DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
JERUSALEM DIVIDED
ZECHARIAH 12:1-5 King James Bible
1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
4 In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.
JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
ZECHARIAH 14:1-9 King James Bible
1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
OBAMA UN SPEECH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK7JEYqIfw4&feature=player_embedded
Full Text & Video: Obama Remarks to United Nations-Following is a text of US President Obama's speech to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, as released by the White House.By A7 Staff First Publish: 9/21/2011, 7:53 PM
Following is a text of US President Obama's speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, as released by the White House.Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, fellow delegates, ladies and gentlemen: I would like to talk to you about a subject that is at the heart of the United Nations - the pursuit of peace in an imperfect world.War and conflict have been with us since the beginning of civilization. But in the first part of the 20th century, the advance of modern weaponry led to death on a staggering scale. It was this killing that compelled the founders of this body to build an institution that was focused not just on ending one war, but on averting others; a union of sovereign states that would seek to prevent conflict, while also addressing its causes.No American did more to pursue this objective than President Franklin Roosevelt. He knew that a victory in war was not enough. As he said at one of the very first meetings on the founding of the United Nations, We have got to make, not merely a peace, but a peace that will last.
The men and women who built this institution understood that peace is more than the absence of war. A lasting peace - for nations and individuals - depends upon a sense of justice and opportunity; of dignity and freedom. It depends upon struggle and sacrifice; on compromise, and a sense of common humanity.One delegate to the San Francisco Conference that led to the creation of United Nations put it well - Many people,she said, have talked as if all we had to do to get peace was...to say loudly and frequently that we loved peace and hated war. Now we have learned that no matter how much we love peace and hate war, we cannot avoid having war brought upon us if there are convulsions in other parts of the world.The fact is, peace is hard, but our people demand it. Over nearly seven decades, even as the United Nations helped avert a third World War, we still live in a world scarred by conflict and plagued by poverty. Even as we proclaim our love for peace and hatred of war, there are convulsions in our world that endanger us all.I took office at a time of two wars for the United States. Moreover, the violent extremists who drew us into war in the first place - Osama bin Laden, and his al Qaeda organization - remained at large. Today, we have set a new direction.
At the end of this year, America's military operation in Iraq will be over. We will have a normal relationship with a sovereign nation that is a member of the community of nations. That equal partnership will be strengthened by our support for Iraq - for its government and Security Forces; for its people and their aspirations. As we end the war in Iraq, the United States and our coalition partners have begun a transition in Afghanistan. Between now and 2014, an increasingly capable Afghan government and Security Forces will step forward to take responsibility for the future of their country. As they do, we are drawing down our own forces, while building an enduring partnership with the Afghan people.So let there be no doubt: the tide of war is receding. When I took office, roughly 180,000 Americans were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. By the end of this year, that number will be cut in half, and it will continue to decline. This is critical to the sovereignty of Iraq and Afghanistan, and to the strength of the United States as we build our nation at home.Moreover, we are poised to end these wars from a position of strength. Ten years ago, there was an open wound of twisted steel and broken hearts in this city. Today, as a new tower rising at Ground Zero symbolizes New York's renewal, al Qaeda is under more pressure than ever before. Its leadership has been degraded. And Osama bin Laden, a man who murdered thousands of people from dozens of countries, will never endanger the peace of the world again.Yes, this has been a difficult decade. But today, we stand at a crossroads of history with the chance to move decisively in the direction of peace. To do so, we must return to the wisdom of those who created this institution. The UN's Founding Charter calls upon us, to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security. And Article 1 of this General Assembly's Universal Declaration of Human Rights reminds us that, All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.' Those bedrock beliefs - in the responsibility of states, and the rights of men and women - must be our guide.
In that effort, we have reason to hope. This year has been a time of transformation. More nations have stepped forward to maintain international peace and security. And more individuals are claiming their universal right to live in freedom and dignity.One year ago, when we met here in New York, the prospect of a successful referendum in South Sudan was in doubt. But the international community overcame old divisions to support the agreement that had been negotiated to give South Sudan self-determination. And last summer, as a new flag went up in Juba, former soldiers laid down their arms; men and women wept with joy; and children finally knew the promise of looking to a future that they will shape.One year ago, the people of Cote D'Ivoire approached a landmark election. And when the incumbent lost, and refused to respect the results, the world refused to look the other way. UN peacekeepers were harassed, but did not leave their posts. The Security Council, led by the United States, Nigeria, and France, came together to support the will of the people. And Cote D'Ivoire is now governed by the man who was elected to lead.
