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)
GUESS WHO-AMERICA BACK IN ISRAEL TRYING TO FORCE A CEASEFIRE.GET A LIFE BRAIN-DEAD HARRIS-BIDEN BRAIN DEADS.
A FALSE PROPHET COMES FROM THE VATICAN ALSO AT THIS TIME.
ISAIAH 23:15-17
15
And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten
seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of
seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16 Take an harp, go
about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody,
sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17 And it shall
come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit
Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with
all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.(COULD THIS BE
70 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BECAME A NATION IN 1948)(IF SO THIS SATANIC ONE
WORLD WHORE CHURCH WILL MINGLE TOGETHER BY 2018)(AND NOW ISLAM AND
CHRISTIANITY AND ALL RELIGIONS ARE MINGLING AS ONE PEACE-LOVE-JOY-GET
ALONG RELIGION LEAD BY THE VATICAN RIGHT NOW 4 YEARS FROM THE 70 YEAR
TIME WHEN ISRAEL BECAME A NATION).AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM.
REVELATION 13:11-18
11
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN
POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he
spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR
FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast
before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell
therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE
WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE
NEW WORLD ORDER).
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14
And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those
miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to
them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the
beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had
power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the
beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the
image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth
all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a
mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the
beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred
threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
REVELATION 17:1-18
1
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and
talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the
judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With
whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN
POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the
wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into
the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast,
full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And
the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet
colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES
FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls,
having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of
her fornication:(THE VATICAN GOES AGAINST A PRIEST MARRING A WOMAN-LIKE
THE BIBLE SAYS-AND WHATS AN ABOMINATION AGAINST GOD-HOMOSEXUALITY AND
PEDOPHILIA JUST LIKE THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS-FORNICATION IS THE SINGLE
HOMOSEXUAL PRIESTS IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAVING UNMARRIED FORNICATION
OR SEX WITH SINGLES-IN THIS CASE ITS SEX WITH CHILDREN OR PEDOPHILIA)
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the
blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great
admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou
marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that
carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast
that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless
pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall
wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the
foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is
not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven
heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS
BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are
fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one
is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet
come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED
ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-THE
EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL
HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR
TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE
EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION
TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE
THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD
OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE
EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS
CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received
no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them:
for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him
are called, and chosen, and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The
waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and
multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE
WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the
beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her
desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.(GOD
HIMSELF GIVES THE OK TO NUKE THE VATICAN)
17 For God hath put in
their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom
unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.(VATICAN)
POPE FRANCIS FALLS TO SATANIC BLESSING OF HOMOSEXUALS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES6SD6RVcuo
Too Smart to Believe There is a Devil?-By Joe Tevington-7 September AD 2024
More
than a half-century ago, St Pope Paul VI warned that “the smoke of
Satan has entered the Church of God” (6/29/1972). He went on to
say,This matter of the Devil and of the influence he can exert …is a
very important chapter of Catholic doctrine which should be studied
again, although it is given little attention today (11/15/1972).It was
probably William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist that brought Satan more
into early 1970s conversations than St Pope Paul VI’s words (cf,
Exorcism and Popular Culture): I thought I was writing was a novel of
faith in the popular dress of a thrilling and suspenseful detective
story – in other words, a sermon that no one could possibly sleep
through — and to this day I haven’t the faintest recollection of any
intention to frighten the reader.When I first heard, in 1949, of an
actual case of demonic possession and an exorcism going on nearby while I
was a junior at Georgetown University, I remember thinking, ‘Someday,
somebody’s got to write about this, because if an investigation were to
prove that possession is real, what a help it would be to the struggling
faith of possibly millions, for if there were demons, I reasoned, then
why not angels? Why not God?’ (William Peter Blatty, FoxNews.com,
10/28/11)Though popular culture still seems to like a “good scare,” my
impression is that notions of demonic influence are not taken very
seriously. Many seem to fancy themselves as “too smart” for such a
belief.Civilization Before Jesus, With Jesus and After Jesus-A
“messianic rabbi,” Jonathan Cahn, relates how Western Civilization was
changed for the unimaginably better by its rejection of pagan
“gods”/demons and its embrace of the One True God of Christianity:with
the entrance of the gospel into the pagan world, there came an
inevitable collision of values over the sanctity of human life, the
value of women, the treatment of the weak, the care of the sick, and the
worth and protection of children, born and unborn (The Return of the
gods, p. 90).In a pattern unbelievable but sadly predictable, we are now
witnessing widespread rejection of the Christian message (cf, p. 28).
We see the widespread embrace of abortion, IVF, marital dissolution, and
encouragement of sexual confusion (cf., Catholic Stand, 8/7/2024).
Catholics need to embrace practices that keep evil at bay! (cf, Bishop
Donald W. Montrose, 4/1/1996) Does the Catholic Church Even Still Teach
that there is a Devil? It is widely known that many Catholics do not
believe that Holy Communion is the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of
our Lord Jesus Christ. How even practicing Catholics could fall into
such error is beyond me.Though bishops, priests, and deacons may mention
Satan and other demons infrequently, the Church absolutely acknowledges
their existence! CCC 391 Behind the disobedient choice of our first
parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall
into death out of envy.CCC 266 Scripture and the Church’s Tradition see
in this being a fallen angel, called “Satan” or the “devil”.CCC 267 The
Church teaches that Satan was at first a good angel, made by
God….Scripture witnesses to the disastrous influence of the one Jesus
calls “a murderer from the beginning”, who would even try to divert
Jesus from the mission received from his Father.273….395 ….Although
Satan may act in the world out of hatred for God and His kingdom in
Christ Jesus, and although his action may cause grave injuries – of a
spiritual nature and, indirectly, even of a physical nature – to each
man and to society, the action is permitted by Divine Providence which
with strength and gentleness guides human and cosmic history. It is a
great mystery that providence should permit diabolical activity, but “we
know that in everything God works for good with those who love
him.”1673 When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name
of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power
of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism.
Jesus performed exorcisms and from Him the Church has received the power
and office of exorcizing. In a simple form, exorcism is performed at
the celebration of Baptism. the solemn exorcism, called “a major
exorcism,” can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of
the bishop. the priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing
the rules established by the Church. Exorcism is directed at the
expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through
the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church. Illness,
especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating
this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is
performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the
presence of the Evil One, and not an illness.(Catechism of the Catholic
Church) As we are reminded in Interview with an Exorcist, “confession is
a divine gift much greater than exorcism…. Frequent confession
strengthens us in sanctifying grace and is a powerful force in helping
us resist temptation” Conclusion-As previously mentioned, we are seeing
the widespread embrace of abortion, IVF, and marital dissolution, as
well as the encouragement of sexual confusion. Are we too naïve to
question the source? Put bluntly by one priest: Catholics are obliged to
believe in the existence of the Devil and of Hell…. Priests and bishops
who don’t teach about Hell will probably wind up there. It is my job
to keep as many of you as possible out of Hell (Fr. John Zuhlsdorf,
11/21/2017)
WORSHIPPING
MARY THE MOTHER ONLY OF JESUS IS FALSE.JESUS IS GOD MARY WAS JUST A
NORMAL MOTHER NOT GOD.GO DIRECTLY TO JESUS.NOT THREW MARY. MARY CAN;T
SAVE ANYBODY FROM HELL FIRE.
Holy Mary, Mother Of God-By Mark Belanger-22 October AD 2024
mother,
mom, Mary, Fatima-More than anywhere else, I grew up in Permian Basin
oil fields of West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico. At the
northeastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, the area is flat, hot, dry,
and apart from the Hispanic population, extremely Protestant.So being
from West Texas, I grew up Episcopalian. And for many, Episcopalians are
half-way Catholics. But even if that were true, it is a half without
Marian devotion.There was more than a little “Those Catholics worship
Mary” rumbling in the background in those days. Even then, however, I
discarded this as ignorant and unfounded. But it did leave me with a
curiosity about Marian devotion. This curiosity became very active when
I converted to Roman Catholicism.While I went to RICA classes (Rite of
Christian Initiation of Adults, now called OCIA) in 2006, the teachers
covered a lot of ground in a (relatively) few short hours. Mary and
Marian devotion, however, did not receive a lot of coverage during the
classes. So when my weekly study group recently decided to read and
discuss the book “World’s First Love: Mary, Mother of God” by Archbishop
Fulton Sheen and Fr. Andrew Apostoli C. F. R., I experienced some eager
anticipation.I haven’t been disappointed.Correction – I haven’t been
disappointed intellectually. I am still waiting to connect emotionally
with Mary the way many of my friends in the Church do.Emotional
Connections-Being honest, emotional connection in devotions is, to put
it politely and mildly, not my strong suit. There are times during
worship services, at times in the Adoration Chapel when I do have
emotional surges. Usually these are feelings of sorrow accompanied by
tears.There was a time a few years back when this was not uncommon for
me during Mass.This was possibly a gift during a particular time of
sorrow in the Church. I think this because it has not persisted in any
consistent way. The emotional surges passed once the sorrow passed.The
point is, while I know what emotional connection and experience is like,
I have rarely experienced it except for certain special periods of
time.So I find I have at least some mild feeling of being left out when
people talk about their emotional connections in a way suggesting that
this is their default experience in worship or devotional practices like
prayer or meditation.This can present a challenge in approaching the
study of Mary.Parental Relationships-I have read that our relationships
with our earthly father can influence our relationships with God. The
same, I suppose, is true of our relationship with the Mother of God.My
relationship with my mother was increasingly distant over the years. At
one point one I recall her church friends asked her how I was doing.
She replied “Well, you’ve probably heard from him more recently than I
have.”To be fair to both of us, in her sudden final illness she called
me and I came at once. I was either with her or outside in the
hospital hall for her final 30 hours. But even that final intimate
devotion left me with difficult, complicated feelings. It took several
years of therapy and prayer to come to peace with these feelings.So when
I read the enthusiastic, emotional comparisons of devotion to Mary that
compares her to our earthly mothers, I can find myself struggling with
my more difficult memories.I had some similar challenges during my adult
conversion with God as our Father. Likely this was because my mom had
less than wonderful taste in husbands (only 2 of them, fortunately).
Being a male and having been a husband since I was 20 years old,
however, has helped me here. I had a somewhat easier time getting over
the distortions my earthly fathers promoted in my image of God the
Father.Dreaming-But it is only recently that I have really come to
grapple with my desire to develop a relationship with our Heavenly
Mother. It began in my weekly Holy Hour reflections and prayers, and
intensified in our weekly study group.Some time back I had a vivid dream
in which I was sleeping in one of the church pews! I was actually home
in bed, but you know how dreams can be. I dream-awakened to find an
apparition of the Blessed Virgin before me.In the dream I knew I needed
to kiss her feet, but was convinced that to do that would leave my lips
blistered and scorched. As I rose to do so, I woke up. As you can
imagine, the dream left a strong impression on me.Understanding-Since
then I have gone through periods when I pray for a better, more
emotional connection to Mary, but seldom for very long. I tend to return
to my cautious, circumspect West Texas Episcopal childhood attitude.
This is one of respect tinged with caution against getting “carried
away.” And every few months I return to that dream, understanding that
my fear in the dream must represent some fear in my current life.I have
sought counsel, and have been advised that sometimes our reluctance is
protecting us from issues that we are not ready to handle. Slow and
gentle progress is preferred to sudden and abrupt change.My response to
this runs from agreeing that it is wise thinking, and remembering an
old cartoon. The cartoon is two vultures sitting in a tree in a
desert. One vulture says to the other, “I’m done with patience; let’s
kill something.”The stark brutality of the old joke usually bring me up
short and back to the idea that gentle progress is likely far more wise
than attempting to transform from a vulture to an eagle.Reading Bishop
Sheen’s and Fr. Apostoli’s book is shoring up, expending, and refining
my understanding of Marian devotion. But as is so often the case for us
all, it will take time and prayer and God’s moving in His own time to
bring me to the emotional connection that seems to be so rich and
rewarding for many of my fellow parishioners.Prayer-Holy Mary, Mother of
God, pray for us, lost children of Eve as we search to become closer to
your Son, Jesus, to our God his Father, and to you and all the
saints.Heavenly Father, help us balance our understanding with our
feelings, that we may more fully enter nourishing relationships with you
and the Trinity, with the communion of saints, and especially with the
Holy Family. Guide us and guard us and lead us from seeing dimly, “as in
a mirror,” to seeing “face to face,” and to knowing “fully, as I am
fully known.”Amen.
Woe to Those who call Evil Good, and Good Evil-By Deacon Frank-19 October AD 2024
Independence
Day-The title of this article comes from the Book of the Prophet
Isaiah. The full quote is as follows:Woe to those who call evil good,
and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)
Isaiah conveyed this message of God to his people, 2,700 years ago; and
it’s as relevant today as anytime in the history of Christianity. Our
culture is under attack from forces that are attempting to destroy our
Judeo-Christian culture, and they are doing so under the cover of
darkness and confusion. These forces include powers and principalities
aiding and abetting those who have rejected God and his eternal truth.A
partial list of actions prevalent in our society today that are relevant
to this passage of Isaiah are (1) abortion, which is tantamount to the
killing of an innocent and helpless preborn life; (2) trans-sexual
rights and activities, most especially those aimed at young children;
this while parents are kept in the dark concerning their efforts at
promoting gender confusion; (3) the human trafficking of women and
children into the sex trade which is tolerated by and in some cases
fostered by those in powerful positions within our society; (4) the
fentanyl epidemic which currently claims the lives of nearly 100,000
Americans each year, the equivalent of two Vietnam war deaths every
year; (5) inflation that is mislabeled as economic growth, increasing
the real inflation rate which further impoverishes the lower and middle
classes; (6) the perverse treatment of citizens frequently to the
benefit of illegal migrants; (7) and, the indoctrination of philosophies
in our school systems, most especially in higher education, whose aim
is to divide us and to ultimately destroy our Judeo-Chistian
culture.This is simply to name a few. There are many, many others. And
all of this as we move inexhaustibly closer to a third world war! And
that too is not by happenstance.All of these are symptomatic evils that
are portrayed by many in our culture as a good. Each is conveyed as a
great light of freedom but in truth is really an obfuscation,
enslavement, and a great darkness. Presented as sweet they produce in
one’s spiritual palate great bitterness. Is there any wonder why
suicides have increased so dramatically in our recent past? What are we
to do? The problems appear so monumental in scope that it paralyses the
vast majority of good people. But Americans are resilient.I think St.
Paul said it best. This quote from his letter to the Romans aptly sums
up where we are and what we must now do:It is the hour now for you to
awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first
believed; the night is far spent, the day draws near. Let us then throw
off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct
ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in
promiscuity and licentiousness, not in rivalry or jealousy. But put on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the
flesh. (Rom 13:11-14) If one closely examines the partial list of
actions I referenced above they all have at their root cause the desires
of the flesh. And their consequences are causing great stress and
strain on the very fabric on our nation and the world at large.In my
view, we must take to heart these words of Paul. I think many of you may
well recognize the night is indeed far spent in the present hour. If
you believe this, then believe what Paul tells us is the necessary next
step. To put on the armor of light which is eternal truth. We can no
longer tolerate the obfuscation of the truth.An election looms over our
great nation. From my vantage point the choice could not be clearer.
Examine my partial list above and ask yourself are each of these evils
in the eyes of God? And if you concur with all or most of these as
indeed evil, ask yourself where do the two candidates for the presidency
of the United States stand on each one? In my view, this election is
the most important and consequential election since that of Abraham
Lincoln in 1860.His election led us into the great conflict we call the
Civil War. It was a war fought over the institution of slavery. A
heinous institution that denied the basic and inalienable rights of
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to black Americans solely on
the basis of the color of their skin.Today our great nation faces an
even more sinister enemy. I say this because it’s faceless and
multifaceted and is every bit as evil as the proponents of slavery were
in the 18th and 19th centuries. It’s true aim is to enslave the
masses.As citizens we have a civic duty to vote. Exercise this
constitutional right as a first and important step in putting on that
armor of light! God’s eternal Truth! When casting your ballot ask
yourself “What would Jesus do”? Let his wisdom lead you to choose
wisely…The Editor- in chief’s reminder: The writers on Catholic Stand
are united as obedient Catholics, but please do not attribute the
opinions of any one writer to the entire group as a whole.
HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER
JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3
Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a
witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have
heaped treasure together for the last days.
REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that
great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment
come.(IN 1 HR THE STOCK MARKETS WORLDWIDE WILL CRASH)
17 For in one
hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all
the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood
afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping
and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich
all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one
hour is she made desolate.
EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast
their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be
removed:(CONFISCATED) their silver and their gold shall not be able to
deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy
their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the
stumblingblock of their iniquity.
MARK OF THE BEAST (engraved microchip in your hand or forehead)
REVELATION 13:16-18
16
And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor,
free and bond, (SLAVE) to receive a mark in their right hand, or in
their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the
beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred
threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
REVELATION 16:1-2
1
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels,
Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the
earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth;
and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the
mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
I
KNOW THIS MARK WILL BE A MICROCHIP IMPLANT UNDER THE SKIN. LETS LOOK UP
WHAT THE WORD MARK SAYS IN REVELATION 13:16-18, 14:9,11, 15:2, 16:2,
19:20, 20:4-ALL THESE VERSES FROM THE BOOK OF REVELATION SPEAK OF THIS
DICTATORS MARK. NOW LETS SEE WHAT IT MEANS FROM STRONGS EXAUSTIVE
CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE. UNDER MARK PAGE 684.MARK UNDER MARK. THE OLD
TESTAMENT IS UNDER HEBREW AND THE NEW TESTAMENT IS UNDER GREEK. SO WHEN
WE LOOK UNDER REVELATION 13:16-17 WE SEE IT IS UNDER GREEK, SO WE GO TO
GREEK IN THE BACK SECTION AND GO TO 5480 TO SEE WHAT IT SAYS THIS MARK
WOULD BE. SO LETS GET TO IT.MARK IN STRONGS GREEK 5480 XAPAYUA CHARAGMA,
KHAR-AG-MAH: FROM THE SAME AS 5482: A SCRATCH OR ETCHING, I.E STAMP (AS
A BADGE OF SERVITUDE), OR SCULPTURED FIGURE-(STATUE):-GRAVEN, MARK FROM
5482 XAPAE CHARAX, KHAR-AX; FROM XAPAOOW CHARASSO (TO SHARPEN TO A
POINT; AKIN TO 1125 THROUGH THE IDEA OF SCRATCHING); A STAKE, I.E
(BYIMPL.) A PALISADE OR RAMPART (MILITARY MOUND FOR CIRCUMVALLATION IN A
SIEGE): - TRENCH FROM 1125 YPAPOE GRAPHO, GRAF-0; A PRIM. VERB; TO
"GRAVE", ESPEC. TO WRITE; FIG. TO DESCRIBE:-DESCRIBE, WRITE (-ING,
-TEN).G5516-GO TO G4742-666 - STRONGS NT 4742: στίγμα - στίγμα,
στιγματος, τό (from στίζω to prick; (cf. Latinstimulus, etc.; German
stechen, English stick, sting, etc.; Curtius, § 226)), a mark pricked in
or branded upon the body. According to ancient oriental usage, slaves
and soldiers bore the name or stamp of their master or commander branded
or pricked (cut) into their bodies to indicate what master or general
they belonged to, and there were even some devotees who stamped
themselves in this way with the token of their gods (cf. Deyling,
Observations, iii., p. 423ff); hence, τά στίγματα τοῦ (κυρίου so Rec.)
Ἰησοῦ, the marks of (the Lord) Jesus, which Paul in Galatians 6:17 says
he bears branded on his body, are the traces left there by the perils,
hardships, imprisonments, scourgings, endured by him for the cause of
Christ, and which mark him as Christ's faithful and approved votary,
servant, soldier (see Lightfoots Commentary on Galatians, the passage
cited). (Herodotus 7, 233; Aristotle, Aelian, Plutarch, Lcian, others.)
THE INVENTOR OF THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT-CARL SANDERS MICROCHIP ENGINEER LEADER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgH9D6n4ZWo
THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT IN YOUR RIGHT HAND OR FOREHEAD.
LEVETICUS 19.28
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
FAMINE
EZEKIEL 5:16
16
When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be
for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will
increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
REVELATION 6:5-6
5
And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say,
Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him
had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the
midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three
measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the
wine.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For
nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there
shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and
there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines
and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11
And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and
pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from
heaven.
DEUTORONOMY 28:24
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.
LOCUSTS (DEMONIC) TORTURES SINNERS 5 MONTHS
REVELATION 9:1-6
1
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the
earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2 And he
opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as
the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by
reason of the smoke of the pit.
3 And there came out of the smoke
(DEMONIC) locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the
scorpions of the earth have power.
4 And it was commanded them that
they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing,
neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in
their foreheads.
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill
them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment
was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
China, Vatican extend deal on bishop appointments.
Vatican
City, Oct 22 (AFP) Oct 22, 2024-China and the Vatican announced Tuesday
they were extending a historic deal on the appointment of bishops for
another four years, marking a new stage in improving ties.The Vatican
and China's Communist leadership do not have formal diplomatic
relations, as the Vatican recognises Taiwan while Beijing claims the
self-ruled island as its own territory.But they agreed in 2018 to allow
both sides a say in the naming of bishops in China, whose population
includes around 12 million Catholics.The deal -- whose text has never
been made public -- has drawn criticism from within the Church, with
some seeing it as allowing the Communist government a stranglehold over
the country's Catholics.Yet as Pope Francis seeks to make inroads for
the Church in China, it was renewed in 2020 and again 2022, each time
for two years.The four-year extension shows a "mutual trust", said
Michel Chambon, an expert on Christianity in Asia at the National
University of Singapore."It is not simply an extension, but a new
generation agreement. It proves that it works sufficiently, trust is
increasing and we are moving forward," he told AFP.- 'Constructive
spirit' -Since a split in the 1950s, China's Catholic faithful have been
divided between two camps.One was state-sanctioned, their religious
celebrations strictly regulated by the Communist Party, the other
operated underground but with the support of the Vatican.The 2018 deal
aimed to bring them back together while giving Pope Francis -- the head
of the world's almost 1.4 billion Catholics -- the final say in bishops'
appointments."Through friendly consultations, the two sides have
decided to extend the agreement for another four years," Chinese foreign
ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a regular briefing on Tuesday.He said
both sides "have given positive evaluations" of the deal and "will
maintain talks with a constructive spirit and continue to promote the
improvement of China-Vatican relations".The Vatican said in a statement
Tuesday that it "remains dedicated to furthering the respectful and
constructive dialogue" with Beijing aimed at furthering bilateral
relations "for the benefit of the Catholic Church in China and the
Chinese people as a whole".- 'Not a danger' -The Vatican said the
renewal of the deal had followed "appropriate consultation and
assessment".Many believers maintain that government repression against
the underground Church still takes place despite the China-Vatican
rapprochement.Since deal was struck, Beijing has appointed some bishops
without consultations with the Vatican.Last year, the Vatican said China
had appointed a new bishop of Shanghai, the country's largest Catholic
diocese.And in November 2022, the Vatican expressed regret at the
appointment of a bishop in a Chinese diocese that the Holy See does not
recognise.China's constitution guarantees religious freedom.But rights
groups say religious organisations face routine persecution and that
freedom to worship is severely curtailed -- a trend they say has
worsened under President Xi Jinping.Chambon said that under the deal, 25
bishops had been regularised out of a total of 98, "a very significant
proportion"."Beijing is today much more reassured that Catholics are not
a danger," he said.Returning from an Asia-Pacific tour in September,
Pope Francis said he was "pleased with the dialogues with China", saying
"the results are good".He said he would like to visit China, which he
described as "a promise and a hope for the Church."
Lohrmann on
Cybersecurity-From Progress to Bans: How Close Are Human Microchip
Implants? A lot has happened in the past 12 months regarding human
microchip implants. Here’s your roundup of recent developments.February
05, 2023 • Dan Lohrmann
A headline from The Hill in January 2023
proclaimed “Human microchip implants take center stage.”Here’s how that
article begins:“The novelty of replacing one’s ‘home key’ with a
microchip implant is gaining worldwide interest, but there’s another
more compelling story under the surface. Why is this technology — an
integrated circuit the size of a grain of rice — reviled by some and
celebrated by self-proclaimed human cyborgs?“Arguably, William
Shakespeare’sHamlet offers the most elegant explanation: ‘Nothing is
neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so.’ However, it would be
prudent to tell Prince Hamlet that not all microchip implants are
designed alike, and understanding the technological design enables one
to better evaluate the competing viewpoints. Today, more than 50,000
people have elected to have a subdermal chip surgically inserted between
the thumb and index finger, serve as their new swipe key, or credit
card. In Germany, for example, more than 2,000 Germans have opted to
receive these implants; one man even used it to store a link to his last
will and testament. As chip storage capacity increases, perhaps users
could even link to the complete works of Shakespeare.”The article goes
on to provide an update of many advances and concerns in the practice of
inserting microchips into humans, and this blog is referenced several
times.Indeed, I have written about microchip implants from a
cybersecurity and privacy perspective three times before, and it is
clear to me that inquiring minds still want to know: What is the future
of microchip implants? Why do I say that with confidence? Because blogs
on this topic of microchip implants still receive very high page views
and lots of interest from global readers. For your reference, here are
those three blogs:July 2017: “Where Next for Microchip
Implants?”November 2018: “Chip Implants: The Next Big Privacy
Debate”January 2022: “Chip Implants: Opportunities, Concerns and What
Could Be Next”MICROCHIP IMPLANT STORIES FROM THE PAST YEAR-Back in March
of last year, Wired magazine offered this video on “The Science Behind
Elon Musk’s Neuralink Brain Chip”:And in April 2022, the BBC published
this story on microchip implants that let you pay with your hand. Here’s
an excerpt:“Patrick Paumen causes a stir whenever he pays for something
in a shop or restaurant.“This is because the 37-year-old doesn’t need
to use a bank card or his mobile phone to pay. Instead, he simply places
his left hand near the contactless card reader, and the payment goes
through.“‘The reactions I get from cashiers are priceless!’ says Mr.
Paumen, a security guard from the Netherlands.“He is able to pay using
his hand because back in 2019 he had a contactless payment microchip
injected under his skin.”But last December, another article asked if
microchip implants in the human brain are still too dangerous. The
article does a great job in covering the many benefits and drawbacks of
the microchip implants, from curing diseases to complications in getting
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.Meanwhile, many state
governments are passing laws to prevent forced microchip implants on
employees and others. For example, Wyoming just passed such a
bill.According The Hill, “to date, at least 10 state legislatures in the
United States have passed statutes to ban employers from requiring
employees to receive human microchip implants.”FINAL THOUGHTS-Back in
2018, I listed a number of key questions that I think need to be
answered as this human chip implant practice moves forward. I still
think these are the right questions (and some are starting to get
answered):What are the benefits of implanting the chip(s)?Is implanting
chips physically and emotionally safe?Who owns the data on the chip?Who
has access to the data — and when?Do the chips communicate, somehow,
with outside networks?How are chips updated when flaws are found?Can the
chips be hacked? Assuming yes, what security is in place to stop
unauthorized access to data and manipulation of data?Do religious
beliefs forbid the practice?Is implanting the microchip truly voluntary?
