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
Netanyahu said to curtail working ties with Security Council nations-PM orders cabinet members to minimize visits to countries, deny ambassadors access to Foreign Ministry-By Times of Israel staff December 25, 2016, 9:20 pm
In a further response to a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday reportedly ordered the Foreign Ministry to suspend all working ties with 12 of the countries that voted in favor of the decision.The move came after 10 ambassadors were summoned, at Netanyahu’s instruction, to the Foreign Ministry for an upbraiding over Friday’s vote.Foreign ministers from the countries, all of which Israel has diplomatic ties with, will no longer be able to meet with Netanyahu — who is also foreign minister — or Foreign Ministry officials, Haaretz reported, citing a senior Israeli official.In addition, travel by Israeli ministers to the countries will be kept to a minimum, an official said.Of the 15 countries on the UN Security Council, 14 voted in favor of Resolution 2334, which demands a halt to all Israeli settlement activity, with one abstention, that of the US.Activities involving the embassies of Britain, France, Russia, China, Japan, Ukraine, Angola, Egypt, Uruguay, Spain, Senegal and New Zealand will be suspended, and the ambassadors of those countries will not be received at Israel’s Foreign Ministry, an official said.However, the official noted that the suspension doesn’t apply to Israeli ambassadors in the 12 countries, who will be permitted to continue working with the governments of their host nations.Earlier, a spokesman for the prime minister denied that he intends to cancel a meeting next month with British Prime Minister Theresa May in response to the resolution. No such meeting was ever scheduled, the spokesman said.Israel’s Channel 10 reported that Netanyahu had been scheduled to meet with May at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos between January 17 and 20.Netanyahu on Sunday summoned US Ambassador Dan Shapiro for a meeting for “clarifications” over Washington’s failure to use its veto.Netanyahu, who has publicly accused US President Barack Obama of “ambushing” Israel at the UN with the “shameful” resolution, reportedly told colleagues earlier Sunday that the diplomatic tussle was not yet over. He now fears that the US will seek another vote at the UN to enshrine some of Secretary of State John Kerry’s suggested parameters for an accord, Israel’s Channel 2 news reported on Sunday evening. There was no immediate confirmation of that report.Earlier Sunday, Netanyahu ordered the Foreign Ministry to summon the ambassadors of the states that supported the anti-settlement resolution for a dressing-down. Ten envoys were called in on Christmas morning for scoldings from directors of the Foreign Ministry’s respective regional departments, spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon said.Senegal and New Zealand do not have embassies in Israel. Venezuela and Malaysia do not have diplomatic relations with Israel and so are not affected by Israel’s diplomatic response to the vote.In the case of Great Britain and Spain, the deputy ambassadors were summoned because their respective bosses are currently not in the country.Netanyahu also reiterated his vow to curtail funding to various UN agencies and to take “additional” measures to punish states that supported the resolution. He said he had ordered a report from the Foreign Ministry to be given to the cabinet within 30 days reassessing Israel’s entire relationship with the United Nations.
Fearing UN vote on principles of Palestinian statehood, PM ‘reaching out to Trump’-TV reports: Netanyahu is wary that Kerry will set out parameters for permanent accord, then outgoing Obama administration will seek Security Council approval-By Times of Israel staff December 25, 2016, 9:44 pm
Amid escalating fallout from the UN Security Council vote Friday that condemned Israel’s settlement activities, a furious Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reported on Sunday night to be attempting to “recruit” the incoming Trump administration and the US Congress to block a feared bid by the outgoing Obama administration to have the Security Council approve principles for a Palestinian state.“They are spitting at us,” Netanyahu has told colleagues behind closed doors, Channel 2 news reported. “We will respond forcefully.”Netanyahu held a 40-minute meeting with US Ambassador Dan Shapiro on Sunday evening, having summoned the envoy to explain why the US abstained in the vote on Resolution 2334, enabling it to pass 14-0, rather than vetoing it. He had earlier summoned the envoys of the 12 nations with representatives in Israel that voted for the resolution for a dressing-down at the Foreign Ministry.Underlining Israel’s determination to press ahead with building beyond the pre-1967 lines, the Jerusalem municipality will this week approve some new homes in Ramat Shlomo and Ramot, neighborhoods captured in 1967 and subsequently annexed by Israel as part of Jerusalem, Channel 2 news reported.Netanyahu is now reaching out to the incoming Trump administration, which takes office on January 20, and to friends in Congress, in the hope of “deterring” what he sees as further potential Obama administration-led diplomatic action against Israel, the Channel 2 report said. His aim is for the Trump team to make plain that his administration will “economically hurt” those countries that voted against Israel in the UN and that do so in the future.Netanyahu’s fear is that Secretary of State John Kerry will set out principles or parameters for a Palestinian state in a speech that he has said he will deliver in the next few days on his Middle East vision. The prime minister fears that, in its final days, the Obama administration will seek to have a resolution enshrining those parameters adopted by the UN Security Council, the report said.France is to hold a conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on January 15, and Netanyahu expects that Kerry will attend, that the Middle East Quartet — the US, UN, Russia and EU — will coordinate their positions at that summit, and that they will then turn to the Security Council in the very last days of the Obama presidency, a Channel 10 report further suggested.Such speculation was not confirmed by the Prime Minister’s Office, but Netanyahu has made public his outrage at the Obama administration several times since Resolution 2334 was passed, claiming that the president initiated and helped draft the resolution “behind Israel’s back.” He has variously called the resolution skewed, shameful and ridiculous — in part because it brands Jerusalem’s Old City, including the Temple Mount and Western Wall, “occupied Palestinian territory.”Lighting festive Hanukkah candles at the Western Wall on Sunday night, Netanyahu stressed that Israel “cannot accept” the UN resolution, and asked: “How could they vote that [the Western Wall] is occupied territory? We were here much earlier.”In an address on Saturday night, Netanyahu had likened President Barack Obama to the former president Jimmy Carter, who he said was “deeply hostile” to Israel. He described the vote in the Security Council as “the swan song of the old world that is anti-Israel.” Now, he said, “we are entering a new era. And as President-elect Trump said, it’s going to happen a lot faster than people think.” In this new era, it will be a lot more costly for those who seek to harm Israel, he warned.The prime minister was also widely reported Sunday to have either canceled or opted not to schedule a meeting with Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos next month; his spokesman said no such meeting had ever been arranged. He was also said to have chosen not to schedule a meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping. He has already recalled Israel’s ambassadors from Senegal and New Zealand, two of the four countries that co-sponsored the resolution. (Israel has no ties with the other two sponsors, Malaysia and Venezuela.) Netanyahu also reportedly told his cabinet ministers at a meeting on Sunday morning to reduce to a minimum their engagement with all the countries that voted for the resolution and with which Israel has ties — China, Russia, France, the UK, Spain, Egypt, Angola, Ukraine, Uruguay, Japan, New Zealand and Senegal. They were told to minimize any visits to those countries, and that he would not receive visits from their foreign ministers.On Saturday, Netanyahu canceled this week’s scheduled visit to Israel of Ukraine’s prime minister.Addressing the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem Sunday, Netanyahu reiterated his staunch opposition to Resolution 2334.“We have no doubt that the Obama administration initiated it, stood behind it, coordinated its versions and insisted upon its passage,” he said.
