Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Administrative Area

login

password

Yesh Atid Mk: Peace Talks With Hamas or No Coalition
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

"I believe that the peace talks will be renewed. It's clear to me that will happen, and if not, we won't be in the government," said Cohen on the Channel 10 program "Hamateh" (the headquarters), as reported by Walla!.

"It's clear to everyone, also Jewish Home, that it's impossible to reach the status of a bi-national state. There's no choice other than two states," added Cohen.

Cohen's comments follow the collapse of peace talks in April, and the swearing in of a Fatah-Hamas unity government last Monday. While the US said it would "work with" the new government, claiming it did not include Hamas, three Hamas-backed ministers from Gaza were sworn in via video feed, and Hamas has declared it will rule the unity government.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has stated repeatedly that he will not negotiate with the unity government given its inclusion of Hamas. Indeed, Hamas's charter calls for the destruction of Israel and a genocide against the Jewish people, and has made clear the new unity agreement will not change its path of armed conflict.

For his part, Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid said last Monday "in the coming weeks we will need to learn about this government and decide where we're going." He added "it's not the time for criticism but rather careful consideration," warning not to give Hamas "the opportunity to spark the fire back against us."

Lapid just two weeks ago threatened to bring down the coalition if the government were to annex "settlement blocs" in Judea and Samaria, saying "there is no other solution than two states for two peoples."

While Yesh Atid appears to be pushing for renewed peace talks, Netanyahu in a Committee meeting last Monday reportedly made controversial statements that suggested to MKs he was considering a new "Disengagement" plan along the lines of the 2005 withdrawal from Gaza.

"I don't want one state from the (Mediterranean) Sea to the Jordan (River)...we must separate from the Palestinians," said Netanyahu. He previously ruled out negotiations with the new unity government; given the suggestion of not maintaining full control over Judea and Samaria and the proposal of "separating," some MKs drew the conclusion that he was insinuating unilateral steps.

Welfare Minister: Dismantle Isolated Settlements Now
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Welfare Minister Meir Cohen (Yesh Atid) hit out at the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria on Saturday, saying that “isolated settlements should be dismantled right now, without waiting for peace negotiations."

Speaking at a cultural event in Holon, Cohen said, "These settlements cost us a lot of money and we can definitely partially dismantle them right now. Everything must be done to ensure that we are not thought of as doing everything possible to avoid negotiations. We must come to the negotiating table and to strive for peace.”

Attacking the residents of Judea and Samaria, Cohen charged, "Israel has lost control over the settlers, especially the hilltop youth. We’ve lost control of the settlers in some cases. We need take care of the youths, bring them back to normativeness."

He referred to the status of Jerusalem during future negotiations, saying, "Jerusalem must be united forever. We do not give up on the heart of the consensus. Jerusalem is indisputable as far as I’m concerned."

Israeli negotiators should insist that eastern Jerusalem should be a part of Israel no matter what, said Minister Cohen. “For my part, I am not splitting Jerusalem. A Palestinian state will be established, it's just a matter of time, but I object to announcing what we are prepared to give up starting negotiations.”

Responding to Cohen’s comments, MK Orit Struk (Bayit Yehudi) pointed out that Israel has already paid billions for “the adventures of the left”, as she put it.

"It is unfortunate that the Welfare Minister chooses to examine the question of the settlements through the hole in the grush (referring to a coin with a hole with it used during the British Mandate –ed.), but if this is the test he presents, it is important that he know that until today, the State of Israel has paid tens of billions of shekels because of the left’s adventures, while the cost of his proposal - the evacuation of isolated settlements – is estimated at hundreds of billions of shekels,” said Struk.

"It's time for more responsible behavior regarding Judea and Samaria, not only in economic terms, but also in terms of security and in particular in terms of values,” she added.

The head of Cohen’s party, Finance Minister Yair Lapid, gave an interview to the New York Times this past week in which he said that that Israel should not change its policy on Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria in order to revive the stalemated peace process, and that Jerusalem should not serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Lapid said he would not stop the so-called “natural expansion” of the Jewish communities, nor curtail the financial incentives offered to Israelis to move there. He said that eastern Jerusalem, liberated by Israel in the Six Day War, must stay Israeli, because “we didn’t come here for nothing.”

He said that tens of thousands of Jews would someday be uprooted from what he described as “remote settlements," but that this problem should be set aside for now. He advocated the immediate creation of an interim Palestinian state in parts of Judea and Samaria where no Jews live, with final borders drawn in perhaps three, four or five years.

