EU WANTS ISRAEL SECURITY ROLL

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Quake shakes Indonesia's Sulawesi. 3-Heavy rains claim 53 lives in Angolan capital 4-Snow around the Great Lakes. 5-Heavy rains hammer northwestern B.C. 6-Schools close as storm sweeps across N.L. 7-Canada readies for Atlantic tsunami peril. 8-Drilling said caused Indonesia mud volcano. 9-Yemen's Last Jews Threatened and Banished. 10-Luxembourg calls off EU constitution conference. 11-Activists protest free trade pact at EU base in Kenya. 12-EU expecting role in Israel's security 13-Jewish Withdrawal from Judea and Samaria Back on the Table. 14-EU expecting role in Israel's security.

EARTHQUAKES

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.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Thu Jan 25 12:27 AM EDT

JAN 25,07
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.0 MOLUCCA SEA

JAN 24,07
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.8 EASTERN UZBEKISTAN
MAP 2.9 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.4 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 NEVADA
MAP 3.4 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 NEVADA
MAP 2.9 NEVADA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.2 NEVADA
MAP 4.1 NEVADA
MAP 4.9 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 5.5 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 5.4 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 2.9 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 3.9 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.9 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII

JAN 23,07
MAP 2.9 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.1 AISEN, CHILE
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.9 VANUATU
MAP 4.1 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.8 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 2.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.1 PAPUA, INDONESIA
MAP 5.4 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 4.9 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.8 CENTRAL PERU
MAP 3.2 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.5 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING
MAP 2.8 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.1 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 5.7 BANDA SEA
MAP 4.7 EASTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 3.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.0 TONGA
MAP 3.0 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Quake shakes Indonesia's Sulawesi Wed Jan 24, 5:10 AM ET

JAKARTA (AFP) An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 has shaken the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of any damage. The quake hit at 4:40 pm (0840 GMT) Wednesday and was centered about 98 kilometres (60 miles) southeast of the North Sulawesi provincial capital Manado at a depth of 33 kilometres under the seabed, the meteorology agency here said.The tremor was felt in Manado, an official at the agency said.A major 6.5-magnitude undersea earthquake rocked Sulawesi Sunday, causing panic but no serious damage.The Indonesian archipelago sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire where continental plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.There have been several quakes and aftershocks this week alone.Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the earthquake-triggered Asian tsunami in December 2004, which killed some 168,000 people in western Aceh province.

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

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.

Heavy rains claim 53 lives in Angolan capital Wed Jan 24, 10:14 AM ET

LUANDA (AFP) Fifty-three people have died in Luanda, Angola's seaside capital, in torrential rains that have lashed the city for three days, a police spokesman has said. We have recorded 53 deaths until now, Divaldo Martins told AFP Wednesday, adding that more than 1,300 families were homeless.Luanda's governor Job Capapihna on Tuesday met with senior local officials in the city of some 4.5 million, whose creaking infrastructure has been further damaged by the downpours, to assess the damage.In March 2005, flooding in northern Angola a former Portuguese colony which is still recovering from a 27-year civil war that shattered most of its infrastructure left over 10,000 people without shelter.Makeshift shelters have been put up in Luanda to house those rendered homeless by the flash floods, which have also hit telephone lines.The country has been cut off from the rest of the world because the rains have destroyed the optic fibre cables. We will do our best to address the situation, said Manuel Cesar, spokesman of the state-run telephone firm Angolatelecom.

Snow around the Great Lakes Tom Moore, Sr. Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Wed Jan 24, 12:53 AM ET

A narrow band of lake-effect snow will continue overnight in Michigan's U. P. and northern lower Michigan. Heavier bands of lake-effect snow will continue east of Lakes Erie and Ontario. In the Tug Hill Plateau east of Lake Ontario, 10 to 20 inches are expected through Wednesday. Another area of snow will fall well to the south of Buffalo. Expect 6 to 12 inches in these areas, with locally higher amounts. Elsewhere, look for periods of rain around coastal areas of Texas and Louisiana. A plunge of polar air will sweep across the Northeast on Wednesday night and Thursday so get ready for the coldest air of the season.

