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BREAKING: ISRAEL STRIKES SYRIA AFTER BARRAGE FROM GAZA

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Rocket-fire from the Gaza Srip (via Reuters)

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) responded to a barrage of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip last night with airstrikes against terrorist positions in Gaza and Syria. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) claimed responsibility for over 20 rockets fired from Gaza which triggered alarms and red alerts across the “Gaza Envelope,” or the belt around the restive Palestinian territory which is vulnerable to short-range rocket fire. The Iron Dome missile defense system was deployed and successfully intercepted 13 rockets which directly threatened Israeli communities.

PIJ announced that the attacks were in response to the death of one of their fighters, who was killed earlier yesterday by Israeli forces as he planted explosives along the Gaza border fence. Besides its usual response against Hamas and PIJ targets in the Gaza Strip, the IAF also struck PIJ targets south of Damascus, Syria. An Israeli press release was unusually detailed regarding a Syrian strike, describing the targeted compound as a facility where weapons are developed and manufactured for use against Israeli targets from Gaza.

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Partner with FAI as we build on the edge of the growing eye of the storm in the Golan Heights. Our Legacy Center will stand as a bastion of solidarity with a Jewish Jerusalem as well as a beacon of refuge and hope for the surrounding nations.

The situation may continue to escalate further today as PIJ has threatened to increase the range of its rocket fire to the Israeli communities of Ashkelon and Beer Sheva. Israeli Home Command has ordered civilians in communities near Gaza to avoid congregating in large groups, in order to decrease the likelihood of a mass casualty incident in the event of further rocket fire.

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12 IDF WOUNDED IN JERUSALEM ATTACK, 2 OTHERS WOUNDED ELSEWHERE

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IDF soldiers of the Golani brigade attend their swearing-in ceremony in Jerusalem, Feb 6, 2019 (via Steve Carpenter on Facebook).

A car ramming attack near the First Train Station in Jerusalem on Wednesday evening wounded at least 12 members of the IDF’s Golani Brigade. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported on Thursday afternoon that the attacker has been safely apprehended. The Golani troops were in Jerusalem for their swearing in ceremony at the Kotel (Western Wall) on Thursday. The wounded soldiers still managed to attend the event.

The Jerusalem attack is the most severe so far in a string of terrorist attacks across Israel in the last 24 hours after the Hamas terrorist organization called for an escalation in “confrontation with the occupation and their settlers.”

  • An attempted stabbing attack against an Israeli police officer on the Temple Mount resulted in light wounds to the officer and the neutralization of the attacker.

  • Another attacker shot at IDF troops in the West Bank border town of Qalqilya, also wounding one soldier, before they returned fire.

  • Israeli residents in the West Bank settlements of Neria, Talmon, Dolev, Zeit Ra'anan and Harsha were ordered to stay indoors after a drive-by shooting attack. No confirmation of casualties at this time. .

  • Three balloons with improvised explosive devices (IED’s) attached exploded near Sderot, next to the Gaza Strip.

  • A stabbing attack is under investigation in Ashkelon, near the Gaza Strip.

CLICK TO WATCH

Watch FAI’s groundbreaking film Covenant and Controversy III: The Great Trouble to learn more about where where this conflict is headed.

The attacks come as the IDF announced that additional troop reinforcements are headed into the West Bank amid ongoing riots and attacks in the disputed region, including ongoing confrontations in Jenin, Hebron, Bethlehem and East Jerusalem. Palestinian militant groups have vowed conflict with the Israeli military and settler populations on multiple fronts after a Palestinian teenager was killed in Hebron yesterday while lobbing a Molotov Cocktail at an IDF soldier.

Tensions have steadily escalated in the Palestinian territories after Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas rejected US President Trump’s latest peace initiative, the so-called Deal of the Century, refusing to even take calls from Trump or to read the document. Egypt and the Gulf States have expressed optimism regarding the plan and have encouraged both Israel and the Palestinian Authority to carefully consider it.

We ask our global partners to join us in intercession for all of the people of Israel today. We pray for the full recovery of wounded IDF soldiers and a divine shield of protection around all IDF personnel, as well as innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians, and for the demonic designs of violent men to be exposed and thwarted. Please lift up the FAI teams in Israel as well, as we seek opportunities to bless and minister to all the people of Israel.

CLICK TO BUILD

Partner with FAI as we build on the edge of the growing eye of the storm in the Golan Heights. Our Legacy Center will stand as a bastion of solidarity with a Jewish Jerusalem as well as a beacon of refuge and hope for the surrounding nations.

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ISRAEL STRIKES THREATS ON TWO FRONTS

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Archival footage of an Israeli airstrike on Damascus (Uncredited, via Reuters)

At least four airstrikes rocked the Syrian capital of Damascus and its surrounding environs early Thursday morning. Several amateur videos posted online showed incoming missile fire over Damascus and outgoing surface-to-air retaliatory fire as Syrian state media reported it was engaging “enemy targets” in its airspace. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the strikes, although Israel has admitted to conducting hundreds of strikes in Syria and Iraq over the past six years, mostly targeting weapons pipelines of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Lebanese Hezbollah and high-ranking members of Palestinian terrorist groups.

