SYRIAN STATE MEDIA SAYS ELECTRICAL FAULT BEHIND AIRBASE BLASTS.

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)

LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)

JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)

EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE

Report: PM lobbied US to defund UNRWA without consulting cabinet, security heads-Netanyahu reportedly changed policy, surprising defense officials, in covertly urging White House to completely end funding for Palestinian refugee organization-By TOI staff-4 September 2018

Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a secret message to the White House urging US President Donald Trump to cut all funding for UNRWA, the UN agency that aids Palestinian refugees, without consulting first with his defense officials, according to a Sunday news report.Four senior Israeli officials told Channel 10 news that until a few weeks ago, Jerusalem’s policy was that the US should not cut its funding completely, especially in the Gaza Strip, due to fears of a humanitarian crisis and the security issues it could raise.This approach reportedly had the backing of the Shin Bet security service, the IDF, and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, a branch of the Defense Ministry responsible for liaising with the Palestinians. This was also the message Jerusalem had consistently conveyed to the White House and Congress.However, according to the television report, a few weeks ago, Netanyahu unilaterally decided the best approach would be for the US to cease funding UNRWA entirely. He conveyed this message to the administration through Israel’s Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer.The officials who spoke to Channel 10 said the policy change was made without consultation with the high-level security cabinet or any serious discussion with defense officials.“We didn’t understand where this came from,” one official told the television station.On Friday, the Trump administration announced it was cutting nearly $300 million in planned funding for UNRWA, and that it would no longer fund the agency after decades of support. Instead, it said it would seek other channels by which to aid the Palestinians.On Saturday, Jerusalem welcomed the US decision.“Israel supports the US move,” an official in Netanyahu’s office said on condition of anonymity.“Consolidating the refugee status of Palestinians is one of the problems that perpetuates the conflict.”The US administration castigated the UN’s Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) for failed practices, and indicated that it rejected the criteria by which UNRWA defines Palestinian refugees, whereby the UN agency confers refugee status not only on original refugees but on their millions of descendants.The State Department said in a written statement that the United States “will no longer commit further funding to this irredeemably flawed operation.”The US will now work together with other international groups to find a better model to assist the Palestinians, the statement said.The US supplied nearly 30 percent of the total budget of the UN Relief and Works Agency, which provides health care, education, and social services to Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.Sources in the Israeli defense establishment are said to fear that Washington’s efforts to weaken UNRWA may strengthen the Hamas terror group in Gaza and endanger Israel’s security.They have reportedly said that serious cuts to UNRWA’s budget would create a vacuum in the provision of basic services in the Strip, where the majority of residents are dependent on the UN organization. This would be particularly felt in food shortages and a breakdown of education, which Hamas could use to strengthen its grip on the coastal enclave.A spokesman for UNRWA on Sunday said the end of US support will be “difficult,” but will not cause the UN agency for Palestinian refugees to close its doors.“It will be difficult, but UNRWA will not abandon its responsibilities,” Adnan Abu Hasna said in an interview with Hadashot news. The cut in US aid “will not destroy UNRWA.”Hasna slammed the Trump administration for blaming UNRWA for perpetuating the Palestinian refugee issue.“UNRWA is doing its job in accordance with a UN resolution, if they want to destroy UNRWA, then they should go to the UN and explain it there,” he said. “If they have a majority, there will be no more UNRWA.”Hasna said the UN agency provides food and education to over a million Palestinian in Gaza, and without it, humanitarian conditions in the Strip would significantly deteriorate.“If there will be no UNRWA, there will be starvation in Gaza,” he said.

Egypt says village found in Nile Delta predated pharaohs-Neolithic site discovered in Tell el-Samara containing food silos, animal bones, indicating human habitation as early as 5000 BCE-By AP-TOI-4 September 2018

CAIRO — Egypt said Sunday that archaeologists have unearthed one of the oldest villages ever found in the Nile Delta, with remains dating back to before the pharaohs.The Antiquities Ministry said the Neolithic site was discovered in Tell el-Samara, about 140 kilometers (87 miles) north of Cairo.Chief archaeologist Frederic Gio said his team found silos containing animal bones and food, indicating human habitation as early as 5000 BCE.That would be some 2,500 years before the Giza pyramids were built.In recent years, Egypt has touted discoveries in the hopes of reviving tourism after the unrest that followed its 2011 popular uprising.

 

Security forces arrest Palestinian woman with knife at West Bank checkpoint-Guards at Qalandiya crossing use pepper spray to subdue pedestrian who arouses their suspicions-By Stuart Winer-TOI-4 September 2018

Security forces on Sunday detained a Palestinian woman who was apparently planning to carry out a stabbing attack at a Jerusalem checkpoint, police said.Guards at the Qalandiya checkpoint north of the capital stopped a woman who was acting suspiciously. She had raised suspicion by approaching Israeli guards manning an area meant for vehicular traffic instead of the pedestrian passageway.When the women ignored instructions from security guards they used pepper spray on the suspect, police said. A knife was found in her bag.The suspect, in her 30s, was from the nearby Palestinian refugee camp of Qalandiya, the statement said.She was taken away for further questioning.There have been numerous stabbings and attempted stabbings at the checkpoint which links the Qalandiya camp with Jerusalem. Many of the attackers were stopped as they walked along the vehicular approach. In some incidents, security guards opened fire on attackers, wounding or killing them after they pulled out knives.

