Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
Shalom from the Jezreel Valley! It has been a very difficult week here in Israel, so I am going to get right to it. By tomorrow, Israel should be receiving the final four of this week’s ten hostages. In return, Hamas will receive 640 terrorists, 151 with blood on their hands. The difference between those whom Israel will welcome home and those Hamas will receive goes beyond the numbers. The primary distinction is that all of the Palestinian terrorists are alive, while four of our hostages are not.
Hamas terrorists = 640, Israeli hostages = 10.
Living Hamas terrorists = 640, living Israeli hostages = 6.
There is a plethora of sins that I blame Hamas for. But this discrepancy is not one of them. They are simply taking advantage of the situation that the Israeli government has created for them. You’d be a fool to agree to a 10 for 10 swap if you knew that you could get another 630 thrown into the bargain. This is the world that Israel has created for itself. Wisdom says that you don’t pay for hostages. Why? Just look at the numbers above.
Do I blame Netanyahu’s government for doing what they’ve done? I don’t, because they are playing with the hand they’ve been dealt. These lopsided deals over human lives began before Bibi was in office. Now that they are standard, it is impossible to stop without simply saying, “Sorry, citizens and families of the hostages, we’re going to have to let your sons and husbands be brutally murdered so that we can make a point.” That is a public relations pit that you’ll never climb back out of. But, more than that, it is a moral gut punch that few consciences could survive.
With this swap, we end Phase 1 of the deal. Hamas is still holding 59 of our people in captivity, 24 of whom we believe are still alive. The terrorists say, “We’d love to give you back the rest of your people. But we want three things in return. First, we want all Israeli troops out of Gaza, never to return. Second, Hamas must stay in power. Third, we want Gaza to be reconstructed.” Israel’s reply is, “First, we aren’t leaving. Second, you aren’t staying. Third, Gaza will be reconstructed, but Donald Trump has a much greater chance of getting it done than you do.”
In other words, we are at a stand-off. The liberal left in Israel is screaming to just pull out. Getting the hostages back is worth any price, they say. Those with common sense counter that doing so will just encourage more hostage taking. The liberal left responds by forcing Netanyahu to come in to testify at a bogus trial while he has a nation in crisis to lead. It’s so aggravating. It reminds me of the screeching of the media in both Israel and the United States. When you have no true facts or logic to back up your position, you yell and attack and make stupid stuff up. That is where Israel is as a nation right now.
Except for yesterday during the procession that took the bodies of Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel Bibas to their final resting place in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Thousands upon thousands of people lined the roads on the long drive to the south. No eye was dry. No chest was unclenched. It was a nation filled with sorrow and pain. Everyone knew how these three innocents were strangled by hand, then mutilated. I’m not going to get into the details here, but if you want to know how they died you can read it here.
There is no dealing with these terrorists. They are worse than animals. When they released the six living hostages earlier this week, they brought two more captives who were forced to remain in a vehicle. As those on stage were forced to show their appreciation for their captors before being passed on to the Red Cross, these other two hostages were mocked as they were required to watch. Once the ceremony was completed, the two hostages were taken back down to the tunnels to resume their captivity. It was simply barbarous.
I don’t know what will happen from here. Steve Witkoff, special envoy of President Trump, says the Palestinians need to get out of Gaza. Saudi Arabia and the UAE say they’ve got to go. But Egypt and Qatar disagree, saying they’ve got to stay. Hamas is experiencing infighting now that some of the leaders are recognizing the price they paid for October 7. There are factions in Hezbollah for jumping in on October 8. It’s all coming to a head and something will have to explode somewhere.
Mideast Update
There was a lot of news this week, which necessitated both a Breaking News Update and my regular MidEast Update. While I would encourage you to check them both out, I would particularly point you to the latter. The part about Europe is very important both from a geopolitical angle and from the viewpoint of biblical prophecy. Also, I remind you again to subscribe to my Telegram channel to receive all the latest news as it happens.
