US BASE ON THE MOON

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS. 2-Cold air invasion east of Rockies Senior Meteorologist. 3-Vietnam clears Durian storm rubble, tolls hits 66. 4-Mudslides impede relief work in Pakistan. 5-Haiti floods kill 3, wash away roads. 6-Israel minister wants pre-1967 borders shown in textbooks. 7-Israeli-Arabs Demand National Recognition. 8-Hamas Chief Promises War Even if PA State is Established. 9-Finland ratifies EU constitution. 10-E.U. group sparks anti-Semitism concerns. 11-Newest EU States to Join Border-Free Zone in a Year. 12-US base on the moon.

EARTHQUAKES

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

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

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

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Thu Dec 7 12:15 AM EDT

DEC 07,2006
MAP 2.9 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.5 ALASKA PENINSULA

DEC 06,2006
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.5 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.1 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 3.6 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.1 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 4.0 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 5.1 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 4.5 KEPULAUAN BABAR, INDONESIA
MAP 3.7 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.4 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.4 NEAR SOUTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA, P.N.G.
MAP 5.1 NEGROS, PHILIPPINES

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

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

Cold air invasion east of Rockies Senior Meteorologist, The Weather Channel DEC 06,06

Midwest

Bitterly cold air with subzero wind chills will grip most of the Plains and Midwest tomorrow. The subzero chills are expected to reach as far south as Nebraska, northern Missouri and the northern two-thirds of Illinois. Along with the biting cold, lake-effect snow squalls and flurries will fill the air from Michigan southward through Indiana and Ohio into eastern Kentucky. The heaviest snowfalls
are forecast along the shores of Lake Michigan in western lower Michigan and northern Indiana, and in northeastern Ohio. High temperatures will range from the teens and 20s in the Midwest and most of the northern Plains to the 40s in far western Nebraska and southwest Kansas.

Northeast

Icy winds will bluster into the Northeast tomorrow in the wake of a strong cold front. Over interior locations, snow showers and flurries will herald the arrival of the coldness. Closer to the eastern Great Lakes, heavy lake-effect snow squalls will prevail. And the squalls could reach as far south as the West Virginia mountains where several inches of fresh powder may pile up. High temperatures, meanwhile, are expected to range from the 20s in southwest New York state and western Pennsylvania to the 50s in far southeast New England, southern New Jersey, the Delmarva Peninsula and eastern Virginia. In many areas, readings are likely to be backsliding as the day goes on, however.

South

Cold winds will sweep into the South tomorrow. Marking the advent of this cold turn, snow showers are expected in the southern Appalachians, and maybe a few flurries in eastern Tennessee. As the leading edge of the cold air slides down the Florida Peninsula, a few showers could pop up here and there. Meanwhile, a vigorous easterly flow over the Gulf of Mexico will deliver rain and showers into south Texas. The heaviest amounts, maybe near an inch, are expected near the coast. High temperatures over most of the region are forecast to range from the 30s to the 60s, north to south. The 70s will prevail in central Florida, the 80s in south Florida (ahead of the front).

West

Generally sunny skies and dry weather will regale most of the western U. S. tomorrow. The exceptions may be found in the Pacific Northwest where low clouds and fog may persist in some valleys and basins underneath a stagnant air mass. Temperatures, meanwhile, will be at or above seasonal norms with highs ranging from the 20s at a few spots in the northern Rockies to the 70s in Southern California and southwest Arizona. Readings in most of the Northwest will top out in the 30s and 40s.

Vietnam clears Durian storm rubble, tolls hits 66 DEC 06,06

HANOI (AFP) Vietnamese rescue workers scrambled to clear the rubble left by severe tropical storm Durian, which ravaged the country's south, killing at least 66 people.Coastal communities were clearing the debris of thousands of homes destroyed the previous day, while hospitals treated hundreds of wounded and troops cleared trees and downed power lines from roads.Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung delayed overseas travel to tour the worst-hit Ba Ria Vung Tau province, where 47 people were killed when the storm tore into Vietnam from the South China Sea.The prime minister decided to cancel his trip to Malaysia and Singapore because of the typhoon Durian and its consequences, foreign ministry spokesman Le Dung told AFP. He stayed in Vietnam to coordinate the rescue operation.

The storm downgraded from a typhoon that left more than 1,200 people dead or missing in the Philippines changed direction and made landfall Monday in southern Vietnam, surprising a region usually spared such severe weather.People were shocked. We are not used to such storms here, said a flood and storm control committee official in the badly hit Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre, where the death toll was revised to 13.It will take us a long time to recover, he said. It is a mess everywhere. There are fallen trees, damaged houses, schools and office buildings.The national flood and storm control centre said the storm which packed winds of up to 120 kilometres (70 miles) per hour sank nearly 700 moored fishing boats and damaged or destroyed more than 120,000 buildings.The weakened storm was Wednesday moving towards the Gulf of Thailand.

The storm is over. It has changed into a tropical depression, said Duong Phuoc Nguyen of the Vinh Long provincial flood and storm control committee.Local people have started coming home to clear the mess.Vessels carrying relief goods and construction materials headed to Phu Quy island, 250 kilometres (150 miles) east of Ho Chi Minh City, which was hit directly by the storm, sinking hundreds of boats in its harbour.The government also announced every family who lost their house would receive 300 dollars and those who lost their roof would get 120 dollars.The death toll from the storm stood at 66 on Wednesday afternoon, officials said, with 47 people killed in Ba Ria Vung Tau, 13 dead in Ben Tre and the others in Phu Yen, Binh Thuan, Binh Dinh and Vinh Long provinces.The toll is far higher than expected in our province because many fishermen, despite the warnings, went to sea to protect their fish baskets, said Nguyen Ngoc Loc from the Ba Ria Vung Tau flood and storm control department.Vietnam's largest urban centre, Ho Chi Minh City, was spared the worst of the storm but local authorities said four people were missing in the former Saigon, with at least six more people missing in other provinces.

Mudslides impede relief work in Pakistan By ROSHAN MUGHAL, Associated Press Writer Tue Dec 5, 11:56 AM ET

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan Several days of heavy rain and snow have triggered mudslides, obstructing relief efforts in Pakistan's earthquake-hit portion of Kashmir, officials said Tuesday.

The closure of two key roads into the Neelum and Jehlum valleys came a day after the U.N. World Food Program warned that harsh winter weather threatens to cut off more than 300,000 survivors of last year's deadly quake.Six children have already died of pneumonia and diarrhea in a village near the regional capital, Muzaffarabad, a district health official said.For three days, heavy rains have lashed Pakistan, including Pakistani Kashmir and the mountainous northwestern region where the 7.6-magnitude earthquake killed more than 80,000 people and left 3.5 million homeless on Oct. 8, 2005.

The two roads linking Muzaffarabad and the valleys are blocked at several points, and it will take several days to clear them, said Mohammed Hussain Pervez, chief engineer at Pakistani Kashmir's highway department.Transportation of relief goods into the valleys has been suspended, said Syed Sarfaraz Naqvi, an official with the Red Crescent Society, which is helping rebuild schools and provide medical relief to quake survivors.But WFP spokesman Amjad Jamal said almost 10,000 tons of emergency food is already at base camps in vulnerable areas, enabling distributions to continue. There is no food crisis, Jamal said.According to the WFP, about 250,000 people in the North West Frontier Province are at risk of being cut off this winter and between 50,000 and 70,000 are vulnerable in Pakistani Kashmir.Most quake survivors have at least temporary shelter, but only a small proportion has been able to rebuild their homes since the disaster. This year's early onset of winter has increased concerns for their welfare.Last winter, relatively mild weather and a massive relief effort staved off the feared mass casualties among those made homeless by the quake.More rain and snow is expected in the quake zone in the next two days, Pakistan's state-run Meteorological Department said. Subzero nighttime temperatures are expected, while about 2 feet of snow has already fallen on high mountains.Associated Press Writer Sadaqat Jan in Islamabad contributed to this report.

Haiti floods kill 3, wash away roads Tue Dec 5, 1:20 PM ET

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti Floods triggered by nearly two weeks of heavy rain have washed away roads and bridges, wiped out crops and killed at least three people in western Haiti, the International Red Cross said Tuesday.

The destruction has been most severe in the rural departments of Grande Anse and Nippes, along the impoverished Caribbean nation's vulnerable southwestern peninsula. Flooding has also affected the northwestern town of Port-de-Paix.Haitian Red Cross workers have been providing first aid to injured residents and moving flood-stricken villagers to temporary shelters, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.The Geneva-based group said it has asked donors for $522,800 to buy hygiene kits, water, blankets and mosquito nets for 17,500 people affected by flooding.The rain began Nov. 22, unleashing flash floods that killed livestock, damaged two hospitals and isolated many remote villages in the heavily deforested country.In August, Hurricane Ernesto washed away wooden shacks and killed at least two people along Haiti's peninsula.

ISRAELS TROUBLE

JEREMIAH 30:7
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;(ISRAEL) but he shall be saved out of it.

DANIEL 12:1,4
1 And at that time shall Michael(ISRAELS WAR ANGEL) stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:(ISRAEL) and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation(May 14,48) even to that same
time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS,CHIP IMPLANTS ETC)

SIGNS OF THE END OF THE AGE (NOT THE WORLD) THE WORLD GOES ON FOREVER.

GENESIS 1:14
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:(ISRAELS HOLY DAYS AND SABBATH STARTS AT 6PM) And for SIGNS (PROPHECY SIGNS TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, OUR DAY)

Israel minister wants pre-1967 borders shown in textbooks Tue Dec 5, 6:08 AM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP)Israel's dovish Education Minister Yuli Tamir has said she wants school textbooks to show the country's borders from before the 1967 Middle East war, stirring a storm of controversy.You can not teach history without knowing the borders Israel used to have, Tamir told army radio Tuesday. We can't teach children what happened in 1967 if they are not aware where the border runs.During the Six Day War in June 1967, Israel conquered Egypt's Sinai, Syria's Golan Heights, east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip.It returned the Sinai under a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979 and annexed the Golan and east Jerusalem. The Jewish state withdrew settlers and soldiers from Gaza last year and continues to occupy the West Bank.Currently, maps in Israeli school textbooks do not show the pre-1967 borders, including the so-called Green Line between Israel and the West Bank.

I want to show the students the reality we live in today and before 1967. Children who do not understand where the Green Line runs can not understand the conflict in recent decades, said Tamir, a former Peace Now movement member.Her move encountered fierce criticism, with right-wing MP Yitzhak Levy accusing Tamir of politicising the education system.The education minister, it seems, wants to dictate the next peace agreement, or bring children to forget about Judea and Samaria, he said, referring to the Jewish names the West Bank.A former secretary general of the education ministry, MP Ronit Tirosh, said: Tamir exceeded her authority.

She shouldn't meddle in school curriculum. Education should not be touched by politics.But Tamir countered that ignoring the Green Line is also a political decision.The Yesha movement of Jewish settlers on Palestinian land blasted the decision, which it said forced on Israeli society the map of Israel according to the extreme-left.

Israeli-Arabs Demand National Recognition
By Hillel Fendel (INN)

The Israeli-Arab sector insists on recognition as a national minority, including the right to return to places they quit 58 years ago, changes to the flag and anthem, immigration quotas, and more. The Israeli-Arab Mossawa organization, billed as the Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel, released a position paper report to this effect on Friday. Mossawa explains that in addition to equal rights to which every citizen is entitled by virtue of his citizenship, the Arab minority also demands group-differentiated rights.

The organization lists ten such rights that it insists Israel must grant. Among them are the following, as listed and explained by Mossawa:Official recognition of the Palestinian Arabs in Israel as a national, native minority, including its special connection to its homeland and its historic rights to it.

Arabic, already recognized as an official language, must be granted equal status to Hebrew in every aspect of public life, just as English and French are recognized in Canada. As a truly bilingual country, Israel must grant appropriate expression to the Arab-Palestinian culture in the public sphere, including noting the Arabic names of various places and giving Arabic names to public buildings, streets, etc.Total autonomy in the spheres of education, religion and culture. At the root of this right lies the recognition of the nativity of the Arab population in Israel and its right to self-definition in these areas.

