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)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
Kahlon to PM: Step up Jerusalem construction in response to terror-Finance minister and Kulanu chief says Israel ‘has no choice but to build now and build a lot’ in wake of deadly attacks-By Times of Israel staff July 4, 2016, 10:31 pm
Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon added to the pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from coalition allies on Monday, calling for an increase in building in Jerusalem in response to a pair of deadly terror attacks last week.Kahlon, head of the Kulanu party, joined several other ministers and Knesset members who have demanded the government authorize new buildings in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in response to a recent uptick in terror attacks.Kahlon opened a meeting of his party by speaking about the importance of continued construction.“Indeed, now we must make clear to the other side — terror will not uproot [us]. We cannot be content with words alone. We have no other choice but to build now and build a lot. At the end of the week, I went to the prime minister and demanded that he stop the construction freeze in Jerusalem,” said Kahlon.“The murder of a sleeping girl and the gunfire at passing cars have the same goal, to sow terror and fear and to force people to leave their homes. It is important to make it clear to the murderers that the future of building in the West Bank will be decided by negotiations and not by force,” said Kahlon.On Sunday night, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman approved hundreds of new housing units in Ma’ale Adumim and Jerusalem.The move came in response to the killing of Hallel Yaffa Ariel, 13, who was stabbed to death by a Palestinian while sleeping in her bed on Thursday, and to the shooting of Rabbi Miki Mark and the injuring of his family as they were driving near Hebron a day later.Kahlon claimed that Netanyahu had imposed a de facto moratorium on Jewish building in East Jerusalem, saying it had harmed the country’s interests.“We must tell the truth. Jerusalem has suffered over the past several years from a silent building freeze,” Kahlon said. “We freeze, but they [the Palestinians] incite; we freeze, but they murder. I support the prime minister’s decision to build in Ma’ale Adumim and I hope that this will be carried out.”Netanyahu came under fire earlier Monday from a number of lawmakers for permitting building of Arab homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Safafa, without parallel building in the adjacent Givat Hamatos neighborhood.Kulanu MK Rachel Azaria, a former deputy mayor of Jerusalem, said the de facto freeze had adversely affected the city.“This silent building freeze in Jerusalem is preventing the growth of Jerusalem and her citizens,” Azaria said. “Young people are forced to leave the city… We cannot have a situation where they announce building in the West Bank, but in Jerusalem there is a freeze.”The Kulanu criticism appeared to be aimed at the government’s decision to only approve housing in response to terror attacks.Earlier in the day, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat criticized what he said was the trend of only okaying East Jerusalem building in response to attacks.“In Jerusalem, there is and will continue to be a Jewish majority,” he said. “It is a mistake to approve construction in Jerusalem only after a terror attack. We need to build in Jerusalem always.”He vowed that the municipality will continue to advance construction in the capital according to the city’s master plan for development.Israel captured East Jerusalem in 1967 and effectively annexed it shortly after, in a move not recognized internationally. The government says it reserves the right to build anywhere in the capital, although construction announcements often draw international condemnation.
Liberman appoints party allies to top defense industry posts-Two former ministers will take over the government-owned Israel Military Industries and Israeli Aerospace Industries-By Times of Israel staff July 4, 2016, 11:17 pm
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on Monday appointed two members of his Yisrael Beytenu party as the heads of two key Israeli defense industry companies.Former agricultural minister Yair Shamir was named chairman of the government-owned Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI), while former public security minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch was tapped as chairman of Israel Military Industries (IMI).Liberman’s office said the two had been appointed with the approval of Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon (Kulanu).“The men appointed are the most suitable for the positions, and they will take the companies they head forward,” the defense minister said.Shamir, the son of former prime minister Yitzhak Shamir, previously served as IAI chairman from 2005 to 2011.Aharonovitch is a former Israel Police deputy commissioner and minister of tourism.IMI is currently in the process of being privatized.
