It has recently been revealed that General Merrill McPeak, appointed military advisor to US Presidential candidate Barack Obama, blames American Jewry and Evangelical Christianity for the failures of the Middle East peace process. Obama's campaign has been marred by a series of damaging revelations, in which advisors close to Obama have been found to espouse anti-Semitic views and support of radical extremist organizations. One such individual is Obama's former pastor, the very un-reverend Jeremiah Wright. On the Sunday following the September 11th attacks, Wright announced from his pulpit that US Foreign Policy was to blame for the deaths of over 3000 people who lost their lives that day. Wright's church newspaper has published articles written by Hamas leaders which compare the terrorist organization's charter, calling for the liberation of 'all Palestine' through violent means, to the American Declaration of Independence. The articles defended suicide bombings and rocket attacks on Israeli civilians as legitimate acts of resistance supported under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Obama has publicly distanced himself from his former pastor, and claims not to have been present when the above incidents occurred. But even Wright admitted in an interview in February of last year that Obama may have to leave his church for a time so as not to harm his chances at running for the presidency.

Quote: "I just shared with, I was trying to remember who it is, somebody in public life was asking me about Barack, and I said listen, Barack might be forced by the media and/or by supporters to be very absent from this church and to put distance between our church and himself. As a politician, he might be forced into that. I have not talked to him about that at all. It's just that my read just of the blogs and what the right-Christian-wing leaders have said about him being a part of our church over past three months says this is — you think it's ugly now, it's going to get worse, it's going to get much worse. For survival's sake, as a politician he just might have to not — not that I love you less, I love me more. I'll never get elected as long as they keep harping on this. And that's — again, I haven't talked to him about that at all.

It makes one wonder exactly what Barack Obama believes. And now the man who has been chosen to be Barack Obama's military advisor has been found to hold anti-Semitic views, blaming American Jewry and its influence on US Foreign Policy for the failures in the Middle East, instead of putting the blame on those who are perpetrating and sponsoring terrorist acts. General McPeak has also criticized born-again Christians, saying they are actively seeking to bring about Armageddon in the Middle East in order to hasten the return of Jesus Christ...

Quote: "In a 2003 interview with The Oregonian, McPeak intimated that American Jews control the country's Middle East policy. The general also claimed that Jews and Christian Zionists manipulate U.S. policy in Iraq. "Let's say that one of your abiding concerns is the security of Israel as opposed to a purely American self-interest. Then it would make sense to build a dozen or so bases in Iraq," the general said. "Let's say you are a born-again Christian and you think that Armageddon and the rapture are about to happen any minute, and what you want to do is retrace steps you think are laid out in Revelations, then it makes sense," he said.

