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
Netanyahu backs US envoy’s handling of sexual misconduct claims against aide-PM says he’s sure Ron Dermer acted properly in choosing not to alert PMO to warning about David Keyes, notes the ambassador’s decision is being checked by Civil Service Commission-By Raphael Ahren-OCT 1,18
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday backed his US envoy’s handling of a report on allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior by the prime minister’s international media spokesman David Keyes.Keyes went on open-ended leave of absence earlier this month, vowing to clear his name, after more than a dozen women complained of inappropriate behavior by him, including alleged instances of sexual assault and harassment, all but one of which related to the years when Keyes lived in the US before he went to work for Netanyahu in Jerusalem in 2016.Israel’s Ambassador to the US was warned about Keyes’s alleged behavior, but did not convey the warning to the Prime Minister’s Office.In his first public statement on the matter, Netanyahu told reporters: “I’m sure Ambassador Dermer acted entirely properly and appropriately.” He noted that “the matter is currently being probed by the Civil Service Commission, and we will let the investigation take its course.”Sitting next to Dermer at a briefing for reporters at UN headquarters in New York, Netanyahu did not directly address the allegations against Keyes, who did not accompany the prime minister to New York.The Civil Service Commission last week dropped an investigation into Keyes. It told The Times of Israel that Keyes may have acted improperly in the sole alleged incident that took place in Israel, but his behavior in that alleged incident did not constitute a criminal or disciplinary offense.At the same time, the commission is continuing to look into the role of Dermer, who has acknowledged that he was warned about Keyes’s alleged misconduct, but failed to alert the relevant authorities.On Tuesday, eve of the Yom Kippur, a female representative of the commission’s Department of Discipline briefly interviewed a woman who had accused Keyes of having made an “aggressive, sexual” advance weeks after he started working for Netanyahu in Israel.“It was a very frustrating call. I told her that he [Keyes] abused his position of power,” the woman, who asked to remain unnamed, told The Times of Israel, adding that the call lasted about five minutes. “She said something along the lines of, ‘He’s not the first morally corrupt person in government and won’t be the last,'” she added.The woman, a recent immigrant from North America in her 20s, is the only person so far who alleges improper behavior by Keyes after he had started working for Netanyahu. More than a dozen women have accused him of sexual misconduct in the years before he become the prime minister’s spokesperson in 2016 and was still living in New York.The Civil Service Commission can only probe improper behavior if it occurred while the accused official was working for the state, spokesperson Arye Greenblatt said. Greenblatt added: “The woman agreed to give only her first name, and at the beginning of the conversation she made it clear that she was willing to speak only on condition that the contents of the conversation and her identity were not transferred to Keyes… The woman had no desire to file a complaint against Keyes.”Greenblatt continued: “After describing her story, it was understood that the information she conveyed does not raise any suspicion of an offense on the part of Keyes, and that the incident had nothing to do with his work, and there was no work relations between the two at all.” Therefore, he went on, the commission’s representative told the complainant that she thinks that the Department of Discipline would not deal with the matter any further.“There was no talk of corruption,” Greenblatt said, referring to the complainant’s claim that she was told Keyes was not the “first morally corrupt person in government and won’t be the last.” Rather, Greenblatt said, a statement was made saying that while Keyes’s conduct may have been inappropriate, “there is nothing in what she described that would reveal a criminal or disciplinary offense.”Earlier this month, The Times of Israel published in some detail the woman’s account of her June 2016 encounter with Keyes.The New York Times reported that veteran US journalist Bret Stephens contacted Dermer in November 2016 and warned him that Keyes “posed a risk to women in Israeli government offices.”Dermer’s office acknowledged receiving Stephens’ message, but the ambassador decided not to pass it on to Netanyahu because the allegations were not criminal in nature.“Information of the call was not conveyed to the PMO. If Stephens or anyone else had given the ambassador information on sexual assault or any other criminal act towards women perpetrated by anyone in the PMO — whether before or after that person was appointed — he would have notified the PMO immediately,” Dermer’s office said in a statement.On September 12, The Times of Israel published an exposé regarding Keyes, citing 12 women who described a pattern of inappropriate behavior toward themselves and other women, including at least two accounts of what could be considered sexual assault.Since then, four additional women have contacted The Times of Israel to complain about their encounters with Keyes. To date, four of the women who have complained about Keyes’s behavior have been named.Keyes has denied any wrongdoing.It was not clear what information precisely Stephens had provided Dermer. In Israel, sexual harassment, not only assault, is considered a crime.Opposition MK Karine Elharrar on Sunday called on Netanyahu to dismiss Dermer for failing to report the sexual misconduct allegations. Elharrar, of the Yesh Atid party, told Netanyahu in a letter that Dermer was legally obligated to pass on the warnings of inappropriate behavior about the prime minister’s foreign media adviser.Echoing a complaint filed Saturday to the Civil Service Commission by Meretz MK Michal Rozin, Elharrar said that under Israel’s Law for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment, employers must “take appropriate action” against harassment or any knowledge thereof.She said that even if Dermer did not believe the harassment allegations against Keyes constituted criminal offense, he was still obligated to report the claims according to the 1998 law.In response, the Prime Minister’s Office said that it “wasn’t clear exactly what [Dermer] was told based on media reports,” but his handling of the affair would be investigated internally, according to the Ynet news site.On September 11, Julia Salazar, who was subsequently elected to New York’s State Senate, accused Keyes of sexually assaulting her five years ago. Wall Street Journal reporter Shayndi Raice tweeted she too had a “terrible encounter” with Keyes before he became Netanyahu’s spokesman. She described him as a “predator” and someone who had “absolutely no conception of the word ‘no.'”In the Times of Israel report published last week, a dozen women detailed varying allegations.Keyes, 34, denied the allegations, saying all “are deeply misleading and many of them are categorically false.” He later said that he was taking a leave of absence amid the uproar to try to clear his name.AP and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Panel sends Supreme Court pick Kavanaugh's nomination to full Senate-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-OCT 1,18
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday voted to send the nomination of President Donald Trump's U.S. Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh to the full Senate for consideration, with one hold-out Republican calling for an FBI probe into sexual assault allegations against the nominee before a final vote is held.The panel moved the federal judge's nomination to the full Senate on a party-line vote of 11-10, with all Republicans in support, and all Democrats opposed.The concerns expressed by Republican Senator Jeff Flake could imperil the nomination if an FBI investigation is not launched.(Reporting by Amanda Becker and Richard Cowan; Writing by Tim Ahmann; Editing by David Alexander)
Cosby's appeal likely to focus on parade of accusers at his second trial-[Reuters]-By Joseph Ax-YAHOONEWS- 30, 2018
