ARAB WORLD NUCLEAR RACE

Messianic Jews to protest discrimination Matthew Wagner , THE JERUSALEM POST

A contingent of about 300 Messianic Jews from the US will protest this weekend against what they call Israel's discriminatory immigration policy against Jews who believe that Jesus is the messiah. The Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, an umbrella body for about 80 US congregations, is holding a three-day conference in Jerusalem that starts Thursday. During the conference a number of issues will be discussed - including the recent public burning by haredim of New Testaments distributed by missionaries in Or Akiva, a bomb attack that seriously wounded the son of well-known Messianic Jew in Ariel and the attempt to disqualify a Messianic Jewish high school girl from this year's International Bible Quiz for Jewish youth. We are planning to call on the Israeli government to address the problem of discrimination against Messianic Jews who wish to make aliya, said Rabbi Russ Resnik, executive director of the US-based Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations. Messianic Jews see Israel as the place of our past, from the earliest visit by Abraham to the modern rebirth of the Jewish state. And it is the place of our future, which will culminate in the messiah's return, Resnik said.

We are avid supporters of Israel in the present, and that's why we brought our conference here. But we are also concerned about recent expressions of violence against Messianic Jews.Messianic Jews include all people with Jewish ancestry who identify as Jewish but who believe that Jesus is the messiah, Resnik said. Like Reform Judaism, Messianic Jews recognize both matrilineal and patrilineal descent. Orthodox Judaism recognizes only matrilineal descent.

There are an estimated 12,000 Messianic Jews living in Israel, most of whom made aliya under the Law of Return. There are about a quarter of a million Messianic Jews living in the US. According to the Law of Return, anyone with a Jewish parent or grandparent is eligible for automatic Israeli citizenship. The law was designed to turn Israel into a safe haven for any Jew in the world who would have suffered persecution under the Nazi regime's Nuremberg racial laws. In principle, the Law of Return grants automatic citizenship to all descendants of Jews, regardless of religion. Nevertheless, in 1962 the Supreme Court ruled that Daniel Rufeisen, a Polish Jew who converted to Catholicism and became a Carmelite monk, could not be granted citizenship under the Law of Return. The court based itself on common sense criteria, assuming that the average person would agree that Rufeisen was not Jewish. The Chief Rabbinate argued at the time that Rufeisen should be considered a Jew since according to Halacha a Jew can never repudiate his or her Jewishness. Since then the Supreme Court has ruled that Messianic Jews whose mothers are Jewish can be denied Israeli citizenship. In contrast, those who are Jewish solely through their fathers cannot be denied citizenship. This is based on an interpretation of a 1970 amendment to the Law of Return.

An absurd situation is created in which Messianic Jews have to prove they are not Jewish in order to make aliya, said Calev Myers, a Messianic Jewish attorney who specializes in immigration cases. The Law of Return as envisioned by David Ben-Gurion was originally created to ensure that if you are Jewish enough to die in Auschwitz you are Jewish enough to be granted automatic Israeli citizenship. But that is no longer true.Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, head of the Ataret Yerushalayim Yeshiva and a leading religious Zionist leader, said Messianic Jews should not be considered Jews. It is true that a lot of righteous people were persecuted and murdered by the Nazis, Aviner said. But that does not make them Jewish.He said that Messianic Jews living in Israel should be marginalized and distanced from Jewish communities. Those people are proselytizers. They should not be allowed to have an influence on Jews who might be too weak to resist, Aviner said. Resnik admitted that he wanted to spread the word about the good news of the messiah among the Jews. People need to hear that message. But just because it is such a vital message does not mean that everything goes. Our way is by showing solidarity with the Jewish people, by being part of the people, he said.

FALSE TEACHERS,PROPHETS,DECIEVERS

MATTHEW 24:4-5,11,24-25
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.