There does seem to be a hint of anti-Semitism in McPeak's views. First of all, without giving any justifiable reason for his statement, McPeak infers that seeking Israel's security is opposed to America's self-interest. In reality it is in America's interests to seek Israel's security. Israel leads the world in the fields of medicine, science and technology. Israel is a thriving democracy in the midst of a sea of tyrannical regimes that seek to control their people through fear and intimidation. Israel has a free press, unlike most of the nations surrounding it. Israel now has one of the most advanced airforces in the world. Israel's army has been fighting the war on terror for the past 60 years, whereas America is only now beginning to realize the scope of the threat now posed by Islamic extremism. It is in America's best interests that Israel survives. If Israel loses the war on terror, we all lose it. Secondly, McPeak seems to infer that the existence of the state of Israel is the prime cause of conflict in the Middle East. In reality it is Islamic extremism that is causing the instability, and not only in the Middle East but throughout the entire world (Genesis 16:12). The Jewish state has a religious (Leviticus 25:23), historical and legal right (Genesis 23:16-18, Jeremiah 32:8) to possess the land. The Jewish people have more right to the land of Israel than the United States will ever have to the North American continent. Thirdly, McPeak suggests that American Jewry and their influence on US foreign policy is to blame for the problems the country is experiencing in the Middle East. It beggars belief that a tiny group of Jews, not numbering more than 6 million people, can be blamed for the ills of an entire country numbering over 250 million people. That a tiny group of law-abiding citizens can dictate the foreign policy of the US government! It beggars belief because it is simply not true. McPeak's opinions would have found a welcome home in Nazi Germany, and still do in many parts of the Arab world. Added to this tirade of anti-Semitism, McPeak claims that evangelical Christians are bent on bringing about Armageddon, just so they can hasten the rapture and the return Jesus Christ. Just as Jews were blamed for the burning of the Reichstag prior to the Second World War, so perhaps Christians will receive the blame for the outbreak of the battle of Megiddo during the tribulation period. In reality, McPeak ignores the fact that what was prophesied in the Bible will, and is, coming to pass just as God has said, and there is absolutely nothing anybody can do to hasten or delay its fulfilment. McPeak is ignorant of the truth of Scripture, and that is revealed through his statements in this interview. The fact that the events spoken of in the Bible are now coming to pass, and that many Christians are attesting to this fact, is not because we have willed it so, but because these things must shortly come to pass (Revelation 1:1). Abraham attempted to fulfill God's prophecies before their time, and that is what got us into this mess in the first place (Genesis 16:3-4). But it seems that McPeak's views will continue to be propagated throughout the world as we draw nearer to the time of Christ's return. During the tribulation period, the Bible states that the Antichrist will make war with the saints, and seek to destroy the power of the holy people (Daniel 7:21, Revelation 12:17, 13:7). And he will be given that authority for three and half years. But Jesus Christ is coming back. We are living in the last days. The events foretold in the Bible over 2000 years ago are now beginning to come to pass. If Jesus Christ came today, would you be ready to meet Him? Have your sins been forgiven? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.

Revelation 22:7, 12, 20
Behold, I come quickly: blessed [is] he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book... And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be... He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 

Source Media Matters, WorldNetDaily, LittleGreenFootballs, CBN

Quote: "Last week, the BBC apologized live on its news program, admitting it had used footage of another house being demolished. News anchor Geeta Guru-Murthy said: "Now, we would like to clarify a report we heard at this hour last Friday about the attack by a Palestinian gunman on a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem. In the report, the day after the attack, BBC World said that the gunman's home in east Jerusalem had been demolished by the Israeli authorities. That was not correct, and the images broadcast were of another demolition." The fabrication was exposed by Boston-based media monitor CAMERA, which revealed that the images used by the BBC were similar to photos taken by the Palestinian news agency Maan from the demolition of the house belonging to Islamic Jihad leader Muhammad Shehadeh in Bethlehem on March 7.

Significant errors? More like deliberate lies spun to further demonize the Jewish state in its hour of deepest need. The BBC also apologized for another report which condemned Israel for supposedly 'attacking civilians' in their missile strikes on the Kassam rocket launchers, and refused to condemn the very attacks on Israeli civilians that prompted the Israeli action in the first place. At least the BBC did apologize for their mistakes, but then again, that may be only to avoid further embarrassment. Would the organization have apologized if someone hadn't noticed that what they were reporting wasn't true? Of course this isn't just a BBC problem. Other news agencies such as Reuters and AFP often rely on Arab freelance journalists for their news reports. Many of these have close links with the Palestinian terrorist organizations, and although the BBC may get their news reports, they are often tainted with a hatred for Israel and the Jewish people. So much so that they are willing to exaggerate, manipulate and fabricate news stories just to justify their own hatred of Israel, and ultimately the God of Israel. While this is reprehensible, at the end of the day, it is just human nature. The whole of humanity is in rebellion against God and against anything that is to do with Him. And we spin lies to try and justify ourselves. You say, "I am not a sinner", and in doing so make God a liar, for God has declared that all have sinned (Romans 3:23). You say, "I have lived a good life and God will let me into heaven", yet you refuse to come by the only acceptable way to God, through faith in His Son Jesus Christ (John 14:6, 1st John 5:10). In the day of judgment, you will be judged according to God's standards, not your own. His standard is more than complete perfection, for even if we could keep the whole law, it could not justify us before a Holy God (Galatians 2:16). The law can only condemn, and it must condemn us for we have inherited a sinful nature from our father Adam (1st Corinthians 15:22). The only Person that ever kept the whole law and brought pleasure to the heart of God was Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53:11). The Muslims believe that, the Catholics believe it, even the Protestants believe it, yet so many of them are not willing to trust in Him for salvation. He bore God's punishment for your sins. He paid your debt in full upon the cross of Calvary 2000 years ago. And all who rest upon Christ's finished work upon the cross are made righteous in the sight of God. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation today.

