“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” —Isaiah 26:3

After my time in Wis-consin, I traveled south to Catawba Springs Christian Church (Apex, NC) to present our ministry for support, and on the same Sunday, we reported back to West Haven Baptist Church (Clemmons, NC), one of our supporting churches. Our time at Ca-tawba Springs was espe-cially sweet because one of the pastor’s daughters, Laura Woodruff, was a member of the 2016 Sum-

“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain” —Joel 2:1

The Newsletter of Craig Hartman and Shalom Ministries Inc. • Fourth Quarter 2016

In October, we had a busy month of travel, which started with a visit to report back to Taber-nacle Baptist Church (Virginia Beach, VA), one of our supporting church-es. While we were there, we learned of the death of Dr. Rod Bell, who had been a great encourage-ment to us in the early years of our ministry. We are thankful for his assis-tance and know he is now in the presence of our Messiah.

From Virginia, we headed to Bob Jones Uni-versity (Greenville, SC) for Global Opportunities Week, and I had the privi-lege of speaking to a num-ber of classes about Israel, Judaism, and current events in the Middle East. Of course, while at BJU, we recruited for the 2018 Summer Mission Team. It is never too early to begin that process, and the re-sponse so far has encour-aged us very much. We had twenty-five partici-pants in 2016 and are hop-ing for more on the 2018 team.

The following week I was at Maranatha Baptist

University (Watertown, WI) to recruit, and we held a Passover Seder demonstration on campus for interested students. It was encouraging to see students’ reactions when they understood how the Jewish perspective of the Scriptures helped explain texts they were familiar with but didn’t fully ap-preciate. The next day I headed over to Baptist College of Ministry (Menomonee Falls, WI) to preach in chapel and con-tinue recruiting.

Contents

Road Report 1

Hamilton Ordination 3

“JR” Breakthrough 3

Medical Ministry in the

West Bank

4

Israeli Treatment for

Autism Coming to

America

5

Duvalls Minister in Israel

Again

6

Jerusalem Report 7

Madeleine Update 8

Watchman Report 9

News Affecting the Jewish

People

12

Road Report

Continued on page 2

Seder at Maranatha Baptist University

Page 2 The Shalom Shofar

We enjoyed

meeting new students at all the colleges we visited as we work to recruit for our 2018

Summer Mission Team to New York

and Israel. ”

“

Road Report (continued)

mer Team, and she came home from school for the weekend to see us. In ad-dition to our ministry at the church, I was also pleased to accompany Pas-tor Woodruff to the office of Dr. “A,” one of their family physicians, who is Jewish. He is also very well known among the Jewish community in the Raleigh area, so his salvation could have a great impact on many Jewish people there. Pastor Woodruff has de-veloped a great relation-ship with Dr. “A” and is burdened for his soul. Pas-tor Woodruff had told Dr. “A” that he would bring me by to meet him, and Dr. “A” had agreed. We had a pleasant discussion, but he is far from the Lord. Please pray for Pas-tor Woodruff as he tries to reach this man with the gospel and for the Lord to soften his heart.

Shortly afterward, I had the privilege of preaching in chapel at Grace Baptist Bible Col-lege (Winston-Salem, NC) for the first time and meet-ing the faculty and stu-dents. We were very im-pressed with this small but faithful school and are looking forward to work-

ing with them in the fu-ture. We presented our ministry for support at Mount Moriah Baptist Church (Powhatan, VA), and for the evening service that Sunday, we returned to Bethel Baptist Church (Hampton, VA) and gave a ministry report to this sup-porting church. We’d had a meeting scheduled with them earlier in October, but due to flooding from Hurricane Matthew, the church had to cancel that meeting. We are thankful that the church didn’t suf-fer significant damage and that we were able to re-schedule with the folks at Bethel so quickly. Thanks again to the folks at Mount Moriah Baptist Church for letting me miss the evening service with them so I could visit Bethel.

During the last week-end of October, we took part in a missions confer-ence at North Stonington Baptist Church (North Stonington, CT) and pre-sented the ministry for support. I visited Ambas-sador Baptist Bible College (Lattimore, NC) in early November to continue recruiting students during their annual missions con-ference and to speak in

several classes. We en-joyed meeting new stu-dents at all the colleges we visited as we work to recruit for our 2018 Sum-mer Mission Team to New York and Israel.

Our travel schedule slowed down in Novem-ber, and we presented the ministry for support at Standfordville Baptist Church (Hallstead, PA) and returned to HillCity Church (Oneonta, NY) to give a ministry report to this supporting church. In December, we traveled to Citywide Baptist Church (New London, CT), a supporting church, to update them on our ministry activities. We were surprised when one of our Shalom Mission Team members, Kathryn Turner, came to see us and worship at that church as well. I also had the privilege of taking part in an ordination ser-vice at my home church, Bethel Baptist Fellowship (Brooklyn, NY), for an excellent young man who will be starting a church plant in the New York area (for more infor-mation, see “Hamilton Ordination” article).

Please join us

in praying for Emmaus Road

Baptist Church and the impact it will have on Jews and

Gentiles alike in this very needy area of

the Big Apple. ”

Page 3

Hamilton Ordination

“

On December 10–11, I was thrilled to participate on the ordination counsel and in the commissioning service for Ben Hamilton at our church. Some of our ministry friends al-ready know about Ben, a former intern of Shalom Ministries. Several years ago, he contacted Pastor Bickel and expressed his conviction that the Lord wanted him to return to Brooklyn to train in church planting with a view toward establishing a church somewhere in New York City. We happily invited him to join us, and he spent a few years pre-paring for his ministry under Pastor Bickel’s tute-lage. Along the way, the Lord more specifically directed Ben to see that His will was that the church should be planted in the Bronx.

I had the privilege of taking Ben and his wife, Andrea, on a survey trip to

my old stomping grounds and was touched deeply when he later said he was targeting an area in the Bronx very close to where my grandparents had lived the last twenty-five years of their lives. Needless to say, Shalom Ministries and the Hartman family will be very involved in helping this new daughter church of Bethel Baptist Fellow-ship any way we can. The targeted area of the Bronx is the Kingsbridge section, which is close to the busi-est area of the Bronx and to a large Jewish neighbor-hood. Please join us in praying for Emmaus Road Baptist Church and the impact it will have on Jews and Gentiles alike in this very needy area of the Big Apple. The Hamiltons have completed deputa-tion, so we are hoping they will soon be able to start the Bible study that will lead to the core foun-

dation of the church, Lord willing.

