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
Iron Dome deployed in greater Tel Aviv area as IDF girds for possible attack-Anti-missile battery placed in heavily populated urban area, which includes Tel Aviv, amid fears of Gaza rocket launch as Islamic Jihad seeks revenge-By Judah Ari Gross and TOI staff 14 November 2017
An Iron Dome missile defense battery was deployed in the Dan region — made up of Tel Aviv and the surrounding suburbs — it was revealed on Tuesday, a day after the military said it had stationed several interceptors in central Israel to protect against a possible rocket attack.The battery is one of several measures taken by the army to raise its alert level and response capabilities amid heightened tensions with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization since the army demolished the terrorist group’s border-crossing attack tunnel last month.Also on Tuesday, the army closed off a number of tourist attractions near the Gaza border, out of concerns that the terrorist group may carry out a sniper attack on visitors. This included the Black Arrow, Givat Hapa’amon and Nizmit sites, an IDF spokesperson said.Since the demolition on October 30, local farmers have also not been allowed to approach the Gaza security fence, but there are no other specific instructions for residents, the army said.The military confirmed on Monday the anti-missile systems were installed in “central Israel,” but would not elaborate on their exact location, citing army policy.On Tuesday, the military censor allowed media outlets to report that at least one battery was located in the Dan region, which includes Tel Aviv and its environs.The economic heart of the country, Tel Aviv has not been targeted by a Gazan rocket since the 2014 Gaza War.Other Iron Dome batteries were also reportedly moved to central Israel from the south of the country, where they normally protect against sporadic short-range rocket attacks.These batteries, which are designed to shoot down short-range rockets and, in some cases, mortars, were deployed to counter the threats made by Islamic Jihad, which has vowed to avenge its members killed in the tunnel blast and its aftermath.The Iron Dome system, which was developed with US assistance, was declared operational in 2011 and first saw extensive use during the week-long Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012. In the interim years, the military has improved the system itself dramatically and streamlined its protocols for operating it.The terror group is known to have Katyusha rockets, which could reach Israel’s heavily populated central coastal region.Israeli officials have tried to dissuade the terror group, warning of a harsh retaliation by the IDF.On Saturday, Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, who runs the Defense Ministry’s chief liaison office with the Palestinians, publicly warned Islamic Jihad in a video posted to YouTube. He addressed by name the terror group’s leader, Ramadan Shalah, and his deputy, Ziad Nakhaleh, who run the Gaza-based group from Damascus, and said they would be “held responsible” should Islamic Jihad attack Israel.In the video, Mordechai said that Israel is “aware of the plot that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad is planning against Israel,” and warned that “any attack by the Islamic Jihad will be met with a powerful and determined Israeli response, not only against the Jihad, but also against Hamas.”Islamic Jihad responded to Mordechai’s video on Sunday, saying the Israeli threats against its leaders constituted “an act of war,” and vowing to continue in its plans to carry out a revenge attack against Israel, according to a statement carried by its media affiliate Palestine Today News Agency.The group said it would not back down on its “right” to retaliate against Israel for the tunnel explosion, which led to the deaths of 12 of its members, including two commanders, as well as two members of Hamas’s military wing.The Israel Defense Forces blew up the tunnel, which originated in the Gazan city of Khan Younis and crossed into Israeli territory, near Kibbutz Kissufim, on October 30.According to the army, the tunnel had been under surveillance the entire time that it was inside Israeli territory and did not pose a threat to civilians.The army said later that killing the terrorists was not the primary objective of the tunnel demolition.The bodies of five terrorists who were working on the tunnel inside Israeli territory were recovered by the IDF, the army said.According to Palestinian media, Hamas encouraged Islamic Jihad to abstain from retaliating both in order to prevent further escalation with Israel and to prevent the reconciliation talks it has been conducting with the Palestinian Authority from falling apart.In his YouTube message, Mordechai referred to those reconciliation efforts, saying Islamic Jihad was “playing with fire” and potentially threatening the talks as well as the safety of Gaza Strip residents.Earlier this month, a senior officer in the IDF’s Southern Command warned that the military suspected the terror group may retaliate for the tunnel demolition with attacks on soldiers serving near the border, rocket fire at southern Israeli communities or terror attacks in the West Bank.“The Islamic Jihad will have a hard time holding back,” said the unnamed senior official.On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added his own warning addressed to those contemplating an attack. “These days, there are still those who toy with trying renewed attacks on Israel,” Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. “We will take a very strong hand against anyone who tries to attack us or attacks us from any theater.”“I say this to every entity, rogue faction, organization — everyone. In any case, we see Hamas as responsible for every attack that emanates from, or is planned against us in, the Gaza Strip,” he said.Dov Lieber contributed to this report.
