SYRIA TO COOPERATE WITH OBAMA

PSALMS 20:1-9 PRAY THIS FOR ISRAEL EVERY DAY OF THIS WAR
1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;
2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;
3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.
4 Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.
6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.
9 Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.

ISRAELS INHERITED LAND IN THE FUTURE

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.

Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.

ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.

HAMAS AT THERE WORST
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UptNr0v1p3E

WAR COVERAGE
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Special/War/

ONE JERUSALEM - SPAIN STORY
http://www.onejerusalem.org/2009/01/perceptive-defense-of-israel-b.php

THE WAY HAMAS EDUCATES ARAB,MUSLIM CHILDREN
http://www.onejerusalem.org/2009/01/the-way-hamas-educates-the-pal.php

EU pledges navy patrols to prevent Gaza smuggling
LEIGH PHILLIPS Today JAN 19,09 @ 09:24 CET

European Union states have engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity following the announcement of a ceasefire by Israel and Hamas declaring its own truce over the weekend, with the EU's big three pledging naval support to prevent the delivery of weapons into Gaza.On Saturday (17 January) at midnight, Tel Aviv declared a unilateral ceasefire, saying its objectives of degrading Hamas' ability to fire rockets into Israel had been achieved.Hamas on Sunday followed with an announcement of a truce, giving Israel seven days to leave the occupied territory and open all border crossings to permit the entry of humanitarian aid and basic goods.Six EU leaders - the chiefs of France, Germany and the UK, alongside the Italian, Spanish and Czech prime ministers - then descended upon Sharm al-Sheikh in Egypt for a summit to discuss the crisis, where they committed to work to prevent arms smuggling, a key demand of Israel.Specifically, they offered troops and technological assistance in co-operation with the US and Egypt to execute the task.

Neither Israel nor the governors of Gaza attended the meeting, but the leaders subsequently met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem.Ahead of the summit, France, Germany and the UK furthermore offered support of naval patrols to monitor against weapons shipments, according to Reuters.The leaders also called on Israel to lift the blockade.Israel should state immediately and clearly that if rocket fire will stop, the Israeli army will leave Gaza. There is no other solution to achieve peace, said French President Nicolas Sarkozy.Announcing an additional €22m (£20m) in humanitarian aid to Gaza, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown criticised Israel for the extreme violence of its offensive.We are yet to discover the full scale of the appalling suffering, he said, according to the Guardian. But what is already clear is that too many innocent civilians, including hundreds of children, have been killed.Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi meanwhile offered support to the Jewish state, pointing out that he was proud to have been the one to push for the inclusion of Hamas on the EU's terror list, according to Israeli daily Haaretz, adding that he will work to see Israel welcomed as a member of the European Union.

When I heard about the rocket fire at Israel, I felt that it was a danger to Italy, and to the entire West, the paper reports the Italian leader as saying.German Chancellor Angela Merkel also backed the provision of technical and training assistance to prevent arms deliveries via the Sinai peninsula, saying: The two-state solution is the sole possibility [for peace].The Czech Republic, currently chairing the EU's six-month rotating presidency, also welcomed the ceasefire in a statement.

The priority now is to ensure that no more civilians die as a result of this conflict. It is vital, therefore, that all required humanitarian assistance, including food, fuel and medical aid, is freely and rapidly delivered into, and distributed within Gaza, it read, calling for a renewal of the peace process.The EU stands ready to help establish an independent, democratic, contiguous and viable Palestinian state, living side by side with Israel in peace and security, it continued.The EU's executive body, the commission, expressed relief at the apparent end of the fighting.It was indispensable to have a ceasefire, said external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner. I call on Hamas to refrain from any violence in order to allow for an end to the terrible human suffering. It should also allow the EU and other donors to deliver much needed humanitarian assistance.

Our priority is a durable peace. I hope we will soon see the regular opening of the Gaza crossings and the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the Gaza strip, she added.The peace nevertheless remains fragile. Some 20 rockets were fired across the border following the Israeli ceasefire had been announced, while Israel responded with additional bombing. It is unclear who perpetrated the rocket barrage. Over 1,300 Palestinians were killed during the three-week war, mostly civilians, including hundreds of children, according to Gaza medical sources. A total of 13 Israelis were killed.

Wild Card: Double Dealing Egypt Won’t Stop Smuggling by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu JAN 19,09

(IsraelNN.com) Egypt is the key to any plan to end smuggling of arms into Gaza, but two university experts say that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is a double dealer who cannot be trusted. They warn that smuggling will continue despite the international community's vow to stop it.Egypt… is playing a dangerous double-game in its ties with its neighbors, Israel and Hamas, according to a FrontPage.com interview with Dr. Michael Widlanski, a research fellow at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem and teacher at Hebrew University.Egyptian officials have actually encouraged attacks on Israel [and] have condemned Israeli retaliation against Hamas, calling it aggression, without ever condemning a single Hamas attack, he added.Dr. Widlanski noted that after the beginning of the IDF's Cast Lead counterterrorist campaign in Gaza, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak criticized Hamas for goading Israel into the kind of military action which would hurt Hamas and all Palestinians, but he justified Hamas attacks, while excoriating Israeli aggression no less than 11 times in a ten-minute speech.Mubarak is basically saying that the attacks themselves are okay and legitimate, but that they bring Israeli reprisals…. Mubarak ended his speech by saying that the Palestinian case will never ever die. This kind of terminology again suggests the Arabic rhetoric of Arafat-Abbas-Hamas that no Israeli withdrawals will ever satisfy the Arab opponents of Israel but that diplomatic agreements or truces are nothing but a transitory stage in the ultimate erasure of the occupation.

Mubarak has been worried that Israeli attacks on Hamas will cause an uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood, the major opposition party in Egypt. Hamas, though currently supported and trained by the Shi'ite regime of Iran, is actually the outgrowth of the Muslim Brotherhood organization inside Egypt, according to the researcher.He called on Israel to attack the terrorist organizations mercilessly and ceaselessly by physically killing or capturing their members, preferably killing them. And no truces or ceasefires ever—not for Ramadan, not for Christmas and not for Rosh HaShanah.Cairo holds several cards up its sleeve against Western efforts to place international forces along its border to try to stop smuggling, although Egypt claimed on Monday that arms enter Gaza by sea and not through tunnels under the border between Gaza and Egypt.

Bedouins and Bribery

Egypt's problems with Bedouin smugglers, a culture of bribery and Cairo's own complex administration are obstacles that will thwart any international attempt to stop arms smuggling to Gaza, according to Dr. Mordechai Kedar, a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University's Department of Arabic Culture.No agreement or decision that includes a component of ending arms smuggling will be implemented, even if the Egyptian regime wants it to happen, he wrote in the Hebrew-language Yediot Acharonot daily newspaper. No agreement or decision that includes a component of ending arms smuggling will be implemented.Dr. Kedar pointed out that the source of smuggling usually is Bedouins, whose culture and language are as separate from that in Egypt as they are from the culture and language of Jews in Israel. They make a living by smuggling women and drugs to Israel, as well as arms, ammunition, and missiles to [Gaza], he explained…. Every time the Egyptian regime attempts to press them, they carry out an attack on a Sinai beach…. This is how they convince the government in Cairo to let them be and continue the smuggling.The likelihood of the Egyptian government overtaking them is similar to the likelihood that the Israeli government will be able to eliminate polygamy among the Bedouins in the Negev. The Bedouins in the Sinai will continue to smuggle regardless of agreements or decisions that bound Egypt, Kedar said.He added that the culture of bribery and the multi-leveled Egyptian bureaucracy are further insurmountable obstacles to well-meaning Western intentions. Mubarak may want it [a halt to smuggling], but his decisions are not carried out. This is not about malice; it's merely Egypt.

