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
Indian official: UN vote against Trump Jerusalem move won’t affect Israel ties-Netanyahu, Modi agree bilateral relations 'are not determined by a single issue,' say Mideast peace talks must resume quickly-By Joshua Davidovich-TOI-JAN 16,18
NEW DELHI, India — India’s vote at the United Nations condemning the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel won’t harm ties, an Indian official said Monday.Both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, agreed that the relations between the countries “are not determined by a single issue,” Indian Foreign Ministry economic relations secretary Vijay Gokhale said following talks between the two leaders.India’s vote at the UN last month had been a possible spoiler in the highly touted visit by Netanyahu to India this week, undercutting a close relationship on display with Modi and the signing of a raft of economic agreements Monday.A spokesperson for Netanyahu did not say if the two had discussed the vote during their approximately two-hour-long meeting and lunch Monday.A joint statement published by Delhi after the meeting only briefly mentioned the two discussing the need to quickly restart peace talks.Over the weekend, Netanyahu told India Today magazine in an interview that while Israel was “disappointed” by India’s vote, the relationship between Tel Aviv and New Delhi remained strong.“Yes, naturally we were disappointed, but this visit is a testimony that our relationship is moving on so many fronts forward,” he said.On Monday, Netanyahu hailed a “new era” in ties with India as he signed a slew of economic deals.“We are ushering today a new era in our relations,” Netanyahu said after talks with Modi. “We have had diplomatic relations for 25 years, but something different is happening now because of your leadership and our partnership.”I arrived in India with the biggest delegation of business leaders that has ever joined an Israeli PM on an official visit. The goal: to deepen the economic ties between India and Israel. Prime Minister @narendramodi, thank you for believing in Israel just as we believe in India. pic.twitter.com/dsizuIBtFC— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) January 15, 2018-Netanyahu arrived in India Sunday accompanied by the largest-ever business delegation to travel with an Israeli leader, including technology, agriculture and defense executives.The prime minister’s schedule includes a visit to Agra, to visit the Taj Mahal, and to Gujarat, prime minister Modi’s home state. He will also visit India’s business capital, Mumbai, where apart from meeting business leaders he is also slated to meet with the leaders of the country’s tiny Jewish community.Agencies contributed to this report.
Toronto police say hijab attack on girl never happened-11-year-old girl's claim that a man tried to cut her headscarf with scissors drew national attention, including from Prime Minister Trudeau-By AFP-TOI-JAN 16,18
MONTREAL, Canada — An 11-year-old Toronto girl’s claim that she was assaulted by a man who tried to cut off her hijab never happened, Toronto police said Monday.The police statement gave no indication as to what motivated Kwawlah Noman’s claim on Friday, which drew national attention, including from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.“After a detailed investigation, police have determined that the events described in the original news release did not happen,” a police statement said.Police reviewed surveillance camera footage and interviewed several residents who live near the Toronto primary school, where the girl said she was attacked by a man who cut her hijab with scissors as she walked to school with her younger brother.“The investigation is concluded,” the police statement said.Trudeau had strongly condemned the attack in a statement issued after the girl’s claim made national news in Canada.“My heart goes out to Khawlah Noman following this morning’s cowardly attack on her in Toronto. Canada is an open and welcoming country, and incidents like this cannot be tolerated.
Palestinian leaders vote to urge PLO to suspend recognition of Israel-Final decision likely to rest with Abbas; if implemented, move would apply until Israel 'recognizes state of Palestine,' cancels annexation of East Jerusalem, stops settlements-By AFP and TOI staff-15 January 2018
RAMALLAH — Palestinian leaders voted on Monday to call for the suspension of recognition of Israel, and to suspend security coordination with Israel, as they met in response to US President Donald Trump’s acknowledgement of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.The vote ordered the Palestine Liberation Organisation to suspend its recognition of the Jewish state until Israel “recognizes the state of Palestine,” cancels its annexation of East Jerusalem, and stops settlement activity, a statement said.It was unclear if the vote by the Palestinian Central Council, a high-ranking arm of the PLO, was binding, and a final decision is likely to rest with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. A previous vote by the council in 2015 to suspend security coordination with Israel was never implemented.The vote was 74 in favour, two against, with 12 abstentions, according to an AFP journalist present.On Sunday, Abbas denounced White House peace efforts as the “slap of the century.”The rare meeting of the Palestinian Central Council — a high-ranking arm of the Palestine Liberation Organization — was called after Trump’s December 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.Palestinians want the city as the capital of their future state and Abbas has said Trump’s stance means the US can no longer be the mediator in peace talks with Israel.The US president has sought to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table, with talks stalled since 2014.Speaking Sunday evening at the opening of the council, which brings together Palestinians from multiple political parties, Abbas told delegates: “We said ‘no’ to Trump, ‘we will not accept your project.'”“The deal of the century is the slap of the century and we will not accept it,” the 82-year-old leader added, referring to Trump’s pledge to reach the “ultimate deal.”He instead called for an internationally mediated peace process.Israel is unlikely to accept any other mediator than the United States, accusing United Nations bodies of systematic bias against it.The delegates began meeting Monday morning, with talks expected to end in the evening with a joint statement.The last meeting of the PCC in 2015 called for the ending of security coordination with Israel, but its decisions were non-binding and it was never implemented.Abbas, in his speech on Sunday, also issued a series of vicious attacks on Israel, asserting that the Jewish state was a “colonial project that has nothing to do with Judaism.”His comments met with widespread criticism in Israel — particularly the perceived anti-Semitic comments, including denials of a Jewish connection to the Land of Israel. He went so far as to imply that European Jews during the Holocaust chose to undergo “murder and slaughter” rather than emigrate to British-held Palestine, and alleged that the State of Israel’s first prime minister David Ben-Gurion imported Jews from Yemen and Iraq to the country against their will.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Abbas was serving Israel’s interests by lashing out against Washington and disregarding the Jewish connection to Israel.“He exposed what we have been saying all the time, that the root of the conflict is the basic refusal to recognize a Jewish state in any borders,” Netanyahu said from New Delhi, where he is on an official state visit, adding that the Palestinians would find no mediator to replace the Americans.-‘Israel ended Oslo’-The Palestinians’ relations with the US leadership have deteriorated rapidly since Trump’s election.He came to power promising to lead the most pro-Israel administration in history, but also to pursue a peace deal.His envoys, including senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, had been shuttling between the two sides in search of common ground.But Trump also infuriated the Palestinians by refusing to commit to the idea of an independent Palestinian state and recently threatened to cut hundreds of millions of dollars of US aid.The Jerusalem announcement prompted the Palestinians to freeze ties with the administration, and Abbas is expected to shun Vice President Mike Pence when he visits the region next week.On Sunday night, Abbas also attacked the US ambassadors to Israel and the United Nations, David Friedman and Nikki Haley, calling them a “disgrace.”Both Trump appointees have been strong supporters of Israel, with Friedman having backed Jewish settlements in the West Bank.An indignant Abbas also said that Trump had accused them of refusing peace negotiations.“May God demolish your house. When did we refuse?” he said, using a common Arabic curse.Israeli media focused heavily on the phrase on Monday, while Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said the statement showed Abbas was “losing his wits and giving up negotiations.”Abbas said all options were on the table for responding to Trump’s Jerusalem declaration, but did not specifically mention suspending recognition of Israel or ending security coordination with the Jewish state — both policies mooted in the days before the council.He did, however, say the Oslo accords that led to the creation of his Palestinian Authority and envisioned a final resolution to the conflict were in effect finished.“I am saying that Oslo, there is no Oslo. Israel ended Oslo,” he said, referring to Israeli settlement building and other issues seen as eroding the possibility of a two-state solution to the conflict.Hamas, the terror group that rules Gaza, is not taking part in the council — arguing it should have been held abroad to avoid Israeli pressure.In a statement Monday the party said Abbas’s speech “did not meet the ambitions of our people.”“The central council must end Oslo and stop security coordination and withdraw the recognition (of Israel).”
