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
Pope receives Rouhani: Iran has important role to play in Middle East and in fight against terrorism-“Political solutions to the problems afflicting the Middle East” must be sought “together with other countries in the region”. The private meeting between the Pope and Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, lasted 40 minutes. “I am hopeful for peace,” the Pope said-newsletter-VATICAN INSIDER-26/01/2016-iacopo scaramuzzi
vatican city-The Pope and the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran recalled “the conclusion and implementation of the Iran Nuclear Agreement” and “highlighted the important role Iran is called to play along with other countries in the Region, in promoting adequate political solutions to the problems afflicting the Middle East, preventing the spread of terrorism and arms trafficking”. This is what was said in a communiqué published at the end of Pope Francis’ audience with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani today. During the talks which the Vatican described as “cordial”, the Pope and the Iranian president “highlighted their common spiritual values and reference was then made to the good state of relations between the Holy See and the Islamic Republic of Iran, Church life in the country and the Holy See’s actions in promoting the dignity of the human person and religious freedom. “Focus was given to the conclusion and implementation of the Iran Nuclear Agreement, with an emphasis on the important role Iran is called to play along with other countries in the Region, in promoting adequate political solutions to the problems afflicting the Middle East, preventing the spread of terrorism and arms trafficking. In relation to this, parties recalled the importance of interreligious dialogue and the responsibility religious communities have to foster reconciliation, tolerance and peace”. After the papal audience, Rouhani met the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was accompanied by the Secretary for Relations with States, Mgr. Paul Gallagher. The private meeting between Hassan Rouhani and the Pope lasted 40 minutes. The Iranian president arrived a minute or so late – after 11 am – wearing a white turban and with a 20-car-long motorcade. Stringent security measures were in place along Via della Conciliazione and St. Peter’s Square. Rouhani was accompanied by a 12-member delegation, including Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif and the ambassador to the Holy See, Mohammad Taher Rabbani. The closed-door meeting with the Pope was held in the presence of two interpreters, a priest and an interpreter who translated from Farsi into Italian and was the only female member of the Iranian delegation. The Persian leader gave the Pope a handwoven rectangular carpet along with a large illustrated book of miniatures. The Pope in turn, gave Rouhani a St. Martin medal one of the two gifts traditionally presented to visiting heads of state (the other gift is a medal depicting the angel of peace), explaining that the image of the saint who removes his cape and gives it to a pauper, “ is a symbol of gratuitous fraternity”. The Pope also gave the Iranian president copies of the “Laudato Si’” encyclical “on care for the environment”, one in Italian, one in English and since it was not available in Farsi, “please allow me to give you a version in Arabic”. As the two bid each other farewell, journalists reported that the Pope told Rouhani: “Thank you very much for this visit and I am hopeful for peace”. To which the Iranian president replied: “I ask you to pray for me, it was a real pleasure and I wish you well with your work”.
Opinion-Old friends? Palestine, Cyprus, and Greece By Nabeel Shaath-EUOBSERVER
JAFFA, PALESTINE, 26. Jan, 18:12-Built on common experience, long-term interests and moral principles, Palestine’s relationship with Cyprus and Greece goes back a long way.Short-term economic gains should not be allowed to damage these deep and precious friendships.Over the last 70 years, the relationship of Cyprus and Palestine was that of close friendship and political alliance. Both were former British colonies and both suffered from British manipulations, leaving behind two divided homelands.The struggle of the Cypriots to liberate and unite their land found close allies in the Arab World, particularly in Egypt. President Nasser of Egypt and archbishop Makarios of Cyprus stood side by side in the struggle against British occupation.For the Palestinians, these two leaders were natural allies in their struggle for freedom and independence. Egypt, Cyprus and the Palestine Liberation Organisation joined the Non-Aligned Movement.I remember my first trip to Nicosia in 1965. It reminded me of my hometown of Jaffa.The fragrance of jasmine and orange blossom, and the colourful flowers, brought back all the memories of the home I lost when Israel was created in 1948 - the year that I and the majority of my people became refugees.As Palestinians, we stood against the Turkish occupation of Northern Cyprus [from 1974]. I remember, in my former capacity as foreign minister of Palestine, my instructions were very clear: to stand by the legitimate government of Cyprus, and to stand against any recognition of a separatist state in the North of Cyprus, particularly within the Arab League, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, where we had some moral and political influence.The friendship was mutual. Cyprus recognised the state of Palestine in 1988. It supported our struggle for independence and our pursuit of peace. Palestine supported Cyprus in its pursuit of independence, territorial integrity, and unity.-Greek friendship-We have traditionally had an equally strong relationship with Greece.Part of our ancestral origin can be traced back to the Greek island of Crete. We raise the Greek flag on all our Orthodox churches, to which most of our Christians belong.We will never forget the welcome party in Athens, in 1982, after 88 days of Israeli bombardment and siege of Beirut, killing thousands of Palestinians and Lebanese people.Prime minister Andreas Papandreou led the party that met our historic leader, Yasser Arafat, on his arrival.As foreign minister, I worked very hard to support Greece in the Arab and Muslim world, both economically and politically. The close bond shared between Papandreou and Arafat, and between me and his son George, reflected a long friendship between Palestine and Greece.That relationship, like our relationship with Cyprus, was not limited to a particular political party. It was a friendship among peoples: Greeks, Cypriots, and Palestinians.After Greece and Cyprus joined the EU, they became two of our closest allies in the bloc, supporting our quest for a peaceful political solution, and standing by us when Israel violated its commitments, whether by continuing to expropriate land and water, by destroying the Gaza Strip, or denying us the state we had accepted - on just 22 percent of our original homeland.Our Greek and Cypriot allies stood by the principles and commitments which had brought us together for 70 years.-Oil and gas-Lately, and very regrettably, these relationships have begun to change.One understands the importance of economic and political interests in the formation and shifts of political alliances. Today, Cyprus, Greece and Israel are linked by certain issues, including natural gas, oil, geopolitical influence, as well as financial crises.We understand. But, such connections are not unique to Greece and Cyprus. Several other countries such as Russia, China, India and other EU countries have developed important economic relations with Israel.Some of them were also historical allies of the Arab World and of Palestine. At one time, we felt that their closeness to both Palestine and Israel may be an advantage in supporting the peace process.Short-term changes in economic interests and political positions do not change important facts, such as: Who is the occupier and who is the occupied in the Holy Land? Or, who, out of Palestine and Israel, is now being warned, even by its closest allies, that it’s becoming an apartheid state? Nor should it change assessments of the balance of power. Such as, who has extensive military and nuclear capabilities? Or, whose national income is 40 times that of the other? Finally, one should not forget who has remained committed to the peace agreements, and who has violated those agreements.Changes in economic interests do not change international law, or the sanctity of justice and human rights.China, France, Brazil, and Russia have common economic and political interests with Israel, but their position on the rights of the Palestinians, and on the necessity of ending the Israeli occupation, has not changed.In fact, as Israel continues to violate international law, UN resolutions, and signed agreements, these powers have become more ready to condemn Israeli actions against the Palestinians, and to apply sanctions against Israel.-Assurances?-We were given assurances by the leaders of Cyprus and Greece that their closer relationship with Israel would not change their commitments to Palestine, nor would it adversely affect their historical relationship with Palestine or the Arab and Muslim world.The prime minister of Greece and the president of Cyprus both recently visited Palestine and Israel. Both made statements in Palestine reaffirming these historical positions.Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas Abbas was invited to attend the vote in the Greek parliament, which unanimously recommended that the Greek government should recognise the state of Palestine.The explanation was very clear: Parliament members of all the Greek parties, representing all of the Greek people, support Palestine, and the right of the Palestinians.In the light of the above, it is very difficult to explain some of the recent words and actions of leaders of these two countries.On 12 January, Averof Neophytou, the head of Cyprus’ ruling party, the DICY, and the chairman of the Cypriot House of Representatives, visited Israel.He was quoted as saying: "Cyprus no longer sees Israel as an aggressive country imposing its will by force on the Palestinians, but rather as a small nation fighting for survival in the face of much greater odds.”He told the Israeli newspaper, The Jerusalem Post, that, over the last decade, his country which had once, alongside Greece, been among the most critical of Israel in Europe, now had a “clearer picture.”“It is a country of 8 million fighting a struggle for survival and having to face hundreds of millions of Muslims and Arabs, part of who don’t even recognise the right of the existence of a Jewish state … So which side is strong, and which side is weak? Which side is fighting for survival?,” he said.I was glad to see the Cypriot opposition party, AKEL, call him out on trying to “distort history and reality.” But the fact the statement was made, and, so far, not retracted, disturbs me.-EU foreign policy-What’s even more worrying is the apparently total change in the position of Greece and Cyprus in terms of voting and lobbying in the EU Council.On the 17 January, the Greek foreign minister almost succeeded in torpedoing the conclusions of the latest meeting of EU foreign ministers, by insisting on an Israeli version of several key paragraphs.Meanwhile, statements attributed to Greek leaders, announcing their refusal to implement the EU directive on labeling of settlement products, were shocking. They were later corrected.Greek statements supporting Israel’s claim that the whole of Jerusalem is the historical capital of the state of Israel and the Jewish people, completely ignoring Palestinian rights in Jerusalem, were even more shocking.-They remain uncorrected.-The Palestinian people expect a correction and an explanation. We do not want to abandon our friendship with Greece or Cyprus, nor do we want to see a shift away from the strategic relationships that link these two neighboring countries to the Arab and Muslim world.I am sure the majority of the Greek and Cypriot people share my feelings about our relationship.-Loyalties-We are loyal to this heritage, and we do not change our moral commitments and principles due to a temporary shift in economic interests.We do not object to Greece or Cyprus pursuing their mutual economic interests with Israel, but we call on them to remain committed to their long-term friendship and to our shared principles.In the long run, these principles are the cornerstones upon which peace, stability, security, and economic prosperity are built, not only in the Eastern Mediterranean, but in the whole world.Nabeel Shaath is the Fatah party’s foreign relations commissioner. He served as Palestinian foreign minister between 1994 and 2005
Communication should help build peace, not foment differences and hatred”-Francis’ message for social communications day: What we say and how we say it, our every word and gesture, ought to express God’s compassion, tenderness and forgiveness for all. Only words spoken with love and accompanied by meekness and mercy can touch our sinful hearts”-newsletter-VATICAN INSIDER-22/01/2016-andrea tornielli
