LEADERS AT AIPAC IN WSH

OBAMA STILL INSISTS TO GIVE THE PALESTINIANS A STATE SIDE BY SIDE WITH ISRAEL. THIS WILL BE TROUBLE AS JERUSALEM WILL BE DIVIDED AND IT WILL CAUSE WW3.

AIPAC AMERICAN-ISRAEL PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
http://www.aipac.org/about_AIPAC/Learn_About_AIPAC/2841.asp

SHAPING U.S. LEADERS AT AIPAC 2008
http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2008/06/02/shaping-us-leaders-at-aipac-2008/

OBAMA LAYS OUT MIDEAST POLICY
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91153531&ft=1&f=1001

LISTEN TO OBAMAS SPEECH
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=91150432&m=91152375

Full Remarks of Obama’s AIPAC SpeechRemarks at AIPAC Policy Conference Senator Barack Obama June 4, 2008

As Prepared for Delivery

It’s great to see so many friends from across the country. I want to congratulate Howard Friedman, David Victor and Howard Kohr on a successful conference, and on the completion of a new headquarters just a few blocks away.

Before I begin, I want to say that I know some provocative emails have been circulating throughout Jewish communities across the country. A few of you may have gotten them. They’re filled with tall tales and dire warnings about a certain candidate for President. And all I want to say is - let me know if you see this guy named Barack Obama, because he sounds pretty frightening.

But if anyone has been confused by these emails, I want you to know that today I’ll be speaking from my heart, and as a true friend of Israel. And I know that when I visit with AIPAC, I am among friends. Good friends. Friends who share my strong commitment to make sure that the bond between the United States and Israel is unbreakable today, tomorrow, and forever.

One of the many things that I admire about AIPAC is that you fight for this common cause from the bottom up. The lifeblood of AIPAC is here in this room - grassroots activists of all ages, from all parts of the country, who come to Washington year after year to make your voices heard. Nothing reflects the face of AIPAC more than the 1,200 students who have travelled here to make it clear to the world that the bond between Israel and the United States is rooted in more than our shared national interests - it’s rooted in the shared values and shared stories of our people. And as President, I will work with you to ensure that it this bond strengthened.

I first became familiar with the story of Israel when I was eleven years old. I learned of the long journey and steady determination of the Jewish people to preserve their identity through faith, family and culture. Year after year, century after century, Jews carried on their traditions, and their dream of a homeland, in the face of impossible odds.

The story made a powerful impression on me. I had grown up without a sense of roots. My father was black, he was from Kenya, and he left us when I was two. My mother was white, she was from Kansas, and I’d moved with her to Indonesia and then back to Hawaii. In many ways, I didn’t know where I came from. So I was drawn to the belief that you could sustain a spiritual, emotional and cultural identity. And I deeply understood the Zionist idea - that there is always a homeland at the center of our story.

I also learned about the horror of the Holocaust, and the terrible urgency it brought to the journey home to Israel. For much of my childhood, I lived with my grandparents. My grandfather had served in World War II, and so had my great uncle. He was a Kansas boy, who probably never expected to see Europe - let alone the horrors that awaited him there. And for months after he came home from Germany, he remained in a state of shock, alone with the painful memories that wouldn’t leave his head.

You see, my great uncle had been a part of the 89th Infantry Division - the first Americans to reach a Nazi concentration camp. They liberated Ohrdruf, part of Buchenwald, on an April day in 1945. The horrors of that camp go beyond our capacity to imagine. Tens of thousands died of hunger, torture, disease, or plain murder - part of the Nazi killing machine that killed 6 million people.

When the Americans marched in, they discovered huge piles of dead bodies and starving survivors. General Eisenhower ordered Germans from the nearby town to tour the camp, so they could see what was being done in their name. He ordered American troops to tour the camp, so they could see the evil they were fighting against. He invited Congressmen and journalists to bear witness. And he ordered that photographs and films be made. Explaining his actions, Eisenhower said that he wanted to produce, first-hand evidence of these things, if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to propaganda.

I saw some of those very images at Yad Vashem, and they never leave you. And those images just hint at the stories that survivors of the Shoah carried with them. Like Eisenhower, each of us bears witness to anyone and everyone who would deny these unspeakable crimes, or ever speak of repeating them. We must mean what we say when we speak the words: never again.

It was just a few years after the liberation of the camps that David Ben-Gurion declared the founding of the Jewish State of Israel. We know that the establishment of Israel was just and necessary, rooted in centuries of struggle, and decades of patient work. But 60 years later, we know that we cannot relent, we cannot yield, and as President I will never compromise when it comes to Israel’s security.

Not when there are still voices that deny the Holocaust. Not when there are terrorist groups and political leaders committed to Israel’s destruction. Not when there are maps across the Middle East that don’t even acknowledge Israel’s existence, and government-funded textbooks filled with hatred toward Jews. Not when there are rockets raining down on Sderot, and Israeli children have to take a deep breath and summon uncommon courage every time they board a bus or walk to school.

I have long understood Israel’s quest for peace and need for security. But never more so than during my travels there two years ago. Flying in an IDF helicopter, I saw a narrow and beautiful strip of land nestled against the Mediterranean. On the ground, I met a family who saw their house destroyed by a Katyusha Rocket. I spoke to Israeli troops who faced daily threats as they maintained security near the blue line. I talked to people who wanted nothing more simple, or elusive, than a secure future for their children.

I have been proud to be a part of a strong, bi-partisan consensus that has stood by Israel in the face of all threats. That is a commitment that both John McCain and I share, because support for Israel in this country goes beyond party. But part of our commitment must be speaking up when Israel’s security is at risk, and I don’t think any of us can be satisfied that America’s recent foreign policy has made Israel more secure.

Hamas now controls Gaza. Hizbollah has tightened its grip on southern Lebanon, and is flexing its muscles in Beirut. Because of the war in Iraq, Iran - which always posed a greater threat to Israel than Iraq - is emboldened, and poses the greatest strategic challenge to the United States and Israel in the Middle East in a generation. Iraq is unstable, and al Qaeda has stepped up its recruitment. Israel’s quest for peace with its neighbors has stalled, despite the heavy burdens borne by the Israeli people. And America is more isolated in the region, reducing our strength and jeopardizing Israel’s safety.

The question is how to move forward. There are those who would continue and intensify this failed status quo, ignoring eight years of accumulated evidence that our foreign policy is dangerously flawed. And then there are those who would lay all of the problems of the Middle East at the doorstep of Israel and its supporters, as if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the root of all trouble in the region. These voices blame the Middle East’s only democracy for the region’s extremism. They offer the false promise that abandoning a stalwart ally is somehow the path to strength. It is not, it never has been, and it never will be.

Our alliance is based on shared interests and shared values. Those who threaten Israel threaten us. Israel has always faced these threats on the front lines. And I will bring to the White House an unshakeable commitment to Israel’s security.

That starts with ensuring Israel’s qualitative military advantage. I will ensure that Israel can defend itself from any threat - from Gaza to Tehran. Defense cooperation between the United States and Israel is a model of success, and must be deepened. As President, I will implement a Memorandum of Understanding that provides $30 billion in assistance to Israel over the next decade - investments to Israel’s security that will not be tied to any other nation. First, we must approve the foreign aid request for 2009. Going forward, we can enhance our cooperation on missile defense. We should export military equipment to our ally Israel under the same guidelines as NATO. And I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself in the United Nations and around the world.

Across the political spectrum, Israelis understand that real security can only come through lasting peace. And that is why we - as friends of Israel - must resolve to do all we can to help Israel and its neighbors to achieve it. Because a secure, lasting peace is in Israel’s national interest. It is in America’s national interest. And it is in the interest of the Palestinian people and the Arab world. As President, I will work to help Israel achieve the goal of two states, a Jewish state of Israel and a Palestinian state, living side by side in peace and security. And I won’t wait until the waning days of my presidency. I will take an active role, and make a personal commitment to do all I can to advance the cause of peace from the start of my Administration.

The long road to peace requires Palestinian partners committed to making the journey. We must isolate Hamas unless and until they renounce terrorism, recognize Israel’s right to exist, and abide by past agreements. There is no room at the negotiating table for terrorist organizations. That is why I opposed holding elections in 2006 with Hamas on the ballot. The Israelis and the Palestinian Authority warned us at the time against holding these elections. But this Administration pressed ahead, and the result is a Gaza controlled by Hamas, with rockets raining down on Israel.

The Palestinian people must understand that progress will not come through the false prophets of extremism or the corrupt use of foreign aid. The United States and the international community must stand by Palestinians who are committed to cracking down on terror and carrying the burden of peacemaking. I will strongly urge Arab governments to take steps to normalize relations with Israel, and to fulfill their responsibility to pressure extremists and provide real support for President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad. Egypt must cut off the smuggling of weapons into Gaza. Israel can also advance the cause of peace by taking appropriate steps - consistent with its security - to ease the freedom of movement for Palestinians, improve economic conditions in the West Bank, and to refrain from building new settlements - as it agreed to with the Bush Administration at Annapolis.

Let me be clear. Israel’s security is sacrosanct. It is non-negotiable. The Palestinians need a state that is contiguous and cohesive, and that allows them to prosper - but any agreement with the Palestinian people must preserve Israel’s identity as a Jewish state, with secure, recognized and defensible borders. Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided.

I have no illusions that this will be easy. It will require difficult decisions on both sides. But Israel is strong enough to achieve peace, if it has partners who are committed to the goal. Most Israelis and Palestinians want peace, and we must strengthen their hand. The United States must be a strong and consistent partner in this process - not to force concessions, but to help committed partners avoid stalemate and the kind of vacuums that are filled by violence. That’s what I commit to do as President of the United States.

The threats to Israel start close to home, but they don’t end there. Syria continues its support for terror and meddling in Lebanon. And Syria has taken dangerous steps in pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, which is why Israeli action was justified to end that threat.

I also believe that the United States has a responsibility to support Israel’s efforts to renew peace talks with the Syrians. We must never force Israel to the negotiating table, but neither should we ever block negotiations when Israel’s leaders decide that they may serve Israeli interests. As President, I will do whatever I can to help Israel succeed in these negotiations. And success will require the full enforcement of Security Council Resolution 1701 in Lebanon, and a stop to Syria’s support for terror. It is time for this reckless behavior to come to an end.

There is no greater threat to Israel - or to the peace and stability of the region - than Iran. Now this audience is made up of both Republicans and Democrats, and the enemies of Israel should have no doubt that, regardless of party, Americans stand shoulder-to-shoulder in our commitment to Israel’s security. So while I don’t want to strike too partisan a note here today, I do want to address some willful mischaracterizations of my positions.

The Iranian regime supports violent extremists and challenges us across the region. It pursues a nuclear capability that could spark a dangerous arms race, and raise the prospect of a transfer of nuclear know-how to terrorists. Its President denies the Holocaust and threatens to wipe Israel off the map. The danger from Iran is grave, it is real, and my goal will be to eliminate this threat.

But just as we are clear-eyed about the threat, we must be clear about the failure of today’s policy. We knew, in 2002, that Iran supported terrorism. We knew Iran had an illicit nuclear program. We knew Iran posed a grave threat to Israel. But instead of pursuing a strategy to address this threat, we ignored it and instead invaded and occupied Iraq. When I opposed the war, I warned that it would fan the flames of extremism in the Middle East. That is precisely what happened in Iran - the hardliners tightened their grip, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected President in 2005. And the United States and Israel are less secure.