S ev e r a l young men who have served with us as interns or as Sum-mer Team members have returned to the city for ministry, and we are humbled and thank-ful for the way the Lord has moved among us in this way. While we are pleased with our summer programs because of the impact they have on the lives of the participants, we are also excited that the Lord has worked to chal-lenge some of them to return and participate in ministry with us in New York. Please pray that we will continue to find future workers and partners, even among the students with whom we have the privi-lege of sharing the minis-try.

“JR” Breakthrough

somewhat evasive, but I told him I wasn’t going to give up on him. Shortly after that, I spoke at our church, and he came to hear me. For some reason, a change came over him. I know his family has been working on him, and many people are praying. After the services, he and I

In previous Shofars, I introduced you to “JR,” an unsaved Jewish man in Brooklyn, whom I have been reaching out to. In the past, he grudgingly agreed to meet once he sold his current business. That business was recently sold, so I challenged him to meet with me. He was

talked for quite a while, and he was very warm to-ward me. At the end he asked, “Hey, when are we going to get together?” I was a little surprised and said I would call him in a few days with a date.

Continued on page 4

The Hamilton Family

Page 4 The Shalom Shofar

Medical Ministry in the West Bank

the unsaved people being treated.

For several reasons, I won’t personally be joining the team, but we are coor-dinating all the arrange-ments. Several of our Is-raeli friends have helped with the details and logis-tics, and have obtained medications, and we are trusting the Lord for a very fruitful ministry. This is a special opportunity be-cause we will not only be helping to reach unsaved Arabs and Palestinians in the Land but also be work-ing with the ministry Luke has traveled with on sever-al medical mission trips. While we are enthusiasti-cally looking forward to next month, we understand things can change very quickly in the Middle East.

Plans are coming to-gether quite well for the upcoming joint ministry we will have in the West Bank in Israel, partnering with Grace Dental and M e d i c a l M i s s i o n s (Methuen, MA). It is amaz-ing how the Lord has brought so many aspects of this partnership togeth-er, and we see His hand on it in many ways. At the time of this writing, we expect to send the team (which will include one doctor and one dentist, along with nurses and as-sistants) into three West Bank villages and one Pal-estinian refugee camp to offer free medical and den-tal care to the residents there. We will be working with a pastor who is a dear friend; he will be on hand to share the gospel with

For those interested in assisting with this outreach financially, please note that the need has been estimat-ed to be approximately $15,000. If you would like to assist in this way, please send your donation to us and indicate on the check’s memo line that it is for the medical ministry project. Please pray that the total necessary funds will be raised and that the team’s travel plans will go smoothly. Please also pray that many souls will come out for the services offered and that some might even respond to the message of eternity they will hear. This is a very delicate matter, and there are certainly dan-gers involved, so we would sincerely appreciate your prayers.

Please pray that

the total necessary funds will be raised and that the team’s travel plans will go

smoothly. ”

“

“JR” Breakthrough (continued)

We agreed to meet a few weeks later in Decem-ber, before I left for Israel. The meeting was very en-couraging. I met him in Manhattan, and he showed me the business he had recently sold (he still works there to help the new owners with the tran-sition). Then we headed off to dinner together.

Interestingly, when we initially arrived at the res-taurant, he explained that he wasn’t interested in asking me religion ques-

tions; he just wanted us to get to know each other bet-ter. Soon the discussion, however, changed, and he started asking questions about religion. We talked for more than two more hours (counting the walk to the subway and part of the time on the train), and things went very well. He had many good questions, and I shared a very clear explanation of the gospel and explained why it is for Jewish people and why it is natural for Jews to be

Christians. I have rarely had this much liberty to share the gospel with an unsaved Jewish person. I thank the Lord for that.

“JR” didn’t get saved, but he said he felt like he was warming up to what I believe, and he under-stands a lot more now than he did before. We have agreed to meet again when I return from Israel. Please pray for “JR” and for the Lord to finally re-move the scales from his eyes.

Page 5

Israeli Treatment for Autism Coming to America

sponse to that, I shared with him what I knew of the Mifne Center, and there was an immediate interest on his part to know more about this spe-cialized program.

I knew the leaders and staff of the Mifne Center were interested in expand-ing their success to places outside Israel, and I won-dered whether they might be willing to consider an idea. With Hidden Treas-ure’s approval, I contacted the director of the center to explore the possibility of their partnering with Hidden Treasure to bring the unique Mifne method of treating infants at risk for autism to the United States through Hidden Treasure Christian School.

The Lord moved in miraculous ways, and over the past year, meetings were held with the Mifne board. These meetings recently resulted in the granting of approval to start the process. I stand amazed at the reality that a medical facility in northern Israel, run by Jewish Israe-lis, has agreed to work

I am extremely excited to announce that we have helped forge a strategic initiative that may bring a unique program for treat-ing infants with autism to the United States. Over the years, we have devel-oped a professional and personal relationship with the staff and leadership of the Mifne Center for Au-tism in Rosh Pina, Israel. The Lord has knit our hearts together, and we are thankful for the opportu-nities we have had to work with them and even supply their interns.

We have also devel-oped a relationship with the staff and leadership of Hidden Treasure Christian School (Taylors, SC). Hid-den Treasure is a school designed specifically to help meet the needs of children with varying disa-bilities, including autism. Dr. John McCormick, the director of Hidden Treas-ure, expressed to me that one of the school’s goals was to provide an infant stimulation program for children born with identifi-able disabilities. In re-

with an Amer-ican Christian school for children with special needs. Only our Most High God can do such a thing. Hidden Treasure is a very special place, and we are looking to the Lord to use it in a new and special way.

I will be involved in working closely with the folks both at Hidden Treasure and at Mifne Center throughout the various phases of the pro-ject, and we are looking forward to opportunities to testify of Messiah as we interact with all the people involved, in particular the unsaved Jewish people connected with Mifne. We are also thankful for the families who will find help through the therapy they will receive through this initiative, and we are grate-ful that they will hear the gospel.