Organization training thousands of Jewish volunteers to keep synagogues safe-Community Security Service focuses on training community members to spot suspicious behavior and thus avert potential attacks-By Josefin Dolsten-TOI-NOV 15,17
NEW YORK (JTA) — On a typical Shabbat in Teaneck, New Jersey, streets are blocked off outside of major synagogues. Uniformed off-duty police officers, paid by the synagogues for the morning, stand near a cruiser parked nearby or direct traffic on the main street.Volunteers, walkie-talkie earpieces disappearing beneath their lapels, stand at strategic points outside the synagogues keeping an eye on foot traffic. A few may have swept through the synagogue before services checking for suspicious objects.The volunteers are among the over 4,000 volunteers in New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania and California who have been trained by Community Security Service, or CSS, to keep synagogues, day schools and other Jewish institutions across the country safe.The group is trying to be the gold standard for synagogue self-defense — a goal that became even more relevant following Sunday’s massacre at a Texas church that left at least 26 people dead. Police say a 26-year-old man, Devin Patrick Kelley, opened fire with a military-style assault weapon before being shot himself by a neighbor and dying of his wounds.“If the Jewish community is supposed to be an example for the rest of the world, then in the times we are living in, we should show other communities how to organize and how to help law enforcement help us,” Jason Friedman, Community Security Service’s executive director, told JTA on Monday.CSS focuses on training community members to spot suspicious behavior and thus avert potential attacks.“Our primary focus is to get volunteers from synagogues training in situational awareness and basic security theory, so this would mean how to conduct security at their synagogue, where to stand, what to look for, how to communicate,” Friedman said.Volunteers take a basic course that lasts a few evenings. Then they can take additional courses in more advanced topics. CSS also provides basic training in self-defense.CSS was founded in 2007 by David Dabscheck, now CEO of the consulting agency GIANT Innovation, and Adam Sager, an Israeli army veteran who now heads the security company Canary. They recruited Friedman, a US Navy officer who has served in Afghanistan, as their first volunteer. Last year, Friedman became the first executive director of CSS, a nonprofit that runs on donations and foundation support.Friedman says a “boots-on-the-ground” approach to security has been underutilized by Jewish organizations.“I believe that the members of the Jewish community have not been engaged enough when it comes to Jewish security,” he said, “and without their participation, security initiatives are not sustainable.”Friedman says Jewish organizations face multiple types of threats, including from far-right nationalists and neo-Nazis, radical Islamists and far-left anti-Israel activists. Some synagogues have reported shooting incidents, like the synagogue in Evansville, Indiana, that reported a bullet hole in a Hebrew school classroom window in March.And then there are less spectacular threats, like unwelcome intruders or disruptive guests. Deena Seelenfreund, regional manager for CSS in New Jersey, said CSS-trained volunteers have helped prevent minor security incidents locally.Events such as the shooting in Texas show the need for CSS volunteers, she said.“People say we’re out in the middle of nowhere, we’re suburban, nothing is really going to happen, but we do this for the one percent chance that something is going to happen,” Seelenfreund said.It’s the fine balance between being hospitable and greeting people and also being careful and discerningAt Congregation Keter Torah, the Orthodox synagogue in Teaneck where Seelenfreund is a member, team members stand outside to serve as a deterrent against possible attack. Off-duty volunteers are also present inside the sanctuary.“It’s the fine balance between being hospitable and greeting people and also being careful and discerning,” she said.And it is a positive experience not only for the 55 members who serve on the security team, but the congregation as a whole.“The entire shul is more alert and [situationally] aware, and we will have non-security team members, just regular congregants, alerting the team to suspicious individuals or vehicles that they see on their way to shul,” Seelenfreund said.At Ramath Orah, an Orthodox synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, some members initially were against CSS-style security measures.“There were people who would push back and say ‘Why is there security out front? This isn’t Israel, this isn’t Europe,’” recalled Samuel Block, a co-manager of the synagogue’s security team. Synagogues in Europe often have armed security, including military personnel.Block said security team members are there to ensure safety, not keep people out.“We always tell our volunteers and the people that are coming, we’re not there as bouncers, we’re there to make sure that people are coming for the right reasons, and we ask people not to be offended if someone starts talking to you,” Block said.Adam Hirsch, head of the security team at Congregation Bnai Yeshurun, another Orthodox synagogue in Teaneck, said volunteers there take a similar approach.“We’re not checking membership cards, we’re not checking every person. We’re looking at people who look out of line, or don’t belong or are acting suspiciously,” Hirsch said.Hirsch said his synagogue has benefited from receiving training by a larger organization.“You’re not coming up with it out of the blue,” he said. “It’s actually following methodology that is consistent and is proven effective.”
Israel offers quake help to Iran, Iraq, but immediately turned down-Prime minister announces move in address to US Jews; he also defends his freeze of Western Wall compromise deal-By Raphael Ahren-TOI-14 November 2017
