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
Israel’s UN envoy blasts discovery of Gaza tunnel under UNRWA school-Danny Danon says underground passage shows Hamas using international facilities as 'terror bases' and children as 'human shields'-By TOI staff-OCT 29,17
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon on Sunday blasted the discovery of a tunnel underneath a Gaza school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, accusing the Hamas terror organization of using UNRWA facilities as “terror bases” and Gazan children as “human shields.”“Yet another terror tunnel under an UNRWA schoolyard. This is what Hamas rule looks like and this is more proof of the double war crime committed as terror tunnels are built to attack Israelis, while using the children of Gaza as human shields,” said Danon in a statement.“We cannot accept a situation in which UNRWA schools are used as terror bases. This dangerous incident must not be ignored and strict oversight is needed to ensure that UN facilities are not used to protect terrorists,” he added.Since the discovery some two weeks ago, UNRWA closed the school and sealed off the opening to the tunnel. The school resumed operations last Wednesday, the UN organization said in a statement on Saturday.The statement did not say where the tunnel led, where it was found, or who was believed to have constructed it.“The presence of a tunnel underneath an UNRWA installation, which enjoys inviolability under international law, is unacceptable. It places children and agency staff at risk,” the UN agency said.UNRWA informed Israel’s Coordinator of the Government Activities in the Territories, IDF Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, of the incident and also lodged a complaint with the relevant authorities in Gaza over the violation of the neutrality of a UN facility, according to a Sunday report from the Hebrew-language Ynet website.Over the years, Gaza’s Hamas terrorist rulers have built a labyrinth of tunnels, some passing under the border into Israel which they used to launch attacks during their last conflict with the Jewish state in 2014.On June 1, UNRWA said it found “part of a tunnel that passes under two adjacent agency schools in the Maghazi camp” during construction work.At the time, Danon submitted a letter of protest to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council.Hamas later “strongly condemned” the UNRWA revelation, saying it would be exploited by Israel to “justify its crimes.”The terror group denied it built the tunnel and said it had clarified the issue “with all factions and resistance forces, who clearly stated they had no actions related to the resistance in the said location.”UNRWA has long been criticized by Israel for aspects of its handling of relations with Hamas, and Israel has claimed that some of UNRWA’s Palestinian employees support terrorist activities and spread anti-Semitism online.An independent UN inquiry found in 2015 that Palestinian armed groups hid weapons in three empty UN-run schools in Gaza and that in at least two cases terrorists “probably” fired rockets at Israel from the facilities during the summer war in 2014 between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu meets with US envoys for peace talks ‘check-in’-Senior Trump administration official says new Israeli legislation to expand Jerusalem's municipal boundaries was not discussed-By TOI staff and Raphael Ahren-OCT 29,17
United States Special Middle East Envoy Jason Greenblatt and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his Jerusalem office Sunday as part of the Trump administration’s continued efforts to restart peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.A senior US official told The Times of Israel the meeting was “a general check-in on peace conversations.”The official said the controversial proposed Israeli legislation to expand the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem to include West Bank settlements was not discussed.Greenblatt has traveled to the region numerous times to meet with Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, and Jordanian officials on a new peace push, whose parameters have not yet been announced. The Trump administration has openly made clinching an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal a priority, while stressing negotiations would take time and refraining from strong criticism of Israeli settlement activity.Earlier Sunday, a Trump administration official found fault with the “Greater Jerusalem” bill, which was removed from the agenda of a key ministerial panel on Saturday night at the prodding of the US.“It’s fair to say that the US is discouraging actions that it believes will unduly distract the principals from focusing on the advancement of peace negotiations. The Jerusalem expansion bill was considered by the administration to be one of those actions,” the US official told The Times of Israel.The statement came hours after coalition chairman David Bitan (Likud) told Army Radio a vote on the bill in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday was delayed because “there is American pressure claiming this is annexation.”The proposed bill calls for expanding the Jerusalem municipal boundaries to include four major settlements and a settlement bloc in the West Bank that are home to more than 100,000 Israelis. It aims to solidify the city’s Jewish majority, but stops short of formal annexation, making the practical implications unclear. The bill says the communities would be considered “daughter municipalities” of Jerusalem.Under the same proposal, some 100,000 Palestinians living in neighborhoods outside the security barrier would be removed from the city’s census and given a new municipality.Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement watchdog group, says the bill would amount to “de facto annexation,” and be a clear step toward full annexation of the West Bank.Agencies contributed to this report.
