JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
ISAIAH 51:3-4
3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion:(JERUSALEM) he will comfort all her waste places;(FROM NUCLEAR WAR) and he will make her wilderness like Eden,(I BELIEVE THE EZEKIEL-4TH TEMPLE WILL BE BUILT 25 MILES FROM THE CURRENT TEMPLE MOUNT AFTER JESUS RULE FOR THE 1,000 YRS FROM JERUSALEM) and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.(PRAISE TO JESUS IN THE DESERT-COULD BE THE NEW JERUSALEM-4TH TEMPLE BUILT 25 MILES INTO THE DESERT FROM THE CURRENT TEMPLE MOUNT.SINCE EZEKIELS TEMPLE IS WAY TO BIG FOR THE CURRENT TEMPLE MOUNT)
4 Hearken unto me, my people;(ISRAEL) and give ear unto me, O my nation:(ISRAEL) for a law shall proceed from me,(JESUS IN JERUSALEM) and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.(ISRAEL AND THE WORLD)
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
600 Conservative rabbis demand PM honor Western Wall agreement-SEP 11,17-TOI
A letter signed by nearly 600 Conservative rabbis and leaders decries the freezing of the Western Wall agreement and a new conversion proposal in the Knesset.The letter expresses the signers’ “dismay, anger and sense of betrayal” over both incidents which took place in late June and remain unresolved.The letter addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was hand-delivered late last week to Dani Dayan, Consul General of Israel in New York, by Rabbi Steven Wernick, CEO of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, and Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, CEO of the Rabbinical Assembly.“Mr. Prime Minister, we are Zionists,” the letter reads. “You must understand, however, that in the 21st century we find it unconscionable that Israel, the Jewish State, is the only democratic state in the world in which not all Jews are recognized or supported equally under the law or in the public square.”— JTA.
Israeli satellite images show damage to Syrian weapons facility-New pictures show impact, geo-strategic sensitivity of airstrike attributed to Israel on an Assad regime site where chemical weapons, missiles said produced-By Judah Ari Gross September 10, 2017, 4:19 pm-TOI
An Israeli satellite imaging company released photographs on Sunday showing the effects of last week’s airstrike on a Syrian weapons base that was attributed to the Israeli Air Force.Early Thursday morning, the Syrian military’s Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS) facility near Masyaf, in the northwestern Hama province, was hit from the air, damaging several buildings and killing two Syrian soldiers.Western officials have long associated the CERS facility with the production of precision missiles, as well as chemical weapons.In a statement, Syrian leader Bashar Assad’s military said, “Israeli warplanes fired several rockets from the Lebanese airspace at 02:42 a.m. on Thursday targeting one of the Syrian military posts near Massyaf, killing two army personnel and causing material damage to the site.”Satellite images, provided by ImageSat International, show the extent of the damage to the site. While the buildings that were hit in the strike still appear to be standing, their roofs are mostly or entirely destroyed and debris can be seen scattered around them.An additional satellite photograph showed the base’s proximity to an alleged Iran-backed missile production facility and a Russian S-400 missile defense system.Over the past five years, Israel has carried out dozens of airstrikes within Syria, though it rarely acknowledges specific attacks.Israel says it maintains a hands-off policy toward the Syrian civil war, only getting involved when one of its “red lines” is transgressed.These “red lines” include the violation of Israeli sovereignty through deliberate or accidental attacks, Iranian-supported militias taking positions on the Golan border, and attempts to transfer advanced weapons to the Hezbollah terrorist group.Though Israel has not confirmed its involvement in the Thursday morning airstrike, analysts believe the attack on the Syrian military facility was carried out in order to prevent precision-guided missiles from reaching Hezbollah’s hands.Syrian opposition forces have in recent months claimed the Masyaf site, and other CERS facilities, have been working on a joint projects with Iranian specialists to develop chemical weapons capability for missiles.In April the Trump administration placed sanctions on hundreds of CERS employees following a chemical attack on the Syrian rebel-held city of Khan Sheikhoun that killed dozens of civilians, including children. On Wednesday, a report by a UN war crimes commission said it had clear evidence that the Syrian regime was behind the attack and that it had used sarin nerve gas.In 2005, then US president George W. Bush placed sanction on CERS, alleging it was producing weapons of mass destruction.Five years later, in September 2010, the director of the Israeli National Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau said that CERS facilities would be destroyed if the agency continued to provide weapons to terror groups.Brig.-Gen. (res) Nitzan Nuriel, speaking at a summit at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, said CERS was providing weapons to Hezbollah and the Palestinian terror group Hamas, and called on the international community to target it if it didn’t end its support for terrorism.In February 2013, US intelligence officials told The New York Times that an alleged Israeli airstrike on a Lebanon-bound convoy carrying advanced anti-aircraft weapons days earlier may have inadvertently hit the central CERS research center for developing chemical and biological weapons.Israel has for years been widely believed to have carried out airstrikes on advanced weapons systems in Syria — including Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles and Iranian-made missiles — as well as Hezbollah positions.In August a former commander of Israel’s air force said that it had carried out dozens of airstrikes on weapons convoys destined for the Hezbollah over the past five years. The remarks by Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel revealed for the first time the scale of the strikes, which are usually neither confirmed nor denied by the IAF.The most famous Israeli strike in Syria took place almost exactly 10 years ago, on September 6, 2007, when IAF aircraft bombed a suspected nuclear reactor in Deir Ezzor.Hezbollah fired more than 4,000 rockets on Israeli communities during its latest war with Israel in 2006. Since Tuesday, tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers have been staging a mock 10-day war against Hezbollah in northern Israel, marking the IDF’s largest exercise in nearly 20 years, the army announced Monday, amid tensions over growing Iranian influence in Syria and Lebanon.Times of Israel staff and agencies contributed to this report.
