JERUSALEM-ON-THE-LINE
September 19, 2011 

“At that time they will call Jerusalem, ‘The Throne of the Lord,’ and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.” Jeremiah 3:17

ABBAS: PALESTINIANS TO SEEK FULL UN MEMBERSHIP: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Friday the Palestinians will approach the UN Security Council for full recognition, clarifying they are seeking to delegitimize the occupation by taking the UN route for Palestinian statehood. He stressed that Israel is a legitimate state, but that by continuing to build in the settlements and rejecting what he erroneously termed, “the internationally recognized borders of a future Palestinian state,” Israelis are engaging in illegitimate activity. Abbas gave his address a week before the UN is set to vote on Palestinian statehood. "What I will take to the UN will be the concerns of our people that have been taking place over 63 years living under the occupation," Abbas said. He added that the Palestinians want a state based on 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. (Ha’aretz) A return to 1967 borders would mean that Israel would be just nine miles wide in the middle of the country - nine miles from the Mediterranean Sea to the border with a Palestinian state! Jerusalem would again be divided and Israel would be forced to withdraw from the Old City, losing sacred ancient holy sites such as the Western Wall. Additionally, some 300,000 Israelis live in the 121 officially-recognized settlements in the West Bank, while 200,000 Israelis live in East Jerusalem. These Jewish communities include houses, schools, government buildings, shopping centers and business. Outrageous Palestinian hopes and demands are that Israelis will be forced to walk away from these thriving towns and neighborhoods and turn them over to their enemies. Please pray fervently that the Palestinian Authority's plan to gain UN recognition for an independent state at Israel’s expense will be utterly rejected in this week’s UN vote.

NETANYAHU SLAMS ABBAS’ SPEECH AS NOT BEING THE WAY TO PEACE: PM Binyamin Netanyahu attacked on Friday remarks made by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and called him back to the negotiating table immediately. “Peace cannot be achieved by going to the UN unilaterally and not by joining the terrorist organization Hamas,” Netanyahu said. “Peace will only be achieved through direct negotiations with Israel.” The statement added, “The Palestinian Authority and its leader consistently avoid direct talks with Israel." Netanyahu has announced he will personally deliver Israel’s opening discourse at the UN General Assembly when it convenes on September 20 and that during that speech he intends “to tell the truth to those who wish to hear the truth.” (INN)

ABBAS PAINTS US INTO A CORNER WITH PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD DEMAND AT UN: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, by essentially daring the US to veto his people's bid for statehood, has put the Obama administration and ally Israel in a corner and has left several lawmakers wondering what US policy on the Middle East is trying to achieve. The move will set up a potential showdown that has been brewing for months and could leave the US with diminished credibility among the Arab world. (Fox News)

ISRAEL WILL AGREE TO UPGRADE OF PALESTINIAN STATUS, NOT STATEHOOD: Israel would agree to upgrade the Palestinian Authority's status at the UN as long as it is not declared a state, PM Netanyahu said in recent talks with Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief. Netanyahu has decided to address the UN General Assembly next Friday, the day the Palestinians will submit their appeal for statehood. Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of five key EU members Thursday to rebuke them over their countries' policy on the Palestinians' bid for UN recognition as a state. Netanyahu said on Thursday his speech to the UN would stress that negotiations are the only road to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. (Ha’aretz)   

CONGRESS MULLS CLOSING PLO MISSION IN WASHINGTON IN LIGHT OF UN BID: Congress is considering taking punitive measures against the Palestinian Authority should it go ahead with plans to seek full membership at the UN Security Council this Friday. Americans are frustrated that years of financial aid, currently comprising 600 million dollars annually, intended to promote peace negotiations and stability have yielded almost nothing. At the discussions, some experts called to cut the aid, while others warned it might undermine the Palestinian-Israeli security cooperation. The discussions were undoubtedly the harbinger of a larger debate that will ensue following the UN General Assembly in New-York this week. (Ha’aretz)

IDF BEGINS RESERVE CALL-UP: The Israel Defense Forces began a reserves call-up on Friday, in anticipation of demonstrations and other disturbances that are expected to accompany the Palestinian Authority's application to the UN for recognition as an independent state. Members of a company from the regional defense force of the Binyamin Brigade received a telephone message telling them to report for duty on Monday. The IDF is increasing its forces of reserves and regulars within the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria, in order to prevent mass marches by Arabs living in nearby PA villages and cities from reaching those communities. Dozens of reservists are expected to join soldiers already stationed in each community. (INN)  Pray for the protection of civilians and military personnel throughout Israel, as the highly explosive Palestinian bid for statehood via the UN takes place this week.

