Amir Tsarfati: Is Biden Extorting Israel?

Shalom from Israel! In April 1915, while serving the Canadian Field Artillery as a brigade-surgeon in an area near Ypres, Belgium, known as Flanders, John McCrae mourned a friend, lost to artillery fire the day before. As he scanned the field of makeshift graves containing the bodies of his friend and many others, he was surprised to see something beautiful. Wild poppies grew all around the fresh mounds, providing a fresh, red burst of life to this field of death. Moved by the stark contrast between life and death, he wrote a poem entitled “In Flanders Field”, which begins:

“In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row.”

This classic of wartime poetry became a catalyst for numerous nations to use the poppy as a symbol to remember fallen soldiers on Veterans Day. In Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and many others, poppies are either passed out to those honoring the dead or they are sold to raise money for veterans’ groups.

This contrast between death and life, the end and the beginning, the decaying ugliness of war and the fresh beauty of something new came to my mind as I walked into CONNECT the other day. Of all times for Behold Israel to be focused on constructing and launching a new ministry base in Israel, the middle of a war seems less than ideal. However, the vision for this ministry hub was set in motion well before the events of October 7. We didn’t know what was coming, but God, who gave the vision, did.

And now, here we are with CONNECT ready to launch. In fact, this coming Wednesday, May 15, we will have our maiden broadcast in which I will interview Dr. Golan Broshi of Israel College of the Bible. I first interviewed him back in 2020 for the fascinating video, “Who are the Real Jews?” His take on what is happening in Israel and the world today should be quite interesting. And this will just be the first! So much more is to come.

I truly feel like CONNECT is an example of life blooming in the midst of war. Not only will Behold Israel be able to disseminate accurate news filtered through the lens of Scripture, but CONNECT will be like a dandelion caught in the wind spreading the seeds of the Gospel throughout the world. But what I am especially excited about is knowing that some of those seeds will fall here in my country of Israel. Never before have I had a base from which I can effectively reach my own people. Isn’t it like God to open the door to teaching the hope found in the Messiah here in Israel during a time when my people need it most? He is so good!

For those of you who have been praying and supporting the creation of CONNECT, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are about to witness the fruition of your time and sacrifice. May God richly bless you!

The Middle East

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U.S. / Israel Relations
Remember that best friend you had when you were younger. You were great pals – did everything together – until the day they took the keys to your car and told you that they wouldn’t give them back until you did exactly what they said? Remember that? No, of course you don’t, because that’s not what friends do. Friends don’t extort friends. But that is exactly what the U.S. is doing to Israel.

President Joe Biden made a nice speech recently in which he promised that neither the Holocaust nor October 7 would ever be forgotten. But meanwhile, behind the scenes, he was twisting Israel’s arm to force a ceasefire with Hamas that would open the door for a future October 7 to take place. How is the arm twisting taking place? By withholding promised and much needed munitions that are essential for Israel to prosecute the war. Just last night on CNN, Biden said, “If they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – that deal with that problem.” U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has affirmed the president’s action, saying that America has already suspended one shipment of weapons that most believe consists of 6500 advanced JDAM kits for accuracy of unguided bombs. U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller announced on Wednesday that the administration is considering delaying other shipments, too. But don’t worry, they say, “our long-term commitment to Israel has not changed.” So, what you’re saying, spokesman Miller, is that as long as we are faithful little obedient dogs, you’ll be nice. But if we ever disobey, then you’ll whap our snouts with a newspaper and throw us outside to the wolves.

Israel is no one’s lap dog – not even that of the most powerful nation on earth. At the Yad Vashem ceremony for Yom HaShoah on Sunday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made Israel’s position very clear. He said, “From here in Jerusalem, I am sending a very clear-cut message: You will not chain our hands, and even if Israel has to stand alone, it will stand alone and will continue to fight our enemies until victory.” King David said it a little differently several millennia ago, “Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God” (Psalm 20:6-7).

When Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came against Jerusalem, his spokesman called out Israel’s King Hezekiah for trusting in Egypt for help, calling Pharoah’s kingdom, “this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it” (Isaiah 36:6). When it comes to Middle East policy, I think “broken reed” is an apt description of this current U.S. administration’s policies, considering its multiple failures:
1) Hamas is still not ready to reach an agreement on hostages without allowing for its total victory.
2) Saudi Arabia is increasing its demands for an agreement with Israel because it would rather wait for a Trump-brokered deal.
3) Both Republicans and Democrats blocked a Saudi/American agreement because Israel had been left out of it.
4) The terrorist president of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Mahmoud Abbas, is not ready for any kind of reform and continues to provide blood money to the families of terrorists.
5) Palestinian leadership is a mess with Hamas ready to kill any of Abbas’s officials who might set foot in Gaza.
6) The U.S. humanitarian dock/pier under construction in Gaza is under threat and will eventually be bombed by Hamas.
7) Outside of Israel, the Houthis are running riot, U.S. troops are being kicked out of some African nations, U.S. policy is failing in Ukraine, and there is the lasting legacy of the horrendous debacle in Afghanistan.
This is why Biden is pushing so hard for this victory. He feels his reelection may depend on peace in Gaza and the development of a two-state solution, and he is willing to sacrifice Israel’s well-being to get it.

