JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
At one point they were ready to move the embassy at 12:01 on January 20th'-Trump intended to move embassy to Jerusalem at 12:01 on Day 1, top Republican says-Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee claims US president stepped back from controversial relocation after considering regional fallout-By Stuart Winer February 13, 2017, 4:20 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
US President Donald Trump was planning on moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as soon as he took office, but then reconsidered after he entered the White House, a senior Republican senator said in an interview published Monday.Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Politico’s Global Podcast that Trump started to reconsider when he began to see the regional implications of the controversial step — including Israel’s developing ties with Arab states.A transcript of the interview was published Monday on the Politico website.During his election campaign Trump vowed that if victorious he would relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem, a highly symbolic move valued by Israel as confirmation of the city as its capital, but strongly opposed by Palestinians and the Arab world which wants East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Three weeks into the presidency there has been no announcement from the White House on an embassy move.Corker assessed that the Trump administration is growing into the role and its positions on some matters are shifting as a result.“I happened to be… at Trump Tower on another occasion and know that their views relative to Israel at that moment in time were, you know, potentially a fairly strong departure from what has been sort of the US view of the long haul best place for Israel to be with a two-state solution.”“And now you see discussions about slowing settlements down with Prime Minister Netanyahu. I see some evolutions taking place.”Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left Monday for Washington where he is scheduled to meet with Trump on Wednesday. During a security cabinet meeting the day before Netanyahu pushed back against some ministers who urged him to convince Trump that the two-state solution is dead, saying that he would instead express his continued support for the peace scheme and avoid a confrontation with the president. The two men last met in Trump Tower, New York, on September 25 before Trump won the US election.Concerning moving the embassy, Corker said that at first Trump was ready and willing to carry out the idea as soon as he was inaugurated.“I think at one point they were ready to move the embassy at 12:01 on January 20th,” Corker said. “So I think that was going to be their first move at one point.”However, the new administration realized there was a wider picture to consider.“How does Israel feel about that? They’ve never had a closer relationship with the Arab world. The one plus in the Iran deal is it brought the Arab community close to Israel. And so there’s a real working relationship there right now. More than I think many of the Arab leaders even want their citizens to know.”Moving the embassy would badly impact those ties, he noted.“So when you’ve got a situation like that, do you really want to destroy this alliance that is unprecedented and is real?”Israel, he said, is still eager for the embassy to move but Washington will not rush into an announcement, preferring to wait until after the confirmation of Trump’s selection for US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman.Friedman’s first Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday, when he will present himself to the committee that Corker chairs.At the end of last year, former president Barack Obama signed a waiver to prevent moving the embassy to Jerusalem. It was the eighth time that Obama signed the waiver, which must be renewed every six months. Obama’s waiver expires in May.Congress passed a law in 1995 mandating the move of the embassy to Jerusalem, but allowed the president to exercise a waiver, citing the national security interests of the United States. Obama’s predecessors George W. Bush and Bill Clinton also signed the waiver.Even after the confirmation, moving the embassy would require reassuring Arab states that the two-state solution is still the objective in reaching peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians, the senator added.“They’ve got to communicate to the Arab world that this is not doing away or dampening in any way the two-state solution. And so there’s a lot of communication that’s got to come with this,” he continued, noting that King Abdullah II of Jordan had visited Washington for talks the week before.The monarch, he said, “had a lot of influence,” and convinced Trump of the diplomatic complexities in the embassy matter and “the administration was already beginning to see [the] problems of embassy move.”“He’s sort of the Henry Kissinger of that part of the world, right, which he enjoys hearing,” Corker said. “And it is true, and we do always love listening to his view of the region. And I think he does a great job with that.”“But he’s got to have a lot of investment with his own citizens in this two-state solution. And so anything that flies in the face of that is—could be viewed as a diss, if you will, to him. And so he’s very sensitive about it.”Nonetheless, Corker still thinks that ultimately the embassy will find a new home in Jerusalem.“I think it will be communicated if it’s done properly. My sense is, they’re probably still moving there.”