The Lord moved

in miraculous ways, and over the past

year, meetings were held with the Mifne

board. ”

“

Hidden Treasure Christian School

Continued on page 8

Catherine and Jenny

Page 6 The Shalom Shofar

Duvalls Minister in Israel Again

Since their trip to Israel in 2015, God allowed Catherine and Jenny to meet a new group of Is-raelis, who were selling cosmetics at a mall in Greenville,

South Carolina. They quickly struck up a friend-ship since the Israelis were very curious about their love for Israel. Over a few months, the girls spent time with them and shared their faith at every oppor-tunity, and some accepted the gift of a Hebrew New Testament. When these Israelis went back to Israel, Jenny and Catherine were hopeful that they would be able to interact with them again in the future.

In addition, after they left the friends they minis-tered to in the fall of 2015, Jenny and Catherine were unsure whether they should return to Israel and began to pray expectantly that God would clearly guide and lead. After counsel and a lot of prayer, they saw the hand of the Lord leading them to do so, bought tickets, and were soon on a plane, headed to Israel in Octo-ber 2016. God allowed them to spend some time

at the same kibbutz where they had volunteered in 2015, and they were guests and friends of the same family. Their visit took place during the Sukkot holiday, which meant many people were relaxing and enjoying the time off work.

This opportunity gave them a lot of time to talk to and just be with this special family, and God gave two very clear oppor-tunities to share their be-liefs. In the last conversa-tion with them, the hus-band asked how believing the Tanakh (Old Testa-ment) and believing the New Testament could both be right. He ex-plained that it was like hav-ing a piece of farming equipment with two differ-ent sets of directions. They cannot both be right. Cath-erine explained that the Tanakh and the New Tes-tament aren’t actually two different sets of directions. The situation was more like having the first half of the directions and then receiving the second half. The Tanakh and the New Testament work together to make a whole “set” of instructions. His wife said, “Oh! They complete each other.” Catherine was so thankful that the wife had made that connection and believes that in some ways the lightbulb went on for her. They don’t know how

God will use this conver-sation in the lives of this family, but they are pray-ing daily for their salva-tion and for God to con-tinue sending believers into their lives so they will hear the gospel.

The next stop was Haifi to visit another pre-cious family. This family has middle-school-aged children, and they had a great time hiking and go-ing different places dur-ing Sukkot. Toward the end of the stay, their mom brought up the top-ic of the fragility of life. This led to a great con-versation about the role God has in determining our days and life after death. Catherine shared her testimony of salvation and talked about eternity; it was a tough but thought-provoking con-versation. Catherine thanks God for this op-portunity and realizes that He opened this door so she could once again share the gospel.

The last stop was in Holon to stay with a girl they’d met at the mall in Greenville. This was a difficult visit, but they had several wonderful experiences. The newly married Grant and Ardis Hartman met them and their friend from Holon for dinner one night in

Catherine thanks God for this

opportunity and realizes that He

opened this door so she could once again

share the gospel. ”

“

Continued on page 9

Page 7

Jerusalem Report

Before she left, we were able to invite her and her boyfriend over to our home for dinner. We had a wonderful time together playing, singing music, and talking about spiritual things. The biggest confu-sion she has regarding her Jewish heritage is that she doesn’t understand why Jewish people don’t be-lieve Jesus is the Messiah. She simply doesn’t under-stand the thinking in which she was raised.

Right before she left the country, I pulled her aside at one of our weekly meetings to beg her not to stop searching for the truth while she was out of the country. She respond-ed, “I cannot stop search-ing.” Please continue to pray for her heart to be open and for her to return to our meetings after she comes back to Israel. Also please pray specifically for Ardis since she and this girl have struck up a very sweet relationship. “A” has even expressed a desire to meet up with Ardis for English-Hebrew lessons together upon her return.

God is opening so many doors for me to share my faith with coworkers and people in everyday life. The cowork-er who asked me for a book about Jesus so he could learn English better has, in fact, started to read

Shalom and Shana Tova (Happy New Year)! Thank you for your pray-ers as we continue to ad-just to our new lives to-gether here in Israel. We are very thankful for the opportunities God has given to us to acclimate and serve at our new home in the Holy Land. Each quarter brings many excit-ing adventures.

Our young adult fel-lowship continues to be a blessing to us. God has provided us with such a sweet and close church family, who have helped us in our adjustment phase. We are continuing our study through the book of Acts, and I’m teaching on a rotation with two other men. Ardis does essentially all the cooking for our meal together each week. The group ranges between ten and twenty-five people. Because the book of Acts contains the retelling of the spread of the gospel to the world, each week gives a new opportunity to share the gospel.

As was mentioned last quarter, the unsaved Jew-ish girl “A” continues to show interest in coming to the meetings, and she came faithfully throughout the last few months until the end of December, when she went on vaca-tion outside the country.

it. Thank you for your prayers in this regard. In fact, re-cently he said that if he ever believed in Jesus, his father would “beat him.” Although he partially spoke in jest, his words show the fear and opposi-tion to the gospel that are prevalent among Israelis. Please continue to pray for “Z” as he reads this book—pray that God will convict him through it and show him that Jesus truly is his Messiah. Please also pray that the fear of reper-cussions wouldn’t interfere with his desire to know the truth.

Recently, God gave me the opportunity to begin discussing my faith with another coworker, “K.” Since he is one of my superiors, making sure I don’t offend him or hurt my reputation with him is a constant balancing act. He recently agreed to re-ceive some literature from me about the New Testa-ment. Please pray for this opportunity and for God to prepare “K’s” heart to receive His Word.

Last quarter, we asked for prayer regarding “D,”

Because the book

of Acts contains the retelling of the

spread of the gospel to the world, each week gives a new

opportunity to share the gospel. ”

“

Grant and Ardis Hartman

Continued on page 10

Madeleine Pirus

Page 8 The Shalom Shofar

Madeleine Update

Madeleine was able to renew her passport, and she was granted a new visa for 2017. We are thankful to the Lord for His provi-sion in this way, but please keep this matter in prayer, since she won’t be able to extend this kind of visa again and will need the Lord’s direction in the future.

At the Bible Society, the Word of the Lord is consistently going out, and we rejoice that an Arab man made a profession of faith during the weekly outreach in Jerusalem. Al-so, “R,” an elderly Jewish lady from a religious back-ground, came to faith in Jesus as her awaited Messi-ah of Israel. The Lord is working in different ways, since there are many peo-ple who have crossed Madeleine’s path at the Bible Society; they have all come to the shop for dif-ferent reasons, but she and others are able to share about Messiah.

