Wednesday, December 07, 2016

NEARLY HALF OF ISRAELI JEWS SAY LEFT NOT LOYAL TO THE STATE.AND BIBLICAL SHEEP IN ISRAEL FOR FIRST TIME IN 1,000 YEARS.

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)

LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)

JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) 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.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)

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,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
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.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)

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;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) 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.

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE

Biblical sheep in Israel for first time in millennia-119 Jacob’s sheep, a heritage breed mentioned in Genesis, began arriving last week-By Melanie Lidman December 6, 2016, 11:50 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

The sheep have landed. After three years of high-level negotiations between the Israeli and Canadian governments, 119 heritage sheep, which trace their lineage back 5,000 years to the Middle East, began arriving in Israel on November 30. It is the first time that the breed, called Jacob’s sheep, has been represented in Israel since biblical times.Three of the 11 flights carrying the sheep have already arrived in Israel, according to Gil and Jenna Lewinsky, the shepherds who began raising these ovines on a whim in western Canada. “The first sheep arrived on the Jewish calendar the day that Noah came out of the ark, the 28th of Heshvan,” said Jenna Lewinsky.“It was beautiful to see them walk on the soil of Israel,” she said. “As a Jewish person I am so connected to the land, but to see the whole project connecting — it’s going to stay with me for the rest of my life.” Jenna Lewinsky immigrated to Israel just three weeks before the first flight of sheep came on their own baa-liyah.Genetic markings for the breed date back at least a few thousand years to the Middle East. The journey for the sheep began in ancient Syria (also the biblical home of Laban) and passed through North Africa. Moorish invaders brought the breed to Spain, and then to England, where the animal was something of a trophy sheep. A number were brought to North America, originally for zoos and then later for commercial use.The breed received the name “Jacob sheep” based on Genesis Chapter 30, where Jacob talks about leaving his father-in-law Laban’s home and taking part of the flock as his payment for years of service. “I will pass through all thy flock today, removing from thence every speckled and spotted one, and every dark one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and of such shall be my hire,” he is quoted as saying in Genesis 30:32.The path of the breed mirrors the path of Jacob to Canaan and then Egypt. While the Jews were in Egypt, the sheep were incorporated into the North African flocks. Somewhere along the way, although the Jews returned to Israel, the uniquely speckled sheep did not return with them. According to the Lewinskys, the sheep has not been found in Israel for thousands of years.Gil and Jenna Lewinsky also found meaning in the fact that the first sheep arrived during the week leading up to the reading of the Torah portion of Vayetzei, which is the first time that the uniquely speckled Jacob’s sheep are mentioned in the Torah in Genesis.The sheep’s arrival required political wrangling from Israel’s Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry and Canada’s Food Inspection Agency.The Agriculture Ministry spokeswoman said in June that Canada is not on the list of countries that are approved to export livestock to Israel, so the Jacob sheep flock was approved “under special circumstances, on a one-time basis for tourism purposes only.” The Lewinskys hope to open an educational farm, though plans in the Golan Heights town of Katzrin did not come to fruition and they are still looking for land.For now, the sheep are being held at a special private quarantine in the south of Israel, where they will stay for eight days after the arrival of the last sheep, a process that should take about a month. Afterward, the Lewinskys will rent a farm until they can find a permanent home.Gil Lewinsky said Israelis in Ofakim and Ein Habesor have welcomed them and helped build accommodations so they can stay with the sheep during the quarantine process, in order to protect against theft and wolves.Due to the El Al pilots’ strike, the Lewinskys were forced to utilize other airlines for the airlift, which will cost $80,000 to $100,000. Over the summer, El Al had agreed to subsidize 90% of the cost of bringing the sheep to Israel.Last-minute issues over the quarantine and Agriculture Ministry requirements meant the Lewinskys didn’t know when the sheep were going to arrive until the last possible moment.The saga of the sheep has garnered worldwide attention, including coverage in Israeli media, Jewish outlets, and mainstream media such as the New York Times and Modern Farmer.“It was spectacular; the [first group] arrived exactly as rain started to fall,” said Gil Lewinsky. “It was quite a relief: It’s been so hot and dry in Israel, and with all of these fires, and then suddenly we’re having a rainfall and the sheep are here.“It is so surreal to know they’re actually here, though we still have to get through the quarantine,” he added. “We are bringing part of Jewish history back to the homeland, and it’s great to be part of that.”

Christian-funded group claims a fifth of immigration in 2016, annoys Jewish Agency-Increased role of International Fellowship of Christians and Jews in bringing Jews to Israel irks main immigration body-By JTA and Times of Israel staff December 6, 2016, 11:49 am

A Christian-funded philanthropy group announced it will have helped nearly 20 percent of Jews resettle in Israel this year, claiming a much larger share of immigration than ever before and drawing the ire of the main immigration body.The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews revealed to JTA for publication Monday that it was on track to bring 4,300 Jews to Israel in 2016, accounting for 18 percent of the total immigration from overseas. The fellowship heralded its increased role in aliyah, the Hebrew term for immigrating to Israel, which means ascending in English, as “a powerful shift in Jewish immigration to Israel.”“Thanks to our millions of Christian supporters in the US and around the world, we are bringing more and more Jewish people home to Israel,” Eckstein said in a statement. “In just three years, we have become the major aliyah force in many countries, and we are determined to continue rescuing Jews around the world in the months and years ahead.”Founded by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, the fellowship is a nonprofit group that raises $180 million a year in donations for programs to benefit Israel and the Jewish people, mostly from Christians. In addition to assisting with immigration to the country, the group arranges trips and activities for immigrants inside Israel, job market guidance, child care solutions and, for needy immigrants, rent and dental care.Eckstein was a major donor to the Jewish Agency, Israel’s official aliyah provider, until 2014, when he cut ties to start his own group, creating lasting bad blood. He also helped found Nefesh B’Nefesh, another major aliyah group, but broke off relations in the early 2000s. The fellowship offers grants — $1,000 or six months’ rent for adults — beyond what immigrants receive from Israel when they immigrate through the Jewish Agency.Asked to respond to the fellowship’s statement, the Jewish Agency suggested that Eckstein’s group takes credit for and “undermines” the agency’s work and depresses overall aliyah, which the government has empowered it alone to handle, with some help from Nativ, an organization dedicated with bringing Jews to Israel from the former Soviet Union and integrating them into Jewish life in the country.“No amount of sophistry or creative accounting can change one basic fact: the only organization empowered by the State of Israel to facilitate Aliyah from around the world is The Jewish Agency,” the agency said in a statement to JTA that did not directly name the fellowship. “Whether the individual [immigrant] ultimately utilizes the plane ticket purchased for him or her by The Jewish Agency or opts to board another specially-branded plane at the last moment in exchange for financial inducements, the fact remains that it is The Jewish Agency that has made their Aliyah possible.”The statement also said: “In fact, virtually none of the countries in which the organization boasts activity have seen increases in Aliyah – the vast majority have seen Aliyah remain static or drop…It’s almost as though they have a reverse Midas touch, causing Aliyah to shrink wherever they go…as has been proven time and again, Aliyah is not an area in which competition is helpful or productive.”Eckstein has said in the past he aims to end the Jewish Agency’s “monopoly” on aliyah and increase Jewish immigration to Israel. More than 31,500 people are expected to immigrate to Israel in 2016, according to the fellowship. The Jewish Agency said some 22,000 immigrated between January and October, down from 26,000 over that period last year.The fellowship’s statement, which focused largely on its growing share of the aliyah market, claimed responsibility for more than 40 percent of the 7,600 immigrants that moved to Israel between January and September from the 19 countries where it operates. The group said it was the “dominant force for Jewish immigration to Israel from nine countries in 2016”: Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay and Venezuela.According to the fellowship, Ukraine is its “most precarious mission.” Many of the Ukrainian Jews who will immigrate with the fellowship this year were displaced from their homes, especially in eastern Ukraine, by clashes between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian troops, the group said. The fellowship said it “housed and cared for” 2,800 Ukrainian Jews in the past two years, most of whom it will bring to Israel.The fellowship said it was responsible for 77 percent of immigration from Ukraine in 2016.

Torah stolen from Republic of Georgia synagogue found destroyed-Shreds of scroll, which was removed while building was closed, found behind the building-By JTA December 6, 2016, 8:57 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

A Torah scroll taken from a synagogue in the Caucasus republic of Georgia was destroyed.Police said unknown individuals broke into the synagogue in Gori, a city located 65 miles northwest of the capital Tbilisi, while it was temporarily closed on November 26. The Jewish community discovered the damage on Friday, when they reopened the synagogue.Parts of the Torah scroll were discovered behind the synagogue building, the news website Gorskie reported. Police are investigating the incident as a break-in, not a hate crime, the news website 2030 reported.Some 4,000 Jews live in Georgia, down from more than 28,000 in 1979 as the republic coped with war and instability in the wake of the Soviet Union’s collapse.The Georgian government is supportive of Jewish life in Georgia. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili last year attended a ceremony celebrating the 120th anniversary of the synagogue in Oni, in western Georgia.Garibashvili, whose government provided some of the funding for renovations at the Oni and Tbilisi synagogues, called Georgia “the second homeland of the Jewish people.”

