STOCK RESULTS FEB 23,12

West Bank settlement housing gets initial approval
Associated PressBy DANIEL ESTRIN | Associated Press – FEB 23,12

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel gave preliminary approval on Wednesday to a plan to build 600 new homes in a settlement deep inside the West Bank, a move that drew rebukes from the United Nations and Palestinians and threatened to raise tensions with the U.S. as the prime minister prepares to head to the White House.Israeli officials tried to play down Wednesday's decision, saying construction was years away at best.
But the timing of the move may further hinder already troubled Mideast peace efforts. It casts a shadow over a trip by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington in March, in which he is expected to discuss Iran's nuclear program and other regional issues.The U.N.'s Mideast envoy, Robert Serry, called the Israeli announcement deplorable and said it moves us further away from the goal of a two-state solution.Speaking to reporters, State Department spokesman Mark Toner declined to comment about the announcement, but said the U.S. policy on settlement activity is clear.We don't believe it's in any way constructive to getting both sides back to the negotiating table. And we want to see clearly a comprehensive settlement that delineates borders and resolves many of these issues.Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been stalled for the past three years over the issue of Jewish settlements.

The Palestinians, who claim the West Bank and east Jerusalem for a future state, say there is no point negotiating while Israel continues to expand its settlements. Israel, which captured the areas in the 1967 Mideast war, says negotiations should begin without preconditions. The international community opposes all settlements.A low-level dialogue launched last month in Jordan failed to make any breakthroughs. On Tuesday, Jordan blamed Israel for the impasse, citing Israel's unilateral policies.Israeli defense officials played down Wednesday's decision, saying it was made by a low-level planning committee under the control of the Defense Ministry.
One official said the project was in the embryonic phase and would require multiple stages of authorizations, including approval by top leaders, that would take years to complete.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity under ministry guidelines.

But Yariv Oppenheimer, director of Peace Now, a dovish group that opposes settlement construction, called it the biggest settlement construction plan in the West Bank since Netanyahu took office three years ago.Construction is to take place in Shiloh, a hardline settlement nestled in the heart of the West Bank. Peace Now claimed that Wednesday's approval also included retroactive legalization of about 100 homes built without permits. Defense officials could not confirm the claim.The government is giving a prize to building offenders and continuing the system by which every time the settlers build without permits, the government approves the construction and allows them even more construction, Peace Now said.Palestinian spokesman Ghassan Khatib said Wednesday's approval shows how Israel has no respect for the international community or international laws, while at the same time sheds a light on the ... lack of effective actions by international community toward Israeli settlement policy.Netanyahu's office did not return requests for comment.Also Wednesday, Israeli officials said they would invest $130 million over five years to improve roads in Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods.Since Israel captured east Jerusalem in 1967, its Arab neighborhoods have not enjoyed the same level of funding the western Jewish sector has received.Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said the five-year project will improve main thoroughfares, pave new roads and add safety features like traffic dividers.

Daniel Seidemann, an activist who has criticized Israeli policies in east Jerusalem, said the road works could help end decades of inequality. But he said past funding pledges haven't materialized, and said the plan could also be aimed at cementing Israel's control of east Jerusalem.Israel claims all Jerusalem as its eternal capital, but the Palestinians hope to make east Jerusalem the capital of a future state.We are treating Arab neighborhoods as inextricable parts of this city because they are administratively and geographically inseparable, the mayor's spokesman, Barak Cohen, wrote in an email.About one-third of Jerusalem's 800,000 people are Palestinians. Although they hold residency cards, most do not vote in municipal elections in order to protest Israel's control. This gives them little representation in the halls of power despite their frustrations with urban policy.
In a new reflection of their disgruntlement, a top Muslim official in the Holy Land condemned the city's plans to hold a marathon next month. Now in its second year, the marathon will draw hundreds of Israeli and foreign athletes who will follow a path through Jerusalem's Old City in east Jerusalem.Palestinian mufti Sheik Mohammed Hussein accused Jerusalem of using sports to change the demographic reality on the ground.They are using pictures of the al-Aqsa mosque, and pictures of the Old City, including pictures of shrines of Muslims and Christians, as propaganda for this marathon, Hussein said.This gives an indication to the world outside this territory that these areas are part of Israel, while international law says all these areas and places are under occupation.Spokesman Cohen said this route is an attempt to showcase the diversity of Jerusalem and its centrality for people of all faiths.

In another development Wednesday, Israel's Supreme Court temporarily lifted a travel ban on a Palestinian human rights activist so he could travel to Geneva to meet with a U.N. official.Israel has prevented Shawan Jabarin, director of the Al-Haq human rights organization, from leaving the West Bank for the past six years and has kept the reason for the travel ban classified, the activist said in a statement on his organization's website.The travel ban would still remain in effect upon his return, according to a statement from the court.

