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
ISIS WARNS DAM BY EUPHRATES RIVER DESTROYED
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2017/03/rome-summit-tries-to-restart-eu.html
UN secretary-general reaffirms ancient Jewish ties to Jerusalem-After meeting with Guterres, WJC praises ‘breath of fresh air coming from the United Nations’-By JTA March 24, 2017, 4:16 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
WASHINGTON — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his recognition of ancient Jewish ties to Jerusalem during a meeting with World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder.A statement Wednesday by the WJC said Lauder and Guterres met earlier in the week in New York, and that Guterres repeated comments he had made to Israeli radio in which he noted the existence of a Jewish temple in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.Palestinian leaders in recent decades have sought to deny any ancient Jewish presence in the city.The WJC statement said that Guterres would do what he could to stem anti-Israel initiatives at the United Nations and its affiliates. Guterres said he could not keep the UN Human Rights Council from passing anti-Israel resolutions.The statement noted Guterres’s role last week in getting the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia to remove from its website a report accusing Israel of apartheid.“There is a breath of fresh air coming from the United Nations,” Lauder was quoted as saying in the statement. “A long overdue breath of fresh air.”Guterres’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Merkel: ‘No reasonable alternative’ to two-state solution-Hosting Mahmoud Abbas in Berlin, German chancellor says Israeli settlement activity an impediment to resolution of conflict-By Alexander Fulbright March 24, 2017, 5:07 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
German Chancellor Angel Merkel said on Friday that there is “no reasonable alternative” to a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, and warned that Israeli settlement activity was impeding a resolution to the conflict. She also chided the Palestinians for taking to international forums to “unilaterally denounce” Israel at every turn.In a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Berlin on Friday, Merkel was quoted by Reuters as saying: “I see no reasonable alternative to the goal of a two-state solution.”“Both the Israeli and the Palestinian people have the right to live in peace and security and none of the other options can deliver that credibly,” she added.The German chancellor also warned that in the absence of a two-state solution, Israel cannot remain both “a Jewish and a democratic state,” according to the German dpa news agency.Merkel’s comments appeared to be a rebuke of both the Israeli government and US President Donald Trump, who seemed to walk back the United States’ longstanding commitment to a two-solution during a meeting at the White House with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February, saying “I’m looking at two-state and one-state, and I like the one that both parties like.”Following Trump’s comments, a number of world leaders reaffirmed their support for a two-state solution — including Merkel — and US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley subsequently said: “We absolutely support a two-state solution.”During her meeting with Abbas, which focused on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Merkel also criticized Israel’s settlement policies in the West Bank, saying they are “leading to an erosion of the basis for a two-state solution,” and were “an impediment to the resolution of the conflict.”Merkel also extended her criticism for the lack of progress on the two-state solution to the Palestinians, telling Abbas that if the Palestinians are interested in peace, they should not “unilaterally denounce” Israel in international forums.Abbas, for his part, reiterated Palestinian support for a two-state solution, and denounced the possible alternative of an Israeli-controlled “apartheid” single-state.Despite historically being one of Israel’s strongest supporters, Germany’s relations with Israel have grown tense of late, in large part due to Berlin’s frustration over West Bank settlements.In February, the Haaretz daily reported that a summit between the Israeli and German governments, including both Merkel and Netanyahu, scheduled to take place in Jerusalem in May was scrapped due to the chancellor’s frustration over the so-called Regulation Bill, as well as the announcement of some 6,000 new homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the inauguration of Trump in January.After the legislation — which legalizes some illegal West Bank settlement outposts built on private Palestinian land — was passed in February, the German foreign ministry issued a statement saying many Germans who usually “stand firmly by Israel’s side in a spirit of heartfelt solidarity are disappointed” by the passing of this law.“The confidence we had in the Israeli government’s commitment to the two-state solution has been profoundly shaken,” the statement said.German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel was also critical of the law, warning in February that Israeli settlement construction not only endangers a two-state solution but could possibly lead to war.“We are concerned that unlimited construction of settlements will… make a two-state solution impossible and could increase the risks of conflicts in the Middle East, including possible war,” he said.AP contributed to this report.
Netanyahu denies deal to limit West Bank settlement construction-Prime minister dismisses ‘incorrect’ media reports of alleged agreement made with Washington, says negotiations still underway-By Times of Israel staff March 26, 2017, 1:02 pm
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said media reports of a supposed agreement with Washington to limit West Bank settlement construction were inaccurate and that negotiations on the matter were still in progress.The prime minister’s denial comes a day after Channel 2 television said Israel and the US were close to reaching an understanding on settlement building that would see Jerusalem commit to construction limits in return for being allowed to establish the first new settlement in 25 years.Netanyahu has promised to build a new settlement for the residents of the illegal West Bank outpost of Amona, which was evacuated in January, but has encountered resistance from the administration of US President Donald Trump.At the start of the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday, Netanyahu sought to dispel the claims.“In the past few days there have been reports in the media about alleged agreements in the talks we are holding with the White House regarding settlement construction,” Netanyahu told ministers. “There are many incorrect things in these reports, I will not go into details. Our talks with the White House are continuing and I hope they will end soon.”On Saturday Netanyahu’s office also labeled the report as “not true.”The television station’s claim of an impending deal comes amid mounting speculation on the outcome after four days of high-level discussions between the administration and an Israeli delegation, which concluded Thursday.Channel 2’s report, which called the purported understandings “the Trump formula,” followed a report in The New York Times, which said that Israel is expected to make a general commitment to the Trump administration to slow settlement construction, but will likely not commit to numbers or specific areas.After the Washington talks, the White House believes it is currently unrealistic to expect Jerusalem to provide a more substantial pledge, officials told the Times.The administration indicated Thursday that the talks had not led to any concrete agreement on Israel’s ongoing settlement construction.“The United States delegation reiterated President Trump’s concerns regarding settlement activity in the context of moving towards a peace agreement,” according to a joint readout of the talks. “The Israeli delegation made clear that Israel’s intent going forward is to adopt a policy regarding settlement activity that takes those concerns into consideration.”The two sides said they would continue to engage in dialogue over Israel’s continued building in disputed areas of East Jerusalem and the West Bank. They described the discussions as “serious and constructive, and they are ongoing.”The series of meetings in Washington this past week followed Trump’s special envoy for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt’s trip to the region earlier this month, in which he met with both Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to try to jumpstart peace talks.In those talks in Jerusalem, Greenblatt reportedly demanded that Israel halt all construction in isolated West Bank settlements and put curbs on new building inside the major settlement blocs, but Netanyahu was said to have rejected the idea. An official in the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday denied that any such terms had been advanced by Greenblatt.Greenblatt led the US delegation to this week’s follow-up talks along with other representatives of the National Security Council staff and State Department, including Michael Ratney. The Israeli delegation was led by Yoav Horowitz, Netanyahu’s chief of staff, and Israel’s ambassador to the US Ron Dermer.Other topics of discussion included boosting the Palestinian economy in the West Bank and reconstruction of vital infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.Eric Cortellessa contributed to this report.
