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)
Report: Islamic State seeking to target Jewish schools in Turkey-Intelligence source cited by Sky News says concrete threat to Istanbul synagogue and community center, after Turkey and Israel both warn of increased danger for Jews and Israelis By Times of Israel staff March 28, 2016, 11:51 pm
Islamic State terrorists are planning an imminent attack on Jewish kindergartens, schools and youth centers in Turkey, according to a report by Britain-based Sky News Monday.The report came hours after Jerusalem issued an alert for all Israeli citizens to leave Turkey as soon as possible, citing an Islamic State threat, and nine days after three Israelis were killed in a bombing in Istanbul.According to Sky News, citing an “intelligence source,” terrorists were plotting to attack a synagogue which also doubles as a school and community center in the Beyoglu neighborhood of Istanbul.The source said the threat was imminent and could happen at any moment.“This is a more than credible threat. This is an active plot,” the source said. “We don’t know when it’s scheduled for. It could be in the next 24 hours or next few days.”The report was likely referring to the Neve Shalom synagogue, Istanbul’s largest, serving many of the country’s estimated 17,000 Jews.The synagogue has been the site of two previous deadly attacks: a 1986 shooting and a 2003 bombing.The source said the intelligence was related to the capture of a group of Islamic State operatives, including a suicide bomber, in Gaziantep last week, and added security was being beefed up along with increased anti-terror measures.On Saturday, Turkish police warned of possible Islamic State attacks against Christians and Jews over the weekend.The police issued a nationwide alert warning of possible attacks targeting churches during Easter on Sunday, as well as synagogues, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.Israeli officials followed up that warning Monday by raising the terror risk in Turkey from level 3 (basic concrete threat) to level 2 (high concrete threat).The Prime Minister’s Office cited a March 19 attack in central Istanbul in which three Israelis were killed and several others wounded.That attack, the PMO said in a statement, underscored the threat emanating from Islamic State cells that seek to attack tourism sites and proved that IS has “high capabilities of carrying out further attacks.”“Terrorist infrastructures in Turkey continue to advance additional attacks against tourist targets – including Israeli tourists – throughout the country,” the statement added.Israelis in Turkey should “leave as soon as possible,” it said.Despite chilly ties between Jerusalem and Ankara, Turkey remains a popular tourist destination for Israelis.IS has been blamed for four of six bombings that have rocked Turkey in the past eight months, including a double suicide attack at a peace rally in the capital, Ankara, in October that left 103 people dead.A radical offshoot of the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed the other two attacks.The police have warned that IS group members may have scouted out places of worship as well as consulates and embassies, saying that churches and synagogues especially in Ankara, as well as foundations belonging to non-Muslims, should be on their guard.Israel has not stated definitively whether last Saturday’s blast had deliberately targeted Israelis. It has praised Turkey for its handling of the aftermath of the bombing.
International mediators said working on Hamas, Israel prisoner swap-Gaza source says release of prisoners rearrested after Shalit deal is a precondition to talks for Israelis believed held by Palestinian group-By Dov Lieber March 28, 2016, 8:34 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
International mediators are interested in brokering a prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas, a source in the Gaza-based Islamist group reportedly said on Monday.A source in Hamas told the London-based daily Asharq al-Awsat that though there are currently no direct negotiations between Hamas and Israel, foreign parties are examining the possibility of completing a prisoner exchange.Hamas is thought to be holding two Israeli citizens, as well as the bodies of two Israeli soldiers killed in 2014.Israel and Hamas do not officially maintain direct contacts, and any deal would have to be mediated by international parties. In 2011, kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was released in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian detainees, in a deal brokered with the help of a German diplomat.Hamas has reportedly refused to even entertain the possibility of negotiating a swap until Israel releases all Palestinians rearrested after being freed in the 2011 deal for Shalit.The group is also demanding the talks be held separately from all other issues, according to the report.Hamas is believed to be holding 29-year-old Avraham Mengistu, as well as a Bedouin-Israeli citizen whose name was not released for publication. The two Israelis reportedly crossed into the Gaza Strip on their own accord.The remains of two soldiers killed in the 2014 Gaza war, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, are also believed to be held by Hamas, which has not clarified their fate.The captivity of the two men is viewed by Israel as a humanitarian issue unrelated to the negotiations over the bodies of the two deceased soldiers, an official told Walla news last July.While a senior Palestinian official based in the Gaza Strip denied that the group was holding Mengistu, Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal alluded to Mengistu and the second man when discussing Israelis held by his organization.Speaking with the London-based Arabic language al-Araby al-Jadeed newspaper last July, Mashaal claimed Israel had requested European officials to mediate negotiations with Hamas over the release of the captured individuals.“We won’t let Israeli prisoners go before the release of Palestinian prisoners,” Mashaal told the outlet.At a rally in Gaza last July, Hamas displayed a huge model fist holding a mock-up of Shaul’s ID card and two other IDF dog tags with question marks on them, implying that it holds two Israelis captive.Mengistu, who suffered from unspecified mental issues, was rejected for IDF service.Little is known of the whereabouts of Mengistu, who climbed over the Gaza security fence in September last year. Family members have described him as “unwell” and urged Hamas to consider his condition and return him to Israel immediately.Mengistu’s brother, Gashao, traveled to Geneva in February to plead his family’s case before European officials.“When Hamas is asking for humanitarian assistance, and contributions to the people in Gaza, then the international community should tell them: Don’t expect us to assist you when you are violating the same rights of the other side,” Gashao said.The second hostage, an Israeli from the Bedouin village of Hura, reportedly entered Gaza via the Erez Crossing in April.According to an Israeli official, the man has mild psychological issues and has a history of entering Jordan, Egypt and Gaza.Times of Israel Staff and agencies contributed to this report
