Shalom friends,

Living in Israel is often like being on a roller coaster; just as the ride seems to slow down, here comes that huge downhill spurt and the nasty curves that shoves us one way and then the other. Of course, the Lord did warn us that the days just before His coming would be filled with "excitement" (Luke 21:28)! Also, God does use Israel and Jerusalem to test and trap the nations (Zech. 12:2-3), which explains why I often feel like the wedge of cheese on a mouse trap.

While I am totally convinced that God reigns as Creation's Supreme Sovereign (Psa. 93:1-2; 96:10; 97:1; 99:1; 103:19; plus many more affirmations in both the Old Testament [Tanach] and the New Testament [NT]), which include both Israel's protection and destiny as well as my own, that does not erase the times of concern and even fear. I thank God that He tells us who trust in Him to "fear not" because He knew that if we are doing His will then there will be circumstances which arise and our normal reaction would be to fear. "Fearing not" is a decision of the will and does not come automatically with our membership in His Kingdom.

It is interesting to see that the first time the phrase "fear not" appears in Scripture is Genesis 15:1: After these things the word of YHWH came unto Abram in a vision, saying, 'Fear not, Abram: I am your shield, and your exceeding great reward'. And the last time we read this phrase is in Revelation 1:17 where John describes his encounter with the glorified and risen Messiah: When I saw him, I fell at His feet as dead, and He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, 'Fear not; I am the First and the Last: I am He that lives, and was dead; and behold, I am alive forevermore, and have the keys of hell [Gk; Hades] and of death. Amen!

So God is our shield and great reward; He is the Beginning and the End; He conquered death and is now the Resurrection and the Life, and He has the keys of hell and death. No wonder He can tell us that we need not fear as everything is under His sovereign control – whether it feels like that or not!

Why is Replacement Theology [RT] so popular?

Why do so many genuine believers in Yeshua believe in "replacement theology"? This false doctrine basically says that the NT Church has now replaced Israel in God's kingdom plans. Often it goes as far as saying that all of the blessings to Israel in the Tanach now belong to members of the Body of Christ and can be claimed as theirs, although I have never understood if this includes the more than 200 times God promises the land of Israel to the nation of Israel. Yet replacement advocates add that while the Church now inherits the blessings, all the curses God promised to a disobedient Israel still apply to Israel!

I see the essential issue as simply this: while these believers say they believe in Messiah Yeshua, they reject the way He understood prophecy.

Messiah interpreted the law through the spiritual principles upon which it is based. So He compares murder with anger in one's heart; adultery with lust in one's heart; etc. For Messiah Yeshua, obeying God was a heart issue which He would initiate through giving us a new heart and a new spirit in order to love God with all of our hearts, souls and strength.

Yet when it comes to prophecy, Yeshua and the NT writers insisted on a literal interpretation. This is why we often read in the NT phrases like this: This happened in order to fulfill that which was spoken by the prophets (Matt. 1:22-23; 2:5-6, 14-15, 17-18, 23; 3:1-3; 26:55-56; Luke 24:44; Acts 3:18).

Now if we start to interpret prophecy literally, like Yeshua Himself did, then the modern resurrection and restoration of Israel is of God and that means that the Church cannot be "Israel". Thus RT is shown to be a false doctrine – in fact, in the face of all of the anti-Semitic and anti-Israel acts and attitudes that it has birthed in the Body of Messiah in the past, as well as today, I would define this as a doctrine of demonic origins! (1 Tim. 4:1).

So in whom do these believers trust? Do they trust their theologians or their Savior? Do most of them even read or study the Bible for themselves, or if they do, do they study it backwards. By that I mean that so many believers have been taught to interpret the Tanach through the eyes of the New – but Yeshua and all the writers of the New interpret the NT through the foundational doctrines of the Tanach.

Remember that the Tanach was the only part of God's Word which the apostles and the early Church had. Therefore, whenever a "new" concept was revealed to them – as faithful men and women of God – they would compare it with what they knew was God's Word – the Tanach – and only then would they accept it.

For an in-depth study of how the NT believes in the Tanach and views it as foundational to all NT doctrines, read our teaching on the IFI website.

Current events

Again, I encourage you to sign up for Intercessors for Israel's Friday Prayer Alerts in order to keep up with both how we at IFI view current events and how we are being led by God to pray about them.

This newsletter, which has become less frequent because of my other responsibilities, both personal and ministry, tries to focus on foundational issues which should be kept in mind as we read the news and pray for His kingdom to come (Luke 11:2).

For example, if we do not have at least some understanding of what Muslims who obey the Quran, as we disciples of Messiah Yeshua obey the Bible, actually believe and what drives them, then we will not be able to see why well-intentioned deals – such as those which US President Trump is making to bring peace to the Middle East [ME] – just will not work. [See the section on Shi'ite Muslim beliefs below.]

Also, if we do not recognize how God uses Israel, especially in these days leading up to the return of Israel's King Messiah, to test the minds and hearts of both believers and unbelievers, nations and international NGO's (for example Zech. 12:1-2; 14:1-4), then we could easily miss and/or misinterpret what He is doing or allowing to be done – and His ultimate goal, which is the manifestation of the knowledge of His glory over all the earth (Num. 14:21; Psa. 72:18-19; 113:3; Isa. 11:9; 40:4-5; Hab. 2:14; Mal. 1:11; 2 Cor. 4:6). Of course, that will not happen until His Son, the King of Israel and the King of all kings, returns to defend His nation and His people and then to be enthroned on His father's David's throne – ruling the world from Jerusalem (Psa. 122:3-5; 132:11; Isa. 9;6-7; 66:23; Zech. 8:22; 14:1-4, 16; Matt. 25:31; Luke 1:32; 19:37-38).

