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
Ignoring elephant in the room, Hamas-Fatah talks advance with Egyptian help-Head of Fatah faction says time not ripe to discuss dissolving Hamas's armed wing, as Cairo reportedly plans US-backed international conference in Sharm el-Sheikh-By Dov Lieber-TOI-October 11, 2017, 3:24 pm
Reconciliation talks between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah are for now ignoring the thorny issue of the future of the terror group’s military wing and weaponry, and with the help of Egypt are concentrating first on asserting the Palestinian Authority’s power in the Gaza Strip, including control over the border with Egypt, according to statements by officials and Arabic media reports.On Wednesday, Azzam al-Ahmad, the official leading the Fatah faction’s delegation, told the Pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat that “Egypt has made unprecedented efforts towards the reconciliation…due to the changing regional and international political stances.”Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has thrown his weight behind the talks, saying last week that Palestinian reconciliation is “preparation for a just peace between Palestinian and Israeli sides.”The talks began in the headquarters of the Egyptian intelligence in Cairo on Tuesday and will last for two-three days, a Fatah spokesperson said.On Tuesday, Ahmad said “empowering the government in Gaza” would be the main point of the current talks.The Palestinian daily al-Quds reported on Wednesday that Egypt presented each side with 22 items for dealing with this stage of the reconciliation process, including a US-backed international conference in the Egyptian town Sharm el-Sheikh, with a regional presence.The Egyptians reportedly also proposed a new round of talks in Cairo in a month, which would be followed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas spending a a few days in his presidential headquarters in Gaza.Lastly, the al-Quds report said Egypt plans to reopen its embassy in Gaza, which will include a security attache who will facilitate solving security issues between the two sides. The Egyptian delegation in Gaza would also help facilitate movement through the Rafah border crossing, as well as help to solve the electricity and water crises currently plaguing the Strip.Gaza currently receives just several hours of electricity a day after Abbas decided in March to reduce funding to the Strip by around 22 percent, in an attempt to coerce the Hamas terror group into ceding power.According to the Asharq al-Awsat report, in this first round of negotiations, Hamas is aiming to reverse some of the measures enacted by the PA through the reduced funding, including those affecting thousands of Gaza government employees who had their salaries slashed or were fired.A Fatah official in Cairo, Samih Barzaq, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the measures taken by the PA against Gaza employees would be lifted “very soon.”The two sides remain sharply at odds, however, over the future of Hamas’s 25,000-strong armed wing, which the terror group says is nonnegotiable.Abbas has said he won’t allow any unity government to be formed without all Palestinian weapons coming under the control of the PA.Meanwhile, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said the weapons of the “resistance” — referring to the terror group’s army — would not be given up until the conflict with Israel is ended.Haniyeh did say, however, that the decision of whether to go to war with Israel would be a collective Palestinian decision.On the issue of Hamas’s weapons, Ahmad, who is in charge of the reconciliation issue for Fatah, said it was not necessary to discuss the matter at this stage.“We have crystal clear agreements before and after the division, and there is no need to talk about unnecessary things such as the weapons of resistance and the employees. These are obstacles that aim to spread frustration and despair,” he told the Palestinian news site Quds Press on Monday.Both sides have agreed that their 2011 Cairo agreement, which calls for the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections, and the restructuring of security services, would serve as the framework for the current talks.Mirroring Haniyeh’s statement, Ahmad added: “The decision of the type of resistance is a national decision, not a sectarian one, and no one has the right to take the decision to wage war alone.”While acknowledging that the issue of the employees was an “obstacle,” Ahmad said it would be “solved within four months.”The Islamists of the Hamas terror group and the West Bank-based Fatah movement of Abbas have been at odds since they fought a near civil war in 2007.Multiple previous attempts at reconciliation have failed but the latest Egyptian-led push received a major boost last month when Hamas agreed to cede civil power in Gaza.The talks follow a key breakthrough last week when Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah visited Hamas-run Gaza for the first time since 2015 and his ministers officially took control of government departments there.Senior figures in the Fatah delegation that went to Egypt include intelligence chief Majed Faraj and Fayez Abu Eita, a party leader in the Gaza Strip, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa said.Newly appointed Hamas deputy leader Salah al-Aruri, who in recent years served as the terror group’s head of West Bank operations, and the organization’s Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar are leading the Hamas delegation, a spokesman said.Times of Israel staff and AFP contributed to this report.
