanitarian aid for impoverished Americans, it would not be allowed to simply land anywhere it wanted and unload its cargo. The ships would probably also be stopped by the U.S. Navy and its cargo certainly inspected. Israel has even greater justification for its naval embargo, as Israel and Hamas are in an ongoing state of conflict. International law provides for the right to impose and enforce an embargo and to do so, if necessary, from international waters.384 Smugglers have often tried to bring weapons to Hamas by way of the sea and Israel has the right to prevent this. The embargo is literally a matter of life and death for Israel, whose citizens endured three years of rocket and mortar attacks which originated in Gaza, perpetrated by Hamas.

378Palestine Today, (November 26, 2009).
379“Behind The Headlines: The Seizure of the Gaza Flotilla,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, (May 31, 2010).
380“The Gaza Flotilla Incident,” Jewish Virtual Library.
381Ron Ben Yishai, “A Brutal Ambush At Sea,” Ynet News, (May 31, 2010).
382“MEMRI TV Clips on the Gaza Flotilla: Activists On Board Chant Songs of Martyrdom at Departure,” MEMRI, (May 31, 2010).
383“Behind The Headlines: The Seizure of the Gaza Flotilla,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, (May 31, 2010).
384“Law Expert Dr Robbie Sabel IDF Action in International Waters Legal,” IMRA, (May 31, 2010).

Israel tegen Free Gaza- Het complete verhaal

YOCHANAN VISSER - 31 MEI 2010

Ondanks herhaalde verzoeken aan de kapiteins van deze schepen om koers te verleggen naar Ashdod de grote haven in het zuiden van Israel bleven de schepen opstomen naar de kust van Gaza.

De organisatoren hadden eerder duidelijk gemaakt dat het doel van de missie was om de marine blokkade van Gaza (Hamas) te breken.

Israel gaf herhaaldelijk te kennen dat de marine deze actie niet zou toestaan en verzocht de leiding van de actie om de voor Gaza  bestemde humanitaire goederen gewoon in Ashdod te ontschepen. Ook werd een aanbod afgewezen om de Free Gaza organisatie supervisie over de aflevering van de goederen in Gaza te geven.

Bij het vertrek van de schepen uit Turkije werden herhaaldelijk spreekkoren aangeheven zoals “Dood aan de Joden” (Yitbakh al Yahoed)

Vanaf het begin van de operatie “Free Gaza” bestond er samenwerking tussen Hamas en de organisatoren. (bron: right side news)

De entering van vijf kleinere schepen van de Free Gaza vloot verliep zonder noemenswaardig geweld. De grootste boot “Mavi Marmara” bevatte het grootste aantal activisten waaronder een groot aantal leden van de IHH een Turkse Islamistische organisatie die collaboreert met Hamas en Al Qaida.

Ook de leider van de extremistische Islamistische Beweging in Israel  Raed Salah was aan boord van het schip.

Op het moment dat de Israëlische commando’s dit schip enterden werden zij door een groep activisten met messen en ijzeren staven aangevallen, ook werd er met pistolen op de soldaten geschoten en werd een van hen van zijn wapen beroofd.

In het vuurgevecht dat vervolgens ontstond kwamen 10 van de aanvallers om het leven en werden 10 commando’s gewond. De gewonden werden door Israëlische legerartsen behandeld en per helikopter overgebracht naar ziekenhuizen in Israel.

De Israëlische marine heeft -op het moment van publicatie van dit rapport- nog altijd geen volledige controle over het schip Mavi Marmara, sommige activisten hebben zich verschanst in hun hutten.

De Israëlische beslissing om deze actie in internationale wateren uit te voeren was legaal volgens het internationale recht. Volgens de San RemoManual voor het Internationale Recht voor conflict op zee is het toegestaan om “neutrale schepen op open zee aan te vallen wanneer er reden is om aan te nemen dat zij smokkelwaar vervoeren of van plan zijn een blokkade te breken.  Echter niet nadat men waarschuwing had ontvangen, opzettelijk weigerde te stoppen of opzettelijk zich verzette tegen onderzoek, entering of overname van het schip.