Dutch MP vows to ‘de-Islamize’ nation, calls mosques ‘Nazi temples’-Ahead of election in which his party is expected to gain significantly, Geert Wilders says other politicians will have to work with him or face backlash-By Times of Israel staff and AP February 14, 2017, 2:45 am
Far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders has vowed to “de-Islamize” the Netherlands, calling mosques “Nazi temples” and promising to ban the sale of the Quran if he becomes prime minister in the upcoming elections.In an interview with Dutch TV WNL, Wilders compared the Islamic religious text to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, saying the country’s ban on the Nazi text should be extended to the Muslim book which he believes is more anti-Semitic. He also spoke of his plans to shutter mosques, which he called “Nazi temples.”Wilders said mainstream politicians in the Netherlands would have to work with his Party for Freedom if voters strongly back his anti-immigration, anti-European Union platform in the country’s upcoming election, or face a peaceful backlash.Wilders’ Party for Freedom is polling strongly ahead of the March 15 election for the lower house of Parliament. Mainstream parties, however, have ruled out working in a coalition government with him. That means it would be extremely difficult for Wilders to form a government, since the Dutch electoral system all but guarantees coalitions.“If voters make the PVV really big — I’m not talking about two or three extra seats, but really big…they will have to” work with his party, Wilders said in the nationally broadcast interview aired Sunday.Wilders’ party currently has 12 of the 150 seats in the lower house, but polls are forecasting him to substantially build on that in the election. Wilders himself says up to 2.5 million people could vote for him in this nation of 17 million and that other political parties would ignore his far-right voters at their peril.“You can detest Geert Wilders or the PVV, but you can’t just set aside 2-2.5 million people,” he told the WNL broadcaster.Wilders has in the past warned of a revolt if his party is sidelined despite strong electoral gains.“People won’t just accept if they are just set aside in their millions. And, of course, I don’t mean that tanks will go through the streets,” he said.He added: “Revolt is always democratic and non-violent, but it won’t just pass by, I tell you that. We in the Netherlands have the right to demonstrate and the right to speak up if we don’t agree with something.”In the wide-ranging interview, Wilders stressed his election manifesto, saying he wants to close Dutch borders to immigrants from Muslim nations. He also played down fears that his plan to pull the Netherlands out of the European Union would have a devastating effect on the Dutch economy, saying Britain’s economy is forecast to grow strongly despite that country’s vote to leave the 28-nation EU.
Top employee at EU, UN-funded Gaza hospital quotes ‘Protocols of Zion‘-Simon Weisenthal Center demands fund freeze until Palestinian institution fires worker, apologizes for his Facebook post-By Sue Surkes February 14, 2017, 1:27 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
The Simon Wiesenthal Center on Monday called for the withdrawal of UN and EU funding from a Gaza Strip hospital whose director of public relations posted quotations from the anti-Semitic Protocols of the Elders of Zion on his private Facebook page.The Protocols document as fact an imaginary late-19th-century meeting at which Jewish leaders, the “Elders of Zion,” purportedly plan their takeover of the world.Yahya Al Nawajha, Director of Public Relations and Media at the European Gaza Hospital in the southern Strip, referred on Facebook to Victor Marsden’s English translation of the Tsarist protocols and included a link to download the book.Shimon Samuels, the Wiesenthal Center’s Director for International Relations, called for the immediate withdrawal of the hospital’s UN and EU funding until the hospital apologizes, issues a public condemnation of all forms of Jew-hatred, and fires Al Nawajha.Even if the post appeared on a personal page, the hospital bore full responsibility, Samuels charged.Samuels wrote to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini that it was “inappropriate” for a high official of a European and UN-funded hospital to post a link to what is considered “the anti-Semite’s Bible” and “a warrant for genocide.”
