US money transfer sites used in Dubai assassination: report
JULY 31,10 1:00PM
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US websites that allow employers to transfer money to far-flung employees may have been used to secretly finance the assassination of a Hamas leader in Dubai, a US newspaper reported Saturday.The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that US investigators cooperating with Dubai police believe several US-based companies were used to cover the tracks of whoever funded the January operation.The murder of Mahmud al-Mabhuh, a founder of the military wing of Hamas, was carried out by a team of undercover assassins that Dubai alleges were dispatched by Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.Israel has said there is no evidence linking it to the assassination, but the Journal pointed out that the case is delicate for the United States, which is a key Israeli ally but also has good relations with Dubai and the United Arab Emirates as a whole.The newspaper, citing unnamed US and international investigators, said there was no indication that companies used to transfer money to the assassins knew of their role in the plot.Instead, US investigators believe, suspects might have posed as freelancers in order to get money in a way that obscured their funding source, and used the money for operational expenses, such as buying plane tickets,the Journal said.The money was loaded onto pre-paid credit cards by online payment companies that are often used by firms that need to pay workers in remote locations where it can be difficult to cash checks or wire payments, the newspaper said.The report said it was unclear how US investigators had managed to trace the suspected money transfers.
Dubai earlier this year identified 13 US-issued pre-paid card accounts, but all those linked to the cards had used false passports.Mabhuh was found dead in his room in the Al Bustan Rotana hotel near Dubai airport on January 20. He had been drugged and then suffocated.Dubai police released extensive surveillance camera footage afterwards that they said showed a team of 27 suspected assassins linked to Mossad.
Obama warns Abbas against failure to resume direct talks
JULY 31,10
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories (AFP) – US President Barack Obama has warned Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas that failure to resume direct peace talks with Israel could undermine US-Palestinian ties, Palestinian officials said on Saturday.
Obama made the warning in a letter to Abbas but also pledged to rally Arab, European and Russian support for the Palestinians if direct negotiations resume, a Palestinian official told AFP speaking on condition of anonymity.In the letter, President Barack Obama warned president Mahmud Abbas that his refusal to enter into direct negotiations with Israel next month will have consequences for American-Palestinian relations, the official said.The 16-point letter had a carrot-and-stick approach, he added.Obama stressed it is high time to resume direct negotiations with Israel and told Abbas that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ready to resume direct negotiations.The letter warned that Obama will absolutely not accept the rejection of his recommendation to move to direct negotiations and that there will be consequences for such a rejection in the form of a lack of trust in president Abbas and the Palestinian side,the official said.Obama pledged that his administration would work to extend a partial Israeli moratorium on Jewish settlements due to expire in September if Abbas resumes direct negotiations, he added.But in case of a refusal its assistance on that issue will be very limited, he said, quoting from the letter in Arabic.Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat confirmed to AFP that Abbas received a letter from the US president on July 16.
The president received on July 16 a letter from Obama in which he calls on the Palestinians to enter into direct negotiations and that these negotiations will lead to the creation of an independent Palestinian state, Erakat said.In the letter Obama assured Abbas that the US administration will strive to put an end to (Jewish) settlements if direct peace talks go underway but that its role would be less if this does not happen, Erakat said.The revelation comes after the Arab League agreed in principle on Thursday to the resumption of direct Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, stressing however that Abbas had the final word on whey they should start.The Palestinian official who declined to be named said Obama expects direct peace talks to begin at the onset of August and to address thorny issues such as borders and Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.Abbas, who is holding US-brokered indirect talks with Israel, has conditioned going into face-to-face talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a raft of demands rejected by Israel.He wants a complete end to settlement construction in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, which Israel occupied in 1967, and has said negotiations on a Palestinian state's borders must be based on the pre-1967 borders.He has threatened to turn to the UN Security Council if there is no progress on his demands by September, when the four-month indirect talks with Israel are due to end.
Israeli air strike kills Hamas commander in Gaza
By Nidal al-Mughrabi - JULY 31,10
GAZA (Reuters) – An Israeli air strike has killed a Hamas military commander and rocket-maker in the Gaza Strip, the Islamist group that rules the Palestinian territory said on Saturday.Issa Batran, whose caravan was hit by a missile, was the first Hamas commander killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza since Israel wound up a three-week military offensive there in January 2009.
Hundreds of Hamas supporters attended his funeral.
The Israeli military said it launched air strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza after a rocket fired from the enclave exploded in the city of Ashkelon.The air strikes also hit a training camp used by Hamas and smuggling tunnels along Gaza's southern border with Egypt. Several people were wounded by debris, Palestinian medics said.Hamas said Batran was a rocket-maker and the head of its military wing in the central Gaza Strip. The militant group has a rocket arsenal of crude, homemade projectiles and longer-range rockets smuggled in through tunnels under the border with Egypt.Batran escaped an Israeli attack on his house in January 2009 during a devastating military offensive aimed at stopping daily rocket fire from Gaza into Israeli cities. His wife and children were killed in the attack.Israel carried out the air strikes on Friday after militants in Gaza fired a rocket into Ashkelon on Israel's Mediterranean coast, blowing out the windows of an apartment block and damaging parked cars in a residential area.No one was injured by the blast, which police said was caused by a 122mm, Chinese-made Grad rocket. But the attack ended more than a year of calm for the Israeli city closest to Gaza.It was the most serious attack on Ashkelon, which has a population of 125,000 and lies on the coast about 12 km (7 miles) north of the Gaza Strip, since Israel ended a three-week military offensive in Gaza in January 2009.The offensive largely ended rocket fire into Israel from the Gaza Strip.(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Writing by Joseph Nasr, editing by Jon Hemming)
Syrian, Saudi leaders tackle tension in Lebanon
By Yara Bayoumy – Fri Jul 30, 5:41 pm ET
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Saudi King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met Lebanon's rival leaders on Friday to stave off a crisis over a tribunal that may indict Hezbollah members in the killing of Lebanese statesman Rafik al-Hariri.
Hariri's 2005 assassination set off a huge political tremor in Lebanon, where the repercussions are still playing out five years later. The dramatic joint Saudi-Syrian visit to Beirut demonstrated urgent Arab concern to calm tensions in Lebanon.
A statement from the Lebanese presidency said the leaders had discussed ways to reinforce national accord and Lebanon's stability and stressed the need to avoid violence.Assad and Abdullah are alarmed by the political ferment set off by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah this month when he said Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri had told him the tribunal would indict rogue Hezbollah members for his father's killing.Nasrallah says Lebanon must reject any such indictments from the tribunal, which he calls an Israeli project.Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah, who was at the meeting, said the issue was raised during the closed-door talks.The (meeting) discussed the tribunal decision ... and how it will reflect on the situation in Lebanon, he told Reuters.We consider this a very sensitive and dangerous subject, (that is) putting the tribunal under Israel's service against the resistance.Hariri, a Saudi ally whose unity cabinet includes Hezbollah and other pro-Syrian factions, supports the U.N.-backed tribunal's efforts to bring his father's assassins to justice.The Hague-based tribunal says talk of indictments is speculation and the prosecutor will file them when he is ready.Disputes between a Hariri-led alliance and Hezbollah brought Lebanon close to renewed civil war in 2008, when the Shi'ite guerrillas briefly overran Beirut. But a Qatari-brokered deal backed by Damascus and Riyadh has provided relative calm since.Lebanese political analyst Suleiman Taqi al-Deen said the Saudi-Syrian visit was important, exceptional and pre-emptive.It is the first time it happens before a situation in Lebanon explodes. It is an understanding to defuse the Lebanese problem because if it explodes its consequences will be very dangerous on the region, he told Reuters.
FLURRY OF TALKS
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman held talks with the visiting Saudi and Syrian heads of state and then hosted a lunch attended by Lebanese politicians.In side meetings, Abdullah visited Hariri's house, Assad conferred with pro-Syrian Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mualem met Hezbollah lawmakers.Motorcades then whisked the heads of state, who had arrived together on a Saudi aircraft from Damascus, back to the airport, before the scheduled arrival of the Emir of Qatar.Interior Minister Ziad Baroud told reporters that more work would be needed to build on the summit in Beirut. The challenges in the region are very big. So this kind of embrace at the highest levels is necessary, he said. Assad's visit was his first to Beirut since the bombing that killed Hariri and sparked an outcry in Lebanon. Pressure from the United States, France and Saudi Arabia eventually forced Assad to end Syria's 29-year military presence in its neighbor. Hariri, then leading a broad anti-Syrian coalition, at first accused Damascus of killing his father. U.N. investigators also implicated top Syrian and Lebanese security officials. Syria denies any hand in the elder Hariri's assassination or later political killings of anti-Syrian figures in Lebanon. Since he became prime minister last year, Hariri has dropped his anti-Syrian rhetoric and has visited Damascus several times to forge a rapprochement with Assad, who has also improved relations with Western powers and developed close links with Turkey. The Saudi monarch was last in the Lebanese capital for a 2002 Arab summit, when he was still Crown Prince, and he is the first Saudi king to come to Lebanon for decades.
(Additional reporting by Mariam Karouny; Editing by Alistair Lyon and Mark Heinrich)
U.N. rights body tells Israel to end Gaza blockade
Fri Jul 30, 9:57 am ET
GENEVA (Reuters) – Israel must lift its military blockade of the Gaza Strip and invite an independent, fact-finding mission to investigate its raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, a United Nations rights body said on Friday.The U.N. Human Rights Committee also told Israel to ensure that Palestinians in the occupied territories can enjoy the fundamental civil and political freedoms that Israel had pledged to uphold in the main international human rights treaty.Israel maintains that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights does not apply to the occupied West Bank and Gaza, although it says that the treaty does apply to Jewish settlers there, committee member Christine Chanet said.There are no Israeli settlers in Gaza itself.In Israel's written responses to the committee, one could see a total discrimination in the sense that settlers benefited from the pact, she told a news briefing.We have maintained our position on the applicability of the covenant. We are stronger because the International Court of Justice has said we were right on this position, she added, referring to the World Court's 2004 advisory opinion.
Chanet, a former French judge and international human rights expert, said: It is very difficult to have a real dialogue (with Israel).
AID FLOTILLA
The committee's non-binding recommendations add to pressure on Israel to explain what happened in its attack on May 31 on an aid flotilla in which nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists were killed, damaging relations between Israel and Turkey.
Israel admitted errors in planning the raid but justified the use of lethal force saying its marines came under attack from activists wielding knives and clubs. Activists deny this.There was no immediate reaction from Israel on the eve of the Jewish Sabbath but the government has repeatedly condemned the U.N. human rights bodies in Geneva as biased.The recommendations are the latest in a series of reports and sessions in which Israel has been on the defensive at the United Nations over its policies in Gaza and the West Bank.On July 23, another U.N. rights forum, the Human Rights Council, appointed a team of international experts to investigate the raid on the flotilla and called on all parties to cooperate.The committee is a body of 18 independent experts, mainly prominent in international and human rights law, that monitors the implementation of the Covenant by the 166 countries including Israel that have signed up to it.The recommendations on Israel's regular report to the committee on its compliance included calls for investigations into human rights abuses including killings in Israel's military offensive in Gaza between December 27, 2008, and January 18, 2009.Israel should also refrain from holding criminal proceedings against children in military courts, the committee said.There are hundreds of children (being held),Chanet said.The committee also told Israel to end extra-judicial executions of terrorist suspects, make torture illegal, end construction of settlements in the occupied territories, stop building a wall cutting off some of the territories from other regions, and stop destroying homes as a collective punishment.It asked Israel to say in its next report due by July 2013 what action it had taken on these and other recommendations. (Reporting by Jonathan Lynn and Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Elizabeth Fullerton)
Israel skeptical on Iran sanctions
Fri Jul 30, 8:51 am ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Israel is skeptical that a new round of sanctions targeting Iran's nuclear program will be effective, but there is still time for them to work, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Friday.They're determined to get nuclear military capability. We see it, he said on MSNBC's Morning Joe television program. I don't believe that sanctions will work.But he said that despite skepticism, Israel was willing to give the latest round of United Nations pressure on Tehran more time to have an effect.I think that the essence of it we still believe it's still time for sanctions, to see whether they're working. But as I said, we have to realize, we cannot wink in front of tough realities, however tough they might be.The Security Council slapped a fourth set of sanctions on Iran in June over Tehran's refusal to halt its uranium enrichment work, the most sensitive part of the country's controversial nuclear program, which many nations fear masks a drive for nuclear weapons.Barak said Israel was pleased that sanctions were eventually agreed to after extensive negotiations in the Security Council, but he said the consensus text was somewhat diluted to get a wider foreign support.We say all the way there should be an extremely effective sanctions. If they don't work, we recommended to our friends always not to remove any option from the table. We do the same for ourselves, he added.Iran said Friday it was ready to return to the table for talks with the United State, Russia and France over an exchange of nuclear fuel, adding it was against stockpiling higher enriched uranium.But Barak warned that Tehran has previously played for time, and cautioned that Iran was engaged in a sophisticated dance.They move. They stop. They open. They close. They go two steps to the right and then once again forward, backward, whatever. They're determined to get nuclear military capability. We see it,he said.