(Reuters) - Bill Cosby's appeal of his conviction for sexual assault is expected to focus on a Pennsylvania judge's decision to allow several accusers to testify against him, but his challenge faces significant hurdles, according to legal experts.The disgraced comedian's first trial hinged largely on the credibility of a single woman, his one-time friend Andrea Constand, who said he drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2004, and ended in a hung jury.At his second trial in April, Montgomery County Judge Steven O'Neill allowed the jury to hear five other women with strikingly similar stories of sexual abuse. Cosby was found guilty and on Tuesday was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.Cosby's lawyers face a difficult burden in convincing an appellate court to second-guess O'Neill's decision, experts told Reuters."I don't think that they have any significant likelihood of winning this appeal," said Michelle Dempsey, a law professor at Villanova University in Philadelphia. "The evidence was solid, and the standard in Pennsylvania is clear."Other potential appeals grounds include the decade-plus gap between the crime and Cosby's arrest, claims of bias against the trial judge and an alleged promise by a former district attorney not to prosecute Cosby for the Constand incident.Cosby, once known as "America's Dad" for his role as the beloved patriarch of the Huxtable family on the 1980s television comedy "The Cosby Show," has been accused by more than 50 women of sexual abuse dating back decades. Only Constand's allegations were recent enough to lead to criminal prosecution.He was given a minimum of three years in prison on Tuesday and immediately taken in handcuffs to the county jail. His lawyers are expected to ask an appellate court to free him on bail while his appeal is pending.A lawyer and a spokesman for Cosby did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.CHALLENGING OTHER ACCUSERS-Typically, testimony about "prior bad acts" is barred from trial, under the theory that jurors may end up convicting the defendant for misconduct unrelated to the crime in question. But many states, including Pennsylvania, permit such witnesses if they are called to show a specific pattern of behavior.In Cosby's case, virtually all of his accusers have described a similar modus operandi. He offered some form of mentorship before plying them with drugs or alcohol in a place he controlled, such as a hotel room or his own home, to facilitate sexual assault.At Cosby's first trial, prosecutors sought to call more than a dozen other accusers, but O'Neill limited them to just one: Kelly Johnson, who said Cosby drugged and assaulted her in 1996.Ahead of the second trial, however, O'Neill gave prosecutors permission to call five women as witnesses. He did not offer his legal reasoning, but under Pennsylvania law, he will be required to do so in writing if Cosby's lawyers raise the issue on appeal.In between the two trials, the #MeToo movement, the national reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful men, was born following allegations against the movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.Wesley Oliver, director of the criminal justice program at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, said the defense would likely question why O'Neill changed his mind."If the judge found one to be the appropriate number the first time around, how do you explain five the second time around?" he said in an interview after Cosby's conviction in April. "The law didn't change between these two cases; society changed a lot. If you're the appellate court, what do you do with that?"The legal standard to reverse O'Neill's decision is whether he abused his discretion, a high bar to clear, according to experts.Nevertheless, appellate courts tend to look closely at prior bad act witnesses because the potential for prejudice against the defendant is also high, said Dennis McAndrews, a former Pennsylvania prosecutor.Cosby's lawyers are also likely to renew their argument that former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor promised Cosby in 2005 he would not be prosecuted if he agreed to sit for a deposition in Constand's civil case against him.The deposition, in which Cosby acknowledged giving sedatives to young women, was unsealed a decade later, and prosecutors cited it as a crucial piece of evidence when they brought criminal charges.Even so, legal experts said the lack of a written deal with Castor, as well as the fact that Cosby had his own lawyers at the time, would make it hard for Cosby to argue that he had an ironclad agreement.In the meantime, his family and aides are pressing his case in the court of public opinion.Cosby was the subject of "the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the United States," his publicist, Andrew Wyatt, told reporters just minutes after he was led out of the courthouse in shackles on Tuesday.(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Frank McGurty and Tom Brown)
With new missile defense for Syria, Russia shifts its relationship with Israel-[Christian Science Monitor]-Fred Weir, Joshua Mitnick-YAHOONEWS-OCT 1,18
Russia has just taken a huge gamble in Syria.It will greatly strengthen Moscow's hand in determining the endgame in the seven-year-old civil war if it works. But it might lead to wider conflict if other powers accustomed to intruding into Syrian airspace with relative ease, particularly Israel, decide to challenge the move.The Russians have indicated that they will effectively impose what is known as A2/AD (anti-access/area denial) over the entire Syrian theater by supplying Syrian forces with advanced S-300 anti-aircraft systems. The missiles will be integrated into a single, computerized air defense network and supported by Russian-provided electronic jamming measures. It's not quite a “no fly zone,” since the Russians would be required to announce and enforce something like that directly.Experts say the system, which Moscow claims will be up and running within two weeks, will be under the nominal control of Syrian forces, but will almost certainly have a Russian finger on the trigger. If the move is implemented, it will compel the Israelis – who have launched 200 airstrikes against Syria in the past 18 months – as well as other active powers such as Turkey and the US-led coalition, to consult much more closely with Moscow if they wish to pursue their separate military objectives in Syria, or risk taking losses.DECONFLICTION-The Russians have been mulling this move since 2013, when they first acceded to Israeli requests to suspend a planned sale of the S-300s to Syria in order to preserve “regional stability.” What prompted them to change their minds was the Sept. 17 “friendly fire” shootdown of a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane by an old Soviet-made Syrian S-200 missile, killing 15 Russian military personnel, near Russia's Khmeimim airbase in Syria during or – depending on whom you believe – immediately after a major Israeli airstrike on a nearby Syrian military base.There were a few days of confusion in Moscow. Vladimir Putin, who has maintained a very close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, initially sounded ready to blame the incident on the fog of war. His Defense Ministry, however, insisted the attacking Israeli F-16s had “set up” the lumbering turboprop Il-20 by hiding behind its radar signature and making it an easy target for the Syrian missile, which is so old it lacks any ability to distinguish friend from foe. Two starkly different narratives about what happened still remain in play, but the Kremlin has clearly decided to accept the version offered by its own Defense Ministry.“Putin is not only president, he is also commander in chief of the armed forces,” says Alexander Sherin, deputy chair of the Russian State Duma's defense committee. “The military are obliged to explain these things to the Russian people, so possibly they just sound tougher. Maybe the president was a bit more diplomatic. But everyone agrees this is a step we had to take a long time ago. We cannot allow Syrian airspace to be turned into a public thoroughfare.”Until now, Israel has courted Moscow to cultivate understandings on “deconfliction.” The mechanism, which reportedly includes a hotline between the militaries, allows Israel to target weapons shipments destined for Hezbollah or Iranian-allied forces in Syria, even as Russia maintained overall control in Syria in a loose alliance with Iran. The arrangement that Mr. Putin previously had with Mr. Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel has legitimate security concerns, particularly in Syria's southwest, where the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights meets Syria proper.Russia claims it has obliged Israel by helping to roll back Iranian-linked forces from that area. It has also allowed Israel to pursue other prongs of its strategy to contain Iranian influence in Syria: blocking the transfer of advanced weapons to Hezbollah that would substantially erode Israel’s advantage, and preventing the entrenchment of Iranian and Iranian-allied forces in Syria that could serve as a front of conflict.It is a complicated understanding, heavily dependent on mutual goodwill, which has now somewhat evaporated. Some suggest a new arrangement will need to be worked out, where Russia has the upper hand.