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
Netanyahu vows to bring ‘our boys back home’ from Gaza-PM implies Israel will hold on to bodies of terrorists recovered from destroyed tunnel as bargaining chips-By TOI staff-NOV 6,17
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Monday to bring back Israelis held by the Hamas terror group in Gaza, signaling he would use bodies of Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists held by Israel as leverage.In an event in the northern town of Migdal Haemek, Netanyahu said he would not give any “free gifts” to Israel’s enemies.On Sunday the army announced it had recovered the bodies of five Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists that were buried last week when the IDF destroyed a Gazan attack tunnel that crossed into Israeli territory.“A government has two major tasks,” Netanyahu said. “The first is to protect the country and the second is to build the land. We are doing both these things together. We protect the land with a simple rule — anyone who tries to attack us, we attack them. And second, we do not give free gifts. We will bring our boys back home. There are no free gifts.”Two Israeli civilians — Hisham al-Sayed and Abera Mengistu — and the remains of two slain IDF soldiers — Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin — are believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza. A third civilian, Jumaa Abu Ghanima, was initially thought to have been a captive, but there is now suspicion that he has joined Hamas.Palestinian Islamic Jihad said on Sunday it would not negotiate for the return of the bodies of its men, and threatened violence, saying that Israel “will not be able to bargain over our fighters.”“Our battle is open-ended and shall not end. The freedom tunnel is not the only tunnel owned by the Islamic Jihad. It has many tunnels and many options,” warned Ahmad al-Mudalal, a senior member of the group.The five men whose bodies were recovered by Israel were apparently diggers who had been working inside the tunnel at the time of the strike. They were found inside Israeli territory, the army said.The Arab Israeli human rights organization Adalah has submitted a petition to the High Court of Justice asking it to require the government to return the bodies of the buried terrorists.The Justice Ministry on Friday said in a legal brief that it wasn’t the “duty of the government to allow the terrorist organizations operating in Gaza to collect the bodies of its terrorists.”The Goldin family called on the government to withhold the bodies until the remains of their son were returned, and threatened to take the case to the High Court in order to prevent it.“Instead of levying a heavy price on Hamas and steamrolling it, they tell us in meetings that the next missiles on Sderot, Ashdod and Ashkelon will be because of the pressure we want to put in place. Enough excuses — it’s time for action,” said Goldin’s mother, Lea.The PIJ attack tunnel, which began in the Gazan city of Khan Younis, went under the border and into Israeli territory, near Kibbutz Kissufim. The IDF destroyed it last Monday.The tunnel did not yet have an exit, and the IDF said it was monitored from the time it crossed into Israeli territory so it did not pose a threat to civilians.According to Israeli assessment, 14 terrorists — mostly from PIJ, but also several from Hamas — were killed in the blast and its aftermath.
Charlie Hebdo gets new death threats over Islam cartoon-Cover of French satirical daily mocked Swiss scholar on Islam accused of sexual harassment-By AFP-NOV 6,17
PARIS — French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo said Monday it was pressing charges after receiving fresh death threats over a cartoon of the Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan, who faces rape allegations.The provocative magazine, which suffered a deadly jihadist attack in 2015 after publishing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, depicted Ramadan with a huge erection in its edition last Wednesday, saying: “I am the sixth pillar of Islam.”Lool #TariqRamadan #CharlieHebdo pic.twitter.com/kEwXW8nmBr— L'expert (@Lexpert_M86) November 2, 2017-The Swiss academic, an Oxford professor and conservative Islamic intellectual in France, has been accused of rape by two women, after the Harvey Weinstein scandal unleashed a wave of sexual abuse accusations worldwide.Ramadan, 55, has furiously denied the accusations as a “campaign of lies launched by my adversaries.”“Rape,” reads the caption on Charlie Hebdo’s cover. “The defense of Tariq Ramadan.”Laurent “Riss” Sourisseau, the magazine’s editor, said the threats and hate mail had “never really stopped” after the January 2015 jihadist attack in which 12 people were gunned down at its offices.“Sometimes there are peaks when we receive explicit death threats on social media — this has been the case once again,” he told Europe 1 radio.“It’s always difficult to know if these are serious threats or not, but as a principle, we take them seriously and press charges.”The shooting at Charlie Hebdo was claimed by Al-Qaeda, with the terrorists notably seeking to punish the staunchly atheist magazine for printing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, forbidden in Islam.The attack was the first in a wave of terror attacks in France over the past two years that have left more than 240 people dead.Charlie Hebdo has continued to court controversy since the attack, notably with cartoons after the Barcelona attack and others that made light of an Italian earthquake that killed nearly 300 people.The five pillars of Islam are the five basic practices obligatory for believers: faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and the pilgrimage to Mecca.A minority of Sunni scholars considers jihad — or holy struggle, which can have different meanings — to be the sixth pillar of Islam.
