JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
Syria airstrike blamed on Israel said to kill 9 pro-regime fighters-UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least six of the dead are Syrians; Iranians also stationed at Al-Nayrab airbase in north of country-By Agencies and TOI staff-JUL 17,18
BEIRUT, Lebanon — At least nine pro-regime fighters died in an overnight strike in northern Syria blamed on Israel, a monitor said Monday.Syrian state media accused Israel of bombing a military position in Aleppo province late Sunday, in what would be a rare Israeli attack so far north in the war-ravaged country.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said Monday that those killed included at least six Syrians and that Iranian fighters were also stationed at the base.Earlier, the country’s official news agency SANA reported there was only damage to the site, identified as the Al-Nayrab airbase, adjacent to Aleppo’s international airport.“The Zionist enemy (Israel)… targeted with its missiles one of our military positions north of the Nayrab military airport, but the damage was only material,” SANA said citing a military source.Al-Nayrab has in the past been linked with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps militia.The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside the country, said it had recorded a wave of blasts around Neirab on Sunday night.It said that a suspected Israeli missile strike had targeted “positions held by Syria’s regime and its allies at the Nayrab airport” and its surroundings.The base was reportedly previously struck by Israel on April 29 as part of a large raid that also targeted weapons depots near Hama.There was no immediate comment from Israel, which rarely confirms such attacks.Suspected Israeli air strikes have hit Syrian army positions near Damascus and in the central provinces of Homs and Hama in the past.However, they rarely occur as far north as Aleppo.The raid came hours before a high-stakes summit between Russian president Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, where Syria and Iran are expected to be on the agenda.Israel has been pushing Russia to remove Iranian-aligned militia fighters from Syria, and has vowed to stop them from getting a foothold anywhere in the country. Russia has reportedly only agreed to removing them from the Golan border region.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with Putin in Moscow last week, said Sunday he had discussed the issue with Trump a day earlier.Netanyahu reportedly told Putin during their Wednesday meeting that Israel would not challenge Assad’s control of Syria, in exchange for freedom to act against Iran.On July 8, Israel was accused of carrying out an airstrike on the T-4 military base near Homs, also thought to be used by IRGC fighters.
Israel said to strike Iran-linked base in northern Syria-Al-Nayrab airbase outside Aleppo reportedly houses Iranian fighters; Syrian state media says Israeli missiles cause damage to material-By TOI staff and Agencies-17 July 2018
Israel on Sunday night attacked a military base near Aleppo in northern Syria, the country’s official news agency SANA reported, citing a military source.SANA said there was only damage to the site, identified as the Al-Nayrab airbase, adjacent to Aleppo’s international airport.“The Zionist enemy (Israel)… targeted with its missiles one of our military positions north of the Nayrab military airport, but the damage was only material,” SANA said.However, there were unconfirmed reports of casualties at the site.Al-Nayrab has in the past been linked with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps militia.#BREAKING – #Israel strikes #Syrian positions near #Aleppo International Airport. The strikes have killed several Syrian soldiers including 2 from besieged areas of Nubul and Zahra in #Idlib. pic.twitter.com/IgxV2rcVVK— SURA (@AlSuraEnglish) July 15, 2018-The base was reportedly previously struck by Israel on April 29 as part of a large raid that also targeted weapons depots near Hama.There was no immediate comment from Israel, which rarely confirms such attacks.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said it had recorded a wave of blasts around Nayrab on Sunday night.“They were caused by a missile attack, suspected to have been carried out by Israel, targeting positions held by Syria’s regime and its allies at the Neirab airport and around it,” the Britain-based monitor said.Suspected Israeli air strikes have hit Syrian army positions near Damascus and in the central provinces of Homs and Hama in the past.However, they rarely occur as far north as Aleppo.The raid came hours before a high-stakes summit between Russian president Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, where Syria and Iran are expected to be on the agenda.Israel has been pushing Russia to remove Iranian-aligned militia fighters from Syria, and has vowed to stop them from getting a foothold anywhere in the country. Russia has reportedly only agreed to removing them from the Golan border region.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with Putin in Moscow last week, said Sunday he had discussed the issue with Trump a day earlier.Netanyahu reportedly told Putin during their Wednesday meeting that Israel would not challenge Assad’s control of Syria, in exchange for freedom to act against Iran.On July 8, Israel was accused of carrying out an airstrike on the T-4 military base near Homs, also thought to be used by IRGC fighters.
18 Palestinians arrested in predawn West Bank raids; border cops thwart breach-In overnight operations security forces also seize 'terror funds' and guns, including an assault rifle and a submachine gun hidden in a Barbie backpack-By Judah Ari Gross-TOI-JUL 17,18
Israeli security forces arrested 19 Palestinian suspects in raids across the West Bank on Sunday night and early Monday morning, officials said.In addition to the arrests, the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Police and Shin Bet security service found and confiscated a number of guns in the city of Hebron and also seized thousands of shekels that the military said were intended to fund Palestinian terrorist operations.Riots broke out in response to IDF raids in the West Bank town of Kafr Bidu and in the nearby East Jerusalem neighborhood of Kafr Aqab. Though Kafr Aqab was annexed by Israel and is part of the capital, the neighborhood sits on the West Bank side of the security fence and often falls under the responsibility of the IDF.During the riots, dozens of residents threw rocks and other objects at the troops. The soldiers responded with less-lethal riot dispersal weapons, the army said.No injuries were reported on either side.According to the Israel Defense Forces, 18 Palestinians were arrested in predawn raids across the West Bank. They were suspected of being involved in terrorist activities or taking part in low-level violence against Israeli troops and civilians, mostly in the form of rock throwing.During the raids in Hebron, the military uncovered the cache of weapons, which included an M-4 assault rifle, an air-powered pistol, ammunition, magazines and other assorted gun parts, the army said.The thousands of shekels worth of “terror funds” were seized during a search in the northern West Bank, near the Tapuah Junction, the army said.“This activity was part of the campaign against funds used for terror,” the military said.In addition to these raids, which were planned in advance, the Border Police also arrested one Palestinian who they said was part of a group that attempted to enter Israel from the northern West Bank, near the city of Jenin.“Troops spotted a number of suspects trying to use a ladder to cross the security fence,” police said.“Once they were spotted, the forces chased after the suspects on foot. During the chase, some of them fled back toward the West Bank and some of them seem to have entered Israel,” police said.One of the suspects was caught and handed over to the Shin Bet for questioning. He was a resident of Jenin, in his 20s, police said.In addition, during the chase, one of the suspects threw away a pink Barbie backpack containing a Carlo-style submachine gun, a common type of weapon in the West Bank, often made locally from readily available materials.“The troops also found a cellphone and a bolt-cutter for getting through fences,” the police said.The commander of the unit that interrupted the infiltration praised his officers for “preventing the infiltration of weapons into Israeli territory.”
Army head said to rebuff minister demanding lethal force against kite launchers-Gadi Eisenkot tells Naftali Bennett dropping bombs on Gazans preparing to send incendiary kites and balloons over border is against his moral position, according to Hadashot report-By TOI staff-JUL 17,18
Education Minister Naftali Bennett and IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot reportedly clashed Sunday over targeting Gaza Strip Palestinians who launch incendiary balloons and kites towards Israel, with the army commander saying it would be immoral to use lethal fire against them.The exchange came during a security cabinet meeting discussion on how to tackle the problem of the fire balloons and kites, which Gazans have been sending across the border daily, sparking large fires in Israeli fields and forests.The government and military have come under intense domestic pressure to step up its response to stymie the balloons and kites, which has mostly consisted of firing warning shots at cells launching the devices. Some southern residents have adopted the slogan “treat kites as you would rockets.”Bennett has joined those pushing for a stronger military response, urging the Israel Defense Forces to strike Palestinians it identifies preparing to launch the airborne incendiaries.“Why not shoot at anyone who fires aerial weapons at our communities and also at the cells [preparing the incendiaries for launch]?” Bennett asked Eisenkot, according to a report carried by Hadashot television news Sunday. “There is no legal impediment. Why shoot next to them and not at them? We are talking about terrorists in every respect.”Eisenkot replied that he didn’t think “shooting at young people and children, who are sometimes those who are launching the balloons, is right,”“And if it is an adult, identified as an adult?” probed Bennett.“Are you suggesting dropping bombs from a plane on cells launching kites and balloons?” asked Eisenkot.“Yes,” said Bennett.“That is against my operational and moral position,” Eisenkot replied.The exchange, which took place behind closed doors, could not be confirmed.The meeting had been called after Saturday saw a sharp uptick in cross border fighting, with Israel launching massive air raids across Gaza and nearly 200 projectiles fired at communities in Israel.Sunday saw renewed incidents of balloons and kites being launched into Israel, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed they would be seen as a breach of the delicate ceasefire reached after Saturday’s fighting.The IDF said Sunday it fired near three groups of Palestinians preparing incendiary balloons or kites.The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reported that at least two of the attacks caused injuries.According to the Hadashot news report, ministers also complained that the media was driving the pressure for them to step up their response to the balloons and kites, which have burned hundreds of acres but caused no injuries.“They keep saying ‘Israel is on fire,’ ‘Israel is burning.’ Israel is not burning,” Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz reportedly said.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then reportedly replied: “The media reports are overblown. The media is feeding this [perception] and presenting things in a warped way.”
