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.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
ISRAEL SATAN COMES AGAINST
1 CHRONICLES 21:1
1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
GENESIS 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I (GOD) will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee,(ISRAELIS) and curse (DESTROY) him that curseth thee:(DESTROY THEM) and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
ISAIAH 41:11
11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee (ISRAEL) shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing;(DESTROYED) and they that strive with thee shall perish.(ISRAEL HATERS WILL BE TOTALLY DESTROYED)
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)
Fatah’s armed wing in Gaza asked Iran for money to fight Israel-In televised fundraising effort earlier this summer, al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades fighter displayed what was said to be tunnel into Israel-By Tamar Pileggi August 18, 2015, 7:16 pm 1-the times of israel
The armed wing of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party in Gaza asked Iran for money to battle Israel earlier this summer, and unveiled what it said was a new cross-border tunnel into the Jewish state during a televised appeal to Tehran.The footage, which aired on Iran’s state-owned Al-Alam channel earlier this summer, featured an interview with a masked fighter from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, who showcased what he claimed was a newly built, 3.5 km (2 miles) tunnel ready for a next round of hostilities with Israel.“We spend all our time trying to get money to fulfill our duty concerning our occupied lands and liberate them from the Zionist entity,” the militant said according to a translation released Tuesday by the Palestinian Media Watch watchdog group.“This is why we are asking [for money]… especially [from] Iran, which is a known long-time supporter of the resistance and the Palestinian cause,” he said.The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US, the EU, and other countries.The television crew descended into the cross-border tunnel to “see what the Martyrs’ Brigades [are] preparing for this occupation,” and were greeted by a dozen or so masked and armed militants.“This tunnel is approximately 3.5 km long and crosses the border between the Gaza Strip and the Zionist enemy. There are tunnels inside [Gaza] through which Jihad fighters pass during war,” the fighter explained.Attack tunnels extending into Israeli territory prompted an Israeli ground invasion into Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, which began in July 2014 and lasted for 50 days.Destroying the tunnel threat was one of Israel’s goals during the summer’s military campaign, which saw more than 2,100 people killed in Gaza and tens of thousands left homeless, according to Palestinian and UN tallies, and 72 people killed in Israel. (Israel says almost half of the Gaza fatalities were combatants and blames Hamas for all civilian deaths since it emplaced its war machine in residential areas.) Eleven Israeli soldiers were killed inside Israel by Hamas gunmen emerging from the cross-border tunnels.The fundraising effort aired on both Iranian and Palestinian television on June 29, and was translated and posted online by the Israel-based watchdog on Tuesday — days after reports emerged that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is planning to visit Tehran in the coming months.A Palestinian official told the Chinese Xinhua news agency last week that the diplomatic visit aimed at strengthening PA ties with the Islamic Republic.Elhanan Miller and Daniel Bernstein contributed to this report.
Foreign Ministry workers hold up PM’s newest envoys-Deputy defense minister calls to force- feed Allaan; Iran dissidents say nuclear deal sidesteps human rights-By Times of Israel staff August 18, 2015, 2:06 pm 13
20:42-US Jewish lawmakers divided on Iran deal-There are 28 Jewish members of Congress: 26 Democrats, one independent who caucuses with the Democrats and one Republican. Nine of them are senators and 19 are representatives.Nine back the Iran deal, seven oppose it and 12 are undecided.The positions of Jewish lawmakers are being watched as Congress decides whether to reject the July 14 agreement between Iran and world powers. The vote, to be held by the end of September, is expected go against the deal. The real question is: Will opponents manage two-thirds majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate to override President Barack Obama’s promised veto of a rejection?— JTA-20:38-Foreign Ministry workers hold up PM’s newest envoys-The Foreign Ministry workers’ union says it will hold up processing the latest ambassadorial appointments made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.The move is part of a labor dispute between the diplomatic service and the Treasury over low wages.Netanyahu is also the foreign minister.In recent weeks, he has appointed several allies and confidants to key diplomatic posts, including Dani Dayan as ambassador to Brazil, Fiamma Nirenstein to Italy, Mark Regev to the UK and Danny Danon to the UN.If their appointments are not processed, the new envoys will be unable to obtain diplomatic passports to travel to their new assignments.