Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Yaalon: Lets See Abbas Disarm Hamas
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said Thursday that if Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) does not disarm Hamas, the much-vaunted PLO/Fatah-Hamas reconciliation will have been proven to be nothing but a sham.

In a meeting with foreign attachés stationed in Israel, held at the Kirya base in Tel Aviv, Yaalon predicted that “Abu Mazen will not rule Gaza.”

"If he reconciled with Hamas, we demand that he control the [Gaza] Strip and disarm Hamas. If he does not do this, the reconciliation is a false display, meant to trick the world.”

Yaalon stressed that he seeks peace, but does not believe in self-deception. “If the Palestinian leadxership, which the world perceives as moderate, is unwilling to recognize our right to exist as the nation-state of the Jewish people, and declare that any agreement will be the end of the conflict and the end of demands, then what are we talking about? We are realistic.”

"We are faced with many challenges, and they are turning into global challenges. Therefore, we must cooperate and share knowledge with each other,” he told the attachés. “The Middle East is becoming a source of instability in the entire world. The situation is chaotic. The central challenge is Iran. The Iranian regime is the number one cause of instability in the Middle East, and we identify its fingerprints in every conflict in the region.”

Yaalon noted that Iran is involved in asisting Syrian president Assad to massacre his citizens, and helps terrorists who attack US forces in Afghanistan, besides assisting terror forces in Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen, Lebanon (Hizbullah) and Gaza (Islamic Jihad).

“We fight the Iranian tentacles – for instance, in the form of the fire from Syria and Gaza, but the head is in Tehran,” he added. “And therefore, one way or another, be it diplomatic, economical or military, and as a last resort, the Iranian regime must be prevented from developing nuclear weapons. We will know how to defend ourselves if we have to.”

Western Agencies Grope in the Dark Without Databases or Technology
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily Newsdebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

At their June 5 meeting in Luxembourg, European Union interior ministers picked up the hot potato of the thousands of their young men who volunteer to fight in Syria with Islamist militias – and return home fired up for jihad.
New statistics assign Paris the dubious distinction of being the “terror capital of Europe,” the target of 63 of the 152 terrorist attacks launched on the continent in the course of 2013.
The ministers were advised to focus their discussions on a paper drawn up by EU Counter Terrorism Coordinator Gilles De Kerchove, which covers work on nationals returning from foreign Islamist battlefields and advances constructive proposals for dealing with the threat, including preventive measures.
DEBKA Weekly's counterterrorism sources say the cautious bureaucratic language used to discuss the issue could not gloss over the striking imbalance between the terrorists freedom to operate in Europe with impunity and the governments, counterterrorism and intelligence agencies which lag way behind them in the skills and tools of pre-emption.
According to authoritative estimates, 11,000-12,000 of the 60,000 fighters fighting in Syria for Al Qaeda’s Syrian and Iraqi branches are Muslims from non-Arab countries. Jabhat al Nusra (Al Qaeda in Syria) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) draw the largest number of European Islamist fighters of any other militias of this ilk.

No dossiers, watch lists or databases

More than half of this number (some 5-6,000) - from US, Canada, Russia, China, France, Britain, Holland, Germany, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia – do not figure on any files or watch lists of Western intelligence agencies. Neither do they appear on any terrorist databases.
It must therefore be presumed that hundreds of Islamists, highly trained for combat on the battlefields of Syria and Iraq, are on the loose in North America and Europe. They may not strike any time soon, but the possibility of an unknown number being ticking bombs primed for violence against major US and European cities cannot be overlooked.
In grappling with the shadowy menace of native European jihadis, counterterrorism organizations face six major hurdles:
1. Al Qaeda’s recruitment levels are at their highest since the mid-1990s, and thousands of new foot soldiers are crisscrossing the globe under the radar screens of every intelligence agency. Al Qaeda and other extreme Islamist organizations have managed to create a global strategic reserve that is in constant motion, ready to move at a moment’s notice.
2. By staying constantly on the move, they are able to throw intelligence and counterterrorism trackers agencies – and their targets - off the scent. A terrorist may board a plane in Paris, fly to Turkey, travel on to Kuala Lampur and then head to Amsterdam without committing an attack – just to dodge a tail. These terrorists may not know their own routes in advance, receiving their destination, tickets, and sometimes money and identification documents from incognito operatives.
3. A further complicating factor is that no single hand appears to be moving the chess pieces on the board, or controlling their migration patterns.
Whether or not the Islamist movement has a true controlling master is unclear. The best counterterrorism agencies can do is to pick up the recruiting agents that haunt mosques and Muslim community centers and enlist fervent young men to fight in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

Young Caucasians don’t raise airport security flags

Often, the recruiters don’t know for whom they are working. They say they are signing up volunteers for Muslim aid, medical and educational societies with international bases. The funding for this enlistment drive comes from Saudi sources and wealthy Gulf families.
4. Just two weeks ago, we uncovered established jihadist routes through Sweden, Turkey and Morocco. (DEBKA Weekly. 636 of May 23, “New US Database for Foreign Islamists in Syria: Al Qaeda Flummoxes Belated Western Efforts to Track Jihadis Entering and Exiting Syria.”)
These pathways have already changed. Fighters are now directed to Holland, Belgium, and Iraqi Kurdistan. While we can’t confirm the rationale behind the frequent route changes, we believe that it is easier to move around and obtain forged passports in quantity in those places.
5. A new generation of Islamists, dubbed by intelligence agencies the “blond Muslims,” is proving especially exasperating. The young (sometimes aged only 16) children or grandchildren of American and European converts to Islam are chomping at the bit to fight in Syria, Iraq, or Yemen, and later come back to attack the West.
Young Caucasian men with genuine European passports and nondescript names pass easily from country to country without raising airport security flags or arousing the interest of intelligence bodies.

Some jihadis are self-driven, others moved by mystery controller

In the past few weeks, Holland, Belgium and France have tried and failed to build an up-to-date list of suspects with links to terrorist organizations, DEBKA Weekly’s counterterrorism sources report. Intelligence experts were unable to create any sort of database, which would have separated Muslim and non-Muslim persons of interest.
European and North African interior ministers who met recently in Brussels were given this disappointing news.
6. Intelligence agencies have strained all their resources to try and nail the brain or authority manipulating the new generation of jihadis. They have concluded that the neo-al Qaeda movement has no single controller and its individual devotees may to some extent be self-driven.
Radicalized individuals eager to sacrifice themselves in the name of jihad may undertake the entire operation from first to last - pick a target, perform reconnaissance, obtain weapons, map escape routes and find safe houses.
French intelligence assigned this pattern of conduct to 24-year-old Mohamed Merah, who in March 2012 shot dead three French soldiers and four people at a Jewish school in Toulouse before French police shot him dead.

Technology and tools urgently needed to prevent next attack

But the vast terrorist networks causing European intelligence agencies sleepless nights also confound French investigators: Merah made more than 1,800 calls to 180 contacts in 20 countries before committing his crimes. He made most calls on disposable mobile phones that were later destroyed.
This week, the French and Belgian investigators looking into the May 24 attack at the Jewish Museum in Brussels, which left four people dead, faced similar obstacles when interrogating their suspect, 29-year-old Mehdi Nenmouche from northern France.
They know he was active in radical Islamist circles and likely fought in Syria in 2013. He was caught with guns and a video camera containing an audio clip, in which he claims responsibility for the attack. But he himself refuses to say a word. His lawyers say he stole the murder weapon from a parked car in Brussels.
Until a database is created that can identify the thousands of terrorists, along with software to pin down their shifting identities and track their travel patterns, DEBKA Weekly’s sources say there is no way to stave off future catastrophes in the US or Europe.

Terrorist Groups Rise 58% Since 2010
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy News Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Temple Mount Faithful Lay Claim to Lost Ark
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy News Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

It happens relatively frequently. Every once in a while, some daring biblical researcher or pretentious archaeologist emerges to claim that he found a clue that will lead him to the Ark of the Covenant. 