1 TIMOTHY 4:1-2
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

MARK 13:22-23
22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

2 TIMOTHY 3:13
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

LUKEWARM CHURCHES

REVELATION 3:15-19
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue (VOMIT) thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Religious Americans: My faith isn't the only way Eric Gorski - Associated Press Religion Writer - 6/23/2008 12:15:00 PM

WASHINGTON - America remains a deeply religious nation, but a new survey finds most Americans don't believe their tradition is the only way to eternal life -- even if the denomination's teachings say otherwise. The findings, revealed Monday in a survey of 35,000 adults, can either be taken as a positive sign of growing religious tolerance, or disturbing evidence that Americans dismiss or don't know fundamental teachings of their own faiths.Among the more startling numbers in the survey, conducted last year by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life: 57 percent of evangelical church attenders said they believe many religions can lead to eternal life, in conflict with traditional evangelical teaching. In all, 70 percent of Americans with a religious affiliation shared that view, and 68 percent said there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of their own religion.

Results from our related poll question.What do you think is the main reason most people no longer believe Jesus is the only way of salvation?

The survey shows religion in America is, indeed, 3,000 miles wide and only three inches deep, said D. Michael Lindsay, a Rice University sociologist of religion. There's a growing pluralistic impulse toward tolerance and that is having theological consequences, he said.Earlier data from the Pew Forum's U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, released in February, highlighted how often Americans switch religious affiliation. The newly released material looks at religious belief and practice as well as the impact of religion on society, including how faith shapes political views. The report argues that while relatively few people -- 14 percent -- cite religious beliefs as the main influence on their political thinking, religion still plays a powerful indirect role.

The study confirmed some well-known political dynamics, including stark divisions over abortion and same-sex marriage, with the more religiously committed taking conservative views on the issues. But it also showed support across religious lines for greater governmental aid for the poor, even if it means more debt and stricter environmental laws and regulations.By many measures, Americans are strongly religious: 92 percent believe in God, 74 percent believe in life after death, and 63 percent say their respective scriptures are the word of God. But deeper investigation found that more than one in four Roman Catholics, mainline Protestants, and Orthodox Christians expressed some doubts about God's existence, as did six in ten Jews. Another finding almost defies explanation: 21 percent of self-identified atheists said they believe in God or a universal spirit, with eight percent absolutely certain of it.Look, this shows the limits of a survey approach to religion, said Peter Berger, a theology and sociology professor at Boston University. What do people really mean when they say that many religions lead to eternal life? It might mean they don't believe their particular truth at all. Others might be saying, We believe a truth but respect other people, and they are not necessarily going to hell. Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum, said that more research is planned to answer those kinds of questions, but that earlier, smaller surveys found similar results.

Nearly across the board, the majority of religious Americans believe many religions can lead to eternal life: mainline Protestants (83 percent), members of historic black Protestant churches (59 percent), Roman Catholics (79 percent), Jews (82 percent) and Muslims (56 percent). By similar margins, people in those faith groups believe in multiple interpretations of their own traditions' teachings. Yet 44 percent of the religiously affiliated also said their religion should preserve its traditional beliefs and practices.What most people are saying is, Hey, we don't have a hammer-lock on God or salvation, and God's bigger than us and we should respect that and respect other people, said the Rev. Tom Reese, a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University. Some people are like butterflies that go from flower to flower, going from religion to religion -- and frankly they don't get that deep into any of them, he said.

Beliefs about eternal life vary greatly, even within a religious tradition. Some Christians hold strongly to Jesus' words as described in John 14:6: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Others emphasize the wideness of God's grace. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the one church of Christ ... subsists in the Catholic Church alone and that Protestant churches, while defective, can be instruments of salvation.Roger Oldham, a vice president with the executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, bristled at using the word tolerance in the analysis. If by tolerance we mean we're willing to engage or embrace a multitude of ways to salvation, that's no longer evangelical belief, he said. The word evangelical has been stretched so broadly, it's almost an elastic term.Others welcomed the findings. It shows increased religious security. People are comfortable with other traditions even if they're different, said the Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance. It indicates a level of humility about religion that would be of great benefit to everyone.More than most groups, Catholics break with their church, and not just on issues like abortion and homosexuality. Only six in ten Catholics described God as a person with whom people can have a relationship -- which the church teaches -- while three in ten described God as an impersonal force.The statistics show, more than anything else, that many who describe themselves as Catholics do not know or understand the teachings of their church, said Denver Roman Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput. Being Catholic means believing what the Catholic church teaches. It is a communion of faith, not simply of ancestry and family tradition. It also means that the church ought to work harder at evangelizing its own members.

