Friday, July 19, 2013

ISRAEL DEPLOYS IRON DOME TO DEFEND EILAT

KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.


ISRAEL SATAN COMES AGAINST

1 CHRONICLES 21:1
1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

ISRAELS TROUBLE

JEREMIAH 30:7
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;(ISRAEL) but he shall be saved out of it.

DANIEL 12:1,4
1 And at that time shall Michael(ISRAELS WAR ANGEL) stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:(ISRAEL) and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation(May 14,48) even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS,CHIP IMPLANTS ETC)

IDF Deploys Iron Dome Battery to Defend Eilat

The IDF has placed an Iron Dome battery near Eilat, after recent reports of missile attacks by Islamist groups against the city-By David Lev-First Publish: 7/19/2013, 1:41 PM-israelnationalnews

Iron Dome in action (file)
Iron Dome in action (file)-Israel news photo: Flash 90
After Israel gave its consent last week to allow Egyptian military forces into Sinai in order to pursue Islamists, the IDF has placed an Iron Dome battery near Eilat. Last weekend, several rockets were reportedly fired at Israel's southernmost city as Islamist groups, fleeing Egyptian troops, took refuge in remote areas of the Sinai near Israel's border, and took the opportunity to attack Israeli targets.With the summer tourist season in full swing and Eilat hotels and resorts packed to capacity, the last thing the army and government needs is a panicky run for the exits if Sinai terror groups decided to attack again – hence the placement of the Iron Dome system, which has been proven to intercept the type of short-range Kassam rockets and missiles that Sinai terrorists have fired at Israel.With the full entry of the Egyptian army into Sinai, Israeli officials believe that the Islamist groups will vent their anger against Israel for assenting to the Egyptian deployment by attacking Eilat. Under the Camp David Accords, both Israel and the U.S. must agree to the deployment of military troops in Sinai, which is supposed to remain a demilitarized zone.Egypt has already sent several brigades of troops into Sinai, but military officials say much more force is needed, as the soldiers are facing heavily armed terror groups affiliated with Al Qaeda. Riots have broken out several times in recent weeks in the central Sinai town of El Arish, with Islamists facing off against Egyptian security officers, with members of the Muslim Brotherhood and other groups fleeing Cairo and Alexandria in recent days as the army clamps down on their movements, in the wake of the deposing of former President Mohammed Morsi.

JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth before them;(ATOMIC BOMB) 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.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)

EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

Rebels: Assad Transferred Chemical Weapons to Hizbullah

Syria's president recently transferred two shipments of chemical weapons to Hizbullah, claims rebel spokesman.-By Elad Benari-First Publish: 7/19/2013, 5:46 AM-israelnationalnews

President Bashar al-Assad
President Bashar al-Assad-AFP photo
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad recently transferred two shipments of chemical weapons to Lebanon-based Hizbullah, the Syrian rebels are claiming.Fahad al Masri, a spokesman for the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, told the Lebanese news website El Nashra on Thursday that "the Syrian regime managed to deliver shipments of chemical weapons to Hizbullah.”He added that the weapons were delivered from an area near the capital Damascus and arrived in Lebanon sometime in the past several weeks.The transfer of the weapons, al Masri told El Nashra, was coordinated by Syria and Iran.“We cannot now provide more details but certainly all the international security agencies know this information,” he added.
The claims have yet to be verified by other sources.Israel has in the past said that Assad transferring chemical weapons or other sophisticated weapons to Hizbullah would be a “red line” that would force it to act to protect its security.The U.S. government, which has confirmed that the Syrian army used chemical weapons against rebel forces on multiple occasions, has said it will increase the “scope and scale” of its assistance to rebels in Syria in response.At the same time, U.S. sources said last week that congressional committees are holding up a plan to send U.S. weapons to rebels fighting Assad, fearing such deliveries will not be decisive and the arms might end up in the hands of Islamist rebel groups.President Barack Obama has been criticized for failing to act on his own “red line” on Syria. Obama has in the past said that use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime would be a red line that “would change my equation.”U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey told a Senate panel Thursday that the Obama administration is deliberating whether to use military power in Syria.The use of “kinetic strikes,” a military term that usually refers to missiles and bombs, “is under deliberation inside of our agencies of government,” he said.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

