Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

U.S. Sends Low - Ranking Envoy to Cairo for Gaza Truce Talks
Aug 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

U.S. Blasts Israel for 'Disgraceful' Attack on UN School
Aug 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Jennifer Psaki

Reuters

Israel was once again criticized on Sunday for an attack on a United Nations school in Gaza, which the United States said was “disgraceful”.

According to the AFP news agency, in one of the most strongly-worded statements yet from Washington since the conflict began nearly a month ago, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States was "appalled" by the attack on the school in Rafiah.

At least 10 people were killed in the shelling, the third time in 10 days that a UN school has been hit in fighting.

"The United States is appalled by today's disgraceful shelling outside an UNRWA school in Rafah sheltering some 3,000 displaced persons, in which at least 10 more Palestinian civilians were tragically killed," Psaki said in a statement quoted by AFP.

"We once again stress that Israel must do more to meet its own standards and avoid civilian casualties."

She noted that the United Nations had "repeatedly" communicated to the Israeli Defense Forces the coordinates of the school and the world body's other facilities.

The IDF confirmed it had fired on a target "in the vicinity" of the school.

"The IDF targeted three PIJ (Islamic Jihad) terrorists on board a motorcycle in the vicinity of an UNRWA school in Rafiah," an army statement quoted by AFP said.

"The IDF is reviewing the consequences of this strike," the statement added.

Psaki's statement, however, said the presence of terrorists near the facility could not excuse the attack, however.

"The suspicion that militants are operating nearby does not justify strikes that put at risk the lives of so many innocent civilians," she said.

"We call for a full and prompt investigation of this incident as well as the recent shelling of other UNRWA schools," she added.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also decried the shelling as "a moral outrage and a criminal act."

"This madness must stop," Ban said through his spokesman, decrying what he termed "yet another gross violation of international humanitarian law."

"This attack, along with other breaches of international law, must be swiftly investigated and those responsible held accountable. It is a moral outrage and a criminal act," he charged.

This is the second time in less than a week that Israel has been condemned for the shelling of an UNRWA school being used as a shelter in Gaza

Israel said in response to last week’s accusations that initial inquiries showed that "Hamas militants fired mortar shells from the vicinity of the school, and [Israeli] soldiers responded by firing towards the origins of the fire.”

The United States later said there was little doubt Israeli artillery was the source of the "totally indefensible" strike on the UN school, urging Israel “do more” to ensure the safety of innocent civilians.

The IDF has previously provided video evidence that Hamas fires rockets from inside schools.

Hamas has also been using UNRWA schools as storage sites for its rockets. Last week, a third such stockpile was discovered in a UN school.

After the first finding of rockets at an UNRWA school, it was reported that rather than destroying the rockets, UNRWA workers called Hamas to come remove them.

Turkey's Erdogan Lashes Out At Israel At Election Rally
Aug 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsReuters
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel on Sunday of deliberately killing Palestinian mothers and warned it would "drown in the blood it sheds", pulling foreign policy to center stage as a presidential race enters its final week.

Addressing hundreds of thousands of supporters at his biggest rally so far ahead of the Aug. 10 election, Erdogan again likened Israel's actions to those of Hitler, comments that have already led Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accuse him of anti-Semitism and drawn rebuke from Washington.

Top Southern Command Officer Now Meeting With Gaza Envelope Community Heads
Aug 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Tonight (Sunday) the commanding officer of the Southern Command is presently meeting with the heads of the communities in the Gaza Envelope on the situation.

Netanyahu: the Operation Continues Until Its Goals are Reached
Aug 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu

Haim Tzach/GPO

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reiterated on Sunday night that Operation Protective Edge in Gaza will continue for as long as necessary and until its objectives have been reached.

Netanyahu’s declaration came after a security assessment he held with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) chief Yoram Cohen.

