JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
DISEASES-ANIMAL TO HUMAN ( 500 million DEAD )
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 billion) of (8 billion) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS)(500 million) and with hunger,(FAMINE)(500 million) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES)(500 million) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE)(500 million).
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH IN NOAHS DAY(BECAUSE OF SIN,VIOLENCE AND GODLESS PEOPLE)
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.
HOSEA 4:1-3
1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye chil dren of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
DEUTORONOMY 28:22-24
22 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
AS OF SEPTEMBER 10,20-THERE ARE 904,364 DEATHS OF THE 27,897,904 COVID-19 CASES WORLDWIDE.
Coronavirus czar recommends wide-ranging restrictions over High Holidays-TOI-SEP 10,20
Coronavirus czar Ronni Gamzu is reportedly recommending to government ministers that Israel introduce a series of wide-ranging restrictions over the upcoming period of Jewish festivals in an attempt to stem the spread of the virus.According to the recommendations currently being presented to the so-called coronavirus cabinet, Israelis would be limited to their city of residence for each festival — Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and the first and last days of Succot — from the day before until the day after each one, Ynet reports. Public gatherings within cities would also be banned.During the entire period, which lasts from next week through the first 10 days \ of October, there would be no school across the country and the commercial workforce would be limited to 30-50 percent, according to the report.In addition, for two weeks after the holiday period, only children in fourth grade and below would attend school and public gatherings would be limited in certain cities.
Why, amid collapsing economy wracked by COVID, is shekel near a 12-year high?-The shekel-dollar rate went below psychological threshold of NIS 3.40 to the dollar on September 1, the Israeli currency’s strongest level since July 2008-By Shoshanna Solomon-SEP 10,20- Today, 2:52 pm
A. Grebelsky & Son, an Israeli firm whose “Jerusalem of Gold” limestone is installed across the US, from HBO’s headquarters in California to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, is finding it hard to keep its prices competitive, now that the shekel has shot up against the dollar.“Running the business has “become almost impossible,” said Hanan Grebelsky, the grandson of the firm’s founder.“All our workers are Israeli; all our expenses are in shekels and our revenues are in dollars. The stronger the shekel, our competitive edge gets hit,” as it makes the firm’s product more expensive to the US buyer; some 80 percent of the company’s sales are to the United States, with the rest going to Europe, Russia and Australia. “The higher our price the more niche market our product becomes. Only those who are ready to pay more will buy it.”The shekel-dollar rate went below the psychological threshold of NIS 3.40 to the dollar, hitting NIS 3.3465 to the dollar on September 1 — the Israeli currency’s strongest level in 12 years, since July 2008. And the strengthening trend is set to continue in the longer term, a Bank Hapoalim economist predicts.Hanan, left, and Arik Grebelsky of the Jerusalem Gold stone manufacturing firm A. Grebelsky & Son. (Courtesy)-The currency’s strength comes even as the nation faces political instability, a health pandemic and the biggest economic crisis in its history. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being tried for corruption in three cases and the government has been rendered impotent by a non-functional coalition.Israel is struggling with record infection rates in a second wave of the coronavirus. Its economy, in a best-case scenario, is expected to contract by 4.5 percent this year, or by 7% in a more pessimistic scenario of the Bank of Israel in case the pandemic is only partially brought under control. In the Bank of Israel’s optimistic scenario for the economy, under which the pandemic is brought under control, the budget deficit this year is expected to be 13.2 percent of GDP, and the debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to be 75%, as opposed to some 60% in 2019, pre-coronavirus.So why is the shekel so strong? And what are the implications of its strength