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 172,401,358 DEAD 3,705,828 AS OF THU JUN 03,21
'Stay in the cave to save lives' Sick bats self-isolate, helping avert COVID-type crises — Israeli study-Widely assumed to be source of coronavirus, bats probably spared us from other diseases, scientists say; the mammals stay ‘home’ when sick, protecting fellow bats, other species-By Nathan Jeffay-jun 4,21-Today, 6:02 pm
Bats are widely believed to have given the novel coronavirus to humans. But Israeli researchers say they have probably spared us from numerous other diseases, thanks to their largely unnoticed social distancing behavior.Tel Aviv University scientists have just published peer-reviewed research observing that bats that feel unwell stay “home” in their caves, reducing interaction with other species.They observed that sick bats also stay away from their peers at the slightest hint of feeling inflammation in their bodies, after making five Egyptian fruit bats sick and following them in a large colony for 72 hours.The researchers used onboard GPS to track foraging, acceleration sensors to monitor movement, infrared video to record social behavior, and blood samples to measure immune markers.
A fruit bat from the Tel Aviv University experiment (courtesy of Tel Aviv University)-The researchers concluded that the self-isolating behavior they displayed minimizes the risk of infections “jumping” to humans, directly or via another species.“We observed that during illness bats choose to stay away from the colony and don’t leave the cave,” said Prof. Yossi Yovel, head of neuroscience at Tel Aviv University. “This suggests that in order to encounter a sick bat, people must actually invade the bats’ natural environment or eliminate their habitats.”As the coronavirus pandemic prompted lockdowns and social distancing, Yovel’s colleague Maya Weinberg became intrigued by a trait she had noticed among bats.“They are the most sociable of animals, yet totally defying their character, I had noticed that sick bats often separate themselves from others,” she said.Fruit bats in a typically sociable setting (Hendra Su via iStock by Getty Images)-This is atypical for animals, who have been taught by evolution to try to play down signs of sickness and remain with the group, where they are safer from predators and less likely to go hungry.To explore the topic she designed her formal experiment, which has now been published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Science. As part of the study, Weinberg and Yovel took five bats and injected them with a pathogen that made them feel unwell.Maya Weinberg of Tel Aviv University, with a fruit bat (courtesy of Tel Aviv University)-This is the second study to propose such a theory, coming on the heels of a November study in America that concluded that sick bats “associated with fewer bats, spent less time near others, and were less socially connected.”Weinberg said that her study addressed certain shortcomings of the previous research, following the bats more closely and measuring their movements to the millimeter.The Tel Aviv paper comes amid a resurgence of interest in the origins of the coronavirus. The World Health Organization said in March that the virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal. This remains the mainstream theory, though a week ago US President Joe Biden ordered an investigation into rival theories, potentially including the possibility of a laboratory accident in China.“We saw a very clear pattern of the sick bats moving away from the other bats, and actually backing away in reverse gear, as others came close to them,” Weinberg told The Times of Israel. “You can use for bats all the terms we used for humans during the pandemic — social-distancing, self-isolation and quarantine.”Weinberg and her colleagues wrote in their paper that the sick bats “perched alone and appeared to voluntarily isolate themselves from the group by leaving the social cluster, which is extremely atypical for this species.”They “ceased foraging outdoors for at least two nights, thus reducing transmission to neighboring colonies,” and their behaviors “demonstrate a strong, integrative immune response that promotes recovery of infected individuals while reducing pathogen transmission inside and outside the roost, including spillover events to other species, such as humans.”
Biden congratulates Herzog on presidential win-US president says Israeli president-elect has demonstrated unwavering commitment to strengthening Israel’s security, looks ahead to Rivlin visit; Putin also sends greeting-By Jacob Magid-jun 3,21-Today, 5:29 amUpdated at 8:12 am
US President Joe Biden congratulated Isaac Herzog on being picked as the next president of Israel Wednesday and said he looked forward to hosting his predecessor at the White House in the coming weeks.“On behalf of the people of the United States, I extend my warm congratulations to Isaac Herzog on his election to serve as the 11th President of the State of Israel,” Biden said in a statement Wednesday.“Throughout his career, President-elect Herzog has demonstrated his unwavering commitment to strengthening Israel’s security, advancing dialogue, and building bridges across the global Jewish community,” the president continued. “I am confident that under his presidency, the partnership between Israel and the United States will continue to grow and deepen.”Biden’s relationship with Herzog, a former head of the dovish Labor party and leader of the Jewish Agency for Israel, spans decades. They met several times when Biden was vice president and Herzog led the Knesset opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition.When Biden was elected president in November, Herzog lauded him “for the statesmanly compass that guided him and the impressive record of his support for the State of Israel and the fight against anti-Semitism.”Biden thanked Rivlin and said he looked forward to hosting him in Washington “to honor his dedication to the enduring partnership and the close friendship between our two nations.”Rivlin’s invitation to the US was extended last week by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as he visited the region to help shore up a ceasefire that ended the 11-day war between Israel and terror groups in Gaza.No date for the trip has been set.Both Biden and Herzog trace ancestry to Ireland.Congratulations for Herzog also came from Russian President Vladimir Putin who said in a statement from the Kremlin he hopes Herzog will further build on the existing ties between Israel and his country.President-elect Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal at the Knesset on June 2, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)-“Russia and Israel enjoy friendly relations,” Putin said. “I hope that your work as head of state will contribute to the further development of multifaceted and constructive bilateral cooperation, including interaction in international affairs. This undoubtedly meets our peoples’ fundamental interests.”Herzog was elected president in a landslide vote Wednesday, winning support from 87 of 120 Knesset members, who choose the holder of the largely ceremonial role in a secret ballot. He beat out social activist and Israel Prize-winning educator Miriam Peretz.Herzog is slated to replace President Reuven Rivlin, whose seven-year term ends on July 9.A well-heeled attorney by profession at one of the country’s top firms, Herzog has a family history that is as close as one comes to Israeli royalty. He is the grandson of Israel’s first Ashkenazi chief rabbi, Isaac Herzog, for whom he is named, and the son of former IDF major general and then president Chaim Herzog. His brother Michael is a retired IDF brigadier general. His aunt Suzy was the wife of former foreign minister Abba Eban.