According to Jewish tradition, the Tables of the Covenant, on which the Ten Commandments are inscribed, were kept in the ark within the temple. On June 4, the Jews celebrate Shavuot, which is identified with the Mount Sinai revelation.

But those who continue to search for the ark are not only Jews. The rest of the world has not yet abandoned the dream of finding the Holy Ark.

In July 2013, in an archaeological dig in ancient Shiloh, traces were found linking the place to the site of the Tabernacle, which housed the Ark of the Covenant until the construction of the temple. Two years earlier, in 2011, it had been argued that a church in Ethiopia was the secret repository of the ark.

If you ask the Temple Mount faithful, the answer is fairly straightforward: The ark is intact and well, securely protected within the Temple Mount itself. When we talked about the timing of the founding of the Third Temple, Rabbi Yehoshua Friedman of the Temple Institute told me, “There are 10 studies about the location of the Ark of the Covenant. 

We read them and studied all of them, and reached the conclusion that it’s buried in the tunnels under the Temple Mount. When the day comes, we will get to it.”

Friedman is not the only one who believes this. Numerous other Jews have reached the same conclusion, and in 1981 attempts were made to hasten the longed-for day and excavate under the Temple Mount to reveal the ark. This was no underground activity by the obsessed. 

It was an initiative involving the chief rabbis of the time, including Rabbi Shlomo Goren, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and Gedalia Schreiber, the director-general of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The effort ultimately failed amid claims of a Muslim plot to thwart the discovery.

But Friedman errs in at least one way. There are many more than 10 theories regarding the whereabouts of the Ark of the Covenant. Some of them seem totally delusional, but among them are some serious theories by erudite researchers determined to solve the ark riddle in our day.

In Steven Spielberg's classic movie, Adolf Hitler coveted the ark for its purported magical attributes, but the one who actually found it was the titular Indiana Jones. 

Spielberg’s theory is inherently Hollywoodian and full of holes. Another Jones did more in-depth work on the subject: Archaeologist Wendell Jones argued that the ark was moved to the Dead Sea caves, and that he was the inspiration for the Indiana of movie fame. Obviously, no ark came to light in searches conducted in the Dead Sea area.

“According to the Book of Kings, the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the temple’s Holy of Holies by King Solomon, and from that moment on we have no evidence of its existence,” said Yigal Levin, a faculty member of the department of Jewish history at Bar Ilan University.

While the evidence might have petered out there, the theories were only beginning. As we know, Jerusalem was conquered frequently over the course of history. Nations came and left; kings robbed and religious leaders coveted. There were countless opportunities for the ark to travel to the ends of the world.

“Some claim that the ark was taken by the Queen of Sheba, who came to visit King Solomon,” explained Levin. “This is the basis for the theory that the ark is to be found in Ethiopia, and there are those who claim that it was taken by Egyptian King Shishak. This is the version familiar to us from the film 'Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.'"

The Ethiopian theory takes a surprising turn in the words of librarian and researcher of popular culture Eli Eshed. In an article he published on the Hebrew-language Reading Reindeer site under the headline “Raiders of the Ark of the Covenant,” Eshed quotes from a book published by Kelly D. Alexander. Alexander claims that during the Operation Moses campaign in 1991 to bring Ethiopian Jews to Israel, a parallel but very clandestine operation was conducted to return the Ark of the Covenant to Israel. 

According to the story, discussions were held at the highest echelons between Israel and Ethiopian generals, and the latter received some millions of dollars in exchange for permission to take the ark to Israel. Several Jewish millionaires provided the money but the generals, who escaped to Switzerland, did not know that the money delivered was fake. 

The Israelis were careful to report the counterfeit money to the Swiss banks, and the generals were arrested when they tried to deposit the loot. Afterward, the Israelis turned to the rebel forces that took control of Ethiopia at the time and gave them the real money. This money enabled the new rulers to fund their activities, and in exchange they gave the ark to the Israelis.

“I am very doubtful about the veracity of this story,” concluded Eshed. “It sounds like those fabricated tales that are so massively widespread on the Internet.”

“The most reasonable theory is that the ark remained in the Holy of Holies until the destruction of the temple in 586 B.C.,” said Levin, “As far as we know, the ark was not taken to Babylonia by Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed the temple, and it does not appear among the vessels returned by Cyrus, King of Persia, who authorized the rebuilding of the Second Temple.”

The argument concealed in the statement above is that it is likely that the Ark of the Covenant was destroyed together with the First Temple. But those who stand by the theory that the ark had been moved will say that it is hard to believe that the builders of the Second Temple did not find the ark if it was really buried there. 

They, contrary to Goren, did enjoy free access to the Temple Mount. Thus, according to their version, the ark was either destroyed or moved around the world.

But even those who agree that the ark was taken to a secret place do not agree on who took it, when it was taken and to where.

One Jewish allegation connects the temple vessels to Italy. According to this allegation, the Arch of Titus displays the carrying of the temple vessels to Rome, including the Golden Candelabra; some argue that the Talmud also brings evidence of this (Tractate Me’ilot 17b). 

According to this claim, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his disciple Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Yossi, sailed to Rome (Tractate Gittin 56) and went to Caesar’s palace. 

There, Elazar glimpsed the curtain (parochet) of the temple and the golden head plate of the high priest, and Shimon bar Yochai saw the Golden Candelabra. This Talmudic story is the basis for the claim that temple vessels are still hidden in the Vatican basements to this very day. If we let our imaginations run a bit further, perhaps the ark is there as well.

This story, too, is chronologically problematic, since many people claim that no Ark of the Covenant existed in the Second Temple. In any case, there are those who took this story very seriously, and in 2009 Jewish right-wing activists asked an Israeli court to issue a stay-of-exit order against Pope Benedict XVI when he visited Israel, with the demand that he return the holy vessels.

Many hold that it is only a matter of time until the whereabouts of the ark will be revealed. The Temple Mount faithful certainly believe that its discovery will be accompanied by the coming of the Messiah and the building of the Third Temple. 

Others think that its detection will connect Moses and the contemporary Jewish nation once and for all. They believe that it will forge a permanent, indissoluble bond between the State of Israel and the Temple Mount, in other words affirming the right to settle in the land of Israel. Thus, we see that the Ark of the Covenant is not only a religious symbol, but a political tool as well.

“All we have are legends,” summarized Levin. “So long as no new testimonies emerge regarding the whereabouts of the ark, we have, in effect, no way at all of knowing where it is.”

Report: U.S. Holding Backroom Talks With Hamas For Months
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The US has been secretly holding talks with Hamas for months Buzzfeed reported Thursday, despite its official stance that it would negotiate with the terrorist organization.

“Our administration needed to hear from them that this unity government would move toward democratic elections, and toward a more peaceful resolution with the entire region,” a US official stated to the "social news" site, on condition of anonymity. “It was important to have that line of communication." 

US officials have publicly denied the charges, however, leading to confusion over the report's veracity. 

“These assertions are completely untrue,” US State Department Spokeswoman Marie Harf told BuzzFeed. “There is no such back channel. Our position on Hamas has not changed.”

US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro rebuffed the claim on Thursday, stating emphatically to IDF Radio that reports of "secret talks" are false. 

"We do not have ties to Hamas, we do not work with them, we do not we will give assistance to them," Shapiro fired. "We will not work with a government that has Hamas sitting [in its parliament]." 

The US stated that it was willing to "work with" the Hamas-Fatah unity government earlier this week, as officials stated repeatedly that the decision that the government - while backed by Hamas - does not support terror since it lacks the official presence of Hamas officials. 

Despite this, it is important to note that Hamas recently announced that any "unity" government would be unequivocally subject to their approval before being established - providing a de facto influence in the new government despite the lack of "official" Hamas representatives in the new "parliament."

