Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

ZOA Head Says Reformation of Islam Key to Arab - Israeli Peace
Jun 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict is not the formation of a 23rd Arab state but a "reformation of Islam", according to the leader of one of the US's leading pro-Israel organizations.

Mort Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), rejected Arab territorial claims in Israel, along with "the term 'occupation'."

"There is no occupation because the Arabs have been given 40% of Judea and Samaria already... where 99% of the Arabs live" under the 1993 Oslo Accords, he asserted. Pointing to numerous offers of statehood throughout the last two decades - each of which was rejected by the Palestinian Authority - he observed that "the Arabs do not even want a Palestinian state if it means accepting Israel."

"The problem will not be solved until there is a reformation of Islam," he continued, citing passages in the Koran which discourage friendly relations with non-Muslims and the infamous Hadith (Islamic tradition) which calls "for the murder of every Jew." 

That tradition - which appears several times throughout the Hadith - also forms part of Hamas's official charter.

"Until there is a reformation, and major imams condemn suicide bombings and murders of Jews, peace is impossible," Klein emphasized.

Klein was speaking at the 21st annual Israel Day Concert at New York City's Central Park. Approximately 10,000 people were in attendance on Sunday to hear musical performances and addresses by leading policy-makers including Republican Senator Ted Cruz.

Veil of Secrecy - Widespread Potential for Misuse of Stingray Surveillance
Jun 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy News Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

It has been deemed an “unconstitutional, all-you-can-eat data buffet” by Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF.org), who report that this veiled-in-secrecy surveillance system is already being deployed illegally in cities throughout the U.S.

In March, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California released a report revealing unregulated use of StingRays in California, indicating 'widespread' use of the devices by police departments in the Golden State.

In January of 2013, the LA Weekly reported that the StingRay “intended to fight terrorism was used in far more routine Los Angeles Police criminal investigations,” apparently probing the lives of non-suspects that live in the same neighborhood as a suspect, without the courts’ knowledge.

Critics point to the illegal invasion of technology, saying the device’s uncontrolled use by law enforcement raises constitutional questions. “It is the biggest threat to cell phone privacy you don’t know about,” EFF said in a statement.

According to the ACLU, the city of Sunrise, Florida refused to confirm or deny the existence of any records related to a StingRay device it owns, yet MyFoxNY.com reports that the county received a $283,000 terrorism prevention grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to pay for the device.

And in Erie County, sheriff Tim Howard told local station WGRZ just over a week ago that he will no longer make public comments about a cellphone surveillance device used by his police agency since 2008 to gather information on ‘persons of interest’ because it could adversely impact investigations. The sheriff said the device is used only for tracking a person's movements, not for gathering content of cellphone communications.

What is a StingRay exactly? It’s a device manufactured by the Florida-based Harris Corporation that mimics a cell phone tower, and has the capability of hijacking all wireless device activity on the same network, including locating a cell phone signal and intercepting cell phone calls and text messages. Harris Corp., an international telecommunications equipment company, gets between $60,000 and $175,000 for each Stingray it sells to U.S. law enforcement agencies. 

The units, also marketed as Triggerfish, IMSI Catcher, Cell-site Simulator or Digital Analyzer, are legally marketed to military and law enforcement as a means of tracking and locating persons of interest, and are obtained through government grants at the expense of taxpayer dollars.

Human rights groups such as the ACLU and the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) are focusing on the potential illegal interception of private conversations while operating the StingRay. “That type of usage would be illegal,” said Alan Butler of EPIC. “But nonetheless, the capability is there,” which, according to Butler, would first require a search warrant, or become a 4th Amendment issue.

Butler clarified that not all uses of the device necessarily conflict with the Fourth Amendment, but because the capability exists, warrants should first be issued. A previous Supreme Court decision currently blocks federal investigators and other law enforcement agencies from using GPS tracking devices without a warrant.

The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures of property and effects without a warrant that defines a probable cause.

“It’s a powerful device and its use should be regulated,” Butler explained. “With it in the wrong hands, a phone system can be hijacked without either the user or the phone company being aware.”

At a Yale Law School Location Tracking and Biometrics Conference held in October of 2013, ACLU privacy researcher Christopher Soghoian told a panel that “the government uses the device either when a target is routinely and quickly changing phones to thwart a wiretap or when police don’t have sufficient cause for a warrant.”

During interviews with reporters covering the StingRay story, Soghoian said, “If the government shows up in your neighborhood, essentially every phone is going to check in with the government…The government is sending signals through people’s walls and clothes and capturing information about innocent people. That’s not much different than using invasive technology to search every house on a block.”

In the first federal StingRay case iniated in 2012, ACLU staff attorney Linda Lye wrote in a legal brief, “The government is hiding information about new surveillance technology not only from the public, but even from the courts…By keeping courts in the dark about new technologies, the government is essentially seeking to write its own search warrants, and that’s not how the Constitution works.”

On its website, the ACLU expounds: “The ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed an amicus brief arguing that when the government wants to use invasive surveillance technology, it has an obligation to explain to the court basic information about the technology, such as its impact on innocent third parties. This is necessary to ensure that courts can perform their constitutional function of ensuring that the search does not violate the Fourth Amendment.

Unfortunately, today’s decision trivializes the intrusive nature of electronic searches and potentially opens the door to troubling government misuse of new technology.”

In the May 8th, 2013 court decision denying the motion to suppress, ACLU.org reports “the judge held that information about how the stingray operates – such as the fact that it scoops up third party data – was merely a ‘detail of execution which need not be specified.’ We respectfully but strongly disagree.”

Attorney Lye additionally expressed concern over violations of the Federal Communication Act, given the StingRay’s ability to interfere with cell phone signals. “We haven’t seen documents suggesting the LAPD or any other agency have sought or obtained FCC authorization,” she wrote.

Alarms have also been raised by 4th Amendment rights advocates over another disturbing issue: investigators using the StingRay can bypass a routine process of obtaining fee-based location data from cell service providers like Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Comcast, essentially leaving no paper trail for defense attorneys.

In February of 2014, the FairfaxTimes.com reported on Bill HB 17 that unanimously passed 99-0 in the Virginia House of Delegates. This bill would prohibit police from using ‘currently utilized mobile devices’ to spy on residents’ cellphone usage without first obtaining search warrants, except under very specific and limited circumstances. HB 17 is currently being evaluated in the Virginia Senate’s Courts of Justice Committee.