Enemies in Judea and Samaria
I am amazed at how quickly the attempted mass casualty event in Israel fell out of the news cycle. I guess since it is Israel, if no one is actually killed then it isn’t real news. Thursday night, terrorists from Tulkarm in Samaria snuck into Israel armed with explosives. Fifteen of them went to different buses and hid their bombs under the seats. Meanwhile, five more terrorists wearing suicide vests waited until morning when they would board light rail trains. The plan was that at 8:30am on Friday, during the high travel time, the bombs would simultaneously go off. At that same moment, the suicide bombers would detonate themselves on the trains. Hundreds would have been instantaneously killed with many more wounded. Thankfully, these terrorists were idiots. The detonators were attached to analog clocks, and three of the Palestinians accidentally set their bombs to PM instead of AM. So those bombs went off when no one was on the buses. The explosions led to an immediate halt of public transportation. Soon after, the full plot was discovered. It must be noted, though, that these lives were not saved due to Israeli policework or information gathered by the intelligence services. It was purely God’s intervention and the terrorists’ stupidity.
Judea and Samaria are becoming more and more dangerous. Just this past week, a 100 kg explosive device was discovered in the area. The bombs planted in the thwarted terror attack were likely smuggled from Iran through Iraq, Jordan, and into the West Bank. Cities like Jenin, Tubas, and Tulkarm are hotbeds of terrorism, and for the first time in probably 20 years IDF tanks are rolling through their streets. One Hamas and PIJ hide after another is being leveled, and prisoners are being rounded up. If the terrorists aren’t careful, parts of the West Bank are going to begin looking like what’s left of Gaza. This is a threat that must be dealt with. Many believe that the mass terror event was supposed to be a diversion that would allow the enemy to pour out of the West Bank and into Israel in another October 7 attack. We cannot let that happen.
Trolling in Lebanon
There’s trolling, then there’s master trolling. When tens of thousands of Hezbollah supporters gathered in a stadium for the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, former leader of the terrorist group, the Israeli Air Force sent four fighter jets to fly low over the throng. But these weren’t just any fighters. They were the same ones that dropped the bombs that brought about the death that led to the reason the people were all gathered. It was a brilliant reminder that Israel still controls the skies over Lebanon.
Prime Minister Netanyahu received severe criticism from former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant over the timing of the pager operation. Gallant felt that if it had been carried out months earlier, the war may not have become so intense. However, on Tuesday, Dedi Barnea, head of the Mossad, came out in support of the timing saying that it would not have had near the impact at the beginning of the war than it did later. This was a much-needed affirmation for Netanyahu. In one more interesting piece of Lebanon news, US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, hinted recently that Lebanon and Syria might join the Abraham Accords. That would be a momentous day.
Netanyahu’s Vision for Syria
For Israel, it’s all about cushion. Since the inception of the modern state, we have constantly lived with our enemies pressed up against our border. We’ve had enough. In Lebanon, Netanyahu is leaving IDF detachments inside the country in five strategic locations to provide safety at the Israeli border. In Gaza, there is no way that Israel will allow Hamas back against our southern border. And when it comes to Syria, all of southern Syria must be demilitarized. Netanyahu is insisting that the new HTS regime not have an armed presence south of Damascus. Part of this is for the safety of Israel and part for the safety of the Druze population. Because the Druze are an Islamic sect, they are prone to attack by both Shiite and Sunni Muslims. They are currently depending upon Israel for their security, but they want to take their safety into their own hands. Netanyahu wants to see that happen, not just for the Syrian Druze but for those in Lebanon if they will refrain from helping Hezbollah.
The Quiet Genocide
You’ve often seen me write “No Jews – No News”. In other words, if the bad guys are not Israeli then the media really doesn’t care. I’ve discovered another side of this, but it doesn’t have the same ring to it. “Black African Christian Genocide – No News”. Not nearly as catchy, but just as despicable. On February 13 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, seventy Christians were kidnapped, tied up, taken to a church, and decapitated with knives by an ISIS-affiliated Islamist group. Where’s the outrage? Where’s the marching in the streets? Is it because the protesters and the media only care about black people outside of Africa? Or could it be because they are Christian? I’m guessing it’s both. The Vatican News claims that over 50,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria alone last year. More were slaughtered in other African nations. And still more were killed in Malaysia, Indonesia, and other countries. In fact, in the 20th century, more Christians were massacred than in all the previous centuries combined. The media doesn’t care about genocide. They’re too busy pushing their agendas.
