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)
NORTH-SOUTH KOREA EXCHANGE FIRE
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BIRD LANDS ON ERDOGAN-IS THIS A SIGN THAT MIGRATING BIRDS EAT ISLAM
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WEST-NATO DRILLS-RUSSIA-CHINA DRILLS
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THE LATEST ON THE KOREAS FIGHT
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No Sign of End to Korea Talks as Kim Steps Up Force Mobilization-Sam Kim-Updated on August 23, 2015 — 11:47 AM EDT-BLOOMBERG
Talks between North Korea and South Korea on how to lower tensions continued into the early hours of Monday, as Kim Jong Un stepped up the mobilization of his forces.Neither side showed any indication of when the meeting between Kim’s top military aide Hwang Pyong So and South Korean President Park Geun Hye’s chief security adviser Kim Kwan Jin, which began at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, might end. It follows a 10-hour session between the officials earlier in the weekend.As the dialog went on at the border village of Panmunjom, a South Korean military official said North Korea had dispatched more than two thirds of its submarines from ports and doubled its front-line artillery forces.The standoff, with both countries’ forces on a high alert for any possible military clashes, is one of the most serious since Kim became Supreme Leader in late 2011. An uneasy truce on the peninsula is periodically disrupted by exchanges of rockets or gunfire that peter out before they escalate, though the unpredictable regime in Pyongyang keeps tensions high.Tensions have escalated in recent weeks across the DMZ that bisects the peninsula more than 60 years after the Korean War. Two South Korean soldiers were injured Aug. 4 by land mines that the government in Seoul said were recently laid by North Korea. North Korea denied setting the devices.South Korea retaliated for the mine blasts by resuming propaganda broadcasts through loudspeakers for the first time since 2004. North Korea views any criticism of its leader as an offense to the nation and restricts the flow of information about the outside world.South Korea said Thursday North Korea fired shells into its territory, and responded with a barrage of artillery.-Provocations’-“Raise the stakes and seize the initiative, that is, leave the big powers hanging and eager for negotiations in the face of provocations -- that’s Pyongyang’s time-tested mode of operation,” Lee Sung-Yoon, a professor of Korean studies at Tufts University, said by e-mail.Park refused to accept Kim’s demand on Thursday that South Korea stop propaganda broadcasts across the demilitarized zone within 48 hours or face dire consequences.North Korean troops are eagerly awaiting an order “to inflict a shower of fire” on their foes, North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Sunday. South Korea is continuing the broadcasts, according to its defense ministry.Kim declared a “semi-state of war” and ordered his front-line troops into a “wartime state” over the broadcasts earlier this week. The U.S. and South Korea scrambled eight fighter jets on Saturday in a show of force, while their top generals agreed in a phone call to respond “strongly” to any North Korean attack, according to Colonel Jeon Ha Kyu, a spokesman for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.South Korea’s central bank is closely watching the results of the talks and will hold a meeting Monday on the situation, it said in an e-mailed statement on Sunday.The iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF, the largest exchange-traded fund tracking the country’s stocks, had the biggest weekly withdrawal since inception in 2000 amid investor concern over a revival of tensions on the Korean peninsula and an escalating sell-off in emerging markets. Traders pulled $195.4 million from the ETF, whose top holdings include Samsung Electronics Co. and Hyundai Motor Co., in the five trading days ended Aug. 21, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Koreas resume talks to pull back from brink, even as Seoul reports North Korea troop movements-The Canadian PressBy Eric Talmadge And Foster Klug, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – AUG 23,15-YAHOONEWS
PYONGYANG, North Korea - Senior officials from North and South Korea on Sunday were in their second day of marathon talks meant to pull the rivals back from the brink, even amid reports of unusual North Korean troop and submarine movement that Seoul said indicated continued battle preparation.While it was not clear whether any progress was made during the first round of talks, which started Saturday evening and finished just before dawn Sunday, the second day of diplomacy, for the time being, pushed aside the heated warnings of imminent war.These are the highest-level talks between the two Koreas in a year. And just the fact that senior officials from countries that have spent recent days vowing to destroy each other are sitting together at a table in Panmunjom, the border enclave where the 1953 armistice ending fighting in the Korean War, is something of a victory.The length of the first round of talks — nearly 10 hours — and the lack of immediate progress are not unusual. While the Koreas often have difficulty agreeing to talks, once they do, overlong sessions are often the rule. After decades of animosity and bloodshed, however, finding common ground is much harder.Neither side has disclosed details about the first round of talks. The second session started Sunday afternoon and stretched into the night.The decision to hold talks came hours ahead of a Saturday deadline set by North Korea for the South to dismantle loudspeakers broadcasting anti- Pyongyang propaganda at their border. North Korea had declared that its front-line troops were in full war readiness and prepared to go to battle if Seoul did not back down.South Korea said that even as the North was pursuing dialogue, its troops were preparing for a fight.An official from Seoul's Defence Ministry said that about 70 per cent of the North's more than 70 submarines and undersea vehicles had left their bases and were undetectable by the South Korean military as of Saturday.The official, who refused to be named because of office rules, also said the North had doubled the strength of its front-line artillery forces since the start of the talks Saturday evening.The standoff is the result of a series of events that started with the explosions of land mines on the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone between the Koreas that Seoul says were planted by North Korea. The explosions maimed two South Korean soldiers on a routine patrol. In response, the South resumed anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts for the first time in 11 years, infuriating the North, which is extremely sensitive to any criticism of its authoritarian system.There was shock and worry Thursday after South Korea's military fired dozens of artillery rounds across the border in response to what Seoul said were North Korean artillery strikes meant to back up an earlier threat to attack the loudspeakers. The North denies it was behind the land mines and the shelling, claims that Seoul calls nonsense.The Defence Ministry official said the South continued the anti-Pyongyang broadcasts even after the start of the talks Saturday and also after the second session began Sunday. He said Seoul would decide after the talks whether to halt the broadcasts.While the meeting offered a way for the rivals to avoid an immediate collision, analysts in Seoul wondered whether the countries were standing too far apart to expect a quick agreement.South Korea probably can't afford to walk away with a weak agreement after it had openly vowed to stem a "vicious cycle" of North Korean provocations amid public anger over the land mines, said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University.It was highly unlikely that the North would accept the South's expected demand for Pyongyang to take responsibility for the land mine explosions and apologize, he added. However, Koh said the meeting might open the door to more talks between the rivals to discuss a variety of issues.At the meeting, South Korea's presidential national security director, Kim Kwan-jin, and Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo sat down with Hwang Pyong So, the top political officer for the Korean People's Army, and Kim Yang Gon, a senior North Korean official responsible for South Korean affairs.Hwang is considered by outside analysts to be North Korea's second most important official after supreme leader Kim Jong Un.South Korea had been using 11 loudspeaker systems along the border for the broadcasts, which included the latest news around the Korean Peninsula and the world, South Korean popular music and programs praising the South's democracy and economic affluence over the North's oppressive government, said a senior military official, speaking on condition of anonymity.Each loudspeaker system has broadcast for more than 10 hours a day, the official said. If North Korea attacks the loudspeakers, the South is ready to strike back at the North Korean units responsible, he said.North Korea, which has also restarted its own propaganda broadcasts, is extremely sensitive to any criticism of its government. Analysts in Seoul also believe the North fears that the South's broadcasts could demoralize its front-line troops and inspire them to defect.In Pyongyang, North Korean state media reported that more than 1 million young people have volunteered to join or rejoin the military to defend their country should a conflict break out.Despite such highly charged rhetoric, which is not particularly unusual, activity in the North's capital remained calm on Sunday, with people going about their daily routines. Truckloads of soldiers singing martial songs could occasionally be seen driving around the city, and a single minivan with camouflage netting was parked near the main train station as the talks with the South went on.Throughout the day, large crowds of people were mobilized to practice mass activities for the Oct. 10 anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers Party 70 years ago.As night fell, instead of anxiously awaiting the outcome of the talks, many Pyongyang residents were riveted to TVs in public places to watch the debut of the "Boy General" cartoon show, which has been revamped for the first time in five years at the order of Kim Jong Un.___Klug reported from Seoul, South Korea. Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul contributed to this report.
