ISRAEL EXISTS 59 YEARS LATER

ISRAEL WILL BECOME A NATION. LITERALLY IN THE SPRING.

GENESIS 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram,(CHANGED TO ABRAHAM LATER) Get thee out of thy
country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:(PALESTINE,ISRAEL)
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

EZEKIEL 36:24
24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

EZEKIEL 37:9-28
9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds,(ALL THE WORLD) O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.(COME TO LIFE)
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.(ISRAEL WILL HAVE A POWERFUL ARMY)
11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.(BURNED BY HITLER)
12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.(THE DRY BONES COME TO LIFE IN ISRAEL)
13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.
15 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.
18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.
21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:
23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.
24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.
25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.
26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
28 And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

MATTHEW 24:32
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:(ISRAEL WAS LITERALLY REBORN JUST BEFORE SUMMER,MAY 14,1948).

MARK 13:28
28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:

DANIEL 9:24
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

ISRAEL WILL BE IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM, THE SIGN OF THE START OF THE LAST GENERATION.

LUKE 21:24
24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

59 YEARS AGO TODAY BY OUR CALENDAR THE SIX POINTED STAR OF DAVID MADE ITS MIRACULAS APPEARANCE IN ONE DAY. GOD'S PROMISE TO ISRAEL WAS KEPT AND PROPHECY WAS FULFILLED.

Isaiah 66:7-8: Before going into labor, she gave birth; before her pains came, she delivered a male child. Who ever heard of such at thing? Who has ever seen such things? Is a country born in one day? Is a nation brought forth all at once? For as soon as Tziyon went into labor, she brought forth her children. - Stern's Complete Jewish Bible

Isaiah 66:7-8

Israel would reborn in just one day....
Bible passage: Isaiah 66:7-8
Prophet: Isaiah
Written: perhaps between 701-681 BC
Fulfilled: 1948

In Isaiah 66:7-8, the prophet foreshadowed the re-birth of Israel, which happened in 1948. Isaiah describes a woman giving birth before going into labor, and he speaks of a country being born in one day. This accurately describes what happened on May 14, 1948 - when the Jews declared independence for Israel as a united and sovereign nation for the first time in 2900 years.

During that same day, the United States issued a statement recognizing Israel's sovereignty. And, only hours beforehand, a United Nations mandate expired, ending British control of the land. During a 24-hour span of time, foreign control of the land of Israel had formally ceased, and Israel had declared its independence, and its independence was acknowledged by other nations. Modern Israel was literally was born in a single day.

Isaiah said the birth would take place before there would be labor pains. And that too is precisely what happened. A movement called Zionism began in the 1800s to encourage Jews worldwide to move to Israel, which at that time was called Palestine. Within hours of the declaration of independence in 1948, Israel was attacked by the surrounding countries of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

When reading Isaiah 66:7-8, keep in mind that Israel's status as a sovereign nation was established and reaffirmed during the course of a single day, and that it was born of a movement called Zionism, and that its declaration of independence was not the result of a war but rather the cause of one.

OTHER NEWS TODAY

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-The Nation's Weather.3-Jordan's king warns Cheney on Mideast.4-Pope assails Marxism and capitalism. 5-Israel marks 40 year rule of Arab east Jerusalem. 6-Rabbis Call for Temple Mount Visits. 7-The Six Day War: Not Only Jerusalem. 8-The New Sabbath According to Orlev. 9-Portugal pushes for June treaty deal. 10-Liberal Democrats are out to silence you!

EARTHQUAKES

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Mon May 14 11:00 AM EDT

MAY 14,07
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.7 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 4.9 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.5 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 5.0 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.1 BERING SEA
MAP 5.2 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI
MAP 2.7 SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI
MAP 3.1 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.7 SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA

MAY 13,07
MAP 3.0 GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.0 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.9 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.5 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.3 FIJI REGION
MAP 2.5 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 3.0 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.4 NICARAGUA
MAP 4.4 FIJI REGION
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.9 FIJI REGION
MAP 5.1 WEST CHILE RISE
MAP 4.4 COSTA RICA
MAP 3.1 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.3 ALASKA PENINSULA

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Mon May 14, 6:34 AM ET

A storm system moving out of the northern Rockies Monday will speed across the northern Plains, pushing a cold front from Central Colorado to Northern Wisconsin. Thunderstorms are expected to pick up in intensity throughout the day, and while high winds were likely to be the main threat, isolated twisters were possible. Thunderstorms were also likely across Florida. While rain may put out wildfires in the state, winds and lightning could make them worse.The rest of the East as well as the West will have mostly clear skies.Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Sunday ranged from a low of 17 degrees at Spincich Lake, MI to a high of 105 degrees at Gila Bend, Ariz.

Iranian leader threatens retaliation By JIM KRANE, Associated Press Writer
Mon May 14, 7:32 AM ET

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - The Iranian president said Monday Iran will retaliate if the U.S. strikes the country — a tough response to recent comments by the Vice President Dick Cheney that Washington would prevent the Islamic republic from dominating the Middle East.

Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also said Iran had agreed for the benefit of the Iraqi people to meet with the U.S. in Baghdad to discuss security in Iraq.They (the U.S.) cannot strike Iran, he said at a press conference during a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates. The Iranian people can protect themselves and retaliate. The Iranian president's comments followed those on Friday by Cheney, who said from the deck of an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf that the U.S. and its allies would prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and dominating the region.Despite the tense words, the U.S. and Iran announced Sunday that they have agreed to meet in Baghdad to discuss security and stability in Iraq.

Both parties have confirmed the talks will take place in Baghdad in the presence of the Iraqi government, Ahmadinejad said Monday. We decided we were ready and prepared to do this to support the Iraqi people.The Iranian president, in a subdued mood after the previous night's raucous anti-American rally in a Dubai soccer stadium, repeated his calls for the United States to leave the Gulf region. Washington holds military bases in all Gulf countries except Saudi Arabia.In stark contrast to Cheney's low-key visit, Ahmadinejad was greeted with fanfare by the top leaders of the Emirates, who apparently had no objection to Sunday's rally.

Ahmadinejad said relations with the Emirates had taken a quantum leap, with the two countries agreeing to create a joint committee headed by their foreign ministers to boost cooperation in tourism, trade, energy and development.There's a willingness on both sides to upgrade relations, he said. Relations between Iran and the UAE can be a model for all the countries of the region.Ahmadinejad appeared to be pushing his agenda at a time when the U.S. administration's popularity in the region is at a low point. He said Iran is ready to band together in a Gulf-wide security alliance with Washington's traditional regional allies.

He also called for the reestablishment of diplomatic relations with Egypt that were broken in 1979, saying it would strengthen regional security and stability.The U.S. presence in the Gulf, Ahmadinejad said, runs counter to the best interests of the Muslim-majority countries on both sides of the oil-rich sea. Similar pleas for a regional security alliance have come during recent visits by Iranian Foreign
Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and national security adviser Ali Larijani.Ahmadinejad said the Americans had overextended their welcome in the region and were advocating tough actions that reached beyond what their Arab allies wished.What are these others doing in our region? he replied when asking to comment on Cheney's remarks aboard the USS John C. Stennis on Friday. Are they more keen with regard to the nuclear issue than everyone else in the region?

The U.S. has accused Iran of covertly developing nuclear weapons, but Iran has denied the charge, saying its nuclear program is peaceful. Tehran has also objected to U.S. claims that Iran is supplying Iraqi Shiite militias with deadly roadside bombs that kill American troops.Ahmadinejad said the U.S.-allied Emirates backs Iran's position that the U.S. military should leave the Gulf.This region won't allow other powers from thousands of miles away to threaten the region and create enmity, he said. Our talks with our brothers in the United Arab Emirates reiterated this truth again and again.

Emirati officials had no immediate comment. They have previously expressed strong concerns about growing U.S.-Iranian tensions and elevated U.S. rhetoric against Iran, but have shown no indication they intend to ask the U.S. military to leave.

A pair of newspaper editorials in the Dubai pro-government Gulf News expressed concern about Cheney's speech and supported closer relations with Iran. On Sunday, the paper lambasted Cheney for lumping the Gulf Arab countries into his anti-Iran rhetoric, saying he had needlessly stoked tensions with Iran.

Such careless talk by the vice president is not only unwelcome but is likely to have created an all-inclusiveness that is not welcome to the Arab states, the paper said. On Monday, the paper said Ahmadinejad's landmark visit had opened a new page in relations and backed the decision to form a bilateral commission. No Gulf leader has publicly backed Iran's call for a security alliance or for the removal of U.S. troops from the region.

Jordan's king warns Cheney on Mideast By JAMAL HALABY, Associated Press Writer Mon May 14, 7:01 AM ET

AMMAN, Jordan - Jordan's king warned visiting U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney Monday that time was running out to use an Arab peace plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to a royal palace statement. King Abdullah II, a moderate Arab leader and a key U.S. ally, also called for a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear standoff with the West, the statement said.Jordan stands in support of a peaceful resolution to the issue of Iran's nuclear capabilities that would spare the region further tensions, Abdullah told Cheney in a closed-door meeting at the king's beachside residence in the Red Sea resort of Aqaba.Abdullah said the Arab peace initiative, which was first launched in 2002 and revived at an Arab summit earlier this year, still represented an opportunity to advance peace and end the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Time is not on anyone's side, Abdullah warned. He did not elaborate, but he has previously said that the absence of peacemaking is increasing the popularity of extremists across the Muslim world.The Palestinians have embraced the Arab plan, which calls for full peace with all Arab nations if Israel withdraws from territories captured in the 1967 Middle East War and agrees to the creation of a
Palestinian state. It also calls for a just solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees.Israel and the United States have said the plan could be a basis for reviving the peace process.

But Israel has expressed reservations over many of its provisions, including the call to solve the Palestinian refugee issue.The king suggested to Cheney that there was a need to set a time frame to establish tangible results on the ground related to Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.Abdullah also emphasized that the United States plays a key role in helping the Palestinians and Israelis return to the negotiating table to reach a final settlement to the Palestinian issue.

Cheney's visit to Jordan is part of a regional tour that has taken him to Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The vice president is trying to build support for efforts to ease tensions in Iraq, end sectarian violence and encourage national reconciliation between disputing Iraqi factions. Abdullah reiterated the importance of achieving national reconciliation and including all segments of Iraqi society in Iraq's political process a reference to minority Sunnis, who complain they are being sidelined by their Shiite-dominated government.

The king said reinforcing security and establishing stability in Iraq is in the interest of the country as well as a key Jordanian interest. Jordan has complained that terrorists affiliated with al-Qaida in Iraq are infiltrating the Iraqi-Jordanian border to carry out terror attacks in the country.In November 2005, al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for Amman's triple hotel blasts, which killed 63 people, including three Iraqi suicide bombers.