For first time, Israel denies entry to BDS activist-Isabel Piri belongs to World Council of Churches, which backs boycott of West Bank goods, documents rights abuse-By Sue Surkes December 6, 2016, 4:58 pm-the times of israel

For the first time, Israel on Monday refused entry to a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, Hebrew language media reported.Isabel Piri, from Malawi, arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport as a tourist, but was refused entry as information available to immigration control showed Piri was active in the World Council of Churches, which supports boycotting products from West Bank settlements.The WCC also sends volunteers from all over the world to the West Bank and East Jerusalem for periods of three months to serve as so-called “Ecumenical Accompaniers” to “experience life under occupation.”“Wearing our distinctive vests, you will accompany locals and report human rights abuses, help protect communities and keep international agencies up to date with the situation on the ground,” the program’s website says.After high-level consultations, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri decided to bar Piri from entering Israel, Channel 10 said.Giving her an entry permit would “strengthen the unacceptable activity” in which she was involved, Deri said. “I will use all the authority I have to avoid harm to Israel.”Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said BDS supporters’ only purpose was “to harm the State of Israel by collecting information and presenting it in a twisted and lying manner… to the world.”In November, a proposed law to prevent activists who call for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel from being able to visit the country passed its first reading in the Knesset.The bill has received support from both right-wing and centrist parties, while left-wing parties have decried it as anti-democratic and ultimately ineffective at addressing the BDS issue.

Likud’s Begin ousted from top committee for anti-Amona vote-Coalition chairman David Bitan suspends veteran Knesset member for 3 weeks for twice voting against Regulation Bill-By Sue Surkes December 6, 2016, 4:19 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

The chairman of the governing coalition on Tuesday suspended veteran Likud lawmaker Benny Begin from the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee a day after Begin twice voted against a bill that would recognize illegal West Bank settlement outposts built on privately owned Palestinian land.On Monday, the Knesset plenum approved a new version of the so-called Regulation Bill, a controversial measure castigated by its opponents as an illegal land grab that paves the way for Israel to recognize some 4,000 settler homes but hailed by its supporters as a precursor to some measure of annexation of the West Bank.In a letter to Begin — the son of late Likud prime minister Menachem Begin — Bitan, also from Likud, wrote that he had decided to suspend the MK for three weeks for his votes in the Knesset plenum.MK Tzipi Livni of the opposition Zionist Union and a former Likud MK, slammed Bitan for the move.“The fact that they’re suspending Benny Begin says everything about the Likud of today,” she said. “Netanyahu exploited Begin’s integrity for his own needs during the [March 2015] elections – and now runs roughshod over him and the truth in his decisions.”Begin, a hawk on Israeli-Palestinian matters who opposed the Oslo Peace Agreements signed by Israel and the Palestinians in the 1990s, has the reputation of an honest, principled and clean politician.He returned to politics last year after a period away, running on a slot reserved for a Netanyahu appointee. Begin was forced to resign as minister without portfolio after only 11 days, when Netanyahu brought Gilad Erdan into the cabinet, which pushed the number of Likud ministers over the limit agreed in the coalition agreement.

Golden statue of Netanyahu toppled in Tel Aviv plaza-Artist who placed sculpture without permission in Rabin Square says he wanted to ‘test the boundaries of free speech’-By Sue Surkes December 6, 2016, 4:43 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

A life-size golden statue of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was toppled by a passerby hours after it was erected overnight Monday in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square.By 9 a.m. Tuesday, inspectors had stuck a notice on the sculpture, which stood atop an almost two meter-high pedestal in the square named for slain prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. The notice warned that the city would remove the statue and charge the artist unless it was removed within four hours.The trickle of passersby in the morning gradually swelled to lively crowds as news of the artwork spread like wildfire on broadcast and social media. Raucous debates erupted, some good-natured, others angry, as onlookers tried to interpret what message the artist sought to convey.And as an impromptu parliament sprouted up around the statue itself, animated discussions peppered Facebook and Twitter.After lunchtime, in the midst of crowds and an argument over democracy in Israel, an unidentified man pushed the statue over, sending it toppling onto the ground. The falling figure narrowly missed former Meretz lawmaker Yael Dayan, who sat in a wheelchair nearby.By 2 p.m., the sculptor, Itay Zalait, had packed the artwork into a trailer and driven it away, leaving a trail of photographers and TV cameras in his wake.Zalait, who had given advance notice to Israeli media that he was “going to perform an underground political-artistic act which will have major media reverberations,” said in a morning interview with Channel 2 News that this was just the first in a series of artistic acts he was planning.“The aim is to test the boundaries of free speech in Israel in 2016,” he said. “What happens when I display a sculpture like this? Will it bring sanctions, such as arrest, for example? Or will it just be removed? The work was intended to get people to think, he said. “I also want to look at the public’s interaction with it, at where people take it.”“I usually deal with subjects of freedom and free choice in my art, but all the things going on around didn’t allow me to continue.”Stressing that the initiative was his alone, he added: “It’s the first time I’ve done something political….Only time will tell whether it’s provocation or foresight.”The wood and polymer statue took three months to make.Many saw in the work a reference to the biblical golden calf, worshiped by the Children of Israel while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Jewish law. One passing man said, “People think he [Netanyahu] is made of gold.” Another was reminded of statues of dictators such as Romania’s Ceausescu and Cuban strongman Fidel Castro, who died last month. “We‘re getting quite close to that,” he said.On Facebook, one man expressed the opinions of many by posting,”Ha ha… All the leftists. Let them explode! He [Netanyahu] will be with us for a long time as prime minister!” Another followed up, “Once again, the left underestimates the intelligence of Likud [the party Netanyahu heads]!”— צחי דבוש (@TsahiDabush) December 6, 2016-A resident of Elad, a religious city in central Israel, who was in the square, said the sculpture was “cool” and reflected Netanyahu’s stature.Culture Minister Miri Regev (Likud) also blasted the statue in a Facebook post.“How cut off from reality can an artist be? Israel is democratic, [with] individual rights, civil rights, moral sensitivity, an activist judiciary, free media, in short one of the free countries,” she wrote. “But [this is] disconnected art, whose one golden calf is hatred of Netanyahu.”But Yael Dayan, an activist in Peace Now and a former chair of the Tel Aviv city council, told the Haaretz newspaper that the sculpture represented a “fingers up in everyone’s face.” It conveyed the message “Just as I’m king of Amona, I’m king of Tel Aviv.”Amona is an illegal West Bank outpost built on private Palestinian land that is due to be evacuated on December 25 in line with a court order.Israeli media headlines have been dominated in recent weeks by Netanyahu’s attempts to delay the evacuation and to find a solution acceptable to the settlement community.Rabin Square is one of the starkest symbols of the deep chasm between right and left in Israel.It was here that Rabin was shot to death by a Jewish extremist as he left a peace rally on November 4, 1995. Rabin was a co-architect of the Oslo Peace Accords signed by Israel and the Palestinians in the 1990s. The deal was bitterly opposed by Israel’s right wing.