Just recently, people

of a number of different nationalities—as well as several Jewish people—have been given literature, which presents the gospel and the identity of the Messiah, with some even accepting a New Testa-ment or the complete Bi-ble. Madeleine continues her French translation work with a small book presenting God’s plan of salvation through a collec-tion of Old Testament prophecies about Messiah and a demonstration of their fulfillment through Jesus. As a growing num-ber of French-Jewish peo-ple are making aliyah, this is a much-needed ministry.

In December, Made-leine’s assembly in Jerusa-lem held another camp for forty-two teens, and she was a nurse and counselor. The camp was in the Jude-an desert, and for four days they studied the life of Elijah. The group built a camp (during intermittent rain and wind) in the mid-dle of nowhere—

literally—at the foot of the mountains in the de-sert. The Lord gave them beautifully clear weather after the first day, and the group had two challeng-ing hikes and a number of intensive studies. Sev-eral teens who claim to believe in Messiah are thinking about baptism, and some have started faithfully serving at the church. Madeleine con-tinues to work in the kids’ club as well; some weeks the attendance is close to fifty children. She is thankful for an-swered prayer involving these kids and for the fruit in their lives.

Thank you for pray-ing for Madeleine and for the work she is doing in Israel. Please continue to keep her family in your prayers that they would accept Christ as their Savior. Also pray for the Lord to direct Madeleine in the coming months as she serves in the Holy Land.

Thank you for praying for

Madeleine and for the work she is doing

in Israel. ”

“

Israeli Treatment for Autism (continued)

Please pray as the pro-cess proceeds and for the souls of the many people, both in the United States and in Israel, who will be touched through this en-

deavor. We are at the ex-ploration phase right now, but all indications are that things will progress toward full implementation of the program. Please join us in

praying toward that end. It is exciting to imagine what the Lord will do both practically and spir-itually through this unique endeavor.

Watchman Report

“A watchman unto the house of Israel.” —Ezekiel 3:18

Pastor Dale Cunning-ham, who pastors one of our supporting churches, Boones Creek Bible Church (Boones Creek, TN), and one of the church members set up a lunch appointment for the member’s Jewish friend to meet his pastor. Right from the start, the Lord meshed the hearts of these two men together. This Jewish man has at-tended services at the church a few times—most

recently on Christmas Eve. Pastor Cunningham has had a number of coffee chats at his friend’s kitchen table, and after this man was diagnosed with lung cancer, his heart has con-tinued to soften. Please join us in praying that this Jew-ish man would accept the true Messiah as his Savior.

Anne from New York has had many opportunities over a few years to talk to her Jewish friend about Messiah, Isaiah 53, and how both Yom Kippur and Passover point to Jesus. She is very curious about

the teachings of Christianity, and because she is so unfamiliar with Scripture, she is riveted by anything Anne mentions from the Tanakh. Anne longs for her to want to open the Word for herself and is planning to give her a Bible soon. Please pray for the Lord to move her heart to read this Bible and for her to know the true Messiah.

Anne from New

York has had many opportunities over a few years to talk to her Jewish friend about Messiah. ”

“

Page 9

Pastor Cunningham on his recent Israel

trip with us

Duvalls Minister (continued)

Tel Aviv, and it was great for them to see the Hart-mans and hear how they are involved in their as-sembly. Grant explained to their friend in Hebrew that he is Jewish but also believes in Yeshua. Alt-hough their friend didn’t believe faith in Yeshua was for her, we are thank-ful that God gave her an-other opportunity to hear the gospel in her own language. Please pray that God would soften her heart.

Toward the end of the week, Catherine and Jenny met up with two other friends in Joppa, whom they’d also met at the mall in Greenville, and they enjoyed connecting

with them again. They’re thankful for the continuing relationships and pray that God would draw all these people to Himself and give them an understanding of the gospel. Catherine and Jenny are thankful for your support and prayers and came back from Israel to hear the news that signifi-cant donations for the trip had come in to Shalom Ministries. The money was the exact amount needed for airfare, with about two dollars to spare. What a great reminder that God knows the needs of His people! Thank you to those who followed God’s lead-ing to give and pray. The experience of provision strengthened their faith in

great ways, and Catherine and Jenny continue to pray and seek how God will lead in the future.

We are thankful for Catherine and Jenny’s efforts and the opportuni-ties we have to work to-gether to reach these un-saved Jewish people. In fact, when we arrived in Israel in December, we were able to meet with the family from the kib-butz we mentioned earlier and spend time with them. It is evident that the Lord continues to use Catherine and Jenny to reach out to Jewish peo-ple and to help pave the way for our continued ministry, and we praise the Lord for that.

Jerusalem Update (continued)

whom we met on a bus while on our way to He-brew language class. After repeated attempts to con-tact him throughout the quarter, my messages went unanswered. About a month ago, Ardis and I were going to our classes, and it was raining outside. For some reason our nor-mal bus to class was de-layed by almost twenty minutes, and we wanted to get out of the rain and arrive closer to class as soon as possible. So we decided to take a bus we had never taken before.

Shortly after we got on the bus, guess who walked in? None other than our friend “D”! This was an amazing and God-ordained appointment. We made sure we had the cor-rect contact information this time and went our separate ways. I recently wrote him again, and this time I received a response; we plan to get together in January. Please pray that I will be able to have a last-ing relationship with “D” in hopes of ultimately sharing the gospel of the Messiah with him.

Language studies are going well, and I’m com-municating more comfort-

ably each day. Ardis under-stands more and more and is continuing to work on speaking. Please pray that we will attain fluency as we learn this language and that we will be able to use it to communicate the gospel more effectively with those around us.

At the end of Decem-ber, we had a meeting at the Ministry of Interior regarding Ardis’s visa pro-cess. During this meeting, we scheduled another meeting for March 27. Ar-dis will be interviewed, and hopefully that meeting will result in her obtaining a renewable Israeli ID (similar to a green card in America). Please pray since this is the most important meeting we will have so far, and it is an essential hurdle to overcome in her citizenship process.