UNESCO delays anti-Israel resolutions as it picks new head-Israeli envoy praises diplomatic efforts to push off measures, but says Israel cannot 'rest on its laurels' ahead of next summit-By Alexander Fulbright and Raphael Ahren -TOI-October 11, 2017, 6:04 pm
The United Nations cultural arm unanimously agreed to delay voting on a pair of anti-Israel resolutions on Wednesday, as the body convened at a summit this week to pick a new head.The delay of the measures was a significant diplomatic achievement for Israel, with the Foreign Ministry noting it was the first time no anti-Israel resolutions were passed at a UNESCO session since 2011.Israel’s Ambassador to UNESCO praised the decision to push off the votes and the Israeli efforts behind it, but said Israel would need to continue to be vigilant ahead of the next time the body meets.“The achievement today was the fruit of three years of hard, exhausting and frustrating diplomatic work,” Carmel Shama-Hacohen said in a statement. “From this moment on we have already turned to the next round and there is no reason to rest on our laurels.”The resolutions approved Wednesday, known as 202 EX/39 and 202 EX/38, pushed off the two anti-Israel items until UNESCO’s next session in April 2018.While Israel was concerned Iran would scupper the agreement to postpone the measures, the decision to delay them was approved unanimously.One of the resolutions postponed on Wednesday is similar to one passed in May that downplays Jewish links to Jerusalem. The other resolution levels a host of accusations against Israel, including “Israeli army violations against Palestinian universities and schools” and calling on Jerusalem to “cease all of its settlement activities.”While praising the cooperation between countries to delay the resolutions, Jordan’s ambassador to UNESCO said the items would appear on the agenda of the body’s next meeting because of the “legitimacy” of their content.Echoing the Jordanian ambassador, the Palestinian envoy to UNESCO said the delay was meant to “avoid unnecessary tension” but stressed the need for the measures to counter Israel’s “occupation.”The US ambassador to UNESCO praised the body’s decision to not adopt “such one-sided and decisive resolution(s)” and said while the US remains committed to solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, any solution “must be negotiated directly between the two parties.”The American envoy also said the US hopes the selection of a new director-general of UNESCO would help ” build a more constructive process here that addresses the fundamental concerns of all, avoids further damage to the credibility of UNESCO, and supports broader efforts toward peace in the region.”During the meeting in Paris this week, UNESCO members have been voting on a replacement for the body’s outgoing head Irina Bokova.As of Tuesday, Qatari diplomat Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kawari has emerged as the leading contender, while France’s Audrey Azoulay, a former culture minister like al-Kawari, was in second place among the six candidates still in the running.Shama-Hacohen bemoaned the results of the first round of voting on Monday, which saw al-Kawari take the most votes, saying it was “bad news for the organization and unfortunately also for Israel.”However, he also stressed that “anything can happen” and that the first round doesn’t necessarily indicate who will win. He pointed out that current head Irina Bokova only won seven votes in the first round of voting when she was elected.Delegates will continue to vote every day this week until one candidate receives a majority of votes. If, by the fourth round of voting, to be held on Thursday, no candidate has received a majority, only the top two candidates from that round of voting will be put forward for a final vote Friday.Bokova’s tenure has been marred by funding troubles and tension over its inclusion of the Palestinians as members.Israel and its staunch ally the United States have condemned UNESCO over what they say is an ingrained anti-Israel bias.Intense diplomatic wrangling has marked the race among seven candidates to become the next director-general of UNESCO. Arab countries have long wanted to lead the organization, though divisions over Palestinian membership have complicated their push.UNESCO infuriated Israel and the US by granting full membership to Palestine in 2011.Both countries suspended their funding to the agency — best known for its prestigious World Heritage List — over the move.Most recently, the Paris-based body delighted Palestinians when it declared the Old City of Hebron in the West Bank an endangered world heritage site. It has also passed several resolutions ignoring Jewish ties to Jerusalem, drawing Israeli officials’ fury.Israeli officials have stepped up lobbying at the world body in recent years, charging it with passing one-sided resolutions that obsessively target Israel. Bokova had also criticized anti-resolutions proposed by Arab states.Times of Israel staff and AFP contributed to this report.
