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)
TOMI AND IQ RASOOLI ON CULT MURDERERS ISLAM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPfAYf-hbGA
Settlers, Palestinians clash at disputed West Bank site-With tensions already high following killing of Palestinian baby, IDF troops called to site to separate the two sides-By Times of Israel staff August 1, 2015, 12:09 pm 10
Clashes erupted Saturday morning between settlers and Palestinians from the village of Qusra, southeast of Nablus, when the Palestinians tried to prepare the land for farming using heavy machinery, the Ynet website reported.Tensions in the area are already high following the killing Friday of a Palestinian baby in a firebomb attack by suspected Jewish terrorists.Security forces were called to the site to separate the Palestinians and the settlers, who were from the Esh Kodesh outpost, Ynet said. During the confrontation, the Palestinians also fought with the troops and threw stones.The land is situated some 100 meters from the outpost’s perimeter fence, but the settlers claim that the land is attached to the outposts, and accused the Palestinians of provocation.The settlers said that the dispute was instigated by members of Rabbis for Human Rights and left-wing European activists, who accompanied local Palestinian residents to the site in order to carry out infrastructure work on the land, whose ownership is under dispute.Civil Administration officials are currently investigating whether the land falls in Area B, which is under joint Israeli and Palestinian security control and full Palestinian civilian jurisdiction, or Area C, which falls under complete Israeli control. The settlers claim that the land is owned by the State of Israel.Palestinian news agency Ma’an quoted Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian official who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, as saying that dozens of settlers from Esh Kodesh “descended on farmers in their fields between the outpost and Qusra.”Daghlas said the settlers had intended to scare away the Palestinian farmers and lead them to abandon their fields. He added that dozens of men from the village confronted the settlers, who were ultimately forced to move back.Qusra has been the scene of prior clashes between settlers and Palestinians. Last year, a group of settlers was captured by Palestinians, allegedly while en route to carry out a “price tag” attack, and held in a building in the village. The settlers, some of whom were beaten by their captors, were handed over to the IDF after several hours.The settlers had allegedly approached Qusra in an attempt to carry out an attack, after the Civil Administration uprooted a settler olive grove near Esh Kodesh earlier in the day. The settlers, said to have come from the outpost, were also reported to have clashed with the village’s residents.Esh Kodesh is a settlement outpost south of Qusra and west of Duma, where the Dawabsha family home was firebombed early Friday morning. Channel 2 reported Friday night that the two assailants fled on foot and were suspected of coming from the Esh Kodesh area, though not from Esh Kodesh.
COUNTRIES WITH ISRAEL AND THE WEST
EZEKIEL 38:10-19
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say,(RUSSIA,ARAB,MUSLIMS) I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13 Sheba, and Dedan,(SAUDIA ARABIA)(JORDAN) and the merchants of Tarshish,(ENGLAND) with all the young lions thereof,(USA,CANADA,AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND,EU,ENGLAND,ENGLISH SPEAKING shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
ISRAEL-WEST ENEMIES EZEK 38:4-6,15-19
4 And I (GOD) will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts,(RUSSIA-ARAB/MUSLIMS) thou, and many people with thee,(AFRICAN ISLAMIC COUNTRIES) all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
EZEKIEL 39:1-6 ISRAELS ENEMIES DESTROYED
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.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
JAN MARKELL AND AVI LIPKIN
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/understanding-the-times/player/watchmen-warn-anybody-listening-480337.html
Russia, US and Saudi plan trilateral meet in Qatar-Moscow says FM’s Qatar talks will center on Syria, Libya and Yemen, efforts to combat IS, and Iran role in region post-deal-By AP August 1, 2015, 2:57 pm 2-the times of israel
MOSCOW — Russia’s foreign minister has scheduled a trilateral meeting in Qatar with his US and Saudi counterparts.The Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday that Sergey Lavrov will confer with US Secretary of State John Kerry and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir during his two-day trip to Doha starting Sunday. Kerry earlier has said he plans to meet separately in Doha with Lavrov to discuss Syria, Iran and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.The Russian Foreign Ministry said that during his visit to Qatar, Lavrov will discuss the crises in Syria, Libya and Yemen, international efforts to combat the Islamic State group and Iran’s role in regional affairs after last month’s signing of Iran’s nuclear deal.Despite Russia-US tensions over Ukraine, President Barack Obama has thanked Moscow for helping reach the agreement.Kerry departed for the Middle East on Friday for security talks in Egypt and discussions in Qatar with Arab foreign ministers whose countries are wary of the nuclear deal struck with Iran. He will not visit Israel, America’s foremost ally in the region, and the primary foreign opponent of the Iran agreement.US officials rejected suggestions that Kerry’s omission of Israel from the itinerary signaled that the Obama administration had given up trying to convince Israeli leaders of the merits of the Iran deal.They noted that Defense Secretary Ash Carter had visited the Jewish state in mid-July and that contacts with Israeli officials continue to be robust.The last time Kerry spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on July 16, two days after the Iran deal was concluded.2015 The Associated Press
