AS THE ARAB MURDERERS CLAIM VICTORY OVER TEMPLE MOUNT METAL DETECTORS.IRAN LAUNCHES SATELLITE CARRYING ROCKET.

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)

OTHER WEEKEND NEWS
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2017/07/astronomers-stunned-by-star-nursery-age.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2017/07/house-decisively-passes-sanctions-bill.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2017/07/the-pope-shuts-water-fountains-off-at.html 

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

Iran successfully launches satellite-carrying rocket — report-US has previously warned that technology in Thursday’s test could be used to develop long-range missiles-By AP and Times of Israel staff July 27, 2017, 5:05 pm

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran successfully launched a satellite-carrying rocket into space on Thursday, the country’s state media reported without elaborating.Iranian state television described the launch as involving a “Simorgh” rocket that is capable of carrying a satellite weighing 250 kilograms (550 pounds). The state media report did not elaborate on the rocket’s payload.“Simorgh” means “phoenix” in Persian.The website YJC.ir, which is affiliated with Iranian state television, as well as the semi-official Fars news agency, also reported the launch on Thursday, saying it was successful.The launch comes as the United States has criticized Iran’s ballistic missile tests.Such tests are allowed under the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran struck with world powers. However, American officials argue that they violate the spirit of the accord, which saw the Islamic Republic limit its uranium enrichment program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.Iran has pursued a satellite launch program for years. The US and its allies worry that the same technology could be used to develop long-range missiles.The country has sent several dummy satellites into orbit over the past decade, and in 2013 launched a monkey into space. But it recently abandoned plans to potentially send humans into orbit, saying in late May that the cost of doing so was prohibitive.Iran’s satellite-launch program falls under the responsibility of the defense ministry, which has denied that the space program is a cover for weapons development.The head of Iran’s space agency in October expressed for the first time interest in cooperating with NASA. Iran has offered to share its scientific findings and satellite data with other countries.In February 2015, Iran announced the launch of a satellite atop a different type of rocket, known as Fajr. That launch happened while Iran was negotiating the nuclear deal.On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives passed a new sanctions bill on Tuesday targeting Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, as well as Russia and North Korea.Thursday’s test also came as the Trump administration is pushing for inspections of suspicious Iranian military sites in a bid to test the strength of the nuclear deal that Trump desperately wants to cancel, senior US officials said.The inspections are one element of what is designed to be a more aggressive approach to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. While the Trump administration seeks to police the existing deal more strictly, it is also working to fix what Trump’s aides have called “serious flaws” in the landmark deal that — if not resolved quickly — will likely lead Trump to pull out.

Clashes erupt at Temple Mount as Muslim worshipers return to site-Thousands of Palestinians enter compound site after 12-day boycott; dozens said injured in riots-By Dov Lieber and Times of Israel staff July 27, 2017, 5:54 pm

Thousands of Muslim worshipers entered the Temple Mount on Thursday for the first time in nearly two weeks, as violent clashes erupted between Palestinians and Israeli security forces at the compound.Some 46 Palestinians were hurt in the clashes both inside the compound and in the surrounding area, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.After Israel removed the metal detectors and other security measures around the compound installed by police after a July 14 terror attack, Palestinians were given the all-clear by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jerusalem’s Muslim religious authorities on Thursday to end their 12-day boycott of the holy site.However, a last-minute confrontation erupted at the Huta Gate where two Israeli policemen were killed on July 14 by three Arab Israeli gunmen who had smuggled weapons into the site. The Huta Gate was the final gate to remain closed as police rolled back the security measures this week.Witnesses next to the Huta gate told The Times of Israel that police had opened and closed it a few times before dispersing the crowd with stun grenades. It was then closed and police barricaded off the area.Thousands of worshipers started to pour onto the Temple Mount, mostly through the Gate of the Tribes, near the Lions Gate entrance into the Old City, believing the Huta Gate had been opened for good. Hundreds were still refusing to go onto the Temple Mount until the Huta Gate is reopened permanently.Crowds of worshipers lifted Jerusalem Mufti Mohammed Hussein on their shoulders at the Huta Gate as they proceeded to the Al-Aqsa Mosque for afternoon prayers.One protester told a police officer at the scene that “the story is over, you can go home now” and worshipers cried and shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is Greatest) as they entered the compound.Since the terror attack, the Palestinians have demanded Israel remove all the security measures, including railings and cameras, introduced at the site.People yelling not to enter as mufti of Jerusalem makes his way to gate of tribes. One gate still closed pic.twitter.com/viTVDVY6rk— Dov Lieber (@DovLieber) July 27, 2017-In addition to daily protests outside the Old City, uproar over the move also prompted violent clashes between police and the demonstrators, with five Palestinians killed in clashes.Tensions at the site were also cited by the Palestinian attacker who last week stabbed to death three members of the Salomon family during Shabbat dinner at their home in the West Bank settlement of Halamish.While Israel maintained that the new measures — which included metal detectors, security cameras and metal railings — were necessary to guarantee security at the site in the wake of the shooting, demonstrators charged that the move was a violation of the status quo in place since Israel captured the site in the 1967 Six Day War.Under the arrangement, Israel is responsible for security at the entrance’s to the Temple Mount, while the Jordanian-administered Waqf manages the holy site, which houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Jews are allowed to visit the Temple Mount but not to pray there.AFP contributed to this report.

