Huge Spike in Terror Attacks in Israel: PRAY!
In 2022, Israel targeted by 5,000 terror attacks, 31 innocents murdered and 415 injured
Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Isaiah 40:1
In 2022, Israel registered some 5,000 attacks perpetrated by Palestinian terrorists, who murdered 31 people and injured 415, official government’s data shows.
Eleven people were assassinated in the month of March, making it one of the bloodiest months in recent history. Another 27 were wounded. In addition, October was the month with the highest number of attacks – 401, not including rock throwing. They included two assaults, two vehicular attacks, 32 arson attacks, 46 small-arm attacks, 60 pipe-bomb and 258 fire-bomb attacks. They resulted in numerous people killed and wounded.
The wave of terrorism has not ceased in 2023. Since the beginning of the year, 16 innocent civilians have been killed and many more injured in major terror attacks.
On Sunday, two brothers, Hillel Menachem and Yagel Yaakov Yaniv, 22 and 19, were murdered by a terrorist who shot them as they were driving in their car from their home to the yeshiva (religious studies seminary) where they were enrolled in Samaria.
At the beginning of February, another two siblings, Asher Menahem Paley and Yaakov Yisrael Paley, 8 and 6, were assassinated by a Palestinian terrorist ramming into a bus stop in Jerusalem. The two little boys were about to travel with their father to spend Shabbat out of town. The father was critically injured in the attack, which also took the life of 20-year-old Alter Shlomo Lederman, a newly-wed. Another Paley brother, 10, was only mildly injured, but left to deal with the everlasting psychological trauma of seeing his two siblings murdered in cold blood and his father rammed over.
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PRAYER TARGET
Scripture: Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. ‘You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.”
2 Chronicles 20:16-17
Prayer: Abba, we pray that YOU would rise up and SHIELD your people, DEFEND your people and PROTECT your people. Abba, we say NO to these terror attacks! We ask that you COMFORT your people who have suffered great loss. Enough of the bloodshed! Abba, please reveal your will for what measures the Israeli government might take to protect and defend the biblical HEARTLAND of Israel!
Jews from Judea and Samaria explain what it is like to live under the shadow of terrorism - Israel365 News
For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep until they make someone stumble. Proverbs 4:16
Rabbi Yaakov Idels, the spokesman for the community of Har Bracha in Samaria, had watched Hillel Menachem Yaniv, age 21, and Yagel Ya’acov Yaniv grow up.
On Sunday, the brothers, ages 21 and 19, were murdered in a Palestinian terrorist attack while driving on Route 60 through the Arab village of Huwara on their way to a Torah lesson.
Established in 1983, Har Bracha is small and close-knit with about 3,000 residents. Deeply religious, Har Brakha is named after one of the mountains that are mentioned in the Torah on which half of Israel ascended in order to pronounce blessings (Deuteronomy 27:11-13).
“The two boys were good friends with my children,” Rabbi Idels told Israel365 News. “It was a huge blow to the community. But the community is very strong and this is especially true of the young people. They organized themselves to respond, to mourn their friends. It pains me to say this but this was not the first time the young people have had to cope with losing loved ones in this manner.”
For most of the half-million Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria, the threat of terrorism is a part of their daily routine. In 2022, Israel registered some 5,000 attacks perpetrated by Palestinian terrorists, who murdered 31 people and injured 415, official government’s data shows.
“I don’t think that the people in the US understand the complicated reality of living in Samaria,” Rabbi Idels said. “When you get in your car for the simplest reason, in your mind is the thought that you may be attacked by Palestinians for no reason at all. We have no choice but to pass through enemy territory that sits right outside our front gate.”
“There are times that are considered heightened alert but like any family anywhere in the world, our daily life is important to us,” he added. “We struggle with this.”
Jewish Israelis are frequently attacked on Road 60 as it is the only route from many Israeli towns in Samaria to Jerusalem. After the 1995 Oslo accords, 38% of Huwwara land was classified as Area B, and the remaining 62% as Area C designated for settlement by Israelis. The Palestinian Authority was obligated by the accords to ensure free passage.