2.3 million Israeli kids back in class as school year begins-Education minister says start of year expected to be the 'smoothest' during his tenure, though 80,000 toddlers to remain home due to daycare strike-By TOI staff-4 September 2018

Some 2,310,000 children and 194,000 teaching instructors returned to school Sunday morning as Israel kicked off the start of a new school year.Of the more than 2.3 million students, 167,000 were first graders arriving at elementary school for the first time, according to Education Ministry figures, while another 131,000 pupils began their final year of high school.The Education Ministry said the theme of this school year will be safeguarding both “unity” and “uniqueness” in Israeli society.“The state education system is home to all Israeli students. I am the education minister of 2.3 million students of all varieties: Jews, Arabs, Druze, Circassians, religious, secular, ultra-Orthodox — they’re all my children,” Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) said in a statement.He said this year’s theme was chosen in light of “increasing polarization” in Israeli society, which he said could be addressed through education. He did not address what he believed to be the cause of that polarization.Speaking Saturday evening at the ministry’s headquarters ahead of the start of the new school year, Bennett said he expected it to be the “smoothest opening” of the academic year since he became education minister in 2015.Still, some 80,000 toddlers stayed at home and missed the first day of the school year due to a strike by staff at state-run daycare centers over pay.A number of more localized strikes were also expected at a number of schools Sunday over various issues, according to the Ynet news site.

Thousands in Tel Aviv rally against gas platform being built near coast-Activists say processing facility to be constructed 10 kilometers from the shore near Caesarea will cause environmental and health damage-By TOI staff-4 September 2018

Over 2,000 people rallied in Tel Aviv Saturday evening to uge the government to shelve plans for an offshore gas processing facility slated to be built 10 kilometers from the coast.Environmentalists, local authorities, and NGOs are waging a campaign to have the platform moved 125 kilometers (78 miles) away from the coast, citing environmental and public health concerns.Protesters led by volunteer group Shomrei Habayit called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz to “stop the catastrophe” and reverse the government decision.The protesters say the platform, to be located off Dor Beach near Caesarea, could cause major air pollution, and a malfunction at the site could leak toxic byproducts, harming beaches, marine life and residents living near the coast south of Haifa.The platform is planned to process gas from the Leviathan offshore field, a bonanza estimated to hold 22 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, making it the country’s richest gas find.  After extraction, raw natural gas must be processed to separate the dry gas used by power plants to run their turbines from two other main components — condensate and waste water, both of which contain dangerous and carcinogenic by-products.The Energy Ministry says the close-to-shore platform was chosen “after many tests, an environmental impact assessment and the considerations of the security establishment.”Last month, The Times of Israel learned that the State Comptroller was investigating the government’s claim that security concerns necessitated the ­­platform being close to the coast.Shomrei Habayit accused Noble Energy, the US company developing Leviathan, of having a poor environmental track record.Activists have pointed to a processing plant for the Tamar gas field, located 14 kilometers off the coast of Ashkelon, as a harbinger of what the new platform may bring.Data for 2016, published by the ministry in November 2017, shows that emissions from Tamar that are “known or suspected to be carcinogenic” equaled the total of such emissions from 570 large industrial plants across the country.Activists have been holding near daily protests at beaches to draw attention to the cause. However experts say the plan may be too far along to be reversed.Built in the United States, the processing platform is due to arrive off-shore in December, and its legs are to be lowered into the sea the following month 9.7 kilometers (6 miles) from the popular Dor Beach, north of Caesarea. Production is due to start a year later.Sue Surkes contributed to this report.

MIGRATING BIRDS IN ISRAEL EATS HUMANS FLESH FOR COMING AGAINST ISRAEL-JERUSALEM

EZEKIEL 39:11-12,18
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog (RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS) a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers (EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN JORDAN VALLEY) on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog (RUSSIAN) and all his multitude:(ARAB/MUSLIM HORDE) and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.(BURIEL SITE OF THE 300 MILLION,RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS)
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.(OF ISRAEL)
16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.(OF THE ISRAEL-GOD HATERS)

EZEKIEL 39:17-21
17  And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.(OF RUSSIAN/ISLAMIC HORDES AGAINST ISRAEL)
18  Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19  And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20  Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
21  And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
22  So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.

REVELATION 19:17-18
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;(AGAINST ALL NATIONS ARMIES THAT COME AGAINST JERUSALEM AND ISRAEL)
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

EZEKIEL 38:1-7
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:TOBOLSK)
4 And I (GOD) will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back,(RUSSIA-ARAB MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS) and leave but the sixth part of thee,(5/6TH OR 300 MILLION DEAD RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS I BELIEVE) and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

Palestinians reportedly send intel delegation to Washington for talks with CIA-Meeting comes despite Ramallah boycotting the Trump administration for recognizing Jerusalem as capital of Israel, moving embassy-By TOI staff-SEP 4,18

A delegation of Palestinian intelligence officials are in Washington for talks with the CIA, the Axios news site reported Sunday, marking a rare break in Ramallah’s boycott of US officials.Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas revealed details of the delegation’s trip during talks with Israeli Knesset members in a meeting at his office in Ramallah, Axios reported, citing two participants in the meeting.The Palestinians have been boycotting the Trump administration in anger after the US shifted course and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December and later moved their embassy there from Tel Aviv. The Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.The report comes two days after the Trump administration announced it was cutting all funding for the UN refugee agency that aids Palestinians.Significantly, the US did not cut aid that goes to the Palestinian security forces and Abbas told the participants of the meeting that it is important to him to maintain security coordination and intelligence sharing with the US.Despite longstanding tensions with Israel, security coordination between the Palestinian security forces and the IDF in the West Bank is very close and a key component of the relationship between the two sides.The delegation to the US was being lead by Majed Faraj, head of the PA’s General Intelligence Service, Axios said, noting that he was also in the US to receive unspecified medical treatment.This is not the first time Faraj has met with top US officials since the boycott began. Faraj reportedly met then-CIA director Mike Pompeo in April, shortly before Pompeo became Secretary of State.Faraj, one of the Abbas’s closest associates, is considered a friend of Pompeo, and the two reportedly met last year, after Trump was sworn in as president.The US announced on Friday that it would cut nearly $300 million in planned funding for the UN’s Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), castigating the agency for its practices, and will no longer provide funding at all.The move announced by the US drew swift condemnation from Palestinians and warnings from the agency’s administrators.Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Abbas, said Saturday that the Palestinian leadership was considering going to the UN General Assembly and Security Council in a bid to get the US to reverse its decision.A day earlier, he described the move as a “flagrant assault against the Palestinian people and a defiance of UN resolutions.”Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long called for the agency to be shut down.

