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)
DISEASES-ANIMAL TO HUMAN
REVELATION 6:7-8 (500 MILLION DEAD EACH FROM THE 4 JUDGEMENTS)(2 BILLION TOT DEAD HERE)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 billion) of (8 billion) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS)(500 million) and with hunger,(FAMINE)(500 million) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES)(500 million) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE)(500 million).
THE COVID-19 TOTALS.
WORLD OVER ALL CASES 166,486,326 DEAD 3,457,851 AS OF SAT MAY 22,21
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
AMERICA (POLITICAL BABYLON)(NUKED BY SNEAK ATTACK FROM RUSSIA)
IN REVELATION 17 & 18 IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL BABYLONS.IF YOU CAN NOT DECERN BETWEEN THE 2 BABYLONS IN REV 17 & 18.YOU WILL JUST THINK THEIR BOTH THE SAME.BUT NO-THERES A RELIGIOUS BABYLON (THE VATICAN IN REV 17)(AND THE POLITICAL BABYLON IN REV 18 (AMERICA OR NEW YORK TO BE EXACT)
ISAIAH 34:10
10 It (AMERICA-POLITICAL BABYLON) shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
JEREMIAH 51:29-32 (CYBER ATTACK 1ST)
29 And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon,(AMERICA-NEW YORK) to make the land of Babylon (AMERICA) a desolation without an inhabitant.
30 The mighty men of Babylon (AMERICA) have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
031 One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon (NEW YORK) that his city is taken at one end,
32 And that the passages are stopped,(THE WAR COMPUTERS HACKED OR EMP'D) and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.(DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO)
COMPLETE SILENCE AFTER AN EMP GOES OFF
REVELATION 8:1
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3 For out of the north (RUSSIA) there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon,(AMERICA) and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK CYBER,EMP ATTACK,THEN NUKE ATTACK ON AM
EZEKIEL 39:11-22
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog (RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS) a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers (EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN JORDAN VALLEY) on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog (RUSSIAN) and all his multitude:(ARAB/MUSLIM HORDE) and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.(BURIEL SITE OF THE 300 MILLION,RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS)
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.(OF ISRAEL)
13 Yea, all the people of the land (OF ISRAEL) shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I (GOD-JESUS) shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.
14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB EXPERTS) passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
15 And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it,(WON'T TOUCH IT) till the buriers have buried it (PROPERLY) in the valley of Hamongog.(RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS NEW BURIEL SITE)(EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN THE JORDAN VALLEY)
16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.(OF THE ISRAEL-GOD HATERS)
17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl,(500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS THREW ISRAEL EVERY SPRING,FALL) and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.(OF THE RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIM ARMIES)
18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
7 YEAR PEACE TREATY
JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people(ISRAEL) and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.(UPROOTED ISRAELIS AND DIVIDED JERUSALEM)(THIS BRINGS ON WW3 BECAUSE JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED,WARNING TO ARABS-MUSLIMS AND THE WORLD).
WEEK OF DANIEL 9:27 WE KNOW ITS 7 YRS
Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week:(7 YEARS) and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.
DANIEL 11:21-2321 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
24 He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE ANIMAL SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
JEREMIAH 6:14
14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
JEREMIAH 8:11
11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
ISAIAH 33:8
8 The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant,(7 YR TREATY) he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.(THE WORLD LEADER-WAR MONGER CALLS HIMSELF GOD)
JERUSALEM DIVIDED
GENESIS 25:20-26
20 And Isaac was forty years old (A BIBLE GENERATION NUMBER=1967 + 40=2007+) when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22 And the children (2 NATIONS IN HER-ISRAEL-ARABS) struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.