Obama’s Iran outreach makes inroads among Democrats in Congress-President has talked to 80 lawmakers in effort to sell deal; Jewish legislators are being strongly lobbied-By Deb Riechmann August 1, 2015, 4:55 pm 4-the times of israel
WASHINGTON (AP) — Determined to secure support for the Iran nuclear deal, President Barack Obama is making inroads with a tough constituency — his fellow Democrats in Congress.A handful of key Democrats stepped forward to support the accord within hours of Obama’s personal lobbying at the White House this past week, part of the administration’s all-out campaign since the pact was announced July 14. Other Democrats have signaled they are leaning in favor and still others have remained undeclared, awaiting a vote in September.The deal, which curbs Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions smothering its economy, is not a traditional fight between the White House and Republicans, who control the House and Senate. This is about Obama, who has often been at odds with congressional Democrats, trying to cajole them just weeks after a divisive debate over trade.The president has talked to more than 80 lawmakers, either individually or in small groups, administration officials said. Obama, who delivers a speech on the deal on Wednesday at American University, also hosted a reception for about 100 House Democrats at the White House.Vice President Joe Biden has traveled to the Capitol and invited lawmakers for breakfast at the Naval Observatory. Cabinet and other administration officials have spoken with more than 175 lawmakers. A member of the International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to brief lawmakers next week.Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz’s recent exchange with Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, the No. 3 Democratic leader in the House, shows the extent of the administration’s bend-over-backward persuasion campaign. “I’m briefing later,” Moniz told Hoyer in a hallway. “Are you coming? And if there’s anything you want to know more personally, give me a call. I can expand.”Lawmakers can vote to approve, disapprove or take no action on the deal. Obama says he’ll veto a congressional disapproval and would need 34 members of the Senate or 146 members of the House to stand with him so Congress can’t override his veto.“In the real world, this is a deal that gets the job done,” Obama said in a conference call with supporters.Several Democrats said Obama’s detailed understanding of the accord won their respect. Michigan Rep. Dan Kildee, who announced his support for the pact, said Obama knows as much about the deal as the negotiators. Kildee’s support was a victory for Obama because one of his constituents, former US Marine Amir Hekmati, is among four Americans held or missing in Iran. Republicans have argued that the release of the four should have been a part of any final deal.Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva said the administration’s robust selling of the deal strengthens the Democratic stance on Capitol Hill. “We don’t need to be an island right now,” said Grijalva, who has pledged to support it.At one meeting at the White House, New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler said Obama acknowledged that the deal was not perfect and that Iran would still have an “odious” government.“He makes an impressive case, but there are still questions I have,” said Nadler, a Jewish representative who has met one-on-one with the president.The lengthy August recess will be a test, with multimillion-dollar ad campaigns and heavy lobbying by both sides, including the pro-Israel lobby, American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Some members of Congress are going on trips to Israel, with some arranged by the American Israel Education Foundation, a charitable organization affiliated with AIPAC, a deal foe.Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he thinks most senators have an idea of how they’ll vote. “Probably everybody has a lean already,” he said, adding that he still is undecided and has lingering questions.Democrat Caucus Chairman Rep. Xavier Becerra of California said he’s still talking to people on both sides of the issue. “I’m in no rush to make a decision because there’s no rush to cast a vote,” Becerra said.Two House Democrats — New York’s Grace Meng and New Jersey’s Albio Sires — announced their opposition. Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, also a Democrat, backed it. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi says Democrats would sustain a veto.Democrats who are Jewish or represent districts with large Jewish populations are being heavily lobbied. Iran has threatened to destroy Israel, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the agreement.Rep. Sander Levin of Michigan, a prominent Jewish Democrat, backed the deal. New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell, who is undecided but leaning toward approving the deal, said a former Israeli general who used to lead Israel’s Labor Party visited his office and surprisingly urged him to vote yes.West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who is leaning in favor of the deal, said, “There’s nobody that I know of in this whole Congress that’s basically not going to support Israel,” Manchin said. “But that being said, what pathway do we have?”This past week, lawmakers said Obama gave a passionate defense of the deal, which he believes would be a gilded foreign policy peg in his presidential legacy. Congressional votes interrupted the meeting, but some 20 lawmakers took Obama up on his offer to return to the White House after the vote to ask questions for some two hours.After the 60-day review, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said it was going to be a very important vote “to get right, even if it causes you political pain.”