Kerry defends Iran deal, says ‘extraordinarily dangerous’ to scrap it-After Trump's decision to decertify pact, ex-secretary of state implores Congress not to make 'gigantic mistake' by nixing accord-By AFP-NOV 6,17
Former secretary of state John Kerry on Monday warned the US Congress that it would be “extraordinarily dangerous” for it to reject the Iran nuclear deal that he helped broker.US President Donald Trump last month decertified Iran’s compliance with the 2015 agreement, but stopped short of scrapping the deal outright, instead handing the issue over to Congress.Kerry told the Chatham House international affairs think tank in London that the decision “was clearly made without relevance to any fact whatsoever” and criticized the involvement of Congress.“It’s been flipped over to the Congress with instructions, you guys fix it.”“How the US Congress, which wasn’t part of the negotiations, which isn’t certified to be part of the negotiations, fixes an agreement which is working is beyond me,” he added.“What President Trump regrettably has done by his invective against the deal, he’s polluted the pool in a way that whatever Congress does is going to be interpreted as their effort to kill the deal through the back door.”Congress was given 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions that were lifted in return for Tehran abandoning its nuclear ambitions.Kerry said there was a “great danger” that Congress could act unilaterally to alter the deal, narrowing Iran’s room for maneuver and “creating a downward spiral that becomes extraordinarily dangerous.”“It would be a gigantic, historic mistake when dealing with nuclear weapons to allow anyone’s politics to get in the way and break apart an agreement that is preventing a country from pursuing a nuclear weapon,” he added.Opponents of the deal claim that it does not go far enough to prevent Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon, and point to Iran’s recent missile tests.
Abbas heads to Riyadh for impromptu meeting with Saudi rulers-PA leader slated to sit down with king and crown prince of Gulf kingdom, which is in the midst of a historic power shakeup-By Dov Lieber-NOV 6,17
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas traveled to Saudi Arabia unexpectedly on Monday to meet with King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammed Bin Salman, with the Gulf kingdom at the height of a major crackdown on members of the royal family.Abbas had been in Egypt, where he was scheduled to meet with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, when he was summoned to Riyadh to meet with the Saudi rulers, according to the official PA news site Wafa.The Palestinian ambassador in Riyadh, Bassam Agha, said the meeting would address bilateral contacts and efforts to strengthen relations between the two sides, as well as “developments on the Palestinian issue.”On Saturday, Saudi Arabia’s heir to the throne oversaw an unprecedented wave of arrests of dozens of the country’s most powerful princes, military officers, businessmen and government ministers. Some of them are potential rivals or critics of the crown prince, whose purported anti-corruption sweep sent shockwaves across the kingdom Sunday as he further consolidated power.Abbas’s Fatah party, which leads the West-Bank-based PA, is currently in the midst of a reconciliation process with the Hamas terror group, its longtime rival that controls the Gaza Strip.The two sides signed an agreement last month in Cairo that calls for the PA to retake civilian control of the Strip by December 1, a decade after Hamas ousted it from the coastal enclave in a violent coup.In recent months, Hamas has publicly flaunted its burgeoning ties with Iran, and the Islamic Republic has in turn sworn to increase its military backing of the Gaza-based terror group.Saudi Arabia and Iran are currently locked in a battle for regional hegemony, and blame each other for spreading extremism throughout the Middle East.On Saturday, a high-profile Hamas delegation visited Tehran for the second time in recent weeks, in order to attend a memorial service for the father of Qassim Suleimani, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force.The delegation included Deputy politburo chief Saleh al-Arouri and politburo member Ezzat al-Rishq.AP contributed to this report.