Commission seeks legal clarification on controversial anti-piracy treaty 22.02.12 @ 17:19 By Benjamin Fox

BRUSSELS - In the face of mounting public and political pressure, the European Commission on Wednesday asked the Union's highest court to clarify whether the controversial anti-piracy treaty (ACTA) is in line with EU law.Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht, who led the EU’s negotiating team on the treaty, said he wants the court to cut through a fog of uncertainty by assessing whether ACTA was incompatible - in any way - with freedom of expression and information or data protection and the right to property in case of intellectual property.But he also reiterated his support for the treaty, saying that it would protect jobs that are currently lost because counterfeited and pirated goods worth €200 billion are floating around on the world markets.He re-asserted that ACTA would not affect Internet freedom - one of the main charges put by critics. It will not change anything in the European Union, but will matter for the European Union, he said.Expressing his frustration at the arguments put forward by internet campaigners, De Gucht said that the debate must be based upon facts and not upon the misinformation or rumours that has dominated social media sites and blogs in recent weeks.De Gucht’s announcement was accompanied by a statement from Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding saying that she was against all attempts to block Internet websites. But Reding added: The ACTA agreement does not provide for new rules compared to today's legal situation in Europe.

The move comes as the commission seeks to reassure public opinion and shore up support for ACTA among MEPs in the European Parliament.A wave of public protests against the treaty this year has seen five of the 22 EU countries set to sign the treaty announce a halt to their domestic ratification process. In the European Parliament, meanwhile, newly elected President Martin Schultz joined his colleagues in the Socialist and Democrat group in voicing his opposition to the current deal.
Socialist MEP David Martin, in charge of the dossier in the parliament, welcomed the decision saying that the ruling will be a good guarantee for the impact on fundamental rights.Others saw it as a vindication of their opposition to the text. Green MEP Jan Philipp Albrecht described it as hopefully a nail in the coffin of this far-reaching and unnecessary agreement.Commissioner Reding, who last month released proposals to overhaul the EU’s data protection legislation, emphasised Brussels' commitment to Internet freedom, noting that copyright protection can never be a justification for eliminating freedom of expression or freedom of information.Blocking Internet access was never an option, she added.The referral of ACTA to the court for a legal opinion is not expected to delay parliament's deliberations on the treaty. The trade committee will start it work with a public workshop on 28 February. The draft report is expected to go before plenary in June.

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,(WORLD SOCIALISM) 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/
CNBC VIDEOS
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15839263/?tabid=15839796&tabheader=false

HALF HOUR DOW RESULTS THU FEBRUARY 23,2012

09:30 AM +2.43
10:00 AM -44.43
10:30 AM +17.82
11:00 AM +52.25
11:30 AM +51.47
12:00 PM +48.32
12:30 PM +47.61
01:00 PM +37.73
01:30 PM +32.28
02:00 PM +30.27
02:30 PM +35.52
03:00 PM +29.56
03:30 PM +49.38
04:00 PM +46.02 12,984.69

S&P 500 1363.46 +5.80

NASDAQ 2956.98 +23.81

GOLD 1,785.90 +14.20

OIL 107.88 +1.60

TSE 300 12,731.28 +30.02

CDNX 1694.13 +9.18

S&P/TSX/60 723.55 +0.72

MORNING,NEWS,STATS

YEAR TO DATE PERFORMANCE
Dow -20 points at 4 minutes of trading today.
Dow -51 points at low today.
Dow +52 points at high today so far.
GOLD opens at $1,777.70.OIL opens at $105.92 today.

AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS
Dow -51 points at low today so far.
Dow +52 points at high today so far.

WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS
Dow -51 points at low today.
Dow +52 points at high today.

GOLD ALLTIME HIGH $1,902.60 (NOT AT CLOSE)

CRUDE OIL +1.6 MILLION BARRELS
GASOLINE -649,000 BARRELS
DISTILLATE INVENTORIES -208,000 BARRELS
NATURAL GAS-THU -166 BCF

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 (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

DANIEL 11:40-43
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

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.

WW3 THE 3 WAVES THAT MARCH TO ISRAEL
http://israndjer.blogspot.com/2005/11/questions-ww3-whats-coming.html (WW3 COMPLETE HAPPENINGS)

AMOS 9:10
10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

DANIEL 11:40-45
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA 2ND WAVE OF WW3) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)

The Third and Final Wave of WW3 is when all Nations march to Jerusalem, but JESUS bodily returns to earth and destroys them,sets up his KINGDOM OF RULE FOR 1000 YEARS THEN FOREVER.

