THIS IS AWESOME IN ISRAEL THEY MAY HAVE FOUND THE TOMB OF KING HEROD, PROOF HE WAS A REAL KING OF ISRAEL AT THE TIME OF JESUS, NOT NO MYTHE LIKE SKEPTICS BELIEVE. PRAISE JESUS (GOD) FOR REVEALING TRUTH TO THE WORLD.
King Herod's tomb may have been found By STEVE WEIZMAN, Associated Press Writer
Tue May 8, 8:38 AM ET
JERUSALEM - An Israeli archaeologist on Tuesday said he has found remnants of the tomb of King Herod, the legendary builder of ancient Jerusalem, on a flattened hilltop in the Judean Desert where the biblical monarch built a palace.
Hebrew University archaeologist Ehud Netzer said the tomb was found at Herodium, a site where he has been exploring since the 1970s.Netzer said a team of researchers found pieces of a limestone sarcophagus believed to belong to the ancient king. Although there were no bones in the container, he said the sarcophagus' location and ornate appearance indicated it is Herod's.It's a sarcophagus we don't just see anywhere, Netzer said at a news conference. It is something very special.Netzer led the team, although he said he was not on the site when the sarcophagus was found.
Stephen Pfann, an expert in the Second Temple period at the University of the Holy Land, called the find a major discovery by all means, but cautioned further research is needed.He said all signs indicate the tomb belongs to Herod, but said ruins with an inscription on it were needed for full verification.
We're moving in the right direction. It will be clinched once we have an inscription that bears his name, said Pfann, a textual scholar who did not participate in Netzer's dig.The fragments of carved limestone found at the sandy site are decorated with floral motives, but do not include any inscriptions.Herod became the ruler of the Holy Land under the Romans around 40 B.C. The wall he built around the Old City of Jerusalem during the time of the Jewish Second Temple is the one that can be seen today. He also undertook massive construction projects in Caesaria, Jericho, the hilltop fortress of Massada and other locations.
It has long been assumed that Herod was buried at Herodium, but decades of excavations failed to turn up the site until now. The first century historian Josephus Flavius described the tomb and Herod's funeral procession.Herodium was one of the last strong points held by Jewish rebels fighting against the Romans, and it was conquered and destroyed by Roman forces in A.D. 71, a year after they destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem.Hebrew University had hoped to keep the find a secret until Netzer's news conference on Tuesday. But the university announced the find in a brief statement late Monday after the Haaretz daily found out about the discovery and published an article on its Web site.
Herod's Grave Uncovered
by Hillel Fendel (INN) MAY 8,07
Prof. Ehud Netzer of Hebrew University, fulfilling a career-long goal of solving this national-historic mystery, has uncovered the grave of King Herod - at the Herodium (Herodion), east of Efrat in Gush Etzion. Prof. Netzer announced his discovery at a Tuesday morning press conference at the Mount Scopus campus of Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
He explained that a combination of the location, type of work at the tomb, the decorations, and pieces of the coffin led to the definite conclusion that this was Herod the Great's burial site. Herod was the Roman-appointed king of Judea from 37 to 4 BCE. He was renowned for his many monumental building projects, including the expansion of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, the palace at Masada, and the Herodium complex, 15 kilometers south of Jerusalem. The Herodium, Herod's final resting place, is the most outstanding among his building projects. Prof. Netzer has led archaeological digs there since 1972, and the exposure of the king's tomb here becomes the climax of this sites research, Netzer said.
The coffin was found broken into pieces, and Prof. Netzer explained that it was likely broken some 70 years after the unpopular king's death, during the Jewish rebellion. Herod had also been known for his cruelty, killing his wife and children, among other perceived opponents.The Herodium is famous for the well-known mountain-top structure comprising a palace, a fortress and a monument. The excavations on the slope of that mountain, where the tomb was found, began in August 2006. The expedition, on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was conducted by Prof. Netzer, together with Yaakov Kalman and Ro'i Porat. The approach to the burial site was via a monumental flight of stairs 6.5 meters wide, leading to the hillside; the stairs were especially constructed for the funeral procession.
Herod died in Jericho, but left instructions to be buried in the area known as the Herodium. The mausoleum itself was almost totally dismantled in ancient times, but part of its well-built podium remains. Spread among the ruins are pieces of a large, unique coffin, nearly 2.5 meters (over 8 feet) made of a Jerusalemite reddish limestone, decorated by rosettes. The sarcophagus (coffin) had a triangular cover, which was decorated on its sides. Only very few similar sarcophagi are known in the country, and can be found only in elaborate tombs such as the famous one at the Kings Tomb on Salah a-Din Street in eastern Jerusalem. Although no inscriptions have been found yet at Herodium, archaeologists are hopeful that some might yet be found.
Wild Goose Chase
The search for Herods tomb, which began actively 30 years ago, focused until last year on Lower Herodium, which includes an area built especially for the king's funeral and burial. However, atop the Herod-era ruins was a large complex of Byzantine structures that took many years to dig out first. Finally, Herod's Tomb Estate was dug. Though two monumental buildings and a large ritual bath (mikveh) were found, as well as a large route (350 meters long and 30 meters wide) that had been prepared for the funeral, no sign of the burial place itself was found. The expedition then started to search for it on the slope of the hill, where it was finally found. Prof. Netzer emphasizes that there seems to be no doubt that the king's initial intention was to be buried in the estate.
Herod later changed his mind, however, asking to be buried within the artificial cone which gave the hill of Herodium its current volcano-shape.
Josephus Leaves Out Detail
The main historical source of the Second Temples days, the historian Josephus Flavius, described the site of Herodium in detail, as well as the funeral - but left out the detail of the burial having taken place on the hillside instead of in the Tomb Estate. A complex of tunnels from the days of Bar-Kokhba within the Herodium mount was opened to the public in the 1980's. The archaeological excavations at the site, which stopped in 1987, were renewed 10 years later and continued until 2000, and after a second break, were renewed at the end of 2005.
Modern-Day Implications
Residents of Gush Etzion anticipate that the find will strengthen eastern Gush Etzion. The Herodium is located along the not-yet opened Zaatra bypass road between the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa and the two Gush Etzion communities of Tekoa and Nokdim.
OTHER NEWS
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS. 2-Midwest flooding could near 1993 levels. 3-The Nation's Weather. 4-Sarkozy holidays as fresh violence hits French cities. 5-Olmert Survives Three No-Confidence Motions. 6-SARKOZY WINS DRAMATIC ELECTION IN FRANCE. 7-Scientist says Putin's Russia worse than under Stalin.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Tue May 8 12:51 PM EDT
MAY 8,07
MAP 3.7 WESTERN MONTANA
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO
MAP 5.2 TONGA
MAP 3.1 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.2 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.7 WESTERN XIZANG
MAY 8,07
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.7 FIJI REGION
MAP 2.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.2 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.4 OFFSHORE BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.9 SOUTHERN IDAHO
MAP 4.8 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 3.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.6 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
MAP 5.6 EASTERN XIZANG
MAP 6.1 OFF THE COAST OF AISEN, CHILE
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN IDAHO
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.4 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.0 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 WESTERN MONTANA
MAP 5.1 MYANMAR
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN IDAHO
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.9 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.4 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 3.0 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 4.6 SOUTHERN GREECE
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.1 KYUSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.4 FIJI REGION
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; 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, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Midwest flooding could near 1993 levels By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH,
Associated Press Writer MAY 8,07
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Heavy rain from an already deadly storm system sent the Missouri River and other Midwest waterways over their banks Tuesday, forcing thousands of people to evacuate and bringing warnings that the region could see flooding close to the devastation of 1993. Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt declared a state of emergency and mobilized National Guard troops to help.
At least 19 Kansas counties declared local disaster emergencies.River towns across much of Missouri were evacuating low-lying areas Tuesday or seeking help filling and stacking sandbags.We're scrambling around here, said Steve Mellis, who was volunteering near the central Missouri town of Easley as residents moved boats and equipment to higher ground.Two-thirds of the town of Mosby, 20 miles northeast of Kansas City, was already under 2 to 4 feet of water from the overflowing Fishing River, said D.C. Rogers, Clay County director of emergency services. He said the town's 242 residents began evacuating Monday morning. By evening, only one route into the community remained open.
Mosby's flooding could have been worse. Rogers said authorities managed to plug a damaged dam with sandbags. That private earthen dam holds back a 20-acre lake. If the dam broke, its water would flow into Clear Creek, which runs into the Fishing River and through Mosby.
Last word I got is it's holding, Rogers said. Hopefully, the waters will recede, and that guy can fix his dam.It hasn't gotten this much water since 1993, he said. Evacuations were voluntary in several western Missouri counties, but a mandatory evacuation was imposed in Parkville, just across the Missouri River from Kansas City, said Jessica Robinson, a spokeswoman for the governor.Communities across the central Plains faced flooding from the weekend-long thunderstorms that spawned the deadly tornado that wiped out Greensburg, Kan.Parts of Missouri, Iowa and Kansas received 4 to 8 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, the National Weather Service said. In some areas, Tuesday morning was the first time in several days that rain wasn't falling, but runoff was still raising streams and rivers.Flooding in
Oklahoma was blamed for the drowning death of a man whose car was swept off a county road. A Kansas man died when his vehicle overturned in a water-filled ditch near Wichita, Butler County officials said.
Nearly 1,600 people were urged to evacuate the southwest Iowa town of Red Oak on Monday as the Nishnabotna River rose out of its banks.Levees broke near Willow Creek in the western Iowa town of Missouri Valley, and some residents had to be evacuated by boat Monday, said Mayor Randy McHugh. Appliances are just floating around, he said Monday.Authorities rescued about 500 people Monday from flooding around Topeka, Kan., said Dave Bevans, a spokesman for Shawnee County emergency operations. Officials reported similar evacuations in Saline County, about 100 miles to the west, and flooding forced the evacuation of New Cambria, a town of about 150 people northeast of Salina.Since the 1993 floods in the Mississippi and Missouri river basins, only two or three other flooding episodes have been comparable to what forecasters are predicting in the next several days, weather service meteorologist Andy Bailey said.There will be differences though. The 1993 flood, one of the most costly and devastating in U.S. history, was caused by melting snow combined with heavy rain over a two-month period. After that, state buyouts of property on flood plains left fewer residences in danger of future floods.But make no mistake, Bailey added, this is a major flood.At the western Missouri town of Agency, the Platte River was forecast to reach 15 feet above flood stage Tuesday — less than a foot below its crest in 1993. At that stage, we expect the entire town of Agency to be flooded, Bailey said. On the Net: Weather Service flood reports:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ahps/
The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Tue May 8, 6:58 AM ET
A storm system swirling in the Atlantic was threatening the Southeast with rain early Tuesday, while rain bands stretched from Texas to the Great Lakes. Scattered coastal showers and thunderstorms were developing from northeastern Florida to the eastern Carolinas and spreading westward. The Northeast was to be warm and calm.A large area of showers and thunderstorms spread over parts of the western Great Lakes and across the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys, as well as the Southern Plains and Rockies. There was a slight risk of severe thunderstorms over southern New Mexico and western Texas.Out West, a cold front was predicted to bring light rain mainly to western Washington. The extreme warmth over California was to begin to ease and coastal regions should cool off.On the other hand, a warming trend was forecast to take place over the Desert Southwest on Tuesday, bringing temperatures to the 90s and 100s for the rest of the week.Temperatures in the Lower 48 states on Monday ranged from a low of 15 degrees at West Yellowstone, Mont., to a high of 99 degrees at Santa Ana, Calif.
Sarkozy holidays as fresh violence hits French cities by Rory Mulholland MAY 8,07
PARIS (AFP) - President-elect Nicolas Sarkozy relaxed and strategised Tuesday on a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean, while back home anti-Sarko protestors burned cars and fought police in cities across France. Sarkozy boarded the vessel in Malta with his wife Cecilia and their 10-year-old son Louis on Monday at the start of a three-day break to relax after the right-winger's weekend election victory.
His radical reform programme won him 53 percent of the votes to 47 percent for his Socialist rival Segolene Royal.The new president had pre-planned the break to recover from his months of gruelling campaigning and to mentally ready himself for France's highest office.The Sarkozys escaped the heady post-election atmosphere in Paris on board a private Falcon jet belonging to a wealthy industrialist friend, Vincent Bollore.The yacht, a 60-metre (200-foot) vessel also believed to belong to Bollore, sailed along the south coast of Malta on Monday before returning in the evening to drop anchor just off the tiny capital Valletta.It left early Tuesday headed towards nearby Sicily.Sarkozy's secretive high-budget retreat was beginning to draw criticism back in France.One Socialist senator said the 52-year-old new president was living in another world.Mr Sarkozy never said he would be the president of the poor. He is the president of the CAC 40 Paris stock exchange, Jean-Luc Melenchon told France Inter radio.Sarkozy takes over from President Jacques Chirac on May 16.In his last major public ceremony as head of state, Chirac on Tuesday laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Paris to commemorate the Allied defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.Sarkozy's election triumph has sparked protests across the country, many of them violent. They began late Sunday and continued Monday night, prompting the leader of the defeated Socialists to appeal for calm.
Overnight Monday some 500 youths shouting Sarko, fascist! went on a rampage in the Bastille district of Paris, burning 10 cars, looting two stores and smashing windows, police said.More than 200 people were detained during four hours of clashes with police, one of whom was injured.
The flare-ups echoed Royal's pre-poll warning that a Sarkozy victory could see the country slide into unrest.Sarkozy, a tough-talking former interior minister, is hated in the high-immigrant suburbs after he described young delinquents as rabble and for his stance on law and order.It was under his watch that the suburbs across France exploded into riots for three weeks in late 2005, in which hundreds of buildings were burned and thousands of cars torched. Anti-Sarkozy protests turned violent overnight Monday in France's second city of Lyon, in Lille, Toulouse, Nantes and Rennes. More than 500 cars were set alight in cities nationwide. Socialist Party leader Francois Hollande appealed for calm, warning that the violence could trigger a heavy police clampdown. Those who are waging this violence are playing into the hands of those who want more order, who want to be tougher, he told RTL radio. The Socialist mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, also called for cool heads to prevail. Sarkozy will have a busy schedule when he begins his ambitious bid to overhaul France's lacklustre economy. He has vowed to cut taxes for the wealthy, trim unemployment and curb the power of the country's powerful unions. But first he must name a prime minister, with most reports saying it will be former social affairs minister Francois Fillon. He then faces parliamentary elections in June that will decide whether the new president will have the strong majority needed to push through his reform programme.
Olmert Survives Three No-Confidence Motions
By ISABEL KERSHNER (NY TIMES) May 7, 2007
JERUSALEM, May 7 — Israel’s prime minister, Ehud Olmert, survived three no-confidence motions against his government today, following a harsh report on the performance of the country’s leadership during last summer’s war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Mr. Olmert’s governing coalition has a large majority in the 120-seat parliament, and the no-confidence motions were all rejected by a comfortable margin. Nevertheless, the results revealed cracks in support from parliament members belonging to the coalition: at least 16 of them voted against the prime minister, abstained or were absent.
Separately, the Israeli air force struck a car in northern Gaza that army officials said was laden with explosives and on its way to launch rockets into Israel. The Islamic Jihad group, which has claimed responsibility for several rocket attacks in recent days, said that two of its members escaped from the car before it was hit. Hospital officials in Gaza said that one passerby was injured in the Israeli strike.
According to an Israeli army spokesman, 14 rockets have been fired at Israel from Gaza since Friday. One rocket hit a house next to a kindergarten in the Israeli border town of Sderot this morning, but caused no injuries.The motions of no confidence were brought on the opening day of the Israeli parliament’s summer session by parties representing rightist, leftist and religious opponents of the
government. Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads the rightist Likud bloc, called for new elections and told the incumbent government, which has pledged to implement the recommendations of the war report, You are not the solution, you are the problem.
The leader of the leftist Meretz party, Yossi Beilin, said that the lack of confidence had penetrated the public, the parliament, and even Mr. Olmert’s own Kadima party. Mr. Beilin told the parliament that a government minister from the Kadima party had told him that Mr. Olmert, as prime minister, poses a national danger to Israel.
Still, there is no consensus on who, or what, should come next. Mr. Netanyahu is ranked as a favorite for the prime minister’s job in recent opinion polls. For that reason, Mr. Beilin has argued that new elections are not necessary, and that the necessary change can come about through parliamentary procedures instead.
According to the polls, at least two-thirds of the public would like to see Mr. Olmert go. The eclectic nature of the opposition to Mr. Olmert could be seen at a protest camp set up by two students near the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem. Zichri Weiner, 27, and Itai Harari, 28, walked here from Tel Aviv, pitched their tents on the sidewalk, and are calling on the Israeli public to join them in their demand for Mr. Olmert to resign. Besides a trickle of random passers-by, visitors to the camp have included Ophir Pines-Paz, the Labor lawmaker and a leading contender to replace Mr. Olmert; the Likud mayor of Sderot, Eli Moyal; and bunches of religious schoolboys who have had their buses stop off at the site on their way home. Mr. Weiner said it was short-sighted to worry about who, or what, would come next after a resignation by Mr. Olmert. Our goal is much bigger, he said.
We are about giving the public its confidence back, and redefining the relationship between the elected and those who elect them.
SARKOZY WINS DRAMATIC ELECTION IN FRANCE
So who is he really and will he be good for the U.S.?
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Washington, D.C., May 8, 2007) This is a year of dramatic political changes in Europe that bear close watching. Britain's Tony Blair will soon step down, making way for Labour leader Gordon Brown, currently the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to take over as Prime Minister on July 2. Brown will eventually face conservative Tory leader David Cameron in a battle for Britain's future. On July 22, Turkey will hold major elections that could end in pro-Iranian and pro-Russian Islamic fundamentalists in charge of what has been a U.S.-friendly secular government. But the biggest news so far comes from France, where center-right presidential candidate Nicholas Sarkozy has just defeated the socialist Segolene Royal, 53% to 47% in a fiercely-contested runoff. So who is Nicolas Sarkozy and what kind of President will he be? At a youthful and energetic 52, he is widely seen as more pro-American than his predecessor, the out-going 74-year old Jacques Chirac. Royal last week accused Sarkozy of being a dangerous choice who would threaten democracy and could spark a civil war. Worse, Royal compared Sarkozy to President Bush, the ultimate insult in France these days.
Nevertheless, the French elected him anyway and upon hearing the news of his victory, Sarkozy immediately reached out to the American people as friends and said he looked forward to working with Washington.
My dedication to our relationship with America if well known and has earned me substantial criticism in France, he told the Wall Street Journal. But let me tell you something, I'm not a coward. I embrace that friendship. I'm proud of the friendship...and I proclaim it proudly.On national security, Sarkozy could emerge as tougher than Chirac. He has vowed not to cut French defense spending. He has promised to build a new French aircraft carrier, capable of projecting French military power well into in the 21st century. What's more, while he opposed the war in Iraq, he now warns that a premature U.S. troop withdrawal would lead to chaos.Sarkozy has taken a hardline against Islamic radicals operating inside France. He served as the country's Interior Minister during the Paris riots by Muslim
radicals in 2005 and was responsible for ordering the severe police crackdown on such radicals.
There are now fears the Muslims will launch a new wave of violent protests because Sarkozy has been elected. Worth noting: polls showed that voters in the Muslim neighborhoods where the worst of the violence took place in 2005 overwhelming backed the socialist candidiate, Segelone Royal. Sarkozy is deeply unpopular in housing estates where the residents are mostly second- and third-generation immigrants, many of them Muslims from former colonies in North Africa, reported Reuters. If Sarkozy wins there will certainly be riots here in Clichy and all over France, said Moroccan-born Mohammed Saidi, 43, a first-time voter in Clichy-sous-Bois, one of the neighborhoods where the worst rioting took place.
On other foreign policy issues, Sarkozy is strongly opposed to allowing Turkey to join the European Union, warning of the threat of allowing 100 million more Muslims free reign through the European continent. He is generally perceived to be pro-Israel, telling the Jerusalem Post that Israel has the right to defend herself against radical Islamic attacks.He has said that he supports a Palestinian state but
only after Israel's security is assured. Sarkozy warns that the Iran is the number one threat in the Middle East and that an Iranian nuclear bomb would be absolutely unacceptable, yet he opposes a war with Iran, just as he opposed the U.S.-led liberation of Iraq. I want to be clear on Iran, he told the Jerusalem Post. It is unacceptable and dangerous that Iran pursues a militarily nuclear capability. Iran
has the opportunity to reestablish confidence concerning the nature of its nuclear activities....With regard to Mr. Ahmadinejad, I remind you of what I have already said about his attitudes and positions. His call for the destruction of Israel and denial of the reality of the Shoah [Holocaust] are totally inadmissible and irresponsible. I am actually not even sure these views are shared by a majority of Iranians, far from it.Sarkozy is a big believer in tax cuts and privatization to reinvigorate the sluggish French economy. A 2004 Time magazine profile described him as a believer in free markets, noting that as Finance Minister, on Sept. 1 Sarkozy decided to sell off a €4.6-billion chunk of France Telecom, reducing the government's stake to under 50% for the first time; on Sept. 2 it was finished.
Last month he moved to waive inheritance taxes on sums below €100,000 per estate, suspended a 3% corporate tax, and withstood stiff protests from unions to lay the groundwork for the partial privatization of Electricité de France. He also deplores France's 35-hour workweek, and says it must be changed to allow those who want to work more to do so.
By backing Sarkozy, voters showed they wanted a strong leader to resolve France's many problems, including high unemployment of at least 8.3 percent, falling living standards, job insecurity and declining industrial might, noted a Reuters analysis. He has promised a clean break with the policies of Chirac, once his political mentor, and says he will curb the powers of the unions and toughen sentencing for criminals.