Kibbutz movement to celebrate 50 years of settlements in Golan-Left-wing members protest event, saying ‘celebrating occupation’ is wrong-By JTA March 25, 2017, 7:30 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Left-wing members of the kibbutz movement are protesting the organization’s sponsorship of an event celebrating 50 years of settlement on the Golan Heights, which the critics say is occupied territory.Several members of the left-leaning Meretz party who belong to the movement wrote an open letter last week expressing their disapproval of the plan to hold an event in the near future celebrating the anniversary in the Golan Heights, the NRG news site reported Friday.Israel conquered the area in 1967 from Syria, which used its elevated position to routinely shell Israeli settlements in the Galilee, and annexed it in 1981. However, it is internationally regarded as occupied, including by the United States, and claimed by Bashar Assad, the president of Syria. His army controls only 25 percent of the internationally recognized land mass of his country since the eruption in 2011 of a still-raging civil war that has killed approximately 400,000 people.The war has put on hold efforts to facilitate an agreement between Syria and Israel on the future of the strategically important Golan.In their open letter to the leadership of the kibbutz movement, the document’s eight authors from kibbutzim across Israel acknowledged that at present, “there is no one to return the territory to.” However, they added, “recognizing this reality is no pretext for celebrating occupation.”The secretary of the movement, Nir Meir, dismissed the letter.“The thousand kibbutzniks living in the Golan are no less a part of our movement than the ones making arguments against them,” he told NRG. “The very first settlements on the Golan were kibbutzim and we’re not ashamed of that. In fact, we’re very proud. Settlement in the Golan was never controversial, and the attempts to generate controversy are irrelevant now that Syria has ceased to exist and there is no partner on the other side.”
ISRAEL SATAN COMES AGAINST
1 CHRONICLES 21:1
1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
GENESIS 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I (GOD) will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee,(ISRAELIS) and curse (DESTROY) him that curseth thee:(DESTROY THEM) and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
ISAIAH 41:11
11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee (ISRAEL) shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing;(DESTROYED) and they that strive with thee shall perish.(ISRAEL HATERS WILL BE TOTALLY DESTROYED)
ISRAELS TROUBLE
JEREMIAH 30:7
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;(ISRAEL) but he shall be saved out of it.
DANIEL 12:1,4
1 And at that time shall Michael(ISRAELS WAR ANGEL) stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:(ISRAEL) and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation(May 14,48) even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS,CHIP IMPLANTS ETC)
IDF to hold drills in Golan Heights, West Bank-Exercises come amid heightened tensions with Syria, but army says maneuvers were planned in advance-By Times of Israel staff March 25, 2017, 9:15 pm
The IDF is set to conduct extensive military drills in the Golan Heights and in the West Bank starting Sunday, an army spokesman said in a statement Saturday.The exercises in the Golan Heights come at a time of increased tension with Syria, following several reported Israeli strikes on targets in Syria and a Syrian attempt to shoot down an Israeli warplane.On Saturday a Lebanese paper reported that Syria had sent Israel a message via Russia, warning that it would fire Scud missiles at Israel in the event of further Israeli airstrikes.Israel has said it would continue to act against attempts by Iran to send advanced weaponry to Hezbollah in Lebanon via Syria.However, the army emphasized in the statement that the drills were planned in advance as part of the army’s 2017 schedule, and that the exercises are intended to maintain the army’s preparedness.Residents of both areas are advised to take note of the fact that security forces will be operating heavily in settlements and training grounds in the Golan Heights and the West Bank, and that explosions may be heard during the exercises, the statement added.The exercises in both locations are expected to conclude by the end of the week.