French minister slams ‘anti-Semitic’ attack on Jewish family-Gerard Collomb vows to arrest men who assaulted family in their home for being Jews who 'have money'-By JTA-September 11, 2017, 5:37 pm-TOI
France’s Interior Minister Gerard Collomb condemned an anti-Semitic attack in which a French Jewish leader and his family were assaulted in their home.The statement issued over the weekend by Collomb’s office reiterated the French government’s determination “to do everything to combat every form of racism and anti-Semitism, which have no place in the French Republic.”Collomb’s statement expressed his “indignation’’ about the attack, which took place Thursday night, and said that “according to initial indications, the motivation for this cowardly act seems to be directly related to the religion of the victim.”“Everything will be done to identify and arrest those who carried out this foul attack,” the statement also said.In the attack, three men, two of whom were wearing masks, broke into the home of Roger Pinto, the president of Siona, a group that represents Sephardic Jews — descendants of the Jewish people who were expelled from the Iberian peninsula in the 15th century during a period of Catholic zeal. The attackers beat Pinto’s son and wife in the home in the northeastern suburb of Livry Gargan, the Dreuz news website reported Sunday.One of the attackers said, “You Jews have money,” according to the family members.The Pintos were taken to hospital for treatment. They suffered some minor injuries and were deeply traumatized, the report said.The incident, one of several cases in France in recent years in which criminals apparently singled out Jews based on the belief that they have money, provoked passionate condemnations from the CRIF umbrella group of French Jewish communities and the National Bureau of Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism. Both groups said the incident was an anti-Semitic attack.The European Jewish Congress called on French authorities “to firmly root out societal anti-Semitism and its passive acceptance.”Les victimes de l’attaque antisémite à Seine Saint Denis sont Roger Pinto, Président de… https://t.co/VGuMgEwExL pic.twitter.com/teGtfJ6OBJ— Alyaexpress-News (@AlyaexpressNews) September 10, 2017“We appreciated the important words of the French Government in trying to make Jews feel safe in their country,” Dr. Moshe Kantor, president of the EJC, said in a statement. “However, it doesn’t appear that much has changed on the ground for French Jews who are still regularly attacked.”
Pope blasts climate change doubters, says moral duty to act-TOI-SEP 11,17
Pope Francis sharply criticizes climate change doubters, saying history will judge those who failed to take the necessary decisions to curb heat-trapping emissions blamed for the warming of the Earth.Francis is asked about climate change and the spate of hurricanes that have pummeled the US, Mexico and the Caribbean recently as his charter plane left Colombia and flew over some of the devastated areas.“Those who deny this must go to the scientists and ask them. They speak very clearly,” he says, referring to experts who blame global warming on man-made activities.Francis says scientists have also clearly charted what needed to be done to reverse course on global warming and said individuals and politicians had a “moral responsibility” to do their part.“These aren’t opinions pulled out of thin air. They are very clear,” he said. “Then they (leaders) decide and history will judge those decisions.”For those who have denied climate change, or delayed actions to counter it, he responded with an Old Testament saying: “Man is stupid.”“When you don’t want to see, you don’t see,” he says.— AP
North Korea nukes came with help from Iran or Russia – report-Senior British officials quoted saying Pyongyang could not have made such rapid progress alone-By TOI staff and AFP September 10, 2017, 6:16 pm-TOI
British officials reportedly suspect that North Korea was able to develop its nuclear arsenal quicker than expected due to help from Iran and possibly Russia.“It is not credible that North Korean scientists alone brought about the technological advances,” government sources told the UK’s Sunday Telegraph.The sudden surge in technological capability by the Pyongyang regime reportedly points to help from elsewhere.“North Korean scientists are people of some ability, but clearly they’re not doing it entirely in a vacuum,” an unnamed government minister told the paper.British authorities suspect that Iran has offered behind-the-scenes technological assistance for Pyongyang’s nuclear program, though others think that Russia may have provided some of the know-how.“There is currently an investigation into exactly how the country has managed to make this leap in technological ability,” UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said last week. “We are looking at the possible role that may have been played, inadvertently or otherwise, by some current and former nuclear states.”North Korean carried out its sixth nuclear test last week, and South Korea has voiced fears that it may test a ballistic missile in the coming days.NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Sunday that North Korea’s nuclear and missile program represented a “global threat and requires a global response,” though he refused to say whether an attack on the Pacific US territory of Guam would trigger the military alliance’s collective defense clause.“The reckless behavior of North Korea is a global threat and requires a global response, and that of course also includes NATO,”told the BBC’s “The Andrew Marr Show.”“We call on Korea to abandon its nuclear programs, it’s missile programs, and to refrain from more testing, because this is a blatant violation of several UN security resolutions and it’s a threat to international peace and stability.”Asked whether a strike against Guam would be covered under the clause that commits NATO members to come to the defense of each other, he said: “I will not speculate about whether Article Five will be applied in such a situation. What I will say is we are now totally focused on how can we contribute to a peaceful solution of the conflict.”German Chancellor Angela Mergel voiced support for a diplomatic push to end North Korean nuclear weapons and missile development along the lines of a past deal with Iran.“I would say yes immediately if we were asked to join talks,” Merkel told weekly newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.Talks between Iran and six world powers, sealed with a 2015 deal for Tehran to roll back its nuclear program and submit to inspections in exchange for some sanctions being rolled back, were “a long but important period of diplomacy” that had achieved a “good end,” she added.“I could imagine such a format for the settlement of the North Korea conflict. Europe and especially Germany ought to be ready to make a very active contribution,” Merkel said.