Israel advocacy group honors Mexican diplomat who protested UNESCO vote-Andres Roemer, fired after walking out of vote on resolution denying Jewish ties to Jerusalem, receives award from StandWithUs in LA-By JTA-OCT 29,17
RIO DE JANEIRO — Mexico’s former UNESCO ambassador, who was fired last year for walking out of a vote on an anti-Israel resolution effectively denying Jewish ties to Jerusalem, was honored in LA.Andres Roemer received the Guardian of Truth and History Award from StandWithUS during a ceremony held Friday in Los Angeles, reported the Milenio news website.“More important than education is critical thinking. Many people with many academic degrees and educational degrees have voted, supported and made terrible leaders rise to power. It does not matter if they are right or left. It does not matter if they are Trump, Chavez, Maduro or Pol Pot. The followers end up being the leaders,” Roemer, who is Jewish, said during his speech.Thanks very much!!! ¡Muchas gracias! @StandWithUs por su aprecio y reconocimiento. Enorme responsabilidad y gratitud-por siempre.Gratitude-In October 2016, the Latin American diplomat risked his position by walking out of a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization vote at its headquarters in Paris — leaving his deputy to cast the country’s vote — in a personal protest against the UNESCO resolution denying Jewish ties to Jerusalem.StandWithUs was founded in 2001 and currently has a global presence with 16 offices in the United States, Israel and the United Kingdom. Its main activity is to train Israeli speakers and advocates with a wide variety of materials, resources and tools in order to effectively combat the growing anti-Israel campaigns.-In July, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Roemer in Jerusalem.“Last year, I received many expressions of sympathy and support from the Jewish and also the Christian world, but today’s meeting was particularly touching for me,” Roemer said at the time, according to a statement by Israel’s ambassador to UNESCO, Carmel Shama-Hacohen, who organized the meeting.In May, the Mexican-Jewish diplomat received the International Sephardic Leadership Award from the American Sephardic Federation.
Kurdish leader Barzani, architect of independence vote, to step down-Announcement by president of autonomous region in Iraq comes after loss of territory and oilfields due to 'yes' vote in referendum-By AFP-OCT 29,17
IRBIL, Iraq — Massoud Barzani, the president of the autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq, told a closed-door session of parliament Sunday he was stepping down amid the fallout from a controversial independence referendum.“After November 1, I will no longer exercise my functions, and I reject any extension of my mandate,” the 71-year-old said in a letter read out to parliament in the Kurdish capital Erbil, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.“Changing the law on the presidency of Kurdistan or prolonging the presidential term is not acceptable,” said the architect of the September 25 independence vote, which led to the Kurds losing to Baghdad’s forces disputed territory and oilfields to which they laid claim.“I ask parliament to meet to fill the vacancy in power, to fulfill the mission and to assume the powers of the presidency of Kurdistan,” said the letter.Barzani also said he would “remain a peshmerga (Kurdish fighter) among the ranks of the people of Kurdistan and I will continue to defend the achievements of the people of Kurdistan.”Sunday’s parliamentary session was held behind closed doors because of “sensitive questions” that would be discussed, deputies said earlier.Officials from Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) had told journalists ahead of the session that the letter to be read out would announce he was stepping aside.-Simmering tensions-Barzani’s letter was sent to parliament to decide on the provisional redistribution of the presidency’s powers until a presidential election, for which a date has yet to be fixed.November 1 had originally been slated for both presidential and legislative elections in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, but these were postponed in the political and military chaos that followed the referendum — which returned a massive “yes” to independence.The start of Sunday’s parliamentary session was postponed several times amid political tensions.The opposition Goran party which had sought Barzani’s resignation and a “government of national salvation” opposes the redistribution of the presidency’s powers proposed by the major Kurdish parties, the KDP and its rival Kurdish Patriotic Union (PUK), deputies said.Barzani “symbolizes the failure of Kurdish politics, and the only thing left for him to do is to issue a public apology,” Goran MP Rabun Maarouf said before the session began.Barzani had come under growing opposition from his detractors after he organized the September 25 referendum on Kurdish independence that triggered a deep crisis with Baghdad.The federal government deemed the vote unconstitutional, and its forces have since seized a swath of disputed territory in the north from Kurdish fighters.Territory reclaimed from the Kurds in the sweeping operation included key oilfields in and around the disputed province of Kirkuk.-Push for dialogue-The loss of the oilfields, which provided income that would have been critical to an independent Kurdish state, sparked recriminations among the Kurds.Political life in Kurdistan is dominated by the KDP and PUK of Iraq’s late president Jalal Talabani.Iraq’s current president, Fuad Masum, is also a PUK member and had backed a push for dialogue between the Kurds and Baghdad before the referendum.After the vote, Masum said the referendum had triggered the assault on Kirkuk.Iraq’s neighbors Turkey and Iran, which have their own Kurdish minorities, also strongly opposed the non-binding vote, and Ankara on Thursday said the Iraqi Kurdish offer for the referendum to be frozen was “not enough,” instead urging the Erbil government to cancel it.French President Emmanuel Macron has urged dialogue between Baghdad and the Kurds, telling Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in a phone call Saturday that “everything possible should be done to avoid fighting between Iraqis,” the presidency in Paris said.Barzani’s move on Sunday comes with Abadi’s forces engaged in battles in the west with holdout jihadists of the Islamic State group, assaulting what the premier called “the last den of terrorism in Iraq,” Al-Qaim on the border with Syria.
