Monday, May 05, 2014

ISRAEL CEBRATES INDEPENDENCE TODAY MAY 14,1948 ISRAEL REBORN IN 1 DAY

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.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER

PEACE PROCESS GOES INTO 10TH MONTH OF PREGNANCY
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2014/05/the-2-nations-predicted-by-god-in.html

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)

ZECHARIAH 12:1-5 King James Bible
1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
4 In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.

ISAIAH 31:5
5 As birds flying,(PLANES) so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem;(WITH PLANES) defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.(NUKE OR BOMB ISRAELS ENEMIES)

JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.(WW3 STARTS BECAUSE JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED AND ISRAELIS UPROOTED FROM THEIR GOD GIVIN LAND)

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, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
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)

PSALMS 137:5-6
5  If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
6  If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

ZECHARIAH 14:1-4 King James Bible
1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished;(RAPED) and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

LUKE 1:31-32
32  He (JESUS) shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:(IN JERUSALEM)
33  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob (ISRAEL) for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.(THATS RULING FOREVER FROM JERUSALEM JESUS DOES)

ISAIAH 9:6-7
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:(JESUS 1ST COMING) and the government shall be upon his shoulder:(JESUS 2ND COMING AS RULING KING FROM JERUSALEM FOREVER AT THE END OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION) and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his (JESUS) government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David,( IN JERUSALEM) and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

 China publishes PM adviser’s hawkish book on Jerusalem-Dore Gold’s ‘The Fight for Jerusalem’ calls for city to remain undivided under Israeli sovereignty — in contrast to Beijing’s policy-By Raphael Ahren May 5, 2014, 2:33 am 5-The Times of Israel

The Foreign Ministry of China has published a book about Jerusalem by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s foreign policy adviser Dore Gold, whose core thesis appears to contradict Beijing’s positions on the Middle East conflict.Gold’s “The Fight for Jerusalem: Radical Islam, the West, and the Future of the Holy City,” first published in 2007, argues that the city needs to remain united under Israeli sovereignty, based on the Jewish people’s historical rights and Israel’s responsibility to safeguard the holy sites in the Old City. China’s official position, by contrast, requires a division of Jerusalem.Last May, President Xi Jinping announced a four-point proposal to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, calling for the creation of a Palestinian state on the basis of the pre-1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.According to Gold, who earlier this year rejoined the Prime Minister’s Office as a part-time foreign policy adviser, the new-found interest in his book has to do with Beijing’s increased focus on regional policy.“China right now is in a learning phase. They want to understand the Middle East,” Gold, a former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, told The Times of Israel last week in his Jerusalem office. “Therefore, a book that explains an Israeli view — I believe it’s a mainstream view in the state of Israel — on Jerusalem is something of interest to them. Not just purely to learn the facts but to see also the analysis: why does Israel claim that Jerusalem has to remain united under Israeli sovereignty, what’s the underlying logic of that?” Gold, who still serves as president of the hawkish Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, said his book — a former New York Times bestseller — explains that Jerusalem was always a Jewish city, and argues that its holy sites would be in danger of destruction if any authority other than Israel were to rule over the Old City.The Chinese people and government have a deep appreciation for the ancient civilization of the Jewish people, as they see themselves as an ancient civilization as well, Gold said. “Their own diplomatic approach to territorial disputes is related to the issue of historical rights. I don’t think Israel is going to get involved in the question of historical rights in the South China Sea or in Tibet or other places. But it is interesting that that is an issue for them and the whole restoration of the Jewish state is based on historical rights,” he said.Gold first connected with the Chinese government in 2012, when his center hosted in Israel a delegation from a think tank affiliated with the Communist Party’s Central Committee. After he delivered a briefing on Jerusalem, they expressed interest in translating his book, which in Chinese is simply called “Jerusalem.” According to Gold, “a few thousand” copies of his book were printed in China, aimed mainly at diplomats and people dealing with policy matters.On the cover of the Chinese edition of “The Fight for Jerusalem,” Gold is described as a “famous Israeli politician.” On the back cover of the book, the translators note that “undoubtedly, in this book the writer expresses his own ideas of history, national feelings and value judgments, some of which we do not agree with. But we tried our best to keep the original text and do not abridge anything in order to maintain the integrity of the book, and also give researchers more Israelis views.”

