JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
AG urges court to strike Regulation Law, given new ways to legalize outposts-Mandelblit argues that with new legal mechanism allowing for authorization of 2,000 Israeli homes built on Palestinian land, there’s no need for ‘unconstitutional’ legislation-By Jacob Magid-TOI-DEC 19,18
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit urged the High Court of Justice on Tuesday to strike the so-called Regulation Law that was passed by the Knesset in March 2017 and has since been frozen by the top legal body.In a letter to High Court justices, Mandelblit wrote that “there is no escape from the judicial declaration that the Regulation Law is an unconstitutional law, which is null and void.”The legislation — which Mandelblit has long opposed — would allow the state to expropriate private Palestinian land where some 4,000 illegal settler homes have been built, provided that they were established “in good faith” or had government support, and that the Palestinian owners receive 125 percent financial compensation for the land.Even before it was passed, Mandelblit said that he would not defend the legislation on the state’s behalf, saying it violated Palestinian rights and would compromise Israel’s international standing. The government was forced to hire a private attorney, Harel Arnon, to defend the law on its behalf.A group of left-wing NGOs and Palestinian local councils petitioned the High Court against the law immediately after it was passed, arguing that the Knesset does not have the authority to pass laws regarding property in the West Bank which is under the jurisdiction of the military. The top legal body subsequently stalled the implementation of the legislation pending hearings that have since been ongoing. Most analysts predict that the court will strike the legislation, or limit its scope, at the very least.The purpose of Mandelblit’s letter on Tuesday was to update the High Court on a decision he issued last Thursday that officially approved the use of a legal tactic that will allow for the de-facto legalization of roughly 2,000 illegally built Israeli homes throughout the West Bank.The legal mechanism is known as “market regulation” and relies on the notion that wildcat Israeli homes built on private Palestinian land were done so in good faith.“A transaction made in good faith between the Custodian of Government Property in the Territories and any other person regarding property that the Custodian thought at the time of the transaction was government property shall be valid, even if the land in question [is later found to] not belong to the State,” reads Article 5 of the 1967 Order Concerning Government Property in Judea and Samaria.The tactic served as the basis of the Jerusalem District Court’s August ruling on the legalization of the central West Bank outpost of Mitzpe Kramim. It that case, however, it was used as a defense against a Palestinian petition to the High Court seeking to demolish the outpost. Now it is being used in an “active” manner to legalize homes where no High Court petitions are pending against them.Mandelblit argued that the government’s issuing to settlers of (what it believes to be) state land is a “transaction” it of itself, even though the Israelis were often not paying for the land that they received.A large number of the illegal homes that are at the center of the Regulation Law debate, or roughly 2,000 structures, would be retroactively legalized with the application of this new standard, officials estimate. A significant amount, but still less than the more far-reaching Regulation Law.For Mandelblit, Article 5 offers key advantages over the Regulation Law. It dramatically reduces the political pressure that led to the law by legalizing most of the Israeli homes currently in danger of future demolition, but without requiring the “government support” clause that could produce a new wave of outposts demanding legalization. It also places the “good faith” requirement on the government, and not on the settlers themselves, and so could help limit future attempts to use “good faith” arguments to retroactively justify illegal squatting.Employing market regulation, Mandelblit argued in his letter submitted Tuesday to the High Court, would represent “a more proportionate and balanced measure than the arrangement prescribed in the Regulation Law.”Separately this week, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation voted to advance legislation known as Regulation Law 2. The proposal was submitted by Jewish Home MK Bezalel Smotrich, who expressed impatience in waiting for the court to unfreeze the February 2017 legislation, which he had also sponsored.Regulation Law 2 directs the Knesset-appointed outpost legalization committee to regulate 66 illegal hilltop communities in the next two years. In the meantime, the bill prevents those outposts from being demolished and ensures that they receive full government services.While the international community considers all settlement activity illegal, Israel differentiates between legal settlement homes built and permitted by the Defense Ministry on land owned by the state, and illegal outposts built without necessary permits, often on private Palestinian land.Although certain government ministries may currently not fund outposts to the same degree that they do settlements, local Israeli authorities throughout the West Bank have long taken financial responsibility for the illegal communities, ensuring that they are hooked up to water and electricity and receive the necessary public services. In addition, the IDF uses extensive resources to ensure that they are protected.
Trump administration mum as Israel mulls legalizing 66 outposts-Past White Houses routinely spoke out against possible Israeli settlement expansion-By Eric Cortellessa-TOI-19 December 2018
WASHINGTON, DC — As the Knesset advanced legislation to legalize 66 outposts deep in the West Bank this week, the Trump administration remained notably silent.Despite US President Donald Trump’s past criticisms of the settlement movement — and declarations that the settlements hurt the possibility of an Israel-Palestinian peace deal — the White House and State Department have declined to weigh in, as Israeli lawmakers push to further entrench these communities into contested territories.Asked to comment on the bill, known as Regulation Law 2, a State Department spokesperson told The Times of Israel: “Our Near East office advises that since this is about Israeli legislation, they refer you to the Government of Israel.” A White House official also declined to comment.The legislation, which the Ministerial Committee for Legislation voted to move forward on Sunday, seeks to regulate hilltop communities built beyond the Green Line over the past 20 years, in light of the High Court of Justice’s freezing of the so-called Regulation Law, sponsored by Jewish Home MK Bezalel Smotrich and passed in February 2017.Following the bill’s approval, it was immediately castigated by the settlement watchdog Peace Now and the attorney general’s office, which said the proposal “raises significant legal problems, which may even lead to international repercussions and expose Israel to significant risks in this respect.”Trump has, in the past, spoken out against settlements. In his first public appearance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February 2017, he asked the premier to “hold back on settlements for a bit.”He has also said that settlements make it more difficult to strike a peace deal with the Palestinians.“The settlements are something that very much complicates and always have complicated making peace, so I think Israel has to be very careful with the settlements,” he told the Sheldon Adelson-owned right-wing daily Israel Hayom in February.Past administrations regularly criticized Israel for expanding its settlement presence in the West Bank.Deliberations over Regulation Law 2 comes as the Trump White House claims it is preparing to release its peace plan. The president said in September that the proposal would be published by January, but it is unclear if the plan will be unveiled by then.