Russia: 30,000 March in Support of Putin ISRAELNATIONNEWS FEB 23,12

Over 30,000 people are participating in a Moscow march in support of President Vladimir Putin. Demonstrators called to defend the State and expect another 100,000 to join during the day. (Maariv)

Thousands back Putin's presidential bid in Moscow
ReutersBy Nastassia Astrasheuskaya | Reuters – FEB 23,12

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Thousands of people marched in Moscow under Russian flags, balloons and banners on Thursday to back Vladimir Putin's bid to return to the presidency and counter opposition protests that have challenged his authority.People wrapped themselves in warm hats, scarves and coats on a chilly national holiday and started marching along the banks of the Moscow River behind a long blue banner declaring: Our vote for Putin.Organizers said tens of thousands were likely to take part in the march and a rally in a sports stadium which the prime minister was widely expected to address.The former KGB officer is on course to win the election on March 4, extending his 12-year rule for another six years, although tens of thousands have shown their concern over his return to the Kremlin by protesting in the past two months.The atmosphere was festive on Defender of the Fatherland Day, a holiday which honors the armed forces.I support Putin. He's an FSB (security service) guy and my father is too so I like him, said Rostislav Galeyev, 20.

Police were out in force because the opposition communists and nationalists planned rallies in other parts of the capital.The communists and nationalists also staged small rallies in several other cities across the vast country of more than 140 million people but there were no immediate reports of clashes.Putin's campaign team, which portrays him as a strong leader and guarantor of stability, has failed to quell reports that many of the people at pro-Putin rallies are paid or coerced into attending by employers and trade unions.I came here with friends. They said they would pay each of us 2,000 roubles ($67), said a 21-year-old man who gave his name only as Alexander after he and his friends were brought into Moscow by bus from just outside the city.If I had a choice I would vote for (nationalist Vladimir) Zhirinovsky, but our voices don't count.Putin says that even if some are obliged to attend, there are many more who want him to return to the post he held for eight years until 2008, a period in which Russians enjoyed an economic boom on the back of a surge in the price of oil, Russia's main export commodity.

PUTIN ON COURSE TO WIN IN FIRST ROUND

The latest opinion poll this week showed he would win more than 50 percent of the votes on March 4, enough to avoid a second-round runoff. His rivals include Zhirinovsky, communist Gennady Zyuganov and businessman Mikhail Prokhorov.After initially insulting the protesters who have taken part in opposition rallies sparked by allegations of fraud in a parliamentary election won by Putin's party on December 4, the 59-year-old leader has allowed their main rallies to go ahead.But he has accused foreign governments of backing the opposition protesters and has met none of their main demands, including a rerun of December's election, the release of people the opposition call political prisoners and far-reaching political reforms.He has announced token electoral reforms but opposition leaders who met President Dmitry Medvedev this week say they do not go far enough and will not be implemented quickly. The next opposition protest in Moscow is planned for Sunday.Putin was president from 2000 until 2008, when he was barred by the constitution from running for a third successive term, but has remained dominant as prime minister.If he wins two more terms, he could stay in power until 2024. The opposition protesters say a growing number of Russians feel they have no say in the way Russia is run and that it is bad for any country to be led by one person for so long.(Writing by Timothy Heritage)

Syrian tanks attack in Homs, world outrage grows-ReutersBy Khaled Yacoub Oweis and Alistair Lyon | Reuters – FEB 23,12

AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian military pounded rebel-held Sunni Muslim districts of Homs city for the 20th day on Thursday, despite international outrage over the previous day's death toll of more than 80, including two Western journalists, activists said.Tanks pushed into part of the Baba Amro neighborhood which has taken the brunt of the bombardment, activist Abu Imad said.The plight of Homs and other embattled towns will dominate Friends of Syria talks in Tunis on Friday involving the United States, European and Arab countries, Syria's neighbor Turkey and other nations clamoring for President Bashar al-Assad to halt the violence and relinquish power.Russia, which along with China has vetoed two U.N. Security Council resolutions on Syria, has said it will not attend.A United Nations report said on Thursday Syrian forces had shot dead unarmed women and children, shelled residential areas and tortured wounded protesters in hospital under orders issued at the highest levels of the army and government.Rockets, artillery and mortar rounds rained on the Inshaat and Baba Amro districts, where Free Syrian Army rebels are entrenched. In the Khalidiya district mosques urged residents to take cover as mortar rounds started falling on the area.Explosions are shaking the whole of Homs. God have mercy,Abdallah al-Hadi said from the city.Western diplomats said it had not yet been possible to evacuate three Western journalists wounded in Homs on Wednesday or extract the bodies of Marie Colvin, an American working for Britain's Sunday Times, and French photographer Remi Ochlik.Those wounded in the rocket strike are British photographer Paul Conroy, reporter Edith Bouvier for French newspaper Le Figaro and Paris-based photographer William Daniels.

