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)
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
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
Minister backs Bannon, thanks him for ‘friendship with Israel’-Agriculture chief Uri Ariel writes letter to new White House strategist, hails his opposition to Iran deal, Israel boycotts-By Times of Israel staff November 20, 2016, 5:38 pm
Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel has written a letter of support for Stephen Bannon, the recently appointed White House strategist who has been accused of harboring anti-Semitic views, thanking him for his “friendship with Israel.”The text of the letter was reprinted by Breitbart News, a right-wing news website formerly run by Bannon.In the letter, the Jewish Home minister wrote that although he does not know Bannon personally, “dear friends of mine including Rabbi Shmuley Boteach have shared with me your strong opposition to the Iran nuclear agreement, which threatens Israel’s survival, your opposition to BDS and your opening of a Jerusalem bureau in Israel while head of Breitbart in order to promote Israeli point of view in the media.”Since Trump announced Bannon’s appointment — along with naming Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus to be his chief of staff — some Republicans, Democrats and various Jewish organizations have denounced the decision, saying that Bannon represents a brand of populist nationalism that emboldens racists and should not be near the Oval Office.But Israel’s ambassador to the US Ron Dermer said last week Jerusalem was “looking forward” to working with the entire White House administration, including Bannon.As executive chairman of Breitbart News from 2012 to 2016, Bannon pushed a nationalist agenda and turned the publication into what he called “the platform for the alt-right,” a movement associated with white supremacist ideas that oppose multiculturalism.The right-wing minister also wrote that although he and Bannon do not see eye-to-eye on every issue, they both agree that “Israel, as the Middle East’s only democracy, must always have the strongest international support.”Since Trump’s election, some on the Israeli right have lauded the president-elect as staunchly pro-Israel, citing statements made by an adviser that the settlements are not an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians and that under a Trump administration, the US will not force Israel into a peace deal.During the election campaign, Breitbart News was accused of publishing racist and anti-Semitic remarks. In one instance, it ran an article calling conservative political commentator Bill Kristol a “renegade Jew.”Bannon himself has also been accused of making anti-Semitic remarks. His ex-wife claimed in divorce papers that he did not want his daughters going to an elite Los Angeles academy because he “didn’t want the girls going to school with Jews.” Bannon has denied the allegations against him.Ben Shapiro, a Jewish former editor-at-large of Breitbart News, said last week that he never saw “any direct evidence that Bannon was an anti-Semite” when he worked with him, but witnessed his comfort with “pandering” to the publication’s fringe readership, many of whom are accused of holding racist and anti-Semitic views.In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Saturday, Bannon denied the charges of anti-Semitism leveled against him, saying that “Breitbart is the most pro-Israel site in the United States of America.” He pointed to the website’s Jerusalem bureau, its stance against the boycott movement and rising anti-Semitism in Europe, as well as his Jewish partners and employees, as proof that he is not an anti-Semite.
Netanyahu bans ministers from speaking to Trump administration-PM’s order for contact only via PMO or DC embassy follows publication of letter from cabinet minister Uri Ariel to Stephen Bannon-By Times of Israel staff November 21, 2016, 8:58 pm
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu banned government ministers from speaking with President-elect Donald Trump or members of his administration.Cabinet Secretary Tzachi Braverman sent a letter on Monday to ministers instructing them not to speak with the nascent government.The letter instructed ministers that all contact must be either through the Prime Minister’s Office or the Israeli Embassy in Washington.This highly unusual move follows the publication of a letter on Saturday written by Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) to Stephen Bannon on the Breitbart website. Ariel thanked Bannon for his support of and friendship with Israel.Ariel specifically mentioned Bannon’s opposition to the Iran nuclear agreement, his opposition to BDS boycotts of Israel, and Breitbart opening a Jerusalem bureau “to promote Israeli points of view in the media.”Netanyahu orders ministers not to make any contact w @realDonaldTrump administration without coordination w PMO or @AmbDermer https://t.co/rwlxJTWolP— Tal Shalev (@talshalev1) November 21, 2016-Bannon, who was appointed as President-elect Donald Trump’s chief strategist, has been roundly condemned by many Israeli and Jewish groups for his alleged support of the white nationalist alt-right movement.Last week, as the results of the election were announced, Netanyahu instructed his government not to speak publicly about the new president-elect. However the instruction was issued only after several right-wing ministers had praised Trump in the media for his supposed support for Israeli activity in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, as well as his promise to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem.Netanyahu himself congratulated Trump shortly after the results were announced.“The bond between the US and Israel is based on shared values, shared interests and a shared future. I am sure that President-elect Trump and I will continue to strengthen the special alliance between Israel and the US and we will bring them to new heights,” he said.The prime minister also released a video after the election congratulating Trump.Israeli ambassador to the US Ron Dermer met with Trump in New York on Thursday, and declared that Jerusalem was looking forward to working with his entire team — including Bannon.“Israel has no doubt that President-elect Trump is a true friend of Israel,” Dermer told reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue.
IDF stands by integration of women, after spate of condemnations-Army spokesman Moti Almoz praises female soldiers’ motivation and desire to contribute, says they are fully part of people’s army-By Times of Israel staff November 21, 2016, 10:45 pm
Israel Defense Forces’s official spokesman Brig. Gen. Moti Almoz weighed in Monday on an ongoing row over women’s role in the military, and specifically the Armored Corps, taking to Facebook to celebrate the inclusion of female fighters in Israel’s army.“In recent years we have opened many positions for women and this has proven” to be successful, Almoz wrote, praising the motivation of women and their desire to contribute to the State of Israel. He also clarified that the IDF is currently experimenting with the integration of women into certain combat units within the Armored Corps, and it is premature to discuss the issue until after the trial is completed.Almoz stressed that the IDF is the army of the nation, and that women, as part of the nation, have a crucial role to play within it. He also pointed out that women serve as instructors for the Armored Corp, learning and teaching every role within the tanks. He wrote that this is one of the most sought-after IDF roles by women.“Before taking a position we should always find out the facts,” Almoz wrote to end his Facebook post.His comments followed many controversial statements about integrating women into these units. Last week, Brig. Gen. Eran Shani mentioned the army was conducting research to see if positions for women could be expanded, including in the Armored Corps and elite 669 rescue unit.However, the current head of the Armored Corps, Brig. Gen. Guy Hasson came out strongly against allowing women a greater role.In a recent conversation with The Times of Israel, conducted prior to Shani’s talk, Hasson indicated that the fundamental issues preventing integration of tank units — the physical requirements and social concerns — had yet to be addressed. However, he also noted that even if they were, he would oppose such an effort on the grounds that having female soldiers would harm the “image” of the corps — which is already one of the least popular units for recruits.Hasson attributed this lack of interest in the tank corps to people’s view that it’s not as tough as the more sought after infantry brigades: Golani, Givati, Paratroopers, Nahal and Kfir. Having women integrated within the corps will only exacerbate the problem, he claimed.The debate regarding women’s role within the military became even more heated after a radio interview on Sunday, in which former general Yiftach Ron-Tal claimed the proposal to integrate women into tank brigades is a “scandal,” and part of a conspiracy by far-left organizations to harm the Israel Defense Forces.Though he subsequently apologized for his comments he ignited a storm and his comments were swiftly denounced by members of Knesset, including Kulanu MK Rachel Azaria and Zionist Union MK Merav Michaeli, who are both often at the forefront of gender issues.Also Monday, the High Court of Justice temporarily suspended the appointment of Col. Eyal Karim as the new IDF chief rabbi, saying that before he could assume the post he had to clarify remarks he made over a decade ago that were perceived as condoning rape of non-Jewish women during wartime.Karim maintains that he was speaking entirely theoretically about a Biblical passage.He has also said that it is “entirely forbidden” for women to serve in the army for reasons of modesty, and has opposed women singing at army events as contrary to halacha (Jewish law).Today, some 92 percent of army positions are available to women, according to the IDF. The remaining 8% include the tank and infantry brigades, which the IDF Medical Corps determined had physical requirements that female physiology could not handle.