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday offered humanitarian assistance to the victims of the devastating earthquake that has killed hundreds in Iran and Iraq, but was immediately rebuffed.Netanyahu told a gathering of North American Jewish leaders that Israel had offered the aid via the Red Cross, following Sunday’s magnitude 7.3 quake that killed at least 530 people in Iran and several people in Iraq, and injured thousands across the region.“I just saw the pictures of the destruction in Iran and Iraq from this week’s earthquake. And I saw these heartbreaking images of men and women and children buried under the rubble. So I am proud to announce tonight that a few hours ago I directed that we offer the Red Cross medical assistance for the Iraqi and Iranian victims of this disaster,” Netanyahu told the Jewish Federations of North America’s annual General Assembly in Los Angeles, via videoconference.“I’ve said many times that we have no quarrel with the people of Iran,” he added. “Our quarrel is only with the tyrannical regime that holds them hostage and threatens our destruction. But our humanity is greater than their hatred. Israel continues to be a light unto the nations and this is what I am proud of. And all of you can be proud of Israel’s morals, and Israel’s might.”An official in Netanyahu’s office said, however, the offer was immediately rejected.“This shows the true face of the Iranian regime,” the official said.On Monday, various Israeli officials said they were unaware of any efforts to offer aid to the two countries.“The Home Front Command has not organized a delegation [for Iran and Iraq],” an army spokesperson said.In 2003, Tehran rebuffed an Israeli offer of assistance after a quake in the southeastern Iranian city of Bam killed more than 26,000 people. Nine years later, when two quakes hit the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan, killing more than 300 people and injuring 3,000, Israel did not offer assistance, citing the rejected offer.“We offered Iran assistance after earthquakes in the past, but they refused. So this time, we didn’t even bother to ask if they’re interested,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman told The Times of Israel at the time. “Their refusal was pretty impolite, but we’re not making a big fuss about it.”Netanyahu’s announcement of offered aid drew quick praise from Yair Lapid, head of the opposition Yesh Atid party.“Netanyahu did well to offer assistance for those affected by the earthquake in Iran and Iraq. The Jewish people are among the leaders in human morality and compassion,” he said in a tweet.2017 General Assembly-Posted by JLTV on Tuesday, 14 November 2017-Speaking at the closing session of the conference, Netanyahu also addressed his cabinet’s controversial freezing of a deal to upgrade a pluralistic prayer platform at the Western Wall.“Israel is the home of all Jews and it must remain so,” he said, insisting that it was “vitally important” to him personally as he deeply cares about the issue and is committed to make Jews of all denominations feel welcome.On Monday, the JFNA’s board of trustees, representing Jewish communal philanthropies across the United States and Canada, passed a resolution calling on Israel to reverse its “divisive and damaging” steps to freeze the agreement on egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall and its support of a bill that would grant a monopoly to Orthodox authorities in Israel over conversions to Judaism.In January 2016, the Israeli government agreed to make significant changes to existing platform, including creating a common entrance for all three prayer areas — the Orthodox men’s and women’s section and the so-called “Ezrat Yisrael” plaza, where men and women can worship together.In June, after some ultra-Orthodox websites started to criticize the agreement, the cabinet voted to suspend part of it, notably including the plan to build a common entrance, which was seen as a form of recognizing non-Orthodox streams of Judaism, and the provision for shared oversight of the pluralistic prayer pavilion, including by representatives of non-Orthodox streams of Judaism.“What the government froze in June were only most ideologically charged elements of the Western Wall plan. They were holding up the practical elements of the plan hostage,” Netanyahu said.The pluralistic prayer platform has existed for nearly 20 years and the January 2016 deal merely promised to “improve” it. “We’re moving forward with construction to doing just that,” he said.The balance between religion and state has been tense since the state’s founding, the prime minister went on, saying he is emulating all his predecessors in this respect.“Religious status quo issues have always been resolved as the result of evolution and not revolution. So despite the disagreements, despite, I have to say, a lot of distortions, and despite the at times disparaging remarks about me and my government, I remain committed to moving forward.”He added: I believe that the Jewish people are all one family. I believe that Israel is the home of all Jews and that all Jews should have access and prayer at the Kotel.”
IDF demolishes home of terrorist who killed 3 in Har Adar-Nimer Jamal, 37, of nearby Bayt Surik, hid among a group of Palestinian laborers to carry out his September 26 attack-NOV 15,17-TOI
IDF soldiers and border police entered the Palestinian village of Bayt Surik early Wednesday and blew up the home of the terrorist who carried out a shooting attack that left three dead in the nearby Israeli settlement of Har Adar.Security forces handed the demolition order to Nimer Mahmoud Ahmad Jamal’s family members on October 3.The military did not tear down the entire building, but instead destroyed only Jamal’s apartment. Often, the military carries out such demolitions with heavy engineering equipment, but in this case, the army used explosive charges to blow up the rooms.On the morning of Tuesday, September 26, the 37-year-old Jamal approached the rear entrance of the Har Adar, a settlement that lies just beyond the Green Line in the hills northwest of Jerusalem, with a group of Palestinian laborers. When he was called to stop, he removed a stolen handgun from his shirt and opened fire at the Israeli security officers guarding the gate.One Border Police officer, Solomon Gavriyah, 20, and two private security guards — Youssef Ottman, 25, of the nearby Arab Israeli town of Abu Ghosh, and Or Arish, 25, of Har Adar — were killed in the attack. The settlement’s security coordinator, Amit Steinhart, was wounded.Jamal was shot dead by security forces at the scene.The next day, the IDF took measurements of Jamal’s home, which is the first step taken ahead of a demolition. The process of knocking down a terrorist’s house after an attack can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the circumstances.Israel made frequent use of home demolitions until 2005, when the government decided to stop employing the measure. However, in 2014, it was brought back into use.There is a dispute among security analysts and officials over the utility of home demolitions in combating terrorism, with some seeing it as a deterrent for terror attacks and others as an ineffective form of collective punishment.In separate raids early Wednesday in A-Ram and in the villages of Yatta and Abeda in the West Bank, security soldiers arrested two Palestinians, confiscated two improvised firearms and two handguns, and uncovered a stash of thousands of shekels the army says was intended to fund terror attacks.