Jerusalem mufti, Abbas announce return to prayers in Al-Aqsa-After police roll back all security measures implemented in wake of Temple Mount attack, Muslim leaders tells faithful it’s OK to return-By Dov Lieber and Raoul Wootliff July 27, 2017, 11:02 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

The mufti of Jerusalem, Mohammed Hussein, declared on Thursday that the Muslim boycott of the Temple Mount due to new Israeli security measures has ended, after police removed all infrastructure placed recently at entrances to the holy site.“Things have returned to what they were, so we will pray in Al-Aqsa,” he told the Saudi-based news station Al Arabiye.Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a statement calling for prayer services to be held in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The call was echoed by Jerusalem’s Muslim religious authorities, which urged worshipers to pray on the Mount rather than at their local mosques.Muslims have been refusing to enter the site since security equipment, including metal detectors and cameras, was installed after a shooting attack on July 14, in which three Arab Israelis used weapons smuggled into the sacred compound to kill two Israeli policemen.The mufti’s statement came shortly after Israeli police said early Thursday that all the new security measures, which had driven deadly unrest in Jerusalem and the West Bank, had been removed.The tense two-week standoff between Israel and Muslim worshipers at the holy site persisted despite the removal of metal detectors on Tuesday, sparking concerns of major unrest surrounding Friday prayers.Deadly unrest erupted with the introduction of the new measures, with clashes breaking out around the compound and in the West Bank, leaving five Palestinians dead. A Palestinian also broke into a home in a settlement in the West Bank last week and stabbed four members of the Salomon family, killing three of them.The newly installed railings and scaffolding where cameras were previously mounted were also removed early on Thursday from the compound, which encompasses the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.“The police returned the security measures to how they were before the attack,” Israel Police spokeswoman Luba Samri told The Times of Israel. “The metal detectors, the cameras, the barriers, the scaffolding — everything that was added has now been taken down.”The removal of the installations overnight prompted Palestinian crowds to celebrate in the streets near the site.Muslims have refused to enter the site and have been praying in the streets outside since Israel implemented the measures. Palestinians said they viewed the move as Israel asserting further control.Israeli authorities said the metal detectors were needed because the July 14 attackers smuggled guns into the compound and emerged from it to attack the officers.Samri, the police spokeswoman, said Israeli authorities had “done absolutely everything in order to return the situation to its original state.” Still, she added, security assessments would continue and the additional security measures could be returned.“Everything is possible,” she said. “Yes, it could change again.”The decision to remove the new security measures was met with harsh criticism from both the Israeli right — which blasted it as a capitulation — and the left, which argued the measures shouldn’t have been introduced to begin with.While saying that he would not criticize Benjamin Netanyahu directly over the decision, the prime minister’s principal coalition rival, Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett, characterized the move as a “surrender” to terrorism that had weakened Israel.“Instead of sending a message about Israel’s sovereignty on the Temple Mount, we are sending a message that we can be questioned,” he said.In a rare attack on his party leader, Likud MK Oren Hazan said that Netanyahu “would not be forgiven for capitulating over Israel’s future security.”Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, declared in the wake of the installation of the new measures that he was severing security coordination with Israel. On Thursday he did not immediately say whether the removal of the last remaining installations meant he’d roll back that decision.“The issue of the Al-Aqsa Mosque was only one of the issues that led to the freezing of security coordination,” he said in televised comments. “In light of what is happening in Jerusalem, we continue our research and discussion… meaning, not all things have ended…. There are other issues.”The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism and is revered as the site of the biblical temples. It is also the third-holiest site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina, and is known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif. Under an arrangement in place since Israel captured the Old City in the Six Day War in 1967 and extended its sovereignty there, non-Muslims are allowed access to the site but are forbidden to pray there. Under that status quo, Israel is responsible for security at the site while the Jordanian trust — the Waqf — is in charge of administrative duties.AFP contributed to this report.

REBUILT 3RD TEMPLE

REVELATION 11:1-2
1 And there was given me a(MEASURING) reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out,(TO THE WORLD NATIONS) and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.(JERUSALEM DIVIDED BUT THE 3RD TEMPLE ALLOWED TO BE REBUILT)

DANIEL 9:27
27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

MICAH 4:1-5
1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
2  And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3  And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
4  But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.
5  For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.

DANIEL 11:31
31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.(3RD TEMPLE REBUILT)

DANIEL 12:11
11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away,(AT THE MIDPOINT OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD)(3RD TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED BY DICTATOR) and the abomination that maketh desolate set up,(TO WORSHIP THE DICTATOR OR DIE) there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.(1,290 DAYS)(AN EXTRA 30 DAYS AT THE END OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD FOR JESUS TO DESTROY THE ARMIES AGAINST JERUSALEM.AND TO JUDGE THE SHEEP AND GOAT NATIONS OF MATTHEW 25:31-46-HOW THEY TREATED ISRAEL DURING THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THEN I BELIEVE JESUS WILL REBUILD THE 4TH TEMPLE 25 MILES FROM THE CURRENT TEMPLE MOUNT.AND THEN JESUS RULES FOR THE 1,000 YEARS-THEN FOREVER FROM THAT 4TH TEMPLE.)