Palestinians deny Israel scaling back ties over UN vote-Defense minister’s directive to limit cooperation after anti-settlement resolution is making no difference on the ground, PA officials say-By Avi Issacharoff December 25, 2016, 6:34 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Palestinian officials asserted Sunday that Israel did not curtail coordination with the PA, casting doubt on the significance of an assertion by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman that he had instructed the IDF to cut civilian ties over a United Nations resolution condemning settlements.According to Army Radio, Liberman on Saturday ordered the IDF and the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which is responsible for implementing Israel government policies in the West Bank, to cease all contact with political representatives of the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian civilians, as well as end all cooperation on political and civilian matters.Liberman’s statement was part of the diplomatic fallout following the passage of the resolution at the UN Security Council on Friday.But a senior official in the Palestinian Authority told The Times of Israel that meetings between Israel and the Palestinian Authority on civilian matters were continuing as usual. Furthermore, he said that the Palestinians had not received any notification that such interactions were to be suspended.The spokesperson said that there were no discussions of larger policy issues happening anyway, so that the only ongoing meetings were about matters such as water and electricity, which were taking place as usual.In response, a spokesperson for the Defense Ministry told The Times of Israel that Liberman’s directive applied only to meetings between the IDF and political representatives of the Palestinian Authority.The spokesperson stressed that security coordination would continue as usual along with ongoing practical matters including agriculture, water and the economy.The Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for clarification as to which specific activities were being suspended.The United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 was drafted in part by the Palestinians, who finalized the measure with the help of Egyptian and Arab diplomats last week.The UN measure declares that Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has “no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.”The resolution was passed Friday evening by a 14-0 majority, with only the United States abstaining. Israeli officials have lashed out at the countries that proposed and backed the measure as well as the United States, which it accused of secretly initiating the resolution.While Liberman’s order on Saturday was an ostensible first step against the Palestinians following the approval of the resolution, Israel has already taken a number of retaliatory measures against the states that supported its passage, including recalling envoys from New Zealand and Senegal, two of the co-sponsors of the resolution.In addition, on Sunday afternoon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned US Ambassador Dan Shapiro for “clarifications” over the failure of the US to veto the resolution, and reportedly canceled a meeting with his British counterpart, Theresa May, that was planned for next month.
Senegal defends its UN Israel settlement vote-Spokesman says his country has supported Palestinian rights since 1975, international community and Muslim nations salute its stance-By AFP December 25, 2016, 9:02 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal on Sunday defended its vote at the UN Security Council to halt Israeli settlements in Palestinian-claimed territory, after Israel decided to recall its ambassador to Dakar and to suspend its aid program.“Senegal’s position must be saluted. The international community hails Senegal’s stance, especially the Muslim nations,” government spokesman Seydou Gueye said in a statement carried by national television.“Senegal abided by its diplomatic vision. Since 1975, Senegal has been a member of the (UN) Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People,” Gueye said.Asked about Israel’s suspension of all its aid programs in the west African nation, the spokesman said the government had not yet been officially informed of the decision.“When it is informed of such a decision, it will issue a response,” Gueye said.He did not comment on Israel’s move to recall its ambassador to Dakar.Senegal, one of the UN Security Council’s 10 non-permanent members, re-established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1995.The landmark UN resolution was passed Friday after the United States abstained.That enabled the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy.The vote came despite intense lobbying efforts by Israel and calls from US President-elect Donald Trump to block the text.It was scheduled at the request of New Zealand, Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela, which stepped in after Egypt put the draft resolution on hold.After the resolution passed, Israel recalled its ambassadors to Senegal and New Zealand for consultations.It has no diplomatic relations with Venezuela or Malaysia, which also voted for the resolution.In another act of protest, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also decided to cancel a visit by Senegal’s foreign minister set for January.While the resolution contains no sanctions, Israeli officials are concerned it could widen the possibility of prosecution at the International Criminal Court.They are also worried it could encourage some countries to impose sanctions against Israeli settlers and goods produced in the settlements.