Qatar to Financially Help Hamas - Fatah Government
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Hamas deputy leader Moussa Abu Marzouk, who is in charge on behalf of Hamas of the reconciliation with Fatah, confirmed on Thursday that Qatar had agreed to pay the June salaries of public sector workers in Gaza.

Speaking with Hamas’s Al-Aqsa television, Abu Marzouk said that prior to the Qatari announcement, Fatah and Hamas had agreed that they would ask Arab states to resolve the payment of salaries to all public sector workers in both Judea and Samaria as well as Gaza.

Abu Marzouk said that during the negotiations on the implementation of the reconciliation agreement between the sides, there was a consensus that the salaries of all public employees would be guaranteed, regardless of political belonging. The issue is a complex one, he said, because of the increased number of public sector employees, who number 210,000, of which 40,000 were hired during the period that Hamas was controlling Gaza.

This is not the first time that Qatar has assisted the Palestinian Authority (PA), whose leaders continue to claim that it is suffering from an economic crisis.

In 2012, the emir of Qatar visited Gaza, bringing with him $250 million for a hospital and homes in Gaza, as well as a pledge for nearly another quarter of a billion of dollars.

The country has also provided Gaza with funds to return its power plant to life after it ran out of fuel, mostly due to an Egyptian siege on the region and internal disputes between Hamas and Fatah.

This would not be the first time that the PA has asked for foreign donations. In 2012, the Arab League pledged to transfer a monthly sum of 100 million dollars to as a “financial safety net” to the PA.

Referring to the possibility that the West would end its aid to the PA over the unity government with Hamas, Abu Marzouk said that the PA does not need the $200 million it receives from the United States which is conditional upon the PA cooperating on security-related matters, as Hamas believes in putting an end to any American sponsorship of decision-making by the PA.

Palestinian Authority to Funnel Payments to Terrorists Through PLO
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy News Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Obama said that Palestinian Authority and PLO leader Abbas is Israel’s real peace partner. And he just proved it through his unity agreement with Hamas… which Obama will go on funding.

If you don’t like something Abbas is doing. He’s prepared to be accommodating. If you don’t like his payments to terrorists through the Palestinian Authority, he’ll just funnel them through the PLO.

The Palestinian Authority has been under pressure from international donors following Palestinian Media Watch’s exposure of the PA’s policy of rewarding terrorists with salaries. These salaries amounted to a total of $103 million in 2013 and will reach at least $130 million in 2014. Members of US Congress have recently suggested deducting the amount paid in salaries from US funding to the PA.

During the testimony by Assistant Secretary of State, Ambassador Anne W. Patterson at a congressional Subcommittee Hearing, Congressman Weber asked:

“If the PA is paying for terrorists in prison, we ought to also be willing to hit them with some economic sanctions of that sort?”

Assistant Secretary Patterson answered:

“Frankly, I know that they’re going to try and phase that out and we should give them an opportunity to do so.”

And by phase them out, Anne Patterson, who was driven out of Egypt over her intimidation of Christians and support for the Muslim Brotherhood, meant that the PA/PLO would play out a shell game.

In order to avoid this international pressure, the PA is planning a ploy to maintain the salaries but transfer responsibility for payments from the PA to the PLO. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is also the head of the PLO and he will continue to be directly responsible for the payments to the prisoners.

So Abbas will no longer fund terrorists as head of the PA, but as head of the PLO, which also runs the PA. And it’s not like the PA is being at all subtle about what it’s doing.

PA daily Al-Ayyam: “This would be a change of name and nothing more… the new situation would make possible the provision of new resources to support prisoners’ issues, without allowing forces of the US Congress or some European parliaments to attempt to blackmail the PA or to take steps against it.’”

PA Deputy Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs Ziyad Abu Ein: “This would also avoid the pressure being exerted on the PA by the donor countries, which oppose the transfer of their money to prisoners.”

And if Western leaders fall for it, which they probably will, then it’s another deception accomplished.

PA to Appeal to UN Over Israeli Construction
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsAFP and Arutz Sheva Staff
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the terrorist organization behind Fatah and the Palestinian Authority (PA), is to appeal to the UN Security Council over Israel's announcement that it would build 1,500 new Jewish homes in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem, a senior official said Thursday.

"The executive committee of the PLO views this latest escalation with the utmost of seriousness," Hanan Ashrawi said in an English-language statement.

The committee  "will counter it by addressing both the United Nations Security Council and the General Assembly as the proper way of curbing this grave violation and ensuring accountability," she added.

Earlier Thursday, the PA vowed to take "unprecedented steps" in revenge for the announcement, though officials did not specify what those steps were. 

Once the announcement was made, the PA issued a sharp condemnation of the announcement,calling on the US to take "serious steps" against Israel over the move. 

PA officials also accused Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of being a "liar" who is "not interested" in peace.

"It is time for the American administration to take serious steps against what the government of Israel is doing," Nimr Hammad, an adviser to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, told AFP. "We strongly condemn this decision which affirms that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a liar and is not interested in the two-state solution."

Netanyahus Statements Raise Fears of Disengagement
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reportedly made controversial statements in a closed meeting on Monday, saying "I don't want one state from the (Mediterranean) Sea to the Jordan (River)...we must separate from the Palestinians."

Journalist Ze'ev Kam of Makor Rishon on Friday exposed the statements that were made during a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting. Several of the MKs who attended, both from the political right and left, reportedly called Netanyahu's statements dramatic and requiring clarification, and warned that they hinted plans for unilateral action.

The gist of Netanyahu's address to the Committee meeting was the necessity to "arrive at a separation from the Palestinians," specifically given his commitment not to negotiate with the new unity government formed between Fatah and the terrorist group Hamas on Monday.

"We won't talk with a government that Hamas is part of," Netanyahu reiterated in the Committee meeting.

Leftist MKs said to Netanyahu "let's say you're right and the Palestinians are guilty for the failure of the peace talks...what does Israel intend to do in this condition?"

"I don't want one state from the (Mediterranean) Sea to the Jordan (River). Even if the demographic balance doesn't change against us and there's a Jewish majority, it's still clear the Jewish majority must be well-established and that it be a democratic state. And therefore we have to reach a separation (from the Palestinians)," responded Netanyahu, causing a stir among the MKs in attendance.

According to Netanyahu, the benefits of such a separation would be that "this way we will have a secured Jewish majority and also a certain ability to maneuver towards part of the Arab nations of the world for a certain period of time."

MKs warn: Disengagement, part two

One MK, who remained unnamed, reportedly said after the meeting "Netanyahu spoke about the need for separation, a minute after clarifying that he won't hold peace talks with the Palestinians in the new situation that has been created."

"You have to wonder if these aren't Netanyahu's opening shots for a unilateral separation plan from the Palestinians - particularly since the statements came after some of the MKs asked him specifically about unilateral moves," continued the MK.

The MK emphasized the term "separation," remarking "pay attention to another point, this is exactly the same terminology that (former Prime Minister) Ariel Sharon used when he started moving in the direction of the disengagement from Gaza."

The talk of unilateral moves is particularly significant given that Netanyahu told Bloomberg View in mid-May "it’s true that the idea of taking unilateral steps is gaining ground, from the center-left to the center-right. Many Israelis are asking themselves if there are certain unilateral steps that could theoretically make sense."

While a senior official of Netanyahu's office told Arutz Sheva following the interview that Netanyahu was not planning any withdrawals, the new statements urging separation and only controlling a portion of Israel raises questions.

Netanyahu reportedly admitted in a meeting last month that he had submitted to US pressure and frozen construction in Judea and Samaria. He claimed that he was not aware that canceling the high planning council meetings of the IDF's Civil Administration, charged with managing the region, would completely prevent even the smallest development in the area.

Netanyahu Hosts Bible Study Circle for Shavuot
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy News Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara hosted the fifth session of the Shmuel Ben-Artzi Tanach (Bible) Study Circle at their official residence in Jerusalem this week. 