In White House, Israeli widow laments payout to family of her husband’s killer-Halamish stabbing survivor Michal Salomon 'expresses dismay' to administration over expected Palestinian Authority stipend-By Eric Cortellessa-TOI-NOV 15,17
WASHINGTON — An Israeli woman whose husband and other relatives were killed in a July terror attack in the West Bank settlement of Halamish bemoaned this week to White House officials the expected financial reward to the family of the killer.Michal Salomon’s husband, father-in-law and sister-in-law were brutally murdered by a Palestinian terrorist who broke into their home and stabbed members of the family as they ate Shabbat dinner.She and her five children managed to escape, and shortly afterward the terrorist was shot dead by an off-duty soldier.In a meeting with Trump’s Mideast peace envoy Jason Greenblatt, Salomon “expressed dismay that the [family of the] terrorist would be receiving compensation from the Palestinian Authority for his action,” a senior White House official told The Times of Israel on Tuesday.Also in the meeting was National Security Council staffer Victoria Coates; Salomon’s father, Slomo Dan Lando; her cousin Brian Zvi Lando; and her children — Avinoam, Reut, Amitay, Ariel, and Avishay.Salomon’s comments came with the US Senate gearing up to vote on the Taylor Force Act, proposed legislation that would significantly cut US funding to the PA if it doesn’t discontinue the practice of paying monthly stipends to families of terrorists who kill Israelis.The measure advanced through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in August and will now be included in a foreign operations bill slated for a vote by the full chamber in December.That maneuver increases its chances it will pass the Senate vote. Trump has not yet signaled he would sign the bill into law, though a White House official told The Times of Israel in July the president supports its principal objective.Supporters of the Taylor Force Act argue that the PA’s social welfare payments to families of terrorists glorifies and encourages terrorism.The White House official said Salomon discussed with Greenblatt “the problem of incitement to violence, and expressed hope that this practice would end so a lasting peace arrangement can be reached.”Greenblatt, an Orthodox Jew who is part of Trump’s small delegation tasked with trying to broker a comprehensive accord between Israelis and Palestinians, went to Salomon’s West Bank home this summer while she sat shiva with her family after the attack.The New York Times reported over the weekend that Trump’s team is drafting a Middle East peace plan that is expected to be unveiled early next year.
Congresswomen accuse two US lawmakers of sexual harassment-Spotlight on sexual misconduct reaches halls of US Congress, with one lawmaker speaking of 'victims having their private parts grabbed on the House floor'-By AFP-TOI-14 November 2017
WASHINGTON — Two US lawmakers on Tuesday stood accused of sexual harassment, including one who allegedly exposed himself to a young staffer, amid mounting concern over abuse on Capitol Hill.With a broadening national spotlight on sexual misconduct in Hollywood, the media and politics, Congress has begun to address the accusations of abuse and demands by more than 1,500 former staffers that comprehensive reforms be instituted.The claims also come as conservative former judge Roy Moore, a candidate for US Senate, faces startling accusations by five women claiming he sexually assaulted or pursued them when they were teenagers in Alabama.House Democrat Jackie Speier, an advocate for an improved anti-harassment system in Congress, said she was aware of two sitting congressmen, a Republican and a Democrat, who “have engaged in sexual harassment.”“I have had numerous meetings and phone calls with staff members, both present and former, women and men, who have been subjected to this inexcusable and often times illegal behavior,” she told the House Administration Committee.She painted a picture of sexual predation on Capitol Hill, which included “victims having their private parts grabbed on the House floor.”Her colleague, House Republican Barbara Comstock, told the panel of a young staffer who delivered documents to her lawmaker boss’s residence and was greeted by the congressman, who was wearing only a towel.“At that point, he decided to expose himself. She left, and then she quit her job,” Comstock said.“But that kind of situation — what are we doing here for women right now who are dealing with somebody like that?”As for Moore, he has denied the allegations against him, but his support among mainstream Republicans has plummeted one month before the December 12 special election.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan have now called on him to drop out of the race, while the editorial board of the Alabama Media Group branded him “grossly unfit for office.”The House hearing addressed the need to update the chamber’s policies on misconduct claims, and bipartisan calls to implement mandatory sexual harassment training for both lawmakers and staff.“There is no place for sexual harassment in our society, period. And especially in Congress,” said the panel’s chairman, Gregg Harper.Speier herself acknowledged last month that she was the victim of abuse when she worked as a congressional staffer decades ago.“Many of us in Congress know what it’s like, because Congress has been a breeding ground for a hostile work environment for far too long,” she said in an October video encouraging other staffers to tell their stories.Addressing the issue will be complex and “at times uncomfortable,” Speier said, as she applauded colleagues from both parties for supporting efforts to mandate sexual harassment training.
Chilean presidential candidate calls Israel ‘a threat to world peace’-Eduardo Artes, leader of the leftist Patriotic Union party, vows to 'review' his country's relations with the 'Zionist entity' if he wins-By JTA-TOI-14 November 2017
RIO DE JANEIRO — A candidate in Chile’s upcoming presidential election declared Israel “a threat to world peace.”Eduardo Artes, leader of the leftist Patriotic Union party, made the comment in an interview broadcast Friday with Chile’s HispanTV. He also pledged that as president he would conduct a comprehensive review of his country’s relations with the Jewish state.“The treaties that Chile currently maintains with the Israeli Zionist entity in military, police, economic and cultural terms must all be reviewed in a patriotic and popular government, since they clearly damage our independence,” Artes said.“We are going to study all our relations with the Zionist entity because they are relations that generally harm world peace, not only the peace and survival of the Arab peoples, particularly the Palestinian people in the Middle East.”Artes spoke days before Chile’s presidential, parliamentary and regional council elections, which are slated for November 19.Artes is not expected to win enough votes to make it to the second round of voting.In July, the Patriotic Union issued a press release accusing Israel of “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing.” The statement included a photograph of Artes carrying a banner with a Palestinian flag on it.Days earlier, Jewish officials met with Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet to ask her to approve a new bill to protect citizens from acts motivated by hatred and discrimination.In April, the Palestinian Federation of Chile threatened the country’s Jewish umbrella organization over its support of Israel’s decision to bar a Chilean boycott activist from entering the Jewish state.In February, after a group of visitors from Israel was expelled from a national park, a senior official of a nonprofit tied to the Chilean government threatened to expel “Israelites” from hostels in the country.In January, a young Jewish and gay activist wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the flag of Israel was attacked by three men carrying neo-Nazi symbols at a Santiago park and suffered several razor cuts.Chile is home to some 15,000 Jews and what is thought to be the world’s largest Palestinian community outside the Arab world, with more than 300,000 members.
