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
Exclusive: Clues in Marriott hack implicate China - sources-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-By Christopher Bing-December 5, 2018
(Reuters) - Hackers behind a massive breach at hotel group Marriott International Inc left clues suggesting they were working for a Chinese government intelligence gathering operation, according to sources familiar with the matter.Marriott said last week that a hack that began four years ago had exposed the records of up to 500 million customers in its Starwood hotels reservation system.Private investigators looking into the breach have found hacking tools, techniques and procedures previously used in attacks attributed to Chinese hackers, said three sources who were not authorized to discuss the company's private probe into the attack.That suggests that Chinese hackers may have been behind a campaign designed to collect information for use in Beijing's espionage efforts and not for financial gain, two of the sources said.While China has emerged as the lead suspect in the case, the sources cautioned it was possible somebody else was behind the hack because other parties had access to the same hacking tools, some of which have previously been posted online.Identifying the culprit is further complicated by the fact that investigators suspect multiple hacking groups may have simultaneously been inside Marriott computer networks since 2014, said one of the sources.The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not return requests for comment.If investigators confirm that China was behind the attack, that could complicate already tense relations between Washington and Beijing, amid an ongoing tariff dispute and U.S. accusations of Chinese espionage and the theft of trade secrets.Marriott spokeswoman Connie Kim declined to comment, saying "We've got nothing to share," when asked about involvement of Chinese hackers.Marriott disclosed the hack on Friday, prompting U.S. and UK regulators to quickly launch probes into the case.Compromised customer data included names, passport numbers, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and email addresses. A small percentage of accounts included scrambled payment card data, said Kim.Marriott acquired Starwood in 2016 for $13.6 billion, including the Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, St. Regis, Aloft, Le Meridien, Tribute, Four Points and Luxury Collection hotel brands, forming the world's largest hotel operator.The hack began in 2014, shortly after an attack on the U.S. government's Office of Personnel Management (OPM) compromised sensitive data on tens of millions of employees, including application forms for security clearances.White House National Security advisor John Bolton recently told reporters he believed Beijing was behind the OPM hack, a claim first made by the United States in 2015.Beijing has strongly denied those charges and also refuted charges that it was behind other hacks.Former senior FBI official Robert Anderson told Reuters that the Marriott case looked similar to hacks that the Chinese government was conducting in 2014 as part of its intelligence operations."Think of the depth of knowledge they could now have about travel habits or who happened to be in a certain city at the same time as another person," said Anderson, who served as FBI executive assistant director until 2015."It fits with how the Chinese intelligence services think about things. It's all very long range," said Anderson, who was not involved in investigating the Marriott case and is now a principal with Chertoff Group.Michael Sussmann, a former senior Department of Justice official for its computer crimes section, said that the long duration of the campaign was an indicator that the hackers were seeking data for intelligence and not information to use in cyber crime schemes."One clue pointing to a government attacker is the amount of time the intruders were working quietly inside the network," he said. "Patience is a virtue for spies, but not for criminals trying to steal credit card numbers."FBI representatives could not immediately be reached for comment on the evidence linking the attack to China. A spokesperson said on Friday that the agency was looking into the attack, but declined to elaborate.(Reporting by Christopher Bing in Washington; Editing by Jim Finkle and Rosalba O'Brien)
Senator said attempting to put anti-BDS rider in US spending bill-Maryland’s Ben Cardin reportedly using lame duck session to squeeze controversial measure into bill meant to avert shutdown-By Eric Cortellessa-TOI-5 December 2018
WASHINGTON — Democratic Senator Ben Cardin is reportedly working to include controversial anti-BDS legislation to a spending bill this month, as US lawmakers rush to finalize the package in a last-minute push during a lame duck session.The bill — called the Israel Anti-Boycott Act — would prohibit American companies from participating in Israel boycotts, including those promoted by international organizations like the United Nations. The measure was advanced through the House Foreign Affairs Committee in June but later put on the backburner after liberal advocacy groups and civil liberties groups objected to the legislation on grounds that it violated America’s speech rights.On Tuesday, the Intercept reported that Cardin, one of the authors of the House bill’s Senate companion, was making a behind-the-scenes effort to incorporate the bill into a larger spending bill that must be passed by the end of the month.Washington lawmakers are currently hammering out a short-term two-week spending bill to avoid a partial government shutdown (they face a Friday deadline), but are also working on a larger package to last throughout the year.US President Donald Trump has demanded that bill include funding for a wall along the southern border, to which Democrats vehemently object.Cardin’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Two freshman lawmakers who openly support the BDS movement, Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib and Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar, are slated to be sworn into Congress when it reopens next year.The Israel Anti-Boycott Act has long been a subject of controversy. Faiz Shakir, national political director of The American Civil Liberties Union, wrote a letter to House members last year saying the bill “would impose civil and criminal punishment on individuals solely because of their political beliefs about Israel and its policies.” He urged them not to co-sponsor or support the bill.The measure’s supporters counter that, if passed and implemented, this law would prohibit discrimination on the basis of national origin, in this case, directed at Israeli companies and individuals.Sponsored by Rep. Peter Roskam, a Republican from Illinois, and Juan Vargas, a Democrat from California, the House bill includes a provision that would make it illegal for US businesses to join international boycotts against Israel. It would specifically amend the Export Administration of 1979, which bars US companies from adhering to Israel sanctions or boycotts administered by the Arab League.Rep. Eliot Engel, a Democrat from New York, has defended the law’s constitutionality. “Current law already prohibits US companies from participating in state-sponsored boycotts of countries friendly to the United States,” he said in his opening statement before the House panel’s June vote.“This legislation simply adds boycotts by international government organizations to that law,” he continued. “This bill does not infringe on free speech. It makes it clear that this prohibition only applies when a person is acting in an official capacity and if the intent was to comply with the international government organization’s boycott. Individual, personal speech remains protected. Period.”Several states have passed anti-BDS legislation, prohibiting the state from working with companies that boycott Israel, though none have passed measures making participating in a boycott of Israel illegal.
Israeli technology effectively stops drone approaches during G20-Drone Guard system, produced by a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, stops several suspicious flying devices as global leaders meet-By JTA-TOI-5 December 2018
BUENOS AIRES — Israeli technology hired by Argentina to provide security during the G20 global leaders’ summit successfully prevented several unauthorized drone incidents.The Drone Guard system sold to Argentina by ELTA Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).Despite previous fears, the participation of leaders from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States wasn’t affected.Several suspicious drones flying into the presence of global leaders were successfully blocked by the Israeli technology.The Defense Ministry of Argentina signed a contract worth more than $5 million with its Israeli counterpart last year to provide cyber defense and cybersecurity services to the meeting. Israel is not a member of the G20 group.On Thursday, summit authorities detected a non-authorized drone in an area of the hotels in which the foreign delegations stayed. The drone was neutralized.On Friday evening a drone flew close to the group of leaders that were entering the iconic Colon Theater for a gala event. The drone was neutralized and fell to the street, according a report by the Clarin newspaper.The signed contract was for the implementation of a Cyber Defense Informatics Emergency Response Team (CERT) and a Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT).On September 21, the countries signed the Implementation Agreement for the project. The cyber defense program includes the capability to inhibit drones to a certain range. The cybersecurity software includes the ability to collect and analyze information from social networks.Drone Guard was also successfully used during the 2018 Youth Olympics games in Argentina in October.The 13th meeting of the international forum of 20 countries held in Buenos Aires last weekend was the first G20 summit to be hosted in South America. Security was one of the main concerns. On Monday, President Mauricio Macri organized an event to recognize the success of the event with the workers, including security forces, in recognition of their performance.
