JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.

01/22/2014 VATICAN INSIDER

IOR explains steps taken towards transparency

The main offices of the IOR

The IOR has issued a report on the progress of its compliance and transparency program. The fate of the Vatican “bank” will be decided in the coming months

Andrea Tornielli vatican city As new and worrying information has emerges concerning Mgr. Nunzio Scarano, his money-trafficking and the protection he received and as the Vatican collaborates fully with investigators, - a significant first effect of the changes Pope Francis is trying to introduce - “freezing” suspicious bank accounts at the request of the Italian authorities, The Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR) has issued a report on the steps it has taken to improve its transparency.“Today, the Board of Superintendence of the Istituto per le Opere di Religione (IOR) has received a status report on the compliance reform process in course,” the IOR’s press release reads. This is one of the changes introduced by the Institute’s president, Ernst von Freyberg.“As an Institute of the Church we have a particular responsibility to live up to the high standards that are rightly expected of us,” the president states. “And whilst there is still a lot of implementation work ahead of us, there is no doubt that we are on the right track and have made significant process.”The IOR informs that “in the first quarter of 2013, the Board of Superintendence and Directorate of the Institute decided to thoroughly review and re-organize anti-money laundering (AML) procedures and to improve transparency.” As is known, in order to do this, “the IOR has enlisted external support to help accelerate the execution of the overall process in nine work streams.”The IOR’s internal handbook on anti-money laundering procedures - the most current version of which was submitted to AIF (the financial information authority headed by Cardinal Attilio Nicora) by the end of 2013 - has been revised and expanded. The IOR has started to expand “its data templates in areas such as verification of identification, source of funds, transaction activity, and overall customer risk profile.”The IOR has also been working on enhancing its IT systems to keep track of transactions more effectively. “The Institute has implemented a “know your customer”-application for individuals and legal entities and an automated internal client rating system that are currently being fine-tuned.”The IOR has initiated a “systematic screening” of all existing client records in order “to identify missing or incomplete information.” By the end of 2013 the IOR had “reviewed approximately 55 percent of all customers (around 10,000 client records), reaching-out to and requiring completion of data from those customers concerned. In this review process the Institute has given priority to larger and more active clients. The entire process is expected to last through the first half of 2014.” The Institute has also “updated its guidelines on client categories to be serviced by the Institute. As per decision of the Board of Superintendence, published on the Institute’s website in July 2013, these are: Catholic institutions, clerics, employees or former employees of the Vatican City State with salary and pension accounts and embassies and diplomats accredited to the Holy See. Currently institutions account for around 85 percent of all assets at the IOR.”  Relations with clients who do not fit into the categories set will be “terminated under close supervision of AIF. This is an on-going operational procedure that should not be confused with ending or suspending client relationships on the suspicion of infringement of anti-money laundering legislation. Such suspensions or closures are and will remain the sole prerogative of Vatican law-enforcement and supervision authorities.”“In parallel to the Customer Data Remediation process, the IOR has conducted an externally assisted forensic transaction review to verify the accuracy of the IOR customer list and to review unusual transactions. This included a reconciliation of the IOR’s booking records comparing general ledger entries with incoming and outgoing transaction payment records. In this effort the President of the Board of Superintendence has ordered several special investigations with regard to specific account and transaction activity. The findings were delivered to the Board and to Vatican supervising and law enforcement authorities as appropriate.”
 
“Over the course of 2013 IOR has designed and has delivered to all employees a mandatory general and specialized anti-money laundering training curriculum with the aim to achieve and maintain an adequate level of trained and knowledgeable employees and ensure their full compliance with all obligations stipulated in the IOR Handbook.”“The Board of Superintendence has nominated a Chief Risk Officer at Directorate level with a specific brief to focus on compliance and reporting,” communicating all information to the AIF. “In addition the IOR standardized reporting procedures in order to strengthen the overall reporting system. Some of the effects of this overhaul have been documented in the MONEYVAL Progress Report published on December 9th 2013.”“The IOR operates ca. 35 correspondent bank relationships worldwide. Through this network the IOR offers global payment services, particularly for its institutional clientele (religious orders and Church entities) owning the vast majority of assets. In 2013 the IOR has entered into new correspondent banking relationships. The IOR looks forward to a resumption of full interaction with Italian financial institutions pending review by Italian regulatory authorities of the Holy See/Vatican City State’s anti-money laundering provisions.”Other reforms carried forward and described in the report, include: “a systematic effort to improve the management of financial risk” and “transparency improvements.” The IOR points out that it published its first Annual Report on October 1st, 2013, and launched its website on July 31st, 2013. In addition, the Institute has set up a dedicated press office available for information and dialogue. It also announced it will be publishing its next annual report around mid-March 2014.These considerable efforts to improve the IOR’s communication, demonstrate its eagerness to show it is taking transparency seriously and that it is a body that is necessary to the Vatican and the Church as a whole. The future of the Vatican “bank” will become clearer in about a week or so, once the work of the Commission for Reference on the IOR (chaired by Cardinal Raffaele Farina) is concluded and once the meeting of Pope Francis’ Council of Cardinals, or C8, comes to a close.On the return flight from Rio following last July’s World Youth Day celebrations, Francis said: “I don’t know how the IOR will end up. Some say that, perhaps, it’s best that it be a bank, others that it be an aid fund, others say to close it … But this, I cannot tell you how this story will end … we must find the best. But, this yes. But the characteristics of the IOR - be it a bank, be it an aid fund, be it whatever it may be - [must be] transparent and honest.”

01/21/2014 VATICAN INSIDER

President Obama will meet Pope Francis in the Vatican on March 27

President Obama

Questions on their agenda are likely to include: peace in the Holy Land, Syria and Middle East, the situation of Christians there, religious liberty in the world, and global poverty

gerard o'connell rome President Barack Obama will meet Pope Francis in the Vatican on March 27, the White House announced today.“The President looks forward to discussing with Pope Francis their shared commitment to fighting poverty and growing inequality," according to a White House news release, January  21.It will be Obama’s first meeting with Francis, but not with a Pope: he met Benedict XVI on 10 July 2009.
In interviews last year, the US President said he was “hugely impressed” with the Pope’s humility and his empathy with the poor.  He praised the Jesuit Pope as “a “very thoughtful and soulful messenger of peace and justice”. “I haven’t had a chance to meet him yet,” Obama said then. “But everything that I’ve read, everything that I’ve seen from him, indicates the degree to which he is trying to remind us of those core obligations.”Indeed peace and justice are likely to feature high on the agenda when the first Latin American Pope and the first black President of the United States meet in March, in what will undoubtedly be a most important meeting.  Their encounter comes ahead of Pope Francis visit to the Holy Land, May 24-26.  The two leaders are sure to discuss the elusive quest for peace in that land, even as the US with other major powers pushes amidst a thousand difficulties for a negotiated settlement between Israelis and Palestinians. The Pope and the President are also likely to discuss the effort of the major powers to bring peace in Syria and the wider Middle East, as well as the dramatic situation of Christians in that region. World poverty and the plight of the poor are also expected to feature strongly in their discussion. It is one of the issues closest to the Pope’s heart, indeed he has called for a change in how the world’s economy is governed and organized.  Last December, Obama referred to the Argentinean Pope’s great concern in this whole area when, in an economic speech, he noted that "across the developed world, inequality has increased”, and told his audience, “Some of you may have seen just last week, the Pope himself spoke about this at eloquent length.  'How can it be,' he wrote, 'that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?”Other issues expected to be addressed when they sit and talk together will be the role of the Catholic Church in the USA, where 25% of the population is Catholic (that is, 78 million Catholics).  In recent years the US Bishops Conference and the Obama administration have clashed harshly in public over the contraception requirements in the affordable health care legislation promoted by the Administration, with the bishops insisting that this infringes on religious freedom.   Right now however, another issue is moving into the forefront, the bishops are pushing Congress to pass legislation that deals in a more human way with the major issue of immigration.  In addition to these, the question of religious freedom across the globe may also enter the discussion.Some months back when he presented his credentials to the Pope, the new US Ambassador to the Holy See, Ken Hackett, who formerly worked for Catholic Relief Services in the USA, wrote on his blog, that “The United States and the Holy See have converging global interests that span a broad range of issues, including a desire to promote human rights”.  