Analysis-Lapid and Bennett have a coalition on paper, but Netanyahu will fight to the end-Drawing together eight wildly disparate parties was immensely difficult. The PM can be relied upon to make the lead-up to the Knesset’s vote of confidence more tortuous still-By David Horovitz-jun 3,21-Today, 1:39 am
Yair Lapid informed President Reuven Rivlin some 35 minutes before the Wednesday midnight deadline that he “has been able to form a government,” according to the official statement issued by his Yesh Atid party.Which he has, in theory. Bringing an end to the record-breaking 12-year rule of Benjamin Netanyahu, in theory.The leaders of eight Knesset parties signed a document that was sent to Rivlin confirming that they will comprise the new government. Between them, Yesh Atid (17 seats), Blue and White (8), Yisrael Beytenu (7), Labor (7), Yamina (6 of its 7 MKs), New Hope (6), Meretz (6) and Ra’am (4) hold 61 seats in the 120-member Knesset, giving their coalition the narrowest possible majority, but a majority nonetheless. (So elated was Lapid when he telephoned the president, with Bennett at his side, that he apparently clean forgot to include Yisrael Beytenu as he listed the coalition’s component parties.) Yet the intended government must still win the confidence of the Knesset, in a vote that will not take place for several days. Judging by the extraordinary strains and complexities that attended the last few days of nail-biting negotiations on this so-called “change government,” the process of securing Knesset approval will be extraordinarily fraught. And Netanyahu can be relied upon to make it as difficult as possible, as he battles desperately to retain power.Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid (L), Yamina leader Naftali Bennett (C) and Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas sign a coalition agreement on June 2, 2021 (Courtesy of Ra’am)-The intended coalition sets one precedent by including Ra’am, the first Arab party in Israeli history to formally join a governing coalition. It sets another precedent by drawing together the most diverse mix of political parties ever to plan to sit in government: Two from the left (Labor and Meretz), two from the center (Yesh Atid and Blue and White), three from the right (Yamina, New Hope and Yisrael Beytenu), and the conservative Islamic Ra’am.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in Caesarea on May 28, 2021, imploring right-wing political rivals not to join a ‘left-wing government’ with Yesh Atid’s Yair Lapid. (Screen capture/Twitter)-For all the well-intentioned declarations that this will be a “unity” government, dedicated to healing the nation, with all participants having to forego at least some of their dreams while somehow simultaneously not having to cross their ideological red lines, their unifying factor is the belief that Netanyahu is bad for the State of Israel. But that has not stopped Netanyahu prying for weak links within the parties, and he is certain to step up the pressure, particularly on Bennett’s Orthodox-nationalist Yamina.Bennett, who is set to go first as prime minister, with Lapid succeeding him in September 2023, has already lost one member of his seven-seat faction, with freshman MK Amichai Chikli declaring that he will vote against the coalition. Another Yamina MK, Nir Orbach, is set to meet with Bennett on Thursday as he mulls following Chikli’s lead. A third, Idit Silman, is also under pressure to defy the party leader.Yamina chief Naftali Bennett and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid are seen on Wednesday evening, as they inform President Reuven Rivlin they have succeeded in forming a government, June 2, 2021 (Courtesy)As for Bennett’s long-time colleague Ayelet Shaked, she appeared to be almost visibly wrestling with her political conscience in the final days before Wednesday’s deadline, and her demand for representation on the committee that selects Israel’s judges seemed poised to scuttle the whole enterprise at times during the last two days of talks. Entering what Netanyahu and his thus far entirely loyal Likud alleges is a left-wing government will not be easy for Shaked, whose children are reportedly being insulted at school, whose close friend is said to be hunger-striking outside her home, and who, like Bennett, is being subjected to vicious abuse by far-right demonstrators and social media provocateurs.Head of the Yamina party Naftali Bennett and Yamina MK Ayelet Shaked seen in the plenum hall of the Israeli parliament during the voting in the presidential elections, in Jerusalem, June 2, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)-Because the Bennett-Lapid government is looking at only a 61-59 majority at best, any single defection to the Netanyahu camp could doom it.Still, while four of the six MKs in the Joint List of mainly Arab parties have pledged to oppose the new government, because of the prominence of Bennett and other right-wingers, the other two have yet to specify how they will vote, and might conceivably come to the new government’s rescue. Or they might not.The document signed by eight participating parties announcing the establishment of a government. (Courtesy)-The point is that while Lapid has a governing majority on paper — indeed, on the very paper that he sent to Rivlin shortly before midnight — he and Bennett will not have a government in practice unless or until the Knesset says so.This means that Netanyahu, who it emerged on Wednesday has been in frequent contact with Mansour Abbas to try to persuade the Ra’am leader not to join forces with Lapid, is close to the edge but not finished yet. He had 28 days before Lapid to try to muster a majority and failed to do so — in part because the far-right Religious Zionism alliance whose route he paved into the Knesset refused to partner with Ra’am. But that won’t stop him trying until the last possible moment to thwart the most improbable alliance ever assembled to govern Israel — an alliance that cuts across ideological lines with the central purpose of ousting him.