Lebanon says Israel gave no evidence of Hezbollah attack tunnels-Speaker of Beirut parliament says IDF was uninformative at meeting with UN peacekeepers, Lebanese Army, but notes Israelis can do whatever they want on their side of border-By TOI staff and Agencies-5 December 2018
Lebanon’s parliament speaker said Wednesday Israel had presented no evidence, during a tripartite meeting with UN peacekeepers, to prove its claims that a network of attack tunnels has been dug by Hezbollah under the countries’ shared borders.Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, said Israel offered no “coordinates or information” about the tunnels during the regular weekly meeting, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeping mission meanwhile said Wednesday it will send a team to Israel to “ascertain facts,” a day after Israel launched an open-ended operation to find and destroy what it said were several cross-border tunnels planned for use by Hezbollah to attack the country and perhaps launch a full-scale war. Israel said it found the first such tunnel later Tuesday.The peacekeeping team called for full access to all locations along the border.Israel’s Hadashot TV news reported that several UNIFIL personnel were shown the Israeli side of the tunnel on Wednesday.The Israeli military refused to comment on what details were shared at the meeting.According to the IDF, the tunnel discovered Tuesday originated in the Lebanese village of Kafr Kila, near the Israeli border, and is approximately 200 meters (650 feet) long. It was dug some 25 meters (80 feet) below ground and is approximately two meters (six feet) high by two meters (six feet) wide, which would easily make it large enough for heavily armed infantry to pass through it.The Hezbollah tunnels were to be used by the Iran-backed terror group for a surprise attack to kick off a future war, a senior IDF officer said Wednesday. The army believes the tunnel uncovered Tuesday east of the Lebanese village of Kafr Kila was meant to let in Hezbollah fighters who would cut off the Israeli town of Metulla, which lies directly along the border with Lebanon, said the senior officer in the military’s Northern Command, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The idea was to cut off Metulla from the south, including by blocking the main entry road, Route 90.The IDF reportedly believes there are at least five cross-border tunnels. Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot said Tuesday that the army “is in possession of” Hezbollah’s tunnel plan. Hadashot TV said Wednesday that the IDF tackled the tunnel heading to Metulla first, because it was being dug toward a residential area, while other tunnels are heading to army positions.Wednesday’s tripartite meeting was held at the Rosh Hanikra border crossing near the Lebanese town of Naqoura where UNIFIL has its headquarters.UNIFIL hosts regular face-face talks between Israeli and Lebanese military officials.Berri earlier questioned the authenticity of the IDF’s claims about attack tunnels leading into Israeli territory, according to a Lebanese report.“The Israeli tale about the existence of a tunnel in Kafr Kila is questionable,” Berri said according to a report from the Lebanese al-Joumhouria daily newspaper. “Lebanon asks to be given the coordinates that specify the location of this tunnel and the validity of the Israeli claims about its existence.”“In any case, if Israel wants to dig in the territories it occupies, it can do what it wants and dig as much as it wants. If it wants to expand by digging into Lebanese territory, that is another matter,” he added.Hezbollah has remained silent about the tunnels.US ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Holzhall Richard telephoned Berri to speak about the border situation and maintained Washington’s official stance in backing the Israeli operation, the newspaper said.The IDF said the tunnel discovered Tuesday, which extended some 40 meters into Israel, was the “first of what are sure to be many” attack tunnels dug by Hezbollah across the border discovered as part of a newly launched operation, known as Northern Shield.In addition to images from inside the tunnel, the IDF also provided footage, taken by an army robot which surprised two Hezbollah operatives who were inside the passage at the time.IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis said the tunnel originated under an ostensibly civilian building, meters away from a position controlled by UNIFIL, which is meant to ensure that armed groups other than the Lebanese military stay away from the border zone under UN Resolution 1701.The military operation is expected to last several weeks and is being led by the head of the IDF Northern Command Maj. Gen. Yoel Strick, army officials have said. The army said the Hezbollah tunnels are not yet operational and do not present an immediate threat to Israelis.Israel has long been critical of what it describes as UNIFIL’s failure to rein in the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group, which the IDF says maintains a large arsenal in the area despite Resolution 1701.Judah Ari Gross contributed to this report.
Army claims Hezbollah aimed to use tunnels to cut off Metulla, launch war-Senior officer says terror group planned to capture part of Galilee panhandle; seismic sensors helped army find cross-border underground infrastructure-By Judah Ari Gross-TOI-5 December 2018
The Hezbollah attack tunnels crossing into Israeli territory from Lebanon that Israel has begun to uncover were to be used by the Iran-backed terror group for a surprise attack to kick off a future war, a senior IDF officer said Wednesday.The army believes the tunnel uncovered Tuesday east of the Lebanese village of Kafr Kila was meant to let in Hezbollah fighters who would cut off the Israeli town of Metulla, which lies directly along the border with Lebanon, said the senior officer in the military’s Northern Command, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The idea was to cut off Metulla from the south, including by blocking the main entry road, Route 90.The officer, citing military assessments, said Hezbollah planned to use the tunnels as part of a wider operation to conquer parts of the panhandle in Israel’s Galilee in a future conflict.On Tuesday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a similar claim, saying the tunnels were part of a wider effort to “inflict great damage” to Israel and Israeli citizens.“Capturing parts of the Galilee by Hezbollah is a concrete threat,” he said. “It is also part of a regional and global terror effort led by Iran.”The one tunnel the army says it has uncovered so far reached 40 meters (130 feet) into Israeli territory outside Metulla, and was two meters (six feet) tall by two meters (six feet) wide. It’s unclear how many fighters Hezbollah could have sent through the tunnel before being detected and if they would be enough to capture or hold significant swaths of Israeli territory.The army has not said how many other cross-border tunnels it believes there are.Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot said Tuesday that the army “is in possession of” Hezbollah’s tunnel plan. Hadashot TV said Wednesday that the IDF tackled the tunnel heading to Metulla first, because it was being dug toward a residential area. The IDF was operating at at least three sites along the border, including in the Western Galilee, as of Wednesday evening.Israel’s last major confrontation with Hezbollah, 2006’s Second Lebanon War, was sparked when the terror group managed to infiltrate just over the border, kill several soldiers and capture two of their bodies.Approximately seven years ago, Hezbollah created a special forces unit — known as the Radwan Unit — specifically tasked with crossing into Israel and causing as much mayhem and destruction as possible both for the sake of the damage to Israel itself and for the symbolic victory of having troops carry out attacks inside Israel.Northern residents have raised fears in recent years of attack tunnels being dug under the border, spurring the IDF to launch a task force to investigate the concerns in 2013. However, initial searches turned up nothing. Only later, after the military’s tunnel-finding techniques improved following the 2014 Gaza war, was the IDF able to find the Hezbollah tunnels.Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the senior official said none of the Hezbollah tunnels into Israel was completed when the IDF early Tuesday launched its operation to find and destroy them — dubbed Northern Shield — and thus did not present an immediate threat to residents of the area.According to the officer, Hezbollah was at least several months away from having operational tunnels.“None of the tunnels was ready for war tomorrow. In some cases, it was a matter of months and in other it was a matter of years before they’d be operationally ready,” he said.Hezbollah operatives were still working in the tunnel uncovered on Tuesday up until it was exposed by the IDF, according to footage released by the Israeli military.The video, filmed by a robot sent into the tunnel on Tuesday morning, shows two men entering the tunnel and approaching the camera before the robot triggers a small explosive device, scaring the men away.