for the economy? Victor Bahar, the chief economist at Bank Hapoalim, said in a phone interview that the recent spike of the shekel against the dollar is largely attributable to the fact that Israelis spent their summer holidays stuck at home instead of going abroad.In the third quarter of the year, Israelis normally spend the equivalent of $3 billion abroad, he said. “Now they are at home, because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the $3 billion worth of foreign currencies they normally spend outside remains in the local market.” Spending money abroad means buying dollars or other foreign currencies, he said, which directly impacts the nation’s balance of payments current account, as money spent abroad is considered imports.The recession caused by the coronavirus, which saw GDP contract in the second quarter by 28.7% in annual terms, is also causing consumers to spend less on things like cars, air conditioners and other imported items, he said, curbing the need for foreign currency to pay for these items.A third reason, he explained, is the fact that foreign equity markets are booming.Victor Bahar, the chief economist at Bank Hapoalim (Inbal Marmary)“There is a high correlation between the performance of the equity markets abroad and exchange rates,” he said. “When stock markets rise, then the shekel becomes stronger. When stock markets decline, like in March and April this year, then the shekel reached 3.90 to dollar. In the past few months, until the last few days, the stock market in the US broke records, and rose more than the stock market in Israel. And this creates pressure for appreciation.”This is because when stock markets abroad rise, Israeli institutional investors pile their funds into these markets, buying shares. When the value of these assets rises, as tech shares did in the US markets until recently, it changes the balance of their portfolio, increasing the exposure of these investors to foreign currencies, like that of the dollar. To offset this exposure, these institutional investors thus sell some of their foreign currency reserves.“The investors hold on to their stock, but sell dollars to offset this exposure,” he said. “They want to control their total exposure to foreign currency.” The hedge is not only against the dollar, of course, but most investments are dollar-denominated.The recent decline of the US stock market helped weaken the shekel a little in the past few days. On September 9, the shekel’s representative rate was set at 3.4070 against the dollar.Kobby Levi, the head of markets strategy at the Capital Markets Division of Bank Leumi Le-Israel, said that the most recent rise of the shekel against the dollar is not so much because of the shekel’s strength but because of the weakness of the dollar globally.Indeed, compared to the euro, the shekel has weakened in recent months, he said. The shekel is trading at around NIS 4 shekels to the euro, compared to NIS 3.7 to the euro before the start of the spread of the virus mid-February.The weakness of the dollar stems from the fact that interest rates in the US have declined to near zero, making it less attractive for investors to buy the currency, and also because the US is mired in political uncertainty regarding the election’s outcome and in a health emergency brought on by the pandemic. Interest rates are likely to stay low for years as the US economy struggles with the blow dealt by the coronavirus, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said earlier this month.Kobby Levi, Head of Markets Strategy, Capital Markets Division, Bank Leumi Le-Israel (Courtesy)“In the world there are more concerns today than before regarding the fiscal and monetary expansion in the US — how long can it continue, and what will happen if there will be political change in the US – all of these weigh on the dollar,” Leumi’s Levi said.“The bottom line is that the strengthening of the shekel vs the dollar is not due to the strength of the shekel or the Israeli economy but from the weakness of the dollar in the world,” he said.That may be so, but the shekel has crept up to record levels over the last 10 years, ranking among the strongest currencies in the world.From December 31, 2018, to September 9, 2020, the Israeli shekel has appreciated 9.5%, the most against the dollar, compared with six other major currencies: the euro, the UK pound, the Australian dollar, the Japanese yen, the Swiss franc and China’s renminbi, data provided by Bank Hapoalim shows. The Swiss franc appreciated 6.5%, the yen 3.2%, the euro 2.5%, and the renminbi 0.2%. The UK pound weakened against the dollar by 1.5% for the period, and the Australian dollar weakened 2.7%.Even the massive acquisition of dollars by the Bank of Israel — intermittently since the March 2008, to keep the shekel in check — has not managed to curb its rise. The Bank of Israel’s foreign exchange purchases in August totaled $2.6 billion, the central bank said on Monday, bringing its total foreign exchange reserves to almost $162 billion. The reserves aee actually held in many currencies and translated to dollars at a spot exchange rate.