Trump says US will arm Japan to knock down N. Korea missiles-US president refuses to rule out eventual military action against Pyongyang and expresses frustration that Tokyo didn't shoot down a Korean projectile-By Jonathan Lemire and Jill Colvin-NOV 6,17
TOKYO (AP) — US President Donald Trump on Monday refused to rule out eventual military action against North Korea and declared that the United States “will not stand” for Pyongyang menacing America or its allies.In his first stop of an extended trip in Asia, Trump stood with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a news conference and suggested the United States will arm Japan, much as the United States has done with allies in the Middle East like Saudi Arabia. He did not deny reports that he has expressed frustration that Japan did not shoot down a ballistic missile North Korea recently fired over its territory.“He will shoot ’em out of the sky when he completes the purchase of lots of additional military equipment from the United States,” Trump said of Abe. “He will easily shoot them out of the sky.”Japan, under its war-renouncing Constitution, can shoot down a missile only when it is aimed at the country or in case debris are falling on to its territory.Some hawkish members of Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party say that it may be possible to shoot down a missile headed toward Guam in case it causes existential threat to the US as Japan’s ally, but experts say that is questionable.Trump’s trip abroad comes amid dismal ratings among voters for the first-time president and questions about whether he can handle the nuclear standoff with North Korea.Standing in an Asia capital in range of North Korea’s missiles, Trump defended his fiery language, declaring Pyongyang “a threat to the civilized world.”“Some people say my rhetoric is very strong but look what has happened with very weak rhetoric in the last 25 years,” said Trump with Abe at the news conference.Abe, who has taken a more hawkish view on North Korea than some of his predecessors, agreed with Trump’s assessment that “all options are on the table” when dealing with Kim Jong Un and announced new sanctions against several dozen North Korea individuals.Japan is already seeking money to purchase upgraded SM3 interceptors with greater accuracy and range, as well as other advanced missile defense systems such as land-based Aegis Ashore interceptors or the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, a US mobile anti-missile system installed in South Korea. An installment of THAAD in Japan would further escalate reaction from Beijing, which has already balked at the installment of THAAD in South Korea, saying its advanced radar system can monitor deep into China.Trump and Abe have struck a strong friendship, forged in meetings, phone calls and on the golf course — a friendship that was on display at a Monday evening banquet that was the final event of Trump’s visit. Abe called Trump his “dear friend” and hailed the benefits of what he called “golf diplomacy.”The two men on Monday also put a face on the threat posed by the North, earlier standing with anguished families of Japanese citizens snatched by Pyongyang’s agents.Trump and first lady Melania Trump stood with nearly two dozen relatives, some of whom held photos of the missing. Seeking to increase pressure on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump pledged to work to return the missing to their families, saying “it’s a very, very sad number of stories that we’ve heard.”North Korea has acknowledged apprehending 13 Japanese in the 1970s and 1980s, but claims they all died or have been released. But in Japan, where grieving relatives of the abducted have become a symbol of heartbreak on the scale of American POW families, the government insists many more were taken — and that some may still be alive.Though Trump and Abe repeatedly touted their friendship, looming disagreements on trade could strain the friendship.Trump complained Monday that Japan had been “winning” for decades and rebuked the current relationship, saying the trade deals were “not fair and not open.” He told a group of American and Japanese business leaders: the United States was open for business, but he wanted to reshape the nations’ trade relationship, though he did not say how he would cut the trade deficit with Japan, which totaled nearly $70 billion last year.He also downplayed the potentially contentious nature of the negotiations, though the Japanese government has not shown much appetite for striking a new bilateral trade agreement. Tokyo had pushed to preserve the Trans- Pacific Partnership, which Trump has abandoned.“We will have more trade than anybody ever thought under TPP. That I can tell you,” Trump said. He said the multinational agreement was not the right deal for the United States and that while “probably some of you in this room disagree … ultimately I’ll be proven to be right.”Abe, for his part, publicly deflected questions about trade.Japan orchestrated a lavish formal welcome for the Trumps, complete with military honor guard and an audience with Japan’s Emperor Akihito and his wife, Empress Michiko, at the Imperial Palace.As part of the pageantry, Trump and Abe took part in a traditional feeding of koi in a pond Monday. At first, both leaders spooned out small amounts of feed into the pond below. Abe then lightly tossed the remainder of his box into the pond below, while Trump more theatrically dumped the rest of his box down to the fish.Abe laughed.