Since Messiah's return ends Satan's false, but effective, claims and deceptions, the devil is very upset. This is the underlying spiritual reason why there is so much hatred against the Jews and the Jewish State in the world today. According to biblical prophecy, without a resurrected and restored Israel with Jerusalem as its capital, the Lord will not return (Zech. 14:-4; Matt. 23:37-39). Satan knows this and we pray for more believers to see this in order to have spiritual insight into the true battle raging against Israel's biblical right to possess its land (Obad. 1:17).

Trump – friend, or foe, or…?

While US President Donald Trump has been a true friend of Israel, yet he has consistently stopped Israel from achieving total victories over its enemies – Hizbullah, Iran and Hamas. He wants to be seen as a man of peace and so he declares "ceasefires" just when Israel is about to destroy its foes. Unfortunately, he does not seem to understand that "ceasefire," hudna in Arabic, is to Muslims a time to "cease," to pause fighting, until they are strong enough to "fire" at the enemy once again and destroy them.

His declaration of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hizbullah, just as Israel had this dangerous terrorist organization in Lebanon on the proverbial ropes, was a huge mistake. Today we read reports that Hizbullah is rebuilding and planning to strike Israel again, and the Lebanese army, which according to Trump's ceasefire, is supposed to disarm Hizbullah, is not accomplishing that in any real sense. [Even I could have told Trump this would be the case – so where are his expert advisors?]

He then declared a ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran just as Israel was about to help the Iranians topple their demonic regime that cries "Death to America; death to Israel," at every chance they get. That was another huge mistake. Reports out of Iran are saying that it is continuing to develop its nuclear weapons development program with the assistance of Russia and China today.

And most recently, Trump declared a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas right as Israel was about to destroy this Islamic terrorist group completely. This deal was forced on Bibi and Israel, and Trump has openly boasted about doing that.

All-in-all, this is three major geo-political mistakes which robbed Israel of achieving victories over these anti-God, Jew-hating, West-hating, Christian-hating enemies of America and Israel. Yet who is counting? I imagine God is and that is not good news for America.

Why does Trump do this? Is his desire to be known as "a man of peace"' so strong that he is blinded to the reality of the Middle East [ME]? Or is his love of money blinding him to how easy it is for extremely wealthy Arab nations to toy with and deceive him? Where are his believing advisors to caution him not to treat Israel as if it were just any other nation and not God's chosen nation which the Lord Himself has sworn to defend?

The very day that Trump was in Israel as the living hostages were released, and that is the one good thing to come out of the Gaza ceasefire deal so far, there were dangerous storms all up and down America's East Coast – including Washington DC. There continue to be storms and floods in many states, as well as a severe drought that has lingered in many American states.

Also, the US government was shut down as the war between Democrats and Republicans ramped up, and that shut down has continued as this is being written. There is also signs of a civil war that is heating up as in various cities there are riots against the police and mayors and governors who just refuse to cooperate with Trump's administration's attempts to tackle crime and to deport dangerous illegal aliens. And all that is accompanied by vicious pro-Palestinian, anti-Semitic attacks and demonstrations seemingly every day.

Just the other week, an openly anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, pro-communist Shi'ite Muslim was elected mayor of New Your City! By the way, do you realize that by January the two major financial capitals of the West will both have Muslim mayors – NYC and London!

America is divided and becoming more so each day. I see the only solution which will prevent much death and bloodshed – and I am being very serious – is a "two-state solution"! Let the radical socialists, left-wing, woke, and LGBTQ+ whatever folks form one nation [America?] and the right-wing conservative, and at least Bible-respecting if not believing, folks form another [The United States?]. Nations have had to divide in history to prevent or end civil war, such as Czechoslovakia, so why not?

Then America and the United States can be allies like many other nations that do not see eye-to-eye but have relations, trade, even defense agreements, and live as each one prefers. In this way, Trump can win the Nobel Peace Prize and be seen as a man of peace. After all if he is supposed to end the conflict in the ME, why not the conflict in America's Midwest?

Yet if America's leaders, especially its president, continue to "curse" [Genesis 12:3a where the second "curse" in Hebrew means to disregard; to ignore; to denigrate; to put down] Israel, then unless the US Church stands in the gap and cries out for mercy (Ezek. 22:30-31), I see no hope whatsoever for a blessed future of my dear birth nation. After all, Yeshua did tell us that to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48).

Israel's rights to the land

As more and more nations recognize a non-existent "Palestine," which they insist must be created on God's land that He has promised to His people more than 200 times in the Tanach, including swearing to do this more than 40 times, what comes to mind is that God is giving them over to deep deception because of their rejection of the truth of His Word (John 17:17; 2 Thess. 2:10-12). [Personal comments below are in brackets.]

In late August a group of foreign ministers from 20 nations, including the UK and Germany, issued a "joint condemnation" of Israel's approval of plans to build in the E1 corridor which sits northeast of Jerusalem with Ma'aleh Adumim a bit further east. Israel's Foreign Ministry, which has been much more aggressive against condemnations like this since Gideon Sa'ar was appointed Foreign Minister, issued a reply that began, "Israel utterly rejects the statement of the foreign ministers regarding the approval of a construction plan near Jerusalem, its eternal capital, and rejects the attempt to impose foreign dictates upon it."