Most Israelis don’t believe MKs represent them — poll-IDI survey finds just 17% think lawmakers reflect the will of the people, while 38% say Knesset functions badly or very badly-By Times of Israel staff March 28, 2016, 5:40 am
Barely one year after the 20th Knesset was sworn in, a new poll finds that only 17 percent of Israelis believe that lawmakers properly represent the will of the people, and 38% say that the Knesset “functions badly or very badly,” a new poll found.According to the survey by the Israel Democracy Institute, almost one third of Israelis (29.5%) say this distrust stems from a lack of professionalism on the part of MKs, while 28.5% say lawmakers are disconnected from the public.Furthermore, the poll found that more than half of Israelis (56%) believe that it is impossible to make successful contact with lawmakers, while a little over one-third (37%) hold the opposite opinion. Almost two-thirds of respondents (61%) also said that even if they did make a request of an MK, that request “will not receive proper attention or treatment.”The survey was commissioned to mark the launch of a new caucus to “improve the image of the Knesset and its members.” The caucus, which is the initiative of Yesh Atid MK Elazar Stern, has also won the backing of President Reuven Rivlin, the IDI said.The details of the survey released by the IDI did not include the margin of error, the number of respondents or their demographic breakdown.
PM warns of ‘difficulties’ in mixed-gender Western Wall scheme-Netanyahu doesn’t detail problems involved in creating egalitarian section of holy site, but names top aide to help tackle the issue, promises to resolve it within 60 days-By Times of Israel staff and Agencies March 27, 2016, 11:32 pm
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Sunday that there were difficulties that could hamper a historic agreement to allow egalitarian Jewish prayers at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, sparking condemnation from the country’s Reform and Conservative movements.He said he had appointed the head of his bureau to help work out the difficulties. David Sharan will “coordinate discussions on this issue with the various elements” and present recommendations within 60 days to resolve the difficulties, Netanyahu said.A statement the Prime Minister’s Office said that “some difficulties have arisen” in the scheme, but noted that Netanyahu remains committed to resolving the problems and hopes to propose a solution within 60 days.“Two months ago the government took a decision to implement the recommendations of an advisory team on the matter of prayer arrangements at the Western Wall. After taking the decision, some difficulties have arisen. We are working to find a solution to them,” the statement read.Netanyahu did not clarify what difficulties had arisen from the decision, which would move to create an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall alongside the traditional separated men’s and women’s sides.Officials from the Reform and Conservative streams of Judaism colored the decision as a Netanyahu retreat from pressure from the ultra-Orthodox community.Earlier this month Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said his ultra-Orthodox Shas party would leave a government that recognized Reform Judaism and Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, who agreed to the compromise with non-Orthodox leaders over the future of the holy site, retracted his support and denounced the deal.Gilad Kariv, Executive Director of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism said the agreement was for the benefit of Jewish unity.“Implementing the plan for the the Western Wall is a test case of the ability of the government to implement its decisions, and to stand behind agreements and compromises that were intended to prevent unnecessary division in the Jewish people,” he said.Kariv called on Netanyahu to “clarify to his Haredi partners [in the government] that the unity of the Jewish people and the connection between Israel and the Jewish world can’t be hostages to the street battles in the Haredi community.”Executive Director and CEO of the Conservative Judaism movement in Israel, Yizhar Hess, said it was unthinkable for Netanyahu to change direction on the agreement.“Not one of us would think that the Israeli government will back down from an historic compromise plan, that the sides reached after a long and intensive negotiation, and to which the prime minister committed himself at innumerable forums and gatherings,” Hess said according to the Hebrew-language Ynet website reported.In a historic move, Israel’s cabinet voted two months ago to build a new plaza for mixed gender prayer at the Western Wall, adjacent to the current Orthodox prayer plaza. It was viewed as a victory for liberal streams of Judaism, which are dominant in the US-Yet the plan has since run into fierce opposition from ultra-Orthodox lawmakers and groups in Israel, many of whom wield influence within Netanyahu’s narrow coalition government.A string of ultra-Orthodox leaders criticized the deal and insulted Reform Jews. The day the Israeli government approved the deal, on January 31, UTJ lawmaker Moshe Gafni called Reform Jews “clowns.” In late February, Israel’s chief rabbis asked the government to freeze the agreement.The deal would expand the wall’s non-Orthodox section and construct a shared entrance for both sides. The Women of the Wall group has agreed to move their monthly services to the non-Orthodox section once the deal is implemented.The Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest prayer site, is administered by ultra-Orthodox authorities, who have a monopoly over religious affairs in Israel and oppose mixed-gender or female-led prayers.
