NO FUNDING FOR ISRAEL HATING GODLESS UNIVERSITIES

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.

EZEKIEL 39:1-8,11-21
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,(RUSSIA-ARAB MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS) and leave but the sixth part of thee,(5/6TH OR 300 MILLION DEAD RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS I BELIEVE) 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.

ISRAEL LIKE I SAID YESTERDAY.GO TAKE GAZA FROM THE ARABS NOW.SO THE ROCKETS STOP.AND SEND THE ARABS TO EGYPT AND OTHER ARAB/MUSLIM COUNTRIES.

Third rocket fired from Gaza in 24 hours

Projectile strikes open area in Eshkol region, after two others hit near Ashkelon; no injuries or damage reported

By Times of Israel staff February 6, 2014, 8:45 pm 2

A Grad rocket fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip in 2009. (photo credit: Jorge Novominsky/Flash90/File)

A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck the Eshkol region Thursday night fell in an open area, the IDF spokesperson’s office reported, but caused no damage or injuries.According to some reports the IDF’s Iron Dome missile interception system intercepted an incoming rocket.The rocket was the third to be fired at Israel over the past 24 hours. The other two rockets, while setting off sirens in the Ashkelon region, fell in open areas and did not cause injury or damage.On Tuesday, Gaza’s Hamas rulers said they had redeployed a 600-strong special security force tasked with preventing cross-border rocket fire, after reports it had pulled the unit back two days before.Hamas spokesman Islam Shahwan said then that the militant Islamic movement would “not allow the occupation (Israel) to break off the ceasefire” that ended an eight-day, full-scale conflict with the Jewish state in November 2012.In January, government figures show, Gaza-based terror groups fired three times as many rockets at Israel as during an average month in 2013. These included 20 mortar and rocket attacks on Israel’s southern communities, two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) set off on the Gaza-Israel border and two incidents where the IDF stopped militants attempting to launch rockets.Most of the attacks were carried out by fringe groups operating in Gaza who sought to undermine the Hamas regime, the security establishment determined, according to Israeli daily Maariv.While Hamas has refrained, for the most part, from directly attacking Israel in order to avoid another invasion, it has also been less proactive in preventing attacks, which it had previously done with relative success after Egypt helped mediate a ceasefire to end operation “Pillar of Defense” in November 2012.AFP contributed to this report.

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)

JERUSALEM DIVIDED

GENESIS 25:20-26
20  And Isaac was forty years old (A BIBLE GENERATION NUMBER=1967 + 40=2007+) when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
21  And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22  And the children (2 NATIONS IN HER-ISRAEL-ARABS) struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.
23  And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels;(ISRAEL AND THE ARABS) and the one people shall be stronger than the other people;(ISRAEL STRONGER THAN ARABS) and the elder shall serve the younger.(LITERALLY ISRAEL THE YOUNGER RULES (ISSAC)(JACOB-LATER NAME CHANGED TO ISRAEL) OVER THE OLDER ARABS (ISHMAEL)(ESAU)
24  And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25  And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.(THE OLDER AN ARAB)
26  And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob:(THE YOUNGER-ISRAELI) and Isaac was threescore (60) years old when she bare them.(1967 + 60=2027)(COULD BE THE LAST GENERATION WHEN JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED AMOUNG THE 2 TWINS)(THE 2 TWINS WANT JERUSALEM-THE DIVISION OF JERUSALEM TODAY)(AND WHOS IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM TODAY-THE YOUNGER ISSAC-JACOB-ISRAEL)(AND WHO WANTS JERUSALEM DIVIDED-THE OLDER,ESAU-ISHMAEL (THE ARABS)

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.

Chief rabbi: Jewish law permits territorial concession for ‘real peace’

It isn’t clear that a deal now would prevent bloodshed, Yitzhak Yosef tells US envoy, who also hears plea to release Jonathan Pollard

By Stuart Winer February 6, 2014, 1:11 pm 9-The Times of Israel

US Ambassador Dan Shapiro met with Israel’s two chief rabbis on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing Palestinian peace process and the religious perspective that the spiritual leaders take of it.The meetings, requested by Shapiro, took place in the rabbis’ respective offices in Jerusalem.Citing a passage from the writings of his late father, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef told the ambassador that a peace process based on trading land for peace was supported by Halacha, the body of rules and principles that govern religious Jewish life.However, Yosef explained, Jews couldn’t relinquish land under a deal that didn’t guarantee real peace.“We cannot make peace if it isn’t a real peace, and the permission is only given for a peace agreement that guarantees to prevent bloodshed,” Yosef told Shapiro. “Today, it isn’t clear that this is the situation.”