US official: Jerusalem expansion bill ‘distracts’ parties from peace-Legislation to expand capital's municipal boundaries to absorb West Bank settlements stalled due to American pressure-By TOI staff and Raphael Ahren-OCT 29,17
A senior US official on Sunday criticized proposed Israeli legislation that seeks to absorb a number of West Bank settlements into Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries.“It’s fair to say that the US is discouraging actions that it believes will unduly distract the principals from focusing on the advancement of peace negotiations. The Jerusalem expansion bill was considered by the administration to be one of those actions,” the US official told The Times of Israel.The statement came hours after coalition chairman David Bitan (Likud) told Army Radio a vote on the “Greater Jerusalem” bill in the key Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday was delayed because “there is American pressure claiming this is annexation.”The proposed bill calls for expanding the Jerusalem municipal boundaries to include four major settlements and a settlement bloc in the West Bank that are home to more than 100,000 Israelis. It aims to solidify the city’s Jewish majority, but stops short of formal annexation, making the practical implications unclear. The bill says the communities would be considered “daughter municipalities” of Jerusalem.Under the same proposal, some 100,000 Palestinians living in neighborhoods outside the security barrier would be removed from the city’s census and given a new municipality.The Haaretz daily quoted Netanyahu as saying Israel needs to coordinate the bill with the US.“The Americans turned to us and inquired what the bill was about. As we have been coordinating with them until now, it is worthwhile (to continue) talking and coordinating with them. We are working to promote and develop the settlement enterprise,” it quoted Netanyahu as saying at a government meeting Sunday.Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement watchdog group, says the bill would amount to “de facto annexation” and be a clear step toward full annexation of the West Bank.Netanyahu had previously indicated that he would give his backing for the proposal to absorb Ma’ale Adumim, Beitar Illit and Efrat, along with the Etzion bloc of settlements, into the Jerusalem municipality.Israel captured East Jerusalem, the Old City and the West Bank from Jordan in 1967, and extended sovereignty to the Old City and East Jerusalem in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.Most countries also consider the West Bank settlements illegal under international law, as well as the formal annexation of land seized during war. Israel officially maintains that the settlements are not illegal, because the land is disputed rather than occupied.Israeli leaders on both the left and the right maintain that the largest settlement blocs in the West Bank will become part of Israel via land swaps under any future peace deal.Agencies contributed to this report.
Coalition whip: Jerusalem bill delayed over US pressure, annexation fears-David Bitan says Washington sees the legislation as an effort by Jerusalem to extend its sovereignty to settlements near the capital-By AP and TOI staff-OCT 29,17
An Israeli lawmaker said Sunday that pressure from the United States led Israel to delay a vote on a bill that would absorb a number of West Bank settlements into Jerusalem.David Bitan, the Likud party’s parliamentary whip and a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Army Radio the vote in the key Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday was delayed because “there is American pressure claiming this is annexation.”The bill aims to solidify the city’s Jewish majority, but stops short of formal annexation, making the practical implications unclear. The bill says the communities would be considered “daughter municipalities” of Jerusalem.The Palestinians claim both East Jerusalem and the West Bank, territories captured by Israel in the 1967 war, as part of their future state, a position that has wide international backing. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally and maintains the settlement blocs will be retained in any future peace deal.The Haaretz daily quoted Netanyahu as saying Israel needs to coordinate the bill with the US.“The Americans turned to us and inquired what the bill was about. As we have been coordinating with them until now, it is worthwhile (to continue) talking and coordinating with them. We are working to promote and develop the settlement enterprise,” it quoted Netanyahu as saying at a government meeting Sunday.Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement watchdog group, says the bill would amount to “de facto annexation” and be a clear step toward full annexation of the West Bank.US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Jason Greenblatt, has been shuttling throughout the region in hopes of restarting peace talks, which last collapsed in 2014.But in contrast to the Obama administration, Trump has not explicitly endorsed a Palestinian state. He also has shown some tolerance for settlement construction, urging Israel to show restraint but saying a complete halt is unnecessary.Israel says the fate of the settlements, home to more than 600,000 Israelis, should be decided through peace talks along with other core issues like security.
Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of blocking Yemen peace-Charging Tehran with smuggling arms to Houthi rebels, Saudi FM calls Islamic Republic 'the greatest sponsor of terrorism in the world'-By AFP-OCT 29,17
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia on Sunday accused Iran of blocking peace efforts in Yemen, slamming its political archrival over support for the Yemeni rebels Riyadh is fighting against.Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir accused Tehran of smuggling arms to Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebels, who control northern Yemen, and to the rebels’ ally former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.“Iran is destroying all attempts to find a solution in Yemen, which has led to the failure of all political negotiations between the government and these militias,” Jubeir told a gathering in the Saudi capital of foreign ministers and military officials from countries including Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Senegal.“These militias would not have continued operations without the support of the greatest sponsor of terrorism in the world — the Iranian regime,” Jubeir said.The Yemen war has claimed more than 8,600 lives since a regional military coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, joined the Yemeni government’s fight against the rebels in 2015.A cholera outbreak has also claimed more than 2,100 lives since April as hospitals struggle to secure supplies amid a blockades on ports and the country’s main international airport.The United Nations has warned Yemen now stands at the brink of famine.Both sides in the Yemen conflict have come under harsh criticism for their neglect of civilian safety, but the Saudi-led coalition has in particular been accused of bombing schools, markets and hospitals in support of Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.The United Nations this month placed the coalition on a blacklist over its “killing and maiming of children.”Sunday’s gathering in Riyadh comes a week after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Gulf officials in the Saudi capital for talks that largely focused on Iran’s role across the region.The UN Human Rights Council in September agreed to send a group of experts to investigate alleged violations and abuses in Yemen, overcoming strong resistance by Saudi Arabia’s representative.