“The intervention of Bank of Israel in the forex market can slow down the strengthening of the shekel, but history tells us it cannot turn it around on its own,” said Leumi’s Levi.That is because the shekel is buoyed by the strong fundamentals of the Israeli economy, said Hapoalim’s Bahar. The nation has a big surplus in the balance of payments current account because its exports exceed imports, mainly due to its strong high-tech industry. Natural gas production from its massive fields since 2013 has also helped to cut back on energy imports, he said, and savings by households in Israel, in savings and pension plans, is high. All of this impacts the nation’s current account, giving it a surplus.Israel’s offshore Leviathan gas platform. (Albatross)-“This situation of surplus in the balance of payments current account is not transitory, it is structural, at the basis of our economy. That won’t change so fast,” said Bahar.Indeed, the nation’s strong fundamentals are expected to continue to boost the shekel even in the coming years, Bahar said. “The fundamentals support a strong shekel,” he said. “We expect it to be even stronger in two years from now,” with short-term fluctuations affected mainly by the performance of global stock markets.Bank Leumi forecasts that the shekel will trade in the range of NIS 3.30-NIS 3.50 to the dollar on average until the end of 2021, depending on the volatility of the financial markets, and political and economic developments.The strong shekel is good for Israeli consumers, Bahar said. It allows them to buy cars, TVs, and travel abroad inexpensively. But it does badly affect exporters, and the Bank of Israel is intervening in the market to help make sure that whole industries that are struggling because of the exchange rate “won’t be wiped out” because it will become too unprofitable to manufacture here.The coronavirus pandemic, with the health havoc and the global recession it has wrought, has exacerbated difficulties for Israeli manufacturers and exporters.Netanel Haiman, the head of the economics division at the Manufacturers Association of Israel (Courtesy)“We are feeling like a forceps effect,” said Netanel Haiman, the head of the economics division at the Manufacturers Association of Israel. “We are getting it from both directions,” with shrinking global demand due to the recession adding woes to companies already struggling with low competitiveness due to the strong shekel.“This might push people to set up their manufacturing facilities abroad,” he said.“The plunge of the dollar is deepening the crisis and hurting even more the chances of the Israeli exporters to survive,” the industrialists said in a letter they sent last month to the Finance Minister, in which they called on the ministry to help cut costs for exporters by lowering water, energy and municipality fees.The Bank of Israel could also help by intervening more aggressively in the market, Haiman said; it could “be crazier” and surprise the market more than it is doing now, to make clear that it will not stand for a further appreciation of the currency.“We are talking with the Finance Ministry and the Bank of Israel,” he said.Supporting manufacturers and exporters is a key way to help Israel get out of the coronavirus-induced crisis, he said, and get people back to work, as the nation faces record levels of unemployment.Labor Force Surveys conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics showed that the “broad unemployment rate,” which includes the unemployed, those temporarily absent from work for reasons related to COVID-19, and those dismissed from their positions between March and July who are not looking for work, was about 12 percent in July for those aged 15 and above, the Bank of Israel said.“This is an employment crisis,” Haiman said. “Strengthening the industry will create the engine to get us out of this crisis.”
