Shalom friends,

As mentioned before, if you are interested in keeping up with the news surrounding Israel and how Intercessors for Israel is praying into it, please sign up for our Friday Prayer Alerts.

Recently, while leading IFI prayer meetings, I've felt a deep burden to pray into the Church's understanding and calling to co-labor with what God is doing in and through His chosen nation Israel – especially since His goal is to magnify His holy name (Ezek. 36:21-23; cp. 20:9, 14, 22). I pray for this because I read in His Word that while God can do whatever He wants, He usually waits for one of His children to ask Him before He does it. After all, why else would Yeshua tell us that when we pray we should ask for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth, as it is being done in eternity, if this were not vital for believers to do (Matt. 6:9-10)?

Also, why is it that throughout the Bible there are only two types of people for whom God seeks: those who worship Him, which also means to serve Him, in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24) and intercessors (Isa. 59:16; Ezek. 22:30-31; cp. 13:4-5). In fact intercessors are so vital for His kingdom purposes to be manifest in the world that even after He declares what His will is for Jerusalem and that He will do it (Isa. 62:1-2), He then sets up watchmen on Jerusalem's walls who are told to specifically ask Him to do that which He has already said He will do (Isa. 62:6-7)!

"The times they are a-changing" - Bob Dylan

With the above in mind, I sense God's leading to add more biblical teaching in this newsletter, in particular on the topics of God's nature as revealed in His Word, as well as the centrality of prayer and of Israel and how the Body of Messiah is meant to be involved with both – especially today as we move closer to the glorious return of Israel's King Messiah, Yeshua our Redeemer and Lord.

I believe, yet help my unbelief!

I wrote the following introduction to Intercessors for Israel's Friday Prayer Alert for April 17th, 2026. "Having to put up with US President Trump's addiction to ceasefires, and watching him stop Israel from gaining a total victory over Hamas, over Iran and over Hizbullah twice since Oct. 7th 2023, makes me frustrated, angry and wondering why God has allowed this."

That last question is what I and many other believers struggle with. We have a firm and unwavering belief in God's total sovereignty. Yes, Satan is active and dangerous and hates God's people – both Israel and the true church – yet nowhere in God's Word is the devil seen as anything other than a created being that is described as the "Adversary," which is what "satan" literally means in Hebrew. So to encourage myself and most likely many of you, I offer the following verses:

• YHWH reigns; He is clothed with majesty…Psa. 93:1a; see also 96:10a; 97:1; 99:1

• YHWH has established His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom rules over all.Psa. 103:19

• How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings good news, that publishes peace; …that publishes salvation, that says unto Zion, 'Your God reigns!'Isa. 52:7

• "Ah Lord YHWH; behold, You have made the heaven and the earth by Your great power and Your stretched out arm, and nothing too difficult for You." Jer. 32:17; cp. v. 27

• Yeshua speaking to His disciple just before His final ascension: All authority has been given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Matt. 28:18; cp. Dan. 7:13-14

• Peter being led by the Spirit to speak to gentiles states, The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Yeshua the Messiah: He is Lord of all! (Acts 10:36)

Lord Yeshua, my Lord and my God, I do believe You are totally sovereign; yet help my unbelief (Mark 9:24)!

If God is totally sovereign, do we have free will?

The above section forces us to confront the question of sovereignty and free will. Theological volumes have been written on this topic and arguments one way or the other have often split the Church. It is obvious from the above verses, and there are many more which I could have added, that God is totally sovereign and yet there are also verses stating that man have free will, the ability to choose:

• I call heaven and earth to record this day against you [Israel], that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life that both you and your seed may live:Deut. 30:19

• If it seems evil to you to serve YHWH, choose this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve YHWH.Josh. 24:15

• Go and say to David, Thus says YHWH, I offer you three things; choose one of them that I may do it unto you.2 Sam. 24:12

• For they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of YHWH:Prov. 1:29

• He shall eat butter and honey that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.Isa. 7:15

• My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless not as I will, but as You will.Matt. 26:39; cp. 26:42; Luke 22:42

• Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he reap.Gal. 6:7

• But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I know not.Phil. 1:22

The main issue is how we interpret the Bible. It is a collection of 66 books which were written by Jews with a Hebraic mindset which puts God and His Word at the center of everything. [BTW: I do believe that Luke was either a Jew or a convert to Judaism; after all he was a doctor!] Yet many gentile theologians/scholars/believers tend to view things humanistically, so they place humans and their logical way of seeing existence at the center of everything, and their theological conclusions must make logical sense to man! Yet Deuteronomy 29:29 clearly states that there are secret things which only God knows and the things He reveals to us are so that we might live according to His word.