Rejecting Israeli charges, Lebanese Army asserts it’s independent from Hezbollah-Defense Minister Liberman alleges state military takes its orders from Iran-backed terror group; Lebanese Army source asks if he knows something the US and UK, which fund it, don't-By Dov Lieber-TOI-October 11, 2017, 12:40 pm
A Lebanese military source on Tuesday rebuffed claims by Israel’s defense minister that the Lebanese Army is controlled by the Hezbollah terror group, saying such a statement “cannot be taken seriously.”Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on Tuesday said the next war in Israel will see the Israel Defense Forces fighting against a coordinated Syrian-Lebanese front as well as on the southern front with Hamas-controlled Gaza. He added that the Lebanese army has been fully integrated with Hezbollah and follows Hezbollah’s orders. “The Lebanese army has become an integral part of the Hezbollah apparatus under its command,” Liberman said.Speaking to the Lebanese daily Al Joumhouria, the Lebanese military source said Liberman’s statements were “totally contrary to reality” and “hold contradictions up to a degree that they cannot be taken seriously.”The source asserted that “the Lebanese army has total independence and is subject to the decisions of the political authority, and its leadership is the sole arbiter of its military policy.”“The United States and the United Kingdom provide generous military assistance to the Lebanese army and they ensure its continued armament and express their confidence in it. Would London and Washington arm Hezbollah, in accordance with Liberman’s words?” the source asked. “And does [Liberman] have data that these two large countries do not?”On Tuesday, the United States offered up to $12 million to whoever can help it apprehend two Hezbollah leaders. Washington said it believes the Lebanese terror group is seeking to carry out attacks on US soil.Recently, Israeli officials have warned that any attack by Hezbollah, which has seats in the Lebanese parliament, would be seen by Israel as an attack by Lebanon.The Lebanese source stated Lebanon’s army “has proven its readiness to defend the eastern border from terror and is also prepared to defend the southern border if Israel decides to launch any war against Lebanon… Our basic mission is to protect all of Lebanon and the army has no interest in building the fronts or fighting across the border.”The source argued Liberman was conflating Hezbollah with the Lebanese army in order to justify attacks on state infrastructure and institutions in the event of a war.Although Israeli and Syrian forces clashed in Lebanon during the 1982 First Lebanon War, the two countries have not fought across their common border since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.Israel last fought a full-scale war with Hezbollah in 2006’s Second Lebanon War, and tensions have remained high even as the northern border has remained relatively quiet in the past decade.Hezbollah is believed to have an arsenal of between 100,000 and 150,000 short-, medium- and long-range missiles and a fighting force of some 50,000 soldiers, including reservists.A Hezbollah commander said last month that the group has more than 10,000 fighters in southern Syria ready to confront Israel. Hezbollah has been fighting on behalf of the Syrian regime as it tries to suppress a six-year-long insurgency.Israel worries Hezbollah and its backer Iran could launch a war against the Jewish state from southern Syria.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Is this huge inscription our missing link to the biblical ‘Sea Peoples’?-Newly rediscovered 29-meter-long hieroglyphic text from Turkey depicts the fall of the Hittite Empire. But only if it's authentic. And the original has disappeared-By Amanda Borschel-Dan-TOI-October 11, 2017, 5:00 pm
It’s either an intricate forgery, or the archaeological find of the decade. A team of scholars of the ancient Luwian language have deciphered a 29-meter-long hieroglyphic inscription from the Late Bronze Age more than 3,000 years ago, which is the only contemporary account of the fall of the Hittite Empire and the rapacious conquering of the biblical “Sea Peoples” as far south as Ashkelon.And the back story of what may prove to be a missing link in the understanding of Levantine civilization is equally interesting.Only in June of this year, Swiss geoarcheologist Dr. Eberhard Zangger, president of the Luwian Studies foundation, was made aware of a 15-centimeter stack of documents — illustrations and translation notes — about the limestone frieze which was originally found in 1878 in the village of Beyköy, approximately 34 kilometers north of Afyonkarahisar in modern Turkey.The longest known hieroglyphic inscription from the Bronze Age has disappeared, however, and is said to be under lock and key in a Turkish national collection at an undisclosed location. What remains is an illustration copy created by the French archeologist Georges Perrot based on stones retrieved by local peasants during the 1878 dig. Subsequently, the villagers apparently used the stones as the foundation of their local mosque.In the 1950s, the inscription resurfaced when a joint Turkish-United States team of Luwian scholars sat to translate the myriad inscriptions which had been found in the 19th century