Startup that uses AI to foil online money laundering raises $35 million-Investors in EverC, formerly called EverCompliant, include Israeli VC Red Dot Capital Partners, Viola Ventures, Arbor Ventures, and American Express Ventures-By Shoshanna Solomon-SEP 10,20-Today, 3:24 pm
EverCompliant, a startup that gleans online data intelligence to detect and prevent money laundering via online transactions, said it has raised a $35 million in Series B funding.The money raised will help the startup meet growing demand from banks, credit card companies, payment processors, payment facilitators, online marketplaces, and law enforcement agencies, the company said in a statement. The firm has also rebranded to EverC.Red Dot Capital Partners, an Israel-based early growth stage venture capital firm, led the round. Maor Investments joined the round, as did the company’s existing backers, among them Joey Low, Viola Ventures, Arbor Ventures, and American Express Ventures.While the volume of global e-commerce transactions was already rising pre-COVID-19, the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital payments, and an increase in criminal activities online has followed in its wake. Recent high-profile cases have only highlighted what has already become an unprecedented level of online money laundering, EverC said in a statement.Figures provided by the startup show that some $500 billion is laundered annually through fraudulent e-commerce transactions. In addition, there are 6 to 10 million online merchants currently using existing online payment systems to process transactions without the knowledge or consent of the financial institution they are processing through.EverC believes its data intelligence capabilities will help reduce online crime and help boost e-commerce growth. The firm uses artificial intelligence to look into its client’s portfolios and identify links with potential criminals using its cyber intelligence capabilities.“Many types of serious criminal activities are trying to hide behind legitimate-looking facades that are very difficult to track and unmask, digital technology has made it easier for potential fraudsters to hide in plain sight,” said Ron Teicher, EverC’s co-founder and CEO. “We believe that light is the best disinfectant and transparency and visibility are critical in doing business in the digital age. EverC aspires to be a source of confidence for organizations who facilitate payments online, providing them the tools, data, and insights needed to navigate risk and capitalize on new opportunities.”“As commerce moves increasingly online so does the crime associated with it. EverC is at the forefront of machine learning and AI research to develop technology that addresses a problem of epic magnitude, with a direct impact on the wellbeing of all of us,” said Barak Salomon, managing partner at Red Dot Capital Partners. Salomon is joining EverC’s board.Founded in 2008 by Ron Teicher, Noam Rabinovich and Raz Abramov, the firm is headquartered in New York City with offices in Tel Aviv and Shanghai.EverC’s products, MerchantView for detecting online money laundering and MarketView for keeping marketplaces clean from illegal products, are being used by the financial institutions and payment service providers, including Fortune 500 companies in North and South America, EMEA and Asia Pacific, the statement said.
13 Thou shalt not kill.(Murder)(THAT INCLUDES ABORTION)
MATTHEW 18:6
6 But whoso shall offend (HURT) one of these little ones (CHILDREN) which believe in me,(JESUS) it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.(THATS THE DEATH PENALTY FOLKS)
EXODUS 21:12
cv12 He that smiteth (MURDER)a man,(OR BABY) so that he die, shall be surely put to death.(THATS THE DEATH PENALTY PEOPLE)
REVELATION 9:20-21
20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils,(OCCULT) and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries,(DRUG ADDICTIONS) nor of their fornication,(SEX OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE) nor of their thefts.(STEALING)
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
AMERICA (POLITICAL BABYLON)(NUKED BY SNEAK ATTACK FROM RUSSIA)
IN REVELATION 17 & 18 IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL BABYLONS.IF YOU CAN NOT DECERN BETWEEN THE 2 BABYLONS IN REV 17 & 18.YOU WILL JUST THINK THEIR BOTH THE SAME.BUT NO-THERES A RELIGIOUS BABYLON (THE VATICAN IN REV 17)(AND THE POLITICAL BABYLON IN REV 18 (AMERICA OR NEW YORK TO BE EXACT)
ISAIAH 34:10
10 It (AMERICA-POLITICAL BABYLON) shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
JEREMIAH 51:29-32 (CYBER ATTACK 1ST)
29 And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon,(AMERICA-NEW YORK) to make the land of Babylon (AMERICA) a desolation without an inhabitant.