North Korea warns ‘thirsty beast’ US of harsh response to any new sanctions-US, China readying fresh restrictions, possibly targeting oil imports, to punish Pyongyang for ongoing nuclear, missile programs-By Eric Talmadge-September 11, 2017, 9:05 am-TOI
TOKYO, Japan (AP) — North Korea says it will make the United States pay a heavy price if a proposal Washington is backing to impose the toughest sanctions ever on Pyongyang is approved by the UN Security Council this week.The North’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement early Monday saying it is watching the United States’ moves closely and threatened it is “ready and willing” to respond with measures of its own.The United States has called for a vote Monday, New York time, on new UN sanctions against North Korea.Last Tuesday, the US circulated a draft resolution proposing the toughest-ever UN sanctions on North Korea, including a ban on all oil and natural gas exports to the country and a freeze on all foreign financial assets of the government and its leader, Kim Jong Un.Security Council diplomats, who weren’t authorized to speak publicly because talks have been private, said the US and China were still negotiating the text late Sunday.Previous UN sanctions resolutions have been negotiated between the United States and China, and have taken weeks or months. But the Trump administration is demanding a vote in six days.“The US is trying to use the DPRK’s legitimate self-defensive measures as an excuse to strangle and completely suffocate it,” the statement said, using the acronym for North Korea’s formal name. “Since the US is revealing its nature as a blood-thirsty beast obsessed with the wild dream of reversing the DPRK’s development of the state nuclear force which has already reached the completion phase, there is no way that the DPRK is going to wait and let the US feast on it.”North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test a week ago and has been launching ballistic missiles at a record pace. Both are violations of UN resolutions, but Pyongyang claims it must carry them out to build nuclear deterrent against what it sees as US aggression.Undaunted by the international criticism of its test, which Pyongyang says was of a hydrogen bomb, Pyongyang celebrated through the weekend, with concerts and banquets for the country’s nuclear scientists and engineers.Blocking textile exports and cutting off the flow of oil from China would potentially be crippling measures. North Korea gets nearly all of its oil supply from China, with a much smaller amount coming from Russia or the open market.According to a recent study by the Nautilus Institute think tank, a massive cutback in the flow of oil from China would definitely hurt the North Korean economy, and especially average citizens. But the report said the impact would likely be blunted on the military, which probably has enough fuel stockpiled to continue normal operations for the immediate future.Russian President Vladimir Putin recently expressed doubt over whether sanctions are an effective means of getting the North to stop its missile and nuclear testing, and China, harboring similar concerns, has repeatedly hesitated in the past to fully support US sanction plans.German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday also stressed the importance of diplomacy and offered to act as a facilitator if needed.“If our participation in talks is wanted, I will say yes immediately,” she said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper that was published Sunday.The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany conducted long-running talks with Iran that led to a 2015 deal for international sanctions to be lifted in exchange for Tehran curbing its nuclear activities.“I could also imagine such a format to settle the North Korea conflict,” she said.
Intelligence minister urges PM to lobby Trump for Iran deal do-over-At anti-terror confab, Yisrael Katz warns Tehran is establishing itself militarily in Syria, and still on track to become a nuclear power-By Judah Ari Gross-September 11, 2017, 4:45 pm-TOI
Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz said on Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should ask US President Donald Trump to change or cancel the Iran deal during an upcoming visit to New York, amid speculation that the White House plans to declare Iran non-compliant without dismantling the landmark pact.During a speech at a counterterrorism conference, Katz also said Tehran is establishing itself in Syria with “bases, airports and tens of thousands” of fighters in Shiite militias, which threaten Israel.The intelligence minister warned that “Iran is the new North Korea. We need to work against it today so that we don’t regret tomorrow what we should have done yesterday.”Katz pilloried the 2015 nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which he said “protects Iran’s ability to get nuclear capabilities in the future.”He said Trump needs to adhere to the assurances he made, regarding Iran and the JCPOA.“Iran needs to be forced to sign a new agreement, one that will never let it advance to nuclear weapons, as President Trump promised, and which will also include the issues of missiles and Iran’s support of terror,” he said.Education Minister Naftali Bennett also called for the Iran deal to be canceled, “without a doubt.”Bennett said it should be made clear to the world that “either you can do business with the US or with Iran. You can’t have both.”The two ministers comments came hours after the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran was abiding by the terms of the JCPOA.Trump railed against the pact while campaigning for president but has so far stuck to the deal. However, he has indicated he will declare Iran to be non-compliant when he is requires to submit a twice-yearly report to Congress in October, a move that could lead to the US ultimately pulling out of the seven-nation agreement.Reached in 2015 after years of negotiations, the JCPOA lifts punishing sanctions on Iran in exchange for the Islamic Republic rolling back part of its nuclear program. Israeli leaders vociferously opposed the deal, which they said was unenforceable and allowed Iran to continue supporting terror and other destabilizing activity around the world.Katz, who also serves as transportation minister, said Iran is in the process of signing an agreement with Syrian leader Bashar Assad that would allow it to maintain military infrastructure in the country for the long term. Israel has long accused Iran of seeking a foothold near the Golan Heights via Shiite militias, including Lebanese proxy Hezbollah.“I say this as a fact: Assad is in the process of signing an agreement,” he said.“These militias, who come from around the Middle East, are meant to threaten Israel and open up another northern front,” he said.If Iran is not stopped from establishing itself in Syria, “a naval port, an airport and Iranian military bases could be built” there, he said.Katz said that while Iran’s nuclear weapons development program is on hold, the country is still actively working to improve its ballistic missile and rocket technology, specifically making them more precise.Katz said the United States and other western countries need to focus on blocking Iran from establishing hegemony in the region, which he said was the rising threat to world stability, following the Islamic State’s recent battlefield losses in Syria and Iraq.He said Israel has to uphold its “red lines” regarding Syria, namely preventing advanced weapons from reaching Hezbollah and ensuring that Iran-backed militias are not allowed to set up on the Golan border.The minister added that Israel does already have partners in this effort, in what he described as “moderate Sunni countries,” which is generally believed to mean Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states.“We have a shared vision with the moderate Sunni countries, on everything that has to do with Iran and its emissaries in the region,” he said.The remarks were made at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya’s International Institute for Counter-Terrorism’s annual conference.Iran featured prominently in the remarks made by Israeli officials.Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, who spoke briefly at the conference, noted a significant increase in Iran’s defense spending, following the 2015 Iran deal.The budget of the country’s Iranian Revolutionary Guards “increased by 40 percent,” he said.This increase in defense spending trickled down to the terrorist groups that are supported by Iran, namely Hezbollah and Hamas, Liberman said.The defense minister credited the Islamic Republic with being ultimately responsible for the lion’s share of the terrorism happening today.Ousted former Trump national security adviser Sebastian Gorka and former French prime minister Manuel Valls are slated to speak later Monday.
