ENCOURAGING ISLAMIST ZEALOTRY

1-Moderate quake hits Tokyo. 2-John dumps heavy rain on Mexican coast. 3-USAF planes to check typhoon damage. 4-Hurricane watch issued for the Carolinas. 5-Wind strong as Mont. wildfire grows. 6-World's youngest queen yearns for Mideast peace. 7-Armed Palestinian Infiltrates British Embassy in Israel. 8-EU's Solana, Iran's Larijani to hold talks soon. 9-Encouraging IslamistZealotry.

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Moderate quake hits Tokyo Thu Aug 31, 8:19 AM ET

TOKYO (AFP) - A moderate earthquake with a magnitude of 4.8 on the Richter scale has jolted Tokyo, just one day before nationwide drills to mark the anniversary of the city's collossal 1923 tremor. The quake hit at 5:18 pm (0818 GMT) in Tokyo Bay at a depth of 70 kilometers (43 miles), the Japan Meteorological Agency said on Thursday.The tremor was felt in the heart of the Japanese capital, although there were no reports of damage.The meteorological agency said the quake was felt most strongly in Kanagawa prefecture facing the bay. There was no danger of tsunami waves.Japan lies at the junction of four tectonic plates and endures about 20 percent of the world's powerful earthquakes, frequently jolting Tokyo and other major cities.

Another moderate quake later struck near the Russian-ruled Kuril Islands off Japan's northern coast, which Moscow seized at the end of World War II.The earthquake, measuring 5.1 on the Moment Magnitude scale, struck 45 kilometers (28 miles) below the surface at 0941 GMT, according to the US National Earthquake Information Center.A Japan Meteorological Agency spokesman said it had no information on the quake due to its location in Russian-controlled territory but that there were no reports of damage in Japan.The tremors come one day before the anniversary of Tokyo's last major earthquake in 1923, which left more than 142,000 people dead or unaccounted for. Japan holds nationwide disaster preparation drills each September 1.Japan is on constant guard for another Big One and designs buildings to withstand tremors.

A study by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in March said an earthquake of 7.3 on the Richter scale at 6:00 pm would kill 5,600 people, damage 440,000 buildings and leave thousands of other people trapped in elevators.Leading companies have come out with new technology to help residents better prepare for earthquakes on the anniversary of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.

Electronics company Hitachi will put on line Friday a free website which gives Tokyo residents advice on where to place furniture, where people should position themselves and which escape routes to rely on during an earthquake.Developed by a researcher at Nagoya University in central Japan, the site, www.hitachi-to.co.jp/bousai, relies on data of tectonic plate movements in the Tokyo region and historical information on past earthquakes and tsunamis.Separately, mobile phone operator KDDI announced Tuesday it would start a new service based on the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite technology which will help people return home in the event of a natural disaster.KDDI's rival NTT DoCoMo has said it is setting up its third-generation system to filter voice and data traffic so as to improve the reliability of communication during an earthquake.

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; 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, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

John dumps heavy rain on Mexican coast By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ,
Associated Press Writer ,43 minutes ago

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico - Hurricane John churned along Mexico's Pacific Coast on Thursday, lashing beaches with winds and rain but staying just far enough offshore to prevent major damage. The storm was expected to make a direct hit Friday in the resorts of Los Cabos, where government officials rushed to prepare.Fifteen shelters to house up to 15,000 people were being opened in Cabo San Lucas, and officials were stocking up on water and food, but no evacuations have been ordered, said Red Cross spokeswoman Teresa Ortiz.In the resort of Puerto Vallarta, officials urged residents and tourists to take precautions, but emergency shelters were mostly empty under cloudy but dry skies.The Category 3 hurricane had yet to pass Puerto Vallarta on its march up the coast. Thursday morning, it was about 110 miles to the southwest, with top sustained winds of 125 mph and stronger gusts capable of damaging small buildings and ripping off roofs.

Most of its fury was felt out to sea, with the most damaging winds failing to touch the mainland.John was expected to strengthen Thursday, and Mexico issued hurricane warnings for about 300 miles of coast, from the port of Manzanillo to the fishing and shipping community of San Blas, an area encompassing the bay that holds Puerto Vallarta. The warning also included Cabo San Lucas' twin resort town of San Jose del Cabo.The storm was moving northwest at 14 mph and aimed directly at the tip of the Baja California peninsula.With the storm still a day away, it was sunny in Los Cabos, and while some fishermen tied down their boats, there were few signs of other preparations. Cabo San Lucas Port Captain Everardo Jimenez said he had ordered a tourist boat out of the water.