Hamas Vows to Rearm: We Know How to Acquire Weapons by Hana Levi Julian JAN 19,09

(IsraelNN.com) Less than 24 hours into a ceasefire it agreed to after a devastating defeat by IDF forces, Hamas vowed Monday to rearm as soon as possible.Manufacturing the holy weapons is our mission, and we know how to acquire weapons, Hamas's military spokesman Abu Ubaida told journalists at a news conference in Gaza.The terrorist group agreed Sunday afternoon to halt its rocket fire against southern Israeli communities about 12 hours after Jerusalem declared a unilateral ceasefire. Israel warned, however, that it would renew military operations if Hamas resumes its attacks or tries to smuggle more arms into Gaza.Abu Ubaida declared that all options would be open if IDF troops were not out of Gaza by the end of the week, a condition demanded by the terrorist organization when it announced its own ceasefire.No one in Jerusalem was surprised by the news. That is to be expected, said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev. We have no deal with Hamas, and we have no illusions about Hamas.Regev said that the IDF had substantially destroyed the Hamas military machine and that the terrorist group would think twice and three times before resuming its rocket fire on Israeli communities, however, because it is against their basic interests at this point.The prime minister's spokesman expressed confidence that the international arms embargo put into place Sunday by European leaders at the summit hosted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm el-Sheikh would prevent the group from rearming. Iranian weapons have to reach the Gaza Strip, Regev said. We have reason to believe that this is going to work.

Leaders of eight European and Arab countries, as well as the heads of the United Nations and the Arab League met in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss arrangements for a durable truce in Gaza. Hamas terrorists had continued to insist they would not be bound by any agreement worked out without their participation. They were not invited to the summit, which included among the participants Palestinian Authority Chairman and rival Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas.The conference was also attended by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Jordanian King Abdullah II, Turkey's President Abdullah Gul, and the prime ministers of Britain, Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Also present were United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the head of the Arab League.Following the summit, the heads of all six European nations traveled to Jerusalem to meet with Israeli leaders and promise their technical and physical support in stopping Hamas from acquiring new arms.

The Gaza War in Numbers
by Hillel Fendel JAN 19,09

(IsraelNN.com) Operation Cast Lead, the just-ended anti-terror military offensive waged by the IDF in Gaza, began on Dec. 27, 2008, and ended three weeks later with a unilateral Israeli ceasefire that went into effect at 2 AM on Jan. 18, 2009.

13 Soldiers and Civilians Killed
Of the 13 Israelis killed during the three weeks of war, four were felled by Hamas rocket and shelling attacks in the first three days: Babar Vaknin, 55, of Netivot; Bedouin construction worker Hani Al-Mahdi, 27, from Aroer; Israeli-Arab soldier St.-Sgt. Lutfi Nasraldin, 38, of the western Galilee; and Irit Sheetrit, 39, mother of 4.

Nine soldiers were killed in offensive activity, all in the first five days of the ground offensive, which began on Jan. 3: St.-Sgt Dvir Emanuelof, 22, of Giv'at Ze'ev; Maj. Dagan Vertman, 31, of Maaleh Michmas; Capt. Yehonatan Netanel, 26, of Kedumim; St.-Sgt. Nitai Stern, 21, of Jerusalem; Corp. Yusuf Muadi, 19, a Druze soldier from Haifa; St.-Sgt. Alexander Meshbitzki, 21, from Be’er Sheva; Maj. Ro'i Rosner, 27, of Holon; St.-Sgt. Amit Robinson, 19, from Kibbutz Magal; and Captain Omer Rabinovitch, 23, from Arad.

Wounded and Homeless
780 soldiers and civilians received hospital treatment over the course of the war, including many who were treated for shock and trauma. As of Sunday, 64 were still hospitalized - 51 soldiers and 13 civilians. Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva admitted the most patients during the war – 518, including nearly 200 soldiers.

Ten of the wounded are still listed in serious condition.

Thirty-five families were left homeless as a result of direct rocket hits, and 15 of them are still being housed in hotels.

Estimated Costs
War costs take into account ammunition, reserves soldiers’ salaries, direct and indirect damage to towns and property, losses to businesses, and more. Total costs of the war are roughly estimated at 5.5 billion shekels ($1.43 billion), including 250 million shekels ($65 million) in damage to agriculture in the south. Payments to reserves soldiers for missed days of work are estimated at 600 million shekels ($155 million).

Over 1,725 damage claims have been filed with the Finance Ministry’s Property Tax department. These include 424 damaged apartments and cars in Ashkelon, 404 in Ashdod, 388 in the Gaza Belt communities, and 324 in Sderot. A total of 268 cars were reported damaged by rocket shrapnel.

Industry in the south suffered direct losses of 88 million shekels ($23 million), largely because of worker absences. In factories within 10 kilometers of Gaza, worker attendance ranged between 40% and 60% during the three weeks of war.

How Many Rockets?
The IDF Spokesman's office said that a total of 640 Grad/Katyusha and Kassam rockets were fired into Israel by Hamas, as well as 180 mortar shells.

1,300 Arabs were killed in Gaza, including hundreds of terrorists, according to the IDF Spokesman's office. Hamas says 200 women and 410 under age 16 were killed, and 5,300 were wounded.

Three Arab leaders call for end of conflict with Israel in 2009
Time is GMT + 8 hours Posted: 18-Jan-2009 22:45 hrs

Egypt President Hosni Mubarak, Jordanian King Abdullah II and Arab League chief Amr Moussa called for an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict in 2009, at the end of a summit in Egypt Sunday. — AFP

European Leaders Fly to Egypt, Israel Reported: 11:15 AM - Jan/18/09

(IsraelNN.com) European Leaders will meet for an Egyptian cease fire conference Sunday before flying to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, according to Army Radio. The cease fire conference will take place in Sharm Al Shiekh with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.In attendance will be UN Chief Ban Ki-Moon, and Prime Ministers of France, England, Italy, Germany, and Spain. In addition, PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas will attend. Afterwards, the leaders will travel to Israel and have dinner with Olmert.

Israel hopes peace will last as Hamas hits dead end
Updated Mon. Jan. 19 2009 8:11 AM ET CTV.ca News Staff

Israel's devastating offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip has laid the groundwork for what could be an unprecedented push for peace in the region, says a top spokesperson. The blitz by air, sea and land killed more than 1,200 Palestinians -- half of them civilians according the the United Nations -- before Israel announced on Saturday its decision to stop the attacks. Twelve hours later, Hamas also ceased shooting. Mark Regev, spokesperson for the Israeli government, told CTV's Canada AM that the militants have lost credibility and there is a new sense of hope that lasting peace can be achieved. Hopefully in the longer term, maybe later this year, we could see a peace process with greater momentum precisely because the radicals, the extremists have been discredited and the moderates are ready to stand at centre stage, Regev said. The path of radicalism followed by Hamas has been exposed as a dead end, Regev said. I think Palestinians are asking themselves today What did Hamas give us? What did this path of extremists bring to us? And I think today the whole extremist theology has been discredited.Regev also said the ceasefire will remain permanent so long as Hamas doesn't resume its barrage of rockets into southern Israel. There was also word on Monday that Israel planned to pull all of its troops out of the Gaza Strip by the time U.S. president-elect Barack Obama is inaugurated on Tuesday -- unless Hamas rocket fire resumed.