Knesset legal adviser warns MK suspension bill could be struck down-Despite expected victory in Monday evening vote, lacking a majority of 61 lawmakers, law may not stand up to challenges in High Court-By Raoul Wootliff March 28, 2016, 9:48 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
A controversial bill that would allow MKs to suspend fellow lawmakers may be struck down by the High Court if it is voted into law but fails to garner a parliamentary majority, the Knesset legal adviser warned Monday, hours ahead of the vote.The proposal, expected to pass its first Knesset reading but without a majority Monday night, would change a Basic Law, allowing 90 members of Knesset to vote to suspend lawmakers if they “negate the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state,” incite racism, or express support for a terror group or state in its war against Israel.In a legal opinion published hours before the vote on the bill, Eyal Yinon, the chief legal adviser for Israel’s parliament, said that while he does not deem it necessary, it is “preferable” the proposal receive a majority and could face legal challenges if it doesn’t.The legal opinion was written after Likud MKs David Amsalem and Avraham Neguise announced they would not vote with the government, slashing its paper-thin majority majority from 61 to 59 MKs.Avigdor Liberman, head of the hawkish Yisrael Beytenu opposition party, said Monday he would not support the measure unless he gets tit-for-tat backing from the coalition for a bill to block the Supreme Court from involvement in activities of the Central Elections Committee.However, he also indicated his six-member faction would not vote against the measure either, effectively letting it pass by a likely vote of 59 to 53.Lacking a written constitution, the rules defining the key tenets of the Israeli legislative process, as well as the mechanisms to change them, are delineated in a number of Basic Laws.While some Basic Laws require at least 61 or 90 of the 120 Knesset members to be amended, others can be changed with a simple majority of MKs.According to Yinon, while the clause regarding the banning of serving lawmakers does not need a special majority to be changed, some may argue it falls under rules dealing with elections that do and would therefore require the support of at least 61 MKs.“Given the position of the High Court of Justice, which has previously ruled in favor of extending the remit of Clause 4 [dealing with elections], and given the importance of this proposal, it is preferable that passing this law be done with a majority of at least 61 MKs in all its readings,” Yinon wrote.The controversial measure has been vociferously opposed by some, including President Reuven Rivlin, who warned that the power to punish lawmakers should not be in the hands of fellow Knesset members.The bill was proposed after three Arab MKs made a condolence visit to the families of Palestinians killed while attacking Israelis, and the three observed a moment of silence, which some said was tantamount to showing support for terror.Speaking before his Likud party meeting in the Knesset Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear he still hoped to see the bill pass the vote.“I expect all those who say they are in favor of the bill to vote in support and to not give an advantage or profit to those who support terror,” he said.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
UN expert says Palmyra likely beyond repair after IS carnage-During its 10-month occupation, Islamic State destroyed the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel and shrine of Baal Shamin-By AFP March 28, 2016, 9:19 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
A Syrian expert for the UN’s cultural body said Monday she was “very doubtful” the destruction caused to Palmyra’s ancient monuments during its occupation by the Islamic State group can be repaired.“Everyone is excited because Palmyra has been ‘liberated’, but we should not forget everything that has been destroyed,” said Annie Sartre-Fauriat, who belongs to a group of experts on Syrian heritage set up by UNESCO in 2013.“I am very doubtful about the capacity, even with international aid, of rebuilding the site at Palmyra,” she told AFP.“When I hear that we are going to reconstruct the temple of Bel, that seems illusory. We are not going to rebuild something that has been reduced to dust. Rebuild what? A new temple? I think there are probably other priorities in Syria before rebuilding ruins.”The Russian-backed Syrian army ousted IS from Palmyra on Sunday at the climax of a three-week offensive.During its 10-month occupation, IS destroyed the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel and shrine of Baal Shamin, a dozen of the city’s best-preserved tower tombs and the Arch of Triumph dating from around 200 AD.Sartre-Fauriat’s assessment contrasts with the slightly more upbeat view of Syria’s head of antiquities, Maamoun Abdulkarim, who told AFP on Monday that 80 percent of the city’s ruins were in “good shape” and would need five years to restore.“As long as the Syrian army is there, I am not reassured,” said Sartre-Fauriat. “We should not forget that the army occupied the site between 2012 and 2015 and caused a lot of destruction and pillaging.“We should not kid ourselves. It’s not because Palmyra has been retaken from Daesh (IS) that the war is over. This was a political and media operation designed to win over public opinion for the regime of (Syrian President) Bashar al-Assad,” she added.-Statues decapitated, sarcophagi smashed-The historian said she was receiving photos and videos every hour from the scene — one showing the inside of the Palmyra Museum which was transformed into a court by IS.“It’s totally vandalized. Contrary to what we thought, the museum was not emptied of its collection (prior to the arrival of IS) because the antiquities department had only 48 hours to pack everything up and the large monuments could not be transported.”She said the figures on ancient sarcophagi had been smashed and all the statues had been pushed over, decapitated or broken.Funeral plaques, a special feature of Palmyra, “have been ripped savagely from the walls, probably to be sold by Daesh,” she added.One sliver of hope lay in the fact that a huge lion statue with a gazelle in its paws that had been overturned and smashed “might possibly be recovered because it has not been pulverized,” she said.