On foreign policy, Sarkozy is more pro-American than Chirac, but has made clear he opposes the war in Iraq and will find it hard to ally himself too closely to Washington because of anti-U.S. sentiment at home.Segolene Royal's campaign stumbled over a number of gaffes she made, particularly those revealing her lack of knowledge of foreign and defense policy issues. My favorite example: Royal [was] trapped during a radio interview into revealing her ignorance of defence issues. She was asked how many nuclear-missile-carrying submarines France possessed. One, she
suggested. When the interviewer said seven, she agreed that it was seven, only to be told that it was actually four.
BOTTOM LINE:
1) the French socialists have suffered a huge defeat, always a good thing
2) the U.S. now has a more pro-American leader to work with in Paris
3) the E.U. suddenly has a new leader who seems to understand just how serious the threat of radical Islam and has a history of being tough on extremists
4) French Jews and Israel believe Sarkozy may be more sympathetic to the threats and challenges they face from the Islamic world
5) Big Questions: Is Nicolas Sarkozy a man the Bush administration can work with on the biggest issues in the Mideast, namely Iraq and Iran, and does Sarkozy recognize the dangerous direction. Vladimir Putin is taking Russia?
6) Only time will tell just what kind of leader Nicolas Sarkozy will be, but French voters appear to have taken an important step in the right direction at a critical time in U.S.-French relations.
EZEKIEL 38:10-19
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13 Sheba, and Dedan,(SAUDIA ARABIA) and the merchants of Tarshish,(ENGLAND) with all the young lions thereof,(USA,CANADA,AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND,EU,ENGLISH SPEAKING
shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
GREED THIS IS THE MOTIVE FOR THE RUSSIA MUSLIM MARCH IN THE FUTURE JUST LIKE THIS VITALY SAYS, THE BIBLE SAYS THE SAME THING. BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS GOD FORCES THESE RUSSIA MUSLIM HORDE TO MARCH SO HE CAN DESTROY THE GREEDY RUSSIAN LEADER.
Scientist says Putin's Russia worse than under Stalin Sun May 6, 6:27 AM ET
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The pursuit of science in President Vladimir Putin's Russia is driven by profit alone and there was less government interference even under Josef Stalin, a Russian Nobel Prize winner said in a interview.
Vitaly Ginzburg's comments to the Sunday Telegraph newspaper are likely to put Russia's scientists back on a collision course with the Kremlin.In March, Russia's Academy of Sciences, founded by Tsar Peter the Great, spurned a government plan to establish a new supervisory council that would control the body's finances and include officials from the presidential administration.The government says the reform of the Academy is desperately needed to reverse the continuing brain drain from Russia, make research work lucrative for a generation of young scientists and help build the hi-tech economy Putin has set as his goal.Of course, in Stalin's times the Academy was under the control of the central committee of the Communist Party, Ginzburg told the paper.
But in those days you could come up with an idea and create that's how we put the first Sputnik satellite into space. Now the government thinks science must bring only income and profit, which is absurd.Of course it is about Putin. Our democracy is far from ideal, said Ginzburg, 90, who shared the 2003 Nobel Prize for physics with fellow countryman Alexei Abrikosov.
Putin, whose second and last four-year term ends next year, enjoys vast popularity nationwide while the economy is fast growing, people's incomes are rising and state coffers groan from windfall revenues from booming oil exports.But critics at home and abroad accuse the Russian leader of backtracking on democratic reforms and establishing tight control over the bureaucracy and the economy.They say he is trying to bring the academy under his sway as well. Supporters of the reforms say too many institutions are run by cliques of elderly academics who resist change while promising young scientists are tempted abroad for better pay and opportunities.The Academy has boasted dozens of Nobel prize winners in its near 300-year history.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Monday, May 07, 2007
SARKOZY WINS FRANCE ELECTIONS
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Strong undersea quake shakes Greek island of Zakynthos. 3-Quakes hits Fiji. 4-Ruins await residents' return in Kansas. 5-The Nation's Weather. 6-France's Sarkozy seeks parliament allies. 7-France's Sarkozy seeks parliament allies. 8-U.N. beefs up security after Gaza attack. 9-Israel, Egypt and Jordan to discuss Arab peace plan. 10-Chief Rabbinate Nixes Christian-Jewish Conference.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Mon May 7 10:00 AM EDT
MAY 07,07
MAP 4.6 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
MAP 5.6 EASTERN XIZANG
MAP 5.5 OFF THE COAST OF AISEN, CHILE
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.4 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.0 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 WESTERN MONTANA
MAP 5.1 MYANMAR
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.4 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 3.0 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 4.6 SOUTHERN GREECE
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.1 KYUSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.4 FIJI REGION
MAY 06,07
MAP 5.0 SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 6.2 FIJI REGION
MAP 6.4 FIJI REGION
MAP 5.4 LUZON, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.4 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.6 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.7 SOUTHWESTERN PAKISTAN
MAP 4.8 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 5.5 NORTHERN COLOMBIA
MAP 4.7 SOUTHWESTERN PAKISTAN
MAP 4.6 SOUTHWESTERN RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.9 WESTERN XIZANG
MAP 4.7 SULAWESI, INDONESIA
Strong undersea quake shakes Greek island of Zakynthos Mon May 7, 4:57 AM ET
ATHENS (AFP) - A strong undersea quake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale shook the Greek Ionian Sea island of Zakynthos on Monday but there were no reports of casualties or major damage. The quake hit at 4:34 am (0134 GMT) with the epicentre south of the island, some 240 kilometres (150 miles) west of Athens, the Athens Observatory's Geodynamic Institute said.It was an isolated tremor, there was no particular seismic activity either before or after, institute seismologist Maria
Ziazia told AFP.
The Ionian Sea is one of the most seismically-active areas in Greece, which is itself the European country most at risk from earthquakes, suffering about half of all the quakes registered on the continent.The island of Zakynthos was at the centre of significant quake activity this time last year, with 10 tremors between 5.0 and 5.8 Richter recorded between March and May, the semi-state Athens News Agency (ANA) said.
Quakes hits Fiji Sun May 6, 7:22 PM ET
SUVA (AFP) - Two earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 6.0 struck off the coast of Fiji on Monday, the US Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warnings were issued and there were no early reports of damage. The first quake, with a magnitude of 6.4, was centred 265 kilometres (165 miles) southeast of the capital Suva and 165 kilometres northwest of the southern island of Ndoi, the USGS said.It struck at 9:11 am local time (2111 GMT Sunday) at a depth of 687.6 kilometres.
Another 6.2 magnitude quake struck nearby less than an hour later.The quakes occurred near fault lines in the Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates in the earth's crust meet and earthquakes and volcanic activity are common.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; 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, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Ruins await residents' return in Kansas By ROXANA HEGEMAN, Associated Press Writer MAY 07,07
GREENSBURG, Kan. - Rescue crews have twice searched the debris-strewn yards and splintered homes that once held Greensburg's 1,500 residents. They began a third sweep Monday to secure the area before families who lost almost everything were to be allowed back in.
Not much remained in Greenburg to go back to.
The F5 tornado, the most powerful to hit the U.S. in eight years, demolished every business on the main street. Churches lost their steeples, trees were stripped of their branches, and neighborhoods were left unrecognizable. Officials estimate as much as 95 percent of the town was destroyed. At least 10 people died in the storms.We've been over the town twice now — all of our partners around the state, the experts from cities with technical search-and-rescue, Maj. Gen. Todd Bunting, the state's adjutant general, told CNN Monday morning. We've done everything we can.Some of this rubble is 20, 30 feet deep. That's where we've spent all our efforts, and we'll do it again today.Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was in Greensburg on Monday, and Federal Emergency Management Agency director R. David Paulison planned to tour the devastation for the first time since the tornado hit Friday night.
President Bush declared parts of Kansas a disaster area, freeing up federal money to aid the recovery.There's a certain spirit in the Midwest of our country, a pioneer spirit that still exists, and I'm confident this community will be rebuilt, the president said.The storm system that swept south-central Kansas also spawned tornadoes in Illinois, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Nebraska, and the heavy rain created flooding dangers across the region Monday.In western Oklahoma, at least eight homes were destroyed, several more were damaged and one person was injured. A woman was briefly trapped when her mobile home was blown off its foundation in Seminole, said sheriff's dispatcher Terry Thomason.In Greensburg, only the residents were being allowed back into town on Monday, and they had to leave by 6 p.m. Law enforcement officials planned to check identification and compile a list of people whose whereabouts were still unknown.
Since the tornado hit, emergency responders have had little indication of how many people may be safe with friends or relatives elsewhere.Bunting said he believed everyone had been found, but fresh search dogs were still being brought in from Missouri to continue the hunt for possible survivors and victims amid the debris.Paramedic Annette Gasten and her German shepherd, Greta, spent a grim weekend searching the wreckage.Even though I have been to other disasters, this one was a lot worse — the amount of damage, Gasten said. It is such a large area that was destroyed that it made it difficult.The tornado's wind was estimated to have reached 205 mph as it carved a track 1.7 miles wide and 22 miles long.
The National Weather Service classified it an F-5, the highest category and the first since the weather service revised its scale this year in an effort to more comprehensively gauge tornadoes' damage potential, with less emphasis on wind speed. The last tornado classified as an F-5 hit the Oklahoma City area on May 3, 1999, killing 36 people.In Kansas, the governor said the state's response was limited by the shifting of emergency equipment, such as tents, trucks and semitrailers, to the war in Iraq. Not having the National Guard equipment, which used to be positioned in various parts of the state, to bring in immediately is really going to handicap this effort to rebuild, she said. Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the adjutant general's office, which manages state resources during emergencies, said the state has a shortage of heavy equipment transport trailers, pallet-sized loading systems, Humvees, dump trucks and other large equipment that would be help move massive amount of debris.
We are never at 100 percent because we are allocated a certain amount from the National Guard Bureau. With the war, we are much shorter than we would be. We have about 40 percent of what is allocated, Watson said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was bringing in travel trailers to house some of the town's residents. There was no indication when people would be able to move into those trailers, though, because the area was choked with debris and the town had no clean water.
School superintendent Darin Headrick said classes will be canceled for the rest of the academic year in Greensburg, and graduation would be held elsewhere. City Administrator Steve Hewitt said his job Monday would be to get city government working again. He said he needed to find employees, get purchase orders out, pay employees and bills — in short, create commerce again in Greensburg.
Get government going — that is our No. 1 priority, Hewitt said.
The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Mon May 7, 6:12 AM ET
Thunderstorms marched eastward through the Plains early Monday, while a storm swirled off the Carolina coast and high pressure kept the West toasty. The highest risk area for extreme weather on Monday was forecast from southwestern Texas through the Plains and into the western Great Lakes region.In the East, a coastal storm was sitting off the Carolinas, bringing large surf and some gusty winds to the coast, especially the Outer Banks of North Carolina.This storm was forecast to remain out to sea on Monday, but slowly take a turn to the southwest Tuesday and eventually slam into the coast late in the week.The rest of the East was predicted to experience beautiful weather as high pressure builds over the central Appalachians. Temperatures should rise back to seasonal levels, or a little above.Temperatures should also be warm in the West as high pressure continues to build over the region. Highs along the coast will be especially warm and possibly record breaking. Temperatures in the Lower 48 states on Sunday ranged from a low of 12 degrees at La Veta Pass, Colo., to a high of 97 degrees at McAllen, Texas.
WELL I WAS WRONG ABOUT THE FRENCH ELECTIONS SARKOZY WON, I THOUGHT ROYAL WOULD, SO MUCH FOR MY PREDICTIONS. ONLY GOD KNOWS THE BEGGINING FROM THE END HIS WORDS WE CAN COUNT ON FOR PREDICTIONS.
France's Sarkozy seeks parliament allies By ANGELA DOLAND, Associated Press Writer
MAY 07,07
PARIS - French president-elect Nicolas Sarkozy plans to waste no time making France a friendlier place for business — and a less inviting place for criminals and would-be immigrants — but first he must win control of parliament in new elections next month. Sarkozy, a U.S.-friendly conservative and an immigrant's son, defeated Socialist Segolene Royal by 53 percent to 47 percent with about 85 percent voter turnout Sunday.
The win gave Sarkozy a strong mandate for his vision of France's future: He wants to free up labor markets, calls France's 35-hour work week absurd and plans tougher measures on crime and immigration.The people of France have chosen change, Sarkozy told cheering supporters in a victory speech that sketched out a stronger global role for France and renewed partnership with the United States.
Exit polls offered some surprises. Some 46 percent of blue-collar workers — traditionally leftist voters — chose Sarkozy, according to an Ipsos/Dell poll. Forty-four percent of people of modest means voted for him, as did 32 percent of people who usually vote for the Greens and 14 percent who normally support the far-left. The poll surveyed 3,609 voters and has a margin of error of about 2 percent.A headline Monday in Les Echos newspaper, a financial daily, read: President Sarkozy: a wide majority for reforming the country in depth. In Le Figaro newspaper, Jean d'Ormesson wrote: Fasten your seatbelts. This will be quite a ride.Sarkozy's is certain to face resistance from powerful unions to his plans to make the French work more and make it easier for companies to hire and fire.
Over the next few days, Sarkozy will retire to somewhere in France to unwind a little ... and to start organizing and preparing his teams, said Francois Fillon, an adviser often cited as the leading candidate for prime minister.With his family, Sarkozy left his Paris hotel Monday — dressed casually in jeans — en route to his retreat. The location was not revealed.The new president, 52, plans to take over power from outgoing 74-year-old leader Jacques Chirac on May 16. Fillon said Sarkozy's new government would be installed May 19 or 20.
The election left little time for celebrating: Legislative elections are slated for June 10 and 17, and Sarkozy's conservative UMP party needs a majority to keep his mandate for reforms. A win by the left would bring an awkward power-sharing with a leftist prime minister, which would put a stop to his plans.Sarkozy has drawn up a whirlwind agenda for his first 100 days in office and plans to put big reforms before parliament at an extraordinary session in July. One would make overtime pay tax-free to encourage people to work more. Another would put in place tougher sentencing for repeat offenders, and a third would toughen the criteria for immigrants trying to bring their families to France.
On election night, scattered violence was reported across France. Police reported that 270 people were taken in for questioning and that 367 parked vehicles had been torched. On a typical night in France, about 100 cars are burned.There had been fears that the impoverished suburban housing projects, home to Arab and African immigrants and their French-born children, would erupt again at the victory of a man who once labeled young delinquents scum.
That blunt comment, and Sarkozy's tough anti-crime tactics as interior minister, helped fuel riots that raged for three weeks in housing projects in 2005.Late Sunday, small bands of youths hurled stones and other objects at police at the Place de la Bastille in Paris, across town from a giant street party celebrating Sarkozy's win. Some youths bared their backsides at riot officers, and police fired volleys of tear gas. Other fights with the police broke out in Toulouse, Lyon, Rennes and Nantes, police said. Two police unions said firebombs targeted schools and recreation centers in the Essonne region just south of Paris.
In Sarkozy's victory speech, he reached out to all those he has alienated in the past, promising to be president of all the French, without exception.I want to tell them that tonight, this is not the victory of one France over another, said Sarkozy, who is often portrayed as the enemy of youths in the housing projects.Among the electoral surprises was that Sarkozy took 43 percent in the Seine-Saint-Denis region north of Paris, an area with a large immigrant population and high unemployment that was the epicenter of the 2005 rioting. Associated Press writer Angela Charlton and Jean-Pierre Verges in Paris contributed to this report.
U.N. beefs up security after Gaza attack By DIAA HADID, Associated Press Writer MAY 07,07
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Security was beefed up at the main U.N. compound in Gaza City Monday, with workers reinforcing the entrance gate and personnel inspecting the roof after a shadowy group of Muslim extremists attacked a U.N.-run school. Sunday's incident, which killed one and wounded seven, is part of Gaza's out-of-control lawlessness that is increasingly aimed at foreigners. Most foreigners have left Gaza, and the latest attack on the U.N. was seen as a major escalation.
There was no claim of responsibility for the attack in the southern Gaza refugee camp of Rafah, but security officials said they believe salafiyeen, or Muslim fundamentalists, were involved. The group is believed to be behind a string of attacks on Internet cafes and music shops in recent weeks. It is not clear whether they are connected to any political party.The latest incident underscored the inability of the new Palestinian unity government, a coalition of the Islamic militant Hamas and the Fatah movement of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, to end the chaos.
Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas met late Sunday in another attempt to put together a security plan. The meeting ended without agreement, and another was set for Monday. Interior Minister Hani Kawasmeh, the author of the plan, has threatened to resign because security commanders refuse to cooperate, mainly because of rivalries between coalition partners Hamas and Fatah.New statistics illustrated the sharp increase in internal violence in Gaza.In the first three months of this year, 147 Gazans, including 10 children, were killed by fellow Palestinians, according to the Palestinian human rights group Al-Mezan. By comparison, 57 people died in factional fighting in all of 2004, followed by 101 in 2005 and 252 last year.If the upward spiral is not stopped, Gaza could become ungovernable, warned Ibrahim Ibrach, a political scientist at Gaza's al-Azhar University. The collapse of the Palestinian Authority ... is at stake, he said.Sunday's attack on the U.N. school in the southern Gaza refugee camp of Rafah began with a protest by Muslim extremists in long robes, who said a sports festival the school was hosting was un-Islamic. The U.N. is turning schools into nightclubs, read one sign held up by the protesters.
At one point, the group tried to enter the school. Palestinian security fired in the air to keep them away. In the ensuing chaos, at least one bomb was thrown into the school, and a gun battle followed.
A senior Fatah official, Majed Abu Shamaleh, was leaving the school when his bodyguard was killed. Seven people were wounded, most by bomb fragments. Some children hid under their chairs during the fighting.Police arrested two of the gunmen and were interrogating them. Later, the extremists tried to approach the police station where the two suspects were being held, to release the men. Police and gunmen from militant factions surrounded the station to prevent the extremists from entering, witnesses said.So-called salafiyeen are known through the Muslim world as fundamentalists who try to imitate their pious ancestors and recreate the lifestyle of Islam's founder, the Prophet Muhammad.
Most are peaceful, but some engage in violence.A Palestinian intelligence official said the Gaza group appeared determined to attack all those who don't agree with its strict ideology. Other fundamentalist groups have existed in the same area of southern Gaza for years, but live in their own communities and peacefully preach their beliefs, he said.What's new is that this group, which seems to have developed a few years ago, believes in violence if they see things they believe is wrong, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.He said the group has no more than dozens of members, but could easily grow as disaffected youths abandon the two largest political groups, Hamas and Fatah.
Israel, Egypt and Jordan to discuss Arab peace plan By Adam Entous MAY,07,07
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Monday ahead of talks on an Arab peace initiative that turning it into a take it or leave it proposition would only lead to further stagnation in the peace process. Livni is scheduled to meet the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan in Cairo on Thursday for what a senior Israeli official described as the first formal session of talks on the revived land-for-peace proposal.The Arab League named Egypt and Jordan to a working group which would contact Israel over the initiative, but the political turmoil that threatens Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government delayed the process.Western diplomats played down the chances of progress in initial talks over the plan, which offers Israel normal relations with the Arab world in return for a Palestinian state and full withdrawal from land seized in a 1967 war.
These are good signs, Livni told reporters in Jerusalem. But she added: Just to market a plan to Israel, saying that these are the parameters for final status agreement, this is wrong. I think that this can lead to stagnation.Rather than having the Arab League as the central negotiating partner, Livni said, the idea is that Israel and the Palestinians will negotiate on a bilateral track on final-status issues.The Arab League would support the Palestinians in times of concessions, she told a news conference with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
FINAL-STATUS
Olmert has so far refused to discuss final status issues -- the future of Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the borders of a Palestinian state -- in his regular bilateral meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.It's about time that the Arab League will support the moderates on the Palestinian Authority and give them the possibility to compromise on certain issues which relate to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and not to put this position as take it or leave it, Livni said.Steinmeier said the Arab League would send a delegation to Brussels next Monday to brief European Union foreign ministers on the initiative. He said Livni was invited to brief EU ministers at the following meeting.First launched in 2002, the Arab initiative also calls on Israel to reach an agreed, just solution for Palestinian refugees and to accept a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital.
In return, Arab states would establish normal relations with the Jewish state.
Olmert has said he sees positive points in the Arab plan, although Israel opposes the return of Palestinian refugees to their former homes in what is now the Jewish state and wants to retain some of the major settlement blocs in the West Bank.Israeli officials said the Arab League could help promote compromise, particularly on the refugee issue. Hamas Islamists, who leads a unity government that includes Abbas's secular Fatah faction, has vowed never to back down on the right of return.Livni joined public calls last week for Olmert to step down following the release of an official report sharply criticizing his handling of last year's war in Lebanon. The row has cast doubt on her influence within the government.Washington has been trying to promote the Arab League peace initiative in the hope it might bring states like Saudi Arabia, which do not recognize Israel, more openly into the process. (Additional reporting by Jeffrey Heller and Alastair Macdonald)
Chief Rabbinate Nixes Christian-Jewish Conference
by Hillel Fendel (INN) MAY 07,07
The Chief Rabbinate has banned participation in the Bridges for Peace women's conference scheduled for next week in Jerusalem. Participation in the Woman to Woman Conference in Jerusalem next week, sponsored by the Christian Bridges for Peace organization, has been banned by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. The event is set to coincide with the celebrations commemorating the 40th anniversary of Jerusalem's er-unification in the Six Day War. A special Rabbinate committee, headed by Rabbi Simcha Kook of Rechovot, ruled on Thursday that concentration on Judeo-Christian values and the study of the Jewish foundations of Christianity are forbidden. The rabbis ruled that these efforts are actually part of a long-running campaign to bring Israeli-Jews to believe in Jesus.
