Dear Intercessors,

I am attaching a very interesting and informative prayer letter from our good friends, Barry and Batya Segal. There are praises and prayer requests below. Please take time to read it in it's entirety. We are praising God with you for the increase in tourism - as requested below, please be in prayer for the Succot Celebration that will begin on October 3 - Pastor Rick and an intercession team that are in the land right now will be attending this event.

Please continue to pray for Rick and the team as they walk the land in prayer and intercession. Also be in prayer for the families of those on the team, thank you.

Bless you all and may you have a wonderful Succot!

Cheryl

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JERUSALEM-ON-THE-LINE

Prayer Letter ~ September 30, 2004
PO Box 7265, Jerusalem 91073, Telephone 972.2.5704010, Facsimile 972.2.5704011

"And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles." Zech. 14:16

SUCCOT - This joyful feast culminated the final harvest of the year and was the last of the seven Biblically mandated celebrations. It was the only one in which the nation of Israel was commanded by God to rejoice. "You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your wine press, you shall rejoice in your feast, your sons and daughters…" Deut. 16:14. Historically, Tabernacles reminds us of the miraculous Exodus when our ancestors sojourned while living in temporary booths, signifying the transient state of life. However, there was and still remains for us today, the acute awareness and full appreciation of the Lord's providential and protective hand upon His people Israel. In days of old, the nation of Israel would journey up to Jerusalem presenting to the Lord Most High in acts of holy worship: honor, praise and glory. It is with this significant consideration that we rejoice in thanking the Maker of heaven and earth, who personally dwells and "tabernacles," with us.

PLEASE PRAY – Our Succot Celebration will begin on Sunday evening Oct. 3rd and end on the evening Oct. 6th. Our desire is that it will be an anointed gathering and wonderful blessing to all attending.

WORLD'S LARGEST SUKKAH - The Jerusalem Municipality and the Electric Company are building the world's biggest and most illuminated sukkah in time for the festival. The 5,166 sq.ft structure (480 sq. meters) will be decorated with 144,000 mini light bulbs, using 2.5 miles of electrical wiring. The lights will form the Israeli flag on one of the sukkah's 4 walls resembling Jerusalem's old city, with a break in one of the walls to commemorate the destruction of the Holy Temples. Thousands of colored paper chains will also adorn the sukkah. (Arutz-7) *Jerusalem is expecting over a million visitors this Sukkot. Hallelujah!

PERES HOLDS COMMANDING LEAD - Shimon Peres maintains a commanding lead as the choice of the rank-and-file to lead the opposition Labor Party according to a new poll. In head-to-head polling against heirs-apparent to lead the party, the elder statesman maintains a 17-point lead over Ehud Barak, his nearest rival. (MediaLine) *Sovereign Lord, may the leaders of this nation humble themselves before your throne.

HAMAS LEADER - Israel was behind the assassination of a senior Hamas official in Damascus. Izzedine Subhi Sheik Khalil, 42, was killed when his car exploded in the Syrian capital. Israel vowed to track down the leaders of Hamas in Syria, after a double suicide bombing killed 16 Israelis a month ago in the southern city of Beersheba. Israel expelled Khalil from Gaza in 1993 because of his involvement in terrorism. Hamas described the hit as a "a cowardly crime by the Zionist Mossad," the Israeli spy agency. Israel's aim is to pressure Syria, which has repeatedly promised the US to close the offices of Palestinian terror groups. A high-profile assassination in Damascus shows that these groups still operate freely there. (Israel Today) *Lord, we pray that You would disperse and "scatter those who delight in war." – Ps. 68:30.

HIZBULLAH OUTRAGED - Seated side by side due to the alphabetization of the assigned seats at the UN, Iraqi PM Allawi and Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom shook hands and chatted at the General Assembly. The Hizbullah terror organization was outraged by the incident, releasing scathing attacks on the new Iraqi prime minister, accusing him of disgracing Iraq and offending all Arabs and Muslims. "It is a sign of one of the most dangerous goals of the American war on Iraq, yanking Iraq from its place in the Arab and Muslim worlds and sticking it in the US-Zionist political cosmos," said the Hizbullah statement. FM Shalom said the chance meeting was the first official contact between Israel and Baghdad since the invasion of Iraq. Shalom said that he told Allawi that he hopes for peace throughout the Middle East. "We would love that Iraq would join us and after that the rest of the countries in the Middle East. This would bring more stability to the region and more stability to the entire world.'' (Arutz-7)

FYI - Since the intifada erupted 4 years ago, 1017 Israelis have been killed; 70% civlians and 30% Israeli security forces. According to the data compiled, Palestinian militants perpetrated 13,730 shooting attacks and 138 suicide bombings. The bloodiest year was 2002 during which 452 Israelis were killed and 2,309 sustained injuries. (Maariv) *Let's uphold Ps. 122:6,8 to pray for the peace of Jerusalem; May they prosper who love you. For the sake of my brethern and companions, I will now say, peace be within you."