Forecasters at the U.S. National Weather Center in Miami warned John could drop up to 18 inches of rain in some places and create up to a 5-foot storm surge. The weather center warned of life-threatening flash floods and mudslides in mountain areas.

Forecasters said John wasn't likely to affect the United States — cooler Pacific waters tend to diminish storms before they reach California.In Puerto Vallarta, skies were cloudy but no rain was falling as local residents walked to work and a handful of tourists strolled along the waterfront promenade in front of a calm sea.Officials postponed the arrival of a Carnival cruise ship, prohibited tours of the bay and closed public schools. Mayor Gustavo Gonzales said 50 shelters were ready.Most businesses along the waterfront were closed, and employees moved merchandise away from the windows, but only a few bothered to board up or tape over their storefronts. As a precaution, however, civil protection authorities urged people to leave the waterfront avenue by late morning.

Still, most remained calm.

We have tornados in Iowa. This can't be worse than that,said Hal Nissen, 75, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as he walked along the oceanfront with his wife.Some coastal communities in Jalisco state, where Puerto Vallarta is located, were being evacuated because of their proximity to two dams, state authorities said.Meanwhile, a new hurricane formed farther west. Hurricane Kristy, with winds of nearly 75 mph, was 690 miles away from John, but forecasters said some interaction was possible. If that happened, Kristy would likely be absorbed by the larger John, forecasters said. On the Net: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

USAF planes to check typhoon damage By AUDREY McAVOY, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 13 minutes ago

HONOLULU - The Air Force plans to fly planes over Wake Island after Typhoon Ioke passes, to see how much damage the storm inflicted on the mid-Pacific U.S. military refueling outpost. Air Force planes evacuated all 200 of the island's residents on Monday in preparation for what forecasters are calling the most powerful central Pacific tropical storm in a decade.Visual reconnaissance planes will head out after Ioke clears, said Maj. Clare Reed, spokeswoman for the 15th Airlift Wing at Hickam Air Force Base.

We're hoping everything turns out well,Reed said. But she said senior Air Force officers would decide what to do with the facility if Ioke causes so much destruction that troops and workers couldn't return immediately.Forecasters have predicted the storm would submerge the 2.5-square-mile island and demolish any non-concrete structures.

This thing is so strong that it's just going to clean things out, unfortunately,said Tim Craig, National Weather Service lead forecaster in Honolulu.The typhoon has lost little of its strength in recent days, packing winds of 155 mph and gusts of 190 mph as it headed toward Wake Island Wednesday.Ioke was expected to pass closest to the isle around 8 p.m. Thursday. Hurricane force winds will likely start battering the island several hours before.Forecasts called for the storm to head northwest toward Japan over the open ocean after it passes over Wake Island. It is likely to gradually lose some of its power in coming days. No populated islands lie in Ioke's immediate path.Wake Island, 2,300 miles west of Honolulu and 1,510 miles east of Guam, is a U.S. military refueling outpost run by the Air Force.Ioke is the first Category 5 hurricane to develop in the central Pacific since record keeping began in the early 1960s.It also is the most powerful storm to pass through the central Pacific since hurricanes Emilia and Gilma, both in July 1994.

Hurricane watch issued for the Carolinas 2 hours, 26 minutes ago

MIAMI (Reuters) - A hurricane watch was issued on Thursday for a portion of the East Coast as Tropical Storm Ernesto strengthened on a path toward the Carolinas, threatening to bring heavy rains and large waves. Ernesto, which sloshed its way feebly through Florida on Wednesday after having briefly become the Atlantic storm season's first hurricane near Haiti, was not actually expected to regain hurricane strength with 74 mph (119 kph) winds, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.But the Miami-based center posted a precautionary hurricane watch from South Santee River, in South Carolina, to Cape Lookout, in North Carolina, noting that predicting a storm's intensity was difficult.Ernesto had at one point been forecast to reach Florida as a potential Category 3 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity, and its arrival south of Miami as a weak tropical storm puzzled meteorologists.