First Turkish aid enters Gaza in wake of Israel deal-10,000 tons of goods taken into the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave after undergoing security check by Israel-By Agencies July 4, 2016, 11:35 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Trucks of Turkish aid have begun arriving in the Gaza Strip via Israel as part of a reconciliation accord reached between Israel and Turkey last month.The shipment consists of 10,000 tons of aid, including toys, diapers, clothes and food. The first trucks entered Gaza on Monday after security vetting in Israel, with more planned in the coming days.Israel and Turkey reconciled after a years-long rift exacerbated by a 2010 Israeli raid on a Turkish ship trying to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza, which is ruled by the Islamic militant group Hamas.Israel says the blockade is vital to preventing Hamas, which refuses to recognize the Jewish state, from importing weapons. Critics, however, call it collective punishment.The delivery comes ahead of Wednesday’s Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday that he consulted with the Palestinian Authority and Hamas before moving forward with the reconciliation deal with Israel, signed last week.Speaking at a dinner in Istanbul, Erdogan said Turkey’s “main concern” when negotiating with Israel to end over the years of tense relations was welfare of “Gazans and we made our consultations with [Hamas political bureau chief] Khaled Mashaal, [Palestinian Authority President] Mahmoud Abbbas and [Hamas leader in Gaza] Ismail Haniyeh while making the deal with Israel.”Times of Israel staff contributed to this report
PM heading off on historic (and expensive?) Africa trip-Netanyahu leaves Monday to visit 4 countries in 4 days, at a cost of NIS 12.5m; he will commemorate Entebbe rescue in which his brother was killed-By Raphael Ahren July 3, 2016, 5:35 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to leave early Monday morning for a historic four-day trip to Africa, featuring meetings with seven African leaders, in a strategic bid to boost Israel’s ties with the continent.The highlight of his trip — the first visit by a sitting prime minister to sub-Saharan Africa in decades — is a ceremony Monday at the old Entebbe airport in Uganda, where he will mark the 40th anniversary of one of Israel’s most legendary rescue operations.On July 4, 1976, Israeli commandos, flying some 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) to Entebbe, spectacularly managed, in less than an hour, to rescue 102 of 106 Israelis who had been taken hostage by Palestinian and German terrorists. Monday’s commemoration is particularly poignant for the Israeli prime minister, since his older brother Yonatan, who commanded the elite Sayeret Matkal unit that carried out the operation, was killed during the rescue.The future prime minister was studying in the US at the time of the operation.“In Uganda, I will meet with seven heads of state upon my attendance there at a special summit of East African nations,” Netanyahu said at Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting.In fact, he will be meeting with the presidents of Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan and Zambia, plus the prime minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn, and the foreign minister of Tanzania, Augustine Mahiga.“We intend to return to the African continent, which has 54 countries. We intend to return to Africa just as Africa is returning to Israel. This has very important implications vis-à-vis varying our international alliances and international relations, which are expanding to the major powers in Asia, to Russia, to Latin America and — of course — to the African continent.”Several dozen Israeli businessmen, and former IDF troops who were involved in the Entebbe operation and their relatives, are joining Netanyahu’s entourage on four planes.According to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, the first plane will carry the prime minister’s aides; the second one will transport 140 people who are to participate at the ceremony at Entebbe, including family members of former IDF soldiers who took part in the rescue operation and representatives of the hostages; and two Hercules planes will carry Netanyahu’s motorcade, additional security personnel and a field hospital, which is going to be donated at the end of the trip.Yedioth put the total cost of the visit at a whopping NIS 28 million ($7.3 million). The Prime Minister’s Office initially declined to respond to the report on the price tag, but later issued a statement saying it cost NIS 12.5 million ($3.25 million). This sum includes trips to four countries, the memorial event at Entebbe and all security measures as required by the Shin Bet, the PMO said. The delegation of businessmen is being paid for by the Israel Export Institute.Look at that: @IsraeliPM's four-day, four-country trip to Africa has its own logo pic.twitter.com/65aPVTqqCQ— Raphael Ahren (@RaphaelAhren) July 3, 2016-Both the guest list for the high-profile event at Entebbe and the unprecedentedly high cost of the trip have led to criticism.The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, for instance, says the upgrading of Israeli-African relations is important but wondered whether it justified such a high sum. In a press release, the nonprofit demands that the PMO provide a detailed list of all the costs and