Aiming to be Jerusalem’s first female mayor, MK sees thaw in religious tensions-Just 10 years ago, Rachel Azaria was fighting to have her face featured on Jerusalem bus ads; a decade on, former deputy mayor says her hometown in throes of change-By Marissa Newman-TOI-JUL 17,18
Musing about her newly launched campaign to become Jerusalem’s first female mayor, Kulanu lawmaker Rachel Azaria wistfully spoke about “returning to Jerusalem” and underlined her longing for the city of her birth. Which was somewhat peculiar, considering that our interview was taking place in her office in the Knesset, firmly in the heart of Jerusalem. But in Azaria’s view, location aside, the hilltop legislative tower puncturing the capital’s skyline is far removed from the residents milling below its fortified gates.“The Knesset, generally, is disconnected from the public,” said the former Jerusalem deputy mayor and council member for seven years, who entered Israel’s parliament and governing coalition in 2015.As a lawmaker for the center-right Kulanu coalition party, “I would meet a lot of groups, a lot of people, and I would ask them, ‘how many MKs have you met?’ Mostly, they said I was the first. And I would ask another question, ‘how many of you have met your mayor?’ And nearly all of them raised their hands. That’s the discrepancy between the local councils and the national [politics],” she said.Incisive and businesslike, at 4:30 p.m. Azaria is sitting down for her first cup of coffee of the day (“campaigns give you energy!”), amid a busy schedule to tie up various legislative loose ends in the Knesset before bidding the parliament adieu. Regardless of the outcome in October mayoral race, Azaria will retire from national politics and return to the Jerusalem city council.Wrapping up her three-year parliamentary run, she cited five laws aiding working parents, including an extension of paid maternity leave, among the various efforts she is most proud of advancing while in the Knesset. Many of those proposals were amendments to laws, she gradually discovered, advanced by a young Golda Meir in the first decade of Israel’s existence.Azaria, 40, announced in late June she would run for mayor of Jerusalem, joining a long list of candidates in the race, including her colleague in the coalition Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze’ev Elkin (Likud), Hitorerut candidate Ofer Berkovich, Jerusalem council member Moshe Lion, former municipal legal adviser Yossi Havilio, and little-known Avi Salman. The ultra-Orthodox community is also mulling fielding its own candidate, with Deputy Mayor Yossi Deitsch of the United Torah Judaism faction seen as the leading Haredi candidate, alongside fellow party member Yitzhak Pindrus, also a deputy mayor. The Yerushalmim faction, which Azaria founded, announced it would back her candidacy.Dismissing widespread predictions that the broad array of candidates (including Berkovich and Elkin) appealing to the city’s secular and Modern Orthodox communities could leave the field wide open for an ultra-Orthodox candidate to win, Azaria, a modern Orthodox mother of four, maintained she broadens the pluralistic vote from the secular, to the religious and modern Haredi Jerusalemites.The head of the Knesset’s Reforms Committee, Azaria said she was not leaving Israel’s parliament out of discontent with her political role and maintained she did not view the change as a step-down.Rather, Azaria insisted she always intended to come back to work on a local level in the city, tackling what she views as its most pressing challenges: housing and urban renewal to ward off a looming congestion crisis; creating more employment opportunities and business hubs in its residential areas; combating its dire shortage of classrooms, particularly in Haredi schools; resolving property issues; and giving a funding boost to youth movements.The real changes taking place in Israeli society and a gradual erosion of tribal boundaries are taking place at a faster pace in Jerusalem, she said of the largest city in the country with its diverse secular, Modern Orthodox, ultra-Orthodox, and Arab population.-Would Jerusalem elect a woman as mayor? In Israel’s 70-year history, no woman has ever held the position of mayor in its three major cities of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, or Haifa. Currently, 98 percent of local councils are led by men, with just four exceptions out of 201 authorities — Netanya, Yehud, Or Yehuda, and Ganei Tikva, according to a Knesset report from March.A longtime activist on religion and state and women’s issues, Azaria just a decade ago was mired in a legal battle (in which she triumphed) to have her face and those of female members of her Yerushalmim faction printed on bus ads in the city. The Egged bus company had declined over concerns the images would offend its sizable ultra-Orthodox clientele in the capital, where one-third of Jewish residents identify as Haredi.Ten years after a fierce fight over the so-called disappearance of women from the public sphere, does she think the conservative city would elect a woman as mayor? By way of an answer, Azaria pointed to what she described as a broader thaw in the city between its disparate communities.Internal research conducted by her campaign on Jerusalem residents found that 75 percent of 869 respondents who are eligible to vote rejected the statement that a mayor of the city must “choose a side” between the secular and ultra-Orthodox; 67% said real change will only come to Jerusalem when the secular and Haredim join forces; and among the ultra-Orthodox, some 30% say their rabbis’ opinion or endorsement will not determine their vote for mayor. Acknowledging that some segments of the Haredi community would never cast the ballot for a female candidate, Azaria said that her internal polling nonetheless gave her a fighting chance.Pitting the secular against the ultra-Orthodox is the “politics of ten years ago,” she said, pledging not to inflame tensions between the various communities in her campaign for political gain.‘It’s no ‘Hallelujah,’ and ‘We are the World.’ It’s very challenging… But what we are seeing is a process of change.’She attributed the shift away from identity politics and toward inter-communal cooperation in her strategy to focus on population-based policies — such as for parents to young children, the elderly, and so on — based on common interests and problems rather than community-based benefits.“There are a lot of populations that aren’t receiving due treatment because we’re used to seeing things according to tribes,” she said.In pushing for policies targeting groups by age or demographic, rather than religious or political affiliation, the rigid divides between the various groups “soften,” she asserted.“I think that for every group, there was a time when they had a dream that another group would disappear,” before ultimately realizing “that’s not going to happen,” said Azaria.“We don’t necessarily love each other, we are even sometimes afraid of one another,” she continued, noting in passing her MA in Conflict Resolution. “But we understand that no one is going to disappear. And when you start to realize that you say, ‘okay, this group has children who need a classroom, and this one has children and needs a kindergarten, a bike trail, a pedestrian path.'”In the end, Jerusalem is a city and its residents can find common cause in the nitty-gritty details of day-to-day life and services, she said.“It’s no ‘Hallelujah,’ and ‘We are the World.’ It’s very challenging, it’s a challenging city. But what we are seeing is the process of change. If ten years ago, we never imagined that even the secular and religious would be partners in such a process, now we see that the Haredim are partners in this process. It’s a process of a lot of people saying, we want to live here together.”-Church lands, housing, employment hubs-Among the most pressing issues Azaria sees facing Jerusalem are housing and urban planning. With little room to expand in the west and east, the capital faces a housing squeeze that Azaria said could be rectified by speeding up urban renewal projects, known as “pinui-binui,” and requires improved building planning overall. While her generation was still able to purchase apartments in the capital at a reasonable rate in outlying and developing neighborhoods, said Azaria, who lives in Katamonim, those just eight years her junior are already priced out of purchasing homes in Jerusalem.As a lawmaker, Azaria also championed regulating property issues, most prominently in a bill to confiscate lands in Jerusalem sold by churches to anonymous buyers in exchange for monetary compensation. Some 1,500 homes are built on the land under a 99-year lease, set to expire in the coming years and putting the homeowners’ future in jeopardy.In a dramatic turn, Orthodox and Catholic church leaders in February shuttered Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre to protest Azaria’s legislation and a new municipal tax policy, capturing global attention. As a result, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed a special committee headed by Likud Minister Tzachi Hanegbi to oversee the legislation.Azaria lauded the formation of the committee, saying it was hammering out a compromise with the real estate developers, and adding that she would be passing the torch on to other government lawmakers.“If everyone acts reasonably, there is no reason to get to land expropriation. But if they start to hurt 80-year-olds, who live in their apartments [for decades],” the government will step in, she said.Jerusalem also must improve its employment offerings and create business hubs outside the downtown area, said Azaria. Despite generous tax breaks for companies, particularly for hi-tech, “there is nearly no dialogue between the companies and the municipality,” she said. Pledging to create a special unit in the municipality dedicated for this purpose if elected, Azaria also vowed to convene frequent meetings and stringent oversight for all projects being advanced by the municipality to secure results.“In the end, it’s management, management, management,” she said. ‘A lack of trust’ between city hall, East Jerusalem “In my eyes, Jerusalem is one city. All the talk of division is, in my view, not relevant,” said Azaria, On East Jerusalem, the former deputy mayor said the main gaps between the east and west of the city are education, construction planning, and public transportation. On education, additional schools must be built, while planning and public transportation plans require “a lot more dialogue,” she said, noting a chronic “lack of trust” between East Jerusalem leaders and the municipality.But marking improvements in recent years, Azaria said it was no longer accurate to say housing units were not approved by the municipality for East Jerusalem, and lands that were designated for schools in the east were less likely to be immediately set upon with illegal construction.And there were examples of trust and cooperation, she said.In late 2014, during an uptick in violence, many of the assailants were East Jerusalem children and teenagers who would flee the Israeli authorities by entering Palestinian schools, she recalled. Israeli Border Police were set to enter the schools to retrieve the assailants when the Jerusalem municipality reached a deal with Arab principals: Ensure the children are in school, keep them indoors with extracurricular activities funded by the city until the evening, and the Border Police will keep out.“The principals agreed. It reached a point where they would come to the children’s houses, pull them out of bed, and bring them to school,” said Azaria, who was deputy mayor at the time. “It was very impressive.”“I think Jerusalem is one of those cities where, because it can explode at any moment, it doesn’t,” she added, applauding civil society efforts on top of the Shin Bet security service operations.“And one of the reasons it doesn’t happen is because a lot of people are working very hard so that it shouldn’t.”Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Controversial ‘segregation’ clause dropped from Jewish nation-state bill-Sanctioning of Jewish-only communities struck out in favor of more generic clause that urges 'the development of Jewish settlement' as 'a national value'-By Raoul Wootliff-TOI-JUL 17,18
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Education Minister Naftali Bennett reached an agreement Sunday on a key change to the nation-state bill that will remove a controversial clause sanctioning housing discrimination on the basis of ethnicity or religion, and replace it with a new one celebrating “Jewish settlement” in general terms.Clause 7B of the Likud-sponsored legislation, which the government hopes to have approved by the end of the month, previously would have allowed the state to “authorize a community composed of people having the same faith and nationality to maintain the exclusive character of that community.”Politicians, legal advisers and others have warned that that version of the so-called Jewish State bill is discriminatory and could cast a dark shadow over Israel in the international arena.In a bid to gain wider support for the bill and quiet its vociferous critics, Bennett had proposed language removing the clause and replace it with a call for strengthening the Jewish presence in predominantly Arab Israeli areas.Following negotiations with the prime minister, Bennett said in a statement Sunday, the new version of the clause reads: “The state views the development of Jewish settlement as a national value and will act to encourage and promote its establishment and consolidation.”Bennett said that the new version will face a Knesset committee vote on Monday before final plenary votes on the law ahead of the parliament’s summer recess on July 22.Votes on other amendments to the bill were postponed Sunday due to the ongoing negotiations between coalition partners. It was unclear whether further changes were being considered.Speaking on Israel Radio on Sunday morning, Bennett said that the bill was an important piece of legislation that should not be delayed, despite tensions on Israel’s southern border with the Gaza Strip and northern border with Syria.Opposition members have come out in force against the bill, and on Saturday called for a delay in the discussions in light of the current round of violence in the south.“The south is burning, dozens of sirens sounded last night and today, and the situation may further escalate. I call on the coalition and the committee to cancel the meeting that was intended for the vote on the national law, and to unite to protect the south,” MK Merav Michaeli of the Zionist Union faction tweeted.“It is an illegitimate and dangerous law that is impossible to pass quickly while the artillery thunders.”Meretz leader Tamar Zandberg tweeted that “when the government has no solution in Gaza, it enacts racist laws.”Thousands of protesters marched through Tel Aviv Saturday night demonstrating against the bill. The demonstration, which was organized by a broad alliance of opposition parties, progressive Jewish groups, LGBT activists and left-wing NGOs, numbered some 2,500 people, and called on the government to scrap not only the clause on separate communities but the entire proposal.Last Tuesday, opposition to the law as it stood was sounded by President Reuven Rivlin, who said the bill could allow the establishment of towns that would, for example, exclude Jews of Middle Eastern origin, ultra-Orthodox Jews or homosexuals; Knesset legal adviser Eyal Yinon; and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit; and his deputy, Raz Nizri.If passed, the law would become one of the so-called Basic Laws, which like a constitution underpin Israel’s legal system and are more difficult to repeal than regular laws.Judaism is already mentioned throughout the country’s laws, and religious authorities control many aspects of life, including marriage. But the 11 existing Basic Laws deal mostly with state institutions like the Knesset, the courts and the presidency, while Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty defines Israel’s democratic character.Netanyahu has announced his intention to push the bill forward to become law before the current Knesset session ends on July 22.In addition, the law would also set Hebrew as the official language of Israel. Arabic would be relegated from an official language to one with “special status,” which would ensure its speakers the “right to accessible state services.”The law would also declare that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, make explicit the connection between Diaspora Jewry and the state and fix the Hebrew calendar as the official calendar of the state, as well as recognizing Independence Day, days of remembrance and Jewish holidays.