Saudi king swears in new ministers, replacing those detained-11 princes and 38 officials thought to be held in 5-star hotels in Riyadh, in purported anti-corruption probe-By Abdullah Al-Shihri and Aya Batrawy-NOV 6,17
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi King Salman on Monday swore in new officials to take over from a powerful prince and former minister believed to be detained in a large-scale sweep that has shocked the country and upended longstanding traditions within the ruling family.The official Saudi Press Agency released images of the king swearing in new National Guard chief Prince Khalid bin Ayyaf al-Muqrin and new Economy and Planning Minister Mohammad al-Tuwaijri.Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, who for the past four years had led the National Guard, and Adel Fakeih, who was minister of economy since April, were both reportedly arrested as part of a purported anti-corruption probe led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Prince Miteb was once considered a contender for the throne, though he has not been thought of recently as a challenger to Prince Mohammed.The arrests began late Saturday. Eleven princes and 38 officials and businessmen are reportedly being held at five-star hotels across the capital, Riyadh.The king was also pictured meeting Lebanon’s outgoing prime minister, Saad Hariri, who unexpectedly resigned during a trip to Saudi Arabia. The photos of their meeting did little to quiet speculation over his surprising move and current status. Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, Hariri’s top political rival at home, argued on Sunday that Saudi Arabia had forced Hariri to resign amid the deepening Saudi-Iran rivalry and questioned whether Saudi Arabia had also detained him in the sweep.The highest-profile royal caught in the sweep is Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, an outspoken billionaire royal with investments in Western companies. The company he chairs sought to reassure investors after its stock plunged following his arrest.Kingdom Holding Co. said in a statement Monday that it maintains the government’s “vote of confidence” as it pursues its investment strategy and global business operations. The company has investments in Twitter, Apple, Lyft, Citigroup and hotel chains like the Four Seasons, Movenpick and Fairmont.CEO Talal al-Maiman said staff at the company, which manages more than $12.5 billion of investments around the world, are “focused on their unwavering responsibilities to KHC’s shareholders and stakeholders.”“We are pleased to play a role in the continuing growth of Saudi Arabia and to strengthen the economy for the benefit of all,” al-Maiman said.The company, which lost 7.5 percent in trading Sunday, made no reference its chairman’s arrest.A statement by the attorney general’s office said that no assets of any suspects have yet been frozen. However, the government has refused to confirm the arrests outright or name those detained, who are reportedly banned from traveling for the duration of the investigations.Saudi Twitter accounts released several other names of those arrested, including Alwalid al-Ibrahim, a Saudi businessman with ties to the royal family who runs the Arabic satellite group MBC; Amr al-Dabbagh, the former head of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority; Ibrahim Assaf, a former finance minister, and Bakr Binladin, head of the Saudi Binladin Group, a major business conglomerate.