South Korea seeks business opportunities in Iran-Officials from Asian country set to meet with officials in Tehran to discuss possible oil, gas, and construction deals-By Times of Israel staff August 23, 2015, 9:48 am 4
Iranian and South Korean officials are set to meet in the Islamic Republic this week to discuss possible oil, gas, and construction deals, following the signing of a nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers last month, Reuters reported Sunday.The agreement, reached between Iran and the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany on July 14, aims to curb Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in relief from biting economic sanctions.South Korean Deputy Trade Minister Woo Tae-hee is set to visit Iran on Sunday and Monday, the ministry of trade, industry and energy said, according to Reuters. Tae-hee will be accompanied by officials from state-run oil, gas and resources firms, the report said.“We plan to highlight the capability of our firms for major projects with which the Iranian government seeks to rebuild infrastructure, diversify industries and develop energy fields in the post-sanctions era,” a statement by the Korean government read.Yoo Il-ho, the South Korean minister of land, infrastructure and transport, and a delegation of executives and officials from several public and private companies, are currently in Iran as well, the report said.“The delegation will discuss possible deals and continue talks in the second half of this year, as we need to prepare for actual business deals to be made next year,” a source at South Korea’s energy ministry told Reuters.The US Congress is set to vote next month on a resolution to determine whether to accept or reject the nuclear agreement with Tehran. However, US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that if Congress rejects the deal, the US will be unable to prevent allies from doing business with Iran.
ISRAEL SATAN COMES AGAINST
1 CHRONICLES 21:1
1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
GENESIS 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I (GOD) will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee,(ISRAELIS) and curse (DESTROY) him that curseth thee:(DESTROY THEM) and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
ISAIAH 41:11
11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee (ISRAEL) shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing;(DESTROYED) and they that strive with thee shall perish.(ISRAEL HATERS WILL BE TOTALLY DESTROYED)
ISRAELS TROUBLE
JEREMIAH 30:7
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;(ISRAEL) but he shall be saved out of it.
DANIEL 12:1,4
1 And at that time shall Michael(ISRAELS WAR ANGEL) stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:(ISRAEL) and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation(May 14,48) even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS,CHIP IMPLANTS ETC)
Despite Tehran’s reluctance, Abbas says he will visit ‘sister’ Iran-Palestinian leader says trip will strengthen ties, week after Iranian official says Tehran has rejected repeated requests-By Times of Israel staff August 23, 2015, 10:24 pm 1
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday he intends to make an official visit to “sister” nation Iran, Channel 2 reported, contradicting recent claims by an Iranian official that, despite numerous recent requests, the welcome mat in Tehran has been denied to the Palestinian leader.Channel 2 said that Abbas revealed his intentions during an interview with a Polish reporter at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.Abbas said that a date has not yet been set for the trip, but that its purpose was to strengthen ties with Iran, which he referred to as the neighbor and “sister” of the Palestinians.Earlier this month Ahmad Majdalani, a member of the PLO Executive Committee who was visiting Iran at the time, said he had discussed arrangements for the Palestinian leader’s visit with Iranian officials.He said the trip would likely take place within the next two months.However, last week an assistant to the speaker of Iran’s parliament said that his country had rejected numerous requests by Abbas to visit the Islamic Republic.“ They’ve asked to visit Iran more than once and we’ve refused and have never yet said yes,” Hussein SheikhoIeslam, an adviser to parliament speaker Ali Larijani on international affairs, told the Hamas daily al-Resalah.The Palestinian Authority is attempting to strengthen its diplomatic relations with Iran, as ties between the Islamic Republic and the PA’s main Palestinian rival, Hamas, grow increasingly chilly.Iran’s relations with the Palestinian Authority and Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement have been traditionally frosty since the Palestinian leader renounced the armed resistance against Israel, which Iran supports both financially and ideologically.In 2012, Abbas declined an invitation to visit Tehran by then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He later met with Ahmadinejad in Cairo in February 2013, thanking the Iranian president for supporting the Palestinians’ November 2012 UN statehood bid.Since Hamas’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2007, Iran has clearly favored Hamas over Fatah. However, it has gradually ceased its financial and military support for Hamas after the Palestinian Islamist movement abandoned its Damascus headquarters in early 2012 and reportedly endorsed a Saudi-led military operation against Shiite rebels in Yemen.According to media reports, a planned visit by Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal to Tehran was recently canceled by the Iranian government in protest against Hamas’s rapprochement with Saudi Arabia. Hamas, for its part, has rushed to deny reports of a crisis between the sides, claiming that ties with Iran are ongoing despite the cut in funding.Like us on Facebook
Palestinian FM: EU should ban settlers as well as their products-Palestinian Authority has not yet used its full legal arsenal against Israel at the ICC, claims Riyad al-Maliki-By Elhanan Miller August 23, 2015, 9:35 pm 7-the times of israel
The Palestinian Authority has asked the European Union to block the entry of Israelis living beyond the Green Line into Europe’s 26 Schengen Area countries, PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told a leading Arab daily on Sunday.In an extensive interview with London-based newspaper Asharq al-Awsat following his meeting with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, Maliki expressed annoyance at the fact that a European Union decision to label settlement products has not yet been implemented.“If the EU argues that settlement products should be ‘discriminated against,’ settlers are among those products and should be viewed the same way,” Maliki told the daily. The PA has also called on the EU and US to place settlers that carry out so-called “price tag” attacks against Palestinian property on their terror blacklist.The European Union was looking into the possibility of blacklisting “violent settlers” late last year, diplomats told Reuters. That sanction would affect up to 200 individuals, they estimated.Schengen Area countries, comprising most of western Europe, have abolished passports and other forms of border control at their common borders. Maliki’s visit to France was timed to pressure the government of Francois Hollande to move forward with its peace plan, including a 24-month cap on bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, with the threat of a UN Security Council decision against Israel in case negotiations fail to produce an agreement. France, the Palestinian foreign minister argued, had been subjected to intense Israeli and American pressure to abandon the threat of resorting to the Security Council. But Fabius denied that the UN option was off the table, Maliki said.‘If the EU argues that settlement products should be ‘discriminated against,’ settlers are among those products and should be viewed the same way,’ Maliki said-It is the Palestinians, the minister asserted, who are reluctant to launch another Security Council bid only to see it fail, as happened last December. Therefore, a new bid should focus on the issue of settlements — an issue the Americans cannot diplomatically afford to veto — rather than a hopeless bid forcing Israel to negotiate within a fixed timetable.“By doing so, we would obtain something from the Security Council leading to change. This is extremely important for us, given the lack of any kind of movement; we want movement and are interested in it,” Maliki said.The Palestinian leadership, he made clear, has given up hope in the United States as a fair peace broker. During a recent trip to Moscow, Maliki discussed with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov the possibility of copying the P5+1 model — used to negotiate with Iran over its nuclear aspirations — to the Israeli-Palestinian context. “He promised to discuss the matter with [US Secretary of State John] Kerry,” Maliki said of Lavrov.Asked whether the Palestinian Authority intends to continue confronting Israel in the International Criminal Court, Maliki said his government has so far proceeded cautiously, avoiding using doomsday weapons against the Jewish State.Thus far, the Palestinians have merely asked the ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to look into the Palestinian issue in general, and she has begun an independent investigation based on available evidence. But, Maliki noted, there is another tool at the disposal of the Palestinians at the ICC known as “referral,” whereby the Palestinian government can demand an immediate investigation into a specific case, such as the burning of the Dawabsha family in the West Bank village of Duma, apparently by Israeli extremists.“So far we have not used referrals, but have settled for the first method regarding Gaza, settlements and other issues,” he said. “Referrals are a weapon we haven’t yet resorted to. At the right moment we will use them, when we believe we can and should do so.”Maliki avoided explaining when exactly that moment may be.