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)
TOMI AND IQ RASOOLI ON CULT MURDERERS ISLAM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPfAYf-hbGA
Settlers, Palestinians clash at disputed West Bank site-With tensions already high following killing of Palestinian baby, IDF troops called to site to separate the two sides-By Times of Israel staff August 1, 2015, 12:09 pm 10
Clashes erupted Saturday morning between settlers and Palestinians from the village of Qusra, southeast of Nablus, when the Palestinians tried to prepare the land for farming using heavy machinery, the Ynet website reported.Tensions in the area are already high following the killing Friday of a Palestinian baby in a firebomb attack by suspected Jewish terrorists.Security forces were called to the site to separate the Palestinians and the settlers, who were from the Esh Kodesh outpost, Ynet said. During the confrontation, the Palestinians also fought with the troops and threw stones.The land is situated some 100 meters from the outpost’s perimeter fence, but the settlers claim that the land is attached to the outposts, and accused the Palestinians of provocation.The settlers said that the dispute was instigated by members of Rabbis for Human Rights and left-wing European activists, who accompanied local Palestinian residents to the site in order to carry out infrastructure work on the land, whose ownership is under dispute.Civil Administration officials are currently investigating whether the land falls in Area B, which is under joint Israeli and Palestinian security control and full Palestinian civilian jurisdiction, or Area C, which falls under complete Israeli control. The settlers claim that the land is owned by the State of Israel.Palestinian news agency Ma’an quoted Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian official who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, as saying that dozens of settlers from Esh Kodesh “descended on farmers in their fields between the outpost and Qusra.”Daghlas said the settlers had intended to scare away the Palestinian farmers and lead them to abandon their fields. He added that dozens of men from the village confronted the settlers, who were ultimately forced to move back.Qusra has been the scene of prior clashes between settlers and Palestinians. Last year, a group of settlers was captured by Palestinians, allegedly while en route to carry out a “price tag” attack, and held in a building in the village. The settlers, some of whom were beaten by their captors, were handed over to the IDF after several hours.The settlers had allegedly approached Qusra in an attempt to carry out an attack, after the Civil Administration uprooted a settler olive grove near Esh Kodesh earlier in the day. The settlers, said to have come from the outpost, were also reported to have clashed with the village’s residents.Esh Kodesh is a settlement outpost south of Qusra and west of Duma, where the Dawabsha family home was firebombed early Friday morning. Channel 2 reported Friday night that the two assailants fled on foot and were suspected of coming from the Esh Kodesh area, though not from Esh Kodesh.
COUNTRIES WITH ISRAEL AND THE WEST
EZEKIEL 38:10-19
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say,(RUSSIA,ARAB,MUSLIMS) I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13 Sheba, and Dedan,(SAUDIA ARABIA)(JORDAN) and the merchants of Tarshish,(ENGLAND) with all the young lions thereof,(USA,CANADA,AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND,EU,ENGLAND,ENGLISH SPEAKING shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
ISRAEL-WEST ENEMIES EZEK 38:4-6,15-19
4 And I (GOD) will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts,(RUSSIA-ARAB/MUSLIMS) thou, and many people with thee,(AFRICAN ISLAMIC COUNTRIES) all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
EZEKIEL 39:1-6 ISRAELS ENEMIES DESTROYED
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.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
JAN MARKELL AND AVI LIPKIN
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/understanding-the-times/player/watchmen-warn-anybody-listening-480337.html
Russia, US and Saudi plan trilateral meet in Qatar-Moscow says FM’s Qatar talks will center on Syria, Libya and Yemen, efforts to combat IS, and Iran role in region post-deal-By AP August 1, 2015, 2:57 pm 2-the times of israel
MOSCOW — Russia’s foreign minister has scheduled a trilateral meeting in Qatar with his US and Saudi counterparts.The Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday that Sergey Lavrov will confer with US Secretary of State John Kerry and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir during his two-day trip to Doha starting Sunday. Kerry earlier has said he plans to meet separately in Doha with Lavrov to discuss Syria, Iran and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.The Russian Foreign Ministry said that during his visit to Qatar, Lavrov will discuss the crises in Syria, Libya and Yemen, international efforts to combat the Islamic State group and Iran’s role in regional affairs after last month’s signing of Iran’s nuclear deal.Despite Russia-US tensions over Ukraine, President Barack Obama has thanked Moscow for helping reach the agreement.Kerry departed for the Middle East on Friday for security talks in Egypt and discussions in Qatar with Arab foreign ministers whose countries are wary of the nuclear deal struck with Iran. He will not visit Israel, America’s foremost ally in the region, and the primary foreign opponent of the Iran agreement.US officials rejected suggestions that Kerry’s omission of Israel from the itinerary signaled that the Obama administration had given up trying to convince Israeli leaders of the merits of the Iran deal.They noted that Defense Secretary Ash Carter had visited the Jewish state in mid-July and that contacts with Israeli officials continue to be robust.The last time Kerry spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on July 16, two days after the Iran deal was concluded.2015 The Associated Press