Pope assails Marxism and capitalism By ALAN CLENDENNING, Associated Press Writer MAY 14,07

SAO PAULO, Brazil - Pope Benedict XVI lamented the deep divide between rich and poor in Latin America but told priests to steer clear of politics as they work to reverse Roman Catholicism's waning influence in the region.

Wrapping up five-day visit to Brazil, the 80-year-old pontiff denounced Marxism in an hour-long speech Sunday opening a 19-day conference of Latin American bishops in the shrine city of Aparecida.The Marxist system, where it found its way into government, not only left a sad heritage of economic and ecological destruction, but also a painful destruction of the human spirit, the pope said.He also warned of unfettered capitalism and globalization. Before boarding a plane for Rome later Sunday, he said the two could give rise to a worrying degradation of personal dignity through drugs, alcohol and deceptive illusions of happiness.Marxism still influences some grassroots Catholic activists in Latin America, remnants of the liberation theology movement Benedict worked to crush when he was cardinal. Liberation theology holds that the Christian faith should be reinterpreted specifically to deliver oppressed people from injustice.

Benedict also defended the church's campaign centuries ago to Christianize indigenous people, saying Latin American Indians had been silently longing to become Christians when Spanish and Portuguese conquerors violently took over their native lands centuries ago.In effect, the proclamation of Jesus and of his Gospel did not at any point involve an alienation of the pre-Columbus cultures, nor was it the imposition of a foreign culture, he told the bishops.Throughout his first papal visit to the region, Benedict emphasized Catholic moral values as the answer to Latin America's social and economic problems. Returning to that theme Sunday, he warned that legalized contraception and abortion in Latin America threaten the future of the peoples and said the historical Catholic identity of the region is under assault.Speaking in Spanish and Portuguese, the pope called on the bishops to reinvigorate the church, still the dominant faith in the region but rapidly losing ground to evangelical Protestant churches.

He urged bishops to mold a new generation of leaders, saying Latin America needs more dedicated Catholics at high levels in government, the media and at universities. While Brazil is the most populous Roman Catholic country, home to more than 120 million of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics, the census shows that people calling themselves Catholics fell to 74 percent in 2000 from 89 percent in 1980.

Those calling themselves evangelical Protestants rose to 15 percent from 7 percent.The pope did not name any countries in his criticism of capitalism and Marxism, but left-leaning leaders govern most of South America. The region's most prominent promoter of Marxism is Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, whose spokesman deflected the criticism on Monday. We all know that the current Pope is characterized as a conservative man, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we must automatically think that any word he utters ... is against Venezuela, Willian Lara said.

Religious experts said Benedict failed to address key challenges to the church in Latin America, including a severe shortage of priests or a specific strategy for how parishes should try win back Catholics who have turned into born-again Protestants or simply stopped going to church. Psychologists say what you don't talk about are often the most important things, and that was the case with the pope, said Fernando Altermeyer, a theology professor at Sao Paulo's Catholic Pontificate University.

Added former Vatican Radio reporter David Gibson: By not looking to the church's structural problems, he's handicapping the chances for success.In events in and near Sao Paulo that attracted more than 1 million people, Benedict criticized the rising tide of Latin Americans flouting the church's prohibition on premarital sex and divorce and told drug dealers they will face divine justice for the misery they cause.Then he headed to the shrine city of Aparecida, telling the bishops to convince Catholics from all walks of life to bring the light of the Gospel into public life, into culture, economics and politics.Benedict called the institution of the family one of the most important treasures of Latin American countries, but said it is threatened by legislation and government policies contrary to church doctrine on marriage, contraception and abortion.Mexico City lawmakers recently legalized abortion and gay civil unions, and the Brazilian government routinely hands out millions of free condoms to prevent AIDS. The pope called the region the continent of hope during a Sunday Mass before 150,000 faithful in front of the mammoth basilica of Aparecida home to the nation's patron saint, a black Virgin Mary. But the turnout fell far short of the 400,000 to 500,000 worshippers local organizers hoped would show up for Benedict's last big public event of the papal tour, his longest since becoming pope two years ago. Waiting to catch a glimpse of the 80-year-old pope at Aparecida's basilica, 68-year-old Maria Costa said she hoped his trip would revitalize the church in Brazil. Catholics weren't feeling very good with the Church, and that's why so many were leaving, she said. I think that could change now. Let's hope so.Associated Press Writers Tales Azzoni and Victor L. Simpson contributed from Aparecida.

THIS IS A DECEPTIVE HEADLINE IT SHOULD READ ISRAEL MARKS 40 YR RULE OF ISRAELI JERUSALEM. ITS ISRAELS CAPITAL NOT THE ARABS.

Israel marks 40 year rule of Arab east Jerusalem Mon May 14, 7:29 AM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel on Monday began marking 40 years since it conquered and annexed Arab east Jerusalem but the ceremonies were boycotted by European and US diplomats. The last 40 years were only the beginning, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a special parliamentary session marking the anniversary according to the Hebrew calendar.I believe, I hope and I pray that we will continue to work together to reinforce Jerusalem in order to extend its boundaries.Israel captured Arab east Jerusalem on June 7, 1967, the third day of the six-day Middle East war, and unilaterally annexed the sector in a move not recognised by the international community.Israel in 1980 passed a law declaring Jerusalem the unified and eternal capital of Israel, but the Palestinians want occupied east Jerusalem to be the capital of their future sovereign state.

Israel's unilateral moves in Jerusalem have been condemned by UN Security Council Resolutions, including one in 1980 that resulted in 13 Jerusalem-based foreign embassies being moved to Tel Aviv.

US and EU ambassadors have refused to attend Monday's parliamentary session as well as ceremonies due to be held on Jerusalem Day on Wednesday.They say Jerusalem's fate must be decided as part of final status negotiations to end the Middle East conflict and that in the meantime the status quo should be preserved in accordance with international law.A statement from a group of Israeli left-wing groups issued a statement deploring the deliberate marginalisation of Palestinian districts in Jerusalem by the Israeli authorities since 40 years.

Rabbis Call for Temple Mount Visits
by Hillel Fendel (INN) MAY 14,07

Close to 30 leading religious-Zionist rabbis visited the Temple Mount in purity on Sunday, after taking the necessary Halakhic precautions. The precautions involve immersing in a mikveh (ritual bath), taking off one's shoes, and clarifying the precise areas forbidden for entry - or else going only with a guide who knows the area. The visit was unique in that it marks the first time such a large group of
rabbis ascended together to the holy site. Among today's visitors were Kiryat Arba Chief Rabbi Dov Lior, Yeshivat Har Etzion Dean Rabbi Yaakov Meidan, Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz of Maaleh Adumim, Rabbi Daniel Shilo of Kedumim, Rabbi Shalom Gold of Har Nof, Jerusalem, and others.

Rabbi Shilo, asked to explain the timing of the visit, told Arutz-7, For one thing, Jerusalem Reunification Day is approaching. In addition, our hold on the Temple Mount is not yet strong among many people of Torah and others, because of halakhic [Jewish-legal] obstructions that we feel are no longer relevant. Biblical law forbids one from entering the holy areas of the Temple Mount, and some feel that the precise boundaries of those areas are not known. However, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel of the Temple Institute has shown that the rock under the Dome of the Rock is in fact the Holy of Holies, and most scholars agree.

Police accompanied the rabbis, and the representatives of the Islamic Waqf [the Moslem body that oversees the site - ed.] looked quite miffed, Rabbi Shilo said. MK Uri Ariel (National Union) expressed approval of the rabbis' move, saying, It appears that the police now understand that the current situation of restricting Jewish presence on the Jews' most sacred site is absurd and must change... This disgrace must be stopped. Jewish prayer must be allowed on the site, in a gradual
manner and in the places permitted by Halakhah.Last week, a group of over 40 rabbis signed a declaration calling upon the religious public - those who know the laws and restrictions - to frequent the permitted sites on the Temple Mount and to arouse love for this holy site in which our prayers are most accepted.Among the signatories are Rabbi Chaim Druckman, head of the Yeshivot Bnei Akiva organization; Rabbi Shlomo Riskin of Efrat; Kiryat Shmonah Chief Rabbi Tzefaniah Drori; Rabbi Bnayahu Bruner of Tzfat; Rabbi Re'em HaCohen of Otniel; Rabbi Daniel Cohen of Bat Ayin; Rabbi Chanan Porat of Kfar Etzion; Rabbi Gideon Perl of Alon Shvut; Rabbi Moshe Tzuriel of Bnei Brak; and more. Former Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, however, issued an opposite call, saying that visits to the Temple Mount could lead to the grave sin of entering forbidden sacred locations.

It's not that anyone is apathetic to our inability to pray on the Temple Mount, his son, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu of Tzfat said in his father's name. Our pain over this is almost physical. Rabbi M. Eliyahu is of the opinion that a synagogue should be built in a permitted area of the Temple Mount.

The Six Day War: Not Only Jerusalem
by Hillel Fendel (INN) MAY 14,07

There is a purposeful disregard of the liberation of Judea and Samaria during the Six Day War, says geographer and historian Avraham Shvut. Speaking with Arutz-7's Hebrew newsmagazine, Shvut author of a work on the modern history of Judea and Samaria said that ignoring these results of the Six Day War means also ignoring the fact that the Six Day War was the finale of the War of Independence. By doing so, they are purposely harming the nation's attitude towards the areas of Judea and Samaria.It's part of our national sickness of ignoring large parts of our Land, the Land of the Bible, Shvut said. Shvut's book HaAliyah El HaHar (The Ascent to the Mountain), published in 2003, reviews the history of Jewish settlement in Judea, Samaria and Gaza in the past 40 years.

Almost immediately after the Six Day War, construction began in the areas of Jerusalem liberated from Jordanian control, leading to the addition of neighborhoods such as Ramat Eshkol, Sanhedria Murhevet, Talpiot, Gilo and others. The other areas redeemed from Jordan - Judea and Samaria - were, in many ways, overlooked and viewed as not to be settled. Then-Defense Minister Moshe Dayan even said, We are waiting to negotiate with King Hussein. Years were wasted as the Land of Israel loyalists expected the government to take the lead in inhabiting the areas, as it did in the Golan, the Jordan Valley and even the Sinai Desert. When Judea and Samaria finally began to be settled, it was the first time that modern Israel was settled by a non-political organization - Gush Emunim - essentially a group of private people, as opposed to a government movement. It was also the first time, Shvut noted, that massive settlement began in mountainous regions. In the Galilee, as well, mountainous overlooks were first built around the same time, in the 1970's. Another first-time aspect of the Yesha communities was the lack of dependency on agriculture. Until then, communities were built where the land could be farmed, and much money was spent on preparing the ground, building hothouses, chicken coops and cowsheds. But in Yesha, the new style of communal towns enabled the construction of many of them. All you needed was a few caravans for living and public buildings, and you had a town!