One year ago, the hopes of the people of Tunisia were suppressed. But they chose the dignity of peaceful protest over the rule of an iron fist. A vendor lit a spark that took his own life, but ignited a movement. In the face of a crackdown, students spelled out the word freedom. The balance of fear shifted from the ruler to those that he ruled. Now the people of Tunisia are preparing for elections that will move them one step closer to the democracy they deserve. One year ago, Egypt had known one President for nearly thirty years. But for 18 days, the eyes of the world were on Tahrir Square, where Egyptians from all walks of life - men and women; young and old; Muslim and Christian - demanded their universal rights. We saw in those protesters the moral force of non-violence that has lit the world from Delhi to Warsaw; from Selma to South Africa - and we knew that change had come to Egypt and to the Arab World.
One year ago, the people of Libya were ruled by the world's longest serving dictator. But faced with bullets and bombs and a dictator who threatened to hunt them down like rats, they showed relentless bravery. We will never forget the words of the Libyan who stood up in those early days of revolution and said, Our words are free now. It's a feeling you can't explain.Day after day, in the face of bullets and bombs, the Libyan people refused to give back that freedom. And when they were threatened by the kind of mass atrocity that often went unchallenged in the last century, the United Nations lived up to its charter. The Security Council authorized all necessary measures to prevent a massacre. The Arab League called for this effort, and Arab nations joined a NATO-led coalition that halted Qadhafi's forces in their tracks.In the months that followed, the will of the coalition proved unbreakable, and the will of the Libyan people could not be denied. Forty-two years of tyranny was ended in six months. From Tripoli to Misratah to Benghazi - today, Libya is free. Yesterday, the leaders of a new Libya took their rightful place beside us, and this week, the United States is reopening our Embassy in Tripoli. This is how the international community is supposed to work - nations standing together for the sake of peace and security; individuals claiming their rights. Now, all of us have a responsibility to support the new Libyan government as they confront the challenge of turning this moment of promise into a just and lasting peace for all Libyans.So it has been a remarkable year. The Qadhafi regime is over. Gbagbo, Ben Ali, and Mubarak are no longer in power. Osama bin Laden is gone, and the idea that change could only come through violence has been buried with him. Something is happening in our world. The way things have been is not the way they will be. The humiliating grip of corruption and tyranny is being pried open. Technology is putting power in the hands of the people. The youth are delivering a powerful rebuke to dictatorship, and rejecting the lie that some races, religions and ethnicities do not desire democracy. The promise written down on paper - all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights - is closer at hand.
But let us remember: peace is hard. Progress can be reversed. Prosperity comes slowly. Societies can split apart. The measure of our success must be whether people can live in sustained freedom, dignity, and security. And the United Nations and its member states must do their part to support those basic aspirations.In Iran, we have seen a government that refuses to recognize the rights of its own people. And as we meet here today, men, women and children are being tortured, detained and murdered by the Syrian regime. Thousands have been killed, many during the holy time of Ramadan. Thousands more have poured across Syria's borders. The Syrian people have shown dignity and courage in their pursuit of justice - protesting peacefully, standing silently in the streets, dying for the same values that this institution is supposed to stand for. The question for us is clear: Will we stand with the Syrian people, or with their oppressors? Already, the United States has imposed strong sanctions on Syria's leaders. We have supported a transfer of power that is responsive to the Syrian people. Many of our allies have joined us in this effort. But for the sake of Syria - and the peace and security of the world - we must speak with one voice. There is no excuse for inaction. Now is the time for the United Nations Security Council to sanction the Syrian regime, and to stand with the Syrian people.Throughout the region, we will have to respond to the calls for change. In Yemen, men, women and children gather by the thousands in towns and city squares every day with the hope that their determination and spilled blood will prevail over a corrupt system. America supports their aspirations. We must work with Yemen's neighbors and our partners around the world to seek a path that allows for a peaceful transition of power from President Saleh, and a movement to free and fair elections as soon as possible.