vatican city-“What we say and how we say it our every word and gesture, ought to express God’s compassion, tenderness and forgiveness for all.” Pope Francis wrote this in his message for social commmunications day, which is titled “Communication and Mercy: A Fruitful Encounter”. With this message, he invites the Church “is called to practise mercy as the distinctive trait of all that she is and does”, including in the field of communication.“We are called,” Francis explains, “to communicate with everyone, without exception. In a particular way, the Church’s words and actions are all meant to convey mercy.”Communication, Francis observes, “has the power to build bridges, to enable encounter and inclusion, and thus to enrich society. How beautiful it is when people select their words and actions with care, in the effort to avoid misunderstandings, to heal wounded memories and to build peace and harmony. Words can build bridges between individuals and within families, social groups and peoples. This is possible both in the material world and the digital world.”Francis says he hopes actions and words “will help us all escape the vicious circles of condemnation and vengeance which continue to ensnare individuals and nations, encouraging expressions of hatred. The words of Christians ought to be a constant encouragement to communion and, even in those cases where they must firmly condemn evil, they should never try to rupture relationships and communication.” “Ancient wounds and lingering resentments can entrap individuals and stand in the way of communication and reconciliation. The same holds true for relationships between peoples.”The Pope also speaks about political and diplomatic language, saying it “would do well to be inspired by mercy” and asking especially “those with institutional and political responsibility, and those charged with forming public opinion, to remain especially attentive to the way they speak of those who think or act differently or those who may have made mistakes”. Indeed, “it is easy to yield to the temptation to exploit such situations to stoke the flames of mistrust, fear and hatred. Instead, courage is needed to guide people towards processes of reconciliation.”Francis continues with a message for those serving in the Church: “How I wish that our own way of communicating, as well as our service as pastors of the Church, may never suggest a prideful and triumphant superiority over an enemy, or demean those whom the world considers lost and easily discarded. Mercy can help mitigate life’s troubles and offer warmth to those who have known only the coldness of judgment. May our way of communicating help to overcome the mindset that neatly separates sinners from the righteous. We can and we must judge situations of sin – such as violence, corruption and exploitation – but we may not judge individuals, since only God can see into the depths of their hearts.”“Only words spoken with love and accompanied by meekness and mercy can touch our sinful hearts. Harsh and moralistic words and actions risk further alienating those whom we wish to lead to conversion and freedom, reinforcing their sense of rejection and defensiveness.” Francis encourages pastors to listen and to share questions and doubts, “to journey side by side, to banish all claims to absolute power and to put our abilities and gifts at the service of the common good”.Towards the end of his message Francis mentions social networks and how they “can facilitate relationships and promote the good of society, but they can also lead to further polarization and division between individuals and groups. The digital world is a public square, a meeting-place where we can either encourage or demean one another, engage in a meaningful discussion or unfair attacks.”The document therefore contains three messages: a more general one to people and nations, urging for the languages of hatred and resentment to be avoided. Another message is aimed at the political world, the institutions and those working in the field of communication. These sectors are urged not to foment mistrust, fear and hatred. The third message is for the Church and for Catholics working in the digital communications world. He admonishes them to avoid conceit, polarisation, division and moral lynching. One need only look at certain blogs and so-called “Catholic” websites, with their language that oozes forth sarcasm, scorn and sometimes even hatred - directed at those who do not think like them, at other Catholics, at bishops and at the Pope –, to realise how urgent Francis’ appeal really is. Read about the press conference for the presentation of the message and the changes to Vatican communication (I. Scaramuzzi)
Pastor who was imprisoned in Iran expected home Tuesday-Saeed Abedini set to reunite with family after 4 years’ imprisonment in Islamic republic-By AP January 27, 2016, 1:18 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
BOISE, Idaho — An American pastor who was imprisoned for nearly four years in Iran is expected to return home to Boise on Tuesday, the Idaho Statesman reported.Saeed Abedini was one of four Americans released in Iran under a negotiated prisoner exchange on January 16. The US agreed to free seven Iranians from American custody in exchange for the release of Abedini and the others.The 35-year-old Abedini spent the last five days with his parents and sister at a secluded retreat in Asheville, North Carolina. His wife, Naghmeh Abedini, and their children originally planned to meet him at the retreat operated by the Rev. Franklin Graham.Graham’s spokesman, Mark DeMoss, told the Boise newspaper on Tuesday that the plans had changed, with Abedini returning to Boise to reunite with his family. The pastor, his parents and sister were expected to arrive in Boise on Tuesday, DeMoss said.“It now looks like they’re going to actually going to reconnect in Boise and not in North Carolina,” DeMoss said. “My understanding is that Saeed, his parents and his sister are going to go to Boise later today.”The Boise man was detained in Iran for compromising national security, presumably because of Christian proselytizing. He was sentenced in 2013 to eight years in prison.Naghmeh Abedini could not be immediately reached for comment.Graham became an advocate for Saeed in 2013 after Naghmeh Abedini reached out to him, DeMoss said. Graham joined a 2014 prayer vigil outside the White House urging Saeed’s release.“Franklin has just tried to be a good friend and offer support, draw attention to the case, encourage people to pray for Saeed while he was in prison and praying for his family,” DeMoss said. “He’s offered to stay connected and be helpful in any way that he could. It’s become a good friendship.”
Following US, EU lead, Canada announces end to Iran sanctions-‘If other countries move before us, it’s not a way to help our industry,’ says FM Stéphane Dion-By AFP January 26, 2016, 11:36 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
OTTAWA — Canada will follow the US and EU lead and lift sanctions against Iran, Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion said Tuesday.Responding to questions in the House of Commons, Dion said: “Canada will remove those sanctions.”“We will change this policy,” he said, noting the sanctions were “not good” for anyone. No timeline was given.The announcement comes weeks after a deal reached between Tehran and world powers came into force, allowing the United States and the European Union to begin lifting economic barriers brought in over Iran’s nuclear program.Earlier this month, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed an openness to restoring diplomatic relations with Iran, saying four years after Canada shuttered its embassy that Tehran had made “significant movement” toward dismantling parts of its program that the West feared could have led to the manufacture of nuclear weapons.Dion, meanwhile, has commented that a lifting of sanctions would allow Canadian companies to join EU and US firms now rushing to do business in Iran.“Because if other countries move before us, it’s not a way to help our industry,” Dion said in mid-January.Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is currently in Italy and is scheduled to land in France on Wednesday. Rouhani closed deals in Italy worth 17 billion euros ($18.5 billion) and is expected to close additional ones in France, including a deal to buy more than 100 Airbus jets.— Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Furious Netanyahu slams Ban Ki-moon for ‘stoking’ Palestinian terrorism-UN chief: It’s ‘human nature to react to occupation’; PM: There’s no justification for terror, the Palestinians want to destroy Israel-By Times of Israel staff and Agencies January 26, 2016, 9:48 pm
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday accused the United Nations chief of “stoking terror” after Ban Ki-moon said, in connection with the wave of Palestinian deadly terror attacks, that it was “human nature to react to occupation.”“There is no justification for terrorism,” Netanyahu said. “The Palestinian terrorists don’t want to build a state; they want to destroy a state, and they say that proudly. They want to murder Jews everywhere and they state that proudly. They don’t murder for peace and they don’t murder for human rights.”The UN has “lost its neutrality and its moral force, and these statements by the Secretary-General do nothing to improve its situation,” Netanyahu said in a furious video statement. Ban’s remarks, said Netanyahu, “stoke terror.”Ban had attributed the terror attacks in the past four months, in which over 25 Israelis have been killed, to “Palestinian frustration.”“Stabbings, vehicle attacks, and shootings by Palestinians targeting Israeli civilians – all of which I condemn — and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, have continued to claim lives,” Ban had said earlier in the day at a session of the UN Security Council.“But security measures alone will not stop the violence. They cannot address the profound sense of alienation and despair driving some Palestinians –- especially young people. The full force of the law must be brought to bear on all those committing crimes –- with a system of justice applied equally for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” said Ban.“Palestinian frustration is growing under the weight of a half century of occupation and the paralysis of the peace process,” Ban continued. “Some have taken me to task for pointing out this indisputable truth. Yet, as oppressed peoples have demonstrated throughout the ages, it is human nature to react to occupation, which often serves as a potent incubator of hate and extremism.”In response to Ban, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said the UN chief’s comments “harm the global fight against terror, that Israel is leading, and gives legitimacy to those murderers to continue attacking.”Addressing the UN Security Council’s periodic Middle East debate, Ban Ki-moon also urged both sides to act now “to prevent the two-state solution from slipping away forever.” He condemned rocket fire from terror groups in Gaza into Israel and called for an end to incitement. Progress toward peace between Israel and the Palestinians requires that Israel freeze its settlement construction, the UN secretary-general said Tuesday, calling the settlement activities “an affront to the Palestinian people and to the international community.”Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour urged the council to act. He later told reporters that all 15 council members acknowledged that Israel’s settlement building is “the main obstacle to any meaningful political process.” He said the Palestinians are meeting with all council members to assess their readiness to act this year.Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, did not address settlement-building. He instead showed reporters what he called “terror dolls” that he said are used to teach hatred to Palestinian children. Israel seized the dolls at Haifa port last month, saying they were headed for the Palestinian Authority and were part of an incitement campaign.“The UN Secretary-General is encouraging terror instead of fighting terror,” he said.Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid also rushed to denounce Ban’s remarks.“Terrorism against innocent civilians can not be justified. No one should provide excuses for it, especially not the UN Secretary-General. Terrorism against innocent civilians is the result of nothing except the murderous insanity of the perpetrators,” he said.“There are millions of people in the world whose lives are harder than those of the Palestinians,” Lapid continued. “In Africa, in Asia, in the Middle East. There are hundreds of millions of people in the world for whom the UN didn’t create a special body and to whom the UN didn’t send billions of dollars (and then stood to one side while a corrupt government stole it).“For some reason those people don’t think there is anything, anything at all, which gives them license to take a knife and stab a mother of six. To take a knife and stab a woman who is five months pregnant. To take a knife and stab a wonderful 23 year old woman who had never harmed anyone.”