GENESIS 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram,(CHANGED TO ABRAHAM LATER) Get thee out of thy
country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:(PALESTINE,ISRAEL)
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

WELL ALL I HAVE TO SAY AMERICA ITS GONNA BE A DANGEROUS HURRICANE SEASON THIS YEAR, GOD WILL HAVE THE LAST SAY ON ISRAELS CAPITAL JERUSALEM, NOT THE ARABS CAPITAL.

After 40 Years, U.S. Avoids Jerusalem Reunification Day
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu (INN) MAY 14,07

The United States will avoid Jerusalem Reunification Day festivities this week despite a 12-year-old Congressional bill calling for the American embassy to be located in the capital. Since then, every President has exercised a waiver in the bill allowing the move to be deferred for a renewable period of six months.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni insisted that the connection between Israel and Jerusalem is inseparable despite the boycott by the U.S. and most of the international community. Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski went further and declared, Anyone who doesn't recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel does not recognize the State of Israel.Anyone who doesn't recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel does not recognize the State of Israel.American officials, including former Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk, have stated that moving the embassy is not likely to happen until there is a final peace agreement with the Palestinian Authority (PA).

The U.S. did not issue an official statement explaining why the current Ambassador, Richard Jones will not be attending the ceremonies, but Ambassador Dr. Harald Kindermann from Germany, which heads the European Union (EU) this year, specifically said EU countries will not participate because of Arab claims of sovereignty over eastern Jerusalem, which includes the Old City. The Foreign Ministry said Sunday it is unhappy and disappointed that most delegations announced they were not coming to the festivities but added that officials from several embassies will attend. Two American lawmakers have launched an effort to put a stop to the continuing deferral of the Congressional bill to move the embassy from Tel Aviv. Republican House of Representatives members Joe Wilson and Mike Pence recently introduced a resolution stating that Jerusalem must remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected as they have been by Israel during the past 40 years.Jerusalem must remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected as they have been by Israel during the past 40 years.

The new resolution strongly urges American President George W. Bush to stop exercising the waiver to delay the move of the embassy. It also calls on him and American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to repeatedly affirm publicly, as a matter of United States policy, that Jerusalem must remain the undivided capital of the State of Israel.The congressmen also noted that the 2003 Foreign Relations
Authorization Act directs that the birth of any U.S. citizen born in Jerusalem should be recorded as Jerusalem, Israel upon the request of the citizen or his or her guardian. That requirement has never been implemented, and the city is listed without its being designated that it is in Israel. Israel officially incorporated all of Jerusalem into the municipality in 1980, a move that caused virtually all of the embassies that had been located in Jerusalem to move away. The last holdouts were El Salvador and Costa Rica, which pulled out several months ago.

The New Sabbath According to Orlev
by Hana Levi Julian (INN) MAY 14,07

Knesset Member Zevulun Orlev is stepping onto a tightrope by proposing two new laws that could change the face of Israeli society.The pair of bills written by the National Union / National Religious Party Chairman are also likely to reawaken the age-old debate over Israeli laws pertaining to the Sabbath. One bill would change the length of the traditional Israeli weekend; the second would change its character. If passed, they will also change the way Sabbath is traditionally observed in Israeli society, both in the religious and secular populations.One of the bills would end the practice of beginning the regular work week on Sundays. Instead, the weekend break which traditionally begins on Friday afternoon would not end until Monday morning.

Industry and trade will, if the law passes, no longer be completely forbidden on the Sabbath, nor would public or state services, as they are at present. This would allow an increase in recreational and cultural activities, provided they would comply with noise regulations.The main purpose for the change, said MK Orlev, is to allow Sabbath-observant Jews to have a day to travel and enjoy cultural and recreational activities as a family. Due to the six-day work week, this currently causes hardship for the religious population. A worker must use a paid (or unpaid) vacation day and a student must skip school in order for the family to take the day off together.The second proposal would change the public transportation system.If passed, the new law would allow limited public transportation to become available on the Sabbath. At present public transportation is permitted only six days a week Sunday through Friday. The new Sabbath lines would be serviced by vans similar to the private sheirut or mini-buses run by private companies along the regular public bus routes. None would be allowed to travel through religious communities or neighborhoods.

MK Orlev also recommended establishing a committee to oversee the development of Sabbath services under his proposals.According to the Jerusalem Post, a number of senior religious Zionist rabbis and senior members of the Knesset are supporting the proposals; however, MK Orlev could not be reached to confirm the claim.Both bills are expected to face an initial Knesset hearing in the near future. Reactions from Sabbath-observant Knesset members were not long in coming, however. Minister Eli Yishai, Chairman of the Sephardic religious Shas party, slammed the proposals and the NU / NRP parties, saying, Any initiative by parties calling themselves religious and turning reform on Shabbat (Sabbath) matters should be foiled.Meretz Knesset Member Zahav Gal-On had a different take on MK Orlev's motivation for proposing the measures, saying it was a red herring. As long as the religious-rabbinical establishment dictates how we should marry, divorce and what we should eat, she declared, all these proposals are insignificant.

Portugal pushes for June treaty deal
14.05.2007 - 09:18 CET | By Honor Mahony

As incoming EU presidency in the second half of this year, Portugal has made it clear that if there is no significant agreement on a new treaty in six weeks time, it will put the issue on the political back burner for its six month tenure of the bloc.Portuguese prime minister Jose Socrates said that Berlin, as current EU presidency, will have to secure a precise mandate during the EU leaders summit on 21-22 June, otherwise Lisbon would not continue individual negotiations with member states. He made the announcement after an informal meeting over the weekend in the Portuguese town of Sintra including German chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso to assess the state of play on the treaty negotiations.

While appearing to up the public pressure for a deal, Mr Socrates' words dovetail with Germany's own policy of trying to get as much agreed at the summit as possible. Mrs Merkel is pushing to get all the big issues out of the way in order to have an intergovernmental conference on the rest of the issues during Portugal's presidency - beginning 1 July that is to be as technical as possible, according to diplomats.

The strategy stems in part from the fear that Portugal, followed by Slovenia, taking over the presidency in January 2008, will not have the political clout to force other - bigger - member states to come to a deal.EU presidencies give political guidance to the bloc and are tasked with trying to find agreement among the 27 member states on the issues of the day.

For its part, Germany has also attached significant public importance to the constitutional task seeing its presidency as the last chance to set in motion a timetable that would see all member states ratify a new treaty by mid 2009 the date of the next European elections.Speaking after the Sintra meeting, the German chancellor called on other EU member states to work together on the issue.I am certain that we will accomplish it if we remain united, if we work together, she said, according to AFP. It is in our interest and it is our responsibility to allow Europe to act in the face of the challenges that confront us.According to Spanish daily El Pais, quoting a senior official attending the Sintra meeting, quite some time in the gathering was spent analysing the proposals of French president-elect Nicolas Sarkozy, the ideas of Gordon Brown, the likely successor to British leader Tony Blair, as well as the difficulties that the Dutch and Polish governments have in relation to a new treaty.

Germany revived negotiations on a new-look treaty for the bloc at the beginning of the year following 18 months of almost complete political silence after France and the Netherlands rejected the EU constitution in mid-2005.In order to get a deal, Berlin has to keep as much of the original treaty as possible intact to please the 18 countries that have already largely ratified the document, while taking into account the sceptical public in many of the remaining nine countries.However, this delicate balancing act looks to be upset by two key member states – Poland, which wants to renegotiate the voting system and the UK which wants as small a treaty as possible, keeping member states' right to veto in as many areas as possible.

Liberal Democrats are out to silence you! MAY 14,07
Urgent Telephone Alert on the Meehan Amendment (H.R. 2093)!

Dear Stan,

I wrote to you in January about legislation in the U.S. Senate that could have silenced grassroots communication from groups like American Family Association. Thankfully, that part of the legislation was defeated after you and other concerned citizens let your voices be heard.

Unfortunately, the House Judiciary Committee is expected to reconsider the grassroots gag order when the Meehan Amendment (H.R. 2093) will be offered on Tuesday, May 15, during debate on a broader lobbying reform bill. This amendment, sponsored by Rep. Martin Meehan (D-Mass.), would establish, for the first time, federal regulatory authority over efforts aimed at motivating citizens to communicate with their representatives about bills moving in Congress.This threat is so serious that American Family Association has joined with other pro-family groups, as well as organizations from the left of the political spectrum, including the ACLU, to oppose the bill. Last week, we signed a joint letter calling on members of Congress to reject this dangerous effort to exclude men and women like you from the democratic process. The full House of Representatives is expected to act on the lobbying reform legislation on May 22. Depending on what happens in the Judiciary Committee on May 15, the full House may also vote on whether to include the Meehan provision in the broader bill.

Take Action

To be shown the phone number for your representative's office, and an appropriate suggested message -- one message if he is a member of the Judiciary Committee, and a different message if he is not. This is urgent -- please act today!
http://www3.capwiz.com/afanet/callalert/index.tt?alertid=9738911&type=TA

If you think our efforts are worthy, would you please support us with a small gift? Thank you for caring enough to get involved. Sincerely,
Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association

JERUSALEM CELEBRATIONS ALL WEEK

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS. 2-The Nation's Weather. 3-Scientists monitor undersea volcano. 4-Fog, lower temps take bite out of California wildfires. 5-Wildfire forces evacuations in northwestern Ontario. 6-Livni hints at West Bank pullouts. 7-Israeli Cabinet debates Gaza operation. 8-EU proposes monitoring radical mosques. 9-More Than 1,000 Expected at Joseph's Tomb, With or Without IDF. 10-Report: IDF and UN Soldiers Had Three Incidents in Past Month. 11-Bush to pressure Senate to revive U.N. sea treaty 12-Islamic Extremists Believe God Will Give Jerusalem to Islam. 13-Week of Celebrations in Jerusalem.

EARTHQUAKES

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Sun May 13 13 AM EDT

MAY 13,07
MAP 4.4 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.5 FIJI REGION
MAP 2.5 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 3.0 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.4 NICARAGUA
MAP 4.4 FIJI REGION
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.9 FIJI REGION
MAP 5.1 WEST CHILE RISE
MAP 4.4 COSTA RICA
MAP 3.1 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.3 ALASKA PENINSULA

MAY 12,07
MAP 4.5 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.7 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.7 WESTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 3.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.3 SOUTH OF PANAMA
MAP 4.2 GUATEMALA
MAP 4.7 TONGA
MAP 5.5 SERAM, INDONESIA
MAP 3.4 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP 5.9 EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.2 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.3 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP 3.4 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAP 3.4 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.3 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.9 MAUG ISLANDS REG., NORTHERN MARIANA ISL.
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.1 VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA REGION

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Sun May 13, 4:59 AM ET

Showers and some thunderstorms were forecast for Sunday along the Southeast Coast, as a slow-moving frontal system drifts out into the Atlantic Ocean. A high pressure system was expected to move over the Great Lakes toward the Northeast and keep much of the eastern half of the country dry.

