Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

U.S. Wants Inclusive Iraq But Wont Choose Its Rulers:
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsReuters
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday the United States wanted Iraqis to find an inclusive leadership to contain a sweeping Islamist insurgency but Washington would not pick or choose who rules in Baghdad.

Kerry was speaking at the start of a Middle East tour after talks in Cairo with Egypt's new President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi which covered Western concerns over Egypt's crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and the fallout of the crisis in Iraq.

Putin Promises Iraqi Prime Minister Arms Against Jihadis
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

PM Soon to Publish 'Unequivocal Proof' of Hamas's Abduction
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reiterated Sunday that there is "unequivocal proof" that Hamas kidnapped three yeshiva students ten days ago, shortly after a torrent of criticism over the wide-ranging IDF crackdown on Hamas from Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. 

"Over the weekend I met with the parents of the abducted youths," Netanyahu began. "I promised them that we are doing, and will do, everything to bring the abducted boys home safely."

"We are in the midst of a continuing and focused effort to – first of all – bring the boys home," he emphasized. Netanyahu also deflected all claims that Israel is being deliberately cruel during the operation, which has been dubbed 'Operation Brothers' Keeper.' 

 "This effort entails a certain friction with the civilian population in Judea and Samaria; we have no intention of deliberately harming anyone but our forces are acting as necessary for self-defense and from time to time there are victims or casualties on the Palestinian side as a result of the self-defense actions of our soldiers."

"We are focusing on returning the abductees, on finding the kidnappers and on striking at the organization to which they belong," he continued. "We have unequivocal proof that this is Hamas."

The Prime Minister also emphasized that while much skepticism has been raised over the "proof," such proof does exist, and is being kept quiet for strategic and political reasons. 

"We are sharing this proof and information to this effect with several countries," he said. "Soon this information will be made public."

Regarding Abbas, "I think that at that time Abbas's remarks in Saudi Arabia will be put to the test in practice. His remarks will be tested not only by actions to return the boys home but by his willingness to dissolve the unity government with Hamas, which abducted the youths and calls for the destruction of Israel."

Earlier Sunday, Abbas claimed in a Haaretz interview that "there is no credible information" proving that Hamas abducted the teens, who have been missing since Thursday night.

He also claimed that Israel's crackdown "frustrated" Palestinian Arabs and that the IDF operation violated human rights.

Palestinian Authority Launches Efforts to Convene An Urgent Session of the UN Security Council
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Cautioning that Israel was "bringing the situation towards an explosion", the Palestinian Authority said on Sunday it had launched efforts to convene an urgent session of the UN Security Council.

PA Foreign Minister: Abbas will Prevent Third Intifada
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki

AFP photo

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas will prevent a third Arab intifada (uprising), the PA’s foreign minister declared on Friday, speaking to Reuters in an interview.

"I can assure you that as long as President Abu Mazen is in charge, there will be no third Intifada," said the minister, Riad al-Malki, referring to Abbas by his nom de guerre.

Al-Malki further told Reuters that Israel’s operation in Judea and Samaria following the kidnapping of three Jewish youths a week ago was unacceptable. Nevertheless, he said, Abbas would continue assisting Israel in an effort to end the crisis.

"We will do our utmost to help because if the situation continues as it is, this will end up (with) the destruction of what we have built in Palestine," Malki said.

He further warned that a recent reconciliation deal with Hamas would be threatened if, as Israel said, it is found to be responsible for abducting the three youths.

Malki stopped short of acknowledging that Hamas was responsible for the kidnapping. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu unequivocally stated earlier this week that the Islamist terrorist group was behind the kidnapping.

"If Hamas is behind it, and nobody knows up until now, then it will be a blow to the reconciliation process," Malki told Reuters.

"If we reach that conclusion, then [Abbas] will take drastic decisions," he added, without elaborating.

Malki said that although the Israeli reaction to the kidnapping "went beyond logic", the Palestinian Authority was committed to peace.

Malki’s rhetoric appears to have been somewhat toned down compared to an interview earlier Friday with the AFP news agency, in which he flat out accused Israel of fabricating the abduction.

"He (Netanyahu) cannot keep blaming one side without showing evidence," he said. "When you go to court if you don't show evidence you lose your case," said Malki. "If Netanyahu has any evidence, he has to put it on the table."