I respect Senator McCain, and look forward to a substantive debate with him these next five months. But on this point, we have differed, and we will differ. Senator McCain refuses to understand or acknowledge the failure of the policy that he would continue. He criticizes my willingness to use strong diplomacy, but offers only an alternate reality - one where the war in Iraq has somehow put Iran on its heels. The truth is the opposite. Iran has strengthened its position. Iran is now enriching uranium, and has reportedly stockpiled 150 kilos of low enriched uranium. Its support for terrorism and threats toward Israel have increased. Those are the facts, they cannot be denied, and I refuse to continue a policy that has made the United States and Israel less secure.

Senator McCain offers a false choice: stay the course in Iraq, or cede the region to Iran. I reject this logic because there is a better way. Keeping all of our troops tied down indefinitely in Iraq is not the way to weaken Iran - it is precisely what has strengthened it. It is a policy for staying, not a plan for victory. I have proposed a responsible, phased redeployment of our troops from Iraq. We will get out as carefully as we were careless getting in. We will finally pressure Iraq’s leaders to take meaningful responsibility for their own future.

We will also use all elements of American power to pressure Iran. I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. That starts with aggressive, principled diplomacy without self-defeating preconditions, but with a clear-eyed understanding of our interests. We have no time to waste. We cannot unconditionally rule out an approach that could prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. We have tried limited, piecemeal talks while we outsource the sustained work to our European allies. It is time for the United States to lead.

There will be careful preparation. We will open up lines of communication, build an agenda, coordinate closely with our allies, and evaluate the potential for progress. Contrary to the claims of some, I have no interest in sitting down with our adversaries just for the sake of talking. But as President of the United States, I would be willing to lead tough and principled diplomacy with the appropriate Iranian leader at a time and place of my choosing - if, and only if - it can advance the interests of the United States.

Only recently have some come to think that diplomacy by definition cannot be tough. They forget the example of Truman, and Kennedy and Reagan. These Presidents understood that diplomacy backed by real leverage was a fundamental tool of statecraft. And it is time to once again make American diplomacy a tool to succeed, not just a means of containing failure. We will pursue this diplomacy with no illusions about the Iranian regime. Instead, we will present a clear choice. If you abandon your dangerous nuclear program, support for terror, and threats to Israel, there will be meaningful incentives - including the lifting of sanctions, and political and economic integration with the international community. If you refuse, we will ratchet up the pressure.

My presidency will strengthen our hand as we restore our standing. Our willingness to pursue diplomacy will make it easier to mobilize others to join our cause. If Iran fails to change course when presented with this choice by the United States, it will be clear - to the people of Iran, and to the world - that the Iranian regime is the author of its own isolation. That will strengthen our hand with Russia and China as we insist on stronger sanctions in the Security Council. And we should work with Europe, Japan and the Gulf states to find every avenue outside the UN to isolate the Iranian regime - from cutting off loan guarantees and expanding financial sanctions, to banning the export of refined petroleum to Iran, to boycotting firms associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, whose Quds force has rightly been labeled a terrorist organization.

I was interested to see Senator McCain propose divestment as a source of leverage - not the bigoted divestment that has sought to punish Israeli scientists and academics, but divestment targeted at the Iranian regime. It’s a good concept, but not a new one. I introduced legislation over a year ago that would encourage states and the private sector to divest from companies that do business in Iran. This bill has bipartisan support, but for reasons that I’ll let him explain, Senator McCain never signed on. Meanwhile, an anonymous Senator is blocking the bill. It is time to pass this into law so that we can tighten the squeeze on the Iranian regime. We should also pursue other unilateral sanctions that target Iranian banks and assets.

And we must free ourselves from the tyranny of oil. The price of a barrel of oil is one of the most dangerous weapons in the world. Petrodollars pay for weapons that kill American troops and Israeli citizens. And the Bush Administration’s policies have driven up the price of oil, while its energy policy has made us more dependent on foreign oil and gas. It’s time for the United States to take real steps to end our addiction to oil. And we can join with Israel, building on last year’s US-Israel Energy Cooperation Act, to deepen our partnership in developing alternative sources of energy by increasing scientific collaboration and joint research and development. The surest way to increase our leverage in the long term is to stop bankrolling the Iranian regime.

Finally, let there be no doubt: I will always keep the threat of military action on the table to defend our security and our ally Israel. Sometimes there are no alternatives to confrontation. But that only makes diplomacy more important. If we must use military force, we are more likely to succeed, and will have far greater support at home and abroad, if we have exhausted our diplomatic efforts.

That is the change we need in our foreign policy. Change that restores American power and influence. Change accompanied by a pledge that I will make known to allies and adversaries alike: that America maintains an unwavering friendship with Israel, and an unshakeable commitment to its security.

As members of AIPAC, you have helped advance this bipartisan consensus to support and defend our ally Israel. And I am sure that today on Capitol Hill you will be meeting with members of Congress and spreading the word. But we are here because of more than policy. We are here because the values we hold dear are deeply embedded in the story of Israel.

Just look at what Israel has accomplished in 60 years. From decades of struggle and the terrible wake of the Holocaust, a nation was forged to provide a home for Jews from all corners of the world - from Syria to Ethiopia to the Soviet Union. In the face of constant threats, Israel has triumphed. In the face of constant peril, Israel has prospered. In a state of constant insecurity, Israel has maintained a vibrant and open discourse, and a resilient commitment to the rule of law.

As any Israeli will tell you, Israel is not a perfect place, but like the United States it sets an example for all when it seeks a more perfect future. These same qualities can be found among American Jews. It is why so many Jewish Americans have stood by Israel, while advancing the American story. Because there is a commitment embedded in the Jewish faith and tradition: to freedom and fairness; to social justice and equal opportunity. To tikkun olam - the obligation to repair this world.

I will never forget that I would not be standing here today if it weren’t for that commitment. In the great social movements in our country’s history, Jewish and African Americans have stood shoulder to shoulder. They took buses down south together. They marched together. They bled together. And Jewish Americans like Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner were willing to die alongside a black man - James Chaney - on behalf of freedom and equality.

Their legacy is our inheritance. We must not allow the relationship between Jews and African Americans to suffer. This is a bond that must be strengthened. Together, we can rededicate ourselves to end prejudice and combat hatred in all of its forms. Together, we can renew our commitment to justice. Together, we can join our voices together, and in doing so make even the mightiest of walls fall down.

That work must include our shared commitment to Israel. You and I know that we must do more than stand still. Now is the time to be vigilant in facing down every foe, just as we move forward in seeking a future of peace for the children of Israel, and for all children. Now is the time to stand by Israel as it writes the next chapter in its extraordinary journey. Now is the time to join together in the work of repairing this world.

TEXT OF CLINTONS SPEECH AT AIPAC JUNE 4,08
http://www.aipac.org/Publications/SpeechesByPolicymakers/PC_08_Clinton.pdf

CLINTON DEFENDS OBAMA ISRAEL POSITION
http://embeds.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/06/04/clinton-defends-obamas-israel-position-at-aipac/

OBAMA - CLINTON AT AIPAC THE MORNING AFTER
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/06/04/the_morning_after_obama_and_hi/

OLMERT - RICE SPEAK ON IRAN
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/386303.aspx

LISTEN TO RICES SPEECH AT AIPAC
http://www.aipac.org/media_files/AudioPC08Speeches/PC08_Condoleezza_Rice.mp3

LISTEN TO PELOSIS SPEECH AT AIPAC
http://www.aipac.org/media_files/AudioPC08Speeches/PC08_Nancy_Pelosi.mp3

LISTEN TO JOHN BOEHNER AT AIPAC
http://www.aipac.org/media_files/AudioPC08Speeches/PC08_John_Boehner.mp3

LISTEN TO ISRAELI PANEL AT AIPAC
http://www.aipac.org/media_files/AudioPC08Speeches/PC08_Monday_PM_Panel_Discussion_Full.mp3

LISTEN TO FOREIGN POLICY ROUND TABLE AT AIPAC
http://www.aipac.org/media_files/AudioPC08Speeches/PC08_Monday_AM_Panel_Discussion_Full.mp3

LISTEN TO HOWARD FRIEDMAN SPEECH AT AIPAC
http://www.aipac.org/media_files/AudioPC08Speeches/Howard_Friedman_Full_Speech.mp3

LISTEN TO HOWAR KOHR AT AIPAC
http://www.aipac.org/media_files/AudioPC08Speeches/Howard_Kohr_Full_Speech.mp3

Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Text: PM Olmert's prepared speech at AIPAC [Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA:

LISTEN TO OLMERT - AIPAC SPEECH
http://www.aipac.org/media_files/AudioPC08Speeches/Olmert_Full_Speech.mp3

Withdrawal from Golan based on Dumbo assumption:I can only assure you that any future agreement, if and when it is reached, will be backed by all the necessary security guarantees, and that I will
never compromise on anything which could undermine Israel's security or vital interests.Keep in mind the PM Olmert recently admitted when spoke in presence of President Bush that the IDF is not yet taking serious measures to stop the attacks from Gaza:
(We hope that we will not have to act against Hamas in other ways with the military power that Israel has not yet started to use in a serious manner in order to stop it.

Joint Statements by PM Olmert and US Pres. Bush
Israel Government Press Office Wednesday, May 14, 2008
www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Communication/PMSpeaks/speechstat140508.htm )

Yet at AIPAC he says:
... if one city, one small city in your state, in your district, was bombed, not even on a daily basis, but just once, with one single missile, what would you do? Would you not demand that your government stand up immediately and take the necessary action to defend your citizens? ... Every day, the government and the security forces weigh all possible alternatives, and make the choice which we believe is the wisest and most effective.]

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert AIPAC Policy Conference 2008
June 3, 2008 (AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY)
www.aipac.org/Publications/SpeechesByPolicymakers/Olmert_-_As_Prepared_for_Delivery.pdf

Distinguished members of the United States Congress,
President of AIPAC, David Victor,
Chairman of AIPAC, Howard Friedman,
Executive Director, Howard Kohr,
AIPAC Board of Directors,
Representatives of the students' organizations,
Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Salai Meridor,
Honorable guests,
Dear Friends,

Thank you AIPAC for providing this opportunity for all of us to come together and show support for Israel!It is always amazing to see the number of people that AIPAC manages to gather in one room. I believe this is the largest such gathering ever. After speaking to this audience via video conference last year, I knew that this
year I would not miss the opportunity to participate in the unique
experience of the AIPAC Policy Conference.It's truly a pleasure to be here, with so many great friends of Israel.

Israel is grateful for AIPAC's tireless efforts and unending dedication to promoting the joint American-Israeli relations, values and interests. AIPAC empowers the next generation of American supporters of Israel and ensures that the alliance between Israel and the United States is never taken for granted. I am therefore delighted to see so many students here, representing
the younger, future generation. It serves to assure me, and all of us, that the traditional bonds of friendship between Israel and America will continue to be nurtured and strengthened.

I understand that there are some members of Congress in the audience. Israel is grateful for the long-standing bi-partisan Congressional friendship and support, manifested most recently by the initiative to mark Israel's 60th anniversary. We are particularly thankful for your support and recognition of the 10-year Memorandum of Understanding between our countries. The
approval of the MOU, from 2009 onward, is crucial to maintaining Israel's security and qualitative edge.

I recently had the opportunity to have lunch in Jerusalem with the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, who led a distinguished Congressional delegation to Israel. Our meeting allowed us to discuss a range of issues of mutual interest in a more personal and ntimate forum, and served to assure me that the bi-partisan support for Israel is stronger than ever. I extend an open invitation to each and every one of you to come to Israel and do the same. I
assure you that you will be among friends.