The Tanach Study Circle is named after the Prime Minister's late father-in-law, who passed away last November, and was a Bible teacher and researcher. 

The Tanach Study Circle, held in cooperation with the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, was reinstated two years ago, renewing a tradition started by Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, and which was continued by its sixth prime minister, Menachem Begin. This evening's meeting focused on the Book of Ruth, which is read on the holiday Shavuot taking place this week. 

"I have always thought and believed that the Bible is the foundation of our existence here," Prime Minister Netanyahu said. "Otherwise we would be somewhere else or nowhere at all. The influence of the written words has not lessened over the generations; on the contrary, their strength has only increased. 

"Therefore, I think that we need – here in the prime minister's residence – to focus on the Bible every few months."

At the start of the first lesson of the renewed Tanach Study Circle, Netanyahu said that "Ben-Gurion and Begin believed that the Bible should be the heritage of the entire nation – secular and religious, young and old, men and women. 

"The Bible is the foundation of our existence. It unites the Jewish people, as it has throughout the generations. It also serves not only as a foundation but also as a map and compass. 

The Bible is always relevant vis-à-vis today's problems and challenges. It inspires, it is a source of life for our people and I think that it is important to expand Bible study and love of the Bible among all parts of the nation. 

"This is also the goal of this circle. I am certain that thanks to the researchers, rabbis and learned men and women here, who know and love the Bible, we will enrich our common knowledge."

Nasrallah: Any Solution in Syria Must Include Assad
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah

Reuters

The head of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terrorist group said on Friday that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's re-election this week proves that any solution to the country's conflict "begins and ends" with the embattled leader.

"The elections proved that a political solution in Syria begins and ends with President Bashar Al-Assad," Hassan Nasrallah, a key ally of Assad's regime, was quoted by AFP as having said in a televised address.

Assad won a new seven-year term in the country's first multi-candidate presidential vote on June 3, taking nearly 90 percent in an election dismissed by the opposition and its international backers as a "farce."

The opposition says Assad's departure from office is a condition for any peace agreement, but Nasrallah dismissed that as a possibility.

"There is a president who has been elected by millions for a new seven-year term," he said, according to AFP.

"Those who want to work for a political solution must talk to him, negotiate with him and reach a solution with him," declared the Hezbollah leader, who has sent Hezbollah fighters to Syria to battle alongside Assad's regime.

He called for an end to bloodshed in Syria and for new negotiations, saying, "We call on combatants ... to move towards reconciliation and dialogue, looking for political exits to stop the bloodshed."

"This fighting will only increase destruction in your country and add to the bloodshed," he said, addressing the opposition.

"Everyone should recognize and acknowledge that war in Syria will not lead to others taking control of it."

Syria's conflict began in March 2011 with peaceful protests against Assad's rule and spiraled into a bloody war that has killed more than 162,000 people.

Nasrallah said Assad's re-election was a "political and popular declaration of the failure of war," and said a solution to the conflict required an "end to the support of extremist groups in Syria."

Syria's opposition is backed by much of the international community, while Assad's government is supported by Hezbollah and its backer Iran, as well as Russia.

As a result of Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian war, its strongholds in Lebanon have been the targets of repeated attacks. Nevertheless, Nasrallah has promised that his group will be wherever is needed in Syria. 

On Friday, he declared the presidential vote in Syria to be the "fruit of military victories and the blood of martyrs."

He also hit back at U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who described the elections as "a great big zero."

"These are elections of millions, not elections of zero, as some have described it," Nasrallah said, according to AFP.

Military Assault in Ukraine Sparks Mass Exodus
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Controversy and bloodshed continues in eastern Ukraine Friday, after a coordinated military assault on pro-Russian separatists in the region has resulted in at least one city reclaimed for Kiev - and rumors of a mass exodus. 

On Thursday, the Ukrainian military recaptured Krasny Liman, marking a rare victory for Kiev. As CNN footage shows, however, the battles have caused immense damage, resulting in the shelling of a local hospital. 

Meanwhile, Russian President Dmitry Mevdev stated Thursday that hundreds of Ukrainians have fled to Russia following the military assault, a statement Kiev continues to deny.

At least 4,000 people have already fled to Russia, Mevdev said - mostly women and children - requesting asylum.  He ordered government support for regions receiving refugees, which are "in a very difficult situation."

Sheer numbers, however, may support Russia's claims, according to the Wall Street Journal. In Rostov, which lies on Russia's southeastern border with Ukraine, officials told the Interfax news agency that temporary housing had been prepared there for 2,600 people.

Some statements predict an even higher exodus; on Wednesday, Russia's children's rights officials said that 7,000 Ukrainians had crossed the border into Rostov in 24 hours. 

Analysts say that the exodus proves that Ukraine's control over its borders is weakening, a claim Kiev denies. Ukraine's State Border Service said that there is no evidence of a mass exodus from eastern Ukraine - sparking even sharper criticism from Mevdev. 

"The Ukrainian authorities are refusing to see any humanitarian problems," he fired. "They are even speaking about the absence of refugees. It is a lie." 

But even Russian human rights experts doubt a mass exodus from Ukraine. One, Svetlana Gannushkina, head of Russia's refugee group Civil Assistance, told the Journal that the problem is overplayed for political reasons. 

"Of course there are refugees - they come to us because there is a war there," she said. "This isn't like Syria. It is 8,000 maximum."

In March, Russian border officials claimed that ethnic Russians were fleeing Ukraine en masse, at the height of the initial crisis in Crimea - with up to 143,000 filing asylum requests. But State television never showed footage of the refugees, with shrewd analysts noting that stock footage was used of Ukrainian traffic into Poland instead. 

Police brutality in the region is also on the rise. On Wednesday, a video surfaced allegedly showing separatist leader Igor Bezler taking hostages, according to the Financial Times - and threatening to kill them. 

Wearing military fatigues and armed with a Kalashnikov rifle, the man says, "If my man is not released in an hour, another two will be shot; in another hour and a half a third two." 

The legitimacy of the video is disputed, as allegations continue to fly back and forth that both the Ukrainian authorities and the separatists are guilty of grave human rights violations. 

However, well-known separatist leader Alexander Khryakov confirmed the incident to the Times late Wednesday, sparking furious recriminations from Kiev that Russia is supporting "bloody terrorism."

Let the Headlines Speak
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Jerusalem is the '2016 Islamic Tourism Capital'
A Palestinian Authority (PA) official said Thursday that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) chose Jerusalem as the "capital of Islamic tourism" for 2016.  

Russian flyby of US spy plane: Is its military spoiling for a fight?
It seemed like a “Top Gun” encounter from a bygone cold-war era, when the Pentagon revealed this week that a US reconnaissance aircraft had been the target of a “reckless intercept” by a Russian fighter jet.  

Sen. Mike Lee, Dirk Kempthorne, Joel Osteen meet with Pope Francis at Vatican
Part of a multiday, unofficial visit to Italy to promote ecumenical prayer and interfaith understanding, Lee was joined in the private audience by former U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne; Lakewood Church pastor and televangelist Joel Osteen; Tim Timmons, a pastor and author based in Newport Beach, California; and Gayle D. Beebe, president of Westmont College, an evangelical school in Santa Barbara, California.  

Under Damascus, rebels and army battle in maze of tunnels
Guided more by what they can hear than see, Syrian troops and rebels are battling in the bowels of Damascus, digging tunnels in a campaign to control the eastern entrance to the capital.  

Temple Mount project yields treasure, but unearths conflict
Sifting through earth removed from holy site gleans rare artifacts, but Prof. Gabriel Barkay’s methods stir controversy.  

European Central Bank Institutes Negative Interest Rate
The European Central Bank has just reduced interest rates and installed a negative rate on bank deposits for the first time in its history. The bank cut its main lending rate to 0.15%, a new low, from the 0.25% rate held since November, and lowered its rate on emergency overnight loans by 35 basis points to 0.40%. This is an extremely dangerous move...  