Why ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is an allegory about anti-Semitism-First outing in Harry Potter spin-off series alludes to the rampant xenophobia and fear of the post-war 1920s-By Gabe Friedman November 21, 2016, 11:29 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
JTA –The first spin-off from the Harry Potter film series, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” is a thrilling and at times darkly sinister adventure. The movie, which launched a new five-film franchise with new characters, has already cast a spell over Potter fans, raking in a box office best $75 million in its opening weekend.It also happens to be an allegory of the perils of anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and a general fear of the other in modern society.The film’s plot follows Newt Scamander — a young “magizoologist” who has traveled the world studying exotic magical creatures, played by Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne — around New York City in 1926.Along the way, as he attempts to find some “beasts” who have escaped from his magical suitcase, Newt befriends three characters who are presumed to be Jewish: Tina Goldstein, who works for The Magical Congress of the United States, her sister Queenie, and Jacob Kowalski, a World War I veteran who wants to open a bakery on the Lower East Side (he bakes confections from recipes passed down from his presumably Jewish grandmother).J.K. Rowling always avoids identifying religions in her works, but an establishing shot of an Orchard Street sign in the heart of the Lower East Side — which was New York’s Jewish immigrant epicenter in the early decades of the 20th century — feels like a crystal clear hint.However, the deeper Jewish undercurrent in “Fantastic Beasts” comes in a second storyline, which involves a black cloud that terrorizes the city. The viewer learns that this powerful dark mass, or “Obscurus,” which can destroy streets and buildings in its way, is actually the product of societal oppression. As Newt explains, when children born with magical powers hold in (or obscure) their identities, this dark force is unleashed. An Obscurus child usually dies before the age of 10.An obvious parallel is the rampant xenophobia and anti-Semitism of the 1920s. The mass immigration of Jews and southern and eastern Europeans led to a backlash in the United States, with laws passed in 1921 and 1924 severely limiting immigration. The Russian Revolution fueled fears that foreign “radicals” would sneak in with the new arrivals. Henry Ford was funding an anti-Semitic newspaper. Jewish quotas at prestigious American colleges were well underway. As a result, many American Jews hid their cultural and religious identity for fear of discrimination.“As Jews were admitted to executive suites they were expected to emulate the other occupants of those exalted quarters, that is, to become less obviously Jewish,” is how the late Jewish sociologist Daniel J. Elazar described the phenomenon. Jewish observers have debated the effects of such assimilation on the Jewish community and Jewish psyche ever since.Rowling told The New York Times that her story was inspired by the recent rise of populism around the world. Her screenplay is set in a world of economic anxiety and distrust of the Other, where the investigation into what is behind the dark cloud is explicitly called a witch hunt, and Newt is arrested by a Magical Congress looking for a scapegoat.It will be interesting to watch if the next four “Fantastic Beasts” movies tackle similarly political themes — and if Eddie Redmayne’s charming character makes any more Jewish friends on his adventures.
Seething Erdogan accuses Israel of ‘barbarism’ in TV interview timed to mark warming of ties-‘I don’t agree with what Hitler did and I also don’t agree with what Israel did in Gaza,’ says Turkish president, when asked about his 2014 comparison-By Times of Israel staff November 21, 2016, 11:21 pm
In his first interview with the Israeli press in over a decade, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday walked back a 2014 assertion that Israel’s military offensive in Gaza was more barbaric than Hitler, but made no apology for invoking the Nazi leader’s name in the context, said he was “well aware” of the sensitivities, and again condemned Israel’s “barbarism” against the Palestinians.Erdogan spoke to Channel 2’s Ilana Dayan in Turkish in a sweeping, and frequently tense, interview that covered Israel-Turkey relations, the Gaza Strip and the failed coup attempt in Turkey over the summer. The interview, apparently intended to mark a new, warming era in bilateral ties, began politely, but later featured passages where Erdogan, seething, leveled bitter criticism at Israel, especially regarding its policies regarding the Palestinians. At one point in the interview, Erdogan snapped at Dayan, and told her she couldn’t pressure him and wouldn’t be able to maneuver him “into a corner.”“I don’t agree with what Hitler did and I also don’t agree with what Israel did in Gaza. Therefore there’s no place for comparison in order to say what’s more barbaric,” Erdogan said when asked about his 2014 comments.Asked if he was conscious of the shock his reference to Hitler caused among Jews, Erdogan said “I’m very well aware… But is the Jewish community aware of what is done (in Gaza)? Thousands of people bombed in Gaza and Palestine” in the 2014 war with Hamas.The Turkish president dismissed categorizing Hamas as a terrorist organization, calling it a legitimate political party, and a “refugee movement born out nationalism” that must be part of any future peace deal. He called for Palestinian elections, saying Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s ruling Fatah party has been ineffective. He placed the onus for the failure of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks squarely on Israel, saying he would be willing to broker talks, but that Israel has refused such overtures. He also said he was in “constant contact” with Hamas.He accused Israel of failing to respect the holiness of Jerusalem, accusing it of trying to change the status quo at the Al-Aksa compound (the Temple Mount). “Jerusalem is holy to three religions. You have to respect that,” he said.Erdogan said he successfully negotiated peace talks between Israel and Syria in 2008, under then-prime minister Ehud Olmert, and that the two sides were on the verge of signing the deal when Operation Cast Lead broke out between Israel and Gaza, scuttling the initiative.Israel and Turkey are close to an agreement to lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip, he also said, indicating that such a move would further hasten the normalization of Israel-Turkey ties. Asked whether he was confident Hamas would not abuse the lifting of the blockade in order to import weaponry, Erdogan switched the focus to Israel, and castigated “your use of weapons against Gaza.”He noted that Hamas did not have the “nuclear and conventional weapons that Israel has.” The deaths caused in Israel by Hamas rockets, he indicated, paled by comparison to the “thousands” killed by Israel in Gaza.When it was put to him that Hamas indiscriminately targets Israeli civilians, Erdogan did not directly address the question. He called for a negotiated solution to bring tranquility to the area.Asked about the remains of two Israeli soldiers from the 2014 war held by Hamas, he noted that Israel holds “thousands” of Hamas and other Palestinian prisoners in its jails, and suggested an exchange.Israel and Turkey signed a detente agreement earlier this year to restore diplomatic relations after a five-year chill. Last week, Israel and Turkey exchanged ambassadors in the final stage of an agreement signed in the summer to end the breakdown in relations sparked by 2010’s Mavi Marmara incident.Erdogan said “it is impossible to believe” that the Israeli soldiers who boarded the Mavi Marmara tried to avert bloodshed. (The Mavi Marmara was a Turkish ship leading a protest flotilla to the Gaza Strip in 2010, where Israel maintains a security blockade to prevent ruling terror group Hamas from importing weapons. Israeli naval commandos boarded the ship, were attacked by activists who were waiting for them, and responded with gunfire, killing ten. Ten Israelis were wounded. The incident soured relations between Jerusalem and Ankara for years.)“We have all of the documents and evidence,” Erdogan said, and “it’s impossible” that the soldiers were acting in self-defense. “Regrettably, 10 of our brothers were martyred there,” he added.Erdogan dismissed footage of the incident that showed the Turkish activists assaulting the soldiers with metal rods and clubs. “We have all [of the evidence],” he told Dayan. “Speak correctly. The fact that you’re a journalist shouldn’t prevent you from speaking correctly.”Under the terms of the reconciliation agreement, Israel paid a “lump sum” of $20 million in compensation to the victims. Individual Israeli nationals, including army officers, also would not be held criminally or financially liable for the incident, the deal stipulated. The thaw also paved the way for Israel and Turkey to ramp up cooperation on natural gas development in the Mediterranean.