In Bahrain, steps have been taken toward reform and accountability, but more are required. America is a close friend of Bahrain, and we will continue to call on the government and the main opposition bloc - the Wifaq - to pursue a meaningful dialogue that brings peaceful change that is responsive to the people. And we believe the patriotism that binds Bahrainis together must be more powerful than the sectarian forces that would tear them apart.Each nation must chart its own course to fulfill the aspirations of its people, and America does not expect to agree with every party or person who expresses themselves politically. But we will always stand up for the universal rights that were embraced by this Assembly. Those rights depend upon elections that are free and fair; governance that is transparent and accountable; respect for the rights of women and minorities; and justice that is equal and fair. That is what our people deserve. Those are elements of a peace that lasts.Moreover, the United States will continue to support those nations that transition to democracy - with greater trade and investment, so that freedom is followed by opportunity. We will pursue a deeper engagement with governments, but also civil society - students and entrepreneurs; political parties and the press. We have banned those who abuse human rights from travelling to our country, and sanctioned those who trample on human rights abroad. And we will always serve as a voice for those who have been silenced.Now I know that for many in this hall, one issue stands as a test for these principles - and for American foreign policy: the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians.One year ago, I stood at this podium and called for an independent Palestine. I believed then - and I believe now - that the Palestinian people deserve a state of their own. But what I also said is that genuine peace can only be realized between Israelis and Palestinians themselves. One year later, despite extensive efforts by America and others, the parties have not bridged their differences. Faced with this stalemate, I put forward a new basis for negotiations in May. That basis is clear, and well known to all of us here. Israelis must know that any agreement provides assurances for their security. Palestinians deserve to know the territorial basis of their state.I know that many are frustrated by the lack of progress. So am I. But the question isn't the goal we seek - the question is how to reach it. And I am convinced that there is no short cut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades. Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the UN - if it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now. Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians who must live side by side. Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians - not us - who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them: on borders and security; on refugees and Jerusalem.
Peace depends upon compromise among peoples who must live together long after our speeches are over, and our votes have been counted. That is the lesson of Northern Ireland, where ancient antagonists bridged their differences. That is the lesson of Sudan, where a negotiated settlement led to an independent state. And that is the path to a Palestinian state. We seek a future where Palestinians live in a sovereign state of their own, with no limit to what they can achieve. There is no question that the Palestinians have seen that vision delayed for too long. And it is precisely because we believe so strongly in the aspirations of the Palestinian people that America has invested so much time and effort in the building of a Palestinian state, and the negotiations that can achieve one.America's commitment to Israel's security is unshakeable, and our friendship with Israel is deep and enduring. And so we believe that any lasting peace must acknowledge the very real security concerns that Israel faces every single day. Let's be honest: Israel is surrounded by neighbors that have waged repeated wars against it. Israel's citizens have been killed by rockets fired at their houses and suicide bombs on their buses. Israel's children come of age knowing that throughout the region, other children are taught to hate them. Israel, a small country of less than eight million people, looks out at a world where leaders of much larger nations threaten to wipe it off of the map. The Jewish people carry the burden of centuries of exile, persecution, and the fresh memory of knowing that six million people were killed simply because of who they were.These facts cannot be denied. The Jewish people have forged a successful state in their historic homeland. Israel deserves recognition. It deserves normal relations with its neighbors. And friends of the Palestinians do them no favors by ignoring this truth, just as friends of Israel must recognize the need to pursue a two state solution with a secure Israel next to an independent Palestine.
That truth - that each side has legitimate aspirations - is what makes peace so hard. And the deadlock will only be broken when each side learns to stand in each other's shoes. That's what we should be encouraging. This body - founded, as it was, out of the ashes of war and genocide; dedicated, as it is, to the dignity of every person - must recognize the reality that is lived by boththe Palestinians and the Israelis. The measure of our actions must always be whether they advance the right of Israeli and Palestinian children to live in peace and security, with dignity and opportunity. We will only succeed in that effort if we can encourage the parties to sit down together, to listen to each other, and to understand each other's hopes and fears. That is the project to which America is committed. And that is what the United Nations should be focused on in the weeks and months to come.Now, even as we confront these challenges of conflict and revolution, we must also recognize once more that peace is not just the absence of war. True peace depends upon creating the opportunity that makes life worth living. And to do that, we must confront the common enemies of human beings: nuclear weapons and poverty; ignorance and disease. These forces corrode the possibility of lasting peace, and together we are called upon to confront them.To lift the specter of mass destruction, we must come together to pursue the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons. Over the last two years, we have begun to walk down that path. Since our Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, nearly 50 nations have taken steps to secure nuclear materials from terrorists and smugglers. Next March, a Summit in Seoul will advance our efforts to lock down all of them. The New START Treaty between the United States and Russia will cut our deployed arsenals to the lowest level in a half century, and our nations are pursuing talks on how to achieve deeper reductions. America will continue to work for a ban on the testing of nuclear weapons, and the production of fissile material needed to make them.As we meet our obligations, we have strengthened the treaties and institutions that help stop the spread of these weapons. To do so, we must continue to hold accountable those nations that flout them. The Iranian government cannot demonstrate that its program is peaceful, has not met its obligations, and rejected offers that would provide it with peaceful nuclear power. North Korea has yet to take concrete steps toward abandoning its weapons, and continues belligerent actions against the South. There is a future of greater opportunity for the people of these nations if their governments meet their obligations. But if they continue down a path that is outside international law, they must be met with greater pressure and isolation. That is what our commitment to peace demands.
