The four men aged 22 to 45 "were found dead after the tunnel they were working in was flooded nine days ago by the Egyptian army," local authorities in the Gazan city of Rafah near Egypt's border said in a statement. Hamas and other groups use such tunnels to smuggle goods into Gaza, as well as to transfer terrorists undetected to neighboring Israeli or Egyptian-controlled areas. The border between Egypt and Gaza has remained largely closed since the 2013 overthrow of Egyptian Islamist president Mohammed Morsi. While the tunnels into Egypt have been used for smuggling, terror tunnels into Israel have been used for attacks, particularly during Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014. Hamas alleges Egypt has carried out work to flood the area along its border to destroy tunnels into the Sinai, where Egyptian security forces are also fighting ISIS-linked jihadists. In recent months, at least 20 smugglers and terrorists have died in both terror and smuggling tunnels in the strip of some two million people. A number of terror tunnels have collapsed in recent months. (Arutz-7) The obvious solution to prevent tunnel flooding and cave-ins is for terrorists and smugglers to stop digging tunnels. [Comment]

In a speech on Mon. 5 Dec. 2016, at the Seventh Conference of the Fatah Movement in Ramallah, Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of Fatah, the PLO, and the Palestinian Authority, praised the generations-long Arab struggle against Israel. Abbas mentioned the fedayeen who sacrificed their lives, calling them "heroes” and "brave revolutionary fighters.” The Arab Fedayeen were terrorists who infiltrated Israel to carry our terrorist operations. They operated mostly from Jordan in the 50’s and 60’s and from Lebanon in the 70’s and 80’s. These "brave fighters,” said Abbas, were a "shield for the Palestinians” in Jordan, Lebanon and the "occupied lands” until the current "Al-Quds Intifida,” (the most recent terror wave). Abbas also called the Arab security prisoners "heroes,” though many of them are serving jail sentences for murdering Israelis in terrorist attacks. (Arutz-7) Continue to pray there will be growing numbers of Palestinians who weary of terrorist leaders and their focus on the destruction of Israel and honoring terrorist murderers as role- models for their children - rather than on building better lives for their own citizens. [Comment]

Amidst increasing ISIS activity on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, Israeli soldiers stationed there reported that over the weekend a literal pillar of cloud descended on the border. The bizarre storm completely engulfed the Syrian side of the border, but stopped just at the boundary and did not enter Israel. A number of soldiers captured the phenomenon on their cellphones. One video went viral on Facebook, where not a few Israelis labeled the storm as "divine intervention.” "Huge miracle! Notice how God stopped this enormous storm exactly on the border,” wrote Yifat Romano. "Thank you, Father!” Netanel Tanaami wondered, "What more do you need to believe?” "The Creator of the world is protecting us,” proclaimed Nissim Nahoum. (Israel Today) "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’” Ps 92:1-2 [Comment]

A report based on information from senior USA officials suggests that outgoing USA President Barack Obama will not try to force any "peace” moves on Israel during his final weeks in office. According to media sources Obama now has no intention of presenting one last peace proposal or of altering USA policy by recognizing Palestinian statehood at the UN. Prior to last month’s USA presidential election, many were certain that Obama would use his final weeks in office to try to secure for himself a positive legacy regarding the Middle East conflict. But the surprise electoral victory of Donald Trump seems to have saved Israel from that particular headache. Reports suggest that knowing Trump would simply shelve any final proposal he put forward, Obama prefers not to leave office amidst public confrontation regarding his views on Israel. (Israel Today) Continue to pray that there will indeed be no bad surprises for Israel on the part of Obama during his final weeks in office. [Comment]