History made as Arab Israeli Ra’am party joins Bennett-Lapid coalition-The first Arab party to join a government in decades, Islamists make good on promise to seek change from inside, winning billions in promised state funding for community-By Aaron Boxerman 3 June 2021, 12:47 am
Ringed by flashing cameras in a luxury hotel in Ramat Gan, conservative Islamist Ra’am chief Mansour Abbas made history on Wednesday night as the first Arab Israeli party leader in half a century to sign a deal to sit in a coalition government.“This is the first time that an Arab party is part of the process of forming a government. We of course hope that it works and that a government will rise after four rounds of elections,” Abbas said.Even before Ra’am announced it was signing on, the nascent coalition was widely regarded as the widest in the country’s history, uniting parties from the left to the pro-settlement right aimed at deposing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud faction.To make it happen, Yamina chief Naftali Bennett and centrist Yesh Atid leader Yair Atid agreed to a rotation scheme, with Bennett becoming Prime Minister for the first two years.Despite the wide spectrum of views in the so-called “change government,” Abbas said that he had agreed on numerous plans and budgets in Arab Israeli society with his counterparts in the constellation of parties seeking to topple Netanyahu.Mansour Abbas, head of the Ra’am party arrives to coalition talks, at the Maccabiah village in Ramat Gan on June 02, 2021. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90“We have reached a critical mass of agreements in various fields that serves the interest of Arab society and that provide solutions for the burning issues in Arab society — planning, the housing crisis, and of course, fighting violence and organized crime,” Abbas said.Abbas promised that many of the benefits would flow to the Negev region in southern Israel. Ra’am’s base is among the traditional Bedouin communities in the Negev desert.Ra’am said that the so-called change bloc agreed to over NIS 53 billion ($16.3 billion) in budgets and government development plans for Arab society.According to a statement by the Islamist party, Bennett and Lapid pledged NIS 30 billion over five years in unspecified economic development funds, as well as another NIS 2.5 million ($770,000) to fight violence and organized crime in Arab society.Another NIS 20 million ($6 million) will be invested over the next 10 years to fix crumbling infrastructure in Arab cities and towns, Ra’am said.Three Bedouin unrecognized villages — Abda, Khashm al-Zena, and Rakhma — are set to be legalized in a government decision, according to Ra’am.The party said it also won the coalition’s agreement to discuss amending the controversial 2017 Kaminitz law, which targets illegal Arab construction and is widely viewed by Arabs as discriminatory. In the meantime, a decision already in place to freeze parts of the law will be extended until 2024.Abbas said that Ra’am had signed the agreement last, waiting until other holdout parties, including Naftali Bennett’s Yamina, had also signed.For decades, Arab Israeli parties have almost always remained on the outside of the decision-making process in Israeli politics. Jewish parties shunned them as extremists, while they themselves were often skeptical of joining an Israeli government they deem treats them as second class citizens and oppresses Palestinians.Under Abbas, Ra’am in recent months began to blaze a different path, openly working with Netanyahu’s government. After leaving the Joint List of Arab parties, Ra’am ran alone on a platform of being willing to affect change from the inside by being open to joining a government, with the goal of achieving tangible policy advancements for his community.That included being willing to join right-wing Yamina leader Bennett, who opposes the creation of a Palestinian state and has long been identified with the settlement movement.“For decades, Arab Israelis have been without any influence. Now, everyone knows that we’re the deciding votes as far as politics goes,” Ra’am lawmaker Walid Taha told a reporter for the Arabic-language channel Hala TV.Mansour Abbas, head of the Ra’am party arrives to coalition talks, at the Maccabiah village in Ramat Gan on June 02, 2021. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90-Only twice have Arab Israeli parties backed an Israeli government. In the 1950s, a small faction composed of one Arab parliamentarian entered the coalition. The faction was far from independent, essentially operating as an Arab franchise of Israel’s ruling socialist party, Mapai.In the 1990s, when the government of left-wing Labor party leader Yitzhak Rabin was in danger of collapsing, the Arab parties stepped in to prevent a vote of no confidence.But mainstream Arab parties have begun to push in recent years to support a center-left government so as to topple Netanyahu. As recently as March 2020, the Joint List hoped to use its 15 MKs to bring Blue and White chief Benny Gantz into power.Gantz instead gave the Joint List the cold shoulder and entered a feeble coalition agreement with Netanyahu, a decision he would later publicly lament.The nascent government’s embrace of Ra’am remains enormously controversial among parts of the Israeli right, including among Bennett’s own constituents.Hundreds of protesters gathered outside of a Ramat Gan hotel where the negotiations were being conducted to call for the change bloc’s right-wing parties — such as Yamina, New Hope, and Yisrael Beytenu — to withdraw. Demonstrators held signs telling the parties “not to make a government with terror supporters.”“How can this government defend us from the Iranian nuclear threat?” went another sign held by a right-wing protester.Some in Netanyahu’s camp were skeptical that the change bloc’s various promises to Ra’am would come to fruition.“This is all empty talk. It’s lies. What did they get? Just political games,” seethed Likud MK Fateen Mulla in a phone call with The Times of Israel.The political wing of the southern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Ra’am is guided by a deeply conservative Islamic ideology and holds a virulently homophobic outlook. Its lawmakers also have pro-Palestinian views; the party’s charter supports a right of return for Palestinian refugees and deems Zionism “racist, occupier thought.”But in late 2020, Abbas astonished Arab and Jewish Israelis alike when he began seeking closer ties with Netanyahu, a figure many Arab Israelis say has incited against them.Abbas invited the prime minister to address a Knesset committee he directed, supported him during a contentious parliamentary vote and in exchange sought to extract public commitments from Netanyahu for the Arab community’s legislative priorities.