At least 6 Palestinians said killed in Gaza tunnel collapse-Contact with the Hamas diggers lost Tuesday night, Palestinian media says; at least 5 reportedly hurt in incident-By Avi Issacharoff and Lee Gancman January 26, 2016, 11:57 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
At least six Palestinians have been reported killed in the collapse of a tunnel dug under the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening.The incident occurred in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City.According to Israel’s Channel 10 television, the six fatalities were all members of the Hamas terror group, as were the five others injured in the incident.The Hebrew-language Walla website said seven people had been killed, and their bodies taken to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. According to Walla, the tunnel collapsed due to severe weather conditions, including heavy rainfall.The nature of the tunnel in question was not immediately clear. Hamas has in the past dug cross-border tunnels into Israel in order to stage attacks on civilians and soldiers. Other tunnels are used by the terror group as part of its defensive infrastructure.The Strip has been subject to a blockade by both Egypt and Israel, designed in part to prevent the terror group from importing arms and building new tunnels reinforced with concrete.Hamas has built dozens of tunnels into Israel, many of which were used to carry out attacks during their 2014 war. The IDF said it destroyed over 30 tunnels during Operation Protective Edge, but officials have expressed fear the terror group is seeking to rebuild the infrastructure.In December, 14 Gazans were rescued after a smuggling tunnel they were working in on the Egyptian border collapsed following deliberate flooding by Egypt.The tunnel, located in the area of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, was being used to smuggle goods across the border when it was flooded and collapsed, sparking an hours-long rescue effort by emergency crews.According to Palestinian media reports, the 14 were trapped and feared dead but managed to reach an unflooded section of the tunnel. They were then pulled to the surface by rescue crews from Gaza’s civil defense agency.Egypt has embarked on a massive campaign aimed at stemming cross-border smuggling between Gaza and Sinai, where they are fighting an insurgency by Islamist militants.The operation has included flooding hundreds of tunnels that once dotted the border region, and building a 500-meter-wide buffer zone filled with seawater.
Israel says Hamas recruits Gazans with travel permits for terror-IDF liaison in territories warns authorities may close border altogether if abuse of system persists-By Lee Gancman January 27, 2016, 12:26 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) threatened in remarks published Tuesday to close all crossings with the Gaza Strip should Hamas continue to recruit workers entering Israel “for terrorist purposes.”“Hamas is exploiting the permits given to workers, those going to the West Bank, and those going to Israel, for the purpose of terrorism,” the Palestinian daily Al-Quds quoted Major-General Yoav Mordechai as saying. “This is going to make the Israeli authorities think twice before issuing permits, and we will perhaps close the border for entry by all Gazans, if Hamas continues this policy.”Mordechai did not elaborate on exactly how the permits were being used by Hamas in terror activities.He continued: “It appears that Hamas is preparing for war and does not care for the well-being of Gazans. They are recruiting merchants, and this places an obstacle in the way of the economic plan put forward by the Israeli government and prevents those who come into Israel from praying at the Al-Aqsa mosque every Friday.”This “Israeli plan,” he explained, “seeks to alleviate the economic hardship and support the economy in Gaza, but this is being exploited by Hamas, and this acts against the interest of Gazans.”He added that “Following the last war in Gaza, Israel adopted a policy to stimulate the economy of Gaza” and “issued 100 thousand entry permits during the year 2015 — including for health, business, and religious reasons.”According to a 2015 report, prepared ahead of the biannual meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), which coordinates international donor support for the Palestinians, unemployment in Gaza increased in 2014 “to reach 44 percent — probably the highest in the world.”This is in addition to the poverty rate in the Palestinian territory hovering around 39%, despite the fact that nearly four out of every five Gazans receive “some aid.”“Gaza’s unemployment and poverty figures are very troubling and the economic outlook is worrying,” the World Bank quoted Palestinian territories director Steen Lau Jorgensen as saying.For his part, Mordechai added “Hamas has imposed fees and taxes on all trucks that enter the strip, as well as on permits. These go towards supporting Hamas’s activities and building their capabilities rather than to building schools and institutions.”Judah Ari Gross contributed to this article.
US envoy to UN condemns recent West Bank terror-Samantha Power says while US ‘strongly opposes settlement activity,’ it ‘can never in itself be an excuse for violence’-By Times of Israel staff January 26, 2016, 11:24 pm
US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power on Tuesday condemned recent Palestinian terror attacks in the West Bank that left two Israelis dead, as well as incitement to violence within the Palestinian Authority.Dafna Meir, 38, was killed last week when a Palestinian teen broke into her house in Otniel and stabbed her to death in front of her children. Shlomit Krigman, 23, was laid to rest Tuesday in Jerusalem, close to Meir’s grave, a day after she was stabbed in an attack in Beit Horon.Power also condemned the recent Israeli announcement on the establishment of a new settlement in the Etzion settlement bloc, Israel Radio reported. But, she told the Security Council, while the United States “strongly opposes settlement activity” it believes that “settlement activity can never in itself be an excuse for violence.”Power’s comments came after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that Palestinian terrorism was a reaction to the conditions of Palestinians in the West Bank. “As oppressed peoples have demonstrated throughout the ages, it is human nature to react to occupation,” the UN chief said, sparking outrage in Israel.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the remarks, and accused Ban of “stoking terror.”“There is no justification for terrorism,” Netanyahu said. “The Palestinian terrorists don’t want to build a state; they want to destroy a state, and they say that proudly. They want to murder Jews everywhere and they state that proudly. They don’t murder for peace and they don’t murder for human rights.”The UN has “lost its neutrality and its moral force, and these statements by the Secretary-General do nothing to improve its situation,” Netanyahu said shortly after the remarks, in a Hebrew video statement. The remarks, the prime minister said, “stoke terror.”Ban had attributed the terror attacks in the past four months, in which more than 25 Israelis have been killed, to “Palestinian frustration.”“Stabbings, vehicle attacks, and shootings by Palestinians targeting Israeli civilians – all of which I condemn — and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, have continued to claim lives,” Ban had said earlier in the day at a session of the UN Security Council.