Promotional literature for the Woman to Woman conference, to take place in Jerusalem from May 16-19, describes it as Jewish and Christian women together, studying the Word [italics added] and working together to build bonds of friendship and bring comfort to the people of Israel. Each Conference day will begin with praise and worship... in preparation for an exciting series of visits and speakers, focusing on the roles, experiences, and opportunities for Women in Israel.
Bridges for Peace is a Jerusalem-based, Bible-believing Christian organization that supports Israel and is engaged, according to its website, in building relationships between Christians and Jews worldwide through education and practical deeds expressing God's love and mercy. It is our desire to see Christians and Jews working side by side for better understanding and a more secure Israel.The Conference will be followed by the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus Womens Summit, entitled, Empowering Women through Judeo-Christian Values.
The two-day event (May 20-21) will, according to the official invitation, bring together hundreds of Jewish and Christian women from all over the globe to address the difficult issues and tragic circumstances millions of women face daily. Every component of this remarkable experience is designed to encourage and equip women to be all that God has called them to be. Together, we will come to know Him better, and we will go back to our home countries, an army of His women, empowered to change the world.Another promotional website explains, The Knesset Christian Allies Caucus Womens Council Conference will focus on hardships facing women worldwide, to which solutions can be found through Judeo-Christian values.
Women representatives from every country in the world will join together in this monumental forum to be trained as ambassadors who will mobilize their respective governments to promote the status of women in their home country. Through this conference in the holy city of Jerusalem, women leaders will promote Judeo-Christian values globally. Christian women leaders and members of the Israeli Knesset Christian Allies Caucus Womens Council will chair the conference and teach in special post-conference guided tours following the footsteps of the Bible throughout the Holy Land.
The two other members of the Rabbinate committee are Rabbi Yitzchak Peretz, Chief Rabbi of Raanana, and Be'er Sheva Chief Rabbi Yehuda Deri. The committee, together with Chief Rabbis Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar, ruled that the Woman to Woman Conference is in opposition to Torah thought and law, and that the events organized by the Knesset Christian Caucus, Bridges for Peace and the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem strive to create a partnership between famous Christian preachers and leaders of organizations that have worldwide missionary programs to missionize as many Jews as possible... Events of this nature have been banned in the past by Torah giants throughout the generations, and they are forbidden.Rabbi Deri explained to Arutz-7, We note of late the terrible phenomenon of Messianic Jews wreaking havoc and destruction in Israel by trying to bring Jesus as Messiah into Israel. With pleasantness and kindness, they bring Torah, fear of G-d and even Torah commandments - but all with one underlying theme: that Jesus is Messiah. This joins with the phenomenon of millions of Evangelical Christians; Bibi Netanyahu said about them, They are not just friends of Israel, they are Israel! They want to help and support us, but they have the same goals as the Messianics. They make tremendous efforts and support us all over, and are even more right-wing than we are in some ways, and they help us with Bush, etc. - this is all true, but in the end, they have one goal, and that is Jesus. We are not on the level of early great Rabbis who were able to take the good and spit out the bad...
MK Rabbi Benny Elon (National Union) responded with sorrow to the decision. He said that he and others like him make sure to work only with Christians who do not have missionary intentions. We work closely with the Yad L'Achim anti-missionary organization, MK Elon told Arutz-7, though now a competing organization - Lev L'Achim - has arisen and seems to have 'stricter' standards... It's hard for me to understand: What can be wrong about forging friendships with those who want to help us and care about us? Jerusalem Councilwoman Mina Fenton of the National Religious Party says that Elon's approach is very naive.
They try to do outreach in any way possible, she told Arutz-7, but all they actually want is to infiltrate into the Jewish public in any way possible, and to blur the differences between Judaism and Christianity. That's why they have all these missions and study groups and women's groups and seminars on Christianity's Jewish roots and the like - because they want Jews to think that they can remain Jewish while still accepting Jesus.The Knesset Christian Allies Caucus has made no secret of its opposition to missionary efforts. In fact, high-profile evangelical radio talk-show host Janet Parshall, known for her strong support of Israel, has refused to speak for the Caucus for this reason. She said she made the decision after learning that the Caucus condemns and does not associate with missionary groups. Parshall said she fears Israel would soon essentially say, We'll take your aid, your support and your tourist dollars, but we won't take your Jesus.
On the other hand, Precept Ministries founder Kay Arthur - who has said, The Jews need conversion is still active in the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus Women's Council. Rabbi Deri admitted that the decision was not an easy one: It's true that in the short run, it's advantageous to work with them - but what about the harm caused 50 years from now?... This is a hard issue, and I very much admire Benny Elon and his family - but we have to rely on the majority of rabbis, such as Rabbi Avraham Shapira and Rabbi Lior and many others.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Mon May 7 10:00 AM EDT
MAY 07,07
MAP 4.6 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
MAP 5.6 EASTERN XIZANG
MAP 5.5 OFF THE COAST OF AISEN, CHILE
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.4 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.0 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 WESTERN MONTANA
MAP 5.1 MYANMAR
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.4 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 3.0 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 4.6 SOUTHERN GREECE
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.1 KYUSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.4 FIJI REGION
MAY 06,07
MAP 5.0 SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 6.2 FIJI REGION
MAP 6.4 FIJI REGION
MAP 5.4 LUZON, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.4 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.6 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.7 SOUTHWESTERN PAKISTAN
MAP 4.8 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 5.5 NORTHERN COLOMBIA
MAP 4.7 SOUTHWESTERN PAKISTAN
MAP 4.6 SOUTHWESTERN RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.9 WESTERN XIZANG
MAP 4.7 SULAWESI, INDONESIA
Strong undersea quake shakes Greek island of Zakynthos Mon May 7, 4:57 AM ET
ATHENS (AFP) - A strong undersea quake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale shook the Greek Ionian Sea island of Zakynthos on Monday but there were no reports of casualties or major damage. The quake hit at 4:34 am (0134 GMT) with the epicentre south of the island, some 240 kilometres (150 miles) west of Athens, the Athens Observatory's Geodynamic Institute said.It was an isolated tremor, there was no particular seismic activity either before or after, institute seismologist Maria
Ziazia told AFP.
The Ionian Sea is one of the most seismically-active areas in Greece, which is itself the European country most at risk from earthquakes, suffering about half of all the quakes registered on the continent.The island of Zakynthos was at the centre of significant quake activity this time last year, with 10 tremors between 5.0 and 5.8 Richter recorded between March and May, the semi-state Athens News Agency (ANA) said.
Quakes hits Fiji Sun May 6, 7:22 PM ET
SUVA (AFP) - Two earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 6.0 struck off the coast of Fiji on Monday, the US Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warnings were issued and there were no early reports of damage. The first quake, with a magnitude of 6.4, was centred 265 kilometres (165 miles) southeast of the capital Suva and 165 kilometres northwest of the southern island of Ndoi, the USGS said.It struck at 9:11 am local time (2111 GMT Sunday) at a depth of 687.6 kilometres.
Another 6.2 magnitude quake struck nearby less than an hour later.The quakes occurred near fault lines in the Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates in the earth's crust meet and earthquakes and volcanic activity are common.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; 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, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Ruins await residents' return in Kansas By ROXANA HEGEMAN, Associated Press Writer MAY 07,07
GREENSBURG, Kan. - Rescue crews have twice searched the debris-strewn yards and splintered homes that once held Greensburg's 1,500 residents. They began a third sweep Monday to secure the area before families who lost almost everything were to be allowed back in.
Not much remained in Greenburg to go back to.
The F5 tornado, the most powerful to hit the U.S. in eight years, demolished every business on the main street. Churches lost their steeples, trees were stripped of their branches, and neighborhoods were left unrecognizable. Officials estimate as much as 95 percent of the town was destroyed. At least 10 people died in the storms.We've been over the town twice now — all of our partners around the state, the experts from cities with technical search-and-rescue, Maj. Gen. Todd Bunting, the state's adjutant general, told CNN Monday morning. We've done everything we can.Some of this rubble is 20, 30 feet deep. That's where we've spent all our efforts, and we'll do it again today.Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was in Greensburg on Monday, and Federal Emergency Management Agency director R. David Paulison planned to tour the devastation for the first time since the tornado hit Friday night.
President Bush declared parts of Kansas a disaster area, freeing up federal money to aid the recovery.There's a certain spirit in the Midwest of our country, a pioneer spirit that still exists, and I'm confident this community will be rebuilt, the president said.The storm system that swept south-central Kansas also spawned tornadoes in Illinois, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Nebraska, and the heavy rain created flooding dangers across the region Monday.In western Oklahoma, at least eight homes were destroyed, several more were damaged and one person was injured. A woman was briefly trapped when her mobile home was blown off its foundation in Seminole, said sheriff's dispatcher Terry Thomason.In Greensburg, only the residents were being allowed back into town on Monday, and they had to leave by 6 p.m. Law enforcement officials planned to check identification and compile a list of people whose whereabouts were still unknown.
Since the tornado hit, emergency responders have had little indication of how many people may be safe with friends or relatives elsewhere.Bunting said he believed everyone had been found, but fresh search dogs were still being brought in from Missouri to continue the hunt for possible survivors and victims amid the debris.Paramedic Annette Gasten and her German shepherd, Greta, spent a grim weekend searching the wreckage.Even though I have been to other disasters, this one was a lot worse — the amount of damage, Gasten said. It is such a large area that was destroyed that it made it difficult.The tornado's wind was estimated to have reached 205 mph as it carved a track 1.7 miles wide and 22 miles long.
The National Weather Service classified it an F-5, the highest category and the first since the weather service revised its scale this year in an effort to more comprehensively gauge tornadoes' damage potential, with less emphasis on wind speed. The last tornado classified as an F-5 hit the Oklahoma City area on May 3, 1999, killing 36 people.In Kansas, the governor said the state's response was limited by the shifting of emergency equipment, such as tents, trucks and semitrailers, to the war in Iraq. Not having the National Guard equipment, which used to be positioned in various parts of the state, to bring in immediately is really going to handicap this effort to rebuild, she said. Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the adjutant general's office, which manages state resources during emergencies, said the state has a shortage of heavy equipment transport trailers, pallet-sized loading systems, Humvees, dump trucks and other large equipment that would be help move massive amount of debris.
We are never at 100 percent because we are allocated a certain amount from the National Guard Bureau. With the war, we are much shorter than we would be. We have about 40 percent of what is allocated, Watson said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was bringing in travel trailers to house some of the town's residents. There was no indication when people would be able to move into those trailers, though, because the area was choked with debris and the town had no clean water.
School superintendent Darin Headrick said classes will be canceled for the rest of the academic year in Greensburg, and graduation would be held elsewhere. City Administrator Steve Hewitt said his job Monday would be to get city government working again. He said he needed to find employees, get purchase orders out, pay employees and bills — in short, create commerce again in Greensburg.
Get government going — that is our No. 1 priority, Hewitt said.
The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Mon May 7, 6:12 AM ET
Thunderstorms marched eastward through the Plains early Monday, while a storm swirled off the Carolina coast and high pressure kept the West toasty. The highest risk area for extreme weather on Monday was forecast from southwestern Texas through the Plains and into the western Great Lakes region.In the East, a coastal storm was sitting off the Carolinas, bringing large surf and some gusty winds to the coast, especially the Outer Banks of North Carolina.This storm was forecast to remain out to sea on Monday, but slowly take a turn to the southwest Tuesday and eventually slam into the coast late in the week.The rest of the East was predicted to experience beautiful weather as high pressure builds over the central Appalachians. Temperatures should rise back to seasonal levels, or a little above.Temperatures should also be warm in the West as high pressure continues to build over the region. Highs along the coast will be especially warm and possibly record breaking. Temperatures in the Lower 48 states on Sunday ranged from a low of 12 degrees at La Veta Pass, Colo., to a high of 97 degrees at McAllen, Texas.
WELL I WAS WRONG ABOUT THE FRENCH ELECTIONS SARKOZY WON, I THOUGHT ROYAL WOULD, SO MUCH FOR MY PREDICTIONS. ONLY GOD KNOWS THE BEGGINING FROM THE END HIS WORDS WE CAN COUNT ON FOR PREDICTIONS.
France's Sarkozy seeks parliament allies By ANGELA DOLAND, Associated Press Writer
MAY 07,07
PARIS - French president-elect Nicolas Sarkozy plans to waste no time making France a friendlier place for business — and a less inviting place for criminals and would-be immigrants — but first he must win control of parliament in new elections next month. Sarkozy, a U.S.-friendly conservative and an immigrant's son, defeated Socialist Segolene Royal by 53 percent to 47 percent with about 85 percent voter turnout Sunday.
The win gave Sarkozy a strong mandate for his vision of France's future: He wants to free up labor markets, calls France's 35-hour work week absurd and plans tougher measures on crime and immigration.The people of France have chosen change, Sarkozy told cheering supporters in a victory speech that sketched out a stronger global role for France and renewed partnership with the United States.
Exit polls offered some surprises. Some 46 percent of blue-collar workers — traditionally leftist voters — chose Sarkozy, according to an Ipsos/Dell poll. Forty-four percent of people of modest means voted for him, as did 32 percent of people who usually vote for the Greens and 14 percent who normally support the far-left. The poll surveyed 3,609 voters and has a margin of error of about 2 percent.A headline Monday in Les Echos newspaper, a financial daily, read: President Sarkozy: a wide majority for reforming the country in depth. In Le Figaro newspaper, Jean d'Ormesson wrote: Fasten your seatbelts. This will be quite a ride.Sarkozy's is certain to face resistance from powerful unions to his plans to make the French work more and make it easier for companies to hire and fire.
Over the next few days, Sarkozy will retire to somewhere in France to unwind a little ... and to start organizing and preparing his teams, said Francois Fillon, an adviser often cited as the leading candidate for prime minister.With his family, Sarkozy left his Paris hotel Monday — dressed casually in jeans — en route to his retreat. The location was not revealed.The new president, 52, plans to take over power from outgoing 74-year-old leader Jacques Chirac on May 16. Fillon said Sarkozy's new government would be installed May 19 or 20.
The election left little time for celebrating: Legislative elections are slated for June 10 and 17, and Sarkozy's conservative UMP party needs a majority to keep his mandate for reforms. A win by the left would bring an awkward power-sharing with a leftist prime minister, which would put a stop to his plans.Sarkozy has drawn up a whirlwind agenda for his first 100 days in office and plans to put big reforms before parliament at an extraordinary session in July. One would make overtime pay tax-free to encourage people to work more. Another would put in place tougher sentencing for repeat offenders, and a third would toughen the criteria for immigrants trying to bring their families to France.
On election night, scattered violence was reported across France. Police reported that 270 people were taken in for questioning and that 367 parked vehicles had been torched. On a typical night in France, about 100 cars are burned.There had been fears that the impoverished suburban housing projects, home to Arab and African immigrants and their French-born children, would erupt again at the victory of a man who once labeled young delinquents scum.
That blunt comment, and Sarkozy's tough anti-crime tactics as interior minister, helped fuel riots that raged for three weeks in housing projects in 2005.Late Sunday, small bands of youths hurled stones and other objects at police at the Place de la Bastille in Paris, across town from a giant street party celebrating Sarkozy's win. Some youths bared their backsides at riot officers, and police fired volleys of tear gas. Other fights with the police broke out in Toulouse, Lyon, Rennes and Nantes, police said. Two police unions said firebombs targeted schools and recreation centers in the Essonne region just south of Paris.
In Sarkozy's victory speech, he reached out to all those he has alienated in the past, promising to be president of all the French, without exception.I want to tell them that tonight, this is not the victory of one France over another, said Sarkozy, who is often portrayed as the enemy of youths in the housing projects.Among the electoral surprises was that Sarkozy took 43 percent in the Seine-Saint-Denis region north of Paris, an area with a large immigrant population and high unemployment that was the epicenter of the 2005 rioting. Associated Press writer Angela Charlton and Jean-Pierre Verges in Paris contributed to this report.
U.N. beefs up security after Gaza attack By DIAA HADID, Associated Press Writer MAY 07,07
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Security was beefed up at the main U.N. compound in Gaza City Monday, with workers reinforcing the entrance gate and personnel inspecting the roof after a shadowy group of Muslim extremists attacked a U.N.-run school. Sunday's incident, which killed one and wounded seven, is part of Gaza's out-of-control lawlessness that is increasingly aimed at foreigners. Most foreigners have left Gaza, and the latest attack on the U.N. was seen as a major escalation.
There was no claim of responsibility for the attack in the southern Gaza refugee camp of Rafah, but security officials said they believe salafiyeen, or Muslim fundamentalists, were involved. The group is believed to be behind a string of attacks on Internet cafes and music shops in recent weeks. It is not clear whether they are connected to any political party.The latest incident underscored the inability of the new Palestinian unity government, a coalition of the Islamic militant Hamas and the Fatah movement of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, to end the chaos.
Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas met late Sunday in another attempt to put together a security plan. The meeting ended without agreement, and another was set for Monday. Interior Minister Hani Kawasmeh, the author of the plan, has threatened to resign because security commanders refuse to cooperate, mainly because of rivalries between coalition partners Hamas and Fatah.New statistics illustrated the sharp increase in internal violence in Gaza.In the first three months of this year, 147 Gazans, including 10 children, were killed by fellow Palestinians, according to the Palestinian human rights group Al-Mezan. By comparison, 57 people died in factional fighting in all of 2004, followed by 101 in 2005 and 252 last year.If the upward spiral is not stopped, Gaza could become ungovernable, warned Ibrahim Ibrach, a political scientist at Gaza's al-Azhar University. The collapse of the Palestinian Authority ... is at stake, he said.Sunday's attack on the U.N. school in the southern Gaza refugee camp of Rafah began with a protest by Muslim extremists in long robes, who said a sports festival the school was hosting was un-Islamic. The U.N. is turning schools into nightclubs, read one sign held up by the protesters.
At one point, the group tried to enter the school. Palestinian security fired in the air to keep them away. In the ensuing chaos, at least one bomb was thrown into the school, and a gun battle followed.
A senior Fatah official, Majed Abu Shamaleh, was leaving the school when his bodyguard was killed. Seven people were wounded, most by bomb fragments. Some children hid under their chairs during the fighting.Police arrested two of the gunmen and were interrogating them. Later, the extremists tried to approach the police station where the two suspects were being held, to release the men. Police and gunmen from militant factions surrounded the station to prevent the extremists from entering, witnesses said.So-called salafiyeen are known through the Muslim world as fundamentalists who try to imitate their pious ancestors and recreate the lifestyle of Islam's founder, the Prophet Muhammad.
Most are peaceful, but some engage in violence.A Palestinian intelligence official said the Gaza group appeared determined to attack all those who don't agree with its strict ideology. Other fundamentalist groups have existed in the same area of southern Gaza for years, but live in their own communities and peacefully preach their beliefs, he said.What's new is that this group, which seems to have developed a few years ago, believes in violence if they see things they believe is wrong, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.He said the group has no more than dozens of members, but could easily grow as disaffected youths abandon the two largest political groups, Hamas and Fatah.
Israel, Egypt and Jordan to discuss Arab peace plan By Adam Entous MAY,07,07
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Monday ahead of talks on an Arab peace initiative that turning it into a take it or leave it proposition would only lead to further stagnation in the peace process. Livni is scheduled to meet the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan in Cairo on Thursday for what a senior Israeli official described as the first formal session of talks on the revived land-for-peace proposal.The Arab League named Egypt and Jordan to a working group which would contact Israel over the initiative, but the political turmoil that threatens Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government delayed the process.Western diplomats played down the chances of progress in initial talks over the plan, which offers Israel normal relations with the Arab world in return for a Palestinian state and full withdrawal from land seized in a 1967 war.
These are good signs, Livni told reporters in Jerusalem. But she added: Just to market a plan to Israel, saying that these are the parameters for final status agreement, this is wrong. I think that this can lead to stagnation.Rather than having the Arab League as the central negotiating partner, Livni said, the idea is that Israel and the Palestinians will negotiate on a bilateral track on final-status issues.The Arab League would support the Palestinians in times of concessions, she told a news conference with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
FINAL-STATUS
Olmert has so far refused to discuss final status issues -- the future of Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the borders of a Palestinian state -- in his regular bilateral meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.It's about time that the Arab League will support the moderates on the Palestinian Authority and give them the possibility to compromise on certain issues which relate to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and not to put this position as take it or leave it, Livni said.Steinmeier said the Arab League would send a delegation to Brussels next Monday to brief European Union foreign ministers on the initiative. He said Livni was invited to brief EU ministers at the following meeting.First launched in 2002, the Arab initiative also calls on Israel to reach an agreed, just solution for Palestinian refugees and to accept a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital.
In return, Arab states would establish normal relations with the Jewish state.
Olmert has said he sees positive points in the Arab plan, although Israel opposes the return of Palestinian refugees to their former homes in what is now the Jewish state and wants to retain some of the major settlement blocs in the West Bank.Israeli officials said the Arab League could help promote compromise, particularly on the refugee issue. Hamas Islamists, who leads a unity government that includes Abbas's secular Fatah faction, has vowed never to back down on the right of return.Livni joined public calls last week for Olmert to step down following the release of an official report sharply criticizing his handling of last year's war in Lebanon. The row has cast doubt on her influence within the government.Washington has been trying to promote the Arab League peace initiative in the hope it might bring states like Saudi Arabia, which do not recognize Israel, more openly into the process. (Additional reporting by Jeffrey Heller and Alastair Macdonald)
Chief Rabbinate Nixes Christian-Jewish Conference
by Hillel Fendel (INN) MAY 07,07
The Chief Rabbinate has banned participation in the Bridges for Peace women's conference scheduled for next week in Jerusalem. Participation in the Woman to Woman Conference in Jerusalem next week, sponsored by the Christian Bridges for Peace organization, has been banned by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. The event is set to coincide with the celebrations commemorating the 40th anniversary of Jerusalem's er-unification in the Six Day War. A special Rabbinate committee, headed by Rabbi Simcha Kook of Rechovot, ruled on Thursday that concentration on Judeo-Christian values and the study of the Jewish foundations of Christianity are forbidden. The rabbis ruled that these efforts are actually part of a long-running campaign to bring Israeli-Jews to believe in Jesus.