Heavy rains hammer northwestern B.C.
Last Updated: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 | 2:26 PM PT CBC News

Heavy rain has flooded neighbourhoods in the Terrace area of northwestern B.C. and shut down highways across the region.Terrace fire Chief Pete Weeber said that because of the frozen ground, the water can't be absorbed, so it's flowing freely down some streets.He said a number of streets that are covered with several feet of water have been blocked off, and the water has also caused a mudslide in the eastern part of the city.Weeber also said volunteers have been busy filling sandbags, and that there have not been any widespread evacuations.Most of Highway 16 from Prince Rupert to Terrace has been closed because of avalanche danger and massive pools of water.Highway 37 from Terrace to Kitimat is open, but crews report water ponding at Furlong Bay. There is also water ponding at Morrison Creek near Kitimaat Village.Officials say they expect this rain to taper off, with sunshine in the forecast for the next few days.

Schools close as storm sweeps across N.L.
Highways hit by slippery conditions, poor visibility
Wednesday, January 24, 2007 | 6:39 PM NT CBC News

A winter storm ripped into much of Newfoundland and Labrador on Wednesday, with a treacherous combination of snow, high winds and ice pellets hitting many communities.The blizzard was powerful enough to close scores of schools, government offices, businesses and community groups.Blizzard or heavy snowfall warnings were in effect for almost all of Newfoundland and along Labrador's coast. (CBC) The storm tapered off along the eastern coast of Newfoundland by late afternoon, but was still raging in other areas.Snowfall and other warnings remained in effect Wednesday evening for southern, central and northern Newfoundland, as well as for all of Labrador's coast.The storm made for difficult driving on highways, with slippery conditions coupled with poor visibility.The provincial Department of Transportation urged motorists to stay off the Burgeo Highway. A part of the Trans-Canada

Highway was temporarily closed after a truck went off the road.

While crews began dealing with cleaning up the snowfall as much as 25 centimetres fell within a few hours residents were bracing for more snow, forecast for Thursday.A blizzard warning remained in effect for parts of Newfoundland's northeast coast, which received some of the toughest weather.The Bonavista Peninsula and other areas were expected to be hit by northeasterly gusts as strong as 110 kilometres per hour.It's going to be a pretty messy day, said Wanda Rideout, a meteorologist at Environment Canada's Gander office, on Wednesday morning.Schools in St. John's and in many other communities closed for the day, as did Memorial University's St. John's campus.Also closed were banks, most government offices, community centres and many businesses.The storm caused numerous cancellations and delays at St. John's International Airport.

Canada readies for Atlantic tsunami peril Tue Jan 23, 3:13 PM ET

OTTAWA (AFP) Canada has activated an Atlantic tsunami warning system to better prevent deaths or destruction from massive waves and frequent storm surges, the government said.

The devastating tsunami in southeast Asia heightened concerns about tsunami warnings in coastal areas around the world, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said in a statement.Today, I'm pleased to announce that we are taking action to strengthen our security by activating a warning system for tsunamis along Canada's east coast.More than 70 percent of tsunamis actually occur in the Pacific Ocean, produced by sea earthquakes or undersea volcanic eruptions.But the most devastating wave to hit Canada smashed its eastern seaboard, killing 29 people and damaging some 50 coastal towns in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia provinces in 1929.The new alert system would eventually become part of an international structure for issuing Atlantic tsunami warnings, operated in collaboration with the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and similar to the one existing for the Pacific Ocean, the government said.In December 2004, more than 220,000 people were killed, most of them struck without warning, as a massive tsunami battered Indian Ocean coasts.The tragedy led to worldwide calls for a more effective tsunami response system including both the technology to predict the disasters and the means to get the message out.

EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH

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

Drilling said caused Indonesia mud volcano By ANTHONY DEUTSCH,
Associated Press Writer Wed Jan 24, 3:22 AM ET

JAKARTA, Indonesia A mud volcano that inundated dozens of villages was probably triggered by commercial gas drilling, research published in a respected scientific journal shows, contradicting an Indonesian government minister who insists it was a natural disaster.