-20:20-150 drowned, shot by Boko Haram in Nigeria-KANO, Nigeria – Up to 150 people drowned in a river or were shot dead fleeing Boko Haram gunmen who raided a remote village in Nigeria’s northeastern Yobe state, local residents say.Dozens of jihadists from the group, which has sworn allegiance to the Islamic State terror group, arrived on motorcycles and in a car on Thursday last week and opened fire, scattering terrified residents of Kukuwa-Gari.“They opened fire instantly, which forced residents to flee. They shot a number of people. Unfortunately many residents who tried to flee plunged into the river which is full from the rain. Many drowned,” Modu Balumi, a resident of the village, tells AFP.“By our latest toll we have 150 people either (shot dead) or drowned in the attack. The gunmen deliberately killed a fisherman who tried to save drowning residents of the village.”— AFP-20:13-Paris terror hostage sues media for risking his life-PARIS — The Paris prosecutors’ office says an investigation has been opened after one of the hostages in the January terror attacks around Paris accused some television and radio stations of having put his life in danger and sued them.Twenty people were killed, including the three attackers, in the Islamic extremist attacks around Paris that ended with police raids on a printing plant and a kosher supermarket where hostages were being held.At the printing plant north of Paris, hostage Lilian Lepere was hiding in a cupboard under a sink, apparently unknown to the gunmen, when at least three television and radio stations revealed his possible presence. He was eventually released unharmed.Lepere’s lawyer, Antoine Casubolo Ferro, told The Associated Press that the complaint aims to increase media awareness of life-threatening situations.“Delivering information without careful consideration may lead to endanger other’s lives. Journalists must think of it,” he said.On January 9, as the police surrounded the printing plant, lawmaker Yves Albarello revealed on radio station RMC that an employee was hiding in the building.— AP-19:58-Settlers, Palestinians clash in n. West Bank-IDF soldiers are rushing to the scene of a clash between Jewish settlers and Palestinian villagers in the northern West Bank to separate between the groups.According to the Ynet news site, settlers from the Esh Kodesh outpost and residents of the village of Kusra are throwing rocks at each other.The IDF declares the site a closed military zone.-19:50-Deputy defense minister calls to force-feed Allaan-Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan calls to force-feed Palestinian hunger striker Mohammed Allaan.Allaan, a member of the Islamic Jihad terror group, is in the 63rd day of a hunger strike demanding to be put on trial or released.He is held since November under special anti-terror rules called “administrative detention,” which allow holding terror suspects without trial.“The state offered to let him leave the country for four years as a way to obtain his release,” Ben-Dahan says in a statement. “He refused, and now we must act according to the force-feeding law and feed him.”The Knesset passed a controversial law on July 30 allowing district court judges to order the force-feeding of hunger strikers if their lives are at risk. Doctors have said they would refuse to carry out the practice, which they said violates medical ethics.“Is Israel gives in,” Ben-Dahan says, “all the prisoners will do the same thing, with the certain knowledge that the State of Israel will give in and release them.”
Interview / 'I wouldn't let Obama and Kerry negotiate a 30-day lease'-Dershowitz: ‘Inept negotiator’ Obama gave Iran green light to build nuke-Self-declared ‘liberal Democrat’ slams nuclear deal on many fronts, but admits that Congress killing it now could make things worse. Instead, he proposes supplementary legislation to ensure no Iran bomb-By Raphael Ahren August 18, 2015, 4:36 pm 82-the times of Israel
US President Barack Obama is currently vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard, as he does every August. For the last six years, he has always invited law professor Alan Dershowitz, who also spends his summers on the picturesque Massachusetts island, to drop by. But then the Iran deal happened.“I’m not going to be invited to meet him this time. That’s fine. He knows my views,” Dershowitz said in an interview, referring to his fierce opposition to the nuclear accord the US and five world powers struck with Iran last month.“He knows he made certain promises to me when we sat in the Oval Office,” Dershowitz continued. “He said to me, ‘Alan, you know I don’t bluff. I have Israel’s back. Iran will never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. All options are on the table.’ He changed his policy. And he won’t look me in the eye.” (Obama’s would-be successor Hillary Clinton also came to Martha’s Vineyard this summer; she and Dershowitz did meet.) A well-known political commentator and prolific writer, Dershowitz considers himself a “liberal Democrat.” He voted twice for Obama, generally gives him excellent grades on domestic issues, and even has some good things to say about his various foreign policy initiatives. He supports the administration’s condemnations of Israeli settlements and would not oppose more pressure on Jerusalem regarding Palestinian statehood.But when it comes to the Comprehensive Joint Plan of Action (JCPOA), Dershowitz delivers a crushing verdict. “It’s a D-minus, with grade inflation. It’s essentially a failing grade,” he said. “I would not allow this president and this secretary of state [John Kerry] — both of whom I know well, I’ve known them for a long time — I wouldn’t allow these two people to negotiate a 30-day lease for me. They’ve proved to be inept negotiators.” Dershowitz’s grievances regarding the accord are manifold. Indeed, he just published an entire book on the subject. He has been researching the Iranian nuclear issue for 10 years and after the deal was signed it took him 11 days to write more than 200 pages on it, he said.“The Case Against the Iran Deal: How Can We Now Stop Iran from Getting Nukes?” lambastes not only the agreement’s actual provisions — for every scientist who says it’s a good deal there is at least one who says it’s a bad deal, he said — but also the US administration’s “terrible” negotiation strategy.In contrast to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arguably the world’s most vocal critic of the deal, however, Dershowitz is not calling on American lawmakers to scuttle the agreement. While Netanyahu says a better deal is possible if Congress kills the current one, Dershowitz believes that blocking the agreement could make the situation even worse than it is now. Instead, he suggests passing a simple law that he claims could go a long way toward ensuring Iran never acquires a nuclear bomb.Dershowitz’s main problem with the way the US approached the Iranian threat is that it did not declare that Tehran would never be allowed to build a bomb. The JCPOA does not explicitly state that Iran is for all eternity prohibited from developing a nuclear weapon. And this, according to Dershowitz, might embolden Iran to go for the bomb once the deal elapses.The president wants deal ambiguity. He wants to say from one side of his mouth to the American public that this deal is forever, while telling the Iranians, no, this deal is not forever“If there had been no negotiations at all, I don’t think Iran would have developed nuclear weapons. They would’ve maybe come close but they would have never crossed the red line,” Dershowitz, 76, told The Times of Israel. “President Obama had a strict, firm policy that he announced over and over again, and which he told me face to face: ‘We will never allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. We will use military force if necessary to stop them.’ That was a very strong deterrent. I don’t believe Iran would have developed nuclear weapons (were it not) for the deal. This deal turned the light from red to green.”According to the accord’s sunset provisions, Iran is free to pursue the bomb after about a decade, Dershowitz said. “There’s nothing in the deal that says they’re not allowed to develop nuclear weapons.”The administration relies on Iran being a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which bans nuclear weapons, but Iran can drop out of this treaty at any time, he noted.The JCPOA does mention, in its preamble, that “Iran reaffirms that under no circumstances will Iran ever seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons.” But neither the US nor Iran considers this provision to be legally binding, Dershowitz is convinced. In defending the deal, administration officials say it guarantees Tehran doesn’t get a weapon in the next decade or so. When they are asked about the post-sunset period, they refer to the NPT, he said. (Obama has said repeatedly that the “prohibition on Iran having a nuclear weapon is permanent.” But Dershowitz argues that the preamble of a deal is not binding under international law — to which US officials reply that the JCPOA is not a treaty but rather a “political agreement” that, strictly speaking, is not legally binding at all.) “I challenge [Obama] to point to anything in this deal [that would ban Iran from pursuing the bomb] other than that preliminary statement which says that Iran will not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon after the deal expires,” said Dershowitz. “He cannot do it. So he’s not telling the American people the truth about the deal.”Dershowitz doesn’t stop at criticizing the JCPOA, and in the final chapter of “The Case Against the Iran Deal” offers a “constructive proposal” to improve the agreement and make sure Tehran will never get a nuclear bomb.Congress should pass legislation enshrining the deal’s preamble and the reaffirmation of an eternal ban on nuclear weapons as an integral part of the agreement, he urges. Such a law would preemptively authorize the current and all future US presidents to use military force, without negotiation or warning, to prevent Iran from acquiring a military weapon if it ever sought one.