“Hezbollah’s rate of progress was just a few meters per week, and so we decided to bring down the tunnel project now from an understanding that it is in full swing and before it can become an actual threat to residents of the area,” the officer said.The senior officer said IDF chief Eisenkot initially pushed for the operation to begin two months ago, but Northern Command officers requested more time in order to make the necessary engineering preparations.Ultimately, Eisenkot presented the cabinet with the plans for the operation and received approval on November 7, the chief of staff said Tuesday night.The Northern Command officer said the army’s operation to uncover the tunnels came as a “surprise” to Hezbollah, which had tried to keep its subterranean program a secret even within the terrorist organization, employing only a small number of workers to dig the tunnels.“Hezbollah now appears surprised and even embarrassed by our operation,” the officer said.“Since the start of our activities, [Hezbollah] has decided to lower its profile. At this point, it seems to be trying to understand what we know and what we don’t, but I think that Hezbollah has not figured out how much we know about its tunnel project, and it will be even more surprised going forward,” he said.While the IDF believes it has fully mapped out Hezbollah’s tunnel infrastructure, the officer allowed for potential “surprises,” but said that chances of that were low.“There are some places we know more about, and some that we know less about. But we have the means to see through the operation to the end — to find and destroy them all,” the senior officer said.The officer said the tunnels were discovered using seismic sensors, which were buried underground.“Using audio systems, [troops] are able to listen to the ground and identify suspicious activities,” he said.The officer indicated that this type of system was different from the one used to detect tunnels dug by Hamas and other terror groups from the Gaza Strip, owing to geological differences between the mountainous north and the sandy flatlands in the south.“Here the ground is rocky, and therefore digging here makes more noise that can be detected by the system,” he said.The senior officer said the IDF was still working out how best to destroy each of the tunnels. In the Gaza Strip, Israel has both blown up tunnels with explosives and filled them with concrete and other materials in order to seal them off. However, he said, the same type of measures may not as work as well in the rocky terrain of northern Israel as they do around Gaza.According to the IDF, the Hezbollah tunnel discovered Tuesday took over two years to excavate — due to the harsh terrain under the border — and contained electrical and communication lines as well as ventilation.“Hezbollah has been using industrial equipment in order to dig these tunnels. We are beginning to assess and analyze the findings,” an army spokesperson said.Tuesday’s operation came as tensions on Israel’s northern border have ramped up in recent days, and hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Brussels for a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss Iran and the Hezbollah tunnels.The IDF operation began in the predawn hours of Tuesday morning. The military declared the area around the community of Metulla a closed military zone, but gave no other special instructions to Israeli civilians in the area.The military remained on high alert around the border as a precautionary measure in case Hezbollah responded violently to the IDF operation.
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH IN NOAHS DAY(BECAUSE OF SIN,VIOLENCE AND GODLESS PEOPLE)
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
HOSEA 4:1-3
1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
DEUTORONOMY 28:22-24
22 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Residents head back into California town leveled by wildfire-[Associated Press]-YAHOONEWS-DON THOMPSON and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ-December 5, 2018
PARADISE, Calif. (AP) — Joyce and Jerry McLean sifted through twisted metal and broken glass Wednesday on the property where their mobile home once stood, hoping to find precious family possessions that might have survived the devastating California wildfire that leveled Paradise.They were among hundreds of residents who were finally allowed back into neighborhoods on the east side of town a month after the blaze killed at least 85 people and destroyed about 14,000 homes.The couple, wearing white hazmat suits and leather gloves, searched for his gold wedding band, a Bible that belonged to his great-grandmother and Christmas ornaments made by their son when he was a boy."We didn't own expensive things, but we had a lot of memory things," said Joyce McLean, 73. "If I can find a little piece of his family or just a little piece of my son, I would be happy."Earlier in the day, a long line of cars waited in a cold drizzle at a checkpoint to enter areas where evacuation orders had been lifted.Crews in yellow slickers were still clearing debris from burned homes and removing trees from streets littered with melted plastic trash cans and hollowed vehicles on tireless rims.Some residents have been allowed back into nearby communities in the fire zone, but Wednesday marked the first time residents of Paradise got a firsthand look at what was left of their town of 27,000 people that was hit the hardest by the blaze.More than 50,000 people in Paradise and the neighboring communities of Magalia and Concow were forced to quickly flee the towering, wind-driven flames that charred 240 square miles (622 square kilometers). Authorities said 11 people were still unaccounted for in what was the deadliest U.S. wildfire in at least a century.Joyce McLean said she had seen photos on social media of her burned home and knew one of the only things that survived was an American flag flying on a pole."We lost everything but the clothes on our backs," she said about their harrowing dash for safety.In their search Wednesday, they found tools that belonged to Jerry McLean's father and a set of souvenir spoons that belonged to Joyce McLean's mother, but there was no sign of the precious items they had hoped to find."I don't think we're going to find the Bible, not much chance," said Jerry McLean, 72.Joyce McLean said the thought of returning after the fire had made her nervous and emotional, but she wanted to at least recover the flag."I think something was telling us to be there," she said about the images she saw on social media. "The only thing that was standing was the flagpole, with the flag still flying, and our welcome sign with our name and address."Rebecca Rogers of Chico came to support her friend, Jennifer Christensen, who lost her Paradise home in the fire.Rogers believes she found the remains of Christensen's cat, Marble, under what used to be her friend's bed. Rogers was in tears when she approached the McLeans to ask for a bag to gather the remains."I don't want her to look. It's just too much," Rogers sobbed before burying the remains in the front yard of her friend's home. "I've got to be strong; I've got to do this for her. "The communities will have very limited services for the immediate future, and authorities urged returning residents to bring food, water and fuel for vehicles.They were also warned they should not move back into homes until ash and hazardous waste have been cleared, and that rain could increase the risk of flash floods and mudslides.The McLeans are temporarily renting a house in the region, but they plan to move back to Paradise and have already bought a two-bedroom mobile home to replace the one they lost.They also intend to keep searching the rubble for their precious possessions."Today was just kind of a come-to-Jesus meeting to see what's here, what's not, mostly not," Jerry McLean said.Before leaving for the day, he took down the flag and folded it."When we come back, she'll go up again," he said.___Rodriguez reported from San Francisco.___This story has been corrected to show the sheriff's office said the general public will be allowed to the areas in now open in Paradise on Thursday, not that all evacuation orders will be lifted Thursday.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
Russia says U.S. has shown no evidence it is in breach of nuclear treaty-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-December 5, 2018
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday the United States had yet to provide any evidence Moscow was in breach of a landmark arms control treaty, but said it was ready to keep discussing the matter with Washington.The United States delivered Russia a 60-day ultimatum on Tuesday to come clean about what Washington says is a violation of a 1987 nuclear arms control treaty, saying it would be forced to start a six-month process of withdrawal if nothing changed.Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry, told a briefing that the U.S. embassy in Moscow had handed over a note on Tuesday evening saying Washington would quit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty unless Russia began complying with it."These documents were received for further processing," said Zakharova. "In them once again there were groundless allegations about our alleged violation of this agreement. We have repeatedly said that this is conjecture. No proof (of our alleged violation) has been presented to us."(Reporting by Polina Devitt; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