Netanyahu meets US envoy over Syria, Iran, regional stability-Talks with James Jeffrey center on 'maintaining Israel's security,' while countering Iranian influence in the region-By AFP-TOI-4 September 2018

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Sunday with a US envoy for Syria for talks on the war-ravaged country and Iran, his office said.Netanyahu discussed “the situation in Syria and the joint effort to stop Iran’s terror and aggression” with James Jeffrey, the US special representative for Syria engagement, said a statement.Ahead of the visit, the US State Department said Jeffrey, accompanied by US special envoy for Syria Joel Rayburn, would discuss “maintaining Israel’s security while countering Iran’s destabilizing activity throughout the region.”Jeffrey and Rayburn would travel on to Jordan and Turkey, where they would reiterate the US position against a military offensive in Idlib, the State Department said.The two “will also address Russia’s specious allegations of international plans to stage a chemical weapons attack in Syria” in their meetings across the region, according to the State Department.Iran is backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his country’s civil war, along with Russia and Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.Israel has sought to avoid direct involvement in the conflict, but acknowledges carrying out dozens of air strikes in Syria to stop what it says are deliveries of advanced weaponry to its Lebanese enemy Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran.It has also pledged to prevent its arch foe Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria, and a series of strikes that have killed Iranians in Syria have been attributed to Israel.Overnight Saturday, a string of explosions at a military airport near the Syrian capital reportedly killed two regime fighters and injured 11 others.The Lebanese al-Meyadeen news outlet, seen as closely linked to the Syrian regime, claimed that the explosions were the result of an Israeli missile strike.While Syria confirmed the explosions at Mazzeh, state media initially said they were caused by a short circuit and not “Israeli aggression.”Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Jordan rejects alleged US proposal for confederation with Palestinians-Abbas appears to warm to idea on condition Israel is involved, but Amman unwilling to even discuss plan; PA official says scheme has been under consideration for decades-By TOI staff-4 September 2018

Jordan on Sunday rejected a proposal, allegedly floated by US administration officials, calling for the creation of a Palestinian-Jordanian confederation.Jordanian government spokeswoman Jumana Ghneimat said that joining the kingdom with the West Bank — the bulk of the area Palestinians want for a future state and controlled by Israeli since 1967 — is not a matter that is open for discussion.In comments reported by the Khaberni news agency, Ghneimat said that “discussing the idea of a confederation with the regions of the West Bank is not possible.”She clarified that Jordan’s position, which is based on the two-state solution of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, is fixed and clear.But Nabil Abu Rudeinah, the official spokesman of the Palestinian Authority presidency, said that the idea of a confederation has been on the agenda of the Palestinian leadership since 1984.However, the Palestinian spokesperson signaled that a two-state solution is a prerequisite for any future arrangement with Jordan, reported Wafa, the official Palestinian Authority news agency.Rudeinah added that a decision regarding a Jordanian-Palestinian confederation is a decision for the two nations to make.The comments came hours after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told a delegation of Israeli peace activists — including lawmakers — about the US confederation scheme and his support for it.According to the dovish Peace Now group, a senior delegation of which met Abbas on Sunday in Ramallah, the Palestinian leader said senior US administration officials Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt asked him recently about his opinion on a “confederation with Jordan.”Abbas allegedly voiced interest in a tripartite confederation with Jordan and Israel, in what would appear a dramatic departure from his longstanding insistence on a two-state solution, according the to Israeli peace activists and a Palestinian official.“‘I said [to Kushner and Greenblatt]: Yes, I want a three-way confederation with Jordan and Israel.’ I asked them if the Israelis would agree to such a proposal,” a statement by Peace Now quoted Abbas as saying.While some Israelis who are opposed to an independent Palestinian state have long suggested some kind of confederation, with or without Jordan, the PA has so far clung to its demand for sovereignty in the framework of a two-state solution.Despite the confederation suggestion, Abbas said US President Donald Trump had assured him of his support for a two-state solution. Abbas said he himself was in favor of a demilitarized Palestinian state with NATO securing the agreement, according to Peace Now.Mahmoud al-Habash, Abbas’s religious affairs adviser who was present at the meeting, confirmed to The Times of Israel the content of the Peace Now statement.The Prime Minister’s Office and the Foreign Ministry declined to comment on Abbas’s statements.The US administration also did not directly comment immediately on the Peace Now report.In a statement on Sunday evening, Greenblatt said, ‎”Over the past 19 months we have probed all relevant parties about many ideas and possibilities.”“The plan, when released, will reflect ideas that we think are realistic, fair and implementable that will enhance the lives of the Israeli and Palestinian people,” Greenblatt continued. “We will not discuss any specific ideas or private conversations that may or may not have been had with leaders in the region.”Sunday’s meeting with Abbas was attended by Peace Now executive director Shaqued Morag, Meretz MK Mossi Raz (a former Peace Now director), and Zionist Union MK Ksenia Svetlova.According to the PA’s official Wafa news agency, unnamed “peace activists” from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party attended the meeting as well.Trump officials have said they are finishing their peace plan and working on rolling it out, but have not offered any timeline. Details of the plan have remained firmly under wraps.Palestinian officials have been publicly boycotting the White House since Trump’s December 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. However, Abbas’s claim to have spoken with Kushner and Greenblatt recently appeared to signal that some lines of communication remain open.Trump has said he does not necessarily endorse a two-state solution, breaking with decades of US policy and saying in 2017 that he would back whatever formula both sides decide on.Adam Rasgon contributed to this report.