23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels;(ISRAEL AND THE ARABS) and the one people shall be stronger than the other people;(ISRAEL STRONGER THAN ARABS) and the elder shall serve the younger.(LITERALLY ISRAEL THE YOUNGER RULES (ISSAC)(JACOB-LATER NAME CHANGED TO ISRAEL) OVER THE OLDER ARABS (ISHMAEL)(ESAU)
24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.(THE OLDER AN ARAB)
26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob:(THE YOUNGER-ISRAELI) and Isaac was threescore (60) years old when she bare them.(1967 + 60=2027)(COULD BE THE LAST GENERATION WHEN JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED AMOUNG THE 2 TWINS)(THE 2 TWINS WANT JERUSALEM-THE DIVISION OF JERUSALEM TODAY)(AND WHOS IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM TODAY-THE YOUNGER ISSAC-JACOB-ISRAEL)(AND WHO WANTS JERUSALEM DIVIDED-THE OLDER,ESAU-ISHMAEL (THE ARABS)
ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.DANIEL 11:36-40
36 And the king shall do according to his will;(EU PRESIDENT) and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS A EUROPEAN JEW) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(HES A MILITARY GINIUS) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds (CONTROL HEZBOLLAH,AL-QUAIDA MURDERERS ETC) with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south(EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR PROTECTING ISRAELS SECURITY) and the king of the north(RUSSIA) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)
Gantz says Israel will ‘eventually succeed’ in killing Hamas military chief Deif-Defense minister warns all Hamas leaders remain in danger, while calling for international effort to rebuild and develop the Strip-By TOI staff-MAY 22,21-Today, 6:02 am
A day after the start of a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Friday night that Israel will eventually succeed in killing the head of Hamas’s military wing, Muhammad Deif, and warned that all Hamas leaders remained potential targets.Gantz, speaking to Channel 12 news, also called for a major international effort to rebuild and develop Gaza to improve the lives of its residents.As Hamas celebrated its ostensible gains in the 11 days of combat, Gantz dismissed such claims.“We achieved all the goals we set for ourselves — severely hitting Hamas, its operatives, infrastructure and anything to do with its offensive capabilities,” he said. Meanwhile, he said that other than rocket fire — much of which was intercepted by Israeli defenses, “Hamas didn’t manage to do anything effective.”While Hamas will “always push the victory narrative,” he asserted, in truth “Gaza is in ruins because of Hamas’s actions.”Asked how long he believed the calm would last, Gantz said: “The next round may be very far off, may be very near. It depends on Hamas’s behavior. We will not return to the reality before [the operation].”According to an unsourced report on Channel 13, the Israeli military has recommended to the government that to create a new balance of power on the Gaza border, Israel respond to any new rocket fire by destroying buildings in the Strip.It was revealed this week that during the latest operation, the Israel Defense Forces attempted to kill Deif at least twice, but both times he escaped unscathed.“It will not be the last time we try,” Gantz said. “We’ll succeed in the end… For all Hamas leaders responsible for firing and launching terror against civilians — their blood is on their own hands.”Gantz called for a major international effort to rebuild Gaza, that would involved the Palestinian Authority, countries of the region and others.“If we are only pulled toward where the extremists take us, nothing good will grow,” he said. “We need to look for moderate channels and condition [aid] on proper civil development of the Gaza Strip.”Earlier in the day Gantz said the truce created an opportunity for peace and it was now time for diplomacy to build a new reality “on the rubble of the homes of the Hamas leaders.” He added: “If we don’t act diplomatically, quickly and wisely,” this operation will go down as “simply another round of conflict to be followed by the next one.”But he stressed that such a project would depend on the return of Israeli prisoners and the bodies of slain soldiers that have been held by Hamas for long years.Earlier Friday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that henceforth Israel would take a much tougher stance toward Hamas, and that any future rocket fire from Gaza would be met with “a whole new level of force.” He said Israel had achieved its military objectives in Gaza with “extraordinary” success.The prime minister said that the “rules of the game were changed” and there would now be no tolerance of any rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.“We changed the equation not only as regards to the operation but also as regards the future. If Hamas thinks we will tolerate a ‘drizzle’ of rockets, it is mistaken,” the prime minister said, referring to the sporadic fire often seen from Gaza between rounds of more major conflict in recent years.“We will respond with a whole new level of force to every instance of aggression against the Gaza-envelope communities or anywhere else in Israel,” he said.The prime minister also said that the success of the entire operation — including the thwarting of Hamas drones and most rocket attacks, via an improved Iron Dome missile defense system, and countering Hamas attempts to attack from the sea — meant that the terror group would be more careful in the future about attacking Israel.“Most of Hamas’s capabilities have been harmed — far more seriously than Hamas commanders imagined. Hamas thought it could fire on Jerusalem and the cities of Israel, and we would just react with business as usual,” the prime minister said.Netanyahu later issued an English language statement:The premier said that Israel fulfilled its objective to deal Hamas a “blow it cannot imagine” by destroying the terror tunnel network it built in Gaza; the military turned it into a “death trap.”Israel destroyed “a considerable proportion” of Hamas’s internal tunnel routes, its “metro,” in which Hamas had invested vast resources, the prime minister said.“We harmed more than 100 kilometers” of that network, and turned it into “a death trap for the terrorists,” Netanyahu said.The prime minister said that although the terror group wanted to carry out many cross-border attacks — including at the tail-end of the operation — it was thwarted by Israel’s subterranean barrier, which detected and “destroyed” the terrorists.Netanyahu added that not everything regarding the outcome and impact of the Israeli strikes is yet known to the public, or even to Hamas: “We did daring and innovative things, without getting dragged into an unnecessary misadventure.”Aboveground, he said Israel killed over 200 terrorists, including 25 senior officials.“And those who didn’t die, know today that we can reach them everywhere– above or below ground,” the prime minister said, calling it “an achievement no military has ever achieved.”Hamas may be bragging as it emerges from the tunnels, he said, “but they realize the destruction they brought upon themselves inside Gaza… they know we set them back years.”The premier said the IDF made “extreme efforts” not to harm civilians, and that no other country in the world takes such steps.Netanyahu said he was sad for every civilian killed in the fighting. Israel caused maximum casualties to the Hamas terror group while minimizing Israeli casualties, he said.Referring to apparent criticism that the ceasefire does not provide for the return of Israeli captives held in Gaza, Netanyahu said that Israel has not forgotten civilians Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed and the bodies of IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, and is committed to returning them home.