Syria said threatening to fire Scud missiles at Israel-Assad regime says attacks by IDF on Syrian targets will be met with counter strikes on military bases, Haifa port-By Times of Israel staff March 25, 2017, 4:16 pm
The Syrian leadership has sent messages to Israel warning that any further strikes by the IDF on targets within Syria’s borders would be met with Scud rockets fired deep into the Jewish state, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Diyar reported Saturday.The Assad regime conveyed the message to Israel via Russian mediators, the report said.According to the report, Syria warned that Israeli strikes on Syrian military targets would be met with the firing of Scud missiles capable of carrying half a ton of explosives at IDF bases, while an attack on civilian targets would see Syria launching a counter strike on the Haifa port and the petrochemical plants in the area.The report warned that Syria has over 800 Scud missiles and that Syria would not issue any warnings before the missile strikes because Israel does not warn before it hits.On Wednesday, Israeli jets were reported to have carried out airstrikes near the Syrian capital of Damascus, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue hitting weapons convoys and rebuffed claims Russia had ordered the strikes halted.Syrian opposition news outlets reported that the airstrikes took place in the Mount Qasioun region near Damascus. The Israeli raids targeted Syrian army posts in the area, the reports said, in the fourth round of airstrikes attributed to Israel in Syria in less than a week.There was no immediate confirmation from Jerusalem, nor any information on casualties or damage.Tensions escalated between Israel and Syria recently, with Israel reportedly hitting various targets including strikes near the Lebanon-Syria border including a Hezbollah weapons convoy and Syrian military sites.Also earlier in the week an Israeli drone strike reportedly killed a member of a Syrian pro-regime militia, an attack that came two days after Israeli jets, in an early morning operation, hit an arms transfer meant for Hezbollah near Palmyra, with Syrian air defenses firing missiles at the planes.One missile was intercepted by Israel’s Arrow missile defense battery, military officials said, in the first reported use of the advanced system. It was the most serious incident between the two countries since the Syrian civil war began six years ago.On Sunday evening, Syria’s ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Jaafari said Syria’s response to Friday’s strike was a “game-changer.” Speaking on Syrian state TV, Jaafari said the military’s response was “appropriate and in line with Israel’s terrorist operation,” and that Israel “will now think a million times [before striking again],” according to a translation cited by the Ynet news site.“Syria’s forceful response to the Israeli attacks changed the rules of the game,” he said.His comments came hours after Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman threatened to destroy Syrian air defense systems for targeting the Israeli aircraft during the bombing run Friday. “The next time the Syrians use their air defense systems against our planes we will destroy them without the slightest hesitation,” Liberman said on Israel Radio.On Tuesday, Netanyahu denied reports that Moscow had told Israel to end airstrikes in the war-torn country and vowed to continue attacking weapons convoys.Netanyahu said that he told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a March 9 meeting that Israel will continue to thwart attempts by Iran and its terrorist proxies, such as Hezbollah, to smuggle advanced weapons to Lebanon via Syria.Israel has been largely unaffected by the Syrian civil war raging next door, suffering mostly sporadic incidents of spillover fire that Israel has generally dismissed as tactical errors by Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces. Israel has responded to the errant fire with limited reprisals on Syrian positions.The skies over Syria are now crowded, with Russian and Syrian aircraft backing Assad’s forces and a US-led coalition striking Islamic State and al-Qaeda targets.Raphael Ahren and agencies contributed to this report.
Hamas shuts Gaza crossing, blames Israel for official’s killing-Terror group slams shut Erez border gate, used for pedestrian traffic, in response to assassination of Mazen Faqha by unknown shooter last week-By AFP March 26, 2017, 10:44 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
The Hamas terror group shut a key crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel on Sunday after blaming the Jewish state for the assassination of one of its officials in the Palestinian enclave.A statement from the interior ministry in Gaza, run by Islamist movement Hamas, said it was shutting the Erez crossing for an indefinite period as it investigates the killing on Friday.Israel did not immediately comment in detail on Sunday’s closure but said its side of the crossing remained open.Hamas officials have blamed Israeli intelligence agency Mossad for the killing of Mazen Faqha, 38, who was shot dead by unknown gunmen in the Gaza Strip on Friday.Israel has not commented on the shooting.According to Israeli media, Faqha was responsible for cells of Hamas’s militant wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in the West Bank.Israel arrested Faqha and sentenced him to prison over suicide attacks that killed hundreds of Israelis during the second intifada, or uprising, between 2000 and 2005.He was released in 2011 along with more than 1,000 other Palestinians in exchange for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier Hamas kidnapped during a cross-border raid into Israel and then held hostage in Gaza for five years.Faqha was shot to death on Friday near his home in Tel el-Hawa, a neighborhood in southwestern Gaza City, by assailants using a weapon equipped with a silencer. He was hit by four bullets to the head, Gaza reports quoted by Army Radio said.Thousands of Hamas supporters on Saturday called for “revenge” during Faqha’s Gaza funeral, as leaders of the terror group continued to blame Israel for his killing and threatened retribution.The Erez crossing is the only one between Gaza and Israel for people. Another crossing with Israel, Kerem Shalom, is used for goods.Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza for a decade but business people and humanitarian cases can often get permits to come and go through the Erez crossing.Hamas Interior Minister Eyad al-Bosom said in a post on his Facebook page that Gazans who entered Israel for humanitarian reasons will be allowed back into Gaza.Jerusalem says the blockade is necessary to keep Hamas, labeled a terror group by Israel and the US, from building up military capabilities.Palestinian militants in Gaza and Israel have fought three wars since 2008.Gaza’s sole crossing with Egypt has also remained largely closed in recent years.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
US and Togo oppose all five motions at Human Rights Council-After UNHRC adopts 5 anti-Israel resolutions, UK vows to oppose all future such moves-London supports 2 of the votes, but slams bias and ‘selective focus’ on Israel, puts council ‘on notice’ that it had better change-By Times of Israel staff March 24, 2017, 9:55 pm