JEREMEIAH 49:35-37 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR OR ARAK NUKE SITE SOME BELIEVE)
35 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRAN/BUSHEHR NUCLEAR SITE) the chief of their might.(MOST DANGEROUS NUKE SITE IN IRAN)
36 And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven,(IRANIANS SCATTERED OR MASS IMIGARATION) and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(WORLD IMMIGRATION)
37 For I will cause Elam (IRAN-BUSHEHR NUKE SITE) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger,(ISRAELS NUKES POSSIBLY) saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:(IRAN AND ITS NUKE SITES DESTROYED)
Liberman: Barak revealed ‘state secrets’ on Iran-Former foreign minister says ex-defense minister’s statements on plans to strike nuclear facilities strengthen Tehran-By Times of Israel staff August 23, 2015, 9:22 am 20
Former foreign minister Avigdor Liberman on Sunday accused erstwhile defense minister Ehud Barak of exposing state secrets, after the latter detailed on tape three occasions between 2010 and 2012 when Israel was ostensibly poised to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.Liberman told Army Radio that he was “more than surprised” at Barak, and said statements such as those given by the former minister would ultimately strengthen Iran.“I think that when moves and discussions that should have been closely guarded state secrets are discussed by the press, it relays that you are a talker, that you aren’t serious, that you’re unreliable,” he said.“That is why, among other reasons, Iran is being coddled by the international community, and we have been backed into a corner… These things should only have been discussed in closed forums.”Asked whether he believed Barak was guilty of revealing state secrets, Liberman responded that he had “no doubt” that was the case.Channel 2, which broadcast the bombshell recordings of Barak on Friday night, said Saturday that “anger” at the former defense minister was widespread in the Israeli leadership, and that numerous senior political and security officials were also privately intimating that Barak’s version of events was not entirely accurate. The Prime Minister’s Office did not issue an official response to the broadcast.In the tapes, whose broadcast Barak was said to have tried to prevent, he claims that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to attack Iran in 2010, but that then-IDF chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi indicated that there was no viable plan for such an operation; that they were thwarted in 2011 by the opposition of fellow ministers Moshe Ya’alon and Yuval Steinitz; and that a planned 2012 strike was aborted because it happened to coincide with a joint Israel-US military exercise and Israel did not want to drag the US into the fray.In the aftermath of the broadcast of the tapes, Channel 2 said Saturday, various key Israeli figures indicated that Ashkenazi did not rule out an operation as decisively as Barak suggested, and that a great deal of preparatory work had been done. Furthermore, the TV report Saturday said, Ashkenazi was by no means the only senior Israeli figure who was not decisively supportive of a strike at that time. Others included then-Mossad chief Meir Dagan, who later made public his opposition, and top ministers including Dan Meridor and Eli Yishai.Even if approval had been forthcoming for a strike, the TV report said, it was by no means certain that Israel would have actually gone ahead with it. The discussions described by Barak may have been “more a case of ‘hold us back’” than a genuine determination by Netanyahu and Barak to carry out an attack.Channel 2 also suggested that Barak may be playing party politics with his comments. Ashkenazi is said to be considering entering politics, and Barak, who has now retired from politics, may be out to thwart him. The two became bitter rivals over the years, and Barak’s relationship with current defense minister Ya’alon has also been tempestuous.The material in the tapes comes from conversations related to a new biography of Barak being written by Danny Dor and Ilan Kfir. The former defense minister, who was also previously prime minister and chief of staff, attempted to prevent the broadcasting of the recordings, but Israel’s military censors allowed Channel 2 to play them.The airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities were ostensibly planned to take place because Netanyahu and Barak anticipated that Iran would enter a “zone of immunity,” in which its facilities were so well-protected or developed as to render an attack on them either a short-term solution or even futile. Netanyahu maintains to this day, however, that Israel will act alone if necessary to prevent Iran attaining nuclear weapons, and has been a leading critic of the P5+1 deal with Iran that curbs but does not dismantle its nuclear program.Barak was said Friday to have expressed outrage that the recordings had been released.Steinitz said it was grave that such material was broadcast and had no comment on the specifics, while Ya’alon said he had no comment on what he called biased and skewed material.
20 hurt as Lebanon’s garbage protests enter second day-Demonstrators throw stones and bottles, set motorcycle alight hours after PM hints he may step down over crisis-By AFP August 23, 2015, 11:13 pm-the times of israel
At least 20 people were injured Sunday in Beirut during a second day of clashes between police and protesters angry about the Lebanese government’s failure to remove rubbish from streets, medics said. Around 200 youths, some wearing scarves or masks to cover their faces, threw stones and bottles filled with sand at police and tried to pull down security barricades, an AFP correspondent said.They also set on fire a motorcycle and tried to set up their own barricades using tables and wood. Police retaliated with water cannon and tear gas.Sporadic gunfire echoed through the capital’s commercial district into the night as police fired in the air to disperse protesters. The violence came hours after Prime Minister Tammam Salam hinted he might step down following violent protests Saturday that injured more than 100 people.Some protesters suffered smoke inhalation and were taken away by ambulances for treatment. A Lebanese Red Cross official said 20 protesters were injured, including 13 who were hospitalized.Some shots also rang out in central Beirut, near the prime minister’s office, where thousands of people had rallied peacefully during the day before the violence broke out.The “You Stink” movement that organized the rally insisted they were opposed to violence and distanced themselves from those attacking security forces.Protesters chanted “Down with the regime” and “Freedom”, slogans borrowed from the Arab Spring uprisings that toppled several governments in the region.One demonstrator held up a placard with a bold red message that said “Some trash should not be recycled,” and below it the pictures of more than a dozen top Lebanese politicians.On Saturday, at least 16 were injured during clashes with police, according to a Red Cross official, while the Internal Security Forces said more than 35 of its members were also hurt.Salam held a news conference to plead for calm on Sunday, and pledged to hold accountable those responsible for using “excessive force against civil society and against the people.”Lebanon’s largest landfill was shut on July 17, leaving piles of rubbish to rot uncollected in Beirut and across the country, sparking anger among civilians who accuse authorities of negligence.The Associated Press contributed to this report
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
Jerusalem mayor said readying Knesset bid with Likud-Channel 10 says Nir Barkat recruiting supporters; office says he is focused solely on Jerusalem, but won’t rule out future run-By Times of Israel staff August 23, 2015, 10:37 pm
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat is preparing a run for the Knesset, Channel 10 reported Sunday, and is signing up potential voters as Likud members.Barkat has worked hard in recent weeks to sign up thousands of supporters to the Likud party, in the hopes that they will form the nucleus of support to land him a viable spot on the party’s Knesset list in the next legislative elections, the TV station says.His supporters reportedly come from beyond Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries, including from major Likud-leaning cities like Ashdod and Ashkelon.A statement from Barkat’s office said he was concentrating solely on Jerusalem for now, but did not rule out a future run.“The mayor is focused exclusively on the advancement and development of Jerusalem,” according to the communique. “Barkat announced in advance that he would run for two to three terms as mayor, and in the next two years he will announce whether he will run for a third term.”If Benjamin Netanyahu does not run again for prime minister, Barkat is reportedly planning to throw his hat into the ring for the party’s — and possibly the country’s — top spot.Barkat endorsed Netanyahu for prime minister in the last national elections, held earlier this year.Meanwhile, Barkat announced Sunday that former rival Moshe Lion, who lost a mayoral campaign against Barkat in 2013, would join his “Yerushalayim Tatzliah” party (“Jerusalem will succeed”).As part of the deal — which will expand Barkat’s slate in the municipality to six seats — Lion will hold the Community Administrations Department portfolio and head its committee.
Shalom bans freed migrants from Tel Aviv and Eilat-Interior minister imposes restrictions as court-ordered mass release from Holot center comes into effect-By Stuart Winer and Times of Israel staff August 23, 2015, 8:10 pm 7
Interior Minister Silvan Shalom on Sunday ordered that 1,200 African migrants set to be freed from a holding center are forbidden from traveling to the industrial hub of Tel Aviv or the southern port city of Eilat.Both cities are home to relatively large numbers of migrants, and Tel Aviv, at least, has seen friction with local residents opposed to their presence.The migrants are scheduled to be released from the Holot detention center in two stages on Tuesday and Wednesday, with roughly 600 detainees allowed permanently out of the gates each day.Wednesday marks the deadline for the migrants’ release, following a High Court of Justice decision two weeks ago that bans the state from holding people in the center for more than a year.The released migrants will be issued with identity cards and anyone caught in the prohibited cities will be sent to Saharonim Prison in the Negev Desert. While the Holot facility is an open center — detainees are free to leave during the day, but required to attend a twice-daily roll call — those held in Saharonim will not be allowed to leave the compound.Another 500 migrants will remain behind in the Holot facility. All the members of this group have been there for less than 12 months.According to a report by Israel’s Haaretz daily, a similar plan to ban migrants from specific cities was proposed in 2008. However, it was cancelled before it went into effect after protests from communities in the periphery.In recent years, an estimated 47,000 African migrants have managed to illegally enter Israel via Egypt, seeking jobs or asylum.Earlier this month the High Court upheld the Prevention of Infiltration Law after it was challenged by human rights groups, but ruled that the government could not hold migrants in detention facilities for more than 12 months — as opposed to the 20-month period that the government had been imposing. The ruling meant that the state had to release hundreds of migrants held in Holot. Aside from disputing the length of the detention period, the nine-judge panel ratified the law.The Prevention of Infiltration Law seeks to prevent additional illegal immigration to Israel and encourages those already in the Jewish state to leave.The court gave the Knesset six months to revise the legislation in accordance with the ruling.Among the African migrants living in Israel — the vast majority of whom claim asylum-seeker status — more than 90 percent come from Eritrea, Sudan and the Congo. But Israel has recognized fewer than 1% as asylum claims and, since 2009, less than 0.15% — the lowest rate in the Western world.