Israel interested in ties with Sudan, deputy defense minister says-Eli Ben Dahan calls for expulsion of terrorists’ families, even in violation of international law. ‘Killing Jews is also illegal,’ he argues-By Raphael Ahren January 26, 2016, 7:52 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Israel is interested in establishing ties with as many countries as possible, including with Sudan, Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben Dahan said Tuesday.“We don’t have to be different than the entire Western world. The Western world — the US and Europe — have relations with Sudan, and with Saudi Arabia and other countries. I don’t think we need to be any different,” Ben Dahan told The Times of Israel. “The State of Israel can contribute a lot to Sudan, in many areas.”Ben Dahan’s comments mark the first response from an Israeli official to possibility, surprisingly raised last week by the Muslim African state’s foreign minister earlier this month, after decades of open hostility between Jerusalem and Khartoum.“We don’t mind to study any such proposal,” Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said on January 14, according to local reports, referring to an American to demand for Sudan to normalize ties with Israel as a precondition for lifting sanctions on the regime. Israel’s Foreign Ministry refuses to comment on the matter.Led by President Omar al-Bashir since 1989, Sudan has been a vicious enemy of the Jewish state and a staunch ally of Iran, but recently had a falling out with Tehran over the latter’s involvement in Yemen. Earlier this month, Sudan cut diplomatic ties with Iran, following Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and other Sunni states. In 2009, Bashir was indicted by the International Criminal Court for atrocities committed in Darfur.Jerusalem’s foreign policy should be based on national interests and realpolitik, and disregard a potential ally’s political regime or human rights record, he indicated.“We don’t get involved in what happens in other states,” said Ben Dahan, a member of the religious-right wing Jewish Home party. Israel rejects criticism from other countries regarding controversial legislation and so it doesn’t interfere with happens in other countries, he added. “Our foreign policy is not such that we tell other countries what kind of government they should have and how they deal with their citizens.”Jerusalem is also keen on normalizing ties with the Arab world, Ben Dahan said, rejecting, however, the often-made assertion that such a scenario is dependant on the creation of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 lines. “Israel’s contribution to the Arab world could be enormous. The Arab world loses out by not having ties with Israel and by not receiving everything the State of Israel has to offer. But it’s entirely unrelated to a Palestinian state.”Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long hailed the unspoken alliance between the Jewish state and many moderate Sunni Arab countries. Last week, he went as far as calling on the European Union to abandon its current policies vis-a-vis Israel and replace them with the moderate Arab world’s position, a statement Ben Dahan said he fails to comprehend.Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, Netanyahu said he requested of his European friends that EU policies “merely reflect now the prevailing Arab policy to Israel and the Palestinians.”In a subsequent meeting with the EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, the prime minister reiterated this message. “Netanyahu told Mogherini that the US has to adopt the moderate Arab states’s policies vis-a-vis Israel because the improvement in ties with them leads to an improvement with the Palestinians,” his office said in a statement.“I really don’t understand what the prime minister said,” Ben Dahan said. “It’s not clear to me.” While Israel’s relationship with the EU has been rocky in recent years, due to the union’s unabated desire to push Israel toward a two-state solution, it is still “very important,” he added. Ties between Brussels and Jerusalem are “not at all like [our relationship] with the Arab states: [in Europe,] we have diplomatic relations, there are ambassadors, there is dialogue, and cooperation and many areas.”The Europeans “dream that they can build here a Palestinian state. And that doesn’t really work out. It’s not happening, so they are in a difficult situation,” the deputy minister added. The EU’s frustration over the stalemate leads them to initiate punitive steps such as the labeling of settlement goods, which caused tensions, he said. “But still, it is impossible to compare the relations we have with them to those we have with the Arab countries. We have no diplomatic relations with Arab countries besides Jordan and Egypt. It’s not at all similar.”‘We are all in emergency mode. These are no ordinary days’Speaking to The Times of Israel in his Knesset office, Ben Dahan also discussed his proposal to stop the current terror wave and his vision for the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel, he said, should start deporting the families of Palestinian terrorists to Gaza, which he insists would immediately bring the current series of attacks to a halt.“The only way [to stop the terrorists] is to deter them. To explain to [potential terrorists] that at the end of the day, if they carry out an attack, their families will be greatly damaged. I don’t think there is a greater damage than to expel them.”Acknowledging that such measures would likely be opposed by the Supreme Court and might violate international law, Ben Dahan nonetheless said that he sees no issues with expelling family members of terrorists, since they were usually implied or had previous knowledge of his or her deeds.As opposed to previous popular uprisings, or intifadas, the wave of terror attacks currently raging in Israel and the West Bank is not organized by a central terrorist group, but is the work of unconnected individuals “who get up in the morning one day and decide to attack Jews,” Ben Dahan said. Thus the only way to effectively combat this phenomenon is to increase deterrence, he argued.The government has already introduced harsher penalties for the parents of minors caught throwing stones and stepped up efforts to speedily destroy the houses of terrorists, the deputy defense minister said.“In addition to all of this, I saw we should expel the family [of an attacker] abroad. That does not yet exist in Israel,” he said. Israel used to do this but stopped due to the courts’ intervention.“There is no law in Israel that bars the deportation of terrorists’ families, therefore implementing his proposal would merely contradict “a decision of the court,” he argued.“I think that the court also needs to understand that this is a time of emergency,” the 61-year-old ordained rabbi said. “Just like the army, the police and the border police are all in emergency mode — we are all in emergency mode. Everyone understands that these are no ordinary days.”Ben Dahan, a former deputy religious affairs minister, said he was unfazed by the possibility that his proposal could be considered collective punishment, hence constitute a violation of international law. “Killing Jews is also illegal. To kill a woman in her house is also illegal. Attacking a pregnant women is also illegal,” he said, referring to recent terror attacks in Otniel and Tekoa, respectively.‘You would go up to them and say, Mister, your son has killed a woman in Otniel so you and your children tomorrow morning will go on a truck, we will give you entry ticket to Gaza’-According to the Oslo Accords, the West Bank and Gaza are one entity, and therefore it should not be seen as dramatic to deport a Palestinian family from, for instance, the South Hebron mountains in the West Bank to Rafah in Gaza, he added.“You would go up to them and say, Mister, your son has killed a woman in Otniel so you and your children tomorrow morning will go on a truck, we will give you entry ticket to Gaza,” he said. “I am telling you that it’s enough to do it once — it’ll be enough. It won’t take more than that. The terror will stop.”Prime Minister Netanyahu and even Ben Dahan’s own party leader, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, have so far not called for the expulsion of terrorists’ family to Gaza — apparently they believe it impossible due to international pressure or legal constraints, Ben Dahan surmised.He also acknowledged that his Jewish Home colleague, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, says that there is no chance that the legal establishment would agree to such a proposal. “Therefore it is not advanced. I trust in Ayelet that when she says that this is [the party’s position.] I think we should change [that position].Prospective criticism by the international community is a legitimate concern, the deputy defense minister allowed, but maintained the expected benefit would justify it. “If we do it once and it’ll prevent the next terror attack — then i think it’s worth it.”Dismissing expected criticism of his plan, Ben Dahan accused the international community, including the United States, of “hypocrisy” and a “double standard.”“If the Americans want, they go [for their enemies] in massive way, kill civilians, they don’t care about anything,” he said, mentioning instances in which US troops accidentally killed scores of civilians.Ben Dahan, like other members of his Jewish Home faction, rejects Palestinian statehood and calls for the annexation of the West Bank to Israel. But while party leader Bennett’s plan sees Israel annexing only Area C, which makes up about 60 percent of the West Bank, Ben Dahan advocates applying Israeli sovereignty over the entire territory.“I think the part of our problem is that the Palestinians here are not sure that we want to stay here,” he said. Soon West Bank Palestinians will have lived under Israeli control for 50 years, and still yearn for independence, which “means they are thinking maybe it’s not clear, maybe we [the Jews] will be here [forever, or] maybe not.”‘The two-state solution is a dream that nobody really dreams anymore’Arabs stopped calling on Israel to return the Golan Heights to Syria soon after Israel’s annexation, added Ben Dahan, who was born in Morocco and came to Israel as a child. “Nobody talks about it anymore. If only we said today in all clarity that we will stay here in Judea and Samaria [West Bank] forever, it’s ours, the Arabs would understand [and ask themselves,] if this is the reality, what’s do we do? Either we deal with it, or we go to a different place, or we fight. But things would be different. As soon as you know exactly what the second side wants, the dreams start to fade away.”The vast majority of Israelis no longer believe in a two-state solution — even opposition leader and Zionist Union head Isaac Herzog admitted that it is currently not attainable, Ben Dahan said.Herzog “understands very well that this dream will certainly not come to pass in the coming years.” While it is hard to openly abandon the two-state solution, which he clung on to for so long, he does not really believe in it anymore, Ben Dahan posited. “It’s a dream that nobody really dreams anymore.”If Israel were to annex the entire West Bank, Palestinians living there should be encouraged to emigrate, he said. “I think the government should help Palestinians [leave], offer them $50,000 so that they go.” Whoever wants to stay could apply for Israeli citizenship — but only after a decade and if they pass some sort of loyalty test, Ben Dahan said. All Western countries today require such tests before allowing foreigners to obtain citizenship, he argued.“I say we don’t have to be better than the Americans,” he said.Ten years after Israel’s annexation, the state would assess each applicant’s conduct and decide whether he or she were eligible for Israeli citizenship, according to the deputy minister’s proposal. “Let’s see how you act. Let’s see if in your family there are terrorists or not. Let’s see what your attitude toward the state is, whether you understand that this is the Jews’ country or not. We will test you after 10 years and see. If yes, you’ll obtain Israeli citizenship. Why not?”
