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)
2020 AMERICAN ELECTION RESULTS BY STATE TRUMP VS LOSER LIBERAL SLEEPY (SLOPPY JOE) BIDEN.
ON D-78 OF THE TRUMP WIN OF THE PRESIDENCY. WED JAN 20, 21.
January 20 — Inauguration Day. The new presidential term begins at noon.
UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTION I WILL DO THE COVID-19 TOTALS HERE.
WORLD OVER ALL CASES 96,746,918 DEAD 2,068,829 AS OF WED JAN 20,21
ITS 8.17AM-JAN 20, 21-AND TRUMP IN HIS RED AND WHITE. WITH MELANIA IN HAND CAME OUT THE WHITEHOUSE AND WALKED DOWN A BRIEF RED CARPET TO THE GRASS WERE TRUMP AND MELANIA AND HIS AIDES ENTERED THE HELECOPTER. THEN THE HELICOPTER WENT BRIEFLY AROUND THE WHITEHOUSE. AIR FORCE 1 THEN WENT EN ROUTE TO JOINT BASE ANDRREWS. WERE HE WILL MAKE A BRIEF SPEECH TO HIS FANS. THEN OFF TO FLORIDA. AND THE PROPAGANDA HITLERS AT CNN ARE COMPLETELY NUMBNUTS FOUNDED BECAUSE TRUMP WON'T STICK AROUND TO WORSHIP THE BABY KILLERS BIDEN AND HARRIS. ITS 8.27AM AND TRUMP HAS LANDED AT JOINT BASE ANDREWS FOR HIS BRIEF SPEECH. WHILE THIS IS GOING ON. BIDEN IS PERTENDING TO BE A GOOD BABY MURDERER CHRISTIAN NOW BY ATTENDING A PRAYER SERVICE AT A CHURCH. MCCONNELL-SCHUMER-PILOSI ALSO THE GREAT BABY MURDERS WILL BE ATTENDING THE PRAYERMEETING ALSO. THE REST OF THE TRUMPS INCLUDING BARON ARE WAITING FOR MOM AND DAD TO GET OFF THE AIR FORCE 1 HELICOPTER. AS TRUMP AND MELANIA GO TOWARD THE STAND TO TALK. A 21 GUN SALUTE WAS DONE BY CANNONS. TRUMPY THANKS EVERYBODY INCLUDING MARK MEADOWS. HE SAYS MELIANIA WAS SO POPULAR WITH THE PEOPLE. AND MELANIA THANKS THE PEOPLE FOR HER TIME IN OFFICE. AND TRUMP SAYS ALL HIS WINNING ACHEVEMENTS EVEN THOUGH FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS. THE DEMOLIBNUTCASE BABY MURDERERS IMPEACHED HIM TWICE. AND FAKED A RUSSIAN HOAX AGAINST HIM FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS. TRUMP FOUGHT BACK AND OUT SMARTED THE LUNATIC RETARD LEFT-WINGNUTS BABY MURDERERS AT EVERY STEP. CHINA JOE BIDEN MUST BE LOVIN THIS COVID-19. IT CAME FROM HIS CHINESE SOCIALIST-FASIST-COMMUNIST-BABY KILLERS BRETHERN. TRUMP THANKS EVERYBODY. AND SAID HE WILL NOT BE GONE. WHICH WE KNOW FOR SURE. ITS 8.47AM AND TRUMP AND MELANIA AND BARON AND THE REST OF THE TRUMP CLAN ARE OFF TO FLORIDA. ITS 8.49AM.THEN CNN QUICKLY TURNS TO THE BABY MURDERER BIDEN-WHO WILL BE ATTENDING A CATHOLIC MASS NOT NO PRAYER SERVICE. VERY SHORTLY. ITS 8.53AM. BIDEN WILL BE THE 2ND CATHOLIC PRESIDENT. THIS CATHOLIC IS A BABY MURDERER. I WONDER HOW BIDEN WILL REACT WHEN HE STANDS IN FRONT OF JESUS AND GIVES AN ACCOUNT OF HIS LIFE. AND WHEN JESUS ASKS BIDEN HOW COULD YOU CALL YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN. YET PROMOTE AND ALLOW 101 MILLION BABIES WORLDWIDE TO BE MURDERED BY ABORTION. AND NOT TALK OUT AGAINST IT. THEN SEE WHAT THIS DEMOLIBNUT SAYS TO JESUS. WHO CREATED EVERYONE OF THOSE BABIES. WHICH SOME OF THEM MIGHT HAVE BEEN PRESIDENT OF AMERICA. ITS NOW 9.00AM AND THE TRUMPS HAVE JUST TOOK OFF FOR FLORIDA. AND BIDEN AND ALL THE BABY MURDERERS ARE ATTENDING THIS CATHOLIC MASS AT SOME CATHEDERAL IN WASHINGTON WITH CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS. BIDEN WILL BE SWEARING ON A 127 YEAR OLD BIBLE FROM HIS FAMILY. THIS AFTERNOON. AND JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS WILL BE SWEARING HIM IN. WHILE HARRIS WILL USE JUSTICE THURGOODS BIBLE FOR HER OATH. AND LIBERAL SOTOMAYOR WILL BE SWEARING IN THIS BABY MURDERER. ITS 9.17AM. PENCE-MCCONNELL-SCHUMER-PELOSI-CLINTON-OBAMA-BUSH WILL ALL BE ATTENDING THE BABY MURDERERS BIDEN/HARRIS INAUGURATION.