Israeli envoy: UN must condemn Abbas’s ‘vile fabrications’-In letter to secretary general, Danny Danon says PA chief's denials of Jewish connection to Israel 'remind us of the worst regimes of the previous century'-By TOI staff 15 January 2018
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon on Monday urged the secretary general to condemn Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s speech a day earlier, in which he denied the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel.“Among the many vile fabrications in his address…Abbas repeated the lie that the reestablishment of the nation-state of the Jewish people in our historic homeland is ‘a colonial project that has nothing to do with Judaism,’” Danon wrote, in a letter to Antonio Guterres.“Abbas also accused European powers of ‘moving Jews from Europe to the Middle East’ as part of a plan to further their economic interests. These statements sadly remind us of the racist words of the worst regimes of the previous century,” he said.“It is unfortunate that, with his latest statements … Abbas has yet again responded negatively to serious initiatives for dialogue by Israel, the United States and other members of the international community,” he continued.“The hateful words of the (president) of the Palestinian Authority, which seem to question the very right of a United Nations member-state to exist, are completely unacceptable and must be unequivocally condemned,” Danon stated.Abbas’s speech Sunday night, in which he angrily rejected US President Donald Trump’s approach to the Middle East peace process, was filled with perceived anti-Semitic comments. He went so far as to imply that European Jews during the Holocaust chose to undergo “murder and slaughter” rather than emigrate to British-held Palestine, and alleged that the State of Israel’s first prime minister David Ben-Gurion imported Jews from Yemen and Iraq to the country against their will.The Palestinian leader further asserted that the State of Israel was formed as “a colonial project that has nothing to do with Judaism,” to safeguard European interests.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Abbas was serving Israel’s interests by lashing out against Washington and Israel.“He exposed what we have been saying all the time, that the root of the conflict is the basic refusal to recognize a Jewish state in any borders,” Netanyahu said from New Delhi, where he is on an official state visit, adding that the Palestinians would find no mediator to replace the Americans.Abbas has raged against the American decision, breaking off diplomatic contacts with Washington, and on Sunday, the Palestinian leader caustically reacted to a Trump’s expected peace plan that reportedly wanted the Palestinians to accept Jerusalem suburb Abu Dis as its capital, calling it “the slap of the century.”“We told Trump we will not accept his project, the ‘deal of the century,’ which has become the ‘slap of the century,’” Abbas said. “But we will slap back.“We do not take instructions from anyone, and say ‘no’ to anyone if it is about our destiny, our cause, our country and our people… 1,000 times no,’” he said, opening a meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Central Council in Ramallah.Netanyahu said Abbas’s statement, both in content and in the way it was said, would “aid” Israeli efforts to explain its position to a skeptical international community.“Without a change in the stance that Abbas expressed, there will not be peace,” Netanyahu said. “Today, when I speak about it to world leaders, it will be more clear to them.”Other Israeli officials have also sharply criticized Abbas, with Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman saying Monday he had “lost his senses.”President Reuven Rivlin said “What we heard yesterday from Mahmoud Abbas was terrible.”Joshua Davidovich contributed to this report.
Across the Mideast, Palestinians brace for Trump aid cuts-Any reduction in US aid could ripple across the region with potentially unintended consequences in countries already coping with other crises-By AP-TOI-JAN 16,18
SHATI REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip — Mahmoud al-Qouqa can’t imagine life without the three sacks of flour, cooking oil and other staples he receives from the United Nations every three months.Living with 25 relatives in a crowded home in this teeming Gaza Strip slum, the meager rations provided by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugee families, are the last thing keeping his family afloat in the territory hard hit by years of poverty and conflict. But that could be in danger as the US, UNRWA’s biggest donor, threatens to curtail funding.“It will be like a disaster and no one can predict what the reaction will be,” al-Qouqa said.Across the Middle East, millions of people who depend on UNRWA are bracing for the worst. The expected cut could also add instability to struggling host countries already coping with spillover from other regional crises.UNRWA was established in the wake of Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, that resulted in tens of thousands of Palestinians to fleeing or being forced from their homes.In the absence of a solution for these refugees, the UN General Assembly has repeatedly renewed UNRWA’s mandate, the original refugee camps have turned into concrete slums and more than 5 million refugees and their descendants now rely on the agency for services including education, health care and food. The largest populations are in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan and Lebanon.Seen by the Palestinians and most of the international community as providing a valuable safety net, UNRWA is viewed far differently by Israel.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses the agency of perpetuating the conflict by helping promote an unrealistic dream that these people have the “right of return” to long-lost properties in what is now Israel.“UNRWA is part of the problem, not part of the solution,” he told foreign journalists last week. Noting that the Palestinians are the only group served by a specific refugee agency, he said UNRWA should be abolished and its responsibilities taken over by the main UN refugee agency.Some in Israel have even tougher criticism, accusing UNRWA of teaching hatred of Israel in its classrooms and tolerating or assisting Hamas terrorists in Gaza.Blaming the Palestinians for lack of progress in Mideast peace efforts, US President Donald Trump has threatened to cut American assistance to the Palestinians. UNRWA would be the first to be affected.The US provides about $355 million a year to UNRWA, roughly one-third of its budget.US officials in Washington said this week the administration is preparing to withhold tens of millions of dollars from the year’s first contribution, cutting a planned $125 million installment by half or perhaps entirely. The decision could come as early as Tuesday.Matthias Schmale, UNRWA’s director in Gaza, said Washington has not informed the agency of any changes. However, “we are worried because of the statements … in the media and the fact that the money hasn’t arrived yet,” he said.Schmale dismissed the Israeli criticisms, saying that individuals who spread incitement or aid militants are isolated cases and promptly punished. And he said Netanyahu’s criticism should be directed at the UN General Assembly, which sets UNRWA’s mandate, not the agency itself.Any cut in US aid could ripple across the region with potentially unintended consequences.Gaza may be the most challenging of all of UNRWA’s operating areas. Two-thirds of Gaza’s 2 million people qualify for services, and its role is amplified given the poor state of the economy, which has been hit hard by three wars with Israel and a Israeli-Egyptian blockade since the Hamas terrorist group seized power over a decade ago. Unemployment is 43 percent and the poverty rate is 38 percent, according to the official Palestinian statistics office.“Nowhere else are we the biggest service provider for the population of the entire territory,” Schmale said. He said UNRWA provides food assistance to 1 million Gazans, calling it “an expression of collective shame for the international community.”With more than 12,500 teachers, nurses and other staff, UNRWA is Gaza’s largest non-governmental employer. It is also involved in postwar reconstruction projects.The dire situation in Gaza is evident inside al-Qouqa’s home, which is so cramped the family has made sleeping spaces with wood boards and fabric. Two male family members are unemployed. Two others are Hamas civil servants and get paid only intermittently by the cash-strapped movement.At 72, al-Qouqa is worried about his grandchildren. “If UNRWA provides them with bread, they can remain patient. But if it was cut, what will they become? They will become thieves, criminals and a burden on society,” he said. Many believe Hamas, which administers schools and social services in Gaza, will step in to fill the void.Jordan, a crucial ally in the US-led battle against Islamic militants, is home to the largest number of Palestinian refugees and their descendants — with nearly 2.2 million people eligible for UNRWA services. This has turned the UN agency into a major contributor to social welfare services in the country, which also hosts hundreds of thousands of Syrians displaced by war.US aid cuts could heighten the threat of instability in Jordan, which is grappling with a worsening economy hurt by the spillover from conflict in neighboring Syria and Iraq. More than one-third of Jordan’s young people are without jobs, turning them into potential targets for recruitment by extremists.Most of the Palestinians eligible for UNRWA services in Jordan hold Jordanian citizenship, and some argue that this has ended their refugee status. But most maintain that UNRWA services are vital to propping up an important ally.UNRWA’s services are also vital in Lebanon, where Palestinians are prohibited from working in skilled professions and owning property.Lebanon is the least-welcoming Arab country to Palestinian refugees, because it does not want Palestinians to settle and because it does not want the refugees to upset the country’s delicate sectarian balance. Camps in several cities are ringed by concrete barriers and Lebanese security forces use checkpoints to control who enters and leaves. A recent census found 175,000 Palestinian refugees or their descendants living in the country.The civil war in Syria has made many Palestinians refugees twice over. Some 32,000 Palestinians who were living in Syria fled to Lebanon, according to UNRWA. In Syria, Palestinians enjoyed the right to own property and to work in all professions. They are not entitled to the same in Lebanon.Balkees Hameed, 33, arrived in 2013 with her husband, two children and in-laws from Damascus, where their apartment was damaged by rocket fire. The family depends on UNRWA assistance to rent a one-bedroom apartment in a ramshackle building in Bourj al-Barajneh, a Beirut camp. Her husband wipes tables at a restaurant outside the camp. Hameed, like all Palestinians, was painfully aware of the rumors coming out of Washington.“We are already defeated and now they want to oppress us some more?” she asked.While more than 5 million Syrian refugees worldwide are entitled to assistance from the UN’s general refugee relief agency, Palestinians are barred from it under the logic that UNRWA serves them. But UNRWA in Lebanon is chronically underfunded, and the wave of Palestinians arriving from Syria has strained its finances even further.“What UNRWA provides is not even a quarter of what a Palestinian refugee needs,” said Ramy Mansour, 34, who fled to Lebanon from the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus in 2013. “Take everything and return us to our homes. We don’t want any assistance or anything, just return us to our country.”