The ministry then defended the Jewish people's deep roots in the land. "The historic right of Jews to live anywhere in the Land of Israel – the birthplace of the Jewish people – is indisputable. There is no other nation in the world that has a stronger, longer-standing, and better-documented connection to its land than the Jewish people has to the Land of Israel, and this connection and right do not require the affirmation of foreign governments."

It said Israel's plans were in total agreement "with international law," noting that, "The establishment of a Jewish state in the Jewish people's ancient homeland, including the settlement by Jews on the land, was clearly recognized in the British Mandate, which was adopted by the League of Nations in 1922. The adoption of the 1917 Balfour Declaration into the Mandate was expressly agreed in the 1920 San Remo Conference. Under the Mandate, the right of the Jewish people to build their national home extended to the entire territory of 'Mandatory Palestine.' These rights were preserved under Article 80 of the UN Charter."

Thus according to international law Israel has every right to settle on all of the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. The British Mandate even included the area where the Kingdom of Jordan is today – which is about 75% of the land that the League of Nations promised to the Jews. Winston Churchill unwisely cut this area off from the Mandate and gave it to the Arabs, although he was a true Zionist.

The ministry blasted the anti-Semitic discrimination of these foreign ministers' demands. "There is no restriction for Arabs to reside in any part of the State of Israel, and a call to deny Jews – and Jews alone – the right to reside in certain areas of the State of Israel has a name: racism." [Well said!]

Then the statement attacked "the historical fallacies" which are often used against Israel. "The Jewish people are the indigenous people of the Land of Israel. At no point in history has there ever been a Palestinian state, and any attempt to argue otherwise has no legal, factual, or historical basis." While most of the world and sadly parts of the Church thinks otherwise, this powerful statement is 100% true and the truth!

Retorting to the foreign ministers concern that this project would hinder the "two-state solution," which a majority of Israelis now reject in the face of the Oct. 7th, 2023 [10/7] Hamas massacre, the Foreign Ministry said, "Israel rejects the external attempt to impose a jihadist terror state in the heart of Israel."

Finally, it closed with a reference to Israel's sovereignty and its democratic nature. "The State of Israel is governed by a democratically elected government, which acts to promote the interests of the citizens of Israel. The presumption of foreign governments to speak in the name of what is best for Israelis is an unacceptable pretension in international relations." ("Foreign Ministry slams foreign dictates: 'Right of Jews is indisputable'," Arutz 7, 23 Aug, 2025)

Israel & the demonic Iranian regime

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, an Iranian-American political scientist, and a Harvard-educated analyst, is also the author of several books on US foreign policy. Below are some of his thoughts after Israel attacked Iran and America joined in and struck some of its nuclear facilities in mid-June.

For decades, when dealing with the Islamic Republic of Iran, the "international community…chose cowardice over conviction," especially Western nations who boast on "being defenders of democracy and human rights…" They never laid down any red lines but "offered concession after concession. They fed the beast, even funded its industry of death," and constantly "threw Israel under the bus" to appease the Iranian bully. "They talked about diplomacy while Iran built centrifuges, enriched uranium, and spread terror throughout Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and even inside Iran." As of June, Iran's regime had executed over 1,700 people in 2025 alone.

Meanwhile, Iran kept pressing on "toward its dream of acquiring nuclear weapons – and no one had the courage to stop them. No one…except Israel's PM Netanyahu and US President Trump."

Rafizadeh called the 10/7 Hamas massacre a "savage invasion of Israel." Yet today as "global leaders are more concerned with virtue signaling and hosting summits that accomplish nothing, it took the Jewish state – tiny, isolated, hated by the media and universities," to finally say "Enough." While the West "wrung its hands, and its bureaucrats talked about 'proportionality' and restraint, Israel acted," for both its own survival, and for the survival and "security of the free world." [Remember this is an educated Iranian who is writing.]

He said "Israel did what the international community, the West and the UN would never do – and what NATO would never even dream of." What they lacked in courage, "tiny Israel, under Netanyahu's steady leadership and Trump's historic decision, put an end to the charade and finally delivered the blows that needed to be dealt." [Today, we see that the combined attack set back Iran's nuclear program, but did not destroy it.]

"Since the horrific 10/7 massacre, when Hamas butchered, raped, burned, and kidnapped Israeli civilians, men, women, the elderly, children and even babies, Israel has been on a relentless and unapologetic campaign to uproot terrorism at its roots. This has not just been about retaliation; it is about making sure that evil does not get rewarded with more money and more legitimacy – again." [It is also about seeing that biblical justice is meted out to evil people as per God's commands to nations (Deut. 33:21b; 2 Sam. 8:15; Job 8:3; Prov. 21:3)]

After noting Israel's successful assault on Hamas' infrastructure in Gaza, and how it decimated Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as taking "out weapons shipments and terror command centers in Syria, which directly led to the collapse of the Assad regime," Rafizadeh wrote, "Israel did not stop there. Israel, with Trump delivering the difficult final blow, launched the most daring, comprehensive, and devastating strikes inside Iranian territory in modern history." Israel's Operation Rising Lion "targeted more than 100 strategic sites tied to Iran's nuclear weapons program," which cost $2-3 trillion, took decades to make, but was decapitated "in less than 37 hours."