Belgium releases sole suspect charged over Brussels attacks-Prosecutors lack evidence linking bombings to Faycal Cheffou, suspected of fleeing airport after failed detonation attempt-By AFP March 28, 2016, 7:16 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
The sole suspect charged over last week’s Brussels attacks was released Monday following a lack of evidence linking him to the carnage, Belgian prosecutors said.“The indications that led to the arrest of Faycal C. were not substantiated by the ongoing inquiry. As a result, the subject has been released by the examining magistrate,” the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement, without giving further details.Belgian media had identified the man as Faycal Cheffou who claimed to be a freelance journalist.Cheffou was charged on Saturday with “taking part in a terrorist group, terrorist murder and attempted terrorist murder.”A source close to the inquiry previously said that prosecutors were looking into the theory that he was the third man seen in CCTV footage alongside two suicide bombers at Zaventem airport.His release comes as a new blow to an inquiry already dogged by accusations that Belgium missed a series of leads in cracking down on a jihadist network linked to the attacks and a similar assault in Paris in November.Police earlier Monday released CCTV footage of a third suspect in the March 22 Zaventem airport attack, the so-called “man in the hat” seen with two other men who blew themselves up.Officials also updated the death toll from the bombings at the airport and at Maalbeek metro station to 35, the worst terror attacks in Belgium’s history, after four more people had died while hospitalized.In the video released Monday, a man in a hat and white jacket is seen pushing a trolley with a large bag through the departure hall next to bombers Ibrahim El Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui.“It’s a new video which had not previously been released,” a spokesman for the federal prosecutor’s office said.A police notice issued with the video — still images from which have previously been released — said that officers “want to identify this man.”Prosecutors earlier said three men arrested in raids in Belgium over the weekend had been charged with “participation in the activities of a terrorist group” but that no direct link had been established with the Brussels attacks.The men — identified as Yassine A., Mohamed B. and Aboubaker O. — were held during 13 raids in Brussels and the towns of Mechelen and Duffel. A fourth person arrested at the same time was released.In the latest piece in the puzzle of the jihadist cross-border networks, police arrested a 32-year-old French national in Rotterdam Sunday on suspicion of planning a terror attack, Dutch prosecutors said, following a raid carried out at the request of French authorities.The man is thought to have been planning an attack in France in the name of the Islamic State group along with Reda Kriket, who was detained near Paris on Thursday, a French police source told AFP.Belgian prosecutors at the weekend also charged two men with involvement in the Kriket plot, including one shot in the leg after a dramatic stand-off at a tram stop in Brussels on Friday.An Algerian held in Italy as part of a probe into fake ID documents used by the Paris and Brussels attackers is still being interrogated but refused to answer questions, a judicial source said.
US Capitol shooting suspect in custody, injuries unclear-Swirling reports indicate police officer or gunman may have been injured during incident at visitors center; areas locked down and staff and visitors told to take shelter-By AP and AFP March 28, 2016, 11:14 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
WASHINGTON (AP) — A gunman was taken into custody after firing shots in the US Capitol complex on Monday, Capitol officials said, and visitors and staff were shut in their offices and told to “shelter in place.”Initial reports said a police officer sustained minor injuries, but later reports raised doubts about who, if anyone, was shot.CNN and MSNBC reported that the suspect had been shot and taken to a hospital.According to MSNBC, the incident occured after a person pulled out what seemed to be a gun at the entrance to the visitors center.Police cordoned off access to the Capitol building during the incident. An ambulance was at the scene.The event unfolded with Congress on recess and lawmakers back in their districts.The White House was briefly put on lockdown, but that was soon lifted. A notification sent to Senate offices said no further suspects appeared to be at large, and most Capitol Hill buildings were later re-opened for business.“There has been an isolated incident at the US Capitol. There is no active threat to the public,” Washington police said on Twitter.The shooting occurred in the Visitors Center of the sprawling Capitol complex. Staffers, reporters and others were told to “shelter in place” while the incident was being investigated.Visitors were being turned away from the Capitol as emergency vehicles flooded the street and the plaza on the building’s eastern side. Police, some carrying long guns, cordoned off the streets immediately around the building, which were thick with tourists visiting for spring holidays and the Cherry Blossom Festival.Cathryn Leff of Temicula, California, in town to lobby with the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, said she was going through security at the main entrance to the Capitol Visitors Center when police told people to leave immediately.Outside, on the plaza just to the east of the Capitol, other officers told those there to “get down behind this wall,” she said. “I heard what sounded like two shots off to my left.” After a while police told her and others to keep running. “I felt like I was in a movie. It didn’t feel real at all.”Traffic was jammed in the vicinity, but despite the obvious emergency the scene was relatively calm. A work crew on the north side of the Supreme Court, across the street, was asked to stop work and move away from the building as a precaution.Capitol Police did not immediately return calls seeking clarification about the incident.From back home in their districts many lawmakers got in touch with staff to ensure all were safe, and posted thanks on Twitter as it appeared they were.Earlier in the day, officials conducted an unrelated shelter-in-place drill at the Capitol.