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
Netanyahu vows to bring ‘our boys back home’ from Gaza-PM implies Israel will hold on to bodies of terrorists recovered from destroyed tunnel as bargaining chips-By TOI staff-NOV 6,17
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Monday to bring back Israelis held by the Hamas terror group in Gaza, signaling he would use bodies of Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists held by Israel as leverage.In an event in the northern town of Migdal Haemek, Netanyahu said he would not give any “free gifts” to Israel’s enemies.On Sunday the army announced it had recovered the bodies of five Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists that were buried last week when the IDF destroyed a Gazan attack tunnel that crossed into Israeli territory.“A government has two major tasks,” Netanyahu said. “The first is to protect the country and the second is to build the land. We are doing both these things together. We protect the land with a simple rule — anyone who tries to attack us, we attack them. And second, we do not give free gifts. We will bring our boys back home. There are no free gifts.”Two Israeli civilians — Hisham al-Sayed and Abera Mengistu — and the remains of two slain IDF soldiers — Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin — are believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza. A third civilian, Jumaa Abu Ghanima, was initially thought to have been a captive, but there is now suspicion that he has joined Hamas.Palestinian Islamic Jihad said on Sunday it would not negotiate for the return of the bodies of its men, and threatened violence, saying that Israel “will not be able to bargain over our fighters.”“Our battle is open-ended and shall not end. The freedom tunnel is not the only tunnel owned by the Islamic Jihad. It has many tunnels and many options,” warned Ahmad al-Mudalal, a senior member of the group.The five men whose bodies were recovered by Israel were apparently diggers who had been working inside the tunnel at the time of the strike. They were found inside Israeli territory, the army said.The Arab Israeli human rights organization Adalah has submitted a petition to the High Court of Justice asking it to require the government to return the bodies of the buried terrorists.The Justice Ministry on Friday said in a legal brief that it wasn’t the “duty of the government to allow the terrorist organizations operating in Gaza to collect the bodies of its terrorists.”The Goldin family called on the government to withhold the bodies until the remains of their son were returned, and threatened to take the case to the High Court in order to prevent it.“Instead of levying a heavy price on Hamas and steamrolling it, they tell us in meetings that the next missiles on Sderot, Ashdod and Ashkelon will be because of the pressure we want to put in place. Enough excuses — it’s time for action,” said Goldin’s mother, Lea.The PIJ attack tunnel, which began in the Gazan city of Khan Younis, went under the border and into Israeli territory, near Kibbutz Kissufim. The IDF destroyed it last Monday.The tunnel did not yet have an exit, and the IDF said it was monitored from the time it crossed into Israeli territory so it did not pose a threat to civilians.According to Israeli assessment, 14 terrorists — mostly from PIJ, but also several from Hamas — were killed in the blast and its aftermath.
Charlie Hebdo gets new death threats over Islam cartoon-Cover of French satirical daily mocked Swiss scholar on Islam accused of sexual harassment-By AFP-NOV 6,17
PARIS — French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo said Monday it was pressing charges after receiving fresh death threats over a cartoon of the Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan, who faces rape allegations.The provocative magazine, which suffered a deadly jihadist attack in 2015 after publishing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, depicted Ramadan with a huge erection in its edition last Wednesday, saying: “I am the sixth pillar of Islam.”Lool #TariqRamadan #CharlieHebdo pic.twitter.com/kEwXW8nmBr— L'expert (@Lexpert_M86) November 2, 2017-The Swiss academic, an Oxford professor and conservative Islamic intellectual in France, has been accused of rape by two women, after the Harvey Weinstein scandal unleashed a wave of sexual abuse accusations worldwide.Ramadan, 55, has furiously denied the accusations as a “campaign of lies launched by my adversaries.”“Rape,” reads the caption on Charlie Hebdo’s cover. “The defense of Tariq Ramadan.”Laurent “Riss” Sourisseau, the magazine’s editor, said the threats and hate mail had “never really stopped” after the January 2015 jihadist attack in which 12 people were gunned down at its offices.“Sometimes there are peaks when we receive explicit death threats on social media — this has been the case once again,” he told Europe 1 radio.“It’s always difficult to know if these are serious threats or not, but as a principle, we take them seriously and press charges.”The shooting at Charlie Hebdo was claimed by Al-Qaeda, with the terrorists notably seeking to punish the staunchly atheist magazine for printing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, forbidden in Islam.The attack was the first in a wave of terror attacks in France over the past two years that have left more than 240 people dead.Charlie Hebdo has continued to court controversy since the attack, notably with cartoons after the Barcelona attack and others that made light of an Italian earthquake that killed nearly 300 people.The five pillars of Islam are the five basic practices obligatory for believers: faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and the pilgrimage to Mecca.A minority of Sunni scholars considers jihad — or holy struggle, which can have different meanings — to be the sixth pillar of Islam.