Growing split in Seoul over North Korea threatens Korea detente, nuclear talks-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-By Hyonhee Shin-December 5, 2018
SEOUL (Reuters) - When Seoul was preparing to open a liaison office in the North Korean city of Kaesong this summer after a decade of virtually no contact with its longtime enemy, South Korean officials had heated debates over whether they should seek approval from Washington.Some top aides to President Moon Jae-in stressed it was an issue for the two Koreas alone and there was no need to involve their U.S. ally, two people with knowledge of the situation told Reuters.But to the surprise of several officials at the meeting, Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon argued Washington must be consulted because Seoul's plans might run afoul of sanctions imposed on North Korea over its nuclear weapons program.Two dozen countries including the Britain, Germany and Sweden already have embassies in Pyongyang, and other officials saw the proposed liaison office as a far lower-level of contact with the North.And they certainly did not expect Cho to be a leading advocate of strict enforcement of sanctions. Cho was Moon's personal choice to head the ministry, whose prime mission is to foster reconciliation, cooperation and eventual reunification with the North.Cho, whose 30 year public service history has been inextricably linked to reunification, was even sacked from the ministry in 2008 over his "dovish" stance toward Pyongyang.At the suggestion of Cho and senior diplomats, Seoul ultimately sought U.S. consent before opening the office in September, one of the sources said.All the sources spoke to condition of anonymity due to sensitivity of the matter.Cho declined to comment for this article, but a senior official at the Unification Ministry said it was aware of criticisms of Cho."Inter-Korean ties are unique in their nature, but it's been difficult, and there's North Korea's duplicity. It's a dilemma we face, or our fate," the official said, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.CHIEF NEGOTIATOR, OR ROADBLOCK? The previously unreported debate among Moon's top officials illustrates a growing divide within South Korea over how to progress relations with the North while keeping Washington on side.Some corners of the administration argue Seoul can't afford to be seen veering from the U.S.-led sanctions and pressure campaign until Pyongyang gives up its nuclear weapons program, while others feel closer inter-Korean ties can help expedite the stalled diplomatic process, several officials close to the situation say."If the internal rift leads to moving too quickly with the North without sufficient U.S. consultations, it could pose a setback to not only the nuclear talks but also the alliance and inter-Korean relations," said Shin Beom-chul, a senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul.After the inter-Korean thaw gave way to reconciliation efforts between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this year, Trump asked Moon to be "chief negotiator" between the two.That task has become increasingly difficult as Washington and Pyongyang blame each other for the faltering nuclear talks.U.S. officials insist punishing sanctions must remain until North Korea completely denuclearizes. North Korea says it has already made concessions by dismantling key facilities and Washington must reciprocate by easing sanctions and declaring an end to the 1950-53 Korean War."Unlike other advisers, Minister Cho has balanced his staunch desire for peace with an understanding of the importance of retaining a strong South Korea-U.S. alignment," said Patrick Cronin of the Centre for a New American Security, an Asia expert in close touch with both U.S. and South Korean officials."Some alliance discord is inevitable and not worrisome. What would be worrisome would be a clear rupture in South Korea-U.S. approaches for managing North Korea."The presidential Blue House declined to comment, but Moon told reporters on Monday the view that there was discord between South Korea and the United States was "groundless" because there is no difference in the two countries' positions on the North's denuclearization.SLOW PROGRESS, MOUNTING FRUSTRATION-A third source familiar with the presidential office's thinking said there was mounting frustration with Cho within the Blue House and even inside the Unification Ministry amid concerns he worried too much about U.S. views."What the president would want from him as the unification minister is to come up with bold ideas to make his pet initiatives happen," the source said.During three summits this year, Moon and Kim agreed to re-link railways and roads, and when conditions are met, restart the joint factory park in Kaesong and tours to the North's Mount Kumgang resort that have been suspended for years.None of those plans have made much headway, either because sanctions ban them outright, or as in the case of Kaesong, Seoul took time to convince skeptical U.S. officials that cross-border projects wouldn't undermine sanctions.North Korea itself has been an unpredictable partner. Discussions through the Kaesong office have been few and far between, with Pyongyang's negotiators often failing to show up for scheduled weekly meetings without notice, Unification Ministry officials say.Even so, the Kaesong move has caused tensions with Washington.U.S. officials told Seoul that South Korea's explanations on the Kaesong office were not "satisfactory," the South's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told a parliamentary hearing in August.Washington was also caught off guard when a group of businessmen who used to operate factories in the now-closed Kaesong industrial park were invited for the opening ceremony of the office, a diplomatic source in Seoul said.The allies launched a working group last month led by their nuclear envoys to coordinate North Korean policy. It was borne out of U.S. desire to "keep inter-Korean relations in check," the source said.Asked about the Kaesong office, a U.S. State Department official said: "We expect all member states to fully implement U.N. sanctions, including sectoral goods banned under UN Security Council resolution, and expect all nations to take their responsibilities seriously to help end (North Korea's) illegal nuclear and missile programs."Another State official said the United States endorsed April's inter-Korean summit agreement during its own summit with North Korea "because progress on inter-Korean relations must happen in lockstep with progress on denuclearization."Last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Cho in Washington, saying inter-Korean cooperation and progress on nuclear negotiations should "remain aligned"."We have made clear to the Republic of Korea that we do want to make sure that peace on the peninsula and the denuclearization of North Korea aren’t lagging behind the increase in the amount of inter-relationship between the two Koreas," he told a news briefing a few days after the meeting.ROCK AND A HARD PLACE-Even as he faced pressure from Washington to hold a tough line, Cho was being criticized for dragging his feet on reconciliation.In May, the North called off planned talks with the South led by Cho in protest against U.S.-South Korean air combat exercises. When the meeting eventually took place, Cho's counterpart, Ri Son Gwon, openly blamed Cho for having caused a "grave situation" that resulted in the cancellation of the talks.At the Kaesong office opening, factory owners pressed Cho to reopen the complex and said they were dismayed at the Unification Ministry for repeatedly rejecting requests to visit the border city to check on equipment and facilities idled since the 2016 shutdown."We've expressed, directly and indirectly, our complaint that the minister may be too lukewarm about our requests, even though allowing the trip has nothing to do with sanctions," said Shin Han-yong, who chairs a group of businessmen with plants in Kaesong.Cho recently told the parliament the delays are due to scheduling issues with the North, adding the ministry "needs more time to explain the overall circumstances" to the international community.Shin, the expert at Asan, warned any move to undermine sanctions may expose South Korean companies to risks of punishment.After Moon and Kim's summit in Pyongyang in September, a senior U.S. Treasury official called compliance officers at seven South Korean banks to warn them that resuming financial cooperation with North Korea "does not align with U.S. policies" and the banks must comply with U.N. and U.S. financial sanctions, according to a South Korean regulatory document."Realistically we have no option but to consider U.S. positions, as the top priority is the North's denuclearization and the United States has the biggest leverage on that," said Kim Hyung-suk, who served as vice unification minister until last year."Without progress on the nuclear issues, there would be constraints at some point in sustaining inter-Korean ties. And Minister Cho knows that."(Editing by Soyoung Kim and Lincoln Feast.)