UN chief: Security Council resolution on settlements showed ‘leadership’-Ban Ki-moon hails ‘significant step,’ urges Israeli, Palestinians to get back to negotiating table-By Times of Israel staff December 24, 2016, 3:51 am
The United Nations’ Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that the anti-settlements resolution passed earlier in the day at the Security Council with a US abstention was “a significant step” that showed leadership and demonstrated the “international community’s collective efforts to reconfirm” the vision of a two-state solution.Ban also urged Israelis and Palestinians to work toward creating an environment that would allow a return to the negotiating table, and said that the UN would “support all concerned parties in achieving this goal.”“The resolution is a significant step, demonstrating the Council’s much-needed leadership and the international community’s collective efforts to reconfirm that the vision of two states is still achievable,” Ban said in a statement, adding that he was taking the “opportunity to encourage Israeli and Palestinian leaders to work with the international community to create a conducive environment for a return to meaningful negotiations.”Earlier Friday, the Security Council voted 14-0 to demand that Israel halt settlement activity, with the United States taking the rare step of refraining from wielding its veto to protect its closest Mideast ally.Israel reacted furiously to the move, accusing the US of “abandoning” the Jewish State, of engaging in unfriendly behavior, and of cooperating with the UN against Israel.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “Israel categorically rejects the despicable anti-Israeli resolution at the UN, and will not adhere to it.”“The Obama administration not only failed to defend Israel from this harassment at the UN, it cooperated with it behind the scenes,” the PM added bitterly.In a barely veiled final repudiation of the administration with which Netanyahu has clashed so often, his office said Israel was “looking forward to working with President-elect [Donald] Trump and with our friends in Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, to undo the damage of this absurd resolution.”The Obama administration, for its part, shot back that Washington’s refusal to yield its veto power at the Security Council, allowing the measure to pass, came as a result of the Netanyahu government’s policies.“Netanyahu had the opportunity to pursue policies that would have led to a different outcome today,” said Obama adviser Ben Rhodes on a media conference call Friday, after citing US governmental figures on settlement growth in the West Bank and mentioning the Israeli premier’s past statements on his government’s allegiance to the settlement movement.Rhodes said that settlement activity “accelerated considerably” since the US vetoed a similar UN resolution in 2011, leading the US to believe that taking the same course of action — absent ongoing peace talks — would not yield different results.“In the absence of any meaningful peace process, as well as in the accelerated settlement activity,” he said, “we took the decision that we did today to abstain on the resolution.”Trump issued a curt warning Friday afternoon that his administration could take an adversarial approach to the international body.“As to the UN, things will be different after Jan. 20th,” the president-elect tweeted shortly after the Security Council passed the resolution.Eric Cortellessa contributed to this report.
Vote on Israel could spur further action, or trouble for UN-Security Council decision poses dangers for the UN with incoming Trump administration and may harden Israel’s attitude toward concessions-By Edith M. Lederer, Bradley Klapper and Josef Federman December 24, 2016, 10:11 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The US green light that allowed the UN Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem could spur moves toward new terms to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But it also poses dangers for the United Nations with the incoming Trump administration and may harden Israel’s attitude toward concessions.The Obama administration’s decision to abstain and allow the UN’s most powerful body to approve a long-sought resolution calling Israeli settlements “a flagrant violation under international law” was a sharp rebuke to a longstanding ally and a striking rupture with past US vetoes.US Ambassador Samantha Power said “it is because this resolution reflects the facts on the ground — and is consistent with US policy across Republican and Democratic administrations throughout the history of the state of Israel — that the United States did not veto it.”She cited a 1982 statement by then-President Ronald Reagan that the United States “will not support the use of any additional land for the purpose of settlements” and that “settlement activity is in no way necessary for the security of Israel.”The Security Council vote Friday, however, was anything but routine for Washington, which traditionally vetoes all resolutions related to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict on grounds that differences must be solved through negotiations. It was the first resolution on the conflict approved during President Barack Obama’s nearly eight years in office and shone a spotlight on his icy relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.The US decision to abstain on the 14-0 vote followed months of intensely secret deliberations in Washington, a spate of fresh Israeli settlement announcements that sparked exasperation and anger from American officials, and recent attempts by Israel’s government to have parliament legalize thousands of homes built on privately owned Palestinian land.After Egypt suddenly postponed a scheduled vote on the resolution Thursday, reportedly under pressure from Israel and supporters of US President-elect Donald Trump, four new sponsors stepped up and pushed it through — Malaysia, New Zealand, Venezuela and Senegal, each representing a different region and reflecting the wide support for the measure.Trump demanded that Obama veto the resolution and tweeted after the vote, “As to the UN, things will be different after Jan. 20th” — when Trump takes office.It would be virtually impossible, however, for Trump to overturn the resolution. It would require a new resolution with support from at least nine members in the 15-member Security Council and no veto by one of the other permanent members — Russia, China, Britain or France, all of whom supported Friday’s resolution.Republicans, who control Congress, immediately threatened consequences. Sen. Lindsay Graham, who heads the Senate panel in charge of US payments to the UN, said he would “form a bipartisan coalition to suspend or significantly reduce” funding. He added that countries receiving US aid could also be penalized for supporting the resolution.Under UN rules, failure to pay dues leads to the loss of voting privileges in the General Assembly.The vote on settlements sparked behind-the-scenes discussion in the usually divided Security Council on what else might be achieved on the Israeli-Palestinian issue while Obama is still in the White House.New Zealand has been pressing for the council to consider a resolution that would set out the parameters for a settlement of the conflict, and its draft ideas remain on the table.But Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon warned the council after the vote that the resolution would not spur peace efforts.“By voting ‘yes’ in favor of this resolution, you have in fact voted ‘no,'” Danon said. “You voted ‘no’ to negotiations. You voted ‘no’ to progress, and a chance for better lives for Israelis and Palestinians. And you voted ‘no’ to the possibility of peace.”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately retaliated against some of the nations that proposed Friday’s resolution. He recalled his nation’s ambassadors to New Zealand and Senegal for consultations, canceled a planned January visit to Israel by Senegal’s foreign minister and ended Israeli aid programs to the West African nation.“Israel rejects this shameful anti-Israel resolution at the UN and will not abide by its terms,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.The Israeli leader blamed Obama for failing to “protect Israel against this gang-up at the UN” and even colluding with its detractors. He said, “Israel looks forward to working with President-elect Trump and with all our friends in Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, to negate the harmful effects of this absurd resolution.”By contrast, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat hailed the result as a “victory for the justice of the Palestinian cause.” He said Trump’s choice was now between “international legitimacy” or siding with “settlers and extremists.”Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, urged the Security Council to “stand firm by this decision” and “not be cowed by negative threats or spin.”