A Hebraic mindset recognizes that ultimate truth must be revealed from God who created all existence, and who exists outside of time in eternity, and whether we understand what is revealed in the Word, or see the logic behind it dare not cause us to doubt that God and what He has revealed in His Word are true (Prov. 3:5). If God states something is true – it is true – and He both speaks the truth and is the Truth (Ex. 34:6b; Num. 23:19; Psa. 25:5; 43:3; 86:11; 119:130; Jer. 4:2; John 14:16; 17:17; Rev. 3:7; 19:11)!

How does this help us with the question at the head of this section? Actually that question itself comes from a humanistic outlook which demands an answer that is logical to our way of thinking. Yet when we look at the question from a biblical perspective then we can rephrase the sentence to reveal what God's Word really states: God is sovereign and man has free will! Therefore I try to live my life trusting in His total sovereignty – over me, my family, my nation Israel and the rest of the world. Yet I also accept that I will need to make free-will decisions and that I will be held responsible for what I decide. That is why it is imperative for us to know all of God's Word and to constantly seek Him for daily guidance (Psa. 23:3b; 27:8; 105:3-4; 119:45; Prov. 28:5; Heb. 11:6).

One final note on this: God's sovereignty and man's free will are not equal. He can, and often does, override, or redirect or interfere with man's decisions especially of there are major issues at stake. He hardened Pharaoh's heart; He chose Moses despite Moses not wanting to be chosen; He put His Words in Balaam's mouth and had that prophet-for-profit bless Israel; He placed Esther in the bed of a Persian king and gave the king insomnia in order to save His people from destruction; He chose David; He chose Jeremiah when he was a young man and, like Moses, did not want to be chosen; He blinded the minds of the Jewish leaders of Yeshua's day so that multitudes of gentiles could come in to the King of Israel's kingdom; He sovereignly appeared before Saul and turned that man inside out; He is using Jerusalem today as a stone of stumbling to deal with arrogant anti-God nations; plus there are many other examples that we could find in His Word.

His sovereignty is greater than man's free will and He applies it much more often than we realize – in our personal lives and in world affairs (Psa. 33:10-11; Prov. 16:1, 9; 19:21; 20:24; 21:1; Isa. 46:10; Jer. 10:23; etc.)

Unbiblical thinking about Messiah Yeshua is extremely dangerous

A great danger for believers is how they see their Savior today. The Jews are not the only ones who turned their back on their Messiah simply because Yeshua did not meet their theological expectations. Believers today can find themselves doing the same, especially if they reject the truth that the exalted Son of Man, Yeshua, is still a Jew!

I want to make this personal in order to express the seriousness of this issue to you: If the One you worship is no longer the King of Israel (Psa. 20:9; 24:7-10; Isa. 6:5; 44:6; Zech. 14:9; Matt. 2:2; 21:5; John 1:49; 12:13-15; 19:19; Rev. 19:16), who is declared in heaven before God the Father's throne as the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5), and who, in the very last chapter of the Bible, says that He is – not was – the Root and Offspring of David (22:16), then you are standing on a slippery satanic slope. You are bowing down to another Jesus, believing in another gospel that is no longer linked to God's promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:3; 22:18; cp. Gal. 3:8), Isaac (Gen. 26:4) and Jacob (Gen. 28:12-14), and are in very serious danger of having received another spirit which is not the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 11:3-4).

I assume that most of you reading this are not in that category. Let us pray for believers who are deceived about this, asking the Lord Himself to open their minds and turn them from this demonic heresy; that they would confess their error, repent and believe what both the Tanach and the New Testament witness about the One and Only Redeemer and Savior, our Lord and King, Yeshua. Miriam's Son according to the flesh and God the Son according to His eternal nature.

One final thought: if believers would not dare to bow down and worship a Jewish King today, what will they do throughout eternity?

Is God deceiving people today?