As we celebrate 60 years of US-Israeli relations, I feel personally obliged to take a moment to reflect on and remember a close personal friend, Congressman Tom Lantos. Tom was a visionary congressman, a dedicated American patriot and a symbol of friendship to Israel. Earlier this week, I met with Annette Lantos in Jerusalem and presented her with a special message of commemoration signed by the entire Government of Israel, as a
tribute of Israel's appreciation for Tom's work. I understand that this is the first AIPAC Policy Conference without Tom, and he is sorely missed by us all. I would also like to use this platform to mention another close friend of mine and Tom's, who passed away this week, Yosef Tommy Lapid, former deputy prime minister and minister of justice. Both Tom and Tommy grew up in Hungary, lived on the same street one block apart from each other, and they
were both Holocaust survivors saved by the legendary Wallenberg. Tommy was an almost permanent fixture in Israeli public life. He was an articulate, sharp and courageous publicist and politician, but above all, he was a true and loyal friend. The void left by these great men in their passing is as deep as the impact they made in their lives.

Ladies and gentlemen,
As you know all too well, the situation between Israel and its neighbors, the Palestinians and the other Arab states, is sensitive and complex. My responsibility as Prime Minister, and that of every government in Israel, is first and foremost for the security of its citizens, and we will never compromise on this principle. Israel will never capitulate to terrorism or choose appeasement in the face of evil. Our stand in this regard is unequivocal and is completely on a par with the policies of President Bush and his administration. We will continue to exercise our inalienable right
to defend ourselves against all acts of aggression and we will prevail!

At the same time, we will never abandon our efforts to achieve peace and reconciliation with our neighbors, as we truly believe that only real peace can ultimately provide the security we all deserve. While we actively pursue peace, we cannot ignore the numerous pitfalls on the path to peace and those forces in the region which seek to sabotage any hope of peace between Israel
and its neighbors.

The most serious and imminent threat to global security and stability is undoubtedly Iran. Iran is the world's largest exporter of terrorism, a fundamentalist dictatorship, motivated by utter contempt for the values represented by the free world and an uninhibited ambition to achieve military superiority and regional
hegemony. It openly calls for the elimination of Israel and actively seeks nuclear capabilities to enable it to translate its sinister plans into action. Iran's fingerprints are evident in almost every terrorist organization across the Middle East, from Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip to Hizballah in Lebanon. Hizballah, Iran's major protégé, receives its directives, ammunition and finances directly from Tehran, with the help of Syria, and is actively engaged in torpedoing any chance of calm
in Lebanon. Its long-standing record as a ruthless terrorist organization has earned Hizballah a place of honor on almost every list of global terrorist organizations. I urge you to work together with us to include Hizballah in the terrorist list of the European Union and encourage other countries to do the same.

The Iranian threat must be stopped by all possible means. International economic and political sanctions on Iran, as crucial as they may be, are only an initial step, and must be dramatically increased. Iran's defiance of international resolutions and its continued tactics of deception and denial leave no doubt as to the urgent need for more drastic and robust measures.

The sanctions must be clearly defined and religiously enforced. Any
willingness to overlook Iranian violations or justify Iran's questionable tactics will immediately be interpreted as a sign of weakness and will only encourage them to proceed with more vigor.

The international community has a duty and responsibility to clarify to Iran, through drastic measures, that the repercussions of their continued pursuit of nuclear weapons will be devastating. The sanctions initiated by the UN are of immense importance, as they represent a unified stand by a large number of nations, but sanctions should also be initiated by individual countries which have dealings with Iran. Each and every country must understand that the long-term cost of a nuclear Iran greatly outweighs
the short-term benefits of doing business with Iran. While Iran may be a large oil exporter, it imports almost half of its refined oil products.

Sanctions can be imposed on the export of gasoline to Iran and they can be imposed on countries which refine gasoline for Iran. Governments should announce that Iranian businessmen are no longer welcome in their countries, and that funds arriving from or channeled to Iran should not be transferred through their banks.
Israel and the United States have long understood the acute danger embodied in a nuclear Iran, and are working closely in a concerted, coordinated effort to prevent Iran from becoming nuclear. Israel will not tolerate the possibility of a nuclear Iran, and neither should any other country in the free world.

Dear friends,
On May 21, Israel and Syria simultaneously announced the start of
negotiations for comprehensive peace, under the auspices of Turkey, based on the principles of the 1991 Madrid Conference. Syria is currently a threat to regional stability, but if it ultimately makes the choice to have peace relations with Israel, for which it will have to disengage from its allies in the Axis of Evil, this will constitute a drastic, strategic shift in the entire Middle East. Iran's negative response to this process can serve as an
indication of the benefits embodied in it.

Peace between Israel and Syria is a clear Israeli interest, but it is also a Syrian one. I know all too well the fears, suspicions and criticism which have always surrounded the Israeli-Syrian negotiations, and I do not take them lightly. I can only assure you that any future agreement, if and when it is reached, will be backed by all the necessary security guarantees, and that I will never compromise on anything which could undermine Israel's
security or vital interests.

While the negotiations with Syria are only at a very initial stage, the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians are continuous and intensive. The Annapolis meeting in November 2007, initiated by President Bush, launched this process and outlined the principles underlying it, and we have been proceeding on this basis ever since. The current leadership in the Palestinian Authority, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, presents a rare opportunity to achieve an agreement. President Abbas and his government recognize Israel's right to live in security and are as committed as we are to achieving peace. They know full well that the path of terrorism only condemns the Palestinian people to misery and hopelessness, and have a genuine desire to see a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel, in peace. I am wholeheartedly convinced that we are at a critical crossroads, and that this opportunity must not be missed. My obligation, as Prime Minister, is to explore every avenue to reach an understanding, and I truly believe that now, perhaps for the first time ever, it is attainable.

President Abbas and I have met many times over the past two years, and the two teams have been meeting on a weekly basis in a serious effort to achieve a historic breakthrough in the course of 2008. The negotiations cover all outstanding issues between us, and the agreement, if and when it is reached, will reflect the vision introduced to the world by President Bush in June 2002, and its implementation will be subject to the Roadmap. Israel entered
this bilateral process with the Palestinians in good faith and with a genuine willingness to make the necessary compromises. The time for both parties to make difficult decisions is soon approaching. I believe that the leadership of Israel and the people of Israel are ready for it, and hope that when the moment of truth finally arrives, the Palestinian leadership will respond to the challenge.

The moderate, responsible Arab states, headed by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, could play an important role in this process. These nations, which want to promote peace and which fully recognize the direct threat to them posed by a nuclear Iran and by foreign and domestic extremism, now have a golden opportunity to support a process of normalization and reconciliation with Israel, which will isolate Iran and the extremists and help foil their
pursuit of regional dominance. I hope they will choose to take a
constructive part and create an environment which is conducive to the peace negotiations currently taking place between Israel and its neighbors.

A clear distinction must be made between the Palestinian Authority, headed by President Abbas, and the Hamas terrorist organization, operating in and controlling Gaza. Israel has never, nor will it ever, negotiate with Hamas, as long as it refuses to accept the three principles set forth by the international community. The reality on Israel's southern border is intolerable. Tens of thousands of innocent Israeli citizens live daily in constant fear and anxiety, under a barrage of missiles, serving as pawns in
a cruel, malicious game of roulette played by the Hamas and its cronies in the Gaza Strip. While we have no desire to see the uninvolved Palestinian population in Gaza suffer, we cannot be expected to accept a situation that no other nation in the world would tolerate.

You have just seen and heard the brave people of Sderot. Sderot and the other communities in the south of Israel have, over the past seven years, suffered the largest number of missiles launched from the Gaza Strip. These good, hard-working citizens, demonstrate incredible courage and fortitude in their daily struggle to conduct seemingly normal lives in an impossible, incomprehensible situation, and they are an inspiration to us all.

Members of Congress,
I turn to each and every one of you and ask - if one city, one small city in your state, in your district, was bombed, not even on a daily basis, but just once, with one single missile, what would you do? Would you not demand that your government stand up immediately and take the necessary action to defend your citizens? Would you not expect the entire international community to unequivocally denounce the group responsible for these atrocities? Would you not look to your government to provide a solution?

Israel will not be deterred by a large military operation in Gaza if and when we come to the conclusion that this is the best way to restore calm on our southern border, but the fact that no such operation has yet taken place does not imply that we are not taking action. The battle against the terrorists in Gaza is a daily and continuous one. Every day, the government and the security forces weigh all possible alternatives, and make the choice which we believe is the wisest and most effective.

Hopefully, our dialogue with the Palestinians will ripen into an agreement which will clearly show the Palestinian public that there is an alternative to violence and that the key to living in prosperity, honor and dignity lies in reconciliation with Israel.

Ladies and gentlemen, friends of Israel,
In the sixty years since our founding, we transformed a barren land into a prosperous state, and turned swamps and deserts into modern, flourishing cities. We have founded a strong and vibrant democracy, absorbed millions of Jewish immigrants from across the globe, and created a world class, ground-breaking economy. All this was achieved despite wars and continuous threats to Israel's security. However, the great mission of attaining peace with our Palestinian neighbors and the other Arab states is still ahead of us.

Recently, Jews around the world read in the weekly Torah portion about God's decree to the Jewish people. After explaining the ensuing prosperity should the Jewish people follow hiscommandments, G-d declares I will provide peace in the land, and you will lie down with none to frighten you.

(Leviticus, ch 19 vs. 5)
A classical interpretation of the order of these passages suggests that while prosperity follows commitment to G-d's commandments, its value is meaningless if there is no peace. According to G-d's precedence, peace is of greater value than all material things combined.

We must believe that peace is a possibility, and strive to make it a reality, and I assure you that I will spare no energy and leave no stone unturned in my efforts to secure a better future for the people of Israel in the Jewish State. This is my duty, this is my obligation and this will be my contribution to my people.

I also take this opportunity to stress, once again, that the Government of Israel will spare no effort to bring our three captive sons home - Gilad Shalit, who is being held by Hamas in Gaza, and Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who were captured by Hizballah almost two years ago. This is the State of Israel's absolute commitment, and I am sure that you all share our
strong desire to see them home safely.

The AIPAC Policy Conference is an ideal platform for me to express, on behalf of the people of Israel, my admiration and gratitude to a remarkable friend, President George W. Bush. Without the President's personal involvement, the bilateral process between Israel and the Palestinians may never have progressed. Yet, despite his desire to see peace in the region, the President never expected Israel to compromise its security. His recent visit to Israel on the occasion of our 60th anniversary, and his inspiring,
memorable speech at the Knesset, were the ultimate expression of America's unshakable commitment to Israel's security and well-being. The people of Israel will always remember, appreciate and cherish President Bush's understanding, friendship and support.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Given the recent political developments in Israel, of which I am sure you are all aware, I hesitated as to whether it was the right time and the right thing to leave everything behind and meet with you today. I didn't hesitate for too long. Your friendship to Israel, your dedication to consolidating the strategic bond between Israel and the United States and your steadfast commitment to Israel's security and welfare have all inspired me. Israeli
politics is accustomed to all kinds of trials and tribulations, but your love and support for the State of Israel provides a powerful foundation, a solid rock on which we know we can always rely, in good times and in times of crisis. One of the most fundamental pillars of Israel's national security is its alliance with the United States, and you have dedicated your lives to ensuring that not only will this alliance never weaken or fail, but that it
will grow stronger and deeper.

I thank you for giving me this opportunity to address you this evening. When I see all of you here, I know that my country is truly blessed. Thank you.

Remarks By John McCain at AIPAC
June 2, 2008

ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain delivered the following remarks as prepared for delivery at the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., today at 9:45 a.m. EDT:

Thank you all very much. I appreciate the kind introduction, and the invitation to address you. I see we have some students here, including a few from Arizona, and I welcome you to Washington. It's a pleasure, as always, to be in the company of the men and women of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. And I know that all of us are proud to be in the company of the distinguished senator from the State of Connecticut, my friend Joe Lieberman.