MATTHEW 24:15-16
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)(THE DICTATOR SITS IN THE REBUILT 3RD TEMPLE CALLING HIMSELF GOD AT THE MIDPOINT OR 3 1/2 YEAR PERIOD OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.OR 7 YEAR PEACE TREATY BETWEEN ISRAEL-ARABS AND MANY OF DANIEL 9:27)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

Israel removes more security installations outside Temple Mount-Railings, scaffolding for cameras dismantled at entrance to sensitive holy site, a day after metal detectors were taken down-By Times of Israel staff and AFP July 27, 2017, 2:38 am

Israel late Wednesday removed minor security installations, including fairly flimsy metal railings, from an entrance to the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, a sensitive holy site that has been at the center of violence over the past two weeks in the wake of a terror attack in which two Israeli police officers were killed near the compound. The Muslim authorities who administer the site had demanded that the railings be removed, among other steps, in a list given to Israel Police earlier Wednesday.In response to the July 14 attack, in which three Arab Israelis killed the two officers near the Lions Gate with guns they had smuggled into the holy site, Israel installed security measures at the entrances, including metal detectors, which set off protests and deadly unrest in and around East Jerusalem and the West Bank.Early on Tuesday, Israel had removed the metal detectors. Late on Wednesday night, newly installed railings and scaffolding where cameras were previously mounted were also removed from the Lions Gate area near the entrance to the Mount.The removal of the railings and scaffolding late Wednesday prompted celebrations by Palestinians, who danced, whistled and honked their horns near the site.Young Palestinian men set of firecrackers as Israeli forces watched closely.One Palestinian man described the event as a “victory.”This is the mood now. People feel they won fight for #nogates full celebration pic.twitter.com/BYgUwwiqe0— Kaamil Ahmed (@KaamilAhmed) July 26, 2017-“For 12 days no one has slept, no one has done anything except the Al-Aqsa mosque,” Firas Abasi told AFP.A tense standoff has been underway between Israel and Muslim worshipers at the holy site despite the removal of the metal detectors, with concerns of major unrest later this week if no resolution is found.They've removed metal barriers and frame that had been holding cameras outside #alaqsa. Lions Gate appears same as before now pic.twitter.com/OoQ5LOHcqN— Kaamil Ahmed (@KaamilAhmed) July 26, 2017-Muslims have refused to enter the site and have prayed in the streets outside for more than a week after Israel installed the new security measures.It was not immediately clear whether Muslim authorities would now give their approval to re-enter the site. They had demanded that all security changes at access points to the compound be removed, and on Wednesday gave a list of such demands to Israel Police. The list included reopening five gates to the Temple Mount closed in the latest crisis, the removal of five new cameras installed in the Mount area, and the removal of the metal railings placed at the entrances.Palestinians perceived the security measures as a move by Israel to assert further control over the site, a charge Israel has repeatedly denied.Israeli authorities said the metal detectors were needed because the July 14 attackers were able to smuggle guns into the site.Protests and deadly unrest have erupted in the days since the measures were installed, with clashes breaking out around the compound in Jerusalem’s Old City and in the West Bank.Five Palestinians were killed in clashes between Palestinian rioters and Israeli police over the weekend.And I think a lot of people think this is the final farewell as equipment leaves the site pic.twitter.com/HJozZw8al5— Kaamil Ahmed (@KaamilAhmed) July 26, 2017-On Friday night, a Palestinian terrorist broke into a home of a family sitting down for Shabbat dinner in the West Bank settlement of Halamish, stabbing three of the family members to death.The Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas has frozen ties with Israel over the episode, and Abbas on Wednesday approved mass demonstrations on a “day of rage” scheduled for Friday. The Hamas terror group also called for protests on Friday.There have been concerns that Friday’s main weekly Muslim prayers — which typically draw thousands to the al-Aqsa mosque — will lead to more clashes between protesters and Israeli security forces.The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism and is revered as the site of the biblical temples. It is also the third-holiest site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina, and is known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif. Under an arrangement in place since Israel captured Jerusalem’s Old City in the Six Day War in 1967 and extended its sovereignty there, non-Muslims are allowed access to the site but are forbidden to pray there. Under this status quo, Israel is responsible for security at the site while the Jordanian trust — the Waqf — is in charge of administrative duties.

Waqf presents police with list of demands to end protests-Islamic authority wants access to Temple Mount returned to situation before July 14 attack — more gates open, no railings, no cameras-By Avi Issacharoff and Times of Israel staff July 26, 2017, 9:41 pm