Hundreds of thousands rally in Barcelona for Spanish unity-Pro-union demonstrators call for defending Spain's integrity a day after Madrid ousts Catalan leader over independence declaration-By Aritz Parra, Elena Becatoros and Joseph Wilson-TOI-OCT 29,17
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Hundreds of thousands who want Catalonia to remain part of Spain rallied in downtown Barcelona on Sunday, two days after a separatist majority in Catalonia’s parliament exacerbated a political crisis by voting for the wealthy region to secede.Organizers say the march’s goal is to defend Spain’s unity and reject “an unprecedented attack in the history of democracy.” Leaders of rival pro-union parties from the ruling conservatives, the pro-business liberals and the socialists have joined together under the slogan “We are all Catalonia. Common sense for coexistence!”Rally organizers Societat Civil Catalana, the leading pro-union grassroots group, said that over 1 million people turned out for the march that maintained a festive mood without any incidents reported.Police haven’t yet provided a crowd estimate.Many demonstrators waving Spanish, Catalan and European Union flags flooded a central boulevard. Some held hand-made signs and banners reading “We won’t let Spain to be torn apart into pieces” and “The awakening of a silenced nation.”“Catalan leaders have broken the law. The central government has let this situation go for too long, for even 30 or 40 years, thinking that we were never going to arrive to this extreme, but here we are,” said Angelita Cuesta, a 66-year-old retiree.“Our society is fractured, there are family members and friends who no longer can talk about politics to avoid conflict.”Three weeks ago, the same group organized a mass rally that brought hundreds of thousands onto Barcelona’s streets. That was by far the largest pro-union show of force in Catalonia in recent years, in contrast to huge rallies by separatists.“We have organized ourselves late, but we are here to show that there is a majority of Catalans that are no longer silent and that no longer want to be silenced,” Societat Civil Catalana president Alex Ramos said.Members of Spain’s central government, including Health Minister Dolors Montserrat, and Enric Millo, who is Madrid’s representative in Catalonia, also attended Sunday’s rally. No major pro-independence marches were expected.Catalonia’s separatist leader, who was fired along with his regional government on Saturday, has called for Catalans to engage in peaceful opposition to Spain’s crackdown to keep the country together.The vote by pro-independence lawmakers Friday in favor of secession, and Madrid’s response triggering unprecedented constitutional powers taking control of Catalan affairs, was the climax of Spain’s worst political crisis in decades.Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy also dissolved Catalonia’s parliament and called a new regional election for December 21.Separatists only won 48 percent of the vote in Catalonia in the last regional election in 2015, although they took more seats because of Spanish election law which gives more weight to sparsely populated areas.The top politicians for pro-union parties wanted to use Sunday’s rally as a launchpad for the critical elections in just over six weeks.“It’s time to take over the streets and take over the ballot boxes,” said Albert Rivera, the leader of the center-right Citizens party.Oriol Junqueras, the ousted vice president of Catalonia’s rebellious government, wrote in an open letter in Catalan newspaper El Punt-Avui on Sunday that separatists should consider participating in the elections. That was in response to some secessionists who argue to boycott them.The Catalan parliament’s vote to secede came after an illegal October 1 referendum in Catalonia in favor of independence. Spain’s constitutional court had outlawed the vote, and local opponents to secession had boycotted the process after separatists violated parliament rules to push through its convocation.Voting on the day itself was marred by violence when national police clashed with people attempting to cast their ballots, in what was widely seen in the region as a heavy-handed response by Spanish police. But Spain’s government said that the police response was proportionate to the resistance that officers met.Ousted Catalan president Carles Puigdemont issued a televised message Saturday saying that he and other regional officials fired by Madrid would keep “working to build a free country.” His comments were a veiled refusal to accept his Cabinet’s dismissal as ordered by central authorities.Following their official dismissal, Puigdemont and the 12 members who until Saturday made up the Catalan Cabinet are no longer paid.Spain’s government has said they could be charged with usurping others’ functions if they refuse to obey, which could throw the region into further turmoil by prolonging a monthlong standoff.Separately, a Belgian government official said Sunday it would be “not unrealistic” for Puigdemont to ask for asylum, and warned it would create serious diplomatic difficulties with fellow European Union member state Spain.Asylum State Secretary Theo Francken said on Twitter that “it is possible to ask for asylum as an EU subject” in Belgium, adding it was up to independent asylum authorities whether to grant it.The 28-nation EU is considered a bloc where the rule of law applies and granting asylum based on arguments that repression would endanger the full exercise of one’s rights would be exceptional.“If you assess the situation at this stage, including the prison terms and the repression from Madrid,” Francken told VTM network, “there is the question whether a person like that can get a fair trial, of course.”In another tweet, he stressed Belgium wasn’t seeking such a scenario. “I am not rolling out the welcome mat,” he said.In the past, some Basque separatists have asked for asylum in Belgium and weren’t extradited to Spain, causing years of friction.