Germany said to scrap summit with Israel over outpost law-Cancellation reportedly due to Merkel’s displeasure with recent legislation and announcements of new settlement homes-By Alexander Fulbright February 13, 2017, 4:54 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Berlin reportedly canceled an upcoming summit between the German and Israeli governments due to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s displeasure with a law passed in the Knesset last week legalizing outpost settlements built on private Palestinian land.The summit, which was scheduled to take place in Jerusalem in May, was set to feature a meeting between Merkel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as between a number of senior government ministers from the two countries.However, the planned meeting was recently scrapped, with unnamed German and Israeli officials telling the Hebrew-language Haaretz daily that the cancellation of the meeting was due to Merkel’s frustration with the so called Regulation Law legalizing wildcat outposts in the West Bank, as well as the announcement of some 6,000 new homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump in January.The cancellation of the meeting is just one of a number of both public and behind-closed-doors diplomatic steps that Germany plans to take in response to its disapproval of recent Israeli settlement policies, according to Haaretz.Germany considers Israel an especially close ally in light of the country’s history, but Berlin leveled harsh criticism against Israel over the law last week, with the foreign ministry saying many Germans who usually “stand firmly by Israel’s side in a spirit of heartfelt solidarity are disappointed” by the passing of this law.“The confidence we had in the Israeli government’s commitment to the two-state solution has been profoundly shaken,” a statement said.German officials informed the Prime Minister’s Office the meeting was canceled due to Merkel’s need to prepare for upcoming national elections in September, four months after the planned summit.“We understand it’s schedule constraints of the German side,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon of the cancellation.Merkel has yet to comment publicly on the Regulation Law, which was passed last week in a contentious 60 to 52 vote and has been condemned by the United Nations, the European Union, Britain, France and the Palestinian Authority, among others.The law retroactively legalizes some illegal settlement outposts built on private Palestinian land in the West Bank, if the settlers living on the land can prove they built their homes in good faith or received government support such as the provision of water and electricity.Palestinians whose land is appropriated under the law will receive monetary compensation or an alternate plot elsewhere.A number of Palestinian and left-wing Israeli NGOs have already petitioned the High Court of Justice to overturn the law. The law is widely expected to be struck down.Raoul Wootliff and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Spanish courts reverse two pro-BDS municipal rulings-Judges approve criminal probe into possible discrimination by music festival that tried to bar reggae star Matisyahu-By JTA February 13, 2017, 7:08 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Spanish courts have reversed two municipal resolutions on boycotting Israel and approved a criminal investigation into possible discrimination by organizers of a music festival who sought to bar the Jewish American singer Matisyahu.The rulings on decisions passed last year by the local councils of Xeraco and Olesa de Montserrat were given independently last month by courts in Valencia and Barcelona, according to a report last week by the pro-Israel ACOM group, which has obtained similar reversals in at least a dozen other Spanish municipalities in recent months.The courts cited various principles, including jurisdictional issues and an irreconcilable infringement of anti-discrimination laws.The January 26 ruling by Xeraco, near Valencia, reversed a resolution that in May prompted the same court to issue an injunction against any action on Israeli firms and institutions.The Barcelona court said in its ruling the following day that Olesa de Montserrat had “imposed unconstitutional restrictions on the freedom to hold personal beliefs and opinions.”More than 50 Spanish municipalities have endorsed the principles of BDS, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, the highest number in any European country. The Spanish judiciary has in recent months taken a tougher stance on the practice.In neighboring France, promoting the BDS movement is illegal under legislation from 2003 that lists efforts to bring about the singling out of nations and their peoples as a form of hate crime. Similar legislation is being prepared in Britain, the government said last year.Separately, a different Valencia court last week approved opening a probe into the conduct of organizers of the 2015 Rototom SunSplash Festival, who canceled Matisyahu’s performance amid pressure from the BDS movement, but then re-invited him following an uproar over his exclusion.Matisyahu is not Israeli and was the only Jewish performer on the festival’s roster for that year. After he ignored requests that he issue a statement declaring his support for Palestinian statehood, the festival canceled his appearance.Only Matisyahu was asked to sign the declaration in support of a Palestinian state. His disinvitation sparked condemnation from Jewish organizations and the government of Spain. The complaint against the festival was filed by the Jewish Community of Madrid.In Spain, some tribunals open criminal probes almost automatically into certain alleged offenses, including incitement to hatred.