JEREMIAH 6:14
14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

JEREMIAH 8:11
11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

ISAIAH 33:8
8  The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant,(7 YR TREATY) he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.(THE WORLD LEADER-WAR MONGER CALLS HIMSELF GOD)

ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

Kerry flies to West Bank to pursue peace talks

After meeting top negotiator Erekat in Amman, US envoy heads to Ramallah to meet with Abbas in drive to renew negotiations

By and July 19, 2013, 2:13 pm 5-the times of israel
Netanyahu has given lukewarm endorsement to the idea of a Palestinian state without delineating his vision of boundaries, while demanding that the Palestinian recognize Israel as the Jewish state. Palestinians reject that, concerned that it would undermine their claims that millions of refugees and their descendants have the right to return to their original homes, lost in the 1948-49 war that followed Israel’s creation. Israel has rejected that claim outright.After their late-night meeting, the Palestinians did not bring up their often-repeated demand that Israel stop building in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem before talks could resume. One official said that if Israel accepts the 1967 lines as a basis, that would make most of the settlements illegitimate.While Kerry has not publicized details of his plan, an Arab League decision Wednesday to endorse his proposal raised speculation that the Palestinians would agree. Abbas traditionally has sought the blessing of his Arab brethren before making any major diplomatic initiative.Ahmed Majdalani, a Palestinian leader, said Kerry has proposed holding talks for six to nine months focusing on the key issues of borders and security arrangements.He said Kerry would endorse the 1967 lines as the starting point of negotiations and assured the Palestinians that Israel would free some 350 prisoners gradually in the coming months. The prisoners would include some 100 men that Israel convicted of crimes committed before interim peace accords were signed in 1993. Israel has balked at freeing these prisoners in the past because many were convicted in deadly attacks.Although the plan does not include a settlement freeze, it was not clear whether Israel would accept any reference to the 1967 lines.Israeli Cabinet minister Yair Lapid said it was “too early to say” whether Kerry had found a formula for talks.“Secretary Kerry has done a tremendous job in trying to put both sides together,” he told The Associated Press. “Of course Israel is more than willing and has expressed its agreement to go back to the negotiation table, but apparently it’s going to take a little more time.”While Israel has balked at Palestinian demands, the international community has largely rallied behind the Palestinian position on borders and Jewish settlements.

Obama Urges Netanyahu to Resume Peace Talks

Obama calls Netanyahu, asks him to continue to work with John Kerry in order to resume talks with the PA.
By Elad Benari-First Publish: 7/19/2013, 2:17 AM-israelnationalnews
PM Netanyahu & President Obama
PM Netanyahu & President Obama-Flash 90
U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday urged Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to resume negotiations with the Palestinian Authority "as soon as possible," the White House said in a statement quoted by AFP.The two leaders spoke by telephone as Secretary of State John Kerry made his latest trip to the region as part of marathon efforts to re-launch the stalled peace talks."The president encouraged Prime Minister Netanyahu to continue to work with Secretary Kerry to resume negotiations with the Palestinians as soon as possible," the White House said in the statement.The White House added that the two leaders also discussed "recent developments in Egypt, Iran and Syria," without providing further details."The leaders affirmed the importance of continued close coordination between the United States and Israel on a range of security issues," it said.Earlier on Thursday, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party effectively torpedoed Kerry's plan for restarting negotiations.Fatah officials demanded that changes be made to Kerry's Middle East peace plan, following a meeting in Ramallah. The move means it is likely the PA will also reject the plan.Abbas has insisted that Israel recognize the 1949 Armistice Line as a designated border for any future PA state. Israel refuses, as the pre-1967 borders are indefensible and withdrawing back to these borders would guarantee its destruction.He has also demanded that Israel release terrorists jailed before the 1993 Oslo Accords and that it freeze all Jewish construction in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem. PA officials said that Kerry's plan was rejected because it did not guarantee that Israel would freeze construction, nor did it guarantee that the talks would be based on the 1949 Armistice Line.Netanyahu's office denied on Thursday that Israel had agreed to accept the 1949 armistice lines as the basis for renewed negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Israeli officials had been quoted in earlier press reports as confirming the claim made by a top PA official.While denying the part about the 1949 armistice lines, Netanyahu's office did not issue a denial of the building freeze claim.Officials in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria said that even if Netanyahu's office did issue a denial, it would be meaningless, as the government could in any case impose a “soft” building freeze, in which it just drags its feet on approving building plans and the like, as opposed to an official freeze.Meanwhile, Bayit Yehudi Chairman and Economy Minister, Naftali Bennett, made clear that his party will not be a partner in a government that holds diplomatic negotiations based on the idea of returning to Israel's pre-1967 borders."The Bayit Yehudi party, which I head, will not be a partner, even for one second, in a government that agrees to negotiate based on [pre-]'67 lines,” he stated. “Our capital, Jerusalem, is not up for negotiations and will never be up for negotiations.”