King of Bahrain hosts menorah-lighting ceremony-Video of rabbis and kaffiyeh-clad Muslims dancing to Hasidic songs in Arab monarchy goes viral-By Times of Israel staff December 25, 2016, 10:12 pm
The small Muslim monarchy of Bahrain hosted a ceremony to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah, and the resulting video of kaffiyeh-wearing sheikhs dancing with Orthodox Jews to Hasidic music has been going viral on Facebook.On Saturday night, the kingdom, ruled by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, held a candle-lighting ceremony in which Jews, businesspeople and other Bahraini people took part.Bahrain, a group of islands in Persian gulf with a population of 1.4 million, is the only Arab gulf state that has a synagogue. The country had a Jewish population of some 1,500 Jews in 1948. However, after the declaration of the State of Israel many left, and almost all those who remained followed suit after 1967’s Six Day War. Today there are less than 50 Jews in the country.The kingdom is also unique in that its ambassador to the US from 2008-2010 was Houda Nonoo, a Jewish woman who had formerly served in the nation’s parliament.Last year was the first time that the king of Bahrain marked Hanukkah. He invited Conference of European Rabbis Director Rabbi Moshe Levin, who recited the traditional blessings while lighting the candles, and sang a verse of “Ma’oz Tzur,” the traditional Hanukkah hymn. Some 50 Jews were present for the ceremony.At that time the king welcomed his guests, saying that “the call to war against terror needs to come from the leaders of all the religions as one. Here in Bahrain members of all the religions live with no fear, and we will continue to allow Jews to live peacefully and quietly, maintaining their lifestyle, their customs and the commandments of their religion without any fear.”
Firefighters gain control of Haifa oil refinery blaze-After hours of intense efforts, teams quell massive fire that threatened to spread to other chemical tanks-By Times of Israel staff December 25, 2016, 10:16 pm
After battling the flames for several hours, firefighters said Sunday evening they had gained control of a massive blaze in a gasoline tank at a Haifa refinery that had been raging since morning.Emergency crews warned that, despite containing the fire, work to extinguish it completely would continue long into the night.The huge fire sent bright orange flames and thick black smoke billowing into the air above the northern port city and threatened other installations at a large industrial complex.It was not immediately clear how the fire started.After testing air pollution levels and finding the results to be low, the Environmental Protection Ministry withdrew an earlier warning instructing local residents to remain indoors.Police briefly closed main traffic arteries near the Haifa industrial zone as dozens of firefighting teams attempted to keep the flames under the control.“It is a very serious incident. Our main aim at the moment is to stop the fire spreading to other tanks that contain dangerous material,” Haifa fire services spokesman Yoram Levy told the Ynet news site.Levy said the tank held 1,000 cubic liters of gasoline and more than 40 firefighting teams were being sent to try and contain the blaze. Officials said a larger disaster was avoided as the tank, with a capacity of 10,000 cubic liters, was relatively empty.As thick black smoked filled the air above the city, many residents reported breathing difficulties, though rescue officials did not say if anyone needed treatment.The Haifa bay area, hemmed in by the Carmel Mountains, is home to some of the heaviest industry in the country, and residents there have long feared an incident that could endanger the city.The fire comes weeks after the city was ravaged by a series of wildfires that destroyed hundreds of homes and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. The city was also hit by heavy flooding earlier this month that killed one person.Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav said the municipality had repeatedly warned the government about the danger posed by the refinery and the area’s massive ammonia storage tank, which have been threatened as targets by the Hezbollah terror group.“We have repeatedly warned; we are tired of warning. This is just a small indication (of what could happen) but it is a wake-up call to the government of Israel,” he told Army Radio.On Sunday evening, dozens of Haifa residents held an impromptu protest calling for the facility to be relocated outside of the city.MK Ayman Odeh, head of the Joint (Arab) List, wrote on Twitter that the government should take action to fight the problems plaguing his hometown.“And doing something does not mean blaming the Arabs in the media again,” he wrote sarcastically, referring to accusations that the Haifa fires had been started as nationalistically motivated arson attacks.Recently, Haifa City Hall has tried to temporarily shut down the Carmel Olefins refinery after a series of mishaps in which dangerous pollutants were accidentally released into the air.Several studies have indicated that Haifa residents suffer from a slew of health-related problems, including higher rates of cancer and pollution-related disorders such as smaller-than-average heads and relatively low weight in newborns.
Pakistan makes nuclear threat to Israel, in response to fake news-Defense minister in Islamabad reacts to false news item featuring non-existent quote by ex-Israeli defense chief Ya’alon-By Times of Israel staff December 24, 2016, 1:29 pm
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif tweeted a veiled nuclear threat at Israel, apparently after taking affront at a fake news article where Israel purportedly warned Islamabad against meddling in Syria.“Israeli def min threatens nuclear retaliation presuming pak role in Syria against Daesh. Israel forgets Pakistan is a Nuclear state too,” the Pakistani minister tweeted on Friday.Israel Radio said Saturday that Asif was responding to a fake news story on the website AWDnews.com, which falsely reported that Israel responded to a Pakistani promise to send troops to Syria with a threat of nuclear attack.The unfounded story even mistakenly attributes the threat to Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. Ya’alon left the Defense Ministry in May and was replaced by current Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman.Israeli def min threatens nuclear retaliation presuming pak role in Syria against Daesh.Israel forgets Pakistan is a Nuclear state too AH— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) December 23, 2016-Israel has never publicly confirmed or denied possessing nuclear weapons, nor issued threats to use nuclear weapons. It would be beyond unlikely for it to brazenly threaten Pakistan that “we will destroy them with a nuclear attack,” as the report claimed that Ya’alon did on Tuesday. Such ostensible comments by Ya’alon would have caused major headlines worldwide.Asif’s tweet was roundly criticized on twitter, with many calling on him to act in a more responsible manner.“Oh Khawaja Saab, It’s a Fake News From Fake News Outlets. Act Like a Defense Minister,” wrote one commentator.It’s not the first time Asif has brandished his country’s nuclear arsenal.In September he threatened to use tactical nuclear weapons against arch-enemy India.