Thousands of Israeli troops have already pulled out of Gaza since Saturday, when Israel announced its unilateral ceasefire. Troops were still amassed on the border, however, ready to invade at the first sign of aggression from the militants. Israeli officials told The Associated Press that pulling troops out of Gaza ahead of the inauguration would set the stage for a smooth start to Obama's presidency. With a steady ceasefire in place, Obama would avoid having to wade into the conflict immediately after taking office. The officials spoke to AP under the condition of anonymity, because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the plan. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert shared the plan on Sunday with leaders from Spain, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Czech Republic. They were in the region to shore-up the fragile peace deal. Olmert told the leaders he had no desire to maintain a military presence in Gaza. We didn't set out to conquer Gaza. We didn't set out to control Gaza. We don't want to remain in Gaza and we intend on leaving Gaza as fast as possible, he said, according to the officials cited by AP. Regev said the presence of the European leaders proves Israel is serious about achieving lasting peace and moving forward with a process of historical reconciliation.He also said Israel is doing all it can to bring relief to the citizens of Gaza who have been hardest hit by the conflict. We'll be a full partner in all international efforts to give humanitarian support to the people of Gaza, Regev said. The border crossings are open, from our point of view there are no limitations on the number of trucks going in with food stuff, medicine, emergency supplies for the people of Gaza. We want to see that support arrive in a timely fashion, we want to see in the correct volume, we want to see the people that need that human aid receive it immediately.

FORCING ISRAEL TO STOP BOMBING HAMAS WILL HELP TO KILL AMERICAS FUTURE POWER. THE EU IS GETTING TO BE THE WESTERN LEADER NOW LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS WILL HAPPEN.

Poll confirms US image problem ahead of Obama debut
VALENTINA POP Today JAN 19,09 @ 09:29 CET

The United States is viewed favourably by a majority of people in only two of the world's other 21 large economies, an Ipsos/Reuters poll shows, released two days ahead of Barack Obama's inauguration as America's 44th president.India (72%) and Poland (53%), along with the United States itself (74%), were the only countries where the majority gave America a favourable rating. In Britain and South Korea, the number of US supporters were equal to its critics.The nations with the strongest overall negative image of the US were Russia (60%) and Turkey (55%) – historically a strong US ally - followed by Argentina and three EU member states: Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. The online poll of 22,000 people was conducted for Reuters by Ipsos Global Public Affairs, an international market research and polling company, in late November, weeks after Mr Obama was elected to succeed President George W. Bush.Ipsos polled people in the 22 countries that make up 75 percent of the world's gross domestic product: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States.

The nations surveyed named valuing human rights as the most important factor for a nation to earn respect, followed by respect for its citizens' rights and contributing to international peace and cooperation.Although the United States earned good reviews for having a high standard of living and contributing to the global economy, those surveyed ranked these issues far lower in importance.Obama follows Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr.Meanwhile, in Washington, president-elect Barack Obama will spend his last day before becoming US leader commemorating the figure of Martin Luther King Jr., after a weekend dedicated to president Abraham Lincoln.Mr Obama is set on Monday (19 January), the day the civil rights leader was born, to take part in a community renovation project in the Washington area commemorating Martin Luther King.On Sunday, he ended an historical two-day trip retracing the steps of Abraham Lincoln in 1861 as he travelled from Philadelphia to Washington to assume the presidency. Mr Lincoln, Obama's fellow Illinoisan, the country's 16th president, led the nation through its Civil War and ended slavery.A pop concert was also staged at the Lincoln memorial on Sunday, with famous singers and bands such as Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige and U2.Between one and two million people are expected to make their way to Washington for the swearing-in ceremony and inaugural parade on Tuesday.

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.

Icy conditions in Maritimes after snow storm
Updated Mon. Jan. 19 2009 7:11 AM ET The Canadian Press

HALIFAX, N.S. -- Treacherous road conditions following a storm that dumped a messy mix of snow and rain across the Maritimes has led to school closures across the region. School has been cancelled in most districts across Nova Scotia and southeastern New Brunswick. Police meanwhile, are warning motorists to exercise caution on roads that have become impassable in some places. Roads are so slippery along Nova Scotia's South Shore that a Transportation Department snowplow became stuck on a hill outside Mahone Bay. The driver had to call for a sand truck to give enough traction to keep the plow moving. Environment Canada meteorologist Chris Fogarty says while temperatures will rise through the day it won't be enough to melt most of the ice build-up.

The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press Weather Underground, National Summary: Active weather will remain in the East as a low pressure system will provide cold weather.

Henry's Meteological Madness AccuWeather Another round of cold temperatures and winter snow showers greeted those in the East early Monday, while rain was in store for the Southeast and clear skies dawned over the West.Several areas of low pressure will produce a mix of rain and snow showers across the Great Lakes, Northeast and the mid-Atlantic.Beginning in the North, an area of low pressure located over the Great Lakes will advance eastward into the Northeast by the afternoon. As the system progresses, it will pull cold northern air across the warmer lake waters to produce moderate lake-effect snow bands across areas of northwestern Indiana, Michigan and the lower Great Lakes.To the east of this system, another area of low pressure will produce significant snow shower activity across New England. This winter storm system is expected to produce up to 5 inches of snow as it moves over eastern Maine.

A third low pressure system was expected to produce mixed precipitation across the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic. Light rain showers will develop along an associated cold front as it sweeps through the Southeast.The West was expected to remain dry due to a strong high pressure system, producing fair conditions with above normal temperatures across California and the Southwest.Temperatures in the Lower 48 states on Sunday ranged from a low of minus 30 degrees at Caribou, Maine, to a high of 87 degrees at Santee, Calif.On the Net:Weather Underground: http://www.wunderground.com
National Weather Service: http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov Intellicast: http://www.intellicast.com

* * * * FLASH TRAFFIC: WASHINGTON UPDATE * * * * BIBLE PROPHECY, GAZA, AND THE EPICENTER

* Could cease-fire make Israel's southern border secure for the next few years?
* Israel makes enormous, historic discovery of natural gas off coast of Haifa
* Russia to build naval bases in Libya, Syria By Joel C. Rosenberg (Erbil, Iraq, January 19, 2009)

NOTE: I posted Part One of this article on my weblog on Friday. I posted Part Two last night (Sunday).

PART ONE:

Is there a connection between Bible prophecy and the war in Gaza?

I'm getting asked that everywhere I travel here in the epicenter, in Israel and here in Iraq, where I have been for the past several days, working on our INSIDE THE REVOLUTION documentary film, slated for release later this year. It's an intriguing question, and there are two quick answers -- no, and yes.

A.) No, there is no specific passage of Scripture that points to this specific war between Israel and terrorists in Gaza in the last days, though there are certainly some passages that are evocative of the current conflict. The Lord once said through the Hebrew Prophet Amos, for example, I will send fire upon the wall of Gaza and it will consume her citadels….I will even unleash My power upon Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines will perish. But this was fulfilled between 760 and 750 B.C.

B.) That said, the current war between Israel and the terrorist leaders and fighters of Hamas in Gaza could be preparing the way for the coming War of Gog and Magog described in Ezekiel 38-39. In that prophecy (as well as chapters 36 and 37), Ezekiel says that:

1. The State of Israel will be resurrected in the last days

2. Jews will pour back into the Holy Land after centuries of being scattered in exile all over the world

3. By God's grace, the Jews will rebuild the ancient ruins in the land of Israel

4. By God's grace, the Jews will see the land of Israel blossom and bear fruit like never before

5. Ezekiel also says that prior to the alliance against Israel led by Russia (Magog) and Iran (Persia) to destroy Israel, the people of Israel will be living securely, all of them. (38:8b). The text, however, never uses the word shalom, the Hebrew word for peace. So Ezekiel does not seem to be referring to full and complete peace. Rather, he seems to be suggesting that there will be a sense among Israelis that they are safer than they previously had been.

6. In most respects, Israelis are today living more safely and securely than any time since independence in 1948. Consider that Israel has formal and reasonably effective peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. Saddam Hussein is gone. Yasser Arafat is gone. Suicide bombers are largely a terror tool of the past. Israel has the most powerful air force in the region. Israel has the most advanced missile defense system in the world. The U.S. is on offense against radical Islamic terrorists in the region. No wonder most Israelis - even today - feel more secure and relaxed than ever before, given the modern history of the Jewish people. They're going to the malls, to the movies, to the beaches. They are getting married and having bar mitzvahs and growing their businesses and sending their kids to college. Normal stuff, like normal people, despite all the wars and rumors of wars that continue to plague the region.