The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted five resolutions critical of Israel on Friday, despite opposition from the US and an unprecedented critique from the UK.Britain supported two of the five resolutions, but threatened to vote against any future such motions against the Jewish state because of the “bias” by the UN body.“We are putting the Human Rights Council on notice,” Britain warned in a statement. “If things do not change, in the future we will adopt a policy of voting against all resolutions concerning Israel’s conduct in the Occupied Syrian and Palestinian Territories.”The 47-member council passed five resolutions on alleged Israeli human rights abuses: 1) a vote on “Human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan” passed with 26 in favor, 3 against and 18 abstentions; 2) a resolution called “Ensuring accountability and justice for all violations of International law in the Occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem” garnered 30 votes in favor, 2 against and 15 abstentions; 3) 43 members voted for a resolution called “Right of the Palestinian people to self-determination,” while 2 voted against and 2 abstained; 4) the resolution “Human Rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem garnered 41 votes in favor, 2 against and 4 abstentions; 5) a resolution condemning Israeli had 36 in favor, 2 against and 9 abstentions.The Unites States and Togo consistently voted against the five resolutions.The UK broke with the other European countries, voting “no” on the resolution condemning alleged human rights abuses in the Golan Heights. It voted in favor of two of the resolutions “according to long-standing policy” and “serious concerns” about Israeli settlement activity, demolitions and the use of administrative detention, and abstained on two others.The UK mission to the UN issued a statement saying that while it voted “no” on the Syria resolution, this did not signal a recognition of Israel’s annexation of the territory in 1981.The British mission also blasted the UN body as biased and overly focused on Israel.“Nowhere is the disproportionate focus on Israel starker and more absurd than in the case of today’s resolution on the occupation of Syria’s Golan,” the UK statement read.“Syria’s regime butchers and murders its people on a daily basis. But it is not Syria that is a permanent standing item on the Council’s agenda; it is Israel.“We cannot accept the perverse message sent out by a Syria Golan resolution that singles out Israel, as Assad continues to slaughter the Syrian people,” it said.“Israel is a population of eight million in a world of seven billion,” the statement said. “Yet since its foundation, the Human Rights Council has adopted 135 country-specific resolutions; 68 of which against Israel.“Justice is blind and impartial. This selective focus on Israel is neither.”The UK also reminded the Council that it must “recognize the continuing terrorism, incitement and violence that Israel faces. According to the Quartet’s report last year, there were 250 terrorist attacks, leading to the deaths of at least 30 Israelis. Renewed Hamas efforts to rebuild their tunnels are a grave concern. The scourge of anti-Semitic incitement and glorification of terrorism continue. And for as long as terrorists are treated as martyrs, peace will prove distant.”“Israel is the only country permanently on the Human Rights Council’s agenda,” the UK added in reference to Agenda Item Seven, a permanent fixture requiring the Council to discuss three times each year any alleged abuses of human rights committed by Israel against Palestinians.Israel is the only country-specific issue that has a permanent place on the Council’s agenda, an opening for discussion about the Jewish state that often sees anti-Israel invective delivered at Council meetings from Arab and Muslim states.Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said the UNHRC “has become the most notorious branch of the BDS movement. It’s time to put an end to this anti-Israel campaign,” in reference to the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, and said the body’s resolution on Syria was “ridiculous.”UNHRC blamed Israeli sovereignty in the Golan for the suffering in Syria. Ridiculous.— Ambassador Danon (@dannydanon) March 24, 2017-This Council has become the most notorious branch of the BDS movement. It’s time to put an end to this anti-Israel campaign.— Ambassador Danon (@dannydanon) March 24, 2017-Ahead of the votes, the US on Monday issued a strong rebuke of the UNHRC and boycotted a discussion about the alleged human rights abuses committed by Israel. The US has also threatened to withdraw entirely from the UN body over its focus on Israel.“The United States strongly and unequivocally opposes the existence of the UN Human Rights Council’s Agenda Item Seven: ‘Human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories,'” acting spokesperson Mark Toner said in a statement.Toner said that the item threatens the credibility of the Council.“Today’s actions in the Council are yet another reminder of that body’s longstanding bias against Israel,” he said. “No other nation has an entire agenda item dedicated to it at the Council. The continued existence of this agenda item is among the largest threats to the credibility of the Council. It does not serve the interests of the Council to single out one country in an unbalanced matter.”Last month, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley called out the Human Rights Council for “breathtaking double standards” and “outrageously biased resolutions” against Israel, during a press conference after her first meeting with the UN Security Council.Last week Tillerson sent a letter to nine nonprofit groups in which he explained that the United States may quit the Human Rights Council unless it makes reforms, Foreign Policy reported.In the meantime, Tillerson said, the US would reiterate its “strong principled objection to the Human Rights Council’s biased agenda against Israel.”Tillerson wrote that the US was concerned as well about membership in the council of countries accused of human rights violations, such as China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.Should US President Donald Trump’s administration opt out of the UNHRC, it wouldn’t be the first to shun the body.When the UNHRC was created out of the discredited UN Human Rights Commission in 2006, then-US president George W. Bush refused to join the new group, believing that it would lack credibility and that, like its predecessor, it would allow human right violators to become members.In 2009, president Barack Obama reversed that decision, hoping to improve the UNHRC.
Iran sanctions 15 US companies for supporting Israel-Firms range from arms manufacturers to real estate agencies; move seems to be largely symbolic as firms listed don’t appear to do any business with Tehran-By AFP March 26, 2017, 1:43 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Iran will impose sanctions on 15 US companies for their support for Israel and its “terrorist actions,” state news agency IRNA said Sunday.The decision, which is largely symbolic because the firms do not do business with Iran, comes two days after the US announced new sanctions on a number of foreign firms accused of collaborating with Iran’s weapons program.Iran’s sanctions target US firms that provide arms and equipment to Israel “for use against the Palestinians,” IRNA said.“All transactions with these firms are forbidden, their assets will be seized and their officials will not be able to obtain a visa,” it added.The firms include United Technologies, ITT Corporation, Magnum Research INC, Military Armament Corporation and Bushmaster Firearms International.The list also included Re/Max Real Estate, which Tehran accuses of “buying and selling homes in settlements located in the occupied territories.”Tensions have mounted between Tehran and Washington since US President Donald Trump took office in January.On Friday, Washington announced sanctions against foreign firms and individuals over allegedly collaborating with the weapons programmes of Iran and North Korea.Trump has repeatedly criticized a July 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that saw the Islamic republic curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.Washington last month imposed new sanctions on individuals and companies supporting Iran’s ballistic missile programme and on its elite Revolutionary Guards.US lawmakers are now seeking to further increase pressure, proposing a new law that would see Iran’s Revolutionary Guards listed as a terrorist organization.