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
Netanyahu said to curtail working ties with Security Council nations-PM orders cabinet members to minimize visits to countries, deny ambassadors access to Foreign Ministry-By Times of Israel staff December 25, 2016, 9:20 pm
In a further response to a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday reportedly ordered the Foreign Ministry to suspend all working ties with 12 of the countries that voted in favor of the decision.The move came after 10 ambassadors were summoned, at Netanyahu’s instruction, to the Foreign Ministry for an upbraiding over Friday’s vote.Foreign ministers from the countries, all of which Israel has diplomatic ties with, will no longer be able to meet with Netanyahu — who is also foreign minister — or Foreign Ministry officials, Haaretz reported, citing a senior Israeli official.In addition, travel by Israeli ministers to the countries will be kept to a minimum, an official said.Of the 15 countries on the UN Security Council, 14 voted in favor of Resolution 2334, which demands a halt to all Israeli settlement activity, with one abstention, that of the US.Activities involving the embassies of Britain, France, Russia, China, Japan, Ukraine, Angola, Egypt, Uruguay, Spain, Senegal and New Zealand will be suspended, and the ambassadors of those countries will not be received at Israel’s Foreign Ministry, an official said.However, the official noted that the suspension doesn’t apply to Israeli ambassadors in the 12 countries, who will be permitted to continue working with the governments of their host nations.Earlier, a spokesman for the prime minister denied that he intends to cancel a meeting next month with British Prime Minister Theresa May in response to the resolution. No such meeting was ever scheduled, the spokesman said.Israel’s Channel 10 reported that Netanyahu had been scheduled to meet with May at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos between January 17 and 20.Netanyahu on Sunday summoned US Ambassador Dan Shapiro for a meeting for “clarifications” over Washington’s failure to use its veto.Netanyahu, who has publicly accused US President Barack Obama of “ambushing” Israel at the UN with the “shameful” resolution, reportedly told colleagues earlier Sunday that the diplomatic tussle was not yet over. He now fears that the US will seek another vote at the UN to enshrine some of Secretary of State John Kerry’s suggested parameters for an accord, Israel’s Channel 2 news reported on Sunday evening. There was no immediate confirmation of that report.Earlier Sunday, Netanyahu ordered the Foreign Ministry to summon the ambassadors of the states that supported the anti-settlement resolution for a dressing-down. Ten envoys were called in on Christmas morning for scoldings from directors of the Foreign Ministry’s respective regional departments, spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon said.Senegal and New Zealand do not have embassies in Israel. Venezuela and Malaysia do not have diplomatic relations with Israel and so are not affected by Israel’s diplomatic response to the vote.In the case of Great Britain and Spain, the deputy ambassadors were summoned because their respective bosses are currently not in the country.Netanyahu also reiterated his vow to curtail funding to various UN agencies and to take “additional” measures to punish states that supported the resolution. He said he had ordered a report from the Foreign Ministry to be given to the cabinet within 30 days reassessing Israel’s entire relationship with the United Nations.
Fearing UN vote on principles of Palestinian statehood, PM ‘reaching out to Trump’-TV reports: Netanyahu is wary that Kerry will set out parameters for permanent accord, then outgoing Obama administration will seek Security Council approval-By Times of Israel staff December 25, 2016, 9:44 pm
Amid escalating fallout from the UN Security Council vote Friday that condemned Israel’s settlement activities, a furious Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reported on Sunday night to be attempting to “recruit” the incoming Trump administration and the US Congress to block a feared bid by the outgoing Obama administration to have the Security Council approve principles for a Palestinian state.“They are spitting at us,” Netanyahu has told colleagues behind closed doors, Channel 2 news reported. “We will respond forcefully.”Netanyahu held a 40-minute meeting with US Ambassador Dan Shapiro on Sunday evening, having summoned the envoy to explain why the US abstained in the vote on Resolution 2334, enabling it to pass 14-0, rather than vetoing it. He had earlier summoned the envoys of the 12 nations with representatives in Israel that voted for the resolution for a dressing-down at the Foreign Ministry.Underlining Israel’s determination to press ahead with building beyond the pre-1967 lines, the Jerusalem municipality will this week approve some new homes in Ramat Shlomo and Ramot, neighborhoods captured in 1967 and subsequently annexed by Israel as part of Jerusalem, Channel 2 news reported.Netanyahu is now reaching out to the incoming Trump administration, which takes office on January 20, and to friends in Congress, in the hope of “deterring” what he sees as further potential Obama administration-led diplomatic action against Israel, the Channel 2 report said. His aim is for the Trump team to make plain that his administration will “economically hurt” those countries that voted against Israel in the UN and that do so in the future.Netanyahu’s fear is that Secretary of State John Kerry will set out principles or parameters for a Palestinian state in a speech that he has said he will deliver in the next few days on his Middle East vision. The prime minister fears that, in its final days, the Obama administration will seek to have a resolution enshrining those parameters adopted by the UN Security Council, the report said.France is to hold a conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on January 15, and Netanyahu expects that Kerry will attend, that the Middle East Quartet — the US, UN, Russia and EU — will coordinate their positions at that summit, and that they will then turn to the Security Council in the very last days of the Obama presidency, a Channel 10 report further suggested.Such speculation was not confirmed by the Prime Minister’s Office, but Netanyahu has made public his outrage at the Obama administration several times since Resolution 2334 was passed, claiming that the president initiated and helped draft the resolution “behind Israel’s back.” He has variously called the resolution skewed, shameful and ridiculous — in part because it brands Jerusalem’s Old City, including the Temple Mount and Western Wall, “occupied Palestinian territory.”Lighting festive Hanukkah candles at the Western Wall on Sunday night, Netanyahu stressed that Israel “cannot accept” the UN resolution, and asked: “How could they vote that [the Western Wall] is occupied territory? We were here much earlier.”In an address on Saturday night, Netanyahu had likened President Barack Obama to the former president Jimmy Carter, who he said was “deeply hostile” to Israel. He described the vote in the Security Council as “the swan song of the old world that is anti-Israel.” Now, he said, “we are entering a new era. And as President-elect Trump said, it’s going to happen a lot faster than people think.” In this new era, it will be a lot more costly for those who seek to harm Israel, he warned.The prime minister was also widely reported Sunday to have either canceled or opted not to schedule a meeting with Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos next month; his spokesman said no such meeting had ever been arranged. He was also said to have chosen not to schedule a meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping. He has already recalled Israel’s ambassadors from Senegal and New Zealand, two of the four countries that co-sponsored the resolution. (Israel has no ties with the other two sponsors, Malaysia and Venezuela.) Netanyahu also reportedly told his cabinet ministers at a meeting on Sunday morning to reduce to a minimum their engagement with all the countries that voted for the resolution and with which Israel has ties — China, Russia, France, the UK, Spain, Egypt, Angola, Ukraine, Uruguay, Japan, New Zealand and Senegal. They were told to minimize any visits to those countries, and that he would not receive visits from their foreign ministers.On Saturday, Netanyahu canceled this week’s scheduled visit to Israel of Ukraine’s prime minister.Addressing the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem Sunday, Netanyahu reiterated his staunch opposition to Resolution 2334.“We have no doubt that the Obama administration initiated it, stood behind it, coordinated its versions and insisted upon its passage,” he said.