Promotional literature for the Woman to Woman conference, to take place in Jerusalem from May 16-19, describes it as Jewish and Christian women together, studying the Word [italics added] and working together to build bonds of friendship and bring comfort to the people of Israel. Each Conference day will begin with praise and worship... in preparation for an exciting series of visits and speakers, focusing on the roles, experiences, and opportunities for Women in Israel.
Bridges for Peace is a Jerusalem-based, Bible-believing Christian organization that supports Israel and is engaged, according to its website, in building relationships between Christians and Jews worldwide through education and practical deeds expressing God's love and mercy. It is our desire to see Christians and Jews working side by side for better understanding and a more secure Israel.The Conference will be followed by the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus Womens Summit, entitled, Empowering Women through Judeo-Christian Values.
The two-day event (May 20-21) will, according to the official invitation, bring together hundreds of Jewish and Christian women from all over the globe to address the difficult issues and tragic circumstances millions of women face daily. Every component of this remarkable experience is designed to encourage and equip women to be all that God has called them to be. Together, we will come to know Him better, and we will go back to our home countries, an army of His women, empowered to change the world.Another promotional website explains, The Knesset Christian Allies Caucus Womens Council Conference will focus on hardships facing women worldwide, to which solutions can be found through Judeo-Christian values.
Women representatives from every country in the world will join together in this monumental forum to be trained as ambassadors who will mobilize their respective governments to promote the status of women in their home country. Through this conference in the holy city of Jerusalem, women leaders will promote Judeo-Christian values globally. Christian women leaders and members of the Israeli Knesset Christian Allies Caucus Womens Council will chair the conference and teach in special post-conference guided tours following the footsteps of the Bible throughout the Holy Land.
The two other members of the Rabbinate committee are Rabbi Yitzchak Peretz, Chief Rabbi of Raanana, and Be'er Sheva Chief Rabbi Yehuda Deri. The committee, together with Chief Rabbis Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar, ruled that the Woman to Woman Conference is in opposition to Torah thought and law, and that the events organized by the Knesset Christian Caucus, Bridges for Peace and the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem strive to create a partnership between famous Christian preachers and leaders of organizations that have worldwide missionary programs to missionize as many Jews as possible... Events of this nature have been banned in the past by Torah giants throughout the generations, and they are forbidden.Rabbi Deri explained to Arutz-7, We note of late the terrible phenomenon of Messianic Jews wreaking havoc and destruction in Israel by trying to bring Jesus as Messiah into Israel. With pleasantness and kindness, they bring Torah, fear of G-d and even Torah commandments - but all with one underlying theme: that Jesus is Messiah. This joins with the phenomenon of millions of Evangelical Christians; Bibi Netanyahu said about them, They are not just friends of Israel, they are Israel! They want to help and support us, but they have the same goals as the Messianics. They make tremendous efforts and support us all over, and are even more right-wing than we are in some ways, and they help us with Bush, etc. - this is all true, but in the end, they have one goal, and that is Jesus. We are not on the level of early great Rabbis who were able to take the good and spit out the bad...
MK Rabbi Benny Elon (National Union) responded with sorrow to the decision. He said that he and others like him make sure to work only with Christians who do not have missionary intentions. We work closely with the Yad L'Achim anti-missionary organization, MK Elon told Arutz-7, though now a competing organization - Lev L'Achim - has arisen and seems to have 'stricter' standards... It's hard for me to understand: What can be wrong about forging friendships with those who want to help us and care about us? Jerusalem Councilwoman Mina Fenton of the National Religious Party says that Elon's approach is very naive.
They try to do outreach in any way possible, she told Arutz-7, but all they actually want is to infiltrate into the Jewish public in any way possible, and to blur the differences between Judaism and Christianity. That's why they have all these missions and study groups and women's groups and seminars on Christianity's Jewish roots and the like - because they want Jews to think that they can remain Jewish while still accepting Jesus.The Knesset Christian Allies Caucus has made no secret of its opposition to missionary efforts. In fact, high-profile evangelical radio talk-show host Janet Parshall, known for her strong support of Israel, has refused to speak for the Caucus for this reason. She said she made the decision after learning that the Caucus condemns and does not associate with missionary groups. Parshall said she fears Israel would soon essentially say, We'll take your aid, your support and your tourist dollars, but we won't take your Jesus.
On the other hand, Precept Ministries founder Kay Arthur - who has said, The Jews need conversion is still active in the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus Women's Council. Rabbi Deri admitted that the decision was not an easy one: It's true that in the short run, it's advantageous to work with them - but what about the harm caused 50 years from now?... This is a hard issue, and I very much admire Benny Elon and his family - but we have to rely on the majority of rabbis, such as Rabbi Avraham Shapira and Rabbi Lior and many others.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
TORNADO DESTROYS 90% GREENSBURG
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Deep quake shakes central Colombia. 3-Bush declares disaster after giant tornado kills 9. 4-Bush pledges help for tornado victims. 5-Sri Lanka storms leave 15 dead. 6-Texas storms kill 3, put 300,000 in dark. 7-Heavy rains kill five in Myanmar's main city. 8-The Nation's Weather. 9-U.S. airs Israeli-Palestinian timetable. 10-French flock to vote for new president. 11-Ancient ritual slaughter unites enemies for a day. 12-This Week with Rabbi Eckstein. 13-David's Comment: Israel is in Dire & Imminent Danger. 14-EU hopes to avoid a second treaty referendum in France. 15-Terrorists Hit Sderot as Abbas and Olmert Weaken. 16-Palestinians reject U.S. peace plan. 17-More Twisters Hit Plains.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Sun May 6 11:03 AM EDT
MAY 6,07
MAP 4.6 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.7 SOUTHWESTERN PAKISTAN
MAP 4.8 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 5.5 NORTHERN COLOMBIA
MAP 4.7 SOUTHWESTERN PAKISTAN
MAP 4.6 SOUTHWESTERN RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.9 WESTERN XIZANG
MAP 4.7 SULAWESI, INDONESIA
MAY 5,07
MAP 4.2 OAXACA, MEXICO
MAP 3.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.4 EASTERN TURKEY
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.2 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.6 KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA
MAP 4.4 ECUADOR
MAP 4.6 WESTERN XIZANG
MAP 4.2 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.9 POLAND
MAP 4.2 POLAND
MAP 4.3 WESTERN XIZANG
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.4 EASTERN SEA OF JAPAN
MAP 4.7 WESTERN XIZANG
MAP 5.8 WESTERN XIZANG
MAP 2.5 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 4.7 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.7 VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA REGION
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.1 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 2.5 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 3.0 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 4.2 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAY 4,07
MAP 4.7 OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
MAP 3.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.9 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP 4.8 KEPULAUAN MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 4.6 EAST OF THE SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS
MAP 5.1 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.5 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.3 NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 3.3 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 5.0 OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
MAP 6.1 NORTH OF ASCENSION ISLAND
MAP 5.1 OAXACA, MEXICO
MAP 4.9 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO
MAP 2.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
Deep quake shakes central Colombia Sun May 6, 1:55 AM ET
BOGOTA, Colombia - An earthquake deep below the Andean ridge shook central Colombia just before midnight on Saturday. Buildings in Bogota rattled for several seconds but no damage or injuries were reported. The 5.5-magnitude temblor centered some 155 miles northeast of Bogota and was approximately 110 miles underground, said Dale Grant of the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo.It's deep so there shouldn't be any major damage but it should be widely felt, he said.
Colombia's disaster prevention agency director, Luz Amalda Pulida, said in a radio interview that the quake was centered below the town of Betulia.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; 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, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (Dangerous) times shall come.
THE BIBLE SAYS THAT WHOLE CITIES WILL BE DESTROYED IN THESE LAST DAYS,ESPECIALLY THE COASTLINES THE BIBLE SAYS. NOW WE KNOW WHY THE BIBLE SAYS THE COASTLINE CITIES WILL BE GONE BECAUSE OF TORNADOS, HURRICANES, TSUNAMIS AND WHAT EVER ELSE IS IN STORE FOR THE EARTH AS THIS IS JUST THE BEGGINING OF SORROWS, THE WORST IS YET TO COME.
Bush declares disaster after giant tornado kills 9 Sun May 6, 7:27 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush early Sunday declared a state of major disaster in southwestern Kansas after a giant tornado virtually wiped out a community there, killing at least nine people and injuring more than 60 others. Six people were killed in Greensburg, Kansas, after the storm made a direct hit on the small prairie town late Friday, said City Administrator Steve Hewitt.
Some 30 people were pulled from the rubble of Kiowa County Memorial Hospital in Greensburg Saturday as the storm ripped homes off their foundations and even damaged below-ground shelters, according to reports.It is no understatement or overstatement to say that this town has been wiped off the face of the earth, Senator Pat Roberts who toured the area on ground and from the air with other Kansas lawmakers, told CNN.
This is just as bad as it gets.
Three other people were killed near Greensburg, officials and media said, while scores were reported injured and dozens hospitalized, some in critical condition.The White House said the presidential declaration makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Kiowa County.Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster, White House press secretary Tony Snow said in a statement.The US National Weather Service, meanwhile, warned of more severe weather in the central plains region, and two new tornadoes were reported in Nebraska to the north on Saturday.
A tornado warning was issued for a huge swath of land touching seven states from northern Texas to South Dakota, the core of the country's Tornado Alley.Weather service meteorologists warned of an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation for central Nebraska due to the threat of severe tornadoes.Hewitt said 90 percent of local homes and buildings were destroyed in Greensburg, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) west of Wichita, and communications in the area were severely disrupted.
This is a huge catastrophe for this small town. My home's gone, my staff's homes are gone, he said in a press conference.The town's 1,400 residents were evacuated and ordered not to come back as emergency squads continued to comb the wreckage with tractors and dogs to see if any survivors remained.The search and rescue continues. We want to make sure we can find everybody, Hewitt said.Water, electric and gas utilities were all shut off and a curfew was planned from 8:00 pm to 8:00 am on Sunday.Television images showed the town virtually levelled, with roofs shredded, branches sheared off trees and school buildings wrecked.It sucked the door off of our storm shelter, Greensburg resident Kevin Hillhouse told Wichita television KAKE.
Emergency workers said they were rushing to restore communications sites after the storm wiped out both land line and cellular phone services. The massive wedge-shaped tornado, caught on film by self-styled storm chasers, struck at about 10:00 pm (0300 GMT Saturday). One of the storm chasers, Darin Brunin, told CNN the storm was a mile (1.6 kilometer) wide.People in the town said warning sirens went off about 20 minutes beforehand, giving most a chance to get into storm cellars. National weather reports put the tornado at between F3 (severe) and F4 (devastating) on a scale of F0 to F5. An F4 storm carries winds of 331-416 kilometers (207-260 miles) per hour.
Bush pledges help for tornado victims By ANN SANNER, Associated Press Writer MAY 6,07
WASHINGTON - President Bush said Sunday that Americans' hearts are heavy for tornado victims in devastated Greensburg, Kan., and he expressed confidence the farming town will be rebuilt. It's going to take a long time for the community to recover, and so we will help in any way we can, Bush said outside St. John's Church, across from the White House, where he and first lady Laura Bush attended a worship service.A tornado that killed at least eight people in Greensburg was one of many twisters that touched down in six southwest Kansas counties. Numerous other tornadoes were reported in the Plains from South Dakota south into Oklahoma.
Our hearts are heavy for the loss of life in Greensburg, Kansas, Bush said about the tornado that demolished 95 percent of the town. It just basically wiped it out.Bush said Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Sen. Pat Roberts (news, bio, voting record), R-Kan., briefed him on the destruction.
They said to me, It's hard to describe how bad this community was hit, Bush said.The president has declared parts of Kansas a disaster area, freeing up federal money to aid in recovery.There's a certain spirit in the Midwest of our country — a pioneer spirit that still exists, and I'm confident this community will be rebuilt, Bush said. To the extent that we can help, we will.The most important thing now, though, is for our citizens to ask for the good Lord to comfort those who hurt.
Sri Lanka storms leave 15 dead Fri May 4, 1:52 PM ET
COLOMBO (AFP) - At least 15 people have died following heavy monsoon rains and flash floods in Sri Lanka's capital and nearby coastal areas, police and hospitals said Friday. Three people were killed in the capital on Thursday, all of whom drowned after falling into unprotected drains or manholes, a spokeswoman for the Colombo National Hospital said.Heavy showers also damaged the roof of the country's parliament, while parts of the main Galle Road in Colombo were washed out, police said.Schools in Colombo were closed Friday following poor attendance on the previous day as approach roads to the capital were submerged.Rains in neighbouring Gampaha and Kalutara districts and the southern port district of Galle claimed a further 12 lives, police said.Sri Lanka depends on monsoon rains for irrigation and power generation but the seasonal downpours frequently cause loss of life and damage to property in low-lying areas.The island's two main monsoon seasons run from May to September and December to February.
Texas storms kill 3, put 300,000 in dark Thu May 3, 12:05 PM ET
DALLAS - Days of deadly storms flooded roads, damaged homes and knocked down trees in Texas, and about 200,000 homes and businesses remained in the dark Thursday. At least three people have been killed — two hit by lightning and a third stuck in a submerged car.High wind, heavy rain and lightning and zero visibility shut down Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport for more than an hour Wednesday. Forty flights were canceled, a dozen were diverted and others were delayed.
Wind gusts of up to 100 mph were reported in Terrell, east of Dallas, the National Weather Service said.In the north Dallas suburb of Plano, gusts blew power lines onto the roof of an unoccupied home, setting it ablaze.The windows were popping out. It was scary, said neighbor Constantin Chernikov, 20.
Wednesday was the third day of storms, and more wet weather was expected across parts of the state on Thursday, with heavy rain and lightning in spots, the weather service said.About 300,000 homes and businesses lost power in Dallas and Fort Worth on Wednesday after the storms pushed trees onto power lines and toppled about a dozen transmission towers near Cleburne, said Chris Schein, a Oncor Electric Delivery spokesman.
Power had been restored to 100,000 customers by early Thursday, he said.All three deaths were reported in Central Texas.A 28-year-old woman was struck by lightning Wednesday as she walked to a parking lot after a boating trip with her family about 15 miles east of Waco, said Lt. Janet Smith of the McLennan County Sheriff's Office.
Also Wednesday, a 57-year-old woman died when her car became submerged in southwestern Bexar County. A day earlier, a 23-year-old man was fatally struck by lightning while fishing in a stock tank in Cameron.To the west, torrential rain on Wednesday flooded at least two homes in Odessa and left streets with as much as 4 feet of water, said Dale Childers, Odessa's assistant fire chief. The city's
emergency phone system was also knocked out briefly.
Heavy rains kill five in Myanmar's main city Sun May 6, 2:00 AM ET
YANGON (Reuters) - At least five people have died in the main commercial city of military-ruled Myanmar after the heaviest rainfall in at least four decades, state media and government officials said on Sunday. Four of the victims died of fume inhalation when a short-circuit caused by floodwater set a transformer unit in their house in Yangon on fire, the Kyemon daily said.A woman was electrocuted after stepping on a live power cable outside her home, the paper said.The casualties may be a bit higher. We are still trying to find out, one official, who did not want to be named, said.Much of the leafy colonial era capital, which used to known as Rangoon, was under water on Saturday after 24 hours of torrential rainfall.
One northern suburb of the city recorded 13.54 inches of rain, the biggest downpour in 39 years, the paper said.In the Mingaladon area of the city, where the international airport sits, rainfall of 11.14 inches was the highest in 60 years, it added.Hundreds of houses were underwater. Some buildings and trees had collapsed and telephone lines were cut.
Residents blamed the flooding on the city's poor drainage system, which is often choked with rubbish at the end of the October-May dry season.
The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Sun May 6, 7:18 AM ET
Forecasters predicted rain from Texas through the Dakotas on Sunday, with some showers likely from the Southeast to the middle MissisMacro running .......sippi Valley and warm temperatures on the West Coast. Widespread rain was expected from Texas through the Dakotas, with thunderstorms likely. Severe weather in parts was possible.In the Southeast, rain showers were expected from the coastal areas through the middle Mississippi Valley.Temperatures in the West were expected to rise into the 60s and 70s, with California expected to see highs in the 80s and 90s.Highs in the Northeast were expected to rise into the 50s, 60s and 70s, with the Southeast was expected to see high temperatures in the 80s and 90s.Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Saturday were expected to range from a low of 17 degrees at Stanley, Idaho, to a high of 96 degrees at Wink, Texas.
U.S. airs Israeli-Palestinian timetable by SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press Writer MAY 5,07
JERUSALEM - The U.S. has proposed a detailed timetable for easing Palestinian movement and improving Israeli security in the coming months, part of its more hands-on involvement and a new push to revive peace talks, officials said Friday. However, the document, published in the Haaretz daily, was presented at a time of growing political instability in Israel and the Palestinian areas, and chances of implementation seemed dim.Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was under growing
pressure from the Israeli public to resign over his handling of the Lebanon war last summer.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, told his Fatah Party after a return from Europe that he has made no progress toward lifting an international embargo of the Palestinian unity government, which includes the Islamic militant Hamas. Abbas stopped short of threatening resignation or early elections, but Fatah officials said a crisis is brewing.Deadlines outlined in the document, which range from May 1 to August 1, are only binding if the sides accept it, which they have not yet done, Haaretz said. In Washington, State Department spokesman Tom Casey said that the document was not a formal agreement.There is no effort to try and say Next week, you'll do this, the week after that, you'll do that, Casey said. The idea would be to do these in fairly quick order, though.
Erekat welcomed the U.S. action.
I believe that this is the right approach, Erekat said. This is transferring words to deeds.An official in Olmert's office said some of the ideas contained in the document were already at various stages of implementation, citing relaxed restrictions at the Karni cargo crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. There are a few Israel will not be able to address at present because of security concerns, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity since discussions of the document have been confidential.The U.S. document calls on the sides to start implementing the so-called roadmap that outlines a return to peace talks. The document was outlined in Haaretz Friday and confirmed by the chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.The measures include an Israeli removal of West Bank roadblocks to facilitate Palestinian travel, and Palestinian action to stop the firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel.On Saturday, the top leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal, dismissed the measure, telling Al Jazeera satellite TV that Palestinians should not agree to halt rocket fire in exchange for an easing of travel restrictions.
The document also calls on Israel to set up a convoy system that would allow Palestinians to travel between the West Bank and Gaza, territories separated by Israel, and to ensure that the Rafah passenger terminal between Gaza and Egypt, which has been open only sporadically since an attack on a nearby army base in June, will be open at least five days a week.Action by either side appeared unlikely at this time as long as both Abbas and Olmert face political instability. It was also improbable that the leaders would meet, as they agreed with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to do every two weeks.Abbas in March forged a shaky unity government between his moderate Fatah Party and the militant Hamas. It was not clear if he would have backing to crack down on militants firing rockets from Gaza.Most of the international community has maintained a boycott against the government since Hamas has refused to renounce violence and recognize Israel.Deputy Prime Minister Azzam al-Ahmed said Friday that Abbas had told him that the isolation and lack of progress with Israel could bring a real crisis.
Hamas leaders have threatened further violence if the siege is not lifted.
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said Friday that if the government could not operate, the alternative will be very difficult.In violence Friday, Israeli soldiers shot and killed three Palestinian gunmen who fired on them during a routine patrol near the West Bank town of Jenin, the army said. Israeli troops frequently carry out such patrols, as well as arrest raids, in West Bank communities.
French flock to vote for new president by Carole Landry MAY 6,07
PARIS (AFP) - French voters turned out en masse Sunday to choose a new president with rightwinger Nicolas Sarkozy the favourite against Socialist Segolene Royal in their duel to win a mandate for sweeping change. Thousands of police were on standby in Paris and its high-immigrant suburbs in case a Sarkozy victory sparks trouble but the focus was on the turnout which by late afternoon was the highest since the 1965 election won by Charles de Gaulle.By 1500 GMT, 75.11 percent of France's 44.5 million eligible voters had cast ballots in the vote to choose a successor to President Jacques Chirac, who is stepping down after 12 years in office.The strong participation underscored the exceptional interest generated by the left-right battle for the Elysee palace, one of the most exciting in decades.Sarkozy arrived at his Paris campaign headquarters in the late afternoon, smiling broadly and shaking hands with members of the crowd that gathered outside to await the result.
The former interior minister earlier cast his ballot in the chic Paris suburb of Neuilly sur Seine, where he was greeted with cheers of Nicolas president. His wife Cecilia was not present however.Royal, seeking to become France's first woman president, said the choice for her had not been difficult after voting in the town of Melle in her constituency in western France.Sarkozy, says he wants to get France back to work and is proposing tax cuts and incentives to free up the labour market. He also supports tougher controls on immigration.Royal, 53, is proposing to safeguard France's generous social protection, create jobs and carry out institutional reform to bring government closer to the people.
Today we are making a choice as a society, said Guillaume Bellequic, 28, a computer expert who emphasized the radical differences between the two candidates after he voted in the western city of Nantes.There is change in the air, said Gaelle Bernard, 30, a psychologist. And I am mostly hopeful.