Indeed, he  said, “The Vatican and the Holy Father have the ability to influence world events in a positive way through the calling of faith and they will continue to be important partners in future collaboration, where social justice is the foundation of a relationship that is strong, relevant, and enduring”.The Ambassador told the Pope then that “President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry have both highlighted the need to engage with religious leaders and the faith community in the policy process to address critical global issues”.The President will have that chance soon. He will meet the Pope at the end of a four-day visit to Europe that will take him first to the Netherlands for a Nuclear Security Summit, March 24-25, and then to Belgium, March 26, for a US-European Union summit.  After meeting the Pope, Obama will also visit with the Italian President, Giorgio Napolitano, and Italy’s Prime Minister, Enrico Letta. 

EU proposes 'affordable' climate targets

Today @ 15:38-DEC 22,14-EUOBSERVER

By Honor Mahony

BRUSSELS - The European Commission on Wednesday (22 January) proposed new greenhouse gas targets which it said would see the EU remain the global leader on climate change action, without damaging the bloc's fragile economy.Under the proposals, the EU would curb its CO2 emissions by 40 percent - compared to 1990 levels - by 2030 and obtain "at least" 27 percent of its energy from renewable sources by the same year.Both figures were disputed until the last minute.The greatest tussle was over renewable energy sources. As part of the overall deal, the commission abandoned the current system of national targets - which it said led to fragmentation of the internal market - in favour of an overall binding EU goal.Member states will be free to decide how they contribute to the 2030 renewable energy target, with a new "governance system" to be established to make sure countries do their bit.Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the proposals are both "ambitious and affordable" and go "beyond the debate" of either being green or supporting the industry.No energy efficiency target was set.Guenther Oettinger, energy commissioner, said the commission was waiting for a July review of energy efficiency policy.Concrete targets will then be laid down in autumn, he noted. He indicated that energy efficiency targets will play a substantial role in the EU's green plans as energy prices in the EU are considerably higher than in the US, however."On average we're paying twice as much as the Americans for electricity," he said.Climate action commissioner Connie Hedegaarde pre-empted criticism by environment groups that the 40 percent target is too weak by saying it will still need "real sincere effort" by member states."The art of politics is proposing something you can get through," she said, noting that NGOs can propose much stiffer targets but "it's not their responsibility" to implement them.The EU's current green programme runs until 2020, and saw it commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent and having 20 percent renewable energy.The latter was reached by national targets which will, despite Wednesday's more flexible approach for the future, continue to remain in place until 2020.The proposals are due to be discussed by EU leaders at their March summit, with Barroso saying that he believes it is possible to get agreement from all 28 member states.Both he and Hedegaard urged a quick positive signal from governments so that the EU takes the lead ahead of global climate change discussions next year, culminating in Paris at the end of 2015.Barroso said he would be "so happy" if other countries made a "comparable" proposal.Green groups however accused the EU of putting too much focus on industry's wishes."Barroso and his commissioners seem to have fallen for the old-think industry spin that there must be a trade-off between climate action and economic recovery," said Brook Riley of Friends of the Earth.The European Environment Bureau said both the targets contained in the proposal represent "barely more than a business-as-usual scenario."

Eurozone bank network getting smaller

21.01.14 @ 17:52-EUOBSERVER

By Benjamin Fox

BRUSSELS - The number of banks in the eurozone fell by almost 4 percent in 2013, according to data published Tuesday (21 January) by the European Central Bank .

• 
  The number of eurozone banks continues to fall, according to the European Central Bank (Photo: ECB)

There were 6,790 monetary financial institutions (MFIs) based in the euro area at the start of 2014, compared with 7,059 one year ago, a 3.8 percent reduction.Crisis countries Cyprus and Greece saw the largest reductions, losing 26 percent and 17 percent of their financial sector firms over the past year.
Greece now has just 62 financial institutions, while Cyprus' sector has fallen from 409 firms when it joined the EU in 2004 to 103.As part of a hastily agreed €17 billion bailout package, the Mediterranean island was forced to liquidate Laiki bank, its second largest lender, leaving rival Bank of Cyprus to take over 312 Laiki branches.But a decline in the number of financial firms is not a trend that is exclusive to the EU's crisis countries.Despite seven EU countries having joined the currency union since 2001, the number of MFIs has fallen by 3,066 - equivalent to 31 percent - since the launch of the euro in 1999.Germany and France accounted for 42 percent of all euro area MFIs, a figure almost unchanged from a year ago.Meanwhile, Portugal, Slovenia and Latvia are the only eurozone countries to have seen an increase in their number of institutions over the last twelve months.The bloc's shrinking bank network, which saw more than 5,500 bank branches shut down last year across the EU, also threatens to reduce access to basic bank services for thousands of Europeans.The European Commission estimates that over 58 million EU citizens do not have a bank account.Access to cash machines and basic services is also becoming an acute problem for the bloc's poorest citizens.

EARTHQUAKES

ISAIAH 42:15
15  I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools.

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,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME) and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

1 Day, Magnitude 2.5+ Worldwide

29 earthquakes - DownloadUpdated: 2014-01-22 11:55:21 UTC-05:00Showing event times using Local System Time (UTC-05:00)29 earthquakes in map area

1. 4.5 203km SW of Hachijo-jima, Japan 2014-01-22 09:47:48 UTC-05:00 354.9 km
2. 2.9 67km NW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico 2014-01-22 09:12:14 UTC-05:00 64.0 km
3. 2.8 85km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico 2014-01-22 08:09:26 UTC-05:00 19.0 km
4. 2.5 13km SW of Rio Dell, California 2014-01-22 08:09:05 UTC-05:00 30.6 km
5. 4.7 163km S of Severo-Kuril'sk, Russia 2014-01-22 06:00:07 UTC-05:00 38.0 km
6. 5.3 219km NNE of Ile Hunter, New Caledonia 2014-01-22 05:20:31 UTC-05:00 10.1 km
7. 3.0 75km NW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico 2014-01-22 04:43:25 UTC-05:00 59.0 km
8. 2.6 5km ESE of Caruthers, California 2014-01-22 04:23:40 UTC-05:00 14.0 km
9. 2.7 74km NW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico 2014-01-22 04:01:09 UTC-05:00 24.0 km
10. 2.5 78km NW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico 2014-01-22 03:56:14 UTC-05:00 24.0 km
11. 3.1 69km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico 2014-01-22 00:48:18 UTC-05:00 38.0 km
12. 4.5 22km SSW of Putre, Chile 2014-01-21 23:46:37 UTC-05:00 89.9 km
13. 2.5 2km N of San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico 2014-01-21 23:01:18 UTC-05:00 10.0 km
14. 2.5 4km WNW of Volcano, Hawaii 2014-01-21 22:19:09 UTC-05:00 1.7 km
15. 2.8 86km NW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico 2014-01-21 21:23:16 UTC-05:00 53.0 km
16. 4.8 125km NNW of Claveria, Philippines 2014-01-21 20:59:53 UTC-05:00 49.6 km
17. 2.8 100km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico 2014-01-21 19:30:54 UTC-05:00 40.0 km
18. 3.1 82km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico 2014-01-21 18:39:24 UTC-05:00 37.0 km
19. 4.4 63km S of Attu Station, Alaska 2014-01-21 18:24:53 UTC-05:00 35.1 km
20. 2.8 60km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico 2014-01-21 17:52:41 UTC-05:00 47.0 km
21. 2.7 22km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico 2014-01-21 17:44:14 UTC-05:00 68.0 km
22. 4.5 78km E of Iquique, Chile 2014-01-21 17:06:33 UTC-05:00 91.7 km
23. 3.1 59km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico 2014-01-21 16:44:58 UTC-05:00 46.0 km
24. 3.1 79km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico 2014-01-21 16:09:53 UTC-05:00 41.0 km
25. 4.5 50km WSW of Kochkor, Kyrgyzstan 2014-01-21 15:46:37 UTC-05:00 3.6 km
26. 2.5 12km SW of Volcano, Hawaii 2014-01-21 15:42:36 UTC-05:00 0.0 km
27. 4.9 278km ESE of Lambasa, Fiji 2014-01-21 15:19:21 UTC-05:00 568.5 km
28. 2.6 21km ENE of Sterling, Alaska 2014-01-21 13:38:14 UTC-05:00 40.1 km
29. 3.1 82km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico 2014-01-21 12:48:18 UTC-05:00 33.0 km

ANOTHER FORD VIDEO OUT-THIS JUST NEVER ENDS-DRUNK AGAIN

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.