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
Israel’s UN envoy blasts discovery of Gaza tunnel under UNRWA school-Danny Danon says underground passage shows Hamas using international facilities as 'terror bases' and children as 'human shields'-By TOI staff-OCT 29,17
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon on Sunday blasted the discovery of a tunnel underneath a Gaza school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, accusing the Hamas terror organization of using UNRWA facilities as “terror bases” and Gazan children as “human shields.”“Yet another terror tunnel under an UNRWA schoolyard. This is what Hamas rule looks like and this is more proof of the double war crime committed as terror tunnels are built to attack Israelis, while using the children of Gaza as human shields,” said Danon in a statement.“We cannot accept a situation in which UNRWA schools are used as terror bases. This dangerous incident must not be ignored and strict oversight is needed to ensure that UN facilities are not used to protect terrorists,” he added.Since the discovery some two weeks ago, UNRWA closed the school and sealed off the opening to the tunnel. The school resumed operations last Wednesday, the UN organization said in a statement on Saturday.The statement did not say where the tunnel led, where it was found, or who was believed to have constructed it.“The presence of a tunnel underneath an UNRWA installation, which enjoys inviolability under international law, is unacceptable. It places children and agency staff at risk,” the UN agency said.UNRWA informed Israel’s Coordinator of the Government Activities in the Territories, IDF Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, of the incident and also lodged a complaint with the relevant authorities in Gaza over the violation of the neutrality of a UN facility, according to a Sunday report from the Hebrew-language Ynet website.Over the years, Gaza’s Hamas terrorist rulers have built a labyrinth of tunnels, some passing under the border into Israel which they used to launch attacks during their last conflict with the Jewish state in 2014.On June 1, UNRWA said it found “part of a tunnel that passes under two adjacent agency schools in the Maghazi camp” during construction work.At the time, Danon submitted a letter of protest to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council.Hamas later “strongly condemned” the UNRWA revelation, saying it would be exploited by Israel to “justify its crimes.”The terror group denied it built the tunnel and said it had clarified the issue “with all factions and resistance forces, who clearly stated they had no actions related to the resistance in the said location.”UNRWA has long been criticized by Israel for aspects of its handling of relations with Hamas, and Israel has claimed that some of UNRWA’s Palestinian employees support terrorist activities and spread anti-Semitism online.An independent UN inquiry found in 2015 that Palestinian armed groups hid weapons in three empty UN-run schools in Gaza and that in at least two cases terrorists “probably” fired rockets at Israel from the facilities during the summer war in 2014 between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu meets with US envoys for peace talks ‘check-in’-Senior Trump administration official says new Israeli legislation to expand Jerusalem's municipal boundaries was not discussed-By TOI staff and Raphael Ahren-OCT 29,17
United States Special Middle East Envoy Jason Greenblatt and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his Jerusalem office Sunday as part of the Trump administration’s continued efforts to restart peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.A senior US official told The Times of Israel the meeting was “a general check-in on peace conversations.”The official said the controversial proposed Israeli legislation to expand the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem to include West Bank settlements was not discussed.Greenblatt has traveled to the region numerous times to meet with Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, and Jordanian officials on a new peace push, whose parameters have not yet been announced. The Trump administration has openly made clinching an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal a priority, while stressing negotiations would take time and refraining from strong criticism of Israeli settlement activity.Earlier Sunday, a Trump administration official found fault with the “Greater Jerusalem” bill, which was removed from the agenda of a key ministerial panel on Saturday night at the prodding of the US.“It’s fair to say that the US is discouraging actions that it believes will unduly distract the principals from focusing on the advancement of peace negotiations. The Jerusalem expansion bill was considered by the administration to be one of those actions,” the US official told The Times of Israel.The statement came hours after coalition chairman David Bitan (Likud) told Army Radio a vote on the bill in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday was delayed because “there is American pressure claiming this is annexation.”The proposed bill calls for expanding the Jerusalem municipal boundaries to include four major settlements and a settlement bloc in the West Bank that are home to more than 100,000 Israelis. It aims to solidify the city’s Jewish majority, but stops short of formal annexation, making the practical implications unclear. The bill says the communities would be considered “daughter municipalities” of Jerusalem.Under the same proposal, some 100,000 Palestinians living in neighborhoods outside the security barrier would be removed from the city’s census and given a new municipality.Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement watchdog group, says the bill would amount to “de facto annexation,” and be a clear step toward full annexation of the West Bank.Agencies contributed to this report.