There is a very frightening end time scenario that Paul describes in 2 Thessalonians 2:11 while talking about the emergence of the Anti-Christ. He explains that God Himself will deceive those who refuse to receive the gift of truth. This is very worrying because, as Derek Prince used to warn, deception means that the one deceived does not even know that he is deceived!

While 2 Thessalonians' primary application is most likely to those who, having had a witness in their spirits of Messiah Yeshua and the offer of salvation through Him, refuse Him, I also see a principle at work today. God's truth is embodied in Messiah and is openly declared in His Word – yet this means all of His Word as at the time when Yeshua prayed for God to sanctify us in His truth, and added that His Word is truth (John 17:17), there was no New Testament.

Without a biblical belief in the truth about Israel that is revealed in the Tanach, the only Word of God that Yeshua and the early believers loved, read and trusted in, many inside the Church are standing against Israel and even against the Jews today. And many of those who are not saved believe the vilest lies about God's people and His nation. Is this God's doing?

Douglas Murray speaks

The University of Cambridge held a debate 13 years ago in which "three representatives of the British elite, a journalist, an academic, and a diplomat," took part. They all said that "Iran's nuclear program was not a threat to the UK, but rather in its interest," as the power this would give to the ayatollahs' regime "would restrain Israel" and "restore balance to the ME."

Douglas Murray, a young journalist at that time, argued that their words "not only exposed ignorance of ME affairs and the Islamic Republic," but also uncovered "the moral and geopolitical weakness of Britain and all of Europe." He predicted that when "Israel is forced to act alone against the Iranian threat – and it will do so… Europe's leaders will surely condemn it publicly, but in their hearts will thank God that it did what they themselves were too afraid to do." Last year, during Israel's Operation Rising Lion against the ayatollah regime, German Chancellor Merz echoed Murray by saying, "Israel is doing the dirty work for all of us."

Today, Murray is a prominent voice "of the European conservative camp in the culture wars taking place in the West, and since 10/7 [the Oct. 7th 2023 Hamas massacre] also one of the most determined defenders of Israel's right to fight those who seek its destruction." Murry is not a Christian, in fact he is openly gay, and yet he puts many believers to shame with his open and aggressive stance for Israel and the Jewish people.

His standing with the Jewish State has been recognized by Israel and he has been publicly thanked and feted as a friend of Israel both locally and internationally. Murray dedicated the Alexander Hamilton Prize he received in NYC by the conservative Manhattan Institute "to the people of Israel, who chose life in the face of death cults; to people who in the face of horror – stood upright and chose life."

Israel Hayom interviewed him in late 2025 on the occasion of the release of his new book, Democracies & Death Cults, Israel & the Future of Civilization. The book is a result of many "extended visits Murray made to Israel over the past two years, of his conversations with reservists on the front, with hostage families and with senior Israeli officials," including with PM Bibi Netanyahu. It attempts to reveal the face of Israeli society to a "limp and materialistic" Western world, in Murray's words, "a world that does not understand death drive of Islamism," and which has even adopted parts of that drive. According to Murray, "Jerusalem will determine the fate of Western culture."

Asked about Israel's sovereignty over Judea and Samaria – the West Bank to politically correct addicts – he understands why many Israelis want to see this happen. "I don't know another conflict in the world where one side tried again and again to destroy its neighbor, lost, and then expected everything to return to what it was before the war. Throughout history this was always self-evident – if you start a war and are defeated, you lose territory." That's what happened for example after WW I with the dismantling of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

In 2006 Murry published Neo-conservatism, Why We Need It which announced his entry into the storm over modern political trends. He defended neo-conservatism and "insisted on the need for moral and determined foreign policy" after the 9/11 attack in NYC. That book established him as "one of the prominent young voices in Britain's political discourse." One of his online essays around that time was Islamophilia, bashing Western culture for its surrender to radical Islam, all in the name of "tolerance."

Murray's 2017 book The Strange Death of Europe, was an insightful look at how Europe was "losing faith in itself, erasing its identity under the waves of immigration reaching it, and surrendering to self-accusation about the sins of colonialism." In 2021 he went further in his book The Madness of Crowds, which examined identity politics, feminism and the LGBT movement as additional expressions of the West's culture crisis." Finally The War on the West "completes a kind of ideological trilogy," as in it he examines how Western media, academia and political systems "have opened a battle against the foundations of their own culture, against the history, heroes and values that gave the West its freedom and power. This book cemented Murray's status as one of the leading thinkers of the new conservative current, and as an influential figure in global discourse."