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
Iron Dome deployed in greater Tel Aviv area as IDF girds for possible attack-Anti-missile battery placed in heavily populated urban area, which includes Tel Aviv, amid fears of Gaza rocket launch as Islamic Jihad seeks revenge-By Judah Ari Gross and TOI staff 14 November 2017
An Iron Dome missile defense battery was deployed in the Dan region — made up of Tel Aviv and the surrounding suburbs — it was revealed on Tuesday, a day after the military said it had stationed several interceptors in central Israel to protect against a possible rocket attack.The battery is one of several measures taken by the army to raise its alert level and response capabilities amid heightened tensions with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization since the army demolished the terrorist group’s border-crossing attack tunnel last month.Also on Tuesday, the army closed off a number of tourist attractions near the Gaza border, out of concerns that the terrorist group may carry out a sniper attack on visitors. This included the Black Arrow, Givat Hapa’amon and Nizmit sites, an IDF spokesperson said.Since the demolition on October 30, local farmers have also not been allowed to approach the Gaza security fence, but there are no other specific instructions for residents, the army said.The military confirmed on Monday the anti-missile systems were installed in “central Israel,” but would not elaborate on their exact location, citing army policy.On Tuesday, the military censor allowed media outlets to report that at least one battery was located in the Dan region, which includes Tel Aviv and its environs.The economic heart of the country, Tel Aviv has not been targeted by a Gazan rocket since the 2014 Gaza War.Other Iron Dome batteries were also reportedly moved to central Israel from the south of the country, where they normally protect against sporadic short-range rocket attacks.These batteries, which are designed to shoot down short-range rockets and, in some cases, mortars, were deployed to counter the threats made by Islamic Jihad, which has vowed to avenge its members killed in the tunnel blast and its aftermath.The Iron Dome system, which was developed with US assistance, was declared operational in 2011 and first saw extensive use during the week-long Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012. In the interim years, the military has improved the system itself dramatically and streamlined its protocols for operating it.The terror group is known to have Katyusha rockets, which could reach Israel’s heavily populated central coastal region.Israeli officials have tried to dissuade the terror group, warning of a harsh retaliation by the IDF.On Saturday, Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, who runs the Defense Ministry’s chief liaison office with the Palestinians, publicly warned Islamic Jihad in a video posted to YouTube. He addressed by name the terror group’s leader, Ramadan Shalah, and his deputy, Ziad Nakhaleh, who run the Gaza-based group from Damascus, and said they would be “held responsible” should Islamic Jihad attack Israel.In the video, Mordechai said that Israel is “aware of the plot that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad is planning against Israel,” and warned that “any attack by the Islamic Jihad will be met with a powerful and determined Israeli response, not only against the Jihad, but also against Hamas.”Islamic Jihad responded to Mordechai’s video on Sunday, saying the Israeli threats against its leaders constituted “an act of war,” and vowing to continue in its plans to carry out a revenge attack against Israel, according to a statement carried by its media affiliate Palestine Today News Agency.The group said it would not back down on its “right” to retaliate against Israel for the tunnel explosion, which led to the deaths of 12 of its members, including two commanders, as well as two members of Hamas’s military wing.The Israel Defense Forces blew up the tunnel, which originated in the Gazan city of Khan Younis and crossed into Israeli territory, near Kibbutz Kissufim, on October 30.According to the army, the tunnel had been under surveillance the entire time that it was inside Israeli territory and did not pose a threat to civilians.The army said later that killing the terrorists was not the primary objective of the tunnel demolition.The bodies of five terrorists who were working on the tunnel inside Israeli territory were recovered by the IDF, the army said.According to Palestinian media, Hamas encouraged Islamic Jihad to abstain from retaliating both in order to prevent further escalation with Israel and to prevent the reconciliation talks it has been conducting with the Palestinian Authority from falling apart.In his YouTube message, Mordechai referred to those reconciliation efforts, saying Islamic Jihad was “playing with fire” and potentially threatening the talks as well as the safety of Gaza Strip residents.Earlier this month, a senior officer in the IDF’s Southern Command warned that the military suspected the terror group may retaliate for the tunnel demolition with attacks on soldiers serving near the border, rocket fire at southern Israeli communities or terror attacks in the West Bank.“The Islamic Jihad will have a hard time holding back,” said the unnamed senior official.On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added his own warning addressed to those contemplating an attack. “These days, there are still those who toy with trying renewed attacks on Israel,” Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. “We will take a very strong hand against anyone who tries to attack us or attacks us from any theater.”“I say this to every entity, rogue faction, organization — everyone. In any case, we see Hamas as responsible for every attack that emanates from, or is planned against us in, the Gaza Strip,” he said.Dov Lieber contributed to this report.