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
Exclusive: Clues in Marriott hack implicate China - sources-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-By Christopher Bing-December 5, 2018
(Reuters) - Hackers behind a massive breach at hotel group Marriott International Inc left clues suggesting they were working for a Chinese government intelligence gathering operation, according to sources familiar with the matter.Marriott said last week that a hack that began four years ago had exposed the records of up to 500 million customers in its Starwood hotels reservation system.Private investigators looking into the breach have found hacking tools, techniques and procedures previously used in attacks attributed to Chinese hackers, said three sources who were not authorized to discuss the company's private probe into the attack.That suggests that Chinese hackers may have been behind a campaign designed to collect information for use in Beijing's espionage efforts and not for financial gain, two of the sources said.While China has emerged as the lead suspect in the case, the sources cautioned it was possible somebody else was behind the hack because other parties had access to the same hacking tools, some of which have previously been posted online.Identifying the culprit is further complicated by the fact that investigators suspect multiple hacking groups may have simultaneously been inside Marriott computer networks since 2014, said one of the sources.The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not return requests for comment.If investigators confirm that China was behind the attack, that could complicate already tense relations between Washington and Beijing, amid an ongoing tariff dispute and U.S. accusations of Chinese espionage and the theft of trade secrets.Marriott spokeswoman Connie Kim declined to comment, saying "We've got nothing to share," when asked about involvement of Chinese hackers.Marriott disclosed the hack on Friday, prompting U.S. and UK regulators to quickly launch probes into the case.Compromised customer data included names, passport numbers, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and email addresses. A small percentage of accounts included scrambled payment card data, said Kim.Marriott acquired Starwood in 2016 for $13.6 billion, including the Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, St. Regis, Aloft, Le Meridien, Tribute, Four Points and Luxury Collection hotel brands, forming the world's largest hotel operator.The hack began in 2014, shortly after an attack on the U.S. government's Office of Personnel Management (OPM) compromised sensitive data on tens of millions of employees, including application forms for security clearances.White House National Security advisor John Bolton recently told reporters he believed Beijing was behind the OPM hack, a claim first made by the United States in 2015.Beijing has strongly denied those charges and also refuted charges that it was behind other hacks.Former senior FBI official Robert Anderson told Reuters that the Marriott case looked similar to hacks that the Chinese government was conducting in 2014 as part of its intelligence operations."Think of the depth of knowledge they could now have about travel habits or who happened to be in a certain city at the same time as another person," said Anderson, who served as FBI executive assistant director until 2015."It fits with how the Chinese intelligence services think about things. It's all very long range," said Anderson, who was not involved in investigating the Marriott case and is now a principal with Chertoff Group.Michael Sussmann, a former senior Department of Justice official for its computer crimes section, said that the long duration of the campaign was an indicator that the hackers were seeking data for intelligence and not information to use in cyber crime schemes."One clue pointing to a government attacker is the amount of time the intruders were working quietly inside the network," he said. "Patience is a virtue for spies, but not for criminals trying to steal credit card numbers."FBI representatives could not immediately be reached for comment on the evidence linking the attack to China. A spokesperson said on Friday that the agency was looking into the attack, but declined to elaborate.(Reporting by Christopher Bing in Washington; Editing by Jim Finkle and Rosalba O'Brien)
Senator said attempting to put anti-BDS rider in US spending bill-Maryland’s Ben Cardin reportedly using lame duck session to squeeze controversial measure into bill meant to avert shutdown-By Eric Cortellessa-TOI-5 December 2018
WASHINGTON — Democratic Senator Ben Cardin is reportedly working to include controversial anti-BDS legislation to a spending bill this month, as US lawmakers rush to finalize the package in a last-minute push during a lame duck session.The bill — called the Israel Anti-Boycott Act — would prohibit American companies from participating in Israel boycotts, including those promoted by international organizations like the United Nations. The measure was advanced through the House Foreign Affairs Committee in June but later put on the backburner after liberal advocacy groups and civil liberties groups objected to the legislation on grounds that it violated America’s speech rights.On Tuesday, the Intercept reported that Cardin, one of the authors of the House bill’s Senate companion, was making a behind-the-scenes effort to incorporate the bill into a larger spending bill that must be passed by the end of the month.Washington lawmakers are currently hammering out a short-term two-week spending bill to avoid a partial government shutdown (they face a Friday deadline), but are also working on a larger package to last throughout the year.US President Donald Trump has demanded that bill include funding for a wall along the southern border, to which Democrats vehemently object.Cardin’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Two freshman lawmakers who openly support the BDS movement, Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib and Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar, are slated to be sworn into Congress when it reopens next year.The Israel Anti-Boycott Act has long been a subject of controversy. Faiz Shakir, national political director of The American Civil Liberties Union, wrote a letter to House members last year saying the bill “would impose civil and criminal punishment on individuals solely because of their political beliefs about Israel and its policies.” He urged them not to co-sponsor or support the bill.The measure’s supporters counter that, if passed and implemented, this law would prohibit discrimination on the basis of national origin, in this case, directed at Israeli companies and individuals.Sponsored by Rep. Peter Roskam, a Republican from Illinois, and Juan Vargas, a Democrat from California, the House bill includes a provision that would make it illegal for US businesses to join international boycotts against Israel. It would specifically amend the Export Administration of 1979, which bars US companies from adhering to Israel sanctions or boycotts administered by the Arab League.Rep. Eliot Engel, a Democrat from New York, has defended the law’s constitutionality. “Current law already prohibits US companies from participating in state-sponsored boycotts of countries friendly to the United States,” he said in his opening statement before the House panel’s June vote.“This legislation simply adds boycotts by international government organizations to that law,” he continued. “This bill does not infringe on free speech. It makes it clear that this prohibition only applies when a person is acting in an official capacity and if the intent was to comply with the international government organization’s boycott. Individual, personal speech remains protected. Period.”Several states have passed anti-BDS legislation, prohibiting the state from working with companies that boycott Israel, though none have passed measures making participating in a boycott of Israel illegal.
Israeli technology effectively stops drone approaches during G20-Drone Guard system, produced by a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, stops several suspicious flying devices as global leaders meet-By JTA-TOI-5 December 2018
BUENOS AIRES — Israeli technology hired by Argentina to provide security during the G20 global leaders’ summit successfully prevented several unauthorized drone incidents.The Drone Guard system sold to Argentina by ELTA Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).Despite previous fears, the participation of leaders from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States wasn’t affected.Several suspicious drones flying into the presence of global leaders were successfully blocked by the Israeli technology.The Defense Ministry of Argentina signed a contract worth more than $5 million with its Israeli counterpart last year to provide cyber defense and cybersecurity services to the meeting. Israel is not a member of the G20 group.On Thursday, summit authorities detected a non-authorized drone in an area of the hotels in which the foreign delegations stayed. The drone was neutralized.On Friday evening a drone flew close to the group of leaders that were entering the iconic Colon Theater for a gala event. The drone was neutralized and fell to the street, according a report by the Clarin newspaper.The signed contract was for the implementation of a Cyber Defense Informatics Emergency Response Team (CERT) and a Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT).On September 21, the countries signed the Implementation Agreement for the project. The cyber defense program includes the capability to inhibit drones to a certain range. The cybersecurity software includes the ability to collect and analyze information from social networks.Drone Guard was also successfully used during the 2018 Youth Olympics games in Argentina in October.The 13th meeting of the international forum of 20 countries held in Buenos Aires last weekend was the first G20 summit to be hosted in South America. Security was one of the main concerns. On Monday, President Mauricio Macri organized an event to recognize the success of the event with the workers, including security forces, in recognition of their performance.