Zoals hierboven al werd aangegeven en aangetoond met video beelden, voldeed de Israëlische marine aan deze voorwaarden.  De organisatoren van de Free Gaza vloot maakten eerder bekend dat zij van plan waren door de Israëlische zee blokkade van Gaza te breken (Greta Berlin AFP 27 mei 2010).

De leider van de IHH, Bulent Yildirim, gaf een aantal interviews waarin hij aankondigde om “verzet” te plegen tegen iedere Israëlische poging om de schepen te doorzoeken.

De IHH verzekerde zich van de aanwezigheid van enige EU parlementsleden aan boord van de Mavi Marmara, hetgeen men zag als een verzekeringspolis in geval van ingrijpen door de Israëlische marine.

Schrijver: Franklin ter Horst

Strijdkrachten van de Israëlische marine hebben rond 2.00 uur in de nacht van zondag op maandag plaatselijke tijd de “Free Gaza Movement” met in totaal zes schepen met anti-Israël en pro-Hamas activisten onderschept. Het enteren van het vlaggenschip de Mavi Marmara volgde op een serie waarschuwingen van Israëlische kant aan de organisatie, al voordat ze de haven in Turkije verlieten. Het IDF stelde de bemanning van de leidende activisten voor de schepen naar de haven van Ashdod te begeleiden maar dat werd door de organisatoren afgewezen. Israël had een paar dagen geleden al aangekondigd het konvooi te zullen stoppen indien men weigerde mee te werken. De activisten beloofden geen geweld te zullen gebruiken waarneer de schepen onderschept zouden worden, maar toen de militairen met een helikopter op het dek van de Mavi Marmara werden neergelaten, werden ze door de ‘vredelievende’ activisten aangevallen met messen, knuppels en metalen pijpen. Ook zouden ze onder vuur genomen zijn.
Een aantal van de activisten bleken alles behalve vreedzame bedoelingen te hebben want ze schreeuwden onder meer: "Khaybar Khaybar ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad saya'ud," wat betekend "Joden herinner je, Khyabar, het leger van Mohammed is terug" Deze kreet gaat terug tot een gebeurtenis in de 7e eeuw toen de Joodse bewoners van de plaats Khaybar door moslims werden afgeslacht. Een oproep dus tot genocide op het Joodse volk. De Israëlische krant Yediot Aharonot meldde dat sommige activisten van plan waren geweest een paar militairen te lynchen en dat ze dat nog net op tijd hadden weten te voorkomen. Volgens de Arabische media zouden de Israëlische troepen met schieten zijn begonnen maar dat wordt door de legerleiding met klem ontkend. Er zou sprake zijn van ca 10 doden onder de pro-Palestijnse activisten en verschillende gewonden. De gewonde Israëlische militairen en activisten zijn met helikopters naar ziekenhuizen in Israël gebracht.
Het konvooi zou 10.000 ton aan goederen aan boord hebben gehad voor de ‘hongerende’ bevolking in Gaza. Het verhaal dat er gebrek is aan alles in Gaza correspondeert echter totaal niet met de werkelijkheid. De Joodse staat stuurt wekelijks ruim 500 vrachtwagens met humanitaire goederen naar Gaza. De organisatoren presenteren zich als verdedigers van mensenrechten wiens enige doel is om de bevolking van Gaza te helpen. Maar uit een verslag van de Inlichtingen- en Terrorism Information Center, blijkt dat zij samenwerken met radicale groepen die juist bekend staan als schenders van mensenrechten. Het ging de activisten dus bepaald niet alleen om het leveren van humanitaire hulp, maar ook om Israël te provoceren in de hoop op een veroordeling van de internationale gemeenschap. Succes verzekert! Mark Regev, de Israëlische woordvoeder sprak van “een goedkope politieke stunt”. “Indien de activisten echt geïnteresseerd waren in het welzijn van de bevolking van Gaza, dan zouden ze de hulpgoederen hebben overgedragen via land, samen met de andere 15 duizend ton die elke week door Israël wordt verzonden”.
Onderzoek van Israël zal uitwijzen wat de anarchisten precies Gaza binnen wilden brengen. Israël’s enige doel is te voorkomen dat er nog meer wapens Gaza worden binnengesmokkeld bestemd voor de terreurbeweging Hamas. De schepen zijn naar de haven van Ashdod gebracht waar de lading zal worden geïnspecteerd, en van daaruit doorgezonden naar Gaza.
De actie van Israël leverde al snel een golf van commentaar op. Diverse Europese landen riepen de Israëlische ambassadeurs op het matje om opheldering. De Verenigde Staten eisen van Israël een snel en duidelijk antwoord op wat er precies is gebeurt. Secretaris-generaal Ban Ki-moon van de VN veroordeelde de actie, zoals hij alles van Israël veroordeelt. De VN wil, net als de Europese Unie, dat er snel een onderzoek komt. In de Arabische en islamitische wereld nam de haat weer extreme vormen aan. Turkije (Togarma) heeft zijn ambassadeur uit Israël teruggeroepen. De Veiligheidsraad van de VN komt vandaag nog in spoedzitting bijeen om zoals gebruikelijk Israël weer aan de schandpaal te nagelen.