Murray laments that Europeans do not remember their history, noting that before the existence of national states, "Europe experienced prolonged religious wars; I've been arguing for years that we're witnessing the return of the religious wars era, but this time not between Catholics and Protestants, but between Islam and modern European identity." Added to the growth of radical Islamism in Europe is the parallel growth of radical left extremism.

This is happening in America as well. "The radical left decided Palestinians are its new pet project. Before 10/7 it was the green agenda, or 'the non-binary trans-Black woman.' Each time they have a new god that's supposed to fill their lives with meaning. Now it's Israel, not from genuine sympathy for Palestinians, and not from support for a two-state solution, but from a desire to erase the world's only Jewish state. They truly believe if Israel disappears, the world will return to being paradise. This is a very destructive idea for the West…"

Turning to Israel's bad press in most of the world, Murray thinks that if Israel "hadn't responded forcefully to Hamas, more people in the West could have identified with it." Then he added, "I still offer an open challenge to anyone criticizing Israel – what exactly would you have done if you were in its place on 10/7? How would you have fought Hamas and freed the hostages differently than Israel did?" He has not heard a "coherent answer."

On Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson's podcast recently, Murray explained the core of today's cultural battle. "The Islamists understand that if they want to destroy the West, they must start in Jerusalem." He quoted the Isaiah verse carved on the entrance wall of the UN. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore. He then quoted the preceding verse. Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob… for out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Murray told Peterson "You can't accept the message of peace, unless the preceding message comes from Jerusalem," which is quite a Bible lesson one would not expect to hear from a non-religious man.

Peterson asked what he meant by saying that "Jerusalem is at the heart of the West's cultural battle?" Murray replied, "Anyone familiar with Western history knows Jerusalem is a foundational pillar of Western culture. Almost every student in the West learned about the Crusades…Those campaigns, even if they were sometimes cruel and unjust, stemmed partly from a desire to prevent Muslim colonialists from taking control of Jerusalem. Islam had no historical right to this city, but Islam…knows how to rewrite history and claim ownership of everything, even events that preceded it by hundreds of years…" They even brazenly claim that Abraham, Jesus, and many other biblical figures were Muslims. Yet this Islamic rewriting of history "has succeeded fairly well among many in today's ignorant west.

"So yes, the West fought over Jerusalem again and again, and there's a deep reason for this. The West rests on three pillars – Jerusalem, Rome and Athens. The Islamists, alongside additional forces seeking to destroy the West, understand the pillar easiest to topple is Jerusalem. Take for example the recurring claim that Israelis 'are trying to destroy al-Aqsa and build the Third Temple.' This is a completely baseless libel, and yet you can hear it again and again in the Muslim world, and also in certain corners of the American right. All this shows how much Jerusalem carries exceptional significance.

"…The battle over Jerusalem and over the tradition coming from it stands at the heart of Western identity. This is self-evident to me, but more importantly, it's also understood by the West's enemies. They wouldn't invest so much effort in pressure on Jerusalem, if they didn't understand how central it is in Western tradition."

After Murray contrasted the Bible's emphasis on "choosing life" versus how Islam glorifies death, he was asked whether he believed there is a "metaphysical evil in the world?"

He responded, "This is a question I've thought about much. Anyone who saw Hamas' acts on 10/7, watched the videos, spoke with survivors or was at the attack sites, knows there's no misunderstanding or social distress here. This is pure evil. The death drive is real, it exists in the world. And I, as someone who tends toward skepticism in matters of faith, found myself changing following this. I've seen many horrors in my life, but what shocked me this time was the ecstasy in evil, the pleasure in taking lives. It was clear to me this is a dimension beyond politics, beyond geopolitics. This is a dark energy seeking to swallow the light."

Yet he also noted what his religious friends told him, that "if you deal with evil, you must also ask about its opposite – what is the good."

Meeting with parents of a young Israeli killed on 10/7 while defending other young people and saving many, he told them, "Your son died doing the noblest deed a person can do; he gave his life to grant life." ("Douglas Murray has spent 20 years warning Europe about Islam – now he says Israel is the answer," Israel Hayom interview, 12 Nov. 2025)

May Murray see that what he just said about laying down one's life to give life is exactly what Messiah Yeshua did for him, and for all who believe!