Palestinians deny Israel scaling back ties over UN vote-Defense minister’s directive to limit cooperation after anti-settlement resolution is making no difference on the ground, PA officials say-By Avi Issacharoff December 25, 2016, 6:34 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Palestinian officials asserted Sunday that Israel did not curtail coordination with the PA, casting doubt on the significance of an assertion by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman that he had instructed the IDF to cut civilian ties over a United Nations resolution condemning settlements.According to Army Radio, Liberman on Saturday ordered the IDF and the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which is responsible for implementing Israel government policies in the West Bank, to cease all contact with political representatives of the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian civilians, as well as end all cooperation on political and civilian matters.Liberman’s statement was part of the diplomatic fallout following the passage of the resolution at the UN Security Council on Friday.But a senior official in the Palestinian Authority told The Times of Israel that meetings between Israel and the Palestinian Authority on civilian matters were continuing as usual. Furthermore, he said that the Palestinians had not received any notification that such interactions were to be suspended.The spokesperson said that there were no discussions of larger policy issues happening anyway, so that the only ongoing meetings were about matters such as water and electricity, which were taking place as usual.In response, a spokesperson for the Defense Ministry told The Times of Israel that Liberman’s directive applied only to meetings between the IDF and political representatives of the Palestinian Authority.The spokesperson stressed that security coordination would continue as usual along with ongoing practical matters including agriculture, water and the economy.The Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for clarification as to which specific activities were being suspended.The United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 was drafted in part by the Palestinians, who finalized the measure with the help of Egyptian and Arab diplomats last week.The UN measure declares that Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has “no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.”The resolution was passed Friday evening by a 14-0 majority, with only the United States abstaining. Israeli officials have lashed out at the countries that proposed and backed the measure as well as the United States, which it accused of secretly initiating the resolution.While Liberman’s order on Saturday was an ostensible first step against the Palestinians following the approval of the resolution, Israel has already taken a number of retaliatory measures against the states that supported its passage, including recalling envoys from New Zealand and Senegal, two of the co-sponsors of the resolution.In addition, on Sunday afternoon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned US Ambassador Dan Shapiro for “clarifications” over the failure of the US to veto the resolution, and reportedly canceled a meeting with his British counterpart, Theresa May, that was planned for next month.
Senegal defends its UN Israel settlement vote-Spokesman says his country has supported Palestinian rights since 1975, international community and Muslim nations salute its stance-By AFP December 25, 2016, 9:02 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal on Sunday defended its vote at the UN Security Council to halt Israeli settlements in Palestinian-claimed territory, after Israel decided to recall its ambassador to Dakar and to suspend its aid program.“Senegal’s position must be saluted. The international community hails Senegal’s stance, especially the Muslim nations,” government spokesman Seydou Gueye said in a statement carried by national television.“Senegal abided by its diplomatic vision. Since 1975, Senegal has been a member of the (UN) Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People,” Gueye said.Asked about Israel’s suspension of all its aid programs in the west African nation, the spokesman said the government had not yet been officially informed of the decision.“When it is informed of such a decision, it will issue a response,” Gueye said.He did not comment on Israel’s move to recall its ambassador to Dakar.Senegal, one of the UN Security Council’s 10 non-permanent members, re-established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1995.The landmark UN resolution was passed Friday after the United States abstained.That enabled the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy.The vote came despite intense lobbying efforts by Israel and calls from US President-elect Donald Trump to block the text.It was scheduled at the request of New Zealand, Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela, which stepped in after Egypt put the draft resolution on hold.After the resolution passed, Israel recalled its ambassadors to Senegal and New Zealand for consultations.It has no diplomatic relations with Venezuela or Malaysia, which also voted for the resolution.In another act of protest, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also decided to cancel a visit by Senegal’s foreign minister set for January.While the resolution contains no sanctions, Israeli officials are concerned it could widen the possibility of prosecution at the International Criminal Court.They are also worried it could encourage some countries to impose sanctions against Israeli settlers and goods produced in the settlements.