81% of young Americans back Biden’s response to Gaza violence, poll finds-Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy pushes back at notion that his party has shifted position on Israel: ‘Democrats believe in a two-state future; Israel’s politics have moved, not ours’-By Jacob Magid-MAY 21,21-Today, 11:18 pm
A majority of registered voters in the US approve of US President Joe Biden’s handling of the recent violence between Israel and Hamas, according to a new poll published Friday.The Hill-HarrisX poll was conducted on May 14-15, five days before a ceasefire was reached early Friday morning.Since the beginning of Operation Guardian of the Walls, the Biden administration took a firm stance in favor of Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas rocket fire, including blocking several United Nations Security Council statements.That position held throughout the entire 11-day conflict, but about mid-way through the US picked up its efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire after giving Israel several days to target Hamas infrastructure.Fifty-six percent of registered voters indicated they approve of Biden’s handling of the recent violence, while 44% said they disapproved, the poll said.The numbers changed drastically based on age group: 50% of 50-64 year-olds approved of Biden’s handling of the Gaza violence; 56% of 35-49 year-olds approve; and 81% of 18-34 year-olds approve.Roughly eight in 10 Democratic voters approved of Biden’s handling, along with 69 percent of independents. Seventy-seven percent of Republicans said they disapproved of Biden’s handling of the issue.The poll did examine which aspects of Biden’s policies the respondents approved of, nor did it try to explain the age shift.The Hill-HarrisX poll was conducted online among 932 registered voters. It had a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, a Biden-ally, pushed back Friday against the growing narrative that his party is moving to the left on Israel.“Listening to NPR talking about how the Democratic Party is ‘shifting’ on Israel. Such a tired, lazy take. Democrats believe in a two-state future. Always have. If we’re more critical of Israel, it’s bc their politics have moved, not ours,” he tweeted.Indeed the vast majority of Democratic lawmakers back a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but a growing handful have avoided backing the proposal, such as some of the members of the popular “Squad” of progressive Democrats.Murphy is the chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism.Biden on Thursday hailed the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas, saying that he saw it as a “genuine opportunity” to push forward toward building a lasting peace in the Middle East.“I believe we have a genuine opportunity to make progress and I’m committed to working toward it,” Biden said. He credited the Egyptian government with playing a crucial role in brokering the ceasefire and said he and top White House aides were intensely involved in an “hour by hour” effort to stop the bloodletting.“I believe the Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely and enjoy equal measures of freedom, prosperity and democracy,” Biden said. “My administration will continue our quiet, relentless diplomacy toward that.”
IDF said to have foiled major attack in hours before ceasefire-TV says IDF identified and killed several terrorists attempting to infiltrate through tunnel and kill soldiers; Israel also said to have delayed truce to carry out major operation-By TOI staff-MAY 21,21-Today, 10:36 pm
The Israel Defense Force foiled a major attack by Hamas in the hours before the ceasefire went into effect, Channel 12 reported Friday, speculating that had the attack succeeded it could have completely derailed the truce.According to the unsourced report, the IDF identified the cell as it made its way through an underground tunnel, apparently intent on emerging in Israel and attacking soldiers. The air force carried out a precision strike, killing them, the report said.The report noted that with Israel’s newly completed underground barrier, they would not have been able to get past it and attack civilians, but would have been targeting troops deployed within.The IDF declined to comment on the report, but the TV channel noted that the information had been approved for release by the IDF censor.The ceasefire went into effect at 2 a.m. Friday, hours after the cabinet approved the move.Earlier, IDF Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman said the military had passed a message to Hamas that if it conducted a large attack in the hours before the truce, the IDF would retaliate with a massive airstrike on dozens of targets.According to Zilberman, Israeli jets and other aircraft were kept in the air, hovering over Gaza in the hours before the ceasefire to carry out this threat if necessary.Also Friday, Channel 12 reported that the ceasefire had been delayed by up to 48 hours to allow the IDF to carry out a final mission.The report said it had no details on what that mission might have been and noted that Hamas may not even be aware it happened. If it was, it was not acknowledging it.The report said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at the strike in a press conference earlier Friday.Netanyahu said that not everything regarding the outcome and impact of the Israeli strikes is yet known to the public, or even to Hamas: “We did daring and innovative things, without getting dragged into an unnecessary misadventure.”Netanyahu also said that although the terror group wanted to carry out many cross-border attacks — including at the tail-end of the operation — it was thwarted by Israel’s subterranean barrier, which detected and “destroyed” the terrorists.Aboveground, he said Israel killed over 200 terrorists, including 25 senior officials.“And those who didn’t die, know today that we can reach them everywhere– above or below ground,” the prime minister said, calling it “an achievement no military has ever achieved.”Hamas may be bragging as it emerges from the tunnels, he said, “but they realize the destruction they brought upon themselves inside Gaza… they know we set them back years.”