“It is too late to change the words of the deal, but it is not too late for Congress to insist that Iran comply fully with its provisions,” Dershowitz writes. “The benefits of enacting such legislation are clear: the law would underline the centrality to the deal of Iran’s reaffirmation never to acquire nuclear weapons, and would provide both a deterrent against Iran violating its reaffirmation and an enforcement authorization in the event it does.”Obama would certainly oppose such a bill, fearing it would lead the Iranians to walk away from the deal, Dershowitz presumed in the interview. “The president wants deal ambiguity. He wants to say from one side of his mouth to the American public that this deal is forever, while telling the Iranians, no, this deal is not forever.”But it would be interesting to see how Washington and Tehran would react to such a bill, Dershowitz mused. “It would call everybody’s bluff.”It’s not like the president wants Iran to be able to get a nuclear bomb, he stressed. Obama tried, but simply failed, to get a better agreement. “He’s betting,” Dershowitz thundered. “He’s prepared to roll the dice. Because his legacy is one thing, Israel’s security is quite another. He’s prepared to bet on Israel’s security, but he’s not prepared to allow Israel to have input into that bet, and that’s what’s wrong with this negotiation.”‘Obama has been a bully. He tried to squelch opposition’Israel was excluded from the negotiations with Iran, which were conducted by countries of which most don’t have anything to fear from an Iranian nuclear weapons capability, Dershowitz said. But Israel has reasonable concerns, so it’s not only Netanyahu’s right but his duty to try to change US policy on this matter.Dershowitz rejects claims of Netanyahu’s alleged untenable interference in American politics. It’s not as if he’s commenting on gay marriage or healthcare reform; rather, he’s making the case against a deal he fears threatens his country’s survival, the professor argued. “Obama has been a bully. He has tried to squelch opposition to the deal.”The president’s attacks on Israel’s ostensibly unprecedented lobbying efforts are historically inaccurate, he added: Lafayette tried to get the Americans to back the French Revolution, Churchill demanded US troops fight in World War II, David Cameron tried to get US legislators to approve the Iran deal. ‘A meeting with the president right now would probably ruin both of our vacations’-Obama is not upset that Netanyahu got involved in American politics; he simply doesn’t like his position on the deal, Dershowitz posited. “If Netanyahu were in favor of the deal, he’d be welcoming him to speak to Congress.”Contradicting common wisdom, Dershowitz insists that US-Israel relations are not at their lowest point in history. “Israel is flexing its muscles. I think that’s a good thing,” he said. “This is a tense conflict between Israeli interests and what President Obama believes are American interests. That’s the kind of conflict one might always anticipate. I don’t believe that this will have an enduring impact on US-Israel relations.”The Iran deal will become a dominant theme of the presidential campaign in America, and candidates from both sides of the aisle will go out of their way to show they’re supporting Israel — perhaps even more so as a consequence of the public confrontation between Jerusalem and Washington, Dershowitz said. “So in the end it may be good for Israel.”‘The sanctions are dead. They will not ever snap back’-What would happen if Congress actually killed the deal? Israeli officials maintain that a better deal is possible, since the Iranians are under intense financial strain. If the US upheld its sanctions and imposed even stricter ones, Iran would surely return to the negotiating table and make further concessions, some in Jerusalem argue. Even if parts of the international community were unwilling to forgo trade relations with Iran, the US economy is so strong that American sanctions alone would have enough leverage to eventually force the Iranians to return to the negotiating table, according to this logic.Dershowitz disagrees. “The sanctions are dead. They will not ever snap back. They will never be as powerful as they once were,” he said. For all his criticism of the deal, he is uncertain whether killing it now is a good idea. “It’s possible that opposing the deal will make it even worse. It’s also possible that it will be better. That’s why it’s such a bad deal: It gives us the option between bad and worse.”The Americans played checkers with the people who invented chess, he continued. “The ayatollahs checkmated our president, and put him in a position where we have the choice between a bad deal and perhaps even a worse outcome.”Even if he received a belated invite to the president’s vacation getaway on Martha’s Vineyard, at this point Dershowitz would probably take a rain check, he said toward the end of the interview. “I’d rather not have to tell the president right now what I think of his deal. I’d rather let tempers cool a little bit, and I’d be happy to meet with him in months to come. A meeting with the president right now would probably ruin both of our vacations.”