UN chief: Security Council resolution on settlements showed ‘leadership’-Ban Ki-moon hails ‘significant step,’ urges Israeli, Palestinians to get back to negotiating table-By Times of Israel staff December 24, 2016, 3:51 am
The United Nations’ Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that the anti-settlements resolution passed earlier in the day at the Security Council with a US abstention was “a significant step” that showed leadership and demonstrated the “international community’s collective efforts to reconfirm” the vision of a two-state solution.Ban also urged Israelis and Palestinians to work toward creating an environment that would allow a return to the negotiating table, and said that the UN would “support all concerned parties in achieving this goal.”“The resolution is a significant step, demonstrating the Council’s much-needed leadership and the international community’s collective efforts to reconfirm that the vision of two states is still achievable,” Ban said in a statement, adding that he was taking the “opportunity to encourage Israeli and Palestinian leaders to work with the international community to create a conducive environment for a return to meaningful negotiations.”Earlier Friday, the Security Council voted 14-0 to demand that Israel halt settlement activity, with the United States taking the rare step of refraining from wielding its veto to protect its closest Mideast ally.Israel reacted furiously to the move, accusing the US of “abandoning” the Jewish State, of engaging in unfriendly behavior, and of cooperating with the UN against Israel.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “Israel categorically rejects the despicable anti-Israeli resolution at the UN, and will not adhere to it.”“The Obama administration not only failed to defend Israel from this harassment at the UN, it cooperated with it behind the scenes,” the PM added bitterly.In a barely veiled final repudiation of the administration with which Netanyahu has clashed so often, his office said Israel was “looking forward to working with President-elect [Donald] Trump and with our friends in Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, to undo the damage of this absurd resolution.”The Obama administration, for its part, shot back that Washington’s refusal to yield its veto power at the Security Council, allowing the measure to pass, came as a result of the Netanyahu government’s policies.“Netanyahu had the opportunity to pursue policies that would have led to a different outcome today,” said Obama adviser Ben Rhodes on a media conference call Friday, after citing US governmental figures on settlement growth in the West Bank and mentioning the Israeli premier’s past statements on his government’s allegiance to the settlement movement.Rhodes said that settlement activity “accelerated considerably” since the US vetoed a similar UN resolution in 2011, leading the US to believe that taking the same course of action — absent ongoing peace talks — would not yield different results.“In the absence of any meaningful peace process, as well as in the accelerated settlement activity,” he said, “we took the decision that we did today to abstain on the resolution.”Trump issued a curt warning Friday afternoon that his administration could take an adversarial approach to the international body.“As to the UN, things will be different after Jan. 20th,” the president-elect tweeted shortly after the Security Council passed the resolution.Eric Cortellessa contributed to this report.
Vote on Israel could spur further action, or trouble for UN-Security Council decision poses dangers for the UN with incoming Trump administration and may harden Israel’s attitude toward concessions-By Edith M. Lederer, Bradley Klapper and Josef Federman December 24, 2016, 10:11 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The US green light that allowed the UN Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem could spur moves toward new terms to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But it also poses dangers for the United Nations with the incoming Trump administration and may harden Israel’s attitude toward concessions.The Obama administration’s decision to abstain and allow the UN’s most powerful body to approve a long-sought resolution calling Israeli settlements “a flagrant violation under international law” was a sharp rebuke to a longstanding ally and a striking rupture with past US vetoes.US Ambassador Samantha Power said “it is because this resolution reflects the facts on the ground — and is consistent with US policy across Republican and Democratic administrations throughout the history of the state of Israel — that the United States did not veto it.”She cited a 1982 statement by then-President Ronald Reagan that the United States “will not support the use of any additional land for the purpose of settlements” and that “settlement activity is in no way necessary for the security of Israel.”The Security Council vote Friday, however, was anything but routine for Washington, which traditionally vetoes all resolutions related to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict on grounds that differences must be solved through negotiations. It was the first resolution on the conflict approved during President Barack Obama’s nearly eight years in office and shone a spotlight on his icy relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.The US decision to abstain on the 14-0 vote followed months of intensely secret deliberations in Washington, a spate of fresh Israeli settlement announcements that sparked exasperation and anger from American officials, and recent attempts by Israel’s government to have parliament legalize thousands of homes built on privately owned Palestinian land.After Egypt suddenly postponed a scheduled vote on the resolution Thursday, reportedly under pressure from Israel and supporters of US President-elect Donald Trump, four new sponsors stepped up and pushed it through — Malaysia, New Zealand, Venezuela and Senegal, each representing a different region and reflecting the wide support for the measure.Trump demanded that Obama veto the resolution and tweeted after the vote, “As to the UN, things will be different after Jan. 20th” — when Trump takes office.It would be virtually impossible, however, for Trump to overturn the resolution. It would require a new resolution with support from at least nine members in the 15-member Security Council and no veto by one of the other permanent members — Russia, China, Britain or France, all of whom supported Friday’s resolution.Republicans, who control Congress, immediately threatened consequences. Sen. Lindsay Graham, who heads the Senate panel in charge of US payments to the UN, said he would “form a bipartisan coalition to suspend or significantly reduce” funding. He added that countries receiving US aid could also be penalized for supporting the resolution.Under UN rules, failure to pay dues leads to the loss of voting privileges in the General Assembly.The vote on settlements sparked behind-the-scenes discussion in the usually divided Security Council on what else might be achieved on the Israeli-Palestinian issue while Obama is still in the White House.New Zealand has been pressing for the council to consider a resolution that would set out the parameters for a settlement of the conflict, and its draft ideas remain on the table.But Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon warned the council after the vote that the resolution would not spur peace efforts.“By voting ‘yes’ in favor of this resolution, you have in fact voted ‘no,'” Danon said. “You voted ‘no’ to negotiations. You voted ‘no’ to progress, and a chance for better lives for Israelis and Palestinians. And you voted ‘no’ to the possibility of peace.”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately retaliated against some of the nations that proposed Friday’s resolution. He recalled his nation’s ambassadors to New Zealand and Senegal for consultations, canceled a planned January visit to Israel by Senegal’s foreign minister and ended Israeli aid programs to the West African nation.“Israel rejects this shameful anti-Israel resolution at the UN and will not abide by its terms,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.The Israeli leader blamed Obama for failing to “protect Israel against this gang-up at the UN” and even colluding with its detractors. He said, “Israel looks forward to working with President-elect Trump and with all our friends in Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, to negate the harmful effects of this absurd resolution.”By contrast, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat hailed the result as a “victory for the justice of the Palestinian cause.” He said Trump’s choice was now between “international legitimacy” or siding with “settlers and extremists.”Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, urged the Security Council to “stand firm by this decision” and “not be cowed by negative threats or spin.”