and had sat in the Ottoman Empire collections. The scholars’ team disbanded in 1984 and their findings were never published. As they died, their work was almost forgotten.In 2012, the final scholar, the English prehistorian James Mellaart died. While desposing of his estate, son Alan found the documents surrounding this inscription and gave them to Zangger in June. A first publication in the TALANTA archaeological journal based on initial findings is due to be published in December. There, Zangger and the Dutch linguist and Luwian language expert Dr. Fred Woudhuizen “will present a transcription, a translation, a detailed commentary, and the remarkable research history of the find,” according to a press release from the Luwian Foundation.In a brief conversation with The Times of Israel, Zangger emphasized that there’s an unfinished argument over whether the inscription is authentic or not. While more research is needed, especially since the original frieze is unavailable to scholars, he said, “We think it’s too long and complicated and grammatically correct to have been forged by anybody.”In terms of its significance, the frieze is unprecedented: “If it’s authentic, it means there is a contemporary account of what happened during the collapse of the Hittite civilization,” said Zangger.According to the scholars, the inscription was commissioned by the Great King of Mira, Kupanta-Kurunta, who ruled a Late Bronze Age state in western Asia Minor. Circa 1190 BCE, Kupanta-Kurunta ordered his armies to invade the vassal states of the Hittites in the east.According to the press release, “After successful conquests on land, the united forces of western Asia Minor also formed a fleet and invaded a number of coastal cities (whose names are given) in the south and southeast of Asia Minor, as well as in Syria and Palestine… The Luwians from western Asia Minor advanced all the way to the borders of Egypt, and even built a fortress at Ashkelon in southern Palestine.”The Sea People advanced all the way to Ashkelon and built a fortress-Zangger told The Times of Israel, “There are 150 place names mentioned in the text, 50 of those can be identified today.” Ashkelon, he said, is likely the only Palestine-based city mentioned in the inscription.“The Sea People advanced all the way to Ashkelon and built a fortress there,” he said.Who the “Sea People” are, he said, is a matter of interpretation. Some consider them the biblical Philistines. In Hebrew, they are called “Plishtim” (or invaders) in the Bible. There is a contemporary Egyptian record of an invading people called “Peleset,” said Zangger. Some scholars identify this people as the Philistines, but he is “agnostic” about this issue.“I think that the models we have used from the past [for the Philistines], we can see from the documents, are too simplistic, but we need more time to analyze,” said Zangger.Unfortunately, said Zangger, there are no other accounts after 1193 BCE of this civilization. “This the first.”But potentially not the last: the pile Zangger was given in June includes other illustrations of inscriptions which have not yet been translated. While they have no solid photographic evidence disproving forgery, “according to the sources what is shown in these documents actually exists in Turkey,” he said.If proven authentic, this trove represents “one of the most special finds in archaeology today,” said Zangger.
24 rifle grenades, thousands of bullets stolen from IDF bunker-Military police launch investigation after break-in discovered at base in the north-By TOI staff-October 11, 2017, 4:27 pm
Dozens of rifle grenade projectiles and thousands of bullets were stolen from an IDF base in the north of the country in the second such incident since the beginning of the month.The break-in was discovered at the base’s ammunition bunker on Tuesday.An initial probe found that 24 rifle grenades and some 2,000 5.56-millimeter bullets, the kind used in the IDF’s most commonly deployed assault rifles, including variants of the M-16, the Tavor and the Galil, were missing, Channel 2 reported. The rifle grenades are designed to be launched from the M-203 grenade launcher designed to be mounted under the barrel of an assault rifle.Military police have opened an investigation into the theft.The report did not say if the theft was from the same base that was hit earlier this month.On October 2, the army said that a diverse cache of military weaponry was stolen from an armory on a base in northern Israel some time the day before or during the night.The stolen equipment included anti-tank mines, ammunition for assault rifles, explosive charges and detonators.Soldiers serving on the base discovered signs that someone had broken into the armory, and weaponry was also found to be missing.“The Military Police and [the base’s] commanders opened an investigation into the incident,” the army said at the time.For years, the army has struggled to stop thieves from making off with military-grade weaponry. The guns, explosives and — occasionally — missiles that are stolen from army bases generally make their way to organized crime and terrorists.Earlier this year, after nearly three dozen M-16 assault rifles were stolen from a base in southern Israel, the army said it would be investing additional resources to boost security for military armories.