Lebanon says Israel gave no evidence of Hezbollah attack tunnels-Speaker of Beirut parliament says IDF was uninformative at meeting with UN peacekeepers, Lebanese Army, but notes Israelis can do whatever they want on their side of border-By TOI staff and Agencies-5 December 2018
Lebanon’s parliament speaker said Wednesday Israel had presented no evidence, during a tripartite meeting with UN peacekeepers, to prove its claims that a network of attack tunnels has been dug by Hezbollah under the countries’ shared borders.Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, said Israel offered no “coordinates or information” about the tunnels during the regular weekly meeting, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeping mission meanwhile said Wednesday it will send a team to Israel to “ascertain facts,” a day after Israel launched an open-ended operation to find and destroy what it said were several cross-border tunnels planned for use by Hezbollah to attack the country and perhaps launch a full-scale war. Israel said it found the first such tunnel later Tuesday.The peacekeeping team called for full access to all locations along the border.Israel’s Hadashot TV news reported that several UNIFIL personnel were shown the Israeli side of the tunnel on Wednesday.The Israeli military refused to comment on what details were shared at the meeting.According to the IDF, the tunnel discovered Tuesday originated in the Lebanese village of Kafr Kila, near the Israeli border, and is approximately 200 meters (650 feet) long. It was dug some 25 meters (80 feet) below ground and is approximately two meters (six feet) high by two meters (six feet) wide, which would easily make it large enough for heavily armed infantry to pass through it.The Hezbollah tunnels were to be used by the Iran-backed terror group for a surprise attack to kick off a future war, a senior IDF officer said Wednesday. The army believes the tunnel uncovered Tuesday east of the Lebanese village of Kafr Kila was meant to let in Hezbollah fighters who would cut off the Israeli town of Metulla, which lies directly along the border with Lebanon, said the senior officer in the military’s Northern Command, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The idea was to cut off Metulla from the south, including by blocking the main entry road, Route 90.The IDF reportedly believes there are at least five cross-border tunnels. Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot said Tuesday that the army “is in possession of” Hezbollah’s tunnel plan. Hadashot TV said Wednesday that the IDF tackled the tunnel heading to Metulla first, because it was being dug toward a residential area, while other tunnels are heading to army positions.Wednesday’s tripartite meeting was held at the Rosh Hanikra border crossing near the Lebanese town of Naqoura where UNIFIL has its headquarters.UNIFIL hosts regular face-face talks between Israeli and Lebanese military officials.Berri earlier questioned the authenticity of the IDF’s claims about attack tunnels leading into Israeli territory, according to a Lebanese report.“The Israeli tale about the existence of a tunnel in Kafr Kila is questionable,” Berri said according to a report from the Lebanese al-Joumhouria daily newspaper. “Lebanon asks to be given the coordinates that specify the location of this tunnel and the validity of the Israeli claims about its existence.”“In any case, if Israel wants to dig in the territories it occupies, it can do what it wants and dig as much as it wants. If it wants to expand by digging into Lebanese territory, that is another matter,” he added.Hezbollah has remained silent about the tunnels.US ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Holzhall Richard telephoned Berri to speak about the border situation and maintained Washington’s official stance in backing the Israeli operation, the newspaper said.The IDF said the tunnel discovered Tuesday, which extended some 40 meters into Israel, was the “first of what are sure to be many” attack tunnels dug by Hezbollah across the border discovered as part of a newly launched operation, known as Northern Shield.In addition to images from inside the tunnel, the IDF also provided footage, taken by an army robot which surprised two Hezbollah operatives who were inside the passage at the time.IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis said the tunnel originated under an ostensibly civilian building, meters away from a position controlled by UNIFIL, which is meant to ensure that armed groups other than the Lebanese military stay away from the border zone under UN Resolution 1701.The military operation is expected to last several weeks and is being led by the head of the IDF Northern Command Maj. Gen. Yoel Strick, army officials have said. The army said the Hezbollah tunnels are not yet operational and do not present an immediate threat to Israelis.Israel has long been critical of what it describes as UNIFIL’s failure to rein in the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group, which the IDF says maintains a large arsenal in the area despite Resolution 1701.Judah Ari Gross contributed to this report.
Army claims Hezbollah aimed to use tunnels to cut off Metulla, launch war-Senior officer says terror group planned to capture part of Galilee panhandle; seismic sensors helped army find cross-border underground infrastructure-By Judah Ari Gross-TOI-5 December 2018
The Hezbollah attack tunnels crossing into Israeli territory from Lebanon that Israel has begun to uncover were to be used by the Iran-backed terror group for a surprise attack to kick off a future war, a senior IDF officer said Wednesday.The army believes the tunnel uncovered Tuesday east of the Lebanese village of Kafr Kila was meant to let in Hezbollah fighters who would cut off the Israeli town of Metulla, which lies directly along the border with Lebanon, said the senior officer in the military’s Northern Command, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The idea was to cut off Metulla from the south, including by blocking the main entry road, Route 90.The officer, citing military assessments, said Hezbollah planned to use the tunnels as part of a wider operation to conquer parts of the panhandle in Israel’s Galilee in a future conflict.On Tuesday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a similar claim, saying the tunnels were part of a wider effort to “inflict great damage” to Israel and Israeli citizens.“Capturing parts of the Galilee by Hezbollah is a concrete threat,” he said. “It is also part of a regional and global terror effort led by Iran.”The one tunnel the army says it has uncovered so far reached 40 meters (130 feet) into Israeli territory outside Metulla, and was two meters (six feet) tall by two meters (six feet) wide. It’s unclear how many fighters Hezbollah could have sent through the tunnel before being detected and if they would be enough to capture or hold significant swaths of Israeli territory.The army has not said how many other cross-border tunnels it believes there are.Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot said Tuesday that the army “is in possession of” Hezbollah’s tunnel plan. Hadashot TV said Wednesday that the IDF tackled the tunnel heading to Metulla first, because it was being dug toward a residential area. The IDF was operating at at least three sites along the border, including in the Western Galilee, as of Wednesday evening.Israel’s last major confrontation with Hezbollah, 2006’s Second Lebanon War, was sparked when the terror group managed to infiltrate just over the border, kill several soldiers and capture two of their bodies.Approximately seven years ago, Hezbollah created a special forces unit — known as the Radwan Unit — specifically tasked with crossing into Israel and causing as much mayhem and destruction as possible both for the sake of the damage to Israel itself and for the symbolic victory of having troops carry out attacks inside Israel.Northern residents have raised fears in recent years of attack tunnels being dug under the border, spurring the IDF to launch a task force to investigate the concerns in 2013. However, initial searches turned up nothing. Only later, after the military’s tunnel-finding techniques improved following the 2014 Gaza war, was the IDF able to find the Hezbollah tunnels.Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the senior official said none of the Hezbollah tunnels into Israel was completed when the IDF early Tuesday launched its operation to find and destroy them — dubbed Northern Shield — and thus did not present an immediate threat to residents of the area.According to the officer, Hezbollah was at least several months away from having operational tunnels.“None of the tunnels was ready for war tomorrow. In some cases, it was a matter of months and in other it was a matter of years before they’d be operationally ready,” he said.Hezbollah operatives were still working in the tunnel uncovered on Tuesday up until it was exposed by the IDF, according to footage released by the Israeli military.The video, filmed by a robot sent into the tunnel on Tuesday morning, shows two men entering the tunnel and approaching the camera before the robot triggers a small explosive device, scaring the men away.