Arabs agree to Israel-Palestinian talks
by Samer al-Atrush – Thu Jul 29, 3:40 pm ET
CAIRO (AFP) – Arab officials agreed in principle on Thursday to the holding of direct Middle East peace negotiations and left it up to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to decide when to start talks with Israel.Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been under pressure from Washington to move forward, and the announcement prompted Netanyahu to express openness to starting talks in the next few days.The United States said it was encouraged by the news from Cairo, while Abbas's rivals Hamas rejected it and his own aides stood firm on his demands.Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al-Thani made the announcement after chairing the meeting of foreign ministers in Cairo.He spoke in response to a question about whether they had given Abbas a green light to start talks.I'll be clear. There is an agreement but with the understanding of what will be discussed and how the direct negotiations will be conducted. And we will leave the assessment of the position to the Palestinian president as to when the conditions allow the beginning of such negotiations, he said.The meeting drafted a letter to US President Barack Obama which laid out the general principles of peace talks.Arab League chief Amr Mussa said written guarantees were required for direct talks.There must be written guarantees ... and the negotiations should be serious and final status talks,he said.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said the letter included demands that Israel first halt settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem and agree to its 1967 frontiers as the starting point of the discussion of final borders.The Arabs demanded in their letter to Obama that the reference point of the Palestinian state be the 1967 borders, with agreed-upon exchanges of land and a halt to settlements,he said.Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War, annexing the latter in a move not recognised by the international community. It views the entire city as its eternal, undivided capital.
Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said the Palestinian position has Arab and international support, and we want there to be an Israeli response that allows for the creation of a suitable climate to go to direct negotiations.In Jerusalem, a statement from Netanyahu's office said: In response to the Arab League decision, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he is ready to start, already in the next few days, direct and frank talks that with the Palestinian Authority.In Washington, State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said we're encouraged by what we've heard today coming out of Cairo.But the Islamist movement Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, slammed the position of Arab ministers, saying it rejects any Arab call to resume negotiations with the occupation and considers it a grave political error.Abbas has conditioned the talks on an Israel guarantee for Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders between the Jewish state and east Jerusalem and the West Bank.He also wants an end to settlement construction in east Jerusalem and the West Bank. Israel acceded to US pressure to limit settlement building in the West Bank until September, when a moratorium ends. The Palestinian leader repeated his conditions on the eve of the meeting in an interview with Egyptian newspaper editors, the official Egyptian MENA news agency reported on Thursday. Abbas said he would tell the meeting that if there was no serious vision relating to the 1967 borders and an end to settlements then I cannot enter direct negotiations,adding he would immediately enter negotiations if his demands were guaranteed.He complained about pressures I have never faced before in my life from Washington and the European Union. Abbas suspended direct negotiations with Israel after its offensive on the Islamist Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in December 2008 in response to rocket fire.
Gaza lingerie shops eyed by Hamas police
Wed Jul 28, 1:16 pm ET
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) – Hamas on Wednesday announced new regulations on shops selling women's clothes as part of a campaign to safeguard public morality in its Gaza enclave.The police said shops selling women's clothes must not have dressing rooms or tinted windows, and that the mannequins on display out front must be modestly dressed.It is absolutely forbidden to place any photographic device inside the shop and it is forbidden to display revealing clothes in front of the shop,a statement said.The edict came nearly two weeks after Hamas banned women from smoking water pipes in public places and is the latest step taken by the Islamist movement to crack down on the mingling of the sexes in the conservative territory.Hamas denies seeking to impose Islamic law in Gaza, which has always been a conservative society, and has only taken a few limited steps to enforce modesty since it seized power in June 2007.Last year it ordered women lawyers to wear the hijab, or Muslim headscarf, in court and banned women from riding on motorcycles. It has also banned men from working in women's beauty salons.
Israeli police, Palestinian youths clash in east Jerusalem
Tue Jul 27, 3:26 pm ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israeli police and some 200 Palestinian youths clashed on Tuesday in a part of occupied east Jerusalem where a controversial Israeli archaeological project is underway, an AFP photographer reported.Police and border guards fired rubber bullets and tear gas at the demonstrators, some of whom were throwing rocks, witnesses said. Five Palestinians were reportedly injured, and one arrested.A police spokesman said calm was restored after local Palestinian officials called on the demonstrators to disperse, adding that no arrests were made.Palestinians are angered by an Israeli plan to raze 22 Arab homes to make way for an archaeological park, and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has urged Washington to block the controversial project.The park, which is planned for a crumbling Arab neighbourhood just outside the walls of the Old City, was approved by Jerusalem city council in Junein a move that drew criticism both at home and abroad.Washington has warned that it undermines trust and could hinder the indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians that started in May.
Gan Hamelech, the Hebrew name for the area outside the Old City, is known as Al-Bustan to its mostly Arab residents.Under the plan, 22 homes would be razed, while another 66 would be legalised. The 88 homes all had been slated for demolition because they were built without Israeli permits.Al-Bustan is part of the so-called Holy Basin and is believed to be the site of ancient Jerusalem during the time of the biblical kings David and Solomon.It is now a crowded Arab neighbourhood in a part of the city seized by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in a move not recognised internationally.Israel considers the whole of Jerusalem as its eternal and indivisible capital while the Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their promised state.
Natural gas could lead to new Lebanon-Israel war By BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press Writer – Tue Jul 27, 6:31 am ET
BEIRUT – The discovery of large natural gas reserves under the waters of the eastern Mediterranean could potentially mean a huge economic windfall for Israel and Lebanon, both resource-poor nations — if it doesn't spark new war between them.The Hezbollah militant group has blared warnings that Israel plans to steal natural gas from Lebanese territory and vows to defend the resources with its arsenal of rockets. Israel says the fields it is developing do not extend into Lebanese waters, a claim experts say appears to be correct, but the maritime boundary between the two countries — still officially at war — has never been precisely set.Lebanon's need for the resistance has doubled today in light of Israeli threats to steal Lebanon's oil wealth, Hezbollah's Executive Council chief Hashem Safieddine said last month. The need to protect the offshore wealth pushes us in the future to strengthen the resistance's capabilities.The threats cast a shadow over what could be a financial boon for both nations, with energy companies finding what appear to be substantial natural gas deposits in their waters.Israel is far ahead in the race to develop the resources. Two fields, Tamar and Dalit, discovered last year, are due to start producing in 2012, and experts say their estimated combined reserves of 5.5 trillion cubic feet (160 billion cubic meters) of natural gas can cover Israel's energy needs for the next two decades.In June, the U.S. energy company Noble Energy, part of a consortium developing the fields, predicted that Israel will also have enough gas to export to Europe and Asia from a third field — Leviathan, thought to hold up to 16 trillion cubic feet (450 billion cubic meters) of gas.Israel relies entirely on imports to meet its energy needs, spending billions to bring natural gas from Egypt and coal from a variety of countries. So just freeing the country from that reliance would have a major impact.
When Tamar begins producing it could lower Israel's energy costs by a $1 billion a year and bring $400 million a year in royalties into government coffers. That suggests a total of about $40 billion in savings and $16 billion in government revenues over the total yield of the field. Those numbers would only rise as Leviathan comes on line.Israel's always looked for oil, said Paul Rivlin, a senior research fellow with Tel Aviv University's Dayan center.But I don't think it ever thought of itself as becoming a producer. And now that you've got a high-tech economy that's doing quite well, this comes as an added bonus.Hezbollah's warnings, however, quickly followed the announcement by Houston, Texas-based Noble Energy.
Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, warned that Israel is turning into an oil emirate while ignoring the fact that the field extends, according to the maps, into Lebanon's territorial waters.Israel's Petroleum and Mining commissioner at the National Infrastructure Ministry Yaakov Mimran, called those claims nonsense,saying Leviathan and the other two fields are all within Israel's economic zone.Those noises occur when they smell gas. Until then, they sit quietly and let the other side spend the money, Mimran told the Israeli daily Haaretz.Maps from Noble Energy show Leviathan within Israel's waters. An official with Norway's Petroleum Geo-Services, which is surveying gas fields in Lebanese waters, told The Associated Press that from Noble's reports there is no reason to think Leviathan extends into Lebanon. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized by his company to speak on the subject.The rumblings are worrisome because Israel and Hezbollah each accuse the other of intending to spark a new conflict following their devastating 2006 war. That fighting, in which Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid sparked a massive Israeli bombardment, killed about 1,200 Lebanese and 160 Israelis.Since then, there has been a rare interval of peace. Hezbollah, a close ally of Syria and Iran, has not fired a rocket into Israel since. Israeli officials, however, say they believe Hezbollah has managed to triple its prewar arms stockpile to more than 40,000 rockets.The warnings from Hezbollah and Berri could be as much for domestic consumption as directed as Israel, aiming to press for the passage of a long-delayed draft oil law, needed before any Lebanese fields can be developed.Oil and gas exploration has been a source of disagreement between Lebanese politicians over the past decade. The change of several governments and disputes over what company should do the surveying have caused delays. In October, Petroleum Geo-Services said fields in Cypriot and Lebanese waters may prove to be an exciting new province for oil and gas in the next few years, noting signs of deposits in Lebanon, though their size is still not known. It is very encouraging for Lebanon, the PGS official told AP.
Any finds could help Lebanon's government pay off what is one of the highest debt rates in the world, at about $52 billion, or 147 percent of the gross domestic product. Israel and Lebanon are among the few countries in the Middle East without substantial, lucrative natural resources. Israel has built a place for itself with a powerful high-tech sector, while Lebanon has boomed in recent years with tourism and real estate investment. While the gas may not transform them into Gulf-style spigots of petro-cash, it would be a major boost.Rivlin doubts Israel could become a significant exporter, saying nearby countries don't need or aren't willing to buy from it, and the costs of liquifying gas for transport to further markets like Europe may be prohibitive. But Eytan Gilboa, a political science professor at Bar-Ilan University, said that with the world so hungry for energy, Israel won't have a problem finding buyers. But the development raises security worries, as the offshore gas infrastructure could become a target. During the 2006 fighting, Hezbollah succeeded in hitting Israeli warships off Lebanon with its rockets. Once those rigs start producing gas, it's going to be difficult to secure them, Gilboa said.So on the one hand, you reduce dependency on imports in times of crisis, but at the same time, you make yourself vulnerable because those sites are exposed.Associated Press Writer Karoun Demirjian contributed to this report from Jerusalem.
Israel to hit Lebanon if Hezbollah attacks: defense minister
Mon Jul 26, 6:26 pm ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned Monday that Israel will strike directly at Lebanese institutions if the militant group Hezbollah launches rockets at Israeli town.Barak, who held talks in Washington on Monday with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, made clear in an interview that his government will not tolerate any more Hezbollah attacks.If Hezbollah fires a rocket into Tel Aviv, we will not run after each Hezbollah terrorist or launcher, Barak told The Washington Post.We will see it as legitimate to hit any target that belongs to the Lebanese state, not just to Hezbollah, he added.When asked to comment on the Barak interview, State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said: Israel has a right to self defense. Obviously we'd rather see a launch of peace talks rather than rockets.Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has said Israel is trying to justify a war against Lebanon that it could launch when it wishes and has complained of Israeli surveillance flights over Lebanese territory, The Post pointed out.Tensions between Israel and Lebanon have escalated amid reports that Lebanese activists plan to dispatch aid ships to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip despite an Israeli blockade, the newspaper said.Barak called the aid ships an unnecessary provocation, according to The Post.
France upgrades diplomatic ties with Palestinians By JENNY BARCHFIELD, Associated Press Writer – Mon Jul 26, 12:55 pm ET
PARIS – France is upgrading its diplomatic relations with the Palestinian Territories to try to spur international efforts toward creating a Palestinian state, the French foreign minister said Monday.Bernard Kouchner said the Palestinian diplomatic representation in France — which was called a delegation and headed by a general delegate — will henceforth be considered a mission headed by an ambassador, chief of mission.The French government said the decision concerns the Palestinian Authority under President Mahmoud Abbas — and notably does not mention the Gaza Strip, ruled by the militant Hamas since 2007.Similar upgradings are under discussion in Spain and Greece, Deputy Palestinian Foreign Minister Ibrahim Khreisheh said in a telephone interview. He said the United States made a similar move last week, upgrading the Palestinian presence from a PLO media office in Washington to a Mission of Palestine in Washington. The change enables the Palestinians to raise their flag there for the first time, Khreisheh said.The move appeared to be largely symbolic, with a counselor at the Palestinian mission welcoming the change while acknowledging it will not alter the mission's functions.