Arab MKs rally behind Corbyn, praise his ‘unflinching’ Palestinian support-In letter to Labour leader, who sat on panels alongside Hamas and supported eradication of Zionism, Joint List also backs UK party's rejection of IHRA definition of anti-Semitism-By TOI staff-4 September 2018

Arab Israeli lawmakers from the Joint (Arab) List on Sunday threw their support behind UK opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, praising the Labour party leader for his “unflinching” support for the Palestinians and backing the British party’s controversial decision not to adopt a widely accepted international definition of anti-Semitism.The open letter, published in Britain’s The Guardian newspaper, saw Joint (Arab) List MKs commend Corbyn as a “principled leftist leader,” weeks after a series of reports surfaced underlining his ties to convicted Palestinian terrorists and days after a former British chief rabbi branded him a dangerous anti-Semite.“We commend Jeremy Corbyn… for his longstanding solidarity with all oppressed peoples around the world, including his unflinching support for the Palestinian people,” wrote MKs Ahmad Tibi, Yousef Jabareen, Jamal Zahalka, and Masud Ganaim, on behalf of the 13 lawmakers in the Joint List party.“We stand in solidarity with Jeremy Corbyn and we recognize him as a principled leftist leader who aspires for peace and justice and is opposed to all forms of racism, whether directed at Jews, Palestinians, or any other group.”Two weeks ago, footage surfaced of Corbyn accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians during a 2014 rally, as a Hamas flag waved behind him. Corbyn called the terror group “friends” prior to his election as Labour leader two years ago, a statement he has since walked back.One of the photos published recently showed Corbyn hosting a panel featuring senior Hamas officials in 2012, including members convicted of murdering Israelis in terror attacks.Earlier in August, the Daily Mail published photos of Corbyn holding a wreath during a 2014 ceremony at a Tunisian cemetery in which he appeared to be standing near the graves of Palestinian terrorists involved in the slaying of 11 Israeli athletes and team members at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The photos appeared to show Corbyn in front of a plaque honoring members of the Black September terrorist organization, 15 yards (approximately 13 meters) away from the graves of those killed in a 1985 airstrike. The photos of Corbyn at the cemetery were condemned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Corbyn for years supported and was active on behalf of the Labour Movement Campaign for Palestine, which opposed Israel’s existence and called for the eradication of Zionism. And in 2011, in an interview with Iran’s PressTV, Corbyn lamented what he claimed was the BBC’s “bias towards saying that… Israel has a right to exist.”The Arab MKs’ letter to The Guardian also raised the issue of the so-called nation-state bill advanced in July, with the elected Arab parliamentarians accusing the Israeli government of discrimination against its Arab citizens since 1948.“Palestinian citizens of Israel have yet to experience a single day of equality, de jure or de facto – to say nothing of the millions of Palestinians under military occupation in the West Bank, under siege in the Gaza Strip, and the six million in exile abroad, prevented from returning to their homeland simply because they are not Jews,” the letter said.“As part of the Palestinian people, this has been our lived experience of the Zionist movement since day one.”Corbyn has also been under fire for his own allegedly anti-Semitic positions and has been accused of failing to root anti-Semitism out of the Labour party.He and his party have so far refused to adopt fully the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism in Labour’s new code of conduct. The Labour leadership has argued the definition, signed by 31 countries and used by many British institutions, does not allow for full criticism of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.The four clauses rejected by the party relate to unfair singling out of Israel or questioning the loyalty of Jews who support Israel.The Joint List MKs said they fully supported the Labour party’s decision to reject those clauses.“As long as efforts to curb anti-Jewish sentiment in the UK are focused on combating the disparagement of Jews merely for their membership in a minority group, they have our full support. But when some try to force the Labour party into using as its litmus test a definition of anti-Semitism that goes far beyond anti-Jewish animus to include anti-Zionism, we must raise our voices and decry these efforts,” the Arab lawmakers wrote.The National Executive Committee of the Labour party is due to meet on Tuesday and is expected to belatedly accept the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism in full following pressure from the British Jewish community and many current and past Labour members and lawmakers. However, it is anticipated that the party may add certain caveats to ensure that Corbyn himself, among others in Labour, will not be deemed to have breached the definition.The latest firestorm to engulf the Labour Party followed the revelation last month of comments made by Corbyn in a 2013 speech at the Palestinian Return Centre in London, where he said of a group of British “Zionists”: “They clearly have two problems. One is they don’t want to study history and, secondly, having lived in this country for a very long time, probably all their lives, they don’t understand English irony either.”Former chief rabbi Lord Sacks, responding to those remarks, accused Corbyn of giving “support to racists, terrorists and dealers of hate, who want to kill Jews and remove Israel from the map.” The Labour leader, Sacks said, uses “the language of classic prewar European antisemitism.” Labour rejected Sacks’ denunciation, calling the rabbi’s critique absurd and offensive.Israel’s Arab lawmakers recently drew widespread condemnation over a TV report claiming they had joined forces with the Palestinians in an attempt to convince the UN to advance a resolution next month at the UN General Assembly that likens the quasi-constitutional nation-state legislation — which enshrines Israel’s status as a Jewish state — to apartheid. That report, which was denied by all parties ostensibly involved, drew widespread condemnation in Israel, with one minister calling for the MKs involved to be tried for treason.

EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH IN NOAHS DAY(BECAUSE OF SIN,VIOLENCE AND GODLESS PEOPLE)

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

HOSEA 4:1-3
1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

DEUTORONOMY 28:22-24
22  The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
23  And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
24  The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)

THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.

FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

Ottawa universities and colleges prepare for legal cannabis-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-September 4, 2018

Students returning to Ottawa's colleges and universities this fall could find that their ability to smoke recreational marijuana on campus may depend on which school they attend.Ontario will allow anyone over the age of 19 to purchase cannabis once it becomes legal next month, but the provincial government has banned its use in public, restricting anyone who wants to smoke to private homes.But that won't necessarily include university residences."In residence, students won't be allowed to possess marijuana," said David Oladejo, president of the Carleton University Students Association.Oladejo said the university is still finalizing its policies around marijuana, which are set to be released by the end of the month.But one thing is clear: recreational cannabis won't get the same treatment as tobacco."Right now, there won't be designated smoking zones on campus like we have for cigarettes," he said.Not everyone is in favour of that approach."I don't really understand where they're coming from, disallowing it on campus," said Omar Moustafa, a first-year Carleton student.Moustafa said he doesn't smoke, but still feels there's a disconnect between the university's policies around cigarettes and marijuana."Personally, I think that cigarettes are more harmful," he said. "So they should be stopping that more than marijuana."Different policies across campuses-Carleton's prospective policy differs from the University of Ottawa, which says students over the age of 19 may be allowed to smoke in their dorm rooms if the province determines they are considered private homes.The university also participates in the Council of Ontario Universities Task Force, which is studying the effects of cannabis on campuses across Ontario.La Cité collégiale said smoking marijuana will only be allowed in a specific area of the campus, with the college applying the same guidelines for the drug as it has for alcohol, drugs and medications.Algonquin College said it is still finalizing its marijuana policies. Back at Carleton, first-year international student Philip Weber is from the Netherlands, where marijuana has been decriminalized for personal use for decades."That means it's less secretive and a bit more open for use, and that people are able to talk about it more with the health risks and also just making sure that there's good quality," Weber said.Weber doesn't expect the prohibition of recreational cannabis on campus will necessarily dissuade anyone from using it, since they could easily leave campus to light up.But at least one parent applauded Carleton's policy to ban the drug."[Students are] here for an education and not to party," said Erica Scott, who has two children attending university and college in the city."So if they want to do that, fine. Off campus is perfect. But when you're on campus, you're here for one reason — and that's to get your education."

Large wildfire in northwest B.C. not expected to grow further: wildfire service-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-September 4, 2018

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — The BC Wildfire Service says precipitation and favourable weather have allowed it to contain one of the province's largest active wildfires, more than a month after it was initially discovered.After growing to more than 900 square kilometres, the fire burning near Shovel Lake in northwestern B.C. was hit with scattered showers overnight, and Claire Allen of the BC Wildfire Service said any further growth is unlikely."We're not under control yet, seeing as there is still a lot of internal activity and a lot of work for crews to do over the next few weeks here," Allen said Sunday.That work includes clearing up hotspots, perimeter patrols and assessing potentially-dangerous tree falls.The nights in the northwest part of B.C. are becoming quite cool and dropping to near-freezing levels, which Allen said reduces their burning window considerably, though the turn of seasons does not necessarily mean the end of the wildfire season."The winds do tend to pick up in the fall so that's something we're watching quite closely," she added.Apart from potential gusts, Sunday's forecast in the area was favourable, with highs in the mid to upper teens and plenty of moisture in the air with a humidity index of nearly 40 per cent.This comes after winds gusting up to 60 kilometres per hour hit the blaze on Friday, which did not push the fire past the established containment lines.Allen said as the season ends, the importance of establishing containment lines ahead of a fire front is considerably lessened, and firefighters can change their tactics to match the lowered fire activity."Fire behaviour generally becomes reduced this time of year, so our crews are able to do a bit more direct attack," she said from the fire centre in Prince George, B.C.Allen said they have not seen as much torching in the area, where trees burn from the bottom up and resemble a torch, but noted that as autumn nears, deciduous trees will shed their leaves and create a different problem.She said deciduous leaves tend to hold more moisture in the summer and can act as natural barrier for ground fires, but as the leaves dry and tumble from their branches, they can act as fuel for smouldering ground fires."We'll be watching that in case it kicks up additional surface ground fires and have crews respond to that," she said, adding she expected firefighters would have another few weeks left before that could become a problem.Several evacuation alerts in the area were rescinded on Aug. 31, though further evacuation orders and alerts in the area will remain in effect.On Sunday, an alert issued for 872 properties by the district of Fort St. James, a municipality due northeast of the wildfire, was fully rescinded.Allen said there is no longer a threat to any structures near the Shovel Lake wildfire and Fort St. James, and that while the wildfire service could confirm the blaze was man-made, the exact cause of the fire was still under investigation by the Prince George Fire Centre.An area restriction for public safety will remain in place for the wildfire near Shovel Lake until at least noon on Sept. 15. — By Spencer Harwood in Vancouver (follow him on Twitter @SpenceHarwood) Spencer Harwood, The Canadian Press.

WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)

EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18

WORLD TERRORISM

OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)

ISAIAH 14:12-14
12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14  I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)

JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)

Iraq’s Sadr and Abadi form biggest parliamentary bloc-As the largest bloc it would be tasked by the president to form the government;Western-backed Abadi could remain as prime minister-By AFP-TOI-SEP 4,18

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Sixteen political groupings in Iraq, including those of nationalist Shiite cleric Muqtada  al-Sadr and outgoing Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, late Sunday reached an accord to create the biggest bloc in parliament, capable of forming a new government.A close aide to Abadi told AFP that the bloc consists of 177 deputies, which is more than half of the 329 lawmakers elected in legislative polls.As the largest bloc it would be tasked by the president to form the government.Iraq’s political system is designed to ensure that no one person or party can dominate in order to avoid any return of a dictatorship following the ouster of strongman Saddam Hussein.The accord came just several hours before the first session of the Iraqi parliament which was elected in May.Abadi, backed by the West, who came in third in the elections with 42 seats, could possibly remain in his post.According to a copy of the list of signatories to the new accord seen by AFP, it includes Sadr’s alliance with communists which won the most seats in the election (54 seats).On Monday, parliament will hold its inaugural session during which it must elect a speaker — traditionally a member of Iraq’s Sunni Muslim community — as well two deputy speakers.Parliamentarians will then have 30 days to elect a new president for the country, a position that goes to a member of the Kurdish minority with at least two-thirds of the vote.Kurdish parties have yet to officially announce candidates for the top but largely symbolic post of president.The new president will then have 15 days to task the biggest parliamentary bloc to form a new government.The new coalition accord also includes the Wataniya list of outgoing secular vice president Iyad Allawi (21 seats) as a signatory along with several Sunni lists as well as Shiite cleric Ammar al-Hakim’s Al-Hikma list (19 seats).