Nearly half of Israeli Jews say left not loyal to the state — poll-Majority say criticism during times of security conflict is illegitimate; plurality backs annexation; most unmoved by fears of growing anti-Semitism in US-By Marissa Newman December 6, 2016, 3:10 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

Nearly half of Jewish Israelis believe the political left is not loyal to Israel, and a majority of citizens maintain it is illegitimate to criticize the state during times of security instability, according to a poll published on Tuesday.The Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University Peace Index also found some 44 percent of Jewish Israelis favor annexation of the West Bank, compared to 38% of opponents. But Israelis are split on an outpost legalization bill that would recognize unauthorized construction on private Palestinian land — and which some politicians, from both sides of the aisle, have described as a first step in annexing the area — with 46% siding with the government position in support of the legislation, and 43% backing the attorney general’s stance opposing the bill.The poll of 600 respondents — 500 Jewish and 100 Arab — also revealed that most Israelis believe the Donald Trump administration will be supportive of Israel and downplay fears of an uptick in anti-Semitism in US as a result of the election.Most (56%) back contentious legislation that would bar mosques from using loudspeakers to broadcast the call to prayer — though a majority also believe other solutions could be reached in lieu of legal action.According to the survey results, among Jewish Israelis, 55% say “criticizing policy in times of security tension is illegitimate.”“Hence it is not surprising, though worrisome from a democratic standpoint, that almost half of Israeli Jewish citizens think the political left is not loyal to the country (48%),” the poll’s authors said. Only 43% of Jewish Israelis and 69% of Arab Israelis say the left is loyal to the state.The survey found that supporters of West Bank annexation eclipsed the opponents (44% vs. 38%). But in a separate question, Israelis were split on whether the state must give Palestinians citizenship if it extends its sovereignty over the West Bank.“As for the assertion that ‘If the territories are annexed and one state is established under Israeli rule, there will be no choice but to give the Palestinians full and equal civil rights,’ 48% disagree while 42% agree,” it said.The survey, however, did not break down whether annexation supporters were in favor of or opposed to extending citizenship to Palestinians; or, conversely, whether opponents were more or less likely to agree that the government could get away with not granting citizenship to West Bank residents,Moreover, while participants were asked whether granting citizenship was unavoidable, not preferred, the survey authors subsequently concluded that “a small but significant minority of the Jewish public supports a situation that the international community regards as apartheid.”Israelis were also divided over the Regulation Bill, with 46% aligning themselves with the government, which supports it, and 43% with the attorney general, who is against it. The question was framed around the impending evacuation of the Amona outpost, which the proposal was originally designed to avert (the retroactive provisions that would have applied to Amona have since been excised from the legislation).On another piece of legislation in the headlines, the survey found that 56% of Jewish Israelis support the bill to prevent mosques from using loudspeakers to announce the call to prayer, but 59% believe an agreement to lower the volume could be reached without the law. An overwhelming 93% of Arab respondents said a solution could be reached through other channels.Trump and Israel-Over 80% of Jewish Israelis agreed with a recent statement by Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer that “Israel has no doubt that President-elect Trump is a true friend of Israel…. We look forward to working…with all of the members of the Trump administration…and making the US-Israel alliance stronger than ever.” Among Arab Israelis, “a very similar rate thinks US-Israeli relations will flourish during Trump’s tenure, though that expectation is not necessarily to this public’s liking,” the polls said.Israelis were also largely unperturbed over fears of a rise in anti-Semitism in the US, though those identifying with the left and center were more concerned than their right-wing counterparts.“As we have seen, Israelis tend to expect the Trump administration to be sympathetic. Not surprisingly, then, a majority of the Jewish public (55%) views fears that the new president’s election will foster a rise in US anti-Semitism as unwarranted. Indeed, the fear of burgeoning US anti-Semitism in the wake of Trump’s election is considerably higher among those defining themselves as left-wing, and in the center as well, than among those defining themselves as right-wing,” it said.However, 73% of respondents said that if there is a rise in anti-Semitic sentiment in the US, the Israeli government should intervene and pressure the White House to combat the phenomenon.“This finding testifies both to Israeli Jewry’s solidarity with American Jewry and to their sense of responsibility toward them. It also reflects the Jewish public’s belief that Israel is capable of influencing the new US administration, and indicates the sort of ‘parental’ role that Israeli Jews assume toward Diaspora Jewry,” the authors said.The prevailing view among Jewish Israelis on West Bank construction was that Trump will not interfere (39%), while nearly one-quarter (23%) said he will support it, and 18% say he will prevent it. Nearly half of Arab Israelis believe Trump will actively encourage Israeli building (48%), while one-third say he won’t intervene, and 11% say he will block it.Moreover, a plurality of both Jewish Israelis (47%) and Arab Israelis (42%) believe the Trump administration will push for a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.The poll was conducted by telephone from November 29 to December 1, 2016, by the Midgam Research Institute. The margin of error was ±4.1%

Tuesday, December 06, 2016

CHINA WARNS US-TRUMP. IRAN DEAL STANDS OR ELSE.

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)

LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)

JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) 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.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)

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,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
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.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)

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;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) 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.

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE

China warns Trump: Iran nuclear deal must stand-Implementation of 2015 agreement ‘should not be affected by any changes in the domestic situations of the countries concerned,’ Beijing says-By AFP December 5, 2016, 6:39 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

BEIJING — Implementation of the Iran nuclear deal should not be “affected by any changes in the domestic situations” of countries involved, China’s foreign minister warned Monday, responding to US president-elect Donald Trump’s threats to abandon it.The agreement, signed in Vienna in July 2015 and in force since January 2016, was the signature diplomatic breakthrough of Barack Obama’s second term. It calls on Tehran to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief from the US and other nations.Trump has promised to tear up the nuclear deal once in office, calling the agreement under which it was implemented — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — the “worst deal ever negotiated.”The agreement’s implementation is the “joint responsibility and duty of all parties” and “should not be affected by any changes in the domestic situations of the countries concerned,” Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told a press conference after meeting his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.He said, “What is important is to honor commitments and place emphasis on good faith when it comes to differences or possible differences” over the deal, to which China was one of the signatories.In another possible stumbling block for the deal, the US Congress last week voted to renew longstanding sanctions linked to Iran’s ballistic missile tests and human rights record. These pre-date the controversy around Iran’s nuclear ambitions.Washington says these 10-year sanctions have nothing to do with the nuclear agreement, but Iran says the continuing restrictions breach its spirit, particularly since they have discouraged international banks from returning to the country.“We will not allow any party to unilaterally undertake any actions that are in violation of the nuclear agreement,” Zarif said.He also said he spoke with Wang about increased cooperation on energy, transport, science and technology, national defense and counter-terrorism initiatives.“We have no reservation and no ceiling for our relations with China, because we share common principles and a common agenda for the future of the global system,” Zarif said.President Xi Jinping visited Iran in January on what both foreign ministers hailed as a “historic” visit, signing a series of agreements that aim to build economic ties worth up to $600 billion within the next 10 years. It was the first such trip to Iran by a Chinese president in 14 years.Beijing has long taken a back seat to other diplomatic players in the Middle East. But analysts say the region is crucial to Xi’s signature foreign policy initiative — known as “One Belt One Road” and touted as a revival of ancient Silk Road trade routes.China, the world’s second-largest economy, also relies heavily on oil and gas from the Middle East.

Iran warns of ‘strong reaction’ if US renews sanctions bill-Tehran nuclear chief joins president and others in urging Obama to veto measure that would extend penalties for 10 years-By Times of Israel staff and Agencies December 5, 2016, 6:56 pm

VIENNA — A senior Iranian official warned the US of a “firm and strong reaction” if it persists in actions he says are endangering a nuclear deal aimed at curbing programs Tehran could use to make atomic arms.Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi’s comments Monday alluded to a bill before US President Barack Obama that would extend US sanctions by 10 years. The bill was submitted to Obama after the US Senate voted to extend it last week.The deal, signed in July 2015, lifted international sanctions in exchange for limitations on the Iranian nuclear program. But US sanctions remain and will expire on December 31 if Obama doesn’t sign the extension into law.Speaking at a nuclear security conference, Salehi urged Washington on Monday to desist from “irrational and provocative” moves.Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani also demanded that US President Barack Obama not sign the extension of US sanctions on Sunday, saying the bill is a violation of a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.Speaking in an open session of Iran’s parliament Sunday, Rouhani said Obama is “obliged” to let the sanctions expire.Rouhani promised a “prompt response” from Iran if the US sanctions are extended.“We are committed to an acceptable implementation of the deal but in response to non-commitment, violation or hesitation in its implementation, we will act promptly,” he said.Also on Sunday, Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani called on lawmakers to adopt reciprocal measures in response to the sanctions, Iran’s state-run IRNA news website reported.The comments came two days after Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the extension of sanctions against Iran and said the act is a clear violation of the landmark nuclear deal reached between Iran and the world powers last year.“The US president has agreed within the framework of the nuclear deal that he would use his authority to prevent the legislation and enforcement of any measures in violation of the deal, such as the recent act by the Congress,” said Bahram Ghasemi, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman.Earlier in November, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, warned that, “Definitely, the Islamic Republic of Iran will react” if the US sanctions were renewed.President-elect Donald Trump has promised to tear up the Iranian nuclear deal once in office, calling the agreement under which it was implemented — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — the “worst deal ever negotiated.”