30 The mighty men of Babylon (AMERICA) have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
031 One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon (NEW YORK) that his city is taken at one end,
32 And that the passages are stopped,(THE WAR COMPUTERS HACKED OR EMP'D) and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.(DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO)
COMPLETE SILENCE AFTER AN EMP GOES OFF
REVELATION 8:1
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3 For out of the north (RUSSIA) there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon,(AMERICA) and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK CYBER,EMP ATTACK,THEN NUKE ATTACK ON AMERICA)
Austrian government triples security funding for local Jewish community-Community head Oskar Deutsch hails annual grant of €4 million as ‘historic step’ that anchors Jewish life ‘as a natural and inseparable part of Austria’By Raphael Ahren-SEP 10,20-Today, 2:58 pm
The Austrian government and the country’s Jewish community have signed an agreement that would see federal funds to secure Jewish institutions increase threefold, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced on Thursday.“The last weeks have shown that we have to act together to protect Jewish life in Austria even more determinedly,” Kurz wrote on his Twitter profile. “That’s why we as a state will support the Jewish community with its increased security costs.”According to the agreement, which will be anchored in legislation, the Austrian government will pay €4 million (NIS 16 million, $4.7 million) to the Jewish community every year.“With this historic step the Austrian government is manifesting Jewish life as a natural and inseparable part of Austria,” Oskar Deutsch, the head of Austria’s Jewish community, wrote in a letter sent to community members.The community has reached a “historic agreement with the federal government of Austria to safeguard and foster Jewish life in the long term,” he said.Oskar Deutsch (courtesy)-“The core of this undertaking is the financial support by the federal government for the Jewish Community in the amount of 4 million euros annually. This means tripling the assistance for security expenses we are currently receiving through an agreement with the Federal Ministry of the Interior.”Currently, the Jewish community’s expenses for security amount to €3.7 million, according to Deutsch.“The new assistance will not only support our security budget: The new law will enable the consolidation of the Jewish community; it will secure our infrastructure and therefore the varied services the [the community] has to offer. This includes schools, culture, youth, care, social support, public relations, security and many other areas that we can be proud of.”That Jews in Austria have to be protected by professional security agencies was a “sad but necessary reality,” Deutsch went on. “At the same time, the close cooperation of our security staff and commission with Austrian authorities have made us one of the safest communities in Europe.”Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz during a visit at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, June 10, 2018. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)-Kurz is known as a staunch supporter of his country’s Jewish community and as one of Israel’s staunchest allies in Europe. Among other initiatives, he advanced legislation that allows those who were persecuted by the Nazi regime and their direct descendants to obtain Austrian citizenship without giving up their existing passports.Last week, a Vienna-born Israeli man who left Austria 76 years ago at the age of eight became the first Jew to receive Austrian citizenship under the new law.Ben Zion Lapid, 84, received his official passport at the Austrian embassy in Israel on Friday, days after the new law went into effect. Thousands of Jews around the world are expected to apply for Austrian citizenship under the new law.Lapid told the Austrian newspaper Der Standard that his grandchildren urged him to reclaim his Austrian citizenship.“I’m in the autumn of my life, I don’t care who or how I am, but I want to leave something to my four children and eight grandchildren. You can now also become Austrians, and if you ever have to leave here and need refuge, then you have a place,” Lapid said he told his family.What a moving & joyous occasion! Ben Zion Lapid, Holocaust survivor from Vienna, was the first person to receive Austrian citizenship based on the new law. @mengel999, thanks for joining us & celebrating with us. pic.twitter.com/1ZzWa1cK2B — Hannah Liko (@HannahLiko) September 4, 2020“For me it comes full circle… I didn’t go of my own will; I was a child. Israel is my home, of course, but it’s also something like coming home. Because I still speak German and I’m interested in what’s happening in Austria. And because my brother lives in Austria,” he told the newspaper. “Now I’m coming back as Ben Zion Lapid after 76 years.”Lapid fled Austria with his mother in 1944, residing in Slovenia and Italy before boarding a crowded boat for Mandatory Palestine. The British intercepted the boat and he spent nine months in a refugee camp in Cyprus, separated from his mother, before being smuggled into Israel. He was later reunited with his mother.JTA contributed to this report.