Lapid told a meeting of his party this week that he does not plan on “falling into the classic trap of the left, which at the beginning of negotiations reveals immediately what it plans to give away – a situation that turns what is supposed to be the end of the negotiation process into the beginning. You don't come to negotiations with just an olive branch in your hand.”

“We are looking for a fair divorce from the Palestinians,” he said.

Meanwhile, Channel 2 News reported on Friday that Lapid will allocate 50 million shekels for the budget of the Ariel University in Samaria over the next year and a half. Lapid’s decision was made despite opposition by officials in the Finance Ministry, the report said.

According to Channel 2, Lapid has ordered that 20 million shekels be transferred this year and an additional 30 million shekels next year.

Lapid’s move was made despite opposition by the chair of the Council of Higher Education's Planning and Finance Committee, Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg, and by officials in the Treasury.

UN Envoy Visits Gaza in Nod to Palestinian Unity
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsYnet News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

GAZA CITY - A top UN envoy has met with four ministers of the new Palestinian unity government in the formerly Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, assuring them of United Nations support.

Robert Serry's visit to Gaza on Sunday came despite Israeli appeals to the international community to shun the unity government, which is backed by rival Hamas and Fatah. The West considers Hamas a terror group but appears to have accepted assurances by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of Fatah, that the new Cabinet will follow his non-violent program.

Serry, UN chief Ban Ki-moon's envoy to the region, was the first senior international official to meet with unity government members in Gaza. Serry promised more UN development aid in Gaza and called for lifting a Gaza border blockade enforced by Israel and Egypt. (AP)

U.S. Reassembles Key Officials for Iran Nuke Talks
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsYnet News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

WASHINGTON - The US is reassembling key members of the diplomatic team that held secret negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, leading to a breakthrough agreement, and sending them to Geneva for direct talks with representatives from Tehran in hopes of making progress toward a comprehensive final deal.

The discussions involving Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman and Jake Sullivan, Vice President Joe Biden's top foreign policy adviser, are set for Monday and Tuesday. The European Union's political director, Helga Schmid, will sit in.

Taliban Commanders Threaten More Kidnappings After Bergdahl
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Concerns that the US's deal to swap five Taliban terrorists held in Guantanamo Bay for captive soldier Bowe Bergdahl have actualized Sunday, after two separate top-ranking Taliban officials told TIME magazine that the deal sets a precedent for more kidnappings. 

“Our talks finally proved successful for the prisoners’ swap,” the commander said. “We returned our valued guest to his people and in return, they freed our five heroes held in Guantánamo Bay since 2002.”

“Besides our field commanders and fighters, our leader Mullah Mohammad Omar is so happy and is anxiously waiting to see his heroes,” he added. “I cannot explain how our people are happy and excited over this unbelievable achievement [. . .] this is a historic moment for us. Today our enemy for the first time officially recognized our status.”

“It’s better to kidnap one person like Bergdahl than kidnapping hundreds of useless people,” another commander said. “It has encouraged our people. Now everybody will work hard to capture such an important bird.”

The US State Department announced the prisoner exchange earlier this month, sparking a rare videotaped response from Taliban leader Omar calling the swap "a victory for our people."

The five Afghani Taliban prisoners are widely thought to be the most senior terrorists held by the US at Guantamano Bay, and concerns have been raised that their return could facilitate a major rise in terrorism in the volatile region. 

The five include Khairullah Khairkhwa, a governor of Afghanistan's Herat province alleged to have direct links to Osama Bin Laden; Noorullah Noor, senior Taliban military commander implicated in mass murder against Shia Muslims; Mohammad Fazl, also implicated in war crimes against Shia Muslims and the Taliban's deputy defense minister during the 2001 war with the US; Mohammad Nabi Omari, senior military and security commander; and Abdul Haq Wasiq, deputy chief of the Taliban's intelligence service, who was said to be a key player in the Taliban's alliances with other Islamist groups to fight the US. 

Bergdahl: Pitied and Hated

Controversy also continues over Bergdahl's role in the kidnapping, after evidence surfaced that the soldier had been a Taliban sympathizer and had deserted his base on more than one occasion. 

A media circus over Bergdahl's past has led to several death threats being levied against the Bergdahl family, according to Reuters, and federal authorities are sending a security detail to the family home in Hailey, Idaho to protect the family. 