UNIFIL: At least 2 two tunnels crossed Israel border, violating UN resolution-Lebanon peacemakers confirm existence of four passages; say they’re still investigating whether Hezbollah behind them-By Judah Ari Gross-TOI-19 December 2018
The United Nations peacekeeping force UNIFIL on Monday declared the cross-border attack tunnels dug from southern Lebanon into Israel a violation of the UN resolution that ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War, saying it has confirmed that at least two tunnels crossed into Israel.It was the first such pronouncement about the tunnels from the peacekeeping group, formally known as the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.Earlier this month, Israel launched Operation Northern Shield, an effort to find and destroy attack tunnels that it says were dug under the border by the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group.The operation has raised prospects of a possible fresh conflict on the volatile border, though Lebanon has downplayed chances of war, so long as Israeli troops do not cross its territory. UN peacekeepers, meanwhile, have stepped up their patrols to ensure that the frontier remains calm.In a statement, UNIFIL confirmed the existence of the four tunnels that Israel announced it had discovered along the border. The peacekeeping force said it ordered an independent investigations of the passages, which has so far found that at least two of the four penetrated into Israeli territory-“These constitute violations of UN Security Council Resolution 1701,” the statement said.UN Resolution 1701 called for all armed groups in Lebanon besides the country’s military to remain north of the Litani River.Israel has for years claimed that Hezbollah has been violating Resolution 1701 by conducting military activities along the border. UNIFIL has largely rebuffed these allegations, and its announcement on Monday represented one of the few cases in which it has confirmed a violation of the UN resolution.“UNIFIL technical teams have undertaken a number of site inspections south of the Blue Line in order to ascertain the facts,” the group said, referring to the armistice line that acts as a de facto border between Israel and Lebanon.A spokesperson for the peacekeeping group said UNIFIL could not yet confirm the Israeli allegation that the tunnels were dug by Hezbollah, but said it was continuing to investigate the matter.“UNIFIL has requested the Lebanese authorities ensure urgent follow-up actions in accordance with the responsibilities of the Government of Lebanon pursuant to resolution 1701,” UNIFIL said.The peacekeeping force said it was working with both Lebanon and Israel in order to “ensure stability along the Blue Line and prevent misunderstandings in order to keep the area of operation calm.”Also on Monday, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri met with UNIFIL commander Maj. Gen. Stefano Del Col, telling him that Beirut remained committed to upholding UN Resolution 1701.“Hariri said during a meeting with Del Col… that the Lebanese army, which is sole responsible of defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon, cooperates with the UNIFIL forces and will conduct patrols to deal with any flaw in the implementation of resolution 1701 from the Lebanese side,” official Lebanese state media outlet National News Agency reported Monday.According to NNA, Hariri also called on the UN to “shoulder its responsibilities in facing the daily violations by Israel of Lebanese airspace and territorial waters.”UNIFIL’s announcement came hours after Israeli and Lebanese troops verbally sparred along the border with guns drawn over the exact location of the border, after Israel placed concertina wire along the Blue Line as part of the ongoing tunnel-busting operation.UN peacekeepers were at the scene, working to prevent conflict between the two sides.This weekend, the military uncovered a fourth cross-border attack tunnel that it says Hezbollah dug into Israel from southern Lebanon.The IDF refused to specify where the tunnel was found, but said the “relevant local governments” were notified of its location. “The tunnel is under IDF control and does not present a threat,” the army said in a statement.The IDF filled the tunnel with explosives — as it did with the three other tunnels it exposed in recent weeks — in order to ensure that it could not be used to carry out an attack.“Whoever enters it from the Lebanese side forfeits his life,” the army said in a statement.The military said it believes the tunnels were meant to be used by Hezbollah as a surprise component of an opening salvo in a future war, to allow dozens or hundreds of terrorists into Israel, alongside a mass infiltration of operatives above-ground and the launching of rockets, missiles, and mortar shells at northern Israel.The specific number of tunnels that Israel believes were dug from Lebanon, as well as other information about the operation, cannot be published by order of the military censor.According to the IDF, Operation Northern Shield is taking place close to Lebanese territory, sometimes on the north side of the border wall, albeit still inside Israeli territory.An IDF incursion into Lebanon could spark a major confrontation with Hezbollah, which bills itself as a defender of Lebanon against Israeli aggression.Israeli officials have indicated that the IDF may operate within Lebanese territory, if necessary, to destroy the tunnels. Lebanese President Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally, said Tuesday that the United States assured him that Israel has “no aggressive intentions” with Operation Northern Shield.The first and second tunnels were found outside the town of Metulla, near the Lebanese border. The military has refused to reveal the locations of the subsequent tunnels it found, and censored much of the information surrounding the operation, citing national security.