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
Pope receives Rouhani: Iran has important role to play in Middle East and in fight against terrorism-“Political solutions to the problems afflicting the Middle East” must be sought “together with other countries in the region”. The private meeting between the Pope and Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, lasted 40 minutes. “I am hopeful for peace,” the Pope said-newsletter-VATICAN INSIDER-26/01/2016-iacopo scaramuzzi
vatican city-The Pope and the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran recalled “the conclusion and implementation of the Iran Nuclear Agreement” and “highlighted the important role Iran is called to play along with other countries in the Region, in promoting adequate political solutions to the problems afflicting the Middle East, preventing the spread of terrorism and arms trafficking”. This is what was said in a communiqué published at the end of Pope Francis’ audience with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani today. During the talks which the Vatican described as “cordial”, the Pope and the Iranian president “highlighted their common spiritual values and reference was then made to the good state of relations between the Holy See and the Islamic Republic of Iran, Church life in the country and the Holy See’s actions in promoting the dignity of the human person and religious freedom. “Focus was given to the conclusion and implementation of the Iran Nuclear Agreement, with an emphasis on the important role Iran is called to play along with other countries in the Region, in promoting adequate political solutions to the problems afflicting the Middle East, preventing the spread of terrorism and arms trafficking. In relation to this, parties recalled the importance of interreligious dialogue and the responsibility religious communities have to foster reconciliation, tolerance and peace”. After the papal audience, Rouhani met the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was accompanied by the Secretary for Relations with States, Mgr. Paul Gallagher. The private meeting between Hassan Rouhani and the Pope lasted 40 minutes. The Iranian president arrived a minute or so late – after 11 am – wearing a white turban and with a 20-car-long motorcade. Stringent security measures were in place along Via della Conciliazione and St. Peter’s Square. Rouhani was accompanied by a 12-member delegation, including Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif and the ambassador to the Holy See, Mohammad Taher Rabbani. The closed-door meeting with the Pope was held in the presence of two interpreters, a priest and an interpreter who translated from Farsi into Italian and was the only female member of the Iranian delegation. The Persian leader gave the Pope a handwoven rectangular carpet along with a large illustrated book of miniatures. The Pope in turn, gave Rouhani a St. Martin medal one of the two gifts traditionally presented to visiting heads of state (the other gift is a medal depicting the angel of peace), explaining that the image of the saint who removes his cape and gives it to a pauper, “ is a symbol of gratuitous fraternity”. The Pope also gave the Iranian president copies of the “Laudato Si’” encyclical “on care for the environment”, one in Italian, one in English and since it was not available in Farsi, “please allow me to give you a version in Arabic”. As the two bid each other farewell, journalists reported that the Pope told Rouhani: “Thank you very much for this visit and I am hopeful for peace”. To which the Iranian president replied: “I ask you to pray for me, it was a real pleasure and I wish you well with your work”.
Opinion-Old friends? Palestine, Cyprus, and Greece By Nabeel Shaath-EUOBSERVER
JAFFA, PALESTINE, 26. Jan, 18:12-Built on common experience, long-term interests and moral principles, Palestine’s relationship with Cyprus and Greece goes back a long way.Short-term economic gains should not be allowed to damage these deep and precious friendships.Over the last 70 years, the relationship of Cyprus and Palestine was that of close friendship and political alliance. Both were former British colonies and both suffered from British manipulations, leaving behind two divided homelands.The struggle of the Cypriots to liberate and unite their land found close allies in the Arab World, particularly in Egypt. President Nasser of Egypt and archbishop Makarios of Cyprus stood side by side in the struggle against British occupation.For the Palestinians, these two leaders were natural allies in their struggle for freedom and independence. Egypt, Cyprus and the Palestine Liberation Organisation joined the Non-Aligned Movement.I remember my first trip to Nicosia in 1965. It reminded me of my hometown of Jaffa.The fragrance of jasmine and orange blossom, and the colourful flowers, brought back all the memories of the home I lost when Israel was created in 1948 - the year that I and the majority of my people became refugees.As Palestinians, we stood against the Turkish occupation of Northern Cyprus [from 1974]. I remember, in my former capacity as foreign minister of Palestine, my instructions were very clear: to stand by the legitimate government of Cyprus, and to stand against any recognition of a separatist state in the North of Cyprus, particularly within the Arab League, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, where we had some moral and political influence.The friendship was mutual. Cyprus recognised the state of Palestine in 1988. It supported our struggle for independence and our pursuit of peace. Palestine supported Cyprus in its pursuit of independence, territorial integrity, and unity.-Greek friendship-We have traditionally had an equally strong relationship with Greece.Part of our ancestral origin can be traced back to the Greek island of Crete. We raise the Greek flag on all our Orthodox churches, to which most of our Christians belong.We will never forget the welcome party in Athens, in 1982, after 88 days of Israeli bombardment and siege of Beirut, killing thousands of Palestinians and Lebanese people.Prime minister Andreas Papandreou led the party that met our historic leader, Yasser Arafat, on his arrival.As foreign minister, I worked very hard to support Greece in the Arab and Muslim world, both economically and politically. The close bond shared between Papandreou and Arafat, and between me and his son George, reflected a long friendship between Palestine and Greece.That relationship, like our relationship with Cyprus, was not limited to a particular political party. It was a friendship among peoples: Greeks, Cypriots, and Palestinians.After Greece and Cyprus joined the EU, they became two of our closest allies in the bloc, supporting our quest for a peaceful political solution, and standing by us when Israel violated its commitments, whether by continuing to expropriate land and water, by destroying the Gaza Strip, or denying us the state we had accepted - on just 22 percent of our original homeland.Our Greek and Cypriot allies stood by the principles and commitments which had brought us together for 70 years.-Oil and gas-Lately, and very regrettably, these relationships have begun to change.One understands the importance of economic and political interests in the formation and shifts of political alliances. Today, Cyprus, Greece and Israel are linked by certain issues, including natural gas, oil, geopolitical influence, as well as financial crises.We understand. But, such connections are not unique to Greece and Cyprus. Several other countries such as Russia, China, India and other EU countries have developed important economic relations with Israel.Some of them were also historical allies of the Arab World and of Palestine. At one time, we felt that their closeness to both Palestine and Israel may be an advantage in supporting the peace process.Short-term changes in economic interests and political positions do not change important facts, such as: Who is the occupier and who is the occupied in the Holy Land? Or, who, out of Palestine and Israel, is now being warned, even by its closest allies, that it’s becoming an apartheid state? Nor should it change assessments of the balance of power. Such as, who has extensive military and nuclear capabilities? Or, whose national income is 40 times that of the other? Finally, one should not forget who has remained committed to the peace agreements, and who has violated those agreements.Changes in economic interests do not change international law, or the sanctity of justice and human rights.China, France, Brazil, and Russia have common economic and political interests with Israel, but their position on the rights of the Palestinians, and on the necessity of ending the Israeli occupation, has not changed.In fact, as Israel continues to violate international law, UN resolutions, and signed agreements, these powers have become more ready to condemn Israeli actions against the Palestinians, and to apply sanctions against Israel.-Assurances?-We were given assurances by the leaders of Cyprus and Greece that their closer relationship with Israel would not change their commitments to Palestine, nor would it adversely affect their historical relationship with Palestine or the Arab and Muslim world.The prime minister of Greece and the president of Cyprus both recently visited Palestine and Israel. Both made statements in Palestine reaffirming these historical positions.Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas Abbas was invited to attend the vote in the Greek parliament, which unanimously recommended that the Greek government should recognise the state of Palestine.The explanation was very clear: Parliament members of all the Greek parties, representing all of the Greek people, support Palestine, and the right of the Palestinians.In the light of the above, it is very difficult to explain some of the recent words and actions of leaders of these two countries.On 12 January, Averof Neophytou, the head of Cyprus’ ruling party, the DICY, and the chairman of the Cypriot House of Representatives, visited Israel.He was quoted as saying: "Cyprus no longer sees Israel as an aggressive country imposing its will by force on the Palestinians, but rather as a small nation fighting for survival in the face of much greater odds.”He told the Israeli newspaper, The Jerusalem Post, that, over the last decade, his country which had once, alongside Greece, been among the most critical of Israel in Europe, now had a “clearer picture.”“It is a country of 8 million fighting a struggle for survival and having to face hundreds of millions of Muslims and Arabs, part of who don’t even recognise the right of the existence of a Jewish state … So which side is strong, and which side is weak? Which side is fighting for survival?,” he said.I was glad to see the Cypriot opposition party, AKEL, call him out on trying to “distort history and reality.” But the fact the statement was made, and, so far, not retracted, disturbs me.-EU foreign policy-What’s even more worrying is the apparently total change in the position of Greece and Cyprus in terms of voting and lobbying in the EU Council.On the 17 January, the Greek foreign minister almost succeeded in torpedoing the conclusions of the latest meeting of EU foreign ministers, by insisting on an Israeli version of several key paragraphs.Meanwhile, statements attributed to Greek leaders, announcing their refusal to implement the EU directive on labeling of settlement products, were shocking. They were later corrected.Greek statements supporting Israel’s claim that the whole of Jerusalem is the historical capital of the state of Israel and the Jewish people, completely ignoring Palestinian rights in Jerusalem, were even more shocking.-They remain uncorrected.-The Palestinian people expect a correction and an explanation. We do not want to abandon our friendship with Greece or Cyprus, nor do we want to see a shift away from the strategic relationships that link these two neighboring countries to the Arab and Muslim world.I am sure the majority of the Greek and Cypriot people share my feelings about our relationship.-Loyalties-We are loyal to this heritage, and we do not change our moral commitments and principles due to a temporary shift in economic interests.We do not object to Greece or Cyprus pursuing their mutual economic interests with Israel, but we call on them to remain committed to their long-term friendship and to our shared principles.In the long run, these principles are the cornerstones upon which peace, stability, security, and economic prosperity are built, not only in the Eastern Mediterranean, but in the whole world.Nabeel Shaath is the Fatah party’s foreign relations commissioner. He served as Palestinian foreign minister between 1994 and 2005
Communication should help build peace, not foment differences and hatred”-Francis’ message for social communications day: What we say and how we say it, our every word and gesture, ought to express God’s compassion, tenderness and forgiveness for all. Only words spoken with love and accompanied by meekness and mercy can touch our sinful hearts”-newsletter-VATICAN INSIDER-22/01/2016-andrea tornielli