ISRAEL SATAN COMES AGAINST
1 CHRONICLES 21:1
1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
GENESIS 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I (GOD) will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee,(ISRAELIS) and curse (DESTROY) him that curseth thee:(DESTROY THEM) and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
ISAIAH 41:11
11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee (ISRAEL) shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing;(DESTROYED) and they that strive with thee shall perish.(ISRAEL HATERS WILL BE TOTALLY DESTROYED)
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)
Fatah’s armed wing in Gaza asked Iran for money to fight Israel-In televised fundraising effort earlier this summer, al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades fighter displayed what was said to be tunnel into Israel-By Tamar Pileggi August 18, 2015, 7:16 pm 1-the times of israel
The armed wing of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party in Gaza asked Iran for money to battle Israel earlier this summer, and unveiled what it said was a new cross-border tunnel into the Jewish state during a televised appeal to Tehran.The footage, which aired on Iran’s state-owned Al-Alam channel earlier this summer, featured an interview with a masked fighter from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, who showcased what he claimed was a newly built, 3.5 km (2 miles) tunnel ready for a next round of hostilities with Israel.“We spend all our time trying to get money to fulfill our duty concerning our occupied lands and liberate them from the Zionist entity,” the militant said according to a translation released Tuesday by the Palestinian Media Watch watchdog group.“This is why we are asking [for money]… especially [from] Iran, which is a known long-time supporter of the resistance and the Palestinian cause,” he said.The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US, the EU, and other countries.The television crew descended into the cross-border tunnel to “see what the Martyrs’ Brigades [are] preparing for this occupation,” and were greeted by a dozen or so masked and armed militants.“This tunnel is approximately 3.5 km long and crosses the border between the Gaza Strip and the Zionist enemy. There are tunnels inside [Gaza] through which Jihad fighters pass during war,” the fighter explained.Attack tunnels extending into Israeli territory prompted an Israeli ground invasion into Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, which began in July 2014 and lasted for 50 days.Destroying the tunnel threat was one of Israel’s goals during the summer’s military campaign, which saw more than 2,100 people killed in Gaza and tens of thousands left homeless, according to Palestinian and UN tallies, and 72 people killed in Israel. (Israel says almost half of the Gaza fatalities were combatants and blames Hamas for all civilian deaths since it emplaced its war machine in residential areas.) Eleven Israeli soldiers were killed inside Israel by Hamas gunmen emerging from the cross-border tunnels.The fundraising effort aired on both Iranian and Palestinian television on June 29, and was translated and posted online by the Israel-based watchdog on Tuesday — days after reports emerged that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is planning to visit Tehran in the coming months.A Palestinian official told the Chinese Xinhua news agency last week that the diplomatic visit aimed at strengthening PA ties with the Islamic Republic.Elhanan Miller and Daniel Bernstein contributed to this report.
Foreign Ministry workers hold up PM’s newest envoys-Deputy defense minister calls to force- feed Allaan; Iran dissidents say nuclear deal sidesteps human rights-By Times of Israel staff August 18, 2015, 2:06 pm 13
20:42-US Jewish lawmakers divided on Iran deal-There are 28 Jewish members of Congress: 26 Democrats, one independent who caucuses with the Democrats and one Republican. Nine of them are senators and 19 are representatives.Nine back the Iran deal, seven oppose it and 12 are undecided.The positions of Jewish lawmakers are being watched as Congress decides whether to reject the July 14 agreement between Iran and world powers. The vote, to be held by the end of September, is expected go against the deal. The real question is: Will opponents manage two-thirds majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate to override President Barack Obama’s promised veto of a rejection?— JTA-20:38-Foreign Ministry workers hold up PM’s newest envoys-The Foreign Ministry workers’ union says it will hold up processing the latest ambassadorial appointments made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.The move is part of a labor dispute between the diplomatic service and the Treasury over low wages.Netanyahu is also the foreign minister.In recent weeks, he has appointed several allies and confidants to key diplomatic posts, including Dani Dayan as ambassador to Brazil, Fiamma Nirenstein to Italy, Mark Regev to the UK and Danny Danon to the UN.If their appointments are not processed, the new envoys will be unable to obtain diplomatic passports to travel to their new assignments.