REGIME MUST GO

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the journalists had been deliberately targeted in Baba Amro, a hotbed of opposition to Assad, and demanded that the Syrian leader leave power.This regime must go, he said.Footage shot by activists in Homs shows smashed buildings, empty streets and doctors treating casualties in makeshift clinics in Baba Amro after nearly three weeks of bombardment.The Syrian Information Ministry said it rejects accusations that Syria is responsible for the deaths of journalists who infiltrated into the country on their own responsibility, without the authorities knowing about their entry or location.The state news agency said an officer and six other members of the security forces were killed on Thursday by a bomb planted by armed terrorists near the northwestern city of Idlib.In the United States, Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich advocated arming Syrian rebels.We need to work with Saudi Arabia and with Turkey to say,You guys provide the kind of weaponry that's needed to help the rebels inside Syria, Romney said.The White House, which so far has been against military intervention in Syria, has hinted that if a political solution were impossible it might have to consider other options.

CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY

In their report, independent U.N. investigators called for perpetrators of crimes against humanity in Syria to face prosecution and said they had drawn up a confidential list of names of commanding officers and officials alleged to be responsible.The commission received credible and consistent evidence identifying high- and mid-ranking members of the armed forces who ordered their subordinates to shoot at unarmed protesters, kill soldiers who refused to obey such orders, arrest persons without cause, mistreat detained persons and attack civilian neighborhoods with indiscriminate tanks and machine-gun fire, it said in its 72-page report to the U.N. Human Rights Council.The commission, led by Brazilian Paulo Pinheiro, found that Free Syrian Army rebels had also committed abuses including killings and abductions, although not comparable in scale.Several hundred people have been killed in Homs by troops using artillery, tanks, rockets and sniper fire.Residents fear Assad will subject the city to the same fate his late father Hafez inflicted on Hama, where many thousands were killed in the crushing of an armed Islamist revolt in 1982.The army is blocking medical supplies to parts of Homs and electricity is cut off 15 hours a day, activists say. Hospitals, schools, shops and government offices are closed.The International Committee of the Red Cross has been trying to get the government and rebel forces to agree daily two-hour ceasefires. Access for aid workers will also be the focus of a planned visit to Syria by U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos.Assad has called a referendum on a new constitution on Sunday, to be followed by a multi-party parliamentary election, which he says is a response to calls for reform. The plan is supported by his allies Russia and China but Western powers have dismissed it and the Syrian opposition has called for a boycott.(Additional reporting by Erika Solomon in Beirut, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Writing by Alistair Lyon, editing by Peter Millership)

Iran talks failure sparks confrontation fears
ReutersBy Fredrik Dahl and Parisa Hafezi | Reuters – FEB 23,12

VIENNA/TEHRAN (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog's latest mission to Iran failed to budge a defiant Tehran over its disputed nuclear program, sending oil prices to a nine-month high over fears of an increasing risk of confrontation with the West.The United States criticized Iran on Wednesday over the collapse of the International Atomic Energy Agency's talks in Tehran, saying it again showed the Islamic Republic's refusal to abide by international obligations over its nuclear program.

Expressing defiance, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran's nuclear policies would not change despite mounting international pressure against what the West says are Tehran's plans to obtain nuclear bombs.With God's help, and without paying attention to propaganda, Iran's nuclear course should continue firmly and seriously, he said on state TV. Pressures, sanctions and assassinations will bear no fruit. No obstacles can stop Iran's nuclear work.A team from the Vienna-based IAEA had hoped to inspect a site at Parchin, southeast of Tehran, where the agency believes there is a facility to test explosives. But the IAEA said Iran did not grant permission.The failure of the two-day IAEA visit could hamper any resumption of wider nuclear negotiations between Iran and six world powers - the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany - as the sense grows that Tehran feels it is being backed into a corner.The standoff has rattled oil markets. On Wednesday, London-traded benchmark Brent crude for April delivery rose for a third day - up $1.24 a barrel at $122.90, a nine-month high. U.S. crude futures for April were up 3 cents at $106.28 a barrel.In Washington, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the United States was evaluating Iran's intentions.This particular action (over the IAEA mission) by Iran suggests that they have not changed their behavior when it comes to abiding by their international obligations,Carney told reporters.Iran rejects accusations that its nuclear program is a covert bid to develop a nuclear weapons capability, saying it is seeking to produce only electricity.