The Fairfax County Police Department has been using the devices for at least four years, according to Fairfax County government documents, yet spokesperson Lucy Caldwell refused to comment on precisely how they are utilized by police.

Caldwell stated that “the FCPD does not comment on our investigative tools, nor do we discuss investigative techniques or capabilities … however, our detectives and officers follow all state and federal legal requirements for the use of technologies that we do use.”

Fairfax County police describe their use of the StingRay as being “used in conjunction with a court order, and the Fairfax County Police Department has been sponsored to use this tracking device through the U.S. Marshals Service,” to track cellphone use for “crime victims, suspects of crimes, wanted persons, and those in need of emergency services.”

This information was detailed in a Fairfax County Board of Supervisors agenda dated Sept. 28, 2010, in which the department also said it will use $126,661 of a federal grant to “enhance the StingRay cell phone tracking system,” which is “capable of locating and tracking cellular service whether or not a phone is transmitting. As long as the cellular phone is powered on, the StingRay is capable of locating it.”

Police additionally state in the agenda that the StingRay enhances “officer safety and allows the officers to stay in communication with each other during covert operations.”

According to GlobalResearch.ca, U.S. courts are only beginning to tackle the legal implications of StingRay use, while foreign hackers, for a $1,000 price tag, have reportedly been busy selling an underground IMSI tracker that counters the Stingray, to anyone who is willing to pay. And German security expert Karsten Nohl released "Catcher Catcher" in December of 2011 – powerful monitoring software that can detect a StingRay in use within a network's traffic.

“The StingRay technology is so new and so powerful,” GlobalResearch.ca reports, “that it not only raises Fourth Amendment concerns, it also raises questions about whether police and federal agents are withholding information about it from judges to win approval to monitor suspects without meeting the probable cause standard required by the Fourth. At least one federal judge thinks they are.”

Magistrate Judge Brian Owsley of the Southern District of Texas in Corpus Christi informed the Yale conference participants that “federal prosecutors are using clever techniques to fool judges into allowing use of StingRay. They will draft surveillance requests to appear as Pen Register applications, which don’t need to meet the probable cause standards,” Owsley told the panel.

“After receiving a second StingRay request,” Owsley said, “I emailed every magistrate judge in the country telling them about the device. And hardly anyone understood them.”

It becomes quite evident that continuing use by federal and local law enforcement agencies of technologies designed to acquire our exact locations and capture our private conversations 24/7 will not be adequately restricted or go away any time soon. In an era where absolutes no longer exist in the interpretation and enforcement of protective constitutional laws, it seems a natural progression that lawlessness follows.

“For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.” 2nd Thessalonians 2:7-8, NIV

U.S. Promises PLO Unity Elections in East Jerusalem
Jun 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Jordanian paper says US promised to convince Israel to allow unity govt. elections in Jerusalem. Netanyahu 'deeply troubled' by US stance.

According to new reports, the American administration has promised the new Fatah-Hamas unity government, which was sworn in this Monday, that it will convince Israel to allow that new government's elections to be held in the eastern part of Jerusalem.

"A source that knows things," apparently from within the Palestinian Authority (PA) or Hamas, was quoted in the Jordanian paper Al-Arab Al-Youm, reporting the American promise to work for parliamentary and presidential elections for the new unity government to be held in the Israeli capital.

The source added that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry later this week in the Jordanian capital of Amman.

While Kerry "expressed concern" by telephone to Abbas on Sunday over the inclusion of terrorist organization Hamas in the new unity government, Kerry told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday that the US would work with the new government, claiming it was "an interim technocratic government...that does not include members affiliated with Hamas."

Netanyahu responded to the American decision on Tuesday, saying he was "deeply troubled" that the US would work with the new government backed by Hamas, a group that has murdered "countless innocent civilians."

"All those who genuinely seek peace must reject President Abbas' embrace of Hamas, and most especially, I think the United States must make it absolutely clear to the Palestinian president that his pact with Hamas, a terrorist organization that seeks Israel's liquidation, is simply unacceptable," Netanyahu added.

Despite the American claims of non-affiliation with Hamas, three of the ministers in the new unity government came from Hamas-controlled Gaza. While they were denied entry to Samaria to attend the swearing-in ceremony in Ramallah by the IDF, they were reported to be sworn in via a live video feed.

Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz attacked the American decision, saying "if these (ministers) are people who identify with Hamas, Hamas identifies with them and appointed them, then they are representatives of Hamas. This is a Hamas government, and Hamas is a terror organization."

Hamas influence in the unity government, which it has adamantly expressed in the past it will control, was exemplified on Monday when Hamas opposition to the closing of the Ministry of Prisoners nearly scuppered the entire unity government. Only a last minute deal to keep the Ministry without a designated minister appointed to it saved the process.

The unity government in its inclusion of Hamas and Islamic Jihad constitutes a change in the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) government. The PLO, which is recognized internationally as representing the "Palestinian people" and has governed them until now in Judea and Samaria through the PA, has never rejected terrorism.

The PA Peaceful? Tapuah Terrorist a Fatah Member
Jun 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The Palestinian Arab terrorist responsible for shooting at IDF soldiers at the Tapuah junction in Samaria is also a Fatah member, Ma'an reveals Tuesday - confirming suspicions that the unity pact between Fatah and Hamas will lead to a dramatic upswing in terror attacks against Israelis. 

Alaa Mohammed Awad Odeh, 31, shot at IDF soldiers late Monday night at the Tapuah junction near Ariel, in the second terror attack at the site in one week. IDF soldiers and Border Police immediately shot and killed Odeh; one soldier was lightly wounded and treated at the scene by army medics. 

On Tuesday, Odeh's family rejected Israel's reports that he was armed and dangerous, and told Ma'an that his family home in the nearby Arab occupied settlement of Awarta was raided after the attack. 

Monday night’s attack comes just three days after security forces apprehended an Arab terrorist wearing a bomb belt at the same location.

The terrorist raised suspicions by wearing a coatin the hot summer weather. After security forces called on him to take off his coat and be checked, the man refused and proceeded to lay on the floor.