Kouchner said the change in status was aimed at supporting efforts to create a Palestinian state and guarantee its credibility.Only the extremists profit from the status quo. The moment has come to shake things up, Kouchner's statement said. If we wait, we will make the chances for peace retreat.Ghassan Khatib, the spokesman of Abbas' government, hailed the French announcement as an indication of the growing understanding of the international community of the Palestinians right to independence and statehood.We believe this is a result of the efforts made of the Palestinian Authority to confirm to the world that it deserves independence and that it can turn into a state,he said in Ramallah.The spokeswoman for the Israeli Embassy in France, Nina Ben-Ami, said only that we were not consulted on the matter, and we have no comment.We hope that all European countries would upgrade our diplomatic presence, said Khreisheh, the deputy Palestinian foreign minister, adding that France is the first western European country to make such an upgrade.The Palestinian Authority has 58 full-fledged embassies in Arab, Islamic and African countries, as well as former Socialist countries in Eastern Europe, Khreisheh said.
He said 54 countries have set up so-called representative offices in the Palestinian territories, including 22 EU members, seven South American countries, as well as Japan, China, Sri Lanka and India. They are all known as representative offices because, under the interim peace deals with the Israelis from the 1990s, the Palestinians are not permitted to host full-fledged embassies.The French Foreign Ministry said France has no other diplomatic mission that shares the Palestinians' new status. The French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec has a delegation in France, alongside the Canadian Embassy, he said.Taipei has a representative office in France instead of an embassy. Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949, and China has repeatedly warned that any Taiwanese moves to formalize its de facto independence could be met with war.Associated Press writers Mohammed Daraghmeh and Dalia Nammari in Ramallah contributed to this report.
Israeli warplanes strike Gaza tunnels
Mon Jul 26, 2:27 am ET
GAZA CITY (AFP) – Israeli warplanes fired missiles at targets across Gaza on Monday, damaging a series of tunnels along the territory's border with Egypt, sources on both sides said.Palestinian security officials said Israel had carried out four raids overnight, two of them along the frontier, one in central Gaza and one in the north.Three cross-border tunnels sustained heavy damage in the raids, although noone was hurt in the attack, officials from the Hamas-run security forces said.Warplanes also targeted an empty house in Beit Hanun in northern Gaza, causing serious damage, as well as an open area in Nusseirat, south of Gaza City, they said.The Israeli military confirmed the attacks along the border and in the north but made no mention of Nusseirat.The Israel air force struck a weapons manufacturing site in the northern Gaza Strip and two weapons-smuggling tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip overnight, a statement said.The attacks came after Gaza-based militants fired four missiles into southern Israel over the weekend.Figures cited by the military indicate that more than 100 rockets or mortar rounds have been fired into Israel since the beginning of the year.Israel has repeatedly targeted the tunnels on the Egyptian border in retaliation for rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled enclave.Most of the tunnels are used to smuggle in basic goods but Hamas and other militant groups reportedly use their own tunnels to bring in arms and money.In December 2008, Israel launched a devastating 22-day war on Gaza in a bid to halt near daily rocket fire from the besieged Palestinian territory. The war claimed the lives of 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.Since the end of the operation, militants have fired more than 350 rockets or mortar rounds into Israel, the military says.
Israel and U.S. sign deal to upgrade Arrow missile shield
Mon Jul 26, 12:25 am ET
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel and the United States have signed an agreement to make the Arrow II ballistic shield capable of shooting down missiles at a higher altitude, the Israeli Defense Ministry said on Sunday.The Arrow III will allow Israel to deal with the threat of ballistic missiles with long range and will give it the ability to shoot down weapons of mass destruction outside the atmosphere, the ministry said in a statement.Israel, which describes its Arrow system as a defense against Iran, says the upgraded version will cap off its multi-tier air defenses.The Arrow is jointly produced by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries and the American firm Boeing Co. and has absorbed close to $1 billion in direct U.S. funds since its 1988 inception.The Israeli air force said last year that the Arrow III would take more than four years to complete and that would depend on what resources were made available for the project.The United States, Western powers and Israel suspect Iran's civilian nuclear program is designed to produce a nuclear bomb. Tehran denies this.Israel, which is assumed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, has hinted it could resort to force to prevent Iran attaining the nuclear means to threaten its existence.Iran has threatened to retaliate for any attack on its nuclear facilities by firing medium-range missiles at Israel.(Reporting by Dan Williams; Writing by Joseph Nasr, Editing by Alison Williams)
Four Gaza rockets hit southern Israel: army
Sun Jul 25, 4:29 am ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Gaza-based militants fired four rockets into southern Israel over the weekend, a military spokesman said on Sunday.None of them caused any casualties or damage, the spokesman said, adding that since the start of the year around 90 rockets or mortar rounds had been fired into southern Israel.In December 2008, Israel launched a devastating assault on Gaza in a bid to halt near daily rocket fire from the besieged Palestinian territory.Some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed in the 22-day war.After a year of quiet following the assault, Gaza militants have recently stepped up the cross-border rocket fire.
Israel slams UN council's Gaza flotilla probe
Sun Jul 25, 6:01 am ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel on Sunday dismissed moves by the UN Human Rights Council to open its own probe into a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, saying the panel was biased.This panel of experts is not intending to look for the truth but to satisfy the non-democratic countries which control the Human Rights Council, who have an automatic anti-Israeli majority, a senior Israeli official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.His remarks came two days after the UN body named a panel of experts to investigate whether the commando operation, in which nine Turkish activists were shot dead, breached international law.Although Israel has yet to respond officially to the council's request for cooperation, the government was widely expected to refuse to have anything to do with it. An official statement is expected out later this week.Speaking to Israel HaYom newspaper, a senior official from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said there was no chance Israel would cooperate with such a biased investigation.It is clear that this is a biased committee with a biased mandate, which was established by a council that deals with Israel in a tendentious and truly obsessive way, he told the paper, which is considered close to Netanyahu.
However, the mass-selling Yediot Aharonot daily reported that Israel was likely to agree to cooperate with the work of another UN committee examining the raid -- an international panel proposed by UN chief Ban Ki-moon which will include both Turkish and Israeli participation.Although the committee has not yet been set up, Israel has been in consultations with Ban over its composition, the paper said.In return for its cooperation, Israel has asked that the committee begin its work only after the Jewish state has completed its own internal probe, and that the panel's findings take precedence over all other international probes into the raid, the paper said.
Israel has consistently rejected calls for an international independent investigation into the raid and instead launched two internal inquiries.Troops involved in the raid say they resorted to lethal force only after being attacked when they rappelled from helicopters onto the deck of the Turkish passenger ferry Mavi Marmara in international waters.But the activists who were on the ship say the naval commandos opened fire as soon as they boarded.The 47-member Human Rights Council condemned the raid as an outrageous attack during an emergency session just days after the operation and decided to set up a commission of inquiry.The panel is due to present its findings in mid-September.
Hamas thrives in Gaza's besieged economy
by Mai Yaghi – Sun Jul 25, 1:04 am ET
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) – The tranquil lawns of the seaside Garden Resort are a high-end oasis in the impoverished Gaza Strip -- and a new source of income for the Hamas-linked charity that owns it.The beach club, one of several commercial ventures recently launched by groups and individuals linked to Hamas, illustrates the Islamist movement's growing dominance of an economy crippled by a four-year-old Israeli blockade.The 1.25 million dollar (one million euro) resort is owned and operated by the Islamic Foundation, a charity established by Hamas's spiritual founder, Ahmed Yassin, that has long provided aid to poor families and orphans.Some 2,000 people have visited each weekend since the foundation established the club and an adjacent fish farm earlier this year, with most paying the eight dollars per family admission fee and many dining at its restaurant.These projects provide a service to citizens in order to relieve the burdens of the (Israeli) occupation and the devastating war, said foundation chairman Abdelrahim Shihab.The project encourages economic growth ... But our priority is the citizen and not the investment.Israeli and Egyptian border closures imposed after the capture of an Israeli soldier in June 2006 and tightened when Hamas seized power a year later have devastated Gaza's private sector, sending unemployment above 40 percent.
But the sanctions have had little visible impact on Hamas, which taxes and regulates a thriving trade carried out through hundreds of smuggler tunnels beneath the Egyptian border that supply most of Gaza's daily needs.Hamas regularly pays the salaries of over 20,000 civil servants and security forces, and at the start of the year the Hamas-run government approved a 540-million-dollar (377-million-euro) budget, with nearly 90 percent of revenue coming from undisclosed foreign aid.Iran and several international Islamic charities provide aid to the group -- which is pledged to Israel's destruction and listed as a terrorist organisation by the West --through mostly secret channels.The economy in the Gaza Strip has thrived in the face of the Israeli siege, Hamas economy minister Ziad al-Zaza told AFP. But the government is determined to invest firstly for the benefit of the citizen.He attributes Hamas members' growing role in the economy to the ouster of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority led by the rival Fatah movement, which sidelined Hamas until the Islamists drove it out in June 2007.The sons of Hamas were prevented in the past from working and participating, but today there are opportunities for them, he said.They can start to have a clear presence because of their expertise.The Islamic Foundation has launched eight projects in all, including bakeries, farms, a supermarket and a restaurant, and had a nine million dollar budget in 2009, according to Shihab.Fifty percent of the revenues of these projects go to establishing new projects to serve the people, he said.Any for-profit project must advance the goals of the association and its expansion and continuation.Just down the beach another Hamas-linked charity, whose headquarters were destroyed by an Israeli air strike during the 2008-2009 Gaza war, has established the Freedom Resort, which includes a new 250,000 dollar wedding hall, according to its director, Saber Abu Kirsh.
Hamas is also widely believed to be behind a new shopping mall that opened this week in Gaza City with a ceremony attended by several Hamas ministers and professors at the Hamas-linked Islamic University. The mall's manager, Siraj Abu Selim, denied Hamas was involved in the three million dollar (2.3 million euro) project, but refused to give the names of any of the mall's owners or chief investors. Zaza said the government had encouraged the establishment of several commercial projects but had not provided any funding for them.It plays a more direct role in other projects, however, including the Bisan City tourist village on the northern edge of the territory.The sprawling facility, which includes gardens, playgrounds, football fields, a petting zoo and restaurants, attracts some 6,000 people every weekend, many of whom are brought in on government-subsidised buses.And despite the fact that almost all building materials have to be smuggled into the territory, the park includes a new wedding hall and work is under way on what managers say will be an Olympic-sized swimming pool.The 1.5 million dollar project, built on government land under the supervision of Hamas interior minister Fathi Hammad, charges 75 cents for adult admission, with children entering for free.The 270 dunam (67 acre, 27 hectare) park abuts an 84 dunam cattle and chicken farm as well as food processing facilities, also operated by the interior ministry.
Some visitors on a recent weekend were surprised by the charges.The ticket price is fine for me, but it would be a lot for some people, said Umm Jalal al-Ayubi, who came with her three children.It's a government-owned place. It should be free.The high-end beach resorts have also proven popular, but many wonder how Hamas-linked groups can build new facilities when thousands of homes severely damaged or destroyed during the war remain in ruins. Abu Kamal, a 53-year-old man whose home was destroyed during the Israeli assault launched in December 2008 in a bid to halt Palestinian rocket attacks, grumbled at the eight dollar admission fee at the Garden Resort.The priority should be to rebuild Gaza and build new homes for those of us who had ours destroyed by the occupation during the war,he said.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
PALESTINIAN STATE IN JUDEA - SAMARIA-WHAT
Egyptian Journalist Describes Absolute Prosperity in Gaza
by Maayana Miskin JULY 30,10
With Hamas telling tales of deprivation and suffering in Gaza, Egyptian journalist Ashraf Abu al-Houl has added his report to others who were surprised to discover a prosperous Gaza in which prices are low and luxury businesses are booming. Al-Houl's story of his trip to Gaza and his realization that in actual terms, Gaza is not under siege was written up in the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram and translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).A sense of absolute prosperity prevails, as manifested by the grand resorts along and near Gaza's coast. Further, the site of the merchandise and luxuries filling the Gaza shops amazed me he reported.Concerned that his initial impression of prosperity may have been misleading,I toured the new resorts, most of which are quite grand, as well as the commercial markets, to verify my hypothesis. The resorts and markets have come to symbolize prosperity, and to prove that the siege is formal or political, not economic,Al-Houl said.Gaza's markets are filled with a plethora of goods,he wrote. Prices on many items, particularly food, are much lower than they are in Egypt, he said. With goods entering Gaza from both smuggling tunnels to Egypt and humanitarian aid shipments coming in via Israeli crossings,supply is much greater than demand, he stated.