US Jewish groups tell PM forcibly deporting Africans ‘betrays Jewish values’-ADL, HIAS express 'grave concerns' over new plan that would see migrants and asylum seekers deported to unnamed third countries against their will-By Eric Cortellessa-TOI-JAN 16,18
WASHINGTON — Two American Jewish organizations on Monday expressed “grave concerns” over Israel’s plan to deport thousands African migrants and refugees, telling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the controversial plan betrayed Jewish values.“The sweeping nature of this deportation scheme, coupled with the extreme difficulty to access the Israeli asylum system is having a devastating impact on the refugee community in Israel and betrays the core values that we, as Jews, share,” said the letter sent by the heads of the Anti-Defamation League and the leading Jewish immigration advocacy group, HIAS.In the open letter signed by ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt and HIAS president Mark Hetfield, both groups “strongly urged” Netanyahu’s government to “refrain from implementing this plan.”Greenblatt and Hetfield called on Netanyahu to adopt a refugee policy compliant with international law, one that would grant protection to those legitimately fleeing violence or extreme persecution by allowing them to live in Israel until it was safe for them to return home.There are approximately 38,000 Africans in Israel who consider themselves asylum seekers, according to the Interior Ministry. Most arrived between 2006 and 2012, and the vast majority are Sudanese or Eritrean. Many live in South Tel Aviv, and residents have blamed asylum seekers for rising crime rates, lobbying the government for deportation.Earlier this month, government ministers approved a plan to imprison illegal migrants who refuse to leave “voluntarily.” The prime minister was also reportedly seeking ways to forcibly expel undocumented asylum seekers, to reduce strain on the prison system.Netanyahu has announced deals to send migrants to third-party countries in Africa, but has refused to divulge where they are.However, the signatories of Monday’s letter said reports indicated that migrants forced to leave were not finding safe havens elsewhere.“Testimonies of people who were relocated by Israel to third countries in Africa indicate that they did not find durable protection there and risked their lives by taking dangerous onward journeys through conflict zones in South Sudan, Sudan and Libya to seek protection elsewhere,” the letter said. “Some have drowned at sea en route to Europe, while others were reportedly detained, tortured and extorted by human traffickers.”“Those forced to leave Israel under the current Israeli government plan,” they went on, “will likely face similar conditions and challenges.”Israel tacitly recognizes that Sudanese and Eritreans cannot return to their dangerous homelands, so it has signed deals with third countries that agree to accept departing migrants on the condition that they consent to the arrangement, according to activists.In August 2017, the High Court of Justice ruled that this policy was legal, but also said that Israeli authorities had to first ensure that the countries to which migrants were being deported were safe.Africans who are in Israel currently hold short-term residence visas that must be renewed every two months.And yet, the government also decided in November to close the Holot Detention Center, an open facility in the Negev desert that holds roughly 1,200 migrants, who are allowed to leave during the day to work. It is scheduled to be closed in March.The letter’s authors stressed that the way Israel handles the plight of refugees, particularly those fleeing persecution, has a deep resonance with Jews and Israel.“As American Jews, one of our greatest concerns is the well-being and security of Israel,” they said. “We want to see it prosper and overcome all of the challenges its precarious location imposes on it. We also care about our shared Jewish values and refugee heritage –a very human concern that reaches across borders and distances — and unifies us as a people.”
Israel to reopen Gaza crossing after destroying terror tunnel underneath-Kerem Shalom, closed since Sunday, serves as main entryway for humanitarian aid, commercial goods into the beleaguered coastal enclave-By Judah Ari Gross-JAN 16,18-TOI
The Israel Defense Forces announced it planned to reopen the Kerem Shalom Crossing into the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, days after it found and destroyed an attack tunnel that was dug underneath.“The [IDF’s] Southern Command completed the neutralization of the terror tunnel dug under the crossing and thwarted the threat it posed,” the army said in a statement on Monday evening.“With the completion of the process and following an assessment of the situation, it was decided the crossing will reopen,” the military said.The Kerem Shalom Crossing serves as the main route through which humanitarian aid and commercial goods enter the Gaza Strip. On average, hundreds of tractor-trailers pass through the crossing each day.Earlier Monday the IDF took top diplomats and officials from international aid organizations on a tour of the crossing to see the tunnel.“The Kerem Shalom Crossing constitutes a major lifeline to the Gaza Strip, and any attack on it is a terror attack against the residents of the Gaza Strip,” Col. Faris Atill told the visitors, who included representatives of UNWRA, the UN refugee agency for PAlestinains, and USAID.Earlier today, the Head of the Gaza CLA, Col. Faris Atille, and Head of the Southern Division of the Gaza Brigade, Col….Posted by COGAT – Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories on Monday, 15 January 2018-Late Saturday night, Israeli jets and ground forces destroyed the underground passage, which the army said passed underneath the Kerem Shalom Crossing, an IDF installation, and gas and diesel pipelines.The tunnel spread into both Israeli and Egyptian territory from the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The military said the tunnel was dug by the Hamas terrorist group, which controls the coastal enclave.According to the army, the 180-meter (590 feet) portion of the tunnel that entered Israel appeared to be designed to be used for attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers. The hundreds of meters of the tunnel that entered the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula could have been used to move fighters or smuggle goods and weapons.“Any attempt to harm Israeli civilians or violate its sovereignty will be met with force and determination,” the army said in its statement on Monday. “The IDF will continue to thwart any violent attempts made by terror organizations above and below ground, wherever needed.”On Sunday morning, the Israel Defense Forces announced it had destroyed the border-crossing Hamas tunnel, the third in recent months.Later that day, the head of the army’s Southern Command said the principal victims of the Hamas attack tunnel bombed by Israel this past weekend were the Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, as the airstrike required Israel to shut down the main crossing for goods into the coastal enclave.“This terror tunnel, which crossed under the Kerem Shalom Crossing, harms — first and foremost — the residents of the Gaza Strip,” said Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir, during a visit to the site where the tunnel entered Israeli territory.According to IDF figures, in 2017, over half a million tons of food entered the Strip through Kerem Shalom, along with 3.3 million tons of construction equipment and 12,000 tons of agricultural equipment.It is the second time Kerem Shalom has been closed in under a month.Israel shut down the crossing on December 14, following multiple rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza, along with Erez Crossing, through which people enter and exit the Strip. Erez reopened a day later, and Kerem Shalom was reopened on December 17.Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told reporters on Sunday that the discovery and destruction of the tunnel was possible due to a combination of “cutting-edge” technology and intelligence.It was the third tunnel entering Israeli territory destroyed by the IDF in under three months. On October 30, the army blew up an attack tunnel that belonged to the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group, in the process killing 12 members of the organization, along with two Hamas operatives. On December 10, the military demolished a second tunnel, this one controlled by Hamas.IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot made the destruction of Palestinian terror groups’ attack tunnel a top priority for the military, following the 2014 Gaza war, which saw extensive use of tunnels by the Hamas terrorist group.Over the past year, the army has been constructing the underground barrier around the Gaza Strip meant to block attempts to dig into Israel.
Commission to float anti-'fake news' proposals in spring By Nikolaj Nielsen-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, 15. Jan, 16:29-The European Commission will be proposing EU-level plans before the summer on how to tackle fake news.Mariya Gabriel, the EU commissioner for digital economy, told reporters in Brussels on Monday (15 January) that its future proposals would be sourced from a group of experts that includes Silicon valley tech firms, academics, journalists, and others."Fake news is spreading at a worrying rate, it threatens the reputation of the media and the well-being of our democracies and threatens to undermine our democratic values," she said.The task is tricky given most fake news is not illegal, posing larger questions on the freedom of expression and information.The group, which met for the first time on Monday, is composed of some 40 people assigned to provide the commission with options on how to prevent the dissemination of fake news both online and offline."It is in the light of this that I think we will be able to identify the best ways of tackling the problem," said Gabriel.A separate public consultation was also launched last November. Its outcome, due at the end of February, is also set to feed into the commission plans.Wicked problem-Madeleine de Cock Buning, a Dutch university professor, presides over the group of 40."We have to face this wicked problem," she said, speaking alongside Gabriel at a joint press conference.Cock Buning also chairs the European Regulators Group for Audio-visual Media Services, an advisory body of EU national regulators.Outstanding issues on how to define fake news and who would enforce the rules remain unanswered.But she said the group would most likely propose a multi-dimensional solution that includes different levels of regulation."We are in the process of discovering of what would be the most efficient to do, also taking care of the freedom of information aspect," she said.-National elections-One Oxford University study looked at 28 million feeds shared in political debates and elections in the US, UK, France, and Germany.It found a seven-to-one real news versus fake news ratio in France. The UK and Germany had a ratio of four-to-one. Such figures have political leaders worried.Earlier this month, French president Emmanuel Macron vowed to introduce a law to ban fake news on the internet during French election campaigns.But the French move has its sceptics.Pierre Haski, who heads Reporters without Borders, told the French literary magazine Le Nouveau that Macron's plan will end up targeting sponsored content and not fake news."You have to be extremely vigilant when putting together this type of legal text in order not to open the Pandora box," he warned.