Israel and America sent "a message to every tyrant: if you aim to annihilate Israel, if you chant 'Death to America,' if you fund terror across the globe, there will be consequences. Thanks to Trump and Netanyahu, the world now knows what real leadership looks like." [Unfortunately, I have real questions about Trump today.]

Even more impressive was Israel's assassination of "some of the highest-ranking military leaders of the Iranian regime. The commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Major General Salami, is dead. IRGC Chief of Staff Major General Bagheri is dead. At least 14 nuclear scientists, critical to Iran's atomic weapons program, have been neutralized. These were men plotting a second Holocaust while hiding behind diplomacy and Western cowardice. Israel did not wait for permission. It did what needed to be done."

Israel has accomplished more in the past two years than "anything the self-proclaimed defenders of freedom in Brussels or Berlin have done in the past 80 years. While European leaders preach to Israel about "ceasefires," "de-escalation," "proportionality" and "restraint," Israel has "dismantled, destabilized, and struck a crippling blow to four terrorist regimes and organizations, Iran and its proxies as well as Syria's Assad regime, all while under constant attack. It is a miracle of military strategy, intelligence precision and moral clarity. The world owes this tiny, demonized nation, its defense forces," and its leader "a massive debt of gratitude…" [We know that it was God who uses Israel as His weapon of war (Jer. 51:20-24) and this is why the IDF is "an exceedingly great army" today (Ezek. 37:10).]

Netanyahu, a student of history, heeded Churchill's warning concerning appeasing Hitler and Nazi Germany. That warning is still relevant today: "An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile hoping it will eat him last." Rafizadeh then says, "The West has been feeding a lot of crocodiles for far too long. Giving the Iranian regime sanctions relief, nuclear deals, and diplomatic back channels, the so-called liberal world order enabled the rise of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its lavishly funded war machine. Israel has been doing the dirty work that Western powers refused to do…"

He added that if Iran gets nuclear weapons, no one "in the free world would be safe. Iran's ruling ayatollahs do not just hate Jews. They hate Christians and all 'unbelievers' in Allah. They hate the West," and especially Sunni Muslims. They have given the world "no reason to think that they would not" use a nuclear bomb. Just consider "what their barrages of ballistic missiles without nuclear warheads" did to Israel.

In the face of Israel's courageous actions, he wondered if the West would "finally grow a spine and stand with Israel? Will they stop hiding behind 'peace conferences' and empty UN resolutions, and finally support the one country that is actually securing peace through strength?" [Today we know that the answers to his questions are unfortunately, yet not unexpectedly, a resounding "No!"]

Yet as peace is not "achieved through weakness, funding the enemy, legitimizing terror organizations or tolerating genocidal regimes," but by "defeating them," it is "time to stop treating Israel like a burden or a pariah, and start recognizing it as the moral and military powerhouse that it is."

"The democracies of the world – the peace lovers, the free thinkers, the believers in Western civilization – owe Israel not just thanks, but allegiance. In just two years, this tiny nation has done more to safeguard global security than the entire EU, the UN, and most of the free world combined – which were busy condemning it and protesting against it. Israel deserves admiration, not sanctimony. It deserves support, not sanctions. If the rest of the free world is too cowardly to act, then at the very least, they should hide behind Israel's courage and pray that…it keeps winning. If Israel falls, the rest of the West is next. Stand with Israel, or fall with your silence." ("Bravo, President Trump and PM Netanyahu – You are doing what the whole world failed to do," M. Rafizadeh, Gatestone Institute, 28 June 2025)

What do Shi'ite Muslims really believe?

The following quotes are from an article written by an unnamed Egyptian pastor who "grew up in a Christian community in Egypt." Like many, he suffered "under the oppressive rule of the Islamo-socialist regime of Gamal Nasser," head of Egypt's Revolutionary Command Council, which eventually controlled all aspects of their lives.

He escaped when he was young and found "freedom in America." Having experienced Islamo-socialism in Egypt, he has "a deep compassion for the suffering people of Iran" who only desire to live in peace. But Iran's leaders "are committed to a death-cult ideology – and to a nuclear showdown with Western civilization." He shared "three key facts" as to why "Iran's radical clerics will never abandon their nuclear obsession:"

Fact No. 1: A nuclear-armed Iran cannot be deterred by Cold War nuclear doctrines. "During the Cold War, the logic of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) kept nuclea superpowers in check. Every president, premier, and prime minister knew that launching a nuclear attack would invite annihilation."

Some say that both North Korea and Pakistan have nuclear weapons, so why would Iran be any worse? Yet "a nuclear-armed Iran would be infinitely worse," because Shi'ite Islam, Iran's ruling ideology, makes the Cold War doctrines of deterrence obsolete. Here's why:

Fact No. 2: Iran's leaders have a religious incentive to launch Armageddon. He has "spent countless hours talking to Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims in the ME, and "studied cultural anthropology at Emory University," focusing on "radical Islamic movements." His research is published in a textbook, Revolt against Modernity, and he is convinced of vital importance for Westerners to "understand Islamic history and Islamic beliefs." [I agree totally, so I am including his explanation below.]