Israel advocacy group honors Mexican diplomat who protested UNESCO vote-Andres Roemer, fired after walking out of vote on resolution denying Jewish ties to Jerusalem, receives award from StandWithUs in LA-By JTA-OCT 29,17
RIO DE JANEIRO — Mexico’s former UNESCO ambassador, who was fired last year for walking out of a vote on an anti-Israel resolution effectively denying Jewish ties to Jerusalem, was honored in LA.Andres Roemer received the Guardian of Truth and History Award from StandWithUS during a ceremony held Friday in Los Angeles, reported the Milenio news website.“More important than education is critical thinking. Many people with many academic degrees and educational degrees have voted, supported and made terrible leaders rise to power. It does not matter if they are right or left. It does not matter if they are Trump, Chavez, Maduro or Pol Pot. The followers end up being the leaders,” Roemer, who is Jewish, said during his speech.Thanks very much!!! ¡Muchas gracias! @StandWithUs por su aprecio y reconocimiento. Enorme responsabilidad y gratitud-por siempre.Gratitude-In October 2016, the Latin American diplomat risked his position by walking out of a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization vote at its headquarters in Paris — leaving his deputy to cast the country’s vote — in a personal protest against the UNESCO resolution denying Jewish ties to Jerusalem.StandWithUs was founded in 2001 and currently has a global presence with 16 offices in the United States, Israel and the United Kingdom. Its main activity is to train Israeli speakers and advocates with a wide variety of materials, resources and tools in order to effectively combat the growing anti-Israel campaigns.-In July, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Roemer in Jerusalem.“Last year, I received many expressions of sympathy and support from the Jewish and also the Christian world, but today’s meeting was particularly touching for me,” Roemer said at the time, according to a statement by Israel’s ambassador to UNESCO, Carmel Shama-Hacohen, who organized the meeting.In May, the Mexican-Jewish diplomat received the International Sephardic Leadership Award from the American Sephardic Federation.
Kurdish leader Barzani, architect of independence vote, to step down-Announcement by president of autonomous region in Iraq comes after loss of territory and oilfields due to 'yes' vote in referendum-By AFP-OCT 29,17
IRBIL, Iraq — Massoud Barzani, the president of the autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq, told a closed-door session of parliament Sunday he was stepping down amid the fallout from a controversial independence referendum.“After November 1, I will no longer exercise my functions, and I reject any extension of my mandate,” the 71-year-old said in a letter read out to parliament in the Kurdish capital Erbil, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.“Changing the law on the presidency of Kurdistan or prolonging the presidential term is not acceptable,” said the architect of the September 25 independence vote, which led to the Kurds losing to Baghdad’s forces disputed territory and oilfields to which they laid claim.“I ask parliament to meet to fill the vacancy in power, to fulfill the mission and to assume the powers of the presidency of Kurdistan,” said the letter.Barzani also said he would “remain a peshmerga (Kurdish fighter) among the ranks of the people of Kurdistan and I will continue to defend the achievements of the people of Kurdistan.”Sunday’s parliamentary session was held behind closed doors because of “sensitive questions” that would be discussed, deputies said earlier.Officials from Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) had told journalists ahead of the session that the letter to be read out would announce he was stepping aside.-Simmering tensions-Barzani’s letter was sent to parliament to decide on the provisional redistribution of the presidency’s powers until a presidential election, for which a date has yet to be fixed.November 1 had originally been slated for both presidential and legislative elections in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, but these were postponed in the political and military chaos that followed the referendum — which returned a massive “yes” to independence.The start of Sunday’s parliamentary session was postponed several times amid political tensions.The opposition Goran party which had sought Barzani’s resignation and a “government of national salvation” opposes the redistribution of the presidency’s powers proposed by the major Kurdish parties, the KDP and its rival Kurdish Patriotic Union (PUK), deputies said.Barzani “symbolizes the failure of Kurdish politics, and the only thing left for him to do is to issue a public apology,” Goran MP Rabun Maarouf said before the session began.Barzani had come under growing opposition from his detractors after he organized the September 25 referendum on Kurdish independence that triggered a deep crisis with Baghdad.The federal government deemed the vote unconstitutional, and its forces have since seized a swath of disputed territory in the north from Kurdish fighters.Territory reclaimed from the Kurds in the sweeping operation included key oilfields in and around the disputed province of Kirkuk.-Push for dialogue-The loss of the oilfields, which provided income that would have been critical to an independent Kurdish state, sparked recriminations among the Kurds.Political life in Kurdistan is dominated by the KDP and PUK of Iraq’s late president Jalal Talabani.Iraq’s current president, Fuad Masum, is also a PUK member and had backed a push for dialogue between the Kurds and Baghdad before the referendum.After the vote, Masum said the referendum had triggered the assault on Kirkuk.Iraq’s neighbors Turkey and Iran, which have their own Kurdish minorities, also strongly opposed the non-binding vote, and Ankara on Thursday said the Iraqi Kurdish offer for the referendum to be frozen was “not enough,” instead urging the Erbil government to cancel it.French President Emmanuel Macron has urged dialogue between Baghdad and the Kurds, telling Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in a phone call Saturday that “everything possible should be done to avoid fighting between Iraqis,” the presidency in Paris said.Barzani’s move on Sunday comes with Abadi’s forces engaged in battles in the west with holdout jihadists of the Islamic State group, assaulting what the premier called “the last den of terrorism in Iraq,” Al-Qaim on the border with Syria.