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
ISIS WARNS DAM BY EUPHRATES RIVER DESTROYED
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2017/03/rome-summit-tries-to-restart-eu.html
UN secretary-general reaffirms ancient Jewish ties to Jerusalem-After meeting with Guterres, WJC praises ‘breath of fresh air coming from the United Nations’-By JTA March 24, 2017, 4:16 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
WASHINGTON — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his recognition of ancient Jewish ties to Jerusalem during a meeting with World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder.A statement Wednesday by the WJC said Lauder and Guterres met earlier in the week in New York, and that Guterres repeated comments he had made to Israeli radio in which he noted the existence of a Jewish temple in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.Palestinian leaders in recent decades have sought to deny any ancient Jewish presence in the city.The WJC statement said that Guterres would do what he could to stem anti-Israel initiatives at the United Nations and its affiliates. Guterres said he could not keep the UN Human Rights Council from passing anti-Israel resolutions.The statement noted Guterres’s role last week in getting the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia to remove from its website a report accusing Israel of apartheid.“There is a breath of fresh air coming from the United Nations,” Lauder was quoted as saying in the statement. “A long overdue breath of fresh air.”Guterres’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Merkel: ‘No reasonable alternative’ to two-state solution-Hosting Mahmoud Abbas in Berlin, German chancellor says Israeli settlement activity an impediment to resolution of conflict-By Alexander Fulbright March 24, 2017, 5:07 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
German Chancellor Angel Merkel said on Friday that there is “no reasonable alternative” to a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, and warned that Israeli settlement activity was impeding a resolution to the conflict. She also chided the Palestinians for taking to international forums to “unilaterally denounce” Israel at every turn.In a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Berlin on Friday, Merkel was quoted by Reuters as saying: “I see no reasonable alternative to the goal of a two-state solution.”“Both the Israeli and the Palestinian people have the right to live in peace and security and none of the other options can deliver that credibly,” she added.The German chancellor also warned that in the absence of a two-state solution, Israel cannot remain both “a Jewish and a democratic state,” according to the German dpa news agency.Merkel’s comments appeared to be a rebuke of both the Israeli government and US President Donald Trump, who seemed to walk back the United States’ longstanding commitment to a two-solution during a meeting at the White House with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February, saying “I’m looking at two-state and one-state, and I like the one that both parties like.”Following Trump’s comments, a number of world leaders reaffirmed their support for a two-state solution — including Merkel — and US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley subsequently said: “We absolutely support a two-state solution.”During her meeting with Abbas, which focused on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Merkel also criticized Israel’s settlement policies in the West Bank, saying they are “leading to an erosion of the basis for a two-state solution,” and were “an impediment to the resolution of the conflict.”Merkel also extended her criticism for the lack of progress on the two-state solution to the Palestinians, telling Abbas that if the Palestinians are interested in peace, they should not “unilaterally denounce” Israel in international forums.Abbas, for his part, reiterated Palestinian support for a two-state solution, and denounced the possible alternative of an Israeli-controlled “apartheid” single-state.Despite historically being one of Israel’s strongest supporters, Germany’s relations with Israel have grown tense of late, in large part due to Berlin’s frustration over West Bank settlements.In February, the Haaretz daily reported that a summit between the Israeli and German governments, including both Merkel and Netanyahu, scheduled to take place in Jerusalem in May was scrapped due to the chancellor’s frustration over the so-called Regulation Bill, as well as the announcement of some 6,000 new homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the inauguration of Trump in January.After the legislation — which legalizes some illegal West Bank settlement outposts built on private Palestinian land — was passed in February, the German foreign ministry issued a statement saying many Germans who usually “stand firmly by Israel’s side in a spirit of heartfelt solidarity are disappointed” by the passing of this law.“The confidence we had in the Israeli government’s commitment to the two-state solution has been profoundly shaken,” the statement said.German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel was also critical of the law, warning in February that Israeli settlement construction not only endangers a two-state solution but could possibly lead to war.“We are concerned that unlimited construction of settlements will… make a two-state solution impossible and could increase the risks of conflicts in the Middle East, including possible war,” he said.AP contributed to this report.
Netanyahu denies deal to limit West Bank settlement construction-Prime minister dismisses ‘incorrect’ media reports of alleged agreement made with Washington, says negotiations still underway-By Times of Israel staff March 26, 2017, 1:02 pm
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said media reports of a supposed agreement with Washington to limit West Bank settlement construction were inaccurate and that negotiations on the matter were still in progress.The prime minister’s denial comes a day after Channel 2 television said Israel and the US were close to reaching an understanding on settlement building that would see Jerusalem commit to construction limits in return for being allowed to establish the first new settlement in 25 years.Netanyahu has promised to build a new settlement for the residents of the illegal West Bank outpost of Amona, which was evacuated in January, but has encountered resistance from the administration of US President Donald Trump.At the start of the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday, Netanyahu sought to dispel the claims.“In the past few days there have been reports in the media about alleged agreements in the talks we are holding with the White House regarding settlement construction,” Netanyahu told ministers. “There are many incorrect things in these reports, I will not go into details. Our talks with the White House are continuing and I hope they will end soon.”On Saturday Netanyahu’s office also labeled the report as “not true.”The television station’s claim of an impending deal comes amid mounting speculation on the outcome after four days of high-level discussions between the administration and an Israeli delegation, which concluded Thursday.Channel 2’s report, which called the purported understandings “the Trump formula,” followed a report in The New York Times, which said that Israel is expected to make a general commitment to the Trump administration to slow settlement construction, but will likely not commit to numbers or specific areas.After the Washington talks, the White House believes it is currently unrealistic to expect Jerusalem to provide a more substantial pledge, officials told the Times.The administration indicated Thursday that the talks had not led to any concrete agreement on Israel’s ongoing settlement construction.“The United States delegation reiterated President Trump’s concerns regarding settlement activity in the context of moving towards a peace agreement,” according to a joint readout of the talks. “The Israeli delegation made clear that Israel’s intent going forward is to adopt a policy regarding settlement activity that takes those concerns into consideration.”The two sides said they would continue to engage in dialogue over Israel’s continued building in disputed areas of East Jerusalem and the West Bank. They described the discussions as “serious and constructive, and they are ongoing.”The series of meetings in Washington this past week followed Trump’s special envoy for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt’s trip to the region earlier this month, in which he met with both Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to try to jumpstart peace talks.In those talks in Jerusalem, Greenblatt reportedly demanded that Israel halt all construction in isolated West Bank settlements and put curbs on new building inside the major settlement blocs, but Netanyahu was said to have rejected the idea. An official in the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday denied that any such terms had been advanced by Greenblatt.Greenblatt led the US delegation to this week’s follow-up talks along with other representatives of the National Security Council staff and State Department, including Michael Ratney. The Israeli delegation was led by Yoav Horowitz, Netanyahu’s chief of staff, and Israel’s ambassador to the US Ron Dermer.Other topics of discussion included boosting the Palestinian economy in the West Bank and reconstruction of vital infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.Eric Cortellessa contributed to this report.