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH IN NOAHS DAY(BECAUSE OF SIN,VIOLENCE AND GODLESS PEOPLE)
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
HOSEA 4:1-3
1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
DEUTORONOMY 28:22-24
22 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
After tremors, experts warn a huge quake is the greatest threat facing Israel-Scientists say thousands could die because Israel, which sits on a major fault line, has ignored warnings to strengthen homes and schools-By TOI staff-17 July 2018
After a series of minor tremors rattled northern Israel over the last two weeks, experts warned that the country is negligently unprepared for a major earthquake that would likely kill thousands of people, including many children.“The threat of an earthquake, is in my eyes, the greatest threat facing the state of Israel,” geologist Ariel Heimann told Hadashot news on Friday. “It is definitely a greater threat than the Qassam [rockets] fired from Gaza, and it is a far greater danger than the Iranian threat.”Israel sits on the Syrian-African rift, a tear in the earth’s crust running the length of the border separating Israel and Jordan, and is part of the Great Rift Valley, which extends from northern Syria to Mozambique.The last major earthquake to hit the region was in 1927 — a 6.2-magnitude tremor that killed 500 people and injured another 700. And experts have warned Israel is due for a major quake in the near future.“If, God forbid, we have an earthquake like this, it will leave thousands dead and hundreds of thousands of people will have to leave their homes. Houses will be destroyed, there will be massive economic damage that will set the country back dozens of years,” Heimann warned.Another expert said school children were particularly vulnerable, pointing to a recent report that out of 1,600 schools deemed to be in danger of collapsing in a survey three years ago, just 53 have since been reinforced.“In Haiti 38,000 children died, in China more than 10,000 children were among the 120,000 killed, in Pakistan it was 17,000 among 83,000 dead — do people understand this?” asked Ephraim Leor, an expert on mass casualty disasters. “We could lose an entire generation between the ages of 6 and 18.”Col. Itzik Bar from the IDF’s Home Front Command, put expected casualties from a major quake at 7,000 dead and 200,000 homeless.“Apparently it will unfortunately take a mid-sized quake with 100-200 casualties to make this country wake up and seriously prepare,” he told Hadashot.A minor earthquake hit northern Israel on Monday evening, bringing the number of tremors in the area in recent days to more than 40, further fueling fears that a major earthquake could be on its way.The epicenter of the 3.2 quake was at the northern edge of the Sea of Galilee, similar to the previous ones. It hit at 6:15 p.m. without causing damage or casualties.But despite the looming threat, new details show that the government has been making very little progress in preparing for a strong tremor and strengthening structures.None of the 108 dangerous material factories, ordered two years ago by the Ministry of Environmental Protection to strengthen their structures, has completed the process, an earlier Hadashot news report said. Only one factory has presented a plan to implement the decision. The ministry said it was behind schedule, due to a “severe shortage of manpower.”A nationwide early warning system approved in 2012 only began its deployment a year ago. The Geological Survey of Israel has only deployed 55 of the 120 alert stations, none of which are operational.But sounding dire warnings appears to have little effect. Previous warnings have fallen on deaf ears.A State Comptroller report in 2001 found that no funding had been allocated for strengthening buildings and infrastructure. It was followed by another report in 2004, which said that not much had been done in the intervening years, due to spats between ministries over responsibility for the work.An inter-ministerial committee set up in 2004 proposed making preparations for a 7.5 magnitude quake to the country’s north, with catastrophic loss of life and severe damage to infrastructure. It raised the prospect of 16,000 dead and nearly 100,000 wounded in such an event, with 10,000 buildings destroyed.In 2011, another state comptroller report sounded further warnings about the threat to northern communities and infrastructure from an earthquake, and once again lamented the dearth of precautionary measures taken.Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman announced last week that a new multi-year plan to protect Israel from earthquakes will be presented to the cabinet this month.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
Last of Kurdish militia leave Syria’s Manbij to defuse Turkey tensions-Ankara had threatened to advance toward northern city to oust YPG fighters, who had stayed after defeating IS, raising fears of clash with US and French troops also stationed there-By AFP-TOI-JUL 17,18
BEIRUT, Lebanon — The last members of a Kurdish militia pulled out on Sunday from the Syrian town of Manbij, allied Arab fighters said, under a deal reached to avoid clashes with Turkey.The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) led the victorious 2016 offensive to rid Manbij of the Islamic State group and had kept military advisers in the town to train local forces.It announced last month it would begin withdrawing from the town as the local Manbij Military Council was capable of holding it on its own.“The last group of military advisers from the People’s Protection Units finished withdrawing on July 15, 2018 after completing their mission to train and develop our forces, under the deal with the international coalition,” the MMC said.The YPG forms the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-Arab alliance that has ousted IS from swathes of Syria with help from the US-led coalition.But the militia is considered a “terrorist” group by Ankara, which sees it as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), outlawed in Turkey.Ankara and allied rebels overran the YPG’s northwestern bastion of Afrin in March and threatened to continue on to Manbij.That raised the specter of a possible confrontation with the American and French coalition troops stationed in the town.A flurry of diplomacy between the US and Turkey produced a joint “roadmap” in May to coordinate security in Manbij and avoid a clash.The YPG announced in June it would withdraw its forces from Manbij, but did not specify how many were still left in the town.Turkish troops began patrolling areas north of Manbij, which Syria’s infuriated government saw as a breach of its sovereignty.Since conflict broke out there in 2011, Syria has been sliced up into various zones of control, with the government making a comeback to hold more than 60 percent of the country.But much of its north is controlled by the YPG or its allies, and the US-led coalition fighting IS operates several bases there.
US Muslim candidates running in record numbers face backlash-From Congress to school boards, more Muslims are running for office than at any time in decades, many spurred by Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric-By Philip Marcelo and Jeff Karoub-TOI-JUL 17,18
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts (AP) — A liberal woman of color with zero name recognition and little funding takes down a powerful, long serving congressman from her own political party.When Tahirah Amatul-Wadud heard about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s stunning upset over US Rep. Joe Crowley in New York’s Democratic primary last month, the first-time candidate saw parallels with her own longshot campaign for Congress in western Massachusetts.The 44-year-old Muslim African-American civil rights lawyer, who is taking on a 30-year congressman and ranking Democrat on the influential House Ways and Means Committee, says she wasn’t alone, as encouragement, volunteers and donations started pouring in.“We could barely stay on top of the residual love,” says Amatul-Wadud, US Rep. Richard Neal’s lone challenger in the state’s September 4 Democratic primary. “It sent a message to all of our volunteers, voters and supporters that winning is very possible.”From Congress to state legislatures and school boards, Muslim Americans spurred to action by the anti-Muslim policies and rhetoric of US President Donald Trump and his supporters are running for elected offices in numbers not seen since before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, say Muslim groups and political observers.Many, like Amatul-Wadud, hope to ride the surge of progressive activism within the Democratic Party that delivered Ocasio-Cortez’s unlikely win and could help propel the Democrats back to power in November.Pleased to meet Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, an African American Muslim woman, who will be running for the congress seat during #IndependenceDay parade of the #UnitedStatesofAmerica???????? in #Chesterfield #Massachusetts.@TahirahCongress pic.twitter.com/y27Zr15J1p— Nuaman Ishfaq Mughal (@NuamanIM) July 9, 2018-Still, the path to victory can be tougher for a Muslim American. Some promising campaigns already have fizzled out while many more face strong anti-Muslim backlash.In Michigan, Democratic candidate for governor Abdul El-Sayed continues to face unfounded claims from a GOP rival that he has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, even though Republican and Democratic politicians alike have denounced the accusations as “conspiracy theories.”In Rochester, Minnesota, mayoral candidate Regina Mustafa has notified authorities of at least two instances where anti-Muslim threats were posted on her social media accounts.And in Arizona, US Senate candidate Deedra Abboud received a torrent of Islamophobic attacks on Facebook last July that prompted outgoing US Sen. Jeff Flake, the Republican lawmaker Abboud is hoping to replace, to come to her defense on Twitter.“I’m a strong believer that we have to face this rhetoric,” said Abboud, who has also had right-wing militant groups the Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights and the Proud Boys stage armed protests her campaign events. “We can’t ignore it or pretend like it’s a fringe element anymore. We have to let the ugly face show so that we can decide if that is us.”There were as many as 90 Muslim-Americans running for national or statewide offices this election cycle, a number that Muslim groups say was unprecedented, at least in the post-9/11 era.But recent primaries have whittled the field down to around 50, a number that still far exceeds the dozen or so that ran in 2016, said Shaun Kennedy, co-founder of Jetpac, a Massachusetts nonprofit that helps train Muslim-American candidates.Among the candidates to fall short were California physician Asif Mahmood, who placed third in last month’s primary for state insurance commissioner, despite raising more than $1 million. And in Texas, wealthy businessman Tahir Javed finished a distant second in his Democratic primary for Congress, despite an endorsement from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.Nine candidates for Congress are still in the running, according to Jetpac’s tally. At least 18 others are campaigning for state legislature and 10 more seek major statewide and local offices, such as governor, mayor and city council. Even more are running for more modest offices like local planning board and school committee.The next critical stretch of primaries is in August.In Michigan, at least seven Muslim Americans are on the August 7 ballot, including El-Sayed, who could become the nation’s first Muslim governor.In Minnesota, the decision by Keith Ellison, the nation’s first Muslim congressman, to run for state attorney general has set off a political frenzy for his congressional seat that includes two Muslim candidates, both Democrats: Ilhan Omar, the country’s first Somali-American state lawmaker, and Jamal Abdulahi, a Somali-American activist.But historic wins in those and other races are far from assured, cautions Geoffrey Skelley, an associate editor at Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a nonpartisan political analysis website run by the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.Omar’s chances of emerging from a field of five Democratic candidates in Minnesota’s August 14 primary was bolstered by a recent endorsement from the state Democratic Party, but El-Sayed is an underdog in his gubernatorial race, he said.Other Muslim-American candidates might fare better in Michigan, which has one of the nation’s largest Arab-American populations, Skelley added.There, former state Rep. Rashida Tlaib has raised more money than her Democratic rivals in the race to succeed Democratic Rep. John Conyers, who resigned last year amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Former Obama administration official Fayrouz Saad is also running as a Democrat in the wide open race to succeed Republican Rep. David Trott, who isn’t seeking re-election.Either could become the first Muslim woman elected to Congress, which has only ever had two Muslim members: outgoing Ellison and Rep. Andre Carson, an Indiana Democrat seeking re-election.Saad, who served most recently as director of Detroit’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, recognizes the importance of representing her community in an era of rising Islamophobia.The 35-year-old broke from the conservative Republican politics of her Lebanese immigrant parents following the 9/11 attacks because she felt Arabs and Muslims were unfairly targeted.“I felt the way to push back against that was to be at the table,” said Saad, adding that her parents’ political leanings have also since moved to the left. “We have to step up and be voices for our communities and not wait for others to speak on behalf of us.”But not all Muslim candidates feel that way.In San Diego, California, 36-year-old Republican congressional candidate Omar Qudrat declined to comment on how Islamophobia has impacted his campaign, including instances when his faith have been called into question by members of his own political party.Instead, the 37-year old political newcomer, who is one of at least three Muslim Republicans running nationwide this year, provided a statement touting his main campaign issues as he faces Democratic US Rep. Scott Peters in November: addressing San Diego’s high number of homeless military veterans, improving public education and expanding economic opportunities for city residents.“Running for public office is about advancing the interests of your constituents and the American people,” Qudrat’s statement reads. “Nothing else.”