“This changes the rules of the game. We will feel much less confident in attacking Syria, which will make the life of the Iranians easier,’” says Alon Liel, a former director general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry. “Israel needs Russia very much and won’t risk a conflict.”A DIFFERENCE-MAKING WEAPON? The late-version S-300 system that Russia plans to install in Syria, to cover the country's entire airspace, is not a Russian top-of-the-line air defense weapon. But it is a relatively recent member of a class of long-range, multi-target-capable anti-aircraft systems developed over decades by the Soviet Union and Russia that have no counterparts in the US arsenal. That's only because the US, historically, has no need of a weapon to defend against massed air attack.But although the S-300 has never been tested in combat against modern Western aircraft, most analysts agree it would be foolish to discount it.“The S-300 can prevent uninvited air strikes in Syria,” says Konstantin Sivkov, an expert with the official Russian Academy of Missile and Artillery Sciences. “These other countries, like Israel, will have to change their tactics, and perhaps that will lead to further stabilization of the situation. If not, Syria could become the detonator of World War Three, God forbid.”Israeli defense analysts say Israel has been preparing for the S-300's deployment for over a decade, and that it may not prove as significant an obstacle to Israeli operations as the Syrians and Russians might hope. But at the very least, Israel will need to be more circumspect in pursuing its goals in Syria. That might involve giving Moscow more advanced warning of a strike and holding fire in case planes are attacked by new advanced air defense systems supplied by Moscow for fear of endangering Russian personnel.Israel will have to “be more careful than ever,” says Eyal Zisser, a political science professor at Tel Aviv University. “If you see a Russian airplane, don’t gamble that the Syrians will miss. It’s not in Israel’s interest to get into a conflict with a superpower like Russia.”‘IT'S A BIG POKER GAME’It seems most likely that the close Putin-Netanyahu relationship will re-assert itself, and a new modus vivendi will take hold. But not necessarily.“We shouldn’t be confused: The very important friendship between the leaders ultimately doesn’t outweigh [geopolitical] interests,” Mike Herzog, a former military adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said in an interview with Israel Army Radio. “And the Russians have their own interests, and they’re not identical to Israeli interests. Let’s not forget they fought alongside Iran to save Assad.”It seems certain that the long-running, bitter, multi-sided war in Syria has entered a new phase, perhaps a more dangerous one. Russia is hoping this gambit will ratchet down the free-for-all air war over Syria, and force the various players to step back and mediate their interests in the region through Moscow. If it works, a Russian-authored Syrian endgame might be within sight. But if it doesn't? “It's a big poker game,” says Alexander Golts, an independent Russian military expert. “We don't really know how effective the S-300 would be in blocking Israeli incursions or thwarting US cruise missile attacks. So, it's a bluff. But is anyone prepared to call it?”
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.
South Carolina city hopeful as flooding remains a threat-[Reuters]-By Harriet McLeod and Gene Cherry-YAHOONEWS-OCT 1,18
CHARLESTON, S.C./RALEIGH, N.C. (Reuters) - Emergency management officials in Georgetown, South Carolina, were optimistic on Thursday that their port community would see less flooding than previously expected in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.Florence, which crashed ashore two weeks ago as a Category 1 hurricane and killed 46 people in three states, has since dissipated, but the storm's torrential rainfall threatens to swamp Georgetown as it drains toward the ocean.Forecasts now show floodwaters rising two to four feet (0.6 to 1.2 meters) in Georgetown, which sits at the confluence of the Waccamaw, Great Pee Dee and Sampit rivers about 30 miles (50 km) south of Myrtle Beach, considerably lower than initially feared."While we're optimistic that things are looking better to some degree ... there will be increased levels of water in some areas," Georgetown County Administrator Sel Hemingway said on Wednesday. "The awareness level needs to be elevated."Officials were still urging 6,000 to 8,000 residents to leave their homes, with rivers expected to crest in Georgetown on Friday and remain above flood stage for four or five days.The North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies said preliminary research suggests that Florence was among the rainiest storms in the United States in some 70 years.South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said the river flooding caused by Florence, which dropped nearly 20 inches (50 cm) of rain in some places in the state, is something his state has not had to cope with before.'FULL BATTLE MODE'-"This is unprecedented and we are still in full battle mode," McMaster said at a press briefing on Wednesday at Emergency Management Division headquarters in Columbia, the state capital.Flooding has destroyed 46 homes in the state, significantly damaged more than 1,000 and forced 11,000 people to flee their homes, including 3,000 in Georgetown, EMD Director Kim Stenson said Wednesday.In Conway County, where the Waccamaw was already well above flood stage, Santee Cooper, South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility, said floodwaters stopped rising before inundating a pond that holds more than 200,000 tons of toxic coal ash."The river’s rise has slowed and we think it’s cresting today," utility spokeswoman Mollie Gore said from the site, where 115 workers had shored up the dam around the pond. "We still have a foot between the top of the river and the top of the dam."Santee Cooper said it has removed more than 1 million tons of coal ash, which can contaminate water and harm fish and wildlife, from the site in the past few years.Some one to two inches of rain moving into the central and western parts of the state in a next day or two will prolong the flooding, said meteorologist Rich Otto of the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.Crews worked to erect temporary dams on either side of U.S. Highway 17, the main coastal route through the area, and National Guard engineers were installing a floating bridge at Georgetown in case the highway is washed out at the river.(Reporting by Harriet McLeod and Gene Cherry; additional reporting by Peter Szekely in New York, Makini Brice in Washington, Bernie Woodall in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; writing by Peter Szekely and Dan Whitcomb; editing by Cynthia Osterman, Lisa Shumaker, Larry King)
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)
Palestinians say 6 killed, including 14-year-old, in Gaza border clashes-20,000 gather at border, throwing hand grenades, rocks, burning tires and sending arson balloons into Israel; troops respond with tear gas and live fire-By TOI staff-OCT 01,18
Six Palestinians, including a teen, were reported killed Friday as tens of thousands of Palestinians protested along the Gaza border fence, throwing hand grenades, rocks and burning tires in clashes with IDF troops, who responded with tear gas, live fire and air strikes.The protests was one of the largest and most violent in recent weeks and comes following the break down of indirect talks with Israel over a cease-fire and warnings that the terror group Hamas, which rules Gaza, was gearing up for another conflict.Six people were killed, including a 14-year-old, and at least 210 Palestinians were wounded, including an 11-year-old boy, who was in a serious condition, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. It said 90 of the wounded were hit by live fire.The ministry identified two of the dead as Mohammed al-Houm, 14, and Iyad Al-Shaar, 18 and said they were shot.The IDF said about 20,000 Palestinians were taking part in violent protests, spread out among a few locations along the Gaza security fence.In several instances they threw hand grenades and explosive devices at soldiers. In two cases IAF aircraft carried out strikes against grenade throwers, the army said, noting there were no injuries to IDF forces.One of the strikes was on a Hamas post, the army said.IDF troops were also responding with tear gas and other less-lethal riot dispersal means as well as live fire “in accordance with the rules of engagement,” the army said.Also, Palestinians launched several fire balloons into Israel, causing at least 16 blazes near Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip, a spokesman for the Israeli Fire and Rescue Services said. Firefighters were working to extinguish them.The riots have increased in recent weeks, going from a weekly event to near nightly protests since Hamas halted indirect talks with Israel aimed at a ceasefire. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has also worsened and reconciliation talks with the Palestinian Authority have broken down.Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip and actively calls for Israel’s destruction, has increased the pace of rioting and demonstrations against Israel, and created new units tasked with sustaining tensions along the border fence including during nighttime and early morning hours.The Times of Israel reported on Thursday that almost every evening, thousands of Gazans now gather for violent demonstrations at the Erez crossing and elsewhere, as part of Hamas’s attempts to signal to Israel that it wants an economic solution to the Gaza Strip.The Egyptian efforts to reconcile Hamas and Fatah have not borne fruit at this stage, and the possibility of a long-term ceasefire with Israel has apparently fallen off the agenda, Thursday’s analysis by Times of Israel’s Avi Issacaharoff said. The economic situation has once again reached an unprecedented low, stoking fury among Gazans that is being directed against Israel, the PA, Hamas and even Egypt.On Friday, the Haaretz daily quoted Israeli security sources as saying that Hamas is preparing for war, bolstering its forces significantly over the past few weeks.That assessment is not new, IDF sources told the Haaretz daily Friday, having warned repeatedly that the situation is more likely to escalate than to calm down. However, recently the army noted that the terror group appears to actively be readying itself for a limited conflict with Israel. It is only a question of when Hamas will decide to go to war, the paper said.Israeli officials believe there are two main causes pushing Hamas toward military escalation, the newspaper report said — the failed reconciliation talks with PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party, which controls the West Bank and has maintained a chokehold on Gaza’s finances in a bid to pressure Hamas to cede control of the territory, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis of the enclave under the Israeli-Egyptian blockade, made worse in recent months by the US slashing its aid to the PA and its funding for UNRWA, the UN body responsible for the welfare of Palestinian refugees, which funds schools and major relief projects in the Strip.The surge of violence in Gaza began in March with a series of protests along the border that were dubbed the “March of Return.” The clashes have included regular rock and Molotov cocktail attacks on troops, as well as shooting and IED attacks aimed at IDF soldiers and attempts to breach the border fence.Gaza protesters have also launched incendiary kites and balloons into Israel, sparking fires that have destroyed forests, burned crops and killed livestock. Over 7,000 acres of land have been burned, causing millions of shekels in damages, according to Israeli officials. Some balloons have carried improvised explosive devices.Israeli fire has killed at least 140 Palestinians during the protests since late March, according to AP figures. Hamas, which seeks to destroy Israel, has acknowledged that dozens of the fatalities were its members.
Rights group slams official’s defense of Shin Bet questioning of Israel critics-ACRI says Deputy AG issued ‘shameful’ document defending the agency after criticism over border detainment and interrogation of liberal US Jews and other government opponents-By TOI staff-OCT 1,18
A civil rights group on Friday excoriated one of Israel’s top law enforcement officials for defending the Shin Bet security service’s detention and questioning of Israel critics at the country’s borders that sparked widespread criticism and a government inquiry.Dan Yakir, chief counsel for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), described the letter from Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber, who conducted an inquiry into the incidents, as “one of the most shameful and dangerous documents ever issued from one of the state authorities.”Zilber’s letter also stated the Shin Bet would no longer ask detainees at border crossings about their political views and that regulations to that effect would be reiterated to officials at the borders.“Apparently, the Shin Bet believes that participation in a demonstration or a tour in the West Bank constitutes an existential threat to the State of Israel. And the Attorney General, instead of being angry at this, has adopted it,” charged Yakir.“The Shin Bet has decided to define these activists as suspects of terrorist or violent acts [sic], all in order to circumvent the restrictions that the High Court of Justice had imposed on ‘warning conversations’.”Yakir also noted that the only case in which the Shin Bet admitted an error had been made was the detention and question of prominent American journalist and Israeli government critic Peter Beinart.“Apparently, only when it comes to the political persecution of an American journalist capable of damaging the image of Israel, someone is willing to admit they made a mistake,” said Yakir. “This only goes to prove the claim that we are talking about political persecution, which aims to threaten the critics of the occupation inside and outside Israel.”One of Israel’s top law enforcement officials said Thursday the Shin Bet security service would no longer ask detainees at border crossings about their political views and that regulations to that effect would be reiterated to officials at the borders, while defending the agency’s detentions and questioning of Israel critics that sparked criticism and a government inquiry.Zilber’s letter Thursday to the ACRI came at the end of a month-long inquiry after complaints about the detentions were lodged by the organization and other NGOs.“It should be made clear that the questioning carried out by the Shin Bet in these situations was not intended to interfere with [political] protest activities, but to prevent violent and illegal actions carried out from nationalistic motives or in relation to terrorist groups,” Zilber wrote.The questioning at the border was “based on intelligence information that raised concerns, and was unrelated to the political identification or affiliation of the questionee,” Zilber said, defending the Shin Bet’s actions.However, the letter goes on to acknowledge that some Shin Bet and border officials behaved in ways that did not conform to the legal and policy restrictions placed on such questioning — including notifying the detainee that their questioning was voluntary, and avoiding questions about their political views.“It was decided therefore, in agreement with the Shin Bet, to refresh the [officials’ knowledge of the] regulations among the relevant authorities, and to establish oversight mechanisms in the relevant regulations related to such questioning, in a way that will ensure the appropriate balance between avoiding the potential harm to [a detainee’s] rights, the prevention of a ‘chilling effect’ [for activists], and the requirements of security,” Zilber wrote.The Shin Bet “is committed to the letter of the law and understands the sensitivity and delicacy that this issue requires,” she said.In an appendix to Zilber’s letter, the agency said it received no orders from the political leadership to begin questioning “extremist activists from either left or right.”It said it had denied entry to Israel of 17 foreigners who were identified as affiliated with the radical left since the start of 2018, the same figure for the same period in 2017.“The Shin Bet is well aware of the context in which it is operating and the sensitivity of each questioning. The Shin Bet carefully and specifically considers the need for each questioning,” the agency said. “The questioning is not meant to prevent legitimate protest activities,” it added.It said its questioning is part of an effort to track organizations and activists working to “convince Israelis and Palestinians to travel to sites with a high potential for friction, and to engage in violent actions there against Jewish residents and the security services”The letter from Zilber and the Shin Bet follows a month-long inquiry into the questioning taking place at Israel’s border crossings after American Jewish journalist and prominent critic of the Israeli government Peter Beinart said he was questioned on his political views upon arriving in the country for his niece’s bat mitzvah last month.Beinart said he arrived in Israel with his wife and two children to attend his niece’s bat mitzvah celebration, and that security officers at the airport flagged him for extra screening. He was taken for questioning, where an official repeatedly asked him whether he was involved in organizations that might instigate violence, promote anarchy, or threaten Israeli democracy.The interrogator also allegedly asked about a pro-Palestinian protest he attended in Hebron during his last visit, according to Beinart, who wrote about the experience in The Forward newspaper.A supporter of calls to boycott Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Beinart said he was never asked about that issue, and was not offered a legal basis for the detention.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Beinart’s detainment, calling it an “administrative mistake,” and a number of left-wing Israeli figures called for an investigation into what some had suggested was a new Israeli policy of blacklisting liberal US Jews and critics of the government’s policies.