Bulgaria's corruption problem mars EU presidency start-By Eric Maurice-EUOBSERVER
Sofia, 15. Jan, 09:29-Last Friday (12 January), just as Boyko Borisov's government was hosting the European Commission in Sofia's communist-era palace of culture to launch Bulgaria's presidency of the EU Council, domestic politics cast a shadow over the country's efforts to shake off its image of a dysfunctional post-Soviet state.In a 146 to 80 vote, MPs overruled president Rumen Radev's veto of a new anti-corruption bill, after a debate in which they traded accusations of who was sabotaging the country's fight against corruption."Today, by rejecting the president's veto, our country will fulfil a commitment to the European Commission," said Tsvetan Tsvetanov, the head of the GERB, Borisov's centre-right party.He said that Radev, an independent, and the main opposition party, the Socialists, were in tandem against Bulgaria. But Socialist leader Kornelia Ninova accused the government of "covering up" corruption in the country.She said that "the president's veto was like the last chance to adjust" the government's policy on the issue.Radev, an independent politician who was elected in 2016 with the support of the Socialists, had vetoed the anti-corruption bill on 2 January.He said that the law "not only does not create an adequate legal basis for tackling corruption, but will even make it difficult to fight it".The text, which was adopted by the parliament on 20 December, establishes a new unit to investigate top officials when there is a suspicion of corruption or conflict of interest.But critics say that its members would not be independent because they would be appointed by the parliament. They also point out that the unit would be allowed to do wire-tappings, which could be used to pressurise people.Opponents of the bill also say that whistleblowers would not be protected enough, in particular because they would have to provide personal information.After the parliament overruled Radev's veto, Ninova said that her party would table a non-confidence vote on Wednesday (17 January) - which has little chance of passing.-Corruption network-The dispute highlights one of Bulgaria's main problems, 11 years after it joined the EU.Bulgaria is 75th in the annual ranking published by Transparency International (TI), an NGO."Corruption remains the universal explanation for all the problems in Bulgaria," said Anthony Galabov, a political scientist who works with TI."Saying that corruption is everywhere means that we don't know where corruption lies," he said, adding that "corruption is a process, not an act."He noted that corruption was "developed in a network", which makes it "very difficult to have an idea of its scale."The phenomenon has not prevented the Bulgarian economy becoming the fourth fastest-growing in the EU.But with Sofia and much of Bulgaria booming with brand-new shopping malls, business parks and roads, there are many opportunities for corruption."The real place where political corruption is generated is the link between the political offices and the administration," Galabov noted.He said that corruption starts with "trading with political influence, abuse of power" and is fuelled by "brokers who are interested in having new customers."A first step to fight corruption, he said, would be to make the funding of political parties and campaigns more transparent.The government and its supporters, however, argue that corruption is not so widespread."Unfortunately that is being used as a political weapon," said Simeon Saxe-Cobourg, a former king of Bulgaria in the 1940s, who was prime minister in 2001-2005.He helped launch the political career of Borisov, who started working for him as a bodyguard."When I hear the generalised word 'corruption'My God, I have traveled a lot and I still have to find a country that fortunately has no corruption," the former monarch told EUobserver.He argued that "Bulgaria being a modest economy and a reasonably small country, the chances for huge kickbacks are rather small".Simeon admitted however that there are kickbacks in Bulgarians' daily life.'Simplistic idea'-"The guy who gives five leva [€2.50] to a civil servant to do something for him is just as wrong or corrupted as the poor fellow who takes the five leva," he said.He said that making the law "more efficient and faster, with a big fine as soon as something is found, and not after six years of trial … would wake up [Bulgarians] a lot and eliminate a good amount of corruption."On Friday, Borisov also got the support of the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker."I refute this simplistic idea that all Bulgaria is corrupted," he said in a press conference with Borisov, adding that he was satisfied that the Bulgarian government "has made significant progress".Sofia nevertheless remains under EU pressure to step up the fight against corruption and the reform of its judiciary.Since it joined the EU in 2007, Bulgaria has been under a special monitoring from the commission, the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM).In its latest report, last November, the commission noted that the fight against corruption was "the area where least progress had been made in Bulgaria over the ten years of the CVM."-Schengen decision-In December, EU affairs ministers welcomed "the significant positive steps taken by the Bulgarian authorities" but said that "much still needs to be done, and overall progress now needs to be further accelerated urgently."Speaking to journalists last week, the minister for the EU presidency, Lilyana Pavlova admitted that "'efforts are needed".She assured that the government was committed to make them and hoped that the CVM could be ended "at the end of this year".Exiting the CVM is important for Bulgaria, as it has been set as a political condition by some member states to accept the country in the passport-free Schengen area.Bulgaria, as well as Romania which has also been under the CVM since 2007, meets the technical requirements over the control of its borders and police cooperation.Borisov said last week that he hoped that the question of Bulgaria's accession to Schengen would be "solved quite soon".This article was corrected on 15 January. It stated incorrectly that former king Simeon was prime minister in the 90s. He was prime minister from 2001 to 2005.
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Philippines shuts more schools as volcano spews ash and lava-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-January 16, 2018
MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines' most active volcano spewed lava that cascaded downslope and emitted ash that fell on nearby towns, state volcanologists said on Tuesday, prompting the provincial government to shut more schools.The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded nine episodes of tremor, four of which accompanied lava fountains, and 75 lava collapse events as pressure builds up leading to lava flows and ash plumes, reiterating its warning that a hazardous eruption could happen any time.Mount Mayon, a volcano in the coconut-growing central Bicol region that draws tourists because of its near-perfect cone shape, has shown increased restiveness since Saturday, displacing thousands of residents.Phivolcs said the advancing lava and pyroclastic flows had reached the six-kilometer radius no-go zone, from which some residents fled."Alert level 3 remains in effect over Mayon Volcano, which means that it is currently in a relatively high level of unrest as magma is at the crater and hazardous eruption is possible within weeks or even days," it said.Alert level 4 means an eruption is possible "within days" while level 5 is when a hazardous eruption is under way.The Albay provincial government has expanded its class suspension order to include more towns around the 2,462-metre (8,077-foot) volcano, and advised travelers to avoid ashfall-hit villages amid poor road visibility.Class suspensions have allowed the government to use schools as temporary shelters for displaced people.Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Martin Petty and Jacqueline Wong)
Volcano in Papua New Guinea little known, hard to predict-[Associated Press]-YAHOONEWS-January 16, 2018
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — People in Papua New Guinea are being warned that an eruption of a volcano in the South Pacific nation could also cause a local tsunami.The volcano on Kadovar Island has been erupting for more than a week, forcing 700 people to leave that island and 3,000 to be evacuated from nearby Biem Island. Flights in the area have been canceled due to the risk posed by ash plumes and ships were warned to stay away from the island.Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has said relevant state resources were being made available to support the evacuations. "We will not take risks with human lives. Let's get people out of harm's way now and constantly monitor the activity of the volcano," he said in a statement Monday.O'Neill warned northern coastal communities to be alert for possible tsunamis. Kadovar is offshore to the north of New Guinea, the larger island that includes Papua New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby.Chris Firth, a volcano expert from the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at Australia's Macquarie University, said on Tuesday the steepness of the volcano meant an eruption may trigger landslides into the sea, which could create a tsunami."Given the volcano's remoteness and dormancy, it has not been well studied in the past and does not have the monitoring infrastructure that is in place on other, more regularly active volcanoes," Firth said in a statement. "This makes it very hard to predict what will happen during the course of the current eruption."Papua New Guinea sits on the "Ring of Fire," a line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific that has frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
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
Indian official: UN vote against Trump Jerusalem move won’t affect Israel ties-Netanyahu, Modi agree bilateral relations 'are not determined by a single issue,' say Mideast peace talks must resume quickly-By Joshua Davidovich-TOI-JAN 16,18
NEW DELHI, India — India’s vote at the United Nations condemning the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel won’t harm ties, an Indian official said Monday.Both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, agreed that the relations between the countries “are not determined by a single issue,” Indian Foreign Ministry economic relations secretary Vijay Gokhale said following talks between the two leaders.India’s vote at the UN last month had been a possible spoiler in the highly touted visit by Netanyahu to India this week, undercutting a close relationship on display with Modi and the signing of a raft of economic agreements Monday.A spokesperson for Netanyahu did not say if the two had discussed the vote during their approximately two-hour-long meeting and lunch Monday.A joint statement published by Delhi after the meeting only briefly mentioned the two discussing the need to quickly restart peace talks.Over the weekend, Netanyahu told India Today magazine in an interview that while Israel was “disappointed” by India’s vote, the relationship between Tel Aviv and New Delhi remained strong.“Yes, naturally we were disappointed, but this visit is a testimony that our relationship is moving on so many fronts forward,” he said.On Monday, Netanyahu hailed a “new era” in ties with India as he signed a slew of economic deals.“We are ushering today a new era in our relations,” Netanyahu said after talks with Modi. “We have had diplomatic relations for 25 years, but something different is happening now because of your leadership and our partnership.”I arrived in India with the biggest delegation of business leaders that has ever joined an Israeli PM on an official visit. The goal: to deepen the economic ties between India and Israel. Prime Minister @narendramodi, thank you for believing in Israel just as we believe in India. pic.twitter.com/dsizuIBtFC— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) January 15, 2018-Netanyahu arrived in India Sunday accompanied by the largest-ever business delegation to travel with an Israeli leader, including technology, agriculture and defense executives.The prime minister’s schedule includes a visit to Agra, to visit the Taj Mahal, and to Gujarat, prime minister Modi’s home state. He will also visit India’s business capital, Mumbai, where apart from meeting business leaders he is also slated to meet with the leaders of the country’s tiny Jewish community.Agencies contributed to this report.