600 rabbis and cantors sign letter opposing Trump’s Israel envoy Friedman-Liberal Jewish groups say ‘extreme’ nominee, who called J Street backers ‘worse than kapos,’ would hurt Israel-By Eric Cortellessa February 14, 2017, 12:59 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
WASHINGTON — More than 600 rabbis and cantors signed an open letter released Monday against US President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the next ambassador to Israel, David Friedman.The letter — which calls on either the president to withdraw the nomination or the Senate to reject Friedman’s bid if Trump is unwilling to take such action — comes three days before the bankruptcy lawyer’s confirmation hearing, in which he is expected to be grilled by members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his controversial past statements and vocal support for Israeli settlement building.Citing a piece Friedman wrote last year for the hard-right Israel National News website that accused J Street supporters of being “far worse than kapos” — referring to Jews who aided Nazis during the Holocaust — the signatories castigated his behavior as at odds with Jewish values.“The Rabbis of the Talmud are adamant that we are to speak to and about other people — particularly those with whom we disagree — with love and respect. We are taught that shaming a person is tantamount to shedding their blood,” they said. “Yet Mr. Friedman seems to have no qualms about insulting people with whom he disagrees.”The letter was orchestrated by a number of liberal American Jewish groups who have responded with horror to Friedman’s nomination since it was announced and have vowed to fight his bid, including J Street, T’ruah and Ameinu. Signatures were collected over a period of 2-3 weeks.Friedman’s “kapos” remark, the rabbis and cantors said, was the very antithesis of the diplomatic behavior Americans expect from their ambassadors.“An ambassador is charged with representing our entire nation. It is historically perverse and wildly insulting to characterize Jewish advocates for peace, including many of the signers of this letter, as no better than Nazi collaborators plotting to destroy the Jewish people,” they added.The 57-year-old Long Island native has also drawn the ire of many on the American Jewish left for his opposition to a two-state solution and vocal and financial support for West Bank settlements.In addition to being a bankruptcy lawyer in New York, Friedman serves as president of American Friends of Bet El Institutions, an organization that supports a large West Bank settlement just outside Ramallah.That history, along with statements Friedman made on the campaign trail as one of Trump’s Israel policy advisers, created “grave policy concerns” with his nomination, the letter argued.“Mr. Friedman vocally supports the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which American presidents since Johnson have seen as an obstacle to peace,” it said. “Moreover, Mr. Friedman opposes the two-state solution, which has been a policy cornerstone for Republican and Democratic administrations for the past quarter century. We are very concerned that rather than try to represent the US as an advocate for peace, Mr. Friedman will seek to mold American policy in line with his extreme ideology.”To be approved for the post, Friedman will need to be confirmed by the full Senate, where he will likely face high scrutiny over positions he’s taken that go against decades of bipartisan policy, particularly on the settlement issue.Since 1967, official US policy — during both Republican and Democratic administrations — has opposed Israeli construction in areas that the Palestinians claim for their future state.Friedman’s nomination also divided much of the American Jewish community given his stated intent to facilitate Trump’s campaign pledge to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem — a move put on hold for now.In a statement announcing the nomination, he said he planned to do the job from “Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem.”But Trump has since backtracked on that promise, or at the least, delayed it. During a recent interview with the Sheldon Adelson-owned Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, Trump was noncommittal on his plans regarding any relocation.“I am thinking about the embassy, I am studying the embassy [issue], and we will see what happens,” Trump said. “The embassy is not an easy decision. It has obviously been out there for many, many years, and nobody has wanted to make that decision. I’m thinking about it very seriously, and we will see what happens.”Nevertheless, the rabbis and cantors who signed the letter fear that Friedman’s confirmation could guide various White House policies that, they believe, run counter to Israel’s long-term interests.“Mr. Friedman’s pro-settler positions and opposition to the two-state solution are in conflict with our views and the majority of American Jews who see settlement expansion as an obstacle to peace and who strongly support a two-state solution,” they said. “Mr. Friedman’s favored policies would weaken Israel’s security, democracy, and status as the national homeland of the Jewish people.”