The foreign minister then reversed himself, acknowledging that "three kids have disappeared," but went on to attack the IDF for cracking down on Hamas's terror infrastructure in Judea and Samaria, in which around 330 terrorists have been arrested and over 1,100 locations searched in a desperate attempt to find the teens.

"The Israeli army has taken 300 Palestinians...they have destroyed more than 150 Palestinian homes since last week," claimed Malki. "Their reaction went beyond logic and what infuriates me the most is the lack of reaction from the international community."

While the kidnapping has raised some tensions between Hamas and Abbas, the PA Chairman has since reversed his critical statements of the Hamas kidnapping and restated his support for the unity government.

Abbas's PA and Fatah have both joined the Islamist Hamas in celebrating the kidnapping, and even calling on locals in the Hevron region to impede the IDF's search.

Netanyahu: Israel's Foes not Averse to Any Means
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu used the Jerusalem Media Summit, Sunday, to express his condolences to Fahmi Karakara, an Arab defense contractor from the lower Galilee who was wounded and lost his 15-year-old son in an explosion on the Golan Heights, earlier in the day. Netanyahu said, "Israel's enemies are not averse to using any means, they're not averse to attacking civilians, to kill children, as happened this morning. They don't discriminate between Israel's Jewish and non-Jewish civilians."

Referring to the recent abduction of three yeshiva students in Judea, the prime minister added, "As a people, our heart is torn with the kidnapping of every youth and the murder of every youth and I'm sure I represent everyone when I send my condolences."

Netanyahu Warns U.S.: Don't Work With Iran in Iraq
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Netanyahu updates cabinet meeting on progress in search for kidnapped boys

Flash 90

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday warned Israel's close ally, the United States, against working with arch-foe Iran in the effort to pull Iraq back from the brink.

Israel has consistently voiced fears that a swift jihadist offensive led by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) that has swept up swaths of Iraq, may prompt concessions to Tehran from Washington.

The United States and Iran now find themselves sharing a common interest in helping Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki fend off the onslaught, and the two sides held rare, brief talks last week in Vienna on the sidelines of international consultations on Tehran's nuclear program.

"What you're seeing in the Middle East today in Iraq and in Syria is the stark hatred between radical Shiites – in this case led by Iran – and radical Sunnis led by Al-Qaeda and ISIS and others," Netanyahu told NBC's "Meet the Press", referring to ISIL.

"Now both of these camps are enemies of the United States, and when your enemies are fighting each other, don't strengthen either one – weaken both," said Netanyahu, who was in Israel.

"And I think by far the worst outcome that could come out of this is that one of these factions, Iran, would come out with nuclear weapon capability. That would be a tragic mistake – it would make everything else pale in comparison."

Netanyahu added: "I think that there are two actions you have to take: one is to take the actions that you deem necessary to counter this ISIS takeover of Iraq, and the second is not to allow Iran to dominate Iraq the way it dominated Lebanon and Syria.

"You actually have to work on both sides – as I say, you try to weaken both."

US President Barack Obama so far has shown a highly inconsistent position on ISIS's advance in Iraq. Last Friday he committed to not sending troops to Iraq, only to send over 500 marines, dozens of helicopters, and the aircraft carrier George HW Bush into the Persian Gulf on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, he ruled out American airstrikes on ISIS, while hinting this was a possibility on Thursday, saying "we will be prepared to take targeted and precise military action."

Netanyahu Suggests Pinning Isis Against Iran
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

​Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu waxed broadly of a Middle East in turmoil on Sunday, in his first public comments on the threat posed to the region by ISIS, a terrorist militia conquering swaths of territory in eastern Syria and northern Iraq.

Threatening a borderless conflict between "extremist Shi'ites," funded by leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and equally extreme Sunnis— a soft "alliance" between ISIS and al Qaeda— the Israeli prime minister suggested the United States should largely stay out of the fight, and instead allow the parties to weaken one another.

"Don't strengthen either of them. Weaken both," Netanyahu said.

As US President Barack Obama weighs precise air strikes against the Sunni terrorist group, which seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate across Iraq and the antiquated al-Sham lands, Netanyahu declined to comment on the wisdom of direct intervention.