Avoid Sinai and Turkey, Israeli holiday travelers told-Ahead of High Holidays, Counter-Terrorism Bureau warns vacationers that terror groups are likely to target crowded places, transportation hubs-By TOI staff September 11, 2017, 3:46 pm
Israeli authorities on Monday issued severe travel warnings urging Israeli travelers to avoid places where they would be prime targets for jihadist terrorists, including Turkey and much of the Middle East.Hundreds of thousands of Israelis are expected to travel overseas during the parade of Jewish holidays which starts with the Jewish new year on September 20 and ends with the Sukkot festival, from October 4 to 12, when most travelers head abroad.The Counter-Terrorism Bureau in the Prime Minister’s Office, which issues the warnings ahead of most holiday seasons, noted that the list includes some of the most popular tourist destinations for Israelis, including the Sinai Peninsula and Turkey.Warnings were also in effect for Jordan and the rest of Egypt.In all those places, terror groups are known to be planning attacks in crowded areas, and may be looking to target areas where large groups of vacationing Israelis are likely to be found.The most severe warning is for the Sinai, where beachfront tourist venues have long drawn many tens of thousands of Israelis during prime vacation periods.The Bureau noted that Sinai was struck by Islamist terror as recently as mid-April, when Islamic State gunmen attacked a checkpoint near Saint Catherine’s Monastery in the peninsula, only one of countless recent incidents of bloodshed in an ongoing Islamist insurgency.On Thursday, 18 Egyptian police were killed in an attack in northern Sinai.Israelis should avoid travel to Sinai in the foreseeable future, and leave the peninsula immediately if they are already there, the warning stated.Turkey, too, came in for special mention, with the warning noting that Istanbul and other Turkish cities have been the target of a wave of both Islamist and Kurdish separatist terror attacks in recent years, and that Israeli institutions have been especially targeted on occasion.The Bureau urged Israelis to remain vigilant wherever they travel, noting that terrorists have struck recently in Western European capitals and in North America as well.Vigilance is especially important in areas frequented by large crowds, such as sports stadiums, popular tourist sites and public transportation hubs, the warning said.
Arab League forms committee to foil Israeli bid for UNSC membership-PA official says Ramallah working to prevent African states from voting for Israel-By Dov Lieber-September 10, 2017, 8:28 pm-TOI
The Arab League on Sunday agreed to a request from the Palestinian Authority to form a committee aimed at stymieing Israel’s bid to becoming a member of the United Nations Security Council, a Palestinian official said.Israel has said it will vie for a seat on the 15-member panel for 2019-2020, the first time the Jewish state has tried to win a spot on the UN’s most powerful forum.Elections for the 2019-2020 seats will be held in the summer of 2018.Palestinian ambassador to Cairo Jamal al-Shobaki, who is also the representative for the PA in the Arab League, said that five Arab bodies would work together to foil Israel’s bid, according to the PA’s official new site Wafa.They are: the Presidency of the Arab Summit, the Presidency of the Ministerial Council, the Palestinian Authority, the Secretary General of the Arab League and Egypt, which is currently the only Arab state member on the UNSC.Shobaki made these comments on the sidelines of a closed session of the Arab League Council in Cairo.Israel has been publicly eyeing a seat on the important world body since at least 2013.Jerusalem is planning to apply for one of two spots allocated to the Western European and Other Group (WEOG), to which it was admitted in 2000.Fight over African votes-A key battle will be in Africa, where Israel has been deepening its ties in recent years. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has visited Africa twice over the last year, making strengthening ties with the continent one of his main foreign policy goals. Besides seeking new markets for Israeli agriculture, hi-tech and security know-how, the prime minister was also keen to improve African nations’ voting record on Israel-related matters in international forums, such as the UNSC or the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).“There must be intensive Arab efforts to prevent Israel from obtaining membership in the Security Council and getting the votes of African countries,” Shobaki said.“Arabs and Africans share historical and cultural relations, and the [African countries] have a major role in supporting the Palestinian cause. The majority…will maintain their historic support,” he added.Togo, which is a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), is organizing an Africa-Israel summit, which is scheduled for October 23-27 in the capital Lome. Togo is set to invite all 54 countries on the continent to the event, but the Palestinians, Morocco and South Africa are actively seeking to derail the gathering. Shobaki said on Sunday that there is a draft resolution submitted to the Arab League Council both by the Palestinians and Saudi Arabia “in connection” to this planned summit.In December, during the first-ever visit to Kazakhstan by a sitting Israeli prime minister, Netanyahu asked the Muslim country to support Israel’s bid at the UN.“My hope is, and I say this to all our friends, that the great partnership that we are building here will also be reflected in international forums like the UN. That’s beginning to happen. The ship doesn’t move overnight; we understand that it’s a big ship. But it’s going to change, it’s changing already,” Netanyahu told Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev.He added,“Now, if you want a real change in the world, imagine the State of Israel on the Security Council of the United Nations — that’s a change.”Raphael Ahren contributed to this report.