Kibbutz movement to celebrate 50 years of settlements in Golan-Left-wing members protest event, saying ‘celebrating occupation’ is wrong-By JTA March 25, 2017, 7:30 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Left-wing members of the kibbutz movement are protesting the organization’s sponsorship of an event celebrating 50 years of settlement on the Golan Heights, which the critics say is occupied territory.Several members of the left-leaning Meretz party who belong to the movement wrote an open letter last week expressing their disapproval of the plan to hold an event in the near future celebrating the anniversary in the Golan Heights, the NRG news site reported Friday.Israel conquered the area in 1967 from Syria, which used its elevated position to routinely shell Israeli settlements in the Galilee, and annexed it in 1981. However, it is internationally regarded as occupied, including by the United States, and claimed by Bashar Assad, the president of Syria. His army controls only 25 percent of the internationally recognized land mass of his country since the eruption in 2011 of a still-raging civil war that has killed approximately 400,000 people.The war has put on hold efforts to facilitate an agreement between Syria and Israel on the future of the strategically important Golan.In their open letter to the leadership of the kibbutz movement, the document’s eight authors from kibbutzim across Israel acknowledged that at present, “there is no one to return the territory to.” However, they added, “recognizing this reality is no pretext for celebrating occupation.”The secretary of the movement, Nir Meir, dismissed the letter.“The thousand kibbutzniks living in the Golan are no less a part of our movement than the ones making arguments against them,” he told NRG. “The very first settlements on the Golan were kibbutzim and we’re not ashamed of that. In fact, we’re very proud. Settlement in the Golan was never controversial, and the attempts to generate controversy are irrelevant now that Syria has ceased to exist and there is no partner on the other side.”
ISRAEL SATAN COMES AGAINST
1 CHRONICLES 21:1
1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
GENESIS 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I (GOD) will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee,(ISRAELIS) and curse (DESTROY) him that curseth thee:(DESTROY THEM) and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
ISAIAH 41:11
11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee (ISRAEL) shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing;(DESTROYED) and they that strive with thee shall perish.(ISRAEL HATERS WILL BE TOTALLY DESTROYED)
ISRAELS TROUBLE
JEREMIAH 30:7
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;(ISRAEL) but he shall be saved out of it.
DANIEL 12:1,4
1 And at that time shall Michael(ISRAELS WAR ANGEL) stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:(ISRAEL) and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation(May 14,48) even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS,CHIP IMPLANTS ETC)
IDF to hold drills in Golan Heights, West Bank-Exercises come amid heightened tensions with Syria, but army says maneuvers were planned in advance-By Times of Israel staff March 25, 2017, 9:15 pm
The IDF is set to conduct extensive military drills in the Golan Heights and in the West Bank starting Sunday, an army spokesman said in a statement Saturday.The exercises in the Golan Heights come at a time of increased tension with Syria, following several reported Israeli strikes on targets in Syria and a Syrian attempt to shoot down an Israeli warplane.On Saturday a Lebanese paper reported that Syria had sent Israel a message via Russia, warning that it would fire Scud missiles at Israel in the event of further Israeli airstrikes.Israel has said it would continue to act against attempts by Iran to send advanced weaponry to Hezbollah in Lebanon via Syria.However, the army emphasized in the statement that the drills were planned in advance as part of the army’s 2017 schedule, and that the exercises are intended to maintain the army’s preparedness.Residents of both areas are advised to take note of the fact that security forces will be operating heavily in settlements and training grounds in the Golan Heights and the West Bank, and that explosions may be heard during the exercises, the statement added.The exercises in both locations are expected to conclude by the end of the week.