"Operation Protective Edge continues until its goals are achieved - restoring quiet and security to Israeli citizens for an extended period, with significant damage to the terrorist infrastructure. It will take as long as it takes, using as much force as needed," Netanyahu said after the assessment.

"After completing its action against the tunnels, the IDF will prepare to continue the operation according to Israel’s security needs, until we achieve the goals of the operation," he stressed.

The Prime Minister addressed the growing condemnation of Israel’s attacks on innocent civilians in Gaza, as Israel was once again criticized for an attack on a United Nations school in Gaza.

"Hamas is interested in having Gazans suffer, thinking that the world will blame Israel for their suffering,” he said, emphasizing, “Israel does not deliberately shoot at civilians and we are sorry for any accidental harming of civilians. In contrast, Hamas uses Gazans as human shields and deliberately shoots at residents of Israel.”

Netanyahu made similar comments on Saturday night, saying that Operation Protective Edge in Gaza will continue "for as much time as necessary," despite earlier reports indicating that some IDF forces may be withdrawing.

The Prime Minister explained that some troops are being distanced from civilian areas where the IDF has achieved its objectives to prevent unnecessary friction.

MK: Expand Operation If Rocket Fire Continues
Aug 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

MK Omer Bar-Lev (Labor), formerly the commander of the IDF’s Sayeret Matkal unit, said on Sunday that if Hamas does not stop the rocket fire within hours, Israel will have to “expand the ground operation”.

Bar-Lev’s comments were made in an interview with Channel 2 News.

MK Sa'ar: Reinforce the Gaza Blockade
Aug 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Speaking tonight (Sunday) at an event commemorating Gush Katif at the Begin Heritage Center, MK Gideon Sa'ar addressed the Operation 'Protective Edge', saying, "We cannot lift the blockade on Gaza while the Hamas terrorist regime is still in control."

"To the contrary," MK Sa'ar continued, "we must now reinforce and strengthen the Gaza blockade."

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

Colombia Earthquake Today 2014: Terremoto Strikes Off the Coast
USGS indicates to news that a 5.2 magnitude Colombia terremoto struck today just after 4:38 am local time. The quake was deep. USGS indicates to news that the quake started thirty-eight miles below sea level.  

US airports on high alert for travellers with signs of Ebola
AMID fears of a global Ebola epidemic, the feds are keeping a close eye on passengers arriving at JFK and other international airports in the United States to quarantine anyone showing signs of the deadly virus. And the city’s Health Department alerted doctors and other health providers to immediately report anyone they suspect might have the disease, reports The New York Post.  

Disputes over sovereignty hide quake and tsunami danger in Manila Trench
The risk of a major tsunami in the South China Sea has been underestimated, even ignored, by governments in the region, say scientists from the mainland, Taiwan and the Philippines.  

Magnitude 6.0 quake strikes off coast of Japan
SINGAPORE - A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Japan's Okinawa island on Sunday, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.  

Magnitude 6.3 quake hits China’s Guizhou province
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the Chinese province of Guizhou on Sunday, according to the US Geological Survey. The quake registered at a shallow depth of less than 1 mile.  

U.S. official: Spy plane flees Russian jet, radar; ends up over Sweden
The Cold War aerial games of chicken portrayed in the movie "Top Gun" are happening in real life again nearly 30 years later. A U.S. Air Force spy plane evaded an encounter with the Russian military on July 18, just a day after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was downed by a suspected surface-to-air missile that Ukraine and the West allege was fired by pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine.  

Earthquake 'kills 26' in south-west China
At least 26 people have been killed and scores more injured after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck in south-west China, state media say. The US Geological Survey said the quake struck about 11km (7 miles) north-west of Wenping in Yunnan province at 16:30 local time (08:30 GMT). One local official told Xinhua news agency that many houses had collapsed.  

Gaza crisis 'intolerable', says Philip Hammond
The situation in Gaza is "simply intolerable and must be addressed", Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond says. His comments follow a row between Ed Miliband and No 10 after the Labour leader said PM David Cameron was "wrong" not to oppose Israel's attacks. No 10 said it was shocked he would "misrepresent that position and play politics with such a serious issue".  