-20:20-150 drowned, shot by Boko Haram in Nigeria-KANO, Nigeria – Up to 150 people drowned in a river or were shot dead fleeing Boko Haram gunmen who raided a remote village in Nigeria’s northeastern Yobe state, local residents say.Dozens of jihadists from the group, which has sworn allegiance to the Islamic State terror group, arrived on motorcycles and in a car on Thursday last week and opened fire, scattering terrified residents of Kukuwa-Gari.“They opened fire instantly, which forced residents to flee. They shot a number of people. Unfortunately many residents who tried to flee plunged into the river which is full from the rain. Many drowned,” Modu Balumi, a resident of the village, tells AFP.“By our latest toll we have 150 people either (shot dead) or drowned in the attack. The gunmen deliberately killed a fisherman who tried to save drowning residents of the village.”— AFP-20:13-Paris terror hostage sues media for risking his life-PARIS — The Paris prosecutors’ office says an investigation has been opened after one of the hostages in the January terror attacks around Paris accused some television and radio stations of having put his life in danger and sued them.Twenty people were killed, including the three attackers, in the Islamic extremist attacks around Paris that ended with police raids on a printing plant and a kosher supermarket where hostages were being held.At the printing plant north of Paris, hostage Lilian Lepere was hiding in a cupboard under a sink, apparently unknown to the gunmen, when at least three television and radio stations revealed his possible presence. He was eventually released unharmed.Lepere’s lawyer, Antoine Casubolo Ferro, told The Associated Press that the complaint aims to increase media awareness of life-threatening situations.“Delivering information without careful consideration may lead to endanger other’s lives. Journalists must think of it,” he said.On January 9, as the police surrounded the printing plant, lawmaker Yves Albarello revealed on radio station RMC that an employee was hiding in the building.— AP-19:58-Settlers, Palestinians clash in n. West Bank-IDF soldiers are rushing to the scene of a clash between Jewish settlers and Palestinian villagers in the northern West Bank to separate between the groups.According to the Ynet news site, settlers from the Esh Kodesh outpost and residents of the village of Kusra are throwing rocks at each other.The IDF declares the site a closed military zone.-19:50-Deputy defense minister calls to force-feed Allaan-Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan calls to force-feed Palestinian hunger striker Mohammed Allaan.Allaan, a member of the Islamic Jihad terror group, is in the 63rd day of a hunger strike demanding to be put on trial or released.He is held since November under special anti-terror rules called “administrative detention,” which allow holding terror suspects without trial.“The state offered to let him leave the country for four years as a way to obtain his release,” Ben-Dahan says in a statement. “He refused, and now we must act according to the force-feeding law and feed him.”The Knesset passed a controversial law on July 30 allowing district court judges to order the force-feeding of hunger strikers if their lives are at risk. Doctors have said they would refuse to carry out the practice, which they said violates medical ethics.“Is Israel gives in,” Ben-Dahan says, “all the prisoners will do the same thing, with the certain knowledge that the State of Israel will give in and release them.”
Interview / 'I wouldn't let Obama and Kerry negotiate a 30-day lease'-Dershowitz: ‘Inept negotiator’ Obama gave Iran green light to build nuke-Self-declared ‘liberal Democrat’ slams nuclear deal on many fronts, but admits that Congress killing it now could make things worse. Instead, he proposes supplementary legislation to ensure no Iran bomb-By Raphael Ahren August 18, 2015, 4:36 pm 82-the times of Israel
US President Barack Obama is currently vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard, as he does every August. For the last six years, he has always invited law professor Alan Dershowitz, who also spends his summers on the picturesque Massachusetts island, to drop by. But then the Iran deal happened.“I’m not going to be invited to meet him this time. That’s fine. He knows my views,” Dershowitz said in an interview, referring to his fierce opposition to the nuclear accord the US and five world powers struck with Iran last month.“He knows he made certain promises to me when we sat in the Oval Office,” Dershowitz continued. “He said to me, ‘Alan, you know I don’t bluff. I have Israel’s back. Iran will never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. All options are on the table.’ He changed his policy. And he won’t look me in the eye.” (Obama’s would-be successor Hillary Clinton also came to Martha’s Vineyard this summer; she and Dershowitz did meet.) A well-known political commentator and prolific writer, Dershowitz considers himself a “liberal Democrat.” He voted twice for Obama, generally gives him excellent grades on domestic issues, and even has some good things to say about his various foreign policy initiatives. He supports the administration’s condemnations of Israeli settlements and would not oppose more pressure on Jerusalem regarding Palestinian statehood.But when it comes to the Comprehensive Joint Plan of Action (JCPOA), Dershowitz delivers a crushing verdict. “It’s a D-minus, with grade inflation. It’s essentially a failing grade,” he said. “I would not allow this president and this secretary of state [John Kerry] — both of whom I know well, I’ve known them for a long time — I wouldn’t allow these two people to negotiate a 30-day lease for me. They’ve proved to be inept negotiators.” Dershowitz’s grievances regarding the accord are manifold. Indeed, he just published an entire book on the subject. He has been researching the Iranian nuclear issue for 10 years and after the deal was signed it took him 11 days to write more than 200 pages on it, he said.“The Case Against the Iran Deal: How Can We Now Stop Iran from Getting Nukes?” lambastes not only the agreement’s actual provisions — for every scientist who says it’s a good deal there is at least one who says it’s a bad deal, he said — but also the US administration’s “terrible” negotiation strategy.In contrast to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arguably the world’s most vocal critic of the deal, however, Dershowitz is not calling on American lawmakers to scuttle the agreement. While Netanyahu says a better deal is possible if Congress kills the current one, Dershowitz believes that blocking the agreement could make the situation even worse than it is now. Instead, he suggests passing a simple law that he claims could go a long way toward ensuring Iran never acquires a nuclear bomb.Dershowitz’s main problem with the way the US approached the Iranian threat is that it did not declare that Tehran would never be allowed to build a bomb. The JCPOA does not explicitly state that Iran is for all eternity prohibited from developing a nuclear weapon. And this, according to Dershowitz, might embolden Iran to go for the bomb once the deal elapses.The president wants deal ambiguity. He wants to say from one side of his mouth to the American public that this deal is forever, while telling the Iranians, no, this deal is not forever“If there had been no negotiations at all, I don’t think Iran would have developed nuclear weapons. They would’ve maybe come close but they would have never crossed the red line,” Dershowitz, 76, told The Times of Israel. “President Obama had a strict, firm policy that he announced over and over again, and which he told me face to face: ‘We will never allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. We will use military force if necessary to stop them.’ That was a very strong deterrent. I don’t believe Iran would have developed nuclear weapons (were it not) for the deal. This deal turned the light from red to green.”According to the accord’s sunset provisions, Iran is free to pursue the bomb after about a decade, Dershowitz said. “There’s nothing in the deal that says they’re not allowed to develop nuclear weapons.”The administration relies on Iran being a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which bans nuclear weapons, but Iran can drop out of this treaty at any time, he noted.The JCPOA does mention, in its preamble, that “Iran reaffirms that under no circumstances will Iran ever seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons.” But neither the US nor Iran considers this provision to be legally binding, Dershowitz is convinced. In defending the deal, administration officials say it guarantees Tehran doesn’t get a weapon in the next decade or so. When they are asked about the post-sunset period, they refer to the NPT, he said. (Obama has said repeatedly that the “prohibition on Iran having a nuclear weapon is permanent.” But Dershowitz argues that the preamble of a deal is not binding under international law — to which US officials reply that the JCPOA is not a treaty but rather a “political agreement” that, strictly speaking, is not legally binding at all.) “I challenge [Obama] to point to anything in this deal [that would ban Iran from pursuing the bomb] other than that preliminary statement which says that Iran will not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon after the deal expires,” said Dershowitz. “He cannot do it. So he’s not telling the American people the truth about the deal.”Dershowitz doesn’t stop at criticizing the JCPOA, and in the final chapter of “The Case Against the Iran Deal” offers a “constructive proposal” to improve the agreement and make sure Tehran will never get a nuclear bomb.Congress should pass legislation enshrining the deal’s preamble and the reaffirmation of an eternal ban on nuclear weapons as an integral part of the agreement, he urges. Such a law would preemptively authorize the current and all future US presidents to use military force, without negotiation or warning, to prevent Iran from acquiring a military weapon if it ever sought one.