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
Netanyahu backs US envoy’s handling of sexual misconduct claims against aide-PM says he’s sure Ron Dermer acted properly in choosing not to alert PMO to warning about David Keyes, notes the ambassador’s decision is being checked by Civil Service Commission-By Raphael Ahren-OCT 1,18
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday backed his US envoy’s handling of a report on allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior by the prime minister’s international media spokesman David Keyes.Keyes went on open-ended leave of absence earlier this month, vowing to clear his name, after more than a dozen women complained of inappropriate behavior by him, including alleged instances of sexual assault and harassment, all but one of which related to the years when Keyes lived in the US before he went to work for Netanyahu in Jerusalem in 2016.Israel’s Ambassador to the US was warned about Keyes’s alleged behavior, but did not convey the warning to the Prime Minister’s Office.In his first public statement on the matter, Netanyahu told reporters: “I’m sure Ambassador Dermer acted entirely properly and appropriately.” He noted that “the matter is currently being probed by the Civil Service Commission, and we will let the investigation take its course.”Sitting next to Dermer at a briefing for reporters at UN headquarters in New York, Netanyahu did not directly address the allegations against Keyes, who did not accompany the prime minister to New York.The Civil Service Commission last week dropped an investigation into Keyes. It told The Times of Israel that Keyes may have acted improperly in the sole alleged incident that took place in Israel, but his behavior in that alleged incident did not constitute a criminal or disciplinary offense.At the same time, the commission is continuing to look into the role of Dermer, who has acknowledged that he was warned about Keyes’s alleged misconduct, but failed to alert the relevant authorities.On Tuesday, eve of the Yom Kippur, a female representative of the commission’s Department of Discipline briefly interviewed a woman who had accused Keyes of having made an “aggressive, sexual” advance weeks after he started working for Netanyahu in Israel.“It was a very frustrating call. I told her that he [Keyes] abused his position of power,” the woman, who asked to remain unnamed, told The Times of Israel, adding that the call lasted about five minutes. “She said something along the lines of, ‘He’s not the first morally corrupt person in government and won’t be the last,'” she added.The woman, a recent immigrant from North America in her 20s, is the only person so far who alleges improper behavior by Keyes after he had started working for Netanyahu. More than a dozen women have accused him of sexual misconduct in the years before he become the prime minister’s spokesperson in 2016 and was still living in New York.The Civil Service Commission can only probe improper behavior if it occurred while the accused official was working for the state, spokesperson Arye Greenblatt said. Greenblatt added: “The woman agreed to give only her first name, and at the beginning of the conversation she made it clear that she was willing to speak only on condition that the contents of the conversation and her identity were not transferred to Keyes… The woman had no desire to file a complaint against Keyes.”Greenblatt continued: “After describing her story, it was understood that the information she conveyed does not raise any suspicion of an offense on the part of Keyes, and that the incident had nothing to do with his work, and there was no work relations between the two at all.” Therefore, he went on, the commission’s representative told the complainant that she thinks that the Department of Discipline would not deal with the matter any further.“There was no talk of corruption,” Greenblatt said, referring to the complainant’s claim that she was told Keyes was not the “first morally corrupt person in government and won’t be the last.” Rather, Greenblatt said, a statement was made saying that while Keyes’s conduct may have been inappropriate, “there is nothing in what she described that would reveal a criminal or disciplinary offense.”Earlier this month, The Times of Israel published in some detail the woman’s account of her June 2016 encounter with Keyes.The New York Times reported that veteran US journalist Bret Stephens contacted Dermer in November 2016 and warned him that Keyes “posed a risk to women in Israeli government offices.”Dermer’s office acknowledged receiving Stephens’ message, but the ambassador decided not to pass it on to Netanyahu because the allegations were not criminal in nature.“Information of the call was not conveyed to the PMO. If Stephens or anyone else had given the ambassador information on sexual assault or any other criminal act towards women perpetrated by anyone in the PMO — whether before or after that person was appointed — he would have notified the PMO immediately,” Dermer’s office said in a statement.On September 12, The Times of Israel published an exposé regarding Keyes, citing 12 women who described a pattern of inappropriate behavior toward themselves and other women, including at least two accounts of what could be considered sexual assault.Since then, four additional women have contacted The Times of Israel to complain about their encounters with Keyes. To date, four of the women who have complained about Keyes’s behavior have been named.Keyes has denied any wrongdoing.It was not clear what information precisely Stephens had provided Dermer. In Israel, sexual harassment, not only assault, is considered a crime.Opposition MK Karine Elharrar on Sunday called on Netanyahu to dismiss Dermer for failing to report the sexual misconduct allegations. Elharrar, of the Yesh Atid party, told Netanyahu in a letter that Dermer was legally obligated to pass on the warnings of inappropriate behavior about the prime minister’s foreign media adviser.Echoing a complaint filed Saturday to the Civil Service Commission by Meretz MK Michal Rozin, Elharrar said that under Israel’s Law for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment, employers must “take appropriate action” against harassment or any knowledge thereof.She said that even if Dermer did not believe the harassment allegations against Keyes constituted criminal offense, he was still obligated to report the claims according to the 1998 law.In response, the Prime Minister’s Office said that it “wasn’t clear exactly what [Dermer] was told based on media reports,” but his handling of the affair would be investigated internally, according to the Ynet news site.On September 11, Julia Salazar, who was subsequently elected to New York’s State Senate, accused Keyes of sexually assaulting her five years ago. Wall Street Journal reporter Shayndi Raice tweeted she too had a “terrible encounter” with Keyes before he became Netanyahu’s spokesman. She described him as a “predator” and someone who had “absolutely no conception of the word ‘no.'”In the Times of Israel report published last week, a dozen women detailed varying allegations.Keyes, 34, denied the allegations, saying all “are deeply misleading and many of them are categorically false.” He later said that he was taking a leave of absence amid the uproar to try to clear his name.AP and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Panel sends Supreme Court pick Kavanaugh's nomination to full Senate-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-OCT 1,18
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday voted to send the nomination of President Donald Trump's U.S. Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh to the full Senate for consideration, with one hold-out Republican calling for an FBI probe into sexual assault allegations against the nominee before a final vote is held.The panel moved the federal judge's nomination to the full Senate on a party-line vote of 11-10, with all Republicans in support, and all Democrats opposed.The concerns expressed by Republican Senator Jeff Flake could imperil the nomination if an FBI investigation is not launched.(Reporting by Amanda Becker and Richard Cowan; Writing by Tim Ahmann; Editing by David Alexander)
Cosby's appeal likely to focus on parade of accusers at his second trial-[Reuters]-By Joseph Ax-YAHOONEWS- 30, 2018