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
Ignoring elephant in the room, Hamas-Fatah talks advance with Egyptian help-Head of Fatah faction says time not ripe to discuss dissolving Hamas's armed wing, as Cairo reportedly plans US-backed international conference in Sharm el-Sheikh-By Dov Lieber-TOI-October 11, 2017, 3:24 pm
Reconciliation talks between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah are for now ignoring the thorny issue of the future of the terror group’s military wing and weaponry, and with the help of Egypt are concentrating first on asserting the Palestinian Authority’s power in the Gaza Strip, including control over the border with Egypt, according to statements by officials and Arabic media reports.On Wednesday, Azzam al-Ahmad, the official leading the Fatah faction’s delegation, told the Pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat that “Egypt has made unprecedented efforts towards the reconciliation…due to the changing regional and international political stances.”Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has thrown his weight behind the talks, saying last week that Palestinian reconciliation is “preparation for a just peace between Palestinian and Israeli sides.”The talks began in the headquarters of the Egyptian intelligence in Cairo on Tuesday and will last for two-three days, a Fatah spokesperson said.On Tuesday, Ahmad said “empowering the government in Gaza” would be the main point of the current talks.The Palestinian daily al-Quds reported on Wednesday that Egypt presented each side with 22 items for dealing with this stage of the reconciliation process, including a US-backed international conference in the Egyptian town Sharm el-Sheikh, with a regional presence.The Egyptians reportedly also proposed a new round of talks in Cairo in a month, which would be followed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas spending a a few days in his presidential headquarters in Gaza.Lastly, the al-Quds report said Egypt plans to reopen its embassy in Gaza, which will include a security attache who will facilitate solving security issues between the two sides. The Egyptian delegation in Gaza would also help facilitate movement through the Rafah border crossing, as well as help to solve the electricity and water crises currently plaguing the Strip.Gaza currently receives just several hours of electricity a day after Abbas decided in March to reduce funding to the Strip by around 22 percent, in an attempt to coerce the Hamas terror group into ceding power.According to the Asharq al-Awsat report, in this first round of negotiations, Hamas is aiming to reverse some of the measures enacted by the PA through the reduced funding, including those affecting thousands of Gaza government employees who had their salaries slashed or were fired.A Fatah official in Cairo, Samih Barzaq, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the measures taken by the PA against Gaza employees would be lifted “very soon.”The two sides remain sharply at odds, however, over the future of Hamas’s 25,000-strong armed wing, which the terror group says is nonnegotiable.Abbas has said he won’t allow any unity government to be formed without all Palestinian weapons coming under the control of the PA.Meanwhile, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said the weapons of the “resistance” — referring to the terror group’s army — would not be given up until the conflict with Israel is ended.Haniyeh did say, however, that the decision of whether to go to war with Israel would be a collective Palestinian decision.On the issue of Hamas’s weapons, Ahmad, who is in charge of the reconciliation issue for Fatah, said it was not necessary to discuss the matter at this stage.“We have crystal clear agreements before and after the division, and there is no need to talk about unnecessary things such as the weapons of resistance and the employees. These are obstacles that aim to spread frustration and despair,” he told the Palestinian news site Quds Press on Monday.Both sides have agreed that their 2011 Cairo agreement, which calls for the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections, and the restructuring of security services, would serve as the framework for the current talks.Mirroring Haniyeh’s statement, Ahmad added: “The decision of the type of resistance is a national decision, not a sectarian one, and no one has the right to take the decision to wage war alone.”While acknowledging that the issue of the employees was an “obstacle,” Ahmad said it would be “solved within four months.”The Islamists of the Hamas terror group and the West Bank-based Fatah movement of Abbas have been at odds since they fought a near civil war in 2007.Multiple previous attempts at reconciliation have failed but the latest Egyptian-led push received a major boost last month when Hamas agreed to cede civil power in Gaza.The talks follow a key breakthrough last week when Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah visited Hamas-run Gaza for the first time since 2015 and his ministers officially took control of government departments there.Senior figures in the Fatah delegation that went to Egypt include intelligence chief Majed Faraj and Fayez Abu Eita, a party leader in the Gaza Strip, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa said.Newly appointed Hamas deputy leader Salah al-Aruri, who in recent years served as the terror group’s head of West Bank operations, and the organization’s Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar are leading the Hamas delegation, a spokesman said.Times of Israel staff and AFP contributed to this report.