explain to the public why they are necessary.Arriving in Entebbe on Monday afternoon, Netanyahu will be welcomed by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who was involved in toppling the country’s Entebbe-era dictator Idi Amin and has been in power since 1986.After the official ceremony, which is scheduled to last for 45 minutes, Netanyahu and Musevini are set to have dinner together at the presidential palace in Kampala before the prime minister heads to Nairobi, where he will spend the night.On Tuesday morning, Netanyahu will visit the mausoleum where the founder of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, is buried, then meet with his son, Uhuru Kenyatta, the country’s current leader.Jomo Kenyatta was the “architect of the friendship between Israel and Kenya,” Netanyahu said in February during Uhuru’s first visit to Jerusalem. “He demonstrated that friendship most dramatically 40 years ago in helping Israel in the raid in Entebbe to rescue our hostages. This is something that has left a deep imprint on Israel. The people of Israel are grateful for that. And I’m personally grateful for that.”After their meeting, the two leaders will hold a press conference, before attending a conference of Israeli and Kenyan businessmen, then will dine together.In Kenya, Netanyahu and his wife Sara are also expected to participate in a safari, according to Hebrew media reports, though his official schedule makes no mention of this.On Wednesday, Netanyahu will spend the day in Kigali, where he will visit the memorial for the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which more than one million Tutsis were killed, and meet with President Paul Kagame. The two leaders will have lunch together, sign agreements of bilateral cooperation and hold a joint press conference.Netanyahu will spend the last day of his tour in Addis Ababa, meeting Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn — with whom he will again sign agreements and answer reporters’ questions. After a meeting with President Mulatu Teshome, the Israeli leader will address a forum of Israeli and Ethiopian businessmen before holding a speech at the country’s parliament and visiting its national museum.On Friday, Netanyahu will return to Israel.
Israel's Livni says British police sought to question her-[The Canadian Press]-Daniel Estrin, The Associated Press-July 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS
JERUSALEM - Israeli lawmaker and former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Monday that a British war crimes investigator sought to question her during a trip to Britain over her role in Israel's 2008-2009 Gaza war.Speaking to Israeli Army Radio from London, where she is continuing her visit, Livni said British police emailed her a summons on Friday. She called it "unacceptable." The police request defined the questioning as non-mandatory, and she did not comply, Livni said.Israel's Foreign Ministry said it views the British request "with great concern" and would "engage" with British authorities until the matter is resolved. Britain's Foreign Office, the Metropolitan Police in London and Scotland Yard declined comment.Livni, a onetime lead peace negotiator with the Palestinians, enjoys a dovish reputation in much of the West. But she staunchly defends Israel's devastating three-week military offensive in Gaza in 2008-2009, saying the operation was meant to end years of rocket fire by Gaza militants against Israel. There was widespread international criticism of the hundreds of civilian casualties.Livni served as foreign minister during the war, and as a member of the Israeli Cabinet, she was part of the decision-making process regarding the military campaign.Pro-Palestinian groups have previously tried to go after Livni and other Israeli officials using universal jurisdiction, a principle that lets British courts prosecute foreigners accused of crimes against humanity wherever they were committed.The law strained U.K.-Israeli relations, as senior Israeli officials cancelled trips rather than face possible arrest in Britain. In 2009, an arrest warrant was issued in Britain against Livni, and Israel's foreign ministry said the warrant was later cancelled, after officials learned Livni was not on British soil.Previously, anyone in Britain could apply to a judge for such warrants. But the law was amended in 2011 to make such arrest warrants harder to pursue. That year, Britain's chief prosecutor blocked an attempt to serve Livni with an arrest warrant during a visit to Britain.British officials extend diplomatic immunity to Israeli officials to shield them from such arrests.However, Livni said she declined immunity for her current trip to Britain on principle. She told Israeli Army Radio she wanted to test what British authorities would do in cases of Israelis who are not eligible for diplomatic immunity but who could be pursued for alleged war crimes."Israeli army commanders and Israeli decision makers who are threatened with arrest warrants each time they arrive in London — this is an absurd sight that is unacceptable and must stop," Livni wrote on Facebook."Just as we respect and admire Britain's actions against international terror and Israel is open for any British minister to visit, without questions about his decisions in the Cabinet, such is how Israel expects from Britain," she added.__Associated Press writer Danica Kirka contributed to this report from London.