(Reuters) - Bill Cosby's appeal of his conviction for sexual assault is expected to focus on a Pennsylvania judge's decision to allow several accusers to testify against him, but his challenge faces significant hurdles, according to legal experts.The disgraced comedian's first trial hinged largely on the credibility of a single woman, his one-time friend Andrea Constand, who said he drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2004, and ended in a hung jury.At his second trial in April, Montgomery County Judge Steven O'Neill allowed the jury to hear five other women with strikingly similar stories of sexual abuse. Cosby was found guilty and on Tuesday was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.Cosby's lawyers face a difficult burden in convincing an appellate court to second-guess O'Neill's decision, experts told Reuters."I don't think that they have any significant likelihood of winning this appeal," said Michelle Dempsey, a law professor at Villanova University in Philadelphia. "The evidence was solid, and the standard in Pennsylvania is clear."Other potential appeals grounds include the decade-plus gap between the crime and Cosby's arrest, claims of bias against the trial judge and an alleged promise by a former district attorney not to prosecute Cosby for the Constand incident.Cosby, once known as "America's Dad" for his role as the beloved patriarch of the Huxtable family on the 1980s television comedy "The Cosby Show," has been accused by more than 50 women of sexual abuse dating back decades. Only Constand's allegations were recent enough to lead to criminal prosecution.He was given a minimum of three years in prison on Tuesday and immediately taken in handcuffs to the county jail. His lawyers are expected to ask an appellate court to free him on bail while his appeal is pending.A lawyer and a spokesman for Cosby did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.CHALLENGING OTHER ACCUSERS-Typically, testimony about "prior bad acts" is barred from trial, under the theory that jurors may end up convicting the defendant for misconduct unrelated to the crime in question. But many states, including Pennsylvania, permit such witnesses if they are called to show a specific pattern of behavior.In Cosby's case, virtually all of his accusers have described a similar modus operandi. He offered some form of mentorship before plying them with drugs or alcohol in a place he controlled, such as a hotel room or his own home, to facilitate sexual assault.At Cosby's first trial, prosecutors sought to call more than a dozen other accusers, but O'Neill limited them to just one: Kelly Johnson, who said Cosby drugged and assaulted her in 1996.Ahead of the second trial, however, O'Neill gave prosecutors permission to call five women as witnesses. He did not offer his legal reasoning, but under Pennsylvania law, he will be required to do so in writing if Cosby's lawyers raise the issue on appeal.In between the two trials, the #MeToo movement, the national reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful men, was born following allegations against the movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.Wesley Oliver, director of the criminal justice program at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, said the defense would likely question why O'Neill changed his mind."If the judge found one to be the appropriate number the first time around, how do you explain five the second time around?" he said in an interview after Cosby's conviction in April. "The law didn't change between these two cases; society changed a lot. If you're the appellate court, what do you do with that?"The legal standard to reverse O'Neill's decision is whether he abused his discretion, a high bar to clear, according to experts.Nevertheless, appellate courts tend to look closely at prior bad act witnesses because the potential for prejudice against the defendant is also high, said Dennis McAndrews, a former Pennsylvania prosecutor.Cosby's lawyers are also likely to renew their argument that former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor promised Cosby in 2005 he would not be prosecuted if he agreed to sit for a deposition in Constand's civil case against him.The deposition, in which Cosby acknowledged giving sedatives to young women, was unsealed a decade later, and prosecutors cited it as a crucial piece of evidence when they brought criminal charges.Even so, legal experts said the lack of a written deal with Castor, as well as the fact that Cosby had his own lawyers at the time, would make it hard for Cosby to argue that he had an ironclad agreement.In the meantime, his family and aides are pressing his case in the court of public opinion.Cosby was the subject of "the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the United States," his publicist, Andrew Wyatt, told reporters just minutes after he was led out of the courthouse in shackles on Tuesday.(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Frank McGurty and Tom Brown)
With new missile defense for Syria, Russia shifts its relationship with Israel-[Christian Science Monitor]-Fred Weir, Joshua Mitnick-YAHOONEWS-OCT 1,18
Russia has just taken a huge gamble in Syria.It will greatly strengthen Moscow's hand in determining the endgame in the seven-year-old civil war if it works. But it might lead to wider conflict if other powers accustomed to intruding into Syrian airspace with relative ease, particularly Israel, decide to challenge the move.The Russians have indicated that they will effectively impose what is known as A2/AD (anti-access/area denial) over the entire Syrian theater by supplying Syrian forces with advanced S-300 anti-aircraft systems. The missiles will be integrated into a single, computerized air defense network and supported by Russian-provided electronic jamming measures. It's not quite a “no fly zone,” since the Russians would be required to announce and enforce something like that directly.Experts say the system, which Moscow claims will be up and running within two weeks, will be under the nominal control of Syrian forces, but will almost certainly have a Russian finger on the trigger. If the move is implemented, it will compel the Israelis – who have launched 200 airstrikes against Syria in the past 18 months – as well as other active powers such as Turkey and the US-led coalition, to consult much more closely with Moscow if they wish to pursue their separate military objectives in Syria, or risk taking losses.DECONFLICTION-The Russians have been mulling this move since 2013, when they first acceded to Israeli requests to suspend a planned sale of the S-300s to Syria in order to preserve “regional stability.” What prompted them to change their minds was the Sept. 17 “friendly fire” shootdown of a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane by an old Soviet-made Syrian S-200 missile, killing 15 Russian military personnel, near Russia's Khmeimim airbase in Syria during or – depending on whom you believe – immediately after a major Israeli airstrike on a nearby Syrian military base.There were a few days of confusion in Moscow. Vladimir Putin, who has maintained a very close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, initially sounded ready to blame the incident on the fog of war. His Defense Ministry, however, insisted the attacking Israeli F-16s had “set up” the lumbering turboprop Il-20 by hiding behind its radar signature and making it an easy target for the Syrian missile, which is so old it lacks any ability to distinguish friend from foe. Two starkly different narratives about what happened still remain in play, but the Kremlin has clearly decided to accept the version offered by its own Defense Ministry.“Putin is not only president, he is also commander in chief of the armed forces,” says Alexander Sherin, deputy chair of the Russian State Duma's defense committee. “The military are obliged to explain these things to the Russian people, so possibly they just sound tougher. Maybe the president was a bit more diplomatic. But everyone agrees this is a step we had to take a long time ago. We cannot allow Syrian airspace to be turned into a public thoroughfare.”Until now, Israel has courted Moscow to cultivate understandings on “deconfliction.” The mechanism, which reportedly includes a hotline between the militaries, allows Israel to target weapons shipments destined for Hezbollah or Iranian-allied forces in Syria, even as Russia maintained overall control in Syria in a loose alliance with Iran. The arrangement that Mr. Putin previously had with Mr. Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel has legitimate security concerns, particularly in Syria's southwest, where the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights meets Syria proper.Russia claims it has obliged Israel by helping to roll back Iranian-linked forces from that area. It has also allowed Israel to pursue other prongs of its strategy to contain Iranian influence in Syria: blocking the transfer of advanced weapons to Hezbollah that would substantially erode Israel’s advantage, and preventing the entrenchment of Iranian and Iranian-allied forces in Syria that could serve as a front of conflict.It is a complicated understanding, heavily dependent on mutual goodwill, which has now somewhat evaporated. Some suggest a new arrangement will need to be worked out, where Russia has the upper hand.