UNESCO delays anti-Israel resolutions as it picks new head-Israeli envoy praises diplomatic efforts to push off measures, but says Israel cannot 'rest on its laurels' ahead of next summit-By Alexander Fulbright and Raphael Ahren -TOI-October 11, 2017, 6:04 pm
The United Nations cultural arm unanimously agreed to delay voting on a pair of anti-Israel resolutions on Wednesday, as the body convened at a summit this week to pick a new head.The delay of the measures was a significant diplomatic achievement for Israel, with the Foreign Ministry noting it was the first time no anti-Israel resolutions were passed at a UNESCO session since 2011.Israel’s Ambassador to UNESCO praised the decision to push off the votes and the Israeli efforts behind it, but said Israel would need to continue to be vigilant ahead of the next time the body meets.“The achievement today was the fruit of three years of hard, exhausting and frustrating diplomatic work,” Carmel Shama-Hacohen said in a statement. “From this moment on we have already turned to the next round and there is no reason to rest on our laurels.”The resolutions approved Wednesday, known as 202 EX/39 and 202 EX/38, pushed off the two anti-Israel items until UNESCO’s next session in April 2018.While Israel was concerned Iran would scupper the agreement to postpone the measures, the decision to delay them was approved unanimously.One of the resolutions postponed on Wednesday is similar to one passed in May that downplays Jewish links to Jerusalem. The other resolution levels a host of accusations against Israel, including “Israeli army violations against Palestinian universities and schools” and calling on Jerusalem to “cease all of its settlement activities.”While praising the cooperation between countries to delay the resolutions, Jordan’s ambassador to UNESCO said the items would appear on the agenda of the body’s next meeting because of the “legitimacy” of their content.Echoing the Jordanian ambassador, the Palestinian envoy to UNESCO said the delay was meant to “avoid unnecessary tension” but stressed the need for the measures to counter Israel’s “occupation.”The US ambassador to UNESCO praised the body’s decision to not adopt “such one-sided and decisive resolution(s)” and said while the US remains committed to solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, any solution “must be negotiated directly between the two parties.”The American envoy also said the US hopes the selection of a new director-general of UNESCO would help ” build a more constructive process here that addresses the fundamental concerns of all, avoids further damage to the credibility of UNESCO, and supports broader efforts toward peace in the region.”During the meeting in Paris this week, UNESCO members have been voting on a replacement for the body’s outgoing head Irina Bokova.As of Tuesday, Qatari diplomat Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kawari has emerged as the leading contender, while France’s Audrey Azoulay, a former culture minister like al-Kawari, was in second place among the six candidates still in the running.Shama-Hacohen bemoaned the results of the first round of voting on Monday, which saw al-Kawari take the most votes, saying it was “bad news for the organization and unfortunately also for Israel.”However, he also stressed that “anything can happen” and that the first round doesn’t necessarily indicate who will win. He pointed out that current head Irina Bokova only won seven votes in the first round of voting when she was elected.Delegates will continue to vote every day this week until one candidate receives a majority of votes. If, by the fourth round of voting, to be held on Thursday, no candidate has received a majority, only the top two candidates from that round of voting will be put forward for a final vote Friday.Bokova’s tenure has been marred by funding troubles and tension over its inclusion of the Palestinians as members.Israel and its staunch ally the United States have condemned UNESCO over what they say is an ingrained anti-Israel bias.Intense diplomatic wrangling has marked the race among seven candidates to become the next director-general of UNESCO. Arab countries have long wanted to lead the organization, though divisions over Palestinian membership have complicated their push.UNESCO infuriated Israel and the US by granting full membership to Palestine in 2011.Both countries suspended their funding to the agency — best known for its prestigious World Heritage List — over the move.Most recently, the Paris-based body delighted Palestinians when it declared the Old City of Hebron in the West Bank an endangered world heritage site. It has also passed several resolutions ignoring Jewish ties to Jerusalem, drawing Israeli officials’ fury.Israeli officials have stepped up lobbying at the world body in recent years, charging it with passing one-sided resolutions that obsessively target Israel. Bokova had also criticized anti-resolutions proposed by Arab states.Times of Israel staff and AFP contributed to this report.