Where peace is illegal, peace is impossible

Israel Arab Muslim journalist, Khaled Abu Toameh, wrote in April that US President Trump, in reaction to hearing about laws in the ME which ban contact with Israel, said, "That's crazy." He is absolutely right, and "they are also poisonous."

Abu Toameh continued, "So long as Arabs and Muslims are taught by law, religion and social pressure that contact with Israelis is forbidden, the prospects for peace and coexistence will remain out of reach." All these anti-normalization laws and campaigns do is to "empower extremists and terrorists" whose goal is Israel's destruction.

Lebanon has an anti-normalization law since 1955 prohibiting "virtually all contact with Israel" which is labelled an "enemy state." It outlaws "any person or legal entity, directly or indirectly, from engaging in any transaction – commercial, financial, or otherwise" with people or groups associated with Israel. "Violators can face prison terms ranging from 3 to 10 years with hard labor, in addition to fines, professional bans, and the confiscation of goods."

While this may sound "crazy" in Washington, it is the norm in many Arab and Islamic countries. "Lebanon is not the exception; it is the rule. Legislation to prevent countries from establishing normal relations with Israel has existed in the region for decades." Some nations have legislated life imprisonment or even the death penalty for simple contact with Israelis.

In May of 2022, the Iraqi parliament passed the "Criminalizing Normalization and Establishment of Relations with the Zionist Entity" law which prohibits all "diplomatic, political, economic, or cultural ties with Israel."

Kuwait has "similar laws, backed by parliamentary legislation and Islamic religious rulings," which treat any attempt to normalize relations with Israel "as an act of treason."

Even Egypt, which more than 40 years ago "signed a peace treaty with Israel," has a law authorizing the annulment of an Egypt's citizenship if they are seen as a "Zionist." Egypt's government has used that 1975 law "to revoke the citizenship of Egyptians who marry Israeli nationals."

These laws are often totally supported "by influential religious institutions such as Cairo's Al-Azhar Al-Sharif," the number one Sunni Islam institution in the world, "which has issued rulings banning all forms of non-governmental contact with Israelis and framing normalization as religiously forbidden."

The aim of these laws and religious rulings is clearly "to deter, punish, and stigmatize any form of coexistence with Israel. By criminalizing people-to-people engagement, Arab and Muslim leaders and institutions send a powerful message to their populations: peace with Israel is not merely undesirable, but a crime. This message is reinforced through media campaigns, professional blacklisting, and public accusations of 'treason' against those who dare to engage with Israelis."

Abu Toameh concisely sums up this situation: "Where peace is illegal, peace is impossible." ("Trump is right: Laws across the ME to prevent normalization with Israel are 'Crazy' and poisonous," K. Abu Toameh, Gatestone Institute, 27 Apr. 2026)

MIGA: Making Iran's regime great again

Abu Toameh shared the response of many ME Arab nations to Trump's now failed, thank God, Memorandum of Understanding [MOU] with Iran that was signed in the spring.

He wrote, "The prevailing narrative" in most of the West's media is that opposition to Trump's MOU with Iran comes mainly from Israeli PM Netanyahu and his supporters, yet this is just not true. Many Arabs, "including prominent Gulf analysts, academics, former officials, and Lebanese commentators, have publicly voiced concerns" over this MOU. "Their objections are strikingly similar to those expressed in Israel: the agreement strengthens Iran, weakens America's credibility, ignores Tehran's regional proxies, and leaves America's allies vulnerable."

These concerns were openly shared by folks in the Gulf States and Lebanon, "where people have firsthand experience with Iran's destabilizing activities." For example, an Emirati political analyst, A. Taha, "criticized the agreement," writing in a June 17 X post, "Out of 8.3 billion people on Earth, only two seem to trust Iran: Trump and JD Vance." On June 20, he posted: "Trump and JD Vance are the OnlyFans of the Islamic regime in Iran. Trump promised America First but delivered MIGA: Make Iran's Regime Great Again."

A few of days before he criticized the Trump administration for abandoning its ME allies, including Israel, addressing his concerns directly to the US President, saying, "In the ME, loyalty is currency. If you abandon your closest friend halfway through a fight and cut deals behind their back while leaving them exposed, don't expect anyone to trust your guarantees again. You told the world, 'The US and Israel carried out an operation against Iran,' then walked away and left your ally standing alone.