Minister said to freeze Palestinian produce imports, defying security warning-Uri Ariel’s decision decried by defense officials as ‘populist’ and destabilizing, could cost Palestinian economy NIS 1m. each day; final decision rests with cabinet, PM-By TOI staff-DEC 19,18
Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel has ordered an indefinite freeze on imports of Palestinian agricultural goods into Israel, Hadashot TV news reported Tuesday.The decision, taken by Ariel without consultation with other government bodies or security officials, means Palestinian farmers will no longer be able to send 280-300 tons of produce each day to Israeli sellers, costing the beleaguered Palestinian economy as much as NIS 1 million ($260,000) daily.The move is likely not final. It is opposed by the security services and can be overturned by the cabinet and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.According to Ariel, the decision is a response to a Palestinian Authority order to Palestinian meat purveyors to stop buying lamb from Israeli suppliers — an order that violates standing agreements between Israel and the PA.Agriculture Ministry officials at Israel’s border crossings, including the checkpoints out of the West Bank, have the authority to approve or reject agricultural products being moved through the crossing.Ariel’s order to those officials comes at a sensitive time in the West Bank, as Israel’s security services work with the PA to restore calm to the West Bank after a spike in terror attacks over the past week which Israel has pinned on the Hamas terror group.Israeli security services told cabinet ministers this week that they do not expect the latest wave of terrorism to escalate to a full-blown intifada, in part because the PA was keenly interested in preventing further violence.It is also a delicate time for Ariel’s far-right National Union party, which is part of the Jewish Home faction in the Knesset. The parliament’s two National Union MKs, Ariel and Betzalel Smotrich, threatened last week that they would leave the government’s razor-thin parliamentary coalition if the army’s response to the spate of terror attacks did not include the deployment of new roadblocks for Palestinians in the West Bank.The demand was ignored by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Ariel and Smotrich continued voting with the coalition this week.Critics of Ariel’s move said his latest decision was an attempt to overcome the political hit he sustained among his right-wing base when his ultimatum failed.Security officials told Hadashot they fear a further squeeze on the Palestinian economy could have dire consequences, including leading to an escalation in violence against Israelis.They say the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration urged the Jewish Home party minister to wait for talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials to bear fruit, but that Ariel refused to wait.“This is an irresponsible and populist decision that flows from purely political considerations, and comes at the expense of the public’s safety, including the safety of settlers,” an unnamed defense official said.Ariel was nonplussed by the criticism on Tuesday. “I won’t allow any unilateral violation of agreements,” he said. “Every violation will be met with a very aggressive response.”Palestinian assailants, most of them linked to Hamas, carried out shootings, stabbings and rock throwing attacks throughout the West Bank over the past week.Staff Sgt. Yovel Mor Yosef and Sgt. Yosef Cohen were killed in a drive-by shooting outside the Givat Assaf outpost in the central West Bank on Thursday. A third soldier was critically injured in the shooting, and a civilian woman was seriously wounded, though her condition later improved.Many hundreds of people attended the two soldiers’ funerals Friday.And on Thursday morning, two Border Police officers were lightly wounded in a stabbing attack at Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate.Four days earlier, on Sunday, seven Israelis were wounded in another shooting outside the Ofra settlement, including a pregnant woman whose baby was delivered by an emergency C-section due to the attack but later died.The suspected shooter in that attack was killed Wednesday during an attempt to arrest him. The army later said additional suspects may still be at large.On Friday, a Palestinian assailant assaulted a soldier at an army post outside the Beit El settlement in the central West Bank, stabbing him and bashing his head with a rock before fleeing. He later turned himself in.
MIGRATING BIRDS IN ISRAEL EATS HUMANS FLESH FOR COMING AGAINST ISRAEL-JERUSALEM
EZEKIEL 39:11-12,18
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog (RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS) a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers (EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN JORDAN VALLEY) on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog (RUSSIAN) and all his multitude:(ARAB/MUSLIM HORDE) and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.(BURIEL SITE OF THE 300 MILLION,RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS)
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.(OF ISRAEL)
16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.(OF THE ISRAEL-GOD HATERS)
EZEKIEL 39:17-21
17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.(OF RUSSIAN/ISLAMIC HORDES AGAINST ISRAEL)
18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.
REVELATION 19:17-18
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;(AGAINST ALL NATIONS ARMIES THAT COME AGAINST JERUSALEM AND ISRAEL)
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
EZEKIEL 38:1-7
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:TOBOLSK)
4 And I (GOD) will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
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,(RUSSIA-ARAB MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS) and leave but the sixth part of thee,(5/6TH OR 300 MILLION DEAD RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS I BELIEVE) 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 ATOMIC 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.