“Hezbollah’s rate of progress was just a few meters per week, and so we decided to bring down the tunnel project now from an understanding that it is in full swing and before it can become an actual threat to residents of the area,” the officer said.The senior officer said IDF chief Eisenkot initially pushed for the operation to begin two months ago, but Northern Command officers requested more time in order to make the necessary engineering preparations.Ultimately, Eisenkot presented the cabinet with the plans for the operation and received approval on November 7, the chief of staff said Tuesday night.The Northern Command officer said the army’s operation to uncover the tunnels came as a “surprise” to Hezbollah, which had tried to keep its subterranean program a secret even within the terrorist organization, employing only a small number of workers to dig the tunnels.“Hezbollah now appears surprised and even embarrassed by our operation,” the officer said.“Since the start of our activities, [Hezbollah] has decided to lower its profile. At this point, it seems to be trying to understand what we know and what we don’t, but I think that Hezbollah has not figured out how much we know about its tunnel project, and it will be even more surprised going forward,” he said.While the IDF believes it has fully mapped out Hezbollah’s tunnel infrastructure, the officer allowed for potential “surprises,” but said that chances of that were low.“There are some places we know more about, and some that we know less about. But we have the means to see through the operation to the end — to find and destroy them all,” the senior officer said.The officer said the tunnels were discovered using seismic sensors, which were buried underground.“Using audio systems, [troops] are able to listen to the ground and identify suspicious activities,” he said.The officer indicated that this type of system was different from the one used to detect tunnels dug by Hamas and other terror groups from the Gaza Strip, owing to geological differences between the mountainous north and the sandy flatlands in the south.“Here the ground is rocky, and therefore digging here makes more noise that can be detected by the system,” he said.The senior officer said the IDF was still working out how best to destroy each of the tunnels. In the Gaza Strip, Israel has both blown up tunnels with explosives and filled them with concrete and other materials in order to seal them off. However, he said, the same type of measures may not as work as well in the rocky terrain of northern Israel as they do around Gaza.According to the IDF, the Hezbollah tunnel discovered Tuesday took over two years to excavate — due to the harsh terrain under the border — and contained electrical and communication lines as well as ventilation.“Hezbollah has been using industrial equipment in order to dig these tunnels. We are beginning to assess and analyze the findings,” an army spokesperson said.Tuesday’s operation came as tensions on Israel’s northern border have ramped up in recent days, and hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Brussels for a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss Iran and the Hezbollah tunnels.The IDF operation began in the predawn hours of Tuesday morning. The military declared the area around the community of Metulla a closed military zone, but gave no other special instructions to Israeli civilians in the area.The military remained on high alert around the border as a precautionary measure in case Hezbollah responded violently to the IDF operation.
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH IN NOAHS DAY(BECAUSE OF SIN,VIOLENCE AND GODLESS PEOPLE)
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
HOSEA 4:1-3
1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
DEUTORONOMY 28:22-24
22 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Residents head back into California town leveled by wildfire-[Associated Press]-YAHOONEWS-DON THOMPSON and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ-December 5, 2018
PARADISE, Calif. (AP) — Joyce and Jerry McLean sifted through twisted metal and broken glass Wednesday on the property where their mobile home once stood, hoping to find precious family possessions that might have survived the devastating California wildfire that leveled Paradise.They were among hundreds of residents who were finally allowed back into neighborhoods on the east side of town a month after the blaze killed at least 85 people and destroyed about 14,000 homes.The couple, wearing white hazmat suits and leather gloves, searched for his gold wedding band, a Bible that belonged to his great-grandmother and Christmas ornaments made by their son when he was a boy."We didn't own expensive things, but we had a lot of memory things," said Joyce McLean, 73. "If I can find a little piece of his family or just a little piece of my son, I would be happy."Earlier in the day, a long line of cars waited in a cold drizzle at a checkpoint to enter areas where evacuation orders had been lifted.Crews in yellow slickers were still clearing debris from burned homes and removing trees from streets littered with melted plastic trash cans and hollowed vehicles on tireless rims.Some residents have been allowed back into nearby communities in the fire zone, but Wednesday marked the first time residents of Paradise got a firsthand look at what was left of their town of 27,000 people that was hit the hardest by the blaze.More than 50,000 people in Paradise and the neighboring communities of Magalia and Concow were forced to quickly flee the towering, wind-driven flames that charred 240 square miles (622 square kilometers). Authorities said 11 people were still unaccounted for in what was the deadliest U.S. wildfire in at least a century.Joyce McLean said she had seen photos on social media of her burned home and knew one of the only things that survived was an American flag flying on a pole."We lost everything but the clothes on our backs," she said about their harrowing dash for safety.In their search Wednesday, they found tools that belonged to Jerry McLean's father and a set of souvenir spoons that belonged to Joyce McLean's mother, but there was no sign of the precious items they had hoped to find."I don't think we're going to find the Bible, not much chance," said Jerry McLean, 72.Joyce McLean said the thought of returning after the fire had made her nervous and emotional, but she wanted to at least recover the flag."I think something was telling us to be there," she said about the images she saw on social media. "The only thing that was standing was the flagpole, with the flag still flying, and our welcome sign with our name and address."Rebecca Rogers of Chico came to support her friend, Jennifer Christensen, who lost her Paradise home in the fire.Rogers believes she found the remains of Christensen's cat, Marble, under what used to be her friend's bed. Rogers was in tears when she approached the McLeans to ask for a bag to gather the remains."I don't want her to look. It's just too much," Rogers sobbed before burying the remains in the front yard of her friend's home. "I've got to be strong; I've got to do this for her. "The communities will have very limited services for the immediate future, and authorities urged returning residents to bring food, water and fuel for vehicles.They were also warned they should not move back into homes until ash and hazardous waste have been cleared, and that rain could increase the risk of flash floods and mudslides.The McLeans are temporarily renting a house in the region, but they plan to move back to Paradise and have already bought a two-bedroom mobile home to replace the one they lost.They also intend to keep searching the rubble for their precious possessions."Today was just kind of a come-to-Jesus meeting to see what's here, what's not, mostly not," Jerry McLean said.Before leaving for the day, he took down the flag and folded it."When we come back, she'll go up again," he said.___Rodriguez reported from San Francisco.___This story has been corrected to show the sheriff's office said the general public will be allowed to the areas in now open in Paradise on Thursday, not that all evacuation orders will be lifted Thursday.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
Russia says U.S. has shown no evidence it is in breach of nuclear treaty-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-December 5, 2018
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday the United States had yet to provide any evidence Moscow was in breach of a landmark arms control treaty, but said it was ready to keep discussing the matter with Washington.The United States delivered Russia a 60-day ultimatum on Tuesday to come clean about what Washington says is a violation of a 1987 nuclear arms control treaty, saying it would be forced to start a six-month process of withdrawal if nothing changed.Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry, told a briefing that the U.S. embassy in Moscow had handed over a note on Tuesday evening saying Washington would quit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty unless Russia began complying with it."These documents were received for further processing," said Zakharova. "In them once again there were groundless allegations about our alleged violation of this agreement. We have repeatedly said that this is conjecture. No proof (of our alleged violation) has been presented to us."(Reporting by Polina Devitt; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