He instead pivoted to what he characterized as the larger threat to the region: Iran's acquisition of a nuclear weapons capacity, or a "bad deal" between Iran and the international community that would preserve major components of its nuclear program.

Western diplomats working to end the nuclear crisis should fashion a deal with Iran similar to an agreement reached last fall, brokered by Russia and the US, that rid Syria's President Bashar Assad of his massive chemical weapons stockpile, Netanyahu said, calling the Syrian accord a "good deal."

World powers are currently negotiating with Iran in Vienna towards a comprehensive solution to the crisis. The US, Israel and its allies suspect Iran's nuclear program has military dimensions.

Let the Headlines Speak
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Today's Headlines

Fears of EPA ‘land grab’ create groundswell against water rule
Lawmakers are up in arms over an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposal that they fear could give federal officials expansive new powers over private property and farmland. The EPA is seeking to redefine what bodies of water fall under the agency’s jurisdiction for controlling pollution. The scope of the final Clean Water Act (CWA) rule is of critical importance, as any area covered would require a federal permit for certain activities.  

Nazi-themed Indonesian cafe reopens
A Nazi-themed cafe in Indonesia that closed shop after sparking international outrage reopened Saturday with its walls still bearing swastikas and a painting of Adolf Hitler. Henry Mulyana voluntarily shut down his SoldatenKaffee last year after media reports exposed his swastika-clad establishment, prompting death threats and accusation of inciting racial hatred.  

Iraq's beleaguered Christians make final stand on the Mosul frontline
Captain Firaz Jacob knows he may well be mounting a last stand at the frontiers of the Christian settlement of Bartella on the outskirts of Mosul. Less than a mile down the road are the jihadists of Isis, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham... “All these armed groups we have seen, but nevertheless we will remain. We love our Christian way of life, we love our churches and we love our community.”  

Israeli teen 'killed by Syria firing' in Golan Heights
A 15-year-old boy has been killed in the occupied Golan Heights by firing from Syria, Israel says. Officials say he was with his father in a truck which took a "direct hit". ...Israeli military spokesman, Lt Col Peter Lerner, told AP news agency the firing from Syria was "clearly intentional" but it was unclear whether it was the result of mortar fire, a roadside bomb or shelling.  

Kerry in key talks with Egypt's Sisi
US Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Egypt for key talks with new President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. Mr Kerry is expected to urge Mr Sisi to embrace more inclusive politics, and say the crackdown on the banned Muslim Brotherhood is polarising the nation. Mr Kerry will raise the issue of the mass death sentencing of members of the organisation.  

Iraq crisis: Rutba latest western town to fall to Isis
Sunni militants have seized another town in Iraq's western Anbar province - the fourth in two days. Fighters of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) captured Rutba, 90 miles (150km) east of Jordan's border, officials said. They earlier seized a border crossing to Syria and two towns in western Iraq as they advance towards Baghdad.  

China and Greece sign deals worth $5bn during Li visit
China and Greece have signed business deals worth about $5bn (£2.9bn) during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit. Deals signed covered areas including exports and shipbuilding. China also showed an interest in buying railways and building an airport in Crete. China is eager to take a majority stake in the Piraeus port. A Chinese company already runs two piers at the port.  

Iran opposes US intervention in Iraq, says Khamenei
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed strong opposition on Sunday to intervention in Iraq by the United States or anyone else, saying Iraqis themselves could bring an end to violence there, the official IRNA news agency reported. Khamenei, who has the last word on all matters of state, added in remarks to judiciary officials that Washington aimed to keep Iraq under its control and place its own stooges in power.  

Iraq 'struggling' against Isis militants, say diplomats
Iraq's government is struggling in its battle against militants, diplomats and politicians have told the BBC. Fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) said they seized a border crossing to Syria and two towns in north-west Iraq on Saturday. Correspondents say Isis appears to be better trained, better equipped and more experienced than the army.  

Jewish groups anticipate rupture after Presbyterians vote to divest in protest of Israel
Jewish groups predicted a rupture with Presbyterians in the wake of a close vote favoring divestment from three companies that deal with Israel’s security forces in the West Bank.  

Francis denounces Mafia, says mobsters are excommunicated
Pope Francis journeyed Saturday to the heart of Italy's biggest crime syndicate, met the father of a 3-year-old boy slain in the region's drug war, and declared that all mobsters are automatically excommunicated from the Catholic Church.  