Thousands in Washington protest against war in Gaza and US support for Israel
Thousands of people attended a demonstration outside the White House in Washington DC on Saturday to protest against US support for Israel and call for an end to military action in the Gaza strip. Demonstrators, who carried Palestinian flags and chanted "Free, free Palestine" while holding up signs..."Stop Genocide" and "Free Gaza", called on...US President Barack Obama to end military aid for Israel.  

Behind the lines: Under Gaza’s shadow, Islamic State advances
In recent weeks, far from the attention of the world’s media, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (IS, formerly ISIS) has been fighting its enemies and expanding its borders. There is mounting evidence that IS has obtained a chemical weapons capacity of some kind, and has utilized it on at least one occasion during intense combat against the Kurdish YPG militia in northern Syria.  

Hamas says Israel can't achieve calm without agreeing to cease-fire 'on our terms'
Responding to the Israeli cabinet’s decision early Saturday to refrain from sending a delegation to Cairo for cease-fire talks, Hamas said that any halt in fighting would have to be attained “on our terms.” “If the enemy wants to enter indirect talks in parallel with a humanitarian cease-fire, the formula is ‘quiet in return for quiet’,” Hamas spokesperson Mushir al-Masri is quoted as saying by Channel 2.  

U.S. doctors prepare isolation ward for Ebola patient
Medical personnel are preparing for a deadly strain of the Ebola virus to touch down on U.S. soil for the first time Saturday as Americans fret about their safety and international health officials warn that the deadly outbreak is spreading out of control in Africa.  

Lebanon confirms troop deaths in clashes
Eight Lebanese soldiers have been killed in clashes with fighters in eastern Lebanon, near the border with Syria, which erupted after a suspected self-declared jihadist was detained, according to the Lebanese army. In a statement, the army said its operations against the fighters in the Arsal region continued into Sunday morning, adding that "during the battles the army lost eight martyrs and a number of others have been wounded".  

Vladimir Putin in a Ukrainian Pickle
Punitive sanctions and the calling into question of a key arms control treaty with Washington have ratcheted up pressure on Russia, leaving President Vladimir Putin few palatable options to resolve the crisis in Ukraine, analysts say.  

Toledo tells residents not to drink water due to presence of toxins
Ohio Gov. John Kasich declared a state of emergency Saturday after residents of Toledo, the state's fourth-largest city, were told not to drink from the city's water supply due to a sudden spike in its level of toxins.  

Syria villagers drive out Islamic State jihadists
Tribesmen in three villages in eastern Syria have driven out Islamic State (IS) militants, in a rare display of local resistance to the group. Four days of fighting left nine IS fighters, three tribesmen and five civilians dead, UK-based Syrian opposition activists say. The jihadists' actions in the Ashara area had bred resentment locally, another activist based in Turkey said.  

Gaza conflict: Missing Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin 'dead'
The Israeli military says a soldier reported missing in Gaza on Friday is dead. Hadar Goldin was believed to have been captured by militants during fighting, leading to the collapse of a ceasefire shortly after it had been declared. The Israel Defense Forces said it had determined that Lt Goldin had died.  

Saudi Officials Think ISIS Fighters May Hit Them Next
Saudi Arabia is calling on its allies, Egypt and Pakistan, to provide military assistance in keeping its border closed to militants that have already taken over vast swaths of Iraq and Syria, The London Times reports.  

Freed Palestinian prisoners shocked at damage in Gaza
Unlike many Palestinians who are desperate to flee Gaza, Rami and Osama had no choice but to return after years in Israeli jails, although the scope of the devastation has shocked them.  

Lebanese Army Tries to Expel Syria - Linked Militants from Border Town
Aug 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsReuters
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese soldiers traded fire with Islamist gunmen and shelled areas around the border town of Arsal on Sunday aiming to roll back the biggest incursion by militants into Lebanon since Syria's civil war began.

