Amir Tsarfati: Gazans Turning Against Hamas

Shalom from a warm and sunny Israel! While it was wonderful experiencing the beauty of Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium, there is no place on earth that I’d rather be than in the lush regions of my home here in the Jezreel.

If you’ll remember from last week, this newsletter released soon after Pastor Barry Stagner and I completed our Discovering Daniel conference in Veenendaal, Netherlands. I had predicted ahead of time that it would be a fantastic time together, and I was right! Wait, maybe I am a prophet despite the fact I lead a non-profit organization. Hmmm…. Anyway, we had over 1000 people attend this two-day event and they were fully engaged! Huge thanks to the hosts of the event and to our very professional translator, Henk Bruggeman!

We wrapped up our European tour with an Awaiting His Return conference in Oudsbergen, Belgium. Several hundred people gathered as Pastor Barry and I each shared a message, then sat for a fascinating Q & A. Thank you to Bart Mutsaerts and your team for your warm hospitality and organization. And thank you once again to Henk for your excellent translating!

One new phenomenon that Barry and I experienced this trip to Europe was having protesters outside of three of our four events. When I tell you that antisemitism is alive and well, this is what I mean. They weren’t there because of Barry, because very few people outside of the United States itself have anything against Californians. These people were there because I am a Jew and my organization is called Behold Israel. Those two facts alone were enough to trigger these sad, deeply deceived people. At one of the locations, however, something very exciting took place. Christians gathered near the protesters, and rather than verbally battling with them, they began singing songs of worship. It wasn’t long until the anti-God, anti-Israel rabble became quiet, then dispersed.

Now that I’m back home, I’m scrambling to get things done in June before I leave at the end of the month on a speaking tour that will have me gone for all of July and into August. My journeys will take me to the United States where I will be in Idaho, Washington, Alaska, and California, then up to Canada where I’ll enjoy time in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. Whew! It’s going to be quite the tour, but there will be so many opportunities to enjoy time with countless people. Please pray that I get done all that I need to do in order to prepare for this time away. Although some of my family will join me for part of this trip, please pray for them during the times we are apart. Ask God to give me sleep before and during the long journey, as this has been very difficult of late. Finally, ask the Lord to give fruitful ministry in which truth will be taught, lives will be changed, and He will be glorified!

MidEast & Beyond

Before I get to some of the highlights from this past week’s news, I want to remind you to connect with the ministry. First, check out yesterday’s new update, the “MidEast & Beyond: Gaza Collapsing, Europe Burning, and Iran Pushing the Limit”. While you’re there, you can like the video, leave a comment, and subscribe to the channel so that you don’t miss any of our compelling content. Also, if you haven’t already subscribed to my Telegram channel, please do so. It is a constant source of “as it happens” news, often passed through the lens of the Bible.

Gazans Turning Against Hamas
Imagine going to an aid station to buy your weekly supply of food. Your money is in your hand, but the person distributing the supplies refuses to take it. “It’s free,” he tells you. “This aid has always been free.” With your heavy box on your shoulder, you walk away stunned. For months, you’ve been paying exorbitant prices for meager supplies, but now you have a package that is at least twice as heavy and it was totally free. That’s the moment you realize that the previous people at the aid stations who said they were your friends were really your enemies, grifting enormous amounts of money from you and your people.

That is the experience that thousands of Gazans are currently having about Hamas. These people who said they were their only friends and protectors are actually the ones who are the authors and sustainers of their suffering. A growing percentage of ordinary civilians are fed up with it. This past week, a large number of southern Gaza Bedouin tribes and clans have declared, “Enough is enough.” They put out a manifesto holding Hamas fully responsible for the devastation in Gaza. Demanding an end to Hamas rule, they are calling for new leadership. While Hamas is doing their best to fight back against these dissenters from their tyranny, they no longer have the strength or numbers to keep their opponents down. As Operation Gideon’s Chariots continues to roll, it won’t be long before Hamas runs out of places to hide and people who will take them in.

Netanyahu Fighting for His Political Life
There is a soft coup that is being attempted in Israel. Liberal members of the Knesset are rejecting Prime Minister Netanyahu’s leadership, while the judiciary has him in court at least 12 hours a week trying him on bogus corruption charges. This is the enemy at work, and he is trying to take the prime minister down before Hamas is fully destroyed. All this is taking place while the Israeli economy is booming. Defense exports have once again hit an all-time high reaching 52 billion shekels ($14.795 billion USD). This is despite some European nations, such as Spain, saying that they’ll no longer import arms from Israel. That’s okay – Germany will happily take whatever they can get. Meanwhile, you have the antisemitic French president pushing hard for a Palestinian state, even while Muslims burn his capital city following a football victory. Seriously? Europe is in the midst of a gradual Muslim invasion that is destroying the very culture of the once great continent. If the liberals in Israel have their way, the same will happen in my country. That’s because the Israeli judiciary, media, and liberal members of the Knesset hate Netanyahu and all he stands for more than they love their own country. It’s truly appalling.

Media’s Dangerous Slant
On May 19, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher told the BBC that due to Israel allegedly holding back five trucks of humanitarian aid, “there are 14,000 [Gazan] babies that will die in the next 48 hours.” People went crazy! The media ran with the horrific accusation! The next day, two staffers of the Israeli embassy were executed on a Washington, D.C. street. Too late for the murdered couple, the United Nations clarified the statement saying that Fletcher meant 14,000 Gazan babies may suffer acute malnutrition in the next year if they don’t receive aid. Dead vs. malnourished. 48 hours vs. one year. But everyone is ready to believe the worst if it’s about Israel.