ISN'T THIS INTERESTING.ONLY DAYS AFTER TISHA B'AV WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO ISRAEL.NOW THE EU IS FORCING ISRAELS 1967 LINES.

Full text of the European Union’s settlement guidelines

New directives prohibit Israeli companies located beyond the 1967 lines from receiving prizes, grants, or financing

By July 18, 2013, 5:23 pm 0-the times of israel
Commission Notice:
GUIDELINES
on the eligibility of Israeli entities and their activities in the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967 for grants, prizes and financial instruments funded by the EU from 2014 onwards.
Section A. GENERAL ISSUES
1. These guidelines set out the conditions under which the Commission will implement key requirements for the award of EU support to Israeli entities or to their activities in the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967. Their aim is to ensure the respect of EU positions and commitments in conformity with international law on the non-recognition by the EU of Israel’s sovereignty over the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967. These guidelines are without prejudice to other requirements established by EU legislation.
2. The territories occupied by Israel since June 1967 comprise the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
3. The EU does not recognise Israel’s sovereignty over any of the territories referred to in point 2 and does not consider them to be part of Israel’s territory, irrespective of their legal status under domestic Israeli law. The EU has made it clear that it will not recognise any changes to pre-1967 borders, other than those agreed by the parties to the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP). The EU’s Foreign Affairs Council has underlined the importance of limiting the application of agreements with Israel to the territory of Israel as recognised by the EU.
4. These guidelines do not cover EU support in the form of grants, prizes or financial instruments awarded to Palestinian entities or to their activities in the territories referred to in point 2, nor any eligibility conditions set up for this purpose. In particular, they do not
cover any agreements between the EU, on the one hand, and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation or the Palestinian Authority, on the other hand.
Section B. SCOPE OF APPLICATION
5. These guidelines apply to EU support in the form of grants, prizes or financial instruments within the meaning of Titles VI, VII and VIII of the Financial Regulation which may be awarded to Israeli entities or to their activities in the territories occupied by Israel since June
1967. Their application is without prejudice to specific eligibility conditions which may be laid down in the relevant basic act.
6. These guidelines apply:
(a) for grants – to all applicants and beneficiaries, irrespective of their role (sole beneficiary, coordinator or co-beneficiary). This includes entities participating in the action on a no-cost basis and affiliated entities within the meaning of Article 122(2) of the Financial Regulation. This does not include contractors or sub-contractors selected by grant
beneficiaries in conformity with procurement rules. As regards third parties referred to in Article 137 of the Financial Regulation, in the cases where the costs of financial support to such third parties are eligible under a call for proposals the authorising officer responsible
may, where appropriate, specify in the call for proposals and in the grant agreements or decisions that the eligibility criteria set out in these guidelines also apply to the persons that may receive financial support by the beneficiaries.
(b) for prizes – to all participants and winners in contests;
(c) for financial instruments – to dedicated investment vehicles, financial intermediaries and sub-intermediaries and to final recipients.
7. These guidelines apply to grants, prizes and financial instruments managed, as the case may be, by the Commission, by executive agencies (direct management) or by bodies entrusted with budget implementation tasks in accordance with Article 58(1)(c) of the Financial Regulation (indirect management).
8. These guidelines apply to grants, prizes and financial instruments funded from appropriations of the 2014 financial year and subsequent years and authorised by financing decisions adopted after the adoption of the guidelines.
Section C. CONDITIONS OF ELIGIBILITY OF ISRAELI ENTITIES
9. As regards the place of establishment of Israeli entities:
(a) In the case of grants and prizes, only Israeli entities having their place of establishment within Israel’s pre-1967 borders will be considered eligible.
(b) In the case of financial instruments, only Israeli entities having their place of establishment within Israel’s pre-1967 borders will be considered eligible as final recipients.
10. The place of establishment is understood to be the legal address where the entity is registered, as confirmed by a precise postal address corresponding to a concrete physical location. The use of a post office box is not allowed.
11. The requirements set out in section C:
(a) apply to the following types of legal persons: Israeli regional or local authorities and other public bodies, public or private companies or corporations and other private legal persons, including non-governmental not-for-profit organisations;