The evident prosperity is not enjoyed by all, or even most, of Gaza's residents, according to Al-Houl. The problem is the vast differences in the distribution of wealth. The luxury resorts and wide range of consumer goods are enjoyed by only a few groups, he said, primarily those who own smuggling tunnels to Egypt and those who work for international organizations such as the United Nations' UNRWA and who do not include or aid the rest of the population.Most of the new resorts are owned by members, or associates, of Hamas,he reported. In addition, the Hamas municipalities charge high fees, in Gaza terms, for the use of public beaches,he added.Al-Houl quoted political activist Mustafa Ibrahim as saying that while Gaza's rich invest in the leisure industry, 80% of residents rely on UNRWA, and unemployment is approximately 45%. This creates a distorted picture,Ibrahim explained.(IsraelNationalNews.com)
Abbas: PA State To Be Judenrein
by Maayana Miskin JULY 30,10
If a Palestinian Authority state is created in Judea and Samaria, no Israeli citizen will be allowed to set foot inside, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said this week in a meeting with members of the Arab League. The PA chairman also stated that he would block any Jewish soldiers from serving with an international force stationed on PA-controlled land. I will never allow a single Israeli to live among us on Palestinian land, Abbas declared. Abbas addressed the Arab League during a discussion over the possibility of holding direct negotiations with Israel. Like Abbas, Arab League members agreed to direct talks in theory, but only if a number of measures and conditions were met. De facto, both Abbas and the League nixed the talks, but the constant discusiion of conditions is seen as an attempt to throw the ball back into Israel's court after PM Netanyahu, in Washington recently, succeeded in putting the onus for agreeing to talks on Abbas.The agreement depends on what will be discussed [in Israel-PA talks] and the manner in which negotiations are conducted, said Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin-Jassim bin-Jabor al-Thani.Abbas has demanded that Israeli completely freeze construction for Jews in areas east of the 1949 armistice line, including north, south, and east Jerusalem, and that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu commit to creating a PA state with borders based on the armistice line. Until those conditions are met, Abbas has said, the PA will not negotiate.
Arab League members claimed they had received new support from United States President Barack Obama. A recent letter from Obama to Abbas included guarantees, according to League head Amr Moussa. He did not specify the alleged promises.During his meeting with the Arab League, Abbas gave his explanation for why negotiations with the previous Israeli administration, headed by then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, failed to yield a peace deal. We almost reached an agreement, and I agreed to a land swap for 0.19% of the territory, while he suggested 6.5%. I refused, and we did not reach an agreement,he said.The land swap idea is meant to allow Israeli population centers in Judea and Samaria to remain in their current locations even in the case of an Israel-PA peace deal.Abbas reiterated his support for the right of return, the demand by Arabs who fled Israel during the War of Independence when their leaders promised them a quick return after the Jews' annihilation, to come back to the country along with the hundreds of thousands of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren born since. That demand is the reason they remained in squalid refugee camps as opposed to the larger number of Jewish refugees expelled from Arab lands in 1948 who became productive citizens of the land of Israel. Abbas said he had discussed the right of return with Olmert, and had warned that the issue was very dangerous and must be resolved according to the Arab initiative.(IsraelNationalNews.com)
Italian MPs Call to Ban IHH in Europe
by Maayana Miskin JULY 29,10
Six Italian Members of Parliament have called to consider banning the IHH, the Turkish pro-terrorist group whose activists clashed with IDF soldiers aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla in late May. Germany has already banned the group, and 87 United States Senators have signed a call to classify it as a terrorist organization in their country.The Islamic fundamentalist nature of IHH has been documented by numerous declarations praising martyrdom and Israel's destruction, said MPs Fiamma Nirenstein, Enrico Pianetta, Guglielmo Picchi, Antonio Martino, Gennaro Malgieri, and Massimo Polledri in an official parliamentary question. Several such declarations were made shortly before the ship Mavi Marmara, part of a larger Gaza-bound flotilla, set sail, they continued. IHH members aboard the Marmara told reporters before departing that their purpose was religious martyrdom,they noted.
The MPs pointed out that IHH is a member of the Union of Good, a Saudi Arabia-based umbrella group for Islamic organizations that is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. The Union of Good funnels money to Hamas; it has been banned by Israel and designated as supporting terrorism by the United States.The Turkish government itself was formerly concerned over IHH, they said, and investigated the group in the late 1990s over its links with Al-Qaeda. The group was investigated in the U.S. for alleged involvement in an attempted terrorist attack in Los Angeles, and in France for funding Islamic terrorist groups.The MPs concluded by asking, We would like to know the following: What is the position of the Italian government regarding the possibility of including the NGO known as the IHH (Insani Yardim Vakfi) in the EU list of terrorist organizations and whether or not it intends to push an action to discuss it.(IsraelNationalNews.com)
by Maayana Miskin JULY 30,10
With Hamas telling tales of deprivation and suffering in Gaza, Egyptian journalist Ashraf Abu al-Houl has added his report to others who were surprised to discover a prosperous Gaza in which prices are low and luxury businesses are booming. Al-Houl's story of his trip to Gaza and his realization that in actual terms, Gaza is not under siege was written up in the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram and translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).A sense of absolute prosperity prevails, as manifested by the grand resorts along and near Gaza's coast. Further, the site of the merchandise and luxuries filling the Gaza shops amazed me he reported.Concerned that his initial impression of prosperity may have been misleading,I toured the new resorts, most of which are quite grand, as well as the commercial markets, to verify my hypothesis. The resorts and markets have come to symbolize prosperity, and to prove that the siege is formal or political, not economic,Al-Houl said.Gaza's markets are filled with a plethora of goods,he wrote. Prices on many items, particularly food, are much lower than they are in Egypt, he said. With goods entering Gaza from both smuggling tunnels to Egypt and humanitarian aid shipments coming in via Israeli crossings,supply is much greater than demand, he stated.
The evident prosperity is not enjoyed by all, or even most, of Gaza's residents, according to Al-Houl. The problem is the vast differences in the distribution of wealth. The luxury resorts and wide range of consumer goods are enjoyed by only a few groups, he said, primarily those who own smuggling tunnels to Egypt and those who work for international organizations such as the United Nations' UNRWA and who do not include or aid the rest of the population.Most of the new resorts are owned by members, or associates, of Hamas,he reported. In addition, the Hamas municipalities charge high fees, in Gaza terms, for the use of public beaches,he added.Al-Houl quoted political activist Mustafa Ibrahim as saying that while Gaza's rich invest in the leisure industry, 80% of residents rely on UNRWA, and unemployment is approximately 45%. This creates a distorted picture,Ibrahim explained.(IsraelNationalNews.com)
Abbas: PA State To Be Judenrein
by Maayana Miskin JULY 30,10
If a Palestinian Authority state is created in Judea and Samaria, no Israeli citizen will be allowed to set foot inside, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said this week in a meeting with members of the Arab League. The PA chairman also stated that he would block any Jewish soldiers from serving with an international force stationed on PA-controlled land. I will never allow a single Israeli to live among us on Palestinian land, Abbas declared. Abbas addressed the Arab League during a discussion over the possibility of holding direct negotiations with Israel. Like Abbas, Arab League members agreed to direct talks in theory, but only if a number of measures and conditions were met. De facto, both Abbas and the League nixed the talks, but the constant discusiion of conditions is seen as an attempt to throw the ball back into Israel's court after PM Netanyahu, in Washington recently, succeeded in putting the onus for agreeing to talks on Abbas.The agreement depends on what will be discussed [in Israel-PA talks] and the manner in which negotiations are conducted, said Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin-Jassim bin-Jabor al-Thani.Abbas has demanded that Israeli completely freeze construction for Jews in areas east of the 1949 armistice line, including north, south, and east Jerusalem, and that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu commit to creating a PA state with borders based on the armistice line. Until those conditions are met, Abbas has said, the PA will not negotiate.
Arab League members claimed they had received new support from United States President Barack Obama. A recent letter from Obama to Abbas included guarantees, according to League head Amr Moussa. He did not specify the alleged promises.During his meeting with the Arab League, Abbas gave his explanation for why negotiations with the previous Israeli administration, headed by then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, failed to yield a peace deal. We almost reached an agreement, and I agreed to a land swap for 0.19% of the territory, while he suggested 6.5%. I refused, and we did not reach an agreement,he said.The land swap idea is meant to allow Israeli population centers in Judea and Samaria to remain in their current locations even in the case of an Israel-PA peace deal.Abbas reiterated his support for the right of return, the demand by Arabs who fled Israel during the War of Independence when their leaders promised them a quick return after the Jews' annihilation, to come back to the country along with the hundreds of thousands of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren born since. That demand is the reason they remained in squalid refugee camps as opposed to the larger number of Jewish refugees expelled from Arab lands in 1948 who became productive citizens of the land of Israel. Abbas said he had discussed the right of return with Olmert, and had warned that the issue was very dangerous and must be resolved according to the Arab initiative.(IsraelNationalNews.com)
Italian MPs Call to Ban IHH in Europe
by Maayana Miskin JULY 29,10
Six Italian Members of Parliament have called to consider banning the IHH, the Turkish pro-terrorist group whose activists clashed with IDF soldiers aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla in late May. Germany has already banned the group, and 87 United States Senators have signed a call to classify it as a terrorist organization in their country.The Islamic fundamentalist nature of IHH has been documented by numerous declarations praising martyrdom and Israel's destruction, said MPs Fiamma Nirenstein, Enrico Pianetta, Guglielmo Picchi, Antonio Martino, Gennaro Malgieri, and Massimo Polledri in an official parliamentary question. Several such declarations were made shortly before the ship Mavi Marmara, part of a larger Gaza-bound flotilla, set sail, they continued. IHH members aboard the Marmara told reporters before departing that their purpose was religious martyrdom,they noted.
The MPs pointed out that IHH is a member of the Union of Good, a Saudi Arabia-based umbrella group for Islamic organizations that is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. The Union of Good funnels money to Hamas; it has been banned by Israel and designated as supporting terrorism by the United States.The Turkish government itself was formerly concerned over IHH, they said, and investigated the group in the late 1990s over its links with Al-Qaeda. The group was investigated in the U.S. for alleged involvement in an attempted terrorist attack in Los Angeles, and in France for funding Islamic terrorist groups.The MPs concluded by asking, We would like to know the following: What is the position of the Italian government regarding the possibility of including the NGO known as the IHH (Insani Yardim Vakfi) in the EU list of terrorist organizations and whether or not it intends to push an action to discuss it.(IsraelNationalNews.com)
ISRAEL GETS OK FROM US TO GET IRANS NUKES
WW3 THE 3 WAVES THAT MARCH TO ISRAEL
AMOS 9:10
10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
DANIEL 11:40-45
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA 2ND WAVE OF WW3) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)
The Third and Final Wave of WW3 is when all Nations march to Jerusalem, but JESUS bodily returns to earth and destroys them,sets up his KINGDOM OF RULE FOR 1000 YEARS THEN FOREVER.
MUSLIM NATIONS
EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
DANIEL 11:40-43
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.
PSALMS 97:3
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)
ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
ISAIAH 26:21
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die).
ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
REVELATION 9:18
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).
MATTHEW 24:37-51
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
OK IT LOOKS LIKE ISRAEL WILL GO AFTER IRANS NUKE SITES FOR SURE.IF THEY DO,I PREDICT SYRIA WILL GET IT TO(DAMASCUS)ISA 17:1.THEN-WATCH FOR RUSSIA AND THE MUSLIMS TO TEAM UP FOR A COUNTER STRIKE IF ISRAEL STRIKES WHICH WOULD RESULT IN 5/6TH OF RUSSIA-MUSLIMS ON THE MOUNTAINS OF ISRAEL DYING WHICH IN TURN WOULD LEAVE NO OPPOSITION FOR ISRAEL TO REBUILD THE 3RD TEMPLE AND START SACRIFICING TO JESUS(GOD OF ISRAEL AND THE WHOLE EARTH).THEN THE RAPTURE WOULD OCCUR ANYTIME AND THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR PEACE TREATY OF DANIEL 9:27 COULD OCCUR.WE WILL SEE IF THIS IS THE TIME IN HISTORY FOR THE PROPHECIES TO BEGIN THE RETURN OF JESUS TO EARTH BODILY TO RULE FROM JERUSALEM FOREVER.
WHY DO I BELIEVE THE RUSSIA-MUSLIM WAR COULD BE BEFORE THE RAPTURE AND 7 YEAR TRIBULATION BECAUSE IN EZEKIEL 38 & 39 ISRAEL IS BURNING WEAPONS OF THIS WAR FOR 7 YEARS THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME THAT THE TRIBULATION PEACE TREATY LASTS.
EZEKIEL 39:1-12
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
9 And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years:
10 So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.
ISRAEL CAN STRIKE WITHOUT US OK-AUDIO
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=125093
House Republicans Giving Green Light for Israeli Strike on Iran
by Gil Ronen JULY 29,10
Nearly one third of the Republican congressmen in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a resolution that would support Israel's right to use all means necessary to confront and eliminate nuclear threats posed by Iran, including military force.The resolution was introduced by Rep. Louie Gohmert [R-Texas] and 46 co-sponsors. House Resolution 1553 condemns the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for its threats of annihilating the United States and the State of Israel, for its continued support of international terrorism, and for its incitement of genocide of the Israeli people.It supports using all means of persuading the Government of Iran to stop building and acquiring nuclear weapons and pledges that the U.S. will ensure that Israel continues to receive critical economic and military assistance, including missile defense capabilities, needed to address the threat of Iran.In addition, it expresses support for Israel’s right to use all means necessary to confront and eliminate nuclear threats posed by Iran, defend Israeli sovereignty, and protect the lives and safety of the Israeli people, including the use of military force if no other peaceful solution can be found within a reasonable time.