The Islamic authority that administers the Temple Mount on Wednesday met with Israeli police representatives and renewed demands to remove all additional security measures placed by Israel at the holy site in the wake of a deadly July 14 attack.According to Palestinian sources, a meeting was held between a representative of the Waqf, which administers the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound atop the Temple Mount, and Jerusalem Police chief Deputy Commissioner Yoram Halevi.Sources said it was the second meeting between the two.The Waqf representative, an attorney charged with carrying out talks with Israeli officials, demanded that conditions at the site “return to what they were before” the July 14 terror attack in which three Israeli Arabs shot dead two Israel police officers with weapons they had smuggled into the site.Israel early on Monday removed metal detector gates it had installed outside the Temple Mount compound, but the Waqf has continued to urge Muslim worshipers to pray outside the site. The list of demands it presented Wednesday includes reopening five gates to the Temple Mount closed in the latest crisis, the removal of five new cameras installed in the Mount area, and the removal of metal railings placed at the entrances.In response, the Israel Police said it maintains regular contact with the Waqf over the situation at the Temple Mount, but denied any negotiations were taking place.With the amended security arrangements ordered by Israel’s cabinet late Monday now completed, the Mount is open to Muslim worshipers, and a few dozen worshipers are visiting the site on a private basis, police said Wednesday.A police spokesperson added that when the Waqf agrees to renew regular prayer at the site, it will enjoy the full cooperation of the authorities.In practice, however, Muslim worshipers have largely stayed away from the compound. Instead, they have held mass prayer protests outside the shrine, many of which devolved into clashes with Israeli security forces.Immediately following the July 14 attack, Israel took the rare step of closing the Temple Mount to Muslim worshipers on a Friday — the holiest day of the week in Islam — in order to search for weapons, before reopening it two days later after installing metal detectors at the entrances to the compound. Previously detectors had only been placed at the Mughrabi Gate, the entrance for non-Muslim visitors.The detectors were removed early Tuesday morning amid intense pressure from the Arab and Muslim world, although metal railings and scaffolding placed by the police in recent days are still in the area where the metal detectors once stood.Israel’s security cabinet said Monday night it would replace the metal detectors with “advanced technologies,” referring reportedly to cameras that can detect hidden objects, but said the process could take up to six months.A Waqf official told The Times of Israel that it was continuing the boycott of the Temple Mount until all security measures added after the attack are removed.The official noted that “the new high-tech cameras” would not be acceptable in place of the metal detectors.Waqf officials also pointed to the increased police presence as an example of security measures they demanded be rolled back along with the metal detectors.Earlier on Wednesday, both Hamas and Fatah called on Palestinians to step up their protests against Israel.At a Gaza military parade, Hamas called for a “day of rage” Friday in the West Bank, urging Palestinians to “respond to the ongoing events in order to deter Israel from continuing its violations against our people and holy places,” according to Channel 2.It was the second week in a row the Palestinian terrorist group made such a call.Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah party also called on its supporters, also for the second week in a row, to take to the streets in Jerusalem and the West Bank on Friday in opposition to the security measures at the holy site.Fatah’s youth movement later issued a statement vowing to expand the “circle of confrontation with the occupation forces, isolation of settlements and the opening of all fronts, in villages, cities and refugee camps.”The statement from the “Shabiba” movement said the planned actions would target all settlements and roads leading to them.

Jerusalem police chief threatens casualties if protests continue-‘Don’t test us,’ Yoram Halevi warns Muslim worshipers after removal of Temple Mount security measures and ahead of Friday prayers-By Raoul Wootliff July 27, 2017, 2:57 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

Following the removal of recently added security infrastructure from entrances to the Temple Mount, Jerusalem police chief Yoram Halevi warned Thursday that further violence over access to the holy site would not be tolerated and threatened that “there will be casualties” if protesters attempt to disrupt the fragile peace.Muslims refused to enter the site for almost two weeks after security equipment, including metal detectors and cameras, was installed in the wake of a shooting attack on July 14, in which three Arab Israelis used weapons smuggled into the sacred compound to kill two Israeli policemen.Speaking at the Western Wall shortly after Muslim leaders declared an end to the boycott of the Temple Mount and announced Friday prayers would go ahead as normal, Halevi said that authorities would do all they could to prevent further unrest but protesters “should not be surprised” if police respond to disturbances with force.“No one should try to test us tomorrow,” he told reporters, promising calm if worshipers follow the instruction of their religious leaders to end the protests. But “if there are people who try tomorrow to disturb the peace, to harm police or citizens, they should not be surprised: There will be casualties and people injured,” he said, reiterating it two more times during the course of his public comments.“Don’t test us, because we know how to respond, and we know how to respond directly and forcefully,” Halevi added emphatically.The removal of the last installations overnight prompted Palestinian crowds to celebrate in the streets near the site. Palestinians had said they viewed them as an assertion of control by Israel, while Israeli authorities said the metal detectors were needed because the July 14 attackers smuggled guns into the compound and emerged from it to shoot the officers.Halevi said that while Friday prayers may see additional “victory celebrations,” Palestinians should keep in mind that police are still in charge of Temple Mount security.“Those who tried to claim differently should know there is Israeli sovereignty on the Mount,” he said. “This is a place that we will protect under all circumstances, at any stage, in any situation.”Despite the reduction in security measures, the police chief promised not to back down on checking worshipers entering the compound. “We will check anyone suspicious, anyone who we think could disturb the peace, anyone who could be an attacker. They will be stopped at the gate, they will be checked as we have done in the past,” Halevi said.The tense standoff between Israel and Muslim worshipers at the site has persisted despite the removal of metal detectors on Tuesday — Muslims said they would not return to the Mount until all of the new security measures were rolled back — sparking concerns of major unrest surrounding Friday prayers.Deadly unrest erupted with the introduction of the new measures, with clashes breaking out around the compound and in the West Bank, leaving five Palestinians dead. A Palestinian also broke into a home in a settlement in the West Bank last week and stabbed four members of the Salomon family, killing three of them.The decision to remove the new security measures was met with harsh criticism from both the Israeli right — which blasted it as a capitulation — and the left, which argued the measures shouldn’t have been introduced to begin with.Responding to reports that police opposed the removal of the increased security measures, Halevi did little to deny the disagreements but said that it was not his place to question orders.“We are people of uniform, people of action, and we will carry out the operational directions of the political echelon,” he said. “Of course, we also have our opinion and we have made that known but we follow the directions we are given.”The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism and is revered as the site of the biblical temples. It is also the third-holiest site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina, and is known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif. Under an arrangement in place since Israel captured the Old City in the Six Day War in 1967 and extended its sovereignty there, non-Muslims are allowed access to the site but are forbidden to pray there. Under that status quo, Israel is responsible for security at the site while the Jordanian trust — the Waqf — is in charge of administrative duties.