There was little to clean up in Florida, where Ernesto proved a far cry from hurricanes Wilma and Katrina of last year.Wilma knocked out power to millions in Florida in October and caused $12 billion in damage. Katrina caused more than $500 million in insured losses in Florida before slamming into the U.S. Gulf coast last August 29, where it killed about 1,500 people, swamped New Orleans and caused $80 billion in damage.By 11 a.m. (1500 GMT), Ernesto was located around 105 miles south-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, and expected to come ashore later on Thursday.Its winds had reached 60 mph (95 kph) and the hurricane center said it did not expect any significant further strengthening.North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley activated 150 National Guard soldiers and said two rescue helicopters were standing by in case of flooding. Neighboring South Carolina activated 240 National Guard troops on Tuesday.

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.

Wind strong as Mont. wildfire grows 41 minutes ago

BIG TIMBER, Mont. - Firefighters faced strong winds but cooler temperatures Thursday as they battled a wildfire in southern Montana that nearly doubled in size and prompted officials to urge several hundred of residents to leave their homes. The evacuation orders cover about 250 homes in Stillwater and Sweet Grass counties, fire information officer Pat Cross said Thursday. The wildfire was about 100,000 acres, or about 156 square miles.Some structures have burned, but authorities don't know if they were homes or outbuildings, said Dixie Dees, another fire information officer.The temperature Thursday was expected to stay in the 60s and low 70s, much cooler than Wednesday's windy 80-degree weather, but wind gusts around 20 mph were possible.

The good news is that it is cooler, finally,Cross said. So we hope the burning will be a little less active.The Stillwater Mine called off its night shift Wednesday and Thursday day shift for about 200 workers because of smoke from the fire and concern about traveling conditions. Interstate 90 was temporarily closed between Livingston and Columbus.The fire camp used as a base of operations was evacuated at 4 p.m. Wednesday because of encroaching flames, Cross said.People who had not already left Wednesday were being called by emergency services and told that the situation was deteriorating, Sweet Grass County officials said.We're not going to take you out in handcuffs,Undersheriff Jerry Mahlum told residents at a public meeting. We are going to ask you to sign a waiver that you've been warned and to let us know the next-of-kin you want notified.

Weather conditions were better at a wildfire in Washington.

Wet and cool weather helped slow the growth of a large wildfire in southeastern Washington and winds spawned by a cold front helped push some smaller fires back on themselves, but a windy forecast may make the reprieve short-lived.Rainfall was reported Wednesday near a 67,000-acre fire complex in the Blue Mountains. The fire was 20 percent contained, and 1,175 firefighters were on the job. But a warmer, drier weather forecast, with highs rising into the 90s by Sunday, could refuel the blaze.In California, firefighters made progress Thursday in battling a 2,000-acre wildfire in the San Bernardino National Forest.About 1,230 firefighters took advantage of mild winds and an increase in humidity overnight by building lines and setting backfires.The pre-dawn weather conditions really helped slow down the fire,said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Carol Beckley.The blaze was 60 percent contained Thursday morning, with full containment predicted by early Friday evening.

World's youngest queen yearns for Mideast peace

AMMAN: Jordan's elegant, yet hip Queen Rania- the world's youngest queen who turns 36 today said the best gift she could get is peace in the Middle East. As I turn 36, my hopes echo those of the people of our region, she told The Associated Press. More than anything, we need peace.The striking brunette said this year has been tinged with sadness and reflection following conflict in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories. Rania, who is known for her humanitarian work globally, launched a national campaign in Jordan collecting money and goods for Lebanese and Palestinians after their homes were destroyed in summer fighting with Israel. The drive saw this working monarch and mother of four helping volunteers load the donations for delivery to the war torn areas.

My heart is heavy for each and every parent who has lost a child, and for each and every child who has lost the safety and stability of a home and community,she said. An ardent advocate of women and children's issues, Rania and other prominent women activists mounted a worldwide public awareness campaign in June to reverse high maternal and infant mortality rates and increase girls' access to education. The United Nations estimates a woman dies in pregnancy or childbirth every minute somewhere in the world, and that 22,000 infants die each day. Some 100 million school-aged children have no education, and the majority of them are girls. Rania's birthday wish for the year reflects her work to promote tolerance and coexistence in the world's most hostile area. To achieve that, we need a renewed global commitment to dialogue, moderation and mutual respect. These are the prerequisites of peace and a hopeful future for us all.-- AP

MUSLIM NATIONS

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
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, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE 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:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
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.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

WORLD TERRORISM

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with 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 through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

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.