Iran lobby alarmed
The National Iranian American Council (NIAC), a pro-Iranian lobby group, is up in arms over the proposed resolution. Obviously we are reaching silly season in Washington with the elections in November, NIAC's founder-president Trita Parsi told RN, a news venue that focuses on Russian issues. He added that there have already been some signs that Israel is going to be a major element that some Republicans will use to get both voters as well as finance, donations to campaigns, away from the Democrats.However, Parsi said, even silly season has real repercussions on the real world. The resolution would send a dangerous signal to Israel, that some in congress would welcome military action by it against Iran, while the White House and U.S. military oppose such a strike, he argued.NIAC's website warned that the game plan behind HR 1553 was spelled out earlier this month by former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton in the Wall Street Journal, when he wrote: Having visible congressional support in place at the outset [of an attack] will reassure the Israeli government, which is legitimately concerned about Mr. Obama's likely negative reaction to such an attack.
The Obama Administration quietly resisted Congressional efforts to pass unilateral economic sanctions for over a year, before ultimately giving in to Congressional pressure,NIAC wrote.Now that crippling sanctions have been put in place, the far-right wing and Iran-hawks have begun openly advocating for what has always been their ultimate objective: war with Iran.NIAC warned that an attack on Iran would ignite a regional war that would put the lives of innocent Americans, Iranians, and Israelis in harm's way, as well as risking the pro-democracy movement in Iran, U.S. national security and the stability of Iraq and Afghanistan and the global economy, which relies on oil from the Persian Gulf.NIAC denies allegations that it is used as a tool by the Iranian regime, citing its condemnations of human rights abuses in Iran.(IsraelNationalNews.com)
COUNTRIES WITH ISRAEL
EZEKIEL 38:10-19
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13 Sheba, and Dedan,(SAUDIA ARABIA) and the merchants of Tarshish,(ENGLAND) with all the young lions thereof,(USA,CANADA,AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND,EU,ENGLISH SPEAKING shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
Saudis Would Allow Israel to Attack Iran
by Avraham Zuroff
Saudi Arabia would turn the other cheek and allow Israel to use its airspace to attack Iran, London’s Sunday Times reports. According to the report, Mossad chief Meir Dagan has told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that Syria has hinted to the move.The Saudis have tacitly agreed to the Israel air force flying through their airspace on a mission which is supposed to be in the common interests of both Israel and Saudi Arabia, a diplomatic source stated.The Saudis are very concerned about an Iranian nuclear bomb, even more that the Israelis, a former Israeli intelligence head stated.John Bolton, the former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., said that it was logical that Saudi Arabia would privately agree. None of them would say anything about it publicly, but they would certainly acquiesce in an overflight if the Israelis didn’t trumpet it as a big success, Bolton told several Arab leaders in the Gulf. To this day, the Israelis haven’t admitted the specifics, but there’s one less nuclear facility in Syria, Bolton added, referring to Israel’s attack on a Syrian nuclear site in 2007.Bolton said that the Arab countries would publicly condemn Israel at the U.N. but would breathe easier if the Iranian nuclear threat would be eliminated.Several media sources reported Friday that an Israeli Dolphin submarine passed through the Suez Canal on its way to the Red Sea last month as part of a naval exercise. Israeli security officials told the Reuters news agency that the exercise was done as part of testing Israel’s strategy in light of the Iranian nuclear threat. Egypt denied the reports. Two weeks ago, IDF Commander in Chief Gabi Ashkenazi related to Israel’s possibly striking Iran and announced that Iran’s re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad requires Israel to keep all its options open. His severe expression regarding his desire to attack the State of Israel, and the constant allowance of Iran to acquire non-conventional weaponry, requires us to keep the army posted and prepared and the air force ready and sharp like a razor. Our obligation as an army is to put all the options on the table and to be prepared to deal with any threat for near and afar,Ashkenazi said at an air force graduation course.
Foreign media reported that Israel is performing military maneuvers to prepare for a possible strike on Iran, while Iran is making defensive plans. Among the exercises was an Israeli long-distance refueling in flight to the Straits of Gibraltar and Iran’s employing an anti-ballistic battery a half year ago.Michael Oren, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, said Friday that Israel could be wiped off the map in seconds if Iran were to make a nuclear strike against Israel. This is a regime that’s willing to kill its own citizens; it will certainly have no compunctions killing other people in the region, Jews and Sunni Arabs alike,Oren told journalist Jeffrey Goldberg at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado.(IsraelNationalNews.com)
AMOS 9:10
10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
DANIEL 11:40-45
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA 2ND WAVE OF WW3) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)
The Third and Final Wave of WW3 is when all Nations march to Jerusalem, but JESUS bodily returns to earth and destroys them,sets up his KINGDOM OF RULE FOR 1000 YEARS THEN FOREVER.
MUSLIM NATIONS
EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
DANIEL 11:40-43
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.
PSALMS 97:3
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)
ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
ISAIAH 26:21
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die).
ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
REVELATION 9:18
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).
MATTHEW 24:37-51
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
OK IT LOOKS LIKE ISRAEL WILL GO AFTER IRANS NUKE SITES FOR SURE.IF THEY DO,I PREDICT SYRIA WILL GET IT TO(DAMASCUS)ISA 17:1.THEN-WATCH FOR RUSSIA AND THE MUSLIMS TO TEAM UP FOR A COUNTER STRIKE IF ISRAEL STRIKES WHICH WOULD RESULT IN 5/6TH OF RUSSIA-MUSLIMS ON THE MOUNTAINS OF ISRAEL DYING WHICH IN TURN WOULD LEAVE NO OPPOSITION FOR ISRAEL TO REBUILD THE 3RD TEMPLE AND START SACRIFICING TO JESUS(GOD OF ISRAEL AND THE WHOLE EARTH).THEN THE RAPTURE WOULD OCCUR ANYTIME AND THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR PEACE TREATY OF DANIEL 9:27 COULD OCCUR.WE WILL SEE IF THIS IS THE TIME IN HISTORY FOR THE PROPHECIES TO BEGIN THE RETURN OF JESUS TO EARTH BODILY TO RULE FROM JERUSALEM FOREVER.
WHY DO I BELIEVE THE RUSSIA-MUSLIM WAR COULD BE BEFORE THE RAPTURE AND 7 YEAR TRIBULATION BECAUSE IN EZEKIEL 38 & 39 ISRAEL IS BURNING WEAPONS OF THIS WAR FOR 7 YEARS THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME THAT THE TRIBULATION PEACE TREATY LASTS.
EZEKIEL 39:1-12
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
9 And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years:
10 So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.
ISRAEL CAN STRIKE WITHOUT US OK-AUDIO
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=125093
House Republicans Giving Green Light for Israeli Strike on Iran
by Gil Ronen JULY 29,10
Nearly one third of the Republican congressmen in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a resolution that would support Israel's right to use all means necessary to confront and eliminate nuclear threats posed by Iran, including military force.The resolution was introduced by Rep. Louie Gohmert [R-Texas] and 46 co-sponsors. House Resolution 1553 condemns the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for its threats of annihilating the United States and the State of Israel, for its continued support of international terrorism, and for its incitement of genocide of the Israeli people.It supports using all means of persuading the Government of Iran to stop building and acquiring nuclear weapons and pledges that the U.S. will ensure that Israel continues to receive critical economic and military assistance, including missile defense capabilities, needed to address the threat of Iran.In addition, it expresses support for Israel’s right to use all means necessary to confront and eliminate nuclear threats posed by Iran, defend Israeli sovereignty, and protect the lives and safety of the Israeli people, including the use of military force if no other peaceful solution can be found within a reasonable time.
Iran lobby alarmed
The National Iranian American Council (NIAC), a pro-Iranian lobby group, is up in arms over the proposed resolution. Obviously we are reaching silly season in Washington with the elections in November, NIAC's founder-president Trita Parsi told RN, a news venue that focuses on Russian issues. He added that there have already been some signs that Israel is going to be a major element that some Republicans will use to get both voters as well as finance, donations to campaigns, away from the Democrats.However, Parsi said, even silly season has real repercussions on the real world. The resolution would send a dangerous signal to Israel, that some in congress would welcome military action by it against Iran, while the White House and U.S. military oppose such a strike, he argued.NIAC's website warned that the game plan behind HR 1553 was spelled out earlier this month by former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton in the Wall Street Journal, when he wrote: Having visible congressional support in place at the outset [of an attack] will reassure the Israeli government, which is legitimately concerned about Mr. Obama's likely negative reaction to such an attack.
The Obama Administration quietly resisted Congressional efforts to pass unilateral economic sanctions for over a year, before ultimately giving in to Congressional pressure,NIAC wrote.Now that crippling sanctions have been put in place, the far-right wing and Iran-hawks have begun openly advocating for what has always been their ultimate objective: war with Iran.NIAC warned that an attack on Iran would ignite a regional war that would put the lives of innocent Americans, Iranians, and Israelis in harm's way, as well as risking the pro-democracy movement in Iran, U.S. national security and the stability of Iraq and Afghanistan and the global economy, which relies on oil from the Persian Gulf.NIAC denies allegations that it is used as a tool by the Iranian regime, citing its condemnations of human rights abuses in Iran.(IsraelNationalNews.com)
COUNTRIES WITH ISRAEL
EZEKIEL 38:10-19
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13 Sheba, and Dedan,(SAUDIA ARABIA) and the merchants of Tarshish,(ENGLAND) with all the young lions thereof,(USA,CANADA,AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND,EU,ENGLISH SPEAKING shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
Saudis Would Allow Israel to Attack Iran
by Avraham Zuroff
Saudi Arabia would turn the other cheek and allow Israel to use its airspace to attack Iran, London’s Sunday Times reports. According to the report, Mossad chief Meir Dagan has told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that Syria has hinted to the move.The Saudis have tacitly agreed to the Israel air force flying through their airspace on a mission which is supposed to be in the common interests of both Israel and Saudi Arabia, a diplomatic source stated.The Saudis are very concerned about an Iranian nuclear bomb, even more that the Israelis, a former Israeli intelligence head stated.John Bolton, the former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., said that it was logical that Saudi Arabia would privately agree. None of them would say anything about it publicly, but they would certainly acquiesce in an overflight if the Israelis didn’t trumpet it as a big success, Bolton told several Arab leaders in the Gulf. To this day, the Israelis haven’t admitted the specifics, but there’s one less nuclear facility in Syria, Bolton added, referring to Israel’s attack on a Syrian nuclear site in 2007.Bolton said that the Arab countries would publicly condemn Israel at the U.N. but would breathe easier if the Iranian nuclear threat would be eliminated.Several media sources reported Friday that an Israeli Dolphin submarine passed through the Suez Canal on its way to the Red Sea last month as part of a naval exercise. Israeli security officials told the Reuters news agency that the exercise was done as part of testing Israel’s strategy in light of the Iranian nuclear threat. Egypt denied the reports. Two weeks ago, IDF Commander in Chief Gabi Ashkenazi related to Israel’s possibly striking Iran and announced that Iran’s re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad requires Israel to keep all its options open. His severe expression regarding his desire to attack the State of Israel, and the constant allowance of Iran to acquire non-conventional weaponry, requires us to keep the army posted and prepared and the air force ready and sharp like a razor. Our obligation as an army is to put all the options on the table and to be prepared to deal with any threat for near and afar,Ashkenazi said at an air force graduation course.
Foreign media reported that Israel is performing military maneuvers to prepare for a possible strike on Iran, while Iran is making defensive plans. Among the exercises was an Israeli long-distance refueling in flight to the Straits of Gibraltar and Iran’s employing an anti-ballistic battery a half year ago.Michael Oren, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, said Friday that Israel could be wiped off the map in seconds if Iran were to make a nuclear strike against Israel. This is a regime that’s willing to kill its own citizens; it will certainly have no compunctions killing other people in the region, Jews and Sunni Arabs alike,Oren told journalist Jeffrey Goldberg at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado.(IsraelNationalNews.com)
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
EU DIPLOMATIC SERVICE IS BORN
EU DICTATOR (WORLD LEADER)
REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (NATIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.(SOCIALISM)
13 These have one mind,(SOCIALISM) and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
REVELATION 6:1-2
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse:(PEACE) and he that sat on him had a bow;(EU DICTATOR) and a crown was given unto him:(PRESIDENT OF THE EU) and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(MILITARY GENIUS)
REVELATION 13:1-10
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(THE EU AND ITS DICTATOR IS GODLESS)
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(DICTATOR COMES FROM NEW AGE OR OCCULT)
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death;(MURDERERD) and his deadly wound was healed:(COMES BACK TO LIFE) and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE WORLD THINKS ITS GOD IN THE FLESH, MESSIAH TO ISRAEL)
4 And they worshipped the dragon (SATAN) which gave power unto the beast:(JEWISH EU DICTATOR) and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?(FALSE RESURRECTION,SATAN BRINGS HIM TO LIFE)
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.(GIVEN WORLD CONTROL FOR 3 1/2YRS)
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,(HES A GOD HATER) to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.(HES A LIBERAL OR DEMOCRAT,WILL PUT ANYTHING ABOUT GOD DOWN)
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints,(BEHEAD THEM) and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.(WORLD DOMINATION)
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.(WORLD DICTATOR)
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.(SAVED CHRISTIANS AND JEWS DIE FOR THEIR FAITH AT THIS TIME,NOW WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE BUT DURING THE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH, PEOPLE WILL BE PUT TO DEATH (BEHEADINGS) FOR THEIR BELIEF IN GOD (JESUS) OR THE BIBLE.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February 1950
Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in 1957:We need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a man who is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection to himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten to sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man.