To bring prosperity to our people, we must promote the growth that creates opportunity. In this effort, let us not forget that we have made enormous progress over the last several decades. Closed societies gave way to open markets. Innovation and entrepreneurship has transformed the way we live and the things that we can do. Emerging economies from Asia to the Americas have lifted hundreds of millions from poverty. Yet three years ago, we confronted the worst financial crisis in eight decades. That crisis proved a fact that has become clearer with each passing year - our fate is interconnected; in a global economy, nations will rise, or fall, together. Today, we confront the challenges that have followed that crisis. Recovery is fragile. Markets are volatile. Too many people are out of work. Too many others are struggling to get by. We acted together to avert a Depression in 2009. We must take urgent and coordinated action once more. Here in the United States, I have announced a plan to put Americans back to work and jumpstart our economy, and committed to substantially reduce our deficit over time. We stand with our European allies as they reshape their institutions and address their own fiscal challenge. For other countries, leaders face a different challenge as they shift their economies towards more self-reliance, boosting domestic demand while slowing inflation. So we will work with emerging economies that have rebounded strongly, so that rising standards of living create new markets that promote global growth. That is what our commitment to prosperity demands.To combat the poverty that punishes our children, we must act on the belief that freedom from want is a basic human right. The United States has made it a focus of our engagement abroad to help people to feed themselves. And today, as drought and conflict have brought famine to the Horn of Africa, our conscience calls on us to act. Together, we must continue to provide assistance, and support organizations that can reach those in need. And together, we must insist on unrestricted humanitarian access so that we can save the lives of thousands of men, women and children. Our common humanity is at stake. Let us show that the life of a child in Somalia is as precious as any other. That is what our commitment to our fellow human beings demands.To stop disease that spreads across borders, we must strengthen our systems of public health. We will continue the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. We will focus on the health of mothers and children. And we must come together to prevent, detect, and fight every kind of biological danger - whether it is a pandemic like H1N1, a terrorist threat, or a treatable disease. This week, America signed an agreement with the World Health Organization to affirm our commitment to meet this challenge.Today, I urge all nations to join us in meeting the WHO's goal of making sure all nations have core capacities to address public health emergencies in place by 2012. That is what our commitment to the health of our people demands.
To preserve our planet, we must not put off the action that a changing climate demands. We must tap the power of science to save those resources that are scarce. Together, we must continue our work to build on the progress made in Copenhagen and Cancun, so that all of the major economies here today follow through on the commitments that were made. Together, we must work to transform the energy that powers are economies, and support others as they move down that path. That is what our commitment to the next generation demands.And to make sure our societies reach their potential, we must allow our citizens to reach theirs. No country can afford the cancer of corruption. Together, we must harness the power of open societies and open economies. That is why we have partnered with countries from across the globe to launch a new partnership on Open Government that helps ensure accountability and empower their citizens. No country should deny people their rights because of who they love, which is why we must stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere. And no country can realize its potential if half its population cannot reach theirs. This week, the United States signed a new Declaration on Women's Participation. Next year, we should each announce the steps we are taking to break down economic and political barriers that stand in the way of women and girls. That is what our commitment to human progress demands.I know that there is no straight line to progress, no single path to success. We come from different cultures, and carry with us different histories. But let us never forget that even as we gather here as heads of different governments, we represent citizens who share the same basic aspirations - to live with dignity and freedom; to get an education and pursue opportunity; to love our families and our God. To live in the kind of peace that makes life worth living.It is the nature of our imperfect world that we are forced to learn this lesson over and over again. Conflict and repression will endure so long as some people refuse to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Yet that is precisely why we have built institutions like this that bind our fates together - because those who came before us believed that peace is preferable to war; freedom is preferable to suppression; and prosperity is preferable to poverty. That is the message that comes not from capitals, but from citizens.When the corner-stone of this very building was put in place, President Truman came here to New York and said, The United Nations is essentially an expression of the moral nature of man's aspirations. As we live in a world that is changing at a breathtaking pace, that is a lesson that we must never forget.Peace is hard, but we know that it is possible. Together, let us resolve to see that it is defined by our hopes and not our fears. Together, let us work to make, not merely a peace, but a peace that will last. Thank you.