VIOLENCE CONTINUES NEAR SHILO AFTER ARABS ATTACK JEWISH HIKERS: Arab riots continue in the Shilo area after local Arabs attacked Jewish hikers resulting in one hiker stabbed and one Arab shot. The knifed hiker remains in serious condition, while the Arab who was shot died of his wounds after evacuation by a Red Crescent ambulance. Residents said a group of Jewish hikers who had arrived that morning to camp in the area, were attacked by a group of Arabs from a nearby village. The Arabs pressed a knife to the throat of one of them. At that point another hiker fired shots in the air, and the assailant released the injured Jew. Within moments, a large mob of Arabs began to set fires in the community's vineyards. Jewish residents raced to the site and a violent confrontation took place between the two sides until the IDF arrived on the scene. The clashes came as the IDF went on high alert, announcing the calling up of reserves to prepare for possible Arab protest marches this week when the Palestinian Authority's plans to request unilateral recognition at the UN. (INN) “The violence of the wicked will drag them away, for they refuse to do what is right.” Prov 21: 7

HAMAS AGAINST PA STATEHOOD BID: IT’S A TACTIC STEP: The Hamas terror group, which rules the Gaza Strip, was quick to condemn on Friday the speech by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in which he confirmed he intends to turn to the UN and ask for recognition of a Palestinian state. “We are against any step that will be giving up any inch of the land of Palestine or the rights of the Palestinians, including the right of return,” the organization’s statement said. The “right of return” refers to the Arab leaders demand that Israel allow millions of Arabs descended from those who fled during the 1948 War of Independence to return to the cities in which their grandparents and great-grandparents once lived. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that Abbas’ intention to go to the UN “is a tactic step aimed at modifying the way of getting back to the negotiation table with the Israeli occupation.” (INN)

TURKEY: WE DON’T NEED US MEDIATION TO END CRISIS WITH ISRAEL: Turkey and Israel do not need the US to help in mending their troubled diplomatic ties, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Saturday, ahead of a planned meeting between US President Barack Obama and Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ties between Israel and Turkey have taken another turn for the worse recently, as Ankara initiated a series of actions geared at downgrading its diplomatic ties with Jerusalem over Israel's refusal to apologize for its raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in 2010. (Ha’aretz)

Blessings from Israel 

Barry Segal with the Editorial Staff 

As international speakers and messengers of the Good News through music, Barry and Batya Segal are at the forefront of what God is doing in the present day nation of Israel. With strong ties in both the nations and Jerusalem, the Segals are weaving the deepest roots of our biblical heritage together with the fresh Spirit-filled worship of today to create their rich harmony of Scripture and song.

The Segals have a vast vision for God's purposes in the nations and to the people of Israel. In fact, their longing to help rebuild Israel both spiritually and physically inspired them to pioneer the non-profit charity organization, Vision for Israel and The Joseph Storehouse. This arm of their ministry focuses on assisting the poor and needy, widows and orphans, and reaching out to the new Jewish immigrants coming into the land of Israel. Vision 's most challenging project to date is "The Joseph Storehouse®", humanitarian aid center, located in the hills of Jerusalem. The Joseph Storehouse functions as a channel of blessing to all of Israel, Jewish and Arab, through the gathering and distribution of emergency medical supplies, food, clothing, and other basic life necessities. USA office contact info: Vision for Israel, PO Box 7743, Charlotte NC 28241, 866-351-0075. The Segal's web site is http://www.visionforisrael.com/

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.