THE WORLD DICTATOR
REVELATION 6:1-2,13:1-3,7-9,16
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(THIS IS THE EU DICTATOR)
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(7 HEADS ARE THE 7TH WORLD EMPIRE IN HISTORY (THE EU) AS WELL AS THE VATICAN WHICH IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS. 10 HORNS ARE 10 KINGS THAT ARISE FROM THE EU, THEN #11 COMES ON THE SCENE BECOMES THE HEAD OF 3 OUNTRIES AND THEN THE EU DICTATOR, COMES FROM 1 OF THE 3 COUNTRIES THAT RULE FOR THIS TERM. I BELIEVE THE 3 COUNTRIES RULING AT THE TIME ARE SPAIN AND 2 OF THE ORIGINAL 6 THAT STARTED THE EU. FROM 1 OF THESE 3 COUNTRIES COME THE FUTURE EU DICTATOR PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION WHO GUARENTEES ISRAELS SECURITY FOR A LAND FOR PEACE 7 YEAR TREATY.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(THE JEWISH EU DICTATOR GETS HIS POWER FROM SATAN,HE COMES FROM THE OCCULT).
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE DICTATOR HAS A FALSE RESURRECTION. JUST LIKE JESUS HAD A LITERAL RESURRECTION THIS DICTATOR GETS MURDERED AT THE 3 1/2 YR MARK OF THR 7 YEAR TREATY AND COMES BACK TO LIFE. THIS IS HOW HE CAN CLAIM TO BE GOD AND GET AWAY WITH IT AND CONTROL THE WHOLE EARTH.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
16 And he causeth all,(WORLD SOCIALISM) both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
DANIEL 11:36-40
36 And the king shall do according to his will;(EU PRESIDENT) and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS A EUROPEAN JEW) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(HES A MILITARY GINIUS) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds (CONTROL HEZBOLLAH,AL-QUAIDA MURDERERS ETC) with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south(EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR PROTECTING ISRAELS SECURITY) and the king of the north(RUSSIA) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February 1950
Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in 1957:We need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a man who is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection to himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten to sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man.
EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytWmPqY8TE0&feature=player_embedded
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADE BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).
EU foreign ministers approve diplomatic service
HONOR MAHONY Today JULY 27,10 @ 09:20 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU foreign ministers on Monday (26 July) gave the nod to the overall structure of the Union's new diplomatic service, paving the way for chief of diplomacy Catherine Ashton to begin making appointments to the service that will employ thousands.It is historic to be able to witness the birth, at least at the decision level, of a European diplomacy, Belgian foreign minister Steven Vanackere, whose country holds the EU rotating presidency, said following the meeting.Due to be on its feet by 1 December, the service will see Ms Ashton backed up by a secretary general - likely to be France's ambassador to the US Pierre Vimont - as well as two deputy secretaries general.Monday's decision puts to rest a lengthy period of infighting between the EU institutions on the exact balance of power within the diplomatic service but opens the door to a power struggle between member states about who should land which posts within the service.Ms Ashton is soon expected to announce a series of names for the heads of EU embassies abroad - including to prestigious countries such as China and Brazil. But appointments to key internal posts, such as the secretary general job, can only be made once the European Parliament has agreed new staffing rules, a move expected towards the end of September.Writing in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, Ms Ashton said the new European External Action Service, despite its ungainly name, has a bold and simple purpose: to give the EU a stronger voice around the world, and greater impact on the ground.
With the fight to have the service established largely over, the focus is now likely set on the extent to which member states, several of whom jealously guard their foreign policy prerogatives, will allow a coherent foreign policy to thrive.Big countries have been keen to stress the service will not impinge on their foreign policy sovereignty, a point illustrated by the extent to which they are prepared to consider closing their own embassies in certain countries and use the EU embassy.
According to France's Europe minister, Pierre Lellouche, some countries may consider saving money through using EU embassy facilities but this should not be the case for France.I am the secretary of state, and I do not speak for France [but] I think it is desirable that France continues to maintain a global network. It is one of the few countries to do so, he said, according to Le Monde.Ms Ashton alluded to the difficulties in the article: Our aim is to do foreign policy in a modern way, differently and better. Not to compete with or duplicate what our member states are doing, but to add value and play to our strength of acting as a union.Drawing staff from the European Commission, the member states' council secretariat in Brussels and national diplomats, the service is expected to have around 6,000 personnel once it is fully up and running, expected to take another two or three years.
Critics slams Europe's rescue mechanisms as a threat to social peace
ANDREW WILLIS 26.07.2010 @ 09:11 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – A member of a German quintet of professors that is currently challenging the legality of Europe's recently-devised support measures has said they threaten to create enormous tensions between EU citizens if allowed to stand. In a telephone interview with EUobserver on Thursday (22 July), Wilhelm Nolling, professor of economics at the University of Hamburg, said the idea that Greece would be able to pay back its loans to EU states was simply ridiculous, given the country's level of indebtedness and lack of competitiveness.As a result, EU citizens in lender countries would increasingly begin to question the merits of this implicit system of wealth redistribution, he predicted. A transfer union will destroy the social peace in Europe,he said.Do you think the Germans will be able to keep quiet?
The group of German economists recently extended their legal case in Germany's constitutional court against the EU-IMF €110 billion bail-out for Greece to include the eurozone's €440 billion support mechanism and the ECB's sovereign bond purchases, the latter two announced in the early hours of 10 May. Their complaint is that they breach the EU's no-bailout clause, a ban on fiscal transfers between richer and poorer member states that many Germans feared would be inevitable when giving up the Deutsche Mark in 1999. In addition, Mr Nolling is amongst those that believe that the various support measures have bought nothing but limited time to a eurozone system that is inherently flawed.If you start with a makeshift operation you will never get to the real cause of the malaise. That cause is that a currency area of this size needs converging economies but the opposite has happened.Writing in a blog on this webiste back in February, Edin Mujagic, a monetary economist at Tilburg University, also noted these divergences had increased over the eurozone's 11-year history.Whether you take a closer look at unit labour costs, unemployment, welfare, productivity, fiscal deficits, debt and so on, the differences have increased since 1999,he wrote.
A smaller euro area?
Europe's politicians are rapidly striving to reduce these differences by devising a system of macro-economic indicators that member states would be forced to comply with.A recent European Commission paper suggested financial sanctions should be applied to states that fail to meet the grade, a system similar to the bloc's theoretical rules on debt and deficit limits.Some, however, fear this is merely too little too late, arguing that the eurozone's forefathers were blinded to the inherent economic impossibility of the project by political motivations.We need to form a new heart of the euro, France, Germany, Finland, Austria and the Netherlands, offered Mr Nolling as the only solution to overcoming divergences without using the forbidden system of fiscal transfers.All the other states should be given their freedom back. That would give them a real opportunity to increase their competitiveness through currency devaluations.It is currently impossible for them when they are 30 percent out of line. Salaries and cost structures are way out of line.At present, no one is sure when the German constitutional court will come to its decision, but a rejection by the powerful group of judges is likely to have explosive consequences.I expect the decision before the winter starts,predicted Mr Nolling. I want the court to tell the German government to stop giving money away.
Greece back under EU-IMF microscope as Asian stocks rise-EU officials arrive in Athens Monday to assess Greece's performance so far (Photo: John D. Carnessiotis, Athens, Greece)LEIGH PHILLIPS 26.07.2010 @ 09:31 CET
Asian stocks have risen on the back of easing of fears over European bank stress test results were revealed on Friday.In a filip of optimism, Japan's Nkkei 225 Stock Average had climbed 0.9 percent as of early afternoon in Tokyo, according to market reports, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index was up 0.5 percent and New Zealand's NZX 50 had gained 0.4 percent. The MSCI Asia Pacific index had risen 0.3 percent.As the results of the stress tests of European banks, which revealed just seven out of 91 had failed, were issued late Friday in Europe, this was the first chance for Asian markets to assess the fall-out.European authorities had however decided not to subject the banks to the test of seeing what would happen to them in the event of a debt default by Greece, a move that was widely criticised given that such an event is within the realm of possibility.Meanwhile on Monday (26 July), officials from the EU, IMF and European Central Bank arrive in Athens to investigate the implementation of the governing centre-left Pasok's austerity measures before a second, €9 billion tranche of eurozone-IMF bail-out agreed in May can be disbursed.Initial indications from the so-called troika, as the trio of fiscal overseers is referred to in Greece, have been approving.On the weekend, finance minister George Papaconstantinou said he expected no delays to delivery of the second tranche in September as the government had gone further than what was required with its harsh pension cuts.However, an IMF report from earlier this month noted concerns over budget gaps in public healthcare, social security, public transport and municipal governments - the very core of Greece's welfare system, already one of the weakest in western Europe.The fund suggested that Athens ratchet up its programme of privatisation and focus on setting loose government corporations. Railways and bus firms are potential targets, while the troika will also likely push for liberalisation of certain trades, including architects, notaries and lorry-drivers, according to media reports.Brussels for its part wants to see a quick and tidy deregulation of the energy sector, in line with existing EU legislation.However, eyes will also be on the country's labour movement and widespread popular resistance to the cuts. Already imposed austerity measures have produced a series of general strikes and a riot that cost the lives of three bank workers.
Seven banks fail to make the stress test grade-The Royal Bank of Scotland was among the banks to pass with flying colours (Photo: Wikipedia)ANDREW WILLIS
23.07.2010 @ 20:34 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Seven European banks have failed the region's stress tests, designed to assess their ability to withstand a series of worst-case scenarios such as another recession. EU policymakers will now be hoping that the news brings an end investor doubts in the sector, after Friday evening's (23 July) publication of the test results showed the vast majority of banks to have passed with flying colours.We support ... the transparency of this exercise, given the specific market circumstances under which banks currently operate, the Committee of European Banking Supervisors (CEBS), the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Commission said in a joint statement. One German bank (Hypo Real Estate), five Spanish lenders (Unnim, Cajasur, Diada, Espiga, Banca Civica), and one Greek bank (ATEbank) failed the test.Banks whose Tier 1 capital ratio, the main buffer used to protect against losses, fell below six percent were deemed to have failed, although authorities stressed that four percent is the current regulatory minimum. The results are broadly in line with market expectations, with most analysts predicting failures in the five to 10 range. The seven firms will now need to raise roughly €3.5 billion in additional capital between them.Where the results of the exercise indicate that individual banks require additional capital, these banks should take the necessary steps to reinforce their capital positions through private-sector means and by resorting, if necessary, to facilities set up by member state governments, said the CEBS, ECB, commission statement. None of Europe's major banks failed the tests which were conducted by CEBS on 91 firms in order to asses their ability to deal with another recession or losses on eurozone sovereign bonds.A haircut of 23.1 percent was applied to Greek debt, slightly higher than the 17 percent that had earlier been predicted. Spanish bonds were marked down by 12.3 percent, and German bonds by 4.7 percent.
Doubts remain
Doubts remain however, with some analysts prior to Friday's publication saying a 50 percent markdown on Greek bonds would be more appropriate.I see nothing stressful about this test. It's like sending the banks away for a weekend of R&R,said Stephen Pope, chief global equity strategist at Cantor, reported various media.Other analysts were critical of the fact that sovereign debt haircuts were only applied to bonds set aside for trading, and not those being held until maturity.Stock markets in the US fluctuated as investors digested the news. Europe's markets were all closed when data were released.Centre-right MEP Jean-Paul Gauzès, a key-player in European efforts to overhaul its finance sector, welcomed the results, but cautioned that legislative reform must continue.These good results should not bring us to disregard the implementation of norms, in particular as regards banks' own capital requirements,he said.
Iceland membership talks formally begin Tuesday
HONOR MAHONY 26.07.2010 @ 17:41 CET
At their last meeting before the summer break, EU foreign ministers on Monday (26 July) gave the greenlight for the start of negotiations on Iceland's membership bid.