Is Europe’s far right experiencing a ‘Trump effect’?-The impact of US election on would-be populist presidents Le Pen, Wilders and Nofer depends on who you ask-By Cnaan Liphshiz November 21, 2016, 11:40 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
JTA — European far-right politicians were quick to hold up Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election as a harbinger of their own impending triumphs.Marine Le Pen, head of France’s far-right party, said that what Europeans call “the Trump effect” — that is, right-wing nationalism fueled by anger toward political elites and mistrust of immigration — heralds the upset she is seeking in her own country’s presidential elections in May. She called Trump’s election “good news” for France.Geert Wilders, a far-right Dutch politician whose party is leading polls ahead of March’s general elections, called Trump’s victory a “revolution” that will come to the Netherlands.And Norbert Hofer, the far-right candidate many believe will win Austria’s December 4 presidential election, cited Trump’s victory in predicting his own.But nearly two weeks after Trump’s success, little evidence suggests that these statements are more than posturing by career politicians eager to rebrand themselves as change-makers despite the fact that they are viewed, even by many of their supporters, as obsolete or deeply compromised.In Le Pen’s case, polls conducted before and after Trump’s victory project that she will receive about 25 percent of the vote. And while this would certainly be a new record for her National Front party, it is difficult to tie such a result to Trump’s victory.Indeed, there is reason to believe that Le Pen’s solidarity with Trump is a double-edged sword. In an Odoxa poll conducted among 1,004 French adults a day after Trump was elected, 76 percent of respondents said they lamented his election. Even among National Front voters, the poll found only 54 percent supported him.In the Netherlands and Austria, Trump’s election also revealed no discernible shift in polls. Wilders’ Party for Freedom, which is running neck and neck with the center-right ruling party, dropped by one point after Trump’s victory in one poll (I&O Research), remained unchanged in another (Politieke Barometer) and rose by one point in a third poll (Maurice de Hond).As for Hofer, Wilders’ counterpart in Austria, he rose by one point in polls since Trump’s election, remaining within the margin of error in a race pollsters have said is too close to call.The polls further show no correlation between the popularity of far-right parties like National Front and the “Brexit” referendum of last June, when British voters supported leaving the European Union.Undoubtedly, there are some similarities between the message of Europe’s rising far right and Trump’s campaign strategy. Both leverage financial insecurity while warning about Muslim immigration and jihadism in campaigns themed around nostalgia, xenophobia and popular resentment of the seemingly detached ruling elite.But there are also considerable differences.Both Wilders’ Party for Freedom and Le Pen’s National Front are seeking greater taxation on some earners (Le Pen wants to raise the income tax on high earners as much as 46 percent) than the policy favored by the countries’ ruling governments. In this regard, the European far right diverges significantly with Trump.Additionally, Trump was an outsider to American politics; Le Pen, Wilders, Hofer and most of their counterparts elsewhere in Europe have been in politics for at least a decade. Even to potential supporters, they are associated with the very political structures they have for years been promising to tear down.In France, Le Pen has been trying to mainstream her party and move it away from the more radical anti-establishment message of her father and party founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen. When she kicked him out of the party last year for saying the Holocaust was insignificant — a statement for which he was convicted of genocide denial – it cause a split within the party, costing her the votes of many supporters who now view her as a sellout. As for Wilders, he agreed in 2010 to briefly join a coalition led by Holland’s centrist ruling party — a compromise that disappointed many of his hard-core supporters.Nevertheless, Trump’s victory is invigorating supporters of these far-right parties who are finding themselves in the spotlight of left-wing media that are now much more willing to “listen to angry white voters,” as the Dutch NRC Handelsblad put it last weekend.“If the Americans did it, so can we!” one National Front voter and activist, a former train conductor in his fifties named Fredy Deguin-Dawson, told Le Monde. The article surveyed attitudes toward Trump’s victory in the Hauts-de-France region, which is France’s rust belt with 14% unemployment.Even he, however, recoiled from some of Trump’s xenophobic remarks. “That Trump called Mexicans thieves and rapists … No. I find it unacceptable,” said Deguin-Dawson. His rejection of racism, typical of many Europeans with bitter memory and collective guilt over the Holocaust, is another social inhibitor for the far right.Still, it is not difficult to see why Europe’s far right, which is eager to project an image of success, would like to portray itself as a continuation of the Trump effect. And the mainstream European media is hesitant to bet on the status quo after failing to foresee both Brexit and Trump’s victory.Jewish community leaders, along with leaders of other minorities, are also wary about the meaning of Trump’s victory.“We are not the only ones, we hear this all over Europe,” Pinchas Goldschmidt, the president of the Conference of European Rabbis, told JTA last week. “There’s concern of the rise of the extreme right on the coattails of the Trump victory.”While such alarm is understandable coming from vulnerable minorities, centrist and left-wing politicians have also warned about a “Trump effect.”French Prime Minister Manuel Valls shocked many of his citizens when he said last week during a visit to Berlin that “Le Pen could become president in 2017.” He injected Trump into the equation by adding: “Of course, I’m not comparing: Trump headed the Republican Party, which already controlled Congress and numerous states, but of course his rhetoric and proposals are disturbing.”Valls, a Socialist, may have political reasons to establish a connection between Le Pen and the “Trump effect.” After all, French centrists, worried about the National Front, have for decades rallied voters to vote for other candidates just to keep that party out of power. It’s such a common strategy that it even has a name — the “Republican Front” — and it has allowed both the Socialists and their center-right rivals to increase voting participation and keep the National Front in opposition.Olivier Faye, Le Monde’s expert on the far right, says he does not recognize any “Trump effect” in French politics at this time.“It’s difficult to draw conclusions on any effect, negative or positive, of Trump’s victory on how Le Pen will perform in the French presidential elections,” he wrote last week. What is clear, he said, is that “she’ll happily use any populist victory abroad“ to her advantage.