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
Kahlon to PM: Step up Jerusalem construction in response to terror-Finance minister and Kulanu chief says Israel ‘has no choice but to build now and build a lot’ in wake of deadly attacks-By Times of Israel staff July 4, 2016, 10:31 pm
Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon added to the pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from coalition allies on Monday, calling for an increase in building in Jerusalem in response to a pair of deadly terror attacks last week.Kahlon, head of the Kulanu party, joined several other ministers and Knesset members who have demanded the government authorize new buildings in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in response to a recent uptick in terror attacks.Kahlon opened a meeting of his party by speaking about the importance of continued construction.“Indeed, now we must make clear to the other side — terror will not uproot [us]. We cannot be content with words alone. We have no other choice but to build now and build a lot. At the end of the week, I went to the prime minister and demanded that he stop the construction freeze in Jerusalem,” said Kahlon.“The murder of a sleeping girl and the gunfire at passing cars have the same goal, to sow terror and fear and to force people to leave their homes. It is important to make it clear to the murderers that the future of building in the West Bank will be decided by negotiations and not by force,” said Kahlon.On Sunday night, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman approved hundreds of new housing units in Ma’ale Adumim and Jerusalem.The move came in response to the killing of Hallel Yaffa Ariel, 13, who was stabbed to death by a Palestinian while sleeping in her bed on Thursday, and to the shooting of Rabbi Miki Mark and the injuring of his family as they were driving near Hebron a day later.Kahlon claimed that Netanyahu had imposed a de facto moratorium on Jewish building in East Jerusalem, saying it had harmed the country’s interests.“We must tell the truth. Jerusalem has suffered over the past several years from a silent building freeze,” Kahlon said. “We freeze, but they [the Palestinians] incite; we freeze, but they murder. I support the prime minister’s decision to build in Ma’ale Adumim and I hope that this will be carried out.”Netanyahu came under fire earlier Monday from a number of lawmakers for permitting building of Arab homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Safafa, without parallel building in the adjacent Givat Hamatos neighborhood.Kulanu MK Rachel Azaria, a former deputy mayor of Jerusalem, said the de facto freeze had adversely affected the city.“This silent building freeze in Jerusalem is preventing the growth of Jerusalem and her citizens,” Azaria said. “Young people are forced to leave the city… We cannot have a situation where they announce building in the West Bank, but in Jerusalem there is a freeze.”The Kulanu criticism appeared to be aimed at the government’s decision to only approve housing in response to terror attacks.Earlier in the day, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat criticized what he said was the trend of only okaying East Jerusalem building in response to attacks.“In Jerusalem, there is and will continue to be a Jewish majority,” he said. “It is a mistake to approve construction in Jerusalem only after a terror attack. We need to build in Jerusalem always.”He vowed that the municipality will continue to advance construction in the capital according to the city’s master plan for development.Israel captured East Jerusalem in 1967 and effectively annexed it shortly after, in a move not recognized internationally. The government says it reserves the right to build anywhere in the capital, although construction announcements often draw international condemnation.
Liberman appoints party allies to top defense industry posts-Two former ministers will take over the government-owned Israel Military Industries and Israeli Aerospace Industries-By Times of Israel staff July 4, 2016, 11:17 pm
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on Monday appointed two members of his Yisrael Beytenu party as the heads of two key Israeli defense industry companies.Former agricultural minister Yair Shamir was named chairman of the government-owned Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI), while former public security minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch was tapped as chairman of Israel Military Industries (IMI).Liberman’s office said the two had been appointed with the approval of Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon (Kulanu).“The men appointed are the most suitable for the positions, and they will take the companies they head forward,” the defense minister said.Shamir, the son of former prime minister Yitzhak Shamir, previously served as IAI chairman from 2005 to 2011.Aharonovitch is a former Israel Police deputy commissioner and minister of tourism.IMI is currently in the process of being privatized.