Reporter's notebook-At ancient Israel’s capital, politics and neglect squelch historical resonance-For half a century, while quibbling over whose heritage it is, Israel and the Palestinians have both ignored a historical gem at Sebastia-By Ilan Ben Zion August 23, 2015, 3:03 pm 11-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
SEBASTIA, West Bank — The manager of the Palestinian Authority’s Interpretation Center at the Sebastia archaeological site handed over a brochure; his colleague, roused from slumber, hastily pulled his pants on. Pointing to a small screening room where visitors would see a movie about the site, he contradicted himself with absolute confidence: “There’s a film — but there’s no film.”The PA built the facility two years ago to inform visitors about the ancient city of Sebastia after Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority closed down its day-to-day operations at the site. But besides a pamphlet and some hard candies, the Interpretation Center has little to offer. The brand-new plush chairs in the 40-seat theater meant to show were still in their plastic covers. (The PA didn’t respond to inquiries about the cost of the center; the United Nations Millennium Development Fund, a co-funder, donated $132,000.)“You can learn the history of the whole region (by) staying here because all the powers that crossed the region since the time of the Egyptians were passing through,” Carla Benelli, an art historian working in Sebastia, told AP a few years ago. Sebastia’s tel features remains from 10 different periods, from the Iron Age to modern times. “From this point of view, it’s really very important,”The entire saga of preserving and showcasing ancient Sebastia unfolds like a comedy of errors which could only occur in the Wild West Bank. Israel controls the park containing the ancient finds, which is in Area C, but does nothing with it. The Palestinians say they want to control it, but lack the resources to develop it. And while both sides lay claim to the site as their exclusive cultural heritage, it lies neglected, underdeveloped, unexcavated.Echoes of former glory-Sebastia is situated just a few kilometers northwest of Nablus in the northern West Bank. Known in Hebrew by its biblical name Shomron, the city was capital of the northern Israelite kingdom in the 9th and 8th centuries BCE, founded by the sixth Israelite king, Omri.Fragments of houses, walls and a palace from the Iron Age remain. After its destruction by the Assyrians in 721 BCE, the city became the provincial capital of the conquered region. Under the Greeks it again flourished, but was destroyed by Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus. Then his son Alexander Jannaeaus rebuilt the city and repopulated it with Jews.During the Roman era, King Herod renamed it after Augustus Caesar — Sebaste is Augustus in Greek. At its height, Sebastia was a major city and entrepôt; the remains of its Roman theater, temple, palaces, forum, hippodrome and marketplace are still visible today.In the centuries of its long decline, Sebastia was a major Christian site, as underlined by the ruins of a Byzantine church dedicated to St. John the Baptist, where legend says he was executed and his head interred. A Crusader cathedral-turned-mosque still stands in the nearby modern Palestinian village, a vestige of the Crusader city’s former glory that shares the same name.Sebastia also features prominently in the history of archaeology. The first wholly American archaeological excavation in Ottoman Palestine was conducted at Sebastia by a team sponsored by Harvard in 1908. It was then that George Reisner developed a technique now standard in archaeology: study of the non-architectural material — the geological and man-made debris — that comprises the vast majority of a tel, through which scholars can decipher otherwise vanished aspects of a site’s history.Differing perspectives-The PA’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities brochure avoids any mention of Israel or a Jewish connection to the site. It notes that Sebastia was “an important administrative and political regional capital during the Iron Age II and III” and was “a major urban center during the Hellenistic period,” but makes no reference to the Israelite Kingdom or the Hasmoneans.A Palestinian description of Sebastia in a bid to have it listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site goes to even greater lengths to omit references to the city’s Jewish history, referring to it as the former “capital of the northern kingdom during the Iron Age II,” and alluding to Jewish figures such as Omri and John Hyrcanus without explanation.On the other hand, the Nature and Parks Authority’s site makes no reference whatsoever to the village, home to 3,000 Palestinians, in which the church-turned-mosque is located, to the Church of St. John the Baptist located in the ruins, or to the former Crusader presence in Sebastia.The last archaeological dig took place in 1967-Zeid, a 23-year-old Palestinian tour guide from the village, said that despite the PA’s official stance, locals have no issue with Sebastia’s Jewish heritage. “This is the history of the area,” he said.Despite Sebastia’s historical significance, the site has barely been excavated. The last archaeological dig took place in 1967, when the West Bank was still under Jordanian control. Since then only salvage operations have taken place. The national park is dismally neglected. There’s no fence to protect its artifacts, weeds grow rampant throughout, and garbage is littered all over the ancient ruins.Graffiti mars the Roman pillars of the once-grand basilica; a spray-painted Muslim proclamation of faith — “There is no God but Allah” — marks the lintel of the Eastern Orthodox Church of St. John the Baptist, and a Star of David is scrawled on the floor. The Roman forum is a parking lot for the few buses that still bring tourists.Hananya Hizmi, the Civil Administration’s archaeology staff officer in the West Bank, contended that site excavations are ordinarily undertaken by academic institutions, not governmental authorities.“Since ’67, the reason why there haven’t been excavations there is because there haven’t been requests by any academic institutions,” he said.He dismissed the issue of antiquities theft at Sebastia as part of a regional and nationwide problem, and said the Civil Administration’s antiquities department was working to protect and maintain the site.“As far as we’re concerned, we’re of course doing what we can concerning preserving sites,” Hizmi said. “In recent years we’ve really delved into and started work in preservation, restoration and paving trails, and also this year and next year we’re supposed to go in [and do it].”Off-limits-Visits to the site by Israeli tourists are restricted — even though it’s located in Area C, the Israeli-controlled section of the West Bank. The abutting village of Sebastia is inside Palestinian-controlled Areas A and B.The Nature and Parks Authority warns on its website: “Due to the security situation, the site is closed to visitors until further notice except by pre- arrangement during the interim days of Passover and Sukkot.” Buses carrying Israeli tourists are escorted by IDF jeeps. A Civil Administration spokesperson said that such extreme precautions are needed because Palestinian locals throw stones, and occasionally firebombs, at Israeli vehicles.Sebastia residents said altercations with Israelis from the neighboring settlement of Shavei Shomron were infrequent. Nonetheless, Zeid, 23, said he didn’t want Israeli tourists at the site: “In two hours they could be my killer.”Mohammad, owner of the Holy Land Sun souvenir shop which abuts the archaeological site, however, said he misses the pre-Oslo Accords days, when Israeli tourists flocked to Sebastia, bringing business with them.“Before the first intifada,” he said with a puff on his water pipe, “on a Saturday you couldn’t find a place to park your car.” Now in a given month 10 buses of visitors might come, mostly Christian pilgrims who come to pray at the ruined church, he said. As we spoke three buses of Palestinian children sat in the lot and an IDF jeep roared in, idled for a few moments, then zipped out again.“Business was better before the PA,” Mohammad said, adding that he’d like Israeli tourists to return, albeit without the army escort. “We don’t have a problem with civil[ian] Israelis; we have a problem with settlers. Settlers we hate them from our heart as Palestinians, from the baby when he is born until he is dead, because they are taking our land, that is the problem,” he said.Over a cup of tea in the village’s main square, around which a dozen young jobless men lounged in the shade, Zeid said development of the national park would help revive Sebastia village’s flagging economy by creating “more jobs, maybe a hotel, more guiding, more restaurants.”For the time being, however, Sebastia the archaeological site remains largely off-limits, its resonant history at once disputed and neglected.__________Follow Ilan Ben Zion on Twitter and Facebook.
