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    700,000 Jews living in the 1967 liberated territories of Judea and Samaria (aka The West Bank) New figures show that God's purpose not the worlds is being realized. 
            
                February 1, 2014 - Audio, 12.50 MIN(Links at bottom of page to download free viewers.)
 As the world lead by the United States continues to discuss “the peace process” the numbers of Jews in the “West Bank” continues to climb to record numbers.  Dave reasoned earlier on this program this month that “it is evident that the current round of talks, on a purely practical basis, cannot go anywhere.”  Well apparently the penny may be starting to drop for others.
        A report from the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that Israels defence minister Moshe Ya’alon came out hammering Kerry’s security proposals as part of his peace plan as being “not worth the paper it is printed on” and something that won’t provide security for Israel.
The newspaper also reported Ya’alon calling Kerry “inexplicably obsessive” and “messianic” in his attempts to force the two sides into a peace agreement. Ya’alon further said that Kerry has “nothing to teach me about the conflict with the Palestinians.
“All that can ‘save us’ is for John Kerry to win a Nobel Prize and leave us in peace,” the newspaper reported. 
 The Defense Minister obviously came under fire for such straight comments but many Israelis could not agree more.  Incredibly enough even Obama was reported by the New Yorker on the 27th to say that “the odds of completing the final treaty was 50-50.”
 
 What all this has shown is that the relationship between Israel and the United States is currently strained (This is interestingly bringing Israel closer to some of its Arab neighbors).  The truth is that it must be frustrating to try and work against Almighty God.  Simply it is His land and it is His hand that had brought the Jews back to their ancient land.  As Dave also mentioned on this program a few weeks back “There will be Jews who have returned from exile living on the "mountains of Israel"”.  This is what Bible students have expected for many years and we are so privileged to see.
Well talking about being privileged to see God’s hand, this week population data from the west bank was published from the Israeli Ministry of the Interior that reports 700,000 Jews are living in the West Bank including east Jerusalem.  So despite all the world speaking of Jews leaving the West Bank, the opposite is happening.  The population is continuing to grow just as God said it would.
I found the numbers quite fascinating and helps to make the situation very real especially when you think how many of these people are living in small settlements surrounded by much larger Arab populations.  That said I decided to publish the list here so you can see it for yourself:
 
 All figures are as of December 31, 2013
 
 330,000 Jews live in the following eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem:
 
 Armon HaNatziv
 Beit Orot
 Givat HaMivtar
 Givat Hanania
 Gilo
 French Hill
 The Old City
 Mount Scopus
 Har Homa
 Kfar Shiloah
 Maale Zeitim
 Neve Yaakov
 Nof Tziyon
 Sanhedria Murchevet
 Ir David
 Pisgat Zeev
 Ramot
 Ramot Eshkol
 Ramat Shlomo
 
 373,992 Jews live in the towns of Judea and Samaria according to the following stats for each town:
 
 Northern Samaria
 Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
 Chinanit  1070    1100
 Chermesh    231    239
 Mevo Dotan    348    354
 Rechan    192    203
 Shaked    729    750
 Total: 2,646
 
 Ariel-Elkana Bloc (Trans Samaria H’way)
 Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
 Revava    1,628    1,774
 Oranit    7,685    8,171
 Alfei Menashe    8,009    8,066
 Elkana    3,815    3,855
 Ariel    18,689    18,757
 Barkan    1,622    1,659
 Elei Zahav    732    1,087
 Etz Efraim    903    1,270
 Peduel    1,430    1,501
 Kiryat Netafim    693    700
 Shaarei Tikva    4,995    5,162
 Total: 52,002
 
 Maaleh Adumim Bloc
 Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
 Maaleh Adumim    38,934    39,421
 Kfar Adumim    3,456    3,652
 Mitzpe Yericho    2,054    2,130
 Keidar    1,202    1,255
 Total: 46,458
 
 Eastern Etziyon
 Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
 Maaleh Amos    471    470
 Nokdim    1,420    1,565
 Tekoa    2,677    2,938
 Metzad-Asfar    478    519
 Total: 5,492
 
 Samaria
 Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
 Itamar    1,006    1,009
 Elon Moreh    1,613    1,661
 Bracha    1,888    2,037
 Yitzhar    1,243    1,308
 Migdalim    155    157
 Shavei Shomron    836    871
 Avnei Hefetz    1,722    1,782
 Yakir    1,737    1,819
 Kfar Tapuach    1268    986
 Maaleh Shomron    842    915
 Nofim    502    533
 Salit    574    593
 Immanuel    3,545    3,665
 Einav    745    764
 Tzofim    1,519    1,667
 Kedumim    4,168    4,223
 Karnei Shomron    7,172    7,222
 Total: 31,212
 
 Beitar Illit
 Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
 Beitar Illit    44,608    47,311
 Total: 47,311
 