7. In my first novel (written in 2001 before 9/11, but published in November 2002), The Last Jihad, I wrote that in order for Israelis to feel secure enough to set into motion Ezekiel's War of Gog and Magog, Saddam Hussein could no longer be the ruler of Iraq. After all, Iraq is not mentioned as one of the countries that is part of the Russian-Iranian alliance against Israel. Moreover, how could Israelis feel secure with the Butcher of Baghdad in power, a man who fired 39 Scud missiles at Israel and threatened to use chemical weapons to scorch half of Israel back in 1990? They couldn't, which is why I wrote about a kamikaze attack by radical Islamic terrorists against an American city that would lead to a war between the U.S. and Saddam Hussein over fears of a link between Iraqi-sponsored terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. Remarkably, these events have actually come to pass in real life. In my second novel, The Last Days, I wrote about the death of Arafat and a civil war that would ensue afterwards between the secular nationalist forces of the Palestinians (Fatah) and the Islamic Jihadists in the West Bank and Gaza (Hamas), vying for control in Arafat's absence. That was fiction, but in real life Arafat ended up dying 13 months after the novel was published, and the battle between Fatah and Hamas erupted almost immediately.

8. That said, in The Last Days, a moderate Palestinian rises to power and create real (though temporary) peace with Israel. In real life, a moderate by the name of Mahmoud Abbas (aka, Abu Mazen) has emerged in the West Bank, and the West Bank is very quiet. But Hamas gained control of Gaza in 2006, and Israel has remained threatened by rockets, missiles and mortars coming in from Gaza ever since. According to Ezekiel, all Israelis must be living securelybefore the conditions are set for the War of Gog and Magog. If that war is to happen in our lifetime - much less in the next few years - that would have to mean that rockets, missiles and mortars are not being fired from Gaza day after day, week after week, year after year at innocent civilians in southern Israel. Thus, this war - if it is truly effective in stopping the rocket barrage - could, in fact, prove to be a precursor to the coming Russian-Iranian alliance against Israel in that it may help create a secure southern border for Israelis for the next year, or the next several years.

9. It is early yet. It is not clear what the lasting effect of this conflict will be. We must first and foremost pray for peace, and pray for Hamas to be crushed and all Gazans to be liberated from their evil tyranny. We must pray for the physical and emotional recovery for Israelis and Palestinians who have been severely affected by this war and by previous terror attacks. And we must pray that the Lord would comfort those on both sides and draw them close to His heart.

10. At the same time, I do believe it is worth watching closely to see if we are getting closer to the events described by Ezekiel.

11. It is noteworthy to me that Egypt is playing a somewhat helpful role in opposing Hamas and offering to do more to stop arms smuggling into Gaza - not for Israel's sake, really, but to make sure Hamas doesn't become a terror force that could destablize Mubarak's regime in Cairo. Ezekiel does not mention Egypt being part of the Russian-Iranian alliance in the last days, and currently Egypt's actions are consistent with the prophecy.

12. Over the past few weeks, Turkey has moved significantly away from Israel and the West and towards Russia and Iran, even calling for Israel to be banned from U.N. meetings. This is noteworthy because Turkey is Gomer in the prophecy and is a key player with Russia and Iran against Israel.

13. Let me conclude by reminding my readers that I have no idea when the War of Gog and Magog will occur. Many geopolitical events currently look consistent with Ezekiel's writings. But we must be cautious. Let us not overreact or speculate wildly. Let us calmly and prayerfully analyze these present times, and follow our Lord Jesus Christ to do now what we know is right according to the Scriptures.

PART TWO:

It's been a dramatic few days here in the epicenter, especially for those interested in the prophecies of Ezekiel 38-39.

Consider the following:

1. LIVING SECURELY IN THE LAND -- As I wrote about several days ago, there are intriguing implications of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza for the fulfillment of major Bible prophecies. This war could lead to: A) the toppling of Hamas in favor of a moderate leadership in Gaza (possible, but doubtful at this stage); or B) a cease fire between Israel and a weakened Hamas that truly holds for the next several years, and provides Israeli citizens on the southern border a real measure of safety and security (still too early to say, but increasingly possible given the events of the last 23 days and the last 48 hours). If either of these events happen, then a major precondition of Ezekiel 38-39 could come to pass in the not-too-distant future. The prophecy requires that: A) Israel is reborn as a nation (which happened in 1948); B) Jews are returning to the Holy Land after centuries of exile (this has been happening since the end of the 19th century); and C) Israelis are finally living securely in the land - meaning Israelis may not have true, lasting formal peace with all of its neighbors, but Israeli citizens feel more safe and more comfortable and relaxed than ever before. Most Israelis actually already feel this way today, except for those along the Gaza border. Despite all the wars and rumors of wars in the region, the vast majority of Israelis are going to the malls, going to the movies, going to the beaches, going about their daily lives feeling that the Jewish State is more stable and secure today than at any time in the past sixty years. If Israelis in the south begin to feel this level of security, too, things could get quite interesting from the perspective of Bible prophecy.

2. ISRAEL MAKES ENORMOUS AND HISTORIC DISCOVERY OF NATURAL GAS OFF HAIFA -- Ezekiel 38-39 has another precondition that has to happen before the War of Gog and Magog can begin -- Israel must be notably prosperous. In my first non-fiction book, Epicenter, I noted that Israel is already far more prosperous than her immediate neighbors, the Palestinians, the Egyptians, the Jordanians, the Syrians and the Lebanese. But I speculated that it was possible that the Israel will get far more prosperous to fully satisfy this prophetic precondition. I further noted that based on a series of Bible prophecies, Israel will make major discoveries of petroleum in the last days (something that was a fictional part of The Last Jihad series, as well). Consider, then, this remarkable story on today's Jerusalem Post website: Three massive gas reservoirs have been discovered 80 kilometers off the Haifa coast, at the Tamar prospect, Noble Energy Inc. announced on Sunday….Speaking on Army Radio Sunday morning, an exhilarated Yitzhak Tshuva, owner of the Delek Group Ltd, one of the owners of the well, called the discovery 'one of the biggest in the world,' promising that the find would present a historic land mark in the economic independence of Israel. I have no doubt that this is a holiday for the State of Israel. We will no longer be dependent [on foreign sources] for our gas, and will even export. We are dealing with inconceivably huge quantities; Israel now has a solution for the future generations, Tshuva added. An ecstatic Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said before the weekly cabinet meeting that the discovery was a historic one and could change the face of Israeli industry.….Following the announcement of the discover, shares of Delek Drilling jumped up 80%, while shares of Isramco Negev 2 skyrocketed by an unprecedented 120 percent. The rest of the Tel Aviv stock market also saw huge gains, with the TA-Index 100 climbing nearly 4 percent. It's too soon to draw any conclusions, but I do think this is a story worth watching closely.

3. RUSSIA IS BUILDING ALLIANCES WITH IRAN, LIBYA, SYRIA AND LEBANON, AS HATRED OF ISRAEL GROWS -- The prophecies found in Ezekiel 38-39 further tell us that Russia (Magog), Iran (Persia), Libya (Put), and Turkey (Gomer) will all form alliances together, before eventually trying to attack Israel from the North. To come from the North, they need to come through Syria and Lebanon, which means either Syria and Lebanon are active members of the coalition against Israel, or they have been overrun by military forces of the Russian-Iranian alliance. Again, I describe all this in detail in Epicenter, but it's worth considering the following headlines in recent days:

* Russia to complete Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant in 2009
* Iran president says Israeli leaders face doomed end
* Iran's Ahmadinejad demands trial of Israeli leaders for war crimes
* High-level Iranian cleric calls for shooting Israeli Foreign Minister
* Russia plans navy bases in Libya, Syria
* Russian navy eyes Tartous, Syria as base for Black Sea Fleet
* Russia's Gazprom increases oil holdings in Libya
* Recent Attempts to Form Strategic Regional Bloc: Syria, Turkey and Iran
* Turkey wants Israel barred from the U.N.
* Osama Bin Laden urges Jihad against Israel
* Anti-Israel mood prevails at summit

For me, it still remains too early to draw any definitive conclusions about what all this means. But it is worth noting that clearly several of the key countries that Ezekiel says will form alliances together - and against Israel - are, in fact, currently forming closer and closer ties, even as a wave of profound anti-Israel sentiment is rising throughout the region.