When he finally removed his coat, he was found to be wearing a belt of explosives. A bomb disposal squad was called to the area to dismantle the explosives.

Both attacks follow the last stages of the establishment of Hamas and Fatah's "unity" government, which was sworn in on Monday morning.

While the European Union and the US have both insisted that the government - which they claim will be controlled by Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas - is committed to peace, Monday's attack demonstrates that a Fatah membership does not preclude a proclivity to terror attacks. 

Even before the unity pact, Israel released its annual "Palestinian Incitement Index" earlier this year showing that incitement against Israel and the Jewish people is continuing on official media channels including - inter alia - by bodies that are very close to the PA Chairman and in educational and religious networks.

Such incitement ranges from the glorification of Nazism and the lionization of Adolf Hitler, to programs on official PA television featuring heavily-stereotyped Jews as villains (and encouraging violence against them), and various TV and radio shows which literally wipe the Jewish state off the map.

Syrians Set to Extend Assads Rule As Controversial Election Gets Underway
Jun 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Syrians voted on Tuesday in an election expected to deliver an overwhelming victory for President Bashar Assad in the midst of a devastating civil war but which his opponents have dismissed as a charade.

Rebel fighters, the political opposition in exile, Western powers and Gulf Arabs say no credible vote can be held in a country where swathes of territory are outside state control and millions of people have been displaced in the conflict, which grew from protests against Assad's rule.

Insurgents battling to overthrow Assad stepped up attacks in government-controlled areas in the buildup to the election, seeking to disrupt the vote.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) in parts of Syria where Assad continues to rule. State television showed thousands of people queuing to vote, as well as crowds waving Syrian flags and portraits of the 48-year-old leader.

"We hope for security and stability," said Hussam al-Din al Aws, an Arabic teacher who was the first person to vote at a polling station at a Damascus secondary school. Asked who would win, he responded: "God willing, President Bashar Assad."

Assad is running against two relatively unknown challengers who were approved by a parliament packed with his supporters, the first time in half a century that Syrians have been offered any choice of candidates.

The last seven presidential votes were referenda to approve Bashar or his father, Hafez al-Assad. Hafez never scored less than 99 percent, while his son got 97.6 percent seven years ago.

Neither of Assad's rivals, former minister Hassan al-Nouri or parliamentarian Maher Hajjar, is expected to make major inroads into those levels of support.

"It's a tragic farce," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said. "The Syrians in a zone controlled by the Syrian government have a choice of Bashar or Bashar. This man has been described by the UN Secretary General as a criminal," he told France 2 television.

Syrian officials confidently predicted a big turnout and said that a high level of participation would be as significant as the result itself.

"The size of the turnout is a political message," Information Minister Omran Zoabi told Reuters on Monday night. "The armed terrorist groups have increased their threats because they fear (a high level of) participation," he said, referring to the rebels.

"If these terrorist groups had any popularity it would be enough to ensure the failure of the election," he said.

"But they realize they have no popularity, so they want to affect the level of participation so they can say the turnout was low."

Tens of thousands of Syrian expatriates and refugees cast their ballots last week in an early round of voting, although the number was just a fraction of the nearly 3 million refugees and other Syrians living abroad.

The election took place three years after protests first broke out in Syria, calling for democratic reform in a country dominated since 1970 by the Assad family. Authorities responded with force and the uprising descended into civil war.

Assad's forces, backed by allies including Iran and Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah, have consolidated their control in central Syria but the insurgents and foreign jihadi fighters hold broad expanses of northern and eastern Syria.

Peace talks in Geneva between the government and the opposition National Coalition, which the opposition said must be based on the principle of Assad stepping aside in favor of a transitional government, collapsed in February.

Since then Assad's forces and Hezbollah fighters have seized back control of former rebel strongholds on the Lebanese border, cutting off supply lines for weapons and fighters, and the last rebels have retreated from the center of the city of Homs.

The withdrawal from Homs has focused attention on the northern city of Aleppo, formerly Syria's commercial hub, where fighting has escalated in the last few weeks.

Rebel rocket fire on government-controlled areas of Aleppo killed 50 people over the weekend, while barrel bombs dropped by army helicopters on rebel-held areas of Aleppo have killed nearly 2,000 people this year, a monitoring group said.

Syrian Elections Begin
Jun 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Polling stations in Syria opened for presidential elections Tuesday, as political analysts predict that President Bashar Assad will win for a third consecutive presidential term against the backdrop of a bloody civil war. 

Six other candidates have now announced their intentions to run against Assad, including the first female presidential candidate; this is the first election in Syria since 1970 to have more than one candidate. 

Analysts remain pessimistic over the outcome, however - noting that Syria has a long history of rigged elections, and that Assad won his first term in 1999 with a 99% vote - and maintain that the competition is merely a veneer for legitimacy. 

"It's a coronation of Assad, it's a celebration of his ability to survive the violent storm and basically go on the offensive," Fawaz Gerges, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, told CNN Tuesday. 

The New York Times added that observers at the scene include representatives from Syria's allies, many of which are no more democratic than Syria itself - including Russia, Iran, and North Korea. 

Rigged or real?

Assad announced the elections just days after stating that he believed his forces were gaining ground in the war, which so far has killed at least 150,000 people and displaced over one million Syrians. 

Assad has consistently insisted that the elections are democratic, despite criticism from rights groups and the EU. 

"The Syrian presidency... maintains an equal distance from all candidates in order that Syrians can choose their... president freely and transparently," Assad maintained, in a statement translated by AFP in April. 

Syria's Foreign Ministry also responded sharply to the criticism, claiming the decision to hold the election was a "purely sovereign" one and that foreign interference would not be tolerated. 

"If these countries, foremost among them the Western nations, are calling for democracy and freedom, then they should listen to the views of Syrians and who they choose through the ballot box," state television quoted the ministry as stating. 

On Monday, Syria’s interior minister, Major General Mohammad al-Shaar, called on all Syrians to vote “to express the Syrian people’s aspiration for life and stability and to confront terrorism and sabotage.”

He also denied rumors that identification cards and passports would be stamped to create a record that their holders had voted, and reassured a nervous public that the voting would take place in private booths. 