Top Trump aide says US to stay in Syria as long as Iran ‘menacing’ region-In apparent about-face after Trump said US would pull out once ISIS defeated, sparking Israeli jitters, John Bolton now indicates administration no longer in hurry to leave Syria-By TOI staff-JUL 17,18
US President Donald Trump’s top security adviser said Sunday that US troops would remain in Syria as long as Iran continues to “menace” the region, seemingly reversing a promise by the White House to pull out sooner.Trump said in April that US troops would be leaving Syria right away, drawing consternation from Israeli officials, who saw the arena being ceded to Russia, an ally of Iran.On Sunday, though, Trump national security adviser John Bolton said troops would remain as long as Iran was causing trouble in the region.“I think the president has made it clear that we are there until the ISIS territorial caliphate is removed and as long as the Iranian menace continues throughout the Middle East,” he told ABC’s “This Week.”Bolton said the topic would be discussed by Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin when the two meet for their first official summit in Helsinki Monday.Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said Friday that Syria and the Iranian presence there will feature high on the agenda of the summit.Israel and Russia have long been rumored to be hammering out a deal on the status of Iran’s forces in Syria, as the civil war in the nation winds down and President Bashar Assad regains much of the territory he lost to rebel forces during seven years of fighting.On April 4, Trump told a rally that the US would be “coming out of Syria very soon.”The comment drew immediate concern from US allies in the region — mainly Israel, Kurdish groups and Gulf states — that Washington would leave a power vacuum to be filled by the Syria-Russia-Iran axis. The plan was also opposed by many US defense officials.US officials said a phone call between Trump and Netanyahu that day grew tense over the issue, a rare sign of discord between the two leaders who have almost always been in lockstep on Iran and other issues.According to Israeli officials speaking to al-Monitor, Trump told Netanyahu he was committed to Israel’s security but would not change his mind on withdrawing the troops.“Ostensibly, when it comes to the situation of Iran along our northern border, there is no difference between his [Trump’s] position and that of Obama,” an unnamed Israeli minister told al-Monitor in April. “In the end, they both made the same decision to get out of here as fast as they can and not allow the Middle Eastern quagmire to cost America more than it already has.”The administration later clarified that the pullout would not take place as long as the IS still had a presence in Syria. No mention, however, was ever made of Iran — Israel’s main foe in the conflict.The US has some 2,000 troops in Syria. It has never offered a timetable for withdrawing them, but the move would fall in line with Trump’s “America First” stance.Bolton, seen as a war hawk, was not in the government when Trump made the initial announcement on pulling out of Syria.Israel has repeatedly said it will not allow Iran, or its Shiite proxies, to establish a permanent presence in post-war Syria. Tensions have been brewing along the border in recent months, with Israel launching attacks on Iranian targets in Syria in response to Iranian rocket fire and drone incursions into Israel.Other airstrikes on Syrian facilities used by Iran or its proxies have also been attributed to Israel, including a strike Sunday night near Aleppo.On Saturday, Netanyahu and Trump discussed Syria and Iran in a phone call, the Israeli premier said Sunday.“We discussed security and diplomatic issues in light of developments in the region, with Syria and Iran first and foremost, of course,” Netanyahu said at his weekly cabinet meeting. “I thanked President Trump for his strong policy against Iran because since this policy has been taken, we have seen a great effect on – and inside – Iran. President Trump clearly reiterated his commitment to the security of Israel and his willingness to help the State of Israel in various fields and, of course, I thanked him for that.”The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump and Putin set to test rapport, talk Syria in first summit-Deal for Israel and Russia to work on pushing out Iran said to be on table; some fear US president may concede too much in bid to portray Helsinki meeting as success-By AFP-TOI-JUL 17,18
HELSINKI, Finland — After months of anticipation, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meet Monday to put to the test the US president’s ambition to forge a personal bond with the Kremlin chief and find common ground on an array of issues that have pitted the powers on opposite sides of the battlefield.If Trump’s instinct is right and he makes a connection with Putin, then the pair’s Helsinki Summit may take the heat out of some of the world’s most dangerous conflicts.But the Washington-Moscow rivalry has a long history and there are there many points of friction that could yet spoil Trump’s hoped-for beautiful friendship.With the foes at loggerheads over Syria, Ukraine, pipeline policy, espionage and election interference, even Trump cautioned: “I’m not going with high expectations.”The brash billionaire property magnate has been president for 18 months, while the 65-year-old former KGB officer has run Russia for the past 18 years.The 72-year-old president nevertheless has a high opinion of his ability to woo tough opponents, such as North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, whom he met at a summit last month.“I think it’s a good thing to meet. I do believe in meetings,” Trump insisted in an interview with CBS News that aired before he touched down in Helsinki.In the same interview, Trump admitted that Russia remains a foe, but he put Moscow on a par with China and the European Union as economic and diplomatic rivals.The Kremlin has also played down hopes that the odd couple will emerge from their first formal one-on-one summit having resolved the issues poisoning relations.Putin, who played host at the World Cup final in Moscow on Sunday and was due to arrive in Finland later Monday, has remained terse in the run up to the summit.But on Friday his adviser Yuri Ushakov also played down expectations, saying: “The state of bilateral relations is very bad…. We have to start to set them right.”-A Syrian deal-High on the agenda will be Syria, with Israel hoping Washington will back its effort to garner Kremlin support for removing Iran’s presence from the country.Despite the doubts of his top national security advisers, Trump is keen to withdraw his own troops from eastern Syria, where they have been battling the Islamic State.Reports suggest he may seek a deal that Russia work with Israel to contain Iran’s influence, in exchange for allowing Putin’s ally Bashar Assad to stay in power.A deal like that could free up US troops to withdraw, but would also — as with Crimea — mark a major victory for Putin and a betrayal of local US allies on the ground.On Sunday, Trump national security adviser John Bolton said US troops would only remain so long as the Islamic State and Iran were threats.“The president has made it clear that we are there until the ISIS territorial caliphate is removed and as long as the Iranian menace continues throughout the Middle East,” he told ABC’s “This Week.”Israel reportedly already agreed to such a formulation when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Putin last week and clarified publicly that Israel has no issue with Assad.Netanyahu said Sunday he had also discussed the issue with Trump a day earlier.On Sunday night, Syrian state media accused Israel of hitting a base near Aleppo, reportedly used by Iranian militia fighters and their proxies, in what could be interpreted as a signal that Jerusalem does not intend to scale back its air campaign no matter the outcome of the meeting.-Giving up ground? The West, watching the summit anxiously after a week in which Trump threatened to up-end a summit of the NATO allies, may be relieved if not much comes of the Helsinki meeting.Many fear that Trump — in his eagerness to prove that he was right to seek the summit with Putin despite Russia’s often hostile stance — may give up too much ground.In the run-up to talks, Trump has refused to personally commit to the US refusal to recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea, leaving open the possibility of a climb-down.If Washington were to de facto accept Russia’s 2014 land-grab, this would break with decades of US policy send tremors through NATO’s exposed eastern flank.Trump’s critics in Washington will be watching this — and also how he handles the growing evidence that Russian agents intervened in America’s 2016 presidential race.Last week US special prosecutor Robert Mueller indicted 12 more Russian intelligence officers for allegedly hacking Trump rival Hillary Clinton’s computer server.There will be outrage at home if Trump does not confront Putin over the scandal, but the mercurial US leader would not say whether he would demand the suspects’ extradition.“Well, I might. I hadn’t thought of that. But I certainly…. I’ll be asking about it,” Trump told CBS.Senior diplomat and now chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass said that for centuries world order has depended on “non-interference in the internal affairs of others and respect for sovereignty.”“Russia has violated this norm by seizing Crimea and by interfering in the 2016 US election. We must deal with Putin’s Russia as the rogue state it is,” he tweeted.-Cheers and jeers-As with other high level meetings, Trump will be paying close attention to how it is covered, but indicated Sunday he did not expect to win over the Washington media and foreign policy establishment.In a bitter tweet sent as he flew between his golf resort in Scotland to the Finnish capital, he said even if he was handed the keys to Moscow “it would not be good enough.”Heading to Helsinki, Finland – looking forward to meeting with President Putin tomorrow. Unfortunately, no matter how well I do at the Summit, if I was given the great city of Moscow as retribution for all of the sins and evils committed by Russia…— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 15, 2018-Helsinki may not be impressed either.On the eve of the summit, more than 2,000 people denounced Trump and Putin and hailed human rights, press freedom and dissent as they marched in the city’s Senate Square.Trump landed in Helsinki late Sunday. He planned no public appearances until Monday, when he heads to the Presidential Palace for breakfast with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. Trump and Putin meet later Monday at the palace.The president flew in from Scotland, where he and his wife, Melania, spent the weekend at a golf resort he owns there.As he neared his hotel, several dozen supporters sporting “Make America Great Again” caps waved American flags and cheered.Dozens of police cordoned off a small area Sunday night at an intersection along the route of Trump’s motorcade near the posh waterfront hotel where he and Melania are staying.The Trump fans, several from the True Finn anti-immigration party, said they wanted to make a show of support in a country where many people have criticized his policies.A few scattered boos rang out from across the road.Trump and his wife waved at the supporters, two of whom held up a handwritten banner that read “God Bless D & M Trump.”Times of Israel staff and AP contributed to this report.