"Islam is divided into several sects," primarily Sunnis and Shi'ites. "In 1501, the Safavid rulers of the Persian Empire declared Twelver Shi'ite Islam the official state religion," separating Persia from its Sunni neighbors. In 1935, when Persia was renamed Iran, "Twelver Shi'ism remained the official faith.

"Twelver Shi'ism is the largest branch of Shia Islam, and is defined by its belief in twelve divinely ordained Imams (rightful successors to Muhammad). The last Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, supposedly went into occultation (a miraculously hidden state) in the 9th century. Twelvers claim the Mahdi [their Messiah] will one day reappear to establish global justice."

Today, many Iranian clerics believe that "before the Mahdi can be revealed, an apocalyptic battle must be fought between faithful Muslims and the forces of evil." Thus many Iranian leaders – probably the Ayatollah as well – "are motivated to trigger a nuclear war to fulfill the ancient prophecies and force the appearance of the hidden Mahdi."

While Iran "officially denies having a nuclear weapons program," the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency "claims Iran has enough highly enriched uranium to build nine nuclear warheads." It is important to know that "Shi'ite Islam invented a religious/judicial doctrine called Taqiyya, which makes it legal and almost binding to deceive one's enemies until Muslims are strong enough to gain the victory."

Israel and America's attacks this past June "against Iran's nuclear facilities have dealt a serious setback to the clerics' nuclear ambitions – but don't be misled. Iran's Twelver Shi'ite clerics will never abandon their fanatical dream of launching a final war and revealing the long-hidden Mahdi."

Fact No. 3: A nuclear-armed Iran threatens not only Israel, but all of Western civilization. "Iran has shown that its missiles are capable of penetrating Israel's Iron Dom defense systems. Imagine if those missiles carried nuclear warheads!" Also, Iran is developing intercontinental ballistic missiles via its space program. So when "Iran tests a satellite launch vehicle, it's flexing its ability to threaten Europe and North America." After all, Iranian clerics have for decades declared their goal: "Death to Israel! Death to America!"

He hopes that Israel and the US will help instigate a successful rebellion by Iranians against their diabolical leadership. I agree but based on Jeremiah 49:38b I look to God to destroy the King and the princes of Elam which is where Iran exists today. ("I'm a Christian pastor who was born in Egypt. Here are 3 facts I learned about Iran's nuclear obsession," Fox News Op-ed, 29 June 2025)

Israel and civilization

Following Iran's defeats from Israeli forces and then American attacks, Dr. Raphael BenLevi said "Israel's decisive confrontation with evil fulfilled the nation's historic calling to merge strength with moral clarity." Israel showed itself as a light to the nations by standing for "justice and righteousness through concrete action rather than empty rhetoric." Israel's Air Force's precise strikes showed the world "that Israel stands as civilization's protective barrier." [Is this why many arrogant Western nations tend to despise Israel, as its actions put them to open shame?]

BenLevi, an intelligence expert on Iran and its attempts to conquer the world, was interviewed in early July by Israel Hayom. He noted that historically, Operation Rising Lion puts "Israel in the most secure and powerful position it has occupied since achieving statehood." It has restored its "reputation as a formidable military and technological force possessing exceptional capabilities." From 1948 to 1979, Egypt was Israel's main existential threat. After the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, "Iran's Islamic revolution transformed" that nation into the main opponent of "Israel's existence through constructing the 'ring of fire' and developing proxy networks."

He said that Israel's offensive actions after 10/7 taught a crucial historical lesson. "Whenever we seized the initiative against our adversaries, opportunities multiplied and we achieved remarkable success." This was the case with Israel's War of Independence, during the Six-Day War, Israel's "strikes on Iraq and Syria's nuclear reactors, and the First Lebanon War's opening that resulted in the PLO's expulsion to Tunisia within two months. Conversely, each instance of hesitation cost us dearly."

BenLevi was critical of Israel's "security establishment's prevailing doctrine even before 10/7," which was a "defensive mindset inherited from the '90s and the Oslo Accords," that emphasized "containment" and depended "on Iron Dome systems, barrier fencing, and fortifications…" There are still those that see 10/7 as just "a tactical failure," while failing to see that Israel's foundational strategic notion "demands transformation."

This interview was taken before Trump pushed his Gaza ceasefire plan on Israel. At that time, BenLevi agreed with how we at IFI are still praying, which is to see the IDF win "a conclusive victory over Hamas" in order to "deliver decisive blows" to both Shiite and Sunni Islam, and to demonstrate "strength across regional regimes, particularly Gulf States and Saudi Arabia seeking Western and Israeli partnerships."

He rightly sees that "inter-state conflicts" are not necessarily "from economic considerations or deterrence calculations. Underneath the veneer of power politics and diplomatic pressure, profound cultural worldviews operate." [If only Western leaders would truly perceive that not everyone on the planet has their worldview which is somewhat based on the Bible regardless of whether they believe in God or the Scriptures.]

BenLevi added that Western nations who see strength and economics as more important than "cultural and ideological motivations," [which I see as one of Trump's major blind spots], are actually thinking in line with "Marxist approaches that reduce human behavior to materialist factors, or liberal theories that minimize cultural distinctions while treating humans as purely rational actors." Yet there is no "universal rationality" governing "international relations – every culture functions according to its distinct value system and identity. While states certainly react to immediate strategic and economic pressures, the underlying long-term forces remain cultural, ideological, and frequently theological in nature." He gives an example – Iran's hostility towards Israel which "defies explanation through purely materialist analysis."