Proportionate representation in decision-making and policy-setting bodies, including all government offices and ministries, planning and construction authorities, government companies, public councils, the Civil Service, ad-hoc committees, and the like.Extra allotments of resources such as budget allocations, land and housing, to compensate for past discrimination.

Changes to national symbols, including the flag and anthem, as emotionally-charged public resources that have a special impact on minority sectors. The State must grant appropriate expression to the presence of Israeli-Arab citizens and to their historic ties to the land. Israel's array of symbols must reflect an equal approach to both its Jewish and Arab citizens.Equality in immigration and citizenship rights. The allocation of quotas in these areas is an expression of the country's strength, and the country must apportion them fairly, justly and equally.

Protection of the special ties of the Palestinian people with the greater Arab nation. The Palestinian population in Israel must be enabled to freely maintain and develop special ties - family, cultural, economic and the like - with the other members of the Palestinian people and the Arab nation. Historic rights. Corrective justice demands that Israel must officially apologize and recognize the Nakba - national Arab-Palestinian catastrophe - of 1948 when the Arabs were removed from their lands.

Among the issues addressed in this point are the uprooted Palestinians - 25% of the current Arab population in Israel - and their return to their original villages, such as Ikrit, Al-Ghabasaya, Al-Lajun, and others, as well as assets of the Moslem Waqf that must be administered by the Moslems.

Israeli-Arabs claim that hundreds of destroyed villages, in various parts of the country, as theirs. Many of the villages were hostile locations serving the Arab enemy during the War of Independence, and the land on which some of them stood has since become Jewish-populated, such as in Ashkelon and Be'er Sheva. The Meggido Prison, for instance, is built atop what was once Al-Lajun, and the north Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Aviv stands on what was once called Sheikh Munis. Though the return to these villages is unrealistic, it is felt that persisting in raising this demand can only help the nationalist Arab cause in Israel.One of the participants at the official presentation of the paper, Dr. Raef Zreik, said that it does not go far enough. He said that the Israeli-Arabs can officially recognize the right of the Jews to a state only as part of an overall peace agreement with the Palestinian people.In the news this week are vandalism and destruction wrought upon a Talmud Torah (Jewish religious school) by Arabs in the city of Acco, an initiative to increase Arab rights in the city of Ramle, and an attempted murder of a Jewish cow-farmer by Arabs in the Jezreel Valley, not far from Afula.

MUSLIM NATIONS

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
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, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE 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:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
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, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; 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, 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.

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

Hamas Chief Promises War Even if PA State is Established
By Hillel Fendel( INN)

Khaled Meshaal, the Damascus-based leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, makes no bones: Either Israel leaves all of Judea, Samaria and Gaza and agrees to the right of return or war. Meshaal is officially the head of the diplomatic desk of Hamas, but is recognized as the #1 man in the terrorist organization. The target of a failed Israeli assassination attempt a decade ago, Meshaal told a Lebanese newspaper this week that Hamas will not hesitate to resume its armed warfare against Israel.Specifically, he threatened, If within six months, the international community does not come up with a plan for the establishment of a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders [i.e., on all the land liberated by Israel in the Six Day War - ed.] and for the return of the refugees, the Palestinians will turn to an armed struggle against Israel.

We can have an intifada even when running the Palestinian Authority, Meshaal said, explaining that the ceasefire was not designed to bring peace, but is rather another stage in the war with Israel.

The current calm [cease-fire in Gaza - ed.], just like the escalation [before that], is part of the way we manage the conflict with Israel.Many Israeli military men and analysts have said that Hamas is using the current truce in Gaza to rearm and regroup towards the next round of fighting.Hamas Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniye, visiting in Syria, echoed Meshaal's position in a speech at a refugee camp. He said the Palestinians will not give up on even one grain of sand of Palestine, and that Syrian President Assad promised him that all the Palestinian [terrorist] prisoners incarcerated in Israel would be freed.Meshaal admitted that the Hamas-Fatah talks for a unity PA government have encountered difficulties, but said they have not yet hit a dead end. This clashes with announcements by Hamas leaders Haniye and Mahmoud A-Zahar, who said on Monday that the negotiations had failed and were beyond recovery. Hamas and Fatah elements traded blame and accusations for the failed talks. Fatah leader Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) is expected to announce - possibly today - whether he plans to dissolve the Parliament, thus leading to a clash with Hamas.

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TR BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).

Finland ratifies EU constitution Tue Dec 5, 8:07 AM ET

HELSINKI (AFP) - Finland, current holder of the European Union presidency, has become the 16th member of the bloc to ratify the EU constitution which was thrown into doubt after referenda in France and the Netherlands last year put the document's implementation on hold.The Finnish parliament approved the treaty by an overwhelming majority of 125 votes to 39 on Tuesday.

The result was however largely symbolic as the constitution needs to be ratified by all EU members to enter into force.To date seven countries -- Britain, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, Poland, Portugal and Sweden -- have not ratified the treaty, having suspended their ratification processes after the French and Dutch rejections.Finland, which holds the six-month rotating EU presidency until December 31, wanted to send a clear signal prior to the relaunch of talks on EU institutional reform scheduled for the German presidency in 2007.

The constitutional treaty was balanced overall. (It is) a reform Europe needs, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said in Brussels, unable to take part in the vote.The document is intended to streamline decision-making for the bloc's 2004 enlargement to 25 members and for future accessions.

In June this year EU members agreed to begin a period of reflection from the start of 2007 until the end of France's six-month EU presidency in December 2008, to reach agreement on a new draft.Germany has vowed to inject renewed vigour into constitutional talks.Finnish officials held informal consultations in the past six months on the treaty.Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen is set to make a brief announcement on the constitution during an EU summit meeting in Brussels on December 14 and 15.

E.U. group sparks anti-Semitism concerns

A new European Union agency has raised concern among Jewish groups about the fight against anti-Semitism. At the start of 2007 Vienna will become the headquarters of the European Union’s Agency for Basic Rights, taking over from the Office against Racism and Xenophobia, or EUMC. The new agency will examine freedom of movement within E.U. member states along with general human-rights issues, potentially spending less time on combating anti-Semitism. Several surveys this year reveal that
anti-Semitism is on the rise in Europe.

In recent years the EUMC has taken on the problem of anti-Semitism, with a comprehensive report in 2004 and last year by issuing to its monitors a working definition of anti-Semitism that describes its new manifestations, said Andrew Baker, director of international Jewish affairs for the American Jewish Committee. We don’t know if this focus will be maintained when it is subsumed under a larger agency.

European Union | 05.12.2006
Newest EU States to Join Border-Free Zone in a Year

Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Eastern Europeans will now have passport-free access Citizens and goods from the 10 new, mostly Eastern European members of the EU will be allowed greater freedom of movement as borders checkpoints are dismantled across the bloc.

The European Union's newest member states are set to join the Schengen Agreement, which did away with passport checkpoints between members, by December 2007 or March 2008, depending on the country, according to a timetable adopted by EU interior and justice ministers Tuesday.The agreement would lift land and maritime borders from Dec. 31, 2007 while those at airports must be lifted by March 30, 2008 at the latest.Currently, 15 countries are signatories to the Schengen Agreement, including the oldest EU members except Britain and Ireland, plus non-EU nations, Norway and Iceland.

Political motivations?

The Schengen zone was established by treaty in 1985 and removes border posts and checks between EU member states and a common Schengen visa, which allows access to all the signatory countries.

The treaty, however, does not cover residency or work permits for non-EU nationals.Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Non-EU countries such as Switzerland also get access.The 10 new, mainly eastern European nations in the 25-member bloc were told last year that their Schengen entry, originally planned for 2007, was in doubt due to technical delays with an update for the EU's central visa information system.Some newcomers, however, had said that the reasons were political rather than technical, charging old EU members of trying to block the eastern expansion of the border control-free zone.The new countries to join will include nine of the 10 countries that entered the EU in 2004 -- Cyprus will continue checking passports plus Switzerland, which is surrounded by EU countries but is not a member.

Secure borders necessary

The 10 countries that joined the EU in 2004 have all ratified the treaty, but have not yet implemented it. They are Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus.Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Questions remain over incoming Bulgaria and Romania. The move will only take place, however, if the countries
external borders to the world outside the EU prove up to existing standards and when Europe's Schengen database can be expanded to accommodate them. Germany and France had insisted that the new member states also prove their non-Schengen frontiers are secure.Under Tuesday's decision, the Schengen hopefuls will temporarily be allowed to link into the old visa database until the new version is launched in June 2008.Costs for this interim solution are estimated at some 3.6 million euros ($4.8 million).

EU members will also have to take the formal decision to lift the borders, a move expected in the third quarter of 2007.Have you ever traveled inside the Schengen states? What was your experience like? Send us your comments and please include your full name and country in your reply.DW staff (jb)

Tuesday, 5 December 2006, 01:17 GMT
US base on the moon

US space agency Nasa has said it plans to start work on a permanently-occupied base on the Moon after astronauts begin flying back there in 2020.

The base is likely to be built on one of the Moon's poles and will serve as a science centre and possible stepping stone for manned missions to Mars. The US has already said it plans to build a new lunar spacecraft to succeed the last Apollo mission in 1972. Funds will be moved from space shuttle flights, due to be scrapped in 2010. The structure of the base and the exact duties of the astronauts stationed there have not been decided. Nor is it clear when the base will begin functioning.

Lunar outpost

We're going for a base on the moon, Scott Doc Horowitz, Nasa's associate administrator for exploration, said. The agency's deputy head, Shana Dale, is quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying that the fundamental lunar approach will be very different to earlier Moon missions.A lunar spacecraft has already been commissioned by Nasa Nasa has elected to build a lunar outpost rather than operate brief trips to the satellite as it did in the 1960s.Nasa is also expected to ask other countries and businesses to help it build the base.The permanent base will be built near one of the two poles, as these are felt to have a moderate climate and more sunlight - essential if the base is to use solar energy. It's exciting, Shana Dale told the Reuters news agency. We don't know as much about the polar regions. According to Reuters, funds for building the lunar base will be diverted from the space shuttle programme, which is to be phased out by 2010. After the Columbia space shuttle accident, US President George W Bush announced plans to send astronauts back to the moon by 2020. Nasa announced in August that the Lockheed Martin Corporation will build the next US spaceship to take humans to the Moon.

(1) The heavy-lift Ares 5 rocket blasts off from Earth carrying a lunar lander and a departure stage
(2) Several days later, astronauts launch on an Ares 1 rocket inside their Orion vehicle (CEV)
(3) The Orion docks with the lander and departure stage in Earth orbit and then heads to the Moon
(4) Having done its job of boosting the Orion and lunar lander on their way, the departure stage is jettisoned
(5) At the Moon, the astronauts leave the Orion and enter the lander for the trip to the lunar surface
(6) After exploring the lunar landscape for seven days, the crew blasts off in a portion of the lander
(7) In Moon orbit, they re-join the waiting robot-minded Orion and begin the journey back to Earth
(8) On the way, the service component of the Orion is jettisoned. This leaves just the crew capsule to enter the atmosphere
(9) A heatshield protects the capsule; parachutes bring it down on dry land, probably in California

ARMS CONTROL IN SPACE

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS. 2-Earthquakes and volcanoes show extreme disturbance in the outer and inner core of the earth - havoc in 2012? 3-Researchers warn of another large-scale Indian Ocean tsunami. 4-Typhoon kills 26, sinks boats in Vietnam. 5-Hopes for finding typhoon survivors fade. 6-More rain to come as storms cause chaos. 7-Winds driving California wildfire let up. 8-BUSHFIRE SEASON. 9-Archaeologists Discover Church of the Ark in West Bank. 10-PM Overrules Security Brass: Don´t Touch Gaza Rocket Cells. 11-Not Only in Gaza: Olmert Promotes Restraint in Judea/Samaria. 12-Bolton front and center of U.N. Security Council issues. 13-Europe to step up Mideast role. 14-West Africa: ECOWAS Seeks Extension on EU Trade Deal. 15-Ahmadinejad: Any EU decision against Iran's nuclear program will be considered hostile. 16-Arms control in space.