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
Syria airstrike blamed on Israel said to kill 9 pro-regime fighters-UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least six of the dead are Syrians; Iranians also stationed at Al-Nayrab airbase in north of country-By Agencies and TOI staff-JUL 17,18
BEIRUT, Lebanon — At least nine pro-regime fighters died in an overnight strike in northern Syria blamed on Israel, a monitor said Monday.Syrian state media accused Israel of bombing a military position in Aleppo province late Sunday, in what would be a rare Israeli attack so far north in the war-ravaged country.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said Monday that those killed included at least six Syrians and that Iranian fighters were also stationed at the base.Earlier, the country’s official news agency SANA reported there was only damage to the site, identified as the Al-Nayrab airbase, adjacent to Aleppo’s international airport.“The Zionist enemy (Israel)… targeted with its missiles one of our military positions north of the Nayrab military airport, but the damage was only material,” SANA said citing a military source.Al-Nayrab has in the past been linked with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps militia.The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside the country, said it had recorded a wave of blasts around Neirab on Sunday night.It said that a suspected Israeli missile strike had targeted “positions held by Syria’s regime and its allies at the Nayrab airport” and its surroundings.The base was reportedly previously struck by Israel on April 29 as part of a large raid that also targeted weapons depots near Hama.There was no immediate comment from Israel, which rarely confirms such attacks.Suspected Israeli air strikes have hit Syrian army positions near Damascus and in the central provinces of Homs and Hama in the past.However, they rarely occur as far north as Aleppo.The raid came hours before a high-stakes summit between Russian president Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, where Syria and Iran are expected to be on the agenda.Israel has been pushing Russia to remove Iranian-aligned militia fighters from Syria, and has vowed to stop them from getting a foothold anywhere in the country. Russia has reportedly only agreed to removing them from the Golan border region.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with Putin in Moscow last week, said Sunday he had discussed the issue with Trump a day earlier.Netanyahu reportedly told Putin during their Wednesday meeting that Israel would not challenge Assad’s control of Syria, in exchange for freedom to act against Iran.On July 8, Israel was accused of carrying out an airstrike on the T-4 military base near Homs, also thought to be used by IRGC fighters.
Israel said to strike Iran-linked base in northern Syria-Al-Nayrab airbase outside Aleppo reportedly houses Iranian fighters; Syrian state media says Israeli missiles cause damage to material-By TOI staff and Agencies-17 July 2018
Israel on Sunday night attacked a military base near Aleppo in northern Syria, the country’s official news agency SANA reported, citing a military source.SANA said there was only damage to the site, identified as the Al-Nayrab airbase, adjacent to Aleppo’s international airport.“The Zionist enemy (Israel)… targeted with its missiles one of our military positions north of the Nayrab military airport, but the damage was only material,” SANA said.However, there were unconfirmed reports of casualties at the site.Al-Nayrab has in the past been linked with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps militia.#BREAKING – #Israel strikes #Syrian positions near #Aleppo International Airport. The strikes have killed several Syrian soldiers including 2 from besieged areas of Nubul and Zahra in #Idlib. pic.twitter.com/IgxV2rcVVK— SURA (@AlSuraEnglish) July 15, 2018-The base was reportedly previously struck by Israel on April 29 as part of a large raid that also targeted weapons depots near Hama.There was no immediate comment from Israel, which rarely confirms such attacks.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said it had recorded a wave of blasts around Nayrab on Sunday night.“They were caused by a missile attack, suspected to have been carried out by Israel, targeting positions held by Syria’s regime and its allies at the Neirab airport and around it,” the Britain-based monitor said.Suspected Israeli air strikes have hit Syrian army positions near Damascus and in the central provinces of Homs and Hama in the past.However, they rarely occur as far north as Aleppo.The raid came hours before a high-stakes summit between Russian president Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, where Syria and Iran are expected to be on the agenda.Israel has been pushing Russia to remove Iranian-aligned militia fighters from Syria, and has vowed to stop them from getting a foothold anywhere in the country. Russia has reportedly only agreed to removing them from the Golan border region.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with Putin in Moscow last week, said Sunday he had discussed the issue with Trump a day earlier.Netanyahu reportedly told Putin during their Wednesday meeting that Israel would not challenge Assad’s control of Syria, in exchange for freedom to act against Iran.On July 8, Israel was accused of carrying out an airstrike on the T-4 military base near Homs, also thought to be used by IRGC fighters.
18 Palestinians arrested in predawn West Bank raids; border cops thwart breach-In overnight operations security forces also seize 'terror funds' and guns, including an assault rifle and a submachine gun hidden in a Barbie backpack-By Judah Ari Gross-TOI-JUL 17,18
Israeli security forces arrested 19 Palestinian suspects in raids across the West Bank on Sunday night and early Monday morning, officials said.In addition to the arrests, the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Police and Shin Bet security service found and confiscated a number of guns in the city of Hebron and also seized thousands of shekels that the military said were intended to fund Palestinian terrorist operations.Riots broke out in response to IDF raids in the West Bank town of Kafr Bidu and in the nearby East Jerusalem neighborhood of Kafr Aqab. Though Kafr Aqab was annexed by Israel and is part of the capital, the neighborhood sits on the West Bank side of the security fence and often falls under the responsibility of the IDF.During the riots, dozens of residents threw rocks and other objects at the troops. The soldiers responded with less-lethal riot dispersal weapons, the army said.No injuries were reported on either side.According to the Israel Defense Forces, 18 Palestinians were arrested in predawn raids across the West Bank. They were suspected of being involved in terrorist activities or taking part in low-level violence against Israeli troops and civilians, mostly in the form of rock throwing.During the raids in Hebron, the military uncovered the cache of weapons, which included an M-4 assault rifle, an air-powered pistol, ammunition, magazines and other assorted gun parts, the army said.The thousands of shekels worth of “terror funds” were seized during a search in the northern West Bank, near the Tapuah Junction, the army said.“This activity was part of the campaign against funds used for terror,” the military said.In addition to these raids, which were planned in advance, the Border Police also arrested one Palestinian who they said was part of a group that attempted to enter Israel from the northern West Bank, near the city of Jenin.“Troops spotted a number of suspects trying to use a ladder to cross the security fence,” police said.“Once they were spotted, the forces chased after the suspects on foot. During the chase, some of them fled back toward the West Bank and some of them seem to have entered Israel,” police said.One of the suspects was caught and handed over to the Shin Bet for questioning. He was a resident of Jenin, in his 20s, police said.In addition, during the chase, one of the suspects threw away a pink Barbie backpack containing a Carlo-style submachine gun, a common type of weapon in the West Bank, often made locally from readily available materials.“The troops also found a cellphone and a bolt-cutter for getting through fences,” the police said.The commander of the unit that interrupted the infiltration praised his officers for “preventing the infiltration of weapons into Israeli territory.”
Army head said to rebuff minister demanding lethal force against kite launchers-Gadi Eisenkot tells Naftali Bennett dropping bombs on Gazans preparing to send incendiary kites and balloons over border is against his moral position, according to Hadashot report-By TOI staff-JUL 17,18
Education Minister Naftali Bennett and IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot reportedly clashed Sunday over targeting Gaza Strip Palestinians who launch incendiary balloons and kites towards Israel, with the army commander saying it would be immoral to use lethal fire against them.The exchange came during a security cabinet meeting discussion on how to tackle the problem of the fire balloons and kites, which Gazans have been sending across the border daily, sparking large fires in Israeli fields and forests.The government and military have come under intense domestic pressure to step up its response to stymie the balloons and kites, which has mostly consisted of firing warning shots at cells launching the devices. Some southern residents have adopted the slogan “treat kites as you would rockets.”Bennett has joined those pushing for a stronger military response, urging the Israel Defense Forces to strike Palestinians it identifies preparing to launch the airborne incendiaries.“Why not shoot at anyone who fires aerial weapons at our communities and also at the cells [preparing the incendiaries for launch]?” Bennett asked Eisenkot, according to a report carried by Hadashot television news Sunday. “There is no legal impediment. Why shoot next to them and not at them? We are talking about terrorists in every respect.”Eisenkot replied that he didn’t think “shooting at young people and children, who are sometimes those who are launching the balloons, is right,”“And if it is an adult, identified as an adult?” probed Bennett.“Are you suggesting dropping bombs from a plane on cells launching kites and balloons?” asked Eisenkot.“Yes,” said Bennett.“That is against my operational and moral position,” Eisenkot replied.The exchange, which took place behind closed doors, could not be confirmed.The meeting had been called after Saturday saw a sharp uptick in cross border fighting, with Israel launching massive air raids across Gaza and nearly 200 projectiles fired at communities in Israel.Sunday saw renewed incidents of balloons and kites being launched into Israel, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed they would be seen as a breach of the delicate ceasefire reached after Saturday’s fighting.The IDF said Sunday it fired near three groups of Palestinians preparing incendiary balloons or kites.The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reported that at least two of the attacks caused injuries.According to the Hadashot news report, ministers also complained that the media was driving the pressure for them to step up their response to the balloons and kites, which have burned hundreds of acres but caused no injuries.“They keep saying ‘Israel is on fire,’ ‘Israel is burning.’ Israel is not burning,” Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz reportedly said.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then reportedly replied: “The media reports are overblown. The media is feeding this [perception] and presenting things in a warped way.”