Organization training thousands of Jewish volunteers to keep synagogues safe-Community Security Service focuses on training community members to spot suspicious behavior and thus avert potential attacks-By Josefin Dolsten-TOI-NOV 15,17
NEW YORK (JTA) — On a typical Shabbat in Teaneck, New Jersey, streets are blocked off outside of major synagogues. Uniformed off-duty police officers, paid by the synagogues for the morning, stand near a cruiser parked nearby or direct traffic on the main street.Volunteers, walkie-talkie earpieces disappearing beneath their lapels, stand at strategic points outside the synagogues keeping an eye on foot traffic. A few may have swept through the synagogue before services checking for suspicious objects.The volunteers are among the over 4,000 volunteers in New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania and California who have been trained by Community Security Service, or CSS, to keep synagogues, day schools and other Jewish institutions across the country safe.The group is trying to be the gold standard for synagogue self-defense — a goal that became even more relevant following Sunday’s massacre at a Texas church that left at least 26 people dead. Police say a 26-year-old man, Devin Patrick Kelley, opened fire with a military-style assault weapon before being shot himself by a neighbor and dying of his wounds.“If the Jewish community is supposed to be an example for the rest of the world, then in the times we are living in, we should show other communities how to organize and how to help law enforcement help us,” Jason Friedman, Community Security Service’s executive director, told JTA on Monday.CSS focuses on training community members to spot suspicious behavior and thus avert potential attacks.“Our primary focus is to get volunteers from synagogues training in situational awareness and basic security theory, so this would mean how to conduct security at their synagogue, where to stand, what to look for, how to communicate,” Friedman said.Volunteers take a basic course that lasts a few evenings. Then they can take additional courses in more advanced topics. CSS also provides basic training in self-defense.CSS was founded in 2007 by David Dabscheck, now CEO of the consulting agency GIANT Innovation, and Adam Sager, an Israeli army veteran who now heads the security company Canary. They recruited Friedman, a US Navy officer who has served in Afghanistan, as their first volunteer. Last year, Friedman became the first executive director of CSS, a nonprofit that runs on donations and foundation support.Friedman says a “boots-on-the-ground” approach to security has been underutilized by Jewish organizations.“I believe that the members of the Jewish community have not been engaged enough when it comes to Jewish security,” he said, “and without their participation, security initiatives are not sustainable.”Friedman says Jewish organizations face multiple types of threats, including from far-right nationalists and neo-Nazis, radical Islamists and far-left anti-Israel activists. Some synagogues have reported shooting incidents, like the synagogue in Evansville, Indiana, that reported a bullet hole in a Hebrew school classroom window in March.And then there are less spectacular threats, like unwelcome intruders or disruptive guests. Deena Seelenfreund, regional manager for CSS in New Jersey, said CSS-trained volunteers have helped prevent minor security incidents locally.Events such as the shooting in Texas show the need for CSS volunteers, she said.“People say we’re out in the middle of nowhere, we’re suburban, nothing is really going to happen, but we do this for the one percent chance that something is going to happen,” Seelenfreund said.It’s the fine balance between being hospitable and greeting people and also being careful and discerningAt Congregation Keter Torah, the Orthodox synagogue in Teaneck where Seelenfreund is a member, team members stand outside to serve as a deterrent against possible attack. Off-duty volunteers are also present inside the sanctuary.“It’s the fine balance between being hospitable and greeting people and also being careful and discerning,” she said.And it is a positive experience not only for the 55 members who serve on the security team, but the congregation as a whole.“The entire shul is more alert and [situationally] aware, and we will have non-security team members, just regular congregants, alerting the team to suspicious individuals or vehicles that they see on their way to shul,” Seelenfreund said.At Ramath Orah, an Orthodox synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, some members initially were against CSS-style security measures.“There were people who would push back and say ‘Why is there security out front? This isn’t Israel, this isn’t Europe,’” recalled Samuel Block, a co-manager of the synagogue’s security team. Synagogues in Europe often have armed security, including military personnel.Block said security team members are there to ensure safety, not keep people out.“We always tell our volunteers and the people that are coming, we’re not there as bouncers, we’re there to make sure that people are coming for the right reasons, and we ask people not to be offended if someone starts talking to you,” Block said.Adam Hirsch, head of the security team at Congregation Bnai Yeshurun, another Orthodox synagogue in Teaneck, said volunteers there take a similar approach.“We’re not checking membership cards, we’re not checking every person. We’re looking at people who look out of line, or don’t belong or are acting suspiciously,” Hirsch said.Hirsch said his synagogue has benefited from receiving training by a larger organization.“You’re not coming up with it out of the blue,” he said. “It’s actually following methodology that is consistent and is proven effective.”
Israel offers quake help to Iran, Iraq, but immediately turned down-Prime minister announces move in address to US Jews; he also defends his freeze of Western Wall compromise deal-By Raphael Ahren-TOI-14 November 2017