Oklahoma, South Carolina Governors Repeal Common Core Standards
Oklahoma and South Carolina have officially joined the ranks of states that have ditched the Common Core State Standards.  

Vodafone reveals existence of secret wires that allow state surveillance
Vodafone, one of the world's largest mobile phone groups, has revealed the existence of secret wires that allow government agencies to listen to all conversations on its networks, saying they are widely used in some of the 29 countries in which it operates in Europe and beyond.  

Human stem cells successfully transplanted into pigs
Scientists have successfully transplanted human stem cells into pigs that were especially genetically modified for the purpose. Once implanted, the cells thrived, leading the researchers to believe they are one step closer to finding treatments for a number of incapacitating human diseases.  

‘Bon appétit,’ Putin tells G7 leaders dishing the dirt on Russia in Brussels
President Putin wished “bon appétit” to G7 leaders who patronized Russia – excluded from the club over Ukraine – and set conditions it has to meet to restore ties with the West. Otherwise, Obama and his allies threatened, more sanctions would follow.  

ECB imposes negative interest rate
The European Central Bank has introduced a raft of measures aimed at stimulating the eurozone economy, including negative interest rates and cheap long-term loans to banks. It cut its deposit rate for banks from zero to -0.1%, to encourage banks to lend to businesses rather than hold on to money. The ECB also cut its benchmark interest rate to 0.15% from 0.25%.  

'Obama and his aides have lost their minds'
Former Republican Rep. Allen West two days ago called for President Obama’s impeachment over his decision to swap five known terror leaders for a soldier whose behavior is under investigation, arguing Obama apparently violated U.S. law forbidding material aid to terror groups.  

Egypt brings in new sexual harassment laws
Egypt has introduced new punishments for sexual harassment in an effort to crack down on the worsening problem. In a decree issued by outgoing interim president Adly Mansour, sexual harassment is now a crime punishable by up to five years in jail. Until now, Egypt has not had a law defining sexual harassment.  

China under-reports defence spending, says US
China has under-reported its 2014 defence spending by about 20%, according to an annual report put out by the US defence department. China's stated budget for this year was $120bn (£70bn), but the US report said the actual figure was closer to $145bn. The US called on China to be more open about its plans, amid high tension with other regional powers over disputed islands in the South China Sea.  

Quake hits near Ohakune
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake has hit near Ohakune this afternoon. Geonet reports the quake, which was felt in the much of the central North Island, hit at 3:46pm at a depth of 117km and around 20km south-west of Ohakune.  

Nigeria's Boko Haram crisis: Maiduguri 'preachers kill dozens'
Suspected Boko Haram militants have launched an attack on a village near the north-eastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, killing about 45 people. The attackers told villagers they had come to preach before firing on a crowd that gathered, survivors told the BBC. Separately, officials say up to 200 may have been killed in a wave of attacks in villages in the region this week.  

Haiti police fire tear gas at anti-government protest
Thousands have marched in the streets of Haiti's capital demanding President Michel Martelly step down. Police fired tear gas and broke up the crowd in Port-au-Prince. There were no reports of serious injuries. Haiti has seen several anti-government protests in recent months amid growing anger over the cost of living and claims of high levels of corruption.  

28 Percent Of Americans Believe The Bible Is The Literal Word Of God
According to a Gallup poll conducted in May, a solid twenty-eight percent of Americans believe that the Bible is the literal word of God and should be interpreted accordingly. That's a 3% decrease since 2007, when about 1/3 of the United States answered that they believed the Bible was the actual word of God. However, in the late 1970s, 38% to 40% of Americans told Gallup that they believed in the Bible as God's word.  

Japan PM Abe says wants dialogue with Putin despite G7 threats
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, hours after joining fellow industrial powers in threatening further sanctions against Russia, said on Thursday that he wants to maintain good relations with Moscow.  

Iraq, Iran Top World's Unhappiest Countries List
A new study released this week by Gallup cited Iran as the country with the highest negative emotions - a close second behind Iraq. Just last month, six Iranians were arrested in the country for dancing to Pharrell's "Happy" in the country's capitol, Tehran. They have since been released.  

El Niño Likely: 70 Percent Chance by Summer
NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) puts the odds of an El Niño at 70 percent this month and 80 percent during the fall and winter. But it's too soon to officially declare an El Niño, because the ocean and atmosphere are sending mixed signals, the CPC said in its monthly El Niño outlook, released today.

Jerusalem is the 2016 Islamic Tourism Capital
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The first OIC International Forum on Islamic Tourism was held in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta this Monday and Tuesday.

According to PA Minister of Religious Affairs Mahmoud Habbash, the Forum decided on Jerusalem as a means of "breaking Israel's siege" of the 3,000-year-old Jewish capital, reports the Arab Ma'an News Agency.

It is worth noting that on official PA TV in January, Habbash called for jihad terrorism to be directed against Jerusalem instead of Syria.

Habbash claimed that regardless of the Jewish presence in the Israeli capital, "Jerusalem is the religious and political capital of Palestine." He added his hopes that Arab and Islamic delegates would visit Jerusalem.

The PA and Hamas have been divided over the issue of Muslims visiting Jerusalem. Muslim leaders in Jordan issued a "fatwa" (religious edict) on April 30, ending a ban on visits to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque despite it being "under Israeli occupation."

According to the ruling, "Palestinians...regardless of their nationalities" and "Muslims with passports from countries outside the Muslim World" could visit Jerusalem, as long as they didn't financially aid the "occupation."

Hamas rejected the ruling, saying it gives the appearance of recognizing the rule of the "occupation," and constitutes a de facto normalization with Israel. The terrorist organization called on Muslims not to visit Jerusalem.

Not all Muslims agree with the claims that Jerusalem is the "capital of Palestine." Jordanian Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Adwan pointed out in March that "the direction of prayer of the Muslim people is to Mecca, and the direction of Jewish prayer is to Jerusalem. ...According to our faith, Allah promised Israel to the Jewish people, and they are the sole official inheritors of that land."

Similarly, Adwan said in February "there is no such thing as 'Palestine' in the Koran. Your demand for the Land of Israel is a falsehood and it constitutes an attack on the Koran, on the Jews and their land. Therefore you won’t succeed, and Allah will fail you and humiliate you, because Allah is the one who will protect them (i.e. the Jews)."

Israel to Build 1,500 New Homes in Jerusalem, Yesha Towns
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The Housing Ministry and the Israel Lands Administration on Wednesday night issued tenders for 1,500 new homes in Judea and Samaria, and in Jerusalem. The tenders were issued as part of Israel's response to the establishment of the Hamas-Fatah Palestinian Authority government.

Of the homes, 223 will be built in Efrat, 484 in Beitar Ilit, 38 in Geva Binyamin (Adam), 76 in Ariel, 78 in Alfe Menashe, 210 in Givat Zeev, and 400 in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood of Jerusalem.

Housing Minister Uri Ariel said Wednesday night that he was “very gladdened by the appropriate Zionist response to the establishment of the Palestinian terrorist government. It is the right and obligation of Israel to build in all parts of the Land of Israel, especially to lower the price of homes.

“I believe that these homes will be just the beginning” of a larger development effort in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, Ariel added.

The announcement comes amid Israeli anger the Obama administration's decision to work with the Palestinian Authority's "unity government" consisting of the PLO and Hamas. 

On a lightning visit to Israel's northern neighbor Lebanon on Wednesday, Secretary of State John Kerry defended the US decision.

He said it did not contradict longstanding US and European Union policy that bars all dealings with any "Palestinian government" involving Hamas until the Islamist movement renounces violence and recognizes Israel and past peace deals.

Kerry said Abbas had "made clear that this new technocratic government is committed to the principles of non-violence, negotiations, recognizing the State of Israel, acceptance of the previous agreements".

"Based on what we know now about the composition of this technocratic government, which has no minister affiliated to Hamas and is committed to the principles that I describe, we will work with it as we need to, as appropriate," the US top diplomat claimed.