Huge fire rages at Beirut port, weeks after devastating explosion-State-run National News Agency says fire is at warehouse storing tires and oil, but police say unknown what was in facility; no initial reports of injuries-By AP-SEP 10,20-Today, 2:13 pM
BEIRUT — A huge fire broke out Thursday at the Port of Beirut, triggering panic among residents traumatized by last month’s massive explosion there that killed and injured thousands of peopleIt was not immediately clear what caused the fire at the facility, which was decimated by the Aug. 4 explosion when nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate detonated, triggering a shock wave explosion that blasted windows, doors and walls miles away.A column of black smoke billowed from the port at midday Thursday, with orange flames leaping from the ground.The Lebanese army said the fire is at a warehouse where oil and tires are placed in the duty free zone at the port, adding that fighting the blaze is ongoing. Army helicopters were taking part in efforts to extinguish the fire.A picture shows smoke from a huge fire raging in Beirut port on September 10, 2020 (Joseph EID / AFP)-Panicked residents cracked open windows and called each other to warn them of the new fire.Local TV stations said the companies that have offices near the port have asked their employees to leave the area.Lebanese troops closed the major road that passes near the port referring traffic to other areas.There were no immediate reports of injuries.The sheer incompetence of the #Lebanon state is staggering. Second fire in the port since the #BeirutBlast. Once again, firefighters sent in without knowing cause of fire. Official statements late and don’t inspire confidence. pic.twitter.com/GQwHcUep43— Aya Majzoub (@Aya_Majzoub) September 10, 2020-The Aug. 4 explosion killed more than 190 people, injured around 6,500 and damaged thousands of buildings in the Lebanese capital.The sight of another huge fire a month later created panic among residents traumatized by last month’s explosion.Fire burns in the port in Beirut, Lebanon, Sept. 10. 2020 (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)-Police spokesman Col. Joseph Msalam said they have no information about what is happening at the port adding that the facility is currently under control of the army.Asked about reports that the fire was caused by burning tires and oil, he said “I don’t know. It could be containers. I really don’t know what is there.”Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Iran begins expansive annual war games amid tensions with US-Commander of exercise dubbed Zolfaghar-99 says it is aimed at ‘improving readiness in confronting foreign threats and any possible invasion’; said to involve drones, submarines-By Agencies-SEP 10,20-Today, 12:28 pm
Iran’s military Thursday began an expansive annual three-day exercise near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, state TV reported, with the maneuvers taking place amid heightened tensions between the Islamic Republic and the US.Units from the navy and air force and ground forces are participating in a nearly 2 million-square-kilometer (772,200 square miles) area of the Gulf of Oman.The Tasnim news agency reported the Iran-developed Fateh submarine and Simorgh drone were to play key roles in the drill.Israel’s Channel 12 news reported the possibility of new weaponry being tested in the drill but no further details were given.Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, commander of the annual exercise dubbed Zolfaghar-99, said Wednesday the operation is aimed at “improving readiness in confronting foreign threats and any possible invasion.”Habibollah Sayyari (YouTube screenshot)-“Surface and subsurface vessels, flying units, and part of the equipment and weapons available in the Army Combat Organization are present in this exercises, the most important of which is the powerful presence of the homemade Fateh submarine,” Sayyari said, according to the Fars news agency.Sayyari’s comments hinted at the threat of military conflict amid tensions between Iran and the US, which has sought to extend a years-long UN weapons embargo on Tehran that is due to expire in October.Meanwhile, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia are struggling to save the 2015 landmark accord with Iran, after the US pulled out of the agreement and as Tehran has been progressively stepping up its nuclear activities since last year.Last month, US Central Command published a black-and-white video showing what appeared to be Iranian special forces fast-roping from a helicopter onto the oil tanker MT Wila, whose last position appeared to be off the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates near the city of Khorfakkan. Iranian state television later acknowledged the brief seizure, referring to the operation as a routine inspection without elaborating.In video released on July 28, 2020, an explosion is seen next to a mock US aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz during military exercises held by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. (Screen capture/Twitter)-In July, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard fired a missile from a helicopter targeting a replica of a US aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz in an exercise aimed at threatening the US.In January, a US drone strike killed a top Iranian general at the Baghdad airport and Tehran responded by firing ballistic missiles at American forces in Iraq.Iran’s navy operates in the Gulf of Oman on the eastern side of the strait, through which 20 percent of all oil shipping passes.