Showers and some thunderstorms were expected to develop in parts of the Southwest and Southern Rockies.Temperatures nearing 100 degrees were possible in the Southwest, while the Southeast was to see temperatures in the 80s and 90s. Highs in the 60s and 70s were expected in the Northeast and Northwest.Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Saturday ranged from a low of 30 degrees at Lake Yellowstone, Mont., to a high of 107 degrees at Death Valley, Calif.

EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Scientists monitor undersea volcano By DAVID McFADDEN, Associated Press Writer Sun May 13, 3:18 AM ET

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Researchers have installed a seismometer atop an active volcano called Kick 'em Jenny under the Caribbean Sea to warn of eruptions or earthquake activity, scientists said Saturday. The device allows scientists to collect real-time rumbling from tremors or as bubbling magma and gases are released from the volcano, about 820 feet beneath the sea's surface off Grenada's northwest coast.The system essentially acts as a kind of doctor's stethoscope so we can directly listen to the pulse of the volcano, said Richard Robertson, director of the Seismic Research Unit at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad.He said the seismometer is connected to a flexible hose that runs to a buoy, where a high-frequency radio transmitter sends readings to an observatory in a northern Grenadian village — all within milliseconds.

A team of scientists led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts attached the monitoring system to the volcano by a remote-controlled underwater craft on May 6.By putting a seismometer right on the volcano we will significantly improve our ability to detect precursory activity before an eruption takes place, said Woods Hole scientist Rob Reves-Sohn.Since its discovery in 1939, when it shot a cloud of ash 900 feet above the sea surface, Kick em Jenny has erupted at least 12 times, most recently in 2001. The volcano, which rises above the sea floor on the steep inner western slope of the Lesser Antilles ridge, has not caused any deaths or injuries.In 2003, scientists discovered a field of five other active underwater volcanos off Grenada's north coast. The largest, nearly one-mile high, was dubbed Kick 'em Jack, after its neighbor.

FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

Fog, lower temps take bite out of California wildfires Sat May 12, 5:16 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Lower temperatures and fog cover on Saturday combined to reduce the virulence of a raging fire that has been blazing in southern California, which is unusually dry for this time of year. Fire officials said the blaze that forced evacuations and consumed 10 percent of Santa Catalina Island, a nature reserve and popular day-trip destination near Los Angeles, was 35 percent contained late Friday and residents were beginning to return.The fire tore through more than 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares) after erupting suddenly on Thursday, just as firefighters were gaining the upper hand on a another blaze that devastated more than 800 acres (300 hectares) of Los Angeles' historic Griffith Park.

The fog cover and lower temperatures on Saturday (65 degrees Fahrenheit, 18 degrees Celsius) followed a drop in winds Friday and increased humidity that allowed firefighters to make significant inroads into the island blaze.No one was reported injured by the fire, though at least one house and several buildings were destroyed, officials said.Los Angeles is in the grip of the driest start to the year since records began in 1877, according to the National Weather Service.Meanwhile, fires continued to rage in the southern state of Florida, causing several highways to close and consuming more than 212,000 acres (86,000 hectares), state and federal agencies said.

Wildfire forces evacuations in northwestern Ontario
Last Updated: Saturday, May 12, 2007 | 7:25 PM ET CBC News

Emergency officials advised hundreds of residents in northwestern Ontario to evacuate their cottages Saturday as a wildfire raged out of control in the region. The fire began at an unattended campsite across the border in Northern Minnesota several days ago.A forest fire burns about 75 kilometres west of Thunder Bay, Ont. Police and fire officials were going door to door Saturday to ensure people were leaving the area. (CBC) Staff with Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources spent
Saturday checking cottages in the area, about 75 kilometres west of Thunder Bay, making sure people left the danger zone.We're asking individuals to leave the area for public safety reasons, said Dave Jackson, a fire information officer with Natural Resources.I don't think they'll need an awful lot of convincing because there is quite a bit of smoke from the nearby fire.

Ministry officials estimated the fire had scorched about 100 square kilometres on the Canadian side of the border. U.S. officials said it had already burned about 120 square kilometres in Minnesota.An evacuation order was first issued Friday and was expanded Saturday because of fears about changing wind conditions.Jackson said there were no major communities in the border area that is studded with lakes, mostly hunting and fishing lodges and cottages.Officials estimated there were between 200 and 300 people in the area.We're in the process of going door to door and documenting who's in and who's out, Jackson said.Ontario Provincial Police were called in to look for people in the evacuation zone, a time-consuming process because the cottages are spread apart, Jackson said.Roads into the area have been blocked and nobody was being allowed in, he added.A wider area encompassing another 400 to 500 cottages was under evacuation alert in case the fire further expands on the Canadian side.We're constantly assessing it, Jackson said.Ontario officials were in the process of preparing efforts to actually fight the fire, he added.With files from the Canadian Press.

LAND FOR PEACE (THE FUTURE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH)

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 and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

Livni hints at West Bank pullouts
Associated Press - Saturday, May 12, 2007 (Jerusalem)

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni pledged in comments published on Saturday that Israel would make further withdrawals from the West Bank to facilitate the creation of a Palestinian state.But she said that the process was being hindered by moderate Palestinian leaders' inability to rein in militants.

In an interview with Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram, Livni, who has said she will challenge Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for leadership of their Kadima party, says the 2005 pullback from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements will not be the last Israeli withdrawals from Palestinian areas. I can assure you that Gaza is not the last step, we are convinced that to establish a Palestinian state, we have to withdraw from other areas, she said. We do not want to control the Palestinians.No detail on timing .She did not detail the extent or timing of another round of pullbacks.Violence between rival Palestinian groups and bloody family feuds have spiraled of late.

Palestinians have repeatedly fired rockets from Gaza at Israel in recent weeks, breaching a ceasefire in place along the Gaza-Israel border since November and prompting speculation about a possible large-scale Israeli incursion into the strip.Defence Minister Amir Peretz said on Saturday that an Israeli ground operation in Gaza should only be carried out as a last resort.I think that going into Gaza is an option that should be kept for a situation where there is absolutely no other alternative, he told a public meeting in the Israeli town of Holon.Peretz has said he would step down as Defence Minister but will probably wait until after his Labour Party has held its primaries at the end of the month.

Peretz, along with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former army chief Lt Gen Dan Halutz, was criticised by an official commission for his handling of last summer's Lebanon war.

Seek Olmert's resignation Livni has called on Olmert to resign.

The latest comments from Livni and Peretz came a day before Jordanian KingAbdullah's scheduled trip to the West Bank town of Ramallah on Sunday for talks withPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the king's first visit in seven years.Olmert is to meet Abdullah in Jordan on Tuesday on the sidelines of a Nobel Laureates conference in Petra.Palestinian and Israeli officials denied reports of a planned trilateral meeting between the king, Olmert and Abbas.

Israeli Cabinet debates Gaza operation By LAURIE COPANS, Associated Press Writer Sun May 13, 5:34 AM ET

JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's senior ministers were expected on Sunday to approve intensified operations against Gaza Strip rocket squads, but to stop short of authorizing a large-scale operation to try to stop daily attacks on southern Israel, government officials said. The rocket fire generates great panic in areas of southern Israel that are frequent targets, but harsh military action is liable to upset efforts to revive the peace process.

Israeli defense officials have cautioned that the Gaza Strip is becoming a powder keg as militants smuggle in weapons from Egypt and militants affiliated with the ruling Hamas movement become involved in the rocket fire.The rocket fire rarely causes casualties but violates a November cease-fire with Gaza militants. Three missiles were launched early Sunday, but no one was hurt, the army said.Israel's so-called Security Cabinet was debating how to respond to the rocket fire at a time of increased diplomatic activity designed to prod Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table. Jordan's King Abdullah was to pay a rare visit to the West Bank later in the day to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, where the two were likely to discuss an Arab proposal for a comprehensive Mideast peace.

Olmert and Abdullah are to talk about the initiative on Tuesday in a meeting in Petra, Jordan, and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni discussed the plan last week with her Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts in Cairo.At Israel's Security Cabinet meeting, senior defense officials were to present a range of options to counter the rocket fire. While senior commanders support a large-scale operation in the Gaza Strip, most of the defense establishment does not, defense officials said Sunday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the press.The defense officials will propose increased strikes against rocket-launchers and operations in outlying areas of the Gaza Strip where the projectiles are fired, they said.Israeli ministers, including Defense Minister Amir Peretz, do not at this time support a large operation in Gaza, government officials said Sunday.I think that at this moment a large-scale operation in the Gaza Strip won't bring solutions, said Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, a member of the security Cabinet and a former defense minister and military chief of staff. Mofaz said he thought pinpoint air strikes against rocket squads and limited ground operations would be more effective.

Such action would not constitute a drastic change in Israel's current retaliation practices, but could further unravel the truce Israel and Gaza militants reached in November following a harsh Israeli military campaign that killed hundreds of militants but provoked radicals to increase the rocket fire.

Moderate Arab states are pressing Israel to accept a Saudi Arabian peace plan that would trade a full Israeli withdrawal from areas captured in 1967 for Arab states' recognition of Israel.Abdullah's meetings with Abbas and Olmert this week signified an increased effort to push forward talks on the plan, which had been presented by Saudi Arabia in 2002 and was revived in March.

Israel and the United States have said the proposal could be a basis for reviving Arab-Israeli peacemaking. But Israel has expressed reservations over many of its provisions, including the call to solve the Palestinian refugee issue.Abdullah's visit to the Palestinian areas was rare, and he was not visiting Israel ahead of his meeting with Olmert, on the sidelines of a conference of Nobel laureates. Abdullah visited the West Bank once before, in 2000. He made a secret trip to Israel in 2004 to visit then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and paid a public visit in August 2000, a month before the Palestinian uprising against Israel broke out.Abbas was invited to attend the event in Petra, but declined, apparently reluctant to get entangled in a three-way meeting with the king and Olmert that he thinks would not yield the Palestinians any concrete results. Livni said in comments published Saturday that Israel wanted to carry out further withdrawals from the West Bank to facilitate creation of a Palestinian state but the Palestinians' inability to rein in militants has hindered the process.She told the Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram that Israel's 2005 pullback from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements will not be the last withdrawals from Palestinian areas.

DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; 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 JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) 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 with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) 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.

EU proposes monitoring radical mosques By COLLEEN BARRY, Associated Press Writer Sat May 12, 4:30 PM ET

VENICE, Italy - Security officials from Europe's largest countries backed a plan Saturday to profile mosques on the continent and identify radical Islamic clerics who raise the threat of homegrown terrorism. The project, to be finished by the fall, will focus on the roles of imams, their training, their ability to speak in the local language and their sources of funding, EU Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Franco Frattini told a news conference after a meeting on terrorism.

Italian Interior Minister Guiliano Amato said Europe had extensive experience with the misuse of mosques, which instead of being places of worship are used for other ends.This is bringing about a situation that involves all of our countries and involves the possibility of attacks and developing of networks that use one country to prepare an attack in another, Amato said.

The transit attacks in Madrid and London along with several thwarted terror plots — have raised concerns across Europe about the susceptibility of disaffected young Muslims to the messages of extremist clerics.British police have said the bombers in the July 2005 London suicide attacks listened to the sermons of Abu Hamza al-Masri, a radical cleric who was sentenced last year to seven years in prison for inciting followers to kill non-Muslims.

Britain also recently ordered the deportation of a Jordanian-born cleric, Abu Qatada, accusing him of links to terrorism and being a threat to national security. Abu Qatada is appealing.Adel Smith, a well-known Muslim activist in Italy, said mosques in Italy are already extensively monitored and called the EU plan discriminatory.I think this is nonsense, I think mosques have been well monitored for some years, he said in a telephone interview. It is a form of religious discrimination.Frattini emphasized the need of deeper dialogue with the Islamic communities to avoid sending messages that incite hate and violence.

Separately, the security officials from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland also pledged to work with African nations to interrupt a new cocaine route from Colombia across Africa into Europe.They have created bases in Europe and we need to have our counter-bases, Amato said, noting that the Spaniards have seen an influx of cocaine in the south and east of their country coming from beyond the traditional Atlantic route.The officials proposed setting up drug-fighting bases in Portugal to monitor smuggling by sea and in Gibraltar to watch land routes.

More Than 1,000 Expected at Joseph's Tomb, With or Without IDF
by Ezra HaLevi (INN) MAY 13,07

Organizers of the mass entry into PA-assigned Shechem (Nablus) to visit Josephs Tomb say the worshipers are expected to make the pilgrimage despite IDF security warnings. The IDF announced that the entry to Josephs Tomb would endanger civilians and interfere with IDF activities in the region.

Moshe, one of those planning on making the journey regardless of IDF warnings, told Army Radio Sunday morning that, Whereas under former IDF Central Regional Commander Moshe Kaplinsky there were several organized visits to the Tomb, ever since Yair Naveh took the position, there have been almost no organized entries at all.Asked whether he was concerned about endangering his own life and the lives of those entering Shechem due to concrete terror threats reported by the IDF, Moshe said: We have heard the same story of concrete threats by the IDF many times. They know that we know they can handle it, but Central Commander Naveh simply wants to demonstrate his ability to scare us away from Josephs Tomb, which we are supposed to be able to pray at even under the Oslo Accords.Organizers cite the IDF's opposition to recent mass returns to Homesh, which, rather than physically opposing, it stood aside and allowed at the last minute.

Over 1,000 people are expected to attempt to reach the tomb, around which the modern Arab city of Shechem has been built. Sunday night is the date of the 49-day Omer count between Pesach and Shavuot associated most with Joseph, whose undocumented date of death is also observed on that night. Groups of dozens of Breslov Chassidim have in the past succeeded in circumventing IDF checkpoints and praying at the tomb. Organizers have requested that right-wing Knesset Members convince the IDF to allow an organized visit if there truly are security concerns. We are dealing with hundreds of youths, over which there is no control, Moshe told Arutz-7. We are dealing with people who are very angry that for two years they have not been allowed to visit Josephs Tomb. They want to prove to the army that if it cannot succeed in securing entry to the city of Shechem, then they can get along on their own. Most of them have already done this dozens of times.MK Uri Ariel (National Union-NRP) rejected calls to pressure the IDF, and instead called upon Jews considering entering Shechem not to endanger themselves. He also called upon the IDF to begin organizing secured visits as it used to do in the past.

Illegal Entry Probably Not Necessary, Organizers Say After Meeting

After meeting with IDF officials, who promised an organized visit would be granted in the very near future, organizers announced that worshipers should refrain from entering Shechem on their own Sunday night, but should gather at nearby Jewish communities such as Itamar and Yitzhar in order to pressure the IDF to commit to providing safe passage in return for calling off the unauthorized pilgrimage.We are awaiting final notice from the IDF on what their response will be, Moshe told Arutz-7 Sunday afternoon.

Report: IDF and UN Soldiers Had Three Incidents in Past Month
by Ezra HaLevi (INN) MAY 13,07

The IDF and European soldiers serving in a UN peacekeeper force in Lebanon have come close to engaging each other in combat three times in the last month, according to foreign press reports.

German officials confirmed a Rheinische Post report that there had been three incidents recently involving the IDF and UN peacekeepers. The IDF spokesman also confirmed that Israel has investigated two complaints against its army by UN troops. One of the incidents took place on April 30 and involved German and Israeli naval vessels. According to the German press report,Germanys SS Niedersachsen took steps toward attacking an IDF naval vessel traveling toward it because the Israeli vessel did not identify itself. Another incident involved Israeli fighter jets that approached German ships, according to German statements.

A third incident, also reported by Germany, allegedly involved an Israeli Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) approaching a Swedish speedboat, though no complaint was filed by Sweden. Last October, incidents between German forces in Lebanon and IDF forces led to an apology by PM Olmert for misunderstandings. A German naval vessel, at the time, on an unannounced intelligence-gathering mission was targeted by IAF fighter jets, which fired warning shots over the ship. Germanys command center for its peacekeeper troops in Lebanon is located in the German city of Potsdam.

The countrys Foreign Ministry downplayed the incidents, saying they would be worked out with Israel directly.

Bush to pressure Senate to revive U.N. sea treaty
Critics say it would put 70% of Earth under control of global bureaucracy
May 13, 2007 - WorldNetDaily.com

WASHINGTON – In a move that has already angered some of his most ardent supporters, President Bush has asked the Democratic leadership in the U.S. Senate to revive a proposal for ratification of the United Nation's Law of the Sea Treaty, an international agreement defeated two years ago by Republican leadership in the upper house. Critics say ratification would compromise U.S. sovereignty and place 70 percent of the Earth's surface under the control of the U.N. – even providing for a tax that would be paid directly to the international body by companies mining in the world's oceans.

The battle over the Law of the Sea Treaty first began 25 years ago, eventually being vetoed by President Reagan. It resurfaced in 2004 under the sponsorship of Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and was successfully defeated by then Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. President Bush announced his intention to seek reintroduction of LOST for ratification to a small group of trusted Republican grass-roots organizers last week – an announcement that was met with horror and scorn.

Eagle Forum leader Phyllis Schlafly, Center for Security Policy President Frank Gaffney, Leadership Institute President Morton Blackwell, Free Congress Foundation founder Paul Weyrich and leaders of the Heritage Foundation were quick to denounce the idea in forceful terms, calling on their members to begin lobbying the White House immediately.

LOST has long had the support of environmental groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council. It would establish rules governing the uses of the of the world's oceans – treating waters more than 200 nautical miles off coasts as the purview of a new international U.N. bureaucracy, the International Seabed Authority The ISA would have the authority to set production controls for ocean mining, drilling and fishing, regulate ocean exploration, issue permits and settle disputes in its own new court.Companies seeking to mine or fish would be required to apply for a permit, paying a royalty fee Critics also point out the new U.N. agency would have the right to compete directly with private companies in those profit-making activities. The U.S. would have only one vote of 140 – and no veto power as it has on the U.N. Security Council.

The Bush administration claims the initiative for reintroduction of the treaty comes from the military, which likes the 12-mile territorial limits it places on national claims to waters. Yet, critics point out international law already protects non-aggressive passage, including non-wartime activities of military ships. One of the main authors of LOST not only admired Karl Marx but was an ardent advocate of the Marxist-oriented New International Economic Order.

Elisabeth Mann Borgese, a socialist who ran the World Federalists of Canada, played a critical role in crafting and promoting LOST, as WND reported in 2005. Borgese was hailed by her U.N. supporters as the Mother of the Oceans or First Lady of the Oceans. She died in 2002. The youngest daughter of the German novelist Thomas Mann, Borgese openly favored world government, wrote for the left-wing The Nation magazine and was a member of a Committee to Frame a World Constitution. She served as director of the International Center for Ocean Development and chairman of the International Oceans Institute at Dalhousie University in Canada. The U.N. Environment Program, UNEP, has said that Borgese recognized the oceans as a possible test-bed for ideas she had developed concerning a common global constitution.

Borgese received UNEP's Environment Prize in 1987 and was credited with organizing the conferences that served to lay the foundation for the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, according to Dalhousie University, which houses her archives. In a 1995 speech, pro-U.N. Democratic Sen. Claiborne Pell said Borgese's ideas were embodied in the negotiated texts of the Law of the Sea Convention.Her ideas included recognizing the oceans as the common heritage of mankind and creating an International Seabed Authority to charge U.S. and foreign companies for the right to mine the ocean floor. In a January 1999 speech, Borgese declared, The world ocean has been, and is, so to speak, our great laboratory for the making of a new world order.

In an article titled, The New International Economic Order and the Law of the Sea, she argued that the pact could reinforce the goals of the NIEO by giving Third World countries a role in managing access to the oceans. In a 1997 interview, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation broadcaster Philip Coulter asked Borgese about the collapse of Soviet-style communism and the triumph of the elites.Borgese replied there is a strong counter-trend. It's not called socialism, but it's called sustainable development, which calls ... for the eradication of poverty. There is that trend and that is the trend that I am working on.The concept of sustainable development, considered a euphemism for socialism or communism, has been embraced in various pronouncements by the U.N. and even the U.S. government.

In her book, The Oceanic Circle: Governing the Seas as a Global Resource, she approvingly cites Karl Marx, the father of communism, as someone with amazing foresight about the problems faced by urban and rural societies.

The book is available from the liberal Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. In an article co-authored with an international lawyer, Borgese noted how LOST stipulates that the oceans shall be reserved for peaceful purposes and that any threat or use of force, inconsistent with the United Nations Charter, is prohibited.She argued LOST prohibits the ability of nuclear submarines from the U.S. and other nations to rove freely through the world's oceans.