“There’s only one premier, and that’s Netanyahu. He is the address for these demands,” Abbas told The Times of Israel in December.After months of increasingly public infighting, Abbas left the Joint List in early February. Many commentators speculated at the time that the Islamists would not receive enough votes to pass Israel’s election threshold. The Joint List, originally composed of three Arab parties as well as Ra’am, has been the main force in Arab Israeli politics since it was formed in 2015.His goal was clear: To cross the election threshold and become a kingmaker. Israeli politics is currently dominated by two opposing blocs — one supporting Netanyahu and the other opposing him, a rubric which has come to replace political ideology in how parties are seen; most parties’ loyalties to either bloc were well-defined before the elections, with only Ra’am and Yamina refusing to commit to either side.Abbas pitched Ra’am to voters as a genuine free agent which could wield enormous leverage in deciding the election one way or the other. The party’s iconic green posters described it as “a conservative, influential and realistic voice.”In a surprising turn of events, the March 2021 election delivered Ra’am four mandates, making them the largest single Arab party in the country. The Joint List’s three parties received a total of six seats in the Knesset, split among them.More importantly, the coalition math made it highly unlikely that a government could be formed without the Islamists.Netanyahu repeatedly denied seeking Abbas’s support during the electoral campaign. But after the elections delivered him a nearly impossible situation, he was said to hope to form a government with Ra’am’s support nonetheless.The long-serving prime minister’s efforts were stymied, however, when Ra’am and the far-right Religious Zionist party both ruled out sitting with one another in a coalition. Netanyahu was unable to bring potential partners in the center-right over to his side, and the mandate passed to Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid.Many Ra’am voters would likely have preferred Lapid rather than the hard-right Naftali Bennett. The coalition negotiations were also further complicated by growing violence in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.In early May, Israel Police clashed with Palestinian worshippers in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, and at Damascus Gate wounding hundreds with rubber-tipped steel bullets.While police said they acted to prevent a riot, many Arab Israelis saw it as an assault against Muslim sovereignty on the flashpoint Temple Mount hilltop, which is also Judaism’s holiest site.Ra’am’s religiously conservative voters felt the blow especially deeply. At the same time, Ra’am’s potential coalition partners, including Bennett and Lapid, supported the police.Tensions also rose over the pending eviction of Arabs in Jaffa and in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. Their homes were expected to be filled by right-wing Jewish nationalists.When open warfare broke out between Israel and Hamas and mob violence rolled through Arab-Jewish mixed cities, Ra’am temporarily froze the ongoing attempts to join the government in an attempt to wait things out.But even at the height of the chaos, Ra’am party officials close to Abbas remained optimistic that as soon as the events died down, the negotiations would resume.By the time Abbas arrived in at the Kfar Maccabiah hotel to conclude negotiations on Wednesday night, Ra’am’s participation in the coalition was already nearly a done deal.“The most important thing is to arrive at a point where we can achieve what we want,” Abbas said.
UNRWA Gaza chief recalled after uproar over claim that IDF strikes ‘precise’Despite apology, Matthias Schmale and his deputy leave Strip indefinitely for consultations in Jerusalem after angering Hamas-By TOI staff-jun 3,21-Today, 10:45 pm
The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency’s mission in Gaza has been recalled from his post following an uproar in the coastal enclave after he told Israeli TV that IDF strikes during last month’s 11-day war appeared to be “precise” and “sophisticated.”Matthias Schmale, along with his deputy David de Bold, left the Hamas-run coastal enclave on Wednesday, according to Channel 12, the network to which the UNRWA director made the original comments last month. The interview led to accusations from Gaza rulers Hamas that he was exonerating Israel for the deaths of Palestinian civilians, prompting Schmale to apologize.A spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency told Channel 12 that Schmale had been called back to Jerusalem for consultations and had decided to take an extended leave of absence.De Bold was also deemed persona non grata by Hamas, according to Palestinian media, which said the terror group was demanding that both he and Schmale be fired.The UNRWA spokesman told Channel 12 that De Bold would continue his job remotely from Jerusalem and that Deputy Commissioner-General Leni Stenseth would run the Gaza office on-site in the interim.A protest scheduled outside UNRWA’s headquarters for Wednesday was canceled following Schmale’s departure.In the May 23 interview, Schmale was asked about the IDF’s assertion that its military strikes were very precise. He responded: “I’m not a military expert but I would not dispute that. I also have the impression that there is a huge sophistication in the way the Israeli military struck over the last 11 days.”He also said that there were not currently any shortages of food, medicine or water in Gaza as Israel had reopened the crossings.Well, there you have it: the Gaza head of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian humanitarian matters, says he "would not dispute" Israel's claim that its airstrikes were "very precise," noting that "they didn't hit, with some exceptions, civilian targets." pic.twitter.com/HFTPouHnH5 — Avi Mayer (@AviMayer) May 25, 2021-In the interview, Schmale said that despite their accuracy, the strikes in the latest conflict were much more “vicious” than in the 2014 war.“So yes they did not hit, with some exceptions, civilian targets, but the viciousness and ferocity of the strikes were heavily felt,” he said, adding that more than 60 children were killed, including 19 who went to an UNRWA school.