Iran’s Khamenei says Israel ‘forced to accept defeat-Iranian officials boast of support for Gaza terror groups, calls for Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders to be tried in international courts-By Agencies-MAY 21,21-Today, 9:46 pm
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday that Israel was “forced to accept defeat” by Palestinian armed groups, after a ceasefire between the Jewish state and terrorist groups in Gaza.“I thank dear and almighty God for the victory and honor bestowed upon Palestinian fighters,” he said in a statement on his official website.“The continuation of crimes and the ceasefire were both (part of Israel’s) defeat. They were forced to accept defeat,” he added, claiming that Israel was “powerless against the unified rise of Palestine.”“The readiness of the Palestinian youth and the show of power” by armed groups in Gaza “will make Palestine more powerful by the day and the usurping enemy weaker and more despicable,” he added.In his letter, Khamenei also urged all Muslim countries to rally in support of Palestinian people, “whether by strengthening Palestinian forces, with financial support that is needed today more than before, or by rebuilding the infrastructure that was destroyed in Gaza.”Iran is the main supplier of weapons and arms to Hamas and Islamic state.The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip, and other armed groups in the enclave appeared to be holding Friday, after 11 days of fighting.Israeli strikes on Gaza since May 10 have killed 243 Palestinians, including 66 children, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says. Fighters are also among those killed. Israel says some of the civilians killed were hit by Palestinian rockets falling short in the Gaza Strip.Rockets fired into Israel from Gaza have claimed 12 lives in the Jewish state, including one child, a teenager and an Israeli soldier, with one Indian and two Thai nationals among those killed, Israeli authorities say.Khamenei also called for legal measures against the Israeli government, including its prime minister.“All the effective elements of this regime and the criminal (Benjamin) Netanyahu must be pursued by international and independent courts and be punished,” he said.The Islamic republic does not recognize Israel, and supporting the Palestinian cause has been a pillar of Iran’s foreign policy since soon after the country’s 1979 revolution.Hamas’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh on Friday thanked Iran for “providing funds and weapons” to the movement.Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman had earlier today praised a “historic victory” and reaffirmed Tehran’s support for the Palestinian cause.“Congratulations to our Palestinian sisters and brothers for the historic victory. Your resistance forced the aggressor to retreat,” Saeed Khatibzadeh wrote on Twitter.“PROUD to support your just resistance,” Khatibzadeh added.
Hamas chief says war foils Israel’s attempts at Arab coexistence, normalization-Ismail Haniyeh says terror group will continue to battle Jewish state ‘until Al-Aqsa Mosque is liberated,’ amid fresh clashes at Jerusalem holy site-By Aaron Boxerman and TOI staff-may 21,21-Today, 8:53 pm
Hamas terror chief Ismail Haniyeh on Friday hailed Hamas’s “victory” in the recent hostilities with Israel, saying it had foiled attempts by Israel to integrate into the Arab world.“We have destroyed the project of ‘coexistence’ with Israel, of ‘normalization’ with Israel,” Haniyeh said, apparently referring to the widespread clashes between Israeli Arabs and Jews and Israel’s recent peace agreements with four Arab nations.“What is coming after this battle is not what came before it…you will yet see many [diplomatic] contacts and successes,” Haniyeh said. “We have seen how our nation awoke…to stand behind Jerusalem, Palestine and resistance.”While Israel will struggle to restore ties with its Arab minority after the riots and attacks, it was not immediately evident that the fighting was detrimental to its new ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morrocco.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-NahyanAbraham and Bahrain Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, stand on the Blue Room Balcony during the Abraham Accords signing ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)-Egypt, another Arab nation with a peace agreement with Israel, played a major role in negotiating the ceasefire.“Thank you President [Abdel Fattah] el-Sissi for your important role in restoring calm and advancing security and stability in our region,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted Friday afternoon.Haniyeh also vowed to continue to focus on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount “until Al-Aqsa Mosque is liberated.”The Old City compound saw fresh clashes on Friday.It was not immediately clear how the confrontation had erupted. According to Israeli police, officers acted to contain a riot by Palestinian worshippers at the scene.“Immediately after the noon prayer, a riot broke out on the Temple Mount by hundreds of young people that included throwing stones and throwing a Molotov cocktail at the forces,” Israel Police said in a statement.Israeli security forces and Palestinian Muslim worshippers clash at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, atop of the Temple Mount, on May 21, 2021. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)-The clashes marked the first test of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Frictions at the holy site — with Israeli security forces entering the compound and clashing with Palestinian rioters — were a major factor in the tensions that preceded Hamas’s rocket fire at Jerusalem on May 10, at the start of the 11-day conflict in which over 200 Gazans and 12 Israelis were killed.The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism, as the site of both biblical temples. It is holy to Muslims as the site of the third holiest shrine in Islam, the Al-Aqsa Mosque.Palestinian terror groups have tied rocket fire from Gaza — which ceased early on Friday morning as the ceasefire took effect — to unrest in Jerusalem connected to both prayer on the Temple Mount during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, as well as the pending eviction of a number of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.Israeli politicians have said the ceasefire was unconditional, with “calm in exchange for calm.” Hamas said that it demanded Israeli concessions at the Temple Mount in exchange for the truce.Palestinians across the West Bank and Gaza celebrated the ostensible Hamas success in the conflict on Friday afternoon, holding large marches in major Palestinian cities.Fatah, Hamas, independents — everyone is happy. Maybe they’re jealous and had hoped their own faction would have a greater role, but even so — they’re pleased. Every patriot is thrilled…that our cause has again shaken the world,” wrote Alaa Abu Diab, a popular comedian and commentator, in a Facebook post.In a protest at Ramallah’s Al-Manara Square, dozens of distinctive green flags with Arabic-language calligraphy could be spotted. The flags are widely seen as symbols of political Islam, and are also often used by Hamas supporters.Demonstrators called out slogans hailing Hamas’s shadowy military commander and terror chief, Mohammad Deif, in the heart of the Fatah-dominated West Bank.“Put sword against sword, we are Mohammad Deif’s men,” the protesters chanted in downtown Ramallah.Immediately after the ceasefire, Hamas claimed victory as thousands of people took to the streets of Gaza early Friday to celebrate.Throughout Friday morning and early afternoon, no rockets had been fired at Israel since a ceasefire went into effect at 2 a.m, indicating an Egyptian-brokered truce between Israel and the Gaza terror groups was holding.There were also no reports of Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip.As the truce started, a frenzy of life returned to the streets of Gaza. People came out of their homes, some shouting “Allahu Akbar” or whistling from balconies. Many fired in the air, celebrating the end of the fighting.“This is the euphoria of victory,” said Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas figure, in front of a crowd of thousands of Palestinians who had gathered in the streets to celebrate.Thousands also gathered Friday morning in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis outside the family house of Deif, the shadowy commander of the Hamas military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, who had ordered the rocket attacks. Supporters shouted “victory” and waved green Hamas flags.Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya flashes the V-sign for victory as people take to the streets to celebrate the ceasefire between Israel and the two main Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip, in Gaza City on May 21, 2021. (MOHAMMED ABED / AFP)-Ali Barakeh, an official with Islamic Jihad, a smaller terror group that fought alongside Hamas, said Israel’s declaration of a truce was a defeat for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “a victory to the Palestinian people.”Palestinians also came out into the streets in West Bank towns and in East Jerusalem, with some setting off fireworks in celebration.In the Arab Israeli town of Umm el-Fahm, a convoy of cars drove through the streets, honking their horns and waving Palestinian flags.Hamas and other Gaza terror groups launched over 4,000 projectiles at Israel since May 10, at times forcing people living near Gaza into bomb shelters around the clock. Israel, in response, carried out an extensive bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip.Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says 232 people, including more than 66 minors, have been killed by Israeli strikes over the past 10 days. According to the IDF, more than 120 of those killed were members of Hamas and over 25 were members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad as of Monday night. The IDF also says some of the Gaza civilian fatalities were killed by the terror groups’ own rockets falling short and exploding in Gaza.Twelve people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl, were killed in rocket fire, and hundreds were injured.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
ADL: ‘Dangerous and drastic surge’ in antisemitism in US linked to Gaza violence-Recent days have seen a series of assaults against Jews in Los Angeles and New York and a large uptick in anti-Jewish activities online and on social media.By Jacob Magid and JTA-may 21,21-Today, 7:34 pm
There has been a “dangerous and drastic surge” in antisemitism in the US, and around the world, in recent days linked to the fighting between Israel and terror groups in the Gaza Strip, the Anti-Defamation League said.In preliminary data revealed late Thursday, just before a ceasefire went into effect, the watchdog group said it had tracked an increase in online and real-world incidents of antisemitism in the United States.“As the violence between Israel and Hamas continues to escalate, we are witnessing a dangerous and drastic surge in anti-Jewish hate right here at home,” says ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.“It’s happening around the world— from London to Los Angeles, from France to Florida, in big cities like New York and in small towns, and across every social media platform.”The ADL said it has documented antisemitism on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram, with messages including explicit praise for Hitler, promoting tropes about Jewish control and demonizing all Jews.The group said extreme antisemitic and anti-Zionist content can be found across a wide variety of channels calling for the destruction of the Jewish state, including posts that state: “GAS THE KIKES RACE WAR NOW-The ADL says it found more than 17,000 tweets using variations of the phrase, “Hitler was right” between May 7 and May 14, 2021.The group said some of the pro-Palestinian protests in recent weeks featured signs invoking age-old antisemitic accusation that Jews are responsible for killing Jesus as well as Holocaust analogies demonizing Zionists.The ADL says it has also received more reports of possible antisemitic incidents since the conflict broke out in Israel, with 193 reports in the week after the crisis began, up from 131 the previous week.A group of about 20 pro-Palestinian demonstrators chanted “Intifada!” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” across the street from the Temple Beth Israel synagogue in Skokie, Ilinois, the ADL said.In the two most high-profile incidents, Jews were attacked in Los Angeles and in New York by mobs of anti-Israel protesters.In Los Angeles, groups of pro-Palestinian protesters attacked Jews in two separate incidents in Los Angeles this week.Authorities are investigating one of the incidents as a possible hate crime.In an altercation Tuesday night recorded on video, a group of men waving Palestinian flags attacked diners at a sushi restaurant in the neighborhood of Beverly Grove, throwing punches, bottles and other objects. The diners included a group of Jewish men.Another man at the scene, who was not Jewish, told the local CBS affiliate that he and his group also were attacked and that he was pepper-sprayed when he tried to defend the group. He added that the attackers used antisemitic language to determine who at the restaurant was Jewish.Shocking videos from Los Angeles where Palestinians started attacking JewsWitnesses said 10 Palestinian cars rolled up and started hitting them with knives at a Sushi restaurant in Beverly Hills#israelunderfire pic.twitter.com/i1Au9sOEIh — Adam Milstein (@AdamMilstein) May 19, 2021-In an incident Monday night recorded by a security camera, an Orthodox Jewish man was chased by a caravan of Palestinian supporters. He escaped unharmed.Similar scenes were reported from New York on Thursday.In one attack, one person was burned when two fireworks were thrown from a car amid an altercation with anti-Zionist protesters in a heavily Jewish New York City business district, according to police.The fight in New York City occurred around the same time as a pro-Israel demonstration on Thursday in New York City that also attracted pro-Palestinian counter-protesters. It took place in the Diamond District, a midtown Manhattan street with many Jewish-owned businesses.In two videos posted to Twitter on Thursday, a group of men wearing the colors of the Palestinian flag can be seen yelling “f–king Zionist” and similar expletives while holding a Palestinian flag. At the beginning of one of the videos, someone appears to be lying on the ground.Earlier this afternoon on 47th St (the Diamond District), Palestinians attacking Jews pic.twitter.com/aJaJztdGyx— Daniel Rubin (@DanielYRubin) May 20, 2021-Altercations with the pro-Palestinian protesters were seen in several locations around the city, including a mob attacking diners at a restaurant.These are not Palestinian terror supporters. These are actual terrorists on the streets of New York City. Attacking diners for one reason. They’re Jewish. pic.twitter.com/mVrhIh8mCc — Avi Kaner (@AviKaner) May 21, 2021-On Friday, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted “Anti-semitism has NO place in our city.”“There’s no excuse for violence against someone because of who they are. None. We will bring the perpetrators of this vicious act of hate to justice.”Later Friday, police said they had arrested one man for hate crimes.“UPDATE-23-year-old Waseem Awawdeh was arrested for using a crutch to assault a man in front of 1604 Broadway,” NYPD Hate Crimes Division tweeted. “He’s been charged with hate crime assault 2, gang assault 2, menacing, and criminal possession of a weapon.”The Israeli Consulate in New York on Friday said the wave of protests was more violent than previously seen in the area, even when tensions were high.“The demonstrations are larger, more toxic, and unfortunately also more violent. There is a direct connection between Hamas’ stated agenda which is sworn to Israel’s destruction and the slogans of the demonstrators that undermine the legitimacy of Israel as the Jewish nation-state,” the consulate said in a statement.
Analysis-in the north, Hezbollah and its missiles loom large over Gaza battle-Both Israel and the Lebanese terror group have good reason to prevent the fighting spreading to a second front, even though both believe another round of conflict is inevitable-By AP-may 21,21-Today, 7:05 pm
BEIRUT — Ever since their last war in 2006, Israel and Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah terror group have constantly warned that a new round between them is inevitable. Yet once again, a potential trigger has gone unpulled.Hezbollah’s shadow loomed large during Israel and Hamas’s two-week battle, with the possibility it could unleash its arsenal of missiles — far more powerful than Hamas’s — in support of the Palestinians.Instead, Hezbollah stayed on the sidelines. And if a ceasefire that took effect early Friday holds, another Israel-Hamas war will have ended without Hezbollah intervention.For now, both sides had compelling reasons not to clash, including — for Hezbollah — the bitter memory of Israel’s punishing 2006 bombing campaign that turned its strongholds in Lebanon to rubble. Lebanon is also in the grips of an economic and financial collapse unparalleled in its modern history and can ill afford another massive confrontation with Israel.For Israel, the Iranian-backed group in Lebanon remains its toughest and most immediate security challenge.