Islamic Extremists Believe God Will Give Jerusalem to Islam
May 12, 2007 12:27 PM EST

Sheikh Raad Salah has promised Islamic radicals that the Holy City, Jerusalem, will be obtained by Muslims per commission from deity, according to Nissan Ratzlay-Katz of Artuz-Sheva.Salah has received the heavenly promise.

Therefore, he is urging Muslims to flood the Temple Mount—clans, families, individuals, whomever. The more Muslims who appear there every day to pray in the Al-Aksa mosque, the more Jews will realize they don’t stand a chance.The Temple Mount is the site of the original temple’s site. It is also where the Muslims’ Dome of the Rock is located. Therefore, the tussle between Jews and Muslims goes on endlessly. Unfortunately, years ago the Jewish government gave oversight of the area to Muslims. Since then they have made it very difficult for Christians and Jews to even appear at the Temple Mount. Muslims have restrictions that state that no Jew or Christian can appear as doing anything spiritual on the Temple Mount. No copy of the Bible.

No bowing the head in prayer. No talk about the faith. All secular unless Muslim.
Sheikh Raad Salah, the head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement, has been working hard to ensure that thousands of Muslims will arrive in Jerusalem's Old City every day to pray in the Al-Aksa mosque, located on the Temple Mount.

Salah has been talking with Arab clan leaders from Jerusalem and its environs in an effort to convince them to take turns bringing their entire extended families to the mosque. Salah also said that he plans to see to it that Jerusalem mosques are closed on Friday, the Muslim day of rest, in order to force all those who wish to take part in group prayers to travel to the Al-Aksa mosque. He has talked to Muslim leaders in other parts of Israel, asking them to tell their followers to visit the Jerusalem mosque in order to demonstrate a strong Muslim presence there. Such a presence, Salah is telling local Muslims, is the best defense against Israeli aggression.
Muslims have already put bulldozers on the Temple Mount by which to rid the locale of anyantiquities dating back to Old Testament times, particularly anything having to do with King Solomon, the monarch who constructed the original temple. For instance, Solomon’s stables have been obliterated.

All the while religious Jews are quite irritated at secular Jews seemingly not caring enough to do anything truly major in order to stave off Muslim activity.Salah expressed his conviction that Jerusalem will fall into Muslim hands by Heavenly promise. He also said that in such a conquest, no sign of a Jewish presence will remain.Several months ago, Jerusalem police initiated an investigation of Salah for incitement-filled, anti-Israel speeches he made in Nazareth and Wadi Joz. Earlier, he was banned from Jerusalem for several days after inciting violent mobs against Israeli policemen. Salah claimed that Israel was trying to destroy the mosques on the Temple Mount. He was also accused of attacking a police officer during the anti-Israel demonstrations. The Islamic Movement is a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, as is Hamas. Group members call Salah the leader of the 1948 branch.

It is the Muslim Brotherhood that has brought havoc to Egypt’s political leadership. In fact, in a recent nationwide election, Egyptian police thwarted Muslim Brotherhood members from getting to the polls.

The police were afraid Brotherhood candidates would gain a powerful block within Egyptian government.Christians believe that at the Second Coming of Christ, Christ will rule from Jerusalem. His worldwide reign will be holy. Along with Him will be saints of all ages. They will rule in politics and religion with Him. The Book of Revelation speaks of Christ’s emissaries as kings (politics) and priests (religion) while He is regarded as King of Kings (politics) and Lord of Lords (religion).

Christ’s reign will be for a thousand years while Satan is bound in the Bottomless Pit; however, Satan’s demons will still be operative on the planet. The purity of heaven will not come about until Earth is dissolved at the close of the millennium. Perfection will only be realized by the redeemed in the eternal New Heaven and the New Earth.In the meantime, the fight over the Temple Mount symbolizes the conflict between the devotees of the biblical deity and the deity of the Koran.

ISRAEL WILL BE IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM, THE SIGN OF THE START OF THE LASTGENERATION. (A GENERATION IN THE BIBLE CAN BE FROM 40 TO 51 YEARS)INTERESTING THIS IS THE 40TH YEAR SINCE ISRAEL RECAPTURED JERUSALEM.

LUKE 21:24
24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.(1967)

AT THE END OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION, THE TRUE MESSIAH JESUS RETURNS TO EARTH BODILY TO RULE AND REIGN FROM DAVIDS THRONE FOREVER IN JERUSALEM.

ACTS 1:10-11
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

ZECHARIAH 14:4
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

REVELATION 19:11-16
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

JUDE 14-16
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

Week of Celebrations in Jerusalem
by Hillel Fendel (INN) MAY 13,07

Israel and world Jewry celebrate the 40th anniversary of Jerusalem's unification in the Six Day War this week. The European Union plans to boycott.Though Jerusalem Day is celebrated on the 28th day of the Jewish month of Iyar, which falls this year on Wednesday, May 16, the celebrations will take place all week. The government's weekly Cabinet session today (Sunday) will be largely dedicated to Jerusalem, as will a special Knesset session tomorrow, which will be followed by a musical festival featuring Avihu Medina, Shuli Natan and others.The walls of the Old City will be lit up in a unique manner, as will the streets, overpasses and central sites. On Tuesday evening, some 10,000 people are expected to take part in a farmers' parade, which will feature exhibits, floats, tractors, bands, dancers and even acrobats.

Also Tuesday evening, beginning at 7 PM, actors from the Jerusalem street theater Virtuoso will enact scenes from the period of the establishment of the State. Interspersed with their acts will be circus tricks of various kinds, musicians, drummers' circles, dancers and field games. A giant park festival will conclude the evening.Asked about the lack of religious-oriented municipal festivities, Deputy
Mayor Yehoshua Pollack told Arutz-7, the religious public celebrates in the syngagogues and Torah study halls.

Traditional Merkaz HaRav Kook Celebration

On Tuesday night, the central religious-thanksgiving celebration will be held in Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav Kook in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood. Leading politicians such as the Prime Minister often participated, but of late, secular politicians have not been invited.

It is not yet clear what the plans are for this year.On Wednesday, thousands of youngsters and others will march in the now-traditional Rikudgalim (Flag Dance) March, from downtown Jerusalem to the Western Wall. Roads in the capital will be closed as the marchers advance towards the Old City. In addition, a marathon of musicians in various locations and short Maaleh Film School movies will occupy much of Wednesday.

Admission will be free to the Israel Museum, the Science Museum and other sites. On Wednesday night, a main event featuring the Paratroopers Brigade that liberated the Old City will be held at Sultan's Pool. Thursday will see a Tour de Jerusalem bicycle event, as well as an afternoon of cycling at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel in the southern part of the city.Putting a slight damper on the festivities, even if not unexpected, is the European Union's boycott. German's Ambassador to Israel has informed the Knesset that the European Union plans to boycott all Jerusalem Day celebrations, including the special Knesset session. He explained that the EU cannot take part in an event that implies recognition of the current borders of Jerusalem. Despite this, some 20 ambassadors from around the world have said that they will take part, and some EU ambassadors have hinted that they might participate as well.

CONTINGENCIES FOR TERRORIST ATTACK

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-The Nation's Weather 3-31 people killed as storm slams northern India. 4-Hundreds of firefighters battling US wildfires. 5-Arab officials to take peace plan to Israel. 6-Pope: God will punish drug dealers. 7-U.S., Europe seek passenger data deal. 8-Citizens more ambitious than leaders on future EU policies. 9-Contingencies for nuclear terrorist attack.

EARTHQUAKES

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Sat May 12 11:30 AM EDT

APR 12,07
MAP 3.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.7 TONGA
MAP 5.6 SERAM, INDONESIA
MAP 5.9 EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 3.2 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAP 3.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.3 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.9 MAUG ISLANDS REG., NORTHERN MARIANA ISL.
MAP 4.1 VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA REGION

APR 11,07
MAP 5.2 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.0 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 2.6 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.6 BATAN ISLANDS REGION, PHILIPPINES
MAP 3.6 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.2 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.0 CHANNEL ISLANDS REGION, CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
MAP 3.2 SOUTHERN QUEBEC, CANADA
MAP 5.3 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.5 PUGET SOUND REGION, WASHINGTON
MAP 4.3 TAJIKISTAN
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN IDAHO
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.9 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.9 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 5.5 MAUG ISLANDS REG., NORTHERN MARIANA ISL.
MAP 4.9 KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Sat May 12, 5:30 AM ET

Showers and thunderstorms were forecast from Virginia to eastern Texas on Saturday, while the Southwest and Great Basin were forecast to be hot. A high-pressure system drifting southeastward from Canada was expected to pull cold Arctic air into the Great Lakes and Northeast and dampen temperatures in the region.Low pressure pushing toward the West Coast was expected to bring rain from the Northwest through the Intermountain West. It was also expected to bring cool air to the West Coast. Daytime showers were forecast for the Rockies.Parts of the Southwest were expected to rise into the 90s and 100s, while the Southern Plains and parts of the Southeast were to see similar temperatures. The Northeast and Northwest could rise into the 60s.Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Friday ranged from a low of 28 degrees at Leadville, Colo., to a high of 107 degrees at Bullhead City, Ariz.

31 people killed as storm slams northern India MAY 12,07

LUCKNOW, India (AFP) - At least 31 people died as a storm hammered northern India, officials said on Saturday. All the deaths were reported from the worst-hit state of Uttar Pradesh, they added.

Scores of others were injured in the storm, late Friday, which was accompanied by hail and driving rain, officials said in the state capital of Lucknow.Fifteen people died in storm-related incidents in the district of Sultanpur, a state government spokesman said.Nine others were killed when trees came down on their homes in the district, he added.District administrator Sanjay Kumar said the storm also sparked fires and added some 100 houses were burnt during the bad weather in the district.Lightning strikes killed three in the hilly Pratapgarh district while four people were buried alive when their homes collapsed in the district of Barabanki, the official in Lucknow said.The state administration reported widespread damage from the storm, which lashed several northern Indian states including national capital Delhi, where rains flooded parts of the city and disrupted rush-hour traffic.

Hundreds of firefighters battling US wildfires Fri May 11, 11:44 PM ET

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) - Firefighters on Friday battled to contain wildfires that scorched thousands of acres of tinder-dry parkland and forced large scale evacuations across the United States. Several hundred firefighters were deployed to tackle blazes in Florida and California, where record dry weather and high temperatures have forced authorities to maintain a state of near-perpetual alert.Around 500 firefighters were trying to extinguish a fire on Santa Catalina Island, a nature reserve and popular destination for day-trippers off the coast of southern California near Los Angeles.The fire tore through more than 4,200 acres (1,700 hectares) after erupting suddenly on Thursday. Initial efforts to contain the blaze were hampered by rugged terrain which rendered many of the hotspots inaccessible.However a drop in winds Friday and increased humidity allowed firefighters to make significant inroads into the blaze.