US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro. (Photo credit: Flash 90)

Shapiro noted that the support of religious leaders for the peace process could help eliminate objections by large parts of the public.During his meeting with Shapiro, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau appealed to the US envoy to work through diplomatic channels on behalf of Johnathan Pollard, who has been held in a US prison since 1987 after being convicted of spying for Israel.“I am not getting into the legal aspects,” Lau said. “This is one of the most painful issues for us, and Pollard’s release will only strengthen the trust and connection between Israel and the US.”

Ashton: 'For PA Capital Cancel Jerusalem Building'

EU foreign affairs head demands Israel annul plans on over 700 housing units in capital city which 'threaten bi-national Jerusalem.'-By Ari Yashar-First Publish: 2/6/2014, 9:06 PM-Israelnationalnews

Binyamin Netanyahu and Catherine Ashton-Flash 90

Jewish construction in Jerusalem apparently deeply disturbs European Union (EU) Foreign Affairs Commissioner Catherine Ashton. On Thursday, Ashton demanded Israel take back its announced plans to build over 700 housing units in its capital city."These plans endanger the chances of turning Jerusalem into the capital of two countries," claimed Ashton, referencing the US plan to establish an Arab capital in Jerusalem. "I call on the government of Israel to weigh this step again, and take back its decision."It is worth noting that the ongoing peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) did not officially include any preconditions of a construction freeze by Israel. Israel is currently suffering from a housing crisis; reports show housing prices rose another 8% in 2013, and have doubled since 2005.Ashton's disapproval over the idea of Jewish homes being built echoes condemnation from the US State Department on Wednesday. Spokesperson Jen Psaki said "we oppose any unilateral actions by either party that attempt to prejudge final status issues, including the status of Jerusalem."The Jerusalem construction plans announced Wednesday include 386 units in Har Homa, 136 units in Neve Yaakov and 36 units in Pisgat Zeev. It also proposes 100 units on Derech Hevron, 47 units in Givat Shaul, 18 in Katamonim, 17 in Sur Bahar, 14 in Beit Safafa, 8 in Jabel Mukaber, and 6 in Beit Hanina.In response to the criticism, the Jerusalem Municipality brushed off the calls noting that the plans including construction in Arab-majority neighborhoods as well."In the coming years tens of thousands of housing units are expected to be built throughout the city for all populations," declared the municipality. "New construction in Jerusalem is necessary for the city's development and to give youth and students the ability to live here and acquire an apartment."The European and American criticism of construction in Jerusalem comes after US Secretary of State John Kerry threatened Israel with international boycotts on Saturday, following reports that Kerry himself is orchestrating the European boycotts.

Jordanian MPs: No peace deal with ‘deceitful’ Jews

Parliamentarians cite religious sources to ‘prove’ Palestinian right to all land, impossibility of reconciliation with Israel

By Marissa Newman and AP February 7, 2014, 1:44 am 6-The Times of Israel

In a parliamentary session dedicated to peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Jordanian lawmakers turned to Christian and Islamic sources to buttress claims that no accord would be reached, and framed the conflict with Israel as an age-old religious battle.The debate took place a day after Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh declared that Jordan would not recognize Israel as Jewish state, and maintained that recognition of Israel as such should not be a requirement in the US framework proposal.“There is a dispute of faith between Judaism, on the one hand, and Islam and Christianity on the other,” MP Muhammad Al-Badri said at the session on Monday, according to a translation by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). “Therefore, no solutions will be achieved here – neither by John Kerry, nor by anybody else.”MP Tareq Al-Khouri echoed the sentiment, pointing to the nature of the Jews, namely “deceit,” as the reason a peace agreement were doomed to fail. “My problem with the Jews is a religious problem,” he said.

“In John 8:44, Christ addresses the Jews and says: ‘You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth’ – in other words, the peace accords are nonsense – ‘because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.’”MP Zakaria Al-Sheikh, in his address, quoted passages from the Quran that “Judgment Day will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews, and the Muslims will kill them” and “You will fight the Jews – you to the east of the river and they to the west of it.”

The Palestinians are the rightful owners of the entire land, Al-Sheikh maintained, and therefore an agreement “must include the return of every inch of historical Palestine, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, must guarantee unconditional Right of Return for Palestinians worldwide, and must provide just financial and international compensation.”Increasingly hostile voices towards Israel have emanated from the Hashemite Kingdom — Israel’s closest ally in the Arab world — in recent years. After a Jordanian MP attended Israeli Independence Day celebrations at President Shimon Peres’s residence in Jerusalem, his fellow parliamentarians called for his dismissal.“He is a Zionist collaborator and should be dismissed from parliament and not allowed to attend any meeting,” Islamist MP Muhammad Al-Qatatshe said at the time.