EARTHQUAKES

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

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

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

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Wed Dec 6 1:10 AM EDT

DEC 06,2006
MAP 5.1 NEGROS, PHILIPPINES

DEC 05,2006
MAP 3.0 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.1 NEAR THE COAST OF NICARAGUA
MAP 3.4 MAUI REGION, HAWAII
MAP 4.3 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.9 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.3 VANUATU REGION
MAP 5.0 MYANMAR
MAP 5.2 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 4.4 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION

Earthquakes and volcanoes show extreme disturbance in the outer and inner core of the earth - havoc in 2012?
Media Release Dec. 4, 2006

A computer model monitoring the recent seismic disturbances – earthquakes and volcanoes show extreme disturbance in the outer and inner core of the earth. The interaction of the inner core and the rest of the earth cause the electromagnetic properties of the earth. The ongoing polar reversal is accelerating and will eventually have reverse polarity in North and South pole. According to the simulation model, the earth’s inner core and outer core is going through some serious disturbances. That in turn is influencing the viscous semi fluid mantle. When that happens, the convection within mantle increases substantially. That is also influenced by solar polar reversal. In our modern age we have not experienced a simultaneous solar and terrestrial polar reversal. Between now and 2012, these disturbances will keep increasing making earth’s crust and tectonic plates very disturbed causing severe volcanoes and earthquakes.

In the last four months the earth experienced the largest three earthquakes in the last two hundred years.

The under water volcanoes and earthquakes have gone up 88% over the last three years. The continental earthquakes have gone up by 62% during the same time frame. The rate of increase of these earthquakes and volcanoes when drawn against time is staggering. Some scientists are now afraid that we are moving towards 2012 with ticking time bomb under us. Something catastrophic like the lost
world Atlantis can repeat.

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

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

EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH

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

Researchers warn of another large-scale Indian Ocean tsunami DEC 05,06

Researchers on Monday warned that within the next few decades, another large-scale tsunami could flood densely populated areas

of western coastal Sumatra, who's south was completely devastated by the December 2004 tsunami. Using samples of coral from the Mentawai Islands, the researchers from the Caltech University, University of Southern California (USC) and Indonesia conducted computer simulations of the 1797 and 1833 tsunamis, allowing them to evaluate worst-case scenarios for future tsunamis. The computer modeling determined that two river valleys near Bengkulu, a coastal city of about 350,000 people, could experience flooding up to several kilometers inland.

The computer models confirm a substantial exposure of coastal Sumatran communities to tsunami surges, said lead author Jose Borrero, a scientist at USC's Tsunami Research Center. The study found that the same fault that caused the 2004 tsunami extends farther southeast beneath the Indian Ocean, just off the southwestern coast of Sumatra. The fault produced large earthquakes and tsunamis in 1797 and 1833, and researchers said the events appear to recur every 230 years on an average. The study found that offshore islands could offer some protection to the larger city of Padang, but during the 1797 tsunami, the waves reportedly carried a 200-ton ship and other vessels into the town. The population of Padang in 1797 and 1833 was a few thousand, Caltech geology professor Kerry Sieh said. Now it is about 800,000, and most of it is within a few meters of sea level.

We hope that these initial results will help focus educational efforts, emergency preparedness activities and changes in the basic infrastructure of cities and towns along the Sumatran coast, he said. When we tell people living along this 700-kilometer section of the Sumatran coast that they will likely experience a big tsunami within the next 30 years, they ask for details, Sieh said.

How much time after the earthquake will they have before the tsunami strikes? How big will the waves be? How far inland should they be prepared to run? What areas are likely to suffer tsunami damage? This paper is our first attempt to answer these important questions, he said.The study was published in Monday's edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Source: Xinhua

Typhoon kills 26, sinks boats in Vietnam DEC 05,06

HO CHI MINH CITY (Reuters) Typhoon Durian swept into southern Vietnam killing at least 26 people, sinking hundreds of fishing boats and damaging houses, days after it killed hundreds in the Philippines, government officials said on Tuesday. The storm, which has winds up to 120 km (70 miles) per hour, hit the Mekong Delta provinces, an area of southern Vietnam not usually struck by typhoons or strong tropical storms.Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung, in charge of coordinating storm preparations, warned provincial leaders not to underestimate the strength of the typhoon, even though forecasters were expecting to downgrade it to a tropical storm.All provinces should prepare so that we do not have another Linda, Hung said on state-run Vietnam Television, referring to a 1997 storm that caused death and destruction in the south.The broadcast and reports from the national flood and
storm control center said at least 26 people had been killed, 147 injured and 15 were missing. The provinces of Binh Thuan, Ba Ria Vung Tau, Long An and Tien Giang reported casualties and missing.

The national flood and storm control center said the roofs of 1,120 houses and 22 schools were torn off in Binh Thuan province. In the same province, officials reported 820 boats sank and in Ba Ria Vung Tau, about 100 km south of the commercial capital Ho Chi Minh City, the roofs on about 500 houses were blown off.Forecasters said the storm was heading west into the Gulf of Thailand, across central Thailand and into the Indian Ocean. On its current path, the storm could brush Thai resort islands.Durian, which slammed into the Philippines one notch below a category 5 super-typhoon on Thursday, skirted Vietnam's southern coast overnight, striking Phu Quy island about 120km off the coast.Authorities evacuated tens of thousands of people from vulnerable areas of south and central Vietnam before the storm.

Durian was the fourth typhoon to hit the Philippines in three months and affected more than 1 million people in the archipelago. Disaster officials have reported 450 people killed and 630 missing.Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo visited central villages devastated by landslides and floods triggered by Durian, named after a strong-smelling spiky Asian fruit.Winds and torrential rains from Durian sent walls of mud and water crashing onto rural communities surrounding Mount Mayon, an active volcano about 320 km (200 miles), south of Manila.Supplies were slow to arrive in Albay province, the worst-affected region, and residents, fed up with waiting, dug for cooking utensils and clothes buried under thick volcanic sludge, local radio reported.Arroyo, dressed in black, called on local officials to stop finger-pointing and instead focus on the relief efforts.Landslides and flashfloods are becoming a serious threat to our people and the present and past events remain a hard and painful reminder of constant preparedness, she said.

(Reporting by Grant McCool and Ho Binh Minh in Vietnam and Pedro Uchi in Manila, editing by David Fogarty; Reuters Messaging: grant.mccool.reuters.com@reuters.net, + 63 2 841 8934)

Hopes for finding typhoon survivors fade By OLIVER TEVES, Associated Press Writer DEC 05,06

GUINOBATAN, Philippines Officials could only apologize Monday when asked about the prospects of finding survivors in the towns and villages swamped by mudslides from devastating Typhoon Durian, which has killed an estimated 1,000 people in the
Philippines. At this time, no more.

I'm sorry, said Juan Garcia, mayor of the town of Guinobatan. It's almostimpossible. They have been buried under sand and boulders. I don't think they can survive.

Officials in Vietnam said Tuesday that at least 10 people were dead in Ba Ria Vung Tau province after Durian, downgraded to a tropical storm, hit thecountry's southern coast. Fifty others were injured when their houses collapsed, said provincial governor Tran Minh Sanh.The storm claimed five more lives Tuesday in Ben Tre province, where 1,300 houses were destroyed or damaged. Three fishermen drowned Monday off the coast of Phu Yen province when their boat capsized as the storm approached.On Thursday, Durian lashed the Philippines with 165 mph winds and a five-hour deluge that dislodged tons of debris from the slopes of the Mayon volcano. Walls of mud and boulders destroyed nearly every standing structure in their path.

It was like bowling, said Guinobatan Vice Mayor Gene Villareal.Official figures showed 450 dead, 507 injured and 599 missing, but Sen. Richard Gordon, head of the local Red Cross, said he believed more than 1,000 died in the thousands of homes buried under volcanic debris, mud and floodwaters.Fernando Gonzalez, governor of worst-hit Albay province, said the ground was too slippery for backhoes.There's no choice but to dig by hand, he told Radio DZBB. Practically speaking, we are not very optimistic we'll find survivors.President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared the area a national disaster, allowing the government to more rapidly release funds needed to bolster aid efforts. Arroyo said she instructed the Department of Environment to step up a project to map all hazardous areas, like Mayon, to help warn communities of possible dangers.We must not leave things to fatal luck when we can develop the tools to prevent harm, she said.Associated Press Writer Tran Van Minh in Hanoi, Vietnam contributed to this report.

More rain to come as storms cause chaos, CLAIRE SMITH DEC 05,06

FLOODING and galeforce winds continued to cause chaos across Scotland yesterday with more flood warnings, roads and bridges closed and ferry services cancelled.

Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne hit back at critics who said its ships were storm shy, describing the recent run of bad weather as possibly the worst in the last 15-20 years. The Met Office warned the run of rainy and windy conditions was set to continue after November was revealed to be one of the wettest on record. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency yesterday issued six severe flood warnings in Perthshire and there were a further 13 warnings in the Highlands and Central Scotland. One of the worst affected areas was between Kenmore and Dunkeld after the River Tay burst its banks, causing flooding on the B898 near Dalguise. The latest figures reveal that 8.4 inches of rain fell during November, compared with the
average of 6.5in. Auchincruive in Ayrshire had its wettest November on record with 9.4in of rain, while Glasgow was the wettest place in the country with 11.1in, the fourth wettest ever.

Murdo Fraser, of the Scottish Conservatives, said the Executive should provide more support for flood prevention schemes after visiting flooded areas around the River Isla in Perthshire.If we are to see flooding become a more regular event, then the need for such schemes becomes even more pressing, and I will be asking environment minister Ross Finnie to address these issues.

A Met Office spokesman said: The start of December seems to be continuing more of the same. It's very windy and there are certainly more storms to come from the Atlantic over the next few days so it's likely to continue in the same vein.

FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS

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

Winds driving California wildfire let up
Tuesday, December 5, 2006 | 11:22 AM ET ,CBC News

Crews battling a wildfire in Southern California were given some help Tuesday as desert winds that had stoked the blaze diminished. The fire burned about 54 square kilometres and gutted about five homes after erupting early Sunday. The cause of the fire has not been determined.The remaining homes in Ventura County northwest of Los Angeles were safe, fire officials said.

It seems to be dying down, but we're not taking any chances, said Michael Jarvis, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry.The Santa Ana winds had earlier gusted as high as 80 km/h. The improving weather and decreased winds allowed aircraft, including water-dropping helicopters, to join more than 1,500 firefighters battling the flames.We're expecting to hit it hard from the air and from the ground, fire Capt. Barry Parker said.As of early Tuesday, the fire was 70 per centcontained. With winds still gusting to 65 km/h atop ridges, fire officials remained concerned about 500 properties, including citrus and avocado farms and cattle ranches.

Fire officials predicted they would have the fire completely under control as soon as Tuesday evening by keeping the blaze boxed in a canyon.On Sunday, authorities urged residents to leave their homes, but some stayed to soak their roofs with water.The blaze is the latest in a series of deadly wildfires in Southern California this year.In October, four firefighters died when a wildfire overran them as they tried to protect homes in Southern California. A man suspected of starting the blaze was charged with five counts of murder.

Dan Oakes and Daniella Miletic,December 5, 2006
BUSHFIRE SEASON

MELBOURNE'S water supplies could be stretched further as the state braces for its worst bushfire season on record.More than 2000 Department of Sustainability and Environment and Country Fire Authority firefighters fought at least 52 uncontrolled fires yesterday.Most of them, caused by lightning on Thursday, are remote, and difficult to reach. At least 16 have been contained and 66 are under control but unsafe.Drought-stricken, inaccessible terrain, hot weather and northerly winds mean the fires could burn for months, Premier Steve Bracks and firefighters warned yesterday.DSE regional director Kevin Ritchie said: I don't see that we are going to get these fires under control easily, and we have got so many small fires coming together. We will get a long haul of big fires out of this before we are finished.Some of the biggest fires are around Mount Terrible, near the towns of Jamieson and Kevington. With northerly winds expected last night, the fires could be pushed south into the Thomson Dam catchment area, despite the best efforts of firefighters.