(b) do not apply to Israeli public authorities at national level (ministries and government agencies or authorities);
(c) do not apply to natural persons.
Section D. CONDITIONS OF ELIGIBILITY OF ACTIVITIES IN THE
TERRITORIES OCCUPIED BY ISRAEL
12. As regards the activities/operations of Israeli entities:
(a) In the case of grants and prizes, the activities of Israeli entities carried out in the framework of EU-funded grants and prizes will be considered eligible if they do not take place in the territories referred to in point 2, either partially or entirely.
(b) In the case of financial instruments, Israeli entities will be considered eligible as final recipients if they do not operate in the territories referred to in point 2, either in the framework of EU-funded financial instruments or otherwise.
13. Any activity or part thereof included in an application for an EU grant or prize which does not meet the requirements set out in point 12(a) will be considered as ineligible and will not be considered as part of the application for the purpose of its further evaluation.
14. The requirements set out in section D:
(a) apply to activities under point 12 carried out by the following types of legal persons: Israeli regional or local authorities and other public bodies, public or private companies or corporations and other private legal persons, including non-governmental not-for-profit
organisations;
(b) apply also to activities under point 12 carried out by Israeli public authorities at national level (ministries and government agencies or authorities);
(c) do not apply to activities under point 12 carried out by natural persons.
15. Notwithstanding points 12-14 above, the requirements set out in section D do not apply to activities which, although carried out in the territories referred to in point 2, aim at benefiting protected persons under the terms of international humanitarian law who live in these territories and/or at promoting the Middle East peace process in line with EU policy.
Section E. IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS
16. Each Israeli entity referred to in points 11(a)&(b) and 14(a)&(b), which applies for an EU grant, prize or financial instrument, shall submit a declaration on honour as follows:
(a) In the case of grants and prizes, the declaration will state that the application of the Israeli entity is in accordance with the requirements under points 9(a) and 12(a) of these guidelines, while also taking into account the applicability of point 15 thereof. For grants,
this declaration will be drafted in accordance with Article 131(3) of the Financial Regulation.
(b) In the case of financial instruments, the declaration will state that the application of the Israeli entity as a final recipient is in accordance with the requirements under points 9(b) and 12(b) of these guidelines.
17. The declarations under point 16 are without prejudice to any other supporting documents required in the calls for proposals, rules of contests or calls for the selection of financial intermediaries or dedicated investment vehicles. They will be included in the package of
application documents for each concerned call for proposals, rules of contests and call for the selection of financial intermediaries or dedicated investment vehicles. Their text will be adapted to the requirements relevant for each EU grant, prize or financial instrument.
18. The submission of a declaration under point 16 that contains incorrect information may be considered as a case of misrepresentation or a serious irregularity and may lead:
(a) for grants – to the measures set out in Article 131(5) and 135 of the Financial Regulation,
(b) for prizes – to the measures set out in Article 212(1)(viii) of the Rules of Application of the Financial Regulation10 and,
(c) for financial instruments – to the measures set out in Article 221(3) of the Rules of Application of the Financial Regulation.
19. The Commission will implement these guidelines in their entirety, and in a clear and accessible manner. It will notably announce the eligibility conditions set out in Sections C and D in the work programmes11 and/or financing decisions, calls for proposals, rules of
contests and calls for the selection of financial intermediaries or dedicated investment vehicles.
20. The Commission will ensure that the work programmes and calls for proposals, rules of contests and calls for the selection of financial intermediaries or dedicated investment vehicles published by the bodies entrusted with budget implementation tasks under indirect
management contain the eligibility conditions set out in Sections C and D.
21. In order to clearly articulate EU commitments under international law, taking into account relevant EU policies and positions, the Commission will also endeavour to have the content of these guidelines reflected in international agreements or protocols thereto or Memoranda of Understanding with Israeli counterparts or with other parties.
22. The award of EU support to Israeli entities or to their activities in the form of grants, prizes or financial instruments requires engagement with Israeli entities referred to in points 11 and 14, for example, by organising meetings, visits or events. Such engagement will not take place in the territories referred to in point 2, unless it is related to the activities referred to in point 15.

