Laying Siege over the Election:
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Today is Day 14 of 21 Days
Our verse to claim for today:
MATTHEW 6:10
It is written: "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
Our prayer:
"Father God, as we come before Your Throne of Grace this morning, we thank You that Your Kingdom is advancing daily, bringing in the harvest of souls. Forgive us, O Lord, for thinking that the results of this election rests upon our shoulders, for You are the Sovereign of the Universe.
As we now move closer to Election Day, we thank You that angelic help IS on the way, and we await Your will with great anticipation. Thank You, O Lord, for taking such good care of us, for You are our Abba Father God. Amen!"
Secondary verses:
"Cease striving and know that I am God . . . " (Psalm 46:10)
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)
Focus on Israel
1. Abbas's Fatah warns Jerusalem Arabs against UAE funding - Jerusalem Post
The Palestinian ruling Fatah faction headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday stepped up its attacks on the United Arab Emirates and accused it of stabbing the Palestinians in the heart with a dagger.
Fatah also warned residents of east Jerusalem of the "Emirati money dipped in Palestinian blood," an apparent reference to claims that the UAE is planning to fund various projects and individuals in the city in cooperation with the Jerusalem Municipality.
Palestinian officials, meanwhile, refused to comment on the arrival of an Israeli delegation in Bahrain on Sunday for a series of meetings and signing of declarations, including one establishing full diplomatic relations and peace between the two countries.
2. PM slams opposition, says 'only unity can defeat virus' - Israel Hayom
In a heated Knesset debate on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his government's decision to impose a second nationwide lockdown, saying all his detractors did was criticize him regardless of what position he takes on the pandemic.
Netanyahu urged the Knesset members not to let the COVID-19 crisis and the debilitating effect it has had on the economy become a bone of contention. "Don't manipulate this just to sow division and reap political dividends in polling numbers; only through unity can we defeat this virus," he continued, calling the opposition the "band of doom and glee" because they keep changing the narrative of how bad the pandemic spread is depending on whether it serves their interests.
"If you were to actually look into my actions and decided to hold a professional debate, you would have discovered that my decisions were not driven by populism but by courage, and just like we were exemplary in the first wave, the world is looking at Israel's lead in this second wave," Netanyahu said.
"We entered a national lockdown, and this was a difficult decision, but this was necessary because we wanted to save lives; we cannot become complacent just because the data that we see now are actually latent, and we need to increase enforcement and impose stricter lockdowns if necessary."
3. Netanyahu, Katz won't compromise on budget with Blue and White - Jerusalem Post
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Israel Katz met late Monday and decided not to give in to Blue and White's demands to pass the 2021 state budget by the end of the year, even if it means initiating another election, sources close to Netanyahu said Monday night.
The sources confirmed a KAN News report that Netanyahu and Katz decided against compromising and would instead toughen their stance in the dispute.
"We will not surrender," Katz said. "If Blue and White continues to make demands, it would already be better to go to elections.
"The decision not to give in to Blue and White came after a day of threats by its leaders.
4. Gantz: Israeli COVID-19 vaccine to begin human trials by month's end - Times of Israel
Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Monday night announced that Israel's Institute for Biological Research would begin testing a coronavirus vaccine on humans at the end of the month.
Following a visit to the secretive national laboratory and a meeting with its head, Shmuel Shapira, Gantz revealed the name of the vaccine: Brilife, a portmanteau of the Hebrew word for health - bri'ut - and life.
"We are at a very significant moment," Gantz said. "Prof. Shapira and the entire team have done fantastic work. They are the scientific vanguard of the State of Israel and they have brought this vaccine to the stage where we can soon begin trials on human beings."
5. Normalization With Israel Could Be in Works After Sudan Removed From US Terror Blacklist - Algemeiner
President Donald Trump announced on Monday the United States would remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism as soon as Khartoum sets aside $335 million for payments for American victims and their families.
The deal could also set in motion steps by Sudan toward establishing diplomatic relations with Israel, an American official told Reuters, following similar US-brokered moves in recent weeks by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The details and timing were still being worked out, the source said.
Though Trump made no mention of Israel in his tweet announcing the breakthrough with Sudan, rapprochement between Israel and another Arab country would give Trump a new diplomatic achievement as he seeks re-election on Nov. 3.
Sudan's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism dates to its toppled ruler Omar al-Bashir and makes it difficult for its transitional government to access urgently-needed debt relief and foreign financing.
Many in Sudan say the designation, imposed in 1993 because the United States believed Bashir's government was supporting militant groups, is now undeserved since Bashir was removed last year and Sudan has long cooperated with the United States on counter-terrorism.