NORTH-SOUTH KOREA EXCHANGE FIRE
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BIRD LANDS ON ERDOGAN-IS THIS A SIGN THAT MIGRATING BIRDS EAT ISLAM
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WEST-NATO DRILLS-RUSSIA-CHINA DRILLS
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THE LATEST ON THE KOREAS FIGHT
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No Sign of End to Korea Talks as Kim Steps Up Force Mobilization-Sam Kim-Updated on August 23, 2015 — 11:47 AM EDT-BLOOMBERG
Talks between North Korea and South Korea on how to lower tensions continued into the early hours of Monday, as Kim Jong Un stepped up the mobilization of his forces.Neither side showed any indication of when the meeting between Kim’s top military aide Hwang Pyong So and South Korean President Park Geun Hye’s chief security adviser Kim Kwan Jin, which began at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, might end. It follows a 10-hour session between the officials earlier in the weekend.As the dialog went on at the border village of Panmunjom, a South Korean military official said North Korea had dispatched more than two thirds of its submarines from ports and doubled its front-line artillery forces.The standoff, with both countries’ forces on a high alert for any possible military clashes, is one of the most serious since Kim became Supreme Leader in late 2011. An uneasy truce on the peninsula is periodically disrupted by exchanges of rockets or gunfire that peter out before they escalate, though the unpredictable regime in Pyongyang keeps tensions high.Tensions have escalated in recent weeks across the DMZ that bisects the peninsula more than 60 years after the Korean War. Two South Korean soldiers were injured Aug. 4 by land mines that the government in Seoul said were recently laid by North Korea. North Korea denied setting the devices.South Korea retaliated for the mine blasts by resuming propaganda broadcasts through loudspeakers for the first time since 2004. North Korea views any criticism of its leader as an offense to the nation and restricts the flow of information about the outside world.South Korea said Thursday North Korea fired shells into its territory, and responded with a barrage of artillery.-Provocations’-“Raise the stakes and seize the initiative, that is, leave the big powers hanging and eager for negotiations in the face of provocations -- that’s Pyongyang’s time-tested mode of operation,” Lee Sung-Yoon, a professor of Korean studies at Tufts University, said by e-mail.Park refused to accept Kim’s demand on Thursday that South Korea stop propaganda broadcasts across the demilitarized zone within 48 hours or face dire consequences.North Korean troops are eagerly awaiting an order “to inflict a shower of fire” on their foes, North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Sunday. South Korea is continuing the broadcasts, according to its defense ministry.Kim declared a “semi-state of war” and ordered his front-line troops into a “wartime state” over the broadcasts earlier this week. The U.S. and South Korea scrambled eight fighter jets on Saturday in a show of force, while their top generals agreed in a phone call to respond “strongly” to any North Korean attack, according to Colonel Jeon Ha Kyu, a spokesman for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.South Korea’s central bank is closely watching the results of the talks and will hold a meeting Monday on the situation, it said in an e-mailed statement on Sunday.The iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF, the largest exchange-traded fund tracking the country’s stocks, had the biggest weekly withdrawal since inception in 2000 amid investor concern over a revival of tensions on the Korean peninsula and an escalating sell-off in emerging markets. Traders pulled $195.4 million from the ETF, whose top holdings include Samsung Electronics Co. and Hyundai Motor Co., in the five trading days ended Aug. 21, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Koreas resume talks to pull back from brink, even as Seoul reports North Korea troop movements-The Canadian PressBy Eric Talmadge And Foster Klug, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – AUG 23,15-YAHOONEWS
PYONGYANG, North Korea - Senior officials from North and South Korea on Sunday were in their second day of marathon talks meant to pull the rivals back from the brink, even amid reports of unusual North Korean troop and submarine movement that Seoul said indicated continued battle preparation.While it was not clear whether any progress was made during the first round of talks, which started Saturday evening and finished just before dawn Sunday, the second day of diplomacy, for the time being, pushed aside the heated warnings of imminent war.These are the highest-level talks between the two Koreas in a year. And just the fact that senior officials from countries that have spent recent days vowing to destroy each other are sitting together at a table in Panmunjom, the border enclave where the 1953 armistice ending fighting in the Korean War, is something of a victory.The length of the first round of talks — nearly 10 hours — and the lack of immediate progress are not unusual. While the Koreas often have difficulty agreeing to talks, once they do, overlong sessions are often the rule. After decades of animosity and bloodshed, however, finding common ground is much harder.Neither side has disclosed details about the first round of talks. The second session started Sunday afternoon and stretched into the night.The decision to hold talks came hours ahead of a Saturday deadline set by North Korea for the South to dismantle loudspeakers broadcasting anti- Pyongyang propaganda at their border. North Korea had declared that its front-line troops were in full war readiness and prepared to go to battle if Seoul did not back down.South Korea said that even as the North was pursuing dialogue, its troops were preparing for a fight.An official from Seoul's Defence Ministry said that about 70 per cent of the North's more than 70 submarines and undersea vehicles had left their bases and were undetectable by the South Korean military as of Saturday.The official, who refused to be named because of office rules, also said the North had doubled the strength of its front-line artillery forces since the start of the talks Saturday evening.The standoff is the result of a series of events that started with the explosions of land mines on the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone between the Koreas that Seoul says were planted by North Korea. The explosions maimed two South Korean soldiers on a routine patrol. In response, the South resumed anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts for the first time in 11 years, infuriating the North, which is extremely sensitive to any criticism of its authoritarian system.There was shock and worry Thursday after South Korea's military fired dozens of artillery rounds across the border in response to what Seoul said were North Korean artillery strikes meant to back up an earlier threat to attack the loudspeakers. The North denies it was behind the land mines and the shelling, claims that Seoul calls nonsense.The Defence Ministry official said the South continued the anti-Pyongyang broadcasts even after the start of the talks Saturday and also after the second session began Sunday. He said Seoul would decide after the talks whether to halt the broadcasts.While the meeting offered a way for the rivals to avoid an immediate collision, analysts in Seoul wondered whether the countries were standing too far apart to expect a quick agreement.South Korea probably can't afford to walk away with a weak agreement after it had openly vowed to stem a "vicious cycle" of North Korean provocations amid public anger over the land mines, said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University.It was highly unlikely that the North would accept the South's expected demand for Pyongyang to take responsibility for the land mine explosions and apologize, he added. However, Koh said the meeting might open the door to more talks between the rivals to discuss a variety of issues.At the meeting, South Korea's presidential national security director, Kim Kwan-jin, and Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo sat down with Hwang Pyong So, the top political officer for the Korean People's Army, and Kim Yang Gon, a senior North Korean official responsible for South Korean affairs.Hwang is considered by outside analysts to be North Korea's second most important official after supreme leader Kim Jong Un.South Korea had been using 11 loudspeaker systems along the border for the broadcasts, which included the latest news around the Korean Peninsula and the world, South Korean popular music and programs praising the South's democracy and economic affluence over the North's oppressive government, said a senior military official, speaking on condition of anonymity.Each loudspeaker system has broadcast for more than 10 hours a day, the official said. If North Korea attacks the loudspeakers, the South is ready to strike back at the North Korean units responsible, he said.North Korea, which has also restarted its own propaganda broadcasts, is extremely sensitive to any criticism of its government. Analysts in Seoul also believe the North fears that the South's broadcasts could demoralize its front-line troops and inspire them to defect.In Pyongyang, North Korean state media reported that more than 1 million young people have volunteered to join or rejoin the military to defend their country should a conflict break out.Despite such highly charged rhetoric, which is not particularly unusual, activity in the North's capital remained calm on Sunday, with people going about their daily routines. Truckloads of soldiers singing martial songs could occasionally be seen driving around the city, and a single minivan with camouflage netting was parked near the main train station as the talks with the South went on.Throughout the day, large crowds of people were mobilized to practice mass activities for the Oct. 10 anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers Party 70 years ago.As night fell, instead of anxiously awaiting the outcome of the talks, many Pyongyang residents were riveted to TVs in public places to watch the debut of the "Boy General" cartoon show, which has been revamped for the first time in five years at the order of Kim Jong Un.___Klug reported from Seoul, South Korea. Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul contributed to this report.