Bron:
http://www.franklinterhorst.nl/inhoud.html

SEX - What is God’s Purpose for Sex?

God created us with the desire for sex, and we ought to understand his design that was meant for us in our relationships with others about sex. Christians absolutely need to seek God’s purpose in this area of their lives. God created us male and female and because of that we will be attracted to one another, but we must learn to control our desires because having sex, and even the desire for sex with someone outside of marriage is not God’s plan.

Be Fruitful and Multiply, and Replenish the Earth

“So God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them: Be fruitful and increase in number. (Genesis 1:26-30)

God intends for a married man and woman to have sexual relations for the purpose of replenishing the earth. God wants us to have sex so we will bring forth more children into the world for him and to teach and train our children up in the wisdom of God! Had Adam and Eve decided to not have sex and have children then essentially they would have been rebelling against God’s purpose and instruction for them.

Controlling our Sex Drive
Even though sex is good, it must be controlled! As we look at society we see many uncontrolled desires and sex drives running amok causing much harm and danger. People blame God for plagues and diseases but these things are caused from our own rebelliousness to him! When we choose to disobey God’s commands for us bad stuff happens because of our own foolish choices!

As with anything in life we must control it, so it will not overtake our lives and cause spiritual and emotional turmoil for us. We must control our sex drive, lest we hurt others, damage our relationships and ourselves, and sin against God. If we don’t control our appetite for food we become overweight and sick. In the same way if we don’t control our appetite for sex it will control us and tempt us into immoral acts of lust. A sex drive must be controlled!

Did you know that a uncontrolled sex drive destroys the body and spirit of a person. To some, it may seem enjoyable and harmless, but eventually it will destroy your mind and body. God says that sex is a beautiful and healthy part of life when it is between a married man and woman. But he also lets us know that the sex drive must be used for his purpose!

What Does God Say About Fornication

God calls sexual intercourse between two unmarried people “the defrauding of each other”. When you think about this with a different perception than what you have been brought up to believe, you too, will see how sex without any real intention for marriage is a deception of each other and is morally wrong. This is why God calls fornication a sin. Sex without love and commitment is wrong. God does not want to see us heart broken or sick from disease because we gave into our sexual desires. God loves us and wants what is best for us, to reserve having sex until we are married.

“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the gentiles which no not God; That no man go beyond and defraud his brother (arouse lust and passion) in any matter: for the LORD is the avenger of such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness but unto holiness.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7KJV)

God Created Sex for Sexual Enjoyment in Marriage
Marriage is the only intended purpose for sex. Anything else perverts and distorts sexual relations and the mind, body and spirit of a person. God created sex for sexual enjoyment in marriage. The bottom line is our sex drive was created for the purpose of procreation and sexual fulfillment between a husband and a wife! Realizing the proper use of our sex drive is the first step in controlling it.

The First Marriage
“And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a Woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, this is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman because she was taken out of Man. And they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” (Genesis 3:23-25)

The sex drive is not dirty, until we choose to abuse it. The sex drive is not sinful, until we choose to abuse it. Our sex drive is an awesome gift from God that should be used to honor and glorify God with by bringing forth children, and for our own enjoyment in marriage.