Armed Palestinian Infiltrates British Embassy in Israel
By VOA News ,31 August 2006

Police in Israel say an armed Palestinian has breached security at Britain's embassy in Tel Aviv and is demanding asylum.

Israeli media reports say the man, from the West Bank town of Ramallah, infiltrated the embassy's parking lot Thursday and threatened to kill himself if Britain does not grant him asylum. Israeli security forces have taken up positions around the embassy.

News reports say the man claims to have been an informer for Israel's security service, Shin Bet. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinians say Israeli troops killed a commander of the Palestinian al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades during a brief firefight in Nablus early Thursday.

In other news, the Israeli army says it is withdrawing from the outskirts of Gaza City. Palestinian witnesses say at least 18 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes and artillery fire since Israeli forces entered the area Saturday. The army said on Wednesday that searches in a section of the city turned up a 150-meter-long underground tunnel leading to the Karni crossing point into Israel.

Also on Wednesday, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for an end to Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip, which began in late June. Mr. Annan spoke after meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

EU's Solana, Iran's Larijani to hold talks soon
Thu Aug 31, 2006 9:04am ET

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, agreed on Thursday to meet soon to discuss Iran's response to incentives to curb its nuclear activities, Solana's spokeswoman said.
Today they spoke by telephone. They agreed they will have a face-to-face meeting soon,Cristina Gallach said, adding the exact date and venue were undecided.Gallach said the conversation lasted about 30 minutes but she gave no further information on it, or any indication as to whether Larijani had raised the possibility of Iran halting uranium enrichment.

She said Solana would brief European Union foreign ministers on his contacts with Larijani at their meeting in Finland starting on Friday.They will discuss among themselves how they see the way forward,she said.The U.N. Security Council has given Tehran until Thursday to suspend its uranium enrichment program, suspected by the West of being part of a clandestine nuclear weapons program, or face possible sanctions. Iran has shown no sign that it will halt enrichment.EU diplomats, however, have said the bloc is prepared to keep talking to Iran beyond that deadline.A European Union diplomat said France, Germany and Spain were among the EU countries that are worried the United States wants to rush into sanctions before making a last effort aimed at avoiding an escalation of the crisis.

Another western diplomat said the meeting with Solana is intended to slow things down a bit to see whether sanctions can be avoided and the Iranians can be made to accept the incentives offer.© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.

Encouraging Islamist Zealotry
By: Joseph Farah
Wednesday, August 30, 2006

It pains me to write this. But it is becoming increasingly clear to me that Israel, in so many ways on the front lines in the fight against Islamo-fascism, is actually a force promoting it.At least the misguided, corrupt governments of Israel have managed this mission impossible. I don’t make this statement rashly. I’ve considered what I’m saying for a long time. I’ve hesitated to say it before because I have endeavored to give the Jewish state the benefit of every possible doubt.Many in the Arab and Muslim worlds consider me an outright apologist for Israel. I have been caricatured as a Zionist apparatchik. I have been accused of being a Mossad disinformation specialist. So, when I criticize Israel, what I say ought to be at least considered – especially by Israelis and Jews.

It is not just Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s bizarre behavior and irrational policies with respect to Iran-directed Hizbullah attacks from Lebanon. But I will concede that my efforts at trying to comprehend the incomprehensible in this case led inescapably to this conclusion.Like it or not, Israel is fostering Islamo-fascism.It is not doing so because of its aggressiveness, as some claim. It is not doing so because of its retaliations against attacks, as some claim. It is not doing so because of its heavy-handedness or brutality, as some claim.On the contrary, it is doing so by sending all the wrong signals to its mortal enemies.This is not a new phenomenon. I’ve written about it frequently. We witnessed it just last year with Ariel Sharon’s forced disengagement from Gaza. We witnessed it years earlier with Ehud Barak’s unilateral, middle-of-the-night withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

And we witnessed it 40 years ago at the conclusion of the 1967 Six-Day War – reborn Israel’s crowning military achievement, a miraculous drubbing of its imposing enemies who outnumbered the Jews in the region about 100 to one.What happened at the conclusion of that war in which Israel conquered the Golan Heights from Syria, Judea and Samaria from Jordan, Gaza and Sinai from Egypt and, most important of all, the Old City of Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, from Jordan? The Israeli government gave the Temple Mount, inarguably the most holy site in Judaism, back to the hostile Muslim Arabs to administer – effectively agreeing to ban Jews and other non-Muslims from a religious site of deep significance to Christians as well. This may not have been the first example of Israeli enabling of Islamo-fascism, but to me it is the biggest, the worst, the most egregious, the least forgivable.