South Korea seeks business opportunities in Iran-Officials from Asian country set to meet with officials in Tehran to discuss possible oil, gas, and construction deals-By Times of Israel staff August 23, 2015, 9:48 am 4
Iranian and South Korean officials are set to meet in the Islamic Republic this week to discuss possible oil, gas, and construction deals, following the signing of a nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers last month, Reuters reported Sunday.The agreement, reached between Iran and the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany on July 14, aims to curb Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in relief from biting economic sanctions.South Korean Deputy Trade Minister Woo Tae-hee is set to visit Iran on Sunday and Monday, the ministry of trade, industry and energy said, according to Reuters. Tae-hee will be accompanied by officials from state-run oil, gas and resources firms, the report said.“We plan to highlight the capability of our firms for major projects with which the Iranian government seeks to rebuild infrastructure, diversify industries and develop energy fields in the post-sanctions era,” a statement by the Korean government read.Yoo Il-ho, the South Korean minister of land, infrastructure and transport, and a delegation of executives and officials from several public and private companies, are currently in Iran as well, the report said.“The delegation will discuss possible deals and continue talks in the second half of this year, as we need to prepare for actual business deals to be made next year,” a source at South Korea’s energy ministry told Reuters.The US Congress is set to vote next month on a resolution to determine whether to accept or reject the nuclear agreement with Tehran. However, US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that if Congress rejects the deal, the US will be unable to prevent allies from doing business with Iran.
ISRAEL SATAN COMES AGAINST
1 CHRONICLES 21:1
1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
GENESIS 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I (GOD) will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee,(ISRAELIS) and curse (DESTROY) him that curseth thee:(DESTROY THEM) and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
ISAIAH 41:11
11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee (ISRAEL) shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing;(DESTROYED) and they that strive with thee shall perish.(ISRAEL HATERS WILL BE TOTALLY DESTROYED)
ISRAELS TROUBLE
JEREMIAH 30:7
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;(ISRAEL) but he shall be saved out of it.
DANIEL 12:1,4
1 And at that time shall Michael(ISRAELS WAR ANGEL) stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:(ISRAEL) and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation(May 14,48) even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS,CHIP IMPLANTS ETC)
Despite Tehran’s reluctance, Abbas says he will visit ‘sister’ Iran-Palestinian leader says trip will strengthen ties, week after Iranian official says Tehran has rejected repeated requests-By Times of Israel staff August 23, 2015, 10:24 pm 1
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday he intends to make an official visit to “sister” nation Iran, Channel 2 reported, contradicting recent claims by an Iranian official that, despite numerous recent requests, the welcome mat in Tehran has been denied to the Palestinian leader.Channel 2 said that Abbas revealed his intentions during an interview with a Polish reporter at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.Abbas said that a date has not yet been set for the trip, but that its purpose was to strengthen ties with Iran, which he referred to as the neighbor and “sister” of the Palestinians.Earlier this month Ahmad Majdalani, a member of the PLO Executive Committee who was visiting Iran at the time, said he had discussed arrangements for the Palestinian leader’s visit with Iranian officials.He said the trip would likely take place within the next two months.However, last week an assistant to the speaker of Iran’s parliament said that his country had rejected numerous requests by Abbas to visit the Islamic Republic.“ They’ve asked to visit Iran more than once and we’ve refused and have never yet said yes,” Hussein SheikhoIeslam, an adviser to parliament speaker Ali Larijani on international affairs, told the Hamas daily al-Resalah.The Palestinian Authority is attempting to strengthen its diplomatic relations with Iran, as ties between the Islamic Republic and the PA’s main Palestinian rival, Hamas, grow increasingly chilly.Iran’s relations with the Palestinian Authority and Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement have been traditionally frosty since the Palestinian leader renounced the armed resistance against Israel, which Iran supports both financially and ideologically.In 2012, Abbas declined an invitation to visit Tehran by then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He later met with Ahmadinejad in Cairo in February 2013, thanking the Iranian president for supporting the Palestinians’ November 2012 UN statehood bid.Since Hamas’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2007, Iran has clearly favored Hamas over Fatah. However, it has gradually ceased its financial and military support for Hamas after the Palestinian Islamist movement abandoned its Damascus headquarters in early 2012 and reportedly endorsed a Saudi-led military operation against Shiite rebels in Yemen.According to media reports, a planned visit by Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal to Tehran was recently canceled by the Iranian government in protest against Hamas’s rapprochement with Saudi Arabia. Hamas, for its part, has rushed to deny reports of a crisis between the sides, claiming that ties with Iran are ongoing despite the cut in funding.Like us on Facebook
Palestinian FM: EU should ban settlers as well as their products-Palestinian Authority has not yet used its full legal arsenal against Israel at the ICC, claims Riyad al-Maliki-By Elhanan Miller August 23, 2015, 9:35 pm 7-the times of israel
The Palestinian Authority has asked the European Union to block the entry of Israelis living beyond the Green Line into Europe’s 26 Schengen Area countries, PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told a leading Arab daily on Sunday.In an extensive interview with London-based newspaper Asharq al-Awsat following his meeting with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, Maliki expressed annoyance at the fact that a European Union decision to label settlement products has not yet been implemented.“If the EU argues that settlement products should be ‘discriminated against,’ settlers are among those products and should be viewed the same way,” Maliki told the daily. The PA has also called on the EU and US to place settlers that carry out so-called “price tag” attacks against Palestinian property on their terror blacklist.The European Union was looking into the possibility of blacklisting “violent settlers” late last year, diplomats told Reuters. That sanction would affect up to 200 individuals, they estimated.Schengen Area countries, comprising most of western Europe, have abolished passports and other forms of border control at their common borders. Maliki’s visit to France was timed to pressure the government of Francois Hollande to move forward with its peace plan, including a 24-month cap on bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, with the threat of a UN Security Council decision against Israel in case negotiations fail to produce an agreement. France, the Palestinian foreign minister argued, had been subjected to intense Israeli and American pressure to abandon the threat of resorting to the Security Council. But Fabius denied that the UN option was off the table, Maliki said.‘If the EU argues that settlement products should be ‘discriminated against,’ settlers are among those products and should be viewed the same way,’ Maliki said-It is the Palestinians, the minister asserted, who are reluctant to launch another Security Council bid only to see it fail, as happened last December. Therefore, a new bid should focus on the issue of settlements — an issue the Americans cannot diplomatically afford to veto — rather than a hopeless bid forcing Israel to negotiate within a fixed timetable.“By doing so, we would obtain something from the Security Council leading to change. This is extremely important for us, given the lack of any kind of movement; we want movement and are interested in it,” Maliki said.The Palestinian leadership, he made clear, has given up hope in the United States as a fair peace broker. During a recent trip to Moscow, Maliki discussed with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov the possibility of copying the P5+1 model — used to negotiate with Iran over its nuclear aspirations — to the Israeli-Palestinian context. “He promised to discuss the matter with [US Secretary of State John] Kerry,” Maliki said of Lavrov.Asked whether the Palestinian Authority intends to continue confronting Israel in the International Criminal Court, Maliki said his government has so far proceeded cautiously, avoiding using doomsday weapons against the Jewish State.Thus far, the Palestinians have merely asked the ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to look into the Palestinian issue in general, and she has begun an independent investigation based on available evidence. But, Maliki noted, there is another tool at the disposal of the Palestinians at the ICC known as “referral,” whereby the Palestinian government can demand an immediate investigation into a specific case, such as the burning of the Dawabsha family in the West Bank village of Duma, apparently by Israeli extremists.“So far we have not used referrals, but have settled for the first method regarding Gaza, settlements and other issues,” he said. “Referrals are a weapon we haven’t yet resorted to. At the right moment we will use them, when we believe we can and should do so.”Maliki avoided explaining when exactly that moment may be.