In UN, PA Maps Erase All of Israel -Palestinian Authority representatives in the United Nations are handing out maps that show Palestine as including Tel Aviv.By Gil Ronen First Publish: 9/21/2011, 10:29 PM
Palestinian Authority representatives in the United Nations are handing out maps of Palestine that show it in place of all of Israel, including Tel Aviv, reports David Bedein of the Israel Resource Review. Bedein, who is currently in the United States, told Arutz Sheva: They do not want a Palestinian state, but all of Palestine. The maps they hand out in their offices include all of Palestine. They erase Israel completely in their maps.Mahmoud Abbas is being disingenuous about his future plans, opined Bedein. He wants the Palestinians to supplant Israel. He disseminates lies, as if he just wants Judea and Samaria. But this is really not the position of the PLO. Unfortunately, even the Yesha Council [an umbrella group for Jewish local leadership in Judea and Samaria – Ed.] does not stress the fact that he wants all of Palestine.Bedein expressed his sorrow over the fact that Israel supports continued US and European assistance to the PA educational system even though it continues to call for Israel's destruction. The state of Israel continues to side with a continuation of US funding for the UNRWA education system without attaching any conditions, that it cease calling for the destruction of Israel in its schoolbooks.
Analysis: Obama's Address at the UN Was an Improvement-Dr. Amiel Ungar: By including reference to Israel's bonafide roots in the region, Obama improved on his previous addresses on the issue.By Amiel Ungar First Publish: 9/22/2011, 1:05 AM
US President Barack Obama's speech at the United Nations was eagerly awaited in Israel and the Middle East region.For Israel, the speech marked an improvement over the previous two addresses at the United Nations by Barack Obama.If in previous addresses, Obama had given the impression that Israel arose as a result of the Holocaust, this time around he referred to Israel as the historic homeland of the Jews.In another portion of his address, he referred to a Jewish history marked by exile and persecution. Exile means that you are banished from your home (if he meant the Jews leaving Spain, he would have used the word expulsion) again emphasizing that the Jews are far from strangers to the Land of Israel, something that the Arabs choose to deny.The other improvement was procedural. An Arab-Israeli peace, like the peace in Sudan and the peace in Northern Ireland, argued Obama, can only be the product of a negotiated solution. It cannot be imposed from without.
All in all, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman had reasons to be pleased with the address.Obama endorsed the Arab Spring unstintingly, although there were nuances. The peaceful revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt were welcomed, as was the ejection of the Libyan despot Qaddafi. Bahrain, on Saudi Arabia's doorstep, was a matter for reforms and dialogue rather than revolution.The brunt of Obama's criticism fell upon Syria. The references to Iran were remarkably low-key, a sentence on democracy and another on nuclear proliferation. No mention was made of sanctions. This might signal that something is in the works. Iran has just announced that it is releasing two American hikers who have been imprisoned for two years after straying into Iran and being charged with espionage.The speech was not only targeted at foreign leaders and audiences, but also to a US domestic audience and particularly Obama's electoral base.Obama effectively announced that during the second term he would be Obama, the peace president. Regrettably, he intimated, the United States had been drawn into war by Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda, but now the United States was on its way out of Iraq and Afghanistan, having liquidated Osama bin Laden and brought Al-Qaeda to its knees.