Kerry defends Iran deal, says ‘extraordinarily dangerous’ to scrap it-After Trump's decision to decertify pact, ex-secretary of state implores Congress not to make 'gigantic mistake' by nixing accord-By AFP-NOV 6,17
Former secretary of state John Kerry on Monday warned the US Congress that it would be “extraordinarily dangerous” for it to reject the Iran nuclear deal that he helped broker.US President Donald Trump last month decertified Iran’s compliance with the 2015 agreement, but stopped short of scrapping the deal outright, instead handing the issue over to Congress.Kerry told the Chatham House international affairs think tank in London that the decision “was clearly made without relevance to any fact whatsoever” and criticized the involvement of Congress.“It’s been flipped over to the Congress with instructions, you guys fix it.”“How the US Congress, which wasn’t part of the negotiations, which isn’t certified to be part of the negotiations, fixes an agreement which is working is beyond me,” he added.“What President Trump regrettably has done by his invective against the deal, he’s polluted the pool in a way that whatever Congress does is going to be interpreted as their effort to kill the deal through the back door.”Congress was given 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions that were lifted in return for Tehran abandoning its nuclear ambitions.Kerry said there was a “great danger” that Congress could act unilaterally to alter the deal, narrowing Iran’s room for maneuver and “creating a downward spiral that becomes extraordinarily dangerous.”“It would be a gigantic, historic mistake when dealing with nuclear weapons to allow anyone’s politics to get in the way and break apart an agreement that is preventing a country from pursuing a nuclear weapon,” he added.Opponents of the deal claim that it does not go far enough to prevent Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon, and point to Iran’s recent missile tests.
Abbas heads to Riyadh for impromptu meeting with Saudi rulers-PA leader slated to sit down with king and crown prince of Gulf kingdom, which is in the midst of a historic power shakeup-By Dov Lieber-NOV 6,17
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas traveled to Saudi Arabia unexpectedly on Monday to meet with King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammed Bin Salman, with the Gulf kingdom at the height of a major crackdown on members of the royal family.Abbas had been in Egypt, where he was scheduled to meet with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, when he was summoned to Riyadh to meet with the Saudi rulers, according to the official PA news site Wafa.The Palestinian ambassador in Riyadh, Bassam Agha, said the meeting would address bilateral contacts and efforts to strengthen relations between the two sides, as well as “developments on the Palestinian issue.”On Saturday, Saudi Arabia’s heir to the throne oversaw an unprecedented wave of arrests of dozens of the country’s most powerful princes, military officers, businessmen and government ministers. Some of them are potential rivals or critics of the crown prince, whose purported anti-corruption sweep sent shockwaves across the kingdom Sunday as he further consolidated power.Abbas’s Fatah party, which leads the West-Bank-based PA, is currently in the midst of a reconciliation process with the Hamas terror group, its longtime rival that controls the Gaza Strip.The two sides signed an agreement last month in Cairo that calls for the PA to retake civilian control of the Strip by December 1, a decade after Hamas ousted it from the coastal enclave in a violent coup.In recent months, Hamas has publicly flaunted its burgeoning ties with Iran, and the Islamic Republic has in turn sworn to increase its military backing of the Gaza-based terror group.Saudi Arabia and Iran are currently locked in a battle for regional hegemony, and blame each other for spreading extremism throughout the Middle East.On Saturday, a high-profile Hamas delegation visited Tehran for the second time in recent weeks, in order to attend a memorial service for the father of Qassim Suleimani, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force.The delegation included Deputy politburo chief Saleh al-Arouri and politburo member Ezzat al-Rishq.AP contributed to this report.