Rejecting Israeli charges, Lebanese Army asserts it’s independent from Hezbollah-Defense Minister Liberman alleges state military takes its orders from Iran-backed terror group; Lebanese Army source asks if he knows something the US and UK, which fund it, don't-By Dov Lieber-TOI-October 11, 2017, 12:40 pm
A Lebanese military source on Tuesday rebuffed claims by Israel’s defense minister that the Lebanese Army is controlled by the Hezbollah terror group, saying such a statement “cannot be taken seriously.”Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on Tuesday said the next war in Israel will see the Israel Defense Forces fighting against a coordinated Syrian-Lebanese front as well as on the southern front with Hamas-controlled Gaza. He added that the Lebanese army has been fully integrated with Hezbollah and follows Hezbollah’s orders. “The Lebanese army has become an integral part of the Hezbollah apparatus under its command,” Liberman said.Speaking to the Lebanese daily Al Joumhouria, the Lebanese military source said Liberman’s statements were “totally contrary to reality” and “hold contradictions up to a degree that they cannot be taken seriously.”The source asserted that “the Lebanese army has total independence and is subject to the decisions of the political authority, and its leadership is the sole arbiter of its military policy.”“The United States and the United Kingdom provide generous military assistance to the Lebanese army and they ensure its continued armament and express their confidence in it. Would London and Washington arm Hezbollah, in accordance with Liberman’s words?” the source asked. “And does [Liberman] have data that these two large countries do not?”On Tuesday, the United States offered up to $12 million to whoever can help it apprehend two Hezbollah leaders. Washington said it believes the Lebanese terror group is seeking to carry out attacks on US soil.Recently, Israeli officials have warned that any attack by Hezbollah, which has seats in the Lebanese parliament, would be seen by Israel as an attack by Lebanon.The Lebanese source stated Lebanon’s army “has proven its readiness to defend the eastern border from terror and is also prepared to defend the southern border if Israel decides to launch any war against Lebanon… Our basic mission is to protect all of Lebanon and the army has no interest in building the fronts or fighting across the border.”The source argued Liberman was conflating Hezbollah with the Lebanese army in order to justify attacks on state infrastructure and institutions in the event of a war.Although Israeli and Syrian forces clashed in Lebanon during the 1982 First Lebanon War, the two countries have not fought across their common border since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.Israel last fought a full-scale war with Hezbollah in 2006’s Second Lebanon War, and tensions have remained high even as the northern border has remained relatively quiet in the past decade.Hezbollah is believed to have an arsenal of between 100,000 and 150,000 short-, medium- and long-range missiles and a fighting force of some 50,000 soldiers, including reservists.A Hezbollah commander said last month that the group has more than 10,000 fighters in southern Syria ready to confront Israel. Hezbollah has been fighting on behalf of the Syrian regime as it tries to suppress a six-year-long insurgency.Israel worries Hezbollah and its backer Iran could launch a war against the Jewish state from southern Syria.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Is this huge inscription our missing link to the biblical ‘Sea Peoples’?-Newly rediscovered 29-meter-long hieroglyphic text from Turkey depicts the fall of the Hittite Empire. But only if it's authentic. And the original has disappeared-By Amanda Borschel-Dan-TOI-October 11, 2017, 5:00 pm
It’s either an intricate forgery, or the archaeological find of the decade. A team of scholars of the ancient Luwian language have deciphered a 29-meter-long hieroglyphic inscription from the Late Bronze Age more than 3,000 years ago, which is the only contemporary account of the fall of the Hittite Empire and the rapacious conquering of the biblical “Sea Peoples” as far south as Ashkelon.And the back story of what may prove to be a missing link in the understanding of Levantine civilization is equally interesting.Only in June of this year, Swiss geoarcheologist Dr. Eberhard Zangger, president of the Luwian Studies foundation, was made aware of a 15-centimeter stack of documents — illustrations and translation notes — about the limestone frieze which was originally found in 1878 in the village of Beyköy, approximately 34 kilometers north of Afyonkarahisar in modern Turkey.The longest known hieroglyphic inscription from the Bronze Age has disappeared, however, and is said to be under lock and key in a Turkish national collection at an undisclosed location. What remains is an illustration copy created by the French archeologist Georges Perrot based on stones retrieved by local peasants during the 1878 dig. Subsequently, the villagers apparently used the stones as the foundation of their local mosque.In the 1950s, the inscription resurfaced when a joint Turkish-United States team of Luwian scholars sat to translate the myriad inscriptions which had been found in the 19th century