Will it still be voluntary tomorrow or in 10 or 20 years? Is the
practice medically necessary? Are incentives offered to those who
participate?Are penalties coming for those who don’t participate?Will
being chipped start as an exception and become the rule?Will ethical and
moral processes and procedures be breached by hackers? (No way to stop
the bad actors once you begin.)What laws are put in place on this
implanted chip topic? What company policies are affected? On a wider
scale, since the Internet is an accelerator for good and evil at the
same time, what good or evil outcomes will we see from this implanted
chip trend?
World rebrand comes with governance shuffle, promise
of decentralized ownership-Tools for Humanity no longer identifies as
World parent company-Oct 22, 2024, 5:05 pm EDT | Joel R. McConvey
By
now, most who are familiar with the World digital ID project will
associate it with its main public advocates, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and
Tools for Humanity CEO Alex Blania. But who is Chris “W” Waclawek? Or
Phillip Sippl? Pascal Weinberger? How about “a Cayman Islands based
professional director”?Following World’s recent rebrand and announcement
of a major expansion, the last four entities comprise the Board of
Directors of the World Foundation. Tools for Humanity (TFH) – which was,
until recently, acknowledged as its parent company and lead developer
of the iris biometrics and digital identity venture – now asks to be
credited as a “contributor.” The foundation’s website says it is
“memberless” and “has no owners or shareholders.”“The Foundation’s
founding documents specifically contemplate DAO-driven governance,” it
says, referring to blockchain-based Decentralized Autonomous
Organization structures. “The documents make it possible, through a
prescribed process, for the [DAO] / [Worldcoin community] to make
recommendations to the Foundation’s Board of Directors. The Board is
then bound to ‘observe, implement, carry out, action and execute with
best efforts any and all DAO Recommendations,’ subject to directors’
fiduciary duties and legal requirements.”Circular structure of World
governance spins outward toward decentralization-World is aiming to
project a sense of infinite openness and communal ownership as it
sprints toward its vision of “a globally-inclusive identity and
financial network, owned by the majority of humanity.” But even if
everyone co-owns the boat, who is driving?Crunchbase tells us that
“Chris Waclawek is an Executive at Worldcoin. He attended the University
of Warsaw.” His bio on X promises “techno optimism & infinite
games.” Phillip Sippl is German; there is not a ton of public
information on him beyond that. LinkedIn tells us that Pascal
Weinberger, sole director of Weinberger Ventures GmbH, is “building cool
new things.” Presumably, someone in the Cayman Islands puts down their
surfboard long enough to attend Zoom calls. These four govern the World
Foundation, the “initial steward” of the decentralized open source World
protocol and its biometric mission.World Foundation is also the sole
member and sole director of World Assets Ltd., “a business company
incorporated in the British Virgin Islands,” which distributes Worldcoin
(WLD) tokens to the World Network. World Assets Ltd. is “solely
responsible for the content of the World documentation located at
whitepaper.worldcoin.org.”Where do Sam Altman and Alex Blania fit in?
They are credited, along with Max Novendsternnow, as co-founders of the
Worldcoin project. At this stage, Altman is largely being positioned as
the chief prophet of World, a figurehead to lead the new faith. He is on
course to accrue wealth on par with Mark Zuckerberg and other tech
billionaires, and be lionized in the manner of Steve Jobs as an icon of
technological transformation.Blania, meanwhile, is the CEO of TFH, which
World defines as “a global technology company established to accelerate
the transition towards a more just economic system, with its
headquarters in San Francisco and a wholly-owned subsidiary in Bavaria,
Germany.” TFH developed the Worldcoin protocol and supported the beta
testing phase, but “transitioned the protocol to the independent World
Foundation prior to the protocol’s launch in late July 2023.”Now, TFH is
technically a vendor, providing “software development, hardware
manufacturing and market operations logistical support.” It owns and
operates World App, a key component in the World digital ecosystem, but
its governance is separate from the World Foundation.World’s case for
transforming human society could use some diversityWorld has the
loftiest of goals, a rosy vision of a utopia in which human and machine
coexist in harmony, governed by a decentralized network of peers. Its
messages are evangelical in tone: “World is built to connect, empower
and be owned by everyone.” The very names “World” and “Tools for
Humanity” vibrate at a messianic pitch.But the seed determines the root
structure. The men behind these ventures are, colloquially, “crypto
bros”: entrepreneurs and investors who hover around the central brain of
Silicon Valley, where every grandiose promise has mutated into a
behemoth of commerce and destabilization.No one on World’s board brings
demonstrable expertise in ethics, philosophy, sustainability or
governance. These, it would seem, are still not requirements for an
organization whose stated aim is “to realize more inclusive, fair and
just institutions of governance and of the global digital economy.”World
wants to be owned by everyone, but for now it is still, in essence, six
or seven white guys with a bagful of algorithms and infinite ambition.
Perhaps this explains why, following the big-hoopla announcement of its
expansion by Blania and Altman last week, WLD tokens dropped 10 percent
in value.
PopEye to strengthen EU border biometrics with gait
recognition integration-Pilot to test on-the-move biometrics-Oct 17,
2024, 7:14 pm EDT | Chris Burt
The European Union has launched
a pilot project to study how biometrics can be captured from
on-the-move subjects to speed up identity checks at border crossings.The
goal of the project, known as PopEye, is to overcome the difficulties
that current biometric technologies like fingerprints and 2D facial
recognition have dealing with common conditions like poor lighting or
changes in appearance. The integration of gait recognition with other
biometrics is part of the approach participants will take.PopEye is
supported by the European Commission, and draws on the AIT Austrian
Institute of Technology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
(NTNU), Halmstad University, Idiap Research Institute, KU Leuven, Vrije
Universiteit Brussel (VUB), University of Twente, Idemia Identity &
Security Germany AG, Netcompany-Intrasoft, Quadible, European
Association for Biometrics, Finland’s Ministry of the Interior and the
Romanian Border Authorities, according to a LinkedIn post.PopEye is an
acronym for “robust Privacy-preserving biOmetric technologies for
Passengers’ identification and verification at EU external borders
maximising the accuracY, reliability and throughput of the rEcognition,”
according to a description from VUB Tech Transfer.The EAB will lead the
three-year project, which has a budget of just over 3.2 million euros
(US$3.5 million) from a Horizon grant. VUB and KU Leuven will lead
project compliance with ethics standards and AI regulations like GDPR
and the AI Act. Impact assessments will be conducted to ensure human
rights, privacy and data protection are preserved.If the project is
successful, it will lead to the introduction of innovative biometric
technologies for use by EU citizens and third-country nationals.The
pilots will be conducted at the external borders of Romania and Finland,
EAB CEO Dinusha Frings revealed on LinkedIn.
Mastercard
highlights the growing case for biometric authentication and payment
passkeys-The future of digital payments looks bright-Oct 17, 2024, 5:13
pm EDT | Abigail Opiah
At the Authenticate conference,
Mastercard executives Jonathan Grossar, VP, product management, and Fred
Tyler, VP, emerging digital products for North America, delivered a
presentation on the future of digital payments, emphasizing the case
against passwords and the rise of biometric authentication. As online
fraud continues to challenge the e-commerce sector, they outline
Mastercard’s multi-layered security strategy, which includes the
adoption of payment passkeys to improve both security and user
experience.Grossar, from Mastercard’s global authentication product
team, introduced the concept of the payment passkey, highlighting its
role in addressing issues related to online security and friction in
e-commerce transactions. Tyler, from the North American product team,
provided context on the evolution of card-present fraud prevention
techniques, such as contactless payments and EMV chips, and emphasized
the need to extend similar levels of security to the digital realm.“Even
though e-commerce has been around for over 20 years, there continues to
be a lack of trust with ecommerce transactions,” Tyler states. He
pointed out that existing methods like one-time passwords, though
convenient, are vulnerable to phishing and SIM swapping attacks. This is
where biometric authentication comes into play, offering a secure
alternative by leveraging devices’ built-in fingerprint and facial
recognition capabilities.The Mastercard team also underscored the
importance of multi-layered security in payments, stressing that payment
passkeys are bound to both the user’s device and their payment
credentials. The binding ensures a higher level of security for online
transactions. The presentation highlights pilots launched in India and
the Middle East, showcasing how consumers can use biometric
authentication to confirm payments seamlessly with passkeys, either
through stored card details or manually entered credentials.A key
component of their discussion focused on enhancing the user experience
while ensuring security compliance. Mastercard’s solution integrates
FIDO and W3C standards in a bid to make biometric authentication more
user-friendly. Grossar mentioned ongoing discussions to further improve
the security landscape with tokenization, dynamic linking, and network
tokenization to replace traditional plastic card numbers, making
transactions more secure and fraudsters’ efforts less effective.With
pilots already in place, the Mastercard team emphasizes the potential
for widespread adoption of payment passkeys, particularly as they work
toward a consistent user experience. They also outline the Secure
Payment Confirmation (SPC) standard, which will further improve
transaction security by linking payment details and providing a
browser-based authentication experience.Elsewhere, Mastercard has
introduced a new Identity Attribute Verification service designed to
enhance online interactions. The service aligns with the latest industry
standards set by EMVCo, aiming to provide more secure and seamless
identity verification for digital transactions.
Keyo partner
brings palm biometrics to DRC for secure payments-Al.Tech also targeting
in-person verification, access control markets-Oct 22, 2024, 7:48 pm
EDT | Ayang Macdonald
Palm biometrics firm Keyo has announced a
partnership in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) which is intended
to help advance financial inclusion efforts in the vast central African
country.In a blog article, which is one in a series on Keyo’s customers
and integration partners, the palm biometrics provider explains its
partnership with Al.Tech which has led to the introduction of a digital
payment platform dubbed MainMoney.The blog also presents the profile of
Al.Tech Founder and CEO, Sylvain Mubenga, and his efforts in building
the digital payments platform that facilitates financial transactions
through a digital wallet using palm authentication. MainMoney is one of
three Al.Tech products using palm biometrics from Keyo, along with
MainID for identity verification and MainSecure for physical access
control.The integration between Al.Tech and Keyo allows individuals in
the DRC to use MainMoney as a store to deposit both checks or physical
cash, according to the blog. It is described as a robust platform that
is “secure, user-friendly, and scalable.”The service, introduced in
August, was built by Al.Tech integrating Keyo’s membership dashboard web
application into its product suite to permit the creation of accounts
in a privacy-preserving manner.Those who use the wallet have the option
not to carry huge amounts of cash with them, as they can complete their
financial transactions using the service. It is explained that the
wallet is made up of two applications: one for the enrollment of the
user which allows them to easily open an account and register their palm
vein biometrics, and the other for payments which enables users to
easily access their accounts to complete transactions.The solution, born
out of the integration, has a number of features. These include
biometrics authentication using palm recognition, interface
customization, scalability to allow for expansion of features and number
of users.Keyo notes that the same technology can be used to comply with
data protection regulations like the EU’s GDPR, California’s CCPA and
Illinois’ BIPA.Mubenga, CEO of the platform, is presented in the Keyo
blog as an entrepreneur with a rich career in the domains of
telecommunications, engineering and banking. In the banking sector, for
instance, he had a recent stint with payments giant Mastercard where he
worked as lead architect, contributing to advancing the company’s
payment solutions offering. Before then, he had also served as senior
network and security architect at Barclays Bank.He is recognized for his
exploits in helping people in the DRC get into the financial inclusion
fold using MainMoney whose principal objective is to streamline payments
and make financial transactions more secure and trustworthy. World Bank
data estimates that about 1.4 billion adults around the world are
currently financially excluded.MainMoney has been introduced at a time
when there is a reported rise in mobile financial services in DRC,
reflecting growing interest in the adoption of digital wallets and
digital payment methods.
EU has an innovative new way of fighting
against deepfakes-EITHOS is betting on microexpressions to crack down
on synthetic faces-Oct 20, 2024, 8:09 pm EDT | Masha Borak
More
than half a century ago, American psychologist Paul Ekman wanted to
know whether he could tell if a person would commit suicide just by
looking at their face.He set up a projector and spent hundreds of hours
examining a 12-minute interview with a psychiatric patient, frame by
frame, taking note of each of her slightest expressions and gestures.
During the interview, the patient seemed cheerful. Her face, however,
told a different story. Ekman would go on to become one of the pioneers
in studying microexpressions, minute facial expressions caused by
emotional responses that typically last less than half a second.Today,
European law enforcement agencies are trying to apply the same science
to crack down on deepfakes, synthetically created videos of people often
used for identity theft, fraud and extortion. Facial biometrics
software maker Herta Security is helping them achieve this goal.The
Barcelona-based company says it uses an innovative approach to detecting
deepfakes. Unlike other deepfake detection tools on the market, it is
trying to create technology that’s independent and neutral from the
deepfake technology which is evolving at a rapid pace – hopefully making
it future-proof.“We approach [deepfake detection] from a human point of
view, based on microexpressions which are not very well imitated by
deepfakes nowadays,” says Manuel Pastor, Herta’s chief technology
officer. “They don’t blink in a natural way. They don’t smile in a
natural way. It’s something that a person cannot really explain.”Herta
is part of a 12-member consortium that aims to develop the software
tools that would help European police departments crack down on
cybercrime and identity theft. Known as the European Identity Theft
Observatory System (EITHOS), the organization aims to be the continent’s
central point for online identity theft, gathering universities, law
enforcement agencies and companies working on detecting deepfake faces
and voices.Funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 initiative, EITHOS comes at a
crucial time for Europe. A recent Deloitte poll predicted a surge of
deepfake financial fraud over the next 12 months while extortion cases
using sexual deepfakes, or “deep nudes,” continue to grab headlines.The
initiative is currently developing four tools to support police
investigations against identity theft. Aside from deepfake video
detection, this includes deepfake audio detection created by Vicomtech,
an applied research and development center for AI based in Spain which
supplies EITHOS with text and audio analysis software. Other tools
analyze social media botnets for phishing and other scams and extract
data from online forums where deepfake generators are discussed.Herta’s
tool compares two sets of facial expressions, one from the suspected
deepfake video and one from a video showing the real person.“Involuntary
expressions are not controlled by the conscious part of your brain,”
says Pastor, ”When a person is speaking naturally, they blink at natural
frequencies and they smile in a particular way that cannot be imitated
[…]. That’s what we are looking for in potentially fake videos.”Several
machine-learning algorithms are involved in the process. To build the
technology, Herta is relying on its experience in creating
microexpression algorithms for the National Police of Spain. The tool
was designed to detect abnormal behavior of victims and suspects during
interrogation.The new anti-deepfake software is currently in beta
testing and is being explored by three law enforcement agencies in
Sweden, Greece and Spain. The company expects that the product will be
available to other police forces in Europe very soon.“The final target
of the project is to create a commercial product that we can sell mainly
to [law enforcement agencies] in Europe, but also outside the European
Union,” says Pastor.According to EITHOS’ three-year plan, the tools
should be ready in 2025.The project was launched in 2022 and is
coordinated by the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) in
Thessaloniki, Greece. Other participants are Italian company
Engineering, the Center for Security Studies (KEMEA) in Greece and the
Public Safety Communications Europe (PSCE).Aside from developing
technology tools for law enforcement, another task for the consortium is
raising public awareness about identity theft and the safety of
personal data. Educational institutions, such as the University of
Bologna, The Cyber and Data Security Lab (CDSL) at the Vrije
Universiteit Brussel and the Technical University of Madrid are working
on studying different aspects of identity theft, including social,
psychological and legal.“Victims of identity theft don’t go to the
police very frequently,” says Pastor.” They keep it secret, and they try
to solve it themselves because they feel kind of embarrassed.”Studies
have found that victims of identity theft appear in all social spheres,
even among the technologically literate and highly educated. Identity
theft often involves blackmailing with fake porn videos which leaves
victims hesitant to reach out for help.“It’s very important that
citizens are aware that they have the technical tools and also the
support of the [law enforcement agencies] on these particular crimes,”
says Pastor.
Reality Defender expands series A to $33M,
integrated by Accenture-Plans to bring deepfake detection to more
verticals-Oct 22, 2024, 6:22 pm EDT | Chris Burt
Reality
Defender has reached $33 million in an expansion of its series A funding
round. While the company does not explicitly state how it plans to use
the capital in the announcement, an accompanying notice suggests that
the next phase of Reality Defender’s development will be focused on
expanding the market presence of its deepfake detection technology.The
expanded round was led by Illuminate Financial, with Booz Allen
Ventures, IBM Ventures, the Jefferies Family Office and Accenture
participating. Additional participants included the lead investor of its
original series A, DCVC, and previous investors The Partnership Fund
for New York City and Y Combinator. The initial portion of the series A
was completed a year ago, and raised $15 million.Accenture says that
along with its strategic investment, it will integrate Reality
Defender’s technology with its deepfake detection offering. The
integrated software will enable clients in financial services, media and
high tech industries to quickly detect, prevent, and respond to fraud
committed with deepfakes, Accenture says.Reality Defender is also a
graduate of Accenture’s Fintech Innovation Lab New York
accelerator.“Accenture’s global reach and cybersecurity expertise will
allow Reality Defender to scale our technology during a time of
heightened deepfake volatility,” says Ben Colman, co-founder and CEO of
Reality Defender, in Accenture’s announcement. “With Accenture’s support
and alignment with our mission of combatting AI-generated fraud, we can
work toward defeating the most advanced cyber threats of our time.
Through our collaborative efforts, we will pave the way for a more
secure and trustworthy digital landscape, ensuring a safer future for
all.”Illuminate General Partner Alexander Ross, who is joining Reality
Defender’s board of directors, notes the growth of synthetic media
attacks on financial institutions.In the general announcement, Colman
notes the spread of deepfake attacks not just within the financial
sector but beyond it, to call centers and elsewhere.“Reality Defender
has swiftly established itself as the industry leader in deepfake
detection,” says Ali Tamaseb, a general partner at DCVC and a member of
Reality Defender’s board. “It offers vitally needed protection against
emerging digital threats against enterprises, governments, and the
world’s largest banks and financial institutions.”Reality Defender
introduced a tool for real-time video deepfake detection just last week,
and won Most Innovative Company at RSA’s Innovation Sandbox competition
in May.
US DOJ issues final rule on foreign access to Americans’ PII-Oct 22, 2024, 4:40 pm EDT- Anthony Kimery
After
months of reviewing the comments it received to its March 5 Advance
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM), the US Department of Justice
(DOJ) on Monday unveiled its final proposed rules to implement President
Joe Biden’s February 28 Executive Order (EO), Preventing Access to
Americans’ Bulk Sensitive Personal Data and United States
Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern.The EO addressed the
national security threat that’s posed by the continued efforts of
Russia, Iran, China, and other countries of concern to access and
exploit certain kinds of Americans’ sensitive personal data.US-based
data brokers are the primary targets of the Justice Department’s
proposed rule, which would bar all third-party data brokers and
businesses selling data they collect from data transactions that are
tied to the countries identified by DOJ’s proposed rule.As Biometric
Update has reported, US-based data brokers’ sales of American’s
personally identifiable information to these – and other – countries,
poses a serious threat to both national security and intelligence
collection activities.The comment period on the rule ended April 19.
Only 68 comments were submitted, far fewer than observers expected given
the controversial nature of the proposed regulations.Only days after
DOJ published its advance notice of proposed rulemaking in March, Biden
signed into law H.R. 815, a national security and foreign aid spending
bill that incorporated the Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign
Adversaries Act of 2024 (PADFA), which took effect in June and is to be
enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).H.R. 815 also
incorporated the legislation that forces TikTok’s China-based parent
company, ByteDance, to divest from China within one year or face a ban
from app stores in the US.H.R. 815 makes it “unlawful for a data broker
to sell, license, rent, trade, transfer, release, disclose, provide
access to, or otherwise make available personally identifiable sensitive
data of a United States individual to any foreign adversary country or
any entity that is controlled by a foreign adversary.”Exactly how,
though, H.R. 815 will impact DOJ’s final rulemaking to carry out Biden’s
EO remains murky, as Biometric Update reported in August.DOJ’s final
comprehensive proposed rule would implement the EO “by establishing
categorical rules for certain data transactions that pose an
unacceptable risk of giving countries of concern or covered persons
access to government-related data or bulk US sensitive personal data,”
DOJ said Monday.“Among other things,” the Justice Department said, “the
proposed rule identifies classes of prohibited and restricted
transactions, identifies countries of concern and classes of covered
persons to whom the proposed rule applies, identifies classes of exempt
transactions, explains [DOJ’s] methodology for establishing bulk
thresholds, provides [DOJ’s] initial assessment of economic and other
regulatory impacts, establishes processes to issue licenses authorizing
certain prohibited or restricted transactions, issue advisory opinions,
and designate covered persons, and addresses recordkeeping, reporting,
and other due-diligence obligations for covered transactions.”The
proposed rule published Monday has a 30-day comment period. DOJ said the
rule “is tailored to address the specific national security risks
stemming from access by countries of concern and covered persons to
Americans’ bulk sensitive personal data and certain sensitive US
government-related data. These measures complement the United States’
commitment to promoting an open, global, interoperable, reliable, and
secure internet; protecting human rights online and offline; supporting a
vibrant, global economy by promoting cross-border data flows that are
required to enable international commerce and trade; and facilitating
open investment.”DOJ said “the proposed rule’s prohibitions and
restrictions are consistent with other access restrictions on sensitive
personal data that have been imposed in other contexts, including for
transactions reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the
United States (CFIUS) and the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign
Participation in the U.S. Telecommunications Services Sector (Team
Telecom).”In addition, DOJ explained that “the proposed rule exempts
several classes of data transactions from the scope of its prohibitions
and restrictions, including certain personal communications, financial
services, corporate group transactions, transactions authorized by
federal law and international agreements, investment agreements subject
to a CFIUS action, telecommunication services, biological product and
medical device authorizations, clinical investigations, and others.”Both
Biden’s EO and DOJ’s proposed rule “fill an important gap in the
“government’s authorities to address the threat posed by countries of
concern accessing government-related data or Americans’ bulk US
sensitive personal data,” the proposed rules says.As the ANPRM
explained, “countries of concern can use their access to
government-related data or Americans’ bulk US sensitive personal data to
engage in malicious cyber-enabled activities and malign foreign
influence activities and to track and build profiles on US individuals,
including members of the military and other Federal employees and
contractors, for illicit purposes such as blackmail and
espionage.”Countries of concern also “can exploit their access to
government-related data or Americans’ bulk US sensitive personal data to
collect information on activists, academics, journalists, dissidents,
political figures, or members of nongovernmental organizations or
marginalized communities to intimidate them; curb political opposition;
limit freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, or association; or
enable other forms of suppression of civil liberties.”DOJ noted in its
proposed rule published Monday that the 2024 National
Counterintelligence Strategy pointed out that “our adversaries are
interested in personally identifiable information about US citizens and
others, such as biometric and genomic data, health care data,
geolocation information, vehicle telemetry information, mobile device
information, financial transaction data, and data on individuals’
political affiliations and leanings, hobbies, and interests.”These and
other kinds of sensitive personal data “can be especially valuable,
providing adversaries not only economic and [research and development]
benefits, but also useful [counterintelligence] information, as hostile
intelligence services can use vulnerabilities gleaned from such data to
target and blackmail individuals.”The Justice Department noted that “a
recent study by the MITRE Corporation had summarized open-source
reporting” that highlighted “the threat of blackmail, coercion,
identification of high-risk government personnel and sensitive
locations, and improved targeting of offensive cyber operations and
network exploitation posed by hostile actors’ access to Americans’ data
derived from advertising technology.”DOJ added that “the development of
artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, big-data analytics,
and other advanced technological capabilities by countries of concern
amplifies the threat posed by these countries’ access to
government-related data or Americans’ bulk US sensitive personal data.
For instance, the US National Intelligence Council assessed in 2020 that
‘access to personal data of other countries’ citizens, along with
[artificial intelligence]-driven analytics, will enable [the People’s
Republic of China] to automate the identification of individuals and
groups beyond China’s borders to target with propaganda or
censorship.’”The rule would require vendor agreements, employment
agreements, and investment agreements that qualify as restricted
transactions to comply with the separately proposed security
requirements that have been developed by the Department of Homeland
Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) in
coordination with the Justice Department.These proposed security
requirements require that US persons engaging in a restricted
transaction to comply with organizational and system-level requirements,
such as ensuring that basic organizational cybersecurity policies,
practices, and controls are in place, and data-level requirements, such
as data minimization and masking, encryption, and privacy-enhancing
techniques.CISA is concurrently making these proposed security
requirements available for public comment at www.regulations.gov.
EUDI Wallet sees more tensions, new criticisms and some wins-Oct 16, 2024, 7:38 pm EDT | Masha Borak
Discussions
on the technical specifications of the European digital identity
project are seeing more confrontation which could potentially lead to
delays in launching the EU Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet, according to
reports.In August, the European Commission published drafts of the
implementing acts, opening them for public feedback. The acts outline
technical specifications and certifications to ensure uniform
implementation of digital ID wallets across Europe.However, four major
EU members, including Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Spain, have
proposed an alternative draft of the implementing acts that emphasizes
privacy, interoperability, and harmonizing standards, alongside explicit
references to mandatory standards and certification schemes. Germany
also wants European ID providers to ensure interoperability with secure
hardware devices such as chips, which are integrated into the country’s
physical ID cards.The move has ignited concern that the rollout of EU
digital wallets could also be postponed. The implementing acts for the
EUDI Wallet will require the approval of a qualified majority which will
not be achieved if the four member states refuse the draft of the
implementing acts proposed by the Commission, MLex reports.Other EU
member states believe that the new draft introduces improvements,
according to the report. The implementation of the EUDI Wallet, however,
still has many other points of contention to solve.Among the points of
contention are the right to use a pseudonym, handling cross-border data
erasure requests, limitations in using the wallet based on a public
registry and mandatory attributes to identify a person. The latter has
been interpreted by some stakeholders as an attempt to introduce a
“unique persistent identifier,” which could lead to users being tracked
in all of their interactions. Using digital IDs to verify children’s age
online has been another controversial topic.Member states are expected
to offer at least one EUDI Wallet to all citizens, and residents by
2026.EU regulators are ignoring phishing: Criipto CEO-The security of
digital identity wallets is another popular topic in Europe.European
regulators are concerned with preventing criminals from breaking into
data centers connected to digital identities. And while data centers
need to be secured from hacks, a more pressing danger to users may be
cheating them out of their money through phishing, says Niels
Flensted-Jensen, CEO and co-founder of digital ID firm Criipto.“Of
course, we need all that data center security, but without it, or even
if we have that, they can still fish you,” Flensted-Jensen said at
FIDO’s Authenticate conference this week.Romanian cybercriminal gangs
have been targeting Norwegians by sending out fake SMS messages that
appear to be from the country’s Department of Motor Vehicles. The
phishing scam has resulted in users handing over their digital ID
credentials which can be used to access bank accounts, according to the
financial and cyber-crime units of the Norwegian police.The rise in
crime is driven by the popularity of electronic identity in Scandinavia,
including Norway’s largest digital identity BankID, says the Criipto
CEO. The company was recently acquired by BankID operator operator
BankAxept AS.Flensted-Jensen also said that eIDAS, the rulebook that
regulates digital identities in Europe, has also made the use of
passkeys more difficult.Germany, Italy continue work on EUDI
wallets-Germany’s competition to design prototypes for the EUDI Wallet
is showing first results.Lissi, which was spun off from banking
institution Commerzbank AG, has announced it has completed the first
phase of the competition organized by the German Federal Agency for
Disruptive Innovation (SPRIND) and will enter the second phase. This
includes testing use cases as part of the Potential consortium, one of
the large-scale pilots designed within the EUDI Wallet project.Lissi
joined SPRIND’s 13-month prototype competition for digital ID prototype
competition in the non-funding track in June. The company focuses on
onboarding bank clients, payment authentication and Know-Your-Customer
(KYC) processes for financial institutions.Italy is also preparing for
the full rollout of the IT Wallet, which allows users to store digital
documents and certificates. The smartphone app should become available
to all Italians from December 4th, 2024, while the first digital
services will be available from 2025.The IT Wallet, which is integrated
into the public services app Io, started its first tests with a limited
number of users this summer. The first credentials it will offer are
driver’s licenses, health cards and the European disability card. In the
future, the wallet should also contain identity documents, birth,
marriage and residency certificates, school qualifications, public
transport passes and more, according to La Stampa.Implementing the EUDI
Wallet as an exercise in governance-As technology experts debate
technical standards and security issues of implementing the EUDI Wallet,
policy scholars are examining how states should approach this complex
task from a governance perspective.“Governments must create a
trustworthy collaborative partnership between public, private, and civic
actors to gain legitimacy and achieve effective ecosystem orchestration
that creates an equal level playing field,” says the paper, which was
published in Springer by researchers from the Institute of Technology
and Management in Berlin.Europe is seeing two approaches to
orchestrating the introduction of digital IDs, with states leaning
towards one or the other or combining them into their own unique
approach.The first approach is the Government ID-Infrastructure Wallet
model: The government or a community actor builds a core ID wallet and
issues public personal identity data. Third parties use this
infrastructure to introduce functionalities and build added-value
services on top of it.“This model has a fixed scope and aims to ensure
high data protection and security,” the researchers note.The second
approach is the Trust ID Wallet Federation and it describes multiple ID
wallet providers competing within defined guidelines. The government’s
task is to certify non-government ID wallet providers and develop public
ID wallet offerings.“In contrast, the second model […] promotes a
competitive environment with multiple public and private ID wallet
providers competing under equal regulatory conditions, allowing a more
dynamic and user-centered ecosystem development,” says the paper.The
research analyzes these approaches considering monetization, operating
models and issues governments can expect with orchestration. Its goal is
to help policymakers choose orchestration strategies that align with
the government’s capabilities and market conditions.