AFTER TONIGHTS BULL WITH CNN/BIDEN/HARRIS. IT WOULD NOT SURPRISE ME ONE BIT IF HARRIS WOULD GET KNOCKED UP QUICK. AFTER THE FIRST WEEK IN OFFICE. BEFORE TRUMP TAKES OVER AS PRESIDENT SHORTLY. AND TO PROVE SHES A REAL DEMOLIBNUTYJOB. SHE WOULD BE THE FIRST WOMAN AT THE WHITEHOUSE TO MUDER (ABORT) A BABY. OF COURSE SHE WOULD SAY. OH ITS FOR THE GOOD OF THE EARTH. AND FOR HER RIGHT TO CHOOSE. AND THE BEST BULL OF ALL. ITS FOR THE WOMANS HEALTH.
Who Will Stand Up to Swamp's Revenge Against Trump? us president donald trump and then us senate candidate josh hawley of missouri-By Clarence McKee Monday, 18 January 2021 07:37 AM Current |
The violent, renegade minority that invaded the U.S. Capitol building has, thus far, come close to accomplishing what Democrats and the mainstream media have been trying to do for four years — discredit the 75 million Americans who support the policies of Donald Trump and his "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) agenda! That won’t happen.In a swamp feeding frenzy of hypocrisy, double standards, and revenge, Democratic Party leaders, their "state media" allies, as well as their de facto agents in Big Tech social media, are using the tragedy to silence and blacklist Trump supporters and conservatives, as well as ban what political, Big Tech, and social media oligarchs deem to be unacceptable political speech.It amounts to McCarthyism in 2021.They consider them to be white supremacist enemies of the republic, as well as traitors, aiders, and abettors of seditious insurrection.This not-so-secret radical progressive cabal seeks revenge and punishment of anyone who dared to support Donald Trump. The overwhelming majority of those attending the Washington rally represented millions of law-abiding Trump voters. They were frustrated and angry over reported and alleged voting irregularities in crucial battleground states that they believe cost Trump the election.Have you noticed that few in the mainstream media have cared to ask what they believe in and why? They believe that the electoral process was stacked against them and the president and that the mainstream media favors Democrats while ignoring their issues and concerns.They're convinced that the "swamp" deep state establishment (including RINOs) do not care about their views: looking down upon them and their values of faith, family, individual rights, respect for the sanctity of life of the unborn, and also choice in education.CNN’s Anderson Cooper’s cynical view, that Trump protesters probably would "go back to the Olive Garden and the Holiday Inn . . . ," is an excellent example of media snobbery.They witness the hypocrisy of how Democrats, many Republicans, most of the media, and Big Tech companies are reacting to the violence at the U.S. Capitol compared to their reaction to left-wing urban violence last year.When Antifa and Black Lives Matter "protesters" rioted in several American cities last year, attacked law enforcement, set fires, and looted businesses, they weren’t condemned and labeled "domestic terrorists" by Democrats or the media.Neither were they vigorously pursued and prosecuted.CNN’s Chris Cuomo even defended the violence: "Please, show me where it says protesters are supposed to be polite and peaceful."Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris went so far as to promote a Minnesota fund that bailed out rioters, seemingly to encourage their unlawful actions.When the president said he would send federal law enforcement officers or the National Guard if requested, he was criticized by Democrats.Now, Members of Congress and Democrats are happy to see the 20,000 troops and law enforcement personnel sent to protect them during the Inauguration.And let’s not forget how guests leaving the White House complex after the Republican National Convention, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., a decorated U.S. Army veteran who lost both legs in Afghanistan, were harassed and bullied by anti-Trump protesters.As I wrote in this space, there was silence from Republicans and Democrats in Congress.District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser branded the Capitol rioters "domestic terrorists," yet had nothing to say about those who attempted to burn down the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church across from the White House in May.As if there is not enough division and tension in the nation, Democrats and their friends continue to stoke such tensions.President-Elect Biden compared Republican U.S. senators to Adolf Hitler’s propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels for raising questions about the conduct of the election, as he had President Trump a few months earlier for accusing him of being a socialist.Not satisfied with total control of the government after the Georgia U.S. Senate elections, Democrats and their allies still want Trump’s blood and to silence him and anyone who dared to support his policies.To accomplish their goal, they have instituted a political campaign, but one reflecting a cancel culture payback against him, his supporters, and anyone who opposes the one-party Democratic Party agenda.A few examples:The House of Representatives impeached President Trump a second time for allegedly inciting an insurrection.Publisher Simon and Schuster canceled publication of Sen. Josh Hawley’s, R-Mo., book "The Tyranny of Big Tech" because he dared to lead a debate on the integrity of the November election.Several major corporations have suspended donations to Republican Senators who voted against certification of the Electoral College votes.Amazon, Apple, and Google virtually killed the new conservative website Parler after Facebook and Twitter banned Trump from their platforms.This is just the beginning revenge against Donald Trump, but the question remains, who will be the next unfortunate victims? Who will ultimately stand up and declare, enough is enough?