"In the ME…a person who abandons an ally halfway and cuts deals behind their back is not someone you call in a crisis. You will say it's about American interests," yet we see it as "leaving your friends in the storm…The lesson is simple. If you can leave your closest friend {Israel] exposed today, why should anyone trust your promises tomorrow?"

Abu Toameh noted that "Taha's warning reflects widespread fear among many Arabs that the agreement does not restrain Iran, but instead rescues it."

Representative of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait resented "being sidelined" during the US-Iran negotiations, rightly complaining, like Israel did, "that they were largely excluded from discussions that directly affect their security." Many were especially "alarmed that the agreement fails to address Iran's ballistic missile and drone programs."

Yet the real concern for most ME nations is that the MOU left intact "the network of Iranian proxies that have been responsible" for much of the region's instability in the recent past. The deal at least tried to address Iran's nuclear ambitions, yet it left Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen and Hamas untouched.

"Perhaps most troubling is the message the agreement" sent throughout the region. Iran and its proxies portrayed "the deal as a victory," which it was for them at that time. There was a "perception that Iran forced Washington into concessions," and that would only encourage jihadist groups as they perceived that Iran and its proxies defeated both America and Israel.

The public dispute at that time "between the Trump Administration and the Israeli government" reinforced that perception and sent a "message to America's enemies," that it was "distancing itself from its closest ally while accommodating one of its most determined enemies."

Because of the above, many Arabs and Israelis "view any agreement that leaves the Iranian regime and its proxy network intact not as a diplomatic breakthrough, but as a dangerous illusion." ("'MIGA: Making Iran's regime great again': Why many Arabs vehemently oppose Trump's MOU," K. Abu Toameh, Gatestone Institute, 22 June 2026)

Europe's death rattle is self-inflicted by its Jew-hatred

Robert Williams wrote that after World War II, many of Europe's "elites," especially Germans and Austrians "were in grave need of denazification." Today many of Europe's leaders and "elites" are again "in desperate need of de-radicalization," this time from being "pro-Hamas."

While this attitude is often declared as being "pro-Palestine," in reality it "has nothing to do with Palestinians and everything to do with hating Jews." If these leaders and the protestors in the street were genuinely pro-Palestinian, "they would be demanding" from Hamas and other Palestinian leaders, "freedom of speech, equal justice under the law, better educational opportunities and better governance," and that Hamas murderers would stop shooting "at their own people to prevent them from taking aid, or plant weapons depots among them to increase their own citizens' casualty rates."

Many of Hamas' still-living "senior leaders" live quite comfortably in Turkey and Qatar, and are multi-billionaires. Before Israel removed them from the face of the earth, "the combined wealth of just the top three leaders of Hamas was $11 billion."

Williams opines that as "with Nazism, the ultimate aim of the pro-Hamas or 'pro-Palestinian' movement in Europe, especially since Hamas' Iran-orchestrated invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, is to rid the world of Jews 'by any means necessary'," as pro-Hamas crowds scream out in their less-than-peaceful demonstrations.

The "pro-Hamas" attitudes of "the governing classes in Europe" are apparently led by "an overwhelming, almost frenzied obsession with Jews and the Jewish state – often in a way that works against these countries' own national interests." [That is because God's promise to curse those who curse His nation (Num. 24:9b) is still His promise until today!]

For example, in Britain, a nation being torn apart internally by "migrant violence and chaos," there was this past June "a gruesome attempt by a Sudanese migrant to behead a British man in Belfast." Yet what was the topic of debate in Parliament? Israel. "This is already the second debate this week on Israel," Lord Austin told the House of Lords on June 10. "Over the last few years, Parliament has discussed Israel more than any other issue – not just more than any international issue but more than any domestic issue, including the economy, unemployment, crime or the NHS. The public out there look at Parliament and think this is utterly mad."

In Ireland, which is "facing its own huge self-inflicted problems with migrant crime," President Catherine Connolly was thrilled by her sister being a part of "the May 2026 Hamas-aligned Global Sumud Flotilla," adding that she was "very proud" of her sister. "The flotilla has documented links to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. The sitting president of a European country is proudly boasting of her own personal links to an Islamic terrorist entity, and is admired for it rather than removed from office."