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
At one point they were ready to move the embassy at 12:01 on January 20th'-Trump intended to move embassy to Jerusalem at 12:01 on Day 1, top Republican says-Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee claims US president stepped back from controversial relocation after considering regional fallout-By Stuart Winer February 13, 2017, 4:20 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
US President Donald Trump was planning on moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as soon as he took office, but then reconsidered after he entered the White House, a senior Republican senator said in an interview published Monday.Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Politico’s Global Podcast that Trump started to reconsider when he began to see the regional implications of the controversial step — including Israel’s developing ties with Arab states.A transcript of the interview was published Monday on the Politico website.During his election campaign Trump vowed that if victorious he would relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem, a highly symbolic move valued by Israel as confirmation of the city as its capital, but strongly opposed by Palestinians and the Arab world which wants East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Three weeks into the presidency there has been no announcement from the White House on an embassy move.Corker assessed that the Trump administration is growing into the role and its positions on some matters are shifting as a result.“I happened to be… at Trump Tower on another occasion and know that their views relative to Israel at that moment in time were, you know, potentially a fairly strong departure from what has been sort of the US view of the long haul best place for Israel to be with a two-state solution.”“And now you see discussions about slowing settlements down with Prime Minister Netanyahu. I see some evolutions taking place.”Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left Monday for Washington where he is scheduled to meet with Trump on Wednesday. During a security cabinet meeting the day before Netanyahu pushed back against some ministers who urged him to convince Trump that the two-state solution is dead, saying that he would instead express his continued support for the peace scheme and avoid a confrontation with the president. The two men last met in Trump Tower, New York, on September 25 before Trump won the US election.Concerning moving the embassy, Corker said that at first Trump was ready and willing to carry out the idea as soon as he was inaugurated.“I think at one point they were ready to move the embassy at 12:01 on January 20th,” Corker said. “So I think that was going to be their first move at one point.”However, the new administration realized there was a wider picture to consider.“How does Israel feel about that? They’ve never had a closer relationship with the Arab world. The one plus in the Iran deal is it brought the Arab community close to Israel. And so there’s a real working relationship there right now. More than I think many of the Arab leaders even want their citizens to know.”Moving the embassy would badly impact those ties, he noted.“So when you’ve got a situation like that, do you really want to destroy this alliance that is unprecedented and is real?”Israel, he said, is still eager for the embassy to move but Washington will not rush into an announcement, preferring to wait until after the confirmation of Trump’s selection for US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman.Friedman’s first Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday, when he will present himself to the committee that Corker chairs.At the end of last year, former president Barack Obama signed a waiver to prevent moving the embassy to Jerusalem. It was the eighth time that Obama signed the waiver, which must be renewed every six months. Obama’s waiver expires in May.Congress passed a law in 1995 mandating the move of the embassy to Jerusalem, but allowed the president to exercise a waiver, citing the national security interests of the United States. Obama’s predecessors George W. Bush and Bill Clinton also signed the waiver.Even after the confirmation, moving the embassy would require reassuring Arab states that the two-state solution is still the objective in reaching peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians, the senator added.“They’ve got to communicate to the Arab world that this is not doing away or dampening in any way the two-state solution. And so there’s a lot of communication that’s got to come with this,” he continued, noting that King Abdullah II of Jordan had visited Washington for talks the week before.The monarch, he said, “had a lot of influence,” and convinced Trump of the diplomatic complexities in the embassy matter and “the administration was already beginning to see [the] problems of embassy move.”“He’s sort of the Henry Kissinger of that part of the world, right, which he enjoys hearing,” Corker said. “And it is true, and we do always love listening to his view of the region. And I think he does a great job with that.”“But he’s got to have a lot of investment with his own citizens in this two-state solution. And so anything that flies in the face of that is—could be viewed as a diss, if you will, to him. And so he’s very sensitive about it.”Nonetheless, Corker still thinks that ultimately the embassy will find a new home in Jerusalem.“I think it will be communicated if it’s done properly. My sense is, they’re probably still moving there.”