It is very likely that the mud flow on the island of Java, which has spewed a million barrels of mud a day for eight months, is manmade, four researchers say in the February issue of the Geological Society of America's GSA Today.Welfare Minister Aburizal Bakrie whose family controls the PT Lapindo Brantas drilling company at the center of the scandal has repeatedly claimed the geyser was sparked by a May 27 earthquake and that his company bears no financial liability.But the British-based scientists believe drilling at a depth of more than one mile ruptured a highly pressurized pocket of hot gas and water which created fissures in a bed of porous limestone.Once initiated, the fractures would have propagated to the surface, driven by the deep pressure, the report stated. It would be highly coincidental for an earthquake-induced fracture to form 200 meters away from this well and provide the entire fracture network required for an eruption on the earth's surface.Since May, around 163,000 cubic yards of sediment equal to about 50 Olympic swimming pools has gushed from the site. Around 11,000 people have been forced from their homes while four villages, and 25 factories have been consumed by a 30-foot layer of smelly gunk.In November, a natural gas pipeline cracked under the weight of a dam built to channel the mud to the sea, triggering a powerful explosion that killed 13 people and injured a dozen others. It took emergency workers several days to find the bodies in the sludge.The government has said it will seek an initial $420 million in damages from Lapindo, including $276 million paid to the victims, by March 2007.

Yemen's Last Jews Threatened and Banished
By Hillel Fendel (INN) JAN 23,07

Jews in Yemen have been abruptly targeted by a local sheikh, told they were moral destroyers, and ordered to leave or else and some have. Jewish sages have been killed, one woman reports. Only some 50 Jewish families remain in virulently anti-Israel Yemen, but after years of being largely ignored by the local population and authorities, they have now been targeted by Moslem extremists. Some of the families, in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, were confronted by masked men who told them that if they do not leave within ten days, things will be bad for you. Other Jews were told that the Moslems don't want to see even one Jew left in the region.

Reports of Killings

In a phone call engineered by Voice of Israel Radio on Monday, a Jewish woman living in Yemen said that the Moslems have already killed the wise men.

No confirmation of this has been received from other quarters though news from Yemen does not flow freely.The stated explanation for the Moslem anti-Semitism, according to a letter circulated by local Sheikh Yahya Sad Al Khudhair, is that the Jews are associated with groups and activities that primarily serve global Zionism that works actively to corrupt the people and cause them to abandon their ethical values and religion and disseminate all types of abominations... Our religion has ordered us to fight the corrupt people and expel them. In the Voice of Israel phone call, Masoud - a Yemenite Jew who moved to Israel six years ago and now lives in Be'er Sheva - spoke with a woman relative in Yemen. The conversation was held in Hebrew-spiced Arabic. Kif halak? Masoud asked in Arabic, meaning, How are you?, and the response came in Hebrew, Baurich Hashem, Blessed be G-d.The woman told Masoud, On Friday [11 days ago], they received letters saying that whoever doesn't leave will get killed or have his children taken away or I don't know what... Now they saw these [threatening] letters and are scared; what can they do? They took everything they had, with the children, and left, and now they're in a hotel. Some 45 Jews are now
reportedly in the Paris Tower Hotel in Saana.Asked why the remaining Jews do not come to Israel, Masoud said simply that they are currently not interested in that option.Earlier last week, according to the Yemen Observer, local authorities and tribal sheikhs held meetings to discuss the complaints from the Yemeni Jews but they resulted only in oral reassurances for the Jews, who were told to ignore the threats and go back to their villages. Yes, they received threats, the area's DeputyGovernor said Monday about the Jews, and they are now here in the hotel, but I can assure you that the problem will be solved today, and the Jews will return to their villages.