The Thomson contributes around 60 per cent of Melbourne's total reservoir storage, and that water could be contaminated by ash and debris.

That's a possibility, and it's been a concern of the Government for a long time that the fires might get into our catchment areas, DSE spokesman Kevin Monk said yesterday. The concern is that water quality in the short term could be affected by the fires.There are also heavier fuels in the catchments, so it means the fire will be difficult to control, with the record dryness.If the catchment area did burn, the regrowth would absorb more water than old-growth forest, placing further stress on Melbourne's water supplies.During bushfires in 2003, Wangaratta was left with little clean water after bushfire-affected catchments washed a mix of soil and ash into the town through the Ovens River.A spokesman for Melbourne Water said employees were working with the DSE and CFA to protect the catchment, and there were contingency plans. Certainly, a major fire in a catchment that led to contamination of the reservoir with ash, silt or other debris could, in the worst case, result in that reservoir having to be taken offline for a period to allow the reservoir to settle, he said.Our contingency plans, should this occur, would allow us to maintain continuity of supply by operating the system with a reservoir offline, if required.

Environment Minister John Thwaites said a helicopter was watching the state's catchment areas and that extra staff had been sent to protect the Thomson. There are 28 aircraft working on the fires, including the Erickson Air-Crane, commonly known as Elvis, 12 helicopters and 15 planes, including water-bombing aircraft. Mr Bracks said everything possible had been done to prepare for a big fire season. He said the state could not rely on help from NSW and South Australia, with firefighters there battling their own blazes.

He asked employers to release staff to fight on the frontline.Mr Monk said the state's biggest fire had burned through 2500 hectares at Rose River, in the state's north-east, near Whitfield. More than 18,000 hectares was burned in the Black Range, also near Whitfield.A Mount Cynthia, north-west of Dargo, fires had burned through 650 hectares of forest.Mr Monk said fire had taken more than 9000 hectares overall, and there was a total fire ban across the whole state.Bulldozer lines were being set up to control the fires. At Mount Terrible, the fire had grown because firefighters had to backtrack to look for control lines and burn bush in between those control lines. More than 700 hectares has burned at the site.With MATHEW MURPHY

REBUILT 3RD TEMPLE

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.

Archaeologists Discover Church of the Ark in West Bank
By Kevin Donovan ,Christian Post Correspondent
Mon, Dec. 04 2006 10:32 AM ET[

Emerging from the soil over a few acres in the hills of the Israeli occupied West Bank is believed to be one of the world’s first churches, which was uncovered and claimed by archaeologists on Sunday.Built on a site believed to have once housed the Ark of the Covenant, the church is richly decorated with brightly colored mosaics and inscriptions referring to Jesus Christ.

According to the team led by Yitzhak Magen and Yevgeny Aharonovitch, the church dates to the late 4th century, making it one of Christianity's first formal places of worship.I can't say for sure at the moment that it's the very first church, said Mr Aharonovitch, 38, as he oversaw a team carrying out the final excavations before winter. But it's certainly one of the first. Aharonovitch said the site contained an extremely unusual inscription which referred to itself, Shiloh, by name.That is very rare and shows early Christians treated this as an ancient, holy place, he said, as reported by the U.K.-based Telegraph. According to the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the two tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, was kept by the Israelites at Shiloh for several hundred years.

It was eventually moved to the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem temple that the Bible says was built by King Solomon around 1,000 BC. When the temple was sacked by the Babylonians 400 years later, the Ark was lost, sparking theories about whether it had been hidden or destroyed.The team at Shiloh is considering whether to dig under the mosaics that they have uncovered, in order to find traces of the Ark. We have to decide whether to fix the mosaics here or take them to a museum, said Aharonovitch.Jewish residents in the modern settlement of Shiloh, which sits on a hill among Palestinian villages, want the team to keep digging.David Rubin, a former mayor of Shiloh, said: We believe that if they continue to dig they'll reach back to the time of the Tabernacle, referring to the portable place of worship where the Israelites housed the Ark.

MUSLIM NATIONS

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
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, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE 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:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
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, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; 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, 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.

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

ALL I HAVE TO SAY HERE IS WHAT IS OLMERT POSSIBLE THINKING. LIKE THE ISRAELIS SAY, IT MUST BE THAT ERA RAV IN ISRAELI LEADERSHIP NOW. ERA RAV IS THE MIXED MULTITUDE OF LUKEWARM ISRAELIS THAT CAME OUT OF EGYPT WITH THE 40 YEAR WANDERING IN THE DESERT.

PM Overrules Security Brass: Don´t Touch Gaza Rocket Cells
By Ezra HaLevi (INN) DEC 05,06

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzippi Livni overruled Israel’s security chiefs Sunday, handing down orders that soldiers are to make no effort to prevent rocket fire. Israel Radio correspondent Shmuel Tal reported Sunday that the Security Cabinet decided to instruct the IDF not to take action to stop terrorists identified as about to launch rockets towards Israel - nor must they hit them immediately afterward.Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Public Security Minister Avi Dichter both argued that Israel is obligated to protect its citizens from rocket fire. They were overruled, however, by Olmert and Livni, who asserted that there are other considerations. Army Radio reported that Olmert estimated that the ceasefire would end of its own accord within a few days, when rival PA factions begin warring with each other.

Peretz told the Cabinet that the ceasefire agreement in Gaza is being observed only in part, and said it was critical that Egypt act to intercept arms before they were transferred to Gaza through the Rafiah tunnel system. He also disclosed that IDF officials have been attending meetings with the Hamas officials running the Palestinian Authority militia. Peretz also urged those present to allow the IDF to fire at those preparing to launch rockets.

The safety of the citizens of Israel must not be gambled with, Peretz said. We must act against rocket launching cells.Olmert and Livni struck down the idea, though. We must act responsibly and wisely, while considering all aspects of the issue, Olmert said. The situation is sensitive and we must act with wisdom and serious consideration, Foreign Minister Livni echoed.The Cabinet decision came just over an hour after a fifteenth rocket since the declaration of the cease-fire was fired toward Jewish towns in the western Negev.

Islamic Jihad Promises Attack In the Coming Hours

The Islamic Jihad terror group threatened to attack Israel in the coming hours Sunday evening. It made the threat, the spokesman said, due to Israel's 70 violations of the cease-fire. Islamic Jihad and other terrorists groups have charged that Israel's counter-terrorist actions in Judea and Samaria are in a violation of the ceasefire, although the agreement was restricted to the Gaza region.Calm is on the cusp of collapse due to the continued Zionist violations and attacks against our Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza, Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Ahmed said in a recorded statement. Nobody should blame us for any reaction our brigades will take in the coming hours in response to the violations by the Zionist occupation.

Security Cabinet Calls for Yet Another Withdrawal

The Security Cabinet ordered the withdrawal of IDF forces from the town of Rajar – which straddles the Israeli-Lebanese border and has been a center of arms and drug smuggling as well as terrorist infiltrations.Thus, Israeli Druze of Rajar will find themselves under the authority of the United Nations forces that are being entrusted to patrol the area.

Not Only in Gaza: Olmert Promotes Restraint in Judea/Samaria
By Hillel Fendel (INN) DEC 05

PM Olmert says soldiers must shoot only in a case of immediate danger to life, while armed PA Arabs in Samaria stab an Israeli driver and hijack his truck.In addition to the difference of opinion between the political and security echelons regarding the ceasefire in Gaza, a similar dispute has developed over Judea and Samaria. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, backed by Foreign Minister Tzippy Livny, has ordered the IDF to moderate its activity in Yesha - while the security establishment says the new policy endangers Israeli citizens.Just this morning (Monday), three armed Arabs stabbed and robbed a Jewish truck driver near the Arab village of Bidya in the Shomron. The Arabs drove off with the truck, which police and army forces later found in Kalkilye, east of Kfar Saba. The forces continue to pursue the terrorists. A Magen David Adom crew treated the victim's stomach wounds, and evacuated him to a hospital in light-to-moderate condition. The incident occurred between Ariel and Elkanah.At around the same time, IDF Central Commander Maj.-Gen. Yair Naveh was reported to be handing down Olmert's order to tighten open-fire regulations. The official explanation: to desire to reduce the chances of violent incidents that will lead to the end of the current calm. Terror cells on their way to an attack, for instance, may not be shot at. In addition, special military operations in Yesha must now be approved by the Central Commander or a Division Head.

However, army sources informed Arutz-7 Hebrew Radio said that no such order had been issued, and that they were surprised to see media reports indicating otherwise.

Ten warnings of possible terror attacks in Yesha are currently being considered by the security establishment.Though the ceasefire in Gaza is barely being observed by the Palestinian terrorists - they have fired 15 Kassam rockets in the week since it was declared - they demand that it be enacted in Yesha as well. In this connection, they view every counter-terror activity by Israel as a ceasefire violation. Though Israel has refused this demand, army sources feel that enacting the above hold-fire orders would be a cave-in to the Arab demands.Defense Minister Amir Peretz has taken a strong stand on this issue, saying that the army's hands must not be tied. A strong proponent of dialogue and negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, Peretz says that the army must be allowed unlimited space in which to operate against the terrorist infrastructures.

JOHN BOLTON WAS GREAT FOR THE UN, BUT DR DOCTORIAN GIVES US A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE.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.

Bolton front and center of U.N. Security Council issues
Tue Dec 5, 2006 1:19pm ET

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) The resignation of John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations ends an era when the focus of U.S. diplomacy often rested, for better or for worse, on the man himself.Witty, a born litigator and in command of the facts, Bolton was front and center of most issues in the U.N. Security Council North Korea, Iran, Somalia, Myanmar, Sudan, among others but made enemies among nations in the U.N. General Assembly, responsible for management reforms and the budget.He is serious about the American objectives here in reforming the United Nations, and he pushed hard, China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya told reporters. But of course sometimes in order to achieve the objective you have to work together with others.His style is different.

He is hard-working, Wang said. He knows the job.

Bolton also had difficulties with European ambassadors, who should have been his closest allies.

But he worked intensively with France on a ceasefire resolution, 1701, to halt the Israeli-Hezbollah war in Lebanon this summer.I would say we have always respected each other and we were able to work together, especially on 1701, said France's U.N. Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere.Unable to overcome Democratic opposition in the Senate to his nomination, the White House announced on Monday that Bolton would resign when his temporary appointment expires within weeks. Bolton's recess appointment last year had allowed him to bypass the U.S. Senate confirmation process.Democrats accused him of being a bully and of pressuring subordinates to align their views with his.

Bolton came to the job with a reputation for an abrasive style. But he defied many of his critics by being the only U.N. Security Council ambassador available to the press almost every day, answering countless questions and often delivering punchy sound bites that drowned out staid comments from Washington.It is to me really disappointing to see Ambassador Bolton go, said Japan's U.N. Ambassador Kenzo Oshima. He has been an exceptionally skillful diplomat at the United Nations at a time when it faced very challenging issues like reform.In the Security Council John Bolton was spearheading a number of important issues, Oshima said, singling out a resolution to rein in North Korea's nuclear program, where he really spearheaded this effort to get a Security Council resolution adopted in a very speedy manner.

LESS SUCCESS WITH U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Several diplomats distinguish between Bolton's work in the 15-nation Security Council and that in the 192-member General Assembly, dominated by developing nations.In some ways, he seems to have been more an ambassador to the Security Council than to the United Nations as a whole and I think he has done very well there, said Edward Luck, a Columbia University professor and U.N. expert.But the problem, Luck said, is his actions in the General Assembly, which is increasingly polarized between developing and developed countries over changes to U.N. management practices, finances and a new human rights body.He is very good on preaching on reform but not good at doing it raising the question of whether he wants to strengthen it or find excuses for abandoning it, said Luck.Greece's U.N. Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis, said the United States was correct in the need for reform but I might say that I personally would pursue the same thing through different tactics, but that is a different story.