Trump’s top Pentagon pick said settlements were creating ‘apartheid’-Retired Marine Corps general James Mattis, seen as front-runner for defense secretary post, also insisted the US pays a price in Middle East for its support of Israel-By Eric Cortellessa November 20, 2016, 7:51 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
WASHINGTON — One of President-elect Donald Trump’s leading candidates for secretary of defense has said Israel’s settlement project could turn the country into an apartheid state and that the United States pays a price for its support of Israel.Retired Marine Corps general James Mattis met with the incoming president Saturday at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, to reportedly discuss a cabinet post.According to CNN, Trump was extremely impressed by Mattis, who is now his top choice to run the Defense Department, a position whose power over the US military is second only to that of the president.Mattis’s resume includes over two years heading the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) under President Barack Obama from August 2010 to March 2013, a post that has command authority for all US forces in the Middle East.During Mattis’s tenure, he held a commanding presence in the war theaters on Afghanistan and Iraq, experiences for which Trump offered high praise after their hour-long meeting. “All I can say is he is the real deal,” he said. “The real deal.”When Trump was asked by reporters if Mattis would have a role in the upcoming administration, he said: “We’ll see. We’ll see. He’s just a brilliant, wonderful man. What a career. We are going to see what happens, but he is the real deal.”In July 2013, shortly after leaving his post running CENTCOM, Mattis said the current situation in Israel was “unsustainable” and that settlements were obstructing the possibility of a two-state outcome between Israelis and Palestinians, comments that seem to fly in the face of Trump’s position as reported by his Israel advisers.“The current situation is unsustainable,” Mattis told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer during a panel discussion at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado when asked about the peace process.“It’s got to be directly addressed. We have got to find a way to make the two-state solution that Democrat and Republican administrations have supported,” he added. “We’ve got to get there, and the chances for it are starting to ebb because of the settlements, and where they’re at, they’re going to make it impossible to maintain the two-state option.”Mattis specifically warned that if Israel continued to expand its settlement presence, its long-term character as a Jewish and democratic state would be at risk, ultimately leading to Israel becoming an apartheid state.“If I’m in Jerusalem and I put 500 Jewish settlers out here to the east and there’s 10,000 Arab settlers in here, if we draw the border to include them, either it ceases to be a Jewish state or you say the Arabs don’t get to vote — apartheid,” he said.“That didn’t work too well the last time I saw that practiced in a country,” he added, presumably alluding to South Africa. “So we’ve got to work on this with a sense of urgency.”In that same conversation, Mattis told Blitzer that the US paid a price for its support of Israel and the perception of bias it broadcasts to the rest of the Arab world.“I paid a military security price every day as the commander of CENTCOM because the Americans were seen as biased in support of Israel,” he said, “and that moderates, all the moderate Arabs who want to be with us, because they can’t come out publicly in support of people who don’t show respect for the Arab Palestinians.”Trump’s position on Israeli settlements is unclear, but many in Israel and the US see him as willing to tolerate at least some Israeli settlement building in much the way past Republican administrations have.In an interview in May, he seemed to back Israeli building in settlements.During his campaign for the presidency, he said Jerusalem was Israel’s undivided capital and vowed to move the US Embassy there, a move that would break with Washington’s policy of not recognizing Israel’s de facto annexation of East Jerusalem.A day after Trump was elected president, his adviser Jason Greenblatt told Israel’s Army Radio that the president-elect “does not view the settlements as an obstacle to peace.”Mattis’s comments are not out of sync with others who’ve held his role. His predecessor, General David Petraus, once told the Senate Armed Services committee the “conflict foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of US favoritism for Israel.”If Trump selected Mattis to head the Pentagon, his 2013 retirement from the military would require a Congressional waiver to grant him eligibility for the position. US statutes require any retired officer to spend at least seven years outside the military before obtaining extensive responsibilities within the Department of Defense.Given the Republican control of both houses of Congress, it is highly likely that permission would be granted.
Facebook CEO vows to fix fake news problem-After accusations that false articles may have affected US election outcome, Mark Zuckerberg promises new tools for reporting ‘misinformation’-By Ben Fox November 20, 2016, 5:50 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg urged world leaders meeting in Peru on Saturday to help get more people online to improve global living standards while separately announcing new measures to cut down on fake news stories on the social network that some suggest could have helped sway the US presidential election.The Facebook founder took on the role of an evangelist for “connectivity” as he spoke at an Asian-Pacific trade summit, lamenting that half the world has no access to the online world and is being deprived of its economic potential as well as advances in science, education and medicine. He urged leaders to work with his company and others to close that gap.“If we can connect the 4 billion people who aren’t connected we can lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty,” Zuckerberg said as he addressed business and government leaders at the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum.But as he was promoting the benefits of the online world in the speech, he took to his Facebook page to address one of the downsides of the internet: the rapid dissemination of bogus news stories on social networks.Zuckerberg said in a post late Friday that his company was taking measures to curb what he said was a “relatively small” percentage of deliberately false stories. The measures include developing new tools to detect and classify “misinformation” and to make it easier for users to report the material.He said the company also is looking into the possibility of working with established fact-checking organizations to evaluate content and into the feasibility of warning labels for stories flagged as false.Critics have complained that a surge of fake news stories on Facebook may have swayed some voters to back President-elect Donald Trump. The company said on Monday that it was clarifying its advertising policy to emphasize that it won’t display ads — thus cutting revenue — for sites that run information that is “illegal, misleading or deceptive, which includes fake news.” That followed a similar step by Google, which acknowledged that it had let a false article about the election results slip into its list of recommended news stories.“The bottom line is: we take misinformation seriously,” the Facebook CEO said in his post. “Our goal is to connect people with the stories they find most meaningful, and we know people want accurate information.Zuckerberg’s comments came after President Barack Obama, who is also attending the APEC summit, and others have been sharply critical of the spread of fake news online.In a news conference Thursday in Berlin, Obama called bogus stories disseminated on Facebook and other social media platforms a threat to democracy. The president decried “an age where there’s so much active misinformation and it’s packaged very well and it looks the same when you see it on a Facebook page or you turn on your television.”Zuckerberg called the problem “complex, both technically and philosophically.” It is also sensitive issue for a company that does not want to censor content such as legitimate political satire that some people find offensive. Facebook sees itself not as a traditional publisher, but as a facilitator of global communication.It was that lofty vision of the company that was on display as Zuckerberg spoke at the APEC forum.He described Facebook efforts in artificial intelligence programs that could lead to advancements in medicine and education, as well as a high-altitude solar-powered drone, still in the development stage, to provide online access to places with none. He also described a program to work with local operators around the world to provide free basic internet.“We can’t afford to leave anyone behind,” he said.The Facebook CEO said that investment in such infrastructure is necessary to address the gap between rich and poor that has become a source of rising anxiety. “As we are learning this year in election after election, even if globalization might grow the overall pie of prosperity, it also creates inequality,” he said. “It helps some people and it hurts others.”Investing in “connectivity,” he said, can address some of the consequences of globalization. “We can disconnect, risk less prosperity and hope jobs that are lost come back. Or we can connect more, try to do more great things, try to work on even greater prosperity and then work to aggressively share that prosperity with everyone.”