Netanyahu: Israel developing missiles ‘no other country has’-PM says state-owned defense contractor working on weapons systems able to ‘reach anywhere in the area,’ hails IAI contributions to first Israeli lunar mission-By TOI staff-19 December 2018
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said that Israel is developing missiles with “special capabilities that no other country has,” during a visit to state-owned defense contractor Israel Aerospace Industries.“They are developing offensive missiles here that can reach anywhere in the area and any target,” Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office. “This is the offensive power of the State of Israel, which is very important for us in all sectors.”“They are developing weapons systems here with special capabilities that no other country has,” he said after he toured an IAI facility and was updated on the defense contractor’s latest projects.Netanyahu, who recently appointed himself defense minister, did not elaborate on his comments, which came a day after he said Israel infiltrates Iran periodically for intelligence-gathering purposes.“IAI knows how to get anywhere it decides and anywhere we need for the good of the country,” he said. “The sky is not the limit.”Netanyahu also praised the IAI for its involvement in space exploration, saying it was a “huge sphere” that Israel was entering.The prime minister’s visit came as IAI scientists wrapped up preparations to launch the country’s first spacecraft to the moon, which, if successful, would be a breakthrough for both Israeli technology and commercial space travel.Officials from IAI and SpaceIL told reporters Monday that the landing craft, dubbed Beresheet, or Genesis, is expected to be launched from Cape Canaveral in the coming months, though a precise date has not been set. Organizers are hoping for February.The spacecraft, which weighs some 585 kilos (1,300 pounds), will be sent via a Falcon 9 rocket from American entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX firm and will take around a month and a half to arrive.The cost of the project is some $95 million (84 million euros), with private philanthropists providing funding. Non-profit group SpaceIL partnered with IAI to develop the craft.Scientists making the final preparations on Monday added a time capsule to the space pod that included drawings by children, pictures of Israeli symbols, Israeli songs and a booklet written by a Jewish man of his personal account of the Holocaust.AFP contributed to this report.
Netanyahu says he’s doing ‘everything’ to destroy terrorists’ homes-Comment comes amid criticism of current policy by bereaved families, who demand more sweeping and swift demolitions-By TOI staff-19 December 2018
Israel will do “everything” to demolish terrorists’ homes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Monday, hours after the military partially destroyed the home of terrorist Ashraf Na’alowa, who was killed four days ago in a firefight with IDF forces in the northern West Bank city of Nablus.At a faction meeting of his ruling Likud party, Netanyahu recounted his recent meeting with the family of Ziv Hajbi, who was killed by Na’alowa in a terror attack in the Barkan industrial zone along with Kim Levengrond Yehezkel.“We told them we are embracing them, and I am embracing them on behalf of you and the entire Israeli nation. It was very moving,” he said.“We are doing everything to fight these terrorists and demolish their homes. I am checking the procedures to see if something can be done with the legal restrictions,” Netanyahu added.On October 7, Na’alowa, 23, killed his coworkers Levengrond Yehezkel and Hajbi at a factory where all three worked in the Barkan Industrial Zone in the West Bank. Another Israeli woman was injured in the attack.After a two-month manhunt, Israeli forces found and killed him last Thursday. According to the IDF, Na’alowa opened fire at the officers who came to arrest him, and the troops shot back, killing him.During the home demolition on Monday, the structure itself of Na’alowa’s home was left intact while a part of its interior was destroyed by bulldozers. Parts of the building belong to family members who were determined by Israeli security services to have played no role in the terror attack.Netanyahu also vowed to catch all the terrorists who committed last week’s shooting attack near the Givat Assaf outpost, in which two soldiers were killed, another was very seriously wounded and a civilian was seriously wounded.“That is one struggle we are undertaking since we are surrounded by extreme Islam and great extremism, and we are generally safeguarding ourselves as a remarkable island of calm, which unfortunately isn’t always complete,” the premier said.The IDF said on Sunday that it had recovered the Kalachnikov rifle used in the terror attack, as well as one of the soldiers’ rifles, which had been stolen from the scene after the attack.The terrorist behind the attack remains at large.On Monday morning, relatives of Hajbi and Levengrond Yehezkel slammed the partial demolition of Na’alowa’s home, saying it was only “half the job” and that it would have been better to not destroy anything than to only destroy walls of a single apartment.Na’alowa had eluded capture for over two months, and was helped along the way by individuals believed linked to Hamas cells operating in the West Bank. A number of his relatives and alleged accomplices were arrested and indicted as part of the manhunt.Levengrond Yehezkel was a secretary and Hajbi worked in accounting at the Alon Group’s factory in the Barkan industrial park. Na’alowa was employed there as an electrician.Israel has defended its policy of demolishing the homes of Palestinian terrorists who commit attacks in which people are killed or seriously injured on the grounds that it discourages future attacks. The controversial measure has been criticized by human rights groups as a form of collective punishment, and some analysts and officials question its effectiveness as a deterrent measure.AP contributed to this report.