REBUILT 3RD TEMPLE (THE EU DICTATORS TEMPLE)
ISAIAH 30:10-15
10
Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto
us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
11 Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
12
Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this
word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:
13
Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall,
swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an
instant.
14 And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters’
vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall
not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the
hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit.
15 For thus saith the
Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be
saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye
would not.
16 But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses;
therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore
shall they that pursue you be swift.
REVELATION 11:1-2
1 And
there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying,
Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that
worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave
out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy
city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
DANIEL 9:27
27
And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many
for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause
the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES
STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it
desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be
poured upon the desolate.
REBUILT 4TH TEMPLE (THE TRUE MESSIAHS TEMPLE)
ZECHARIAH 6:12-13
12
And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying,
Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his
place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
13 Even he shall
build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit
and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and
the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
ISAIAH 60:9-10
9
Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to
bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto
the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he
hath glorified thee.
10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy
walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote
thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.
ISAIAH 2:1-5
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2
And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the
LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall
be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3
And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will
teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion
shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4
And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and
they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into
pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither
shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
MARK 11:9-10,15-17
9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
15
And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began
to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the
tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
17
And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be
called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of
thieves.
EZEKIEL 40 TO 48 IS THIS 4TH TEMPLE TO BIG FOR THE MOUNT I BELIEVE TO BE BUILT 25 MILES FROM JERUSALEM.
Water
Libation Reenactment Takes Place in Preparation for the Third
Temple-Joyfully shall you draw water From the fountains of
triumph-Isaiah 12:3 (the israel bible) Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz-October
22, 2024
On Sunday, a full-dress reenactment of the water
libation, as it was performed in the Temple, was held in Jerusalem with
several hundred participants led by Kohanim in priestly garb,
accompanied by Levites playing musical instruments.The event began at
Shaar Hashpot (the dung gate) in Jerusalem’s Old City where participants
joined Kohanim (priests) in Biblically mandated vestments and Levites
with musical instruments, also wearing special vestments. The musically
gifted Levites led the ceremony with joyous music on drums, violin,
guitar, and clarinet, winding down ancient walkways into the valley
below the Temple Mount. The crowd sang and danced as they passed from
the archaeological remains of the ancient City of David, through an Arab
village, to the Shiloach (Siloam) Spring, which was used in Temple
times. The procession was punctuated by stops during which
four-foot-long pure silver trumpets were sounded.The Temple Institute
prepared a special gold-plated solid silver vessel for use in the Third
Temple. This vessel was carried at the head of the procession to the
Shiloach Pool where it was filled from the spring. The procession
climbed back up to the top of the mountain. A model altar and its
utensils had been set up in an open area adjacent to the Western Wall.
The altar was decorated with large leafy willow branches as was done in
the Temple.Though not explicitly mandated in the Torah, the water
libation is part of the oral tradition passed down from Moses. Sukkot is
a joyous holiday and the water libation was the focal point of this
joy. In the Temple, the ceremony would take fifteen hours with
accompanying celebrations lasting all night until the Temple service
began again the next morning. Nations came from around the world came to
take part in the Sukkoth celebrations, making it an international
worship ceremony of God.In Temple times, a libation of water was made
together with the pouring out of wine at the morning service on the last
six days of the week-long Sukkot holiday. Kohanim descended from the
Temple to the Shiloach Spring at the base of Mount Moriah, where they
filled the flask with three log of spring water (approximately two
pints) and then returned to the Temple.Two Kohanim then ascended the
stone altar in the Temple’s inner courtyard, placing two silver cups on
the southwestern corner. One Kohen poured the water from the silver
flask while the second Kohen simultaneously poured wine from the second
cup, both liquids flowing into holes in the altar specially prepared for
this ceremony.The Shiloach Pool (Siloam in English, Silwan in Arabic)
has a huge Biblical import that will re-emerge when the Third Temple is
built. The Pool of Siloam was the starting point for pilgrims who made
the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Biblical feasts. They would
use the pool to wash and ritually purify themselves before ascending by
foot to the inner court of the Temple Mount to bring their sacrificial
offerings. Located outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem to the
southeast, the pool is fed by the waters of the Gihon Spring, which are
carried there by the Siloam Tunnel, also known as Hezekiah’s Tunnel.
Sometimes referred to in the Bible as the Lower Pool, the pool was built
during the reign of Hezekiah (715–687 BCE) to replace an older
Canaanite tunnel, known Biblically as the Upper Pool, that was
vulnerable to attackers. The new pool and tunnel left besieging armies
without access to the spring’s waters. Archeologists believe that during
the Second Temple Era, the waters continued to flow south and were
collected in an additional, larger pool. This pool was discovered during
the summer of 2004 and is continuing to be uncovered today.It should be
noted that the Talmud describes the days before the Messiah in-depth,
and they are especially difficult times.
Priestly Blessing Unites Thousands at the Western Wall”Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz-October 22, 2024
More
than 50,000 people gathered in the Kotel (Western Wall Plaza) on Sunday
for the 54th biannual Birkat Kohanim (priestly blessing), recreating a
mitzvah (Torah commandment) as it was once performed in the Temple.The
holiday prayer included a recitation of the Hallel, celebratory verses
in Psalms. As part of the Hallel service, the worshippers took the
traditional four species—lulav, or palm frond; hadas, or myrtle; aravah,
or willow; and the etrog, a citron—and performed the ritual shaking in
six directions, emphasizing that Sukkot is a particularly aesthetic
holiday in which Jews are commanded to dwell in gaily-decorated booths
for seven days.A special prayer for the safety and return of the
hostages held by Palestinian Hamas in Gaza was added to the prayer
service. Prayer was added for the safety and victory of the IDF soldiers
fighting on the borders of Israel and in Judea and Samaria. A prayer
was added for the health and recovery of the wounded.The blessing of
Israel, once an integral part of the Temple Service, is now performed on
a regular basis in synagogues around the world.The Kohanim are Jewish
men who have a family tradition of patrilineal descent from Aaron, the
first High Priest. The ritual may only be performed by a kohen and only
in the presence of a quorum of ten Jews. A kohen who is under the
influence of alcohol or in mourning may not perform the blessing.
Demographically, kohanim represent about five percent of the Jewish
population. The Temple Institute instituted a registry for the priestly
class as a step towards reinstating the Temple service.Before giving the
blessing, the Kohanim remove their shoes, and have their hands washed
by men who have a family tradition of being from the tribe of Levi. The
Kohanim then moved to the front of the crowd and took up places adjacent
to the ancient stones of the Kotel. Since the priests served in the
Temple barefoot, they removed their shoes and covered themselves
entirely in a tallit (prayer shawl).The blessing is performed by the
priests holding their hands up with the fingers of both hands separated
so as to create five spaces between them. The spaces are between the
ring finger and middle finger of each hand, between the index finger and
thumb of each hand, and between the two thumbs touching each other at
the knuckle.Speak to Aharon and his sons: Thus shall you bless the
people of Yisrael. Say to them: Hashem bless you and protect you! Hashem
deal kindly and graciously with you! Hashem bestow His favor upon you
and grant you peace! (Numbers 6:23-26)-The event occurs twice yearly,
during chol hamoed (the intermediary days) of Sukkot and Passover. In
Temple times, people of all faiths came from around the world to
celebrate Sukkot alongside the Jews. This is reflected in modern times
as Jerusalem fills up with tourists from around the world. Approximately
200,000 people have visited the site adjacent to the Temple Mount on
this Sukkot festival.The event Sunday was attended by Israel’s Chief
Rabbi, the Rishon LeZion Rabbi David Yosef; the rabbi of the Western
Wall and holy sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz; Israel Police Rabbi Rami
Rahamim Berachyahu; Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai; Jerusalem Mayor
Moshe Leon; Argentina’s Ambassador to Israel Rabbi Shimon Axel Wahnish;
former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. “In recent days, we have
witnessed the downfall of the enemies of the Jewish people — ‘When the
wicked perish, there is jubilation.’ But we will continue knocking on
the gates of mercy and will not give up until they open,” Rabbi Shmuel
Rabinowitz said in his remarks.“We all prayed for salvation from Heaven
for the hostages, strength for the soldiers, a speedy recovery for the
wounded, relief and rescue for the displaced, and for peace to reign
over us and all of Israel: Amen!”
Documentary to Educate People about Israel’s Biblical Deed to the Land-Karen Whiting-Opinion-October 21, 2024
https://israel365news.com/397217/documentary-to-educate-people-about-israels-biblical-deed-to-the-land/
PALESTINIANS DON;T EXIST-THE LAND IN A TWO STATE SO CALLED SOLUTION.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUUyC6A6V4E (1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-7Dwdq6FlE (2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkLNIGNEavY (3)
https://israel365news.com/video/the-fake-palestinian-population-in-the-west-bank-episode-4/
WHOS LAND IS IT?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ99GBGtb2Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWB8IW5k2Sw
Filmmaker
Tim Mahoney’s film Patterns of Evidence: The Israel Dilemma – Ancient
Prophecies will be in theatres November 13, 14, and 17. Interviews
conducted by Mahoney in 2007 with Benjamin Netanyahu, Shimon Perez,
Rabbi David Hartman, archeologist Gabriel Barkay, and Israel Finkelstein
and their comments on Israel’s right to the land start off an
investigative film.The attack on October 7, 2023, again questioned
Israel’s right to exist, so the documentary goes back to prophecies
about the land and how God fulfilled them. This includes God’s warnings
that God would allow the people to be scattered if they broke the
covenant made with Him, and the promise of restoration.As usual, in the
Patterns of Evidence approach, evidence is presented along with
commentaries from both sides of the issue. The film reveals tremendous
archeological evidence that confirms prophecies regarding the Holy Land
and Israel’s history. The stunning photography reveals the beauty of the
land and shows close ups of archeological artifacts. Mahoney hopes
people will watch and learn, stating: Most people don’t have a
historical understanding of the nation of Israel or what ancient
prophecies the Bible has given showing God’s covenantal involvement with
the Jewish people past, present, or future. This film, The Israel
Dilemma, asks whether there is any credibility to what was written in
the Bible about Israel. The audience will see evidence demonstrating
God’s activity throughout history affirms the scriptures. I also want
people to be aware that God might be forewarning us of significant
changes in the world that were foretold by prophets several thousand
years ago. The question is, how should we respond?Tim reviews the
promises of the covenants, and the promise to Abraham to make his
descendants into a great nation. God gave His people predicted prophesy
as a testimony of His ability to know the future.Five predictive
prophecies reveal God’s plans to build their kingdom, destroy it when
they disobey, scatter the people, allow them to be persecuted, and then
restore them to their land. The history in the Bible reflects these
events as happening and archeology confirms the events and many people
involved.Archeological evidence shows the discovery of inscriptions made
by enemies’ of Israel with David’s name and the house of David,
accounts of the conquests, and persecution of the Jews in captivity.
Evidence at Lachish, Jerusalem, and Megiddo confirm the historic
accounts in the Bible of the Assyrian and Babylonian sieges and
captivities.More than six hundred inscriptions in Hebrew including
pottery sherds, bullas, and seals attest to past events. In the past
non-biblical archeologists pointed out the lack of evidence for the
existence of King David or his kingdom, but recent discoveries refute
those arguments.As ever, in a Thinking Man Film, the audience views the
proofs and hears arguments from both sides to make informed conclusions.
Mahoney’s own journey to find evidence led to his Patterns of Evidence
Films. He relates his journey:My family raised me to believe the stories
of the Bible, but as you get older, you are challenged to think other
things and not to follow the path of the Bible or Christianity. I wanted
to know if what I was believing was true. While investigating the first
film, Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus, I had a crisis of faith because
I was told there wasn’t any evidence for the Exodus event. However,
this crisis only lasted a short time, and it was a supernatural
circumstance that led me to new evidence confirming the Exodus events.
Since that time I have heard of hundreds and even thousands of
testimonies of people who have been encouraged in their faith and some
to come to faith because of the evidence brought for in these Patterns
of Evidence films. So I believe it has been my calling to make these
types of films that demonstrate that the Bible is a true historical
document revealing God’s activity in history.It’s been a continual
struggle over the land since the end of World War II when the UN
returned the land to the Jews. They believe the Torah is their deed to
their homeland. More information can be found at
https://www.patternsofevidence.com/israel/ including trailers. It
provides many details for people to watch and then discuss the contents.
A second part will be available next year.
Ezekiel 39 – The
Disposal of Gog and the Cleansing of Israel-A. Recounting of the attack
and defeat described in Ezekiel 38.1. (1-2) Yahweh directs Gog to attack
Israel.
“And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say,
‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of
Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal; and I will turn you around and lead you on,
bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains
of Israel.a. Prophesy against Gog: In Hebrew literature, it was common
to give an account and then to repeat it to give emphasis and a few
additional details. Ezekiel 39:1-8 is a summary of what was described in
Ezekiel 38.i. “The overthrow of Gog and his forces is here retold in
different language and in fuller detail. This is typical of Hebrew
poetry and of the kind of semi-poetical writing which is used in these
oracles. It is fond of repetition and delights to revert to previous
statements and enlarge on them, even though the result is to destroy all
sense of consecutive arrangement.” (Taylor)b. I am against you, O Gog,
the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal: The words of Ezekiel 38:1-2 are
repeated. Gog speaks of a person, a ruler (the prince). Rosh either
describes one place where Gog rules, or completes the phrase chief
prince. Meshech and Tubal are other places under the domain of Gog.c.
Bringing you up from the far north: Coming with his allied nations, Gog
comes from the north to attack the land of Israel. He does this not only
from his own evil plans (Ezekiel 38:10), but ultimately because God
promised to turn him and lead him, to bring him against Israel.2. (3-5)
Gog defeated.Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause
the arrows to fall out of your right hand. You shall fall upon the
mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are
with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the
beasts of the field to be devoured. You shall fall on the open field;
for I have spoken,” says the Lord GOD.a. I will knock the bow out of
your left hand: Ezekiel described warfare as he knew it. A skilled
archer was effective in battle, but not with the bow knocked from the
hand and arrows dropped to the ground. Gog’s military effort against
Israel would fail.i. “The bow is held by the left hand; the arrow is
pulled and discharged by the right.” (Clarke)b. You shall fall upon the
mountains of Israel: Gog – either himself personally or the army that
was the extension of his power – would die in Israel in their
unsuccessful attack.c. I will give you to birds of prey of every sort
and to the beasts of the field: Gog and his armies would not only be
dead but disgraced as their unburied corpses littered the field of
battle.i. “It will be seen that the serious and fatal weakness of the
enemies of Israel will be their reliance on numbers, and their
confidence that Israel’s weakness means their strength and ultimate
victory. They fail, as always, to take God into account.” (Feinberg) 3.
(6-8) Magog itself attacked, and God’s name glorified.“And I will send
fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then
they shall know that I am the LORD. So I will make My holy name known in
the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy
name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy
One in Israel. Surely it is coming, and it shall be done,” says the Lord
GOD. “This is the day of which I have spoken.a. I will send fire on
Magog: Either as part of the battle or soon afterward, God promised to
send fire against Gog’s land (Magog). Gog brought the battle to Israel,
but God would bring the battle to him.b. And on those who live in
security in the coastlands: The same fire that came upon Magog would
also come against the coastlands. The term does not refer to a distinct
place, but to unspecified and distant coastlands or islands.i. Some have
thought to connect coastlands to the United States or other modern
nations. There is no foundation for this other than speculation and
mystery at the fact that many modern nations (such as the United States)
seem to be unmentioned in Biblical prophecy. ii. “The isles referred to
are the coastland and islands of the Mediterranean. Though the judgment
on the enemies will occur in Israel, the catastrophe will extend far
out to the ends of the earth to accomplish the purpose of God.”
(Feinberg) c. So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My
people Israel: God would use this remarkable victory over Gog and his
allies, this miraculous defense of Israel, to bring His people to a
restored relationship and to holiness. The result that I will not let
them profane My holy name anymore means that though Israel was gathered
to the land and lived in relative safety and prosperity, a true
relationship with Yahweh had not yet been restored. It would be after
this battle. i. My holy name: “The Gog debacle will demonstrate once and
for all the holiness of Yahweh, not as a theological abstraction but in
action, as he stands to defend his people against the universal
conspiracy of evil.” (Block) d. Then the nations shall know that I am
the LORD: Through this, God would reveal Himself not only to Israel but
also to all of the watching world. God would glorify Himself through His
defense of Israel and defeat of Gog. e. Surely it is coming, and it
shall be done: God solemnly affirmed Ezekiel’s prophecy. The great
victory over Gog would fulfill what God had spoken before (as also in
Ezekiel 38:17).B. Gog in defeat.1. (9-10) Defeated Gog plundered by
Israel.“Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and set
on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and bucklers, the bows
and arrows, the javelins and spears; and they will make fires with them
for seven years. They will not take wood from the field nor cut down any
from the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons; and
they will plunder those who plundered them, and pillage those who
pillaged them,” says the Lord GOD.a. Those who dwell in the cities of
Israel will go out and set on fire and burn the weapons: Israel will
destroy all the military equipment (described with seven terms) brought
by Gog and his allies. Protected by Yahweh, they would no longer need
the weapons themselves.i. “These are not the weapons of a modern army,
but Ezekiel used language the people could understand.” (Wiersbe) ii.
“Usually weapons left by a defeated enemy would be added to the victor’s
cache of arms. After all, there would be other battles to fight. The
war against Gog was to be no ordinary war. It will be the final battle,
whose conclusion will make armaments obsolete.” (Vawter and Hoppe) b.
For seven years: This speaks of the vast amount of military equipment
brought by Gog and her allies and left behind on the field of battle.
There would be so much that they could use their fuel for seven years.
c. They will plunder those who plundered them: What the evil Gog and his
allies intended for Israel would fall upon the defeated attackers
themselves.i. “The plunderers will be plundered and the robbers will be
robbed. What the enemy will intend for Israel (Ezekiel 38:12) will be
visited upon them, another vivid example of the law of recompense in
kind.” (Feinberg)
2. (11-16) Defeated Gog buried by Israel.“It
will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there
in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will
obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his
multitude. Therefore they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog. For
seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to
cleanse the land. Indeed all the people of the land will be burying, and
they will gain renown for it on the day that I am glorified,” says the
Lord GOD. “They will set apart men regularly employed, with the help of a
search party, to pass through the land and bury those bodies remaining
on the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they
will make a search. The search party will pass through the land; and
when anyone sees a man’s bone, he shall set up a marker by it, till the
buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon Gog. The name of the city
will also be Hamonah. Thus they shall cleanse the land.”’a. In that day I
will give Gog a burial place there in Israel: Yahweh promised to give a
proper burial to the slain soldiers of Gog and his allies. This could
be regarded as a compassionate act, but it was more probably to cleanse
the land. The unburied bodies of the slain defiled Israel (or any land),
and God’s renewed people would be concerned to cleanse the land.i. A
burial place: “It is the site of mass burial. A common burial ground was
suggested by the awkwardly singular form of meqom sam geber (lit. ‘a
place where there is a grave’).” (Block) b. It will obstruct travelers:
The number of bodies would be so great that it would seem to fill the
valley where they were buried, making it impassable by travelers c. They
will set apart men regularly employed, with the help of a search party:
The effort to find and bury the remains of Gog’s army would be
organized and thorough, in order to cleanse the land. The effort would
take a total of seven months.i. “Their work will take seven months, so
immense were Gog’s forces and so complete was God’s victory. The
Israelites contribute nothing to this victory; they merely clean up the
battlefield.” (Vawter and Hoppe) d. Till the buriers have buried it in
the Valley of Hamon Gog: The valley of burial would become known as Gog
Valley.i. “So great will be the carnage that Gog will give his name to
the valley, which will receive a new name commemorating God’s victory
over Israel’s adversaries.” (Feinberg) ii. Hamonah: “It’s likely that
the city called Hamonah (‘horde,’ referring to the ‘horde’ of soldiers
slain) will be established as a headquarters for this mopping-up
operation.” (Wiersbe) 3. (17-20) Defeated Gog as a grotesque sacrificial
feast.“And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Speak to
every sort of bird and to every beast of the field:“Assemble yourselves
and come;Gather together from all sides to My sacrificial meal-Which I
am sacrificing for you,A great sacrificial meal on the mountains of
Israel,That you may eat flesh and drink blood.You shall eat the flesh of
the mighty,Drink the blood of the princes of the earth,Of rams and
lambs,Of goats and bulls,All of them fatlings of Bashan.You shall eat
fat till you are full,And drink blood till you are drunk,At My
sacrificial meal-Which I am sacrificing for you.You shall be filled at
My table-With horses and riders,With mighty men-And with all the men of
war,” says the Lord GOD. a. Speak to every sort of bird and to every
beast of the field: The section dealing directly with Gog and his allies
ends with this strange and grotesque picture of bird and beast
scavengers feasting upon the corpses of the defeated enemy.b. Gather
together from all sides to My sacrificial meal: The strange and powerful
picture is further developed. As it was customary to often eat a
ceremonial meal with an animal sacrifice, God considered this meal for
bird and beast something of a sacrificial meal. The armies of Gog were
like rams and lambs offered in sacrifice.i. “After destroying the
invading army of Gog, Yahweh adds a horrid indignity to the fate of the
fallen warriors. Their corpses will be a sacrificial meal that birds and
animals will consume. It is a stunning reversal. Instead of human
beings consuming the animals of sacrifice, it is the animals who consume
the human beings sacrificed for Yahweh’s honor.” (Vawter and Hoppe)ii.
In Revelation John linked this sacrificial feast with the aftermath of
the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:17-21). He also linked the
invasion of Gog and Yahweh’s defense of His people to a battle at the
end of Jesus’ 1,000-year reign (Revelation 20:7-9). Because John links
aspects of Ezekiel 38-39 to two chronologically separated events, it is
likely that he uses Ezekiel 38-39 as examples of these future events
rather than the events actually fulfilling the prophecies of Ezekiel
38-39.c. You shall eat fat till you are full: There would be so many
corpses of the defeated enemy that it would be more than the birds and
beasts could eat.i. My table: “The sacrificial feast mentioned in
Ezekiel 39:19 is referred to as ‘my table’ because it is the Lord who
will hold the feast. It is a vivid figure to bring out the idea of vast
carnage, deserved judgment and irrevocable doom.” (Feinberg) ii. “The
metaphor is drawn from what all Israelites picture. Very few of us in
England have ever seen an abattoir, or slaughter-house, or watched the
ritual slaughter of animals, so it would be useless to use them as an
illustration of blood pouring everywhere. But every Israelite had
watched the blood flowing at the sacrifices. This was not pointless
slaughter, since most sacrifices were eaten by the worshippers after
they had been offered. They provided the fairly infrequent occasions
when the average man had a meat meal. But here the quantities of blood
that flowed at the sacrifices are used pictorially of the death of those
who have campaigned against God.” (Wright) C. Yahweh’s exaltation among
the nations. 1. (21-24) God vindicated among the Gentiles.“I will set
My glory among the nations; all the nations shall see My judgment which I
have executed, and My hand which I have laid on them. So the house of
Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day forward.
The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for
their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid My
face from them. I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all
fell by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to
their transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My face from
them.”’ a. I will set My glory among the nations: The amazing
restoration described generally in Ezekiel 34-39 was focused on Israel,
but never limited to them. God’s intention was also to set His glory
among the nations. He would do this through the execution of His
judgment. b. The house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God
from that day forward: This restoration would bring Israel permanently
into a new relationship with God. This looks to the ultimate restoration
described by Paul in Romans 11:26, when all Israel will be saved.c. The
Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for
their iniquity: The nations would know that Israel’s suffering was never
because God was unable to help them. They would see that Yahweh was not
a weak god or mere local deity. They would know that Yahweh Himself
directed ancient Israel’s suffering. The calamity came upon the house of
Israel because of their sin and unfaithfulness. That was why Yahweh hid
His face from them.i. “The sottish heathen thought meanly of the God of
Israel, and reckoned they came into captivity because the people of
some greater god had by the power of their god prevailed against
Israel’s God and his people; but by this overthrow given to Gog, they
shall see it was not impotence in Israel’s God, but iniquity in Israel’s
people, that brought them into captivity.” (Poole) 2. (25-29) God in
fellowship with His restored people.“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
‘Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the
whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name— after
they have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness in which they
were unfaithful to Me, when they dwelt safely in their own land and no
one made them afraid. When I have brought them back from the peoples and
gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and I am hallowed in them in
the sight of many nations, then they shall know that I am the LORD
their God, who sent them into captivity among the nations, but also
brought them back to their land, and left none of them captive any
longer. And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have
poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord GOD.”a. Now I
will bring back the captives of Jacob: Ezekiel first spoke these words
to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, who especially after the fall of
Jerusalem and Judah wondered if God would ever restore Israel. These
promises were precious to them, and were given a minor and imperfect
fulfillment in the return from captivity under Ezra and Zerubbabel. The
greater and complete restoration still waits, as the New Testament
recognizes (Romans 11:26).i. “We must never overlook the literal
significance of this promise. All Israel, insists the apostle of the
Gentiles, who never lost his love for his own people, shall be saved.