The past meetings have gone remarkably well, and for that we are grate-ful. In fact, on the way to the last meeting in Decem-ber, God orchestrated the event so one of the work-ers in the Ministry of Inte-rior sat on the same bus with us. In a city of over half a million people, this is truly an act of God. The fact that she saw us togeth-

er may seem small, but it is in reality a huge bless-ing, because the main thing we are trying to prove to the government right now is the validity of our relationship (i.e., that we are actually mar-ried). For them to see us together is a great step toward proving this in their eyes. Throughout this whole process, God has gone before us each step of the way and has prepared every detail. Because of this, we trust completely that He will continue to do so while going forward through-out this potentially trying process. We are thankful for where God has brought us, and we know He will lead us in the future.

Winter is now in full force, and living in Jeru-salem means the temper-atures can get around freezing during the night, which is a stark contrast to the blazing summer heat. As it was during Bible times, the people of Israel are quite dependent on God for rain, since the rainfall now during the winter will have a huge impact on agricul-ture in the spring as well

We are thankful

for where God has brought us, and we

know He will lead us in the future. ”

“

Page 10 The Shalom Shofar

Let Us Help You!

Witnessing to your Jewish friends?

Questions about the feasts?

Call us at

(718) 232-8233

or visit our website:

www.shalomnyc.org

Jerusalem Update (continued)

as the simple availability of water for the residents here.

Seeing how joyful Is-raelis are when it rains and how important rainfall is for residents of a country that is 60 percent desert, we are reminded of Isaiah 55:9–10. “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and

maketh it bring forth and bud…so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” All the opportunities the Lord gives us to share His Word make us as hap-py as the Israelis who de-light in the rainfall, because we know it is the Lord

who waters the souls of men and provides for a harvest season full of fruit. Since He promises this is never a worthless task, we wait expectantly for the increase, all along the way holding on to His all-sufficient grace. Thank you for your con-tinued prayers for us as we work together for the Lord to reach His people.

All the

opportunities the Lord gives us to

share His Word make us as happy as the

Israelis who delight in the rainfall. ”

“

Page 11

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News Affecting the Jewish People

Israeli forces capture Hezbollah cell that planned at-tacks in Israel October 6, 2016—The border between Israel and Lebanon is a drug-running route controlled by the Hezbollah terror organization, and is also used for the smuggling of weapons. In this case, Israeli-Arab drug traffickers were recruited as terrorists. Israel security forces captured a Hezbollah terror cell that operated in Israel and planned terror attacks in northern Israel, the Shin Bet (Israel’s Security Agency) an-nounced Thursday. The cell members, residents of the vil-lage Rajar which is situated on the border with Lebanon, were arrested in September, after a farmer in Metula, a town in Israel’s north, found several bombs in a bag while he was working in his field at the end of July. An investigation into the bombs led to the cell’s exposure. The border between Israel and Lebanon is a drug-running route controlled by the Hezbollah terror organization, and is also used for the smug-gling of weapons. In this case, Israeli-Arab drug traffickers were recruited as terrorists. The terror cell, commanded by Diab Saed Jamil Kahamoz, a known drug dealer, was con-tacted by Hezbollah via Saed Kahamoz, Diab’s father, and they were tasked with preparing attacks in Israel and with the collection of intelligence deep inside the country. Kahamoz senior, a well-known drug trafficker and Hezbol-lah operative, fled Israel in 2006 right after the Second Leba-non War. He served as a go-between Hezbollah and several of his sons who were active in the terror cell. The cell com-municated with the Shiite terror organization via encrypted email. Diab received two explosive charges in May that were smuggled through the fence and which he hid in a field near Metula. They were exposed by the farmer. Diab was sup-posed to have collected more bombs from Hezbollah on the border in August. Diab was asked to commit an attack in Haifa, and also contemplated attacking the nearby city of Nesher. He recruited his brothers Yosouf and Jamil, and finally settled for an attack on a popular bus stop used by soldiers on their way to their bases in the north on Sundays. —World Israel News Iran: We Have Warehouses Full of Missiles That Can ‘Flatten’ Tel Aviv October 6, 2016—If Israel ever were to bomb Iran, the Is-lamic Republic would “flatten Tel Aviv,” an Iranian official recently declared, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported. Mohsen Rafighdoost — a former minis-ter of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who now heads the Noor Foundation — reportedly told a Teh-ran political gathering, “We have warehouses full [of mis-siles] in Tehran, Zanjan [in northwest Iran] and Oshnavieh [in Western Azerbaijan Province in northwest Iran] that can strike Tel Aviv.” The Jewish state’s commercial capital would be destroyed, Rafighdoost threatened, “if only a single

[Israeli] shell would strike anywhere in this country.” Last month, a banner on the side of a truck carrying a new long-range Iranian ballistic missile — the Zolfaqar — in a military parade in Tehran issued a direct threat to the Jewish state. “If the leaders of the Zionist regime make a mistake then the Islamic Republic will turn Tel Aviv and Haifa into dust,” it said. According to MEMRI, in his Sept. 25 speech, Rafighdoost claimed that the IRGC’s ground troops were “perhaps five times better than the American army.” “Despite all the enemy media and cultural propaganda against us, if America wants to try its luck against us, [it should know that] we are completely capable of mobilizing nine million fighters [against it]… on the [battle]front in under 10 days,” he stated. Iran’s foes, Rafighdoost asserted, were deterred from getting involved in a war with the Islam-ic Republic. “In recent years, the enemies have spoken of the option [of a military strike against Iran] as being on the table, but that was a lie,” he said, in an apparent reference to past Israeli and US vows to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons by any means necessary. —United with Israel UN denies ancient Jewish connection to Temple Mount and Western Wall October 13, 2016—The United Nations Educational, Cul-tural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) passed an ab-surd resolution, denying the ancient Jewish connection to Jerusalem’s holy sites. The resolution, initiated by the Pales-tinians, states that the Temple Mount – Judaism’s holiest site, where the First and Second Holy Temples stood – is holy to Muslims only. The Temple Mount is Islam’s third-holiest site, second to Mecca and Medina. The resolution uses the Muslim name Haram al-Sharif, but not the Hebrew term, Har HaBayit. It also refers to the Western Wall – the Kotel, in Hebrew – by the Arabic name, al-Buraq. Ambassa-dor Carmel Shama HaCohen, Israel’s permanent delegate to UNESCO, said that “Israel and the Jewish people do not require UNESCO’s or any other country’s confirmation of the special connection between the Jewish people and the State of Israel and Jerusalem in general, and the holy sites such as the Western Wall and the Temple Mount in particu-lar.” “There is no connection of another people to another place in the world that comes close to the strength and depth of our connection to Jerusalem from a religious, his-torical and national perspective, a connection that has stood the test of 2,000 years,” he said. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin stated Thursday morning, just days before the holiday of Sukkot, which begins Sunday evening, that “there is no festival more connected to Jerusalem than Sukkot. The festi-vals of Israel all highlight the inextricable bond between our people and our land, and no forum of body in the world can come and deny the connection between the Jewish people, the Land of Israel and Jerusalem – and any such body that