Rob Ford: New video shows mayor rambling, slurring his words

Mayor Rob Ford is seen speaking incoherently in a new video apparently taken at a Rexdale restaurant early Tuesday morning.

A video titled "New video of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford drunk, swearing in Jamaican Patois?" surfaced on YouTube January 21, 2014. Contains graphic language.

By: Robyn Doolittle City Hall, Kevin Donovan Investigations, Daniel Dale City Hall, Published on Tue Jan 21 2014

Link to video

Mayor Rob Ford vented his anger at police Chief Bill Blair in an incoherent and apparently intoxicated rant caught on videotape taken at a Rexdale steakhouse early in the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 21.“----sucker," Ford says, followed by the words "Chief Blair."In a reference to the police surveillance of Ford and friend Alexander Sandro Lisi, Ford complains about the money spent when they "chased me around five months."

Ford also suggests he was running "counter surveillance" on the police. "He's hiding here, I'm hiding here," Ford says, gesturing."Do you know how much money that costs?" Ford asks.Councillor Doug Ford, the mayor’s brother, said the video “obviously” shows the mayor but could not have been taken last night, since he talked to the mayor last night — and since the mayor, he said, is heavier in the video than he is now.

“I'll repeat what he said 10 million times. (Since) the beginning of November, he hasn't taken a drink. So, very simple,” Doug Ford told reporters outside the mayor's office.

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The video ends with a restaurant employee saying Rob Ford is the best mayor in the world."This guy deserves to be even better than Prime Minister Harper," the employee says.The video, which was posted on YouTube Tuesday, is titled “New Video of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Drunk, Swearing in Jamaican Patois? Bumbaclot.”Around 1 p.m., the Star was contacted by individuals claiming to have footage, shot early Tuesday, of the mayor drunk at a Rexdale steakhouse. This appears to be the same footage.“The footage seems to have been shot at Steak Queen in Rexdale. An employee at the restaurant who identified himself as Tony confirmed that the store is the one in the YouTube video. "He comes in here from time to time," Tony said of the mayor. He would not say when Ford was there. "No one here was working last night."The clip is 1 minute and six seconds long. Ford appears to be standing at a fast food counter in a suit and red tie. CityTV filmed Ford in the same outfit Monday talking about parking tickets. Several young men appear to be in the restaurant as well, although most of the time, it is only Ford in the frame.It's hard to follow what Ford is saying. He appears to be talking about a conversation he had with another man.The Star contacted Ford's spokesperson Amin Massoudi for a comment and sent a screenshot of the clip, but he has not yet replied.After admitting to smoking crack cocaine in November, Ford has promised he has not touched any alcohol. A week ago, after the mayor was spotted at Muzik nightclub, a reporter asked him if he'd been drinking.“No I wasn’t drinking. I don’t drink,” he angrily replied.The mayor's driver and frequent companion, Jerry Agyemang, refused to comment when approached by the media.In November 2013, Ford was caught on video in an impaired rant saying he is going to kill someone and “rip his f---ing throat out.”The Star has obtained video of Mayor Rob Ford where he appears to be in a state of extreme agitation. The context in which it was shot is unclear, but his language and mannerisms clearly indicate he's angry.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/new-video-surfaces-that-appears-to-show-incoherent-mayor-rob-ford/article16433057/?click=tglobe

US REP LOUIE GOHMERT BIBI NETANYAHU THE NEXT KING DAVID

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.

NETANYAHU-HARPER JAN 21,14 PRESS CONFERENCE IN JERUSALEM
http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Politics/ID/2431235749/   

CANADIAN POLICY ON MIDEAST PEACE PROCESS
http://www.international.gc.ca/name-anmo/peace_process-processus_paix/canadian_policy-politique_canadienne.aspx?lang=eng

Canada won’t accept Palestinian refugees displaced by controversial Israeli settlements: Immigration minister

Jessica Barrett, Canadian Press | January 20, 2014 12:50 AM ET

Immigration Minister Chris Alexander said Sunday Canada will not get involved in resettling Palestinian refugees displaced by the expansion of controversial Israeli settlements.“We are not going to resettle in Canada … the hundreds of thousands who want to live in a Palestinian state because they want to go home eventually,” Alexander told CTV’s Question Period. “That is the objective we will be working towards under the leadership of the [United Nations Refugee Agency] and with our friends, allies and partners.”The remarks are an apparent reversal of Canada’s official position on the decades-old territorial dispute between Israel and the Palestinians, in which it has offered Canada as a home for some of the refugees displaced.
Asked if that was still the case, Alexander said: “With respect to Palestinian refugees, the objective we all share is for them to become citizens in a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution.”The minister’s comments came the same day Prime Minister Stephen Harper landed in Israel with a sizable delegation on what is purported to be an historical trip to the Middle East.Before leaving Canada, Harper’s office had deflected questions over whether the prime minister agrees with Canada’s longstanding foreign policy regarding Israeli-occupied territories on Palestinian lands as illegitimate.Alexander defended the government’s response on Sunday.“It isn’t for Canada or other countries to use or impose their own views on these two parties that have to resolve these issues together,” he said.Alexander said the Canadian government does not support unilateral action on either side of the conflict, adding that Harper’s trip to Israel was intended to underline “65 years of strong relations that Canada has had with a very successful democracy … that is a model in the Middle East.”“We want to work with our Israeli partners to find solutions to the security issues that represent threats to the region and indeed the world.”Michael Bell, former Canadian ambassador to Israel and Jordan, said the government’s refusal to articulate Canada’s official foreign policy regarding the settlements along the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights — captured by Israel in the 1967 war – may signal the prime minister is planning to change this country’s official stance.“What concerns me for this visit is what is going to come out of it that is new and different other than a mutually supportive and sympathetic voicing of views?” he told CTV.“Are we going to change the policy document? Is Israel going to ask for that?”Bell said Harper’s position on Israel goes beyond supporting the state’s right to exist, but rather is a political alignment with the right-wing policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Mohamed El Rashidy of the Canadian Arab Federation said the government’s refusal to criticize Israeli occupation of the territories was a “very disappointing step.”He noted the settlements are widely recognized as illegitimate by members of the international community, including Israeli allies such as the United States.Harper’s unquestioning support of the Netanyahu government does little to benefit a diverse Israeli culture, or support a peace deal, he added.“There’s no question that Israel is an ally of Canada and will remain so. The real question is how Canada chooses to exercise that influence with Israel and its neighbours in the region.”El Rashidy said he too worried Harper’s deflection of the issue could signal a change in foreign policy that would set it notably apart from its international allies.“Taking land from Palestinians … for Jewish-only homes is just wrong,” he said. “It’s wrong according to every reasonable country on the planet and Canada should not exit that group of reasonable countries.”With files from Mark Kennedy 

CANADAS POLICY ON MIDEAST PEACE PROCESS

Support for Israel and its Security

Canada supports Israel's right to live in peace with its neighbours within secure boundaries and recognizes Israel's right to assure its own security, as witnessed by our support during the 2006 conflict with Hezbollah and our ongoing support for Israel's fight against terror. Israel has a right under international law to take the necessary measures, in accordance with human rights and international humanitarian law, to protect the security of its citizens from attacks by terrorist groups. Canada and Israel enjoy a steadfast friendship and strong, growing bilateral relations in many areas based on shared values, including democracy.