“So the precision was there, but there was an unacceptable and unbearable loss of life on the civilian side,” he said.Despite his clarification, the remarks drew outrage from Palestinians.Hamas said in a statement that his “comments are a complete distortion in favor of the Zionists, including an attempt to exonerate the Occupation of the murder of 254 Palestinians, more than 40% of them children, women and the elderly.”The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said at least 243 Palestinians were killed, including 66 children and teens, with 1,910 people wounded. It does not differentiate between terror group members and civilians. The Israeli military maintained that it killed some 225 terrorist operatives and that the Palestinian death toll was in fact considerably higher than was reported. It also said some of the civilian fatalities were caused by Hamas rockets falling short and landing in the Strip.Thirteen people were killed in Israel, all but one of them civilians, including a 5-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl. Some 357 people in Israel were wounded. Terror groups in Gaza fired more than 4,300 rockets at Israel during the fighting.Other Palestinian groups also protested Schmale’s comments.In a joint statement two days after the interview, several Palestinian rights groups said the remarks “completely ignored the crimes committed during the latest Israeli offensive against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.”They accused Schmale of “indirectly praising the precision and sophistication of the Israeli army, when Israel is in fact constantly committing war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Palestinian people.”Later that day, Schmale issued an apology.“Recent remarks I made on Israeli TV have offended & hurt those who had family members & friends killed & injured during the war that has just ended. I truly regret to have caused them pain, & reiterate following points I have made through countless interviews & tweets,” he tweeted.(1-8) Recent remarks I made on Israeli TV have offended & hurt those who had family members & friends killed & injured during the war that has just ended. I truly regret to have caused them pain, & reiterate following points I have made through countless interviews & tweets: — Matthias Schmale (@matzschmale) May 25, 2021-“There is no justification whatsoever for killing civilians. Any civilian killed is one too many. It is simply unbearable that so many innocent people have paid with their lives,” he said, adding that “military precision and sophistication are never a justification for war.”“Many people were killed or have been severely injured by direct strikes or collateral damage from strikes. In a place as densely populated as Gaza, any strike will have huge, damaging effects on people and buildings,” he said.Israeli military officials acknowledge that many Palestinian civilian casualties were indeed caused — directly or indirectly — by Israeli bombs. In one case, in which at least 10 people including eight children were killed in the Shati refugee camp, the IDF believes a missile strike on an underground bunker caused the ground above to give way, collapsing the homes of at least two families.The military describes such civilian casualties as being the unfortunate result of Hamas’s strategy of intentionally operating within densely populated areas to use the residents as civilian shields. Human rights groups, however, regularly accuse Israel of using disproportionate force in such situations.
As Israelis and Emiratis meet over investments, little mention of Palestinians-No indication that 11-day war in Gaza has slowed down budding ties, with trade between two countries already exceeding $354 million-By Agencies and TOI staff-jun 3,21-Today, 9:26 pm
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — At the luxurious Armani hotel inside the world’s tallest skyscraper in Dubai, Israelis in kippas and Emiratis in long white robes and kanduras gathered Wednesday to discuss investment opportunities. They aimed to make the most of deepening ties nine months after the two countries agreed to formalize relations.There was extremely little mention of the Palestinians or the fact that barely two weeks ago, Israel was a country still at war.Rather, the conversations were laser-focused on business. Several Israeli and Emirati speakers opened their remarks with both the Hebrew greeting of “Shalom” and the Arabic greeting of “Salam.” They spoke about boosting tourism, creating jobs, technology sharing, diversifying economies and tackling issues of water scarcity.Since the UAE and Israel formalized ties in September, tens of thousands of Israeli tourists have come to the UAE — mostly to Dubai or in targeted visits to the capital of Abu Dhabi.Trade between the two countries has already exceeded $354 million. The two countries have signed around 25 agreements in more than 15 sectors, said Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Thani bin Ahmed Al-Zayoudi, the highest-level Emirati official at the event.There has been no indication the 11-day war in Gaza, which ended with an inconclusive ceasefire May 21, has slowed down budding Emirati-Israeli ties.The war killed 254 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including 67 children. The Hamas terror group which rules Gaza, says 80 of its fighters were killed. Israel says that number is closer to 200. Thirteen died in Israel, including two children and one soldier, from rocket fire.The investment forum was worlds away from the war’s devastation. In the lavish and tightly secured Armani ballroom at the Burj Khalifa tower, there was no visible worry or concern on the faces of eager and excited Israeli delegates and speakers, many of whom expressed their astonishment at how rapidly ties have flourished with the United Arab Emirates.“It’s happening and it didn’t happen before. If you would have spoken to me a year ago, I wouldn’t have guessed that (we) will speak here today in Dubai about all of these things that are happening,” said Israeli Ambassador Eitan Na’eh, who is based in Abu Dhabi.Na’eh spoke to The Associated Press on the sidelines of the summit, which was billed as the first face-to-face investment conference in the UAE between Israelis and Emiratis since the US-brokered diplomatic pact was signed in September.The director-general of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, Tariq Bin Hendi, told the audience his country has “helped Israeli companies set up in the UAE.” The office is responsible for attracting foreign investment into Abu Dhabi and diversifying the private sector.“We want the people of Israel, the people of the world to come and join us, help us on that journey, work with us, learn from us, allow us to learn from you, and ultimately build a strong relationship,” he said.There were no high-level speakers from Israel at the event, though that may be a result of Israel’s political uncertainty. The list of speakers had also changed quite significantly to exclude several of the original speakers listed on the agenda before the recent conflict.Last month, the United Arab Emirates issued a rare public rebuke of Israel for heavy-handed police measures in Jerusalem and violent scenes captured by Palestinians of Israeli security forces quelling riots at the Temple Mount, a site sacred to both Muslims and Jews.The violence, which erupted in the final days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, angered citizens across Gulf Arab states, some of whom expressed support for Palestinians and opposition to Israel on social media or in limited street protests.