As Western sanctions mount, ordinary Iranians are suffering from the effects of soaring prices and a collapsing currency. Several Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed over the past two years in bomb attacks that Tehran has blamed on its arch-adversary Israel.Major oil importer Japan was in final talks with Washington on an agreement for cuts in Iranian crude oil imports that could amount to a higher-than-expected 20 percent or more a year, a newspaper reported on Thursday.China, India and Japan, the top three buyers of Iranian oil, are all planning cuts of at least 10 percent. They buy about 45 percent of Tehran's crude exports.

IRAN'S DEFIANT STANCE

In response to Western pressure and sanctions, Iran has issued a series of statements asserting its right to self-defense and threatening to block the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil tanker route.The collapse of the nuclear talks occurred as Iran seems increasingly isolated, with some experts seeing Tehran's defiance in response to sanctions against its oil industry and financial institutions as evidence that it is in no mood to compromise with the West.Parliamentary elections on March 2 are expected to be won by supporters of Khamenei, an implacable enemy of the West.The United States and Israel have not ruled out using force against Iran if they conclude that diplomacy and sanctions will not stop it from developing a nuclear bomb.In Jerusalem, Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman dismissed appeals by world powers to avoid any pre-emptive attacks against Iran's nuclear program.Lieberman said that with all due respect I have for the United states and Russia, it's none of their business. The security of Israel and its residents, Israel's future, is the responsibility of Israel's government.The failure of the IAEA's mission may increase the chances of a strike by Israel on Iran, some analysts say.But this would be catastrophic for the region and for the whole system of international relations,Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said.

Referring to Iran's role in the failure of the IAEA mission, French Deputy Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said: It is another missed opportunity. This refusal to cooperate adds to the recent statements made by Iranian officials welcoming the progress of their nuclear activities.In the view of some analysts, the Iranians may be trying to keep their opponents guessing as to their capabilities, a diplomatic strategy that has served them well in the past.But they may be overdoing the smoke and mirrors and as a result leaving themselves more vulnerable, said professor Rosemary Hollis of London's City University.Iranian analyst Mohammad Marandi said providing the West with any more access than necessary to nuclear sites would be a sign of weakness.Under the current conditions it is not in Iran's interest to cooperate more than is necessary because the West is waging a war against the Iranian nation,he told Reuters.

IAEA DISAPPOINTED OVER OUTCOME

Earlier, Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, said Tehran expected to hold more talks with the U.N. agency, but IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano's spokeswoman said no further meetings were planned.During both the first and second round of discussions, the agency team requested access to the military site at Parchin. Iran did not grant permission for this visit to take place, the IAEA said in a statement.It is disappointing that Iran did not accept our request to visit Parchin. We engaged in a constructive spirit, but no agreement was reached, Amano said.A Western official, who declined to be identified, said: We think that if Iran has nothing to hide, why do they behave in that way? Iran's refusal to curb sensitive atomic activities which can have both civilian and military purposes and its record of years of nuclear secrecy have drawn increasingly tough U.N. and separate U.S. and European measures.An IAEA report in November suggested Iran had pursued military nuclear technology. It helped precipitate the latest sanctions by the European Union and United States.(Editing By Ralph Gowling)

Wife Admits: Slain Iranian Nuke Scientist‘s Ultimate Goal Was the Annihilation of Israel The BlazeBy Sharona Schwartz | The Blaze – FEB 23,12
Iran-scientist-funeral

As the U.S. and Europe place sanctions on Iran for the nuclear program suspected of having a military aim, Iran continues to insist its work is for peaceful purposes only. That claim will likely suffer a setback by an interview published Tuesday in the semi-official Fars News Agency.The wife of slain nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan tells Fars her husband wholeheartedly sought Israel’s destruction.
Roshan, a chemistry expert and a director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, was killed during morning rush hour in Tehran in January after a magnetic bomb was attached to his car.No one has claimed responsibility for killing the nuclear scientist, but Iran has blamed the CIA, MI6 and Mossad for a string of assassinations targeting its nuclear scientists.

Here’s an excerpt of Fars’ report:Iran-Nuclear-Scientist-Fars Wife of Assassinated Scientist: Annihilation of Israel Mostafa's Ultimate Goal

TEHRAN (FNA)- The wife of Martyr Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan Behdast, who was assassinated by Mossad agents in Tehran in January, reiterated on Tuesday that her husband sought the annihilation of the Zionist regime wholeheartedly.Mostafa's ultimate goal was the annihilation of Israel, Fatemeh Bolouri Kashani told FNA on Tuesday.Bolouri Kashani also underlined that her spouse loved any resistance figure in his life who was willing to fight the Zionist regime and supported the rights of the oppressed Palestinian nation.This is not the first time Iranian officials have been quoted calling for Israel’s destruction. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that Israel must be erased from the page of time and that the solution to the Middle East conflict is the elimination of Israel.The combination of these calls for annihilation along with the prospects of the Islamic Republic being one day armed with a doomsday weapon is at the core of the debate over whether Israel should attempt a military attack to thwart Iran’s nuclear progress.h/t: IMRA