Support for the Palestinians

Canada recognizes the Palestinian right to self-determination and supports the creation of a sovereign, independent, viable, democratic and territorially contiguous Palestinian state, as part of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace settlement.
Canada recognizes the Palestinian Authority (PA) as the governmental entity in the West Bank and Gaza. Canada also recognizes the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the principal representative of the Palestinian people Canada continues to support Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and is working with the government led by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in terms of much needed reform.
Working with its partners and through the United Nations, its agencies and other organizations, Canada continues to support and respond to the humanitarian and development needs of the Palestinian people. At the Paris Donors Conference in December 2007, Canada announced a commitment of $300 million over 5 years towards improving Palestinian security, governance and prosperity.

Support for a Comprehensive Peace Settlement

Canada is committed to the goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, including the creation of a Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with Israel.
The 1993 Israel-Palestine Liberation Organization Declaration of Principles continues to provide the basis for a comprehensive agreement based on UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. Canada welcomed the decision of the Palestine National Council to accept UN Security Council Resolution 242 as a basis for peace negotiations as well as mutual recognition by Israel and the PLO in 1993. Canada also strongly supports the Quartet's Road Map, which sets out the obligations of both parties and steps for establishment of a Palestinian state, and the process launched by the Annapolis Conference. Canada also supports the Arab Peace Initiative as a potential basis for a comprehensive Arab-Israeli settlement.

Status of Jerusalem

Canada considers the status of Jerusalem can be resolved only as part of a general settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli dispute. Canada does not recognize Israel's unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem.

Palestinian Refugees

Canada believes that a just solution to the Palestinian refugee issue is central to a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as called for in United Nations General Assembly resolution 194 (1948) and United Nations Security Council resolution 242. A solution to the Palestinian refugee issue must be negotiated among the parties concerned in the context of a final status peace agreement. This solution should respect the rights of the refugees, in accordance with international law.
Canada has played a prominent role in the search for a viable and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian refugee issue, including through continuing to focus international attention on improving the situation of the more than four million Palestinian refugees.

Occupied Territories and Settlements

Canada does not recognize permanent Israeli control over territories occupied in 1967 (the Golan Heights, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip). The Fourth Geneva Convention applies in the occupied territories and establishes Israel's obligations as an occupying power, in particular with respect to the humane treatment of the inhabitants of the occupied territories. As referred to in UN Security Council Resolutions 446 and 465, Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The settlements also constitute a serious obstacle to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.
Canada believes that both Israel and the Palestinian Authority must fully respect international human rights and humanitarian law which is key to ensuring the protection of civilians, and can contribute to the creation of a climate conducive to achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace settlement.

The Barrier

Canada recognizes Israel's right to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks, including through the restriction of access to its territory, and by building a barrier on its own territory for security purposes. However, Canada opposes Israel's construction of the barrier inside the West Bank and East Jerusalem which are occupied territories. This construction is contrary to international law under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Canada not only opposes Israel's construction of a barrier extending into the occupied territories, but also expropriations and the demolition of houses and economic infrastructure carried out for this purpose.

Terrorism

Canada condemns all acts of terrorism and terrorists should be brought to justice and prosecuted in accordance with international law. Terrorism must be rejected as a means for achieving political ends. It is counter-productive to reaching a comprehensive, just and lasting peace settlement. Canada equally condemns all forms of incitement.
Canada has listed Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, and other groups as terrorist organizations in accordance with UN Resolution 1373 (2001) and Canadian legislation. The Government of Canada has no contact with these groups.

United Nations Resolutions on the Middle East

Every year, resolutions addressing the Arab-Israeli conflict are tabled in the United Nations, such as at the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council. Canada assesses each resolution on its merits and consistency with our principles. We support resolutions that are consistent with Canadian policy on the Middle East, are rooted in international law, reflect current dynamics, contribute to the goal of a negotiated two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, and address fairly and constructively the obligations and responsibilities of all parties to the conflict. Canada advocates a fair-minded approach and rejects one-sided resolutions and any politicization of the issues. Successive Canadian governments have been concerned about the polemical and repetitive nature of many of the numerous resolutions. Canada believes that the United Nations and its member states have a responsibility to contribute constructively to efforts to resolve the Israeli-Arab conflict. Canada will continue to examine carefully each of these resolutions as they come forward.

Date Modified: 2014-01-13

Harper admits Canada concerned about settlements

But visiting prime minister says ‘there are more than enough’ people who single out the Jewish state for criticism

By Spencer Ho January 21, 2014, 5:02 pm 0-The times of Israel

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday admitted that notwithstanding his country’s effusive support for the Jewish state, a support rooted in a “fundamental Canadian ethic,” Ottawa had longstanding concerns about Israel’s settlements in the West Bank.In a press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the third day of his landmark visit to Israel, Harper said that “of course” his country has voiced concerns over settlement building “on many occasions. Leaders on both sides know what Canada’s view on this is.”However, despite these differences, Israel was assured of his country’s full support, Harper added, noting that his country recognized an ethical obligation to embrace the world’s small minorities, such as the Jews.“I raised the issue of settlements privately. I am not here to single out Israel for criticism. There are more than enough to do that, they don’t need me. I find it interesting that yesterday in the Palestinian Authority no one asked me to single out the PA for any criticism about governance or human rights, I’m only asked to single out Israel.”Harper was following up a speech at the Knesset on Monday night in which he called support for Israel a matter of principle — amid heckles by Arab MKs.“When someone is a small minority in the world, one goes out of one’s way to embrace them, not single them out for criticism,” he said. “That is a fundamental Canadian ethic, which is why many Canadians understand the statement I’m making.”

On the prospects of a peace agreement, Harper said he remains “convinced there is a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and that peace can be achieved.”Addressing reporters, Netanyahu said that he was committed to making “the quest for [Israeli-Palestinian] peace a success” and that “Canada and Israel want to see a Middle East that is more secure and more free.”He also warned the Gaza Strip’s Hamas rulers not to forget past lessons, amid a rise in violence along the territory’s border with Israel, including a steady increase in the number of rocket attacks in recent weeks.“We foil terrorist attacks when we identify that they are in the making and we respond against those who attack us,” Netanyahu said. “If Hamas and the other terror organizations forgot this lesson, they will learn it again the hard way and very soon.”His comments came a day after terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired three rockets at Israel’s Western Negev region, while rockets fired from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula landed near the resort city of Eilat.Netanyahu also spoke of the Iranian nuclear program, which Tehran scaled back Monday as its interim agreement with world powers came into effect.“Iran’s military nuclear program must be stopped, and Iran’s military nuclear program will be stopped,” he said, although he didn’t elaborate as to how that goal would be achieved. “A nuclear armed Iran would not just endanger Israel — it would threaten the peace and security of our region. It would give Iran’s terrorist proxies a nuclear umbrella. It would launch a multilateral nuclear arms race in the Middle East, it could turn the Middle East into a nuclear tinderbox.”Earlier on Monday, Netanyahu and Harper witnessed the signing of the Canada-Israel Strategic Partnership Memorandum of Understanding, which “reaffirms the close and special friendship that underpins the bilateral relationship, and lays out a strategic direction for stronger future relations between the two countries,” touching on “energy, security, international aid and development, innovation, and the promotion of human rights globally,” according to a statement from Harper’s office.They also set a February 3-9 date for negotiations on expanding the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement.“An expanded and modernized trade agreement with Israel will generate more jobs and economic growth at home and in Israel, while strengthening the close friendship that both countries enjoy,” Harper said in a statement.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

The book of Bibi

US rep: Netanyahu the next King David

Tea Party Republican Louie Gohmert believes the Israeli PM should use prayer gatherings to solve Israel’s many problems

By Lazar Berman January 21, 2014, 5:59 am 6-The Times of Israel

It is no secret that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enjoys the respect of many members of the US Congress.But one congressman may have outdone them all in his admiration for the Israeli leader.Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert compared the Israeli leader to King David and King Solomon, according to the liberal website The Raw Story.“I told the prime minister, I said, ‘I mentioned this to you in 2009′ — we met a couple of times since then, but anyway — ‘I mentioned this to you in 2009 and I want to reiterate it, I think, I’m not a prophet, I know the Old Testament, I know history, I think you’ve got a chance to be one of Israel’s great leaders,’” Gohmert said Sunday at the South Carolina Tea Party convention in Myrtle Beach.