Meanwhile, France has started a "war crimes" probe concerning Israel's "treatment of the Global Sumud Flotilla members." Yet in France, "violence in cities has become so prevalent that authorities imposed nightly curfews to get through the 2026 FIFA World Cup."

Also, in June, Paris Mayor Gregoire granted "honorary citizenship of the city to Gazans," Arabs residing in Judea and Samaria and to "Palestinian journalists," many of whom have been exposed as Hamas terrorists.

Nevertheless, European leaders are "hard at work accusing Israel of every imaginable crime and then turning around pretending to be 'shocked' when Jews suffer the consequences of the hatred that these 'leaders' help to create," as antisemitism explodes throughout Europe.

Speaking at the June 10 debate in the UK House of Lords, Lord Austin said: "Do the Government and Parliament not understand that singling out the world's only Jewish state, holding it to standards not applied to anywhere else, and falsely accusing Israel of committing these terrible crimes is bound to drive hostility towards people who are identified with Israel, which is the vast majority of the Jewish community? This is why I believe Parliament is playing a large role in driving the explosion of antisemitism that we have seen on the streets of Britain."

This "obsession" with the Jews has permeated "the rest of the culture. Jews have now become so deliberately ostracized and boycotted that they can barely find publishers for their books or a bookshop that will sell them." Yet publishers are "clamoring to publish Arab terrorists: Marwan Barghouti, a convicted terrorist serving five life sentences for murder, has a book, Unbroken: In Pursuit of Freedom for Palestine" scheduled for release in several nations this November. Glorifying him as a type of Nelson Mandela, his "book will be carried by the leading publishing houses in Britain, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, and the US. Genocidal Jew hate sells well."

German author Thomas Mann (1875-1955), while on NBC radio on March 9, 1940, said: "The antisemitism of today… is nothing but a wrench to unscrew, bit by bit, the whole machinery of our civilization… like a hand grenade tossed over the wall to work havoc and confusion in the camp of democracy. That is its real and main purpose."

Williams concludes, "The Nazis almost succeeded. European leaders are now doing just about everything in their power to destroy Western civilization," through massive migration from the ME and Africa, "including all the third-world 'traditions' that come with it. This time, no one will come to save the Europeans from themselves." ("European Leaders: In urgent need of de-radicalization," R. Williams, Gatestone Institute, 16 Aug. 2026)

Woe to Western betrayers of God's nation

Charles Gardner, a renowned British Christian-Zionist, is very concerned about how Trump is handling Iran as it has seemed at times that he has thrown "Israel under the bus. The man who had appeared to be a modern-day Cyrus figure is turning out to be a potential Judas," ignoring Israel's safety in order to ensure "the safe passage of oil."

Trump reportedly told journalists, "I call the shots, not him," referring to Netanyahu. "But such arrogance will be laughed at by the God who still sees Israel as the apple of his eye because, at the end of the day, it is the Lord of heaven and earth who is in control and who keeps watching over his Word to see that it comes to pass."

Taken from a biblical point of view, "it's not that Israel needs America as the other way around, as US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has intimated." Huckabee, a Southern Baptist Pastor, has been one of Israel's most reliable American advocates for decades.

Gardner states that which many Westerners – believers and non-believers – perceive, that "Israel is on the frontline of the battle for Judeo-Christian (i.e. Western) civilization." And whether Iran obtains a nuclear bomb or not, it is "determined to wipe out the Jewish state."

Since it is ridiculous "to think Iran's current leaders are suddenly being reasonable and with good intentions;" Trump needs to listen to "the wise advice Winston Churchill once offered to appeasers" in the UK Parliament: "you cannot negotiate with the devil."

Gardner continues, writing how recognizing "a Palestinian state that doesn't exist," as Britain and many other nations have shamefully done, is actually a vow to divide the land that "God has given to his ancient people." He recalls "a prophecy given by the late Lance Lambert in 2010 to the effect that 'devastating judgment'" would come upon all nations agreeing to such a plan. "Their economies would fail, their financial system break down, and even their climate would fail them…Old and powerful nations will become as if they are Third World countries, and the likes of China and India would arise to take their place." Lambert added that it is extremely arrogant "to think that God's eternal promises could be defied. But amidst all this shaking, two peoples were not to fear – 'the true and living Church and Israel'."