“Israel needs to manage the conflict in Gaza with a very open eye toward what is happening in the north, because the north is a much more important arena than Gaza,” said Amos Yadlin, a former Israeli military intelligence chief who currently heads the Institute for National Security Studies. He spoke before the truce took effect at 2 a.m. Friday.In this April 20, 2017 file photo, a Hezbollah fighter holds an Iranian-made anti-aircraft missile, right, as he takes his position with his comrade, left, between orange trees, at the coastal border town of Naqoura, south Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)-Hezbollah’s reaction during the 11 days of Israeli bombardment that engulfed Gaza in death and destruction was relatively mute. Its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, did not make any public comments, even after a Hezbollah fighter was shot dead by Israeli soldiers at the border during a protest last week.Late Thursday, Netanyahu’s security cabinet approved a unilateral ceasefire to halt the Gaza operation, a decision that came after heavy US pressure to stop the offensive. Hamas quickly followed suit and said it would honor the deal.Throughout the current round of fighting, Hezbollah’s show of solidarity — including unclaimed rocket barrages from south Lebanon into Israel on three separate occasions in the past week — appeared carefully calibrated for limited impact. Most landed in open areas or in the Mediterranean Sea. The rockets are believed to have been fired by Palestinian factions based in south Lebanon, likely with Hezbollah’s blessing.“The political message is ‘we are here,’ and safety for Israel from its northern border is not to be taken for granted and neither is the deterrent that was established in 2006” when the two sides fought each other to a draw, said Joyce Karam, an adjunct professor of political science at George Washington University.At the tense Lebanon-Israel border, Hezbollah supporters wearing yellow hats organized daily protests over the past week. On at least one occasion, dozens of people breached the fence and crossed to the other side, drawing Israeli shots that struck and killed a 21-year-old. He was later identified as a Hezbollah fighter, and given a full-fledged funeral with hundreds in attendance.Analysts said the chances of Hezbollah joining in the fighting with Israel were low, particularly given the political and economic implosion happening in Beirut and the array of challenges the group faces internally with social tensions on the rise. Even among Hezbollah’s supporters, there is no appetite for a confrontation as Lebanese suffer under an economic crash that has driven half of the population into povert.Also, Hezbollah’s patron Iran is engaged in nuclear talks with the West, with growing hopes an agreement might be reached. Tehran has also been holding talks with longtime regional rival, Saudi Arabia, signaling a possible de-escalation following years of animosity that often spilled into neighboring countries.“Hezbollah so far doesn’t seem inclined to spoil Iran’s talks with world powers on the nuclear front because it wants to see sanctions relief for its primary political, military and financial backer,” said Karam, who covers Mideast politics for the regional newspaper The National.Speaking at a rally in south Beirut on Monday, senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine bragged about the group’s firepower, which he said has multiplied many times since the 2006 war, but suggested the time has not come for Hezbollah to get involved.In this May 15, 2021 file photo, Hezbollah fighters attend the funeral procession of their comrade Mohammed Tahhan who was shot dead on Friday by Israeli forces along the Lebanon-Israel border, in the southern village of Adloun, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari, File)“We in Hezbollah look to the day where we will fight together, with you, side by side and shoulder to shoulder, on all fronts to extract this cancerous cell,” he said, addressing Palestinians and referring to Israel’s presence in the Arab world. “This day is coming, it’s inevitable.”Hezbollah has grown considerably more powerful in the last decade and amassed a formidable army with valuable battlefield experience backing the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the neighboring country’s civil war, Israeli defense officials say.During the inconclusive, monthlong 2006 war, the group launched some 4,000 rockets into Israel — as many as Hamas and other Palestinian groups fired at Israel during the current round of fighting — most of them unguided projectiles with limited range. Today, Israeli officials say Hezbollah possesses some 130,000 rockets and missiles capable of striking virtually anywhere in Israel.Yadlin, the former Israeli military intelligence chief, said all intelligence assessments, however, indicate that Hezbollah does not want a full-on conflict with Israel.“Nasrallah is in the position that he doesn’t want to repeat the mistake of 2006. He knows he won’t be the defender of Lebanon, he will be the destroyer of Lebanon,” said Yadlin. “He had a lot of opportunities and he hasn’t taken them.” He was referring to Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah assets in Syria for which the group vowed to retaliate but still has not.Qassim Qassir, an analyst and expert on Hezbollah affairs in Lebanon, concurred that there seemed to be no intention to open the Lebanese southern front because it would “lead to an all-out war with consequences no one can predict.”For now, both Israel and Hezbollah consider the deterrence established following the 2006 war to be holding, with Hezbollah threatening to strike deeper than ever inside Israel, including at its nuclear facilities, and Israel vowing to target civilian infrastructure, inflicting massive damage.Karam said both Hezbollah and Israel have been saying since 2006 that round two is inevitable, but its cost has only gone up for both sides. For the moment, both seem satisfied with keeping their tensions on Syrian territory rather than having another war in Lebanon.But each day brings closer the possibility of an unwanted conflict coming to bear.“For now, this paradigm seems to hold,” she said.Times of Israel Staff contributed to this report.