The targeted facilities in Damascus reportedly include a military airport, a research facility and a base that houses Syria’s 75th Brigade. There is no confirmation of damage or casualties at this time, nor has an objective been determined, although Syrian intelligence analysts generally agree that the IRGC and Lebanese Hezbollah are active in and around Damascus.

CLICK TO WATCH

Watch FAI’s groundbreaking film Covenant and Controversy III: The Great Trouble to learn more about where where this conflict is headed.

News of the airstrikes in Syria broke immediately following confirmation by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) that Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. The Gaza strikes came after another day of explosive balloons and mortar attacks terrorized Israeli citizens in the so-called “Gaza Envelope”. The Israeli Army confirmed airstrikes on several positions belonging to Hamas, the terrorist group that rules the sequestered strip.

Hamas called for “escalating confrontations with the occupation and its settlers” today after three incidents involving Molotov Cocktails in the West Bank city of Hebron. Often a flash point of tension, Hebron has been seething since US President Trump’s joint news conference with Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu last week, in which he announced his “Deal of the Century” Israeli-Palestinian peace accord - a plan which was roundly rejected across the board by Palestinian leadership. On Sunday, an IDF soldier was struck by a Molotov Cocktail while patrolling in Hebron, followed by a Border Patrol officer in the same city the next day. Monday’s attack resulted in light injuries to the officer, whose clothing was briefly ignited by the projectile. Then on Tuesday, Israeli security forces shot and killed a 17-year-old Palestinian in the act of lobbing yet another Molotov Cocktail in their direction. The death of Palestinian youth engaged in “resistance” against Israel is often a lightning rod for Palestinian factions who propagandize the death of children as a pretext for bellicose rhetoric and increased violence.

CLICK TO BUILD

Partner with FAI as we build on the edge of the growing eye of the storm in the Golan Heights. Our Legacy Center will stand as a bastion of solidarity with a Jewish Jerusalem as well as a beacon of refuge and hope for the surrounding nations.

Sources:

https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1225213839052038145

https://twitter.com/manniefabian/status/1225143061459566594

https://twitter.com/ignis_fatum/status/1225142384079638528

https://twitter.com/manniefabian/status/1225089499010564097

https://twitter.com/JudahAriGross/status/1225086344936009728

https://twitter.com/wakaltyaqein/status/1225071637269241857

https://twitter.com/Omar_Gaza/status/1225189861608562688

https://twitter.com/mohmad_rasheed/status/1225208434267697153

https://twitter.com/Mulhak/status/1225207475097554949

https://twitter.com/Mulhak/status/1225206439721029633

https://twitter.com/MGhorab3/status/1225206402215489536

https://twitter.com/mohmad_rasheed/status/1225202820942618629

https://twitter.com/HadiAlabdallah/status/1225199302479360000

https://twitter.com/m3nati/status/1225197562963144705

https://twitter.com/mohmad_rasheed/status/1225217515011411969

https://twitter.com/Omar_Gaza/status/1225198321003831299

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRUTQgoynf0&feature=youtu.be

https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Border-Police-officer-IDF-soldier-hit-by-Molotov-cocktails-in-clashes-616365

https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-calls-for-increased-confrontations-with-israel-and-settlers/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/molotov-cocktail-explodes-on-border-policeman-in-hebron/

https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/syrian-air-defenses-intercept-israeli-missiles-over-damascus-state-media-says-1.8501073

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/275639

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/13/world/middleeast/israel-iran-strike-syria-tunnels.html

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LINES DRAWN FOR AND AGAINST ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE

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LINES DRAWN FOR AND AGAINST ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE

The commander of IRGC made phone calls to the leaders of Hamas and Palestine to discuss united opposition to US President Trump’s “Deal of the Century.”

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TRUMP RELEASES ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN "DEAL OF THE CENTURY", TENSIONS ESCALATE IN PALESTINIAN AREAS

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President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a joint news conference to announce a new Middle East peace plan proposal in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on January 28, 2020. (Credit: Joshua Roberts, Reuters)

US President Donald Trump held a joint press conference at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today to announce the president’s “Deal of the Century” Israeli-Palestinian peace proposal. Touting his previous pro-Israel initiatives, Trump promised that the latest proposal is the best, and perhaps the last good chance that Palestinians have to achieve statehood, saying that the plan is the “most detailed ever put forward by far. Our proposal provides precise technical solutions to make Israelis, Palestinians and the region safer.” Trump and Netanyahu both outlined key components of the plan, including:

  • annexation of existing Jewish settlements in the West Bank into Israel

  • Israel will retain security control of the Jordan Valley on the western border of Jordan, providing a defensible barrier

