VOL. 47                     NEWSLETTER          MARCH/APRIL 2004

Dear Friends of Israel and “Or Tzion”, 

May joy, peace, health and prosperity fill your spirits and lives as you continue to serve our Lord and walk with Him with all your heart. May His Name and Presence safeguard you from the evil that is taking the earth hostage in a net of terror, violence and fear. 
 
 

The news stations across the globe were humming like bees – “Sheik Ahmed Yassin killed in airstrike by Israel!” 

“Israel assassinated the founder¹ and spiritual leader of Hamas with a missile attack shortly before dawn!” 

“Gaza streets filled with Hamas loyalists - shock, cries of revenge, tears!” 

“‘War on the sons of Zion,’ ‘death to every house in Israel’ Palestinians vow.” 

Hamas spokesman Dr. Abdel Aziz Rantissi declared "The ground will shake in Israel" as Hamas leaders railed “Sharon has opened the gates of hell and nothing will stop us from cutting off his head.”However, the "ground shook" under Rantissi as an Israeli air strike killed him and his body guard. 

The Almighty declares in Isaiah 41:14-16 that He will make of the "worm Jacob", of the "men of Israel" a threshing sledge, new, sharp, and having teeth [i.e., the Israel Defense Forces]; they shall thresh the mountains and crush them and the hills they shall make like chaff and winnow them, and the wind and the tempest shall carry them away and scatter them (e.g., their enemies). 

In Jeremiah 51:20 G-d says to the nation of Israel: “You are my battle-axe and weapon of war: with you I break nations in pieces; with you I destroy kingdoms.”

In Micah 4:13 the L-RD of hosts commands, "Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn [i.e. power] iron and your hoofs bronze; you shall beat in pieces many peoples..."

Similar Scriptures declare the military might of the restored nation Israel and how G-d will use this might against His and Israel's enemies. At present the IDF "beats into pieces" only terrorists (the murderers of Israelis) and their enclaves, as well  the houses of those who give shelter to terrorists and their weapons. 

In spite of that the world responded immediately with outrage at Israel's "crime". Never mind that this man was an integral part of a worldwide Muslim terror ring, responsible for the death of many. Never mind that Rantissi, like Yassin, lived right next door to Israel and not on the other side of the globe like the Taliban and Saddam Hussein. 

The "War on Terror" applies to all terrorists with the exception of those murdering Israelis and Jews world wide. 

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh declared "words cannot describe the emotion and hate inside our hearts." 

Satan, hating G-d and G-d's people with violent passion, has induced these people's hearts with his hatred, while the G-d of Israel IS "love": Who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever (including Palestinians) believes on Him might be saved. 

Amidst renewed cries of  terror, Washington calls on all parties to show “restraint.” We must ask what “restraint” Washington showed in Afghanistan when pursuing the Taliban and Bin Laden, and toppling Saddam Hussein and his men? 

While Washington relentlessly pursues Osama Bin-Laden to eliminate both him and Al Quaida, how can it maintain a double standard toward Israel? Israel’s elimination of  Hamas founder and leader Yassin, removed the mastermind behind dozens of attacks and hundreds of Israeli civilian deaths. Can the elimination of a murderer be equated with the slaughtering of innocent and defenseless civilians? 

Did not the U.S. justify the targeted killing of Saddam’s sons? 

No less justified is Israel’s targeted killing of those responsible for death and horror on buses, at shopping malls, restaurants, cafes and discos! 

Must Jews still be the sacrificial lambs for the benefit of national and international interests? 

Claiming that America's "backing of Israel" made the assassination possible, Hamas announced that "All the Muslims of the world will be honored to join in on the retaliation for this crime." 

Said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Sofer, “One of the world's ‘most heinous terrorists’ is gone…  He was no spiritual leader. This term does injustice to the term 'spiritual leader' and is an insult to real spiritual leaders. He was a mastermind of terror!"²

An Israeli Foreign Ministry official said,  “Israel holds Yassin directly responsible for the scores of suicide attacks Hamas has unleashed since 2000. He is the one who is sending children and women to explode themselves." 
 
 

"He was the most dangerous terrorist chief. His elimination will serve peace in the long run. He is personally responsible for all the most dreadful attacks in Israel. He was a dangerous extremist Islamic ideologist. He was danger to the entire region. By eliminating this threat to peace we will improve chances for a better Middle East. We are convinced that in a few days the situation will calm down," Israeli government spokesman Avi Pazner said.