“And Michele [Bachmann] said, ‘He is one of Israel’s great leaders!’” he added.“I said, ‘I am talking about all time. The big ones. Going back to David, to Solomon, up through Josiah, Hezekiah until the end, on up through Ben Gurion,’” the Texas Republican continued. “’All of the greatest leaders of Israel had one thing in common: They called upon the nation of Israel to honor the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that has not happened in many decades.’”Gohmert also urged the Israeli leader to use prayer gatherings to deal with the country’s many challenges.“And I know you’ve got secularists, and I called off a couple, that you have to deal with here and tell them this is not for you, it is only for people who believe, but I’m declaring a national day of prayer and fasting in this crisis for God’s direction and protection, and for all of those who believe,” he said. “And I said, I promise you God will answer that prayer, the secularists will hear, the world will see, and even people in the United States will see, and Israel will be blessed because of you doing that.”

Gohmert, a tea party movement favorite, is a four-term congressman.

In first, Iranian warships en route to Atlantic

Khark helicopter-carrier warship and Sabalan destroyer said heading west in historic trip, no military objective mentioned

By Times of Israel staff January 21, 2014, 12:20 pm 17

Illustrative photo of an Iranian warship in the Strait of Hormuz (photo credit: Alex Hicks, Wikimedia Commons)

Iran’s navy has dispatched warships on a mission to the Atlantic Ocean for the first time in history, an Iranian news agency said.The flotilla, consisting of a Khark logistic and helicopter-carrier warship and Sabalan destroyer, could journey as much as 25,000 nautical kilometers in the next three months, Fars News reported Tuesday.No specific military mission was identified, and no ports of call were mentioned.Bidding farewell to the crews, Rear Admiral Seyyed Mahmoud Moussavi said Iran has a message of peace and friendship for the nations of the world and only seeks to display its defensive power capabilities.But previous statements by high-ranking Iranian naval personnel had declared Iran’s intention to dispatch a next flotilla of warships to the high seas at around this date to protect the country’s cargo ships and oil tankers against pirate attacks.According to navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, “The navy’s next flotilla will be dispatched to either the Pacific Ocean or the Atlantic on January 21 – February 20.” He underlined that the flotilla will pass through the Mediterranean Sea to reach the Atlantic Ocean.Since November 2008, the Iranian navy has been operating anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden, after Somali buccaneers hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen.The Gulf of Aden — which links the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal — is a critical energy corridor and the primary route for Persian Gulf oil shipped to Western markets.

Authorities Fear Black Widow Targeting Sochi Games

By Caitlin Burke

CBN News Reporter

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

One day after terrorists released a video promising to target the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, next month, authorities are searching for a woman known as a black widow.The term is given to widows of terrorists who vow to carry out an attack to avenge their husbands' death.Authorities believe the widow, who hails from North Caucasus region -- a place known to be a hotbed for terrorism, arrived in Sochi weeks ago."Remember, the Boston bombers came out of this Dagestan-Chechen rebel area, so I think the threats are real," Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said.CBN News terrorism analyst Erick Stakelbeck said the insurgents have links to al Qaeda and pose a threat not only in Russia but around the globe."Russia has fought two wars in Chechnya to keep them in the fold," Stakelbeck said. "And these guys are bloodthirsty, they're vicious, especially these Chechen terrorists."Chechen rebels are well-known for recruiting women to train as suicide bombers. In 2010, two female suicide bombers killed about 40 people in attacks on the Moscow train station.The dangerous North Caucasus region is one of the least evangelized places on earth. But some believers, like a woman named Sasha, are working in the shadows. These people say it's a risk worth taking to make the name of Christ known."Only Jesus can change lives and bring the hope people are looking for," Sasha told CBN News.Islamists in the region carried out two attacks recently, and they're warning of more to come, including what they're calling a "surprise package" for visitors to the Olympics.

"If the games aren't attacked there will be attempts to attack, either the transit routes into the games or particular venues in the outlying areas," security expert Christopher Swift said.Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin says he will use whatever measures are necessary to ensure the Olympics are safe. More than 80,000 Russian troops are already deployed on the ground.

ALL FRONTS OF ISRAEL ACTION GOING ON

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.

JERUSALEM DIVIDED

GENESIS 25:20-26
20  And Isaac was forty years old (A BIBLE GENERATION NUMBER=1967 + 40=2007+) when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
21  And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22  And the children (2 NATIONS IN HER-ISRAEL-ARABS) struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.
23  And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels;(ISRAEL AND THE ARABS) and the one people shall be stronger than the other people;(ISRAEL STRONGER THAN ARABS) and the elder shall serve the younger.(LITERALLY ISRAEL THE YOUNGER RULES (ISSAC)(JACOB-LATER NAME CHANGED TO ISRAEL) OVER THE OLDER ARABS (ISHMAEL)(ESAU)
24  And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25  And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.(THE OLDER AN ARAB)
26  And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob:(THE YOUNGER-ISRAELI) and Isaac was threescore (60) years old when she bare them.(1967 + 60=2027)(COULD BE THE LAST GENERATION WHEN JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED AMOUNG THE 2 TWINS)(THE 2 TWINS WANT JERUSALEM-THE DIVISION OF JERUSALEM TODAY)(AND WHOS IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM TODAY-THE YOUNGER ISSAC-JACOB-ISRAEL)(AND WHO WANTS JERUSALEM DIVIDED-THE OLDER,ESAU-ISHMAEL (THE ARABS)

ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

Livni: Bennett Speaks for 'Settlers' - Not the Common Israeli

Livni attacks Bennett over assessment of two-state solution on Israeli economy, claims he prefers 'settlements' over Israel.-By Tova Dvorin-First Publish: 1/21/2014, 12:44 AM-Israelnationalnews

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni-Flash 90

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni sharply criticized Economics Minister Naftali Bennett Monday, after the Jewish Home party leader remarked at a faction meeting that a Palestinian state would "crush" the Israeli economy.
"The Economics Minister must decide if he represents the Israeli people, or just the residents of isolated settlements," Livni insisted."In these trying times, when both left-wing and right-wing businessmen are deeply concerned about the future of the Israeli economy, the person in charge of that economy actually prefers to listen to extremist Rabbis," Livni claimed."The role of a responsible, Zionist leader is not to side with policies that isolate Israel and damage the economy and every Israeli citizen, but instead to push for a political agreement which could advance Israel's status in the international community, strengthen Israel's economy and security, and secure a Jewish, Democratic state." Earlier Monday, Bennett had stressed Israel's need to maintain its borders and independence for economic growth, despite mounting pressure from the European Union and others to divide Israel in the face of boycotts. During his speech, Bennett demonstrated on a map what the borders would look like if Judea and Samaria were given to the Palestinian Authority (PA), showing that the region provides access for missiles to fall on the center of Israel, especially the Tel Aviv area.
"Imagine if just one missile per day fell on Herzliya Pituah, what that would do to Israel's economy. If even one plane which was supposed to land at Ben Gurion Airport crashes (due to terrorism) per year, it would crush the Israeli economy," he elaborated. "We have had economic pressures placed upon us - I'm not denying it," Bennett fired. "There may be a budding boycott movement, but why should we give away our land because of it? Why should we divide Jerusalem because of that?"The European Union has been unrelenting in its criticism of Israel's construction in Judea and Samaria. The EU promotes boycotts of products made beyond 1949 Armistice lines, and has effectively redrawn Israel's borders to those lines in policies to its member states.Recently, the EU has gone so far as to offer "unprecedented" aid packages to both Israel and the PA in the event that a two-state solution - and a withdrawal - results from negotiations.