 Kiryat Sefer Bloc
 Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
 Hashmonaim    3,044    3,141
 Kiryat Sefer (Modiin Illit)    57,897    61,273
 Matityahu    547    590
 Total: 65,004
 
 Jordan Valley Region
 Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
 Avnet    96    111
 Almog    221    225
 Argeman    165    160
 Bet HaArava    115    129
 Bekaot    210    208
 Gittit    332    349
 Galgal    159    160
 Vered Yericho    266    266
 Hemdat    158    154
 Hamra    168    174
 Yetav    287    323
 Yafit    182    180
 Mehola    463    470
 Mechora    149    165
 Maaleh Efraim    1,582    1,562
 Mitzpeh Shalem    201    204
 Mesua    190    186
 Maskiot    112    140
 Niran    79    81
 Naama    138    141
 Netiv Hagedud    179    186
 Fetzael    275    278
 Kalia    382    396
 Roi    157    151
 Rotem    110    131
 Shadmot Mehola    569    599
 Tomer    305    303
 Total: 7,432
 
 Gush Etzion
 Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
 Elon Shevut    3,475    3,531
 Elazar    2,393    2,474
 Efrata    9,180    9,335
 Bat Ayin    1,244    1,314
 Har Gilo    943    1,258
 Kfar Etziyon    681    726
 Migdal Oz    446    438
 Neve Daniel    2,312    2,414
 Rosh Tzurim    925    989
 Total: 22,479
 
 Hevron Hill
 Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
 Adura    296    345
 Eshkolot    517    496
 Hevron    594    565
 Haggai    554    564
 Tene    740    813
 Carmel    448    462
 Maon    497    508
 Metzudat Yehuda    453    480
 Negohot    256    269
 Susia    933    956
 Otniel    717    744
 Pnei Hever    384    418
 Kiryat Arba    7,277    7,410
 Shima    425    458
 Telem    256    278
 Carmei Tzur    968    1,085
 Total: 15,851
 
 Binyamin Region
 Name of Town    As of 2012    As of 2013
 Bet El    5,970    5,981
 Bet Aryeh    4,312    4,493
 Bet Horon    1,195    1,226
 Geva (Adam)    4,622    4,832
 Givon Hahadasha    1,348    1,380
 Givat Zeev    14,348    15,318
 Dolev    1,337    1,345
 Har Adar    3,955    4,023
 Halamish    1,175    1,200
 Talmon    3,482    3,612
 Kochav HaShahar    1,957    2,019
 Kochav Yaakov    6,982    7,232
 Kfar HaOranim    2,434    2,458
 Mevo Horon    1,986    2,125
 Maaleh Levona    634    646
 Maaleh Michmash    1,503    1,551
 Nachliel    542    597
 Nili    1,022    1,135
 Naaleh    1,123    1,234
 Ofrah    3,214    3,293
 Ateret    531    557
 Almon (Anatot)    1,213    1,280
 Psagot    1,882    1,939
 Rimonim    626    600
 Shiloh    2,917    3,170
 Eli    3,415    3,548
 Total: 76,794
 
 
 Ezekiel 37: 21,22  “Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:  And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel…”
 We are living at “the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began,” of that there is no doubt.  The question that the disciples asked Christ upon his resurrection in Acts 1:6 – “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel?”  When we see the influx of Jews into the mountains of Israel with the waste places being rebuilt what we are seeing is the foundations for the kingdom of Israel to be re-established.
 
 God is clearly working with natural Israel to fulfill His promise, the question for myself and anyone listening is, are we ready?  Christ spoke of a parable of ten virgins, five were wise and five were foolish, the wise had oil in their lamps. The oil is the word of God, are we full?
 
 The prophetic word is not written just so that we can be entertained, God has given us promises so that we might see God’s hand working in the world and in turn examine ourselves.  Consider the following words from 2 Peter 3:9-11:
 
 
  “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness…”
 We know that God is not going to literally burn up the heavens and the earth but rather fill the earth with His glory as He says in Numbers.  The heavens and the earth here are political, the world order that we know now will come to an end at Christ’s coming as he establishes David’s throne once again in the earth.  The point for us now is “what manner of persons ought ye to be?”
 
 Just yesterday a mass prayer rally was held at the Western Wall in Jerusalem which was held under the title "prayer for the redemption of the people of Israel and their portion."  All these events that are in the news headlines regarding Israel are all shaping the character of the nation.  Just as troubles in our own lives can change us and bring us to God so too on a national level with His people.
 
 May Christ the son of David come soon and establish real peace and may we be ready.  This has been John Billington with you this week for another edition of the Bible in the News.
 
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                        Bible in the News provides a weekly analysis of world politics and events
                                            in the light of Bible prophecy — the Bible in the News!
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