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
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
Minister backs Bannon, thanks him for ‘friendship with Israel’-Agriculture chief Uri Ariel writes letter to new White House strategist, hails his opposition to Iran deal, Israel boycotts-By Times of Israel staff November 20, 2016, 5:38 pm
Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel has written a letter of support for Stephen Bannon, the recently appointed White House strategist who has been accused of harboring anti-Semitic views, thanking him for his “friendship with Israel.”The text of the letter was reprinted by Breitbart News, a right-wing news website formerly run by Bannon.In the letter, the Jewish Home minister wrote that although he does not know Bannon personally, “dear friends of mine including Rabbi Shmuley Boteach have shared with me your strong opposition to the Iran nuclear agreement, which threatens Israel’s survival, your opposition to BDS and your opening of a Jerusalem bureau in Israel while head of Breitbart in order to promote Israeli point of view in the media.”Since Trump announced Bannon’s appointment — along with naming Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus to be his chief of staff — some Republicans, Democrats and various Jewish organizations have denounced the decision, saying that Bannon represents a brand of populist nationalism that emboldens racists and should not be near the Oval Office.But Israel’s ambassador to the US Ron Dermer said last week Jerusalem was “looking forward” to working with the entire White House administration, including Bannon.As executive chairman of Breitbart News from 2012 to 2016, Bannon pushed a nationalist agenda and turned the publication into what he called “the platform for the alt-right,” a movement associated with white supremacist ideas that oppose multiculturalism.The right-wing minister also wrote that although he and Bannon do not see eye-to-eye on every issue, they both agree that “Israel, as the Middle East’s only democracy, must always have the strongest international support.”Since Trump’s election, some on the Israeli right have lauded the president-elect as staunchly pro-Israel, citing statements made by an adviser that the settlements are not an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians and that under a Trump administration, the US will not force Israel into a peace deal.During the election campaign, Breitbart News was accused of publishing racist and anti-Semitic remarks. In one instance, it ran an article calling conservative political commentator Bill Kristol a “renegade Jew.”Bannon himself has also been accused of making anti-Semitic remarks. His ex-wife claimed in divorce papers that he did not want his daughters going to an elite Los Angeles academy because he “didn’t want the girls going to school with Jews.” Bannon has denied the allegations against him.Ben Shapiro, a Jewish former editor-at-large of Breitbart News, said last week that he never saw “any direct evidence that Bannon was an anti-Semite” when he worked with him, but witnessed his comfort with “pandering” to the publication’s fringe readership, many of whom are accused of holding racist and anti-Semitic views.In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Saturday, Bannon denied the charges of anti-Semitism leveled against him, saying that “Breitbart is the most pro-Israel site in the United States of America.” He pointed to the website’s Jerusalem bureau, its stance against the boycott movement and rising anti-Semitism in Europe, as well as his Jewish partners and employees, as proof that he is not an anti-Semite.
Netanyahu bans ministers from speaking to Trump administration-PM’s order for contact only via PMO or DC embassy follows publication of letter from cabinet minister Uri Ariel to Stephen Bannon-By Times of Israel staff November 21, 2016, 8:58 pm
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu banned government ministers from speaking with President-elect Donald Trump or members of his administration.Cabinet Secretary Tzachi Braverman sent a letter on Monday to ministers instructing them not to speak with the nascent government.The letter instructed ministers that all contact must be either through the Prime Minister’s Office or the Israeli Embassy in Washington.This highly unusual move follows the publication of a letter on Saturday written by Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) to Stephen Bannon on the Breitbart website. Ariel thanked Bannon for his support of and friendship with Israel.Ariel specifically mentioned Bannon’s opposition to the Iran nuclear agreement, his opposition to BDS boycotts of Israel, and Breitbart opening a Jerusalem bureau “to promote Israeli points of view in the media.”Netanyahu orders ministers not to make any contact w @realDonaldTrump administration without coordination w PMO or @AmbDermer https://t.co/rwlxJTWolP— Tal Shalev (@talshalev1) November 21, 2016-Bannon, who was appointed as President-elect Donald Trump’s chief strategist, has been roundly condemned by many Israeli and Jewish groups for his alleged support of the white nationalist alt-right movement.Last week, as the results of the election were announced, Netanyahu instructed his government not to speak publicly about the new president-elect. However the instruction was issued only after several right-wing ministers had praised Trump in the media for his supposed support for Israeli activity in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, as well as his promise to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem.Netanyahu himself congratulated Trump shortly after the results were announced.“The bond between the US and Israel is based on shared values, shared interests and a shared future. I am sure that President-elect Trump and I will continue to strengthen the special alliance between Israel and the US and we will bring them to new heights,” he said.The prime minister also released a video after the election congratulating Trump.Israeli ambassador to the US Ron Dermer met with Trump in New York on Thursday, and declared that Jerusalem was looking forward to working with his entire team — including Bannon.“Israel has no doubt that President-elect Trump is a true friend of Israel,” Dermer told reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue.
IDF stands by integration of women, after spate of condemnations-Army spokesman Moti Almoz praises female soldiers’ motivation and desire to contribute, says they are fully part of people’s army-By Times of Israel staff November 21, 2016, 10:45 pm
Israel Defense Forces’s official spokesman Brig. Gen. Moti Almoz weighed in Monday on an ongoing row over women’s role in the military, and specifically the Armored Corps, taking to Facebook to celebrate the inclusion of female fighters in Israel’s army.“In recent years we have opened many positions for women and this has proven” to be successful, Almoz wrote, praising the motivation of women and their desire to contribute to the State of Israel. He also clarified that the IDF is currently experimenting with the integration of women into certain combat units within the Armored Corps, and it is premature to discuss the issue until after the trial is completed.Almoz stressed that the IDF is the army of the nation, and that women, as part of the nation, have a crucial role to play within it. He also pointed out that women serve as instructors for the Armored Corp, learning and teaching every role within the tanks. He wrote that this is one of the most sought-after IDF roles by women.“Before taking a position we should always find out the facts,” Almoz wrote to end his Facebook post.His comments followed many controversial statements about integrating women into these units. Last week, Brig. Gen. Eran Shani mentioned the army was conducting research to see if positions for women could be expanded, including in the Armored Corps and elite 669 rescue unit.However, the current head of the Armored Corps, Brig. Gen. Guy Hasson came out strongly against allowing women a greater role.In a recent conversation with The Times of Israel, conducted prior to Shani’s talk, Hasson indicated that the fundamental issues preventing integration of tank units — the physical requirements and social concerns — had yet to be addressed. However, he also noted that even if they were, he would oppose such an effort on the grounds that having female soldiers would harm the “image” of the corps — which is already one of the least popular units for recruits.Hasson attributed this lack of interest in the tank corps to people’s view that it’s not as tough as the more sought after infantry brigades: Golani, Givati, Paratroopers, Nahal and Kfir. Having women integrated within the corps will only exacerbate the problem, he claimed.The debate regarding women’s role within the military became even more heated after a radio interview on Sunday, in which former general Yiftach Ron-Tal claimed the proposal to integrate women into tank brigades is a “scandal,” and part of a conspiracy by far-left organizations to harm the Israel Defense Forces.Though he subsequently apologized for his comments he ignited a storm and his comments were swiftly denounced by members of Knesset, including Kulanu MK Rachel Azaria and Zionist Union MK Merav Michaeli, who are both often at the forefront of gender issues.Also Monday, the High Court of Justice temporarily suspended the appointment of Col. Eyal Karim as the new IDF chief rabbi, saying that before he could assume the post he had to clarify remarks he made over a decade ago that were perceived as condoning rape of non-Jewish women during wartime.Karim maintains that he was speaking entirely theoretically about a Biblical passage.He has also said that it is “entirely forbidden” for women to serve in the army for reasons of modesty, and has opposed women singing at army events as contrary to halacha (Jewish law).Today, some 92 percent of army positions are available to women, according to the IDF. The remaining 8% include the tank and infantry brigades, which the IDF Medical Corps determined had physical requirements that female physiology could not handle.