At the Temple Mount, it’s not about metal detectors, it’s about sovereignty-Abbas is calling for a return to the way things were before July 14’s deadly attack in which two Israeli cops were killed. The worshiper-protesters on the streets of the Old City have more ambitious goals-By Dov Lieber July 26, 2017, 4:44 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

The Israeli government missed the point of Palestinian anger directed at metal detectors placed at entrances to the Temple Mount and, having misdiagnosed the situation, made a decision that failed to resolve the crisis and has only made it worse. At least, that’s what many of the Muslim protesters in the streets of Jerusalem’s Old City have been saying since the metal detectors were removed early Tuesday morning.Israel thought it was making a concession by removing the detectors, which were installed after three Arab Israelis carried out a shooting attack at the Temple Mount, killing two policemen with weapons they had smuggled into Al-Aqsa Mosque. Instead, the security cabinet decided advanced monitoring equipment, at the cost of NIS 100 million (around $27 million), would eventually take their place. This would make physical access for Muslim worshipers to the mosque easier and quicker, and make the area outside the holy site look less like a military checkpoint.However, on Tuesday and Wednesday, many protesters in the Old City repeated the same line: “The smart cameras are worse.” Worse, they explained, because such cameras represent a more sophisticated way of controlling the entrances to the Temple Mount.And therein lies the real issue: The initial quarrel over metal detectors has evolved into a battle over sovereignty at what is possibly the world’s most sensitive holy site.Complicating matters for Israel is the fact that the thousands of Palestinians heading to pray in the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem every day have no clear leader.While the Jerusalem Waqf — a branch of the Jordanian government that administers Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem — may have initiated the boycott of the Temple Mount in protest at the metal detectors, the situation has spiraled out of its control.On Tuesday morning, for example, the head of the Waqf, Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib al-Tamimi, told The Times of Israel that no decision had been made about whether it would accept alternative security arrangements being put in place by Israel, including “smart cameras.”The Waqf tried to buy time by saying it would wait to make a decision until a full assessment of Israeli measures taken inside and at the entrances to the Temple Mount had been completed.But worshipers in the streets of the Old City that morning had already made up their minds. Some thought the smart cameras had already been set up. Many said they believed these cameras would show their naked bodies, or perhaps give them cancer. Whatever these cameras could or couldn’t do, many agreed, they couldn’t be tolerated.In Ramallah, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas waited until 7 p.m. to announce what had already been established on the streets in Jerusalem: No cameras, and no increased police presence at the site. Either things go back to the way they were at the Temple Mount before July 14 or, Abbas said, he would continue to freeze contacts with Israel, including security coordination.The protesters in Jerusalem are fond of saying that they are neither Fatah (Abbas’s party) nor rival party Hamas. They are, rather, they say, “the street, the people, the Jerusalemites. ”The Waqf, many have said this week, is no longer pulling the strings. It’s now the street controlling the Waqf.As one worshiper at nighttime prayers outside the Mount put it on Tuesday, “Do we have a leader? Yes. The unified voice of the people.”Because this is a clash over sacred space, the protests are more religious than nationalist in nature. Many Palestinians have become tired of politics, but their religion and its symbols remain a force of mass mobilization.Underlining this, Tuesday night saw the largest crowd of worshipers since the start of the crisis gather in the streets of the Old City and outside the Lions Gate for evening and nighttime prayers. When the evening prayers finished around 8 p.m., the mass of people waited around another hour and a half for the next prayer service to begin.Self-made preachers took up microphones, railing against “Jewish” measures at Al-Aqsa, and led chants with clear religious overtones.“We will not kneel, for Mohammad is our leader.”“Khayber, Khayber, Oh Jews, the army of Mohammad will return.” (Khayber was an Arabian Jewish town whose residents were slaughtered by Mohammad in the seventh century.) I asked one worshiper about the significance of this chant. “It’s a promise for the future,” he said.“Of war?” I asked. “Yes, of war.”Another man explained that the current Temple Mount crisis was the fulfillment of a Quranic prophecy about a struggle between Jews and Muslims at Al-Aqsa.That the current protests are literally just prayer services — at least before some of them devolve into clashes — adds to the religious fervor.For one whole minute during the Tuesday evening service, the crowd chanted “Oh God, Oh God” repeatedly with the fear of losing of Al-Aqsa likely at the forefront of its thoughts — however improbable this seems to Israelis, and no matter how many times Israel promises it won’t change the status quo at the site.Outside lions gate now. pic.twitter.com/wxwhwdtitv— Dov Lieber (@DovLieber) July 25, 2017-While five Palestinians died in clashes with Israeli security forces around Jerusalem on Friday and Saturday, and the Palestinian terrorist who killed three members of the Salomon family in Halamish on Friday night cited a determination to assert Muslim sovereignty at Al-Aqsa, the prayer-protests inside the Old City, just outside the Temple Mount, have been relatively peaceful.For the most part, the worshipers come, pray and, eventually, go home. But minor clashes have broken out almost every night; small incidents, such as a single water bottle being thrown into the air, can lead to police taking action, including with the use of stun grenades, sending thousands running in every direction.On Tuesday night, some in the crowd said this could all end if Israel fully restored conditions at the Temple Mount entrances to the July 14 status quo ante. But others believed it was too late for that now.Mohammas Rowais, from Ras al-Amud, said goals now included “for the police to be completely removed from the site, and for religious Jews to stop going up there.”“Maybe,” he added, more analytically than provocatively, “this is the beginning of a new uprising.”