3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion:(JERUSALEM) he will comfort all her waste places;(FROM NUCLEAR WAR) and he will make her wilderness like Eden,(I BELIEVE THE EZEKIEL-4TH TEMPLE WILL BE BUILT 25 MILES FROM THE CURRENT TEMPLE MOUNT AFTER JESUS RULE FOR THE 1,000 YRS FROM JERUSALEM) and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.(PRAISE TO JESUS IN THE DESERT-COULD BE THE NEW JERUSALEM-4TH TEMPLE BUILT 25 MILES INTO THE DESERT FROM THE CURRENT TEMPLE MOUNT.SINCE EZEKIELS TEMPLE IS WAY TO BIG FOR THE CURRENT TEMPLE MOUNT)
4 Hearken unto me, my people;(ISRAEL) and give ear unto me, O my nation:(ISRAEL) for a law shall proceed from me,(JESUS IN JERUSALEM) and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.(ISRAEL AND THE WORLD)
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
600 Conservative rabbis demand PM honor Western Wall agreement-SEP 11,17-TOI
A letter signed by nearly 600 Conservative rabbis and leaders decries the freezing of the Western Wall agreement and a new conversion proposal in the Knesset.The letter expresses the signers’ “dismay, anger and sense of betrayal” over both incidents which took place in late June and remain unresolved.The letter addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was hand-delivered late last week to Dani Dayan, Consul General of Israel in New York, by Rabbi Steven Wernick, CEO of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, and Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, CEO of the Rabbinical Assembly.“Mr. Prime Minister, we are Zionists,” the letter reads. “You must understand, however, that in the 21st century we find it unconscionable that Israel, the Jewish State, is the only democratic state in the world in which not all Jews are recognized or supported equally under the law or in the public square.”— JTA.
Israeli satellite images show damage to Syrian weapons facility-New pictures show impact, geo-strategic sensitivity of airstrike attributed to Israel on an Assad regime site where chemical weapons, missiles said produced-By Judah Ari Gross September 10, 2017, 4:19 pm-TOI
An Israeli satellite imaging company released photographs on Sunday showing the effects of last week’s airstrike on a Syrian weapons base that was attributed to the Israeli Air Force.Early Thursday morning, the Syrian military’s Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS) facility near Masyaf, in the northwestern Hama province, was hit from the air, damaging several buildings and killing two Syrian soldiers.Western officials have long associated the CERS facility with the production of precision missiles, as well as chemical weapons.In a statement, Syrian leader Bashar Assad’s military said, “Israeli warplanes fired several rockets from the Lebanese airspace at 02:42 a.m. on Thursday targeting one of the Syrian military posts near Massyaf, killing two army personnel and causing material damage to the site.”Satellite images, provided by ImageSat International, show the extent of the damage to the site. While the buildings that were hit in the strike still appear to be standing, their roofs are mostly or entirely destroyed and debris can be seen scattered around them.An additional satellite photograph showed the base’s proximity to an alleged Iran-backed missile production facility and a Russian S-400 missile defense system.Over the past five years, Israel has carried out dozens of airstrikes within Syria, though it rarely acknowledges specific attacks.Israel says it maintains a hands-off policy toward the Syrian civil war, only getting involved when one of its “red lines” is transgressed.These “red lines” include the violation of Israeli sovereignty through deliberate or accidental attacks, Iranian-supported militias taking positions on the Golan border, and attempts to transfer advanced weapons to the Hezbollah terrorist group.Though Israel has not confirmed its involvement in the Thursday morning airstrike, analysts believe the attack on the Syrian military facility was carried out in order to prevent precision-guided missiles from reaching Hezbollah’s hands.Syrian opposition forces have in recent months claimed the Masyaf site, and other CERS facilities, have been working on a joint projects with Iranian specialists to develop chemical weapons capability for missiles.In April the Trump administration placed sanctions on hundreds of CERS employees following a chemical attack on the Syrian rebel-held city of Khan Sheikhoun that killed dozens of civilians, including children. On Wednesday, a report by a UN war crimes commission said it had clear evidence that the Syrian regime was behind the attack and that it had used sarin nerve gas.In 2005, then US president George W. Bush placed sanction on CERS, alleging it was producing weapons of mass destruction.Five years later, in September 2010, the director of the Israeli National Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau said that CERS facilities would be destroyed if the agency continued to provide weapons to terror groups.Brig.-Gen. (res) Nitzan Nuriel, speaking at a summit at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, said CERS was providing weapons to Hezbollah and the Palestinian terror group Hamas, and called on the international community to target it if it didn’t end its support for terrorism.In February 2013, US intelligence officials told The New York Times that an alleged Israeli airstrike on a Lebanon-bound convoy carrying advanced anti-aircraft weapons days earlier may have inadvertently hit the central CERS research center for developing chemical and biological weapons.Israel has for years been widely believed to have carried out airstrikes on advanced weapons systems in Syria — including Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles and Iranian-made missiles — as well as Hezbollah positions.In August a former commander of Israel’s air force said that it had carried out dozens of airstrikes on weapons convoys destined for the Hezbollah over the past five years. The remarks by Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel revealed for the first time the scale of the strikes, which are usually neither confirmed nor denied by the IAF.The most famous Israeli strike in Syria took place almost exactly 10 years ago, on September 6, 2007, when IAF aircraft bombed a suspected nuclear reactor in Deir Ezzor.Hezbollah fired more than 4,000 rockets on Israeli communities during its latest war with Israel in 2006. Since Tuesday, tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers have been staging a mock 10-day war against Hezbollah in northern Israel, marking the IDF’s largest exercise in nearly 20 years, the army announced Monday, amid tensions over growing Iranian influence in Syria and Lebanon.Times of Israel staff and agencies contributed to this report.