Why ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is an allegory about anti-Semitism-First outing in Harry Potter spin-off series alludes to the rampant xenophobia and fear of the post-war 1920s-By Gabe Friedman November 21, 2016, 11:29 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
JTA –The first spin-off from the Harry Potter film series, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” is a thrilling and at times darkly sinister adventure. The movie, which launched a new five-film franchise with new characters, has already cast a spell over Potter fans, raking in a box office best $75 million in its opening weekend.It also happens to be an allegory of the perils of anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and a general fear of the other in modern society.The film’s plot follows Newt Scamander — a young “magizoologist” who has traveled the world studying exotic magical creatures, played by Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne — around New York City in 1926.Along the way, as he attempts to find some “beasts” who have escaped from his magical suitcase, Newt befriends three characters who are presumed to be Jewish: Tina Goldstein, who works for The Magical Congress of the United States, her sister Queenie, and Jacob Kowalski, a World War I veteran who wants to open a bakery on the Lower East Side (he bakes confections from recipes passed down from his presumably Jewish grandmother).J.K. Rowling always avoids identifying religions in her works, but an establishing shot of an Orchard Street sign in the heart of the Lower East Side — which was New York’s Jewish immigrant epicenter in the early decades of the 20th century — feels like a crystal clear hint.However, the deeper Jewish undercurrent in “Fantastic Beasts” comes in a second storyline, which involves a black cloud that terrorizes the city. The viewer learns that this powerful dark mass, or “Obscurus,” which can destroy streets and buildings in its way, is actually the product of societal oppression. As Newt explains, when children born with magical powers hold in (or obscure) their identities, this dark force is unleashed. An Obscurus child usually dies before the age of 10.An obvious parallel is the rampant xenophobia and anti-Semitism of the 1920s. The mass immigration of Jews and southern and eastern Europeans led to a backlash in the United States, with laws passed in 1921 and 1924 severely limiting immigration. The Russian Revolution fueled fears that foreign “radicals” would sneak in with the new arrivals. Henry Ford was funding an anti-Semitic newspaper. Jewish quotas at prestigious American colleges were well underway. As a result, many American Jews hid their cultural and religious identity for fear of discrimination.“As Jews were admitted to executive suites they were expected to emulate the other occupants of those exalted quarters, that is, to become less obviously Jewish,” is how the late Jewish sociologist Daniel J. Elazar described the phenomenon. Jewish observers have debated the effects of such assimilation on the Jewish community and Jewish psyche ever since.Rowling told The New York Times that her story was inspired by the recent rise of populism around the world. Her screenplay is set in a world of economic anxiety and distrust of the Other, where the investigation into what is behind the dark cloud is explicitly called a witch hunt, and Newt is arrested by a Magical Congress looking for a scapegoat.It will be interesting to watch if the next four “Fantastic Beasts” movies tackle similarly political themes — and if Eddie Redmayne’s charming character makes any more Jewish friends on his adventures.
Seething Erdogan accuses Israel of ‘barbarism’ in TV interview timed to mark warming of ties-‘I don’t agree with what Hitler did and I also don’t agree with what Israel did in Gaza,’ says Turkish president, when asked about his 2014 comparison-By Times of Israel staff November 21, 2016, 11:21 pm
In his first interview with the Israeli press in over a decade, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday walked back a 2014 assertion that Israel’s military offensive in Gaza was more barbaric than Hitler, but made no apology for invoking the Nazi leader’s name in the context, said he was “well aware” of the sensitivities, and again condemned Israel’s “barbarism” against the Palestinians.Erdogan spoke to Channel 2’s Ilana Dayan in Turkish in a sweeping, and frequently tense, interview that covered Israel-Turkey relations, the Gaza Strip and the failed coup attempt in Turkey over the summer. The interview, apparently intended to mark a new, warming era in bilateral ties, began politely, but later featured passages where Erdogan, seething, leveled bitter criticism at Israel, especially regarding its policies regarding the Palestinians. At one point in the interview, Erdogan snapped at Dayan, and told her she couldn’t pressure him and wouldn’t be able to maneuver him “into a corner.”“I don’t agree with what Hitler did and I also don’t agree with what Israel did in Gaza. Therefore there’s no place for comparison in order to say what’s more barbaric,” Erdogan said when asked about his 2014 comments.Asked if he was conscious of the shock his reference to Hitler caused among Jews, Erdogan said “I’m very well aware… But is the Jewish community aware of what is done (in Gaza)? Thousands of people bombed in Gaza and Palestine” in the 2014 war with Hamas.The Turkish president dismissed categorizing Hamas as a terrorist organization, calling it a legitimate political party, and a “refugee movement born out nationalism” that must be part of any future peace deal. He called for Palestinian elections, saying Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s ruling Fatah party has been ineffective. He placed the onus for the failure of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks squarely on Israel, saying he would be willing to broker talks, but that Israel has refused such overtures. He also said he was in “constant contact” with Hamas.He accused Israel of failing to respect the holiness of Jerusalem, accusing it of trying to change the status quo at the Al-Aksa compound (the Temple Mount). “Jerusalem is holy to three religions. You have to respect that,” he said.Erdogan said he successfully negotiated peace talks between Israel and Syria in 2008, under then-prime minister Ehud Olmert, and that the two sides were on the verge of signing the deal when Operation Cast Lead broke out between Israel and Gaza, scuttling the initiative.Israel and Turkey are close to an agreement to lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip, he also said, indicating that such a move would further hasten the normalization of Israel-Turkey ties. Asked whether he was confident Hamas would not abuse the lifting of the blockade in order to import weaponry, Erdogan switched the focus to Israel, and castigated “your use of weapons against Gaza.”He noted that Hamas did not have the “nuclear and conventional weapons that Israel has.” The deaths caused in Israel by Hamas rockets, he indicated, paled by comparison to the “thousands” killed by Israel in Gaza.When it was put to him that Hamas indiscriminately targets Israeli civilians, Erdogan did not directly address the question. He called for a negotiated solution to bring tranquility to the area.Asked about the remains of two Israeli soldiers from the 2014 war held by Hamas, he noted that Israel holds “thousands” of Hamas and other Palestinian prisoners in its jails, and suggested an exchange.Israel and Turkey signed a detente agreement earlier this year to restore diplomatic relations after a five-year chill. Last week, Israel and Turkey exchanged ambassadors in the final stage of an agreement signed in the summer to end the breakdown in relations sparked by 2010’s Mavi Marmara incident.Erdogan said “it is impossible to believe” that the Israeli soldiers who boarded the Mavi Marmara tried to avert bloodshed. (The Mavi Marmara was a Turkish ship leading a protest flotilla to the Gaza Strip in 2010, where Israel maintains a security blockade to prevent ruling terror group Hamas from importing weapons. Israeli naval commandos boarded the ship, were attacked by activists who were waiting for them, and responded with gunfire, killing ten. Ten Israelis were wounded. The incident soured relations between Jerusalem and Ankara for years.)“We have all of the documents and evidence,” Erdogan said, and “it’s impossible” that the soldiers were acting in self-defense. “Regrettably, 10 of our brothers were martyred there,” he added.Erdogan dismissed footage of the incident that showed the Turkish activists assaulting the soldiers with metal rods and clubs. “We have all [of the evidence],” he told Dayan. “Speak correctly. The fact that you’re a journalist shouldn’t prevent you from speaking correctly.”Under the terms of the reconciliation agreement, Israel paid a “lump sum” of $20 million in compensation to the victims. Individual Israeli nationals, including army officers, also would not be held criminally or financially liable for the incident, the deal stipulated. The thaw also paved the way for Israel and Turkey to ramp up cooperation on natural gas development in the Mediterranean.