Hamas declares Temple Mount ‘victory,’ calls new ‘day of rage’-Palestinian terror group joins Fatah in urging protests Friday against new security measures at Jerusalem holy site-By Times of Israel staff July 26, 2017, 5:05 pm

Some 2,000 members of the Hamas terror group marched in the Gaza Strip Wednesday to mark “victory” after Israel removed contested metal detectors from entrances to the Temple Mount a day earlier in a bid to calm tensions.The group also called for a fresh “day of rage” throughout the West Bank on Friday to protest continued Israeli security measures at the site.The group urged Palestinians to “respond to the ongoing events in order to deter Israel from continuing its violations against our people and holy places,” according to Israel’s Channel 2.It was the second week in a row the Palestinian terrorist group made such a call.On Wednesday, the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah party also called on its supporters, for the second week in a row, to take to the streets in Jerusalem and the West Bank on Friday in opposition to the security measures at the holy site.Fatah’s Central Committee said that it would continue protests over the security measures and called for this week’s Friday prayers to again take place outside of the compound.On Friday, a West Bank teenage terrorist affiliated with Hamas stabbed to death three members of a family having Shabbat dinner in their home in the settlement of Halamish, having written a Facebook post protesting the “defiling” of Al-Aqsa by Jews.The terror attack came during a weekend that saw violent clashes throughout the West Bank, with five Palestinians killed.Muslim worshipers have stayed out of the sacred Jerusalem compound since Israel installed metal detectors there last week, in the wake of a July 14 terror attack carried out with guns that had been smuggled onto the site. Instead, they have performed mass prayer protests outside the shrine, some of which devolved into clashes with Israeli security forces.Immediately following the shooting, Israel took the rare step of closing the Temple Mount to Muslim worshipers on a Friday — the holiest day of the week in Islam — in order to search for weapons, before reopening it two days later after installing metal detectors at the entrances to the compound. Previously detectors had only been placed at the Mughrabi Gate, the entrance for non-Muslim visitors.The detectors were removed early Tuesday morning amid intense pressure from the Arab and Muslim world, although metal railings and scaffolding placed by the police in recent days are still in the area where the metal detectors once stood, and Muslims have continued to stay away in protest.Early Tuesday, Israel’s security cabinet said it would replace the metal detectors with “advanced technologies,” referring reportedly to cameras that can detect hidden objects, but said the process could take up to six months.A Waqf official told The Times of Israel that it was continuing the boycott of the Temple Mount until all security measures added after the attack are removed.The official noted that “the new high tech cameras” would not be acceptable in place of the metal detectors.Waqf officials pointed to the increased police presence as an example of security measures they demanded be rolled back along with the metal detectors.Abbas said on Tuesday he would maintain a freeze on security coordination with Israel — an unprecedented step imposed in the wake of the placement of the metal detectors — “unless all measures go back to what they were before July 14.”The security cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians, in place for years despite near-frozen diplomatic ties, is seen as critical for both Israel and Abbas’s Fatah faction to keep a lid on violence in the West Bank, particularly from Hamas.Dov Lieber contributed to this report.

In bitter tirade, Jordan king slams Netanyahu’s ‘political showmanship’-Abdullah II calls for Israeli security guard to be prosecuted, says PM’s embracing him after embassy shooting ‘threatens regional security’-By Raphael Ahren July 27, 2017, 6:15 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Thursday launched a bitter tirade against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “absolutely unacceptable” warm reception of an Israeli security guard in Amman who shot dead two Jordanian citizens his week after one of them had attacked him with a screwdriver.The king called for the security guard to be tried and accused Netanyahu of “political showmanship” and of using “this crime to score personal political points,” after the Israeli leader posted photos of himself embracing the guard.The monarch also threatened the affair would have a negative affect on bilateral ties between Amman and Jerusalem.He also appeared to take sole credit for resolving the standoff between Israel and angry Muslim worshipers at the Temple Mount.“The Israeli prime minister is required to honor his responsibilities and take the necessary legal measures to ensure that the killer is tried and justice is served, rather than exhibiting political showmanship in dealing with this crime to score personal political points,” Abdullah said at a National Policies Council meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace, west of Amman.“Such conduct is utterly rejected and provocative. It angers us all, threatens regional security, and fuels extremism. It is absolutely unacceptable,” he said.On Tuesday, Netanyahu hosted the security guard, “Ziv” (whose last name has not been cleared for publication), and Israel’s ambassador to Jordan, Einat Shlain, in his Jerusalem office.“I am happy to see you here and that things ended the way they did. You acted well, calmly, and we also had an obligation to get you out,” Netanyahu said.Photos of the meeting, including some of Netanyahu hugging the security guard, were widely publicized by the Prime Minister’s Office, including via his Arabic language social media accounts.Citing self-defense, the security guard had shot dead a 19-year-old who was repairing furniture in his apartment adjacent to the embassy and attacked him. The landlord, who was also present, was hit by a bullet and later died of his wounds. The guard was accredited as an Israeli diplomat and thus was protected from arrest and interrogation. But the Jordanian authorities initially refused to let him and other embassy staff leave the country.Only after US intervention did Amman relent, allowing the Israelis to leave Jordan. However, Jordan said the Israeli diplomats will not be allowed to return unless the guard is put on trial, Jordanian media reported Thursday.In the presence of several top officials, King Abdullah on Thursday vowed to “dedicate all the efforts and resources of the Jordanian state to ensure that justice takes its course.”King Abdullah II: Israeli PM’s conduct is rejected & provocative. It angers us all, threatens regional security & fuels extremism #Jordan— RHC (@RHCJO) July 27, 2017-“And Israel’s handling of the case at the embassy, the killing of Judge Raed Zuaiter [who owned the apartment the Israeli guard lived on], and other cases will have a direct impact on our relations,” he added.The king said that Jordan “managed the crisis” surrounding the Temple Mount and succeeded in reopening the Al-Aqsa Mosque there “in its entirety through our common stand with our Palestinian brethren.”Also on Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman took credit for getting Israel to remove all the security measures it had installed after a July 14 terror attack on the holy site. It was the king’s outreach to US President Donald Trump that moved the Israelis to give in in the two-week long standoff, Riyadh claimed.