All of you involved in the work of AIPAC have taken up a great and vital cause – and a cause set firmly in the American heart. When President Truman recognized the new State of Israel sixty years ago, he acted on the highest ideals and best instincts of our country. He was a man with courage and a sense of history, and he surely knew what great challenges the Jewish state would face in its early years. To his lasting credit, he resolved that the people of Israel would not face them alone, because they would always have a friend and ally in the United States of America.

The cause of Israel, and of our common security, has always depended on men and women of courage, and I've been lucky enough to know quite a few of them. I think often of one in particular, the late Senator Henry Scoop Jackson. I got to know Senator Jackson when I was the Navy liaison to the Senate. In 1979, I traveled with him to Israel, where I knew he was considered a hero. But I had no idea just how admired he was until we landed in Tel Aviv, to find a crowd of seven or eight hundred Israelis calling out his name, waving signs that read God Bless you, Scoop and Senator Jackson, thank you. Scoop Jackson had the special respect of the Jewish people, the kind of respect accorded to brave and faithful friends. He was and remains the model of what an American statesman should be.

The people of Israel reserve a special respect for courage, because so much courage has been required of them. In the record of history, sheer survival in the face of Israel's many trials would have been impressive enough. But Israel has achieved much more than that these past sixty years. Israel has endured, and thrived, and her people have built a nation that is an inspiration to free nations everywhere.

Yet no matter how successful the nation of Israel, or how far removed from the Holocaust, there are experiences that will never pass from memory. Not long ago I was in Jerusalem with Senator Lieberman and our colleague Lindsey Graham, and we went to the Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem. And for all the boundless examples of cruelty and inhumanity to be found there, for all the pain and grief remembered there, somehow I was especially moved by the story of the camp survivors who died from the very nourishment given to them by their liberators. They had starved and suffered so much that their bodies were too weak even for food. They endured it all, only to die at the moment of their deliverance.

These are the kind of experiences that the Jewish people carry in memory – and they are far from the worst experiences of the Holocaust. These are the kind of griefs and afflictions from which the State of Israel offered escape. And today, when we join in saying never again, that is not a wish, a request, or a plea to the enemies of Israel. It is a promise that the United States and Israel will honor, against any enemy who cares to test us.

The threats to Israel's security are large and growing, and America's commitment must grow as well. I strongly support the increase in military aid to Israel, scheduled to begin in October. I am committed to making certain Israel maintains its qualitative military edge. Israel's enemies are too numerous, its margin of error too small, and our shared interests and values too great for us to follow any other policy.

Foremost in all our minds is the threat posed by the regime in Tehran. The Iranian president has called for Israel to be wiped off the map and suggested that Israel's Jewish population should return to Europe. He calls Israel a stinking corpse that is on its way to annihilation. But the Iranian leadership does far more than issue vile insults. It acts in ways directly detrimental to the security of Israel and the United States.

A sponsor of both Hamas and Hezbollah, the leadership of Iran has repeatedly used violence to undermine Israel and the Middle East peace process. It has trained, financed, and equipped extremists in Iraq who have killed American soldiers fighting to bring freedom to that country. It remains the world's chief sponsor of terrorism and threatens to destabilize the entire Middle East, from Basra to Beirut.

Tehran's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons poses an unacceptable risk, a danger we cannot allow. Emboldened by nuclear weapons, Iran would feel free to sponsor terrorist attacks against any perceived enemy. Its flouting of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty would render that agreement obsolete and could induce Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and others to join a nuclear arms race. The world would have to live, indefinitely, with the possibility that Tehran might pass nuclear materials or weapons to one of its allied terrorist networks. Armed as well with its ballistic missile arsenal, an Iranian nuclear bomb would pose an existential threat to the people of Israel.

European negotiators have proposed a peaceful endgame for Tehran, should it abandon its nuclear ambitions and comply with UN Security Council resolutions. The plan offers far-reaching economic incentives, external support for a civilian nuclear energy program, and integration into the international community. But Tehran has said no.

The Iranians have spent years working toward a nuclear program. And the idea that they now seek nuclear weapons because we refuse to engage in presidential-level talks is a serious misreading of history. In reality, a series of administrations have tried to talk to Iran, and none tried harder than the Clinton administration. In 1998, the secretary of state made a public overture to the Iranians, laid out a roadmap to normal relations, and for two years tried to engage. The Clinton administration even lifted some sanctions, and Secretary Albright apologized for American actions going back to the 1950s. But even under President Khatami – a man by all accounts less radical than the current president – Iran rejected these overtures.

Even so, we hear talk of a meeting with the Iranian leadership offered up as if it were some sudden inspiration, a bold new idea that somehow nobody has ever thought of before. Yet it's hard to see what such a summit with President Ahmadinejad would actually gain, except an earful of anti-Semitic rants, and a worldwide audience for a man who denies one Holocaust and talks before frenzied crowds about starting another. Such a spectacle would harm Iranian moderates and dissidents, as the radicals and hardliners strengthen their position and suddenly acquire the appearance of respectability.

Rather than sitting down unconditionally with the Iranian president or supreme leader in the hope that we can talk sense into them, we must create the real-world pressures that will peacefully but decisively change the path they are on. Essential to this strategy is the UN Security Council, which should impose progressively tougher political and economic sanctions. Should the Security Council continue to delay in this responsibility, the United States must lead like-minded countries in imposing multilateral sanctions outside the UN framework. I am proud to have been a leader on these issues for years, having coauthored the 1992 Iran-Iraq Arms Non-Proliferation Act. Over a year ago I proposed applying sanctions to restrict Iran's ability to import refined petroleum products, on which it is highly dependent, and the time has come for an international campaign to do just that. A severe limit on Iranian imports of gasoline would create immediate pressure on Khamenei and Ahmadinejad to change course, and to cease in the pursuit of nuclear weapons.

At the same time, we need the support of those in the region who are most concerned about Iran, and of our European partners as well. They can help by imposing targeted sanctions that will impose a heavy cost on the regime's leaders, including the denial of visas and freezing of assets.

As a further measure to contain and deter Iran, the United States should impose financial sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran, which aids in Iran's terrorism and weapons proliferation. We must apply the full force of law to prevent business dealings with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. I was pleased to join Senators Lieberman and Kyl in backing an amendment calling for the designation of the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization responsible for killing American troops in Iraq. Over three quarters of the Senate supported this obvious step, but not Senator Obama. He opposed this resolution because its support for countering Iranian influence in Iraq was, he said, a wrong message not only to the world, but also to the region. But here, too, he is mistaken. Holding Iran's influence in check, and holding a terrorist organization accountable, sends exactly the right message – to Iran, to the region and to the world.

We should privatize the sanctions against Iran by launching a worldwide divestment campaign. As more people, businesses, pension funds, and financial institutions across the world divest from companies doing business with Iran, the radical elite who run that country will become even more unpopular than they are already. Years ago, the moral clarity and conviction of civilized nations came together in a divestment campaign against South Africa, helping to rid that nation of the evil of apartheid. In our day, we must use that same power and moral conviction against the regime in Iran, and help to safeguard the people of Israel and the peace of the world.

In all of this, we will not only be defending our own safety and welfare, but also the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people. They are a great and civilized people, with little sympathy for the terrorists their leaders finance, and no wish to threaten other nations with nuclear weapons. Iran's rulers would be very different if the people themselves had a choice in the matter, and American policy should always reflect their hopes for a freer and more just society. The same holds true for the Palestinian people, most of whom ask only for a better life in a less violent world.

They are badly served by the terrorist-led group in charge of Gaza. This is a group that still refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist, refuses to denounce violence, and refuses to acknowledge prior peace commitments. They deliberately target Israeli civilians, in an attempt to terrorize the Jewish population. They spread violence and hatred, and with every new bombing they set back the cause of their own people.

During my last visit to Israel in March, I saw for myself the work of Hamas in the town of Sderot, just across the border from Gaza. I saw the houses that have been hit by Hamas rockets. In the face of injuries, death, and destruction thousands of Israelis have fled the town. Many others have stayed, to carry on as best they can. I visited the home of a man named Pinhas Amar, who lives with his disabled wife, Aliza, and their children. One day, last year, the sirens sounded again to alert the town to incoming rocket fire. The rest of the family found cover. Aliza, on the other side of the house, was knocked out of her wheelchair and struck by shrapnel.

This occurred on December 13. And from that day until the day of my visit just some three months later, more than a thousand rockets had struck Sderot. Today, siren warnings are commonplace, the elementary schools are surrounded by concrete shelters and children walking the streets in costume for Purim celebrations did so in fear. No nation in the world would allow its population to be attacked so incessantly, to be killed and intimidated so mercilessly, without responding. And the nation of Israel is no exception.

Prime Minister Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are engaged in talks that all of us hope will yield progress toward peace. Yet while we encourage this process, we must also ensure that Israel's people can live in safety until there is a Palestinian leadership willing and able to deliver peace. A peace process that places faith in terrorists can never end in peace. And we do no favors to the Palestinian people by conferring approval upon the terrorist syndicate that has seized power in Gaza.

Likewise, Israel's chance for enduring peace with Lebanon depends on Lebanese government that has a monopoly on authority within its country's borders. That means no independent militias, no Hezbollah fighters, no weapons and equipment flowing to Hezbollah.

Hezbollah fighters recently took up arms against their fellow Lebanese, starting the worst internal fighting since the civil war ended in 1990. In the process, they extracted an agreement for a new political arrangement in which Hezbollah and its allies can veto any cabinet decision. As the leader of Hezbollah often reminds us, this group's mission is the defeat of Israel. The international community needs to more fully empower our allies in Lebanon – not only with military aid but also with the resources to undermine Hezbollah's appeal: better schools, hospitals, roads and power generation, and the like. We simply cannot afford to cede Lebanon's future to Syria and Iran.

And we have an additional task. In the summer of 2006, Hamas and Hezbollah kidnapped three young Israelis – Gilad Shalit, Eldad Regev, and Ehud Goldwasser – and have held them ever since. I met with the families of two of these men in December 2006, and heard firsthand about their ordeal. I committed then to bring attention to their situation, to insist that the Geneva Conventions are observed, and to call for the swift release of these men. These men are being unlawfully held, and they must be set free and returned home to Israel.

Another matter of great importance to the security of both America and Israel is Iraq. You would never know from listening to those who are still caught up in angry arguments over yesterday's options, but our troops in Iraq have made hard-won progress under General Petraeus' new strategy. And Iraqi political leaders have moved ahead – slowly and insufficiently, but forward nonetheless. Sectarian violence declined dramatically, Sunnis in Anbar province and throughout Iraq are cooperating in the fight against al Qaeda, and Shia extremist militias no longer control Basra – the Maliki government and its forces are in charge. Al Qaeda terrorists are on the run, and our troops are going to make sure they never come back.

It's worth recalling that America's progress in Iraq is the direct result of the new strategy that Senator Obama opposed. It was the strategy he predicted would fail, when he voted cut off funds for our forces in Iraq. He now says he intends to withdraw combat troops from Iraq – one to two brigades per month until they are all removed. He will do so regardless of the conditions in Iraq, regardless of the consequences for our national security, regardless of Israel's security, and in disregard of the best advice of our commanders on the ground.

This course would surely result in a catastrophe. If our troops are ordered to make a forced retreat, we risk all-out civil war, genocide, and a failed state in the heart of the Middle East. Al Qaeda terrorists would rejoice in the defeat of the United States. Allowing a potential terrorist sanctuary would profoundly affect the security of the United States, Israel, and our other friends, and would invite further intervention from Iraq's neighbors, including an emboldened Iran. We must not let this happen. We must not leave the region to suffer chaos, terrorist violence and a wider war.

