This issue looks at what Israelis think about the construction of a possible Third Temple, the latest examples of Muslim violence against Christians, and Ahmadinejad”s response to sanctions against Iran.
 

OUR ISRAELI CONNECTION

Isrelate.com reports
Israelis on Monday evening marked the beginning of Tisha B”Av, the national day of mourning over the loss of Israel”s ancient temples. The First Temple was destroyed 2,500 years ago by the Babylonians, and the Second Temple was demolished 2,000 years ago by the Romans. To mark the day, the Knesset TV Channel conducted a survey asking Israelis if they desire the building of a Third Temple. A 49 percent plurality said they do. Only 23 percent said they do not want a Third Temple. However, 48 percent said they don”t think the State of Israel should take active steps to reclaim control of the Temple Mount and build a Third Temple there. Israelis across the board fear the hostile and violent international and Muslim reaction that such a move would certainly evoke. The Muslim authorities that today control the Temple Mount play off those fears, and Jews are rarely allowed to visit the site. Jews and Christians alike are forbidden to utter prayers or carry Bibles atop the Temple Mount.

IT’S NEWS TO ME

Worthy Christian News reports
Gun battles broke out in a predominantly Christian neighborhood of the Pakistani city of Faisalabad Monday, July 19, shortly after two Christian evangelists were shot and killed by suspected Islamic militants. They were quickly buried around sunrise Tuesday, July 20, in the Pakistani city of Faisalabad after a night of sectarian clashes, officials told Worthy News and its news partner BosNewsLife.
 
Suspected Muslim militants shot and killed two Christian men who were due to appear in court on charges of blasphemy against Islam in Pakistan”s Punjab province, trial observers confirmed Monday, July 19.
 
A high-ranking Pakistani politician, who negotiated the release of kidnapped Christians and fought against controversial blasphemy laws, says he and his family are in life danger after receiving threatening phone calls from suspected Islamic militants.
 
The pastor of the largest Pentecostal church in Russia”s violent, mainly Muslim republic of Dagestan, has died after being shot in the head, in an apparent bid to intimidate converts from Islam, Christian rights activists and police said Friday, July 16.
 
A well-known Iranian pastor faces execution after two judges agreed to make him “liable to capital punishment,” as part of a crackdown on the growing Protestant church movement in the Islamic nation, Worthy News and its partner agency BosNewsLife learned Tuesday, July 13.

Jerusalem Prayer Team reports
Because Iran refused to halt work on its nuclear weapons program and has remained defiant, the United Nations passed new sanctions against Iran. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in an unusually strong statement this week, declared that Iran was not serious about working with the International Atomic Energy Agency to resolve the issue.

In fact, the official Iranian news agency announced that parliament was working on a “top priority bill” which would limit the country”s ties with the IAEA. According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, the move came as a direct response to the sanctions imposed on the Islamic republic. “The bill to revise Iran”s relations with the IAEA is being drafted,” the news agency quoted Iranian foreign policy chief Alaeddin Borujerdi as saying. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed the sanctions as “annoying flies” that were as useless as “used tissues.” Other officials said Iran would not halt its uranium enrichment. It is abundantly clear that Iran will never give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons unless forced to do so. We must prepare now for what is about to happen.
 
Israel has just announced the successful final test of a new anti-missile system called Iron Dome that may offer hope to Jewish people, like those in Sderot, who live with the constant threat of terrorist attacks. The Iron Dome uses a sophisticated radar system to track incoming rockets, which is linked to a control network allowing Israel to intercept and destroy them far from their targets. It is the only anti-rocket system of its kind in the world, according to experts.

AS I SEE IT

Allowing Ahmadinejad to go unchecked as he prepares to annihilate Israel sounds frighteningly reminiscent of the world”s response to the rantings of Adolf Hitler. Where are those who said, “Never again.” Well, it”s happening again. Is there no

world leader (or country, for that matter) with the courage to stand up against this madman? The longer we wait, the more disastrous the consequences will be.

 Why is negotiating with Muslim leaders a bad idea? Listen to an interview I did with TruNews not long ago.

Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes or shark attacks.