Toronto police say hijab attack on girl never happened-11-year-old girl's claim that a man tried to cut her headscarf with scissors drew national attention, including from Prime Minister Trudeau-By AFP-TOI-JAN 16,18
MONTREAL, Canada — An 11-year-old Toronto girl’s claim that she was assaulted by a man who tried to cut off her hijab never happened, Toronto police said Monday.The police statement gave no indication as to what motivated Kwawlah Noman’s claim on Friday, which drew national attention, including from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.“After a detailed investigation, police have determined that the events described in the original news release did not happen,” a police statement said.Police reviewed surveillance camera footage and interviewed several residents who live near the Toronto primary school, where the girl said she was attacked by a man who cut her hijab with scissors as she walked to school with her younger brother.“The investigation is concluded,” the police statement said.Trudeau had strongly condemned the attack in a statement issued after the girl’s claim made national news in Canada.“My heart goes out to Khawlah Noman following this morning’s cowardly attack on her in Toronto. Canada is an open and welcoming country, and incidents like this cannot be tolerated.
Palestinian leaders vote to urge PLO to suspend recognition of Israel-Final decision likely to rest with Abbas; if implemented, move would apply until Israel 'recognizes state of Palestine,' cancels annexation of East Jerusalem, stops settlements-By AFP and TOI staff-15 January 2018
RAMALLAH — Palestinian leaders voted on Monday to call for the suspension of recognition of Israel, and to suspend security coordination with Israel, as they met in response to US President Donald Trump’s acknowledgement of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.The vote ordered the Palestine Liberation Organisation to suspend its recognition of the Jewish state until Israel “recognizes the state of Palestine,” cancels its annexation of East Jerusalem, and stops settlement activity, a statement said.It was unclear if the vote by the Palestinian Central Council, a high-ranking arm of the PLO, was binding, and a final decision is likely to rest with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. A previous vote by the council in 2015 to suspend security coordination with Israel was never implemented.The vote was 74 in favour, two against, with 12 abstentions, according to an AFP journalist present.On Sunday, Abbas denounced White House peace efforts as the “slap of the century.”The rare meeting of the Palestinian Central Council — a high-ranking arm of the Palestine Liberation Organization — was called after Trump’s December 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.Palestinians want the city as the capital of their future state and Abbas has said Trump’s stance means the US can no longer be the mediator in peace talks with Israel.The US president has sought to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table, with talks stalled since 2014.Speaking Sunday evening at the opening of the council, which brings together Palestinians from multiple political parties, Abbas told delegates: “We said ‘no’ to Trump, ‘we will not accept your project.'”“The deal of the century is the slap of the century and we will not accept it,” the 82-year-old leader added, referring to Trump’s pledge to reach the “ultimate deal.”He instead called for an internationally mediated peace process.Israel is unlikely to accept any other mediator than the United States, accusing United Nations bodies of systematic bias against it.The delegates began meeting Monday morning, with talks expected to end in the evening with a joint statement.The last meeting of the PCC in 2015 called for the ending of security coordination with Israel, but its decisions were non-binding and it was never implemented.Abbas, in his speech on Sunday, also issued a series of vicious attacks on Israel, asserting that the Jewish state was a “colonial project that has nothing to do with Judaism.”His comments met with widespread criticism in Israel — particularly the perceived anti-Semitic comments, including denials of a Jewish connection to the Land of Israel. He went so far as to imply that European Jews during the Holocaust chose to undergo “murder and slaughter” rather than emigrate to British-held Palestine, and alleged that the State of Israel’s first prime minister David Ben-Gurion imported Jews from Yemen and Iraq to the country against their will.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Abbas was serving Israel’s interests by lashing out against Washington and disregarding the Jewish connection to Israel.“He exposed what we have been saying all the time, that the root of the conflict is the basic refusal to recognize a Jewish state in any borders,” Netanyahu said from New Delhi, where he is on an official state visit, adding that the Palestinians would find no mediator to replace the Americans.-‘Israel ended Oslo’-The Palestinians’ relations with the US leadership have deteriorated rapidly since Trump’s election.He came to power promising to lead the most pro-Israel administration in history, but also to pursue a peace deal.His envoys, including senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, had been shuttling between the two sides in search of common ground.But Trump also infuriated the Palestinians by refusing to commit to the idea of an independent Palestinian state and recently threatened to cut hundreds of millions of dollars of US aid.The Jerusalem announcement prompted the Palestinians to freeze ties with the administration, and Abbas is expected to shun Vice President Mike Pence when he visits the region next week.On Sunday night, Abbas also attacked the US ambassadors to Israel and the United Nations, David Friedman and Nikki Haley, calling them a “disgrace.”Both Trump appointees have been strong supporters of Israel, with Friedman having backed Jewish settlements in the West Bank.An indignant Abbas also said that Trump had accused them of refusing peace negotiations.“May God demolish your house. When did we refuse?” he said, using a common Arabic curse.Israeli media focused heavily on the phrase on Monday, while Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said the statement showed Abbas was “losing his wits and giving up negotiations.”Abbas said all options were on the table for responding to Trump’s Jerusalem declaration, but did not specifically mention suspending recognition of Israel or ending security coordination with the Jewish state — both policies mooted in the days before the council.He did, however, say the Oslo accords that led to the creation of his Palestinian Authority and envisioned a final resolution to the conflict were in effect finished.“I am saying that Oslo, there is no Oslo. Israel ended Oslo,” he said, referring to Israeli settlement building and other issues seen as eroding the possibility of a two-state solution to the conflict.Hamas, the terror group that rules Gaza, is not taking part in the council — arguing it should have been held abroad to avoid Israeli pressure.In a statement Monday the party said Abbas’s speech “did not meet the ambitions of our people.”“The central council must end Oslo and stop security coordination and withdraw the recognition (of Israel).”