Yemenite Jews Converted to Islam

Dr. Moshe Nachum, of the Israeli Federation of Yemenite Jews, accuses modern Israel of having led indirectly to many thousands of Jewish converts to Islam. He told Arutz-7 that 56,000 Jews - roughly 2/3 of the Jewish population in Yemen - were brought over to Israel during Operation Magic Carpet (also known as Operation Eagles' Wings) in 1949-50, following murderous Muslim riots. A trickle of migration was allowed to continue until 1954, at which point it stopped. In 1962, another 2,300 Jews were allowed to immigrate, but many families were then left split between Israel and Yemen. I went to Yemen in 1977, Nachum said, at which time I learned that there were between 25,000 and 28,000 Jews there. No one was allowed to leave until 1993, at which time a trickle began, leading to a total of 900 or 1,000 Jews coming to Israel. A few hundred now remain there.A-7: What happened to the 25-28,000 Jews you said were there in 1977 and before?

Dr. Nachum: Very simple they converted to Islam. Because of uncaring behavior on the part of the officials here in Israel, we lost thousands of Jews... I started to actively lobby to have Israel bring the remaining Yemenite Jews to Israel, but in response, the officials released statements that there were no Jews left in Yemen.Dr. Nachum also blames the Satmarer Hassidim for trying to bring Yemenite Jews to New York or to Europe or even to return to Yemen - anywhere but Israel.

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TR BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).

Luxembourg calls off EU constitution conference
23.01.2007 - 09:26 CET | By Mark Beunderman

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS Luxembourg has called off a planned February meeting on the EU constitution in order to avoid the impression of working against the German EU presidency, while this week's friends of the constitution meeting in Madrid continues to stir controversy. The Luxembourg conference, scheduled for 27 February, was meant as a follow-up to a gathering of 18 EU states supporting the constitutional treaty which will take place as planned this Friday (26 January) in Madrid.

Spain and Luxembourg the only two countries which approved the charter by referendum took the intitiative for both meetings, but have now decided to ditch the second conference in Luxembourg in order not to interfere with the German EU presidency's efforts to revive the constitution, Luxembourg's foreign minister Jean Asselborn told EUobserver. The initial idea was that we hold a meeting in Madrid, and then a later meeting in Luxembourg. We have said now about the meeting in Luxembourg: we are not doing this for the moment, Mr Asselborn said after meeting EU counterparts in Brussels on Monday (22 January). It emerged that maybe we give the impression of disregarding the presidency. Of course we want to help the presidency, he stated. From the start this was cleared with the Germans, that we wouldn't work against the presidency. But it could be interpreted as such, he said.

French-Dutch unease

Although Germany has publicly welcomed the first friends of the constitution meeting in Madrid this week, EU diplomats say Berlin was unhappy particularly with the second meeting in February, which was scheduled just before the signing of a major declaration on the EU's 50th birthday in March. The second meeting, which would bring the pro-constitution camp and the constitution sceptics together, would also encroach on what Germany sees as the prime task of its presidency - to bridge the divide between the two camps and seek a new consensus on an EU treaty.Meanwhile, Mr Asselborn said that the meeting had also been cancelled because of resistance by France and the Netherlands, which would be forced at the Luxembourg conference to define their exact position on the constitution at an early stage.We don't want to bring France, the Netherlands and others in a difficult position.

Luxembourg and Spain do not want to force anyone to take part, he said, with France's presidential elections planned for May and the Netherlands being engaged in a cabinet formation which could take until March. Dutch foreign minister Bernard Bot told reporters that especially after the French and Dutch reactions, they have given it some re-consideration.

All invited to watch

Meanwhile, Mr Bot had in a Benelux chat with Mr Asselborn on Monday morning expressed his worry that Friday's restricted meeting could look like a ganging up of pro-constitution states.

But Mr Asselborn said I have repeated with [Spanish foreign minister] Moratinos that this initiative of the Spanish and the Luxembourgers is directed against nobody, neither against the French and the Dutch nor against anyone else.In order to counter any fears of secrecy, Spain and Luxembourg have now decided that all EU capitals, including Paris and The Hague, are free to send observers to the meeting. The official invitation has been sent to the 18 [states who have ratified the constitution]. If the others want to participate under an observer statute, we have said: everyone who wants to come, can come,according to Mr Asselborn.