He noted that the fundamental difference "between 'the West' and other global regions" rests on cultural and historical foundations," which are "the deeper structures underlying global order."

One difference between foreign policy approaches is the "idealistic versus realistic" outlooks. "Idealistic thinkers," like Trump, view the global "arena as a cooperative environment" and any armed conflict is seen "as an aberration," while "peaceful coexistence constitutes the standard operating procedure." They think that all people operate "according to identical logic – pursuing economic prosperity and material advancement," and if one offers "appropriate diplomatic proposals," it will "inevitably generate reciprocal cooperation."

But when they come face to face with entities like Iran or Hamas who "operate through entirely different moral frameworks" and often aim for "theological-revolutionary objectives incompatible with compromise," the above worldview tends to produce extreme "delusional thinking."

Realists, like Netanyahu, hold a different worldview which understands "hierarchical relationships between different cultures, recognizing that power competitions form integral components of human and political existence, that peaceful intervals represent historical anomalies, and that strength – whether military, economic, or technological – are essential to survival."

He added that while Bibi leans on realistic thinking, yet "given the region's extraordinary complexity, Middle East realities prevent Israeli leaders from maintaining purely idealistic perspectives…"

BenLevi, raised in an Orthodox Jewish home in Canada, came to Israel on a study-volunteer program a "week before 9/11 and in the midst of the 2nd Intifada." That time showed him "that Jewish history is being written here in Israel, while living in the diaspora [The Bible consistently calls it "the captivity" (Joel 3:1 for example)] relegates Jews to the sidelines." Seeing this, he "determined to become an active participant by immigrating,"

Today, he heads the Churchill Program at Argaman Institute, which trains "policy professionals grounded in moral realism, who can integrate power with ethics, culture with strategy, and Jewish identity with foreign policy…" The program aims "to fill the void left by the disappearance of the realist approach from academia." Their goal "is to cultivate leaders who are committed to a national vision while recognizing the harshness of the international arena, and who understand that moral strength is not a paradox – that it is, in fact, the answer to a hollow moralism that ends up abandoning the weak to tyranny."

Asked how he views "the message or contribution of the State of Israel in the context of the global cultural clash taking place today?" Benlevi answered, "I see the root of today's global struggle as a return to an ancient conflict between idolatry, which gave rise to totalitarian political models, and the Biblical message of human freedom. The Bible challenges political systems in which flesh-and-blood kings make themselves into gods, and its foundational assumptions are what shaped the West. The idea that man is created in the image of God provides the moral basis for freedom and for the democratic system…as well as for a world order built on nation-states, which allow peoples to express their unique cultures."

Asked if Israel is part of the West, he responds, "Yes and no. On the one hand, the West drew from us Biblical concepts, but it also incorporates some pagan values of Rome and Greece. So, at our core, we are a civilization that predates the West and stands apart from it." Amen and see Numbers 23:9b!

He summarizes Judaism's approach to life and politics like this: "only God is sovereign; neither man, nor king, nor state holds ultimate authority. Unlike totalitarian regimes that demand blind submission to elite, the Jewish tradition calls for humility and recognition that human understanding of truth is always partial, and that man must act within a moral framework that is subject to a power greater than him." This is the basis of Israel's "conflict with the Iranian regime and others like it; not only over nuclear weapons, but over the relationship between God and man, and the very concept of freedom."

This idea is captured "in the concept of the Temple" which indicates the possibility of meeting with God, "not just as an abstract idea, but as a living experience…not through submission or subjugation, but through joy." The Temple embodies the "fruitful tension in the dialogue between man and God, between a lofty ideal of perfection and an imperfect, concrete reality…It is a model in which the people of Israel convey a message to all humanity…: For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. (Isa, 56:7) ("The protective wall of all civilization," Israel Hayom interview, 4 July 2025)

Truth has fallen in the streets (Isa. 59:14)

Columnist Gary Willig observed that one of the most worrying aspects of "the global propaganda campaign to demonize Israel is how openly and brazenly Israel's supposed critics change the meaning of words in order to find Israel guilty."

For example, during "the 18 years between the 2005 Gaza Disengagement and the 10/7 massacre in 2023," multiple NGOs and nations repeated the lie "that Israel still occupied Gaza," and thus it was responsible for whatever happened there "despite not having a single soldier or even citizen in the entire enclave except for those held hostage by Hamas." In this way, the basic meaning of "occupation" was twisted to no longer mean a military or governing control over another entity. It became "the world’s first and only 'occupation' in which the supposed 'occupier' had zero power over the supposedly 'occupied'."

This definition has only been "used against Israel…" Its aim was to free Hamas and the Gazans of all blame for "their refusal to do anything constructive after Israel left Gaza…" The real story of how "Hamas stole the aid," and used it to construct "a vast tunnel network longer than the London Underground," or of how it dug up "water pipes to convert into rockets," and purposely kept "the people poor to justify their genocidal ambitions" was erased by changing the meaning of "occupied"' to no longer reflect the true situation.

10/7 would not have been possible had Israel really occupied Gaza in the years before that. And now, "Israel’s critics fail to see the irony in Israel now considering the takeover of a territory it has been falsely accused of occupying for 20 years."