My friends, as the people of Israel know better than most, the safety of free people can never be taken for granted. And in a world full of dangers, Israel and the United States must always stand together.

The State of Israel stands as a singular achievement in many ways, and not the least is its achievement as the great democracy of the Middle East. If there are ties between America and Israel that critics of our alliance have never understood, perhaps that is because they do not fully understand the love of liberty and the pursuit of justice. But they should know those ties cannot be broken. We were brought together by shared ideals and by shared adversity. We have been comrades in struggle, and trusted partners in the quest for peace. We are the most natural of allies. And, like Israel itself, that alliance is forever.

Thank you.

AP - OBAMA CLINCHES NOMINATION

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.

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.


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.

GERMANY HIT BY FLASH FLOODS
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=8115708&ch=4226714&src=news

Three die in floods in southern Germany Tue Jun 3, 4:21 AM ET

BERLIN (Reuters) - Three people drowned in heavy floods following thunderstorms in southwestern Germany overnight, police said on Tuesday. One woman died when she was surprised by the rising waters in her cellar, a spokesman said, adding two other people were killed when their car was swept away by the floods.Water levels were several meters high overnight in the Killertal valley in southern Germany, where inhabitants had fled to the upper floors of their homes, police said. The floods had swept cars away and damaged several buildings.(Reporting by Kerstin Gehmlich)

TERRENTIAL RAIN IN SRLANKA
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=8111895&ch=4226714&src=news

Floods kill 17 in Sri Lanka Tue Jun 3, 6:53 AM ET

COLOMBO (AFP) - The death toll from a week of torrential rain across Sri Lanka has risen to 17 and more than 253,000 people have been driven from their homes, the island's disaster management centre said Tuesday. Heavy monsoon downpours have disrupted life in several districts but Kalutara on the south coast is worst affected with 11 deaths and more than 100,000 people displaced by floods and landslides, the centre's emergency relief director, Brigadier N.B. Weregama said.He said the overnight death toll from Monday had risen from 11 to 17 adding that more rain was predicted in the days ahead.Disaster relief services minister Rishard Badurdeen told journalists the government had allocated 22 million rupees (204,000 dollars) for relief work.The tropical island's two main monsoons run from May to September and December to February.Sri Lanka depends on the monsoons for irrigation and power generation but they frequently cause loss of life and damage to property in low-lying areas.

FLASH FLOODS IN AUSTRALIA
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=8111842&ch=4226714&src=news

Forecaster expects busy Atlantic hurricane season By Jim Loney Tue Jun 3, 10:44 AM ET

MIAMI (Reuters) - The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season will likely be a busy one with 15 tropical storms, of which eight will turn into hurricanes, the noted Colorado State University forecasting team said on Tuesday. The prediction from the research team founded by hurricane forecasting pioneer William Gray was unchanged from the one CSU issued in April, which called for four of the eight hurricanes to become major storms, the most destructive type, with sustained winds of more than 110 miles per hour (177 kph).The average hurricane season produces roughly 10 tropical storms and six hurricanes.The CSU forecast said warm Atlantic sea temperatures, along with low pressure at the ocean's surface and low levels of vertical wind shear, would contribute to an above-average season.Hurricanes draw energy from warm water, while vertical wind shear, a difference in wind speeds at different altitudes, can disrupt nascent storms.Conditions in the tropical Atlantic look quite favorable for an active hurricane season, lead forecaster Phil Klotzbach said in a statement.The official six-month Atlantic hurricane season began on Sunday. The first cyclone of the year, Tropical Storm Arthur, formed a day earlier off the coast of Belize and moved quickly inland.

The storm lasted less than a day before weakening to a tropical depression, but it still forced Mexico to shut two of its three main crude oil ports because of rough seas.Arthur drenched southern Mexico, Belize and Guatemala, threatening deadly flash floods and mudslides.Klotzbach said forecasters were closely monitoring sea temperatures in the eastern Pacific for the development of El Nino, a warming of ocean water that can dampen hurricane activity in the Atlantic.At this point, we do not believe that an El Nino will develop by late this summer, he said.The CSU forecast called for a 69 percent chance that at least one major hurricane would hit the U.S. coast, well above the long-term average of 52 percent. It gave a 45 percent probability of a major hurricane on the East Coast and a 44 percent chance on the Gulf of Mexico coast.Energy, insurance and commodities markets have tracked Atlantic storms closely since the catastrophic years of 2004 and 2005.Four powerful hurricanes hit Florida in 2004, collectively causing $45 billion in damage. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina became the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history when it ravaged New Orleans and the Gulf coast, causing $80 billion in damage and killing 1,500 people.That year saw 28 tropical storms and hurricanes, the highest number since recordkeeping began in 1851.Researchers say the Atlantic basin entered a period of heightened hurricane activity around 1995 that could last for 25 to 40 years. Some suggest human-induced global warming may be contributing to more and stronger hurricanes, while others say the increased numbers are due to natural cycles.
(Reporting by Jim Loney; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Flooding from tropical storm kills 4 in Belize By WILLIAM YSAGUIRRE, Associated Press Writer JUNE 3,08

BELIZE CITY - Flash flooding in Belize killed at least four people and left two others missing, witnesses said, due to tropical storms that also killed at least three people in other Central American nations and drove thousands from their homes. The remnants of Tropical Storm Alma swept over Belize hours before Tropical Storm Arthur formed unexpectedly Saturday in the Caribbean and roared ashore at the Mexico-Belize border.The storms flooded much of Central America and southern Mexico, where heavy rains continued Tuesday.Nicaragua's navy found the storm-wrecked boat and body of one of three Costa Rican fisherman missing since Thursday, Capt. Francisco Gutierrez told reporters. Officials were still searching for the two other missing men.One man was electrocuted earlier by wind-whipped power lines in Nicaragua and a 7-year-old girl drowned in Honduras.Mexico's Communications and Transportation Department said Tuesday that the Gulf oil port of Dos Bocas had reopened while Cayo Arcas was still closed because of strong winds and rough seas. Mexico exports roughly 1.5 million barrels of oil a day, mainly to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The weekend storms took most of Belize's 300,000 residents by surprise.Early Monday, flash flood waters swept away a home in southern Belize's Stann Creek Valley, killing a man, his wife and their 14-year-old daughter, according to relatives. The couple's 12-year-old son is missing and presumed dead.That flood just came right now, sudden one, and when I look I saw my nephew's house over there and I told him to get out, Bedford Ritchie told Channel 7. It looks like he was trying to pack up his things and the water didn't give him any break. The water just come right up and picked up their house and took it down there and mashed it up.Wellington McKenzie told Channel 7 that a friend died trying to help him rescue others in their neighborhood.He couldn't stand up no more and he went underneath my house and there he drowned, McKenzie said. They found him about two or three hours after.Officials were also searching for a young boy who was pulled from his father's arms by floodwaters as the two tried to reach the safety of a mango tree.I went underneath the water and I bit my little boy in his hand, just to hold him, and by the time I came up back, he was gone, the boy's father, Philberto Roches, told Channel 7. So I turned around and tried to find him and never did find him again.

The death toll had yet to be confirmed by authorities.The rising waters also left dozens stranded on the roofs of their homes, washed out a key bridge to the southern section of the country and damaged highways.Papaya plantations, shrimp farms and the country's three-month supply of rice were also wiped out.

UN: 1 million in Myanmar aren't getting basic aid By MICHAEL CASEY, Associated Press Writer JUNE 3,08

BANGKOK, Thailand - More than 1 million people still don't have adequate food, water or shelter a month after a devastating cyclone swept through Myanmar, and the military junta's policies are hindering relief efforts and driving up the cost of aid operations, the United Nations said Tuesday. Humanitarian groups say they continue to face hurdles from Myanmar's military government in sending disaster experts and vital equipment into the country. As a result, only a trickle of aid is reaching the storm's estimated 2.4 million survivors, leaving many without even basic relief.

Compounding these problems, the junta's refusal to allow the use of military helicopters from neighboring countries is driving up relief costs, an official from the World Food Program said.Aid groups are unable to provide 1.1 million survivors with sufficient food and clean water, while trying to prevent a second wave of deaths from malnutrition and disease, the U.N. said in its latest assessment report.Of the 1.3 million people who are getting help, most have been reached with inconsistent levels of assistance, the U.N. said.There remains a serious lack of sufficient and sustained humanitarian assistance for the affected populations, the report said.It also said the world body lacked a clear understanding of the support being provided by the Government of Myanmar to its people.It's shocking that cyclone victims still need basic relief after four weeks, said Sarah Ireland, regional director of the British aid organization Oxfam, which is trying to get permission to work in Myanmar.If we were in a normal response by week four, those affected should be working toward recovery, she said Monday. They would be in a position perhaps to think about what they need to restart their lives. But we know people on the ground don't have food to eat.Tidal surges as high as 12 feet reached some 25 miles inland as the cyclone churned through the country for two days beginning May 2. The storm laid entire villages in the Irrawaddy delta to waste and left 78,000 people dead and another 56,000 missing, according to the government's count.But the relief has yet to match the scale of the disaster.A big obstacle in providing relief has been reaching the delta. The U.N.'s World Food Program has chartered helicopters to deliver aid to the hard-hit area, said Paul Risley, a spokesman for the agency in Bangkok, after the government refused to allow military helicopters in.

Ordinarily, in large scale disasters — such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and Pakistan's 2005 earthquake — military helicopters are used to meet the massive immediate emergency requirements, he said.But the WFP is facing a 64 percent shortfall of its $70 million appeal to fund the operation, and Risley warned that expenses are skyrocketing, due in large part to the reliance on the chartered choppers and other logistical hurdles. He indicated that with two months left in the appeal, the agency would likely meet the target.Myanmar was only able to supply seven helicopters to the WFP, and the organization chartered 10 privately owned choppers and ship them to Bangkok. The Canadian and Australian governments ferried some of the helicopters, but the WFP spent roughly $1 million to bring three from Uganda, Risley said.Only one helicopter has arrived in Myanmar so far, heading to the Irrawaddy delta on Monday. The other nine are in Thailand and ready to fly, Risley said.Thus far, most relief supplies have been transported along dirt roads and by boat. Vessels able to navigate the debris-filled canals are scarce and efforts to import trucks and other vehicles have been hampered by governmental red tape.For aid agencies it is very important that those affected receive a full complement of appropriate aid, said James East, a spokesman for World Vision, a private aid agency operating in Myanmar even before the disaster. To say that a certain percentage of people have received aid means little because some survivors may have received a tarpaulin but no food and vice versa.Stories have emerged of survivors going days without food or being forced to drink from dirty canals. The Associated Press has interviewed survivors in recent days who still have not received any government or international assistance and turned to the country's revered monks for help. Human rights groups have also accused Myanmar's military rulers of kicking homeless cyclone survivors out of camps, schools and monasteries and sending them back to their devastated villages to help restore the country's agriculture sector. It's unconscionable for Burma's generals to force cyclone victims back to their devastated homes, said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. Claiming a return to normalcy is no basis for returning people to greater misery and possible death.Myanmar's xenophobic military regime left survivors to largely fend for themselves. It barred foreigners from the delta until last week and refused entry to U.S. and French aid-laden naval vessels, which have been idling off the country's coast.

The lack of foreign experts in the field has meant a chaotic and uneven aid effort, aid organizations said. Without them, it is nearly impossible to asses needs of survivors or set up systems that would now be in place in a normal disaster response, the groups said. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies waited until Monday for government approval to send six foreign experts into the field to help run its water treatment facilities. Until now, it has been able to provide only 5,000 people each day with clean water. It was much easier to get medical supplies, clean water, engineers and psychological consultants into the field in (Indonesia's Aceh province) within the first month,IFRC spokesman France Hurtubise said. Human resources and expertise remain a challenge in Myanmar. Aceh was one of the hardest hit by the 2004 tsunami. Associated Press writers Grant Peck and Ambika Ahuja contributed to this report.