New poll finds high support for Trump among Israelis-83% deem US president-elect ‘pro-Israel,’ though few believe he’ll follow through on promise of moving embassy to Jerusalem-By Times of Israel staff December 5, 2016, 5:13 pm

A new poll found that the vast majority of Israelis believe US President-elect Donald Trump will be a “pro-Israel president.”According to the poll, 83 percent of Israelis view Trump, a Republican who has made statements putting him in line with many of the Israeli government’s right-wing policies, as pro-Israel.The poll, which surveyed 500 Israelis and was conducted by the Dialog polling firm on behalf of the Ruderman Family Foundation, did not define “pro-Israel,” though it is usually used in such contexts as shorthand for being supportive of Israeli government policies.Trump has said he will seek to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, while statements by him and advisers have painted him as supporting or being willing to tolerate settlement building and recognize a unified Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, two issues on which the Benjamin Netanyahu government often clashed with US President Barack Obama over the last six years.The poll found that 48% of Israelis believe there is no chance that Trump’s election will lead to a peace deal with the Palestinians, while another 47% said there is a “possible chance.”On Trump’s promise to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, only 22% said they believe that there is a high probability he will make the move, while 49% said there is a “possible chance” and another 26% said there is no chance.Most Israelis polled also said they were not overly concerned with fears of a rise in anti-Semitism in the US in the wake of Trump’s victory, which has emboldened some racist and anti-Semitic groups, part of the so-called “alt-right.”While 32% of Israelis polled said there was concern, another 32% reported only slight concern and 20% said there was no concern. Only 16% said they were very concerned.“Israelis are optimistic that President-elect Trump will be a friend of Israel while at the same time they are concerned about the growing incidents of anti Semitism in the United States and its impact on the American Jewish community,” Ruderman Foundation head Jay Ruderman said in a statement.In regards to the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump said during the campaign he would tear up, calling it one of the worst agreements in history, 42% of Israelis believe there is no chance he will scrap the nuclear accord, with only 13% saying there is a high chance he will tear up the deal.A poll released four days prior to the election found that 49% of Israelis believed that former secretary of state Hillary Clinton would be a better candidate, whereas as only 32% preferred Trump.The preference of Clinton among Israelis was largely explained by the long history she and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, had with Israel and the familiarity of Israelis with their positions, whereas Trump was viewed by many as a wild card due to his lack of foreign policy experience and contradictory statements.

Averting crisis, coalition agrees to push outpost bill but leave out Amona-Jewish Home party backs down after settlers promised plots on absentee land nearby; Knesset to vote on controversial bill later Monday-By Times of Israel staff December 5, 2016, 5:12 pm

The government is expected to vote Monday on controversial legislation that would give the country backing to legalize settlements built on private Palestinian land, but will not include a clause to save the outpost of Amona, slated to be razed later this month.The move came after an 11th-hour compromise was reached among coalition members which will see the outpost’s residents moved to a nearby parcel of land, averting a government showdown and possibly paving the way for the peaceful evacuation of the West Bank site, which was built on private Palestinian land.The nationalist-religious Jewish Home Party, which sponsored initial legislation intended to save Amona, backed down on its demands that a clause be inserted to allow the overriding of a High Court ruling demanding the demolition of the outpost, a source in the party said.However, party leader Education Minister Naftali Bennett still painted the measure as a victory, calling it the first step toward Israeli annexation of the West Bank.“Today, the Israeli Knesset shifted from a path to establish a Palestinian state, to a path of extending sovereignty to Judea and Samaria. Let there be no doubt, the regulation bill is what will spearhead the extension of [Israeli] sovereignty,” a smiling Bennett said.The measure is expected to go before the Knesset for a preliminary reading later Monday, and will move toward passage in subsequent readings as early as Tuesday.The coalition is also attempting to convene the Ministerial Committee for Legislation for an emergency meeting Monday night to get coalition backing for the new measure, ensuring it sails through the Knesset.The last minute-deal comes a week after the Knesset passed a preliminary reading of a similar controversial bill, though with an option for the clause saving Amona added in.That version of the so-called Regulation Bill faced repeated objections from Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and efforts by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay the vote. Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon (Kulanu) said that his party would abstain from the vote if the bill contained the clause which undermined a Supreme Court ruling, setting the stage for a possible coalition crisis.After negotiations Sunday night, the Knesset will now vote on a revised version of the bill which will not prevent the evacuation of Amona but which will prevent evacuations of other outposts in the future.It appears that the new legislation will be based upon a solution proposed by Mandelblit whereby the evacuees of Amona would be housed temporarily on three plots of land administered by Israel’s Custodian for Absentees’ Property.The move would mean evacuees would have a place to stay near the original settlement, which the courts and other government bodies have repeatedly ruled was built illegally on private Palestinian land, while their new homes are completed in another settlement in the northern West Bank.The Amona outpost, founded in 1995 on a hill near Ramallah in the central West Bank, is home to about 40 families. It is the largest of about 100 unauthorized outposts — built without permission but generally tolerated by the government — that dot the West Bank.The outpost is slated to be evacuated by December 25, though settlers there have vowed to resist the order, leading to fears of a repeat of violent clashes when homes were razed there in 2006.Speaking at the Likud faction meeting in the Knesset Monday, Netanyahu said he and his party “understand the difficult plight of the residents, and we value their dedication.”Netanyahu explained that the government sought new solutions that remained within the law in order to solve the issue.“True, they will have to move a few dozen meters, but they will be able to remain in the area and that is very good news,” Netanyahu said.Kahlon said that he had proven his own leadership qualities by not allowing legislation that would have undermined the court ruling.“You cannot protect the settlers without protecting the rule of law,” he said at the start of the weekly Kulanu faction meeting.MK Bezalel Smotrich (Jewish Home), one of the sponsors of the original legislation to save Amona, said that he has mixed feelings about the bill.“It is not perfect, but it is certainly an achievement,” he said.Marissa Newman and Raoul Wootliff contributed to this article.

Jeremiah Kerry laments an Israel that wouldn’t heed his warnings-A better, safer future is available, the secretary argues in a bitter valedictory appearance, but the settlers and their champions are destroying it-By David Horovitz December 4, 2016, 11:29 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

It seems increasingly unlikely, though not impossible, that the Obama administration will lend its hand to a resolution that might discomfit the Israeli government at the UN, or otherwise seek to bequeath a framework for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Outgoing Secretary of State John Kerry did a great deal more than discomfit the prime minister and his coalition on Sunday, however. In remarks at the Saban Forum in Washington, DC, Kerry unloaded almost four years of bitter frustration at Benjamin Netanyahu and his colleagues, warned that Israel is heading toward “a place of danger,” and cited the settlement enterprise as the central catalyst for that potential disaster.A different, brighter future, he indicated, was attainable for Israel. But the settlers were destroying it, he said. And his unfortunate role, he made sadly clear, had been to serve these past four years as the prophet who can see the tragedy approaching, but whose warnings go unheeded.No, said the secretary, ceding a point to Netanyahu, who had spoken by satellite just before him, the settlements “are not the cause of the conflict.” But, Kerry repeated several times, they most certainly constitute a core “obstacle” to its solution. “Let’s not kid each other here,” he advised. “You can’t just wipe it away by saying it doesn’t have an impact. It does have an impact.”He didn’t blame Netanyahu personally for utilizing settlements with the deliberate goal of ensuring that there can be no two-state solution. But the Israeli right, Kerry said, was strategically bringing more and more Jews into the West Bank, and locating them in very specific locations, with precisely that goal — to ensure that there could be no viable Palestinian state. And Netanyahu was presiding over the process.Twenty-thousand more Jews now live in the settlements than when President Barack Obama first took office, he said, dozens of illegal outposts were in the process of being legalized, and this ongoing process “narrows and narrows the capacity for peace,” he lamented.Plainly determined to use the event, one of his last opportunities as secretary, to set out his vision and the reasons for his failure to bring it to fruition, Kerry insisted that he spoke as a friend of Israel, as a diplomat who had never sought to impose a solution, and as a strategic ally who had always respected Israel’s security needs.The way he told it, his has been a thankless task — essentially trying to save Israel from itself, and specifically from the short-sighted, right-wing settlement-builders, the advocates of Greater Israel who will either cost Israel its Jewish majority or its democracy, or both, by gradually preventing separation from the millions of West Bank Palestinians. “Sometimes there’s a proclivity to shoot the messenger,” he observed wryly.Most of the current Israeli ministers are on record opposing Palestinian statehood, he noted unhappily. And the settlements are their tool. The ongoing building is backed by the right “because they don’t want peace,” he said flatly. “They want to block peace,” said Kerry. “That’s the history of the settler movement, my friends.”Vouchsafing new details of his 2013-2104 deal-making efforts, now that he’s so close to the end of his term, Kerry detailed some of the security provisions that, he argued, could enable a substantial Israeli withdrawal, and facilitate a small, demilitarized Palestinian “city state” in the West Bank. The Jordanians were ready to build a sophisticated security fence on their side of the Jordan Valley, and the Palestinians on their side. Israeli troops would have been able to helicopter to trouble spots in minutes. There were “all kinds of ways” for Israel to deploy its soldiers in times of crisis, he said, referring to the proposals memorably castigated by then defense minister Moshe Ya’alon in 2014 as “not worth the paper they’re printed on.”Plainly still unpersuaded that Israel’s objections were truly based on concerns about extremist forces filling any West Bank vacuum left by a departing IDF, the secretary referred vaguely to “political decisions” in Israel that had thwarted his efforts — apparently suggesting that Netanyahu, though he recognizes the dangers of a binational state, has lacked the will to face down the hawks in the wider interests of the country. Stability and tranquility were not out of reach for Israel, Kerry suggested, but wouldn’t be attained if “all the time you are building up your presence” in what the Palestinians see as their state. And as for that idea beloved by Netanyahu of a regional Arab peace first, and accommodation with the Palestinians somewhere down the line, forget about it. “There will be no separate peace with the Arab world,” he insisted.And was it too late for two states, now, he was asked? “We haven’t (passed the tipping point),” he sighed, “but we’re getting…” He trailed off.In resisting the Obama-Kerry effort, Ya’alon had reportedly declared in January 2014 that Kerry was “messianic” and “inexplicably obsessive” in his quest for an accord and that “all that can save us is for John Kerry to win a Nobel Prize and leave us in peace.” Kerry didn’t get his Nobel, of course, and Israel, it would appear, managed to deflect him quite effectively.Kerry never dented Netanyahu’s conviction that today’s Middle East, with its vicious unpredictability, is no place for high-risk territorial compromise. And Netanyahu never dented Kerry’s belief that Israel’s fundamental self-interest requires working energetically toward a two-state accord. With Netanyahu’s satellite time from Jerusalem concluding just before Kerry spoke, Sunday thus marked possibly the last round in their dialogue of the deaf.