US official: Jerusalem expansion bill ‘distracts’ parties from peace-Legislation to expand capital's municipal boundaries to absorb West Bank settlements stalled due to American pressure-By TOI staff and Raphael Ahren-OCT 29,17
A senior US official on Sunday criticized proposed Israeli legislation that seeks to absorb a number of West Bank settlements into Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries.“It’s fair to say that the US is discouraging actions that it believes will unduly distract the principals from focusing on the advancement of peace negotiations. The Jerusalem expansion bill was considered by the administration to be one of those actions,” the US official told The Times of Israel.The statement came hours after coalition chairman David Bitan (Likud) told Army Radio a vote on the “Greater Jerusalem” bill in the key Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday was delayed because “there is American pressure claiming this is annexation.”The proposed bill calls for expanding the Jerusalem municipal boundaries to include four major settlements and a settlement bloc in the West Bank that are home to more than 100,000 Israelis. It aims to solidify the city’s Jewish majority, but stops short of formal annexation, making the practical implications unclear. The bill says the communities would be considered “daughter municipalities” of Jerusalem.Under the same proposal, some 100,000 Palestinians living in neighborhoods outside the security barrier would be removed from the city’s census and given a new municipality.The Haaretz daily quoted Netanyahu as saying Israel needs to coordinate the bill with the US.“The Americans turned to us and inquired what the bill was about. As we have been coordinating with them until now, it is worthwhile (to continue) talking and coordinating with them. We are working to promote and develop the settlement enterprise,” it quoted Netanyahu as saying at a government meeting Sunday.Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement watchdog group, says the bill would amount to “de facto annexation” and be a clear step toward full annexation of the West Bank.Netanyahu had previously indicated that he would give his backing for the proposal to absorb Ma’ale Adumim, Beitar Illit and Efrat, along with the Etzion bloc of settlements, into the Jerusalem municipality.Israel captured East Jerusalem, the Old City and the West Bank from Jordan in 1967, and extended sovereignty to the Old City and East Jerusalem in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.Most countries also consider the West Bank settlements illegal under international law, as well as the formal annexation of land seized during war. Israel officially maintains that the settlements are not illegal, because the land is disputed rather than occupied.Israeli leaders on both the left and the right maintain that the largest settlement blocs in the West Bank will become part of Israel via land swaps under any future peace deal.Agencies contributed to this report.
Coalition whip: Jerusalem bill delayed over US pressure, annexation fears-David Bitan says Washington sees the legislation as an effort by Jerusalem to extend its sovereignty to settlements near the capital-By AP and TOI staff-OCT 29,17
An Israeli lawmaker said Sunday that pressure from the United States led Israel to delay a vote on a bill that would absorb a number of West Bank settlements into Jerusalem.David Bitan, the Likud party’s parliamentary whip and a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Army Radio the vote in the key Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday was delayed because “there is American pressure claiming this is annexation.”The bill aims to solidify the city’s Jewish majority, but stops short of formal annexation, making the practical implications unclear. The bill says the communities would be considered “daughter municipalities” of Jerusalem.The Palestinians claim both East Jerusalem and the West Bank, territories captured by Israel in the 1967 war, as part of their future state, a position that has wide international backing. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally and maintains the settlement blocs will be retained in any future peace deal.The Haaretz daily quoted Netanyahu as saying Israel needs to coordinate the bill with the US.“The Americans turned to us and inquired what the bill was about. As we have been coordinating with them until now, it is worthwhile (to continue) talking and coordinating with them. We are working to promote and develop the settlement enterprise,” it quoted Netanyahu as saying at a government meeting Sunday.Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement watchdog group, says the bill would amount to “de facto annexation” and be a clear step toward full annexation of the West Bank.US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Jason Greenblatt, has been shuttling throughout the region in hopes of restarting peace talks, which last collapsed in 2014.But in contrast to the Obama administration, Trump has not explicitly endorsed a Palestinian state. He also has shown some tolerance for settlement construction, urging Israel to show restraint but saying a complete halt is unnecessary.Israel says the fate of the settlements, home to more than 600,000 Israelis, should be decided through peace talks along with other core issues like security.
Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of blocking Yemen peace-Charging Tehran with smuggling arms to Houthi rebels, Saudi FM calls Islamic Republic 'the greatest sponsor of terrorism in the world'-By AFP-OCT 29,17
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia on Sunday accused Iran of blocking peace efforts in Yemen, slamming its political archrival over support for the Yemeni rebels Riyadh is fighting against.Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir accused Tehran of smuggling arms to Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebels, who control northern Yemen, and to the rebels’ ally former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.“Iran is destroying all attempts to find a solution in Yemen, which has led to the failure of all political negotiations between the government and these militias,” Jubeir told a gathering in the Saudi capital of foreign ministers and military officials from countries including Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Senegal.“These militias would not have continued operations without the support of the greatest sponsor of terrorism in the world — the Iranian regime,” Jubeir said.The Yemen war has claimed more than 8,600 lives since a regional military coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, joined the Yemeni government’s fight against the rebels in 2015.A cholera outbreak has also claimed more than 2,100 lives since April as hospitals struggle to secure supplies amid a blockades on ports and the country’s main international airport.The United Nations has warned Yemen now stands at the brink of famine.Both sides in the Yemen conflict have come under harsh criticism for their neglect of civilian safety, but the Saudi-led coalition has in particular been accused of bombing schools, markets and hospitals in support of Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.The United Nations this month placed the coalition on a blacklist over its “killing and maiming of children.”Sunday’s gathering in Riyadh comes a week after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Gulf officials in the Saudi capital for talks that largely focused on Iran’s role across the region.The UN Human Rights Council in September agreed to send a group of experts to investigate alleged violations and abuses in Yemen, overcoming strong resistance by Saudi Arabia’s representative.