In the meantime, new details are emerging about the condition of Bergdahl's captivity, according to several news outlets, defying early reports that the soldier had been on friendly terms with his captors and had even taught the Taliban badminton. 

Senior defense officials revealed to the Daily Beast Saturday that the soldier tried to escape his captors twice since being taken by the Taliban in 2009.

After the first attempt, Bergdahl was found, exhausted, in a trench dug with his bare hands some three days' distance from his holding site; on his second attempt, he managed to escape as far away as a remote Pakistani village before being found.

Taliban sources also told the news site that Bergdahl was physically abused during his time in captivity.

Senior U.S., Iran, EU Officials to Meet Monday in Geneva
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsYnet News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Iranian, US and European Union officials will start two days of talks about Tehran's nuclear programme on Monday, Iran said, giving its first word about what appears to be a bid to rescue faltering wider negotiations on ending a decade-old dispute.

Nuclear talks between Iran and six major powers in Vienna last month ran into difficulties, with each side accusing the other of having unrealistic demands in negotiations aimed at curbing Tehran's atomic program in exchange for an end to economic sanctions that have crippled its economy. (Reuters)

PM: More Signs Hamas Control of Judea - Samaria Intensifying
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu related to the Palestinian Authority (PA) unity government and said that “Over the weekend, Hamas leaders reiterated their intentions to destroy the State of Israel. Whoever hopes that the unification of Hamas and Fatah will mitigate Hamas, was wrong. Instead of the PA taking control over Gaza, more and more signs have appeared that Hamas is taking control over PA controlled areas of Judea and Samaria.”

The PM added that “We must place international pressure on Abbas to dismantle this partnership with Hamas.”

Obama Out of Summit Talks on Ukrainian Crisis
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

US President Barack Obama was conspicuous by his absence from the talks world leaders held on the Ukraine crisis Friday on the sidelines of the D-Day celebrations in Normandy. It was Russian president Vladimir Putin who was cornered by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande to approve their plans for a ceasefire. Ukraine-President Petro Porochenko was pulled in to the discussion on ways to prevent the civil war raging in E. Ukraine from spilling over into the rest of the country. The Russian and Ukrainian leaders agreed to follow up on their first encounter in Normandy with further exchanges in Kiev Sunday, after Putin named Mikhail Zurabov new Russian ambassador.

National Security Advisor of Israel: Israel Does not Spy on U.S.
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsYnet News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Former major general and National Security Advisor of Israel Yaakov Amidror said at the 2014 Edmond Benjamin de Rothschild Herzliya conference that it needs to be stated unequivocally that "Israel does not spy on the United States". Amidror further added that the American administration should have been more adamant in stressing that Israel is not involved in spy efforts. (Omer Benjakob)

Let the Headlines Speak
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

‘Beast’ Asteroid That Will Buzz By Earth Big Enough To Wipe Out A City
“The Beast” is coming! That’s the nickname astronomers have given to an asteroid that will nearly sideswipe Earth this Sunday, reports Space.com. Near-Earth asteroid 2014 HQ124 will be a mere 777,000 miles at its closest approach to our planet, that’s just over 3 times the distance from the Earth to the moon; a close shave by cosmic standards.  

Iraq violence: Dozens killed by Baghdad bombings
A series of bombings across the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, has left more than 50 people dead and scores injured. At least eight separate attacks took place across the city within one hour on Saturday evening, targeting mainly Shia neighbourhoods. Earlier in the day, militants stormed a university campus in the western city of Anbar, briefly taking dozens of students hostage.  

Netanyahu warns of Hamas' West Bank re-emergence in wake of Palestinian unity deal
..."Over the weekend Hamas leaders again declared their intention to destroy the State of Israel," Netanyahu said. "Those who thought that the Palestinian unity between Hamas and Fatah would moderate Hamas were mistaken. Instead of the Palestinian Authority taking control of Gaza, there are increasing signs that the exact opposite is taking place - that Hamas is increasing its control inside the PA in Judea and Samaria."  

Death toll climbs to 81 in Afghan flooding
A provincial official says 81 bodies have been found two days after a devastating flash flood in Afghanistan's mountainous and remote north. Lt. Fazel Rahman, the police chief in the Guzirga i-Nur district of Baghlan province, said Sunday that the death toll had climbed from 54 to 81 and that police and villagers were still searching for missing people after flooding hit several villages on Friday.  