JOEL 3:2 (WW3 OCCURS WHEN JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED)
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people (ISRAEL) and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.(JERUSALEM)(WW3 STARTS BECAUSE JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED AND ISRAELIS UPROOTED FROM THEIR GOD GIVIN LAND BRINGS 3 DEAD BILLION IN WW3)

PSALMS 137:5-6
5  If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.(STROKE)
6  If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

ISAIAH 31:5
5 As birds flying,(WAR PLANES WITH BOMBS) so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem;(WITH PLANES) defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.(NUKE OR BOMB ISRAELS ENEMIES)

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)

ZECHARIAH 14:1-4 King James Bible
1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Gaza Terrorists Fire 3 Rockets at Southern Israel

Three rockets fired by Gaza-based terrorists hit open regions in the Eshkol Regional Council, causing no injuries or damages.-By Elad Benari-First Publish: 1/21/2014, 12:12 AM-Israelnationalnews

Rocket launch from Gaza-Reuters

Three rockets fired by Gaza-based terrorists exploded late Monday night in the Eshkol Regional Council.
The rockets exploded in open regions, causing no physical injuries or damages.The latest attack came several hours after many residents of the resort city of Eilat called police saying they had heard two loud explosions.The explosions occurred at about 7:00 p.m. local time. Police and IDF soldiers started combing the city, and a security source told the AFP news agency that at least one rocket struck the outskirts of the city."At least one rocket was fired at Eilat and they found the remains on the outskirts of the city," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding the searches were continuing.Neither the police nor the army could confirm rocket fire on the city and the searches are expected to continue on Tuesday morning.
Rocket attacks from Gaza have increased in recent days and the Israeli Air Force (IAF) has been retaliating with airstrikes on terrorism sites in the Hamas-controlled region.On Saturday night, IAF aircraft targeted several terrorist sites in Gaza after a rocket exploded in an open area between two communities in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council.There were no physical injuries or damages in the rocket attack.Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon warned Gaza terrorists on Sunday that the IDF would hit hard and fast against terror targets each time Israel was attacked.“The IDF on Sunday morning targeted a terror cell that was responsible for firing rockets at Israel last week, when rockets were fired at Ashkelon,” Ya'alon said.“We will not accept the targeting by terrorists of Israel, and we will act to cause damage to anyone that threatens the security of our citizens,” he added.

JEREMEIAH 49:35-37 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR OR ARAK NUKE SITE SOME BELIEVE)
35  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRAN/BUSHEHR NUCLEAR SITE) the chief of their might.(MOST DANGEROUS NUKE SITE IN IRAN)
36  And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven,(IRANIANS SCATTERED OR MASS IMIGARATION) and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(WORLD IMMIGRATION)
37  For I will cause Elam (IRAN-BUSHEHR NUKE SITE) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger,(ISRAELS NUKES POSSIBLY) saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:(IRAN AND ITS NUKE SITES DESTROYED)

EZEKIEL 35:3-6,11-15
3  And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir,(ARABS) I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate.
4  I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.
5  Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred,(AGAINST ISRAEL) and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:
6  Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.
11  Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.
12  And thou shalt know that I am the LORD, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume.
13  Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them.
14  Thus saith the Lord GOD; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.(ARAB,MUSLIMS)
15  As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir,(ARABS) and all Idumea,(ARAB,MUSLIMS) even all of it: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

ISAIAH 17:1,11-14
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
11  In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.
12  Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations,(USELESS U.N) that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
13  The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
14  And behold at evening tide trouble; and before the morning he is not.(ASSAD KILLED IN OVERNIGHT RAID) This is the portion of them that spoil us,(ISRAEL) and the lot of them that rob us.

AMOS 1:5
5  I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden:(IRAQ) and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir,(JORDAN) saith the LORD.

JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23  Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24  Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25  How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26  Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27  And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

UN Cancels Iran's Invite to Syria Peace Talks

UN head withdraws offer for Iran to attend Geneva 2 after Tehran refuses to support a June 2012 political transition deal.-By Elad Benari-First Publish: 1/21/2014, 1:46 AM-Israelnationalnews

Ban Ki-moon-Reuters

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on Monday that he had cancelled an offer for Iran to attend Syria peace negotiations after Tehran declared it does not support the June 2012 political transition deal that is the basis for the talks."He (Ban) continues to urge Iran to join the global consensus behind the Geneva communiqué," Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky said, according to the Reuters news agency."Given that it has chosen to remain outside that basic understanding, (Ban) has decided that the one-day Montreux gathering will proceed without Iran's participation," added Nesirky.Ban said earlier that Iran's public statement that it did not support the 2012 Geneva deal calling for a transitional government for Syria was "not consistent" with assurances he had been given by Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.Ban’s extending an invitation to Iran to attend the peace conference angered Syria's political opposition, which threatened on Sunday night to withdraw its attendance unless the invitation to Iran is cancelled.
Iran rebuffed the precondition on Monday, saying it could not accept a plan for a Syrian political transition.
"Setting such a condition to accept the Geneva 1 agreement for attending at the Geneva 2 meeting is rejected and unacceptable," the Iranian ISNA news agency quoted deputy Foreign Minister Hosein Amirabdollahian as saying."Iran will attend the talks without any precondition based on an invitation by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,” he stressed.Iran's UN ambassador also said on Monday that Iran will definitely not take part if it is required to accept the June 2012 deal agreed in Geneva."If the participation of Iran is conditioned to accept Geneva I communiqué, Iran will not participate in Geneva II conference," Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee said in a statement quoted by Reuters.Throughout the civil war in Syria, Iran has provided Assad with military support during his fight against the rebels.Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad personally sanctioned the dispatch of officers from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to Syria to fight alongside Assad’s troops.The United States has in the past expressed its objection to Iran attending Geneva 2 while Russia, one of the co-organizers of the conference, supports participation by Tehran.The United States reiterated its objection to Iran attending after the invitation was extended on Sunday, with State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki saying, "If Iran does not fully and publicly accept the Geneva communiqué, the invitation must be rescinded.”The U.S. ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, reiterated the American position on Monday.“As of this morning, Iran still has yet to demonstrate its willingness to explicitly and publicly subscribe to the full implementation of the Geneva communiqué. That is a minimum requirement for participation in this peace process,” she said.

Arab MKs heckle, walk out when Harper slams those who 'sickeningly' brand Israel an apartheid state

Harper: Support for Israel is morally and strategically right

In Knesset speech of emphatic solidarity, Canada’s PM slams ‘disgraceful’ hatred of Israel, urges Palestinians to seek peace, says his sanctions on Iran will remain

By Lazar Berman January 20, 2014, 7:20 pm 22-The Times of Israel

Canada supports Israel for strategic reasons but also because it is the correct thing to do, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Monday, delivering an overwhelmingly pro-Israel speech to the Knesset.