Developing....

How Technology May Fulfill Bible Prophecy JAN 19,2009

Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reports that Israel is using nanotechnology to try to create a robot no bigger than a hornet that would be able to chase, photograph and kill its targets. The flying robot, nicknamed the bionic hornet, would be able to navigate its way down narrow alleyways to target otherwise unreachable enemies. According to the Bible an unprecedented war will occur in the future. It will be fought on land and sea, in the heavens above, and in the earth below, in the physical and spiritual worlds. It will include Michael and his angels [fighting] against the dragon; and the dragon [fighting] and his angels (Rev. 12:7).

Heretics will join the battle, calling upon idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood (Rev. 9:20) to convene their evil powers against the Christian God. They will unite with unclean spirits....to gather them to the battle of that great day....[to] a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon [Mount Megiddo](Rev. 16:13-14;16).

The fowl of the air will eat the flesh of the mighty and hybrid locusts will sting the enemies of God until the omnipotent Christ utterly repels the forces of darkness and destroys the New World Army. At least that's the way fundamentalist Christians believe it will happen. When reading about the war mentioned above I find particular interest in Revelation 9:1-11 where it speaks of synthesized insectoids and arthropods emerging from the bottomless pit to join the End-time battle. Down through time myriad preachers have terrified sinners with tales of demonic locusts bursting upward from out of the abyss and torturing unfortunate earthlings during a future time of great tribulation. Is that really what the prophet saw? Some scholars believe 'John the Revelator' actually beheld future technologies, and that he simply referred to them in terms he understood; i.e. a military helicopter was perceived as a giant locust whose wings sounded like many horses running to battle (Rev. 9:9). A report by Jim Wilson in Popular Mechanics presents evidence supporting this interpretation of the Book of Revelation. It may also shed light on a different, much older Biblical subject, the lord of the flies.Ron Fearing has the future of warfare at the tip of his finger, writes Wilson. It isn't pressing on the trigger of a laser death ray or button of a doomsday device. It's holding a stubby-winged mechanical bug.Flies are one of the most stable and maneuverable of all flying animals, he goes on to quote Fearing as saying. They are the jet fighters of the animal world.Evidently the Pentagon agrees and is working with engineers and biologists to create a lethal arsenal of micro-mechanical fighting bugs that combine insect aerodynamics with GPS navigation and molecular electronics. Micro air vehicles (MAVs) represent one of the most fantastic opportunities for military surveillance and weapons delivery. When perfected, Wilson points out, Fearing's stainless steel and Mylar robot flies will be able to flap their way into the most secret places on Earth--the bunkers where Saddam Hussein plans his genocidal campaigns, and where Chinese spymasters plot their raids on America's nuclear weapons laboratories.

Consider these scenarios from Popular Mechanics:

Alan H. Epstein, of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), recently described....GPS-guided MAVs landing on structurally critical points along bridges deep in enemy territory. Each MAV would carry a small piece of shaped-charge plastique. Responding to a command transmitted from half a world away, the MAVs would explode in sequence, bringing down the bridge with only one-hundredth of the amount of explosives required by a pinpoint-accurate smart bomb. Some military strategists envision swarms of robot flies fluttering onto battlefields. Scout flies, equipped with miniature cameras, would do the work of reconnaissance teams by eavesdropping on tactical communications and sending back real-time videos of enemy positions. Sniper flies would seek out field commanders, recognizing them by the iris patterns of their eyes....Then, they would become the 21st century incarnation of the tribesman's poison dart as they hurled themselves into the carotid arteries of their targets. Meanwhile, titanium-tipped robot flies too small to register on radar screens would gather in the weeds at the end of enemy runways. Then, rising as a swarm, they would allow themselves to be sucked into jet engine air intakes. The MAVs' titanium bodies would fracture the whirling turbine blades and send a rain of red-hot fragments through thousands of pounds of jet fuel and ammunition. While such stratagems obviously appeal to the highest levels of US military intelligence, theologians will be troubled by glaring similarities between MAV technology and fundamentalists predictions of an end-time spiral by mankind into a cataclysmic war where locust-sized weapons are given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power (Rev. 9:3). When one considers the exponential achievements of modern science and humanity's newfound interest in playing god, the inevitability of soul-free soldier-clones keeping eye on a biometric chip-implanted humanity with the help of GPS controlled micro air vehicles... well, it just kind of takes the fun out of wondering where our once-idyllic world is headed. On the other hand, fundamentalists Christians may have been right all along. Perhaps our pretentious sciences are forcing Armageddon! The Bible - a book repeatedly proven to possess astounding mathematical codex's and incomprehensibly accurate predictions - states that Jesus Christ will return at a future time and will defeat a well-equipped Antichrist army made of soldiers that kill without conscience. Could these be clones? The Bible also depicts flying locust-weapons. Are these micro air vehicles developed by the military? We also note the MAVs of Revelation 9 torment those who receive the Mark of the Beast. Are we looking at GPS enabled biometric chip implants? Either way it's interesting to note that while the locust hoards of Revelation 9 are presided over by Abaddon and may have been created in human laboratories, the flying weapons of the Apocalypse do whatever Jesus commands, as every member of humanity ultimately will.

Intercessors For The Restoration of Israel / Out of Zion Minstries
Mt. Carmel - Israel JAN 19,09

Shalom dear Intercessors,

Deuteronomy 32:2 - Let my teaching fall like the rain, and my words descend like dew, like showers on the new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants for I will proclaim the name of the Lord.After 3 weeks of much deep, and intense prayer and intercession for the Gaza war situation here, we believe that finally, in the next few days there will be some sort of ceasefire, and I think both sides are ready for it. We are as you can imagine, eager to have our son home now from the war, David would love to see him before he leaves for Sweden, however that remains to be seen over the next few days.Thank you all so much for pouring yourselves out in the ministry of intercession for Jordan, Avi and all the IDF (they are not out yet, so we need to keep vigil until they are ) for us, and for the whole situation here - your prayers have been mightily powerful and felt. They have been an incredible source of strength and comfort ...........David will leave on Tuesday 20 January for a series of meetings, and a seminar in Sweden, and will return Monday 26 January

Please would you cover him on this trip. We are all well aware of the anti Israel, anti Jew uprising in the world. Sweden is no exception. Stockholm city in Sweden homes the largest population of Muslims. Two years ago, when things were relatively quiet, David and I were in Stockholm, Sweden, and there was a virulent threat made to one of the pastors where David was speaking one Sunday, by a local Palestinian extremist group. I believe David will need greater prayer coverage to build a strong wall of protection to be around him on this trip and future ones also.

Please pray with me.......................

1) For travelling mercies, air, road, train
2) For perfect health, (from viruses, infections, colds etc)
3) For angelic protection, night and day.............
4) For a strong anointing on the new message that the Lord has give him to deliver
5) For protection for myself, and Jordan as we remain in Israel
6) For protection over his voicebox and vocal cords from infection
7) For a wall of fire to surround him from all demonic forces, spiritual and natural

With a heart of deep gratitude and love to you all
Josie.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA WATCH
http://www.pmw.org.il/

YAHOO NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video

MIDEAST CONFLICT NEWS
http://news.yahoo.com/video/1874;_ylt=A0wNcxFdg6xIgbkAwD6z174F

ABC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2461

FOX NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3074

FOX BUSINESS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3045

AP NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2529

BBC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2918

REUTERS VIDEO NEWS
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2704

AFP NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3091

CNBC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3245

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

DOCTOR DOCTORIAN FROM ANGEL OF GOD
then the angel said, Financial crisis will come to Asia. I will shake the world.

JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM

WORLD MARKET RESULTS
http://money.cnn.com/data/world_markets/

THE BIBLE SAYS ISRAEL WILL BE RICH IN THE LAST DAYS.

JPOST STORY ON GAS DISCOVERY
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1232265973374

Last update - 18:11 18/01/2009 Israel`s largest-ever reserve of natural gas discovered off Haifa coast By Avi Bar-Eli, TheMarker Correspondent.

Isramco announced Sunday that extremely significant reserves of natural gas have been discovered at its Tamar 1 offshore drill site 90 kilometers west of Haifa. The natural gas reserve is the largest ever discovered in Israel - three times bigger than that of the Yam Thetis consortium and worth $15 billion. Subject to receipt of further data from the drill site, the estimated reserves of natural gas are likely even to increase, the company said in a statement. Tamar is a joint venture between the U.S. company Noble Energy (36%), Isramco (28.9%), Delek Drilling and Avner Oil and Gas Exploration. It is named after the grand-daughter of geologist Yossi Langotsky. Drilling is difficult: the sea floor is 1,700 meters below the surface of the water and under the sand is a 1,400-meter thick stratum of salt. The drill at the Tamar 1 permit site reaches 5,000 meters below sea level. Tel Aviv stocks rose on the back of the announcement. Isramco shares rose 123 percent, the Delek Group was up 57 percent, and Avner was up 45 percent.

Financial markets appear poised for volatile week
Updated Mon. Jan. 19 2009 8:52 AM ET The Canadian Press

TORONTO -- North American stock markets are poised for another volatile week with the combination of low expectations for fourth-quarter earnings but a potential boost from a new man in the oval office. Canadian investors will also be looking for further interest rate relief from the Bank of Canada on Tuesday, the same day president-elect Barack Obama officially takes office. Analysts say the central bank is likely to trim its key rate by half a percentage point, barely a month after slashing it by three-quarters of a point. But investors aren't counting on much more positive economic news as companies, including Suncor Inc., get ready to release their fourth-quarter earnings. Royal Bank of Scotland got things off to a downbeat start on Monday when it reported a full-year loss of US$41.3 billion, the biggest corporate loss in British history. U.S. markets are closed Monday for a national holiday. The Canadian dollar opened at 80.34 cents US on Monday, up 0.21 of a cent from Friday's close. The Toronto' Stock Market finished last week down almost two per cent, while New York's Dow Jones industrials gave back 3.7 per cent as worries increased about the health of the financial sector. Oil prices continued to languish, with light sweet crude for February delivery down 66 cents at $35.85 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile exchange. Overseas, Japan's Nikkei 225 index closed up 26.7 points at 8,256.9, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 84.5 points to close at 13,340. European stock markets rallied Monday as investors digested the details of the British government's second bailout of its banking sector in just over three months as it attempts to kick-start lending in the economy. London's FTSE 100 index rose 28.9 points to 4,175.3. Late-morning trading saw Germany's DAX rise 72.05 points to 4,438.3, while France's CAC-40 was up 48.5 points to 3,065.25.

The Global Economic Crisis - Its Effect on Israeli Real Estate
by Nicole Levin JAN 19,09

(IsraelNN.com) Israel is not an island unto itself although it may seem so at times. In the past few years we have seen a booming real estate market in Israel, with prices in major cities such as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and the periphery, such as Modiin and Beit Shemesh, skyrocketing. Jews from North America, England, and the rest of Europe who wanted to have a foothold in Israel invested in real estate, and many did so with the help of Israeli mortgage banks. Real estate investments were buoyed by the high rate of exchange for the dollar. At the beginning of 2006 the exchange rate reached 4.7 NIS to the dollar. The rate of exchange for the British pound and the Euro were also at record highs.The Israeli mortgage banks, unlike their American counterparts, have traditionally behaved cautiously when deciding who they will give loans to and under what conditions. As a result of the high exchange rate, much of the real estate market (whether for second hand or new apartments) was priced in dollars, and simply paid for in shekels at the representative rate of the dollar on the date of payment. This allowed foreigners with strong currencies to purchase real estate in Israel without worrying about currency fluctuations.

Additionally, real estate prices abroad were also high, so that a foreigner could sell his house in New York or London, get an excellent price and have plenty of money to purchase real estate in Israel. Circumstances combined together to make the Israeli real estate market an attractive one.About a year ago the situation began to change. Real estate markets in the U.S. and England began to fall and it became difficult for people to sell their properties before making Aliya.In the summer of 2006, the dollar began to fall, even plummeting to well below 3.4 NIS to the dollar at one time. Other currencies have also devaluated against the shekel in the past two years. While the British pound was just over 8 shekels to the pound in October 2005, recently the exchange rate has been hovering at a little under 6 shekels to the pound. Similarly, the Euro was over 5.5 shekels to the Euro in October 2005, and today it's closer to 5 Shekel to the Euro. The prevailing economic situation has made it increasingly difficult for North Americans and Europeans to purchase apartments in Israel. How will the current global economic crisis affect the Israeli real estate market? Some will argue that foreign investors who may have taken a beating in the stock market will have less money available to invest in real estate. Others will argue that real estate will become a more attractive investment than the potentially volatile stock market.For local real estate buyers and sellers, the situation is also unclear. In the short term there may be a downturn in real estate sales simply because people are erring on the side of caution, worried about possibly losing their jobs or their ability to pay their mortgages.Experience has shown that the real estate market tends to be cyclical. When prices are high, or economic times are difficult, there is a slow down in sales. When this happens, prices may fall to encourage sales, more transactions occur, and the market comes out of hibernation.

A key difference between the Israeli marketplace and that in the US is the behavior of the mortgage banks. The Israeli mortgage banks, unlike their American counterparts, have traditionally behaved cautiously when deciding who they will give loans to and under what conditions. The paperwork requirements have often made life difficult for borrowers and their real estate attorneys but the banks' caution has proven beneficial to the Israeli real estate market. Continuing caution on the part of the Israeli mortgage banks together with a slow and conservative lowering of prices may bring about a rise in real estate transactions. The timing of such a rise is uncertain, but the trend is to be expected.For more interesting articles see our website: http://www.levinlawoffices.co.il/

Brussels predicts 2% EU slowdown in 2009
ANDREW WILLIS Today JAN 19,09 @ 10:02 CET

The European Commission is expected to predict a slowdown in economic growth for the EU in an interim report to be published later today (19 January).In November, the commission forecast 2009 growth for the EU of 0.2 percent but the latest interim report predicts a slowdown of 2 percent in 2009, according to Germany's Die Welt newspaper. The report comes as finance ministers from the 16-nation eurozone meet this evening to discuss measures to deal with the current turmoil in the banking sector and economic slowdown. They will be joined by their colleagues from the rest of the EU for a meeting on Tuesday.All agree on the need for spending programmes to lift the union out of recession. But some member states, such as Germany, believe fiscal restraint in the medium term should not be sacrificed and are concerned that spiralling public debt could threaten the stability of the euro area. Only last week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced proposals to change the federal republic's constitution, forcing future governments to pay back its €50 billion stimulus plan once the economy picks up. Deutsche Bank released figures over the weekend predicting that the eurozone's budget deficit would rise to 4.7 per cent of GDP this year, compared to 1.4 per cent in 2008. The bank also predicted that public debt for the area would rise to 75.1 percent of GDP this year, up from 67.5 percent in 2008. The figures do not include Slovakia, which joined the Euro group this month.

EU rules underpinning the euro say that member state budget deficits should not exceed three percent of GDP and public debt should not exceed 60 percent of GDP.