Talks will formally begin on Tuesday. The small north Atlantic island, with a population of just 320,000, has aligned itself with many EU laws and is seen as fitting snugly with the slightly more ineffable European 'norms', but negotiations on a few key issues - such as fishing rights and its traditional whale hunting - are expected to be difficult.Iceland, whose fishing policies have largely been a success in terms of sustainability, is keen to see that its rich fishing waters are not over-fished by EU member states. The EU's common fisheries policy has led to the severe depletion of stocks in western Europe. Efforts will have to be made by Iceland, Belgian foreign minister Steven Vanackere said after chairing the meeting in Brussels.Think of environment, think of whale hunting.In addition, the UK and the Netherlands have linked actual membership with resolution of a dispute over the €3.8 billion in British and Dutch savings, lost in the banking crisis that consumed the nation in 2008.After the Icelandic Icesave internet bank collapsed two years ago, depositers in the UK and the Netherlands were compensated by their governments. The Hague and London now are demanding Reykjavik pay them back.It's clear that all the chapters need to be discussed ... When the last chapter isn't resolved, nothing is resolved, said Mr Vanackere, when specifically asked about whether the Icesave issue could stymie talks.
Icelanders themselves in a recent referendum rejected a payout plan that would have cost each household tens of thousands of euros. The disagreement has soured the population's sentiment towards the EU. Immediately after the crisis, a majority of Icelanders looked to the EU as a solution to their problems, but the bitter fight with London and the Hague has slashed support for EU membership on the island.In addition to potential controversial policy issues, there is also the increasingly negative opinion of Icelanders towards EU membership.I don't have the impression from the opinion polls that the Icelanders themselves are very favourable: that's the problem, said France's EU Minister Pierre Lellouche.Popular opinions have to be taken on board, and you have to communicate the value [of becoming an EU member], said Mr Vanackere. A June poll showed that public opposition to joining the EU has risen to 60 percent. In November last year, it was 54 percent.The negotiation process is expected to take up to 18 months. EU legislation covers 35 different areas, known as chapters, ranging from the justice and home affairs to environment, energy, social and transport policy. Through its membership of the European Free Trade Association and the Schengen border-free zone, many of Iceland's laws already comply with those of the EU.Croatia and Turkey have also opened membership negotiations with the EU. Zagreb is expected to conclude talks in 2011 while Ankara's talks are proceeding much more slowly.
EU commission called upon to go after corrupt defence deals
VALENTINA POP 26.07.2010 @ 09:14 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – MEPs and defence experts are calling on the EU commission to go after market-distorting, corrupt side-deals to big weapon deals between member states, such as the ones greasing Germany's submarine sales to Portugal and Greece.
As EU officials are packing their holiday suitcases in Brussels, prosecutors in Germany, Portugal and Greece are on to a hot summer, tracing the complex trails of bribes and side-contracts to the German submarines each of the southern countries signed up for at a price of over €1billion.The EU hypocrisy of allowing Greek and Portuguese governments allocate huge parts of their budget for questionable defence purchases, while they are being pressed for austerity measures to cap their deficit, already made headlines such as The submarine deals that helped sink Greece in the Wall Street Journal earlier this month.What's striking about Greece and Portugal is the inappropriateness of these purchases,Nick Witney, a defence expert with the European Council on Foreign Relations, a London-based think tank, told EUobserver.It makes no sense at all to urge austerity and at the same time encourage them to buy weapons. But where there's a nexus of security, secrecy and lack of competition, there is always an open field for corruption, he noted.Munich-based investigators in March opened a case against the German engineering group Ferrostaal, suspected of paying bribes to secure defence contracts in Portugal and Greece and of organizing bribery payments on behalf of other firms for a fee. The investigation has meanwhile spread to Portugal and Greece, and touches on former party colleagues of EU commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, who was prime minister at the time the contract was signed. Mr Barroso has denied any involvement in the alleged bribery scheme and says he had nothing to do with the negotiation of the contract, which was the responsibility of the defence minister.
Along with the acquisition per se came offset contracts to the tune of €1billion, meaning direct foreign investments from Germany and business opportunities to Portuguese companies on the German market.Under EU law, offsets are forbidden, except for the defence sector, where member states invoke a national security exemption. As it turns out, a lot of these offsets were actually existing investments. Seven Portuguese executives and three Ferrostaal representatives have already been indicted. According to the public prosecutor's office, the Portuguese state was mislead in these deals and suffered damages of at least €34 million.
According to estimates by the European Defence Agency, 25 percent of the offsets in Europe are non-military and have no direct connection with the purchase.These contracts totally violate the EU's internal market competition rules, Portuguese Socialist MEP Ana Gomes told this website.They are contracts negotiated among companies with government favouring and in total disregard of the competition rules. There are plenty of reasons why the European Commission should investigate, and make it an exemplary case to deter such behaviour from now on from any member state.So far, the commission has turned a blind eye to the non-military contracts occurring alongside large defence procurements.A new defence procurement directive which needs to be transposed into national legislation by August 2011 is set to shed more light into the way such deals are done and restrict the areas in which governments can invoke the national security exemption to internal market rules.Member states will need to prove that the offsets are necessary for the protection of security interests and not distort competition on non-military markets.During his hearings as internal market commissioner, Michel Barnier said the defence offsets bring about discriminations which contradict the [EU] treaty. While acknowledging the traditions and sensibilities, he said these procedures had to be put to an end.
But to Ms Gomes, the commission is missing an opportunity to expose a very corrupt business that involves Portuguese, German companies, government officials and military people.In a time of budget austerity and market jitters, the two submarines acquired by Portugal account for about 40 percent of its defence spending until 2023. We don't have money to equip properly our military and security forces, we are wasting this money in a very corrupt business and violating competition, Ms Gomes points out.
Voluntary code of conduct
A voluntary code of conduct adopted by all member states except Romania last year meanwhile puts some limits on offsets, such as for the value of these contracts not to surpass 100 percent of that of the actual purchase.Apart from being voluntary, the code has also come under fire for lacking any reference to corruption, despite the fact that the defence sector is one of the most prone to this phenomenon, according to Transparency International.We would have hoped EU agencies required high standards, but this is not the case, Mark Pyman, the watchdog's defence expert told this website.He also said that market-distorting deals ranging from refrigerator factories to advertising companies are clearly a question of internal market for the EU commission to investigate.We need clear guidance how governments conduct and audit offsets and an EU framework putting transparency at the core,he concluded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS3H6Cakwpw&feature=player_embedded
REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (NATIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.(SOCIALISM)
13 These have one mind,(SOCIALISM) and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
REVELATION 6:1-2
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse:(PEACE) and he that sat on him had a bow;(EU DICTATOR) and a crown was given unto him:(PRESIDENT OF THE EU) and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(MILITARY GENIUS)
REVELATION 13:1-10
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(THE EU AND ITS DICTATOR IS GODLESS)
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(DICTATOR COMES FROM NEW AGE OR OCCULT)
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death;(MURDERERD) and his deadly wound was healed:(COMES BACK TO LIFE) and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE WORLD THINKS ITS GOD IN THE FLESH, MESSIAH TO ISRAEL)
4 And they worshipped the dragon (SATAN) which gave power unto the beast:(JEWISH EU DICTATOR) and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?(FALSE RESURRECTION,SATAN BRINGS HIM TO LIFE)
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.(GIVEN WORLD CONTROL FOR 3 1/2YRS)
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,(HES A GOD HATER) to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.(HES A LIBERAL OR DEMOCRAT,WILL PUT ANYTHING ABOUT GOD DOWN)
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints,(BEHEAD THEM) and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.(WORLD DOMINATION)
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.(WORLD DICTATOR)
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.(SAVED CHRISTIANS AND JEWS DIE FOR THEIR FAITH AT THIS TIME,NOW WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE BUT DURING THE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH, PEOPLE WILL BE PUT TO DEATH (BEHEADINGS) FOR THEIR BELIEF IN GOD (JESUS) OR THE BIBLE.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February 1950
Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in 1957:We need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a man who is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection to himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten to sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man.
THE WORLD DICTATOR
REVELATION 6:1-2,13:1-3,7-9,16
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(THIS IS THE EU DICTATOR)
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(7 HEADS ARE THE 7TH WORLD EMPIRE IN HISTORY (THE EU) AS WELL AS THE VATICAN WHICH IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS. 10 HORNS ARE 10 KINGS THAT ARISE FROM THE EU, THEN #11 COMES ON THE SCENE BECOMES THE HEAD OF 3 OUNTRIES AND THEN THE EU DICTATOR, COMES FROM 1 OF THE 3 COUNTRIES THAT RULE FOR THIS TERM. I BELIEVE THE 3 COUNTRIES RULING AT THE TIME ARE SPAIN AND 2 OF THE ORIGINAL 6 THAT STARTED THE EU. FROM 1 OF THESE 3 COUNTRIES COME THE FUTURE EU DICTATOR PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION WHO GUARENTEES ISRAELS SECURITY FOR A LAND FOR PEACE 7 YEAR TREATY.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(THE JEWISH EU DICTATOR GETS HIS POWER FROM SATAN,HE COMES FROM THE OCCULT).
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE DICTATOR HAS A FALSE RESURRECTION. JUST LIKE JESUS HAD A LITERAL RESURRECTION THIS DICTATOR GETS MURDERED AT THE 3 1/2 YR MARK OF THR 7 YEAR TREATY AND COMES BACK TO LIFE. THIS IS HOW HE CAN CLAIM TO BE GOD AND GET AWAY WITH IT AND CONTROL THE WHOLE EARTH.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
16 And he causeth all,(WORLD SOCIALISM) both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
DANIEL 11:36-40
36 And the king shall do according to his will;(EU PRESIDENT) and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS A EUROPEAN JEW) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(HES A MILITARY GINIUS) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds (CONTROL HEZBOLLAH,AL-QUAIDA MURDERERS ETC) with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south(EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR PROTECTING ISRAELS SECURITY) and the king of the north(RUSSIA) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February 1950
Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in 1957:We need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a man who is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection to himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten to sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man.
EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytWmPqY8TE0&feature=player_embedded
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADE BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).
EU foreign ministers approve diplomatic service
HONOR MAHONY Today JULY 27,10 @ 09:20 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU foreign ministers on Monday (26 July) gave the nod to the overall structure of the Union's new diplomatic service, paving the way for chief of diplomacy Catherine Ashton to begin making appointments to the service that will employ thousands.It is historic to be able to witness the birth, at least at the decision level, of a European diplomacy, Belgian foreign minister Steven Vanackere, whose country holds the EU rotating presidency, said following the meeting.Due to be on its feet by 1 December, the service will see Ms Ashton backed up by a secretary general - likely to be France's ambassador to the US Pierre Vimont - as well as two deputy secretaries general.Monday's decision puts to rest a lengthy period of infighting between the EU institutions on the exact balance of power within the diplomatic service but opens the door to a power struggle between member states about who should land which posts within the service.Ms Ashton is soon expected to announce a series of names for the heads of EU embassies abroad - including to prestigious countries such as China and Brazil. But appointments to key internal posts, such as the secretary general job, can only be made once the European Parliament has agreed new staffing rules, a move expected towards the end of September.Writing in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, Ms Ashton said the new European External Action Service, despite its ungainly name, has a bold and simple purpose: to give the EU a stronger voice around the world, and greater impact on the ground.
With the fight to have the service established largely over, the focus is now likely set on the extent to which member states, several of whom jealously guard their foreign policy prerogatives, will allow a coherent foreign policy to thrive.Big countries have been keen to stress the service will not impinge on their foreign policy sovereignty, a point illustrated by the extent to which they are prepared to consider closing their own embassies in certain countries and use the EU embassy.
According to France's Europe minister, Pierre Lellouche, some countries may consider saving money through using EU embassy facilities but this should not be the case for France.I am the secretary of state, and I do not speak for France [but] I think it is desirable that France continues to maintain a global network. It is one of the few countries to do so, he said, according to Le Monde.Ms Ashton alluded to the difficulties in the article: Our aim is to do foreign policy in a modern way, differently and better. Not to compete with or duplicate what our member states are doing, but to add value and play to our strength of acting as a union.Drawing staff from the European Commission, the member states' council secretariat in Brussels and national diplomats, the service is expected to have around 6,000 personnel once it is fully up and running, expected to take another two or three years.
Critics slams Europe's rescue mechanisms as a threat to social peace
ANDREW WILLIS 26.07.2010 @ 09:11 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – A member of a German quintet of professors that is currently challenging the legality of Europe's recently-devised support measures has said they threaten to create enormous tensions between EU citizens if allowed to stand. In a telephone interview with EUobserver on Thursday (22 July), Wilhelm Nolling, professor of economics at the University of Hamburg, said the idea that Greece would be able to pay back its loans to EU states was simply ridiculous, given the country's level of indebtedness and lack of competitiveness.As a result, EU citizens in lender countries would increasingly begin to question the merits of this implicit system of wealth redistribution, he predicted. A transfer union will destroy the social peace in Europe,he said.Do you think the Germans will be able to keep quiet?