The blindness which has happened to them is only till the fullness of
the Gentile contingent to the one Church has been brought in.” (Meyer)
b. After they have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness:
Israel’s restoration would come in a spirit of repentance. They would
see all that God did for them and it would humble them in light of His
generous love. They would see and admit that it was their own sins that
sent them into captivity and suffering. i. “He observes the response of
the house of Israel to the new outpouring of divine mercy. Far from
being a source of pride at having been selected as the objects of divine
compassion, the experience of grace will lead to a recognition of their
own unworthiness.” (Block) ii. “In that day of restoration, dwelling
securely in their land, they would still bear their shame, that is to
say, repentance for past failure would be profound, even in the day of
restoration. By that attitude of mind Jehovah would be sanctified among
them in the sight of the nations, but they would have the infinite
healing of His unveiled face, and the abiding energy of His outpoured
Spirit.” (Morgan) iii. Left none of them captive any longer: “Ezekiel’s
declaration that not a single individual will be left behind when Yahweh
restores his people is without parallel in the OT. Yahweh’s restoration
is not only total, however; it is permanent. He promises never again to
hide his face from his people.” (Block) c. I will not hide My face from
them anymore: The completion of this work would be a true standing in
God’s grace. With God’s Spirit poured out upon Israel, they would have a
relationship with God based on the work and merits of the Messiah, not
their own work and merits. i. “The imagery envisioned here is that
Israel will prosper only when God’s face is toward Israel. When God is
absent from Israel disaster results. No doubt Ezekiel borrows this
imagery from the blessing of Aaron in Numbers 6:25-26.” (Vawter and
Hoppe) ii. “It was sin that caused God to hide his face, and now grace
shall be given to keep them out of sin, and to engage them to constant
obedience, that God may rejoice over them to do them good in this their
latter end.” (Poole) iii. I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house
of Israel: “Finally, Ezekiel 36:27 is reiterated with the powerful
statement, put in the prophetic perfect tense, that I have poured out my
spirit upon the house of Israel (RV). To put this in the future (as
RSV) weakens the dramatic force of this assertion. True, God had not yet
done this in reality; but it was such an assured word that it could be
spoken by Ezekiel as if it were an accomplished fact.” (Taylor)
WARN THE PEOPLE-WW3
EZEKIEL 33:1-6
1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2
Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them,
When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man
of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;
4
Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not
warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon
his own head.
5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not
warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall
deliver his soul.
6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow
not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and
take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but
his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.
DANIEL 11:40-45 (WW3 BREAKDOWN)
40
And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at
him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM
HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with
chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter
into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall
enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be
overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab,
and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43
But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and
over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the
Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44 But tidings out of the
east(CHINA 2ND WAVE OF WW3) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS
LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he
shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away
many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
45 And he shall plant the
tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy
mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
ISAIAH 24:1
1
Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste,(NUKES
USED) and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants
thereof.(WORLD IMMIGRATION)
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel
of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a
son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(ARAB/MUSLIM) because the LORD
hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild
man;(RIOTS-BURNING-MURDEROUUS RAGE) his hand will be against every
man,(ISLAM WANTS WORLD DOMINATION) and every man's hand against
him;(DEFENDING THEMSELVES) and he shall dwell in the presence of all his
brethren.(ARAB/MUSLIMS LIVE WITH ISRAELIS)
ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe
to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed)
and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee!
when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be
spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal
treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19
Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than
thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not
understand.
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the
synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think
that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF THEIR MOON GOD
ALLAH)
ISAIAH 14:12-23
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O
Lucifer, (SATAN) son of the morning! (HEBREW MEANS CRESCENT MOON
ANGEL-ISLAM OVIOUSLY)(SATAN IS THE GOD OF ISLAM) how art thou cut down
to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said
in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above
the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in
the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Ecclesiastes 9:10
10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the
realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor
planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
EZEKIEL 31:10-17
10
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself
in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his
heart is lifted up in his height;
11 I have therefore delivered him
into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal
with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness.
12 And
strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left
him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen,
and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the
people of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.
13 Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches:
14To
the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for
their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither
their trees stand up in their height, all that drink water: for they
are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the
midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.(HELL).
15Thus
saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a
mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods
thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn
for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him.
16 I made
the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to
hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the
choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in
the nether parts of the earth.
17They also went down into hell with
him unto [them that be] slain with the sword; and [they that were] his
arm, [that] dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.
18To
whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of
Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the
nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the
uncircumcised with [them that be] slain by the sword. This [is] Pharaoh
and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.
EZEKIEL 32:17-32
17
It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth [day] of the
month, [that] the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
18 Son of
man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, [even] her,
and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the
earth, with them that go down into the pit.
19 Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised.
20
They shall fall in the midst of [them that are] slain by the sword: she
is delivered to the sword: draw her and all her multitudes.
21 The
strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with
them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain
by the sword.
22 Asshur [is] there and all her company: his graves [are] about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword:
23
Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round
about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused
terror in the land of the living.
24 There [is] Elam (IRAN) and all
her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the
sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the
earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have
they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.
25 They
have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude: her
graves [are] round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the
sword: though their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet
have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit: he is put
in the midst of [them that be] slain.
26 There [is] Meshech,
Tubal,(RUSSIA) (GERMANY, TURKEY) and all her multitude: her graves [are]
round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though
they caused their terror in the land of the living.
27And they shall
not lie with the mighty [that are] fallen of the uncircumcised, which
are gone down to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid
their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their
bones, though [they were] the terror of the mighty in the land of the
living.
28 Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with [them that are] slain with the sword.
29
There [is] Edom,(JORDAN) her kings, and all her princes, which with
their might are laid by [them that were] slain by the sword: they shall
lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit.
30
There [be] the princes of the north, all of them, and all the
Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain; with their terror they
are ashamed of their might; and they lie uncircumcised with [them that
be] slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to
the pit.
31 Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all
his multitude, [even] Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, saith
the Lord GOD.
32 For I have caused my terror in the land of the
living: and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with
[them that are] slain with the sword, [even] Pharaoh and all his
multitude, saith the Lord GOD.
EZEKIEL 38:1-23
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2
Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA)
the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy
against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against
thee, O Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and
Tubal:TOBOLSK)
4 And I (GOD) will turn thee back, and put hooks into
thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee
forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with
all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields,
all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6
Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of
the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with
thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
7 Be thou prepared, and
prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto
thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be
visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is
brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against
the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is
brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of
them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a
cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with
thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall
also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy
mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt
say,(RUSSIA-ARAB-MUSLIMS) I will go up to the land of unwalled
villages;(ISRAEL) I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely,
all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12
To take a spoil,(OIL IS IN SPOIL) and to take a prey; to turn thine
hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the
people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle
and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13 Sheba, and
Dedan,(SAUDI-ARABIA) and the merchants of Tarshish,(SPAIN) with all the
young lions thereof,(ENGLAND,AND ALL ITS ASSOCIATES-CANADA,AUSTRALIA-NEW
ZEALAND, USA, AND WESTERN ENGLISH SPEAKING NATIONS) shall say unto
thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to
take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and
goods, to take a great spoil?(OIL IS IN SPOIL-I BELIEVE THATS WHY
RUSSIA,ARAB/MUSLIMS MARCH TO ISRAEL)
14 Therefore, son of man,
prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my
people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15 And
thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many
people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a
mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel,
as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I
will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I
shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
EZEKIEL 39:11-22
11
And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog
(RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS) a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of
the passengers (EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN JORDAN VALLEY) on the east of
the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall
they bury Gog (RUSSIAN) and all his multitude:(ARAB/MUSLIM HORDE) and
they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.(BURIEL SITE OF THE 300
MILLION,RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS)
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.(OF ISRAEL)
13
Yea, all the people of the land (OF ISRAEL) shall bury them; and it
shall be to them a renown the day that I (GOD-JESUS) shall be glorified,
saith the Lord GOD.
14 And they shall sever out men of continual
employment,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB EXPERTS) passing through the land to
bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth,
to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
15
And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s
bone, then shall he set up a sign by it,(WON'T TOUCH IT) till the
buriers have buried it (PROPERLY) in the valley of
Hamongog.(RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS NEW BURIEL SITE)(EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN
THE JORDAN VALLEY)
16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.(OF THE ISRAEL-GOD HATERS)
17
And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every
feathered fowl,(500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS THREW ISRAEL EVERY
SPRING,FALL) and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and
come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do
sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel,
that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.(OF THE RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIM
ARMIES)
18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood
of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of
bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
21
And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall
see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon
them.
22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.
REVELATION 19:17-18
17
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice,
saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and
gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;(AGAINST ALL
NATIONS ARMIES THAT COME AGAINST JERUSALEM AND ISRAEL)
18 That ye
may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of
mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and
the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
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)(50% OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE)
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.(ON EARTH)
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.(ON EARTH)
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
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 32:18-29 (NOTICE ALL THE COUNTRIES LAND PROMISED ISRAEL BY GOD ARE IN THE JORDAN VALLEY BURIED)
18
“Son of man, wail for the multitudes of Egypt, and consign her and the
daughters of the mighty nations to the depths of the earth with those
who descend to the Pit:
19 Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down and be placed with the uncircumcised! (IN HELL FIRES)
20 They will fall among those slain by the sword. The sword is appointed! Let them drag her away along with all her multitudes.
21
Mighty chiefs will speak from the midst of Sheol about Egypt and her
allies: ‘They have come down and lie with the uncircumcised, with those
slain by the sword.’
22 Assyria (SYRIA) is there with her whole company; her graves are all around her. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.
23
Her graves are set in the depths of the Pit, and her company is all
around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword—those who
once spread terror in the land of the living.
24 Elam (IRAN) is there
with all her multitudes around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen
by the sword—those who went down uncircumcised to the earth below, who
once spread their terror in the land of the living. They bear their
disgrace with those who descend to the Pit.
25 Among the slain they
prepare a resting place for Elam with all her hordes, with her graves
all around her. All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword,
although their terror was once spread in the land of the living. They
bear their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit. They are placed
among the slain.
26 Meshech and Tubal (RUSSIA) are there with all
their multitudes, with their graves all around them. All of them are
uncircumcised, slain by the sword, because they spread their terror in
the land of the living.
27 They do not lie down with the fallen
warriors of old, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, whose
swords were placed under their heads, whose shields rested on their
bones, although the terror of the mighty was once in the land of the
living.
28 But you too will be shattered and lie down among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword.
29
Edom (JORDAN) is there, and all her kings and princes, who despite
their might are laid among those slain by the sword. They lie down with
the uncircumcised, with those who descend to the Pit.THIS IS RIGHT FROM
93:
SECOND ANGEL: MIDDLE EAST
Then I saw that the second angel
had a sickle in his hand, such as is used in harvesting.The second
angel said: "Harvest time has come in Israel and the countries all the
way to Iran."I saw those countries in a few split seconds."All of Turkey
and those [inaudible] countries that have refused me and refused my
message of love shall hate each other and kill one another."I saw the
angel raise the sickle and come down on all the Middle East countries. I
saw Iran, Persia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, all of Georgia - Iraq, Syria,
Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, all of Asia Minor - full of blood. I saw blood
all over these countries. And I saw fire; Nuclear weapons used in many
of those countries. Smoke rising from everywhere. Sudden destruction –
men destroying one another. I heard these words:"Israel, Oh Israel, the
great judgment has come." The angel said, "The chosen, the church, the
remnant, shall be purified. The Spirit of God shall prepare the children
of God."I saw fires rising to heaven.The angel said: "This is the final
judgment. My church shall be purified, protected and ready for the
final day. Men will die from thirst. Water shall be scarce all over the
Middle East. Rivers shall dry up, and men will fight for water in those
countries."The angel showed me that the United Nations shall be broken
in pieces because of the crisis in the Middle East. There shall be no
more United Nations. The angel with the sickle shall reap the harvest.
PSALMS 83:1-8 (GODS LAND PROMISED TO ISRAEL)
1 O God, do not remain silent;do not turn a deaf ear,do not stand aloof, O God.
2 See how your enemies growl, how your foes rear their heads.
3 With cunning they (ARAB,MUSLIMS) conspire against your people;they plot against those you cherish.(ISRAELIS)
4 “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”
5 With one mind they plot together;(TREATIES) they form an alliance against you—
6
the tents of Edom (JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites, (EGYPTIAN ARABS SO
CALLED PALESTIANS) of Moab (JORDAN) and the Hagrites,(EGYPT)
7 Byblos,(HEZBOLLOH) Ammon (JORDAN) and Amalek,(SYRIAN ARABS IN THE SINAI) Philistia,(ARABS) with the people of Tyre (LEBANON).
8 Even Assyria (SYRIA) has joined them to reinforce Lot’s descendants.
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.
1 OF 3 GOD GAVE THEM OVER TO
1-PROMISCUOUS SEX AMOUNG EACH OTHER.
ROMANS 1:24
24
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of
their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: (THE
60S FREE SEX)
2 OF 3 GOD GAVE THEM OVER TO
2-SODOMITES - MEN LUSTING MEN, AND WOMEN LUSTING AFTER WOMEN.
ROMANS 1:26-27
26
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their
women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned
in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is
unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error
which was meet.
3 OF 3 GOD GAVE THEM OVER TO
3-A DEPRAVED MIND-ANY SIN GOES.
ROMANS 1:28-31
28
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God
gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not
convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication,
wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate,
deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER GOD GAVE THEM OVER TO THESE 3 DEPRAVED ABOMINATION SINS?
OH OH NOAHS DAY. WHAT HAPPENED IN NOAHS DAY. THE WHOLE WORLD WAS JUDGED BY WATER.
GENESIS 6:7,17
7
And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face
of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the
fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
17 And,
behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy
all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every
thing that is in the earth shall die.
GENESIS 7:4
4 For yet seven
days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty
nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from
off the face of the earth.
GENESIS 8:16
16 And the bow shall be in
the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting
covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is
upon the earth.
WELL THE SODOMITES PICKED THE RIGHT SIGN OF A RAINBOW
FOR JUDGEMENT. THE SODOMITES TRYED TO STEAL GODS SIGN THAT THE WHOLE
EARTH WILL NEVER DIE FROM FLOOD WATERS AGAIN. BUT THE JUDGEMENT THIS
TIME IS GOING TO BE BY FIRE.NOT WATER.
2 PETER 3:7
7 But the
heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in
store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of
ungodly men.
EZIKIEL 38:12-13
13 Sheba, and Dedan,(SAUDIA
ARABIA) and the merchants of Tarshish,(ENGLAND) with all the young lions
thereof,(USA,CANADA,AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND,EU,ENGLAND,ENGLISH SPEAKING
shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered
thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away
cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? (AGAINST ISRAEL)
14
Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, (RUSSIA AND HER
MUSLIMS HORDES)Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of
Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
ISRAEL SATAN COMES AGAINST
1 CHRONICLES 21:1
1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
GENESIS 12:1-3
1
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from
thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I (GOD) will
shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3
And I will bless them that bless thee,(ISRAELIS) and curse (DESTROY)
him that curseth thee:(DESTROY THEM) and in thee shall all families of
the earth be blessed.
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.(ALL THESE ARAB, MUSLIMS ARE OCCUPYING ISRAELS LAND. GET OFF
IMMEDIATELY. BECAUSE YOUR DEATH CULT DAYS ARE NUMBERED)
ISLAMIC DEATH CULT AND FAKE MOHAMMAAD AND FAKE MOON GOD ALLAH WHICH IS SIMPLY SATAN IS THE LEADER OF ISLAM.
LEVITICUS 26:16
16
I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden)
terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes,
and cause sorrow of heart:(WARS AND DEATH) and ye shall sow your seed in
vain, for your enemies shall eat it.(CHINA CONTROLS AMERICAS ECONOMY BY
BUYING UP DEBT)
ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that
spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest
treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou
shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and
when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal
treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19
Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than
thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not
understand.
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the
synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think
that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF THEIR MOON GOD
ALLAH)
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto
her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call
his name Ishmael;(ARAB/MUSLIM) because the LORD hath heard thy
affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man;(RIOTS-BURNING-MURDEROUUS
RAGE) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM WANTS WORLD DOMINATION)
and every man's hand against him;(DEFENDING THEMSELVES) and he shall
dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(ARAB/MUSLIMS LIVE WITH
ISRAELIS)
The Family Tree of Ishmael
12 This is the family tree of Ishmael son of Abraham, the son that Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maid, bore to Abraham.
13-16
These are the names of Ishmael’s sons in the order of their births:
Nebaioth, Ishmael’s firstborn, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah,
Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah—all the sons of Ishmael.
Their settlements and encampments were named after them. Twelve princes
with their twelve tribes.
(ISLAM CLAIMS MOHAMMID IS A OFF SPRING OF
ISHMAEL THE FIRST BASTARD CHILD OF THE ARABS WITH A SLAVE MOTHER TO THE
ISRAELIS.DOES ANY ONE SEE THE NAME OF MOHAMMID IN ISHMAELS FAMILY TREE.
BECAUSE I SURE DON'T. I DOUBT MOHAMMID EVEN EXISTS. AND SATAN IS THE
LEADER OF ISLAM HHIMSELF. SO ISLAM IS NOT A RELIGION AT ALL. ISLAM IS
NOTHING BUT A DEATH CULT THAT WORSHIPS DEATH. AND WILL BURN IN HELL
FIRE, THEN THE FINAL JUDGEMENT IN FRONT OF JESUS.ONLY TO BE THROWN IN
THE LAKE OF FIRE FOREVER WITH THEIR NEVER DYING BODIES.ISLAM EXPOSED AS A
FRAUD SATAN LIE AND MURDER DEAT CULT.
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How
art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the
morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground,
which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine
heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars
of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the
sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above
the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF
THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 8:44
44
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will
do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth,
because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of
his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Hamas is
shooting Gazan civilians who try to evacuate Jabaliya, IDF paramedic
says-Cpl. Shai Gilboa was photographed providing medical assistance to a
Palestinian woman injured in the face by Hamas gunfire while trying to
get to a designated safe zone-By ToI Staff Today, 6:53 am-OCT 22,24
Civilians
in Gaza are being shot by Hamas terrorists while trying to evacuate
from Jabaliya in the north of the Strip amid a renewed IDF offensive, an
Israeli paramedic charged in an interview Monday, after she was
photographed providing medical treatment to a Palestinian woman
suffering from wounds to the face.Cpl. Shai Gilboa, who is serving as a
paramedic in the IDF’s 9th Battalion, told Channel 12 that a photograph
of her tending to a woman with an injury on her lower face was the
result of Hamas’s attempts to prevent civilians from heeding Israeli
orders to evacuate to designated safe zones as fighting rages anew
across northern Gaza.“Our battalion went into action to exert as much
military pressure as possible on Hamas terrorists, who held the civilian
population in the area and forbade them from evacuating to a safe
area,” Gilboa recounted.During the operation, she said, terrorists in
the area had opened fire and wounded some of the Gazans who were trying
to flee.“The wounded came to us and we provided them with first aid in
the field, which mostly entailed stopping the bleeding,” she said.From
there, she explained, they were evacuated from the area and directed
toward “local medical forces” in the area for further treatment.She said
that while her battalion’s primary objective is to “fight against and
subdue” Hamas activity in northern Gaza, they are also determined to
evacuate as much of the civilian population to safety as possible.Asked
whether the civilians speak to the troops, and what the relationship is
between the Israeli forces and the Palestinians in the war-torn areas
they are sent to operate in, Gilboa admitted that the language barrier
was one of several reasons that interactions tended to be limited.“But
they smile at us, they wave goodbye at us,” she said, “they curse Hamas
in front of us.”“Not only are they not afraid of us, a lot of them are
on our side,” she added.The IDF said earlier this week that hundreds of
Palestinian civilians have listened to calls for them to evacuate
Jabaliya in recent days amid a renewed IDF offensive aimed at preventing
Hamas from regrouping in the area.The evacuations were taking place
despite the Hamas-run interior ministry ordering civilians earlier this
month to ignore the instructions to relocate to other safer areas in the
Strip, because “the occupation is conducting continued bombing and
killing every day in the areas it claims to be safe.”The terror
organization further accused Israel of carrying out an intentional
“massacre against the civilians” in Jabaliya as a way to punish them for
refusing to leave their homes.Reports of Hamas harming civilians trying
to flee to safer areas of Gaza are not new, and the IDF has for years
accused the terror group of using human shields and embedding its
operatives deep within the civilian population to protect itself amid
fighting with Israel, and says that it seeks to avoid civilian
casualties.Earlier in October, the IDF published a recording of a
conversation that it said was between a Gazan man and an Israeli soldier
from Unit 504, responsible for human intelligence on the battlefield,
in which the purported Gazan said that Hamas was beating residents of
Jabaliya and preventing them from leaving.“The problem is that we listen
to the army’s instructions and want to leave to the Muwasi
[humanitarian zone], but there are people who come out against us and
start hitting us with sticks,” the man allegedly said to the soldier.“We
want to leave,” he continued. “We took our things and we want to leave
now and they are hitting us and telling us to return home. What can we
do?”The IDF did not say when the conversation took place.Israel
estimates that tens of thousands of Palestinians have remained in
northern Gaza throughout the last year of fighting, despite repeated
calls for them to evacuate to designated humanitarian zones. It believes
that among those who stayed there are thousands of Hamas operatives who
survived previous rounds of fighting with Israeli forces.Israel has
been at war with the Hamas terror group in Gaza since October 7, 2023,
when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing
some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.The Hamas-run Gaza health
ministry says more than 42,000 people in the Strip have been killed or
are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be
verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
Israel said it had killed some 17,000 combatants in battle as of August,
in addition to 1,000 terrorists killed inside Israel on October
7.Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in
military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 357.Lazar
Berman contributed to this report.
Hezbollah naval base struck in
Lebanese capital-Air Force pounds Hezbollah’s Beirut stronghold after
civilians told to evacuate area-Al-Sahel Hospital denies IDF accusation
that Hezbollah storing half a billion dollars in underground bunker, but
evacuates patients amid more than a dozen Israeli airstrikes-By Emanuel
Fabian,Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 4:50 am-OCT 22,24
More than
a dozen Israeli airstrikes were said to hit Beirut’s southern suburbs
on Monday night and in the early hours of Tuesday morning after the
Israel Defense Forces accused Hezbollah of storing hundreds of millions
of dollars in a bunker underneath one of Lebanon’s largest hospitals.The
strikes were launched after the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman Lt.
Col. Avichay Adraee instructed residents of several buildings in
Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate the area, warning that they were
“located near facilities and interests belonging to Hezbollah.”The
military said earlier on Monday that it would continue striking
Hezbollah targets with a focus on their financial infrastructure.IDF
spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that Israel estimated there to be
roughly “half a billion dollars in dollar bills and gold” in a bunker
underneath the Al-Sahel Hospital in the southern Beirut suburb known as
Dahiyeh, where Hezbollah is largely based.He warned that the Israeli Air
Force was monitoring the compound, but stressed that Israel would not
launch a strike on the hospital itself, as it is at war with Hezbollah,
and not with the Lebanese people.The hospital nevertheless said that it
was evacuating its patients to a safer location. Its director Fadi
Alameh denied the allegations made by the IDF and invited the Lebanese
army to visit the site.Alameh told the local Al-Jadeed TV that the
hospital, which has been in the area for 42 years, has underground rooms
for surgery and has no ties to Hezbollah or any political
group.Following the calls to evacuate, residents of Beirut reported
several loud explosions in the Dahiyeh area, and Lebanese media reported
that at least 13 Israeli airstrikes had been launched in the Hezbollah
bastion.The Lebanese health ministry said that a preliminary toll showed
that four people, including a child, were killed in airstrikes near the
Rafik Hariri University Hospital, Lebanon’s biggest public hospital,
and 24 others were injured.The number provided by the health ministry
does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.The strike
caused “significant damage to the hospital,” the health ministry said,
including to the entrance, “which is still operating and receives a
large number of patients.”The IDF said early Tuesday that it did not
target the hospital but, rather, struck a Hezbollah terror
target.Lebanon’s National News Agency reported at least three Israeli
strikes on the Ouzai district of south Beirut. Additional strikes were
also reported in Haret Hreik, just south of Ouzai, and Hadath.In the
morning, the IDF announced that it had struck a Hezbollah naval base in
Beirut, among other targets.According to the military, the base was used
by Hezbollah to store fast boats, carry out tests, and train its naval
forces.Additional strikes in Beirut overnight hit weapons depots,
command centers, and other infrastructure, some of which were
underground, the IDF said.Before the strikes in Beirut, the IDF issued
evacuation warnings to civilians.While most districts of Beirut’s
southern suburbs had been emptied for almost a month in light of the
escalation between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group,
the densely packed residential area of Ouzai was still filled with
people because it had never been targeted before.Elsewhere in Lebanon,
the military said it struck three command centers belonging to
Hezbollah’s aerial forces, known as Unit 127, responsible for drone
attacks on Israel.The strikes came as ground forces continued to operate
against the terror group in southern Lebanon.‘No room for escape’
Hezbollah-affiliated rescuers told AFP they were looking for survivors
amid the devastation in Ouzai, adding that the evacuation order, then
the strike, caused “panic among residents” who “started to run in the
streets.”“They did not leave any room for people to escape. The strike
came closely after the warning,” one said.A Lebanese security official
told AFP that the country’s national airline had to switch landing
strips after Israeli strikes near Beirut’s only international airport
hit close to the main runway.“Middle East Airlines switched the runway
it was using because the main runway is close to the site of the Ouzai
strike,” the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive
matters.AFPTV footage showed plumes of smoke rising from Beirut’s
southern suburbs, with AFP correspondents also hearing several loud
bangs before the strikes.The footage also showed two strikes that caused
a huge fire, with black smoke surrounding dissipating orange flames.The
strikes came as the IDF continued to hammer an array of Hezbollah
positions across Lebanon, including strikes against some 300 targets in
the previous 24 hours.In particular, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi
Halevi said on Monday that more than two dozen targets belonging to
Hezbollah-linked financial firm Al-Qard Al-Hassan had been hit.Al-Qard
Al-Hassan is a financial firm, officially registered as a charity, that
has been offering customers credit in exchange for gold deposits on an
interest-free basis since the 1980s. Israel charges that Hezbollah is
making money from Lebanon civilians through AQAH.The firm is used mainly
by Muslim Shiite communities battling a years-long financial crisis
that has locked Lebanese out of their bank deposits.The United States
has long sanctioned the association, accusing Hezbollah of using it as a
cover to mask its financial activities and gain access to the
international financial system.Al-Qard Al-Hassan says it has more than
30 branches nationwide, mainly in Hezbollah bastions including Beirut’s
southern suburbs, but also in central Beirut and other major cities such
as Sidon and Tyre.Overnight rocket fire, drone attacks-Throughout
Tuesday morning, more than 25 rockets were fired from Lebanon at Israel,
according to the IDF.The attacks include five rockets at central Israel
and 15 more at the Upper Galilee at 7:45 a.m.; one rocket at the
Modi’in Illit area in the West Bank at 6:35 a.m.; and five more rockets
at the Haifa area at 4:50 a.m.Some of the rockets were intercepted and
others hit open areas, causing no injuries.Separately, a drone launched
from Lebanon shortly after midnight was shot down over the Upper
Galilee, and a drone launched from Iraq impacted an open area in the
Golan Heights shortly after, according to the IDF.Israel in late
September widened the focus of its military operations to Lebanon after
over a year of cross-border attacks by Hezbollah-led forces in
solidarity with Hamas — another Iranian-backed terror group — amid the
war in Gaza.Some 60,000 residents were evacuated from northern towns on
the Lebanon border shortly after Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, due to
fears Hezbollah would carry out a similar attack, and amid increasing
rocket fire by the terror group.The attacks on northern Israel since
October 2023 have resulted in the deaths of 29 civilians. In addition,
43 IDF soldiers and reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes and
in the ensuing ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late
September.Two soldiers have been killed in a drone attack from Iraq, and
there have also been several attacks from Syria, without any
injuries.The IDF estimates that around 2,000 Hezbollah operatives have
been killed in the conflict. Around 100 members of other terror groups,
along with hundreds of civilians, have also been reported killed in
Lebanon.