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Analysis-How Israel justifies sudden recognition of Kosovo that has riled Serbia-For 12 years, Jerusalem eschewed ties with Pristina to avoid endorsing a unilateral statehood bid. Now officials cite various reasons why Kosovo and Palestine are not similar-By Raphael Ahren-SEP 10,20-Today, 1:57 pm
For more than a decade, Israel bucked a Western trend and refused to recognize the Republic of Kosovo. The US, Canada, Australia and most of Europe recognized Pristina’s 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia, but Jerusalem didn’t — mainly because it didn’t want to support a separatist move by an ethnic majority, fearing such support could backfire should Palestinians attempt something similar.On Friday, Israel surprisingly and without warning changed its policy, as the two states agreed to recognize each other, and Kosovo vowed to open an embassy in Tel Aviv. The announcement was hailed by the US and Israel as a great achievement for the Jewish state and indeed peace in the Middle East, but no explanation for Jerusalem’s sudden about-face was provided.In fact, the deal — which is part of an unusual tripartite agreement with the US and Serbia — raises two key questions: Is Israel no longer worried that recognizing Kosovo would give impetus to the Palestinians’ unilateral statehood bid? And can the Kosovo-Serbia situation be compared to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Ramallah has always seen Pristina’s February 2008 declaration of independence — which was recognized by more than 50 countries within a year, and exactly 116 by today — as a model to be followed.“Kosovo is not better than us,” Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior Palestinian negotiator, said in 2008. “We deserve independence even before Kosovo, and we ask for the backing of the United States and the European Union for our independence.”Palestinians wave their national flag during a rally in the West Bank city of Ramallah on November 29, 2012 to support Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas who is heading to the United Nations General Assembly today with huge backing for his bid for UN recognition of statehood despite strong US and Israeli opposition. Abbas will make the case for Palestine to become a UN "non-member observer state" and indicate his conditions for talks with Israel in a key speech to the 193-member assembly. (photo credit: Issam Rimawi/Flash90)-Palestinians wave their national flag during a rally in Ramallah on November 29, 2012, to support Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’s bid for UN recognition of statehood. (Issam Rimawi/Flash90)-But while most of the West happily recognized Kosovo, Palestine was left empty-handed. In fact, “most states that recognize Palestine do not recognize Kosovo, and vice versa,” according to Eric Gordy, a professor at University College London’s School of Slavonic and East European Studies.Kosovo, a small Muslim-majority state in southeastern Europe, is the non-UN member with the highest number of international recognitions, while Palestine holds second place, he noted on the Balkan Insight website.Either way, the Palestinians are now angry at Kosovo (and Serbia), and have threatened to sever ties with every country that relocates its embassy to Jerusalem. While it is unclear to what extent Balkan countries are fazed by such bluster, there is good reason to believe that Belgrade and Pristina are having second thoughts about the promised move.US President Donald Trump watches as Kosovar Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti (R) and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (L) sign an agreement on opening economic relations, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 4, 2020. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)-These countries made the commitment under heavy pressure from the American administration, ostensibly because US President Donald Trump and his team seek to highlight the White House’s role in promoting the status of Jerusalem ahead of the November elections.If Trump loses, Kosovo and Serbia may feel they can drag their feet, and the new Democratic administration can be expected not to push them hard on the matter. On the other hand, the European Union is pressuring in the other direction, warning the two countries that their membership bids are at risk if they advance a policy on Jerusalem that blatantly contradicts that of Brussels.Why did Israel get involved in the Balkans? Jerusalem had no reason to poke the diplomatic hornet’s nest that is the conflict in the Balkans other than pleasing the US administration, Israeli officials admit in private conversations.