Israeli envoy: UN must condemn Abbas’s ‘vile fabrications’-In letter to secretary general, Danny Danon says PA chief's denials of Jewish connection to Israel 'remind us of the worst regimes of the previous century'-By TOI staff 15 January 2018
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon on Monday urged the secretary general to condemn Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s speech a day earlier, in which he denied the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel.“Among the many vile fabrications in his address…Abbas repeated the lie that the reestablishment of the nation-state of the Jewish people in our historic homeland is ‘a colonial project that has nothing to do with Judaism,’” Danon wrote, in a letter to Antonio Guterres.“Abbas also accused European powers of ‘moving Jews from Europe to the Middle East’ as part of a plan to further their economic interests. These statements sadly remind us of the racist words of the worst regimes of the previous century,” he said.“It is unfortunate that, with his latest statements … Abbas has yet again responded negatively to serious initiatives for dialogue by Israel, the United States and other members of the international community,” he continued.“The hateful words of the (president) of the Palestinian Authority, which seem to question the very right of a United Nations member-state to exist, are completely unacceptable and must be unequivocally condemned,” Danon stated.Abbas’s speech Sunday night, in which he angrily rejected US President Donald Trump’s approach to the Middle East peace process, was filled with perceived anti-Semitic comments. He went so far as to imply that European Jews during the Holocaust chose to undergo “murder and slaughter” rather than emigrate to British-held Palestine, and alleged that the State of Israel’s first prime minister David Ben-Gurion imported Jews from Yemen and Iraq to the country against their will.The Palestinian leader further asserted that the State of Israel was formed as “a colonial project that has nothing to do with Judaism,” to safeguard European interests.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Abbas was serving Israel’s interests by lashing out against Washington and Israel.“He exposed what we have been saying all the time, that the root of the conflict is the basic refusal to recognize a Jewish state in any borders,” Netanyahu said from New Delhi, where he is on an official state visit, adding that the Palestinians would find no mediator to replace the Americans.Abbas has raged against the American decision, breaking off diplomatic contacts with Washington, and on Sunday, the Palestinian leader caustically reacted to a Trump’s expected peace plan that reportedly wanted the Palestinians to accept Jerusalem suburb Abu Dis as its capital, calling it “the slap of the century.”“We told Trump we will not accept his project, the ‘deal of the century,’ which has become the ‘slap of the century,’” Abbas said. “But we will slap back.“We do not take instructions from anyone, and say ‘no’ to anyone if it is about our destiny, our cause, our country and our people… 1,000 times no,’” he said, opening a meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Central Council in Ramallah.Netanyahu said Abbas’s statement, both in content and in the way it was said, would “aid” Israeli efforts to explain its position to a skeptical international community.“Without a change in the stance that Abbas expressed, there will not be peace,” Netanyahu said. “Today, when I speak about it to world leaders, it will be more clear to them.”Other Israeli officials have also sharply criticized Abbas, with Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman saying Monday he had “lost his senses.”President Reuven Rivlin said “What we heard yesterday from Mahmoud Abbas was terrible.”Joshua Davidovich contributed to this report.
Across the Mideast, Palestinians brace for Trump aid cuts-Any reduction in US aid could ripple across the region with potentially unintended consequences in countries already coping with other crises-By AP-TOI-JAN 16,18
SHATI REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip — Mahmoud al-Qouqa can’t imagine life without the three sacks of flour, cooking oil and other staples he receives from the United Nations every three months.Living with 25 relatives in a crowded home in this teeming Gaza Strip slum, the meager rations provided by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugee families, are the last thing keeping his family afloat in the territory hard hit by years of poverty and conflict. But that could be in danger as the US, UNRWA’s biggest donor, threatens to curtail funding.“It will be like a disaster and no one can predict what the reaction will be,” al-Qouqa said.Across the Middle East, millions of people who depend on UNRWA are bracing for the worst. The expected cut could also add instability to struggling host countries already coping with spillover from other regional crises.UNRWA was established in the wake of Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, that resulted in tens of thousands of Palestinians to fleeing or being forced from their homes.In the absence of a solution for these refugees, the UN General Assembly has repeatedly renewed UNRWA’s mandate, the original refugee camps have turned into concrete slums and more than 5 million refugees and their descendants now rely on the agency for services including education, health care and food. The largest populations are in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan and Lebanon.Seen by the Palestinians and most of the international community as providing a valuable safety net, UNRWA is viewed far differently by Israel.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses the agency of perpetuating the conflict by helping promote an unrealistic dream that these people have the “right of return” to long-lost properties in what is now Israel.“UNRWA is part of the problem, not part of the solution,” he told foreign journalists last week. Noting that the Palestinians are the only group served by a specific refugee agency, he said UNRWA should be abolished and its responsibilities taken over by the main UN refugee agency.Some in Israel have even tougher criticism, accusing UNRWA of teaching hatred of Israel in its classrooms and tolerating or assisting Hamas terrorists in Gaza.Blaming the Palestinians for lack of progress in Mideast peace efforts, US President Donald Trump has threatened to cut American assistance to the Palestinians. UNRWA would be the first to be affected.The US provides about $355 million a year to UNRWA, roughly one-third of its budget.US officials in Washington said this week the administration is preparing to withhold tens of millions of dollars from the year’s first contribution, cutting a planned $125 million installment by half or perhaps entirely. The decision could come as early as Tuesday.Matthias Schmale, UNRWA’s director in Gaza, said Washington has not informed the agency of any changes. However, “we are worried because of the statements … in the media and the fact that the money hasn’t arrived yet,” he said.Schmale dismissed the Israeli criticisms, saying that individuals who spread incitement or aid militants are isolated cases and promptly punished. And he said Netanyahu’s criticism should be directed at the UN General Assembly, which sets UNRWA’s mandate, not the agency itself.Any cut in US aid could ripple across the region with potentially unintended consequences.Gaza may be the most challenging of all of UNRWA’s operating areas. Two-thirds of Gaza’s 2 million people qualify for services, and its role is amplified given the poor state of the economy, which has been hit hard by three wars with Israel and a Israeli-Egyptian blockade since the Hamas terrorist group seized power over a decade ago. Unemployment is 43 percent and the poverty rate is 38 percent, according to the official Palestinian statistics office.“Nowhere else are we the biggest service provider for the population of the entire territory,” Schmale said. He said UNRWA provides food assistance to 1 million Gazans, calling it “an expression of collective shame for the international community.”With more than 12,500 teachers, nurses and other staff, UNRWA is Gaza’s largest non-governmental employer. It is also involved in postwar reconstruction projects.The dire situation in Gaza is evident inside al-Qouqa’s home, which is so cramped the family has made sleeping spaces with wood boards and fabric. Two male family members are unemployed. Two others are Hamas civil servants and get paid only intermittently by the cash-strapped movement.At 72, al-Qouqa is worried about his grandchildren. “If UNRWA provides them with bread, they can remain patient. But if it was cut, what will they become? They will become thieves, criminals and a burden on society,” he said. Many believe Hamas, which administers schools and social services in Gaza, will step in to fill the void.Jordan, a crucial ally in the US-led battle against Islamic militants, is home to the largest number of Palestinian refugees and their descendants — with nearly 2.2 million people eligible for UNRWA services. This has turned the UN agency into a major contributor to social welfare services in the country, which also hosts hundreds of thousands of Syrians displaced by war.US aid cuts could heighten the threat of instability in Jordan, which is grappling with a worsening economy hurt by the spillover from conflict in neighboring Syria and Iraq. More than one-third of Jordan’s young people are without jobs, turning them into potential targets for recruitment by extremists.Most of the Palestinians eligible for UNRWA services in Jordan hold Jordanian citizenship, and some argue that this has ended their refugee status. But most maintain that UNRWA services are vital to propping up an important ally.UNRWA’s services are also vital in Lebanon, where Palestinians are prohibited from working in skilled professions and owning property.Lebanon is the least-welcoming Arab country to Palestinian refugees, because it does not want Palestinians to settle and because it does not want the refugees to upset the country’s delicate sectarian balance. Camps in several cities are ringed by concrete barriers and Lebanese security forces use checkpoints to control who enters and leaves. A recent census found 175,000 Palestinian refugees or their descendants living in the country.The civil war in Syria has made many Palestinians refugees twice over. Some 32,000 Palestinians who were living in Syria fled to Lebanon, according to UNRWA. In Syria, Palestinians enjoyed the right to own property and to work in all professions. They are not entitled to the same in Lebanon.Balkees Hameed, 33, arrived in 2013 with her husband, two children and in-laws from Damascus, where their apartment was damaged by rocket fire. The family depends on UNRWA assistance to rent a one-bedroom apartment in a ramshackle building in Bourj al-Barajneh, a Beirut camp. Her husband wipes tables at a restaurant outside the camp. Hameed, like all Palestinians, was painfully aware of the rumors coming out of Washington.“We are already defeated and now they want to oppress us some more?” she asked.While more than 5 million Syrian refugees worldwide are entitled to assistance from the UN’s general refugee relief agency, Palestinians are barred from it under the logic that UNRWA serves them. But UNRWA in Lebanon is chronically underfunded, and the wave of Palestinians arriving from Syria has strained its finances even further.“What UNRWA provides is not even a quarter of what a Palestinian refugee needs,” said Ramy Mansour, 34, who fled to Lebanon from the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus in 2013. “Take everything and return us to our homes. We don’t want any assistance or anything, just return us to our country.”