Hundreds of thousands rally in Barcelona for Spanish unity-Pro-union demonstrators call for defending Spain's integrity a day after Madrid ousts Catalan leader over independence declaration-By Aritz Parra, Elena Becatoros and Joseph Wilson-TOI-OCT 29,17
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Hundreds of thousands who want Catalonia to remain part of Spain rallied in downtown Barcelona on Sunday, two days after a separatist majority in Catalonia’s parliament exacerbated a political crisis by voting for the wealthy region to secede.Organizers say the march’s goal is to defend Spain’s unity and reject “an unprecedented attack in the history of democracy.” Leaders of rival pro-union parties from the ruling conservatives, the pro-business liberals and the socialists have joined together under the slogan “We are all Catalonia. Common sense for coexistence!”Rally organizers Societat Civil Catalana, the leading pro-union grassroots group, said that over 1 million people turned out for the march that maintained a festive mood without any incidents reported.Police haven’t yet provided a crowd estimate.Many demonstrators waving Spanish, Catalan and European Union flags flooded a central boulevard. Some held hand-made signs and banners reading “We won’t let Spain to be torn apart into pieces” and “The awakening of a silenced nation.”“Catalan leaders have broken the law. The central government has let this situation go for too long, for even 30 or 40 years, thinking that we were never going to arrive to this extreme, but here we are,” said Angelita Cuesta, a 66-year-old retiree.“Our society is fractured, there are family members and friends who no longer can talk about politics to avoid conflict.”Three weeks ago, the same group organized a mass rally that brought hundreds of thousands onto Barcelona’s streets. That was by far the largest pro-union show of force in Catalonia in recent years, in contrast to huge rallies by separatists.“We have organized ourselves late, but we are here to show that there is a majority of Catalans that are no longer silent and that no longer want to be silenced,” Societat Civil Catalana president Alex Ramos said.Members of Spain’s central government, including Health Minister Dolors Montserrat, and Enric Millo, who is Madrid’s representative in Catalonia, also attended Sunday’s rally. No major pro-independence marches were expected.Catalonia’s separatist leader, who was fired along with his regional government on Saturday, has called for Catalans to engage in peaceful opposition to Spain’s crackdown to keep the country together.The vote by pro-independence lawmakers Friday in favor of secession, and Madrid’s response triggering unprecedented constitutional powers taking control of Catalan affairs, was the climax of Spain’s worst political crisis in decades.Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy also dissolved Catalonia’s parliament and called a new regional election for December 21.Separatists only won 48 percent of the vote in Catalonia in the last regional election in 2015, although they took more seats because of Spanish election law which gives more weight to sparsely populated areas.The top politicians for pro-union parties wanted to use Sunday’s rally as a launchpad for the critical elections in just over six weeks.“It’s time to take over the streets and take over the ballot boxes,” said Albert Rivera, the leader of the center-right Citizens party.Oriol Junqueras, the ousted vice president of Catalonia’s rebellious government, wrote in an open letter in Catalan newspaper El Punt-Avui on Sunday that separatists should consider participating in the elections. That was in response to some secessionists who argue to boycott them.The Catalan parliament’s vote to secede came after an illegal October 1 referendum in Catalonia in favor of independence. Spain’s constitutional court had outlawed the vote, and local opponents to secession had boycotted the process after separatists violated parliament rules to push through its convocation.Voting on the day itself was marred by violence when national police clashed with people attempting to cast their ballots, in what was widely seen in the region as a heavy-handed response by Spanish police. But Spain’s government said that the police response was proportionate to the resistance that officers met.Ousted Catalan president Carles Puigdemont issued a televised message Saturday saying that he and other regional officials fired by Madrid would keep “working to build a free country.” His comments were a veiled refusal to accept his Cabinet’s dismissal as ordered by central authorities.Following their official dismissal, Puigdemont and the 12 members who until Saturday made up the Catalan Cabinet are no longer paid.Spain’s government has said they could be charged with usurping others’ functions if they refuse to obey, which could throw the region into further turmoil by prolonging a monthlong standoff.Separately, a Belgian government official said Sunday it would be “not unrealistic” for Puigdemont to ask for asylum, and warned it would create serious diplomatic difficulties with fellow European Union member state Spain.Asylum State Secretary Theo Francken said on Twitter that “it is possible to ask for asylum as an EU subject” in Belgium, adding it was up to independent asylum authorities whether to grant it.The 28-nation EU is considered a bloc where the rule of law applies and granting asylum based on arguments that repression would endanger the full exercise of one’s rights would be exceptional.“If you assess the situation at this stage, including the prison terms and the repression from Madrid,” Francken told VTM network, “there is the question whether a person like that can get a fair trial, of course.”In another tweet, he stressed Belgium wasn’t seeking such a scenario. “I am not rolling out the welcome mat,” he said.In the past, some Basque separatists have asked for asylum in Belgium and weren’t extradited to Spain, causing years of friction.