NY Police Arrest Rabbi and Five Other Pro-Israel Activists-New York police arrest a rabbi and five other activists who blocked traffic in a protest against the PA bid for unilateral UN recognition.By Fern Sidman, INN NY correspondent and Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu First Publish: 9/21/2011, 8:27 AM
New York police arrest a rabbi and five other activists who blocked traffic in a protest against the Palestinian Authority bid for unilateral United Nations recognition at the United Nations annual General Assembly.They were arrested during a rally co-sponsored by Americans For a Safe Israel (AFSI) and Amcha that drew more than 35 people, many of whom also stood in street with them. Police took into custody Rabbi Avi Weiss, director of Amcha-Coalition for Jewish Concerns, In addition to Rabbi Weiss, who is also senior rabbi at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, and Helen Freedman of AFSI, Cheryl Jacobs Lewin, chairwoman of AFSI's Chicago chapter, Miriam Prince; Sarah Rosenbaum; and Glenn Richter.Holding aloft large Israeli and American flags and signs declaring Shame On the UN For Demonizing and Delegitimizing Israel! and We Support Israel, the rally participants chanted Am Yisrael Chai (the Jewish people live), as police began to handcuff and lead the six demonstrators to a nearby paddy wagon. They were brought to the 17th precinct in Midtown Manhattan were they were booked on charges of disorderly conduct.Pointing to the UN building looming in the background, Rabbi Weiss told the demonstrators, who gathered in the heavy rain, Today we are sitting in the street to tell this den of evil that they will be responsible for the violence that will, G-d forbid, take place in Israel as a result of this move to legitimize a state that clearly does not want peace. If the New York City police really got it, they wouldn't be arresting us who represent the Jewish voice of consciousness and those who speak truth to power, but they'd be arresting Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who is guilty of murdering countless numbers of his own people and who threatens genocide against the Jewish state.
Glenn Richter, a former leader of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry organization and a leading spokesman for Jewish causes, declared, There can be no business as usual at the United Nations while it continues to demonize and delegitimize Israel, endorse a unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood, and welcome the evil Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.Also attending the rally was Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive director of New York Board of Rabbis, who said, Given the choice between being part of an immoral majority or moral minority, I'd rather be part of the minority than the majority which meets in the UN and makes Israel too often the guilty party. There's a Yiddish saying which translates, fear G-d, not people. We're here because of what people may sometimes do to us, and that's why we have to be so vocal.Saying that she was mortified by the abject silence of the Jewish establishment organizations in lieu of the impending UN vote to create a Palestinian state predicated on a terrorist doctrine, Freedman said before being arrested, Incomprehensibly, the major Jewish organizations have chosen to stay away from the battle. Is it spinelessness or mindlessness? Turning her attention to the existential threat that a Palestinian state would present for Israel, she added that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas unilateral efforts to have a PA state declared at the UN are reprehensible and incredibly dangerous for Israel.Iran's Ahmadinejad should not be permitted into this country, not in New York City and certainly not in our streets, restaurants, and universities, while he is threatening the western world with nuclear war, she added. The Durban III denunciations of Israel should not be tolerated. The entire purpose of the United Nations has been turned upside down.
Netanyahu Meets Canadian PM: Thanks for Your Support-Prime Minister Netanyahu meets Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, thanks him for his country’s support of Israel.By Elad Benari First Publish: 9/22/2011, 5:13 AM
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in New York on Wednesday and thanked him for his country’s support of Israel.The two met in the UN after Harper met senior business leaders at the New York Stock Exchange, The Canadian Press reported.Harper, a longtime supporter of Israel, told journalists before the meeting he was going to talk with Netanyahu about the terrific Canada-Israel relationship in areas such as the economy, culture, and some of the great challenges now being debated at the UN, referring to the Palestinian Authority’s unilateral statehood bid.I would be remiss, without delving too much into what is going on here, to say we all do look forward to the day when the two sides are at the bargaining table and making the tough decisions that are necessary to have two peaceful and secure democratic states, Harper was quoted by CP as saying.
Netanyahu responded by saying that Israel knows that nobody wants Middle East peace more than our friends in Canada and our friend, the prime minister.He added that Israel and Canada have the same heart, the same values. And that I say with great appreciation — for your stance, for your conviction, for your friendship.Netanyahu said, I share, too, your desire to resume direct negotiations for peace and get on with it. Because the only way we can finish peace negotiations is by beginning peace negotiations. And I know that we'll have your support in our quest for peace and security.On Tuesday before he left for New York, Harper clarified that Canada will staunchly back Israel against the Palestinian Authority’s attempt for unilateral statehood recognition.We view this unilateral action on behalf of the Palestinian Authority to be not helpful,” Harper said, adding: No unilateral actions like this are helpful in terms of establishing a long-run peace in the Middle East. Canada views the action as very regrettable and we will be opposing it at the United Nations.Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, also stated Canada’s opposition to the unilateral plan.