ISAIAH 31:5
5 As birds flying,(PLANES) so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem;(WITH PLANES) defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.(NUKE OR BOMB ISRAELS ENEMIES)

JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.(WW3 STARTS BECAUSE JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED AND ISRAELIS UPROOTED FROM THEIR GOD GIVIN LAND)

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, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
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)


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)

Poll: 24% of Arab Israelis celebrate Independence Day-Survey shows MK Rivlin top presidential candidate; 58% would back budget cuts to Nakba-commemorating institutions-By Marissa Newman May 4, 2014, 9:53 pm-The Times of Israel

Nearly a quarter of Arab Israelis say they mark Israeli Independence Day as a holiday, a poll from the Israel Democracy Institute revealed Sunday.The survey — released ahead of the national holiday which begins Monday at sundown — evaluated questionnaires from 600 participants from various communities regarding their attitudes to Independence Day, their preference for next president, and their stance on cutting government funding for institutions that mark the Palestinian Nakba (or “catastrophe,” as the Palestinian national movement refers to the 1948 war in which Israel was founded).When it came to celebrating Independence Day, results differed across national, religious, political, and age groups, with 87% of Jewish Israelis and 24% of Arab Israelis considering the day a holiday.By self-identified religiosity, 93% of the secular population, 97% of the “traditional non-religious,” 90% of the “traditional religious,” 94% of the Orthodox, and 35% of the ultra-Orthodox said they celebrated the holiday.When grouped by political affiliation, the left showed higher rates of self-reported celebration of the holiday, with 95% of the left and moderate left, 94% of centrists, 88% of the moderate right, and 79% of the right observing the day.Finally, respondents over 45 were far more likely to celebrate Independence Day (with 95% of people over 55 and 96% of 45- to 54-year-olds) than their younger counterparts, and the numbers declined with age: 69% of those aged 18-24, 77% at 25-34 and 87% of those aged 35-44.The poll also asked respondents if they would support a law permitting the government to limit funding to institutions that commemorate the Nakba. Fifty-eight percent said they would support the law, and 33% would oppose it. Support was strongest among those who self-identified as “moderate right” (70%), followed by “center” (62%), “right” (57%), and “moderate left” (41%), with the “left” voicing the least support (19%) for such limits on state funding.
The poll also examined the different communities’ support for candidates competing in next month’s Knesset vote to succeed President Shimon Peres this summer.Likud MK Reuven Rivlin was the leading contender with 32% of the vote. Nobel laureate chemist Dan Shechtman came in second place with 13%, followed by Labor MK Binyamin (Fuad) Ben-Eliezer with 10%. Former Supreme Court justice Dalia Dorner received 8% of the vote, while veteran MK Meir Sheetrit of Hatnuah received just 7%. Thirty percent of participants declined to answer the question.While the survey indicates general popularity, the president is elected by the 120 members of Knesset, not by the public.

Netanyahu visits grave of brother, Yoni, ahead of Memorial Day-Prime minister pays respects on Mount Herzl on Saturday night, to avoid ‘Yom Hazikaron’ crowds-By JTA May 4, 2014, 3:44 pm 2-The Times of Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the grave of his brother, Yoni, at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl, in advance of Memorial Day.Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, visited the grave on Saturday night, in order to not interfere with the crowds who will visit Mount Herzl and the more than 50 military cemeteries throughout the country on Yom Hazikaron, or Memorial Day, which starts on Sunday night.Yoni Netanyahu was killed during a rescue operation to release hostages during Operation Entebbe in 1976.Israel’s Memorial Day, which will honor the 23,169 casualties of war and terrorism who have been killed since 1860, will begin on Sunday night with a one-minute long siren at 8 p.m. and mark the beginning of the national memorial service at the Western Wall, which is broadcast on all Israeli television channels.A second siren on Monday at 11 a.m. will last for two minutes and mark the beginning of memorial services at Israel’s 52 military cemeteries.On Monday morning, the annual ceremony in memory of victims of anti-Semitic incidents and terror attacks around the world will take place at the Jewish Agency for Israel in Jerusalem, in a program sponsored by: The Jewish Agency for Israel, the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), Keren Hayesod-UIA, the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), and the Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA.According to Jewish Agency figures, some 200 Jews have been killed in anti-Semitic terror attacks around the world since Israel’s establishment.