Iran Says U.S. Has Renounced Military Action
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed Wednesday that US President Barack Obama's administration has "renounced the idea of any military actions" against the Islamic regime over its nuclear program.

Khameini spoke on a stage with a banner reading "America cannot do a damn thing," at his predecessor Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's mausoleum at the 25th anniversary of Khomeini's death, reports New York Times. Senior Iranian political and military figures attended the address.

“They realized that military attacks are as dangerous or even more dangerous for the assaulting country as they are for the country attacked,” said Khamenei, adding a "military attack is not a priority for Americans now. They have renounced the idea of any military actions."

On the other hand, Khamenei claimed that the US was supporting "terrorist acts" in Iran and elsewhere, saying "they did it in Iraq, Afghanistan and some Arab countries of the region and in our country as well," referencing the assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists over the last few years.

Khamenei ultimately has control over Iranian policy, despite the West's courtship with the supposed "moderate" Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. During the speech, pamphlets reading "What did we give - and what did we get?" were passed out, criticizing Rouhani over the nuclear talks currently being conducted with Western powers.

The claims of American military emasculation are Khamenei's first response to Obama's speech last week at the US West Point military academy, in which he emphasized that the US has other ways of conducting foreign policy aside from the military.

Another presumable sign of American submission was the US announcement on Saturday that it would release five Taliban terrorists in exchange for kidnapped US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, a move hailed as a victory by the Taliban.

Last month Khamenei said that Western expectations for the Islamic Republic to limit its missile program were "stupid and idiotic". In the past, he has declared that Tehran will never give up its nuclear program. He also revealed in January that the nuclear talks are merely a tactic to stall for time.

Obama's warnings in March that the military option is still on the table regarding Iran's nuclear program were called "the joke of the year" by Iran's military.

High Court Issues Mixed Ruling on Policies for Detaining Palestinians
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

                                                                                                                                                                                                             

 

The High Court of Justice on Sunday issued a mixed ruling to a petition by rights groups against the state's policies of holding Palestinians in custody for periods that exceed those of Israelis living beyond the Green Line.

The court issued a partial ruling to a petition filed by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), Yesh Din, and the Public Committee Against Torture, which demanded that the state apply the law equally to both Israeli and Palestinian minors in Judea and Samaria.

The court rejected the petition in regard to the maximum time of detention prior to indictment for adults suspected of security crimes, but ordered the state to explain its policies regarding maximum detention periods for minors and adults suspected of non-security crimes. In addition the court required the state to explain its policies regarding the detention of suspects for the duration of legal proceedings against them.

The court ordered the state to address the issues by September 15, 2014.

The ACRI said that the state had eased its detention policies in the wake of the petition.

“The petition led to a shrinking of the discriminatory gap between Israelis and Palestinians living in the territories as it relates to the lengths of custody in which they are held,” said Laila Margalit, an attorney for ACRI. “On some issues, the court made clear that it was not willing to make do with the progress that was made.”

Hamas: the Majority of Palestinian Arabs Support Terrorism
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Leftist MKs, the EU, and the US have encouraged Israel to work with the new Palestinian Authority (PA) "unity" government, claiming cooperation is the "only way" to end the Israeli-Arab conflict.

Husam Badran, a senior Hamas official, disproved this on Thursday, stating that the "Palestinian people" still openly support terrorism.

The official explained in an interview with the Gaza-based Al-Quds Press that the PA unity government has no political platform, and has set specific goals regarding ​​domestic policy, such as the release of terrorists, removing the "siege" from Gaza and improving the economic condition of the "Palestinian people."

Badran also stressed that Hamas has not changed its position on the conflict with Israel conflict, which still relies on an "armed struggle."

"We believe that the majority of the Palestinian people still believe that the way to freedom is to fight," Badran said. 

The US and EU have largely predicated its willingness to "work with" the new unity government on the misnomer that the government does not actually include Hamas politicians. 

Despite this, Hamas announced that any "unity" government would be unequivocally subject to their approval before being established - and analysts say that both Hamas "ministers" and Islamic Jihad terrorists are expected to join the government soon. Indeed, three Hamas-backed ministers were sworn in to the new government from Gaza via video feed.

Hamas's charter calls for the destruction of Israel, and at least one top official has ruled out the possibility that Hamas will recognize “the Zionist entity,” even after the unity pact with Fatah.

Another official, Salah Bardawil, stated clearly several weeks ago that Hamas's policies obviously support terrorism - despite the supposedly peaceful facade of a "unity" pact with Fatah.

"Hamas's platform is known to everyone and is not unambiguous," Bardawil said. "Any referral to handling the Palestinian issue through peaceful means implies the cleansing of Palestine from foreigners who entered in 1948, before and after this time." 

"All those (foreigners who came to Palestine) must return to where they came from, and then we will extend our peace," he continued. "We are not hostile, only who attacked us and stole our land. So we understand the meaning of the word 'peace."

Fatah, Hamas Reluctant to Put 2007 Clashes Behind Them
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Continued clashes between Hamas and Fatah belie the facade of their new "unity" government, as news reports throughout the week show. 

On Friday, disgruntled Palestinian Arabs stated that the discord continues to be expressed not only through police crackdowns and violence - but also through the legislative process. 

Fatah members told Fox News reporters Friday that a compensation plan had been drafted in the new government to pay reparations to families affected by violent clashes between the two groups. 

However, the commission would need at least two years and $150 million to review and settle any claims, according to panel member Ashraf Jumma - and, as of now, there is no funding at all for the committee. 

Bereaved families also spoke out, claiming that they were not interested in compensation or negotiation - only revenge. 

"I don't want compensation...I want punishment," Hamza Rafati, the 22-year-old son of a slain Hamas terrorist, told Fox News. He slammed the compensation bid for causing his family to lose their "right to legal revenge after unity."

The "unity" agreement aims to bring an end to the longstanding feud between Fatah and Hamas, which began in 2007 when Hamas took control of Gaza in a bloody coup and started cracking down on Fatah officials living in the territory. About 400 people were estimated to have been killed during the clashes, although the data stems from Gaza-based "human rights" groups. 

Hamas and Fatah have shown a limited degree of tolerance for each other, as each released and pardoned their political prisoners in a surprise move in early May. 

However, tensions continued to boil under the surface even after the unity agreement. Hamas bank workers broke out in fistfights with Fatah co-workers in Hevron on Thursday over salary disparities; on Friday, Fatah arrested over 100 Hamas rioters in Hevron, and Hamas arrested at least one senior Fatah member in Gaza. 

Much of the international community's approval of the "unity" government has been predicated on the concept of unity within the Palestinian Arab world, which analysts claim makes a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority more likely.

Despite Suspension in Talks, Peres Gets Okay to Join Abbas, Pope for Prayer At Vatican
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: One World Church;Contemporary Issues

Despite Israel’s objections to the Palestinian unity government, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and members of the government, realizing the historic importance of the occasion, gave President Shimon Peres the green light to accept the invitation of Pope Francis and travel to the Vatican on Sunday for an interfaith prayer for peace in the Middle East.

Although arrangements were made in advance, it was not certain until Thursday afternoon that Peres would receive the necessary approval.

When the invitation to Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was first issued by Pope Francis during his  visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority last month, and confirmed by the Vatican following the pope’s return to Rome, both Peres and Abbas  immediately accepted.

After all, it’s not exactly the proper thing to decline an invitation from a pope.  But there was still the matter of government approval, and had it not been given, all the elaborate plans would have collapsed like a house of cards.

Peres will head an interfaith delegation comprising rabbis, Druze leaders and imams and will call upon leaders of all faiths to work together to ensure that religion and the name of the Divine Creator will not be invoked as a means of justifying bloodshed and terror.

The president, who strongly believes that religious leaders have the power to influence peace, will emphasize the importance of inter-religious dialogue. The Israeli delegation, which was assembled with the assistance of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, will consist of faith leaders from across the country who will join Peres in conveying the message of peace.