Twitter Decries CNN as It Seeks Newsmax Ban-twitter icon on phone-By Brian Trusdell | Tuesday, 19 January 2021 12:48 PM
Social media users came to the defense of Newsmax after CNN and its commentators openly called for Newsmax and other conservative television outlets to be virtually thrown off the air.Decrying what they see as a new fascism, socialism, and even the totalitarian theme of the novel George Orwell’s “1984,” Twitter users slammed CNN’s call for censorship of Newsmax.Newsmax noted that CNN is clearly worried about the network’s rise, as it has become the 4th highest-rated cable news channel in the U.S.Fox News contributor Lisa Boothe condemned CNN reporter Oliver Darcy’s Twitter post, which referred to claims of “election denialism” and insinuating Verizon FiOS, AT&T (which owns CNN), and Comcast should remove Newsmax from their cable systems.“Oliver, this is just wrong to try to get them shut down. What kind of totalitarian society are you cheering on?” Boothe wrote on Twitter. “CNN recently had to settle a big lawsuit for getting the facts wrong. Is this really a fair game to play?”Darcy on Jan. 8 blamed conservative media for instigating the protests at the U.S. Capitol."After all, it was the very lies that Fox, Newsmax, and OAN spread that helped prime President Trump's supporters into not believing the truth: That he lost an honest and fair election," Darcy wrote.That was followed on Sunday by Facebook’s former chief security officer, Alex Stamos, appearing on CNN on Sunday calling for Newsmax’s shutdown by major cable operators.Trump senior adviser Jason Miller only had one word for the sentiment: “Insane.”Former DNI Secretary Ric Grenell slammed the media hypocrisy: “You know what’s dangerous for a democracy? Reporters who pretend to be unbiased but are partisan advocates. It is gasoline to a fire.”Grenell continued: “CNN’s Darcy helps lead the new Intolerance Mob. These safe spacers attack diversity. They think different voices are dangerous. They’ve convinced themselves that they are doing good by canceling non-conformers. But diversity and tolerance are American values.”Author and Washington Times columnist Tim Carney openly questioned whether the remarks violating monopoly law.“CNN exerting pressure on carriers to drop a competitor or two: Is this an anti-trust violation?” he wrote.Even some liberals were shocked by CNN’s censorship calls. For example, Glenn Greenwald noted the double-standard: “In that [CNN] clip the CNN & Facebook censors are deeply worried that people who consume conservative media never hear anything that challenges their assumptions or views. When is the last time - outside an occasional Jake Tapper segment - Dems hear anything on CNN that does that? Here's a former Facebook executive on CNN *explicitly urging that the same tactics that were used in cooperation with the US security state to remove ISIS from the internet now be used against "conservative influencers," to deprogram everyone to believe the CNN/liberal consensus.”While many others showed video clips of Joseph Stalin and asked about when CNN was going to begin distributing armbands, others were more direct.“More Nazi style censorship from the Left,” one user wrote.Some simply saw the issues as CNN being commercially defeated and was looking to have its competition eliminated.“Well if you can beat them in ratings and viewership, have them eliminated,” one person wrote.Fitness company entrepreneur Marc Lobliner had a similar take.“The folks at @CNN are just mad that independent producers are crushing them in ratings,” he wrote.A man who identified himself as a New York attorney suggested that if CNN was successful, the “deplatforming” wouldn’t stop.“In case anyone was wondering, this is exactly the kind of ignorant thought that permeates the loony left,” Brian Halloran wrote. “Next, eliminate the NY Post, the Washington Times and all other print media that dares to question Left policy and thought. This is why we fight.”