Isaiah 46:12-13
Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness: I (the Lord) bring near my righteousness (Jesus Christ); it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.

Isaiah 54:17
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Source Jerusalem Post

Eight Israelis were killed and thirty five were wounded (warning: link contains disturbing images) after an Arab terrorist entered a yeshiva in Jerusalem last night and opened fire with an automatic rifle. The gunman, who was believed to be an Israeli-Arab living in the east of the city, entered the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva at around 8:30pm last night where around eighty people were gathered. Yitzchak Dadon, a part-time yeshiva student and IDF officer, was in the study hall at the time of the attack. Another IDF paratrooper officer, David Shapira, arrived on the scene soon after hearing the gunshots, and both men were able to take the killer out.

Quote: "The attacker entered the yeshiva and opened fire on students before he was gunned down himself by a part-time yeshiva student, aided by an off-duty army officer from the neighborhood. The attack began in the seminary's library with the terrorist spraying bullets in every direction before anyone could react. The part-time yeshiva student who first shot the terrorist, 40-year-old Yitzchak Dadon, said he was in the Yeshiva's study hall when he heard the shots. "Everyone left through a side door," he said, "and I left through a window, and lied down on a roof overlooking the library... When he came out, I shot him in the head twice. I saw him start to stagger, and then David Shapira [a yeshiva graduate and paratroopers officer] arrived on the scene, shot him with his M-16 rifle, and then we emptied our magazines into him."

While the terrorist attack drew almost universal condemnation from world leaders, thousands of Palestinians living in Gaza celebrated the slayings of the Israelis by holding rallies in the streets, handing out sweets to children and by attending prayer and thanksgiving services. The Hamas terrorist organization issued a statement saying that they added their blessing to the operation, and that it would not be their last. The United Nations was preparing to issue a statement condemning the atrocity, but has been prevented from doing so by Libya and several other states, who are seeking a parallel condemnation of Israel's activities in Gaza last week. Libya's attempt to morally equate the pre-meditated murder of innocent civilians in Jerusalem with those killed during operations aimed at halting terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip has drawn harsh criticism from the United States and Israel. 

Quote: "Dan Gillerman, the ambassador of Israel, which is not on the council, had harsh words for Libya. He referred to it as the country responsible for the 1988 bombing of Pam Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed some 270 people. "Unfortunately, this is what happens when the Security Council is infiltrated by terrorists," he said, referring to the council's failure to adopt the US statement. Libya's deputy ambassador, Ibrahim al-Dabbashi, dismissed Gillerman's attack. "We don't need a certificate of good conduct from the Israeli terrorist regime," he said.

Unfortunate as they may be, yesterday's events may give us a small taster of what might come to pass during the time of Jacob's trouble. The Bible states that during the tribulation period, the Gentiles will be in siege both against Judea and Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:2). Following the Antichrist's rise to power, the Lord Jesus Christ warned that the Jewish people would face the greatest period of trouble they have ever experienced, even since the time Israel first became a nation (Daniel 12:1, Matthew 24:21). And as we can see from the Palestinian reaction to the murder of these Israelis, that time may not be far off. As the Arab gunman opened fire on the yeshiva students, he cried out "Allahu Ackbar", or "God is greatest". The Lord Jesus Christ stated that the time would come whenever those who killed God's people would believe they were doing Him a service (John 16:2). And whenever God's two witnesses are slain in the streets of Jerusalem, the inhabitants of the earth will express joy at their deaths in giving gifts one to another, for these two prophets tormented them with their message of righteousness, temperance and judgement to come (Revelation 11:10). Whenever the Roman governor Felix heard Paul speak of these things, the Bible mentions that Felix trembled (Acts 24:25). But we never read of him ever coming to know Jesus Christ as His Lord and Saviour. He had plenty of opportunities, but squandered them. How many opportunities have you had to repent and receive Christ for salvation? How many more will you get before you die? The Bible warns us to boast not to ourselves of what we shall do tomorrow, for we know not what a day brings forth (Proverbs 27:1). Trust in Jesus Christ for salvation today.