I'm afraid for the safety of the whole academic
community'Anti-Israel US campus groups radicalize, with no one to stop
them, experts warn-Former security officials say increasingly violent
rhetoric mimics that of 1960s students who pivoted to domestic terror.
It’s going unhindered as students point to First Amendment-By Cathryn J.
Prince Today, 1:10 am-OCT 22,24
NEW YORK — These days, Brian
Cohen, the executive director of the Kraft Center for Jewish Student
Life at Columbia University, spends more time than he would like
explaining the meaning behind social media posts to campus
administrators — from one featuring an infamous photograph of a man
holding up his bloody hands during the Ramallah lynching in 2000, to
others highlighting the inverted red triangle used by the Hamas terror
group to paint targets.“The administration needs to understand who that
guy in the window [with the bloody hands] is to understand why that post
is so problematic,” Cohen said. “Personally, I am afraid for the safety
of the community for everyone at the university; I can see one random
student get inspired to do something violent.”Since the start of the
fall semester, Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), an
anti-Israel coalition of more than 100 student organizations, has used
explicitly violent rhetoric and images in its online postings. In its
October 8 statement, the umbrella group wrote, “We support liberation by
any means necessary, including armed resistance. In the face of
violence from the oppressor equipped with the most lethal military force
on the planet, where you’ve exhausted all peaceful means of resolution,
violence is the only path forward.”In the statement, CUAD also
rescinded an apology it had issued last spring after a video by one of
its members, Columbia University student Khymani James, circulated in
which he said, “Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering
Zionists.” While the video was made last January, the university didn’t
ban James from campus until April, when it received attention.In light
of this, Columbia students and faculty are asking what it will take for
law enforcement to start investigating groups that incite violence
which, unlike disseminating hate speech, is not protected by the First
Amendment. (The NYPD and FBI declined to comment for this story.)“I’m
really concerned because I’ve seen this movie before,” said Mitch
Silber, executive director of the Community Security Initiative (CSI).
CSI is a joint UJA Federation of New York and Jewish Community Relations
Council of New York (JCRC) initiative to safeguard the greater New York
City Jewish community.Silber served as director of intelligence
analysis at the New York City Police Department before joining CSI.
Today, he teaches about terrorism at the university’s School of
International and Public Affairs and said he sees parallels between the
current anti-Israel groups on campus and the Students for a Democratic
Society (SDS), a group in the late 1960s that among other things opposed
US involvement in Vietnam.“They protested and protested but nothing
changed regarding US foreign policy. Eventually, some students peeled
off to form the Weather Underground, and they turned to domestic
terrorism,” said Silber.“Now, more than a year into the protests, the
encampments, the building takeovers, nothing has changed. They aren’t
getting it done and the retraction by CUAD shows they are getting more
radical. We are on the same trajectory,” Silber said.According to an
online list, CUAD groups include overtly pro-Palestinian groups, but
also clubs seemingly unconnected to the Gaza war, such as Columbia Queer
and Asian, BOSS Barnard Organization of Soul and Solidarity,
Reproductive Justice Collective, Global Learning Exchange, Third Wheel
Improv and Columbia Chicanx Caucus.Those on the more radical trajectory
include anti-Israel groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine,
Jewish Voices for Peace, and other members of CUAD who have participated
in training sessions with outside groups such as Within Our Lifetime
and activists in the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity
Network.One of those trainings included a remote conference titled
“Resistance101.” During the April panel students were instructed that
“there is nothing wrong with being a member of Hamas, being a leader in
Hamas, being a fighter in Hamas.” The university suspended and evicted
four students from university housing for their role in the
conference.Samidoun has links to the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PFLP), which carried out some of the deadliest terror
attacks in Israeli history prior to the Hamas-led massacre on October 7,
2023, including suicide bombings and aircraft hijackings.Last week, the
US and Canada designated Samidoun as a terrorist entity. The
designation included one of its primary leaders, Khaled Barakat, who
took part in the “Resistance 101” panel.Germany and the Netherlands also
recently banned Samidoun because it supported the October 7 onslaught,
which saw 1,200 people slaughtered and 251 kidnapped to the Gaza Strip.
Israel has considered Samidoun a terrorist group since 2021.While this
designation should serve as a wake-up call to campus leaders, it doesn’t
mean that outside law enforcement will begin investigating student
groups, Silber said.“The tie is only meaningful retrospectively if there
is a deep investigation that shows links between Samidoun and campus
groups. The campus groups would have to cross a certain threshold for
that to happen,” Silber said.In short, the calls for violence still
aren’t yet specific enough to warrant an official investigation, he
said.That doesn’t mean outside law enforcement isn’t aware of the
postings.As another former law enforcement officer speaking to The Times
of Israel explained, the NYPD regularly “crawls through publicly
available social media” like Instagram, Facebook and Reddit to monitor
what’s occurring in the city.‘Calls for violence have no place at
Columbia’Columbia declined to answer whether it has called for
assistance from outside law enforcement and whether the university will
discipline students who signed on to the October 8 CUAD statement for
its open support of armed resistance.“Statements advocating for violence
or harm are antithetical to the core principles upon which this
institution was founded. Calls for violence have no place at Columbia or
any university,” said Millie Wert, Columbia’s assistant director of
media relations.Several students and faculty interviewed for this
article said they find the university’s position unacceptable.“It’s
unbelievable that the university is allowing a coalition of 116 student
groups to get away with publishing a statement calling for violence and
defending calling for the murder of Zionists,” said computer science PhD
candidate Tal Zussman. “The fact that there haven’t been any
consequences for these groups is a complete abdication of
responsibility.”“Frankly, it’s scary and discriminatory that the Barnard
Gardening Club, for example, seems to think that murdering Zionists is
some sort of legitimate political statement. Why do they even need to
take a position on this conflict?” Zussman said.Likewise, Amy Werman, a
full-time professor in the School of Social Work, said she’s alarmed by
this most recent call for violence.“This type of violent rhetoric
creates a hostile environment within these groups and has already pushed
Jewish and Israeli — and actually many reasonable students — out of
clubs that are part of CUAD. The university has to act immediately to
resolve this,” Werman said.First Amendment is not a get-out-of-jail-free
card-The increasingly incendiary language and actions used by CUAD and
other groups needs to be addressed, said Richard Priem, CEO of the
non-profit Community Security Service (CSS). He pointed out that the
First Amendment doesn’t protect the obstruction, takeover, or
vandalization of university buildings.“Obviously, I would support the
idea that any group that is breaking the law be monitored. I understand
the significance of free speech, but there should be a zero-tolerance
policy by university administrations [for this kind of speech]. They
should not be closing their eyes,” Priem said.“But in my conversations
with law enforcement, there is a worry that if they act strongly they
will infringe on free speech. Nobody wants to be accused of violating
the First Amendment,” he said.Another former intelligence officer, who
spoke to The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity, said the
Department of Homeland Security is also likely keeping an eye on some of
these campus groups.Indeed on October 1, the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS), which was established after 9/11, issued a fact sheet
titled Federal Campus Safety Resources. The resource is designed to
assist campus public safety departments and make federal resources
available “to help prepare for and prevent targeted violence and
terrorism across our country.”Additionally, DHS also has a Campus Safety
Placemat handout that instructs student protesters to “avoid violence,
intimidation, and harassment.” (DHS declined to comment for this
story.)Meanwhile, Silber cautioned that what happens at Columbia will
likely continue to shape what happens on campuses nationwide.“Columbia
is the epicenter for the student intifada in the United States. What
happens at Columbia radiates outward. We saw that with the encampment
and now here we have at Columbia a student who said taking someone’s
life is better for the world,” Silber said.
Ringleader: I knew I
was working for Iran, was proud of it-Seven East Jerusalem men arrested
in Iran spy plot, including bid to kill scientist-Ring of suspects aged
19-23, almost all Israeli citizens, marks fifth Iranian spy case
revealed since September, and first to profess a desire to hurt Israel
as the main motivation-By ToI Staff Today, 2:48 pm-OCT 22,24
Seven
East Jerusalem Palestinians have been arrested on suspicion of spying
for Iran and plotting attacks in Israel on the Islamic Republic’s
behalf, the Israel Police and Shin Bet said Tuesday, marking the fifth
such case to be revealed in just over a month and the second in as many
days.The suspects, all men aged 19 to 23 from the Beit Safafa
neighborhood without previous criminal or security-related records, were
pursuing the assassination of an Israeli nuclear scientist as well as
the mayor of a large city in central Israel, the authorities said in a
statement.Six of the suspects are Israeli citizens, and the other is a
permanent resident. The leader of the ring, a 23-year-old named Rami
Alian, was recruited by an Iranian agent, and Alian then recruited the
other six members, authorities said.They are expected to be indicted by
the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office on charges of serious security
violations, the statement said.The suspects “worked as an organized
cell, in which each of them had a defined role,” a security official
said, adding that the suspects knew each other from the neighborhood,
and had personal relationships that helped them coordinate their
activities.The suspects carried out various missions for their Iranian
contacts, including posting graffiti demanding the release of Israeli
hostages, vandalizing sites in Jerusalem, and photographing various
locations, the authorities said.After a while, “the missions turned into
more serious sabotage efforts, like setting a vehicle on fire” — which
the group did in the city’s Ein Kerem neighborhood, in exchange for
2,000 NIS ($529) — ”or purchasing weapons,” a security official said.At
one point Alian was asked to hurl a hand grenade at an Israeli security
serviceman, allegedly locating a soldier in Jerusalem and receiving
15,000 NIS ($3,969) to purchase the grenade, but not carrying out the
mission in the end.After this incident, he was told to photograph a
research center, which he allegedly did, in exchange for 5,000 NIS
($1,322).Alian was ultimately given a photo and address of a nuclear
scientist whom the Islamic Republic wanted him to assassinate, and was
told he would be paid NIS 200,000 ($53,000) if he succeeded, authorities
said.He allegedly began preparations for the act, gathering information
about the target, including his daily habits, whereabouts, and other
personal information, but the cell was arrested before it could move
forward.“They tried to prepare the ground for a planned assassination,” a
security official said.Police said Alian told investigators he was
aware he was working for Iranians and wanted to harm national security,
citing the war in Gaza. “I feel proud that an Iranian turned to me,” he
allegedly said.This would seem to mark the first of the recently
uncovered spy rings to be primarily motivated by nationalist ideology,
rather than by the financial rewards offered in exchange for the
missions, though details on all the cases remain limited.The members of
the alleged ring also appeared to have contacted their Iranian handlers
directly. “They weren’t helped by a Turkish intermediary, as was the
case in previous instances; rather they used different means, which we
can’t share,” a senior police official said.The investigation into the
ring began in September, and detectives followed the suspects for a
month and a half. Their detention has so far been extended until October
24.A search of the suspects’ houses upon their arrest yielded some NIS
50,000 ($13,229), as well as some 10 credit cards, and a fake police
license plate.The Shin Bet in recent months has announced a series of
alleged Iranian plots, in which Tehran had tried to trick Israelis
online into carrying out missions. In January, authorities uncovered a
scheme involving Israelis who were allegedly recruited to gather
intelligence on high-profile figures.In September, a man from the
southern city of Ashkelon was arrested on allegations that he was
smuggled into Iran twice and received payment to carry out missions on
behalf of Tehran, and was recruited to assassinate either Israel’s prime
minister, defense minister, or the head of the Shin Bet.Then, on
October 14, a man and his 18-year-old partner, both from Ramat Gan, were
arrested on charges they carried out various acts of sabotage and
vandalism on behalf of an Iranian agent.On October 16, the Israel Police
and State Attorney’s Office announced the arrest of a man from central
Israel, who allegedly acquired a weapon in order to kill an Israeli
scientist on instructions from an Iranian agent, after performing
several smaller tasks on the agent’s behalf.And on Monday, it was
announced that seven Israeli citizens, Jewish immigrants from
Azerbaijan, had been arrested last month on suspicion of spying for Iran
for as long as two years, carrying out hundreds of tasks at the behest
of the Islamic Republic, motivated by a financial payout of hundreds of
thousands of dollars.The suspects were accused of photographing and
collecting information on IDF bases and facilities, including the Kirya
defense headquarters in Tel Aviv and the Nevatim and Ramat David air
bases, which have been targeted by Iran and Hezbollah since the outbreak
of the war last year.The suspects announced Monday were also accused of
gathering information on Iron Dome batteries, ports and energy
infrastructure, including the power plant in Hadera, and allegedly
received maps of strategic sites from their handlers.In addition,
members of the ring revealed Monday were accused of collecting
information about several Israeli citizens, including a senior security
figure, and may have been part of a plot to ultimately assassinate the
figure.
Blinken arrives in Israel as US looks to renew ceasefire
talks, temper strike on Iran-Top US diplomat to meet with Netanyahu,
other Israeli leaders on his 11th visit since Oct. 7 2023; will then
head to Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates-By
Agencies Today, 2:43 pm-OCT 22,24
US Secretary of State Antony
Blinken arrived in Israel on Tuesday on his 11th visit to the region
since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, with the US hoping to revive
a ceasefire-hostage deal after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya
Sinwar.Blinken is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and other top officials, including President Isaac Herzog and
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.He is also expected to meet with families
of the hostages who are being held in Gaza.Following his trip to Israel,
he’s set to visit a number of Arab countries, likely to include Jordan,
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.Hopes have been
renewed that the long-stalled talks could be reignited following the
killing on Sinwar, the architect of the October 7 Hamas massacre that
killed some 1,200 people and saw another 251 taken hostage.The US had
described Sinwar as the major stumbling block to an agreement. However,
no new talks have been scheduled in the days since his death.The US
State Department said ahead of the visit that Blinken would focus on
ending the war in Gaza, securing the release of hostages held by Hamas
and alleviating the humanitarian situation of Palestinian civilians in
the Strip.US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Blinken
would underscore the need for a dramatic increase in the amount of
humanitarian aid reaching Gaza, which Blinken and Defense Secretary
Lloyd Austin made clear in a letter to Israeli officials last week.The
letter stated that the Biden administration could be forced by US law to
curtail some forms of military aid to Israel should the delivery of
humanitarian aid continue to be hindered.Blinken’s previous trips have
yielded little in the way of ending hostilities, but he has managed to
increase aid deliveries to Gaza in the past.The United States, Egypt and
Qatar have brokered months of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas,
trying to strike a deal in which the terror group would release dozens
of hostages in return for a lasting ceasefire and the release of
Palestinian prisoners.Blinken also plans to speak to Israeli leaders
about the expected strike on Iran and discourage any move that could
massively escalate regional conflict, an official on the plane with him
said.Israel is expected to respond to the massive Iranian missile strike
on Israel at the beginning of the month.Blinken’s tour comes as Iran’s
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been traveling the region in recent
days to try and built support ahead of Israel’s threatened retaliatory
strike. Speaking in Kuwait on Tuesday, he said Gulf Arab countries had
assured him they would not allow their territory to be used for any
Israeli strike.“All the neighbors assured us that they will not allow
their lands and air to be used against Iran,” Araghchi said, according
to the state-run IRNA news agency. “This is an expectation from all
friendly and neighboring countries and we consider this a sign of
friendship.”Gulf Arab nations like the UAE and Qatar host major US
military installations, and there are concerns that an all-out regional
war could draw them in. Iran has repeatedly vowed to respond to any
Israeli strike.Blinken’s talks were also likely to focus on Lebanon,
where Israel has expanded its attacks on the Hezbollah terror group that
began firing at Israel on October 8, 2023. Israel has vowed to push
Hezbollah away from the border and allow tens of thousands of residents
to return to their homes in northern Israel.Blinken landed just hours
after Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets into central Israel,
setting off air raid sirens in the country’s most populated areas and
its international airport, but causing no apparent damage or
injuries.The Israeli military said it intercepted most of the five
projectiles, with one landing in an open area. Another 65 projectiles
were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel on Tuesday.In parallel to
Blinken’s trip, US special envoy Amos Hochstein was in the Lebanese
capital on Monday amid efforts to find a diplomatic solution to
fighting, telling Lebanese officials that the conflict has “escalated
out of control.”Hochstein said that Lebanon and Israel merely committing
to UN Resolution 1701 would not be enough, and that Washington was
working to devise a formula to end the conflict once and for all.The
resolution, which ended the last round of conflict between Israel and
Hezbollah in 2006, calls for southern Lebanon to be free of any troops
or weapons other than those of the Lebanese state.The resolution has
gone largely unenforced since it was passed in 2006, allowing Hezbollah
to build up a formidable arms cache and defensive capabilities, with
neither UNIFIL peacekeepers nor the LAF willing to challenge the
Iran-backed terror group.Hochstein said that neither Hezbollah nor
Israel had adequately implemented the resolution and that while it would
be the basis for the end to current hostilities, the US was seeking to
determine what more needed to be done to make sure it was implemented
“fairly, accurately and transparently.”Israel has repeatedly portrayed
its offensive in southern Lebanon as essentially stepping in and doing
UNIFIL’s job.After meeting with Lebanon’s parliament speaker Nabih
Berri, a Hezbollah ally, Hochstein said the US was aiming to end the
conflict “as soon as possible.”
Doha-based committee to lead
Hamas amid war, in wake of Sinwar’s death — report-Board established
after Haniyeh’s assassination in July set to govern terror group at
least through March, amid ‘war and exceptional circumstances,’ Hamas
sources tell AFP-By AFP and ToI Staff Today, 1:04 am-OCT 22,24
The
Hamas terror group is moving towards appointing a Doha-based ruling
committee, two sources said earlier this week, rather than choosing a
single successor to previous leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by
Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip last Wednesday.“The Hamas leadership’s
approach is not to appoint a successor to the late chief, the martyr
Yahya Sinwar, until their next elections” scheduled for March “if
conditions permit,” a well-informed source from the Palestinian group
told AFP.A five-member committee that was formed in August following the
assassination of political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran “will take
over the leadership of the group,” the source said.The committee was
formed to facilitate decision-making given the difficulty of
communicating with Sinwar in Gaza before his death.Sinwar was named the
Gaza chief of the terror group in 2017, before rising to become the
overall leader of Hamas after Haniyeh, who led its Doha-based political
wing, was assassinated in July in an attack widely blamed on
Israel.Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7, 2023 terror onslaught in
southern Israel, was killed by Israeli troops last Wednesday in the
southern Gaza city of Rafah, a year into the war sparked by the
invasion, slaughter, and mass abduction carried out by Hamas which left
some 1,200 dead and 251 kidnapped to Gaza.According to the Hamas source,
the Doha-based ruling committee is made up of representatives of the
two Palestinian territories and the diaspora, namely Khalil al-Haya for
Gaza, Zaher Jabarin for the West Bank, and Khaled Mashaal for
Palestinians abroad.It also includes the head of Hamas’s Shura advisory
council Mohammed Darwish and the secretary of the political bureau, who
is never identified for security reasons.All current members of the
committee are based in Qatar.According to the source, the committee is
tasked with “governing the movement during the war and exceptional
circumstances, as well as its future plans.”He added that it is
authorized to “make strategic decisions.”Another source from the group
said that the Hamas leadership discussed a proposal that was made
“internally” to appoint a political chief without announcing their
name.But, the source added, the leaders preferred to rule through the
committee.A successor to Sinwar will face the challenge of guiding
policy regarding internationally mediated talks for a ceasefire in
exchange for the release of hostages. The US and Israel accused Sinwar
of deliberately shying away from reaching an agreement on a truce,
refusing to compromise on hardline demands that were unacceptable to
Israel.In a video statement Friday, Khalil al-Hayya, deputy leader of
Hamas’s Qatar-based politburo, said Israel would come to regret killing
Sinwar, adding that his “martyrdom” would only strengthen the terror
group.The hostages “will not return… unless the aggression against our
people in Gaza stops,” the senior Hamas official said.It is believed
that 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in
Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Anti-Israel
protesters arrested after occupying University of Minnesota
building-Demonstrators demanding the school divest from Israel barricade
doors, damage property, and block staff from exiting during brief
takeover, school says; at least 11 arrested-By Agencies and ToI Staff
Today, 2:27 pm-OCT 22,24
Police arrested around a dozen
anti-Israel protesters who briefly occupied a University of Minnesota
administrative building and blocked staff from being able to leave, the
school said Monday.Demonstrators demanding the school divest from Israel
entered Morrill Hall on Monday afternoon, using furniture to barricade
doors and causing other damage before police were called in to remove
them, the university said in a statement.“Once inside the building,
protesters began spray painting, including covering lenses of all
internal security cameras, breaking interior windows, and barricading
the building’s entrance and exit points,” the school said. “A number of
staff were working in the building at the time, and several people were
not able to exit, with some being unable to exit the building for an
extended period of time.”Authorities said 11 people were arrested inside
the building, though the Minnesota Daily student newspaper put the
number of arrests at 13, citing police. A reporter for the paper was
also briefly detained, it said.Merlin Van Alstein, an activist with
Students for a Democratic Society, said about 30 protesters had occupied
Morrill Hall, with a larger group gathered outside. Demonstrators
demanded that the university divest from Israel and repeal its political
neutrality agreement.During the takeover, the group symbolically
renamed the building “Halimy Hall,” in remembrance of 19-year-old
Palestinian TikTok creator Medo Halimy who died in August in an apparent
Israeli airstrike. The Israeli military said it was not aware of the
strike that killed Halimy.The renaming was redolent of Columbia
University protesters who dubbed that school’s Hamilton Hall in honor of
Gazan Hind Rajab during a 22-hour takeover of the building in
April.Protesters at the University of Minnesota were in the building for
less than two hours when police were called in, but had shown up with
tents and supplies, vowing to remain until their demands were
met.Students with @DivestUMN @UMNSDS at the University of Minnesota have
occupied Morill Hall and locked the doors, demanding the University
divest from Israel’s genocide ????Get to the U of M to support if you
are in the area! pic.twitter.com/YTxKDqDkme— charles (@deephousegibbon)
October 21, 2024“We plan to stay until they forcibly remove us,” Van
Alstein said before the arrests. “The people inside aren’t going to
leave until they meet our demands or they are forced to leave.”The group
earlier shared a video to Facebook of a speaker announcing that its
members were occupying the building but not restricting anyone from
exiting or entering.The speaker appeared in front of a large sign
reading, “Money for education, not for bombs & occupation.”Protests
against Israel have roiled campuses across the US for over a year in
response to the war in Gaza against Hamas, prompted by the terror
group’s October 7, 2023 onslaught of southern Israel, in which some
1,200 people were killed and 251 abducted. SUPPORT STUDENTS OCCUPYING
MORRILL HALL-Morrill Hall – 100 Church St SE.Join the Telegram –
https://t.co/4l0zgilCyC pic.twitter.com/I9NSzaCH8d— UMN SDS (@UMNSDS)
October 21, 2024-The protests, including earlier this year at University
of Minnesota campuses, have raised issues of free speech and
antisemitism as students demanded that their universities cease doing
business with Israel or companies they said supported the war in
Gaza.Several schools have agreed to mull divestment resolutions in
response to protest encampments, but in some cases the announcements
have failed to quell student demonstrations.In August, University of
Minnesota regents rejected a divestment resolution and instead backed a
policy basing investment decisions on financial considerations alone.The
university had previously been embroiled in controversy regarding
statements made by faculty groups.In January, the US Department of
Education said it was looking into a series of University of Minnesota
faculty statements condemning Israel, following a complaint by a
prominent Republican on the law school faculty. The university told The
Minnesota Daily it will be “fully responsive” to the investigation.In
June, it “paused” the search for a new director of its Center for
Holocaust and Genocide Studies after initially tapping an Israeli who
had accused Israel of genocide.
Archaeology-Remains of one of the
oldest churches in the world discovered in Armenia-Octagonal-shaped
structure dates from the mid-4th century CE, not long after the Kingdom
of Armenia is thought to have become the first Christian kingdom-By
Gavriel Fiske-Today, 10:42 am-OCT 22,24
An academic team working
in Armenia has discovered the remains of a church from the 4th century
CE, making the structure one of the oldest churches in the world. It is
the oldest yet found in ancient Armenia, considered the first kingdom to
officially embrace Christianity.The remains of the octagonal-shaped
church were unearthed in Artaxata, the ancient capital of the Kingdom of
Armenia, by a joint team of archaeologists from the University of
Münster and Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences, who have been
working at the site since September, the University of Münster said in
an October 11 press release.The discovery “consists of an octagonal
building with cruciform extensions” that “corresponds to early Christian
memorial buildings,” the release said. The structure was “around 30
meters in diameter” and had “a simple mortar floor and terracotta
tiles.” The researchers also found marble fragments indicating the
structure was “lavishly decorated” with imported marble.“In the
cross-shaped extensions, the researchers discovered the remains of
wooden platforms, which were radiocarbon dated to the mid-4th century
CE,” the statement said.This dating enabled the researchers to determine
that the structure “is the oldest archaeologically documented church in
the country — sensational evidence for early Christianity in Armenia,”
Professor Achim Lichtenberger of the University of Münster said.The
now-ruined city of Artaxata, located on a hilltop in southern Armenia
along the border with Turkey, was founded in 176 BCE and “developed into
an important metropolis,” especially during the Hellenistic period, and
ultimately served as “the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia for almost
six centuries,” the researchers said.The same hilltop, which boasts a
spectacular view of Mt. Ararat just across the Turkish border, houses
Khor Virap, an ancient and still active monastery that is also a
pilgrimage site.“This does appear to be a significant discovery and
credible claim by well-qualified archaeologists,” said Prof. Jodi
Magness, a classical and biblical archaeologist and religious historian
who teaches at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in an
email exchange with The Times of Israel.“The discovery of this church
makes sense since the Kingdom of Armenia was the first state to adopt
Christianity as its official religion in the early fourth century,” she
said, and noted that at around the same time, “Armenians established a
presence in Jerusalem, which they have maintained until today.”Although
rare elsewhere, ancient “octagonal churches are not uncommon in the
eastern Mediterranean, including the Church of the Kathisma [the Church
of the Seat of Mary, 5th century CE], located between Jerusalem and
Bethlehem, which was excavated by Rina Avner of the Israel Antiquities
Authority,” Magness said.There is another octagonal church, dating from
around 500 CE, in Caesarea, and at the Church of the Nativity in
Bethlehem, commissioned by Constantine in the early 4th century, “the
grotto originally was enclosed within an octagon,” she said.“In
addition, the Dome of the Rock [7th century CE] is octagonal,” she
noted, as is the chapel “at the heart of Charlemagne’s palace [9th
century CE], at Aix-la-Chapelle [Aachen, Germany]” which “is an inner
octagon surrounded by a sixteen-sided ambulatory, and still stands
today.”“I could not tell you what happened to this building type later
in history,” Magness said. “There may well have been other, earlier
Christian places of worship but they have not been identified in the
archaeological record. Remember that Christianity was outlawed [in the
Roman world] before 313 CE, so Christians had to worship in secret, for
example in private houses.The Kingdom of Armenia, at the time a
client-state of the Romans, formally became Christian in 301 CE, when,
“according to legend, Gregory the Illuminator converted the Armenian
king Tiridates III to Christianity in Artaxata,” the researchers noted
in their press release.This was before the Council of Nicea in 325 CE,
which codified and streamlined what had been diverse Christian tenets,
and also before the Roman Emperor Constantine’s 313 CE Edict of Milan,
which outlawed the prosecution of Christians and made Christianity a
recognized religion in the empire.Therefore Armenia is considered the
first Christian kingdom, and the Armenian Orthodox Church is one of the
oldest Christian denominations. (There is also a significant number of
Armenian Catholics, who have distinct traditions but owe allegiance to
the Holy See in Rome.)Armenia already boasts what some consider the
world’s oldest cathedral: the Etchmiadzin Cathedral, built in 301 CE in
the city of Vagharshapat, around the time of King Tiridates III’s
conversion, but it is unclear which structure holds the title of the
earliest church, and many locations predate the newly discovered
Artaxata building.Ancient Christian houses of prayer include the
Dura-Europos house church in Syria, which is thought to have been a
private home converted to a Christian house of worship in the mid-3rd
century CE. The Meggido Church in Israel, also dating from the early 3rd
century and thought to have been similarly repurposed, is another early
contender, as is the Aqaba Church in Jordan from the late 3rd century,
thought to be the earliest purpose-built Christian house of worship yet
discovered.The German-Armenian team, which has been working at Artaxata
since 2018, said they “will continue their excavations and hope to make
new discoveries, including the question as to whom the church was
dedicated.”