David Horowitz to Newsmax TV: Democrats Will Persecute Christians, Want 'Fascist' State-(Newsmax TV's "The Count")-By Eric Mack | Sunday, 17 January 2021 10:55 AM
Famed conservative thinker and author David Horowitz is warning that Democrats are trying to “criminalize” the First Amendment rights of Americans as the nation is in “the initial stages to becoming a fascist state.”Appearing on Newsmax TV’s "The Count" Saturday night with Tom Basile, Horowitz, a prominent Jewish conservative, warned that Christians are set to see increasing persecution as the Democrats take control of Washington.Horowitz is the author of the bestselling "Dark Agenda: The War to Destroy Christian America." [Note: “Dark Agenda” is at bookstores or check out the FREE Offer – Click Here Now]Horowitz said the Democratic Party has embraced an anti-Christian agenda that was vigorously implemented by Barack Obama, “the most anti-Christian, most anti-religious president in history.”"The problem, outside the persecution of any group is bad, is this country was founded on Christian principles," Horowitz noted.He said “Dark Agenda” explains that the “values we cherish” began with America’s Christian settlers, who themselves were fleeing persecution in Europe for their beliefs.Horowitz argues this is the key reason the First Amendment enshrined freedom of speech and conscience, as a bulwark to protect religious freedom – and why those freedoms are “under systematic assault by the Democrat party” today.Horowitz also defended the right of Republicans to question the 2020 election results, and noted Democrats had made similar moves in with the 2000, 2004 and 2016 elections.
A nuclear disaster: Ex-FBI head Comey likens Trump’s effect on US to Chernobyl-With assault on Capitol, he says, ‘the ugly radioactive violence and racism of America’ exploded in public view; says president has proven ‘uniquely able to bend people’-By TOI staff-JAN 19,21-Today, 8:44 pm
Former FBI director James Comey has compared the devastating impact of outgoing US President Donald Trump on America, culminating in the Trump-incited January 6 mob assault on the Capitol, to the 1986 explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor.In an interview Tuesday with the Guardian, Comey said the US always had a “radioactive stew” of violence, but it was held in check by a containment building (the law) and tamed by control rods (cultural expectations, including the N-word becoming taboo).“What Donald Trump has done for the last five years is attack the building from the outside to weaken its foundation,” Comey told the British paper. “He’s withdrawn the control rods, and that’s a recipe for a nuclear disaster, a radioactive release.“That’s what you saw on Capitol Hill, our own Chernobyl, when the ugly radioactive violence and racism of America explodes in public view.”Comey, who was fired by Trump in May 2017, said he was “sickened” on January 6 “to watch an attack on the literal and symbolic heart of our democracy,” but also “mystified and angry that Capitol Hill wasn’t defended.“It’s a hill! If you wanted to defend it, you could defend it, and for some reason it was not defended. I think that’s a 9/11-size failure and we’re going to need a 9/11-type commission to understand it so that we don’t repeat it,” he warned.Based on his direct dealings with Trump, Comey mused in the interview on how and why so many people have proved ready to embrace and enable the US president’s false narratives. “He rarely stops talking in a way that not only is filled with constant lying, but draws those to whom he’s speaking into an involuntary circle of assent,” Comey suggested. “He has this way of lying and saying: ‘Everybody agrees and of course we all agree,’ and a wave of lies hits you.”Complicating all this, he added, is that “the person speaking is in some sense an object of reverence in the American civic religion: he’s sitting in the Oval Office and he’s the president of the United States, so you want to believe him and respect him.That combination “makes him uniquely able to bend people – and he has bent a lot of people. It’s a really hard thing to resist. I bent in small ways that I convinced myself were tactical,” Comey recalled. “I gave silence in response to a request for loyalty and I said: ‘I’ll be honest,’ and then when I got ‘honest loyalty’ I agreed to that to get out of that conversation.”He claimed Trump tends to attract people who lack a solid moral framework: “They tell themselves stories like: ‘I’ve got to deal with this to protect the country; because I’m so important to the nation, I’ll make these compromises.’ And then he’s eaten your soul, it’s too late, and then you’re the attorney general of the United States marching across Lafayette Square thick with choking pepper smoke after protesters have been cleared so the man can hold the Bible up. That’s where you end up.”He also said that the Republican Party “needs to be burned down or changed” and hopes a break is nearing “between the Trumpists and those people who want to try and build a responsible conservative party.”In the interview, Comey again defended his actions in the run-up to the 2016 elections, and specifically his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server when she was secretary of state, while acknowledging that Clinton blames him for her defeat to Trump. He said he has never met Clinton, but if he did, “I think I would tell her that I’m sorry for her pain. I remember reading that she said I shivved [stabbed] her. I’m sick of talking about it, but if she wanted to, I would try to have her understand why we made the decisions we made.”