  • Jerusalem will remain the undivided capital of Israel, while a Palestinian capital will be recognized in East Jerusalem

  • Proposed Palestinian state land in the West Bank will remain undeveloped for four years, giving the Palestinian Authority time to implement the agreement

  • 50 billion US dollars of investment into the new Palestinian state, which Trump claimed will add 1 million jobs over 10 years, cut Palestinian poverty in half and raise GDP by 200-300%

  • The Palestinians must recognize the right of Israel to exist. Hamas must be disarmed and the Gaza Strip demilitarized

  • A tunnel will connect the West Bank to Gaza

  • Issue of Palestinian refugee resettlement will have to be resolved outside of Israel

  • Retain status quo at religious sites, including Temple Mount

Leaders in the Palestinian Authority publicly rejected the new plan even before its announcement, choosing instead to hold joint meetings with other Palestinian factions, including terrorist groups such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The latter groups are responsible for constant rocket fire and other forms of attack against Israeli civilians. Street protests broke out in the West Bank within minutes after the conference, and IDF units in the area were placed on high alert in expectation of a violent backlash. Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas declared called Trump “a dog and the son of a dog,” and left no room for negotiating with his administration, stating “It's either dying like martyrs or flying the Palestinian flag on the walls of Jerusalem.” The Islamist government in Turkey also condemned the peace proposal in a released statement, claiming that it is “an attempt to kill the two-state solution, a plan aiming to annex Palestinian territory…Jerusalem is our red line. We won’t allow steps to legitimize Israel’s occupation, oppression.”

CLICK TO WATCH

Watch FAI’s groundbreaking film Covenant and Controversy III: The Great Trouble to learn more about where where this conflict is headed.

President Trump struck an accord with other Arab leaders in the Middle East, citing the cooperation of Oman, Bahrain and the UAE in the negotiations. Envoys of the Oman and Bahrain governments were in attendance at the press conference. The Saudi Arabian foreign ministry released an unprecedented public statement in which it endorsed the peace plan, stating that the Kingdom "appreciates the efforts of President Trump's Administration to develop a comprehensive peace plan between the Palestinian and the Israeli sides, and encourages the start of direct peace negotiations under the auspices of the United States..."

President Trump also also cited the recent The president also cited the recent death of Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Solemani and his driving vision to “liberate” Jerusalem from Israel by means of war. Trump exhorted Muslim nations around the world to reject this, stating that “In truth, Jerusalem is [already] liberated…It is time for the Muslim world to fix the mistake it made in 1948 when it attacked instead of recognized the State of Israel…America is prepared to work with all parties on our vision.”

Bibi Netanyahu hailed the president’s plan as different from its predecessors, citing that previous plans had failed due to lack of balance between Israeli security concerns in the West Bank and Palestinian aspirations for statehood. Recognizing Israel’s rightful heritage in the Biblical Jewish heartland of Judea and Samaria as a “permanent part of the Jewish state” was a critical step for Israelis, the Prime Minister claimed, stating that he has “agreed to negotiate peace with Palestinians on basis of [the] peace plan. It's a great plan." After listing Trump’s previous pro-Israel initiatives, including the movement of the US embassy to Jerusalem, withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal and recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Netanyahu called Trump the “greatest friend of Israel ever in the White House…it’s not even close.”

CLICK TO BUILD

Partner with FAI as we build on the edge of the growing eye of the storm in the Golan Heights. Our Legacy Center will stand as a bastion of solidarity with a Jewish Jerusalem as well as a beacon of refuge and hope for the surrounding nations.

We would ask our global partners to join us in prayer for the safety of our friends and partners in the Israeli Defense Forces, and for peace in Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories. We also pray that divine wisdom would be granted to President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Palestinian Authority and other Arab leaders in the region as they continue to navigate this volatile time.

FAI’s Israeli division, Israel Alliance International, is on the ground in the Golan Heights to stay. We covet your prayers for fruitfulness as we enter a new season of ministry and advocacy for Israel and her neighbors.

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyWovtG_YaA&feature=youtu.be

https://www.timesofisrael.com/islamic-state-announces-new-phase-of-attacks-mainly-targeting-israel/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-general-warns-of-retaliation-against-israel-if-us-threats-continue/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-to-join-palestinian-leadership-meeting-against-trump-plan-officials/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Abbas-Trump-is-a-dog-and-son-of-a-dog-I-wont-become-a-traitor-615572?fbclid=IwAR1piMU-LBAyK8rilNak5LTftyHT4SWGIs4HSFbgqfvutplZA_3pDBI7bcU

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Peace-to-Prosperity-0120.pdf

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/trump-unveil-israeli-plan-latest-updates-200128132737854.html

https://twitter.com/IsraelGazaICN/status/1222122845565702144

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1222223636779741184

https://twitter.com/eha_news/status/1222219697430634496

https://twitter.com/HillelNeuer/status/1222290395238764544

https://twitter.com/sfrantzman/status/1222213656982761473