Halevi: Over 2 dozen branches of Hezbollah-linked
firm hit-IDF: Hezbollah hiding $500 million in gold, cash in bunker
under Beirut hospital-Amid operation against group’s finances, military
spokesman calls on Lebanon and international groups to prevent use of
money to fund terror-By Agencies and ToI Staff 21 October 2024, 11:32 pm
The
Israel Defense Forces on Monday declassified intelligence on the
Hezbollah terror group’s finance hub, including a bunker hidden
underneath a hospital in south Beirut that it said contains hundreds of
millions of dollars in cash and gold.Israel expanded its campaign
against Hezbollah on Sunday night, launching a series of strikes to
degrade the Iran-backed terror group’s ability to fund its
operations.“The Israeli Air Force carried out a series of precise
strikes on these Hezbollah financial strongholds,” IDF Spokesperson Rear
Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a televised briefing.“One of our main
targets last night was an underground vault with tens of millions of
dollars in cash and gold. The money was being used to finance
Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel,” he said, without specifying whether all
of the money was destroyed in the strike.Hagari then referenced a
separate bunker also allegedly filled with cash and gold under a
hospital in the capital Beirut, but said the vault had not been targeted
yet by the IDF.“According to the estimates we have, there is at least
half a billion dollars in dollar bills and gold stored in this bunker,”
Hagari said. “This money could and still can be used to rebuild the
state of Lebanon.”“Tonight, I am going to declassify intelligence on a
site that we did not strike—where Hezbollah has millions of dollars in
gold and cash—in Hassan Nasrallah’s bunker. Where is the bunker located?
Directly under Al-Sahel Hospital in the heart of Beirut.”Listen to IDF
Spox.… pic.twitter.com/SjMZQpKqoJ— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October
21, 2024-During the briefing, Hagari presented a map showing the
location of the bunker, under Al-Sahel Hospital in the southern Beirut
suburb known as Dahiyeh, where Hezbollah is largely based.He called on
Lebanese authorities and international organizations to prevent
Hezbollah from using “the money for terror and to attack Israel,” and
warned that the Israeli Air Force is monitoring the compound.Asserting
that Israel is at war with Hezbollah and not the Lebanese people, he
said that the IDF would not launch a strike on the hospital.Earlier
Monday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said more than two
dozen targets belonging to Al-Qard Al-Hassan — a financial firm linked
to Hezbollah — had been hit.“We struck close to 30 targets across
Lebanon,” Halevi said in a statement after strikes began Sunday night
against the US-sanctioned association that Israel accuses of financing
“Hezbollah’s terrorist operations.”The announcements came as the IDF
said it continued to hammer an array of Hezbollah positions across
Lebanon, including strikes against about 300 targets in the previous 24
hours.Al-Qard Al-Hassan is a financial firm, officially registered as a
charity, that has been offering customers credit in exchange for gold
deposits on an interest-free basis since the 1980s. Israel charges that
Hezbollah is making money from Lebanon civilians through AQAH.The United
States has long sanctioned the association, accusing Hezbollah of using
it as a cover to mask its financial activities and gain access to the
international financial system.“In recent years, the state of Lebanon
has experienced a deep financial crisis, which was exploited by
Hezbollah,” the IDF spokesperson said on Monday, charging that the
terror group’s two main sources of income are the Lebanese people and
the Iranian regime.He said that as well as transferring money to
Hezbollah via Syria, including “suitcases of cash and gold in planes to
the Iranian embassy in Beirut,” the terror group has “built factories in
Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Turkey that provide income for its terrorist
operations.”On Sunday evening, Israel struck AQAH branches in Beirut,
the eastern Beqaa Valley and south Lebanon. Hagari presented a map of
the targets in his Monday briefing.Al-Qard Al-Hassan says it has more
than 30 branches nationwide, mainly in Hezbollah bastions including
Beirut’s southern suburbs, but also in central Beirut and in other major
cities such as Sidon and Tyre.Hagari also confirmed that Israel carried
out an airstrike in Syria on Monday targeting the head of Hezbollah’s
financial arm responsible for funneling cash from Iran to its proxy.The
IDF did not name the Hezbollah official, but said that he had only been
in the position a few weeks since his predecessor was killed.Israel in
late September widened the focus of its military operations to Lebanon
after over a year of cross-border attacks by Hezbollah-led forces in
solidarity with Hamas — another Iranian-backed terror group — amid the
war in Gaza.Some 60,000 residents were evacuated from northern towns on
the Lebanon border shortly after Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, due to
fears Hezbollah would carry out a similar attack, and amid increasing
rocket fire by the terror group.The attacks on northern Israel since
October 2023 have resulted in the deaths of 29 civilians. In addition,
43 IDF soldiers and reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes and
in the ensuing ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late
September.Two soldiers have been killed in a drone attack from Iraq, and
there have also been several attacks from Syria, without any
injuries.The IDF estimates that around 2,000 Hezbollah operatives have
been killed in the conflict. Around 100 members of other terror groups,
along with hundreds of civilians, have also been reported killed in
Lebanon.Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.
US official:
PA has met Israeli requirements for Smotrich to extend banking
deal-Far-right minister has until October 31 to approve deal allowing
Israeli, Palestinian banks to work together; US warns failure to do so
could lead to West Bank economic crisis-By Jacob Magid Today, 10:19
am-OCT 22,24
The US has concluded that the Palestinian Authority
has met the requirements laid out by Israel for extending
indemnification needed to allow Israeli banks to continue conducting
transactions with Palestinian banks, a US official familiar with the
matter told the Times of Israel on Monday.The recognition from the US is
aimed at pushing the Israeli government to extend the framework, known
as the corresponding banking agreement, with the Palestinians for at
least another year.The US has said that failure to approve the waiver
allowing Israeli banks to conduct transactions with their Palestinian
counterparts risks an economic crisis in the West Bank and the collapse
of the Palestinian Authority.The agreement is set to expire on October
31, after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich agreed to extend it for only
three months over the summer, despite US pressure for a much longer
period. As the deadline approaches, the US has grown increasingly
worried that Smotrich won’t agree to extend it further.In recent months,
Smotrich’s office informed the PA Finance Ministry and the Biden
administration that Israel would be willing to further extend the
corresponding banking agreement if the PA conducted a risk assessment of
its financial system and if a similar review by the Middle East and
North Africa Financial Action Task Force was scheduled.Israel wants
proof showing that PA-regulated banks comply with international statutes
regarding counter-terrorism and anti-money launderingThe Palestinian
economy relies heavily on the banks’ relationships with their Israeli
counterparts to process transactions made in shekels, as the PA does not
have its own currency. Some 53 billion shekels ($14 billion) were
exchanged at Palestinian banks in 2023, according to official data.And
US officials have warned that failure to maintain banking relations
between Israel and the Palestinians would turn the West Bank into a
“cash economy,” which would benefit terrorist organizations in the
territory and make it harder for the already-weakened PA to fight such
groups.The Treasury Department noted in a readout on a rare phone call
held earlier Monday between US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo
and PA Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa that the PA has met both of the
requirements laid out by Israel.Adeyemo noted the PA’s progress,
including completing key milestones for assessing risks within its
jurisdiction and bolstering effective compliance with international
standards, the US readout said.“They discussed the importance of the
correspondent banking relationships between Israeli and Palestinian
banks to the security and economic stability of the region,” the readout
noted.Adeyemo “stressed the importance of preventing terrorists and
violent extremists” from raising, using, and moving funds in the West
Bank, the Treasury readout added, apparently referring to US sanctions
against settler extremists.Ahead of the last waiver extension, Smotrich,
the far-right leader of the pro-settlement Religious Zionism party,
only agreed to extend the deal for four months, instead of the customary
one year.And that only happened after significant prodding from
Washington and an apparent quid pro quo agreement that saw Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government legalize five wildcat outposts
in the West Bank, advance plans for thousands of new settlement homes,
and approve a series of punitive measures against the PA.As the new
deadline approaches, US officials have expressed concern that Smotrich
will try to find new reasons to justify punitive measures against the
PA.The US has considered sanctioning Smotrich over his policies but has
held off on the drastic step.Reuters contributed to this report.Senior
cabinet ministers, as well as members of Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s Likud party, called at a Monday event for the
reestablishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza, while others urged the
encouragement of Palestinian emigration from the war-ravaged
territory.Speaking at the large ultranationalist conference on the Gaza
border, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said that
“encouraging emigration” of Palestinian residents of the territory was
the best and “most ethical” solution to the conflict.Likud members made
similar comments, with Social Equality and Advancement of the Status of
Women Minister May Golan declaring at the conference that “taking
territory” from Arabs is what “hurts them most,” and that settlements in
Gaza would bolster Israel’s security.Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich,
who also attended the conference, endorsed the idea of rebuilding
settlements in Gaza, stating on his way to the event that the Strip was
“part of the Land of Israel” and that “without settlements, there is no
security.”Numerous other government ministers and coalition MKs attended
the event, including Negev and Galilee Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf of
Ben Gvir’s ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit party, along with Likud MKs
Avichay Buaron, Tali Gotliv and Ariel Kallner.Earlier, veteran settler
leader Daniella Weiss, whose settlement movement organized the
conference, declared that Gazans had “lost their right” to live in the
territory in the wake of the October 7 massacre and would not remain
there.A group of several dozen anti-government protesters, including
residents of Gaza border communities, demonstrated outside the
designated area for the conference, and decried the staging of the event
in the area when hostages, including residents of the area, were still
being held hostage by Hamas.Police prevented the protesters from
entering the conference area itself.The event, dubbed the “Preparing to
Settle Gaza” conference, was organized by the Nachala organization,
which has for years promoted the establishment of settlements in the
West Bank and is now advocating similar policies for Gaza.The conference
sported the characteristic vim and ardor of the settler community, with
musicians such as Aharon Razel providing the soundtrack to some zestful
dancing in between political speeches.The event was attended
overwhelmingly by members of the religious-Zionist community, many of
whom came from West Bank settlements for the day. Some set up sukkahs,
the temporary huts built for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, on Sunday
night and slept at the site ahead of the conference.Workshops were put
on by settler activists associated with Nachala to provide instructions
on how to build new settlements from scratch, as Nachala has done on
several occasions, most notably establishing the illegal outpost of
Evyatar in the northern West Bank, which was recently legalized by the
government.Along with Nachala, the ultranationalist Religious Zionism
and Otzma Yehudit parties also participated in organizing the
conference, while the Likud party sent a delegation of some 10 MKs to
attend the event.It was the second such conference to be held this year,
after a similar event staged by Nachala in Jerusalem in January led to
international condemnation.“If we want to, we can renew settlement in
Gaza,” Ben Gvir said in a brief but central speech from the podium at
the conference, held opposite the Netzarim Corridor, which dissects
central Gaza.“We can [also] do something else — encourage emigration.
The truth is, this is the most ethical and the most correct solution,”
he added, while adding that this should not be done “by force” and that
Gazans should be told Israel is “giving them the option” of going to
other countries.“The Land of Israel is ours,” he declared.Writing on X
on his way to the conference, Smotrich said that territory relinquished
by Israel in the past had turned into “Iranian forward terror bases,”
and endangered the country.“Today’s conference is part of a public
process of advocacy and meant to harness [the public], and is intended
to promote a practical process of pioneering, Zionist settlement,” he
wrote.He noted, however, that the national debate on rebuilding
settlements in Gaza was relevant “for the day after the war,” which
would be decided “in the normal democratic ways.”Earlier in the day,
Nachala leader Weiss went even further, essentially calling for the
ethnic cleansing of Gaza by proclaiming that the Palestinian population
had “lost their right” to live there.“Wars bring about the terrible
issue of refugees. October 7 changed history, as a result of the brutal
massacre Gazan Arabs lost their right to be here; they will not stay
here, they will go to different countries, we will convince the world,”
declared Weiss, a veteran campaigner for the construction of Jewish
settlements in the West Bank and Gaza.“We came here to settle the entire
Gaza Strip, from north to south, not just part of it,” she added in
reference to the purpose of the conference itself.Weiss said that
Nachala had set up six “settlement groups” comprising a total of 700
families “who are ready right now” to establish new settlements in Gaza,
should the opportunity arise.In a rambling speech assailing the media,
progressives and other perceived opponents of the political right, Likud
minister Golan declared that “taking territory from them is what hurts
them most,” and insisted that “settlements in Judea and Samaria [the
West Bank] brought security” to Israel.Speaking after her, hardline
Likud MK Kallner declared that “settlements are total victory,” adding,
“What they see as Dar Islam [the House of Islam] will become Dar Yahud
[the House of Jews],” and insisting like Golan that settlements would
improve security.The theme of settlements providing Israel with greater
security was widely voiced at the conference, and repeated by Haim
Waltzer, a current resident of the recently legalized West Bank outpost
of Evyatar and former resident of the Gush Katif settlements in Gaza,
which were evacuated in 2005 under the Gaza Disengagement plan.“Settling
the land is my life’s mission. The real reason is that God commanded us
[to settle the land] when he gave us the land 3,000 years ago as is
written in the Bible,” said Waltzer.“Another reason why we want to
settle Gaza is because I believe that this is the only thing that will
bring peace,” he said.“We are a nation of peace, we only want peace. But
I don’t think we have a partner for peace. The only way there will be
quiet in Tel Aviv is if we settle Gaza — that is the only way they will
feel defeated. The only thing they care about is land. [Taking it away]
and settling there is the only thing that will make them feel that we
have won and they have been defeated. ”Asked who should govern the
Palestinian population of Gaza if Israel resettled the territory and
annexed it as the ultranationalist parties seek, Waltzer endorsed Ben
Gvir’s policy of “encouraging emigration.”Oved Hugi, the head of the
Likud’s Yad Eliyahu branch in Tel Aviv and one of the few not overtly
religious participants in the conference, echoed Golan and Kallner in
asserting that only stripping away Gazan territory from the Palestinians
would serve as a sufficient deterrent from continuing the conflict with
Israel.Hugi advocated for lopping off northern Gaza from the coastal
territory and allocating its land to the kibbutzim and other Israeli
communities of the Gaza border region, for settlement and development,
as well as maintaining Israeli control over the Philadelphi Corridor on
the Gaza-Egypt border to prevent Hamas from rearming.“The Arabs must
lose territory in the war, so that they remember that they lost. For an
act like this [the October 7 massacre], they must get the punishment of
losing territory,” he said in the Likud sukkah set up at the event.
Around
200 rockets fired at Israel Sunday-Blasts rock Beirut as Israeli
sorties target financial group helping fund Hezbollah-Lebanese civilians
in Hezbollah strongholds told to seek shelter as Israel strikes Al-Qard
Al-Hassan, an unlicensed bank accused of helping terror group move
money-By Emanuel Fabian,ToI Staff and Agencies 21 October 2024, 5:11 am
Israeli
airstrikes targeted branches of an association accused of financing the
Hezbollah terror group late Sunday and early Monday, as Israel appeared
to expand its campaign against the Iran-backed group and degrade its
ability to fund operations.At least 11 strikes were reported in Beirut’s
southern suburbs, with more attacks tallied in southern Lebanon and the
northeastern Beqaa Valley region, all Hezbollah strongholds, as
panicked civilians tried to reach shelterMost of the strikes targeted
branches of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, an unlicensed gray-market bank seen as
one of the group’s main sources of cash.The IDF said Monday morning that
its fighter jets hit “dozens of Hezbollah facilities and sites”
overnight used to finance its activities in Beirut, southern Lebanon,
and “deep within Lebanese territory.”The funds were “stored by the
Al-Qard al-Hassan Association,” the military said, which holds billions
of dollars for Hezbollah. The IDF said that ahead of the strikes,
“numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians,
including advance warnings issued via different platforms to the
civilian population in the area.”Israel announced Sunday evening that it
was launching a campaign against Hezbollah’s funding networks, warning
civilians to get away from any Al-Qard Al-Hassan facility.“We will
strike many sites in the coming hours, and more sites overnight. In the
coming days, we will reveal how Iran finances Hezbollah’s terror
activity using civilian institutions and associations as a cover,” IDF
Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Sunday night, shortly before the
sorties began.The Israeli military also apologized on Monday for killing
three Lebanese soldiers in south Lebanon a day earlier, saying that the
strike was unintentional. The IDF said it struck a truck that had
entered an area where it had previously targeted a Hezbollah truck
transporting a launcher and missiles.The IDF said that soldiers were not
aware that the second truck belonged to the Lebanese army, and that it
is “not operating against the Lebanese Army and apologizes for these
unwanted circumstances.”Hundreds of Beirut residents fled their homes as
explosions echoed across the Lebanese capital, including near Beirut’s
international airport, which sits adjacent to the southern Beirut suburb
known as Dahiyeh where Hezbollah is largely based.Reuters witnesses saw
dense plumes of black smoke billowing in the air after at least 10
blasts. They said a building located in Beirut’s Chiyah neighborhood was
reduced to rubble and the few people in the area had fled ahead of the
explosion, resulting in no casualties.An unverified video online
appeared to show a multi-story building collapse following a strike on
it.– BREAKING – Israeli IAF air strike on a High-rise building in the
Dahiyeh, Southern suburbs of BeirutThe building was reportedly used by
#Hezbollah affiliated bank "Al-Qard Al-Hassan"The air strike resulted in
the collapse of the building https://t.co/zci62o21vI
pic.twitter.com/B5XAPBbErG— The Global Eye (@TGEThGlobalEye) October 20,
2024-Panicked crowds clogged the streets and caused traffic jams in
some parts of Beirut as they tried to get to neighborhoods thought to be
safer, witnesses said.Al-Qard al-Hassan, which is sanctioned by the US
Treasury Department, has more than 30 branches across Lebanon, including
15 in densely populated parts of central Beirut and its suburbs.There
was no immediate statement from Al-Qard al-Hassan, Hezbollah or the
Lebanese government.Asked by journalists whether the branches could be
considered military targets, a senior Israeli intelligence official
said: “The purpose of this strike is to target Hezbollah’s ability to
function economically, both during the war but also afterward to rebuild
and to rearm… on the day after.”The strikes came after Israel said it
had hit dozens of targets during air raids on Lebanon earlier Sunday, as
Hezbollah claimed numerous rocket strikes over the border and clashes
with Israeli ground troops.Around 200 rockets were fired at Israel
throughout Sunday, causing damage but no casualties, the Israel Defense
Forces said.Israel was also targeted by drones apparently fired from
Iraq on Sunday and early Monday. The IDF said it downed one drone “from
the east” over Syria. A second drone, claimed by Iran-backed militias in
Iraq, was shot down after crossing into Israel and triggering warnings
in a pair of northern Jordan Valley settlements in the West Bank.About
70 projectiles were fired from Lebanon into Israel Sunday within a
matter of minutes, the military said, adding it had intercepted some of
them.In many cases, rocket impacts sparked fires, including a large
blaze near Rosh Pina, in the Safed area.Hezbollah also claimed an attack
against Haifa. AFPTV images showed puffs of smoke in the sky above the
port of Haifa as air defenses intercepted rockets and a siren wailed.The
Israel Fire and Rescue Service reported that fragments from an
interceptor missile fell on a residential building in the western part
of Haifa, causing some damage to the two-story property but no
injuries.In southern Lebanon, the United Nations peacekeeping force,
UNIFIL, said an Israeli “army bulldozer deliberately had demolished an
observation tower and perimeter fence of a UN position.”The Blue Helmets
have repeatedly alleged targeting by Israeli troops, a charge rejected
by Israel, which says the peacekeepers should evacuate to avoid being
caught in the crossfire.In a visit to northern Israel on Sunday, Defense
Minister Yoav Gallant told troops of the IDF’s 98th Division that the
military was stepping up strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, destroying
places the group “planned to use as launch pads for attacks against
Israel.”Earlier Sunday, the Israeli military said it hit the “command
center of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters” and underground weapons
facility in south Beirut.The IDF said Sunday its strikes in southern
Lebanon killed more than 65 Hezbollah operatives, including a number of
prominent figures.On Saturday night the military had similarly reported
striking weapons stores and a “Hezbollah intelligence headquarters” in
the area.Hezbollah meanwhile claimed it had downed an Israeli Hermes 450
drone Sunday, without saying where. There was no comment from the
IDF.After suffering nearly a year of cross-border attacks, Israel
launched a major offensive against Hezbollah in September with
catastrophic consequences for the group, decimating its leadership and
crippling much of its capabilities.The offensive is aimed at creating
conditions that will allow tens of thousands of residents of northern
Israel to safely return home, after Hezbollah began launching
cross-border attacks on October 8, 2023 in support of the Gaza-based
Hamas terror group.The attacks on northern Israel over the last year
have resulted in the deaths of 29 civilians. In addition, 43 IDF
soldiers and reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes and in the
ensuing ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late
September.Two soldiers have been killed in a drone attack from Iraq, and
there have also been several attacks from Syria, without any
injuries.Since its beginning last month, the Israel-Hezbollah war has
killed at least 1,470 people in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally of
Lebanese health ministry figures. Many of them are thought to be
Hezbollah operatives.Hezbollah has named 516 members who have been
killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but
some also in Syria. Another 94 operatives from other terror groups, a
Lebanese soldier, and hundreds of civilians have also been killed.These
numbers have not been consistently updated since Israel began the
campaign in September, but the IDF estimates that more than 1,500
Hezbollah operatives have been killed in the conflict.Agencies
contributed to this report.
Explainer-Lebanon’s Al-Qard
Al-Hassan: US-sanctioned Hezbollah cash source-The financial institution
is the latest target of IDF airstrikes as Israel seeks to degrade the
terror group’s ability to fund its war on the Jewish state-By Reuters
and ToI Staff 21 October 2024, 3:57 pm
Israeli airstrikes
targeted branches of an association accused of financing the Hezbollah
terror group late Sunday and early Monday, as Israel appeared to expand
its campaign against the Iran-backed group in an effort to degrade its
ability to fund operations.At least 11 strikes were reported in Beirut’s
southern suburbs, with more attacks in southern Lebanon and the
northeastern Beqaa Valley region, all Hezbollah strongholds, as panicked
civilians tried to reach shelter.Most of the strikes targeted branches
of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, seen as one of the group’s main sources of
cash.Here are some details about Al-Qard Al-Hassan (AQAH):– Founded in
1983, Al-Qard Al-Hassan describes itself as a charitable organization,
which provides loans to people according to Islamic principles that
forbid interest. It has more than 30 branches across Lebanon, including
15 in densely populated parts of central Beirut and its suburbs. It
operates under a license granted by the Lebanese government.– Many
people from Hezbollah’s Shiite constituency have borrowed from Al-Qard
Al-Hassan, taking hard currency loans against the value of jewelry — for
example — repayable over several years on flexible terms. Its role
expanded as Lebanon sank into a deep financial crisis beginning in 2019,
freezing ordinary Lebanese out of their savings. Hezbollah encouraged
Lebanese from all sects and political factions to use AQAH.– The United
States Department of the Treasury, which sanctioned AQAH in 2007, has
said that Hezbollah uses Al-Qard Al-Hassan as a cover to manage
“financial activities and gain access to the international financial
system.” “While AQAH purports to serve the Lebanese people, in practice
it illicitly moves funds through shell accounts and facilitators,
exposing Lebanese financial institutions to possible sanctions,” it said
in a later statement sanctioning individuals linked to it in 2021.–
Hezbollah’s slain terror chief Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an
Israeli airstrike on September 27, spoke about AQAH many times. In 2020,
after Al-Qard Al-Hassan was hacked and names of its clients were
published, Nasrallah said the aim was to scare away its users in a bid
to make the institution collapse. He urged Hezbollah supporters to
respond by depositing any funds they had at home with Al-Qard Al-Hassan.
He described it as an organization supported and protected by
Hezbollah. – Al-Qard Al-Hassan is estimated to have hundreds of
thousands of clients, according to two regional financial sources.
Report:
Sinwar was offered a chance to leave Gaza for Egypt during war, but
refused-In talks for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Arab
mediators made the proposal to now-slain terror chief, who rejected the
idea, Wall Street Journal says-By ToI Staff 21 October 2024, 1:02 pm
Hamas
leader Yahya Sinwar, killed by IDF troops last week, was at one stage
offered the chance to leave the Gaza Strip in exchange for allowing
Egypt to negotiate on the terror group’s behalf for a hostage deal, the
Wall Street Journal reported Monday.“I’m not under siege, I’m on
Palestinian soil,” Sinwar reportedly told Arab mediators in response to
the proposal, soon after the start of the war sparked by the October 7,
2023, massacre, which he orchestrated.According to the report, as the
war went on, Sinwar accepted that he was likely to be killed and
according to mediators, suggested that the terror group choose a
leadership council to govern and manage the transition after his
death.According to the report, based on interviews with Israeli, US,
Hamas and Arab officials, Siwnar repeatedly told Hamas negotiators in
Qatar to not agree to a ceasefire deal, saying in one message that high
civilian deaths in Gaza would put international pressure on Israel.