Israel said to strongly protest Russian invite to Hamas leader-But officials in Moscow reject the complaints, noting Jerusalem has negotiated with the terror group, too, TV report says-By TOI staff and AP-DEC 19,18
Israel has in recent weeks lodged furious protests with Russia over its recent invitation to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to visit Moscow later this month, according to a television report on Tuesday.The objections were raised both by Israel’s embassy in Moscow and in conversations with the Russian embassy in Tel Aviv, Channel 10 reported.But Russian officials rejected the complaints, noting that Israel was itself talking to Hamas, albeit indirectly. The Hamas delegation is expected in Moscow in late December.Israel has for months been engaged in indirect talks with Hamas, mediated by Egyptian and UN officials, to reach a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip.During a conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the issue, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Gary Koren also noted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would like to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the TV station reported.Lavrov only nodded but did not comment, it said.Israeli-Russian relations have been tense in recent months since the downing of a Russian plane over Syria during an Israeli strike. Even though the plane was shot down by Syrian air defense, Moscow blamed Israel, saying the IAF used the Russian aircraft as cover and did not give the Russians proper warning. Israel denied both charges.But Channel 10 reported that an Israeli military delegation returned from Moscow Tuesday, the second visit in a week, with officials saying Moscow appeared to be restoring its normal work relations on security cooperation.Last week the IDF said a delegation had “reached understandings” with its Russian counterparts and the sides agreed to continue working together.Lavrov also met Monday with Jewish Agency head Isaac Herzog, and told him Russia’s invitation to Haniyeh was part of its effort to prevent an escalation in Gaza.The Palestinian Authority, a rival of Hamas, is also said to be unhappy with the Russian move.Russia has in the past hosted several rounds of talks aimed at forging reconciliation between Hamas and PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party.Lavrov has said that Russia was willing to mediate between Israel and the Palestinians, and that stability in the region could not be reached until the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was resolved.The offer came as relations between the Palestinians and the US, the traditional peace mediators, are at an all-time low.The Trump administration’s plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace is expected to be rolled out in the coming months.But the plan is unlikely to be welcome by either side, especially with the Palestinian Authority boycotting the Trump administration since its recognition last December of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. The PA has vowed to oppose the “deal of the century.” Israel’s shaky right-wing coalition government, meantime, is down to a majority of just 61 in the 120-seat Knesset after Avigdor Liberman resigned as defense minister to protest the Gaza ceasefire.Although the Trump administration has been touting its peace plan for months, details of it have been scant, and the Palestinians have vowed not to cooperate with US efforts.Israel has also maintained that only the US can mediate the conflict.
Poll shows Hamas leader would defeat Abbas to win Palestinian elections-Pollster links Ismail Haniyeh’s rising popularity to perceived Hamas win in its latest confrontation with Israel, dissatisfaction with PA policies-By Agencies and TOI staff-DEC 19,18
A public opinion poll shows that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas would lose to the leader of the Hamas terror group if elections were held today.The poll conducted by prominent pollster Khalil Shikaki and released Tuesday shows that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh would win with 49 percent to Abbas’s 42%.Shikaki links the results to a perceived Hamas win in its latest confrontation with Israel and dissatisfaction with Abbas’s government, particularly over a new social security law.The poll interviewed 1,200 people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and had a 3% margin of error.Abbas’s Fatah faction and Hamas are bitter rivals. Palestinian elections were last held in 2006 and have been repeatedly delayed since.Abbas has long said he opposes violence against Israelis and supports peaceful protest against Israel’s military control in the West Bank. The PA cooperates closely with Israeli security, while Hamas has fought three wars with the Jewish state since 2008.Earlier this month Abbas said he would soon dissolve the long-defunct PA parliament, the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).Hamas, which controls a majority of the seats in the PLC, has long expressed its opposition to dissolving the legislative body.Shortly after Hamas ousted the Fatah-dominated PA from the Gaza Strip in 2007, the PLC stopped convening. Ramallah-based Palestinian officials have contended that the West Bank and Gaza must be ruled by one government before holding legislative elections.In November a dramatic flareup between Isael and Hamas in Gaza saw nearly 500 rockets and mortar shells fired at southern Israel, killing one person and injuring scores more, some seriously. It was the worst escalation in violence in the Strip since 2014.In response, the Israel Defense Forces bombed over 160 sites connected to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, including four sites the army identified as “key strategic assets.”But Israel’s quick acceptance of a ceasefire with Hamas was heavily criticized by many in the Israeli public, and Avigdor Liberman subsequently resigned from the Defense Ministry over what he said was the government’s mishandling of the fighting and “capitulation to terror.”Hamas has gone on to portray the violent exchange as a victory. Within Gaza the ceasefire was met with joyous rallies.Adam Rasgon contributed to this report.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
As of Monday evening, settlement listings still up-Israel says Airbnb walking back settlement boycott; company denies it-Vacation rental site asserts it rejects BDS and is committed to its business inside Israel, says it is still developing tools to implement policy-By Jacob Magid-TOI-19 December 2018