Local dissent

Meanwhile, Syrian rebels have maintained that the elections are "pointless" - and a distraction from the real issues in Syria and the "tyranny" of Assad's regime.

Syrian refugees - now numbering into the hundreds of thousands and spread in camps throughout Lebanon and Jordan - agree. 

"Where are the people who will vote for him?" one Syrian refugee, a resident of a northern Jordan camp, told CNN Monday. "Will the people he killed vote for him? Will the hundreds of thousands he has detained, who have disappeared [vote for him]?"

"[Assad] has reduced us to beggars," Hiba, a refugee holding a two-month old baby, added. 

Syrians stranded in Lebanon enthusiastically told the Times that they would vote for Assad - some emphatically pledging their loyalty, some musing he was "the lesser of two evils" when compared with Islamists, and others whispering rumors that they would be killed if they returned and had not voted. 

Others expressed doubts, however, vowing to boycott the elections based on a simple fact: that polling stations were open in the "no-man's land" at the Syrian-Lebanese border. Many potential voters, wary of being killed or injured after the long journey to refugee camps abroad, decided to stay home.

Syria Holds President Election Amid Raging Civil War
Jun 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Bashar Assad and his wife cast votes in Damascus Tuesday in Syria’s presidential poll as the civil war went into its fourth year without let-up. Sixteen million eligible voters could vote at 12,000 polling booths with only one real choice: Assad’s reelection for a further seven years. The numbers turning out will be low since large urban centers are battle zones and many voters support the opposition which is not represented by any candidates. 

Steinitz Accuses Washington of Hypocrisy Over Hamas Government
Jun 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Israeli government officials continued to express outrage over the US's commitment to support a Hamas-backed Palestinian Arab "unity" government Tuesday, accusing Washington of hypocrisy. 

"I have to say I do not understand this American announcement," Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz stated to IDF Radio. 

"You cannot present it as a Hamas government internally, then present it publicly as a government of technocrats," he added. "If these (ministers) are people who identify with Hamas, Hamas identifies with them and appointed them, then they are representatives of Hamas. This is a Hamas government, and Hamas is a terror organization," he said.

The remarks come in response to a statement earlier by State Department  spokeswoman Jen Psaki, who said Washington believes Abbas has "formed an interim technocratic government... that does not include members affiliated with Hamas."

"With what we know now, we will work with this government," Psaki said

Responding to the US announcement late on Monday, an Israeli government source told AFP that Washington's actions were setting a precedent for accepting terror.

"If the US administration wants to advance peace, it should be calling on Abbas to end his pact with Hamas and return to peace talks with Israel," he said. "Instead, it is enabling Abbas to believe that it is acceptable to form a government with a terrorist organization."

The US was initially hesitant to accept the new government, according to earlier reports, making Monday's announcement a dramatic about-face in US policy. 

An official source in the PA reported last Friday that the US invited unity government Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah for an official visit to Washington DC, in a move the official claimed constituted recognition of the unity government. 

A senior American official denied the invitation later on Friday, saying the US has not yet formed a clear policy regarding the unity government, since that government has not yet been officially established.

Meanwhile, the issue of US aid to a PLO "unity" government has been raised, with US lawmakers pushing to finally stop aid to the PA over the Fatah-Hamas pact.

On Monday, Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon also warned the US that its taxpayer money will ultimately fund terror. 

"The replacement of ministers in the Palestinian government is just a pretty wrapping for the terrorist attacks that were conducted and will be conducted under their protection," Danon stated.

"Now, all aid given to the Palestinians by the United States and other countries directly aids terror attacks against the state of Israel."

Security Cabinet Reviewing Action Plans After Palestinian Unity Government Takes Oath
Jun 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The security cabinet has started studying unilateral measures in light of the newly unified Fatah-Hamas government, including annexation plans, an Israeli source told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.

In a meeting last Sunday night ahead of Monday’s formal swearing-in ceremony for the new Palestinian unity government, the security cabinet heard a presentation from Economy Minister Naftali Bennett about the possibility of applying sovereignty to portions of Area C in the West Bank, the source said.

Among the possibilities is an initial annexation of the Gush Etzion bloc, south of Jerusalem.

In a second meeting on Monday afternoon, the security cabinet issued five decisions, including the creation of a team to study future options.

In a statement the security cabinet issued after the meeting, it said it had “formed a team to consider plans of action given the new reality that has been created and ahead of diplomatic and security situations that will be created in the future.”

The team is expected to look at annexation and withdrawal options, the source said.

At present, there is not enough support in the government for an annexation plan, and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni has pledged to block any such efforts. The government is not expected to make any decisions about annexation in the next six months while the focus is on Palestinian elections.

Deputy Minister Ofir Akunis, who is the government’s liaison to the Knesset, told the plenum last week that the government opposed such a move. However, Akunis said he personally supported annexation plans.

Bennett met with Netanyahu in the last two weeks, and the Post reported at the time that the two men would discuss the possible annexation of Area C. But Bennett’s office would not discuss details of the meeting.

But on Monday, Bennett renewed his call to annex all of Area C.

“The sovereignty program that I proposed is the only available option today [for dealing with] the Palestinian rejection of peace [with Israel] and the [Israeli] Left’s refusal to accept this solution,” he said.

The time has come to go on the offensive, rather than act defensively and “do what is good for Israel,” Bennett declared.

The swearing-in ceremony for the unity government in Ramallah occurred more than two decades after the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords, and nine years after the 2005 Gaza withdrawal.

Hamas has a charter that calls for Jews to be killed, Bennett went on, and as a result, he said, the government of Israel decided unanimously not to recognize it or maintain contact with it.

He warned that Israel must act on his annexation plan, “because time is not working in its favor.”

“Every day that passes in which we do not take initiative and act endangers Israeli citizens and broadcasts to the world that there is no price for terrorism against Jews,” Bennett said.

Netanyahu has said the best option for Israel is to negotiate a final-status agreement with the Palestinians, but that such talks are impossible if Fatah aligns itself with Hamas. The moment Fatah announced that the unity government was pending, Israel suspended talks with the Palestinians.

Netanyahu is waiting until it is clear to him that negotiations with the Palestinians are impossible before weighing alternative options.