One more example: On Sunday, more than 30 people were killed near a U.S. aid site in Gaza. Hamas claimed that the IDF opened fire on innocent civilians, and the media all immediately jumped on the bandwagon. Everyone was up in arms, and that same day, a deluded Kuwaiti antisemite in Boulder, Colorado, threw Molotov cocktails and used a homemade flamethrower to seriously injure six elderly Jews who were part of a march to bring home the hostages held by Hamas. Retractions of this fallacious story were much slower in coming, and, when they did, most media made it sound like “well, they may not have done it this time, but this is certainly the kind of thing those Jews would do.” Sadly, most people get their news from the major media sites and, as a result, are firmly entombed in a virtually impenetrable web of lies.

Israel Holds New Syria Responsible
On Tuesday, rockets were fired from Syria toward Israel. Soon after, the Israel Defense Forces hit back hard, targeting seven locations in southern Syria. Despite it being evident that the Syrian military was not behind the rockets, some of the sites belonged to new president Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government. When the smoke cleared, Israel made it clear that it would hold Damascus responsible for activities that took place within Syria’s borders, even if they were carried out by rogue militias. Al-Sharaa’s people said they were investigating the origins of the rocket firing, denied knowing anything beforehand, and condemned Israel’s actions. Interestingly, in their statement, they included the phrase, “…firing at the Israeli side.” The rockets were aimed at the Golan Heights, and any reference in the past would have been to “the occupied Golan.” This is an hopeful development with this new government.

Iran says, “No Deal!”
The media will try to tell you that having centrifuges is normal for any country that wants to have nuclear power, but that is false. It is far cheaper to buy uranium enriched to the necessary 3.5% than it is to make it yourself. The only reason to have a vast array of centrifuges is if you want to enrich uranium all the way up to the 90% required for nuclear weapons. That is why both President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu say that Supreme Leader Khamenei is being disingenuous when he says that his centrifuges are simply for the power grid.

Currently, it appears that Trump and Netanyahu may have different views as to what to do about Iran’s centrifuges. Trump says he wants to make a deal. My belief is that he is willing to allow Iran to temporarily keep the centrifuges if they are closely monitored by a Middle Eastern watch team to ensure that they don’t enrich beyond 3.5%. The goal will be to bring Iran into what will ultimately become a Middle Eastern consortium of nations which will enrich its own power grade uranium in a location other than Iran. This uranium will be distributed within the consortium nations for their own power grids. Netanyahu, on the other hand, doesn’t trust Khamenei as far as he can throw the old Islamist. He feels more drastic measures are needed. However, this doesn’t constitute a break between Trump and Netanyahu. They agree on the final outcome; they just disagree on the methodology.

All of it is moot right now anyway, because Khamenei and many of his cronies have this week made it clear that their centrifuges will not be touched. This will only cause more problems for the failing nation. Their economy is crashing, and more sanctions will lead to even more financial insolvency. Since last year, their oil exports to China have dropped by 1.1 million barrels a day, which is a 20% decrease. Too much more and the economy could completely collapse.

Ukraine’s Secret Attack on Russia
A semi-truck pulled up near a Russian military base. Panels in the roof of the trailers opened and drones zoomed up into the air. The explosive-laden UAVs raced toward the airfields, then detonated as they hit plane after plane. Thirty aircraft at numerous sites were completely destroyed, including two command and control aircraft, two cargo aircraft, and 26 bombers. Many others were damaged. It took a year-and-a-half to prepare and place the 117 drones for Sunday’s Operation Spider Web, and the brilliant stealth attack caused more than $9 billion in losses for the Russian military. Four years ago, I predicted in my novel, Operation Joktan, that UAVs were the future of warfare, and that future is now.

What will the Russian reaction be? Many European countries are concerned that Moscow might actually go nuclear in their response. Those fears were heightened even more on Tuesday when Ukraine damaged with underwater explosives the foundations of the Kerch Bridge that connects Russia to the Crimean Peninsula. On Monday in Istanbul, peace talks between the two sides ended after only one hour. Following yesterday’s bridge attack, it would be surprising to see them talk at all any time soon.

The Ministry

“This is the best book I have ever read on the subject of God’s purpose and plans for Israel. I couldn’t put it down!” So wrote an Amazon reviewer of my latest release, The Israel Decree. Covering the historical, political, and biblical rights for Israel to not only exist, but to do so in its ancestral land, this short book contains all the information that a well-informed, Scripturally-sound believer must know. They say that good things come in small packages, and The Israel Decree is evidence of that truth. Pick up your copy today!

Once again, we have numerous video opportunities for you coming up:
• Public Reading of Scripture – Thursday, June 5, 6:00 PM PDT
•  Weekly Prayer Meeting, a very special time praying with others from around the world – Friday, June 6, 10:00 AM PDT
• CONNECT Q & A with Pastor Barry Stagner and me – Monday, June 9, 8:00 AM PDT
• Let’s CONNECT: Meet the Behold Israel Board, a chance to be introduced to the members of our board and learn how God brought four men from such different backgrounds together into one ministry – Tuesday, June 10, 10:00 AM PDT
• MidEast & Beyond with Pastor Barry Stagner and me – Wednesday, June 11, 10:00 AM PDT

July is coming soon, and with it comes my journey into the Great White North! Registration for our four different Canada speaking engagements is now available! Make sure to reserve your spot(s) soon by following the provided link.

This coming Wednesday will see young people from around the world converging on Israel for our Young Adults Tour! These special trips, funded to a large extent by donations from you, are incredibly special and often life changing. Please be praying for God to touch each member of this group in the unique way that they need and that all go back home having drawn much closer to their Lord.

Thank you for your prayers and your financial support of this ministry. The Lord is doing amazing things, and we are blessed to have you along for the ride.

Awaiting His Return,

Amir Tsarfati

Photo credit: By Palestinian News & Information Agency (Wafa) in contract with APAimages, CC BY-SA 3.0, link

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.