But there was no love lost between the U.N. bureaucracy and Bolton, especially the U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown, a Briton, who said in a June speech that the United States worked closely with the world body in many fields but tolerated too much unchecked U.N.-bashing and stereotyping.In response Bolton called on Secretary General Kofi Annan to repudiate Malloch Brown personally and publicly, but Annan stood by the thrust of the speech, his spokesman said.When Bolton came to the United Nations in August 2005, his first move was to unravel a carefully negotiated document on U.N. reform with some 400 amendments in an effort to produce a tighter treatise. Talks stalled and the United States did not get many of the gains it sought.

This prompted President Bush a few weeks later to ask Annan, How's he doing, Has the place blown up? Reuters

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TR BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).

REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (NATIONS) 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.

REVELATION 6:1-2
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse:(PEACE) and he that sat on him had a bow;(EU DICTATOR) and a crown was given unto him:(PRESIDENT OF THE EU) and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(MILITARY GENIUS)

REVELATION 13:1-10
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(THE EU AND ITS DICTATOR IS GODLESS)
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(DICTATOR COMES FROM NEW AGE OR OCCULT)
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death;(MURDERERD) and his deadly wound was healed:(COMES BACK TO LIFE) and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE WORLD THINKS ITS GOD IN THE FLESH, MESSIAH TO ISRAEL)
4 And they worshipped the dragon (SATAN) which gave power unto the beast:(JEWISH EU DICTATOR) and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?(FALSE RESURRECTION,SATAN BRINGS HIM TO LIFE)
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.(GIVEN WORLD CONTROL FOR 3 1/2YRS)
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,(HES A GOD HATER) to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.(HES A LIBERAL OR DEMOCRAT,WILL PUT ANYTHING ABOUT GOD DOWN)
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints,(BEHEAD THEM) and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.(WORLD DOMINATION)
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.(WORLD DICTATOR)
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.(SAVED CHRISTIANS AND JEWS DIE FOR THEIR FAITH AT THIS TIME,NOW WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE BUT DURING THE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH, PEOPLE WILL BE PUT TO DEATH (BEHEADINGS) FOR THEIR BELIEF IN GOD (JESUS) OR THE BIBLE.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall
make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

DANIEL 11:36-40
36 And the king shall do according to his will;(EU PRESIDENT) and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS A EUROPEAN JEW) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(HES A MILITARY GINIUS) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds (CONTROL HEZBOLLAH,AL-QUAIDA MURDERERS ETC) with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south(EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR PROTECTING ISRAELS SECURITY) and the king of the north(RUSSIA) 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.

Europe to step up Mideast role
By Stefan Nicola Dec 4, 2006, 15:27 GMT

BERLIN, Germany (UPI) Europe should become more active in the Middle East to counter the U.S. role there and protect its own domestic security, according to experts.The Arab-Israeli conflict is making its way into communities in Europe, Murhaf Jouejati, a visiting professor at George Washington University born in Syria, said Friday at the European Forum conference in Berlin. Europe should not act out of charity, but rather out of self-interest.The two-day conference, funded by the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt, assembled over 120 political and economic leaders in Berlin to discuss Europe`s future role in the world.Violence that originated in the Middle East has already made an impact in Europe; the controversial Prophet Mohammad cartoons published earlier this year led to a failed plot by a pair of Lebanese men to try to bomb two German commuter trains.

European leaders have acknowledged that instability in the Middle East has a direct influence on domestic security, and have recently stepped up peace initiatives.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, which is tasked to implement the cease-fire agreement, is comprised mainly of European troops.But as for political initiatives, Europe now had to take over more responsibility in the Middle East, the experts said. They differed, however, on where Europe should stand in the conflict.The Americans desperately need support in the Middle East and it can only be the Europeans, said Avi Primor, former Israeli ambassador to Germany. But they don`t have the will, they don`t have the ambition.Jouejati said U.S. policies, although well-intended, have given democracy a bad name in the Middle East. Europe`s long-time cultural and political ties had resulted in a deep knowledge of the region. Europe should thus become a counterweight' to the United States.

All experts agreed that the U.S. campaign in Iraq had terribly backfired, causing U.S. standing in the conflict-torn region to further plummet.

There is more terrorism today, not less in the region, Jouejati said. A key role in the ongoing diplomatic struggle to restore peace in the Middle East is about to fall into the hands of the German government, which will take over the European Union and the Group of Eight presidency at the beginning if 2007. The country`s chancellor, Angela Merkel, has announced she wants to revive the Quartet on the Middle East, comprised of the United Nations, the United States, European Union and Russia. Ruprecht Polenz, chairman of the German foreign affairs committee, said Europe would have the tough job of keeping the quartet together. He added, however, that with antagonistic Arab and Israeli expectations for Europe, we won`t be able to satisfy both sides equally.

One thing is clear: Europe will not jeopardize Israel`s unconditional right to exist the Germans especially have made that clear.

But Germany traditionally enjoys a good reputation with Arab governments and in the past has brokered prisoner exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel.All parties gave Syria a key role to end support of terrorist organizations and restore security in the region.If we could make peace with Syria, then it would be the end of support for Hezbollah and Hamas, Primor said. Jouejati agreed, but added that a return of the Golan Heights was instrumental if Israel wanted to bring about the end of support for Hamas and Hezbollah, and even another alliance.If the Golan Heights were not occupied, there would be no need (for Syria) to support Hamas and Hezbollah, or side with Iran, he said.Polenz said urging Israel to return the mountainous region into Syrian hands had to be followed up with pressure on Damascus to have it recognize the Lebanese government.That would be an important signal, he said.Hans-Ulrich Klose, a senior German lawmaker and a frequent traveller to the Middle East, warned of too much optimism.Out of American weakness does not necessarily spring European strength, he said. Europe in many cases doesn`t speak with one voice. United Press International

West Africa: ECOWAS Seeks Extension on EU Trade Deal
Daily Trust (Abuja),December 4, 2006,Elkanah Chawai

The realisation of a balanced trade between West Africa and Europe is gradually becoming distant as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is seeking an extension of the deadline to establish a free trade area between the European Union (EU) and the West African body.The extension is being sought after by the regional ministerial committee monitoring the negotiations of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the two regions which last Thursday requested a three-year extension of the 2007 deadline for conclusion of negotiations for a free trade area, a statement from ECOWAS Secretariat stated over the weekend.

West Africa wants the EPA to enter into force on 1st January 2011 instead of January 2008 provided under the Cotonou partnership agreement which provides the framework for the negotiation of the EPAs between the EU and the 77 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.The one-day extraordinary meeting of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee for the EPA, comprising regional ministers for trade, finance and ECOWAS affairs, endorsed a proposal by an earlier meeting of experts for the extension based on the volume of outstanding tasks, the completion of which determines the viability of the EPA.

Among them is the upgrading of the economies of Member States to improve their competitiveness, which requires the injection of funds from the EU.The statement added that the ministers urged the European party to ensure prompt disbursement of funds and coherence between development aid granted to ACP under the negotiations and those granted EU member states.The ministers directed the ECOWAS Secretariat to approach the African Union, the ACP Secretariat and other geographical configurations in the negotiations in order to build alliances towards adopting the ECOWAS vision on the issue of postponement.On investment and competition, the committee directed the ECOWAS Secretariat and its counterpart for the Economic and Monetary Union of West Africa (UEM-OA) to continue their efforts to establish a regional framework on these issues.The committee said such a framework would ensure greater coherence of the region's investments needs, improve the competitiveness of their economies and harmonize their development policies. Mauritania, which is not a member of ECOWAS, has decided to forward a mandate for ECOWAS to negotiate the EPA on its behalf.Daily Trust.

Ahmadinejad: Any EU decision against Iran's nuclear program will be considered hostileThe Associated Press December 5, 2006 (international herald tribune)

SARI, Iran: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday warned Europe against backing proposed U.N. measures against its nuclear program, saying Iran would respond by downgrading relations with the EU.Iran is concerned about moves at the U.N. Security Council to penalize it for refusing to cease uranium enrichment, a process that produces the material for nuclear reactors or bombs. The Europe Union has been supporting the United States in pushing for tougher U.N. penalties than Russia and China would like to see.French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Monday that the leading powers at the U.N. were nearing an agreement on a Security Council resolution.Speaking to a crowd in this northern provincial capital, the president addressed the member states of the European Union, saying: I'm telling you in plain language that as of now, if you try, whether through propaganda or international organizations, to take steps against the rights of the Iranian nation, the Iranian nation will consider it an act of hostility.

Today in Africa & Middle East

Saddam trial hears of Kurds buried in mass graves Bush meets with rival to U.S.-backed Iraqi leader, Maliki Tide of refugees from Iraq troubles region.And if you insist on pursuing this path, it (Iran) will reconsider its relations with you, he said.Iran says it is entitled as a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. But the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, is concerned about Iran's record of concealing signficant aspects of its nuclear research and says it has failed to answer all questions about its atomic program.

DANIEL 12:1
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

GENESIS 37:9
9 And he (Joseph) dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.

1 CHRONICLES 21:1
1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel. (ANTI SEMITISM COMES (IS) FROM SATAN)

REVELATION 12:1-17 SPACE WAR, SATAN BOOTED TO EARTH. GREATEST PERSECUTION IN HISTORY TO COME YET.

1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:(This speaks of ISRAEL, JOSEPHS DREAM)
2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.(This is the EU CONTROLED BY SATAN)
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth:( 1/3rd of Angels booted out of Heaven with Satan for rebelling against God) and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.(ISRAEL WILL BE PERSECUTED BY SATAN WHOS IN CONTROL OF THE EU).
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.(This was Mary the Mother of Jesus)(Jesus was Jewish).
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.(ISRAEL PROTECTED FOR 3 1/2 years)
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Arms control in space
by Taylor Dinerman,Monday, December 4, 2006

In 2001–2002 George Bush and Vladimir Putin signed a major agreement drastically reducing the numbers of their strategic arsenals. If such an agreement had been signed in the 1980s it would have been hailed as the dawn of world peace and disarmament. Instead, due to the nature of our times and the politics of the men who signed the agreement, it has been ignored or minimized. All the pageantry and suspense that used to surround arms control negotiations is now a thing of the past.In an age of asymmetric warfare, the idea of two superpowers sitting around a table in Geneva maneuvering for political and military advantage in the legal language of a treaty seems as obsolete as the old Soviet parades on Red Square. New actors such as India and Pakistan, not to mention North Korea and Iran, are uninterested in participating in such rituals, except on their own very peculiar terms.

In an age of asymmetric warfare, the idea of two superpowers sitting around a table in Geneva maneuvering for political and military advantage in the legal language of a treaty seems as obsolete as the old Soviet parades on Red Square.

Now some in Washington are proposing that a new multilateral space arms control agreement be negotiated that will create rules of the road for satellites, despite this statement in the administration’s new National Space Policy: The United States will oppose the development of new legal regimes or other restrictions that seek to prohibit or limit U.S. access to or use of space. Proposed arms control agreements
or restrictions must not impair the rights of the United States to conduct research, development, testing, and operations or any other activities in space for U.S. national interests.This is a pretty clear negative message to the arms control community.