Amid a confusing series of statements and clarifications, Airbnb on Monday rejected an Israeli government assertion that it had agreed to walk back its decision to remove listings from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.“The reports issued earlier today are inaccurate,” the company said in a statement issued by its press secretary, Nick Papas.This apparent denial came shortly after the Tourism Ministry issued a statement of its own, saying Airbnb had told officials that it would not be implementing its policy — a move the ministry called “a step in the right direction.”A spokeswoman for the Tourism Ministry said that its statement had been issued in response to one that she had received from Yuval Lidor, a representative of Airbnb in Israel.But while Lidor had indeed issued a statement saying that the settlement boycott “would not be implemented in practice,” he later appeared to walk back that announcement, asking The Times of Israel to refer exclusively to the English press release from Papas — one that appeared to deny that Airbnb had changed its mind.“Airbnb expressed its unequivocal rejection of the BDS movement and communicated its commitment to develop its business in Israel, enabling more tourists from around the world to enjoy the wonders of the country and its people,” the official Airbnb statement from Papas said.“We are here to meet with a variety of stakeholders and as a result of our meetings have an even deeper understanding that this is an incredibly complex and emotional issue,” the statement continued, referring to discussions held in recent days in Israel between the Tourism Ministry and an Airbnb delegation led by its global policy and public affairs head, Chris Lehane.“Airbnb communicated that we are developing the tools needed to implement our policy and that process includes continuing our dialogue with the Government of Israel and other stakeholders,” the company’s statement concluded, suggesting that it has yet to establish a mechanism for its site to differentiate between Israeli and Palestinian listings in the West Bank.Papas later said that Lidor’s statement on behalf of the company had been “sent in error.”While Airbnb’s initial November 19 statement announcing the removal of some 200 settlement listings was still up on its site as of Monday evening, so were Israeli offerings beyond the Green Line. An Airbnb spokesman had initially said it would be implementing its decision “in the coming days.”The vacation rental site’s decision last month infuriated members of Israel’s right-wing government along with settler leaders throughout the West Bank and Jewish organizations in the United States. Levin and Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan lambasted the move as “racist” and “anti-Semitic,” arguing that it applied a different standard to the Jewish state than to other disputed territories around the world.Responding to the criticism of the decision, Airbnb said that it had come after “considerable time” was spent consulting experts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Airbnb said that, as an industry leader, it “must consider the impact we have and act responsibly.”The announcement came a day before Human Rights Watch was set to publish a report detailing the company’s operations in Israeli settlements.Just over a week after the initial decision, A group of 18 US Jews sued Airbnb in a federal court, accusing the vacation rental giant of religious discrimination.“Airbnb has made a religion- and nationality-based decision about who can list,” Robert Tolchin, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told Reuters then. “It decided in the United States, ‘We will not list for Jews in the West Bank.’ It should be equal access for all.”A separate suit was filed in Jerusalem on November 22.Ma’anit Rabinovich of the Kida outpost , who in the past advertised an apartment for rent on Airbnb, filed a request at the Jerusalem District Court for a class action lawsuit against Airbnb, saying the decision to ban listings located in settlements constitutes “severe, offensive and extremely outrageous discrimination on the basis of place of residence, country of origin and opinion.”Two days after the announcement, an Airbnb official told The Times of Israel that the decision would only be applied to Israeli settlements and not homes in East Jerusalem or the Golan Heights.He also said that the company was evaluating whether to drop its listings in the disputed territory of Western Sahara.“In the statement we issued on Monday, we noted that we have developed a framework for evaluating how we should treat listings in occupied territories around the world. Western Sahara is one example of a place where we will use this framework,” the official said then.As of Monday, there were 24 Airbnb listings in Western Sahara.
Texas speech pathologist files federal lawsuit over anti-BDS law-Bahia Amawi says Austin school district violated her First Amendment rights when it withdrew job contract over her refusal to sign pro-Israel pledge-By TOI staff-19 December 2018
A speech pathologist, who reportedly lost her job at an Austin-area school district for refusing to sign a pledge not to boycott Israel, is suing the state of Texas in a bid to repeal a law targeting the anti-Israel Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement.According to a Monday report in The Intercept, Bahia Amawi filed the First Amendment suit in a Texas federal court, in a bid to have the state law struck down and the anti-BDS pledge removed from the school district’s employment contracts.Amawi worked with the local Arabic-speaking community at the Pflugerville Independent School District since 2009, on a contract basis. She told the news site that the district renewed her contract each year without incident, but when she received the documents for the 2018-19 school year in August, Amawi said it included a new clause requiring that she “not boycott Israel during the term of the contract,” and refrain from any action “that is intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or limit commercial relations with Israel, or with a person or entity doing business in Israel, or in an Israel-controlled territory.”Amawi, who is of Palestinian descent, told The Intercept that she could not sign the new contract “in good conscience.”“If I did, I would not only be betraying Palestinians suffering under an occupation that I believe is unjust… but I’d also be betraying my fellow Americans by enabling violations of our constitutional rights to free speech and to protest peacefully,” she said.As a result, the Pflugerville school district refused to renew her contract. Amawi called it “baffling” that a US law would “protect another country’s economy” over the constitutional free speech rights of US citizens.Texas is one of dozens of US states that have enacted legislation forbidding the state from contracting with anyone who supports a boycott of Israel. Texas adopted its anti-BDS law in 2017, with Governor Greg Abbott saying at the signing ceremony that “any anti-Israel policy is an anti-Texas policy.”Later that year, the law came under heavy criticism, after residents in a north Texas town said they were asked to certify that they do not support Israel boycotts in order to receive federal assistance after Hurricane Harvey.Republican State Rep. Phil King, who authored the state legislation, later said that the stipulation for the town of Dickinson was due to “confusion,” and was a “misunderstanding.”In recent years, some 26 US states have passed anti-BDS legislation that prohibits the state from working with entities that boycott Israel, though none have passed measures making participating in a boycott of Israel illegal.The states’ anti-BDS laws have been roundly criticized by free-speech and pro-Palestinian activists, however Amawi’s suit may be the first time a US court will be asked to rule on the legislation’s constitutionality.