War in Rafah
Despite the U.S. administration’s threats and protestations, the Rafah offensive has begun. There are two main foci for this operation: 1) Controlling the eastern region closest to Israel. 2) Controlling the Rafah crossing into Egypt which is the main oxygen of Hamas above the ground. After a massive undertaking to relocate civilians, during which more than 100,000 people were moved in one day, the Israel Air Force (IAF) began to soften up targets. Now, ground forces have moved into eastern Rafah in the form of Division 162 under the leadership of the 401st Brigade. Once the IDF has control of the Philadelphi corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border, they will begin the arduous work of uncovering the unimaginable web of tunnels under the ground.

There was a big scuttle about Hamas supposedly accepting a CIA/Qatari proffered deal on Tuesday. It turns out it was just another attempt to make Israel look bad. Hamas never accepted a plan. Instead, they offered their own plan which centered around releasing the bodies of dead hostages. That is the last contingency that we would accept, because there would be nothing stopping Hamas from killing hostages and sending their bodies over as part of the deal. As I mentioned earlier, the only deal Hamas wants is one that will give them back everything they lost and that punishes Israel. They are on the brink of defeat, and the only chance they have is if an international coalition of statesmen gives them victory. There are plenty in Washington and other international capitals who are anxious to do just that.

War in the North
On Wednesday, the IDF fired from the Golan at several targets around Damascus, Syria. Also on Wednesday, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for at least 10 attacks using drones and rockets. In one of those attacks, a powerful Burkan rocket was fired at an IDF barracks in Biranit. In response, the IDF is keeping up steady attacks on Hezbollah targets in villages in southern Lebanon. While Israel is going to have to deal with Hezbollah at some point, the questionable support from its allies will ensure that for now, at least, Netanyahu and the IDF will have to keep their primary focus on Hamas in Gaza in the south.

Protests
It was good to see a number of universities crack down on the students and outside agitators who took over their campuses last week. Many arrests were made, and it was particularly nice to witness the Dutch police take a bulldozer to the anti-Israel encampment at the University of Amsterdam. But the video that made my day was of a snowflake Princeton student bemoaning the fact that the university was not caring for their health during their hunger strike against the policies of that same university. Want to know how to get healthy? Eat something.

Still, there were those universities that caved to student pressure. Brown, Northwestern, and the University of Minnesota were just a few that claimed to have reached an agreement with protesters to reconsider their continuation of investments in Israel. Successful terrorism breeds more terrorism. It’s true on university campuses, and it’s true in Gaza.

Turkey
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has found something that he is exceptionally good at. That is crashing his country’s economy. Inflation has reached 70% and the Turkish lira has plunged to 32.3 to the dollar. Three years ago, the rate was 8.3. Most blame the president’s authoritarian rule and his unconventional belief that if he increases interest rates it will push inflation even higher. Orthodox belief holds to the opposite.

There was an interesting last-minute development that came through last night. Turkey has authorized temporary trade relations with Israel because of their economic struggles. After Erdogan’s bold words condemning Israel so that he could look like a hero in the Muslim world, he now realizes that the ceasefire he expected isn’t happening. So, now he slinks back to “temporarily” reestablish trade. Yeah, that didn’t quite go as planned, did it, Mr. Erdogan?

The Ministry

Finally, my latest book Discovering Daniel is out! This book is rich with hope, deep in its theology, and just plain fun to read! I cannot wait for you to delve deeply into the life and visions of this incredibly relevant Old Testament prophet! With all the insanity taking place in the world, it is so encouraging to know that hope is found in God. Discovering Daniel is a book that highlights this hope and will leave you encouraged that God is in control and is working out His plans! Order your copy today!

One of the most important teachings of Jesus about the end times is known as the Olivet Discourse. It was in this teaching that Jesus referenced a generation that would not pass away until that which He spoke of was accomplished, including the rebirth of the fig tree. In my teaching, “The Generation that Shall Not Pass Away”, premiering Friday, May 10, at 12:00 PM PDT, I dive into the Scriptures to discover the identity of this generation and the fig tree, unveiling a closer look at where we are on the prophetic timeline.

Be sure to check out our Behold Israel Store, as we offer a handful of spiritually valuable resources, including books, Bible stuffers, and more! We’ve recently added two new Bible stuffers entitled, “Choose Life”, and “Who Has the Right to the Land of Israel?”. We designed these to be easy handouts to help equip people with the gospel and the truth about Israel!

After the amazing success of our Alaska Cruise conference in 2023, we are preparing to take our teaching back on the water! For these opportunities, we will be presenting our Discovering Daniel & Revealing Revelation Conference in two very different venues. The first will be a cruise through the Mediterranean, which will take place from October 19-29, 2024. Our second opportunity to present these teachings will be on the waters of the Caribbean on January 18-25, 2025. Registration for both cruises is currently open! Make sure to register soon, as we anticipate these events to fill up quickly.

We are just ahead of the most significant week on Israel’s calendar as a state. Sunday night will see the beginning of Yom HaZikaron, lasting until Monday evening. This is Israel’s Memorial Day when we remember the many who have given their lives in service for our country. It is a somber day, without picnics or retail sales or celebrations – a true day of mourning. However, when Yom HaZikaron has ended, we move to Yom Ha’atzmaut. That is when the party starts, because this is our Independence Day. Crying is turned into singing, and mourning is turned into joy. Having remembered those who gave their lives for our statehood, we know rejoice in what it is that their blood earned us. For those of us who understand Scripture, Yom Ha’atzmaut is especially exciting because in it we see clearly the hand of God advancing His prophetic timeline. What a wonderful celebration!

Thank you all for your prayers and support of this ministry. We are so blessed to have you, and we love you like family. May God make His face to shine upon you!

Awaiting His Return,

Amir Tsarfati

Photo credit: By Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America – Joe Biden, CC BY-SA 2.0, 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.