Aiming to be Jerusalem’s first female mayor, MK sees thaw in religious tensions-Just 10 years ago, Rachel Azaria was fighting to have her face featured on Jerusalem bus ads; a decade on, former deputy mayor says her hometown in throes of change-By Marissa Newman-TOI-JUL 17,18
Musing about her newly launched campaign to become Jerusalem’s first female mayor, Kulanu lawmaker Rachel Azaria wistfully spoke about “returning to Jerusalem” and underlined her longing for the city of her birth. Which was somewhat peculiar, considering that our interview was taking place in her office in the Knesset, firmly in the heart of Jerusalem. But in Azaria’s view, location aside, the hilltop legislative tower puncturing the capital’s skyline is far removed from the residents milling below its fortified gates.“The Knesset, generally, is disconnected from the public,” said the former Jerusalem deputy mayor and council member for seven years, who entered Israel’s parliament and governing coalition in 2015.As a lawmaker for the center-right Kulanu coalition party, “I would meet a lot of groups, a lot of people, and I would ask them, ‘how many MKs have you met?’ Mostly, they said I was the first. And I would ask another question, ‘how many of you have met your mayor?’ And nearly all of them raised their hands. That’s the discrepancy between the local councils and the national [politics],” she said.Incisive and businesslike, at 4:30 p.m. Azaria is sitting down for her first cup of coffee of the day (“campaigns give you energy!”), amid a busy schedule to tie up various legislative loose ends in the Knesset before bidding the parliament adieu. Regardless of the outcome in October mayoral race, Azaria will retire from national politics and return to the Jerusalem city council.Wrapping up her three-year parliamentary run, she cited five laws aiding working parents, including an extension of paid maternity leave, among the various efforts she is most proud of advancing while in the Knesset. Many of those proposals were amendments to laws, she gradually discovered, advanced by a young Golda Meir in the first decade of Israel’s existence.Azaria, 40, announced in late June she would run for mayor of Jerusalem, joining a long list of candidates in the race, including her colleague in the coalition Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze’ev Elkin (Likud), Hitorerut candidate Ofer Berkovich, Jerusalem council member Moshe Lion, former municipal legal adviser Yossi Havilio, and little-known Avi Salman. The ultra-Orthodox community is also mulling fielding its own candidate, with Deputy Mayor Yossi Deitsch of the United Torah Judaism faction seen as the leading Haredi candidate, alongside fellow party member Yitzhak Pindrus, also a deputy mayor. The Yerushalmim faction, which Azaria founded, announced it would back her candidacy.Dismissing widespread predictions that the broad array of candidates (including Berkovich and Elkin) appealing to the city’s secular and Modern Orthodox communities could leave the field wide open for an ultra-Orthodox candidate to win, Azaria, a modern Orthodox mother of four, maintained she broadens the pluralistic vote from the secular, to the religious and modern Haredi Jerusalemites.The head of the Knesset’s Reforms Committee, Azaria said she was not leaving Israel’s parliament out of discontent with her political role and maintained she did not view the change as a step-down.Rather, Azaria insisted she always intended to come back to work on a local level in the city, tackling what she views as its most pressing challenges: housing and urban renewal to ward off a looming congestion crisis; creating more employment opportunities and business hubs in its residential areas; combating its dire shortage of classrooms, particularly in Haredi schools; resolving property issues; and giving a funding boost to youth movements.The real changes taking place in Israeli society and a gradual erosion of tribal boundaries are taking place at a faster pace in Jerusalem, she said of the largest city in the country with its diverse secular, Modern Orthodox, ultra-Orthodox, and Arab population.-Would Jerusalem elect a woman as mayor? In Israel’s 70-year history, no woman has ever held the position of mayor in its three major cities of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, or Haifa. Currently, 98 percent of local councils are led by men, with just four exceptions out of 201 authorities — Netanya, Yehud, Or Yehuda, and Ganei Tikva, according to a Knesset report from March.A longtime activist on religion and state and women’s issues, Azaria just a decade ago was mired in a legal battle (in which she triumphed) to have her face and those of female members of her Yerushalmim faction printed on bus ads in the city. The Egged bus company had declined over concerns the images would offend its sizable ultra-Orthodox clientele in the capital, where one-third of Jewish residents identify as Haredi.Ten years after a fierce fight over the so-called disappearance of women from the public sphere, does she think the conservative city would elect a woman as mayor? By way of an answer, Azaria pointed to what she described as a broader thaw in the city between its disparate communities.Internal research conducted by her campaign on Jerusalem residents found that 75 percent of 869 respondents who are eligible to vote rejected the statement that a mayor of the city must “choose a side” between the secular and ultra-Orthodox; 67% said real change will only come to Jerusalem when the secular and Haredim join forces; and among the ultra-Orthodox, some 30% say their rabbis’ opinion or endorsement will not determine their vote for mayor. Acknowledging that some segments of the Haredi community would never cast the ballot for a female candidate, Azaria said that her internal polling nonetheless gave her a fighting chance.Pitting the secular against the ultra-Orthodox is the “politics of ten years ago,” she said, pledging not to inflame tensions between the various communities in her campaign for political gain.‘It’s no ‘Hallelujah,’ and ‘We are the World.’ It’s very challenging… But what we are seeing is a process of change.’She attributed the shift away from identity politics and toward inter-communal cooperation in her strategy to focus on population-based policies — such as for parents to young children, the elderly, and so on — based on common interests and problems rather than community-based benefits.“There are a lot of populations that aren’t receiving due treatment because we’re used to seeing things according to tribes,” she said.In pushing for policies targeting groups by age or demographic, rather than religious or political affiliation, the rigid divides between the various groups “soften,” she asserted.“I think that for every group, there was a time when they had a dream that another group would disappear,” before ultimately realizing “that’s not going to happen,” said Azaria.“We don’t necessarily love each other, we are even sometimes afraid of one another,” she continued, noting in passing her MA in Conflict Resolution. “But we understand that no one is going to disappear. And when you start to realize that you say, ‘okay, this group has children who need a classroom, and this one has children and needs a kindergarten, a bike trail, a pedestrian path.'”In the end, Jerusalem is a city and its residents can find common cause in the nitty-gritty details of day-to-day life and services, she said.“It’s no ‘Hallelujah,’ and ‘We are the World.’ It’s very challenging, it’s a challenging city. But what we are seeing is the process of change. If ten years ago, we never imagined that even the secular and religious would be partners in such a process, now we see that the Haredim are partners in this process. It’s a process of a lot of people saying, we want to live here together.”-Church lands, housing, employment hubs-Among the most pressing issues Azaria sees facing Jerusalem are housing and urban planning. With little room to expand in the west and east, the capital faces a housing squeeze that Azaria said could be rectified by speeding up urban renewal projects, known as “pinui-binui,” and requires improved building planning overall. While her generation was still able to purchase apartments in the capital at a reasonable rate in outlying and developing neighborhoods, said Azaria, who lives in Katamonim, those just eight years her junior are already priced out of purchasing homes in Jerusalem.As a lawmaker, Azaria also championed regulating property issues, most prominently in a bill to confiscate lands in Jerusalem sold by churches to anonymous buyers in exchange for monetary compensation. Some 1,500 homes are built on the land under a 99-year lease, set to expire in the coming years and putting the homeowners’ future in jeopardy.In a dramatic turn, Orthodox and Catholic church leaders in February shuttered Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre to protest Azaria’s legislation and a new municipal tax policy, capturing global attention. As a result, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed a special committee headed by Likud Minister Tzachi Hanegbi to oversee the legislation.Azaria lauded the formation of the committee, saying it was hammering out a compromise with the real estate developers, and adding that she would be passing the torch on to other government lawmakers.“If everyone acts reasonably, there is no reason to get to land expropriation. But if they start to hurt 80-year-olds, who live in their apartments [for decades],” the government will step in, she said.Jerusalem also must improve its employment offerings and create business hubs outside the downtown area, said Azaria. Despite generous tax breaks for companies, particularly for hi-tech, “there is nearly no dialogue between the companies and the municipality,” she said. Pledging to create a special unit in the municipality dedicated for this purpose if elected, Azaria also vowed to convene frequent meetings and stringent oversight for all projects being advanced by the municipality to secure results.“In the end, it’s management, management, management,” she said. ‘A lack of trust’ between city hall, East Jerusalem “In my eyes, Jerusalem is one city. All the talk of division is, in my view, not relevant,” said Azaria, On East Jerusalem, the former deputy mayor said the main gaps between the east and west of the city are education, construction planning, and public transportation. On education, additional schools must be built, while planning and public transportation plans require “a lot more dialogue,” she said, noting a chronic “lack of trust” between East Jerusalem leaders and the municipality.But marking improvements in recent years, Azaria said it was no longer accurate to say housing units were not approved by the municipality for East Jerusalem, and lands that were designated for schools in the east were less likely to be immediately set upon with illegal construction.And there were examples of trust and cooperation, she said.In late 2014, during an uptick in violence, many of the assailants were East Jerusalem children and teenagers who would flee the Israeli authorities by entering Palestinian schools, she recalled. Israeli Border Police were set to enter the schools to retrieve the assailants when the Jerusalem municipality reached a deal with Arab principals: Ensure the children are in school, keep them indoors with extracurricular activities funded by the city until the evening, and the Border Police will keep out.“The principals agreed. It reached a point where they would come to the children’s houses, pull them out of bed, and bring them to school,” said Azaria, who was deputy mayor at the time. “It was very impressive.”“I think Jerusalem is one of those cities where, because it can explode at any moment, it doesn’t,” she added, applauding civil society efforts on top of the Shin Bet security service operations.“And one of the reasons it doesn’t happen is because a lot of people are working very hard so that it shouldn’t.”Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Controversial ‘segregation’ clause dropped from Jewish nation-state bill-Sanctioning of Jewish-only communities struck out in favor of more generic clause that urges 'the development of Jewish settlement' as 'a national value'-By Raoul Wootliff-TOI-JUL 17,18
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Education Minister Naftali Bennett reached an agreement Sunday on a key change to the nation-state bill that will remove a controversial clause sanctioning housing discrimination on the basis of ethnicity or religion, and replace it with a new one celebrating “Jewish settlement” in general terms.Clause 7B of the Likud-sponsored legislation, which the government hopes to have approved by the end of the month, previously would have allowed the state to “authorize a community composed of people having the same faith and nationality to maintain the exclusive character of that community.”Politicians, legal advisers and others have warned that that version of the so-called Jewish State bill is discriminatory and could cast a dark shadow over Israel in the international arena.In a bid to gain wider support for the bill and quiet its vociferous critics, Bennett had proposed language removing the clause and replace it with a call for strengthening the Jewish presence in predominantly Arab Israeli areas.Following negotiations with the prime minister, Bennett said in a statement Sunday, the new version of the clause reads: “The state views the development of Jewish settlement as a national value and will act to encourage and promote its establishment and consolidation.”Bennett said that the new version will face a Knesset committee vote on Monday before final plenary votes on the law ahead of the parliament’s summer recess on July 22.Votes on other amendments to the bill were postponed Sunday due to the ongoing negotiations between coalition partners. It was unclear whether further changes were being considered.Speaking on Israel Radio on Sunday morning, Bennett said that the bill was an important piece of legislation that should not be delayed, despite tensions on Israel’s southern border with the Gaza Strip and northern border with Syria.Opposition members have come out in force against the bill, and on Saturday called for a delay in the discussions in light of the current round of violence in the south.“The south is burning, dozens of sirens sounded last night and today, and the situation may further escalate. I call on the coalition and the committee to cancel the meeting that was intended for the vote on the national law, and to unite to protect the south,” MK Merav Michaeli of the Zionist Union faction tweeted.“It is an illegitimate and dangerous law that is impossible to pass quickly while the artillery thunders.”Meretz leader Tamar Zandberg tweeted that “when the government has no solution in Gaza, it enacts racist laws.”Thousands of protesters marched through Tel Aviv Saturday night demonstrating against the bill. The demonstration, which was organized by a broad alliance of opposition parties, progressive Jewish groups, LGBT activists and left-wing NGOs, numbered some 2,500 people, and called on the government to scrap not only the clause on separate communities but the entire proposal.Last Tuesday, opposition to the law as it stood was sounded by President Reuven Rivlin, who said the bill could allow the establishment of towns that would, for example, exclude Jews of Middle Eastern origin, ultra-Orthodox Jews or homosexuals; Knesset legal adviser Eyal Yinon; and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit; and his deputy, Raz Nizri.If passed, the law would become one of the so-called Basic Laws, which like a constitution underpin Israel’s legal system and are more difficult to repeal than regular laws.Judaism is already mentioned throughout the country’s laws, and religious authorities control many aspects of life, including marriage. But the 11 existing Basic Laws deal mostly with state institutions like the Knesset, the courts and the presidency, while Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty defines Israel’s democratic character.Netanyahu has announced his intention to push the bill forward to become law before the current Knesset session ends on July 22.In addition, the law would also set Hebrew as the official language of Israel. Arabic would be relegated from an official language to one with “special status,” which would ensure its speakers the “right to accessible state services.”The law would also declare that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, make explicit the connection between Diaspora Jewry and the state and fix the Hebrew calendar as the official calendar of the state, as well as recognizing Independence Day, days of remembrance and Jewish holidays.