The group of German economists recently extended their legal case in Germany's constitutional court against the EU-IMF €110 billion bail-out for Greece to include the eurozone's €440 billion support mechanism and the ECB's sovereign bond purchases, the latter two announced in the early hours of 10 May. Their complaint is that they breach the EU's no-bailout clause, a ban on fiscal transfers between richer and poorer member states that many Germans feared would be inevitable when giving up the Deutsche Mark in 1999. In addition, Mr Nolling is amongst those that believe that the various support measures have bought nothing but limited time to a eurozone system that is inherently flawed.If you start with a makeshift operation you will never get to the real cause of the malaise. That cause is that a currency area of this size needs converging economies but the opposite has happened.Writing in a blog on this webiste back in February, Edin Mujagic, a monetary economist at Tilburg University, also noted these divergences had increased over the eurozone's 11-year history.Whether you take a closer look at unit labour costs, unemployment, welfare, productivity, fiscal deficits, debt and so on, the differences have increased since 1999,he wrote.
A smaller euro area?
Europe's politicians are rapidly striving to reduce these differences by devising a system of macro-economic indicators that member states would be forced to comply with.A recent European Commission paper suggested financial sanctions should be applied to states that fail to meet the grade, a system similar to the bloc's theoretical rules on debt and deficit limits.Some, however, fear this is merely too little too late, arguing that the eurozone's forefathers were blinded to the inherent economic impossibility of the project by political motivations.We need to form a new heart of the euro, France, Germany, Finland, Austria and the Netherlands, offered Mr Nolling as the only solution to overcoming divergences without using the forbidden system of fiscal transfers.All the other states should be given their freedom back. That would give them a real opportunity to increase their competitiveness through currency devaluations.It is currently impossible for them when they are 30 percent out of line. Salaries and cost structures are way out of line.At present, no one is sure when the German constitutional court will come to its decision, but a rejection by the powerful group of judges is likely to have explosive consequences.I expect the decision before the winter starts,predicted Mr Nolling. I want the court to tell the German government to stop giving money away.
Greece back under EU-IMF microscope as Asian stocks rise-EU officials arrive in Athens Monday to assess Greece's performance so far (Photo: John D. Carnessiotis, Athens, Greece)LEIGH PHILLIPS 26.07.2010 @ 09:31 CET
Asian stocks have risen on the back of easing of fears over European bank stress test results were revealed on Friday.In a filip of optimism, Japan's Nkkei 225 Stock Average had climbed 0.9 percent as of early afternoon in Tokyo, according to market reports, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index was up 0.5 percent and New Zealand's NZX 50 had gained 0.4 percent. The MSCI Asia Pacific index had risen 0.3 percent.As the results of the stress tests of European banks, which revealed just seven out of 91 had failed, were issued late Friday in Europe, this was the first chance for Asian markets to assess the fall-out.European authorities had however decided not to subject the banks to the test of seeing what would happen to them in the event of a debt default by Greece, a move that was widely criticised given that such an event is within the realm of possibility.Meanwhile on Monday (26 July), officials from the EU, IMF and European Central Bank arrive in Athens to investigate the implementation of the governing centre-left Pasok's austerity measures before a second, €9 billion tranche of eurozone-IMF bail-out agreed in May can be disbursed.Initial indications from the so-called troika, as the trio of fiscal overseers is referred to in Greece, have been approving.On the weekend, finance minister George Papaconstantinou said he expected no delays to delivery of the second tranche in September as the government had gone further than what was required with its harsh pension cuts.However, an IMF report from earlier this month noted concerns over budget gaps in public healthcare, social security, public transport and municipal governments - the very core of Greece's welfare system, already one of the weakest in western Europe.The fund suggested that Athens ratchet up its programme of privatisation and focus on setting loose government corporations. Railways and bus firms are potential targets, while the troika will also likely push for liberalisation of certain trades, including architects, notaries and lorry-drivers, according to media reports.Brussels for its part wants to see a quick and tidy deregulation of the energy sector, in line with existing EU legislation.However, eyes will also be on the country's labour movement and widespread popular resistance to the cuts. Already imposed austerity measures have produced a series of general strikes and a riot that cost the lives of three bank workers.
Seven banks fail to make the stress test grade-The Royal Bank of Scotland was among the banks to pass with flying colours (Photo: Wikipedia)ANDREW WILLIS
23.07.2010 @ 20:34 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Seven European banks have failed the region's stress tests, designed to assess their ability to withstand a series of worst-case scenarios such as another recession. EU policymakers will now be hoping that the news brings an end investor doubts in the sector, after Friday evening's (23 July) publication of the test results showed the vast majority of banks to have passed with flying colours.We support ... the transparency of this exercise, given the specific market circumstances under which banks currently operate, the Committee of European Banking Supervisors (CEBS), the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Commission said in a joint statement. One German bank (Hypo Real Estate), five Spanish lenders (Unnim, Cajasur, Diada, Espiga, Banca Civica), and one Greek bank (ATEbank) failed the test.Banks whose Tier 1 capital ratio, the main buffer used to protect against losses, fell below six percent were deemed to have failed, although authorities stressed that four percent is the current regulatory minimum. The results are broadly in line with market expectations, with most analysts predicting failures in the five to 10 range. The seven firms will now need to raise roughly €3.5 billion in additional capital between them.Where the results of the exercise indicate that individual banks require additional capital, these banks should take the necessary steps to reinforce their capital positions through private-sector means and by resorting, if necessary, to facilities set up by member state governments, said the CEBS, ECB, commission statement. None of Europe's major banks failed the tests which were conducted by CEBS on 91 firms in order to asses their ability to deal with another recession or losses on eurozone sovereign bonds.A haircut of 23.1 percent was applied to Greek debt, slightly higher than the 17 percent that had earlier been predicted. Spanish bonds were marked down by 12.3 percent, and German bonds by 4.7 percent.
Doubts remain
Doubts remain however, with some analysts prior to Friday's publication saying a 50 percent markdown on Greek bonds would be more appropriate.I see nothing stressful about this test. It's like sending the banks away for a weekend of R&R,said Stephen Pope, chief global equity strategist at Cantor, reported various media.Other analysts were critical of the fact that sovereign debt haircuts were only applied to bonds set aside for trading, and not those being held until maturity.Stock markets in the US fluctuated as investors digested the news. Europe's markets were all closed when data were released.Centre-right MEP Jean-Paul Gauzès, a key-player in European efforts to overhaul its finance sector, welcomed the results, but cautioned that legislative reform must continue.These good results should not bring us to disregard the implementation of norms, in particular as regards banks' own capital requirements,he said.
Iceland membership talks formally begin Tuesday
HONOR MAHONY 26.07.2010 @ 17:41 CET
At their last meeting before the summer break, EU foreign ministers on Monday (26 July) gave the greenlight for the start of negotiations on Iceland's membership bid.
Talks will formally begin on Tuesday. The small north Atlantic island, with a population of just 320,000, has aligned itself with many EU laws and is seen as fitting snugly with the slightly more ineffable European 'norms', but negotiations on a few key issues - such as fishing rights and its traditional whale hunting - are expected to be difficult.Iceland, whose fishing policies have largely been a success in terms of sustainability, is keen to see that its rich fishing waters are not over-fished by EU member states. The EU's common fisheries policy has led to the severe depletion of stocks in western Europe. Efforts will have to be made by Iceland, Belgian foreign minister Steven Vanackere said after chairing the meeting in Brussels.Think of environment, think of whale hunting.In addition, the UK and the Netherlands have linked actual membership with resolution of a dispute over the €3.8 billion in British and Dutch savings, lost in the banking crisis that consumed the nation in 2008.After the Icelandic Icesave internet bank collapsed two years ago, depositers in the UK and the Netherlands were compensated by their governments. The Hague and London now are demanding Reykjavik pay them back.It's clear that all the chapters need to be discussed ... When the last chapter isn't resolved, nothing is resolved, said Mr Vanackere, when specifically asked about whether the Icesave issue could stymie talks.
Icelanders themselves in a recent referendum rejected a payout plan that would have cost each household tens of thousands of euros. The disagreement has soured the population's sentiment towards the EU. Immediately after the crisis, a majority of Icelanders looked to the EU as a solution to their problems, but the bitter fight with London and the Hague has slashed support for EU membership on the island.In addition to potential controversial policy issues, there is also the increasingly negative opinion of Icelanders towards EU membership.I don't have the impression from the opinion polls that the Icelanders themselves are very favourable: that's the problem, said France's EU Minister Pierre Lellouche.Popular opinions have to be taken on board, and you have to communicate the value [of becoming an EU member], said Mr Vanackere. A June poll showed that public opposition to joining the EU has risen to 60 percent. In November last year, it was 54 percent.The negotiation process is expected to take up to 18 months. EU legislation covers 35 different areas, known as chapters, ranging from the justice and home affairs to environment, energy, social and transport policy. Through its membership of the European Free Trade Association and the Schengen border-free zone, many of Iceland's laws already comply with those of the EU.Croatia and Turkey have also opened membership negotiations with the EU. Zagreb is expected to conclude talks in 2011 while Ankara's talks are proceeding much more slowly.
EU commission called upon to go after corrupt defence deals
VALENTINA POP 26.07.2010 @ 09:14 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – MEPs and defence experts are calling on the EU commission to go after market-distorting, corrupt side-deals to big weapon deals between member states, such as the ones greasing Germany's submarine sales to Portugal and Greece.
As EU officials are packing their holiday suitcases in Brussels, prosecutors in Germany, Portugal and Greece are on to a hot summer, tracing the complex trails of bribes and side-contracts to the German submarines each of the southern countries signed up for at a price of over €1billion.The EU hypocrisy of allowing Greek and Portuguese governments allocate huge parts of their budget for questionable defence purchases, while they are being pressed for austerity measures to cap their deficit, already made headlines such as The submarine deals that helped sink Greece in the Wall Street Journal earlier this month.What's striking about Greece and Portugal is the inappropriateness of these purchases,Nick Witney, a defence expert with the European Council on Foreign Relations, a London-based think tank, told EUobserver.It makes no sense at all to urge austerity and at the same time encourage them to buy weapons. But where there's a nexus of security, secrecy and lack of competition, there is always an open field for corruption, he noted.Munich-based investigators in March opened a case against the German engineering group Ferrostaal, suspected of paying bribes to secure defence contracts in Portugal and Greece and of organizing bribery payments on behalf of other firms for a fee. The investigation has meanwhile spread to Portugal and Greece, and touches on former party colleagues of EU commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, who was prime minister at the time the contract was signed. Mr Barroso has denied any involvement in the alleged bribery scheme and says he had nothing to do with the negotiation of the contract, which was the responsibility of the defence minister.
Along with the acquisition per se came offset contracts to the tune of €1billion, meaning direct foreign investments from Germany and business opportunities to Portuguese companies on the German market.Under EU law, offsets are forbidden, except for the defence sector, where member states invoke a national security exemption. As it turns out, a lot of these offsets were actually existing investments. Seven Portuguese executives and three Ferrostaal representatives have already been indicted. According to the public prosecutor's office, the Portuguese state was mislead in these deals and suffered damages of at least €34 million.
According to estimates by the European Defence Agency, 25 percent of the offsets in Europe are non-military and have no direct connection with the purchase.These contracts totally violate the EU's internal market competition rules, Portuguese Socialist MEP Ana Gomes told this website.They are contracts negotiated among companies with government favouring and in total disregard of the competition rules. There are plenty of reasons why the European Commission should investigate, and make it an exemplary case to deter such behaviour from now on from any member state.So far, the commission has turned a blind eye to the non-military contracts occurring alongside large defence procurements.A new defence procurement directive which needs to be transposed into national legislation by August 2011 is set to shed more light into the way such deals are done and restrict the areas in which governments can invoke the national security exemption to internal market rules.Member states will need to prove that the offsets are necessary for the protection of security interests and not distort competition on non-military markets.During his hearings as internal market commissioner, Michel Barnier said the defence offsets bring about discriminations which contradict the [EU] treaty. While acknowledging the traditions and sensibilities, he said these procedures had to be put to an end.
But to Ms Gomes, the commission is missing an opportunity to expose a very corrupt business that involves Portuguese, German companies, government officials and military people.In a time of budget austerity and market jitters, the two submarines acquired by Portugal account for about 40 percent of its defence spending until 2023. We don't have money to equip properly our military and security forces, we are wasting this money in a very corrupt business and violating competition, Ms Gomes points out.
Voluntary code of conduct
A voluntary code of conduct adopted by all member states except Romania last year meanwhile puts some limits on offsets, such as for the value of these contracts not to surpass 100 percent of that of the actual purchase.Apart from being voluntary, the code has also come under fire for lacking any reference to corruption, despite the fact that the defence sector is one of the most prone to this phenomenon, according to Transparency International.We would have hoped EU agencies required high standards, but this is not the case, Mark Pyman, the watchdog's defence expert told this website.He also said that market-distorting deals ranging from refrigerator factories to advertising companies are clearly a question of internal market for the EU commission to investigate.We need clear guidance how governments conduct and audit offsets and an EU framework putting transparency at the core,he concluded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS3H6Cakwpw&feature=player_embedded
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