'We will do everything to unite Israeli society' Lapid informs president he can form government removing Netanyahu from power-But coalition won’t be finalized until Knesset vote in up to 12 days; right-wing MK could oppose it, possibly dooming bid; Ra’am is 1st Arab party ever to ink coalition deal-By TOI staff-jun 3,21-Today, 11:37 pm
Thirty-five minutes before a midnight deadline, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid on Wednesday night informed President Reuven Rivlin he is able to form a government in which he and Yamina chief Naftali Bennett will switch off as prime minister, positioning themselves to replace Israel’s longest-serving leader Benjamin Netanyahu as premier.Under the terms of the new coalition, Bennett is to serve as prime minister until September 2023, when Lapid will take over from him until the end of the Knesset term in November 2025. The agreement came together after Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas threw his support behind the would-be government late on Wednesday night, setting up his Islamist party to be the first majority Arab party to be part of a ruling coalition in Israel’s history.Despite Lapid’s declaration, it remained unclear that the prospective “change government” will make it past the finish line. It is set to include 61 of the 120 MKs — the narrowest possible majority. And an MK from Bennett’s Yamina, Nir Orbach, earlier on Wednesday night announced he could vote against the new coalition, a move that could potentially doom the prospective razor-thin government of right-wing, centrist, left-wing parties and the Islamist Ra’am.“I am honored to inform you that I have succeeded in forming a government,” Lapid told Rivlin according to a Yesh Atid statement. “The government will be an alternate government in accordance with Clause 13(a) of the Basic Law: The Government, and MK Naftali Bennett will serve as prime minister first.”“I congratulate you and the heads of the parties on your agreement to form a government. We expect the Knesset will convene as soon as possible to ratify the government, as required,” Rivlin told Lapid in the phone call between them on Wednesday night, according to the President’s Office.“This government will work for all the citizens of Israel, those that voted for it and those that didn’t. It will do everything to unite Israeli society,” Lapid promised.“Today, we succeeded. We made history,” said Merav Michaeli, the Labor leader.The Knesset must now schedule a vote of confidence in the new government. However, as the next plenum session is not until Monday, June 7, it would only be then that the Knesset Speaker, Likud’s Yariv Levin, is formally informed that he needs to schedule a vote on the new government.He then has up to a week to schedule that vote, so it may only be held on June 14, giving Netanyahu and his supporters 12 days to try to deprive Lapid and Bennett of their majority.The Lapid-Bennett coalition may try to oust Speaker Levin if he does not schedule the vote sooner than June 14, Channel 12 reported.Lapid on Wednesday night urged Levin “to fulfil the legal responsibility incumbent upon him and call a special session of the plenary as soon as possible during which he will inform the Knesset that Yesh Atid Chairperson, Yair Lapid, has succeeded in forming a government.”The intended Lapid-Bennett government is backed by eight of the 13 parties that won seats in the March 23 election, for an apparent total of 61 votes in the 120-member Knesset: Yesh Atid (17 seats), Blue and White (8), Yisrael Beytenu (7), Labor (7), Yamina (6 of its 7 MKs), New Hope (6), Meretz (6) and Ra’am (4).Yamina’s seventh MK, Amichai Chikli has announced he will vote against the planned government. If Orbach were also to do so, this could deny the planned new government of its wafer-thin majority. However, while four of the six MKs in the Joint List of mainly Arab parties have stated that they will vote against the planned government, the other two have not yet specified how they will vote. Bennett and Orbach are set to meet on Thursday.Mansour Abbas, head of the Ra’am party arrives to coalition talks at the Maccabiah village in Ramat Gan on June 2, 2021. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90-The nail-biting coalition talks continued past 11 p.m. on Wednesday night, with Ra’am inking its coalition deal around an hour before the deadline. New Hope and Yamina followed a short while later.“This is the first time an Arab party is a partner in the formation of a government,” said Ra’am’s Abbas. “This agreement has a lot of things for the benefit of Arab society, and Israeli society in general.”Another last-minute hurdle the parties overcame was a tussle between the right-wing Yamina and center-left Labor party over the makeup of the Judicial Appointments Committee.Under the emerging coalition agreements, Lapid will serve as foreign minister in the first two years of the government, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz will remain defense minister, and the treasury will be held by Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman. New Hope leader Gideon Sa’ar will be justice minister, while Yamina’s Ayelet Shaked will be interior minister. Labor’s Michaeli received the transportation portfolio and her fellow party member Omer Barlev will be public security minister. Meretz leader Nitzan Horowitz will be appointed health minister, while fellow party member Tamar Zandberg will be environmental protection minister and Issawi Frej regional cooperation minister.The final coalition agreements have yet to be formally released and negotiations are expected to continue until the swearing-in vote.Lapid was tasked last month by Rivlin with forming a government after Netanyahu was given first crack but failed to cobble together a ruling majority. The March 23 elections, the fourth since April 2019, again saw Netanyahu and his right-wing religious bloc fall short of a majority.Netanyahu and his political allies have been pressing lawmakers in Yamina and the fellow right-wing New Hope party not to form a government with Lapid, with that pressure expected to further grow in the days before the Knesset vote is held.If the emerging government is sworn in, Israel will have a new prime minister for the first time since 2009. Along with the over 12 consecutive years he has served as premier since then, Netanyahu was also prime minister for three years in the late 1990s.Israel has been mired in political deadlock since the Knesset dissolved in December 2018, with the four rounds of elections held since then failing to result in a decisive majority for either Netanyahu or his rivals. Besides fighting for his political survival, Netanyahu is currently on trial in three corruption cases.