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH IN NOAHS DAY(BECAUSE OF SIN,VIOLENCE AND GODLESS PEOPLE)
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
HOSEA 4:1-3
1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
DEUTORONOMY 28:22-24
22 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
After tremors, experts warn a huge quake is the greatest threat facing Israel-Scientists say thousands could die because Israel, which sits on a major fault line, has ignored warnings to strengthen homes and schools-By TOI staff-17 July 2018
After a series of minor tremors rattled northern Israel over the last two weeks, experts warned that the country is negligently unprepared for a major earthquake that would likely kill thousands of people, including many children.“The threat of an earthquake, is in my eyes, the greatest threat facing the state of Israel,” geologist Ariel Heimann told Hadashot news on Friday. “It is definitely a greater threat than the Qassam [rockets] fired from Gaza, and it is a far greater danger than the Iranian threat.”Israel sits on the Syrian-African rift, a tear in the earth’s crust running the length of the border separating Israel and Jordan, and is part of the Great Rift Valley, which extends from northern Syria to Mozambique.The last major earthquake to hit the region was in 1927 — a 6.2-magnitude tremor that killed 500 people and injured another 700. And experts have warned Israel is due for a major quake in the near future.“If, God forbid, we have an earthquake like this, it will leave thousands dead and hundreds of thousands of people will have to leave their homes. Houses will be destroyed, there will be massive economic damage that will set the country back dozens of years,” Heimann warned.Another expert said school children were particularly vulnerable, pointing to a recent report that out of 1,600 schools deemed to be in danger of collapsing in a survey three years ago, just 53 have since been reinforced.“In Haiti 38,000 children died, in China more than 10,000 children were among the 120,000 killed, in Pakistan it was 17,000 among 83,000 dead — do people understand this?” asked Ephraim Leor, an expert on mass casualty disasters. “We could lose an entire generation between the ages of 6 and 18.”Col. Itzik Bar from the IDF’s Home Front Command, put expected casualties from a major quake at 7,000 dead and 200,000 homeless.“Apparently it will unfortunately take a mid-sized quake with 100-200 casualties to make this country wake up and seriously prepare,” he told Hadashot.A minor earthquake hit northern Israel on Monday evening, bringing the number of tremors in the area in recent days to more than 40, further fueling fears that a major earthquake could be on its way.The epicenter of the 3.2 quake was at the northern edge of the Sea of Galilee, similar to the previous ones. It hit at 6:15 p.m. without causing damage or casualties.But despite the looming threat, new details show that the government has been making very little progress in preparing for a strong tremor and strengthening structures.None of the 108 dangerous material factories, ordered two years ago by the Ministry of Environmental Protection to strengthen their structures, has completed the process, an earlier Hadashot news report said. Only one factory has presented a plan to implement the decision. The ministry said it was behind schedule, due to a “severe shortage of manpower.”A nationwide early warning system approved in 2012 only began its deployment a year ago. The Geological Survey of Israel has only deployed 55 of the 120 alert stations, none of which are operational.But sounding dire warnings appears to have little effect. Previous warnings have fallen on deaf ears.A State Comptroller report in 2001 found that no funding had been allocated for strengthening buildings and infrastructure. It was followed by another report in 2004, which said that not much had been done in the intervening years, due to spats between ministries over responsibility for the work.An inter-ministerial committee set up in 2004 proposed making preparations for a 7.5 magnitude quake to the country’s north, with catastrophic loss of life and severe damage to infrastructure. It raised the prospect of 16,000 dead and nearly 100,000 wounded in such an event, with 10,000 buildings destroyed.In 2011, another state comptroller report sounded further warnings about the threat to northern communities and infrastructure from an earthquake, and once again lamented the dearth of precautionary measures taken.Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman announced last week that a new multi-year plan to protect Israel from earthquakes will be presented to the cabinet this month.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
Last of Kurdish militia leave Syria’s Manbij to defuse Turkey tensions-Ankara had threatened to advance toward northern city to oust YPG fighters, who had stayed after defeating IS, raising fears of clash with US and French troops also stationed there-By AFP-TOI-JUL 17,18
BEIRUT, Lebanon — The last members of a Kurdish militia pulled out on Sunday from the Syrian town of Manbij, allied Arab fighters said, under a deal reached to avoid clashes with Turkey.The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) led the victorious 2016 offensive to rid Manbij of the Islamic State group and had kept military advisers in the town to train local forces.It announced last month it would begin withdrawing from the town as the local Manbij Military Council was capable of holding it on its own.“The last group of military advisers from the People’s Protection Units finished withdrawing on July 15, 2018 after completing their mission to train and develop our forces, under the deal with the international coalition,” the MMC said.The YPG forms the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-Arab alliance that has ousted IS from swathes of Syria with help from the US-led coalition.But the militia is considered a “terrorist” group by Ankara, which sees it as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), outlawed in Turkey.Ankara and allied rebels overran the YPG’s northwestern bastion of Afrin in March and threatened to continue on to Manbij.That raised the specter of a possible confrontation with the American and French coalition troops stationed in the town.A flurry of diplomacy between the US and Turkey produced a joint “roadmap” in May to coordinate security in Manbij and avoid a clash.The YPG announced in June it would withdraw its forces from Manbij, but did not specify how many were still left in the town.Turkish troops began patrolling areas north of Manbij, which Syria’s infuriated government saw as a breach of its sovereignty.Since conflict broke out there in 2011, Syria has been sliced up into various zones of control, with the government making a comeback to hold more than 60 percent of the country.But much of its north is controlled by the YPG or its allies, and the US-led coalition fighting IS operates several bases there.
US Muslim candidates running in record numbers face backlash-From Congress to school boards, more Muslims are running for office than at any time in decades, many spurred by Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric-By Philip Marcelo and Jeff Karoub-TOI-JUL 17,18
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts (AP) — A liberal woman of color with zero name recognition and little funding takes down a powerful, long serving congressman from her own political party.When Tahirah Amatul-Wadud heard about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s stunning upset over US Rep. Joe Crowley in New York’s Democratic primary last month, the first-time candidate saw parallels with her own longshot campaign for Congress in western Massachusetts.The 44-year-old Muslim African-American civil rights lawyer, who is taking on a 30-year congressman and ranking Democrat on the influential House Ways and Means Committee, says she wasn’t alone, as encouragement, volunteers and donations started pouring in.“We could barely stay on top of the residual love,” says Amatul-Wadud, US Rep. Richard Neal’s lone challenger in the state’s September 4 Democratic primary. “It sent a message to all of our volunteers, voters and supporters that winning is very possible.”From Congress to state legislatures and school boards, Muslim Americans spurred to action by the anti-Muslim policies and rhetoric of US President Donald Trump and his supporters are running for elected offices in numbers not seen since before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, say Muslim groups and political observers.Many, like Amatul-Wadud, hope to ride the surge of progressive activism within the Democratic Party that delivered Ocasio-Cortez’s unlikely win and could help propel the Democrats back to power in November.Pleased to meet Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, an African American Muslim woman, who will be running for the congress seat during #IndependenceDay parade of the #UnitedStatesofAmerica???????? in #Chesterfield #Massachusetts.@TahirahCongress pic.twitter.com/y27Zr15J1p— Nuaman Ishfaq Mughal (@NuamanIM) July 9, 2018-Still, the path to victory can be tougher for a Muslim American. Some promising campaigns already have fizzled out while many more face strong anti-Muslim backlash.In Michigan, Democratic candidate for governor Abdul El-Sayed continues to face unfounded claims from a GOP rival that he has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, even though Republican and Democratic politicians alike have denounced the accusations as “conspiracy theories.”In Rochester, Minnesota, mayoral candidate Regina Mustafa has notified authorities of at least two instances where anti-Muslim threats were posted on her social media accounts.And in Arizona, US Senate candidate Deedra Abboud received a torrent of Islamophobic attacks on Facebook last July that prompted outgoing US Sen. Jeff Flake, the Republican lawmaker Abboud is hoping to replace, to come to her defense on Twitter.“I’m a strong believer that we have to face this rhetoric,” said Abboud, who has also had right-wing militant groups the Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights and the Proud Boys stage armed protests her campaign events. “We can’t ignore it or pretend like it’s a fringe element anymore. We have to let the ugly face show so that we can decide if that is us.”There were as many as 90 Muslim-Americans running for national or statewide offices this election cycle, a number that Muslim groups say was unprecedented, at least in the post-9/11 era.But recent primaries have whittled the field down to around 50, a number that still far exceeds the dozen or so that ran in 2016, said Shaun Kennedy, co-founder of Jetpac, a Massachusetts nonprofit that helps train Muslim-American candidates.Among the candidates to fall short were California physician Asif Mahmood, who placed third in last month’s primary for state insurance commissioner, despite raising more than $1 million. And in Texas, wealthy businessman Tahir Javed finished a distant second in his Democratic primary for Congress, despite an endorsement from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.Nine candidates for Congress are still in the running, according to Jetpac’s tally. At least 18 others are campaigning for state legislature and 10 more seek major statewide and local offices, such as governor, mayor and city council. Even more are running for more modest offices like local planning board and school committee.The next critical stretch of primaries is in August.In Michigan, at least seven Muslim Americans are on the August 7 ballot, including El-Sayed, who could become the nation’s first Muslim governor.In Minnesota, the decision by Keith Ellison, the nation’s first Muslim congressman, to run for state attorney general has set off a political frenzy for his congressional seat that includes two Muslim candidates, both Democrats: Ilhan Omar, the country’s first Somali-American state lawmaker, and Jamal Abdulahi, a Somali-American activist.But historic wins in those and other races are far from assured, cautions Geoffrey Skelley, an associate editor at Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a nonpartisan political analysis website run by the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.Omar’s chances of emerging from a field of five Democratic candidates in Minnesota’s August 14 primary was bolstered by a recent endorsement from the state Democratic Party, but El-Sayed is an underdog in his gubernatorial race, he said.Other Muslim-American candidates might fare better in Michigan, which has one of the nation’s largest Arab-American populations, Skelley added.There, former state Rep. Rashida Tlaib has raised more money than her Democratic rivals in the race to succeed Democratic Rep. John Conyers, who resigned last year amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Former Obama administration official Fayrouz Saad is also running as a Democrat in the wide open race to succeed Republican Rep. David Trott, who isn’t seeking re-election.Either could become the first Muslim woman elected to Congress, which has only ever had two Muslim members: outgoing Ellison and Rep. Andre Carson, an Indiana Democrat seeking re-election.Saad, who served most recently as director of Detroit’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, recognizes the importance of representing her community in an era of rising Islamophobia.The 35-year-old broke from the conservative Republican politics of her Lebanese immigrant parents following the 9/11 attacks because she felt Arabs and Muslims were unfairly targeted.“I felt the way to push back against that was to be at the table,” said Saad, adding that her parents’ political leanings have also since moved to the left. “We have to step up and be voices for our communities and not wait for others to speak on behalf of us.”But not all Muslim candidates feel that way.In San Diego, California, 36-year-old Republican congressional candidate Omar Qudrat declined to comment on how Islamophobia has impacted his campaign, including instances when his faith have been called into question by members of his own political party.Instead, the 37-year old political newcomer, who is one of at least three Muslim Republicans running nationwide this year, provided a statement touting his main campaign issues as he faces Democratic US Rep. Scott Peters in November: addressing San Diego’s high number of homeless military veterans, improving public education and expanding economic opportunities for city residents.“Running for public office is about advancing the interests of your constituents and the American people,” Qudrat’s statement reads. “Nothing else.”