However, in an interview he gave reporter Jeffrey Goldberg for Bloomberg View last month, he indicated that he would not support any unilateral plan that called for territorial withdrawal.

His comments made it seem as if he could be open to some sort of annexation plan, but he never explicitly stated that.

“The idea of taking unilateral steps is gaining ground, from the center-left to the center-right,” Netanyahu said in the Goldberg interview.

Let the Headlines Speak
Jun 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Swarm of earthquakes in Yellowstone Park
Seismographs recorded 31 quakes in the same area south of Gardiner on Saturday, while another 23 were reported last Wednesday and Thursday in an area between 18 and 19 miles east-southeast of West Yellowstone.  

Irish Pastor Under ‘Hate Crime’ Investigation for Sunday Sermon Against Islam
BELFAST, Northern Ireland – A 75-year-old Irish preacher was subjected to a police probe after he condemned Islam in a sermon and was accused of ‘hate mongering.’ James McConnell, pastor of the Whitewell Metropolitan Church in North Belfast, Ireland, discussed the religion of Islam during an evening sermon on Sunday, May 18th. During the sermon, McConnell denounced Islam and said the contrast between it and Christianity is stark. “The God we worship and serve this evening is not Allah,” he proclaimed, according to a video of his sermon. “The Muslim god—Allah—is a heathen deity. Allah is a cruel deity. Allah is a demon deity.”

Severe Weather Forecast: Tornadoes, Derecho Possible Tuesday and Wednesday
A significant outbreak of severe weather is expected Tuesday and Wednesday across a broad swath of the Midwest. Over 35 million Americans are in the risk zone. While only a tiny fraction of those 35 million people will experience a tornado, a much larger number of people may experience the effects of damaging winds.  

AVO/USGS Volcanic Activity Notice
The low-level eruption of Pavlof has escalated. Seismic tremor increased starting about 2300 UTC today and pilots have recently reported ash clouds to 22,000 ft. ASL. Recent satellite images show a plume extending over 80 km east of the volcano.  

Apocalyptic dust storms provide a rare glimpse into life in secretive Iran
It was a storm which swallowed a city, left four people dead and more than 50,000 without power. Pictures that emerged from a dust storm in Iran’s largest city Tehran have also provided a rare glimpse into the lives of people living in the secretive state. Social media was swamped with images and tweets of the massive dust clouds covering the capital, giving the city an almost apocalyptic-type feel as it plunged into darkness.  

States Move to Blunt Obama Carbon-Emissions Plan
The push against Obama's new carbon emission standards has been strongest in some states that have large coal-mining industries or rely heavily on coal to fuel their electricity. State officials say the new federal regulations could jeopardize the jobs of thousands of workers and drive up the monthly electric bills of residents and businesses.  

Temple Mount is Jewish for a Day
The Temple Mount became Jewish again, at least for one day, on Tuesday. Temple organizations reported that about 400 Jews had ascended to the Mount in the morning hours, and that police allowed them in without undue delays. Most of the gates to the Mount were closed, and Muslim worshipers, who often harass Jews on the Mount, are not being allowed in. This is happening because police and the Israel Security Agency (ISA, or Shin Bet) have received intelligence about “malicious intentions” and Islamist incitement calling on Arabs to riot and prevent the Jews from entering.  

Central Bank Gold Agreements
the European Central Bank and 20 other European central banks announced the signing of the fourth Central Bank Gold Agreement. This agreement, which applies as of 27 September 2014, will last for five years and the signatories have stated that they currently do not have any plans to sell significant amounts of gold.  

New state religion of West replaces God with nature which humanity should now worship, not control
Nothing comes close to environmentalism in generating left-wing enthusiasm. It is the religion of our time. For the left, the earth has supplanted patriotism. This was largely inevitable in Europe, given its contempt for nationalism since the end of World War I and even more so since World War II. But it is now true for the elites (almost all of whose members are on the left) in America as well.  

Israel quadruples Air Force capability to ‘strike thousands of terror targets’ per day
“In a single day, Israeli planes can strike thousands of terror targets and exceed the IDF’s [Israel Defense Forces] achievements during extended operations,” the military said.  

Christians in Syria side with Assad, form militias against Al Qaida rebels
The regime of President Bashar Assad has helped Christians form militias in Syria. Opposition sources said the regime has helped the minority Christian community organize militias to protect their communities against attack by Sunni rebels.  

Bilderberg Summit Virtually Ignored by Media Propagandists
The deafening lack of press coverage surrounding what many analysts say is perhaps one of the most important meetings of the year was not due to a lack of information about Bilderberg. This magazine and numerous reporters for alternative media outlets in the United States and Europe were there covering the summit. The Danish press was there, too, as were a handful of reporters for major European newspapers.  

Barack Obama calls for $1bn fund to boost US troops in 'sacrosanct' Europe
President Barack Obama has called on Congress to back a $1 billion (£600m) effort to boost the U.S. military presence across Europe, as he sought to ease anxiety among Nato allies who are wary of Russia's threatening moves in Ukraine. ...The White House said the funding would be used to increase military exercises and training missions, as well as rotations of air and ground forces, on the continent.  

Grasshoppers Invade Albuquerque, New Mexico
The worst grasshopper infestation in 20 years has become so thick around Albuquerque, N.M., that the airborne bugs are showing up on weather radar, officials said today. The National Weather Service said the air is so dense with the bugs that they appear on its radar like rain.  

Unity and discord
A fuming Israeli cabinet reacts to US recognition of the new Palestinian government, but it tempers its displeasure with moderation.  

Israeli ambassador rebukes US for backing PA unity
In tough language rare for an Israeli diplomat in Washington, Israeli ambassador to the US Ron Dermer said Tuesday that Israel was “deeply disappointed” in the State Department’s decision to continue dealing with the Palestinian Authority now that it has Hamas support.  

DOJ accused of targeting gun industry with 'Choke Point' program
The Obama administration, after failing to get gun control passed on Capitol Hill, has resorted to using its executive power to try to put some in the firearms industry out of business, House Republican investigators say.  

UK employees leave Sierra Leone over Ebola threat
A number of "non-essential" staff at a British firm in Sierra Leone have left the country following an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus. London Mining has restricted some travel to the area but said production at its Marampa mine was unaffected. It said it was working with local and international agencies to monitor the situation.  