“After generations of persecution, the Jewish people deserve their own homeland, and deserve to live safely and peacefully in that homeland,” Harper said early in his address. “Canada supports Israel because it is right to do so.”The speech by Harper, in Israel on his first trip to the Jewish state as the Canadian prime minister, avoided any criticism of Israel or settlements, and only briefly mentioned Canada’s desire for a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Warmly applauded by almost all MKs, he was heckled, when slamming critics of Israel, by two Arab MKs who then walked out of the chamber.Harper closely toed the official Israeli government line, recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, slamming the international community for singling out the country for criticism, and calling on Palestinians to abandon terrorism.“A Palestinian state will come, and one thing that will make it come is when the regimes that bankroll terrorism realize that the path to peace is accommodation, not violence,” he said.Since his election in 2006, the Conservative prime minister, Canada’s first evangelical prime minister in 50 years, has been full-throated, unapologetic and seemingly indifferent to consequences in his support of Israel.“It is a Canadian tradition to stand for what is principled and just, regardless of whether it is convenient or popular,” he said to the Israeli parliament.But “support today for the Jewish state of Israel is more than a moral imperative. It is also of strategic importance, also a matter of our own long-term interests,” he elaborated, praising Israel’s record on human rights and economic freedom. “Israel is the only country in the Middle East which has long anchored itself in the ideals of freedom, democracy and the rule of law. These are not mere notions. They are the things that, over time and against all odds, have proven to be the only ground in which human rights, political stability, and economic prosperity, may flourish. These values are not proprietary; they do not belong to one nation or one people. Nor are they a finite resource; on the contrary, the wider they are spread, the stronger they grow.”“Likewise, when they are threatened anywhere, they are threatened everywhere,” Harper continued. And “what today threatens the societies that embrace such values and the progress they nurture? Those who scorn modernity, who loathe the liberty of others, and who hold the differences of peoples and cultures in contempt. Those who often begin by hating the Jews, but, history shows us, end up hating anyone who is not them. Those forces which have threatened the State of Israel every single day of its existence, and which, today, as 9-11 graphically showed us, threaten us all… And so, either we stand up for our values and our interests, here, in Israel, stand up for the existence of a free, democratic and distinctively Jewish state, or the retreat of our values and our interests in the world will begin.”Harper’s stirringly pro-Israel speech prompted some heckling from Israeli Arab Knesset members, at least two of whom walked out of the chamber midway through his address. The MKs, Ahmad Tibi and Taleb Abu Arar, who had heckled Netanyahu and opposition leader Isaac Herzog when they spoke prior to Harper, got up and left after the Canadian prime minister castigated those who sought to brand Israel as an Apartheid state.“Most disgracefully of all, some openly call Israel an apartheid state,” Harper said. “Think about that. Think about the twisted logic and outright malice behind that: A state, based on freedom, democracy and the rule of law, that was founded so Jews can flourish, as Jews, and seek shelter from the shadow of the worst racist experiment in history, that is condemned, and that condemnation is masked in the language of anti-racism. It is nothing short of sickening.”

The two Arab MKs shouted that Israeli Arabs faced apartheid, citing the situation of Bedouin in the Negev, and Tibi said Harper “should be sitting there, with the Likud,” and pointed to the government benches in the chamber. The pair then got up and left.After the walk out, and before Harper resumed his speech, much of the Knesset rose to its feet, led by Netanyahu, and gave him a standing ovation.Before the Harper speech, in his own address, Netanyahu praised his Canadian counterpart as “having the courage to say the truth.”

Saying the distance between Jerusalem and Ramallah was shorter than Toronto’s Yonge Street, Netanyahu pointed to the fact that Israel had no “margin for error” in demanding security assurances so that Israel does not get a repeat of Gaza.On Iran, Harper said that his government believes that all diplomatic channels to ensure Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon should be explored, a divergence from a statement from Netanyahu that the recently implemented nuclear deal would not stop Iran’s nuclear program.However, Harper said his country’s sanctions would remain fully in place. “And should our hopes not be realized, should the present agreement prove ephemeral, Canada will be a strong voice for renewed sanctions,” he said.Harper also compared Israel’s enemies with violent Islamist movements, including al-Qaeda. “Those who often begin by hating the Jews… history shows us end up hating anyone who is not them. Those forces, which have threatened the state of Israel every single day of its existence, and which, today, as 9-11 graphically showed us, threaten us all.”Harper praised military cooperation between the two countries, saying that “the use of Israeli-built reconnaissance equipment saved the lives of many Canadian soldiers.”Referring to Canada’s Jewish population, Harper said, “They are also immensely proud of what the people of Israel have accomplished here, of your courage in war, of your generosity in peace, and of the bloom that the desert has yielded, under your stewardship.“Through fire and water,” Harper concluded, “Canada will stand with you.”Knesset members and the packed crowd in the Knesset galleries — including the large Canadian delegation accompanying Harper in Israel — rose to their feet as the Canadian prime minister concluded, and gave him prolonged applause.(The full text of Harper’s speech is here.)

Canada, Israel Agree: No Nuclear Weapon for Iran

At special Knesset session, both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Canadian Premier Stephen Harper vow to stop nuclear Iran.-By AFP and Arutz Sheva Staff-First Publish: 1/20/2014, 8:56 PM-Israelnationalnews

Harper with Netanyahu-Flash 90

As Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's speech in the Knesset wrapped up Monday, it was clear that he and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu agreed on a vital issue: that a nuclear Iran must be prevented, according to AFP."The interim agreement which went into force today does not prevent Iran from realizing its intention to develop nuclear weapons," Netanyahu told the Knesset Monday. "This objective is still before us."Netanyahu compared Iran's bid for a nuclear weapon to a train which needed to pass three stops en route to building a military capacity: enriching uranium to 3.5 percent, enriching to 20 percent, and a "final stop" of enriching to 90 percent."The Geneva Agreement cancelled the 20 percent stop but left the train on the track... so that one day, Iran will be able to rush forward to the final stop, on an express track, without slowing down for the interim stops," he said. "In a permanent agreement, the international community must get the Iranian nuclear train of the track. Iran must never get the ability to build an atomic bomb."
Harper agreed, noting that Ottawa's sanctions on Iran would remain "fully in place" as an interim nuclear deal between world powers and Tehran took effect."We truly hope that it is possible to walk the Iranian government back from taking the irreversible step of manufacturing nuclear weapons," Harper stated to the Knesset. "But for now, Canada's own sanctions will remain fully in place."Should our hopes not be realized, should the present agreement prove ephemeral, Canada will be a strong voice in the world for renewed sanctions," he added.The remarks by the leaders were made just hours after the UN's atomic watchdog confirmed that Tehran had halted production of 20 percent enriched uranium in line with an interim deal reached with world powers in Geneva in November.In exchange for Iran's partial nuclear freeze, the European Union and the United States began suspending some of the sanctions which have been imposed on the Islamic Republic.Israel, widely seen as the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, strongly opposed the Geneva agreement, warning against any international move to ease up on sanctions.Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon hinted in a Politico article earlier this week that Israel would take all means necessary to prevent a nuclear Iran - including a possible strike.

Main bloc quits Syrian National Coalition over Geneva

Syrian National Council says umbrella organization’s decision to attend peace talks reneges on previous call for Assad’s ouster

By AP and Times of Israel staff January 21, 2014, 1:56 am 0

GENEVA — A last-minute UN invitation for Iran to join this week’s Syria peace talks threw the long-awaited Geneva conference into doubt Monday, forcing UN chief Ban Ki-moon to rescind his offer under intense US pressure after the opposition threatened to boycott.With the invitation withdrawn, the main Western-backed opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, said it would attend the talks aimed at ending Syria’s ruinous three-year civil war. The opposition said the conference should seek to establish a transitional government with full executive powers “in which killers and criminals do not participate.”