Duterte in Israel: sorry for calling Obama ‘son of a whore,’ but backs rape joke-The controversial Philippine president starts his three-day visit to the country with a speech to Filipino workers in Jerusalem-By TOI staff and Agencies-SEP 4,18

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, kicked off his Israel visit with a typically controversial speech to Filipino workers in Jerusalem, where he apologized to Barack Obama for calling him a “son of a whore” and defended a recent rape joke.Duterte, 73, arrived in Israel earlier Sunday for a visit that has drawn widespread condemnation, given his human rights record and his recent comparison of himself to Hitler.Duterte was met at Ben Gurion Airport by Communication Minister Ayoub Kara of the governing Likud party, before heading off to Jerusalem to meet with some 1,400 Filipinos.The meeting was closed to Israeli journalists, but reporters travelling with Duterte said that he gave a rambling talk of more than an hour, during which aids frequently tried to get him to tone down his colorful language.During the speech, Duterte apologized to former US President Barack Obama for calling him a “son of a whore” in 2016 ahead of a planned meeting where he warned he would not be lectured by Obama over concerns about a brutal war on crime that had then claimed more than 2,400 lives in the Philippines.“You must be respectful. Do not just throw away questions and statements. Son of a whore, I will curse you in that forum,” Duterte told reporters when asked about his message for Obama.“I am sorry for uttering those words,” Duterte said Sunday in Jerusalem, according to a reporter with the Manila Bulletin. It was not immediately clear why he chose to address the Obama insult during his Israel visit. He also told Obama he had forgiven him too.The president also defended his recent remarks in which he said there would be many rape cases in a Philippine city “if there were many beautiful women.”Duterte told the crowd he was joking, but also said  he was just exercising his right to freedom of speech in a democracy.Duterte justifies his Davao rape joke, cites democracy, freedom of expression-— Pia Gutierrez (@pia_gutierrez) September 2, 2018-There are some 30,000 thousand Filipinos working in Israel, mostly as caregivers and Duterte told them that Israel was the only country in the Middle East where their human rights were respected.The rights of the Filipino caretakers was expected to be one of the key issues in talks with Israel, alongside bolstering bilateral ties in a various of areas, including trade and defense.Duterte tells OFWs in Israel that they are "far better here" compared to OFWs in other Middle Eastern countries where they experience abuse. @argyllcyrus_MB— Argyll Cyrus (@argyllcyrus_MB) September 2, 2018-He is scheduled to lunch with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, meet other top officials, and visit the country’s Holocaust memorial. He is also expected to sign a major oil deal and view an arms display.Duterte’s forces are accused of killing thousands in anti-drug raids since he took office in 2016. He drew outrage that year when he compared his anti-drug campaign to the Holocaust and himself to Adolf Hitler, saying he would be “happy to slaughter” three million addicts as the Nazi leader slaughtered the Jews. He later apologized.Israeli human rights activists plan to protest the visit and have encouraged President Reuven Rivlin not to host Duterte.Manila currently acknowledges almost 5,000 deaths and 50,000 arrests in Duterte’s drug war; human rights groups put the figures far higher, and say most of those dead are the urban poor. The Reuters news agency has published a series of exposés that indicate Duterte’s police have summarily executed hundreds of alleged drug dealers — shooting them in the head and heart at close range.For Duterte, the visit may be most significant for his drive to seek weapons deals outside of the US.According to the Kan state broadcaster, Duterte is bringing with him a delegation of 400, including top army and police officials, some of whom are expected to visit Israeli army bases.Duterte has been very open about his proclivity for Israeli arms, having said publicly that he prefers them over the weapons manufactured in other countries.“On the matter of arms, I said, do not buy from anyone except from Israel,” he said in 2016.The US and Canada have both had military hardware deals fall apart with the Philippines due to concerns over Duterte’s drug war. But so far, sales with Israel have gone smoothly.The Philippines emerged as a significant new customer in 2017 for Israel, with sales of radar and anti-tank equipment worth $21 million.Israel is among the world’s top arms dealers, with nearly 60 percent of its defense exports going to the Asia Pacific region, according to Israeli Defense Ministry data.One of the key events of trip will be a visit to a memorial dedicated to his country’s efforts to save Jews persecuted by the Nazis.On Wednesday, Duterte is set to lay a wreath at the “Open Doors” Monument in Rishon LeZion’s Holocaust Memorial Park. Contrary to some media reports, he will not inaugurate the monument, as it was unveiled back in 2009.The monument commemorates the Philippine’s “open doors” policy in 1939. At the time, most countries opposed Jewish immigration, but then president Manuel L. Quezon (who held office from 1935-44) allowed the issuance of 10,000 visas to persecuted Jews. Due to the outbreak of World War II and the Japanese invasion, only some 1,300 Jews actually reached safety in Philippines.Though the two countries have enjoyed strong ties since establishing diplomatic relations some 60 years ago, Duterte’s government has rebuffed rumors that it may seek to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem, as the US did earlier this year.