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)
Report: Islamic State seeking to target Jewish schools in Turkey-Intelligence source cited by Sky News says concrete threat to Istanbul synagogue and community center, after Turkey and Israel both warn of increased danger for Jews and Israelis By Times of Israel staff March 28, 2016, 11:51 pm
Islamic State terrorists are planning an imminent attack on Jewish kindergartens, schools and youth centers in Turkey, according to a report by Britain-based Sky News Monday.The report came hours after Jerusalem issued an alert for all Israeli citizens to leave Turkey as soon as possible, citing an Islamic State threat, and nine days after three Israelis were killed in a bombing in Istanbul.According to Sky News, citing an “intelligence source,” terrorists were plotting to attack a synagogue which also doubles as a school and community center in the Beyoglu neighborhood of Istanbul.The source said the threat was imminent and could happen at any moment.“This is a more than credible threat. This is an active plot,” the source said. “We don’t know when it’s scheduled for. It could be in the next 24 hours or next few days.”The report was likely referring to the Neve Shalom synagogue, Istanbul’s largest, serving many of the country’s estimated 17,000 Jews.The synagogue has been the site of two previous deadly attacks: a 1986 shooting and a 2003 bombing.The source said the intelligence was related to the capture of a group of Islamic State operatives, including a suicide bomber, in Gaziantep last week, and added security was being beefed up along with increased anti-terror measures.On Saturday, Turkish police warned of possible Islamic State attacks against Christians and Jews over the weekend.The police issued a nationwide alert warning of possible attacks targeting churches during Easter on Sunday, as well as synagogues, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.Israeli officials followed up that warning Monday by raising the terror risk in Turkey from level 3 (basic concrete threat) to level 2 (high concrete threat).The Prime Minister’s Office cited a March 19 attack in central Istanbul in which three Israelis were killed and several others wounded.That attack, the PMO said in a statement, underscored the threat emanating from Islamic State cells that seek to attack tourism sites and proved that IS has “high capabilities of carrying out further attacks.”“Terrorist infrastructures in Turkey continue to advance additional attacks against tourist targets – including Israeli tourists – throughout the country,” the statement added.Israelis in Turkey should “leave as soon as possible,” it said.Despite chilly ties between Jerusalem and Ankara, Turkey remains a popular tourist destination for Israelis.IS has been blamed for four of six bombings that have rocked Turkey in the past eight months, including a double suicide attack at a peace rally in the capital, Ankara, in October that left 103 people dead.A radical offshoot of the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed the other two attacks.The police have warned that IS group members may have scouted out places of worship as well as consulates and embassies, saying that churches and synagogues especially in Ankara, as well as foundations belonging to non-Muslims, should be on their guard.Israel has not stated definitively whether last Saturday’s blast had deliberately targeted Israelis. It has praised Turkey for its handling of the aftermath of the bombing.
International mediators said working on Hamas, Israel prisoner swap-Gaza source says release of prisoners rearrested after Shalit deal is a precondition to talks for Israelis believed held by Palestinian group-By Dov Lieber March 28, 2016, 8:34 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
International mediators are interested in brokering a prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas, a source in the Gaza-based Islamist group reportedly said on Monday.A source in Hamas told the London-based daily Asharq al-Awsat that though there are currently no direct negotiations between Hamas and Israel, foreign parties are examining the possibility of completing a prisoner exchange.Hamas is thought to be holding two Israeli citizens, as well as the bodies of two Israeli soldiers killed in 2014.Israel and Hamas do not officially maintain direct contacts, and any deal would have to be mediated by international parties. In 2011, kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was released in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian detainees, in a deal brokered with the help of a German diplomat.Hamas has reportedly refused to even entertain the possibility of negotiating a swap until Israel releases all Palestinians rearrested after being freed in the 2011 deal for Shalit.The group is also demanding the talks be held separately from all other issues, according to the report.Hamas is believed to be holding 29-year-old Avraham Mengistu, as well as a Bedouin-Israeli citizen whose name was not released for publication. The two Israelis reportedly crossed into the Gaza Strip on their own accord.The remains of two soldiers killed in the 2014 Gaza war, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, are also believed to be held by Hamas, which has not clarified their fate.The captivity of the two men is viewed by Israel as a humanitarian issue unrelated to the negotiations over the bodies of the two deceased soldiers, an official told Walla news last July.While a senior Palestinian official based in the Gaza Strip denied that the group was holding Mengistu, Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal alluded to Mengistu and the second man when discussing Israelis held by his organization.Speaking with the London-based Arabic language al-Araby al-Jadeed newspaper last July, Mashaal claimed Israel had requested European officials to mediate negotiations with Hamas over the release of the captured individuals.“We won’t let Israeli prisoners go before the release of Palestinian prisoners,” Mashaal told the outlet.At a rally in Gaza last July, Hamas displayed a huge model fist holding a mock-up of Shaul’s ID card and two other IDF dog tags with question marks on them, implying that it holds two Israelis captive.Mengistu, who suffered from unspecified mental issues, was rejected for IDF service.Little is known of the whereabouts of Mengistu, who climbed over the Gaza security fence in September last year. Family members have described him as “unwell” and urged Hamas to consider his condition and return him to Israel immediately.Mengistu’s brother, Gashao, traveled to Geneva in February to plead his family’s case before European officials.“When Hamas is asking for humanitarian assistance, and contributions to the people in Gaza, then the international community should tell them: Don’t expect us to assist you when you are violating the same rights of the other side,” Gashao said.The second hostage, an Israeli from the Bedouin village of Hura, reportedly entered Gaza via the Erez Crossing in April.According to an Israeli official, the man has mild psychological issues and has a history of entering Jordan, Egypt and Gaza.Times of Israel Staff and agencies contributed to this report