Writing for the Arms Control Association’s Arms Control Today in 2004, Michael Krepon explains that US anti-satellite (ASAT) programs will cost far more and be far more sophisticated than the ASAT weapons of potential adversaries, who would opt to kill satellites cheaply and crudely. He is quite right about this, but one does have to ask, if these nations can build these space weapons cheaply and crudely now, why don’t they do it? If long-range missiles and nuclear weapons are proliferating, why does anyone think that space weapons will not? If fact, they may already be doing it. The US intelligence community has failed so often in the past to anticipate proliferation activities, such as those of the Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan, that there is no reason to think that their record will be any better on space weapons.Instead of pursuing US military space superiority Krepon proposes a doctrine of space assurance similar to the rules of the road proposed by the Soviet Union and it allies back in the late 1980s. This requires the avoidance of dangerous military activities is space, including flight tests that simulate attacks against satellites and the deployment of ASAT and space weapons. Taken to its logical extreme, this would mean that any rendezvous and docking maneuvers, such as those of a Progress resupply vehicle with the International Space Station, would have to be banned, since this could be construed as the testing of an ASAT.

Next year may be when the great space weapons debate begins.

The idea that our foes might refrain from attacks US space assets because …they will only suffer more casualties by impairing satellites that improve targeting and reduce collateral damage does not fit with the nature of contemporary information warfare. As one Israeli put it, When they kill our innocent civilians, they win. When we kill their innocent civilians, they win.

Since it is an important goal of the enemy for the US to create as much collateral damage as possible, why should they not attack those assets that the US uses to reduce it? Next year may be when the great space weapons debate begins. For the Democrats, with their new majorities in the House and Senate, the question will be whether they want to give in to the arms control community on this issue, and thus potentially confirm their stereotype as weak on defense. Or will enough of them join with the majority of Republicans and protect American interests in space as well as on land, sea, and air? Taylor Dinerman is an author and journalist based in New York City.

2007 YEAR OF WAR

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS. 2-Two quakes in Indonesia - no one hurt. 3-Moderate quake rattles Guatemala. 4-Flooding kills eight in Pakistan. 5-Typhoon death toll could hit 1,000: Red Cross. 6-Crews work to restore power in Ontario, Quebec. 7-Britain set for more storms. 8-Wildfires destroy 5 homes in California. 9-Fires ravage eastern states. 10-Saudis lead Israel peace bid. 11-N. Korea offers uranium rights to Russia: report. 12-Israel sliding to disappearance, Ahmadinejad tells Haniya. 13-Ministers Discuss Threat of Hizbullah Takeover in Lebanon. 14-OPEC president expects oil production cut. 15-Barroso rallies commissioners behind EU constitution. 16-Brussels pushes for free trade with Asia, Latin America. 17-2007 - The Year of War.

EARTHQUAKES

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

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

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

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Tue Dec 5 12:05 AM EDT

DEC 05,2006
MAP 4.4 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA

DEC 04,2006
MAP 3.8 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 4.8 OFFSHORE EL SALVADOR
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 3.2 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP 3.0 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.6 SANTA MONICA BAY, CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 PUERTO RICO
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.5 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 5.1 LAKE BAYKAL REGION, RUSSIA
MAP 2.6 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 3.1 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.1 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO
MAP 4.8 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 3.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.5 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

DEC 03,2006
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.9 GUATEMALA
MAP 4.3 ECUADOR
MAP 2.5 MAUI REGION, HAWAII
MAP 2.7 MAUI REGION, HAWAII
MAP 4.6 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 5.7 AUCKLAND ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND REGION
MAP 4.8 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.6 CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 4.6 BALI SEA
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.9 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
MAP 5.0 OFF THE EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA
MAP 3.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.7 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 3.4 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA

Two quakes in Indonesia - no one hurt - moderate earthquakes jolt Indonesia, no reports of injury

Jakarta (dpa) - Two moderate earthquakes jolted north-eastern and eastern Indonesian provinces of Maluku and West Nusa Tenggara Sunday morning, but there were no reports of injuries or structural damage, officials said.

The first tremblor, measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale struck islands in North Maluku (Mollucas) at about 0010 GMT, said Indra, an official at Jakarta's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency. He said the quake's epicenter was located in the sea, about 135 kilometres northwest of Labuha, a tiny town on Bacan island, about 2,350 kilometres northeast of Jakarta. The second earthquake - an aftershock following earlier strong quake on late Friday - measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale, struck Sumbawa Island in West Nusa Tenggara province, at about 0207 GMT, Indra said, adding that the quake's epicenter was on land, about 33 kilometres south-east of Raba district town. On Friday night, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Sumbawa Island, West Nusa Tenggara province, killing one person, injuring scores of others and damaged dozens of buildings. Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago nation, is prone to earthquakes because of its location on an arc of volcanoes and oceanic trenches encircling the Pacific Basin, known as the Ring of Fire. On December 2004, a massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake off the western coast of Sumatra triggered a tsunami that struck nine countries and killed some 177,000 people in Indonesia's Aceh province.

Moderate quake rattles Guatemala Sun Dec 3, 7:08 PM ET

GUATEMALA CITY - A moderate earthquake jolted Guatemala on Sunday, shaking buildings and tossing light objects around.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.The quake had a magnitude of 5.8 and struck at 2:52 p.m. local time, about 60 miles southwest of the capital of Guatemala City, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.Officials at the National Coordination for Disaster Reduction said they had no reports of damage or injuries.

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

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

Flooding kills eight in Pakistan DEC 05,06

QUETTA, Pakistan (AFP) - At least eight people have been killed in torrential rains and flooding, which blocked roads and caused widespread disruption in several Pakistani cities, officials said. Five villagers were swept away early Monday in a flood caused by a downpour in a remote village of southwest Pakistan, officials said.The five drowned after floods swept them away in Ornath village in Khuzdar district, some 450 kilometres (280 miles) southwest of Quetta, a paramilitary official told AFP.The flood also damaged several mudbrick houses in the village, he said.Two bridges collapsed in the area which severed road links to the cities of Quetta and Karachi, and stranded hundreds of passengers, he added.In southern Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and commercial capital, three people were electrocuted to death, city police chief Tariq Jamil told AFP.

The rain water flooded Karachi's streets, causing huge traffic jams and disrupted train services to other cities, officials said. Widespread rain and snowfall since Saturday has disrupted life in several Pakistani towns and cities and was likely to continue over the next couple of days, the meteorological department said.More than 200 people died this year in Pakistan's monsoon rains which occur from July to September.

Typhoon death toll could hit 1,000: Red Cross
Updated Sun. Dec. 3 2006 7:11 AM ET,Associated Press

DARAGA, Philippines The top Red Cross official in the Philippines said Sunday that he thinks 1,000 people or more have been killed by Typhoon Durian.

We're estimating the casualties could reach 1,000, perhaps more, said Sen. Richard Gordon, who heads the local Red Cross. His figure of 1,000 was based on reports from Red Cross officials on the ground in the devastated areas.

Gordon said at present his group has recorded a death toll of at least 406, with 398 others missing, based on figures provided by mayors of devastated towns in the eastern Philippines, where Durian hit with 139 mph winds and torrential rains on Thursday. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of national calamity Sunday, allowing the government to more rapidly release funds needed to bolster search and rescue efforts.Typhoon Durian was the fourth major storm to hit the Philippines in four months. It buffeted the Mayon volcano with so much wind and rain that ash and boulders cascaded down in walls of black mud that swamped entire villages on Thursday.The Philippines location in the northwestern Pacific often makes it the region's welcome mat for typhoons.

We are often the first to experience typhoons before they go to China, Taiwan and Japan, said Thelma Cinco, senior weather specialist of the Philippine weather bureau. Durian, named after a thorny fruit with a powerful odor that many find offensive, blew away roofs, toppled trees and power lines and sent tons of rocks and volcanic ash down Mayon, the region's most famous landmark about 210 miles southeast of Manila. Rescuers scouring mountain villages buried under mud and boulders discovered more bodies Saturday. The first funerals were held Saturday evening as bodies rapidly decomposed in the tropical heat. In the town of Padang, only rooftops protruded from the mud and debris. Power pylons were toppled, a two-lane highway became a one-lane road strewn with debris and overturned trucks.Silangan Santander, 21, attended funeral services for her brother, Larry, whose widow was five months pregnant. Only his lower torso and legs were found near the sea. Another brother was missing.In the community where my brother lived, all the houses there were gone, she said. There are only rocks, sand and water.

The sound of boulders crashing down Mayon's slopes were like thunder, and the ground shook, she said. We thought it would be our end.

The Red Cross appealed for food, tents, water, blankets, mats, mosquito nets and body bags. Canada donated $876,000 while Japan said it would send $173,000, the Philippine government said. Nationwide, at least 2,892 people have been killed and 909 have gone missing in storms between 2001-05, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council. Damage has totaled $521 million.The calamities came despite preparations and measures to mitigate the damage. Anthony Golez, the council's deputy chief said the people of the Philippines need to be better informed about disaster preparedness. He said Filipinos should be bombarded with disaster information, including stories of the Indian Ocean tsunami two years ago and the February 2006 landslide in the central Philippine village of Guinsaugon that killed more than 1,000. They have to get scared, or else, he said. We have to give them the reality, and it's a sad reality. We have to tell them the truth. But beyond preparedness, Golez said too many people live close to danger zones like mountainsides or riverbanks.They are pushed there because they do not have any choice. If you develop their economy, then they would have more options, he said. Gordon, the local Red Cross head, said better planning is needed.

We have to break the cycle of disaster and poverty by being smarter, by being sure we can plan our community smarter, he said. The big problem here in our country is we don't plan our communities. It's every man for himself.

He said the government has money for disaster mitigation but that politicians look to building projects that last only long enough for people to remember them during election campaigns. Mayor Jessie Robredo of Naga city in Camarines Sur, a province in the Bicol region often hit by typhoons, said his people are used to the yearly storms and began bracing for Durian a week before it arrived. The result was zero casualty this time, he said.But he laments that emergency funds, used to help his constituents get back on their feet after typhoons, could be used for economic projects.We would have been more progressive, more productive, he said. The worst part of a typhoon is that instead of using our funds for livelihood, we use them for relief to help people rebuild their lives. Instead of building infrastructures, we repair buildings.

The cycle seems unlikely to break soon.

The people of Naga are very resilient, Robredo said.Typhoons are like a way of life, a part of life. We do not like them, but our attitude is that there is still another day and we will rise again.

Crews work to restore power in Ontario, Quebec
Updated Sun. Dec. 3 2006 9:10 AM ET,CTV.ca News Staff

Utility crews were working overtime Sunday morning to turn the lights back on for tens of thousands of residents in Quebec and Ontario. They lost power Friday night when a powerful storm blasted the region with snow, heavy rain, freezing rain and high winds. As many as 80,000 households were without electricity as of Saturday morning. But Saturday night that number was down to around 33,000 as crews worked to restore the power grid to full operations. In the greater Montreal area, several thousand people were still without power, mostly due to downed trees and broken branches that fell on power lines. Hydro Quebec predicted most home would have power restored by Sunday night as crews worked to repair the damage. About 55,000 people in Ontario mostly in the eastern part of the province were still in the dark Sunday morning. Ottawa and Winchester were particularly hard hit, but Hydro One said it was making good progress towards repairing the damage. However, the electricity supply company said it could well be a few more days before all people living in remote areas have their electricity restored.With files from The Canadian Press

Sunday December 03 2006 13:06 GMT
Britain set for more storms

Rain and strong gales will continue to batter Britain after a stormy night which saw winds get up to 100mph. Forecasters said the weather would get slightly better, but southern Scotland, Northern Ireland and north-west England could see very strong winds. People in Scotland have been warned to prepare for flooding, and there is a risk of floods all over Britain. On Saturday night the south west of England was the worst affected area with winds leaving a trail of damage. A 47-year-old man died after being hit by a wave at Ardglass harbour in County Down, Northern Ireland. And some 12,000 homes don't have any power after the strong winds brought down electricity cables in the Midlands. On Sunday, winds could get up to 80mph, and up to seven and a half cm of rain could fall in some areas.

FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS

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

Dec. 4, 2006, 8:49AM
Wildfires destroy 5 homes in California,By CHRISTINA ALMEIDA Associated Press Writer ,The Associated Press

Video Report MOORPARK, Calif. — Powerful, erratic winds early Monday hampered crews fighting a wildfire that destroyed five homes and threatened hundreds more in the hilly outskirts of this Southern California bedroom community.