The election marks a shift to a younger generation of leaders born after World War II, who are promising to tackle the huge national debt, high unemployment and simmering tensions in the suburbs.Maria Dallais, a 52-year-old domestic worker in the suburb of Suresnes, west of Paris, said she voted for Sarkozy because we need radical change.
People need to go back to work.Royal warned Friday that his victory could ignite new violence in the high-immigrant suburbs where there were riots in 2005.She has described Sarkozy as a dangerous leader who would divide rather than unite the French people. The former interior minister responded by labelling Royal's attacks outrageous and prompted by desperation.
Sarkozy's tough approach to law and order and pledges to purge the suburbs of rabble has turned him into an enemy of the poor neighborhoods where many descendants of African immigrants say they are shut out of mainstream France.Some 3,000 anti-riot police and military gendarmes were on hand in Paris and in the nearby suburbs to respond to any flareup, a police source said. Main railway stations in Paris were also being watched to prevent gangs coming into the city to cause trouble, the source said.In Argenteuil, one of the suburbs hit by the 2005 unrest, a steady stream of voters calmly turned out to render their verdict at the end of the hard fought campaign. Aurelie Legrand, a 21-year-old student from the French island of La Reunion, said she voted for Royal to try to block a Sarkozy victory. People say that if he wins there will be more violence so naturally it makes you think, she said. The first round on April 22 was marked by a near-record turnout of 84 percent. Sarkozy and Royal advanced from a list of 12 candidates.
Polling stations are to close at 8:00 pm (1800 GMT).
Confident of a victory, Sarkozy's supporters were planning a celebration near Paris' famed Champs Elysees in the evening while there was no word from Royal's camp about a venue for a post-election gathering. The new president is expected to take office around May 17, and launch into the campaign for legislative elections to be held in June to fill all 577 seats in the National Assembly.
Ancient ritual slaughter unites enemies for a day Sacrificial lamb ... Samaritans prepare a slaughtered sheep as part of the Passover ceremony on the holy mountain of Gerizim.May 4, 2007
Tradition thrives in dwindling Samaritan community, writes Ed O'Loughlin in Nablus, West Bank.IN 1867 the writer Mark Twain encountered in the Palestinian town of Nablus a sad, proud remnant of a once mighty community, now only a couple of hundred strong.I found myself staring at any straggling scion of this strange race with a riveted fascination, he wrote in The Innocents Abroad, just as one would stare at a living mastodon, or a megatherium that had moved in the grey dawn of creation and seen the wonders of that mysterious world that was before the flood.
Today the Samaritan people are still there, practising an ancient faith and rituals that have changed little in more than 3000 years.As the full moon rose on Monday, the world's 740-odd surviving Samaritans were again gathered high above Nablus on the holy mountain of Gerizim, the Bible's Mount of Blessings, to celebrate Passover.
The celebration of the Israelites' escape from Egypt is a festival that the Samaritans share with the Jews, although the dates sometimes vary. But unlike the Jews, the Samaritans still mark Passover in the manner prescribed in Exodus, with the ritual slaughter and consumption of a sheep for every family.
The resulting spectacle, as picturesque as it is gory, lures ever-growing numbers of visitors to the hazardous West Bank.This year Israeli civilians and their military escorts were joined by fundamentalist Jews from nearby West Bank settlements.
Fascinated, they climbed and pushed into the sacred enclosure or perched on rooftops surrounding the holy site in the mountain village of Kiryat Lusa.The settlers never used to come before because of religious differences, a veteran Israeli photographer said. For them it is very interesting but also worrying. They like to say they have the oldest religion in the world but what the Samaritans do here is like the same but even older.As dusk gathered, the Samaritan community crowded in, most men and boys dressed in ceremonial robes or white pants, shirts and overalls. The 50 sheep were lined up along a narrow trench, while the men chanted ancient prayers in the Samaritan language. Then, at a signal from Elazar ben Tsedaka haCohen, the Samaritans' 81-year-old high priest, family elders simultaneously cut the throats of the sheep.
As the sheep twitched their last, the assembled congregation cheered, and the men dipped their fingers in blood to mark the foreheads of their families. Then, as the lengthy ritual flensing and butchering began, men, women and children exchanged hugs and kisses with their relatives.More blood was collected to mark the doorposts of each family in the manner prescribed in Exodus to ward off the Angel of God as he killed all the first-born in Egypt. Then the carcasses were skewered and roasted in giant fire pits, to be eaten after midnight. The Samaritans say that, like the Jews, they descend from the 12 Israelite tribes that accompanied Moses on the journey back from captivity in Egypt. As the Bible records, the Israelites split into two sometimes warring kingdoms - the Kingdom of Israel in the north known as Samaria, and the Kingdom of Judea (whence the name Jews) with its temple in Jerusalem in the south.According to Jewish tradition, the northern kingdom was destroyed by conquering Assyrians in the eighth century BC and its 10 tribes scattered, while Judea managed to survive in various forms until the early Christian era.
Samaritans beg to differ. They say they are Israelites who never left their northern homeland, maintaining an austere faith based solely on the first five books of the Bible, handed down by their only prophet, Moses. However, the Jewish Bible has 19 more books and numerous prophets.At one time numbering about 1.5 million, the Samaritans faced persecution at the hands of successive waves of conquerors - Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Persian, Arab, Crusader and Turk.Only 786 officially remain today, divided almost equally between Mount Gerizim in the occupied West Bank and the Israeli town of Holon.In Israel, which considers them to be Jews, Samaritan men usually perform their mandatory military service, but West Bank Samaritans prefer to avoid taking sides. In recent years many have been forced to abandon their original homes inside Nablus in the face of growing Muslim harassment.Samaritan elders recognise that if they want to cling to their holy mountain it is necessary to maintain good ties with the peoples living around them.People call Jerusalem the city of peace, but surely it's the contrary, said Benyamim Tsedaka, director of the Institute of Samaritan Studies. But here for one day in the year … you will see Israeli officers and Palestinian officers sitting together, exchanging jokes and smiles. The day before they were maybe shooting at each other. That's why it's not only the Mount of Blessings. We are going to make it the Mount of Peace.
This Week with Rabbi Eckstein - May 3, 2007
Dear Friend of The Fellowship,
Returning to the U.S. from Israel, I am always struck by the hunger of Americans to know what is going on in the Middle East. Today I'd like to share with you just a few things that indicate the seriousness of the threats Israel faces.
Since the end of last summer's war against Israel launched by Hezbollah, reports have shown that weapons supplied by Iran and Syria are making their way to Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon. The Lebanese government seems unable or unwilling to stop this rearming. One member of Lebanon's parliament has even accused the Lebanese government of actively aiding it. For the first time, Hezbollah has openly admitted its connections to Iran's radical Muslim regime. In an interview televised April 15 on Arabic television, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Kassem stated, In order to know what is permitted and what is forbidden regarding the jihad, we ask for and receive overall permission and only then do we carry out the operation…The religious doctrine which dictates Hezbollah's actions in general, and those relating to the jihad in particular, is based on the rulings of the spiritual leader in Tehran.
To Israel's south, the situation is no less ominous. Rockets fired from Gaza have fallen in or near neighboring Israeli cities for months now, despite a ceasefire declared by Hamas, the ruling Palestinian party.
Last week, however, as Israel marked her Day of Independence, terrorists upped the ante, firing an intense barrage of nearly 100 rockets and mortars. Despite Hamas' claims that the attack was in response to an Israeli military action in the West Bank, Israel saw it for what it really was—a deliberate act of aggression, and part of a kidnapping attempt directed at Israeli soldiers. Thankfully, that kidnapping was thwarted by the Israel Defense Forces. But since Hamas has declared its intention of kidnapping more Israeli soldiers to use as negotiating tools, Israel can undoubtedly expect more such attempts in the future.Indeed, Israel is preparing for every possibility, including war on multiple fronts. Last week, in response to a Syrian arms build up along its border with Israel, Israel engaged in military exercises in the Judean desert. Clearly, her message to her enemies is that she is poised to do whatever is necessary to defend her citizens.
I want you to know that, as Israel prepares for the very real possibility of war, The Fellowship will be doing its part to protect the Israeli people as well. We are in the process of carrying out a massive project of building and repairing bomb shelters across Israel, many of which last summer were found to be in terrible disrepair and lacking in even the most basic things such as electricity, plumbing, food and water. It is a huge task we have set before us. But, given the magnitude of threats Israel currently faces, it is one we pray that, with God's help and that of our Fellowship partners, we will complete.
The situation in the Middle East is as volatile and dangerous as any time in recent memory. I hope you will check our weekly e-newsletter and blog regularly for all the latest on events affecting Israel and the Jewish people—and please continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship Of Christians and Jews
David's Comment: Israel is in Dire & Imminent Danger MAY 6,07
This week's comment may seem to some of our readers to be over sensationalising the facts - I wish that were the case ! The news these days is not good - and that is a massive under-statement. Israel is in the most perilous time of her modern existence and yet it seems the leadership of Israel have come under an ostrich spirit - they have their heads deeply stuck in the sand. Hamas & Fatah continue to launch missiles at us & Israel does nothing. At least one Israeli Arab member of the Knesset has been paid by our enemies to carry out acts of national treason and Israel has done nothing about it (so far). The Muslim Arab nations, including Egypt, and maybe even Jordan, are conspiring to attack & destroy the Jewish state and Israel does nothing. Israel is in a very unique situation in many ways, however there are two areas of uniqueness that I want to look at. Firstly, Israel is a tiny nation of 6 million Jewish people surrounded by a sea of Muslim nations, most of whom are our sworn enemies, committed to the ultimate destruction of the Jewish state and its return to Muslim rule. Israel does have a peace treaty with Jordan and Egypt, but it is a cold peace, particularly with Egypt. When it comes to the Muslim brother hood, when there is a major war between Israel and Lebanon, Syria & Iran, Egypt and Jordan's loyalties will surely lie with the other Muslim nations.
I firmly believe that the Muslim nations are all conspiring to launch a concerted attack Israel in the very near future. The outcome of last years war with Lebanon led the Muslim world to perceive a great victory over the formerly invinceable Israeli Army and Air Force. For the first time in the last 59 years, the Israel Defense Forces were unable to prevent the Hizb'Allah attacks which succeeded in
striking the north of Israel with more than 4000 missiles. In a flagrant violation of the UN ceasefire, Iran and Syria have re-armed Hizb'Allah to a level over and above the prewar level. And the new missiles are more powerful and have a longer range. Syria is openly threatening to launch an attack if Israel does not give back the Golan Heights and return to the 1949 boundaries. As we reported in last weeks news items, Syria is also preparing their home front for an Israeli retaliation and is also constructing military structures all along the border. It is very possible that Syria will use chemical or biological weapons against northern Israel.In the south, Hamas took serious note of the Hizb'Allah victory and is working towards emulating Hizb'Állah's arsenal of weapons and strategies. Since the suicidal Israeli withdrawl from the Gaza Strip in 2005, enormous quantities of weapons have entered Gaza from Egypt and Al Qaida have been establishing a strong presence in the PA controlled territories. Hamas is looking forward to receiving back from Israel more than 1400 of their incarcerated terrorist in a prisoner exchange for Gilad Shalit - Yes 1400 for 1 and the current Israeli government may be foolish enough to agree to such an unbalanced exchange.
Recent history tells the tale of dozens of Israeli citizens who were murdered in attacks carried out by terrorists who were released in similar exchanges. When will we ever learn ?
And then there is Iran - I am sure that I don't even need to mention the president of Iran's threats to wipe Israel off the map, at the same time, Iran is racing to produce nuclear material. Many respected military experts are predicting a multi-front attack against Israel in the next few months. If I was Israel's enemy I would attack as soon as possible, while Israel is still severely constrained by an
incompetent government and demoralised armed forces. The longer they leave it, the stronger Israel will become. A number of Israeli military leaders are calling for a pre-emptive strike by Israel - hit them before they hit us. One thing is for sure - the next war will see far more Israeli casualties than the war of 2006. The death toll could be in the thousands if the IDF is prevented from using all of its fire
power against the aggressors.The second area of Israel's uniqueness is that the whole world holds Israel to a level of accountability that other nations are not held to and the nations constantly scrutinize and rebuke Israel for fighting back when attacked. The world's media is even harder on Israel for taking pre-emptive action against known terrorists. In the majority of reports, Israel's actions are
reported first, giving the naive public the impression that it was Israel who initiated the situation, rather than the Palestinians. In the recent Lebanon war HizbÁllah fired 4000 missiles at Israel. Each missile had the potential to kill 10 or more people, yet it was Israel that the media accused of using disproportionate force. There has been huge media criticism of the separation wall because a small
number of Palestinians suffer some inconvenience, but since the advent of the wall, the number of Jewish lives lost in terror attacks has been cut by more than 95%. Here in Israel it is very easy to get the feeling that in much of the world Jewish lives are not afforded the same value as the lives of other people.
Seven years after the beginning of the Al Aksa Intifada, the depth of hatred for Israel in the Muslim world is astounding. All indications are that the Muslim Arab nations are preparing for a decisive attack against Israel. And all the while the oil drunk western world looks on, doing all it can to appease the Muslims and accusing Israel of being the bad guys. The media turns a blind eye to the aggressive attacks against Israel, while exposing the slightest Israeli retaliation. And the UN passes its resolutions against Israel. Even Israel's so called friend the USA, now under control of the liberal Democrats will desert her. Israel is the only nation on the planet that is not allowed to defend itself ?
If Israel waits until the next war begins, thousands could die, and if Israel takes pre-emptive action, the world will come down on the Jewish state like a ton of bricks. We say in Israel Ma la sot ? - What to do ? There is only one answer - Psalm 81:13-15 Oh, that My people would listen to Me,
that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their adversaries. (NKJ) The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to the Jewish people by the God of Israel . Lets pray that Israel will turn back to their God. Do not be silent, but share this with your fellow Christians, share it with your pastors,
and with anyone you have a chance to speak to. Lets also pray for that breakthrough to the Muslims, and please remember to pray for our son Jordan, and all of his fellow soldiers in the IDF.
Shabbat Shalom .. . David & Josie Silver
EU hopes to avoid a second treaty referendum in France MAY 4,07
BRUSSELS, May 4, 2007 (AFP) - European Union leaders are impatient to seal a new treaty of sorely-need reforms and will welcome the new French president's involvement, but experts say they may prefer that leader to be Nicolas Sarkozy.The EU is desperate to end its institutional woes by 2009 to ensure the issue does not dominate European parliamentary elections that year and further undermine public confidence in the bloc.
How can Sarkozy lose?
So asks one Forum reader. Weigh in with your own predictions for who will become the next president of the République.And with time of the essence, right-winger Sarkozy -- the favourite to win on Sunday according to opinion polls -- best fits the bill as he has pledged not to put the future treaty to a referendum.It's clear. They said: No, last time, he underlined in Wednesday's television debate with his Socialist opponent Segolene Royal.Almost two years ago voters in France -- and separately in the Netherlands -- rejected a draft constitution, aimed at simplifying the way the EU operates and makes its decisions.Like many other Europeans who are not French, the idea of a new referendum seems to me like Russian roulette, said Belgium's former ambassador to the EU Philippe de Schoutheete.If it were to fail again, something which no one can rule out, it would be a major catastrophe and I don't see how Europe could get out of it.
What Sarkozy and Royal stand for
Sarkozy's solution is a mini-treaty cherry-picking the practical parts of the constitution, which he says could be ratified by parliament.I would unblock the situation in Europe by proposing a simplified treaty, said Sarkozy, who seldom attended EU meetings when he was interior minister and preferred to resolve problems in small groups of countries.Royal said many French people rejected the constitution because they think that Europe does not protect them enough and that I want, once again, to consult the French people by referendum.For Goeran Von Sydow, researcher at the Swedish institute for European policy studies, the trend seems to be moving more toward what Sarkozy is proposing.German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country holds the EU presidency until the end of June, wants to use the month-long window of political opportunity after the French poll to refine a road map on the way ahead.Sarkozy's plan could slot into her timetable, but Von Sydow said the negotiating strategy of both candidates is not clear enough to demonstrate how, or indeed if, they can influence the reform process.
British Liberal Democrat MEP Andrew Duff warned that the parameters for solving the crisis over the constitution are going to be set pretty firmly by the German presidency.If Sarkozy thinks he's got significant room for manoeuvre I think he's wrong.The experts were less concerned about the candidates' different attitudes toward Turkey's EU membership, a topic which raises the room temperature whenever it is raised in Brussels.France opposes it, along with Austria and Germany, while Britain has led support for Ankara's candidature as a way of exporting stability to a region reaching into the Middle East.
Sarkozy repeated that he will oppose Turkey's entry, while Royal said it was time for a pause, although she said the door should not be slammed shut.This question is important but only in the longer run, while the constitution question has to be solved within a month, underlined Von Sydow.Above all, Duff said, Europe seeks consistency and clarity in France's EU policies, which have been missing under President Jacques Chirac, but he warned that patience might be needed.For both, clearly, their experience of politics outside Paris seems to me to be extremely small and they will have a big learning curve as soon as they become president, he said.AFP
Terrorists Hit Sderot as Abbas and Olmert Weaken
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu (INN) May 6,07
Terrorists continued to unleash Kassam rocket, rock and firebombing attacks from Gaza and throughout Judea and Samaria Saturday, most of which have been ignored by Israeli media. Islamic Jihad terrorists attacked the Negev town of Sderot with three rockets, and one of them scored a direct hit on a home, causing extensive damage but no injuries. Five more rockets fell in open areas across the western Negev Saturday. At least four more were fired Sunday. The rock and firebomb attacks Saturday included stonings of a bus and cars near Bethlehem, on the road between Kfar Sava and communities in Samaria and on a highway south of Hevron.
Several vehicles sustained damage, and one man suffered injuries in his eye. The escalation in attacks came as Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have become more powerless to fight terrorism and even failed to resume twice-monthly meetings this week. American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice initially brought the two together in a meeting marked by angry shouts and mutual charges of failure to act. They last met in mid-April in what appears to be a quick end to the bi-weekly face-to-face conferences resulting from an American effort to force renewed negotiations
Abbas, Olmert Lead Weak Governments
Each leader is facing his own political crisis, leaving both of them without time or energy to deal with terrorist attacks. Hamas, which shares the reins of power with Fatah, challenged the Bush administration Saturday, saying it does not accept an American plan calling for more good will measures by Israel in return for another attempt to stop terrorist attacks. The American government has been pressuring Israel to eliminate more army checkpoints, although their removal usually is followed by an increasing number of attacks. The American government has been pressuring Israel to eliminate more army checkpoints, although their removal usually is followed by an increasing number of attacks.Government officials have expressed strong opposition to the latest American plan for more good will measures in return for PA plans, without action, to curtail terrorism. The Hamas rejection of the American proposal may bury it.
Abbas has renewed threats that he will call new elections in an effort to reverse the Hamas domination in the legislature. He claimed that the government will collapse because of the continued American-led sanctions against transferring money to a PA government that is shared by Hamas. Tensions between Fatah and Hamas are very high, said a senior PA official. The situation could deteriorate into violence at any moment.Prime Minister Olmert is facing one crisis after the other, including charges of corruption and blame from the Winograd Committee for failures in the war against Hizbullah.
He has resisted calls to resign.Despite repeated vows not to tolerate continued attacks from Gaza, the Olmert administration has confined its counter-terrorist actions to Judea and Samaria, where it killed three terrorists in Jenin Friday afternon. Attempts by terrorists to infiltrate from Egypt also continued Saturday, and army soldiers killed one armed man who tried to sneak across the border. Egypt has taken responsibility for patrolling the border since Israel withdrew from the area following the demolition of Jewish communities in the Gaza region two summers ago. Hamas militias said Saturday they have taken control of the sites of most of the demolished Jewish communities, which were supposed to have become the foundation for growth in Arab agriculture. In a separate incident within the PA Saturday, Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades terrorists aligned with Abbas executed a man suspected of cooperating with Israel.
Festive Fires Give Faith Amid Fears
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu (INN) MAY 6,07
Israel put its troubles aside Saturday night and celebrated Lag B'omer, the 33rd of 49 days of counting the traditional measure of barley in the spring harvest between the Passover and Shavuot (Pentecost) holidays. Lag B'omer also marks the date on which the 22,000 disciples of Rabbi Akiva stopped dying of a plague during Roman rule. Another explanation for their deaths is that they were killed while fighting the Roman army. Tradition states that the plague was suspended on Lag B'Omer, which also is observed as the anniversary of the death of the Torah scholar Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, whose grave is in Meron, west of Tzfat. More than 300,000 reached Meron by late Saturday night, and tens of thousands more are on their way, police reported.
Israelis from all parts of the religious spectrum find faith and hope through the holiday amid bonfires and songs which break the period of mourning. Beards, which have been grown as a sign of mourning, are shaven, and thousands of parents follow a tradition of giving their sons their first haircut on the holiday. Firefighters and medics are on alert, but increased awareness of safety and tighter government controls against recklessness have kept incidents to a minimum. Two fires broke out of control at the Carmel Park in Haifa, and another fire went of control in the Negev town of Sderot. Three fires also broke out in Petach Tikva and six in Rosh HaAyin, east of Tel Aviv. No injuries were reported.
Pilgrimage in Tunisia
Coinciding with Lag B'Omer is the annual Ghriba pilgrimage on the Tunisian island of Djerba. Thousands of French and Italian Jews as well as Tunisian-born Israelis descended on the town, home of the El Ghriba synagogue, the oldest known Jewish house of worship in Africa. A terrorist attack on the synagogue five years ago killed 21 people. The name of the synagogue means marvelous or strange, based on several traditions, one of which is that Jewish priests fled there after the destruction of the First Temple.