Op-Ed: Take Statehood off the Agenda, Unilateral or Not-Published: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 1:34 PM-All the PA is really saying is: First we’ll get our state, and then we are going to go after yours.Josh Hasten
As the Palestinian UN Statehood stunt goes on, and yes it is simply a public relations stunt since a General Assembly recommendation is not legally binding, Israel is pleading with PA leaders via numerous channels to abandon their bid and return to negotiations immediately.Prime Minister Netanyahu called on PA head Mahmoud Abbas to enter into negotiations without preconditions, and to remain there until it is finished. Israeli diplomatic officials traipsed the globe on a PR mission of their own encouraging the Western and development countries to vote against a UN resolution on Statehood.The hope is that Israel will, if the vote occurs, at least say that mostly the 3rd world countries along with obvious Muslim and Arab nations voted for the measure.But what is Israel really saying? Israel is not saying to the (so-called) Palestinians we don’t want to give you a State, but we are saying that we would rather you achieve statehood on our terms through negotiations.Perhaps our government is hopeful that through negotiations a Palestinian state will be more acceptable to the Israeli public with all the major settlement blocs to remain part of Israel along with a Palestinian public acknowledgment that Israel is the State of the Jewish people? Since the current text submitted to the UN has all of the Land Israel regained in 1967 as part of a Palestinian State, negotiations and their results might be a way to lessen the blow.
The problem is that the Palestinian leadership has never been willing to accept any of the settlements including the major blocs as ever being part of Israel. In other words, negotiations on this topic are most likely to lead to nowhere.In addition, both Abbas and Senior PA negotiator Saeb Erekat continue to insist that even if a PA State would come into being, the millions of Palestinians across the Middle East still have the so-called right of return. To put it simply, first we’ll get our state, and then we are going to go after yours.Israel’s mistake is that it is keeps insisting on a State via negotiations instead of insisting that continued Palestinian intransigence will result in severe consequences. As suggested by several right-wing politicians, any UN requests for Statehood should be met with justified retaliatory measures by Israel including annexing all of Jewish Judea and Samaria as well as declaring the Oslo accords dead.It is well known that part of the nature of the agreement since day one is that neither side should take unilateral measures, which may damage the spirit of talks.Anytime Israel legally approves of housing even in consensus communities in Judea and Samaria or in Jerusalem, the Palestinians cry foul, accusing us of taking unilateral and inflammatory steps. But when they do it, as is now the case, that seems to be fair play in their minds.As an aside, I don’t think the Palestinians complained so much when Israel took a major unilateral step in 2005 by pulling all of its soldiers and civilians out of Gaza. That unilateral move, ridding Gaza of its Jews, was an exception to the rule in their minds.But let’s not forget that this isn’t the first time Palestine approached the UN seeking recognition. In 1988 the PLO was designated as Palestine within the UN system. Yasser Arafat of course was present and addressed the General Assembly with his gun holster attached.And now 23 later that entity under the PA is seeking to become a full State member. Whether the General Assembly approves the vote (and it will) or not, and whether it’s via the UN or through negotiations, what makes the most sense is for Israel to take the issue of Palestinian Statehood off the agenda entirely.
Op-Ed: Words, Words, Words - But They Count-Published: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 1:46 PM-America and Israel's very existence shames, taunts, dwarfs, offends, the dysfunctional apartheid tyrannies.Prof. Phyllis Chesler
Words matter. They can enlighten or confuse us.Despite what the western mainstream media say, Muslim terrorists are not merely militants.An armed terrorist is not an activist.Contrary to myth, an Israeli settler is not a colonizer—although many Muslims, who have settled in Europe and who have created hostile, violent, and separatist enclaves, (no go zones), are essentially colonizing Europe in order to establish a European Caliphate.Europe is gone. My Muslim and ex-Muslim dissident friends agree that the UK, France, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Sweden, and Switzerland—are gone, all gone.America and Canada are still standing—as is Israel. However, Muslim-majority countries are themselves increasingly the victims of Islamist takeovers that are far bloodier than what is happening in the West. All across the Muslim world, women have disappeared from view, their faces and bodies increasingly covered. They are wearing the totalitarian Islamist flag totally or partially on their faces, heads, shoulders, arms, and bodies.However, Americans and Europeans have been trained, madrassa style, to believe that terrorism is not really a major threat, that it has nothing to do with Muslims, Islam, Islamism, or the Qu’ran or a Palestinian State—but even if it does, we have only ourselves to blame for having colonized and occupied Muslim holy lands.