“It is too late to change the words of the deal, but it is not too late for Congress to insist that Iran comply fully with its provisions,” Dershowitz writes. “The benefits of enacting such legislation are clear: the law would underline the centrality to the deal of Iran’s reaffirmation never to acquire nuclear weapons, and would provide both a deterrent against Iran violating its reaffirmation and an enforcement authorization in the event it does.”Obama would certainly oppose such a bill, fearing it would lead the Iranians to walk away from the deal, Dershowitz presumed in the interview. “The president wants deal ambiguity. He wants to say from one side of his mouth to the American public that this deal is forever, while telling the Iranians, no, this deal is not forever.”But it would be interesting to see how Washington and Tehran would react to such a bill, Dershowitz mused. “It would call everybody’s bluff.”It’s not like the president wants Iran to be able to get a nuclear bomb, he stressed. Obama tried, but simply failed, to get a better agreement. “He’s betting,” Dershowitz thundered. “He’s prepared to roll the dice. Because his legacy is one thing, Israel’s security is quite another. He’s prepared to bet on Israel’s security, but he’s not prepared to allow Israel to have input into that bet, and that’s what’s wrong with this negotiation.”‘Obama has been a bully. He tried to squelch opposition’Israel was excluded from the negotiations with Iran, which were conducted by countries of which most don’t have anything to fear from an Iranian nuclear weapons capability, Dershowitz said. But Israel has reasonable concerns, so it’s not only Netanyahu’s right but his duty to try to change US policy on this matter.Dershowitz rejects claims of Netanyahu’s alleged untenable interference in American politics. It’s not as if he’s commenting on gay marriage or healthcare reform; rather, he’s making the case against a deal he fears threatens his country’s survival, the professor argued. “Obama has been a bully. He has tried to squelch opposition to the deal.”The president’s attacks on Israel’s ostensibly unprecedented lobbying efforts are historically inaccurate, he added: Lafayette tried to get the Americans to back the French Revolution, Churchill demanded US troops fight in World War II, David Cameron tried to get US legislators to approve the Iran deal. ‘A meeting with the president right now would probably ruin both of our vacations’-Obama is not upset that Netanyahu got involved in American politics; he simply doesn’t like his position on the deal, Dershowitz posited. “If Netanyahu were in favor of the deal, he’d be welcoming him to speak to Congress.”Contradicting common wisdom, Dershowitz insists that US-Israel relations are not at their lowest point in history. “Israel is flexing its muscles. I think that’s a good thing,” he said. “This is a tense conflict between Israeli interests and what President Obama believes are American interests. That’s the kind of conflict one might always anticipate. I don’t believe that this will have an enduring impact on US-Israel relations.”The Iran deal will become a dominant theme of the presidential campaign in America, and candidates from both sides of the aisle will go out of their way to show they’re supporting Israel — perhaps even more so as a consequence of the public confrontation between Jerusalem and Washington, Dershowitz said. “So in the end it may be good for Israel.”‘The sanctions are dead. They will not ever snap back’-What would happen if Congress actually killed the deal? Israeli officials maintain that a better deal is possible, since the Iranians are under intense financial strain. If the US upheld its sanctions and imposed even stricter ones, Iran would surely return to the negotiating table and make further concessions, some in Jerusalem argue. Even if parts of the international community were unwilling to forgo trade relations with Iran, the US economy is so strong that American sanctions alone would have enough leverage to eventually force the Iranians to return to the negotiating table, according to this logic.Dershowitz disagrees. “The sanctions are dead. They will not ever snap back. They will never be as powerful as they once were,” he said. For all his criticism of the deal, he is uncertain whether killing it now is a good idea. “It’s possible that opposing the deal will make it even worse. It’s also possible that it will be better. That’s why it’s such a bad deal: It gives us the option between bad and worse.”The Americans played checkers with the people who invented chess, he continued. “The ayatollahs checkmated our president, and put him in a position where we have the choice between a bad deal and perhaps even a worse outcome.”Even if he received a belated invite to the president’s vacation getaway on Martha’s Vineyard, at this point Dershowitz would probably take a rain check, he said toward the end of the interview. “I’d rather not have to tell the president right now what I think of his deal. I’d rather let tempers cool a little bit, and I’d be happy to meet with him in months to come. A meeting with the president right now would probably ruin both of our vacations.”