Iran says will strike its foes pre-emptively Associated PressBy NASSER KARIMI | Associated Press – Tue, Feb 21, 2012

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — As pressure mounts over Iran's nuclear program, a top Iranian general warned Tuesday that the nation will pre-emptively strike anyone who threatens it.The statement by Gen. Mohammed Hejazi continues the defiant tone Tehran has taken in its confrontation with Western countries that claim it is developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.We do not wait for enemies to take action against us, said Hejazi, according to the semiofficial Fars news agency. We will use all our means to protect our national interests.Hejazi heads the military's logistical wing.The U.S. and Israel have not ruled out strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.Iran also said Tuesday that a visiting U.N. team did not plan to inspect the country's nuclear facilities and will only hold talks with officials in Tehran.The statement cast doubt on how well U.N. inspectors can gauge whether Iran is moving ahead with its suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons.The visit by the International Atomic Energy Agency team, which started Monday, is the second in less than a month.Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said the visiting IAEA team was made up of experts, not inspectors. He told reporters that the IAEA team was holding discussions Tuesday in Tehran to prepare for future cooperation between Iran and the U.N. watchdog. He said this cooperation is at its best level.

The (title) of the members of the visiting delegation is not inspectors. This is an expert delegation. The purpose of visit is not inspection, said Mehmanparast.The aim is to negotiate about cooperation between Iran and the agency and to set a framework for a continuation of the talks.Visits to Iranian nuclear sites were not part of the IAEA visit three weeks ago.But on Monday, Iranian state radio said the U.N. team had asked to visit the Parchin military complex outside Tehran — a known, conventional arms facility that has been suspected of making secret weapons — and to meet Iranian nuclear scientists involved in the country's controversial program.Iran's cooperation with the (IAEA) agency continues and is at its best level, added Mehmanparast.The visit comes as Iran carries out air defense war games to practice protecting nuclear and other sensitive sites.The official news agency IRNA said Monday the four-day air defense war games — dubbed Sarallah, or God's Revenge — were taking place in the south of the country and involve anti-aircraft batteries, radar and warplanes. The drill will be held over 73,000 square miles (190,000 square kilometers) near the port of Bushehr, the site of Iran's lone nuclear power plant.
Iran has held multiple air, land and sea maneuvers in recent months as the tensions increased.

The military maneuvers are viewed as a message to the West that Iran is prepared to defend itself against hostile measures and to retaliate — including warnings that it could cut the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway off its southern coast with its naval forces.Tehran is also under heavy economic pressure. Last month, the European Union imposed sanctions on Iran's fuel exports and froze its central bank assets. An oil embargo is set to begin in July.Iranian officials said the country should respond by cutting off EU states early, before they can line up alternative buyers. Over the weekend, Tehran announced that it was pre-emptively cutting off exports to France and Britain.

False flag-From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.False flag operations are covert operations designed to deceive the public in such a way that the operations appear as though they are being carried out by other entities. The name is derived from the military concept of flying false colors; that is, flying the flag of a country other than one's own. False flag operations are not limited to war and counter-insurgency operations, and can be used in peace-time.(NOTICE EVERY TIME THERES A REAL TERRORIST ATTACK,THE GOVERNMENT ALWAYS IS DOING A FAKE DRILL WHICH MEANS THEY CAN SAY IT WAS ONLY A DRILL IF THE ATTACK DOES NOT GO OVER WITH THE PUBLIC OR IF THE GOVERNMENT MUFFED UP THEIR OWN FALSE FLAG CONTROL FREAK,GET MORE CONTROL OF PEOPLES RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS.)

WITH IRAN ADMITTING THAT ISRAEL CAUSED A FALSE FLAG TO KILL ITS SCIENTISTS.WE MUST BE CLOSE TO ISRAEL BOMBING IRANS SITES OR THE TRUTH WOULD NOT COME OUT BY IRAN.NO COUNTRY WOULD SAY THE TRUTH UNLESS IT WAS THEIR LAST CHANCE TO TRY TO STOP AN ATTACK AGAINST THEIR NUCLEAR SITES.