European Shift
The ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Germany suffered what Chancellor Olaf Scholz called “a bitter defeat” on Sunday. The mainstream conservative party, Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU), won a significant victory putting Friedrich Merz in position to be the next chancellor. The far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) placed a strong second demonstrating the exhaustion that much of Germany and Europe have for the expanding Muslim takeover. Interestingly, the AfD took much of what used to be East Germany demonstrating a lingering divide between the once-bifurcated nation.
Europe is in trouble. Unfortunately, they are shoring up against the wrong enemy. Rather than looking at the danger from inside their countries, they are focused on the United States and Donald Trump. The speech of Vice President J.D. Vance last week scared many of them. The presumptive next leader of Germany is seeking full independence from the United States and is even suggesting that Europe may need to develop a European-only alternative to NATO. That suggestion has those of us who understand Bible prophecy and the coming of the Antichrist saying “Hmmm.”
Iran Must Be Dealt With Now
Iran is now weeks away from having enough 90% Uranium-235 to build a nuclear weapon and is developing even more that could bring them to a place where they have enough for six nuclear warheads. The bombing campaign to destroy their capabilities would be very extensive. The U.S. could use their B-2 stealth bombers to carry the GBU-57 bombs necessary to demolish the numerous sites. Israel could also drop the bombs, but it would also likely additionally need an extended and devastating conventional war. Action must be taken very soon, or it will be too late.
Iraq, Russia, and the Rest
This newsletter has gotten away from me. My apologies. Too much significant news. So let me end with a rapid-fire round. The U.S. Secretary of State and the Iraqi Prime Minister agreed on the need for a rapid opening of the Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline. Trump met with Putin and tomorrow Zelenskyy is scheduled to come to Washington. Meanwhile, Ukraine has agreed to give up 50% of its mineral rights to the U.S. even though Trump says that there will be no new weapons sent to the country.
Ministry Update
God keeps His promises. This is true for the church and it is true for Israel. That is why we can be sure that the Israel of today is the same nation that was begun with Abraham so very many years ago. This truth is clearly and engagingly explained using the Scriptures in The Israel Decree. For the price of a frou-frou cup of coffee, you can pick up this short book for yourself and for anyone else who needs to understand that when the Lord makes a commitment, He stands by it for eternity.
Monday, please join Pastor Barry and me for CONNECT Q&A at 8:00 AM PST as we answer your questions. Then next day, Tuesday, will be my live MidEast Update, also at 8:00 AM PST. Then, on Wednesday, February 26, I’ll join Steve Yohn for another Authors’ Corner at 10:00 AM PST, where we’ll discuss the stories behind my books.
I’m home now, but I won’t be for long. At the end of next month, I’ll be off to Denmark where I’ll spend the evening of March 26 in Kolding and the afternoon of March 29 in Copenhagen. Then, in the middle of April, I’ll be back in Osaka, Japan. Also, Pastor Mike Golay and Jason Koemans will be in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, March 22-23 for a Prophecy Seminar! Registration is already open for all of these events, so make sure to secure your spot today!
We have a vast array of resources available in our online shop right now! Books, study guides, Bible stuffers, clothing, accessories, and more – including bundle options that allow you to receive the best possible price on your order. Currently, you can get the first three Nir Tavor fiction thrillers for just $12.00! Head over to our shop to see what’s available for your next personal and/or group study.
Because of the length of this newsletter, let me just quickly wrap up by thanking you for praying always for this ministry and supporting us faithfully.
Awaiting His Return,
Amir Tsarfati
Amir Tsarfati, a Jewish Christian, is the founder and president of Behold Israel, a news site to correct the scarcity in trustworthy reportage on issues and events impacting Israel, and to resolve the uncertainty about who or what to believe.
The views expressed in opinion articles are solely those of the author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Black Community News.
Photo credit: By Voyou Desoeuvre – Flickr: “Freedom go to hell”, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