A mere 12 years later, in 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini took power in Iran, an event seen by many as the birth of the modern Islamo-fascist movement. While that is overstating the case, it is absolutely true that the mullahs in Iran and the other radical Islamists around the globe watched what happened in June 1967 in Jerusalem in awe and amazement.First they saw their hated enemies, the Jews, overpower and overrun much bigger armies in convincing fashion. Then they saw a rabbi ascend to the top of the Western Wall of the newly captured Temple Mount and blow the shofar, or traditional ram’s horn. Many Jews believed these developments signaled the imminent coming of the Messiah. These events made the Islamo-fascists question – at least momentarily – what was happening to them. Was Allah abandoning them? Had they been unfaithful? Was it a judgment? How was it possible that the Jews’ faith was being rewarded while their faith was being denied?Then Moshe Dayan announced that the Temple Mount would be handed over to the Muslim authorities to administer.

It was the ultimate appeasement. Oh, he had his religious justifications for the move. Some rabbis insisted Jews could not step foot on the Temple Mount for fear of contaminating the Holy of Holies. Presumably they had no fears the place where the glory of God is manifested physically would be contaminated by the control of Muslims who denied the historic fact that a Jewish temple ever existed on the mount.Such an unexpected turnaround was perceived as it could only be understood in the Islamic world. It was both an Israeli capitulation – the first of many – and an act of Allah.No matter how hard the Israelis try to demonstrate such random suicidal acts of compassion, they will only be rewarded with more hatred, more violence and more intransigence. What they are doing is reaffirming the Muslim zealots’ faith in Allah. They are reaffirming the Koran’s contempt for Jews and other infidels.
Israel may have won three major wars in its 60-year history, but it will be lucky to survive another decade of morally bankrupt leadership. It’s not just former prime minister Ariel Sharon who is comatose. It seems the whole current Israeli government is brain dead.

How else can one explain Israel’s agreement to Lebanon cease-fire terms that amount to unconditional surrender? Let’s review what Israel has done:It launched a war on Iran-directed Hizbullah terrorists after they kidnapped two Israeli soldiers, killed eight others and rocketed northern Israel towns. From the beginning, Israel demanded the return of its troops and the disarming of the terrorists. What did Israel get in the cease-fire deal? No return of the kidnapped troops and Hizbullah terrorists remain under arms. How can you ask soldiers to kill and die for a simple objective that is later abandoned without explanation or reason?Does Olmert not understand what his surrender means? It means he has given aid and comfort to Israel’s enemies. He has handed Hizbullah its biggest victory since former prime minister Ehud Barak unilaterally withdrew from Lebanon, handing the southern part of the country to Iran’s proxy army and positioning it to claim it had defeated the Jewish state.

He has also proved to Israel’s other terrorist enemies – those in Hamas and the Palestinian Authority – that rocket attacks, assassinations and kidnappings are winning tactics against the Jewish state. Prepare to see more of them under the terms of this cease-fire.Hizbullah has won. That’s the unimaginable bottom line after this conflict. The terrorists have won – not in the battlefield, mind you. But they won before the war ever began because weak-kneed, cowardly, morally unfit leaders in Jerusalem would never permit Israel to win.With Hizbullah’s victory, Iran and Syria have been emboldened as well. This is bad news not just for Israel, but for the entire world.If you think I overstate the case, ask yourself this fundamental question: Is Israel more secure after abandoning its conflict in Lebanon or less secure?You know the answer. Everyone knows the answer.

Israel may have one of the greatest military machines in the world. It may have an intelligence apparatus that is the envy of superpowers. It may even have right on its side. But Israel is being led by men unworthy of its history, unworthy of its sacrifices, unworthy of its hard-fought victories of the past and unworthy of God’s sovereign promises to bless the Jewish state forever.It’s clear the only enemy that could ever destroy Israel is the kind of internal moral rot we are witnessing today in Jerusalem. Israel has just one shot at surviving its terminal illness – cutting out the cancer that is the Olmert government.

Joseph Farah is founder, editor and CEO of World Net Daily and a nationally syndicated columnist. His latest book is Taking America Back.