Knesset committee moves to cut men’s IDF service to 30 months-Proposal will go to plenum for final readings before becoming law; plan expected to decrease number of soldiers-By Judah Ari Gross December 5, 2016, 12:58 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

A plan to shorten the mandatory army service for men from 32 to 30 months was approved by the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday, putting it on track to being signed into law.The proposed amendment will now move to the Knesset plenum, where it must pass second and third readings before it can become law. If accepted, the shortened service time would go into effect beginning in 2020.It is the second cut to service requirements proposed in recent years. Beginning in July 2015, male soldiers had their required service time decreased from 36 to 32 months, as part of the army’s attempts to streamline. Neither the current bill nor the previous one affects the mandatory service for women, who serve for two years unless they’ve volunteered for units that require an extended service.According to army forecasts, both the current drop to 32 months and the further decrease to 30 will result in a noticeable reduction in the number of male soldiers serving in the IDF in the coming years.Figures presented by the IDF’s Manpower Directorate last month showed a drop in many crucial positions as a result of the new 32-month service, including in the number of combat soldiers, drivers, soldiers in cyber units and officers.Yet Brig. Gen. Eran Shani, head of human resources in the Manpower Directorate, assured the committee members that Israel’s security would not be affected by the decrease in the overall number of conscripted soldiers, as the army’s total fighting force is more than two-thirds reservists.“Wars are decided by the reserves, not by the standing army,” Shani told the committee last month.“The army would be happy to have soldiers… but there are other things the country needs,” he said.Committee members Amir Ohana and Rachel Azaria, from Likud and Kulanu, respectively, praised the measure, noting its potentially positive influence on the Israeli economy as more people would join the workforce, as well as its immediate impact on individual soldiers.“These are good tidings for the Israeli market. An early release to the workforce will strengthen the market and will help with the State of Israel’s economic challenges,” Azaria said in a statement.“This is good news for those serving and for Israeli society — and it is without harming the security of the nation,” Ohana said.However, though the legislation has advanced, it was not without criticism.Throughout the debate on the topic, committee member MK Eyal Ben-Reuven (Zionist Union), a former IDF general, expressed reservations at approving such a bill when the army’s General Staff has yet to conduct a thorough investigation into its full ramifications.“Without proper staff-level work by the IDF that defines what it wants and what it needs for the years in question, it’s not right to pass this law now,” Ben-Reuven said during a discussion on the issue last month.

Top Arab MK seeks incitement probe against Netanyahu over arson claims-Ayman Odeh to ask attorney general to investigate PM’s statements that seemed to implicate Arabs in rash of blazes-By Times of Israel staff December 5, 2016, 5:06 pm

The leader of the opposition Joint (Arab) List announced on Monday that he would seek to have Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu investigated for incitement over remarks he made that seemed to accuse Arab Israelis of deliberately setting fires.Ayman Odeh said he would issue a formal request for Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to probe Netanyahu for incitement.Odeh was responding to remarks made by officials during the recent wave of devastating fires that appeared to implicate Arabs as arsonists.He said that if any of the blazes were deliberately set, the arsonists should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.However, despite claims by politicians, fire and police officials say it is not clear how many of the rash of fires that wreaked havoc across the country were set deliberately.During the course of six days which saw firefighters battling 1,773 blazes across the country, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan told Army Radio that almost half the fires were caused by arson.However, fire officials said they could not confirm those figures.During the fires, which finally died down on November 27, Netanyahu said several times that some of the fires were arson, which he termed “terrorism.” He and others pledged to work to strip anyone found guilty of their residency.“Anyone who tries to burn parts of the State of Israel will be punished severely,” he said last month.Around 35 people were arrested on suspicion of committing arson or inciting others to do so. All were Arabs.However, Channel 2 revealed Saturday that just 10 people were still in custody for suspected arson, and the rest of the detainees were released unconditionally.Only two indictments have been filed, one of them for burning garbage.There were no suspects in large fires in Haifa and Zichron Ya’akov, the channel reported, nor were there any suspects — or even definitive proof that arson was involved.Herzl Aharon, the head of the investigation into the fires, suggested people should downplay claims that the blazes were started deliberately, casting doubt on politicians’ cries of “arson terrorism” during and in the aftermath of efforts to contain the flames.“When I don’t know, I say I don’t know. I’m not embarrassed – even ‘I don’t know’ is an answer,” Aharon told Channel 2.“We still don’t know anything. I wish I had a direction,” he said.“I go to a place and get an insight — and then I go to another place and everything changes. This is what you call a illusion of the topography, the bedlam of the mountainous region, and it is very difficult to investigate.”Yoram Schweitzer, an expert in counter-terrorism at the Institute for National Security Studies, said, “We would do well to dispense as much as possible with the widespread tradition in Israel of determining whether something is a terrorist incident long before it is proven to be so.”“We should wait patiently, despite the mob clamor for blood and the fervor of politicians to point the finger at entire groups when it is clear that these were acts by individuals, as this only helps those who want to cause provocation.”Some 527 apartments were totally destroyed in Haifa, the worst-hit area, from which 75,000 people had to be evacuated at the height of the blazes.Odeh also slammed a bill that would ban mosques from using loudspeakers to broadcast the early morning call to prayer, saying it’s a “decree that the community will not be able to withstand.”And he maintained that the so-called Regulation Bill, which would legalize some West Bank outposts built with state assistance, would lead Israeli leaders to be sued at the ICC, as Netanyahu has reportedly warned.“I recommend they hire lawyers,” he said of Israeli politicians spearheading the legislation.

US lawmakers look to expand definition of anti-Semitism for schools-House legislation, mirroring Senate bill passed last week, would outline when Israel criticism crosses into anti-Semitism-By JTA December 5, 2016, 6:23 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan slate of leading members of the US House of Representatives introduced a bill that would expand how the Department of Education defines anti-Semitism in advising learning institutions on how to identify discrimination.The bill introduced December 2 by Reps. Peter Roskam, R-Ill, and Ted Deutch, D-Fla, replicates a similar bill passed last week by the Senate, which was sponsored by Sens. Tim Scott, R-SC, and Bob Casey, D-Pa.The bill has the backing of senior House members, including Reps. Eliot Engel, D-NY, Nita Lowey, D-NY and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla.The bill expands previous guidelines sent periodically to educational institutions receiving federal funding to define anti-Semitism according to a definition first published by the State Department in 2010.That bill adopts the European Parliament Working Group on Anti-Semitism’s definition: “Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”Both definitions also outline when criticism of Israel crosses into anti-Semitism, citing the “three Ds” first advanced by Natan Sharansky, the Israeli politician and former prisoner of the Soviet Gulag: demonization, double standard and delegitimization.The Anti-Defamation League, which has led lobbying for the legislation, said the bill, should it become law, “addresses a core concern of Jewish and pro-Israel students and parents: When does the expression of anti-Semitism, anti-Israel sentiment and anti-Zionist beliefs cross the line from First Amendment protected free expression to unlawful discriminatory conduct?”A number of left-wing and pro-Palestinian groups have criticized the legislation, saying the Israel-related language is too vague and would inhibit debate on campus about Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.“It mis-classifies criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism and aims to ensure that the Department of Education will investigate and suppress criticism of Israel on campus,” said a statement by Open Hillel, a loose network of campus groups that reject restrictions on engagement with other students that exist under the aegis of the more established Jewish student umbrella, Hillel.