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does so simply embarrasses itself.” “We can understand criti-cism, but you cannot change history,” Rivlin asserted. “The UNESCO theater show goes on,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared. “Today that organization adopted an-other delusional decision stating that the Jewish People have no connection to the Temple Mount or the Western Wall. Even if they do not read the Bible, I would suggest that UNESCO members visit the Arch of Titus in Rome. On it one can see what the Romans brought back to Rome after they destroyed and looted the Second Temple on the Tem-ple Mount 2,000 years ago. There, engraved on the Arch of Titus, is the seven-branched menorah that is the symbol of the Jewish People and, I remind you, is also the symbol of the Jewish state today. Soon, UNESCO will say that the Emperor Titus engaged in Zionist propaganda,” he quipped.—World Israel News Trump slams UN for disgraceful resolution denying Jewish connection to Jerusalem October 11, 2016—U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump condemned the absurd UNESCO resolution passed Thursday that denies the historic Jewish connection to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the Western Wall and other holy sites. The resolution, initiated by the Palestinians, states that the Temple Mount – Judaism’s holiest site, where the First and Second Holy Temples stood – is holy to Muslims only. It was passed by a majority of 24 to 6, with 16 absten-tions. The U.S. voted against it. “I have said on numerous occasions that in a Trump Administration, the United States will recognize Jerusalem as the one true capital of Israel,” the Republican leader posted on Facebook. “The United Na-tions’ attempt to disconnect the State of Israel from Jerusa-lem is a one-sided attempt to ignore Israel’s 3,000-year bond to its capital city, and is further evidence of the enormous anti-Israel bias of the UN.” “Jerusalem is the enduring capi-tal of the Jewish People and the overwhelming majority of Congress has voted to recognize Jerusalem as just that,” he stated. “Further, the decision by the Obama Administration to strike the word ‘Israel’ after the word ‘Jerusalem’ in the President’s prepared text was a capitulation to Israel’s ene-mies, and a posthumous embarrassment to [former Israeli President] Shimon Peres, whose memory the President was attempting to honor. In a Trump Administration, Israel will have a true, loyal and lasting friend in the United States of America.” He was referring to a transcript of Obama’s eulo-gy, released shortly after the recent funeral of Peres, which listed the location as “Jerusalem, Israel.” As Obama was flying home, the White House issued a corrected transcript, listing merely “Jerusalem” and with “Israel” crossed out with a line. The White House, questioned on the incident, point-ed to a statement reiterating official U.S. policy that Jeru-salem’s status should be addressed in a way that respects both Israeli and Palestinian rights, AP reported. “We believe

that through good-faith direct negotiations, the parties should mutually agree on an outcome that realizes the aspi-rations of both parties for Jerusalem and safeguards its unique religious status for people around the world,” the statement said. In January, Trump announced that, if elect-ed, he would move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jeru-salem. According to a press release from the Trump cam-paign following the candidate’s meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month in New York, Trump “acknowledged that Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish People for over 3000 years, and that the US, un-der a Trump administration, will finally accept the long-standing Congressional mandate to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel.” —World Israel News Israel Suspends Cooperation with UNESCO October 16, 2016—Israel suspended cooperation with UNESCO on Friday, a day after the U.N. cultural agency adopted a draft resolution that Israel says denies the deep historic Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalem. UNESCO’s draft resolution, titled “Occupied Palestine” and sponsored by several Arab countries, uses only the Islamic name for the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site – where the Holy Temples stood. It denies the Jewish links to the Mount and the Western Wall. A validated resolution is ex-pected early next week, but the wording is unlikely to change. Israelis and many Jews around the world viewed it as the latest example of an ingrained anti-Israel bias at the United Nations, where Israel and its allies are far outnum-bered by Arab countries and their supporters. Education Minister Naftali Bennett informed UNESCO of Israel’s decision on Friday. “Following the shameful decision by UNESCO members to deny history and ignore thousands of years of Jewish ties to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, I have notified the Israel National Commission for UNESCO to suspend all professional activities with the international organization,” Bennett said. UNESCO chief Irina Bokova expressed dismay with the draft resolution, which came from member states, saying that “different peoples worship the same places, sometimes under different names. The recognition, use of and respect for these names is para-mount.” “When these divisions carry over into UNESCO, an organization dedicated to dialogue and peace, they pre-vent us from carrying out our mission,” she said. Bokova has no official control over resolutions, which are sponsored and voted on by member states. The spat is the latest in Israel’s rocky relations with UNESCO, which it accuses of making decisions out of political considerations. Bennett said that Bokova’s comments were insufficient and urged the body to take action. “The moral support provided by

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UNESCO to terror will end only when the organization cancels yesterday’s outrageous decision, which denies history to please Israel haters. Words are important, but they are not a replacement to the actions of the organization she heads,” he stated. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s government in Ramallah, which initiated the resolution, wel-comed the outcome, as did Hamas, the Islamic terror group that rules the Gaza Strip. A spokesman for Hamas, which is pledged to Israel’s destruction, called the resolution a “step in the right direction.” —United with Israel German guesthouse turns away Israelis: 'Our apart-ments are not for them' October 31, 2016—A group of Israeli tourists looking for board while planning a trip to Germany next summer were shocked after a guesthouse in the southwestern region of Baden-Württemberg last week urged them to cancel their reservation due to their nationality. While planning a vaca-tion for next August, the four Israeli families reserved lodg-ing at the Mattenhof guesthouse in the Black Forest town of Zell am Harmersbach, explained one of the party's mem-bers, Igor Tsehansky. However, shortly after confirming the reservation, the administrators of the guesthouse contacted the Israelis with a slew of messages and notified them that they should cancel the booking. Tsehansky said that he and his friends received the German-language notice less than week after making the arrangements. "We don't Want have Guests from Israel, because our apartments are Not for them [sic]. Please cancel the Booking," read a Google trans-lated message that Tsehansky posted to Facebook. In light of the matter, the disgruntled Israeli traveler contacted the Booking.com platform that had facilitated the reservation to complain and request alternative accommodations. "It took us weeks to find the hotel and we even ordered it a year in advance," he told Jpost.com on Sunday. Despite various attempts by the online accommodation booking website to make other accommodations or financial compensation for the Israeli group, the future tourists remained disconcerted by the ordeal. "Nothing has been resolved," he said, adding that he plans to file a complaint against the booking compa-ny. While Tsehansky noted that he had successfully booked a separate hotel for another leg of the Germany trip, the issue with the Black Forest lodging represented a "specific incident." "At Booking.com, we do not tolerate discrimina-tion of any kind. Period," a spokesperson from the company told Jpost.com on Monday. "As soon as we were made aware of the comments made by the owner of this property to our customers, we immediately investigated and closed the property on our site." "We are now working to find a suitable alternative for the group of customers affected by this incident as quickly as possible," the Booking.com spokesperson added. —Jerusalem Post