Trump says US will arm Japan to knock down N. Korea missiles-US president refuses to rule out eventual military action against Pyongyang and expresses frustration that Tokyo didn't shoot down a Korean projectile-By Jonathan Lemire and Jill Colvin-NOV 6,17
TOKYO (AP) — US President Donald Trump on Monday refused to rule out eventual military action against North Korea and declared that the United States “will not stand” for Pyongyang menacing America or its allies.In his first stop of an extended trip in Asia, Trump stood with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a news conference and suggested the United States will arm Japan, much as the United States has done with allies in the Middle East like Saudi Arabia. He did not deny reports that he has expressed frustration that Japan did not shoot down a ballistic missile North Korea recently fired over its territory.“He will shoot ’em out of the sky when he completes the purchase of lots of additional military equipment from the United States,” Trump said of Abe. “He will easily shoot them out of the sky.”Japan, under its war-renouncing Constitution, can shoot down a missile only when it is aimed at the country or in case debris are falling on to its territory.Some hawkish members of Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party say that it may be possible to shoot down a missile headed toward Guam in case it causes existential threat to the US as Japan’s ally, but experts say that is questionable.Trump’s trip abroad comes amid dismal ratings among voters for the first-time president and questions about whether he can handle the nuclear standoff with North Korea.Standing in an Asia capital in range of North Korea’s missiles, Trump defended his fiery language, declaring Pyongyang “a threat to the civilized world.”“Some people say my rhetoric is very strong but look what has happened with very weak rhetoric in the last 25 years,” said Trump with Abe at the news conference.Abe, who has taken a more hawkish view on North Korea than some of his predecessors, agreed with Trump’s assessment that “all options are on the table” when dealing with Kim Jong Un and announced new sanctions against several dozen North Korea individuals.Japan is already seeking money to purchase upgraded SM3 interceptors with greater accuracy and range, as well as other advanced missile defense systems such as land-based Aegis Ashore interceptors or the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, a US mobile anti-missile system installed in South Korea. An installment of THAAD in Japan would further escalate reaction from Beijing, which has already balked at the installment of THAAD in South Korea, saying its advanced radar system can monitor deep into China.Trump and Abe have struck a strong friendship, forged in meetings, phone calls and on the golf course — a friendship that was on display at a Monday evening banquet that was the final event of Trump’s visit. Abe called Trump his “dear friend” and hailed the benefits of what he called “golf diplomacy.”The two men on Monday also put a face on the threat posed by the North, earlier standing with anguished families of Japanese citizens snatched by Pyongyang’s agents.Trump and first lady Melania Trump stood with nearly two dozen relatives, some of whom held photos of the missing. Seeking to increase pressure on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump pledged to work to return the missing to their families, saying “it’s a very, very sad number of stories that we’ve heard.”North Korea has acknowledged apprehending 13 Japanese in the 1970s and 1980s, but claims they all died or have been released. But in Japan, where grieving relatives of the abducted have become a symbol of heartbreak on the scale of American POW families, the government insists many more were taken — and that some may still be alive.Though Trump and Abe repeatedly touted their friendship, looming disagreements on trade could strain the friendship.Trump complained Monday that Japan had been “winning” for decades and rebuked the current relationship, saying the trade deals were “not fair and not open.” He told a group of American and Japanese business leaders: the United States was open for business, but he wanted to reshape the nations’ trade relationship, though he did not say how he would cut the trade deficit with Japan, which totaled nearly $70 billion last year.He also downplayed the potentially contentious nature of the negotiations, though the Japanese government has not shown much appetite for striking a new bilateral trade agreement. Tokyo had pushed to preserve the Trans- Pacific Partnership, which Trump has abandoned.“We will have more trade than anybody ever thought under TPP. That I can tell you,” Trump said. He said the multinational agreement was not the right deal for the United States and that while “probably some of you in this room disagree … ultimately I’ll be proven to be right.”Abe, for his part, publicly deflected questions about trade.Japan orchestrated a lavish formal welcome for the Trumps, complete with military honor guard and an audience with Japan’s Emperor Akihito and his wife, Empress Michiko, at the Imperial Palace.As part of the pageantry, Trump and Abe took part in a traditional feeding of koi in a pond Monday. At first, both leaders spooned out small amounts of feed into the pond below. Abe then lightly tossed the remainder of his box into the pond below, while Trump more theatrically dumped the rest of his box down to the fish.Abe laughed.