French minister slams ‘anti-Semitic’ attack on Jewish family-Gerard Collomb vows to arrest men who assaulted family in their home for being Jews who 'have money'-By JTA-September 11, 2017, 5:37 pm-TOI
France’s Interior Minister Gerard Collomb condemned an anti-Semitic attack in which a French Jewish leader and his family were assaulted in their home.The statement issued over the weekend by Collomb’s office reiterated the French government’s determination “to do everything to combat every form of racism and anti-Semitism, which have no place in the French Republic.”Collomb’s statement expressed his “indignation’’ about the attack, which took place Thursday night, and said that “according to initial indications, the motivation for this cowardly act seems to be directly related to the religion of the victim.”“Everything will be done to identify and arrest those who carried out this foul attack,” the statement also said.In the attack, three men, two of whom were wearing masks, broke into the home of Roger Pinto, the president of Siona, a group that represents Sephardic Jews — descendants of the Jewish people who were expelled from the Iberian peninsula in the 15th century during a period of Catholic zeal. The attackers beat Pinto’s son and wife in the home in the northeastern suburb of Livry Gargan, the Dreuz news website reported Sunday.One of the attackers said, “You Jews have money,” according to the family members.The Pintos were taken to hospital for treatment. They suffered some minor injuries and were deeply traumatized, the report said.The incident, one of several cases in France in recent years in which criminals apparently singled out Jews based on the belief that they have money, provoked passionate condemnations from the CRIF umbrella group of French Jewish communities and the National Bureau of Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism. Both groups said the incident was an anti-Semitic attack.The European Jewish Congress called on French authorities “to firmly root out societal anti-Semitism and its passive acceptance.”Les victimes de l’attaque antisémite à Seine Saint Denis sont Roger Pinto, Président de… https://t.co/VGuMgEwExL pic.twitter.com/teGtfJ6OBJ— Alyaexpress-News (@AlyaexpressNews) September 10, 2017“We appreciated the important words of the French Government in trying to make Jews feel safe in their country,” Dr. Moshe Kantor, president of the EJC, said in a statement. “However, it doesn’t appear that much has changed on the ground for French Jews who are still regularly attacked.”
Pope blasts climate change doubters, says moral duty to act-TOI-SEP 11,17
Pope Francis sharply criticizes climate change doubters, saying history will judge those who failed to take the necessary decisions to curb heat-trapping emissions blamed for the warming of the Earth.Francis is asked about climate change and the spate of hurricanes that have pummeled the US, Mexico and the Caribbean recently as his charter plane left Colombia and flew over some of the devastated areas.“Those who deny this must go to the scientists and ask them. They speak very clearly,” he says, referring to experts who blame global warming on man-made activities.Francis says scientists have also clearly charted what needed to be done to reverse course on global warming and said individuals and politicians had a “moral responsibility” to do their part.“These aren’t opinions pulled out of thin air. They are very clear,” he said. “Then they (leaders) decide and history will judge those decisions.”For those who have denied climate change, or delayed actions to counter it, he responded with an Old Testament saying: “Man is stupid.”“When you don’t want to see, you don’t see,” he says.— AP
North Korea nukes came with help from Iran or Russia – report-Senior British officials quoted saying Pyongyang could not have made such rapid progress alone-By TOI staff and AFP September 10, 2017, 6:16 pm-TOI
British officials reportedly suspect that North Korea was able to develop its nuclear arsenal quicker than expected due to help from Iran and possibly Russia.“It is not credible that North Korean scientists alone brought about the technological advances,” government sources told the UK’s Sunday Telegraph.The sudden surge in technological capability by the Pyongyang regime reportedly points to help from elsewhere.“North Korean scientists are people of some ability, but clearly they’re not doing it entirely in a vacuum,” an unnamed government minister told the paper.British authorities suspect that Iran has offered behind-the-scenes technological assistance for Pyongyang’s nuclear program, though others think that Russia may have provided some of the know-how.“There is currently an investigation into exactly how the country has managed to make this leap in technological ability,” UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said last week. “We are looking at the possible role that may have been played, inadvertently or otherwise, by some current and former nuclear states.”North Korean carried out its sixth nuclear test last week, and South Korea has voiced fears that it may test a ballistic missile in the coming days.NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Sunday that North Korea’s nuclear and missile program represented a “global threat and requires a global response,” though he refused to say whether an attack on the Pacific US territory of Guam would trigger the military alliance’s collective defense clause.“The reckless behavior of North Korea is a global threat and requires a global response, and that of course also includes NATO,”told the BBC’s “The Andrew Marr Show.”“We call on Korea to abandon its nuclear programs, it’s missile programs, and to refrain from more testing, because this is a blatant violation of several UN security resolutions and it’s a threat to international peace and stability.”Asked whether a strike against Guam would be covered under the clause that commits NATO members to come to the defense of each other, he said: “I will not speculate about whether Article Five will be applied in such a situation. What I will say is we are now totally focused on how can we contribute to a peaceful solution of the conflict.”German Chancellor Angela Mergel voiced support for a diplomatic push to end North Korean nuclear weapons and missile development along the lines of a past deal with Iran.“I would say yes immediately if we were asked to join talks,” Merkel told weekly newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.Talks between Iran and six world powers, sealed with a 2015 deal for Tehran to roll back its nuclear program and submit to inspections in exchange for some sanctions being rolled back, were “a long but important period of diplomacy” that had achieved a “good end,” she added.“I could imagine such a format for the settlement of the North Korea conflict. Europe and especially Germany ought to be ready to make a very active contribution,” Merkel said.