The delegation will include Rabbi Dr. Rasson Arussi of the Chief Rabbinate Council; Rabbi Professor Daniel Sperber; Rabbi David Rosen; Sheikh Moafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze faith in Israel; and Sheikh Mohammad Kiwan, the chairman of the Muslim community of Israel. The Palestinian delegation is also expected to include a faith delegation consisting of Islamic and Christian leaders.

The pope has also invited Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople who had specially come to Jerusalem to meet with him and will now meet with him and again in Rome to participate in the prayer for peace.

This is not the first time that Peres has been involved in an interfaith effort to bring about peace.

Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev has hosted a series of summit conferences on World and Traditional Religions to which he has invited leaders of a myriad of other faiths in addition to Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Peres was the guest of honor in 2009, but the Iranians walked out when he spoke, declaring that Peres was not a religious leader and that he represented the Zionist entity which they found to be abominable.

In the course of his address in Astana, Peres invited King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia who conceived the Arab peace initiative to meet with him in Jerusalem or Ryadh or any other place of his choosing to work together towards the advancement of peace between Israel and the Arab world.

On Friday, almost symbolically, given the significance of the date, Peres spoke with the newly elected President of Egypt Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and congratulated him on winning the election.

Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, and despite a number of low points in relations between the two countries, the treaty has been maintained for just over 35 years.

Peres assured al-Sisi of Israel’s commitment to the maintaining of the peace treaty and to strengthening mutual cooperation. He voiced his sincere wishes for prosperity and success for the Egyptian people and expressed the hope that President al-Sisi will lead Egypt to great achievements.

At the Vatican on Sunday, Peres will not only urge religious leaders to work towards peace, but also to speak out against terror.

Of the members of the delegation accompanying Peres, the person most familiar with the Vatican and with the history of Catholic-Jewish relations is Rosen, the Jerusalem-based American Jewish Committee’s international director of interreligious affairs who has frequently spoken on the subject at forums around the world, who has written extensively on the subject in both Jewish and Catholic publications.

Rosen has paid many visits to the Vatican, meeting with high ranking Vatican officials as well as with a series of popes. In recognition of his contribution to the ongoing Catholic-Jewish dialogue, the rabbi was invested with a papal knighthood in 2005.  He was the first Israeli citizen and the first Orthodox rabbi to be given such an honor.

The Vatican peace summit has attracted worldwide media attention, with some commentators wondering what possible influence an outgoing president who is unlikely, due to advanced age, to be elected to any future office, can have on the peace process.

But Peres will remain Peres with or without an official title, yet with all his connections intact. He has already made it clear that when he moves his operations from the President’s compound in Jerusalem to the Peres Center for Peace in Jaffa, he will continue with his efforts to bring peace to the region.

Elections for his successor take place this coming Tuesday, June10, and Peres will complete his seven year term on July 26.

Creating a New Palestinian Hizballah to Take Off from Gaza
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily Newsdebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Just one day after Palestinian leaders hailed the burial of their seven-year feud under a new power-sharing government on June 2, Hamas leaders in Gaza City declared, disingenuously, that it had handed governing authority in the Gaza Strip to the unity government of Ramallah.
Hamas’ Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh resigned, summing his action up in this loaded sentence: “We [Hamas] leave the government but stay in power … we give up the chair but not the role we play.”
The Hamas leader clearly spoke from a position of strength. His movement was stepping aside but not relinquishing power.
The patching-up of the feud between the radical Hamas and its rival Fatah is a multidimensional story, whose immediate applications all portend an uptick in Hamas’ power.
1. Hamas’ political institutions have not changed their spots and will continue to promote their fundamental tenets irrespective of their role in the new government in Ramallah.
2. Under the new order, Hamas will continue to command and control its military, security and intelligence forces of 20,000 men. Those frameworks will not be dismantled or defer to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), and certainly not to the new Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah.
Hamas is not even going through the motions of detaching a token number to Ramallah’s control.

Hamas keeps control of border crossings

3. In every previous Fatah-Hamas draft agreement, the supervision of border crossings between Gaza, Israel and Egypt was assigned to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah and members of the presidential guard. Not this time: Under their unity accord, the Hamas border administration remains in charge of the Gaza Strip’s international borders with Israel and Egypt and retains control of official crossings, including the Gaza port terminal.
It is not clear who will determine relations with the Palestinians’ opposite numbers, the Israelis and Egyptians manning the other halves of the crossings – whether Hamas or Ramallah. But the strong Hamas presence at these sensitive points gives Hamas the upper hand – although it quickly ran into a major obstacle.
Citing an Egyptian commitment to re-open the Rafah crossing as soon as the new Palestinian government was installed, Hamas came in for a cold shower from Cairo, which made it clear that the crossing would stay shut.
4. Hamas took full advantage of its seven autonomous years of rule in the Gaza Strip to pad public sector offices with no less than 50,000 of its adherents. Their payroll was covered by the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. They are unlikely to be sacked en masse and so continue to dominate everyday life in the territory.
5. Hamas likewise plans to continue to develop its military industry, which turns out M-75 missiles capable of reaching Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. This is a violation of Abu Mazen’s pledge to Washington that the new government would embrace the principle of Palestinian demilitarization.
6. Smuggling networks will also continue to run arms to Hamas in Gaza from Iran, Libya, Hizballah and the Sinai Peninsula.

Once through the door to Ramallah, Hamas will not be pushed out

DEBKA Weekly’s military and intelligence sources warn that Hamas’s grip on the Palestinian territories could grow to become like Hizballah’s powerful stranglehold on Lebanon. Just as the Lebanese group’s might far surpasses that of the Lebanese Army, so too Hamas’ military muscle is far superior in strength and training to the Palestinian security battalions in the West Bank.
Hamas’s forces are armed with heavy weapons, like surface, anti-air and anti-tank missiles and rockets, unlike their West Bank counterparts. And just as Hizballah holds sway over whole regions of Lebanon, - the South, sections of southern Beirut, and the Beqaa Valley, Hamas’ access to the Mediterranean from Gaza is a crucial strategic asset.
Hamas and Hizballah use the same epithets to justify their war on terror, claiming “resistance” is their bounden duty in answer to Israeli “aggression.”
Hamas’ decision to make up its quarrel with Fatah and share power in a new government did not come from a spontaneous outburst of good fellowship. Following the Hizballah script, the Palestinian Islamists took a well-calculated step to open the door for its well-organized political, military and intelligence establishments to gradually move in and take over the Palestinian Authority’s organs, including the supreme ruling bodies of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
Once through the door the Americans and Europeans opened for them in Ramallah, Hamas will be very hard indeed to push out.

As Google Dreams of Driverless Cars, IDF Deploys Them
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy News Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Google isn’t the only high-tech group working to produce driverless vehicles. While the Silicon Valley tech giant is still experimenting with driverless technology for use by civilians, the IDF has been using unmanned vehicles for at least five years to protect Israelis. 

The army announced this week a program to upgrade its driverless fleet, to include vehicles that can scout areas before soldiers move in and warn of possible dangers before they arrive, and vehicles that will safely and autonomously transport weapons and equipment to soldiers already in the field. 

It is unclear when the Google driverless cars will be on the market, with industry pundits believing it will be at least three years, if not longer. The IDF, using Israeli technology, much of it developed in the army itself, has deployed unmanned vehicles for some time now. 
“Vehicles without drivers are nothing new for the Israeli military,” according to the IDF spokesperson. “They have been used extensively in small devices that enter buildings and large cars equipped with 360-degree cameras.” 

Among the unmanned vehicles already in use is the Guardium Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV), which patrols the Gaza fence around the clock. According to the spokesperson, “the IDF’s ground forces plan to expand its use of these tools, as experts invent new vehicles based on creative and cutting-edge designs.”