11 sailors held by Somali pirates freed after 4 years
Eleven sailors mostly from Asia held hostage for almost four years by Somali pirates have been freed and are safe on their way to Kenya, mediators who helped secure their release said Saturday. The sailors, who had been held in dire conditions and suffered beatings and torture, included seven men from Bangladesh, one Indian, one Iranian, and two from Sri Lanka.  

Militants seize hostages on Iraq campus, sparking battle
Militants took hundreds of students and staff hostage at a university in the Iraqi city of Ramadi on Saturday, sparking an assault led by special forces in which they were freed, officials said. And in northern Iraq, heavy fighting between security forces and militants entered a second day, killing 59 people, while a wave of bombings in Baghdad left at least 25 more dead.  

Huge Russia-China gas deal still leaves door open to Japan
For once, China looks to have done Japan a favour. In clinching a $400 billion deal last month to buy Russian gas, China may end up helping out its old political and economic rival in a way that matters hugely for Japan - energy security.  

The Questionable Staying Power of the U.S. Shale Boom
Between 2008 and 2013, U.S. oil production surged by 64 percent. U.S. natural gas production increased by 42 percent between 2005 and 2013. Both increases were driven by the boom in shale oil and gas production. The boom has led BP (NYSE:BP) and Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) executives to claim that the U.S. will be self-sufficient in energy within two decades. However, there are three major red flags that should curb this unconstrained enthusiasm: shale depletion rates, decreased oil and gas prices due to the glut, and the extent to which upstream oil and gas companies in the shale space are overleveraged. 

Google Buried A Clever Jab At The NSA Inside Its New Encryption Tool
The big tech companies are fighting back against government spying — with legal challenges, advanced encryption, and software updates — and in the case of Google, that also includes a message buried within its source code aimed directly at the National Security Agency, according to PCWorld.  

The US Is Sending Its #2 Diplomat To Break The Iran Nuclear Talk Logjam
The United States said on Saturday it will send its No. 2 diplomat to Geneva to meet senior Iranian officials on Monday and Tuesday in what appeared an effort to break a logjam in wider negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program.  

Its Final: Presidential Election on Tuesday
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Knesset Speaker MK Yuli Edelstein announced Sunday that after consulting with the Knesset legal advisor, Eyal Yinon, and others, he has decided to go ahead and hold the election for the presidency of Israel on Tuesday, as planned.

Edelstein said that in the last 24 hours, he has received numerous requests from Knesset Members and jurists, who had various words of advice for him, including requests to postpone the election.

"The bad atmosphere that continues to envelope this race causes dissatisfaction from the process and casts a dark shadow on the contenders and the Knesset,” he added.

"The first citizen must also be the first in his honesty, his trustworthiness and his morality, and reach the post of president in the most honest and clean way,” Edelstein explained. “We must do everything within our power to ensure that this is the case.

"Regrettably, it is undeniable that in the present climate, the elections for president will be lacking in any ceremonial or respectable dimension – as they should be. And yet, with a deep sense of foreboding regarding what the future may hold, I have decided to leave the original date for elections unchanged,” MK Edelstein concluded.

MK Binyamin Ben Eliezer (Labor), who was the Labor party's preferred candidate for president, withdrew from the race Saturday after police interrogated him on suspicion of receiving funds illegally. The questioning took place Firday and lasted for five hours, after which he was released.

He is reportedly suspected of having received large sums of money from several factors, including from wealthy businessman Avraham Nanikashvili, who was recently questioned in connection with another case related to corruption at the Ashdod Port.

The candidate whose “dark shadow” is causing MK Edlestein “foreboding” is not necessarily Ben Eliezer, however. Edelstein appears to be referring to the candidate who profited from leaking the suspicions against Ben Eliezer to the press – and from there to the police – just in time to torpedo his candidacy. It is not known whether the leaks were made by the same people who leaked suspicions of sexual misconduct against another candidate, Silvan Shalom, causing him to bow out of the race as well.

Both disqualifications took place as the race was nearing the finish line and other candidates stand to benefit from the last-minute withdrawals.

