JERUSALEM-ON-THE-LINE
December 13, 2011 

“The effect of righteousness will be peace and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust  forever.” Isaiah 32:17

SHALIT THANKS ACTIVISTS: I’LL BE FOREVER GRATEFUL: Gilad Shalit, who was freed in October after five and a half years in Hamas terrorist captivity, thanked on Saturday the many activists who had worked to secure his release. The Shalit family held a special dinner for the protesters in Kibbutz Shefayim in central Israel on Saturday evening. Gilad himself did not attend the event, as he is still unable to face large crowds, but his gratitude was conveyed in a recorded video message that was played at the start of the evening. Israel agreed to release 1,026 terrorists in exchange for Shalit. Some 477 were released in the first stage of the deal in October. Truly, we have a G-d who answers prayer. Thank you for all who interceded and believed for the release of this young Israeli soldier. “The Lord sets the prisoners free.” Psalm 146:7 

PROF. DANIEL SCHECHTMAN RECEIVES NOBEL PRIZE, GOLD MEDAL: Israel's Professor Dan Schechtman was honored Saturday night by King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden, who awarded a gold medal in chemistry to the Technion Institute researcher. Schechtman is being honored for his discovery of quasicrystals - a pattern in the atom that was previously thought to be impossible. Schechtman traveled to Stockholm with numerous members of his family to receive the Nobel Prize, which includes $1.5 million. PM Binyamin Netanyahu congratulated the professor, Israel's 10th Nobel laureate, on receiving the award. "Your achievement is a source of pride for an entire nation," Netanyahu said. (INN)

ISRAELI WOMAN SAILS TO VICTORY IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: Israeli windsurfer Lee Korzits won the gold medal at the Perth, Australia World Championship, where the HaTikva anthem was played. Korzits’ supporters waved an Israeli flag, and Korzits draped the national flag around her shoulders after the race. “I’m so happy I can stand behind my country and my flag and hear the national anthem today so far away from my home,” she said. Polish competitor Zofia Noceti-Klepacka said the race was “the hardest of her life” but added, “I’m so happy Lee won. She is my best friend. I am happy for her.” (Arutz-7)

RARE FLOCK OF SINGING SWANS SPOTTED IN NORTHERN ISRAEL: After more than a decade, a flock of nine singing swans was spotted in the Hula Valley on Monday. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel said this was a rare sight, since these birds usually nest during winter in Europe. Israel is the southern-most point they reach. The last time these swans were spotted here was 2001. The swans are named so for their loud call, which is used for courting and to strengthen the ties between the adults and the young. Nadav Yisraeli from the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel said “these are really extraordinary calls, like a trumpet victory tune. This is a very auspicious event. It is always fun to see such a rare bird. So far they’re very happy here,” Yisraeli added. “At nights they go into fish ponds, where the water protects them from predators. In the morning they move to the wheat fields, where they find their food. Shmil, the local farmer, is very happy they’re here and is keeping an eye on them in the hope they stay as long as possible.” (Ha’aretz) “…Beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness….”  Isaiah 61:3

PERRY: OBAMA DECISION GAVE IRAN SPY DRONE: Gov. Rick Perry, a contender for the Republican nomination for US President, lambasted President Barack Obama Sunday for failing to keep a highly valued spy drone from falling into the hands of Iran's armed forces. Perry was referring to a report, according to which the US military offered Obama different courses of action for retrieving the drone or destroying it when it came down on Iranian soil last week, but he rejected both options for fear they would be seen as acts of war. “He did absolutely nothing.  And the Russians and the Chinese will have our highly technical equipment now. This president is the problem," Perry said. (INN)

IRAN’S CAPTURED STEALTH DRONE: HOW BAD IS THE DAMAGE? After Iran captured a US RQ-170 Sentinel UAV last week, US Air Force Chief Gen. Norton Schwartz raised the specter of a foreign power copying the stealth jet's top-secret technology. "There is the potential for reverse engineering, clearly," he said. The captured aircraft will help adversaries copy US stealth design techniques, coating materials, engine technology, and UAV command-and-control systems, said Dan Goure, an analyst at the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Va. It will also help them develop countermeasures against stealthy US aircraft. Moreover, "Everybody now will get an understanding of our state-of-the-art intelligence collection capabilities." (Defense News)

MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD HAS TAKEN OVER, SAY EGYPTIAN LIBERALS: The Muslim Brotherhood's exploitation of Egypt's pro-democracy revolution is nearly complete. Members of various secular parties agree Egypt's temporary ruling military regime has now allied itself with the Muslim Brotherhood [Father of all terrorist organizations], after the Islamist group scored a big victory in the first round of voting for Egypt's parliament. The Muslim Brotherhood won control of 40% of the parliament when voters from Egypt's largest districts went to the polls late last month. Other Islamist groups allied with the Brotherhood won another 20% of the vote, while various secular and liberal parties combined took the remaining 40%. “With those results in hand, the ruling military council is allowing the Muslim Brotherhood to control the writing of Egypt's new constitution,” said Mohammed Abul Ghar, leader of the Egyptian Democratic Party. The council has ignored calls by the majority for a balanced civil constitution that protects the country's future," said Ghar. "The military council is now weaker than the Brotherhood." In related news, Israel’s Jerusalem Post claimed Sunday that Hamas had established missile production facilities in the Egyptian Sinai in order to protect its arsenal from Israeli air strikes. Hamas was birthed from the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, and the two groups share an ideology concerning Israel and future Islamic domination of not only the Middle East, but the whole world. (Ryan Jones/Israel Today)

MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD: EGYPT’S PEACE TREATY WITH ISRAEL NEEDS TO BE REVIEWED: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organization said Friday the country’s peace treaty with Israel needs re-evaluation by the new parliament. Mahmoud Hussein, the group's secretary-general, denied a report saying the Muslim Brotherhood had reached an understanding with the US and Israel on “the importance of safeguarding the peace treaty with Israel.” (Ha’aretz)  In actuality, with Egypt's economy in a downward spiral - and billions in US military and economic aid riding on the 1979 treaty - the Brotherhood can't afford to be perceived as making things worse by opposing White House policy regarding Israel. Pray the Muslim Brotherhood, an avowed foe of Israel, which is gaining ever-increasing hegemony in Egypt, as well as other Muslim countries, will encounter fear and confusion with every plan to become a danger or even a nuisance to the Jewish state.

GERMAN MINISTER SAYS 5,000 NOW KILLED IN SYRIA - VIOLENCE SPILLS INTO JORDON: German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Monday some 5,000 people had now been killed in Syria's crackdown on a nine-month-old uprising - a higher figure than other recent estimates. On Sunday, for the first time, an act of violent protest against President Bashar Assad's regime spilled across the border into Jordan, where a dozen Syrians attacked their embassy in the capital, Amman, wounding two diplomats and four other consulate employees. The 9-month-old uprising against Syria's authoritarian President Bashar Assad has grown increasingly violent as once-peaceful protesters take up arms and rebel soldiers now fight back against the army. (Ynet)  

WEEKEND OF TERRORIST TROUBLE ERUPTS IN ISRAEL: Israel’s Dense Website reported a "significant increase" in terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria over the weekend. The terror wave may be a sign the Islamist upsurge in the Middle East is causing an escalation in terror in Judea and Samaria. On Friday, the military website reported an explosive hidden inside a discarded tire blew up along the security fence near Modiin, a thriving city outside of Jerusalem. In addition, the site reports two fire bombs at the Nitzanei Oz industrial area on Friday. As a result, a fire broke out at a factory. Firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze and the event is currently under investigation. Three firebombs were thrown at Border Police soldiers near Jerusalem. Three additional fire bombs were thrown at Route 443, which runs from Modiin to Jerusalem. Approximately 100 PA Arabs rioted near the community of Kedumim in Shomron Saturday, throwing rocks at security forces who dispersed the rioters with non-lethal means. Simultaneously, approximately 25 PA Arabs rioted near the Beitar Illit community. Overnight, IDF soldiers discovered an improvised explosive located near the Nitzanei Oz community. While security forces detonated the explosive, approximately 20 Arabs began rioting in the area. Approximately 50 Arabs rampaged north of Modiin and threw rocks at security forces who responded with non-lethal riot dispersal means. No injuries were reported.  Regrettably, the local and foreign press did not even cover most of these events, giving more attention to the death of an Arab rioter who had hurled rocks at IDF soldiers. (INN)

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.