Syria said threatening to fire Scud missiles at Israel-Assad regime says attacks by IDF on Syrian targets will be met with counter strikes on military bases, Haifa port-By Times of Israel staff March 25, 2017, 4:16 pm
The Syrian leadership has sent messages to Israel warning that any further strikes by the IDF on targets within Syria’s borders would be met with Scud rockets fired deep into the Jewish state, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Diyar reported Saturday.The Assad regime conveyed the message to Israel via Russian mediators, the report said.According to the report, Syria warned that Israeli strikes on Syrian military targets would be met with the firing of Scud missiles capable of carrying half a ton of explosives at IDF bases, while an attack on civilian targets would see Syria launching a counter strike on the Haifa port and the petrochemical plants in the area.The report warned that Syria has over 800 Scud missiles and that Syria would not issue any warnings before the missile strikes because Israel does not warn before it hits.On Wednesday, Israeli jets were reported to have carried out airstrikes near the Syrian capital of Damascus, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue hitting weapons convoys and rebuffed claims Russia had ordered the strikes halted.Syrian opposition news outlets reported that the airstrikes took place in the Mount Qasioun region near Damascus. The Israeli raids targeted Syrian army posts in the area, the reports said, in the fourth round of airstrikes attributed to Israel in Syria in less than a week.There was no immediate confirmation from Jerusalem, nor any information on casualties or damage.Tensions escalated between Israel and Syria recently, with Israel reportedly hitting various targets including strikes near the Lebanon-Syria border including a Hezbollah weapons convoy and Syrian military sites.Also earlier in the week an Israeli drone strike reportedly killed a member of a Syrian pro-regime militia, an attack that came two days after Israeli jets, in an early morning operation, hit an arms transfer meant for Hezbollah near Palmyra, with Syrian air defenses firing missiles at the planes.One missile was intercepted by Israel’s Arrow missile defense battery, military officials said, in the first reported use of the advanced system. It was the most serious incident between the two countries since the Syrian civil war began six years ago.On Sunday evening, Syria’s ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Jaafari said Syria’s response to Friday’s strike was a “game-changer.” Speaking on Syrian state TV, Jaafari said the military’s response was “appropriate and in line with Israel’s terrorist operation,” and that Israel “will now think a million times [before striking again],” according to a translation cited by the Ynet news site.“Syria’s forceful response to the Israeli attacks changed the rules of the game,” he said.His comments came hours after Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman threatened to destroy Syrian air defense systems for targeting the Israeli aircraft during the bombing run Friday. “The next time the Syrians use their air defense systems against our planes we will destroy them without the slightest hesitation,” Liberman said on Israel Radio.On Tuesday, Netanyahu denied reports that Moscow had told Israel to end airstrikes in the war-torn country and vowed to continue attacking weapons convoys.Netanyahu said that he told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a March 9 meeting that Israel will continue to thwart attempts by Iran and its terrorist proxies, such as Hezbollah, to smuggle advanced weapons to Lebanon via Syria.Israel has been largely unaffected by the Syrian civil war raging next door, suffering mostly sporadic incidents of spillover fire that Israel has generally dismissed as tactical errors by Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces. Israel has responded to the errant fire with limited reprisals on Syrian positions.The skies over Syria are now crowded, with Russian and Syrian aircraft backing Assad’s forces and a US-led coalition striking Islamic State and al-Qaeda targets.Raphael Ahren and agencies contributed to this report.
Hamas shuts Gaza crossing, blames Israel for official’s killing-Terror group slams shut Erez border gate, used for pedestrian traffic, in response to assassination of Mazen Faqha by unknown shooter last week-By AFP March 26, 2017, 10:44 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
The Hamas terror group shut a key crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel on Sunday after blaming the Jewish state for the assassination of one of its officials in the Palestinian enclave.A statement from the interior ministry in Gaza, run by Islamist movement Hamas, said it was shutting the Erez crossing for an indefinite period as it investigates the killing on Friday.Israel did not immediately comment in detail on Sunday’s closure but said its side of the crossing remained open.Hamas officials have blamed Israeli intelligence agency Mossad for the killing of Mazen Faqha, 38, who was shot dead by unknown gunmen in the Gaza Strip on Friday.Israel has not commented on the shooting.According to Israeli media, Faqha was responsible for cells of Hamas’s militant wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in the West Bank.Israel arrested Faqha and sentenced him to prison over suicide attacks that killed hundreds of Israelis during the second intifada, or uprising, between 2000 and 2005.He was released in 2011 along with more than 1,000 other Palestinians in exchange for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier Hamas kidnapped during a cross-border raid into Israel and then held hostage in Gaza for five years.Faqha was shot to death on Friday near his home in Tel el-Hawa, a neighborhood in southwestern Gaza City, by assailants using a weapon equipped with a silencer. He was hit by four bullets to the head, Gaza reports quoted by Army Radio said.Thousands of Hamas supporters on Saturday called for “revenge” during Faqha’s Gaza funeral, as leaders of the terror group continued to blame Israel for his killing and threatened retribution.The Erez crossing is the only one between Gaza and Israel for people. Another crossing with Israel, Kerem Shalom, is used for goods.Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza for a decade but business people and humanitarian cases can often get permits to come and go through the Erez crossing.Hamas Interior Minister Eyad al-Bosom said in a post on his Facebook page that Gazans who entered Israel for humanitarian reasons will be allowed back into Gaza.Jerusalem says the blockade is necessary to keep Hamas, labeled a terror group by Israel and the US, from building up military capabilities.Palestinian militants in Gaza and Israel have fought three wars since 2008.Gaza’s sole crossing with Egypt has also remained largely closed in recent years.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
US and Togo oppose all five motions at Human Rights Council-After UNHRC adopts 5 anti-Israel resolutions, UK vows to oppose all future such moves-London supports 2 of the votes, but slams bias and ‘selective focus’ on Israel, puts council ‘on notice’ that it had better change-By Times of Israel staff March 24, 2017, 9:55 pm