Experts: EU Yesha Policy Could Lead to 'Legal Morass'

Despite Israel's efforts to stop the process, the EU on Friday published its new official policy boycotting Jews and Israelis in Yesha-By David Lev-First Publish: 7/19/2013, 2:39 PM-israelnationalnews

Ariel
Ariel-Flash 90
Despite Israel's efforts to stop the process, the European Union on Friday published its new official policy boycotting Jews and Israelis in areas of Israel liberated in the 1967 Six Day War, including Judea and Samaria and most of Jerusalem. Beginning next January, contracts and agreements between EU entities and businesses, individuals, and institutions from those areas will not be legally recognized by EU courts and forums.In a statement, EU foreign affairs head Catherine Ashton said that despite Israel's protestations to the contrary, “in no way will this prejudge the outcome of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. It has been the EU's long held position that it will recognize changes made to the borders once agreed by both parties" in talks on a two-state peace accord,” Ashton said, adding that the document "reiterates the long-held position that bilateral agreements with Israel do not cover the territory that came under Israel's administration in June 1967.”Israeli experts said that the implications of the policy could have a major impact on how Israel does business with the EU. For example, Holocaust survivors who have accounts in banks in areas like Ramat Eshkol – considered “occupied” under the EU guidelines – may find that their reparation payments are held up, as Germany, an EU member, would refuse to transfer money to such banks. Israeli owners of property in Europe who love in Judea and Samaria could find themselves unable to collect rent from their properties, as European courts would not enforce those contracts. The policy, said the experts, could cause a “legal morass” that would tie up courts in Israel and the EU for years.The new policy is extremely radical, MK Tzachi Hanegbi said on Israel Radio Friday – far more radical than what the U.S. or even Europe itself was accustomed to in the past. There is no point in a building freeze, Hanegbi said; Israel has done that in the past “with no results to show for it.” With the new boycott policy, the EU “has removed itself from the position of an honest broker. The United States supports Israel's position that rejects preconditions for negotiations,” he added.

EU publishes guidelines barring all cooperation with Israeli entities over pre-67 lines

Netanyahu fails to persuade Europe to delay release of dramatic directive; move is meant to ‘clarify,’ not hinder peace efforts, says Europe’s foreign policy chief

By and July 19, 2013, 2:55 pm 8-the times of israel

EU commission denies wanting to encourage nuclear power growth

Today @ 15:37 JULY 19,13
By EUOBSERVER
The European Commission Friday said it "does not in any way wish to encourage subsidies for nuclear power" following a Sueddeutsche newspaper report that Brussels plans to make it easier to subsidize nuclear plants. The commission is drawing up state-aid guidelines for the energy sector, to be published in autumn.