Saudi king swears in new ministers, replacing those detained-11 princes and 38 officials thought to be held in 5-star hotels in Riyadh, in purported anti-corruption probe-By Abdullah Al-Shihri and Aya Batrawy-NOV 6,17
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi King Salman on Monday swore in new officials to take over from a powerful prince and former minister believed to be detained in a large-scale sweep that has shocked the country and upended longstanding traditions within the ruling family.The official Saudi Press Agency released images of the king swearing in new National Guard chief Prince Khalid bin Ayyaf al-Muqrin and new Economy and Planning Minister Mohammad al-Tuwaijri.Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, who for the past four years had led the National Guard, and Adel Fakeih, who was minister of economy since April, were both reportedly arrested as part of a purported anti-corruption probe led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Prince Miteb was once considered a contender for the throne, though he has not been thought of recently as a challenger to Prince Mohammed.The arrests began late Saturday. Eleven princes and 38 officials and businessmen are reportedly being held at five-star hotels across the capital, Riyadh.The king was also pictured meeting Lebanon’s outgoing prime minister, Saad Hariri, who unexpectedly resigned during a trip to Saudi Arabia. The photos of their meeting did little to quiet speculation over his surprising move and current status. Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, Hariri’s top political rival at home, argued on Sunday that Saudi Arabia had forced Hariri to resign amid the deepening Saudi-Iran rivalry and questioned whether Saudi Arabia had also detained him in the sweep.The highest-profile royal caught in the sweep is Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, an outspoken billionaire royal with investments in Western companies. The company he chairs sought to reassure investors after its stock plunged following his arrest.Kingdom Holding Co. said in a statement Monday that it maintains the government’s “vote of confidence” as it pursues its investment strategy and global business operations. The company has investments in Twitter, Apple, Lyft, Citigroup and hotel chains like the Four Seasons, Movenpick and Fairmont.CEO Talal al-Maiman said staff at the company, which manages more than $12.5 billion of investments around the world, are “focused on their unwavering responsibilities to KHC’s shareholders and stakeholders.”“We are pleased to play a role in the continuing growth of Saudi Arabia and to strengthen the economy for the benefit of all,” al-Maiman said.The company, which lost 7.5 percent in trading Sunday, made no reference its chairman’s arrest.A statement by the attorney general’s office said that no assets of any suspects have yet been frozen. However, the government has refused to confirm the arrests outright or name those detained, who are reportedly banned from traveling for the duration of the investigations.Saudi Twitter accounts released several other names of those arrested, including Alwalid al-Ibrahim, a Saudi businessman with ties to the royal family who runs the Arabic satellite group MBC; Amr al-Dabbagh, the former head of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority; Ibrahim Assaf, a former finance minister, and Bakr Binladin, head of the Saudi Binladin Group, a major business conglomerate.