FENCE SAVES LIVES - The number of Israelis killed in terrorist attacks has dropped by 84% since the first portion of the security barrier in Judea and Samaria was completed a year ago. That's the finding of a report by Israel's Shin Bet security service. (Israel Today) *Could this perhaps be the reason why Israel is ignoring a demand by the World Court in the Hague to tear down the barrier?

FEAR OF COLLAPSE - Israel may have to limit the number of Muslim worshipers entering the Temple Mount compound during the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan. There are ongoing concerns that a damaged section of the 2,000-year-old eastern wall could collapse on the throngs of worshipers. Wakf (Muslim religious trust) officials insisted that the wall, which is undergoing repair, was stable and that there was no need to restrict the number. The renewed Israeli concern over the bitterly disputed holy site follows a recent Technion report that the eastern wall may cave in on an underground architectural support of the Mount, known as the Solomon's Stables. The underground site, which was converted by the Wakf in the late 1990's into what is now the largest mosque in Israel, can accommodate up to 30,000 worshipers. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims are expected to throng to the Temple Mount, as they do every year. The latest cause for concern over the stability of the ancient temple wall comes just 4 months after the head of the Antiquities Authority, warned that the eastern wall was in danger of immediate collapse. This could cause a "domino effect" and bring down other sections of the ancient compound. (JP) *Although Israel has warned the Islamic Trust (Waqf), of the impending danger; let's intercede that this will not be used as a catalyst or excuse to justify increased violence against Israel.

ISRAELI ECONOMY - Low productivity and high taxation describes Israel among the world’s developed nations. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), only Greece, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Korea have lower productivity (a lower per capita Gross Domestic Product-GDP). Yet, Israel ranks number one in taxation among OECD nations. Israelis pay nearly $1000 more in taxes, equaling 38.5% of GDP. The average for OECD members is 32.8%. (MediaLine)

TOURISM BOOM - One million tourists entered Israel in the first 8 months of 2004. If this trend continues, the number of tourists in 2004 is expected to reach 1.5 million. According to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics and the Tourism Ministry 177,800 tourists entered Israel this Aug., an increase of 37% over 2003, twice as many as in 2002 and 52% more than in 2001. Tourism Minister, Gideon Ezra said, 1.5 million tourists are expected to visit Israel this year. (IsraelNN.com) *Will you be one of the 1.5 million tourists to visit Israel this year? Consider visiting this year – tourism combats terrorism.

PARALYMPIC GAMES - A small country like Israel does not have an easy time fielding a group of athletes that can compete in international events. But, despite a tiny population pool and minimal resources and funding, the 2004 Israeli Olympic team still walked away with the gold when windsurfer Gal Friedman topped the competition in Athens. It took the country 56 years to win their first gold medal. However, when it comes to the world of disabled athletes, Israel possesses some of the world's most talented athletes. They've made their presence felt at the World Paralympic Games currently taking place in Athens, with 3,846 athletes competing from 136 countries. Until this year, Israel has won a combined total of 83 gold, 92 silver and 86 bronze medals in past Paralympics. Going into the final day, Israel's tally was 13 medals - 4 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze medals placing the delegation 30th out of 75 medal-winning nations. Their success is the result of sheer determination, and an indication to the extent to which the country's institutions have aided their road to recovery. Many of Israel's disabled citizens received their injuries while serving in the Israeli Army. (Israel 21c)

DINNER WITH DR. PAT ROBERTSON – VFI & JSH will be hosting our first humanitarian aid benefit dinner on Nov. 19, 2004 at the Hyatt Regency in Houston, Texas. Please call Pat at 281.348.7816 or 832.233.3079 for more information or make contact at Houston@josephstorehouse.com or info@visionforisrael.com. This will be a unique evening in the purposes of God and for Israel. Someone purchasing a ticket for this benefit will win a free trip to Israel!

Blessings from Jerusalem,

Barry & Batya Segal with the editorial staff
Visit our web site at www.visionforisrael.com
Visit www.jnnnews.com for the weekly news update and other articles