Israel, EU Sign Scientific Pact Despite Post - 1967 Ban
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Israel and the European Union signed a key co-funded scientific research program on Sunday, despite guidelines barring funding to projects beyond the 1949 Armistice Line, according to officials cited by Agence France Presse. The signing of the Horizon 2020 agreement took place at a ceremony in Jerusalem presided over by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and outgoing European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

"Horizon 2020 offers a huge opportunity to enhance the traditionally active cooperation between Israeli and EU innovators. Under terms of the agreement, Israel will have the same access to the programme as EU member states," the European Commission said. Signing the deal, which makes Israel the only non-European country to benefit from the program, was made possible after the sides reached a compromise, under which it was agreed that Israel could add an appendix stating its non-recognition of the new guidelines.

Hamas, Islamic Jihad Vow to Continue Terror - No Matter What
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Hamas leader and former political figure Ismail Haniyeh stated in a public address Saturday - in honor of the opening session of terror training "summer camps" in Gaza - that "Hamas's strategy has not changed and will not change." 

"Wherever [Hamas] presides, we will remain preachers and teachers and build the Palestinian nation to liberate all the land of Palestine," Haniyeh said, referring to the entire land of Israel. "We emphasize now that we will not retreat from out plan to liberate our lands and ensure the right of return and the release of [terrorist] prisoners."

Islamic Jihad, similarly, ignored calls from Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon to disarm due to the pact. 

"Weapons [of resistance] will remain in our hands [. . .] in order to liberate all of Palestine," Khaled Al-Batesh, Islamic Jihad leader, stated to Hamas-backed Palestine magazine Sunday. 

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. 

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has insisted that a 'unity' government would be based on what he called"the four Palestinian principles":  recognizing Israel, recognizing the terms of international agreements, and the explicit rejection of violence and terrorism. 

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 on Monday via video feed.

Former Hamas Spokesman: Abbas Words Meant to Trick U.S.
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Former Hamas government spokesman Ihab al-Ghussein said, Sunday, that in private meetings with Hamas, Mahmoud Abbas insists that he is lying in his public statements in order to "trick the Americans," according to Palestinian Media Watch. Writing on his Facebook page, Al-Ghussein, who was Hamas government spokesman until the advent of the new unity government with Fatah, said, "You know what Mahmoud Abbas says behind closed doors?? He says: 'Guys, let me [continue] saying what I say to the media. Those words are meant for theAmericans and the occupation (i.e., Israel), not for you [Hamas]. What's important is what we agree on among ourselves. In other words, when I go out [publicly] and say that the government is my [Abbas] government and itrecognizes 'Israel' and so on, fine - these words are meant to trick the Americans. But we agree that the government has nothing to do with politics (i.e., foreign relations). The same thing happened in 2006,' he [Abbas] said: 'Don't harp on everything I tell the media, forget about the statements in the media.'"

Al-Ghussein continued, "Come on [Abbas]! The problem really isn't with him [Abbas], the problem is with whoever believes him. Ha, Ha, Ha! (I really do want real reconciliation, meaning partnership and achieving unity, but not reconciliation as Abbas means it)."

First Big Syrian Rebel Tank, Artillery Attack on Southern Army Position
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The Syrian civil war took a dramatic turn in the South Saturday with the first major rebel attack with tanks and artillery. It was staged against the important Syrian army Tel Jam’a position in Deraa, DEBKAfile’s military sources report. This was the first time in the more than three-year war that the rebels had fielded a large, well-ordered force armed with tanks and heavy 120mm mortars. Tel Jam’a commands the Deraa-Damascus and Deraa-Quneitra highways. The rebels’ takeover of this key Syrian army post would enable them to cut the Syrian 60th Brigade off from its supply bases and reinforcements.

European Commission Chief: Hamas - Fatah Government Must be Supported
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsYnet News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

 A Palestinian unity deal with the Islamist Hamas movement must be supported, European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso told an Israeli security conference on Sunday. 

"In the interest of a future peace deal and of a legitimate and representative government, intra-Palestinian reconciliation... should be supported," Barroso told delegates at a conference in the coastal city of Herzliya.

Any Palestinian government should uphold the principle of non-violence, be committed to a two-state solution and a negotiated settlement of the conflict, which would imply accepting existing agreements as well as recognizing Israel's right to exist, he said. (AFP)

 

Egypt's Al - Sisi: No Reconciliation With Islamists
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsYnet News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

CAIRO - Egypt's newly sworn-in president has vowed there will not be any reconciliation with anyone who had "committed crimes" or "adopted violence" against Egyptians, a thinly veiled reference to the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists.

Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi was addressing a gathering at a Cairo presidential palace late Sunday, hours after he was sworn in as Egypt's president before the Supreme Constitutional Court.