Monday, December 05, 2016

ONTARIO CANADA PASSES MOTION REJECTING ISRAEL BOYCOTT MOVEMENT.

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)

LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)

JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) 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.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)

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,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
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.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)

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;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) 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.

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE

Ontario passes motion rejecting Israel boycott movement-Lawmakers describe BDS campaign as thinly-veiled anti-Semitism which threatens and silences Jewish students-By JTA December 4, 2016, 8:41 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

TORONTO — Ontario has become the first Canadian province to reject the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS, campaign against Israel.Ontario’s legislature on December 1, by a vote of 49 to 5, passed a motion rejecting “the differential treatment of Israel, including the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.” All five opposing votes came from the left-leaning New Democratic Party.The vote came six months after it voted down a proposed bill that called on the province to stop doing business with companies, pension funds, foundations and colleges and universities that support BDS. That measure, which was a proposed law, rather than the largely symbolic motion passed December 1, was defeated by a vote of 39 to 18.Last February, Canada’s House of Commons passed a motion condemning “any and all attempts by Canadian organizations, groups or individuals to promote the BDS movement, both here at home and abroad” by a vote of 229 to 51.Lawmakers speaking for the Ontario motion described BDS as thinly-veiled anti-Semitism that has silenced debate and intimidated Jewish students at universities.“We would not be here supporting the Ku Klux Klan on our campuses, so why are we allowing [the] BDS movement and other anti-Jewish and anti-Israel organizations to have demonstrations and use our campuses, which are taxpayer-funded?” asked the motion’s sponsor, Conservative legislator Gila Martow, who represents a large Jewish constituency.Those opposing the motion argued it silences legitimate dissent.Canadian Jewish organizations were pleased by the motion’s passage, with the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs calling it a “principled declaration that, just as Ontarians rightly oppose all forms of discrimination… rejects BDS and other bigoted campaigns against Israelis.”

Liberman plays down centrality of Trump’s pledge to move US embassy to Jerusalem-‘We’ve seen this promise in every election,’ defense minister says. ‘It’s very important, but we have other issues’-By Rebecca Shimoni Stoil December 3, 2016, 6:51 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

WASHINGTON — Israel’s defense minister on Friday played down the centrality of moving the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, telling a gathering of the Saban Forum here that “It’s very important, but we have other issues.”Several members of the Israeli coalition have hailed the election of Donald Trump as representing the best opportunity of seeing the US relocate its embassy to Jerusalem, and thus signaling recognition of Israeli claims to the city.Whereas outgoing President Barack Obama on Thursday maintained a 20-year US policy of waiving legislation to move the embassy, thereby delaying its relocation for another six months, Trump promised on the campaign trail to “move the American embassy to the eternal capital of the Jewish people, Jerusalem,” and to do so “fairly quickly.”But Liberman on Friday evening downplayed the significance of that pledge. “We’ve seen this promise [from US presidential candidates] in every election,” Liberman noted.“We will wait and we will see, but I think [Trump’s statement] is a strong public commitment,” he said. But he stressed that “what is really crucial for us is to meet with a new administration about all our common policy, not just one issue, not only one point like the American embassy. It’s very important but we have other issues.”Liberman listed “Iran and the Palestinian issue and settlements and Syria” as key topics to discuss with the incoming administration. “We have enough challenges all around Israel,” he added. “I think that it will be a mistake to take the embassy as the focal point. It is crucial to move forward with the whole agenda, and we have many items on our agenda, and the embassy will be one of the points.”Noting a “de facto freeze” in construction at West Bank settlements, Liberman said that “the main reason is not because we really don’t want to build homes in Judea and Samaria or Jerusalem, but because we had disagreements with the American administration.”The key to the future of the settlements lies in “understandings with the United States, not only our desire,” he continued. “We’re not in a vacuum. For the past eight years it was a problem,” he added, describing construction over the pre-1967 lines as a “main source” of tensions between the Netanyahu and Obama administrations.With Israeli politicians poised on Monday to begin the process of legislating the “Amona Bill,” Liberman also said that the legislation should be postponed until Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government can meet with the incoming Trump administration.“My proposal is to wait for the new administration and to create together with the administration a common policy,” Liberman said.Built on private Palestinian land, the Amona outpost has been the subject of 15 years of court deliberations that finally ended in 2014 with a High Court of Justice order that it be demolished by December 25, 2016. Many legislators are seeking a means to outflank the court ruling, or at least to prevent the demolition of other outposts, but such efforts have been repeatedly stymied and have prompted legal objections including from the Israeli attorney general.Most of the focus during the annual confab’s opening session was on Middle East policy in the incoming Trump administration.The defense minister stressed that the international community “must put [Syrian President Bashar] Assad in his place,” and that the United States under Trump must take the initiative.“From our point of view the United States is the biggest power in the world. It’s their responsibility. The time for splendid isolation was maybe a hundred years ago,” he argued, pushing back against statements made in the past by Trump and his supporters suggesting that the US should focus away from some of its international entanglements.“It is impossible to speak about isolation,” Liberman continued, arguing that Trump’s position jibed with his own. “The president-elect speaks about military power, a strong army, a powerful US, and I think the biggest challenge here in the US is ISIS [Islamic State] also.”Liberman stressed that if Trump hopes to reduce the risk posed by Islamic State to America, he must “start in the Middle East.”He argued that the US must reassert its presence in the Syrian conflict as well.“We hope that regarding Syria he will be active, and regarding the solutions, to speak frankly, it is impossible to achieve any solution without active American participation in this process. We need a strong America, we need an American active at least in our region, and I hope we will agree about a common vision regarding the future of the Middle East.”

Netanyahu: Notwithstanding Obama or Trump, Israel does ‘what it wants’ on settlements-PM says he plans to bring up ‘bad’ Iran deal with president-elect, stop Tehran getting the bomb; claims Israel’s press is uniquely critical of him-By Eric Cortellessa and Tamar Pileggi December 4, 2016, 9:03 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

WASHINGTON — Israel’s settlement policy is not governed by the United States and the incoming Trump administration will not change that, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the annual Brookings Institution’s Saban Forum for Middle East Policy on Sunday.In his comments delivered via video link, the prime minister also said he would raise the “bad” Iran nuclear deal with president-elect Donald Trump, and urged continued US intervention in the Middle East. He also appeared to brush off fears of an uptick in anti-Semitism in the US, noting that the fringe trend of anti-Jewish hatred was a feature of all democracies.During the event, Netanyahu was asked whether Trump’s incoming administration will allow Israel to do whatever it wants regarding settlement building in the West Bank.“Well, I think we have been doing what we want,” Netanyahu told host Haim Saban.Right-wing politicians have contended that settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has nearly ground to a halt under the Obama administration, which forcefully condemns any building over the Green Line.In remarks delivered at the symposium titled “Challenges for the Trump Administration in the Middle East,” Netanyahu said the US should maintain its longstanding position of exerting power in the Middle East, in a departure from Trump, who has spoken of curbing US intervention in Middle East regional affairs.“I believe the US is the indispensable power in the world and in the Middle East, and I believe it must remain so,” he said.Trump has a “clear vision of America’s role,” Netanyahu said, citing recent conversations with him as a candidate and president-elect.Netanyahu in his remarks also reiterated his opposition to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, and said that stance wouldn’t change under a Trump administration.“Israel is committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons,” he said. “That has not changed and will not change. As far as President-elect Trump — I look forward to speaking to him about what to do about this bad deal.”“Since the deal was signed, Iran has become a more aggressive power,” he said, accusing Tehran of developing missiles that can reach the United States.“We have to stop Iran’s march to the bomb; its development of long-range missiles; its support for terrorism in the Middle East and throughout the world,” he said.Netanyahu declined to respond to a question on whether military action was on the table to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, saying only: “We’re committed.”In his comments, Netanyahu appeared to downplay fears of a global rise in anti-Semitism — including the surge of hate crimes in the US in the wake of 2016 US presidential election — describing the trend as a fringe phenomenon.“Anti-Semitism has always been there, even in healthy democracies,” he said, expressing confidence in the US ability to combat the bigotry.Turning to the peace process, Netanyahu reiterated his support for a two-state solution, but blamed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for the moribund peace talks.“I haven’t changed my vision for two states for two peoples, it’s the only way we’ll get to peace. The core of the conflict is the Palestinians’ refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state,” Netanyahu charged. “This is what’s always driven the conflict.”The Israeli premier accused Abbas of “refusing” to negotiate despite being prodded by Jerusalem “hundreds” of times. He said he did not understand why “the press doesn’t get” that Israel is willing to negotiate and the Palestinians are the “rejectionists.”Pressed about whether world leaders believe in his resolve to reach peace with the Palestinians is genuine, Netanyahu asserted that “the majority of the world’s governments” understand that Israel “is a force of moderation” and a “beacon of tolerance” in a “dark” Middle East.Netanyahu said that when world leaders routinely ask him about the status of peace talks, he responds: “I’m prepared to stop everything I’m doing right now, and I want you to invite me to your country (to talk peace with the Palestinians)… right away, no preconditions.”But then, those governments send envoys to Ramallah and return empty-handed because Abbas is unwilling to engage in direct talks, he said.In light of Abbas’s attitude, Netanyahu said the best approach to peace building would be a “regional” one. “Going through UN resolutions is not the way to advance peace,” he said.He also dismissed a question about Israel’s increased isolation in the international community, and efforts to boycott Israel over its policies regarding the Palestinians.Netanyahu said he was not worried about the boycott movement, because many countries seek out Israelis technology and proven track record fighting terror. They also know Israel wants peace, he asserted. Automatic voting majorities against Israel in the UN were also starting to change, he said.He stressed that, in the Middle East, only the strong survive. “Nobody makes peace with the weak,” he said. “In the Middle East, the weak don’t survive… The strong and the smart survive.”In his final remarks, Netanyahu derided the notion that Israel’s press is not free, saying it was more free than in any other country worldwide, and that he was attacked by the Israeli media more than any other home leader is attacked by the press in other countries. “There is no country [whose press] attacks its leader more than the Israeli press attacks me,” he said.