King of Bahrain hosts menorah-lighting ceremony-Video of rabbis and kaffiyeh-clad Muslims dancing to Hasidic songs in Arab monarchy goes viral-By Times of Israel staff December 25, 2016, 10:12 pm
The small Muslim monarchy of Bahrain hosted a ceremony to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah, and the resulting video of kaffiyeh-wearing sheikhs dancing with Orthodox Jews to Hasidic music has been going viral on Facebook.On Saturday night, the kingdom, ruled by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, held a candle-lighting ceremony in which Jews, businesspeople and other Bahraini people took part.Bahrain, a group of islands in Persian gulf with a population of 1.4 million, is the only Arab gulf state that has a synagogue. The country had a Jewish population of some 1,500 Jews in 1948. However, after the declaration of the State of Israel many left, and almost all those who remained followed suit after 1967’s Six Day War. Today there are less than 50 Jews in the country.The kingdom is also unique in that its ambassador to the US from 2008-2010 was Houda Nonoo, a Jewish woman who had formerly served in the nation’s parliament.Last year was the first time that the king of Bahrain marked Hanukkah. He invited Conference of European Rabbis Director Rabbi Moshe Levin, who recited the traditional blessings while lighting the candles, and sang a verse of “Ma’oz Tzur,” the traditional Hanukkah hymn. Some 50 Jews were present for the ceremony.At that time the king welcomed his guests, saying that “the call to war against terror needs to come from the leaders of all the religions as one. Here in Bahrain members of all the religions live with no fear, and we will continue to allow Jews to live peacefully and quietly, maintaining their lifestyle, their customs and the commandments of their religion without any fear.”
Firefighters gain control of Haifa oil refinery blaze-After hours of intense efforts, teams quell massive fire that threatened to spread to other chemical tanks-By Times of Israel staff December 25, 2016, 10:16 pm
After battling the flames for several hours, firefighters said Sunday evening they had gained control of a massive blaze in a gasoline tank at a Haifa refinery that had been raging since morning.Emergency crews warned that, despite containing the fire, work to extinguish it completely would continue long into the night.The huge fire sent bright orange flames and thick black smoke billowing into the air above the northern port city and threatened other installations at a large industrial complex.It was not immediately clear how the fire started.After testing air pollution levels and finding the results to be low, the Environmental Protection Ministry withdrew an earlier warning instructing local residents to remain indoors.Police briefly closed main traffic arteries near the Haifa industrial zone as dozens of firefighting teams attempted to keep the flames under the control.“It is a very serious incident. Our main aim at the moment is to stop the fire spreading to other tanks that contain dangerous material,” Haifa fire services spokesman Yoram Levy told the Ynet news site.Levy said the tank held 1,000 cubic liters of gasoline and more than 40 firefighting teams were being sent to try and contain the blaze. Officials said a larger disaster was avoided as the tank, with a capacity of 10,000 cubic liters, was relatively empty.As thick black smoked filled the air above the city, many residents reported breathing difficulties, though rescue officials did not say if anyone needed treatment.The Haifa bay area, hemmed in by the Carmel Mountains, is home to some of the heaviest industry in the country, and residents there have long feared an incident that could endanger the city.The fire comes weeks after the city was ravaged by a series of wildfires that destroyed hundreds of homes and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. The city was also hit by heavy flooding earlier this month that killed one person.Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav said the municipality had repeatedly warned the government about the danger posed by the refinery and the area’s massive ammonia storage tank, which have been threatened as targets by the Hezbollah terror group.“We have repeatedly warned; we are tired of warning. This is just a small indication (of what could happen) but it is a wake-up call to the government of Israel,” he told Army Radio.On Sunday evening, dozens of Haifa residents held an impromptu protest calling for the facility to be relocated outside of the city.MK Ayman Odeh, head of the Joint (Arab) List, wrote on Twitter that the government should take action to fight the problems plaguing his hometown.“And doing something does not mean blaming the Arabs in the media again,” he wrote sarcastically, referring to accusations that the Haifa fires had been started as nationalistically motivated arson attacks.Recently, Haifa City Hall has tried to temporarily shut down the Carmel Olefins refinery after a series of mishaps in which dangerous pollutants were accidentally released into the air.Several studies have indicated that Haifa residents suffer from a slew of health-related problems, including higher rates of cancer and pollution-related disorders such as smaller-than-average heads and relatively low weight in newborns.
Pakistan makes nuclear threat to Israel, in response to fake news-Defense minister in Islamabad reacts to false news item featuring non-existent quote by ex-Israeli defense chief Ya’alon-By Times of Israel staff December 24, 2016, 1:29 pm
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif tweeted a veiled nuclear threat at Israel, apparently after taking affront at a fake news article where Israel purportedly warned Islamabad against meddling in Syria.“Israeli def min threatens nuclear retaliation presuming pak role in Syria against Daesh. Israel forgets Pakistan is a Nuclear state too,” the Pakistani minister tweeted on Friday.Israel Radio said Saturday that Asif was responding to a fake news story on the website AWDnews.com, which falsely reported that Israel responded to a Pakistani promise to send troops to Syria with a threat of nuclear attack.The unfounded story even mistakenly attributes the threat to Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. Ya’alon left the Defense Ministry in May and was replaced by current Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman.Israeli def min threatens nuclear retaliation presuming pak role in Syria against Daesh.Israel forgets Pakistan is a Nuclear state too AH— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) December 23, 2016-Israel has never publicly confirmed or denied possessing nuclear weapons, nor issued threats to use nuclear weapons. It would be beyond unlikely for it to brazenly threaten Pakistan that “we will destroy them with a nuclear attack,” as the report claimed that Ya’alon did on Tuesday. Such ostensible comments by Ya’alon would have caused major headlines worldwide.Asif’s tweet was roundly criticized on twitter, with many calling on him to act in a more responsible manner.“Oh Khawaja Saab, It’s a Fake News From Fake News Outlets. Act Like a Defense Minister,” wrote one commentator.It’s not the first time Asif has brandished his country’s nuclear arsenal.In September he threatened to use tactical nuclear weapons against arch-enemy India.
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