M E N O R A H

Blessings Poured Out at Messianic Festival

This year the Messianic Jewish Shavuot Ingathering experienced a welcome and unexpected blessing. As the dawn broke on the early morning hours of the day of festival the heavens opened up and poured down abundant “latter rains” over the entire country. Accompanied by roaring thunder and hair-raising lighting, Israel experienced one of the best spring storms in her modern history, adding even more waters to the rising Sea of Galilee.

Groups from Beersheva in the Negev and the northern Galilee called organizers earlier to find out if the annual Messianic Festival in the Judean Mountains had been cancelled. “No way,” they were told. “If ever there was a joyful time to go up to Jerusalem it is right now.” Over 2,000 believers made their way up to the yearly festival and the blessings of abundant rains over the nation added an extra portion of joy to all.

With perfectly choreographed timing, as worshippers began the ascent into the Judean steppes, the ever present Middle East sun broke through and presented one of the most brilliant and refreshing days of the year for all to enjoy. More

Al-Qaeda's Syrian wing takes over the oilfields once belonging to Assad

Al-Qaeda's Syrian wing is helping to finance its activities by selling the product of oilfields that once helped to prop up the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Up to 380,000 barrels of crude oil were previously produced by wells around the city of Raqqa and in the desert region to its east that are now in rebel hands - in particular Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda off-shoot which is the strongest faction in this part of the country.

Now the violently anti-Western jihadist group, which has been steadily extending its control in the region, is selling the crude oil to local entrepreneurs, who use home-made refineries to produce low-grade petrol and other fuels for Syrians facing acute shortages.

The ability of Jabhat al-Nusra to profit from the oil locally, despite international sanctions which have hindered its sale abroad, will be particularly worrying to the European Union, which has voted to ease the embargo but at the same time wants to marginalise the extremist group within the opposition. More

“The Palestinians [are] Jesus' descendants" and "Jesus' story is his [Palestinian] people's story"

Having no ancient Palestinian history, the Palestinian Authority has tried for many years to convince its people that they have a history going back many thousands of years, that there was an ancient Palestinian nation, and that one of the great figures of history, Jesus, was their “forefather” and they are “Jesus' descendants.”

The fact that in Christian tradition Jesus is a Jew from the nation of Judea and that the historical record has no record of a Palestinian Arab people, is not taught by the PA. The PA also ignores the fact that Rome only changed the name of Judea to "Palestine" after the Judean Bar Kochba Rebellion in the year 136, long after the death of Jesus. Furthermore, according to Christian tradition, Jesus did not marry, had no children, and therefore Palestinians could not be "Jesus' descendants." More

Report: Assad preparing missile strike against Tel Aviv in case attacked again

Syria is making preparations to strike Tel Aviv in case Israel launches another attack on its territory, The Sunday Times reported on Sunday.

The Syrian army has begun deploying advanced surface-to-surface missiles, the report said, adding that it has received orders to strike central Israel in case additional attacks against Syria are carried out. The Sunday Times said that the information was obtained by reconnaissance satellites that were tracking the Syrian forces.

The report said Syria was deploying advanced Tishreen missiles. More

'I Am Gabriel': Ancient Stone on Display in Israel

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Gabriel is one of the Bible's best known angels.

Now, a first of its kind exhibition in Jerusalem highlights an archaeological discovery quoting Gabriel that's considered the most important find of its kind since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

It's called the "Revelation of Gabriel." It's written on stone and proclaims three times, "I am Gabriel" -- just as the angel told Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, in the first chapter of Luke's Gospel.

"So to the best of my knowledge these are the only two instances in ancient Jewish and Christian literature that you have such an expression, 'I am Gabriel,'" Israel Museum curator Adolfo Roitman told CBN News. More

Will Israel destroy Russian missiles?

Analysis: West assumes Israel will be forced to launch additional attacks on Hezbollah-bound arms convoys.

Israel made it clear to Assad and his patrons that any attacks in the Golan will dash their hopes of creating a coastal sanctuary in the Alawite enclave.

The Russians are reading the map well and are aware that in the current situation Assad does not have the means to deter Israel from attacking Hezbollah-bound arms convoys. This is why Putin's aides – in order to deter Israel and the Americans from attacking in Syria - leaked to the press that Moscow will finally transfer to Syria three S-300 missile batteries. The original agreement for the transfer of long-range (200 kilometers, or 124 miles) missiles was signed some three years ago –before the revolt against Assad erupted. Russia has already received some of the payments, but the missiles have not been transferred to Syria due to American and Israeli pressure on the Kremlin not to supply the Assad regime with these missiles, as they may fall into Hezbollah's hands and undermine regional balance - because the Israeli Air Force would be forced to act in Lebanon before these missiles hinder its ability to operate there. More

'I guess the Galilee is not for Jews'

The government is building in Sakhnin and selling apartments in Umm el-Fahm, but there are almost no land allocations for construction in the Jewish sector. In the farming community of Migdal, only 30 housing units for young couples have been allocated in the last few years.

We are on the verge of losing the Galilee. The Jewish minority there feels that the state has given up on them. It's not just a question of demography, but rather a total abdication of the symbols and attributes of sovereignty. There is selective law enforcement due to fear, due to a surge in the number of nationalist and criminal offenses, as well as due to accelerated Islamization. The Zionist dream ends at Route 6. More

Russia sends at least 12 warships to Syria

I n a move considered aggressive by US and European officials, Russia has sent at least 12 warships to patrol waters near its naval base in Tartous, Syria.

The deployment appears to be a warning to Israeli and Western officials against military intervention in Syria’s bloody civil war, which has now claimed the lives of over 80,000 people.

Russia’s increased presence in the region — which began raising eyebrows in the US three months ago — represents one of its largest sustained naval deployments since the Cold War, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. More

Sabotaging Kerry in advance

Next week, yet again, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Israel. His energy and determination to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process are admirable, but it is difficult to know just how much Kerry actually believes he can succeed where his predecessors failed -- to bring the sides to the negotiating table.

What drives him and what plays in his favor, at least in his view, is that he considers his current post as the pinnacle of his public service career, and that he has no ambitions to run again for the presidency (along with his hope that an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement will solidify his place in the history books).

The Palestinians, despite paying lip service to Kerry's efforts, have actually rushed to sabotage him in advance. The two-month time frame stipulated by Kerry as a goal for the beginning of peace talks is dependent on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas committing to refrain from further unilateral efforts in the U.N. or other international bodies. More

Israel Hints: We'll Strike Syria Again

Senior official tells NYT: "If Assad attacks Israel, he will risk forfeiting his regime, for Israel will retaliate."

A senior Israeli official signaled on Wednesday that Israel was considering further military strikes on Syria to stop the transfer of advanced weapons to Islamist Hizbullah – and warned President Bashar Assad against any kind of retaliation against the Jewish state.

The New York Times quoted the Israeli official who said, “Israel is determined to continue to prevent the transfer of advanced weapons to Hizbullah. The transfer of such weapons to Hizbullah will destabilize and endanger the entire region.” More