Israel's critics also changed "the definition of genocide to find Israel guilty." In its December 2024 report, Amnesty International not only accused Israel of genocide, but "actually complained that the real and long-established definition of genocide used by the International Court of Justice is 'overly cramped'." It also rewrote history by ignoring Hamas' existence in order to "twist reality until Israel was guilty."

Also the Irish government, openly aiming at Israel, announced in December 2024, that it will "ask the ICJ [International Court of Justice] to broaden its interpretation of what constitutes the commission of genocide by a State." Then in May 2025, they added that they were also trying to "broaden the criteria by which genocide is judged by the Geneva Convention."

While these anti-Zionist Jew-haters, [I do not know how else to accurately describe them], "seek to broaden the definition of genocide to include any action to combat Hamas terrorists, they seek to narrow the definition of genocide when mass murder is committed against Jews. By pretending that Hamas is not a genocidal terrorist organization, that the genocidal actions of 10/7 never happened, and by justifying Hamas' crimes against humanity, they set a standard for the genocide of Jews that even the Nazi Holocaust would fail to meet, because by their standard there is no scenario in which the deliberate mass murder of Jews solely because they are Jews could ever be a genocide." Thus the real genocidal slogans like "From the River to the Sea," or "Globalize the Intifada" is not deemed genocidal at all because it is only aimed at Jews!

This "propaganda strategy" against Israel is how Joseph Goebbel's "big lie" won so many converts to Nazism. Goebbel proved that if you make "the lie so big and repeat it often enough," people will start to "believe it no matter how much it contradicts reality." One proof of this strategy's success is the absurd claim that "Israel has caused mass starvation in Gaza. The UN-linked Integrated Food Security Phase Classification released a report claiming a 'worst-case scenario' of famine in Gaza," and to prove it, it changed its own "standards by which it judges famine." It reduced the "malnutrition threshold for children from 30% to 15%" even though that was "half the percentage at which it would be declared [a famine] anywhere else in the world."

With many NGOs, nations, media outlets, and the UN anxious to show how Israel is "starving Gaza children, there should be at least a few real photographs of starving children," and yet so far there has not been one "that was not misleading, either because it was of a child who suffers from a terrible disease," and not starvation, or it was staged, or it was not even taken in Gaza.

While Israel was condemned by this heinous lie, the world ignored "the real starvation" that was exacted by Hamas and Islamic Jihad on the hostages. But that truth of Israel's hostages was basically ignored or "treated as a non-issue" by nations who have, against international law, "recognized" a Palestinian Arab state.

The propensity of anti-Semites to create lies about Israel is unlimited. "From claims of hundreds of thousands of deaths based solely on the wishes of the authors in publications such as The Lancet to faked x-rays of children supposedly shot by IDF forces, the war on truth is endless. Worse, these lies are uncritically repeated by a media that has been desperate for any story that makes Israel look bad, no matter how untrue."

The BBC, the Guardian, and the NY Times are a few of the main culprits who have "cried wolf over and over again for decades, from the fake Jenin massacre of 2002 to the lie that Israel bombed the Al-Ahli Hospital in 2023." Yet they remain totally unrepentant. Concerning Israel, "they are incapable of acting like journalists or with basic journalistic standards and ethics. Every lie is believed, and the truth is repressed."

Willig used a quote from a recent Star Wars TV show to describe this war against truth: "The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil. When truth leaves us, when we let it slip away, when it is ripped from our hands, we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest." Then he asks, "Does that not apply to organizations and countries that knowingly change the very meaning of words to use them as a weapon? Does it not apply to newspapers that run front-page stories of fake starvation and bury stories of real starvation?"

He concludes, "The death of truth has left Western societies vulnerable to monsters. It has left Jewish communities vulnerable to violence committed on behalf of a genocidal death cult. It has led world leaders to embrace a country as fake as Narnia and to reward a terrorist organization that is as genocidal as Hitler. It has led to the dismissal and ignoring of the real starvation and the real plight of the hostages. When any person, organization, or country is willing to lie on behalf of a group as evil and as genocidal as Hamas, truth itself dies, and the deaths of innocent people soon follow." ("The death of truth in the war on Israel," Gary Willig, Arutz 7, 15 Aug. 2025)

Damned if you do and damned if you don't

Khaled Abu Toameh, an Israeli-Arab Muslim, traced Israel's relations with Gaza over the past few years and revealed that regardless of what Israel did – it was not enough to satisfy the world's demands.

Several years ago, Israel was pressured by "many in the international community to ease restrictions on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip," in order to ease the suffering of the supposed two million Palestinians who live there. This pressure came "despite Hamas' repeated terror attacks against Israel," including more than 31,000 rockets and mortars launched at Israeli civilian communities. That was before the 10/7 massacre and the rocket fire was coordinated with "violent riots by the terror group at Israel's border." Also, yet vastly underreported, in the two years since 2023, "an additional 1,000 rockets and missiles have been fired at Israel from Gaza." He asked, "Which European country would tolerate 50,000 rockets, mortars and missiles fired at it – or even one…?

During all the years since Hamas took Gaza over, Israel has offered to help the Gazans despite the "continued attacks and threats by Hamas to pursue its Jihad (holy war) against Israel." For example, Israel backed Qatar's offer to "send billions of dollars" to Gaza "for humanitarian aid, civil servant salaries and infrastructure," which was channeled through international organizations, including the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)." [With hindsight we see that this was a mistake on Israel's part, as Qatar is now seen as a Muslim Brotherhood nation which is hostile towards Israel, America, and the rest of the West.]