Growing racism spurs rise in extremist parties, commission says

18.07.13 @ 16:21
By Nikolaj Nielsen
BRUSSELS - Creeping racism and xenophobia in Europe may contribute to an upsurge of far-right MEPs following European Parliament elections next May.Speaking to reporters in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius, EU home affairs commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said the EU has never before seen so many far right parties in elected bodies since the Second World War.“In many countries, xenophobia, populism, [and] racism is on the rise,” she said, noting such political parties will most likely be sending emissaries to the EU’s Brussels-based parliament next year.“Some of these parties have existed for a long time in the European Union, some are quite new, some are very close to entering into government,” she said.She described the growing phenomenon as counter productive for a struggling EU economy that is need of skilled workers currently not available in Europe, despite the high unemployment numbers.Immigrants make up just over 4 percent of the EU population out of a total of some 504 million people, says the EU statistical office Eurostat.The commission says immigrants are needed to counter declining birth rates and offset the widening age gap between the young and elderly.Most residence permits in 2012 were issued to Ukraine nationals at around 204,000, followed by US nationals at 189,000, and nationals from India at around 179,000.
The immigrant arrivals and pro-migration policy of the EU are common canon fodder for Britain’s eurosceptic party, UKIP.On Wednesday, the right-wing party said it expects a strong anti-EU vote in the May EU elections.UKIP leader Nigel Farage. told Reuters in an interview that it will win most of the British votes in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland next May."Lots of eurosceptic groups with varying shades of euroscepticism will get elected from lots of European countries,” said Farage.But Farage's UKIP popularity claims do not match an ICM poll out Tuesday in the Guardian newspaper. ICM says his group polled at only 7 percent - down 5 points compared to last month.Meanwhile, Malmstrom’s concerns on the rise of EU-wide xenophobia come in the context of an informal meeting of EU justice ministers in Vilnius.
Ministers at the morning round-table session discussed the European Commission report on immigration and asylum and the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Syria.The commission’s fourth annual report on immigration and asylum, published in June, noted a 10 percent increase in 2012 in the number of asylum applications.
The increase is due in part to the Syrian crisis that has seen some 1.8 million seek refuge, mostly in neighbouring countries like Turkey. Around 45,000 have attempted to enter the EU.For its part, the European Commission announced it would contribute an additional €400 million in humanitarian aid, on top of the €877 million pledged from member states and the EU budget.“We have from the commission added another €400 million to the neighbouring countries who are doing a fantastic job for 1.8 million Syrians who have left the country,” said Malmstrom.

Will EU listing of Hezbollah promote stability?