Court confirms Egypt Muslim Brotherhood death sentences
An Egyptian court has confirmed death sentences for 183 Muslim Brotherhood supporters accused of a 2013 attack on a police station, lawyers say. A judge had recommended the death penalty for the 683 defendants, in a widely-criticised mass trial in April.  

Sunni fighters expand offensive in western Iraq
Sunni insurgents led by an al-Qaida breakaway group expanded their offensive in a volatile western province on Saturday, capturing three strategic towns and the first border crossing with Syria to fall on the Iraqi side.  

Mexico arrests alleged son of drug lord
Mexican federal police captured a 22 year-old man who identified himself as the son of Servando "La Tuta" Gomez Martinez, leader of the Knights Templar cartel, officials said.  

California's Catastrophic Drought Just Got Worse—a Lot Worse
How bad is California’s devastating drought? Just in the past week, the percentage of the state identified as being in “exceptional drought”—the most severe category—jumped from a quarter to a third. The government-funded United States Drought Monitor classifies the entire state as in drought, and as of Tuesday, nearly 77 percent of California was in “extreme drought,” which is just one notch below exceptional drought.  

Israel arrests more Palestinians in hunt for teens
Israeli security forces have arrested 10 more Palestinians in the West Bank as they press their search for three teenagers believed to have been kidnapped, the army said Saturday.  

US military wants to make a portable, bullet-resistant wall that fits in a can
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, has envisioned some peculiar and diverse projects over the years, from molten metal-filled missiles, all the way to submarines that can fly. Then there's this new project that aims to create a portable cylinder that can blow up into a nearly impenetrable wall. Because sometimes you just need that.  

Khamenei Says Iran Strongly Opposes U.S. Intervention in Iraq
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed strong opposition on Sunday to US intervention in Iraq, saying Iraqis themselves were able to bring an end to the violence there, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Khamenei, who has the last word on all matters of state, added in remarks to judiciary officials that Washington aimed to keep Iraq under its control and place its own "Yes Men" in power. The conflict there was not sectarian, but was really between those who wanted Iraq in the US camp and those who sought Iraq's independence, IRNA reported.

Jordan Mobilizes Reserves After ISIS Captures Border Point
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Western military sources reported Sunday night that Jordan had begun calling up reserve units for deployment on the Iraqi border for repelling a possible incursion by Iraqi al Qaeda.  This was in reaction to the capture by ISIS of the main crossing from Iraq to Jordan at Turaibi which gained the Islamistgs control of the strategic trade artery between the two countries.

Jordan Deploys Troops Along Border With Iraq
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Jordan began on Sunday to deploy troops along its border with Iraq, after terrorists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) took over the main border crossing between the two countries.

Military officials in Amman said that dozens of military units have been recruited.

Jesus Calls Us to His Rest: Meekness Is His Method
Jun 22nd, 2014
Thought For The WeekA. W. Tozer
Categories: Commentary

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love. Ephesians 4:2 JESUS CALLS US TO HIS REST, and meekness is His method!

The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort. He develops toward himself a kindly sense of humor and learns to say, “Oh, so you have been overlooked? They placed someone else before you! They have whispered that you are pretty small stuff after all? And now you feel hurt because the world is saying about you the very things you have been saying about yourself! Only yesterday you were telling God that you were nothing, a mere worm of the dust. Where is your consistency? Come on, humble yourself, and cease to care what men may think!”

Rest is simply release from the heavy, crushing burden borne by mankind and the word Jesus used for ‘burden’ means a load carried or toil borne to the point of exhaustion. The ‘rest’ is not something we do—it is what comes to us when we cease to do.

The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God’s estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God has declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels. In himself nothing; in God, everything. He rests perfectly content to allow God to place His own values!

ISIS Takes Fourth Iraqi Town in Two Days, Opens Link to Jordan
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

ISIS Captures Main Iraqi - Jordanian Border Crossing
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The Al Qaeda ISIS captured two additional border crossings Sunday, Turaibil on the Iraqi-Jordanian border and Al Walid on the Iraqi-Syrian border, consolidating their control of the western Iraqi province of Anbar, and gaining ease of passage to Syria and control of the strategic trade artery between Iraq and Jordan. An estimated one million persons a year transit the Turaibil crossing (called Karame by Jordanians) which is located 320 km east of Amman.