The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted five resolutions critical of Israel on Friday, despite opposition from the US and an unprecedented critique from the UK.Britain supported two of the five resolutions, but threatened to vote against any future such motions against the Jewish state because of the “bias” by the UN body.“We are putting the Human Rights Council on notice,” Britain warned in a statement. “If things do not change, in the future we will adopt a policy of voting against all resolutions concerning Israel’s conduct in the Occupied Syrian and Palestinian Territories.”The 47-member council passed five resolutions on alleged Israeli human rights abuses: 1) a vote on “Human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan” passed with 26 in favor, 3 against and 18 abstentions; 2) a resolution called “Ensuring accountability and justice for all violations of International law in the Occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem” garnered 30 votes in favor, 2 against and 15 abstentions; 3) 43 members voted for a resolution called “Right of the Palestinian people to self-determination,” while 2 voted against and 2 abstained; 4) the resolution “Human Rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem garnered 41 votes in favor, 2 against and 4 abstentions; 5) a resolution condemning Israeli had 36 in favor, 2 against and 9 abstentions.The Unites States and Togo consistently voted against the five resolutions.The UK broke with the other European countries, voting “no” on the resolution condemning alleged human rights abuses in the Golan Heights. It voted in favor of two of the resolutions “according to long-standing policy” and “serious concerns” about Israeli settlement activity, demolitions and the use of administrative detention, and abstained on two others.The UK mission to the UN issued a statement saying that while it voted “no” on the Syria resolution, this did not signal a recognition of Israel’s annexation of the territory in 1981.The British mission also blasted the UN body as biased and overly focused on Israel.“Nowhere is the disproportionate focus on Israel starker and more absurd than in the case of today’s resolution on the occupation of Syria’s Golan,” the UK statement read.“Syria’s regime butchers and murders its people on a daily basis. But it is not Syria that is a permanent standing item on the Council’s agenda; it is Israel.“We cannot accept the perverse message sent out by a Syria Golan resolution that singles out Israel, as Assad continues to slaughter the Syrian people,” it said.“Israel is a population of eight million in a world of seven billion,” the statement said. “Yet since its foundation, the Human Rights Council has adopted 135 country-specific resolutions; 68 of which against Israel.“Justice is blind and impartial. This selective focus on Israel is neither.”The UK also reminded the Council that it must “recognize the continuing terrorism, incitement and violence that Israel faces. According to the Quartet’s report last year, there were 250 terrorist attacks, leading to the deaths of at least 30 Israelis. Renewed Hamas efforts to rebuild their tunnels are a grave concern. The scourge of anti-Semitic incitement and glorification of terrorism continue. And for as long as terrorists are treated as martyrs, peace will prove distant.”“Israel is the only country permanently on the Human Rights Council’s agenda,” the UK added in reference to Agenda Item Seven, a permanent fixture requiring the Council to discuss three times each year any alleged abuses of human rights committed by Israel against Palestinians.Israel is the only country-specific issue that has a permanent place on the Council’s agenda, an opening for discussion about the Jewish state that often sees anti-Israel invective delivered at Council meetings from Arab and Muslim states.Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said the UNHRC “has become the most notorious branch of the BDS movement. It’s time to put an end to this anti-Israel campaign,” in reference to the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, and said the body’s resolution on Syria was “ridiculous.”UNHRC blamed Israeli sovereignty in the Golan for the suffering in Syria. Ridiculous.— Ambassador Danon (@dannydanon) March 24, 2017-This Council has become the most notorious branch of the BDS movement. It’s time to put an end to this anti-Israel campaign.— Ambassador Danon (@dannydanon) March 24, 2017-Ahead of the votes, the US on Monday issued a strong rebuke of the UNHRC and boycotted a discussion about the alleged human rights abuses committed by Israel. The US has also threatened to withdraw entirely from the UN body over its focus on Israel.“The United States strongly and unequivocally opposes the existence of the UN Human Rights Council’s Agenda Item Seven: ‘Human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories,'” acting spokesperson Mark Toner said in a statement.Toner said that the item threatens the credibility of the Council.“Today’s actions in the Council are yet another reminder of that body’s longstanding bias against Israel,” he said. “No other nation has an entire agenda item dedicated to it at the Council. The continued existence of this agenda item is among the largest threats to the credibility of the Council. It does not serve the interests of the Council to single out one country in an unbalanced matter.”Last month, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley called out the Human Rights Council for “breathtaking double standards” and “outrageously biased resolutions” against Israel, during a press conference after her first meeting with the UN Security Council.Last week Tillerson sent a letter to nine nonprofit groups in which he explained that the United States may quit the Human Rights Council unless it makes reforms, Foreign Policy reported.In the meantime, Tillerson said, the US would reiterate its “strong principled objection to the Human Rights Council’s biased agenda against Israel.”Tillerson wrote that the US was concerned as well about membership in the council of countries accused of human rights violations, such as China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.Should US President Donald Trump’s administration opt out of the UNHRC, it wouldn’t be the first to shun the body.When the UNHRC was created out of the discredited UN Human Rights Commission in 2006, then-US president George W. Bush refused to join the new group, believing that it would lack credibility and that, like its predecessor, it would allow human right violators to become members.In 2009, president Barack Obama reversed that decision, hoping to improve the UNHRC.
Iran sanctions 15 US companies for supporting Israel-Firms range from arms manufacturers to real estate agencies; move seems to be largely symbolic as firms listed don’t appear to do any business with Tehran-By AFP March 26, 2017, 1:43 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Iran will impose sanctions on 15 US companies for their support for Israel and its “terrorist actions,” state news agency IRNA said Sunday.The decision, which is largely symbolic because the firms do not do business with Iran, comes two days after the US announced new sanctions on a number of foreign firms accused of collaborating with Iran’s weapons program.Iran’s sanctions target US firms that provide arms and equipment to Israel “for use against the Palestinians,” IRNA said.“All transactions with these firms are forbidden, their assets will be seized and their officials will not be able to obtain a visa,” it added.The firms include United Technologies, ITT Corporation, Magnum Research INC, Military Armament Corporation and Bushmaster Firearms International.The list also included Re/Max Real Estate, which Tehran accuses of “buying and selling homes in settlements located in the occupied territories.”Tensions have mounted between Tehran and Washington since US President Donald Trump took office in January.On Friday, Washington announced sanctions against foreign firms and individuals over allegedly collaborating with the weapons programmes of Iran and North Korea.Trump has repeatedly criticized a July 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that saw the Islamic republic curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.Washington last month imposed new sanctions on individuals and companies supporting Iran’s ballistic missile programme and on its elite Revolutionary Guards.US lawmakers are now seeking to further increase pressure, proposing a new law that would see Iran’s Revolutionary Guards listed as a terrorist organization.