Is Europe’s far right experiencing a ‘Trump effect’?-The impact of US election on would-be populist presidents Le Pen, Wilders and Nofer depends on who you ask-By Cnaan Liphshiz November 21, 2016, 11:40 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
JTA — European far-right politicians were quick to hold up Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election as a harbinger of their own impending triumphs.Marine Le Pen, head of France’s far-right party, said that what Europeans call “the Trump effect” — that is, right-wing nationalism fueled by anger toward political elites and mistrust of immigration — heralds the upset she is seeking in her own country’s presidential elections in May. She called Trump’s election “good news” for France.Geert Wilders, a far-right Dutch politician whose party is leading polls ahead of March’s general elections, called Trump’s victory a “revolution” that will come to the Netherlands.And Norbert Hofer, the far-right candidate many believe will win Austria’s December 4 presidential election, cited Trump’s victory in predicting his own.But nearly two weeks after Trump’s success, little evidence suggests that these statements are more than posturing by career politicians eager to rebrand themselves as change-makers despite the fact that they are viewed, even by many of their supporters, as obsolete or deeply compromised.In Le Pen’s case, polls conducted before and after Trump’s victory project that she will receive about 25 percent of the vote. And while this would certainly be a new record for her National Front party, it is difficult to tie such a result to Trump’s victory.Indeed, there is reason to believe that Le Pen’s solidarity with Trump is a double-edged sword. In an Odoxa poll conducted among 1,004 French adults a day after Trump was elected, 76 percent of respondents said they lamented his election. Even among National Front voters, the poll found only 54 percent supported him.In the Netherlands and Austria, Trump’s election also revealed no discernible shift in polls. Wilders’ Party for Freedom, which is running neck and neck with the center-right ruling party, dropped by one point after Trump’s victory in one poll (I&O Research), remained unchanged in another (Politieke Barometer) and rose by one point in a third poll (Maurice de Hond).As for Hofer, Wilders’ counterpart in Austria, he rose by one point in polls since Trump’s election, remaining within the margin of error in a race pollsters have said is too close to call.The polls further show no correlation between the popularity of far-right parties like National Front and the “Brexit” referendum of last June, when British voters supported leaving the European Union.Undoubtedly, there are some similarities between the message of Europe’s rising far right and Trump’s campaign strategy. Both leverage financial insecurity while warning about Muslim immigration and jihadism in campaigns themed around nostalgia, xenophobia and popular resentment of the seemingly detached ruling elite.But there are also considerable differences.Both Wilders’ Party for Freedom and Le Pen’s National Front are seeking greater taxation on some earners (Le Pen wants to raise the income tax on high earners as much as 46 percent) than the policy favored by the countries’ ruling governments. In this regard, the European far right diverges significantly with Trump.Additionally, Trump was an outsider to American politics; Le Pen, Wilders, Hofer and most of their counterparts elsewhere in Europe have been in politics for at least a decade. Even to potential supporters, they are associated with the very political structures they have for years been promising to tear down.In France, Le Pen has been trying to mainstream her party and move it away from the more radical anti-establishment message of her father and party founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen. When she kicked him out of the party last year for saying the Holocaust was insignificant — a statement for which he was convicted of genocide denial – it cause a split within the party, costing her the votes of many supporters who now view her as a sellout. As for Wilders, he agreed in 2010 to briefly join a coalition led by Holland’s centrist ruling party — a compromise that disappointed many of his hard-core supporters.Nevertheless, Trump’s victory is invigorating supporters of these far-right parties who are finding themselves in the spotlight of left-wing media that are now much more willing to “listen to angry white voters,” as the Dutch NRC Handelsblad put it last weekend.“If the Americans did it, so can we!” one National Front voter and activist, a former train conductor in his fifties named Fredy Deguin-Dawson, told Le Monde. The article surveyed attitudes toward Trump’s victory in the Hauts-de-France region, which is France’s rust belt with 14% unemployment.Even he, however, recoiled from some of Trump’s xenophobic remarks. “That Trump called Mexicans thieves and rapists … No. I find it unacceptable,” said Deguin-Dawson. His rejection of racism, typical of many Europeans with bitter memory and collective guilt over the Holocaust, is another social inhibitor for the far right.Still, it is not difficult to see why Europe’s far right, which is eager to project an image of success, would like to portray itself as a continuation of the Trump effect. And the mainstream European media is hesitant to bet on the status quo after failing to foresee both Brexit and Trump’s victory.Jewish community leaders, along with leaders of other minorities, are also wary about the meaning of Trump’s victory.“We are not the only ones, we hear this all over Europe,” Pinchas Goldschmidt, the president of the Conference of European Rabbis, told JTA last week. “There’s concern of the rise of the extreme right on the coattails of the Trump victory.”While such alarm is understandable coming from vulnerable minorities, centrist and left-wing politicians have also warned about a “Trump effect.”French Prime Minister Manuel Valls shocked many of his citizens when he said last week during a visit to Berlin that “Le Pen could become president in 2017.” He injected Trump into the equation by adding: “Of course, I’m not comparing: Trump headed the Republican Party, which already controlled Congress and numerous states, but of course his rhetoric and proposals are disturbing.”Valls, a Socialist, may have political reasons to establish a connection between Le Pen and the “Trump effect.” After all, French centrists, worried about the National Front, have for decades rallied voters to vote for other candidates just to keep that party out of power. It’s such a common strategy that it even has a name — the “Republican Front” — and it has allowed both the Socialists and their center-right rivals to increase voting participation and keep the National Front in opposition.Olivier Faye, Le Monde’s expert on the far right, says he does not recognize any “Trump effect” in French politics at this time.“It’s difficult to draw conclusions on any effect, negative or positive, of Trump’s victory on how Le Pen will perform in the French presidential elections,” he wrote last week. What is clear, he said, is that “she’ll happily use any populist victory abroad“ to her advantage.