Trump advisor: Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria not obstacle to peace November 10, 2016—President-Elect Donald Trump does not view Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria as an obsta-cle to peace, one of his senior advisors said Thursday. Speaking to IDF Radio, Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s advisor on Israel, that “Mr. Trump does not view the settlements [Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria] as being an ob-stacle for peace. The two sides are going to have to decide how to deal with that region, but it’s certainly not Mr. Trump’s view that settlement activity should be condemned and that it’s an obstacle for peace – because it is not the obstacle for peace.” ” I think he would show Gaza as proof of that,” Greenblatt said, referring to Israel’s 2005 unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, which included the removal of all 21 Israeli communities and which subsequently led to the advent of Hamas’ rule and three wars against Israel. In an interview with The Associated Press in December 2015, Trump was asked whether Israel should stop building in Judea and Samaria, Trump responded, “No… I think Israel should have – they really have to keep going. They have to keep moving forward.” It is of significance to note that Trump’s policy is diametrically opposed to the one adopted by President Barack Obama and his administration, which has repeatedly condemned Israel for its presence in Judea and Samaria and even for its approval of plans for further building. Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Green-blatt said that the Trump administration “is not going to impose any solution on Israel. He thinks that the peace has to come from the parties themselves. Any meaningful con-tribution he can offer up, he is there to do, it is not his goal, nor should it be anyone else’s goal, to impose peace on the parties.” With regard to Israel’s security challenges, Green-blatt said that Trump “thinks that Israel is in a very tough situation and needs to defend itself as it needs to defend itself.” Regarding the recent resolutions adopted by United Nations bodies denying the Jewish links to the Temple Mount and Jerusalem, Greenblatt said that the president-elect recognizes the Jewish People’s right to sit in its eternal capital, Jerusalem, and has expressed disdain at goings-on at UNESCO. —World Israel News Palestinians will ‘Make Life Miserable’ for Trump if US Embassy Moves to Jerusalem November 13, 2016—“If people attack us by moving the embassy to Jerusalem, which is a violation of Security Coun-cil resolutions, it is a violation of resolution 181 of the UN general assembly that was drafted by the U.S.… it means they are showing belligerency towards us,” Palestinian Am-bassador to the U.N. Riyad Mansour stated on Friday in Washington at an event sponsored by the Jerusalem Fund Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the anti

who previously served as director of the Defense Intelli-gence Agency from 2012-2014, was an early backer of Trump’s candidacy. He has been outspoken critic of the Obama Administration’s campaign against terrorism, saying in a recently published book that the U.S. is losing a “world war” against radical Islam due to “political correctness.” While Flynn has been a supporter of Trump’s goal of im-proving ties with Israel, he sparked controversy last summer for an anti-Semitic tweet aimed at Democratic nominee Hil-lary Clinton. Flynn wrote that “the corrupt Democratic ma-chine will do and say anything” to get Clinton elected, re-sponding to accusations by Clinton that Russia was behind the hack of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). “This is a new low,” he said on Twitter, while also retweet-ing a message that read: “Not anymore, Jews. Not any-more.” Flynn later apologized for the retweet, saying that it was a “mistake.” —United with Israel 123 Countries Support Israeli Resolution at UN November 20, 2016—The United Nations (UN) approved an Israeli-sponsored resolution focusing on international innovation and development. The resolution, entitled “Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development,” passed with 123 countries supporting it, 30 countries opposing, and eight abstaining. After months of diplomatic efforts, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon succeeded in passing the resolution by working together with many countries and despite the fierce opposition from the Arab bloc to all Israeli resolutions. The Arab member-states opposed this resolu-tion as well, despite the fact that many elements of the deci-sion will positively influence countries around the world, including many countries in the Middle East. “This resolu-tion is further proof of the important contributions that Israel makes to the world as a leader in innovation and en-trepreneurship,” said Danon. “The hypocritical opposition by the Arab bloc did not succeed. Every day, more and more countries are showing interest in Israel’s success. We are proud to cooperate with countries around the world and to share knowledge and know-how as we work together to build a better world.” The resolution focuses on key ways in which UN member states, and the UN itself, can help re-move the barriers facing entrepreneurs and unleash the tal-ent that is intrinsic in all societies. By promoting entrepre-neurship education through capacity-building, training pro-grams, and business incubators, the resolution will increase access and opportunities for women, youth and individuals with disabilities. The resolution will also measure impact of entrepreneurship policies through data collection and other indicators. Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli Mission held a special event focusing on Israeli entrepreneurship and inno-vations. Leading Israeli entrepreneurs presented the latest