Flags and barbed wire: Jittery Washington DC prepares for Biden’s inauguration-Over 20,000 National Guard troops roam area where president-elect will be sworn in; ceremony will see modest participation due to pandemic and fears of right-wing attacks-By Agencies-JAN 19,21-Today, 7:56 pm
Outside the White House fence, central Washington on Tuesday took on a dystopian look ahead of US President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, swarming with National Guard troops and largely emptied of ordinary people.COVID-19 restrictions meant the swearing-in ceremony at noon on Wednesday was always due to be sparsely attended. But fears of right-wing attacks in the wake of the pro-Trump riot in the Capitol building on January 6 have triggered unprecedented deployments of armed soldiers, concrete barriers and secure areas dubbed “green” and “red” zones.Adding to the tension, the Senate is expected to put Donald Trump on trial soon, following his record second impeachment by the House of Representatives over the Capitol riot.Biden, a veteran Democratic senator who also served as vice president to Barack Obama, was set to travel to Washington with his wife Jill Biden from their hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.Together with incoming vice president Kamala Harris — the first woman ever to hold the job — Biden was due to deliver a Tuesday evening address on the COVID-19 crisis, from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.This will give the incoming president and vice president a first glimpse of a city transformed for their inauguration.The grassy Mall area, barred to the public, has been filled with some 200,000 American flags to represent the people who at any other inauguration would have come to witness history. Fifty six pillars of light will beam up to represent the 50 US states and territories.Another eye-catching number is the more than 20,000 National Guards troops on duty, many of them carrying automatic rifles and dressed in full combat gear.Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said in a statement Monday that vetting of National Guard troops continues and that the Pentagon has found no intelligence so far that would indicate an insider threat.Lt. Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard, said such vetting “is standard” and that he was “not concerned about” insider threats in the Guard.“We don’t allow extremism of any type in our organization,” he told NBC’s ”Today” show on Tuesday.Still, the Secret Service issued a bulletin over the weekend about what it sees as an “uptick” in National Guard troops posting pictures and details of their operations online.The Associated Press obtained the “all concerned” message sent to all the National Guard troops coming to Washington. Without getting into specific postings, the bulletin said, “No service members should be posting locations, pictures or descriptions online regarding current operations or the sensitive sites they are protecting” and urged them to stop immediately.Asked about the bulletin, a spokesperson for the Secret Service issued a statement saying it “does not comment on matters of protective intelligence.”A fire Monday in a homeless encampment roughly a mile away from the inauguration site sent a plume of smoke into the air and caused security concerns in an already jittery city.The false alarm briefly interrupted rehearsal for Wednesday’s inauguration ceremony, a quadrennial exercise in which stand-ins take the roles of Biden and other VIPs and the US Marine Band goes through its paces, including practicing “The Star-Spangled Banner” for a planned performance by Lady Gaga. Rehearsal resumed not long afterward, accompanied by frequent passes by a helicopter patrolling the skies over the Capitol.US President Donald Trump has refused to attend the inauguration, the first time a sitting president has not attended since Andrew Johnson, though Vice President Mike Pence will be there as well as other former presidents.In another first, Trump has yet to publicly congratulate Biden on his win, wish him luck, or invite him for the customary cup of tea in the Oval Office.Biden is coming in with a strong message of unity, insisting that he can bring a divided country back to the center and confront the nation’s multiple crises, starting with Covid-19, together.To symbolize the new spirit, Biden has invited the two top senators — Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republican Mitch McConnell — and other top congressional leaders to attend a church service with him on Wednesday before the inauguration.A person familiar with McConnell’s plans confirmed to AFP the Republican congressional leader would join Biden, a longtime Senate colleague, in church.