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday offered humanitarian assistance to the victims of the devastating earthquake that has killed hundreds in Iran and Iraq, but was immediately rebuffed.Netanyahu told a gathering of North American Jewish leaders that Israel had offered the aid via the Red Cross, following Sunday’s magnitude 7.3 quake that killed at least 530 people in Iran and several people in Iraq, and injured thousands across the region.“I just saw the pictures of the destruction in Iran and Iraq from this week’s earthquake. And I saw these heartbreaking images of men and women and children buried under the rubble. So I am proud to announce tonight that a few hours ago I directed that we offer the Red Cross medical assistance for the Iraqi and Iranian victims of this disaster,” Netanyahu told the Jewish Federations of North America’s annual General Assembly in Los Angeles, via videoconference.“I’ve said many times that we have no quarrel with the people of Iran,” he added. “Our quarrel is only with the tyrannical regime that holds them hostage and threatens our destruction. But our humanity is greater than their hatred. Israel continues to be a light unto the nations and this is what I am proud of. And all of you can be proud of Israel’s morals, and Israel’s might.”An official in Netanyahu’s office said, however, the offer was immediately rejected.“This shows the true face of the Iranian regime,” the official said.On Monday, various Israeli officials said they were unaware of any efforts to offer aid to the two countries.“The Home Front Command has not organized a delegation [for Iran and Iraq],” an army spokesperson said.In 2003, Tehran rebuffed an Israeli offer of assistance after a quake in the southeastern Iranian city of Bam killed more than 26,000 people. Nine years later, when two quakes hit the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan, killing more than 300 people and injuring 3,000, Israel did not offer assistance, citing the rejected offer.“We offered Iran assistance after earthquakes in the past, but they refused. So this time, we didn’t even bother to ask if they’re interested,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman told The Times of Israel at the time. “Their refusal was pretty impolite, but we’re not making a big fuss about it.”Netanyahu’s announcement of offered aid drew quick praise from Yair Lapid, head of the opposition Yesh Atid party.“Netanyahu did well to offer assistance for those affected by the earthquake in Iran and Iraq. The Jewish people are among the leaders in human morality and compassion,” he said in a tweet.2017 General Assembly-Posted by JLTV on Tuesday, 14 November 2017-Speaking at the closing session of the conference, Netanyahu also addressed his cabinet’s controversial freezing of a deal to upgrade a pluralistic prayer platform at the Western Wall.“Israel is the home of all Jews and it must remain so,” he said, insisting that it was “vitally important” to him personally as he deeply cares about the issue and is committed to make Jews of all denominations feel welcome.On Monday, the JFNA’s board of trustees, representing Jewish communal philanthropies across the United States and Canada, passed a resolution calling on Israel to reverse its “divisive and damaging” steps to freeze the agreement on egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall and its support of a bill that would grant a monopoly to Orthodox authorities in Israel over conversions to Judaism.In January 2016, the Israeli government agreed to make significant changes to existing platform, including creating a common entrance for all three prayer areas — the Orthodox men’s and women’s section and the so-called “Ezrat Yisrael” plaza, where men and women can worship together.In June, after some ultra-Orthodox websites started to criticize the agreement, the cabinet voted to suspend part of it, notably including the plan to build a common entrance, which was seen as a form of recognizing non-Orthodox streams of Judaism, and the provision for shared oversight of the pluralistic prayer pavilion, including by representatives of non-Orthodox streams of Judaism.“What the government froze in June were only most ideologically charged elements of the Western Wall plan. They were holding up the practical elements of the plan hostage,” Netanyahu said.The pluralistic prayer platform has existed for nearly 20 years and the January 2016 deal merely promised to “improve” it. “We’re moving forward with construction to doing just that,” he said.The balance between religion and state has been tense since the state’s founding, the prime minister went on, saying he is emulating all his predecessors in this respect.“Religious status quo issues have always been resolved as the result of evolution and not revolution. So despite the disagreements, despite, I have to say, a lot of distortions, and despite the at times disparaging remarks about me and my government, I remain committed to moving forward.”He added: I believe that the Jewish people are all one family. I believe that Israel is the home of all Jews and that all Jews should have access and prayer at the Kotel.”
IDF demolishes home of terrorist who killed 3 in Har Adar-Nimer Jamal, 37, of nearby Bayt Surik, hid among a group of Palestinian laborers to carry out his September 26 attack-NOV 15,17-TOI
IDF soldiers and border police entered the Palestinian village of Bayt Surik early Wednesday and blew up the home of the terrorist who carried out a shooting attack that left three dead in the nearby Israeli settlement of Har Adar.Security forces handed the demolition order to Nimer Mahmoud Ahmad Jamal’s family members on October 3.The military did not tear down the entire building, but instead destroyed only Jamal’s apartment. Often, the military carries out such demolitions with heavy engineering equipment, but in this case, the army used explosive charges to blow up the rooms.On the morning of Tuesday, September 26, the 37-year-old Jamal approached the rear entrance of the Har Adar, a settlement that lies just beyond the Green Line in the hills northwest of Jerusalem, with a group of Palestinian laborers. When he was called to stop, he removed a stolen handgun from his shirt and opened fire at the Israeli security officers guarding the gate.One Border Police officer, Solomon Gavriyah, 20, and two private security guards — Youssef Ottman, 25, of the nearby Arab Israeli town of Abu Ghosh, and Or Arish, 25, of Har Adar — were killed in the attack. The settlement’s security coordinator, Amit Steinhart, was wounded.Jamal was shot dead by security forces at the scene.The next day, the IDF took measurements of Jamal’s home, which is the first step taken ahead of a demolition. The process of knocking down a terrorist’s house after an attack can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the circumstances.Israel made frequent use of home demolitions until 2005, when the government decided to stop employing the measure. However, in 2014, it was brought back into use.There is a dispute among security analysts and officials over the utility of home demolitions in combating terrorism, with some seeing it as a deterrent for terror attacks and others as an ineffective form of collective punishment.In separate raids early Wednesday in A-Ram and in the villages of Yatta and Abeda in the West Bank, security soldiers arrested two Palestinians, confiscated two improvised firearms and two handguns, and uncovered a stash of thousands of shekels the army says was intended to fund terror attacks.