-Israel Palestinian narrative, stressing a Palestinian perspec-tive on the peace process. “Many candidates gave the same election promise but didn’t implement it, because what you do when you are campaigning is one thing, but when you have to deal with the legal thing, it is something else,” Mansour said, regarding Trump’s pledge. “If they do that, nobody should blame us for unleashing all of the weapons that we have in the UN to defend ourselves – and we have a lot of weapons in the UN,” the Palestinian envoy declared. A Palestinian response to a decision to move the U.S. Em-bassy to Jerusalem could not be effective in a Security Coun-cil resolution because the United States would veto it, he continued. However, he could “make their lives miserable every day by precipitating a veto on my admission as a mem-ber state. Italy in 1949 received 3 consecutive vetoes on its admission to the UN from the Soviet Union. These are the kind of things that I can do.” Mansour said he could “reopen the whole Pandora’s Box” of verdicts in the Inter-national Criminal Court of Justice on the matter of the sepa-ration barrier or the settlements. “It is illegal to defy Security Council resolutions that the U.S. is party to it that the unilat-eral action by Israel annexing east Jerusalem is illegal and it is null and void. If the U.S. administration wants to defy international law they are doing something illegal. I hope they will do nothing. Many candidates gave the same elec-tion promise but didn’t implement it because what you do when you are campaigning is one thing but when you have to deal with the legal thing it is something else,” Mansour said. —United with Israel Trump’s CIA Pick Promises to Roll Back Iran Nuke Deal November 20, 2016—President-elect Donald Trump an-nounced Friday his selection of Kansas Republican Con-gressman Mike Pompeo as his nominee for the Central In-telligence Agency (CIA) director and retired Lt. Gen. Mi-chael Flynn as his national security adviser. Pompeo, 52, a three-term congressman who graduated first in his class at West Point Military Academy, has been a fierce critic of President Barack Obama’s landmark nuclear deal with Iran. “I look forward to rolling back this disastrous deal with the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter Thursday. Pompeo had also previously said that the nuclear agreement is “empowering an Iranian regime that is intent on destroying America.” The Republican Jew-ish Coalition called Pompeo’s selection a “wonderful choice.” “Throughout his years of public service, Rep. Pom-peo has been a friend of American Jews and a true friend of Israel,” RJC head Matt Brooks said in a statement Friday. “His staunch opposition to the Iran nuclear deal shows he takes our interests to heart and we are proud to support him.” Meanwhile, Trump also announced Friday the ap-pointment of Flynn as national security adviser. Flynn, 57,

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UN’s hypocrisy towards Israel has broken records over the past decade,” Danon said in reaction to the statement. “During this time the UN passed 223 resolutions condemn-ing Israel while only eight resolutions condemning the Syri-an regime as it has massacred its citizens over the past six years. This is absurd. With a new secretary-general set to take office next month, we look forward to the possibility of a new era of fairness at the UN.” The outgoing secretary-general chose to speak about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for his last speech at the Security Council because: “While the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not the cause of the wars in the Middle East, its resolution can create momentum for peace throughout the region.” “The right of the Jewish peo-ple to have a state does not negate the right of the Palestini-an people to statehood,” Ban added. “At the same time, Israel must realize that the reality, in which a democratic state governed by the rule of law keeps the Palestinian peo-ple under military occupation, will continue to generate criti-cism and calls for accountability.” He added that “the ex-panding Israeli settlement enterprise and an ever-more-entrenched status quo is preventing Palestinian development and locking in Gaza,” and that “settlements eat away at the land meant for a future Palestinian state.” —Jerusalem Post Trump Picks ‘True Friend of Israel’ as US Ambassador, Supports Moving Embassy to Jerusalem December 16, 2016—US President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of David Friedman on Thursday as the Ameri-can envoy to Israel drew applause from pro-Israel circles, especially among those committed to Israeli sovereignty in the biblical Jewish homeland and recognition of a united Jerusalem as capital of the Jewish state. “I am deeply hon-ored and humbled by the confidence placed in me by Presi-dent-elect Trump to represent the United States as its Am-bassador to Israel,” Friedman, 57, stated. “I intend to work tirelessly to strengthen the unbreakable bond between our two countries and advance the cause of peace within the region, and look forward to doing this from the US embassy in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem.” Earlier this week, Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s campaign manager, said that moving the US embassy to Jerusalem was “a very big priori-ty” for the incoming president. “Mr. Friedman, a renowned attorney who has been counselor to some of the world’s top businessmen and companies, was one of the president-elect’s principal advisers on the US-Israel relationship during the campaign. With Mr. Friedman’s nomination, President-elect Trump expressed his commitment to further enhancing the US-Israel relationship and ensuring there will be extraor-dinary strategic, technological, military and intelligence co-operation between the two countries,” the announcement on the Trump-Pence Transition Team website read. —United with Israel

technological advancements developed in the Jewish state. The event, which was hosted Danon, was held in coopera-tion with Israel Advanced Technology Industries (IATI). Joining Ambassador Danon at the event were Dr. Chantal Line Capentier, Chief of the UNCTAD New York Office and leading Israeli entrepreneurs including Professor Yossi Matias, Vice President, Engineering Google and Head of Google’s Israel office. Representatives from Israeli compa-nies such as ReWalk, Kaiima and Novartis attended the fo-rum together with respected non-profits such as Unistream and Social Finance Israel. —United with Israel Iran’s Rouhani: Jihad against Israel Only Path for Pal-estinians December 14, 2016—Iranian President Hassan Rouhani declared that the Palestinians have only one path, which is the path of Jihad, Muslim holy war, against Israel. “Today, the world public opinion is faced with this strong argument that the Zionist regime has never been after peace, and this argument and reasoning should be used to show that there is no way but jihad and resistance for the Palestinians against the usurper regime,” Rouhani said in a meeting with Rama-dan Abdullah Mohammad Shallah, leader of Palestinian Is-lamic Jihad (PIJ) terror group, in Tehran on Tuesday, Irani-an Fars news agency reported. Claiming that Israel has in the past two decades manipulated the instability in the Middle East for its own gains, he said that Israel’s actions have “paved the ground for terrorists’ operation in the regional states, specially Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and even North Africa to make them busy with internal security problems and forget the Palestinian issue.” Rouhani was echoing the now-common anti-Semitic fable that Israel is behind the rise of the numerous Islamic terror groups operating around the globe. Shallah thanked the Islamic Republic for supporting the Palestinian terror groups, saying that if not for Iran, it would be impossible for the Palestini-ans to continue with their anti-Israel activity. —United with Israel Ban Ki-moon recognizes bias against Israel in last Se-curity Council speech December 16, 2016— In his last address to the UN Security Council on Friday, outgoing Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recognized that Israel is subject to strong bias in the international body, something that Israeli ambassadors to the UN, including Danny Danon today, have raised their voices about for years. “Decades of political maneuverings have created a disproportionate volume of resolutions, re-ports and conferences criticizing Israel,” Ban said. “In many cases, rather than helping the Palestinian cause, this reality has hampered the ability of the UN to fulfill its role effec-tively.” “The secretary-general admitted the clear truth, the

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