vatican city-“What we say and how we say it our every word and gesture, ought to express God’s compassion, tenderness and forgiveness for all.” Pope Francis wrote this in his message for social commmunications day, which is titled “Communication and Mercy: A Fruitful Encounter”. With this message, he invites the Church “is called to practise mercy as the distinctive trait of all that she is and does”, including in the field of communication.“We are called,” Francis explains, “to communicate with everyone, without exception. In a particular way, the Church’s words and actions are all meant to convey mercy.”Communication, Francis observes, “has the power to build bridges, to enable encounter and inclusion, and thus to enrich society. How beautiful it is when people select their words and actions with care, in the effort to avoid misunderstandings, to heal wounded memories and to build peace and harmony. Words can build bridges between individuals and within families, social groups and peoples. This is possible both in the material world and the digital world.”Francis says he hopes actions and words “will help us all escape the vicious circles of condemnation and vengeance which continue to ensnare individuals and nations, encouraging expressions of hatred. The words of Christians ought to be a constant encouragement to communion and, even in those cases where they must firmly condemn evil, they should never try to rupture relationships and communication.” “Ancient wounds and lingering resentments can entrap individuals and stand in the way of communication and reconciliation. The same holds true for relationships between peoples.”The Pope also speaks about political and diplomatic language, saying it “would do well to be inspired by mercy” and asking especially “those with institutional and political responsibility, and those charged with forming public opinion, to remain especially attentive to the way they speak of those who think or act differently or those who may have made mistakes”. Indeed, “it is easy to yield to the temptation to exploit such situations to stoke the flames of mistrust, fear and hatred. Instead, courage is needed to guide people towards processes of reconciliation.”Francis continues with a message for those serving in the Church: “How I wish that our own way of communicating, as well as our service as pastors of the Church, may never suggest a prideful and triumphant superiority over an enemy, or demean those whom the world considers lost and easily discarded. Mercy can help mitigate life’s troubles and offer warmth to those who have known only the coldness of judgment. May our way of communicating help to overcome the mindset that neatly separates sinners from the righteous. We can and we must judge situations of sin – such as violence, corruption and exploitation – but we may not judge individuals, since only God can see into the depths of their hearts.”“Only words spoken with love and accompanied by meekness and mercy can touch our sinful hearts. Harsh and moralistic words and actions risk further alienating those whom we wish to lead to conversion and freedom, reinforcing their sense of rejection and defensiveness.” Francis encourages pastors to listen and to share questions and doubts, “to journey side by side, to banish all claims to absolute power and to put our abilities and gifts at the service of the common good”.Towards the end of his message Francis mentions social networks and how they “can facilitate relationships and promote the good of society, but they can also lead to further polarization and division between individuals and groups. The digital world is a public square, a meeting-place where we can either encourage or demean one another, engage in a meaningful discussion or unfair attacks.”The document therefore contains three messages: a more general one to people and nations, urging for the languages of hatred and resentment to be avoided. Another message is aimed at the political world, the institutions and those working in the field of communication. These sectors are urged not to foment mistrust, fear and hatred. The third message is for the Church and for Catholics working in the digital communications world. He admonishes them to avoid conceit, polarisation, division and moral lynching. One need only look at certain blogs and so-called “Catholic” websites, with their language that oozes forth sarcasm, scorn and sometimes even hatred - directed at those who do not think like them, at other Catholics, at bishops and at the Pope –, to realise how urgent Francis’ appeal really is. Read about the press conference for the presentation of the message and the changes to Vatican communication (I. Scaramuzzi)
Pastor who was imprisoned in Iran expected home Tuesday-Saeed Abedini set to reunite with family after 4 years’ imprisonment in Islamic republic-By AP January 27, 2016, 1:18 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
BOISE, Idaho — An American pastor who was imprisoned for nearly four years in Iran is expected to return home to Boise on Tuesday, the Idaho Statesman reported.Saeed Abedini was one of four Americans released in Iran under a negotiated prisoner exchange on January 16. The US agreed to free seven Iranians from American custody in exchange for the release of Abedini and the others.The 35-year-old Abedini spent the last five days with his parents and sister at a secluded retreat in Asheville, North Carolina. His wife, Naghmeh Abedini, and their children originally planned to meet him at the retreat operated by the Rev. Franklin Graham.Graham’s spokesman, Mark DeMoss, told the Boise newspaper on Tuesday that the plans had changed, with Abedini returning to Boise to reunite with his family. The pastor, his parents and sister were expected to arrive in Boise on Tuesday, DeMoss said.“It now looks like they’re going to actually going to reconnect in Boise and not in North Carolina,” DeMoss said. “My understanding is that Saeed, his parents and his sister are going to go to Boise later today.”The Boise man was detained in Iran for compromising national security, presumably because of Christian proselytizing. He was sentenced in 2013 to eight years in prison.Naghmeh Abedini could not be immediately reached for comment.Graham became an advocate for Saeed in 2013 after Naghmeh Abedini reached out to him, DeMoss said. Graham joined a 2014 prayer vigil outside the White House urging Saeed’s release.“Franklin has just tried to be a good friend and offer support, draw attention to the case, encourage people to pray for Saeed while he was in prison and praying for his family,” DeMoss said. “He’s offered to stay connected and be helpful in any way that he could. It’s become a good friendship.”
Following US, EU lead, Canada announces end to Iran sanctions-‘If other countries move before us, it’s not a way to help our industry,’ says FM Stéphane Dion-By AFP January 26, 2016, 11:36 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
OTTAWA — Canada will follow the US and EU lead and lift sanctions against Iran, Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion said Tuesday.Responding to questions in the House of Commons, Dion said: “Canada will remove those sanctions.”“We will change this policy,” he said, noting the sanctions were “not good” for anyone. No timeline was given.The announcement comes weeks after a deal reached between Tehran and world powers came into force, allowing the United States and the European Union to begin lifting economic barriers brought in over Iran’s nuclear program.Earlier this month, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed an openness to restoring diplomatic relations with Iran, saying four years after Canada shuttered its embassy that Tehran had made “significant movement” toward dismantling parts of its program that the West feared could have led to the manufacture of nuclear weapons.Dion, meanwhile, has commented that a lifting of sanctions would allow Canadian companies to join EU and US firms now rushing to do business in Iran.“Because if other countries move before us, it’s not a way to help our industry,” Dion said in mid-January.Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is currently in Italy and is scheduled to land in France on Wednesday. Rouhani closed deals in Italy worth 17 billion euros ($18.5 billion) and is expected to close additional ones in France, including a deal to buy more than 100 Airbus jets.— Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Furious Netanyahu slams Ban Ki-moon for ‘stoking’ Palestinian terrorism-UN chief: It’s ‘human nature to react to occupation’; PM: There’s no justification for terror, the Palestinians want to destroy Israel-By Times of Israel staff and Agencies January 26, 2016, 9:48 pm
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday accused the United Nations chief of “stoking terror” after Ban Ki-moon said, in connection with the wave of Palestinian deadly terror attacks, that it was “human nature to react to occupation.”“There is no justification for terrorism,” Netanyahu said. “The Palestinian terrorists don’t want to build a state; they want to destroy a state, and they say that proudly. They want to murder Jews everywhere and they state that proudly. They don’t murder for peace and they don’t murder for human rights.”The UN has “lost its neutrality and its moral force, and these statements by the Secretary-General do nothing to improve its situation,” Netanyahu said in a furious video statement. Ban’s remarks, said Netanyahu, “stoke terror.”Ban had attributed the terror attacks in the past four months, in which over 25 Israelis have been killed, to “Palestinian frustration.”“Stabbings, vehicle attacks, and shootings by Palestinians targeting Israeli civilians – all of which I condemn — and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, have continued to claim lives,” Ban had said earlier in the day at a session of the UN Security Council.“But security measures alone will not stop the violence. They cannot address the profound sense of alienation and despair driving some Palestinians –- especially young people. The full force of the law must be brought to bear on all those committing crimes –- with a system of justice applied equally for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” said Ban.“Palestinian frustration is growing under the weight of a half century of occupation and the paralysis of the peace process,” Ban continued. “Some have taken me to task for pointing out this indisputable truth. Yet, as oppressed peoples have demonstrated throughout the ages, it is human nature to react to occupation, which often serves as a potent incubator of hate and extremism.”In response to Ban, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said the UN chief’s comments “harm the global fight against terror, that Israel is leading, and gives legitimacy to those murderers to continue attacking.”Addressing the UN Security Council’s periodic Middle East debate, Ban Ki-moon also urged both sides to act now “to prevent the two-state solution from slipping away forever.” He condemned rocket fire from terror groups in Gaza into Israel and called for an end to incitement. Progress toward peace between Israel and the Palestinians requires that Israel freeze its settlement construction, the UN secretary-general said Tuesday, calling the settlement activities “an affront to the Palestinian people and to the international community.”Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour urged the council to act. He later told reporters that all 15 council members acknowledged that Israel’s settlement building is “the main obstacle to any meaningful political process.” He said the Palestinians are meeting with all council members to assess their readiness to act this year.Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, did not address settlement-building. He instead showed reporters what he called “terror dolls” that he said are used to teach hatred to Palestinian children. Israel seized the dolls at Haifa port last month, saying they were headed for the Palestinian Authority and were part of an incitement campaign.“The UN Secretary-General is encouraging terror instead of fighting terror,” he said.Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid also rushed to denounce Ban’s remarks.“Terrorism against innocent civilians can not be justified. No one should provide excuses for it, especially not the UN Secretary-General. Terrorism against innocent civilians is the result of nothing except the murderous insanity of the perpetrators,” he said.“There are millions of people in the world whose lives are harder than those of the Palestinians,” Lapid continued. “In Africa, in Asia, in the Middle East. There are hundreds of millions of people in the world for whom the UN didn’t create a special body and to whom the UN didn’t send billions of dollars (and then stood to one side while a corrupt government stole it).“For some reason those people don’t think there is anything, anything at all, which gives them license to take a knife and stab a mother of six. To take a knife and stab a woman who is five months pregnant. To take a knife and stab a wonderful 23 year old woman who had never harmed anyone.”