Dutch MP vows to ‘de-Islamize’ nation, calls mosques ‘Nazi temples’-Ahead of election in which his party is expected to gain significantly, Geert Wilders says other politicians will have to work with him or face backlash-By Times of Israel staff and AP February 14, 2017, 2:45 am
Far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders has vowed to “de-Islamize” the Netherlands, calling mosques “Nazi temples” and promising to ban the sale of the Quran if he becomes prime minister in the upcoming elections.In an interview with Dutch TV WNL, Wilders compared the Islamic religious text to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, saying the country’s ban on the Nazi text should be extended to the Muslim book which he believes is more anti-Semitic. He also spoke of his plans to shutter mosques, which he called “Nazi temples.”Wilders said mainstream politicians in the Netherlands would have to work with his Party for Freedom if voters strongly back his anti-immigration, anti-European Union platform in the country’s upcoming election, or face a peaceful backlash.Wilders’ Party for Freedom is polling strongly ahead of the March 15 election for the lower house of Parliament. Mainstream parties, however, have ruled out working in a coalition government with him. That means it would be extremely difficult for Wilders to form a government, since the Dutch electoral system all but guarantees coalitions.“If voters make the PVV really big — I’m not talking about two or three extra seats, but really big…they will have to” work with his party, Wilders said in the nationally broadcast interview aired Sunday.Wilders’ party currently has 12 of the 150 seats in the lower house, but polls are forecasting him to substantially build on that in the election. Wilders himself says up to 2.5 million people could vote for him in this nation of 17 million and that other political parties would ignore his far-right voters at their peril.“You can detest Geert Wilders or the PVV, but you can’t just set aside 2-2.5 million people,” he told the WNL broadcaster.Wilders has in the past warned of a revolt if his party is sidelined despite strong electoral gains.“People won’t just accept if they are just set aside in their millions. And, of course, I don’t mean that tanks will go through the streets,” he said.He added: “Revolt is always democratic and non-violent, but it won’t just pass by, I tell you that. We in the Netherlands have the right to demonstrate and the right to speak up if we don’t agree with something.”In the wide-ranging interview, Wilders stressed his election manifesto, saying he wants to close Dutch borders to immigrants from Muslim nations. He also played down fears that his plan to pull the Netherlands out of the European Union would have a devastating effect on the Dutch economy, saying Britain’s economy is forecast to grow strongly despite that country’s vote to leave the 28-nation EU.
Top employee at EU, UN-funded Gaza hospital quotes ‘Protocols of Zion‘-Simon Weisenthal Center demands fund freeze until Palestinian institution fires worker, apologizes for his Facebook post-By Sue Surkes February 14, 2017, 1:27 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
The Simon Wiesenthal Center on Monday called for the withdrawal of UN and EU funding from a Gaza Strip hospital whose director of public relations posted quotations from the anti-Semitic Protocols of the Elders of Zion on his private Facebook page.The Protocols document as fact an imaginary late-19th-century meeting at which Jewish leaders, the “Elders of Zion,” purportedly plan their takeover of the world.Yahya Al Nawajha, Director of Public Relations and Media at the European Gaza Hospital in the southern Strip, referred on Facebook to Victor Marsden’s English translation of the Tsarist protocols and included a link to download the book.Shimon Samuels, the Wiesenthal Center’s Director for International Relations, called for the immediate withdrawal of the hospital’s UN and EU funding until the hospital apologizes, issues a public condemnation of all forms of Jew-hatred, and fires Al Nawajha.Even if the post appeared on a personal page, the hospital bore full responsibility, Samuels charged.Samuels wrote to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini that it was “inappropriate” for a high official of a European and UN-funded hospital to post a link to what is considered “the anti-Semite’s Bible” and “a warrant for genocide.”