We will not negotiate

The Luxembourg politician added that the 18 ratifiers will not take an official position after the meeting, which will take place at the level of EU affairs ministers. In Madrid, we will not negotiate. Those who are there, do not have a mandate of their governments, he said, but added that the 18 will produce some kind of paper.Ireland and Portugal, which have not ratified the treaty but strongly
support it, will send observers to the meeting. Germany as EU chair also chose to be represented as an observer only - sending its ambassador in Madrid to take notes of the meeting. The Netherlands appears to have politely declined the invitation to also send an observer, with Mr Bot saying that we will not go to Madrid.

Activists protest free trade pact at EU base in Kenya Wed Jan 24, 10:02 AM ET

NAIROBI (AFP) Some 2,000 anti-globalisation activists were marching in Kenya's capital Nairobi to protest against a plan to liberalise trade between developing nations and the European Union. The marchers said implementation of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the EU and a group of African, Caribbean and Pacific nations, due to come into force in 2008, should be delayed for several years.Fight poverty, stop the EPAs. We do not need euros, chanted the protesters marching from Nairobi's Uhuru (Independence) Park to the EU offices where they unsuccessfully sought an audience with the heads of mission.The protests were held during the ongoing World Social Forum, a gathering of thousands of anti-globalisation activisits which wraps up on Thursday.We are demanding a moratorium of several years on the signing of the EPAs to enable ACP countries, particularly African nations emerging from conflicts, to revamp their agriculture, said Ousainou Ngum, an activist.Ngum said African governments were willing to sign the EPAs without being worried that their markets will be flooded by goods from the more developed European countries whose agricultural sector benefits from subsidies.At a meeting between representatives of the the two blocs in Khartoum last month, the ACP regretted the lack of progress with the EPAs.

Radio tags track wasp behaviour JAN 24,07
The researchers looked at a species of paper wasp

Wasps fitted with minuscule radio tags have helped scientists shed light on the insects' behaviour. Rather than just tending their home colonies, the worker wasps also buzzed into nearby relative-holding nests, helping raise the young, the team said. The researchers believed the insects were boosting their chances of propagating their genes by nurturing relatives in multiple nests.

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) study is published in Current Biology. Nest drifting, which is where individual insects move between different nests, has been described in a few different species of social insects, but it has always been a puzzle as to why they have done this, explained lead author Seirian Sumner of ZSL. It has also been very difficult to quantify the standard way is to mark the wasps with paint and then carry out nest censuses so we developed a new method.To track the wasps, the team fitted the insects with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags and placed sensors at the entrance of each nest to record their movements, in real time, in and out of the nests. Dr Sumner said she got the idea from the Oyster card touch in, touch out system used on the London Underground.

Passing genes

The researchers, working in the tropics of Panama, looked at an extended colony of 33 nests belonging to a species of paper wasp called Polistes canadensis. In each nest, they tagged every female worker (those in the colony responsible for nest maintenance, food gathering and care of the brood), fitting a total of 422 with the RFID tags. A staggering number, 56% of the population, were drifting from nest to nest, Dr Sumner told the BBC News website, many more than previous studies had estimated. After further observations, the ZSL team ruled out that the wasps were lost, confused by their tags or trying to lay eggs in their neighbours' nests in a bout of social parasitism. Instead, it found the wasps were helping to raise their relatives' young. Worker wasps do not reproduce themselves, but by raising relatives who share their genes they can pass on genes indirectly, explained Dr Sumner.

And these workers are gaining indirect fitness benefit by helping to raise relatives on lots of different nests rather just than their home nests.This would be particularly crucial with wasps that face a high likelihood of getting their nests destroyed, such as the P. canadensis, she said. If you have just put all of your efforts into one nest and then that nest gets eaten, then all of this effort is lost
and you haven't helped to pass on your genes, Dr Sumner said. The researchers expect to find similar behaviour in other insect species.

Jewish Withdrawal from Judea and Samaria Back on the Table
By Hana Levi Julian (INN) JAN 24,07

The government has agreed in principle to withdraw from most of Judea and Samaria (Yesha), in secret talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. So reports WorldNetDaily.