Palestinians reject U.S. peace plan By Nidal al-Mughrabi
Sat May 5, 11:10 AM ET
GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian leaders roundly rejected a U.S. proposal on Saturday that aims to foster peace moves by setting a timetable of reciprocal security measures with Israel. The Israeli government, beset by an internal crisis, had already poured cold water on Washington's plan for a timeline of benchmark steps that included Palestinian forces cracking down on rocket attacks and Israel easing travel restrictions.In an atmosphere of profound mutual mistrust and fundamental
weaknesses in the governments on either side, the future of the proposal seemed unclear. Leaders of the ruling Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas ruled out any further discussion of it.The American plan is rejected and we will work to make it fail by any means, said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Baroum.
A senior aide to President Mahmoud Abbas, of the rival Fatah party, also dismissed as unworkable the draft plan presented to Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert last week.Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal told a rally in Damascus on Friday: "I officially declare Hamas's rejection of this document or any American, European, Israeli or even Arab project that diminishes the Palestinian cause like this ... It is a formula of lifting the roadblocks in return for halting the resistance.The U.S.
State Department said it was proposing only flexible and informal benchmarks without fixed deadlines.A pro-Hamas Web site quoted Meshaal as saying: We must keep our fingers on the trigger and prepare for battle.One of six missiles fired from the Gaza Strip since late on Friday damaged an Israeli house. Islamic Jihad, which has not joined a six-month-old Hamas ceasefire, claimed responsibility.
SANCTIONS
From Fatah, whose rivalry with Hamas has spilled over into bloodshed since the Islamists won last year's parliamentary election, Abbas aide Yasser Abed Rabbo complained the U.S. plan did not put enough onus on Israel to address Palestinian demands to end economic sanctions and revive talks on statehood.This plan cannot be implemented because Israel is not willing to change its position and put an end to the siege, he said. This plan made no mention of political issues and we don't consider this plan or any other suggestion to be an alternative to political negotiations to end the occupation.
Palestinians want an end to sanctions, over Hamas's refusal to renounce violence, that have crippled the economy.For its part, Israel says the U.S. plan did not seem to go far enough to guarantee an improvement in its security in return for easing movement controls on Palestinians and their goods.
An official on Olmert's staff told Reuters on Friday: Some of the ideas Israel is already implementing, others are already well advanced and there are some that Israel will not be able to address in the present because of security concerns.
Washington has been keen to press measures to lower tensions as it seeks to foster relations with Arab allies dismayed by the turmoil in U.S.-occupied Iraq. The Arab League, worried by the rise of non-Arab Iran, has revived a peace proposal to Israel.
However, both sides in the conflict face major difficulties.
Hamas is suspicious of U.S. efforts to bolster security forces run by Abbas that under the proposed timeline would crack down on arms smuggling and rocket crews in Gaza next month. The president was due to meet Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas on Sunday for talks on security, Haniyeh aides said. In Israel, Olmert has been fending off calls for his resignation since an official inquiry on Monday savaged his handling of last year's war in Lebanon. Many in Israel believe his authority has been terminally undermined. (Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah, Mohammed Abu Ghaniya in Bethlehem and Ari Rabinovitch and Alastair Macdonald in Jerusalem)
Posted: Saturday, 05 May 2007 9:25PM
More Twisters Hit Plains
GREENSBURG, Kan.--A fresh wave of tornadoes ripped through the Plains late Saturday, a day after a tornado all but destroyed this town, killing nine and injuring dozens more. The National Weather Service said it had received reports well into the double digits of twisters touching down in six southwest Kansas counties.
Numerous tornadoes were reported from South Dakota south into Oklahoma as forecasters scrambled to keep issuing warnings.The new storms forced rescuers to abandon search efforts Saturday in southwest Kansas, where crews had spent the day hurrying through the wreckage from Friday night's giant tornado. That twister left little standing in Greensburg beyond the local pub.Friday's weather was blamed for nine deaths in Kansas, a figure authorities feared could rise even before the latest twisters.
City Administrator Steve Hewitt estimated 95 percent of the town of 1,500 was destroyed and predicted rescue efforts could take days as survivors could be trapped in basements and under rubble.Among the only structures that survived was the Bar H Tavern, the town's lone bar.
It was briefly converted into a morgue.Survivors picked over the remnants of their homes and possessions, still dazed by the twister's strength and scope.We want everybody to know, and I plead to the American people as well as the people here in Kansas, this is a huge catastrophe that has happened to our small town, Hewitt said. All my downtown is gone. My home is gone. My staff's homes are gone.
And we've got to find a way to get this to work and come to work every day and get this thing back on its feet. It's going to be tough.Among the funnel clouds Saturday were a series of half-mile wide wedge tornadoes, similar to the one that devastated Greensburg on Friday night, meteorologist Mike Umscheid said.Umscheid said the slow-moving storm system would likely to spawn severe weather early into Sunday morning.
It looks like it's going to be another long night, he said.
A twister hit a high school in Sweetwater, Okla., late Saturday, and storm spotters reported damage to nearby residences in the far western Oklahoma town.There were injuries, though the number and severity weren't clear because communications had been knocked out, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said. Several tornadoes were reported in that area and several other parts of the state.Greensburg residents said they heard tornado sirens a common feature of towns in Tornado Alley about 20 minutes before Friday's storm hit.Even with that heads-up, Frank Gallant had no place to go. Gallant, who uses a wheelchair, had no basement, so he moved to the center of his house with his miniature pinscher, No. 5.You just hope you've lived up to the Lord's expectations, and you're going to the good place and not the bad, said Gallant, 47.The dead included eight in Kiowa County and one in nearby Pratt County, said Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Adjutant General's Department. She said officials are looking into reports of two other storm-related
deaths.
State Rep. Dennis McKinney, the Kansas House minority leader, said he and his daughter hid in the basement while the storm destroyed his home. He helped search homes for survivors but noted the inspections didn't take that long because in the western part of town, there weren't many homes left to inspect.A mandatory evacuation was ordered, he said. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared a disaster emergency for Kiowa County and planned to tour the area Sunday, said her spokeswoman, Nicole Corcoran. The state sent 40 National Guard soldiers to help.The White House said President Bush was briefed on the situation, and a spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency said FEMA was preparing to send aid.Associated Press.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Sun May 6 11:03 AM EDT
MAY 6,07
MAP 4.6 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.7 SOUTHWESTERN PAKISTAN
MAP 4.8 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 5.5 NORTHERN COLOMBIA
MAP 4.7 SOUTHWESTERN PAKISTAN
MAP 4.6 SOUTHWESTERN RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.9 WESTERN XIZANG
MAP 4.7 SULAWESI, INDONESIA
MAY 5,07
MAP 4.2 OAXACA, MEXICO
MAP 3.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.4 EASTERN TURKEY
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.2 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.6 KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA
MAP 4.4 ECUADOR
MAP 4.6 WESTERN XIZANG
MAP 4.2 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.9 POLAND
MAP 4.2 POLAND
MAP 4.3 WESTERN XIZANG
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.4 EASTERN SEA OF JAPAN
MAP 4.7 WESTERN XIZANG
MAP 5.8 WESTERN XIZANG
MAP 2.5 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 4.7 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.7 VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA REGION
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.1 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 2.5 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 3.0 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 4.2 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAY 4,07
MAP 4.7 OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
MAP 3.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.9 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP 4.8 KEPULAUAN MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 4.6 EAST OF THE SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS
MAP 5.1 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.5 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.3 NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 3.3 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 5.0 OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
MAP 6.1 NORTH OF ASCENSION ISLAND
MAP 5.1 OAXACA, MEXICO
MAP 4.9 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO
MAP 2.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
Deep quake shakes central Colombia Sun May 6, 1:55 AM ET
BOGOTA, Colombia - An earthquake deep below the Andean ridge shook central Colombia just before midnight on Saturday. Buildings in Bogota rattled for several seconds but no damage or injuries were reported. The 5.5-magnitude temblor centered some 155 miles northeast of Bogota and was approximately 110 miles underground, said Dale Grant of the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo.It's deep so there shouldn't be any major damage but it should be widely felt, he said.
Colombia's disaster prevention agency director, Luz Amalda Pulida, said in a radio interview that the quake was centered below the town of Betulia.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; 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, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (Dangerous) times shall come.
THE BIBLE SAYS THAT WHOLE CITIES WILL BE DESTROYED IN THESE LAST DAYS,ESPECIALLY THE COASTLINES THE BIBLE SAYS. NOW WE KNOW WHY THE BIBLE SAYS THE COASTLINE CITIES WILL BE GONE BECAUSE OF TORNADOS, HURRICANES, TSUNAMIS AND WHAT EVER ELSE IS IN STORE FOR THE EARTH AS THIS IS JUST THE BEGGINING OF SORROWS, THE WORST IS YET TO COME.
Bush declares disaster after giant tornado kills 9 Sun May 6, 7:27 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush early Sunday declared a state of major disaster in southwestern Kansas after a giant tornado virtually wiped out a community there, killing at least nine people and injuring more than 60 others. Six people were killed in Greensburg, Kansas, after the storm made a direct hit on the small prairie town late Friday, said City Administrator Steve Hewitt.
Some 30 people were pulled from the rubble of Kiowa County Memorial Hospital in Greensburg Saturday as the storm ripped homes off their foundations and even damaged below-ground shelters, according to reports.It is no understatement or overstatement to say that this town has been wiped off the face of the earth, Senator Pat Roberts who toured the area on ground and from the air with other Kansas lawmakers, told CNN.
This is just as bad as it gets.
Three other people were killed near Greensburg, officials and media said, while scores were reported injured and dozens hospitalized, some in critical condition.The White House said the presidential declaration makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Kiowa County.Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster, White House press secretary Tony Snow said in a statement.The US National Weather Service, meanwhile, warned of more severe weather in the central plains region, and two new tornadoes were reported in Nebraska to the north on Saturday.
A tornado warning was issued for a huge swath of land touching seven states from northern Texas to South Dakota, the core of the country's Tornado Alley.Weather service meteorologists warned of an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation for central Nebraska due to the threat of severe tornadoes.Hewitt said 90 percent of local homes and buildings were destroyed in Greensburg, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) west of Wichita, and communications in the area were severely disrupted.
This is a huge catastrophe for this small town. My home's gone, my staff's homes are gone, he said in a press conference.The town's 1,400 residents were evacuated and ordered not to come back as emergency squads continued to comb the wreckage with tractors and dogs to see if any survivors remained.The search and rescue continues. We want to make sure we can find everybody, Hewitt said.Water, electric and gas utilities were all shut off and a curfew was planned from 8:00 pm to 8:00 am on Sunday.Television images showed the town virtually levelled, with roofs shredded, branches sheared off trees and school buildings wrecked.It sucked the door off of our storm shelter, Greensburg resident Kevin Hillhouse told Wichita television KAKE.
Emergency workers said they were rushing to restore communications sites after the storm wiped out both land line and cellular phone services. The massive wedge-shaped tornado, caught on film by self-styled storm chasers, struck at about 10:00 pm (0300 GMT Saturday). One of the storm chasers, Darin Brunin, told CNN the storm was a mile (1.6 kilometer) wide.People in the town said warning sirens went off about 20 minutes beforehand, giving most a chance to get into storm cellars. National weather reports put the tornado at between F3 (severe) and F4 (devastating) on a scale of F0 to F5. An F4 storm carries winds of 331-416 kilometers (207-260 miles) per hour.
Bush pledges help for tornado victims By ANN SANNER, Associated Press Writer MAY 6,07
WASHINGTON - President Bush said Sunday that Americans' hearts are heavy for tornado victims in devastated Greensburg, Kan., and he expressed confidence the farming town will be rebuilt. It's going to take a long time for the community to recover, and so we will help in any way we can, Bush said outside St. John's Church, across from the White House, where he and first lady Laura Bush attended a worship service.A tornado that killed at least eight people in Greensburg was one of many twisters that touched down in six southwest Kansas counties. Numerous other tornadoes were reported in the Plains from South Dakota south into Oklahoma.
Our hearts are heavy for the loss of life in Greensburg, Kansas, Bush said about the tornado that demolished 95 percent of the town. It just basically wiped it out.Bush said Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Sen. Pat Roberts (news, bio, voting record), R-Kan., briefed him on the destruction.
They said to me, It's hard to describe how bad this community was hit, Bush said.The president has declared parts of Kansas a disaster area, freeing up federal money to aid in recovery.There's a certain spirit in the Midwest of our country — a pioneer spirit that still exists, and I'm confident this community will be rebuilt, Bush said. To the extent that we can help, we will.The most important thing now, though, is for our citizens to ask for the good Lord to comfort those who hurt.
Sri Lanka storms leave 15 dead Fri May 4, 1:52 PM ET
COLOMBO (AFP) - At least 15 people have died following heavy monsoon rains and flash floods in Sri Lanka's capital and nearby coastal areas, police and hospitals said Friday. Three people were killed in the capital on Thursday, all of whom drowned after falling into unprotected drains or manholes, a spokeswoman for the Colombo National Hospital said.Heavy showers also damaged the roof of the country's parliament, while parts of the main Galle Road in Colombo were washed out, police said.Schools in Colombo were closed Friday following poor attendance on the previous day as approach roads to the capital were submerged.Rains in neighbouring Gampaha and Kalutara districts and the southern port district of Galle claimed a further 12 lives, police said.Sri Lanka depends on monsoon rains for irrigation and power generation but the seasonal downpours frequently cause loss of life and damage to property in low-lying areas.The island's two main monsoon seasons run from May to September and December to February.
Texas storms kill 3, put 300,000 in dark Thu May 3, 12:05 PM ET
DALLAS - Days of deadly storms flooded roads, damaged homes and knocked down trees in Texas, and about 200,000 homes and businesses remained in the dark Thursday. At least three people have been killed — two hit by lightning and a third stuck in a submerged car.High wind, heavy rain and lightning and zero visibility shut down Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport for more than an hour Wednesday. Forty flights were canceled, a dozen were diverted and others were delayed.
Wind gusts of up to 100 mph were reported in Terrell, east of Dallas, the National Weather Service said.In the north Dallas suburb of Plano, gusts blew power lines onto the roof of an unoccupied home, setting it ablaze.The windows were popping out. It was scary, said neighbor Constantin Chernikov, 20.
Wednesday was the third day of storms, and more wet weather was expected across parts of the state on Thursday, with heavy rain and lightning in spots, the weather service said.About 300,000 homes and businesses lost power in Dallas and Fort Worth on Wednesday after the storms pushed trees onto power lines and toppled about a dozen transmission towers near Cleburne, said Chris Schein, a Oncor Electric Delivery spokesman.
Power had been restored to 100,000 customers by early Thursday, he said.All three deaths were reported in Central Texas.A 28-year-old woman was struck by lightning Wednesday as she walked to a parking lot after a boating trip with her family about 15 miles east of Waco, said Lt. Janet Smith of the McLennan County Sheriff's Office.
Also Wednesday, a 57-year-old woman died when her car became submerged in southwestern Bexar County. A day earlier, a 23-year-old man was fatally struck by lightning while fishing in a stock tank in Cameron.To the west, torrential rain on Wednesday flooded at least two homes in Odessa and left streets with as much as 4 feet of water, said Dale Childers, Odessa's assistant fire chief. The city's
emergency phone system was also knocked out briefly.
Heavy rains kill five in Myanmar's main city Sun May 6, 2:00 AM ET
YANGON (Reuters) - At least five people have died in the main commercial city of military-ruled Myanmar after the heaviest rainfall in at least four decades, state media and government officials said on Sunday. Four of the victims died of fume inhalation when a short-circuit caused by floodwater set a transformer unit in their house in Yangon on fire, the Kyemon daily said.A woman was electrocuted after stepping on a live power cable outside her home, the paper said.The casualties may be a bit higher. We are still trying to find out, one official, who did not want to be named, said.Much of the leafy colonial era capital, which used to known as Rangoon, was under water on Saturday after 24 hours of torrential rainfall.
One northern suburb of the city recorded 13.54 inches of rain, the biggest downpour in 39 years, the paper said.In the Mingaladon area of the city, where the international airport sits, rainfall of 11.14 inches was the highest in 60 years, it added.Hundreds of houses were underwater. Some buildings and trees had collapsed and telephone lines were cut.
Residents blamed the flooding on the city's poor drainage system, which is often choked with rubbish at the end of the October-May dry season.
The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Sun May 6, 7:18 AM ET
Forecasters predicted rain from Texas through the Dakotas on Sunday, with some showers likely from the Southeast to the middle MissisMacro running .......sippi Valley and warm temperatures on the West Coast. Widespread rain was expected from Texas through the Dakotas, with thunderstorms likely. Severe weather in parts was possible.In the Southeast, rain showers were expected from the coastal areas through the middle Mississippi Valley.Temperatures in the West were expected to rise into the 60s and 70s, with California expected to see highs in the 80s and 90s.Highs in the Northeast were expected to rise into the 50s, 60s and 70s, with the Southeast was expected to see high temperatures in the 80s and 90s.Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Saturday were expected to range from a low of 17 degrees at Stanley, Idaho, to a high of 96 degrees at Wink, Texas.
U.S. airs Israeli-Palestinian timetable by SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press Writer MAY 5,07
JERUSALEM - The U.S. has proposed a detailed timetable for easing Palestinian movement and improving Israeli security in the coming months, part of its more hands-on involvement and a new push to revive peace talks, officials said Friday. However, the document, published in the Haaretz daily, was presented at a time of growing political instability in Israel and the Palestinian areas, and chances of implementation seemed dim.Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was under growing
pressure from the Israeli public to resign over his handling of the Lebanon war last summer.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, told his Fatah Party after a return from Europe that he has made no progress toward lifting an international embargo of the Palestinian unity government, which includes the Islamic militant Hamas. Abbas stopped short of threatening resignation or early elections, but Fatah officials said a crisis is brewing.Deadlines outlined in the document, which range from May 1 to August 1, are only binding if the sides accept it, which they have not yet done, Haaretz said. In Washington, State Department spokesman Tom Casey said that the document was not a formal agreement.There is no effort to try and say Next week, you'll do this, the week after that, you'll do that, Casey said. The idea would be to do these in fairly quick order, though.
Erekat welcomed the U.S. action.
I believe that this is the right approach, Erekat said. This is transferring words to deeds.An official in Olmert's office said some of the ideas contained in the document were already at various stages of implementation, citing relaxed restrictions at the Karni cargo crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. There are a few Israel will not be able to address at present because of security concerns, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity since discussions of the document have been confidential.The U.S. document calls on the sides to start implementing the so-called roadmap that outlines a return to peace talks. The document was outlined in Haaretz Friday and confirmed by the chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.The measures include an Israeli removal of West Bank roadblocks to facilitate Palestinian travel, and Palestinian action to stop the firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel.On Saturday, the top leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal, dismissed the measure, telling Al Jazeera satellite TV that Palestinians should not agree to halt rocket fire in exchange for an easing of travel restrictions.
The document also calls on Israel to set up a convoy system that would allow Palestinians to travel between the West Bank and Gaza, territories separated by Israel, and to ensure that the Rafah passenger terminal between Gaza and Egypt, which has been open only sporadically since an attack on a nearby army base in June, will be open at least five days a week.Action by either side appeared unlikely at this time as long as both Abbas and Olmert face political instability. It was also improbable that the leaders would meet, as they agreed with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to do every two weeks.Abbas in March forged a shaky unity government between his moderate Fatah Party and the militant Hamas. It was not clear if he would have backing to crack down on militants firing rockets from Gaza.Most of the international community has maintained a boycott against the government since Hamas has refused to renounce violence and recognize Israel.Deputy Prime Minister Azzam al-Ahmed said Friday that Abbas had told him that the isolation and lack of progress with Israel could bring a real crisis.
Hamas leaders have threatened further violence if the siege is not lifted.
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said Friday that if the government could not operate, the alternative will be very difficult.In violence Friday, Israeli soldiers shot and killed three Palestinian gunmen who fired on them during a routine patrol near the West Bank town of Jenin, the army said. Israeli troops frequently carry out such patrols, as well as arrest raids, in West Bank communities.
French flock to vote for new president by Carole Landry MAY 6,07
PARIS (AFP) - French voters turned out en masse Sunday to choose a new president with rightwinger Nicolas Sarkozy the favourite against Socialist Segolene Royal in their duel to win a mandate for sweeping change. Thousands of police were on standby in Paris and its high-immigrant suburbs in case a Sarkozy victory sparks trouble but the focus was on the turnout which by late afternoon was the highest since the 1965 election won by Charles de Gaulle.By 1500 GMT, 75.11 percent of France's 44.5 million eligible voters had cast ballots in the vote to choose a successor to President Jacques Chirac, who is stepping down after 12 years in office.The strong participation underscored the exceptional interest generated by the left-right battle for the Elysee palace, one of the most exciting in decades.Sarkozy arrived at his Paris campaign headquarters in the late afternoon, smiling broadly and shaking hands with members of the crowd that gathered outside to await the result.
The former interior minister earlier cast his ballot in the chic Paris suburb of Neuilly sur Seine, where he was greeted with cheers of Nicolas president. His wife Cecilia was not present however.Royal, seeking to become France's first woman president, said the choice for her had not been difficult after voting in the town of Melle in her constituency in western France.Sarkozy, says he wants to get France back to work and is proposing tax cuts and incentives to free up the labour market. He also supports tougher controls on immigration.Royal, 53, is proposing to safeguard France's generous social protection, create jobs and carry out institutional reform to bring government closer to the people.
Today we are making a choice as a society, said Guillaume Bellequic, 28, a computer expert who emphasized the radical differences between the two candidates after he voted in the western city of Nantes.There is change in the air, said Gaelle Bernard, 30, a psychologist. And I am mostly hopeful.