PM looking for Amona solution as residents vow resistance-Outpost leaders threaten to ‘block bulldozers with our bodies’; Netanyahu says state will request 30-day extension on demolition deadline-By Raoul Wootliff December 4, 2016, 12:50 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday the state would request a month-long extension on the deadline to evacuate the Amona settlement outpost while working to find a solution, as residents warned they would block the imminent evacuation with their bodies.“We are working around the clock to find a responsible solution that is acceptable to everyone,” Netanyahu said at Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting, “and I expect all ministers and Knesset members to respect it.”His call came after an Amona resident sent him a letter warning that they would physically block an attempted evacuation.“In the case that heavy machinery arrives to remove us from the mountain, we and our children will block the bulldozers with our bodies,” said the letter sent to Netanyahu on Thursday and released to the public Saturday night. “We are calling on all our supporters to join the struggle.”A meeting between Netanyahu and Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennet — whose party is pushing to cancel to demolition — ended without resolution on Saturday night, as the two tried to reach a compromise. A Jewish Home source told The Times of Israel that a further meeting — planned for Sunday — would not take place.After over a decade of legal wrangling, the High Court of Justice ruled in 2014 that the Amona outpost, near Ramallah, which was founded in 1996 and is home to some 40 families, was built on privately-owned Palestinian land and ordered it razed by December 25.Netanyahu told ministers the state will petition the High Court of Justice for a 30-day deferral of the deadline for the evacuation in order to properly prepare alternative housing.The issue has galvanized pro-settlement politicians who have sought legislative ways to circumvent the court’s decision. But proposals to grant the state the ability to seize the private land for Amona residents have been met with vociferous opposition from officials and political leaders.The controversial “Regulation Bill” — which would prevent settlements built on private land from being demolished if they were built with state assistance — is due to face its first Knesset reading on Monday but disagreement remains over a clause to retroactively include Amona.Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has proposed a compromise wherein the residents of Amona would temporarily move into three plots of land nearby that is administered by Israel’s Custodian for Absentees’ Property. They would live there while their new homes are completed in another settlement in the northern West Bank.But Amona residents have dismissed the offer, writing in their letter to the prime minster that it would involve a huge waste of state funds and still force them to leave their homes.“It is simply absurd that the State of Israel is willing to spend fifty million shekels to move Amona’s residents to a nearby hill where they will only be allowed to remain for eight months, after which the government will spend more money on expelling them again,” they wrote.Speaking on Israel Radio Sunday morning, head of the Campaign for Amona Avichai Baron, said the deal was just a delaying tactic and that residents would oppose the move with the same force as they would the complete destruction of the settlement.“We are talking about kicking us out, uprooting us.” he said. “We will stand with our bodies in a passive protest to this deal. We don’t plan to use violent but yes we will prevent it with our bodies.”Currently, Israeli security forces are preparing for the possibility of violent clashes to accompany the outpost’s demolition.Last Monday, some 120 rabbis, who identify with the national religious camp called for “all who are able” to come to Amona and “vigorously protest the destruction of the settlement, with passive resistance and without violence.”That call came a day before dozens of Israeli youths burned tires and blocked a major West Bank highway in protest of the planned demolition.In 2006, over 220 people were injured in clashes with security forces during the destruction of numerous homes in the outpost.To prevent a repeat scenario, Israeli forces — soldiers, border guards, and uniformed and undercover police officers — will likely try to keep as many people away as possible with the area set to be declared a “closed military zone,” in the days running up to the December 25 deadline.Judah Ari Gross contributed to this report.

Kerry, in stinging rebuke of settlements, doesn’t rule out UN action-Outgoing US secretary of state excoriates Netanyahu government, slams Naftali Bennett for ‘disturbing’ remarks on two-state solution-By Rebecca Shimoni Stoil December 4, 2016, 9:47 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State John Kerry excoriated the Israeli right, claiming that support for settlement construction stems from a desire to subvert Israeli-Palestinian peace during a speech before the Brookings Institution’s Saban Forum on Sunday afternoon.A visibly subdued Kerry, wearing reading glasses and referring to extensive notes, notably refused to promise to veto any UN resolution intended to establish a Palestinian state, only promising a veto “if it is a biased unfair resolution calculated to delegitimize Israel.”US officials last week indicated that US President Barack Obama had nearly ruled out any major last-ditch effort to put pressure on Israel over stalled peace negotiations with the Palestinians, including at the United Nations.Kerry, who will end his tenure as secretary of state in January, warned the audience that “you can fight about where we are in this process, but I’ll tell you this: There is no status quo. It is getting worse. It is moving in the wrong direction.”In his lengthy address, Kerry accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of suffering from a lack of leadership, and explicitly cited Education Minister Naftali Bennett’s recent comments lauding the demise of the two-state solution as “profoundly disturbing.”Hours after Netanyahu emphasized in his video address before the forum that settlements are not the cause of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Kerry challenged Netanyahu’s broader claim that failure to recognize Israel as a Jewish state is at the heart of the failure to reach an agreement.Settlements, Kerry said, “are not the cause of this conflict. But…if you have a whole bunch of people who are strategically locating outposts and settlements in an area so that there will not be a contiguous Palestinian state, they are doing it to be an obstacle to peace.”Kerry said that he was certain that settlement construction was intended to serve as just such an obstacle.“I cannot accept the notion that [settlements] don’t affect the peace process, that they aren’t a barrier to the ability to create peace,” Kerry argued. “The left in Israel is telling everyone that it is a barrier to peace and the right, which supports it, is openly telling people that they support it because they don’t want peace. They believe in greater Israel.”Kerry singled out Bennett as one such voice. “Out of the mouths of ministers in the current government have come profoundly disturbing sentiments,” he admonished, citing the minister’s claim that Israel had reached “the end of the two-state solution.”“We have not passed the tipping point but we’re getting there,” Kerry warned.During his video address, Netanyahu was asked whether Donald Trump’s incoming administration will allow Israel to do whatever it wants regarding settlement building in the West Bank.“Well, I think we have been doing what we want,” Netanyahu told host Haim Saban.Right-wing politicians have contended that settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has nearly ground to a halt under the Obama administration, which forcefully condemns any building over the Green Line.The secretary of state also strongly disavowed proposals voiced by a series of Israeli legislators to first negotiate an agreement with neighboring Arab states, and only then to sit at the table with the Palestinians.“There will be no separate peace between Israel and the Arab world. Let me make that clear to you,” Kerry insisted, saying that his conclusion had been reaffirmed in recent weeks through talks with Arab leaders. “There will be no advance or separate peace in the Arab world without advancing the Palestinian issue. Everybody needs to understand that. That is a hard reality.”Kerry acknowledged that while every American administration in the past four decades has opposed settlement construction, the United States had not managed to effectively use its leverage to get Israel to cease construction.Alongside his critique of what Kerry described as “continued settlement process that narrows the capacity for peace,” the secretary of state also noted that “there has simultaneously been a process of demolition of Palestinian homes.” Kerry cited 11,000 standing demolition orders against Palestinian-constructed buildings in the West Bank, while noting that only one Palestinian building was granted official construction approval in Area C between 2014-2015.Kerry repeated warnings commonly heard over the past four years that if a two-state solution is not achieved, Israel will be untenable as a Jewish and democratic state.“So how does this work?” Kerry probed. “How do you have a one state that is Jewish and democratic and also has provisions in place for Israel’s security?”“What’s your vision of a unitary state?” he continued. “If Palestinians are majority, will there be a Palestinian prime minister of Israel? AP contributed to this report.