PA believes Hamas terrorist released in Shalit deal behind West Bank shootings-Palestinian sources tell Israeli news outlet that Jasser Barghouti was tasked by superiors in Gaza to use family ties in West Bank to set up terrorist infrastructure-By TOI staff-19 December 2018
Sources in the Palestinian Authority told the Ynet news site on Monday that they believe a Gazan Hamas terror leader who previously served time in an Israeli prison was behind a cell thought to be responsible for a recent series of attacks on Israelis in the Ramallah area.According to the report, Jasser Barghouti, a convicted terrorist released as part of the 2011 swap that freed abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, was directing the so-called “West Bank group” terror cell that Israeli officials suspect is to blame for deadly shooting attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians in the West Bank last week.Jasser’s nephew Salih Barghouti is thought to have carried out a shooting attack near the settlement of Ofra in which seven Israeli civilians were injured, including a pregnant woman who lost her child. Salih Barghouti was killed during an arrest operation last Wednesday. A day later, two IDF soldiers were killed in a shooting attack at the nearby outpost of Givat Assaf. The gunmen fled the scene, and Israeli forces are still hunting for him.Israeli military officials have said they believe both attacks were linked and were directed from Gaza.Jasser Barghouti was arrested in 2003 and sentenced to nine life sentences for his part in terror attacks in which nine Israelis were killed during the Second Intifada.He was released and expelled to the Gaza Strip in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange deal that saw Israel release over 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners in exchange for Shalit, an IDF soldier abducted by Hamas along the Israel-Gaza border in 2006.After the deal, deputy Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri established a “West Bank Headquarters,” tasked with recruiting the freed Shalit prisoners from the West Bank to establish terror infrastructure there using their extensive family ties.The PA sources said Jasser Barghouti worked under Hamas’s West Bank chief, Maher Obeid, and was responsible for setting up and directing Hamas cells in his hometown of Kobar and the neighboring villages of Bir Zeit and Mazra al-Gharbiyya.According to the report, Jasser Barghouti used his family connections in Kobar to recruit his nephew Salih and several others to carry out the shooting attacks.The Shalit deal, struck under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2011, came under criticism for the high number of convicted Palestinian security poisoners and terrorists Israel agreed to release. Those prisoners included Mahmoud Kawasme and Yahya Sinwar. Kawasme later helped fund the 2014 kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers, and Sinwar was elected to head Hamas in Gaza in 2017.Last year, then-defense minister Avigdor Liberman said Israel had re-arrested at least 200 of the released Shalit prisoners for their alleged involvement in terror and links to attacks that resulted in the deaths of seven Israelis.Hamas, which recently scaled down its violent activities in the Gaza Strip as it tried to reach a ceasefire agreement with Israel, has been stepping up its efforts in the West Bank, according to Israeli defense officials.A senior officer in the IDF Central Command said last week that the Gaza terror group was “the most violent group in [the West Bank], and it is trying to carry out terror attacks all the time.”In its effort to hunt the terrorists who fled the Givat Assaf attack, the IDF has sent additional infantry battalions to the West Bank and established a dedicated command unit to spearhead the searches.The military set up checkpoints at the entrances and exits to Ramallah and other nearby towns and villages; carried out extensive arrest raids in the West Bank, arresting some 37 Hamas members, including senior leaders; and stationed additional troops around the West Bank’s roadways and inside settlements, to both prevent attacks and respond more effectively to those that do occur.
Rivlin visits homes of soldiers slain in Givat Assaf, praises their dedication-President hails ultra-Orthodox troops who enlisted in military while ‘holding on to identity’-By TOI staff-DEC 19,18
President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday visited the homes of the families of two soldiers killed in a terrorist shooting attack in the West Bank last week, as they mourned their fallen sons in the customary seven-day shiva period.At the family home of Staff Sgt. Yovel Mor Yosef in Ashkelon, the president was told of the 20-year-old’s generosity and kindheartedness. He praised Mor Yosef as “a true hero who knew to hold on to his identity and to keep us safe, understanding that only we can protect our own home.”He told the family he knew “how deep the pain is.”Both soldiers were members of the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda Brigade. Rivlin said he’d met members of the unit on several occasions, most recently in a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony at his home.“They are impressive and professional soldiers who share the burden, with total dedication, and maintain their identity and values without compromise,” he said.At the home of Sgt. Yosef Cohen in Jerusalem, the president thanked Cohen’s stepfather for his comments on the need for Jewish unity, saying his words “touched my heart. One single fate put us here and we have to stand together in order to protect our country. We have the great honor to be parents and teachers of children like your son.”Reminiscing about his experiences during the 1948 War of Independence, Rivlin said: “When we defended our homes there was not a single Jerusalemite who did not play his part. The shells fell in Rehavia and in Sha’arei Hesed and in Mea Shearim [neighborhoods] indiscriminately, and we stood as a protective wall to defend our homes, religious and secular.“Today you are proving to us that we all know how to take part in defending our people, and at the same time to protect our identity.”Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday visited the Givat Assaf Junction in the West Bank where the two IDF soldiers were killed and vowed that the military would catch the perpetrators.“The manhunt is in full force,” he said. “It is only a question of time.”Mor Yosef and Cohen were posthumously promoted from the ranks of sergeant and corporal, respectively, after a Palestinian shot them dead in the attack outside the Givat Assaf outpost. A third soldier was critically injured in the shooting, and a civilian woman was seriously wounded although her condition later improved.Many hundreds of people attended the two soldiers’ funerals Friday, and both were hailed as caring, giving individuals.Thursday’s shooting came after a number of recent terror attacks, including a drive-by shooting last Sunday outside the Ofra settlement in which seven Israelis were injured. Among the wounded was a pregnant woman whose baby was delivered by an emergency C-section but later died.The suspected shooter in that attack was killed Wednesday during an attempt to arrest him.On Friday, a Palestinian assailant assaulted a soldier at an army post outside the Beit El settlement in the central West Bank, stabbing him and bashing his head with a rock before fleeing. He later turned himself in.Jacob Magid and Michael Bachner contributed to this report.