US Jewish groups tell PM forcibly deporting Africans ‘betrays Jewish values’-ADL, HIAS express 'grave concerns' over new plan that would see migrants and asylum seekers deported to unnamed third countries against their will-By Eric Cortellessa-TOI-JAN 16,18
WASHINGTON — Two American Jewish organizations on Monday expressed “grave concerns” over Israel’s plan to deport thousands African migrants and refugees, telling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the controversial plan betrayed Jewish values.“The sweeping nature of this deportation scheme, coupled with the extreme difficulty to access the Israeli asylum system is having a devastating impact on the refugee community in Israel and betrays the core values that we, as Jews, share,” said the letter sent by the heads of the Anti-Defamation League and the leading Jewish immigration advocacy group, HIAS.In the open letter signed by ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt and HIAS president Mark Hetfield, both groups “strongly urged” Netanyahu’s government to “refrain from implementing this plan.”Greenblatt and Hetfield called on Netanyahu to adopt a refugee policy compliant with international law, one that would grant protection to those legitimately fleeing violence or extreme persecution by allowing them to live in Israel until it was safe for them to return home.There are approximately 38,000 Africans in Israel who consider themselves asylum seekers, according to the Interior Ministry. Most arrived between 2006 and 2012, and the vast majority are Sudanese or Eritrean. Many live in South Tel Aviv, and residents have blamed asylum seekers for rising crime rates, lobbying the government for deportation.Earlier this month, government ministers approved a plan to imprison illegal migrants who refuse to leave “voluntarily.” The prime minister was also reportedly seeking ways to forcibly expel undocumented asylum seekers, to reduce strain on the prison system.Netanyahu has announced deals to send migrants to third-party countries in Africa, but has refused to divulge where they are.However, the signatories of Monday’s letter said reports indicated that migrants forced to leave were not finding safe havens elsewhere.“Testimonies of people who were relocated by Israel to third countries in Africa indicate that they did not find durable protection there and risked their lives by taking dangerous onward journeys through conflict zones in South Sudan, Sudan and Libya to seek protection elsewhere,” the letter said. “Some have drowned at sea en route to Europe, while others were reportedly detained, tortured and extorted by human traffickers.”“Those forced to leave Israel under the current Israeli government plan,” they went on, “will likely face similar conditions and challenges.”Israel tacitly recognizes that Sudanese and Eritreans cannot return to their dangerous homelands, so it has signed deals with third countries that agree to accept departing migrants on the condition that they consent to the arrangement, according to activists.In August 2017, the High Court of Justice ruled that this policy was legal, but also said that Israeli authorities had to first ensure that the countries to which migrants were being deported were safe.Africans who are in Israel currently hold short-term residence visas that must be renewed every two months.And yet, the government also decided in November to close the Holot Detention Center, an open facility in the Negev desert that holds roughly 1,200 migrants, who are allowed to leave during the day to work. It is scheduled to be closed in March.The letter’s authors stressed that the way Israel handles the plight of refugees, particularly those fleeing persecution, has a deep resonance with Jews and Israel.“As American Jews, one of our greatest concerns is the well-being and security of Israel,” they said. “We want to see it prosper and overcome all of the challenges its precarious location imposes on it. We also care about our shared Jewish values and refugee heritage –a very human concern that reaches across borders and distances — and unifies us as a people.”
Israel to reopen Gaza crossing after destroying terror tunnel underneath-Kerem Shalom, closed since Sunday, serves as main entryway for humanitarian aid, commercial goods into the beleaguered coastal enclave-By Judah Ari Gross-JAN 16,18-TOI
The Israel Defense Forces announced it planned to reopen the Kerem Shalom Crossing into the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, days after it found and destroyed an attack tunnel that was dug underneath.“The [IDF’s] Southern Command completed the neutralization of the terror tunnel dug under the crossing and thwarted the threat it posed,” the army said in a statement on Monday evening.“With the completion of the process and following an assessment of the situation, it was decided the crossing will reopen,” the military said.The Kerem Shalom Crossing serves as the main route through which humanitarian aid and commercial goods enter the Gaza Strip. On average, hundreds of tractor-trailers pass through the crossing each day.Earlier Monday the IDF took top diplomats and officials from international aid organizations on a tour of the crossing to see the tunnel.“The Kerem Shalom Crossing constitutes a major lifeline to the Gaza Strip, and any attack on it is a terror attack against the residents of the Gaza Strip,” Col. Faris Atill told the visitors, who included representatives of UNWRA, the UN refugee agency for PAlestinains, and USAID.Earlier today, the Head of the Gaza CLA, Col. Faris Atille, and Head of the Southern Division of the Gaza Brigade, Col….Posted by COGAT – Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories on Monday, 15 January 2018-Late Saturday night, Israeli jets and ground forces destroyed the underground passage, which the army said passed underneath the Kerem Shalom Crossing, an IDF installation, and gas and diesel pipelines.The tunnel spread into both Israeli and Egyptian territory from the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The military said the tunnel was dug by the Hamas terrorist group, which controls the coastal enclave.According to the army, the 180-meter (590 feet) portion of the tunnel that entered Israel appeared to be designed to be used for attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers. The hundreds of meters of the tunnel that entered the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula could have been used to move fighters or smuggle goods and weapons.“Any attempt to harm Israeli civilians or violate its sovereignty will be met with force and determination,” the army said in its statement on Monday. “The IDF will continue to thwart any violent attempts made by terror organizations above and below ground, wherever needed.”On Sunday morning, the Israel Defense Forces announced it had destroyed the border-crossing Hamas tunnel, the third in recent months.Later that day, the head of the army’s Southern Command said the principal victims of the Hamas attack tunnel bombed by Israel this past weekend were the Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, as the airstrike required Israel to shut down the main crossing for goods into the coastal enclave.“This terror tunnel, which crossed under the Kerem Shalom Crossing, harms — first and foremost — the residents of the Gaza Strip,” said Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir, during a visit to the site where the tunnel entered Israeli territory.According to IDF figures, in 2017, over half a million tons of food entered the Strip through Kerem Shalom, along with 3.3 million tons of construction equipment and 12,000 tons of agricultural equipment.It is the second time Kerem Shalom has been closed in under a month.Israel shut down the crossing on December 14, following multiple rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza, along with Erez Crossing, through which people enter and exit the Strip. Erez reopened a day later, and Kerem Shalom was reopened on December 17.Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told reporters on Sunday that the discovery and destruction of the tunnel was possible due to a combination of “cutting-edge” technology and intelligence.It was the third tunnel entering Israeli territory destroyed by the IDF in under three months. On October 30, the army blew up an attack tunnel that belonged to the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group, in the process killing 12 members of the organization, along with two Hamas operatives. On December 10, the military demolished a second tunnel, this one controlled by Hamas.IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot made the destruction of Palestinian terror groups’ attack tunnel a top priority for the military, following the 2014 Gaza war, which saw extensive use of tunnels by the Hamas terrorist group.Over the past year, the army has been constructing the underground barrier around the Gaza Strip meant to block attempts to dig into Israel.
Commission to float anti-'fake news' proposals in spring By Nikolaj Nielsen-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, 15. Jan, 16:29-The European Commission will be proposing EU-level plans before the summer on how to tackle fake news.Mariya Gabriel, the EU commissioner for digital economy, told reporters in Brussels on Monday (15 January) that its future proposals would be sourced from a group of experts that includes Silicon valley tech firms, academics, journalists, and others."Fake news is spreading at a worrying rate, it threatens the reputation of the media and the well-being of our democracies and threatens to undermine our democratic values," she said.The task is tricky given most fake news is not illegal, posing larger questions on the freedom of expression and information.The group, which met for the first time on Monday, is composed of some 40 people assigned to provide the commission with options on how to prevent the dissemination of fake news both online and offline."It is in the light of this that I think we will be able to identify the best ways of tackling the problem," said Gabriel.A separate public consultation was also launched last November. Its outcome, due at the end of February, is also set to feed into the commission plans.Wicked problem-Madeleine de Cock Buning, a Dutch university professor, presides over the group of 40."We have to face this wicked problem," she said, speaking alongside Gabriel at a joint press conference.Cock Buning also chairs the European Regulators Group for Audio-visual Media Services, an advisory body of EU national regulators.Outstanding issues on how to define fake news and who would enforce the rules remain unanswered.But she said the group would most likely propose a multi-dimensional solution that includes different levels of regulation."We are in the process of discovering of what would be the most efficient to do, also taking care of the freedom of information aspect," she said.-National elections-One Oxford University study looked at 28 million feeds shared in political debates and elections in the US, UK, France, and Germany.It found a seven-to-one real news versus fake news ratio in France. The UK and Germany had a ratio of four-to-one. Such figures have political leaders worried.Earlier this month, French president Emmanuel Macron vowed to introduce a law to ban fake news on the internet during French election campaigns.But the French move has its sceptics.Pierre Haski, who heads Reporters without Borders, told the French literary magazine Le Nouveau that Macron's plan will end up targeting sponsored content and not fake news."You have to be extremely vigilant when putting together this type of legal text in order not to open the Pandora box," he warned.