The election marks a shift to a younger generation of leaders born after World War II, who are promising to tackle the huge national debt, high unemployment and simmering tensions in the suburbs.Maria Dallais, a 52-year-old domestic worker in the suburb of Suresnes, west of Paris, said she voted for Sarkozy because we need radical change.
People need to go back to work.Royal warned Friday that his victory could ignite new violence in the high-immigrant suburbs where there were riots in 2005.She has described Sarkozy as a dangerous leader who would divide rather than unite the French people. The former interior minister responded by labelling Royal's attacks outrageous and prompted by desperation.
Sarkozy's tough approach to law and order and pledges to purge the suburbs of rabble has turned him into an enemy of the poor neighborhoods where many descendants of African immigrants say they are shut out of mainstream France.Some 3,000 anti-riot police and military gendarmes were on hand in Paris and in the nearby suburbs to respond to any flareup, a police source said. Main railway stations in Paris were also being watched to prevent gangs coming into the city to cause trouble, the source said.In Argenteuil, one of the suburbs hit by the 2005 unrest, a steady stream of voters calmly turned out to render their verdict at the end of the hard fought campaign. Aurelie Legrand, a 21-year-old student from the French island of La Reunion, said she voted for Royal to try to block a Sarkozy victory. People say that if he wins there will be more violence so naturally it makes you think, she said. The first round on April 22 was marked by a near-record turnout of 84 percent. Sarkozy and Royal advanced from a list of 12 candidates.
Polling stations are to close at 8:00 pm (1800 GMT).
Confident of a victory, Sarkozy's supporters were planning a celebration near Paris' famed Champs Elysees in the evening while there was no word from Royal's camp about a venue for a post-election gathering. The new president is expected to take office around May 17, and launch into the campaign for legislative elections to be held in June to fill all 577 seats in the National Assembly.
Ancient ritual slaughter unites enemies for a day Sacrificial lamb ... Samaritans prepare a slaughtered sheep as part of the Passover ceremony on the holy mountain of Gerizim.May 4, 2007
Tradition thrives in dwindling Samaritan community, writes Ed O'Loughlin in Nablus, West Bank.IN 1867 the writer Mark Twain encountered in the Palestinian town of Nablus a sad, proud remnant of a once mighty community, now only a couple of hundred strong.I found myself staring at any straggling scion of this strange race with a riveted fascination, he wrote in The Innocents Abroad, just as one would stare at a living mastodon, or a megatherium that had moved in the grey dawn of creation and seen the wonders of that mysterious world that was before the flood.
Today the Samaritan people are still there, practising an ancient faith and rituals that have changed little in more than 3000 years.As the full moon rose on Monday, the world's 740-odd surviving Samaritans were again gathered high above Nablus on the holy mountain of Gerizim, the Bible's Mount of Blessings, to celebrate Passover.
The celebration of the Israelites' escape from Egypt is a festival that the Samaritans share with the Jews, although the dates sometimes vary. But unlike the Jews, the Samaritans still mark Passover in the manner prescribed in Exodus, with the ritual slaughter and consumption of a sheep for every family.
The resulting spectacle, as picturesque as it is gory, lures ever-growing numbers of visitors to the hazardous West Bank.This year Israeli civilians and their military escorts were joined by fundamentalist Jews from nearby West Bank settlements.
Fascinated, they climbed and pushed into the sacred enclosure or perched on rooftops surrounding the holy site in the mountain village of Kiryat Lusa.The settlers never used to come before because of religious differences, a veteran Israeli photographer said. For them it is very interesting but also worrying. They like to say they have the oldest religion in the world but what the Samaritans do here is like the same but even older.As dusk gathered, the Samaritan community crowded in, most men and boys dressed in ceremonial robes or white pants, shirts and overalls. The 50 sheep were lined up along a narrow trench, while the men chanted ancient prayers in the Samaritan language. Then, at a signal from Elazar ben Tsedaka haCohen, the Samaritans' 81-year-old high priest, family elders simultaneously cut the throats of the sheep.
As the sheep twitched their last, the assembled congregation cheered, and the men dipped their fingers in blood to mark the foreheads of their families. Then, as the lengthy ritual flensing and butchering began, men, women and children exchanged hugs and kisses with their relatives.More blood was collected to mark the doorposts of each family in the manner prescribed in Exodus to ward off the Angel of God as he killed all the first-born in Egypt. Then the carcasses were skewered and roasted in giant fire pits, to be eaten after midnight. The Samaritans say that, like the Jews, they descend from the 12 Israelite tribes that accompanied Moses on the journey back from captivity in Egypt. As the Bible records, the Israelites split into two sometimes warring kingdoms - the Kingdom of Israel in the north known as Samaria, and the Kingdom of Judea (whence the name Jews) with its temple in Jerusalem in the south.According to Jewish tradition, the northern kingdom was destroyed by conquering Assyrians in the eighth century BC and its 10 tribes scattered, while Judea managed to survive in various forms until the early Christian era.
Samaritans beg to differ. They say they are Israelites who never left their northern homeland, maintaining an austere faith based solely on the first five books of the Bible, handed down by their only prophet, Moses. However, the Jewish Bible has 19 more books and numerous prophets.At one time numbering about 1.5 million, the Samaritans faced persecution at the hands of successive waves of conquerors - Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Persian, Arab, Crusader and Turk.Only 786 officially remain today, divided almost equally between Mount Gerizim in the occupied West Bank and the Israeli town of Holon.In Israel, which considers them to be Jews, Samaritan men usually perform their mandatory military service, but West Bank Samaritans prefer to avoid taking sides. In recent years many have been forced to abandon their original homes inside Nablus in the face of growing Muslim harassment.Samaritan elders recognise that if they want to cling to their holy mountain it is necessary to maintain good ties with the peoples living around them.People call Jerusalem the city of peace, but surely it's the contrary, said Benyamim Tsedaka, director of the Institute of Samaritan Studies. But here for one day in the year … you will see Israeli officers and Palestinian officers sitting together, exchanging jokes and smiles. The day before they were maybe shooting at each other. That's why it's not only the Mount of Blessings. We are going to make it the Mount of Peace.
This Week with Rabbi Eckstein - May 3, 2007
Dear Friend of The Fellowship,
Returning to the U.S. from Israel, I am always struck by the hunger of Americans to know what is going on in the Middle East. Today I'd like to share with you just a few things that indicate the seriousness of the threats Israel faces.
Since the end of last summer's war against Israel launched by Hezbollah, reports have shown that weapons supplied by Iran and Syria are making their way to Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon. The Lebanese government seems unable or unwilling to stop this rearming. One member of Lebanon's parliament has even accused the Lebanese government of actively aiding it. For the first time, Hezbollah has openly admitted its connections to Iran's radical Muslim regime. In an interview televised April 15 on Arabic television, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Kassem stated, In order to know what is permitted and what is forbidden regarding the jihad, we ask for and receive overall permission and only then do we carry out the operation…The religious doctrine which dictates Hezbollah's actions in general, and those relating to the jihad in particular, is based on the rulings of the spiritual leader in Tehran.
To Israel's south, the situation is no less ominous. Rockets fired from Gaza have fallen in or near neighboring Israeli cities for months now, despite a ceasefire declared by Hamas, the ruling Palestinian party.
Last week, however, as Israel marked her Day of Independence, terrorists upped the ante, firing an intense barrage of nearly 100 rockets and mortars. Despite Hamas' claims that the attack was in response to an Israeli military action in the West Bank, Israel saw it for what it really was—a deliberate act of aggression, and part of a kidnapping attempt directed at Israeli soldiers. Thankfully, that kidnapping was thwarted by the Israel Defense Forces. But since Hamas has declared its intention of kidnapping more Israeli soldiers to use as negotiating tools, Israel can undoubtedly expect more such attempts in the future.Indeed, Israel is preparing for every possibility, including war on multiple fronts. Last week, in response to a Syrian arms build up along its border with Israel, Israel engaged in military exercises in the Judean desert. Clearly, her message to her enemies is that she is poised to do whatever is necessary to defend her citizens.
I want you to know that, as Israel prepares for the very real possibility of war, The Fellowship will be doing its part to protect the Israeli people as well. We are in the process of carrying out a massive project of building and repairing bomb shelters across Israel, many of which last summer were found to be in terrible disrepair and lacking in even the most basic things such as electricity, plumbing, food and water. It is a huge task we have set before us. But, given the magnitude of threats Israel currently faces, it is one we pray that, with God's help and that of our Fellowship partners, we will complete.
The situation in the Middle East is as volatile and dangerous as any time in recent memory. I hope you will check our weekly e-newsletter and blog regularly for all the latest on events affecting Israel and the Jewish people—and please continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship Of Christians and Jews
David's Comment: Israel is in Dire & Imminent Danger MAY 6,07
This week's comment may seem to some of our readers to be over sensationalising the facts - I wish that were the case ! The news these days is not good - and that is a massive under-statement. Israel is in the most perilous time of her modern existence and yet it seems the leadership of Israel have come under an ostrich spirit - they have their heads deeply stuck in the sand. Hamas & Fatah continue to launch missiles at us & Israel does nothing. At least one Israeli Arab member of the Knesset has been paid by our enemies to carry out acts of national treason and Israel has done nothing about it (so far). The Muslim Arab nations, including Egypt, and maybe even Jordan, are conspiring to attack & destroy the Jewish state and Israel does nothing. Israel is in a very unique situation in many ways, however there are two areas of uniqueness that I want to look at. Firstly, Israel is a tiny nation of 6 million Jewish people surrounded by a sea of Muslim nations, most of whom are our sworn enemies, committed to the ultimate destruction of the Jewish state and its return to Muslim rule. Israel does have a peace treaty with Jordan and Egypt, but it is a cold peace, particularly with Egypt. When it comes to the Muslim brother hood, when there is a major war between Israel and Lebanon, Syria & Iran, Egypt and Jordan's loyalties will surely lie with the other Muslim nations.
I firmly believe that the Muslim nations are all conspiring to launch a concerted attack Israel in the very near future. The outcome of last years war with Lebanon led the Muslim world to perceive a great victory over the formerly invinceable Israeli Army and Air Force. For the first time in the last 59 years, the Israel Defense Forces were unable to prevent the Hizb'Allah attacks which succeeded in
striking the north of Israel with more than 4000 missiles. In a flagrant violation of the UN ceasefire, Iran and Syria have re-armed Hizb'Allah to a level over and above the prewar level. And the new missiles are more powerful and have a longer range. Syria is openly threatening to launch an attack if Israel does not give back the Golan Heights and return to the 1949 boundaries. As we reported in last weeks news items, Syria is also preparing their home front for an Israeli retaliation and is also constructing military structures all along the border. It is very possible that Syria will use chemical or biological weapons against northern Israel.In the south, Hamas took serious note of the Hizb'Allah victory and is working towards emulating Hizb'Állah's arsenal of weapons and strategies. Since the suicidal Israeli withdrawl from the Gaza Strip in 2005, enormous quantities of weapons have entered Gaza from Egypt and Al Qaida have been establishing a strong presence in the PA controlled territories. Hamas is looking forward to receiving back from Israel more than 1400 of their incarcerated terrorist in a prisoner exchange for Gilad Shalit - Yes 1400 for 1 and the current Israeli government may be foolish enough to agree to such an unbalanced exchange.
Recent history tells the tale of dozens of Israeli citizens who were murdered in attacks carried out by terrorists who were released in similar exchanges. When will we ever learn ?
And then there is Iran - I am sure that I don't even need to mention the president of Iran's threats to wipe Israel off the map, at the same time, Iran is racing to produce nuclear material. Many respected military experts are predicting a multi-front attack against Israel in the next few months. If I was Israel's enemy I would attack as soon as possible, while Israel is still severely constrained by an
incompetent government and demoralised armed forces. The longer they leave it, the stronger Israel will become. A number of Israeli military leaders are calling for a pre-emptive strike by Israel - hit them before they hit us. One thing is for sure - the next war will see far more Israeli casualties than the war of 2006. The death toll could be in the thousands if the IDF is prevented from using all of its fire
power against the aggressors.The second area of Israel's uniqueness is that the whole world holds Israel to a level of accountability that other nations are not held to and the nations constantly scrutinize and rebuke Israel for fighting back when attacked. The world's media is even harder on Israel for taking pre-emptive action against known terrorists. In the majority of reports, Israel's actions are
reported first, giving the naive public the impression that it was Israel who initiated the situation, rather than the Palestinians. In the recent Lebanon war HizbÁllah fired 4000 missiles at Israel. Each missile had the potential to kill 10 or more people, yet it was Israel that the media accused of using disproportionate force. There has been huge media criticism of the separation wall because a small
number of Palestinians suffer some inconvenience, but since the advent of the wall, the number of Jewish lives lost in terror attacks has been cut by more than 95%. Here in Israel it is very easy to get the feeling that in much of the world Jewish lives are not afforded the same value as the lives of other people.
Seven years after the beginning of the Al Aksa Intifada, the depth of hatred for Israel in the Muslim world is astounding. All indications are that the Muslim Arab nations are preparing for a decisive attack against Israel. And all the while the oil drunk western world looks on, doing all it can to appease the Muslims and accusing Israel of being the bad guys. The media turns a blind eye to the aggressive attacks against Israel, while exposing the slightest Israeli retaliation. And the UN passes its resolutions against Israel. Even Israel's so called friend the USA, now under control of the liberal Democrats will desert her. Israel is the only nation on the planet that is not allowed to defend itself ?
If Israel waits until the next war begins, thousands could die, and if Israel takes pre-emptive action, the world will come down on the Jewish state like a ton of bricks. We say in Israel Ma la sot ? - What to do ? There is only one answer - Psalm 81:13-15 Oh, that My people would listen to Me,
that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their adversaries. (NKJ) The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to the Jewish people by the God of Israel . Lets pray that Israel will turn back to their God. Do not be silent, but share this with your fellow Christians, share it with your pastors,
and with anyone you have a chance to speak to. Lets also pray for that breakthrough to the Muslims, and please remember to pray for our son Jordan, and all of his fellow soldiers in the IDF.
Shabbat Shalom .. . David & Josie Silver
EU hopes to avoid a second treaty referendum in France MAY 4,07
BRUSSELS, May 4, 2007 (AFP) - European Union leaders are impatient to seal a new treaty of sorely-need reforms and will welcome the new French president's involvement, but experts say they may prefer that leader to be Nicolas Sarkozy.The EU is desperate to end its institutional woes by 2009 to ensure the issue does not dominate European parliamentary elections that year and further undermine public confidence in the bloc.
How can Sarkozy lose?
So asks one Forum reader. Weigh in with your own predictions for who will become the next president of the République.And with time of the essence, right-winger Sarkozy -- the favourite to win on Sunday according to opinion polls -- best fits the bill as he has pledged not to put the future treaty to a referendum.It's clear. They said: No, last time, he underlined in Wednesday's television debate with his Socialist opponent Segolene Royal.Almost two years ago voters in France -- and separately in the Netherlands -- rejected a draft constitution, aimed at simplifying the way the EU operates and makes its decisions.Like many other Europeans who are not French, the idea of a new referendum seems to me like Russian roulette, said Belgium's former ambassador to the EU Philippe de Schoutheete.If it were to fail again, something which no one can rule out, it would be a major catastrophe and I don't see how Europe could get out of it.
What Sarkozy and Royal stand for
Sarkozy's solution is a mini-treaty cherry-picking the practical parts of the constitution, which he says could be ratified by parliament.I would unblock the situation in Europe by proposing a simplified treaty, said Sarkozy, who seldom attended EU meetings when he was interior minister and preferred to resolve problems in small groups of countries.Royal said many French people rejected the constitution because they think that Europe does not protect them enough and that I want, once again, to consult the French people by referendum.For Goeran Von Sydow, researcher at the Swedish institute for European policy studies, the trend seems to be moving more toward what Sarkozy is proposing.German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country holds the EU presidency until the end of June, wants to use the month-long window of political opportunity after the French poll to refine a road map on the way ahead.Sarkozy's plan could slot into her timetable, but Von Sydow said the negotiating strategy of both candidates is not clear enough to demonstrate how, or indeed if, they can influence the reform process.
British Liberal Democrat MEP Andrew Duff warned that the parameters for solving the crisis over the constitution are going to be set pretty firmly by the German presidency.If Sarkozy thinks he's got significant room for manoeuvre I think he's wrong.The experts were less concerned about the candidates' different attitudes toward Turkey's EU membership, a topic which raises the room temperature whenever it is raised in Brussels.France opposes it, along with Austria and Germany, while Britain has led support for Ankara's candidature as a way of exporting stability to a region reaching into the Middle East.
Sarkozy repeated that he will oppose Turkey's entry, while Royal said it was time for a pause, although she said the door should not be slammed shut.This question is important but only in the longer run, while the constitution question has to be solved within a month, underlined Von Sydow.Above all, Duff said, Europe seeks consistency and clarity in France's EU policies, which have been missing under President Jacques Chirac, but he warned that patience might be needed.For both, clearly, their experience of politics outside Paris seems to me to be extremely small and they will have a big learning curve as soon as they become president, he said.AFP
Terrorists Hit Sderot as Abbas and Olmert Weaken
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu (INN) May 6,07
Terrorists continued to unleash Kassam rocket, rock and firebombing attacks from Gaza and throughout Judea and Samaria Saturday, most of which have been ignored by Israeli media. Islamic Jihad terrorists attacked the Negev town of Sderot with three rockets, and one of them scored a direct hit on a home, causing extensive damage but no injuries. Five more rockets fell in open areas across the western Negev Saturday. At least four more were fired Sunday. The rock and firebomb attacks Saturday included stonings of a bus and cars near Bethlehem, on the road between Kfar Sava and communities in Samaria and on a highway south of Hevron.
Several vehicles sustained damage, and one man suffered injuries in his eye. The escalation in attacks came as Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have become more powerless to fight terrorism and even failed to resume twice-monthly meetings this week. American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice initially brought the two together in a meeting marked by angry shouts and mutual charges of failure to act. They last met in mid-April in what appears to be a quick end to the bi-weekly face-to-face conferences resulting from an American effort to force renewed negotiations
Abbas, Olmert Lead Weak Governments
Each leader is facing his own political crisis, leaving both of them without time or energy to deal with terrorist attacks. Hamas, which shares the reins of power with Fatah, challenged the Bush administration Saturday, saying it does not accept an American plan calling for more good will measures by Israel in return for another attempt to stop terrorist attacks. The American government has been pressuring Israel to eliminate more army checkpoints, although their removal usually is followed by an increasing number of attacks. The American government has been pressuring Israel to eliminate more army checkpoints, although their removal usually is followed by an increasing number of attacks.Government officials have expressed strong opposition to the latest American plan for more good will measures in return for PA plans, without action, to curtail terrorism. The Hamas rejection of the American proposal may bury it.
Abbas has renewed threats that he will call new elections in an effort to reverse the Hamas domination in the legislature. He claimed that the government will collapse because of the continued American-led sanctions against transferring money to a PA government that is shared by Hamas. Tensions between Fatah and Hamas are very high, said a senior PA official. The situation could deteriorate into violence at any moment.Prime Minister Olmert is facing one crisis after the other, including charges of corruption and blame from the Winograd Committee for failures in the war against Hizbullah.
He has resisted calls to resign.Despite repeated vows not to tolerate continued attacks from Gaza, the Olmert administration has confined its counter-terrorist actions to Judea and Samaria, where it killed three terrorists in Jenin Friday afternon. Attempts by terrorists to infiltrate from Egypt also continued Saturday, and army soldiers killed one armed man who tried to sneak across the border. Egypt has taken responsibility for patrolling the border since Israel withdrew from the area following the demolition of Jewish communities in the Gaza region two summers ago. Hamas militias said Saturday they have taken control of the sites of most of the demolished Jewish communities, which were supposed to have become the foundation for growth in Arab agriculture. In a separate incident within the PA Saturday, Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades terrorists aligned with Abbas executed a man suspected of cooperating with Israel.
Festive Fires Give Faith Amid Fears
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu (INN) MAY 6,07
Israel put its troubles aside Saturday night and celebrated Lag B'omer, the 33rd of 49 days of counting the traditional measure of barley in the spring harvest between the Passover and Shavuot (Pentecost) holidays. Lag B'omer also marks the date on which the 22,000 disciples of Rabbi Akiva stopped dying of a plague during Roman rule. Another explanation for their deaths is that they were killed while fighting the Roman army. Tradition states that the plague was suspended on Lag B'Omer, which also is observed as the anniversary of the death of the Torah scholar Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, whose grave is in Meron, west of Tzfat. More than 300,000 reached Meron by late Saturday night, and tens of thousands more are on their way, police reported.
Israelis from all parts of the religious spectrum find faith and hope through the holiday amid bonfires and songs which break the period of mourning. Beards, which have been grown as a sign of mourning, are shaven, and thousands of parents follow a tradition of giving their sons their first haircut on the holiday. Firefighters and medics are on alert, but increased awareness of safety and tighter government controls against recklessness have kept incidents to a minimum. Two fires broke out of control at the Carmel Park in Haifa, and another fire went of control in the Negev town of Sderot. Three fires also broke out in Petach Tikva and six in Rosh HaAyin, east of Tel Aviv. No injuries were reported.
Pilgrimage in Tunisia
Coinciding with Lag B'Omer is the annual Ghriba pilgrimage on the Tunisian island of Djerba. Thousands of French and Italian Jews as well as Tunisian-born Israelis descended on the town, home of the El Ghriba synagogue, the oldest known Jewish house of worship in Africa. A terrorist attack on the synagogue five years ago killed 21 people. The name of the synagogue means marvelous or strange, based on several traditions, one of which is that Jewish priests fled there after the destruction of the First Temple.