Speaking shortly after 5pm (0000 GMT), a Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman said the fire was now 35 percent contained, up from 10 percent earlier on Friday.We've made some good progress and we are now allowing all evacuated residents to return home, the spokesman said.Around 1,000 people were evacuated after the fire reached the borders of the island's main town Avalon on Thursday.One home, a commercial property and several outbuildings were destroyed in the fire, which was being bombarded by 10 water-dropping helicopters and five fixed-wing aircraft. There were no reports of injuries.Firefighting equipment had been brought in overnight by US Navy hovercrafts from the US Marines Camp Pendleton base in San Diego County.The fire came after a blaze devastated more than 800 acres (300 hectares) of Los Angeles' historic Griffith Park earlier this week.City fire officials said they expected the fire in the park to be declared 100 percent contained later Friday.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger -- who shot scenes from the Terminator movies in the park -- expressed shock after inspecting the damaged areas. To see those great, same places where we were, where we filmed, destroyed was very hard to take, Schwarzenegger said.The Los Angeles Times reported that an emergency plan to repair the park was expected to cost around 50 million dollars.Los Angeles is in the grip of the driest start to the year since records began in 1877, according to recent figures from the National Weather Service.A spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the drought meant the fire season had begun earlier than usual.This year has been an extremely dry year and because of that the moisture levels in the vegetation have decreased, Daniel Berlant told AFP.We're seeing dry vegetation that we normally don't see until June or July. However, the blazes were not evidence of an increasing threat of fires, Berlant said. If you look through history, weather patterns go in and out -- you have dry periods and wet periods, he said. Right now we're in one of those dry periods.

Meanwhile firefighters battled with brush fires across drought-plagued Florida. Officials say more than 220 fires raged across the state, destroying six homes and blanketing much of the southeastern state with a smoky haze. The smoke also forced the closure of several highways. Weather forecasters had hoped a subtropical storm that formed offshore earlier in the week would bring some relief, but the weather system fizzled out without bringing the much needed rain.

Arab officials to take peace plan to Israel
Meeting in Cairo lays groundwork, touches on Gaza
Michael Slackman, Mona el-Naggar, New York Times - Friday, May 11, 2007

(05-11) 04:00 PDT Cairo -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met Thursday and agreed that a team of Arab officials would soon visit Israel to discuss a Saudi peace proposal endorsed by the members of the Arab League. The meetings in Cairo are Israel's first with high-level officials of Arab countries since the Arab League reaffirmed its support in March for the peace initiative, which it first approved in 2002. The initiative sets out principles that would give Israel full recognition and normal relations with its Arab neighbors in return for its withdrawal to 1967 borders and creation of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The proposal also calls for an agreed, just solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees. No details were available about the timing of the visit to Israel or the composition of the Arab League delegation, but it is expected to consist of Egyptian and Jordanian officials.

Livni and Mubarak also discussed the security situation in the Gaza Strip and the problems of growing Hamas military capabilities and the continual firing of Qassam rockets into Israel, said a statement issued by the Israeli Foreign Ministry. After meeting with Mubarak, Livni also spoke with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul-Ilah al-Khatib. Egypt and Jordan are the only two Arab countries that have signed peace treaties with Israel, and they have served as the official diplomatic bridge to other Arab capitals. As events in the Middle East have become more turbulent, there have been some back-channel communications, including talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia. There is a problem now, said Emad Gad, editor of Israeli Digest magazine, published by Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, Egypt's premier research center.

The initiative is presented to the Israelis, he said, and the initiative has very clear words, and it doesn't even demand the right of return but refers to resolving the issue of the refugees, so there is room to talk. But you have an Israeli government that is in a very precarious position.In Jerusalem, Miri Eisin, spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said Livni had called the prime minister to tell him about the meeting with Mubarak. Let me just say that there is no pressure on us from our neighbors who have peace with us to take new drastic steps, she said. So countries with relations with us are willing to use those relations to bring their ideas forward, and not impose them on us.The efforts to discuss the Arab League plan reflect a sense among officials in Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia that pursuing a settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli crisis is the most important step toward stabilizing a region that is increasingly volatile and countering the growing support for radical Islamist organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. In 2002, Israel rejected the Arab initiative, but recently it has yielded to pressure to discuss the plan from the United States, which in turn was responding to pressure from Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. There has been little public expression of optimism over the latest effort, but officials have said they are committed to keeping peace efforts moving.

It's not a big step, said Adnan Abu-Odeh, a former adviser to King Abdullah II of Jordan. It's a good step. It is one step forward, but not enough to make me believe that this is a prelude to a peaceful settlement, because the other side has not and will not respond the way we want or expect it to respond. And let's wait and see.Also Thursday, Syrian President Bashar Assad dismissed rumors of secret peace negotiations between Israel and Syria, saying Israel was too weak to make a deal. There is no progress in the peace process and no contacts with Israel over the issue, neither in secret or overtly, because Israel is not ready for a just and comprehensive peace, Assad said in a televised speech as he opened a session of parliament. Peace efforts have faltered, he said, because a peace agreement would require strong leadership that could make decisive decisions, an apparent allusion to the political crisis in Israel. The speech was Assad's first public appearance since a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem last week.

Pope: God will punish drug dealers By VICTOR L. SIMPSON, Associated Press Writer MAY 12,07

GUARATINGUETA, Brazil - Pope Benedict XVI warned drug traffickers Saturday that they would face divine justice for the scourge of illegal narcotics across Latin America, telling them that, God will call you to account for your deeds.Speaking before a crowd of 6,000 at a drug treatment center, Benedict urged the drug-dealers to reflect on the grave harm they are inflicting on countless young people and on adults from every level of society.Brazil is the second-largest consumer of cocaine after the United States, according to the U.S. State Department, and big cities across Latin America's largest nation are plagued by drug violence.Driven by gangs that control street-corner dealing, the problem is particularly acute in the teeming slums of Rio de Janeiro, where gangs lure children into lives of violence and engage in near-daily shootouts with police that kill innocent bystanders.Human dignity cannot be trampled upon in this way, the pope said.

The treatment center where the pope spoke was founded by a Franciscan friar and claims an 80 percent success rate, giving addicts spiritual guidance as they milk cows, tend apple orchards and work as beekeepers.It is just a short distance away from the shrine city of Aparecida, where Benedict on Sunday will open a conference of Latin American and Caribbean bishops aimed at finding ways to reverse the erosion of the church in the region.Addicts who listened to the pontiff said his visit was important because Brazilian drug users are often ostracized and left to beg on the streets for drug money.We are excluded from society, but we are the ones the pope is coming to see, said Diego Cleto, a 19-year-old who started taking drugs at age 13.The Garatingueta treatment center in a remote hilly region at the end of a dirt road was founded by Friar Hanz Stapel in 1983. There are now 31 similar farm/ treatment centers in Brazil and 10 more in countries such as Russia, Mexico and Mozambique.

Before traveling from Sao Paulo Friday night to the hallowed Catholic religious site of Aparecida, Benedict lamented difficult times for the church in Brazil amid aggressive proselytizing by born-again Protestant congregations.Brazil's census shows the percentage of citizens characterizing themselves as Catholics plunged to 74 percent in 2000 from 89 percent in 1980, while those calling themselves evangelical Protestants rose to 15 percent from 7 percent.The backdrop to the bishops' conference is Aparecida, 100 miles east of Sao Paulo, and home to the mammoth Basilica of Aparecida — as well as the three-foot-tall statue of a black Virgin Mary, called Our Lady Who Appeared, the patron saint of Brazil.The statue was pulled from a river in the 18th century by poor fishermen who were not catching any fish, and then caught loads in their nets. Miracles were subsequently attributed to the statue, and so many pilgrims flocked to Aparecida that the church built the basilica and inaugurated it as a shrine in 1955.

On Friday, the pope canonized Brazil's first native-born saint in a Mass before about a million people. He held up 18th century Friar Antonio de Sant'Anna Galvao as a model of rectitude and humility in an age so full of hedonism.Benedict was cheered by flag-waving crowds in the world's largest Catholic nation as he canonized the new saint, continuing a push for saints in the developing world that began under John Paul II, who sought role models as part of the church's worldwide reach. John Paul canonized more saints than all of his predecessors combined.Benedict also called on Catholics to oppose those elements of the media that ridicule the sanctity of marriage and virginity before marriage, picking a tough crowd to confront about hedonism and permissiveness.More than 70 percent of Brazil's 190 million citizens may be Catholics, but sex before marriage is common. Scantily clad actresses are the norm on hugely popular TV soap operas, and women on the beaches wear bikinis that leave little to the imagination. Plastic surgery to reshape breasts and buttocks is nearly as popular as orthodontia. The pope may be popular among Brazilian Catholics but most probably will not heed his call when it comes to sex, said David Gibson, author of The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle with the Modern World.This is enormously frustrating to Benedict or any pope; they want to have more impact, Gibson added. But how do you go against a culture like that? It's tough. While polls show Brazilians oppose expanding access to abortion, they overwhelmingly support using condoms to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases — in firm opposition to church doctrine. The government, in fact, hands out millions of condoms for free every year, especially ahead of the debauchery that is an integral part of Brazil's pre-Lent carnival. Nothing could be more countercultural than his message in Brazil, the land of the thong, said Gibson, a former Vatican Radio reporter. Associated Press Writer Vivian Sequera contributed to this report.

U.S., Europe seek passenger data deal By COLLEEN BARRY, Associated Press Writer Sat May 12, 6:55 AM ET

VENICE, Italy - The U.S. Homeland Security secretary met with top European security officials Saturday to work out the details of a new agreement to share airline passenger data for terrorism investigations. Secretary Michael Chertoff also was expected to discuss changes to the U.S. visa-waiver program during the meeting with security officials from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland.A deal on the airline data must be reached by July to avoid problems for both airlines and U.S.-bound passengers.European governments are worried about protecting their strict privacy laws, a legacy of the continent's history with totalitarian and authoritarian regimes.The two sides disagree on how long U.S. authorities can use data, when it should be destroyed and which agencies should have access to the information. The United States also wants the authority to pull data directly from airline computers, but European countries insist airlines must transmit the information.Chertoff travels to Brussels, Belgium, on Monday where he will address the EU Parliament.

Citizens from 15 of the 27 EU nations can enter the United States without applying for a travel visa. U.S. officials say Greece and most of the newer EU members still fail to meet criteria for joining the visa-waiver program.The EU allows Americans to travel to all its member countries without visas and has long insisted on full reciprocity.Poland is especially adamant, arguing that it should be admitted in recognition of its contributions to U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States rejects 22 percent of Polish visa applicants — a rate that far exceeds the 3 percent benchmark required for entry into the waiver program.Legislation pending in the Congress would allow the program to admit new countries, while requiring all participating countries to impose closer scrutiny of their passports to ensure they are not lost, stolen or easily counterfeited.President Bush has said he favors adding countries to the visa-waiver list. All but four countries now on the list are European.