At least 6 Palestinians said killed in Gaza tunnel collapse-Contact with the Hamas diggers lost Tuesday night, Palestinian media says; at least 5 reportedly hurt in incident-By Avi Issacharoff and Lee Gancman January 26, 2016, 11:57 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
At least six Palestinians have been reported killed in the collapse of a tunnel dug under the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening.The incident occurred in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City.According to Israel’s Channel 10 television, the six fatalities were all members of the Hamas terror group, as were the five others injured in the incident.The Hebrew-language Walla website said seven people had been killed, and their bodies taken to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. According to Walla, the tunnel collapsed due to severe weather conditions, including heavy rainfall.The nature of the tunnel in question was not immediately clear. Hamas has in the past dug cross-border tunnels into Israel in order to stage attacks on civilians and soldiers. Other tunnels are used by the terror group as part of its defensive infrastructure.The Strip has been subject to a blockade by both Egypt and Israel, designed in part to prevent the terror group from importing arms and building new tunnels reinforced with concrete.Hamas has built dozens of tunnels into Israel, many of which were used to carry out attacks during their 2014 war. The IDF said it destroyed over 30 tunnels during Operation Protective Edge, but officials have expressed fear the terror group is seeking to rebuild the infrastructure.In December, 14 Gazans were rescued after a smuggling tunnel they were working in on the Egyptian border collapsed following deliberate flooding by Egypt.The tunnel, located in the area of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, was being used to smuggle goods across the border when it was flooded and collapsed, sparking an hours-long rescue effort by emergency crews.According to Palestinian media reports, the 14 were trapped and feared dead but managed to reach an unflooded section of the tunnel. They were then pulled to the surface by rescue crews from Gaza’s civil defense agency.Egypt has embarked on a massive campaign aimed at stemming cross-border smuggling between Gaza and Sinai, where they are fighting an insurgency by Islamist militants.The operation has included flooding hundreds of tunnels that once dotted the border region, and building a 500-meter-wide buffer zone filled with seawater.
Israel says Hamas recruits Gazans with travel permits for terror-IDF liaison in territories warns authorities may close border altogether if abuse of system persists-By Lee Gancman January 27, 2016, 12:26 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) threatened in remarks published Tuesday to close all crossings with the Gaza Strip should Hamas continue to recruit workers entering Israel “for terrorist purposes.”“Hamas is exploiting the permits given to workers, those going to the West Bank, and those going to Israel, for the purpose of terrorism,” the Palestinian daily Al-Quds quoted Major-General Yoav Mordechai as saying. “This is going to make the Israeli authorities think twice before issuing permits, and we will perhaps close the border for entry by all Gazans, if Hamas continues this policy.”Mordechai did not elaborate on exactly how the permits were being used by Hamas in terror activities.He continued: “It appears that Hamas is preparing for war and does not care for the well-being of Gazans. They are recruiting merchants, and this places an obstacle in the way of the economic plan put forward by the Israeli government and prevents those who come into Israel from praying at the Al-Aqsa mosque every Friday.”This “Israeli plan,” he explained, “seeks to alleviate the economic hardship and support the economy in Gaza, but this is being exploited by Hamas, and this acts against the interest of Gazans.”He added that “Following the last war in Gaza, Israel adopted a policy to stimulate the economy of Gaza” and “issued 100 thousand entry permits during the year 2015 — including for health, business, and religious reasons.”According to a 2015 report, prepared ahead of the biannual meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), which coordinates international donor support for the Palestinians, unemployment in Gaza increased in 2014 “to reach 44 percent — probably the highest in the world.”This is in addition to the poverty rate in the Palestinian territory hovering around 39%, despite the fact that nearly four out of every five Gazans receive “some aid.”“Gaza’s unemployment and poverty figures are very troubling and the economic outlook is worrying,” the World Bank quoted Palestinian territories director Steen Lau Jorgensen as saying.For his part, Mordechai added “Hamas has imposed fees and taxes on all trucks that enter the strip, as well as on permits. These go towards supporting Hamas’s activities and building their capabilities rather than to building schools and institutions.”Judah Ari Gross contributed to this article.
US envoy to UN condemns recent West Bank terror-Samantha Power says while US ‘strongly opposes settlement activity,’ it ‘can never in itself be an excuse for violence’-By Times of Israel staff January 26, 2016, 11:24 pm
US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power on Tuesday condemned recent Palestinian terror attacks in the West Bank that left two Israelis dead, as well as incitement to violence within the Palestinian Authority.Dafna Meir, 38, was killed last week when a Palestinian teen broke into her house in Otniel and stabbed her to death in front of her children. Shlomit Krigman, 23, was laid to rest Tuesday in Jerusalem, close to Meir’s grave, a day after she was stabbed in an attack in Beit Horon.Power also condemned the recent Israeli announcement on the establishment of a new settlement in the Etzion settlement bloc, Israel Radio reported. But, she told the Security Council, while the United States “strongly opposes settlement activity” it believes that “settlement activity can never in itself be an excuse for violence.”Power’s comments came after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that Palestinian terrorism was a reaction to the conditions of Palestinians in the West Bank. “As oppressed peoples have demonstrated throughout the ages, it is human nature to react to occupation,” the UN chief said, sparking outrage in Israel.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the remarks, and accused Ban of “stoking terror.”“There is no justification for terrorism,” Netanyahu said. “The Palestinian terrorists don’t want to build a state; they want to destroy a state, and they say that proudly. They want to murder Jews everywhere and they state that proudly. They don’t murder for peace and they don’t murder for human rights.”The UN has “lost its neutrality and its moral force, and these statements by the Secretary-General do nothing to improve its situation,” Netanyahu said shortly after the remarks, in a Hebrew video statement. The remarks, the prime minister said, “stoke terror.”Ban had attributed the terror attacks in the past four months, in which more than 25 Israelis have been killed, to “Palestinian frustration.”“Stabbings, vehicle attacks, and shootings by Palestinians targeting Israeli civilians – all of which I condemn — and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, have continued to claim lives,” Ban had said earlier in the day at a session of the UN Security Council.