Today @ 09:16 JULY 19,13
By Domhnall O'Sullivan
BRUSSELS - The scales of confessional compromise in Lebanon - on edge at the best of times - are currently close to tipping point.Spillover from the ongoing Syrian stalemate is increasingly apparent. The humanitarian and societal challenges of welcoming over half a million refugees are considerable, while hidden and not-so-hidden hands have fomented sporadic outbreaks of sectarian-driven violence across the country.
Politically, the situation in Beirut has deteriorated since the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Mikati in March, culminating in the recent postponement of much-needed legislative elections.Hezbollah's role in these events has come under increasingly tight scrutiny, particularly since the "Party of God" overtly and ferociously backed the efforts of Syrian forces in securing the strategic town of Qusayr last month.Gone is the quietly pragmatic, status quo-seeking political machine which sought to legitimise, or at least entrench, its standing within Lebanon in the face of threatening regional upheaval.Hezbollah no longer attempts to conceal its backing of the Syrian regime - various sabre-rattling speeches by leader Hassan Nasrallah confirm this - and it has come under severe fire as a consequence.The car bomb detonated recently in the Hezbollah stronghold of southern Beirut shows that the stakes have moved well beyond the simply rhetorical to outright violence.
It is with this delicate situation in mind that EU foreign ministers are set to once again discuss, on Monday (22 July), the nature of Hezbollah.Is the party a legitimate component of Lebanese political life or a terrorist organisation? Brussels has up to this point taken a rather nuanced view of the Manichean dilemma, preferring not to ostracise an important, if difficult, component of the Lebanese social fabric.The Arab spring has not yet changed this stance.Despite increasingly hawkish calls by Israeli and US officials to blacklist the group, the EU has continued to view Hezbollah as a stabilising force on the precarious Lebanese scales, and various member states - France in particular - have dug their heels in and resisted British pressure to outlaw the group.Noises emerging from EU capitals suggest that this time could be different, however.Not only has the softly-softly approach of limited dialogue with Hezbollah clearly not been effective in keeping the group out of the Syrian conflict, but the bombing of a bus of Israeli tourists in Bulgaria last year, as well as criminal activity by a Hezbollah operative in Cyprus, has pointed a judicial finger at Hezbollah for the first time on European soil.This could be a game-changer.Several states, led by the United Kingdom, appear willing to overlook what was previously seen as an artificial distinction between the political and military wings of Hezbollah in order to blacklist the latter as a terrorist entity.This will theoretically leave the door open for sanctions and financial strangulation, at least as regards any European funding.At a time of regional chaos, however - events in Egypt rumble on and look set to upset the regional chessboard once again - such a step raises a range of difficult questions.Has Hezbollah definitively ceased to be a force for stability in Lebanon?
Would a blacklisting be beneficial for peace and stability in Lebanon and the region? How would Europe’s reputation in a rapidly-morphing Middle East be affected by such a strong, if primarily symbolic, move?
Although Hezbollah has entered gung-ho into the Syrian conflict in recent months - working against any progress towards regional calm - it has yet to overtly drag the conflict into Lebanon by stoking the sectarian embers of its all-too-recent civil war.Maintaining the national status quo, which allows the party to maintain both its political and military clout, is still its priority.Its relatively benign response to last week’s car bombing shows just how reluctant Hezbollah is to take the fight to internal enemies.Indeed, it is perhaps the radicalisation of anti-Hezbollah Sunni and Salafi groups - often encouraged by western "allies” from the Gulf - which present the biggest security threat at present.Hezbollah, for all its despicable actions and history, is firmly rooted in the Lebanese concept of the “house of many mansions."Any attempt to remove or weaken it through coercion can only cause damage to the entire state edifice.A blacklisting could ostracise and re-radicalise Hezbollah - an important and legitimate representative of Lebanon’s sizeable Shia Muslim population - at a time when it already feels cornered by the shifting regional sands.The Arab uprisings brought the party to a crossroads - fight a regional war to regain its moral and military presence, or follow the road towards peace and a moderate, but sustainable, presence in Lebanon.By fighting alongside its ally in Damascus, it might be starting down the former path.The highly-charged symbolism of a European terrorist listing would only compound this choice.Engagement and dialogue is necessary to prevent further slippage.
A listing by Brussels could also exacerbate the growing trend of regional sectarian tension, seen not only in Syria but also increasingly bloodily in Iraq and in Egypt, where local targeting of minority Shia groups has taken a back seat to the momentous events in Tahrir Square.Such Sunni-Shia rivalries are, in fact, mainly locally generated, and not - as many have hastily concluded - part of an imminent regional civil war based on religious-sectarian divisions.However, Gulf sheiks and Iranian ayatollahs bent on instrumentalising the current situation to their benefit characterise it as such, and this is a trap that the EU must not be drawn into.
Being seen to take sides in a complicated region at this point would be dangerous for a Europe only just recovering from its pre-Arab spring, dictator-friendly reputation.The writer is a fellow at the EU Institute for Security Studies in Brussels
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