In White House, Israeli widow laments payout to family of her husband’s killer-Halamish stabbing survivor Michal Salomon 'expresses dismay' to administration over expected Palestinian Authority stipend-By Eric Cortellessa-TOI-NOV 15,17
WASHINGTON — An Israeli woman whose husband and other relatives were killed in a July terror attack in the West Bank settlement of Halamish bemoaned this week to White House officials the expected financial reward to the family of the killer.Michal Salomon’s husband, father-in-law and sister-in-law were brutally murdered by a Palestinian terrorist who broke into their home and stabbed members of the family as they ate Shabbat dinner.She and her five children managed to escape, and shortly afterward the terrorist was shot dead by an off-duty soldier.In a meeting with Trump’s Mideast peace envoy Jason Greenblatt, Salomon “expressed dismay that the [family of the] terrorist would be receiving compensation from the Palestinian Authority for his action,” a senior White House official told The Times of Israel on Tuesday.Also in the meeting was National Security Council staffer Victoria Coates; Salomon’s father, Slomo Dan Lando; her cousin Brian Zvi Lando; and her children — Avinoam, Reut, Amitay, Ariel, and Avishay.Salomon’s comments came with the US Senate gearing up to vote on the Taylor Force Act, proposed legislation that would significantly cut US funding to the PA if it doesn’t discontinue the practice of paying monthly stipends to families of terrorists who kill Israelis.The measure advanced through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in August and will now be included in a foreign operations bill slated for a vote by the full chamber in December.That maneuver increases its chances it will pass the Senate vote. Trump has not yet signaled he would sign the bill into law, though a White House official told The Times of Israel in July the president supports its principal objective.Supporters of the Taylor Force Act argue that the PA’s social welfare payments to families of terrorists glorifies and encourages terrorism.The White House official said Salomon discussed with Greenblatt “the problem of incitement to violence, and expressed hope that this practice would end so a lasting peace arrangement can be reached.”Greenblatt, an Orthodox Jew who is part of Trump’s small delegation tasked with trying to broker a comprehensive accord between Israelis and Palestinians, went to Salomon’s West Bank home this summer while she sat shiva with her family after the attack.The New York Times reported over the weekend that Trump’s team is drafting a Middle East peace plan that is expected to be unveiled early next year.
Congresswomen accuse two US lawmakers of sexual harassment-Spotlight on sexual misconduct reaches halls of US Congress, with one lawmaker speaking of 'victims having their private parts grabbed on the House floor'-By AFP-TOI-14 November 2017
WASHINGTON — Two US lawmakers on Tuesday stood accused of sexual harassment, including one who allegedly exposed himself to a young staffer, amid mounting concern over abuse on Capitol Hill.With a broadening national spotlight on sexual misconduct in Hollywood, the media and politics, Congress has begun to address the accusations of abuse and demands by more than 1,500 former staffers that comprehensive reforms be instituted.The claims also come as conservative former judge Roy Moore, a candidate for US Senate, faces startling accusations by five women claiming he sexually assaulted or pursued them when they were teenagers in Alabama.House Democrat Jackie Speier, an advocate for an improved anti-harassment system in Congress, said she was aware of two sitting congressmen, a Republican and a Democrat, who “have engaged in sexual harassment.”“I have had numerous meetings and phone calls with staff members, both present and former, women and men, who have been subjected to this inexcusable and often times illegal behavior,” she told the House Administration Committee.She painted a picture of sexual predation on Capitol Hill, which included “victims having their private parts grabbed on the House floor.”Her colleague, House Republican Barbara Comstock, told the panel of a young staffer who delivered documents to her lawmaker boss’s residence and was greeted by the congressman, who was wearing only a towel.“At that point, he decided to expose himself. She left, and then she quit her job,” Comstock said.“But that kind of situation — what are we doing here for women right now who are dealing with somebody like that?”As for Moore, he has denied the allegations against him, but his support among mainstream Republicans has plummeted one month before the December 12 special election.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan have now called on him to drop out of the race, while the editorial board of the Alabama Media Group branded him “grossly unfit for office.”The House hearing addressed the need to update the chamber’s policies on misconduct claims, and bipartisan calls to implement mandatory sexual harassment training for both lawmakers and staff.“There is no place for sexual harassment in our society, period. And especially in Congress,” said the panel’s chairman, Gregg Harper.Speier herself acknowledged last month that she was the victim of abuse when she worked as a congressional staffer decades ago.“Many of us in Congress know what it’s like, because Congress has been a breeding ground for a hostile work environment for far too long,” she said in an October video encouraging other staffers to tell their stories.Addressing the issue will be complex and “at times uncomfortable,” Speier said, as she applauded colleagues from both parties for supporting efforts to mandate sexual harassment training.
Chilean presidential candidate calls Israel ‘a threat to world peace’-Eduardo Artes, leader of the leftist Patriotic Union party, vows to 'review' his country's relations with the 'Zionist entity' if he wins-By JTA-TOI-14 November 2017
RIO DE JANEIRO — A candidate in Chile’s upcoming presidential election declared Israel “a threat to world peace.”Eduardo Artes, leader of the leftist Patriotic Union party, made the comment in an interview broadcast Friday with Chile’s HispanTV. He also pledged that as president he would conduct a comprehensive review of his country’s relations with the Jewish state.“The treaties that Chile currently maintains with the Israeli Zionist entity in military, police, economic and cultural terms must all be reviewed in a patriotic and popular government, since they clearly damage our independence,” Artes said.“We are going to study all our relations with the Zionist entity because they are relations that generally harm world peace, not only the peace and survival of the Arab peoples, particularly the Palestinian people in the Middle East.”Artes spoke days before Chile’s presidential, parliamentary and regional council elections, which are slated for November 19.Artes is not expected to win enough votes to make it to the second round of voting.In July, the Patriotic Union issued a press release accusing Israel of “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing.” The statement included a photograph of Artes carrying a banner with a Palestinian flag on it.Days earlier, Jewish officials met with Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet to ask her to approve a new bill to protect citizens from acts motivated by hatred and discrimination.In April, the Palestinian Federation of Chile threatened the country’s Jewish umbrella organization over its support of Israel’s decision to bar a Chilean boycott activist from entering the Jewish state.In February, after a group of visitors from Israel was expelled from a national park, a senior official of a nonprofit tied to the Chilean government threatened to expel “Israelites” from hostels in the country.In January, a young Jewish and gay activist wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the flag of Israel was attacked by three men carrying neo-Nazi symbols at a Santiago park and suffered several razor cuts.Chile is home to some 15,000 Jews and what is thought to be the world’s largest Palestinian community outside the Arab world, with more than 300,000 members.