Peres on Memorial Day: ‘Our joy is always incomplete’-After siren sounds for 25,664 fallen soldiers, terror victims, president tells troops and bereaved families that Israelis ‘still live by the sword but seek peace with all our hearts’-By Marissa Newman May 4, 2014, 8:06 pm 5-The Times of Israel

Israel came to a standstill Sunday evening at 8 p.m. for a minute-long memorial siren during which Israelis stood at attention to commemorate the 23,169 fallen soldiers and 2,495 terror victims who have fallen throughout the history of the State of Israel and the Zionist movement.The siren was followed by the lighting of a memorial flame to the fallen at the Western Wall, the site of the official state commemoration ceremony.“ It wasn’t a declaration that founded this wonderful country. It was founded upon the blood of its sons and daughters, upon the sweat of the pioneers and the vision of its prophets,” President Shimon Peres said at the Western Wall ceremony. “Israel today is a strong country, a miracle in the eyes of the Jews, a wonder in the eyes of the world. We, the Israelis, are not like any other people. For a generation already the sadness does not release us, even for joy. Our joy is always incomplete. A cloud of sadness envelops us. It is hidden deeply but stares out of our eyes,” the president lamented to an audience of IDF soldiers and families of the fallen.Peres then sounded an optimistic note for a sad day.“We still live by the sword but seek peace with all our hearts. The battle is not over, we have not reached our goals…. To our neighbors we offer a true partnership and a new life, where trees bearing fruit will replace arrows inflicting agony. I am sure that we will all live to see those days.”IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz recalled the sacrifices of Israel’s fallen soldiers, adding that more sacrifice will be needed in the future to defend the country.“Here, tonight, we promise we will stand alert, prepared to respond to any flare-up, and will perform any mission required to ensure Israel’s security. We cannot promise that all our troops will return safely. We are committed to send them to battle trained, armed with the best equipment, led by the best commanders. But this isn’t enough. The nation’s support is needed as well. Your recognition and appreciation are the most precious ammunition our soldiers carry,” Gantz said.“We know the relative security calm we’ve experienced in the past years is an illusion,” Gantz added.Israelis began to mark Memorial Day on Sunday afternoon. Commemoration ceremonies will continue throughout the country until Monday night, when Memorial Day ends abruptly with the start of celebrations marking Independence Day.The first official event began at 4 p.m. Sunday at Yad LaBanim, or “Memorial for the Sons,” in Jerusalem. The event was attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose brother Yoni fell during the IDF’s rescue of Jewish hostages in Entebbe, Uganda, in July 1976. It was also attended by other families of the fallen, Israel’s chief rabbis, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, Supreme Court Chief Justice Asher Grunis, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and other top officials.“On this day, the nation adopts us and unites with us, and with the heroes of the nation,” Netanyahu said, speaking for the families of the fallen. “They came from all parts of the country, from all segments of Israeli society, and the simple and most concise truth is this: We would not be here if not for their sacrifice. We would not be here without their readiness to give their lives so we could be here. This right, this sacrifice, the ability to risk their lives in the face of the horrors of war — all this was not available to us before the founding of Israel.”“No one has to remind you how to remember. You never forgot,” Edelstein said in a statement Sunday addressed to bereaved families. “Memorial Day is the commandment of the entire nation, a nation that stands and bows its head respectfully and with humility at the [soldiers'] dedication and contribution.”In a statement, opposition leader MK Isaac Herzog (Labor) said, “It’s important that tonight and tomorrow, as we gather to remember the IDF fallen, that we remember those heroes who paid with their lives so that Jerusalem will return to be the beating heart of the Jewish nation and the capital of the state.”
“As we gather together in the cemeteries, at the memorials, and at the IDF ceremonies, we remember those who gave this country all they could give. The fallen soldiers and terror victims accompany us in their absence at every step of the way, at every crossroads that life throws at us,” IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz said Sunday.On Monday, a two-minute siren will sound at 11 a.m., with ceremonies beginning shortly afterward at 44 military cemeteries nationwide. At 1 p.m. Monday, a separate commemoration for Israel’s terror victims will be held at Mount Herzl.