EU urges Israel to halt plans to build new East Jerusalem neighborhood-Jerusalem court rescinds order freezing tender process for Givat Hamatos; bloc expresses ‘grave concern’ as Israel approves 800 West Bank homes, days before Biden inauguration-By Lazar Berman-JAN 19,21-Today, 7:07 pm
The European Union expressed its “grave concern” on Tuesday over newly approved plans for hundreds of new housing units in West Bank settlements and urged Israel to permanently scrap plans to build a new Jewish neighborhood in East Jerusalem.Israel approved the construction of almost 800 housing units in West Bank settlements on Sunday, three days before the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden, as promised last week by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The move was condemned by European states and the United Nations.In a meeting with the Foreign Ministry’s Deputy Director-General for Europe Anna Azari, representatives of 17 European nations including the UK, Germany, and France on Tuesday condemned the West Bank approvals and also called for Israel to “permanently halt the tendering procedure for Givat HaMatos” in East Jerusalem.A Jerusalem court last week halted the auction of 1,257 new units in the Givat HaMatos neighborhood after Palestinians submitted a petition claiming that the manner in which many of the units were being sold discriminated against them.On Tuesday, however, the court lifted the order, allowing the tender process to proceed, according to the left-wing Ir Amim organization that submitted the petition.A court hearing on Ir Amim’s petition will be held on May 27, the organization said. According to its court filings, 501 units — around forty percent of the Givat HaMatos apartments — are being auctioned off as part of a new Israeli government program that subsidizes cheap housing for young families. But only Israeli citizens are eligible for the program — and East Jerusalem Palestinians are defined as permanent residents, not citizens, under Israeli law.If built, Givat Hamatos would become the first new Jewish neighborhood in East Jerusalem in two decades. The neighborhood’s location has drawn controversy, with some left-wing groups arguing that it would make a contiguous Palestinian capital in Jerusalem far more difficult to achieve.The plan for construction in Givat Hamatos was first advanced in 2012, earning widespread condemnation from the international community. It has been postponed repeatedly for nearly eight years.On Sunday, days before Biden was set to take office, the Civil Administration said some 780 homes were okayed in settlements, many of them deep in the West Bank.In a statement this week, the EU emphasized that its position remains “that settlements are illegal under international law.”“These moves are also counterproductive in light of the positive developments of normalization agreements between Israel and a number of Arab states,” the statement continued.Protesters carrying Israeli flags heckle a news conference by European Union officials visiting the construction site for Givat Hamatos in East Jerusalem, Monday, Nov. 16, 2020 (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)-Most of the international community considers settlement construction a violation of international law. In November 2019, by contrast, the US State Department said it had concluded that “the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not, per se, inconsistent with international law.” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in November became the first top American diplomat to visit a settlement in the West Bank.Aaron Boxerman contributed to this report.
On last full day in office, Trump decorates Bahrain king for Israel deal-US president bestows Legion of Merit on King Hamad in recognition of his ‘extraordinary courage and leadership’ in deciding to normalize ties with Jewish state-By AFP-JAN 19,21-Today, 5:52 pm
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump bestowed a rare award on King Hamad of Bahrain on Tuesday, acknowledging the Gulf state’s normalization of ties with Israel on his last full day in office.Trump, who sees Arab recognition of Israel as a key overseas achievement of his presidency, conferred the same award on King Mohammed VI of Morocco last week for his move to restore ties.Announcing his bestowal of the Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander, on King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Trump also paid tribute to Bahrain’s hosting of a June 2019 conference on the economic dimensions of his controversial Middle East peace plan, which broke with decades of international consensus and was boycotted by the Palestinians.“King Hamad has shown extraordinary courage and leadership through his support of the Vision for Peace and his decision to establish full diplomatic relations with the State of Israel,” the official Bahrain News Agency quoted Trump as saying.“King Hamad has challenged old assumptions about the possibility for peace in the region, and in doing so, positively reshaped the landscape of the Middle East for generations,” Trump added.In this September 15, 2020 file photo, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, US President Donald Trump, Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan pose for a photo on the Blue Room Balcony after signing the Abraham Accords during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)-Just across the Gulf from Iran, Bahrain is a longstanding Western ally which is home to the US Fifth Fleet.In 2011, with support from neighboring Saudi Arabia, the Sunni ruling family crushed month-long Shiite-led protests for an elected prime minister. It has since banned the two main opposition parties and thrown dozens of dissidents in jail.The Legion of Merit is a military award that was created to honor allied leaders in World War II and had gone into obscurity until it was revived by Trump, who last month also presented it to the prime ministers of Australia, India and Japan.On Wednesday at noon, US President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in and the Trump presidency will be over.