Most Israelis don’t believe MKs represent them — poll-IDI survey finds just 17% think lawmakers reflect the will of the people, while 38% say Knesset functions badly or very badly-By Times of Israel staff March 28, 2016, 5:40 am
Barely one year after the 20th Knesset was sworn in, a new poll finds that only 17 percent of Israelis believe that lawmakers properly represent the will of the people, and 38% say that the Knesset “functions badly or very badly,” a new poll found.According to the survey by the Israel Democracy Institute, almost one third of Israelis (29.5%) say this distrust stems from a lack of professionalism on the part of MKs, while 28.5% say lawmakers are disconnected from the public.Furthermore, the poll found that more than half of Israelis (56%) believe that it is impossible to make successful contact with lawmakers, while a little over one-third (37%) hold the opposite opinion. Almost two-thirds of respondents (61%) also said that even if they did make a request of an MK, that request “will not receive proper attention or treatment.”The survey was commissioned to mark the launch of a new caucus to “improve the image of the Knesset and its members.” The caucus, which is the initiative of Yesh Atid MK Elazar Stern, has also won the backing of President Reuven Rivlin, the IDI said.The details of the survey released by the IDI did not include the margin of error, the number of respondents or their demographic breakdown.
PM warns of ‘difficulties’ in mixed-gender Western Wall scheme-Netanyahu doesn’t detail problems involved in creating egalitarian section of holy site, but names top aide to help tackle the issue, promises to resolve it within 60 days-By Times of Israel staff and Agencies March 27, 2016, 11:32 pm
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Sunday that there were difficulties that could hamper a historic agreement to allow egalitarian Jewish prayers at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, sparking condemnation from the country’s Reform and Conservative movements.He said he had appointed the head of his bureau to help work out the difficulties. David Sharan will “coordinate discussions on this issue with the various elements” and present recommendations within 60 days to resolve the difficulties, Netanyahu said.A statement the Prime Minister’s Office said that “some difficulties have arisen” in the scheme, but noted that Netanyahu remains committed to resolving the problems and hopes to propose a solution within 60 days.“Two months ago the government took a decision to implement the recommendations of an advisory team on the matter of prayer arrangements at the Western Wall. After taking the decision, some difficulties have arisen. We are working to find a solution to them,” the statement read.Netanyahu did not clarify what difficulties had arisen from the decision, which would move to create an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall alongside the traditional separated men’s and women’s sides.Officials from the Reform and Conservative streams of Judaism colored the decision as a Netanyahu retreat from pressure from the ultra-Orthodox community.Earlier this month Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said his ultra-Orthodox Shas party would leave a government that recognized Reform Judaism and Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, who agreed to the compromise with non-Orthodox leaders over the future of the holy site, retracted his support and denounced the deal.Gilad Kariv, Executive Director of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism said the agreement was for the benefit of Jewish unity.“Implementing the plan for the the Western Wall is a test case of the ability of the government to implement its decisions, and to stand behind agreements and compromises that were intended to prevent unnecessary division in the Jewish people,” he said.Kariv called on Netanyahu to “clarify to his Haredi partners [in the government] that the unity of the Jewish people and the connection between Israel and the Jewish world can’t be hostages to the street battles in the Haredi community.”Executive Director and CEO of the Conservative Judaism movement in Israel, Yizhar Hess, said it was unthinkable for Netanyahu to change direction on the agreement.“Not one of us would think that the Israeli government will back down from an historic compromise plan, that the sides reached after a long and intensive negotiation, and to which the prime minister committed himself at innumerable forums and gatherings,” Hess said according to the Hebrew-language Ynet website reported.In a historic move, Israel’s cabinet voted two months ago to build a new plaza for mixed gender prayer at the Western Wall, adjacent to the current Orthodox prayer plaza. It was viewed as a victory for liberal streams of Judaism, which are dominant in the US-Yet the plan has since run into fierce opposition from ultra-Orthodox lawmakers and groups in Israel, many of whom wield influence within Netanyahu’s narrow coalition government.A string of ultra-Orthodox leaders criticized the deal and insulted Reform Jews. The day the Israeli government approved the deal, on January 31, UTJ lawmaker Moshe Gafni called Reform Jews “clowns.” In late February, Israel’s chief rabbis asked the government to freeze the agreement.The deal would expand the wall’s non-Orthodox section and construct a shared entrance for both sides. The Women of the Wall group has agreed to move their monthly services to the non-Orthodox section once the deal is implemented.The Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest prayer site, is administered by ultra-Orthodox authorities, who have a monopoly over religious affairs in Israel and oppose mixed-gender or female-led prayers.