“This changes the rules of the game. We will feel much less confident in attacking Syria, which will make the life of the Iranians easier,’” says Alon Liel, a former director general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry. “Israel needs Russia very much and won’t risk a conflict.”A DIFFERENCE-MAKING WEAPON? The late-version S-300 system that Russia plans to install in Syria, to cover the country's entire airspace, is not a Russian top-of-the-line air defense weapon. But it is a relatively recent member of a class of long-range, multi-target-capable anti-aircraft systems developed over decades by the Soviet Union and Russia that have no counterparts in the US arsenal. That's only because the US, historically, has no need of a weapon to defend against massed air attack.But although the S-300 has never been tested in combat against modern Western aircraft, most analysts agree it would be foolish to discount it.“The S-300 can prevent uninvited air strikes in Syria,” says Konstantin Sivkov, an expert with the official Russian Academy of Missile and Artillery Sciences. “These other countries, like Israel, will have to change their tactics, and perhaps that will lead to further stabilization of the situation. If not, Syria could become the detonator of World War Three, God forbid.”Israeli defense analysts say Israel has been preparing for the S-300's deployment for over a decade, and that it may not prove as significant an obstacle to Israeli operations as the Syrians and Russians might hope. But at the very least, Israel will need to be more circumspect in pursuing its goals in Syria. That might involve giving Moscow more advanced warning of a strike and holding fire in case planes are attacked by new advanced air defense systems supplied by Moscow for fear of endangering Russian personnel.Israel will have to “be more careful than ever,” says Eyal Zisser, a political science professor at Tel Aviv University. “If you see a Russian airplane, don’t gamble that the Syrians will miss. It’s not in Israel’s interest to get into a conflict with a superpower like Russia.”‘IT'S A BIG POKER GAME’It seems most likely that the close Putin-Netanyahu relationship will re-assert itself, and a new modus vivendi will take hold. But not necessarily.“We shouldn’t be confused: The very important friendship between the leaders ultimately doesn’t outweigh [geopolitical] interests,” Mike Herzog, a former military adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said in an interview with Israel Army Radio. “And the Russians have their own interests, and they’re not identical to Israeli interests. Let’s not forget they fought alongside Iran to save Assad.”It seems certain that the long-running, bitter, multi-sided war in Syria has entered a new phase, perhaps a more dangerous one. Russia is hoping this gambit will ratchet down the free-for-all air war over Syria, and force the various players to step back and mediate their interests in the region through Moscow. If it works, a Russian-authored Syrian endgame might be within sight. But if it doesn't? “It's a big poker game,” says Alexander Golts, an independent Russian military expert. “We don't really know how effective the S-300 would be in blocking Israeli incursions or thwarting US cruise missile attacks. So, it's a bluff. But is anyone prepared to call it?”
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.
South Carolina city hopeful as flooding remains a threat-[Reuters]-By Harriet McLeod and Gene Cherry-YAHOONEWS-OCT 1,18
CHARLESTON, S.C./RALEIGH, N.C. (Reuters) - Emergency management officials in Georgetown, South Carolina, were optimistic on Thursday that their port community would see less flooding than previously expected in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.Florence, which crashed ashore two weeks ago as a Category 1 hurricane and killed 46 people in three states, has since dissipated, but the storm's torrential rainfall threatens to swamp Georgetown as it drains toward the ocean.Forecasts now show floodwaters rising two to four feet (0.6 to 1.2 meters) in Georgetown, which sits at the confluence of the Waccamaw, Great Pee Dee and Sampit rivers about 30 miles (50 km) south of Myrtle Beach, considerably lower than initially feared."While we're optimistic that things are looking better to some degree ... there will be increased levels of water in some areas," Georgetown County Administrator Sel Hemingway said on Wednesday. "The awareness level needs to be elevated."Officials were still urging 6,000 to 8,000 residents to leave their homes, with rivers expected to crest in Georgetown on Friday and remain above flood stage for four or five days.The North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies said preliminary research suggests that Florence was among the rainiest storms in the United States in some 70 years.South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said the river flooding caused by Florence, which dropped nearly 20 inches (50 cm) of rain in some places in the state, is something his state has not had to cope with before.'FULL BATTLE MODE'-"This is unprecedented and we are still in full battle mode," McMaster said at a press briefing on Wednesday at Emergency Management Division headquarters in Columbia, the state capital.Flooding has destroyed 46 homes in the state, significantly damaged more than 1,000 and forced 11,000 people to flee their homes, including 3,000 in Georgetown, EMD Director Kim Stenson said Wednesday.In Conway County, where the Waccamaw was already well above flood stage, Santee Cooper, South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility, said floodwaters stopped rising before inundating a pond that holds more than 200,000 tons of toxic coal ash."The river’s rise has slowed and we think it’s cresting today," utility spokeswoman Mollie Gore said from the site, where 115 workers had shored up the dam around the pond. "We still have a foot between the top of the river and the top of the dam."Santee Cooper said it has removed more than 1 million tons of coal ash, which can contaminate water and harm fish and wildlife, from the site in the past few years.Some one to two inches of rain moving into the central and western parts of the state in a next day or two will prolong the flooding, said meteorologist Rich Otto of the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.Crews worked to erect temporary dams on either side of U.S. Highway 17, the main coastal route through the area, and National Guard engineers were installing a floating bridge at Georgetown in case the highway is washed out at the river.(Reporting by Harriet McLeod and Gene Cherry; additional reporting by Peter Szekely in New York, Makini Brice in Washington, Bernie Woodall in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; writing by Peter Szekely and Dan Whitcomb; editing by Cynthia Osterman, Lisa Shumaker, Larry King)
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)
Palestinians say 6 killed, including 14-year-old, in Gaza border clashes-20,000 gather at border, throwing hand grenades, rocks, burning tires and sending arson balloons into Israel; troops respond with tear gas and live fire-By TOI staff-OCT 01,18
Six Palestinians, including a teen, were reported killed Friday as tens of thousands of Palestinians protested along the Gaza border fence, throwing hand grenades, rocks and burning tires in clashes with IDF troops, who responded with tear gas, live fire and air strikes.The protests was one of the largest and most violent in recent weeks and comes following the break down of indirect talks with Israel over a cease-fire and warnings that the terror group Hamas, which rules Gaza, was gearing up for another conflict.Six people were killed, including a 14-year-old, and at least 210 Palestinians were wounded, including an 11-year-old boy, who was in a serious condition, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. It said 90 of the wounded were hit by live fire.The ministry identified two of the dead as Mohammed al-Houm, 14, and Iyad Al-Shaar, 18 and said they were shot.The IDF said about 20,000 Palestinians were taking part in violent protests, spread out among a few locations along the Gaza security fence.In several instances they threw hand grenades and explosive devices at soldiers. In two cases IAF aircraft carried out strikes against grenade throwers, the army said, noting there were no injuries to IDF forces.One of the strikes was on a Hamas post, the army said.IDF troops were also responding with tear gas and other less-lethal riot dispersal means as well as live fire “in accordance with the rules of engagement,” the army said.Also, Palestinians launched several fire balloons into Israel, causing at least 16 blazes near Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip, a spokesman for the Israeli Fire and Rescue Services said. Firefighters were working to extinguish them.The riots have increased in recent weeks, going from a weekly event to near nightly protests since Hamas halted indirect talks with Israel aimed at a ceasefire. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has also worsened and reconciliation talks with the Palestinian Authority have broken down.Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip and actively calls for Israel’s destruction, has increased the pace of rioting and demonstrations against Israel, and created new units tasked with sustaining tensions along the border fence including during nighttime and early morning hours.The Times of Israel reported on Thursday that almost every evening, thousands of Gazans now gather for violent demonstrations at the Erez crossing and elsewhere, as part of Hamas’s attempts to signal to Israel that it wants an economic solution to the Gaza Strip.The Egyptian efforts to reconcile Hamas and Fatah have not borne fruit at this stage, and the possibility of a long-term ceasefire with Israel has apparently fallen off the agenda, Thursday’s analysis by Times of Israel’s Avi Issacaharoff said. The economic situation has once again reached an unprecedented low, stoking fury among Gazans that is being directed against Israel, the PA, Hamas and even Egypt.On Friday, the Haaretz daily quoted Israeli security sources as saying that Hamas is preparing for war, bolstering its forces significantly over the past few weeks.That assessment is not new, IDF sources told the Haaretz daily Friday, having warned repeatedly that the situation is more likely to escalate than to calm down. However, recently the army noted that the terror group appears to actively be readying itself for a limited conflict with Israel. It is only a question of when Hamas will decide to go to war, the paper said.Israeli officials believe there are two main causes pushing Hamas toward military escalation, the newspaper report said — the failed reconciliation talks with PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party, which controls the West Bank and has maintained a chokehold on Gaza’s finances in a bid to pressure Hamas to cede control of the territory, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis of the enclave under the Israeli-Egyptian blockade, made worse in recent months by the US slashing its aid to the PA and its funding for UNRWA, the UN body responsible for the welfare of Palestinian refugees, which funds schools and major relief projects in the Strip.The surge of violence in Gaza began in March with a series of protests along the border that were dubbed the “March of Return.” The clashes have included regular rock and Molotov cocktail attacks on troops, as well as shooting and IED attacks aimed at IDF soldiers and attempts to breach the border fence.Gaza protesters have also launched incendiary kites and balloons into Israel, sparking fires that have destroyed forests, burned crops and killed livestock. Over 7,000 acres of land have been burned, causing millions of shekels in damages, according to Israeli officials. Some balloons have carried improvised explosive devices.Israeli fire has killed at least 140 Palestinians during the protests since late March, according to AP figures. Hamas, which seeks to destroy Israel, has acknowledged that dozens of the fatalities were its members.
Rights group slams official’s defense of Shin Bet questioning of Israel critics-ACRI says Deputy AG issued ‘shameful’ document defending the agency after criticism over border detainment and interrogation of liberal US Jews and other government opponents-By TOI staff-OCT 1,18
A civil rights group on Friday excoriated one of Israel’s top law enforcement officials for defending the Shin Bet security service’s detention and questioning of Israel critics at the country’s borders that sparked widespread criticism and a government inquiry.Dan Yakir, chief counsel for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), described the letter from Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber, who conducted an inquiry into the incidents, as “one of the most shameful and dangerous documents ever issued from one of the state authorities.”Zilber’s letter also stated the Shin Bet would no longer ask detainees at border crossings about their political views and that regulations to that effect would be reiterated to officials at the borders.“Apparently, the Shin Bet believes that participation in a demonstration or a tour in the West Bank constitutes an existential threat to the State of Israel. And the Attorney General, instead of being angry at this, has adopted it,” charged Yakir.“The Shin Bet has decided to define these activists as suspects of terrorist or violent acts [sic], all in order to circumvent the restrictions that the High Court of Justice had imposed on ‘warning conversations’.”Yakir also noted that the only case in which the Shin Bet admitted an error had been made was the detention and question of prominent American journalist and Israeli government critic Peter Beinart.“Apparently, only when it comes to the political persecution of an American journalist capable of damaging the image of Israel, someone is willing to admit they made a mistake,” said Yakir. “This only goes to prove the claim that we are talking about political persecution, which aims to threaten the critics of the occupation inside and outside Israel.”One of Israel’s top law enforcement officials said Thursday the Shin Bet security service would no longer ask detainees at border crossings about their political views and that regulations to that effect would be reiterated to officials at the borders, while defending the agency’s detentions and questioning of Israel critics that sparked criticism and a government inquiry.Zilber’s letter Thursday to the ACRI came at the end of a month-long inquiry after complaints about the detentions were lodged by the organization and other NGOs.“It should be made clear that the questioning carried out by the Shin Bet in these situations was not intended to interfere with [political] protest activities, but to prevent violent and illegal actions carried out from nationalistic motives or in relation to terrorist groups,” Zilber wrote.The questioning at the border was “based on intelligence information that raised concerns, and was unrelated to the political identification or affiliation of the questionee,” Zilber said, defending the Shin Bet’s actions.However, the letter goes on to acknowledge that some Shin Bet and border officials behaved in ways that did not conform to the legal and policy restrictions placed on such questioning — including notifying the detainee that their questioning was voluntary, and avoiding questions about their political views.“It was decided therefore, in agreement with the Shin Bet, to refresh the [officials’ knowledge of the] regulations among the relevant authorities, and to establish oversight mechanisms in the relevant regulations related to such questioning, in a way that will ensure the appropriate balance between avoiding the potential harm to [a detainee’s] rights, the prevention of a ‘chilling effect’ [for activists], and the requirements of security,” Zilber wrote.The Shin Bet “is committed to the letter of the law and understands the sensitivity and delicacy that this issue requires,” she said.In an appendix to Zilber’s letter, the agency said it received no orders from the political leadership to begin questioning “extremist activists from either left or right.”It said it had denied entry to Israel of 17 foreigners who were identified as affiliated with the radical left since the start of 2018, the same figure for the same period in 2017.“The Shin Bet is well aware of the context in which it is operating and the sensitivity of each questioning. The Shin Bet carefully and specifically considers the need for each questioning,” the agency said. “The questioning is not meant to prevent legitimate protest activities,” it added.It said its questioning is part of an effort to track organizations and activists working to “convince Israelis and Palestinians to travel to sites with a high potential for friction, and to engage in violent actions there against Jewish residents and the security services”The letter from Zilber and the Shin Bet follows a month-long inquiry into the questioning taking place at Israel’s border crossings after American Jewish journalist and prominent critic of the Israeli government Peter Beinart said he was questioned on his political views upon arriving in the country for his niece’s bat mitzvah last month.Beinart said he arrived in Israel with his wife and two children to attend his niece’s bat mitzvah celebration, and that security officers at the airport flagged him for extra screening. He was taken for questioning, where an official repeatedly asked him whether he was involved in organizations that might instigate violence, promote anarchy, or threaten Israeli democracy.The interrogator also allegedly asked about a pro-Palestinian protest he attended in Hebron during his last visit, according to Beinart, who wrote about the experience in The Forward newspaper.A supporter of calls to boycott Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Beinart said he was never asked about that issue, and was not offered a legal basis for the detention.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Beinart’s detainment, calling it an “administrative mistake,” and a number of left-wing Israeli figures called for an investigation into what some had suggested was a new Israeli policy of blacklisting liberal US Jews and critics of the government’s policies.