When Walid Obeidat accepted King Abdullah II’s appointment as Jordan’s envoy to Israel in October 2012, he was ostracized by his entire clan, which marked the date with black banners and a public day of mourning.

Obama Lauds Kerry's Peace Efforts Amid Israeli Criticism

Obama thanks Kerry for his "extraordinary passion" in trying to achieve Israeli-PA peace.

By Elad Benari-First Publish: 2/7/2014, 1:15 AM-Israelnationalnews

President Barack Obama at interfaith breakfast-Reuters

U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday expressed his appreciation towards his Secretary of State’s peace efforts in the Middle East.Speaking at an interfaith breakfast in Washington, D.C., Obama said, “I want to take this opportunity to thank Secretary Kerry for his extraordinary passion and principled diplomacy that he’s brought to the cause of peace in the Middle East. Thank you, John.”“As we support Israelis and Palestinians as they engage in direct talks, we’ve made clear that lasting peace will require freedom of worship and access to holy sites for all faiths,” he added.The expression of support for Kerry’s efforts comes after the top diplomat was heavily criticized by Israeli officials in recent days, over his threats that Israel will be boycotted if peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA) fail.On Monday, Obama’s National Security Adviser Susan Rice responded to the criticism and blasted Israel on Twitter.“Personal attacks in Israel directed at Sec Kerry totally unfounded and unacceptable. John Kerry’s record of support for Israel’s security and prosperity rock solid,” Rice wrote, adding, “POTUS and Sec Kerry remain committed to negotiations that can secure Israeli and Palestinian futures.”Her last tweet read, “U.S. Govt [sic] has been clear and consistent that we reject efforts to boycott or delegitimize Israel.”On Wednesday, Kerry’s spokeswoman Jen Psaki took Israel to task for criticizing his efforts to achieve peace.“Any rhetoric that is inaccurate and critical as this is unhelpful. These kind of attacks are unacceptable. They not only distort his record but they distract from the key issues at hand,” she said.“Peace isn’t a favor we’re doing for the Israelis and Palestinians, it’s something that the Israeli people and the Palestinian people want,” added Psaki.Kerry himself responded to the criticism on Wednesday, telling CNN that he was unfazed by it because, as he said, “I’ve been, attacked before by people using real bullets, not words, and I am not going to be intimidated.”

Illinois congressmen submit anti-boycott bill

Bipartisan legislation would deny federal funding to universities participating in the academic boycott of Israel

By Rebecca Shimoni Stoil February 7, 2014, 2:54 am 1-The times of Israel

WASHINGTON — Only one day after the New York state legislature withdrew a bill that sought to punish would-be participants in academic boycotts of Israel, two Illinois congressmen introduced a bipartisan bill that would block federal funding for American universities engaging in a boycott of Israeli academic institutions or scholars.Representatives Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Dan Lipinski (D-IL) introduced the bipartisan Protect Academic Freedom Act (H.R. 4009) in response to what the legislators see as “the growing threat of unjustified boycotts against the Jewish State of Israel.” The bill’s sponsors cited the December decision by the American Studies Association (ASA) to support an academic boycott as impetus for the legislation.In a statement released Thursday, the sponsors said that the measure was designed “to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to fund bigoted attacks against Israel that undermine the fundamental principles of academic freedom.”“This bipartisan legislation seeks to preserve academic freedom and combat bigotry by shielding Israel from unjust boycotts. It is ludicrous for critics to go after our democratic friend and ally Israel when they should be focusing on the evils perpetrated by repressive, authoritarian regimes like Iran and North Korea,” said Congressman Roskam, the co-chair of the House Republican Israel Caucus.“These boycotts not only threaten educational cooperation between the United States and Israel, but ultimately undermine the academic goals of all nations,” Roskam continued. “Congress has a responsibility to fight back against these hateful campaigns, which contradict academic freedom and are designed to delegitimize the Jewish State of Israel.”Roskam noted that former Israeli ambassador to Washington Michael Oren had been instrumental in his work on the issue.In a rare instance, Oren included a statement together with the bill’s announcement.“The Protect Academic Freedom Act represents the first legislation that defends Israel against discriminatory boycotts which impede rather than advance the peace process and that seek to deny Israelis the right to free speech on American campuses,” said Oren. “As a citizen of Israel and its former ambassador to the United States, as well as an historian and visiting professor on leading American campuses, I strongly support this courageous initiative. It can be the turning point in the struggle against the delegitimization of the Jewish State.”Roskam’s co-sponsor, Lipinski, like Oren, is a former professor who said that academic discourse is central to his concern on the issue.“As a former university professor, I appreciate the value of academic exchanges involving universities and individuals, particularly between strong international allies with robust academic programs like the United States and Israel. Scholarship and research should be about the pursuit of knowledge, and universities have been and always should be a community where different opinions and ideas are encouraged and nourished,” Lipinski said.Lipinski argued that the boycott of such international exchange of scholarship “would lead to negative effects on educational and research institutions in both nations.”The Democrat legislator said that hoped that his legislation would have a deterrent impact on the decision by individual universities to join the academic boycott.Although nearly 900 universities receive federal funding, particularly for research and development, recent studies suggest that very few universities are the main beneficiaries of federal largess. Some 20% of federal research funds went to a mere ten universities, with Johns Hopkins University leading the pack with $1.9 billion in federal funds in 2011. Johns Hopkins President Ronald Daniels was quick to reject the possibility of an academic boycott, circulating a letter to faculty and students stating his position shortly after the ASA’s decision.Around 100 other university presidents also spoke out against the ASA decision, and the Association of American Universities issued a letter slamming the vote, emphasizing that “any such boycott of academic institutions directly violates academic freedom, which is a fundamental principle of AAU universities and of American higher education in general.”Last month, Roskam began to circulate a letter in the House condemning the ASA’s decision; 134 representatives have since signed the missive, which is directed to ASA President Curtis Marez and describes the boycott as an “ignorant smear campaign.”