Germany said to scrap summit with Israel over outpost law-Cancellation reportedly due to Merkel’s displeasure with recent legislation and announcements of new settlement homes-By Alexander Fulbright February 13, 2017, 4:54 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Berlin reportedly canceled an upcoming summit between the German and Israeli governments due to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s displeasure with a law passed in the Knesset last week legalizing outpost settlements built on private Palestinian land.The summit, which was scheduled to take place in Jerusalem in May, was set to feature a meeting between Merkel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as between a number of senior government ministers from the two countries.However, the planned meeting was recently scrapped, with unnamed German and Israeli officials telling the Hebrew-language Haaretz daily that the cancellation of the meeting was due to Merkel’s frustration with the so called Regulation Law legalizing wildcat outposts in the West Bank, as well as the announcement of some 6,000 new homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump in January.The cancellation of the meeting is just one of a number of both public and behind-closed-doors diplomatic steps that Germany plans to take in response to its disapproval of recent Israeli settlement policies, according to Haaretz.Germany considers Israel an especially close ally in light of the country’s history, but Berlin leveled harsh criticism against Israel over the law last week, with the foreign ministry saying many Germans who usually “stand firmly by Israel’s side in a spirit of heartfelt solidarity are disappointed” by the passing of this law.“The confidence we had in the Israeli government’s commitment to the two-state solution has been profoundly shaken,” a statement said.German officials informed the Prime Minister’s Office the meeting was canceled due to Merkel’s need to prepare for upcoming national elections in September, four months after the planned summit.“We understand it’s schedule constraints of the German side,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon of the cancellation.Merkel has yet to comment publicly on the Regulation Law, which was passed last week in a contentious 60 to 52 vote and has been condemned by the United Nations, the European Union, Britain, France and the Palestinian Authority, among others.The law retroactively legalizes some illegal settlement outposts built on private Palestinian land in the West Bank, if the settlers living on the land can prove they built their homes in good faith or received government support such as the provision of water and electricity.Palestinians whose land is appropriated under the law will receive monetary compensation or an alternate plot elsewhere.A number of Palestinian and left-wing Israeli NGOs have already petitioned the High Court of Justice to overturn the law. The law is widely expected to be struck down.Raoul Wootliff and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Spanish courts reverse two pro-BDS municipal rulings-Judges approve criminal probe into possible discrimination by music festival that tried to bar reggae star Matisyahu-By JTA February 13, 2017, 7:08 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Spanish courts have reversed two municipal resolutions on boycotting Israel and approved a criminal investigation into possible discrimination by organizers of a music festival who sought to bar the Jewish American singer Matisyahu.The rulings on decisions passed last year by the local councils of Xeraco and Olesa de Montserrat were given independently last month by courts in Valencia and Barcelona, according to a report last week by the pro-Israel ACOM group, which has obtained similar reversals in at least a dozen other Spanish municipalities in recent months.The courts cited various principles, including jurisdictional issues and an irreconcilable infringement of anti-discrimination laws.The January 26 ruling by Xeraco, near Valencia, reversed a resolution that in May prompted the same court to issue an injunction against any action on Israeli firms and institutions.The Barcelona court said in its ruling the following day that Olesa de Montserrat had “imposed unconstitutional restrictions on the freedom to hold personal beliefs and opinions.”More than 50 Spanish municipalities have endorsed the principles of BDS, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, the highest number in any European country. The Spanish judiciary has in recent months taken a tougher stance on the practice.In neighboring France, promoting the BDS movement is illegal under legislation from 2003 that lists efforts to bring about the singling out of nations and their peoples as a form of hate crime. Similar legislation is being prepared in Britain, the government said last year.Separately, a different Valencia court last week approved opening a probe into the conduct of organizers of the 2015 Rototom SunSplash Festival, who canceled Matisyahu’s performance amid pressure from the BDS movement, but then re-invited him following an uproar over his exclusion.Matisyahu is not Israeli and was the only Jewish performer on the festival’s roster for that year. After he ignored requests that he issue a statement declaring his support for Palestinian statehood, the festival canceled his appearance.Only Matisyahu was asked to sign the declaration in support of a Palestinian state. His disinvitation sparked condemnation from Jewish organizations and the government of Spain. The complaint against the festival was filed by the Jewish Community of Madrid.In Spain, some tribunals open criminal probes almost automatically into certain alleged offenses, including incitement to hatred.