The goal: A diplomatic quarter 'like any other capital city' Jerusalem deputy mayor dreams of int’l ’embassy district’ close to US legation-Unveiling details of new US embassy compound planned for city’s Hebron Road, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum says plenty of empty space nearby for other countries to put down diplomatic roots-By Sue Surkes-JAN 19,21-Today, 5:09 pm
A deputy mayor of Jerusalem revealed Tuesday that she is pushing for the creation of an embassy district in the south of the city, anchored by the US Embassy, whose plans for two campuses were approved by the municipality’s planning and building committee last week.“I’ve been talking to the mayor for two years about building an embassy district,” she told a Zoom press conference. “Its anchor would be the US Embassy on Hebron Road. This same area has a lot of space for building behind Hebron Road and for hotels that are already in the planning stages opposite the Jerusalem Promenade. It’s my intention to work toward an embassy district like any other capital city of the world [has].”Breaking with decades of US policy, the outgoing Trump administration recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017 and moved its embassy there from Tel Aviv in 2018. It was one of a string of diplomatic gifts delivered by US President Donald Trump to Israel.US President-elect Joe Biden is expected to take a more balanced approach toward Israel and the Palestinians, but he has said he does not plan on moving the embassy back to Tel Aviv.Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem and co-founder of the UAE-Israel Business Council Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, poses for a picture during an interview at Dubai’s al- Habtoor palace in the United Arab Emirates, on October 13, 2020. (Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)-Several countries, among them Honduras, Malawi, the Dominican Republic, Serbia and Kosovo, have stated their intention to open embassies in Jerusalem, but so far only two have — the US and Guatemala.Last week, city planners greenlighted plans for a new, permanent US Embassy on the so-called Allenby compound bordered by Hebron Road in southern Jerusalem, as well as an extension to the existing 12,800 square meter (138,000 foot) temporary embassy on David Flusser Street in the Arnona neighborhood, a 20-minute walk away. Some Arnona residents are opposing the extension.US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and US President Donald Trump’s daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump unveil the inauguration plaque during the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem on May 14, 2018. (AFP Photo/Menahem Kahana)-Hassan-Nahoum, who is in charge of foreign relations, international economic development and tourism for the city, said that she did not know which of the two US complexes would be the principal one, but that she and Mayor Moshe Lion preferred the Allenby compound, because it was more central, had better transportation connections and was further from residential buildings.One of the campuses will serve as the embassy, with the other one containing housing for staff, recreational facilities, and possibly a new official residence for the US ambassador. Hassan-Nahoum said she understood that the State Department was still looking at other possible arrangements.At present, the ambassador is living at the former US Consulate in a historic building on Jerusalem’s downtown Agron Street, but this is said to be too small for the purpose. Hassan-Nahoum said this site would likely be retained for embassy events and conferences.Addressing the residents of the nearby neighborhoods of Talpiot, Arnona, Armon Hanatziv, Abu Tor and Baka, she said, “We greatly believe in the embassy effect. When the most important country in the world opens an embassy in an area of your city, the embassy effect means that everything around it will start to gain momentum. There will be more restaurants, shops, dry cleaners. Property prices will go up as embassy staff look for housing. Maybe there’ll be another private school. A big embassy and a new light rail line will have an incredibly positive effect. [The surrounding neighborhoods] will only see an economic upturn.”The total cost of construction for both campuses is estimated at $600 million and the architects are the US firm Krueck Sexton and the Israeli company Studio Yigal Levy. The planning process is expected to take at least two years.Between 400 and 700 construction workers will be needed, Hassan-Nahoum said, and once the complexes are operating, they will need a total of 630 clerical workers and 450 non-office workers, of which 400 and 380 respectively will be locals, she added.Asked whether Jerusalemites could expect to see high walls and floodlights surrounding the Hebron Road complex, Hassan-Nahoum would only say, “If [the security issues] hadn’t been solved, then the plan would not have been deposited. All security concerns have been dealt with and it will be a beautifully planned building.”Pushed on the details of discussions about security, in which she participated, she said they had revolved around issues such as the height envisaged for future buildings nearby to ensure that nobody could look down on the new embassy, and the location of the new light rail stop so that it did not cause security concerns at the embassy entrance.While the Arnona campus is largely underground, the 60,618 square meter (652,000 square foot) Hebron Road plot, with 31,073 meters of built space, will feature a ten-story office building (shown in gray), a four-story residential building (in beige), several floors of parking (pink) and support facilities. The site is bordered on its southern side by David Yanovsky Street, from where access to the campus will be provided.Plans for a new US Embassy campus on the Hebron Road in Jerusalem. (Jerusalem Municipality)-Hassan-Nahoum said it was doubtful that the incoming US Biden administration would seek to change the plans, predicting that they might be tweaked only in response to local objections.The plans approved by the local planning committee will now move to the Jerusalem District Planning Committee, where deposition is expected in the coming weeks. Once that is done, fuller plans will be released and the public will have 60 days to object.Hebron Road is the inner city section of Route 60, which connects the northern and southern parts of the West Bank.The planned site is near the line that divides West and East Jerusalem, the part of the city captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 Six Day War which the Palestinians claim for a future capital.Currently in an abandoned state, the plot has a rich history. During the British Mandate period, it housed the so-called Allenby Barracks, named after the UK’s General Edmund Allenby, who operated an army base there.Later, the State of Israel maintained a border police station there. Since the 1980s, Palestinian activists have claimed that the plot belongs at least partially to them and that it would be “unbecoming” for the US to establish an embassy “on land that is stolen property.”