Pakistan said to plan attack against Israeli, US consulates in India-Indian intelligence claims a suspect confessed to arranging travel papers for attackers; Pakistani embassy denies report
By Marissa Newman May 4, 2014, 6:12 pm 1-The Times of Israel

Pakistani intelligence and the country’s embassy in Sri Lanka planned to carry out terror attacks against the Israeli consulate in Bangalore, India, and the US consulate in Chennai, The Times of India reported Sunday.Mohammed Sakir Hussain, a 37-year-old Sri Lankan national arrested on April 29, revealed during the course of an interrogation by Indian security agencies that he had been tasked by Pakistan’s embassy in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo — on behalf of the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI — with orchestrating the attacks on the two consulates, unnamed sources told the paper.Hussain allegedly said that he was instructed to arrange documents for two bombers traveling from Maldives to Chennai, and to oversee their accommodations.The investigators claimed photographs of the two consulates from various angles had been mailed to the two suspects, as well as to the embassy. An unnamed source maintained that a PDF file with detailed sketches of the two buildings was sent as well, and that an electronic signature shows that the images were downloaded by embassy employees.Muhammad Daud Ehtisham, press attache of the Pakistani embassy in Sri Lanka, denied the reports, calling them “a malicious media campaign to tarnish the image of Pakistan. This story is of a highly speculative nature and bears no truth,” he said.“The government of Pakistan and [its] state institutions are very responsible entities, and they don’t indulge in such…tactics.”

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

Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.

12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE

EZEKIEL 36:24
24 For I will take you from among the heathen,(WORLD NATIONS) and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

MATTHEW 24:32
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:(ISRAEL WAS LITERALLY REBORN JUST BEFORE SUMMER,MAY 14,1948).

MARK 13:28
28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:

DANIEL 9:24
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people (ISRAELI) and upon thy holy city,(JERUSALEM) to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

ISRAEL WILL BE IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM, THE SIGN OF THE START OF THE LAST GENERATION.

NEHEMIAH 2:17
17  Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we (ISRAELIS) are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste,(AD 70) and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem,(DAN 9:24-27) that we be no more a reproach.

LUKE 21:24
24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.(ISRAEL RECAPTURES JERUSALEM)(THE BEGGINING OF THE LAST GENERATION AND THE LAST END OF THE AGE OF GRACE.NOT THE END OF THE WORLD ,THE WORLD GOES ON FOREVER)

Ukrainian Jews immigrate to Israel amid growing unrest-19 arrive on Sunday; Jewish Agency says over 200 signed up for May alone; immigration from troubled country up 142%-By Times of Israel staff May 4, 2014, 6:48 am 16