Iran protests to UN over Israel war game campaign
AFPAFP – FEB 23,12

Iran accused Israel of assassinating its nuclear scientists as part of a war game while it denied any role in attacks on Israeli diplomatic targets in several countries.A letter sent by Iran's UN ambassador, Mohammad Khazaee, to the UN Security Council said Israel has been allowed to commit crimes against others with impunity.Israel has blamed Iran for a car bomb last week which critically injured an Israeli diplomat in New Delhi.Georgian officials defused a second device in Tbilisi, while a suspected Iranian bomber had his legs blown off as he hurled a grenade at Thai police.A number of arrests of people with alleged links to Iranian intelligence have reportedly been made in Azerbaijan.Iran has in turn accused Israel of financing and training militant groups which it says have killed a number of Iranian nuclear scientists. As tensions rise over Tehran's nuclear program, there is mounting speculation that Israel plans a a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Khazaee said Israel had made unfounded allegations and distortions against his country over the recent attacks and bombings.Iran categorically rejects the allegations concerning any involvement of its officials or organs whatsoever in alleged recent terrorist operations against Israeli targets in a number of countries, namely Thailand, India, Georgia or Azerbaijan,the envoy's letter said.Iran has suffered from terrorist acts including assassinations of her nuclear scientists due to the tacit and explicit support extended by the Israeli regime to terrorist groups, Khazaee added.These operations, as well as attributing the violent acts, are part of the general war game waged by this regime against Iran.The envoy added that Israel had carried out covert operations, cyber warfare, psychological war and assassination of nuclear scientists, as well as threatening military strikes on Iran.Regrettably, the impunity with which the (Israeli) regime has been allowed to carry out its crimes thus far, has emboldened it to continue and even increase its blatant defiance of the most basic and fundamental principles of international law and the United Nations Charter, the letter said.Western nations accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, while Iran insists its nuclear enrichment program is entirely peaceful.

Hamas irons out dispute over Palestinian unity Associated PressBy MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH | Associated Press – FEB 23,12

CAIRO (AP) — The leadership of the Islamic militant Hamas on Wednesday settled internal disagreements and approved a unity deal with its political rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a senior official said.Hamas' political bureau, the group's top decision-making body, met in Cairo and signed off on the deal after more than 12 hours of talks over two days, said Izzat al-Rishq, an aide to Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal.Since 2007, the rivals have run separate governments — Abbas in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza. An agreement signed in Doha, Qatar, between Mashaal and Abbas on Feb. 6 envisions Abbas heading an interim unity government ahead of general elections in the Palestinian territories.Hamas leaders in Gaza, who have most to lose from the unity deal, had objected to relinquishing power to Abbas. The organization has employed tens of thousands in official posts inside the territory who now face integration into larger Palestinian bodies that might be headed by Abbas loyalists.While the deal might still face opposition from the Hamas rank-and-file, Rishq suggested that the movement's leaders are now on board.

The meeting decided to fully implement the reconciliation agreement and the Doha declaration, al-Rishq said. It puts an end to the debate and discussions over Hamas' position concerning the Doha agreement and puts an end to what seemed to be disagreement within Hamas.Abbas and Mashaal met later Wednesday in Cairo to discuss the next steps in the deal, including the formation of an interim government that is to be made up of politically independent technocrats. Such a composition is meant to lower the profile of Hamas, shunned by the West as a terror organization.A Hamas-run TV station in Gaza quoted Mashaal as saying the meeting was positive and that he and Abbas are moving in the right direction for the good of the Palestinians.Abbas enjoys the support of the U.S. and European countries, but it remains unclear how much he would lose if reconciliation with Hamas moves forward.Israel and the international community have said they will not deal with Hamas unless it renounces violence and recognizes Israel. By forming an alliance with Hamas, Abbas risks losing hundreds of millions of dollars in international aid, though Palestinian officials hope that signals of moderation from Hamas will make the new government acceptable to the West.

The Palestinian split broke open in 2007 after Hamas wrested Gaza from Abbas by force.Reconciliation was made possible, in part, by a narrowing of the ideological rift between the two sides.Mashaal, although not formally renouncing violence, has embraced the idea of popular protests against Israeli occupation as a gesture to Abbas. And while Hamas has long opposed Abbas' talks with Israel on the terms of a Palestinian state, Abbas now seems to have given up hope he can reach a deal with the current rightist Israeli government.Al-Rishq noted the venue for the meeting of the 15-member political bureau was Cairo. He said the choice of the Egyptian capital was a sign of the changes in the region.The Hamas leadership had long been based in Syria, but has been trying to distance itself from Syrian President Bashar Assad's brutal crackdown on regime opponents. Hamas retains a presence in Syria, but some of its leaders have relocated, while others have been making more frequent visits to Arab capitals.And while Syria's regional isolation increases, that of Hamas has lessened with the political rise of its parent movement, the pan-Arab Muslim Brotherhood, in the wake of the pro-democracy protests of the Arab Spring. This has made Hamas less dependent on longtime patrons Iran and Syria.