Knesset legal adviser warns MK suspension bill could be struck down-Despite expected victory in Monday evening vote, lacking a majority of 61 lawmakers, law may not stand up to challenges in High Court-By Raoul Wootliff March 28, 2016, 9:48 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
A controversial bill that would allow MKs to suspend fellow lawmakers may be struck down by the High Court if it is voted into law but fails to garner a parliamentary majority, the Knesset legal adviser warned Monday, hours ahead of the vote.The proposal, expected to pass its first Knesset reading but without a majority Monday night, would change a Basic Law, allowing 90 members of Knesset to vote to suspend lawmakers if they “negate the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state,” incite racism, or express support for a terror group or state in its war against Israel.In a legal opinion published hours before the vote on the bill, Eyal Yinon, the chief legal adviser for Israel’s parliament, said that while he does not deem it necessary, it is “preferable” the proposal receive a majority and could face legal challenges if it doesn’t.The legal opinion was written after Likud MKs David Amsalem and Avraham Neguise announced they would not vote with the government, slashing its paper-thin majority majority from 61 to 59 MKs.Avigdor Liberman, head of the hawkish Yisrael Beytenu opposition party, said Monday he would not support the measure unless he gets tit-for-tat backing from the coalition for a bill to block the Supreme Court from involvement in activities of the Central Elections Committee.However, he also indicated his six-member faction would not vote against the measure either, effectively letting it pass by a likely vote of 59 to 53.Lacking a written constitution, the rules defining the key tenets of the Israeli legislative process, as well as the mechanisms to change them, are delineated in a number of Basic Laws.While some Basic Laws require at least 61 or 90 of the 120 Knesset members to be amended, others can be changed with a simple majority of MKs.According to Yinon, while the clause regarding the banning of serving lawmakers does not need a special majority to be changed, some may argue it falls under rules dealing with elections that do and would therefore require the support of at least 61 MKs.“Given the position of the High Court of Justice, which has previously ruled in favor of extending the remit of Clause 4 [dealing with elections], and given the importance of this proposal, it is preferable that passing this law be done with a majority of at least 61 MKs in all its readings,” Yinon wrote.The controversial measure has been vociferously opposed by some, including President Reuven Rivlin, who warned that the power to punish lawmakers should not be in the hands of fellow Knesset members.The bill was proposed after three Arab MKs made a condolence visit to the families of Palestinians killed while attacking Israelis, and the three observed a moment of silence, which some said was tantamount to showing support for terror.Speaking before his Likud party meeting in the Knesset Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear he still hoped to see the bill pass the vote.“I expect all those who say they are in favor of the bill to vote in support and to not give an advantage or profit to those who support terror,” he said.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
UN expert says Palmyra likely beyond repair after IS carnage-During its 10-month occupation, Islamic State destroyed the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel and shrine of Baal Shamin-By AFP March 28, 2016, 9:19 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
A Syrian expert for the UN’s cultural body said Monday she was “very doubtful” the destruction caused to Palmyra’s ancient monuments during its occupation by the Islamic State group can be repaired.“Everyone is excited because Palmyra has been ‘liberated’, but we should not forget everything that has been destroyed,” said Annie Sartre-Fauriat, who belongs to a group of experts on Syrian heritage set up by UNESCO in 2013.“I am very doubtful about the capacity, even with international aid, of rebuilding the site at Palmyra,” she told AFP.“When I hear that we are going to reconstruct the temple of Bel, that seems illusory. We are not going to rebuild something that has been reduced to dust. Rebuild what? A new temple? I think there are probably other priorities in Syria before rebuilding ruins.”The Russian-backed Syrian army ousted IS from Palmyra on Sunday at the climax of a three-week offensive.During its 10-month occupation, IS destroyed the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel and shrine of Baal Shamin, a dozen of the city’s best-preserved tower tombs and the Arch of Triumph dating from around 200 AD.Sartre-Fauriat’s assessment contrasts with the slightly more upbeat view of Syria’s head of antiquities, Maamoun Abdulkarim, who told AFP on Monday that 80 percent of the city’s ruins were in “good shape” and would need five years to restore.“As long as the Syrian army is there, I am not reassured,” said Sartre-Fauriat. “We should not forget that the army occupied the site between 2012 and 2015 and caused a lot of destruction and pillaging.“We should not kid ourselves. It’s not because Palmyra has been retaken from Daesh (IS) that the war is over. This was a political and media operation designed to win over public opinion for the regime of (Syrian President) Bashar al-Assad,” she added.-Statues decapitated, sarcophagi smashed-The historian said she was receiving photos and videos every hour from the scene — one showing the inside of the Palmyra Museum which was transformed into a court by IS.“It’s totally vandalized. Contrary to what we thought, the museum was not emptied of its collection (prior to the arrival of IS) because the antiquities department had only 48 hours to pack everything up and the large monuments could not be transported.”She said the figures on ancient sarcophagi had been smashed and all the statues had been pushed over, decapitated or broken.Funeral plaques, a special feature of Palmyra, “have been ripped savagely from the walls, probably to be sold by Daesh,” she added.One sliver of hope lay in the fact that a huge lion statue with a gazelle in its paws that had been overturned and smashed “might possibly be recovered because it has not been pulverized,” she said.