A group of 19 Ukrainian Jews were immigrating to Israel on Sunday amid an escalating crisis that has seen a rising tide of anti-Semitic attacks.The group, whose arrival was coordinated in advance with the Jewish Agency for Israel, includes three families and three single women, according to a press release from the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, which raised funds for the flight.“The unfolding crisis in Ukraine has meant an even more uncertain future for the Jewish community there, and we have acted swiftly once again to bring needy and endangered Jews home from this troubled region. It will be a privilege for our staff to welcome this first group home on Sunday,” ICEJ Executive Director Jürgen Bühler said in a statement.The ICEJ said it has been “raising funds from Christians worldwide over recent weeks” and has so far collected enough to bring 100 Jews to Israel, including the 19 set to arrive Sunday.According to a Jewish Agency blog post from last week, so far 2014 has seen a 142% increase in immigration to Israel from Ukraine, as compared to 2013. Almost 800 people arrived in the country over January-April, and over 200 have signed up for May. The agency noted these figures do not include those who have arrived as tourists and later completed the immigration process while already in the country.In November, a revolution erupted in Ukraine over the policies of former president Viktor Yanukovych, which many perceived to be pro-Russian. He was ousted from power in February and replaced by a provisional government which scheduled elections for next month.Hundreds died or were injured in deadly clashes between government troops and protesters. In the ensuing chaos, Ukrainian Jewish groups and individuals reported several attacks, including two stabbings, a few street beatings and the attempted torching of two synagogues.Russian President Vladimir Putin cited anti-Semitism to justify what international observers said was a Russian invasion into the Crimean Peninsula and its subsequent annexation to the Russian Federation.Ukrainian officials and nationalists, in turn, have accused pro-Russian separatists of staging anti-Semitic attacks to discredit the Ukrainian revolution and its supporters.Speaking in Kiev last month, US president Joe Biden lashed out lashed out at growing anti-Semitism in Ukraine, saying that “Just as corruption can have no place in the new Ukraine, neither can anti-Semitism or bigotry.“Let me say that again,” he continued, “neither can anti-Semitism or bigotry. No place. None. Zero. The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms all threats and attacks against Ukrainian Jewish communities as well as Roma and others.”Last week, the Jewish mayor of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, was flown to Israel for emergency medical treatment after he was left in critical condition in a shooting incident.AP and JTA contributed to this report.

PM: ‘Jewish Israel’ law vital to counter assault on legitimacy-Netanyahu tells cabinet his Basic Law proposal, enshrining Israel as Jewish people’s nation-state, will define Jewish rights without harming individuals-By Haviv Rettig Gur May 4, 2014, 2:25 pm-The Times of Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his promise on Sunday to advance a constitutional Basic Law expressly identifying Israel as a Jewish nation-state.Speaking at the start of his weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu rebuffed criticism of the plan, saying the state currently lacked “adequate expression” of Israel’s “existence as the nation-state of the Jewish people” in the country’s set of Basic Laws.“It will define the national right of the Jewish people to the State of Israel, and will do so without harming the individual rights of all Israeli citizens in the State of Israel,” he said. “It will fortify the Law of Return as a Basic Law. It will anchor in Basic Laws the status of the national symbols – the flag, the anthem, the language and other components of our national existence.”Explaining the immediate trigger for the bill, Netanyahu said Israel’s Jewish status is under “constant and increasing assault from the outside, and even from within.”Israel does not have a constitution, but the country’s set of Basic Laws have been given the standing of one by the courts.As he did when announcing the legislative campaign Thursday, Netanyahu tied the new bill to the Israeli demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the Jewish nation-state.“There are of course those who do not want the State of Israel to be defined as the nation-state of the Jewish people,” he told the cabinet ministers. “They want to establish a Palestinian nation-state next to us, and that Israel slowly transform into a binational Arab-Jewish state in its shrunken borders.“The State of Israel grants equal rights, full individual rights, to all its citizens. But it is the nation-state of one nation only – the Jewish nation – and not of any other nation. Therefore, in order to fortify Israel’s status as the nation-state of the Jewish people I intend to lead the legislation of a Basic Law that will anchor this status,” he said.Netanyahu first proposed the new initiative at a Thursday press event in Tel Aviv. His announcement immediately sparked debate between the right-wing and center-left elements of his coalition on balancing the Jewish identification of the state with the country’s democratic constitutional commitments. Netanyahu signaled on Sunday that he welcomed the debate, and that all sides would be heard.“The new law will be drafted in a dialogue with all elements of the coalition, so that it protects the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state,” he said.Jerusalem’s demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state had been one of the major sticking points in the recently ended round of peace negotiations, with Netanyahu saying he will never sign an agreement without it and the Palestinians refusing adamantly.Even outside the framework of peace negotiations, Netanyahu’s plan is likely to cause controversy, as some 20 percent of Israel’s population is not Jewish.Raphael Ahren contributed to this report. 

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