Itamar Marcus founder and director of the well known Palestinian Media Watch says world parliaments are waking up to the fact that the Palestinian Authority uses their aid to fund terrorists. Great Britain suspended 25 million euro to the PA in October 2016 over the salaries that are paid to Palestinian Arab terrorists and their families. There are also pushes in the USA Congress and the EU Parliament to halt funding for the PA due to the payments to terrorists and the constant incitement to commit attacks against Jews. "The Palestinian Authority pays all terrorists in Israeli prisons a salary of up more than 4 times the average salary in the PA." Marcus said. Members of Congress and various European parliaments have expressed increasing concern over the use of their money to fund terrorists who committed attacks and even murder against Israeli citizens- and even foreign citizens such as American citizen Taylor Force. The USA provides the PA with $400 million in funding annually. The EU provides 250 million euros each year to the PA, and various other countries within Europe also provide individual funding to the PA. The PA receives aid from international organizations, such as the UN, as well. (Arutz-7) Pray that all international governments and organizations will stop paying into the coffers of the Palestinian Authority whose leaders support and honor jailed terrorists who have carried out attacks against Israel. [Comment]

 Israel's Minister for Public Security Gilad Erdan told the Knesset on Wed. 30 Nov. 2016 that 40-50% of the fires that broke out across Israel last week were the result of arson, based upon "the estimates of professionals." The Fire Services backed up his claim. (Times of Israel) Please continue to pray for those who have suffered injuries and lost property in this national emergency, and help us at Vision for Israel to do all that we can for those who have contacted us in desperate need, having lost everything in the fires. [Comment]

Arab media reported on Wed. morning 30 Nov. 2016 that Israeli aircraft carried out two airstrikes in the Damascus area overnight Tuesday. One report said that the first airstrike hit a weapons warehouse belonging to the Syrian army near Damascus. The second attack targeted a convoy of cars belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist group. Other Syrian websites reported that the attack on the Hezbollah convoy was meant to thwart a delivery of missiles from Syria to Lebanon. According to these reports, the convoy was bombed after it left the airport in Damascus. On 28 Nov. 2016 Israeli aircraft attacked a facility belonging to the ISIS terrorist organization in the Syrian part of the Golan Heights. The assault was in retaliation to Sunday’s attack on IDF forces who were engaged in operations along the Syrian border. (Arutz-7) [Comment]

It's okay to be disappointed

Lean on your supports

Focus on hope and the Grace of God

 A controversy is raging over Israel’s proposed legislation aimed at muffling the five daily Muslim calls to prayer from local mosques. In recent decades, the call of the muezzin has been amplified by multiple loudspeakers, resulting in tremendous noise pollution starting at 4:30 AM every morning. While Jewish residents have been most vocal in complaining about the muezzin loudspeakers, local Muslims have expressed outrage over the bill, which last week gained approval from PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet. Arab Members of Knesset say the bill will limit religious freedom for Muslims in the country, and the Palestinian Authority has threatened to take the matter to the UN Security Council. But when pressed on the issue, many local Muslims admit that the volume of the muezzin’s call is excessive. Nor has similar legislation in Muslim countries ever elicited such opposition. In Egypt, for example, the use of loudspeakers to amplify the muezzin’s call is restricted. Muslim scholars at Al-Azhar University previously determined that the loudspeakers are a modern invention, and therefore have nothing to do with the Islamic law that mandates calling the faithful to prayer.

In 2011 the UAE limited the volume of mosque loudspeakers following repeated complaints by Muslim residents. In June 2015, Indonesia’s vice president established an investigative committee to look into the problem of noise pollution caused by mosque loudspeakers. As the largest Muslim population country in the world, Indonesia has hundreds of thousands of mosques all blaring their calls to prayer at the same time. Even in Saudi Arabia, the cradle of Islam, the government ruled that calls to prayer could only be amplified by a mosque’s indoor loudspeakers, and no longer using the loudspeakers fixed to the top of the minaret. In Europe, Switzerland decided nine years ago to ban minarets altogether, and in Cologne, Germany approval to build a new mosque was only granted in 2007 after the local Muslim community undertook in write not to use loudspeakers to amplify its calls to prayer. None of these decisions resulted in international crises. There are many Muslims in the Jerusalem area who can’t stand the daily harassment of the loudspeakers. But the moment Israel’s government dares to intervene (and in exactly the same way as Muslims governments have in recent years) it is accused of being discriminatory and racist. (Israel Today) [Comment]