Concerned at what member states' spending programmes mean for the euro rules, the Czech EU presidency is to present eurozone finance ministers with a plan for budget consolidation, reports the Financial Times Deutschland newspaper. While EU leaders in December signed off on a €200bn growth stimulus package, the EU presidency notes it could present a challenge to the sustainability of public finances.After a co-ordinated fiscal stimulus, there should be co-ordinated consolidation, says the Czech plan, according to the German newspaper.New bank bail-out plans in Britain and Demark.Ministers will no doubt be keen to hear further details of Britain and Denmark's newly proposed bail-out schemes, which feature highly in the two countries' domestic press on Monday. After a weekend of intense talks between bank executives and the British finance minister, Alistair Darling, details of a second bank bail-out plan will be announced in the coming days. We know the essential problem is the resumption of lending, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in Egypt on Sunday, where he was attending meetings related to the Gaza conflict.

Under the plan, the government would offer to guarantee bad debts held by banks worth up to €222 billion (£200bn) in exchange for concrete promises to re-open lending to businesses and homeowners. A €444 billion (£400bn) bank bail-out plan announced in October by the British government has so far failed to kick-start lending. On Sunday, Denmark announced a €13.4 billion (100bn krone) aid package, which would also offer to inject capital into the banking system in a bid to jump-start their corporate and private lending. The minister for economic affairs, Lene Espersen, told reporters that the government would seek an average 10 percent return on loans made to the nation's banks.

EU awaits gas after latest Russia-Ukraine deal
PHILIPPA RUNNER Today JAN 19,09 @ 06:13 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Russia and Ukraine have promised to start pumping gas to the EU on Monday (19 January) after a breakthrough on prices over the weekend. But EU authorities remain wary as uncertainties cloud the deal.Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Ukraine Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko emerged after 10-hour long talks in Moscow on Sunday with a new agreement on how much Ukraine will pay for Russian gas in future.A fresh contract is to be signed by state-owned companies Gazprom and Naftogaz in the Russian capital on Monday, ending a bilateral dispute which saw Russia cut off EU supplies via Ukraine 12 days ago.Once all the documents on gas transit and gas purchases have been signed, gas transit to Europe will be fully restored, Ms Tymoshenko said on Russian TV.If things go smoothly, the first volumes of gas should reach eastern European EU states by the middle of the week as Ukraine's vast transit system clunks back into operation.But the Czech EU presidency and the European Commission pointed out that previous deals have swiftly unravelled.

We have seen many false dawns in this dispute and the test in this case is whether or not gas flows to Europe's consumers. Until that point, the wait goes on for Europe, the commission said in a statement.Czech industry minister Martin Riman and energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs also met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for separate gas talks in Moscow on Saturday.The Medvedev event produced little of substance, beyond the Russian head of state's call for EU firms such as E.ON and Eni to purchase technical gas - used to power Ukraine's transit network - in future.

The Putin-Tymoshenko agreement is to see Ukraine pay European market rates for gas minus 20 percent in 2009 and full market rates from 2010 onward. Russia is to pay lower transit rates in 2009 and market rates from next year.RosUkrEnergo - a Swiss-based intermediary owned by Gazprom and Ukrainian oligarchs, which skims at least €600 million a year off the gas trade - is to be frozen out.

Questions remain

Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko did not immediately approve the new arrangements on Sunday, amid potential for further strife. Figures linked to Ms Tymoshenko, who is to run against Mr Yushchenko in upcoming presidential elections, have accused his party of pocketing RosUkrEnergo money. One of the president's aides recently said Ms Tymoshenko has a secret deal with the Kremlin to put her in power.Meanwhile, the actual price that Ukraine will pay for gas is uncertain. European market rates relate to confidential contracts between Gazprom and individual EU firms, with estimates on the prices varying from $300 (€225) to $500 per thousand cubic metres.

The Putin-Tymoshenko accord also failed to clear up the issue of Naftogaz' alleged €450 million debt to RosUkrEnergo for late payment of 2008 gas debts.

Political cost

Ukraine, which broke away from Russian control in the 2004 Orange Revolution, is in danger of paying a higher price for the gas dispute than Russia in terms of EU relations.Industry commissioner Gunther Verheugen in an interview with German radio on Sunday said the crisis, which we are living through, is not a recommendation [for Ukraine's EU accession hopes], while advising Europe to press ahead with a new Baltic Sea gas pipe to Russia.EU energy ministry officials will meet in Brussels on Monday in a Gas Co-ordination Group to assess how much economic damage the crisis has caused.A 2,500-strong rally in Sofia on Sunday called for Bulgaria to restart two defunct nuclear reactors. And the Czech Republic began to pump gas stocks to energy-starved Slovakia in a solidarity measure.

Monday, January 19, 2009 EDITORIAL Rigging the economy

THE World Bank move to blacklist Philippine firms involved in a rigged road project financed by the Washington-based lender is crying for similar action by the government. Last week, the World Bank announced that it would bar from future projects seven companies, including three local contractors, for acting as a cartel that rigged the bidding for the National Road Improvement and Management Project (NRIMP). The four other firms involved are headquartered in China, adding to the growing list of mainland companies that have gained notoriety for their shady dealings. The World Bank blacklist confirms past anecdotal reports about rigged bids involving public projects. Nothing new here except that the multilateral lender had the balls to actually name such entities and do something about it. The three Philippine companies include one whose owner is related to a legislator allied with the Arroyo administration. This alone should merit some official response, if the current administration were serious about putting governance in order at the least.

The lender’s disclosure couldn’t have come at a worse time. The global economy is slipping into recession, and fiscal spending is widely seen as a key step in arresting this slide, if not cushioning the adverse effects of the slowdown. Malacañang had announced it would take its cue from other countries across the world that plan to spend their way out of the current crisis. It earlier postponed a plan to balance its budget last year due to the needed fiscal stimulus. The government is likely to have ended 2008 with a P75-billion financing gap, and is poised to incur another P102-billion deficit this year. It completed its foreign commercial borrowing program early this month, with the sale of Republic of the Philippine bonds or ROPs to the tune of $1.5 billion, or triple last year’s $500 million program. But both government insiders and pundits fear the Arroyo administration may need more to prop up the economy, as the global financial crisis has eroded business and household confidence. This means that governments everywhere would have to lead the way out of the crisis by pump priming their economies, as the private sector is holding onto dear cash like a lifeline. While the country’s debt is down to about 60 percent of the domestic economy, additional borrowings risk reversing recent fiscal gains and postponing further the Philippines’ bid to raise its credit rating—a key step to unlocking cheaper loans. The Department of Finance had been insisting that any additional funds would be sourced from the country’s foreign donors, but the National Economic and Development Authority had warned that official development assistance may slow as developed countries—the traditional source of aid—turn inward to jumpstart their economies, a growing number of which already slipped into recession. The World Bank blacklist effectively suspends millions of dollars in aid to the Philippines meant for the NRIMP. In short, it is cheap money we badly need.

On Friday, the Finance department unveiled fresh tax measures meant to boost the nation’s coffers. This is a turnaround from representations made earlier that the country could do without new tax laws. The message we’re getting here is that the Arroyo administration plans to squeeze the life out of its citizens to keep the economy afloat, and, as many suspect, perhaps its ambitions to prolong its hold on power. To dispel such notions, the government has to send a strong signal that it would punish those that have helped put the squeeze on the Filipino people, and what better way to show this than to sanction the three firms that the World Bank had blacklisted. The lender should be above the partisan fray. So the government should take it from there and pursue the blacklisted contractors in court. In addition, it should ban the same companies from other public works projects.