Earthquake jolts south-eastern Iran
An earthquake measuring five on the Richter scale has hit the Faryab District in the south-eastern Iranian province of Kerman on June 3. The tremor occurred at 3:21 local time, according to a report from the seismography center affiliated with Tehran University Geophysics Institute, Iran's official IRNA news agency said.  

Quakes are increasing, but scientists aren't sure what it means
No, it's not your imagination: The Los Angeles area is feeling more earthquakes this year. After a relatively quiet period of seismic activity in the Los Angeles area, the last five months have been marked by five earthquakes larger than 4.0. That hasn't occurred since 1994, the year of the destructive Northridge earthquake that produced 53 such temblors.  

EU commission scales up rhetoric against Russian gas pipeline
The European Commission has indicated it will obstruct the building of a new Russia-EU gas pipeline to bypass Ukraine. Its energy chief, German Gunther Oettinger, told the Frankfurt Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung over the weekend that its objections to the South Stream project are both political and legal.  

3.1 Magnitude Earthquake Reported Near Edmond
The United States Geological Survey reported a 3.1 magnitude earthquake in Oklahoma County Monday afternoon. At 5:35 p.m. Monday, a quake was recorded 5 miles northeast of Edmond, 10 miles south of Guthrie , at a depth of over three mile.  

'Hamas arms program speeding ahead’
Hamas’s weapons production program in Gaza is moving ahead at full speed, with local rocket production centers churning out thousands of projectiles, according to Israeli security evaluations. As Hamas in Gaza prepares to attempt a reunification with Fatah in the West Bank, the Islamist regime today forms one of the largest armed forces in the region...  

Magnitude-4.2 quake felt in Inglewood, Malibu
The quake -- which hit at 7:36 p.m. and was felt from Ventura County to Inglewood and from Malibu to Santa Clarita -- was centered three miles west- northwest of Westwood at a depth of zero miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.  

NOT-SO-QUIET SUN
Breaking a days-long spell of quiet, sunspot AR2077 unleashed an M1-class solar flare this morning. The impulsive flare, which peaked at 04:09 UT on June 3rd, probably did not hurl a CME toward Earth.  

Joel Osteen Doesn’t Want Anti-Gay Stance To Define His Ministry
Pastor Joel Osteen is open about his disapproval of gay marriage, but he does not want his opinion to define his whole ministry. During a talk with Osteen and his wife Victoria, HuffPost Live’s Marc Lamont Hill asked him if gay marriage goes against the rules of Christianity. Osteen told Hill, “It would be, but I don’t really focus on a lot of those things, I try to stay in my lane of what I feel called to do. [Gay marriage] does come up in interviews and things, but that’s not my core message.”  

Questions persist about Yellowstone eruption: Is US evacuation plan in place?
The earth around the Yellowstone supervolcano is increasingly becoming seismically active. Some scientists say it is not a matter of “if” the Yellowstone supervolcano will erupt, but rather “when” it will erupt.  

Iran sandstorm kills at least four in Tehran
A powerful sandstorm has hit Iran's capital, Tehran, killing at least four people and injuring about 30. At its peak, the storm brought winds of up to 110km/hour (70mph), knocking over trees and damaging windows.  

Syrians vote in president election
Syria is holding a presidential election in government-held areas, amid heightened security. President Bashar al-Assad is widely expected to win a third seven-year term in office. However, critics of the Syrian government have denounced the election as a sham.  

U.S. Says It Will Work With, Fund Palestinian Government; Israel Upset
The United States said on Monday it plans to work with and fund the new Palestinian unity government formed after an agreement by the Fatah and Hamas factions, and Israel immediately voiced its disappointment with the U.S. decision.

North Koreans Rescued by S. Korean Navy Seek Asylum
Two North Koreans have expressed their intention to seek asylum in South Korea after being rescued at sea by a southern naval patrol ship.  

Why China and America are Headed Toward a Catastrophic Clash
Many people find it hard to understand why China is acting the way it is in the East and South China Seas. What does Beijing hope to achieve by alienating its neighbors and undermining regional stability?  

Khamenei Blasts Evil Zionist Regime for Sowing Discord Among Muslims
Jun 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The JIran's supreme leader accused Israel on Tuesday of sowing dissension and pitting Muslims against one another in Syria.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took to Twitter on Tuesday to denounce the "policy of the enemies of Islam to stir up fratricide and civil war in the Islamic countries."

In an apparent reference to Western-backed rebels in Syria, Khamenei wrote: "Some in the name of Muslims are hand in hand w/devils & consented to be an ally of evil Zionist regime to beat their brothers to ground.

Israel Elevates Terror Alert, Beefs Up Army and Security Services
Jun 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon Tuesday ordered the terrorist alert level elevated on both sides of the Green Line due to the forecast of a fresh wave of Palestinian violence. Monday night, Hamas – now part of the Palestinian government – praised the Palestinian shooting attack outside Nablus as “an act of heroism” as Israel forces raided the home of the gunman, Alaa Muhammed Awad, 30, in Hawara, and carried out searches and arrests. Awad himself was shot dead in return fire from the Border Police checkpoint he attacked.

Former American UN Envoy Slams Despicable Taliban Deal
Jun 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Former Ambassador John Bolton says neither US or Israel should negotiate with terrorists 'under any circumstances' - including Hamas.

America's former ambassador to the United Nations has branded Washington's recent prisoner swap deal with the Taliban as "despicable".

The deal, which took place on Saturday, saw captive American soldier Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl released after being held for nearly five years by the Afghan Taliban. In return, the US released five senior Taliban leaders, in a move which has been roundly criticized in some corners, and hailed by the Taliban as a "victory".

Speaking to Arutz Sheva about the unity deal between Hamas and Mahmoud Abbas's PLO, Ambassador John Bolton said that it remained to be seen how long such a deal would actually last, but that "fundamentally it doesn't matter whether it succeeds of fails - it demonstrates the lack of legitimacy the Palestinian Authority, PLO, Fatah all have that they would even consider aligning with Hamas."

"I think it demonstrates why the continued pressure to find a two-state solution is inevitably doomed to fail as long as anybody thinks that Hamas in any way, shape or form can participate," he added.