At Fatah congress, Rajoub — and Abbas — walk away with big wins-In pulling off conference without a hitch and sidelining rival Dahlan, PA president has good reason to be pleased… for now-By Avi Issacharoff December 4, 2016, 6:03 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

The Palestinian news agencies on Sunday published the first results in the Fatah Central Committee elections for key positions in the political party.Coming in first place was Marwan Barghouti, held in Israeli prison for murder after orchestrating deadly terror attacks during the Second Intifada, followed by Jibril Rajoub, the head of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA). For months, Rajoub has been seen as the most popular personality in Fatah, after Bargouhti, of course, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.Next on the list are Mahmud Eshtawi, Hussein Eshtawi and Muhammed Al-Alul — all of whom are allies of Rajoub.And that is likely to be the most significant outcome of these elections within the framework of the seventh Fatah Congress – Rajoub’s camp is strengthening and he is the leading candidate for the position of general-secretary of the top decision-making Central Committee, which positions him as number two in the party and a possible successor to Abbas.Rajoub’s biggest opponent in these elections, Tawfik Tirawi, was also chosen for the Central Committee, but few of his supporters made it on the list. Only Yasser Arafat’s nephew Nasser al-Kidwa — also considered a possible successor — made the cut, according to reports.Rajoub can’t celebrate, however. The Central Committee, which chooses the general-secretary, will be supplemented by another four members appointed by Abbas, and in light of the enormous power the Palestinian leader wields, they are expected to receive the approval of the Fatah leadership. And then, it seems, Abbas will try to appoint top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat to the position of secretary-general.Nonetheless, even before the results for the Fatah leadership elections came in, and even before the Saturday vote, one victor could be identified: Abbas himself, the leader of the Palestinian Authority and chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization.Although Abbas’s status on the Palestinian street is more troubled than ever, and although surveys in the West Bank attest to a decline in his support, in the battle for Fatah and its leadership, Abbas can declare a big victory. The PA president managed to make the general congress happen, in the shadow of a possible split within Fatah, and despite the stubborn efforts by his opponents, led by former Gaza strongman Mohammad Dahlan, to prevent the event from taking place.Abbas did this while all the moderate Arab states, and especially Egypt, turned their backs on him and threw their support behind reconciliation with Dahlan, who lives in exile in Dubai. Despite these obstacles, Abbas emerges from this conference as an unassailable leader of Fatah, while his rival Dahlan and dozens of Dahlan’s cronies find themselves out of the party ranks, without any signs of a return in the near future.Some 1,400 members of Fatah — from all over the world — who were accompanied by 65 international delegations from 28 different countries, and 350 members of Fatah in the Gaza Strip, took part in the congress with the knowledge and understanding that, above all, they were attending as a display of faith in Abbas. They welcomed a national economic plan – with no new components – that he wanted to pass, they lined up behind his every decision and statement, and they were forced to listen to him address conference attendees for more than three hours.They even adopted his idea of bestowing “honorary membership” in the Central Committee — the senior leadership body of the party which saw some of its most bitter battles centered on its membership — to three Fatah veterans. It was an unprecedented decision, and it is still unclear if it will afford the three the right to vote or not, depending on whom you ask.And still, it is hard to say how this victory for Abbas in Fatah will affect his standing in the general Palestinian public. On the street, it must be said, the Fatah leadership is seen as an anachronistic body with almost no youth representation or new faces. Even Dahlan’s temporary setback does not rule out a possible split in the party or the loss of Fatah legitimacy, especially in the Gaza Strip. In other words, in the long term, it is not clear how much this victory will impact Abbas, especially when the power struggles within Fatah persist.Rajoub vs. Tirawi-At the convention, two central camps emerged: Rajoub’s camp and that of his long-time rival Tawfik Tirawi.The rivalry between the two is hardly surprising. The bad blood began to flow between them sometime in the 1990s when Yasser Arafat appointed Rajoub as head of preventative security in the West Bank and Tarawi as the head of general intelligence.In practice, both of them had the same role and they competed to be close to Arafat. That rivalry led to sometime violent confrontations and even during the Second Intifada, it was one of the reasons for the increase in terror attacks against Israel.At the Fatah Congress, although there were no violent clashes between the two men. Everyone in the room in Ramallah knew that, behind the scenes, battle lines, or hit lists, were being drawn up. Both want to be appointed the secretary-general of the Central Committee, effectively the Fatah number two, and thus a possible successor to the president.There are those who say that the division between the camps revolves around Abbas’s biggest opponent – Dahlan. While Rajoub took a very confrontational line against Dahlan due to old grievances between them, Tirawi and al-Kidwa haven’t forcefully condemned him.Between these two camps there is also a sort of “mini-camp” — that of Marwan Barghouti’s supporters, who apparently didn’t succeed in these elections. His confidants, such as Qadura Fares, were left out of the Central Committee.Meanwhile, Abbas has the option to appoint those four additional members to the Central Committee with no connection to the outcome of the election. He needs the approval of the Central Committee members and the legislative Revolutionary Council, but considering his position in the party he is expected to gain sweeping support for any candidate he puts forward.Abbas wants to see Tayeb Abdel Rahim, currently secretary-general of the Palestinian Authority, appointed to the Central Committee and it seems that after the vote and the results, he will push for the appointment of his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh and the commander of the general intelligence Majid Faraj, who helped him prepare the convention.But perhaps the biggest news emerging from the seventh congress of Fatah is that in ended without any major news. Fatah remains the same Fatah.

Most Democrats consider Israel ‘a burden’ on US, has too much influence on policy, poll claims-Brookings Institution survey also asserts growing American support for punitive measures against Israel over settlements, and a plurality backing pressure by Obama on Israel at UN-By Times of Israel staff December 3, 2016, 12:37 am

Most Democrats consider Israel to be a burden to the United States, according to the published findings of a poll released by the Brookings Institution on Friday.The survey found a clear majority of Americans (76%) said Israel was “a strategic asset” to the US, its authors said. At the same time, they said, “a majority of Democrats, 55%, say that Israel is also a burden”; among Republicans, 24% consider Israel a burden. Fifty-two percent of Independents do not consider Israel a burden and 41% think it is.The findings were among the results of twin surveys conducted by the think tank’s Shibley Telhami before and after the November 8 presidential elections.Overall, “slightly more than half of Americans (54%) disagree with the concept of Israel being a burden to the US as Israel’s actions in the region generate hostility toward the United States in Arab and Muslim-majority countries whereas 40% of Americans feel this way,” the survey’s authors said.The full questions respondents were asked on these issues ran as follows: “Generally speaking, how much do you agree or disagree with the following statements on the U.S.-Israeli relationship? Israel is an important ally to the United States as it provides essential military and intelligence cooperation and plays a regional role that’s helpful to American interests.” And, “Generally speaking, how much do you agree or disagree with the following statements on the U.S.-Israeli relationship? Israel is a burden to the U.S. as Israel’s actions in the region generate hostility toward the United States in Arab and Muslim-majority countries.”The surveys also showed 55% of Democrats believe Israel has too much influence on American politics and policies, while 54% of Republicans think Israel has the “right level” of influence.The surveys also found that the percentage of Americans supporting sanctions against Israel over its settlement policy grew by 9 percent over the past year and now stands at 46%.Support for punitive measures against Israel over the issue has increased among members of both major parties: 60% of Democrats and 31% of Republicans back economic sanctions and more serious action, compared to 49% and 26% in November 2015.The surveys showed that 46% of Americans would support action by President Barack Obama at the UN designed to pressure Israel over stalled peace negotiations with the Palestinians. Only 27% would oppose such a move, while 25% were neither for or against such a measure.On Thursday US officials said Obama has nearly ruled out any such last-ditch effort, which would have been perceived as constraining Israel’s negotiating hand while strengthening the Palestinians’ argument on the world stage.Meanwhile the gap between Democrats and Republicans continues to widen on the question of American support for a potential UN resolution endorsing Palestinian statehood. Democratic support for such action stands at 51% (up from 39% last year) while Republican opposition has increased to 51% (up from 43% last year). Overall 31% of respondents said the US should oppose such a UN resolution while 34% would support it, and 32% backed abstention.While a majority of Americans (57%) said they would like President-elect Donald Trump to be an impartial mediator between Israel and the Palestinians, 57% also said they believed Trump would lean towards Israel in any negotiations.The polls were conducted between October 5-14 and November 18-23, 2016. They involved 2,570 respondents and had margins of error of 2.5%-3.04%.