Palestinians reject U.S. peace plan By Nidal al-Mughrabi
Sat May 5, 11:10 AM ET
GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian leaders roundly rejected a U.S. proposal on Saturday that aims to foster peace moves by setting a timetable of reciprocal security measures with Israel. The Israeli government, beset by an internal crisis, had already poured cold water on Washington's plan for a timeline of benchmark steps that included Palestinian forces cracking down on rocket attacks and Israel easing travel restrictions.In an atmosphere of profound mutual mistrust and fundamental
weaknesses in the governments on either side, the future of the proposal seemed unclear. Leaders of the ruling Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas ruled out any further discussion of it.The American plan is rejected and we will work to make it fail by any means, said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Baroum.
A senior aide to President Mahmoud Abbas, of the rival Fatah party, also dismissed as unworkable the draft plan presented to Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert last week.Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal told a rally in Damascus on Friday: "I officially declare Hamas's rejection of this document or any American, European, Israeli or even Arab project that diminishes the Palestinian cause like this ... It is a formula of lifting the roadblocks in return for halting the resistance.The U.S.
State Department said it was proposing only flexible and informal benchmarks without fixed deadlines.A pro-Hamas Web site quoted Meshaal as saying: We must keep our fingers on the trigger and prepare for battle.One of six missiles fired from the Gaza Strip since late on Friday damaged an Israeli house. Islamic Jihad, which has not joined a six-month-old Hamas ceasefire, claimed responsibility.
SANCTIONS
From Fatah, whose rivalry with Hamas has spilled over into bloodshed since the Islamists won last year's parliamentary election, Abbas aide Yasser Abed Rabbo complained the U.S. plan did not put enough onus on Israel to address Palestinian demands to end economic sanctions and revive talks on statehood.This plan cannot be implemented because Israel is not willing to change its position and put an end to the siege, he said. This plan made no mention of political issues and we don't consider this plan or any other suggestion to be an alternative to political negotiations to end the occupation.
Palestinians want an end to sanctions, over Hamas's refusal to renounce violence, that have crippled the economy.For its part, Israel says the U.S. plan did not seem to go far enough to guarantee an improvement in its security in return for easing movement controls on Palestinians and their goods.
An official on Olmert's staff told Reuters on Friday: Some of the ideas Israel is already implementing, others are already well advanced and there are some that Israel will not be able to address in the present because of security concerns.
Washington has been keen to press measures to lower tensions as it seeks to foster relations with Arab allies dismayed by the turmoil in U.S.-occupied Iraq. The Arab League, worried by the rise of non-Arab Iran, has revived a peace proposal to Israel.
However, both sides in the conflict face major difficulties.
Hamas is suspicious of U.S. efforts to bolster security forces run by Abbas that under the proposed timeline would crack down on arms smuggling and rocket crews in Gaza next month. The president was due to meet Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas on Sunday for talks on security, Haniyeh aides said. In Israel, Olmert has been fending off calls for his resignation since an official inquiry on Monday savaged his handling of last year's war in Lebanon. Many in Israel believe his authority has been terminally undermined. (Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah, Mohammed Abu Ghaniya in Bethlehem and Ari Rabinovitch and Alastair Macdonald in Jerusalem)
Posted: Saturday, 05 May 2007 9:25PM
More Twisters Hit Plains
GREENSBURG, Kan.--A fresh wave of tornadoes ripped through the Plains late Saturday, a day after a tornado all but destroyed this town, killing nine and injuring dozens more. The National Weather Service said it had received reports well into the double digits of twisters touching down in six southwest Kansas counties.
Numerous tornadoes were reported from South Dakota south into Oklahoma as forecasters scrambled to keep issuing warnings.The new storms forced rescuers to abandon search efforts Saturday in southwest Kansas, where crews had spent the day hurrying through the wreckage from Friday night's giant tornado. That twister left little standing in Greensburg beyond the local pub.Friday's weather was blamed for nine deaths in Kansas, a figure authorities feared could rise even before the latest twisters.
City Administrator Steve Hewitt estimated 95 percent of the town of 1,500 was destroyed and predicted rescue efforts could take days as survivors could be trapped in basements and under rubble.Among the only structures that survived was the Bar H Tavern, the town's lone bar.
It was briefly converted into a morgue.Survivors picked over the remnants of their homes and possessions, still dazed by the twister's strength and scope.We want everybody to know, and I plead to the American people as well as the people here in Kansas, this is a huge catastrophe that has happened to our small town, Hewitt said. All my downtown is gone. My home is gone. My staff's homes are gone.
And we've got to find a way to get this to work and come to work every day and get this thing back on its feet. It's going to be tough.Among the funnel clouds Saturday were a series of half-mile wide wedge tornadoes, similar to the one that devastated Greensburg on Friday night, meteorologist Mike Umscheid said.Umscheid said the slow-moving storm system would likely to spawn severe weather early into Sunday morning.
It looks like it's going to be another long night, he said.
A twister hit a high school in Sweetwater, Okla., late Saturday, and storm spotters reported damage to nearby residences in the far western Oklahoma town.There were injuries, though the number and severity weren't clear because communications had been knocked out, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said. Several tornadoes were reported in that area and several other parts of the state.Greensburg residents said they heard tornado sirens a common feature of towns in Tornado Alley about 20 minutes before Friday's storm hit.Even with that heads-up, Frank Gallant had no place to go. Gallant, who uses a wheelchair, had no basement, so he moved to the center of his house with his miniature pinscher, No. 5.You just hope you've lived up to the Lord's expectations, and you're going to the good place and not the bad, said Gallant, 47.The dead included eight in Kiowa County and one in nearby Pratt County, said Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Adjutant General's Department. She said officials are looking into reports of two other storm-related
deaths.
State Rep. Dennis McKinney, the Kansas House minority leader, said he and his daughter hid in the basement while the storm destroyed his home. He helped search homes for survivors but noted the inspections didn't take that long because in the western part of town, there weren't many homes left to inspect.A mandatory evacuation was ordered, he said. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared a disaster emergency for Kiowa County and planned to tour the area Sunday, said her spokeswoman, Nicole Corcoran. The state sent 40 National Guard soldiers to help.The White House said President Bush was briefed on the situation, and a spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency said FEMA was preparing to send aid.Associated Press.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
8 MONTH SO CALLED TIMELINE
NO TIMELINE WILL WORK TILL THE EU GETS THE LEAD IN THE PEACE PROCESS. THE FINAL 7 YEAR CONTRACT IN THE FUTURE HAS TO BE HEADED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION AND IT HAS TO BE A LAND FOR SECURITY DEAL.
Acceleration Benchmarks for Agreement on Movement and Access as well as on the Gaza Security Situation MAY 5,07 Haaretz
AMA Goals:
Goal: To ensure normalization of the RCP and KSCP operations, according to international standards and subject to terms of the AMA supplemented by protocols on security and customs and with assistance of the third party. (AMA point 1, APRC)
Goal: To ensure West Bank and Gaza passages operate continuously on a demand driven performance basis of transparency and internationally accepted service and security standards are in place at all crossings. (AMA point 2)
Goal: Israel will allow the passage of convoys between Gaza and the West Bank to facilitate the movement of goods and persons, with appropriate security arrangements. (AMA point 3)
Goal: To reach mutual agreement on a plan for facilitating movement of people and goods within the West Bank, and to minimize disruption to Palestinian lives by reducing the number of obstacles to movement to the maximum extent possible. (AMA point 4)
AMA Benchmarks:
A. Rafah/Kerem Shalom Crossing Points (RCP/KSCP) Benchmarks:
* (GOI) NLT 1 May 2007 finalizes approval of the Customs Protocol for KSCP.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 15 May 2007 finalize and approve the Goods of Concern requirements in form of a letter from the USSC to both sides asking for their agreement.
* (GOI) NLT 15 May 2007 provide EU-BAM with consistent access to the RCP for operations and training purposes totaling no less than five days per week.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007 establish normalized RCP passenger operations and initial commercial export operations, as well as KSCP commercial import operations, with the agreement of the Government of Egypt. Ensure opening for operations no less than five days per week, under regular, advertised operating hours.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007, when equipment shipments that are required for operations at RCP are delayed, any party may immediately notify the Liaison Office for coordinated resolution. Resolution will take place under the auspices of the Liaison Office, with the assistance of the USSC, within 48 hours of the notification.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007 agree to the establishment of a RCP and KSCP public access website to post continuously updated information on operating hours, customer rules, regulations and procedures, and general information of interest.
* (GOI) NLT 15 June 2007, adopt single-point cargo checks for all goods traveling through, into, and from the West Bank and Gaza.
B. Karni/Al-Mintar Crossing Point (K/AMCP) Benchmarks:
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 May 2007 operate crossing for regular operations according to the mutually agreed to schedule of extended hours.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 15 May 2007 establish normal and continued coordination between the IDF, Presidential Guard, and other internal security organizations to develop, document, publish, and implement procedures to allow for Palestinian armed security throughout all areas on the al-Mintar side of the crossing.
* (GOI) NLT 15 May 2007 establish daily access clearance through Karni to al-Mintar side, and back, for USSC-identified Karni and PG Project support personnel.
* (GOI/ Palestinians) NLT 15 May 2007, commensurate with demand, designate special lanes for fresh produce with expedited procedures to allow quick flow of seasonal products out to Israel and international markets.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007 develop coordinated back up plans in the event Karni/al-Mintar operations are disrupted, suspended or overwhelmed, especially involving time sensitive agricultural produce, where exports from Gaza can be rapidly re-directed through other crossing points.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007 adopt a common management system, institute a bilateral dispute mechanism, and develop, document, publish, and implement systems and procedures for logistics, coordination, standard loading and packaging.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007 establish a Gaza export level, consistent with demand, of 150 truckloads per day, as well as ensuring the return of empty containers from Gaza and the timely export of agricultural products during the remaining harvest season.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 July develop a transparent and accountable on-line pre-registration and scheduling system for imports into Gaza and exports from Gaza that is directly accessible by Palestinian and Israeli exporters and that will be incorporated into the risk management system for the al-Mintar side of the crossing. System design should be coordinated with the Palestinian and Israeli private sector.
C. West Bank Movement and Access Benchmarks:
* (GOI) NLT 15 May 2007 ease the restrictions to movement and access in the Jordan Valley by (1) removing permit requirements for access, (2) eliminating the requirement for a Jordan Valley address on ID cards and (3) removing restrictions on Palestinian vehicular use of route 90, including removal of the Hamra and Al Auja checkpoints.
* (GOI) NLT 1 June 2007 remove restrictions and allow access and movement at the Bethlehem 1 and 2 clusters; the Hebron 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 clusters; the Nablus 1, 2, 3, and 4 clusters; and Tubas 1 cluster.
* (GOI) NLT 15 June 2007 remove checkpoints in the vicinity of Nablus, specifically the Beit Iba, Huwwara, Awarta, Sheve Shomron, and Beit Furik checkpoints.
* (GOI) NLT 15 June 2007 develop proposals to simplify remaining permit regimes in effect for internal travel and remaining obstacles to movement in the West Bank and further GOI plans to ease movement and access.
D. West Bank - Gaza Link Benchmarks:
* (GOI) NLT 15 May 2007 extend the existing ad hoc systems for humanitarian cases to allow passage from Gaza to the West Bank.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007 establish a pilot project for humanitarian medical convoys that would be expanded over several weeks to meet full demand for regularized convoy service on a timely basis.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 July 2007 establish a bus convoy service five days per week between Erez and Tarqumiya for Palestinian passengers (both Gaza and West Bank ID-holders).
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 August 2007 develop a plan to both expand bus convoys to the central and northern West Bank and establish a truck convoy system between Gaza and the West Bank.
Security Goals:
Goal: PASF actively enforcing law and order, fighting terrorism, and countering all Qassam launch operations.
Goal: Enhanced Palestinian effort to address smuggling of terror-related weapons and materials and cash destined for Gaza, tunneling efforts thwarted, and improved security and stability along the Palestinian side of the border and at the crossing sites.
Goal: Establish clear, firewalled chain of command and effective operations in order to facilitate support for Palestinian security forces.
Goal: Improved coordination between IDF and PASF forces under President Abbas to facilitate a safe and secure environment in the West Bank and Gaza.
Goal: Improved policing, training, readiness, and response capability of the PASF to promote its overall effectiveness.
Security Benchmarks:
* (Palestinians) AS SOON AS POSSIBLE: The Palestinian Presidency will continue to urge PA government acceptance of the Quartet principles, including renunciation of violence, and in that context the release of Israeli Corporal Shalit and BBC reporter Alan Johnston.
* (GOI) IMMEDIATE AND ONGOING: Approve and support USSC requests for provision of required armaments, ammunition, and equipment for security forces under the control of and reporting to the PA President in the West Bank and Gaza.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007, PASF and IDF reestablish the liaison centers in the West Bank and establish border liaison centers for Gaza to implement and enhance regular, cooperative bilateral communication and coordination.
* (Palestinians) NLT 21 June 2007, PA National Security Advisor develops anti-Qassam plan with support of PA President. PA President deploys these forces NLT 21 June 2007.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007, PASF and IDF at Kerem Shalom, and PASF and Egyptian BGF at Rafah form Joint Coordinating Cells to begin synchronization of Gaza Egypt border security.
* (Palestinians) NLT 15 June 2007, PA National Security Advisor and PA President approve the training, equipping and deploying of PASF forces under PA President by the end of CY 2007.
* (USSC/Palestinians/GOI/GOE) NLT May 15 hold Quadripartite Security meeting to continue discussions and develop comprehensive plans for improving border security, anti-smuggling, and anti-tunneling operations along Rafah / Kerem-Shalom border.
* (Palestinians) NLT 15 June 2007, PASF completes coordination with the IDF and Egyptians, deploys, and stabilizes the area between Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossing points.
* (Palestinians) NLT 15 June 2007: PASF deploys and conducts counter-smuggling operations between RCP and the Mediterranean coast, and begins to destroy tunnel networks.
* (Palestinians) NLT 1 July 2007: establishes secure and capable PASF and Presidential Guard to conduct Gaza training and improve unit readiness.
Acceleration Benchmarks for Agreement on Movement and Access as well as on the Gaza Security Situation MAY 5,07 Haaretz
AMA Goals:
Goal: To ensure normalization of the RCP and KSCP operations, according to international standards and subject to terms of the AMA supplemented by protocols on security and customs and with assistance of the third party. (AMA point 1, APRC)
Goal: To ensure West Bank and Gaza passages operate continuously on a demand driven performance basis of transparency and internationally accepted service and security standards are in place at all crossings. (AMA point 2)
Goal: Israel will allow the passage of convoys between Gaza and the West Bank to facilitate the movement of goods and persons, with appropriate security arrangements. (AMA point 3)
Goal: To reach mutual agreement on a plan for facilitating movement of people and goods within the West Bank, and to minimize disruption to Palestinian lives by reducing the number of obstacles to movement to the maximum extent possible. (AMA point 4)
AMA Benchmarks:
A. Rafah/Kerem Shalom Crossing Points (RCP/KSCP) Benchmarks:
* (GOI) NLT 1 May 2007 finalizes approval of the Customs Protocol for KSCP.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 15 May 2007 finalize and approve the Goods of Concern requirements in form of a letter from the USSC to both sides asking for their agreement.
* (GOI) NLT 15 May 2007 provide EU-BAM with consistent access to the RCP for operations and training purposes totaling no less than five days per week.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007 establish normalized RCP passenger operations and initial commercial export operations, as well as KSCP commercial import operations, with the agreement of the Government of Egypt. Ensure opening for operations no less than five days per week, under regular, advertised operating hours.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007, when equipment shipments that are required for operations at RCP are delayed, any party may immediately notify the Liaison Office for coordinated resolution. Resolution will take place under the auspices of the Liaison Office, with the assistance of the USSC, within 48 hours of the notification.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007 agree to the establishment of a RCP and KSCP public access website to post continuously updated information on operating hours, customer rules, regulations and procedures, and general information of interest.
* (GOI) NLT 15 June 2007, adopt single-point cargo checks for all goods traveling through, into, and from the West Bank and Gaza.
B. Karni/Al-Mintar Crossing Point (K/AMCP) Benchmarks:
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 May 2007 operate crossing for regular operations according to the mutually agreed to schedule of extended hours.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 15 May 2007 establish normal and continued coordination between the IDF, Presidential Guard, and other internal security organizations to develop, document, publish, and implement procedures to allow for Palestinian armed security throughout all areas on the al-Mintar side of the crossing.
* (GOI) NLT 15 May 2007 establish daily access clearance through Karni to al-Mintar side, and back, for USSC-identified Karni and PG Project support personnel.
* (GOI/ Palestinians) NLT 15 May 2007, commensurate with demand, designate special lanes for fresh produce with expedited procedures to allow quick flow of seasonal products out to Israel and international markets.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007 develop coordinated back up plans in the event Karni/al-Mintar operations are disrupted, suspended or overwhelmed, especially involving time sensitive agricultural produce, where exports from Gaza can be rapidly re-directed through other crossing points.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007 adopt a common management system, institute a bilateral dispute mechanism, and develop, document, publish, and implement systems and procedures for logistics, coordination, standard loading and packaging.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007 establish a Gaza export level, consistent with demand, of 150 truckloads per day, as well as ensuring the return of empty containers from Gaza and the timely export of agricultural products during the remaining harvest season.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 July develop a transparent and accountable on-line pre-registration and scheduling system for imports into Gaza and exports from Gaza that is directly accessible by Palestinian and Israeli exporters and that will be incorporated into the risk management system for the al-Mintar side of the crossing. System design should be coordinated with the Palestinian and Israeli private sector.
C. West Bank Movement and Access Benchmarks:
* (GOI) NLT 15 May 2007 ease the restrictions to movement and access in the Jordan Valley by (1) removing permit requirements for access, (2) eliminating the requirement for a Jordan Valley address on ID cards and (3) removing restrictions on Palestinian vehicular use of route 90, including removal of the Hamra and Al Auja checkpoints.
* (GOI) NLT 1 June 2007 remove restrictions and allow access and movement at the Bethlehem 1 and 2 clusters; the Hebron 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 clusters; the Nablus 1, 2, 3, and 4 clusters; and Tubas 1 cluster.
* (GOI) NLT 15 June 2007 remove checkpoints in the vicinity of Nablus, specifically the Beit Iba, Huwwara, Awarta, Sheve Shomron, and Beit Furik checkpoints.
* (GOI) NLT 15 June 2007 develop proposals to simplify remaining permit regimes in effect for internal travel and remaining obstacles to movement in the West Bank and further GOI plans to ease movement and access.
D. West Bank - Gaza Link Benchmarks:
* (GOI) NLT 15 May 2007 extend the existing ad hoc systems for humanitarian cases to allow passage from Gaza to the West Bank.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007 establish a pilot project for humanitarian medical convoys that would be expanded over several weeks to meet full demand for regularized convoy service on a timely basis.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 July 2007 establish a bus convoy service five days per week between Erez and Tarqumiya for Palestinian passengers (both Gaza and West Bank ID-holders).
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 August 2007 develop a plan to both expand bus convoys to the central and northern West Bank and establish a truck convoy system between Gaza and the West Bank.
Security Goals:
Goal: PASF actively enforcing law and order, fighting terrorism, and countering all Qassam launch operations.
Goal: Enhanced Palestinian effort to address smuggling of terror-related weapons and materials and cash destined for Gaza, tunneling efforts thwarted, and improved security and stability along the Palestinian side of the border and at the crossing sites.
Goal: Establish clear, firewalled chain of command and effective operations in order to facilitate support for Palestinian security forces.
Goal: Improved coordination between IDF and PASF forces under President Abbas to facilitate a safe and secure environment in the West Bank and Gaza.
Goal: Improved policing, training, readiness, and response capability of the PASF to promote its overall effectiveness.
Security Benchmarks:
* (Palestinians) AS SOON AS POSSIBLE: The Palestinian Presidency will continue to urge PA government acceptance of the Quartet principles, including renunciation of violence, and in that context the release of Israeli Corporal Shalit and BBC reporter Alan Johnston.
* (GOI) IMMEDIATE AND ONGOING: Approve and support USSC requests for provision of required armaments, ammunition, and equipment for security forces under the control of and reporting to the PA President in the West Bank and Gaza.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007, PASF and IDF reestablish the liaison centers in the West Bank and establish border liaison centers for Gaza to implement and enhance regular, cooperative bilateral communication and coordination.
* (Palestinians) NLT 21 June 2007, PA National Security Advisor develops anti-Qassam plan with support of PA President. PA President deploys these forces NLT 21 June 2007.
* (GOI/Palestinians) NLT 1 June 2007, PASF and IDF at Kerem Shalom, and PASF and Egyptian BGF at Rafah form Joint Coordinating Cells to begin synchronization of Gaza Egypt border security.
* (Palestinians) NLT 15 June 2007, PA National Security Advisor and PA President approve the training, equipping and deploying of PASF forces under PA President by the end of CY 2007.
* (USSC/Palestinians/GOI/GOE) NLT May 15 hold Quadripartite Security meeting to continue discussions and develop comprehensive plans for improving border security, anti-smuggling, and anti-tunneling operations along Rafah / Kerem-Shalom border.
* (Palestinians) NLT 15 June 2007, PASF completes coordination with the IDF and Egyptians, deploys, and stabilizes the area between Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossing points.
* (Palestinians) NLT 15 June 2007: PASF deploys and conducts counter-smuggling operations between RCP and the Mediterranean coast, and begins to destroy tunnel networks.
* (Palestinians) NLT 1 July 2007: establishes secure and capable PASF and Presidential Guard to conduct Gaza training and improve unit readiness.
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