"I don't think we negotiate with terrorists under any circumstances - that's why I think the release of Sergeant Bergdahl in Afghanistan was a mistake." 

Bolton, who was in New York for the 21st annual Israel Day Concert, continued by pointing to another, fundamental moral problem with such prisoner swaps.

"I think it's despicable to equate an American service member trained in our doctrine to avoid harming civilians... with five Taliban leaders whose essential strategy is to kill civilians," he declared.

 The former US envoy said he felt the same way about suggestions that Israel should consider negotiating with a Palestinian Authority which in includes Hamas.

"I think it's a mistake when Israel negotiates with terrorists," he stated.

"It's a mistake, and if it means that there's no path to negotiations for the foreseeable future then so be it."

Derivatives Bubble Over Global Economy
Jun 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy News Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Reports state that according to the Bank for International Settlements, the total notional value of derivatives contracts around the world has ballooned to an astounding 710 trillion dollars ($710,000,000,000,000), with other estimates putting the grand total at well over a quadrillion (a thousand trillion) dollars. Michael Snyder, writing in the DCClothesline.com, states that the global derivatives bubble is now 20 percent bigger than it was just before the last great financial crisis struck in 2008 and concludes that: “A financial crisis far greater than what we experienced in 2008 is coming, and it is going to shock the world.”

So what exactly is a derivative? One definition offered is that a derivative is simply a contract between two parties whose value is determined by changes in the value of an underlying asset. Those assets could be bonds, equities, commodities or currencies. The majority of contracts are traded over the counter, where details about pricing, risk measurement and collateral, if any, are not available to the public.

Based on this definition, Snyder explains: “In other words, a derivative does not have any intrinsic value. It is essentially a side bet. Most commonly, derivative contracts have to do with the movement of interest rates. But there are many, many other kinds of derivatives as well. People are betting on just about anything and everything that you can imagine, and Wall Street has been transformed into the largest casino in the history of the planet.”

An perspective of how just how mind –boggling the size of this 710 trillion –dollar derivatives bubble is, can be illustrated based on projections that the U.S. GDP will be in the neighborhood of around 17 trillion dollars for 2014. Although insignificant in amount relative to the total notional value of derivatives contracts globally, 17 trillion dollars still represents a major and crippling debt crisis for the United States.

Snyder states that the United States has contributed to this imminent global derivatives crisis with some of the following actions:

1. U.S leaders have allowed the derivatives bubble and the big Wall Street banks to get larger than ever. Snyder explains: “They are collectively 37 percent larger than they were just prior to the last recession. “Too big to fail” is a far more massive problem than it was the last time around, and at some point this derivatives bubble is going to burst and start taking those banks down. When that day arrives, we are going to be facing a crisis that is going to make 2008 look like a Sunday picnic.”

2. Goldman Sachs has been increasing its derivatives volumes since the crisis, and it had a portfolio of about $48 trillion at the end of 2013 and is reportedly planning to sell more derivatives to clients. Citibank, too, has been increasing its derivatives portfolio which has risen by over 65 percent since the crisis to $62 trillion. In percentage terms, this derivatives portfolio growth is the highest of any of the four banks: JP Morgan, Citibank, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America. Collectively they are responsible for about 218 trillion dollars of derivative products, compared to a paltry $4.8million estimated value of their combined assets.

3. Virtually none of the underlying problems that caused the last financial crisis have been fixed: the problems and the financial bubbles have just kept on growing. According to official government numbers, the top 25 banks in the United States now have a grand total of more than 236 trillion dollars of exposure to derivatives. 

Snyder decries the fact that most Americans are blissfully ignorant of imminent disaster, trusting that their leaders are able and willing to sort out the mess, and lulled into complacency by “the bubble of false stability that we have been enjoying for the last couple of years.”

Is there any way to avert this catastrophe? Snyder infers that there may be little hope left other than a stay of execution, a temporary reprieve: “If the stock market keeps going up, interest rates stay fairly stable and the global economy does not experience a major downturn, this bubble will probably not burst for a while. But if there is a major shock to the system, we could easily experience a major derivatives crisis very rapidly and several of those banks could fail simultaneously.”

With the five largest banks reported to account for 42 percent of all loans in the entire United States, and the six largest banks controlling 67 percent of all banking assets, they would certainly bring down the whole country with them.

It’s worth remembering however that it’s not just a U.S problem either: German banking giant Deutsche Bank is said to have more than 75 trillion dollars of exposure to derivatives, which is more than any single U.S. bank has. Matters are not helped by indications that the global community seems to equally hapless in this respect. 

A recent report from The International Financing Review in an article titled ‘Derivatives: Work needed to spot next crisis’ highlighted some grave concerns that were raised at the Centre for Economic Policy Studies in Brussels (excerpted below):

•There remains widespread concern within the regulatory community over their ability to spot future blow-ups due to cross-border fragmentation and the sheer volume of data being collected. According to Uzma Wahhab, member of the secretariat at the Financial Stability Board, “Regulators are concerned they may not know how to predict the next crisis. I’m not sure anyone is in the position to say they have the confidence… to know specifically what they’re looking for.”

• Trade reporting is seen as a vital plank of the G20 reforms to help regulators identify AIG-like scenarios, but the practical implementation of the mandate has left many participants disillusioned. Rather than designating a single trade reporting utility to which global regulators enjoy unfettered access, around 20 trade repositories have sprung up worldwide, leading to issues around data fragmentation and potential duplication.

• Discrepancies in privacy laws and financial regulation across jurisdictions have caused further headaches. For instance, the European Market Infrastructure Regulation requires two-sided trade reporting for both futures and OTC transactions, while the US Dodd-Frank Act holds no such provision. The overall result is a complex web of reporting entities and venues, which leaves substantial room for overlap of data, or for it to slip through the cracks altogether.

Not a pretty picture. What hope is there to forestall any doomsday scenarios, when even global experts seem to be grasping at straws and seem more reminiscent of the language-confused builders of the historic Tower of Babel rather than capable solution providers who are in control? 

No wonder Snyder commented: It is a financial bubble far larger than anything the world has ever seen, and when it finally bursts it is going to be “a complete and utter nightmare for the financial system of the planet.”