Trump’s top Pentagon pick said settlements were creating ‘apartheid’-Retired Marine Corps general James Mattis, seen as front-runner for defense secretary post, also insisted the US pays a price in Middle East for its support of Israel-By Eric Cortellessa November 20, 2016, 7:51 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
WASHINGTON — One of President-elect Donald Trump’s leading candidates for secretary of defense has said Israel’s settlement project could turn the country into an apartheid state and that the United States pays a price for its support of Israel.Retired Marine Corps general James Mattis met with the incoming president Saturday at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, to reportedly discuss a cabinet post.According to CNN, Trump was extremely impressed by Mattis, who is now his top choice to run the Defense Department, a position whose power over the US military is second only to that of the president.Mattis’s resume includes over two years heading the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) under President Barack Obama from August 2010 to March 2013, a post that has command authority for all US forces in the Middle East.During Mattis’s tenure, he held a commanding presence in the war theaters on Afghanistan and Iraq, experiences for which Trump offered high praise after their hour-long meeting. “All I can say is he is the real deal,” he said. “The real deal.”When Trump was asked by reporters if Mattis would have a role in the upcoming administration, he said: “We’ll see. We’ll see. He’s just a brilliant, wonderful man. What a career. We are going to see what happens, but he is the real deal.”In July 2013, shortly after leaving his post running CENTCOM, Mattis said the current situation in Israel was “unsustainable” and that settlements were obstructing the possibility of a two-state outcome between Israelis and Palestinians, comments that seem to fly in the face of Trump’s position as reported by his Israel advisers.“The current situation is unsustainable,” Mattis told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer during a panel discussion at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado when asked about the peace process.“It’s got to be directly addressed. We have got to find a way to make the two-state solution that Democrat and Republican administrations have supported,” he added. “We’ve got to get there, and the chances for it are starting to ebb because of the settlements, and where they’re at, they’re going to make it impossible to maintain the two-state option.”Mattis specifically warned that if Israel continued to expand its settlement presence, its long-term character as a Jewish and democratic state would be at risk, ultimately leading to Israel becoming an apartheid state.“If I’m in Jerusalem and I put 500 Jewish settlers out here to the east and there’s 10,000 Arab settlers in here, if we draw the border to include them, either it ceases to be a Jewish state or you say the Arabs don’t get to vote — apartheid,” he said.“That didn’t work too well the last time I saw that practiced in a country,” he added, presumably alluding to South Africa. “So we’ve got to work on this with a sense of urgency.”In that same conversation, Mattis told Blitzer that the US paid a price for its support of Israel and the perception of bias it broadcasts to the rest of the Arab world.“I paid a military security price every day as the commander of CENTCOM because the Americans were seen as biased in support of Israel,” he said, “and that moderates, all the moderate Arabs who want to be with us, because they can’t come out publicly in support of people who don’t show respect for the Arab Palestinians.”Trump’s position on Israeli settlements is unclear, but many in Israel and the US see him as willing to tolerate at least some Israeli settlement building in much the way past Republican administrations have.In an interview in May, he seemed to back Israeli building in settlements.During his campaign for the presidency, he said Jerusalem was Israel’s undivided capital and vowed to move the US Embassy there, a move that would break with Washington’s policy of not recognizing Israel’s de facto annexation of East Jerusalem.A day after Trump was elected president, his adviser Jason Greenblatt told Israel’s Army Radio that the president-elect “does not view the settlements as an obstacle to peace.”Mattis’s comments are not out of sync with others who’ve held his role. His predecessor, General David Petraus, once told the Senate Armed Services committee the “conflict foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of US favoritism for Israel.”If Trump selected Mattis to head the Pentagon, his 2013 retirement from the military would require a Congressional waiver to grant him eligibility for the position. US statutes require any retired officer to spend at least seven years outside the military before obtaining extensive responsibilities within the Department of Defense.Given the Republican control of both houses of Congress, it is highly likely that permission would be granted.
Facebook CEO vows to fix fake news problem-After accusations that false articles may have affected US election outcome, Mark Zuckerberg promises new tools for reporting ‘misinformation’-By Ben Fox November 20, 2016, 5:50 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg urged world leaders meeting in Peru on Saturday to help get more people online to improve global living standards while separately announcing new measures to cut down on fake news stories on the social network that some suggest could have helped sway the US presidential election.The Facebook founder took on the role of an evangelist for “connectivity” as he spoke at an Asian-Pacific trade summit, lamenting that half the world has no access to the online world and is being deprived of its economic potential as well as advances in science, education and medicine. He urged leaders to work with his company and others to close that gap.“If we can connect the 4 billion people who aren’t connected we can lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty,” Zuckerberg said as he addressed business and government leaders at the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum.But as he was promoting the benefits of the online world in the speech, he took to his Facebook page to address one of the downsides of the internet: the rapid dissemination of bogus news stories on social networks.Zuckerberg said in a post late Friday that his company was taking measures to curb what he said was a “relatively small” percentage of deliberately false stories. The measures include developing new tools to detect and classify “misinformation” and to make it easier for users to report the material.He said the company also is looking into the possibility of working with established fact-checking organizations to evaluate content and into the feasibility of warning labels for stories flagged as false.Critics have complained that a surge of fake news stories on Facebook may have swayed some voters to back President-elect Donald Trump. The company said on Monday that it was clarifying its advertising policy to emphasize that it won’t display ads — thus cutting revenue — for sites that run information that is “illegal, misleading or deceptive, which includes fake news.” That followed a similar step by Google, which acknowledged that it had let a false article about the election results slip into its list of recommended news stories.“The bottom line is: we take misinformation seriously,” the Facebook CEO said in his post. “Our goal is to connect people with the stories they find most meaningful, and we know people want accurate information.Zuckerberg’s comments came after President Barack Obama, who is also attending the APEC summit, and others have been sharply critical of the spread of fake news online.In a news conference Thursday in Berlin, Obama called bogus stories disseminated on Facebook and other social media platforms a threat to democracy. The president decried “an age where there’s so much active misinformation and it’s packaged very well and it looks the same when you see it on a Facebook page or you turn on your television.”Zuckerberg called the problem “complex, both technically and philosophically.” It is also sensitive issue for a company that does not want to censor content such as legitimate political satire that some people find offensive. Facebook sees itself not as a traditional publisher, but as a facilitator of global communication.It was that lofty vision of the company that was on display as Zuckerberg spoke at the APEC forum.He described Facebook efforts in artificial intelligence programs that could lead to advancements in medicine and education, as well as a high-altitude solar-powered drone, still in the development stage, to provide online access to places with none. He also described a program to work with local operators around the world to provide free basic internet.“We can’t afford to leave anyone behind,” he said.The Facebook CEO said that investment in such infrastructure is necessary to address the gap between rich and poor that has become a source of rising anxiety. “As we are learning this year in election after election, even if globalization might grow the overall pie of prosperity, it also creates inequality,” he said. “It helps some people and it hurts others.”Investing in “connectivity,” he said, can address some of the consequences of globalization. “We can disconnect, risk less prosperity and hope jobs that are lost come back. Or we can connect more, try to do more great things, try to work on even greater prosperity and then work to aggressively share that prosperity with everyone.”