Think tank: Terrorists to be paid as PA allots NIS 1.2b. for inmates, ‘martyrs’-Report details 2018 funds set aside for issue; recipients include Palestinians who have attacked Israelis, and their families, though exact figure is unknown-By TOI staff-DEC 19,18
The Palestinian Authority has allocated more than NIS 1.2 billion ($319 million) for payments related to security prisoners and so-called “martyrs” in its 2018 budget, according to a new report published by a Jerusalem-based research institute.The funds include salaries and stipends for convicted terrorists and their families, though the exact figures are not publicly known, with Israeli officials, researchers, and Palestinians split over how many of those eligible for the payments have attacked or killed Israelis.According to the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs report, the PA set aside NIS 550 million ($146 million) for payments for current and past security prisoners and their families, The amount includes salaries for 5,000 families of prisoners, funds for commissary purchases of 6,000 prisoners, stipends for 5,500 released prisoners, grants for 1,500 prisoners upon their release, and other expenditures, the report said.The PA set aside NIS 488 million ($129 million) and NIS 552 million ($146 million) for payments regarding security prisoners in its 2016 and 2017 budgets, respectively, according to the research institute.Many security prisoners are convicted terrorists who killed or participated in the killing of Israelis.But the total number of security prisoners who are convicted terrorists is disputed by Israelis and Palestinians.Yossi Kuperwasser, the author of the JCPA report, said in a phone call that “99.9% of [security] prisoners are convicted terrorists.”However, an Israel Prisons Service pamphlet from 2007 says 70% of Palestinian security prisoners “have blood on their hands,” according to the Washington Post.Hassan Abed Rabbo, a spokesman for the PA Prisoners Affairs Commission, however, said in a phone call approximately 500 prisoners are serving life sentences in Israeli prisons, including a few hundred convicted of killing Israelis.Abed Rabbo said the overwhelming majority of Palestinian prisoners do not have “blood on their hands” and are serving sentences for other offenses such as membership in “what Israel defines” as terrorist organizations.Ashraf al-Ajrami, a former PA Prisoner Affairs minister, largely echoed Abed Rabbo’s comments.In a phone call, he estimated under five percent of Palestinian prisoners killed Israelis.There are a total of 5,600 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, according to Israel Prisons Services spokesman Assaf Liberati.A PA law legislated in 2004 says any Palestinian prisoner and his or her family are entitled to a variety of payments. The law defines a prisoner as “anyone who is sitting in the occupation’s prisons for participating in the struggle against the occupation” and calls them “part and parcel of the Palestinian Arab community’s fabric.”Israel has argued the payments to security prisoners incentivize Palestinians to carry out terror attacks.“They can make a lot of money being prisoners,” Kuperwasser said. “It’s a good business for them.”Meanwhile, Palestinian officials have argued payments to security prisoners seek to mitigate what they call an unfair Israeli military courts system.The conviction rate in Israel’s military courts stands at almost 100%, B’tselem, an Israeli rights group said in a March 2018 report.The PA also allocated NIS 691 million ($183 million) for the families of so-called “martyrs” and wounded persons in its 2018 budget, the JCPA report stated.“Martyrs” include Palestinians killed while carrying out terror attacks against Israelis, but also those killed in clashes with security forces, violent acts undertaken by settlers and other cases.It is not clear exactly how many “martyrs” were killed while carrying out attacks.Kuperwasser said “a large number of martyrs” are terrorists, adding he was not aware of the exact number.Also Tuesday, Palestinian Media Watch, a non-governmental organization that publishes reports on the Palestinian press, slammed a joint appeal by the United Nations and the PA for $355 million for humanitarian projects in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.“Outrageously, the sum that the UN and the PA are asking the international community to donate — $350 million dollars — is equivalent to the $355 million dollars the PA allocated in its 2018 budget to fund its payments rewarding terror. This includes payments to terrorist prisoners, released terrorist prisoners, and to the families of the so-called “Martyrs” – i.e., terrorists killed while carrying out attacks, including suicide bombers,” a Palestinian Media Watch report said.“Instead of the UN asking donor countries to contribute $350 million to provide for Palestinian humanitarian needs, the UN should be joining the unequivocal call from many governments that the PA immediately stop squandering the $355 million dollars of its own funds on its ‘Pay for Slay’ policy that incentivizes and rewards terrorism, and instead spend that money on needy Palestinians.”The UN and the PA launched the appeal on Monday. A document outlining the details of the appeal shows they are not seeking funds for any PA institutions.Both Israel and the US have heavily criticized the Palestinians for its policy of payments related to Palestinian prisoners and “martyrs” and passed legislation to counter it.In July, the Knesset passed a law to cut funds Israel transfers to the PA by the amount Ramallah pays to convicted terrorists and the families of Palestinians killed while carrying out attacks.In March, US President Donald Trump signed into law legislation that requires the American government to cut some aid to the Palestinians until they end payments to terrorists and slain attackers.Since Trump signed the legislation, his administration has cut hundreds of millions in aid to the Palestinians.Abbas has said the PA will continue to pay stipends to the families of Palestinian security prisoners and “martyrs” even if it has to spend its last penny to do so.“We will not accept a cut or cancellation of salaries to the families of martyrs and prisoners, as some are trying to bring about,” he told representatives of a Palestinian prisoners advocacy group in July.“Even if we have only a penny left, we will give it to the martyrs, the prisoners and their families.”