Canada, Russia Trade Barbs Over Ukraine Crisis
Jun 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper departed for Europe on Monday, in a week-long trip that includes a celebration of the end of the Cold War and ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the Normandy invasion. 

Harper will also travel to Brussels to attend a G7 summit, which was cobbled together as a replacement for a G8 meeting scheduled to be held in Sochi, Russia. That meeting was scrubbed in the wake of the crisis in Ukraine. 

Harper ends the trip in Normandy, where he'll attend D-Day ceremonies, an event which is expected to include Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Some awkwardness is expected between Harper and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Shalom Toronto, after Harper has lashed out at Putin over the Ukraine crisis with a torrent of critical comments.

Neither has expressed the desire to conduct dialogue during the event, although analysts say they will probably comment on each other to their own delegations. 

Just last Friday, Harper denounced Putin in a fiery speech in Toronto, linking him with the worst evils of 20th century communism, which he called a ruthless and "poisonous ideology" that "slowly bled into countries around the world."

He then stated that Canada was a haven for those fleeing from communism and anti-Semitism, and provided refugees with liberty, opportunity, and hope. 

Referring to the current situation, Harper warned that developments in Ukraine are "dangerous" and can have profound implications worldwide.

According to Harper, Putin's militaristic approach is not confined only to Ukraine, but threatens the security of Canada's allies in Eastern Europe, as well as global stability in general.

"I cannot predict what will happen in the coming months in Europe and Canada," Harper said, reiterating that Canada will continue to provide support, freedom and democracy for all sides, and that Canada has ceased to associate with pro-Russian militants in Ukraine. 

The Russian government responded to the speech last week, telling the Globe and Mail that Canada’s policy on Ukraine is irrational.

“We are just hearing the Cold War rhetoric from your government which does not contribute to the settlement of the crisis. Instead it’s just increasing the tension,” Andrey Grebenshchikov, a Russian embassy employee, told the daily. 

“You’ve got a very black and white picture of what is happening on the ground. Canada, as other western partners, tends to legitimize only one side in this crisis.”

Biometric Banking to Become Commonplace
Jun 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy News Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Next time you seek to access your account, the sound of your voice or the shape of your eyes could be all that you need. Some major U.S. banks are reportedly developing the use of voice and facial recognition technologies, among other biometric systems to help identify customers, facilitate account opening and ATM access. The key driving factor behind these biometric developments is said to be fraud prevention. 

News.com.au has reported that Biometrics Institute’s technical panel chair Dr. Ted Dunstone said speaker authentication was a good way to help prevent fraudsters accessing customer accounts, and he expected it to become commonplace in Australia within the next few years. Dr Dunstone said mobile phone customers were also not far off from being able to pay for goods using biometrics on their phone — for example by the swipe of a fingerprint to complete a transaction.

A bank spokeswoman for ANZ, Australia said the bank was looking at using a variety of biometrics to help better identify customers: “We are currently piloting the use of voice recognition technology as a way of identifying customers over the phone or as a two-factor authentication when making large transactions…We are also looking into the use of additional forms of biometrics such as fingerprint and eye retina scanners, as an additional security measure at ATMs.”

National Australia Bank, which first introduced biometrics technology in 2009, now has more than 150,000 customers who have enrolled their voice prints for identification purposes, and is now looking to expand the use of biometrics technology to other areas including mobile devices. The Biometrics Institute Asia Pacific Conference in Sydney , scheduled for late May, is to be attended by worldwide experts to discuss the growing use of biometrics particularly in the financial services industry.

Meanwhile, Planet Biometrics has also reported that Israeli firm, BioCatch, has announced the launch of an eCommerce fraud prevention solution that uses “behavioral biometric analysis to detect suspicious behavior and authenticate repeat customers, while reducing customer friction associated with additional security verifications and checks.”

BioCatch’s system collects and analyses over 400 bio-behavioral, cognitive and physiological parameters by observing how the user holds and touches a mobile device, interacts with an online site, and responds to subtle hidden challenges. The system then authenticates visitors upon their return to a site as well as identifying users exhibiting behaviors consistent with fraudsters.

According to BioCatch CEO Benny Rosenbaum, the platform is “a natural progression of our continued successes protecting banks and online spaces. We are effectively addressing the two greatest problems facing eCommerce today: user-experience and fraud."

The BioCatch eCommerce solution can reportedly replace the CAPTCHA, allowing for a faster and easier checkout or enrollment process by a website's customers. In addition, the solution also provides fraud teams and management with complementary data, which can be incorporated into Big Data stores to further correlate behavioral biometric data with other transactional and personal information. 

Fast Company.com have reported that another Israeli firm, Nice Systems, one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies, is marketing their new real-time authentication system to financial institutions as a replacement for identify verification questions. The company claims that their system, which uses algorithms to identify an individual user's voice, will offer banks faster call turnaround and save money in call center costs.

All of which may translate into great news for the “bottom line” of the firms marketing these innovative tools, and for the banks and financial institutions benefiting from the time/cost savings in authentications and fraud loss mitigations. But how enthusiastically are bank customers themselves embracing these technologies? 

Apparently very well, both in relation to voice biometrics and other more commonplace biometric systems such as fingerprint and eye scans. Biometric Update.com reported on a recent survey on mobile devices and the financial services industry, that was conducted on behalf of the Deloitte Center for Financial Services. The survey found that 72 percent of respondents would welcome the use of biometric identification (such as fingerprints or eye scans) to enable a mobile device( such as a tablet or smartphone) for financial transactions, as long the secure usage of banking services was enhanced.

In an illustration of just how pervasive these biometric technologies are becoming even outside of Western locations, Digital Persona.com reports: “banks in Japan have widely deployed biometrics-enabled ATMs that allow customers to withdraw currency or conduct other transactions after a successful fingerprint scan. There are currently more than 80,000 biometrics-enabled ATMs in Japan and more than 15 million customers using them. Similar programs have been launched in China, India and Brazil. Additionally, banks are designing and deploying biometrics-based systems to comply with increasingly more sophisticated anti-fraud and anti-laundering regulations”. 

All indications are that these biometric developments are now rapidly evolving into a global system that is progressing from mere identification and authentication, to a system where economic transactions locally and globally will not be practical or even permissible without them.