JEREMEIAH 49:35-37 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR OR ARAK NUKE SITE SOME BELIEVE)
35 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRAN/BUSHEHR NUCLEAR SITE) the chief of their might.(MOST DANGEROUS NUKE SITE IN IRAN)
36 And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven,(IRANIANS SCATTERED OR MASS IMIGARATION) and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(WORLD IMMIGRATION)
37 For I will cause Elam (IRAN-BUSHEHR NUKE SITE) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger,(ISRAELS NUKES POSSIBLY) saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:(IRAN AND ITS NUKE SITES DESTROYED)
Liberman: Barak revealed ‘state secrets’ on Iran-Former foreign minister says ex-defense minister’s statements on plans to strike nuclear facilities strengthen Tehran-By Times of Israel staff August 23, 2015, 9:22 am 20
Former foreign minister Avigdor Liberman on Sunday accused erstwhile defense minister Ehud Barak of exposing state secrets, after the latter detailed on tape three occasions between 2010 and 2012 when Israel was ostensibly poised to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.Liberman told Army Radio that he was “more than surprised” at Barak, and said statements such as those given by the former minister would ultimately strengthen Iran.“I think that when moves and discussions that should have been closely guarded state secrets are discussed by the press, it relays that you are a talker, that you aren’t serious, that you’re unreliable,” he said.“That is why, among other reasons, Iran is being coddled by the international community, and we have been backed into a corner… These things should only have been discussed in closed forums.”Asked whether he believed Barak was guilty of revealing state secrets, Liberman responded that he had “no doubt” that was the case.Channel 2, which broadcast the bombshell recordings of Barak on Friday night, said Saturday that “anger” at the former defense minister was widespread in the Israeli leadership, and that numerous senior political and security officials were also privately intimating that Barak’s version of events was not entirely accurate. The Prime Minister’s Office did not issue an official response to the broadcast.In the tapes, whose broadcast Barak was said to have tried to prevent, he claims that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to attack Iran in 2010, but that then-IDF chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi indicated that there was no viable plan for such an operation; that they were thwarted in 2011 by the opposition of fellow ministers Moshe Ya’alon and Yuval Steinitz; and that a planned 2012 strike was aborted because it happened to coincide with a joint Israel-US military exercise and Israel did not want to drag the US into the fray.In the aftermath of the broadcast of the tapes, Channel 2 said Saturday, various key Israeli figures indicated that Ashkenazi did not rule out an operation as decisively as Barak suggested, and that a great deal of preparatory work had been done. Furthermore, the TV report Saturday said, Ashkenazi was by no means the only senior Israeli figure who was not decisively supportive of a strike at that time. Others included then-Mossad chief Meir Dagan, who later made public his opposition, and top ministers including Dan Meridor and Eli Yishai.Even if approval had been forthcoming for a strike, the TV report said, it was by no means certain that Israel would have actually gone ahead with it. The discussions described by Barak may have been “more a case of ‘hold us back’” than a genuine determination by Netanyahu and Barak to carry out an attack.Channel 2 also suggested that Barak may be playing party politics with his comments. Ashkenazi is said to be considering entering politics, and Barak, who has now retired from politics, may be out to thwart him. The two became bitter rivals over the years, and Barak’s relationship with current defense minister Ya’alon has also been tempestuous.The material in the tapes comes from conversations related to a new biography of Barak being written by Danny Dor and Ilan Kfir. The former defense minister, who was also previously prime minister and chief of staff, attempted to prevent the broadcasting of the recordings, but Israel’s military censors allowed Channel 2 to play them.The airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities were ostensibly planned to take place because Netanyahu and Barak anticipated that Iran would enter a “zone of immunity,” in which its facilities were so well-protected or developed as to render an attack on them either a short-term solution or even futile. Netanyahu maintains to this day, however, that Israel will act alone if necessary to prevent Iran attaining nuclear weapons, and has been a leading critic of the P5+1 deal with Iran that curbs but does not dismantle its nuclear program.Barak was said Friday to have expressed outrage that the recordings had been released.Steinitz said it was grave that such material was broadcast and had no comment on the specifics, while Ya’alon said he had no comment on what he called biased and skewed material.
20 hurt as Lebanon’s garbage protests enter second day-Demonstrators throw stones and bottles, set motorcycle alight hours after PM hints he may step down over crisis-By AFP August 23, 2015, 11:13 pm-the times of israel
At least 20 people were injured Sunday in Beirut during a second day of clashes between police and protesters angry about the Lebanese government’s failure to remove rubbish from streets, medics said. Around 200 youths, some wearing scarves or masks to cover their faces, threw stones and bottles filled with sand at police and tried to pull down security barricades, an AFP correspondent said.They also set on fire a motorcycle and tried to set up their own barricades using tables and wood. Police retaliated with water cannon and tear gas.Sporadic gunfire echoed through the capital’s commercial district into the night as police fired in the air to disperse protesters. The violence came hours after Prime Minister Tammam Salam hinted he might step down following violent protests Saturday that injured more than 100 people.Some protesters suffered smoke inhalation and were taken away by ambulances for treatment. A Lebanese Red Cross official said 20 protesters were injured, including 13 who were hospitalized.Some shots also rang out in central Beirut, near the prime minister’s office, where thousands of people had rallied peacefully during the day before the violence broke out.The “You Stink” movement that organized the rally insisted they were opposed to violence and distanced themselves from those attacking security forces.Protesters chanted “Down with the regime” and “Freedom”, slogans borrowed from the Arab Spring uprisings that toppled several governments in the region.One demonstrator held up a placard with a bold red message that said “Some trash should not be recycled,” and below it the pictures of more than a dozen top Lebanese politicians.On Saturday, at least 16 were injured during clashes with police, according to a Red Cross official, while the Internal Security Forces said more than 35 of its members were also hurt.Salam held a news conference to plead for calm on Sunday, and pledged to hold accountable those responsible for using “excessive force against civil society and against the people.”Lebanon’s largest landfill was shut on July 17, leaving piles of rubbish to rot uncollected in Beirut and across the country, sparking anger among civilians who accuse authorities of negligence.The Associated Press contributed to this report
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
Jerusalem mayor said readying Knesset bid with Likud-Channel 10 says Nir Barkat recruiting supporters; office says he is focused solely on Jerusalem, but won’t rule out future run-By Times of Israel staff August 23, 2015, 10:37 pm
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat is preparing a run for the Knesset, Channel 10 reported Sunday, and is signing up potential voters as Likud members.Barkat has worked hard in recent weeks to sign up thousands of supporters to the Likud party, in the hopes that they will form the nucleus of support to land him a viable spot on the party’s Knesset list in the next legislative elections, the TV station says.His supporters reportedly come from beyond Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries, including from major Likud-leaning cities like Ashdod and Ashkelon.A statement from Barkat’s office said he was concentrating solely on Jerusalem for now, but did not rule out a future run.“The mayor is focused exclusively on the advancement and development of Jerusalem,” according to the communique. “Barkat announced in advance that he would run for two to three terms as mayor, and in the next two years he will announce whether he will run for a third term.”If Benjamin Netanyahu does not run again for prime minister, Barkat is reportedly planning to throw his hat into the ring for the party’s — and possibly the country’s — top spot.Barkat endorsed Netanyahu for prime minister in the last national elections, held earlier this year.Meanwhile, Barkat announced Sunday that former rival Moshe Lion, who lost a mayoral campaign against Barkat in 2013, would join his “Yerushalayim Tatzliah” party (“Jerusalem will succeed”).As part of the deal — which will expand Barkat’s slate in the municipality to six seats — Lion will hold the Community Administrations Department portfolio and head its committee.
Shalom bans freed migrants from Tel Aviv and Eilat-Interior minister imposes restrictions as court-ordered mass release from Holot center comes into effect-By Stuart Winer and Times of Israel staff August 23, 2015, 8:10 pm 7
Interior Minister Silvan Shalom on Sunday ordered that 1,200 African migrants set to be freed from a holding center are forbidden from traveling to the industrial hub of Tel Aviv or the southern port city of Eilat.Both cities are home to relatively large numbers of migrants, and Tel Aviv, at least, has seen friction with local residents opposed to their presence.The migrants are scheduled to be released from the Holot detention center in two stages on Tuesday and Wednesday, with roughly 600 detainees allowed permanently out of the gates each day.Wednesday marks the deadline for the migrants’ release, following a High Court of Justice decision two weeks ago that bans the state from holding people in the center for more than a year.The released migrants will be issued with identity cards and anyone caught in the prohibited cities will be sent to Saharonim Prison in the Negev Desert. While the Holot facility is an open center — detainees are free to leave during the day, but required to attend a twice-daily roll call — those held in Saharonim will not be allowed to leave the compound.Another 500 migrants will remain behind in the Holot facility. All the members of this group have been there for less than 12 months.According to a report by Israel’s Haaretz daily, a similar plan to ban migrants from specific cities was proposed in 2008. However, it was cancelled before it went into effect after protests from communities in the periphery.In recent years, an estimated 47,000 African migrants have managed to illegally enter Israel via Egypt, seeking jobs or asylum.Earlier this month the High Court upheld the Prevention of Infiltration Law after it was challenged by human rights groups, but ruled that the government could not hold migrants in detention facilities for more than 12 months — as opposed to the 20-month period that the government had been imposing. The ruling meant that the state had to release hundreds of migrants held in Holot. Aside from disputing the length of the detention period, the nine-judge panel ratified the law.The Prevention of Infiltration Law seeks to prevent additional illegal immigration to Israel and encourages those already in the Jewish state to leave.The court gave the Knesset six months to revise the legislation in accordance with the ruling.Among the African migrants living in Israel — the vast majority of whom claim asylum-seeker status — more than 90 percent come from Eritrea, Sudan and the Congo. But Israel has recognized fewer than 1% as asylum claims and, since 2009, less than 0.15% — the lowest rate in the Western world.