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

DOCTOR DOCTORIAN FROM ANGEL OF GOD
then the angel said, Financial crisis will come to Asia. I will shake the world.

JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM

Oil falls as Fed warns on inflation JUNE 3,08
By Alastair Sharp

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil fell $2 a barrel to below $126 a barrel on Tuesday after the Federal Reserve issued a rare warning on the inflationary risk posed by a weak dollar, suggesting the central bank is not likely to cut interest rates further this year.In short, the commodity complex's all clear to buy signal has just been flicked off and I am sure traders are on high alert for a rebound in the dollar, a bearish event for commodities, said Chris Jarvis, senior analyst at Caprock Risk Management in New Hampshire.

U.S. crude fell $1.84 to $125.92 a barrel by 12 p.m. EDT after earlier hitting a session low of $125.20. London Brent crude fell $1.72 to $126.30 a barrel.Oil prices are down nearly $10 from their peak above $135 a barrel hit last month, pushed lower by concerns over weakening global demand and a recovery in the dollar from record lows.Weakness in the greenback had been one of the factors driving investment in energy, agriculture and metals by encouraging the buying of dollar-denominated commodities as a hedge against inflation.(U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben) Bernanke seems more concerned about inflation than growth and for the first time that I remember he brings the weak dollar into the macro picture by linking rising import costs -- inflationary -- to the front page, said Tom Sowanick of Clearbrook Financial.Some analysts say oil's rapid rise of about 30 percent since the start of the year had a speculative element. That was the view of influential hedge fund manager George Soros.We are currently experiencing the bursting of a housing bubble and, at the same time, a rise in oil and other commodities which has some of the earmarks of a bubble, Soros said in prepared testimony before the U.S. Senate.To be sure, a crash in oil markets is not imminent.Analysts said there was mounting evidence demand for oil was easing and expectations that Asian economies, which have led growth in fuel consumption, will slash subsidies because they have become too costly.Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Taiwan have already announced cuts to subsidies, while Malaysia said it would scrap fuel price controls in August in a move that could double pump prices.India was also expected to raise fuel prices on Wednesday.

The high oil price will clearly be more keenly felt by the end-consumer without these subsidies, said Tom Nelson, an analyst for the Guinness Global Energy Fund, which takes long-only positions in oil and gas firms.It's difficult to ascertain the demand destruction this could lead to, he said.The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) told Reuters on Monday that world oil demand was shrinking more quickly than first thought and the IEA might cut its demand growth forecasts further.Most of that decline in demand has so far been in developed economies as sharp price rises bite for consumers and industry.Demand figures are falling fast in Europe. We're seeing things cooling down, one broker said. There are some big numbers being taken out of the market.More evidence on the state of supply and demand will emerge with the release of U.S. weekly stocks data on Wednesday.A preliminary poll showed analysts expected U.S. crude oil inventories would have risen by 1.1 million barrels last week, gasoline stocks up by 600,000 barrels and distillates up 1.4 million barrels.(Additional reporting by Richard Valdmanis in New York, Santosh Menon; editing by Matthew Lewis)

AMERICA (POLITICAL BABYLON)

EZEKIEL 39:21
21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.

ISAIAH 18:1-2
1 Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia:
2 That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!

JEREMIAH 50:11,37,12
11 Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;(BACKSLIDERS)
37 A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.(A NATION OF MINGLED PEOPLE)
12 Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed:(MOTHER ENGLAND) behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

JEREMIAH 51:13,7,53
13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.
7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.
53 Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.

REVELATION 18:3,5,7
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3 For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK ATTACK)

REVELATION 18:10
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

Barack Obama effectively clinches the Democratic presidential nomination By David Espo And Stephen Ohlemacher, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, based on an Associated Press tally of convention delegates, becoming the first black candidate ever to lead his party into a fall campaign for the White House.

Campaigning on an insistent call for change, Obama outlasted former first lady Hillary Clinton in a historic race that sparked record turnout in primary after primary, yet exposed deep racial divisions within the party. The AP tally was based on public commitments from delegates as well as more than a dozen private commitments. It also included a minimum number of delegates Obama was guaranteed even if he lost the final two primaries in South Dakota and Montana later in the day. The 46-year-old first-term senator will face Senator John McCain of Arizona in the fall campaign to become the 44th president. Clinton was ready to concede that her rival had amassed the delegates needed to triumph, according to officials in her campaign. These officials said the New York senator did not intend to suspend or end her candidacy in a speech Tuesday night in New York. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they had not been authorized to divulge her plans. Obama's triumph was fashioned on prodigious fundraising, meticulous organizing and his theme of change aimed at an electorate opposed to the Iraq war and worried about the economy - all harnessed to his own innate gifts as a campaigner. Clinton campaigned for months as the candidate of experience, a former first lady and second-term senator ready, she said, to take over on Day One. But after a year on the trail, Obama won the kickoff Iowa caucuses Jan. 3, and became something of an overnight political phenomenon.

We came together as Democrats, as Republicans and independents, to stand up and say we are one nation, we are one people and our time for change has come, he said that night in Des Moines. A video produced by Will I. Am and built around Obama's Yes, we can rallying cry quickly went viral. It drew its one millionth hit within a few days of being posted. As the strongest female presidential candidate in history, Clinton drew large, enthusiastic audiences. Yet Obama's were bigger still. One audience, in Dallas, famously cheered when he blew his nose on stage; a crowd of 75,000 turned out in Portland, Ore., the weekend before the state's May 20 primary. The former first lady countered Obama's Iowa victory with an upset five days later in New Hampshire that set the stage for a campaign marathon as competitive as any in the last generation.

Over the last week I listened to you, and in the process I found my own voice, she told supporters who had saved her candidacy from an early demise. In defeat, Obama's aides concluded they had committed a cardinal sin of New Hampshire politics, forsaking small, intimate events in favour of speeches to large audiences inviting them to ratify Iowa's choice. It was not a mistake they made again - which helped explain Obama's later outings to bowling alleys, backyard basketball hoops and American Legion halls in the heartland.

Clinton conceded nothing, memorably knocking back a shot of Crown Royal whiskey at a bar in Indiana, recalling that her grandfather had taught her to use a shotgun, and driving in a pickup to a gas station in South Bend, Ind., to emphasize her support for a summertime suspension of the federal gasoline tax.

LAND FOR PEACE (THE FUTURE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH)

JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

THE WEEK OF DANIEL 9:27 WE KNOW ITS 7 YRS

Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
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.

ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.

Israel must quit all Syrian land for peace: Assad Tue Jun 3, 4:58 AM ET

DUBAI (Reuters) - Israel must be prepared to return all Syrian lands occupied in the 1967 Middle East war as part of any peace deal between the two sides, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in remarks published on Tuesday. Briefing editors of United Arab Emirates newspapers during a visit to the Gulf Arab state, Assad also said U.S. sponsorship would be essential in the next stage of indirect talks launched last month under Turkish sponsorship.At this stage we are not talking (with Israel) about anything else. What is on the agenda is the return of all land, al-Khaleej newspaper quoted Assad as saying during a visit on Monday. In direct negotiations we will tackle the details which include the files of water and relations and other matters.As for water there are international rules that govern these matters and are usually referred to, but if the question of water is intended for (Syria to) give up the (condition on) 1967 borders that stretch to Tiberias then there will never be a compromise on the 1967 borders.

Israel and Syria said last month they had launched indirect peace talks mediated by Turkish officials, the first negotiations between the two sides in eight years.The last peace talks broke down in 2000over control of the shore of the lake, from which Israel draws much of its water.Syria says it had Israeli assurances through Turkey that the Jewish states would be willing to give back the Golan Heights in return for peace.The negotiations are in their primary stage. In later stages they would require international sponsorship especially from the United States, a superpower that has special ties with Israel, al-Bayan newspaper quoted Assad as saying.Many analysts say U.S. hostility to Syria makes a peace deal with Israel unlikely before President George W. Bush leaves office in January.

The United States said it did not object to talks but repeated its criticism of Syria's support for terrorism.Israel annexed the Golan in 1981 in a move condemned internationally. As well as strategic high ground, the fertile Golan Heights ensure Israeli control of important water resources in the arid region, land for vineyards, orchards and cattle-grazing.Some 18,000 Israelis have moved to the Golan Heights and about 20,000 Syrians Druze live there. Israel gave the Druze the option of citizenship after annexing the territory but many rejected it.(Reporting by Inal Ersan; editing by Sami Aboudi)

Egyptian efforts to thwart Israel EU economic ties posted 2008-06-03

The Egyptian government is working to thwart efforts by the State of Israel to upgrade economic ties with the European Union, possibly in retaliation for a decision by the US Congress to freeze $200 million dollars in military aid to Cairo.

Rice pushes peace as Olmert visits U.S. under cloud By Jeffrey Heller JUNE 3,08

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made clear on Tuesday Washington will press for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal this year despite the corruption scandal dogging Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Olmert, who arrived in Washington on Tuesday at the start of a three-day visit, has rebuffed calls that he leave office over allegations that he took envelopes stuffed with cash from a Jewish-American businessman.

The present opportunity is not perfect by any means, Rice told a policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israeli lobby group, without mentioning Olmert's political troubles.But it is better than any other in several years and we need to seize it, she added. We still believe that we have a chance to reach an agreement on the basic contours of a peaceful Palestinian state.Olmert, who is to see President George W. Bush at the White House on Wednesday, has described the $150,000 in cash and unpaid loans he received from the businessman as legitimate election campaign contributions. Both men deny wrongdoing.U.S. officials acknowledge the uncertainty about Olmert's future had made their task of trying to strike some kind of an outline peace deal this year even harder.The political crisis could trigger an early Israeli election and derail the peace talks, Israeli, Palestinian and Western officials say. Olmert says he will resign if indicted.Olmert met in Jerusalem on Monday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has been politically weakened by the takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas Islamists last June.Officials said Olmert's strategy was to push ahead with negotiations with the Palestinians, as well as indirect talks with Syria, as if nothing has changed, in the hope the police investigation does not end in charges against him.

This process will continue, Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev said of the talks with the Palestinians. The talks have shown few visible signs of progress, leading to deep skepticism among Israelis and Palestinians that they are going anywhere.White House spokeswoman Dana Perino acknowledged that the corruption scandal has garnered heavy media attention, but said, our focus hasn't been on that ... President Bush has to keep his focus on the big picture.

IRAN'S 'VULNERABILITIES'

Before leaving Israel, Olmert said that while in Washington he would discuss issues at the core of Israel's existence, an allusion to Iran's uranium enrichment program, which he has termed a threat to the Jewish state's survival.The United States accuses Iran of pursuing atomic weapons under cover of its civil nuclear program. Iran denies this and has said its nuclear program is to generate electricity.Rice argued for increasing international pressure on Iran, which faces three U.N. Security Council sanctions resolutions over its nuclear program.Our partners in Europe and beyond need to exploit Iran's vulnerabilities more vigorously and impose greater costs on the regime economically, financially, politically and diplomatically, Rice said.A regime that denies the Holocaust, threatens and murders its neighbors citizens, and seeks to destroy a member of the United Nations should not be allowed to cross the nuclear threshold, she added, referring to strong anti-Israel statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.Olmert planned to meet Rice and to give an evening address at the AIPAC policy conference later on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he will meet Bush and dine with Vice President Dick Cheney. In an unsourced report, Israel's biggest newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, said Bush would offer Olmert a farewell gift -- a security package, including an advanced radar system that will enhance the country's defense against long-range missiles. The newspaper said Olmert would ask Bush to allow Israel to buy the F-22 stealth fighter, an aircraft that has not been cleared for overseas sale. (Additional reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky and Arshad Mohammed; Writing by Arshad Mohammed and Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Chris Wilson)

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.(TRADE 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).

