Why Should Christians Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem?

Without the Jews, God's chosen people, we, as Gentiles would never have had a chance of salvation.

Many Christians still dislike, even hate, the Jewish people because they blame the Jews for the death of Christ and say all manner of things against them because they supposedly did not accept Christ as their Savior. Most assume they did this of their own free will; I challenge you to read: Romans 11:7-29

I have recorded some of the major scriptures from this passage.

Romans 11:8,11-13,17-21,24,25 NIV

Concerning the disbelief of the Jewish people

^{**8 as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day.

11 "Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation
has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. *12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater
riches will their fullness bring! *13. I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make
much of my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them.

17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others
and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, *18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You
(gentiles) do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I (a
gentile) could be grafted in." 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be
arrogant, but be afraid. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
*24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a
cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
*25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced
a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in."}

*Gentiles

** God’s influence on the Jews in our behalf

I hope you love Israel and her people as I do. Please pray for Israel, remember this is God’s chosen people. The Bible tells us to, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; May they prosper who love you. Psalms 122:6

The ever-insightful Michael Totten challenges critics who accuse Israel of "disproportionate response" in its air strikes on Hamas terrorists:

A single Israeli air strike is going to kill at least as many people as Hamas can kill in twelve months. Does that mean Israel should be given a “license” of one air strike per year to use in the war? If IDF commanders want to take out a target where they expect five Hamas leaders or fighters to be killed, do they have to wait until five Israelis are killed first? If the Israelis endure rocket fire until one civilian is killed, do they get a “kill one Palestinian terrorist” coupon?

Literally thousands of protesters demonstrated in almost every city large enough to have reporters to cover their protest in the United States, France, the United Kingdom etc. Of course ninety percent of the protesters were Muslim.

Hamas is a terrorist organization that wants to destroy Israel and drive the West out of the Middle East as do all of the radical Islamic terrorist. They are so engrossed in this philosophy that they even teach their kindergarten children to grow up and become anti-Israeli terrorist and that they should kill anyone that is not a Muslim. They are taught that everybody else is an infidel and should be killed and by doing so they are blessed by Allah. The truth is that Hamas, Hezbollah, al-Qiuda and all radical Islam terrorist are a bunch of hoodlums and murders with an inborn hatred for the rest of the world. They are cruel to the point of torture and murder of their own people and especially women. The radical Islam terrorist represent an ideology that most of the rest of the world will ever understand. And yet there are those that say we should reason or negotiate with these radicals. It was the United States that convinced Israel to give up the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in the name of peace. Israel is now paying the price for giving in to the Palestinians and trying to please the United States.

Recently, it was noted that Palestinian terrorists launching rockets from Gaza are widening their range. Well, that range just got even wider. Palestinian terrorists on Tuesday night fired at least two rockets at Beersheba, adding some 250,000 residents of the largest city in the Negev into the ever-widening range of the rockets attacks.

People question whether Israel is acting in self-defense; the news media reports every thing that Israel does, that they do not like but what they do not report is

that the Hamas terrorist have fired rockets into Israel every day for more than a year, as many as 2 to 40 rockets in a single day. The average is about 20 rockets a day.

FD 1-3-08

Here are the latest updates to(Frank <fdun@charter.net>) ; Critiqued from an Israeli, English wire service.

A chorus of support for Israel

We've read a number of good pro-Israel editorials in recent days. Here are just a few:

The Dallas Morning News:

Yes, the Israelis have inflicted far more casualties on the Gazans than the Gazans have on them, but that is because Hamas deliberately and evilly locates its military resources among civilians, cynically hoping for a propaganda victory. Don't forget that Israel is committed to a peace process and a two-state solution. Hamas despises both.

The Detroit News:

Officials from the United Nations and European Union are urging Israel to stand down, even as the rockets continue flying from mobile launching pads in Gaza. Those officials were noticeably quiet when Hamas resumed its attacks on Israel at the end of a tenuous six-month cease fire two weeks ago.

The Ottawa (Canada) Citizen:

This is a familiar story. Hamas and other Islamist groups deliberately target Israeli civilians and celebrate when Jewish children die. Israel, on the other hand, responding in self-defense, seeks to minimize civilian casualties and grieves when Arab children get caught in the crossfire. There is no mystery to this asymmetry. Israel is a western-style liberal democracy; Hamas is a fundamentalist, Iranian-backed Islamist group.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Let's get this straight: Hamas is a "militant group" and Israel is engaging in a dastardly "disproportionate" response to having "militants" regularly fire missiles into its country.

Sorry, but no. Hamas is a terrorist organization, not merely "designated as a terrorist group by the United States," as one network newscaster put it Sunday. And, what, some kind of warped sense of "manners" dictates that Israel fly one sortie for every Hamas missile?

Yes, there are still far too many in the media who misinterpret Israel's actions, or mislead others about Israel's intentions. There is still much to be done before the story of Israel's struggle for peace and security is told fairly and truthfully. But let's be happy that, this time around, at least a few people are getting it right.

Iran warns against Gaza ground op; anti-Israel protests sweep Mideast

Jerusalem Post:

Iran warned Israel on Friday not to launch a ground offensive into the Gaza Strip as protests against the Israeli bombardment of the Hamas-run Palestinian territory, now in its seventh day, swept several Mideast capitals.

The demonstrations began shortly after Friday prayers in Teheran, Cairo, Amman and Damascus. Similar protests have been held daily across since Israel launched the bombing campaign last Saturday, but these gatherings were larger _ mainly because Friday prayers are a traditional opportunity for Muslims to assemble in great numbers.

May God bless Israel and the United States of American and may we always bless Israel and pray for the soon coming of the Messiah for Israel’s sake and ours.