WHO ramping up health aid for Palestinians after Gaza conflict-World Health Organization says it is helping 200,000 Gazans amid ‘staggering needs,’ with 30 clinics damaged in the fighting; calls for unhindered humanitarian access-By AFP-JUN 02,21-Today, 2:32 am
The World Health Organization Wednesday warned of “staggering health needs” in the West Bank and Gaza Strip after last month’s conflict between Israel and terror groups in the coastal enclave.“WHO is scaling up its response to provide health aid for almost 200,000 people in need” in both territories, WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean regional office said in a statement.“The situation is volatile. WHO remains concerned… and calls for unhindered access for humanitarian and development-related essential supplies and staff into Gaza and referral of patients out of Gaza whenever needed,” warned the WHO’s Rik Peeperkorn.Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians spiraled into an 11-day exchange of rocket fire from Gaza and Israeli counter airstrikes last month.The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said at least 243 Palestinians were killed, including 66 children and teens, with 1,910 people wounded. It does not differentiate between terror group members and civilians. The Israeli military maintained that it killed some 225 terrorist operatives and that the Palestinian death toll was in fact considerably higher than was reported. It also said some of the civilian fatalities were caused by Hamas rockets falling short and landing in the Strip.Patients are treated at the Limb Reconstruction Center at Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, March 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)-Thirteen people were killed in Israel, all but one of them civilians, including a 5-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl. Some 357 people in Israel were wounded. Terror groups in Gaza fired more than 4,300 rockets at Israel during the fighting.“Over 77,000 people [in Gaza] were internally displaced and around 30 health facilities have been damaged” in the hostilities, the WHO statement said.To prevent the smuggling of weapons, Israel and Egypt enforce a land and sea blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized control in 2007 of the impoverished and densely populated territory that is home to about two million Palestinians.“Palestinians’ lives are deteriorating; many of the people affected by the conflict are in urgent need of aid and face other health threats like Covid-19,” Peeperkorn said.A truck loaded with humanitarian aid, passes into Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, through the Kerem Shalom crossing, the main passage point for goods entering Gaza from Israel, on May 21, 2021, after a ceasefire brokered by Egypt between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas terror group (SAID KHATIB / AFP)-The global healthy body said that as of May 31, “337,191 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 3,765 deaths have been reported in Gaza and the West Bank, with positive cases increasing in Gaza in recent weeks”.It said that last month it launched an appeal for $7 million to help shore up its health operations in the Palestinian territories, but had only received $2.3 million.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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.
Massive fire breaks out at oil refinery near Iran’s capital-Unclear if there are injuries in blaze, which firefighters believe struck a pipeline for liquefied petroleum gas at the facility-By AP-jun 3,21-Today, 8:16 pm
TEHRAN, Iran — A massive fire broke out Wednesday night at the oil refinery serving Iran’s capital, sending thick plumes of black smoke over Tehran. It wasn’t immediately clear if there were injuries.The fire struck the state-owned Tondgooyan Petrochemical Co. to the south of Tehran, said Mansour Darajati, the director-general of the capital’s crisis management team.Firefighters believe it struck a pipeline for liquefied petroleum gas at the facility, Darajati told Iranian state television. He did not elaborate.Associated Press journalists in central Tehran, some 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) away, could see the black smoke rise in the distance. Another AP journalist saw flames shooting into the sky from the site.Mojtaba Khaledi, the spokesman for Iran’s emergency department, told the semiofficial ISNA news agency that 10 ambulances and other equipment had been deployed at the scene of the fire. Hospitals in the area are on standby as well, he said.It wasn’t immediately clear what started the blaze. Temperatures in Tehran reached nearly 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday. Hot summer weather in Iran has caused fires in the past.The blaze came the same day a fire struck the largest warship in the Iranian navy, which later sank in the Gulf of Oman.