Leamington, Ont., Anglican church opens doors to Muslim worshippers-Relationship with Syrian refugees created strong bond between Christian and Muslim communities-Updated: Jul 27, 2017 12:15 PM ET

Muhammad Asghar kneeled on the floor alongside a couple of dozen fellow Muslims last week silently praying. When he looked up and turned his head, he smiled at the Anglican priest kneeling behind him."To my amazement, he came and joined me in the prayer," Asghar said.A Christian clergyman kneeling inside a mosque would normally be an unusual occurrence, but in Leamington — the small farming community in southwestern Ontario — it's become a common sight.Asghar and many others regularly pray at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, where the Muslim community has set up a mosque, thanks to a deal worked out between the two religious communities.-St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church-The emerging relationship between the groups can set an example for the entire community, said Taha Halabi, who also regularly attends prayer."We tried to show the community in Leamington, and everywhere in Ontario, that Muslims and Christians are hand to hand," he said.The arrangement started in September when the church invited Syrian refugees to its annual picnic. Everyone who showed up liked the community hall, which is regularly rented out to a host of different groups.At the time, Rev. Andrew Wilson offered the space to be used as a mosque after learning the Muslim community had been renting a tiny location that was not big enough for their needs.By the month of Ramadan, which started in late May, the hall was rented to serve as a mosque, and hundreds came to worship during the time of fasting. The mosque now regularly has 30 to 40 people coming in for the prayer service.For Wilson, the storyline smacks of the CBC television series Little Mosque on the Prairie."It's almost the exact same story," he said. "That always makes me giggle. We're kind of imitating art in a sort of way."-Learning from one another-Najam Jutt, who helps lead the prayers at the Leamington mosque, has heard of other churches and mosques sharing locations in an effort to help each other out."We absolutely love it," he said. "It highlights how we all work together for a common cause."-Muhammad Asghar-Muhammad Asghar and many others regularly pray at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, where the Muslim community has set up a mosque.When Asghar moved to Leamington from Toronto last month, he suspected the small town would not have a place for him to pray."I was so concerned that we did not have a mosque here in this area," he said. "I was amazed from the response from the church, response from the community."Parishioners at the Anglican church have welcomed their new tenants. Charlotte McDonald has been going to St. John the Evangelist for more than 50 years."We've welcomed refugees into our country as our brothers, sisters, neighbours and friends, and this is an opportunity to invite them into our church as well," she said.She too hopes people in the region can learn from the example the two communities have shown."We cannot gain peace in this world, until we can live together with one another in one community," she said. "That's just reaching out and saying here we are together — brothers and sisters of this Earth, regardless of religion, creed, colour, it doesn't matter."

U.S.-South Korean military chiefs discuss military options: U.S. military-[Reuters]-yahoonews-July 28, 2017

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. and South Korean military officials discussed military options after North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Friday, a spokesman for the top U.S. general said.Marine General Joseph Dunford was joined by the Commander of U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris, when they called General Lee Sun-jin, chairman of the South Korean Joint Chief of Staff."During the call Dunford and Harris expressed the ironclad commitment to the U.S.-Republic of Korea alliance. The three leaders also discussed military response options," said Captain Greg Hicks, a spokesman for Dunford.(Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by James Dalgleish)

North Korea fires missile, possibly ICBM, into sea off east coast-[Reuters]-By Jack Kim and Elaine Lies-yahoonews-July 28, 2017