North Korea warns ‘thirsty beast’ US of harsh response to any new sanctions-US, China readying fresh restrictions, possibly targeting oil imports, to punish Pyongyang for ongoing nuclear, missile programs-By Eric Talmadge-September 11, 2017, 9:05 am-TOI
TOKYO, Japan (AP) — North Korea says it will make the United States pay a heavy price if a proposal Washington is backing to impose the toughest sanctions ever on Pyongyang is approved by the UN Security Council this week.The North’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement early Monday saying it is watching the United States’ moves closely and threatened it is “ready and willing” to respond with measures of its own.The United States has called for a vote Monday, New York time, on new UN sanctions against North Korea.Last Tuesday, the US circulated a draft resolution proposing the toughest-ever UN sanctions on North Korea, including a ban on all oil and natural gas exports to the country and a freeze on all foreign financial assets of the government and its leader, Kim Jong Un.Security Council diplomats, who weren’t authorized to speak publicly because talks have been private, said the US and China were still negotiating the text late Sunday.Previous UN sanctions resolutions have been negotiated between the United States and China, and have taken weeks or months. But the Trump administration is demanding a vote in six days.“The US is trying to use the DPRK’s legitimate self-defensive measures as an excuse to strangle and completely suffocate it,” the statement said, using the acronym for North Korea’s formal name. “Since the US is revealing its nature as a blood-thirsty beast obsessed with the wild dream of reversing the DPRK’s development of the state nuclear force which has already reached the completion phase, there is no way that the DPRK is going to wait and let the US feast on it.”North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test a week ago and has been launching ballistic missiles at a record pace. Both are violations of UN resolutions, but Pyongyang claims it must carry them out to build nuclear deterrent against what it sees as US aggression.Undaunted by the international criticism of its test, which Pyongyang says was of a hydrogen bomb, Pyongyang celebrated through the weekend, with concerts and banquets for the country’s nuclear scientists and engineers.Blocking textile exports and cutting off the flow of oil from China would potentially be crippling measures. North Korea gets nearly all of its oil supply from China, with a much smaller amount coming from Russia or the open market.According to a recent study by the Nautilus Institute think tank, a massive cutback in the flow of oil from China would definitely hurt the North Korean economy, and especially average citizens. But the report said the impact would likely be blunted on the military, which probably has enough fuel stockpiled to continue normal operations for the immediate future.Russian President Vladimir Putin recently expressed doubt over whether sanctions are an effective means of getting the North to stop its missile and nuclear testing, and China, harboring similar concerns, has repeatedly hesitated in the past to fully support US sanction plans.German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday also stressed the importance of diplomacy and offered to act as a facilitator if needed.“If our participation in talks is wanted, I will say yes immediately,” she said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper that was published Sunday.The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany conducted long-running talks with Iran that led to a 2015 deal for international sanctions to be lifted in exchange for Tehran curbing its nuclear activities.“I could also imagine such a format to settle the North Korea conflict,” she said.
Intelligence minister urges PM to lobby Trump for Iran deal do-over-At anti-terror confab, Yisrael Katz warns Tehran is establishing itself militarily in Syria, and still on track to become a nuclear power-By Judah Ari Gross-September 11, 2017, 4:45 pm-TOI
Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz said on Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should ask US President Donald Trump to change or cancel the Iran deal during an upcoming visit to New York, amid speculation that the White House plans to declare Iran non-compliant without dismantling the landmark pact.During a speech at a counterterrorism conference, Katz also said Tehran is establishing itself in Syria with “bases, airports and tens of thousands” of fighters in Shiite militias, which threaten Israel.The intelligence minister warned that “Iran is the new North Korea. We need to work against it today so that we don’t regret tomorrow what we should have done yesterday.”Katz pilloried the 2015 nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which he said “protects Iran’s ability to get nuclear capabilities in the future.”He said Trump needs to adhere to the assurances he made, regarding Iran and the JCPOA.“Iran needs to be forced to sign a new agreement, one that will never let it advance to nuclear weapons, as President Trump promised, and which will also include the issues of missiles and Iran’s support of terror,” he said.Education Minister Naftali Bennett also called for the Iran deal to be canceled, “without a doubt.”Bennett said it should be made clear to the world that “either you can do business with the US or with Iran. You can’t have both.”The two ministers comments came hours after the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran was abiding by the terms of the JCPOA.Trump railed against the pact while campaigning for president but has so far stuck to the deal. However, he has indicated he will declare Iran to be non-compliant when he is requires to submit a twice-yearly report to Congress in October, a move that could lead to the US ultimately pulling out of the seven-nation agreement.Reached in 2015 after years of negotiations, the JCPOA lifts punishing sanctions on Iran in exchange for the Islamic Republic rolling back part of its nuclear program. Israeli leaders vociferously opposed the deal, which they said was unenforceable and allowed Iran to continue supporting terror and other destabilizing activity around the world.Katz, who also serves as transportation minister, said Iran is in the process of signing an agreement with Syrian leader Bashar Assad that would allow it to maintain military infrastructure in the country for the long term. Israel has long accused Iran of seeking a foothold near the Golan Heights via Shiite militias, including Lebanese proxy Hezbollah.“I say this as a fact: Assad is in the process of signing an agreement,” he said.“These militias, who come from around the Middle East, are meant to threaten Israel and open up another northern front,” he said.If Iran is not stopped from establishing itself in Syria, “a naval port, an airport and Iranian military bases could be built” there, he said.Katz said that while Iran’s nuclear weapons development program is on hold, the country is still actively working to improve its ballistic missile and rocket technology, specifically making them more precise.Katz said the United States and other western countries need to focus on blocking Iran from establishing hegemony in the region, which he said was the rising threat to world stability, following the Islamic State’s recent battlefield losses in Syria and Iraq.He said Israel has to uphold its “red lines” regarding Syria, namely preventing advanced weapons from reaching Hezbollah and ensuring that Iran-backed militias are not allowed to set up on the Golan border.The minister added that Israel does already have partners in this effort, in what he described as “moderate Sunni countries,” which is generally believed to mean Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states.“We have a shared vision with the moderate Sunni countries, on everything that has to do with Iran and its emissaries in the region,” he said.The remarks were made at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya’s International Institute for Counter-Terrorism’s annual conference.Iran featured prominently in the remarks made by Israeli officials.Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, who spoke briefly at the conference, noted a significant increase in Iran’s defense spending, following the 2015 Iran deal.The budget of the country’s Iranian Revolutionary Guards “increased by 40 percent,” he said.This increase in defense spending trickled down to the terrorist groups that are supported by Iran, namely Hezbollah and Hamas, Liberman said.The defense minister credited the Islamic Republic with being ultimately responsible for the lion’s share of the terrorism happening today.Ousted former Trump national security adviser Sebastian Gorka and former French prime minister Manuel Valls are slated to speak later Monday.