600 rabbis and cantors sign letter opposing Trump’s Israel envoy Friedman-Liberal Jewish groups say ‘extreme’ nominee, who called J Street backers ‘worse than kapos,’ would hurt Israel-By Eric Cortellessa February 14, 2017, 12:59 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
WASHINGTON — More than 600 rabbis and cantors signed an open letter released Monday against US President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the next ambassador to Israel, David Friedman.The letter — which calls on either the president to withdraw the nomination or the Senate to reject Friedman’s bid if Trump is unwilling to take such action — comes three days before the bankruptcy lawyer’s confirmation hearing, in which he is expected to be grilled by members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his controversial past statements and vocal support for Israeli settlement building.Citing a piece Friedman wrote last year for the hard-right Israel National News website that accused J Street supporters of being “far worse than kapos” — referring to Jews who aided Nazis during the Holocaust — the signatories castigated his behavior as at odds with Jewish values.“The Rabbis of the Talmud are adamant that we are to speak to and about other people — particularly those with whom we disagree — with love and respect. We are taught that shaming a person is tantamount to shedding their blood,” they said. “Yet Mr. Friedman seems to have no qualms about insulting people with whom he disagrees.”The letter was orchestrated by a number of liberal American Jewish groups who have responded with horror to Friedman’s nomination since it was announced and have vowed to fight his bid, including J Street, T’ruah and Ameinu. Signatures were collected over a period of 2-3 weeks.Friedman’s “kapos” remark, the rabbis and cantors said, was the very antithesis of the diplomatic behavior Americans expect from their ambassadors.“An ambassador is charged with representing our entire nation. It is historically perverse and wildly insulting to characterize Jewish advocates for peace, including many of the signers of this letter, as no better than Nazi collaborators plotting to destroy the Jewish people,” they added.The 57-year-old Long Island native has also drawn the ire of many on the American Jewish left for his opposition to a two-state solution and vocal and financial support for West Bank settlements.In addition to being a bankruptcy lawyer in New York, Friedman serves as president of American Friends of Bet El Institutions, an organization that supports a large West Bank settlement just outside Ramallah.That history, along with statements Friedman made on the campaign trail as one of Trump’s Israel policy advisers, created “grave policy concerns” with his nomination, the letter argued.“Mr. Friedman vocally supports the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which American presidents since Johnson have seen as an obstacle to peace,” it said. “Moreover, Mr. Friedman opposes the two-state solution, which has been a policy cornerstone for Republican and Democratic administrations for the past quarter century. We are very concerned that rather than try to represent the US as an advocate for peace, Mr. Friedman will seek to mold American policy in line with his extreme ideology.”To be approved for the post, Friedman will need to be confirmed by the full Senate, where he will likely face high scrutiny over positions he’s taken that go against decades of bipartisan policy, particularly on the settlement issue.Since 1967, official US policy — during both Republican and Democratic administrations — has opposed Israeli construction in areas that the Palestinians claim for their future state.Friedman’s nomination also divided much of the American Jewish community given his stated intent to facilitate Trump’s campaign pledge to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem — a move put on hold for now.In a statement announcing the nomination, he said he planned to do the job from “Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem.”But Trump has since backtracked on that promise, or at the least, delayed it. During a recent interview with the Sheldon Adelson-owned Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, Trump was noncommittal on his plans regarding any relocation.“I am thinking about the embassy, I am studying the embassy [issue], and we will see what happens,” Trump said. “The embassy is not an easy decision. It has obviously been out there for many, many years, and nobody has wanted to make that decision. I’m thinking about it very seriously, and we will see what happens.”Nevertheless, the rabbis and cantors who signed the letter fear that Friedman’s confirmation could guide various White House policies that, they believe, run counter to Israel’s long-term interests.“Mr. Friedman’s pro-settler positions and opposition to the two-state solution are in conflict with our views and the majority of American Jews who see settlement expansion as an obstacle to peace and who strongly support a two-state solution,” they said. “Mr. Friedman’s favored policies would weaken Israel’s security, democracy, and status as the national homeland of the Jewish people.”