Turkey Announces Purchase of 100 F-35s-Ankara announced it plans to purchase 100 F-35 joint strike fighters in a move that could erode Israel's regional air superiority.By Gavriel Queenann First Publish: 2/23/2012, 3:00 PM

Officials in Ankara on Thursday announced that Turkey plans to purchase 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters worth $16 billion.Turkey plans to buy 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, two of which will be delivered in 2015, Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz told the daily Milliyet.Turkey has long planned to purchase about 100 jets to replace its ageing F-4 and F-16 fleet, but increasing costs have hampered the acquisitions.The Joint Strike Fighter, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program ever.The U.S. defense department plans to buy more than 2,400 of the aircraft at a cost of about 385 billion dollars. The cost of each plane is now well over $100 million.Turkey's announcement comes as Israeli officials wrangle over the defense budget. Senior military officials say the 2012 increase of NIS 3 billion (approx. $800 million) is insufficient to meet growing security demands.Israel has relied on flexibility and mobility to handle address security concerns, but the upheaval of the Arab Spring and rising tensions with Iran have underscored growing defense needs.Of principle concern is enlarging and modernizing armor and mechanized infantry forces for territorial defense, and obtaining strategic weapons platforms allowing Israel to reach into what defense officials call the third sphere - namely, the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf.

Israel has purchased 20 F-35s and has an option on 75 more. However, the high cost of the fighter has proven prohibitive despite Israel's long reliance on air superiority to balance the scales against more numerous enemies.In late January, IAF chief Ido Nechustan said, The process of strengthening air force capabilities taking place around us, in the Middle East, is among the most extensive in the world, including the procurement of aircraft and advanced technological measures.Some of these processes represent a challenge to the IDF's air superiority. We will have to endeavor onwards in order to preserve this superiority, he added.Railing against insufficient defense spending, Nechustan said,we would lose our air superiority. Our advantage is not just in technology, but also in the perception and realization of the technologies in the battlefield.The Pentagon decision to sell Ankara a large quantity of F-35s after it downgraded relations with Jerusalem amid a row over the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident has led some to question the Obama administration's motives for the sale.While Obama has often declared his unshakable commitment to Israeli security, the sale could have a significant negative impact on Israel's qualitative technological advantage on the battlefield.US officials have long sought to ensure Israel maintained a qualitative technological advantage - especially in terms of air power - over neighboring countries.Under the Obama administration, however, sales of strategic weapons platforms to Israel's enemies that erode Jerusalem's battlefield advantage have become commonplace.

Gantz: Nuclear Iran is an Existential Threat-Chief of Staff Benny Gantz: A nuclear-armed Iran is an existential threat to Israel. The reality in the Middle East is very complex.By Elad Benari First Publish: 2/23/2012, 1:16 AM

IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz warned on Wednesday that a nuclear-armed Iran would be an existential threat to the State of Israel.Speaking at a memorial ceremony for Major Eitan Belachsan, who was killed by Hizbullah terrorists in Lebanon in 1999, Gantz said, The Iranian nuclear development is an existential threat. Even though there is a crack between Tehran, Damascus and Beirut, Lebanon is being strengthened.
Gantz also referred to the changes in the Middle East in light of the Arab Spring and said that this is a very complex reality. The Middle East of 14 months ago is not today’s Middle East and is not necessarily the Middle East of 14 months from now.
Commenting on the subject of Israel’s peace treaty with Egypt, Gantz said, The peace treaty with Egypt is very important to us and we should make every effort to preserve it while at the same time keeping a close watch” on what is going on in Egypt.The extremist Muslim Brotherhood, which clinched the majority in recent parliamentary elections in Egypt, threatened to cancel the peace treaty with Israel by putting the issue up for a referendum and letting Egyptians decide. Potential presidential candidate Amr Moussa later rejected the possibility that Egypt will cancel the peace treaty it signed with Israel in 1979.

Finally, the Chief of Staff addressed Tuesday’s decision by the Supreme Court that the Tal Law for religious exemptions from the IDF is illegal.We need to find a way to integrate everyone in the army, said Gantz.Military service is mandatory in Israel and not a possible alternative. Everyone can and should serve - it is a necessity.He added, The challenges in the Middle East have changed but what should not change is our commitment to ourselves and to our actions. The security challenges not the only ones in Israel, but they are valid - active, present and threatening.There is a continuing growing trend among those who join the army of people who want to do more, but at the same time there is also a decrease in the percentage of those who join the army, said Gantz. The reality in which the majority serves in the military may change and the State of Israel should be concerned about that reality.
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