Source Arutz 7, YNet News, YNet News

...at least until those 'evil Jews' get him. Well you've heard of Farfour the mouse, the Mickey Mouse look-alike that appeared on the Hamas children's television programme, Tomorrow's Pioneers. In one episode, Farfour was scolded for cheating in his exams by the show's presenter, Saraa. Farfour's excuse was that he had been unable to study because his school books were buried underneath the rubble of his house, which had been bulldozed by the Jews. Farfour, brandishing a toy AK-47, promised that Islam would "conquer the world", and that the battle would begin with "all of Palestine" and would move to all Arab lands now under foreign occupation. Unfortunately Farfour met an untimely end after he was beaten to death for refusing to sell his land to a Jew. 

Quote: ""Farfour was martyred while defending his land," said Sara, the teen presenter. He was killed "by the killers of children," she added.

Saraa went on to say that every Palestinian hopes to die as a martyr and that martyrdom is "something to be proud of". A short time after Farfour's death, Nahoul the bee appeared on the programme. One particular episode drew world wide condemnation. This time it was not the programme's anti-Semitic tone which caused the controversy, rather it was their inhumane treatment of animals. Nahoul swung cats around by their tails and threw stones at lions in the zoo, in an apparent demonstration of how children should not behave. When Saraa later asked Nahoul who he would like to send greetings to on the 'holiday of sacrifice', he replied...

Quote: "Who should I convey greetings to, Saraa? Should I convey greetings to my brother, who was martyred in the first Intifada, at the hands of the Zionist Jews? Should I convey greetings to my second brother, who was martyred in the second Intifada? Should I convey greetings to my wounded brother, to my aunt, who was martyred because of the siege, or to her orphans? Who is there for me to greet, Saraa? I won't greet anyone. I am so sad, Saraa...

Saraa consoled Nahoul with the comforting words that, "we can all be sacrificed for the sake of the homeland". But alas, poor Nahoul! During the blockade of Gaza, those 'evil Jews' refused to let him out to receive medical treatment. Nahoul ended up dying a martyr's death, just like his brother, his second brother and his dear old aunt. A victim of the Zionist occupation. But Palestinian children need not fear. Assud the rabbit is here! Assud is yet another anti-Semitic character created by the show, who plans on destroying the Jews and then eating them, "Allah willing" of course...

Quote: "Sara: Why is your name Assud [lion] since you are a rabbit? Assud: A rabbit is a [nickname] for a bad person and coward. And I, Assud, will finish off the Jews and eat them, Allah willing.

It's horrific to think that Palestinian children are being subjected to this kind of death-cult propaganda. And it's not just Hamas that is to blame. Palestinian Authority TV, which is run by Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, has also been showing video clips glorifying martyrdom and encouraging Palestinians to murder Jews, even while President Abbas talks peace with Israeli Prime Minister Olmert. And this is the people upon whom the international community wants to bestow a state? It doesn't take much imagination to work out what sort of state that would end up being. So long as Palestinian leaders continue to indoctrinate their children in this culture of death and bloodshed, there will be no hope of peace in the Middle East. The Lord prophesied that the time would come when those that killed Jews would believe they were doing God a service (John 16:2).  And six hundred years later, a religion was born which openly calls for Jews and Christians to be killed. The only hope for true peace in the Middle East is through the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. Of the increase of His government and of peace, there shall be no end (Isaiah 9:6-7). As the saying goes, 'No Jesus - no peace, Know Jesus - know peace'. Do you know Jesus Christ? Do you have a personal relationship with Him? He died for you. Trust in Him for salvation today.

Source Jerusalem Post, Solomonia, Israel Matzav, You Tube