Iran Rejects U.S. Action in Iraq As Militants Push East
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsReuters
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

  Iran's supreme leader accused the United States on Sunday of trying to retake control of Iraq by exploiting sectarian rivalries, as Sunni insurgents drove toward Baghdad from new strongholds along the Syrian border.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's condemnation of U.S. action in Iraq came three days after President Barack Obama offered to send 300 military advisers in response to pleas from Iraq's government. It ran counter to speculation that old enemies Washington and Tehran might cooperate to defend their mutual ally in Baghdad after two weeks of swift territorial gains by Sunni Islamists.

Hamas Threatens to Make Israel 'Suffer'
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Hamas terrorists in Gaza

Flash 90

A senior Hamas official threatened "settlers" in Judea and Samaria on Sunday, noting that the terrorist organization "is not looking" for an escalation with Israel, but still will respond if Israel attacks. 

"We suffer from settlers, and you will suffer too," the official told IDF Radio. 

The statement follows both an upswing in violence near Gaza - as rockets have been regularly pouring in since the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers last week - and a wide-scale crackdown on Hamas, which Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has named responsible for the abduction. 

Earlier Sunday, a terrorist was apprehended in the Eshkol region near the Gaza security fence, armed with a grenade he apparently intended to launch into either Yated or Sde Avraham. 

The attack surfaced within hours of an announcement that over 350 terrorists, mostly from Hamas, had been arrested across the Palestinian Authority (PA) and in Hevron since last week. 

Who controls Gaza?

The official also clarified that while Hamas has agreed to give up control over Gaza to the PA - and to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas - it would refuse to sit on the "unity government" cabinet if control were transferred. 

The Hamas-Fatah unity agreement, announced in April, aimed 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. Earlier this month, Hamas bank workers broke out in fistfights with Fatah co-workers in Hevron over salary disparities; in addition, Fatah arrested over 100 Hamas rioters in Hevron, and Hamas arrested at least one senior Fatah member in Gaza.

Abbas Words Worthless While Hamas Remains in Unity Government
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

MK Ofir Akunis said that the decision made by Mahmoud Abbas to create a unity government with Hamas and establish a terrorist regime, is his sole responsibility.

According to Akunis, “Abbas needs to internalize that leadership is determined through acts and not just words and if he is interested in proving his leadership, he has to kick Hamas out of the government before Hamas kicks him out.”

Abbas Lashes Out At Netanyahu Over Hamas Crackdown
Jun 22nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

PA Chairman Abbas

Flash 90

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas condemned Israel's crackdown on Hamas Sunday, claiming Israel "kills Palestinians in cold blood" and that there is no "credible" information that Hamas kidnapped three yeshiva students ten days ago. 

"I have no credible information that Hamas was behind the kidnapping," Abbas told Haaretz, over ten days after Naftali Frenkel (16), Eyal Yifrah (19), and Gilad Sha'ar (16) were snatched from an Alon Shvut hitchhiking post.  Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu publicly blamed Hamas for the kidnappings last Saturday night, saying there is "no doubt" that the terror organization was behind the abduction. 

Abbas then lamented the "killing of Palestinians" during the search and rescue effort, Operation Brothers' Keeper, for the boys' return.

"I said the kidnapping was a crime, but does that justify the killing of ... Palestinian teens in cold blood?" Abbas fired. Palestinian medics claimed Sunday that two teenagers were shot by IDF forces; the IDF spokesperson's office has yet to confirm the reports.

"What does Netanyahu have to say about the killings? Does he condemn it?" Abbas continued. "Look at what's happened all over the West Bank over the past days, the violence and the destruction of homes. Is that justified?" 

"The Palestinian people are frustrated at the way Israel is treating them," he added. "We do not want war, we want peace." 

The claim that the Palestinians are "frustrated" is remarkably similar to remarks from pro-Hamas MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad - United Arab List), who claimed that "frustration" justified the abduction in a series of comments last week that left her swamped with a security detail and threatened legal action to have her expelled from the Knesset. 

Abbas himself, while eventually condemning the abduction, has shown little to no sympathy to the families of the kidnapped teens, making several conflicting statements about the abduction and using the incident as a media and political ploy.