But in the battles already underway over similar bills in state legislatures, opponents of financial measures against boycotting institutions claim that defunding, and not boycotts, restrict academic freedom.The bill in the New York legislature, which would remove state funding for boycotting institutions, was pulled from committee Wednesday for retooling, after a number of organizations complained that it violated academics’ freedom of speech.The New York bill’s opponents, which included the New York State United Teachers Union, got a leg up when the American Jewish Committee applauded the bill’s withdrawal.In a statement issued late Wednesday, Steven Bayme, AJC’s director of Contemporary Jewish Life, said that although “the academic boycott against Israel is a gross violation of academic freedom,” such legislation “raised academic freedom questions” and was “not the answer to discriminatory acts against Israeli academics, such as boycotts.”A more restricted defunding bill was also introduced last month in the Maryland Senate. That legislation would impose a 3% reduction in funding to any college that used any funds – even not state subsidies – to pay membership fees or travel expenses related to academic groups that boycott Israel.

Allah Gave Israel to The Jews, There's No Palestine'

Muslim scholar in Jordan attacks 'Palestinians' for distorting Koran, Jews given Israel 'until Day of Judgement.'-By Ari Yashar-First Publish: 2/6/2014, 11:00 PM-Israelnationalnews

Koran (file)-Flash 90

Allah has promised Israel to the Jews -- so says Sheikh Ahmad Adwan, a Muslim scholar living in Jordan, who declared on his Facebook page recently that "Palestine" doesn't exist.Blogger Elder of Ziyon translated Arab news sources that this Saturday reported on Adwan's statements, in which he quotes the Koran saying Allah assigned Israel to the Jews until the Day of Judgement (Sura 5 Verse 21), and that Jews are the inheritors of Israel (Sura 26 Verse 59)."I say to those who distort...the Koran: from where did you bring the name Palestine, you liars, you accursed, when Allah has already named it 'The Holy Land' and bequeathed it to the Children of Israel until the Day of Judgment," argued Adwan. "There is no such thing as 'Palestine' in the Koran.""Your demand for the Land of Israel is a falsehood and it constitutes an attack on the Koran, on the Jews and their land. Therefore you won’t succeed, and Allah will fail you and humiliate you, because Allah is the one who will protect them (i.e. the Jews)," warns Adwan.The sheikh had more harsh words for the "Palestinians," calling them "the killers of children, the elderly and women" in using them as human shields in order to falsely accuse the Jews of targeting them. He reports having seen the same tactic used by "Palestinians" against the Jordanian army in the 1970s."This is their habit and custom, their viciousness, their having hearts of stones towards their children, and their lying to public opinion, in order to get its support," declared Adwan.Adwan has previously said his support for the Jewish people "comes from my acknowledgment of their sovereignty on their land and my belief in the Koran, which told us and emphasized this in many places, like His (Allah’s) saying ”Oh People (i.e the Children of Israel), enter the Holy Land which Allah has assigned unto you'" (Sura 5, Verse 21).The Jews are a peaceful people according to Adwan, who says "if they are attacked, they defend themselves while causing as little damage to the attackers as possible. It is an honor for them that Allah has chosen them over the worlds – meaning over the people and the Jinns (spiritual creatures) until the Day of Judgment. ...When Allah chose them, He didn’t do so out of politeness, and He wasn’t unjust other peoples, it is just that they (the Jews) deserved this.”
Video (mostly in Hebrew) from Orot TV shows Adwan's 2012 visit to Tzfat, where he met with the city's Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu and expressed his support for Israel:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/177182#.UvRJgc6RfeE 