Reporter's notebook-At ancient Israel’s capital, politics and neglect squelch historical resonance-For half a century, while quibbling over whose heritage it is, Israel and the Palestinians have both ignored a historical gem at Sebastia-By Ilan Ben Zion August 23, 2015, 3:03 pm 11-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
SEBASTIA, West Bank — The manager of the Palestinian Authority’s Interpretation Center at the Sebastia archaeological site handed over a brochure; his colleague, roused from slumber, hastily pulled his pants on. Pointing to a small screening room where visitors would see a movie about the site, he contradicted himself with absolute confidence: “There’s a film — but there’s no film.”The PA built the facility two years ago to inform visitors about the ancient city of Sebastia after Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority closed down its day-to-day operations at the site. But besides a pamphlet and some hard candies, the Interpretation Center has little to offer. The brand-new plush chairs in the 40-seat theater meant to show were still in their plastic covers. (The PA didn’t respond to inquiries about the cost of the center; the United Nations Millennium Development Fund, a co-funder, donated $132,000.)“You can learn the history of the whole region (by) staying here because all the powers that crossed the region since the time of the Egyptians were passing through,” Carla Benelli, an art historian working in Sebastia, told AP a few years ago. Sebastia’s tel features remains from 10 different periods, from the Iron Age to modern times. “From this point of view, it’s really very important,”The entire saga of preserving and showcasing ancient Sebastia unfolds like a comedy of errors which could only occur in the Wild West Bank. Israel controls the park containing the ancient finds, which is in Area C, but does nothing with it. The Palestinians say they want to control it, but lack the resources to develop it. And while both sides lay claim to the site as their exclusive cultural heritage, it lies neglected, underdeveloped, unexcavated.Echoes of former glory-Sebastia is situated just a few kilometers northwest of Nablus in the northern West Bank. Known in Hebrew by its biblical name Shomron, the city was capital of the northern Israelite kingdom in the 9th and 8th centuries BCE, founded by the sixth Israelite king, Omri.Fragments of houses, walls and a palace from the Iron Age remain. After its destruction by the Assyrians in 721 BCE, the city became the provincial capital of the conquered region. Under the Greeks it again flourished, but was destroyed by Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus. Then his son Alexander Jannaeaus rebuilt the city and repopulated it with Jews.During the Roman era, King Herod renamed it after Augustus Caesar — Sebaste is Augustus in Greek. At its height, Sebastia was a major city and entrepôt; the remains of its Roman theater, temple, palaces, forum, hippodrome and marketplace are still visible today.In the centuries of its long decline, Sebastia was a major Christian site, as underlined by the ruins of a Byzantine church dedicated to St. John the Baptist, where legend says he was executed and his head interred. A Crusader cathedral-turned-mosque still stands in the nearby modern Palestinian village, a vestige of the Crusader city’s former glory that shares the same name.Sebastia also features prominently in the history of archaeology. The first wholly American archaeological excavation in Ottoman Palestine was conducted at Sebastia by a team sponsored by Harvard in 1908. It was then that George Reisner developed a technique now standard in archaeology: study of the non-architectural material — the geological and man-made debris — that comprises the vast majority of a tel, through which scholars can decipher otherwise vanished aspects of a site’s history.Differing perspectives-The PA’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities brochure avoids any mention of Israel or a Jewish connection to the site. It notes that Sebastia was “an important administrative and political regional capital during the Iron Age II and III” and was “a major urban center during the Hellenistic period,” but makes no reference to the Israelite Kingdom or the Hasmoneans.A Palestinian description of Sebastia in a bid to have it listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site goes to even greater lengths to omit references to the city’s Jewish history, referring to it as the former “capital of the northern kingdom during the Iron Age II,” and alluding to Jewish figures such as Omri and John Hyrcanus without explanation.On the other hand, the Nature and Parks Authority’s site makes no reference whatsoever to the village, home to 3,000 Palestinians, in which the church-turned-mosque is located, to the Church of St. John the Baptist located in the ruins, or to the former Crusader presence in Sebastia.The last archaeological dig took place in 1967-Zeid, a 23-year-old Palestinian tour guide from the village, said that despite the PA’s official stance, locals have no issue with Sebastia’s Jewish heritage. “This is the history of the area,” he said.Despite Sebastia’s historical significance, the site has barely been excavated. The last archaeological dig took place in 1967, when the West Bank was still under Jordanian control. Since then only salvage operations have taken place. The national park is dismally neglected. There’s no fence to protect its artifacts, weeds grow rampant throughout, and garbage is littered all over the ancient ruins.Graffiti mars the Roman pillars of the once-grand basilica; a spray-painted Muslim proclamation of faith — “There is no God but Allah” — marks the lintel of the Eastern Orthodox Church of St. John the Baptist, and a Star of David is scrawled on the floor. The Roman forum is a parking lot for the few buses that still bring tourists.Hananya Hizmi, the Civil Administration’s archaeology staff officer in the West Bank, contended that site excavations are ordinarily undertaken by academic institutions, not governmental authorities.“Since ’67, the reason why there haven’t been excavations there is because there haven’t been requests by any academic institutions,” he said.He dismissed the issue of antiquities theft at Sebastia as part of a regional and nationwide problem, and said the Civil Administration’s antiquities department was working to protect and maintain the site.“As far as we’re concerned, we’re of course doing what we can concerning preserving sites,” Hizmi said. “In recent years we’ve really delved into and started work in preservation, restoration and paving trails, and also this year and next year we’re supposed to go in [and do it].”Off-limits-Visits to the site by Israeli tourists are restricted — even though it’s located in Area C, the Israeli-controlled section of the West Bank. The abutting village of Sebastia is inside Palestinian-controlled Areas A and B.The Nature and Parks Authority warns on its website: “Due to the security situation, the site is closed to visitors until further notice except by pre- arrangement during the interim days of Passover and Sukkot.” Buses carrying Israeli tourists are escorted by IDF jeeps. A Civil Administration spokesperson said that such extreme precautions are needed because Palestinian locals throw stones, and occasionally firebombs, at Israeli vehicles.Sebastia residents said altercations with Israelis from the neighboring settlement of Shavei Shomron were infrequent. Nonetheless, Zeid, 23, said he didn’t want Israeli tourists at the site: “In two hours they could be my killer.”Mohammad, owner of the Holy Land Sun souvenir shop which abuts the archaeological site, however, said he misses the pre-Oslo Accords days, when Israeli tourists flocked to Sebastia, bringing business with them.“Before the first intifada,” he said with a puff on his water pipe, “on a Saturday you couldn’t find a place to park your car.” Now in a given month 10 buses of visitors might come, mostly Christian pilgrims who come to pray at the ruined church, he said. As we spoke three buses of Palestinian children sat in the lot and an IDF jeep roared in, idled for a few moments, then zipped out again.“Business was better before the PA,” Mohammad said, adding that he’d like Israeli tourists to return, albeit without the army escort. “We don’t have a problem with civil[ian] Israelis; we have a problem with settlers. Settlers we hate them from our heart as Palestinians, from the baby when he is born until he is dead, because they are taking our land, that is the problem,” he said.Over a cup of tea in the village’s main square, around which a dozen young jobless men lounged in the shade, Zeid said development of the national park would help revive Sebastia village’s flagging economy by creating “more jobs, maybe a hotel, more guiding, more restaurants.”For the time being, however, Sebastia the archaeological site remains largely off-limits, its resonant history at once disputed and neglected.__________Follow Ilan Ben Zion on Twitter and Facebook.
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