and had sat in the Ottoman Empire collections. The scholars’ team disbanded in 1984 and their findings were never published. As they died, their work was almost forgotten.In 2012, the final scholar, the English prehistorian James Mellaart died. While desposing of his estate, son Alan found the documents surrounding this inscription and gave them to Zangger in June. A first publication in the TALANTA archaeological journal based on initial findings is due to be published in December. There, Zangger and the Dutch linguist and Luwian language expert Dr. Fred Woudhuizen “will present a transcription, a translation, a detailed commentary, and the remarkable research history of the find,” according to a press release from the Luwian Foundation.In a brief conversation with The Times of Israel, Zangger emphasized that there’s an unfinished argument over whether the inscription is authentic or not. While more research is needed, especially since the original frieze is unavailable to scholars, he said, “We think it’s too long and complicated and grammatically correct to have been forged by anybody.”In terms of its significance, the frieze is unprecedented: “If it’s authentic, it means there is a contemporary account of what happened during the collapse of the Hittite civilization,” said Zangger.According to the scholars, the inscription was commissioned by the Great King of Mira, Kupanta-Kurunta, who ruled a Late Bronze Age state in western Asia Minor. Circa 1190 BCE, Kupanta-Kurunta ordered his armies to invade the vassal states of the Hittites in the east.According to the press release, “After successful conquests on land, the united forces of western Asia Minor also formed a fleet and invaded a number of coastal cities (whose names are given) in the south and southeast of Asia Minor, as well as in Syria and Palestine… The Luwians from western Asia Minor advanced all the way to the borders of Egypt, and even built a fortress at Ashkelon in southern Palestine.”The Sea People advanced all the way to Ashkelon and built a fortress-Zangger told The Times of Israel, “There are 150 place names mentioned in the text, 50 of those can be identified today.” Ashkelon, he said, is likely the only Palestine-based city mentioned in the inscription.“The Sea People advanced all the way to Ashkelon and built a fortress there,” he said.Who the “Sea People” are, he said, is a matter of interpretation. Some consider them the biblical Philistines. In Hebrew, they are called “Plishtim” (or invaders) in the Bible. There is a contemporary Egyptian record of an invading people called “Peleset,” said Zangger. Some scholars identify this people as the Philistines, but he is “agnostic” about this issue.“I think that the models we have used from the past [for the Philistines], we can see from the documents, are too simplistic, but we need more time to analyze,” said Zangger.Unfortunately, said Zangger, there are no other accounts after 1193 BCE of this civilization. “This the first.”But potentially not the last: the pile Zangger was given in June includes other illustrations of inscriptions which have not yet been translated. While they have no solid photographic evidence disproving forgery, “according to the sources what is shown in these documents actually exists in Turkey,” he said.If proven authentic, this trove represents “one of the most special finds in archaeology today,” said Zangger.
24 rifle grenades, thousands of bullets stolen from IDF bunker-Military police launch investigation after break-in discovered at base in the north-By TOI staff-October 11, 2017, 4:27 pm
Dozens of rifle grenade projectiles and thousands of bullets were stolen from an IDF base in the north of the country in the second such incident since the beginning of the month.The break-in was discovered at the base’s ammunition bunker on Tuesday.An initial probe found that 24 rifle grenades and some 2,000 5.56-millimeter bullets, the kind used in the IDF’s most commonly deployed assault rifles, including variants of the M-16, the Tavor and the Galil, were missing, Channel 2 reported. The rifle grenades are designed to be launched from the M-203 grenade launcher designed to be mounted under the barrel of an assault rifle.Military police have opened an investigation into the theft.The report did not say if the theft was from the same base that was hit earlier this month.On October 2, the army said that a diverse cache of military weaponry was stolen from an armory on a base in northern Israel some time the day before or during the night.The stolen equipment included anti-tank mines, ammunition for assault rifles, explosive charges and detonators.Soldiers serving on the base discovered signs that someone had broken into the armory, and weaponry was also found to be missing.“The Military Police and [the base’s] commanders opened an investigation into the incident,” the army said at the time.For years, the army has struggled to stop thieves from making off with military-grade weaponry. The guns, explosives and — occasionally — missiles that are stolen from army bases generally make their way to organized crime and terrorists.Earlier this year, after nearly three dozen M-16 assault rifles were stolen from a base in southern Israel, the army said it would be investing additional resources to boost security for military armories.