Bulgaria's corruption problem mars EU presidency start-By Eric Maurice-EUOBSERVER
Sofia, 15. Jan, 09:29-Last Friday (12 January), just as Boyko Borisov's government was hosting the European Commission in Sofia's communist-era palace of culture to launch Bulgaria's presidency of the EU Council, domestic politics cast a shadow over the country's efforts to shake off its image of a dysfunctional post-Soviet state.In a 146 to 80 vote, MPs overruled president Rumen Radev's veto of a new anti-corruption bill, after a debate in which they traded accusations of who was sabotaging the country's fight against corruption."Today, by rejecting the president's veto, our country will fulfil a commitment to the European Commission," said Tsvetan Tsvetanov, the head of the GERB, Borisov's centre-right party.He said that Radev, an independent, and the main opposition party, the Socialists, were in tandem against Bulgaria. But Socialist leader Kornelia Ninova accused the government of "covering up" corruption in the country.She said that "the president's veto was like the last chance to adjust" the government's policy on the issue.Radev, an independent politician who was elected in 2016 with the support of the Socialists, had vetoed the anti-corruption bill on 2 January.He said that the law "not only does not create an adequate legal basis for tackling corruption, but will even make it difficult to fight it".The text, which was adopted by the parliament on 20 December, establishes a new unit to investigate top officials when there is a suspicion of corruption or conflict of interest.But critics say that its members would not be independent because they would be appointed by the parliament. They also point out that the unit would be allowed to do wire-tappings, which could be used to pressurise people.Opponents of the bill also say that whistleblowers would not be protected enough, in particular because they would have to provide personal information.After the parliament overruled Radev's veto, Ninova said that her party would table a non-confidence vote on Wednesday (17 January) - which has little chance of passing.-Corruption network-The dispute highlights one of Bulgaria's main problems, 11 years after it joined the EU.Bulgaria is 75th in the annual ranking published by Transparency International (TI), an NGO."Corruption remains the universal explanation for all the problems in Bulgaria," said Anthony Galabov, a political scientist who works with TI."Saying that corruption is everywhere means that we don't know where corruption lies," he said, adding that "corruption is a process, not an act."He noted that corruption was "developed in a network", which makes it "very difficult to have an idea of its scale."The phenomenon has not prevented the Bulgarian economy becoming the fourth fastest-growing in the EU.But with Sofia and much of Bulgaria booming with brand-new shopping malls, business parks and roads, there are many opportunities for corruption."The real place where political corruption is generated is the link between the political offices and the administration," Galabov noted.He said that corruption starts with "trading with political influence, abuse of power" and is fuelled by "brokers who are interested in having new customers."A first step to fight corruption, he said, would be to make the funding of political parties and campaigns more transparent.The government and its supporters, however, argue that corruption is not so widespread."Unfortunately that is being used as a political weapon," said Simeon Saxe-Cobourg, a former king of Bulgaria in the 1940s, who was prime minister in 2001-2005.He helped launch the political career of Borisov, who started working for him as a bodyguard."When I hear the generalised word 'corruption'My God, I have traveled a lot and I still have to find a country that fortunately has no corruption," the former monarch told EUobserver.He argued that "Bulgaria being a modest economy and a reasonably small country, the chances for huge kickbacks are rather small".Simeon admitted however that there are kickbacks in Bulgarians' daily life.'Simplistic idea'-"The guy who gives five leva [€2.50] to a civil servant to do something for him is just as wrong or corrupted as the poor fellow who takes the five leva," he said.He said that making the law "more efficient and faster, with a big fine as soon as something is found, and not after six years of trial … would wake up [Bulgarians] a lot and eliminate a good amount of corruption."On Friday, Borisov also got the support of the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker."I refute this simplistic idea that all Bulgaria is corrupted," he said in a press conference with Borisov, adding that he was satisfied that the Bulgarian government "has made significant progress".Sofia nevertheless remains under EU pressure to step up the fight against corruption and the reform of its judiciary.Since it joined the EU in 2007, Bulgaria has been under a special monitoring from the commission, the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM).In its latest report, last November, the commission noted that the fight against corruption was "the area where least progress had been made in Bulgaria over the ten years of the CVM."-Schengen decision-In December, EU affairs ministers welcomed "the significant positive steps taken by the Bulgarian authorities" but said that "much still needs to be done, and overall progress now needs to be further accelerated urgently."Speaking to journalists last week, the minister for the EU presidency, Lilyana Pavlova admitted that "'efforts are needed".She assured that the government was committed to make them and hoped that the CVM could be ended "at the end of this year".Exiting the CVM is important for Bulgaria, as it has been set as a political condition by some member states to accept the country in the passport-free Schengen area.Bulgaria, as well as Romania which has also been under the CVM since 2007, meets the technical requirements over the control of its borders and police cooperation.Borisov said last week that he hoped that the question of Bulgaria's accession to Schengen would be "solved quite soon".This article was corrected on 15 January. It stated incorrectly that former king Simeon was prime minister in the 90s. He was prime minister from 2001 to 2005.
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Philippines shuts more schools as volcano spews ash and lava-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-January 16, 2018
MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines' most active volcano spewed lava that cascaded downslope and emitted ash that fell on nearby towns, state volcanologists said on Tuesday, prompting the provincial government to shut more schools.The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded nine episodes of tremor, four of which accompanied lava fountains, and 75 lava collapse events as pressure builds up leading to lava flows and ash plumes, reiterating its warning that a hazardous eruption could happen any time.Mount Mayon, a volcano in the coconut-growing central Bicol region that draws tourists because of its near-perfect cone shape, has shown increased restiveness since Saturday, displacing thousands of residents.Phivolcs said the advancing lava and pyroclastic flows had reached the six-kilometer radius no-go zone, from which some residents fled."Alert level 3 remains in effect over Mayon Volcano, which means that it is currently in a relatively high level of unrest as magma is at the crater and hazardous eruption is possible within weeks or even days," it said.Alert level 4 means an eruption is possible "within days" while level 5 is when a hazardous eruption is under way.The Albay provincial government has expanded its class suspension order to include more towns around the 2,462-metre (8,077-foot) volcano, and advised travelers to avoid ashfall-hit villages amid poor road visibility.Class suspensions have allowed the government to use schools as temporary shelters for displaced people.Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Martin Petty and Jacqueline Wong)
Volcano in Papua New Guinea little known, hard to predict-[Associated Press]-YAHOONEWS-January 16, 2018
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — People in Papua New Guinea are being warned that an eruption of a volcano in the South Pacific nation could also cause a local tsunami.The volcano on Kadovar Island has been erupting for more than a week, forcing 700 people to leave that island and 3,000 to be evacuated from nearby Biem Island. Flights in the area have been canceled due to the risk posed by ash plumes and ships were warned to stay away from the island.Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has said relevant state resources were being made available to support the evacuations. "We will not take risks with human lives. Let's get people out of harm's way now and constantly monitor the activity of the volcano," he said in a statement Monday.O'Neill warned northern coastal communities to be alert for possible tsunamis. Kadovar is offshore to the north of New Guinea, the larger island that includes Papua New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby.Chris Firth, a volcano expert from the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at Australia's Macquarie University, said on Tuesday the steepness of the volcano meant an eruption may trigger landslides into the sea, which could create a tsunami."Given the volcano's remoteness and dormancy, it has not been well studied in the past and does not have the monitoring infrastructure that is in place on other, more regularly active volcanoes," Firth said in a statement. "This makes it very hard to predict what will happen during the course of the current eruption."Papua New Guinea sits on the "Ring of Fire," a line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific that has frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