Sinwar was said to be holding out in the hope that the fighting in Gaza
would trigger a regional war against Israel.As Israel closed in on
Sinwar, destroying the Gaza tunnel infrastructure where he was hiding,
he was forced to spend more time on the surface, which increased the
chances of him being killed.In a message to prepare for his possible
death, Sinwar warned that Israel would offer concessions if he was
killed but that Hamas should not give in.The report said that under a
previous government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, attempts were
made to kill Sinwar and his military chief Muhammad Deif, but Israeli
officials believed that the terror leaders were deterred. Netanyahu’s
successor (and predecessor) Naftali Bennett proposed assassinating
Sinwar on at least two occasions before his government collapsed,
according to the report.Sinwar, who was seen as a major obstacle to a
hostage deal, was killed last Wednesday in an encounter with IDF troops
operating in southern Gaza’s Rafah. Israel says Deif was assassinated in
July.Sinwar’s death has sparked hopes of a renewed opportunity to
revitalize the long-stalled negotiations for the release of the 101
remaining hostages held by Hamas and for an end to the fighting between
Israel and the Palestinian terror group that has reduced much of the
enclave to rubble over the past 12 months.Officials in Egypt are hoping
that Sinwar’s death will provide new impetus to stalled negotiations for
a ceasefire, including changing Israel’s “uncompromising position” on
Gaza after the war ends, the Saudi-based Al-Arabiya network reported
Monday.US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is due to visit Israel on
Tuesday and then Egypt the day after. Al-Arabiya reported that talks in
Cairo will focus on establishing an international force to oversee the
administration of Gaza and the strategic border between the enclave and
Egypt, the so-called Philadelphi Corridor. Israel has insisted on
maintaining some control over the corridor, saying it needs to prevent
weapons smuggling into Gaza.On Sunday, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar
reportedly visited Cairo to discuss the attempted revival of hostage
deal negotiations.An Israeli official told The Times of Israel that
Netanyahu was looking for an opportunity to wrap up the war with a
hostage deal, as the relatives of many of the hostages have urged him to
do.Channel 12 reported that Israel had indicated to the US in recent
days that it was ready to make concessions in some areas that previously
were not considered up for debate.The report did not elaborate on what
the concessions could entail.The US, too, has voiced optimism that
Sinwar’s death could present a new opportunity for a hostage release and
ceasefire deal. But reports on Sunday indicated that in private,
officials are doubtful.It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages
abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of
at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.Hamas is also holding two Israeli
civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies
of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.Ongoing attempts since then
to broker a deal for the release of the remaining hostages still held
captive by Hamas have repeatedly failed, as Israel and the terror group
accuse each other of sabotaging negotiations.
US defense chief
says THAAD missile defense battery is now ‘in place’ in Israel-Visiting
Ukraine, Lloyd Austin says Washington is working ‘to dial down the
tensions’ between Tehran and Jerusalem, declines to say if anti-missile
system is fully operational-By Agencies and ToI Staff 21 October 2024,
9:48 am
The US military has rushed its advanced anti-missile
system to Israel and it is now “in place,” Defense Secretary Lloyd
Austin said Monday.THAAD, or the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense
system, is a critical part of the US military’s layered air defense
systems and adds to Israel’s already formidable anti-missile
defenses.“The THAAD system is in place,” Austin said, speaking to
reporters before he arrived in Ukraine on Monday.He declined to say
whether it was operational, but added: “We have the ability to put it
into operation very quickly and we’re on pace with our expectations.”The
missile defense battery was sent by the US military to protect Israel
in case of an Iranian reaction to an expected Israeli reprisal attack
following Tehran firing 200 ballistic missiles at Israel earlier this
month.Austin told reporters on Monday that “it’s hard to say exactly
what [Israel’s] strike will look like.”“At the end of the day, that’s an
Israeli decision, and whether or not the Israelis believe it’s
proportional and how the Iranians perceive it, I mean those may be two
different things,” Austin added.“We’re going to do — continue to do —
everything we can… to dial down the tensions and hopefully get both
parties to begin to deescalate. So, we’ll see what happens,” he
added.Austin’s comments came a day after two reports indicated that the
THAAD system was already operational on the ground in Israel.The Kan
public broadcaster reported Sunday evening that the missile defense
battery had begun operations in Israel, citing two Israeli sources,
while the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya outlet quoted sources saying that three
batteries were functioning.Around 100 US troops were expected to be
deployed to operate the system, which is considered a complementary
system to the Patriot system but can defend a wider area, capable of
hitting targets at ranges of 150-200 kilometers (93-124 miles).The
Pentagon said last Tuesday that an advance team of US military personnel
and initial components necessary to operate the system had arrived in
Israel a day earlier.Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder said at the time
that additional US military personnel and THAAD battery components would
continue to arrive in Israel over the coming days.Ryder added that the
air defense battery would be fully operational and capable in the near
future, but the exact timeline would not be announced due to security
concerns.“The deployment of the THAAD battery to Israel underscores the
United States’ commitment to the defense of Israel and to defend
Americans in Israel from any ballistic missile attacks by Iran,” Ryder
said last week.Iran has been bracing for retaliation after its October 1
attack on Israel that included firing some 200 ballistic missiles —
which it said came in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon last month
that killed the top leadership of the Hezbollah terror group, an Iranian
proxy, and a July blast in Tehran that killed Hamas politburo head,
Ismail Haniyeh.The deployment of the US system in Israel, including US
personnel on the ground, deepens the United States’ involvement in the
conflict after a year of it largely offering support from outside the
country’s borders.US ships and warplanes have helped defend Israel from
the Iranian attacks, but the deployment of the battery puts US troops —
as well as the system itself — on the ground in Israel and more directly
in harm’s way.The THAAD system — developed in the 1990s, with the first
battery activated in 2008 — is operated by 95 soldiers and consists of
six truck-mounted launchers with eight interceptors each, a radar, and a
fire control component, according to the US Congressional Research
Service.The Pentagon announcement of its deployment came the same day
that a letter was publicized from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Israeli officials, warning that
Jerusalem has one month to implement significant improvements to the
humanitarian situation in Gaza or jeopardize the continued supply of US
weapons.Over the past week, Israel has said that dozens of aid trucks
have entered Gaza via Israel. COGAT, the Defense Ministry body in charge
of overseeing such aid, said Monday that 114 aid trucks entered Gaza
via the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings a day earlier, and that
approximately 600 trucks worth of aid are waiting for collection on the
Gaza side.Jacob Magid contributed to this report.
US House
speaker confirms probe into intelligence leak on Israel’s Iran attack
plans-Mike Johnson expects update as to how classified reports were
published on social media; Pentagon says looking into reported
disclosure of information-By Reuters and ToI Staff 20 October 2024, 7:33
pm
The United States is investigating the leak of a pair of
highly classified intelligence documents describing Israel’s
preparations for a retaliatory strike on Iran, House Speaker Mike
Johnson said on Sunday.The documents appear to have been prepared by the
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, describing US interpretations
of Israeli Air Force and Navy planning based on satellite imagery from
October 15-16.They began circulating last week on the Telegram messaging
app. Israel has been planning a response to a ballistic missile barrage
carried out by Iran on October 1, its second direct attack on Israel in
six months.Asked about the leak of the documents during an interview
with CNN, Johnson, the US House of Representatives’ top lawmaker, said
an “investigation (is) underway and I’ll get a briefing on that in a
couple of hours.”“…We are following it closely,” Johnson added.The
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Director
of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to requests for
comment. The Pentagon said it was looking into the leak reports.My
Colleague, Middle East Spectator, has leaked some documents relating to
an NGIA analysis done by the Pentagon in recent activities in Israel
relating to a response against Iran.The documents are probably real.
https://t.co/vkACSN1Lo5 pic.twitter.com/5qIllcvDtL— MedManOG (@MedManOG)
October 17, 2024-A senior Israeli official told the Axios news site
that the defense establishment was taking the leak very seriously. A US
official said that the alleged leak, while extremely concerning, would
not impact plans for an attack against Iran.The New York Times reported
that officials acknowledged privately that the documents were authentic,
but that they likely only represent a portion of information the US has
on its close ally’s plans.The two files were published by a pro-Iran
Telegram account, the “Middle East Spectator,” which claimed they were
sent by a source in the Pentagon and detailed US observations of
measures taken by the Israeli Air Force on October 15-16, in the lead-up
to an attack.The first document is titled: “Israel: Air Force Continues
Preparations for Strike on Iran and Conducts a Second Large-Force
Employment Exercise.” It describes activities including ballistic and
air-to-surface missile handling.The second is titled: “Israel: Defense
Forces Continue Key Munitions Preparations and Covert UAV Activity
Almost Certainly for a Strike on Iran.” UAVs are also known as
drones.The documents noted observing IAF exercises using air-launched
ballistic missiles (ALBMs), air-to-surface ballistic missiles, fighter
jets, UAVs, and refueling tankers previously used during Israeli strikes
on Houthi sites in Yemen.According to the documents, the IAF has
handled at least 16 Golden Horizon ALBMs and 40 IS02 (ROCKS) ALBMs since
October 8.The Islamic Republic has been bracing for an Israeli reprisal
after its latest direct attack on Israel, in which it fired 200
ballistic missiles that sent most of Israel to bomb shelters on October
1, killed a Palestinian man in the West Bank, and caused minor damage in
residential areas and at military bases. Iran said the missile assault
came in response to strikes in Lebanon that killed the top leadership of
the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group and a July blast in Tehran that
killed Hamas politburo head Ismail Haniyeh.Washington has sought to
temper Jerusalem’s plans to retaliate for the October 1 attack — which
forced most of the country to rush to bomb shelters and safe rooms and
killed a Palestinian man in the West Bank — fearing that the escalating
tit-for-tats could spark a wider war, drawing in others in the region.It
has urged Israel not to strike Iran’s nuclear or oil facilities.The
attack caused damage in Israel, including in Israeli airbases, though
the military has said that no aircraft or critical infrastructure were
hit, and the IAF is operating at full capacity.Channel 12 news on
Saturday evening quoted an unnamed Israeli source as saying Israel hopes
that a drone attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private home
in Caesarea earlier in the day would give Israel “greater legitimacy
for a wider range of targets” in Iran if necessary.Netanyahu said the
drone attack represented an attempted assassination and blamed it on
“the agents of Iran.”US President Joe Biden, responding to questions
from reporters, said last week he had a good understanding of when and
how Israel would attack Iran. But he also said he sees an opportunity to
end the two enemies’ back-and-forth strikes.
Iran complains to
UN watchdog, alleging Israeli threats to hit its nuclear sites-In letter
to International Atomic Energy Agency, foreign ministry argues striking
such facilities is against global body’s resolutions and should be
condemned-By Reuters and ToI Staff 21 October 2024, 3:39 pm
Iran
has written to the UN nuclear watchdog to raise its concerns about a
potential Israeli attack on its nuclear sites, foreign ministry
spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday at a weekly news
conference.Israel has vowed to attack Iran after Tehran fired some 200
ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1, leading to speculation that
Iran’s nuclear sites could be among Israel’s potential targets.“Threats
to attack nuclear sites are against UN resolutions…. and are condemned…
we have sent a letter about it to… the UN nuclear watchdog,” Baghaei
said in the televised news conference.Separately, Baghaei said Iranian
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Bahrain and Kuwait.Israel
has promised a “serious and significant” but has not openly listed any
targets. Jerusalem has for years vowed that it would not allow Iran to
obtain nuclear weapons and has reportedly readied the use of military
force for that objective if Iran moves toward acquiring such
weapons.With an Israeli response expected, there has been speculation it
may be mulling attacks on Iranian oil infrastructure or nuclear
sites.Iran insists its nuclear program is strictly peaceful but has
accelerated its enrichment of uranium to up to 60 percent fissile
purity, close to 90% of weapons-grade, a level of purity experts say has
no practical use except to make a bomb.US President Joe Biden has
publicly spoken out against Israel targeting Iran’s nuclear sites or oil
infrastructure. The US said it opposes both actions for their potential
to escalate the fighting, including Iranian reprisals aimed at civilian
infrastructure in Israel or other regional states aligned with the
West.Republican US presidential candidate former president Donald Trump
and former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett have both said Israel
should bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities.Iran launched its October missile
attack to retaliate against Israeli strikes targeting its allies terror
groups Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza amid an ongoing war
against both that was triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on
Israel. It was the second direct Iranian attack on Israel this year;
Israel responded to the first missile volley in April with an airstrike
on an air defense site in central Iran that was reportedly guarding a
nuclear facility.Iran has repeatedly said it would give a forceful
response if Israel attacks nuclear or oil sites, calling them a “red
line.”A Hezbollah drone attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
residence in the coastal city of Caesarea over the weekend saw Israel
further ratchet up its vengeful rhetoric against Iran, which tried to
distance itself from the incident. The premier and his wife were not
home at the time of the attack.Washington has sought to temper
Jerusalem’s plans to retaliate for the October 1 attack — which forced
most of the country to rush to bomb shelters and safe rooms and killed a
Palestinian man in the West Bank — fearing that the escalating
tit-for-tat could spark a wider war drawing in others in the region. The
attack caused damage in Israel, including in Israeli airbases, though
the military has said that no aircraft or critical infrastructure were
hit, and the Israeli Air Force was operating at full capacity.Last week,
the Washington Post reported that Netanyahu had told US President Joe
Biden that Israel’s retaliation against Iran will not include strikes on
non-military sites, such as its nuclear or oil infrastructure.Two
officials familiar with the matter, including one identified as a US
official, pointed to Netanyahu’s softening stance as a key factor in the
US decision to send an advanced anti-ballistic missile air defense
system to Israel. The THAAD system has been activated after equipment
and troops to operate it were airlifted to Israel in recent days.Iran’s
atomic energy agency spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi said last Wednesday
that the probability of an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear sites was
“low” but any potential damage would be “quickly compensated,” according
to Nournews.At the same time, Iran’s top diplomat Araghchi warned UN
chief Antonio Guterres that Tehran is ready for a “decisive and
regretful” response if Israel attacks his country.Israel’s response to
Iran’s missile attack is already a “done deal,” an Israeli official told
The Times of Israel on Sunday.Two officials said that the drone attack
on Netanyahu’s home will not impact the scale or timing of the Israeli
attack.Nonetheless, a lengthy security cabinet meeting later that
evening reportedly did not ultimately give Netanyahu and Defense
Minister Yoav Gallant the authority to decide on the timing of a strike
on Iran, as had been expected.As Israel says it is preparing for the
attack, the US is probing the leak of a pair of highly classified
intelligence documents describing Israel’s preparations for a
retaliatory strike on Iran.Those documents mentioned Israeli forces
handling dozens of air-to-surface ballistic missiles that could be used
in a strike.The prospect of an all-out war between Israel and Iran has
placed the region on edge. Iran supports a network of militias across
the Middle East, tightening the belt around Israel, which has for over a
year been locked in battle with Iran-backed terror groups Hamas in Gaza
and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Macron’s office denies ban on Israeli
firms at defense show amounts to boycott-French official says Paris
supports Israel, but can’t allow weapons used in Gaza or Lebanon to be
promoted while president pushes for ceasefire; Israel blasts move as ‘a
disgrace’-By Lazar Berman-21 October 2024, 5:23 pm
Amid anger
over French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to ban Israeli firms
from exhibiting at a major naval arms show, an official in the Élysée
Palace denied on Monday that Israeli companies were being
boycotted.“There was never any intention to prohibit Israeli companies
from participating — allowing access, visiting, holding meetings — in
trade exhibitions in France,” said the French official. “Israeli
companies interested in this will of course be able to enter the
Euronaval exhibition. There is nothing in the French government’s
position that can be interpreted as a boycott of Israeli companies in
Euronaval.”The official asserted that France’s support for Israel and
its right to defend itself “has always been unequivocal and without
exception.”“However,” explained the official, “while French diplomacy is
clearly calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon — the only way to
curb the escalation and achieve peace and stability in the region — it
would be inconsistent to allow any promotion of weapons used in Gaza and
Lebanon, which cause unacceptable damage to the civilian
population.”The official said, “We made it clear to the Israeli
authorities that the participation of the companies setting up booths
must reflect this balance, which is in line with France’s position.
Also, companies whose equipment is not used for offensive operations in
Gaza and Lebanon will of course be able to set up booths at the
exhibition.”Euronaval, the organizer of the November 4-7 event, said in a
statement last week that the French government had informed it that
Israeli delegations were not allowed to exhibit stands or show
equipment, but could attend the trade show. The decision affected seven
firms, it said.Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that his
ministry would take “legal and diplomatic measures” against Macron’s
decision.An Israeli official told The Times of Israel that Jerusalem
will take the issue to French courts, where they will claim illegal
discrimination by Macron, who has grown increasingly critical of
Israel’s offensives in Gaza and Lebanon.Writing on X in French and
Hebrew, Katz said the “anti-democratic” boycott is unacceptable coming
from an ally, and called on France and the West to support Israel, “the
only state on the front lines” against the “Iranian axis of evil and
radical Islam.”Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also ripped into the
decision, writing on X that Macron’s actions were “a disgrace” and that
France had adopted “a hostile policy toward the Jewish people.”France
had previously barred Israeli firms from participating in the Eurosatory
military trade show, which took place in Paris in June, as Macron was
urging a ceasefire in Gaza.The French president has provoked outrage in
Jerusalem over his call for an arms embargo on Israel earlier this
month, saying it was the only way to end the fighting in Gaza and in
Lebanon, a former French colony where Paris still wields great
influence.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had blasted Macron’s
statement, calling it “a disgrace,” and “anti-democratic.”
US
electionsTrump 'hasn't necessarily forgotten disputes' with Netanyahu-If
Trump wins, Israeli officials fear clash over inability to quickly end
Gaza war-Officials point to coalition’s ‘constraints’ on Netanyahu;
opposition MK says it would also be an issue if Harris wins, but PM
‘campaigns’ on standing up to Democrats, not GOP-By Jacob Magid 21
October 2024, 11:50 pm
Two senior Israeli officials have
expressed concern to The Times of Israel over Republican presidential
nominee Donald Trump’s repeated call for Israel to quickly end its war
against Hamas in Gaza, fearing an inability to do so will lead to a
clash if the former president returns to office in January.“There are
internal political constraints to ending the war quickly,” one of the
Israeli officials from the security establishment said on Sunday.While
declining to elaborate, he appeared to refer to the makeup of Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, which includes far-right
elements who have opposed hostage deal proposals conditioned on a
permanent ceasefire in Gaza.There is also near-unanimity within the
Netanyahu government against allowing the Palestinian Authority to play a
role in the governance of Gaza. A second Israeli official said this has
contributed to the war dragging on, as Jerusalem struggles to find a
viable alternative to fill the power vacuum in Gaza, thereby allowing
Hamas to regain its footing in areas where the IDF has left.A lawmaker
from the opposition — also speaking on condition of anonymity —
acknowledged that dragging out the war through the 2025 US presidential
inauguration would sour relations with Vice President Kamala Harris if
she were to win in November.However, “Netanyahu has managed clashes with
Democratic presidents without paying a heavy price. In fact, he
campaigns on his ability to stand up to them,” the lawmaker said.“A
fight with Trump is something he hasn’t really had to deal with, and I
think it’s something he’d want to avoid, but [Finance Minister Bezalel]
Smotrich and [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben Gvir may not let
him,” the MK added, referring to the far-right cabinet ministers whose
support the premier needs to remain in power.Netanyahu and Trump enjoyed
a very warm relationship from 2016 to 2020, when the former president
moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem, pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal,
recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and oversaw the
Abraham Accords.But their ties quickly soured after Netanyahu recognized
Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Trump
went on to describe the Israeli premier as an obstacle to peace with
the Palestinians and repeatedly claimed Netanyahu had backed out of
plans to assist the US in killing top Iranian General Qassem
Soleimani.The two have apparently patched up their differences in the
lead-up to the November 5 presidential election, with Trump hosting
Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago resort in July, and speaking on the phone
several times since then.The opposition lawmaker, who spoke to The Times
of Israel on Monday, said Netanyahu “has a clear preference for Trump
to win the election… But be careful what you wish for.”The MK pointed to
Trump’s close ties with Arab leaders, who have gradually turned away
from Israel as the war in Gaza has dragged on and who have been among
the most vocal advocates for an immediate ceasefire.“I have great
respect for Saudi Arabia and for many of the other rulers over there —
many of the other countries over there,” Trump told the Saudi-run
Al-Arabiya network in an interview over the weekend.Riyadh had been in
talks with the Biden administration about normalizing ties with Israel,
but those negotiations stalled amid the war in Gaza, with Saudi Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman declaring last month that such a deal would
not happen without the establishment of a Palestinian state. The stance
represented a significant hardening of the Gulf kingdom’s condition on
the Palestinian issue, in relation to the less far-reaching measures it
was demanding before the war, US and Arab officials told The Times of
Israel.While the opposition lawmaker suggested that Trump would be more
inclined to heed the advice of his Gulf allies, those were the same
leaders he snubbed in 2017 when he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s
capital.The opposition MK noted that Trump will have no more elections
to win and asserted that the Republican nominee has not necessarily put
his disagreements with Netanyahu behind him.
IAF said to drill
ballistic missiles, UAVs, refueling tanker-Biden ‘deeply concerned’
about Pentagon leak of Israel’s Iran attack preparation plans-US
investigating publication of classified docs showing Israeli Air Force,
Navy planning based on satellite imagery from Oct. 15-16; Israel
reportedly taking issue ‘very seriously’By Jacob Magid,ToI Staff and
Agencies 21 October 2024, 10:41 pm
US President Joe Biden is
“deeply concerned” about the release of classified documents on Israel’s
preparation for a potential retaliatory attack on Iran, White House
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday.Officials in
Washington confirmed on Saturday that the administration was
investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents that
assess Israel’s plans to attack Iran, after Tehran fired some 200
ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1.Kirby said the US was still
not sure how Pentagon documents detailing US interpretations of Israeli
Air Force and Navy planning based on satellite imagery from October
15-16 managed to be leaked into the public domain.“You can rest assured
that [Biden] will be actively monitoring the progress of the
investigative effort to figure out how this happened,” he added.He said
the US hadn’t received any indication that additional classified
documents would be leaked and has been in communication with Israel on
the matter.“We’re deeply concerned and the president remains deeply
concerned about any leakage of classified information into the public
domain. That is not supposed to happen and it’s unacceptable when it
does,” Kirby said.Asked about the leak of the documents during an
interview with CNN, House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday that an
“investigation [is] underway and I’ll get a briefing on that in a couple
of hours.”“We are following it closely,” Johnson added.A senior Israeli
official told the Axios news site that the defense establishment was
taking the leak very seriously. A US official said that the alleged
leak, while extremely concerning, wouldn’t impact plans for an attack
against Iran.The two files were published by a pro-Iran Telegram
account, “Middle East Spectator,” which claimed they were sent by a
source in the Pentagon and detailed US observations of measures taken by
the Israeli Air Force on October 15-16 in the lead-up to an attack.My
Colleague, Middle East Spectator, has leaked some documents relating to
an NGIA analysis done by the Pentagon in recent activities in Israel
relating to a response against Iran.The documents are probably real.
https://t.co/vkACSN1Lo5 pic.twitter.com/5qIllcvDtL— MedManOG (@MedManOG)
October 17, 2024-The first document is titled: “Israel: Air Force
Continues Preparations for Strike on Iran and Conducts a Second
Large-Force Employment Exercise.” It describes activities including
ballistic and air-to-surface missile handling.The second is titled:
“Israel: Defense Forces Continue Key Munitions Preparations and Covert
UAV Activity Almost Certainly for a Strike on Iran.”The documents have
not been authenticated by news outlets, and the Pentagon and the US
Office of the Director of National Intelligence have not officially
commented on the alleged leak.The documents appear to have been prepared
by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), describing US
interpretations of Israeli Air Force and Navy planning based on
satellite imagery from October 15-16.The documents, allegedly showing a
visual intelligence report by the NGA, noted observing IAF exercises
using air-launched ballistic missiles (ALBMs), air-to-surface ballistic
missiles, fighter jets, UAVs, and refueling tankers previously used
during Israeli strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen.According to the
documents, the IAF has handled at least 16 “Golden Horizon” ALBMs and 40
IS02 (Rocks) ALBMs since October 8.Iran has said that its October 1
missile assault on Israel came in response to strikes in Lebanon that
killed the top leadership of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group and a
July blast in Tehran that killed Hamas politburo head Ismail
Haniyeh.Washington has sought to temper Jerusalem’s plans to retaliate
for the October 1 attack — which forced most of the country to rush to
bomb shelters and safe rooms and killed a Palestinian man in the West
Bank — fearing that the escalating tit-for-tats could spark a wider war,
drawing in others in the region.The attack caused damage in Israel,
including in Israeli airbases, though the military has said that no
aircraft or critical infrastructure were hit, and the IAF is operating
at full capacity.The US has urged Israel not to strike Iran’s nuclear or
oil facilities in retaliation for the October 1 attack.On Monday,
Tehran wrote to the UN nuclear watchdog to raise its concerns about a
potential Israeli attack on its nuclear sites, foreign ministry
spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said at a weekly news conference.“Threats
to attack nuclear sites are against UN resolutions… and are condemned…
we have sent a letter about it to… the UN nuclear watchdog,” Baghaei
said in the televised news conference.Channel 12 news on Saturday
evening quoted an unnamed Israeli source as saying Israel hopes that a
drone attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private home in
Caesarea earlier in the day would give Israel “greater legitimacy for a
wider range of targets” in Iran if necessary.Netanyahu said the drone
attack represented an attempted assassination and blamed it on “the
agents of Iran.”
IDF says it killed top Hezbollah money man in
Syria strike-Ben Gurion briefly halts takeoffs as drones downed over
sea; rocket lands near Tel Aviv-Airport quickly returns to normal
operations; Hezbollah fires over 100 rockets at north; US envoy tells
Lebanese officials in Beirut conflict has ‘escalated out of control’By
Emanuel Fabian,Agencies and ToI Staff 21 October 2024, 8:38 pmUpdated at
9:25 pm
The Israel Aviation Authority briefly halted and then
resumed takeoffs at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on Monday evening,
amid an apparent escalation in Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah in
Lebanon and ahead of an expected retaliation for Iran’s ballistic
missile attack earlier this month.The IAA announced a short while after
takeoffs were halted that the airport was operating normally, without
giving a reason for the pause, and the Israel Defense Forces said that
the security incident had been cleared.In the same statement, the IDF
said that helicopters and fighter jets intercepted and shot down five
drones over the Mediterranean Sea, before they entered Israeli
airspace.A short while later, the IDF said that a loud explosion heard
in Tel Aviv and the Sharon region was caused by a rocket fired from
Lebanon that landed in an open area. Hebrew media reported that it
landed in the sea.Sirens did not sound in accordance with the policy
that warnings are only issued if the rocket is deemed to pose a threat,
the military said.Later on Monday evening, IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm.
Daniel Hagari confirmed that Israel carried out an airstrike in Syria
earlier in the day, targeting the head of Hezbollah’s financial arm
responsible for funneling cash from Iran to its proxy, in one of a
series of IDF strikes carried out in recent days against the terror
group’s financial network.The IDF spokesperson did not name the
Hezbollah official but said he had only been in the position a few weeks
since his predecessor was killed.Syrian state media said a car exploded
in the Mazzeh district of Damascus, which is home to embassies, UN
offices and security headquarters, killing two people.The official SANA
news agency reported “a car explosion in one of the neighborhoods” of
Mazzeh, where an AFP correspondent said a hotel was damaged and vehicles
torched following the blast near Syria’s Information Ministry.Since the
beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Israel — which rarely
comments on individual strikes in Syria — is believed to have carried
out hundreds of strikes, mainly targeting army positions and Iran-backed
fighters including from Hezbollah.Since Hamas’s October 7 massacre last
year, Israel has escalated its strikes on Iranian-backed terror targets
in Syria and has also struck Syrian army air defenses and some Syrian
forces.In the press briefing, Hagari revealed further details on
Hezbollah’s money laundering system and said that Israel would carry out
further strikes in the coming days.The statement came after the IDF
carried out airstrikes late Sunday and early Monday, including in
Dahiyeh, on branches of a Hezbollah-run financial institution that
Israel says is used to fund attacks but where many ordinary people keep
their savings.Lebanese authorities and emergency services were surveying
the damage on Monday after the overnight Israeli strikes hit nearly a
dozen branches of Al-Qard Al-Hassan. The strikes targeted branches in
the southern neighborhoods of Beirut, across southern Lebanon and in the
eastern Beqaa Valley, where Hezbollah has a strong presence. One strike
flattened a nine-story building in Beirut with a branch inside it.