With Santa Ana winds gusting up to 60 mph, firefighters said they were focused more on protecting the ranches, tract homes and citrus orchards on Moorpark's northern and western edges than on containing the blaze, which began Sunday at 2:30 a.m.You don't attack a fire with winds this extreme, said Capt. Mike Mathiesen of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. They're ferocious.

The fire burned at least 15 square miles, while gutting a warehouse and five other homes, authorities said.

Hundreds of residents, some with horses and livestock, were gearing up to flee or had already done so after authorities recommended evacuations.The Moorpark Unified School District was closed Monday.The sheriff's (deputies) said if you see flames, leave, said Dave Hare, who was at a home on the site of a recycling business he owns.More than 1,000 firefighters were working the blaze, and water-dropping helicopters would begin flying sorties after daybreak.The fire was being pushed by winds of up to 30 mph and gusts as high as 60 mph Monday, according to the National Weather Service, which issued a red flag warning of extreme fire danger because of high wind and dry conditions.Some residents stayed put despite 35-feet flames nearby. In one neighborhood, the fire came within 100 yards of homes.Arturo Huerta, 88, stationed himself on the family's home with hose in hand and watched for burning embers. I'm kinda nervous, he said.The blaze began on the northwestern edge of Moorpark, a one-time farm town about 29 miles northwest of Los Angeles that has transformed into a bedroom community.It quickly burned through 9,700 acres of heavy brush and chaparral in hills dotted with horse ranches, tract homes, and eucalyptus, avocado and citrus groves on the city's outskirts.

Flames sprung up again around 7 a.m. near Moorpark, but fire officials later classified both fires as a single blaze known as the Shekell incident, although they were a couple of miles apart. A third fire burned south of Camarillo and was expected to be contained at 30 acres, authorities said.By early evening, the fire had created a dense, brown-and-orange haze over the city and forced authorities to shut down part of Highway 23, the area's main north-south artery.A massive packaging plant was engulfed in flames and burnt for hours, occasionally letting off small explosions. Firefighters stood watch at a nearby estate to ensure a shift in wind wouldn't send flames toward the home.No major injuries were reported. A fire engine belonging to the state fire department tipped over during the initial response, but three firefighters aboard were uninjured. The accident occurred when the engine's driver apparently got too close to the edge of a road to let cars pass, officials said.In Riverside County, firefighters gained control of a wildfire that burned 100 acres of hillside brush. The fire, which began late Saturday near a high school in Norco, was fanned by strong winds and caused one minor injury to a firefighter.The causes of the fires were under investigation.

Fires ravage eastern states
December 03, 2006 11:55am

FIREFIGHTERS in eastern states are battling major blazes, with Victorian and SA crews battling fires in remote terrain, while NSW crews hoping for relief from cooler weather.Cooler temperatures are being experienced through much of NSW, including around the western areas of Mudgee, Coonabarabran and Narrabri where major bushfires are burning.However, Rural Fire Service (RFS) spokeswoman Rebel Talbert said the rain was not helping backburning operations.

It's cooled right down across the entire state which is good because it gives us an opportunity to get in there and do some containment work on these fires, she said.But some of the rain we've received is hampering the backburning efforts.It would take copious amounts of rain for weeks on end for it to have any positive affect, she said.Backburning operations over the next three days will be vital for fire crews, with early forecasts predicting a return to extreme conditions on Wednesday.About 200 firefighters will spend today attempting to work on a series of fires burning around Coonabarabran, including one that poses a threat to a large koala population in the Pilliga Nature Reserve.

Coonabarabran residents are also being urged to prepare their homes for the onset of fire, with another blaze burning around Timor Road.In Narrabri, backburning operations will also continue on a series of fires that have already burnt out more than 14,000 hectares.Crews in Mudgee have also been hampered by rain as they try to contain a blaze in the Wallaby Rocks areas.Blazes are also burning around Mudgee in the Bylong complex and Blue Springs.No fires are currently posing any immediate threat to property.

Victorian high counrty

1000 Victorian firefighters are today continuing to battle more than 50 blazes in the state's high country.A spokesman for the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) said the largest fires were at Mount Cynthia, north-west of Dargo, and at Mount Terrible, near Kevington.The Mount Cynthia fire has burned about 600 hectares, while 300 hectares have burned at Mount Terrible.

He said the large number of fires had forced authorities to prioritise which areas they should focus on. We've got a lot of fires, including about 50 in the high country in rugged and remote terrain, he said. Some of them we haven't even visited yet. The spokesman said more than 1,000 Country Fire Authority (CFA) and DSE firefighters were battling the fires, which began about 4pm (AEDT) Friday after lightning strikes in the area. Yesterday authorities asked campers and day trippers to leave Victoria's Upper Goulburn Valley.

Travellers in the fire-affected areas have been advised to listen to ABC and local radio, ensure family and friends know their whereabouts and to be aware of increased traffic on roads and tracks.

No property was yet in danger from the fires, the DSE spokesman said. South Australia - Riverland.Firefighters are still trying to contain a fire that's been burning for almost a week in South Australia's Riverland. The Country Fire Service (CFS) said the fire just north of Renmark, which was sparked by lightning last Monday, had so far burnt out about 113,000 hectares of scrub and farming land.

No dwellings were currently under direct threat. Firefighters from around the state are undertaking a backburn in the area this morning in an attempt to remove fuel from the path of the fire. More than 24 appliances will work with several bulldozers and front-end loaders on the fireground today, the CFS said. A CFS spokesman said there were still a number of smaller fires burning around the state as a result of the lightning storms nearly a week ago. A blaze that burnt out some 5,000 hectares in the Hincks Conservation Park on the Eyre Peninsula has been contained. Share this article (What is this?)Digg this Post to del.icio.us Post to Newsvine

COUNTRIES WITH ISRAEL

EZEKIEL 38:10-19
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, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; 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, 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,(SAUDIA ARABIA) and the merchants of Tarshish,(ENGLAND) with all the young lions thereof,(USA,CANADA,AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND,EU,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?
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.
17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;

The Sunday Times December 03, 2006 Saudis lead Israel peace bid
Uzi Mahnaimi, Tel Aviv

THE Saudi Arabian government is emerging as a key player in talks to broker a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace agreement. According to senior Israeli sources, Ehud Olmert, Israel’s prime minister, will soon meet high-ranking Saudi officials to explore the formation of a group of moderate Arab countries to negotiate with Tel Aviv over the future of the Middle East. A preliminary meeting between Olmert and a leading Saudi representative took place in Amman, the Jordanian capital, at the end of September. According to Israeli sources, the Saudi was Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the former ambassador to Washington and one of the closest advisers to King Abdullah, the Saudi ruler. Olmert is believed to be considering a Saudi initiative, endorsed by the Arab League four years ago, as the basis for a peace settlement.This would include the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and could lead to a formal peace deal between Israel and seven Arab countries: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, the Emirates, Morocco and Tunisia.

Olmert promised the Palestinians their own state last week in a conciliatory speech that he was said to have written himself. Condoleezza Rice, the American secretary of state, praised the speech and her officials welcomed it as a promising sign that a regional peace dialogue may be resumed. However, an Israeli insider said: The truth is that it was not Olmert’s own initiative but a dictate given to him last month when he met George W Bush and Condoleezza Rice in Washington. An Arab source said: The Saudis wanted to see Olmert commit publicly to what he promised Prince Bandar at the secret meeting in Amman. According to Israeli officials, Saudi Arabia is gradually taking over the role of principal peace broker previously played by Egypt. Saudi influence is seen as invaluable, particularly as the country has funded many Arab causes. Hamas, the militant group that won Palestinian elections last January, was established with Saudi money; and the Palestinian Authority would have collapsed long ago without Saudi funding. Olmert, his reputation damaged by this summer’s war in Lebanon, is looking for a dramatic initiative to restore his image at home.

WW3 THE 3 WAVES THAT MARCH TO ISRAEL

DANIEL 11:40-45
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.

The Third and Final Wave of WW3 is when all Nations march to Jerusalem, but JESUS bodily returns to earth and destroys them,sets up his KINGDOM OF RULE FOR 1000 YEARS THEN FOREVER.

2ND WAVE CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL

REVELATION 16:12
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THIS IS THE ATATURK DAM IN TURKEY,THEY CROSS OVER).

DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) 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)

REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(IRAQ-SYRIA)
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)

N. Korea offers uranium rights to Russia: report
Updated Sun. Dec. 3 2006 7:19 AM ET,Associated Press

TOKYO -- North Korea has offered Russia exclusive rights to its natural uranium deposits in exchange for support at the stalled talks on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, a newspaper reported Sunday.

The two countries have been in talks since 2002 on a deal for Russia to import uranium, which it wants to enrich and sell as nuclear fuel to China and Vietnam, according to a report in the regional daily, Tokyo Shimbun, citing unnamed Russian officials. North Korea recently offered Russia exclusive rights to the uranium in exchange for open support at the six-party talks on the North's nuclear program, which have stalled since last year, the report stated. Russia, which already exports natural gas and oil, hopes to become a major exporter of nuclear fuel, according to the report.

Negotiations between Russia and North Korea were set to continue, the report added. North Korea defied international demands by testing a nuclear weapon for the first time on Oct. 8. The U.N. quickly sanctioned the communist regime, banning member states from trading in weapons-related technology with the North. Efforts to restart talks to halt the North's nuclear program have so far failed. Russia, North and South Korea, Japan, China and the U.S. are involved in the talks.

U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill and his North Korean counterpart, Kim Kye Gwan, failed to agree to a start date for negotiations after meeting in Beijing last week.At those talks, Hill reportedly urged North Korea to shut down its nuclear testing facilities by the end of 2008, halt uranium production, let U.N. weapons inspectors back into the country and hand over a full list of its nuclear facilities.In return, the other five countries would offer the North security guarantees, economic aid, and the possibility of normalizing U.S.-North Korea ties, the Kyodo News agency reported Saturday, citing unnamed officials. Pyongyang would face additional sanctions if it didn't comply with the proposal, which was drawn up by the U.S., Japan and South Korea, and shared with China and Russia, the report said, without elaborating.The mass-circulation Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper carried a similar report. Officials at Japan's Foreign Ministry were unavailable for comment. Russia's Foreign Ministry and the Russian Embassy in Tokyo also declined immediate comment.

North Korea withdrew from the six-party talks last November, angered at U.S. financial sanctions against a Macau-based bank where Pyongyang held several accounts that Washington alleged were used to launder money.

Kim, the North Korean envoy, has said Pyongyang will not unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons program. Russian officials have repeatedly said they support a non-nuclear North Korea. The main task of the six-party talks is guaranteeing the non-nuclear status of the Korean Peninsula, Russian Security Council chief Igor Ivanov, was quoted by ITAR-Tass as saying on Saturday during a visit to Mexico.

MUSLIM NATIONS

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
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, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE 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:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
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, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; 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, 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.

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

Israel sliding to disappearance, Ahmadinejad tells Haniya

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has told Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniya that Israel is sliding toward disappearance. The Zionist regime is on the slope of disappearance and the freedom movement and the struggles of the Palestinian people have more success every day, Ahmadinejad told Haniya on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Asian Games in Doha on Friday.Neither Iran nor Haniya's ruling Islamist Hamas faction recognise Israel.It is the religious duty of all Muslims to stand by the Palestinians, Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the official IRNA agency on Saturday.The continued crimes of the Zionist regime will only accelerate the downfall of this fake regime.Ahmadinejad, who has prompted international anger by dismissing the Holocaust as a myth used to justify the creation of Israel, added: This regime was created in order to make tension in the region and to carry out the policies of the US and Britain.