The 59-year-old career soldier did not mention the Muslim Brotherhood by name or supporters of the Islamist Mohammed Morsi, the president he ousted in July after just a year in office. (AP)

Egypt Willing to Give PLO Unity Government Gaza Border
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A senior Egyptian official revealed Saturday that newly elected President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's administration strongly supports the new Hamas-Fatah unity government, and is considering giving it supervision of the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Sinai.

The official, who spoke to the Judea and Samaria-based Arab Ma'an News Agency on condition of anonymity, said Egypt is willing to open the crossing which has been closed for months.

The move is part of an Egyptian siege of the Hamas-enclave of Gaza, which has sealed off the illegal smuggling tunnels that are used to transport fuel and goods from Sinai, but also weapons and terrorists, and has consequently caused an economic collapse in Gaza.

As part of Egypt's conditions for easing its siege, Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas would be required to re-open presidential headquarters in Gaza.

Additionally, Hamas would have to separate from the Muslim Brotherhood, which it is an offshoot of, and not interfere with Egyptian affairs. Apparently the reconciliation agreement between Hamas and Fatah has impacted Egypt's appraisal of Hamas relations.

Egypt banned Hamas in March, accusing the terrorist group of a December attack on Egyptian police headquarters, and of planning church bombings in Sinai last Christmas. Hamas has denied the Egyptian government’s allegations, claiming they were an "attempt to demonize Hamas."

Sisi, who is to be sworn in to his role as president on Sunday, strongly supports the new unity government according to the official, and will meet Abbas in Egypt to arrange relations between the new government and the new Egyptian administration.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres congratulated Sisi last Friday for his Tuesday victory.

Sisi laid out his policy in interviews before the elections, stating that there was a chance for "true peace" if Israel adopts the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which demanded Israel withdraw from Judea and Samaria at which point the Arab states would supposedly recognize it.

In the same interview Sisi said he would be willing to change the peace agreement with Israel.

Canadian PM Warns: Russia a Danger to the World
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Breaking News Get Breaking News Alerts Red Email Senior U.S., Iran, EU Officials to Meet Mo
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsYnet News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Nuclear talks between Iran and six major powers in Vienna last month ran into difficulties, with each side accusing the other of having unrealistic demands in negotiations aimed at curbing Tehran's atomic program in exchange for an end to economic sanctions that have crippled its economy. (Reuters)

Iranian, US and European Union officials will start two days of talks about Tehran's nuclear programme on Monday, Iran said, giving its first word about what appears to be a bid to rescue faltering wider negotiations on ending a decade-old dispute.

Brahimi: Syria Becoming Warlord - Run Failed State
Jun 8th, 2014
Daily NewsYnet News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

BERLIN - Syria is descending into a Somalia-style failed state run by warlords which poses a grave threat to the future of the Middle East, former peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has said.

Brahimi, who stepped down a week ago after the failure of peace talks he mediated in Geneva, said that without concerted efforts for a political solution to Syria's brutal civil war "there is a serious risk that the entire region will blow up."

"The conflict is not going to stay inside Syria," he told Der Spiegel magazine in an interview published at the weekend. (Reuters)

Bible History: Be Careful Whose Advice You Follow
Jun 8th, 2014
Thought For The WeekA. W. Tozer
Categories: Commentary;Exhortation

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes; but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. Proverbs 12:15
NO MAN HAS ANY RIGHT TO OFFER ADVICE who has not first heard God speak. No man has any right to counsel ot
hers who is not ready to hear and follow the counsel of the Lord!
This rule of listening only to those who have first listened to God will save us from many a snare, for in any group of ten
persons at least nine are sure to believe that they are qualified to offer advice to others.

It seems that in no other field of human interest are people as ready to offer advice as in the field of religion and morals.
Yet it is precisely in this field that the average person is least qualified to speak wisely and is capable of the most harm
when he does speak.
For this reason, we should select our counselors carefully, and selection inevitably carries with it the idea of rejection.
David warns against the counsel of the ungodly and Bible history gives examples of men who made a failure of their live
s because they took wrong advice.
It is especially important that young people learn whose counsel to trust. Having been in the world for such a short time
they have not had much experience and must look to others for advice. Those who boast the loudest of their independe
nce, for example, have picked up from someone the idea that independence is a virtue, and their very eagerness to be i
ndividualistic is the result of the influence of others. They are what they are because of the counsel they have followed. A. W. Tozer