Special Alert: Flotilla Battle Unleashes Anti-Israel Wave

Will the media report accurately and fairly as anti-Israel activists violently resist an IDF naval boarding with tragic results?

In the early hours of Monday 31 May, Israeli naval commandos boarded a flotilla of vessels heading for Gaza. What happened next has created a major media storm as, according to reports, over a dozen anti-Israel activists have died and many more injured, including Israeli soldiers.

Israel's critics have been quick to condemn the incident, using it to inflame anti-Israel sentiment. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has already termed what is undoubtedly a serious incident as a "massacre". Will this be the latest in a long list of incidents that have been distorted and misrepresented to cause Israel the maximum amount of damage to its image?

Connected to Terror: Who is Behind the Flotilla?

The organizations and passengers behind the Gaza flotilla have been variously described as "peace activists" and "humanitarian organizations". This could not be further from the truth. The primary objective of this flotilla was not to deliver aid packages to Gaza but to spread anti-Israel propaganda in cooperation with Gaza's Hamas rulers.

Playing a central role in the flotilla is the Turkish IHH organization, which besides its legitimate philanthropic activities is also, according to the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, a supporter of radical Islamic networks, including Hamas, and at least in the past, even global jihad elements.

See here and here for detailed information on the IHH.

Amongst the other organizations involved in the flotilla is the International Solidarity Movement. The ISM has a shameful record of placing foreign nationals in danger through encouraging 'direct action', which resulted in the death of American citizen Rachel Corrie. In 2003, ISM's extreme ideology was underscored when terrorists, originating from the UK, used ISM as a cover to attack Mike's Place bar in Tel Aviv, murdering three people. More recently, ISM has been a leading force in the violent protests against the security barrier at Ni'lin, while an ISM activist has been jailed in the US, charged with "giving about $20,000 to a group he knew supported Hamas."

An Al-Jazeera report from May 28, translated by MEMRI, shows activists on board before departing for Gaza, chanting Intifada songs aimed at Jews and praising martyrdom. Chants include "Intifada, intifada, intifada! Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews! The army of Mohammed will return!" relating to a seventh century massacre of Jews in Khaybar by early Muslims.

"Peace" Activists Used Deadly Violence

Despite claims that the activists on board were only prepared to resist the IDF peacefully, the reality was quite the opposite. Upon boarding the Marmara, owned and operated by the extremist IHH, Israeli naval personnel were attacked by activists who had prepared themselves with weapons including knives and clubs. This, despite the following statement from a Free Gaza spokesperson:

We were not going to pose any violent resistance. The only resistance that there might be would be passive resistance such as physically blocking the steering room, or blocking the engine room downstairs, so that they couldn't get taken over. But that was just symbolic resistance.

Is the clip below showing an IDF soldier being attacked with a crowbar "symbolic resistance"?

In addition, IDF forces apprehended two activists holding pistols. The activists took these pistols from IDF forces and apparently opened fire on the soldiers as evident by the empty pistol magazines. This goes some way to explaining the number of casualties as live fire was exchanged as IDF forces found themselves under severe threat as evidenced by the number of injured Israeli soldiers and the types of injuries. One soldier suffered a serious head injury, two others were injured by gunshots and one more was stabbed. Click here to see Israeli TV footage of Israeli soldiers under attack. Propaganda Not Humanitarianism If there was any doubt that these organizations were unconcerned with universal human rights, this was confirmed by the rejection of a request from the family of Gilad Shalit for activists to pressure Hamas to allow international organizations to bring letters and food packages to the kidnapped soldier in exchange for the family's support for the international expedition's attempt to dock in Gaza. In fact, Israel offered to transfer the supplies on the flotilla to Gaza from Ashdod port through official channels, an offer that was rejected in favor of confrontation on the part of the anti-Israel activists. As flotilla organizer Greta Berlin stated: "this mission is not about delivering humanitarian supplies, it's about breaking Israel's siege." The flotilla was clearly warned by the Israeli Navy in advance of the boarding and the offer repeated by the IDF.