Haniya, whose government is internationally boycotted over its refusal to lay down arms, recognise Israel and abide by earlier peace agreements, is on his first foreign tour since taking power in January, with Tehran reportedly one of his destinations.During Palestinian foreign minister Mahmud Zahar's visit to Tehran two weeks ago, the Islamic republic gave 120 million dollars in aid to the cash-strapped Hamas-led government and voiced its readiness to give more.Israel's arch-foe Iran denies allegations that it supplies arms to Palestinian militant groups, saying its support is of a moral nature only.

Ministers Discuss Threat of Hizbullah Takeover in Lebanon
By Hillel Fendel (INN)

Various Cabinet sessions are discussing the possible Hizbullah coup in Lebanon, as well as the demand for a ceasefire an end to Israel's anti-terror activities in Judea and Samaria.

Following the morning Cabinet session dealing mainly with the threat of a Hizbullah takeover in Lebanon, the security mini-cabinet will convene and discuss the security situation in more detail.Regarding the possible Hizbullah toppling of the Lebanese government, most ministers feel that Israel need not take a public stand. Israel should not intervene, said former intelligence officer Rafi Eitan, Minister of Pensioners Affairs, because most of the time it turns out the opposite of what we want... This is a job for the United States. Another Cabinet member said that any Israeli support for the moderate Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora would only weaken him. Minister Meir Sheetrit (Kadima) said that a takeover by Iranian/Syrian-backed Hizbullah is a very worrisome prospect, while Minister Eli Yishai (Shas) said that Israel must be prepared for just such an eventuality.Former IDF Intelligence Chief Gen. (ret.) Aharon Ze'evi-Farkash said today that if the present Lebanese government resigns and does not call new elections, this will increase the chance of another war next summer.The meetings today will also deal with the ceasefire in Gaza violated thus far by nearly 15 Kassam rockets and its possible expansion into Judea and Samaria (Yesha).

Ceasefire = Return to Murderous Terrorism in Israel

A ceasefire in Yesha means, according to Palestinian Authority demands, that Israel remove all checkpoints and stop anti-terror measures. For Israel, a ceasefire means an end to the thwarting of terror attacks and a return to weekly or daily reports of murdered Israelis. This is the conclusion drawn from the statistics the IDF will present today at the security mini-cabinet meeting.

The leading statistic to be presented: The IDF has thwarted this year over 130 attacks and/or arms-smuggling attempts at one checkpoint alone the Hawara checkpoint south of Shechem. Since January 2006, Arutz-7's Haggai Huberman reports, IDF troops at Hawara have caught Arabs trying to smuggle into Israeli-controlled territory 28 bombs, 10 guns, 25 Molotov cocktails and 60 knives.Four pipe-bombs, between four and six inches long each, were caught in the past week alone, and blown up in controlled explosions by Israeli Border Guard sappers.In July, for instance, 32 knife-bearing Arabs were stopped, in September, three firebombs were caught, and in November, three bombs were found on persons trying to cross through the checkpoint.On Oct. 9, a Palestinian terrorist ran towards soldiers with a knife and tried to stab one; another soldier shot him, and though soldiers and Red Crescent workers administered first aid, he died.

Israel's military history teaches us, Huberman writes, that every time there was a ceasefire without a clear IDF victory, it served only to help the Arabs rearm and regroup for the next round.

This is what occurred in the ceasefire with Egypt ending the War of Attrition in 1970 [preparing the way for the Yom Kippur War in 1973], and with the PLO in 1981, leading to the war in Lebanon [a year later]. In addition, the Oslo Agreement [of 1993] saved the PLO from total collapse at the time that the original intifada [that began in] 1987 was dying out, and this was what happened in the hudna, etc. Each time, the cease fire was merely a time-out before the next round.U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, who met separately with Prime Minister Olmert and PA leader Abu Mazen last week, has often called for Israel to give up checkpoints, often associating them with the daily humiliation of occupation. Even Olmert, in his famous speech at Ben-Gurion's grave last week, said that if the PA establishes a unity government and stops terrorism, We will significantly diminish the number of roadblocks, increase freedom of movement in the territories, facilitate movement of people and goods in both directions.

IDF officers such as Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky, Central Commander Gen. Yair Naveh, Planning Division Chief Gen. Ido Nehushtan, and Operations Chief Gen. Tal Russo all agree that Israel must not agree to give up the checkpoints. Army chiefs feel that the current number of checkpoints, following the removal of some, is the red line minimum required to maintain a semblance of security for Israel.The PA side, however, continues to demand a ceasefire in Yesha interpreting it to mean that if Israel harms an Arab in the course of anti-terror activities, it will be within its rights to respond by firing rockets.

OPEC president expects oil production cut DEC 04,06

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) OPEC is likely to trim production again, the president of the oil cartel said Friday, adding that he expects a cut of at least 500,000 barrels a day.The specific amount will be decided at the OPEC meeting scheduled for this month in Nigeria's capital, he said.

There is likely to be some further trimming, the actual amount will depend on the circumstances, Edmund Daukoru, who is Nigeria's oil minister and president of the 11-member Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, told a group of reporters ahead of a news conference in Abuja.On Thursday, Venezuelan oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said OPEC could cut production by 500,000 barrels a day when it meets in December 14 in Abuja, and Daukoru agreed.I don't expect anything less than 500,000 barrels per day to be cut, Daukoru said. He declined to give a specific figure, saying only: When we meet, we will look at the data and the trends.Oil prices retreated Friday amid profit taking and easing worries that OPEC will significantly reduce output to boost prices.

Prices had jumped to two-month highs on Thursday on news of declining U.S. fuel inventories and the approach of the Northern Hemisphere winter, when heating fuel demand rises.But by afternoon Friday in Europe, light, sweet crude for January delivery was down 72 cents to $62.41 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday that OPEC members had reached a consensus to keep oil prices at $50 a barrel. The average for the OPEC basket price this week currently stands above $56 a barrel.Daukoru said he didn't see prices getting back to the 70s, ($70) definitely not the upper 70s that we saw back in August.Asked about the possible expansion of OPEC's membership, Daukoru replied, We have made a membership drive to Angola and Sudan and we are optimistic that those two countries will respond.Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil exporter, but its usual 2.5 million barrels of output per day have been cut by 25 percent because of a wave of militant attacks and kidnappings since the beginning of the year.Reuters.

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TR BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).

Barroso rallies commissioners behind EU constitution
04.12.2006 - 09:22 CET | By Honor Mahony

European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso has attempted to drum up support for the beleaguered EU constitution among his fellow commissioners, apparently changing his previous stance towards the document.

Mr Barroso last month wrote to his 24 colleagues saying he wants to bring forward a proposal to give the EU constitution another chance, according to Reuters news agency.In the letter he stressed the continuing need for a constitution, writing that we can find a way out and give Europe a second chance. The message reveals an apparent change of approach in Mr Barroso's position on the EU charter which has been frozen in political limbo since it was rejected by French and Dutch voters last year.Soon after its rejection, Mr Barroso was keen to push a practical policy-driven Europe focussing on tangible results that citizens notice Instead of never-ending debates about institutions, let's work with what we've got. Political will and leadership are more important than institutions, he said in September last year.We should have a policy-driven agenda, so people can see the benefits of the European Union.This practical approach was followed by a spate of consumer-friendly initiatives such as driving down mobile phone roaming prices and tackling hidden costs in airplane tickets.Mr Barroso's call for a new initiative on the EU constitution comes at a time when the topic is slowly climbing back up the political agenda after having almost vanished during an extended period of reflection on what to do after the 'no' referendums.Under its EU presidency during the first half of next year, Germany is going to attempt to get some political impetus behind reviving as much of the constitution as possible.The Times reports that Chancellor Angela Merkel last week called her ambassadors back to Berlin to discuss how to implement its planned steps for next year.

Under its constitution roadmap, Berlin is intending to sound out opinions during the first few months. This will then be followed by a declaration in March to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome - which kicked off the common market leading to the current EU.By June, with French elections out of the way, the German EU presidency is hoping to be able to have a timeframe and some concrete steps that other member states can sign up to.Ms Merkel has previously indicated Germany would like the constitutional process wrapped up in time for the 2009 European elections.

Brussels pushes for free trade with Asia, Latin America
04.12.2006 - 09:27 CET | By Helena Spongenberg

EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson is this week to present plans for a new generation of free trade agreements after a multilateral deal on global free trade in the Doha Development Round got stuck earlier this year.On Wednesday (6 December) Mr Mandelson will come forward with a commission plan to start free trade talks with India, South Korea, ASEAN – the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – as well as Latin American countries, according to press reports.

The commission needs a mandate from the 25 EU member states before it can freely go ahead with negotiations on an accord which would reduce barriers and fuel trade between the EU and its partners.Negotiations could include market access on goods and services, common rules and disciplines on intellectual property rights, competition, dispute settlement or rules of origin.EU foreign affairs ministers meeting next week will discuss the issue and if approved, negotiations could get underway in 2007.

Updated Dec. 4, 2006 4:20
Analysis: 2007 - The Year of War,By YAAKOV KATZ

2007 will be the year of war, both in Lebanon and in the Gaza Strip, and possibly even against Syria. It could happen this spring, or perhaps in the summer.

According to Military Intelligence's (MI) assessment for the coming year, there is a high probability that Israel will find itself fighting at least two wars on two fronts, one against the Hamas army being created in the Gaza Strip and the other against Hizbullah, working hard to regain its strength after the war this past summer. Despite a cease-fire on the Gaza front, Hamas has spent the last week smuggling weapons into the Strip through the tunnels running from Sinai. Hizbullah, despite Security Council Resolution 1701 and UNIFIL's presence in southern Lebanon, has received shipments of antitank missiles, short-range rockets and long-range missiles from Syria since the war ended. The Syrian military is on high alert and has the IDF concerned that without political engagement, war could erupt there. According to MI's assessment, if Israel offered Syria a renewal of dialogue, President Bashar Assad would accept. However, if Israel does not make any diplomatic overtures toward Syria, in line with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's declared policy, the chance of war will only increase. While the defense establishment is genuinely concerned with the ongoing Hizbullah protest in Beirut and the effect it will have on the fragile situation in the North, MI is not surprised by Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah's attempt to topple Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's US-backed government.

The massive demonstration in Lebanon is more than just a standard anti-government gathering. It is a clash of cultures - one led by Saniora interested in an independent and westernized Lebanon and the other led by Nasrallah and powered by Iran, interested in a radical and religious regime, or as MI sees it, an extension of Iran and the axis of evil. Syria is also contributing to the tension and, according to MI, is the leading suspect in the assassination two weeks ago of Lebanese Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel. The Saniora government's decision to establish an international tribunal to try those responsible for the assassination of Rafik Hariri in 2005 was a major blow for Assad and the ongoing protest in Beirut is partially his way of payback. The IDF does not anticipate long life for the cease-fire in Gaza, obtained November 25 in a phone call between Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. In addition to the daily Kassam rocket attacks since the cease-fire went into effect, the Palestinians have continued smuggling weapons into the Strip from Egypt.

Hamas's army in Gaza already numbers several thousand troops, believed to be armed with advanced antitank missiles, Grad-type Katyusha rockets as well as anti-aircraft projectiles, possibly Soviet-made SA-7 shoulder-fired missiles. The assumption in the IDF is that the cease-fire will not last long, maybe another couple of weeks at the most. The major problem is that unlike the cease-fire in 2005 before Israel's unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip, this time the Palestinians do not have any incentives to enforce or uphold the truce. It is also important to differentiate between the Strip and the West Bank. While Hamas is building an army, Gaza is self-contained, cut off from the rest of Israel. The West Bank is different. With the security fence incomplete, a decision to remove roadblocks and permit free passage for Palestinians could enable terrorists to enter Israeli cities. The only way to prevent terror there is to maintain an IDF presence in the West Bank.

But not everyone in the defense establishment agrees that the way to prevent terror in the West Bank is by retaining a stifling military presence. Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj.-Gen. Yosef Mishlav has been recommending the removal of roadblocks and free passage between West Bank cities for some months now, claiming the move would stimulate positive economic developments within the PA. If Israel fails to do so, Mishlav has warned, war could also erupt in the West Bank.