Top Trump aide says US to stay in Syria as long as Iran ‘menacing’ region-In apparent about-face after Trump said US would pull out once ISIS defeated, sparking Israeli jitters, John Bolton now indicates administration no longer in hurry to leave Syria-By TOI staff-JUL 17,18
US President Donald Trump’s top security adviser said Sunday that US troops would remain in Syria as long as Iran continues to “menace” the region, seemingly reversing a promise by the White House to pull out sooner.Trump said in April that US troops would be leaving Syria right away, drawing consternation from Israeli officials, who saw the arena being ceded to Russia, an ally of Iran.On Sunday, though, Trump national security adviser John Bolton said troops would remain as long as Iran was causing trouble in the region.“I think the president has made it clear that we are there until the ISIS territorial caliphate is removed and as long as the Iranian menace continues throughout the Middle East,” he told ABC’s “This Week.”Bolton said the topic would be discussed by Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin when the two meet for their first official summit in Helsinki Monday.Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said Friday that Syria and the Iranian presence there will feature high on the agenda of the summit.Israel and Russia have long been rumored to be hammering out a deal on the status of Iran’s forces in Syria, as the civil war in the nation winds down and President Bashar Assad regains much of the territory he lost to rebel forces during seven years of fighting.On April 4, Trump told a rally that the US would be “coming out of Syria very soon.”The comment drew immediate concern from US allies in the region — mainly Israel, Kurdish groups and Gulf states — that Washington would leave a power vacuum to be filled by the Syria-Russia-Iran axis. The plan was also opposed by many US defense officials.US officials said a phone call between Trump and Netanyahu that day grew tense over the issue, a rare sign of discord between the two leaders who have almost always been in lockstep on Iran and other issues.According to Israeli officials speaking to al-Monitor, Trump told Netanyahu he was committed to Israel’s security but would not change his mind on withdrawing the troops.“Ostensibly, when it comes to the situation of Iran along our northern border, there is no difference between his [Trump’s] position and that of Obama,” an unnamed Israeli minister told al-Monitor in April. “In the end, they both made the same decision to get out of here as fast as they can and not allow the Middle Eastern quagmire to cost America more than it already has.”The administration later clarified that the pullout would not take place as long as the IS still had a presence in Syria. No mention, however, was ever made of Iran — Israel’s main foe in the conflict.The US has some 2,000 troops in Syria. It has never offered a timetable for withdrawing them, but the move would fall in line with Trump’s “America First” stance.Bolton, seen as a war hawk, was not in the government when Trump made the initial announcement on pulling out of Syria.Israel has repeatedly said it will not allow Iran, or its Shiite proxies, to establish a permanent presence in post-war Syria. Tensions have been brewing along the border in recent months, with Israel launching attacks on Iranian targets in Syria in response to Iranian rocket fire and drone incursions into Israel.Other airstrikes on Syrian facilities used by Iran or its proxies have also been attributed to Israel, including a strike Sunday night near Aleppo.On Saturday, Netanyahu and Trump discussed Syria and Iran in a phone call, the Israeli premier said Sunday.“We discussed security and diplomatic issues in light of developments in the region, with Syria and Iran first and foremost, of course,” Netanyahu said at his weekly cabinet meeting. “I thanked President Trump for his strong policy against Iran because since this policy has been taken, we have seen a great effect on – and inside – Iran. President Trump clearly reiterated his commitment to the security of Israel and his willingness to help the State of Israel in various fields and, of course, I thanked him for that.”The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump and Putin set to test rapport, talk Syria in first summit-Deal for Israel and Russia to work on pushing out Iran said to be on table; some fear US president may concede too much in bid to portray Helsinki meeting as success-By AFP-TOI-JUL 17,18
HELSINKI, Finland — After months of anticipation, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meet Monday to put to the test the US president’s ambition to forge a personal bond with the Kremlin chief and find common ground on an array of issues that have pitted the powers on opposite sides of the battlefield.If Trump’s instinct is right and he makes a connection with Putin, then the pair’s Helsinki Summit may take the heat out of some of the world’s most dangerous conflicts.But the Washington-Moscow rivalry has a long history and there are there many points of friction that could yet spoil Trump’s hoped-for beautiful friendship.With the foes at loggerheads over Syria, Ukraine, pipeline policy, espionage and election interference, even Trump cautioned: “I’m not going with high expectations.”The brash billionaire property magnate has been president for 18 months, while the 65-year-old former KGB officer has run Russia for the past 18 years.The 72-year-old president nevertheless has a high opinion of his ability to woo tough opponents, such as North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, whom he met at a summit last month.“I think it’s a good thing to meet. I do believe in meetings,” Trump insisted in an interview with CBS News that aired before he touched down in Helsinki.In the same interview, Trump admitted that Russia remains a foe, but he put Moscow on a par with China and the European Union as economic and diplomatic rivals.The Kremlin has also played down hopes that the odd couple will emerge from their first formal one-on-one summit having resolved the issues poisoning relations.Putin, who played host at the World Cup final in Moscow on Sunday and was due to arrive in Finland later Monday, has remained terse in the run up to the summit.But on Friday his adviser Yuri Ushakov also played down expectations, saying: “The state of bilateral relations is very bad…. We have to start to set them right.”-A Syrian deal-High on the agenda will be Syria, with Israel hoping Washington will back its effort to garner Kremlin support for removing Iran’s presence from the country.Despite the doubts of his top national security advisers, Trump is keen to withdraw his own troops from eastern Syria, where they have been battling the Islamic State.Reports suggest he may seek a deal that Russia work with Israel to contain Iran’s influence, in exchange for allowing Putin’s ally Bashar Assad to stay in power.A deal like that could free up US troops to withdraw, but would also — as with Crimea — mark a major victory for Putin and a betrayal of local US allies on the ground.On Sunday, Trump national security adviser John Bolton said US troops would only remain so long as the Islamic State and Iran were threats.“The president has made it clear that we are there until the ISIS territorial caliphate is removed and as long as the Iranian menace continues throughout the Middle East,” he told ABC’s “This Week.”Israel reportedly already agreed to such a formulation when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Putin last week and clarified publicly that Israel has no issue with Assad.Netanyahu said Sunday he had also discussed the issue with Trump a day earlier.On Sunday night, Syrian state media accused Israel of hitting a base near Aleppo, reportedly used by Iranian militia fighters and their proxies, in what could be interpreted as a signal that Jerusalem does not intend to scale back its air campaign no matter the outcome of the meeting.-Giving up ground? The West, watching the summit anxiously after a week in which Trump threatened to up-end a summit of the NATO allies, may be relieved if not much comes of the Helsinki meeting.Many fear that Trump — in his eagerness to prove that he was right to seek the summit with Putin despite Russia’s often hostile stance — may give up too much ground.In the run-up to talks, Trump has refused to personally commit to the US refusal to recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea, leaving open the possibility of a climb-down.If Washington were to de facto accept Russia’s 2014 land-grab, this would break with decades of US policy send tremors through NATO’s exposed eastern flank.Trump’s critics in Washington will be watching this — and also how he handles the growing evidence that Russian agents intervened in America’s 2016 presidential race.Last week US special prosecutor Robert Mueller indicted 12 more Russian intelligence officers for allegedly hacking Trump rival Hillary Clinton’s computer server.There will be outrage at home if Trump does not confront Putin over the scandal, but the mercurial US leader would not say whether he would demand the suspects’ extradition.“Well, I might. I hadn’t thought of that. But I certainly…. I’ll be asking about it,” Trump told CBS.Senior diplomat and now chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass said that for centuries world order has depended on “non-interference in the internal affairs of others and respect for sovereignty.”“Russia has violated this norm by seizing Crimea and by interfering in the 2016 US election. We must deal with Putin’s Russia as the rogue state it is,” he tweeted.-Cheers and jeers-As with other high level meetings, Trump will be paying close attention to how it is covered, but indicated Sunday he did not expect to win over the Washington media and foreign policy establishment.In a bitter tweet sent as he flew between his golf resort in Scotland to the Finnish capital, he said even if he was handed the keys to Moscow “it would not be good enough.”Heading to Helsinki, Finland – looking forward to meeting with President Putin tomorrow. Unfortunately, no matter how well I do at the Summit, if I was given the great city of Moscow as retribution for all of the sins and evils committed by Russia…— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 15, 2018-Helsinki may not be impressed either.On the eve of the summit, more than 2,000 people denounced Trump and Putin and hailed human rights, press freedom and dissent as they marched in the city’s Senate Square.Trump landed in Helsinki late Sunday. He planned no public appearances until Monday, when he heads to the Presidential Palace for breakfast with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. Trump and Putin meet later Monday at the palace.The president flew in from Scotland, where he and his wife, Melania, spent the weekend at a golf resort he owns there.As he neared his hotel, several dozen supporters sporting “Make America Great Again” caps waved American flags and cheered.Dozens of police cordoned off a small area Sunday night at an intersection along the route of Trump’s motorcade near the posh waterfront hotel where he and Melania are staying.The Trump fans, several from the True Finn anti-immigration party, said they wanted to make a show of support in a country where many people have criticized his policies.A few scattered boos rang out from across the road.Trump and his wife waved at the supporters, two of whom held up a handwritten banner that read “God Bless D & M Trump.”Times of Israel staff and AP contributed to this report.