Peres says Israel ready for serious peace talks with Arabs Sat May 12, 9:01 AM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said on Saturday that Israel is ready for serious discussions with Arab nations over a revived peace proposal, as shuttle diplomacy in the region continued apace. If the Arab side puts forth serious proposals, Israel will in turn offer its own proposals with a view to holding serious negotiations and to finding common ground, Peres was quoted by army radio as saying.We should be careful not to miss out on this opportunity, Peres stressed. Peres was speaking amid efforts to advance the peace plan, first presented by Saudi Arabia in 2002 and revived at an Arab League summit in March.The plan would offer a normalisation of relations in return for full withdrawal from Arab lands seized in 1967, the creation of a Palestinian state and the return of Palestinian refugees.

The league tasked Egypt and Jordan, the only two Arab countries that have made peace with Israel, to work to convince the Jewish state to accept the plan.Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met her Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts in Cairo on Thursday, and stressed the important role the Arab world could play in helping to achieve peace.On Saturday, Palestinian foreign minister Ziad Abu Amr met his Jordanian counterpart Abdel Ilah Khatib and other officials in Amman to discuss the initiative.

The two reviewed bilateral relations as well as ways to advance the peace process to where the Palestinian people's ambitions of an independent state are achieved, Jordan's state news agency Petra reported.Abu Amr, an independent and the first Palestinian foreign minister to visit Jordan since the Islamist group Hamas formed a government in March 2006, thanked King Abdullah II for his efforts on behalf of the Palestinians.He is to travel to Brussels on Sunday for talks with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

Khatib stressed the need for Arabs and the wider world to make every effort... to relaunch the peace process through negotiations between the two sides and to achieve a just and comprehensive peace.

On Sunday, King Abdullah will visit the West Bank town of Ramallah for talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.A palace official said the king will discuss Arab and international efforts aimed at bringing Israel and the Palestinians back to negotiations on the Arab peace plan and a two-state solution.A Palestinian official called it an important visit to discuss political developments in the region, Arab efforts to relaunch the peace process and the Arab peace initiative.The king's visit will come just two days before he meets Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at a gathering of Nobel peace laureates in Jordan's ancient city of Petra.Olmert last met the king in December, and both leaders are expected to discuss the renewed Arab initiative at their meeting on Tuesday.Israel rejected the Arab peace plan when it was first launched in Beirut in 2002. Recently, however, it has said the proposal could provide a basis for talks, provided there are amendments on the refugee issue.

Citizens more ambitious than leaders on future EU policies
11.05.2007 - 09:41 CET | By Lucia Kubosova

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – EU citizens are more ambitious about what Europe should do in the future than its political leaders, a new report summing up a series of popular debates shows.The debates with EU citizens were carried out across the bloc following the shock rejection of the draft EU constitution in both France and the Netherlands two years ago – an event that was interpreted as a clear signal of the gap between the bloc's citizens and its institutions.The report, published on Thursday (10 May), refers to the main conclusions of all national debates and shows that citizens in most countries favour action in social policy where Europe does not hold key powers and which is generally not foreseen as an area for major future initiatives.We believe that improving the social and economic conditions for families should be a European policy goal, because most of our panels think families in Europe need better protection and support, and the problem of low birth rates is apparent, stated the document.

Many panels suggested specific measures both at national and European level to address issues such as improved availability of rights to child care, working time flexibility for parents or job protection for those returning from parental leave.Another important subject on the citizens' wish-list is better job protection. People in central and eastern European member states in particular are calling for harmonised minimum work-related standards, such as a common definition of a minimum wage.

Similarly, a majority of participants in the debates - altogether attended by 1,800 randomly selected people - expect the EU to set standards ensuring accessible, dignified, high-quality and affordable health care treatment.When asked how to achieve this goal, the Irish and Greeks suggested open competition of health services, the Dutch, Italians and Cypriots stressed the need for cross-border access to patients while the Danes and Portuguese favour the idea of free health services across Europe.Citizens from several countries can also imagine much more uniform action and standards in education, saying that qualifications could be determined at EU level, while the specific content for comparable and compatible degrees would be dealt with at national and regional levels. There was also broad agreement that the resulting education system should be free and accessible to all.

High political goals

In terms of a common European foreign policy, citizens desire that the EU takes on an active role in protecting and promoting peace, democracy, human rights and justice in the world. They argue the bloc should use both peacekeeping forces and its diplomacy to provide a strong role model across the world in this field, with the French panellists adding the EU could be a force capable of providing a counterbalance to the trend towards a unipolar world dominated by the US.Only the French citizens favour future European cooperation in defence policy, according to the report, while most other countries highlight foreign and security areas for joint EU action.On the other hand, only the German panel specifically supported the idea of a European foreign minister - included in the set of institutional changes proposed by the disputed EU constitution - and it also called for a shared EU seat in the UN's security council.Finally, citizens also broadly favour a pan-European response to immigration and tackling the integration of immigrants, as well as a greater use of external relations policy tools such as development aid and border controls.The EU should also be given stronger powers to develop a common energy policy and ensure that member states live up to the commitments they have made at European level, according to the summary report.The results come just weeks before EU leaders are to gather in Brussels to try and hammer out the bones of a new treaty for the bloc.

Contingencies for nuclear terrorist attack
Government working up plan to prevent chaos in wake of bombing of major city
James Sterngold, Chronicle Staff Writer - Friday, May 11, 2007

As concerns grow that terrorists might attack a major American city with a nuclear bomb, a high-level group of government and military officials has been quietly preparing an emergency survival program that would include the building of bomb shelters, steps to prevent panicked evacuations and the possible suspension of some civil liberties. Many experts say the likelihood of al Qaeda or some other terrorist group producing a working nuclear weapon with illicitly obtained weapons-grade fuel is not large, but such a strike would be far more lethal, frightening and disruptive than the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Not only could the numbers killed and wounded be far higher, but the explosion could, experts say, ignite widespread fires, shut down most transportation, halt much economic activity and cause a possible disintegration of government order. The efforts to prepare a detailed blueprint for survival took a step forward last month when senior government and military officials and other experts, organized by a joint Stanford-Harvard program called the Preventive Defense Project, met behind closed doors in Washington for a day-long workshop.

The session, called The Day After, was premised on the idea that efforts focusing on preventing such a strike were no longer enough, and that the prospect of a collapse of government order was so great if there were an attack that the country needed to begin preparing an emergency program. One of the participants, retired Vice Adm. Roger Rufe, is a senior official at the Department of Homeland Security who is currently designing the government's nuclear attack response plan. The organizers of the nonpartisan project, Stanford's William Perry, a secretary of defense in the Clinton administration, and Harvard's Ashton Carter, a senior Defense Department official during the Clinton years, assumed the detonation of a bomb similar in size to the weapon that destroyed Hiroshima in World War II.

Such a weapon, with a force of around 10 to 15 kilotons, is small compared with most Cold War-era warheads, but is roughly the yield of a relatively simple bomb. That would be considerably more powerful and lethal than a so-called dirty bomb, which is a conventional explosive packed with some dangerous radioactive material that would be dispersed by the explosion.

The 41 participants -- including the directors of the country's two nuclear weapons laboratories, Homeland Security officials, a number of top military commanders and former government officials -- discussed how all levels of government ought to respond to protect the country from a second nuclear attack, to limit health problems from the radioactive fallout and to restore civil order. Comments inside the session were confidential, but a number of the participants described their views and the ideas exchanged. A paper the organizers are writing, summarizing their recommendations, urges local governments and individuals to build underground bomb shelters, much as people did in the early days of the Cold War; encourages authorities who survive to prevent evacuation of at least some of the areas attacked for three days to avoid roadway paralysis and damage from exposure to radioactive fallout; and proposes suspending regulations on radiation exposure so that first responders would be able to act, even if that caused higher cancer rates.

The public at large will expect that their government had thought through this possibility and to have planned for it, Carter said in an interview. This kind of an event would be unprecedented. We have had glimpses of something like this with Hiroshima, and glimpses with 9/11 and with Katrina. But those are only glimpses. Perhaps the most sobering issue discussed was the possibility of a chaotic, long-term crisis triggered by fears that the attackers might have more bombs. Such uncertainty could sow panic nationwide. If one bomb goes off, there are likely to be more to follow, Carter said. This fact, that nuclear terrorism will appear as a syndrome rather than a single episode, has major consequences. It would, he added, require powerful government intervention to force people to do something many may resist -- staying put. Fred Ikle, a former Defense Department official in the Reagan administration who authored a book last year urging attack preparation, Annihilation from Within, said that the government should plan how it could restrict civil liberties and enforce a sort of martial law in the aftermath of a nuclear attack, but also have guidelines for how those liberties could be restored later. That prospect underscored a central divide among participants at the recent meeting, several said.

Some participants argued that the federal government needs to educate first responders and other officials as quickly as possible on how to act even if transportation and communication systems break down, as seems likely, and if the government is unable to issue orders. There was a clear consensus that a nuclear bomb detonated in the United States or a friendly country would be an earth-shaking event, and we need to know how we will respond beforehand, said Ikle. I wish we had started earlier, because this kind of planning can make an important difference.But others said the meeting made it clear that the results of any attack would be so devastating and the turmoil so difficult to control, if not impossible, that the lesson should have been that the U.S. government needs to place a far greater emphasis on prevention. Your cities would empty and people would completely lose confidence in the ability of the government to protect them, said Steve Fetter, dean of the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. You'd have nothing that resembles our current social order. I'm not sure any preparation can be sufficient to deal with that.Fetter added, We have to hold current policymakers more responsible" for taking all out measures to prevent a nuclear attack.

Raymond Jeanloz, a nuclear weapons expert at UC Berkeley and a government adviser on nuclear issues, said that California might be better prepared than most states because of long-standing plans for dealing with earthquakes and other natural disasters. Those plans, he said, could be a useful model for first responders. He added, as others did, that the dislocation and panic caused by a nuclear strike could make any responses unpredictable. The most difficult thing is the fear that this kind of planning, even talking about it, can cause, Jeanloz said. Michael May, a former director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, defended the survival planning, saying that people should get used to the idea that such a crisis, while dire, could be managed -- a key step in restoring calm. You have to demystify the nuclear issue, said May, who now teaches at Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation. By talking about this, you take away the feeling of helplessness.E-mail James Sterngold at jsterngold@sfchronicle.com.