Israel is long familiar with this specific accusation. Some Americans are only now just beginning to realize that, like Israel, our alleged crime is that of daring to exist, and to exist as modern, democratic, nation states with a free press and a commitment to human rights, women’s rights, religious rights etc.America and Israel's very existence shames, taunts, dwarfs, offends, the dysfunctional apartheid tyrannies. This shame will only cease when we cease to exist. This assessment is hotly denied because, if one actually believes it, one understands that we may be facing a one hundred year religious war, with Palestinian statehood a step towards it.Just as Westerners are being indoctrinated in our secular madrassas, wave upon wave of Muslim children and young adults are being taught in religious madrassas that Allah wants Muslims to become terrorists in order to murder infidels, that if they happen to kill other Muslims by accident, it does not matter.A recent documentary on HBO, (of all places), depicts bloody and merciless Islamic suicide bombings in Muslim-majority countries (Jordan, Indonesia, Iraq, Pakistan); we see footage that is rarely shown in the politically correct mainstream American media. The film, Killing in the Name Of is about a religious Muslim crusader, Jordanian Ashraf Al-Khaled, whose Amman wedding had been blown to bits by Muslim terrorists who were tied to Al Qaeda.Thereafter, Ashraf launches a one-man crusade to talk to Muslim terrorists and to the next generation of terrorists about Islam as a peaceful, not a violent religion. He opposes the use of Islam to teach hate and violence. Ashraf talks on camera with the terrorists who carried out the Bali bombing and with young boys in an Indonesian madrassa. He also interviews an Indonesian Muslim recruiter, (Zaid), who assures him that he can prepare someone to commit a suicide operation in one month.
Ashraf was mainly concerned about the high Muslim-on-Muslim, not the high Muslim-on-infidel casualty count. Zaid found Ashraf, misguided, short-sighted, too soft, even narrow. Zaid explained that even though so many Muslims are being killed by Muslim terrorists that the (Bali) hotel was targeted because Jews and Crusaders would be nearby.The Bali terrorists, who had already served their sentences, regretted nothing. They have dedicated their lives to a Higher Cause, that of terrorizing and subduing infidels in order to establish a global caliphate. They say so themselves. The twelve to fourteen year old Indonesian madrassa boys are completely brainwashed, hardened, and view Ashraf as a fool or some kind of idiot. Murdering, maiming, and doing so in Allah’s name, is the only thing that gives their lives any meaning.I don’t know how many Americans watched this program nor do I know if they drew the same conclusions that I drew. I must note that the film’s title stops short of telling us in whose name these terrorists kill. It is Allah, of course, but perhaps this simple truth might be seen as Islamophobic, or racist, and racially insensitive.In my view, words matter, both what is said, and what is left unsaid.Clearly, the Islamic jihadic threat to civilians the world over is huge. Israelis, and now Americans, understand the dangers of asymmetrical warfare, the hidden propaganda costs of being forced to fight armed terrorists dressed in civilian clothing, who hide behind civilians, in hospitals, ambulances, mosques, and churches, who are not necessarily state actors, who slip in and out of other people’s countries, who cry that their rights to national recognition are being abrogated, and who are being increasingly joined by home-grown and radicalized third and fourth generation Western terrorists.They increasingly have access to biological and nuclear weapons.These are among the charmers who have consistently lied to the media and who were glamorized there, described as freedom fighters with a just cause, and not as dangerous death-eaters who live to hate and kill.
As I’ve said, words matter. How we name reality matters. To date, both American and European universities and the mainstream media have refused to use the word Muslim when they talk about militants, or terrorists. If pressed, the media will describe Muslims as persecuted and oppressed, not only in Muslim majority countries but in the West as well.On college campuses, all over America, 9/11 was dedicated not to mourning or heroizing the victims of 9/11 but to trying to understand Muslims and Arabs. The focus was on how they have been wronged, and what more America can do to set this right. Saudi funded pro-Islamist academics keynoted and were made available to the media.This disinformation campaign must end if America is to fight back in the war which has been declared against her and which the state of Israel has been fighting since its inception.