A Legitimate and Legal Operation IMRA asked Hebrew University international law expert Dr. Robbie Sabel about the legality of the IDF action in international waters. Dr. Sabel explained that a state, in a time of conflict, can impose an embargo, and while it cannot carry out embargo activities in the territorial waters of a third party, it can carry out embargo activities in international waters. Within this framework it is legal to detain a civilian vessel trying to break an embargo and if in the course of detaining the vessel, force is used against the forces carrying out the detention then that force has every right to act in self defense. Dr. Sabel noted that there is a long history of embargo activities in international waters. Indeed, according to the San Remo Manual that governs international humanitarian law, it is permissible under rule 67(a) to attack neutral vessels on the high seas when the vessels "are believed on reasonable grounds to be carrying contraband or breaching a blockade, and after prior warning they intentionally and clearly refuse to stop, or intentionally and clearly resist visit, search or capture." Will the Media Report Fairly? The initial pictures and reports of this incident (supplied mainly by the less than objective al-Jazeera and Turkish media) do not paint Israel in a positive light, not helped by the fluidity of the situation and conflicting information. It is the duty of the international media to report fairly and accurately. We have been here before, from incidents ranging from the al-Dura affair, the Jenin "massacre" and many other libels perpetrated by a media all too willing to take the side of those who seek to harm Israel. We hope that the media will not repeat its past mistakes. While a clearer picture of today's events may eventually emerge, the damage has already been done in the first few hours of reporting. Retractions and corrections will do little to soften the blow. Will the media take at face value the statements and anti-Israel propaganda of groups who were committed to causing an incident of this nature? Will the media join in the automatic knee-jerk anti-Israel reaction that is all too often the norm? Keep an eye on your local media to ensure that the facts behind this tragic incident are not drowned by a wave of anti-Israel sentiment. At the time of writing, the situation remains fluid. This material will be updated as and when new information becomes available. Keep checking this page for the latest information on this breaking story.

YOCHANAN VISSER - 03 MEI 2010

 Spitsnieuws in Nederland bracht afgelopen week een bericht dat eerder door de Economist de wereld was in geholpen en  door Al Jazeerah nog eens dunnetjes werd overgedaan met behulp van videobeelden.  De berichten hadden tot doel om te bewijzen dat Israël nu ook al stoplichten in Jeruzalem gebruikt om de Palestijnen te onderdrukken. Het altijd wakkere Amerikaanse Camera zaagde ook deze mythes genadeloos door. In een 4 pagina’s tellend rapport bewees Camera dat the Economist en Al Jazeera propaganda bedreven die sinds de tijd van Goebbels niet meer werd waargenomen.

Een Belgische redacteur van “Het belang van Limburg” besloot de belangen van de staat Israel verder te ondermijnen door een giftig verhaal te publiceren over “Joodse riool terreur” op de West Bank. Joden uit de slaperige kibboets Kfar Etzion zouden met hun blote handen het hoofdriool van de kibboets hebben open geschroefd na een stroomstoring in een pompstation. De stroom drek was daarop in de richting van het lager gelegen Palestijnse dorp Beit Ummar geleid.

Missing Peace de nieuwe organisatie op het gebied van echte informatie uit het Midden Oosten nam in tegenstelling tot de redacteur van HVBL wel de moeite om het verhaal na te trekken.

Het zal niemand meer verbazen dat er ook nu sprake bleek van een hoax.

Niemand in Kfar Etzion had een stroomstoring of verstopte riolen waargenomen op de kibboets de laatste maand. Het  rioolpomp station ligt bovendien twee kilometer buiten de kibboets aan de weg naar Beit Shmesh.

Eveneens bleek er geen sprake van landonteigening ten behoeve van “kolonisten”  in de buurt van Beit Ummar

De nieuwe speler op dit slagveld, Missing Peace, liet gisteren in Nederland  opnieuw van zich horen.

Deze keer bond Missing Peace de strijd aan tegen een mythe die door de Israëlische krant Ha’aretz de wereld in werd geholpen. 