Egypt and the European Union (EU) have been mediating the negotiations, according to the World Net Daily (WND) news website. WND quoted high-level Egyptian diplomatic and intelligence officials, and an aide to EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, as saying they have been directly involved in the talks.Negotiations have been quietly proceeding apace for the past two or three weeks, according to sources quoted by WND reporter Aaron Klein, after PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas suggested to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert late last month that the two men switch to back channel talks in order to avoid media coverage.According to Egyptian and EU sources, one of the plans currently under consideration involves handing over control of central and southern Yesha to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s security forces. In northern Yesha, the transfer of responsibility to Abbas’ security forces over the area would bemonitored by Jordan and EU observers.No word about the fate, under this plan, of the many tens of thousands of Jews living in these areas has been received.

Hamas’s role in the plan remains unclear. The terrorist organization has repeatedly vowed never to formally recognize the State of Israel, renounce terrorism or uphold agreements with Israel signed by the previous, Fatah-led, PA government. That stance is not accepted by the international community.Talks toward a unity coalition between PA Prime Minister and Hamas chairman Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the Fatah faction, are all but dead, leaving Hamas in control of the PA. The streets of Gaza have become a battlefield as Hamas and Fatah struggle for control of the PA government, with bloody clashes that have resulted in the deaths of both terrorists and innocent PA residents alike in what has become a militia war.The situation may intensify further and eventually lead to escalated attacks against the Jewish State as well, in the wake of an announcement by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week that the Bush administration has agreed to finance, arm and train Abbas’ security force.

The force will reportedly include the Fatah-controlled Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades, one of the most vicious groups engaged in the terrorist war against Israel. Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades has shared responsibility with the Islamic Jihad terror group for the suicide bombings in Israel over the past two years.Rice said during her visit to the region last week that the U.S. will send Abbas $86.4 million to beef up his personal security guard, Force 17, which also polices PA areas in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. The Bush administration is hoping to strengthen Fatah which it perceives as a moderate group in its bid to wrest control of the PA government from Hamas.The last time the U.S. transferred arms to Fatah in order to strengthen its ability to police the PA, the weapons were ultimately pointed at Israel by a myriad of terrorist factions. When asked about that experience, Rice claimed that this time would be different.It was envisioned [then] that the Palestinian Authority would have security forces, she said. The problem is those security forces broke into essentially personal militias under [former PLO chairman Yasser] Arafat. They broke into too many that were often warring with each other.The current plan, she added, would be carried out in a way that would move over time, with the idea being that the U.S. would maintain control over what is being done with the weapons.

This plan is not just to equip [Abbas’ security forces] and train them, [but] it is also to professionalize them, to unify them [and] to put them under a single command, she said.

Now these newly-armed forces, trained and professionalized by the U.S. government would be given control over most of Judea and Samaria, placing them within rocket fire range of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Ben Gurion International Airport. They would also be within range of Arad in the Negev, and other cities and smaller communities located near the pre-1967 borders.Diplomatic sources said talks are moving rapidly as the PA wrestles with Israel over the precise location of the new borders. Solana’s aide told WND that diplomats are expected to see a historic political evolution and movement in negotiations in the next few weeks and few months, unseen since the Camp David peace talks in 2000.In 2000, then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered to give Arafat an official PA state in Judea, Samaria, Gaza and eastern neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Arafat turned down the offer, insisting the entire Israeli capital be transferred to the PA.

EU expecting role in Israel's security
Top diplomatic sources say secret talks held on handing West Bank to Abbas
January 24, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern - By Aaron Klein - 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM The European Union is in the process of expanding its offices in Israel, including in the Palestinian areas, in anticipation of an increased security role here following what European diplomatic officials say is new momentum regarding an
Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank.The West Bank borders Jerusalem and is within rocket-firing range of Tel Aviv and Israel's international airport. EU sources in Israel tell WND their offices here are taking on new staffers to deal with matters of security, public relations, diplomacy and regional coordination. They say they expect an increased work load due to behind-the-scenes diplomatic initiatives they state may result in an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank. The sources said the EU would coordinate handing over security control of key West Bank areas to the Palestinians According to an aide to EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, speaking on condition of anonymity, there will be a historic political evolution and movement in negotiations in the next few weeks and few months, unseen since the Camp David peace talks in 2000. During the Camp David talks, then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat a state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and eastern sections of Jerusalem.