No more ‘America First’: Biden’s top diplomat says US needs its allies to thrive-Antony Blinken to tell Senate confirmation committee America must mobilize support from other countries to ‘outcompete’ China, counter threats from Iran, Russia, North Korea-By Shaun Tandon-JAN 19,21-Today, 3:59 pm
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Antony Blinken, US President-elect Joe Biden’s choice for secretary of state, will vow Tuesday that the United States will “outcompete” a rising China while reviving frayed alliances, in a sea change from Donald Trump’s go-it-alone “America First” approach.On the eve of Biden’s inauguration, Blinken was set to say at his confirmation hearing that the United States will seek to remain the preeminent global power but renew cooperation on common challenges such as COVID-19 and climate change.“America at its best still has a greater ability than any country on earth to mobilize others for the greater good,” Blinken, a mild-mannered longtime aide to Biden, was to tell the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, according to his prepared remarks.“We can outcompete China — and remind the world that a government of the people, by the people, can deliver for its people,” Blinken said, paraphrasing Abraham Lincoln’s paean to democracy two weeks after a mob of Trump supporters ransacked the Capitol in hopes of overturning Biden’s victory.The stepson of a Holocaust survivor who found refuge in the United States, Blinken, 58, is known for his passion on humanitarian causes.He is expected to win Senate confirmation although Republicans have vowed to press him hard on his consulting work since leaving Barack Obama’s administration four years ago.In a sharp shift in tone from Trump’s secretary of state Mike Pompeo — who spoke of “swagger,” “American exceptionalism” and global conflict with China — Blinken said he would show “humility.”“Not one of the big challenges we face can be met by one country acting alone — even one as powerful as the US,” Blinken said.“We can revitalize our core alliances – force multipliers of our influence around the world. Together, we are far better positioned to counter threats posed by Russia, Iran, and North Korea and to stand up for democracy and human rights.”Quick reversals from Trump-Biden has promised to move swiftly after his inauguration at noon (1700 GMT) Wednesday to reverse some of Trump’s most divisive policies.Biden has pledged to rejoin the Paris climate accord, reverse the US exit from the World Health Organization and end immigration agents’ draconian separations of Latin American children from their families.With the French-speaking Blinken as his top diplomat, Biden will want to repair rifts with Western allies that turned intensely personal under Trump, who shattered protocol by publicly assailing his counterparts.Biden is expected to seek a return to the Iran nuclear accord negotiated under Obama, believing that Trump’s exit and imposition of sanctions backfired badly with Tehran escalating its contested program.Biden also faces an immediate deadline with the February 5 expiration of the New START treaty on nuclear reduction, the last remaining arms pact with Russia.Fellow Democrats have urged Biden to temporarily extend the treaty, an option supported by Moscow, after the Trump administration unsuccessfully sought to expand New START by bringing in China.In its final days, the Trump administration has taken a slew of major decisions seen as attempting to box in the next team.Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security advisor, has criticized one such move — designating Yemen’s Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels as terrorists, a step that aid groups warn will worsen a humanitarian crisis.Pompeo in his final days also re-designated Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, a move that will play to Trump’s Cuban-American supporters but could require months to undo.US permanently scarred? With the world’s eyes on the Capitol steps, new presidents have seized on inaugural addresses to make soaring statements of US international purpose, from John F. Kennedy’s Cold War warning of a “long twilight struggle” to Obama’s offer to adversaries “to extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”Biden’s inauguration will take place in a far darker atmosphere with virtually no crowd — due both to the pandemic that has claimed two million lives worldwide and ultra-tight security after the pro-Trump mob’s January 6 attack on the very building where Biden will take the oath.Flags are placed on the National Mall, looking towards the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial, ahead of the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, in Washington, January 18, 2021. (Alex Brandon/AP)“America’s image is irreversibly harmed. The most Biden can do is hope to patch up a few potholes and hope it will be a bit less of a bumpy ride,” said Brett Bruen, a former US diplomat who heads the Global Situation Room consulting firm.Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, said that the political violence “should put an end to the notion of American exceptionalism.”“A post-American world, one no longer defined by US primacy, is coming sooner than generally expected — less because of the inevitable rise of others than because of what the United States has done to itself,” Haass wrote in Foreign Affairs.