U.S. military report warns sudden collapse of Mexico is possible JAN 19,09

Mexico is one of two countries that bear consideration for a rapid and sudden collapse, according to a report by the U.S. Joint Forces Command on worldwide security threats.The command's Joint Operating Environment (JOE 2008) report, which contains projections of global threats and potential next wars, puts Pakistan on the same level as Mexico.In terms of worse-case scenarios for the Joint Force and indeed the world, two large and important states bear consideration for a rapid and sudden collapse: Pakistan and Mexico. The Mexican possibility may seem less likely, but the government, its politicians, police and judicial infrastructure are all under sustained assault and press by criminal gangs and drug cartels. How that internal conflict turns out over the next several years will have a major impact on the stability of the Mexican state. Any descent by Mexico into chaos would demand an American response based on the serious implications for homeland security alone.The U.S. Joint Forces Command, based in Norfolk, Va., is one of the Defense Departments combat commands that includes members of the different military service branches, active and reserves, as well as civilian and contract employees. One of its key roles is to help transform the U.S. military's capabilities.In the foreword, Marine Gen. J.N. Mattis, the USJFC commander, said Predictions about the future are always risky ... Regardless, if we do not try to forecast the future, there is no doubt that we will be caught off guard as we strive to protect this experiment in democracy that we call America.The report is one in a series focusing on Mexico's internal security problems, mostly stemming from drug violence and drug corruption. In recent weeks, the Department of Homeland Security and former U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey issued similar alerts about Mexico.Despite such reports, El Pasoan Veronica Callaghan, a border business leader, said she keeps running into people in the region who are in denial about what is happening in Mexico.Last week, Mexican President Felipe Calderon instructed his embassy and consular officials to promote a positive image of Mexico.The U.S. military report, which also analyzed economic situations in other countries, also noted that China has increased its influence in places where oil fields are present.

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 RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(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.

Syria's Assad ready to cooperate with Obama-magazine

BERLIN, Jan 17 (Reuters) Syria is ready to cooperate with US President-elect Barack Obama and wants him to get seriously involved in the West Asia peace process, President Bashar al-Assad told a German magazine.In an interview with Der Spiegel released today, Assad also expressed some caution about future relations and said he preferred to talk about hopes rather than expectations.Ties between the West and Syria have been strained by US ccusations that Syria turned a blind eye to Islamist fighters infiltrating Iraq and in 2004 Washington imposed sanctions on Syria for backing anti-American groups in the region.Syria has, however, regained a degree of approval in Europe after supporting a peace pact for Lebanon and forging diplomatic ties with its neighbour after years of dominating it.Asked if he expected cooperation to be easier with Obama, Assad said: I would talk more about hope than expectation. The Bush government has bestowed two wars on us. The world situation has deteriorated in the last eight years in every way, everything has got worse, including economic developments.The new US government must get seriously involved in the peace process. We must help, together with the Europeans. Responding to a comment from Der Spiegel that Obama might ask Syria to stop Iran building a nuclear bomb, Assad said: We would like to contribute to the stabilisation of the region. But we must be included, not isolated, as we have been until now. We are ready for any kind of cooperation. He added, however, that Syria would put its own interests first.Good relations with Washington should not mean bad relations with Tehran, he said.

Assad also said in the interview, which was conducted on Thursday, that he had been active in making suggestions to help end the conflict in Gaza.Arab and Muslim states yesterday called on Arab countries to review their ties with Israel over its offensive in Gaza which has killed more than 1,200 Palestinians and to suspend an Arab peace initiative.Assad also said many European officials had tried to communicate with Hamas. The Europeans have learned. That is why they are talking to the Hamas leadership here in Damascus -- of course not publicly. I won't name names. But some are people who denounce Hamas,said Assad.

Gaza offensive splits Arab world into 2 camps
By Robert F. Worth Published: January 18, 2009

BEIRUT: On Thursday, nearly three weeks into Israel's war on Hamas, reporters gathered here to ask whether the Lebanese president would be attending a proposed Arab summit meeting to address the issue.The answer, delivered by the Lebanese information minister, Tarek Mitri, was that Lebanon would follow Arab consensus in deciding whether to attend.No one laughed, but the comment could have passed for black humor. Arab leaders remain cripplingly divided on how to respond to the crisis, which has left more than 1,100 dead in Gaza. Despite a rush of diplomatic meetings - two simultaneous ones on Friday in Qatar and Kuwait, and two more expected soon - there was still no agreement on convening the Arab League, the body that is meant to bring Arabs together on issues of mutual concern.In the end, the Lebanese president, Michel Suleiman - having struggled to find a balance between the conflicting demands of his country's own factions - attended the meeting in Doha, Qatar, on Friday. But leaders of three of the most important Arab countries - Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia - refused to attend, and so the meeting did not qualify as a league summit and only underscored the region's divisions.The boat is sinking, said Amr Moussa of Egypt, the Arab League's secretary general, in unusually dire comments during a news conference in Kuwait, where foreign ministers met Friday afternoon. I'm very frustrated regarding the stance of Arab countries.

Opponents of Mugabe tell court of torture
The inability of Arab governments to take any collective or decisive action on Gaza is rooted in two basic trends, said Rami Khoury, the director of the Issam Fares public policy institute in Beirut. Most Arab regimes are terrified of Islamist movements like Hamas, which represent the greatest threat to their legitimacy. Many, including Egypt and Jordan, face challenges at home from their own popular versions of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas's ideological parent. Most Arab leaders are also reluctant to provoke the United States and Israel (with which Egypt and Jordan have peace treaties).For those reasons, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have refused to endorse a meeting of the Arab League. They do not want to be embarrassed by figures like Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, who - like his Iranian allies - has won points with an angry Arab public by supporting Hamas and inveighing against the passivity of other Arab leaders.On Friday, Assad took his attacks a step further at the Doha gathering, deriding the Saudi-sponsored proposal for a peace plan with Israel as already dead and calling for all Israeli embassies in Arab countries to be closed. Soon after he made his comments, Qatar and Mauritania announced they were cutting their economic and diplomatic ties with Israel, in another sign that countries like Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, who support a diplomatic approach with Israel, could become isolated if the violence does not end soon.Assad's broadside was also a reminder that the perennial fractiousness of Arab politics goes deeper than disagreements on politics and religion. Syria's differences with Saudi Arabia, which stem from Syria's ties with Iran and its suspected role in an assassination in Lebanon in 2005, have been exacerbated by a personal feud between the Saudi king and Assad that began with Assad publicly insulting the king two years ago and is likely to be worsened by the bitter accusations of the past few weeks. Even where two countries share the same ideology and politics, personal differences between leaders have sometimes maintained a rift. Syria and Iraq were ruled for decades by the Baathist leaders Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's father, and Saddam Hussein, whose rivalry kept their countries bitterly divided.

One of the problems with Arab politics is that it remains tribal and personal, and that is why Arabs cannot agree about anything, said Hilal Khashan, a professor of political science at the American University in Beirut.Yet today's inter-Arab tensions are not just about Gaza, or relations with the West, or even personal disputes. Many Arab leaders believe that Iran is aiming to become the dominant power in the Middle East and is using the Palestinian issue to batter its rivals through Hamas, its client.What's happening in Gaza is dangerous on its own, but also dangerous in its implications, said a Jordanian official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue. Iran is interested in prolonging the violence, because that would help it to mobilize the Arab street and turn people here against their governments.That broad political threat to moderate Western-leaning governments may outweigh the sectarian anxieties provoked by Iran's Shiite theology as its national power rises. Iran, after all, has now helped empower a Sunni Islamist movement, Hamas, as well as a Shiite Islamist movement, Hezbollah, and together the movements can claim a popular following across the Arab world.

Vatican Wary Of New Administration
by Sylvia Poggioli

Weekend Edition Sunday, January 18, 2009 · It's been 25 years since the United States and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations. Despite divisions over the U.S.-led war in Iraq, relations have been warmest during the current Bush administration. In a letter from Europe, NPR's Senior European Correspondent Sylvia Poggioli reports that Vatican officials are bracing for a sharp shift in relations under an Obama administration that will be openly pro-choice.