Ha’aretz  bracht op 11 april 2010 een bericht over voorgenomen Israëlische massadeportaties van Palestijnen op de West Bank.

Dit bericht ging niet verloren in de lawine van voornamelijk gekleurd nieuws die een aanzienlijk deel van de media dagelijks over de hoofden van het Europese publiek uitstort.

Binnen 24 uur werd het bericht wereldwijd op honderden websites overgenomen.

De Arabische wereld rook weer een nieuwe kans om olie op het vuur van de toch al explosieve situatie in en rond Israel te gooien.

De Syrische president Assad nam het woord “etnische zuivering” in zijn mond.

PA woordvoerder Saeb Arekat, een soort hedendaagse versie van Goebbels in het Midden Oosten, vond dat nog niet genoeg en sprak theatraal over “de methodes van een Apartheid staat”.

GroenLinks was duidelijk geïnspireerd door deze nieuwe hetze tegen de Joodse staat en besloot bij de EU minister van buitenlandse zaken Ashton aan te dringen op actie tegen Israël.

Men gebruikte artikel 49 van de vierde Geneefse conventie als stok om de hond te slaan.

Het rapport dat Missing Peace gisteren uitbracht en dat op haar gloednieuwe website werd gepost laat geen spaan heel van het Ha’aretz artikel noch van de retoriek van Assad en Arekat.

Groen Links wordt er door in zijn hemd gezet als een politieke partij die geen flauw benul heeft van wat zich in werkelijk in het Midden oosten voltrekt.  Nog kwalijker is dat GroenLinks haar acties baseert op krantenkoppen en propaganda van types als Assad en Arekat .

Alsof dit nog niet allemaal erg genoeg was, werd de EU afgelopen week eveneens betrapt op een bijdrage aan de psychologische oorlog tegen Israel. 

Door de alertheid van SGP Europarlementariër Belder werd een schandaal aan het licht gebracht waarin de EU probeerde zich te mengen in interne Israëlische aangelegenheden en de persvrijheid in dat land.

De SGP-er vroeg om opheldering over een door de EU gefinancierd programma, waarin Israëlische Journalisten wordt geleerd om het Arabische vredesinitiatief te promoten in Israel.

Dit Arabische plan dateert van 2002 en zou inhouden dat Israël zich onvoorwaardelijk overgeeft aan de Arabische eisen in ruil voor een vage belofte over “normale” betrekkingen (hetgeen niet betekent einde conflict).

In Israël wordt het plan gezien als een non-starter en door vrijwel niemand serieus genomen.

Al deze incidenten betekenen bijdrages aan de psychologische oorlog tegen Israël. Een oorlog die de positie van die staat steeds verder ondermijnt. Niet alleen in het Midden-Oosten maar ook in de internationale arena.

De bron van het kwaad is steeds dezelfde, namelijk desinformatie. De gevolgen daarvan kunnen catastrofaal zijn.  Historisch is namelijk bewezen dat grote oorlogen met militaire middelen meestal worden voorafgegaan door oorlogen met woorden.

Missing Peace heeft dus voorlopig werk zat.

http://www.myspace.com/seedpage?sproutId=-gCj2oUGMfIM9hk8

05.29.2010

Today, the Obama administration voted in favor of international inspections of Israel's nuclear program. This came after the Obama administration said it would not support an initiative that singled out Israel.  In fact, National Security Adviser Jim Jones said such an initiative was counterproductive. There are reports that Israel was assured that the Obama administration would support Israel's objection.

But once again, the Obama administration lied and voted in favor of a resolution that singles out Israel for inspections and does not mention Iran's nuclear program. After the vote, Obama said he would do nothing to harm Israel. This is like after stabbing Caesar, Brutus vows to defend Caesar.

This damaging stunt was sprung while Prime Minister Netanyahu is in North America on his way to Washington. The Prime Minister's office is saying he will be looking for assurances from the man who just stabbed him and Israel in the back.

When is Israel going to wake up. Obama will continue to stab Israel in the back as long as Israel refuses to fight back. Being a lapdog to Obama is a dangerous role. Unfortunately the whole nation of Israel is at risk.