First Turkish aid enters Gaza in wake of Israel deal-10,000 tons of goods taken into the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave after undergoing security check by Israel-By Agencies July 4, 2016, 11:35 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Trucks of Turkish aid have begun arriving in the Gaza Strip via Israel as part of a reconciliation accord reached between Israel and Turkey last month.The shipment consists of 10,000 tons of aid, including toys, diapers, clothes and food. The first trucks entered Gaza on Monday after security vetting in Israel, with more planned in the coming days.Israel and Turkey reconciled after a years-long rift exacerbated by a 2010 Israeli raid on a Turkish ship trying to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza, which is ruled by the Islamic militant group Hamas.Israel says the blockade is vital to preventing Hamas, which refuses to recognize the Jewish state, from importing weapons. Critics, however, call it collective punishment.The delivery comes ahead of Wednesday’s Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday that he consulted with the Palestinian Authority and Hamas before moving forward with the reconciliation deal with Israel, signed last week.Speaking at a dinner in Istanbul, Erdogan said Turkey’s “main concern” when negotiating with Israel to end over the years of tense relations was welfare of “Gazans and we made our consultations with [Hamas political bureau chief] Khaled Mashaal, [Palestinian Authority President] Mahmoud Abbbas and [Hamas leader in Gaza] Ismail Haniyeh while making the deal with Israel.”Times of Israel staff contributed to this report
PM heading off on historic (and expensive?) Africa trip-Netanyahu leaves Monday to visit 4 countries in 4 days, at a cost of NIS 12.5m; he will commemorate Entebbe rescue in which his brother was killed-By Raphael Ahren July 3, 2016, 5:35 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to leave early Monday morning for a historic four-day trip to Africa, featuring meetings with seven African leaders, in a strategic bid to boost Israel’s ties with the continent.The highlight of his trip — the first visit by a sitting prime minister to sub-Saharan Africa in decades — is a ceremony Monday at the old Entebbe airport in Uganda, where he will mark the 40th anniversary of one of Israel’s most legendary rescue operations.On July 4, 1976, Israeli commandos, flying some 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) to Entebbe, spectacularly managed, in less than an hour, to rescue 102 of 106 Israelis who had been taken hostage by Palestinian and German terrorists. Monday’s commemoration is particularly poignant for the Israeli prime minister, since his older brother Yonatan, who commanded the elite Sayeret Matkal unit that carried out the operation, was killed during the rescue.The future prime minister was studying in the US at the time of the operation.“In Uganda, I will meet with seven heads of state upon my attendance there at a special summit of East African nations,” Netanyahu said at Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting.In fact, he will be meeting with the presidents of Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan and Zambia, plus the prime minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn, and the foreign minister of Tanzania, Augustine Mahiga.“We intend to return to the African continent, which has 54 countries. We intend to return to Africa just as Africa is returning to Israel. This has very important implications vis-à-vis varying our international alliances and international relations, which are expanding to the major powers in Asia, to Russia, to Latin America and — of course — to the African continent.”Several dozen Israeli businessmen, and former IDF troops who were involved in the Entebbe operation and their relatives, are joining Netanyahu’s entourage on four planes.According to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, the first plane will carry the prime minister’s aides; the second one will transport 140 people who are to participate at the ceremony at Entebbe, including family members of former IDF soldiers who took part in the rescue operation and representatives of the hostages; and two Hercules planes will carry Netanyahu’s motorcade, additional security personnel and a field hospital, which is going to be donated at the end of the trip.Yedioth put the total cost of the visit at a whopping NIS 28 million ($7.3 million). The Prime Minister’s Office initially declined to respond to the report on the price tag, but later issued a statement saying it cost NIS 12.5 million ($3.25 million). This sum includes trips to four countries, the memorial event at Entebbe and all security measures as required by the Shin Bet, the PMO said. The delegation of businessmen is being paid for by the Israel Export Institute.Look at that: @IsraeliPM's four-day, four-country trip to Africa has its own logo pic.twitter.com/65aPVTqqCQ— Raphael Ahren (@RaphaelAhren) July 3, 2016-Both the guest list for the high-profile event at Entebbe and the unprecedentedly high cost of the trip have led to criticism.The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, for instance, says the upgrading of Israeli-African relations is important but wondered whether it justified such a high sum. In a press release, the nonprofit demands that the PMO provide a detailed list of all the costs and