Smoke was still rising from several locations on Monday.The IDF issued
evacuation warnings ahead of the strikes. There were no reports of
casualties.Earlier, Israel reportedly threatened to raze Hezbollah’s
stronghold in Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh district to the ground if the
Iran-backed terror group attempts to target its leaders again.The
Israeli message, which the Saudi Al-Hadath news channel reported was
conveyed to Hezbollah through a third party, came after the terror group
launched a drone at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private
residence in the coastal city of Caesarea on Saturday.A man rides a
moped past the site of an overnight IDF airstrike that targeted a branch
of the Al-Qard Al-Hassan group thatHezbollah continued to fire rockets
at Israel on Monday, with the IDF assessing that over 100 rockets had
been launched at northern communities throughout the day.One person, a
foreign national in his 40s, sustained light injuries when he was hit in
the head by shrapnel in the Ayelet HaShahar area amid a barrage on the
Upper Galilee in the early afternoon. He was evacuated to Ziv Medical
Center in Safed for treatment.The IDF said that it destroyed some 15
short-range Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon that were
aimed at northern Israel on Monday afternoon, including some used in
recent attacks on the Western Galilee, along with buildings used by the
terror group in several areas of southern Lebanon.Meanwhile, US special
envoy Amos Hochstein was in the Lebanese capital on Monday amid efforts
to find a diplomatic solution to the escalating conflict, telling
Lebanese officials that the conflict has “escalated out of
control.”Hochstein said that Lebanon and Israel merely committing to UN
Resolution 1701 would not be enough, and that Washington was working to
devise a formula to end the conflict once and for all.The resolution,
which ended the last round of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in
2006, calls for southern Lebanon to be free of any troops or weapons
other than those of the Lebanese state.The resolution has gone largely
unenforced since it was passed in 2006, allowing Hezbollah to build up a
formidable arms cache and defensive capabilities, with neither UNIFIL
peacekeepers nor the LAF willing to challenge the Iran-backed terror
group.Hochstein said that neither Hezbollah nor Israel had adequately
implemented the resolution and that while it would be the basis for the
end to current hostilities, the US was seeking to determine what more
needed to be done to make sure it was implemented “fairly, accurately
and transparently.”Israel has repeatedly portrayed its offensive in
southern Lebanon as essentially stepping in and doing UNIFIL’s job.After
meeting with Lebanon’s parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah
ally, Hochstein said the US was aiming to end the conflict “as soon as
possible.”The US State Department said on Monday that Secretary of State
Antony Blinken was also departing for the Middle East, as Washington
pushes to kickstart ceasefire negotiations to end the Gaza war following
the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar earlier this month, while aiming
to reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Israel and
Hezbollah.The top diplomat’s trip will start with Israel, the State
Department said, without providing the other exact
destinations.Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and
military posts along the border on a near-daily basis since October 8,
with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war
there.Some 60,000 residents were evacuated from northern towns on the
Lebanon border shortly after October 7, amid fears Hezbollah would carry
out a similar attack, and increasing rocket fire by the terror group.On
Monday, the IDF reported that it had defeated Hezbollah’s forces in
every area that troops have so far operated in southern
Lebanon.According to the military’s latest estimates, more than 1,200
Hezbollah members have been killed amid the ground offensive. In all,
since October 2023, over 2,000 members of the terror group have been
killed, the IDF said.Among the dead Hezbollah members are seven
brigade-level commanders, 21 battalion-level commanders, and two dozen
company commanders, according to the IDF.Amid the ongoing operations,
the military said that it could see Hezbollah struggling to bring in
reinforcements to counter the IDF’s five divisions operating against it
in southern Lebanon, and that the terror group’s offensive capabilities
were seriously affected by the amount of weapons that the army has
seized.In terms of rocket capabilities, the IDF estimated Monday that
Hezbollah maintains about 30 percent of what it initially had before the
war, which is still thousands of rockets.However, due to the
elimination of Hezbollah’s leadership, including numerous field
commanders, the IDF said the terror group was struggling to carry out
the massive rocket fire on Israel that it had initially planned.The IDF
said it still aims to wrap up its operations in southern Lebanon within a
few weeks. Once the threat of a Hezbollah invasion is removed from the
border area, residents of the north will be able to return to their
homes.Also Monday, the IDF apologized for a strike that killed three
Lebanese soldiers in southern Lebanon a day earlier, saying it is not
battling the country’s military and that soldiers believed they were
targeting a vehicle belonging to Hezbollah.The IDF said it struck a
truck that had entered an area where it had previously targeted a
Hezbollah truck transporting a launcher and missiles.IDF troops were not
aware that the second truck belonged to the Lebanese army, the military
said, adding it was “not operating against the Lebanese Army and
apologizes for these unwanted circumstances.”The Lebanese troops were
killed on a road connecting the border village of Ain Ebel to the nearby
town of Hanin. The deaths brought the number of Lebanese troop
casualties to eight since all-out war erupted between Israel and
Hezbollah last month.The attacks on northern Israel since October 2023
have resulted in the deaths of 29 civilians. In addition, 43 IDF
soldiers and reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes and in the
ground operation launched in southern Lebanon.Two soldiers have been
killed in a drone attack from Iraq, and there have also been several
attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Captured Hezbollah
fighters are 'terrified,' Gallant says-IDF hits Hezbollah installations
in Beirut as terrorists fire more than 170 rockets-Three commanders of
the terror group killed in separate strike; Lebanon army says 3 troops
killed in strike on vehicle; rocket attacks cause damage but no injuries
in Israel-By Emanuel Fabian-20 October 2024, 4:43 pm
Israeli
fighter jets struck a command center belonging to Hezbollah’s
intelligence division and an underground weapons manufacturing site in
Beirut on Sunday morning, the Israel Defense Forces said.Before the
strike, the IDF issued evacuation warnings to civilians in the
area.Separate strikes in southern Lebanon targeted and killed three
prominent Hezbollah operatives.The IDF named them as al-Hajj Abbas
Salameh, a senior member of Hezbollah’s Southern Front; Reda Abbas Ouda,
a communications specialist; and Ahmed Ali Hussain, responsible for
weapons manufacturing.The Lebanese army said three soldiers were killed
Sunday in an Israeli strike that “targeted” their vehicle in the
country’s south. It was not immediately clear if that strike was linked
to the ones claimed by Israel.The troops were killed on a road
connecting the border village of Ain Ebel to the nearby town of Hanin,
the army said. The latest deaths bring the number of troop casualties to
eight, since all-out war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah last
month.Meanwhile, Hezbollah launched several volleys of rockets,
including a total of some 170 rockets toward Israel, triggering sirens
in the Western and Upper Galilee regions as well as Haifa and its
environs, the IDF said.Some rockets were shot down, while others
impacted, sparking fires, the military said. Firefighters were deployed
to extinguish the blazes.The Israel Fire and Rescue Service reported
that fragments from an interceptor missile fell on a residential
building in the western part of Haifa, causing some damage to the
two-story property but no injuries.Hezbollah also said it fired “a big
rocket salvo” at an Israeli army base east of Safed, claiming the attack
was “in defense of Lebanon” and “in response to the Israeli enemy’s
attacks on villages and homes.”There were no immediate reports of
injuries in the attacks.In a visit to northern Israel on Sunday, Defense
Minister Yoav Gallant told troops of the IDF’s 98th Division that
Hezbollah operatives captured and interrogated by Israel were
“terrified,” and that the Iran-backed terror group was “collapsing.”“The
prisoners tell us what’s happening, that they’re terrified because they
know that they don’t have what it takes to deal with what’s happening.
Not in terms of strength, combat ability, precision or determination,”
he said. “This whole great formation they call Hezbollah is
collapsing.”The IDF last week published footage of an alleged member of
Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces being interrogated about the terror
group’s plans in southern Lebanon and the current state of its
operations.“We are moving from a situation of defeating the enemy
village by village, to destruction — blowing up the tunnels and the
ammunition depots, and dismantling Hezbollah,” Gallant told troops.“The
result is that in every place that Hezbollah was waiting and preparing
to raid [Israeli] border town, there are IDF soldiers.”He reiterated
that Israel’s goal was to “completely clean this area so that residents
can return to their homes and their lives.”Tens of thousands of
residents of northern Israel have been displaced from their homes for
the last year, after Hezbollah began launching cross-border attacks in
the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror onslaught, saying it was
doing so in support of the Gaza-based terror group.After suffering
nearly a year of cross-border attacks, Israel launched a major offensive
against Hezbollah in September with catastrophic consequences for the
group, decimating its leadership and crippling much of its
capabilities.This month, it launched a ground offensive in southern
Lebanon to dismantle terror infrastructure that threatened communities
near the border.The attacks on northern Israel over the last year have
resulted in the deaths of 29 civilians. In addition, 43 IDF soldiers and
reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes and in the ensuing
ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late September.Two
soldiers have been killed in a drone attack from Iraq, and there have
also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.Hezbollah has
named 516 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing
skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. Another 94
operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of
civilians have also been killed.These numbers have not been consistently
updated since Israel began a new offensive against Hezbollah in
September, but the IDF estimates that more than 1,500 Hezbollah
operatives have been killed in the conflict.Agencies contributed to this
report.
China says reached 'resolution' with India on contested border issues.by AFP Staff Writers.
Beijing
(AFP) Oct 22, 2024-China said Tuesday it had reached a "resolution"
with India over issues related to their disputed border, after New Delhi
said it had struck a deal with Beijing for military patrols along the
frontier.China and India, the world's two most populous nations, are
intense rivals and have regularly accused each other of trying to seize
territory along their unofficial divide, known as the Line of Actual
Control.After a border skirmish in 2020, which killed at least 20 Indian
and four Chinese soldiers, both sides pulled back tens of thousands of
troops and agreed not to send patrols into a narrow strip surrounding
the Line of Actual Control.Beijing's foreign ministry said Tuesday it
had given its "positive approval" to a border deal, confirming a similar
statement by New Delhi on Monday."Recently, China and India have
maintained close communication through diplomatic and military channels
on issues relating to the China-India border," Chinese foreign ministry
spokesman Lin Jian told a regular news briefing."Currently, the two
sides have reached a resolution on the relevant issues. China gives its
positive approval to this," Lin said."In the next stage, we will
properly implement that resolution with the Indian side," he said.On
Monday, India's top foreign ministry bureaucrat Vikram Misri said that
"agreement has been arrived at on patrolling arrangements along the Line
of Actual Control".The deal would lead to "disengagement and eventually
a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020,"
Misri said.India's external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
said disengagement with China was "complete" and that details would come
out in "due course".The understanding "creates a basis for peace and
tranquillity along the border, which were there before 2020," he said at
a conference hosted by Indian broadcaster NDTV.Disputes over the
3,500-kilometre (2,200-mile) frontier are a perennial source of tension
between China and India, major economies vying for strategic influence
across South Asia.China claims all of India's northeastern state of
Arunachal Pradesh, considering it part of Tibet, and the two countries
fought a border war in 1962.- BRICS talks? -The announcements came as
Chinese and Indian leaders prepared to gather in Russia for the opening
of a summit of the BRICS emerging economies.Chinese state media reported
on Tuesday that President Xi Jinping was on his way to the meeting, the
biggest of its kind in Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale
invasion of Ukraine in 2022.Around two dozen world leaders are expected
to join the summit in the city of Kazan, including Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.The border resolution has fed speculation that Xi and
Modi may hold official talks there.Lin, the spokesman for Beijing's
foreign ministry, declined to confirm the mooted discussions at
Tuesday's press conference, saying that China would issue information
"in due course".
Iran says neighbours won't allow use of their 'soil or airspace' for attack.by AFP Staff Writers.
Kuwait
City (AFP) Oct 22, 2024-Iran's neighbours have pledged they will not
allow the use of their "soil or airspace" for any attack, Iranian
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday, as Israel weighs a
retaliation for the Islamic republic's missile strike."All our
neighbours have assured us that they won't allow their soil or airspace
to be used against the Islamic Republic of Iran," Araghchi told a press
conference in Kuwait, weeks after Iran's October 1 missile attack on
Israel.Before Kuwait, Araghchi was in Bahrain on Monday as part of a
regional tour that has also taken him to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman,
Iraq, Egypt and Turkey."We are monitoring closely the movements of
American bases in the region and are aware of all their movements and
flights," Araghchi said, adding: "If Israel attacks Iran in any form,
Iran will respond in the same format."The United States, Israel's
staunch ally, has military resources across the region including in
Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.Araghchi also
repeated Iran's warnings against Israel not to attack its nuclear
facilities."Attacking nuclear sites is a big international crime; even
threatening (to attack) nuclear sites is a crime and against
international rights," he said."To defend ourselves and our nuclear
sites, we have our own tools and methods, and we count on them," the
minister added.
China launches live-fire exercise in Taiwan Strait.by AFP Staff Writers.
Beijing
(AFP) Oct 22, 2024-China's military began a live-fire exercise near
Taiwan on Tuesday, maintaining pressure on the self-ruled island after
staging large-scale drills and President Xi Jinping called for troops to
prepare for war.China's Communist Party has never ruled the island, but
it claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has said it will not
renounce the use of force to bring it under its control.This month it
sent planes and warships around the island in what Beijing said was a
"stern warning to the separatist acts of 'Taiwan Independence'
forces".On Monday, the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) in the
eastern island of Pingtan announced that "gun firing" would take place
in a limited area close to the Chinese mainland, about 105 kilometres
(66 miles) from Taiwan.The MSA said they would start at 9:00 am local
time (0100 GMT) and take place for four hours in an area encompassing
about 150 square kilometres (60 square miles).Pingtan is the closest
point in mainland China to Taiwan's main island.Maritime authorities did
not say which Chinese force would carry out the live firing, or its
objective.In response to the drills, Taiwan's defence ministry said it
was closely monitoring China's "military activities and
intentions".Taipei said the exercises could be part of Beijing's
"tactics to bolster its intimidation in conjunction with the dynamics in
the Taiwan Strait".Premier Cho Jung-tai described them as a "threat
that undermines regional peace and stability".- Passing ships -Over the
weekend, a US and a Canadian warship passed through the 180-kilometre
Taiwan Strait, part of regular passages by Washington and its allies
meant to reinforce its status as an international waterway.Beijing
condemned the passage as disrupting "peace and stability" in the
strait.China sent a record number of military aircraft as well as
warships and coast guard vessels to encircle Taiwan on October 14 in the
fourth round of major drills in just over two years in the area.Taiwan
deployed forces and put outlying islands on heightened alert in response
to the exercises.Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taipei in
recent years, deploying on a near-daily basis warplanes and other
military aircraft as well as ships around the island.Following its
"Joint Sword-2024B" exercises, its army vowed never to renounce the use
of force to retake the island.In a visit to a brigade of the Chinese
military's Rocket Force in the wake of those drills, President Xi urged
them to strengthen their preparedness for war, state media said.
North Korea UN representative denies Pyongyang sent troops to Russia.by AFP Staff Writers.
United
Nations, United States (AFP) Oct 22, 2024-North Korea has not sent
troops to Russia to help Moscow fight Ukraine, one of its United Nations
representatives said Monday, dismissing Seoul's claims as "groundless
rumor".Seoul's spy agency said Friday that Pyongyang sent a
"large-scale" troop deployment to help its ally, claiming that 1,500
special forces were already training in Russia's Far East and ready to
head soon for the frontlines of the Ukraine war."As for the so-called
military cooperation with Russia, my delegation does not feel any need
for comment on such groundless stereotyped rumors," a North Korean
representative said at a committee meeting during the UN General
Assembly.Seoul's claims were "aimed at smearing the image of the DPRK
and undermining the legitimate, friendly and cooperative relations
between two sovereign states," the representative told the meeting, held
late Monday in New York.Pyongyang and Moscow have been allies since
North Korea's founding after World War II, and have drawn even closer
since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Seoul and Washington long
claiming that Kim Jong Un has been sending weapons for use in
Ukraine.North Korean state media have not commented on the purported
troop deployment.Russia has also not confirmed the troop deployment, but
defended its military cooperation with the North.After Seoul summoned
Moscow's ambassador in South Korea to complain, the envoy "stressed that
cooperation between Russia and North Korea... is not directed against
the interests of South Korea's security."Neither NATO nor the United
States have confirmed the deployment, but both have cast it as a
potentially dangerous escalation in the long-running Ukraine
conflict."We have seen reports the DPRK has sent forces and is preparing
to send additional soldiers to Ukraine to fight alongside Russia,"
Robert Wood, US ambassador to the United Nations, told the Security
Council."If true, this marks a dangerous and highly concerning
development and an obvious deepening of the DPRK-Russia military
relationship," Wood said.The United States and its allies have already
voiced concern about North Korea providing weapons to Russia, which
invaded Ukraine in February 2022.- Urge immediate withdrawal -The South
Korean government "strongly condemned" North Korea on Tuesday, urging
North Korean troops to be immediately withdrawn."North Korea, which has
been providing large-scale military weapons to Russia, sending troops to
Russia's illegal war of aggression in Ukraine is a significant security
threat not only to our country but also to the international
community," said the National Security Council.The government "urged the
immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops and declared that if the
current military alliance between North Korea and Russia continues, it
will not stand idly by.""In response to the advancement of military
cooperation between Russia and North Korea following the deployment of
North Korean combat troops, the government will implement phased
countermeasures," it added.On Tuesday also, the South Korean news agency
Yonhap reported that Seoul is considering sending a team of personnel
to Ukraine to monitor North Korean troops being deployed, citing a
government source.According to the source, if deployed the team will
likely consist of military personnel from intelligence divisions to
analyze North Korean battlefield strategies and participate in
interrogating any captured prisoners of war.Yonhap also reported that a
pro-Russia Telegram account posted a photo showing the Russian and North
Korean flags side by side on a Ukrainian battlefield.
India, China and S.Africa leaders bolster Putin at key summit.
Kazan,
Russia, Oct 22 (AFP) Oct 22, 2024-Some of Moscow's key allies rallied
round Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday on the first day of a
major summit that the Kremlin hopes will show Western attempts to
isolate it over the Ukraine offensive have failed.Putin is hosting
around 20 world leaders -- including China's President Xi Jinping,
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan -- for a three-day gathering of the BRICS group in the central
city of Kazan.The Kremlin leader wants to use the forum to challenge the
West and advance his idea of a "multipolar world" as a bulwark against
US "hegemony".The gathering is the largest diplomatic event in Russia
since it sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and comes after Putin
scrapped plans to attend last year's summit in South Africa after the
International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him.In a
series of bilateral talks on Tuesday, including with Xi and Modi, Putin
hailed Moscow's close ties and "strategic partnerships" with its chosen
partners.But concerns over Moscow's Ukraine offensive, grinding through
its third year, still loomed over the event.Modi, who is casting himself
as a possible peacemaker, called for a quick end to the conflict during
televised talks with Putin."We have been in constant touch over the
conflict between Russia and Ukraine," Modi told Putin after the two
shook hands and embraced."We believe that disputes should only be
resolved peacefully. We totally support efforts to quickly restore peace
and stability," the Indian leader added.India has walked a delicate
tightrope since the Ukraine conflict began, pledging humanitarian
support for Kyiv while avoiding explicit condemnation of Moscow's
actions.Modi visited Kyiv in August and Moscow in July in an effort to
encourage talks -- an initiative that appeared to make little
progress.Moscow has steadily advanced on the battlefield in eastern
Ukraine this year as it strengthens ties with the likes of China, Iran
and North Korea.- 'Chaotic world' -Xi, meanwhile, praised China's
"profound" ties with Russia in what he called a "chaotic" world.Ties
have "injected strong impetus into the development, revitalisation and
modernisation of the two countries", Xi said.Putin said he saw relations
between Beijing and China as a foundation of global
"stability.""Russian-Chinese cooperation in world affairs acts as one of
the stabilising factors in the global arena. We intend to further
increase coordination in all multilateral platforms to ensure global
security and a just world order," he told Xi.The two leaders discussed
the conflict in Ukraine behind closed doors, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry
Peskov told state media, while providing no details."There was an
exchange of opinions on Ukraine," the spokesman said."In general, on the
international agenda, there was a significant convergence of
positions," Peskov added.Ukraine has heavily criticised China for
backing Putin, accusing Beijing of supporting and enabling Moscow's
offensive.South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has also urged an
end to the conflict, praised Moscow as a "valued ally" and friend in
his meeting with Putin."We continue to see Russia as a valued ally, as a
valued friend, who supported us right from the beginning: from the days
of our struggle against Apartheid, right through to now," Ramaphosa
said.- 'Geopolitical rival' -The summit is being held amidst tight
security in Kazan.Around 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the Ukraine
border, the surrounding Tatarstan region has been previously targeted in
drone attacks launched by Kyiv.Movement around the city centre is being
limited, residents advised to stay home, and university students moved
out of dormitories, local media reported.Among the topics on the
official agenda will be Putin's idea for a BRICS-led payment system to
rival SWIFT, an international financial network that Russian banks were
cut off from in 2022, as well as the escalating conflict in the Middle
East.Separate talks between Putin and Erdogan as well as Iran's
President Masoud Pezeshkian are planned for Wednesday.UN Secretary
General Antonio Guterres will meet Putin on Thursday -- a visit slammed
by Ukraine's foreign ministry.Guterres's deputy spokesman Farhan Haq
told reporters Tuesday the UN chief planned to meet with a "large
number" of the leaders in Kazan.Asked about talks with Putin, he said
Guterres would "reaffirm his well known positions" on the Ukraine
conflict and outline "the conditions for just peace."Starting with four
members -- Brazil, Russia, India and China, when it was established in
2009 -- BRICS has since expanded to include other emerging nations such
as South Africa, Egypt and Iran.Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi,
meeting Putin for talks Tuesday evening, praised "the development of
bilateral relations", citing Russia's "effective contribution" to
national projects such as the country's first nuclear power
plant.Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro made a previously unannounced
arrival. His country is not a member of BRICS but is keen to join. He
was quoted by Russian news agencies as calling the group "the epicentre
of the new multi-polar world".The United States has dismissed the idea
that BRICS could become a "geopolitical rival" but has expressed concern
over Moscow flexing its diplomatic muscle as the Ukraine conflict
rages.
Iran, Saudi plan joint military exercises: Iranian media.
Tehran,
Oct 22 (AFP) Oct 22, 2024-Iran and Saudi Arabia are planning to conduct
joint military exercises in the Red Sea, according to an Iranian report
not confirmed by Riyadh, in what would be a first for the regional
heavyweights.The two Middle East rivals, which have long backed opposing
sides in conflict zones across the region, severed diplomatic ties in
2016.However Shiite Muslim-dominated Iran and Sunni-majority Saudi
Arabia resumed relations last year under a surprise China-brokered
deal."Saudi Arabia has asked that we organise joint exercises in the Red
Sea," the commander of Iran's navy, Admiral Shahram Irani, was quoted
as saying by the Iranian news agency ISNA."Coordination is underway and
delegations from both countries will hold the necessary consultations on
how to conduct the exercise," he added, without providing details
including a timeline.Saudi Arabia did not immediately confirm whether it
would hold joint military exercises with Iran.Since November, Yemen's
Iran-backed Huthi rebels have waged a campaign of attacks against ships
in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in what they say is a show of
solidarity with Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.The
Huthis have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition since 2015, months after
they seized the capital Sanaa and most of Yemen's population centres,
forcing the internationally recognised government south to Aden.Saudi
Arabia, which has backed the Aden government, has engaged in a delicate
balancing act as the world's biggest oil exporter tries to extricate
itself from the war on its doorstep.It did not join a US-led naval
coalition to deter Huthi attacks.Efforts by the kingdom to broker a
Yemen peace deal also faltered in the wake of the Huthi attacks on
ships.
Italy lays groundwork for return to nuclear power.
Milan,
Italy, Oct 21 (AFP) Oct 21, 2024-Italy announced Monday it would within
weeks create the legislative framework for its first nuclear power
stations in almost 40 years."By the end of the year we will create the
legislative framework to ensure that new third and fourth generation
nuclear power plants can be installed in Italy," enterprise minister
Aldolfo Urso said."We do not want to import nuclear reactors from other
countries. We want to build them in Italy using Italian technology and
science, to export them to other countries," he said on the sidelines of
a business conference in Milan.He said he intended to present an
"industrial entity" that could build such reactors.Italy abandoned
nuclear power in November 1987 following a referendum called in the wake
of the Chernobyl nuclear accident.In June 2011, three months after the
Fukushima disaster in Japan, some 94 percent of Italians voted against a
return to nuclear energy during another referendum organised by Silvio
Berlusconi's government.But energy security has become a major issue
since the war in Ukraine, as Italy was forced to wean itself off Russian
gas.Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's hard right government also
believes nuclear energy is essential to achieve the goal of reducing
greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.Long taboo in Brussels,
nuclear power now benefits from more accommodating legislation as a
lever for decarbonisation alongside renewables.The European Parliament
and EU member states agreed in February to include the entire nuclear
sector in the list of "strategic technologies".Urso said the use of
nuclear power could help lower the cost of energy in Italy, which is, he
said, "too expensive compared to European competitors"."Nuclear energy,
which was invented in this country, must once again become the pride of
the 'Made in Italy' brand," Urso said.He was referring to the
Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi, winner of the Nobel Prize in
Physics in 1938 and famous for having created the first nuclear reactor.
China, Russia, Iran and N. Korea cooperation worries Swiss intelligence.
Geneva,
Oct 22 (AFP) Oct 22, 2024-Swiss intelligence warned Tuesday of the
impact of shifting global power relations on security in Switzerland and
beyond, voicing particular concern at growing military cooperation
between China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. Presenting its annual
report, the Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) cautioned that
"Switzerland's security environment continues to deteriorate from year
to year".In a statement, the FIS pointed to the "dangerous and volatile
period of transition to a new order of global power relations", amid a
"heavily polarised environment with multiple and simultaneous crises as
well as armed conflicts in Europe and on its periphery"."Switzerland is
significantly less secure than it was just a few years ago," it
warned.Europe as a whole "finds itself in a challenging position", it
said, pointing out that "the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine
is making it painfully clear how dependent Europe is on the USA for its
security".Of all the strategic patterns currently emerging, the
intelligence agency said that "the closer military cooperation between a
group of Eurasian autocracies is one of the most concerning".This
swelling cooperation between China, Russia, Iran and North Korea was
having an impact on regional wars and crises, it warned.Tuesday's report
warned that the "political, economic, technological and military
relations between these countries with revisionist intentions" had
become "closer and stronger than ever" ."These states want to reduce the
USA's influence and are opposed to Western ideas of political order,"
the FIS pointed out, adding that "they are seeking to change the status
quo in their respective regions and to establish their own spheres of
influence."The intelligency service also reiterated its warnings of a
high threat of espionage in Switzerland."Numerous services maintain
covert bases in Switzerland, known as residencies. These usually operate
out of diplomatic missions," it said.It reiterated prior warnings that
the greatest espionage threat came from Russia, but cautioned that "the
threat to Switzerland from the Chinese intelligence services is also
high".FIS also emphasised that the terrorist threat in Switzerland
"remains elevated, and in 2024 became even more pronounced".It remained
substantially shaped by individuals inspired by Islamic extremist
ideologies, it said, warning that in the case of jihadism, but also
right-wing extremism, "an increase in the radicalisation of minors in
Switzerland can be seen"