Growing split in Seoul over North Korea threatens Korea detente, nuclear talks-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-By Hyonhee Shin-December 5, 2018
SEOUL (Reuters) - When Seoul was preparing to open a liaison office in the North Korean city of Kaesong this summer after a decade of virtually no contact with its longtime enemy, South Korean officials had heated debates over whether they should seek approval from Washington.Some top aides to President Moon Jae-in stressed it was an issue for the two Koreas alone and there was no need to involve their U.S. ally, two people with knowledge of the situation told Reuters.But to the surprise of several officials at the meeting, Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon argued Washington must be consulted because Seoul's plans might run afoul of sanctions imposed on North Korea over its nuclear weapons program.Two dozen countries including the Britain, Germany and Sweden already have embassies in Pyongyang, and other officials saw the proposed liaison office as a far lower-level of contact with the North.And they certainly did not expect Cho to be a leading advocate of strict enforcement of sanctions. Cho was Moon's personal choice to head the ministry, whose prime mission is to foster reconciliation, cooperation and eventual reunification with the North.Cho, whose 30 year public service history has been inextricably linked to reunification, was even sacked from the ministry in 2008 over his "dovish" stance toward Pyongyang.At the suggestion of Cho and senior diplomats, Seoul ultimately sought U.S. consent before opening the office in September, one of the sources said.All the sources spoke to condition of anonymity due to sensitivity of the matter.Cho declined to comment for this article, but a senior official at the Unification Ministry said it was aware of criticisms of Cho."Inter-Korean ties are unique in their nature, but it's been difficult, and there's North Korea's duplicity. It's a dilemma we face, or our fate," the official said, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.CHIEF NEGOTIATOR, OR ROADBLOCK? The previously unreported debate among Moon's top officials illustrates a growing divide within South Korea over how to progress relations with the North while keeping Washington on side.Some corners of the administration argue Seoul can't afford to be seen veering from the U.S.-led sanctions and pressure campaign until Pyongyang gives up its nuclear weapons program, while others feel closer inter-Korean ties can help expedite the stalled diplomatic process, several officials close to the situation say."If the internal rift leads to moving too quickly with the North without sufficient U.S. consultations, it could pose a setback to not only the nuclear talks but also the alliance and inter-Korean relations," said Shin Beom-chul, a senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul.After the inter-Korean thaw gave way to reconciliation efforts between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this year, Trump asked Moon to be "chief negotiator" between the two.That task has become increasingly difficult as Washington and Pyongyang blame each other for the faltering nuclear talks.U.S. officials insist punishing sanctions must remain until North Korea completely denuclearizes. North Korea says it has already made concessions by dismantling key facilities and Washington must reciprocate by easing sanctions and declaring an end to the 1950-53 Korean War."Unlike other advisers, Minister Cho has balanced his staunch desire for peace with an understanding of the importance of retaining a strong South Korea-U.S. alignment," said Patrick Cronin of the Centre for a New American Security, an Asia expert in close touch with both U.S. and South Korean officials."Some alliance discord is inevitable and not worrisome. What would be worrisome would be a clear rupture in South Korea-U.S. approaches for managing North Korea."The presidential Blue House declined to comment, but Moon told reporters on Monday the view that there was discord between South Korea and the United States was "groundless" because there is no difference in the two countries' positions on the North's denuclearization.SLOW PROGRESS, MOUNTING FRUSTRATION-A third source familiar with the presidential office's thinking said there was mounting frustration with Cho within the Blue House and even inside the Unification Ministry amid concerns he worried too much about U.S. views."What the president would want from him as the unification minister is to come up with bold ideas to make his pet initiatives happen," the source said.During three summits this year, Moon and Kim agreed to re-link railways and roads, and when conditions are met, restart the joint factory park in Kaesong and tours to the North's Mount Kumgang resort that have been suspended for years.None of those plans have made much headway, either because sanctions ban them outright, or as in the case of Kaesong, Seoul took time to convince skeptical U.S. officials that cross-border projects wouldn't undermine sanctions.North Korea itself has been an unpredictable partner. Discussions through the Kaesong office have been few and far between, with Pyongyang's negotiators often failing to show up for scheduled weekly meetings without notice, Unification Ministry officials say.Even so, the Kaesong move has caused tensions with Washington.U.S. officials told Seoul that South Korea's explanations on the Kaesong office were not "satisfactory," the South's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told a parliamentary hearing in August.Washington was also caught off guard when a group of businessmen who used to operate factories in the now-closed Kaesong industrial park were invited for the opening ceremony of the office, a diplomatic source in Seoul said.The allies launched a working group last month led by their nuclear envoys to coordinate North Korean policy. It was borne out of U.S. desire to "keep inter-Korean relations in check," the source said.Asked about the Kaesong office, a U.S. State Department official said: "We expect all member states to fully implement U.N. sanctions, including sectoral goods banned under UN Security Council resolution, and expect all nations to take their responsibilities seriously to help end (North Korea's) illegal nuclear and missile programs."Another State official said the United States endorsed April's inter-Korean summit agreement during its own summit with North Korea "because progress on inter-Korean relations must happen in lockstep with progress on denuclearization."Last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Cho in Washington, saying inter-Korean cooperation and progress on nuclear negotiations should "remain aligned"."We have made clear to the Republic of Korea that we do want to make sure that peace on the peninsula and the denuclearization of North Korea aren’t lagging behind the increase in the amount of inter-relationship between the two Koreas," he told a news briefing a few days after the meeting.ROCK AND A HARD PLACE-Even as he faced pressure from Washington to hold a tough line, Cho was being criticized for dragging his feet on reconciliation.In May, the North called off planned talks with the South led by Cho in protest against U.S.-South Korean air combat exercises. When the meeting eventually took place, Cho's counterpart, Ri Son Gwon, openly blamed Cho for having caused a "grave situation" that resulted in the cancellation of the talks.At the Kaesong office opening, factory owners pressed Cho to reopen the complex and said they were dismayed at the Unification Ministry for repeatedly rejecting requests to visit the border city to check on equipment and facilities idled since the 2016 shutdown."We've expressed, directly and indirectly, our complaint that the minister may be too lukewarm about our requests, even though allowing the trip has nothing to do with sanctions," said Shin Han-yong, who chairs a group of businessmen with plants in Kaesong.Cho recently told the parliament the delays are due to scheduling issues with the North, adding the ministry "needs more time to explain the overall circumstances" to the international community.Shin, the expert at Asan, warned any move to undermine sanctions may expose South Korean companies to risks of punishment.After Moon and Kim's summit in Pyongyang in September, a senior U.S. Treasury official called compliance officers at seven South Korean banks to warn them that resuming financial cooperation with North Korea "does not align with U.S. policies" and the banks must comply with U.N. and U.S. financial sanctions, according to a South Korean regulatory document."Realistically we have no option but to consider U.S. positions, as the top priority is the North's denuclearization and the United States has the biggest leverage on that," said Kim Hyung-suk, who served as vice unification minister until last year."Without progress on the nuclear issues, there would be constraints at some point in sustaining inter-Korean ties. And Minister Cho knows that."(Editing by Soyoung Kim and Lincoln Feast.)