SEOUL/TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea fired a missile on Friday in an unusual late-night test launch, and details from Japanese, South Korean and U.S. officials suggested it was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).Following the launch, South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered discussions to be held with the United States on deploying additional THAAD anti-missile defense units, his office said.The launch from North Korea's northern Jangang province took place at 11:41 p.m. (1441 GMT), an official at South Korea's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.The U.S. Defense Department confirmed the launch. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the missile flew for about 45 minutes before apparently landing in the waters of Japan's exclusive economic zone."As a result of their launches of ICBM-level missiles, this clearly shows the threat to our nation's safety is severe and real," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.Abe said he would convene Japan's National Security Council.Following a meeting of South Korea's National Security Council, Moon said he wanted the United Nations Security Council to discuss new and stronger sanctions against the North, the presidential Blue House said.The European Union called the launch "an outright violation" of international obligations and a "serious threat" to international peace and security, and urged North Korea to engage in dialogue to pursue denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini would discuss the matter with the foreign ministers of South Korea and other partners at the ASEAN ministerial meeting in Manila on Aug 6-7.-'U.S. CITIES WITHIN RANGE'-Japanese broadcaster NHK, citing a military official, said the missile reached an altitude of more than 3,000 km (1,860 miles).South Korean military said the missile was believed to be an ICBM-class, flying more than 1,000 km and reaching an altitude of 3,700 km. In Washington, the U.S. Pentagon also said it had assessed that the missile was an ICBM.Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said the launch had been expected and took place from Mupyong-ni, an arms plant in northern North Korea. Davis said the launch did not pose a threat to North America.The data on the trajectory indicate the missile was fired at a sharply lofted angle but packed more power than a missile launched earlier this month that U.S and South Korean officials said was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), potentially capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.Jeffrey Lewis of the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies said the launch showed Los Angeles was within range of a North Korean missile, with Chicago, New York and Washington DC just out of reach."They may not have demonstrated the full range. The computer models suggest it can hit all of those targets," he said.The North claimed after the July 4 launch that it had successfully tested an ICBM that flew 933 km (580 miles), reaching an altitude of 2,802 km over a flight time of 39 minutes and able to carry a large and heavy nuclear warhead.The night launch, which was not unprecedented, was significant in demonstrating the ability to disguise the launch, Lewis said."A launch from an unexpected place at night demonstrates that we can't find the missile before they fire it. My guess is the North Koreans wanted to show us that they weren't trying to hide the launch, but can if they want," Lewis said.(Reporting by Jack Kim in Seoul, Elaine Lies and William Mallard in Tokyo, Idrees Ali and David Brunnstrom in Washington, Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and John Stonestreet)

N. Korea throws down gauntlet to Trump with second ICBM test-[AFP]-Park Chan-Kyong-yahoonews-July 28, 2017

Seoul (AFP) - North Korea on Friday carried out what appeared to be its second test this month of an intercontinental ballistic missile, doubling down on its threat to develop a nuclear strike capability against the US mainland in the face of severe warnings from President Donald Trump.South Korean, US and Japanese monitors all detected the unusual late-night test, with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying the missile may have landed within Japan's maritime exclusive economic zone."We assess that this missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile," Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said, adding that the projectile travelled about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) before splashing down in the Sea of Japan.However, the Russian military said the launch appeared to be a "medium-range" ballistic missile.The launch came a day after North Korea celebrated what it calls "Victory Day" -- the anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Pyongyang regularly times its missile tests to coincide with symbolic dates.Condemnation was swift with Japan's top government spokesman, calling Friday's test another clear violation of UN resolutions."Our country will never tolerate it and made a severe protest to North Korea, condemning it in the strongest words," Suga said.In Seoul and Tokyo, the governments convened meetings of their national security councils.South Korean President Moon Jae-In said Seoul would respond with a "strong military show of force," including joint South Korea-US missile tests, according to a statement from the presidential Blue House.- Further sanctions -US military and South Korean intelligence officials had in recent days warned that North Korea appeared to be prepping another missile test -- likely of an ICBM.The ICBM test on July 4 had triggered global alarm, with experts saying the missile had a theoretical range to reach Alaska.North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, who personally oversaw that launch on America's Independence Day, described it as a gift to the "American bastards."It sent tensions soaring in the region, pitting Washington, Tokyo and Seoul against China, Pyongyang's last remaining major ally.The United States instigated a push at the United Nations for tougher measures against Pyongyang, with US President Donald Trump saying he was considering a "pretty severe" response.Joel Wit, a senior fellow at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University and an expert on the North's nuclear weapons programme, said Friday's launch confirmed time was running out for Washington to find a way out of a pressing security crisis."Another North Korean test of what appears to be a missile that can reach the United States further emphasises the need for the Trump administration to focus like a laser on this increasingly dangerous situation," Wit said on the institute's 38 North website.Friday's launch came just hours after the US Senate passed bipartisan sanctions on Pyongyang, and Japan slapped its own sanctions on two Chinese firms, including a bank accused of laundering North Korean cash.North Korea's accelerated drive towards a credible nuclear strike capability poses a thorny policy challenge for Trump, who is at loggerheads with Beijing over how to handle Kim Jong-Un's regime."It's clear Kim Jong-Un remains undeterred by the threat of tightened sanctions, and is not listening to its one major ally, China. The longer the world waits to deal with North Korea, the more advanced Pyongyang's arsenal will become," said Jean Lee at the Wilson Center thinktank.Trump has repeatedly urged Pyongyang's chief backer Beijing to rein the Stalinist state in, but Beijing insists dialogue is the only practical way forward.There remain doubts whether the North can miniaturise a nuclear weapon to fit a missile nose cone, or if it has mastered the technology needed for the projectile to survive re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.But since Kim came to power there has been a series of technical advances, including three nuclear tests and a string of missile launches.- 'Frustrating' -Reacting to Friday's launch, United Nations spokesman Farhad Haq said it was "frustrating" that the UN secretary general's calls for all sides to de-escalate tensions on the Korean peninsula had gone unheeded.In an apparent reference to China, Haq said it was important for all parties to "use their particular influence to help resolve this."In all, six sets of UN sanctions have been imposed on North Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006, but two resolutions adopted last year significantly toughened the sanctions regime.Meanwhile, the US military is preparing to conduct another test of a missile-intercept system in Alaska, perhaps as soon as Saturday.