Earlier this week a WND report quoted top Egyptian and European diplomatic sources stating Israel and the Palestinians have been conducting behind-the-scenes negotiations regarding handing over most of the West Bank to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The diplomatic sources said they were directly involved in negotiations mediated by Egypt and the EU, with U.S. input. The sources said major changes in Israeli-Palestinian affairs are expected within a few weeks to two months. According to the diplomatic sources, Israel agreed in principal to hand over most of the West Bank in a deal with Abbas. The sources said Israel is studying the transfer of responsibility in the central and southern West Bank to Abbas' security forces, which reportedly are receiving aid, weapons and training from the U.S. They said one proposal being considered for the northern West Bank would see Jordan and the EU supervise the transfer to Abbas' security forces. Still being debated is the role of Hamas, which leads the PA and maintains the majority of seats in the Palestinian parliament. Negotiations between Abbas and Hamas leaders for a national unity government have mostly fallen through. On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said he viewed any Palestinian elements recognizing the state of Israel as a partner for negotiations even if it is Hamas.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has made similar comments.

So far, Hamas has refused to recognize Israel but recently offered a 10-year truce with the Jewish state.

In a series of interviews this past weekend, Hamas leaders told WND during any 10-year truce period they would build a large Palestinian army and plan for the destruction of Israel. Olmert's office yesterday denied the WND report of secret negotiations for a West Bank withdrawal. There were no negotiations regarding a West Bank withdrawal. This would go contrary to other things we have said in the recent past, said Olmert's spokesperson, Miri Eisin. Perhaps the officials talking to WorldNetDaily were referring to general expectations for movement in the Israeli-Palestinian arena, Eisin said. But the European and Egyptian sources yesterday stood by their statements that Israel agreed in principal to transfer West Bank security control to Abbas. Israeli leaders previously have denied reports of pending withdrawals only to later carry them out. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, elected in 2001 on a platform against unilateral withdrawal, at first denied media reports Israel was planning to evacuate the Gaza Strip but later announced his Gaza withdrawal plan. Olmert was elected prime minister on the platform of carrying out a withdrawal from the West Bank, but after this summer's Lebanon war, he has stated a West Bank withdrawal would not occur.

Olmert in August called the policy of unilateral withdrawal a failure and said it was no longer relevant. But he can argue handing the West Bank to Abbas in an agreement is not unilateral. Contradicting Olmert, Israeli Interior Minister Roni Bar-On of Olmert's Kadima party said this summer, The withdrawal plan is not dead, though its implementation has been postponed. The plan is now on the shelf or in the freezer, but when the time comes it will be accessed. Several recent public opinion polls showed the majority of Israelis now oppose a West Bank withdrawal. The leaders of Egypt and Jordan have expressed reservations about withdrawal plans, fearing terrorism can spill over into their respective countries. Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000. It had occupied a small section of Lebanon's border with Israel following repeated attacks by Palestinian terrorists in the area. Since the withdrawal, Hezbollah has staged numerous attacks against Israel, including rocket bombardments of civilian population centers, raids against military outposts and ambushes and kidnappings of Israeli troops. Hezbollah built an arsenal in south Lebanon of more than 13,000 short- and medium-range rockets capable of hitting central sections of the Jewish state Israel withdrew last August from the Gaza Strip. Since then, rockets have been fired almost daily into nearby Jewish communities, Hamas has been elected to power and both Israeli and Palestinian officials have stated al-Qaida has infiltrated the territory. Israel says the Palestinians have smuggled hundreds of tons of heavy weaponry into Gaza and are preparing for a large-scale confrontation. Israel in June mounted a major ground invasion of Gaza after Hamas carried out a raid against a military installation in which Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was abducted.