Jordanians rally to celebrate ‘victory of the resistance’ against Israel-Thousands in country at peace with Jewish state gather at border, chant ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Let’s trade the olive branch for the gun’-By Agencies-MAY 22,21-Today, 2:22 am
AMMAN — Thousands of people demonstrated on Friday in Jordan to celebrate the “victory of the resistance” against Israel, after a ceasefire between the Jewish state and Palestinian terror groups in Gaza.Responding to a call by the Muslim Brotherhood, some 10,000 people gathered in the Sweimeh region near the border with the West Bank.Demonstrators carried banners reading: “Jerusalem is the symbol of victory,” “Congratulations on the victory of the resistance” and “The resilience of Gaza led to victory.”A ceasefire was announced on Thursday between Israel and Palestinian groups, including Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, after 11 days of deadly fighting in the worst hostilities between the two sides in years.Israeli security forces have clashed with Palestinian protesters in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and there has also been violence between Jews and Arab Israelis in mixed cities within Israel.Throughout the fighting, demonstrations were held almost daily in Jordan in solidarity with the Palestinians.Around half of Jordan’s 10 million-strong population is of Palestinian origin, including some 2.2 million refugees registered with the United Nations.Demonstrators on Friday carried Jordanian and Palestinian flags and chanted “Death to Israel” and “Let’s trade the olive branch for the gun.”Jordan signed a peace deal with Israel in 1994.In Karameh, an area near the West Bank border, another few thousand demonstrators, many of them youths dressed in Jordanian and Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, burned Israeli flags and chanted slogans against the peace deal.Karameh is the site of a 1968 battle — fought a few months after the defeat of Arab states by Israel in 1967 — between a combined force of Palestinian fighters and Jordanian army soldiers against Israeli troops, and is symbolic across the Arab world.In the capital, over 1,000 protesters set off on a march from the Al-Husseini Grand Mosque in central Amman after Friday prayers.They demanded the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and the closure of the Jewish state’s embassy.On Monday, Jordanian lawmakers unanimously called on the government to expel the Israeli ambassador in Amman and recall the Jordanian ambassador from Tel Aviv.
Hours after Gaza ceasefire, Palestinians, police clash on Temple Mount-According to Israeli police, Palestinians hurled stones and Molotov cocktails at officers; Palestinians say at least 20 injured; pro-Hamas protests in West Bank-By Aaron Boxerman 21 May 2021, 4:55 pm
Palestinians clashed with Israeli police on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount on Friday afternoon, mere hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect.It was not immediately clear how the confrontation had erupted. According to Israeli police, officers acted to contain a riot by Palestinian worshippers at the scene.“Immediately after the noon prayer, a riot broke out on the Temple Mount by hundreds of young people that included throwing stones and throwing a Molotov cocktail at the forces,” Israel Police said in a statement.The clashes marked the first test of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Frictions at the holy site — with Israeli security forces entering the compound and clashing with Palestinian rioters — were a major factor in the tensions that preceded Hamas’s rocket fire at Jerusalem on May 10, at the start of the 11-day conflict in which over 200 Gazans and 12 Israelis were killed.The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism, as the site of both biblical temples. It is holy to Muslims as the site of the third holiest shrine in Islam, the Al-Aqsa Mosque.Palestinian Muslim worshippers gather in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, atop the Temple Mount, on May 21, 2021. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)-Tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered at the flashpoint site for Friday prayers just after noon. After finishing, thousands chanted slogans and hoisted Palestinian flags.In videos from the courtyard surrounding the Al-Aqsa Mosque several minutes later, police can be seen firing stun grenades at Palestinians as they attempt to clear the square. More than a dozen Palestinians were detained on the scene.In another video from the scene, an Israeli cop is attacked by a Palestinian man who knocks him violently to the ground as Palestinians around him cheer.Some Palestinian reports claimed the unrest was sparked when Israeli police sought to confiscate the Palestinian flags being waved by worshippers.Twenty Palestinians were injured and two were hospitalized, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.Palestinian terror groups have tied rocket fire from Gaza — which ceased early on Friday morning as the ceasefire took effect — to unrest in Jerusalem connected to both prayer on the Temple Mount during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, as well as the pending eviction of a number of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.In an attempt to avoid further confrontations, Israeli authorities have banned access by Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount for the time being. Many Palestinians view the visits as a provocation, while Jews say they are exercising their right to visit Judaism’s most holy place, even though Israel does not allow Jews to pray there.Israeli politicians have said the ceasefire was unconditional, with “calm in exchange for calm.” Hamas said that it demanded Israeli concessions at the Temple Mount in exchange for the truce.Palestinians across the West Bank and Gaza celebrated the ostensible Hamas success in the conflict on Friday afternoon, holding large marches in major Palestinian cities.“Fatah, Hamas, independents — everyone is happy. Maybe they’re jealous and had hoped their own faction would have a greater role, but even so — they’re pleased. Every patriot is thrilled…that our cause has again shaken the world,” wrote Alaa Abu Diab, a popular comedian and commentator, in a Facebook post.In a protest at Ramallah’s Al-Manara Square, dozens of distinctive green flags with Arabic-language calligraphy could be spotted. The flags are widely seen as symbols of political Islam, and are also often used by Hamas supporters. Demonstrators called out slogans hailing Hamas’s shadowy military commander and terror chief, Mohammad Deif, in the heart of the Fatah-dominated West Bank.“Put sword against sword, we are Mohammad Deif’s men,” the protesters chanted in downtown Ramallah.In videos on social media, hundreds of Palestinians could be seen chanting against Jerusalem Grand Mufti Mohammad Hussein inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque as he sought to give a Friday sermon. Hussein’s role is sponsored by the Palestinian Authority, which is led by Hamas’s main rival, Fatah.