Obama’s Iran outreach makes inroads among Democrats in Congress-President has talked to 80 lawmakers in effort to sell deal; Jewish legislators are being strongly lobbied-By Deb Riechmann August 1, 2015, 4:55 pm 4-the times of israel
WASHINGTON (AP) — Determined to secure support for the Iran nuclear deal, President Barack Obama is making inroads with a tough constituency — his fellow Democrats in Congress.A handful of key Democrats stepped forward to support the accord within hours of Obama’s personal lobbying at the White House this past week, part of the administration’s all-out campaign since the pact was announced July 14. Other Democrats have signaled they are leaning in favor and still others have remained undeclared, awaiting a vote in September.The deal, which curbs Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions smothering its economy, is not a traditional fight between the White House and Republicans, who control the House and Senate. This is about Obama, who has often been at odds with congressional Democrats, trying to cajole them just weeks after a divisive debate over trade.The president has talked to more than 80 lawmakers, either individually or in small groups, administration officials said. Obama, who delivers a speech on the deal on Wednesday at American University, also hosted a reception for about 100 House Democrats at the White House.Vice President Joe Biden has traveled to the Capitol and invited lawmakers for breakfast at the Naval Observatory. Cabinet and other administration officials have spoken with more than 175 lawmakers. A member of the International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to brief lawmakers next week.Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz’s recent exchange with Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, the No. 3 Democratic leader in the House, shows the extent of the administration’s bend-over-backward persuasion campaign. “I’m briefing later,” Moniz told Hoyer in a hallway. “Are you coming? And if there’s anything you want to know more personally, give me a call. I can expand.”Lawmakers can vote to approve, disapprove or take no action on the deal. Obama says he’ll veto a congressional disapproval and would need 34 members of the Senate or 146 members of the House to stand with him so Congress can’t override his veto.“In the real world, this is a deal that gets the job done,” Obama said in a conference call with supporters.Several Democrats said Obama’s detailed understanding of the accord won their respect. Michigan Rep. Dan Kildee, who announced his support for the pact, said Obama knows as much about the deal as the negotiators. Kildee’s support was a victory for Obama because one of his constituents, former US Marine Amir Hekmati, is among four Americans held or missing in Iran. Republicans have argued that the release of the four should have been a part of any final deal.Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva said the administration’s robust selling of the deal strengthens the Democratic stance on Capitol Hill. “We don’t need to be an island right now,” said Grijalva, who has pledged to support it.At one meeting at the White House, New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler said Obama acknowledged that the deal was not perfect and that Iran would still have an “odious” government.“He makes an impressive case, but there are still questions I have,” said Nadler, a Jewish representative who has met one-on-one with the president.The lengthy August recess will be a test, with multimillion-dollar ad campaigns and heavy lobbying by both sides, including the pro-Israel lobby, American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Some members of Congress are going on trips to Israel, with some arranged by the American Israel Education Foundation, a charitable organization affiliated with AIPAC, a deal foe.Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he thinks most senators have an idea of how they’ll vote. “Probably everybody has a lean already,” he said, adding that he still is undecided and has lingering questions.Democrat Caucus Chairman Rep. Xavier Becerra of California said he’s still talking to people on both sides of the issue. “I’m in no rush to make a decision because there’s no rush to cast a vote,” Becerra said.Two House Democrats — New York’s Grace Meng and New Jersey’s Albio Sires — announced their opposition. Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, also a Democrat, backed it. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi says Democrats would sustain a veto.Democrats who are Jewish or represent districts with large Jewish populations are being heavily lobbied. Iran has threatened to destroy Israel, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the agreement.Rep. Sander Levin of Michigan, a prominent Jewish Democrat, backed the deal. New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell, who is undecided but leaning toward approving the deal, said a former Israeli general who used to lead Israel’s Labor Party visited his office and surprisingly urged him to vote yes.West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who is leaning in favor of the deal, said, “There’s nobody that I know of in this whole Congress that’s basically not going to support Israel,” Manchin said. “But that being said, what pathway do we have?”This past week, lawmakers said Obama gave a passionate defense of the deal, which he believes would be a gilded foreign policy peg in his presidential legacy. Congressional votes interrupted the meeting, but some 20 lawmakers took Obama up on his offer to return to the White House after the vote to ask questions for some two hours.After the 60-day review, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said it was going to be a very important vote “to get right, even if it causes you political pain.”