EU sees security threats lurking in printers JUNE 3,08

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Printers and copiers could be the weak link in many corporate cyber defenses, the European Union's information security agency warned Tuesday. The EU said companies are often unaware of the dangers posed by printers that are connected to the Internet, which can serve as conduits to penetrate networks or a window to stored documents.The European Network and Information Security Agency also advised companies to take physical security precautions for their printers and copiers to prevent unauthorized access to documents or data cartridges.Business in Europe must realize that printing and copying is not as safe as when Gutenberg started printing 540 years ago, said Andrea Pirotti, executive director of the agency. Crucial company assets and confidential data are at stake as even printers can get hijacked, he said.The agency surveyed 350 companies in France, Germany and Britain.

European Union finance ministers set Slovakia on way to joining euro currency Aoife White June 3, 2008 - 12:06 a.m.

LUXEMBOURG (AP) - European Union finance ministers set EU newcomer Slovakia on its way to joining the euro currency zone next year by approving its membership Tuesday and recommending that EU leaders do the same at a summit in two weeks.Slovakia cleared a crucial hurdle in May when it won backing from the European Commission and European Central Bank that it had met a set of strict economic standards to allow it swap its koruna for the euro on Jan. 1.A final decision from finance ministers in July will be the last step clearing the country to become the 16th euro nation — and only the second of 10 new EU members to adopt the currency. The currency exchange rate will also be fixed then.Joining the euro is a big step for Slovakia, a country that went through a difficult transition from decades of communist rule. Slovakia endured several years of isolation under autocratic Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar in the 1990s, but then made rapid economic progress with pro-market reforms such as a flat income tax.Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who heads regular economy talks between euro nations, told reporters that Slovakia had made an impressive adjustment in recent years.

Finance ministers also cleared Slovakia of breaking EU budget rules because it brought its yearly budget deficit under an EU limit last year — an essential precondition for adopting the euro.Last week, Slovakia's government took the unusual step of re-valuing its currency upward by nearly 18 percent — its second exchange rate change in the last two years. The move should help the country tackle surging inflation and fix a more comfortable rate for the euro changeover.It makes Slovak exports to euro nations more expensive and cuts the cost for euro goods in Slovak stores. Prices are currently two-thirds the euro average and low wages have made it an attractive location for major manufacturers.But prices are now rising fast as Slovakia catches up with richer western Europe — and inflation may soar as nearby Slovenia has experienced since it joined the euro in 2007.

WORLD GOVERNMENT

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

DANIEL 12:4,1
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, and knowledge shall be increased.
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.

REVELATION 13:1-3,7,8,12,16-18
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.
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.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
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.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

REVELATION 17:3,7,9-10,12,18
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Call for trade barriers to be removed to ease crisis
By Peter Popham Tuesday, 3 June 2008

This morning, the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon will stand up in front of leaders from nearly all the UN's member states and warn them that only drastic action will defuse the crisis over soaring food prices that has erupted over the past year. When first planned one year ago, this summit was going to be about climate change but with world food prices soaring out of control, it has been hijacked by events. With food riots breaking out in countries as far apart as Egypt, the Ivory Coast and the Philippines, the task of the meeting is to agree on action that will make a difference. Mr Ban will plead with the leaders of more than 24 nations that have imposed trade restrictions, agricultural taxes and other price controls to remove them. Those are the measures, he will say, that are driving prices through the roof. Both short-term and longer-term measures are in the summit's sights. The short-term goal is to ensure a flood of financial assistance to the world's subsistence farmers to ensure they have enough seeds and fertilisers to guarantee a healthy crop this season.

The World Bank, whose president Robert B Zoellick is attending the summit, announced this week that the agency will provide $1.2bn (£610m) in financing for agricultural support. Describing the food crisis as a man-made silent tsunami, he spelled out a 10-point plan to combat the crisis. Those include backing for the World Food Programme's emergency needs, support for safety nets such as distributing food in schools and offering food in exchange for work.

He said more money should be spent on agricultural supply and research spending, reversing years of agricultural underinvestment. We must be neither Luddite nor advocates of a single scientific fix, he insisted, urging support both for agribusiness and small farmers. But fierce clashes are predicted during the conference. At a briefing yesterday, the US Secretary for Agriculture Ed Schafer insisted that the steep rise in the use of corn and other crops for biofuels is only one of many contributing factors in the increased food prices, responsible for less than 3 per cent of price rises.

Others maintain that the biofuels, subsidised in the US to the tune of 61 cents in the gallon, have contributed as much as one-third to the rise in food prices worldwide.The US also believes firmly in the vital importance of genetically modified (GM) crops in spearheading a new green revolution – while many others believe they are merely a way of delivering the world's poor farmers into the hands of the corporations that produce the seeds on which they would become dependent.

Right now (around 9 pm Israel time) there are thousands at the Wall!

Today is Yom Yerushalayim -- the anniversary of the liberation of the Old City and the portions of Jerusalem that were captured by the Arabs in 1948.

It's a sight to be seen! Go to TheWall.org !

Warmly,
Rabbi Packouz

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.

Syria says wants nuclear energy under Arab umbrella JUNE 3,08

DUBAI (Reuters) - Syria is not seeking nuclear weapons but wants to have access to atomic energy for peaceful purposes through a collective Arab project, President Bashar al-Assad said in remarks published on Tuesday. The Dubai-based Gulf News also quoted Assad as saying that the United States should have sought an investigation of a Syrian facility suspected of housing a secret nuclear plant before it was destroyed in an Israeli air raid last September.Acquiring nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is an international trend that all countries are rightfully pursuing. In Syria, we want this to be done within an Arab context, which was discussed and agreed during the Arab Summit in Riyadh, he said during a visit to the United Arab Emirates.Gulf Arabs have announced their own plans to develop nuclear energy for civilian purposes following a 2007 Arab summit that called on Arabs to develop atomic power.U.S. intelligence officials in April said they believed Syria had built the suspected reactor with the assistance of North Korea, which later also helped in cleaning up the site after the Israeli strike.Syria has denied having any undeclared nuclear program. It has one old research reactor subject to monitoring by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors.

If anyone had a secret dossier on nuclear facilities in Syria with a Korean role, as they claim, then why did they wait for seven months before destroying a normal military facility by the Israeli raid? Assad said. Why did they not resort to the U.N. nuclear energy organization to carry out an inspection?

FIRST IAEA INVESTIGATIVE TRIP TO SYRIA

The IAEA director, Mohamed ElBaradei, said on Monday a team from the U.N. nuclear watchdog will visit Syria June 22-24 to pursue an investigation into the suspected reactor site.The United States urged Syria to cooperate with U.N. inspectors and to allow Syrian officials to be interviewed.ElBaradei did not say whether Syria, which had not responded for months to IAEA requests for access, would allow U.N. investigators to examine the al-Kibar site in northeast Syria.But a senior diplomat close to the Vienna-based IAEA said a team led by its inspections director Olli Heinonen expected to go to al-Kibar and would seek information on, or access to, three other sites with a possible nuclear link.Nuclear analysts, citing satellite photos, say Syria has razed and swept clean the al-Kibar area since the bombing and erected a new building over it, possibly to erase evidence.He suggested the point in checking other sites was to look for indications of facilities to process nuclear material, based on the unverified U.S. intelligence, since there was no evidence of a plutonium fuel source next to the alleged reactor site.Heinonen's delegation will bring equipment designed to detect nuclear activity, the senior diplomat added.Syria has not publicly confirmed the planned IAEA visit.

But a senior Syrian official told an Arab League meeting outside an IAEA governors' conference in Vienna on Tuesday that the IAEA trip would go ahead and inspectors would get access to the al-Kibar site, said a diplomatic source familiar with the exchange.The official, Syrian Atomic Energy Agency chief Ibrahim Othman, told Arab colleagues that Damascus has nothing to hide and he expected the IAEA to close the file after the trip, the diplomatic source told Reuters.(Reporting by Inal Ersan in Damascus and Mark Heinrich in Vienna; Editing by Sami Aboudi)

Vatican: Pope explains why he will not meet world leaders at summit

Vatican City, 3 June (AKI) - The Vatican has moved to play down recent media reports that suggested Pope Benedict XVI was trying to avoid meeting Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his visit to Rome.Ahmadinejad is in Italy for the United Nations summit on the global food crisis being held at the Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters in Rome. With reference to certain journalistic suppositions that have been circulating in the media over the last few days, the press office feels it appropriate to specify that the Holy Father Benedict XVI was not able to respond positively to the requests for private audience he received from heads of state and government, said the Vatican press office in a statement issued onTuesday. The official statement said that the pontiff was unable to meet various heads of state attending the Rome summit because of the number of requests, the limited time available, and prior commitments.Some media reports this week claimed that the Pope had cancelled all possible meetings with world leaders to avoid encountering Ahmadinejad.Reports had also said that the Iranian leader was keen to meet Pope Benedict.

However an Iranian spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham was quoted in the British daily The Telegraph, saying that Iran had never formally requested an appointment.The Vatican statement said that the Secretary of State, Tarcisio Bertone, has written personally to each of the leaders concerned telling each one of them about the Pope's disappointment at the impossibility, on this occasion, of meeting them personally, and reaffirming his willingness to receive them on a future occasion.

FAMINE

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

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

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

World Bank Head Urges UN Food Summit To Target 20 Countries JUNE 3,08

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- World Bank President Robert Zoellick asked world leaders Tuesday to focus on helping the 20 most vulnerable countries deal with the global food crisis.Attending a food summit organized by the United Nations, Zoellick urged participants to agree to concrete steps to avoid pushing an estimated 100 million people into poverty.This is not a natural catastrophe. It is man-made and can be fixed by us, he said in prepared remarks for a speech delivered in Rome. It does not take complex research. We know what has to be done. We just need action and resources in real-time.In addition to providing immediate assistance to 20 at-risk countries already identified by the World Bank and U.N. agencies, Zoellick is also seeking commitments to provide seed and fertilizer to small farmers for the upcoming planting season, as well as an agreement to curtail food export bans and restrictions.Fifteen African countries have been targeted for fast-track distribution of farming supplies, while 28 countries around the world have started limiting food exports, according to the World Bank.

Last week, the World Bank announced a series of steps to jump-start the effort to help countries deal with rising food prices and hunger, including a $1.2 billion rapid-response credit facility. The multilateral bank put aside $200 million of that for a trust fund to help the most vulnerable countries, and Djibouti, Haiti and Liberia have already been approved for grants.The World Bank also set up a multi-donor trust fund ahead of the meeting in Rome to coordinate action among donors to prepare for the planting season.

Zoellick also called on the Group of Eight leading nations to tackle the longer-term challenge of doubling global food production over the next 30 years. Japan, which is hosting the G8 meeting next month, has added the food crisis to the agenda.U.N. Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday that global output has to jump by half by 2030 to meet demand, estimating that the price tag could exceed $15- 20 billion annually in coming years.The Food and Agriculture Organization has requested $1.7 billion in new funding to provide low-income countries with agricultural support, with other U.N. organizations raising an additional $1 billion. -By Tom Barkley, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9275; tom.barkley@dowjones.com
(Luca Di Leo in Rome contributed to this report.) (END) Dow Jones Newswires.

* * * * FLASH TRAFFIC: WASHINGTON UPDATE * * * *

AS DEAD HEAT TOUR ENDS, NEW AL-QAEDA VIDEO WARNS OF NUCLEAR ATTACKS AGAINST U.S. By Joel C. Rosenberg

(Washington, D.C., June 3, 2008) -- The Dead Heat book tour has just come to an end at a conference of nearly 10,000 in Tucson.