ISAIAH 17:1,11-14
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
11  In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.
12  Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations,(USELESS U.N) that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
13  The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
14  And behold at evening tide trouble; and before the morning he is not.(ASSAD KILLED IN OVERNIGHT RAID) This is the portion of them that spoil us,(ISRAEL) and the lot of them that rob us.

AMOS 1:5
5  I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden:(IRAQ) and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir,(JORDAN) saith the LORD.

JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23  Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24  Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25  How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26  Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27  And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)

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)

UN tells Syria to hurry on chemical weapons disposal

US envoy accuses Assad regime of ‘foot-dragging,’ but head of mission says Damascus compliant with agreement to export WMDs

By Edith M. Lederer February 7, 2014, 2:13 am 0-The times of Israel

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The UN Security Council called on Syria Thursday to speed up the removal of its most harmful chemical weapons agents from the country, expressing “growing concern” at several missed deadlines.The Syrian government missed a Dec. 31 deadline to remove the most dangerous chemicals in its stockpile from the war-torn country and Wednesday’s deadline to give up its entire stockpile of chemical weapons. The Assad regime has cited security concerns and the lack of some equipment but says it remains fully committed to the process.A council statement issued Thursday after a closed briefing by Sigrid Kaag, head of the mission charged with destroying Syria’s chemical weapons, called on Syria “to expedite actions to meet its obligation to transport in a systematic and sufficiently accelerated manner all relevant chemicals” to the port of Latakia for removal.Kaag said in an interview with The Associated Press that she told the council “Syria is at a critical juncture,” it’s essential that the government accelerate the removal of dangerous chemicals, and the “time for action is now.”The council noted that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the joint UN-Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons mission overseeing the destruction of Syria’s stockpile have said the government “has sufficient material and equipment to carry out multiple ground movements to ensure the expeditious removal of chemical weapons.”Kaag told AP that Syria said it needs additional security items, namely electronic countermeasures and explosive detection devices. The mission won’t provide these items because they have dual military and civilian use so Syria will only be able to get them bilaterally, she said.The confirmed use of chemical weapons in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta on Aug. 21 that killed hundreds of people, according to the US government, led to a US-Russian agreement to eliminate President Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons. The deal averted US military strikes against Syria.US Ambassador Samantha Power accused the Syrian government of “foot-dragging” and demanded that President Bashar Assad’s government establish a plan to quickly move the chemical weapons and their precursors out of the country.By delaying, she said, the Assad regime is increasing the cost to nations involved in the removal and is “also encouraging heightened risks that these weapons will be used again by regime elements or will fall into the hands of terrorists.”But Kaag told reporters she didn’t think there had been deliberate stalling by Syria.“We’ve seen so far constructive cooperation,” she said.

She pointed to ongoing destruction of less harmful chemicals taking place in Syria, and continuing preparations for the removal of more harmful agents.Kaag said the mission’s message is clear: Syria must quickly accelerate shipments, include more material in every transport to make up for lost time, and provide predictable movements of chemicals from Latakia.“This is an unprecedented effort in a country at war … but it cannot be a reason for non-implementation,” she told AP. “It is our assessment that a lot can be done in a fairly short amount of time, and that, I think, is what the focus should be on.”The Security Council noted the removal of “limited quantities of chemical weapons materials” on Jan. 7 and Jan. 27 from Latakia by Norwegian and Danish cargo vessels accompanied by a naval escort including ships from China, Norway, Denmark and Russia. The chemicals will be transferred to a specially fitted US ship, the Cape Ray, which is expected to arrive in Rota, Spain by next week, for on board destruction.Russia said Tuesday that Syria is planning to come up with a new timeline for eliminating its chemical weapons by the June 30 deadline.

Kaag said the UN and OPCW are waiting for “a more-detailed, forward-looking plan” which will “be important for the credibility of the overall endeavor and … for all the partners, including the Security Council, to have a sense of reassurance.”“The proof of the pudding is in the eating. So the plan is a guidance tool. Continuous implementation is what really counts,” she said.Secretary-General Ban told a news conference at the Winter Olympics site in Sochi, Russia on Thursday that despite the delays he still believes the June 30 deadline for destroying Syria’s entire chemical weapons program “can be done with the support of the Syrian government.”