Israel interested in ties with Sudan, deputy defense minister says-Eli Ben Dahan calls for expulsion of terrorists’ families, even in violation of international law. ‘Killing Jews is also illegal,’ he argues-By Raphael Ahren January 26, 2016, 7:52 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Israel is interested in establishing ties with as many countries as possible, including with Sudan, Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben Dahan said Tuesday.“We don’t have to be different than the entire Western world. The Western world — the US and Europe — have relations with Sudan, and with Saudi Arabia and other countries. I don’t think we need to be any different,” Ben Dahan told The Times of Israel. “The State of Israel can contribute a lot to Sudan, in many areas.”Ben Dahan’s comments mark the first response from an Israeli official to possibility, surprisingly raised last week by the Muslim African state’s foreign minister earlier this month, after decades of open hostility between Jerusalem and Khartoum.“We don’t mind to study any such proposal,” Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said on January 14, according to local reports, referring to an American to demand for Sudan to normalize ties with Israel as a precondition for lifting sanctions on the regime. Israel’s Foreign Ministry refuses to comment on the matter.Led by President Omar al-Bashir since 1989, Sudan has been a vicious enemy of the Jewish state and a staunch ally of Iran, but recently had a falling out with Tehran over the latter’s involvement in Yemen. Earlier this month, Sudan cut diplomatic ties with Iran, following Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and other Sunni states. In 2009, Bashir was indicted by the International Criminal Court for atrocities committed in Darfur.Jerusalem’s foreign policy should be based on national interests and realpolitik, and disregard a potential ally’s political regime or human rights record, he indicated.“We don’t get involved in what happens in other states,” said Ben Dahan, a member of the religious-right wing Jewish Home party. Israel rejects criticism from other countries regarding controversial legislation and so it doesn’t interfere with happens in other countries, he added. “Our foreign policy is not such that we tell other countries what kind of government they should have and how they deal with their citizens.”Jerusalem is also keen on normalizing ties with the Arab world, Ben Dahan said, rejecting, however, the often-made assertion that such a scenario is dependant on the creation of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 lines. “Israel’s contribution to the Arab world could be enormous. The Arab world loses out by not having ties with Israel and by not receiving everything the State of Israel has to offer. But it’s entirely unrelated to a Palestinian state.”Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long hailed the unspoken alliance between the Jewish state and many moderate Sunni Arab countries. Last week, he went as far as calling on the European Union to abandon its current policies vis-a-vis Israel and replace them with the moderate Arab world’s position, a statement Ben Dahan said he fails to comprehend.Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, Netanyahu said he requested of his European friends that EU policies “merely reflect now the prevailing Arab policy to Israel and the Palestinians.”In a subsequent meeting with the EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, the prime minister reiterated this message. “Netanyahu told Mogherini that the US has to adopt the moderate Arab states’s policies vis-a-vis Israel because the improvement in ties with them leads to an improvement with the Palestinians,” his office said in a statement.“I really don’t understand what the prime minister said,” Ben Dahan said. “It’s not clear to me.” While Israel’s relationship with the EU has been rocky in recent years, due to the union’s unabated desire to push Israel toward a two-state solution, it is still “very important,” he added. Ties between Brussels and Jerusalem are “not at all like [our relationship] with the Arab states: [in Europe,] we have diplomatic relations, there are ambassadors, there is dialogue, and cooperation and many areas.”The Europeans “dream that they can build here a Palestinian state. And that doesn’t really work out. It’s not happening, so they are in a difficult situation,” the deputy minister added. The EU’s frustration over the stalemate leads them to initiate punitive steps such as the labeling of settlement goods, which caused tensions, he said. “But still, it is impossible to compare the relations we have with them to those we have with the Arab countries. We have no diplomatic relations with Arab countries besides Jordan and Egypt. It’s not at all similar.”‘We are all in emergency mode. These are no ordinary days’Speaking to The Times of Israel in his Knesset office, Ben Dahan also discussed his proposal to stop the current terror wave and his vision for the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel, he said, should start deporting the families of Palestinian terrorists to Gaza, which he insists would immediately bring the current series of attacks to a halt.“The only way [to stop the terrorists] is to deter them. To explain to [potential terrorists] that at the end of the day, if they carry out an attack, their families will be greatly damaged. I don’t think there is a greater damage than to expel them.”Acknowledging that such measures would likely be opposed by the Supreme Court and might violate international law, Ben Dahan nonetheless said that he sees no issues with expelling family members of terrorists, since they were usually implied or had previous knowledge of his or her deeds.As opposed to previous popular uprisings, or intifadas, the wave of terror attacks currently raging in Israel and the West Bank is not organized by a central terrorist group, but is the work of unconnected individuals “who get up in the morning one day and decide to attack Jews,” Ben Dahan said. Thus the only way to effectively combat this phenomenon is to increase deterrence, he argued.The government has already introduced harsher penalties for the parents of minors caught throwing stones and stepped up efforts to speedily destroy the houses of terrorists, the deputy defense minister said.“In addition to all of this, I saw we should expel the family [of an attacker] abroad. That does not yet exist in Israel,” he said. Israel used to do this but stopped due to the courts’ intervention.“There is no law in Israel that bars the deportation of terrorists’ families, therefore implementing his proposal would merely contradict “a decision of the court,” he argued.“I think that the court also needs to understand that this is a time of emergency,” the 61-year-old ordained rabbi said. “Just like the army, the police and the border police are all in emergency mode — we are all in emergency mode. Everyone understands that these are no ordinary days.”Ben Dahan, a former deputy religious affairs minister, said he was unfazed by the possibility that his proposal could be considered collective punishment, hence constitute a violation of international law. “Killing Jews is also illegal. To kill a woman in her house is also illegal. Attacking a pregnant women is also illegal,” he said, referring to recent terror attacks in Otniel and Tekoa, respectively.‘You would go up to them and say, Mister, your son has killed a woman in Otniel so you and your children tomorrow morning will go on a truck, we will give you entry ticket to Gaza’-According to the Oslo Accords, the West Bank and Gaza are one entity, and therefore it should not be seen as dramatic to deport a Palestinian family from, for instance, the South Hebron mountains in the West Bank to Rafah in Gaza, he added.“You would go up to them and say, Mister, your son has killed a woman in Otniel so you and your children tomorrow morning will go on a truck, we will give you entry ticket to Gaza,” he said. “I am telling you that it’s enough to do it once — it’ll be enough. It won’t take more than that. The terror will stop.”Prime Minister Netanyahu and even Ben Dahan’s own party leader, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, have so far not called for the expulsion of terrorists’ family to Gaza — apparently they believe it impossible due to international pressure or legal constraints, Ben Dahan surmised.He also acknowledged that his Jewish Home colleague, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, says that there is no chance that the legal establishment would agree to such a proposal. “Therefore it is not advanced. I trust in Ayelet that when she says that this is [the party’s position.] I think we should change [that position].Prospective criticism by the international community is a legitimate concern, the deputy defense minister allowed, but maintained the expected benefit would justify it. “If we do it once and it’ll prevent the next terror attack — then i think it’s worth it.”Dismissing expected criticism of his plan, Ben Dahan accused the international community, including the United States, of “hypocrisy” and a “double standard.”“If the Americans want, they go [for their enemies] in massive way, kill civilians, they don’t care about anything,” he said, mentioning instances in which US troops accidentally killed scores of civilians.Ben Dahan, like other members of his Jewish Home faction, rejects Palestinian statehood and calls for the annexation of the West Bank to Israel. But while party leader Bennett’s plan sees Israel annexing only Area C, which makes up about 60 percent of the West Bank, Ben Dahan advocates applying Israeli sovereignty over the entire territory.“I think the part of our problem is that the Palestinians here are not sure that we want to stay here,” he said. Soon West Bank Palestinians will have lived under Israeli control for 50 years, and still yearn for independence, which “means they are thinking maybe it’s not clear, maybe we [the Jews] will be here [forever, or] maybe not.”‘The two-state solution is a dream that nobody really dreams anymore’Arabs stopped calling on Israel to return the Golan Heights to Syria soon after Israel’s annexation, added Ben Dahan, who was born in Morocco and came to Israel as a child. “Nobody talks about it anymore. If only we said today in all clarity that we will stay here in Judea and Samaria [West Bank] forever, it’s ours, the Arabs would understand [and ask themselves,] if this is the reality, what’s do we do? Either we deal with it, or we go to a different place, or we fight. But things would be different. As soon as you know exactly what the second side wants, the dreams start to fade away.”The vast majority of Israelis no longer believe in a two-state solution — even opposition leader and Zionist Union head Isaac Herzog admitted that it is currently not attainable, Ben Dahan said.Herzog “understands very well that this dream will certainly not come to pass in the coming years.” While it is hard to openly abandon the two-state solution, which he clung on to for so long, he does not really believe in it anymore, Ben Dahan posited. “It’s a dream that nobody really dreams anymore.”If Israel were to annex the entire West Bank, Palestinians living there should be encouraged to emigrate, he said. “I think the government should help Palestinians [leave], offer them $50,000 so that they go.” Whoever wants to stay could apply for Israeli citizenship — but only after a decade and if they pass some sort of loyalty test, Ben Dahan said. All Western countries today require such tests before allowing foreigners to obtain citizenship, he argued.“I say we don’t have to be better than the Americans,” he said.Ten years after Israel’s annexation, the state would assess each applicant’s conduct and decide whether he or she were eligible for Israeli citizenship, according to the deputy minister’s proposal. “Let’s see how you act. Let’s see if in your family there are terrorists or not. Let’s see what your attitude toward the state is, whether you understand that this is the Jews’ country or not. We will test you after 10 years and see. If yes, you’ll obtain Israeli citizenship. Why not?”
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