Security officials said 13 Lebanese soldiers had died in the fighting, which erupted after Islamists seized a police station following the arrest of one of their leaders on Saturday - an attack that army chief General Jean Kahwaji said was premeditated.

Israel Declares Humanitarian Truce for Monday in Most of Gaza
Aug 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Iran's Elite Guards Fighting in Iraq to Push Back Islamic State
Aug 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsReuters
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

 In early July, hundreds of mourners gathered for the funeral of Kamal Shirkhani in Lavasan, a small town northeast of the Iranian capital Tehran. The crowd carried the coffin past posters which showed Shirkhani in the green uniform of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and identified him as a colonel.

Shirkhani did not die in a battle inside Iran. He was killed nearly a hundred miles away from the Iranian border in a mortar attack by the militants of the Islamic State “while carrying out his mission to defend” a revered Shiite shrine in the city of Samarra, according to a report on Basij Press, a news site affiliated with the Basij militia which is overseen by the Revolutionary Guards.

How will It End? Bibi's Unenviable Choice
Aug 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

IDF soldiers in Gaza

Flash 90

The decision to redeploy IDF forces in Gaza was a "purely military one", but marks a crucial crossroads for the Israeli government to decide whether it will deal decisively with Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza, or merely push off the next round of fighting for a few years.

That's according to former Israeli National Security Adviser Major General (res.) Yaakov Amidror, a fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar Ilan University.

Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Amidror explained that the IDF's mission upon entering Gaza was very clear: "to identify and destroy" Hamas's tunnel network.

Amidror clarified that there are three different kinds of tunnel networks in Gaza. The first two - smuggling tunnels from the Sinai Peninsula into Gaza, and the vast "labyrinth" of tunnels under Gaza's urban population centers, meticulously constructed in preparation for any IDF ground operation - were not the target of Operation Protective Edge, although those discovered in the course of fighting were usually destroyed by IDF forces.

Only the limited number of tunnels leading into Israeli territory (several dozen - although the precise number may never be known), in preparation for deadly raids or kidnappings were actively targeted by Israel.

Echoing statements made earlier on Sunday to Arutz Sheva by a senior military official, Amidror said the IDF was close to completing that mission - although he suggested a post-operation committee of inquiry be set up to determine what gaps, if any, there were between the tunnels which were known about in advance, and those which were eventually discovered.

That being the case, there was therefore simply "no military logic" for forces to remain where they were once they had cleared the areas in question.

But as for the still constant rocket-fire against Israel's civilian population, Amidror emphasized that there is "no way" for the current operation to succeed in physically putting an end to it once and for all. 

"No one promised or said that Israel can neutralize all of Hamas's rockets without gaining control of (all of) the ground in Gaza. There is no technical way to do it," he said.

What the current operation can achieve - and largely has - is "to destroy all the rockets and launchers that we know about," and then rely on the Iron Dome system to frustrate Hamas and Islamic Jihad's attempts to inflict significant harm on Israel's civilian population with what remains.

"You can't neutralize 10,000 rockets purely with air power," Amidror noted.

With the army's deployment, signalling the imminent end of the initial phase of the operation, the government is now faced with two stark options - neither of which is especially palatable.

The first would be to accept the aforementioned operational limitations and, once the tunnels had been destroyed along with what rockets and other terrorist infrastructure can be reached, to dig in for a long, attritional battle, in which both sides will slug it out for many more weeks or even months. (It is impossible to know precisely what remains of Gaza's arsenal of rockets, although Amidror estimates anything between 25-50% still remain out of approximately 10,000 rockets - enough to keep going for quite some time.)

The IDF could then choose to keep its forces where they are inside Gaza and engage with terrorist forces as they surface, or equally to withdraw altogether and exchange fire from Israeli territory, as it did during the initial phase of Operation Protective Edge.