“I’m not sure it’s in Israel’s interest to get mixed up in this deal,” Arthur Koll, a former Israeli ambassador to Serbia, told the Media Line website this week.“We’re paying a price by surrendering a principle of ours, a longstanding policy. It’s a step that might have future repercussions for the Israel-Palestinian conflict.”But now that the political leadership has decided to end its traditional refusal to recognize Kosovo, some officials are eager to explain that the Serbia/Kosovo situation is fundamentally different from our own region’s conflict.There are some important differences between the two cases that clearly show they cannot be compared, sources in Jerusalem told The Times of Israel this week, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the diplomatic sensitivities of the matter.Though many countries recognized Kosovo, the officials stressed that this is was a special case arising from the unique situation of the breakup of Yugoslavia, and that it should not be considered a precedent for any other territorial dispute.A girl walks past graffiti on a wall reading: ”Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” in Belgrade, Serbia, September 4, 2020. Trump administration officials met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti to discuss furthering relations on the economic front (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)Another major difference between Pristina and Ramallah is that the former fully meets the requirements of statehood as defined by international law, while the latter does not, according to the Israeli officials. Kosovo meets all four criteria for statehood, including holding effective control over the territory, which clearly is not the case for the Palestinians, they argued.Moreover, Kosovo did not violate its legal obligations by unilaterally declaring statehood, the officials posited. The Palestinian Authority, on the other hand, is bound by the Oslo Accords, which created a legal framework in which all core issues would be determined subject to bilateral negotiations and prohibits the parties from taking any unilateral step that would alter the status of the territory.This has been true all along, so why is Israel only changing its position on Kosovo now? Because the Serbs did, too. At least that’s what officials in Jerusalem are claiming. The political circumstances changed dramatically on Friday, when Kosovo and Serbia reached understandings with the US that also included a reference to the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Kosovo, they posit.There is just one big problem with this argument: Belgrade isn’t buying it, with the Serbs insisting they never agreed to Israel recognizing Kosovo, despite the US administration’s claims to the contrary.“Diplomatic relations with Kosovo are one thing, recognition as an independent country is another thing entirely. This would destroy the Israel-Serbia relationship,” a Serbian source close to his country’s president, Aleksandar Vucic, told The Times of Israel this week.A car passes by a billboard reading: ”Kosovo is the heart and soul of Serbia” placed on a street in front of the government building in Belgrade, Serbia, September 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)“This could end up being a real mess, unless there is a compromise on what sort of relationship Israel will end up having with Kosovo.”Belgrade will not honor its commitment to relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem if Israel recognized Kosovo, the source warned after speaking with Vucic about the matter.At Friday’s White House signing ceremony, the Serbian leader himself hinted that he would only move the embassy to Jerusalem if the Israelis refrained from fully recognizing Kosovo’s independence.“We also told Israel that if they respect Serbia, then our country will move the embassy to Jerusalem,” he said.President Donald Trump listens to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic speak during a signing ceremony with Kosovar Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)-“Vucic said that Israel’s decision to recognize Kosovo isn’t connected to the agreement [signed at the White House] and is Israel’s own decision, and also that Serbia’s transfer of its embassy to Jerusalem is conditioned on Israel’s respecting Serbia’s interests,” Koll, the former Israeli envoy to Belgrade, noted.“This is a big hint that they won’t transfer their embassy at all.”Israeli officials point out that they never said that they would formally recognize Kosovo’s independence — in public statements they merely spoke about establishing diplomatic relations — but this is of course a semantic maneuver that will fool no one.If Israel wants to celebrate the first Muslim nation’s embassy in Jerusalem, it will have to establish full diplomatic relations with Kosovo, and that obviously includes recognition of Kosovo as a sovereign state. And while that may not have direct implications for the Palestinians’ quest for statehood, it will likely have severe negative repercussions on Israel’s relationship with Serbia.