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(MOSCOW) 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,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

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

JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) 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.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Arab World nuclear race / Who has what, and from where
By Yoav Stern Haaaretz Tags: saudi arabia

Israel is following with interest the closer nuclear ties France is forging with the Arab world. The Foreign Ministry has declined to go on the record on the issue, but ministry officials say that though they are concerned about the matter, they do not oppose it.

They say it is better for Israel that France is supplying nuclear technology to Arab countries and not nations less friendly to Israel, such as Russia or China.

So who has what?

Morocco: Advancing a civilian nuclear program with France.

Libya: Canceled its military nuclear program in 2003. Libya and France signed an agreement to cooperate on civilian projects.

Egypt: Developing a program for an energy reactor and negotiating a cooperation agreement with the U.S. and France.

Saudi Arabia: Signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with the U.S.

Syria: Interested in developing nuclear activity within an Arab framework, in cooperation with Turkey.

Jordan: Rapidly advancing an energy nuclear reactor and negotiating its erection with France.

United Arab Emirates: Signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with France at the beginning of the year.

Last Saturday, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon signed a cooperation agreement on nuclear issues with his Algerian counterpart while touring the North African country. Algeria has been suspected in the past of conducting a nuclear project for military purposes.

France is also in close contact on this subject with other North African and Arab countries, as well as states in the Persian Gulf.

Officials in the government are concerned about the nuclearization, even if in most cases it is for civilian purposes and not for arms.

The French are ready to supply this technology anywhere, as long as they are being paid. They would sell a nuclear reactor to Israel, too, if it expressed an interest, a source at the ministry said.

The officials said France also wants to be seen as a leader in the regional developments in the Mediterranean and Europe.

France is trying to persuade Algeria to support, or at least not oppose, the Mediterranean Union set to be established in Paris next month.

Arab nuclearization began in recent years mainly in response to Iranian nuclearization. Dr. Ephraim Asculai, a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, told Haaretz yesterday: Why are Arab countries waking up all of a sudden about the nuclear issue? Clearly Arab countries are worried about Iran. This is not their response, but rather a statement: We are here.

The sale of nuclear technology by France can provide a livelihood for many of its people. Asculai says billions of dollars are invested in the building of a single reactor, money that no country would scoff at easily.

The Arab nuclear awakening, as well as the search for alternatives to oil, has aroused the major nuclear powers to look for business possibilities. In addition to France, Russia, the United States and China, other powers such as Germany are courting the Arab countries. Iran, for its part, is trying to appear as though it is taking under its wing Muslim countries interested in moving ahead in this area.

In his last visit to Algeria, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad discussed the nuclear issue extensively. But it should be remembered that not every agreement on nuclear cooperation matures into the establishment of reactors or full implementation. Declarations of intent do not necessarily obligate the parties.

Among those expressing themselves on the nuclear issue is King Abdullah of Jordan, who told the Washington Post last week at the Petra Conference that Jordan would be quicker than other Arab countries in obtaining nuclear energy.

He said that Jordan's goals were entirely civilian. Jordan was considering placing nuclear energy in the hands of a civilian firm to decrease concerns, he said.

In Syria, which officially denies that the facility bombed in September was nuclear, Oil Minister Sufian Alao said recently that his country would move ahead on joint nuclear activities with Turkey, as reported by Turkey's Anatolian News Agency.

The extent of Syria's cooperation with North Korea and Iran in the nuclear realm is disturbing to many, and no single answer is forthcoming. Syrian President Bashar Assad says his country wants to develop a nuclear program in an Arab framework, meaning with other Arab countries under the umbrella of the Arab League.