“Unfortunately, we have anger towards the Arabs and even hatred,” Rabbi Idels said. ‘There is no choice. We are in the midst of a prolonged war and it would be immoral to deny that. There are times when it is more active and apparent but it is always there. The Arabs have never agreed to live in peace, to coexist without trying to harm us. They are very clear about this.”
After the attack that killed the brothers, dozens of Israelis responded by entering Huwara and rioting, burning cars and houses, and throwing stones at vehicles. One Arab was killed in the clashes. Much international criticism ensued with the riot being equated with the terrorist attack.
Rabbi Idels did not support such actions.
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PRAYER TARGET
Scripture – Vengeance is Mine, and recompense;
Their foot shall slip in due time;
For the day of their calamity is at hand,
And the things to come hasten upon them.’ Deuteronomy 32:35
Prayer – Abba, we cry out to you to bring comfort to the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria. We ask that you would intervene by your Spirit. We ask that the local community leaders, the IDF, the police and the national government would work together to come up with a strong and creative way to put a stop to the violence.
Abba, we also stand in the gap and we repent of the action of the USA: The Biden regime has sent more than 1 billion dollars to the PLO, and since then, Israeli deaths rose by 900%! Abba, how this grieves our heart! Abba, this is a contributing factor for HOW and WHY these terror attacks are happening!
We ask that you would CUT OFF the funding sources to the PLO, so that these monies could no longer be used to fund terrorist attacks!
To combat terrorism, Israel needs to apply sovereignty in Judea and Samaria - Israel365 News
He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Deuteronomy 26:9
The relentless onslaught of deadly attacks plaguing Israel means that the government of Israel must rethink its strategy for combatting terror and its offshoots.
The soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, the Israel Security Agency, the police and other security agencies risk their lives day and night to protect us, and for that we are eternally grateful.
The operation in Hawara and the other marauders’ towns must be carried out by the government and its various branches, rather than leaving the task to the Jewish residents who are subjected daily to the terror of stones, gunfire and fire bombs.
The government must also lead settlement activity with strength, resolve and steadfast national pride. At the same time, Evyatar must be built and populated, so that the world – and especially we – will see the depth of the living, flourishing bond between the people of Israel and its land.
Firm and forceful security is essential and, no less so, thriving Jewish communities. But they are not enough to effectively eradicate the roots of terrorism.
The people of Israel envisage another milestone in the struggle, one that embodies the core message of this fully right-wing government. Until this occurs, the government will forfeit the confidence and faith placed in it on election day.
So far, the responses of this government have been more or less similar to those of preceding ones, which likewise failed to prevent the murder of Jews in their own land.
In recent weeks, many people argued that the new government should be afforded a grace period to organize and implement a gradual, measured and balanced approach to steer the ship rightward, without any drastic shocks. However, our enemies interpret this as giving them a green light to continue on their terrorist path without facing any real consequences.
In response to the deadly attack in Hawara, the Israeli government should take an additional immediate step beyond the necessary security and settlement measures: the declaration of the application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.
The Prime Minister should follow in the footsteps of David Ben-Gurion and, as a first step, impose a military government on the Arab population. This military government should remain in effect until the people there have fully accepted the exclusive sovereignty of the people of Israel over its land and until they demonstrate their commitment to living in peace and full loyalty.
The misguided belief that attempts at containment, political and national hesitancy and negotiations with those who wish us harm will bring peace has been proven futile time and time again in the past. We have had enough of that. We have paid an unimaginable and inexcusable price in blood and anguish for these distorted beliefs.
No more excuses about it not being the “right time.” The international community has consistently condemned Israel for every Zionist action it has taken since – and even before – the establishment of the state, and will continue to do so in response to any future actions.
PRAYER TARGET
Scripture: “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. “From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Joshua 1:3-6
Prayer: Abba, we look first to YOU to defend and protect your people. We ask that you would give WISDOM to the IDF, the police, the Knesset, and the leaders at local, regional and national levels. Please let them come up with a sound plan to put a STOP to the bloodshed. If declaring SOVEREIGNTY over Judea and Samaria would end the violence, then please give government leaders the courage and strength to do this, in spite of international pushback.
Abba, as Christians, we STAND with the Jewish people and with Israel as a nation! We want to see them sink their roots in the land, thrive, grow and be BLESSED in the land of Israel! Please DEFEND and PROTECT them!