Avoid Sinai and Turkey, Israeli holiday travelers told-Ahead of High Holidays, Counter-Terrorism Bureau warns vacationers that terror groups are likely to target crowded places, transportation hubs-By TOI staff September 11, 2017, 3:46 pm
Israeli authorities on Monday issued severe travel warnings urging Israeli travelers to avoid places where they would be prime targets for jihadist terrorists, including Turkey and much of the Middle East.Hundreds of thousands of Israelis are expected to travel overseas during the parade of Jewish holidays which starts with the Jewish new year on September 20 and ends with the Sukkot festival, from October 4 to 12, when most travelers head abroad.The Counter-Terrorism Bureau in the Prime Minister’s Office, which issues the warnings ahead of most holiday seasons, noted that the list includes some of the most popular tourist destinations for Israelis, including the Sinai Peninsula and Turkey.Warnings were also in effect for Jordan and the rest of Egypt.In all those places, terror groups are known to be planning attacks in crowded areas, and may be looking to target areas where large groups of vacationing Israelis are likely to be found.The most severe warning is for the Sinai, where beachfront tourist venues have long drawn many tens of thousands of Israelis during prime vacation periods.The Bureau noted that Sinai was struck by Islamist terror as recently as mid-April, when Islamic State gunmen attacked a checkpoint near Saint Catherine’s Monastery in the peninsula, only one of countless recent incidents of bloodshed in an ongoing Islamist insurgency.On Thursday, 18 Egyptian police were killed in an attack in northern Sinai.Israelis should avoid travel to Sinai in the foreseeable future, and leave the peninsula immediately if they are already there, the warning stated.Turkey, too, came in for special mention, with the warning noting that Istanbul and other Turkish cities have been the target of a wave of both Islamist and Kurdish separatist terror attacks in recent years, and that Israeli institutions have been especially targeted on occasion.The Bureau urged Israelis to remain vigilant wherever they travel, noting that terrorists have struck recently in Western European capitals and in North America as well.Vigilance is especially important in areas frequented by large crowds, such as sports stadiums, popular tourist sites and public transportation hubs, the warning said.
Arab League forms committee to foil Israeli bid for UNSC membership-PA official says Ramallah working to prevent African states from voting for Israel-By Dov Lieber-September 10, 2017, 8:28 pm-TOI
The Arab League on Sunday agreed to a request from the Palestinian Authority to form a committee aimed at stymieing Israel’s bid to becoming a member of the United Nations Security Council, a Palestinian official said.Israel has said it will vie for a seat on the 15-member panel for 2019-2020, the first time the Jewish state has tried to win a spot on the UN’s most powerful forum.Elections for the 2019-2020 seats will be held in the summer of 2018.Palestinian ambassador to Cairo Jamal al-Shobaki, who is also the representative for the PA in the Arab League, said that five Arab bodies would work together to foil Israel’s bid, according to the PA’s official new site Wafa.They are: the Presidency of the Arab Summit, the Presidency of the Ministerial Council, the Palestinian Authority, the Secretary General of the Arab League and Egypt, which is currently the only Arab state member on the UNSC.Shobaki made these comments on the sidelines of a closed session of the Arab League Council in Cairo.Israel has been publicly eyeing a seat on the important world body since at least 2013.Jerusalem is planning to apply for one of two spots allocated to the Western European and Other Group (WEOG), to which it was admitted in 2000.Fight over African votes-A key battle will be in Africa, where Israel has been deepening its ties in recent years. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has visited Africa twice over the last year, making strengthening ties with the continent one of his main foreign policy goals. Besides seeking new markets for Israeli agriculture, hi-tech and security know-how, the prime minister was also keen to improve African nations’ voting record on Israel-related matters in international forums, such as the UNSC or the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).“There must be intensive Arab efforts to prevent Israel from obtaining membership in the Security Council and getting the votes of African countries,” Shobaki said.“Arabs and Africans share historical and cultural relations, and the [African countries] have a major role in supporting the Palestinian cause. The majority…will maintain their historic support,” he added.Togo, which is a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), is organizing an Africa-Israel summit, which is scheduled for October 23-27 in the capital Lome. Togo is set to invite all 54 countries on the continent to the event, but the Palestinians, Morocco and South Africa are actively seeking to derail the gathering. Shobaki said on Sunday that there is a draft resolution submitted to the Arab League Council both by the Palestinians and Saudi Arabia “in connection” to this planned summit.In December, during the first-ever visit to Kazakhstan by a sitting Israeli prime minister, Netanyahu asked the Muslim country to support Israel’s bid at the UN.“My hope is, and I say this to all our friends, that the great partnership that we are building here will also be reflected in international forums like the UN. That’s beginning to happen. The ship doesn’t move overnight; we understand that it’s a big ship. But it’s going to change, it’s changing already,” Netanyahu told Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev.He added,“Now, if you want a real change in the world, imagine the State of Israel on the Security Council of the United Nations — that’s a change.”Raphael Ahren contributed to this report.