Egypt uses the nuclear issue to prove its advanced patriotic activities, with promotion of the issue associated with President Hosni Mubarak's son, Gamal Mubarak.

Saudi Arabia has raised the issue in various forums and is holding talks with the U.S. and France. The Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes most of the Arab states in the Persian Gulf, has declared that it would promote cooperation on this issue.

According to Asculai, a number of Arab states have poor scientific infrastructure that will make it difficult for them to develop independent nuclear programs. He says technical difficulties will block the Gulf states from building a nuclear reactor.

A nuclear reactor for energy must be profitable only if it produces a great deal of electricity. For the countries to collaborate on this issue, they will have to upgrade the infrastructure for delivering electricity, he said.

Algeria: Advancing a nuclear program for civilian purposes with France and Iran. It has several facilities that are suspected of being used in the past for military purposes.

Russian flights smack of Cold War U.S. fighters ID bombers near Alaska Rowan Scarborough (Contact) Thursday, June 26, 2008

Russian bombers have stepped up provocative flight exercises off the Alaskan coast, reminiscent of Cold War incursions designed to rattle U.S. air defenses. U.S. Northern Command, which protects North American airspace, told The Washington Times that TU-95 Bear bombers on 18 occasions the past year have skirted a 12-mile air defense identification zone that protects Alaska. The incursions prompted F-15s and F-22 Raptor fighters to scramble from Elmendorf Air Force Base and intercept the warplanes. The last incident happened in May. The venerable propeller-driven TU-95 came to symbolize the Cold War, as did its counterpart, the U.S. B-52 Stratofortress. They have flown close enough to deem it necessary to ID and monitor them, said Maj. Allen Herritage, a base spokesman. They come. We ID. We go back to our base. They go back to their base. Elmendorf is headquarters for the Alaskan region of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Air defense identification zones are military boundaries designed to guard the U.S. and Canada against attack. To enter the zones legally, pilots must file flight plans with air controllers. Russian bombers do not file flight plans, so U.S. and Canadian jets are required to scramble to identify the planes and warn them away from the area.

They have not been filing a flight plan and that is the problem, Maj. Herritage said. Moscow's sophisticated show of force has some in the Pentagon paying more attention to the long-term goals of a Russian military, which is being rebuilt with proceeds from the country's huge oil and gas revenues. NORAD is more sensitive than ever to wayward aircraft, given the Sept. 11 attacks by hijackers and the lack of military coordination at the time to track, and perhaps destroy, the planes. Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the Joint Chiefs chairman, talked on Monday of the challenges we have with a resurgent Russia while addressing Pentagon workers at a town-hall-style meeting. Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., chief of NorthCom, said earlier this month that I think the Russians are not a near-term military threat, while noting they had renewed military flights over the polar region. This is the route U.S. or Russian bombers would travel to bomb the other's country. I think we do have to make sure, you know, post-9/11 world, that we never let an unidentified aircraft come into our airspace, and that we determine who they are and what they're doing, and if it is a Russian aircraft on a training mission, we allow them to continue to do their job, Gen. Renuart said on WUSA-TV's This Week in Defense News.
Although Gen. Renuart downplayed the incursions, other air-power authorities said Vladimir Putin, as Russian president, began flexing his military's muscle last year as a message to Washington.

Putin is trying to get the military rejuvenated and trying to show they are a military power, said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas G. McInerney, who commanded NORAD's Alaska region. He's doing it for a whole host of things. It's really muscle-flexing.When told that 18 Russian incursions had been reported in 12 months, Mr. McInerney said, That's a lot.Mr. Putin, who relinquished the presidency in May and is now prime minister, has been at odds with President Bush over NATO expansion and the invasion of Iraq. At times, he has made strong anti-U.S. statements that stirred Cold War memories. A NorthCom statement to The Times said, Russia has indicated in open press reporting its intention to proceed with navigation and operational training.Mr. McInerney said the incursions are the most sophisticated since the Cold War. He made the assessment based on an Air Force briefing he received last fall at Elmendorf. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images PUSHING IT: A U.S. warplane (right) intercepts a TU-95 Bear, a Russian plane commonly used during the Cold War, in February. The American plane escorted the bomber away from a carrier south of Japan after the Russian plane came threateningly close.The retired general called the exercises coordinated attacks coming into our air defense identification zone. They are very sophisticated attack training maneuvers. These incursions are far more sophisticated than anything we had seen before.He said the Russian army air force is launching Bear bombers from Tiksi on the Arctic Ocean and Anadyr in Siberia. They are flying against the air defense identification zone from both the polar caps and from the south. The Air Force statement said it has monitored Russian aircraft taking off from a variety of air bases across their country.