Israel arrests senior Hamas commander in the West Bank-Military says Jamal Tawil encouraged recent riots, was working to revive terror group’s Ramallah headquarters; Hamas denounces the detention, vows to continue fighting-By Judah Ari Gross and Aaron Boxerman-jun 3,21-Today, 6:26 pm
Israeli security forces early Wednesday arrested a senior Hamas member, Sheikh Jamal Tawil, in Ramallah over his alleged work on behalf of the terror group, the Israel Defense Forces said.According to the military, Tawil was arrested in a predawn raid by the IDF’s elite Duvdevan Unit and the Shin Bet security service.“Tawil is a senior figure in the Hamas terror group in the West Bank, who recently took an active part in organizing riots, inciting violence and reforming Hamas’s headquarters in Ramallah,” the IDF said.Hamas denounced the arrest of its senior operative, saying it would not prevent further activity by the terror group in the West Bank.“The arrest of Sheikh Jamal al-Tawil will not silence the voice of the resistance in the West Bank. The sons of Hamas and its commanders are all soldiers of the resistance, and they will continue the path of freedom and liberation whatever the sacrifices,” Hamas said in a statement.Earlier today Hamas condemned the arrest of Sheikh Jamal Al Tawil pic.twitter.com/6GwumzYeU6 — Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 2, 2021-Tawil, who is believed to have planned a number of suicide bombings during the Second Intifada, has been arrested many times, spending much of his life in and out of Israeli prison. Tawil’s daughter Bushra, a Hamas-linked Palestinian journalist, has also been held in administrative detention since late December, according to the Palestinian prisoner rights group al-Dameer.Tawil’s arrest came amid a general crackdown on Hamas activities in the West Bank in recent days, as well as large-scale arrest raids in response to widespread protests and violent riots during last month’s Gaza conflict.More than ten Hamas activists were arrested in the pre-dawn hours on May 20 alone, including prominent Palestinian legislator Naif Rajoub, a Shin Bet spokesperson told The Times of Israel at the time. It is unclear how many were later released.Hamas this week called for Palestinians to hold a “Day of Rage” on Friday in order to confront what it called “settlers’ aggression” and the “storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque” in Jerusalem.“This aggression will be met by our people with further resistance and confrontation,” the terror group said in a statement Tuesday.Despite the ceasefire mostly holding between Israel and the terror group in the Gaza Strip, the Hamas leadership was apparently still pushing for further unrest in the region.Israel and Hamas concluded 11 days of fighting last month during which the terror group launched thousands of rockets at Israeli cities and towns, and Israel launched hundreds of retaliatory airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.Since the ceasefire took effect on May 20, there has been no rocket fire from Gaza toward Israel. However, on Sunday night a Palestinian who crossed from the Strip stabbed a security guard, lightly injuring him outside an Israeli town near the enclave. On Monday, a fire in southern Israel was apparently sparked by a balloon-borne incendiary device launched from the Gaza Strip.In the days after the ceasefire was declared, senior Israeli defense officials said they were not sure how long the truce would last, describing it as unstable.In the most recent round of fighting, the Palestinian terror groups tied the rocket fire from Gaza to the unrest in Jerusalem, connected to both clashes on the Temple Mount during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and the pending eviction of a number of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.According to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, 253 Palestinians were killed during the fighting, including 66 children. Palestinian terror groups in Gaza have said 80 of the total casualties were combatants, though Israel says the true figure is higher. Thirteen people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl, were killed. Israel says some of the Gaza fatalities were caused by Gaza rocket fire that fell short and landed in Gaza.In recent days, the head of Egypt’s intelligence services, Abbas Kamel, has led a wide-scale push to broker a comprehensive, long-term ceasefire, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and other top Israeli officials, as well as with Hamas’s leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, and with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.Israel has made large-scale Gaza reconstruction contingent upon Hamas releasing from captivity two Israeli civilians and handing over the remains of two IDF soldiers. Hamas is unlikely to do so without Israel agreeing to free a large number of terrorist operatives from its prisons.On Monday, Sinwar said the group is ready for “immediate negotiations” to reach a prisoner exchange with Israel and told reporters cryptically to “write down the number 1,111.”Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.
Europeans see return to Iran nuke deal coming together next week-Diplomats say negotiations for resumption of 2015 pact moving along, though some issues remain; top official dismisses UN atomic watchdog’s lack of access to sites as ‘not related’-By AP-jun 3,21-Today, 5:04 am
VIENNA, Austria — European diplomats say the latest round of talks over Iran’s nuclear program has made progress, expressing hope that agreement could soon be reached for Tehran to comply with a 2015 deal aimed at curbing its atomic ambitions and also see the United States rejoin the accord.Enrique Mora, the European Union official who chaired Wednesday’s talks in Vienna, said delegations from Russia, China, Germany, France, Britain, Iran and the US would return home to brief their governments and then meet again in the Austrian capital next week.“I’m sure that the next round will be the one in which we will finally get the deal,” Mora told reporters after the meeting.“There are a few political issues (and) there are a number of technical issues, again rather complex,” he added. “But I can say that they are fewer than they were one week ago. So we are (on) a good track.”“I think every capital has to give a green light to their respective delegations to get the agreement, and I think that will be the case next week,” said Mora.Other European diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity as they weren’t authorized to be quoted by name, described the talks in Vienna as “intense and productive,” but cautioned that they would become more difficult as delegates tackle harder issues.In this handout provided by the EU Delegation in Vienna, representatives of the European Union, Iran and others attend the Iran nuclear talks at the Grand Hotel in the Austrian capital, April 15, 2021. (EU Delegation in Vienna via Getty Images, JTA)-While progress had been made and important aspects of a future deal had been hammered out, the diplomats said that tough decisions lie ahead and nothing would be agreed until everything was agreed.Asked about the United Nations’ atomic watchdog this week stating that it hasn’t been able to access data important to monitoring Iran’s nuclear program since late February, Mora said delegations had “taken note” of the report.Iran started limiting inspections in a bid to put pressure on the government of U.S. President Joe Biden to lift crippling sanctions reimposed after then-President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, in 2018.“It’s something that is not directly related to the negotiations of the JCPOA,” Mora said, referring to the UN atomic energy agency’s report that it had not had access to the monitoring data since February 23.