JCC hoax bomber’s mental state clouds relationship between crime and punishment-20-year-old's tough treatment at hands of guards appears to be based on his rap sheet, but raises questions about whether his autism is being accounted for-By Jacob Magid-TOI-SEP 4,18

For most inmates at Ramle’s Ayalon Prison, visitation hours are held in an open, cafeteria-like room where detainees sit beside their loved ones and hug them goodbye at the session’s end.But for M. — a 20-year-old Israeli-American convicted in June of hoaxing US JCCs and other targets around the world with thousands of bomb threats — visits take place on separate sides of a glass divider, where he can speak to his parents through a corded telephone.Such precautions aren’t taken for just any prisoner. The threats made by M. — whose name remains under gag order and is instead referred to in many Israeli broadcasts as the “Ashkelon Hacker” — led to numerous school evacuations, to planes making emergency landings, to fighter jets scrambling. In some cases, he allegedly threatened to execute children he claimed to be holding hostage.I accompanied the detainee’s parents to their weekly visit Thursday morning expecting to meet that M. But the young man waiting behind the glass window could not have been more different from the suspect you might have imagined after reading his rap sheet.M. has autism.While every case is unique and many prefer to say that no one is defined by their diagnosis, for M.’s parents this is the first thing they want you to understand about their child.The moment M. saw us from the other side of the glass, he began to wave in that manner only young children do, using just his wrist.As the 20-year-old slowly began opening up about his treatment inside the prison, though, it became clear why he didn’t look more happy to see us.The 30-minute visit revealed the until-now-hidden result of actions taken by an Israeli legal system that, M.’s parents argue, is bent on demonstrating that it will show no mercy in dealing with their son for generating such havoc around the globe.If that means placing a 20-year-old diagnosed with a severe developmental disorder in a maximum-security prison, so be it.Crying out in pain-So there sat M. — alone on the other side of the glass, uncuffed for the first time in hours — opposite his parents, who spoke to him through a pair of telephones as three armed guards looked on.“How are you, M.?” asked his worried-sick mother, S. (the names of his parents have been gagged as well).“I’m okay,” her son responded solemnly. “They’ve improved my conditions over the past few days” —  guards had began cuffing him with his hands in front instead of behind his back.“How’s your wrist?” asked S. “Show it to me. Does it still hurt??”The young man lifted his wrist to show largely faded marks that he claimed were caused by one of the prison guards who twisted it while he was still shackled, digging the metal cuffs into his skin and, his parents believe, causing a bone to break.That incident had taken place two weeks earlier, when a pair of probation officers paid a visit to the prison to prepare a report on M. that will be presented at his sentencing hearing on October 9.M.’s father, G., asked him to recall what had happened, and the detainee reluctantly complied.He said the officers had asked him to explain why he had committed such crimes. “I told them because I wanted others to have fun,” M. said, in a line consistent with the defense he gave throughout the trial, suggesting he did not comprehend the gravity of his actions.Evidently unsatisfied with the answer, M. recalled how the observing guards cuffed his hands behind his back and began to twist. “I cried out in pain,” he said.G. and S. told me that their son has repeatedly asked to see a doctor, but has been refused. They filed a police complaint against the guard, but he has remained assigned to M.-A bad birthday-Last Saturday, M. turned 20. His parents had planned to wish him a happy birthday during their daily call, but the phone never rang. When it finally did, two days later, M. told his father that he had spent most of his birthday tied to his bed.Sitting at a cafe near the prison following our Thursday visit, G. played a recording of the phone call in which his son shared how he had been afraid of receiving another beating from the same officer who had hurt his wrist. When the guards came to his cell for their nightly inspection on Friday — a day before his birthday — M. asked if he could go to the “pillow room,” where inmates at risk of self-harm are sometimes placed.After he was refused, M. recalled to his father how he told the guards he was going to hurt himself.“He doesn’t understand the consequences of making such threats,” G. said, while also clarifying that his son has indeed tried to take his own life on a number of occasions. The prison, in turn, has placed a guard with him for close to 24 hours a day, according to the father.But apparently that precaution wasn’t enough; M. said he spent the next 18 hours, from 9:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. the next day, tied to his bed — “like Jesus Christ,” his mother piped up, as she shook her head in disbelief.“If they keep him in there any longer, he’s going to die,” said S., shaking in her seat in the coffee shop, as she lamented the guards’ refusal to let him out of his cell for more than 30 minutes a day.Not eating since 8:42-Back at Ayalon, G. asked his son if he could recall other recent instances of abuse at the hands of the guards.M. began to get agitated. “Can we talk about something else?” he pleaded.That “something else” ended up somehow being me. M.’s demeanor changed almost instantly at the opportunity to talk to a new face.He inquisitively asked where I was from and what I do for a living. On three occasions while his mother was asking him questions, he asked her to pass the phone back to me — a stranger he had never met before.His parents were concerned the presence of a reporter might spook the guards, so I was told to refrain from asking questions about the charges against M., or from conducting the conversation as an interview.I asked M. how he kept up his spirits behind bars.“I’m hopeful that I will be released soon,” he said simply.In an attempt to keep the conversation light, I asked the young man what his favorite foods are at the prison canteen.“I don’t plan on buying any on Sunday, because I plan to go on a hunger strike again,” M. replied clearly.His father explained that M. had carried out the measure at the end of the previous week, for four days.M. specified that he had stopped eating “at 8:42” p.m. last Wednesday evening, providing a level of detail common for someone with his condition.M. recalled how, by Monday morning, the effects of the hunger strike had overwhelmed his body and he began eating again, But, as his father had relayed to The Times of Israel last week, the 20-year-old said he planned to go on a hunger strike once more.“Until they improve my conditions,” said M.-What remorse? The young man stuttered often and spoke with a lisp. During our post-visit stop at the nearby Ramle cafe, his parents explained that those are among the more benign effects of a brain tumor which, they argue, has played no small role in clouding M.’s judgment over the years.S. said that the tumor’s symptoms have grown more severe since her son was incarcerated nearly a year and a half ago, but the prison has refused to let him see a neurologist.Medical records documenting the tumor were presented to the court by the defense during the trial, but they went unmentioned in the verdict; as did testimonies from over 10 psychiatric experts brought forward by the defense, who argued that M. should not be held responsible for his actions.The final ruling against M. even left out a court-ordered report in which a clinical psychiatrist from the Welfare Ministry concluded that he “could not distinguish between good and evil.”Ultimately, Judge Zvi Gurfinkel acknowledged M.’s autism diagnosis, but concluded that it did not serve as a “warranty” absolving him from responsibility.Among other things, the ruling relied on a line that the Tel Aviv district psychiatrist included in his report on behalf of the state, in which he quoted M. as telling him, “I realize that this isn’t a game, and I’m sorry.”M.’s parents have utterly rejected the possibility that their son could have made such an admission.Citing an interview he and his wife gave to The Times of Israel the month after his son’s arrest, G. asserted that “M. does not know how to apologize. He doesn’t understand what remorse is.”The detainee’s attorney, Yoram Sheftel, said he had asked for proof that the admission had been given, but was told that the district psychiatrist had lost the notes from the relevant evaluation.M.’s parents said they plan on raising the various omissions from Gurfinkel’s “illegitimate” ruling at a Supreme Court appeal that will be filed immediately after sentencing is handed down.Nobody is asking who paid M.’G. called the trial “one big conspiracy,” arguing that the state’s haste in prosecuting came in lieu of asking the difficult questions involved in his son’s case.The father asserted that M. had not been phoning in bomb threats entirely on his own volition. Rather, the young man had posted a price list for his intimidation services online. Using bitcoin, customers could commission the threat of a “massacre at a private home” for the equivalent of $40, a call threatening a “school massacre” for $80, and a bomb threat against a plane for $500.G. noted how his son never did anything with the money — further proof, he believes, of M.’s hazy motivations in carrying out the crimes.While being careful not to excuse any of his son’s actions, G. pointed out that “nobody is asking who paid M.”“Everyone is satisfied with pinning the entire thing on a boy with autism and ignoring the fact that there are people behind every one of those requests,” he charged.While declining to elaborate, G. said that the public would be made aware of the names “in the near future.”“This has destroyed our lives,” the father said at the coffee shop; yet it was clear that the two of them were not done fighting.-Life is beautiful? The insistence on remaining hopeful was also apparent in the manner in which they ended their visit with M.In the final minutes, S. started telling her son about a young man named Ben Megarry, a 19-year-old with autism, who was similarly convicted of phoning in nearly two dozen hoax bomb threats to schools in the UK.But the British version of the story saw Megarry avoid jail time, instead receiving a sentence of two years’ probation, along with 70 hours of community service.The case was similar to that of M., featuring a young man wreaking havoc from his own bedroom, while seemingly unable to comprehend the consequences of his actions.“I wanted to give him a reason to be hopeful,” S. recalled after the visit, though, at the time, it didn’t seem clear that M. had understood.As the parents exchanged some final words with their son, a guard entered the room and began shouting at them. “I’ve already told you 20 times to finish up, and you’ve been ignoring me,” he barked.G. and S. looked at each other in shock, as neither of them had heard the guard attempt to get their attention more than once.“I plan on passing this along to the higher-ups,” the guard said. G. and S. did not say a word, fearful of further upsetting a guard who could easily be among those responsible for their son later in the day.Rushing their goodbyes, the parents placed their palms on the glass, as M. did the same on the other side.As they walked out, they sneaked one last glance through the window, to see their son being cuffed and ushered away by guards in the opposite direction.Just above that window hung a finger-painting with the phrase “Life is beautiful.” At best, it could have been a tactless reference to life on their side of the glass, though hopefully they didn’t notice it.Responding to claims of mistreatment of M. by Ayalon Prison guards, the Israel Prisons Service (IPS) issued the following statement:“The course of [M.’s] detention has been characterized by complex behavior, including attempts at self-harm, violence against others, property damage, and repeated attempts to escape legal custody. In addition, during the course of his detention, the detainee continued to use the public telephone to harm public safety.“In order to protect him as well as the public order, strict security guidelines were issued, which balanced the IPS’s obligation to hold him in legal custody… along with the need to take his special circumstance fully into account. Throughout his detention, many attempts have been made to integrate him into therapeutic processes, but the detainee has not cooperated. It should also be clarified that the detainee’s family’s requests are handled professionally and on a daily basis. At the same time, investigations conducted as a result of these inquiries — including ones by external agents — have not found fault, or evidence of their claim.”For their part, G. and S. responded with the following statement:“The IPS and the State of Israel have ignored the recommendations of medical experts who have stated that M.’s place is not in prison, but rather in a rehabilitative institutional process. As a result, they exercise excessive force and violence [against M.], which they whitewash in an alarmingly professional manner. Each of our claims has not been investigated and instead has been closed in a fashion typical of a Third World country. We, his parents, fear for his life.”