explain to the public why they are necessary.Arriving in Entebbe on Monday afternoon, Netanyahu will be welcomed by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who was involved in toppling the country’s Entebbe-era dictator Idi Amin and has been in power since 1986.After the official ceremony, which is scheduled to last for 45 minutes, Netanyahu and Musevini are set to have dinner together at the presidential palace in Kampala before the prime minister heads to Nairobi, where he will spend the night.On Tuesday morning, Netanyahu will visit the mausoleum where the founder of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, is buried, then meet with his son, Uhuru Kenyatta, the country’s current leader.Jomo Kenyatta was the “architect of the friendship between Israel and Kenya,” Netanyahu said in February during Uhuru’s first visit to Jerusalem. “He demonstrated that friendship most dramatically 40 years ago in helping Israel in the raid in Entebbe to rescue our hostages. This is something that has left a deep imprint on Israel. The people of Israel are grateful for that. And I’m personally grateful for that.”After their meeting, the two leaders will hold a press conference, before attending a conference of Israeli and Kenyan businessmen, then will dine together.In Kenya, Netanyahu and his wife Sara are also expected to participate in a safari, according to Hebrew media reports, though his official schedule makes no mention of this.On Wednesday, Netanyahu will spend the day in Kigali, where he will visit the memorial for the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which more than one million Tutsis were killed, and meet with President Paul Kagame. The two leaders will have lunch together, sign agreements of bilateral cooperation and hold a joint press conference.Netanyahu will spend the last day of his tour in Addis Ababa, meeting Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn — with whom he will again sign agreements and answer reporters’ questions. After a meeting with President Mulatu Teshome, the Israeli leader will address a forum of Israeli and Ethiopian businessmen before holding a speech at the country’s parliament and visiting its national museum.On Friday, Netanyahu will return to Israel.
Israel's Livni says British police sought to question her-[The Canadian Press]-Daniel Estrin, The Associated Press-July 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS
JERUSALEM - Israeli lawmaker and former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Monday that a British war crimes investigator sought to question her during a trip to Britain over her role in Israel's 2008-2009 Gaza war.Speaking to Israeli Army Radio from London, where she is continuing her visit, Livni said British police emailed her a summons on Friday. She called it "unacceptable." The police request defined the questioning as non-mandatory, and she did not comply, Livni said.Israel's Foreign Ministry said it views the British request "with great concern" and would "engage" with British authorities until the matter is resolved. Britain's Foreign Office, the Metropolitan Police in London and Scotland Yard declined comment.Livni, a onetime lead peace negotiator with the Palestinians, enjoys a dovish reputation in much of the West. But she staunchly defends Israel's devastating three-week military offensive in Gaza in 2008-2009, saying the operation was meant to end years of rocket fire by Gaza militants against Israel. There was widespread international criticism of the hundreds of civilian casualties.Livni served as foreign minister during the war, and as a member of the Israeli Cabinet, she was part of the decision-making process regarding the military campaign.Pro-Palestinian groups have previously tried to go after Livni and other Israeli officials using universal jurisdiction, a principle that lets British courts prosecute foreigners accused of crimes against humanity wherever they were committed.The law strained U.K.-Israeli relations, as senior Israeli officials cancelled trips rather than face possible arrest in Britain. In 2009, an arrest warrant was issued in Britain against Livni, and Israel's foreign ministry said the warrant was later cancelled, after officials learned Livni was not on British soil.Previously, anyone in Britain could apply to a judge for such warrants. But the law was amended in 2011 to make such arrest warrants harder to pursue. That year, Britain's chief prosecutor blocked an attempt to serve Livni with an arrest warrant during a visit to Britain.British officials extend diplomatic immunity to Israeli officials to shield them from such arrests.However, Livni said she declined immunity for her current trip to Britain on principle. She told Israeli Army Radio she wanted to test what British authorities would do in cases of Israelis who are not eligible for diplomatic immunity but who could be pursued for alleged war crimes."Israeli army commanders and Israeli decision makers who are threatened with arrest warrants each time they arrive in London — this is an absurd sight that is unacceptable and must stop," Livni wrote on Facebook."Just as we respect and admire Britain's actions against international terror and Israel is open for any British minister to visit, without questions about his decisions in the Cabinet, such is how Israel expects from Britain," she added.__Associated Press writer Danica Kirka contributed to this report from London.