Either way, says Amidror, Israel would eventually emerge the victor - at least in the short-term.

"We have more capabilities than the other side. They cannot hit us because of Iron Dome, while we can hit more Hamas infrastructure and kill more of their members every day."

Given the fact that, unlike in the past, the current Egyptian government is overtly hostile to Hamas, the Islamists will be unable to resupply quickly enough, "and in the end they will have to agree to a ceasefire without having gained any real advantages from this operation."

That, coupled with the deterrent effect of the damage Israel has already inflicted on Hamas ("When they come out and see the damage... that is already a very good lesson,") will ensure that terrorist groups "will not have the ability to rebuild for several years."

Nonetheless, rearm they eventually shall, and the current operation will ultimately only have succeeded in putting off the next round of fighting. "In the future, we'll need to face the problem again."

Yaakov Amidror Flash 90

The second option - one advocated by several cabinet ministers, most notably Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman - would be to redeploy forces deeper inside Gaza, overthrowing Hamas and seizing complete control of the entire territory.

Clearing the Gaza Strip of all "weapons systems" and arresting or killing all terrorists there would take between 6-12 months in Amidror's estimation, and "cost us the lives of many soldiers and officers."

That option would provide a real and lasting solution to both the threat of rocket fire and "terror tunnels", rather than simply "postponing the next round with Hamas."

But such an operation would be "very costly, and very bloody." 

Although he refused to speculate on what kind of casualty figures he would expect Israel to endure in such an offensive, "you can see from the first stage, which only involved the outlying parts of Gaza, what kind of price" both sides would pay.

Apart from the Israeli casualties, many more Palestinians would be killed in such an operation as well, given that it would involve entering Gaza's most densely-populated areas, which ground forces have so far avoided - bringing to bear more international pressure on Israel.

It would also pose long-term problems; such as what to do with the roughly 1.8 million Arabs living in the Gaza Strip "who no one wants to take responsibility for."

"If you are ready to pay the price, you have a solution," Amidror notes dryly. He observed that both options were "logical" in their own right, despite each having their own distinct disadvantages: "Either to pay a high price but to solve the problem, or not to pay the price and to meet the problem every five years."

For its part, Amidror estimates that despite the pain and anguish of further losses, the Israeli public would by and large prefer to pay the price and go for the second option, stamping out the threat once and for all.

"From their point of view the problem should be solved," he said.

"I'm not sure everyone is aware of the real price, but that is another issue."

Christ died even for those who hated him
Aug 3rd, 2014
Thought For The WeekA. W. Tozer
Categories: Commentary;Exhortation

Our Lord Jesus Christ came and demonstrated the vast difference between being charitable and being tolerant! He was so charitable that in His great heart He took in all the people in the world and was willing to die even for those who hated Him!

But even with that kind of love and charity crowning His being, Jesus was completely frank and open when He taught: "If you are not on my side, you are against me!" There is no twilight zone in the teachings of Jesus - no place in between.

So, charity is one thing, but tolerance is quite another matter.

Suppose we take the position of compromise that many want us to take: "Everyone come, and be saved if you want to. But if you do not want to be saved, maybe there is some other way that we can find for you. We want you to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ if you will, but if you do not want to, there may be a possiblity that God will find some other way for you because there are those who say that there are many ways to God."

To take that position would not be a spirit of tolerance on our part - it would be downright cowardice! We would be guilty with so many others of a spirit of compromise that so easily becomes an anti-God attitude. Tolerance easily becomes a matter of cowardice if God's Word are ignored and forgotten! Acts 4:12 A.W.Tozer

Ch. 2 Poll: Support for PM on Gaza Op Continues to Drop
Aug 3rd, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A poll conducted by Israel's Channel 2 television on Sunday found that 62 percent of Israeli's were satisfied with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's performance during Operation Protective Edge.

The results were down 12% from a similar survey conducted Thursday night and 20% lower from two weeks ago.