Gardner concludes, "We in the West should hang our heads in shame over our failure to stand foursquare with Israel, without whom we would never have received the gospel of peace that Jesus brought to the world. It's time to repent of our shocking betrayal, or we may have to face the certain judgment of the God" that is declared in Joel 3:1-2 against all who dare to divide His land! ("Is Cyrus turning Judas?" C. Gardner, Israel Today, 19 June 2026)

Christian Zionism explained

Mike Evans, a believer who founded the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem and Churches United with Israel, one of the largest Christian Zionist networks in America, in a column in the JP on Christian Zionism, he wrote, "I will never forget sitting with Mother Teresa. During our conversation, she shared a truth that has stayed with me for decades. She said, 'You cannot love Jesus without loving the Jewish people, because Jesus was Jewish'.

"Those words were not political. They were biblical. They reflected an understanding that Christianity did not replace Judaism. Rather, Christianity was born from God's covenant relationship with the Jewish people. Jesus was born a Jew, lived as a Jew, worshiped in the Temple, celebrated the biblical feasts, and fulfilled the promises God gave through the prophets of Israel."

Evans continued, writing that what Mother Teresa said sums up the heart of Christian Zionism. "Christian Zionists believe the Bible is the inspired, infallible Word of God. We believe that the covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob remains in effect because God is faithful" to His promises.

"The modern State of Israel exists in the very land that Scripture repeatedly identifies as the inheritance of the Jewish people. Our support for Israel is not based on changing political winds or election cycles. It is rooted in God's eternal Word."

This belief also determines how Christian Zionists perceive the land itself, and is why most of them "reject the term 'West Bank'." The Scriptures never label this part of God's land by that name, rather calling it Judea and Samaria. "These names are not political inventions; they are the biblical names of the land where the story of redemption unfolded."

Evans notes that almost "80% of the major events recorded in the Bible took place in Judea and Samaria. Abraham walked these hills. Joshua led Israel into this land. Samuel judged here. David ruled from here. Elijah and Elisha ministered here. The prophets proclaimed God's Word throughout these mountains and Jesus Himself traveled, taught, healed, and preached" throughout Judea and Samaria. Both Israel's and the Church's history "is inseparable from this land."

Yeshua's final commission to His apostles just before ascending to glory reinforced the importance of God's land. You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

Evans continues, "Notice where the Great Commission begins: Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. The Gospel spread to the nations from the very places that many today insist Christians should treat as merely disputed real estate. Jesus did not separate His mission from the land of the Bible, and neither should His followers." These biblical names should remind believers "that Scripture is rooted in real places, real people, and God's enduring covenant with Israel."

Unfortunately, and mistakenly, critics "often portray Christian Zionists as people motivated primarily by politics," but that is far from the truth. "Christian Zionism is first and foremost a theological conviction. It is the belief that God keeps His covenants and that His promises are trustworthy. The names Judea and Samaria are not modern political slogans. They are biblical names found throughout Scripture. To erase those names is to erase much of the geography of God's redemptive story." And if the God revealed in the Bible, can turn His back on "His promises to Israel," then we believers have to wonder "whether He will keep His promises to us."

Evans then states what I wish more believers would consider and apply to their own thinking: "A biblical worldview changes more than our understanding of history. It changes how we interpret the events unfolding in Israel today." This is the essence of why we at Intercessors for Israel pray in the way that we do. We look at the events, not just concerning Israel, but globally, and we seek God through His Word to get a handle on what He is doing to hasten His Son's return in glory and then based on that we pray.

Our intercessions are biblically focused, not politically or nationally, yet we also understand that in order for His name to be sanctified and His kingdom to come on earth – Israel must be in its rightful place – physically on the land promised to it and in a saved relationship with God the Father through the Lord Yeshua, Israel's King Messiah.

Evans ends his column this way: "Mother Teresa understood something that much of the modern world has forgotten. Jesus cannot be separated from His Jewish identity or from the people through whom God brought His plan of redemption into the world. To love Jesus is to honor the story God wrote through Israel. That is why Christian Zionists will continue to stand with Israel and continue to call Judea and Samaria by their biblical names." ("Christian Zionists believe the West Bank is Bible land," M. Evans, JP Op-ed, 4 Aug. 2026)

Save Your people; bless Your inheritance;
shepherd them, and carry them forever.Psa. 28:9

Blessings from Zion

Chuck Cohen