Thank you so much to all of you who have shown interest in the book, welcomed me to your cities, invited me onto your radio and TV shows, written about the book on your weblogs, and emailed me with your encouragement and support. I deeply appreciate it and I hope and pray that we've had an opportunity to get Americans thinking seriously about the threats we face during this election year, and in the years ahead.

Over the past two and a half months, by God's grace, I have had the privilege of addressing more than 85,000 people at events around the country, and more than 15 million people through various media interviews. The novel has spent the last nine weeks on the New York Times best-seller list, reaching as high as #4. In May, it hit #2 on the Publishers Weekly Religion best-seller list.

Still, one question continues to haunt me: How many Americans truly appreciate just how determined various extremist groups are about using nuclear weapons to decapitate the U.S. government and annihilate the American people? Not enough, in my view.

That is, in part, why I wrote Dead Heat, to warn people of an increasingly real worst case scenario: multiple nuclear terrorist attacks against the American homeland. Yet today I remained convinced that far too many Americans are being lulled into a false sense of security. Too many have become complacent. They think the threat has passed. But it has not. And if we are not careful, we may be blindsided by an email we don't see coming.

Dead Heat, of course, is only a novel. But now, just as the book tour has come to an end, we find new evidence that al-Qaeda is, in fact, envisioning the use of weapons of mass destruction inside the United States, in cities like Washington, D.C.

Consider the following story: Washington is laid to waste. The Capitol is a blackened, smoking ruin. The White House has been razed. Countless thousands are dead. This is the apocalyptic scene terrorists hope to create if they ever get their hands on a nuclear bomb.

So began a March 30th article in the U.K. Daily Mail, along with this computer-generated image, which was posted this an Islamic extremists' website.

It appeared as rumours swept the Internet that the FBI was warning that an Al Qaeda video was about to be released urging militants to use weapons of mass destruction to attack the West....The FBI was quick to point out that it had not issued any warning and that the video was not an official Al Qaeda release through its media arm, Al Sahab, but simply an amateur collection of old footage spliced together and posted on the Internet. U.S. analysts said a lot of effort had been put into the video -- entitled Nuclear Jihad, The Ultimate Terror -- with graphics, music, and clips of different leaders and groups. The same expertise seems to have gone into creating this image of a devastated Washington. Al Sahab puts out more than 80 officially sanctioned videos a year to keep up the propaganda on the West. And the Internet shows how easy it is to stir up militancy. One message with the Washington picture said: The next strike's in the heart of America. When? When? When? And How? Last night FBI sources said Al Qaeda was desperate to get its hands on a weapon of mass destruction, be it nuclear, chemical, or biological.

What will it take to get America to wake up to this threat, before it is too late?

To read the latest news from the Middle East and Russia, please go to Joel's WEBLOG.
http://joelrosenberg.blogspot.com/

To join 54,000 other >> FLASH TRAFFIC << subscribers who are receiving (free) geopolitical and prayer updates from Israel and the epicenter, please click here.
http://link.ixs1.net/s/link/su?rc=al&rti=0486386&si=3136942691&pc=4s

To read the first chapter of DEAD HEAT for free, or purchase a copy from Amazon.com, please click here
http://www.joelrosenberg.com/

Would you consider making a $25, $40 or $60 monthly donation to The Joshua Fund? To learn how, and/or make a secure, tax-deductible financial contribution -- by mail or on-line -- please click here.
http://www.joshuafund.net/

To watch the Epicenter Conference speeches on-line, and learn more about the conference's purpose, please click here
http://www.epicenter08.com/

8 MORE WAYS TO BLESS ISRAEL AT 60 -- PLUS AN UPDATE ON A 15-YEAR OLD ISRAELI BOMBING VICTIM

Looking for more ways to bless Israel? Here are eight more, taken from our list of 60 Ways To Bless Israel At 60. The full list is available on our weblog at www.joshuafund.net.

28. Pray daily for peace on Israel's southern border with Gaza.

29. Pray daily for peace on Israel's northern borders with Lebanon and Syria.

30. Pray daily for regime change to come soon in Iran to a moderate, pro-Western, democratic government that will abandon President Ahmadinejad's nuclear ambitions and live at peace with Israel and her neighbors.

31. Pray daily for wisdom for Israeli, American and NATO leaders to know how to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

32. As new elections approach in Israel, Pray for the Lord to raise up leaders like the men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do (I Chronicles 12:32, NIV).

33. Pray that a truly just, fair, and compassionate peace treaty could be forged soon between Israel and Lebanon.

34. Pray that a truly just, fair and compassionate peace treaty could be forged soon between Israel and Syria.

35. Pray for new leaders to emerge in the West Bank and Gaza who truly oppose violence against Israel, have the courage and ability to hunt down and imprison Palestinian terrorists, are dedicated to preventing Iran and al-Qaeda from seizing effective control of these disputed territories, and will work tirelessly to stop the incitement of children against the Jewish people in the Palestinian schools and refugee camps.

---------------------------

Also, please continue praying for Ami Ortiz, the 15-year old son of an Israeli pastor who was nearly killed for his faith in Jesus by a bomb attack during the holiday of Purim. Here's an update on his condition from a week ago, written by his parents:

We thank so many of you who have written and asked to be updated on Ami's condition as you want to continue to lift him up before the throne of God. We can't tell you how grateful we are that the momentum is continuing, as we are facing new challenges every day. However, we are greatly encouraged by the outpouring of love from all over the world, and Ami is daily encouraged as well. We thank Yeshua for moving your hearts to convey His encouragement to our family.

We moved into the Tel HaShomer Children's hospital two weeks ago, which is a rehabilitation facility and one of the best in the country. Ami has a strenuous schedule which includes Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, School studies, Computer lessons, and training in an exercise center. All of this has really strengthened him, and along with renewed appetite, he's looking more and more like Ami.However, there are many struggles as well. Interspersed between all of his activities have been visits to specialists. The first specialists to see him were the ENT doctors (Ear, Nose and Throat). We found out that Ami's right ear drum is almost completely blown out and the left ear drum has significant damage. The first doctor told us that he will need skin grafts in both ears which includes a recovery period of 3 to 6 weeks on each ear. However, yesterday we visited a second specialist who specializes in ear injuries from terror attacks. She had better news - she said there was a 90% chance that the ear drums would close up themselves - heal by themselves. She said that Ami is young, and she's seen it happen many times. Even after the first doctor's assessment, I had faith that the Lord would close up those ear drums!! His next appointment will be in 3 months. The doctor said it might take a year for them to heal naturally, but if there is no improvement in 3 months, they will schedule the operations. PLEASE PRAY FOR THE EAR DRUMS TO BE HEALED.

Ami's hearing has been significantly affected as a result of this injury. Ami was sent to an Eye Specialist as well. He said that there are still many pieces of metal in Ami's eyes, and it is better if they don't come out, but stay in as it could cause problems if they come out. He also said that the eyes were not seeing 20/20 and he might need glasses. PLEASE PRAY FOR THE LORD TO DISSOLVE THE METAL IN HIS EYES, AND FOR THE HEALING OF HIS EYES TO CONTINUE UNTIL 20/20 VISION.

Ami has also had significant burn wounds and subsequent scarring all over his body -- also scars where large pieces of shrapnel were removed. His body also has the tendency to scar quickly and for the scars to build up rapidly. Therefore, pressure bandages have been made for him. They are like thick support stockings. The upper body suit covers his whole upper body including his neck. It is very difficult to get used to, and he's been told that he has to wear them 23 hours a day for one to two years!! The lower body suit is being prepared now. All of this is emotionally and mentally hard for Ami to adjust to as well as physically rigorous. PLEASE PRAY THAT THE SCARS WOULD HEAL QUICKLY, AND THAT AMI WOULD BE ABLE TO ADJUST TO THESE BANDAGES.

I am praying for Ami's healing to happen quicker than anyone can imagine. I believe that with prayer and Yeshua's healing power, everything is possible. Tomorrow, Friday March 23rd, will be a special prayer meeting in our congregation in Ariel. Messianic leaders from all over Israel will be gathering for a time of fasting and prayer for Ami and the situations surrounding the attack, from 10am to 2PM Israel time. Even this week, in a town called Or Yehuda, the deputy mayor along with local rabbis stirred up the religious youth to go door to door and gather New Testaments that had been distributed by believers a few weeks before. They then burned the New Testaments. This is a very serious development, because even in Nazi Germany, Jewish prayer books were burned in the early years before the Holocaust began. We would urge you to denounce this act to the Israeli Embassy in your area, and also to ask why the perpetrators of the Purim Package bombing have not yet been apprehended.

---------------------------------

The Joshua Fund will continue to do our best to keep you up-to-date on the kinds of projects we are doing, brief you on how those projects are proceeding, and let you know about the kinds of projects we are developing for the future. In no way do we want to pressure anyone to give financially. We fully believe the Lord will provide for the needs of the people we seek to serve. But if you or others wish to help, we welcome your support, and all financial gifts are tax-deductible.

To contribute to the on-going work of The Joshua Fund please make your check payable to The Joshua Fund and send to:

The Joshua Fund
18950 Base Camp Road
Monument, Colorado 80132-8009

Thanks so much and may the Lord richly bless you and your family as you bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus -- especially at this moment of Israel 60th anniversary.

Would you consider making a donation of $25, $40 or $60 a month to The Joshua Fund? Please click here to find out more, and/or to make a secure donation on-line.

Thank you for reading. Please feel free to forward to others.

TO BOOK JOEL FOR AN INTERVIEW please contact Beverly Rykerd at 1-888-481-0405, (719) 481-0537, or (719) 440-2746 (cell), or brykerd@ix.netcom.com.

You can help save a Jew from the violence of anti-Semitism
Dear Friend of Israel, JUNE 3,08

Violence against Jews and vandalism against Jewish institutions is growing worldwide. There is a disturbing resurgence of what has been called the world's longest and deepest hatred -- anti-Semitism.

Reports from around the world tell the story. In the Paris suburbs a young Jewish man was kidnapped and beaten earlier this year, his attackers emblazoning the words dirty Jew on his face with a marker. Last December in Ukraine, an extremist nationalist group distributed literature at churches urging people to Kill the Jews. The same month, a Jewish community center in Venezuela was raided by that country’s rabidly anti-Israel government. Tragically, there are many more alarming stories like these.

How do the Jewish people survive in the face of this hatred?

Many are able to escape and fulfill a lifelong dream by coming to Israel. Here they are able to live at home among other Jews, in a sovereign Jewish state that is proud and confident - a nation that stands as the living fulfillment of God’s biblical promise to gather his children from the four corners of the earth.

Sadly, thousands of Jews who long to come to Israel simply cannot --they are trapped by poverty.

But there is hope for these desperate people. You can be part of fulfilling the biblical promise and helping God’s people escape the evil of anti-Semitism with a gift to The Fellowship’s On Wings of Eagles program.

Your gift to On Wings of Eagles will help rescue Jews from the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia, India, South America - anywhere there are Jewish populations living in fear and poverty, longing and praying for a better life. And once these long-suffering people arrive in Israel, On Wings of Eagles supports their resettlement, helping them become full, productive citizens of their new home.

Please give generously today to On Wings of Eagles -- for it is only in Israel that the Jewish people can find refuge from the world's longest and deepest hatred.
https://secure2.convio.net/ifcj/site/Donation2?df_id=1681&1681.donation=form1&s_src=E8ELWEM&s_subsrc=E8ELW&JServSessionIdr009=hbp7y59st6.app5b

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship of Christians and Jews