Three new vehicles will enter into army service during the coming two years, among them the Loyal Partner, an armor patrol carrier (APC) Hummer-type vehicle that will carry weapons and devices to soldiers in the field. It is controlled from a nearby base station by joystick and mouse controls, making it capable of traversing rough terrain and able to remain stable while ascending or descending steep hills.

Loyal Partner “will be used as a line of defense for the forces at the front,” said Maj. Lior Trablisi, the head of the IDF’s robot and technology unit. “It will be able to move while identifying bombs and the source of gunfire, able to carry out missions without considerations of risks or manpower. It can remain in the field for long periods of time, carrying out missions precisely and providing a relative advantage to soldiers.”

The Carrier Robot is smaller than the Loyal Partner, but may be just as useful in saving lives, said Trablisi. The robot is lightweight, designed to be carried on the back by soldiers on patrol, and specially designed for exploring the interior of buildings or tunnels constructed by terrorists. 

The Carrier Robot can be sent into a tunnel to gather intelligence before soldiers enter. It is equipped with cameras, sensors, and a communications system capable of transmitting signals from underground. It is one of the few systems in the world that can do this, said Trablisi.

“The idea is to enter operations with lightweight, portable robots that can function for a number of hours,” said Trablisi. “The device will do things that no human can, such as mapping entire buildings and terror tunnels. The groundbreaking technology will allow soldiers to understand the exact appearance of any structure, helping them avoid the dangers of underground or urban combat.” The system is set to be active by the end of 2015, the army said.

A third system, the Border Protector, was developed specifically to patrol the Gaza border. The vehicle will be able to operate in any kind of weather, operating autonomously along the border fence and transmitting images and data back to headquarters. If anything seems amiss, a battalion of soldiers can be sent in to deal with the problem. Otherwise, soldiers could remain on alert, away from the danger zone.

The new vehicle is planned to replace the Guardium UGV, currently used along the Gaza border. The new system, said Trablisi, can operate for longer periods and contain more and better sensor and communication equipment. 

“It will be possible to guide the vehicle to all sorts of places without operation rooms nearby,” with operators directing the vehicle from kilometers away. Base stations for the UGV need to be within several hundred meters of the vehicle. The upgrade should enable more units to deploy vehicles more frequently, providing higher levels of security, said Trablisi.

Although IDF brass has been complaining about government budget cuts, which include cancelling exercises for soldiers and pilots for the time being, funds will continue to be pumped into programs for the development of robots, unmanned vehicles and other high-tech soldier substitutes. In the long run, said Trablisi, these technologies will save the army money, because it will be able to cut down on manned patrols.

Far more important, though, are the lives that will be saved by these technologies. Better to risk a robot than to risk a human life, said Trablisi. “A robot doesn’t deal with the same difficulties of lighting, gunfire or breathing [underground],” he said. Robots and unmanned vehicles, he noted, will become “indispensable tools for the surveillance of enemy activities, without putting Israeli forces in danger.”

A Miracle in Samaria - New Neighborhood in Itamar
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Itamar dedicates new neighborhood in memory of Gilad Zar, Gershon Messika praises 'convincing answer to terrorists.'

A new neighborhood, "Nofei Aroma," was dedicated on Thursday in the Samaria community of Itamar, located south-east of Shechem (Nablus).

The neighborhood was dedicated in memory of Gilad Zar Hy''d, a founder of the community and security officer of the Shomron Regional Council who was murdered by Arab terrorists this week 13 years ago

Construction on the new neighborhood began immediately after and in response to the Fogel family massacre in 2011, when Ehud (Udi) and Ruth were killed in their home by Arab terrorists, along with three of their six young children, the youngest being their three-month-old daughter Hadas.

Several regional leaders took part in the unveiling ceremony on Thursday, including Samaria Regional Council head Gershon Messika, CEO of the development group Amana Ze'ev Haver, as well as Zar's parents Moshe and Yael and other family members.

Itamar is planning to continue construction on an additional road in the new neighborhood.

A "miracle in Samaria"

"This is a convincing answer to the terrorists who made the mistake of thinking that they could break the spirit of the Jewish people through the despicable murders of infants, women and innocents," declared Messika at the event.

Messika praised the role of Itamar in defending Israel by establishing a presence in the sensitive area, adding "no eyes will be left dry after beholding this miracle in Samaria. The community of Itamar just gets stronger, holding its head up high despite the hard blows it has been dealt."

Twenty Itamar residents have been murdered over the years, proportionally the largest toll in Israel relative to the size of the community. In early May a new synagogue in the town, built in memory of the 20 Itamar victims, was used for the first time for Israeli Independence Day.

"We knew we would live here"

One of the new residents of the newly founded Itamar neighborhood is Yohanan Goldin, who moved from the Ramat Gan suburb of Tel Aviv with his wife and infant daughter to Gilad Street, which was named after Gilad Zar.

"I was a student of Udi Fogel. I had a dream that Rabbi Udi would preside over my wedding. I didn't merit it, but for me and my wife it was clear that we would live in Itamar, even though we met after the murder" said Goldin.

Speaking of their motives in moving, Goldin noted "in our opinion every additional family in Itamar is very meaningful, and therefore it was important to us to live here."

Gilad Zar's father Moshe spoke about his son at the ceremony, and about the great pain that accompanied his son's murder.

"Gilad was like a string that tied everyone together in all things. Therefore it's so appropriate to call the street on his name. A street that connects between people and families," remarked Moshe Zar.

'Unity' in Hevron As PA Clamps Down on Hamas
Jun 6th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The tensions between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas, despite the newly founded unity government on Monday, were displayed on Thursday as PA security services arrested Hamas members in Hevron located in Judea.

Members of the Gaza-based Hamas terror organization tried to organize a large event in Hevron for "Naksa Day," the annual demonstrations against the 1967 Six Day War liberation of Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights by Israel.

PA security forces took the arranged event as a challenge, and according to Hamas roughly 100 members of the group were arrested in Hevron, reports Walla!.

In the last two days Hamas reports that five other activists of the organization and three others were taken in for investigation. One of the arrested members reportedly was released by general intelligence three days ago, only to be re-arrested two days later by the Palestine National Authority's Preventive Security Service.

Due to the arrests, the planned Hamas event in Hevron never came to fruition.

Meanwhile in Gaza, Hamas security forces arrested a central Fatah activist who returned to the area through the Rafiah Border Crossing from Egypt.

The issue of military control remains a central point of contention in the new unity government. Hamas stated in May that it would maintain control of its "military wing," the Al-Qassam Brigades, despite the unity pact.

Tensions over military, tensions over money

Another sign of tension was seen on Thursday, when Hamas closed banks in Gaza after fistfights broke out between Hamas and Fatah employees. Hamas employees were disappointed to find their back-logged salaries had not been transferred by the new unity government, sparking the clashes.

PA security forces spokesman Adnan Dmeiri warned the incident could have negative consequences on the unity deal, saying "thugs and gangsters of Hamas are preventing civil servants from withdrawing their salaries. They are firing gunshots, beating citizens and smashing ATM machines."

Hamas deputy leader Moussa Abu Marzouk said later on Thursday that Qatar had agreed to pay the June salaries of the Hamas workers, effectively defusing the issue temporarily. The new unity government has said the Hamas workers need to be vetted by a committee before being added to the payroll.

The new unity government faces an additional issue - the upcoming elections for president and the parliament.

A Jordanian paper reported that the US promised the new Fatah-Hamas unity government that it will convince Israel to allow presidential and parliamentary elections to be held in the eastern part of Jerusalem

Israel has expressed clear opposition to allowing the elections in eastern Jerusalem, leading to a likely tension between Fatah and Hamas over the legitimacy of the elections, which would place the government's future in heavy doubt.

While the US has said it "would work" with the unity government, claiming Hamas members are not part of it, three of the new ministers are backed by Hamas and were sworn in via video feed from Gaza. Hamas has adamantly expressed in the past it will control the government.