Bolton: Israel Will Strike Iran if Obama is Elected Wednesday, June 25, 2008 4:32 PM By: Rick Pedraza

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton believes Israel will stage a raid against Iran's nuclear facilities if Democratic nominee Barack Obama wins the upcoming presidential election in November. Bolton, often labeled a resolute neo-conservative, believes the Israeli attack would take place sometime between the day after Obama's win and his inauguration on January 20of next year. In an interview with FOX News, Bolton says, I think if they are to do anything, the most likely period is after our elections and before the inauguration of the next President.Bolton reasons Israel won’t be able to hold off a strike on Iran any longer than that given the Illinois senator's intended foreign policy toward the Islamic Republic. I don’t think they [the Israeli government] will do anything before our election because they don’t want to affect it, he says, adding, They’d have to make a judgment whether to [strike] during the remainder of President Bush’s term in office or wait for his successor.Bolton points to Obama’s statements in which he says he would engage Iran in direct talks and take the military option for dealing with Iran's quest for nuclear weapons off the table, a position he believes will further embolden Tehran to build a nuclear bomb.

In a related interview with The Telegraph, Bolton says he believes Arab countries will support an Israeli strike, effectively ending Iran's nuclear ambitions, while publicly denouncing it. Their reaction, he tells the British paper, will be positive privately. I think there'll be public denunciations, but no action.Bolton thinks Israel may consider postponing the attack, however, if Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., emerges as the victor in the presidential race. He says McCain's stance on Iran is far more realistic than that of the Bush administration.Bolton doubts Iran would respond immediately with a counterstrike of its own, partially because Tehran would fear an American reprisal. Earlier this month, Israel held a massive air force exercise over Greece that U.S., Israeli and Greek sources later confirmed was a test run for a strike on Iran's main uranium enrichment plant.2008 Newsmax.

* * * * FLASH TRAFFIC: WASHINGTON UPDATE * * * *

IRAQI PRESIDENT SHAKES HAND WITH ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER
Why isn't Jalal Talabani on the cover of Time? By Joel C. Rosenberg

(Washington, D.C., July 2, 2008) -- Please forgive me for not writing Flash Traffic or updating my blog as often as usual this summer. The main reason is that I'm immersed in writing a new non-fiction book, Inside The Revolution, about the battle between Radicals and Reformers in the Middle East for the soul of the Islamic world.

One of the Reformers that has most intrigued me is a man by the name of Jalal Talabani. As the first truly democratically elected President of Iraq in human history and one who has consistently put his life on the line to fight the jihadists in his country, Talabani is a man who should be on the cover of Time and Newsweek. He should be the subject of lengthly profiles by network TV news magazines. One should be able to buy a New York Times best-selling biography of him. In short, Jalal Talabani should be a household name in the U.S. for the convictions he holds, the risks he takes, and the success he is achieving, bit by bit, day by day, week by week. And yet he receives almost no serious press coverage in the U.S. or Europe.

Over the past few months, I have interviewed those who know this 74-year old Kurdish patriot well. I've read hundreds of pages of speeches by him and articles about him, trying understand how this former violent rebel leader somehow transformed into a Jeffersonian Democrat in pursuit of a peaceful, prosperous, tolerant and pluralistic Iraqi society, friendly towards the U.S., friendly towards Jews and Christians, and deeply opposed to radical Islam. It's a story that intrigues me and, I confess, still baffles me. But I'm hunting down every lead I can, and praying for an opportunity to actually interview Talabani on my next trip to Iraq.