Belgium releases sole suspect charged over Brussels attacks-Prosecutors lack evidence linking bombings to Faycal Cheffou, suspected of fleeing airport after failed detonation attempt-By AFP March 28, 2016, 7:16 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
The sole suspect charged over last week’s Brussels attacks was released Monday following a lack of evidence linking him to the carnage, Belgian prosecutors said.“The indications that led to the arrest of Faycal C. were not substantiated by the ongoing inquiry. As a result, the subject has been released by the examining magistrate,” the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement, without giving further details.Belgian media had identified the man as Faycal Cheffou who claimed to be a freelance journalist.Cheffou was charged on Saturday with “taking part in a terrorist group, terrorist murder and attempted terrorist murder.”A source close to the inquiry previously said that prosecutors were looking into the theory that he was the third man seen in CCTV footage alongside two suicide bombers at Zaventem airport.His release comes as a new blow to an inquiry already dogged by accusations that Belgium missed a series of leads in cracking down on a jihadist network linked to the attacks and a similar assault in Paris in November.Police earlier Monday released CCTV footage of a third suspect in the March 22 Zaventem airport attack, the so-called “man in the hat” seen with two other men who blew themselves up.Officials also updated the death toll from the bombings at the airport and at Maalbeek metro station to 35, the worst terror attacks in Belgium’s history, after four more people had died while hospitalized.In the video released Monday, a man in a hat and white jacket is seen pushing a trolley with a large bag through the departure hall next to bombers Ibrahim El Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui.“It’s a new video which had not previously been released,” a spokesman for the federal prosecutor’s office said.A police notice issued with the video — still images from which have previously been released — said that officers “want to identify this man.”Prosecutors earlier said three men arrested in raids in Belgium over the weekend had been charged with “participation in the activities of a terrorist group” but that no direct link had been established with the Brussels attacks.The men — identified as Yassine A., Mohamed B. and Aboubaker O. — were held during 13 raids in Brussels and the towns of Mechelen and Duffel. A fourth person arrested at the same time was released.In the latest piece in the puzzle of the jihadist cross-border networks, police arrested a 32-year-old French national in Rotterdam Sunday on suspicion of planning a terror attack, Dutch prosecutors said, following a raid carried out at the request of French authorities.The man is thought to have been planning an attack in France in the name of the Islamic State group along with Reda Kriket, who was detained near Paris on Thursday, a French police source told AFP.Belgian prosecutors at the weekend also charged two men with involvement in the Kriket plot, including one shot in the leg after a dramatic stand-off at a tram stop in Brussels on Friday.An Algerian held in Italy as part of a probe into fake ID documents used by the Paris and Brussels attackers is still being interrogated but refused to answer questions, a judicial source said.
US Capitol shooting suspect in custody, injuries unclear-Swirling reports indicate police officer or gunman may have been injured during incident at visitors center; areas locked down and staff and visitors told to take shelter-By AP and AFP March 28, 2016, 11:14 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
WASHINGTON (AP) — A gunman was taken into custody after firing shots in the US Capitol complex on Monday, Capitol officials said, and visitors and staff were shut in their offices and told to “shelter in place.”Initial reports said a police officer sustained minor injuries, but later reports raised doubts about who, if anyone, was shot.CNN and MSNBC reported that the suspect had been shot and taken to a hospital.According to MSNBC, the incident occured after a person pulled out what seemed to be a gun at the entrance to the visitors center.Police cordoned off access to the Capitol building during the incident. An ambulance was at the scene.The event unfolded with Congress on recess and lawmakers back in their districts.The White House was briefly put on lockdown, but that was soon lifted. A notification sent to Senate offices said no further suspects appeared to be at large, and most Capitol Hill buildings were later re-opened for business.“There has been an isolated incident at the US Capitol. There is no active threat to the public,” Washington police said on Twitter.The shooting occurred in the Visitors Center of the sprawling Capitol complex. Staffers, reporters and others were told to “shelter in place” while the incident was being investigated.Visitors were being turned away from the Capitol as emergency vehicles flooded the street and the plaza on the building’s eastern side. Police, some carrying long guns, cordoned off the streets immediately around the building, which were thick with tourists visiting for spring holidays and the Cherry Blossom Festival.Cathryn Leff of Temicula, California, in town to lobby with the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, said she was going through security at the main entrance to the Capitol Visitors Center when police told people to leave immediately.Outside, on the plaza just to the east of the Capitol, other officers told those there to “get down behind this wall,” she said. “I heard what sounded like two shots off to my left.” After a while police told her and others to keep running. “I felt like I was in a movie. It didn’t feel real at all.”Traffic was jammed in the vicinity, but despite the obvious emergency the scene was relatively calm. A work crew on the north side of the Supreme Court, across the street, was asked to stop work and move away from the building as a precaution.Capitol Police did not immediately return calls seeking clarification about the incident.From back home in their districts many lawmakers got in touch with staff to ensure all were safe, and posted thanks on Twitter as it appeared they were.Earlier in the day, officials conducted an unrelated shelter-in-place drill at the Capitol.