However, the main bloc within the Syrian National Coalition — the Syrian National Council — issued late-night statement on Monday saying it was quitting the Coalition in protest over its decision to attend the talks, according to AFP.The Council stated that taking part in the talks would renege on its commitments to not enter negotiations until Syrian President Bashar Assad leaves power.The surprise invitation, extended Sunday by the UN secretary-general, set off a flurry of diplomatic activity to salvage the talks. The US said the offer should be rescinded, and the opposition threatened to skip the event entirely.The conference is set to begin Wednesday in the Swiss luxury resort city of Montreux, with high-ranking delegations from the United States, Russia and close to 40 other countries attending. Face-to-face negotiations between the Syrian government and its opponents — the first of the uprising — are to start Friday in Geneva.The uproar over Iran’s invitation put the entire event at risk of being scuttled.The Syrian National Coalition, which had voted late Saturday to attend after months of rancorous debate, issued an ultimatum, saying that Iran must commit publicly within hours to withdraw its “troops and militias” from Syria and abide by a 2012 roadmap to establish a transitional government. Otherwise, the group said, the UN should withdraw its invitation for Tehran to take part.The confusion surrounding the Iranian invitation underscored the tenuous nature of the diplomatic effort to end the bloody conflict, which has morphed from peaceful protests into a vicious civil war with outside powers backing rebels who are fighting not only the government but rival insurgents as well.

It is not clear what exactly motivated Ban to issue the invitation, but it came hours after he said he had received assurances from Tehran that it accepted the premise of the talks.Syria has been ruled by Assad’s family since 1970, and Iran is Assad’s strongest regional ally, supplying his government with advisers, money and materiel since the uprising began in 2011. The Islamic Republic’s allies, most notably the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, have also gone to Syria to help bolster Assad’s forces.The last-minute invitation appeared to take the US and its European allies by surprise. An Iranian statement said Iran had accepted the offer without “any pre-conditions.”Ban said he was “deeply disappointed” by Iran’s statements Monday.

Senior US officials said Iran has not met the criteria to participate in the conference unless it fully and publicly endorses the aims of the meeting.Speaking to reporters in a conference call, the officials said public statements from Iran fall “well short” of what is require for Tehran’s participation, adding that they expect the U.N. to reevaluate and reverse its decision unless Iran changes course.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter using their names.France, another strong supporter of the opposition coalition, took the same line, with the country’s UN ambassador, Gerard Araud, saying Iran “must accept explicitly” the terms of the roadmap.In New York, Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin said “of course” both the US and Russia were consulted about the Iran invitation, and he said that if the Syrian opposition boycotts the talks, “that would be a big mistake.”In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham was quoted by the official IRNA news agency saying that Iran does not recognize the Geneva roadmap because it did not attend the conference that drafted it.Saudi Arabia, a main backer of the Syrian opposition and a bitter regional rival of Tehran, also said Iran is not qualified to attend the conference but stopped short of threatening to boycott.The negotiations aim to broker a political resolution to a conflict that has killed more than 130,000 people, displaced millions and put entire towns and neighborhoods under military siege in the worst humanitarian crisis in decades.Diplomats and political leaders acknowledge that the prospects of achieving such a lofty goal any time soon are slim at best — with the opposition riveted by internal divisions. Infighting between rebels in northern Syria has killed more than 1,000 people in the past month.Both the government and the opposition have suffered enormous losses, but even now, neither side appears desperate enough to budge from its entrenched position. At this point, just getting the antagonists into the same room to start what is expected to be a long process that could drag on for years would be perceived as a success.Invitations to the one-day meeting of foreign ministers had been subject to approval by the initiating states, Russia and the United States, but the two countries had been at an impasse over Iran.Syria’s crisis began in the heyday of the Arab Spring uprisings that swept away authoritarian leaders in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen. Unlike the others, Syria’s leadership responded to largely peaceful protests for political reform with a withering crackdown. That slowly forced the opposition to take up arms and gave birth to a civil war that has also spawned a proxy battle between regional Shiite Muslim power Iran and Sunni heavyweight Saudi Arabia.The cumulative effect of the war has been disastrous. Syria lies in ruins, its economy shattered, its rich social fabric shredded.

When the Vatican kitchen went kosher for a day

Rome rabbi supervised detailed preparations before Pope Francis hosted a delegation of Argentine rabbis

By Nicole Winfield January 21, 2014, 1:20 am 0-The Times of Israel

VATICAN CITY (AP) — For just one day, the kitchen of the Vatican hotel where Pope Francis lives went kosher.Rabbi Jaakov Spizzichino oversaw the scrupulous cleaning of countertops, the boiling of utensils and the heating of the oven to render it fit for cooking under Jewish dietary laws.The occasion? A four-course lunch Francis hosted for a dozen Argentine rabbis last week. It was another sign of his close friendship with Jews, despite some complaints in Israel that he’s giving the Jewish state short-shrift on his upcoming trip to the Holy Land.The Vatican has hosted kosher meals for visiting Jewish delegations on several occasions, and Francis famously provided kosher takeout for one of his best friends, Rabbi Abraham Skorka, when Skorka stayed with him at the Vatican’s Santa Marta hotel last year.But the Jan. 16 luncheon in Santa Marta’s dining room was a special occasion that warranted more — including the extensive, rabbinically supervised sterilizing of the hotel kitchen that on-site kosher cooking entails.The Vatican pulled out all the stops as Francis hosted Skorka and about 15 other rabbis from Buenos Aires who came to Rome to visit their old friend. It turned to Ba’Ghetto, one of the best kosher restaurants on the other side of the Tiber River, to cater the affair.“I decided to do it simple, because the pope is simple,” said Amit Dabush, Ba’Ghetto’s Israeli-born co-owner. “But the menu was full: He had to make a ‘bella figura’” — a good impression — on his guests.

To do so, however, required on-site cooking, and that required Dabush and Spizzichino, a kosher inspector with Rome’s chief rabbinate, to sterilize the small kitchen off the main dining room kitchen.A key issue was the oven: according to Jewish dietary laws, an oven in a non-kosher kitchen must sit idle for 24 hours and be cleaned and turned on full blast for an hour to sterilize it, Spizzichino said. So on the morning of the luncheon, Dabush, some restaurant workers and Spizzichino set to work early: scorching the oven and burners, scouring the kitchen countertops and covering them with aluminum foil to prevent the kosher food from being contaminated. They boiled and sterilized the big pots used for making pasta and set the tables with Ba’Ghetto’s own plates and utensils.“It was a kitchen that they rarely used, so it was very clean,” Spizzichino said.The menu was heavily fish-based: antipasti of deep-fried artichokes; baked sardines with endive and tangy, grilled zucchini. The pasta course featured two selections: gnocchi with rocket, tomato and pine nuts, and hand-made trofie, or little twists of pasta with sea bass and tomatoes. The main course had two choices of fish: baked turbot wrapped with vegetables or the house specialty, salt cod with tomatoes, pine nuts, grapes and potatoes.Given the palates of his Argentine guests, Francis also offered beef filet with a Barolo wine reduction, which most chose, though he himself stuck to fish. Salad and roasted potatoes came next followed by desert: two torts of chestnut and sour cherry, and the pope’s favorite, pistachio mousse, made with a soy-based creamer imported from Israel to substitute the dairy that isn’t allowed in a kosher meal featuring meat.In an interview with Vatican Radio, Skorka — with whom the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio wrote a book about faith — said the rabbinical delegation came to Rome to “show our affection, our support, and seal our friendship, not just personal but as a group.”He said he couldn’t wait to pray at Jerusalem’s Western Wall with Francis during his May 24-26 trip to Jordan, Israel and the West Bank.

The trip, however, has caused some consternation in Israel given that Francis’ predecessors — Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI — spent significantly more time in Israel during their landmark visits and celebrated Mass in Israel proper.Francis’ current plans for religious services only include a Mass in the Palestinian town of Bethlehem in the West Bank and an ecumenical service with the spiritual leader of the Orthodox Christians at Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulchre church.“It’s wonderful that he’s coming but it’s regrettable that he’ll be here for such a short time — a third of the time that his predecessors were here, and neglecting the main body of Christianity in the Holy Land, which is in the Galilee,” said Rabbi David Rosen, head of interfaith relations at the American Jewish Committee.Nevertheless, he said he expected Catholic-Jewish relations would continue to flourish under Francis, following the same path begun by his predecessors.