That said, perhaps you can understand how interesting I found this story of President Talabani smiling and shaking hands with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, now Israel's Defense Minister. What's more, the meeting was arranged by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, of all people. It was a small but historic moment that took place yesterday at a conference just outside of Athens, Greece.

Talabani's office downplayed its significance tot he Iraqi press so as not to stir up more trouble inside their troubled country. But the truth is, it was significant. The last President of Iraq -- Saddam Hussein -- vowed to incinerate half of Israel with chemical weapons....and went on to launch 39 ballistic missiles at the Jewish State during the first Gulf War. Clearly, Talabani is cut from wholly different cloth. And thank God. Worth watching, to say the least.

IFCJ BANQUET
http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageNavigator/eng/25th_anniversary/banquet/banquet_page?s_subsrc=E8FLFEM&JServSessionIdr009=jd05klysx1.app1b

IFCJ SCHEDUALE
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The CARMEL ALERT June 27th 2008 A compilation of news reports from the past week for the information of those committed to praying for Israel and the salvation of the Jewish people.David's Comment: A Closer Look at Current Realities in Israel

The Peace Process: The truce or ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is almost a week old. Hamas continues to smuggle weapons accross the Egyptian / Gaza border, while Israel demands that one of the main dynamics of the truce is that the smuggling stop. Two Kassam rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel on Tuesday and the IDF killed 2 Arab terrorist leaders in retaliation. So the truce is holding, but most commentators are predicting that thus cease fire will soon go the way of all its predecessors. Israel ceases and the enemy continues to fire. Israel has said that failure of this truce will result in a major military offensive to root out the source of the missile attacks. However the current Israeli leadership seems incapable of making and carrying out such a decision, primarily because George and Condi wont be happy.

Out if one side of his mouth, French leader Sarkozy said that France was committed to Israel's right to exist in peace and safety, but in typical political doublespeak out of the outer side of his mouth called for Israel to give the terrorists all of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and half of Jerusalem. What is it with these politiicans ? What gives them any right to demand that Israel gives away even an inch of land that God gave to Israel as an everlasting inheritance ?

In reality the prospects of true peace for Israel are as fragile as ever.

The Government: The current government is in its death throws. Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmet is refusing to concede it is doomed to an early demise. Olmert is under police investigation accused of serious financial corruption. He is the most accused and unpopular leader in modern Israel's history. Politicians from all sided are calling for his resignation. The opposition Labour party led by Ehud Barak intended to vote for dissolution of the Olmert government, which if successful would meant an early election. However in a typical Israeli last minute dirty deal Olmert managed to get Barak to agree to some kind of deal if he agreed not to go ahead with the vote. Now we are stuck with Olmert at least until Septmeber. Only God knows how much more damage Olmert can do in that time.

The Economy: The Israeli economy seems to be very strong. Although the average person is not better off than they were 12 months ago, and many Israeli families live under the poverty line, the Shekel is the strongest it has been for years. In the past year, the Shekel has risen by more than 25% over the US Dollar and most other major currencies. Good news for the country, but bad news for all of the congregations and ministries who rely on financial support from the nations.

As we reported last week, tourism is booming to record levels and many other industries that export to the nations are also doing very well. The Real Estate market is stable. Looking at things prophetically, Israel has the best long term prospects of any nation as YHVH says many times in His Word that He is going to destroy the nations and establish His Kingdom on Jerusalem, the undivided capital of Israel. If you have funds available invest in Israel now.

The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to the Jewish people by the God of Israel . Lets pray that Israel will turn back to their God. Do not be silent, but share this with your fellow Christians, share it with your pastors, and with anyone you have a chance to speak to. Lets also pray for that breakthrough to the Muslims, and please remember to pray for our son Jordan, and all of his fellow soldiers in the IDF.

Shabbat Shalom ... David & Josie