Syrian state media says electrical fault behind airbase blasts-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-September 4, 2018

BEIRUT (Reuters) - An electrical fault caused a series of loud blasts early on Sunday near a military airbase outside the Syrian capital Damascus, a Syrian military source cited by state media and an Iranian official said.An official in the regional alliance backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and a Britain-based war monitor had earlier attributed the blasts to Israeli missile strikes.The state media cited a military source as saying there was no "Israeli aggression" directed at the Mezzeh airbase near Damascus, after the sound of explosions was heard across the Syrian capital.There was no immediate comment from Israel.Iran's state news agency IRNA quoted an unnamed Iranian military official based in Syria as saying that the blast was caused by "an electrical short-circuit in an ammunition depot" on the outskirts of Damascus.The official in the regional pro-Assad alliance had said the blasts were caused by Israeli missile fire from across the Golan Heights frontier between the two countries and by Syrian air defenses responding.A war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, also attributed the blasts to Israeli strikes, and said the blasts led to deaths and injuries.Israel has previously acknowledged having carried out air strikes in Syria aimed at degrading the capacity of Iran and its allies, including Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah group, which are backing Assad in the country's seven-year civil war.In May, it said it attacked nearly all of Iran’s military infrastructure in Syria after Iranian forces fired rockets at Israeli-held territory for the first time in the most extensive military exchange ever between the two adversaries.(Reporting By Angus McDowall and Laila Bassam in Beirut, Mohamed el Sharif in Cairo, and the Dubai newsroom; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)