"Qatar funded fuel for Gaza's electric power plant, construction materials for infrastructure projects, and food rations for impoverished families. Israel approved much of this funding, delivered in cash, as part of a policy to maintain calm and stability in the Strip." Its aim was not to support Hamas, but rather it "was a humanitarian gesture of goodwill to alleviate the impoverished condition of many Gazans…"

Also, to help the Gazans, "Israel gradually increased the number of Palestinian workers allowed" to work in Israel proper. "After Hamas' brutal and violent takeover… in 2007," Israel banned many Gazan workers "for security reasons." Obviously, after what occurred on 10/7, "Israel's security concerns were" totally justified.

In late 2014, Israel again allowed "workers from Gaza to enter" via a limited quota of "merchant permits." Again, the purpose "was to provide economic incentives to maintain calm in the Strip. The number of permits steadily increased," reaching about 18,000 by 10/7, and there were plans to increase even that.

Two weeks before 10/7 Reuters reported: "Israel reopened crossing points with Gaza…allowing 1,000s of Palestinian workers to get to their jobs in Israel and the West Bank," after weeks of closure as a result of violent Hamas organized protests on the border. The 18,000 Gazans with permits from Israel to work outside brought back around $2 million a day in cash for their families. Reuters added that an anonymous Palestinian official said the Israeli gesture came "upon the request of [Egyptian and UN] mediators to de-escalate tensions."

Abu Toameh summed up what he had written so far: "Before the 10/7 attack…Israel went to unprecedented lengths to help the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and avoid another war with Hamas. Egypt, Qatar, the UN and other international parties kept assuring Israel that the best way to achieve calm and stability in [Gaza] was by improving its economy and issuing more permits for Palestinian laborers to enter Israel."

After Israel's disengagement from Gaza in 2005, it wanted to start "a new chapter in its relations" with the Gazans and work together "on economic and technology projects for the benefit of both people. None of this took place. Shortly after Israel's withdrawal, Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip and transformed it into a large base for Jihad against Israel."

Hamas' leaders were not interested in "the well-being of Gaza's young people," or about hospitals and schools. They only focused on "the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews." Hamas' attitude towards the multitude of unemployed in Gaza was to see them as "the responsibility of Israel…In their eyes, Israel," which had totally left Gaza in 2005, was still "responsible for providing humanitarian and economic aid" to Gaza's population.

Looking back, we now see how Israel was trapped. "When Israel imposed restrictions on Gaza to protect its own citizens and prevent terrorism, it was condemned," by some Israelis and nations, "for imposing suffering and pain" on the Gazans. Yet when Israel eased some restrictions, and allowed thousands of Gazans to work in Israel, although "Egypt and other Arab countries refused to accept Palestinians, it faced criticism for allegedly strengthening Hamas."

Israel paid a very heavy price by hoping "that jobs, money and humanitarian aid would bring stability and calm," and prevent, "or at least reduce, terror attacks" from Gaza. Once again, Hamas and many Palestinians saw "these conciliatory measures as signs of weakness on the part of Israel."

Abu Toameh wrote that regardless of what Israel did, Hamas was committed to carry out its 10/7 attack on Israel. "What the international community fails to understand is that since the establishment of Hamas more than 35 years ago, its stated goal has been the elimination of Israel. For Hamas, the conflict with Israel has never been about the economy or settlements or improving the living conditions of the Palestinians. Hamas regards Israel as one big illegitimate 'settlement' that needs to be uprooted and replaced with an Islamist state."

He sums up his article this way: "Israel is damned both for helping the Palestinians in Gaza and damned for not helping them enough. When Israel allows funding and economic aid" sent in, as it did, "Israel is blamed for helping fund Hamas' war against Israel. If Israel had refused to allow funding and economic aid to be sent into Gaza, Israel would be accused of starving and brutalizing the Palestinians. Everyone…wants to have it both ways so that whatever Israel does is 'wrong'." ("How Israel helped the Gaza Strip before Oct. 7, 2023," K. Abu Toameh, Gatestone Institute, 16 Sept. 2025) Again, please note that Abu Toameh is an Arab-Muslim citizen of Israel.

Final thoughts

I expect world events and events surrounding Israel to get even more "interesting" as we race to the end of 2025. While patriotism can be good, especially if we live in a nation that honors God and His Word and which blesses Israel, yet it can distract us from our primary calling of being ambassadors of the Kingdom of God's Son.

And while patriotism can be easier to justify when living in Israel, still there are times, and those of you who read the prayer alert are aware of this, when I strongly oppose that which Israel's government and even the majority of its people, wants to do.

Israel was chosen to be God's inheritance and because of that privilege, it has paid a double for its rebellion against God (Isa. 40:2; Jer. 16:18; Amos 3:2).

We who are saved were also chosen and thus God deals with us as His children and disciplines us – at time harshly. He disciplines us as a Father (Heb. 12:5-7), but He judges those who are not His as a righteous King and Judge (Prov. 20:8; 25:5; Isa. 9:7; Rev. 19:11-16).

Yet His goal is clearly laid out near the very end of the Word, that through our completed salvation, which is what Yeshua is interceding for right now (Heb. 7:25), God's glory will be magnified:

Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling,
and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power,
both now and forever. Amen.Jude 1:24-25

Blessings from Zion

Chuck Cohen

Psalm 134:3